Our landlord in The Transfer Tavern has seen the tills ringing well at the bar all day due to a family fun day event.

Fans of football teams from all over have made there way to The Tavern for a few pints and some good old fashioned family fun.

Everyone is enjoying themselves apart from the Liverpool fans gathered around the pool table discussing what has to be one of the poorest Liverpool sides for many a year.

Still finding it hard to digest how their side threw away a two goal advantage at home to Sunderland to give the strugglers a 2-2 draw is damning to many of them.

Discussions have turned to who is to blame and who is not worthy of wearing the famous red shirt, with a majority agreeing that just a couple are committed enough to the Liverpool cause.

Our landlord overhearing this has said that Liverpool have had their fair share of bad signings of the Premier League years and has challenged the Liverpool fans to name their five worst.

Click here to WIN a football shirt of your choice! Hit the image below to see FIVE of Liverpool’s worst players!

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Andy Carroll

The big Geordie striker arrived at Anfield from Newcastle United for a staggering £35 million, a then record transfer for a British player.

He arrived at Anfield after impressing in front of goal for home town club Newcastle scoring 31 times in 80 appearances during his time at the club although the vast majority were score in the club’s season in the Championship, this did not put of the hierarchy at Anfield making their move.

Carroll turned out to be nothing but a disappointment and managed just six goals between 2011-13 and 44 appearances before Liverpool cut their losses and sold the player to West Ham United for £15 million.

Sean Dundee

The South African striker joined the club from Karlsruher for £2 million a signing that was made by then joint managers Roy Evans and Gerard Houllier.

Dundee never got established at Anfield failing to break up the partnership formed by Karl-Heinz Riedle and Michael Owen and saw appearances during his ill fated year at Anfield limited to just three appearances before moving back to Germany with Stuttgart for £1 million the following summer.

Salif Diao

Diao was signed by Gerard Houllier following impressive performances for Senegal in the World Cup in Japan in the summer of 2002.

He arrived from Sedan for £5 million and showed none of the form from the World Cup during his five years at Anfield.

Steven Gerrard even singled the player out for criticism in his autobiography stating the player lacked the class to wear the famous red shirt.

He left Anfield on a free transfer for Stoke City after just 37 appearances in half a decade at Anfield.

Istvan Kozma

Graham Souness had the knack for signing poor players and the Hungarian was definitely one of his poorest.

Signed for £300,000 to be part of Liverpool’s side for the inaugural Premier League season from Scottish club Dunfermiline Athletic where he was firm fan favourite.

But Kozma was poor and playing for a club like Liverpool was always going to be hard for the Hungarian.

He made just six appearances for Liverpool with just one coming in the Premier League.

Robbie Keane

The Irishman arrived at Anfield from Tottenham Hotspur for £20 million in a move the player called his dream.

His short spell at the club must have felt just like that he was no longer the prolific striker he had been with his previous club’s and was to move on after just five months at Anfield.

Questions were raised when Keane was signed with the preferred option of one striker up front no one could see where Keane was going to fit in.

Keane returned to Tottenham the following January for £12 million and his Anfield nightmare was over.

Manchester City faced a pretty humiliating defeat at Stamford Bridge, as they took their foot off the gas against a rejuvenated Chelsea team.

The Blues were flying throughout the second half and walked away with a comfortable victory and a massive confidence boost after drubbing a severely weakened Pellegrini XI that would not have looked out of place in the bottom half of the PL… alongside Chelsea.

Guus Hiddink’s splendid record as Chelsea boss has continued and the goal for Eden Hazard can only be a positive for the remainder of their campaign and the FA Cup is clearly their only chance of silverware after their poor first leg result in the Champions League.

City’s youngsters worked hard and showed their talent, but they were no match for a Chelsea side at full strength and Pep Guardiola will have been watching on with concern ahead of his arrival this summer.

John Obi Mikel consolidated his position in the team with another impressive performance, whilst the Blues gave more minutes to Baba Rahman at left-back, too.

