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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

What a time to be at Liverpool.

The Reds are running away with the Premier League as it stands, currently eight points clear of Leicester and a further three above Manchester City. At the moment, it is hard to see who will stop them from winning a first league title in 30 years. And that domestic success follows last season’s Champions League victory as well.

Spare a thought, then, for those players who are currently away from Anfield and on loan at other clubs, and who are therefore missing out on the feel-good atmosphere in Merseyside. Those like 20-year-old Kamil Grabara, who is currently with Huddersfield Town in the Championship.

Still, by being away from the top-flight’s leaders, he is getting the regular football he would likely not have got his hands on had he stayed at his parent club. So far this campaign, the Poland U21 international has started all but one match in the second level of England’s footballing pyramid. By featuring week-in week-out, he has the opportunity to catch the eye of Jurgen Klopp and put himself in the German’s plans for next season and beyond.

Unfotunately, his performances have not been to the required standard up until this point. Of all the first-choice shot-stoppers in the division, his save percentage rate of 58.1% puts him at number 20 on the list. Only four others have managed a worse ratio.

Not only that, he has conceded 31 goals, which is more than any other number one apart from David Marshall – ironically, the 34-year-old is someone Liverpool were interested in before they signed Adrian at the start of the season. Whilst he cannot always be held accountable for the number of goals shipped, a better save percentage would not go amiss.

In recent weeks, the Reds have been linked with a move for Trabzonspor’s Ugurcan Cakir, who would cost at least €20m (£17m). At the age of 23, his signature would be one for the future, and he would likely become back-up to Alisson, leaving Grabara in no man’s land. Based on his displays for the Terriers this term, Klopp and his superiors may be pushed to make a move for the Turkey international. Grabara needs to turn things around, and fast.

Meanwhile, Liverpool fans discuss one loanee’s performance this weekend.

According to Sky Sports, former Arsenal manager Unai Emery has held talks with Everton over their vacant managerial role.

The Spaniard only lost his job with the Gunners last month, but it appears as though the Gunners have already sounded him out over replacing Marco Silva at Goodison Park after he was sacked last week following a 5-2 defeat against arch-rivals Liverpool.

Sky Sports reported at the time that the Spaniard wanted more time before deciding his next career move, although David Ornstein of The Athletic says that the 48-year-old would be consider it if he was offered the job by chairman Bill Kenwright and majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri.

The following Everton supporters have made their feelings known on the link to the man who was in charge when the Gunners embarked on their longest winless run since 1992, prior to his departure.

They are clearly fuming with the prospect of Emery arriving on Merseyside, with one even asking “is it April Fool’s Day?”

Another individual decided to say to compare him to the Portuguese who was recently sacked following a disastrous campaign, labelling him as “worse than Silva”.

Did he play for Everton? Simple question but a lot tougher than you think…

Given how Emery failed with what should be a stronger squad on paper than Everton’s, the comparison is hardly surprising.

One fan went a little further, even saying they would rather have Kenwright at the helm than the Spaniard.

That shows just how much some of the Goodison Park faithful are against this.

In other Everton news, Toffees fans have been reacting on Twitter after a 59-year-old refused to rule out taking the job, although there was a catch…

Liverpool’s youngest-ever starting XI suffered a 5-0 defeat to Aston Villa in the EFL Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday night.And journalist James Pearce has claimed that it “should never have come to that”.Liverpool’s first team are currently in Qatar at the Club World Cup, meaning that the Reds were forced to name a youthful side against Villa.Watch Liverpool Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Five debutants were included in a starting XI which had an average age of just over 19 years and six months.

Jonathan Kodjia scored twice for Dean Smith’s side, whilst an own goal and efforts from Conor Hourihane and Wesley made it a difficult evening for the Merseyside club.

Pearce, who now works for The Athletic, wrote that it was a “great experience for the youngsters”, who were supported throughout the evening by the club’s fans.

Watch Leicester vs Liverpool Free Live and Free with Amazon Prime on Boxing Day

However, the well-respected journalist claimed that it was “ridiculous” that the scenario presented itself in the first place.

