Liverpool are now reportedly racing to sign a £100m star who’s already been the subject of several enquiries in the January transfer window.

Slot admits Liverpool's attacking struggles "obvious"

After breaking their transfer record twice to welcome Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, Liverpool’s attacking problems are now “obvious” for all to see, according to Arne Slot.

The Reds have gone from free-flowing but extremely vulnerable to defensively compact, yet incredibly slow going the other way. They’re simply yet to find the perfect middle ground which saw them lift the Premier League title last season.

Having his say on his side’s current form, which has seen them go seven games unbeaten, Slot told reporters: “Yeah, although the margins are small so that could have influenced us having three, four, five, six more points maybe.

“But from open play, from where we are, when I look at Arsenal, I look at City and I look at us, it’s fair that we are not above them.

“That we are so many points behind them, there are reasons for that but it wouldn’t be fair if we were above them for the way we have played.

“I think it is clear and obvious that we hardly concede chances any more… but for me it is also clear and obvious that we find it quite hard to generate enough chances for all the ball possession we have and that is not new for us this season.”

The truth of Liverpool’s recent run was exposed against Leeds United last time out, when they struggled to create and settled for a 0-0 draw at Anfield. It was a contrast of the days of old in Merseyside and Slot must find a solution, be it internally or through the transfer market.

Liverpool racing to sign Baleba with Brighton response given

According to Caught Offside, Liverpool have now joined the race to sign Carlos Baleba from Brighton & Hove Albion this month.

The midfield star has already been the subject of several enquiries this month, but it seems as though the Seagulls are ready to turn down any potential approaches midway through the campaign.

Related Edwards sends Liverpool officials to join race for "fantastic" starlet this week

He’s a wanted man.

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Reportedly valued at around £100m by those in Sussex, Liverpool would have to splash out another hefty fee if they were to step up their chase to sign Baleba. The question, therefore, is whether the 21-year-old would be worth what could be a hectic chase.

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After Alan Shearer dubbed him “wonderful” last season, it would be easy to assume that Liverpool should go all out for Baleba. But his form has complicated things this season.

Baleba in the Premier League per 90

24/25

25/26

Minutes

2,661

896

Progressive Passes

3.99

2.4

Tackles Won

1.55

1

Ball Recoveries

6.66

5.10

Whilst there’s still a long season ahead, Baleba’s numbers have plummeted in every department in the current campaign and that’s something Liverpool should be wary of. The last thing they need is for another big-money signing to struggle.

Antonio Conte will be wanting to see his Tottenham Hotspur side build on their triumph at the weekend when they head north to face Middlesbrough in the FA Cup fifth round this evening.

It presents the final opportunity for the Italian stalwart to seal some instant silverware on his long-awaited return to England after he replaced Nuno Santo in the Spurs dugout back in November.

Indeed, the Lilywhites have suffered a trophy drought since 2008, whilst Conte picked up his last piece of glory only last season, where he led Inter Milan to their first Scudetto in over a decade.

Daniel Levy and co will be hoping he can make a similar sort of impact at Hotspur Way and a trip to the Riverside to face a Championship outfit presents the perfect opportunity to move one step closer with a place in the quarter-finals at stake.

As such, it will be interesting to see what sort of side Conte will name against Boro as several of Spurs’ key stars have been ever-presence since his arrival and some could ultimately do with a rest – a place in the top four is still a target and there are tricky games on the horizon, including one against a direct rival in Manchester United.

One player who has been handed a lifeline under the 52-year-old is Harry Winks, who was once one of Mauricio Pochettino’s most trusted lieutenants in the engine room.

Under former manager Jose Mourinho and then Nuno, the England international sunk down the pecking order and as such, his involvement with Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions also dwindled.

And whilst he has looked shades of his former self with Conte at the helm, the 26-year-old maestro isn’t the sort of player that will last long-term, so it could prove to be a pretty pointless experiment to continue to play him.

