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Liverpool fans want to sign Franck Kessie after the Reds were linked with a move for the AC Milan midfielder.

Over the past few years, 24-year-old Kessie has evolved into one of the best midfielders in Serie A. He started out at Atalanta, where he scored seven goals and provided three assists in 31 appearances for the club (Transfermarkt). That earned him a move to Milan, one of the biggest clubs in the country. He has continued to impress, missing just 10 league matches since making the move in 2017.

However, his contract is set to run out at the end of the season. And, according to Gazzetta dello Sport, the Reds are prepared to pay the €8m-a-year (£6.8m) contract the Ivory Coast international is looking for.

The news was shared on Twitter by @AnfieldEdition, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on the rumour, with one fan claiming Kessie is ‘perfect’…

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Kessie news below

“The Wijnaldum replacement. Not bad tbh decent player”

Credit: @Gho1stR7

“Masterclass”

Credit: @GxlDeSalah_

“Hed be a perfect signing.”

Credit: @joshambrown_

“Hopefully we can get him.”

Credit: @Seyjith

“Would be a quality player for us”

Credit: @ShayTreanor2

“Good player and still relatively young. Free transfer? Surely fsg are interested.”

Credit: @umxr168

In other news, Liverpool fans want this man to leave the club.

Celtic are interested in a deal to bring Zinedine Ferhat to Parkhead in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Foot Mercato (via Daily Record), who claimed that Ange Postecoglou has identified the Nimes playmaker as a potential target in the winter market, with the 28-year-old believed to be available on a cut-price deal due to his contract with the Ligue 2 side expiring at the end of the current campaign.

The report added that, as a result of his contract situation, the forward is expected to move onto pastures new in the January transfer window, with French duo Montpellier and Saint-Etienne also reported to be interested in the wide midfielder.

He loves to “turn on the style”

While Ferhat has not been in the best of form so far this season, having failed to score a goal or register an assist over his seven Ligue 2 appearances, it is undeniable that, should Postecoglou manage to seal a deal for the Algeria international this month, it would still be something of a major coup for the Bhoys.

Indeed, over his 33 Ligue 1 appearances in Nimes’ 2020/21 campaign, the £4.05m-rated man scored six goals, registered a whopping 10 assists and created nine big chances for his teammates, as well as taking 1.9 shots and making 1.6 key passes per game.

These returns saw the £13k-per-week winger who he himself claimed loves to “turn on the style” earn a rather astonishing seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.07, ranking him by far and away as his side’s best performer in the top flight of French football.

As such, it is clear to see that the Algerian forward would make a fantastic addition to Celtic’s current options out wide, leading us to believe that Postecoglou must do all he can to seal a swoop for Ferhat in the January transfer window.

In other news: Celtic confirm major transfer update which will leave Bhoys fans buzzing

Phil Hay has dropped a promising injury update concerning Leeds United centre-forward Joe Gelhardt.

What’s the latest?

In a recent post on Twitter, The Athletic journalist suggested that the 19-year-old was left on the bench for the 3-0 win over Watford on Saturday afternoon as a precaution, as the England U21 international had only returned to first-team training on Friday after recovering from a dead leg.

In his post, Hay said: “Gelhardt only returned to training yesterday [on Friday].”

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Great news for Leeds

Considering the fact that Leeds’ first-choice centre-forward, Patrick Bamford, will remain out of action for around another four weeks, the news that Gelhardt is back in training with Jesse Marsch’s squad, as well as the suggestion that the teenager was only left out of the Watford win as a precaution, is undoubtedly great news for the Whites.

Indeed, the £4.5m-rated youngster has become a regular feature in Leeds’ first team this season, having been selected in the Whites’ 20-man matchday squad on 25 occasions, going on to make 14 appearances – two of which have come as starts.

However, the £16.5k-per-week prodigy has far from just made up the numbers for Jesse Marsch’s side, as he has often had an important impact within games, bagging two goals and registering three assists in the top flight this term.

As such, while the Whites’ victory over Watford afforded the club some much-needed breathing space between themselves and the relegation zone, with the 48-year-old manager being well aware that his side need at least three more points to ensure their Premier League survival this season, the news that – barring any further setbacks – Gelhardt will be fit to face Crystal Palace on April 25 will certainly have come as a huge boost to the American and his side.

AND in other news: Leeds plot £20m bid for “unplayable” £52k-p/w “magician”, it could be bye-bye Harrison

Many Wolves fans have been left fuming over some transfer news that has been shared by Scott Sellars.

