Liverpool are expecting to finalise an £8million deal for goalkeeper Simon Mignolet next week, according to the Daily Mail.
The Sunderland goalkeeper has impressed in the Premier League, after keeping 11 clean sheets for a side that finished just three points above the relegation zone.
And Brendan Rodgers is ready to bring in the Belgian, with current number one Pepe Reina being linked with a return to Barcelona.
Victor Valdes has just one year left on his contract at the Camp Nou, and Reina is one of a handful of keepers being mooted as Valdes’ replacement at Barcelona.
Rodgers therefore, has identified Mignolet as the best option for the Reds, as he looks to improve his squad.
“We need to build up the depth. I want to have people who might be disappointed because they’re not even on the bench. At the minute we don’t have that so it’s competition we want to get,” he said.
“I don’t want a massive group. We want a tight group with a real core of 17 or 18 players who feel they should always be playing and then supported by a few of our top young talents.
“We haven’t got that. We have one or two on the sidelines but we need more than that.”
Belgium goalkeeper Mignolet is anxious to raise his profile ahead of next year’s World Cup in Brazil, and a move to a top club like Liverpool could give him the opportunity to improve his World Cup hopes.
Will Mignolet be a good signing for Liverpool? Should Pepe Reina leave the Reds?
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Patrick Boyland has now dropped some big Everton teams news ahead of their game at home to Boreham Wood in the FA Cup.
The Lowdown: Injury woes
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has suffered from a lot of injury problems so far this season which has meant that neither Rafael Benitez nor Frank Lampard have been able to call upon the club’s best goalscorer.
Indeed, he has only managed to play sparingly in eight games in total over all competitions, and there is no doubt that the Goodison Park faithful’s struggles down at the foot of the table correlate with his absence.
The Latest: Boyland update
Taking to Twitter, The Athletic journalist Boyland has now dropped the latest team news, revealing Vitaliy Mykolenko is set to play on Thursday.
He also included an update on Calvert-Lewin’s well-being as he looks to get back to full fitness: “Dominic Calvert-Lewin back doing work on the grass.”
While it is not clear if he will be in the squad in any capacity in the cup clash, this certainly offers hope of a comeback against Tottenham on Monday.
The Verdict: Big boost
It will certainly go down as a big boost at the Merseyside club that Calvert-Lewin is back doing work.
In his first three matches this term before fracturing his toe, he scored three goals, showing how much of an influence he has on the team.
He also ranks as their best player in the Premier League this campaign, as per WhoScored, and averages more shots and aerial duels won than any of his teammates.
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Nonetheless, he is the talisman and focal point for the Toffees, and so Frank Lampard will no doubt want him back playing on the pitch as soon as humanly possible.
In other news, find out which ‘fantastic’ summer bargain the Blues are now eyeing here!
Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Pedro Neto is expected to be okay despite being absent for Sunday’s 1-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park.
What’s the story?
In a report from Birmingham Live, the 22-year-old was left out of Bruno Lage’s squad with a foot injury, despite travelling with his teammates to Merseyside.
However, the issue isn’t expected to be anything serious with it being an impact injury to the top of the Portuguese’s foot.
Neto has only recently returned to action after a lengthy spell out recovering from an ACL injury and signed a brand new five-year contract last week to keep him at Molineux until 2027.
Wolves supporters will be relieved
There would’ve certainly been a wave of major concern throughout the Wolves fanbase when it was announced that Neto wasn’t in the squad to face Everton, let alone being dropped to the bench.
Having made his first start since last April against Crystal Palace last weekend, the 22-year-old is slowly returning to action after being out for just shy of a year. However, having him back available for the Golden Boys’ crunch period is a major boost.
Last season, the winger netted five goals and registered six assists in 31 Premier League appearances, although that tally is more impressive when considering the fact that Wolves scored just 36 goals all season in the top-flight last term as they finished 13th.
Valued at £31.5m, the 22-year-old is certainly one of the West Midland’s club’s most valuable assets and will be key in the final weeks of the season.
Moreover, goals from out wide have been at a shortage this term, with Daniel Podence the only winger to have scored in the Premier League so far this term.
Bruno Lage’s men are still within a decent shout of securing European football for next season after their victory at Goodison Park on Sunday.
