Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has perhaps hinted at a bigger role for Ethan Nwaneri going forward after an impressive display against Manchester United.
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Inter Miami have won seven of eight games since losing Lionel Messi to the Copa America, with Puebla seen off 2-0 in their 2024 Leagues Cup opener.
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Tata Martino's side in impressive formLooking to land more major silverwareSkipper watching on from the standsGettyWHAT HAPPENED?
The Herons claimed that trophy in spectacular style last season, with Messi making an immediate impact in Florida on the back of his stunning arrival as a free agent. He helped to secure the first piece of silverware in Inter Miami’s relatively short history.
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The Argentine superstar was restricted to a spectator role as the defence of that crown got underway. He took up a seat in the stands at Chase Stadium alongside his children and partner Antonela Roccuzzo. They were treated to quite the show from Tata Martino’s side.
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Fellow former Barcelona stars Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Luis Suarez were all in action, with the latter wrapping up a comfortable win after Matias Rojas had opened the scoring early on. There was plenty for the Messi clan to smile about as they saw an impressive run of form continue.
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Inter Miami have suffered just one defeat without Messi since the middle of June, against FC Cincinnati, and will need to maintain those standards as no date has been set for the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner to return to action after suffering an unfortunate ankle injury in the Copa America final.
Western Australia were three wickets down in their second innings and staring at a heavy defeat at the SCG
The Report by Andrew McGlashan at the SCG13-Nov-2019Pat Cummins produced a display that showed he was in prime shape for the Test season. in the process putting New South Wales on track to make it four Sheffield Shield wins in a row with Western Australia facing a final-day battle to save the game at the SCG with just seven wickets in hand.Cummins, in his first first-class outing since the Ashes, produced an eye-catching spell of reverse swing during the morning session to take out the WA middle order – which was followed by another super spell from Mitchell Starc before stumps – while Nathan Lyon and Steve O’Keefe combined for five wickets as New South Wales showed tremendous skill on a slow surface.”The wicket is just so dry and hard, super abrasive, after about 30 overs the ball looked like it was 100 overs old, so it’s reversing pretty early,” Cummins said. “It’s the first time I’ve bowled with a reversing ball for probably 12 months so was just trying to attack the pegs, get it swinging a bit each way, and fortunately today there were a few nicks and they carried which doesn’t always happen when the ball is reversing.”WA slumped from 1 for 116 to 191 all out in their first innings but Peter Nevill opted to extend the lead rather than bowl again. Moises Henriques was promoted to open and biffed an unbroken opening stand of 98 with Daniel Hughes, who helped himself to a half-century.Armed with the new ball, Cummins then struck early when Josh Philippe was bowled round his legs for the second time in the match – this time by the right-armer from over the wicket, compared to Starc in the first. With three overs left in the day, Starc then pinned Shaun Marsh lbw with a delivery that tailed back, meaning Marsh had been dismissed twice in the day, and then speared one through nightwatchman Matt Kelly as Western Australia stumbled to the close.After the dramatic collapse of Australia A the previous day in Perth, Marsh had the chance to make things more awkward for the selectors with a big score when play resumed against the possible Test attack, but he chipped limply to mid-on for 43. From there, the innings unraveled. D’Arcy Short had played against his natural instincts to register a 154-ball fifty before falling two overs after Marsh when he missed a very full delivery from O’Keefe.Cummins then set to work as he found just enough movement to challenge both edges of the bat. Ashton Turner nicked behind, Cameron Green shouldered arms to one which came back to take off stump, and Josh Inglis edged to slip in the final over before lunch.There was some resistance after the break as Marcus Stoinis and Ashton Agar stayed together for 20 overs, but scoring was mighty difficult. Stoinis appeared to get a rough decision when he was given caught at slip when replays suggested he played over the top of the delivery from Lyon, the offspinner then bowling Kelly for a duck three balls later.
Nottingham Forest's 2021/22 campaign will be one every Reds fan remembers, as the club ended their 23-year exile from the Premier League after beating Huddersfield Town 1-0 in the play-off final at Wembley.
