Brendan Rodgers confirms Coutinho return

The Liverpool boss says Coutinho will be involved against Arsenal on Saturday

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Coutinho has recovered from a shoulder injury. (©GettyImages)

Philippe Coutinho has been given the all clear to make his return to the Liverpool side in the Reds' crunch fixture against Arsenal.
The Brazilian has recovered from a shoulder injury just in time to line-up for Brendan Rodgers' side at the Emirates in a top-of-the-table clash.
Former Inter Milan man Coutinho has been missing for the Anfield club since September when he sustained the injury against Swansea.

21-year-old Coutinho was flourishing in the number 10 role before his lay-off and it remains to be seen how well he will fit in alongside Luis Suarez who has since served his suspension.

However, it gives Liverpool boss Rodgers a good problem to have, and he confirmed Coutinho will definitely be involved this weekend.
"Coutinho is great," Rodgers told the club's official website.
"He's been given the all clear by the specialist to come in.

"He's been training for the last few weeks, so he'll come back into the squad."
Liverpool currently sit third in the league, although a win at the Emirates could take them top.
They could, however, be missing Spanish left-back Jose Enrique.

"Jose will be a question mark for the weekend," Rodgers confirmed, although with Aly Cissokho in good form he may not have started anyway.

The game will also be notable given Luis Suarez's potential transfer to Arsenal.
The Gunners openly pursued the Uruguayan throughout the summer but Liverpool refused to sell.
Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger be without Mathieu Flamini who would have kept a close eye on the returning Coutinho.

LFC ace linked with a shock la liga Switch

Liverpool star targeted by ValenciaLa Liga outfit reportedly interested in signing Iago Aspas

© Getty Images

Valencia could be looking to bolster their attacking ranks with a January move for Liverpool playmaker Iago Aspas, according to a report in the Daily Star.
Aspas enjoyed a good start to the season, linking up well with Coutinho and striker Daniel Sturridge, but the 26-year-old Spaniard has missed several games with an injury.

26-year-old Aspas only joined the Reds from La Liga strugglers Celta Vigo in June for a fee believed to be worth approximately £7.6 million, but repeated injury woes and an evident struggle to adapt to the sheer pace of the Premier League has already seen his Merseyside future cast into severe doubt.

While Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is perhaps unlikely to have considered cutting his losses with Aspas already, that could very well change in January if he is still not showing adequate signs of improvement.



It is thought Aspas could be brought in as a possible backup if Valencia fail in their bid to land Chelsea striker Demba Ba, while Arsenal are also rumoured to be interested in the midfielder's services.

Aspas originally signed for Liverpool from Spanish club Celta Vigo.

Liverpool’s Interest in Romanian Left-Back Revealed by Agent

Iasmin Latovlevici speaking during a Champions League press conference. [Reuters]

Liverpool are closely tracking the performances of Steaua Bucharest defender Iasmin Latovlevici as a number of European sides look to sign the experienced Romanian.

The 27-year-old has been a consistent performer for Steaua since joining the club in the summer of 2010 and last season helped the club win the league title as he excelled in a defence which also boasted Tottenham centre-back Vlad Chiriches.
Chiriches was convinced to make the move to White Hart Lane this summer and has impressed with his early season displays, while Latovlevici has remained at Steaua in order to compete in the Champions League.
The club from the Romanian capital have picked up just one point from their first three games in Europe having lost their opening match 3-0 to Schalke, before conceding four against Chelsea and finally earning a draw with FC Basel.
While Steaua have been struggling at the back in Europe, it seems there is plenty of interest in Latovlevici, with the left-back's agent revealing that there is interest from big spending French club Monaco and high-flying Premier League side Liverpool.
When quizzed on whether the defender could leave, his agent Florin Iacob told Sport.ro TV: "Everything depends on the offer.

"I have been contacted by clubs even bigger than Monaco. Don't be surprised if Liverpool are interested in him. I do not confirm their interest, but it will be a surprise for everyone."
Liverpool have options at left-back with Jose Enrique currently competing with Aly Cissokho for a regular starting berth, though the French defender is only on loan for the season.

Cissokho has started the last two Premier League games after Enrique picked up an injury, but it is unclear whether Valencia would allow the 26-year-old to join Liverpool on a permanent deal next summer.

Reds boss Brendan Rodgers is keen to have competition for places in every position but it remains to be seen which areas he will feel needs strengthening come January. 

