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Liverpool should be looking to sign an upgrade on defender Joel Matip during the summer transfer window, according to journalist Ryan Taylor.

The Lowdown: Matip in poor form

The Reds have been in shocking form for much of this season, with some of the performances since the 2022 World Cup arguably even worse than before it, when many thought the break would serve the squad well.

Plenty of individuals have struggled for Liverpool throughout the campaign and Matip has been one of them, looking like a shadow of his former self at centre-back.

The 31-year-old came back into the team for the 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace but only because of an injury to Joe Gomez, and he made no tackles or interceptions at Selhurst Park.

The Latest: Liverpool backed to sign upgrade

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Taylor claimed that Liverpool should look to offload Matip this summer and bring in a superior option:

“I think players like Matip are areas where Liverpool now need to look at upgrading by being brave. They need to be ballsy and say, okay Matip has been brilliant for us, but ultimately he’s underperforming at the moment.

“And that’s an area where we can bring in more quality.”

The Verdict: One more year?

Matip’s form has been really poor too often this season, and at 31, there is certainly an argument to say that his best days are now officially behind him, having once been hailed as ‘world-class’ by Jurgen Klopp.

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That being said, the £100,000-a-week defender hasn’t become an awful player overnight and he is part of a team with no confidence, so writing him off completely could be a bit premature.

There is no question that Ibrahima Konate should now be Virgil van Dijk’s first-choice centre-back partner moving forward, but with one year remaining on his current deal, Matip could be worth persevering with until it expires in 2024.

He would be fine as Liverpool’s fourth-choice centre-back, with an upgrade coming in to usurp him and Gomez, leading to the latter leaving instead of Matip.

Like most clubs, Tottenham Hotspur have endured their fair share of blunders with regard to letting young players move on over the years, with the likes of Sporting Lisbon starlet Marcus Edwards and footballing icon David Beckham just two of the names to have initially been on the books in north London before blossoming elsewhere.

One further howler that current chairman Daniel Levy has overseen in recent times is the exit of fleet-footed winger Noni Madueke on a free transfer back in 2018, with the 20-year-old having only recently been snapped up by Premier League rivals Chelsea following a fruitful spell in the Netherlands.

The Barnet-born speedster had initially joined the Lilywhites in his early teens following a brief spell at Crystal Palace, notably going on to make his debut for Spurs’ U18 side at the age of just 15 as a marker of his exciting potential.

That rapid development left the youngster hungry to secure a place at first-team level, having duly decided to make the bold move to join Eredivisie giants PSV Eindhoven in order to realise that ambition.

Reflecting on that decision in a recent interview with The Mirror, the 6 foot winger revealed that he had been craving a shot in the senior ranks, hence his decision to depart Spurs at the age of just 16.

He said: “At 16 year old I felt I was ready for a first team. I backed myself 100 percent. I am very impatient! The quicker you get young talents into first team football the quicker they get ahead of the talent of other nations.”

The frustration for Levy and co will be as to why there was no clear pathway for the promising forward in N17, with Tottenham having been left to rue their inability to keep hold of the “sensational” gem, as he was dubbed by journalist Danny Rust.

As for Madueke, the eye-catching dynamo reaped the rewards of his bravery to move abroad, having made his first start for PSV just a week prior to his 18th birthday, before going on to truly cement himself in the team over the subsequent few seasons.

The England U21 international ultimately racked up 34 goal involvements in 80 games in all competitions for the Eindhoven outfit, while also helping the club to secure the KNVB Cup and the Dutch Super Cup last year.

That impressive form unsurprisingly sparked interest in his services, with the Blues moving swiftly to strike a deal last month for a fee of around £29m, with such a sizeable figure likely to sting as far as Spurs are concerned after letting him depart for nothing five years ago.

While it is still early days with regard to his time at Stamford Bridge, Madueke notably caught the eye on his Chelsea debut in their draw against Fulham last weekend, recording two key passes and completing 100% of his dribbles in that 45-minute cameo.

