Despite an exciting season at Anfield under Jurgen Klopp, this summer’s transfer window is another chance for the club to improve, progress and attempt to build a side that is capable of consistently challenging for the English Premier League trophy.
Part of their strategy will be signing established talent from some of Europe’s best sides, but equally as important is securing the young talent of the future that can develop under Klopp and emerge as players capable of playing at the highest level.
Someone who fits into the latter category is Wolverhampton Wanderers stand-out and Portugal international Ruben Neves, who was the driving force behind their English Championship winning season.
The Reds have been linked with a move for him as recently as last month.
Rated at £13.5m by Transfermarkt, the Anfield side are more than capable of getting the deal done for the 21-year-old, but it’s always a risk signing players from the second-tier and Liverpool already have a quality midfield at their disposal.
Should they sign Ruben Neves?
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David Moyes is more than likely going to keep West Ham United in the Premier League this season, but the Scot’s long-term future at the club remains unclear.
Saturday’s victory at Leicester City was huge for West Ham ahead of Thursday’s clash with Manchester United, although the result has done little to change Moyes’ position with the club’s supporters.
Indeed, to put it bluntly, the majority of West Ham fans are not keen on the former Everton and Man United boss, and want a change to be made at the end of the season.
There is no question that a whole host of managers would be interested in taking the position, and there are a number in the Premier League that would fancy it as well.
The club’s fans have been discussing potential Moyes replacements, with Bournemouth’s Eddie Howe, Burnley’s Sean Dyche and Huddersfield Town’s David Wagner all drawing opinions on social media.
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It remains to be seen whether Moyes is handed a long-term contract by the West Ham board, but the supporters are already looking to a future without him.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:
Tottenham Hotspur fans in the Transfer Tavern will be looking for the club to improve their side this summer in the transfer window, however, one man being reported would be a surprise addition.
Mauricio Pochettino will be desperate to add to strength to his squad this summer as he looks for his Spurs side to be competitive across all-competitions.
The club expect to lose Toby Alderweireld to one of their rivals and the Argentine manager has been making plans for that potential eventuality, although one of the recent names to be linked with the club would come as a surprise to fans in the Tavern.
According to reports in ESPN, Spurs are targeting Ahmed Hegazi from West Bromwich Albion to help with their efforts. The Baggies defender is reportedly set to leave the club following their relegation, and Tottenham are tracking his movements along with West Ham United and Leicester City.
Landlord’s Verdict
The Spurs fans in the Tavern were hoping for a higher calibre centre-back to join the club in Alderweireld’s place, however, a handful of supporters believe he could do a good job for the team.
He was a standout performer for the Baggies despite their relegation, having started all of their Premier League matches and, with Tottenham looking for a player to replace Alderweireld, the Egypt international could prove to be a cost-effective signing.
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Liverpool and Manchester United do not exactly have the friendliest relationship, on the pitch and off it.
Most of the time, though, the players can see past it, but on this occasion, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain decided to subtly poke fun at United midfielder Marouane Fellaini.
Unfortunately for the Liverpool star, he will not be participating in England’s World Cup campaign in Russia due to an injury that he suffered while playing against Roma in the semi-finals of the Champions League.
One of his opponents on that day was Radja Nainggolan, who recently received some bad news about his international future.
The midfielder was not selected by manager Roberto Martinez as part of the Belgium squad for the World Cup.
The 30-year-old is experienced at international level having earned 30 caps for his country, but Martinez opted not to take him on the plane to Russia.
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The decision was met with confusion from most football fans, including Oxlade-Chamberlain, who was spotted by a Liverpool fan on Reddit ‘liking’ an Instagram post hitting out at the snub.
Not only was the social media post mocking Martinez’s call, it also poked fun at Fellaini, who despite putting in a mixed bag of performances this season, has been given the nod.
Love it when footballers are honest and like things like this, Oxlade-Chamberlain knows! from r/LiverpoolFC
As reported by The Scottish Sun, Rangers are interested in bringing West Ham United fan favourite James Collins to Ibrox this summer.
What’s the story?
Rangers were reported to have missed out on top transfer target Martin Skrtel earlier this week, with the two parties too far apart on the financial terms of a potential switch to Glasgow from Fenerbahce.
The defence is still a massive priority though and Steven Gerrard needs to bring in defensive reinforcements badly if his side are to compete for major honours next term.
