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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will undoubtedly be whirring the cogs in his head at full force as he looks to devise a solution to the club’s current woes, and might delve into the transfer market for a signing to make an instant impact. 

With prolific forward Cody Gakpo already sealed several weeks ago, joining from PSV Eindhoven on an initial £35m deal, the onus appears to be firmly on the centre of the park, with a raft of potential signatures within the transfer discussion. 

One potentially shrewd acquisition comes in the form of Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielderRuben Neves, with the assiduous ace out of contract at the end of next season and consequently touted for an exit this year, with the Old Gold possibly seeking to recuperate the reported £15m fee that secured his services from homeland outfit FC Porto in 2018. 

A few days ago, according toFootball Insider, the Reds have identified Neves as an alternative to West Ham United’s Declan Rice, who has been heavily touted with a move away from east London across recent weeks. 

With Liverpool technical director Julian Ward holding a purse with scant funds to bolster the squad further, a move for the Portuguese midfielder might indeed be the most prudent avenue to delve down. 

Performances on the pitch are indeed a glaring indication that the current crop at Anfield are failing to match their manager’s aspirations, with the dejecting results partnered by a stark decline in intensity and cohesion following a preceding campaign that saw the Merseyside outfit clinch the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup. 

Fresh talent is paramount, and in the 25-year-old machine, Liverpool could recharge the batteries and steer the ship back on course before facing the business end of the season with resources that might prove to be inefficient in the fight for Champions League football next season. 

The “beast” that is Neves – as hailed by ex-USMNT star Jimmy Conrad – has made 236 appearances for Wolves since his arrival, and this season has recorded a commendable average Premier League rating of 7.27, as per Sofascore, completing 84% of his passes, making 2.6 tackles and 2.4 clearances from his sweeping role in the centre.

The club might be mulling over signing the industrious maestro in the summer, but his inclusion for the remainder of the current campaign could replicate the success the club had in the early stages of Klopp’s tenure in signing Virgil van Dijk from Southampton for £75m, in a deal that served as the catalyst for a prosperous era for the distinguished outfit. 

Van Dijk indeed arrived with a weight of expectation following the lucrative fee, but duly lived up to it with his mesmeric defensive performances and supreme leadership and composure, a central figure in monumentally winning the Premier League and Champions League, among a host of further trophies.

And joining in a January window himself, his profound impact on his side could be something that the £58k-per-week Neves could also harness, indeed bolstering the midfield ranks with his tenacious approach and unwavering physicality.

As such, Klopp would be wise to push for a deal before the culmination of the January window in less than two weeks; while perhaps not the same calibre of signing, the impact that Neves could make at Anfield would emulate Van Dijk’s legendary signing, instilling abundant confidence and fluidity and mapping the way to prominence once again.

West Bromwich Albion are back in action tonight as they face the replay of their FA Cup third-round clash against Chesterfield.

The Baggies are looking to translate their blistering Championship form into a prolonged cup run, with relegation no longer a serious threat. Carlos Corberan has made sure of that, leading his side to nine wins in their last ten league games as they now sit in a play-off spot, which is miraculous given their trajectory under Steve Bruce.

However, their winning run was surprisingly halted in the original third-round clash, as the plucky National League side put up quite the fight earlier this month.

Despite taking an early lead, West Brom were pegged back within five minutes before they surged in front again during a frenetic opening 17 minutes. Then, in a crazy turn of events, Chesterfield hit back to take a 3-2 lead themselves, which they held until a last-gasp equaliser from Brandon Thomas-Asante forced tonight’s replay.

However, in the run-up to that goal, the 24-year-old has since been retrospectively suspended for three matches due to ‘violent conduct’. Corberan admitted that he “cannot argue” with the decision, and as such the ex-Salford man will certainly not start against the team that he terrorised with two goals.

There was another key player in the Baggies’ comeback against Chesterfield, with Karlan Grant scoring one goal, setting up another and earning an 8.1 Sofascore rating for his display. This was narrowly shy of the Baggies’ best performer, the aforementioned and now suspended Thomas-Asante.

Despite Daryl Dike also impressing since his return from injury, with two goals in his last two league games, it is likely still too early to be subjecting the American to the full effect of the taxing fixture schedule.