Liverpool sign Rosanna Davison (former Miss World, Playboy model) as the new host of LFC TV online

Is this Liverpool’s signing of the season?
Ireland’s Rosanna Davison, a former Miss World, has agreed a deal with Liverpool to become the new face of the club’s online sports channel LFC TV.
Davison, the daughter of singer Chris De Burgh who also once posed for Playboy, is likely to be a big hit with Liverpool’s male following.
The 29-year-old has already filmed two 30-minute programmes for LFC TV documenting the Liverpool’s greatest Irish stars.
Davison told the the Irish Herald: “I really, really enjoyed it, especially considering I’m a long-term Liverpool follower. Hopefully this is just the beginning.”
Below is footage of Rosanna Davison talking about her love of Liverpool, while there has also been plenty of reaction on Twitter to Reds’ new signing, and some of the best tweets are below.

Footy Humour @FootyHumour

SIGNING OF THE SEASON: Rosanna Davison(Former Miss World) has been cast as the new host for the Liverpool TV channel.

8:58 PM - 29 Oct 2013

Suarez = Benzema + 20m !!!! Not a REAL chance

Suarez = Benzema + 20m !!!! Not a REAL chance

Real Madrid ‘to offer £20m and Karim Benzema’ for Liverpool’s Luis Suarez

Real Madrid are willing to offer striker Karim Benzema plus £20m to Liverpool in exchange for Luis Suarez.
The Daily Star reports that the Spanish giants will make their move for the Uruguayan star in January. They are confident that Suarez still wants to quit Anfield in search of Champions League football despite settling back into the Reds’ team since asking to leave over the summer.



Real was always thought to be Suarez’s preferred destination.
They hope offering Brendan Rodgers a ready-made replacement in the shape of £20m-rated Benzema will ensure the deal goes through.

Despite the fact he has fallen down the Bernabeu pecking order, convincing the France international to move to Anfield could still be the sticking point in the potential deal.



But the reports claim that should Benzema threaten to sabotage the deal, Real will revert to a cash-only offer.
In that case, the Spaniards would probably have to secure an alternative destination for Benzema before being able to bid for Suarez.

I would say Benzema + 50m then we shall consider.

LFC interested in FC BASEL winger (video)

LFC interested in FC BASEL winger

Liverpool are set to battle Tottenham Hotspur for the signature of FC Basel winger Mohamed Salah in January, according to the Daily Mail.

The report states that Basel are willing to sell the youngster for a fee in the range of £15m with both teams strongly interested in securing his services. The Egypt international has been in great form for his country lately, scoring six goals in Egypt's World Cup qualifying campaign. However, his breakthrough performance was against Chelsea in the Champions League earlier this season where the Swiss side beat the mighty Blues 2-1 at Stamford Bridge.

AVB is reported to be keeping regular tabs on the 21-year-old and is likely to make a move this summer, having been handed a £40m kitty to spend on strengthening his squad. Liverpool are also willing to strengthen in January as they look to put up a concerted effort for the Premier League title. The Reds are currently third in the league with 20 points, two points behind Arsenal and level on points with Chelsea, but trailing on goal difference.

 Brendan Rodgers' side will have a chance to topple the league leaders in their game against Arsenal next weekend at the Emirates stadium as they look to enhance their chances to qualify for the Champions League next season. The real reason for their improvement this season is the form of Luis Suarez, who scored a hattrick against West Bromwich Albion and Rodgers is hopeful that he can convince the Uruguayan to stay at Anfield.

"For me, this is the place for Luis. I still maintain that even if we were in mid-table this would be the place for him to be because this is a massive club - a global institution. But as a football club and as a team we are growing - and he can grow with us. Luis has the support of everyone at the club and the love of everyone and because this is a worldwide institution, there is no better place for him to grow," Rodgers said.

"When a player is happy and working well you get a performance like you did [against West Brom]. He - like ourselves - wants to be at the very highest level he can be and you can see by his performances that he deserves to be looking at that level. It shows the level of him," he added.

Luis Suarez named on Ballon d'Or shortlist

Reds forward nominated despite another controversial year.

Liverpool FC's Luis Suarez has joined Gareth Bale, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo among the contenders for FIFA’s Ballon d’Or award.

The 23-man shortlist for the prestigious world player of the year award was announced early on Tuesday morning, with the winner to be unveiled on January 13 in Zurich.

Bale, 24, became the world’s most expensive player when he joined Real Madrid from Tottenham for 100million euros (£85.3million) in September after scoring 26 goals for Spurs last season.

