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A Spor reported last week that Liverpool defender Joel Matip has emerged as a January target for Claudio Ranieri as he takes the Fulham helm. However, amidst rumours that Mamadou Sakho could leave in search of Champions League football, Crystal Palace should be the first on the phone in January for the behemoth.

What’s the word?

Well, since Slavisa Jokanovic’s sacking and Ranieri’s appointment as his successor at Craven Cottage, the rumour mill has whirred into life once more as reports of who might be the Italian’s first signing make the rounds.

Apparently, Cameroonian Matip is high up on the former Leicester chief’s wish-list as he looks to shore up a Cottagers defence that has already shipped 31 goals in just 12 games, which has seen to their rooting to the very bottom of the table.

Meanwhile, the Eagles are suffering in the same ways in which they did in the first half of last season as they struggle to find the net on a consistent basis – the Croydon-based side are yet to score from open play at home this campaign.

At the other end of the pitch, however, the Selhurst Park outfit have a fairly steady back four of which James Tomkins and Frenchman Sakho are the heart of, but that could be under threat as the latter recently revealed his Champions League aspirations.

Roy Hodgson should prepare for the worst by making an enquiry about the in-demand Matip.

Matip in, Mama out

The former Schalke man has slipped to the bottom of the pecking order at Anfield – below Virgil van Dijk, Dejan Lovren and Joe Gomez – and will surely feel that he is better than a fourth-choice option.

The 27-year-old has proven his quality in the Premier League having made 73 appearances for the Merseyside outfit since his arrival in summer 2016, scoring three goals and, at 6ft 5in tall, the centre-back is a force to be reckoned with in the air.

Equally capable with his feet, WhoScored lists the 27-capped international’s passing as ‘very strong’, meaning that he is extremely reliable playing out from the back and will hit a target man with ease – a quality which Palace’s style of play would benefit greatly from.

The 2012/13 Championship play-off winners are no strangers to a signing from the Reds – they have secured the services of Christian Benteke and Sakho in recent years – but, as the Champions League runners up fight on multiple fronts to win a trophy, they may ask for a higher sum than Transfermarkt’s valuation of £19.8m as Jurgen Klopp rotates his squad to protect key players.

Check out the harsh words the Playmaker FC squad had to say about Wayne Rooney’s England career in the video below

Arsenal have made an excellent start to life under the stewardship of Unai Emery.

The Gunners ended the Premier League season without Champions League football in Arsene Wenger’s final season at the club. The Arsenal board placed their faith in the former PSG manager to fill the legendary Frenchman’s boots. Emery has made an excellent start to life in north London, improving the side both offensively and defensively.

The ex-Sevilla manager spent wisely in the summer, and Lucas Torreira has made an instant impact in the engine room, although his midfield partner, Granit Xhaka, remains a divisive figure at the Emirates. His great performances are usually overshadowed by lacklustre defending and sloppy passing. The January transfer window is approaching, and Emery would be wise to sign a more suitable partner for Torreira.

One man who he should target is Borussia Dortmund lynchpin Julian Weigl.

Valued at £22.5 million by Transfermarkt, the 23-year-old emerged as one of the world’s most promising defensive midfielders after breaking into the Dortmund first-team at an early age. However, Weigl has found himself out of favour this season, starting just two games in the Bundesliga so far, with injuries hampering his progress. As such, the German could be tempted to depart in January and Arsenal’s sporting director Sven Mislintat should raid his former club again.

The youngster is a fantastic tackler and would add real steel to the Gunners midfield, averaging an impressive 2.8 tackles per game in the Bundesliga last year. Weigl loves to dictate the play from midfield and completed 86% of his passes in the league last season (WhoScored). If he can rediscover his best form, he could form an excellent double pivot at the Emirates.

Weigl’s potential is massive, and the Germany international is perfectly suited to Emery’s system. In the Premier League, and under the stewardship of the Gunners chief, he could develop into one of the world’s best.

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

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Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has clarified why he was forced to substitute Chelsea loanee Tammy Abraham on Saturday, per reports by the Birmingham Mail.

What’s the word?

Villa’s top goalscorer was forced off on the 82nd minute against Middlesbrough, having netted his 11th goal of the season earlier in the game.

Abraham has featured in 14 Championship fixtures for the Villans so far this season, and three games inside a week took its toll on the 21-year-old.

