Loads of Liverpool fans have been reacting to a report on Lazar Markovic, as the out of favour winger is impressing in the Under-23s.
Markovic’s last senior appearance for Liverpool was way back in May 2015, and the Reds tried and failed to offload him this summer.
The 24 year-old racked up 19 league appearances for the Reds after his big move from Benfica, but the Brendan Rodgers signing scored just twice.
He has since had loan spells with four different clubs, and will depart the club permanently next summer when his contract expires.
While he certainly has no future at Anfield, Under-23s boss Neil Critchley has been praising the winger for his impact on the young players.
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“Lazar has been training with us for a while now and I’ve got to say he’s been brilliant to work with,” Critchley told The Liverpool Echo.
“We’ve enjoyed having him around and he’s been great with the young lads.
“He’s humble, he listens to what’s asked of him and he’s been professional. He gets on well with the other players. He played as a centre-forward against Arsenal and on the right wing against West Brom.”
Needless to say, Liverpool fans aren’t exactly impressed by the report, with plenty of fans pointing out they’d be pretty happy in the 24 year-old’s situation as well, and crucifying the £20m signing.
You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, look away now Lazar…
Marco Silva is looking to raid Leicester City in a bid to solve Everton’s striker dilemma with Jamie Vardy, according to The Mirror.
What’s the word?
The former England striker, who told Gareth Southgate in the summer that he feels the time is right to step back from international duty, is being lined up by the Toffees as a potential recruit in January after opting not to sign a proven goal scorer in the last transfer window.
At present, Vardy remains a part of Claude Puel’s Leicester squad and was called on as a second half substitute in his side’s one-all draw at home to a 10-man West Ham, who lost Mark Noble after 38 minutes to a straight red card.
Despite featuring for most of the second half in the Saturday evening fixture and starting against Arsenal on Monday night, Vardy’s relationship with his manager has become the focus in recent weeks.
Everton’s quest for a new hitman at Goodison Park may become the exit route Vardy needs should Puel remain in charge at the King Power Stadium.
Worth the punt?
If Everton have any hopes of signing the striker who netted 20 times in 37 starts last season, the Merseyside club would need to shell out an expected £25million, according to The Mirror.
At present, Transfermarkt only value the centre forward at £18million but either that or The Mirror’s figure would still seem like value for money on Everton’s side.
Vardy’s pace would work perfectly alongside the style of play Silva is attempting to develop at Goodison Park with the likes of Andre Gomes, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Richarlison.
Adding the pace of the striker from Sheffield, who represented his country on 26 occasions, would give the side a developed product up top that ensures goals rather than risk the inconsistency of Cenk Tosun and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson was clearly not a fan of Everton splashing the cash in the summer to bring Brazilian forward Richarlison to Merseyside.
The Toffees spent a reported £40million for the former Watford winger, which did not impress the Arsenal legend who dubbed the transfer as spoiling the entire transfer window.
Speaking on the deal, per reports by the Liverpool Echo, the former attacking midfielder said: “I think that’s what’s spoiled the window if I’m being perfectly honest.
“I think that happened so early, and at £40m that set the benchmark. Teams then have gone, ‘Well if you’re getting £40m for him I want £60m, £70m, £80m, £90m and £100m.”
When Richarlison twice found the back of the net at the weekend against Brighton to bring his tally for the season up to six goals in nine Premier League games, the club’s Twitter account took the moment to remind Merson of his comments.
These Everton fans certainly took note of the tweet and chimed in with their support.
Loads of Celtic fans have been giving their verdict on the upcoming January transfer window, and a whopping 81 per cent of fans want to sign Liverpool’s Divock Origi.
Odsonne Edouard has been in truly sensational form for Celtic in recent weeks, but the Bhoys’ record signing is bound to go through some goal droughts given his age.
The failure to sign a direct replacement for Moussa Dembele will come back to bite Brendan Rodgers and chief executive Peter Lawwell if the youngster does lose his form, which is why a January move for Origi makes perfect sense.
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Liverpool are almost certain to cash in on the Belgian international, as he has fallen way down the pecking order after his loan spell with Wolfsburg.
Still, when the 23 year-old is fit and confident he is a force to be reckoned with, using his pace and strength to bully defenders.
He was Jurgen Klopp’s first choice up front until Roberto Firmino developed into the main man, and Lawwell can atone for his Dembele mistake by bringing the Belgian to Celtic Park.
You can view the full poll results down below, where 81 per cent of fans are backing the move…
Bournemouth slipped to two consecutive defeats in the Premier League thanks to a Salomon Rondon brace away to Newcastle.
