Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez is monitoring Liverpool trio Daniel Sturridge, Danny Ings and Andrew Robertson, according to the Chronicle.
What’s the story?
The Spaniard will be desperate to bring in reinforcements when the transfer window reopens in January.
It was made clear in the summer that the manager was not satisfied with the club’s activity in the window.
The Chronicle claims that Benitez’s relationship with his former club Liverpool could be key in whether or not he nabs some desired targets.
The publication states that the Spaniard is monitoring Daniel Sturridge, Danny Ings and Andrew Robertson.
Would the trio improve Newcastle?
There are two key areas that the Magpies need to strengthen – the strikeforce and full-back.
Dwight Gayle and Joselu have failed to hit the heights, while Aleksandar Mitrovic remains out of favour with the manager.
In the left-back area, Newcastle have had to cope without Paul Dummett for the majority of the season after he suffered injury at the start of the campaign.
Sturridge and Ings are struggling to earn game time under Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, so either may deem an offer of regular first-team football favourable.
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The same could be said for Robertson, who is only getting a runout due to Alberto Moreno being on the treatment table.
Signing all three is unlikely, but if Newcastle are willing to accept loan arrangements then a deal could be struck.
According to reports in The Mirror on December 31, Watford are confident of pipping Newcastle United to the January signing of out of favour Leicester City striker Islam Slimani, who is rated at £19.8m according to Transfermarkt.
The Mirror says that Hornets boss Marco Silva wants to bring the 29-year-old to Vicarage Road to boost his side’s goalscoring woes, having worked with the centre-forward at Sporting Lisbon previously.
The report says that the Algeria international wants out of the King Power Stadium having found first-team opportunities hard to come by, but he did score in the Foxes’ 3-0 win against Huddersfield Town on Monday.
Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur’s three-match winning run in the Premier League came to an end when they drew 1-1 with London rivals West Ham United at Wembley on Thursday, which left them 21 points behind leaders Manchester City and four points adrift of Liverpool in fourth place.
With the chase for a Champions League spot looking like it might go to the wire and with Spurs facing a knockout tie against Juventus in the same competition, manager Mauricio Pochettino may be looking to add to his squad this month, and bringing Slimani in could prove to be a shrewd move.
Here are three reasons Tottenham must hijack Watford’s bid to sign the Algerian…
Fernando Llorente’s form
Mauricio Pochettino brought Llorente to the club during the summer transfer window to provide cover and competition for Harry Kane, but the Spaniard probably hasn’t made the impact that the Argentine boss might have hoped that he would.
Even though he has largely been restricted to substitute appearances, the 32-year-old has only scored two goals in 21 outings in total for Spurs this term, and it took him 12 top flight outings to score his first Premier League goal for them – against former club Swansea City on Tuesday.
Pochettino may look to bring in another striker this month to boost Tottenham’s hopes of securing a top four finish and progressing in the knockout stages of the Champions League, and Slimani could be the ideal addition.
His ability
While Slimani has struggled to start regularly for Leicester following his £30m move from Sporting Lisbon in 2016, it’s difficult to label him as a flop when he has scored 13 goals and provided a further six assists in 44 appearances in all competitions – many of which have come from the substitutes’ bench.
He showed his goalscoring abilities by netting 57 goals in 111 games for Sporting previously, and as well as being strong at scoring with his head, he showed his ability on the floor as well with a brilliant dinked finish over Huddersfield Town goalkeeper Jonas Lossl on Monday.
His unselfish style would certainly mean he fits in well at Tottenham, and he could prove to be an influential figure for them both domestically and in Europe in the second-half of the campaign.
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Point to prove
If Slimani does end up leaving Leicester this month for another Premier League team, he will certainly have a big point to prove and will be determined to show that he can be a success at this level.
The 29-year-old will feel hard done by with his lack of opportunities with the Foxes, but his experience in the English top flight and in the Champions League can help him be a success at a club like Tottenham – even if the majority of his appearances and impact come off of the substitutes’ bench until a point when Harry Kane is unavailable.
