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According to The Express, Liverpool are keen on a move for Leeds’ Jack Clarke as Jurgen Klopp plans for the future amidst a title race that is very much in the present – having kept their money in their wallets and their wallets in their pockets in January, another summer spending spree is surely on the cards at Anfield and Clarke could be a part of that.

The 18-year-old has chalked up two goals and two assists for the Whites, who currently sit second in the Championship standings, as Marcelo Bielsa bloods youth amid his thin squad’s bid for the title.

Should Leeds be promoted to the Premier League, the Elland Road outfit will be in a far better position to keep hold of the starlet but, should they fall at the final hurdle, there will be almost nothing standing in Klopp’s way.

Signing the attacker might seem like a pretty harmless move but there could be some big consequences at Anfield. Football FanCast consider the potential ramifications below…

Bad news for Ben Woodburn and Harry Wilson

As Liverpool look to steal Manchester City’s crown, their revered front three remain undroppable and so chances for youth talent hoping to star in the front line are next to non-existent.

Dominic Solanke sealed a switch to Bournemouth last month while wingers Ben Woodburn and Harry Wilson completed loan moves to the Championship with Sheffield United and Derby County respectively in the summer.

The former has endured a torrid time with the Blades but the latter is excelling with the Rams, stealing headlines with some wonder strikes.

Signing Clarke could prove terminal for Woodburn in particular and make the duo’s challenge to break into the first team even harder than it already is, with another youngster vying for a spot in the attack. Good news, though, for Frank Lampard, who will surely be keen to bring Wilson back to Pride Park next season.

Sold on for big profit

Sporting director Michael Edwards has been behind many of the big name transfers Liverpool have completed since November 2016 and will have likely played a role in the signing of the aforementioned Solanke from Chelsea, whom the Reds sold on for a whopping £19m in January.

The striker made 27 appearances for the Reds, scoring one goal, yet was offloaded for a disproportionate fee a year-and-a-half later. It would take something special to oust any of Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane from the starting lineup and Clarke could spend some years developing and impressing with the Under-23’s but never get a chance in the first team.

Perhaps it’s more likely that he would be sold on for enormous profit instead and that Solanke’s Liverpool journey is one many Reds youngsters could be set to follow from now on.

A change of approach for Liverpool

The focus at Anfield for the last few years has been to get into a position where Liverpool are able to challenge for and win titles – whether they can dethrone City this time around could go down to the very last day of the season.

Jurgen Klopp has gotten quite inventive with his excuses this season. FFC’s James Jones think he has no one but himself to blame for Liverpol’s poor form in the video below…

Now that they are there, though, securing that status for years to come should be high on the agenda and the signing of Clarke would indicate that as a look to the future rather than the present. At 18 years old, the Leeds starlet has plenty of room to grow and, if he manages to avoid being sold for a big profit, he could play a key role in Liverpool staying at the very top of the Premier League for the next decade.

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Whilst Wolves deserve tremendous credit for their wonderful performance on Sunday, Arsenal will be frustrated not to have been able to beat their newly-promoted opponents at the Emirates Stadium. The draw marked the Gunners’ third Premier League stalemate in a row, taking their unbeaten run to 16 matches in all competitions, but showing that they still have plenty of room for improvement under Unai Emery.

The visitors were the better side at the weekend as the north London club had the heroics of goalkeeper Bernd Leno to thank for their undeserved draw. None of the Arsenal players shone, but a few in particular struggled especially. 

Amongst those who turned in notably poor performances was the Arsenal left-back, Sead Kolasinac.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”327140″ player=”12034″ title=”Rafa’s Pub Facts Leicester Trump Man City Chelsea & Liverpool”]

The stocky defender has only recently returned to the team after a pre-season injury saw him ruled out for the start of the campaign. An injury to the first choice left-back, Nacho Monreal, has seen the 24-cap Bosnia and Herzegovina international come straight into Emery’s starting XI.

The powerful defender joined the north London club on a free transfer in the summer of 2017. However, despite scoring five goals in all competitions for his new club, the 25-year-old failed to impress during his first season in England.

With Monreal ageing, the Spaniard will likely soon need to be replaced by a new first-team left-back, whose arrival could also signal the end of Kolasinac’s time at the Emirates. If he is to avoid that fate, then Kolasinac must impress during this run in the side he is currently enjoying.

Against Wolves, however, he did little to help his cause.

