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Liverpool haven’t had an easy start to the Premier League season so far with several injuries and inconsistent performances leading to a sixth-place position in the top flight at present.

The Reds are currently 15 points adrift from league leaders Arsenal and it will take one of Jurgen Klopp’s miracles to put his team in contention to compete for the title over the remainder of the campaign.

Luckily, the Liverpool boss will have the opportunity to strengthen his squad when the January transfer window reopens at the end of this week, with the signing of Cody Gakpo already in the works at Anfield ahead of the new year.

Despite the PSV Eindhoven star being a great coup for the Merseysiders, there is no denying that their most crucial business will need to be done in the centre of the pitch with many of Liverpool’s midfielders either out of contract in the summer or reaching the latter stages of their career.

Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner are all entering the final few months of their contracts whilst captain Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara are well into their 30s at this point and as a result, will not play a big part in the long-term future in midfield.

As a result, the signing of midfielders who can make a genuine impact whilst injecting a youthful perspective into the heart of the team should be top of the agenda for the powers at Anfield, as a new transfer target has been revealed.

Brighton & Hove Albion star Alexis Mac Allister is reportedly the latest player Liverpool are interested in signing to improve the midfield performances and personnel over the coming months ahead, according to La Repubblica.

It comes as no surprise that Mac Allister has captured the attention of the six-time Champions League winners after putting on phenomenal performances at the World Cup in Qatar over the last month, winning the prestigious international tournament with his native Argentina.

Over six appearances, the £50k-per-week ace – who was hailed “unplayable” and an “incredible talent” by journalist Roy Nemer – scored one goal, delivered one assist and completed 67% of his dribbles, as well as averaging 39 accurate passes, 1.3 key passes, 1.5 tackles and 5.2 duels won per game.

The signing of the 24-year-old could be the final curtain for Keita who is yet to agree on a new contract despite reportedly being in talks to extend his stay on Merseyside, as Mac Allister would surely steal his spot in the starting line-up should a move be sanctioned for the Argentine in 2023.

With that being said, it will be interesting to see if Liverpool pursue Mac Allister when the transfer window reopens as he could be a great addition to Klopp’s midfield rebuild.

West Ham have been linked with signing Borussia Dortmund left-back Raphael Guerreiro recently and David Moyes should definitely look to bring him to the London Stadium after his World Cup masterclass.

According to French news outlet Jeunes Footeux, the Hammers are looking for an upgrade at left-back and could try and sign the versatile 28-year-old in next month’s transfer window. 

The full-back’s contract at Signal Iduna Park is set to expire at the end of this season, which could force Dortmund to sell him below his market value in January, as foreign clubs will be able to approach him on a pre-contract deal in 2023.

Moyes currently has Aaron Cresswell and Emerson to choose from at left-back and the former is certainly approaching the end of his career, while the latter has flattered to deceive since joining from Chelsea in the summer.

Guerreiro has consistently performed in the Bundesliga and Champions League in recent seasons, contributing 37 goals and 39 assists in 206 appearances for BVB.

However, his performance on Tuesday night, as Portugal thrashed Switzerland 6-1 in their round-of-16 fixture in Qatar, emphasises the immense quality that he could add to Moyes’ squad.

He will no doubt feature again when Fernando Santos’ side take on Morocco in the quarter-final on Saturday, and hopefully Moyes will be keeping a close eye on how the defender performs ahead of the January window.

As per Sofascore, Guerreiro would earn a superb 8.2/10 rating for his performance, which was only bettered by hat-trick hero Goncalo Ramos.

During the 90 minutes, the left-back was a constant attacking threat, contributing a goal and an assist, as well as two key passes and a 100% dribble success rate.

Guerreiro, who has previously been described as being in “exceptionally good” shape by Dortmund’s Sebastian Kehl, was extremely impressive with his passing, completing 91% of his attempted passes and losing possession on just five occasions.

No player on the pitch would lose possession on fewer occasions, which emphasises just how impressive he was at keeping the ball against Switzerland.

