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This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets… 

Liverpool were linked with Napoli star Fabian Ruiz last month, and the Spain international showed exactly why on Tuesday night against Sweden.

Calciomercato claimed last month that the Reds are one of four clubs chasing Ruiz, and The Daily Mail reported a week later that Real Madrid, Barcelona and the Merseysiders all want the 23 year-old.

With both Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain struggling through various injuries during their time at Anfield, it is certainly feasible that Jurgen Klopp could seek another addition in the centre of the park, and Ruiz showed on Tuesday he could be everything Keita was supposed to be.

A little bit of everything, best of both worlds, the perfect hybrid. Those were the types of words used to describe Keita upon his arrival, due to his stats representing an almost flawless all-round game.

Indeed, in his final Bundesliga season with RB Leipzig, the Guinea international scored six goals and provided five assists, averaged 1.6 shots, 1.4 key passes and 2.5 dribbles per game while also boasting an impressive 2.4 tackles and 1.3 interceptions each match, per WhoScored.

At Liverpool though, every single one of those numbers has declined drastically, and Ruiz is now posting similar numbers in Italy to those that Keita did in Germany.

In six Serie A showings this campaign, the Spaniard averages 2.7 shots per game, 1.7 key passes, 1.2 dribbles, 1.2 tackles and 1.7 interceptions.

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Against Sweden on Tuesday, not only did he secure the highest Sofascore rating of any player while setting up the last-minute goal that put his country into next summer’s European Championship, he dropped an almost perfect performance on both sides of the ball.

He led the game in touches with 115, but only gave the ball away seven times, racking up a 94% passing accuracy. To put that into perspective, the second highest-rated player, Dani Carvajal, gave the ball away 19 times and recorded 88% passing.

Ruiz won all five of his duels, including three tackles, and his aforementioned assist was just one of four total key passes on the night. Of the eight long balls he attempted, six of them were successful, while he also completed the only dribble he attempted and registered a shot on target.

It really was the type of box-to-box, commanding, dominating display that Keita was supposed to bring with him to Anfield, and the Reds’ reported interested in Ruiz looks more and more believable with every passing performance.

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Jack Grealish has already switched from wanting to represent Ireland to representing England, but don’t be surprised if John McGinn starts looking into ways to earn Grealish eligibility to play for the Scottish national team.

Indeed, McGinn’s latest Instagram post hints that it is, in fact, Scottish culture that the midfielder is most suited to.

McGinn shared a snap of the Villa captain enjoying one of Scotland’s greatest exports on his story.

McGinn uploaded the image to his story of Grealish drinking Irn-Bru, with a caption that included a couple of Scottish flags.

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The 24-year-old was seemingly caught off guard by his teammate’s photography as he doesn’t seem to be ready for the picture.

It seems that Grealish is spending a little bit too much time with his midfield partner, but it remains to be seen whether or not the Villa captain will start wearing a kilt and eating haggis.

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Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, John Hartson has revealed Manchester United are in dire need of a major rebuilding job.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have endured a difficult start to the season, picking up just eight points from their opening six Premier League games.

Last Sunday, Chris Sutton insisted in his Daily Mail column that it would cost around £1bn to sort out the current United squad, and now Hartson has echoed his former Celtic teammate’s sentiments.

He said: “I’ve got to agree with Chris. They need a real shuffle of the pack and you’ve got to wonder whether Solskjaer’s the man to do it or whether they’ll bring somebody else in. It just doesn’t look good enough. It doesn’t look good enough. All the way through.

“I think they’ve got three four very, very good players. But you look at Rashford who’s in awful form right now. He’s not hitting his peak at the minute.”

This is exactly what happens when you don’t appear to have a structure to your transfer policy. You get pulled around left, right and centre by managers who simply ask for what they want, rather than what the club needs.

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The Red Devils’ limp defeat to West Ham encapsulated everything that is wrong at United. From the abject performance on the pitch, to the frankly unbelievable interaction between Ed Woodward and Phil Jones in the stands, the situation is a complete mess.

Hartson’s honest assessment on the size of the task at hand makes for worrying reading. This is no longer a squad that just needs a little tweaking here and there.

Major surgery is needed, and that could well spell the end of Solskjaer’s time at the club too.

