Liverpool eyeing double swoop for two talents from same team
Other Premier League clubs are also keen.
Liverpool are believed to be keen on securing a double swoop for two talents from the same team, but they are far from alone in showing an interest.
Liverpool eyeing January moves
The Reds are flying high after making significant additions to their squad during the summer transfer window, allowing Jurgen Klopp’s side to become Premier League title challengers again. January signings could further boost Liverpool’s chances of going all the way this season, with a number of players linked with moves to Anfield in recent months, with various areas of the pitch potentially being looked at.
One individual who has been backed to become a Reds player is highly-rated Sporting CP defender Goncalo Inacio, with the Portuguese a player who is capable of thriving as both a centre-back and left-back. Another midfielder also isn’t out of the question, with Fluminenese midfielder Andre possibly on the move after helping his side to Copa Libertadores glory last month.
A “verbal agreement” with the Brazil international has even been mooted. Inter Milan free-kick maestro Hakan Calhanoglu is reportedly seen as an option, too, although at 29, there could be question marks over whether he would be the right choice.
Liverpool keen on signing Yoro and Santos
According to a fresh transfer update from TEAMtalk, Liverpool are interested in signing Lille pair Leny Yori and Tiago Santos, but other Premier League clubs are also in the mix for the defenders, who have caught the eye of Reds scouts.
“A pair of Lille defenders are courting heavyweight interest from Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham and West Ham, TEAMtalk can exclusively reveal.
“Yoro is understood to be viewed slightly more favourably than Santos despite being the younger of the pair, though both players have received glowing reports from the scouts of the interested English sides.”
Both Yoro and Santos could be players who come in as the future of Liverpool, rather than signings who could immediately increase their Premier League title chances.
The former is an exciting 18-year-old central defender with so much potential, although the Reds transfer target has still started 12 Ligue 1 games this season. Meanwhile, the latter is a 21-year-old right-back who also has plenty of playing time to his name in 2023/24, enjoying 11 league outings, nine of which have come from the start.
At some point, Liverpool are going to need to bring in young defensive reinforcements, and both Yoro and Santos could represent eye-catching exciting options, proving to be eventual mainstays of the team. Both Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip are both now 32 years of age, so they won’t necessarily be around forever, while Andy Robertson also turns 30 next year.
Planning for the future is so important, ensuring that the Reds remain a force long after Klopp has left as manager, and acquiring the signature of two such big talents could be ideal ahead of their rivals, with Santos possibly seen as a right-back who could allow Trent Alexander-Arnold to become an out-and-out midfielder.
Arsenal could fully unlock Declan Rice by signing £60m “monster” in 2024
The Gunners are looking for a midfield upgrade in 2024
Arsenal are enjoying a fantastic start to the Premier League season this year, and following Manchester City’s draw over the weekend, they currently find themselves three points clear of the defending champions.
One of the reasons that the north Londoners are once again atop the Premier League table is summer signing Declan Rice. The former West Ham United captain has been a revelation in red and white so far this campaign, and if there ever were such a thing as a £105m bargain, he is as close as you’re going to get.
That said, Mikel Arteta has been mixing it up with the 24-year-old this season, playing him as both a left eight and six at different points this season.
However, Fulham’s Joao Palhinha could be the perfect addition to allow the Englishman to flourish in that left eight role.
Arsenal transfer news – Joao Palhinha
According to a report from AFC Newsroom founder Connor Humm, Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha has emerged as a “potential target” for the Gunners, either in January or at the end of the season.
Not much has been said in the way of a potential fee for a deal such as this, but considering that the Cottagers turned down a £47m offer from Bayern Munich in the summer before finally accepting a £55m offer suggests that it won’t be a cheap deal to complete.
Furthermore, the West Londoners reportedly demanded £60m for their midfield enforcer when West Ham were sniffing around in the summer, so that could potentially be the sort of offer that would see the player move.
Joao Palhinha could unlock Declan Rice’s attacking threat
So far this season, Rice has been included in every starting XI that Arteta has put out in the league, starting at the base of midfield ten times and in the left eight four times.
While the England international is clearly a fantastic defensive midfielder, his three goal involvements in those 14 starts indicate he could be even more useful to the team just slightly higher up the pitch.
Unfortunately for Arteta, though, Jorginhio, while a great bench player, lacks the quality to start every week, and Thomas Partey has become increasingly unreliable through injury.
So, how does Palhinha stack up to the Gunners’ current crop of defensive midfielders?
Well, the “tackling machine”, as described by Fulham teammate Harrison Reed, outshines his competition in practically every crucial defensive stat you can think of.
The former Sporting CP star certainly lives up to his moniker, making 5.39 tackles per 90 this season, compared to Rice’s 1.94, Jorginho’s 2.56 and Partey’s 2.14, while making more blocks, interceptions and winning more aerial duels per 90.
| Player | Tackles per 90 | Blocks per 90 | Interceptions per 90 | Aerial Duel win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joao Palhinha | 5.39 | 2.06 | 2.06 | 48% |
| Declan Rice | 1.94 | 1.42 | 1.64 | 35.3% |
| Jorginho | 2.56 | 1.86 | 0.47 | 25% |
| Thomas Partey | 2.14 | 0.71 | 1.43 | 40% |
| Stats via FBref | ||||
Described as “utterly sensational” by former Fulham star Steve Sidwell and a defender’s “dream” by Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand, dropping the Lisbon-born “monster” into Arsenal’s midfield certainly seems like the best way to involve Rice in the offensive side of games.
Despite starting the vast majority of games in the six role this season, the former Chelsea youth product still sits within the top 1% of midfielders in the Premier League for medium pass completion, the top 5% for passes into the final third, the top 8% for overall pass completion and the top 13% for progressive passes, all per 90, per FBref.
With numbers like this in a primarily defensive role, the prospect of what the 6 foot 1 titan could do from a more progressive starting position should excite the Arsenal faithful.
Ultimately, a midfield three of Rice, Martin Odegaard and Palhinha could be precisely what Arteta needs this season and help the men in red and white finally end their two-decade wait for the title.
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