Emerson and Cresswell have averaged 82.1% and 81.3% pass success rates in the Premier League so far this season, which emphasises that Guerreiro is better on the ball and would represent an upgrade at the London Stadium.

Therefore, Moyes should do all he can to bring the Portugal international to the Premier League after his incredible World Cup display.

Liverpool could sign two of Declan Rice, Mason Mount and Jude Bellingham in 2023.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Dean Jones, with the transfer insider revealing in a recent interview with Football FanCast that, while it would appear almost impossible for Jurgen Klopp’s side to land all three of Rice, Mount and Bellingham – all of whom have been linked with the Reds in recent weeks – there is a very real possibility that Liverpool land two of the three midfielders.

Regarding the club’s interest in the midfield trio, Jones said: “We know that Liverpool are about to undergo a midfield overhaul, but I think we’re already entering silly season if we’re talking about Bellingham, Mount and Rice all joining Liverpool – that is absolutely not going to happen. One of them might, possibly two.”

Alonso & Mascherano 2.0

Considering just how impressive both Rice and Bellingham have been for their respective clubs so far this season, should Liverpool be able to land both of the generational midfield talents next year, Klopp could well have formed the club’s next Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano-esque pairing in the middle of the park.

Indeed, over Rice’s 15 Premier League fixtures in the current campaign, the 23-year-old has been Mascherano-esque in his marshalling of the midfield, with the £69m-rated talent making an average of 2.4 tackles, 1.6 interceptions, 1.3 clearances and winning 4.2 duels – at a success rate of 61% – per game.

The £60k-per-week star has also caught the eye in an attacking capacity, having bagged one goal, provided two assists and created two big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 1.2 shots, making 1.3 key passes, being successful with 0.5 dribbles and completing 55.5 passes – at a success rate of 90% – per game.

These returns have seen the England international average an astonishing SofaScore match rating of 7.27, not only ranking him as West Ham United’s best performer in the league but also as the joint 16th-best player in the English top flight as a whole.

Meanwhile, over Bellingham’s 15 Bundesliga appearances this season, the £216m-rated starlet has been Alonso-esque in his playmaking, scoring three goals, providing two assists and creating four big chances, as well as taking an average of 2.1 shots, making 1.1 key passes, being successful with 2.0 dribbles and completing 42.8 passes – at a success rate of 83% – per game.

The £27k-per-week talent has also impressed when doing the dirty work, making an average of 3.2 tackles, 1.4 interceptions, 1.1 clearances and winning 9.7 duels – at a success rate of 63% – per game.

These returns have seen the 19-year-old average a breathtaking SofaScore match rating of 7.38, not only ranking him as Borussia Dortmund’s best performer in the league but also as the joint seventh-best player in the German top flight as a whole.

As such, while it is undeniable that the potential £70m signing of Rice and the possible £100m signing of Bellingham is a colossal amount of money to spend on two players in the same transfer window, the reward could be remarkable for Liverpool, with the English duo undoubtedly possessing the potential to go on and become the next Alonso and Mascherano at Anfield.

Nottingham Forest will host Tottenham Hotspur at The City Ground this evening in their third-round EFL Cup clash, and Steve Cooper will be hoping his team can use being on home soil as an advantage.

The Tricky Trees remain rock bottom in the Premier League table after 14 outings, so a good performance in the domestic cups this season would surely be massively welcomed by the supporters.

In terms of injuries, Omar Richards, Harry Toffolo, Giulian Biancone, Jack Colback and Moussa Niakhate remain ruled out and unavailable for selection in the squad tonight.

Despite the continued injury problems in the team and the meeting with Spurs, one that will be challenging for the Forest team, there is no doubt that Cooper will rotate to give opportunities to players who didn’t feature in the draw with Brentford last weekend.

With that being said, this is how Football FanCast expects Nottingham Forest to line up against Antonio Conte’s side tonight…

We predict that Cooper will make four changes to the team that drew 2-2 with Brentford last weekend, setting up more defensively in a 5-2-1-2 formation.

