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Loads of Liverpool fans have been left furious on Twitter as reports claim a number of Reds superstars could miss as many as eight games due to the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations.

Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane have been in simply blistering form so far this season, as the former became the first Reds player in history to score in nine consecutive matches thanks to his brace in Madrid on Tuesday.

The Egypt international has now bagged 12 times and added four assists in all competitions this term, while Mane has been no slouch either, chipping in with six goals.

Of course, fears have been prevalent amongst the Liverpool fan base about how many matches the pair could miss this winter, along with Naby Keita, and now The Athletic are reporting that number could be as many as eight.

According to the report from Adam Leventhal, AFCON participants will leave their Premier League clubs soon after the final whistle blows on the Boxing Day fixtures due to FIFA rules, and may not return until the second week of February.

With Harvey Elliott injured, this will leave Jurgen Klopp with few options in attack during the hectic winter fixture period, likely having to rely on the likes of Divock Origi and Takumi Minamino to deputise through January.

Reds fans erupt at AFCON update

Unsurprisingly, these Liverpool fans had plenty to say about the news as it was shared on Twitter by James Pearce, with one supporter calling it an ‘absolute joke’…

“2 games they said? Whats this 8 games rubbish, AFCON is a disgrace playing during normal leagues,every year”

Credit: @jaymgs12

“If it’s actually 8 games you might as well throw the season away”

Credit: @youraverag1

“So Salah and Mane likely to miss 6 PL games! Just concentrate on the Champions League then i guess. No way we’re coping without Salah especially for that long”

Credit: @AKayani07

“In a season where Mo is the best player in the planet and Mane isn’t far behind, them two leaving for the afcon will have the biggest negative impact on our title challenge, ever. We don’t have enough depth to lose both for over a month. But what alternative do we have ?”

Credit: @guycalledting

“What an absolute joke this is. Makes it even worse we didn’t bring in an attacker in the summer. Why on earth is this taking place in the middle of a league season”

Credit: @LFJFT96

“our season is finished we aren’t winning anything this season and will finish 4th”

Credit: @lfcd25

In other news, you won’t believe who the referee is for Liverpool vs Man United this weekend…

Many Sunderland fans have been left buzzing as the Wearside club shared some news regarding their U23 team.

As per the official website of the Stadium of Light faithful, the U23 side came back from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 away at Leeds United on Wednesday evening, claiming a point in the Premier League Cup group stage.

The Whites were 3-0 up thanks to a hat-trick from Crysencio Summerville, before Cieran Dunne, Caden Kelly and Ethan Kachosa brought things level, with the latter scoring in the 90th minute against his former club.

Nonetheless, it was a spirited fightback from the young Black Cats which left several supporters impressed, as they now look forward to their final group game to against Wigan Athletic on February 14th at Eppleton.

Sunderland fans on U23 comeback

These SAFC fans were left buzzing on Twitter as the equaliser went in from Kachosa, with one even going as far as to claim that it was ‘brilliant’:

“Yessss”

Credit: @safcleo_

“Oooooooh Ethan Kachoooooosa”

Credit: @Ridderz86

“Get in lads”

Credit: @Safcjonny

“Wow gerrin @ethankachosa lad”

Credit: @ColArmy86

“What a brilliant fight back from 3-0 down. Haway the lads.”

Credit: @AL_SNR58

“Absolutely class”

Credit: @lilybogan24

In other news, find out what transfer update has Black Cats buzzing here!

Celtic are in a good position to secure the Scottish Premiership title at the end of the season under the management of Ange Postecoglou.

With 33 games played, the Hoops have won 26, drawn four and lost three, putting them six points clear at the top of the league table.

The Bhoys also boast the best attacking and defensive records in the league, with more goals scored than any other side as well as the fewest conceded.

However, moving into the latter stages of the campaign, it seems as though Celtic may have to get through their next round of fixtures without one player who has contributed to both the Hoops’ impressive attacking and defensive output this season.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from Football Scotland, Josip Juranovic will struggle for fitness before mid-May as a result of a knock he picked up during Celtic’s recent Scottish Cup semi-final defeat against Rangers.

The report also claimed that the full-back is a “major doubt” for the Old Firm Derby between the two Glasgow clubs next month.

Terrible news for Postecoglou

Since arriving at the Parkhead club last summer, the right-back has gone on to make 35 appearances across all competitions for the Bhoys.

