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Liverpool have now launched their first approach to sign a much-needed right-back target, who could arrive at Anfield or in North London as a free agent.

Arne Slot admits shock at "ridiculous" Liverpool form

It has been a disastrous run for Liverpool, with their 3-0 loss against Nottingham Forest proving to be their most shocking result yet. After eight defeats in 11 games, the champions are on course for one of the worst title defences in Premier League history, despite spending over £400m in the summer.

With PSV Eindhoven up next, Arne Slot has admitted just how shocked he’s been by his side’s form and went onto describe it as “ridiculous” in his pre-match press conference.

The Champions League has often been a saving grace for Liverpool this season. Their victory over Real Madrid last time out proved to be somewhat of a false dawn before their Premier League return, but the Reds now have the chance to pick up where they left off in Europe, at the very least.

They will, however, be without an out-and-out right-back yet again following Conor Bradley’s injury to join Jeremie Frimpong on the sidelines. It is a problem that Liverpool must solve and one that could yet see Zeki Celik arrive.

Liverpool launch approach to sign Zeki Celik

According to TeamTalk’s Rudi Galetti, Liverpool have launched an approach to sign Celik in a transfer battle with Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea, all of whom have made contact.

The right-back is on course to become a free agent when his contract expires next summer and could yet provide a solution for Slot by finally replacing Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The 28-year-old, at the peak of his powers, recently earned the praise of Turkey manager Vincenzo Montella, who told reporters: “He’s the perfect player for any coach.

“Celik is professional, reliable, does his job wherever you play him. In a locker room it is always needed to have guys like him.”

Perfect for Isak: Liverpool make £122m sensation their "dream target"

Liverpool need to make changes in the transfer market once again.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 25, 2025

The AS Roma man is also capable of playing centre-back in what would kill two birds with one stone for Slot, who currently has just three senior centre-backs to choose from which includes the injury-prone Joe Gomez.

Instead of Gakpo: Liverpool can unlock Isak by unleashing homegrown Semenyo

Being a referee in the Premier League is arguably one of the toughest jobs in football, with a select group of officials regularly entrusted to take charge of top flight fixtures.

Even though VAR is still causing plenty of controversy week in, week out, decisions on the field are now more important than ever, with technology doing its best to try and not get involved unless it is ‘clear and obvious’.

The game is also arguably faster than it’s ever been, so referees need to be extremely fit and quick to react. But who is the best referee in the Premier League right now?

Rank

Ref

1

Anthony Taylor

2

Michael Oliver

3

Stuart Attwell

4

Craig Pawson

5

Jarred Gillett

6

Darren England

7

Chris Kavanagh

8

Simon Hooper

9

Andy Madley

10

Peter Bankes

11

Robert Jones

12

Michael Salisbury

13

Tony Harrington

14

Samuel Barrott

15

Thomas Bramall

15 Thomas Bramall

One of the least experienced referees in the Premier League, Thomas Bramall was the man in the middle that made a huge mistake by disallowing Aston Vila’s goal against Man Utd on the final day of the 2024/25 season.

That arguably cost Villa a place in the Champions League, but the PGMOL have stuck with Bramall, who, at 35 years of age, appears to be a referee in the early stages of his top flight career.

14 Samuel Barrott

One of the card happiest referees in the Premier League, Samuel Barrott is one of the most inexperienced officials in the top flight after making his debut in 2023/24.

He took charge of 23 games in 2024/25, apologising for one mistake he made in Crystal Palace’s defeat to Brentford after wrongly ruling out Eberechi Eze’s free-kick.

13 Tony Harrington

Tony Harrington is among the referees to average the least amount of fouls awarded per 90, but that doesn’t make him a bad official.

He made his Premier League debut in 2021/22 but just hasn’t been given a regular run of games in the top flight. Harrington’s best tally of games came in the 2024/25 season where he officiated 18 fixtures.

12 Michael Salisbury

Michael Salisbury has never been a regular in the Premier League after taking charge of his first game in the 2021/22 season.

He was on VAR duty and instructed referee Robert Jones to look at Josh King’s goal against Chelsea which was incorrectly ruled out. Salisbury was dropped by the PGMOL shortly after.