The first change we expect to see is Wayne Hennessey being given an opportunity to make his second appearance for Forest this season, with the Welsh goalkeeper also featuring in the 3-0 EFL Cup victory over Grimsby Town in the last round.

The biggest alteration we predict is the Forest boss opting for a back five over a four-man backline to hold off Spurs’ attacking talents more comfortably with Serge Aurier, Scott McKenna and Neco Williams retaining their positions in the team.

Joe Worrall and Willy Boly are the second and third additions we expect to see in the team, with Steve Cook losing his spot in the defensive set-up.

The £35k-per-week ace has featured 11 times out of the 14 Premier League outings in the starting 11 for Forest this season so far, so it would be no surprise to see Cook rested and replaced to give opportunities to rarely-seen squad players.

The fourth and final change we expect is Lewis O’Brien reprising his role in midfield alongside Ryan Yates in the centre of the pitch after failing to make a starting line up since returning from illness, but tonight could finally be his opportunity to get back in the team.

With that being said, it isn’t the easiest draw in the competition for the Garibaldi Reds but Cooper will be hoping that The City Ground faithful can get behind the team and a great result can be taken from the game.

Saudi Arabian consortium PIF completed their takeover of Newcastle United in 2021 and some supporters lined up outside of St. James’ Park to celebrate the news.

It ended Mike Ashley’s 14-year reign on Tyneside and the Sports Direct supremo’s exit from St. James’ Park seemingly pleased a contingent of the fanbase.

He endured his fair share of shockers and gaffes in the market in his time at the club. In one of his first windows as the owner, Ashley sanctioned the sale of midfielder James Milner to Aston Villa in the summer of 2008.

Former Magpies assistant Terry McDermott once revealed that the Englishman left for a fee of £15m because it was believed that German ace Bastian Schweinsteiger would come in to replace him.

Speaking on the 5times podcast, the former Toon coach said: “We were actually at the club when we sold him, myself and Kevin Keegan.

“We sold him for £15m. The story goes – and this is a true story – we didn’t want him to leave but we needed to get other players in because we’d had a bid of £15m.

“The idea of accepting the bid of £15m for Milner, which was a lot of money then, and then we’re looking to get Schweinsteiger it’s a no-brainer. But after he’s signed for Villa – the day after – we’re trying to sign Schweinsteiger and the answer was: ‘Absolutely no chance, it will cost you £50m if you want to buy Schweinsteiger’.”

The German midfielder had already broken into Bayern Munich’s first team and established himself as an international player for his country, making his debut in 2004, by this point.

However, Ashley seemingly believed that he would be able to secure his signature to replace Milner for Keegan and McDermott. Instead, the asking price ended up being far more than Newcastle were willing to pay.

It is unclear exactly what went down in negotiations but the club going in for Schweinsteiger after cashing in on one of their own midfielders for £15m could have played a role in Bayern coming back with a £50m valuation.

The German giants knew that Newcastle needed a replacement and that they had just received a hefty sum of money from Villa, which allowed them to set their stall out.

Whereas, Ashley may have been able to negotiate a better deal with Bayern if he had gone in for the gem prior to the sale of Milner becoming official.

Philipp Lahm previously hailed his fellow World Cup winner as “sensational” and ESPN journalist Archie Rhind-Tutt once dubbed him a “German football legend”.

Schweinsteiger went on to play 500 matches for the Bundesliga side in all competitions, winning the Champions League, and was capped 121 times by Germany, whilst also enjoying a stint in the Premier League with Manchester United towards the end of his career.

Therefore, Ashley dropped a shocker for Newcastle as he did not wrap up a deal for the Bayern hero prior to selling Milner and then refused to match the valuation set when he did go in for the midfielder.

The career that the former Red Devils man went on to have suggests that he would have been an incredible signing for the Magpies if they had managed to bring him in, which is why the farce around this failed move was a nightmare for the former Toon owner.

One figure who remains fondly remembered at Newcastle United is former striker Papiss Cisse, with the Senegalese marksman having lit up St James’ Park for a brief time in the not too distant past.

