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Jurgen Klopp looks to have been handed another injury blow ahead of his side’s trip to Old Trafford in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday, with Jordan Henderson reportedly unlikely to feature through injury.

The Liverpool captain was ruled out of the game in midweek against Burnley with a muscle strain and was certainly missed, as the Reds saw their long unbeaten home run come to an end at the hands of Sean Dyche’s side.

Goal have now reported that the 30-year-old is unlikely to feature against Manchester United this weekend, which is undoubtedly a huge blow for Klopp’s side.

The Reds lacked any sort of real fight or leadership against Burnley on Thursday, something you surely feel that Henderson would have provided himself, and would have demanded from his teammates if he were on the pitch.

In the absence of Virgil van Dijk, it could certainly be argued that the Reds are lacking any leaders on the pitch when the former Sunderland man doesn’t play, so not having either at Old Trafford could be a recipe for disaster.

The England international played as a centre-back for the visit of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side earlier this month and impressed against the dangerous front three, but it appears the Reds will be without his experience in midfield for the FA Cup tie.

Fortunately for Klopp, he does now have Joel Matip back fit, so he can partner Fabinho in defence, but the Reds will certainly miss Henderson’s experience in midfield if he cannot feature on Sunday.

The German manager has emphasised the importance of his captain in the past, saying:

If anybody who is with us still doesn’t see the quality of Jordan Henderson, then I cannot help them.

“Is Hendo the perfect football player? No. Do I know anybody who is? No. But is he unbelievably important to us? Yes.”

Therefore, it comes as a huge blow for Liverpool that he is unlikely to feature at Old Trafford on Sunday, as he could have been the catalyst for the Reds turning their disappointing form around with a morale-boosting FA Cup win against their old rivals.

And, in other news… “Of course he would” – Exclusive: Pundit claims PL beast would love to join LFC

Newly-appointed West Brom boss Sam Allardyce has been thrown straight into the deep end for his first game in charge of the Baggies as they welcome an arch-rival to the Hawthorns this evening.

The 66-year-old has it all to do if he’s to salvage something from Albion’s woeful start in the Premier League, and it begins with an encounter against Dean Smith’s high-flying Aston Villa.

He replaced the axed Slaven Bilic earlier in the week despite the Croatian steering his side to an impressive 1-1 draw at Manchester City.

It’ll be interesting to see what sort of lineup Big Sam selects as his next survival bid takes shape – here’s the XI we’re predicting tonight…

Allardyce is known for his direct style so there may well be a change in system, though he’s expected to be without a quintet of Baggies stars.

The influential Matheus Pereira is serving the third and final match of his suspension while defensive duo Kyle Bartley and Conor Townsend are still on the treatment table, as is Sam Field and Hal Robson-Kanu.

We’re likely to see no change between the sticks, so Sam Johnstone keeps his place but there could be a recall for Premier League veteran Branislav Ivanovic to partner Semi Ajayi at centre-back. Kieran Gibbs and Darnell Furlong should continue at full-back.

In midfield, we’re expecting Jake Livermore to take up a place alongside Conor Gallagher as a two-man engine room. The pair are the perfect box-to-box types to play Big Sam’s 4-4-2 formation.

It means Grady Diangana also keeps his place on the left, though there may be a shock return for 32-year-old outcast Kamil Grosicki as he comes in for Matty Phillips on the right.

Allardyce could also make a huge call in attack, dropping the out-of-sorts Karlan Grant for Charlie Austin with Callum Robinson also returning to the XI in the fourth and final change to partner him up top.

Romaine Sawyers will therefore join the likes of Filip Krovinovic, Lee Peltier and Kyle Edwards on the bench.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Sam Allardyce tipped to bring Premier League striker to West Brom in January…

Spurs are back in league action this evening as they welcome relegation-threatened Fulham to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for their re-arranged festive clash.

Jose Mourinho’s side were scheduled to face Aston Villa until 48 hours ago when the Premier League’s officials postponed that match due to the number of coronavirus cases in the Villa camp.

