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It seems that with every passing day some more negative Liverpool news comes to light. Be it the Steven Gerrard contract saga, Mario Balotelli’s woeful form or Brendan Rodgers’ future, there is always something to worry about for Reds fans… aside from their side’s ailing performances on the pitch.

And now the future of Raheem Sterling is further in the dark, with Bayern Munich the latest European juggernaut to be aligned with the youngster. The England international’s contract negotiations seem to be moving as slowly as Rickie Lambert’s legs at the moment, so the possibility of the starlet leaving Merseyside is a genuine one, which is a MASSIVE worry for all who love the club.

Although Liverpool want to keep their man, does staying actually make sense for the player? We’re not entirely sure it does, and here are FIVE reasons why…

Has the chance to be a true great

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Sterling has the chance to be one of English football’s very best players. The 20-year-old already has 100 Liverpool appearances under his belt and is considered to be one of the Three Lions’ key players, with 13 caps to his name. It’s rare for players tipped to go to the very top at a young age to reach their predicted heights – just look at Freddy Adu – but the former QPR ace, who rose to prominence in his early teenage years, looks to be on course to live up to the billing.

Can he match his ambitions at Liverpool, though? It’s a tricky one to judge, but with the Reds by no means established at the top end of the Premier League, there’s a chance that the ceiling at Anfield may be lower than his talent deserves to reach.

More money

Okay, this one won’t be too popular with football fans, but Sterling could easily earn more money away from Anfield. A £70,000-per-week contract offer is believed to have been snubbed by the youngster, who is clearly aware that bigger clubs have more cash to burn. In fairness we can see where he’s coming from, with Ashley Young, by no means a top star anymore, earning in the region of £120,000-per-week at Man United.

Massive teams are interested in Sterling, which could prompt a bidding war should he look to make a move away from Anfield.

Big teams interested

The last point leads neatly into the fact that huge clubs are chasing Sterling. Bayern Munich are the latest giant of the game to be linked with the starlet, while Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester City are also names to have been thrown into the mix. If you look at this bunch, they are all competing for domestic and European honours on a regular basis, and are – granted the Reds are a popular club – some of the most followed and loved sides on the planet.

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Liverpool cannot challenge regularly for top honours

Again edging on from the last point, Liverpool cannot offer regular challenges for silverware. Since Brendan Rodgers’ appointment as manager, the Merseyside outfit have not won a major trophy, and have, in truth, not really been that close – albeit they finished second in the league last season. The return to the Champions League this term illustrated just how far adrift of the true giants Liverpool are, with one the embarrassing double header against Real Madrid a genuine concern.

Sinking ship…

It may be a little early to completely write Liverpool off, but the signs are not great. From last season’s euphoric highs, the Reds are struggling on a weekly basis, and appear to be some way from the swashbuckling force they were just a matter of months ago. Add in the fact that Rodgers is under pressure and inspirational captain Steven Gerrard may either move away from Anfield or decline further due to his advancing years, and there are real causes to be worried. Sterling can escape the uncertainty with a move, and few could blame him for doing so.

The Capital One Cup has been a fantastic competition so far this season, with some of the highest scoring games in years featuring all within the first few months of the competition. But it’s not just the quantity of goals that has been astounding; it’s also the high quality of said goals that has had many crowing about how great the League Cup is as an English competition.

Here, I’ve put together my top 10 goals in the Capital One Cup so far this season. With the amount of high-scoring games we’ve had so far this season, I wouldn’t be surprised if this list is completely different come the end of the competition in February. However, for now, these are my favourite strikes of the competition.

Click on Liverpool’s Nuri Sahin to see the best goals of the Capital One Cup so far

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Wolverhampton Wanderers have a massive weekend coming up in the English Championship.

Win away to third placed Aston Villa on Saturday and they’ll moved 13 points clear of Steve Bruce’s side with just 10 games remaining, virtually assuring automatic promotion to the English Premier League, barring complete collapse.

Importantly for Nuno Espirito Santo and his side, they overcame a three-match winless streak on Wednesday night, winning 3-0 away to Leeds United.

At the heart of that performance was defender Willy Boly, who again produced a stellar display from their defensive line, even getting on the scoresheet for only the third time this season.

The Frenchman has been a huge success story on loan from Porto and fans are now hoping they can sign him permanently in the summer, some even saying that he is one of the best defenders they’ve ever seen at the club.

They took to Twitter to share their thoughts on his recent form…

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The majority of the Premier League appears to overlook the Championship as a viable recruitment pool, often favouring talents from foreign top flights.