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Sat in seventh place, Wolves are just two points off the top-six with nine games to go with a relatively favourable fixture list remaining on paper.
Besides having to face Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea before the end of the season, the Black Country club will only play sides currently below them in the table with three of the current bottom five still to play in Leeds United, Burnley and Norwich City.
In other news: Possession lost 16x: Wolves lightweight who won just 20% duels failed Lage’s big test
Celtic look set to secure the signing of Daniel Kelly on a professional contract.
What’s the talk?
That’s according to a report by Football Scotland, who claimed that, despite huge interest from Premier League club Arsenal, the 16-year-old now looks as if he will put pen to paper on professional terms with Ange Postecoglou’s side, all but ending the speculation regarding the midfielder’s immediate future.
The report added that the Gunners have watched the Celtic starlet in action several times this season and had even made an approach to the youngster regarding a potential switch to north London at the end of the current campaign.
Supporters will be buzzing
In recent years, Celtic have made something of a habit of losing their promising youth prospects to English clubs for little to no transfer fee. Therefore, the news that the Bhoys look as if they have convinced Kelly to remain in Glasgow rather than making a move down south is sure to have left the Parkhead faithful buzzing.
Indeed, Manchester City signed highly-rated Celtic midfielder Josh Adam on a free transfer in the summer of 2020, Blackburn Rovers snapped up centre-forward Connor McBride for nothing the same year and promising centre-back Liam Morrison joined Bayern Munich on a free in the summer of 2019.
However, it would now appear as if this sequence has been broken. Despite the reported interest from Arsenal, as well as a numerous other big clubs in England, Kelly looks as if he will continue his development into professional football at Lennoxtown – an outcome which is undoubtedly fantastic news for everyone involved with the Premiership table-toppers.
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AND in other news: Ange could land Celtic’s next Scott Brown with £2.25m-rated “terrier” who “loves a tackle”
Everton made a number of signings in the January transfer window, with Dele Alli, Donny van de Beek and Anwar El Ghazi all joining from other Premier League clubs to help bolster the squad ahead of the challenge that lies ahead for the club in their challenge for safety in the league.
Both Alli and van de Beek have had opportunities to make an impact on the side, however, El Ghazi has only been given 11 minutes of game time since he joined the club two months ago.
Although, there does seem to be a glimmer of hope for the winger after the Toffees boss spoke about the player’s contribution.
Speaking recently about the 26-year-old, as cited by BirminghamLive, Frank Lampard said:
“I think he can offer, he’s a talented player. I know that from going up against him as a coach. It’s an area where we do have personnel. He has a slightly different skill set to anyone else in that area.”
The £38k-per-week gem who was hailed “remarkable” by pundit Adrian Clarke, had a better goal to minutes ratio than Richarlison last season, with El Ghazi scoring every 170 minutes and Richarlison finding the net every 257 minutes.
Considering the fact that Everton haven’t scored a single goal in the Premier League in their last four fixtures, conceding consecutive defeats, it could be an opportunity tonight to offer an opportunity to El Ghazi.
He’d add a fresh perspective and attacking threat to the game against Newcastle United at Goodison Park, especially since the winger has already bullied the Tyneside club this season, scoring for Villa against them last year.
Earlier on in the season, back in August, the Dutch national netted the second goal in Aston Villa’s 2-0 comfortable victory over the Magpies at Villa Park, and Lampard must not ignore the potential for the goal threat to emulate his performance against Eddie Howe’s side now that Everton find themselves in a desperate situation.
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The Toffees must capitalise on the fact that the clash with Newcastle United tonight is a game in hand on their relegation competitors, and if Lampard needs to be ruthless with his attacking line by dropping regulars to accommodate El Ghazi it could be well worth the risk.
In other news: AVFC plot bid to sign £50m gem who’s “Champions League material”, imagine him & McGinn
Rangers boss Gio van Bronckhorst has been hit with a worrying injury blow to Ibrox midfielder Aaron Ramsey…
What’s the latest?
Rob Page has revealed that the Gers ace sustained a knock whilst playing for his country last week.
Speaking about the midfielder and his team-mate Gareth Bale, the 47-year-old told Sky Sports, via STV: “They both struggled towards the end of the game. You could see both of them were holding their groins and hamstrings.