Barcelona and Argentina forward Messi has won the award for the last four years, with Bale’s Madrid team-mate Ronaldo consistently his nearest challenger.

 

Franck Ribery, who was named UEFA’s best player in Europe for the 2012-13 season after helping Bayern Munich win the Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup, is another prominent name on the shortlist.

Ribery is joined by club-mates Philipp Lahm, Thomas Muller, Manuel Neuer, Arjen Robben and Bastian Schweinsteiger while Barcelona also have Xavi, Andres Iniesta and summer signing Neymar among the candidates.

 Paris St Germain trio Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani and Thiago Silva have made the shortlist while fellow Ligue 1 big-spenders Monaco have a contender of their own in Radamel Falcao, acquired from Atletico Madrid in the close season.

Five Premier League players - Manchester United striker Robin van Persie, Manchester City’s Yaya Toure, Chelsea winger Eden Hazard and Arsenal’s recent addition Mesut Ozil - have made the cut.

 

Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who retired at the end of last season, headlines a 10-man coach of the year shortlist along with Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Spain boss Vicente del Bosque.

Ballon d’Or shortlist: Gareth Bale (Real Madrid/Wales), Edinson Cavani (Paris St Germain/Uruguay), Radamel Falcao (Monaco/Colombia), Eden Hazard (Chelsea/Belgium), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Paris St Germain/Sweden), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona/Spain), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich/Germany), Robert Lewandowski (Borussia Dortmund/Poland), Lionel Messi (Barcelona/Argentina), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich/Germany), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich/Germany), Neymar (Barcelona/Brazil), Mesut Ozil (Arsenal/Germany), Andrea Pirlo (Juventus/Italy), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich/France), Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich/Netherlands), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid/Portugal), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich/Germany), Luis Suarez (Liverpool/Uruguay), Thiago Silva (Paris St Germain/Brazil), Yaya Toure (Manchester City/Ivory Coast), Robin van Persie (Manchester United/Netherlands), Xavi (Barcelona/Spain).

Coach of the year shortlist: Carlo Ancelotti (Real Madrid/ex-Paris St Germain), Rafael Benitez (Napoli/ex-Chelsea), Antonio Conte (Juventus), Vicente Del Bosque (Spain), Sir Alex Ferguson (ex-Manchester United), Jupp Heynckes (ex-Bayern Munich), Jurgen Klopp (Borussia Dortmund), Jose Mourinho (Chelsea/ex-Real Madrid), Luiz Felipe Scolari (Brazil), Arsene Wenger (Arsenal).

NEWS++:

• LFC interested in FC BASEL winger
• Daniel Agger takes to Twitter to deny he wants to leave Liverpool

Daniel Agger takes to Twitter to deny he wants to leave Liverpool

Daniel Agger has vowed to win his place back at Liverpool (Picture: Getty)

Daniel Agger has denied he wants a move away from Liverpool and insisted he will be back in Brendan Rodgers team soon.

The Danish centre back was the subject of a £15million bid from Barcelona in the summer that was rejected by the Reds, but the rumours of a switch to La Liga have refused to go away.

And the 28-year-old, who has only started four Premier League games this season, hinted at the weekend that his lack of first team opportunities could force him to seek a move elsewhere.

However, Agger has now taken to Twitter to deny he wants to leave and is focused on winning back his spot at the heart of Liverpool’s defence.

He said: ‘Please stop all the tweets about me leaving! I’m not going anywhere! Will be back in the team soon:) Y.N.W.A’

Please stop all the tweets about me leaving! I'm not going anywhere! Will be back in the team soon:) Y.N.W.A—
Daniel Agger (@DanielAgger) October 29, 2013

Lucas Leiva proved he has a Liverpool future against West Brom

Liverpool’s Lucas Leiva and Aly Cissokho challenge West Bromwich Albion’s Billy Jones

Lucas Leiva returned from suspension and his fatherhood duties with his best performance in a long time against West Brom on Saturday.

The Brazilian took back control of Liverpool’s midfield, where many have criticised it this season and labelled it the Reds’ weak spot.

Lucas not only had more touches of the ball than any other player on the pitch in the 4-1 victory over the Baggies, but he also put in seven tackles – more than any other player as well.

Lucas sat in the midfield role in front of the defence, around the centre circle, sweeping up lose balls and allowing his team-mates to move forward.