But breaking the mould, West Ham added two Championship starlets to their roster last summer – former Charlton youngster Diego Poyet and left-back Aaron Cresswell, who’s since featured in every minute of the Hammer’s league campaign.

Thus, and knowing that Sam Allardyce likes to beat the curve on all things transfer market, here’s FIVE Championship stars the Irons boss should be keeping an eye on, with the summer 2015 transfer window in mind.

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ALEX PRITCHARD

Technically not a Championship player but certainly one worth keeping an eye on, Tottenham Hotspur loanee Alex Pritchard has featured in every league fixture for a Brentford side that’s hugely surpassed expectations by making the playoff standings – winning seven of their last 13 – since promotion from League One last season.

And the stats say it all. Not only is the central midfielder the Bees’ joint-second top scorer with three goals – including this strike against Reading:

…he’s also created more chances (documented as key passes) than any player in the squad:

The 21 year-old comes with guile, technical quality and flair, particularly famed for his dead ball ability – such as this stunner against MK Dons last season:

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But Pritchard knows how to put his foot in too, averaging 1.9 tackles per match this season.

And that productive form for Brentford follows an impressive loan spell with Swindon Town in League One last season, where he grabbed eight goals (six in the league) and eleven assists in 44 appearances across all competitions. Here’s a look at the England U21 in action:

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Measuring in at just 5 foot 8, Pritchard lacks the physicality of your average top flight midfielder. But his progress over the last 18 months is impossible to ignore, and should he find first team opportunities limited at White Hart Lane next season, West Ham would be wise to take the playmaking youngster off Tottenham’s hands.

BEN MARSHALL

Blackburn are determined to make it back to the top flight this season and a significant factor in their promotion push will be the form of goal-scoring winger Ben Marshall.

Indeed, the 23 year-old has bagged six goals and three assists in 16 Championship outings this season, with manager Gary Bowyer describing his finishing as ‘Premier League quality’. Take this stunning free kick against Reading for example:

Or this likeminded effort against Chelsea from his Leicester City days:

Or this cracking volley that was unfortunately disallowed:

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The one-time Stoke City product certainly knows where the goal is – and not only from dead ball situations – but he’s also a grafter with a bullish 6 foot frame, averaging 1.6 tackles and 1.1 interceptions this season and even putting in three appearances at right-back.

Blackburn will likely be involved in the play-offs come May-time; they possess one of the strongest squads in the division and are currently just one point away from the top six.

But should they fail to achieve promotion, top flight clubs will feel compelled to run the rule over the former England U21, purely due to his talismanic ability to affect the scoreline from midfield.

MICHAIL ANTONIO

Michail Antonio has proved an inspired addition since joining the Nottingham Forest ranks from Sheffield Wednesday last summer.

The 24 year-old has claimed nine goals and six assists in 17 appearances this season, making him in some way responsible for 58% of Forest’s league goals. That includes this impressive solo effort against Watford:

The former non-leaguer, with Tooting and Mitcham United, boasts an interesting versatility too, being capable of adopting virtually any role in midfield or attack, as shown below:

He comes with that grittiness and extra edge that often accompanies players who’ve forced their way up the English pyramid, such as Charlie Austin and Rickie Lambert. Here’s a look at Antonio in action for Sheffield Wednesday:

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Antonio’s form appears to improve with his surroundings, suggesting he could quickly take to the top flight.

Forest will be reluctant to sell however even if they don’t achieve promotion this season, having signed the London-born winger for £1.5million last summer.

CHRIS SOLLY

There are certainly better-rounded right-backs in the Championship but Charlton Athletic’s Chris Solly does the simple things well.

In addition to amassing two assists for the in-form Addicks this season – currently just a point from the play-off places – he’s averaged the most tackles of any player in the Championship:

The 23 year-old comes with a decent amount of experience too, having made 136 league outings for Charlton since his debut in 2009. He’s also won the Player of the Year award twice, in 2012 and 2013, which tells you how highly-rated he is around the Valley.

The former England U17 measures in at just 5 foot 8 and sometimes struggles going forward. But defensively, he’s one of the best in the division, with a fantastic reading of the game and a never-say-die attitude.

Solly’s just come back from a near-season-long absence too, so by the end of the campaign those limitations in attack may diminish as the full-back’s confidence and fitness improves. And a small treat for your footballing senses – the best league goal Solly’s ever scored (out of two, ever):

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West Ham were strongly linked to the Charlton academy product in summer 2012, and it could be worth reviving their interest next summer if Arsenal loanee Carl Jenkinson doesn’t become a permanent signing at Upton Park.