Steve Cooper led the club back to the top flight after taking over from Chris Hughton after the club were bottom of the Championship after six defeats and one draw in the opening seven league outings.
The former Swansea City boss transformed the club on and off the pitch, with the fans connecting with the players under his leadership, with the playing squad giving the fanbase something to cheer about after multiple years of disarray.
The promotion campaign saw the emergence of multiple fan favourites among the Forest faithful, including the likes of Djed Spence, and James Garner. However, the duo were only on loan at the City Ground and departed after the play-off final.
Nottingham Forest's starting XI if they never achieved promotion in 2022
The club gained promotion to the Premier League in the 2021/22 season.
ByEthan Lamb Feb 16, 2024
Cooper's side also had several other loanees within the squad, with one player in particular going under the radar with his efforts at the City Ground.
Philip Zinckernagel's stats at Nottingham Forest
The Reds were lacking in attacking areas during the 2020/21 campaign, with the club heavily reliant on striker Lewis Grabban for large parts of the campaign.
In an effort to add more firepower in the final third, the club decided to move for Watford attacker Philip Zinckernagel, with the Danish playmaker joining the Reds on a season-long loan.
He'd previously won promotion with Watford the season prior, with Zinckernagel having the experience needed to help propel Forest into a promotion push with the club struggling in England's second tier over the previous couple of campaigns.
No one could've predicted the impact the attacking midfielder would have at the City Ground, but the attacker came in with a point to prove and excelled under Cooper's guidance.
The Dane managed to achieve 13 goal contributions in his 42 Championship outings for the club, a tally only bettered by Grabban and Academy graduate Brennan Johnson.
1. Brennan Johnson
26
2. Lewis Grabban
16
3. Philip Zinckernagel
13
4. James Garner
12
5. Sam Surridge
11
Zinckernagel played a pivotal role in the Reds' promotion season. However, it wasn't enough for the Dane to secure a permanent move to the City Ground.
Philip Zinckernagel's stats since leaving Nottingham Forest
After departing the Reds in June 2022, the attacker joined Greek side Olympiacos for £2m – a side also owned by Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis.
The move was unsuccessful, with the former Reds loan only featuring eight times, before moving to Standard Liege on loan in Belgium. He enjoyed a positive spell with Liege, before completing a permanent move to rivals Club Brugge during the summer of 2023 – with Zinckernagel receiving a lease of life.
In his 23 league games this season, the Dane has contributed with six goals and seven assists, with Brugge looking to win their first Pro League title since 2022.
After finding himself a new home in Brugge, Zinckernagel is tearing it up once again as he has done previously in his career – with Forest potentially missing a trick in not signing him permanently back in 2022.
Tottenham Hotspur's thrilling 3-2 victory over Brentford on Wednesday evening secured a return to the top four, but now Ange Postecoglou will know that winning against Everton tomorrow is imperative to cement their place in the Champions League berths.
Above fifth-placed Aston Villa only on goals scored (47 vs 44), Spurs will need to earn their first win in six years at Goodison Park to ensure that Unai Emery's outfit – away to Sheffield United on Sunday – remain behind in the Premier League table.
The London club have navigated multiple hurdles since Postecoglou's appointment last summer but there is now hope that a team bolstered by additions of Radu Dragusin and Timo Werner in January and the returns of several key players from injury will ensure that a purple patch is crafted across the remainder of the campaign.
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Ange Postecoglou is starting to build a team of real potential.
ByAngus Sinclair Feb 2, 2024
Everton currently languish below the dotted line but have been blighted by a ten-point deduction and will be confident that a return to winning ways can be found against the Lilywhites.
However, Spurs will play to win and Postecoglou could make three changes from the team that sank the Bees…
1 GK – Guglielmo Vicario
Signing from Italian club Empoli for an initial fee of £17m in the summer, Guglielmo Vicario stakes a good claim to the Premier League's best goalkeeper this season.
A commanding and athletic presence between the sticks, the 27-year-old has been a "revelation" – as per pundit Jamie Carragher – and will be vital once again tomorrow.