He provided the much-needed catalyst between Liverpool’s defence and attack that has been missing in some performances this season.

At times Lucas reminded me of the astute and regimented Dietmar Hamann, who controlled that space between 1999-2006.

Importantly, Lucas’ marshalled, intelligent and mature controlling of the game gave freedom to other players.

He constantly took the ball off the defence of Kolo Toure, Martin Skrtel and Mamadou Sakho and looked up to play the ball forward in both pressing and counter-attacking phases of the game.

This in turn allowed some rest for Liverpool’s back three, and meant both Steven Gerrard and Jordan Henderson could play a higher, more pressing game.

Jordan Henderson could play higher up the pitch on Saturday

Henderson, for example, made 27 of his 49 passes in the final third of the pitch, and should have scored on at least one occasion when he found himself lurking on the edge of the box.

Lucas’ positioning and trusted control of the pace of the game meant Liverpool could move forward with ease.

His 92 per cent passing accuracy from his 69 passes made him a reliable figure in the middle of the park.

The competition for Lucas’ place in Liverpool’s midfield has never been more fierce – with the likes of Henderson, Luis Alberto and Joe Allen all vying to start alongside Steven Gerrard there.

It is now important for Lucas to continue the level-headed performance he showed today.

He could just turn out to be the key between a resolute and an unbalanced Liverpool side.

Liverpool boss plays down Suarez exit talk

Brendan Rodgers insists Liverpool ace Suarez will not be sold in January

Rodgers: Suarez will stay (©GettyImages)

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is confident Luis Suarez will still be at Anfield next season.Suarez was linked with a move away from the club throughout this summer’s transfer window after the Uruguayan maestro revealed he was eager to play in the Champions League.

Arsenal made two hefty bids for the 26-year-old, however the north London side were unable to convince Liverpool into selling their star asset to one of their Premier League rivals.

Suarez, who returned to Rodgers’ side at the end of September after serving a 10-match ban for biting Branislav Ivanovic, has hit the ground running by scoring an impressive six goals in five games for his side since making his comeback.

The former Ajax captain bagged a hat-trick against West Brom on Saturday which has led to fresh speculation that Suarez could be on his way out of Anfield in January.

However Rodgers has played down rumours his star striker could leave the club by insisting Suarez is at the perfect club to continue his progression.

"No, I wouldn't say that [he still wants to leave]," said Rodgers. "I think he, like ourselves, wants to be at the very highest level he can be.

"And you can see by his performances he deserves to be looking at that level.

"But it also shows he has been excellent in his attitude, you see his work rate - that is the key."

Rodgers added: "For me, this is the place for Luis. I still maintain that even if we were in mid-table this would be the place for him to be because this is a massive club - a global institution.

"But as a football club and as a team we are growing - and he can grow with us. Luis has the support of everyone at the club and the love of everyone and because this is a worldwide institution, there is no better place for him to grow.

"When a player is happy and working well you get a performance like you did [against West Brom]."

MORE NEWS++:

• Lieva proved he has a Liverpool FUTURE against West Brom

• Liverpool want to pip Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs to signing of Stephan El Shaarawy

• Arsenal And Liverpool To Lock Horns Over German Midfielder

• Liverpool interested in Ghanaian teenage starlet

Liverpool want to pip Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs to signing of Stephan El Shaarawy

LIVERPOOL are ready to end Stephan El Shaarawy's AC Milan nightmare.

Stephan El Shaarawy is out of favour at AC Milan [GETTY]

The 20-year-old striker has been left out in the cold at Milan and is understood to want out.
Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal are interested in the Italy ace but Liverpool have El Shaarawy in their sights, according to sources on the continent.
El Shaarawy scored 16 league goals last season as he burst on to the scene in style.

Brendan Rodgers is on the lookout for top young stars

But now Mario Balotelli is the main man at the San Siro and El Shaarawy has had to take a watching brief.
The Liverpool owners have focused their transfer plans on buying young players and goal-getter El Shaarawy fits the bill.
However, they would have to shell out around £25m to prompt Milan to sell.