Speaking about the January transfer window, the technical director at Molineux has now claimed that there will not be a large number of new signings at the Midlands club this month, and will focus on giving Bruno Lage immediate back-up in case of injuries or positive COVID-19 cases.

They will also give opportunities to those who have come back from being on loan, like Dion Sanderson.

However, the squad is not the biggest as it is, and currently riddled with injuries (Transfermarkt), meaning that the Wanderers should really be bringing in a few players in order to fill the squad and help Lage build momentum for the second part of the season.

Wolves fans on transfer news

These WWFC supporters fumed as the transfer news was shared on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that it was ‘shocking’:

“I’m sick of hearing this every transfer window!”

Credit: @peggyja95517835

“Terrible”

Credit: @jackhurdley_

“Shocking”

Credit: @WWFCFrevans

“Fosun out”

Credit: @Avukat__Mustafa

“Joke of a club”

Credit: @jackuwwfc

“Pathetic Jeff Shi getting his yes man to speak, we will never progress with you lot in charge!”

Credit: @WolvesBlogger1

In other news, find out what club update has Wanderers buzzing here!

Rangers will look to continue their unbeaten start to life under Gio van Bronckhorst as they prepare for Premiership action on Saturday.

The Gers face off against Ross County away from home in a lunchtime kick-off this weekend as they look to maintain or extend their lead at the top of the table, depending on how their Glasgow rivals get on in their match at 3pm.

Scott Arfield scored the only goal of the game as Rangers beat Livingston 1-0 in their last outing on Wednesday night, leaving them on 55 points after 22 games and four points clear of their nearest rivals.

Unleash him

One player who must be unleashed from the start on Saturday is new signing Amad Diallo. The youngster joined on loan from Manchester United this week and Van Bronckhorst has already confirmed that he is available for selection.

He said in Friday morning’s press conference: “Diallo will also be in the squad for tomorrow.

“Diallo is a young player who wants to play games, we are bringing him to our club to add value to our team. Like any other player in the squad, he has to perform to play but I am full of confidence that he will deliver.”

Instead of using him off the bench, the Dutchman must throw him in from the start in order to axe Scott Wright from the starting XI. The ex-Aberdeen man was poor against Livingston as he regularly wasted the ball in the final third, completing 0% of his dribbles and 25% of his attempted crosses.

Diallo coming in could allow Van Bronckhorst to drop Wright for this match against Ross County, with the Ivorian having the potential to be a game-changer for the Gers – that is why he must start.

Former Manchester United winger Dan James previously lauded his then-teammate as “unbelievable”, while Papu Gomez, another who played alongside the 19-year-old, once compared him to a current PSG forward, saying: “There are defenders in the first team that sometimes cannot stop him. To stop him in training, we have to kick him! He plays like Messi.”

This highlights the technical quality of the £28k-per-week Ibrox gem, which is backed up by his exceptional record at youth level. He scored six goals and provided four assists in just five games for United’s under-23s, having managed 37 goals and 24 assists in 96 appearances for Atalanta’s youth teams.

Diallo also scored once and produced one assist in nine first-team matches for the Red Devils, showing promise at the top level. This suggests that he has the potential to come in at Rangers and be a big player for Van Bronckhorst, and that could start with him being named in the starting XI against Ross County on Saturday…

AND in other news, Rangers could find Kent 2.0 with “intelligent” maestro who has a G/A every 0.95 games…

Recent comments by Everton winger Bernard shows just why manager Marco Silva is the right man to steer the club to better results and ultimate success.

The Brazilian revealed to Portuguese outlet Record (via the Liverpool Echo) the squad is still fully dedicated to Silva’s structures at the club and have complete confidence in his style of coaching and managing.

The former Watford manager has been under a huge amount of scrutiny since the start of the New Year, following a bad string of results.

One win in their last six matches in all competitions has seen the manager change his team in almost every encounter and their FA Cup defeat at Millwall certainly raised question marks over Silva’s capabilities as the man in charge.

But, Bernard’s comments on how Silva prepares for every match and the detail he focuses on proves why he needs a little bit more time to get the best out of the Everton players.

According to the 26-year-old, Silva is excellent in his preparation before matches and provides a lot of insight into set-pieces, an aspect of the game where the Toffees have been really poor at this season.

Patience and maybe one or two more transfer windows could finally lead to Everton achieving new heights under the Portuguese manager.

The comments by Bernard should also be encouraging to Evertonians, who might have feared that Silva had lost the dressing but that clearly isn’t the case.

The off-weekend might also have been just what the club needed to regroup and get their campaign back on track with a Premier League clash against Cardiff City at Goodison Park coming up next week.

