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Aston Villa could still lose midfielder Douglas Luiz this transfer window ahead of Monday’s transfer deadline day with Tottenham Hotspur reportedly planning a bid for the Brazilian.

What’s the latest?

According to The Daily Mail, Villa’s Premier League rivals Tottenham are preparing a £32m bid for the 23-year-old with the north London club reportedly panicking ahead of the transfer window closing on Monday.

Antonio Conte’s side are still yet to make a signing having missed out on Wolves’ Adama Traore and Porto’s Luis Diaz, but are also looking to add Juventus attacker Dejan Kulusevski to their ranks as well as Luiz.

With 18 months left on his contract, the Aston Villa midfielder will have to make a decision as to whether or not his long-term future still lies in the West Midlands soon, however, Villa boss Steven Gerrard wants to ensure that he will have the services of one of his star players until the end of the season at least.

Villa must keep Luiz

Since the arrival of Gerrard, the Villans’ season has significantly turned around for the better. The Birmingham outfit are 11th in the Premier League and have at least one game in hand on numerous teams near them.

Qualifying for European football this term looks to be a tall task, however, it’s certainly not impossible. If the Englishman and co. are serious about a push to finish the season amongst the top-flight’s elite, then keeping Luiz will certainly be vital.

The Brazilian has made 17 league appearances this term and is an essential cog for Gerrard’s setup. The 41-year-old has often deployed a 4-3-3 formation with Luiz in the heart of midfield alongside John McGinn and the likes of Marvelous Nakamba or Jacob Ramsey.

Nakamba is set to stay on the sidelines until April and therefore the Villa boss cannot afford to lose a midfielder this transfer window, particularly to a Premier League rival. It’s safe to say that doing so would be something of a disaster, especially with the club yet to bid for Rodrigo Bentancur.

They’d ultimately have very few options in midfield, something that could have dire ramifications for their campaign.

Averaging 1.2 interceptions and 1.9 tackles as well as an 84% passing accuracy per game in the top-flight, Luiz’s physicality in midfield is a significant asset, with the 23-year-old often entrusted to be Villa’s engine.

With just over a day left of the window, it would certainly deal Aston Villa a hefty blow if the 23-year-old departed for north London, particularly mid-season with there still so much to play for at Villa Park.

After an underwhelming 0-0 draw against Blackpool in midweek, West Brom are back in league action tonight with a showdown against Nottingham Forest at The Hawthorns.

With club captain Jake Livermore still serving a three-game ban after picking up a red card in their defeat against Huddersfield Town, he will be unavailable to play against the Reds. The Baggies also have the likes of Dara O’Shea and Kean Bryan still sidelined with serious injuries.

Taking this into account, here’s how we feel Valerien Ismael could set up his team tonight, with three changes envisaged from the line-up which started at Bloomfield Road.

Considering that he’s played in almost every league game so far this season, we can see Sam Johnstone keeping his place in the team on this occasion to see if he can keep another clean sheet.

In a back three, we think Ismael will stick with Kyle Bartley and Matt Clarke this time around but take Cedric Kipre out of the firing line after a shaky performance in midweek, with Semi Ajayi making his return to action to try and prove himself to the Baggies boss.

In midfield, with Livermore suspended, we reckon Albion will go with Alex Mowatt and Jason Molumby as a pairing in the middle after the duo played the full 90 minutes together in midweek.

At wing-back, we expect Connor Townsend to keep his place on the left-hand side, but with Taylor Gardner-Hickman, who has impressed in recent weeks, coming in on the right ahead of Darnell Furlong.

In attack, we think Ismael will go with Karlan Grant and Grady Diangana again but bring Callum Robinson, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £18k-per-week according to Salary Sport, back in at the expense of Matt Phillips to see if the Irishman can regain the goalscoring form with which he started the season, having scored three goals in West Brom’s opening three league games of the campaign.

Whatever team Ismael goes with tonight, this clash against Forest will definitely be a tough test for the Baggies considering that tonight’s opponents have only lost one of their 12 previous league games.

In other news: Ismael must ruthlessly axe WBA’s £14k-p/w “assassin”, he was a liability in midweek – opinion

A number of Liverpool supporters are fuming after Joe Gomez was linked with joining Aston Villa on loan in the January transfer window.

The Reds have clicked back into top form since the international break, securing a trio of resounding home wins over Arsenal, Porto and Southampton.

