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Following the news of Virgil van Dijk’s ACL injury, it seems that Liverpool are wasting no time in bringing in a replacement for the Dutch colossus. Whilst reports have linked the Reds to former target Kalidou Koulibaly, the current financial climate would suggest the club want someone who will be a little kinder to their bank balance.

According to the Sport Mediaset, via Sport Witness, Jurgen Klopp has identified Schalke’s Ozan Kabak as a potential candidate to fill in for van Dijk. It seems Liverpool were hovering over the 20-year-old during the summer transfer window but opted to strengthen elsewhere. Now defence is a major problem for the reigning Premier League champions, it could cost just £27.5million to bring in a new centre-back come January.

Liverpool will struggle without van Dijk

The summer window was a rollercoaster of events for Liverpool, who teased fans with the idea that they wouldn’t be bringing in any marquee signings. However, Thiago and Diogo Jota arrived in the final weeks before the deadline, proving that the club are going to fight hard to retain their first ever title. But with key player van Dijk more than likely out for the season, those chances just got dashed.

It will be a tall ask for the Reds to continue their unstoppable form from last season without the Dutchman. As highlighted by Jamie Carragher, Joe Gomez hasn’t quite proven himself as a leading centre-half yet. Bringing in someone external could be the only logical option for keeping their title race alive.

When he was 19, Kabak spoke with Bundesliga.com about his desires for the future, and funnily enough highlighted the Liverpool talisman as an icon of his.

“My personal aim is to become a top defender in maybe two or three years, like Virgil van Dijk,” the youngster said. “He’s my idol, I really like him.”

Should Liverpool sign Ozan Kabak?

According to WhoScored, Kabak statistically had a stronger 2019/20 season than Gomez across the backline. The Turkey international averaged more clearances (3.6) and tackles (1.4) per game than Liverpool’s No.12, with 2.1 and 0.8 respectively. Kabak also proved to be better disciplined, picking up just four yellow cards compared to Gomez’s seven.

The 20-year-old also showed glimpses of van Dijk’s balance between defending and getting forward. Last campaign, Kabak netted three times for his club and provided one assist, with the Dutchman tallying five goals and one assist (via Transfermarkt).

Liverpool would also be getting Kabak for a cut price should they make a move for him in January. The Reds had identified the Schalke ace as an option earlier this year, but were put off by his reported £36.2million asking price (via Daily Mail). With a slashed transfer fee, Michael Edwards has incentive to revisit interest in the Turkish defender and look to secure a move that will hopefully ease Liverpool’s heavy defensive burden.

In other news, Kostas Tsimikas shares positive message that will please Liverpool fans…

After initially making his breakthrough back when Arsene Wenger was in charge, things haven’t quite progressed as fast as Reiss Nelson may have hoped.

The 20-year-old has played just 42 times for the first-team at the Emirates, with most of them (17) coming under Mikel Arteta’s guidance. The England U21 international has featured predominantly in the cup competitions this season, and has yet to play a single minute of Premier League football.

And speaking before watching him deliver a sparkling Europa League performance against Dundalk, Arteta made it clear that Nelson had shown him a desire to really fight for his place this season.

He said: “Reiss was really convinced that he wanted to fight to stay here. And when you see that willingness and that passion and that security in a player, you feel tempted to keep him even though you know that opportunities are going to be restricted and he is not going to have a lot of continuity in his play.”

With Nicolas Pepe and Willian still struggling to find consistency in their game – they have scored just two goals in 18 games between them – surely Nelson can be afforded more regular opportunities to impress.

Speaking earlier in the year after the Gunners had triumphed over Portsmouth in the FA Cup, Arteta said: “We have pace in a few players up front. Reiss (Nelson) is a special player and can eliminate players one on one. He’s been out for a while but he’s back now and he showed what he’s capable of doing.”

That pace and directness could be a game-changer for Arteta, and really disrupt opposition teams as they look to stifle other attacking players like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Nelson could open the game up with his speed and penetration and would be a very forward-thinking move to play him.

With the games coming thick and fast both in the Premier League and Europa League, now is the best time for Arteta to unleash one of the Gunners’ brightest young talents.

According to The Chronicle, former Newcastle left-back Jetro Willems would be open to a return to St James’ Park.

What’s the story?

The Netherlands international signed for the Magpies on a season-long loan in the summer of 2019, and after producing some flashes of brilliance, including a thunderous strike away at Liverpool, saw his campaign cut short by a knee injury.

Willems is only just closing on a return to full fitness, and with his contract at Eintracht Frankfurt coming to an end once this season is over, could be available on a free transfer.