Liverpool interested in Ghanaian teenage starlet

Liverpool interested in teenage starlet

Liverpool have stepped up their pursuit of young Ghanaian defender Daniel Amartey, according to reports.
The 18-year-old, who can play as a centre midfielder as well as a centre back, currently plays for Swedish side Djurgarden IF and is attracting interest from numerous European clubs after a number of dominating displays in the Allsvenskan so far this season.
Despite Reds manager Brendan Rodgers signing a number of defenders in the summer, including Mamadou Sakho, veteran Kolo Toure and former Sporting Lisbon youngster Thiago Ilori, he has been impressed by the young African’s form, according to the Daily Star.
Promising
Amartey is rated extremely highly at his current club, so much so that Djurgarden’s chief scout Kaled El-Ahmad claimed that, as reported by the newspaper: “It had been misconduct by the big leagues not to follow him.”
The Ghanaian under-20 international’s agent, Patrick Dark, confirmed that a number of top clubs were looking at him, but refused to comment on whether Liverpool were one of those teams.
Amartey has many qualities to his game; however, he isn’t a goalscoring defender, with just one goal in his 27 appearances in Sweden.
This lack of goals may be down to his height – at less than six feet, he is not the tallest of centre backs, so doesn’t pose a huge threat from set pieces.
Shaky
Even though the Anfield side added at the back over the summer, they have been far from solid in defence, conceding 11 goals in as many games in all competitions, keeping just four clean sheets.
This may be a cause for concern for Rodgers, and could be the reason behind his interest in Amartey.
The Ghanaian would give the Welshman another option in defence, and his potential suggests that he could grow to be an Anfield legend in the future.

Arsenal And Liverpool To Lock Horns Over German Midfielder

Arsenal And Liverpool To Lock Horns Over German Midfielder

Reports suggest that Arsenal and Liverpool will face off in a transfer battle to sign Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Sebastian Rode in January.

According to the Daily Star, the 23-year-old is rated at £18million and is highly rated among some of Europe’s top clubs.

German and European champions Bayern Munich had been interested in signing the midfielder but dropped out of the running leaving the door open to the Premier League’s top two clubs to move in.

The article says Rode is part of Arsene Wenger’s hunt for a young midfielder alongside Hellas Verona midfielder Jorginho who has also generated great interest ahead of the January transfer window.

Rode has been a mainstay of the Frankfurt team since 2011 having helped them in promotion back to the Bundesliga and finish a solid sixth last season.

He is not known for his goalscoring prowess having scored just once since the 2011/12 season.

Suarez hat-trick keeps Liverpool on Arsenal's tail (Video goals)

El-Pistorelo strikes again

Luis Suarez of Liverpool celebrates his second of three goals. Phil Noble / Reuters

LONDON - Luis Suarez hit a clinical hat-trick as Liverpool thrashed West Bromwich Albion 4-1 at Anfield to keep pace with Premier League leaders Arsenal while champions Manchester United narrowly escaped another setback on Saturday.

Suarez scored twice in five first-half minutes and again after the break to keep Liverpool two points behind Arsenal, who prevailed 2-0 at Crystal Palace in an early kickoff despite having goalscorer Mikel Arteta sent off.

Dark clouds were gathering over Old Trafford where champions Manchester United twice trailed Stoke City before late goals by Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez earned them a 3-2 victory, staving off a fourth league defeat of the season.

Surprise package Southampton beat Fulham 2-0 in the day's late action, rising to the giddy heights of third in the table above Everton who won 2-0 at Aston Villa where Romelu Lukaku outshone fellow Belgian Christian Benteke.

Southampton, for whom Rickie Lambert and Jay Rodriguez scored, and Everton are four points behind Arsenal.

Chelsea would move above Liverpool with victory over Manchester City on Sunday (early Monday, PHL time).

Suarez's first home hat-trick for Liverpool and a brilliant effort by Daniel Sturridge underlined the Merseysiders top-four credentials this season and left manager Brendan Rodgers saluting what is becoming a lethal partnership.

Wonderful performance

"I think it was his first hat-trick here at Anfield and you saw his commitment to the team and what we're trying to do," Rodgers said. "It was a wonderful performance.

"Daniel Sturridge's goal - you used to see goals like that here many years ago; top quality players scoring those types of goals, Kenny [Dalglish] and whatnot. That type of goal today was incredible."

Liverpool has lost only one of their last 17 league matches and once Suarez jinked past two defenders and fired a shot past Boaz Myhill after 12 minutes they did not look back.

Suarez began the season still completing a 10-match ban for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic in April, but has made up for lost time, scoring six goals in four league games since returning to the Liverpool attack.

He headed his second on Saturday after 17 minutes and completed his haul when he connected with Steven Gerrard's free kick after 55 minutes to make it 3-0.

The SAS partnership once again made a huge impact for Liverpool .

