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The footballing is world is ‘witnessing greatness’ from Mohamed Salah, according to a tweet from the official Liverpool account. 

Attached to the tweet was a graphic of the Reds forward celebrating with a selection of laudatory tweets in the background.

Salah scored an ‘absolutely exceptional’ individual goal in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with title rivals Manchester City at Anfield.

Salah’s performances amplify contract questions

The Egyptian has started the campaign in devastating form with nine goals in as many games.

But there’s still uncertainty over his future as he gradually ticks nearer to the end of his contract in June 2023.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andrew Robertson, Fabinho, Alisson Becker, Virgil van Dijk and Jordan Henderson all penned extensions during the summer, but Salah has yet to do so (via Goal).

According to a recent piece from The Athletic, the 29-year-old’s preference is to stay at Anfield but up to this point Liverpool ‘have been reluctant to pay what he feels he is worth’ because it would mean breaking their wage structure.

Here’s how supporters reacted to the club’s tweet.

These Liverpool fans wait for Salah to put pen to paper

“This better be a contract announcement”

Credit: @_bubblxs

“We’ll crowdfund his contract”

Credit: @rajsinghchohan

“I can see my tweet there, so can you please renew Mo’s contract now”

Credit: @ijaicool

“all about the timing now…”

Credit: @GrizzKhan

“this is insane prop, please top it off with a contract”

Credit: @theKloppEnd_

“You’re trolling us at this point”

Credit: @ahmedlfc_

In other news, Liverpool fans react to a spectacular near-miss in the transfer market.

Wolverhampton Wanderers will look to bring a new centre-back to Molineux in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Luke Hatfield, with the Express & Star journalist stating in a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT that he is certain Bruno Lage will attempt to bring in defensive reinforcements during the winter market, as the 45-year-old Wolves boss is currently extremely short of options in the heart of his defence.

When asked whether he thought Lage will look to sign a new centre-back in January, Hartfield said: “I’m sure of it. And I will be dumbfounded if they don’t sign a centre-back – and a quality one at that – in January, because they’re just so thin on the ground in that position.”

Lage simply must act

As Hatfield suggests, bringing in at least one fresh face at centre-back must be a priority for Wolves in January, as, following the long-term injury picked up by summer signing Yerson Mosquera, Lage has found himself with just four senior options to field in his back three.

Furthermore, with the potential of both Romain Saiss and Willy Boly being unavailable for the majority of January due to their likely participation in the Africa Cup of Nations, the 45-year-old’s options in the heart of his defence could yet be further diminished this season.

As such, should Lage have any ambition of securing a top-half finish with Wolves in the current campaign, it would indeed appear as if the Portuguese manager simply must splash the cash on a new centre-back in the winter market.

And, with The Athletic reporting that Wolves were just £10m away from signing LOSC Lille centre-back Sven Botman – a player who has been extremely impressive in recent seasons – this summer, in addition to the defender appearing more than happy to link up with the Premier League side, it would appear to be a very wise move for Fosun to bite the bullet and cough up for the 21-year-old – as he would very much be the quality addition Hatfield is referring to.

In other news: Lage could be set for huge mistake on “powerful” 5 G/A gem, Wolves fans will be fuming

According to a report by The Telegraph, a fresh twist has emerged in Newcastle United’s pursuit of a new manager – and it involves Frank Lampard.

The Lowdown: Search goes on for Bruce heir…

Following the sacking of former Magpies boss Steve Bruce, the search is set to continue for his ideal successor as PIF deliberate how best to take Newcastle into the new era.

Former AS Roma boss Paulo Fonseca has been tipped as the overwhelming favourite, and reliable reporters like Fabrizio Romano have said that progress is indeed being made in talks.

Other sources suggest that his appointment could even be made ‘official’ soon, although conflicting updates also suggest that the search is far from over.

Sharing another twist in the quest to hire a new Newcastle manager, The Telegraph have some news.

The Latest: Lampard name dropped…

As per reliable Telegraph reporter Luke Edwards, the Saudi Arabians – who have a majority 80% stake in Newcastle through the nation’s Public Investment Fund – are personally weighing up a ‘big name manager’ and ‘like the idea’ of hiring Lampard.

Despite his lack of silverware, with his most recent role at Chelsea proving fruitless, their attraction to Lampard is due to the ‘pulling power’ he could have for players and sponsors.

A Premier League legend, the 43-year-old is also likely to have been spoken to ‘in the last few days’, but the report is quick to stress that this hasn’t yet been confirmed.