Pearce’s message on what was a bizarre occasion can be seen below:

Meanwhile, Liverpool are reportedly at the head of the queue for a teenage defender currently playing in the Football League.

Liverpool are said to have just 12 days left to sign Timo Werner from RB Leipzig for his €55m (£49m) release clause according to Sky Sports.

The Reds have been heavily linked with a move for the Germany international over the past few weeks and months, with it even being said that Jurgen Klopp held a virtual meeting with the 24-year-old to convince him to join (BT Sport via The Daily Express).

Chelsea and Manchester United are said to have joined the race for his services as well (Sky Sports) and, with the release clause said to expire on June 15th, any sides wanting to sign him at this price have less than two weeks to complete a deal.

At this point, it is pretty obvious that Liverpool are very interested in Werner. Transfer rumours can often be tenuous at best, but there is no smoke without fire, and in Werner’s case there has been just too much talk for it to be pure speculation.

Quite frankly, if Liverpool are that interested in the forward, they should have secured a deal a long time ago. Now, they have put themselves in a difficult position. Whilst the expiration of the release clause does not mean that there is no hope of them taking him to Anfield, it does mean that Die Rotenbullen are in a far better position to command a higher transfer fee – and for a player that has scored 31 goals in all competitions this term, they could demand a far bigger sum.

FSG and Michael Edwards need to move quickly now if they are to get their man. Otherwise, their job may be about to get an awful lot harder.

Let us know what you think below!

Alan Nixon has made a rather bold claim about the proposed takeover of Newcastle United after responding to a fan on his Twitter page.

As per his tweet, the journalist has claimed that it looks like the Premier League want the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) to do a television deal at their end in order for the top flight to approve of the £300m bid from Amanda Staveley’s Saudi Arabian-led group.

This could be in response to the findings of a report from the World Trade Organisation (WTO) which found that the KSA were responsible for running the pirate satellite TV channel beoutQ in their own country, therefore breaching their own international laws.

The Qataris are the only country in the Middle Eastern region to have the rights to broadcast and stream football games from the major leagues, including the Premier League, which are usually shown on beIN Sports. However, the Saudis were found to be broadcasting these matches on the pirate television channel, therefore breaching piracy laws.

The fact that they were showing games illegally from England’s highest division would surely not go down well with the league, especially since the buying side consists of the Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and his Public Investment Fund (PIF).

However, the WTO report did not find a connection between them and the piracy issues themselves, so this could be a good omen for the Premier League to approve of the deal.

Geordies, will the Premier League approve the takeover? Comment below with your views!

Chelsea will be looking to bounce back from their most recent Premier League result, a shock defeat at the hands of West Ham, when they host Watford tonight.

The Blues will take to the stage of Stamford Bridge, hoping their match against the Hornets will be one they can celebrate afterwards.

Although their visit to the London Stadium was a cagey one, the likes of Willian and Christian Pulisic stood out as Chelsea’s main threat. Frank Lampard will likely look to make the duo the main focus of the team he picks to take on the Hornets.

As of this morning, Nigel Pearson’s side are just one point away from slipping into the relegation zone and Chelsea could look to capitalise on Watford’s relegation-threatened status.

Transfer Tavern has predicted exactly how the Blues manager might line up ahead of their home fixture…

Since returning from injury, Tammy Abraham hasn’t been in his usual goalscoring form. Lampard may opt to start Olivier Giroud up front instead, after scoring against Aston Villa in their first match back in action. Regular choices Willian and Pulisic will likely feature out wide to provide support for the Frenchman.

Ross Barkley didn’t make much of an impact against the Hammers, so Mason Mount could return to the starting XI in order to maximise creativity from midfield. However, N’Golo Kante will likely remain the defensive midfield option to thwart any attempt on goal from a desperate Watford side.

After a disappointing display which saw him lose possession 10 times, Andreas Christensen is set to be replaced by Kurt Zouma in an otherwise unchanged back four.

With a few alterations to his line-up, Lampard will hope they can rectify mistakes made against West Ham and come away with three points to aid their Champions League chase.

How do you think Chelsea will line up against Watford, Blues fans? Have your say in the comments below!

