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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…

Aston Villa must keep hold of Frederic Guilbert in this summer transfer window despite Gabby Agbonlahor’s recent claim.

What’s the story?

The 26-year-old spent last season on loan at Ligue 1 side Strasbourg and has since then reintegrated himself back into Dean Smith’s squad, even starting in the Carabao Cup second-round clash against Barrow on Tuesday night.

Despite that, former Villa man Agbonlahor has suggested that Guilbert could be one to depart in the final few days of the transfer window.

He said: “Dean Smith will want to keep a big squad of players. With Conor Hourihane, if you look at the midfield, there’s no reason why he cannot break into the team. He’s got the quality and done it in the Premier League before. Everyone knows how good Conor is.

“Maybe Guilbert might be one that goes out. You do have Tuanzebe as cover for Matty Cash and Ashley Young can play there. But apart from that, I don’t see any other players leaving.”

Would be a big mistake from Dean Smith

The £40k-a-week earning ace was a stand-out presence in Villa’s 6-0 thrashing of Barrow in mid-week, looking a constant threat down the right-hand side, and helping himself to a goal and an assist to boot too.

And, writing in his post-match player ratings for The Birmingham Mail, Ashley Preece gave him an eight, saying: “Always keen to provide an outlet down the right, Guilbert didn’t always get it right – but when he did, the goods followed. One low cross in the first half was too close to the keeper, but his stood up ball for El Ghazi’s second goal was on the money. Took his goal superbly.”

Guilbert showed the kind of attacking instincts and energy that you wouldn’t necessarily get from someone like Tuanzebe who’s a centre-back by trade, or even a Young who at 36, is hardly going to be bombing up and down the flank.

The Frenchman seems like the most natural cover to Cash now that Ahmed Elmohamady is left, and were he to leave even on a loan deal this summer, it would leave Villa very short of quality options at right-back.

It could prove to be a costly mistake.

Meanwhile, Villa could sign their new Benteke in this star…

With 21 Championship games played so far this season, West Brom have racked up a rather mixed bag of results with 10 wins, seven draws and four defeats under Valerien Ismael, who replaced Sam Allardyce in charge of the Baggies back in June.

During his time in charge of the Midlands club, one big positive from the manager that the fans can be proud of is giving Taylor Gardner-Hickman his chance to shine in the team, which he certainly has done.

Even though the 19-year-old has only played in three Championship games so far this season, his performances in those outings have earned him an overall season rating of 7.08/10 according to WhoScored, making him West Brom’s fifth-highest rated player in the league.

This shows just how well he has done when given the chance alongside the other senior players in Albion’s squad and why former Baggies star Carlton Palmer said it was a “magnificent” decision from Ismael to give Gardner-Hickman his chance to play.

His previous appearance for the Baggies in their 2-1 win over Coventry City saw him deployed in a central midfield position rather than the right wing-back role he had occupied previously.

Against the Sky Blues, Gardner-Hickman made three clearances, four interceptions and two tackles and blocked two shots, as well as winning seven ground duels, showing off his defensive capabilities and awareness in midfield.

This performance against Coventry earned the 19-year-old a solid overall match rating of 7.3/10 from SofaScore, as well as being called “impressive” by Baggies podcaster Chris Lepkowski.

After making a total of 64 appearances with West Brom’s under-18 and under-23 sides, scoring nine goals and providing eight assists along the way, it’s great to see Gardner-Hickman not only playing in the first team but thriving, a masterstroke for which Ismael should be given a lot of credit as well.

Moving forward, if the teenager keeps making the most out of every opportunity he gets for West Brom from now until the end of the season, he could definitely help them to secure promotion to the Premier League given his versatility and defensive talents, duly ending the campaign as one of the team’s shining lights.

In other news: “Wouldn’t entirely rule out:” Journalist drops WBA claim which will have fans buzzing

Tottenham Hotspur have been handed a fresh boost in their pursuit of Franck Kessie…

What’s the word?

