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[ad_pod ]Liverpool attacker Sadio Mane has told LiverpoolFC.com that the team aren’t putting any pressure on themselves in the Premier League title race, and Reds fans have been quick to react to his comments on Twitter.

The Merseyside outfit recovered from the minor blip of losing consecutive fixtures against Manchester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers – in the top flight and FA Cup respectively – at the beginning of 2019 to record successive victories against Brighton & Hove Albion and Crystal Palace.

The latest thrilling 4-3 win against the Eagles left them four points clear of City at the summit, while they are also nine above third-placed Tottenham Hotspur in the standings ahead of the final 15 fixtures of the season.

Speaking to LiverpoolFC.com, Mane highlighted the professional mentality in the dressing room:

“We have experience now.

“Of course we are confident if we’re winning – but not too much, we know what can happen. We are still professional footballers and we’re still going to try to take it game by game.

“The season is long and we have many games. Making pressure for ourselves doesn’t help. Why not just try to win games until the end of the season?”

The FA Cup exit to Wolves means Jurgen Klopp’s men have an 11-day gap to prepare for their next Premier League fixture against Leicester City at Anfield on Wednesday, where they will hope to pick up their 20th top flight win of what has been a brilliant campaign to date.

Liverpool supporters took to social media to give their thoughts on their 26-year-old attacker’s defiant message, and while one said he’d “better tell Lovren and Lallana that”, another said the Senegal international has an “elite mentality”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Are the media letting Jurgen Klopp off lightly for his lack of silverware? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

After winning three of their four previous Premier League games prior to their international break, Southampton have a great chance to get back to where they left off with a match against Norwich City, who have only won one game in the league this season, next up for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side at the weekend.

Looking ahead to the match at Carrow Road, it seems as though the Saints have been handed a major squad boost just in time for the clash against the Canaries that will surely have a lot of Southampton fans buzzing given the various player’s importance to the squad.

What’s the news?

It has recently been reported by Hampshire Live that Valentino Livramento, Armando Broja, and Nathan Redmond have all returned to training after previously being doubts to feature in the match.

Presuming that all three will be fit enough for selection by Saturday, this will be a big boost for Hasenhuttl when it comes to choosing his starting XI to take on Dean Smith’s side.

With Livramento, who dropped out of the England U21 squad last week through injury, the fact that he has played 90 minutes in all but one of Southampton’s league games so far this season with one goal and one assist under his belt shows just how important he has been for the team and suggests that he will be in the starting XI at the weekend if he’s fit.

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Even though Broja, who has struggled with an ankle injury in recent weeks, managed to score his first two goals for the Saints in their games against Leeds United and Burnley back in October, the fact that Che Adams and Adam Armstrong have both found the back of the net since then could give Hasenhuttl a tough decision over who he plays up front against Norwich. That would hand the manager a rare selection dilemma, but one he’ll be delighted to have.

Then with Redmond, who missed Southampton’s 1-0 win over Aston Villa after testing positive for the pandemic, even though he’s yet to score in the league this season, the fact that he has provided two assists and started seven of their 11 league games shows that he is an important figure for Hasenhuttl.

Taking all of this into account, only time will tell if the trio will all start against Norwich or not, but Hasenhuttl will definitely be glad to have them back in training rather than out on the sidelines to give him more options across the pitch.

In other news: Ralph must ruthlessly axe £60k-p/w “nice guy” at Southampton, he’s their weak link – opinion

An update has emerged regarding the situation of Rangers transfer target Siriki Dembele at Peterborough heading into January.

What’s the talk?

According to Football Insider, the Gers are one of the clubs who are interested in a deal for the English Championship forward, alongside Glasgow rivals Celtic and London outfit Fulham.

The report claims that Peterborough are ready to cash in on him for £4m in January, as he will be a free agent at the end of the campaign having rejected a contract offer to extend his deal.

Imagine him & Kent

New Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst must look to take advantage of Dembele’s contract situation in East Anglia by snapping him up in the January transfer window. He is valued at £4m by the Championship club, but the Dutchman and Ross Wilson could potentially agree a pre-contract deal with the forward and then use that as leverage to secure a cheaper deal in the winter.

If Rangers can get Dembele to put pen to paper on a pre-contract deal, then they can go to Peterborough and offer them a reduced fee to give them the chance to recoup a fee for the forward’s services. Otherwise, they will lose him for nothing at the end of the season.

