Aubameyang, Alexis and the top completed January 2018 transfer deals
A list of all the major transfers completed in the January window by clubs in the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1
A list of all the major transfers completed in the January window by clubs in the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1
A number of Liverpool fans have been reacting to the ‘huge’ difference made by the midfield combination of Fabinho and Thiago, after the Reds’ victory over RB Leipzig.
Jurgen Klopp’s men made a welcome return to winning ways on Wednesday evening, easing past the Bundesliga side with a 2-0 triumph.
Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane replicated their first leg brilliance with a goal apiece, meaning Liverpool progressed to the Champions League quarter-finals with a 4-0 aggregate win.
It was in midfield where the most exciting tactical tweak took place, however, with Fabinho restored to his favoured No.6 role, in what could be a massive boost for the rest of the season.
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The Brazilian was a colossus in the middle of the park for Liverpool, winning two tackles and making three interceptions, as well as nine recoveries.
Not only that, but Fabinho also brought the best out of Thiago, with the 29-year-old arguably enjoying his best performance to date in a Reds shirt.
He was given more freedom to express himself in midfield, and had Salah not been wasteful during one first half counter-attack, he would have got a wonderful assist to his name.
If the duo can continue this sort of relationship, it will provide a huge boost as the Reds try to ensure their campaign doesn’t peter out.
A number of Liverpool fans took to Twitter to lavish the Reds pair with praise after the game, as positivity returned to the fanbase.
“Fabinho at CM and Thiago in a more attacking role, it’s beautiful.”
Credit: @ScouserChrisLFC
“Fabinho made a huge difference tonight. Offered so much protection to the defenders but also set thiago free to play. Special mention for Nat Philips too. Lad just heads and tackles everything. Nothing complicated. Played well.”
Credit: @wacka83
“Fabinho is world-class at DM. Made a huge difference to the shape, fluidity and core. Thiago certainly enjoyed having Fab there too”
Credit: @Justin_Burns1
“Liverpool look a much better side with Fabinho in midfield and Jota up front. No surprise to see Thiago look so much better as well. Glimpses tonight of what the plan was before injuries killed our season.”
Credit: @sisteers“Fabinho unlocks Thiago.”Credit: @McGlynnimino“FABINHO AND THIAGO IN MIDFIELD IS THE THING OF DREAMS”Credit: @theredsforeverIn other news: Reds boosted in bid to sign Kylian Mbappe.
Liverpool went out with “a whimper” and were “disgraceful” as they lost 1-0 to Brighton at Anfield on Wednesday night.
Those were the words of former Chelsea defender Jason Cundy, as he reacted to the Reds’ second home defeat in a row.
The Seagulls’ Steven Alzate scored the only goal of the game in the second half after Trent Alexander-Arnold got himself caught under the ball and Dan Burn headed across goal to provide the assist.
While Liverpool once again fielded a makeshift defence, it was at the other end of the field where their problems lied, having created just two big chances and one shot on target during the 90 minutes (Fotmob).
Speaking to talkSPORT, Cundy was furious with what he saw and did not sugarcoat his words while discussing the performance.
“That was pathetic from Liverpool tonight,” he said.
“They are up against a side, and credit to Brighton they are a good side, but that is the defending champions you just watched there.
“A whimper, disgraceful, shocking… and you know what? History may be repeating itself.”
Klopp managed to secure two Bundesliga titles with Borussia Dortmund before he left his position, and Cundy related Liverpool’s current form to the German tactician’s final days in charge in North Rhine-Westphalia.
“You look at what Klopp did at Dortmund when their season imploded; in his final season all of a sudden it went to pot when they went on a run of two wins out of 16.
“This is something that has happened before to Klopp, in Germany. He demands so much, and his demands have been brilliant.
“But are we looking at a Liverpool side now that has just run out of gas? Because that is not the Klopp Liverpool that we have seen over the past three seasons. They went out with a whimper.
“Credit to Brighton, because they deserved it, but that was just shocking!”
While it was a really poor performance from Liverpool, it’s fair to say there are elements about the display which were out of the manager’s control – namely injuries.
Let’s not forget, captain Jordan Henderson is being made to play as a centre-back, costing the Reds his usual energy in midfield, while the likes of Alisson, Sadio Mane and Diogo Jota all missed the match as well.
Supporters will be feeling down in the dumps after that one, but it can all change again if they can beat Manchester City on Sunday. What a funny old game football can be.
In other news, Liverpool fans go after under-fire Klopp star once more after Brighton slip-up.
It must be a huge relief for everyone at Sunderland that they can finally focus on the football again.