Here are FIVE things we learned from an ordinary evening’s entertainment.

Pep needs a number 2

Willy Caballero, despite being a favourite of Manuel Pellegrini, gave another poor performance against Chelsea and was certainly at fault for the third goal. Caballero embarrassed himself for Chelsea’s fifth, too.

Cahill’s effort went straight through the keeper and as good as sealed the victory for Chelsea.

Guardiola will ask a lot of his keepers and he will certainly want a player who can compete with Hart.

Ped through the gears

After having a quiet season until the last week or two, Pedro has begun to show flashes of the brilliance we saw at Barcelona.

The Spaniard’s darting runs caused constant problems for the City defence and he looks to be on his way to his best.

Young hopes at City

With all the youth in their XI, it was always going to be a huge test for City, but the majority of their youngsters performed very well and they showed great spirit to equalise so quickly after going behind in the first half.

Iheanacho is the shining light of the cohort and he was a constant threat.

Cesc-y stuff

City gave Fabregas the freedom of the midfield and the Spaniard was back to his tempo dictating best as he dissected the City defence on numerous occasions.

A delicate pass set up Chelsea’s first clear chance of the game, where Pedro hit the post, and Fabregas dominated throughout the match as he was rightly given the Man of the Match award.

FA must change..

Pellegrini’s pre-game rant about the scheduling of this fixture should serve as a wake-up call to the Football Association.

Other countries are happy to change schedules to help their clubs in European football, but the FA continue to be held hostage by the TV companies. If there is no change in approach, their competitions will suffer.

Although Mark Noble’s recent testimonial match at the soon-to-be deserted Boleyn Ground would have certainly provided a nice dose of light relief for all West Ham fans far and wide, the determined Upton Park faithful still have a lot to contend with throughout the remainder of the season of course, with the possibility of ending the current 2015/16 campaign on a triumphant high almost within touching distance.

The Hammers remain well placed among the upper echelons of the Premier League table itself, while an enticing FA Cup quarter-final replay on the cards with Manchester United in the not too distant future. The upcoming summer transfer window looks set to be a rather significant one with the East End outfit ready and raring to move into London’s Olympic Stadium ahead of the new term.

So then, as Liverpool’s recently acquired Christian Benteke has been mooted as a prime transfer target for the Irons this summer, would the £32.5m man really serve to improve Slaven Bilic’s current squad right in the here and now, or should West Ham look beyond the out-of-sorts Belgian front-man?

Well, as Liverpool seemingly wouldn’t be too keen on letting their 25-year-old striker leave the realms of Anfield for anything close to a cut-price deal this summer – with the man himself also supposedly on £120,000 a-week at this particular stage in his career – perhaps West Ham would ideally want to avoid such a move based purely on financial reasoning alone.

The likes of Michy Batshuayi and Alexandre Lacazette have been highlighted as potential summer targets for the Hammers to consider alongside Christian Benteke in recent weeks after all, and whilst both Ligue 1 stars would likely carry rather hefty transfer fees above their heads, each of the aforementioned strikers would probably represent better value for money than the current Liverpool man.

Although Christian Benteke has admittedly scored goals in the English top-flight before for a struggling Aston Villa side, the 2015/16 campaign has ultimately proven one of great frustration for the former Villa Park favourite, with his long-term future on Merseyside looking anything but guaranteed if we’re all being completely honest with his current situation.

For one reason or another, the 25-year-old Belgium international has often presented himself as surprisingly slow and distinctly off the pace for large portions of the Premier League campaign, with his once deadly efficiency in front of goal having all but disappeared since he officially joined up with the Reds. West Ham should therefore point their all-important resources elsewhere this summer when all is said and done. Benteke certainly could make somewhat of a success of himself within the Hammers’ new journey at the Olympic Stadium, but Bilic’s side will still likely have to break the bank in order to secure his signature, this is one player who seemingly isn’t worth the risk.

With several other top-class alternatives supposedly on the table for West Ham’s consideration over the coming summer months, the 25-year-old Liverpool forward arguably wouldn’t offer enough based on his most recent form.

