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According to a recent report from The Daily Mail, Cedric Soares could be set to leave Southampton this month. The 27-year-old made the move to St Mary’s back in 2015 as a replacement for Liverpool-bound Nathaniel Clyne, yet some unconvincing displays in the last 12 months under both Mark Hughes and Ralph Hasenhuttl has plunged his future at the club into doubt.

And reports suggest that new boss Hasenhuttl is willing to offload the defender this month given his side are reportedly keen on 21-year-old fellow right back Joakim Maehle, yet the Austrian could be set to make his worst decision since taking charge at St Mary’s were he to let Cedric leave this month.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, it looks like 21-year-old Maehle has an extremely bright future in the game having burst onto the scene in recent times, with his 27 appearances for Belgian top-flight side Genk last term, and indeed 34 this time round, seemingly attracting the interest of new Saints chief Hasenhuttl.

But having not played in English football before, it will likely take the Denmark Under-21 international some time to adapt and thus adjust to life in the Premier League, and Southampton simply don’t have that time given their current plight, with the club sat just a point and two places above the division’s bottom three.

As such, Maehle would certainly be thrown into the deep end were he to come in as a replacement for Cedric, especially given Yan Valery is the only other natural right back at Southampton – and his red card at the weekend in victory at Leicester City suggests that he might not be a dependable option down the right-hand-side.

Add in the vast amounts of experience Cedric has accumulated during his time at Southampton, and his generally consistent displays at right back in that time, and selling him would surely be a mistake.

Yes, there is no doubting that the Portugal international has endured a testing run of form in the last 12 months, which unsurprisingly has coincided with Southampton’s own struggles against relegation, but one mustn’t forget the level he reached in his first few seasons at St Mary’s in a side that were established in the Premier League’s top ten.

His first season was particularly impressive given he was charged with filling quite the void left by Clyne, doing so brilliantly in helping Ronald Koeman’s men finish sixth in the 2015/16 campaign, before appearing 30 times the season after as Claude Puel’s side again ended up in the top half.

His recent efforts for Southampton may not have been of the highest standard, but cashing in on him and banking on messrs Maehle and Valery to help keep them up appears to be a huge risk, and one that could seriously backfire.

And that is why getting rid of the Euro 2016 winner makes no sense at all, and would represent Hasenhuttl’s worst decision since taking over at St Mary’s at the rear end of 2018.

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

It has been a quiet transfer window for Southampton so far, though there is still time for that to change.

That being said, the Saints seem unlikely to dip into the market just for the sake of it as they seemingly appear to bide their time.

The Breakdown

The Daily Echo reports that while the club are keen on bringing in at least two new players this month, the team’s improved form means there is less pressure to overspend during a time in the window where Premier League clubs can be held to ransom.

All things considered, though, not spending crazy money now and overhauling the squad in the summer makes much more sense, especially looking at some of Southampton’s recent signings.

Recruitment of late has not been good, so the last thing the Saints want to be doing is panic buying and paying over the odds for average players who are going to struggle later down the line.

Hasenhuttl’s willingness to work with some of the younger options he has at disposal also means there is no need for the south coast club to go fork out on individuals who would be coming in just to fill small holes in certain areas of the squad.

By no means is Premier League survival a certainty for Southampton. However, signing players this month, who may need time to adapt, offers no guarantees either. Furthermore, the approach the Saints are taking is a wise one.

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Liverpool were lucky to emerge from their encounter with Crystal Palace last time out in the Premier League with a 4-3 win.

On Wednesday, Jurgen Klopp’s table-topping Reds will face Leicester City at Anfield. The Foxes ought to learn from what the Eagles did well and seek to make that part of their own game plan.

On the chalkboard

The Eagles pressed Liverpool intensely, and were able to harry their opponents into making mistakes. Producing those energy levels takes a physical toll, but in the likes of Jamie Vardy, James Maddison, Marc Alrbighton, Demarai Gray and Kelechi Iheanacho, Leicester have plenty of attackers to call upon capable of pressing in this manner.

Claude Puel’s side must be positive and confident and willing to take the game to Liverpool. If they do so then they could overcome the home 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…

This off-the-ball game plan could be very effective for the visitors, but what they do once in possession is equally important.

On the ball

Liverpool themselves are a side that press relentlessly. Crystal Palace had the confidence and composure to try to play quick, neat, intricate passes around this press. When it worked it worked to great effect. Andros Townsend’s goal, and the fine build-up play that preceded it, is a good example of this.

