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Emile Heskey, speaking on behalf of GentingBet, has told Tottenham Hotspur that they must copy Manchester United if they are to beat Liverpool this weekend.

What’s the word?

Spurs take on the Reds at Anfield this weekend as they look to record their fourth win of the season, having lost three, won three and drawn three this season.

United, of course, recorded a positive result against the Reds at Old Trafford over the weekend, drawing 1-1 thanks to Marcus Rashford’s goal.

Ex-Liverpool striker Heskey has pinpointed their treatment of the full-backs as integral to the result, as the club repeatedly looked to stop both Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold from reaching the byline.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he explained: “They’ll obviously be targeting the full-back areas. I don’t necessarily think they’re the strongest down those sides. They’ll be targeting them not just with Mo Salah and Mane but also Trent Alexander-Arnold and Robertson.

“As we saw with the goal against Man United, Robertson was the one that was crossing it and United did really well, by the way, to keep him crossing the ball from so far back.

“As they got more fatigued throughout the game, he was able to move forward and cross from further up and that’s what happens when you don’t close them down. Their delivery is brilliant. So you’ve got to stop them.

“You saw like, even last season, you’ve got one of them crossing it and the other one scoring at times! It’s weird. Traditionally you say that one goes forward and the other one has to stay back but they seem to be going against all of that tradition. They’re world-class and they’ve been recognised as that.”

Creative hubs

Both Alexander-Arnold and Robertson have been genuinely brilliant for Liverpool in recent seasons.

Per WhoScored, the right-back averages 3.3 key passes per game in the Premier League, while Robertson averages 1.3.

Funnily enough, the Scotland international has a much better accuracy rate, with 85.3% to 72.8%.

But stopping the pair of them will be key to Spurs’ chances of victory, though it is easier said than done.

Both Serge Aurier and Danny Rose have struggled this season and they will need help.

The two wingers ahead of them will play a key role in potentially pinning the two full-backs in their own half; Son Heung-Min and either Erik Lamela or Lucas Moura will be vital.

GentingBet are running a special new customer offer ahead of Liverpool vs Spurs this Sunday. To find out more visit here. 18+ begambleaware.org.

Some Liverpool fans have reacted hilariously to an image of Alisson Becker, as the goalkeeper nears his return to action.

It’s happened. Alisson has shaved his beard.

There’s something about having a big handsome brute between the sticks, and Liverpool’s number one proved last season he is equal parts world-class and beautiful.

Of course, with the age of social media, fans can be more obsessed with their favourite stars than ever before, and some Reds fans seem to have formed quite the attachment to the goalkeeper’s beard.

The £66.8m star posed on his wife’s Instagram this week in the build-up to his return, which is expected after the international break, but several fans were left disappointed by the absence of facial hair.

We’re not sure whether the former Roma man owes any of his abilities to his beard, but you would certainly think so given how some fans on Twitter have reacted.

Check out some of the best verdicts down below, with just a hint of sarcasm…

Leeds United fans believe that midfielder Kalvin Phillips deserves to be called-up to the England squad.

The Three Lions face Montenegro and Kosovo in Euro 2020 qualifiers in November, and supporters of the Whites think that the 23-year-old is more than good enough to be in Gareth Southgate’s plans.

Phillips has been a regular for the Elland Road club since Marcelo Bielsa took over in 2018, starting 13 in all competitions this season. It would be fair to say that he has seriously improved his game under the Argentine.

Indeed, he should be considered the enforcer in the Leeds midfield, the man who protects the back four. The stats suggest he has performed that role well as he has recorded the second most amount of tackles in the Championship this season with 42, only Hull City’s Kevin Stewart has made more (45).

Added to that Phillips also averages 1.5 clearances and 1.4 interceptions per game, but he has also shown attacking talents too with an average of 1.5 key passes and 1.5 dribbles per game, as well as a pass completion percentage of 83.6% (via WhoScored).

However whilst he has certainly impressed, it has been in the second division which probably keeps him below the likes of Harry Winks, Declan Rice and Jordan Henderson right now, all of whom are performing in the Premier League.

Despite that, many Leeds fans do believe he is good enough and have expressed that on Twitter…

Unfortunately, Burke’s debut in Spain didn’t go as planned.

Alaves were beaten 1-0 by Sevilla, and a quick look at the stats suggests that they were outplayed as well.

Sevilla had more shots, more possession and a higher pass success rate.

Burke himself didn’t seem to have much of an impact after coming on at half-time, as his WhoScored rating was just 6.22 on his debut.

You can’t look too much into it due to the fact that it was his first appearance in a new division, but it’s certainly not an encouraging start to his loan spell.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Speaking to Football Insider, Noel Whelan has labelled his concerns with Gjanni Alioski, suggesting he is worrying Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa.

What’s he said?

Alioski was lumped off at half time last Saturday, perhaps in rather bizarre circumstances considering Leeds were switching to a formation that accommodated a wing-back, but he was substituted nonetheless.

