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Liverpool are interested in a number of midfielders after a stark decline in form and fluidity under Jurgen Klopp, and could now move for Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Matheus Nunes.

What’s the latest?

According to Sky Sports, Liverpool are indeed looking to return for Nunes after agreeing a £44m fee in the summer, but the expectation is a deal will be revised in the summer, when the Old Gold would be willing to grant a departure, having signed the player in a record £42.2m deal mere months ago.

The indication is that Klopp and co are set on striking a deal for the right player, despite the glaring dents in the club’s weathered armour, and will bide their time if it means acquiring the signature of their most desired target.

Forget Musah

The Premier League giants are seeking clarity on the efficacy of their formerly imperious system, with the intrinsic tenacity and guile evaporating from Anfield like sodden clothes in the sun, and Nunes has been distinguished to become the new central focal point, re-establishing cohesion, with recent reports linking Liverpool with a move in 2023.

While Liverpool have held an interest in the 24-year-old Nunes for a considerable amount of time, the interest in a new addition to bolster the central ranks stretches across a multitude of avenues, with Valencia’s precocious engine Yunus Musah also attracting attention from Julian Ward and co.

The 20-year-old has made 86 appearances for his Spanish outfit since arriving from Arsenal’s youth academy in 2019, and while he is blossoming into a figure that could indeed earn a move to one of Europe’s most prominent outfits, Liverpool’s current woes might be better remedied with the signing of his Portuguese positional peer.

Nunes has not quite hit the ground running since his introduction to life in the English top-flight, only recording a Sofascore rating of 6.76 after making 17 Premier League appearances, although his 83% passing accuracy and 0.9 key passes per match indicate a creative prowess lying dormant, that Klopp could certainly unleash.

As per FBref, the 11-cap star ranks among the top 15% for touches in the attacking box and the top 5% for progressive passes received throughout Europe’s big five leagues, illustrating an offensive nature that will only enhance the Reds’ prospects of success.

And with the £88m-valued Musah considered a comparable player by the statistical site, it’s clear that Nunes’ more established skill set would be better suited to steer Liverpool away from the current obscurity – and commanding a relatively similar fee, the Anfield hierarchy would do well to target the Wolves midfielder.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola lauded Nunes as “one of the best midfielders in the world” once, a true testament to the recognition of his skill set that would only continue to blossom under Klopp’s sagacious tutelage.

With Klopp showing diligently in the past that he can identify premium talent from outfits a step behind the Merseyside outfit, such as the signings of Virgil van Dijk from Southampton and Gini Wijnaldum from Newcastle United – both integral components to the recent prosperous period – Nunes could be the perfect heir to the vacant throne in the centre of the Anfield park, with someone of his robust, progressive nature needed t0 ensure a blip does not worsen, sending the good work tumbling into the abyss.

Arsenal are reportedly set to hold talks over the potential signing of Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie, with his agents already in London.

The Lowdown: Arsenal interest

It was reported earlier this week that the Emirates Stadium outfit are on the ‘trail’ of McKennie, and Juventus are willing to sell him for between €20-25m (£17.5-22m) plus add-ons.

Mikel Arteta admitted in his pre-game press conference ahead of their FA Cup fourth round tie away at Manchester City that he would like ‘more cover’ in midfield, and so could explore a deal late on in the transfer window, with under a week until the deadline.

The Latest: McKennie talks

Taking to Twitter, journalist Nicola Balice, who contributes for Italian news outlets Calciomercato and Corriere dello Sport, says that McKennie’s agents are ‘in London’ already to talk to clubs about a potential deal for the USA international, with Arsenal named alongside fellow Premier League rivals Leeds United as a possible destination:

“#McKennie, agents in London for a few days already to evaluate and negotiate with various clubs (#Arsenal and #Leeds, not only). Ambitious player, we need a project that convinces him. #Juve pending, clear requests and absolutely within the reach of every club in the Premier League.”

The Verdict: Get it done

With both Granit Xhaka and Mohamed Elneny now 30 years of age, and Thomas Partey set to join them in the summer, Arteta will feel like he needs to build a midfield for the future, and add some more youth into this area of the pitch.