“They both had a tough 95 minutes. But we’ll have another night and we’ll make that decision in the morning whether we involve them in the 23. They’re not going to start.”
Livid
This update will surely leave the Ibrox faithful livid, as the Juventus loanee appears to have suffered a big injury setback at the worst possible time.
Ramsey has struggled for fitness since arriving in Glasgow in January and finally made his full Premiership debut for the club prior to the international break. He started the 2-1 win over Dundee away from home and scored his first goal for the Scottish giants as he converted from close range after Kemar Roofe’s effort was saved.
The ex-Arsenal man followed that up with an impressive showing for his country against Austria. As per SofaScore, he won four of his six duels and created two chances in the middle of the park as he registered a rating of 7.3 in the World Cup play-off encounter.
These two performances suggest that he was finally starting to find his feet after a difficult time with injuries. However, that appears to have ended swiftly as he has been hit with another body blow, and it remains to be seen how long he will be sidelined with this latest knock.
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Therefore, supporters will be livid as he may not be able to build on the foundations he has built for himself in the last two games for club and country. They will be frustrated by his fitness issues and potentially question Ross Wilson for sanctioning a deal for him in January when they might have been able to bring in a player with a better injury record.
Hopefully this turns out to be a minor issue for the Welshman and he will be available for selection when it comes to the Old Firm derby on Sunday. Rangers face a huge clash with Celtic in the Premiership this weekend, and losing Ramsey would be a bitter blow for Van Bronckhorst’s side.
AND in other news, Rangers played a masterclass over Ibrox “dafty” whose value plummeted 50% in 1 year…
West Brom’s Championship woes have continued even past the sacking of Valerien Ismail, dropping points in three of the club’s last five and winning just three games since the turn of the year.
Just seven teams in the entire division have scored less than their total of 42 goals for the season – a terrible return for a club expected to bounce straight back up to the Premier League after being relegated at the end of the last season.
To make matters worse, Baggies academy graduate Tyler Roberts looks like he could remain in the top flight for another season with Leeds, after joining the club from West Brom back in 2018 for £2.5m – once again proving to them that they shouldn’t have sold him for so little.
Now worth £7.2m according to Transfermarkt, the Wales International remained part of Leeds’ plans under new manager Jesse Marsch, until he suffered an injury earlier in the month which ruled him out for the rest of the season.
He is also being tipped for a summer exit by the likes of journalist Dean Jones, who said: “You do get the feeling that his position is one of those that will be targeted in the summer to be strengthened.”
Despite that update, he could still be a valuable asset to a newly promoted Premier League team, and still has plenty of talent left to offer to his next club – which will likely not be West Brom due to their poor standing in the Championship right now.
The 23-year-old has previously been name-dropped by Spain manager Luis Enrique as one of Wales’ biggest threats, saying: “They have good, young players, like Tyler Roberts, and we know it will not be easy.”
Among midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues and continental competitions, Roberts ranks in the top 4% for pressures in the attacking third per 90 (5.75), top 1% for touches in the attacking penalty area per 90 (4.06) and top 6% for carries into the penalty area per 90 (0.55) – evidence that he can still compete in the top flight and be a solid option for teams in the lower half of the top-flight.
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With great energy, work rate and attitude, the 19-time Wales international could have been a star at Albion, if they gave him more of a chance and a larger role within the squad – and now they are suffering the consequences while Roberts has become a Premier League level player.
In other news: Disaster: Ismael could now inflict even more misery on West Brom this summer
Manchester City’s first-choice attacking options are amongst some of the best in the Premier League. Erling Haaland is the leading scorer in the Premier League and has been largely unstoppable. Rayan Cherki has been flourishing, and Phil Foden is looking back to his best.
Yet, Pep Guardiola does seem reluctant at times to use the full extent of his squad in those forward areas. Perhaps the best example of that is Omar Marmoush, who has only played 206 minutes in the Premier League this term. Oscar Bobb and Sabvnho have only played 467 minutes apiece.
Thus, City are looking to add another attacker to the squad this winter, with Antoine Semenyo a real option.