The encounter with Neil Warnock’s men could be the ideal opportunity for Everton to hit their stride again and get an all-important win under their belt.

Flocking to Twitter, many Nottingham Forest supporters were left unimpressed with the performance of winger Alex Mighten despite their comfortable 3-0 win over Preston North End on Saturday.

Steve Cooper’s men have been on a solid run of form lately, having lost just once in their last 10 Championship outings, recording six victories in that time after a very lacklustre start to 2021/22.

They have been steadily climbing up the table and, after two successive draws, they sealed another win as they fired three past Preston at the City Ground. Two goals from Lewis Grabban and one from Jack Colback secured a routine three points in what was a positive afternoon for Forest and Cooper.

However, one man who didn’t impress some fans was Mighten after his largely anonymous display – especially going by his statistics.

Before being hooked off midway through the second half, the 19-year-old took fewer touches (25) than any Forest starter on the day – including goalkeeper Brice Samba with 40 (SofaScore).

Attracting criticism from some Forest fans for being a ‘weak link’, Mighten lost the majority of his ground duels and came in as the joint lowest-rated player (6.6) to start against Preston alongside Phillip Zinckernagel (SofaScore).

It’s little wonder these supporters took to Twitter to voice their criticism of the teenager given his ineffective performance.

Forest fans slam Mighten

“Formation not working. Yates lost – Mighten doing nothing”

Credit: @FirstCenobite

“Not impressed with Mighten again…needs a decent loan because he’s nowhere near ready for us yet”

Credit: @red_till_death

“Lolley on for me, been saying for a while Mighten has all the skills but not the strength yet, too lightweight”

Credit: @OwenWil92121971

“What did Cooper see as a weakness in #PNE to bring Mighten in? Again he’s been largely ineffective. Needs a season in League 1.”

Credit: @copper_throwing

“Bring on Joe Lolley. Not sure what Mighten offers to this Forest team.”

Credit: @TomWardleMusic

“Yet to be convinced by Mighten”

Credit: @MedCLJS

“Not convinced with Alex Mighten. He is a good dribbler but still too weak. Oli Burke was a man, Mighten is a boy. Think a loan spell could do him some good”

Credit: @_JoshuaMann

“Forest playing well. Mighten weak link. Loses the ball too much”

Credit: @BoxingNffc

“Yeh and Mighten didn’t do anything but the team won, ok but Mighten didn’t do anything, he was rubbish”

Credit: @NffcOscar

Aston Villa will consider signing a new midfielder during the January window following the injury to Marvelous Nakamba.

That’s according to reliable reporter Gregg Evans, which as to be expected, had a number of supporters talking on social media.

Nakamba had been a regular under new manager Steven Gerrard, however, the Zimbabwe international suffered a knee injury against Liverpool on the weekend and missed the win over Norwich City on Tuesday.

His 2021/22 season may well be over as a result, and Villa now look set to act with the 27-year-old sidelined by considering a midfield addition in the winter window.

Evans didn’t name-check any possible targets but did appear to rule out a move for Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse, who was wanted at Villa Park over the summer but ended up signing a new contract at St Mary’s.

Villa fans react

@villareport shared Evans’ claim on Tuesday evening. This is what these fans had to say in reply, with a few name-checking Rangers’ Glen Kamara and another sharing their ‘love’ regarding the update.

“Glen Kamara incoming”

Credit: @villaparkpod

“No messing around”

Credit: @tomavfcyates

“Love it”

Credit: @ViIlaI_

“Villa just buying all the midfielders now what’s going on”

Credit: @Thedolphin2

“Kamara or Doucoure cheers”

Credit: @_AVFCOlly

“KAMARAAAAAAAAAA COME TO MEEEEEEEE”

Credit: @DG_Villa1

In other news: ‘Unbelievable’ – Lots of Villa fans flock to John Percy’s exit rumour

Liverpool have a multitude of attacking players in their squad who have contributed to keeping the Reds in the race to win the Premier League title, along with securing the Carabao Cup earlier in the season.

One figure who hasn’t been as active in the Premier League as some of his attacking team-mates this season is Roberto Firmino.

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With 17 league appearances under his belt, the Brazilian has only started nine times, which shows that he hasn’t always been a first-choice pick for Jurgen Klopp at times this season, in addition to having some injury issues.

Despite scoring five goals and providing three assists in the league, the 30-year-old’s overall performances have earned him a disappointing season rating of 6.84/10 from WhoScored, making him one of the lowest-rated Liverpool players to start more than three league games.