Saturday’s 4-0 victory against Saints saw Jurgen Klopp’s side produce an excellent performance, swatting their opponents aside at Anfield.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375258″]

It was a third clean sheet in a row for Liverpool, but someone who hasn’t featured in that time is Gomez, who continues to recover from a calf injury.

The 24-year-old title-winning hero of 2019/20 has only featured for 13 minutes in the Premier League so far this season, and according to The Mirror [via LFC Transfer Room on Twitter], Steven Gerrard wants to take him to Villa on loan in January.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-13/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Liverpool fans unhappy with Gomez rumour

These Liverpool fans on Twitter reacted negatively to the rumours of a potential exit for Gomez.

“No brov. All our CBs stay”

Credit: @Ariidunnu

“I would be very disappointed if this were true and they allow it to happen. JG is a class CB in my books, when fit he’s second after VVD.”

Credit: @alv_lam28

“Sorry Stevie, it’s a no”

Credit: @SalahFanV1

“There is absolutely no way on earth we’d loan out a centre back unless one was coming in. I also doubt we are bringing anybody in as well…so it’s hard to see any truth in this…”

Credit: @SMXLFC

“Am I the only one with PTSD from last season? I want 10 centre backs at all times…”

Credit: @30YearsRed

“No loaning out of any CBs. Nope. Not allowed.”

Credit: @ZachsEleven

In other news, some Liverpool fans have erupted after an update on one player emerged. Read more here.

With their 2-1 win over Ross County in the Premiership now behind them, Celtic have the Scottish League Cup final against Hibernian to deal with before continuing their push for the top-flight title.

In terms of which players Ange Postecoglou could pick to start against Hibs, one player who featured in the win in Dingwall and should be in the starting XI this afternoon is Liam Scales, who is currently earning £5k-per-week according to Salary Sport.

Why Scales must start

Playing at left-back against Ross County, the 23-year-old central defender showed Postecoglou just how capable he is in that position on his first league start of the season after coming on as a substitute in the second half of their 3-0 win over Dundee United, when he got himself on the scoresheet.

During his 90 minutes on the pitch in midweek, the Irishman made himself a real nuisance for Ross County in an attacking sense by completing two key passes, two crosses and two long balls, as well as having one shot whilst completing one successful dribble and setting up Liel Abada’s goal.

From a defensive point of view, Scales made two tackles and one interception and won eight of his 12 duels, proving why he was previously described as an “aggressive” player by one-time St Johnstone man Graham Gartland and why he could potentially bully Hibernian’s players today.

This display ultimately earned the 23-year-old a solid overall match rating of 7.5/10, making him Celtic’s third-highest rated player on the night according to SofaScore.

Even though Greg Taylor has often played at left-back for Celtic this season, Scales has shown that he is more than capable of delivering a top performance in that position.

Therefore, we reckon Postecoglou should stick with the Irishman on the left-hand side of defence, as he could bully Hibs and help the 56-year-old to lift his first trophy as Hoops manager.

In other news: Celtic handed potential injury boost ahead of Hibs which will surely leave fans thrilled

Dean Windass has exclusively told Football FanCast that he expects Georginio Wijnaldum to leave Liverpool this summer following months of speculation regarding his future at Anfield.

The Dutch midfielder has entered the final six months of his deal on Merseyside, and has been locked in contract talks for a number of months, with Wijnaldum yet to accept Liverpool’s offer.

And with Wijnaldum’s deal set to expire this summer, strong reports have suggested that the former Newcastle man is now expected to join Barcelona on a free transfer at the end of the season.

Wijnaldum, rated at £36m by Transfermarkt, has been one of the many success stories of the Jurgen Klopp era, helping Liverpool to both Champions League and Premier League glory in recent seasons, most notably scoring a three-minute brace in the Reds’ incredible comeback against Barcelona at Anfield in 2019 in the semi-finals.

But with his career with the Reds appears to be drawing to a close, Windass admitted that if the Dutchman was going to extend his contract with the Liverpool that a deal would have been agreed by now.

He told Football FanCast: “It’s been going on for a few weeks. If he was going to sign, he would have signed by now, so he won’t be there. Whoever signs him has got a wonderful sitting midfield player. They can’t entice him to stay, maybe he doesn’t think Liverpool can get back to where they were.