11 Robert Jones

Nottingham Forest aren’t the biggest fans of Robert Jones, with Evangelos Marinakis’ side lodging an official complaint against the 38-year-old after a series of decisions against the Reds.

He was the first Premier League referee to ever perform a red-card rejection, however, some of Jones’ decisions are controversial and he averages awarding a penalty every three games.

10 Peter Bankes

Peter Bankes has now reffed more than 100 games in the Premier League since 2019, however, the Merseyside-born official has regularly come in for criticism from fans.

Former referee Keith Hackett even said Bankes looked “out of his depth” in 2025 after a decision he made in Man Utd’s clash with Bournemouth.

9 Andy Madley

A FIFA licensed referee who has taken charge of the FA Cup final, Andy Madley has taken charge of more than 100 Premier League games since 2017/18.

More recently, he has made some controversial decisions, including one between Everton and Man Utd which resulted in Toffees fan Tony Bellew calling him a “cheat”.

8 Simon Hooper

Often blowing early instead of allowing advantage, Simon Hooper has enraged Premier League players and managers in recent years.

An experienced top flight official after making his debut in 2015, Hooper has often come in for criticism and was actually injured at the end of October in Liverpool’s defeat to Brentford, while he was also the man in the middle during the Reds’ controversial defeat at Tottenham in 2023.

7 Chris Kavanagh

Chris Kavanagh has been a hot topic of conversation in recent years, whether it be for sending off Declan Rice for kicking the ball away or leaving Bruno Fernandes upset after he missed his penalty.

The Greater Manchester official has been on FIFA’s books since 2019 and is closing in on 200 Premier League matches at the age of 40.

6 Darren England

Another FIFA referee, Darren England caught the eye of the international governing body after two years as a Premier League official.

He was a part of the VAR team that somehow incorrectly ruled out Luis Diaz’s goal for offside in Liverpool’s defeat to Tottenham, but in recent years on the pitch, has been consistent.

Tottenham Hotspur have been tipped to potentially sign a new striker in the January window, as Spurs boss Thomas Frank reportedly makes recruitment plans with new co-sporting directors Fabio Paratici and Johan Lange.

Randal Kolo Muani arrived in the summer window on a straight loan from PSG, with the Frenchman starting his first ever game for the Lilywhites against Everton last weekend.

Kolo Muani was largely absent at the very start of the season after picking up a dead leg, which took a while to fully come back from, but the Frenchman is now looking to establish himself as a first-choice pick in Frank’s starting eleven.

Dominic Solanke, meanwhile, is still attempting to battle his way back to full fitness after minor ankle surgery — having played just 49 minutes in total so far under Frank.

Dejan Kulusevski

Knee

22/11/2025

James Maddison

ACL

01/06/2026

Radu Dragusin

Knee

22/11/2025

Ben Davies

Thigh

23/11/2025

Kota Takai

Ankle/Foot

08/11/2025

Yves Bissouma

Ankle/Foot

08/11/2025

Wilson Odobert

Abdominal

01/11/2025

Cristian Romero

Groin

01/11/2025

Destiny Udogie

Knee

08/11/2025

Dominic Solanke

Ankle

08/11/2025

Archie Gray

Calf/Shin/Heel

06/11/2025

via Premier Injuries

Some reports have even indicated that Frank doesn’t fancy Solanke and he could leave Spurs in January.

However, other media sources believe that Frank is actually planning to make Solanke the focal point of Tottenham’s attack once he returns to full fitness, so it will be intriguing to see where the Englishman actually figures in his plans.

The north Londoners have mainly gone with either Mathys Tel or Richarlison as their chosen number nines in place of Kolo Muani and Solanke, but both men haven’t exactly set the world alight.

Tel scored the opening goal in Spurs’ 2-1 win at Leeds United just prior to the last international break, which is the sum of his contribution, while Richarlison’s opening weekend brace against Burnley – including an early goal of the season contender – sparked brief promise that the Brazilian could be back to his best.

However, Richarlison’s contributions in front of goal have been few and far between since then, and it is believed that the 28-year-old could be sold in January.