The Cherries fell behind after just seven minutes with Rondon beating Asmir Begovic after being picked out expertly by DeAndre Yedlin. The Venezuela international grabbed his second of the game not long after, heading home Kenedy’s cross to double the Magpies’ lead. Jefferson Lerma gave Bournemouth some hope on the stroke of half-time, but Eddie Howe’s men were unable to find an equaliser.
The result leaves Bournemouth in a respectable six-place in the Premier League despite losing their last two games. A potentially serious injury to Adam Smith in the first half will be a massive blow to Howe who also could be set to lose Nathan Ake in the January window. The Englishman is reportedly fearful of losing his star defender with clubs like Manchester United monitoring his situation at the Vitality Stadium.
To replace him, Howe should look to Espanyol star – Mario Hermoso. Valued at £18m by Transfermarkt, the 23-year-old graduated Real Madrid’s youth academy and was a regular in the B team before joining Espanyol on a free transfer last summer. Hermoso instantly became a crucial first-team player and ended the season with 22 La Liga appearances.
In the new campaign, Hermoso has taken his game to the next level and should be attracting plenty of interest as a result of his impressive performances. The Spaniard excels with the ball at his feet, making him ideal for Howe’s passing system and the perfect replacement for Ake. Hermoso is also a huge threat in the air and has two goals to his name already this season.
The youngster is growing in confidence with every game, and his form will undoubtedly give Spain manager Luis Enrique food for thought for his upcoming squad selections. If Real Madrid decide against resigning their former star, Bournemouth must bring him to England.
Liverpool have been heavily linked with a move for Barcelona attacker Ousmane Dembele in recent weeks, but they should forget about the Frenchman and sign Belgian winger Thorgan Hazard following his latest display for his country on Sunday.
What’s the word, then?
Well, The Mirror reported last month that the Reds were on high alert following a story that the La Liga giants were ready to sell the 21-year-old, who would likely cost the Merseyside outfit a club-record fee if he was to be prised away from the Camp Nou.
It would certainly be no surprise if Jurgen Klopp did want to provide some more competition for the likes of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mo Salah in attack with the front three struggling to make the same impact that they did last season, and the link to Dembele suggests that is the case.
Meanwhile, Hazard was given the nod as part of an attacking trio alongside Romelu Lukaku and his brother Eden for Belgium’s UEFA Nations League clash against Switzerland on Sunday – a match they knew they had to avoid losing by two clear goals to qualify for next summer’s finals.
Why should Liverpool sign the 25-year-old?
The Borussia Monchengladbach ace completely outshone his world-class sibling against Switzerland and gave the visitors an early two-goal lead, before Roberto Martinez’s men collapsed to eventually lose 5-2 and miss out on a place in the last-four.
Watch Playmaker FC’s Thogden react to England’s dramatic second-half comeback against Croatia in the video below…
According to WhoScored, the winger had a passing accuracy of just under 97% and produced two key passes – two more than his brother’s zero – while he found the net twice with his four efforts on goal whereas Eden failed to from the same number.
The brace continued a fine start to the 2018/19 campaign for Hazard, who has scored 10 goals and provided a further five assists in 13 appearances in all competitions for the Bundesliga outfit so far this term.
It is the sort of form that proves that the wide man is ready to take the next step and he would certainly be a more affordable signing for the Reds than Dembele, although they could face competition from Chelsea who are surely following the progress of a player they sold in 2015.
In the first gameweek since the events at the King Power Stadium the previous Saturday, the Premier League paid it’s respects to Leicester City chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and the four other passengers who lost their lives in a horrific helicopter crash.
We take you through all the talking points from around the grounds in another action packed Premier League gameweek.
150 Goals For Aguero
Soccer Football – Premier League – Manchester City v Southampton – Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain – November 4, 2018 Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero scores their second goal Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff 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 accoun
Man City once again proved that it is going to take a very good team to better them this season, with a 6-1 victory over Southampton on Sunday.
Sergio Aguero’s first half goal was his 150th Premier League goal, his next target will be Thierry Henry’s 175, which is the record for PL goals scored by a foreign player.
Aubameyang Unhappy
With Arsenal trailing to Liverpool at home, you would expect Unai Emery would want his two star strikers on the pitch but in a surprise move, Emery subbed off Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the 73rd minute.
The Gabonese striker shook his head as he walked off. But the Spaniard was justified in his decision, as just nine minutes later Alexandre Lacazette equalised for the Gunners.
Richarlison’s Record
Richarlison arrived at Goodison with a lot of expectation on his shoulders, largely thanks to his hefty price tag.
But his two goals against Brighton not only confirmed his place as the Toffees’ number one striker, but were his 5th and 6th of the season after just 11 games.