The Verdict: Right man?

Thinking from a publicity perspective, the Magpies’ new owners may have a great point when considering Lampard for the role given his profile.

However, a footballing point of view dictates that it is very debatable that the former Derby head coach may be the right man to take Newcastle forward, given his inexperience and lack of trophies.

Given how his tenure finished at Stamford Bridge, with his win percentage only marginally better than Blues flop Andre-Villas Boas, PIF could be best served considering other candidates for the role of Bruce’s successor.

In other news: ‘In the coming week’…PIF could also turn to ‘world class’ boss over Fonseca, he wants Newcastle! Find out more here.

Tottenham Hotspur are among the teams interested in signing Ebrima Darboe…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Italian outlet Tuttomercatoweb, who claim that both Spurs and Championship side Fulham are keen on securing the 20-year-old midfielder from AS Roma.

Despite being under contract until 2023, the Serie A outfit are trying to tie down the promising youngster to a new deal but interest from abroad has complicated matters.

Darboe’s representatives met with the Roma board to discuss a renewal in the summer and talks have remained ongoing since then.

Paratici masterclass

This could be another sign of Lilywhites sporting director Fabio Paratici stamping down his authority in north London as he looks to build for the future.

After arriving from Juventus, where he held a similar role and was responsible for many of their big-name signings over an 11-year span, the Italian has already overseen a number of additions.

These were all largely young talents with bags of potential, notably the likes of Bryan Gil and Pape Matar Sarr, who are hugely encouraging prospects.

A move for Darboe would certainly be of the same nature and it’s easy to see why given the praise he’s already received in his career – even more so considering he has only played six times in the Serie A.

His agent, Miriam Peruzzi,  described the Gambian as “an exceptional young man” and “a golden child” to calciomercato.com (via Roma Press).

Whilst the player himself once made an interesting revelation to Ultimo Uomo.

“Some called me Xavi, others Messi,” the 19-year-old claimed. And this was down to his agility on the ball. Darboe added: “Yes because he always made that movement. And then I also played two or three touches. This is my style of play.”

One huge inspiring appearance last season came against arch-rivals Lazio, where he was a major influence at the base of the engine room. He recorded the second-highest number of tackles (three) and registered a 95.6% passing accuracy, via WhoScored.

Primarily a defensive midfielder, Darboe would be a very interesting option for Spurs’ long-term future, so if Paratici can secure his services from Jose Mourinho’s grasp, then he could deliver another masterclass in the transfer market.

AND in other news, Nuno Santo could be eyeing his next Ruben Neves at Spurs…

Leeds have endured a difficult start to the 2021/22 campaign and their struggles continued at the weekend as they scraped a 1-1 draw at home to Wolves.

The Whites scored a last-minute penalty from Rodrigo to secure a point and now sit 17th in the Premier League table, with just one win in nine games.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side have an opportunity to build some positive momentum ahead of their trip to Norwich on Sunday, though, as they face Arsenal in the Carabao Cup at the Emirates Stadium tonight.

It’s time

It is now time for Bielsa to unleash 19-year-old colossus Charlie Cresswell from the start against the Gunners. The injuries to Robin Koch and Luke Ayling, who can both play at centre-back, have opened the door for the young defender to come in for this match.

Diego Llorente and Liam Cooper started against Wolves and Bielsa must now drop the Spaniard in order to give Cresswell another game to catch the eye.

He previously hailed himself as a leader and named Leeds captain Liam Cooper as a role model, saying: “I’m confident, I’m a leader, I like to play and I like to head it! There’s lots of players in the first team that I look up to, the likes of Coops, Bill, they lead by example and that is what I want to try and follow.”

This suggests that he could enjoy playing alongside the skipper against Arsenal tonight. It could be a great chance for him to learn some valuable lessons on the pitch in a pressured environment from the Scotland international, whilst also giving him the opportunity to display his leadership skills and impress the other senior players in the team.

The 19-year-old played against Fulham in the last round and put in an excellent display. He recorded a SofaScore rating of 7.6 as he made three interceptions and four clearances and won a whopping 12 duels. Cresswell had 122 touches throughout the match and completed 83% of his passes, showing that he is a strong defender who is also composed and reliable on the ball.

This is why he is deserving of a start against the Gunners at the Emirates tonight. If he can put in another excellent display, he could possibly force himself into contention to play in the Premier League in the coming weeks should he able to impress Bielsa enough in the Carabao Cup.

