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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Despite spending less than £2m this summer on new recruits, Liverpool have actually started the season better than they did last term.

After 15 games this campaign, they have won 14 and drawn once, whereas their record at this point last term was 12 and three respectively. Not only that, they are still in the League Cup, with a semi-final against Aston Villa to come, and a win against Salzburg in the final match of their Champions League group will see them safely through to the next round. Even a draw will do the trick.

Having said that, new players will be needed at some point. If the Reds want to dominate English and European football, they must progress, and that means adding fresh faces to rejuvenate the squad. Otherwise, there is the risk of going stale.

They have been linked with a number of players, including Fiorentina’s Federico Chiesa. According to La Nazione (via Calciomercato.com), the Anfield outfit are ready to challenge Internazionale and Juventus for the Italy international’s signature.

It’s rare that you will find a forward that is comfortable in a number of positions, but that is the case in regards to the 22-year-old. He is primarily a right winger, as per Transfermarkt, but he has played a number of games on the left wing and as a second striker as well. This season, he has even featured frequently at centre-forward, and has picked up a WhoScored average rating of 7.06 in that role, along with two goals and two assists.

Chiesa certainly enjoys a shot – he has averaged 4.3 per game, which is amongst the top five in Serie A – but he is also comfortable providing – he has 1.3 key passes per match – whilst his 1.9 completed dribbles show that he is not afraid to beat his man either. At the U21 European Championships during the summer, he scored three goals, whilst also averaging two key passes per game and a huge 3.3 dribbles.

As it stands, Jurgen Klopp does not have a whole lot of cover up front for Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah. Divock Origi appears to be the alternative for the former two if need be, whilst Xherdan Shaqiri would usually be available to replace Mohamed Salah. However, his injury woes this term have meant that the Egypt international has had to feature non-stop – he has missed just two matches in the Premier League and Champions League – despite him having struggled with an ankle injury. Now, the former Bayern Munich man has been linked with a move to Galatasaray (Gunes via Sport Witness). Should he depart, it would leave Klopp’s squad even lighter.

Currently valued at £54m by Transfermarkt, he will not come cheap, but he would be a fantastic option to cover a number of positions and, considering he is just 22, he could one day become the first choice if any of that star trio were to leave. To stay at the very top, you must evolve, and Chiesa’s signature would help the former Borussia Dortmund boss achieve that.

Meanwhile, Liverpool fans choose their player of the month.

Leeds United fans on Twitter have been full of praise for Gaetano Berardi after he put in a dominating performance against Hull City.

The Swiss defender was an absolute rock at the back as he did a great job of marking the 6 foot 3 Tom Eaves as he won four aerial duels despite being shorter than the striker.

Berardi’s inclusion may have only been due to the fact that Liam Cooper was unavailable for selection, but if you watched the game you wouldn’t have thought it.

The 31-year-old filled in for Cooper with relative ease as United kept their 12th clean sheet of the season.

There really isn’t much more to say about Berardi’s performance other than that it was brilliant, and the fanbase’s reaction does it more justice than any stats ever could.

Unfortunately, Leeds fans may not get the chance to see Berardi too many more times as recent reports have indicated that he may well be on his way out of Elland Road this summer.

The defender’s contract is up at the end of the season and it seems as if he could be departing the club, but after his performance tonight it’s clear that certain members of the fanbase don’t want him to leave.

Meanwhile, we’ve ranked general election outcomes based on how they’d affect Leeds’ chances of receiving investment from QSI.

According to Foot Mercato, Wolverhampton Wanderers have made an offer of ‘over €50m’ (£47.2m) for Lille anchorman Boubakary Soumare, and it’s a move that would benefit Nuno Santo greatly.

What’s the word?

Reports from France claim that Wolves have made the 20-year-old a ‘priority’ target with Premier League rivals Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur also keen.

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Although, it has been the west Midlands outfit to make the first move for Soumare with them offering to pay out the remainder of his current contract, in addition to loaning him back to the Ligue 1 side.

The same source states that Wolves had a lower bid rejected during the summer.

Neves impact

It is widely known that Nuno wants to bolster his squad options in January, but this case offers an interesting long-term plan with the club reportedly planning to send him back to Lille until the summer.

Regardless of whether that happens, Soumare’s arrival can only spell wonderful things for Ruben Neves.

A few months ago, BirminghamLive claimed that the club were pursuing central options in midfield, and that has to be in order to allow the Portugal international to thrive further up the pitch – Neves’ xG is down from last year, decreasing to 0.04 from 0.1, per Understat.

That has been something done in recent weeks, but by only playing a two-player midfield, Nuno could do with greater defensive stability, and that’s what Soumare brings.