Van Bronckhorst could land a dream wing pairing by signing Dembele, as he could form an exciting partnership with Ryan Kent out wide. The 25-year-old has four goals and one assist in the Championship this season, but his form in League One last term showed huge promise as he found the back of the net 11 times and racked up 10 assists as Posh won promotion to the second tier.

Earlier this year, Peterborough chief Barry Fry hailed the attacker’s ‘dazzling’ ability on the ball. He told Football FanCast: “Siriki can get the ball in his own half and with dazzling dribbling ability, he can beat four or five players and score a wonder goal or cross it for somebody else to score.

“He’s very, very exciting. He’s got the best stats outside the [English] Premier League, I think. We’ll try to keep hold of him if we go up, and we’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse! So watch this space.”

This provides an insight into the type of player he is, with the winger able to embark on dribbling runs past several players whilst also having the end product to produce goals and assists. Meanwhile, Kent has a similar style out wide for Rangers, as he averaged 1.9 dribbles per game last season along with his 10 goals and nine assists.

Therefore, they could combine to form an exciting wide pairing for the Gers with their dribbling ability and end product in the final third. This is why Van Bronckhorst must ensure that he can get a deal over the line for Dembele in the coming weeks.

AND in other news, Big blow: Rangers suffer setback as behind-the-scenes news emerges, fans surely gutted…

Manchester United have not made much progress so far in their winter transfer window, despite many players being linked to the club over the first two weeks, but Ralf Rangnick could be set to make his first star signing as manager at Old Trafford.

Rangnick’s side have been struggling to get results in the Premier League since the new year began, with a defeat at home in their first game of the year against Wolves, and drawing in their second league game of 2022 with Aston Villa after losing a two-goal lead on Saturday evening.

These results and a clear lack of determination to see games out will only put more pressure on the interim manager to make signings who can make a positive impact and offer the side the quality they need to climb into the top four as they compete with West Ham United, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur for a Champions League qualifying place.

One player that could save Rangnick’s six months in charge at Old Trafford, is Ousmane Dembele who was hailed “better than Mbappe” by Barcelona president, Joan Laporta, recently.

The 24-year-old forward has not been playing a lot for the La Liga giants with only six appearances in the league this season so far due to a knee injury, and has been linked with a move to Manchester United this week, with the £287k-per-week gem out of contract in the summer, so a cut-price deal could be available if Rangnick feels it would be worth stepping up on the signings this month.

Dembele has a fantastic goal involvement record at Barcelona, despite only playing 58 minutes on average per game for the club so far, with a goal or assist every 141 minutes according to Transfermarkt.

Someone with consistent output would be a great addition to the Manchester United forward line, with the creative possibilities endless for the French attacker if he was to play alongside the second-highest goalscorer in the history of football, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Fans would also love to see Dembele add attacking depth at Old Trafford, with one fan even tweeting:

“What is the solution to make Man United a great club? Sign Dembele.”

Rangnick will be looking to find a way to get the fans back on side after some turned on the manager after the Aston Villa game on Saturday evening, so signing a star offensive player like Dembele could be a good way to get back in the good books of the fanbase for the German coach.

In other news: Rangnick has fee agreed for Amadou Haidara

Premier League clubs, including Aston Villa, met on Monday and decided against a circuit breaker over the festive period.

Villa shared the Premier League’s statement on their official Twitter channel, with a number of supporters reacting to the update.

Villa have been hit with a rapid rise of virus cases and had to cancel their match against Burnley on Saturday. The club had requested for the game to be called off at 10:30am on Saturday morning, but the fixture wasn’t officially postponed until 12:40pm, with little more than two hours to the scheduled kick-off time.

It was the sixth and final top-flight match to be postponed over the weekend (and the 10th in the space of a week) due to the pandemic, but the Premier League confirmed that it is ‘collective intention to continue the current fixture schedule where safely possible’.

That means Villa’s Boxing Day meeting with Chelsea is still on at this moment in time despite the outbreak at Bodymoor Heath.

Villa fans react

Here is what these Villa fans had to say in reply, with many not happy regarding the statement, which one supporter described as a “joke” in the increasingly worrying circumstances.

“Looks like I’ll be ready to go and then end up in the pub again lol, feel sorry for people that travel a far distance for them to call it off last minute, the Premier league are a joke”

Credit: @SamBrogan3

“’The health and wellbeing of all concerned remains our priority…’ Complete lies”

Credit: @Sayers8

“Gonna spread like wildfire. But money must come first”

Credit: @ajsfounded71

“So half a squad for Boxing Day’s game… Isolation is 10 days”

Credit: @VillaCannock

“If that’s case we probs have to field half the team with youth players, guarantee if it was other way around with Chelsea the game would’ve already been postponed”

Credit: @Hellyer7

“Looking after the so called big six again!”