2 RB – Pedro Porro
Pedro Porro, of course, will start at right-back tomorrow, having posted eight assists from 21 top-flight fixtures this term and dazzled with his all-encompassing performances.
#
Player
Club
No. of Tackles
1.
Joao Palhinha
Fulham
93
2.
Vinicius Souza
Sheffield United
77
3.
Pedro Porro
Tottenham Hotspur
64
4.
Emerson
West Ham United
61
5.
Joao Gomes
Wolverhampton Wanderers
58
Source: Premier League
3 CB – Cristian Romero
Cristian Romero is undoubtedly one of the best centre-halves in the Premier League and will be crucial in beating the Everton attack into submission, with three goals from 17 Premier League appearances highlighting his effectiveness on the other side of the pitch too.
As per FBref, the 2022 World Cup winner ranks among the top 12% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 11% for shot-creating actions, the top 15% for pass completion and progressive passes, the top 4% for tackles and the top 14% for interceptions per 90.
4 CB – Radu Dragusin
Rogue shout? Perhaps. But then Spurs fought and fought hard to outscore Brentford mere days ago and now is as good a time as any to hand Dragusin – who signed from Genoa for £27m in January – his first starting berth.
Aggressive and imposing, the Romanian defender has been hailed for his "complete & dominant" defending in Italy by talent scout Jacek Kulig and will be key in nullifying the Toffees attack.
It's worth noting that Dragusin would replace Micky van de Ven, and not Romero, given that the latter dons the captain's armband in Heung-min Son's absence, so is sure to start.
5 LB – Destiny Udogie
Destiny Udogie has been so so good this season and has led the likes of journalist Hunter Godson to state that he "gets into nearly every team in the world already", such has been the brilliance of his performances.
Only 21 years old, Udogie thrives both offensively and in protecting Vicario's goal and his elite level of dynamism could be Everton's undoing on Merseyside.
6 CM – Rodrigo Bentancur
2023 was not a year of prosperity for Rodrigo Bentancur, not by half. But then the Uruguay international has rebounded from incessant injury issues with a bang over the past several matches and is starting to rekindle his best quality in the Spurs engine room.
With Yves Bissouma still competing at the African Cup of Nations, he will be expected to produce an energetic and controlled display – lightwork for such a technically immense machine.
7 CM – Pape Matar Sarr
Pape Matar Sarr will return to the starting line-up after Senegal's untimely exit from AFCON; Sarr played 120 minutes only a few days ago as the continental champions lost on penalties to hosts Ivory Coast, but will be raring to make a mark for Tottenham, and should start.
Heralded for his “ridiculous” innate ability by correspondent Alasdair Gold, Sarr makes a massive difference when in the mix and could be the difference-maker against Everton.
8 RW – Dejan Kulusevski
Possibly the most reliable and energetic member of Postecoglou's squad, Dejan Kulusevski's pace and persistence will be crucial against Sean Dyche's men.
If Tottenham produce a convincing performance, the Swede is sure to have played a central role, with Sky Sports reporter Jamie Weir remarking that he "covers every blade of grass" for his team.
9 AM – James Maddison
James Maddison returned to the starting line-up following a two-month injury layoff on Wednesday but there was scarcely a sign of rustiness, with the England international creating three key passes, winning nine of his 13 ground duels, making three tackles and taking 110 touches, as per Sofascore.
10 LW – Brennan Johnson
Werner impressed against Brentford and racked up his second assist from as many Premier League matches in Tottenham colours but will be rested for Brennan Johnson at Goodison Park.
The Wales international scored off the bench against Thomas Frank's side and will be bursting to make an impact and reclaim his starting spot.