Leeds were 1-0 down at the time as they swapped from a 4-1-4-1 to a 3-5-2 but that didn’t work either as they still lost the game.

Alioski has thrown in some mixed displays this term, scoring against Stoke but failing to have an influence on proceedings against Charlton.

Concerns over his performances are understandable, therefore, but Whelan thinks the North Macedonia international’s displays will be a worry for the manager too.

He told Football Insider:

“Bielsa is worried about him in defensive situations. He should be, as Barry Douglas is a better defender and a proven left-back.

“Bielsa may be thinking the West Brom game is the ideal time for a change, with the matches coming thick and fast.

“We know Bielsa doesn’t like to rotate or make changes, but it’s an obvious decision to make.”

Left-back dilemma for Leeds

Heading into the new season there would have been questions surrounding who would actually play on the left.

Stuart Dallas ended last term incredibly well with two goals against Derby in the playoffs from that role but he has since moved over to the right in the absence of Luke Ayling.

Barry Douglas missed large parts of last season with an injury and started 2019/20 on the left side of defence but Alioski has since dislodged him.

Why are Leeds fans the best in the country? Find out in the video below…

He was impressive to start off with and even created three chances of note against Brentford.

However, the 27-year-old’s form has begun to deteriorate.

Alioski only managed to complete 72% of his passes against Charlton, his worst tally when starting a game this campaign. The left-sided man has also made just one tackle and one interception in his last two outings, via WhoScored.

Perhaps rotating the pair during a midweek clash is the way forward.

At the end, Liverpool were able to get their man when they signed Virgil van Dijk from Southampton last January.

However, the Reds were unsuccessful in their initial pursuit in a development which resulted in the Dutch centre-half not being in the right frame of mind to play for the Saints going into the 2017/18 season (Guardian).

Van Dijk, though, in a recent interview, has insisted he always gave his everything during his time at St. Mary’s.

The Breakdown

“After the end of August [and the transfer window] I put my head down, played for Southampton and gave everything,” the Liverpool defender told the BBC (via Daily Echo).

“I was happy to play because I came back from an eight-month injury. When everything happened over the summer, people doubt you.  For me, I really didn’t care as I gave everything in games and training.”

On the pitch, it is hard to argue against what van Dijk has said with the 27-year-old having truly put in some colossal performances at the back for the Saints.

However, to say he gave everything to the club entirely after effectively going on strike following his failed summer transfer to Liverpool is absurd and likely to leave some Southampton supporters feeling a little disgruntled.

Given the project Jurgen Klopp has going on at Anfield, you can understand van Dijk’s frustration at being denied his dream move at first. But making yourself unavailable for the club who pay your wages is not the classiest of ways to go about things, making the above comments that have followed more than a year later far-fetched.

[ad_pod ]The international break can be a boring time for a lot of football fans.Of course, major tournaments are some of the best times to follow the beautiful game, but it truly is a tough task to get excited about Harry Kane scoring a hat trick against Bulgaria in a Euro 2020 qualifier.Indeed, as soon as the last league games have finished on the Sunday before a two-week break, many of us are left staring at our calendars counting down the days until the real action starts back up.However, it’s not just fans who are bored during this period. Liverpool’s Adrian is seemingly fed up with the lack of action.

He posted on Twitter telling fans to stop worrying about the lack of football as the Reds’ return to action is just around the corner.

Adrian is quite clearly keen to get back on the pitch as he’s currently Liverpool’s first-choice keeper, due to the injury Alisson picked up on the opening day of the season.

[ad_pod ]

According to Football Insider, a new target for Tottenham Hotspur has emerged in the last week of the transfer window as they now set their sights on Sevilla defender Diego Carlos.

The Lowdown: Tottenham eye centre-half…

As reported by reliable correspondent Alasdair Gold, Spurs have a central defender on their agenda as manager Antonio Conte sets out four priority positions to strengthen in his squad.

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Alongside a new defender, it is believed that Spurs are after a right-wing-back, midfielder and striker as they seek to back Conte (football.london) – with transfer chief Fabio Paratici apparently set for a busy final week.

Tottenham are in talks to offload Tanguy Ndombele with sights set on his replacement in Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat (Fabrizio Romano), with FI now sharing news on a new name being targeted.

The Latest: Spurs open Carlos talks…

According to FI, Tottenham have ‘opened preliminary talks’ to sign the Brazil international and are interested in a swap deal to bring down his £50 million asking price.

It is believed that the Lilywhites could allow midfielder Giovani Lo Celso to go the other way to ‘sweeten the deal’.

Spurs have ‘turned their attention’ to the colossal defender as they enter the market for a centre-half in this final week transfer push.

The Verdict: Unlikely?

Depending on whether the La Liga side are open to a swap deal, it will be interesting to see how this develops, but our thoughts are this move will be rather unlikely.

Newcastle submitted a series of £30 million bids for the South American star, all of which were knocked back, perhaps highlighting just how challenging it will be to negotiate a last minute deal with Sevilla.