Their festive period was ruined by a bout of Covid and thus, they had four consecutive games postponed by the authorities.
A 0-0 draw wasn’t exactly the most ideal way to return to action last weekend and they now face a tough encounter against Hull City.
It’s a clash we’ve seen in the Premier League and Championship in the last decade but they now meet in League One amid multiple years of plight.
It will be interesting to see how Lee Johnson decides to line-up with his squad nearly back to full health.
Denver Hume and Luke O’Nien are still a few weeks away from a return but Callum McFadzean is set to be back in the squad this weekend.
With that in mind, we’re tipping the Mackems to make three changes from the side that drew with Northampton.
Lynden Gooch returns to the starting XI for the first time since picking up an injury towards the latter stage of November. He’s made a few substitute appearances under Johnson but now should be his time to fully prove his worth to the new manager.
That means that McGeady is dropped from the starting XI, but on the opposite flank, we also think that Jack Diamond will be taken out of the firing line. Consequently, Chris Maguire – their top scorer in League One last term – comes into the XI.
The other change is at left-back where McFadzean is fit enough to play again. Dion Sanderson deputised in that third of the pitch against the Cobblers but unfortunately misses out on this occasion.
The midfield has a familiar look to it while Conor McLaughlin continues at right-back with O’Nien out and recovering from a dislocated shoulder.
Whilst Tottenham Hotspur struggled to take their chances in the 4-1 win against Wycombe Wanderers on Monday night until late on, the performance of Gareth Bale arguably shows why he needs to be starting more often in the Premier League.
The Welsh international played the full 90 minutes at Adams Park and looked dangerous throughout, as he regularly showed a good turn of pace to get past the opposition defenders.
The on-loan Real Madrid man scored the equalising goal with a deft finish in first-half stoppage time, which means he is now the only Spurs player to have scored in every competition so far this season.
The 31-year-old has struggled with fitness and injury issues since re-joining the North London club during the summer transfer window but will be glad to have got his first full 90 minutes back in a Spurs shirt under his belt on Monday, even if it was against Championship opposition.
If Bale can get back to full fitness, then Mourinho should consider making him his starting right-winger in future matches, as he showed against Wycombe that when he is on form, he can offer more of a goalscoring threat than Steven Bergwijn.
Despite playing significantly fewer matches than the Dutch winger this season, Bale has four goals in all competitions, compared to the former PSV man, who has failed to find the back of the net once this season.
The 23-year-old has struggled to put away big chances, most notably in the 2-1 defeat against Liverpool earlier in the season, when he missed a few golden opportunities.
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Although Bergwijn does a lot of the dirty work in Mourinho’s side with his excellent pressing and tracking back, the Portuguese manager must surely be considering handing the £18 million-rated Bale more game time in the Premier League to try and add to his side’s attacking threat, considering he has managed just four appearances in the top-flight since returning, three of which have come from the bench.
If Bale can replicate the performance he produced against Wycombe, where he completed 5/5 dribbles and earned an 8/10 rating from SofaScore, in the Premier League, then it is surely only a matter of time before he establishes himself as the first-choice right-winger with the Lilywhites.
And, in other news… Levy handed ideal opportunity to axe £42m liability dubbed “a mistake waiting to happen”
The extent to which Sunderland have failed in the transfer market over the last few years can always be brought back to the 2019 window.
At first glance, it looked as though Josh Maja was going to stay at the Stadium of Light. However, his agent managed to tie up a deal with Bordeaux and he departed the Mackems.
Consequently, they were left needing a striker to fill the gap of the 15 goals he’d taken with him to France.
That, however, didn’t go well at all. Sunderland came into transfer deadline day still needing a centre-forward and consequently, opposing clubs could string them along.
That’s exactly what happened with Stewart Donald. He failed with several bids for Wigan attacker Will Grigg before eventually landing him for £4m.
Financially that was shocking business but they were at least signing someone with a proven track record in League One. He’d scored 19 for Wigan in the very same division only a year prior, firing the Latics to promotion.
To say things haven’t worked out since would be an understatement. He’s scored only eight times after arriving and is yet to find the back of the net in 2019/20.
At Wimbledon, though, another striker was banging in goals on a regular basis, one the Black Cats let slip through their net.
After leaving West Brom in the summer of 2018, Finnish striker Marcus Forss had a trial with Sunderland. They chose not to sign him and instead, he went and penned terms with Brentford.
A loan spell followed last season where Forss bagged 11 times in just 18 third-tier outings. Since heading back to the Bees, he has scored goals again – this time in the Championship. In 19 appearances this season, the 21-year-old beast has found the net seven times.