With this in mind and the £180k-per-week attacker’s contract at Anfield set to expire in the summer of 2023, it seems as though the Merseyside club could have identified a potential future long-term replacement for the Brazil striker.

According to a recent report from Record (via Sport Witness), the performance from Benfica striker Darwin Nunez against the Reds in their recent Champions League meeting impressed the hierarchy at Liverpool and a number of their players.

In 79 appearances for the Portuguese club, the 22-year-old has racked up 42 goals and provided 15 assists across all competitions.

Labelled a “tenacious” player and a “monster” on the pitch by journalist James Dodd, the £36m-rated attacker not only scored against Jurgen Klopp’s squad in midweek, he also made two key passes and completed all four of his dribbles, highlighting what a tricky player he is for opponents to handle.

Also, the Uruguayan has twice as many shots per game on average (2.8) in the Portuguese league this season compared to Firmino in the Premier League (1.4).

Taking all of this into account, if the 30-year-old ends up leaving Merseyside in the near future, signing Nunez as his replacement could be just what the Reds need to keep their lethal attack ticking over nicely.

In other news: FSG could replicate Elliott masterclass as LFC plot bid for “special” teenage sensation

Michael Edwards’ time at Anfield has been a triumphant success behind the scenes at Liverpool.

Supporters may look to Jurgen Klopp when considering who has masterminded their achievements over the last few years but there have been other forces at play, that of Edwards’ remarkable negotiation skills.

If you’re struggling to convince someone of what to do, then getting the Liverpool sporting director on speed dial would certainly be your best shout.

His cunning methodology isn’t as brash and heavy metal as Klopp’s gegenpressing system on the pitch but the duo have been a match made in heaven during their respective spells at the club.

Edwards arrived on the scene in 2016 and rapidly revamped the recruitment structure at Liverpool.

Things quickly improved for the Merseyside outfit as a bundle of eye-catching signings led to a first top-flight title in 30 years and a first Champions League trophy for over a decade.

The manager’s tactics and coaching has been imperative but without the likes of Alisson, Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah, none of it would have been possible.

He helped bring all three players to Merseyside but it is Salah who has proven to be the most devastating.

The Egyptian has quickly become one of the most ruthless players in the Premier League and during 2021/22, he is undoubtedly the best on the planet. A return of 15 goals in as many games has elevated him to new heights in the English game but there is a worry he could depart for pastures new.

Salah is embroiled in a lengthy contract saga and with Edwards set to take his leave next summer, supporters will be forgiven for thinking their effervescent attacking star will join him in the departure lounge.

However, in Julian Ward, they have their ready-made Edwards successor who is primed to take Premier League and continental football by storm.

Aged just 40, he is a young brain-box but few can doubt his talents behind the curtain. Klopp has already described him as “incredible” and it’s not a surprise to see why.

He has aided Liverpool’s departing sporting director superbly of late and was imperative in tying down Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson, van Dijk and goalkeeper, Alisson, to new contracts.

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With that in mind, it would be safe to say that Ward has the necessary negotiation skills to keep Salah at Anfield too.

It will be no easy task but he has already proven he has an armoury of persuasive words in his locker.

And for any Liverpool supporter who still doubts his ability to ensure their Egyptian sensation remains under Klopp’s tutelage, we’ll let Edwards do the talking.

Speaking in an official club statement about his successor, he marvelled over Ward’s ability.

He said: “Julian has been building up the skillset for this role for many years and there are countless elements of his development that could be highlighted, none more so than the outstanding work he did in creating our loan department six years ago.

“It was during this period that he not only laid the groundwork for a long-term process that continues to provide significant benefit to players and club, he also accelerated his learning on many of the aspects you deal with as a sporting director,” Edwards continued.

“Last year, he took on the role of assistant sporting director and over the past 12 months he has been introduced to other facets of the role that are vital to its success.

“Julian’s elevation is wholly in keeping with what I believe to be a key factor of the ‘Liverpool Way’, with promotion from within ensuring expertise, experience and institutional knowledge are cherished in the way that they should be.”

A ringing endorsement from the man he’s worked so closely with should be enough for the Liverpool faithful to get excited heading towards next season.

Losing Edwards will represent a bitter blow in their bid to keep Salah but Ward is certainly capable of employing similar tactics with Liverpool.

If he can unleash a similar charm on the Liverpool hero as he did with Alexander-Arnold and co, their goal-scoring sensation should end up remaining in England for quite some time.

This would be a huge checkmark in Ward’s bid to make the club even better as he gears up for a bigger role with the Reds.

AND in other news, Liverpool could unearth their “very own Gareth Bale” in rarely-seen £7.2m-rated ace…