Again, Leicester can take inspiration from this. In the likes of Wilfred Ndidi, Harvey Barnes, Ricardo Pereira and Maddison, they have players with enough technical ability to play passing football through Liverpool’s press, rather than resort to more hopeful long ball football which will ultimately only see the pressure mount up on them as they repeatedly return possession to Liverpool.

When Liverpool decided to send Nathaniel Clyne on a loan to Bournemouth last month, many were perplexed by it. Considering the Reds didn’t have a proper right-back beyond Trent Alexander Arnold, it seemed an overconfident move from Jurgen Klopp to risk dampening the squad strength.

After being winless in two and having to play James Milner at right-back, the Reds are discovering how poor a decision that really was. It’s not like Clyne’s been affected by it, as he’s played full games for the Cherries after his move. In those, he’s helped Bournemouth keep two clean-sheets and did a pretty good job nullifying Chelsea’s attacking threat a few weeks back.

The former Southampton defender actually seems pumped for the occasion, recording impressive stats including average four tackles and two clearances per game. He’s kept his discipline, only getting booked once and maintaining a decent passing accuracy. If anything, Clyne would’ve been a more reliable option for the Reds in these difficult stretch of games.

Not only would he have strengthened their defence with his experience, but also provided that edge in attack. An impressive crosser of the ball, Clyne also knows when to time his runs and could’ve elevated Liverpool’s attack. However, now one can only keep imagining how Liverpool’s form would’ve changed had he been there.

What’s their loss is Bournemouth’s gain. The Cherries have inherited a commendable defensive cover until the end of the season who will boost their surge towards a top-half finish, while Klopp keeps sulking about poor decision-making.

Liverpool may still win their first Premier League title, but by allowing Clyne to depart, they made their task an awful lot harder.

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Brendan Rodgers has hinted that two of his injured stars could be available for next week’s return tie against Valencia.

Injuries have hampered Celtic all season with all of their first choice defenders recently sidelined.

Kieran Tierney hasn’t played since December 13th but has now had more than a week involved in full training and a return to competitive action could be imminent – although Rodgers stopped short of directly naming the players who could be available for selection next week.

Speaking after the first leg defeat against Valencia, the BBC reported Rodgers as saying:

You have to have that belief [for the second leg]. We’ve got good players, we might have one or two back as well next week. We need to defend and concentrate well, especially in key moments of the game. If we can get the first goal, it could set us up for a really good second leg.

Olivier Ntcham hasn’t played this year but like Tierney seems to be getting close to a comeback.

Filip Benkovic, Tony Ralston and Tom Rogic won’t be back in action until March, while there is no word on when Leigh Griffiths will return after taking time out due to personal issues.

Changes are anticipated for this weekend’s clash against Kilmarnock, with Kris Ajer a likely candidate to come into the side for Jozo Simunovic. Timothy Weah is also strongly pushing for a starting place in Celtic’s ninth match since returning from their winter break in Dubai.

Arsenal may have plenty of problems on their hands at the moment, but one area that isn’t really of a major concern is their options up front. The Gunners boast two of the most proven goal-scorers in European football in Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and could even afford to let starlet Eddie Nketiah leave on loan in the summer.

But whilst the trio are certainly recognisable names now thanks to their exploits in the north London’s first-team and elsewhere, one youngster who is threatening to knock on the door, is Tyreece John-Jules. The 18-year-old signed a new long-term contract with the club earlier this year, and has been firing in the goals in the youth sides this season. He has six in twelve appearances, and in the Premier League International Cup against Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday night, he notched twice in a 3-2 victory.

Watch Bournemouth vs Arsenal Live and Free with Amazon Prime on Boxing Day

And after seeing his goal-scoring performance, Arsenal fans flooded to Twitter to voice their thoughts on their teenage prodigy.

Many Gunners fans even felt John-Jules’ display showed he is more than ready for first-team action, with one fan in particular suggesting that he is better than Lacazette.

Still only 18, John-Jules has plenty of time to make his mark on the first-team. And as he has seen from Nketiah, a loan away could be on the cards for him. But with Aubameyang and Lacazette ageing, he may well fancy his chances of staking his claim in the senior side sooner rather than later.

