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During the recent summer months, Liverpool managed to tie down a number of their senior key players with new deals such as Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson, Jordan Henderson and Virgil van Dijk among others.

One player that didn’t put pen to paper on a new deal over the summer that has a current contract set to expire in 2023 is Sadio Mane.

However, it seems as though the club could have a chance to secure the winger with a new deal before his current one runs out.

What’s the news?

It has recently been reported by Goal that Mane, who has been described as being like a “wild animal” on the pitch by Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, would like to stay at the Merseyside club and would like “recognition for years of stellar service and a salary befitting one of the world’s top players.”

He joined the Reds back in the 2016 summer transfer window from fellow Premier League side Southampton in a deal worth a reported fee of £34m and since then, his value has shot up to £76.5m according to Transfermarkt.

In the process, he has made a total of 234 appearances for Liverpool across all competitions, bagging 106 goals and 44 assists in the process, firmly cementing himself as a crucial figure for Jurgen Klopp.

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Taking this into account and the fact that only Mohamed Salah (11) has managed to score more goals in the Premier League than Mane (7), it’s understandable why the £100k-per-week earner would think he deserves a better deal than the one he’s currently on at the moment.

Moving forward, Michael Edwards needs to make sure that Mane signs a new contract at the Merseyside club before the current sporting director leaves his role in the summer.

Otherwise, the club could be staring down the barrel of a catastrophe if one of their star men left so easily, an eventuality that would surely leave Klopp furious if history were to repeat itself of their Gini Wijnaldum situation last summer.

In other news: FSG may be heading for a big Liverpool disaster in January on “outstanding” 26 y/o ace – opinion

Everton podcaster Lee McClean has been left slamming Jonjoe Kenny after they lost 2-1 away at West Ham United in the Premier League this afternoon.

The Lowdown: Damaging defeat

It was yet another damaging defeat for the Goodison Park faithful, after Mason Holgate’s equaliser was cancelled out by Jarrod Bowen.

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Aaron Cresswell gave the hosts the lead in the first half with a stunning free-kick, and when the Merseyside club had some hope after Holgate scored, it was very quickly taken away from them as Bowen’s goal was followed by a second yellow card for Michael Keane.

The Latest: McClean slams Kenny

Taking to Twitter, McClean, founding member and co-host of renowned Toffees podcast A View From The Bullens, took aim at Kenny in particular after his performance with a brutally simple summary: “Kenny isn’t very good at football.”

The Verdict: Very poor

Kenny was beyond poor against the Hammers, losing out on all three of his duels, while he also failed to record any successful dribbles, tackles or accurate long balls (SofaScore).

The right-back was also guilty of giving possession away no fewer than 13 times, the joint-most out of any of his teammates, and may now be looking over his shoulder for a consistent starting place under Frank Lampard.

Seamus Coleman (illness) and Nathan Patterson (injury) both missed out this afternoon, but will be looking to hold the right-back spot ahead of Kenny for the relegation battle ahead.

In other news, find out what ‘staggering’ Blues update has now left this former BBC man stunned here!

After just over six months in charge, Rafael Benitez’s reign in charge of Everton came to an end shortly after their disappointing 2-1 defeat against Norwich City last weekend.

In the meantime, while the club looks for a new permanent manager, Duncan Ferguson has been given the role of caretaker boss to try and get Everton’s season back on track in the same way that he did when the club got rid of Marco Silva in December 2019 before Carlo Ancelotti came in.

One name who has been mentioned with the Everton job and who could be a good fit for the Toffees is former Derby County and Chelsea manager Frank Lampard.

In his first senior managerial job, he took charge of 57 games with the Rams, with 26 wins, 15 draws and 16 defeats along the way, taking them to the Championship play-off final in May 2019 at Wembley against Aston Villa.

In his second managerial role, the 43-year-old won 44 of his 84 games in charge at the club where he spent the majority of his playing career.

Labelled a “winner” by Noel Whelan, Lampard finished in the top four with Chelsea in his one full season in charge at Stamford Bridge despite having to deal with a transfer embargo, which could make him a suitable and potentially successful option for Everton given their Financial Fair Play issues of late.

In terms of a potential move to Everton, while he hasn’t lifted any trophies as a manager, Lampard still has sufficient experience to put him in the running to get back into the Premier League and continue his managerial career with the Toffees.