According to reports by HITC Sport, Brighton and Hove Albion are lining up a £4m bid to sign Bournemouth midfielder Andrew Surman before the transfer window slams shut on January 31.
HITC Sport says that Seagulls boss Chris Hughton is a big fan of the 31-year-old having worked with him during his time in charge of Norwich City previously, and he believes the experienced player could be a key addition in the second-half of the campaign as the south coast outfit look to avoid being dragged into a Premier League relegation battle.
Surman has been an important part of the Cherries side that has done so well in the top flight, but he only has 18 months left on his Bournemouth contract and their south coast rivals are ready to swoop.
Meanwhile, Newcastle United remain in trouble at the foot of the table themselves as they could only draw 1-1 against bottom side Swansea City, and Magpies boss Rafa Benitez will be looking to strengthen his squad before the end of the month despite there being little progress made with a proposed takeover.
The Spaniard may look to add some quality in central areas, and bringing Surman to St James’ Park could prove to be a shrewd move.
Here are three reasons Newcastle must hijack Brighton’s bid to sign the South African-born star…
Potential Shelvey replacement
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The Express reported on January 9 that Newcastle midfielder Shelvey is a £12m target for West Ham United this month, with the 25-year-old understood to be keen on a return to the capital.
However, The Express also said that no deal would happen until the Magpies found a replacement for the England international, and Surman could be the answer in the middle of the park.
The 31-year-old has plenty of experience and is decent in possession, and his arrival would help soothe the exit of someone that has been a key player on Tyneside at times.
His qualities
There is no doubt that Surman’s main quality is his ability on the ball and his concentration, and according to WhoScored.com he has a passing accuracy of 84% in 17 Premier League appearances for Bournemouth this season.
That is actually down on previous seasons – according to a report in The Express in March 2016 only Cesc Fabregas was a more accurate passer statistically at the time – as the 31-year-old is now allowed to be more expressive and take more risks while in possession, and he has shown on occasions that he has the passing array that can unlock opposition defences – much like Shelvey.
Surman also has 77 Premier League matches under his belt now and having helped Bournemouth stay up against all of the odds in two consecutive seasons, his experience and know-how could be vital for Newcastle in the second-half of the campaign.
Price tag
With no progress with a proposed takeover and with Mike Ashley keen to sell, Benitez is unlikely to be given a huge transfer fund to bring new players to the club before January 31.
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It will mean that he could be looking for bargains within in the market, and he should certainly be taking a keen interest in Surman if Newcastle could get him for around the £4m mark.
With the quality on the ball he has and the experience he would bring to St James’ Park, he could prove to be a shrewd purchase who helps the Magpies secure their Premier League status in May.
It was only in May Michail Antonio signed a new long-term contract at West Ham that made him one of the club’s top earners and essentially ruled out a summer move to Premier League champions Chelsea. But situations seem to change quicker in football than any other sport and, especially while sidelined through injury, it’s hard to see where the powerful wide-man fits in at the London Stadium under David Moyes.
He’s struggled at wing-back before for the Irons and Pablo Zabaleta has made that role his own this season in any case. He can be utilised as a centre-forward as well but has never been one for playing with his back to goal. In fact, how to make use of his goalscoring prowess despite never quite having the wiring of an out-and-out centre-forward has been the recurring riddle facing managers throughout the 27-year-old’s career. Tellingly, from 55 goals and 44 assists for the Hammers, Nottingham Forest and Sheffield Wednesday, just three strikes and three setups have come while leading the line.
In truth, Antonio is at his best when he’s playing out wide, allowing him to ghost into the box with late runs and score headers at the near or far post, reacting to the movements of the central striker. But in the 3-5-2-come-3-6-1 formation Moyes has used on the most part since taking over from Slaven Bilic, that wide role in the traditional sense doesn’t really exist. Perhaps injuries to Marko Arnautovic, Manuel Lanzini and Andy Carroll will oblige the Scot to accommodate him more, but the prevailing headline makes difficult reading – when everybody’s fit, Antonio isn’t a guaranteed starter anymore.