Key Information about Somerset Park

Somerset Park is the home ground of Scottish Championship side Ayr United, and it has been since they were founded in 1910.

The historic ground originally opened in 1888, and today Somerset Park has a capacity of just over 10,000, 1,597 of which are seats. Prior to Ayr United, the ground was the home of Ayr FC who merged with Ayr Parkhouse to form Ayr United in 1910.

Somerset Park comprises four famous stands; the Main Stand, Somerset Road End, the North Terrace, and the Railway End which now primarily houses away supporters.

A history of Somerset Park

The original Ayr Football Club commissioned Somerset Park back in 1888 to replace their former home of Beresford Park. This conversation began before a friendly match against Aston Villa as they needed to find an alternative venue as Beresford Park was being used for the famous Ayr Cattle Show at the time. Subsequently, the Beresford Park clubhouse and grandstand were dismantled and reassembled at Somerset Park.

Ayr FC entered the Scottish Football League in 1897, though were never considered as serious contenders to win promotion to the top flight. Ayr Parkhouse also played at Beresford Park and followed in Ayr’s footsteps by joining the Second Division of the league.

Due to both of the clubs struggles to win promotion to the First Division, in 1910, they decided to merge and form a new club – Ayr United as we know them today. Ayr United adopted Somerset Park as their new home ground, despite Beresford Park being used by the club during the First World War.

It was not until ten years after being formed that Ayr would purchase Somerset Park for £2,500, and four years after that the pitch was relaid and they built a brand new Main Stand, as well as erecting a roof over the Railway End Terrace in 1933 which was split into male and female sections. Ayr United recorded a massive record attendance at Somerset Park in September 1969, during a match between Rangers which was witnessed by just over 25,000 spectators.

Floodlights were finally installed one year later which finally meant that Ayr could host night-time fixtures in darker conditions for the first time. The Somerset Road End terrace was covered in 1971, and the Main Stand was redeveloped with a new wing which increased the seating capacity to 1,450. Strangely, Ayr United’s owner during the late 90s/early 00s had a construction company who built new stands for many Scottish clubs, though Somerset Park was not developed and this prevented Ayr from being promoted to the Scottish Premier League.

Tickets to Watch Ayr United at Somerset Park

Adult single matchday tickets are priced at £18, concessions at £12, and under-18s at just £6. Season tickets for adults priced at around £260 per season and £130 for half a season, whereas concession season tickets are priced at £160, and children from £40-55.

Related Links

https://ayrunitedfc.co.uk/ – Official Website of Ayr United

https://ayrunitedfc.co.uk/match-prices/ – Ayr United Ticket Office

Everton’s season quickly petered out into nothing on Sunday afternoon as the final match of the current campaign against a relegation-threatened AFC Bournemouth summed up the mood in Merseyside.

Eddie Howe’s Cherries were rampant, winning 3-1 at Goodison Park – but it wasn’t enough to secure their place in Premier League next term.

Had you been tuning in for the first time this year, you’d think the side in blue were the ones trickling into the second-tier.

The Toffees won just one of their final six matches to finish 12th – their worst attempt since 17th in 2003/04.

Carlo Ancelotti clearly has tons of work to do this summer as the squad quite rightly needs an overhaul with many players still stealing a living at the club from both the Allardyce and Silva eras.

However, the Italian can be encouraged by at least one player who was handed a rare start against AFCB – that being young striker Moise Kean.

The 20-year-old has found life tough in Merseyside since a £27.5m move from Juventus in the summer, though his performance on Sunday proved that Marcel Brands has a potential masterclass of a signing on his hands.

Amid struggles to adapt to England, Kean was restricted to just 834 minutes in the top-flight whilst more disciplinary sanctions (three) than goals (two) is hardly a great look.

But the young starlet has just shown why he can become a key man for the Toffees next season.

Aside from his equalising strike, Kean recorded three key passes, three successful dribbles, won five duels and notched a jaw-dropping, match-high 7.8 rating, via SofaScore,

This display is very much akin to why he’s drawn so many plaudits early in his career. At just 16, he was dubbed a ‘future star’ who resembled Mario Balotelli whilst Ancelotti himself has labelled his forward “top quality”.