One player that could be arriving at Ibrox is out-of-contract defender James Collins, according to The Scottish Sun.
The paper reckon that the player represents the experience and defensive strength that Gerrard is looking for in his backline.
Earning £35,000-a-week according to Spotrac.com, can they get a deal done to bring the 34-year-old to Glasgow?
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Would he be a good signing?
With close to 400 career appearances for West Ham, Aston Villa and Cardiff City, Collins has had a stellar career, much of which has been played at the top level.
A leader on and off the pitch, his commitment and passion for the Hammers made him a real fan favourite at the club and while it’s become increasingly clear he isn’t the defensive option they need, supporters were sad to see him leave the London Stadium.
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There are benefits he could bring to the set-up at Rangers, his experience being the obvious, but the Light Blues should really be trying to build for the future rather than paying big wages for a short-term signing.
The club should be looking at emerging defensive prospects rather than 34-year-olds and while his arrival would likely be welcomed by supporters, it’s the kind of pandering ‘big name’ signing that has got them into trouble over the past few seasons.
As reported by The Mirror, Tottenham Hotspur are seeking to sign stars Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli up to new long-term contracts, after similar deals for Harry Kane and manager Mauricio Pochettino.
What’s the story?
The usual cycle at Spurs over the last couple of decades has seen them build talented sides only for them to then be broken up and their biggest stars sold.
There have been fears that could happen again with their current crop of players, but it’s clear they are ready to show supporters ambition after tying down their two biggest assets to new contracts.
The retention of both Mauricio Pochettino and Harry Kane is a massive signal of intent and it appears fans are in line to hear more good news this summer.
The Mirror say that the club will be securing Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen to new deals, already opening talks with the former months ago.
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How important is keeping them?
After Harry Kane, Eriksen is arguably Spurs’ most important player, often performing when others don’t in Pochettino’s starting eleven.
His 14 goals and 11 assists last season demonstrate he has an attacking contribution that Tottenham simply can’t afford to lose if they’re to make progress in their ambitions to win major honours at home and abroad.
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Likewise Dele Alli is a supreme talent who is still improving his all-round game at the age of 22. Last season may have had ups and downs for the England international but his attacking contribution speaks for itself, with 14 goals and 17 assists in all competitions.
Keeping both could prove to be just as important as tying down Kane and with all three working under Pochettino, the club can truly achieve big things in the coming years, if they are complemented with the right incoming talent.
Birmingham City manager Garry Monk spoke in 2015 about his strong relationship with current Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho, and the 39-year-old should take advantage of their relationship this summer.
The Blues chief, who has surely added these three 2018 World Cup stars to his summer transfer wish-list, will be desperate to strengthen his squad in the coming weeks in order to ensure they don’t find themselves in another Championship relegation battle next term, with one of his priorities being to bolster his attacking options seeing as the Midlands club only scored a measly 38 goals in their 46 league games in 2017/18.
Meanwhile, Mourinho has also been busy in the transfer market following the additions of Diogo Dalot and Fred, and with more expected to follow the duo to Old Trafford it could mean that opportunities are limited for some of the Red Devils youngsters that would have been hoping to get regular minutes on the pitch in the upcoming season.
If those highly-rated players aren’t going to get that then they may well be loaned out, and St Andrew’s could be the perfect home for some of them.
Here are three Man United youngsters that would shine under Monk in 2018/19…
With the futures of both David Stockdale and Tomasz Kuszczak seemingly in doubt, one of Monk’s main priorities in the next few days and weeks will surely be to bring a new goalkeeper to the club, and United stopper Joel Pereira could be the perfect option.
The 21-year-old is highly-rated by Mourinho but he only played 12 minutes of first-team football last term having found himself behind David De Gea and Sergio Romero in the pecking order, and he will surely be keen to get out and feature regularly in the 2018/19 campaign.
The stopper would have the opportunity to do that and pick up some much-needed experience at St Andrew’s with the Blues, and would potentially be their new number one.
He may only be 17 years of age, but Gomes is already well on the cusp of United’s first-team squad following some outstanding performances for the youth sides, and he featured for two minutes of Jose Mourinho’s men’s 4-0 FA Cup win against Yeovil in January.
The exciting attacking midfielder, who can play on the left as well as his preferred position in the centre, is quick, skilful and has an eye for goals and assists, and if the Portuguese manager is willing to let him leave on loan then Birmingham must pouce as he is the type of forward they desperately need following a disappointing campaign previously.