This is a young individual who knows where the goal is and appears to be a player that Lee Johnson is crying out for.
The criticism, therefore, should go to Donald and the Mackems’ talent spotters for failing to sign him.
Forss has now been linked with Borussia Dortmund and could make a move to one of the most prestigious clubs in European football.
Had he signed for Sunderland, who knows where they could be now? Unlike Grigg, the youngster could have won them promotion.
In other news, Johnson must unleash Sunderland talent with “magic feat”…
West Ham United must bite the bullet and look to sell Ryan Fredericks after reports emerged suggesting the right-back is facing an uncertain future following his omission from the matchday squad at Sheffield United.
According to Claret & Hugh, Irons boss David Moyes opted to name young full-back Ben Johnson among his substitutes for last Sunday’s 1-0 win at Bramall Lane after Fredericks developed a slight knock that prevented his involvement.
Moyes has not called on Fredericks to play a single minute in any competition since September’s 4-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers, where the 28-year-old was forced to be replaced early in the second-half after sustaining a hamstring injury.
The blow swung the door wide open for summer signing Vladimir Coufal to start at Leicester City and Moyes has never looked back since, with the £5.4million man now considered the firm first-choice.
Fredericks is only expected to be offered a recall should Coufal sustain an injury, but may also be sold in January or the summer to avoid losing the former Fulham ace for free with his £40,000-per-week contract expiring in 2022.
With Fredericks’ future at the London Stadium far from certain as Moyes edges in favour of Coufal, who has started all six available Premier League games, it is time for West Ham to bite the bullet and look to offload the Manuel Pellegrini signing as soon as possible.
Pellegrini was full of hope for Fredericks when the Chilean unveiled the full-back as his first signing in 2018, claiming the free transfer would provide the Irons with great qualities that would only develop in claret and blue.
“I am very pleased to welcome Ryan to West Ham United as our first signing this summer,” Pellegrini said, via quotes by the club’s official website. “He joins having had a successful season with Fulham and is a player who will bring great qualities to our squad.
“He has good experience, with more than 150 senior appearances already but, at 25, he is still a young player with his best years ahead of him. Ryan has good character, is hungry to succeed, and has shown me that he has great desire to be a West Ham United player.”
But West Ham supporters have struggled to see the qualities Pellegrini lauded, as Fredericks has been relentlessly plagued by injuries with an ankle problem sidelining the 28-year-old for 77 days and 14 matches in his debut season, while hamstring and shoulder issues ruled him out for periods last term.
Added to Fredericks’ constant injuries, Moyes is seemingly confident Johnson is now ready to step up and take on more responsibilities in the senior fold having named the 20-year-old on the bench at Sheffield United.
It was the fourth time this season that Johnson has featured in an 18-man league squad, though failed to enter the action like against Wolves when replacing the injured Fredericks or in West Ham’s three Carabao Cup ties prior to elimination at Everton.
AND in other news, West Ham can ease David Moyes’ fear by signing an “exemplary” gem who may not cost David Sullivan anything.
Despite an electric start, Ademola Lookman’s career at Everton never really got going.
The winger was signed in 2017 after scoring 12 goals in 49 games for Charlton Athletic as a teenager, with him costing the Toffees £11m. He could hardly have hoped for a better start, scoring within minutes of his Premier League debut against Manchester City in a 4-0 win.
However, he would end up making just 48 appearances all in all for the Merseyside outfit, scoring just four times. That didn’t stop RB Leipzig spending £22.5m to take him to Germany after he bagged five goals and four assists in 11 games on loan at the Bundesliga outfit in 2018. He managed just 13 games, though, before joining Fulham on loan in the summer.
On Sunday, he was in action against Sheffield United, and put in an impressive display. He even scored a wonder goal in a 1-1 draw, and that led to plenty of praise from Everton supporters. There were many who even suggested that the Toffees should never have let him go, and they took to Twitter to share their thoughts.
Let us know what you think!
Daniel Levy will lose his mind at Jose Mourinho if the Tottenham Hotspur boss forces Davinson Sanchez out of the club in the January transfer window.
According to Football Insider, the Spurs first-team have been given the next six-to-eight weeks to prove themselves to Mourinho and Levy, with the pair yet finalise a definitive plan for the upcoming market.
Tottenham intend to bolster the ranks in north London this winter after the fine start to the campaign Mourinho has orchestrated, with Spurs sitting second in the table and with the chance to go temporarily to the top with a win over Manchester City on Saturday.