Signed as a relative unknown back in January 2012 on a £10m deal from Bundesliga side, Freiburg, the 5 foot 11 menace quickly became a household name following a blistering start to life in his new surroundings, recording a remarkable haul of 13 goals in just 14 appearances during the second half of the 2011/12 campaign.

Despite producing notable magic moments in the seasons that followed – including that stunning, outside of the boot strike against Chelsea back in November 2012 – the Dakar-born star was unsurprisingly unable to maintain that relentless form, as he scored just a further 24 league goals over the next four years.

The former Metz man – who enjoyed a brief partnership with compatriot Demba Ba in the northeast – scored just three goals in his final campaign at the club during the 2015/16 season, playing his part in the club’s subsequent relegation.

One dismal display, in particular, saw the 37-cap menace irk club legend Alan Shearer, having been ineffective in a defeat to West Ham United in September 2015, with the former England international stating: “I looked at Cisse and thought Newcastle would’ve been better with 10 men.”

That brutal assessment was a sign of the forward’s decline as he neared the end of his time in English football, with Newcastle no doubt doing well to recoup a reported £5m fee after selling him on to Chinese outfit, Shandong Luneng in the summer of 2016.

The ageing gem would go on to net 18 goals in just 34 games during his two-year stint at the club, as well as 42 goals in 65 games at Turkish outfit Alanyaspor, although that goalscoring success came outside of Europe’s top five leagues.

The £225k-rated veteran has since spent the past few seasons at fellow Super Lig sides Fenerbache and Caykur Rizespor, although the 37-year-old now plies his trade in France’s second division, having joined Amiens this summer – where he has two goals in three games thus far.

While clearly a player who can deliver the goods in front of goal, Cisse failed to provide the consistency needed during his time with the Magpies, with the club undeniably playing a blinder letting him go when they did as he had simply failed to build on his early promise.

Leeds United could be a ‘solution’ when it comes to the future of Chelsea forward Michy Batshuayi’s future, according to journalist Sacha Tavolieri.

The Lowdown: Forward search

Andrea Radrizzani, Victor Orta and Jesse Marsch appear to be open to the idea of bringing in a new first-team forward before the September 1 deadline.

The club clearly have money to spend after previously agreeing on a €40m deal for Charles De Ketelaere, who eventually decided to join AC Milan.

Leeds were linked with a move for another Belgian in Batshuayi earlier this month, and the Whites have once again been name-checked in a new update.

The Latest: Tavolieri’s update

Tavolieri took to Twitter on Tuesday to provide an update on Batshuayi’s future.

The reporter said he’s ‘been told’ that a move to Everton to work under Frank Lampard ‘would not suit the player’, adding that Leeds and Newcastle ‘could be other solutions until the end of the transfer window’ with Chelsea ‘leaning towards a definitive sale’.

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The Verdict: Worth a gamble?

Batshuayi was described as ‘unstoppable’ back in 2017 by Pat Nevin, and he lived up to those comments last season. The 28-year-old spent the 2021/22 campaign in Turkey with Besiktas, netting 14 league goals and registering five assists in 33 games.

However, his record in the Premier League isn’t as strong, with Batshuayi netting 15 times in 77 appearances for both Chelsea and Crystal Palace.

The Belgian does have plenty of experience, though, and is into the final 12 months of his Stamford Bridge contract, so you could make an argument that Leeds may be able to bring him to Yorkshire for a relatively low fee.

Batshuayi’s Transfermarkt valuation stands at just £9m, so this could well be a gamble Leeds chiefs may be open to taking in the final days of the window.

Sunderland are reportedly battling a number of Championship rivals in the race to sign Anthony Scully.

The Lowdown: Great start

The 23-year-old has made a great start to the season at Lincoln City, scoring two goals and supplying one assist in five games across all competitions so far (Transfermarkt).

The winger is picking up from where he left off in the 2021/22 campaign, when he managed an impressive 15 goals and seven assists in 39 matches (Transfermarkt).

