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Jurgen Klopp established a love affair with the Borussia Dortmund fans during his time at the club, but his old flame could become his nemesis in his pursuit to bring Timo Werner to Liverpool. 

Klopp will enjoy a perennial legendary status at Signal Iduna Park after his seven-year stint with Dortmund. 318 fixtures and two Bundesliga titles later, Klopp left Dortmund for Liverpool boasting a brilliant average of 1.9 points per game. He may have failed in his bid to win the Champions League but his achievements with Dortmund will forever resonate with the supporters who worshipped him during his time at the club.

Three and a half years after leaving Germany for Liverpool, Klopp is staring down the barrel of achieving legendary status among a second set of supporters. The Premier League title is Liverpool’s to lose at this moment in time, but defeat against Manchester City last Thursday has taken the sting out of their challenge somewhat.

With the January window open for business once again, the Reds have an opportunity to strengthen the squad ahead of the title run in, but recent reports from Abendzeitung and various other publications have suggested Liverpool are interested in signing Timo Werner – a club the Germany international has specifically identified as a dream to play for, according to the report.

However, as reported by Bild, Dortmund are set to challenge both Liverpool and Tottenham for his signature, with Christian Pulisic’s departure serving to intensify their interest.

That Werner has emerged as one of the most wanted strikers in European football is far from surprising. The 22-year-old has scored a whopping 55 goals and provided 20 assists from 98 appearances since arriving at RB Leipzig, terrifying defenders with his blistering speed and ominous potency in the 18-yard-box.

On paper, Werner is a perfect fit for Klopp’s ruthless style of football as his dynamism and quality on the counter-attack would supplement the likes of Mo Salah and Sadio Mane, but Dortmund could yet deprive him of securing a dream signing.

The opportunity of joining one of Germany’s top clubs will naturally appeal to Werner as he weighs up his next career move, and with a place at the spearhead of Lucien Favre’s attack seemingly up for grabs there is reason to suggest he would opt to remain in the Bundesliga rather than take on Roberto Firmino for a starting berth at Anfield.

If Werner fails to extend his contract with Leipzig by the summer, there is no question he will be in huge demand, and the club which Klopp holds dearly in his heart – and vice versa – could come back to haunt him by winning the race for his signature.

Liverpool fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

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Nottingham Forest announced the departure of manager Aitor Karanka on Friday morning, and there could be major ramifications for Rangers as a result.

What’s the word, then?

Well, despite being just outside of the Championship play-off positions heading into the weekend the Spaniard has been under pressure for a number of weeks now, and he asked to be released from his contract on Friday.

The 45-year-old sent Joe Worrall out on a season-long loan deal to Rangers during the summer transfer window having seemingly been left unimpressed with the 22-year-old, who had made 56 appearances for the Reds prior to his temporary move away.

Given he is only on loan, whoever Forest’s new boss is may well want to take a look at promising centre-back, who looks to have just reached a crucial point under Steven Gerrard north of the border.

What’s happened?

The 6ft 4in defender hasn’t always been a regular in the starting XI for the Glasgow giants this term and despite forming a strong partnership with Conor Goldson earlier in the campaign, he had largely shared the role with Nikola Katic and Gareth McAuley since.

However, Worrall has been more of a consistent fixture in the side in more recent weeks in the Scottish Premiership, and Gerrard proved the trust he has in the youngster by naming him from the start for the crucial Old Firm clash against Celtic at Ibrox before the winter break.

The 22-year-old stood up to the task brilliantly to help the hosts to a win and a clean sheet against Brendan Rodgers’ side, and one moment in particular stood out when he executed a perfect slide tackle on the Bhoys’ Anthony Ralston.

Losing him before February 1 would surely be a big blow for Gerrard and Rangers, but it could well be on the cards under a new manager given Forest don’t have a great deal of depth in that position right now.

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Liverpool continued their incredible defensive record with an impressive victory at Brighton on Saturday, and the performance of Fabinho could have huge impacts on the rest of the squad.

The Chalkboard

Liverpool scraped past a very well-organised Brighton side on Saturday afternoon, winning 1-0 courtesy of a Mohamed Salah penalty.

The Egyptian international was brought down by Pascal Gross before smashing home the spot kick himself, and the Reds became the first visiting team to get a clean sheet at the Amex Stadium since March.

This is even more impressive considering the injuries to several of Jurgen Klopp’s defenders, as Fabinho was forced to start at centre back alongside Virgil van Dijk.

However, the Brazilian international was so adept in his new position that he may well move ahead of Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip in the pecking order.

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No more Lovren?

Lovren picked up a hamstring injury at Wolves on Monday night, but the Croatian international has already completed his cycle of one month of good form before a catastrophic display, a display that just happened to come in the biggest game of the season.