Speaking after the Boro match, Smith explained that the 6 foot 3 striker was carrying a slight injury as well as tiredness.

“We have had three games in six days,” said Smith. “He has scored six goals in that as well!

“He was tired, and it just shows the quality we have that Scott Hogan could come on, run at them and set up the third goal as well. It’s [the injury] just a kick and fatigue.”

Playmaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals he often received racist abuse after North London Derbies – Check out the video below…

A sigh of relief for Smith

Abraham only carrying a slight kick and fatigue out of the Boro match would have left Smith puffing out a massive sigh of relief.

While the 13-cap Ivory Coast international Jonathan Kodjia has started eight games as a striker, and scored three goals in those matches, Abraham will be the forward that pushes Villa on during a promotion challenge.

The on-loan Chelsea product is proving to have found his level in the Championship, highlighted significantly in the 5-5 draw at home to Nottingham Forest, where he bagged four of the goals and the man-of-the-match award.

Kodjia, on the other hand, may be left slightly disappointed, as he was left as a late second-half substitute at the Riverside Stadium on a day Yannick Bolasie starred.

Jurgen Klopp was handed a massive blow as the full extent of Joe Gomez’s injury was revealed.

The England international has developed into a key player for the Reds this season, striking up a wonderful partnership with Virgil van Dijk at the heart of defence. Gomez’s versatility also allowed Klopp to use the former Charlton defender at right-back to rest fellow youngster Trent Alexander-Arnold. Unfortunately for Liverpool fans, Gomez was stretched off during the 3-1 win against Burnley under a robust challenge from Ben Mee.

It has since been revealed that the 21-year-old could miss as much as six weeks of action after fracturing his left leg. Gomez will miss a crucial run of fixtures against the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal – Klopp is left with only Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip as his senior centre-backs. Both have a poor injury record themselves which could tempt the German into the transfer market.

One man who could offer the Reds another quality rotation option is Sampdoria defender – Joachim Andersen. Valued at £7.2m by Transfermarkt, the Dane has enjoyed a crucial role in the first-team after initially struggling to make an impact when joining from Twente last summer. Andersen has made 14 appearances in the Serie A this season, helping Sampdoria to tenth in the table.

Andersen is a modern-day defender who excels with the ball at his feet – similar to Gomez. The 22-year-old has completed 88% of his passes so far this season making him the perfect partner for van Dijk in the England international’s absence. Andersen is still developing and improving, working alongside a player of the Netherland’s captain’s quality would help take his game to the next level. The Denmark U21 international is also a massive threat in the air, winning 2.4 aerial duels per game this season (WhoScored).

Andersen’s future is bright and bringing him to Anfield could prove to be a masterstroke.

Liverpool fans, thoughts?

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According to TEAMtalk, Middlesbrough are keeping a close eye on Willem II forward Fran Sol ahead of a potential move in the January transfer window.

What’s the story?

It is not exactly breaking news that Boro are struggling in the final third of the field.

Tony Pulis’ side have the best defensive record in the Championship this season with just 16 goals conceded in their 22 matches.

Check out the harsh words the Playmaker FC squad had to say about Wayne Rooney’s England career in the video below

It has been a real struggle down the other end, however, with just five teams scoring less goals than them at this stage of the Championship season.

Boro are sixth in the table as things stand, but a lack of a regular goalscorer might well come back to haunt Pulis’ team come the end of the season.

According to TEAMtalk, Boro want to bring Sol to the Riverside Stadium, but will face competition from Celtic, Rangers, and a clutch of English teams including Burnley, Cardiff City, Huddersfield Town and Leeds United.

What would Sol bring to Boro?

Goals. Indeed, the 26-year-old has managed 15 goals in 18 matches in all competitions this season, including 12 in 16 league appearances.

The Spaniard actually came through the youth system at Real Madrid, and went on to score 16 times for their C team before joining Villarreal B in 2014.

Sol only made two league appearances for Villarreal, but scored 27 times in 73 appearances for their B side ahead of a move to Willem II in 2016.

Sol has netted 45 times in 86 matches for Willem II in all competitions, and it is not a surprise that teams are closely watching the forward.

Jordan Hugill, Britt Assombalonga and Rudy Gestede have all had their problems this season, but the January arrival of Sol would give the whole squad the boost it needs to ensure that their promotion bid continues.