The north Londoners were originally supposed to face their local rivals on December 30th but that game was called off at short-notice for similar reasons.

Spurs head into this fixture on the back of a 5-0 whitewash against non-league minnows Marine in the FA Cup third-round, whilst Scott Parker’s men dispatched their old foes, QPR, though they still remain in the bottom three in the top-flight.

On the Chalkboard

Mourinho is left with several interesting calls to make as he rung the changes up against Marine only three days ago – does he stick or twist with the impressive Dele Alli? Will all of the rested players make an instant return to the starting XI?

One decision he must make is axing struggling winger Lucas Moura. He might have scored a sublime free-kick in the 5-0 demolition, but aside from that, he was underwhelming once again.

Per SofaScore, the £36m-rated dynamo lost possession 18 times from just 57 touches in 64 minutes of action, meaning he handed the ball back to Marine once every three-and-a-half minutes.

He also won just four of 11 duels (36%) as he failed to combat their physicality – an all too frequent occurrence.

Indeed, the Brazilian winger has scored just once in the Premier League since December 2019, which is an abysmal return for someone that has played 60 times since Mourinho’s appointment just a month earlier.

Moura’s overall numbers have also substantially regressed from last season. He has gone from averaging 1.6 shots and 2.1 dribbles per game to managing only 0.4 shots and 0.4 dribbles in the top-flight this term, via WhoScored, proving he’s actually been playing below standard for a few months.

Of course, thanks to Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, Spurs haven’t exactly struggled for goals, but they would still like to have the third player in their front line firing on all cylinders.

Perhaps these numbers may come as a surprise to some, given the sort of praise he’s received from those around him in N17 – former centre-back Jan Vertonghen dubbed him a “nightmare to play against” and an “unbelievable player” while Eric Dier has lauded him for being “fast” and “intelligent.”

We’ve not seen any of those qualities in a very long time, so it would be wise for Mourinho to ruthlessly wield his axe on the £110k-per-week flop especially as Steven Bergwijn has been well-rested over the past two weeks.

The Dutchman hasn’t featured since the 3-0 victory over Leeds United on New Year’s Day, where he delivered his fourth assist of the season. As we explained in detail here, he does so much more for Mourinho.

Even though Moura might feel hard done by given that he scored in the FA Cup game at the weekend, Mourinho must see the bigger picture. He must be be ruthless and drop the Brazilian. Simply put, Bergwijn must start over Moura at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this evening.

AND in other news, Spurs can upgrade faltering star with £36m swoop for “very rare” gem…

Just when you thought Thomas Partey was ready to show the Premier League what he’s all about, the Arsenal midfielder has suffered yet another injury setback.

After the Ghana international joined from Atletico Madrid on deadline day last summer, the £45m-rated star has had very little consistency in actually getting out onto the pitch – he’s made just 11 appearances in the Premier League, and completed the full 90 minutes just three times.

And, after limping off mid-way through the second-half against Aston Villa last week, it looks like Mikel Arteta’s worst fears have come true.

The Gunners’ official club website revealed: “Thomas sustained a strain to his left hamstring during last Saturday’s match at Aston Villa and will miss the match against Leeds United on Sunday. Thomas will continue to be assessed and rehabilitate from this injury.”

Speaking just last month, Arteta admitted his frustrations at seeing Partey’s debut campaign at the Emirates so disrupted by injuries.

He said: “I think he’s got a different presence – he brings something different to the team. It’s not just about his talent, it’s not just about his physicality, it’s who he is as a person. He makes players better around him and that’s a big, big quality.

“It’s incredible that we are in January, we signed him in October and we have only played him (a handful of times). We haven’t really seen the impact he could have on the team. Obviously we have missed him … I think it’s going to be a big bonus if we can keep him fit.”

And just as Partey seemed to finally get going in an Arsenal shirt, the injury curse has struck again, and the Gunners will have to make do without their marquee summer signing once again.