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The indomitable figure Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the man who often refers to himself in the third person, considers himself the best player in the world and often has Donald Trump-like narcissism, could well be on his way to Old Trafford.

After two years of misguided mediocrity at Manchester United, the shake-up looks to have started at the Theatre of Dreams, and has escalated into a circus.

The impending arrival of Jose Mourinho has generated incomparable media coverage and excitement. However, it seems that only one man could outshine the ‘Special One’ if he were to appear in a chauffeur driven, blacked-out car at Carrington this summer and that is Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Here are FIVE reasons why Zlatan to Manchester United would be an ideal move for both parties…

1 – No Champions League, No Problems

Despite the fact that Ibrahimovic is heading into the twilight of his incredible career, he is still one of the biggest names in world football.

Should he decide to move to Old Trafford it would demonstrate a signal of intent from United that they are still attracting the very best players despite no Champions League football next season.

2 – Goals, Goals, Goals

While Anthony Martial contributed 17 goals for Man United last season, there still seems to be a lack of goal scoring talent at Old Trafford. With Mourinho seemingly all but confirmed as the new man at the helm, playing time for young stars Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford could decrease, meaning an even greater need for goals… and Zlatan may be the answer.

The Swede’s goalscoring record is incredible, especially in his later years with PSG, where he netted 113 times in just 122 games. Even in the most baron spells of his career, he was scoring over 15 goals a season.

3 – The Mourinho Factor

“We worked together for one year at Inter. The feeling was great between us and my only regret is that Mourinho and I were together for only one year.”

Ibrahimovic’s analysis of his time with Mourinho at Inter is one small example in a never ending list of praise that both men have heaped on each other throughout the years.

Mourinho transformed Ibrahimovic at Inter from a good European striker, to one of the greatest players in the world.

Something just clicks when they work together.

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4 – The Zlatan Brand

The lack of Champions League football at Old Trafford this season means that the club are likely to lose around £60m in revenue.

However, the financial gain that will arise through signing Ibrahimovic alone will recoup this loss and more. Shirt sales, sponsorship deals and ticket sales will undoubtedly improve should the Swede sign for United.

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5 – Working with Youth

While the 34-year-old may not be many parents choice of a role model for the younger generation, there is no doubt that United’s young, fledgling stars will learn an incredible amount from working alongside Ibrahimovic every day.

The likes of Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford will be able to watch exactly how a world class talent conducts himself every single day, something that they have been lacking at Manchester United since the class of ’92 veterans hung up their boots.

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West Ham’s Academy has seen a number of future football stars step through its gates in recent years, with many going on to join some of the best players in world football.

“The Academy of Football” as the club has affectionately become known reinforces this, with the club recognised throughout English football as a prolific producer of young talent.

Superstars like Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard began their careers at The Hammers, whilst club legends like Mark Noble have played out their entire career’s with their boyhood club.

Looking forward, “The Academy of Football” will no doubt retain its reputation as the primary destination for young footballing stars, especially with the talented group of youngsters currently gracing it’s development leagues.

With Slaven Billic looking to build to the future following an impressive start to life in east London, the club’s development squads will no doubt play a huge part as he looks to add more players to his already talented squad.

Here are FIVE West Ham Starlets that should give Slavan Bilic some food for thought…

Reece Burke

Young Reece Burke may be a familiar name with some Hammers fans, given that he has already made five first team appearances for his boyhood club.

After making his first team debut in 2014, Burke was sent out on loan to Bradford City for the 2015/16 season, amassing an impressive 34 league appearances during his time with the League One side.

Perhaps more impressive than that was his trophy hall at the end of the campaign, eventually picking up seven awards at the end of season Bradford Awards Ceremony, including the coveted Player of the Year award.

The versatile centre back towers at nearly 6ft 3in, and provides pace and defensive stability to any back line he features in.

The future looks bright for young Burke, especially given the fact that Slaven Bilic recently discussed how much he likes the player, describing him as very “clever”.