The Chronicle claims that the left-back could even be available for a nominal fee in January when Newcastle might assess their options, and that Willems himself is open to the idea of making a return to Tyneside.

Nightmare for Bruce

Whilst Willems was a regular starter for Steve Bruce last season, making 19 appearances in the Premier League, a knee injury like the one he is recovering from just puts a major question mark over any potential move for him.

The Dutchman has yet to play a competitive game since going off injured against Manchester City, and until the Magpies see him at least get up and running at Frankfurt, they shouldn’t even consider spending any money on a transfer fee and/or wages in trying to sign him.

Former Netherlands manager Dick Advocaat also raised questions about his defending, saying that he “does crazy things too often”. Jamal Lewis has proven himself to be a superb summer signing, and is the undisputed number one left-back at St James’ Park.

The £3.5m-rated Willems would have to settle for a place as his back-up, and with his lack of fitness at the moment, it just doesn’t make sense for Newcastle to go after him right now.

Sunderland fell further behind the front runners at the top of League One last night, and Conor McLaughlin was one of the talking points after the game.

McLaughlin in numbers

The Black Cats were held to a 1-1 draw against high-flying Fleetwood Town in Lancashire despite taking the lead in the second half through Charlie Wyke’s header just before the hour mark.

They were soon pegged back as Callum Connolly scored his first goal since February to force Sunderland to share the spoils, leaving them seven points off the pace despite climbing above Charlton Athletic into seventh (via BBC Sport).

Ultimately, it was another night where Sunderland did not defend to the expectation of what the supporters are looking for, with McLaughlin lining up in what appeared to be a back five.

During the 90 minutes, McLaughlin lost possession a rather remarkable 19 times, made no interceptions and did not manage to block any shots (Sofascore).

The pressure on manager Phil Parkinson is mounting. With reports of a new takeover looming, results such as this will not help his cause.

That being said, players such as McLaughlin need to be performing at a higher level to help the Black Cats progress to the Championship.

In other news, Sunderland icon dropped ‘huge’ claim on Phil Parkinson’s future.

AFC Bournemouth forward Joshua King showed David Moyes what West Ham United are missing in just 13 touches against Wycombe Wanderers on Tuesday night.

King entered the action at the Vitality Stadium as a late substitute to replace Dominic Solanke as boss Jason Tindall sought to see out a 1-0 win to solidify the Cherries’ place in the automatic promotion places.

Bournemouth have been in top form since their return to the Championship with 10 wins in 19 games, but are yet to see the best from King who remains without a goal or an assist after playing just 347 minutes in a heavily disrupted campaign.

King missed the start of the season through a thigh injury and later tested positive for coronavirus, before sustaining a back injury in training that kept the Norway forward out of action until Tuesday’s meeting with Wycombe.

West Ham had strived to sign King in the summer under the instructions of Moyes but failed to seal a deal, with Bournemouth rejecting the Irons’ offer of £13million as they chased at least £17m for the 51-cap international.

Moyes has remained keen on the idea of working with King at the London Stadium ever since, with reports surfacing lately claiming the Hammers boss has stressed the importance of offensive additions after marking the 28-year-old as his top January target.

Irons chiefs are confident Bournemouth will be more inclined to accept a lower sum in January with King’s £45,000-per-week contract due to expire in the summer, and would have seen what sort of impact the former Manchester United trainee could bring to the club in his brief cameo during the week.

He may not have scored or assisted with Junior Stanislas’ 68th-minute strike all that separated promotion-chasing Bournemouth and their relegation-threatened opposition, but King impressed in his limited window of opportunity.

Only Diego Rico (15) took more touches than King (13) following Tindall’s late triple substitution, per WhoScored, while being the only Cherries player to record a 100% pass success rate with each of his seven passes finding a teammate.

King was additionally the only Bournemouth player to register a key ball, successful dribble or aerial duel won in the closing stages, while Wycombe piled on late pressure with Daryl Horgan and Fred Onyedinma doing their best to inspire a comeback.

Moyes would no doubt have been impressed by what King brought to the field at the Vitality Stadium on Tuesday night, despite only playing the final nine minutes.

AND in other news, West Ham are showing short-term vision in the transfer market by targeting a £52k-p/w star who won’t cost David Sullivan a penny.

Morale at the Celtic camp will be soaring after they managed to fight out a win over Lille in their latest Europa League fixture. Whilst Neil Lennon and his side are already out of the competition, they can take away the confidence boost from the victory as they prepare to face Kilmarnock tomorrow.

The boss will also be pleased with some individual performances, with Ismaila Soro in particular seriously impressing with his first ever start for the Hoops. The Ivorian midfielder played the full 90 minutes at Celtic Park on Thursday and showcased his skill to strike the perfect balance between defensive and more attacking contributions.