Manchester City took a step closer towards successfully defending the Carabao Cup yesterday evening by squeezing past Leicester City on penalties. 

There was a feeling of Deja vu in the air as Pep Guardiola’s men rocked up to the King Power Stadium for a quarter-final with Leicester City on a cold December evening, and that feeling became eerily familiar when City secured their passage to the semi-final via a penalty shootout.

Claudio Bravo was the shootout hero last season but it was Aro Muric who stepped up to the plate on this occasion to save two penalties and send City through to the next round.

It was far from a perfect performance from a much-changed starting eleven, which included a full debut for Eric Garcia, 17, but City’s dream of clinching an unprecedented quadruple ultimately remains in tact.

There were other positives to draw from proceedings: Foden looked less eager to impress in comparison with his erratic performance against Hoffenheim and that ultimately translated into a notably more accomplished showing, Garcia was solid on his debut and Kevin De Bruyne returned to the starting eleven with a vintage net-busting strike to give City the lead.

Aside from the aforementioned plus points, there was also a promising performance from Brahim Diaz to shout about. The direct style of dribbling which epitomises his game allowed him to cut through Leicester’s defensive unit on more than one occasion, even if his end-product was somewhat lacking at times.

Sure, Diaz was far from perfect and there is clearly plenty of scope for improvement in the 19-year-old, but the raw potential on display provided ample evidence to suggest Pep Guardiola must do everything in his power to extend his contract in January.

As of January 1st Diaz will be free to enter negotiations over a pre-contract agreement with clubs outside of England, and a recent report from El Chiringuito (via Sports Mole) suggests that Real Madrid have already managed to turn his head towards the Spanish capital.

But with the squad seemingly set for the season – Fernandinho’s replacement aside – Guardiola must make Diaz a priority in January before seeking new acquisitions.

Naturally the prospect of returning to his home nation will be resonating strongly with Diaz and swaying his decision in Madrid’s favour, but his lack of first-team opportunities in Manchester certainly aren’t helping.

With such a star-studded list of players standing in Diaz’s way at City, it’s easy to sympathise with his desire to leave the club in search of first-team opportunities, but the promise he showcased against Leicester provided further evidence to suggest Guardiola could be on the cusp of losing a future superstar.

After losing Jadon Sancho to Borussia Dortmund last summer City cannot afford to make the same mistake with Diaz.

Man City fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

Southampton made it two wins out of two as they beat Huddersfield 3-1 in what was a crucial six-pointer for Ralph Hassenhuttl’s side. 

The new manager has transformed Southampton and has picked up two wins out of his last three games. Going forward, Southampton have scored six goals in their last two games and look like a much more threatening side especially if Danny Ings continues his current run of form.

Importantly for Southampton, Nathan Redmond scored at the weekend and finally looks as though he is finding some form for the club. Moreover, academy graduate Michael Obafemi scored his first goal for Southampton.

Following the end of the game, summer signing Stuart Armstrong praised his team.

The Breakdown

Why Southampton kept Mark Hughes at the club over the summer is a mystery. The former Stoke man almost managed to get two sides relegated in the same season and after keeping the Saints in the league, Southampton should’ve looked to bring in Hassenhuttl over the summer.

It’s still early in his tenure at the club but already it looks as though the former RB Leipzig manager is tapping into the great talent at the club. Saints have some brilliant forwards and also have some of the best midfield talent in the bottom half of the table.

The club face a huge series of test over the next few weeks as they play West Ham, Man City and Chelsea. If they can get three points out of those three games, it would be a great return.

Thoughts Southampton fans? 

According to The Sun, Wolves are preparing to make a shock £18 million bid to sign Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham – who is currently plying his trade on loan with Championship outfit Aston Villa – on a permanent deal in this January transfer window.

On the chalkboard

Aston Villa will be devastated to lose the services of the 21-year-old, but the 2-cap England international must take this chance to return to the top flight.

Molineux is the perfect destination for the young striker, as Nuno Espirito Santo’s newly-promoted side play the kind of fast-paced, attacking football that ought to bring the best out of Abraham.

Abraham is unlikely to have a future at Stamford Bridge, so a switch to Wolves would be his best chance of securing Premier League football in the immediate future.

