Revealed: Majority of Liverpool fans desperate for Keita to replace Henderson

Naby Keita became a favourite among the Liverpool fanbase very quickly when he touched down in Merseyside over the summer.

The midfielder had agreed to sign for the Reds in 2017, but an arrangement was in place for the Guinea international to stay at RB Leipzig for the 2017-18 season.

Keita was selected by manager Jurgen Klopp to start the first three games of the Premier League season, but since then he has been alternating with club captain Jordan Henderson.

It seems unclear who the German coach will keep in the position long term, but the question was raised following Saturday’s clash against Chelsea.

Henderson started the fixture, which ended in a 1-1 draw, but he had a relatively ineffective game and was hauled off in the second half.

Keita replaced the skipper and made an immediate impact, which led us to ask you whether the 23-year-old should be first choice from now.

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Judging from the results, most Liverpool fans would prefer to see Henderson on the bench full-time.

HYS: Who is worth more – Pontus Jansson or Jack O’Connell?

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Even though Pontus Jansson has found first-team starts hard to come by at times already this season, there is little doubt that both he and Sheffield United centre-back Jack O’Connell are two of the best in their position in the Championship.

The Sweden international made a huge impression – and arguably when he was at his best for the club – during a loan spell alongside Kyle Bartley during the 2016/17 campaign, before he joined the Yorkshire outfit on a permanent deal.

The 27-year-old is a huge fans’ favourite and a fully-fledged Sweden international – as shown by his appearances for his country at the 2018 World Cup in Russia – and he certainly has the right mentality on the pitch.

Jansson was reportedly the subject of a £10m bid from Russian club Krasnodar during the summer transfer window, but the Whites opted to keep him at Elland Road to boost their promotion push this term.

Meanwhile, O’Connell joined the Blades from Brentford in 2016 for an undisclosed fee and, like Jansson, he is a huge favourite with his own fans and has come on leaps and bounds under the tutelage of Chris Wilder.

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The impressive 24-year-old is reported to have attracted a bid worth £8m from Brighton and Hove Albion during the summer transfer window, but taking all things into consideration we believe that the Blackburn Rovers youth product is worth more than Jansson – and the duo should probably be valued at £15m-plus in the current transfer climate.

So, Leeds and Sheffield United fans, do you agree? Let us know by voting on our poll below…

Javairo Dilrosun: The man Manchester City really shouldn’t forget about

Manchester City potentially lost a star of the future during the summer transfer window.

It was an uneventful summer on Eastlands with Riyad Mahrez the only significant signing made by Pep Guardiola in the transfer window. The Spaniard had targeted Jorginho before the Italian decided to join Chelsea with Maurizio Sarri at the final hour. Guardiola decided his business was done and settled on bringing the Algerian to the Etihad.

One departure that went under the radar was that of Javairo Dilrosun. The 20-year-old began his youth career at Ajax before joining Manchester City in 2014. After progressing through the club’s youth ranks, Dilrosun was tipped for a bright future but instead opted to move to Bundesliga side – Hertha Berlin.

Now valued at £900k by Transfermarkt, the Dutch youth international has made a blistering start to life in the Bundesliga and City may regret allowing him to depart. In his first seven appearances in Germany, Dilrosun has scored two goals and registered four assists. Should his impressive performances continue, the Citizens need to consider bringing him back to England.

With blistering pace and excellent dribbling ability, Dilrosun has proven to be a handful for Bundesliga defenders during his short stint in the division. Despite his route to City first-team currently being blocked by Leroy Sane, Dilrosun could be tempted to rejoin his former employers if he is promised more first-team football by Guardiola.

Youngsters such as Phil Foden and Brahim Diaz are slowly being fast-tracked into the City first-team, and Dilrosun could play a similar role under the Spaniard. If his form continues, it won’t be long before one of City’s rivals come calling for his signature. The Citizens must do everything in their power to get him back to the Etihad.

Manchester City fans, thoughts?

Worrying for West Bromwich Albion as Leicester City plan to recall Barnes

Leicester City are planning to recall Harvey Barnes from his loan at West Bromwich Albion in January, according toÂPA Sport journalist Nick Mashiter.

What’s the word?

The Baggies had a dismal 2017-18 campaign as they were dumped out of the Premier League, but their bid for promotion is on course.

Darren Moore’s side currently find themselves second in the Championship table, one point adrift of leaders Sheffield United after 12 games.

A major reason for their surge up the table is the form of Barnes, who agreed a season-long loan from Leicester in the summer.

The 20-year-old has scored five goals and created three assists in 14 appearances in all competitions so far.

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Barnes is naturally a winger but has been playing in the number 10 role, which has allowed him to link up well with Dwight Gayle and Jay Rodriguez.