After winning the FA Cup last season, Arteta would have been hoping that the players he signed in the transfer window would be able to take the team to the next level.

Instead, his superstar signing of Partey has barely managed to make himself consistently fit, and that will surely have the Gunners boss fuming and cursing his luck.

Meanwhile, Arsenal could find their next Fabregas in this 18-year-old…

Manchester City have been linked with a move for Borussia Mönchengladbach striker Marcus Thuram recently and perhaps the Frenchman could be the man to unlock Gabriel Jesus’ potential for the Citizens.

Sport Bild reported earlier this week that Manchester City, along with Barcelona and Juventus, are keen on signing the striker in the near future. The 23-year-old has seriously impressed for the Bundesliga side since signing from EA Guingamp in the summer of 2019, having made 49 appearances in all competitions, in which he has contributed 17 goals and 14 assists (per Transfermarkt).

Thuram, who is the son of French World Cup-winner Lillian Thuram, also scored two goals against Real Madrid recently, demonstrating his credentials in Europe’s most prestigious club competition.

If City were to sign the young forward in January or in the summer transfer window, he could be the man to help unleash Gabriel Jesus for the Citizens. Since joining from Palmeiras in 2017, the Brazilian forward has contributed an impressive 70 goals and 30 assists in 155 appearances (per Transfermarkt).

The 23-year-old has come under criticism at times during his City career, with himself admitting that he was struggling with the weight of expectation at the club, perhaps as he tries to emulate Sergio Aguero, with the Argentinian having netted a remarkable 255 goals and 73 assists in his 373 appearances for the club (per Transfermarkt).

However, with the 32-year-old’s contract set to expire at the end of this season, it could be argued that they are in need of striking reinforcements ahead of next season. Perhaps Thuram could be brought in to take the pressure of Jesus, following Aguero’s seemingly close departure.

Thuram’s teammate Denis Zakaria described the Frenchman as “phenomenal” back in 2019, so he is clearly well thought of at the Bundesliga club.

WhoScored lists one of the Mönchengladbach man’s strengths as aerial duels and he also stands at 6 foot 3, which suggests that he could play in the target man role that is arguably missing in Pep Guardiola’s side. The Citizens have just Aguero and Jesus available as natural strikers in their squad at the moment, neither of whom are particularly tall.

Although City have mainly played with one-striker formations so far this season, perhaps the signing of the £28.8 million-rated man could tempt Guardiola into trying two up-front, with Thuram perhaps paired with Jesus, where he could take some of the expectation of the 23-year-old’s shoulders and allow him to flourish.

Mike Ashley must accept a mammoth transfer loss in the January window and offload Newcastle United outcast defender Achraf Lazaar.

What’s the word?

While speaking with Passione Inter, Lazaar has revealed how he cannot wait to secure a new challenge away from St. James’ Park having struggled for playing time under Steve Bruce.

The Moroccan was omitted from the Toon’s Premier League squad and told to train with the club’s Under 23s upon his return from a loan spell with Serie B side Cosenza Calcio this summer.

Cosenza passed on the chance to purchase Lazaar at the end of his year on loan, leaving Bruce to inform the player and his agent that now is the time he finds a “new home” after just 10 outings for Newcastle since joining from Palermo in 2016 for £2million.

No deal was struck, leaving Lazaar – whose £32,000-per-week is due to expire next summer – to look fondly on a winter move with his Tyneside future as good as over already.

“It’s true, it’s not easy and I’m not finding space with the first-team, but I have many reasons not to give up. I still have one year on my contract and I still have a lot to prove,” he said.

“Italy is my home and I miss my family, I don’t know what will happen in January, if maybe I will go to Italy or elsewhere: the only thing that matters to me is to go to a team that allows me to play with continuity and confidence. My agent [Mohammed Sinouh] is taking care of it.