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Fitness permitting – he’s expected to be available for the first week of February – that makes this January a curious one in Antonio’s career, one where he could be faced with a choice of collecting pay cheques on West Ham’s bench or moving to a slightly smaller pond, where he’s treated like the star man in a manner that will enhance his chances of making it into Gareth Southgate’s World Cup plans. Antonio has been called up to the England squad thrice before, by both Southgate and Sam Allardyce, but is still awaiting his first Three Lions cap.
That’s where former club Southampton come into the picture, not least because they’re desperately short on firepower this season. Saints have actually created the seventh-most chances of any side in the division – although the actually quality of them remains somewhat suspect – but have only scored one goal per game in the Premier League. Their top scorer Charlie Austin stands on just six goals, and he’ll be out of action until March at the earliest after suffering another serious injury. Now in the relegation zone after Stoke’s win over Huddersfield on Saturday, Southampton don’t have the time to wait for Austin to return to fitness.
The obvious solution is to sign another centre-forward this month, but Southampton already have three of those with Manolo Gabbiadini and Shane Long struggling to fill Austin’s void. And even when Austin was in the team, there was far too much pressure on him to score – it quickly became a case of Austin failing to find the net equating to a defeat or a draw.
In actuality Saints need netting prowess in other departments as well and players who can share that burden with the centre-forward. Nathan Redmond and Sofiane Boufal should be fulfilling that responsibility this season, but neither have consistently delivered. That’s why Southampton were in the hunt for Theo Walcott and are now targeting Quincy Promes – two wide forwards who can score goals, rather than central front-men.
Antonio is of the same mould and much like Promes and Walcott, he’d offer Southampton something else they’ve desperately lacked this season – dynamism on the counter-attack. It speaks volumes that left-back Ryan Bertrand provided the pace and width to create a Tottenham own goal on Sunday, rather than one of their midfielders.
Redmond and Boufal do offer Southampton speed, but both prefer to venture inside and neither combine that natural pace with similar power – the mixture Saints need in attack to truly start causing problems for opposition defences. Antonio boasts that in abundance and his proven aerial prowess in the Premier League, only outscored for headed goals by Fernando Llorente and Christian Benteke last season, particularly suits a Southampton side that have averaged the joint-second-most crosses per match this term, 21, of any team in the division.
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And there is already something of a connection to the club as well. At the age of 20, Antonio was part of the Southampton side that won the 2009/10 Football League Trophy and missed out on the League One playoffs by just one place under Alan Pardew. Through different journeys, both Southampton and Antonio have made their way up to the Premier League since; that connection could be the extra incentive Southampton need to convince Antonio to leave the London Stadium mid-season for a relegation battle.
Transfermarkt value the powerful winger at £16.2million, but convincing West Ham to part with him this month – especially in light of recent injuries to attacking players – may require a little more.
19 years ago this week, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer etched his name into Premier League folklore with the greatest substitute appearance seen in the English top flight since its reincarnation in 1992.
Manchester United had already put Nottingham Forest to the sword through Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole, each bagging a brace to make it 4-1 after 67 minutes.
But then the Norwegian entered the fray from the bench and unleashed pure havoc at the City Ground, netting four times in the last ten minutes to secure one of United’s largest winning margins under Sir Alex Ferguson.
That fabled performance only cemented Solskjaer’s reputation as English football’s greatest supersub of the Premier League era. But with a quarter-century of Premier League action to now look back on, United’s iconic striker now faces some serious rivals for that unofficial title.
In fact, there are Premier League stars who have scored more goals, bagged more assists and produced a better per-minutes ratio than Solskjaer when entering the fray from the bench. So, here’s a rundown of the candidates in with a shout of being the greatest supersub in Premier League history…
Jermain Defoe – Most Substitute Goals
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No player has scored more goals from the bench in the Premier League than Jermain Defoe, who is still going strong today at the age of 35 – although he’s yet to net in the top flight as substitute since moving to Bournemouth last summer.
However, the former England front-man has undoubtedly benefited from the sheer longevity of his Premier League career; only two players to have scored from the bench in the Premier League have made more substitute appearances than Defoe, Peter Crouch and Shola Ameobi, and he’s represented five clubs in the top flight.
