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Liverpool are reportedly looking to secure a move to sign Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez during the upcoming January transfer window. 

The Lowdown: Liverpool linked with Fernandez

Earlier this month, it was reported that the Merseyside club had made contact with the Lisbon giants over a potential deal for the midfielder.

The 21-year-old joined Benfica from River Plate only last summer and has since gone on to make 24 appearances for the club.

With the January transfer window set to open next week, and the Reds already reaching an agreement to secure the services of Cody Gakpo, some details have emerged regarding their pursuit of Fernandez.

The Latest: Liverpool intensifying Fernandez chase

According to a recent report from O Jogo, Liverpool and their Premier League rivals Manchester United are intensifying their efforts to sign Fernandez.

The report from the Portuguese outlet adds that the possibility of the Argentine World Cup winner leaving Benfica next month is increasing.

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The Verdict: He’d be a marquee signing

In addition to scoring three goals and providing five assists for Benfica this season, the youngster also scored one goal and provided one assist for Argentina during their World Cup triumph, which ended with him also taking home the Young Player of the Tournament award.

In fact, his overall performances in Qatar earned him a rating of 7.06/10 from WhoScored, making him the fourth-highest rated player in Argentina’s squad.

Hailed as a “phenomenal” player by journalist Zach Lowy on Twitter, Fernandez would surely be a marquee signing for the Reds given his emergence as one of the top talents in European club football. It could also see them once again beat their Manchester rivals to one of their targets, as the Red Devils were also linked with Gakpo before the player agreed his move to Anfield.

With the Dutchman reportedly set to be added to Jurgen Klopp’s squad in the coming days, if the Reds were to also sign Fernandez before the end of next month, this would certainly be an impressive period of winter transfer business.

Liverpool are currently sixth in the Premier League after a run of inconsistent performances in the top flight, and with so much uncertainty at Anfield, it is hard to predict what could be the next steps for the club.

In the last few weeks sporting director, Julian Ward has resigned from his position just six months after being appointed and reports have revealed that FSG are putting the club up for sale.

Meanwhile, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will be looking for solutions to stabilise the situation on the pitch and will be keen to shift the attention onto improved performances on the pitch.

One way that the manager can achieve this is by identifying players that can become the next generation of success at the club, with many of Klopp’s squad formed over the last seven years either out of contract, moved on or coming to the latter stages of their career.

The midfield is demanding the highest urgency of refreshment, with Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner all entering the last six months of their contract, whilst Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara are well into their thirties.

This leaves Klopp with only Fabinho as his most experienced player in the centre of the pitch, alongside the likes of Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott, who are only just coming into their own on Merseyside.

Indeed, a youth revolution is desperately needed and one player who has been linked with a move to Anfield is Germany and Bayern Munich attacking midfielder Jamal Musiala.

The talented 19-year-old is one of the hottest young prospects in football at the moment and his performances for Bayern this season have given reasoning for the attention the player has attracted.

Over 14 Bundesliga appearances, the £137m-rated ace – who was hailed a “handful” by journalist Joe Crann – has scored nine goals, registered six assists and created five big chances, as well as averaging 1.8 key passes, 1.1 tackles, 2.6 shots at goal and winning 4.4 duels per game.

Not only that, the youngster was given the huge responsibility of representing his national side at the World Cup in Qatar and showed glimpses of his capabilities and talents.

Over his three appearances in the competition, Musiala registered one assist, created one big chance and tallied up an 82% pass completion rate, whilst averaging 2.7 key passes, 4.0 shots at goal, 6.3 successful dribbles and winning 9.0 duels per game – with the youngster well and truel being Germany’s breakout star, despite their early exit from the competition.

With that being said, although Musiala may not possess the defensive or central profile of a midfielder that Liverpool need to sign immediately, there is no doubt that it will be hard for the powers at Anfield to ignore the player’s growing talent and what he could bring to the Liverpool team of the future.

Aston Villa head into the break for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar with two successive wins in the Premier League as they beat Brighton 2-1 away from home on Sunday.

Unai Emery has won both of his opening two matches in charge of the Villans after putting Manchester United to the sword with a 3-1 win in the top-flight last weekend.

Brighton took the lead in the opening minute of the match as Douglas Luiz was caught on the ball on the edge of the box and Alexis Mac Allister made the most of his chance to fire past his international colleague.

John McGinn then earned Villa the opportunity to equalise as he was taken down by Lewis Dunk in the box. Danny Ings dispatched the penalty, via a weak hand by Roberto Sanchez, to make it 1-1 heading into half time.

The English striker doubled his tally before the hour-mark as he jinked past Dunk before seeing his low effort deflect into the bottom corner after good work from Luiz to win the ball back.

