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Pre-season is in full swing for almost all of Europe’s top clubs. Liverpool played in their second friendly since they flew out to the USA in the early hours of this morning, beating Manchester City 2-1 thanks to goals from Mo Salah and Sadio Mane, cancelling out Leroy Sane’s earlier effort.

The upcoming season is one that Liverpool are being touted to dominate. The Reds have made some smart signings for big money and look to be in pole position to challenge for the Premier League. The fact that they beat Manchester City three times last season anyway has led them to believe that they are more than capable of ripping the Premier League trophy away from Pep Guardiola’s City.

The combination of Sadio Mane, Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino was unbelievable last season and the fact that Mane and Salah are already linking up with devasting effect in pre-season is a bad sign for the fans of Liverpool’s Premier League rivals. The club are still waiting for a number of first-teamers to return to training and if the club can get off to a good start in the league then there’s every chance they can go on and win it.

You can read the Kopites’ verdict on Salah, Mane and the season ahead here:

As you can see, the excitement among the fans is reaching fever pitch and this season will be a telling one for the Jurgen Klopp.

West Ham United have spent huge sums of money in the transfer market this summer in order to strengthen their squad ahead of the new season, and a recent report from The London Evening Standard suggests that trend could continue with the signing of a new striker.

Indeed, the report claims that West Ham’s £27 million bid for Maximiliano Gomez has been rejected by Celta Vigo whom are a looking for a fee closer to £35 million. Gomez only arrived in La Liga last summer in a deal worth just £3.6 million, but a record of 18-goals La Liga during his debut season has clearly caught the eye in east London.

The figure quoted is clearly a huge financial burden considering the extortionate sums the club have already parted with this summer, so Pellegrini may be wise to turn his attention towards a target who should be on the lookout for first-team football next season, namely Michy Batshuayi.

The Chelsea striker has struggled to make an impact since joining the club in 2016, mostly due to competition for a starting berth at the spearhead of their attack.

Antonio Conte showed a complete lack of trust in Batshuayi’s ability throughout his tenure at the club, and the attitude of the manager clearly had a detrimental effect on his development.

But a loan spell at Borussia Dortmund in January enabled him to showcase the full extent of his ability with a level of freedom which Conte deprived him of at Chelsea.

In just 10 Bundesliga appearances Batshuayi managed to notch 7 goals and provide 1 assist before an injury unfortunately ruled him out for the remainder of the season.

Despite being just 24-years-of-age, Batshuayi already has 105 senior career goals to his name, so clearly he has the firepower to thrive in the Premier League if he is afforded time and trust to showcase the full extent of his ability.

With Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud both ahead of him in the pecking order it’s likely that he’ll need to seek a move away from the club this summer to acquire first-team football and, if that proves to be the case, West Ham should make a loan bid for his services with an option-to-buy clause included as part of the deal.

West Ham fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

Celtic should look to bringing in a defender by making use of the loan system as they have been vulnerable at the back in recent years. 

The Hoops will be desperate to secure the treble once again after a couple of terrific campaigns in previous years. Although, improvements are needed defensively, and one player who has shown plenty of quality and could come on leaps and bounds under regular minutes is Liverpool’s Joe Gomez, who is currently valued at £19.8 million by Transfermarkt.

Brendan Rodgers brought the 21-year-old to Anfield when he was in charge and he could look for a reunion in the form of a loan deal this summer. The versatile defender has the ability to play at right-back and at the heart of the defence, which makes him invaluable to any side. But, with the Reds already having a number of defensive players in his suited positions, a loan move away to Celtic would provide him with regular minutes and a chance to impress on the European stage.

The only thing that could put an end to any possible interest in taking him on loan would be a string of injuries at Anfield, which is why the Reds may want to include a recall clause in his contract if a deal is concluded in the future.  Celtic could make use of the youngster at either right-back or at the heart of the defence, with his high-level experience and quality working wonders for the Hoops.

Indeed, the Hoops made a number of moves on the transfer front and they could look to make use of the loan system to iron over any underlying issues. So, moving for a quality defender is definitely vital to Celtic’s season.

Would Joe Gomez be a shrewd signing for Celtic… Let us know!

While Arsenal strengthened in multiple areas this summer, the one weakness the Gunners didn’t address is on the wing.

Arsenal brought in five new players across three areas this summer and all will improve the team massively.

However, as proven by their 2-0 loss to Man City on Sunday, the Gunners are seriously missing a rapid and direct winger to play on the righthand side.

While Mesut Ozil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan are both superb passers, neither have the express pace to really trouble a team.

On the counter both players can cause problems as they pick up space but when Arsenal get into the final third and are looking for someone to play in on the wing, both Ozil and Mkhitaryan are players who are looking to play the ball rather than making runs to break the lines.