For context, he only managed five for Watford in the whole of last season.
Raheem Sterling’s FPL Points Tally
Soccer Football – Premier League – Manchester City v Southampton – Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain – November 4, 2018 Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling celebrates scoring their fourth goal with team mates REUTERS/Andrew Yates 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 yo
It was another dominant display from Man City as they beat Southampton 6-1 on Sunday and another brilliant performance from Raheem Sterling.
The England forward scored twice and assisted twice to score 21 points in Gameweek 11, the highest score this season by any player.
Callum Wilson For England
There is no doubt about it, Callum Wilson is the best English striker in the Premier League right now.
The Bournemouth man once again impressed with the opener against Man United, taking his tally to six goals and four assists already this season.
Surely he can be expecting a call from Mr. Southgate next week?
Southampton will be hoping for a massive upturn in form and fortunes in the coming weeks, with a 3-2 loss this weekend doing nothing to boost the points total and confidence at the club.
The Saints are struggling for any sort of form under manager Mark Hughes, who will once again be fearing for his job with his team firmly embroiled in a relegation battle as it stands.
However, the January window gives clubs a chance to address certain needs in their squad and bring in new players, and we think Hughes, if in charge, should take a look into the Championship to find some talent to pull his side away from the dropzone.
Indeed, one player we think would do a superb job is Brentford attacker Ollie Watkins, who has been in superb form for the Bees this season.
Watkins has always had talent, but he is now starting to showcase that talent more and more, and the Bees will be keen to keep hold of the 22-year-old.
However, a move to the Premier League is always something which appeals to Championship players, and Watkins himself would surely relish a move to any team in the top flight.
Southampton would be a good fit, with the Saints needing goals and new ideas up top.
Saints fans, would you take Watkins? Let us know in the comments!
Arsenal head to Old Trafford on Wednesday for a clash with their old rivals, Manchester United. Currently on a 19-game unbeaten run, and having emphatically overcome Tottenham Hotspur last time out, the Gunners will arrive full of confidence and determined to compound their struggling opponents’ misery.
Despite recent form being on the side of the north London club though, Unai Emery will be expecting a tough game and is likely agonising over the absence of Granit Xhaka, who has been lost to suspension.
On the chalkboard
Xhaka has been a much-maligned figure for a lot of his time at the Emirates Stadium. However, the summer arrivals of Emery and new midfield partner Lucas Torreira have inspired the 70-cap Switzerland international to new heights.
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The 26-year-old performs a vital function in the heart of the Gunners’ midfield, and is usually by far his team’s most active presence on the ball. This season, Xhaka has completed 79.1 passes per game on average – Rob Holding comes closest to that figure with 64.8.
Xhaka’s metronomic presence will be hard to replace and his suspension is certainly a setback, but Emery can in fact work the midfielder’s absence to his side’s advantage.
Embracing unpredictability
Spurs targeted Xhaka on Sunday. Whilst the Swiss No. 34 played well, he was pressed relentlessly, meaning he could only complete 54 passes. Mauricio Pochettino’s side sought to congest Xhaka’s central midfield domain as the deep-lying playmaker is the Gunners’ preferred creative starting point for launching attacking moves.
However, Spurs’ concentration on Xhaka allowed Hector Bellerin and Sead Kolasinac to exploit space on the flanks. Between them, the wing-backs completed 98 passes and were a constant menace going forward.
In removing Xhaka from the equation, Spurs forced Arsenal into becoming a far more unpredictable attacking force. With Xhaka ineligible from the off against Manchester United, Jose Mourinho may find his own team facing an Arsenal side who are extremely versatile going forward.
In becoming less reliant upon Xhaka, and spreading the attacking and creative burden across a range of Arsenal’s talented stars, Emery can make his side all the more difficult to second guess and defend against.
Since signing for Norwich on a free transfer back in the summer after leaving Danish side Brondby, Teemu Pukki has simply been a revelation in Norfolk to the surprise of almost everyone.
The Finnish international, who has 15 goals in 70 games for his country, has been on fire for the Canaries in his debut season at Carrow Road, scoring 13 goals in 18 games across all competitions for Daniel Farke’s side.
Most of the 28-year-old’s key traits involve his movement and predatory finishing, and he rarely relies on his pace and athleticism which means that he should still have many good seasons in him.
In that respect, Farke’s side may just have made one of the best signings in Europe in terms of efficiency and potential sell-on value.
With that in mind, we’re keen to know how much you think the former Schalke and Celtic striker is worth in the modern transfer market. Have your say down below, and keep an eye out for the published results…