Bilic clearly rates the youngster, and will no doubt keep on eye on him over pre-season before deciding whether to send him out on loan again next year.

Joe Powell

Joe Powell is another player with the world at his feet. Hammers fans may remember his name through his older brother Jack, who was unfortunately released after a few relatively unsuccessful loan spells in 2013.

The pacey winger recently turned pro with West Ham, having signed a three year deal in May of this year.

Despite appearing intermittently last year, due to a few niggling injuries, he impressed for each of the developmental sides that he turned out for, leading the club to sign him up to a full-time deal.

At just 17-years-old he remains very raw, but with Bilic seemingly keen to get young players into the first team – Joe Powell could become an excellent asset next season, especially if he can get past his niggling injuries.

Sam Ford

Whilst not an academy graduate, 17-year-old Sam Ford recently came the attention of Hammers fans after an impressive spell on trial at the London club, scoring just 12 minutes into a development game.

The coveted young attack was targeted by a host of clubs before joining West Ham; a testament to the player that he is.

Since joining the club in March of 2016, Ford has done all the right things on the pitch and said all the right things off of it. He has all the qualities to make it through this demanding development system.

He seems set to play for the academy side in his debut full season at the club, but with West Ham seemingly interested in signing forwards; Bilic should definitely keep tabs on the prolific youngster.

Martin Samuelson

Another player not built from within the Academy, Martin Samuelson is another young star that looks destined for the big time.

The Norweigan midfielder joined the side in June 2015, with The Hammers batting off interest from the likes of Chelsea and Real Madrid for his signature; indicating how much of a coup his signing was.

He made his debut for the Norway international team just last month; a huge milestone for a player that is just 19-years-old.

The versatile midfielder can play anywhere across the midfield, particularly excelling when going forward.

He went on loan to Peterborough last season, impressing during a near six month spell; amassing a total of 17 league appearances.

With a full season of football under his belt, the coming pre-season will be important for Samuelson, as Bilic decides whether he could be an asset to the West Ham first team, or whether another loan is on the cards for the talented player.

Reece Oxford

Reece Oxford is easily the most well known young player currently in the West Ham academy.

Despite being just 17-years-old, Oxford has been the subject of a huge amount of interest from some huge European clubs, including both Manchester United and Chelsea.

He famously made his full Premier League debut against Arsenal in 2015, impressing in a Man of the Match worthy display.

The Hammers have thus far been able to hold onto the talented defender, and if they wish to hold on to their star man for much longer – Bilic HAS to look at utilizing him next season.

What West Ham cannot offer in wages, they have proven that they can offer in potential, with some of the world’s best footballers making it through West Ham in the Premier League.

If Reece Oxford remains at the club and is given an opportunity, he could become an extra name to add to the ‘Notable Alumni’ list at the brand new Olympic Stadium.

Everton fans can breathe a huge sigh of relief as Romelu Lukaku will be staying at Goodison Park for the immediate future, but there is still ultimately the question of whether the club can match the lofty ambitions held by the Belgian interational.

Manager Ronald Koeman went on record after their win away at West Brom on Saturday, saying that Lukaku will be staying for ‘at least one more season’, and that there is also a possibility of a new contract for the Everton hitman, but it doesn’t mean Everton fans should be reaching for the champagne just yet.

A new contract would protect Everton’s investment in their most precious asset and then would also allow them to cash in should Lukaku decide in twelve months’ time that he would like to bring his time on Merseyside to an end. It also means that this season is not only going to be incredibly important for Everton but for Lukaku too.

Everton will need to be competing for a European place – and will probably have to actually earn one – if they are to have any chance of keeping Lukaku at the club beyond the end of this campaign. It’s also the case that Lukaku is going to have to have another decent season in terms of goals if he is to still be admired by some of Europe’s top clubs.

You do also get the feeling that he is prepared to stay at Everton for at least this season due to the fact that no one actually came in with a contract bid for the former Chelsea man. His former employers themselves did seem to be the most interested, but even they appeared to have been scared off by the £75m asking price that has been quoted.