According to PA Sports journalist Nick Mashiter, Leicester have been so impressed with their academy graduate that they plan to trigger a clause that allows him to be recalled in the January transfer window.

What does this mean for West Brom?

Depending on Barnes’s form at the time of the winter window it could potentially be a huge blow to lose him, and Moore needs to come up with a plan should he lose the 20-year-old in order to keep his side’s promotion bid on course.

The youngster’s attacking and passing prowess has been a key feature in the Baggies’ last few games.

Losing a player of Barnes’s quality at a crucial stage of the season is likely to hamper the club’s bid for promotion.

The only answer would be to dip into the transfer market and find a replacement, possibly a short-term one.

From Barnes’s point of view, returning to Leicester may not be the best option considering that he could struggle for game time.

Revealed: Majority of West Ham United fans think signing Wilshere was a mistake

Jack Wilshere would have hoped that his injury problems were behind him when he signed for West Ham United in the summer.

The midfielder was offered a new contract by Arsenal, but he opted against signing it as he was informed by new manager Unai Emery that he would get very little playing time.

Manuel Pellegrini took a chance on Wilshere, who started the Hammers’ first four Premier League matches, all of which ended in defeat.

At the start of September the midfielder suffered an ankle injury, which required surgery, and he has not been seen since.

It was recently reported that Wilshere had a setback in his recovery and it is unclear when he will return to action.

Unfortunately it looks as though the England international is still struggling with his fitness issues, which led us to ask you whether the club will regret the transfer, and the majority of fans believe that they will.

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Revealed: 75% of Nottingham Forest fans want Karanka to move for Tom Heaton in January

According to a recent Football FanCast poll, the majority of Nottingham Forest fans want the club to make a January move for Burnley goalkeeper Tom Heaton.

Heaton recently told The Mirror that he was open to leaving Turf Moor in order to secure first-team football on his return from a long and unlucky injury layoff.

The England international suffered a dislocated shoulder last season that kept him out until the last few games of the campaign, allowing Nick Pope to blossom in his place as the Clarets reached the Europa League.

This then meant that Pope was included in Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad ahead of Heaton, but at the start of this season the 26-year-old also suffered a dislocated shoulder as Heaton was recovering from a calf problem.

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With both of his English keepers out, Burnley boss Sean Dyche was forced to bring in former England international Joe Hart from Manchester City, and his impressive performances so far could force Heaton to move on if he wants to earn his place back in Southgate’s side.

With Costel Pantilimon struggling so far this season for Forest, boss Aitor Karanka would be wise to bring in a keeper in January to help with the promotion push, and 75 per cent of fans polled wanted it to be 32-year-old Heaton. Check out the full results of the poll below.

Arsenal fans are so right: Letting Jack Wilshere leave is proving to be a masterstroke

Arsenal supporters have been making a lot of noise in recent times after seeing their team make it ten victories in a row in all competitions on Monday night.

Unai Emery’s men went into their encounter with Leicester City at the Emirates Stadium off the back of winning their last six Premier League matches, alongside two wins in the Europa League and a 3-1 success over Brentford in the Carabao Cup. And the Gunners made it ten on the spin on Monday night despite falling behind to a Hector Bellerin own goal, with a brace from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and a Mesut Ozil strike sealing a 3-1 win for the North London giants.

Thus, there have been many thrilled Arsenal fans up and down the country in recent times, several of whom have taken to Twitter recently to react to recent comments from former midfielder Jack Wilshere, who has admitted that he would have likely stayed at the club had Arsene Wenger remained in charge.

Yet those Arsenal fans expressed their satisfaction that the England international did indeed depart the Emirates Stadium during the summer, and given the Gunners’ excellent start to life with him, alongside the midfielder’s injury troubles, sanctioning his summer exit is proving to be a masterstroke.

Ultimately, Wilshere’s time in North London came to an end during the close season at the expiration of his contract, in turn bringing the curtain down on a 17-year association with the Gunners having begun in the youth ranks back in 2001 before going on to make 198 senior appearances for the club.

Yet injury problems decimated his time at the Emirates Stadium and appeared to convince the Gunners hierarchy of opting against a new deal, thus prompting Manuel Pellegrini’s Hammers to lure the midfielder across the capital.

Yet it has so far been a familiar story for Wilshere with injuries again getting the better of him, as although the 26-year-old started their opening four Premier League games (all of which they lost incidentally), he has since missed their last five due to ankle surgery.

Thus, just as it looked like the England international was getting over his injury troubles, having appeared 38 times for Arsenal last term, they have again come back to haunt him, further vindicating the Gunners’ decision to let him leave the club during the summer.

And given Emery’s team have won their last ten games on the trot, it’s not as if they are missing him in the middle of the park either in embarking on a stellar winning streak – a streak that is prompting many to speculate as to whether they have what it takes to challenge for the Premier League title this time round.