“Liverpool players have let the manager down this year. You go and win the title by playing extremely well all season and it looks as if they’ve gone ‘well we’ve won the league, we can go back to not winning it for another 30 years’. Liverpool Football Club will want better than that, and he’ll be a big loss.”

Fans of Liverpool have been reacting to a post on Twitter, which relayed a report that claims the Reds are interested in the signing of Luis Suarez this summer.

According to a report by Spanish outlet Fichajes (via Sport Witness), Jurgen Klopp is looking for an experienced centre-forward in the summer transfer market to provide support for the front three, and that Suarez, who left Liverpool to join Barcelona in 2014, is a target of the German manager.

The report goes as far as to say that Klopp is preparing an offer for the £281,000-per-week 34-year-old, who only joined his current side, Atletico Madrid, last summer, with the Uruguay international scoring 19 goals and providing two assists over his 31 appearances for Diego Simeone’s side so far this season.

And, after Liverpool FC News relayed the report on Twitter, fans of the Reds flocked to have their say on the matter, with many appearing delighted at the prospect of Suarez making a return to Anfield this summer.

So, what exactly did these Liverpool fans have to say in reaction to their club’s link with a move for Luis Suarez this summer?

“Definitely. He’s still got a lot of goals in him.”

@hamiet1892

“All day long.”

@Crooky1970

“YES.”

@Leeanthonyevans

“Yes… bring him home.”

@am_gxxx

“He’s playing unreal. Would be a great signing, but will never happen.”

@houlie1389

“This move is coming a year too late for me. Should have got him in this season. Would have been a perfect option, could play anywhere in the front 3.”

@AmScotch

In other news: these Liverpool fans were left appalled by this “depressing” transfer news – find out more here!

Journalist Julian Laurens has been reacting to an Aston Villa transfer ‘reveal’ involving Marseille midfielder Boubacar Kamara.

The Lowdown: Gerrard, Lange and Purslow in attendance

Steven Gerrard appears to be making a head start when it comes to summer signings, with midfield seemingly a key area he wants to bolster.

Geoffrey Kondogbia and Ibrahim Sangare have both been recently scouted, while Leeds United’s Kalvin Phillips is also on their radar.

Kamara is the latest player Villa have now watched, with Gerrard, Johan Lange and Christian Purslow in attendance to look at the Marseille star in action against Nantes on Wednesday.

The Latest: Laurens reacts

Laurens took to Twitter to react to the update involving Villa and Kamara. He labelled the 22-year-old as a ‘fantastic player’ and appeared to be excited for Villa, should they land his services on a free transfer.

“RMC reveal that Steven Gerrard was at Marseille – Nantes at the Stade Velodrome tonight to watch Boubacar Kamara. He is out of contract in the summer. What a signing he would be for Aston Villa. Fantastic player.”

The Verdict: Would’ve left impressed…

Kamara is valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt and can also turn out as a centre-back, so a free transfer could be an extremely shrewd move by Villa.

Kamara’s display would have left Gerrard, Lange and Purslow impressed in the 3-2 win for Marseille. As per SofaScore, Kamara was the third-best player on the pitch with a match rating of 7.8/10. Turning out in a three-man midfield, the Frenchman completed a whopping 105 of his 112 attempted passes, won six of his nine duels and even won a penalty.

Villa may now look to step up their interest following his display, with the club able to make contact over a pre-contract agreement right now due to his contract situation in France.

In other news: Source: Villa and Lange now working on another new deal for star Gerrard says has ‘got the lot’. 

Many Wolves fans were raging with the performance of striker Fabio Silva after his side’s 1-0 win against Chorley on Friday night.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side advanced to the next round of the FA Cup, but in rather unspectacular fashion, having only managed to record one shot on target against a team five leagues below the Black Country club.

More specifically, it was in the attacking department where scrutiny was deservedly aimed. Fabio Silva was one of those targeted following his £35.6m summer move from FC Porto.

Per Sofascore, Silva failed to register a shot on target, lost all of his aerial duels and did not even attempt a single dribble.

Because of the calibre of opposition, supporters were incensed with the lack of attacking prowess from the Portuguese striker and admitted they had run out of excuses for the new boy.