Hailed as a ‘monster‘ in the air by football writer Wes Tucker and a ‘pressing machine‘ by USMNT journalist Chris Smith, McKennie is already rated very highly, and is crucially a lot younger than the Gunners trio at just 24.

He ranks in the 86th percentile for non-penalty goals, 84th for touches and 90th for progressive passes received per game for all midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues over the past year (FBRef), showing that he is already among the best for key midfield metrics.

Nonetheless, there will be added worries over Partey’s injury record, while Arteta has expressed his concern over Elneny’s recent injury, so it is vital that the Gunners get some cover in before the deadline, and McKennie would provide just that.

Manchester United are still interested in signing Borussia Dortmund superstar Jude Bellingham, according to reliable journalist Samuel Luckhurst.

The Lowdown: Bellingham a special talent

The 19-year-old is one of the most highly-rated young players in world football at the moment, catching the eye for both Dortmund and England and coming second in the Kopa Trophy in 2021. He is also the fourth-highest valued player in the world by Transfermarkt, a sure sign of his exceptional standing.

Bellingham has scored four goals in five Champions League appearances for the Bundesliga giants this season, also netting once for England at the 2022 World Cup.

United have been linked with an audacious move for the midfielder this month, along with the likes of Manchester City, Real Madrid and Liverpool, and it is a rumour which is refusing to go away.

The Latest: Man United retain Bellingham interest

According to Luckhurst for Manchester Evening News, the Red Devils have not yet given up on the idea of bringing Bellingham to the club, having also tried for him in 2020.

The journalist reported:

‘The club have also not ruled out another attempt to sign Jude Bellingham three years after he opted to join Borussia Dortmund.’

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The Verdict: Would be a game-changing coup

Whoever gets Bellingham this summer will be signing a generational talent, with the teenager someone who can reach enormous heights in the coming years, judging by his aforementioned standing in the global game.

United left-back Luke Shaw has said that his England team-mate has ‘got everything’ as a footballer, and the Dortmund superstar could take Erik ten Hag’s side to the next level if he comes to Old Trafford, not only coming in as an immediate star man but likely to enjoy marquee status for many years.

Bellingham excels both in and out of possession, averaging 3.2 tackles per game at the World Cup and 2.1 dribbles per match in the Bundesliga this season,

Those returns would rank him second and first respectively in United’s current squad, and he would surely excel with Casemiro behind him and playing alongside the likes of Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes.

Injury expert Ben Dinnery has described ongoing issues for Leeds United midfielder Adam Forshaw as a ‘big red flag’, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Injury history

Forshaw has been out for large parts of the last four seasons, with his most notable absence coming back in 2019 with a hip problem. The Leeds man was sidelined for 560 days and has since had knee issues.

He has played just 237 minutes of senior action this season, with Jesse Marsch admitting last month that a ‘step back’ is needed to give Forshaw time to return to full fitness after a hernia problem.

The Latest: Dinnery’s comments

Talking to FI, injury expert Dinnery, who contributes for Sky Sports, labelled it as ‘a very difficult situation’ for club and player and said the ongoing problems for Forshaw should come as ‘a big red flag for Leeds’.

“It’s a very difficult situation for Leeds and Forshaw.

“The surgery that he had back in 2019 kept him on the sidelines for the best part of 18 months and it was highly disappointing.

“He’s had his fair share of injuries since that problem too and whenever he seems to be able to establish himself in that starting lineup he picks up an injury.

“His latest issue was described as a minor surgical procedure, a bit of a tidy-up to help manage the pain.

“But he hasn’t responded well to that at all which is a big red flag for Leeds.

“The concern comes from not being able to identify the underlying cause – Leeds can’t address the issue if medical staff are confused about what is causing it.”

The Verdict: Time up?

Football never stands still and Leeds have added to their midfield ranks significantly over the last six months with moves for Marc Roca, Tyler Adams and most recently Weston McKennie.

Forshaw, now 31, just can’t seem to remain fully fit, and with his contract up at the end of the season, his time at Elland Road could be coming to an end.