“I would like to take back everything I have lost in the last few years. I know I have lost something, but I have also gained a lot, I have learned a lesson in life and experience. And I can’t wait to start a new challenge.”

A mammoth loss incoming

If Ashley is to avoid a total loss on the £2m investment he made in 2016 and the £7.1m spent in wages, the Newcastle owner must sanction a January move despite knowing full well that he is set for a mammoth hit with Lazaar now valued by TransferMarkt at just £315,000.

Lazaar’s value is a mere 15.6% of the fee Ashley offered Palermo four years ago, but any hopes of avoiding a loss have been thrown out of the window by the 28-year-old failing to feature regularly at St. James’ Park.

He could not establish himself with Italian second-tier outfit Cosenza, either, with just nine outings to his name across all competitions last season of which Lazaar started only four, ensuring Bruce saw fit to omit the 18-cap Morocco international from his 25-man squad.

Ashley will find it impossible to argue the reasons behind demanding any substantial fee in the winter if he is to avoid losing the flop for free at the end of the campaign, which is the only eventuality guaranteed to happen after limited interest this summer.

AND in other news, Mike Ashley can hand Steve Bruce and Newcastle an ideal upgrade in January with a lethal £2m hitman.

Tottenham Hotspur are seemingly about to revisit the Serie A in pursuit of their next signing…

What’s the word?

According to Calciomercato.it, the north Londoners are one of the teams keeping tabs on the future of Fiorentina colossus Nikola Milenkovic ahead of a potential move.

It’s claimed that the 23-year-old isn’t keen to renew his current contract in Florence with it set to expire in 18 months – with Spurs, Manchester United, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid hot on his heels, he could leave the club sooner rather than later.

London rivals West Ham United were in firm talks to sign the Serbian international during the summer, but David Sullivan baulked at their asking price of £25m plus £10m in add-ons, as per Jim White.

Better than Skriniar?

The Italian top-flight is evidently a hot-bed for defensive talent right now and Spurs have been here before, also during the latest window when they failed to secure a move for Inter’s Milan Skriniar.

Chief scout Steve Hitchen met with the Serie A giants but was unprepared to fork out €60m (£54m) upfront, according to Italian transfer guru Gianluca Di Marzio.

Well, that may have turned out to be a masterstroke as La Viola’s 6 foot 5 man-mountain has been the better performer this season.

In comparison to Skriniar, Milenkovic has averaged more tackles (2.2), interceptions (2.2), blocks (1.5) and aerial duels won (3.5) per game. He has even conceded fewer fouls (1.2) and has both scored and assisted this term, via WhoScored.

The Inter Milan star hasn’t even recorded a tackle in the league this season.

Given his nationality and imposing stature, the colossal defender has been likened to Nemanja Vidic, though journalist Dejan Stankovic believes he’s even more than that.

“Milenkovic is better than Vidic with the ball at his feet, and he is much calmer on the field. He is the most talented centre-back Serbia have had since Vidic, and they definitely have one thing in common – both are fearless.”

His former boss at Partizan, Ivan Tomic, speaks in a very similar nature about Milenkovic too, adding: “Milenkovic has [the] physical characteristics of a beast. He reads the game well, plays the ball, and should have a great career ahead of him.”

He could be available for slightly cheaper than Skirniar and he’s performed much better. This seems like a no-brainer for Daniel Levy to make this January – even after the addition of Joe Rodon.

AND in other news, Mourinho may regret the failure to land £18m brute who’s shades of Drogba…

Leeds United fans have every right to feel miffed after their move for Michael Cuisance collapsed at the 11th hour.

The Whites looked to be on to a winner when trying to sign the former European Golden Boy nominee, but the deal fell through due to problems with his medical.

We don’t have all of the information at the moment about why his medical went awry, but we can only assume that Leeds had a good reason to pull the plug.

While missing out on Cuisance is something of a blow, the fact that the club haven’t jumped the gun and signed a player who may have fitness problems is a good sign.