That brief showing would appear to suggest that he can go on to thrive under Graham Potter moving forward, which would be of real frustration to Tottenham supporters and to Levy.

Manchester City are unlikely to make any more new signings before the end of the January transfer window, according to reports.

The Lowdown: After Perrone

The Premier League giants confirmed the arrival of Velez Sarsfield midfielder Maximo Perrone on Monday evening, with the 20-year-old putting pen to paper on a five-and-a-half-year contract.

The Argentinian is the only fresh face to have walked through the doors of the Etihad Stadium so far this month, with Pep Guardiola having admitted in December that his side’s winter business would likely be kept to a minimum.

The Blues, however, have recently been linked with a move for AC Milan forward Rafael Leao, with the report suggesting that Joao Cancelo could be offered in return for a swap deal, though that doesn’t appear to be the case.

The Latest: City’s transfer plan unveiled

According to Manchester Evening News, City have ‘no major first-team additions planned’, with Perrone’s £8.2m deal ‘likely to be the biggest’ that the club do this month.

The source states that some ‘outgoing loan deals in the academy’ could be sanctioned, but in terms of the senior team, Guardiola is set to ‘stick with the same squad’ he’s had for the first half of the 2022/23 campaign.

The Verdict: Correct decision

City are five points off current league leaders Arsenal in the table, and whilst the title may be out of reach if they can’t overcome the Gunners in their head-to-heads, the decision not to splash any more cash is the right one.

Erling Haaland has made a huge difference in the final third, scoring 25 of City’s 53 goals this season, so they definitely aren’t lacking any kind of prolific form.

The Sky Blues also don’t have any long-term injuries where replacements would need to be found and have sufficient squad depth available to them.

Captain Ilkay Gundogan will be out of contract at the end of the season, but identifying a successor for him should he not extend his stay is more a job for the summer.

YouTuber Mark Goldbridge has slammed the recent Manchester United links to Al Nassr forward Vincent Aboubakar.

The Lowdown: Man United reportedly submit loan bid for Aboubakar

According to Saudi outlet Okaz (via the Daily Express), the Premier League side have submitted a loan bid for the Al Nassr forward. This could lead to former Man United star Cristiano Ronaldo registering a space in the Saudi Pro League side.

Manager Erik ten Hag stated in a previous press conference that club need more competition in their squad.

Meanwhile, the club have also been linked with Burnley striker Wout Weghorst per The Athletic, with the Red Devils reportedly offered the chance to sign the on-loan Besiktas striker on a temporary basis.

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The Latest: Aboubakar move would be ‘appalling’

Speaking on The United Stand, Goldbridge described a potential move for the Cameroonian striker as ‘appalling’, claiming that the addition of Aboubakar would just be another body and wouldn’t improve the club.

He stated: “Pretty physical; not super fast, but not slow; not a bad finisher. Highlight of his career was a few years at Porto, then I think he went to Besiktas and then he’s been in Saudi Arabia. So he is not an elite striker.

“I do not see United doing this deal. And if they do do this deal, it would be appalling,

“Ten Hag would have to take it if that’s all there is – of course he would – and he’d have to big it up. But I put this there with Jack Butland, it’s just another body – they’re not actually coming to dislodge a first-team player. They’re just coming to give us another body, aren’t they? And that cannot be acceptable.”

The Verdict: Signing Aboubakar would be pointless for Man United

The Cameroon striker has found success in France, Portugal, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, while he’s picked up five goal contributions in 11 league games for Al Nassr this term.

Aboubakar’s most prolific campaign was at Lorient in the 2013/14 season, when the forward scored 16 times in Ligue 1 for the French side. In recent times, his most successful season arguably came at Besiktas, hitting the back of the net 15 times in just 26 Super Lig games during the 2020/21 campaign.

So clearly, it’s been a long time since the striker has had a successful campaign in one of Europe’s major leagues, so it would perhaps be wise to avoid signing him if you’re Manchester United.

The Red Devils has been linked with the likes of Joao Felix recently, who would be a much better fit for a loan move. Felix has had a solid campaign with Atletico Madrid this season where he has seven goal contributions in 13 La Liga games, proving he can perform in one of Europe’s top leagues.