Given his massive knowledge of the league and his legendary status as a player, he could be a big hit at Goodison Park and bring some positive vibes back around the place after the constant fan protests against Benitez during the 61-year-old’s tenure, especially with 65% of voters from a recent Football FanCast poll suggesting that Lampard would be a good appointment for Everton.

Also, with the 43-year-old not currently in work, it could be a swift appointment for Farhad Moshiri to make so that the club can put this transitional period behind them and focus on ending the season on a high with renewed optimism for the future.

In other news: Everton must avoid another managerial disaster with “arrogant” 58 y/o, he’d be Rafa 2.0

Pete Graves has now dropped a Newcastle United transfer claim from the new owners.

The Lowdown: Wood confirmed

The St. James’ Park faithful confirmed the signing of Chris Wood from Burnley for an undisclosed fee on Thursday morning, and he has signed a two-and-a-half year deal.

He has been registered in time for their crucial game at home against Watford in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, and joins Kieran Trippier to be their second signing in the January transfer window so far.

Nonetheless, there promises to be more on the way, with the likes of Marcos Senesi and Benoit Badiashile recently being linked with a move to the North East and a desperate need for additions in the heart of defence – the Magpies have the second-most goals conceded in the league.

The Latest: Transfer claim from owners

As per Graves, the new owners feel as if Premier League experience will be ‘key’ in their battle to avoid relegation down to the Championship, and so following the signing of Wood, they may go down that route again for their other targets:

“There’s a feeling amongst key members of the ownership that Premier League experience will be key in survival battle.”

The Verdict: Ideal, but not vital

Of course, signing players that have past experience in the top flight is ideal, as they know what to expect and some, like Wood, may have even faced a relegation battle before.

However, you can find unknown gems from outside of the division, and they would often come cheaper, given that you would not be buying directly from one of your rivals – Feyenoord’s Senesi is a prime example, valued at £10.8m by Transfermarkt.

Nonetheless, whatever strategy the new owners use, it has to be perfect if they are to give Eddie Howe a chance of keeping them up, and signing Trippier and Wood, who both have experience in the top flight, is certainly a good start.

In other news, find out who NUFC are in ‘advanced talks’ to sign here!

Newcastle United are reportedly now moving to sign Issa Diop before the January transfer window shuts.

The Lowdown: Centre-back still needed

Despite the good business that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium have done so far this window, a central defender has still not been signed.

They have been strongly linked with moves for Brighton and Hove Albion duo Adam Webster and Dan Burn, and with just a few more days left in the month, expect the new owners to be very busy on their phones as the clock ticks down.

And now, according to reports from the player’s homeland, it is another Premier League club that the Magpies are plotting to raid.

The Latest: Diop move

As per L’Equipe (via Sport Witness), the North East club are now ‘making moves’ to sign Diop, and there have been ‘discussions in recent hours’ with the player’s camp over a potential switch.

They ‘considered’ signing the West Ham United centre-back at the start of the window before moving on to other targets, but now it looks as if they have gone back in for him.

The Verdict: Get it done

With the clock ticking by, the Tyneside outfit just need to get this deal done as soon as possible.

Diop would be an upgrade on what Eddie Howe currently has at his disposal, as he is currently averaging more tackles and passes at a higher success than Ciaran Clark, Fabian Schar and Jamaal Lascelles in the Premier League so far this season (WhoScored), and is at a good age at 25.

With his six-foot-four frame, the Frenchman is a bit of a beast, and Jose Mourinho even went as far as to dub him a ‘monster‘ back in 2018, after dominating duels against his Manchester United team.

Nonetheless, with his added experience of playing in the top flight, Diop would be a very smart signing.

In other news, find out what exciting transfer update Keith Downie has dropped here!

Wolves right-back Nelson Semedo could return for his side’s Premier League clash with Newcastle United, according to injury expert Ben Dinnery.

The Lowdown: Semedo missing recently

The Portuguese ace has been out of action since the 2-1 defeat away to Arsenal in late February, having picked up a hamstring injury.

Prior to that setback, Semedo had started 23 Premier League matches for the Wanderers, proving to be an important part of Bruno Lage’s plans.

With Wolves visiting Newcastle on Friday evening, an injury boost may have emerged in the hours leading up to kick-off.