Over these outings, the defender has scored five goals and provided two assists, showing what a useful attacking presence he can be in the team.

To further highlight how impressive the Croatian has been for his new club, no other Celtic player has managed to win more tackles (28) in the league than Juranovic, who also has more shots at goal (36) than any other Hoops defender.

This shows just how effective the 26-year-old is up and down the pitch and why it will be a major blow for Postecoglou to potentially have him out of action for the next few weeks.

Moving forward, with the full extent of the defender’s injury is yet to be established, everyone at the Parkhead club will undoubtedly have their fingers crossed that it’s not an overly serious issue, and that he will be able to recover as soon as possible to help his side in their bid secure the league title.

AND in other news: £2.2m wasted: Celtic had a mare over 32 y/o once dubbed “the next Henrik Larsson”

Leeds United selling Helder Costa this summer would allow Jesse Marsch more funds to bring in new signings, according to transfer expert Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Costa out on loan

The Angola winger joined Valencia on loan last summer, with Marcelo Bielsa unable to afford him regular playing time at Elland Road in 2021/22. However, Costa has failed to set the world alight in La Liga, making 19 appearances in the division but failing to score and registering just one assist.

It could be that the 27-year-old is sold by Leeds at the end of the season, permanently bringing an end to his time at the club.

According to a report by El Desmarque (via Sport Witness), the deal which took Costa to Valencia included a €20m (£16.7m) purchase option, although that figure has now been described as ‘inaccessible’ for the La Liga outfit, so the Whites may need to re-negotiate the agreed fee if they are to offload the attacker permanently.

[freshpress-quiz id=“383507″]

The Latest: Jones talks up Costa exit

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones claimed that it would be the right decision to offload Costa for good as Marsch looks to bring in his own players to Leeds.

The transfer insider said: “It could be a good opportunity for Marsch to start making his mark on the team and bringing in players that he actually wants.”

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The Verdict: Time to get rid

It makes complete sense for Leeds to sell Costa for good in the summer transfer window considering that he seems to be surplus to requirements there, despite being hailed as ‘immense’ by his former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo.

His current Whites deal doesn’t expire until the summer of 2024, so they should still be able to receive a healthy fee for his services.

Costa is valued at £7.2m by Transfermarkt, and if Leeds could receive a similar bid for him despite the aforementioned purchase clause, they would likely consider it good business to be done with a fringe player who is out of form.

In other news, Fabrizio Romano has made a key Leeds transfer claim. Read more here.

Under the new ownership of Serbian media mogul Dragan Solak and his company Sport Republic, Southampton could see some new investments being made to their squad in the near future to improve Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.

However, it seems as though the south coast club could have a fight on their hands to keep hold of one of their star players.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from Spanish media outlet Fichajes, fellow Premier League clubs Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing James Ward-Prowse in the next summer transfer window.

As a product of Southampton’s youth system, Ward-Prowse has gone on to make a total of 344 senior appearances for the Saints across all competitions, scoring 39 goals and providing 45 assists along the way, easily cementing himself as a crucial figure for the club and prove that Hasenhuttl would not be pleased to potentially see him go to another club.

Saints calamity

His latest appearance for Hasenhuttl’s side saw the Englishman score a brilliant free-kick in their 3-1 defeat against Wolves at the weekend and although they lost, it defined the captain’s importance to the squad.

Having scored 12 Premier League free-kicks in his career, Ward-Prowse’s previous efforts have been labelled as “unbelievable” by Darren Ambrose and thus, seeing him leave would be quite the disaster.

Interest in the midfielder isn’t new either, with the Saints turning down a bid of £25m for the 27-year-old last summer from Aston Villa last summer showing just how reluctant they were to let him go even before he signed a new contract.

This suggests that it would take a massive amount of money for any club to sign Ward-Prowse, who is currently picking up a weekly wage of £100k-per-week according to Salary Sport, anytime soon but still be a worry for them if it were to happen.

With that in mind, this should ease any worries the Southampton supporters may have about the club captain’s future at St. Mary’s.

If Ward-Prowse did join another Premier League club in the future in the same way that the likes of Sadio Mane, Virgil van Dijk, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Jannik Vestergaard and Danny Ings have done in recent years, this would surely be something that would leave Hasenhuttl enraged.

It’s safe to say this would not be a good start to the Solak ownership on the south coast.