In actuality, Defoe averages more than five sub appearances per sub goal, and he ranks a lowly twelfth for minutes per goals or assist from the bench (from players to have claimed at least 15 goals or assists as a substitute).
Theo Walcott – Most Substitute Assists
Theo Walcott’s goal return from the bench may be on the modest side for a forward with 67 Premier League strikes under his belt and has expressed desires to be deployed as a centre-forward for much of his career.
But Walcott gets an honourable mention because he’s provided the most substitute assists in Premier League history, and that eleven remains an impressive tally simply because assists are harder to come by – not every goal has one.
He’s averaged one goal or assist per 120 minutes from the bench though, which only puts him slightly ahead of Defoe (122 minutes), and doesn’t see the now-Everton man make the top ten. However, due to his electric pace and netting prowess, most would argue Walcott is still one of the best impact players around in the Premier League.
Nwankwo Kanu – Joint-Second for Goals and Assists
With one goal or assist per 100 minutes as a substitute, Nwankwo Kanu just sneaks into the Premier League’s top ten in that regard. But in truth, the former Arsenal, West Brom and Portsmouth man makes it onto this list for a more pertinent reason; he ranks second throughout Premier League history for both goals and assists from the bench.
That includes a goal and an assist from the bench in a 4-0 win over Leicester City for Arsenal in 2001, and a run of four goals in six substitute outings – most notably a strike against Spurs in the north London derby – a year prior. However, the Nigerian international did also endure a run of just two goals in 43 substitute outings for the Gunners before moving to West Brom.
Olivier Giroud – Best Minutes Per Goal or Assist Ratio
Olivier Giroud lays a pretty strong claim for being the most effective supersub working in the English top flight today, if not to ever grace the Premier League, which is perhaps why Chelsea were so quick to snap him up in the wake of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s move to Arsenal last month. Often finding himself behind such glamorous names in the pecking order at the Emirates Stadium, the France international has often been forced to take his chances from the bench – something he’s done so to an emphatic standard thus far in his Premier League career.
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Indeed, it’s taken him just 63 appearances to match Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Nwankwo Kanu’s goal tallies from the bench, and one more goal will see him move from joint-second to undisputed second in the substitute scoring charts. Throw in two assists as well though, and Giroud boasts the best minutes per goal or assist ratio of any Premier League supersub, either scoring or supplying every 67 minutes – a slight improvement on Solskjaer’s rate of every 72 minutes.
Equally impressive is how some of those goals have been – since the start of last season, he’s come off the bench to score an equaliser at Old Trafford and net the winner in a hectic 4-3 victory over Leicester City.
So, who do you think is the greatest supersub in Premier League history? Let us know by voting below…
Alfredo Morelos has had an excellent start to his Rangers career and the discussion around his debut season should be about what he can offer the Ibrox side for years to come.
However, the Colombian has been the subject of intense transfer speculation. Rangers are reported to have turned down four bids from Chinese Super League side Beijing Renhe for the striker and the club are bracing themselves for a fifth that goes beyond £10m.
Is it time to cash in on a 16-goal forward?
Our writers have had their say below…
Christy Malyan
It’s a tough call because Rangers don’t want to become known as a club that gets dictated to in the transfer market, selling as soon as a half-decent offer comes along. But let’s face facts here – the apparent £11million fee proposed is ten times what Rangers paid for Morelos in the summer and more than what they’ve spent on signings all season.
It could have a massive impact on tailoring the squad to the wishes of the next manager, whether that’s Graeme Murty or someone else, and with the title race already over and a top four finish pretty certain, it’s not as if selling now would put Rangers’ whole season in jeopardy.
As long as Rangers spend the money wisely, fans will be satisfied in the long-run.
Chris McMullan
If Alfredo Morelos, at the age of 21, wants to ply his trade in the Chinese Super League, perhaps Rangers should get rid. It would show a lack of ambition for the revelatory striker to leave Europe now.
Assuming he’s willing to stay and progress as a player in Europe, Rangers should hold on.
There are shades of Moussa Dembele about this situation – the young striker courted by clubs elsewhere but who can only get better in Scotland – and given that the Gers are starting to come into some form, they’ll need to hold onto him next season in order to perhaps challenge then.