Liverpool have had their worst start to a Premier League season in a decade, with a number of injury issues mounting and much upheaval at Anfield contributing to the inconsistency on the pitch.

The Reds are currently sixth in the table after their first 14 matches prior to the World Cup break, and Jurgen Klopp will be hoping for a fresh start for his squad when they return to action in the top flight tomorrow.

Liverpool will head to Villa Park for their first league game since 12 November and will face Unai Emery’s Aston Villa, who are unbeaten in the top flight since his return to the Premier League.

Not only are the Reds back in action, but the January transfer window will reopen this time next week, and it will be interesting to see if Liverpool make moves to improve the performances on the pitch and strengthen the squad ahead of the second half of the campaign.

Injuries have been mounting in the Merseysiders’ squad over the season so far, with Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Arthur Melo currently sidelined ahead of the Boxing Day fixture, and the former two not expected back for at least the next six weeks.

As a result, Liverpool could be tempted to make a move for an attacking player in the January transfer window in order to bolster the squad following the exits of Sadio Mane, Divock Origi and Taki Minamino in the summer, combined with the ongoing injury issues.

One player who has been recently linked with a move to Anfield is Leicester City and England star James Maddison, a versatile attacking midfielder who could offer Klopp a multitude of solutions at Anfield.

Despite Leicester’s struggles this season, the 26-year-old has been undoubtedtly the standout performer in the team, and his incredible performances earned him a place in Gareth Southgate’s England World Cup squad in Qatar.

In 13 Premier League appearances so far this term, the £60m-valued ace – who was dubbed “frightening” by Rio Ferdinand – has scored seven goals, registered four assists and created three big chances, averaging three shots on goal, 2.4 key passes, 1.9 tackles, 33.6 accurate passes and 4.8 duels won per game.

Maddison has earned high praise for his outstanding performances this season, with talkSPORT’s Danny Murphy hailing the player in an analysis of the 26-year-old’s future by saying: “He’s a super talent, the only question mark over James Maddison is his application and sometimes his attitude, but his talent is up there.”

The former Liverpool midfielder continued: “Is he good enough? Yes. He’s a Champions League player. He has all of the qualities needed to play Champions League and international football.”

With that being said, the signing of Maddison would be a major coup for Liverpool if they decide that strengthening their attacking presence is crucial in the New Year, and there is no doubt that Klopp could get Anfield rocking if the Foxes maestro could perform at the same level for the Reds.

Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders has dropped the latest team news ahead of tonight’s Carabao Cup clash against Manchester City.

The Lowdown: Liverpool back in action

Liverpool are back in action on Thursday following the recent World Cup in Qatar that put domestic football on hold.

The Reds travel to Manchester to take on Pep Guardiola’s side in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, with both sides expected to put out a weakened XI due to various players being rested and returning from national duty.

In the lead up to tonight’s clash, Lijnders has shared an update regarding the fitness situation of two Liverpool players.

The Latest: Double injury update

Speaking in his latest press conference ahead of tonight’s game, Lijnders had this to say about Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota.

“Curtis is one week away from team training and Diogo is inside the timeframe we think. So it’s going well, he was there in Dubai – he was in all the meetings and video meetings. That was good.”

Luis Diaz is of course out with the knee setback he sustained during the winter training camp.

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The Verdict: Good news for Liverpool

While it appears that the duo will be set to miss tonight’s match against City, this update from Lijnders is a positive one in terms of their recoveries.

Having struggled with injuries at the start of the season, Jones had started to get some appearances under his belt before the World Cup break, the latest of which being in Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.

Then with Jota, a hamstring injury kept him out of the side for the first few weeks of the season, only for him to then pick up a calf issue that has kept him out of action since October.

With Liverpool having plenty of other players out injured at the moment such as Diaz and Arthur Melo, it’s safe to say that the imminent return of Jones, followed by Jota, will be huge boosts to the squad’s depth.

Aston Villa may have to wait until next summer to pounce for the signing of Watford winger Ismaila Sarr, according to an update from journalist Ed Aarons.