Meanwhile, this Arsenal ace showed what he is capable of when played in his natural position against Manchester City.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been slammed by TalkSPORT’s Andy Goldstein for allowing the Reds’ youth prospects to be subjected to a League Cup trouncing by Aston Villa on Tuesday night.

Klopp has taken the senior members of his squad to Qatar and amid the fixture congestion, left Under-23s boss Neil Critchley to take control of a young team that were picked apart by Dean Smith’s side.

In a passionate rant on TalkSPORT, Goldstein argued that more senior players could have been involved before joining the team’s Club World Cup campaign later, while Klopp was blasted for Tuesday’s drubbing, which he feels could have been avoided.

He said: “I’ve got a real problem with what happened.

“There are so many things that could have been avoided. There are players that could have been there: [Divock] Origi, [Adam] Lallana, [Xherdan] Shaqiri, Naby Keita. They could have played tonight.

“These players – they’re not needed. Then they could have flown them out.

“I really do think Jurgen Klopp has hung the kids out to dry, here. I just think he’s shown a total disrespect for the campaign, he’s out on a vanity mission halfway around the world. It’s a glorified Community Shield.

“I think it’s a massive mistake from Klopp and Liverpool to do what they’ve done.”

As soon as Liverpool were (eventually) victorious following their epic shootout win over Arsenal, the dilemma facing the Reds had become apparent. That suggests that the decision Klopp came to is likely to have had plenty of thought put into it.

Allowing more senior players to take part in the EFL Cup tie could have added risk to their capabilities of seeing off Monterrey – winners of North and Central America’s equivalent of the Champions League – on Wednesday.

While it may have been feasible to balance the strength of the two squads in order to maximise chances of progressing in both competitions, Goldstein’s irritation seems to stem from the fact that Liverpool were thumped rather than their plans to play the kids in the first place – which was long-known to be the case.

And given the nature of Villa’s opening goals, as well as the bright spells Liverpool had in the game, it could easily be argued that both the scoreline and Goldstein were harsh on the youthful Reds team.

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Newcastle are reportedly interested in Everton’s Mason Holgate, but they face a battle with Sheffield United and Bournemouth, according to The Sun.

The defender has returned to the Toffees’ team in recent weeks and helped them to victory over Chelsea before drawing at Old Trafford, and he could be available for a relatively small fee of £14m.

By Newcastle’s standards that would present a reasonable outlay, but spending large amounts on Joelinton and Allan Saint-Maximin indicates that Mike Ashley may be prepared to trust Steve Bruce with more funds in January.

However, the Magpies have a plethora of options at centre-back, and have coped well in recent weeks despite injuries to Jamaal Lascelles and Fabian Schar – winning two of their last three.

With that in mind, we asked our team of Football FanCast writers for their views on the possible transfer, and whether Bruce should look to make him a Newcastle player by the end of the window.

Here is what they had to say.

Lewis Blain

“If Steve Bruce can raid Everton for Mason Holgate, then they’ll be onto a winner.

“Newcastle are doing better than expected this season with them sitting in 11th in the table – Rafa who? But defensively, they still remain a little suspect having conceded 24 times in 17 matches, only keeping a clean sheet in 24% of their matches.

“Injuries to their backline are always a problem as Bruce likes to use a three-at-the-back formation, so an addition such as Holgate must be welcomed.

“His versatility to play in midfield and full-back only further displays why he’d be such a shrewd signing for the Magpies, in addition to the fact he’s still young enough to further improve.”

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Danny Lewis

“Holgate definitely has the potential to be an effective signing for Newcastle, with his versatility in the defensive areas being a very useful trait that Bruce would likely make use of. The Magpies would be better off spending their money at the other end of the pitch.

“Only Crystal Palace and Watford have scored fewer Premier League goals this campaign, so they should be looking for someone who can improve that side of their game, whether that is a striker or winger.

“For example, Jarrod Bowen, who has 15 goals and four contributions, would arguably have a far greater impact on Newcastle’s fortunes than Holgate.”

Who the heck is that?! Can you name all 25 of these obscure Liverpool signings…

Viji Jeevathayalan

“If Newcastle can convince Mason Holgate to leave Goodison Park, then they should be all over it. The Magpies have conceded 24 goals this season, and have been reliant on the likes of Jamaal Lascelles and Fabian Schar to provide genuine quality to their back-line.

“A move for Holgate would give them a player who could quite comfortably play at centre-back or right-back, or even in central midfield, which in theory makes him perfect for a back three – requiring the ability to defend one-on-one, move out wide and push into midfield.

