Arsenal ignored past advice to appoint Luis Enrique as manager, who has now won the second Champions League title of his career.
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Liverpool are gathering information on one of Europe’s top goalscorers this season as a possible replacement for Darwin Nunez, according to a new report.
Despite Liverpool storming towards the Premier League title and going strong in the Champions League, much of the current talk around the club surrounds what will happen this summer in the transfer window.
The Reds’ star trio of Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk are all out of contract at the end of the season, and none have yet to pen to paper on new deals. The future of back-up goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, who has asserted his desire to leave Anfield, is also up in the air, as is that of striker Darwin Nunez.
The Uruguayan striker has been publicly criticised in recent weeks by manager Arne Slot, and is widely expected to leave Liverpool in the summer, three seasons after he joined the club from Benfica for a record fee of ÂŁ84 million.
Since the move, Nunez has scored just 40 goals in 133 games, with the 40th of those coming in a match-winning performance against Southampton on Saturday, as he equalised shortly after half-time before winning a penalty moments later.
Liverpool are understood to be monitoring a number of players to replace Nunez, including Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak, Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Matheus Cunha, and RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko, the latter of whom they have been reported to have already made contact over.
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According to a report from The Boot Room, Liverpool have opened talks to sign the Leipzig star, who is also attracting interest from a number of Premier League clubs, including Chelsea.
Another striker reportedly on Liverpool’s shortlist to replace Nunez is Atalanta’s Mateo Retegui. The Italy international, 25, is the top scorer in Serie A this season, having netted 21 goals in 25 games for Gian Piero Gasperini’s side with a further three in the Champions League.
His impressive return this term sees him currently sit joint-second in the race for the European Golden Shoe alongside Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski, who he boasts extremely similar attributes to.
According to Rousing the Kop, Liverpool have been gathering information on Retegui ahead of a potential summer swoop, with Slot adamant on signing a new centre-forward ahead of his second season in charge.
Retegui, who only joined Atalanta last summer from Genoa last summer, has been heavily praised by Italy manager Luciano Spalletti, who has made him a regular for the Azzurri since taking over as head coach in 2023.
“He’s a very serious lad,” Spalletti said of the striker back in October, according to The Guardian. “Inside the box, he is lethal. And now he has learned how to connect with the team better. He’s going to become a top player.”
Chelsea are closing in on the signing of Jamie Gittens from Borussia Dortmund after agreeing a seven-year contract with the winger.
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Tottenham are believed to be readying an offer for a “phenomenal” Premier League player, with Daniel Levy and co. speaking to his agents in recent weeks.
Spurs continue to be linked with various signings ahead of the summer transfer window, with Feyenoord centre-back David Hancko seen as a key target. The Slovakia international has started 23 Eredivisie matches this season, averaging 2.7 clearances per game and enjoying a 90.4% pass completion rate, and Ange Postecoglou needs more depth at the heart of his defence.
The north Londoners came up against Antoine Semenyo in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Bournemouth at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and he too is seen as a potential summer target. The winger has 11 goal contributions in 27 Premier League outings in 2024/25 to date, and could be such an exciting addition.
Semenyo’s teammate Dean Huijsen has also been linked with a move to one of the traditional ‘big six’ for some time now, with Spurs speaking with his agents about a move in recent weeks. The teenage centre-back has a ÂŁ55m release clause in his countract with the Cherries.
According to Caught Offside, Tottenham are one of several clubs who are “expected to make an offer” for Bournemouth ace Huijsen this summer. Liverpool and Arsenal also reportedly eyeing him up, with ÂŁ30m bids expected from suitors imminently.
Huijsen has arguably been one of the most impressive central defenders in the Premier League this season, despite still being a teenager, proving to be such a safe pair of hands for Bournemouth.
The 19 year-old has won six caps for Spain’s Under-21s, not to mention making 18 appearances for the Netherlands at international youth level across three age groups, prior to switching his allegiance. Football talent scout Jacek Kulig has described him as a “phenomenal” player.
While Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven represent a strong centre-back pairing for Spurs currently, both have had their injury problems this season, so more depth in that area of the pitch is required.
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In Huijsen, the north Londoners could be signing a footballer with world-class potential – Juan Jesus Gutierrez Robles, his former coach at Malaga Under-16s, has “no doubt that he will be one of the best centre-backs in the world for the next 10 years”.
If they can beat Liverpool and Arsenal to his signature, it would feel like a significant piece of business for Levy and co. as they seek to give Ange some serious backing this summer before making a decision on his future once and for all.
Crystal Palace have confirmed the departure of sporting director Dougie Freedman, and now the Eagles are eyeing up a controversial move in a bid to replace him, according to a recent report.
The 50-year-old has been with the South Londoners since 2017 and has been at the heart of their recent success off the pitch in terms of bringing players such as Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze, Marc Guehi, Adam Wharton, and Dean Henderson to the club.
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Freedman was linked with moves to Manchester United and Newcastle United in the past to take up similar roles, but he remained at Crystal Palace and continued to work with Steve Parish. However, on Monday, that came to an end, as he has now left his role at Palace to take up a role overseas, believed to be in Saudi Arabia.
Palace confirmed Freedman’s departure in a statement on their official website, in which Freedman also spoke and stated how much of an “honour” it had been to work at Palace, and he is “incredibly proud” of the work that has been done. “I would like to extend my thanks to Steve Parish, the other owners and to all the staff, managers and players who have been at the club during my time here. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed learning from and working alongside you all.
“It’s been an honour to represent the club, and I am incredibly proud of the work that’s been done, with the Chairman’s support, in growing the football club into its current position. To be leaving the club with a squad full of exciting talent led by an excellent manager, I truly believe the foundations are in place to be built upon.
“Finally, a huge thank you to all the fans for your continued support and passion – especially with how you’ve helped new signings and academy products settle into life at Selhurst Park by supporting and getting behind the team.
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Crystal Palace’s next 5 fixtures |
|
|---|---|
|
Fulham (FA Cup) |
A |
|
Southampton |
A |
|
Brighton |
H |
|
Man City |
A |
|
Newcastle |
A |
“Crystal Palace is and will always remain in my heart, and I will continue to look for results and follow the club’s progress closely.”
As Freedman’s departure has now been confirmed, according to The Daily Mail, Parish and Crystal Palace are eyeing up Iain Moody to replace the 50-year-old.
The report states that Palace are looking to re-shape their recruitment team, and Moody is likely to take up a more prominent position. Moody has been working as a managing director at Sapienza Football Consulting for the last 10 years and remains close to Parish.
Moody has worked with the Eagles before, but his time with the club was very controversial. He was the club’s sporting director for 11 months between 2013 and 2014 before he resigned under a very big cloud after it was alleged he had sent racist, homophobic, and sexist text messages to Malky Mackay, who he had worked with at Cardiff City.
Since his exit, Moody has been back at Selhurst Park to watch Crystal Palace games, and given his relationship with Parish, he could be one to watch as a replacement for Freedman.
Tottenham could look to bring in Yoane Wissa in addition to Bryan Mbeumo having already taken head coach Thomas Frank from Brentford.
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Whilst Leeds United’s recent history has often seen them flirt with promotion up to the Premier League, there was once a time at Elland Road where the Whites were top-flight regulars and succeeding at that.
The 1999/2000 season would see then Leeds boss David O’Leary guide his team to an unbelievable third place finish in England’s elite division, with multiple finishes in and around this position becoming commonplace soon after courtesy of Mark Viduka and Co regularly terrorising defences.
Viduka wasn’t the only Australian menace during this top period in Leeds’ Premier League stay, however, with Harry Kewell also regularly popping up with strikes down the left wing to complement the magic of the clinical centre-forward.
The Sydney-born winger and the Melbourne-based striker would cause top-flight defenders all sorts of bother when donning Leeds white together, with Viduka going on to boast a sensational 72 goals and 17 assists from 166 appearances.