But we all know financial considerations are another factor for Rangers these days.
John McGinley
This entire transfer saga has been a completely bizarre one from my perspective. Why would Rangers not cash in on a player who is unlikely to increase in value beyond the current reported fees offered?
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There’s no doubting that Alfredo Morelos has had an excellent debut season, 16 goals is nothing to sniff at, but it’s not been such a good season that the club can refuse offers close to, or beyond, £10m.
With Jason Cummings already at the club and Josh Windass providing excellent scoring support from attacking midfield, the Light Blues have more than enough to help them achieve their ambitions this season and it’s cash would could go a long way towards building a competitive squad in the summer.
If the money is on offer from China, it’s time to take it, even if it weakens their squad mid-season.
Rangers moved back into second place in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday, thumping Hamilton 5-3 away from home thanks to goals from Josh Windass, Jamie Murphy and Alfredo Morelos.
The Light Blues were under pressure to capitalise on Aberdeen’s loss to Hibernian on Saturday and did exactly that, also closing the gap on Celtic after the Scottish champions drew later in the day at home to St Johnstone.
The day belonged to Windass, who scored his second hat-trick of 2018, but another player also drew plaudits from supporters.
Greg Docherty was making his first league start for the club and performed well in the middle of the park, despite an error contributing to Hamilton’s first of the afternoon.
Supporters are hugely excited by the 20-year-old’s potential with some saying he is already filling a role that Rangers have been looking for, for years.
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Fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on his performance…
Highly-rated Fulham winger Ryan Sessegnon, rated at £22.5m by Transfermarkt, took his tally of Championship goals for the season to 14 as he scored in his side’s 2-1 win against Derby County at the Pride Park Stadium on Saturday, and Liverpool fans have urged their club to sign the in-form 17-year-old.
The left-sided teenager, who can play as a left-back or left winger but has predominantly started in the latter in recent weeks, has now found on the net nine times in 2018, while he scored a hat-trick for the Cottagers in their incredible 5-4 win against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane back in November.
Sessegnon looks destined to join one of the Premier League big guns even if Fulham are promoted, such as the quality he has shown in his 68 first-team appearances for the west London side.
While Liverpool have the likes of Sadio Mane and Mo Salah in attack, Reds boss Jurgen Klopp may be looking to add some competition for them this summer in order to keep their performances at the high standard they have been at this term.
Liverpool supporters were quick to have their say on Sessegnon via social media, and while one said “Ryan Sessegnon is the Championship version of Salah”, another said he could provide “competition for Sadio Mane”.
New Southampton manager Mark Hughes will look to lead the club to last four of the FA Cup in his first match in charge when they face League One outfit Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium on Sunday, on the back of a 3-0 defeat against Newcastle United at St James’ Park last weekend that finally saw Mauricio Pellegrino get the sack.
It looked to be a must-win fixture for Saints in their bid to retain their Premier League status with the Magpies lying just a point above them in the standings prior to kick off, but they found themselves 1-0 down with barely a minute on the clock and a lacklustre performance saw them lose 3-0 in the end.
The result and the display proved to be the final straw for the south coast outfit’s board, and they relieved Pellegrino of his duties on Monday day following an horrendous run of just one win in 17 top flight games, much to the delight of the fans.
Hughes has been handed the task of leading Saints – who currently lie one point above the relegation zone – in their final eight Premier League matches this term, although he has the extra cup tie against the Latics to deal with first of all.
It certainly won’t be an easy task to beat the League One high-flyers given they have already beaten Bournemouth, West Ham United and Manchester City to reach this stage, with the 54-year-old not wanting to get off to a negative start.
The former Stoke boss will be considering making some changes to the XI that was beaten so easily by Newcastle as he looks to turn his new side’s fortunes around, and he should quickly look to get the fans onside by making a couple of important alterations to his team.
Here are two big changes the 54-year-old must make when Southampton face Wigan…
Having impressed from the substitutes’ bench in the draw against Burnley last month and then been one of Southampton’s biggest attacking threats when he started against Stoke City at St Mary’s, Saints fans were left confused when Sims was relegated back to the bench for the trip to St James’ Park last weekend.