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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…

Manchester City really do have an unfortunate knack of seeing players pick up long-term injuries don’t they? Pep Guardiola’s side have already seen Leroy Sane fall victim to an ACL injury, and now the club have confirmed Aymeric Laporte has undergone surgery on his knee after damaging his cartilage and lateral meniscus.

But perhaps Laporte’s setback may be the shot in the arm the club needs for this season. Injuries are never nice – particularly long ones – but they can often bring a team together. For all the talk about footballers these days being multi-million pound earning show-offs, they do form a family connection with their teammates. If one goes down, they all feel the pain.

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So, whilst City may be left ruing the Frenchman’s absence, it could have the consequence of re-energising the squad. Retaining the league has always been seen as a very difficult thing to achieve, far more so than winning it the first time. Guardiola’s men have done it back-to-back, which only increases the chances of them potentially losing their edge and desire on the third try.

Before the Citizens retained the title last season, no side had achieved that feat since Cristiano Ronaldo was tearing things up for Manchester United back in the 2008/2009 campaign. In the ultra-competitive nature of the Premier League, the proverbial target on the champions’ back has been difficult to shake off. The fact City are now looking for a three-peat means everybody and their mother will be looking to take them down.

Having lost Vincent Kompany over the summer, and now Laporte to a major injury, the chips are already down for Guardiola’s side. They have just two fully-fit centre-backs to choose from in Nicolas Otamendi and John Stones, and neither were first-team starters towards the back-end of the last campaign.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

But whilst the injury could reinvigorate City’s squad as a whole, the likes of Otamendi and Stones in particular could step their own game up in a bid to silence the doubters. It’s the kind of added motivation that the Manchester side might need to sharpen their minds and re-focus on the task at hand.

So whilst it may be all doom and gloom in the immediate aftermath of the news surrounding Laporte, it could just turn out to have a very silver lining indeed. They did it last season after De Bruyne’s lengthy lay-offs, and now it could be City’s time to do it all over again for the Frenchman too.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Injury News series, which considers the impact of the latest updates on players’ fitness.

Tottenham Hotspur announced on Thursday that defender Davinson Sanchez is a doubt for the visit of Crystal Palace on Saturday with an ankle issue, but there is one big positive to take should he miss out against the Eagles.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Colombia international has played every minute of Spurs’ Premier League campaign to date, and even filled in at right-back in the 2-2 draw with arch-rivals Arsenal prior to the international break, although his display didn’t go down well with fans on Twitter.

Now, the 23-year-old hasn’t returned from international duty with his country unscathed, and Tottenham’s official website says he is being assessed after complaining of irritation in his ankle following his trip to South America.

No Sanchez means Jan Vertonghen starts

It has been a strange few weeks for Vertonghen, who was left out of the squad completely on the opening weekend of the campaign despite being fully fit and available, with The Daily Mail claiming it was partly down to poor fitness levels.

Sanchez and Alderweireld were preferred at the heart of the defence for that game and the following two, before an injury to Kyle Walker-Peters forced Mauricio Pochettino into a change.

The 32-year-old finally made his first appearance of the campaign against the Gunners, before two strong performances during the international break for Belgium – including a classy showing against Scotland.

Whatever the situation was, Tottenham fans should be delighted to have him back in contention, and the fact is that if Sanchez is ruled out, it means that the experienced player who has 286 Spurs appearances to his name will start and continue his partnership with compatriot Alderweireld – something which has been so successful for the north London outfit in the past.

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Chelsea had a relatively quiet transfer deadline day, with the Blues not looking to bring in any major names as the window came to a close. However, that doesn’t mean that the club were inactive. In fact, to the contrary, as the Blues did confirm a couple of deals.

Lucas Piazon moved to Italy, whilst Michy Batshuayi’s loan at Valencia was cut short and he was sent across London to Crystal Palace. Of course, Batshuayi has had a tough season so far over in Spain, and it’s fair to say that a bit of a career restart was needed.

Palace should offer him a good chance at developing further. They’re in need of further depth going forward, and his knack for scoring important goals will be a huge help for the Eagles as they look to improve in the English top flight. He proved his goalscoring acumen last season at Borussia Dortmund, and if he can get even close to that form, Palace will have bagged quite the coup.

