Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers will not lose his job, even if the club fail to beat QPR on Sunday, according to reports from The Mirror.
If the Reds lose at Loftus Road, Rodgers will have won 25 points from 20 Premier League games, a record which saw Roy Hodgson sacked.
Unlike the now England coach, the ex-Swansea man will not be given the boot, as the club’s owner John W Henry still believes that he is the man to usher in a new generation of success at Anfield.
It is also thought that the Merseysiders’ hierarchy want to maintain a sense of stability at the club, following the sacking of Kenny Dalglish over the summer.
Their faith in the Northern Irishman will be further illustrated next month, as the club look to splash the cash in a bid to improve their domestic form.
Daniel Sturridge is on the verge of completing a £12m move from Chelsea, to provide support to over worked star striker Luis Suarez.
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It is also thought that former Liverpool youth player Tom Ince is close to returning in a £4m deal from Championship outfit Blackpool.
Rodgers may also be in the market for further attacking reinforcements, with rumours that he is pursuing Barcelona’s David Villa, who could be available on loan.
According to Turkish news outlet A Spor (via The Daily Star), Besiktas are readying a £10 million move for Liverpool outcast Daniel Sturridge. The striker was shipped out on loan by Reds chief Jurgen Klopp back in January to underline his lowly position in the attacking pecking order, and if the Merseysiders were to indeed receive a bid to £10 million for the 28-year-old, they should absolutely let him leave this summer.
The Breakdown
Ultimately, the England international has found things tricky at Anfield pretty much ever since Klopp took over back in October 2015, with the likes of Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, and Mohamed Salah, as well as former attacker Philippe Coutinho, often getting the nod ahead of the 28-year-old.
And given how many goals those four have scored in recent years – messrs Firmino, Mane, and Salah netted 91 times last season – it would take someone extremely special to dispose any of them from Klopp’s starting eleven, a level Sturridge simply isn’t at at this present time.
And with just nine Premier League appearances for the Reds last season, and only 20 the campaign before, it doesn’t look like the 28-year-old is going to command regular game time at Liverpool anytime soon – a move away appears to be in his best interests.
In fact, the Englishman was allowed to leave on loan to West Brom back in January given his lowly position in Klopp’s pecking order, although it was another frustrating few months for the forward given he managed just six appearances for the Baggies, failing to net in any of them.
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As such, that ill-fated time at the Hawthorns cost him a place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for this summer’s World Cup, which itself should be the clearest indication yet that Sturridge simply has to get out of Liverpool for good in a bid to resurrect his flailing career.
And while £10 million may fall below the Reds’ valuation for the striker, that is still a sizeable amount of money for a player who hasn’t started many matches and scored many goals in the last few years.
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As such, taking into account his seemingly never-ending injury issues and unlikelihood that he’ll be anywhere near Klopp’s first team this season, the Merseyside giants should absolutely cash in on the Englishman if Besiktas make a £10 million move.
West Ham United centre-back James Collins has said that ‘morale in the camp is good’ as the Hammers prepare to travel to Swansea City in the Premier League this weekend.
David Moyes’ side have only won one of their last five in the Premier League, with that run of form leaving them in 13th position in the table.
Just three points separates West Ham from 18th-placed Swansea ahead of their clash at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Swansea will enter the match having won their last three on home soil, but West Ham recorded a 4-1 victory in the corresponding fixture last term.
Despite suffering a disappointing 4-1 defeat at Liverpool on Sunday afternoon, Collins has insisted that the Hammers will enter this weekend’s clash full of confidence.
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Collins told West Ham’s official website:
“Morale in the camp is good. We had a good result against Watford and then a couple of weeks of good training, so spirits are high.
“We’ve got some great characters in that dressing room and we need to focus on Swansea, go there and get a good result.”
West Ham have only won two of their 15 away Premier League matches this season – suffering eight defeats in the process.
Unfortunately sitting at the foot of the Championship table, their is no doubt that Bolton Wanderers have massively underachieved in the past three years. Not long ago the Trotters were a force to be reckoned with in the Premier League and even reached the UEFA Cup. Just ask any Arsenal fan of the danger posed when they faced them at the Reebok Stadium, as the Gunners considered them as there ‘bogey team’ away from home.
This fabulous spell was under the guidance of Sam Allardyce, before he made the switch to Newcastle United – where his time at St. James Park was unsuccessful to say the least. Gary Megson and Dougie Freedman have since attempted to rekindle the glory days, but have failed spectacularly.