CALLUM WILSON

After netting 21 goals in his final 37 league appearances at Coventry City, earning him a spot in the League One Team of the Year, Championship free-spenders Bournemouth splashed out £2million on young striker Callum Wilson this summer.

He’s already paying them back however, netting nine times in 17 appearances to become the Championship’s fifth-top scorer:

That includes this close-range finish to an impressive 31-pass move from Eddie Howe’s side:

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The 22 year-old is strong and quick and comes with that selfish streak which appears to accompany prolific goal-scorers.

Wilson’s impressive tally this term has been a major factor in Bournemouth’s shock rise to second in the Championship table, seeing him win the division’s Player of the Month award for October. He also earned the League One Player of the Month award last March for netting an incredible seven times:

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The Cherries are unlikely to remain in second-spot come May-time however, suggesting Wilson could be lured away.

But, having only gained Championship exposure this season, West Ham might want to wait for further, long-term evidence of the 5 foot 11 striker’s goalscoring credentials.

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The FA have fined Liverpool midfielder Suso £10,000 for calling team-mate Jose Enrique “gay” on social networking site Twitter, The Guardian reports.

The young midfielder has apologised after being fined and warned of his future conduct by the football authorities following the incident which took place last month.

The comment was made when Suso posted up a picture of defender Enrique having his teeth whitened, writing ” What f— is he doing? This guy is gay … he does everything except play football.”

He then deleted the tweet and uploaded the photo again with a different comment, instead saying “I dunno what to say …”

The FA however still took action on Tuesday after deeming the comments as homophobic, and issued Suso with a fine and a warning of his future conduct.

This lead to an apology from the young Spaniard on his Twitter page which read:

“I’m very sorry if anyone has been offended by my comments about the photo of my team-mate Jose Enrique.

“It was only a joke between the two of us. I realise that my words were unfortunate and it was not my intention to offend anyone. I apologise again if anyone was offended.”

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Enrique was also quick to defend his compatriot and took to the social networking site to say, “Is amazing how FA can fine my friend Suso Fernandez for a banter thing. Was just a joke!”

On the plus side for 19-year-old Suso, he has enjoyed more first team opportunities under manager Brendan Rodgers, making 13 appearances so far this season.

Former Chelsea midfielder Dennis Wise is the latest pundit to give an opinion on the situation surrounding Arsenal.

The North London outfit have come under intense criticism over the last few weeks due to a handful of unsavoury results.

Arsene Wenger’s men were comfortably beaten in the Carabao Cup final by Manchester City, who eased to a 3-0 victory at Wembley.

A few days later, the Gunners took on Pep Guardiola’s side again, but this time in a Premier League clash at the Emirates.

The team lost by the same scoreline and they dropped further in the race for top four at the weekend due to a 2-1 loss to Brighton at the Amex Stadium.

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If the season ended today, then Wenger’s team would miss out on the Champions League for the second campaign in a row as they are 13 points off the target, which would pile even more pressure on the manager’s shoulders.

Wise thinks that the problems extend beyond the coaching staff, and while speaking on Sky Sports, the former midfielder questioned the mentality of the players.

“Look at their team and the position that they’re in, I think defensively they struggle, I think they haven’t got too many leaders and I don’t think they have men at the moment that can get a grip of the group and bring it all together.”

In the last eight years, Arsenal have sold three of their last four captains to Barcelona. Thomas Vermaelen’s transfer marks the latest in a long line of movers from the Emirates Stadium to the Camp Nou.

But unlike the last captain to make this particular switch, there has been no ill feeling among Arsenal supporters, predominantly because Vermaelen isn’t the player he once was, and, considering the partnership of Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny, was entirely expendable.

Once again Arsene Wenger has moved on a once-important player at the right time. Vermaelen is 28, has been out of the Arsenal first team for well over a year and has a history of injury troubles that could further hamper his efforts to regain his best form. Cesc Fabregas he is not; Vermaelen can no longer be truly considered at the peak of his powers.

And Barcelona aren’t up in arms about this either. It’s an underwhelming signing on their part, going along the same path that saw them sign Jeremy Mathieu from Valencia earlier in the summer. The Frenchman, a recently converted centre-back, has been key for Valencia since moving inside from his left-back spot, but he’s 30, has no prior experience of handling the pressures that come with a club like Barcelona, and, above all, his signing doesn’t cover the club for the long term.

