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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…

Gabriel Martinelli clearly caught the eye of Jurgen Klopp during the eventful Carabao Cup tie between Arsenal and Liverpool.

Having already praised the young Brazilian, the German told Esporte Interativo: “We have scouts all over the world and I think Edu Gaspar deserves all the credit for that signing. He came from who knows where and from an unbelievable player. He’s so young and looks so mature. It’s already a threat on the pitch.”

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There is usually a wariness around getting too excited about youngsters and putting added pressure on their shoulders.

So, despite the fact the 18-year-old has already scored 7 goals and provided 1 assist in 4 starts and 4 substitute appearances, many are attempting to manage expectations.

However, there is one part of Klopp’s admission that Arsenal fans should allow themselves to get excited about: the comments about Edu.

The Brazilian was only appointed as the Gunners’ technical director in July 2019, but he has already indicated that he can help bring talented players to the Emirates.

Even if Martinelli doesn’t reach the heights that some will be hoping he can, there are still positive signs that can be taken from the fact a player of his potential has been found so early into Edu’s time in the new position.

This point is only accentuated by Klopp’s comments, as the youngster had even gone unnoticed by his extensive scouting network.

The hope will now be that Edu has a few more gems up his sleeve that he can lure to the Emirates Stadium.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…

Tottenham Hotspur reportedly attempted to and failed to sign Sporting Lisbon attacking midfielder Bruno Fernandes during the summer transfer window, and his latest international appearance suggest he’s worth paying a club-record fee for.

The Daily Mail reported in August that the north London outfit saw three bids for the 25-year-old turned down, with Sporting holding out for their £65m valuation.

The Sun say that is still likely to be the fee needed to prise the player away from the Portuguese giants in January, with A Bola saying Spurs are ready to reignite their interest in Fernandes as the prospect of Christian Eriksen leaving increases.

If that £65m fee is right it would surpass the deal that saw Tanguy Ndombele arrive at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer, in a move that could eventually be worth £62.8m.

His most recent showing for Portugal was just another sign that he could be worth it though, having already scored seven goals and provided a further five assists in just 10 outings for his club so far this term.

Perhaps surprisingly, the 25-year-old was only named among the substitutes for the Euro 2020 qualifier against Ukraine in Kiev on Monday, and he had to be called upon in the 56th minute with the visitors trailing 2-0 at that point.

The Euro 2016 winners may have ended the game on the losing side despite Cristiano Ronaldo netting his 700th career goal, but there was no doubt that Fernandes made an impact when he entered the field.

In 34 minutes on the pitch he made three key passes, as per stats-based website SofaScore, while he had one shot on target, too.

47 touches in that time suggests that a lot of Portugal’s build-up play went through him, with his 76% passing accuracy further proof that he is a player that takes risks on the ball as he looks to unlock the opposition defence.

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It won’t be easy for Tottenham to replace an influential player like Eriksen if he is to leave when his contract expires, but Fernandes continues to emphasise why he would be worth splashing out a huge fee for.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Nottingham Forest have had a great history of Scottish players at the club; John Robertson, Kenny Burns and of course John McGovern. And if reports are to be believed, they could be about to introduce another one into the fold.

What’s the story?

According to a report from London Football News, Nottingham Forest are monitoring young Chelsea central midfielder Billy Gilmour.

The 18-year-old Scot has made a few brief appearances for the Blues so far this season but is unlikely to make any further inroads at Stamford Bridge, that’s unless there’s a set of catastrophic injuries to the first team.

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Gilmour has played a number of positions in his time in London, but predominantly plays through the middle of the park, either as a central midfielder or a defensive one.

The same outlet suggests Forest could receive competition for his signature on loan with Leeds also in the race.

Possibly on the fringe?

If this was a permanent deal, you’d be more inclined to believe it would make sense.

Nottingham Forest have a couple of ‘elder statesmen’ as it were in the squad like Claudio Yacob, Ben Watson and to a lesser extent Samba Sow, all of whom are over the age of 30, so if this was a move ‘for the future’, it would make sense.

However, with Forest, they’ve got a rather settled squad right now.