According to Sofascore, Soro made one key pass and drew in three fouls, highlighting his diligent work on the ball and how much it can stress out the opposition. He also contributed a whopping ten tackles, working extremely hard to keep out the Lille attackers from the engine room.

With the match result having no impact on Celtic’s Europa League fate, Lennon could afford to change up his usual lineup and give lesser played personnel a chance. This is exactly what he did and the likes of Soro didn’t disappoint him.

The midfielder put in that much of a promising performance that the manager must consider starting him against Kilmarnock on Sunday. The £11,000 per week workhorse should be given a chance to slot into the lineup ahead of Scott Brown, who has been very quiet during his recent appearances.

By replacing the skipper with a player like Soro, who is hungry for minutes in the tank, could turn out to be a stroke of genius. Celtic have a huge 13-point deficit to make back as Rangers run away with the league and whilst they may not be able to catch them up, it’s the perfect opportunity to test the waters with new lineups before next season.

In other news, Pundit rubbishes idea of Sam Allardyce replacing Neil Lennon at Celtic…

For Celtic, they have somehow managed to get their season back on track.

Only a few weeks ago their supporters had gathered outside Parkhead in protest against Neil Lennon and the club’s ownership but the Northern Irishman has turned things around.

Celtic have now won five games on the trot which included an impressive win over Lille and also victory in the Scottish Cup final. Of course, the Hoops are still considerably off the pace in the league but it’s encouraging that they’ve been able to change their fortunes in such a short space of time.

One of the reasons they’ve been able to do that is the renewed fitness of Leigh Griffiths. A man with “unquestioned” talent according to Chris Sutton, Lennon hasn’t always been able to call on the striker.

He started just ten times in the SPFL last season and this term, the forward has only managed two league starts. However, possessing 121 goals for his club, it’s clear he has the necessary qualities.

His instinctive finish against Hearts in the Scottish Cup final summed up the attributes he possesses and then he took his start against Hamilton with both hands.

Griffiths found the back of the net but did endure a mixed afternoon on Boxing Day. He lost 66.7% of his duels and could have had a hat-trick but it was promising that he got in such good areas.

It was a display that has provided Lennon with a huge problem, albeit a welcome one in the final third.

Odsonne Edouard hasn’t been his usual self this term but after being involved in all three goals last time out, it was a welcome return to form. Yet, his goal-scoring performance came from the left-wing as Griffiths played through the middle.

The dilemma, therefore, is whether to keep Edouard in a new position and stick with Griffiths or put the Frenchman back in his preferred role. Considering the Bhoys beat Hamilton 3-0, making changes would be foolish.

Yet, he has to consider the impact Mo Elyounoussi can make. Having contributed to 17 goals this campaign, it’s incredibly difficult to leave him out too.

Lennon has a lot of thinking to do ahead of the New Year.

AND in other news, Celtic must swoop for “extraordinary” colossus, he’s better than Barkas…

Many Aston Villa fans have been buzzing at a tweet involving Matty Cash which recently emerged on social media.

The Aston Villa Twitter account relayed a tweet about Cash and posted a stat on the English right-back. The tweet said that the former Nottingham Forest star has made more interceptions in the Premier League this season than any other defender in the division.

Villa had signed the Englishman from Forest in the summer transfer window for a fee of £14.18 million. In the current campaign, he has made 14 Premier League appearances for Dean Smith’s men and has also racked up a couple of assists for the Birmingham-based club (as per Transfermarkt).

The 23-year-old has racked up a rating of 7.19 in the Premier League this season and in the Villa side, he has been the club’s seventh-best performer in that sense. In the Villa side, he has been the club’s best tackler too as he had made 2.6 tackles per game. He has made the fourth-highest number of clearances per game (as per Whoscored).

This shows the sort of signing he has been for Aston Villa. Tony Adams has already been full of praise for the Englishman and said: “Look at Villa, the right-back Matty Cash the other night. Wow. Slough boy. Dagenham and Redbridge. He’s gone to Nottingham Forest. What a player. He’s 23.

“He has Aubameyang in his pocket. Athletic, strong, what a great player.”

The tweet involving Cash from Villa’s Twitter account caught the attention of many fans, who made their opinion clear about the summer signing.

What did Villa fans make of this tweet about Cash?

“This guy has been amazing since arriving, probably the best signing we have had in the past 3 seasons, so underrated but does his job day in, day out and never lets us down.”

Credit: @Tomsmit64007956

“Unbelievable signing.”

Credit: @liamhaddon1

“Best in the league.”