Credit: @austinw1957

In other news: ‘On my knees’ – Many Aston Villa fans erupt as Lange makes ‘bold’ January transfer bid

Some Wolves supporters have been showing their happiness at a new photo of Jonny continuing to make positive progress in his injury recovery.

Bruno Lage’s side haven’t enjoyed the most entertaining of weeks, recording back-to-back 0-0 draws away to Norwich City and at home to Burnley in the Premier League.

That being said, Wanderers are still sixth in the table and are proving difficult to beat ahead of the tough-looking visit of Liverpool on Saturday afternoon. Jurgen Klopp’s men are absolutely flying at the minute, scoring 12 league goals in their last three games alone.

One player who will certainly be absent for Wolves is Jonny, as he continues to work his way back from a cruciate ligament injury suffered back in April.

On Thursday, however, the club’s official Twitter channel shared an image of Jonny running outdoors, suggesting that his return is edging closer.

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Wolves fans love Jonny photo

These Wolves fans took to Twitter to show their love for the left-back, with one calling for him to be restored to the team in place of Adama Traore when fit, given the Spain winger’s ineffectiveness in the final third this season.

“Grealish dreams about these calves”

Credit: @TomTonks

“JONNYYYYY”

Credit: @wwfcbilly

“The best LWB in the league”

Credit: @wolvesjoshh

“Man we need him back ASAP”

Credit: @cpj93070

“Don’t rush him, he’s a gem”

Credit: @Jandersonn94

“Play him over Adama at ST”

Credit: @TheWaddd

In other news, some Wolves fans have flocked to a transfer update. Read more here.

Former Aston Villa assistant John Terry is in the frame to take over at Villa Park, should Dean Smith lose his job over the international break, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Another Newcastle target?

Terry left the club over the summer to focus on becoming a manager. However, as we know, he is yet to land his first position as a boss.

He was recently linked with the Newcastle job, similar to another reported Villa target Paulo Fonseca – Eddie Howe looks likely to arrive on Tyneside, so the Villans could now have a free run at either of those names.

Smith’s position at Bodymoor Heath is thought to be in ‘serious jeopardy’, and it seems as if Terry is another target NSWE have in mind.

The Latest: Terry links

According to a report from Football Insider on Thursday afternoon, Villa will sound out Terry for a possible return if they part ways with Smith.

A Villa source informed the site that Smith will be fighting for his job if Villa suffer a fifth defeat in a row against Southampton on Friday evening, and even a win could just delay the inevitable.

The Verdict: A big gamble…

Terry reportedly still has a very strong relationship with Villa chief Christian Purslow, but if Villa decide to move for the 40-year-old to possibly replace Smith, it could be a huge gamble.

As mentioned, he has no experience in management, with his only coaching position coming alongside Smith at Villa Park.

On that basis, it could be a big ask to expect Terry to turn things around, compared to another target like Fonseca, who has a proven record in a number of leagues and a clear 3-4-2-1 style which wowed Pep Guardiola.

In other news: ‘Hate this club’ – Lots of AVFC fans fume at ‘disappointing’ Chukwuemeka news. 

Noel Whelan has been giving his thoughts to Football Insider on Celtic’s permanent moves for Reo Hatate and Yosuke Ideguchi.

The Lowdown: Long-term deals

The Hoops wasted no time in making a start on their winter business and announced a trio of moves for Hatate, Ideguchi and Daizen Maeda on New Year’s Eve.

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Maeda arrived on an initial loan deal with a compulsory purchase option, whereas Celtic handed both Hatate and Ideguchi four-and-a-half-year contracts.

Hatate has cost Ange Postecoglou’s side £1.38m and Ideguchi £684,000, and both are on the books until 2026.

The Latest: Whelan’s comments

Whelan, who regularly features as a pundit for BBC Radio Leeds, was talking to Football Insider regarding the moves for Hatate and Ideguchi.

He admitted that it was a ‘surprise’ to see the length of the contracts and described it as a ‘really big show of faith’ from the Hoops, saying:

“Obviously Postecoglou has seen that over his time working in Japan. He has highlighted these three players as potential players that can do what has been done from the start of the season, which is that progression.

“They’re trusting in these players because you don’t see too many signing four-and-a-half-year contract these days. It’s usually three, two-and-a-half, add-ons etcetera.

“So this is a surprise and a really big show of faith in these players. They don’t need to worry about a thing. Four years, they’ve got that.