Mourinho’s backline is expected to bear the brunt of the Portuguese’s focus, having grown concerned by the lack of pace that a pairing of Eric Dier and Toby Alderweireld have to offer.
Sanchez is seen to be the fastest of Spurs’ centre-halves but found himself axed from their last three Premier League squads before the November international break, while summer signing Joe Rodon is yet to feature as anything more than a last-minute substitute at Burnley.
Should Sanchez or Rodon fail to dethrone either Dier or Alderweireld before the New Year, Mourinho is expected to explore the potential of adding a new central defender to his plans with the former Chelsea boss favouring a proven option over youth prospect Japhet Tanganga.
Sanchez may even find himself pushed out of north London, with the Colombian not thought of highly by Mourinho while Levy has to offload some of Tottenham’s unneeded high-earners to fund his winter dealings.
If Mourinho does decide over the next six-to-eight weeks that Sanchez has no future at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, his decision may see Levy lose his mind having signed the 24-year-old from AFC Ajax in 2017 for a then-club-record £40million.
The Spurs chief will surely struggle to find a suitor willing to match – or better – that sum in the winter market, having seen the Colombian fail to keep a clean sheet in either of his four Premier League starts this season before losing his place in the 18-man squad.
Then finding a replacement for Sanchez who presents good value for money will be a second thwart challenge for Levy to overcome, with clubs reluctant to part with their most prized assets in the mid-season window for anything less than top-dollar as their departures could turn a campaign on its head.
Levy will be far better placed to urge Mourinho to keep faith in what Sanchez can have to offer, with the £65,000-per-week outcast’s performances over his top-flight appearances enough to rank first among all Tottenham defenders for successful tackles (9), and have three times as many interceptions (3) as Alderweireld (1) and ground duels won (9) as Dier (3), per SofaScore.
Levy can also turn to the words of Mourinho’s predecessor Mauricio Pochettino in arguing the case for the Colombian to stay, at least until the summer, as the Argentine coach was a staunch advocate for the defender’s potential.
“We nearly changed all the players and of course it’s important, after only 48 hours, to say [well done] to Davinson Sanchez because his effort on Monday and [Wednesday] was massive,” Pochettino said in November 2018 after helping Spurs to beat West Ham in the EFL Cup, via quotes by Goal. “He showed great mentality. He’s a beast.”
Pochettino also suspected the world would be Sanchez’s oyster after his capture in 2017, tipping the Ajax arrival to go on and become one of the best in his position.
“He has an amazing history and background,” Pochettino said, via quotes by The Guardian. “He is so aggressive, so fast and he loves to play with risk at his back. It’s a massive opportunity because we believe he will be one of the best centre-backs in the world.”
Only time will tell if Sanchez can use the next six-to-eight weeks to his advantage or if Mourinho has already decided the Colombian has no future in north London.
AND in other news, Jose Mourinho has been tipped for crunch talks with an “amazing” Spurs gem who’s unhappy in north London.
It appears West Ham have lost the race to land one of their mooted transfer targets this summer and there’s only one place to aim the blame…
According to the Daily Mirror last month, the Hammers had offered £10m for Nottingham Forest right-back Matty Cash but now it appears he’ll be moving elsewhere.
The Independent are claiming that a £15m deal has been agreed with Premier League rivals Aston Villa with personal terms soon to be agreed.
It’s suggested that the 23-year-old became one of the Championship’s most sought-after players after the Reds failed in their promotion push – Fulham were another team keen on signing him.
This is not the first time that the Irons have missed out on a target nor will it be the last, however, Cash would have been a very shrewd signing to bolster David Moyes’ backline.
The young winger-turned-defender delivered three goals and five assists whilst averaging 3 clearances, 2.6 tackles, 1.4 interceptions and 1.1 key passes per game, via WhoScored.
And his form over the past season or two has been well regarded – respected chief football writer at the Times, Henry Winter, believes Cash “looks Premier League class” while Quest TV’s Sam Parkin labelled his season as “outstanding”.
Ryan Fredericks doesn’t appear to be the best of options on the right side, especially when it comes to attacking, which is something the Forest sensation would evidently resolve going by his figures for the season.
The 27-year-old could only muster up three assists, so it’s no wonder that the Hammers struggled to create chances and quickly became embroiled in a relegation battle.
All GSB had to do was offer £5m more, even if it came in the form of add-ons or instalments as that’s what has been reportedly accepted from Villa.
Their lack of investment this summer is damning, so there could well be another dog fight at the bottom of the table unless they soon open their chequebook.
AND in other news, Irons may have the perfect Declan Rice successor right under their nose…