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Liverpool will be aiming to earn back-to-back Premier League victories for the first time in over a month when they host Chelsea on Thursday.

The Reds managed to edge past Sheffield United last time out at Bramall Lane courtesy of a strike from youngster Curtis Jones and an own-goal from Blades’ defender Kean Bryan.

How could Klopp line up his team for the visit of the Londoners?

We are expecting three changes to the Liverpool starting XI on Thursday, with the Reds welcoming back a few key injury returnees.

One of the most glaring changes will be in goal where Alisson will come back in to replace Adrian.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andrew Robertson and Ozan Kabak are all expected to line-up in defence once again.

However, one change in the back-line could be the inclusion of the fit-again Fabinho after the Brazilian returned to training. He is likely to be reintroduced in the place of Nat Phillips.

One final change could be seen in midfield. Curtis Jones is almost sure to start again after netting at Bramall Lane, whilst Georginio Wijnaldum is also likely to play from the off.

However, Klopp could consider dropping summer signing Thiago to the bench. The Spaniard has started the last ten Premier League games, failing to register a goal or an assist.

He might be replaced by fellow midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who deserves a chance to prove himself once again.

Moving into attack and the familiar trio of Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino are all set to start once again, despite Diogo Jota’s return to training.

AND in other news, Mo Salah signing for Real Madrid makes a lot of sense for Liverpool…

Aston Villa are eyeing a summer transfer move for Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard, but are battling some Premier League rivals to land his signature.

What’s the story?

Reports last summer suggested that Dean Smith’s side were very much keen on signing the Frenchman, but a deal failed to materialise before the end of the deadline.

Now, The Scottish Daily Mail (26/02, back page) via HITC, claim that Villa remain keen on luring Edouard away from Celtic Park, but are likely to face significant competition from the likes of Arsenal and Leicester.

The report adds that it’s the Foxes, and Serie A giants AS Roma, who are currently leading the race for his signing.

Dean Smith surely buzzing

Amid a Premier League season in which Smith has had to sit in the dugout hoping Ollie Watkins can stay injury-free, news of a renewed attempt at signing Edouard will surely have the Villa boss buzzing.

To his credit, Watkins has been a revelation since joining from Championship side Brentford, bagging 12 goals in all competitions in his debut campaign in the top-flight.

The one problem for Smith has been the lack of genuine options to replace him, with Watkins having not missed a single minute of Premier League football all season. That’s been down to Wesley still working his way back from a knee injury, and Keinan Davis clearly not deemed as someone worth playing regularly – after all, he’s managed just five goals in 75 club games.

In Edouard, Villa would land themselves someone who’s been incredibly prolific in his fledgeling career. As well as bagging 20 goals in just 32 games this season – and that too for a Celtic side in turmoil and way off the pace behind Rangers – he’s scored 82 goals in 177 senior games in total.

His former boss at Celtic, Neil Lennon, said earlier in 2020: “He’s hugely important (to us), he’s an outstanding footballer, talismanic almost, he’s so talented, so cool and he had two great finishes. He’s up there with some of the best we’ve had over the last 20 odd years.”

It’s no surprise Johan Lange is targeting Edouard again, and it will surely be music to the ears of Smith.

David Moyes has delivered West Ham United a welcome boost after confirming that Arthur Masuaku has returned to light training sessions.

The DR Congo international has been out of action since mid-December having made the decision to have surgery for the sake of his career, after dealing with pain in his knee for the best part of two years.

West Ham refused to put a timescale on his return at the time but Moyes is now hopeful of seeing the 27-year-old be back available for selection in around a month.

Masuaku went under the knife following a strong run in the Hammers starting line-up following a move from Moyes to go five-at-the-back, with the £7m-rated dynamo opening 10 of the London Stadium natives’ first 11 games of the Premier League season.

There were slight concerns that Masuaku may need a second operation last month, but allegedly did not report back any discomfort in his knee since the initial surgery.

Moyes confirmed in his pre-match press conference ahead of the game against Fulham, that while the left-back remains West Ham’s only absentee through injury, his progress is heading in the right direction.

“We’ve only got Arthur Masuaku [out], who has started jogging for the first time on Thursday following his knee surgery, so it gives us a thought that Arthur is only possibly a month away from coming back,” the Irons boss said.

“Hopefully, we’re trying to keep as many people fit as we can. This is a really difficult period for us. The fixture list has not been easy for any of the clubs and we’re no different.

“We’ve a really important Premier League game and then an FA Cup tie in midweek as well, so it’s another really big week for us. That said, I’m not thinking about the cup tie tomorrow, that’s for sure, but I know it’s on the horizon because of the week we’ve got.”

Moyes confirming that Masuaku is nearing a return to action will come as a boost for West Ham, after the east London outfit opted against strengthening the left-back position during the mid-season transfer window.