Thogden ranks all 24 Championship away kits in the video below…

The likes of Alfa Semedo, Tiago Silva, Joao Carvalho and the aforementioned Sow and Watson are all getting their chances in the first team this season while we’ve also seen the emergence of Brennan Johnson.

Bearing that in mind, it’s difficult to see Gilmour coming in and being able to command a place in the starting XI straight away.

Gaining exposure in the Championship would be beneficial for the player but with Forest doing so well at present it’s a deal they should forget about pursuing. They simply don’t need him.

At best, the teenager could come on as a player off the bench to add something to a game, but he’d have to do an awful lot to break into Sabri Lamouchi’s plans at the City Ground.

Lamouchi appears to have got a settled side so unless this is ‘the missing piece’ that can turn those one-nil victories into twos and threes, it just doesn’t seem viable to suggest he can make an impact on the team this season.

This wouldn’t be a move that suits any party.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Jamie Carragher believes Liverpool have to aim for a higher points total than what they achieved last year if they want to win the league.

What did he say?

The former Reds defender was speaking after Liverpool’s latest win away at Chelsea – their sixth win in six games.

Jurgen Klopp’s side are yet to drop a point and still sit five points clear of title rivals Manchester City, and Carragher thinks they may only be able to drop up to 14 points if they are to pip City this time around.

As a result, he suggests a win away to a top-six side is not only impressive, but necessary, and he may be correct as draws away to Everton and Manchester United in the second half of last season ultimately cost Liverpool in the last campaign.

Speaking on Sky Sports’ post-match coverage of Chelsea vs Liverpool, Carragher said: “It’s a big result. Manchester City and Liverpool will already be looking at each other’s fixtures when they go away to big six teams as it’s an opportunity to drop points.

“Both teams, whether they get there or not, have to aim for 100 points. You can only drop 14 points. A draw isn’t a good result.”

Pep Guardiola’s side have already dropped five points, but responded to last week’s defeat in the best manner possible by putting eight past Watford.

Little margin for error

It indicates that the Premier League has changed, but Carragher is correct in his assessment that draws aren’t good enough for teams looking to win the league.

Liverpool lost just once last term, away at Man City, and if they are to beat them to first-place they could need 32 wins or more, as that is the total achieved by City in both 2017/18 and 2018/19.

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In each of those seasons, the Citizens were knocked out of the Champions League in March, which suggests the Reds have a greater chance of winning the league if they focus their efforts solely on that competition, having dropped points after a European clash against Bayern Munich.

With Sheffield United up next, Liverpool’s 100% record should be maintained, but visits to two top-six sides in Manchester United and Tottenham after playing Leicester could stall their title bid, although wins in all three will add to their already high confidence.

“Leeds United are the best team in the Championship,†according to former striker Jermaine Beckford.Leeds current sit in second place despite beating fellow favourites West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday, and while there’s a fair slog left of the season left to go (36 games to be precise) and therefore plenty of opportunities to bottle, we’re positive the miserable memories of last season’s demise, which saw them fall at the last against Frank Lampard’s Derby County, will spur them on to ultimate glory.The Premier League could do with having Elland Road back on the agenda– forget the rest of them.Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Beckford’s time in a Leeds shirt may have been and gone, but with 84 goals and 147 appearances for the club, including thatÂFA Cup stunner against Manchester United at Old Trafford, he remains very much invested in their future.

Dressed like a pilot, he shared his thoughts on his former side’s promotion chances and Marcelo Bielsa…

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According to The Telegraph, Stoke are considering the possibility of cancelling Saido Berahino’s contract after the striker was, yet again, embroiled in a controversy external to the football pitch.

The number 9 was recently arrested on suspicion of drink driving and the Potters have not let him off the hook easy – he is now training on his own at Clayton Wood but it could be about to get a whole lot worse for the Englishman.

Having signed for the bet365 Stadium outfit for a whopping £12m in 2017, Berahino has been unable to focus on his football and has flopped pretty spectacularly. West Brom, meanwhile, have come out of the deal quite well and will be thanking their lucky stars that they offloaded him when they did.

