Club fear Klopp is working his magic to bring “brilliant” star to Liverpool
Can the Reds boss lure him away from a Serie A giant?
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is reportedly causing concern for one big European club, due to him eyeing up one of their current players.
Liverpool transfer rumours
The Reds may end up making no signings during the January transfer window, but there are plenty of supporters who will hope to see some key business completed between now and the end of the month. A number of different players have been linked with moves to Anfield, and at centre-back, highly-rated duo Goncalo Inacio and Piero Hincapie have emerged as targets, as they continue to shine for Sporting CP and Bayer Leverkusen respectively.
It isn’t only at the back where signings have been mooted, however, with further midfield additions possible, despite four players coming in there last summer. Fulham’s Joao Palhinha is considered an option, but the Cottagers will be desperate to keep hold of arguably their most important individual.
There is also a chance that Klopp could look to make further attacking reinforcements in the near future, especially if Mohamed Salah moves on in the summer, and Barcelona winger Raphinha has been linked with sealing a switch to Anfield.
Jurgen Klopp wants Kenan Yildiz at Liverpool
Now, according to a new update from Gazzetta dello Sport [via Sport Witness], Liverpool are eyeing up a move for Juventus youngster Kenan Yildiz, with Klopp’s personal influence potentially proving to be key.
The Reds boss appears to be the driving force behind the transfer, with the report saying “pay attention to Jurgen Klopp”, adding that Juve are worried about him moving on and joining up with the German. The power that Klopp possesses in the modern game cannot be underestimated, with his man-management skills perhaps the greatest of a generation.
Yildiz is a young footballer who has so much immense promise in the coming years, so the idea of Liverpool snapping him up is undoubtedly exciting, with football talent scout Jacek Kulig describing him as “simply brilliant after his transfer from Bayern”. Meanwhile, Sokyan Basar, technical director of Turkey’s Under-19s, has said he is “more talented than Cristiano Ronaldo – his technique with the ball at his feet is superior to that of the Portuguese”.
This perfectly illustrates how much potential Yildiz has moving forward, and why it would be so exciting to see the Reds sign him from Juve. Planning for the future always has to be at the forefront of the club’s thinking, and at just 18 years of age, the young Turk certainly fits the bill.
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Primarily a centre forward, he could add further depth in the final third, as well as put pressure on the likes of Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo to perform, especially as he improves with age.
“This is true” – Fabrizio Romano says “crazy money” star wants Arsenal move
Mikel Arteta wants reinforcements.
Reliable transfer reporter Fabrizio Romano has said a “crazy money” star wants to join Arsenal, sharing what he knows on the club’s transfer plans.
Arteta wants new signings but faces Arsenal hurdles
Manager Mikel Arteta is desperate to win Arsenal their first Premier League title in 20 years, but a run of lacklustre form has seen them fall five points behind table-toppers Liverpool as we approach the business end of the season.
Edu ready to make rich Arsenal bid to sign £214k-p/w forward in January
The Gunners need reinforcements.
By Arteta’s own admission, his side are currently failing to convert chances, with their latest struggles coming in a 2-0 FA Cup defeat to Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium.
The home side fashioned a host of openings but couldn’t seize their plethora of opportunities to take control of the game, with Jurgen Klopp’s side capitalising and sailing through to the next round as a result.
It’s clear that Arsenal are missing a goal scoring number nine and one who can provide that cutting edge up front. It is believed Arteta is also keen to sign a new striker, alongside two new full-backs and a midfielder (Miguel Delaney).
| Arsenal rumoured striker targets for January | Latest update |
|---|---|
| Ivan Toney | 11th January |
| Joshua Zirkzee | 11th January |
| Serhou Guirassy | 19th December |
| Dominic Solanke | 17th December |
| Boulaye Dia | 16th December |
| Kylian Mbappe | 15th December |
However, after spending over £200 million in the summer transfer window, Arsenal apparently have a limited January budget and must be careful when it comes to Financial Fair Play regulations (Miguel Delaney).
Signing a striker does remain possible though, according to reports. Indeed, it is believed Arsenal submitted a £22 million bid to sign Getafe striker Borja Mayoral, but the La Liga side rejected their advances. Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic is also attracting interest from Arteta and co, with sporting director Edu seemingly not giving up in the chase for a new centre-forward. One man who’s been heavily linked is Brentford star Ivan Toney, but a January move is looking more and more complicated as the weeks go by.
Fabrizio Romano shares Ivan Toney update
Now, respected transfer reporter Romano has weighed in with an update of his own on Toney. Sharing Edu’s chances of signing him, the journalist claims Toney is actually keen on a move to Arsenal, but the real stumbling block is Brentford’s “crazy” asking price.
“Victor Osimhen is not on the market and many others are not available on the market,” said Romano to GiveMeSport. “Toney is a player they appreciate, this is true and from what I’m hearing, Toney would be keen on a move to Arsenal.
