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The Reds are set for a clearout as the transfer window closes in the next fortnight – but who is on their way out of Anfield?

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  1Connor Randall – Defender

  This home-grown defender was on the bench for Klopp's first game as Liverpool boss, and made his debut soon after. He has been with the club's U-23 side this summer after returning from a productive loan spell with Hearts in Scotland, and looks set for a return north of the border. St Mirren, managed by former Everton boss Alan Stubbs, look the likeliest suitors. 

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• 2Pedro Chirivella – Midfielder

  The Spanish midfielder has played a handful of senior games for the Reds, but spent last season on loan at Willem II and will be allowed to leave if the right offer arrives. Both Swansea and Nottingham Forest have made enquiries, with Liverpool ready to demand as much as £5m if the deal is to be a permanent one. Chirivella, who was signed from Valencia back in 2014, is also well rated on the continent, with teams in the Netherlands and Spain also monitoring.

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  3Ben Woodburn – Midfielder

  There are people at Liverpool who believe this lad will play many, many games for the first team, but right now it looks as if his path is somewhat blocked at Anfield. Mind you, he's still only 18 and has a level-headed nature. He told Goal recently that he'll do whatever Klopp thinks best for him, and there is a growing feeling at Anfield that a loan move may be what he needs. Norwich and Sheffield United are the frontrunners, but there will be at least a dozen clubs that would take the Wales international. 

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  4Sheyi Ojo – Winger

  Another talented youngster, Ojo is attracting interest from pretty much the entire Championship having enjoyed a promising but ultimately frustrating spell at Fulham last season. The England U-20 World Cup winner has shown glimpses of his undoubted talent at Anfield, even during this pre-season campaign, but it's hard to see a path into the first team for him at present. Liverpool, who will use the fees paid for the likes of David Brooks, James Maddison and even Richarlison as barometers for the market, reckon they could get up to £15m ($20m) for him if they were to sell. They did so with Jordon Ibe, after all.

Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to advance into the Europa League quarter-finals as they head to the Croatian capital for the second-leg of their Round of 16 tie with Dinamo Zagreb this evening.

Jose Mourinho’s side hold a 2-0 lead thanks to Harry Kane’s double last week but the Portuguese veteran will know all too well how dangerous that scoreline can be in football.

Therefore, it gives him plenty to think about in terms of team selection ahead of kickoff.

There is, however, one decision that he needs to make above all and that’s dropping Matt Doherty from the starting XI after an abysmal performance in the north London derby on Sunday.

On the Chalkboard

Having joined in a £15m deal in the summer, the 29-year-old has struggled to live up to expectations in north London, so much so that Mourinho is unconvinced over his chances of becoming a star under his stewardship.

According to ESPN, Doherty’s future is under threat with the Spurs boss considering making the Irishman available for transfer at the end of the season.

Now valued at £26m by CIES, the former Wolves man has been usurped in the pecking order by the often calamitous Serge Aurier – the very player he was supposed to replace – with Japhet Tanganga also getting game time over him, too.

There was the silly red card against Leeds United, reports of Mourinho berating him against Liverpool, and now an utterly abject display against the side he supposedly supports in Arsenal.

Doherty is the one holding Spurs back defensively.

He has started just 12 matches in the Premier League this season, though three of those have come in their last three outings, so it suggests Mourinho has preferred him to Aurier and Tanganga – at least in recent weeks.

Only twice since the turn of the year has Doherty managed above a WhoScored rating of 6.6, with shocking performances being recorded against Leeds (5.87), Liverpool (5.79) and even against West Brom (5.99).

This trend returned in yet another big game – Arsenal (6.56). He also lost possession 15 times, the second most of any Spurs player, and was dribbled past twice, as per SofaScore.

Club legend Graham Roberts claimed he was “very poor” and even went onto suggest that “maybe the club is too big for him” after the defeat.

Another slight against Doherty’s record is his poor ability to stop the opposition. He averages 1.3 fouls per game in the Premier League. Only two other players to start ten or more matches have averaged more for Spurs, as per WhoScored.