Although this has been a poor season for the former Huddersfield Town man, with just three Championship goals to his name, he retains the quality which has made him a consistent threat in that division.

It was only last season that he netted 18 times in the second tier, while he scored 19 in his final campaign for the Terriers in 2019/20. This led former Premier League striker Kevin Phillips to suggest that Grant could soon be regarded as a “hero” at The Hawthorns, should he maintain such goalscoring form.

The 25-year-old is a consistent striker for this level, albeit one who is desperately scrambling for confidence. These cup matches against lower-league opposition could be instrumental in reigniting that spark and getting him firing again.

Grant has already terrorised Chesterfield with his goal against them ten days ago, and having not featured against Luton at the weekend, Corberan must recall him once again tonight.

Liverpool have had a successful, almost, seven years under the reign of Jurgen Klopp, winning multiple trophies and competing closely with Manchester City every season for the Premier League title.

However, the Reds look a shadow of their success over their current campaign with the side falling into ninth in the top-flight table due to a run of poor and inconsistent performance that has seen them collect just 29 points from a possible 57 over their 19 league outings so far and knocked out of the League Cup, a competition they won last season.

Indeed, the powers at Anfield have competently reinvested in their forward line adding Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez to the attacking threat on Merseyside, however, in the centre of the pitch the same cannot be said.

The last time Liverpool refreshed the centre of the pitch was in September 2020 when they completed the permanent signing of Thiago Alcantara from Bayern Munich and since have only acquired the services of a loanee in Arthur Melo, however, the Juventus midfielder has failed to make more than a cameo due to injury issues.

As a result, the concern has focused on the midfield personnel with a number of players either coming to the end of their contracts this summer or reaching the latter stages of their career, prompting increasing pressure for Liverpool to spark a rebuild in 2023.

One player who has had a move to Merseyside mooted ahead of this summer is Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Matheus Nunes and Julian Ward could repeat Liverpool’s Diogo Jota transfer masterclass if they could acquire the player’s services from the Midlands club in the months ahead.

Jota joined the six-time Champions League winners back in 2020 from the Molineux outfit and made an instant impact on the famous forward line forcing his presence to compete with Sadio Mane, Mohammed Salah and Roberto Firmino for a starting spot and has since scored 34 goals in 93 appearances.

Fast forward to 2023 and the club could repeat their successful Wolves swoop with the signing of Nunes and if he could emulate Jota’s impact on the team in midfield, it would be just what Klopp needs.

Over 17 Premier League appearances, the 24-year-old has delivered one assist, created two big chances and tallied up a 92% pass completion rate in his own half, as well as averaging 1.7 tackles, 42.4 touches and winning 4.3 duels per game.

The former Sporting CP star has been lavished with praise over his career so far with former team-mate Goncalo Santos hailing Nunes “unbelievable” when reflecting on his time spent with the player:

“In one game, he went on a run which was about 60 metres, it was amazing! People went crazy and everybody was talking about it.

“It’s unbelievable when he has the ball at his feet. Nobody can catch him; it’s impossible because he’s too fast.”

It is reported that Liverpool will need to invest £44m in order to complete the signing of the Portuguese talent this summer which shouldn’t trouble FSG too much compared to the £130m the club will need to shell out for Jude Bellingham.

With that being said, the signing of Nunes would be a great piece of business for Liverpool in their pursuit to improve the performances at Anfield and compete for multiple trophies once again.

Newcastle United are reportedly ‘in talks’ to sign Leicester City attacking midfielder James Maddison.

The Lowdown: More incomings?

It seems as if the Magpies are not yet done in the transfer market, having captured the signing of Anthony Gordon from Everton.

They have also reportedly agreed a £3m fee with West Ham United to sign right-back Harrison Ashby, who is ‘expected’ to travel to Tyneside for a medical.

Even though they look solid as ever defensively, having kept eight clean sheets in nine games since the season resumed after the World Cup in Qatar, they are almost as parsimonious in attack, with just nine goals scored in the same number of matches (Sky Sports).

With Eddie Howe’s side chasing down a Champions League place for next season, they will not want to see their goals dry up too much over the next few months, so they could seek additional firepower this month in order to help them get over the line.