The Whites have been stung before when signing a player who wasn’t fit enough to come into the team with Jean-Kevin Augustin’s fitness being questioned by Marcelo Bielsa almost immediately after he signed, and a string of further problems meant that the RB Leipzig man failed to start a single game during his loan spell.

Perhaps a medical that didn’t take place in a hotel room would have seen these problems come to light before Leeds agreed to sign him, giving the Whites time and money to spend on another striker who could’ve made more of an impact.

In the end, it didn’t matter too much, as Patrick Bamford proved to be good enough to lead the line in United’s promotion push, but Augustin’s failing still has to go down as a black mark on Leeds’ recent transfer record.

Luckily, Leeds seem to have been a lot more stringent this time around, and they may well have just avoided another Augustin-type scenario by doing their due-diligence on Cuiscance’s medical.

This summer transfer window is bound to be increasingly chaotic for West Ham United. David Moyes is on an extremely important mission to somehow revamp a faltering squad and make them competitive with resources that are quite limited, to say the least.

One of their big transfer targets is also Queens Park Rangers’ young talisman, Eberechi Eze. The Hammers were already linked with the £20m-rated man earlier in the window and now, according to the latest report by the Evening Standard, they have the upper hand in the chase.

Interestingly enough, the same outlet reports the reason behind it is that they are planning to offload Jordan Hugill to QPR to somehow sweeten the deal and make the transfer of Eze possible in the first place.

The 28-year-old has more or less flopped in London since joining West Ham from Preston North End in January 2018. However, his loan stint at QPR was decently successful and this could prove to be crucial for Moyes.

Of course, the question remains, will the Championship side accept this ‘swap deal’ of sorts. Yes, Hugill was a good addition for their team but would they be willing to part with Eze for him?

The Hammers will definitely be hoping that’s the case. Who would’ve thought that a flop player would end up playing such a key role in one of their priority transfers for the summer window?

Verdict

It goes without saying that this deal, if it indeed goes through, would be an incredible piece of business for West Ham. Not only would they get rid of Hugill, who doesn’t exactly have a future at the club, but they would also be able to beat their rivals to Eze’s coveted signature.

But they shouldn’t celebrate just yet. The Evening Standard say they do have the upper hand but nothing is sealed just yet for the Premier League side.

Everton are undergoing a total midfield revamp this summer with the likes of Allan, James Rodriguez and Abdoulaye Doucoure all expected through the door at Goodison Park, so perhaps latest reports come as a bit of a surprise…

What’s the word?

According to Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness), the Hammers hold interest in Barcelona outcast Rafinha and he’s one of many players they are looking to sell.

It’s claimed that the La Liga giants want a fee of €16m (£14.25m) for the 27-year-old with West Ham, Arsenal and Lazio also mooted as possible destinations.

Rafinha’s contract expires next summer and having come through the La Masia academy, he has gone out on loan three times from the Nou Camp.

Shades of 2017

If Marcel Brands and Carlo Ancelotti are successful in their triple swoop as mentioned above, then a move for Rafinha doesn’t really make too much sense as there will be midfielders aplenty in Merseyside.

This very much feels like a move former director of football Steve Walsh would make – the man who splashed around £150m before being sacked with the Toffees practically out of every competition possible.

During that summer, he signed Sandro Ramirez, who has gone on to cost the club in excess of £16m despite only playing a total of 16 matches.

It’s thought that Rafinha is on around €75k-per-week (£66.7k-per-week) at Barcelona, which is a substantial amount for someone that would be a back up at best.

Not to forget that the Toffees still have the likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson and Andre Gomes at the club, even if they sign those three midfielders.

During his loan spell at Celta, Rafinha only averaged 0.8 key passes and delivered just the one assist from 29 appearances, via WhoScored.

It just reeks of being a 2017-esque transfer disaster, so Everton ought to avoid this move at all costs.

AND in other news, Ancelotti suffers a blow as Toffees need to pay up for summer target…