“But at the moment the financial package is way too expensive for Arsenal. Brentford want crazy money as their manager confirmed a couple of days ago, so I think this is going to be a complicated one.”
The England international is soon set to return from his ban for alleged gambling breaches, and he will be hoping to test Arsenal’s dedication to signing him by picking up where he left off.
Toney bagged a brilliant 20 league goals last season, but it will be interesting to see if he can replicate that stellar form after a lot of time away from the field.
Arsenal could sign perfect Gabriel upgrade in £69m “elite talent”
The 20-year-old could form a brilliant partnership with William Saliba.
The Premier League’s winter break could not have come at a better time for Arsenal this season, as despite topping the table on Christmas Day, the Gunners have endured a rough couple of weeks that have seen them lose three games in a row to West Ham United, Fulham and Liverpool.
The most significant problem for Mikel Arteta to solve is his team’s inability to score goals. That said, their defence, which was so impressive just a month ago, has also looked incredibly fragile in recent weeks.
Now, William Saliba has quickly established himself as one of the best centre-backs in the world, and as such, his place in the team is all but guaranteed.
However, it’s a different story for Gabriel, especially with Sporting CP’s promising Ousmane Diomande recently touted for a move to the club.
Arsenal transfer news – Ousmane Diomande
According to prior reports coming out of Portugal – as per Sport Witness – Arsenal are among several major European clubs interested in acquiring the young Ivorian’s signature in 2024.
As per more recent reports from Spain, however, the Gunners are likely to face competition from La Liga giants Real Madrid, who are also weighing up the option of a summer bid.
Alongside the intense competition that Edu and Co will have to deal with, they’ll also have to stump up some serious cash to get this deal over the line, with the suggestion being that his current contract has a release clause of €80m – £69m – inserted into it.
While that would be a massive sum of money to spend on a 20-year-old defender, his immense performances in Portugal and enormous potential might just make it a fair deal.
Ousmane Diomande could replace Gabriel as the perfect partner for William Saliba
Now, while the most significant issue facing Arsenal at the moment is undoubtedly their inability to finish their chances – since Christmas, they have taken 63 shots and scored one goal – but the defence has not been at their very best recently either.
For example, the first goal West Ham scored was down to poor communication at the back, while their second, and Fulham’s winner a few days later, came from corner kicks and even Liverpool’s opening goal came from a free-kick just in front of the corner flag.
Yet, through all of those poor performances, Saliba has remained impressive, while Gabriel has looked shaky – notably proving culpable for the opening goal against the Cottagers, following an ‘almighty mix-up’ with Oleksandr Zinchenko, as per football.london’s Kaya Kaynak.
Even though the former Lille man could come back from the winter break reinvigorated, it could be wise for the club to pursue Diamonde as someone to eventually replace the Brazilian and partner up with the Frenchman in the long term.
So, how do the trio of defenders compare to one another when looking at their underlying numbers? Well, perhaps unsurprisingly, Saliba and the “elite talent” of Diamonde, as described by talent scout Jacek Kulig, come out ahead of Gabriel in almost every metric.
In fact, the only area in which the former LOSC Lille man stands above his peers is the number of aerial duels he wins per 90, 2.45, and to give him credit, he is significantly more successful in this area of the game than the other two.
| Ousmane Diomande vs Gabriel vs William Saliba | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Stats per 90 | Diomande | Gabriel | Saliba |
| Progressive Passes | 5.42 | 3.99 | 4.05 |
| Progressive Carries | 1.18 | 0.55 | 0.55 |
| Passing Accuracy | 91.0% | 86.6% | 92.6% |
| Shot-Creating Actions | 1.45 | 0.86 | 0.95 |
| Touches | 80.9 | 71.4 | 86.0 |
| Tackles Won | 0.97 | 0.61 | 0.70 |
| Ball Recoveries | 5.97 | 4.29 | 6.05 |
| Aerial Duels Won | 1.94 | 2.45 | 1.85 |
| All Stats via FBref for the 2023/24 Domestic Season | |||
However, when it comes to progressive passes, carries, tackles won, and shot-creating actions per 90, it is the “special” Ivorian, as described by U23 scout Antonio Mango, who comes out ahead, with Saliba claiming top spot in the remaining essential metrics.
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The 24-year-old has been compared to former Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette.
Ultimately, it might be a lot of money to spend on a young player. It might even be a little harsh on Gabriel, but every detail matters when titles can be decided by a point or two – or even goal difference.
A future partnership between Diomande and Saliba could help the Gunners end their two-decade wait for the title.
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The 23-year-old could challenge White for his place.
The Premier League’s winter break couldn’t have come at a better time for Arsenal, as after a positive start to the festive season, the Gunners’ form fell off a cliff as they proceeded to lose three games on the bounce, falling to fourth in the league and crashing out of the FA Cup.
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