Fans fume at Silva

“What’s the excuse for Fabio Silva tonight then? Couldn’t trap wind. #wwfc”

Credit: @darbayit

“Silva looks like he belongs in my under 8s team no way is he strong enough for these games. Ducking out of challenges and scared to death. #wwfc”

Credit: @carlmills29

“I’m sorry that’s 2-0 Chorley. Utter garbage. Cutrone and Silva, the worst forward line of all time #wwfc #wolves”

Credit: @davidrcporter

“That performance from Wolves was shocking Fabio Silva needs a loan move ASAP #wwfc”

Credit: @liam93b

“Don’t know what to say about that. Silva awful. Ruddy MOM. Suppose we won. Saints or Arsenal be tough #wwfc”

Credit: @Sandhurstwolf

“Fabio Silva couldn’t trap a bag of cement! #wwfc #CHOWOL”

Credit: @Hayden_Millsy

In other news, 53-goal striker compared to Luis Suarez rejected Wolves before making latest move.

Former Leeds United striker and now Football Insider pundit Noel Whelan has urged the Whites to make a move for Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard.

The Lowdown: Edouard set for exit

It seems as if Edouard has now played his final game for the Hoops. The Frenchman started in the club’s final game of the season against Hibernian on Saturday, with the Easter Road clash ending in a stalemate.

Reports in recent months have suggested that the 23-year-old wants to leave Celtic Park this summer, regardless of who comes in to replace Neil Lennon. Leicester City are reportedly confident of securing Edouard’s services, but Whelan wants Leeds to make their move over the coming months.

The Latest: Whelan urges Leeds to make move

According to Football Insider, Leeds are putting plans in place to sign a new, young striker and have set aside £20m-25m to bolster their attacking ranks.

Speaking to Football Insider about the subject, Whelan staked his claim for Edouard, who Lennon described as ‘magnificent’ earlier this season. The 46-year-old said:

“We’ve got to look long term here.

“You want someone you can improve, can grow into the side, grow into the football club and be there for three to four seasons. There’s already a player out there – Edouard.

“I keep saying it, go get him. He’s at Celtic. He fits that mould, he’d be competition. There’s many, many clubs interested in him, why shouldn’t we be? You can get him at a really good price.

“We’ve got to start looking at other people. Can we take away the players that other teams are trying to get?

“Victor Orta’s not failed us yet. What we do need is that striker. That’s the right criteria that we need to bring into the football club.”

The Verdict: Hoops need a proven replacement

With Edouard seemingly on his way out of Parkhead, we feel it is pivotal that Celtic bring in a proven replacement this summer. The Frenchman has netted 57 Scottish Premiership goals in 100 appearances, with 16 of those coming in the current campaign.

Mohamed Elyounoussi is the only other Hoops player to net double figures this season in all competitions, and he’s set to return to Southampton over the coming weeks.

Immediate firepower seems to be what is required under the new manager, so it looks set to be a crucial summer window for new Celtic CEO Dominic McKay.

In other news: ‘Something happened’ – McAvennie shares inside Celtic claim as news emerges on ace who wants out, find out more here. 

Eddie Howe wants to ‘press the button’ on three transfer deals ‘at the earliest possible opportunity’ once he takes over at Celtic.

That’s according to Andrew Smith, a journalist at The Scotsman.

The lowdown

The report said that ‘it is hardly revelatory’ that Howe is expected to be appointed in the coming days. He is set to become the long-term successor to Neil Lennon, who resigned at the end of February.

Celtic finished a full 25 points off their arch-rivals Rangers in last season’s Premiership, their run of nine consecutive titles ended in spectacular fashion.

The combination of a new managerial appointment, the need to strike back from this desperately poor campaign and the potential departures of players like Odsonne Edouard and Kristoffer Ajer, as well as the exit of long-serving captain Scott Brown, means that a ‘comprehensive squad overhaul’ may be in the offing at Parkhead.

The latest

Smith reported that Howe wants the ‘jigsaw pieces to fall quickly into place’ when he takes over.

As well as transfers, that includes the appointment of his backroom team and of a sporting director to ‘synergise’ the new operation.

Howe, whom the Daily Record also expect to take up his new role this week, is tipped to greenlight a flurry of moves straight off the bat once he takes the reins at Parkhead.

The verdict

Howe may already have been identifying targets for a number of weeks. After all, it was first reported back at the start of April that he had held constructive talks with the club.

It wouldn’t be a surprise, then, if it was simply a matter of ‘pressing the button’ when he’s officially in his post.

For Celtic fans, multiple early signings would constitute an encouraging statement of intent and symbolise the beginning of a new era.

In other news, a third source has weighed in on the reported Eddie Howe timeline.