Both Aurier and Tanganga have featured on the bench recently, meaning they are fit and ready, so there’s a clear and obvious replacement staring Mourinho right in the face.

He must drop Doherty tonight.

AND in other news, Spurs swoop for £34m-rated beast would deal big blow to Oliver Skipp…

Spurs return to Premier League action on Saturday afternoon as they face a tough trip to the Etihad to face league leaders Manchester City.

Pep Guardiola’s side have now won 15 games in a row in all competitions and are comfortable at the top of the Premier League, so Spurs will have to be at their best if they want to avoid defeat against the Citizens.

Jose Mourinho’s side triumphed in the reverse fixture at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, winning 2-0 despite the visitors dominating the game, which will give them confidence ahead of Saturday’s late kick-off.

However, the 5-4 defeat against Everton in midweek suggests that changes are likely, as the Portuguese manager is unlikely to have been happy with his side’s defensive efforts at Goodison Park.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Mourinho to line his side up at the Etihad, with three changes from the side that started against Everton…

Hugo Lloris keeps his place in between the sticks, despite struggling in midweek against Everton.

There are two changes to the defence, as Serge Aurier looks to be in contention to return at right-back after missing the game against the Toffees through injury, and he replaces Matt Doherty.

Eric Dier replaces Toby Alderweireld at the heart of the defence, in the hope that he can tighten things up alongside Davinson Sanchez, who deserves to keep his place after scoring a brace against Everton.

Mourinho should not be afraid to attack at City and should therefore go with a double pivot of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Tanguy Ndombele, with Lucas Moura playing ahead of them as a central attacking midfielder, a role he excelled in against West Brom recently.

In the final change, Erik Lamela drops to the bench, with Harry Kane starting up front, and the Englishman is supported by Heung-Min Son and Steven Bergwijn on the wings.

And, in other news… Spurs striker’s future in doubt after WBA omission; Jose has had enough

Crystal Palace have reportedly opened talks over a Bosman move for exciting young defender Radu Dragusin.

What’s the word?

According to The Evening Standard, Dragusin could yet be persuaded to leave Juventus with his representatives holding initial talks with Roy Hodgson’s side over a summer move.

The Romanian centre-back, 19, is out of contract at the end of this campaign, having made four appearances across all competitions this season thus far, per Transfermarkt.

Dragusin, who made his debut in Juventus’ 3-0 win over Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League last year, has caught the eye in recent weeks, with Premier League rivals Newcastle and Tottenham also said to be interested in his services.

Planning for the future?

The highly-rated teenager certainly looks like a big prospect for the future, and he could be an exciting addition for Palace, with The Evening Standard claiming they’ve already started discussions about bringing him to Selhurst Park.

Despite his age, Dragusin cuts a tall and imposing figure, and has cited Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk as a source of inspiration.

With interest in the Romania U19 international starting to heat up, it seems like Palace are starting to plan for the future, amid rampant speculation over Hodgson’s future.

It’s no secret that the Eagles have the oldest squad in the Premier League, with every single centre-back currently above the age of 30.

Whilst admittedly very little is known about the Romanian, his manager Andrea Pirlo has made no secret of his admiration of the young defender, saying:

“He’s physically very strong. He’s very young and must develop on a technical level, but he will have time to do it, training every day with great champions.”

This sort of physical strength would be most welcome in south London and to be able to nab a prospect with so much potential could be a shrewd bit of business by Steve Parish if he can beat other Premier League clubs to this up-and-coming talent.

Given his age, Dragusin could be Palace’s starting centre-back for years to come if Parish can bring him to Selhurst Park and he is able to hit the ground running.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace suffer significant injury setback with Roy Hodgson unsure when Wilfried Zaha will return…

Manchester United were outfoxed by Manchester City on their own home turf on Wednesday night, leaving Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with a lot of work to do as the club’s wait for silverware continues.

Goals from City duo John Stones and Fernandinho dumped the Red Devils out of the Carabao Cup semi-final, as Pep Guardiola’s side set up a Wembley clash with Tottenham Hotspur.

