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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

It could’ve been argued that Liverpool needed to sign a few full-backs anyway.

Alberto Moreno departed after his contract was not renewed, leaving just Andy Robertson as Jurgen Klopp’s only recognised senior left-back.

Additionally, the quality of Nathaniel Clyne as Trent Alexander-Arnold’s back-up was also up for debate given the Reds’ decision to sanction his loan departure to Bournemouth midway through last season.

Now, however, there is no argument to be had.

Liverpool have to enter the transfer market after Clyne suffered knee ligament damage, sidelining him for an estimated six months.

It has been reported that Klopp would be happy to start the season with Joe Gomez and James Milner if no opportunity to find a replacement for Moreno arose, but there are now complications with that.

The former Borussia Dortmund boss used that same pair at right-back at times last season when Trent Alexander-Arnold was either injured, or tactically dropped as he was for the visit to the Camp Nou when Gomez stood in.

Milner played at right-back six times amidst Alexander-Arnold’s injury at the end of January, but missed a game through suspension – staggeringly, Jordan Henderson had to play on the right of defence as a result, because there simply weren’t any other alternatives and Gomez was also injured at the time.

If that was the case then, how will things pan out in 2019/20 when Liverpool will be even weaker without Clyne and Moreno?

It should also be noted that the upcoming season will be even more challenging in terms of the amount of fixtures on the schedule. As a result of winning the Champions League, Liverpool have a UEFA Super Cup game to play against Chelsea, as well as a potential Club World Cup campaign to embark on mid-season.

There is also a Community Shield game to contend with against Manchester City as a resulting of finishing second in the league.

With all of those things taken into account, Klopp simply has no other option but to enter the market before the deadline or he risks putting Liverpool in a very sticky situation next term.

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As the new 2019/20 Premier League season approaches rapidly, the players are slowly but surely gearing up for the kick-off that is due in early August.

Manchester United have a big game against Chelsea to start things off in fashion at Old Trafford.

Needless to say, both squads will be looking to jump into the grind as fit and as ready as possible, and sometimes that also means with the newest blades on their feet.

Would any current Man Utd players get into Fergie’s double-winning side of 2008, featuring the likes of Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez? One fan thinks so in the video below…

With that in mind, Romelu Lukaku has shared a new Instagram video showcasing his new boots to the fans and he was accompanied by a plethora of other stars as well.

Antoine Griezmann, Samuel Umtiti and Sergio Aguero were just some of the big names appearing alongside the Red Devil in a brilliant footage befitting of the stars.

And as for his Manchester United ventures, Lukaku’s future is yet to be fully resolved with Inter still hopeful they can sign the big Belgian with an offer reportedly exceeding £60m.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Alfredo Morelos and Jermain Defoe struggled to play together last season, but the solution to the problem is already at Ibrox. His name is Scott Arfield.

On the chalkboard

Morelos and Defoe are both very good strikers and finding a way to get them both to thrive in the same system could give the Gers the ammunition to improve on last season’s second-place finish in the Premiership.

The Colombian bagged 30 goals in his 48 appearances and the 36-year-old contributed to a goal every 76 minutes across his 20 games for the Gers last season.

Despite both having incredible records though, neither did well with the other one on the park. Morelos is yet to score when starting alongside Defoe, who has only added two goals when they were both in the starting XI – the first in a defeat and the second a penalty.

It may be a case that they both prefer playing alone (although the former Portsmouth man’s relationship with Peter Crouch would suggest otherwise) but Steven Gerrard must surely be thinking about the damage they can cause if he can get them both firing.

Gerrard nearly always opted for a 4-3-3 formation last season. However, a slight tactical tweak and an unusual role for Arfield could allow the boss to unleash his star striking duo in tandem.

Arfield’s time to shine

Last season, we saw Arfield play as both a left-winger and central midfielder under Gerrard. A combination of both roles could be the final touch that allows Defoe and Morelos to thrive together.

It would mean the Rangers boss tweaking his 4-3-3 slightly to be more flexible as Arfield floats on the left-hand side of midfield. On the right, you could still deploy a more traditional winger in any of Sheyi Ojo, Jake Hastie, Greg Stewart or Jordan Jones.

With the 30 year-old Canadian flitting between offering width and tucking in to create a central midfield three, you would make room for the two goalscorers, without losing too much of the free-flowing attacking football that we saw from Gerard’s side last season, amassing 82 Premiership goals.

It is basically a lop-sided 4-4-2, with a traditional winger on the right flank moving forward to create a front three, while Arfield’s versatility can both help the attack from the left and slot into midfield to provide a shield for the defence.

If last season’s numbers are anything to go by, getting Defoe and Morelos on the pitch together could cause havoc, and Arfield is the perfect utility man to make it happen.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Expert Roundup feature, which provides three quotes from those in the know in order to illuminate fundamental strengths, weaknesses, quirks, stylistic comparisons and general observations of players, transfer targets and confirmed signings.

Everton have parted ways with midfielder Idrissa Gueye, who’s left the Toffees for Paris Saint-Germain in a deal worth around £30m.