For all of Lukaku’s supposed posturing for a move away, there was never really anything in the way of a real demand to leave. When you add that to the lack of any bid that matched Everton’s valuation of the player, it seems apparent that Lukaku wasn’t going to be leaving Goodison this summer.

Everton managed to hold firm over the course of the window so far, and in doing so, they have managed to keep hold of the man who has registered 43 Premier League goals in 104 appearances. That will have been a huge boost for Ronald Koeman as it would have been nearly impossible to replace him with such little time of the transfer window left.

It’s as if this arrangement is one that suits all parties. If Everton are successful thanks to Lukaku’s goals then the likelihood of him staying on further increases, if Everton underachieve but Lukaku still finds the net on a regular basis then it very much puts him in the shop window for this time next year.

So the club and player have almost got a marriage of conveience for the next year: Everton fans can celebrate in the short to medium term but they may have to get ready to go through the whole scenario again next summer. But for now they won’t be worrying about that and will hope Lukaku can fire them to success over the course of the campaign.

This article was submitted via our Write For Us feature. Think you can do better? Submit your own article via the link below, and give yourself the chance of winning monthly cash prizes…

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It seems that optimism is quietly bubbling away in the Liverpool end of the Football Transfer Tavern after a pretty hectic start to the season!

Jurgen Klopp’s side had a rip-roaring start to the current campaign and it’s safe to say, when they went 4-1 up at the Emirates against Arsenal, Reds fans were getting seriously excited. And whilst we know that game finished 4-3, it’s not gone all their way since.

They followed up the Arsenal win with a disappointing defeat to newly promoted Burnley before taking a share of the spoils with Spurs.

So it’s been a win, a draw and a loss so far and those four points leave the Reds lying eleventh in the Premier League table. Not the best start – but it could be a lot worse!

But out of the current crop, are there certain individuals that are being slightly overrated when it comes to the back page verdict in the morning? Or perhaps are there any players that might be behind the mixed bag of results thus far?

Transfer Tavern writer Hayden Atkins takes us through THREE Liverpool stars who may have flattered to deceive this season…

Alberto Moreno

After a gaffe-fulled performance at the Emirates, he’s yet to appear in the first-team eleven again this season and it’s safe to say he won’t be for some time.

Some Reds fans feel he’s been overrated for some time now and his weaknesses were ruthlessly exposed in the game against Arsenal, in a fixture they really shouldn’t have conceded three in.

He was defensively weak and his positioning was questionable throughout.

Our landlord thinks that he will struggle to get back into the first team this season.

Georginio Wijnaldum

Georginio Wijnaldum was brilliant against Arsenal but against Burnley and Spurs – he’s been a thoroughly passive presence at the heart of the midfield.

If the Reds are to achieve any sort of success this season they need to seriously step it up in the middle of the park.

Wijnaldum has taken the easy pass far too often already this season and whilst there is undoubted potential, for £25 million – our landlord thinks that he needs to show more.

Daniel Sturridge

Mr. Injury himself needs a clean break this season and if the Reds are to do well this campaign, they’ll need Daniel Sturridge to step up a little bit more than he has done.

He as played out wide against Burnley and seriously struggled.

Similar to what we’ve seen with Theo Walcott and Anthony Martial, it’s always tough for a winger to step it up and take their form onto the wing – it’s a different game entirely.

Sturridge got three minutes in the Spurs draw and we need to see more from the former Chelsea man if he wants to stay in this Liverpool team as the season progresses.

A bit overrated right now, but our landlord is holding out judgement just yet.

He may only be four games into his Liverpool career, but German goalkeeper Loris Karius has struggled, yet there is still no need to panic. Calls for the usually unpopular Simon Mignolet to replace him for the Manchester United game were not heeded, but the simple fact that they were there shows the current lack of confidence in the stands.

His opposite number on Monday, arguably the best goalkeeper in the world, David de Gea, had a similarly difficult time at the start of his career in England, but was given the chance to improve. Karius must have the same opportunity.