What Semenyo could add to City’s attack
It does seem like City will push to sign Bournemouth winger Semenyo this winter. The former Bristol City star is a key target for Guardiola’s side, and they will go up against rivals Manchester United to get his signature.
If this deal were to get over the line, there are certainly a lot of positives to Semenyo’s game. He has been sensational for the Cherries this term, with eight goals and three assists in 16 appearances so far.
However, he will bring so much more than goals to this City side. The Ghanaian winger is an “explosive” attacker, according to football scout Ben Mattinson. He thrives in transitional scenarios and could add a new dynamic to this City squad in that sense.
His versatility will be a huge benefit for City’s Spanish manager, too. Guardiola can depend on Semenyo to play on either wing, with Mattinson noting he has “both footed ball striking” ability. The forward can even operate up front, as he has done under Andoni Iraola for Bournemouth.
However, if City had decided against releasing a former academy star, they may have been able to save a fortune on Semenyo this summer.
Big-money star is better than Semenyo 8 years after leaving
Over the last few seasons, City’s academy has produced some excellent footballers. Perhaps the most notable two are surely Phil Foden and Cole Palmer, who are key players at international level for England.
However, it might be a little-known fact that Bayern Munich and France star Michael Olise was once in the Citizens’ academy. The ex-Crystal Palace man represented the club for one season at youth level before moving to Reading in 2017.
Of course, his career has gone from strength to strength since becoming a professional player. He shone in the Premier League for Palace before moving to Bayern, where he has established himself as a world beater.
The London-born attacker has played 80 times for the Bundesliga giants. In that time, Olise has scored 30 goals and amassed an impressive 37 assists. He’s also become a first-choice starter for France under Didier Deschamps, alongside the likes of Kylian Mbappe.
Bayern legend Karl-Heinz Rummenigge certainly knows a thing or two about making it to the top in Bavaria. He has been full of praise for Olise since his move, putting him on the same pedestal as legendary duo Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery.
His numbers compared to Semenyo are nothing short of sensational. For example, the French winger is averaging 2.92 key passes and 1.15 goal-creating actions per 90 minutes, compared to the Cherries winger’s 1.44 key passes and 0.44 goal-creating actions each game.
Olise & Semenyo key stats compared
Stat (per 90)
Olise
Semenyo
Goals and assists
1.15
0.69
Key passes
2.92
1.44
Goal-creating actions
1.15
0.44
Take-ons completed
2.31
1.56
Progressive carries
6.23
3.69
Stats from FBref
Signing Semenyo this winter would be quite the coup for City; there is no doubt about that. However, if they had kept hold of Olise all those years ago, they might not have needed to add the Cherries star to their attack.
Now, the French star is valued at a reported £100m, and there are no links at present, so it seems unlikely City will move for him. But their fans may well look back on that and wonder what could have been.
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Ally McCoist took aim at a referee decision as Newcastle United and Chelsea battled out a frantic 2-2 draw in the Premier League.
Newcastle denied victory by Chelsea comeback
Nick Woltemade’s double had the Magpies 2-0 up inside 20 minutes, but Eddie Howe’s men wilted amid a second-half fightback, fuelled by the pace and trickery of Pedro Neto, Alejandro Garnacho and Pedro, after Reece James’ curling free-kick reduced the deficit.
However, it was Pedro who ensured his side left with a deserved point when he fired home a 66th-minute equaliser to end a run of three successive league defeats for the Blues on Tyneside.
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Newcastle needed just four minutes to get their noses in front when Sandro Tonali won possession in the middle of the field to allow Bruno Guimaraes to feed Jacob Murphy down the right, and although keeper Robert Sanchez did well to block Anthony Gordon’s attempt at the far post, Woltemade followed up to smash the rebound into the roof of the net.
They increased their lead with 20 minutes gone when Lewis Hall played a free-kick wide to Gordon, who cut inside Neto and crossed for Woltemade to toe-poke the ball past the stranded Sanchez, although the goal was only awarded after a lengthy VAR check for offside.
Although Enzo Maresca’s men rallied as the half-time whistle approached, they were unable to find a way back into the game and almost conceded once again when Woltemade steered another Gordon cross just wide.