Who do you want to see promoted this year? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have picked their 3 favoured teams in the video below…

The Baggies have Jay Rodriguez up front now and the former Southampton man has notched 17 goals in the Championship this season as Darren Moore looks to guide his side back into the Premier League.

Some of the Hawthorns faithful cannot help but sympathise with their former hitman with his career hanging in the balance, while others are crucifying him for wasting his talent – here’s how they reacted on Twitter…

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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…

Having made a high-profile move to Liverpool back in May 2010, there were undoubtedly high hopes for the kind of career Jonjo Shelvey would go on to enjoy.

After breaking into the Reds’ first-team as an 18-year-old, former Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson remarked he was very impressed with the kind of progress the midfielder was making.

“What is good to see is that a young player we have invested money in is proving to be worth his money and is proving to be the future prospect we think he is. He is a confident young man but he’s modest and he knows there is a lot of work to be done before he can hold his hand up and say ‘Look at me, what a good Premier League player I am’.” Roy Hodgson, December 2010

Fast forward almost a decade later and Shelvey has failed to match the kind of potential many thought he had. Now in a Newcastle shirt, the Englishman featured in the Magpies’ opening two Premier League games of this season, but was dropped to the bench following the side’s successive defeats.

Watch Newcastle United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Sean Longstaff’s untimely injury however gave Shelvey the perfect opportunity to stake his claim once more on Saturday. The stage was set for him. An away game at his old stomping ground of Anfield and the chance to silence the doubters – his former boss at Swansea, Garry Monk, infamously slammed him for being “lazy”. Unfortunately, the six-cap England international fluffed his lines and proved Monk right.

A game against the European champions is never easy, but the 27-year-old really didn’t help matters for his team. Per SofaScore, he lost possession 12 times and was dribbled past twice as Liverpool’s midfield overwhelmed him and Isaac Hayden.

He made zero tackles in the entire game despite the Magpies being on the back foot for the majority of the clash, whilst his trademark long passes went awry too – just three out of the eight he attempted were successful.

Shelvey’s miserable afternoon was best summed up when he frustratingly tried to lob Adrian from inside his own-half, thus meekly surrendering possession. It spoke of someone who still hasn’t matured at the highest-level, and when Longstaff makes his comeback from injury, it could mean a place on the bench yet again for the once promising prospect.

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Tottenham Hotspur have offered academy prospect Tobi Omole a new contract after he was named in Antonio Conte’s squad for the Premier League…

What’s the word?

That’s according to allnigeriasoccer.com, who claim that the 22-year-old defender isn’t eligible to qualify as a U21 or youth player anymore but the Italian head coach has included him as a senior member of the team.

Omole is yet to make his senior bow for Spurs but did feature on the bench for their Premier League clash against Crystal Palace earlier in the season and has trained numerous times with the first team since Conte’s arrival in November.

The former Arsenal graduate has also been offered fresh terms ahead of next season, too.

Cesar Azpilicueta 2.0

Omole is capable of playing in pretty much any role across the backline, making him a very intriguing option for the Italian head coach and one that could earn some comparisons to one member of his title-winning squad at Chelsea, Cesar Azpilicueta.

Conte has very much tried to introduce a similar formation to one that once sealed the Premier League trophy, a 3-4-3, which saw the Spanish veteran partner a ball-player in David Luiz and an aggressive tackler in Gary Cahill.

Well, in Eric Dier and Cristian Romero, he has players to fit the mould of the latter duo. And for now, it’s Ben Davies taking up the other role. However, with plans to hand Omole a new deal, Conte may well see a future star fit to take the reins eventually.

As per Lilywhites insider John Wenham, the 22-year-old centre-back is considered to be a “top young talent” within the club and was even tipped to make a debut against Newcastle United back in October.

The young gem is also a left-footer, which will only bolster his claims of replacing Davies in the starting XI as the Welshman has largely been deployed at centre-back due to him being the only defensive-minded left-footer in the squad.

It may be a while before he truly comes to the fold but it’s clear that he has already impressed Conte enough for him to not only be handed fresh terms but also named in the official squad for the remainder of the season.