West Indian fast bowler will play final three games of Division Two season, with Gloucestershire well-placed for promotion
ESPNcricinfo staff01-Aug-2019
Shannon Gabriel in his follow through at a training session•CWI Media Photo/Philip Spooner
Shannon Gabriel, the West Indian fast bowler, will join Gloucestershire for the final three Championship games of the season.Gloucestershire have confounded pre-season expectations by competing for promotion in Division Two, and sit third – level on points with second-placed Glamorgan – in the table with four games to play.Three teams will be promoted to Division One this season, and the club will hope Gabriel’s signing can bring about a late-season run of form to ensure they are one of them.Gloucestershire had hoped to have Daniel Worrall, the Australian seamer, available for the whole campaign, but his season was ended by a back injury in May.He was then replaced by Chadd Sayers, the South Australian swing bowler, for four Championship games, while Andrew Tye and Michael Klinger have joined for the Blast.Gabriel represents something of a controversial signing, after his four-match suspension following a sledge to Joe Root on England’s tour of the West Indies which drew the response: “Don’t use it as an insult. There’s nothing wrong with being gay.”But the fast bowler issued a statement including his account of the exchange, and extended an “unreserved apology” to Root, and he has since returned to the West Indies team with little fuss.Gabriel endured a difficult World Cup, with two wickets costing 86.50 apiece and an economy rate of 8.43, but he boasts much more experience with the red ball than with the white.”I’m really looking forward to joining up with Gloucestershire in September and I will be trying my best to help the team push for promotion to Division One,” said Gabriel. “Hopefully I’ll be carrying some good form off the back of the Test series against India.”Gloucestershire will become the second county Gabriel has represented, after a two-match stint for Worcestershire at the end of the 2015 season, in which he took nine wickets but could not save them from relegation.”Shannon gives us some genuine pace and international experience,” said head coach Richard Dawson. “He will bring that extra pick-me-up for the last three weeks of the season, which is a tough slog after playing T20 cricket along with four months of four-day cricket.”He gives us another string to our bow in our bowling attack and he will be playing Test cricket against India so he will be match fit, I’m really looking forward to getting him involved.”Obviously, we’ve played some very good cricket this season and we want to maintain that, and if we do, it will go a long way to dictating where we finish in the table.”
Leeds United appear to want to sign a new attacker this month and are seemingly eyeing up a loan move for an international forward.
Leeds transfer news
The 49ers Enterprises, Nick Hammond and Gretar Steinsson could be active in Yorkshire during the January transfer window, looking to bolster Daniel Farke’s squad for the second half of the Championship campaign. However, the manager has played down a frantic winter window, but said the club “won’t fall asleep” over possible moves.
“I expect a much more quiet and calm January to the last transfer period for example. We wish for a quiet January, but won’t fall asleep and when there are decisions to make, we will also make decisions and you never know what happens. I have been working too long in this business not to rule anything out.”
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A new left-back could be of interest to the Whites, and reports have claimed that Leeds have already held talks over a move to sign Hellas Verona full-back Josh Doig. Spezia goalkeeper Bartomej Dragowski is another rumoured target for the Whites, whereas those at Elland Road appear ready to make a move for Hammarby defender Nathaniel Adjei. However, additions in the final third could also be made to rival the likes of Joel Piroe, Georginio Rutter and Patrick Bamford, with an update emerging in the last 48 hours.
Leeds linked with Kieffer Moore
According to The Sun, Bournemouth are open to letting Kieffer Moore leave the club this month, with a number of Championship clubs linked, including Leeds. They say that the Wales international's £40,000-a-week wage could result in a loan exit, with the Whites, Birmingham City, Cardiff City, Ipswich Town, Middlesbrough, Sunderland and West Brom all named as possible destinations.
A new centre-forward arriving at Leeds could surprise some, especially with the likes of Piroe, Rutter, Bamford and Mateo Joseph all available to Farke.
However, Moore has plenty of Championship experience and helped the Cherries to promotion in 2021/22, so could be open to helping Leeds target an immediate Premier League return. The 31-year-old was previously praised by former Cherries boss Scott Parker, who called the 31-year-old a striker who is “horrible to play against”.
“I think Kieffer is probably a little bit of a throwback in that sense. He’s probably a modern day nine in his stature and his profile, he’s mobile, you can get things into him and he can bring players into play. But certainly, he is horrible to play against.”