According to Italian outlet Tuttomercatoweb, AC Milan face an uphill battle in their bid to keep their star midfielder at the San Siro as talks over a new contract extension are at a complete standstill.

Spurs boss Antonio Conte is a ‘long time admirer’ of the 24-year-old powerhouse, with journalist Rudy Galletti also reporting last month that the north Londoners had agreed on terms.

Kessie is out of contract in the summer, where he will be able to join any club for free, and teams like Spurs are able to open talks as early as January. However, as per the aforementioned report, they face fierce competition from financial heavyweights Paris Saint-Germain for the £25m-rated Ivorian.

Bye-bye Ndombele?

The Milan beast could be an ideal replacement for Tanguy Ndombele, who this week has been heavily mooted with a switch to Serie A giants Juventus ahead of the January transfer window.

Getting rid of his £200k-per-week wages would certainly help the Lilywhites in their attempts to steer Kessie out of the grasp of Mauricio Pochettino’s PSG.

Football Insider claim that Conte already has his mind set on offloading the club-record Frenchman and the player himself is attracted by the prospect of playing for a team like Juventus.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/tottenham-hotspur-latest-team-injury-team-news-updates-transfers-gossip-rumours-antonio-conte-thfc” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

Kessie, who has been dubbed an “extraordinary player” by his former manager Vincenzo Montella and “devastating” by ex-Milan striker Antonio Cassano, would be a perfect successor, fit for the Italian’s system in north London.

Due to him deploying a back-three with wing-backs on either flank, Spurs’ midfielders can often be isolated in the engine room, so they must be able to get up and down the pitch to deliver in both boxes.

Last season, he provided 13 goals – a feat only bettered by legendary striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic (15 goals) – whilst this season, as Stefano Pioli’s third-best performer, he has averaged 1.5 tackles, 1.2 key passes and 1.1 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

It’s this level of work rate that Conte is desperate to see from Ndombele on the training pitch and those reports claiming that he’s willing to sell him suggest that he’s yet to do that in the month since the Italian was hired by sporting director Fabio Paratici and chairman Daniel Levy.

Kessie would be a solid signing for Spurs and one that won’t cost the club a penny in terms of a transfer fee, so they must look to win the wage battle to secure his signature.

AND in other news, Journalist drops Spurs update amid mounting behind-scenes crisis…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Leeds United midfielder Carlton Palmer believes it was always going to be difficult for his old club to sign Chelsea youngster Conor Gallagher.

As per TEAMtalk, Marcelo Bielsa was keen on bringing Gallagher to Elland Road on loan but ended up missing out on him to Crystal Palace.

Leeds were able to acquire another midfielder with Chelsea connections in Lewis Bate, signing the 18-year-old on a three-year deal, but the Whites will still be disappointed that they lost the race for Gallagher’s signature.

From Palmer’s perspective, though, it was always going to be tough to lure the England U21 international to the Yorkshire club.

“It’s a difficult one, isn’t it?” the ex-Leeds player said. “You’ve got to remember, he’s a London boy. His parent club is Chelsea, so if a club comes in for him and he hasn’t got to leave, he can stay in London, then obviously that’s going to be his first choice.

“I think he’s likely to get more first-team football at Crystal Palace because Leeds have a very, very good side. And then obviously with the opportunity to work with Patrick Vieira, who’s a legend of the game, I think it was always going to be difficult for Leeds.”

Since officially joining Palace, Gallagher has spoken about Vieira being influential in his decision to spend the season at Selhurst Park.

As long as he gets game time, it should be a good move, though it would have been interesting to see how he would have developed under a brilliant coach in Bielsa.

Frank Lampard is back in the mix to take over at Crystal Palace, according to London News Online.

The former England midfielder has been out of work since January following his sacking at Chelsea. He was a leading contender to replace Roy Hodgson back in May and was reportedly open to a Selhurst Park switch.

As we know, Palace are still on the hunt for a new manager after talks with both Nuno Espirito Santo and Lucien Favre broke down in the final stages.