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The Latest: Dinnery makes key claim

Taking to Twitter, Dinnery, an injury analyst who runs the Premier Injuries site, claimed Semedo is in line to make a return to the side at St James’ Park:

“Nelson Semedo is training at a ‘good level’ and the right-back is in contention for the trip to St James’ Park.”

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The Verdict: Last-minute boost

This is a welcome boost for Wolves, and while Semedo may not be deemed match fit enough to start, the update suggests he will be able to play a key role between now and the end of the season.

Having the 28-year-old back in the fold means Jonny could revert to his preferred left-back role, giving the side an ideal balance in the two full-back positions.

Lage needs as many key men available in the final weeks of the season and Semedo certainly falls into that bracket, having averaged 2.3 tackles per game in the league this season. Only Toti (4.0) and Rayan Ait-Nouri (2.9) have a higher average.

In other news, Wolves are in a four-way battle to sign one player this summer. Find out who it is here.

Making a £4.5m move to Celtic back in the summer of 2020, expectations at Parkhead were high for Vasilis Barkas, with the Bhoys handing the goalkeeper a four-year deal believed to be worth around £20k-per-week.

However, after making just 23 appearances in all competitions, only one of which has come under the management of Ange Postecoglou this season, reports have claimed that the club are ready to cut their losses on the Greece international this January.

It is not difficult to see why, as, over his 15 Premiership appearances last time out, Barkas made an average of just one save and conceded 0.7 goals per game, returns that saw the £2.52m-rated 27-year-old earn a seasonal SofaScore rating of just 6.79 – ranking him as the club’s joint ninth-worst performer in the league.

However, rather than splashing the cash on a new backup to Joe Hart this winter, it would appear wise for Postecoglou to take a closer look at one of the club’s up and coming prospects between the sticks – in the shape of Tobi Oluwayemi.

Postecoglou can axe Barkas by unleashing Oluwayemi

Having already been called up to first-team training by Postecoglou, as well as being selected to feature on the bench – ahead of Barkas – in Celtic’s Europa League campaign this season, it is clear that the 18-year-old shot-stopper is a player the Greek-Australian coach has high hopes for.

Indeed, speaking prior to the Bhoys’ 3-2 victory over Real Betis earlier this month, the 56-year-old manager said of Oluwayemi: “Stevie Woods, our goalkeeping coach, rates him very highly. We’ve had him up in training with the team and he’s shown some good qualities.

“With all of these guys, we try and include them as much as we can and give them that experience. Toby was on the [Europa League] list so it gives him a chance to travel with the team and get the experience.”

As such, while the England U19 international is yet to make a single appearance in senior football, it would very much appear as if he is a player who has the potential to one day go on to become Celtic’s number one, an objective that would only seem to be helped by him being included in the Hoops first-team squad on a much more regular basis.

So, should Celtic indeed move the 27-year-old Barkas who Tam McManus dubbed a “horrendous” player on this winter, it would seem a very intelligent move for Postecoglou to unleash the 18-year-old Oluwayemi in the Greek’s place.

In other news: Ange can finally axe “pathetic” £7.9k-p/w Celtic flop with swoop for £270k-rated beast

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have ben left slamming the display of Ianis Hagi in their game away at Lyon in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday evening.

The Romania international was largely an anonymous figure on the pitch, recording fewer touches (30) than his own goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin before being hauled off by Giovanni van Bronckhorst just after the hour mark for Juninho Bacuna (SofaScore).

Hagi failed to record a single shot on target, dribble, key pass, accurate cross or long ball in the entire match, and was also guilty of giving up possession seven times (SofaScore), in what was a frustrating evening individually for the midfield player.

It means that he is yet to score under the new manager, while he has only managed one assist (Transfermarkt), and will no doubt want to improve on his recent performances.

Rangers fans slam Hagi

These members of the Ibrox faithful slammed his performance on Twitter, with one Light Blues supporter even going as far as to claim that he was a ‘let-down’:

“Hagi was a let-down tonight”

Credit: @DefNotJKen

“Hagi angry about coming off he’s been anonymous”

Credit: @redviper84

“Hagi vastly underperforming tonight, great to see rolling subs for a change though”

Credit: @lnheritant

“Hagi has been very poor under Gio so far imo”

Credit: @EveryOtherSatu1

“Hagi and Roofe are terrible footballers. Doing nothing out there tonight.”

