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Liverpool kicked off their season in excellent fashion against West Ham at Anfield.

Both sides had invested heavily during the summer transfer window, but it was Liverpool’s who stole the show. The Reds took an early lead through Mohamed Salah who tapped home Andrew Robertson’s cross before Sadio Mane swept home James Milner’s drag back to double their advantage before half-time. The Senegalese grabbed his brace after the interval with a fantastic finish despite replays showing he was in an offside position. Daniel Sturridge netted from a corner with his first touch of the game to secure Liverpool’s biggest opening day win at Anfield since 1932.

Jurgen Klopp will be delighted to see his new signing Naby Keita look brilliant on his Liverpool debut, and his performance definitely wowed the Merseyside crowd. Alisson Becker didn’t have much to do on his Liverpool debut, but a clean sheet will do wonders for his confidence. Departures are surely expected in the coming weeks to raise funds for the January transfer window.

One man Liverpool should target is PSG midfielder – Adrien Rabiot. Valued at £45m by Transfermarkt, the French midfielder was a mainstay for the Parisians last season and made a goalscoring start to the new campaign. He has less than one year remaining on his contract and has reportedly rejected a new deal meaning he could be available for nothing. Liverpool should look to take advantage and bring him to the Premier League.

Rabiot is an excellent passer, completing 92% of his balls last season, and would slot seamlessly into Klopp’s system (WhoScored). He is comfortable in the number six, or the number eight role and his versatility will be extremely attractive to the former Borussia Dortmund manager.

This one is a no-brainer for the Reds.

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Liverpool fans, thoughts?

According to the club’s official website, Nikola Vlasic has left Everton to join CSKA Moscow on loan for the entirety of the 2018/19 season. The 20-year-old only made the move to Goodison Park 12 months ago after impressing at Croatian outfit Hajduk Split, yet the attacker struggled to command regular football at the Premier League side last season to throw his future at the club into doubt ahead of the summer.

And the Croatia international has indeed sealed a move away from Everton for the coming season, and with Vlasic gone, fellow Toffees teammate Ademola Lookman, valued at £10.8 million by Transfermarkt, must seek to follow him out of Goodison Park this month.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, 20-year-old Vlasic impressed in Everton’s clash with Hajduk Split in qualification for the Europa League prior to last season to prompt the club to land the attacker, and while he was in and around the team in the first half of the campaign, he ended the season with just 19 appearances to his name, of which only 11 were starts.

And following the arrival of Richarlison from Watford during the summer window, alongside the plethora of attacking options already available to Silva, Vlasic’s first team prospects looked bleak heading into this season – as do those of England Under-20 World Cup winner Lookman.

The 20-year-old made the move to Goodison Park back in January 2017 and hit the ground running immediately by netting on his debut against Manchester City, yet that is about as good as it has got for the attacker.

And that’s because the former Charlton Athletic sensation has added just 23 further appearances for the Toffees in the last 18 months to suggest that he is some way down the pecking order at Goodison Park, and failure to make the matchday squad against Wolves on Saturday further emphasises his need to get out of the club before the month is out.

And having excelled at RB Leipzig last season, netting five goals and laying on four assists in just 11 games for the Bundesliga side, it’s clear that Lookman has huge potential just waiting to be unlocked.

But it doesn’t look like happening at Everton anytime soon, and with Lookman in need of regular football to develop as the attacker his potential suggests he could be, he must seek to follow Vlasic’s lead by leaving Goodison Park this month.

Everton fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Leeds United’s perfect start continued last night as they recorded their third straight victory with a 2-1 win over Bolton Wanderers in the 1st round of the Carabao Cup. 

It seems that Marcelo Bielsa is having the desired effect at Leeds United as his side have started the season in emphatic fashion. 2 wins in the Championship and a Carabao Cup victory will do wonders for the confidence of everybody involved with the club, but it’s important that they continue to strengthen before the loan window closes to ensure they have plenty of strength in depth for the season ahead.

One position in which the Whites are desperately short of strength is in central defence, so Bielsa should be targeting the signing of at least one defender in the final weeks of the window.

However, Leeds may not even need to use the loan window to strengthen their options, as Robert Huth is available on a free transfer now that his contract with Leicester has expired.