“Harry has the profile of the perfect midfield player,” once claimed Pochettino (via the Evening Standard). “His characteristics are perfect. When we talk about midfielders like Xavi and [Andres] Iniesta, he’s like this type of player.”

Well, since those comments in September 2018, that just hasn’t been the case. Take this season, for instance, only two players to have started eight or more league games have averaged a worse seasonal rating than him, as per WhoScored.

Evidently a good passer of the ball (89.7% career passing accuracy), the £15.3m-rated midfielder does little else in the engine room, averaging only 0.9 tackles and 0.8 key passes per game this term, so he’s rarely having an influence at either end of the pitch.

If Rodrigo Bentancur or Oliver Skipp are fit, then he’d have no place in the starting XI anyway.

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Meanwhile, this sort of encounter could be a good chance for Conte to take a look at alternatives and perhaps players who are likely to be here for the longer term, such as Alfie Devine or Harvey White, both of whom have impressed in the U23 ranks.

Therefore, the Spurs head coach must be ruthless and axe the £91k-per-week star, starting with tonight’s FA Cup clash against Boro.

AND in other news, Paratici can kickstart Spurs summer rebuild with £30m “machine”, Conte badly needs him…

Newcastle United are renewing their attempts to sign Napoli star Victor Osimhen, and would have to stump up a record-breaking fee to sign him…

What’s the story?

Reports back in the January transfer window from Calciomercato (via Sport Witness) initially claimed that Eddie Howe’s side have got “concrete” interest in signing the Nigeria international, and that if a sizeable offer does come in for him, then Napoli owner, Aurelio De Laurentiis, would be willing to come to the table.

Now, some further reports from Italy (via Sport Witness) have delivered an update on the situation.

They suggest that the Magpies are at the front of the queue to sign the star striker, and that they are ready to go crazy with their offer – it’s added that with Napoli having spent a mammoth €80m to get him in from Lille in the first place, they would want a significant return on that.

Fans would be excited

In the form of Osimhen, Howe would be getting an elite goal-scorer who has proven himself at the highest level with Napoli, both in the Serie A and in European competition too.

This campaign has seen him score 11 goals in just22 games for the Italian giants, including bagging four in just three Europa League group stage games – a couple of those coming away from home against Leicester to rescue a point for his team.

And, as per Whoscored, Osimhen also appears to be a far more complete striker than what Newcastle already have in Callum Wilson, averaging far more shots, key passes and dribbles per game this campaign, while his average match rating comfortably trumps that of the former Bournemouth star.

Even during his time with Bundesliga side Wolfsburg, the Nigerian made an immediate impression on his coaches, with then manager Andries Jonker saying: “He has great potential in him. He is ambitious, quick and highly unpredictable, he will be a star in the future if he maintains his focus.”

But perhaps the biggest indication of why Osimhen may be the perfect signing for Newcastle is the way his former Nigeria teammate Odion Ighalo has raved about his mentality.

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He said: “He’s the future, he’s going to do so well in football. I love him, he’s down to earth, he’s hard working, he has a future and he has the mentality of a winner, that’s what I love about him. He has that lion’s heart. I love him, I just want him to keep working hard the way he’s doing, he’s going to break so many records in Europe and Nigeria.”

The £54m-rated star would be a very exciting signing for the Magpies, and one that would surely get the pulses racing of the Toon Army.

Meanwhile, Newcastle have an exciting academy star on their hands…

The influence of 49ers Enterprises is growing all the time at Leeds United ahead of their eventual takeover, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: 2024 takeover expected

In January 2024, 49ers Enterprises are expected to take 100 per cent control of Leeds, bringing to an end the successful reign of Andrea Radrizzani at Elland Road and shilling out roughly £475m to the Italian.

With Jesse Marsch replacing Marcelo Bielsa as manager last week, there is a definite feel of a new, American-heavy era slowly dawning at the club, as the Whites fight to stay in the Premier League.

Judging by a new update, the incoming new owners are already making their influence felt.