A player the Gunners had been heavily linked with over the summer, was Ousmane Dembele and according to Marca via Sports Mole, the Frenchman’s future is uncertain and he could be available for £71 million.

The Breakdown

Although the 21-year-old scored the winning goal in the Spanish Super Cup, with the arrival of Malcolm, his place in the squad is now under threat.

Despite his erratic form at Barcelona, Dembele is still one of the best young talents in the world.

Arsenal need a top quality winger to give the side some pace going forward, if Dembele is available, a big bid might be wise.

While it remains to be seen whether Dembele will still be at Barcelona come January, if he is, Arsenal should do what they can to get him in January.

What do you think Arsenal fans?

According to a recent report from the BBC, Cameron Carter-Vickers could be set for a move away this month. The 20-year-old currently plays his football at Premier League side Tottenham having come up through the youth ranks at the North London club, although just four senior appearances for Mauricio Pochettino’s men suggests that he still remains some way away from commanding regular football.

And reports suggest that Swansea City are closing in on a move for the £900,000-rated talent (as per Transfermarkt), yet it is Gary Rowett’s Stoke City who are clearly in need of the centre back in a bid to replace the awful Ashley Williams in the Potters backline.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, the Staffordshire-based outfit secured the Wales international’s services on loan for the entirety of the season from top-flight side Everton, which certainly came as a welcome relief to some Everton fans after the defender’s poor end to the 2017/18 season.

And he hasn’t started brilliantly at Stoke either in starting three of their opening four Championship matches, in which time the Potters have failed to keep a clean sheet, while he also received a red card in the 3-0 defeat to Wigan Athletic on Wednesday to further compound his misery.

And having received a red card in his last appearance for Everton last term, it’s clear that Williams simply isn’t the centre back he once was, and is now arguably a liability to have in one’s backline.

Thus, Stoke simply have to replace him in the starting line-up, and Spurs’ Carter-Vickers could be the man for the job.

The 20-year-old may not have featured regularly for Tottenham in recent times, but he proved his Championship credentials last term in appearing 17 times for Sheffield United in the first half of the campaign, before adding 17 appearances for Ipswich Town after Christmas to help them finish in the top half of the table.

As such, his efforts last season suggest that the United States international has what it takes to succeed and produce the goods in the Championship, and that is exactly what Stoke are crying out for after a woeful start to the new campaign.

And with Williams proving to be nothing short of awful so far this term, replacing him with the 20-year-old is something Rowett must seek to do this month.

Stoke fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Middlesbrough have reportedly been chasing a deal for Everton’s Yannick Bolasie in recent days, but a report from the BBC published on Thursday suggests that the winger will join Aston Villa this summer.

Indeed, the 29-year-old looks set to take a step down to the Championship to resurrect his career which has been in free-fall since he suffered a cruciate ligament injury shortly after he arrived at Goodison Park.

Despite his injury woes there is no doubting that Bolasie still has plenty to offer with his direct style of dribbling and pace down the wing, so Middlesbrough will understandably be disappointed to miss out on securing his signature.

However, a recent report from the London Evening Standard suggests that an ideal alternative is available for a season-long loan deal, namely Jason Puncheon.

According to the report, Roy Hodgson hast told Crystal Palace’s attacking midfielder that he is free to leave after spending the majority of 2018 sidelined through injury.

A switch to the Riverside Stadium would give Puncheon the opportunity to get some first-team football under his belt once again and offer Tony Pulis a versatile option who could slot in on both wings or in a central position behind the striker.

With 193 appearances in the Premier League to his name, the 32-year-old is something of a top-flight veteran, and his experience in this regard would make him a valuable addition to the dressing room at any promotion-chasing club.

Boro may be disappointed by their failure to sign Bolasie, but they would quickly put that disappointment behind them by bringing in a player of Puncheon’s calibre.

Boro fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

Middlesbrough look a force to be reckoned with this season after their strong start to the campaign and Tony Pulis will be hoping that continues. 

However with a long season ahead of them, the Championship is renown for being one of the trickiest divisions as anyone has the ability and power to beat anyone. Middlesbrough know that full well, having been up and down between the second and first division in recent years.

They cannot afford to get carried away as this early form may just be temporary. On paper they’re lacking the quality they had in the Premier League, especially after losing Adama Traore to Wolves over the summer, with The Sun journalist Alan Nixon claiming they are targeting Benfica’s Rafa Silva.

As of yet, Boro have not replaced him but the perfect way to do so would be to bring in Christian Atsu, a player valued at £5.4 million on Transfermarkt.