Parker also added:
“He makes it uncomfortable for you. He can threaten you in behind, in terms of because of his mobileness and he can then come into feet and hold the ball up, make it stick and bring in other players into play as well. So he’s an all round nine.”
Moore is an out-and-out striker, so Leeds could be better off targeting a creative attacking midfielder to supply Piroe and Rutter, with the likes of Crysencio Summerville and Dan James continuing out wide.
With the January transfer window now open, Chelsea once again have the chance to splash the cash in another attempt to solve their problems. The Blues attempted to do exactly that in the summer, of course, but as the Premier League table shows, they failed to find the right reinforcements in the previous window, at least for the short term. At the halfway mark and with a season to turn around, Mauricio Pochettino and co must get things right this time around.
With that said, the London giants have reportedly put together a transfer plan to land a player that Todd Boehly dreams of signing this month and one who could really solve Chelsea's biggest problem.
Whilst Nicolas Jackson has hardly set the world alight at Stamford Bridge this season, his AFCON departure will still frustrate Pochettino, who could be forced to turn to the likes of Armando Broja as the fixtures continue to come thick and fast in England's top flight.
|
Chelsea rumoured striker targets for January |
Latest update |
|---|---|
|
Claudio Echeverri |
19th December |
|
Santiago Gimenez |
18th December |
|
Dusan Vlahovic |
15th December |
|
Lautaro Martinez |
1st January |
|
Artem Dovbyk |
31st December |
If not Broja, then the Blues could yet find a new option to lead the line in both Jackson's absence and the long-term to finally put an end to their striker woes. That new option is unlikely to be the striker Boehly dreams of signing though, as per reports.
Simon Phillips describes on his Substack that is is impossible for Chelsea to sign Napoli star Victor Osimhen this month to put an end to Boehly's dream.
The Blues were at least given hope, however, with the London club hatching a plan to go back in for the Nigerian during the summer window. Then, they could activate his hefty release clause of around £120m ahead of fellow admirers Real Madrid, having had time to manouvre around FFP with a few sales by that point.
Osimhen, who has just signed a new contract in Italy, could be set to make a Premier League switch and perhaps become Chelsea's ultimate solution under Pochettino, but not until the end of the campaign.
Chelsea fans are often left holding their breath when it comes to big-money signings these days, waiting to see whether they rise to stardom or join a growing list of transfer flops. And whilst they'd naturally have similar nerves over Osimhen due to his price tag, they needn't. The Napoli forward has such a price tag for a good reason and would be a major upgrade on Jackson, be it this month or during the summer. Osimhen's stats this season more than back up his more clinical nature too.
|
Player |
Starts |
Goals |
Expected Goals |
Shots on Target |
|
Victor Osimhen |
11 |
7 |
6.7 |
12 |
|
Nicolas Jackson |
16 |
7 |
10.6 |
17 |
Osimhen has already earned the approval of Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola too, who told Sky Sports when comparing the Nigerian to Didier Drogba: "But Didier didn’t dive. That’s because Didier was too strong to dive! I see a lot of similarities but it’s unfair to compare players from different eras. They both play with a lot of physicality and they are both very good with scoring, taking their opportunities. He’s a very complete player. He’s got a good reference going forward, he can link up play and he’s devastating in the air. He’s a pest to defenders."