According to TEAMtalk this week, Richarlison would “jump at the chance” to re-join Everton. With the forward’s contract expiring in 2027, it could be one to watch, but the club aren’t prepared to let him go without a replacement.

Among the strikers linked with a move to N17 is Juventus star Dušan Vlahović.

The Serbian, who’s hit double digits in every single campaign since his breakout season at Fiorentina in 2020/2021, is poised to leave on a free in 2026 when his deal runs out.

Tottenham are apparently in the front pack to sign Vlahovic, potentially on a cut-price deal in January, but they’re now apparently considering his Juve teammate too.

Tottenham now 'main contenders' to sign Jonathan David

According to reports in Spain, that man is Jonathan David.

The Canada international joined Juve from Lille on a free transfer in July after scoring 109 goals in 232 appearances for the Ligue 1 side.

However, David has struggled to kickstart his career in Turin so far, bagging just one goal in 11 total appearances.

Now, it’s claimed that Tottenham are among the ‘main contenders’ to sign David in January and grant him an escape route from Italy, with Bayern Munich named as the other interested party.

Spurs and Vincent Kompany’s side are said to be the two leading clubs exploring a shock move for the 25-year-old, and if he does leave in January, he’d depart Juve after just six months.

The £188,000-per-week forward scored for fun in France and proved himself to be a big-game player in the Champions League last term, scoring against the likes of Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid and Liverpool.

It begs the question — why didn’t Spurs pursue David when he was available as a free agent?

Perhaps the arrival of Paratici has reignited interest in the attacker, but we’re purely speculating here.

Frank has personally contacted English forward about joining Tottenham in January

Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis could make a shock move for an “incredible” manager as a replacement for Sean Dyche.

Forest suffer first defeat under Dyche at AFC Bournemouth

Dyche made the perfect start to life as Forest manager, with his side emerging as 2-0 winners against FC Porto in the Europa League, but they were brought back down to earth against AFC Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon.

The Cherries emerged as 2-0 winners at the Vitality Stadium, courtesy of first-half goals from Marcus Tavernier and Eli Junior Kroupi, and the Tricky Trees boss admitted his side still need to make major improvements in his post-match interview.

The 54-year-old said: “There’s a lot of work to be done. I didn’t come into this job naively, the league table does tell a story so I’m never thinking there wasn’t work to be done but it showed particularly in the first half today.”

With Burnley securing a dramatic 3-2 victory against fellow relegation candidates Wolverhampton Wanderers, Dyche’s side are now three points from safety, having scored just five Premier League goals, the fewest of any side.

Given that the former Everton boss has a track record of guiding teams to safety, having preserved the Toffees’ Premier League status, there are arguably few managers better suited to keeping Nottingham Forest in the top flight.

However, according to a report from Football Insider, Marinakis could still make a shock move for Fulham manager Marco Silva as a replacement for Dyche, with the Forest owner previously making it clear he is willing to make big calls.

Nottingham Forest now eyeing £87m "powerhouse" striker with eight goals in 25/26

Evangelos Marinakis clearly means business, with the Tricky Trees joining the race for a new centre-forward.

ByDominic Lund Oct 26, 2025

Silva has been a long-term target for Marinakis, and it has previously been revealed the Fulham boss shares a good relationship with the Greek businessman, which means the appointment would make sense.

As such, the Tricky Trees could make a move for the 48-year-old if their new manager fails to turn things around, although the Cottagers are very keen to extend his contract.

Forest must stick with Dyche after turbulent start

The decision to replace Nuno with Ange Postecoglou was met with widespread scepticism, given that the change in play-styles was so dramatic, and the Australian lasted just 39 days in the job.

Considering it has been such a turbulent start, Forest need a period of stability, and Dyche has already shown that he may be up to the task of turning things around, having gotten off the mark with a victory over FC Porto.

Not only has the appointment had a positive effect on the fanbase, but Morgan Gibbs-White has also made it clear he is happy with Dyche’s arrival.

Silva has been lauded as an “incredible” manager by Stephen Warnock courtesy of the job he’s done at Fulham, having stabilised them as a Premier League club, but Forest must stick with their current manager for the foreseeable future.