West Brom pulled one back with a James Morrison penalty but Sturridge then got in on the act with an audacious lob.

Arsenal hit back from their disappointment in the Champions League against Borussia Dortmund with a scrappy win against a Crystal Palace side reeling from the departure of manager Ian Holloway in midweek.

Arsenal's Mikel Arteta scores a penalty against Crystal Palace but is later sent off. Andrew Winning / Reuters

Anxious moments

Without being anywhere near their fluent best, Arsenal were comfortable winners thanks to Arteta's penalty just after halftime and a late header from Olivier Giroud.

They did have some anxious moments, however, after Arteta was dismissed for taking down Marouane Chamakh when the former Arsenal striker seemed set for a run on goal.

"These are the kind of games where you need the points, we were mature, resilient, well-organized and in the end we got the second goal which was a relief," manager Arsene Wenger said.

"I thought honestly we were unlucky to be down to 10 men and needed to be patient."

United was less than 15 minutes away from further humiliation when they trailed Stoke City 2-1 at Old Trafford, but goals from Rooney and Hernandez showed that while United may have said goodbye to Alex Ferguson, the team's penchant for the late escapes that were his trademark, remains.

"I was going to say that I hope it was the first of many [comebacks]," a relieved David Moyes said. "Still, I'd rather have a late comeback than a defeat.

"I thought that we kept going, we tried everything today. We made mistakes and our goalkeeper kept us in the game at times today, but we kept knocking on that door trying to find a way through and eventually we did do."

Peter Crouch gave Stoke City a shock early lead at Old Trafford and despite Robin Van Persie's equalizer, United still trailed at the interval when Marko Arnautovic's curling free kick silenced the restless home crowd.

Stoke were heading for their first league win at Old Trafford since 1976 before their late collapse which left their manager, former United striker Mark Hughes, frustrated.

"I certainly felt in the first half we could have been three or 4-1 to the good in terms of chances created," he said.

"I didn't think United created much apart from the key moments that took the game away from us." - Reuters

Liverpool tracking Atletico Madrid star Adrian

Liverpool tracking Atletico Madrid star Adrian

Liverpool, Everton and Newcastle are set for new year transfer scrap over Spanish playmaker Adrian.

Adrian is down the pecking order at Atletico Madrid behind La Liga top scorer Diego Costa and David Villa.

The Atletico Madrid forward, 25, has barely figured for the La Liga side this season, having dropped down the pecking order following David Villa’s arrival from Barcelona.

And that has alerted a number of Premier League clubs to his possible availability in the January window – at a reduced price of around £8million.

Everton boss Roberto Martinez has been tracking Adrian since June – but felt Atletico’s original ­£12million valuation was excessive.

“England will be his preferred destination”

Source

That was also the sticking point for Newcastle over the summer.
But their failure to close a deal for Adrian appears to have allowed Liverpool in.
Kop boss Brendan Rodgers is a big admirer of the former Real Madrid youth player and although Adrian insists he is happy in Madrid, his agent has been given permission to find him a new club.
A source said: “England will be his preferred destination.”
Unless one of England’s top four were to come in for him, Adrian would almost certainly opt for Anfield.

Kenny Dalglish, Marcel Desailly and Peter Schmeichel to Coach in Indian Super League?

Could an Indian Premier League trophy be in his future?

The News Desk has see some weird things come through the fax machine, but we just got something about former Liverpool manager, current non-executive board member and all around living legend Kenny Dalglish accepting a coaching job in the new Indian Super League. If this were a text message, it would probably look something like this: OMG! WTF GTFO

According to the Press Trust of India, Dalglish is set to join France great Marcel Desailly and iconic ex-Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel in a league that, according to the press release, will be made up of world-class international players playing with the best from India and will run from January to March. That all sounds good and well – emerging leagues can be exciting and all – but we’re still trying to sort out how Dalglish got mixed up in all this.

The former Reds boss, who left by mutual consent (or was quietly sacked) after results during his second spell in charge didn’t quite cut the mustard, recently returned to play a part within the club after accepting a non-executive director role following an offer from the club hierarchy. Principal Liverpool owner John W. Henry spoke of his “delight” at having Dalglish back in the fold, but we’re not quite sure how this latest development will impact his new job with the club.