Rajasthan Royals may wonder how they lost this one. Their No. 3 Sanju Samson struck a sublime 102 not out off 55 balls. During the course of that knock, he had also shared a 119-run partnership off 75 balls, with captain Ajinkya Rahane. With the ball, legspinner Shreyas Gopal even took 3 for 27 – by a distance the best figures of the match. And yet, despite having had the best innings of the game, the biggest partnership, and the best bowler, Royals lost by a distance – Sunrisers Hyderabad having an entire over and five wickets to spare when the winning runs were hit.Where Royals had star individual performances, Sunrisers made better use of their resources across the board. Royals only had four batsmen take strike, but Sunrisers were better able to use their depth, because their top order batsmen took more chances. David Warner, for instance, had bludgeoned 67 off 36 balls and had motored his team to a position where they were well ahead of the required rate, and yet, continued to take chances, perhaps knowing there was plenty of firepower to come. He caught on the fine leg boundary off the 37th ball he faced.Jonny Bairstow, who was involved in a 110-run opening stand off 58 deliveries with Warner, and Vijay Shankar – who made 35 off 15 – were similarly adventurous, despite having propelled their team to positions of strength. They trusted the batsmen below them.Royals, meanwhile, had slow-ish periods of their innings. The Powerplay brought them only 35 runs, perhaps a consequence of Jos Buttler having lost his wicket in that period. Even the next three overs yielded modest returns – Royals sitting at 62 for 1 after 9 overs.Sunrisers still had to orchestrate their highest successful chase ever, beating the 188 they had made against Delhi Daredevils last year, but had Royals taken more risks at the top of their innings, Sunrisers may have had to chase even more than 199.Key innings for SunrisersWarner set the tone for the chase, hitting the first ball of the innings for four past fine leg, and the fourth ball for six over midwicket. In fact, each of the first eight boundaries of the innings – seven fours and that six – came off Warner’s bat. Opening partner Bairstow did soon find his own rhythm as well, and even though the two were dismissed in successive overs – the 10th and 11th of the innings – they had put Sunrisers on track.Vijay Shankar, coming in at No. 4 ensured they stayed on that track, hitting three sixes and a four in his 15-ball stay, in which he made 35.Even a serious middle-overs stutter, during which three Sunrisers batsmen were out for three runs, could not derail the good work these batsmen had done.Rashid Khan watchArguably the best T20 cricketer on the planet made sure to impose himself on this game as well. First, he bowled the imperious Jos Buttler behind his legs in the fourth over. He then completed an outstanding spell, conceding only a run-a-ball.When Sunrisers had their middle-order batting stutter, Rashid showed he could hold his nerve with the bat as well. Coming in at No. 7, Rashid struck vital boundaries to kill the game. With eight runs needed off eight deliveries, Rashid drilled an attempted Jofra Archer yorker for four through cover, then struck him high into the stands beyond deep square leg to seal the match. Rashid made 15 off 8 balls with the bat.Sanju Samson pulls powerfully•BCCI
The batting highlightWrists. Every batsman has them. Almost no one weaponises them to the extent that Sanju Samson did in the most spectacular over of the match – the 18th of Royals’ innings, bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The serenely-struck six over long off first ball was glorious enough, but it was Samson’s four fours square on the offside that were the gems that studded his innings. Bhuvneshwar didn’t do a lot wrong, really. All four of those deliveries were very nearly yorker length, and they weren’t too far wide of off stump. Samson, though, kept getting low and carving them majestically, either side of point. So graceful was he, the shots brought to mind the artistry of a VVS Laxman or Mahela Jayawardene.The fours came two at a time during a stretch of five deliveries. With a legside two breaking up that sequence, Samson reaped 24 from the over, and although Royals seemed destined for a score of about 180 for the majority of their innings, that over put something closer to 200 in their sights.Samson was outstanding, striking at over 185. Perhaps it was Rahane, who made 70 off 49 (a strike rate of 143), who needed to take more risks earlier on.
For the most part, Liverpool supporters will be delighted with the progress made this season, with Jurgen Klopp's summer transfer work succeeding in restoring the capacity to fight for the Premier League title.
Last year, a sapped and ageing squad felt the force of a myopic attitude to bolstering in transfer windows, with the midfield in particular crumbling and requiring more than just a spruce-up.
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But this was achieved and while a fifth-placed finish was a bitter pill to swallow, Champions League qualification fading away, the current campaign has been far more fruitful and the second-placed Reds are fighting fiercely for the trophy.
But Klopp will understand the importance of maintaining the rebuild, and while the midfield still needs a holding midfielder and the backline requires attention, the Anfield side appear to have registered an interest in AC Milan winger Rafael Leao.