Despite being the second tier of English football, the Championship is still saturated with fantastic players and managers that are capable of performing at the highest level. Although the second tier may not be at the highest level, it is still considered to be one of the most exciting and pulsating leagues in the world, which draws the quality in. After Freedman left the club recently, Bolton acquired the services of former Celtic gaffer Neil Lennon in an attempt to guide them away from the dreaded relegation zone, and maybe, have a shot of a play-off spot. Not only is this a fantastic piece of business for Bolton, but it also shows that the Championship is not a league to be ignored.
As player, who turned out for Manchester City, Crewe Alexandra, Leicester City, Celtic, Nottingham Forest and Wycombe Wanderers, Lennon was a no nonsense central midfielder, who never turned away from a crunching tackle. In a career that saw the 43 year old play a staggering 561 career games and score 25 goals he also won two League Cups, five Scottish Premier League titles, four Scottish Cups and two Scottish League Cups.
The one major element that Lennon brings is his personality from a playing career into management. His stern approach and careful attention to detail are the reasons he won three Scottish Premier League titles and two Scottish Cups as manager of Celtic between 2010 and 2014. After only being in charge of Bolton for a week, Lennon has already installed one rule at the club, banning players from wearing bobble hats in training – a rule he doesn’t follow himself…
Since Lennon left Celtic Park last season the Northern Irishman has had a plethora of offers to take charge of Premier League clubs, so why did he choose a club that is rooted at the bottom of the Championship table? Knowing Lennon’s character, the last thing he would want was to take charge of a top flight side that settles for a mid-table finish every season. He wants a challenge and wants to achieve things in circumstances many would walk away from. Expect the Championship to become a bit more exciting, and whatever you do, do not rule out Bolton Wanderers for promotion.
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Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has revealed that he has funds available for the January transfer window and that he expects to sign two permanent players, as reported by the Telegraph.
Wenger is usually coy about any transfer dealings but he seems confident in bringing new faces to the club and possibly one old face too.
“This winter we will work very hard because we have some funds available,” Wenger told French television station Bein Sport.
“It could happen that we buy two players, but I cannot reveal the names.”
“A loan [for Henry] is still a possibility, but we will still try to strengthen for the long term.
“Henry is the talent that you dream to have. He has fantastic physique, fantastic technique, a fantastic brain, all built together in one man.
“At the start he was not confident enough but he has gone on to show what a great player he is.”
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In Thogden’s latest update from Russia, he attends England’s final Group G match against Belgium and interviews fans of the Three Lions in the Kaliningrad Stadium.
As you can see, England fans were unsure of how they wanted the match to play out, with many thinking defeat would mean England have an easier route in the World Cup knockout rounds.
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In the end, those fans will be pleased with how things turned out, as the two European sides served up a drab affair in which Belgium won 1-0 thanks to a goal from Adnan Januzaj, which means that England will face Colombia in the last 16.
Check out what the England fans had to say before the match in Thogden’s video above, and subscribe to his videos for more content from Russia.
In our poll on Wednesday, we asked West Ham fans who they would prefer anchoring their right-back position: injury-hit but promising 24-year old Sam Byram or Fulham fullback and potential purchase Ryan Fredericks.
Hammers fans were almost unanimous in backing the exciting Fulham prospect, with 86% preferring him to Byram.
It’s easy to see why the London Stadium faithful are all-in on Fredericks. He has earned eight assists, and his attacking style of play has been pivotal to the Whites’ rise up the Championship table in the latter half of the season.
The London-born Fredericks is a tad older than Byram at 25-year-old but his £3.6m valuation, according to Transfrmarket, makes him an affordable purchase for the Hammers.
Currently operating with the aging Pablo Zabaleta flanking a three-man defence, West Ham will be looking for a player with some youth and speed on him to work the wing in the summer transfer window – and Fredericks could be their man.
Here are the full results of our poll…
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Liverpool were the surprise package last season, mounting an unexpected title challenge against Chelsea and Manchester City all the way to the last day of the campaign. They came up just a bit short at second, and will look to go one step better this time around.
However with the departure of Luis Suarez to Barcelona, a lot of the weight the Uruguayan carried on his shoulders will now be divided among the new Liverpool squad… can they raise their game to make the Anfield faithful forget about their departed talisman?
Here are FIVE Liverpool players that must prove themselves this season.
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Daniel Sturridge
Although it might be unfair to label a striker that has scored 22 goals last season needing to prove himself, that is the case with Daniel Sturridge.
The media will have an eye on Sturridge to see if he has the ability to lead the line without Suarez, and if Liverpool fail to score on a consistent basis the blame could be put on the Englishman.