This type of inconsistency and unreliability is the last thing Klopp needs if the Reds are going to be grinding out results down the stretch, which is why Fabinho’s calm and skilled presence at the back may actually be preferred until Joe Gomez is fit.

The 25 year-old ex-Monaco star won four aerial duels (second only to van Dijk), made five clearances and also completed 86 per cent of his passes at Brighton, and his ability to find progressive passes and stay calm under pressure is a far cry from the sometimes-manic style of Lovren.

Good news for Keita?

Of course, Fabinho filling in at centre back until Gomez returns from a fractured leg opens up another spot in midfield.

Klopp usually opts for his tried and tested trio of Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Georginio Wijnaldum in big games, and with the impressive form of Fabinho and Xherdan Shaqiri there has been almost no room for Naby Keita.

The Guinean international was perhaps the summer signing fans were most excited about, but so far has been the least effective.

The 23 year-old may now get his chance to impress down the stretch, and fans will be praying he takes it.

So, Liverpool fans, with Matip back in the matchday squad on Saturday who would you start at centre back next weekend? Let us know your thoughts by voting in the poll below…

According to a recent report from Le Parisien, Idrissa Gueye could be set for a move away from Everton this month. The 29-year-old made the move to the blue half of Merseyside back in the summer of 2016 following Aston Villa’s relegation from the Premier League, and he has since made the midfield spot his own at Goodison Park to become a hugely integral member of the Toffees squad.

Yet reports suggest that French giants Paris Saint-Germain are eyeing up a move for the midfielder with a deal reportedly very possible this month, and Marco Silva’s men simply have to be prepared for Gueye’s potential exit by launching a January move for fellow midfielder Wilfred Ndidi, currently at Premier League rivals Leicester City.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, there is little doubting that Gueye has been something of a revelation since signing for Everton back in 2016, as while he suffered the heartbreak of relegation with Villa the season before, he showed enough during his time at Villa Park to suggest that he was a hugely accomplished Premier League midfielder.

And he has taken that into his time at Goodison Park with 94 appearances in all competitions for the Toffees, comfortably becoming the side’s number one central midfielder with appearances in all but three of their 23 Premier League matches this term, adding to the 66 appearances he made over the course of their previous two league campaigns.

As such, losing the combative and tenacious 29-year-old would without doubt be a huge loss to an Everton side already facing questions in the middle of the park such have been the struggles of Morgan Schneiderlin, Tom Davies, and James McCarthy, which is why the Toffees simply have to be prepared for his exit by moving in the January window, with Leicester’s Ndidi the man to go for.

The 22-year-old, valued at £31.5 million by Transfermarkt, only made the move to the King Power Stadium back in January 2017 as the Foxes sought a replacement for N’Golo Kante in the middle of the park, and Ndidi has certainly done his utmost to minimise the impact of the Frenchman’s departure with several impressive displays in the centre of the pitch.

In fact, the Nigeria international has started all but one of their 23 Premier League matches this term to underline his importance to manager Claude Puel, with the midfielder having already appeared 86 times for the Foxes in little over two years at the club – clearly, he is a vital part of the squad at the King Power Stadium.

And no wonder given Ndidi has everything required to be a very successful midfielder at Premier League level, with few better than the 22-year-old when it comes to tackling and interceptions, while he has also improved his ability on the ball this term to show genuine quality in possession and when it comes to passing.

Ultimately, there’s a reason the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester United have expressed an interest in Ndidi in recent times, and that’s because, at the tender age of 22, the midfielder has an extremely bright future ahead of him, but also has what it takes to deliver the goods in the present, having done so for Leicester in years gone by.

And in an Everton midfield that could be without Gueye come the end of the month, he would be the ideal replacement – in terms of combativeness but also ability on the ball, there isn’t much to choose between the duo.

And that is why the Toffees must be prepared for Gueye’s departure this month by launching a January raid on Leicester for 22-year-old Ndidi.

Everton fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Even the most optimistic of Tottenham fans would be pushing it to expect a deadline day before the close of play today, with murmurs emerging from the club strongly hinting that the long-term strategy will take precedence over knee-jerk, short-term thinking. 

The end of the transfer window is looming on the imminent horizon and Tottenham look set to go back-to-back windows without making a single new addition to their squad.

Reports linking the club with a handful of talented players have run rife this month but nothing by way of a formal bid appears to have been lodged for a rumoured target.

It seems clear that the stadium move and the need to offload a handful of players deemed surplus to requirements is dictating their activity, but a recent report from football.london appears to suggest that this short-term phenomenon should become a thing of the past in the summer.

The report claims that Spurs are monitoring the development of Jarrod Bowen, Max Aarons, Jack Clarke, Che Adams and Luca Connell, all of which are young English players under the age of 22, with Adams and Bowen representing the oldest of the bunch.