We saw that with Mateusz Klich last month after he failed to get the minutes he wanted, so Forshaw could be the next to leave over the coming months, but before then, hopefully he’ll be able to return to fitness and build up some much-needed minutes for the U21s.

Tottenham Hotspur were active on deadline day earlier this week as Fabio Paratici and Antonio Conte worked to get a deal for Pedro Porro over the line.

The January transfer window slammed shut on Tuesday night and Spurs were able to secure the Spaniard’s services with minutes to spare as they agreed an initial loan move with Sporting Lisbon, with an obligation to make it permanent in the summer.

Tottenham also signed Arnaut Danjuma on loan from Villarreal earlier in the month, and those were the only two arrivals to bolster Conte’s squad during the January window.

However, the club were also eyeing up potential improvements at the heart of the defence, and football.london recently claimed that Spurs ‘extensively’ scouted Ukraine international Ilya Zabarnyi and appreciated the young talent.

Despite their interest in the 20-year-old, Paratici watched on from afar as fellow Premier League club Bournemouth splashed out £24m to sign the defender on a permanent deal on deadline day. 

The football.london article posts that Spurs may think that he would not have made an immediate impact at the club or that they could sign him in the summer, but also adds that ‘many’ people expect him to become a star.

Cherries chief Neill Blake hailed Zabarnyi  upon signing him as he said: “Despite only being 20, he has played at the highest level for club and country and has established himself as one of the most sought-after young defenders in the world.”

Talent scout Jacek Kulig named the Ukrainian as one of two “possible jackpot” centre-back signings for clubs to make outside of the major leagues, and Paratici is culpable of a deadline day howler by missing out on this jackpot by allowing Bournemouth to snap him up ahead of them. 

By the age of 20, Zabarnyi has already been capped 24 times by Ukraine at senior level and has a wealth of experience of playing in European competitions.

In the Champions League last season, the young defender averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.87 across six appearances – making 3.9 tackles and interceptions per match and winning 64% of his duels – after playing six times in the competition in the 2020/21 campaign.

Meanwhile, Davinson Sanchez, Japhet Tanganga, Eric Dier and Ben Davies have all averaged Sofascore ratings of 6.80 or lower in the Champions League for Tottenham this season.

This suggests that the 20-year-old Ukrainian could have been an immediate improvement on a number of the club’s current centre-back options if he could have translated his form in Europe over to Conte’s side.

Imagine how much the defensive machine will cost if he now enjoys a terrific second half of the season with Bournemouth to keep them afloat in the Premier League. It could be far more than £24m, given that it would not make any sense for the Cherries not to sell him for a profit, and the south coast club could end up hitting the jackpot with him… whilst Spurs watch on from afar with regret.

Chelsea became a powerhouse over the years following Roman Abramovich’s purchase of the club in 2003 and have been one of the most successful English clubs in recent years.

Between 2011 and 2021, the West Londoners were named the joint highest-ranking club in the last decade alongside Manchester City collecting a number of trophies including two Champions Leagues, two Europa Leagues and two Premier League titles – amassing a whopping 2113 league points during this period.

The Russian owner’s ambitious nature when it came to transfers was the linchpin in the success at Stamford Bridge with no player seen as unobtainable by the hierarchy over his reign – something that Todd Boehly is clearly trying to emulate with his £600m spending spree over the last two transfer windows.

Despite often getting his own way when it came to signing superstars, it didn’t always work out when Chelsea made an approach for a player with a number of huge talents slipping through the net over the years.

Could Chelsea sign Neymar Jr?

One player who has been recently linked with a move to the London club is Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar, but it is not the first time that Chelsea have been in pursuit of the player with Abramovich keen to secure the services of the Brazilian wonder back in 2010 ahead of his move to Barcelona.

The now 31-year-old ace – hailed “exceptional” by former Blues boss Thomas Tuchel – revealed in his autobiography that Chelsea had made a ‘huge transfer bid’ to secure his signature when he was still playing in Brazil for Santos – but was convinced by the late Brazilian legend Pele to stay where he was.

Although – at the time – Neymar decided to stay with Santos, just three years later he made his monumental £49m move to Barcelona which proves that Chelsea dropped the ball in continuing to pursue and convince the player with a move to the Premier League giants following the initial rejection.

