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After a summer of heavy spending, West Ham will be hoping to recoup some money in the upcoming transfer window.

And one man the club appear to be banking on to bring in some cash is Jordan Hugill.

The Breakdown

Hugill is currently on loan at Middlesbrough but, according to Claretandhugh, a permanent deal is unlikely with manager Tony Pulis having cooled on the 26-year-old.

Hugill is now set to return to the London Stadium in the summer in a development that is unlikely to have Manuel Pellegrini jumping for joy.

Pellegrini had already seemingly been open to the departures of Lucas Perez and Andy Carroll last month with Football.London previously reporting West Ham were keen on sales despite the Chilean’s vocal praise for the latter.

With that in mind, the last thing Pellegrini will want is another forward player he is not one-hundred percent sold on as he looks to shape a squad capable of making it into Europe.

A lot, of course, could still happen between now and the summer with a few good performances possibly being enough for Middlesbrough to change their stance, while interest could come from elsewhere.

Whatever the case, Hugill’s future looks to be far from the West Ham starting XI.

Jurgen Klopp will be hopeful of once again being given the blessing to spend big this summer. 

Having not spent a single penny in the January transfer window, the German can surely expect a hefty amount to spend on some talented players this summer instead.

With Liverpool deep in a title race, on first glance it may appear that they don’t need any more players. However, considering the relentless nature of top-level football and all the money at the top end of the game, that simply isn’t the case.

Indeed, the best teams stay on top by making improvements and never standing still in the transfer market.

With that in mind, one man Klopp would do very well to acquire in a bid to better his squad is Sevilla’s midfield maestro Pablo Sarabia.

Sarabia, (who is valued at £36 million on Transfermarkt) has been in sensational form for the Spanish side this season and will undoubtedly be a target for many a team this summer.

Last season he would have been delighted to record nine goals and ten assists, whilst this season already, he’s smashed that by scoring an incredible 19 times, as well as registering 13 assists from his attacking-midfield role.

The 26-year-old oozes class in the middle of the park and would complement the likes of Fabinho and Naby Keita extremely well.

Whilst those two put in the hard yards defensively, Pablo Sarabia has the on-the-ball quality to make things happen, whether that’s scoring himself or providing a killer ball through for his team-mate.

Liverpool are still yet to find someone with the ability to fill the void of Philippe Coutinho and at times this season, have really lacked the cutting edge that a creative-minded player would bring to their team.

26-year-old Pablo Sarabia is in the form of his life and could do a very good job in adding even more quality to Liverpool’s ranks.

Liverpool fans, thoughts? 

Arsenal fans are probably still in shock after their side’s collapse in France midweek, and things aren’t about to get any easier as Manchester United will travel to the Emirates tomorrow. 

It’s safe to say that the Gunners have cracked under pressure at times in the current campaign, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s penalty miss being a prime example of that. And, with their Europa League future in doubt at this moment in time, perhaps Unai Emery will already have his eye on strengthening in the summer transfer window.

It appears as if the Gunners have been casting their eye over a possible summer addition, as according to Bleacher Report, Arsenal have made checks on Ajax’s Nicolas Tagliafico in recent months.

The Argentina international is one of Ajax’s current stars at the Johan Cruijff Arena, with his performance in the Dutch side’s Champions League second leg clash with Real Madrid justifying the Gunners’ interest. Arsenal supporters won’t have seen much of the left-back, but they’d soon be singing his praise if he moved to the Emirates.

Interestingly, Barcelona have been linked (as per Diariogol, via Sportskeeda) with a shock move for Nacho Monreal recently. The Spanish star turns 34 next year and he’s lost out to Sead Kolasinac at times in the current campaign.

Therefore, Arsenal would be laughing if Emery packs the left-back’s bags and brings in Tagliafico, who is valued at £18 million (by Transfermarkt), as the 26-year-old offers so much more in attacking areas with five goals and five assists to his name, and he kept the likes of Gareth Bale and Lucas Vasquez in his pocket recently.

Arsenal fans, would you be happy with swapping Tagliafico for Monreal? Surely it’s a no-brainer…

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Jurgen Klopp must instruct Fabinho to narrow the space in between the lines of midfield and defence against Bayern Munich, or he risks allowing the Bavarians’ silkiest player to work their magic in dangerous areas.

Who can hurt Liverpool?

Niko Kovac’s side have a number of players who can sneak in behind the midfield and threaten the backline with their vision and technical ability. The likes of Thiago Alcantara, Serge Gnabry and James Rodriguez are all fearsome opponents in and around that No.10 position, but it is the former who must be watched closely.

Thiago, formerly of Barcelona, enjoys tearing English opposition apart at the Allianz Arena as Arsenal fans will know all too well – the Spaniard scored a seven-minute double against the Gunners in 2017.