Football has experienced a surge in popularity in India over the past few years and with increased interest comes increased revenue. Star India, which also owns the broadcast as well as the sponsorship rights for the league, is said to be sinking money into content creation and expanding availability for the league matches to millions of households. Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Guwahati, Bangalore, Kochi, Goa and Pune – where Liverpool are slated to open an academy in January – are said to be the nine cities up for bidding; where the King might slot in remains to be seen, but we’ll be following this story with a peculiar kind of interest.

LIVERPOOL FACE BATTLE TO SIGN EX-MAN UTD KEEPER RON-ROBERT ZIELER

LIVERPOOL FACE BATTLE TO SIGN EX-MAN UTD KEEPER RON-ROBERT ZIELER

Liverpool’s hopes of signing Hannover 96 keeper Ron-Robert Zieler appear to be fading.

Brendan Rodgers was hoping to snap up the former Manchester United player by activating a £7million release clause in his contract before next summer, German newspaper Bild reports.

But German clubs Schalke and Borussia Monchengladbach are also interested in Zieler.

Both would offer first-team football, with Schalke also in the Champions League, while the Reds only see the 24-year-old as cover for Simon Mignolet.

Hannover sporting director Dirk Dufner said: “I am sure that other clubs are interested in him.

“And if an offer comes in, Ron should definitely think about it. That’s part of being an intelligent player.

“If he decides to stay with us, so much the better.”

The keeper is not ruling out any options and, at this stage, staying at Hannover, moving to a Bundesliga rival and returning to the Premier League are all on the table.

Zieler’s agent said: “We have had good discussions, but not in intensive negotiations.

“Of course, Ron can imagine extending his time at 96.

“He became a Bundesliga goalkeeper at Hannover and he feels comfortable there, but it is still too early to decide.”

Yet Another Youngster On Liverpool Wish List

Liverpool are considering a January swoop for forgotten Manchester City striker John Guidetti.

The 21-year-old, who has been battling injuries and illness in the last 18 months, has now fully recovered after having knee surgery in the summer.

But after Manuel Pellegrini warned him this week that he will struggle to get into the City side, Guidetti looks all but certain to leave in the new year.

Brendan Rodgers has been following the City man for a while (Picture: Getty)

Liverpool are known to be the front runners for his signature, having followed him since his loan spell at Feyenoord in 2012, where he scored 20 times in 23 matches.

French money bags Monaco and Turkish outfit Trabzonspor are also in the race, but staying in the Premier League is the priority for Guidetti.

Liverpool are committed to bringing through young talent and with Guidetti able to play up front or on the wing, he offers real versatility for Brendan Rodgers.

It’s thought City would want at least £5million for the youngster, who still has 18 months left on his contract.

Christian Benteke Reportedly Targeted by Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham

Christian Benteke Reportedly Targeted by Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke will be the target of January transfer approaches from Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham, according to multiple reports on Thursday, despite signing a new deal at the Midlands side during the summer.

Benteke, 22, was heavily linked with a move to Tottenham at the start of the summer—per BBC Sport—as he handed in a transfer request at Villa Park. He eventually came full circle, signing a new contract just 10 days later.



However, per the Daily Mail's Simon Jones, Spurs are expected to launch a significant offer in January:

Tottenham Hotspur are looking to make a £28 million bid for Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke in the January transfer window.
The Belgian, who made an astonishing U-turn in the summer to sign a new contract at Villa Park despite interest from Chelsea and Spurs, could move to London sooner than Villa fans expected.

Who should Benteke join?

Arsenal

42.9%

Liverpool

15.2%

Tottenham

42.0%

Total votes: 112

While that may be a worry in itself for Villa fans, the Daily Star's Jack Wilson adds that Liverpool and Arsenal could also join the chase.
Wilson reports that Liverpool would look to the Belgian to lead their forward line should Luis Suarez depart amid Real Madrid interest, while Arsenal have been playing this season with little backup for first-team centre-forward Olivier Giroud.
It is, though, Tottenham who have been the most strongly linked of the trio.

The White Hart Lane club spent nearly £30 million on striker Roberto Soldado during the summer but have been looking to offload Togo forward Emmanuel Adebayor for some time, per the Evening Standard.
As the article suggests, Benteke is not the only forward on Spurs' radar—with Manchester United's Javier Hernandez also mentioned—but the Belgian would be the all-round centre-forward manager Andre Villas-Boas' system requires.

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Both Soldado and Jermain Defoe are excellent penalty-box strikers, but Benteke would offer another dimension in terms of hold-up play outside the box. Hernandez, meanwhile, would be more of the same.
Were any offers to arrive, it would be understandable if the Belgian were to move on. All three clubs could feasibly offer Champions League football next year, while Villa are not at that level currently.