In other news: Solak could land the next Broja at Southampton with swoop for £3.6m-rated beast – opinion

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It would be fair to say that Dimitri Payet is still splitting the opinion of the West Ham United supporters, more than two years since he left the capital club.

The 38-time France international scored 15 times and registered 23 assists in 60 appearances for West Ham between 2015 and 2017.

It did not take long for Payet to become a firm favourite with the London club’s supporters and he scored 12 times during a very impressive first season in England.

Things ultimately turned sour, however, and the talented playmaker left West Ham in January 2017 to seal a return to Marseille.

The 31-year-old has been impressive since re-joining the French club and has contributed six goals and six assists during the 2018-19 campaign.

West Ham took a trip down memory lane on Thursday when they posted two spectacular goals from the Frenchman.

And the response from the club’s supporters was extremely mixed, as can be seen by the tweets below:

The agent of Lorenzo Insigne reportedly ‘continues to have contacts’ with Newcastle United over a potential transfer.

The Lowdown: Winger wanted?

Given that the St James’ Park club have been linked with the likes of Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele in recent days, it seems as if the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium are potentially targeting a new winger.

Eddie Howe needs all of the reinforcements he can get with his team currently lurking at the bottom end of the Premier League table, although it is unclear what kind of calibre of player that the Magpies would be able to attract in the January transfer window given that they are in a relegation battle.

The Latest: Insigne contact

As per Tuttosport (via Sport Witness), Insigne’s agent ‘continues to have contacts’ with Newcastle, as well as a number of other clubs.

The total cost to sign him, including the signing-on fee, yearly wages and image rights, is €13m (£11.1m), but his current deal at Napoli expires in the summer, so he could potentially leave the Serie A leaders on a free transfer.

The Verdict: Could be a bargain

Given that Insigne is currently valued at £43.2m by Transfermarkt, the new owners on Tyneside could find themselves a real bargain by signing him.

He is a player that Newcastle and England fans will know well as he was part of the Italy team which broke the Three Lions’ hearts in the Euro 2020 final, where he put in a tormenting performance, winning five of his duels and recording five shots on goal, three successful dribbles and one key pass (SofaScore).

A true legend at Napoli, Insigne has played more than 400 times for them in total, including 79 appearances under former Magpies manager Rafa Benitez, in which he scored 11 goals and supplied 17 assists (Transfermarkt).

The current Everton boss sang the praises of the Italy international back in 2015, and at 30 years of age, he has now been trusted with the captain’s armband.

It could be very difficult to persuade him to join a relegation battle, but he would be well worth the signature for Newcastle given his undoubted quality.

In other news, NUFC are ‘leading the chase’ to sign this Premier League midfielder

2021 has been a year filled with joy for Rangers fans as they ended a long wait for a top-flight title with their success last season.

Steven Gerrard guided the Gers to glory to end Celtic’s domination of Scottish football, before heading off to Aston Villa in November of this year.

He was then replaced by Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who has won seven of his eight matches in charge of the club in all competitions. This has left the Gers heading into Christmas top of the league table and eight points clear of the Hoops as it stands.

It remains to be seen whether or not the Dutchman will be able to carry on his fantastic start to life in Scotland by winning the Premiership and going far in Europe in 2022, but it is safe to say that 2021 has been a fine year for those assossiated with the club.

Take our big, bumper, Rangers quiz of 2021 and see if you can get 100% – only true die-hards will!

Tottenham Hotspur advanced into the fifth round of the FA Cup with a convincing win at home over Premier League rivals Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday evening.

Harry Kane scored twice – either side of a Solly March own goal – to see Spurs into the next round despite the Seagulls threatening a late comeback after Yves Bissouma bagged a consolation.

It was the England international’s night, that’s for sure. He curled in a beautiful goal for his opener whilst he completed his brace with an effort on the other end of the spectrum as he poked home a goalmouth scramble after a great solo run from Heung-min Son.

However, for all of the 28-year-old’s efforts, he wasn’t the only man to impress.

On his return from injury, Argentina centre-back Cristian Romero looked like an absolute Rolls-Royce of a defender in the 77 minutes he was on the pitch.

Antonio Conte was forced to withdraw early with cramp but the 23-year-old, who is on loan from Serie A side Atalanta, was playing his first game – and only third under the Italian – since November.

Not only did SofaScore rank him as the second-highest rated player for Spurs but the local press wrote glowingly of his display.