The Hammers were linked with a myriad of potential options to add depth behind Aaron Cresswell and youth prospect Ben Johnson, with FC Barcelona’s Junior Firpo, Manchester City’s Oleksandr Zinchenko, Chelsea’s Emerson Palmieri, Brentford’s Rico Henry, RB Leipzig’s Matthew Bondswell and Manchester United’s Brandon Williams all touted at some stage.

Yet Moyes and the Irons hierarchy ultimately opted against spending out on a short-term fix, which could now prove to be a masterstroke if Masuaku is able to come back into the fold and hit the ground running next month.

The 27-year-old’s efforts earlier in the Premier League campaign still remain at a high level compared to his positional rivals across the division, with Crystal Palace’s Tyrick Mitchell (1) and Sheffield United’s Max Lowe (0.8) the only left-backs blocking a higher number of crosses on average (0.7) per game in the top-flight this term, per WhoScored.

Masuaku additionally ranks fourth in the league for passes blocked (1.2) and fifth for accurate crosses (1.1) delivered by a left-back, and is the joint-most successful left-sided full-back for bringing possession out from the back with 2.2 successful dribbles a game, level with Brighton’s Solly March.

Cresswell, who took over honours at left-back following Masuaku’s operation, is also offering 1.1 accurate crosses a game but is misdirecting 1.7 more than his teammate, who only fails to find a West Ham shirt 2.6 times a game compared to 4.3.

Moyes may still persist with Cresswell in the role given the Irons’ form at present, but Masuaku’s return will be a big boost in adding adequate depth in the role in a potential European push.

AND in other news, David Moyes can give a £3.5m-rated outcast a new lease of life at West Ham with one decision…

To put things bluntly, this has been a horrendous season for Celtic.

They are 23 points off top spot in the SPFL and it would appear that any way of winning the title is gone.

For Neil Lennon, his job is quite rightly under threat. Everything he’s touched this season has more or less turned to disaster.

Yet, there is one thing he and Nick Hammond deserve some credit for. That’s the deal to bring Ismaila Soro to the club a little over a year ago.

The Ivorian has had to wait patiently for his chance in Glasgow but he is now taking it tremendously. He has been one of a few bright sparks this term and such are his good displays, that Lennon or a new manager must build the team around him.

Soro signed from Israeli outfit Bnei Yehuda for a fee of £2m on 31st January 2020 in a deal that didn’t raise too many eyebrows.

He was an unknown quantity arriving at Parkhead to simply offer more depth. Yet, the £11k-per-week earner suffered a knee injury which meant before this season, he was yet to make his debut in the famous green and white.

Though, Soro has proven in double-quick time that he has more than earned his move to Celtic.

To former coach Ori Guttman, this will come as no surprise. He said in January 2020: “When I saw Soro I was immediately excited. From the first second I noticed his explosive power. His tackling and dribbling skills were incredible. He looked like he had good potential.”

Indeed, his immense future is starting to shine through in this Celtic squad. The 22-year-old has become a colossal individual in the middle of the park and that happened from the moment he was given his first start in December.

Soro produced an absurd ten successful tackles as they remarkably defeated Lille 3-2 in the Europa League. Lennon had no excuse not to start him in the following game against Kilmarnock and coincidentally, it garnered Celtic’s first clean sheet for the best part of six weeks.

Their diminutive midfielder was again vital, producing two interceptions and stopping play with as many as four fouls. It was two successive performances that demonstrated his vast pedigree.

He is a tough-tackling player and since being introduced into the team, Celtic have looked better. They have lost just one league outing Soro has appeared in, with five clean sheets being produced from those nine games.

Clearly, the extra protective layer he has offered in front of the defence has been game-changing.

Despite being a relatively low key addition a year ago, he has had a bigger impact on the Hoops than many would have thought. The deal to bring him to Parkhead was nothing short of outstanding from Lennon and Hammond. The £2m they paid is looking like a huge bargain.

AND in other news, Time to go Lenny: Desmond could revitalise Celtic by appointing “fantastic” 60 y/o…

Dropping a two-word January message, quotes via The Daily Mail, Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho has revealed his stance on an exit this month for midfielder Harry Winks – going on to say there is ‘no chance’ he will be departing following his resurgence. 

Winks, who has been repeatedly linked with a move away since the last transfer window, mainly due to his lack of game time alongside the likes of Dele Alli, looks like he will now stay at Spurs, for the remainder of the season at least.

Winks stance revealed in two-word message

The midfielder’s resurgence into the Tottenham team is an arguable cause for this unwavering two-word message from Mourinho, with Winks featuring in each of the last three games after missing the previous eight in a row (The Daily Mail).