The 27-year-old is a crafty player who can find gaps in almost any defence and exploit them effectively, and the Reds must set up so that he cannot do to them what he did to Arsenal.

Mixed fortunes for English sides in the Champions League so how far off are they from dominating Europe’s top table? The Pl>ymaker FC squad discuss in the video below…

What must Klopp do?

The former Borussia Dortmund boss doesn’t necessarily need to sit back when he takes his side to the Allianz Arena, but he does need to restrict Bayern’s space in vital areas.

Klopp should set his side up similar to the way to which Mauricio Pochettino did at Tottenham when Danny Rose and Kyle Walker were their marauding full-backs in the 2015/16 season.

Spurs would play Eric Dier in two positions almost, sitting in between Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld when the aforementioned full-back duo went forward, but he stepped back into midfield when his side were out of possession.

Fabinho must slightly mimic the role that Dier played. When in possession, both Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold like to bomb forward – the latter almost assisted the former for a goal last time out against Burnley.

When that happens, the Brazilian must sit in alongside Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip, but when Bayern are in possession, he shouldn’t stray too far away from the centre-backs.

Thiago lacks pace, so he shouldn’t find much joy out wide or by running in behind the defence – if Fabinho can stay focused, one of Bayern’s major threats should be nullified effectively.

Rangers were swept aside by Aberdeen at Ibrox on Tuesday, and never has the lack of a proper number ten in Steven Gerrard’s squad been more glaringly obvious.

Big mistake

Gerrard has made it clear on several occasions that he is not afraid to shake up the squad in the transfer window, but the manager and club missed a massive opportunity in the January window.

Having beaten Celtic to ramp up the title race at the end of December, the Gers signed five players, and not one of them plays the position that was most in need of strengthening – number ten.

Gerrard has not had a proper playmaker to roam around behind Alfredo Morelos all season, and his persistence with Scott Arfield, who has managed seven goals this campaign, is truly baffling.

On the chalkboard

Rangers deserved to take their second Ibrox defeat of the campaign on Tuesday, as Derek McInnes’ side bossed the match in every department, and completely stifled the home side’s attack.

The Dons’ early goal was a big help of course, allowing them to sit back and let Rangers play in front of them, but all of the play was exactly that – in front of the defence.

In Morelos, Ryan Kent and Daniel Candeias, Gerrard has three front men who will work tirelessly down the channels, and they all possess the pace to get in behind. The big problem is that there is no one with the quality to actually find them when they make those runs.

Arfield, who has occupied the playmaker role for large parts of this season, was barely in the game on Tuesday night, and he simply doesn’t have the dynamism and unpredictability required to be the man responsible for breaking down a deep defence.

If Gerrard and the Gers are going to make a real go of challenging for silverware next season, then a creative number ten has to be the first priority in the summer transfer window.

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Lucas Digne was a key part of the Everton side that recorded a 2-0 win over Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

And the Merseyside club’s fans have been on social media paying tribute to the Frenchman, who has impressed massively since arriving at Goodison Park from Spain last summer.

Digne joined Everton from Barcelona ahead of the 2018-19 campaign, with the defender signing a five-year contract with the Premier League club.

The 25-year-old has contributed three goals and four assists in 28 Premier League appearances during the 2018-19 campaign.

According to WhoScored, Digne had a pass success rate of 74% against Chelsea, which is impressive when considering the amount of times he delivers from wide positions.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

Sunday proved to be a fine afternoon for the Everton fans and many took to social media in the aftermath of the match to praise the 23-time France international for his contribution to the success.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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According to the Daily Star, Everton are interested in signing West Brom striker Salomon Rondon, who is currently enjoying a season-long loan spell with Newcastle.

What’s the word, then?

Well, whilst Rondon is currently with the Magpies, it is understood that the Tynesiders do not have a agreement in place with the Baggies to sign the Venezuelan on a permanent basis, which has enticed the Toffees to get involved in the bidding.

Rondon has excelled under Rafa Benitez this season, scoring nine Premier League goals and playing a huge role in the club’s recent rise up the table and away from the relegation zone, as well as forming a decent partnership with Ayoze Perez along the way.

In this era of ‘big 6’ dominance, has finishing 7th become as good as winning a trophy? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

It states in the aforementioned article that it would take a sum of £16m to lure Rondon away from the Hawthorns, which would mean that West Brom are looking for a small profit on the £12m they spent to bring him to England back in 2012.

 A lifeline for Theo Walcott’s Everton career?

Perhaps the main feature of Rondon’s game is his excellent hold-up play; his ability to bring others into the attack, especially those of diminutive stature, is very impressive.

As aforesaid, he has struck up a decent partnership with Perez, whilst he appears to have helped January arrival Miguel Almiron get on the ball more because of his aerial ability and good first touch.