AND in other news, Get rid: Bielsa must ruthlessly axe Leeds lightweight who lost 100% of his duels this weekend…

Since joining Celtic in what was a £4.95m move back in the summer of 2020, it would appear to be a fair statement to make that Albian Ajeti has not exactly hit the heights many expected he would at Parkhead.

Indeed, in his debut campaign last season, the £2.88m-rated centre-forward failed to impress over his 20 Premiership appearances for the Bhoys – only ten of which came as starts – scoring six goals, registering one assist and creating one big chance for his teammates, as well as averaging a mere 0.7 shots and making just 0.6 key passes per game.

These returns saw the £16k-per-week striker earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.85, ranking him as the Hoops’ joint 12th-worst performer in the top flight of Scottish football.

The Switzerland international also failed to make his mark in any of the other competitions he featured in, failing to hit the back of the net in any of his 10 appearances across Europa League qualifying, the Europa League proper, Champions League qualifying, the SFA Cup and the Scottish League Cup.

It has been a similar story for the man who Packie Bonner dubbed a “problem” so far this season, with Ajeti having scored two goals, registered no assists and created no big chances over his six Premiership appearances – with these returns seeing the centre-forward average a disappointing SofaScore match rating of just 6.72, ranking him as the club’s eighth-worst player in the league.

As such, considering his poor returns and hefty weekly wage, in addition to the fact that Ange Postecoglou brought in the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi, Georgios Giakoumakis and Jota this summer – all of whom already look to be ahead of Ajeti in Celtic’s attacking pecking order – the 56-year-old Bhoys boss simply must to all he can to move the striker on come January. At the moment, the 24-year-old is stealing a living at Parkhead.

In other news: Worrying behind-the-scenes Celtic update emerges, it’s real cause for concern for fans

Having scored more goals (31) in the Premier League than any other side at this point in the campaign, Liverpool have not had any trouble putting the ball in the back of the net this season with Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino scoring 20 of those 31 goals between them.

With this in mind, it seems as though the Merseyside club are looking to add another attacking option to their squad in the near future.

What’s the news?

It has recently been reported by The Mirror that Liverpool are interested in making a transfer swoop for on-loan Wolves attacker Hwang Hee-chan.

Since joining Bruno Lage’s side on a season-long loan deal from German club RB Leipzig back in August, the 25-year-old, who is currently valued at £9.9m according to Transfermarkt, has managed to score four goals in eight Premier League appearances, which could be why he has caught the attention of Liverpool as well as fellow Premier League side Manchester City.

In addition to his goals, the 41-cap Hwang has proved himself to be a versatile attacking player this season having played in every position across the front three for Wolves and Leipzig before leaving Germany over the summer. With that in mind, it could make him a suitable fit at Liverpool given how many of their current attacking players are already able to play in a number of different positions at the top end of the pitch.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-liverpool-news” title=”Check out the latest Liverpool news!”]

In terms of a potential move to Liverpool, this could be a dream transfer for current Reds sporting director Michael Edwards to secure before he eventually leaves the club before the start of next season.

After all, he’s already a player that’s dominated Virgil van Dijk in continental competition, something he relished when speaking to The Telegraph. That’s no easy feat but encapsulates perfectly why he’d be such a good acquisition for the Merseyside club.

Given the ages of Liverpool’s current front three of Mane (29), Salah (29) and Firmino (30), Hwang, who pundit Ian Wright claimed “has got everything” to his game, would be a good future replacement for one of those players given his age and versatility. If he manages to end his loan spell at Wolves with more goals and some assists under his belt, he could further demonstrate what an inspirational piece of business this would be.

In other news: Double blow: LFC struck with potential injury setback that will leave Klopp furious – opinion

Steven Gerrard is intent on reuniting with Rangers left-back Borna Barisic at Aston Villa, according to The Mirror (via Daily Record).

The lowdown

According to WhoScored, the 29-year-old has been Rangers’ fourth-best performer this season, averaging a rating of 7.16/10.

He has 2.3 chances per 90 minutes in the Scottish Premiership, second only to full-back colleague James Tavernier (3.9) at Ibrox. He exceeds every Aston Villa player for that metric, with Douglas Luiz leading the way in the Midlands with 1.6 key passes per game.

Croatia team-mate Josip Brekalo has hailed Barisic’s performances as ‘excellent’, describing him as a ‘high-quality player’.