Instead of Vermaelen as their second centre-back addition, Barcelona were said to be chasing Mats Hummels and Jan Vertonghen, and had also been frustrated in their efforts to sign Marquinhos from Paris Saint-Germain. Vermaelen was very much at the bottom of their list of options.

But Arsene Wenger and Arsenal won’t mind. They’ve got exactly what they wanted in not having to sell domestically to Manchester United, which would have done far more damage to their reputation than Vermaelen would have done on the pitch, either directly or indirectly.

WANT MORE? >> Arsenal transfer news | Latest transfer news

In Barcelona, Arsenal have found the perfect opportunity, though also receiving a smaller fee, to move on from a player who was in decline and who very well could have been usurped as the third-choice option by Calum Chambers.

Wenger, once again, and though it hasn’t always been clear, has put the player’s best interest first while also keeping a mindful eye on his own house. Vermaelen will find a bigger role at Barcelona because, quite frankly, their central defence is far from stable, and even now with four centre-back options, plus Javier Mascherano who will move back into midfield, we don’t know who Luis Enrique’s first-choice pair will be.

Vermaelen very much has the opportunity to win himself a starting place at his new club and should also adapt well to their playing style, having been a part of similar philosophies while at Arsenal and Ajax.

And this is the best move for Arsenal too. The team’s central defensive group needed to get younger. Yes, Chambers is a long-term option, but another is needed. Kostas Manolas would make a lot of sense at 23 years of age; so too would Basel’s Fabian Schar, 22.

Barcelona, though not hitting the heights of the Luis Suarez deal, have added two experienced defenders in a period where they had to act; simply ‘getting by,’ as they had done in the past, was not an option. They’re covered now for numbers, and Vermaelen, Mathieu, Gerard Pique, and Marc Bartra should see them through the upcoming transfer ban.

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In the meantime, Arsenal have moved on a player who was unsettled and have thus allowed themselves to freshen things up. Competition will prove to be a vital ingredient in seeing the club add to their FA Cup win.

A major sale was always going to happen this summer, and moving on Vermaelen is no great loss to Arsenal.

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Fans always think they know best. I remember being a young Charlton fan surrounded by overweight forty-year-olds, during the very long ago Premier League days, shouting, cursing and blaming the great Alan Curbishley as the only reason the small club from south London weren’t playing Champions League football. At the time it seemed ridiculous, and now it seems completely absurd.

Charlton fans always liked a good moan, but every club has a group of fans that constantly want more. The problem is that the average beer-bellied football fan has little concern for the other side of the game – the off-pitch finances, boardroom constraints and long-term implications of running a football club.

Fans aren’t as powerful as they used to be and with the influx of billionaire owners in the form of Russian oligarchs, cash-rich Sheikhs and members of the Asian upper class, the wishes of fans are often overlooked to make ruthless business decisions. But fan power should not be so readily dismissed. Fans can make or break a manager overnight, and even with the backing of the board, still have the ability to leave any member of their club to continue their career on borrowed time.

Everyone’s favourite fall-guy Steve Kean is a perfect example of that. Kean quickly became the butt of every football joke going during Blackburn’s relegation campaign last season, but what didn’t help the Scotsman is a sheer lack of support from fans. The Blackburn faithful took poorly to Kean, probably due to the fact most of what comes out of his mouth in post-match interviews is verbal diarrhoea and often a very warped view of what has just happened on the pitch, not to mention the fact Kean seemed to have very little grasp of tactics. Looking back on it, maybe they had a point. Kean’s management credentials included being in charge of Coventry reserves and…well, that’s it.

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Also he announced the “very real” prospect of signing Ronaldinho, and said about David Goodwillie: “David’s always been put on a par with a young Rooney and he can certainly score all types of goals… It’s not just nice tap-ins, he can create a goal for himself, score from outside the box, chip them in, pass them in, smash them in.” I could sum up David Goodwillie in much fewer words.

The humorous gift of Kean’s career that keeps on giving aside, Blackburn fans made Kean’s position untenable, despite starting well in the Championship this season. Flags and banners saying “get Uncle Fester out” are hardly good for a team’s morale, and pressure from fans finally took its toll on a man who appeared indestructible to constant wisecracks and criticism during his time in the Premier League. When you look at Blackburn’s squad however, did Kean, or any manager for that matter, have a chance of staying up? Apart from some fanTastic performances from Yakubu, Rovers were seriously lacking in all departments, and at least Kean was a cheaply-paid loyal lapdog.