Huth’s final season with the Foxes slipped into insignificance as he became something of a forgotten figure in the background at the King Power.

The big German only made a single Carabao Cup appearance and a handful of appearances for the reserves before leaving the club which he won his third Premier League title with, but his lack of opportunity does not necessarily suggest he will be unable to return to senior football this season.

With Pontus Jansson, Liam Cooper and Conor Shaughnessy the only natural central backs on Leeds’ ranks, the arrival of Huth should be regarded as something of a necessity.

Huth would bring a rich experience of English football, a willingness to put his body on the line for the cause and a commanding physical presence at both ends of the pitch, and these qualities would enable him to rapidly establish himself as a fan-favourite at Elland Road.

Leeds are desperately short of options in defence and it’s an issue which needs addressing imminently if they wish to continue building upon their early season momentum, and signing a player of Huth’s calibre represents the most cost-effective way of resolving their defensive shortage.

Leeds fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

Jurgen Klopp is loved by the majority of the Liverpool fanbase as his style of football and the team that he is shaping has received a seal of approval.

The German coach took over at Anfield in October 2015 and since then he has been transforming a team that finally seem capable of challenging for the Premier League title.

The negative blot on his Liverpool career, though, is the failure to so far win a trophy despite guiding the team to three cup finals.

The most recent disappointment was in May when the Reds were beaten 3-1 by Real Madrid in the Champions League final in May.

When Klopp was welcomed on Merseyside, he was replacing Brendan Rodgers midway through a season.

The Northern Irishman, who is now in charge of Celtic, never won a trophy during his three-and-a-half-year spell at Liverpool, but he took them close to clinching the title as they finished two points behind Manchester City.

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Towards the end of his stint at Anfield, plenty of fans turned on Rodgers, but there are some who still hold the coach in high regard.

Twitter account @AnfieldHQ sparked a reaction on Twitter when they asked where the club would be now if Rodgers was still in charge.

It is safe to say that not many would be happy if that was the case.

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Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez had a frustrating transfer window as he publicly admitted that he was in the dark over funds for new players.

In the end, the Magpies strengthened their attack with the arrival of Salomon Rondon from West Bromwich Albion.

The Venezuelan international joined on a season-long loan, but at the same time, Dwight Gayle moved in the other direction.

The striker struggled to find the back of the net last season, but he is already off the mark for the Baggies.

The 28-year-old was one of the scorers in a 7-1 thumping over Queens Park Rangers over a week ago.

As for Newcastle, Benitez’s outfit have scored just twice in three Premier League fixtures.

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Joselu netted against Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, but the club are yet to pick up a win in the top flight.

Last season, Gayle managed just six top-flight goals, but in the Championship campaign prior to Newcastle’s return, the forward netted 23 times.

We asked you if the Magpies will regret letting the forward leave, and the majority of Newcastle fans think that they will.

Loads of Leeds fans have been discussing their lack of defensive depth, and over half of fans would like to see a late deadline day move for free agent Glen Johnson.

I can’t give you a positive answer and I can’t give you a negative one”, was Marcelo Bielsa’s coy response when asked about transfers on Wednesday.

This comes after a report earlier this month claimed Leeds still want to sign some midfielders and defenders before the window closes.

Of course, Izzy Brown joined on a season-long loan on Thursday, meaning Bielsa now has plenty of options to choose from in midfield.

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He is still a little light at the back though, where Liam Cooper and Pontus Jansson both tend to pick up little injuries throughout the season.

Johnson is of course a right-back by trade, but the 34-year-old free agent can play anywhere across the defence if needs must, meaning players like Luke Ayling and Jamie Shackleton could stick to their more natural positions.

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59 per cent of fans think it would be a shrewd acquisition, and you can find the full poll results down below…

Manchester United players have jetted off for the dreaded September international break after a shaky start to the season.

While United’s form has been inconsistent, Luke Shaw has made an excellent start to the new campaign, and his impressive form was rightly rewarded with a call-up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad. Red Devils midfielder, Andreas Pereira, was also handed his first call-up to Brazil’s senior national team after breaking into the United starting eleven. There will be no international football for Alexis Sanchez who misses Chile’s fixtures in order to build his fitness.