Credit: @tom_avfc1

“Love Cashy. Get him on all set pieces!!”

Credit: @AVFullBIFTA

“You know when they say its cheaper to shop abroad? Let’s just consider the fact that we paid a lot less for Matty Cash than a certain other Midlands club paid for their new right back in the summer. Unreal business.”

Credit: @Kevavfc1993

“What a signing. Has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water.”

Credit: @Marko7LW

“Cash money doing the business.”

Credit: @AvfcPearson

In other news, there has been an update about the future of a Villa midfielder – read more about it here.

Tottenham Hotspur star Heung-min Son endured an uncharacteristically underwhelming game as the north London outfit drew to relegation-threatened Fulham last night.

Jose Mourinho’s men were punished for their complacency once again, just like in games against Crystal Palace and Wolves, they let the opposition snatch something late on.

Harry Kane had opened the scoring for Spurs by rounding off a sublime piece of play which saw Sergio Reguilon serve the ball on a plate for him before Cottagers winger Ivan Cavaleiro beat Eric Dier in the air to head home the equaliser in the 74th minute.

Fingers may well be pointed in the direction of his central defensive partner, though, as Davinson Sanchez was beaten all ends up by substitute Ademola Lookman, who delivered the all-important cross for the former Wolves man to score.

However, do not be quick to judge as the Colombian colossus ranked fourth-best in terms of SofaScore ratings having been graded a 7.2, which was higher than the goalscoring Kane.

Indeed, Sanchez was a rock defensively aside from that one moment – he made five clearances and four tackles, which exceeded his average per game for the season so far, meaning he was playing better than usual from a defensive standpoint.

He also successfully made 91% of his 64 passing attempts, so it was not as if he was gifting the ball back to the visiting team.

Instead, the fault must lie at the feet of the South Korean, even if he can be forgiven considering his impact this term.

Yes, he has contributed towards 17 goals in as many games in the top-flight, but on Wednesday evening, he was hugely wasteful to the point of it costing them dearly.

Son recorded four big chances missed and had four shooting attempts, via SofaScore, so perhaps it’s a complete surprise to see him come away without a goal. He also delivered just 20% of his crosses successfully, which only goes to show how little Kane had to feed off.

Another of those opportunities came at 1-0 with Spurs in dire need of killing Fulham off, but Son found himself offside as he played in Reguilon to score.

No other Spurs player recorded a worse rating than his 6.0, and quite rightly as he summed up Spurs’ profligacy to a tee.

Dan Kilpatrick of the Evening Standard was less than impressed in his post-match ratings, claiming Son was ‘not his usual self in front of goal’ and that ‘it proved costly.’

The £81m-rated winger, who earns a reported £140k-per-week in N17, only had 44 touches of the ball, which was his lowest in over a month in the top-flight.

That only adds further fuel to why he was so ineffective against a side that sits third-from-bottom. It wasn’t too long ago that Spurs were sitting pretty atop the Premier League standings.

Recently dubbed a “revelation” by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher, the impotent attacker should have done far better with his chances and had he done so, then the result may have been very different on the night.

AND in other news, Daniel Levy can seal Spurs’ BEST signing since Son in “remarkable” £30m beast…

It’s been more than two weeks since Aston Villa last played in the Premier League, and on Tuesday night, they finally return to action when they take on Manchester City’s side.

Villa were forced to field an academy side for their FA Cup third round clash against Liverpool earlier this month, but have now got the majority of their first-team squad back.

And whilst the two to three weeks off might see a little bit of rust creep into their game, it could also have the opposite effect too.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the City game, Smith revealed: “I don’t think we’ll be hamstrung by it at all. We’ll have a few players who’ve been affected by it, but we’ve also got a lot of players who’ve had a so-called winter break.

“Some of our players needed the rest, players like Jack Grealish and John McGinn who’ve been regularly away on international duty. Hopefully it’ll do them the world of good and we can come back fresh and firing.”

The likes of Grealish and McGinn in particular have been virtual ever-presents under Smith for more than a couple of years now, and the toll of having to play week-in and week-out must be huge.

Aside from the sheer physical exertions of having to play big games non-stop, the mental pressures and burden that it can put on a player is similarly seismic.

It’s exactly why this mini winter break that Villa have had could be the catalyst to ensuring they enjoy just as successful of a second-half of the campaign.

The lay-off may not bear fruit immediately against City tonight, but over the long run, Villa fans should see a team far more energised and able to keep up their intensity.

The Premier League this year has been one like no other. This mid-season rest has come at the perfect time for Villa as they look to maintain an incredible push for a European spot.

Meanwhile, Villa must start this “match-winner” tonight…