In that respect, the 29-year-old striker could help another forward out, should he make the move to Goodison Park, in Theo Walcott.

The former Arsenal man has struggled to get involved in matches under Marco Silva this season, despite making 30 league appearances – he has scored just three goals and only recorded two assists.

With Silva preferring to play Richarlison or Dominic Calvert-Lewin up top, two players who don’t possess anything near the hold-up ability of Rondon, Walcott has struggled to see much of the ball in dangerous areas, hence his poor statistics.

Should Rondon decide to turn his back on Tyneside and move to Merseyside instead, we could potentially see the 30-year-old handed a lifeline in his Everton career.

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Leeds United’s U23 side secured the Professional Development League North title following a 2-0 win against Colchester United on Monday, and Clarke Oduor was one of their impressive performers on the night.

The 19-year-old has been with the Yorkshire outfit for many years having progressed through the club’s academy, and he is beginning to make a real impact.

The teenager made his first-team debut as a late substitute against Queens Park Rangers in the FA Cup in January, but that is still the only occasion he has been involved in the 18-man squad under Marcelo Bielsa.

Still, he has obviously made an impression having signed a new one-and-a-half year contract last month, with Leeds having the option to extend it by a further 12 months.

Usually a winger the Kenyan started at left-back in Essex, and while he was only on the pitch for the opening 45 minutes he still made a big impression.

Oduor got forward well, didn’t stop running and produced some threatening crosses, and in many ways he is replicating Elland Road favourite Ezgjan Alioski in terms of style.

The Macedonia international has become a real hero among the Leeds faithful after seamlessly making the switch to left-back in recent months despite primarily being a winger, and his African teammate showed that he could follow a similar path on Monday.

With the endurance he has and the end product he showed at times, he could be another versatile option for Bielsa and the Yorkshire outfit for many years to come.

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Liverpool climbed back atop the Premier League table on Friday night after a gritty win over Southampton at St Mary’s.

After falling behind to Shane Long’s goal, Jurgen Klopp’s men made a stirring comeback, with Naby Keita, Mohamed Salah and Jordan Henderson all on the scoresheet.

On the chalkboard

Klopp was forced to make a significant change on the hour mark after something of a dour performance from his men.

James Milner and Henderson were introduced for Georginio Wijnaldum and Trent Alexander-Arnold, adding some genuine dynamism down the right-hand side.

Henderson, for example, made a serious impact.

After first assisting Mohamed Salah’s brilliant goal, he then scored the third himself, arriving late in the box to fire home Roberto Firmino’s excellent cut-back.

Henderson’s all-action display came after a dismal performance from Wijnaldum, who had 39 touches of the ball, per WhoScored, but failed to have a shot on goal or complete a dribble.

Milner, too, made one tackle compared to zero from Alexander-Arnold, and had two shots on goal to none from the right-back.

The changes, ultimately, allowed Liverpool to gain a territorial advantage and press home their second-half dominance.

A game changer

The substitutions bode well for the Reds in the run-in. There will be times when the game is not going for them and the pressure may well feel like too much.

But Klopp has shown that he can relieve that at a stroke – his double substitution was a sign that he can change even the most difficult of games from the bench, something that many have accused him of failing to do effectively in previous encounters.

With games against the likes of Chelsea and Wolves to come, more such alterations may well be needed in what look set to be tight encounters.

This has, after all, been one of the most unpredictable title races in recent memory, and Liverpool will need every advantage they can get. If Klopp can provide them through his substitutions, the Reds might just get over the line before Manchester City. Friday’s win alone may well prove to be the difference come the end of the campaign.

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Charlton travel southeast this weekend to face Plymouth Argyle and will be hoping to extend their unbeaten run to nine games, thus cementing their place in the play-offs further.

The Addicks have been excellent from back to front in recent weeks despite injuries and the congested fixture schedule, with every man performing to a solid level each time they’ve taken to the field.

Former Plymouth man Ben Purrington is likely to make a return to Home Park this weekend with Lewis Page having only just returned to training this week.

Ahead of the game, Lee Bowyer has heaped praise on and provided some constructive criticism for the former:

“I think he’s done a great job. He’s steadied us down that side. He’s definitely something we needed. He gives us that balance we didn’t have for weeks. I think he’s done a great job.

“Defensively I think he’s done very well. In the final third he needs to work on his final ball but he’s a young lad and he knows that and he trys. Apart from that I’ve been very happy with him and the way he has settled into the side.”

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

Indeed, 22-year-old Purrington has chalked up just two assists this campaign from 38 league appearances and it certainly could be more if he can improve his delivery, something Bowyer also said is a strength of Page’s game.

If 5 ft 10 Purrington can’t improve in the final third, could his place in the starting XI be up for grabs once Page returns to full fitness? It all depends on what Bowyer wants from his left-back.