The sacking of Roberto Di Matteo is another example. Cheeky Italian legend out, former Liverpool manager and Chelsea hate-figure in, it is understandable why the fans are annoyed. But, where would Chelsea be without Roman Abramovich? Possibly bankrupt, possibly relegated, probably rubbish and they would never have got rid of Jesper Gronkjaer. Rafa Benitez was greeted in his first home match against Manchester City with a frosty reception to say the least, but the former Liverpool boss did manage to get a point from the league champions, it is unknown whether Di Matteo would have been able to do the same. The Italian may have been a fan favourite, but from a financial point of view, the knock-out stages of the Champions League are a must for a club like Chelsea.

Unless Benitez manages to win the Champions League, the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and Strictly Come Dancing this year it is unlikely he will keep his job past the end of the season not only because Abramovich throws away his new toys almost as quickly as he signs them, but also because the Spanish scouser has minimal support from the fans.

The problem is that there are two sides to the footballing world. Even the most hardcore of fans would find it difficult to cry with joy because their club finished 14th in the Premier League and managed to avoid a relegation battle all season, but for certain clubs, can they truly expect any better? For many teams, the prospect of breaking-even probably calls for a round of champagne in the boardroom as they wipe the fear of administration off their sweaty brows.

Fans want more and they always will. Mancini and City fans continually moan that the team needs another striker, as they beg their Sheikh owners for the £48million to meet Falcao’s release clause. But they already have four top level strikers, and the club’s owners have spent over £900million since taking over. Much of the money has been wasted; Wayne Bridge, Roque Santa Cruiz for example. They should have donated it all to a Donkey Sanctuary instead of filling up the reserves.

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Football fans will never see the whole picture; they only get an hour and a half performance to judge their team on. Always wanting more is a problem. It pushes the board into rash investment, leads to the sacking of managers and the demise of footballers. But the football world is changing, and keeping a club alive financially is becoming ever-the-more important; unfortunately, watching your club is more exciting than reading through their accounts.

In my opinion, fan power is on the demise, and perhaps for the better. It’s all well and good getting into Europe, or signing a £20million striker as the fans demand progress, but in fact, most fans should be happy to have their club in the Premier League without fearing bankruptcy.

Too much expectation only adds to extra pressure. Alan Pardew said Newcastle were set for a top five finish at the start of the season, but I think he’d probably be happy with a finish above the bottom five – not that the fans would be content with that mind you.

Everton are interested in signing Atlanta United striker Josef Martinez according to US-based Spanish language newspaper, as cited by SportsWitness.

What’s the story?

The 25-year-old Venezuelan moved to Atlanta United in 2017 from Toronto and he has been on scintillating form ever since, scoring 33 goals in 38 games for the Five Stripes.

He is the current top scorer in the MLS with 14 goals this season and according to El Diario, Everton’s new boss Marco Silva is looking at potentially bringing the signing the striker who is valued at £5.85million on Transfermarkt.

Really?

This is one of the more unusual transfer rumours to surround Everton, but it does make more sense the more you think about it.

Everton’s problems up top are common knowledge, only managing to score 44 times in the Premier League last season.

Martinez clearly has an eye for goal and although moves from the MLS to the Premier League are rare, there’s no reason that he can’t continue his scoring exploits in England.

At 25, he is in his prime and Everton would certainly be paying less than they would for strikers with similar records in Europe.

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It would be a big punt but it could be one worth taking for Everton.

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Former Manchester City right-back Bacary Sagna has revealed why a proposed summer move to West Ham United broke down.

The Frenchman spent three years of his career playing at the Etihad Stadium, but he was no longer deemed important enough to keep at the end of last season.

The club opted to release the 35-year-old when his contract expired in June last year.

Sagna, who spent seven years at Arsenal before joining City in 2014, was linked to numerous clubs in the summer window, including West Ham.

No deals were forthcoming, though, and the right-back had to wait until the end of the January window to find a new club.

He put pen to paper on a deal with Italian side Benevento, and now he has spoken about his failed switch to West Ham.

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While speaking to L’Equipe, the Frenchman admitted that he still remains in the dark about why a transfer was never agreed.

Football.London translates Sagna’s comments as saying:

“I had been in contact with West Ham and Crystal Palace since March 2017. In my mind, I wanted to go home, to London, good for the family side. Overnight, they cut off the contacts, without explanation.”