Hunting their first trophy since 2017, Solskjaer’s side seemed to have shrugged off early pressure from City after Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford both squandered chances. But poor set-piece defending ultimately proved to be their undoing when Harry Maguire failed to deal with a free-kick from Phil Foden – Stones bundling home from close range to give City the lead.

And their suspect defence came back to haunt them after Anthony Martial and Aaron Wan-Bissaka combined only to clear the ball as far as the edge of the box for Fernandinho to hit the ball first time into the back of the net.

Several players were at fault for the sub-par performance, none more so than United left-back Luke Shaw, who arrived at Old Trafford from Southampton for £27m in 2014. He reportedly earns around £150,000-per-week, as per Spotrac.

SofaScore graded the 25-year-old as the worst player on the pitch by a country mile with a miserable 6.2 rating – he lost possession 16 times, failed to win any of his duels from six attempts, was dribbled past once and committed two fouls.

The Manchester Evening News gave Shaw a low grade of 5/10 and claimed he ‘let Stones go for the goal,’ while The Sun were equally scathing in their assessment, insisting ‘he found himself tucked in centrally and was often a passenger on the break.’

Not only did he look lethargic, but he was also uncharacteristically lightweight as well with his teammates Fernandes and Paul Pogba managing more tackles between them, as per SofaScore.

After Alex Telles’ arrival in the summer, Shaw may have been forgiven for feeling a little threatened. But his latest shocking display may have given him more reason to do so and he ought to be nervously looking over his shoulder after he suffered a horror show against Guardiola’s side.

United have now lost four cup semi-finals in the past 12 months following yet another semi-final defeat at the hands of City in the Carabao Cup. With a trip to Liverpool on the horizon, this could be Shaw’s last start for quite some time after this latest showing.

AND in other news, Manchester United could find their next Nemanja Vidic…

Many Aston Villa fans are reacting to a tweet which reports on what goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez did following the 3-1 loss to West Ham on Wednesday.

Jesse Lingard scored a brace on his Hammers debut during the match. Both of his goals however were ones which Martinez will probably feel he should have saved, as he managed to get his hands on the ball both times

According to @greggevans and tweeted out by @villareport, the Argentinian goalkeeper called on a few of the forwards for additional time on the training pitch this week. This was due to the fact that he wasn’t happy with his performance in the defeat to West Ham. One fan called him a ‘great professional’ after hearing the news.

Martinez has probably won a lot of points for Villa this campaign, but he was right to not be happy with his performance in that particular match. Clearly, the extra training worked wonders as he put in a solid performance in the 1-0 victory against Arsenal on Saturday.

Here is what fans said following the news:

“Fair enough too. He was sloppy for at least two of them, but that’s a great attitude.”

Credit: @CrippyCooke

“The exact mentality I expect from him. Hungry to better himself every game. You love to see it”

Credit: @TyBracey

“Elite mentality”

Credit: @catrinedwards18

“Didn’t think I could love this guy anymore.”

Credit: @lukewoodyy

“Not surprised at this. A great professional.”

Credit: @B31Villa

“Monster attitude. Monster performance.”

Credit: @jpearce88

In other news: Aston Villa fans flocked to this update by Gregg Evans, find out more here!

Jurgen Klopp’s injury woes look to have eased somewhat after it was revealed that Diogo Jota could return to action this month, despite it having been previously suggested that he could be out until February.

The Portuguese winger made a superb start to life at Anfield following his summer arrival from Wolves, grabbing nine goals for the Reds in all competitions.

The 24-year-old was perhaps expected to be a back-up to the front three at first but clearly won over Klopp with his excellent form and he quickly established himself as a starter at the Merseyside club.

However, disaster struck when he was injured in the Reds’ final Champions League group fixture against FC Midtjylland, with a knee problem reportedly set to keep him out until February.

Fortunately for the German manager, who has seen his side slip to consecutive draws against West Brom and Newcastle, journalist James Pearce has now confirmed that Jota is making good progress with his injury and could be back in action by late January.