Whilst the ex-Southampton man was the match-winner for Villa with his two goals, the real hero for Emery on the day was defensive midfielder Boubacar Kamara.

The French enforcer was a rock at the base of the midfield as he screened the defence brilliantly and made good use of possession when he had a chance to put his foot on the ball.

As per SofaScore, he completed 83% of his attempted passes and completed 100% of his attempted dribbles, despite Brighton pressing high and trying to push for an equaliser.

He kept his composure in the middle of the park and made sure that he found a teammate with his pass more often than not, giving the hosts fewer chances to come at the Villa backline.

The midfielder’s defensive work was particularly impressive as he constantly put pressure on the opposition and engaged to win the ball back for his side.

As per SofaScore, he won 72% (8/11) of his ground duels, whilst making five clearances and six tackles – only being dribbled past once in the process. This shows that he was solid in his play out of possession as he was able to dominate the opposition on the ground.

Therefore, the midfield machine – who had 46 touches in the game – was the real hero of the day for Villa as he put in a fantastic display that typified the battling, hard-working, nature of the team’s performance, which played a pivotal role in winning all three points.

An update has emerged on Glasgow Rangers and a manager who could be in the frame to replace Giovanni van Bronckhorst at Ibrox…

What’s the talk?

According to the Daily Record, out-of-work head coach Vitor Pereira is ‘likely’ to put himself in contention to land the Light Blues job if it becomes available in the coming days and weeks.

The report claims that he has left Brazilian side Corinthians this week and this means that he is currently a free agent who could join the club without Ross Wilson needing to negotiate a settlement with another team.

It was recently reported that van Bronckhorst is ‘increasingly likely’ to be sacked during the break for the 2022 World Cup and that could open the door for Pereira to arrive at Ibrox.

Upgrade in the dugout

Rangers could land an upgrade on their current Dutch head coach by relieving him of his duties and appointing the Portuguese manager as his replacement.

Van Bronckhorst’s side have averaged 2.20 points per game in the Premiership this season and recorded zero points in the Champions League as they became the worst side in the history of the competition.

Pereira, meanwhile, averaged 2.24 points per match across 74 games in the Chinese Super League and 2.55 points per clash across 60 outings in the Portuguese top-flight earlier in his career, with Shanghai SIPG and Porto respectively.

Speaking on talkSPORT, via the Mirror, Mesut Ozil heaped praise on his former Fenerbahce manager, saying: “In training it is clear how he wants to play. For example, he wants the team to attack. We want that, because we are Fenerbahce. We want to win against every team. The teacher also advocates this.

“He helps the players a lot, speaks to the players. He also said that his door is always open when something happens. We are very positive. I hope we can do that. This is very important for the player.

The ex-Arsenal man added: “He did a fantastic job in Portugal and he has done a fantastic job in China.

“He is one of the new generation of mangers; very methodical. The players like him, he puts on good training sessions and has a good understanding of the game.”

These comments suggest that he would be able to get the Rangers players onside and that he could engage the supporters by playing attacking football.

The 54-year-old has also averaged 1.71 points per game in the Champions League throughout his career so far, winning seven of his 14 matches in the competition, and this suggests that he would be a big upgrade on van Bronckhorst at the top level of European football.

Couple that with his domestic success in China and Portugal and you have a manager with the potential to come in and improve upon what the Dutchman has managed to achieve in Glasgow so far. There would surely be very few at Ibrox who complain about that.

Newcastle United defender Fabian Schar has declared himself fit for the Magpies’ Premier League clash against Everton on Wednesday night.

The Lowdown: Schar’s injury

The 30-year-old limped off the field in the final stages of the Toon’s 0-0 draw against Manchester United on Sunday.

The Switzerland international put in an excellent performance as the Magpies kept the Red Devils’ frontline from scoring, with Erik ten Hag’s side having had 63% possession of the ball.

However, Schar’s late withdrawal elicited injury concerns for Newcastle’s Wednesday night fixture against Frank Lampard’s Toffees.

The Latest: Schar declared fit

Journalist Jordan Cronin shared the news from Schar’s post-match interview with NUFCTV, in which the centre-back declared himself fit for Wednesday.

Taking to Twitter, the Newcastle World reporter relayed: “Fabian Schar has declared himself fit to face Everton, despite going off with cramp yesterday. A big boost for a player who has been outstanding all season.”

In the attached article, the Swiss defender is quoted as saying: “It’s going to be fine, don’t worry. I didn’t want to come off, but I was at the point where I couldn’t really walk anymore.

“It was better someone else who was 100 per-cent came in. It’s going to be fine.”