“More simply, having someone like the 23-year-old who appears to be a jack of all trades gives Steve Bruce a valuable option. Injuries are part and parcel of the game, and are always the ultimate test of a squad’s strength in depth. The Toffees’ versatile ace could save Newcastle a lot of money from having to sign specialist players in each position.“

Kealan Hughes

“While Holgate has impressed of late, there is still some doubt about his ability to perform at the top level at a consistent basis, as he has often found himself in and out of the Everton team – as evidenced by his loan spell at West Brom last season.

“He is young and seems to be making progress this term, but that still doesn’t mean he’d necessarily be an improvement on the Magpies’ current options, and therefore he may not even get into the side.

“As a result, he would represent quite a big outlay for little short-term value and wouldn’t help to address Newcastle’s biggest problem, which is scoring goals – Joelinton and Yoshinori Muto have one goal each, and they are the only strikers in the squad to score this campaign.”

Meanwhile, Bruce also has a big decision to make in regard to who he picks to counter the threat of Wilfried Zaha this weekend, and the options in his squad underline the strength in depth in defence.

Plenty of Sheffield United fans have been discussing goalkeeper Dean Henderson following his performance in the 2-0 defeat against Liverpool on Thursday.

The Blades may have suffered their second successive defeat on the road having previously gone without losing on their travels since January, but in fact the scoreline could have been a lot worse had it not been for the 6 foot 2 Manchester United loanee.

The 22-year-old pulled off a number of brilliant saves at Anfield, continuing his impressive campaign between the sticks for the Yorkshire outfit.

The stopper actually signed a new contract with the Red Devils until 2022 before joining Chris Wilder’s men on another season-long loan deal, having helped them to promotion to the Premier League last term. That suggest that he is very much still wanted at Old Trafford.

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Sheffield United even dedicated a Twitter post to Henderson in the aftermath of the game, and many supporters reacted to it, with some urging the club to sign him up.

Others reacted separately to Henderson’s performance on Merseyside, with one individual labelling his display as “unreal”.

How much do you remember about football in 2019? Our quiz will test your knowledge…

Meanwhile another appears to have accepted already that the 22-year-old won’t be a Sheffield United player in 2020/2021, saying “we’ll miss him next season”.

In other Sheffield United news, the Blades are reportedly tracking a player who has been recently linked with Juventus…

Former England striker has tipped Danny Ings to earn a call-up to Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions squad, due to the Southampton striker’s exquisite form so far this season.

Bent – who scored four goals in 12 appearances for England – was speaking live on talkSPORT about the former Liverpool forward’s efforts, and it’s hard to argue with his opinion.

Ings joined Southampton on a season-long loan deal in the summer of 2018, where the Saints then had an obligation to buy the 27-year-old in the summer of 2019 for a fee of £20m.

Having scored just seven league goals last term, Ings has now more than repaid the south coast side this season.

What did he say?

Bent told talkSPORT: “He is arguably England’s most in-form striker.

“What I like about Danny Ings is he’s not one of these strikers who, when your team has won 4-0 or 5-0 you score the fourth and fifth goals, which don’t mean anything, they’re irrelevant.

“The hardest goal in football is the first once, and Danny Ings always seems to score them.

“For me, he’s got to be talked about for England.”

Hard to disagree

So far this season, Ings’ goalscoring achievements have been up there with the very best forwards in Europe.

In the Premier League, the Southampton No.9 has outscored the likes of Harry Kane, Tammy Abraham, Raheem Sterling, Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Sergio Aguero with 13 goals to his name, which is the same amount of league goals as La Liga’s top scorer, Lionel Messi – Ings has more league goals than Luis Suarez and Karim Benzema as well.

How much do you remember about football in 2019? Our quiz will test your knowledge…

Furthermore, he has also outscored Romelu Lukaku and Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of league goals, and it really is difficult to argue with Bent’s claim that Ings deserves an England recall.

His competition amongst Southgate’s options include Kane and Abraham – who he has outscored – as well as the Premier League’s top scorer in Jamie Vardy, who is out of contention as he has now effectively called time on his international career.

There is very little ground to stand on when mounting an argument against Bent’s opinion, and it must be said that the former Sunderland striker is right – Ings simply has to be considered for an England recall.

In other news, take a look at the Southampton XI that Ralph Hasenhuttl should deploy against Huddersfield in the FA Cup…