It now seems as if Lampard is back in contention for the vacancy, with the 2021/22 season less than seven weeks away.

Palace fans react

@cpfc_xtra shared London News Online’s report on Twitter on Saturday afternoon and these Palace supporters all appeared to be in favour of a move for the 43-year-old, with one fan describing him as ‘the right man all along’.

“Please, I’m on my knees”Credit: @palace__dylan”This is key. Have to do whatever it takes”Credit: @BRL__18″The right man all along….”Credit: @gidleymike”Get this done.”Credit: @RICHPM14″Yessss my manager”Credit: @PrideOfSouthLDN”Best choice in my opinion”Credit: @cjbearcpfc

In other news: Palace express tentative interest in ‘Drogba-esque’ striker on £82,000 per week despite no manager, find out more here. 

Despite Valerien Ismael’s West Bromwich Albion side still boasting an unbeaten record after seven Championship fixtures played this season, the Baggies’ last two results have highlighted a clear flaw in the Frenchman’s setup at The Hawthorns.

Indeed, despite dominating possession of the ball against both Millwall and Derby County, Albion picked up just two points from the two fixtures, labouring to 1-1 and 0-0 draws against the Lions and the Rams respectively.

This led to Express & Star journalist Joseph Masi stating his belief that Ismael’s side need to be able to adapt to in-game situations more efficiently, as well it being clear that teams have figured out West Brom’s initial setup and plan under the 45-year-old.

As such, heading into what is sure to be another challenging fixture against Preston North End this Saturday, with Frankie McAvoy’s side currently on a run of four games without defeat in the league, it would appear wise for Ismael to shake things up with his starting XI for the clash with the Lilywhites.

Hugill must start

Ismael himself stated upon Hugill’s signing that the centre-forward has the ability to make his side more adaptable, in addition to Adam Reach claiming that the 29-year-old gives Albion a “presence” in the opponent’s penalty area and dubbing the Norwich City loanee a “quality” player. Therefore, there already seems to be a view at The Hawthorns that Hugill is a player who has the talent to change up the Baggies’ style of play.

Indeed, the £1.8m-rated man has demonstrated previously that he has what it takes to find the back of the net on a consistent basis in the Championship, scoring 12 goals over 44 appearances for Preston in 2016/17 and 13 goals over 39 fixtures for Queens Park Rangers in 2019/20.

While he is yet to bag his first goal for West Brom, the £36k-per-week forward has nevertheless impressed over his three substitute appearances in the second tier, taking three shots and making 0.3 key passes per game, as well as winning an impressive 4.7 duels per fixture.

As such, it would certainly appear a wise move for Ismael to award the striker his first Championship start for the Baggies against Preston on Saturday. The 29-year-old’s physicality and eye for goal would likely terrify the Lilywhite’s centre-backs, as well as helping to make the Frenchman’s West Brom setup a little less one-dimensional.

In other news: Ismael drops fresh West Brom injury update which will have the Frenchman buzzing

Newcastle United could be without striker Callum Wilson for another month, according to The Athletic’s Chris Waugh. 

The lowdown

The 29-year-old injured his quad muscle in the 2-2 draw with Southampton prior to the international break and was missing for the 4-1 defeat at Manchester United on Saturday.

The striker has scored twice already this season, finding the net against the Saints and on the opening weekend against West Ham United.

In 2020/21, Wilson led the way for both goals (12) and assists (five) in the Newcastle squad. Last December, Steve Bruce said that the ‘wonderful’ striker had ‘made the difference since he walked through the door’ at St James’ Park, sentiments which are backed up by the player’s goal contribution figures.

The latest

Wilson’s ‘initial prognosis was believed to be’ a six-week lay-off, according to Waugh, and he is only two weeks into that. Therefore, ‘there’s a chance’ that he won’t be back in action until after the October international break.

Newcastle host Leeds United on Friday before trips to Watford and Wolverhampton Wanderers, with their next three opponents all 13th or lower as the Magpies seek their first league win of the campaign.