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Like Gomes, the Netherlands U19 international is another exciting teenager that is on the edge of the first-team squad, and could even be a major part of their upcoming USA pre-season tour.
The tall attacker, who usually plays on the right wing but can also play on the left or as a central attacking midfielder, scored seven goals in 17 matches for the various young Red Devils sides last term and he would certainly be an exciting addition to the Birmingham frontline.
Regular football in such a competitive league could aid the 18-year-old’s development for the future.
What do you think, Man United and Birmingham fans? Let us know below.
Newcastle United are preparing to lose Mikel Merino, with the Spanish midfielder heading for Real Sociedad – as recently covered by Chronicle Live.
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Merino moved to Newcastle from Borussia Dortmund in last summer’s transfer window, with the Magpies securing the loan services of the 22-year-old.
The deal was then made permanent in October, and Merino actually made 24 Premier League appearances during his first season in English football.
The midfielder struggled for action in the second half of the campaign, however, with Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez preferring other players as the club battled against the drop.
Merino, who is valued at £9m by Transfermarkt, is believed to be closing on a move to Sociedad, who have seemingly beaten the likes of Real Betis and Sevilla to the former Osasuna midfielder.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”258359″ player=”12034″ title=”The World Cup Twitter Report”]
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The Newcastle fans have been reacting to the reports on social media, and they are still finding it hard to understand why their club are happy to lose Merino this summer.
A selection of the Twitter reaction from the Newcastle supporters can be seen below:
Everton and Newcastle United are set to miss out on Sporting Lisbon striker Bas Dost, who will sign for Fenerbahce according to Turkish news outlet Bein Sports.
What’s the story?
Dutch striker Bas Dost has been hot property this summer, with Everton and Newcastle among a number of teams interested in the prolific front-man.
Since signing for the Portuguese club in 2016, Bas Dost has scored an incredible 61 goals in 61 games in the Primeira Liga but following their failure to qualify for the Champions League this season, Sporting fans attacked players at their training ground which left the striker needing medical attention.
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According to Bein Sports, Fenerbahce have won the race to sign the 6ft5 colossus and an agreement has been made between the two clubs.
Bad news for Everton and Newcastle
Nothing can hide the fact that this is a massive loss for Everton, Newcastle and the Premier League.
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Bas Dost is a quality striker who has scored wherever he has been and he would be available on the cheap this summer following the mass exodus from the Portuguese club.
There are few strikers around with the goal-scoring ability of Bas Dost and if there’s still any chance of signing the 29-year-old, the Premier League clubs should do all they can to thwart his move to Turkey.
Cape Cobras triumphed in a low-scoring contest over the Eagles at Newlands. The match was in the balance after both first innings’ had been completed. Cape Cobras had been put in to bat when Boeta Dippenaar won the toss for the Eagles and his decision looked vindicated when the home team were reduced to 85 for six. A fighting knock of 70 from 99 balls from Robin Peterson lifted the score to 231 and clearly gave the Cape Cobras bowlers a chance. They duly delivered as the Eagles collapsed from 141 for 2 to 220 all out in the space of 22 overs. Vernon Philander was the chief destroyer with 5 for 58.A patient 113 from Alastair Gray, off 247 balls, anchored Cape Cobras second innings and ensured the visitors would have a tough but gettable target of 238 batting last. They never got close as Philander again was in the wickets with 4 for 32 and Peterson completed an excellent all-round game by collecting 5 for 60. The win takes Cape Cobras to top of the table while the Eagles are stuck second from bottom.The Lions roared to an innings victory against the visiting Titans at Potchefstroom. Batting first there were fifties from openers Stephen Cook and Grant Mokena before the middle order really turned the screw. Vaughn van Jaarsveld hit 16 boundaries and two sixes in a positive 135 from 174 balls and Zander der Bruyn made a patient 144.Waiting a day and a half to bat clearly did the Titans’ batsmen no good and they were bundled out for 134 with Cliff Deacon destroying the top-order with 4 for 43. Following on the Titans fared a little better, with Farhaan Behardien’s fifty lifting the score to 200, but Deacon was in the wickets again and Friedel de Wet celebrated his call up to the South African Test squad with 3 for 37 from 19 overs. England discard Monty Panesar chipped in with 2 for 29 from 11 overs as the Lions secured their first victory of the SuperSport series.