Jose Mourinho enters the break as the bookies’ favourite to be the first Premier League manager to lose his job. United have beaten Leicester and Burnley but lost to both Brighton and Tottenham. Mourinho will look to bounce back against in-form Watford following the international period.

When the January transfer window reopens, Mourinho is expected to sign a new defender, and recent reports have linked United with Atletico Madrid’s Lucas Hernandez. Valued at £36m by Transfermarkt, the France international would be an inspired addition to the squad.

Hernandez has developed into a key player for Diego Simeone and made 28 appearances in La Liga last season – the majority coming at left-back. The youngster played in every game during France’s capture of the World Cup earlier this summer. Not only would the 22-year-old provide cover for Shaw on the left but he would give United a quality option in the centre of defence. Hernandez could follow in the footsteps of Cesar Azpilicueta and thrive in a central role after moving to the Premier League.

Hernandez has a £72m release clause in his contract at Atleti which the Red Devils would have no trouble meeting if necessary. This a move that Mourinho should definitely be considering.

Manchester United fans, thoughts?

Liverpool spent a lot of money over the summer, recruiting players in positions that they were desperately short in. 

While they spent £170m to compete with Premier League rivals Man City, they are also doing other business to outdo their competitors. This has been shown by  The Sun, who have reported that The Reds have recently upgraded and improved the contracts of defenders Joe Gomez and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Alexander-Arnold has seen his contract improved from £40k a week to £60k a week, whilst 21-year-old Gomez is now earning £50k a week at Anfield.

The pair have featured extensively throughout the season under manager Jürgen Klopp, both earning call ups to Gareth Southgate’s England squad.

This is a very wise move by Liverpool, knowing that success doesn’t simply come from spending a load of money on transfers. Focussing on youth and emerging players is a way of creating a dominant squad that can last for a very long time. It is a brilliant investment, and sometimes more so than splashing cash left right and centre.

Of course, Liverpool have also spent a lot of money over the summer as well, but it is the balance between the two that could create a very successful club. There are certainly young players emerging at every club, but the trust that Klopp has put in his young defenders will feel them with confidence, and their new contracts will only help matters.

This is just another sign that Liverpool are moving in the right direction. The club have a long history of producing high quality players that become club legends, but it’s all about managing when they are young that counts.

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Sheffield United’s midfield was one of their strongest areas last season as they started so well before drifting away, and they strengthened it even further during the summer with the loan addition of Oliver Norwood on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion.

With Paul Coutts making his return from a long-term injury in recent weeks, Blades boss Chris Wilder now has five strong options to choose from in the middle of the park.

John Lundstram and Mark Duffy are two of those that have found themselves out of the starting XI already this term but have worked their way back into Wilder’s thinking, with John Fleck another regular in the side.

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Fleck, Norwood and Duffy were the trio that got the nod against Aston Villa last time out, and with the match ending in a comprehensive 4-1 win – in which Norwood and Duffy also both got on the score-sheet – against one of the favourites for promotion to the Premier League this season, it is a partnership that is flourishing as things stand.

Coutts’ long-term absence probably means that he is fifth-choice right now and as a result we have excluded him from our thinking as he continues his comeback, with Lundstram the player that is really breathing down the necks of the others with an assist to his name in the opening day defeat at home to Swansea.

So, Sheffield United fans, what do you think is your club’s best central midfield trio right now? Let us know by voting on our poll below…

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Lots of Celtic fans on Twitter backed manager Brendan Rodgers after he was asked about the pressure on his job in his pre-St Johnstone press conference.

The Bhoys currently sit in sixth in the Scottish Premier League table after six matches having conceded a last minute goal to lose 2-1 away at Kilmarnock on Sunday.

Earlier in the season, the Hoops also crashed out of the Champions League at the qualifying stage and are now in the group stages of the Europa League, where they saw off Rosenborg in their first game but only thanks to a late Leigh Griffiths goal.

After Rodgers completed the double treble last season, many would have been forgiven for thinking that his job would be untouchable this season. However, after their poor start to the campaign and a very public disagreement over transfers in the summer the pressure has begun to mount.

Celtic fans on Twitter were clear in their backing for him though. Check out some of the best tweets below.

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