The Latest: Sunderland interest

Writing in his latest piece for The Northern Echo, journalist Matty Jones has shared that Sunderland, along with Championship rivals Blackburn Rovers, Sheffield United and Blackpool, are all monitoring Scully ahead of a potential move, in addition to a number of teams in League One.

Lincoln manager Mark Kennedy admitted that Scully could leave before the transfer window closes, putting several suitors on high alert.

The Verdict: Sign him

Alex Neil is looking to sign further attacking options before the transfer deadline, and landing Scully from the division below would feel like a smart piece of business.

The Irishman has proven this season and last that he can score and set up goals consistently in League One, and he will no doubt be hungry to prove himself at a higher level in the Championship.

At 23 years of age, Scully still has a high ceiling, and the Black Cats would do well to beat so many other clubs to his signature.

Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Manchester United remain interested in bringing Ajax forward Antony to Old Trafford, GiveMeSport report.

The Lowdown: Lack of depth?

The Red Devils have made three signings for Erik ten Hag ahead of his first season in the Old Trafford dugout. However, no wide or central forwards have arrived, with United fairly short in attack.

Cristiano Ronaldo still wants to leave the club this summer and Anthony Martial is out for Sunday’s opener with Brighton, with Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho the club’s only senior wide options, pointing to a lack of depth in the final third.

The saga for Antony meanwhile has been seemingly never-ending, with Romano reporting earlier this week that the winger wants to join.

The Latest: Saga drags on

Talking to GMS, Romano said that United are indeed still interested in the Brazilian but added that a transfer isn’t straightforward due to a big problem with Ajax’s demands.

“They are interested but not at Ajax’s conditions as of now. So they know Ajax are asking for more than €80m, €80m guaranteed plus add-ons to arrive to maybe 85, 90, 95, so it’s definitely not an easy one. It’s definitely not an easy one.”

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The Verdict: Move on

Even though Antony apparently wants to move to Old Trafford, there has seemingly been no real progress over this entire summer, with reports several weeks ago suggesting the interest was there.

With Ajax still asking for more than €80m, we feel the club may now have to call it a day in their pursuit of the Olympic gold medallist.

The new season is now upon us and time is ticking until the transfer deadline, so moving on to alternative attacking targets could be a smart idea from United officials, as a move for Antony, like Frenkie de Jong, appears to be going nowhere.

A number of clubs are lining up to sign Newcastle United striker Dwight Gayle, according to a report from Football Insider. 

The lowdown: Surplus to requirements

Signed from Crystal Palace for a reported £10million in 2016 (The Guardian), Gayle has scored 34 times in 122 outings for the Magpies since arriving in the North East.

The 32-year-old was sent out on loan to Championship outfit West Brom in 2018/19, netting 24 goals and providing eight assists in 41 appearances for the Midlands club before returning to St James’ Park.

However, Gayle failed to complete 90 minutes at any point last term under either Steve Bruce or Eddie Howe and seems sure to move on during the ongoing transfer window…

The latest: Major interest

As per Football Insider, Birmingham, Huddersfield, Preston, Reading and Millwall are all interested in signing the London-born hitman.

It’s claimed that Howe has ‘given the green light’ for Gayle to move on this summer after the experienced ace was dropped to Under 23s duties.

The report makes no mention of a potential fee, but states that all five Championship suitors have ‘registered their interest’ in the man hailed as ‘magnificent’ by Newcastle idol Alan Shearer for a headed goal against West Brom in December 2020.

The verdict: Time to go

Following the big money takeover from PIF, the Toon are shopping in an entirely different transfer market as links with renowned names such as Alexander Isak and Moussa Diaby dominate the speculation this summer.

Last term, Gayle made just nine fleeting outings across all competitions for the Tynesiders without directly contributing to a single goal and is clearly way down the pecking order at St James’ Park.

Therefore, under contract until 2024 and valued at £1.35million (Transfermarkt), Dan Ashworth would be wise to cash in on the Englishman now and free up £37,000 per week from the wage bill in the process.