Where is Neymar now?

The wide-forward went onto become one of the biggest stars in world football, forming one of the most famous front-line’s in modern football alongside Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi at the Nou Camp – winning two La Liga titles and a Champions League before completing a £200m world-record transfer to PSG in 2017.

Neymar – who has a reported price tag of €90m (£80m) – is renowned as one of the best in the world and it comes as no surprise he is held in such high regard – often put into conversations with Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo – as he has scored a whopping 292 goals and registered 187 assists over 491 appearances so far.

There is no doubt that if the Brazil international had joined the Blues back in 2010 it could have been one of the greatest-ever signings in their history, providing even more trophies and success than the club has already seen and would’ve perhaps even still to this day been a source of immeasurable amounts of goal contributions as he continues to thrive in France now.

PSG manager Christophe Galtier has labelled his world-class winger an “artist” when reflecting on his return to form this season after an underwhelming campaign last year:

“He arrived back on time, in great shape, and had worked well beforehand. We wanted to put him in the best possible situation for him to be in the best possible position. He’s an artist, and when he’s on form, you can see that.”

Over the last 12 months, Neymar still ranks in the top 5% of his positional peers across the top five European leagues for non-penalty goals, assists, shot-creating actions, passes attempted and progressive passes received, proving he remains one of the most influential and talented players in Europe, showing no signs of slowing down.

With that being said, Abramovich rarely got it wrong at Chelsea but missing out on Neymar could be a decision that haunts the former owner when reflecting on his tenure at the club and it will be interesting to see if Boehly continues to pursue the player in the future.

Leeds United seemingly have Rayo Vallecano manager Andoni Iraola as their ‘favourite candidate’ to take over from Jesse Marsch, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Corberan signs new deal

The Whites appeared to have West Brom manager Carlos Corberan as one of their top targets to take over at Elland Road. However, the former Leeds assistant penned a new contract at The Hawthorns on Tuesday evening.

Phil Hay has stated that Iraola is a manager who those at Leeds admire, and it looks as if he could now be the club’s key target.

The Latest: Iraola update

Romano took to Twitter in the early hours of Wednesday morning to share what he knows about Leeds’ hunt for a new boss.

The reliable reporter stated that the club have a three-man shortlist, but the focus is now on Iraola as the ‘favourite candidate’ to replace Marsch, with talks ongoing.

The Verdict: Smart move?

Iraola, a former captain under Marcelo Bielsa at Athletic Bilbao, has impressed in Spain with Vallecano, who currently sit fifth in La Liga. He has masterminded a win over Real Madrid and a draw with table toppers Barcelona, averaging 1.53 points per game in his 118 games in charge.

All Leeds TV presenter Oscar Marrio believes that the Spaniard has a philosophy that is ‘high pressing, possession-based football with a heavy emphasis on maintaining width’, something that could please the masses at Elland Road following Bielsa’s time in Yorkshire.

The likes of Jack Harrison, Luis Sinisterra, Crysecio Summerville and Wilfried Gnonto could all benefit from Iraola’s tactics of maintaining width, and following Marsch’s style of focusing on a narrow style of play, it could be a welcome change for the players.

Newcastle United have been dealt an injury blow before they play Liverpool as Eddie Howe has confirmed that Joe Willock is ‘doubtful’ for the clash.

The Lowdown: Injury at Bournemouth

Willock was forced off through injury during the first half of Newcastle’s 1-1 draw away at AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League last weekend, with Howe admitting that he was concerned over the extent of the issue.

As well as their game against Liverpool at St. James’ Park, they also have the Carabao Cup final against Manchester United coming up in just over a week, and Howe has since given an update on Willock’s fitness ahead of the next set of fixtures.

The Latest: Willock ‘doubtful’

Speaking to the media in his pre-game press conference ahead of their match this evening, Howe has confirmed that Willock is ‘doubtful’, but hopes to get him back ‘very quickly’:

“We haven’t seen him yet and think he’ll be doubtful for tomorrow’s game. I don’t think it’s a big injury at all, a very minor complaint with his hamstring, so we hope to get him back very quickly.”