It is not unusual for foreign players, particularly goalkeepers, to find a culture shock when entering the Premier League. Claudio Bravo has discovered that this year, whilst there have been numerous examples before. The sheer physicality can be difficult to adjust to and sometimes take a number of months.

Karius only arrived from Mainz in the summer for a modest fee of less than £5m. The price-tag is not the issue, but moving to a new country and a much bigger team has been. He was injured for a period and immediately came into the team when fit, showing Jurgen Klopp’s confidence in him. He clearly sees something more in him than he does Mignolet.

Of course, there is no guarantee that Karius will get to the same level as De Gea – in fact, it is unlikely that he will, given how high that level is – but the point is that there is ample time to improve. Mignolet has bulked up considerably over his Liverpool career and had started to come for crosses much more. A similar improvement in Karius is necessary, but it cannot be done overnight.

Being patient is not always easy in football, yet there are numerous examples, chiefly De Gea, but also the likes of Hugo Lloris, that have come good over time. An adjustment period is needed for the young German… he needs more time than he has been given.

Getting on his back will only add to the issue. Confidence can only be gained over time.

This article was submitted via our Write For Us feature. Think you can do better? Submit your own article via the link below, and give yourself the chance of winning monthly cash prizes…

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Last night was a testing one for England fans, watching a side assembled of highly-paid Premier League stars being outfought and, for large periods, outplayed by a Slovenia team 55 places below them in the FIFA rankings.

During a scoreless draw at Stadion Stozice, England claimed 67% possession but could do little with it, managing just four shots on target throughout the 90 minutes, none of which truly tested the extremities of the ability of goalkeeper Jan Oblak – a Champions League quality shot-stopper who plies his domestic trade as Atletico Madrid’s No.1.

It was a steep learning curve for interim manager Gareth Southgate, who attempted to explain the underwhelming performance and result by declaring he’d inherited a “mess” – alluding to the Three Lions’ debasing exit from EURO 2016 and Sam Allardyce’s abrupt departure following The Telegraph’s investigation into corruption in football.

Nonetheless, the England national team are obliged to learn from their errors and so are we at FootballFanCast. With that in mind, here are FIVE lessons we took from last night’s dissonant draw.

Southgate isn’t ready yet

Southgate’s looked the part on the training ground and in press conferences, answering difficult questions – not least including about the diminishing role of captain Wayne Rooney – in the calm and measured manner many have come to expect of the former Middlesbrough boss.

But England’s performances on the pitch haven’t matched Southgate’s in front of the camera. If a 2-0 win over Malta could be justified by three more points in World Cup Qualifying Group F, a draw with Slovenia didn’t produce any real silver lining. Throughout both sets of 90 minutes, the Three Lions lacked creativity, decisiveness and drive. The Malta match felt like a training exercise and for large periods, the Slovenia draw descended into disorganised chaos.

Southgate may come across in the right manner, but his selections and tactical approaches haven’t paid off.

England are still hurting from that Iceland defeat

There was a 10-minute spell after Slovenia hit the post when the England side that crashed out of the European Championship at the hands of Iceland suddenly re-emerged. A wayward Eric Dier backpass, finding its way to Slovenia’s danger man, Josip Ilicic, triggered nerves and the Three Lions quickly became the Bambi-legged rabble who couldn’t control a ball – let alone pass it to each other – as they suffered the most humiliating defeat in our national team’s history.

Whilst some will use this as ammunition in the never-ending debate over how footballers are produced in this country, and whether they’re trained to the right skill set, it’s abundantly clear this group of players are thwart by the entrenched fear of history repeating itself. Too young and talented to cast aside, England may have to accept frosty skirmishes with European minnows until this current generation reaches its natural expiration.

Wayne Rooney isn’t the problem

There was always a populist element to Southgate’s decision to drop Rooney, even if he claimed it was purely a tactical call to sure up England’s engine room away from home. His long-range passing may bemuse some but the Three Lions lacked that direction to their attack against Slovenia; Jordan Henderson and Eric Dier just couldn’t control the game in the same way and in fact contributed heavily to England suffocating their own momentum with basic errors.