The Reds were desperate for some quality from the bench against Newcastle and West Brom recently but with Klopp reluctant to turn to Divock Origi, Xherdan Shaqiri and Takumi Minamino recently, it seems clear that he is desperate for Jota to make his return.

Following his signing from Wolves, assistant manager Pep Ljinders was full of praise for the £36 million-rated winger, saying:

“Diogo, what can I say? His technical level is on the same as our front three.

“He has so much future in the game and he will have a great pathway inside our club. He’s like a pressing monster, so he will fit in straight away.”

Certainly, when Jota returns, Klopp could return to a 4-2-3-1 formation that would allow him to accommodate the Portuguese international as well as Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane in the Reds attack, which could be the key to solving their lack of goals in recent fixtures.

And, in other news… Liverpool can sign their next Salah in “perfect” 51-assist ace

Loads of Everton fans have reacted as former Toffees player Ademola Lookman missed a penalty for Fulham versus West Ham United in the Premier League.

Indeed, the England U21 international decided to take the spot-kick away from the usual taker for Scott Parker’s team, Aleksandar Mitrovic, and his effort was comfortably saved by Lukasz Fabianski.

Lookman attempted a Panenka penalty in the last minute of the game and a goal would have made the score 1-1 and earned a precious point for the Cottagers, but instead, he was made to look rather embarrassed.

Supporters of the Goodison Park faithful will remember Lookman’s pretty barren spell at the Merseyside club, in which he only managed to score a mere four goals and make just two assists in a total of 48 matches in all competitions over three consecutive seasons (Transfermarkt).

Everton fan reaction to Lookman miss

These EFC supporters reacted to the miss from Lookman on Twitter, with one Blue even claiming that it was ‘terrible’:

In other news, find out which Everton player must do better according to an ex-Toffee here!

Many Aston Villa fans are fuming following the latest reports surrounding their game against Newcastle United.

The Premier League have opted to postpone Friday night’s match between the Magpies and Aston Villa. According to Luke Edwards, and tweeted out by @villareport, the Tyneside club believe that as many as ten of their players are infected with COVID-19.

This will understandably frustrate Villa as they already have a game in hand in the league due to their game being postponed at the start of the season (SofaScore). To have two games in hand could see the fixture list become very congested for Dean Smith’s side down the line and could cause fatigue and injury issues.

Smith will not be happy – having lost their last two games 2-1 against Brighton and Hove Albion and West Ham, an up and down Newcastle side presented the Villains with a chance to get back on track, but instead they will now be left with a ‘huge disadvantage’ later in the season, as the postponed was confirmed on Tuesday evening.

Here is what Villa fans had to say following the update:

In other Villa news, many fans are praising one defender following his start to the season. Have a read who it is here!

Since joining from Nottingham Forest a few years ago, Henri Lansbury hasn’t exactly established himself as a starter for Aston Villa.

The former England U21 international has found himself in and out of the team, and last season played just 15 times across all competitions for Dean Smith’s side.

But having been thrown into the starting line-up for the Carabao Cup third round clash against Bristol City on Thursday night, Lansbury delivered a timely reminder of the quality that he has.

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Villa eased to a comfortable 3-0 win at Ashton Gate, and whilst Bertrand Traore may be the name on everybody’s lips following his first goal for the club, Lansbury’s midfield masterclass would surely have left Smith purring in the dug-out.

As per Sofascore, despite not scoring or even getting himself an assist, he recorded an 8.0 match rating – higher than the likes of Traore, Ollie Watkins and Anwar El Ghazi, who all found themselves on the score-sheet.

Lansbury helped run the game from the middle of the park, boasting an 88% pass accuracy and delivering a game-high six key passes on the night – to put that latter stat into context, the Villa players in joint-second (Keinan Davis and Jacob Ramsey) provided exactly half that.

The 29-year-old also created two official big chances, delivered six crosses into the box, and found his target with five out of the eight long balls that he attempted.

Having come in from the cold like he did – it was his first competitive outing of the season – it was a performance of the highest order. And with Villa making movies in the transfer market and competition for places hotting up, Lansbury’s display would have left Smith raving.