James Ward-Prowse previously would have felt hard done by when he lost his place on the right to Sims given he has been in decent form in 2018, but the 20-year-old has the pace and direct running to make a difference in the final third for the south coast outfit, and has impressed the fans with his displays.
Tadic hasn’t done enough in the attacking midfield positions for more than 18 months now and it was no surprise that he was hooked off at half-time against the Magpies following another anonymous showing.
With Ward-Prowse deserving of his spot on the right and Sims able to play on the opposite flank, Hughes should look to play Redmond through the middle behind the striker – if he intends to play a 4-2-3-1 system or even a 4-4-1-1 formation – and drop Tadic to the bench at the DW Stadium.
While Southampton pride themselves on their ‘black box’ system when it comes to recruiting players, it is hard to believe that Mauricio Pellegrino had no influence on the signing of Carrillo from Monaco during the January transfer window given his questionable goalscoring record and the fact he worked with him previously at Estudiantes.
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The 25-year-old certainly hasn’t looked as though he is the answer to their problems in the final third in his first eight appearances for the club in all competitions, failing to get on the score-sheet and providing two assists.
Meanwhile, Gabbiadini has largely had to make do with cameos from the substitutes’ bench having only started once in the Premier League since December 16, and he wasn’t even handed a start by Pellegrino against Stoke having scored the equaliser in the 1-1 draw against Burnley, leaving the St Mary’s faithful well and truly confused.
While the Italy international hasn’t been in the best of form in the last 12 months, he is still the most natural goalscorer they have available right now and has to start games.
Journalist and close ally of Jose Mourinho, Duncan Castles, has launched a defence of the former Real Madrid manager’s methods and pointed out the progress Manchester United have made under him, as per Arab News.
What’s the word?
Last week was a huge one for Manchester United, with three crunch fixtures at Old Trafford. They won two, in the Premier League against bitter rivals Liverpool and in the FA Cup quarter-finals against Brighton.
However, they lost arguably the most important, the Champions League last 16 tie against Sevilla, and the fallout was enormous. Mourinho’s approach to the tie was criticised and so was his response to that criticism.
Yet, Castles wants to point out that United have improved under Mourinho. They are second in the league, in the FA Cup semi-finals and have won two trophies already under the Portuguese.
He also moves to defend criticism of United’s lifeless style of play, stating that it is how the last two Premier League champions have played and that the Champions League hasn’t been won that way since 2011.
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Castles isn’t totally right
United have improved in terms of their league position, it looks as if Mourinho will ensure that the club qualifies for the Champions League again this season and could well win the FA Cup.
That represents a step forward from the reigns of David Moyes and Louis van Gaal, but it is not enough. Mourinho was brought in to move United back to the top of English football and was given lavish spending power with which to do so.
He has come nowhere near a title challenge in either season and United’s style of play is still uninspiring and dour, with a group of elite forwards still, over a year and a half into his reign, largely playing like strangers.
United do not dominate big matches, and their record away from home against other teams in the top six does not stack up well. They needed to take the Sevilla match by the scruff of the neck but were dominated and roundly beaten by a side who then lost 2-1 to Leganes on Sunday.
There is the EFL Cup exit to Bristol City to consider, and Mourinho’s repeated outbursts; blaming the lack of spending, the fans, the players, the club’s “heritage” for being behind where he needs the club to be but taking no responsibility himself.
As Castles’ comments on United’s style of play, every team that has won the Champions League has shown greater panache, knowhow and technical ability than United have ever shown under Mourinho, regardless of their individual styles.
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“A killer counterattack” may have won the last two Premier League titles but it will not win this season’s and, in any case, could anyone realistically claim that the current United side have a killer counterattack?
Pragmatism, in and of itself, is a viable strategy. But it means that when the results aren’t there – a title challenge, progression in the Champions League or a fluid side that is greater than the sum of its parts – there is nothing to fall back on. Mourinho’s United have moved forward, but not anywhere near far enough.