The 26-year-old is struggling to fight for a place back in the Newcastle set-up this season because of the talented wingers the Magpies also have. Last season though for Rafa Benitez, Atsu was an important player, hence why he appeared in 28 Premier League games.

The Ghanian scored twice and assisted two goals as well, showing that even without amazing statistics, he was still very much an important player for Newcastle.

Adama Traore is player blessed with outstanding raw pace and he frightens defenders when attacking an opponents back-line. He will be hugely missed by Middlesbrough but they don’t have time to dwell on who they’ve lost but just focus on recruiting the right man to replace him.

Christian Atsu fits the bill and has even previously played in the Championship, meaning he won’t take any time to get accustomed to the league.

Boro have to act quick in order to get this top Adama Traore replacement – Agreed?

Tottenham fans have been discussing one of Mauricio Pochettino’s biggest selection headaches, and they are completely split on who should start at left back.

Pochettino handed a huge boost of confidence to Danny Rose on Monday night, starting the 28 year-old at Old Trafford.

Rose made an awful mistake early on that was not punished by Romelu Lukaku, but had a solid performance outside of that, and has certainly swayed a few fans back into his camp.

“For me over the last four or five years we’ve worked together, Monday is probably the biggest thing he’s done for me,” said Rose after the 3-0 win.

Of course, Ben Davies was exceptional during Rose’s absence last season, grabbing two goals and six assists and improving week in week out.

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Pochettino now has the luxury of having two top class full backs on each flank, and plenty of fans are calling for Rose to get the permanent nod.

Several fans would rather stick with Davies though, perhaps due to Rose’s efforts to force a move away from North London last summer.

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So, Spurs fans, who do you think should start at left back? See what your fellow fans are saying down below…

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Aston Villa are in the midst of a centre-back crisis, with James Chester and Axel Tuanzebe the only recognised centre-backs at Villa Park and the latter currently being played at right-back by manager Steve Bruce.

Instead, the Englishman has been persisting with Chester and defensive-midfielder Mile Jedinak as a centre-back partnership and even allowed Tommy Elphick to go on loan to Hull, but the Birmingham-based side have now leaked 11 goals in just six league games so far.

Because of this, Bruce would be wise to delve into the free-agent market to bolster his options at the back, and 42 per cent of Villa fans wanted the club to sign ex-Leicester man and three-time Premier League winner Robert Huth.

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Second in our poll was Steven Caulker, after the 26-year-old left Dundee following a half-season stint that allowed him to get his career back on track following a difficult spell at Queens Park Rangers. The Englishman, who has one cap for his country, has age on his side compared to Huth and 35-year-old James Collins.

Last in our poll with only seven per cent of the votes was the option for Bruce to re-integrate outcast Micah Richards, who incredibly is still under contract at the club. Check out the full results of the poll below.

Colombia striker Radamel Falcao has raved about his compatriot Alfredo Morelos after he developed into a crucial player for Rangers, in comments published by The Daily Record.

What’s the word?

Beginning the season with six goals in 13 appearances across all competitions, and helping to fire Rangers into the Europa League group stages, Alfredo Morelos has become a key asset for Steven Gerrard’s side in recent months.

The 22-year-old was rewarded for his displays at club level with a senior debut for Colombia’s national side and made his debut in his nation’s 2-1 friendly victory over Venezuela, while he will hold hopes of featuring against Argentina in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Morelos’ form has certainly not gone unnoticed and 78-cap Colombia icon Radamel Falcao, now playing for Monaco, was full of praise for the young striker in comments that were picked up by The Daily Record.

What was said?

“Alfredo Morelos is going to be a star for us. When you look at attitude he has and commitment he shows, he’s ready to get to the top.

“He could be a big player for Colombia for years to come. I liked his work rate and he’s willing to learn. There’s a lot to like when you look at the kids coming though.

“He’s already playing for his country at such a young age and it’s clear he will be a regular for years to come.”

How could can he be?

Morelos certainly deserves praise for his performances so far this season but he still has a fair amount to learn, attracting criticism following a red card earned during Rangers’ 1-1 draw with Aberdeen in August and also receiving his marching orders in the second leg of his side’s Europa League play-off tie with FC Ufa.

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Gerrard must work hard to help erase those problems for the young striker and help him avoid being sucked into similar problems in the future and, if he does manage to remove those issues from his game, Morelos could emulate former Celtic man Moussa Dembele.

22-year-old Dembele shone during his two seasons with Celtic, scoring 26 goals in 55 league appearances and earning the Scottish champions a huge profit after leaving to join Lyon late in the summer transfer window for a fee reported to be worth around £20m.

While Dembele has the edge in experience, he struggled with injury problems during the latter years of his spell in Glasgow and Morelos, if he remains fit and avoids suspensions for red cards, could surpass the France U21 international imminently.

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