His former teammate, Arnaud Luzayadio, once said: “He has always been above our generation. He managed to do high-level things for his age. It was easy for him. All of his matches were great matches.”

Can you score at least 80% on this Ultimate Premier League Quiz? Test your knowledge now…

While another ex-Paris Saint Germain player, Metehan Güclü, believed his career could “go a long way; a Pogba-like trajectory.”

This season in Champions League, the young Frenchman is averaging three dribbles, two interceptions, 1.5 clearances and one tackle per game, via WhoScored.

It only goes to show he can do it on the big stage and thus would be a very welcome addition at Molineux.

In other news, this Wolves ace has quadrupled his transfer value according to club legend Kenny Hibbitt

According to RMC Sport (via Get French Football News), Newcastle’s potential owners have approached PSG’s former sporting director Antero Henrique over taking up a similar role at St James’ Park.

What’s the word?

Despite the Magpies’ proposed takeover still not being given the green light for confirmation, it appears the Saudi consortium are already drawing up plans on attempting to dominate English football.

According to French publication RMC Sport, Henrique has had “initial contacts with representatives for the relevant investment fund”, and that they outlined to him how they are keen to “build a team to eventually win the Premier League”.

Think you’re a big Magpies fan? Can you name these former players by looking at their careers? Go on, give it a go…

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The report further adds that whilst no agreement has been found as of yet, the Portuguese man is interested by the Tyneside club’s project.

Revolution

Henrique may not be the most familiar of names to fans of English football, but he is widely known for helping to establish both Porto and PSG as real European players in his time at the two clubs.

At Porto, Henrique flourished in the role of discovering and unearthing new talents, before selling them for vast amounts of money and netting the Portuguese side a tonne of profit: the likes of Pepe, Ricardo Quaresma, Falcao, Hulk and James Rodriguez, amongst others, were just some of the high-profile names who left for at least €20m (£17.8m) or more.

And then at PSG, it was Henrique’s personal touch that arguably saw the Parisiens edge out Real Madrid to the signing of French sensation Kylian Mbappe. Reports suggested that he “locked himself away for two days” with both the young striker and his father, eventually convincing them to snub Los Blancos.

Henrique would come with the kind of world reputation that just automatically lifts the profile of a club like Newcastle, and can help them compete to sign either up-and-coming young starlets, or ready-made stars. Having a sporting director to mastermind and strategise the recruitment success is arguably just as important, if not even more important, than bringing the right manager in.

In this modern footballing world of revolving doors when it comes to managers, sporting directors are the kinds of figures who tend to stay around for the long-term. And it’s exactly why appointing a genius like Henrique could be far more significant than persuading a Rafa Benitez or Mauricio Pochettino to take charge in the dugout.

Top Chelsea transfer target Kai Havertz has reportedly told Bayer Leverkusen he wants to leave this summer.

According to Bild (via Metro) the German star has handed in a transfer request amid huge interest from the Premier League side. Chelsea are allegedly willing to meet the £89 million asking price to sign Havertz and are the only side in a position to pay that kind of money.

Frank Lampard and Co have been linked to Havertz for some time now, but his future has been uncertain with the likes of Manchester United also very keen on him. Clubs are chasing the 21-year-old after his blistering 2019/20 season, tallying 17 goals and nine assists across all competitions (via Transfermarkt).

Due to the financial effects of pandemic, a lot of clubs are being forced to end any interest in potential big money signings this summer. However, with Chelsea coming off the back of a transfer ban, they aren’t afraid to splash the cash ahead of next season. The Blues have already signed Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner and are showing no signs of settling just yet.

Bild believe there’s really only one team left in this race and it comes down to who can afford Havertz’s mammoth asking price. With Roman Abramovich also personally contacting the midfielder, it seems Lampard has the green light to get his man.

Now Havertz has voiced his desire to leave Leverkusen, surely there’s only one destination he will find himself. The chance to play with fellow German international Werner will also be a huge lure for the 21-year-old. If club and player want each other, all that’s left is to tie up any loose ends and snap a picture of Havertz at Stamford Bridge.

Do you think Chelsea will sign Havertz this summer? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Key information about Tynecastle Park

Tynecastle Park, formerly known as Tynecastle Stadium, was built in 1886 and is now the current home of Hearts of Midlothian. The ground is located in the Gorgie area of Edinburgh and apart from being Hearts’ home, it’s also been a host for the Scottish national team and a neutral venue for Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup semi-finals.

Its current capacity stands at 20,099 and has the pitch size of 98m x 68m. There is no running track surrounding it; it has hybrid grass on the surface which also has undersoil heating installed.

Tynecastle Park’s record attendance was achieved back in 1932 when 53,396 supporters gathered to attend a Scottish Cup clash against Glasgow Rangers.