However, this deal could benefit Chelsea beyond just allowing their player to develop. It could also help them more directly – at least if you consider Crystal Palace’s upcoming fixtures. Palace have some huge games coming up, many of which are against some of Chelsea’s rivals. They face Man Utd later this month, whilst ties against Tottenham, Man City and Arsenal are also forthcoming.

For most players, this likely wouldn’t be a huge consideration, but Batshuayi is a game-changing goalscorer, and he knows how to score against big teams. Perhaps, then, Chelsea may have thought about this tactically – why send him abroad when he can have an impact in the Premier League for a team that won’t be amongst the top-four this season?

In truth, it’s a bit of genius from Chelsea, and a few goals from the Belgian in the aforementioned games could have a huge impact on the Blues’ season.

Thoughts?

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

As quoted by The Chronicle, Isaac Hayden has backed Newcastle teammate Miguel Almiron to eventually deliver the goods for the side.

What did he say?

Having arrived from MLS outfit Atlanta United in the January transfer window, Almiron is still searching for his first goal in a Newcastle shirt.

Despite his early struggles, Hayden has insisted the Paraguay international will come good, and admitted his excellent performances in training make the entire situation all the more “weird”.

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He said: “He’s massively appreciated by everyone else in the dressing room. He’s got bundles of energy. Sometimes, you give him the ball in a difficult area and he can get past three players to break up the pitch.

“Him and Atsu are probably the only two players in the team that can do that. He’s massively important to us, especially in terms of getting us up the pitch and making sure that Jo is not isolated.

“It’s a weird situation because in training he scores every day. In the pre-match routines, he scores with pretty much every shot. He’s a fantastic worker for the team. I think everyone can see that. He runs his heart out for the team every week. Defensively, he’s very good, and going forward he creates chances and causes a nuisance. I think the goal will come.”

Explaining the struggles

In his final season in the USA, Almiron racked up 13 goals and 13 assists as he helped Atlanta to major success. What contributed the most to his incredible goal contributions were the under-lying numbers. The 25-year-old averaged 3.8 shots, 2.1 key passes and 2.2 dribbles per game in that sublime campaign.

In contrast, his stint in English football has seen those numbers drop off dramatically. In the opening four games of the Premier League this season, Almiron has managed just 1.5 shots, 0.5 key passes and 1.3 dribbles per game. The Magpies’ use of the Paraguayan as a left-winger hasn’t helped matters, as he was at his most dominant in the MLS in a more familiar attacking midfield role.

This season, Steve Bruce has used him both as a second striker to support big-money signing Joelinton, and wide on the right. But if Newcastle have serious intentions of getting him back amongst the goals again, then they simply have to use him in a central position.

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Stuart Taylor has dropped an update on the future of Jamie Hamilton amid the midfielder’s links with a move to Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side in the January transfer window.

What’s been said?

In recent comments cited by the Daily Record, the Hamilton Academical manager stated his belief that the 19-year-old’s links with a transfer to Celtic this winter are nothing but pub chat in a big twist to their supposed pursuit of the player.

Although he did go on to admit he wouldn’t be surprised if the Bhoys were keeping a very close eye on the centre-back ahead of a potential swoop in the future.

On the Hoops’ reported interest in the youngster, Taylor said: “Nobody has spoken to me directly, but that would be normal. Other clubs don’t always go to the manager. But I’ve certainly not spoken to Allan [Maitland, the club chairman] in the last 24 hours about outgoings.

“I do expect there will be interest in Jamie and I expect there will be interest in a lot of our players, especially the younger ones. But going on websites it’s very easy to punch in names of teams and players, and it goes under the category of what I’d call ‘pub chat’.”

Postecoglou must move

While it would appear from Taylor’s latest comments that Celtic are yet to make an approach for the defender in the January transfer window, considering the sheer amount of potential Hamilton quite clearly possesses, it would appear highly advisable for Postecoglou to do so before another interested party does.

Indeed, despite having only turned 19 last year, the Scotland U21 international has already established himself as a first-team regular at the rather aptly named Fountain of Youth Stadium, making 16 Championship appearances so far this season, in addition to a further four outings in the League Cup.

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Furthermore, the £360k-rated man highly impressed in the club’s 1-1 draw with Rangers last February, with then-Hamilton manager Brian Rice stating of the centre-back’s display:

“I think you saw in young Jamie Hamilton today. Absolutely outstanding for an 18-year-old, absolutely fantastic. He needs the help of the experienced lads. It’s trying to get the blend right. I think we are nearly there. Jamie has certainly improved with Aaron Martin alongside him, Lee Hodson, talking to him.”