The Latest: Maddison ‘talks’

Taking to Twitter, transfer expert Rudy Galetti says that Newcastle are ‘in talks’ with Leicester over the potential signing of Maddison and are ‘ready’ to make a first offer of around £45m for him.

However, the Foxes want at least £55m, and if no agreement can be reached, then he will remain a target for the Tyneside club in the summer.

Galetti tweeted: “#Newcastle are in talks with #Leicester for #Maddison. #NUFC are ready to make the first offer for the AM of around £45m. #LCFC want at least £55m (£40m upfront). In case of no agreement, the player will remain a target in the summer.”

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The Verdict: Get it done now!

If Newcastle have an opportunity to sign Maddison now, then they must get it done.

The 26-year-old is sure to attract plenty of suitors in the summer, given that he would have only one year remaining on his contract at the King Power Stadium and Leicester are struggling near the bottom of the Premier League table, sitting just one point above the relegation zone.

Before an injury that he picked up in December, Maddison was on fire in the league despite his team’s struggles, racking up seven goals and four assists in 14 games (Transfermarkt).

Hailed by BBC writer Raj Chohan for his ‘unbelievable’ vision and ability to score with both feet, the Englishman ranks in the 94th percentile of all attacking midfielders and wingers in Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for non-penalty goals. He is also in the 91st percentile for assists (FBref), showing that he is not just one of the star players in the Premier League, but in Europe as well.

Maddison could well make the difference for the Magpies in terms of securing a Champions League spot for 2023/24, if they can strike a deal to sign him before Tuesday’s transfer deadline.

Everton completing a deal for Coventry City striker Viktor Gyokeres is no longer something that is on the cards, according to journalist Christopher Beesley.

The Lowdown: Everton need a striker

As the transfer window edges closer to completion, the Toffees are still searching for a new attacker, having not received good news so far today, with L’Equipe reporting that target Kamaldeen Sulemana has chosen to move to Southampton. (via Daily Mail)

Other forwards that the Toffees have been linked with include Andre Ayew, and Paul Onuachu, while it was reported yesterday that they were ‘in talks’ with Gyokeres, however this now seems like it will no longer be possible.

The Latest: Beesley’s update

Taking to Twitter to give an update on Everton’s pursuit of a striker, Beesley said: “It’s a quickly-changing situation on transfer deadline day but I’m now being told that an Everton move for Viktor Gyokeres of Coventry City is not on the cards.”

The Verdict: Everton missed out?

The Sweden international has been hailed as ‘outstanding’ by journalist Christopher Sutcliffe, and he has shown a good eye for goal in the Championship this season, scoring on 12 occasions in 28 outings in the second tier.

However, the 24-year-old is unproven above the second tier, and his form has recently dipped, failing to find the back of the net in his last five league appearances, indicating he may not be at the level to be a success at Goodison Park.

Onuachu is a more consistent goal scorer, netting a remarkable 85 goals in 134 appearances for current club Genk, and Sean Dyche should make the Nigerian his priority signing at striker before the window closes.

West Bromwich Albion reporter Lewis Cox was relieved to discover Alex Palmer will only be out for six weeks due to injury.

The Lowdown: Palmer’s absence

After starting off the season as the second-choice goalkeeper to David Button under Steve Bruce, Palmer won the No 1 spot towards the end of Bruce’s tenure and extended that under Carlos Corberan, starting 17 Championship games so far this term.

The 26-year-old has been part of one of the best defences in the country of late, with him keeping nine clean sheets and conceding just 13 in his starts so far, letting in just five under the Spaniard.

However, he missed Friday night’s 1-0 win against Coventry City, with Button reclaiming his place between the sticks.

The Latest: Cox’s update

Speaking on Express & Star following the 1-0 win, Cox revealed the extent of Palmer’s injury will leave him sidelined for over a month but was relieved to report that it’s not as bad as first feared, saying:

“The fear was out for the season, wasn’t it? Nothing against David Button, but just from how good Palmer has been, it would be pretty disastrous, really, wouldn’t it?

“It was suggested pre-game that it wasn’t as bad as the rumour was, and we’ve just had it confirmed there from Carlos Corberan in his post-match press conference that it’s six weeks that Alex Palmer will miss.