“They just need to progress and show Celtic fans that they’re good players and they’re lucky to have them for the four years.”

The Verdict: Shrewd move by Celtic

Celtic have ultimately covered their backs when it comes to the pair by giving them lengthy contracts, especially as they are both still in their 20s.

Should they impress in Glasgow, similar to Kyogo Furuhashi, then the Hoops will be under no pressure to sell over the coming years. Even if the new arrivals struggle in Scotland, you’d expect that, if they wanted to, the club could be able to get their money back due to the length of their deals.

Hopefully the Hoops can reap the rewards over the coming years, with their relatively low transfer fees giving Michael Nicholson the scope to hand out deals running to 2026.

In other news: Celtic may also swoop for 6 foot 1 beast this month who had Sadio Mane in his ‘pocket’. 

Manchester United have been having a quiet transfer window in terms of incomings, but rumours have been spreading of fall outs and potential moves for many of the current squad, with the latest development one that would potentially be welcomed by fans.

What’s the word?

According to Sky Sports Italia, as cited by MilanLive, Eric Bailly is one of a number of defenders that AC Milan are interested in signing this January to replace Simon Kjaer.

The Serie A side are said to be looking for a quick fix to replace the Milan defender, who has been ruled out for the rest of the season, and Manchester United’s centre-back is one that they have reportedly ‘focused their attention’ on.

Fans will be buzzing

Bailly has been previously criticised for his poor performances when given his opportunity to play in the side, with Trevor Sinclair ripping into the “poor” player after the 2-0 defeat Manchester United sustained to local rivals, Manchester City:

“What is Bailly doing? That is poor defending,” he began.

“We’re not surprised, are we? He’s a rash defender and he seems like he’s always got a mistake in him,

“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks and the ship has sailed for Bailly. He’ll never be the composed defender Man United need.”

The £87k-per-week flop has had his ups and downs at Old Trafford over the last five and a half years, and has only been given seven appearances in all competitions this season. Thus, fans will surely be delighted to see the back of him.

According to SofaScore, Bailly has not helped his side keep a single clean sheet in any of the Premier League games he has played in this season, as well as averaging less than one interception per game while only winning possession 0.3 times on average over the season so far in the league.

It’s safe to say fans would not be sorry to see the central defender leave the club this January, with one fan simply tweeting: “Bailly can leave.”

Ralf Rangnick has had a number of internal issues going on this week, with Bailly named as one of 11 players who are rumoured to want to leave the club this season, and with the FA Cup game against Aston Villa coming up this evening it will be interesting to see who the German coach plays in his starting line up amidst the drama.

If he does, it will be a mistake. After all, the defender should be brutally axed from the Theatre of Dreams this winter.

In other news: Ralf Rangnick eyes a swoop for Rudiger

Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Newcastle United will now ‘push again’ to try and sign Diego Carlos in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Getting closer?

Speaking on Thursday’s edition of Sky Sports’ The Transfer Show, journalist Kaveh Solhekol revealed (via Sky Sports’ The Transfer Centre) live on TV (17:05pm) that Sevilla would like to keep Carlos for their weekend game against Celta Vigo, and then a deal could potentially be done after.

This story has not stopped since the window opened, and so with just over a week left, it seems as if the Magpies have put all their eggs firmly into the basket of bringing Carlos to St. James’ Park.

The Latest: Romano update

Writing on his official Twitter page, Italian football journalist and transfer expert Romano has now dropped an update on the situation, revealing the player himself is keen and ‘waiting’.

“Newcastle will push again in the next hours for Diego Carlos.

“Sevilla are trying to resist in every way as they did for Kounde/Chelsea deal last summer – but Newcastle are willing to insist. Key hours ahead.

“Diego already agreed personal terms days ago. He’s waiting.”

The Verdict: Just do it

With the days ticking by, the North East club just need to sign Carlos now as soon as possible, so that they can integrate him into the team to be ready for the relegation battle ahead – it’s not as if there’s a whole host of alternative options queued up either.

Described as a ‘real leader at the back’ (The Daily Express) by European football expert Andy Brassell, ‘The Beast‘, as Carlos is appropriately nicknamed, is exactly the kind of personality that the Tyneside outfit need for the fight, and luring him away from Sevilla, who are currently second in La Liga, would be a real coup.

Nonetheless, at 28 years of age, the Brazilian is in his prime, and now is the time for the Toon to strike.

In other news, find out what worrying NUFC transfer insight Liam Kennedy has dropped here!