Check out Neymar’s controversial new haircut for 2019 and Xherdan Shaqiri as you’ve never seen him before in the video below..,

Adding something new

Wolves currently lack quality depth amongst their striking options. Raul Jimenez has been in fine form so far this season but his back up, Leo Bonatini, does not offer enough goal threat to be an effective option for Wolves at the highest level.

Abraham, however, can give Santo an alternative option to Jimenez. The Chelsea man’s pace and 6’3” frame would make him a valuable weapon in Santo’s arsenal. Abraham’s ability to play off the shoulder of the last defender and make penetrative runs in behind would make Wolves an altogether more dangerous counter-attacking force.

Not only would a switch to Molineux be a great move for Abraham, but the striker would make the Midlands club a far more versatile outfit too.

Tottenham Hotspur’s pursuit of a new central midfielder has dominated the transfer headlines in recent weeks, but history suggests that it’s incredibly unlikely Mauricio Pochettino will welcome a new player to his ranks this month.

That Spurs didn’t sign a new player in the summer was one of the biggest stories of the entire transfer window. It is incredibly abnormal for a side to fail to add a single new addition – an admission that is backed up by the fact no other team in the history of the Premier League had ever drawn blank in the summer window until Spurs in 2018.

One might assume that their lack of activity in the summer will pave the way for a winter deal, but the history books argue a different case: Spurs rarely sign in January.

The opportunity to sign Lucas Moura last January was a rare opportunity to steal a genuine bargain from PSG which Levy simply couldn’t miss. Prior to the Brazilian’s arrival, Spurs hadn’t made a single January signing since they signed Dele Alli for £5 million, a deal which saw the wonderkid immediately return to MK Dons on loan for the remainder of the season.

Chelsea’s decision to sign Christian Pulisic recently on comparable terms suggests that this style of agreement could become a theme amongst those precocious talents who could suffer from a mid-season change in environment.

And, according to a report from TuttoMercato, Tottenham are interested in concluding a deal which bears plenty of similarity to the Alli transfer in 2015. The report claims that Spurs are interested in concluding a deal for the highly-regarded Norwegian wonderkid and sending him back to Genk on loan for the remainder of the season.

When Spurs signed Alli MK Dons were battling for promotion to the Championship, so there was absolutely no way they were going to allow the integral teenager to leave the club midway through the season; that decision paid dividends as the Dons secured automatic promotion with a 2nd place finish.

The situation for Berge (valued at £15.3 million by Transfermarkt) at Genk is incredibly similar to the one Alli and MK Dons were faced with: Genk have not won the Jupiler Pro League since 2002 and they are currently 7-points clear at the summit of the division.

Berge’s performances in the heart of midfield have been classy, consistent and of paramount importance to Genk’s success, and allowing him to leave midway through the season would undoubtedly represent a major blow to their chances of ending a 17-year wait for the league title.

And, for aspiring youngsters in particular, the prospect of moving to a club in the middle of the season can be daunting; dynamics between players are established and it’s rare that a new arrival finds their best form until they’ve enjoyed a summer of pre-season to fully establish working relationships with teammates both on and off the field.

Alli’s success at Spurs after helping MK Dons clinch promotion is a testament to how including an immediate return on loan can benefit all parties concerned, and if Pochettino wants to get the best out of Berge and maintain a positive relationship with Genk they would be wise to come to a similar agreement this month.

Tottenham fans – thoughts on Berge? Let us know below!

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Tottenham are in the midst of something of an injury crisis.

Harry Kane sustained ligament damage during the closing stages of Spurs’ 1-0 defeat to Manchester United on Sunday.

Moussa Sissoko also limped off with a suspected groin problem, leaving Mauricio Pochettino’s squad looking fearfully thin.

Harry Winks is the club’s only fully fit central midfielder – Mousa Dembele is poised to complete a move to China – while Fernando Llorente is Spurs’ only current option up front, with Vincent Janssen not in the Argentine’s plans.

A new stadium is a clear drain on the club’s resources, of course, and chairman Daniel Levy is seemingly determined to limit the amount of expenditure in north London.

There have been links with several players, including Barcelona’s Malcom and Ajax’s Frenkie De Jong, but it remains to be seen if the club will complete any formal transfers.

Should Spurs, in their current state, invest in January? Or would they be best served by sticking with what they have and hoping no more injuries befall the squad? Have your say below!