Liverpool transfer news – Rafael Leao
According to journalist Francois Plateau, Liverpool are interested in signing Leao and have touted him as the 'perfect' Sadio Mane heir, with the Senegal international joining Bayern Munich for £35m in 2022, now playing in Saudi Arabia.
Plateau believes that the Reds could offer cash plus winger Luis Diaz for the player, which could prove to be a good move from a monetary standpoint given that previous reports discussing Manchester United's interest have listed the Portugal international at €115m (£98m).
While Liverpool may feel that their primary transfer attention should centre on the backline and the defensive area of the midfield, should a deal for Leao become feasible then it would be wise to consider a swoop, at the very least.
Rafael Leao's style of play
Having signed for AC Milan from Lille in a €35m (£30m) deal back in 2019, Leao has amassed 182 displays, plundering 47 goals and 41 assists, and was instrumental in the gleaning of the 2021/22 Serie A title.
He has scored four goals and supplied five assists across all competitions this season, having truly showcased his elite pedigree last term after clinching 31 direct goal contributions from 48 outings.
As per FBref, Leao ranks among the top 16% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals scored, the top 14% for progressive carries, the top 9% for successful take-ons, and the top 16% for aerials won per 90.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Finishing
Ball retention
Dribbling
Distribution
Creativity
Defensive contribution
Long shots
Through balls
*Sourced via WhoScored
A frightening vessel on the pitch, Leao drives the ball forward with electric pace and wily weaving, proving to be a constant thorn for any opposition and such qualities would be perfect for Klopp's high-octane system.
But would signing the Serie A star be a good move for the Merseyside outfit, and would it be wise to effectively swap him with Diaz, who is currently out of form but still a brilliant player?
Luis Diaz's season in numbers
Liverpool signed Diaz for an initial £37m from Porto in January 2022, and the Colombian must be somewhat indignant given the incessancy of issues that have plagued him during his time at Anfield; the 2022/23 campaign was blighted by injury, while his efforts this term have been hindered by the high-profile family situation that caused such distress.
Of course, he was also the unfortunate scorer of that goal against Tottenham Hotspur in September, inexplicably chalked off after Mohamed Salah's deft through ball, expertly finished off by the surging Diaz, was adjudged, incorrectly, to be offside.
All that said, the 26-year-old will be among the first to acknowledge that his direct return has not been good enough, with two of his three Premier League goals this season coming in the opening two matches of the term; since, he boasts just one goal from 15 appearances, yet to assist a teammate.
Nonetheless, he has been described as a "game-changer" by reporter Charlotte Coates and offers a progressive and penetrative style that serves Liverpool very well.
The £55k-per-week ace also ranks among the top 7% of positional peers for pass completion, though this alone will not be enough to secure him a spot in the Anfield side's first-team for years to come.
While last season's metrics do not offer the best gauge for comparison, his initial burst onto the scene on English shores does showcase the ability within his grasp.
Having posted four goals and three assists from just 11 Premier League starts during the 2021/22 season, joining in January, Diaz completed 88% of his passes and averaged 1.5 key passes and 2.4 dribbles per game.
Collating these metrics with his present efforts, Diaz is completing just 81% of his passes in the league this year, averaging 1.1 key passes and 1.2 dribbles per outing.
His ball-carrying in particular has seen a staggering drop-off, and while his past knee injury has no doubt been the crux of this decline, Klopp will be itching to see improvements.
Leao, meanwhile, is flourishing with Milan and could prove to be the dream heir to Mane, with the former Liverpool phenomenon's incredible consistency not easily replicated.
Leao has been hailed as a “superstar” by writer Theo Mwangi and boasts a relatively pleasing injury record, though the issues he has picked up over the years often prove to be a recurrence of muscular blows to the hamstring.
But he is a dynamic threat and one who could be taken to new heights under Klopp's tutelage, and Liverpool's hierarchy must carefully consider the next move.
While Diaz is something of a fan favourite and is an excellent player, his output will need to improve if he is to continue to receive prominent bearing in the squad.
Should he leave, or indeed should his departure become necessary, the moves must be made to ensure that Leao, the perfect successor and heir to Mane, is signed.