Ahead of a long and congested fixture calendar, a few niggles to key players in the middle like Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Moussa Sissoko could result in Mourinho being heavily reliant on the 24-year-old.

Winks will also be relieved as he returns to contend for a Spurs starting place, coming after he was given the cold shoulder consistently earlier in the season.

He admitted it has been ‘difficult’, especially with the re-arranged Euro 2020 looming, but Mourinho could now be set to utilise Winks far more regularly after confirming that he won’t be going anywhere.

Transfer Tavern take

In this big January update, during a month where many outgoings are just as possible as new signings, Tottenham look as if they definitely won’t be offloading Winks.

Mourinho’s two-word message has made that abundantly clear, but whether or not he becomes one of the first names on Spurs’ team sheet this season, still remains to be seen.

In other news: Tottenham are eyeing swoop for this £130,000-per-week star after his teasing four-word hint, find out more here.

Carlton Palmer, while speaking exclusively with Football FanCast correspondent Tom Ward, has suggested Farhad Moshiri will block Carlo Ancelotti from making any further signings at Everton in January.

The Toffees majority owner sanctioned a high-spending summer under the Italian this year, as he welcomed James Rodriguez, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Allan and Ben Godfrey to Merseyside alongside a loan deal for AS Roma goalkeeper Robin Olsen.

Ancelotti has since reiterated his belief that the renewed “atmosphere and spirit” at Goodison Park could spark a challenge for European qualification this season, something the former Chelsea and Real Madrid head coach set as his goal last term.

Everton began the season in fine fashion following the arrivals of Rodriguez, Allan and Doucoure with four straight wins, including an opening day victory over Tottenham Hotspur, while a draw at Liverpool instilled confidence in Ancelotti that the Blues “can compete” with the best.

But the Goodison Park natives remain heavily linked with potential January signings, with Juventus’ Sami Khedira, Real Madrid’s Isco, SSC Napoli’s Arkadiusz Milik and Brentford’s Ivan Toney among those touted for a future on Merseyside.

Yet Palmer would be surprised if Moshiri provides any further funds in January, telling Football FanCast: “I don’t think Ancelotti will be allowed to sign any more players. He’s spent a huge amount of money.

“So, if I’m the chairman, Ancelotti has obviously had his wish list and I think the chairman’s backed him 110%. And if I was the chairman, I’d be saying: ‘right, now you have to deliver. You’re talking about Europe, you’re talking about winning a trophy. I’ve given you all the players that you’ve wanted, and I’ve spent an awful lot of money’.

“I’ll be very surprised if he’s allowed to bring in another player in January, very surprised, without getting somebody out.”

Everton spent £21m on Allan, £20m on Doucoure and £20m on Godfrey while awarding Rodriguez a £90,000-per-week contract – in a deal said to have been free – already this year.

Moshiri has greenlit a vast array of expensive captures since his arrival at Goodison Park, with former head coach Ronald Koeman signing Gylfi Sigurdsson for a then-club-record £45m, Sam Allardyce spending £27m on Cenk Tosun and Marco Silva landing Richarlison in a £50m deal.

Silva followed up Richarlison’s arrival with the £34m addition of Alex Iwobi a year later, while handing Fabian Delph an £80,000-per-week contract after joining from Manchester City for £10m.

Moshiri would be well within his rights to ask Ancelotti to work with the weapons already in his arsenal, unless Everton Director of Football Marcel Brands can get value for those no longer needed.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti can reinvent Everton by buying a “hungry” 15-goal marksman who’s “similar to Zlatan”.

Glasgow Rangers fans are far from happy with the latest accessory from the club – a Gers-branded kilt.

As is the case with any club, the Ibrox outfit have released a whole host of products recently in an attempt to bring in more revenue to the club. Their partnership with Castore has seen the Liverpool-based company release a number of clothing options. One particular hoodie had a retail price of £170 – that did not go down well with the Rangers fans.

The tartan design on this latest release was decided after over 10,000 MyGers members voted, and was revealed by the club’s official account on Twitter. However, whilst many clearly liked it, there are plenty of others who were not happy – some made it clear they preferred the previous offering.

In a bid to share their discontent, the fans took to the social media platform to show their thoughts.

Let’s see what the Rangers fans had to say about the kilt below

In other news, Glasgow Rangers fans were delighted with this man during international duty.

Phil Parkinson is at risk of making a naïve call over the involvement of Sunderland prospect Benji Kimpioka, after stating that the Under 23s talent will have to wait a little longer for his chance in the first-team.

Kimpioka has been in fine form in the Black Cats’ youth set-up this season with a hand in two goals in two Premier League 2 fixtures, having finally resolved his contract situation with a one-year deal following a long-running saga that saw the 20-year-old initially leave Wearside.