Add in that he could, doubtless, improve upon his current salary at any of the three clubs and it becomes apparent that Villa will struggle to persuade him to stay for a second time.
Were an offer of approaching £30 million to arrive on Paul Lambert's desk, it would be hard to reject at present, and given the club's track record over the past couple of seasons, Lambert could, no doubt, spend the money wisely.
Losing Benteke midseason, though, is not a prospect that the club's supporters will want to entertain at present.

Liverpool Into El Shaarawy ???

Liverpool Into El Shaarawy ???

According to reports, Liverpool have become a shock leader in the chase for AC Milan striker Stephan El Shaarawy as they look to improve their deadly strikeforce even further.

The Italian striker is being linked with several top European clubs and reports in Germany are convinced Borussia Dortmund, who had been one of the favourites to sign El Shaarawy, will have to fight Liverpool harder than any other team to land his signature, talkSport report.

Last season El Shaarawy was prolific, scoring 16 goals in 37 Serie A games as he refused to be sidelined by star signing Mario Balotelli.

Injury has stunted the 20-year-old’s progression this season having played just four times, scoring a solitary goal against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League back in August.

According to TalkSport, Manchester City are the other Premier League side interested in El Shaarawy who may be unsettled at the San Siro after months of speculation.

Andre Wisdom exits on LOAN (possible sweetener for Will Hughes)

Andre Wisdom exits on LOAN (possible sweetener for Will Hughes)

Wisdom [Action Images]

Liverpool are letting England under-21 defender Andre Wisdom go to Steve McClaren's Derby County on loan.

McClaren made an approach for highly-rated Wisdom - who can play right back or centre half - despite his side's big win at Watford. Wisdom has been available to go out for games for a few weeks and Brendan Rodgers is happy for him to go to the Rams for action.

McClaren wanted to bring in a new defender from the day he arrived and the chance to snap up Wisdom for the rest of the year is a major boost for his squad.

The clubs are working on the financial arrangements, with Wisdom on a decent Premier League salary for his age.However Derby are prepared to pay a fair chunk of Wisdom's wages to bring him to Pride Park as their bid for a top-six finish begins.

Wisdom has been a frequent part of Rodgers's plans, but the return of senior men has meant his progress will be stalled.The move for Wisdom will be a good for all parties involved with Liverpool potentially becoming the biggest winner in January.
The highly coveted midfield maestro Will Hughes again made headlines on Saturday for producing a worthy match-winning pass to Conor Sammon who scored the late winner. He has been without question the most documented young footballer in the Championship this season which has linked him to possible moves like Barcelona, Manchester United and Manchester City.
There is no question that Hughes will have his eyes set on becoming a Liverpool legend in the future as he has made no secret of his admiration of his boyhood club. He has also previously made digs at other clubs supposedly interested in signing him. Last season he was found mocking Manchester United after their Champions League heart-ache on twitter. The same tweets have done enough to put a vast majority of Manchester United fans off signing the talented youngster, but no-doubt aided Liverpool in pursuing their interest.
Liverpool sending Wisdom to Derby could become a master-stoke for the Merseyside club. Whilst it may not guarantee anything initially building up relations with a club when trying to sign a player is always going to stand you in good stead. Hughes will have already made up his mind as everyone wants to play for their boyhood team. It’s Derby that are the decision makers of this particular deal and Liverpool have played it smartly sending out one of their most talented young players.

Arsenal & Liverpool battling for La Liga ace

Arsenal and Liverpool are set to go head-to-head for Atletico Madrid winger Arda Turan again in January, according to reports from The Express.
The Premier League pair were both linked with the Turkish international over the summer, but neither club were able to lure him away from Madrid.
But, rumours suggest that the duo will form up their interest when the transfer window re-opens.
Both sides are believed to have scouts monitoring the 26-year-old, who has been in impressive form of late.
Turan is regarded as one of Atletico’s key men, and was a key part of the side that claimed the Copa del Rey and qualified for the Champions League last season.
It is believed that the midfielder has a release clause in his contract, although there is some debate regarding the figure needed to trigger it.
Arsene Wenger is believed to have significant financial backing for January, which could allow him to draft in Turan.
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is in a similar position, and is thought to be keen to add to his side’s attacking capabilities.
Turan has previously indicated that he would be open to a Premier League move, highlighting Anfield as a desirable destination.