So while Wilshere admits that staying at Arsenal would have been likely under Wenger, those Gunners fans happy to have seen him leave are so right, with his injury problems and Arsenal’s sensational winning run underlining the masterstroke they pulled off during the summer.

Arsenal fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Bournemouth should make a move Brentford star Ollie Watkins in the January Transfer Window

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Bournemouth have had a scintillating start to the season under Eddie Howe’s ever impressive tutelage, with the Cherries currently sat in sixth place, just six points off the top of the league.

The likes of Ryan Fraser, David Brooks and Callum Wilson are running riot in attack, with the former sat in first place for assists in the league with five to his name. Additionally, the latter has five goals in ten games, with talk of an England call-up increasing every day.

However, the Cherries must be wary of running out of steam as they look to mount an unlikely push for European football. It must not be forgotten that Crystal Palace sat in fifth position at Christmas back in 2015, only to finish 15th and only narrowly avoiding relegation to the Championship.

Whilst they do have Josh King and Junior Stanislas in reserve to the aforementioned trio, every team with aspirations such as Bournemouth’s could do with a little extra firepower to aid their goals, and Brentford’s Ollie Watkins is the ideal man.

The 22-year-old has been in exceptional form for the Bees this season, scoring five goals in 14 games as well as recording two assists.

Given Brentford’s lowly position in the Championship table, any potential Premier League suitors could turn their elusive forward’s head in the winter window.

As a strong, quick and young winger with an eye for goal, Howe could work wonders for Watkins’ career in the same way that he has done for the likes of Fraser and Wilson. Additionally, with the Bees’ plans for a new stadium put on hold, Brentford chiefs may look to recoup some of the construction costs through player sales.

Soccer Football – Championship – Leeds United v Brentford – Elland Road, Leeds, Britain – October 6, 2018 Leeds United’s Bailey Peacock-Farrell fouls Brentford’s Ollie Watkins to concede a penalty Action Images/Ed Sykes EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account

Watkins has described himself as a ‘number 10’ – a player who enjoys sitting just behind the striker – picking up the ball and looking to score or create a goal. He has named Thierry Henry as his sporting idol, saying, “I try to base my game on his, by driving at defenders and looking to make something happen when I get the ball”.

His style seems tailor-made for the rigours of the Premier League, and in a free flowing, attacking system like the Cherries’ Watkins’ game could go from strength to strength.

Should Bournemouth mount a successful transfer swoop for the 2017 Football League Young Player of the Year, they would be well in with a shot at qualifying for next season’s Europa League.

Revealed: 87% of Liverpool fans want to sign Dembele

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Loads of Liverpool fans have been reacting to their reported interest in Ousmane Dembele, and a whopping 87 per cent of fans want Jurgen Klopp to make a move.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Klopp is once again eyeing a move for Dembele as the Frenchman struggles for playing time in Catalonia.

While the injury to Lionel Messi has paved the way for both he and summer signing Malcom to get more minutes, the former Dortmund ace has never quite fit at the Camp Nou.

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Klopp joked about signing him earlier this year, and it’s not hard to see why as the 21 year-old would be absolutely perfect for the Reds’ high-tempo style.

Dembele is unstoppable with the ball at his feet, able to skip past defenders in either direction due to the fact that he is completely two-footed.

The youngster currently lacks the end product of elite wingers like Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, but Klopp is the master as turning flair players into clinical goalscorers, and the Frenchman has the potential to be the Reds’ next great signing.

87 per cent of fans want to move for the £72m-rated wonderkid, and you can view the full poll results down below…

HYS: Should Manchester United offload Nemanja Matic in January?

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According to The Times, members of the Manchester United squad have questioned Jose Mourinho’s continued selection of £40m addition Nemanja Matic despite the midfielder’s poor form.

The 6’4” 45-cap Serbia international has been a regular in the Red Devils’ starting XI this season but has failed to impress. Against the club’s bitter rivals, Manchester City, last time out, Matic’s poor marking allowed Ilkay Gundogan to score the Cityzens’ third goal.

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If the aforementioned report is true, and the 30-year-old’s performances have created a rift in the Old Trafford dressing room, then United must consider offloading the out-of-sorts midfielder as soon as possible.

Whilst he has been a fine Premier League player in the past, Matic is clearly in decline, and selling him in January would allow United to recoup and reinvest as much of his £36 million Transfermarkt valuation as possible.

In the likes of Paul Pogba, Fred, Ander Herrera, Marouane Fellaini, Scott McTominay and Juan Mata, Mourinho has the numbers to cope without Matic. A stable dressing room is also vital if United are to salvage their season, and Matic’s presence looks as though it may be upsetting that harmony.

What do you think, United fans – should Matic be offloaded in January or afforded more time to try to rediscover his best form?

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