A history of Tynecastle Park

Back when Hearts were formed in 1874, the club first played at sites in the Meadows, Powburn and Powderhall and would only move to the Gorgie area in 1881. Still, that ground was then considered to be out of town, forcing the club to lower their prices. That and the city slowly but surely expanding, new flats were built on the site of the old stadium, which resulted in the club finally moving to Tynecastle Park in 1886.

The first match to be played there was actually a friendly against Bolton Wanderers on 10 April. The first official Scottish Football League match was staged on 23 August 1890 but it would also see Hearts lose 5–0 to Celtic for a not-so-bright inaugural clash.

In early 1890s, with a slight financial boost due to winning the Scottish Cup, Tynecastle Park would get some refurbishments going with the added clubhouse, a roof and then, in the early 20th century, the capacity would be increased by the adding of a small stand and a pavilion, plus the improvement of the terracing.

There were more improvements during those years but in 1926, the club finally had the finances to buy the ground after initially leasing it and the following years saw more expansions made to the stadium. Soon afterwards, Tynecastle Park recorded its highest attendance on 14th of February 1932 with 53,396 fans attending a Scottish Cup match between Hearts and Rangers.

Following the conclusion of the second World War, the ground was modernised and concreted, with a new roofed enclosure following suit in 1959. Even though their capacity in the past soared as high as 61,000, due to health and safety regulations, it was brought down to 30,000.

The early parts of the 20th century were when most of the biggest improvements were done on Tynecastle Park, resulting in the capacity fluctuating, and the latest major developments were started in 1994 and finished in 1997 with the opening of the Wheatfield Stand.

At the turn of the millennium, plans were also started to either revamp the old ground or move to an entirely different one. In the end, they settled with improving the main stand, the only one not to be re-done since the 1990s. Construction began during the 2016/17 campaign and was finally finished in November 2017, increasing the capacity from 17,400 seats to over 20,000 seats, which remains to this day.

Interestingly, the stadium’s name was also changed over the years with the club renaming it to Tynecastle Stadium once the first redevelopment started and then back to Tynecastle Park once the main stand was revamped in 2017.

Tickets to watch Hearts of Midlothian at Tynecastle Park

All the tickets to watch Hearts of Midlothian play at Tynecastle Park can be found on the club’s official website. They do offer various different types of tickets, depending on the age and the category chosen, with the cheapest adult ticket costing £32.

Hearts also have season tickets for the upcoming campaign already on sale and all information can be found on the aforementioned website.

Related links

https://www.heartsfc.co.uk/ – Official website of Hearts of Midlothian

Arsenal fans would have been worried as they saw goalkeeper Bernd Leno get carried off against Brighton in the first week of football returning.

It meant that Emiliano Martinez had to come in, but he seems to have impressed as there are rumours of him staying at the club for longer than planned.

According to The Mirror, the performances of the Argentinian have changed the Gunners plans for the upcoming transfer window as they wanted buy a new keeper in the summer; FC Barcelona goalkeeper Neto had been linked.

Martinez was considering his future because he wanted to play more games, but now Arsenal are willing to give him a better role at the club where instead of him being just a reserve goalkeeper, he will now be seen as a possible number one and can challenge Leno for his spot when he returns. The club have been so impressed that he might even be rewarded with a new deal.

Before Leno’s injury, the 27 year-old had only made six appearances in the Premier League, despite the fact that he has been at the club for ten years, per Transfermarkt.

This shows that he has been happy with the reserve role, and even though he has been loaned out during his Arsenal career, it shows that he has always wanted to try and fight for that number one spot at the Emirates. The fact that he is now getting a chance in the first team is something that supporters will like to see.

They will also love the fact that his performances have been pretty good as he has only conceded three goals in the five league games he has played in this campaign and has also kept three clean sheets, per Transfermarkt.

It seems only right that due to these performances, the Gunners should try to keep hold of him and it is good for all parties if he does stay beyond the transfer window. With the side aiming for Europe, they could have a lot of fixtures next year and Mikel Arteta will love the fact that he has two good goalkeepers if he did want to rotate them.

Gunners fans, what are your thoughts on this news? Comment below!

Tottenham Hotspur are ‘most likely’ to sign Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona this summer, according to reports. 

The Daily Mail claimed, as relayed by Ricky Sacks, that Spurs are probably leading the race to sign the 61-cap Brazil international at the moment.

The Lilywhites have been linked with the former Liverpool forward for several months as recent reports revealed that Barcelona are prepared to pay a portion of his wages if he leaves the Nou Camp in the summer transfer window.

Coutinho has spent the past season on loan at Bayern Munich but Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has made it clear that the German champions do not want to sign him on a permanent basis. The Barcelona exile knows that he has no way back at his parent club, who are looking to cut their losses.