“It’s not great, is it, because Palmer has been integral, really, under the head coach. He’s really been immense, I would say, one of Albion’s top performers.”

The Verdict: Big loss?

The news of Palmer’s absence could hardly have come at a worse time for the Baggies, with the January transfer window closing just days before, and the option to bring in an alternative going off the table unless they headed down the free-agent route.

Although disappointing, it will be a relief for West Brom fans to know it’s not as bad as first feared, and he’ll be set to return for the busy end to the season, with the Baggies now well in the play-off hunt.

It has handed a chance back to Button to reclaim that first-choice spot even when Palmer does return if he can impress, with the 33-year-old’s comeback beginning well as he maintained the Baggies’ run of not conceding in seven straight home games.

Aston Villa dropped to 11th in the Premier League over the weekend as they were beaten 4-2 by Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester on their own turf on Saturday.

Unai Emery’s side are sitting comfortably in midtable and one of the team’s best performers throughout the campaign so far has been veteran full-back Ashley Young.

The 37-year-old has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.98 in the Premier League so far this season and this places him second in the Villa squad – only behind Douglas Luiz.

Young has played 17 times in the top flight, starting 13 of those matches, and has contributed with three tackles and interceptions and 0.6 key passes per match for the team.

However, the gem turns 38 in July and Emery may start to think about what life may look like after the former England international retires or parts ways with the club.

Matty Cash, 25, is the other senior option at right-back but the Poland international would not have any competition for his place if Young moved on without a replacement coming into the squad.

Emery could find the dream heir to the ex-Manchester United winger’s place in the side by unearthing the talent of 20-year-old academy full-back Kaine Kesler-Hayden.

The young dynamo has already experienced League Two, League One, and Championship football out on loan in recent seasons and the Villa coach could look to slowly bed him into the side as Young heads towards the end of his playing days.

Reporter Jonny Leighfield previously hailed the talented youngster during the gem’s time on loan at Swindon Town during the 2021/22 campaign, saying: “As soon as the loan deal from Villa was done Garner told us that this kid’s got serious quality, a player who’s destined to play for Villa’s first team.”

The journalist added: “He’s just a cut above.”

“He’s got a brilliant turn of pace and a player who like to do his damage up the other end of the pitch. He’s got everything about him to play either Championship or Premier League football regularly.”

During the first half of the current campaign, Kesler-Hadyen made 1.2 tackles and interceptions and 0.7 key passes per match in the second tier for Huddersfield. This came after he made 1.9 defensive contributions and created 0.8 chances per match in League One during the 2021/22 season.

The 20-year-old may not be producing the kind of numbers that Young has been delivering for Villa in the Premier League, from a defensive perspective, this season but the gem has 17 years of development to catch up with the veteran.

Kesler-Hayden could be the future of Villa’s right-back position, given the glimpses of quality he has shown in the Football League so far, and Emery could find Young’s long-term heir by providing the youngster with chances to impress in the coming seasons.

Celtic forward Liel Abada will not be ‘motivated’ enough to join Southampton this summer, according to BBC pundit Alan Hutton.

The Lowdown: Southampton interest

The Hoops winger first arrived in Glasgow back in 2021 and has since taken the Scottish Premiership by storm with the standard of his performances under Ange Postecoglou.

The Athletic report that the Israel international has been identified as a transfer target at the St. Mary’s Stadium, with scouts even having watched him in January with a view to approach him at the end of the season.

However, the 21-year-old’s representatives are claimed to have been in talks over penning improved terms to extend his stay north of the border, meaning that an exit at this stage looks unlikely.

The Latest: Hutton’s verdict

Asked by Football Insider whether he thought Abada could be tempted to leave Celtic for the south coast, Hutton said:

“If you look at Southampton and the situation they are in, there is a massive possibility of them being a Championship football club next year.

“Is that something you want to be a part of? I know they are probably building for the future but [with] everything that is going on with their manager at this moment in time, it is a little bit uncertain.

“Why would you leave somewhere that you are comfortable, happy, winning football matches, going for trophies to go to somewhere there is going to have to be a massive turnaround?