[freshpress-quiz id=“383507″]

The Latest: Journalist reveals 49ers latest

Speaking to Give Me Sport, O’Rourke dropped a claim from ‘within the corridors’ at the club, believing 49ers Enterprises are ‘flexing their muscles’ at Leeds as their power grows following Marsch’s arrival:

“It definitely seems that the 49ers and the American influence does have some power within the corridors of Elland Road and it just seems they are trying to exert their influence.”

This follows the massive news last week that both Angus Kinnear and Victor Orta could leave this summer, as we really may be entering a totally new era in Yorkshire.

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The Verdict: Good for Leeds

In a financial sense, the change in ownership should be a good thing for Leeds, allowing more funds to be available for new signings, as the club builds as a whole – many would argue the failure to truly reinforce Bielsa’s squad last summer and in January cost the fan favourite his job.

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That being said, it is important that 49ers Enterprises show respect to Radrizzani and don’t get overly involved at this point, leading to a potentially bitter situation.

That shouldn’t happen, and the hope is that the change in ownership is a smooth transition in two years’ time, at which point the Whites will still hopefully be in the Premier League.

In other news, Leeds have been backed to sign a Premier League attacker this summer. Read more here.

Leeds journalist Beren Cross believes midfielder Adam Forshaw could return to the starting XI against Aston Villa tomorrow evening.

The Lowdown: Bamford and Forshaw on the bench

Jesse Marsch left Forshaw on the bench for his first game in charge of the Whites against Leicester City, with Robin Koch and Mateusz Klich getting the nod in midfield.

The American revealed details of a private conversation he had with Forshaw prior to the trip to the King Power, citing his inability to train throughout the week as the reason for leaving him out.

Patrick Bamford joined Forshaw on the bench last time out, with Phil Hay claiming the forward is set to feature against both Aston Villa and Norwich City in back-to-back home games.

The Latest: Cross’ comments

Cross shared Marsch’s comments regarding Forshaw in a story for Leeds Live on Tuesday morning.

He then said:

“The rationale will be a boost for Forshaw’s chances of returning to the line-up when Aston Villa visit on Thursday night, assuming he has trained enough this week.”

The Verdict: Who drops out?

It’s easy to see why Marsch decided against selecting Forshaw from the off on Saturday after sharing details of their private Thorp Arch conversation, but as Cross mentions, a return against Villa could now be on the cards.

Forshaw has been a regular in recent months, missing just one of Leeds’ last 18 Premier League fixtures, starting 12 of those. On that basis, you’d expect the midfielder would be firmly in Marsch’s thoughts ahead of two crucial fixtures, providing he has trained with the rest of the squad since the defeat to the Foxes.

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He could replace Koch or Klich, or Marsch may decide to deploy Koch in his natural centre-back role, leaving one of Luke Ayling or Stuart Dallas at risk of missing out.

In other news: Phil Hay drops huge Leeds news from Thorp Arch hours before Villa. 

Wolves will head into their clash with Leeds tonight knowing that a win will move them temporarily to just two points off fourth place and one point off fifth, also taking them above both Tottenham and West Ham in the Premier League standings.

However, they will have to try and claim three points without key Portuguese duo Nelson Semedo and Pedro Neto, who have suffered thigh and ankle/foot injuries respectively,while deputy right-back Ki-Jana Hoever is also out with a thigh problem.

Ahead of the match, Lage said: “We just have Nelson [Semedo] and Ki [-Jana Hoever] out of the game and also Pedro [Neto]. I think the way they are working, maybe after the international break Pedro and Semedo will be back.”

Neto has started just one game this season after suffering a broken kneecap against Fulham last April. He has not yet contributed a goal or an assist in five appearances this term, having racked up 11 in the Premier League in 2020/21.

However, his absence is easier for Lage to navigate due to Wolves’ strong squad depth in his position. with Barcelona loanee Francisco Trincao also a left-footed right-winger, while both Chiquinho and Hwang Hee-chan are also suited to playing in that area of the pitch.