The verdict

It’s only three more games without Wilson, but it could mean more pain for Newcastle. Last season, when he suffered the first of two hamstring injuries, the Magpies found themselves on a seven-game winless run.

The nadir came away to Brighton and Hove Albion in March, where a 3-0 defeat left Bruce’s side just two points above the bottom three.

Newcastle are already in the relegation zone this time around and it’s hard to see them escaping it without their attacking talisman.

In other news, Waugh has revealed the in-house reaction to this Steve Bruce move.

Aston Villa manager Dean Smith could sign the club’s new Christian Benteke in Burnley striker Chris Wood.

What’s the story?

Football Insider recently claimed that the £7.2m-rated marksman is being lined up by Smith as someone to add more firepower to go along with Ollie Watkins, adding that Villa “are one of three top-12 Premier League clubs keeping close tabs on Wood.”

Given his style of play, he could well be the man to finally replace Benteke after the big Belgian’s departure from Villa Park a few years ago.

A new Benteke

Wood has been hailed as a “natural goalscorer” in the past by former Leeds manager Garry Monk, whilst former Millwall team-mate Scott Malone added to the rave reviews by claiming that “he’s frightening” to play against.

Since he made the step up to the Premier League, the striker has taken to the top flight like a duck to water, bagging 47 goals in 136 games at that level, leading to Newcastle icon Alan Shearer to hail the impact he has had for Burnley.

The former Magpies striker said: “I like him, I like what he does for the team and he is the focal point for them. He is very good at occupying two centre halves. He is a get out for Burnley if they want because they are not afraid to knock it long.

“He can keep hold of it and bring other players into the game. He is horrible to play against and he won’t give defenders a moment’s peace.”

Just like Benteke, Wood is an absolute handful for defenders to deal with, and he is a real threat in the air – last season in the Premier League saw him win a massive 4.7 aerial duels per game, which was the joint fourth-best in the entire division (Benteke was top with 6.8).

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/aston-villa-dean-smith-transfer-window-premier-league-villa-park-emi-buendia-gregg-evans-gossip-rumours-update-news” title=”Read the latest Aston Villa transfer rumours and news!”]

Wood’s potential arrival would give Villa a different dimension to their attack, something they haven’t really had since Benteke was in his absolute pomp in the Midlands.

Meanwhile, Villa could sign a new Paul Merson in this starlet…

Rangers find themselves with an excellent group of academy players coming through the ranks at Ibrox at the minute, with Alex Lowry and Charlie McCann really showing their promise.

One of the most talked-about youth prospects is centre-back Leon King, who at just 18 years old, has featured on the Premiership sides bench a few times already this season and could be ready for a step-up next season.

King signed a new long-term deal in January which will take him up to May 2024, with Ross Wilson explaining that he was “delighted” the young defender will continue his journey at Rangers.

The move to offer him a new deal was a smart one, as his performances in the B team haven’t gone unnoticed, he was linked with a move to both Manchester United and Newcastle United before pledging his future to the Gers.

Steven Gerrard was the first to offer hints that King could be a key part of the Ibrox side’s future when the then 16-year-old was included in the first-team squad for their trip to Belgium to face Standard Liege in the Europa League in October 2020.

Since then, he went on to make his official debut against Falkirk in a League Cup tie before featuring for the Gers in league duty against Livingston in May 2021, long after the side had won the Premiership title.

This led Giovanni van Bronckhorst to promote him to the first-team squad in January and this experience will surely stand him in good stead.

The player has all the attributes to become the side’s next Richard Gough, a stalwart at the heart of defence who eventually went on to make over 300 appearances in Rangers blue. With former coach Gerrard labelling him as “superb” then the sky really is the limit for the talented defender.

Van Bronckhorst could save millions by utilising him in the next few seasons in what is an exciting time for the youngster.

AND in other news, Body blow: Van Bronckhorst now set for huge Rangers disaster over £27k-p/w “rock”…