Given their current attempts to sign Wolves star Traore, Amrabat and FC Porto forward Luis Diaz, signing a new defender may have to wait until the summer window.

In other news: Sky Sports: Conte ‘very, very close’ to signing which ‘could excite the Tottenham fans’, find out more here.

Leeds United would’ve raked in a whopping £132.5m in today’s money, according to The Athletic.

This has been revealed in a new study conducted by football finance experts Kieran Maguire and Jason Laws, who have developed an inflation calculator which adjusts based on revenue increases in the English game over time.

In 2002, a pint of beer would’ve set you back around £2, but in 2022, you’d be lucky to spend less than £4. Similarly, a loaf of white bread cost around 50p two decades ago – now it exceeds the £1 mark.

But calculating football fees based on the country’s inflation (2.8% per year) isn’t enough as it doesn’t account for TV deals and other revenue streams – for example, the Premier League signed a new deal for 2022-25 worth £5.1bn for their domestic rights alone.

Ferdinand departed Elland Road for a world-record fee for a defender of £30m in July 2002, joining Manchester United, where he would go onto win six league titles and one Champions League, amongst other feats.

Using Maguire and Laws’ metrics, if the BT Sport pundit were sold in the modern day, the Yorkshire giants would’ve earned a whopping £132.5m, which would eclipse the current records for English and defensive transfers.

In the summer, Manchester City splashed a British-record £100m on Jack Grealish, whilst no defender across the globe has cost more than the £80m that the Red Devils paid for Harry Maguire in 2019.

Ferdinand’s departure was met with quite an uproar at the time, understandably so given that he joined one of the Whites’ biggest rivals at the time, following in the footsteps of Eric Cantona, about whom many at the Yorkshire club were still very bitter.

When the former England centre-back knew of interest from Sir Alex Ferguson – who would go onto laud him as “phenomenal” – and co, he sat in then-Leeds chairman Peter Ridsdale’s office for six hours to thrash out an exit.

“At Leeds I went and sat in Mr. Ridsdale’s office and just sat there and waited for about five, six hours and said I’m not going until you sort out the deal for me to go to Man Utd,” he revealed to BT Sport (via The Mirror.

“I didn’t go public, I didn’t need to go. We got to a compromise, we got to a situation where he felt he was getting the right part of the deal and I got my opportunity to go to Man Utd.

“But I was adamant I wanted to go because that was the right time and the right move for me.”

United’s initial offer started at £22m for the towering colossus before Ridsdale managed to eke out a further £8m, which in the eyes of some around Elland Road was still not enough for such a crucial player.

There’s no doubt that his transfer to the red side of Manchester contributed to the undeniable furore which exits between the two bitter rivals but, upon reflection, it’s a deal which turned out to be worth its weight in gold.

AND in other news, Forget Raphinha: Marsch heading for big Leeds nightmare over £42m-rated “rare talent”…

Arsenal have submitted an offer for Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic, according to reports in Italy…

What’s the word?

La Repubblica claim that the Gunners have bid around €70m (£58.5m) for the 21-year-old and La Viola president Rocco Commisso is now prepared to let him leave Florence this month.

The Fiorentina supremo has grown impatient with Vlahovic’s attitude and the behaviour from his representatives after it was confirmed back in October that he would not be signing a new contract.

In recent weeks, the Daily Mail revealed how his transfer could cost a total of £150m when factoring in wages and other fees, so the north London giants will have to pay a premium to see him arrive at the Emirates Stadium before January 31st.

Get it done!

Arsenal are in desperate need of reinforcements this month, that much is obvious following Sunday’s north London derby postponement.

With virus cases on the increase, players at the Africa Cup of Nations, Granit Xhaka suspended and other injuries mounting up, Mikel Arteta has been left with a threadbare squad this week.

There is a longer-term issue emerging, though.

Alexandre Lacazette’s contract is up at the end of the season and there has been no incline that he’s prepared to extend his current deal, so right now, the French veteran is set to leave, whilst Pierre-Emerick Aubamyang’s future is by no means certainly after he was stripped of the captaincy.

It means a new frontman is needed and Vlahovic would surely be a dream signing for the young Spanish head coach.

The Serbia international has been in electric form in front of goal this season – as per Transfermarkt, he’s delivered 19 goals in 23 appearances, meaning he’s found the net once every 102.5 minutes.

That builds on his impressive form for Fiorentina last season, where he bagged 21 goals in the Serie A.

He has since been lauded as a “complete number nine” by Italian football expert Conor Clancy, whilst his former coach Ivan Tomic dubbed him a goalscoring “monster” with shades of Zlatan Ibrahimovic about him.

Valued at £63m by Transfermarkt, the Gunners would do very well to secure him for just £58.5m. He’s a player that Arteta desperately needs, so it’s on Edu Gaspar and co to seal a move for him at all costs before the end of the month.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Partey: Arsenal can find new Santi Cazorla in £49.5m-rated “outrageous talent”…