‘A dominant and eye-catching return to the side in the heart of the three. Composed on the ball, aggressive without it,’ said Dan Kilpatrick of the Evening Standard, whilst The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare dubbed his performance “very impressive” on social media.

Indeed, Romero was an absolute rock at the back, thwarting Graham Potter’s side every time they went forward, leaving Neal Maupay left frustrated in the attack.

As per FotMob, the Argentine led the match for tackles (four), recoveries (nine) and clearances (five). He also won 71% of his seven duels and was sublime on the ball, registering a pass success rate of 97% – which was even better than Conte’s engine room duo of Harry Winks (86%) and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (89%).

This suggests that he was a very hard man to get past and that he remained calm and composed throughout – as if he hadn’t just missed nearly three months of the season with a “serious” injury.

It’s also no wonder that his teammate at both I Nerazzurri and in north London, goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini, dubbed him an “animal” who is “perfect” for the English game.

The £31.5m-rated star was arguably the man who stole the show against Brighton this weekend. Kane will understandably take the headlines but the 23-year-old’s display cannot go unnoticed, especially considering the circumstances building up to this moment.

Spurs will be hoping that he can remain fit for the remainder of the season as glory in the FA Cup and a place in the top four still remain on offer.

AND in other news, Paratici can truly kickstart Conte’s revolution at Spurs with “special” £50m sensation…

Tottenham Hotspur have been tipped to make a move for Nicolo Zaniolo in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Virtus Entella sporting director Matteo Superbi, who claimed in a recent interview with Calciomercato (via Sport Witness) that the Serie A side could be tempted into selling the 22-year-old this summer.

Superbi went on to state that, despite the Italy international having suffered a number of injury setbacks in his career, the likes of Tottenham, Manchester United, Manchester City and Juventus would all be interested in a move for the versatile winger – for whom Roma could demand a figure of around €50m (£42.5m).

Speaking about Zaniolo’s future, the 53-year-old said: “I think a [player born in] ’99 of that level could be worth €50m; I don’t think I’m saying the wrong thing. It will be more a choice of Roma, who will decide what to do with Zaniolo – but that’s the value.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he was bought by a top English team; the real unknown is that despite being very young, he has already had two major operations. I wish him well and that he has given his all in terms of injuries.

“Nicolo has excellent technique but great physicality. The ball is in Mourinho’s court and Roma’s court. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were clubs like Juve, Tottenham or Manchester interested. It’s still an investment for big teams.”

Forget Dybala

While it is true that, despite clearly possessing an enormous amount of ability, Zaniolo’s career has started to stagnate at the Stadio Olimpico somewhat, should Antonio Conte believe he can be the manager to help the 22-year-old go on to fulfil his undoubted potential, the Italian would be a fantastic signing for Spurs.

Indeed, after making a €4.5m (£3.8m) move to Roma back in 2018, the £29.7m-rated forward went on to score four goals and provide three assists over his 27 Serie A appearances in 2018/19, before following this campaign up with returns of six goals and two assists over 26 league outings in 2019/20.

This level of performance led to the youngster being showered with considerable praise, none less so than from Giallorossi legend Francesco Totti, who said of the attacker back in 2018: “Zaniolo is explosive and he plays with an unusual ease. If he continues this way he could become a great player.”

However, a cruciate ligament rupture saw the £75k-per-week Italian miss the entirety of Roma’s 2020/21 campaign, with Zaniolo only returning to the pitch at the beginning of this season.

And, despite still struggling with the odd injury here and there, the player who Mourinho claimed “there are few out there with this amount of potential” has started to show glimpses of his talent over his 23 Serie A appearances in the current campaign, scoring two goals, providing two assists and creating three big chances for his teammates, as well as completing an average of two dribbles per game – the joint fifth-most of any player in the top flight of Italian football.

As such, while Spurs have been heavily linked with a move for another Serie A sensation in the form of Paulo Dybala in recent weeks, it would appear extremely advisable for Conte to first consider a move for the Roma starlet this summer.

Indeed, not only would Zaniolo’s impressive positional versatility make him a much better fit for the 52-year-old manager’s system at Spurs, but the fact the nine-time capped international is six years Dybala’s junior also means he is a player with a much higher ceiling, not to mention a much more sellable asset further down the line.

AND in other news: Conte could unearth a £100m-rated talent in THFC sensation who can “always turn it on”