“Personally, it is not something that I would be motivated with so I am pretty sure he will probably be thinking along the same lines.“

The Verdict: New contract deserved

Abada has been dubbed a ‘threat’ in the final third by journalist Alan Galindo, and given the positive impact he makes, handing him a new deal would be nothing less than he deserves.

The Bhoys attacker has clocked up 12 goal contributions in 25 league appearances so far this season with two man of the match awards to his name, highlighting his importance in the side.

Celtic would be in a strong negotiating position considering Abada’s contract isn’t set to expire until 2026, but it sounds like he would be more than happy to commit to his future at Parkhead.

Insider ExWHUemployee has revealed that West Ham United defender Kurt Zouma’s injury situation remains unclear as he’s been training with a boot.

What’s the latest on Kurt Zouma’s West Ham injury?

During the break for the winter World Cup, the centre-back had surgery to help fix a long-term knee problem.

He then returned to play in the 2-0 victory over Everton last month.

After that, however, he has been absent for the last two Premier League games with a new problem. Manager David Moyes recently claimed the club weren’t ready to put a date on his possible return, but that he was hopeful of it not being too bad.

However, in an update on The West Ham Way podcast, Ex revealed that it’s still unclear just how bad the injury is but the player has been wearing a boot which might not bode too well.

He said: “Zouma, [it is] unknown at the moment what’s happening with him.

“The club seemed to think it wasn’t too serious, but he’s been training in a boot and he’s been resting. Obviously, it was meant to be his thigh, his hip sort of area – that sort of top end of the thigh that he injured in the game against Everton.

“But it’s also had other consequences and he’s also unknown at the moment in terms of his recovery. Hopefully, it won’t be too long, but we shall see.”What does the Zouma injury mean for WHUFC?As per Transfermarkt, his recent absence is described as being down to a hamstring injury, but Ex’s comments suggest it could be something more to do with his thigh or hip, while he is thought said to be wearing a boot.That could be because the injury has had a knock-on effect on him across other areas of his body – with Ex alluding to “other consequences” of this latest setback.Seeing as Zouma has already missed two months of football due to knee surgery this season, not to mention this recent spell on the sidelines, the uncertainty about his current situation is somewhat alarming to say the least.All in all,  it sounds as though those inside the club don’t entirely know just how bad this issue could be. Perhaps they are just being precautious and the player will be fine, but only time will tell.

Journalist Greg O’Keeffe has criticised Jordan Pickford for kicking it long during Everton’s win at the weekend while speaking on the All Together Now podcast.

The Lowdown: Goodison Park will be a fortress

It was a highly significant win for Everton last weekend, not just for the three points that they picked up but because of the other results on Saturday, with teams around them also winning.

Everton managed to leapfrog opponents Leeds United and put them into the bottom three in the process as the Toffees recorded their second successive home win and clean sheet under Sean Dyche.

Dyche decided to mix things up on Saturday and afforded Neal Maupay his first start since Frank Lampard was sacked, but he failed to impress with just 29 touches during the game – although the tactics employed didn’t necessarily help his game.

The Latest: Pickford needs to keep his composure

Standing at just 5 foot 8, it will have left many people – perhaps even Maupay himself – baffled as England and Everton No 1 Pickford was pinging long balls to the lone French striker – something that O’Keeffe didn’t understand.

He said: “I just couldn’t believe when Jordan Pickford got the ball and just kicked it long – as he does sometimes early in the game, he’s a bit nervous. He just hit a long ball straight up to Maupay and watching him trying to win a header, against even their [poor] back four, I was just like, ‘really, Jordan? Think about it’.”

The Verdict: Everton must play to their player’s strengths

While picking up two wins from three matches will be ideal for Dyche, he will indeed still be worried by his attacking players, as the two goals that have been scored under him have come from defenders in the form of James Tarkowski and Seamus Coleman.

This worrying form in the final third hasn’t been helped by Dominic Calvert-Lewin picking up yet another injury, with the striker playing just 62 minutes under Dyche, but the former Burnley manager must now look to get the most out of the squad he’s got.

Everton currently have the young and inexperienced Ellis Simms or Maupay, with the latter being a smaller forward – something that Dyche didn’t use all too often during his time at Turf Moor. But he must now adapt his tactics and style of play to get the very best results from the Frenchman as the Toffees continue to fight against the drop.