Liverpool centre-back Dejan Lovren left the pitch after just five minutes of his side’s 2-1 FA Cup defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux on Monday night, and it surely heightened the club’s need to sign a new defender like Chelsea’s Gary Cahill this month.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Reds are already missing Joe Gomez and Joel Matip through injury and as well as Lovren picking up a knock in the Midlands, Jurgen Klopp has also hinted that Virgil van Dijk is suffering from an issue as well.

The news comes on the back of the Merseyside outfit losing their first top-flight match of the season and following it up with a second successive reverse against Wolves, and Klopp will know that he cannot afford to take any risks when it comes to his squad as they look to win their first ever Premier League title.

While Fabinho can cover at centre-back and 16-year-old Ki-Jana Hoever impressed after replacing Lovren on Monday, the German manager should move to bring a new centre-back to the club.

Why Gary Cahill?

It’s simple really.

While the 33-year-old is approaching the twilight years of his career, he still has undoubted quality and the experience of winning two Premier League titles with Chelsea, and he will be desperate to not only prove that he can still be a key man at this level, but also to add another big trophy to his cabinet.

The England international looks set to leave the club he currently skippers on a free this month as a thanks for his services to them six months ahead of his contract expiring, and he could be the player Liverpool need next to Van Dijk during the run-in to ensure they get over the line as Manchester City begin to breathe down their necks.

Who has the loudest fans in Europe? PSG certainly state their claim in the video below…

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According to the BBC, Marko Arnautovic is keen to force an exit from West Ham United in this January transfer window, with the east London club having received a bid for his services from a Chinese club.

What’s the word?

The Austrian striker has been in fine form for the Hammers so far this season, registering seven goals and two assists in fifteen Premier League outings.

If he were to leave, the 29-year-old would undoubtedly be a huge loss to Manuel Pellegrini’s squad. The Chilean coach would also have to identify a replacement who could lead the line for the Irons in Arnautovic’s stead.

Check out Neymar’s controversial new haircut for 2019 and Xherdan Shaqiri as you’ve never seen him before in the video below…

The east London club should pursue a player who could match the 77-cap Austria international’s physicality and hold-up play, as well as someone capable of finding the back of the net on a regular basis.

To take up this berth, Pellegrini ought to have Genoa hitman Krzysztof Piatek at the top of his shopping list.

Not missing Arnie at all

The 23-year-old has been in scintillating form for the Serie A side so far this season. To date, the 2-cap Poland international has racked up nineteen goals and one assist in 21 outings in all competitions. 

This return is made all the more impressive when considering the fact that this is Piatek’s first campaign in Italy, with the No. 9 having only signed for Genoa from Polish outfit Cracovia in the summer.  

In fact, Piatek’s start to life in Serie A has been record-breaking. The Polish forward made the best goal-scoring start of any debutant to an Italian top flight campaign since 1949.

If Pellegrini were to bring Piatek to the Premier League and the striker could reproduce that kind of form then Hammers fans wouldn’t miss Arnautovic at all.

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Southampton should make a move to sign Theo Walcott from Everton this January as they seek attacking reinforcements.

The Saints have reportedly identified Ademola Lookman as a potential target, per the printed version of The Daily Star (January 8, page 47), with manager Ralph Hasenhuttl having worked with the winger at RB Leipzig, but Walcott would be a more realistic, and more fan-friendly target.

What’s the word?

Hasenhuttl knows Lookman well, but the Saints are also incredibly familiar with Walcott, who made his name on the south coast before a move to Arsenal.

Lookman enjoyed an excellent performance at the weekend as Everton beat Bournemouth 2-0, and created Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s goal in injury time to ensure the Toffees took all three points.

Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

Walcott, meanwhile, has endured a difficult campaign under Marco Silva.

After a fine start to the season, in which he scored twice and laid on an assist in his first three games, he has scored just once, in a 6-2 thrashing at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur.

Lookman, thus, is surely now the de facto first-choice at Goodison Park.

Walcott, then, is likely available…

Brilliant pace 

Southampton lack pace across their forward line.

While Shane Long is relatively quick, and Nathan Redmond has a nice turn of pace, there are very few truly lightning-quick forwards at St Mary’s.

Walcott, though, is famed for his electric speed, and has already established himself as a star at St Mary’s.

He made his debut for Southampton at the age of 16, way back in 2005, and went on to make 22 appearances for the club, scoring five goals.

Arsenal, of course, swooped to sign the teenager in 2006, paying an initial £5million.

A return to St Mary’s would surely appeal to the ex-England international, with his spell at Everton turning sour.

Walcott would offer the pace and directness that the Saints currently lack, and, at the age of 29, he has plenty of gas left in the tank.

He would cost a fraction of the price of Lookman, who, at 21, remains a key part of Everton’s future, and solve a number of problems plaguing Hasenhuttl.