Meanwhile, Semedo’s absence will leave Jonny Otto to cover the right-back position, with Hoever also injured. The 28-year-old former Barcelona star has averaged 2.2 tackles per game this season, along with 2.2 clearances, 0.7 key passes and 1,5 successful dribbles per appearance.

Ranking in the top 7% among full-backs in Europe’s top five leagues and continental competitions for carries into the final third per 90 (2.49), top 9% for tackles won per 90 (1.82) and top 10% for least yellow cards per 90 (0.10), Semedo has become one of the top right-backs in the Premier League since his £37m move to Molineux in 2020.

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Despite occasionally being inconsistent, he still has not registered a mistake leading to a goal in the Premier League this term. He is a reliable option for Lage, and to be without him and Neto for a critical game going into the business end of the season is a huge blow for the Old Gold.

In other news: Lage must unleash Wolves’ exciting 22 y/o with “explosiveness”, he can terrify Leeds

Celtic defender Boli Bolingoli is set to return to Parkhead following the collapse of his loan deal.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a report by the Glasgow Evening Times, who claim that, as a result of the current diplomatic relations between the UK and Russia, the left-back has failed to acquire a work visa that would allow him to play competitively for FC Ufa – the side who the defender joined on a short-term loan deal in February.

The report goes on to state that, despite having spent a month at Ufa’s winter training camp in Turkey, with the 26-year-old unable to feature for the Russian side, he will now return to Celtic in the coming days.

Postecoglou will be gutted

While the termination of Bolingoli’s loan deal is by no means his own fault, considering just how little Ange Postecoglou utilised the left-back in the first half of the season, in addition to the fact that the 26-year-old is earning a reported £15k-per-week at Parkhead, the defender’s early return will nevertheless have left the Greek-Australian coach gutted.

Indeed, after making just two appearances for Celtic in the current campaign, Bolingoli’s loan spell at Ufa presented the £1.35m-rated man with the perfect opportunity to put himself in the shop window ahead of the summer transfer market – as his permanent exit from Celtic Park is undoubtedly something that both the player and the club would like to happen at the end of the season.

However, with the player who Neil Lennon dubbed “stupid” now looking as if he will revert back to being a last-choice option on the left of the Celtic backline, the Bhoys’ chances of selling the former Belgian youth international this summer have certainly been reduced – something that will come as a great annoyance to Postecoglou and his side.

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AND in other news: Forget Doak: Ange can unearth his next prodigy in Celtic gem who’s “ready for it”

Rangers have seen many players make the move to Ibrox on loan deals over the years, with some only staying temporarily at the Gers and others eventually joining on permanent deals.

Looking back down the years, it seems as though Rangers were on the hunt for one potential loan signing that could have become one of the club’s best-ever players in Glasgow.

According to former Rangers boss Alex McLeish, his assistant coach at Ibrox Jan Wouters was searching for a ball-playing midfielder in 2004 to come in to replace Barry Ferguson after he left for Blackburn Rovers.

Speaking further on the matter, McLeish said: “Jan Wouters phoned Henk ten Cate, who was [Frank] Rijkaard’s assistant at Barcelona. Jan asked if there was anybody we could get and was told about a young kid called [Andres] Iniesta.

“He was only 18 at the time. We asked if we could bring him to Scotland and were told that they would try and make some hay at Barcelona and get him over to us. They said Iniesta needed to get some action.”

“The Monday after Jan had made the call, Iniesta was moved into the first team. When Henk ten Cate got back to us, we asked about Iniesta and were told: ‘He’s in the first team squad now’.”

During his time in Barcelona’s first-team, the Spaniard racked up 57 goals and 138 assists in 674 appearances across all competitions, winning a plethora of domestic and European titles as well as various individual awards and international titles.

In the summer of 2018, the midfield maestro left his boyhood club for a new challenge in Japan with Vissel Kobe, where he has scored 25 goals and provided 23 assists in 108 appearances.

Overall, the Barcelona legend, who has been described as being a “complete” footballer by Vicente del Bosque as well as being “like Harry Potter” in terms of his creative abilities on the pitch by Luis Enrique, has a total of 243 goals and assists to his name throughout his senior playing career.