Clearly, Levy and Pochettino have devised a long-term strategy which is well aligned with the club’s identity and current philosophy. The Argentine has made no secret of his desire to trust in young players, and the fact Spurs are targeting five of the Championship’s most promising talents is far from surprising.

Supporters may well feel frustrated by the club’s refusal to spend money once again this month, but it must be considered that the short-term suffering will merely represent an anomalous blip in their history as they prepare to undergo a transition both on and off the field.

Once they have freed up their wage budget by offloading the likes of Georges-Kevin N’Koudou, Vincent Janssen and Fernando Llorente, Levy will be in a strong position to assess Tottenham’s financial capabilities and make accurate judgements on exactly the type of players they need to bolster the squad.

Bringing in some of the most talented players the Championship has to offer, such as Clarke and Bowen, will give Pochettino some of the tools he needs to lay the foundations for a glowing future.

Naturally, Spurs will also need to enter the market for experienced players to ensure the club are well prepared to remain strong in the event that Christian Eriksen and Toby Alderweireld follow Mousa Dembele out the exit door.

It’s a tempestuous time in north London right now both on and off the field, but the long-term transfer strategy which has been put in place should guarantee the arrival of an influx of precocious homegrown players ahead of the first full season at the new White Hart Lane.

Tottenham fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

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Loads of Leeds fans have been reacting to a pretty worrying update from Marcelo Bielsa, who has revealed that three key players could miss the trip to Middlesbrough.

Leeds have had woeful luck with injuries this season, and it looks like it’s going to get worse before it gets better.

As reported by Phil Hay of The Yorkshire Evening Post, Bielsa said Adam Forshaw, Mateusz Klich and Pablo Hernandez are all doubts for Saturday’s big match.

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The Whites are still reeling from last weekend’s 3-1 defeat to Norwich, and a trip to the Riverside without three starters will be extremely difficult.

While Forshaw was perhaps in line to lose his place anyway after a poor display against Norwich, losing Klich and Hernandez would completely kill the Whites’ creativity from midfield.

Tony Pulis’ side have conceded just 22 goals in 29 league games this season, the least in the division, and fans are fearing the worst about taking on an extremely physical Boro side without their best midfielders.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

[ad_pod ]With all the attacking talent at Roy Hodgson’s disposal, Crystal Palace somehow find themselves reliant on a player slightly further back on the field of play to ensure that their forward play ticks, and that their star player in Wilfried Zaha is as effective as can be.

Who makes them tick?

Hodgson has Zaha, Andros Townsend, Michy Batshuayi, Max Meyer and Christian Benteke at his disposal, but it is the Dutch international Patrick van Aanholt who intriguingly knits the play together in the final third, and is pivotal to helping Zaha in particular make the most of his time on the ball.

The former Chelsea man is admittedly suspect defensively, and can be culpable for giving the ball away and making promising attacks break down with silly pot-shots, but his consistent overlapping and movement is unique for a full-back.

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In doing that, van Aanholt takes the extra man who the opposition have selected to double up on Zaha out of the game, and if that man doesn’t track his overlap, then the Ivorian can play his Dutch teammate in the clear where a simple ball across can lead to a goal.

Defensive liability?Â

With these constant overlaps, van Aanholt does leave his fellow defenders isolated at the back, and it must also be said that Jeffrey Schlupp is a far more disciplined option at left-back in terms of positional play, albeit less attack-minded.

Hodgson could solve this imbalance by playing the Ghanaian there in away games where the opposition is likely to see the bulk of the ball, and save the 28-year-old exclusively for home games where Palace have often struggled to break the opposition down and put the ball in the net.

It could even be this fact, in which van Aanholt plays 90 minutes every week, that sees him reluctant to get forward sometimes through fatigue, which in turn leaves Zaha doubled up on and lacking space to work his magic.

Marcelo Bielsa has changed a great deal in the 18 months he has been at Leeds, transforming them into a formidable, promotion-challenging team.

Although he has installed a passing philosophy which is easy on the eye and allows his side to dominate matches, it is the defensive aspect of their game which really puts them in a strong position for promotion.

They have now conceded just ten goals in 21 league games, or 0.48 goals per game, a stat which has left many fans impressed, and some believe it is all down to the Argentine in charge.

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Bielsa is rightly credited for the results Leeds have produced, not just for his tactics but for the way he brings out the best in his players, which has been reflected by several defenders throughout the season.

He has uncovered a gem in Ben White, who has been linked with Manchester United and Liverpool to play alongside Liam Cooper, but Luke Ayling and Gaetano Berardi have shown against Huddersfield and Hull in the previous two matches that they are also up there as valuable figures.

If they offer that quality on a consistent basis then the Whites should be able to sustain a promotion push even if first-team players become unavailable, and fans certainly believe that the strong defence provides such foundations.