As such, with the likes of Liverpool, Brighton & Hove Albion, Brentford, Newcastle United and Burnley also reported to be interested in the youngster this winter, should Postecoglou wish to give himself the best possible chance of landing Hamilton, he simply must act as quickly as possible – as the 19-year-old will not likely be an Accies player much longer.

In other news: Ange can finally axe “explosive” £12.5k-p/w Celtic flop with Jan swoop for 22 y/o gem

After managing to secure another point against the reigning Premier League champions and current league leaders Manchester City with a 1-1 draw at home after their 0-0 result against them at The Etihad Stadium back in September, Southampton head into the winter break in 12th place with 25 points on the board.

As well as this positive result, it seems as though the club have been handed a fresh injury boost by the time they return to action next month.

What’s the news?

Speaking after the draw against Pep Guardiola’s side at St. Mary’s over the weekend, Ralph Hasenhuttl revealed to Hampshire Live that Saint winger Nathan Tella was not involved in the match due to a groin injury.

However, he should be back after the current winter break by the time Southampton play their next match against Coventry City in the FA Cup.

Talking to the press, the Austrian gave the following seven-word update: “After the break, he will be back.”

Fans will be pleased

This will be good news for Hasenhuttl and supporters as it’ll give the Saints an extra option to pick from in his squad when deciding his starting XI.

Even though he hasn’t managed to score a goal or provide an assist in the Premier League for the Saints so far this season, Tella has still proven himself to be a useful attacking option for Hasenhuttl with ten league appearances under his belt, showing how much the Southampton boss trusts him to do a job for the team.

With the game against Coventry in mind, it would not be a surprise if Tella is among those selected to start the game, especially when you consider the sort of attacking form that he has shown in previous FA Cup and Carabao Cup games this season, having provided two assists and one goal in four appearances across both competitions.

However, if the 22-year-old isn’t able to provide any goals or assists in the Premier League, then questions will surely be raised about his capabilities of playing in the top division on a regular basis at the level Hasenhuttl would want, especially with WhoScored currently listing him as one of the lowest-rated Southampton players in terms of overall performances in the league this season.

That said, the youngster is clearly a player with immense promise and seeing him return to full fitness is beneficial for every single party.

In other news: Solak heading for Saints calamity on “unbelievable” £100k-p/w gem, Ralph would fume – opinion

Celtic goalkeepers Vasilis Barkas and Conor Hazard could leave the club in January, according to The Athletic’s Kieran Devlin.

The Lowdown: Lack of game time…

Both Barkas and Hazard featured in stages last season under Neil Lennon but have fallen out of favour during the current campaign.

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Barkas, labelled as ‘horrendous’ by pundit Tam McManus, made 22 appearances last season but has started just twice under Ange Postecoglou.

Meanwhile, Hazard, described as ‘jittery’ by pundit Natasha Meikle, is yet to feature in 2021/22 after making six appearances last season.

The Latest: Devlin’s claim

Devlin shared a transfer mailbag on The Athletic on Wednesday, answering numerous questions from Hoops fans ahead of the January window.

He was asked about the club’s goalkeepers, with Devlin admitting Celtic ‘will attempt to move Barkas on in January, although his wages might make a permanent transfer difficult.’

Devlin then said that Hazard ‘might be moved on too, again depending on what kind of loan bids or permanent offers comes in’.

The reliable reporter revealed that there are no immediate plans to replace Scott Bain, with Celtic also having high hopes for teenager Tobi Oluwayemi.

The Verdict: The right calls?

It seems as if Barkas and Hazard aren’t in the club’s long-term plans, so looking to move them on next month appears to be the right call.

Hazard only penned new Parkhead terms back in March, but it doesn’t look like he’s fancied by Postecoglou given he hasn’t even featured under the gaffer, with youngster Oluwayemi possibly identified as the first-choice in the long run.

On that basis, selling or moving the pair out on loan could be a wise decision, but even though they’ve hardly played this season that doesn’t mean the club should accept any old lowball offers that come in.

In other news: Print newspaper reveal Celtic now want left-footed ace who’s racked up £20m in transfer fees.