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The Verdict: Big boost for Howe

Whilst much of the credit went to Sven Botman yesterday, Schar’s performance was as equally as impressive as the Dutchman’s.

As per SofaScore, the 30-year-old made seven clearances and three interceptions and blocked two shots, having also had 51 touches of the ball and a 91% pass success rate.

Over the course of the past year, Schar has proven himself worthy of a starting spot in Howe’s XI, having ranked in the 97th percentile for interceptions, the 96th percentile for shots taken and the 92nd percentile for assists among centre-backs in Europe’s top five leagues (via FBRef).

This marks him out as a defender who is adept at breaking up opposition attacks while also getting on the front foot for his own team.

Therefore, after such a great performance against Manchester United, his self-proclaimed availability for the Everton game will come as a big boost for the Magpies.

Aston Villa acted swiftly in the transfer market during the summer, with the likes of Boubacar Kamara, Diego Carlos and Philippe Coutinho all arriving on permanent deals.

A couple of late additions in Leander Dendoncker and Jan Bednarek gave manager Steven Gerrard some cover in defence and the midfield but it was his reluctance to sell a few players that might come back to haunt him.

Morgan Sanson is the best example, while sporting director Johan Lange will rue not moving him on and bringing in a current Premier League player in his place…

Aston Villa should have signed Tomas Soucek

Back in June, it was reported that West Ham United were willing to listen to offers of £30m for the midfielder as he was haggling over a new contract.

Newcastle United, Everton, and Villa were all showing interest in the player, but no move ever materialised and it could be something Gerrard regrets.

The 27-year-old has been excellent in this season’s Premier League, averaging a SofaScore rating of 7.11, starting every game so far and scoring once.

The Czech titan has contributed well defensively, making 2.8 tackles, 1.5 interceptions, and 2.3 clearances per match, proving that he can get stuck in and do the dirty work too in order to lead his team to success.

These attributes would have worked wonders in the Villa engine room, giving Gerrard some bite in his team.

Sanson hasn’t even played in the league this season, while he currently earns £48k-per-week for contributing nothing.

Missing out on Soucek appears to be a glaring mistake with every passing match, while West Ham manager David Moyes has dubbed the player as “sensational” and he continues to be the heart of their side.

Soucek’s contract doesn’t expire until 2024, but if his performances continue to this high standard, then Moyes might find it extremely tough to keep a hold of him when January rolls around and Gerrard will be kicking himself that he didn’t secure a deal for the player.

Aston Villa were understandably keen to strengthen their squad following promotion back to the top flight in 2019 but a lot of their signings have proven to be a waste of money.

The likes of Ezri Konsa, Douglas Luiz and Tyrone Mings remain key parts of the squad at Villa Park, whereas less successful signings such as Trezeguet, Ally Samatta and Bjorn Engels have been and gone.

One man who stands out as a really poor piece of business from that summer is former Birmingham City winger Jota.

The Spanish attacker joined Villa in a deal worth a reported £4m, as he became Dean Smith’s first signing of that summer’s transfer window, having worked together at Brentford, and was paid £25k-per-week during his time at Villa Park, the majority of which was earned from the bench.

With just 16 appearances under his belt across all competitions before leaving in October 2020 on a free transfer to Spanish club Alaves, the winger ended up costing the Midlands club £250k-per-appearance, while his one goal in all competitions meant that the club paid £4m for the one time he found the back of the net.

In 25 appearances for Alaves, the Spaniard – who described his time with the Villans as “tough” – failed to score even once before being released last summer, and he remains without a club.

It had seemed like a promising signing after he had starred at St Andrew’s the previous season, with three goals and 11 assists to his name in the Championship, but he clearly didn’t adapt to the Premier League.

It seems as if the move has really damaged what was once a promising career in the Championship with Birmingham and Brentford, where he contributed an impressive 23 goals and 11 assists in 78 appearances, as he has been without a club for some time, with an early retirement potentially on the cards unless another side takes a chance on him.

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It always feels like a risk when a player moves between rival sides and in this case, the divisive move on Villa’s part, did not work out at all.

The Rangers Review journalist Jonny McFarlane could not believe that Sky Sports did not spot a possible offside in the lead up to Glasgow Rangers conceding against Hibs.

The Lowdown: Fiery game

It was a fiery encounter this lunchtime with the Ibrox outfit having not one but two players sent off in the second half in John Lundstram and Alfredo Morelos.

They had also received a penalty at the end of the first half, which James Tavernier managed to convert, before Martin Boyle equalised for Hibernian and Tom Lawrence put the visitors back in front.

Josh Campbell grabbed a late equaliser in the most incident-packed match of the season so far.

The Latest: Possible offside?