In Omole, the Italian head coach could well discover a new Azpilicueta.

AND in other news, Spurs “nightmare” who lost ball every 4 mins vs Brighton has given Conte a big dilemma…

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Harry Winks is attracting increasing interest ahead of the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Daily Star, who claim that both Southampton and Crystal Palace are keeping a very close eye on the situation of the England international ahead of a potential move for the midfielder at the end of the current campaign.

The report goes on to state that Tottenham are prepared to listen to any sensible offers for the 26-year-old this summer, as Antonio Conte does not view the academy graduate as part of his long-term plans at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, while it is also said that, despite being a boyhood Spurs fan, Winks would welcome the chance of becoming a first-team regular elsewhere.

Conte must axe winks

Considering just how little Winks has featured since Conte’s arrival in north London last November, in addition to the fact that the midfielder is one of the higher-earners in the Italian’s squad, it would appear a wise move for the 52-year-old to move the Englishman on this summer.

Indeed, despite the fact that Winks’ fellow central midfielder, Oliver Skipp, has been sidelined since January due to injury, the £15.3m-rated 26-year-old has started just eight Premier League fixtures under the management of Conte, having played a total of just 137 minutes of league football since the back to back defeats against Southampton and Wolves in February.

Furthermore, the £91k-per-week man – who Tottenham placed a £40m price tag on last summer – has been criticised for his lack of urgency in the middle of the park, none more so than by former Spurs defender Graham Roberts, who dubbed Winks “Mr Conservative.”

In an interview with Football Transfer Tavern last year, Roberts said of the 10-time capped international: “When Harry Winks got in the team years ago, it’s not the same Harry Winks now. He’s Mr Conservative.

“I’m watching games with people and they say: ‘Harry Winks had 347 passes of the ball today.’ I say: ‘Well, how many went forward?’ It’s always back to the centre-half or square to a centre-half or square to another midfield player. He never ever looks forward.”

As such, should Southampton and Palace indeed be considering a move for the 26-year-old at the end of the current campaign, Conte simply must cash in on the midfielder while the interest is there, as the hefty wages of the player who Tony Cascarino claimed is “casting shadows” at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium could be easily be put to much better use by the Italian this summer.

AND in other news: Bid made: Spurs move for “special” £42m-rated “talent”, he “can be as good as Ronaldo”

A number of Liverpool supporters have reacted negatively to a claim that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will need a scan on an injury picked up against Brentford.

The Reds returned to winning ways in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, picking up a much-needed 3-0 victory against the Bees.

Fabinho opened the scoring for Jurgen Klopp’s side just before half-time and Oxlade-Chamberlain headed home in front of the Kop to double the advantage midway through the second half. Takumi Minamino put the game to bed late on.

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While it was a good day at the office for Liverpool, Oxlade-Chamberlain limped off late in proceedings, in what looks like another injury concern for the Reds.

According to The Daily Mail’s Dominic King [via Anfield Watch on Twitter], the 28-year-old will undergo a scan to reveal the extent of the problem, in what is a worrying update given the ex-Arsenal midfielder’s dreadful record on the injury front since coming to Anfield in 2017.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-17/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

Liverpool fans react to Oxlade-Chamberlain update

These Liverpool fans provided their thoughts on the news on Twitter, with some Kopites’ patience wearing thin.

“Time to get rid of all these injury-prone players”

Credit: @emrysp

“Ox scored. Ox injured. Can’t believe this”

Credit: @ImChamikara17

“Big fan of Ox but availability is best ability. It’s time to cut our losses in the summer with injury-prone, unreliable mids and sell both Ox & Keita”

Credit: @Homes19LFC

“He’s been injury-free for the most part of a year now and he got injured rolling his ankle. How unlucky is that, this isn’t even about injury proneness”

Credit: @passingmfer

“Can’t catch a break can we sigh”

Credit: @l_manuel_

“We are getting very thin”

Credit: @CWinENC

In other news, some Liverpool fans have also responded negatively to a new transfer claim. Read more here.