Marco Silva’s side resisted the advances of PSG in January for one of their star players but the French side eventually landed their target.

Everton will presumably now enter the market for a new midfielder to replace Gueye and it seems Mario Lemina has been identified as an option for the Toffees midfield.

The Liverpool Echo are reporting that a deal to bring Lemina to the club is being explored and that Southampton want £20m for the midfielder they signed from Juventus for £18.1m.

So with the transfer being a possibility, what have those in the know had to say about Lemina?

Matt Le Tissier – Southampton icon

You know you’re impressing Southampton supporters if you’re earning praise from Matt Le Tissier, the man who enjoyed 16 wonderful years with the Saints.

Lemina made a bright start to life in England, and the former midfielder highlighted exactly what he was doing so well during the early stage of his spell:

“It was quite a big fee for us to pay but it has been a good start for him. He was outstanding in the win against Crystal Palace and quality against Manchester United too.

“If he keeps putting in performances like that against the top sides then no doubt Liverpool will come calling! He has not got a great goal scoring record and I do not see him as somebody who is going to get us the eight or nine goals we need from midfield, but he is good at breaking up play and picking a pass.

“He is forming a very solid partnership with Oriol Romeu and if we want to keep moving forward, these are the sort of players that we need.”

Wayne Bridge – former Premier League player

Wayne Bridge is another player, like many after him, to have come through the famous Southampton academy, and he went on to enjoy a decent career, earning moves to the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City.

Having kept an eye on his former club, the former left-back spoke in glowing terms of the Saints midfielder.

“Lemina is such a great player: his workrate, the way he gets up and down the pitch.

“He passes forward a lot. Southampton aren’t doing as well as they should be in terms of scoring goals but his all-round play is great and if he can control the game from the middle of the park they’ll have a great chance.”

Marcelo Bielsa – Leeds United manager

Marcelo Bielsa worked with Lemina at Marseille, and the Leeds United boss had some encouraging words to say about the versatile midfielder, who played 25 times under the Argentine.

“He is a different type of player to the majority of footballers. He knows how to attack and how to defend. He offers a lot of solutions to the coach and to his team.”

Verdict

Lemina isn’t a like-for-like with Gueye, but he’d provide a lot of the same qualities and natural instincts that the new PSG man was renowned for.

If signed, he would be a very welcome addition to the Everton squad.

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It is impossible to talk about Douglas Luiz without first touching on two words that have followed his short career around like a stray mutt. Those two words are work permit.

When the young Brazilian was signed by Manchester City in July 2017 for £10.7m he was immediately loaned out to Girona, the Spanish club that the City Football Group had recently acquired a majority stake in.

This made sense threefold because that summer Girona had achieved promotion to La Liga for the first time in their history, meaning the midfielder could acclimatise to European football in the challenging environs of a league similar in tempo and style to the one he had just left behind with Vasco da Gama.

Furthermore, Luiz was a highly regarded number six and it was in CFG’s best interests to maximise Girona’s chances of remaining in the Spanish top flight by loaning them the best of City’s peripheral talent. That close season also saw the temporary secondment of three other emerging stars.

The last consideration was that in Spain work permit issues for South American players are more lenient than in England and it couldn’t hurt Luiz’s cause – should he prove himself a success and return to the Manchester City ranks – if he boasted numerous appearances against Barcelona, Real Madrid et al.

Watch Aston Villa Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The first two aspects of Luiz’s move worked like a charm. Girona finished a very respectable tenth while the youngster made 15 outings, not overly impressing but showing enough glimpses of his ability to break up play and pick a pass to retain Pep Guardiola’s attention.

It was with the work permit issue where the masterplan came unstuck. With City having missed out on signing Jorginho and in need of a back-up for the ageing Fernandinho, they turned to Catalonia.

Only the Premier League’s criteria is trenchant on a player needing to be a full international and/or be exceptional enough to have a first team spot presumed. Luiz was then 20 with only a handful of under 23 games for the Selecao under his belt. Everyone also knew that Fernandinho was the main man for the defensive midfield job at the Etihad.

Exasperated at the situation City sent him back to Girona and here he thrived, making considerably more impact in considerably more games.

And so eye-catching were his performances that Aston Villa thought they would chance their arm and take advantage of the circumstances with a £15m bid, aware that, for them, the latter of the Premier League’s conditions stands up. They succeeded too and in Douglas Luiz they have a steal.

In 2018/19 the 34-year-old missed 91 days through injury and, had he not been on loan, it can be reasonably assumed that Luiz would have featured in at least several games of a campaign that saw City crowned as champions.

More so, City’s insistence that a buy-back option to be inserted into the deal suggests they’re acutely aware of the calibre of player they’re letting go.

That City exercised a similar buy-back clause to re-sign Angelino proves that it’s one the champions are willing to exercise and not merely a ploy to spare their blushes further down the line.

Luiz is a player who could very conceivably settle and excel at the hub of what is already a strong Villa midfield.

Now the work permit has finally been sorted Dean Smith can consider how to introduce him into the fold.