The defensive improvement under Bielsa is some achievement, and as long as he gets his players to perform above their usual levels, like Stuart Dallas for example, then this time around Leeds should be able to produce winning results throughout.

They slipped up towards the end of last season but they seem to have learnt from the experience and added to their game, and that has satisfied many fans.

Leeds have kept clean sheets in four consecutive matches now despite missing players like Liam Cooper and Kalvin Phillips in some, due in part to one man stepping up and proving his worth.

Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon was a guest on the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast and he talked about Paul Pogba. The ex-Blanco stated that it would be a mistake to offer Gareth Bale in a swap deal to land the Frenchman, as he is irreplaceable for Real.

What did he say, then?

Pogba has already been linked with the exit door in the last couple of months. Even TalkSPORT themselves stated that he would never play for Manchester United ever again and currently, the French superstar is still out injured.

But Calderon points out that there were indeed rumours stating Pogba could even be a part of some kind of a swap deal with Real and the names of Vinicius Junior and Bale have been thrown around as potential makeweights.

The former president, however, believes sacrificing the Welshman would be a big mistake.

Here’s what he said, as quoted by TalkSPORT:

“They are talking here about a swap – Bale or James [Rodriguez] for Pogba. But I think they are only rumours. It is true Zidane is looking for having Pogba; for a long time he has said that publicly.

“But I think it would be a mistake, especially to let Bale go.

“If he is fit and motivated, I think he is irreplaceable for us.”

Dead wrong

Unfortunately, Calderon has got this backwards – a potential swap deal could actually suit all parties involved pretty well.

It’s rather simple when you think about it – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has finally managed to establish a midfield without the coveted Frenchman, with Fred and Scott McTominay recently receiving praise from Gary Neville for their performances as an engine room partnership.

Pogba – for all his glorious qualities – has caused copious problems during his time at United, including bust-ups with Jose Mourinho and hinting that his future lay elsewhere during the summer.

This potential swap deal would end the whole Pogba saga and give United some much-needed quality out wide.

He’s a football superstar, but how much do you really know about Paul Pogba? Test your knowledge below…

Daniel James and Anthony Martial are not really firing on all cylinders with only seven goals between them in the Premier League, albeit the Welshman is still learning the ropes at Old Trafford, and Bale would represent that benchmark name and provide them with some proven quality at the same time.

As for Zinedine Zidane, he would finally get his wish as we all know about his obsession with the French midfielder.

Even during the summer, Pogba was the only viable option for Los Blancos because their gaffer insisted on it and it seems that he hasn’t really changed his mind.

Calderon does get one thing right, however, and that’s the fact that Bale certainly can be good “if he is fit and motivated”. And at the moment, he seems to be neither of those things.

Sure, he’s not injured as we speak but has already missed a total of seven games due to fitness issues in 2019/20 and not to mention that his motivation is largely questionable.

The incident with the Welsh flag first comes to mind when Bale was seen celebrating with a flag that stated: “Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order”, resulting in a bombardment of whistles and general disliking of the fans in the following games.

Clearly, neither player is 100% happy at their current club and a swap deal represents a chance for everybody to escape their respective situations without losing face.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid hijacking one other Man United target would be bad news for Martin Odegaard…

According to Telefoot, via Maxifoot, Everton defender Lucas Digne had been convinced about the Lyon project with the Ligue 1 side targeting him, but it appears as though the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti at Goodison Park could change things.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Telefoot, via Maxifoot, report that the Toffees full-back and Atletico Madrid attacker Thomas Lemar were both keen on joining Lyon during the January transfer window, but the recent change of manager at L4 may well have altered things.

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Telefoot now report that the arrival of the experienced Italian on Merseyside will not only change the thoughts of the player, but it will also mean that Everton are even less likely to let the France international go anytime soon.

Indeed, Football Insider reported last week that the 60-year-old sought assurances that he could build his newly-inherited squad around the Frenchman and Richarlison before agreeing to become Marco Silva’s successor.

The Ancelotti effect in full swing

It certainly wouldn’t have been too surprising if Digne had been keen on a move back to his home country, especially with Everton finding themselves in a relegation battle under Silva rather than competing at the right end of the Premier League table.

There is no doubt that the appointment of the Italian, who has won the Champions League on three occasions as well as top flight titles in England, Italy, Germany and France, as per Transfermarkt, is a game-changer.

If true, Digne should be buoyed by the fact that a coach like Ancelotti sees him as a player he wants to build his side around as he looks to take the Toffees forward, and the 26-year-old has all of the ingredients to make a big difference in one of his sides.

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Five goals and nine assists in 58 outings from left-back in a blue shirt so far prove what he is capable of, and his potential partnership with Richarlison down the left could be pivotal to their success.

In other Everton news, a 27-year-old star may have already ensured he is Carlo Ancelotti’s first summer signing…