Credit: @Robertc_12

“Hagi frustrating yet again.”

Credit: @RABERTO55

In other news, find out what off-field news has Gers gushing here!

West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Divock Origi to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by ExWHUemployee, who revealed on a recent episode of The West Ham Way Podcast that, despite David Moyes holding some reservations about the 26-year-old, the Liverpool centre-forward could become an option for the 58-year-old manager if he cannot land his preferred targets this month.

Speaking about the Hammers’ interest in the Belgium international, the club insider said: “Origi of Liverpool could be available. I think Moyes isn’t convinced but that could change if other targets don’t come to fruition.”

Dream signing

With West Ham desperately in need of backup and competition for Michail Antonio in the second half of the current campaign if the club are to have any hope of securing Champions League football at the London Stadium next season, Origi would very much appear to be something of a dream signing for the club.

Indeed, the £10.8m-rated man has made something of a reputation for himself as being a super-sub, having bagged a quite astonishing 11 goals for Jurgen Klopp’s side when coming off the bench – six of which came in the last ten minutes of the match in question.

Furthermore, the German manager is quite clearly convinced that the £82k-per-week forward is a player who deserves to hold more than a role as simply being a bit-part player, with the 54-year-old Reds boss stating of the Belgian: “If I would be in another club I would go for him. I thought that would happen but I cannot believe if you don’t play for Liverpool, you cannot be good. But I am very happy he is still here.”

As such, with West Ham very much in need of a player who is capable of doing a job from the bench, as well as possessing the ability to push Antonio for his starting spot in Moyes’ XI, the man whose “skills are outstanding” in the words of Klopp, would very much look to be the perfect target for the East London side to pursue this winter.

In other news: “Interestingly…”: Sky Sports journo drops big transfer claim, WHU fans will be livid

Player potential can be both prosperous and dangerous.

On one hand, if a player is to reach their maximum skill evolvement, their club can benefit no-end, financially speaking.

Though, if a player fails to hit the heights that their hype holds them accountable to, it can be a damaging affair for their employers.

Wolves are unique in the fact that their saga with former Portuguese and now Angolan footballer, Helder Costa leant more towards the former and more prosperous scenario, rather than the latter.

Costa profit

Costa emerged from the high profile Benfica youth system at the age of 18, in the same age group as Ivan Cavaleiro and Bernardo Silva.

After making his debut for the Lisbon side’s B-team in 2012, he would go onto represent them 72 times, scoring 15 goals. Ultimately, he failed to make the grade for the Benfica first-team, making just one appearance.

After a failed loan-spell at La Liga side Deportivo de La Coruna, he made the brave switch to pastures new to link-up with fellow Benfica graduates Silva and Cavaleiro at Monaco.

Despite teeing up a young Kylian Mbappe for the Frenchman’s first-ever league goal, Costa would go on to play a total of 28 games for the Ligue 1 side, scoring five goals, with Monaco loaded with depth options in Kylian Mbappe, Thomas Lemar and Bernardo Silva.

It wasn’t all bad though as Helder Costa moved on a season-long loan to Championship side at the time Wolverhampton Wanderers in what was his best season ever in terms of end product, with a total of 18 goal contributions in 35 appearances. 

Wolves made the transfer permanent, with the Old Gold side splashing out £13m for Costa’s services to break their club-record transfer fee at the time in January 2017.

Ultimately, the attacker was not able replicate his ten goals and eight assists that he showed the season prior, but still chipped in with a solid five goals and six assists to help Wolves top the Championship and gain promotion to the Premier League.

After one season in the Premier League, Costa joined Leeds United on loan in the Championship and after helping them to promotion, made the deal permanent with Leeds forking out £16m but he was soon dubbed a “massive flop” by pundit Noel Whelan.

He featured 22 times in the Premier League for Bielsa’s side the following season (2020/2021) yet Leeds offloaded him to Valencia the following campaign after just one appearance, in what was a strange deal at the time.

With 28-year-old Costa fighting to turn his loan move at Valencia into a permanent deal, he is now valued at just £7.2m, with Wolves’ decision to sell in 2019 looking ingenious.

In other news – Wolves eyeing “all-round” 26y/o regarded as “most complete ever” with fans buzzing…