Kewell would go on to make a heftier 240 appearances for the West Yorkshire Titans, and whilst his goal haul sat at a lower total of 68, his bumper record of 28 assists from down the left flank would make him a firm fan’s favourite whenever he strutted his stuff.
That made his subsequent move to Liverpool in 2003 sting, considering Kewell was beloved at Elland Road for electric goals like this one hammered home versus Aston Villa, with the 58-time Australia international often utilising his sublime left foot.
Whilst Farke’s current crop will want to make a name for themselves away from the club’s illustrious past, it could be said regardless that the German has his own version of Kewell in 2025.
Much like Kewell before him, this Whites superstar is a regular for his international side too, with a goal even coming his way during the recent break from Championship action.
Indeed, Daniel James fired home Wales’ opener against Kazakhstan to gift Craig Bellamy a 3-1 win in the Red Dragons hot seat, continuing his fine campaign for both club and country.
The ex-Manchester United forward has collected a sizeable ten goals and nine assists for himself in the second tier this season, with the Welshman – much like Kewell – becoming known for his entertaining, speedy displays down his trusty right flank.
Off the back of his ability to open up a defence in a moment’s notice either through devastating pace or via a decisive goal, the 27-year-old has managed to cement himself as a regular, with 27 goals and 21 assists now next to his name from 119 total clashes.
To be considered in a similar bracket to Kewell even more, it will be up to James to confidently provide goals and assists for his side if they make the leap up to the Premier League, having struggled at the higher level before.
The Whites number seven has been burnt by the allure of the top-flight in the past with a switch to Manchester United early into his playing days not working, despite former Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer once heralding James as “exceptional.”
|
James’ G/A record at Leeds |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Season |
League |
Games |
Goals scored |
Assists |
|
24/25 |
Championship |
32 |
10 |
9 |
|
23/24 |
Championship |
43 |
13 |
7 |
|
22/23 |
Premier League |
4 |
0 |
0 |
|
21/22 |
Premier League |
32 |
4 |
4 |
|
Sourced by Transfermarkt |
||||
He will want to live up to Solskjaer’s glowing appraisal by finally proving himself as a worthy Premier League talent, with the Welshman undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with in the second tier.
Kewell was also a joy to watch before souring his long-term Leeds legacy when Anfield came calling, with James unlikely to want to move away anytime soon, knowing the grass is greener for him situated at Elland Road.
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Pep Guardiola says Rayan Cherki has "incredible skills" despite his underwhelming Club World Cup debut, as he bids to replace Kevin De Bruyne.
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Football’s back for those of a Liverpool persuasion, and it’s a big one at that.
Having sat out last weekend due to an early exit from the FA Cup, Arne Slot’s Liverpool return to action in the Premier League as they host resurgent Everton.
The international break is typically a gruelling thing, stunting progress and halting anticipation as teams fight for their respective goals. Liverpool, however, may have found the sojourn to have been a blessing, falling in the Champions League before losing the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle United.
Ah well, there’s always next season – for those honours, anyway. Liverpool are still hunting down the Premier League title, 12 points clear of second-place Arsenal with nine matches to play.
Everton have been reborn under David Moyes’ wing, the Scotsman replacing Sean Dyche in January and crafting a nine-match unbeaten run after losing his league opener to Aston Villa at Goodison Park.
|
Liverpool – Recent PL Record vs Everton |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Season |
Venue |
Result |
|
24/25 |
Goodison Park |
2-2 draw |
|
23/24 |
Goodison Park |
2-0 loss |
|
23/24 |
Anfield |
2-0 win |
|
22/23 |
Anfield |
2-0 win |
|
22/23 |
Goodison Park |
0-0 draw |
|
Data via Transfermarkt |
||
Everton’s patch of Merseyside was left giddy, exalted, after James Tarkowski hit parity in the dying embers last month, but Slot will hope for a different outcome here as his side look to end their dip in form across recent matches.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, who looks set to join Real Madrid when his contract expires this summer, is still sidelined after injuring his ankle against Paris Saint-Germain.