The Lowdown: Villa keen on Sarr signing

Unai Emery will be eyeing new signings in the upcoming transfer window, as he looks to take Villa up a level and introduce his own style of play after an underwhelming period under Steven Gerrard.

One player who has been linked with a move to Villa Park since before Emery arrived is Sarr, who has scored six goals in 16 Championship starts for Watford this season.

The 24-year-old starred in the 2022 World Cup with Senegal, starting all four matches and scoring a crucial goal against Ecuador before being eliminated by England on Sunday night.

The Latest: Summer move more likely

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Aarons claimed the summer move to Villa is most likely:

“The premium of World Cup performances and scoring is going to result in Watford wanting a bit more money, I think.

“He may be one that they have to wait until the summer for, when he’s got just a year left on his contract.”

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The Verdict: Much-needed pace out wide

Speedy wide players are certainly something Villa are lacking currently, with the exception of the inconsistent Leon Bailey, so Sarr could be an excellent addition next summer.

Frankly, he is too good to be playing in the Championship – he bagged 11 direct goal involvements as a newcomer to the Premier League in 2019/20 – and he is at an age where he should only improve further, with Senegalese compatriot and hero Sadio Mane also 24 when he joined Liverpool from Southampton back in 2016.

Ben Foster has hailed Sarr as a ‘freak’ talent, and if Emery believes he is someone who could suit his system, sealing a move for him at the end of the season would make perfect sense.

Scottish champions Celtic have enjoyed notable tales of success in the transfer market in the last decade or so, memorably bringing in the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Victor Wanyama on the cheap, having proven particularly astute at spotting a rare hidden gem.

That being said, however, there are star talents whom the Parkhead outfit have also foolishly turned their nose up at over the years, with Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic one such figure who the Old Firm giants inexplicably snubbed.

That’s according to former Hoops scout David Moss, who revealed that he had recommended the then-youngster – who was turning out for Vojvodina at the time – to the club’s hierarchy, only for that recommendation to ultimately fall on deaf ears.

The Englishman stated: “I was scouting people like Milinikovic-Savic at Vojvodina before he went on to do what he did. Genk took him, but I watched him three times and pushed for it. Unfortunately, when those higher up watched him live, he had a rare bad game.”

As per GOAL, the Glasgow side would seemingly have been able to strike the deal for a fee of just €600k (£520k), with that now appearing a total snip such has been the towering gem’s impact since then, have gone on to become something of a force in European football.

The 6-foot-5 powerhouse spent just a solitary season with Belgian outfit Genk after joining in 2014, before making the high-profile move to Italian giants Lazio a year later, going on to become a real leading figure for the Serie A side since then.

The dynamic brute been a hugely reliable figure in his playmaking berth over the years, having chipped in with an impressive haul of 63 goals and 58 assists in 314 games for the Rome-based outfit, including a tally of 12 goal contributions in just 20 games so far this season.

A “complete player with great quality” – in the words of current boss Maurizio Sarri – the 27-year-old is arguably one of the most unique assets on the continent as a result of his all-round box-to-box ability, showcased by the fact that he ranks in the top 4% in Europe among those in his position for touches in the opposition penalty area, while also offering defensive brilliance as he ranks in the top 4% for aerial duels won.

Such has been the £100k-per-week man’s rise of late, the latest suggestion is that he could now be worth as much as €120m (£104m), with that valuation far beyond what those at Celtic Park could have initially paid for him all those years ago.

The 36-cap menace could well go on showcase his quality on a wider stage for Serbia at the World Cup, with journalist Marco Messina suggesting that the imposing giant could truly “explode” in the tournament this time around.

Should Milinkovic-Savic – who is believed to be a target for Juventus at present – go on to sparkle in Qatar, the Hoops could well be left to rue their previous inaction even further, with the Scottish Premiership side having seemingly had a nightmare by not taking Moss’ advice.