The Three Lions skipper failed to change the game after coming on from the bench for Dele Alli. But last night’s draw surely eradicated the myth that an out-of-form Rooney is the ultimate cause of England’s inability to inspire going forward.

Alli’s still inconsistent at this level

With Rooney cast aside, Alli was given the chance to prove he could be England’s star man last night – or at the very least, an integral figure as their resident No.10. The Tottenham Hotspur midfielder appears destined to undertake that duty for the best part of the next decade, perhaps even longer, but his failure to provide a decisive pass against Slovenia – or put the ball into the net himself – suggested a young player who is still yet to find his consistency at international level.

It’s not only last night’s match where this has been evident. Alli showed sparks of brilliance at Euro 2016 but finished the tournament without a goal or an assist. Contrast that with a goal and arguably the performance of the match against Malta on Saturday.

Joe Hart should still be England’s No.1

Sent packing to Torino by Pep Guardiola after committing two incredibly costly errors at EURO 2016, Joe Hart is undoubtedly amid the most turbulent spell of his career, with his long-term future at Manchester City completely up in the air and a number of rivals – such as Fraser Forster and Jack Butland – for his England jersey emerging.

But Hart proved how invaluable an asset he is last night with a world-class save – one of three he made throughout the 90 minutes – to prevent Slovenia taking the lead. It wasn’t just his shot-stopping that stood out; the 29-year-old continuously orchestrated an aimless backline and was one of the first to rush over as Jesse Lingard looked certain to earn himself a red card for off-the-ball handbags.

Last night’s performance not only underlined Hart’s quality – something we’re all aware of already – but also his leadership role within the squad.

Twenty years ago today, Southampton were tricked into signing Ali Dia after he claimed to be the cousin of African superstar George Weah. Incredibly, he actually made a Premier League appearance.

Handed a one-month deal and coming off the bench to play against Leeds, Ali Dia lasted just 53 woeful minutes on the pitch before being hauled off and the con was later revealed, with the situation not being as it seemed.

Graeme Souness’ punt on an unknown prodigy looked to be a poor signing immediately, as Matt Le Tissier explained to The Daily Mail.

‘This guy turned up on the recommendation of George Weah. George Weah’s cousin and George had said this guy is pretty good, give him a try. Graeme Souness was manager at the time. He (Dia) came down on the Friday morning, trained with us and played in the five-a-side and to be honest, didn’t look very good.’

‘We thought that’s fair enough, trialists come and go and I just thought this was going to be the same thing. This guy, we’ll never see him again, he’s not particularly good. But he turned up for the game the next day. We were playing against Leeds.’

Picking up an injury after 33 minutes, Le Tissier was subbed off and one came Dia- and this is where the story starts to get really, really odd, as the striker soon vanished into the wind a few days later.

‘He ran around the pitch like Bambi on ice. It was very, very embarrassing to watch. Souness actually had to take him off again because he was actually that bad.’

‘I have no idea if he was George Weah’s cousin or not. I don’t think he was. He was just chuffed to get out on the pitch and play. I think it was a great wind up from someone who came up with this idea.’

‘He turned up the next morning for treatment on an injury, the physio was telling me. So Sunday morning he turns up, has a bit of treatment, he leaves and then we never see him again. He never came back. He just left. Nobody knows where he went. Never to be seen again.’

‘It was very odd. Not quite sure how a man of Graeme’s experience fell for that.’

Just two weeks after signing ‘George Weah’s cousin’, Dia was released from his deal and the full details of the situation then emerged; he’d never played for Senegal, he’d never been on the books of Paris Saint-Germain and he certainly wasn’t the cousin of the 1995 World Player of the Year.

Incredibly, Dia had tricked the same trick on a number of Football League sides with no success before Souness’ Southampton, desperate to fight to avoid relegation from the Premier League, fell for the greatest con football has ever seen.