The deal makes sense, and could be secured in January if the Saints boss moves quickly.

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Manchester United overcame bitter rivals Arsenal by a 3-1 scoreline at the Emirates Stadium on Friday night. The win put the Red Devils through to the next round of the FA Cup, whilst the Gunners were dumped out of the competition.

United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has plenty to thank Romelu Lukaku for after the victory, as the 25-year-old produced a fine performance and provided two assists to put the Old Trafford club in charge of the contest.

One the chalkboard

The most impressive thing about the 79-cap Belgium international’s performance was the fact that he was operating in an unfamiliar position. The 6’3” forward usually plays as a central striker, but he was positioned on the right flank against the Gunners.

Who is your club’s worst ever January signing? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have picked theirs in the video below and they didn’t disappoint…

In this berth, he was able to get the better of Sead Kolasinac by exploiting the space left behind the Arsenal left-back when he pushed forward.

Both of United’s opening goals came as a result of counterattacks when Kolasinac was caught out of position and Lukaku was able to maraud up the wing, before delivering the final ball into the box. 

Lukaku impressed in this role, and Solskjaer ought to stick with him in it.

Sticking with the experiment

Arsenal are hardly the only club to play with attack-minded full backs, so Lukaku could likely reproduce his effective performance against a number of opponents this season.

What’s more, playing Lukaku out wide frees up Marcus Rashford to play as a central striker, where he has excelled in recent weeks. 

Upon taking the United job, Solskjaer will have been tasked with getting the best out of the club’s struggling stars. His tactical vision looks to have given Lukaku a new lease of life, which could see him get his Old Trafford career back on track on the right flank. 

[ad_pod ]West Ham are reportedly close to striking a deal for Celta Vigo striker Maxi Gomez.

What’s the story?

Well, according to Sky Sports, West Ham are “closing in†on an agreement for Gomez, and are willing to meet his €50m (about £43m) release clause.

The striker has been heavily linked with a move to East London ever since Marko Arnautovic’s future was cast into doubt earlier this month.

BBCÂreported a £35m bid from China for Arnautovic, although the Austrian international expressed his desire to remain a Hammer on FridayÂand has since signed a new contract.

Look away Arsenal fans! American Soccer Fan is back to troll more fans at the London Stadium in the video below…

A new dawn

Despite some disappointing recent results, West Ham are absolutely flying under Manuel Pellegrini, finally producing the exciting, attacking football fans have been crying out for.

Last season’s upheaval against Burnley now seems a million years ago, as the club made good use of the summer, appointing a world class manager and backing him with big name signings. Now, a move for Gomez once again shows the club being proactive and brave in the transfer market.

22 year-old Gomez has scored nine times and added five assists in a struggling Celta side this season, per Whoscored, and his rare skillset of strength, speed, skill and tenacity is very similar to that of Arnautovic.

Even if the Austrian international does stay in East London beyond this season, the move for Gomez should have fans fully confident that the club have prepared for life without their talisman – who turns 30 in April.

So, West Ham fans, do you think Gomez will join? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below…

[ad_pod ]Aston Villa are admirers of Nottingham Forest midfielder Joe Lolley, according to a recent report in The Sun.Lolley, who joined Forest from Huddersfield Town in January 2018, has been in excellent form during the 2018-19 campaign.Indeed, the 26-year-old has scored eight times and contributed eight assists in 35 appearances in all competitions for the east Midlands outfit.The Sun have claimed that Villa see Lolley as a potential replacement for Jack Grealish, who could well leave the club at the end of the current season.He has a contract with Forest until the end of the 2021-22 campaign, meaning that Villa will have to come up with a decent offer to sign the winger.It would be fair to say that the Villa fans are in favour of the deal taking place, with many taking to social media to call on their club to sign Lolley, who played non-league football before joining Huddersfield Town in 2014.A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

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Manchester City dismantled Chelsea in devastating fashion on Sunday afternoon as they returned to the top of the Premier League table with a 6-0 victory.

Pep Guardiola’s side may only be top on goal difference, but in a game defined by fine margins that could represent the difference between first and second place come the end of matchday 38.

Stunning individual performances were the order of the day at the Etihad Stadium, with the front-free of Raheem Sterling, Sergio Aguero and Bernardo Silva sweeping the plaudits for the roles they played in the demolition.

Ilkay Gundogan, Fernandinho and Kevin de Bruyne controlled the game behind the aforementioned attacking trio, but the latter was far from his electric best.

The 68-cap Belgium international was making only his fifth league start of the season due to the pair of ligament injuries which have ruled him out for the majority of the season so far, and his lack of match fitness showed at times against his former club.

De Bruyne was dispossessed three times and made only one key pass against Chelsea before he was withdrawn after 68 minutes.

To put his performance into context, his return of 26 completed passes was the lowest recorded by a City player aside from Aguero – a stat which points towards an anomalous lack of involvement.