A spell of five wickets in 38 balls from Morne Morkel either side of tea saw the Division One leaders roar back into contention against bottom side Worcestershire

Jon Culley at New Road12-Sep-2018Surrey 268 (Burns 122) and 70 for 0 need a further 202 to beat Worcestershire 336 and 203 (Fell 89)
ScorecardAfter such a season of dominance, this may have been the last place Surrey would have expected to find themselves in a fight, so it is a great credit to Worcestershire that if they are to leave here with a ninth straight win and the title in their pockets they will have earned it.Home supporters were grumbling, having seen Worcestershire’s last eight wickets fall for 49 – five of them to the redoubtable Morne Morkel – but it still left Surrey needing 272 to win. No other team has required Surrey to chase as many fourth-innings runs this season. Having left The Oval with a draw in May, Worcestershire can therefore see themselves as having been their toughest opponents.Goodness knows, Worcestershire might yet win the game, which would set off some tremors of anxiety among the others fighting to avoid relegation. It is probably unlikely, frankly, with Surrey 70 without loss overnight, and for all Ben Twohig’s promise, Worcestershire would fancy themselves rather more with a Ravi Ashwin or a Moeen Ali to exploit a turning pitch. But there is still time for a twist or two yet.Surrey’s task task would have been somewhat easier but for Tom Fell, who supplemented his first-innings 69, which he had made in the most difficult conditions of the match, with another gutsy performance, making 89. He shared an opening partnership of 65 with Daryl Mitchell and enjoyed some strong support again from the debutant Ollie Westbury.Fell has not made a first-class hundred for more than three years, a period in which he has undergone treatment for testicular cancer, and for that reason alone the home crowd were willing him to find those 11 more runs.Morkel did for all their hopes, unfortunately. Surrey may be the team of homegrown talent but the South African has been a major component of the title-chasing machine. In eight matches, he has 50 wickets, a landmark he reached with a brilliant spell of controlled fast bowling in the pleasant afternoon sunshine that yielded his fourth five-wicket haul for the county.All five came within the space of 38 deliveries either side of tea, Fell falling to what became the last ball of the afternoon session when Morkel bowled a beauty to clip the top of off-stump, having found the edge of Alex Milton’s bat in the previous over.Ross Whiteley, Ed Barnard and Wayne Parnell followed in swift order after tea, all pretty much beaten for pace. “He bowled brilliantly and showed why he has been such a fantastic bowler over the past 10 or 15 years,” Fell said. “He was a bit too good for us unfortunately and probably changed the game.”Morne Morkel reached 50 wickets in a hugely successful first season•Getty Images

Amar Virdi exploited the turn in the pitch with 3 for 73 and Worcestershire’s 203 all out was a disappointment, having been 154 for 2. Last-day runs are often the hardest, though, and although Rory Burns and Mark Stoneman came through 20 overs with their wickets intact and the target down to just over 200, a good morning for Worcestershire could make for a tense afternoon and batting on this surface is not straightforward, as Burns discovered on 3 when he inside-edged a ball from Parnell that narrowly missed his leg stump.Worcestershire had the upper hand on the third morning, after all, as Surrey’s plan to add a couple more batting points to their overnight position yielded only one as their last four wickets fell for 55.Burns built on his fourth hundred of the season but not by as much as he would have liked, miscuing a pull to be caught at mid-on when he had reached 122. His was the ninth wicket to fall after Ben Foakes, coming in at No. 9 after feeling ill on Tuesday, had been caught at gully for 13. Foakes, still poorly, was off the field thereafter, Ollie Pope keeping wicket.Worcestershire have their fitness worries too. Joe Clarke has struggled with back spasms, adding to Worcestershire’s worries ahead of Vitality Blast Finals Day on Saturday. They are already without Martin Guptill, who made a major contribution to their success in the early part of the competition, after a hamstring injury forced the New Zealander to cancel his projected return. Brett D’Oliveira has missed this match, also with a back problem.Parnell will play despite splitting the webbing on his right hand and Ben Cox will return after being dropped from this match. Nottinghamshire have cleared Luke Wood to play on loan, as he did in the group stage, and Moeen Ali is available.