Given the gravity of the situation, Barcelona will want to recoup as much of the £145m they spent on the playmaker as they possibly can, with a summer return to England currently on the cards. His agent Kia Joorabchian has admitted that there is “genuine interest” from Premier League clubs amid links with Arsenal, Chelsea and Leicester City.

Jose Mourinho has bemoaned the lack of creativity in the midfield this season and Coutinho could provide the quality that Tottenham need to challenge for silverware next season.

While the 28-year-old has largely failed to hit the same heights that he enjoyed with Liverpool, he has still managed to win La Liga twice, although he lost his place to Antoine Griezmann after Quique Setien took charge at Barcelona.

The Brazilian played 23 games in the Bundesliga this season, scoring eight goals, supplying six assists, taking 2.5 shots per game, averaging 1.3 key passes and successfully completing 1.4 dribbles on average (via WhoScored).

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has earned a reputation for being notoriously tight-fisted in the transfer window and he may be unwilling to splash the cash on a player who has struggled for form in recent years.

Regardless, the prospect of working with Mourinho must carry some weight, as his CV more than speaks for itself. Coutinho will not come cheap, in all likelihood, but he is still a world-class player with bags of experience at the top levels of the game who could act as a mentor to some of the younger members of the squad, which would surely be an added bonus.

Tottenham fans, do you think Levy should sign Coutinho this summer? Let us know your views in the comments below!

Even though their season was not as steady and as straightforward as it usually is, Juventus have still managed to clinch another Serie A title at the end of 2019/20. But their campaign finished in flames as they were eliminated from the Champions League by underdogs Lyon, resulting in Maurizio Sarri losing his job as well.

Now the legendary Andrea Pirlo has taken over the Bianconeri but another problem looms: their wage bill is apparently through the roof and the Italians might be forced to sell some of their stars this summer. Which brings us to the latest report from La Gazzetta dello Sport that says Paulo Dybala is back on the market and Tottenham Hotspur might be given a second chance to snatch him away from Turin.

Of course, this is a story of old and the Argentine was close to making a move to the Premier League last year, having fallen out of favour at Juventus, but in the end, remained and thrived in the team instead.

The same source, however, claims that it would take around €100million (£90m) to snatch him away from the Italian champions. Manchester United are also mentioned as potential suitors but seeing how they are busy chasing Jadon Sancho and have already brought in Bruno Fernandes, the path is clear for Spurs.

This would indeed require Daniel Levy to open the warchest and spend more than ever before but Dybala seems worth every penny.

Will they finally pull the trigger? Only time will tell.

Verdict

It does seem like Spurs have an ideal situation here and all they have to do it spend some money. It’s almost impossible to get such high-quality players without actually spending the big bucks and therefore, Levy shouldn’t be afraid to invest this time around.

Dybala’s performances have increased his value once again but that also means Spurs would be getting an incredible player in return.

Chelsea could be eyeing an audacious swoop for one of theÂgreatest footballers of all time.Â

This summer’s transfer window has certainly been a thrilling one for the Blues, but nothing comes close to Barcelona confirming Lionel Messi has handed in a transfer request.

In a shock announcement, the La Liga heavyweights admitted the Argentina international wants to leave the club and Chelsea are reportedly considering a move for him.

The claim comes from Chelsea manager Frank Lampard’s former England teammate Rio Ferdinand, who took to Twitter among the chaos of the news. In a tweet that is now circulating on the social the platform, the ex-Manchester United man wrote: “Just heard Frank Lampard is now in for Messi. Some window this if Lamps pull this off!!”

Indeed, Chelsea have already been linked with some mega money deals, but signing the Barcelona icon would be something the Premier League has never seen before. Messi is currently valued at £100.8m but his current contract is nearing its expiration and he will be available as a free agent next summer.

However, a recent report from Mundo Deportivo (via GiveMeSport) claimed that Barca have slapped an astronomical £630m release clause on Messi’s head.

Naturally, plenty of other clubs have already shown interest in snapping up the forward, including Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain.

Chelsea are certainly in a position to splash the cash this summer, with major money targets Ben Chilwell and Kai Havertz seeming destined for west London. However, even with Roman Abramovich’s willingness to spend, Messi’s reported £630m buyout clause is almost unfathomable.

Barcelona certainly won’t want to see their star man leave for free, but if the Blues can hold out until next summer, they will be in a position to land Messi as a free agent and potentially offer him whatever wage he desires with the money saved.

Should these outrageous links come to fruition, it will land Lampard in the Premier League history books for blessing the league with Messi’s presence.

Do you think Chelsea could land a move for Lionel Messi? Join the conversation in the comments below!