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Having become one of the most-decorated players for club and country, it’s safe to say that McLeish and the club as a whole had a howler over not being able to secure Iniesta’s signature before Barcelona decided to keep hold of him.

In other news: Huge boost: Rangers handed major Old Firm injury lift, GvB will be thrilled

Everton have now been gifted a huge injury boost involving central defender Yerry Mina.

The Lowdown: Back in training

As per medical expert Ben Dinnery, Mina is now back in action at Finch Farm, as he looks to step up his recovery from injury.

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The Colombia international has not played for the Goodison Park faithful since early February, and will be hoping to return to the team as soon as possible.

The Latest: Lampard update

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match away at West Ham United in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, Frank Lampard has revealed that Mina will hopefully be back ‘in the next couple of weeks’.

The manager also confirmed that Fabian Delph is ‘another week or so away’.

Lampard was particularly excited about Mina’s return though, adding:

“He’s a big player for us, a player of stature and personality. I haven’t had much on-pitch time to work with him unfortunately. Centre-back is a crucial area and he’s been a big miss.”

The Verdict: Huge boost

Given that he has not been able to play for over a month, it is no doubt a huge boost for the Merseyside club that Mina could now be available in just a couple of weeks.

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It means that he should be back by the time they play Leicester City at home on April 20th, before the big Merseyside derby the following weekend.

Four of the Toffees’ seven wins in the top flight so far have come when Mina is playing, suggesting that they are a far better side with him, and his comeback could well be crucial in their aim to avoid relegation down to the Championship.

In other news, find out what ‘real concern’ has now emerged for the Blues here!

Aston Villa are plotting a swoop for a “very athletic” Premier League player, and they have now emerged as frontrunners in the race for his signature.

Villa leading contenders to sign new defender

There have been doubts over the future of Lucas Digne since the summer, at which point the left-back engaged in talks over a move to Atletico Madrid, and he has fallen down the pecking order over the past few weeks, being benched for the last four league games.

Although the Frenchman remains under contract until 2028, he could now be in the latter stages of his career, at 32-years-old, which means Unai Emery may need to start thinking about bringing in a long-term replacement.

Ian Maatsen has impressed since displacing Digne in the starting XI, picking up an assist in the 4-3 victory against Brighton & Hove Albion earlier this month, but the Villans remain keen on strengthening at left-back.

That is according to a report from Football Insider, which states Aston Villa are planning to bring in a new left-back, amid concerns about Digne’s long-term future at Villa Park.

Wolverhampton Wanderers defender David Moller Wolfe has now emerged as a target, with Villa plotting a swoop for the full-back, who has been one of the Old Gold’s only players to have put in some impressive performances this season.

The Villans are now among the frontrunners in the race for Wolfe’s signature, and there is a feeling he would jump at a move to Villa Park, considering his current club find themselves rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table.

With Wolves now 16 points from safety, having collected just two points this season, they are expected to lose several important players, and the former AZ Alkmaar man could be among them.

Related Aston Villa now seriously considering move for £281k-a-week Barcelona player

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Posts ByDominic Lund "Very athletic" Wolfe impressing for Wolves and Norway

The £30k-a-week defender has put in some eye-catching displays for both Wolves and Norway over the past six weeks or so, assisting in his national side’s 4-1 victory against Estonia, before going on to set up Jean-Ricner Bellegarde’s goal in a 4-1 loss against Manchester United.

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Digne is also impressive from an attacking point of view, registering three assists in the Premier League this season, which indicates the Wolves ace could be a like-for-like replacement for the 55-time France international.

Scout Ben Mattinson has praised the 23-year-old too, describing him as “very athletic”, while also adding that he likes to “drive down the line” on the overlap.

However, it is still very early days for Wolfe in the Premier League, having only joined Wolves in the summer, and it may be a little early to start thinking about replacements for Digne, given that he has impressed for club and country at times this season.