[ad_pod ]Long gone is the time of Arsenal’s glory days.The Gunners were once the very top dog in England, and led by the stern hand of the legendary Arsene Wenger, they went on to achieve incredible heights.Watch Arsenal Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Back in the early 2000s, they were arguably at the peak of their powers. In 2003/04, they achieved immortality with their “Invincibles” run, winning the Premier League without a single loss to their name.

And soon after, on the second matchday of 2004/05, with a dramatic victory against Middlesbrough, they equalled Nottingham Forest’s 42-match unbeaten record and have done so in the most incredible fashion and with style.

Now, they have taken to Twitter to pay tribute to that match that happened on this very day in 2004.

And what a dramatic match it was.

The game went back and forth throughout the whole 90 minutes and after actually taking the lead through Thierry Henry, the Gunners soon found themselves 3-1 down and in a very difficult spot.

But they still managed to claw their way back and win the match 5-3.

After equalling that impressive record, they went on to beat it and set a new one at 49 games unbeaten.

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It didn’t really take long for Eddie Nketiah to make an impact at his new club.

The young 20-year-old forward was sent on loan to Leeds United in this summer’s transfer window and it seems that he is settling in quite nicely at his new and temporary home.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Nketiah played for Leeds United’s U23 squad and scored a brilliant goal coming off the bench on Monday, helping his team to a 3-2 win over Millwall in the Premier League 2.

And now, he has quickly taken to

/B1cTiIZgXoZ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link” data-lasso->Instagram to celebrate this great moment with a nice new snap and a message on the side.

Soon enough, stars swarmed his social media account, posting all sorts of messages of support and praising the young forward for his remarkable piece of skill.

Alexandre Lacazette was among the first ones to the scene with his short reply.

There many others, however, like Alex Iwobi, who also simply couldn’t get enough of Nketiah’s goal.

If these early signs are anything to go by, the youngster just might have a pretty successful loan spell at Leeds United.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Marcelo Bielsa’s side will need to bounce back this afternoon when they face Swansea.

A top of the table clash, the Swans travel to Elland Road in second place, only behind the Whites on goal difference.

Since Graham Potter left, they’ve been mightily impressive and their position in the league is fine evidence of that.

Therefore, it won’t be an easy ride for Leeds, especially after their midweek defeat on penalties.

One thing that may make it easier, however, is by starting Eddie Nketiah.

On the chalkboard

Nketiah has been in superb form since signing on loan this summer and in just four games he’s scored three goals.

Only two of those outings have been starts as he began games against Salford and Stoke in the League Cup, finding the back of the net in both whilst he’s also starred from the bench.

He was the hero against Brentford a week and a half ago, scoring a poacher’s effort from close range after Helder Costa’s cross.

After a few weeks of teasing the 20-year-old, Bielsa has to cut to the chase.

The fact of the matter is that now should be the time to pair him in attack with Patrick Bamford.

The latter sat out of Leeds’ defeat against Stoke on Tuesday and he too has found himself in good form, netting four in five Championship outings.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The signs are there that Bielsa wants to field Nketiah and that was evident when he hinted that he and Bamford could feature in a pair together.

Last weekend, Leeds played with Jack Harrison and the former Middlesbrough man in a two, thus making it not completely beyond the realms of possibility that the Arsenal loan man could soon start.

Harrison managed six dribbles but just one shot last weekend so there’d be a logic behind suggesting someone like Nketiah could bring them added goal threat.

In just 13 minutes against Brentford, he had two shots, putting himself firmly in the right areas to find the goal.

Versus a Swansea side who have only conceded four, this could prove vital on Saturday.

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Spicy, eh? It’s just a shame the hardman facade was ruined by a friendly message from Arsenal’s Lacazette in the comments section – you know, the guy who helped fell your side…

Call us old fashioned but isn’t it a bit weird when players from sworn rivals communicate publicly straight after a game? At least pretend like you want to two-foot each other into oblivion.

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Nottingham Forest manager Sabri Lamouchi had a bit of a fire sale on deadline day last week.

Arvin Appiah departed for pastures new in Spain with the club landing an £8m fee in the process while Liam Bridcutt, Jason Cummings and Daryl Murphy all dropped a division into League One.

The Frenchman probably would have liked to see a few more leave the club, but it wasn’t to be.

One of those is Zach Clough, who has become quite the outcast at the City Ground.

The 24-year-old joined the club in January 2017 from Bolton Wanderers and has only made 31 appearances, scoring four times.

Within a year he was back on loan at the Trotters and spent the duration of last season at Rochdale, where he netted just one goal in 13 appearances.

This week, Clough was named in Forest’s Under-23 side to face Ipswich Town’s Under-23s, and he bagged a goal in the 3-1 victory, which has led to several supporters talking him up on social media.

One member of the Reds faithful joked that it was the start of the biggest personal comeback since Noel Edmonds started Deal or No Deal.

Another fan hopes the £3m man has got his career back on track, labelling him a “great player” on his day while a further supporter believes he has been short of confidence because of a lack of game time.

You can read more of the reaction below!

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