From an individual perspective, it was a disappointing afternoon for De Bruyne, but after spending so much of the season on the sidelines it’s easy to understand why he was not up to his usual high standard.

The 27-year-old playmaker is simply not match fit right now. His lack of involvement in City’s captivating attacking display was an unusual reality for supporters to face up to, but he can afford a handful of mediocre performances while the rest of the team are clicking and scoring goals at will.

It will take time for him to rediscover his imperious best form but his eventual return to peak fitness could provide City with yet another devastating weapon during the final weeks of the season.

On his day De Bruyne is a match-winner who can shift the dynamic of a game in the blinking of an eye, and that talismanic tendency should arrive in tandem with a return to full fitness.

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Manchester United fans have taken to Twitter to bemoan the club’s lack of squad depth.

A tweet from the official United account on Sunday quoted manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer saying: “Every single player is going to have a say in us moving up the table and getting the results that we need.”

The likes of Tahith Chong and Mason Greenwood have played for the club this season due to a number of injury problems sustained by first-team players.

United are currently fifth in the Premier League, two points behind fourth-placed Arsenal and one ahead of sixth-placed Chelsea with eight games of the season remaining.

Solskjaer’s side have to play the likes of Manchester City and Maurizio Sarri’s men before the season is out as they look to qualify for the Champions League again next season.

Of course, United can also qualify by winning the tournament but they face Barcelona in the quarter-finals, perhaps the toughest assignment they could have been given in Europe.

And fans piled in to reply to the tweet, insisting that there simply isn’t scope to bring through a large number of players, as there is not a great deal of depth in the squad, with many calling for a summer of investment.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Off the Bench series, which places in-game managerial decisions and squad selections under FFC’s microscope.

After securing three impressive victories over the likes of Tottenham, Manchester City and AZ Alkmaar, Manchester United were held to a disappointing 1-1 draw by Everton in the Premier League.

Snapshot

Amidst reports in recent weeks claiming Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was fighting for his job at Old Trafford, their recent revival appeared to earn a bit of respite. But the Norwegian will no doubt be under the cosh once more after his side yet again were held to a poor result by a team outside of the Premier League’s top six.

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The Red Devils could consider themselves extremely unlucky to find themselves a goal behind thanks to an own goal from Victor Lindelof, with a possible foul on David de Gea appearing to be ignored. United at least sealed a point thanks to Mason Greenwood, and it was the 18-year-old’s substitution in the second-half that was responsible for the Manchester side’s comeback.

Off the bench

In a seriously underwhelming first-half performance, United lacked any ideas or imagination to break a resolute Everton down. As per Sofascore, they managed just two shots on target despite averaging 64% of the possession, and that lack of creativity and incisive edge was a major reason behind their struggles.

But following Greenwood’s introduction with 25 minutes to go, United looked a different outfit, with the teenager providing a bit more thrust with his use of the ball. As well as his well-taken goal on his left foot, the England youth international provided one key pass and one accurate long ball too. It was a cameo that showed exactly what he can bring to the table, and there really cannot be any excuses for Solskjaer to not place his faith in him fully, and hand him a chance to start from the off in the Premier League.

Meanwhile, Manchester United fans have hailed this starlet for his appearance against AZ Alkmaar.

Christian Benteke put in an impressive performance for Crystal Palace on Saturday, despite the game eventually ending in a 1-0 loss against Newcastle United.

On the chalkboard

It would be easy to look at this as simply one more game in which he didn’t make an impact for Roy Hodgson’s side, as he failed to get on the scoresheet and no points were earned.

That stance would be helped by the fact that the Belgium international has made five starts and 11 substitute appearances in all competitions this campaign, without recording a single goal or assist.

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While the 29-year-old will likely be disappointed that his drought has continued and the team walked away from St. James’ Park without any points, there were still positive signs to take regarding the former Aston Villa and Liverpool man’s play.

Positive signs

First of all, he used his physicality well, winning 11 aerial duels throughout the 90 minutes that he was on the pitch.

He was more than just a target man though, as he showed quality on the ball, completing all three of his attempted dribbles, as well as managing one key pass.

The Belgian also got three shots off, one of which forced a good save from Martin Dubravka. Even though it didn’t lead to a goal, what was impressive about this is that he latched onto the rebound and played a threatening ball towards Jordan Ayew, showing how alert he was.

There was even a defensive contribution from the colossal striker, as he made one tackle and two interceptions during the game’s duration.

It says a lot about his performance that the goalscorer Miguel Almiron and Florian Lejeune were the only two players that WhoScored gave a higher rating than Benteke.

Did he really play for us?! No Palace fan has managed to name all of these obscure Eagles signings….

As has already been mentioned, there are various reasons for disappointment following this match, but Benteke’s performance should offer some encouragement.

In other news, it has been suggested that Palace are misusing one of their midfielders.