He isn’t the only Gers player with whom Villa have been linked since Gerrard took over, with Glen Kamara also reported to be a target if the 41-year-old chooses to raid his former club.

The latest

The Mirror claimed (via Daily Record) that Gerrard would like to improve upon his existing options at left-back.

Barisic has emerged as a target, with an £8m move potentially on the cards when the January transfer window opens.

The verdict

What’s interesting is that incumbent left-back Matt Targett seemed to make a positive first impression in Gerrard’s first game against Brighton on Saturday.

He was the SofaScore man of the match after an 8.1/10 display which saw him win 80% of his ground duels (and 75% overall), make seven tackles and create three chances.

However, the new manager still feels the need to strengthen that area of the squad, suggesting that Targett may need to keep producing top performances if he is to retain his place.

In other news, this Villa trio struggled on Gerrard’s managerial debut

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been left buzzing as an official post emerged from the club involving Steven Davis’ time on international duty.

As shared in some footage by the official Twitter page of the Ibrox faithful, Davis can be seen walking away from his post-match interview to give a young Northern Ireland supporter his shirt, after their 0-0 draw at home to Euro 2020 winners Italy in their FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign.

He also stood to take a photo with the fan, as well as selfies with other supporters in the crowd.

The national team captain also gave away another of his shirts, prompting several Light Blues to show their appreciation for a player who is beloved by club and country for his passion and work ethic.

Davis is still going strong despite being 36 years of age now, with 18 appearances in total over all competitions so far this season for the Teddy Bears an impressive reminder of his fitness as the years wane on – he’s also scored one goal and provided one assist (Transfermarkt).

Rangers fans on Davis footage

These Gers buzzed as the footage was shared on Twitter:

“A living legend proud to have this man playing for my club and captaining my country”

Credit: @faithsteph11

“Class act, Rangers social team playing a blinder today though with all the notifications haha”

Credit: @RossFerguson

“Such a gentleman”

Credit: @EmmaHod81360881

“What a fantastic bloke you are Steven Davis!”

Credit: @billytf

“Class through to the core from @StevenDavis8 an absolute master.”

Credit: @CN51NKY1964

“He better be getting a TESTIMONIAL when it’s time”

Credit: @Bike_Nut69

In other news, find out what Giovanni van Bronckhorst report had RFC fans talking here!

Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan has urged Celtic to make the most of their arch-rivals’ current slump after Steven Gerrard’s exit as manager across Glasgow.

The Lowdown: Celtic on the up

It was painful for Hoops fans watching on as their biggest rivals won the Premiership at a canter last season, with the Bhoys being denied 10 league titles in a row in the process.

Rangers currently hold a four-point advantage over Celtic this time around, but their Scottish League Cup exit at the hands of Hibernian on Sunday suggests that all is not well since Gerrard left.

Meanwhile, Ange Postecoglou’s side have picked up five wins and a draw from their last six league outings, finding a rich vein of form in the process and progressing to the final of the aforementioned competition, thus giving them the opportunity to strike first in the domestic trophy stakes in 2021/22.

The Latest: Pundit makes Celtic plea

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan claimed that Celtic need to be ruthless during this current period, making the most of Rangers potentially taking their eye off the ball.

Those comments come amid recent reports that the Hoops plan to bring in major reinforcements in the  January transfer window, with the possibility of multiple signings as they plan to reclaim domestic supremacy. Whelan said:

“They will be smelling blood for sure after what they saw from Rangers at the weekend. There’s a trophy which they will absolutely be favourites to win in December, barring a catastrophe.

“It’s a really good sign for Celtic, they’ll be fighting all the way to bring the title back to Celtic Park.

“On the pitch, they are keeping pace. They’ve scored a lot of goals this season, their goal difference is already superior to Rangers’.

“They need to take advantage from now and into the January window. They can really hurt them in these early stages of Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s tenure.”

The Verdict: Big chance to take advantage

This could prove to be a pivotal point in the season come next May, with Rangers arguably at their most vulnerable at the moment following their recent managerial upheaval.

New manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst may take time to make his mark at Ibrox and Celtic have winnable, albeit not necessarily easy, league games coming up against Aberdeen, Hearts and Dundee United.

January reinforcements could only help in that respect, with major additions being mooted, as Whelan alludes to, giving Postecoglou’s men that extra push before the business end of the season arrives. This could be the ideal time for an upwardly mobile Celtic to really push on and reclaim the edge on their biggest rivals.

In other news, a journalist has made an exciting claim regarding one Celtic player. Find out who it is here.