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The Verdict: Do not risk him…

With the Carabao Cup final next weekend, Howe should not risk Willock at all against Liverpool.

The £80,000-per-week central midfielder has been a standout player for the Magpies over the past year, ranking in the top 10% among his positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues for a number of key metrics.

He has not missed a single game under Howe so far this season, showing how key he is to the team, but given his importance, the manager should not be risking the Englishman this evening, and instead make sure that he is fully fit for when they play the Red Devils.

Manchester United bidders ‘are not going to pay crazy money for the club’, according to Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol.

The Lowdown: Bids in

The soft deadline has passed for interested parties to make their move to take control at Old Trafford, with two offers being made public. Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe have both submitted bids for the Red Devils.

It could well be a busy few months both on and off the pitch at Old Trafford, with Erik ten Hag’s side also still in four competitions.

The Latest: Sky Sports update

Sky Sports reporter Solhekol shared an update on Monday regarding a potential takeover at Old Trafford. Relayed by Football Daily, he stated that the ball is still firmly in the Glazers’ court when it comes to a potential sale and that the current bidders ‘are not going to pay crazy money for the club’.

“The really important thing here is, what do the Glazer family want to do?

“Do they actually want to sell Manchester United? Or do they just want to sell a minority stake in the club, and use that money to redevelop Old Trafford?

“Do they feel that now is not the right time to sell Manchester United? Ultimately, it’s up to them.

“What we’re being told is that the bidders for United are not going to pay crazy money for the club. They won’t dance to the Glazers’ tune. They have a valuation of what they believe Manchester United is worth, and they won’t pay more than that.”

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The Verdict: Concerning…

The Glazers reportedly value United at £6billion and won’t sell for less than their asking price. You could consider that sum a ‘crazy’ figure as it would make the club the most expensive sports sale of all time, surpassing a $4.65billion takeover of the Denver Broncos last year.

Therefore, you could argue that this update from Sky Sports is a concerning one and over the coming weeks and months, we could see interested parties and the Glazers refusing to budge from their respective stances.

Hopefully, that isn’t the case and a takeover can be completed ahead of the summer window, which could give Ten Hag the best chance to improve on his side in the transfer market.

Greg O’Keeffe believes Everton’s Idrissa Gueye is currently more trouble than it’s worth after giving away a penalty last weekend.

The Lowdown: Everton not out of trouble just yet

After two wins from his opening three games as Everton manager, Sean Dyche and the Evertonians will have been hoping for a strong second half to the season, but they were brought back down to earth after a home defeat at the hands of Aston Villa.

Everton did indeed have their chances at the weekend to punish Villa having seen one effort cleared off the line by Tyrone Mings and also managed to muster up an impressive XG of 1.6 (FBRef).

However, it was lapses of concentration at the other end of the pitch that cost them, especially from veteran midfielder Gueye who tried to win the ball inside his own penalty area despite it being at a very awkward angle and it saw Anthony Taylor awarded a spot kick.

The Latest: Gueye may now be passed it

Gueye was only signed in the summer but he is indeed 33 now so is in the twilight years of his career and O’Keeffe has admitted on the All Together Now podcast that the Senegalese midfielder may be causing more problems at Everton.

He said: (16:45) “I just think for someone we brought in to give us experience – yes he does that – but to give us fine margins with his Champions League experience, international experience I just think he’s often creating more problems than he solves.”

The Verdict: Dyche will need more from his experienced players

If Everton are to put up a good enough fight to maintain their Premier League status then Dyche will know that his more senior and experienced players will have to step up and provide leadership and quality in big moments, which is the opposite of what Gueye offered up on Saturday as his 5/10 display was labelled as ‘rash’ by Chris Beesley.

Much like when James Tarkowski and Seamus Coleman have popped up with two winning goals under Dyche, the former Burnley manager will be keen for his senior professionals to not make rash decisions as Gueye did on the weekend.

There was no need for Gueye to be sliding in as he did on Saturday as there were a number of Everton bodies in front of Emiliano Buendia before he could even think of getting a shot off at goal, so there was no need to make a last-ditch slide tackle and Dyche will be furious to see someone so experienced make such a costly error.