However, the visitors reduced the deficit within four minutes of the restart when, after Ramsey had been penalised for a foul on Cole Palmer 25 yards out, James expertly curled the resulting free-kick wide of Aaron Ramsdale’s dive and in off the post.
The Blues were then level within nine minutes when Malick Thiaw slipped as Pedro controlled Sanchez’s clearance to allow the striker in behind him and he raced away to finish with aplomb.
Ally McCoist spots huge referee mistake
Amidst the drama of goals galore, it was referee Andy Madley who stole the headlines when he decided against awarding Newcastle a penalty. The moment of controversy came when Anthony Gordon ran across Trevoh Chalobah as the Chelsea defender eased him to one side.
The decision was subject to a VAR check, but still failed to result in a penalty. TNT pundit McCoist looked at the incident and claimed that the Magpies should have been awarded a spotkick.
Howe will be left ruing what could have been a comfortable afternoon for his side after watching Newcastle concede their 2-0 lead after the break and settle for a point.
Arsenal moved back to the top of the Premier League table with a nervy 2-1 win against Brighton at the Emirates.
After Man City won their lunchtime kick-off at Nottingham Forest, the pressure was on a side who have finished runners-up in the league for the past three seasons.
However, they started well and Viktor Gyokeres should have done better when he side-footed at Bart Verbruggen inside two minutes before Bukayo Saka ghosted past Maxim de Cuyper only to find Verbruggen equal to his close-range effort.
Saka then blazed over and from the ensuing goal kick, came the opener.
Martin Zubimendi reacted first to Verbruggen’s hospital pass and Delcan Rice’s header found Bukayo Saka, who played the ball to Martin Odegaard.
The Arsenal captain was afforded too much room, taking one touch to compose himself, before firing a low, left-footed strike that nestled into the bottom corner.
Half-chances for Saka and Rice, on two occasions, followed, and Verbruggen then turned away Zubimendi’s neat back-heel following a goalmouth scramble.
Verbruggen was in the spotlight on the stroke of half-time when he clattered Gyokeres on the far touchline, but he escaped with a caution and Brighton were able to keep the deficit to one at the interval.
But less than seven minutes of the second half had been played when the hosts doubled their advantage after an unmarked Rutter’s near-post header left Verbruggen with no chance.
It marked another goal from a corner and a fourth own goal across three home games Arsenal have been able to cash in on.
On the hour mark, Gyokeres saw his shot blocked by Verbruggen – the Sweden international’s wait for a goal in open play extending to seven matches – but Arsenal looked in cruise control.
That was until Yasin Ayari’s shot hit David Raya’s far post and Diego Gomez fired home the rebound. A flying fingertip stop from Raya then kept out Yankuba Minteh’s curling effort with the home support suddenly riddled by anxiety.
Arsenal have made a habit of conceding late goals in recent times and Mikel Arteta was on his knees when substitute Gabriel Martinelli managed to hit his six-yard shot over the bar with five minutes to go.
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But the Spaniard’s side managed to get three crucial points over the line to keep Pep Guardiola’s in-form City at arm’s length.
Alongside Raya’s absolutely out of this world save to keep Brighton at bay, Paul Merson was in awe of Odegaard’s display.
Paul Merson says Martin Odegaard had his best Arsenal game in ages
Speaking on the Sky Sports Soccer Saturday panel in the aftermath of Arsenal’s precious victory, Merson claimed that the Norway international put in his most convincing display in ages.
Merson said that Odegaard had his ‘best football match’ for the Gunners ‘for a long time’ — lavishing praise on the playmaker who’s endured a real stop-start campaign overall.
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The Norwegian captain has made 12 Premier League appearances totaling just 628 minutes, and remarkably remained without a goal across all competitions until this afternoon.
He has also registered just one assist in the league, a significant drop from the eight he managed last season and 11 the year before.
Odegaard’s campaign has been marred by injuries, with the captain suffering a shoulder problem during their first home game of 25/26 against Leeds United, forcing his first-half withdrawal.
He also became the first player in Premier League history to be substituted before half-time in three consecutive starts after sustaining a medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury to his left knee in October’s clash with West Ham.
Now, the £240,000-per-week star appears to be working his way back to full form, and Arteta will be hoping that continues into 2026.
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