Taking to Twitter, McFarlane noted that Thody Elie Youan, who assisted Boyle for Hibs’ first equaliser, looked as if he could have been marginally offside in the build-up.

The commentators on Sky Sports did not seem to question a possible offside, which McFarlane thought was ‘bizarre’.

The Verdict: Fine margins

Of course, there are fine margins for offside decisions, and without VAR in the Scottish Premiership, it is not fully clear whether Youan was offside or not before he assisted Boyle.

VAR will not come into the SPFL until December after the FIFA World Cup in Qatar is concluded, and so these decisions will continue to be debated until the technology is implemented.

The Gers did not manage to hold out in the end after the stoppage time goal from Campbell, and so they will feel greatly aggrieved that the decision for Hibs’ first goal did not go their way.

ExWHUemployee has dropped an update on a West Ham United target that could delight David Moyes.

What’s the news?

Ex has dropped an update on West Ham target Matheus Nunes, writing on his Patreon that the “club are expected to follow up” on their talks with the Sporting Lisbon midfielder.

Portuguese newspaper Record claimed that West Ham made a bid of around £29.5m for the player, although he has a release clause of £51m.

With former target Amadou Onana joining Everton, it’s clear Moyes is still in the market for a quality midfielder.

Moyes aims to bolster his midfield options

With West Ham losing to Manchester City last weekend in their first Premier League match of the season, improvement will be required against tomorrow’s foes Nottingham Forest.

Moyes is currently operating with a paper-thin squad, hence the need for further reinforcements and Nunes could add some much-needed quality to their engine room.

Pep Guardiola referred to the Portuguese player as “one of the best players in the world” proving just how good he really is and a move to England would allow him to continue his development by playing at a higher level.

Nunes can offer both attacking and defensive qualities to the West Ham side. He ranks in the top 1% for assists and dribbles completed compared to positional peers in the top five leagues (0.35 per 90 and 3.19 per 90 respectively) over the last 365 days, showing that pushing forward and contributing to the attack is a key strength.

Defensively, Nunes won possession 0.6 times, won 55% of his total duels and was only dribbled past 0.7 times per game over his 33 Liga Portugal fixtures last season. These stats are better than Thomas Soucek’s, who won possession only 0.4 times, won 49% of his total duels and was dribbled past 1.1 times per match over his 35 outings in the Premier League last term.

Moyes will have to splash the cash to secure a move for Nunes, but these stats prove that not only will he slot straight into the first team, but he is also a better option than what the Scot currently has available to him at the minute – not to mention the fact that Guardiola believes the midfielder is one of the best in the world at present.

A claim has emerged regarding the future of Glasgow Rangers striker Kemar Roofe beyond the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Sheffield Star journalist Alex Miller has claimed that a deal to take the Light Blues attacker to League One in England is not likely to happen ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

He tweeted: “Nothing particularly fresh in here, I’m afraid, but understand as per @reluctantnicko that Wednesday have had contact with Rangers over Kemar Roofe. Unlikely as things stand – but as ever, things can change quickly. Owls are keeping tabs.”

Sheffield Wednesday manager Darren Moore was recently asked about a move for the number nine and remained coy, saying: “I can’t be drawn into that because they are simply not our players to discuss at this moment.”

Gio van Bronckhorst will be delighted

This claim will delight the Ibrox head coach, as he will surely not want to lose the Jamaica international heading into next season.

The club sanctioned the sale of Cedric Itten earlier this summer and Ross Wilson acted swiftly to bring in Antonio Colak from PAOK to replace him. However, allowing Roofe to leave would put Rangers back in a tricky situation with two first-team strikers available for 2022/23.

Therefore, Van Bronckhorst will be keen to keep the ex-Leeds marksman, as it would prevent him and Wilson from scrambling about in the final weeks of the window – whilst the club play competitive matches – to source a replacement.

The Premiership campaign kicks off this weekend and the head coach may want a settled squad from hereon in order to build consistency within the performances.

He would also be gutted to lose Roofe, who has shown that he has the ability to make a big impact for the Light Blues when he is given an opportunity on the pitch.

Last season, the attacker scored 10 goals in nine league starts for the club, playing 21 times in total. He also scored two goals in four Europa League starts, which shows that the talent is there for him to be a real difference-maker for Rangers.

Roofe has proven that he can score regularly for the Gers domestically and in Europe, and that is why keeping hold of him would be a boost to the squad. Van Bronckhorst will be delighted that a move to Sheffield Wednesday is unlikely and may be hoping that it stays that way for the rest of the summer.

AND in other news, After Ridvan: Rangers make contact to land 8th summer signing, supporters will be buzzing…