But if Sturridge even manages to come close to his 22 league goal haul last season, then critics will be eating their words while the former Chelsea man earns the tag of being one of the country’s best strikers.
Simon Mignolet
Mignolet was purchased from Sunderland only a year ago to replace Pepe Reina, and had an amazing debut when he kept out a last minute penalty to win the game for the Reds.
However the Belgian stopper is prone to lapses of concentration, conceding some avoidable goals that could have been the difference between first and second.
Goalkeepers have been heavily linked with Liverpool this summer and if the 26-year-old wants to hold down his place as Liverpool’s number one, he has to prove to the manager and his fans he deserves to stand in between the Anfield posts.
Mamadou Sakho
Brendan Rodgers spent £15million for Sakho last summer, earmarking him as the season’s ‘marquee signing’ and many were expecting great things from the Frenchman.
However although he started brightly, injuries and poor form kept him out of the side for much of the campaign and Liverpool have suffered defensively because of it.
Sakho did go on to have a decent World Cup for France but now with Dejan Lovren added into the centre-back mix, the former Paris Saint-Germain ace must prove himself as the perfect partner to Lovren or Martin Skrtel.
Jordan Henderson
Henderson arrived at Liverpool for a massive £20million in the summer of 2011, but only last year did we see the 24-year-old play to the level near his hefty price tag.
With Gerrard playing a much deeper role, Henderson has the engine and the ability to become Liverpool’s next goal-scoring midfielder… and with the exit of Luis Suarez there is no better time to do so.
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Can Henderson prove himself as the natural heir to his captain? This could be a true break-out year for the Englishman, much like Ramsey at Arsenal last season.
Lazar Markovic
Also purchased for £20million this summer, Markovic has already been praised by former Chelsea manager Avram Grant as a winger capable of playing at Cristiano Ronaldo’s and Lionel Messi’s level.
Being a relative unknown, the Serbian only needed one season with Benfica to impress the Liverpool hierarchy to pay £20 million for his services. The Reds management certainly see some talent in the 20-year old, and hopes he can be the club’s new X-factor after Luis Suarez’s departure.
And Markovic has the perfect platform to begin his Liverpool legacy, as Adam Lallana – his main competition for the left midfield starting berth – is out injured until the end of September.
Can Markovic prove himself to make Suarez a forgotten man at Anfield?
Arsenal have suffered a blow in their pursuit of Hamburg striker Son Heung-Min, after the club declared that the youngster will be staying put.
The Premier League giants are said to be tracking the South Korean, who has gained a reputation as a prolific goal scorer in the Bundesliga.
Despite speculation that he may be on the move, the club’s sporting director Frank Arnesen has insisted that the attacker is not for sale:
“He is a real poacher. Chance, boom, goal,” he told Hamburger Abendblatt.
“He is one of our key players for the future. Our pain barrier concerning Son is gigantic.
“We do not want to give away players who make us better, under no circumstances.”
The 20-year-old also insisted that he is happy to stay in Germany:
“(I feel) very, very comfortable (at Hamburg). The city is amazing and the fans are really terrific,
“I still have a contract until 2014 and I have to talk about it with my dad and my agent.”
Liverpool are also believed to be monitoring the situation.
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Heung-Min moved to Hamburg in 2008 from his homeland and broke into the first-team last season.
His good form has led to him becoming a part of the South Korean national set-up, for whom he has made nine appearances.
Newcastle United are interested in bringing Sampdoria striker Duvan Zapata to St James’ Park this summer, according to Italian news outlet Calcio Mercato.
What’s the story?
The 27-year-old Colombian striker was on loan last season at Sampdoria and scored 11 goals and registered four assists in an impressive campaign for the Italian outfit.
The World Cup striker will actually join Sampdoria on a permanent basis on July 1 but they would be keen to make a profit on the £18m-rated player, as valued by Transfermarkt.
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According to Calcio Mercato, Newcastle, Southampton, Atalanta, Sporting Lisbon and Chinese Super League club Jiangsu Suning are in the running to sign the powerful forward this summer.
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What’s the verdict?
Considering that the transfer fee that Sampdoria payed Napoli is estimated to be around £15million according to Transfermarkt, Newcastle would have to fork out quite a bit to sign the striker.
However, he is the kind of physical striker that Newcastle need and the 6ft2 powerhouse dominates defenders and would fit right in in the Premier League.
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As previous Newcastle target Bas Dost looks set to be on his way to Fenerbahce, they need to turn their attention elsewhere and Zapata is built in a similar mould to the Dutch striker.
Newcastle desperately need to sign a striker and Zapata could be the right man to fill the space if they’re prepared to spend the money.