Kean has been linked with an exit this summer with Roma one of the teams interested, but Sunday was a major warning on why it would be a monumental mistake to give up on the £22.5m-rated striker just yet.

AND in other news, Everton close in on £35m signing after improved offer…

Tottenham Hotspur may have already signed one midfielder this summer in Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg but fresh reports from France suggest that they aren’t finished just yet.

What’s the word?

According to GFFN, Spurs have ‘intense interest’ in Toulouse powerhouse Ibrahim Sangare but there has yet been a concrete offer submitted.

They claim that the relegated Ligue 1 outfit aren’t exactly pressed to sell the 22-year-old either, though a fee in the region of €15-20m (£13.5-18m) would be enough to open negotiations.

The north Londoners have been long-term admirers of Sangare, as per the report.

Shades of Dembele

It would seem a strange move to make considering Jose Mourinho has just clinched Hojbjerg from Southampton in a £15m deal but with Eric Dier moving into central defence, the former Saints skipper is technically his only senior defensive midfield option.

Therefore, a move for the Ivory Coast international is an interesting call.

He was one of the few shining lights in the Ligue 1 outfit’s relegation campaign and has been since his emergence in 2016. In three seasons at Toulouse, he hasn’t averaged fewer than 3.4 tackles per game.

“His first touch is one of the best I’ve seen,” he said. “He’s calm in small spaces and comes out of pressure in incredible ways. He’s also got a great ability to recover the ball, and does a huge amount of running.”

Alain Casanova, ex-Toulouse manager.

Whilst this season alone, the anchorman managed 1.9 clearances, 1.6 interceptions and 1.1 key passes per appearance, via WhoScored.

These are figures that rate out higher than the recent Spurs addition, albeit in a different league.

It’s no surprise to see Sangare likened to fellow countryman Yaya Toure due to his ball-carrying nature and ability to hit accurate long-range passes, which is why he’d also be similar to that of ex-Spurs brute Mousa Dembele, who the club haven’t really replaced until now.

The Belgian’s best campaign (2015/16) in north London saw him average 3.6 tackles and 1.9 interceptions.

Sangare has been described as “physical” and “passionate” by African journalist Alpha Balde whilst former head coach Alain Casanova has claimed that he’s one of the “greatest players” he’s had at Toulouse – he’s managed former Spurs midfielders Etienne Capoue and Moussa Sissoko too.

Even though Spurs have secured a similar player, it can’t hurt to land themselves a bargain at £18m this summer. It would be a mistake to see him go elsewhere.

AND in other news, Spurs could land colossal Jan Vertonghen successor for £45m…

Chelsea are miles ahead of their Premier League rivals in terms of new recruits this window and it hasn’t gone unnoticed. 

After securing the signings of Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner, with others including Thiago Silva due to put pen to paper, the Blues are off to a flying start this window. Their most recent coup involved a £50million move for Leicester’s Ben Chilwell, who joins the West Londoners on a five-year deal (via Daily Express).

Although, Chelsea are out on their own as they continue to line up targets for their lavish spending. Recently crowned champions of England Liverpool have made just one new signing, Kostas Tsimikas is currently their only senior recruit so far, joining from Olympiakos for a fee of £11.7million (via BBC Sport).

During an interview with Servus TV, Klopp said: “Due to Covid-19 you have to think five times about what you can and what you can’t do. We always have to pay attention to the financial aspect. We don’t know how much money will come in,” (via Metro).

Indeed, the financial impact of coronavirus has impacted teams across the world, including some of the most successful Premier League clubs. Frank Lampard’s side endured a two-window transfer ban though, which has helped them accumulate funds to flaunt this summer.

“Nobody knows but it seems like some other teams have a more positive outlook on the future,” Klopp continued. “If you look at Chelsea for example [laughs].

“But I am very happy with my team right now. If something transfer related will happen we have to see.”

Chelsea are also nearing the completion of their pursuit of Kai Havertz, who looks set to join the club on a potentially record breaking deal. They have also been linked to an audacious move for Lionel Messi, who has a £623 million release clause.

How happy are you with Chelsea’s business this summer? Join the conversation in the comments below!