The striker had departed the North East whilst his agent held discussions with a number of different sides, but prioritised remaining in England rather than returning to his homeland of Sweden.

His return is yet to see Parkinson favour the young starlet for any of the Black Cats’ League One fixtures, and the Sunderland boss is not planning to change his thinking against Gillingham on Saturday or Ipswich in his side’s next two matches.

“They’ll definitely get opportunities [in the cup games],” Parkinson said, via quotes by the Sunderland Echo, when asked when he will offer the academy players a chance. “We’ve also got senior players who haven’t had a great many opportunities of late, as well.

“The young players have had a reasonable integration in terms of the pre-season and the Trophy games, and there’s another couple coming up after the next two league games.”

Kimpioka’s talents had previously sparked interest from Premier League Arsenal in 2017 when the Gunners sought a £5million double swoop involving the striker and teammate Joel Asoro, though the U21 international has struggled to take his career to another level in the three years since.

Former Sunderland boss Jack Ross responded to Kimpioka’s agent demanding that his client is involved in the first-team last year by suggesting he had not seen enough progress from the 20-year-old to warrant a promotion, despite seeing the striker snub the offer of a new deal.

“It’s straightforward for me,” Ross stated, via quotes by the Chronicle. “The truth is that Benji has been offered a contract – a good contract – and to date he has chosen not to sign it.

“That’s the player’s choice and the player’s representatives’ choice, but let’s not allow anything else to cloud that. I would like Benji to stay at the club, I think he has potential, the club has offered him a good contract, we feel, for a player that to date has some potential but has not achieved anything in his career so far.”

Parkinson now has the perfect opportunity to offer Kimpioka the chance to display his potential on the senior stage, rather than waiting to join his fellow U23s prospects in the cup competitions, with Sunderland forwards Charlie Wykes (three) and Chris Maguire (two) the only men to have struck home more than once in League One this term.

Sunderland are crying out for offensive reinforcements after a mostly barren start to the campaign, and Parkinson must realise that Kimpioka’s aspirations will bring youthful enthusiasm to his frontline that goalless summer signing Danny Graham cannot.

If Parkinson persists with only awarding Kimpioka minutes in the EFL Trophy and EFL Cup, then he risks the Black Cats enjoying the same drawn-out saga next summer as there will be no evidence to justify the forward agreeing to the club activating their one-year option.

AND in other news, a “brilliant” Sunderland ace has left Phil Parkinson with an easy decision amid his injury fears.

Obviously supporters of football clubs across the globe normally care more about what players are signed rather than those who are sold, and this is clearly shown at Manchester United as many supporters of the side continue to hope for Jadon Sancho to be acquired.

However utdreport have written an article, which they posted on Twitter, about how selling some players this summer is just as important as recruiting them.

In their article, they believe that with recent events affecting finances, they need to sell some of the dead wood in their squad, so that the club can continue progressing forward, to reach the necessary level to challenge.

They tweeted, ‘United managed to recuperate £72m in player sales last summer, the most since 2015. They’ve only managed to offload Alexis Sánchez so far this summer’, and it’s safe to say that this article has opened up a debate across the United fan base, with many frustrated at the club for not being able to sell some players to generate some finances, whilst some think it takes time but sales will happen. One even mentioned that the club need a Director of Football to help these sales happen.

The club definitely have some players who are surplus to requirements that they can sell and build up some finances to bring some players in. Players like Marcus Rojo, Sergio Romero and Chris Smalling can’t get close to the first team squad, so it would really benefit all if they moved on, but the club have not given themselves a lot of time as such players are still here with less than two weeks of the window remaining.

Here is what fans said following the news:

Man United fans, what are your thoughts on this? Comment below!

A number of West Ham fans have been slating the club’s decision to allow both Josh Cullen and Jack Wilshere to leave before the transfer window closed.

Cullen secured a late move to join Belgian side RSC Anderlecht on a permanent basis, with the midfielder having left to try and get more regular first-team football elsewhere, after he came back to the Hammers in the summer following the end of a loan spell with Charlton Athletic.

The 24-year-old was an impressive performer for the Addicks, creating seven big chances and averaging two tackles per game, via Sofascore. However, he was unable to force his way into David Moyes’ starting line-up in the Premier League at the start of this campaign.

Wilshere left West Ham on transfer deadline day with his contract being terminated by mutual consent, after the one-time England midfielder made just 19 appearances for the Hammers since arriving at the club after leaving Arsenal in the summer of 2018.

A lot of West Ham supporters have been critical of the club’s decision which leaves them short on options in the midfield area, and leaves them at risk of being left short across midfield were they to pick up any injuries between now and the January window.

West Ham fans what do you make of losing both Cullen and Wilshere? Let us know your thoughts