Compounding the issue, Conor Bradley is not quite ready to return to the starting line-up after his period of convalescence; with Joe Gomez also out, Slot is likely to pick Jarell Quansah to deputise at right-back once again.
Ryan Gravenberch and Alisson Becker, however, are both expected to be fit following respective scares for their nations over the past two weeks.
This is all well and good, but Liverpool’s recent issues derive from a dried-up pool of attacking fluency. Indeed, Liverpool have been a day late and a dollar short of late, and fans online have been murmuring about freshening things up with a tactical tweak to the frontline.
However, Federico Chiesa may not be the answer for this one, not in Slot’s mind.
Liverpool struggled to get going at Wembley, but it was substitute Chiesa who latched onto Harvey Elliott’s tidy through ball in stoppage time to spark fleeting hopes of a comeback.
But Liverpool failed to stage the desired response; time had been exhausted. Chiesa, however, did show off a glimpse of the quality that prompted the Anfield side to pay Juventus for him back in August, a quality that is illuminated given the ongoing profligacy of Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz.
The international break will hopefully have served as a reset button for the wasteful bunch, but it more importantly means a fully-fit Cody Gakpo is ready to return from Netherlands duty brim-full, having only just returned from injury before the break and indeed last starting a Premier League fixture in mid-February.
It’s been a big blow for the Merseysiders, for Gakpo has been in fine fettle this season, scoring 16 goals and providing six assists across all competitions. The 25-year-old is currently level with last term’s haul, but he’s matched it in over 800 fewer minutes across all fronts.
Gakpo has to start against Everton, his clinical shooting giving rise to the success of his frontal peers. Diaz’s makeshift dynamism in a central striking role, for example, is heightened by the Dutchman’s presence, easing the goalscoring burden on Salah.
|
Top Scorers at Anfield this Season (all comps) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
# |
Player |
Goals |
|
1. |
Mohamed Salah |
15 |
|
2. |
Cody Gakpo |
12 |
|
3. |
Luis Diaz |
7 |
|
4. |
Diogo Jota |
4 |
|
5. |
Darwin Nunez |
3 |
|
5= |
Dominik Szoboszlai |
3 |
|
5= |
Alexis Mac Allister |
3 |
|
Data via Statmuse |
||
The table above makes for somewhat grim reading, with Liverpool’s lopsided frontline clear through the shooting success clinched on home turf.
However, it does highlight Gakpo’s confidence on home soil, scoring three-quarters of his strikes this year at Anfield. Indeed, the Netherlands star has actually bagged in each of his past eight starts at Liverpool’s home ground.
His quality has been streamlined by Slot’s decision to field him in a more structured role off the left flank, as opposed to Jurgen Klopp’s choice of deploying across myriad points of the pitch.
This, of course, has meant Diaz’s qualities have been required in a more central position, but since Gakpo is now fit and ready to fire once more, would it really be wise to unleash Chiesa from the outset in an important derby fixture?
The stakes are high. With Arsenal narrowing the gap after beating Fulham, Liverpool cannot afford to fumble at this stage. The need for Chiesa’s finishing is effectively neutered by Gakpo’s return as he restores the balance and balance of potency up top.
The ÂŁ120k-per-week Gakpo, after all, ranks among the top 4% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Premier League this term for goals scored per 90 (0.51), as per FBref. It’s no wonder he’s been praised by Fabrizio Romano for “flying for Liverpool this season.”
Conversely, Chiesa has struggled to buy a game. Though he’s posted two goals and two assists apiece across 11 matches in all competitions – just three starts – Slot has thus far been unwilling to hand him any starting roles in the Premier League, and that’s not going to change in an important league fixture against heated rivals Everton, who are in hot form at that.
While we’d all like to see Liverpool’s nifty Italian earn some more action, it doesn’t feel probable that he will play from the opening bell in this one.
That said, if Gakpo can work toward establishing a healthy lead for Slot’s team, Chiesa could surely enter the fray in the second half – and with a point to prove.
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