Having been defensively suspect since his arrival in England, the weaknesses in Kolasinac’s game were once again exposed on Sunday. Whilst Wolves mounted several attacks, the former Schalke man could not produce a single interception, block or clearance and only managed to make one tackle.

Despite being an attack-minded full-back, he was equally poor in possession. He did not complete any dribbles, produced no key passes and racked up a disappointing pass completion rating of 76.9%. 

On top of that, Kolasinac also committed three unsuccessful touches – more than any other player.

All in all, it was a poor display from the defender who must start doing much better, and soon, if he is to forge a future for himself at the Emirates under Emery.

Celtic got their season back on track with a 3-1 win away at Patrick Thistle at the weekend.

The Hoops were knocked out of the Champions League by AEK Athens meaning they will not feature in the group stage for the first time in four years. By failing to qualify, they have missed out on a huge prize pot that could have funded their summer transfer business. Celtic fans will be glad to see their side return to winning ways against Patrick Thistle thanks to goals from Leigh Griffiths, Moussa Dembele and Tom Rogic.

Celtic will now enter the Europa League play-off round alongside rivals Rangers. Steven Gerrard has added a whole host of players to his squad this summer so retaining the Scottish Premiership title will be harder than ever. The Hoops still have until the end of August to add to their team.

One man they should sign is Liverpool winger – Sheyi Ojo. Valued at £2.25m by Transfermarkt, the winger joined Liverpool at the age of 14 and quickly progressed through their youth setup earning a reputation as one of their hottest prospects. With his route to the first team blocked by Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, Ojo was loaned to Fulham last season where he scored four and assisted two in helping the Cottagers return to the Premier League.

Following the signing of Xherdan Shaqiri, Ojo is once again set to leave the club on loan with reports suggesting that Aston Villa are interested in his services. Celtic should look to hijack their move and bring the youngster to Celtic Park.

Ojo is a fast, powerful winger who would cause nightmares for defenders in the SPFL. He is comfortable on either wing and would add another dimension to their attack. Rodgers has worked with the youngster before during his spell at Liverpool and knows exactly what he would add to the team.

If he can replicate the form he showed at Fulham, he would be an excellent signing.

Celtic fans, thoughts?

Crystal Palace manager will be targeting experienced Premier League players in the January transfer market, report MailOnline.

The London club currently sit rock bottom of the Premier League having lost all seven of their opening games of the campaign, without scoring a single goal.

Hodgson came in to replace the sacked Frank de Boer but is yet to find a way of halting Palace’s rapid decline, but will his reported plans for the January transfer window give him half a chance of keeping Palace in the big time?

Our writers have their say…

Christy Malyan

We’ve seen some incredible great escapes throughout Premier League history, not least including Sam Allardyce’s at Crystal Palace last season.

But for Roy Hodgson so pull one of this time around would constitute easily the greatest yet; Palace look set to go eight games without a point or a goal when they host Chelsea this weekend, the worst start to a Premier League campaign by a considerable distance.

That being said, there’s no doubt this Palace squad has proven Premier League ability and survival instincts when it comes to the final run in – if Hodgson can bring in a few shrewd signings to balance out a squad that was skewed somewhat by Frank de Boer’s summer signings, the Eagles have half a chance of staying up.

John McGinley

We’re not at the miracle stage with Palace quite yet. Yes their situation is grim but, discounting the de Boer debacle, there are valid reasons.

The fixtures have not been kind to Roy Hodgson since he arrived at the club. The two in-form Manchester teams back-to-back, followed by Chelsea? The fixture computer dealt him a rough hand with that run.

Hodgson has the sense to recruit smartly and if they are still within single digits of escaping the relegation zone by January, I’d back him to get the job done.

Chris McMullan

The obvious comparison will be made with Sam Allardyce because the departure of the former England boss is what led Crystal Palace into their very fine mess in the first place. It’s not an overly accurate one, though.

Mamadou Sakho was clearly Allardyce’s most important January import last season, but surely his second most vital was Luka Milivojevic from Olympiacos. When he kept Sunderland in the Premier League in 2015/16, Allardyce brought in the likes of Jan Kirchhoff, Wahbi Khazri and Lamine Kone, none of whom had previous Premier League experience. What he did was find value in the market.

Indeed, it was David Moyes who spent the second half of last season talking about getting ‘more Britishness’ in the middle of the pitch before taking an abject side to the Championship.

Premier League experience doesn’t mean ‘British’, of course, but Hodgson should make sure he’s looking for the right players to make his squad better, not just Premier League players no-one else wants who will just rearrange the deck chairs on a sinking ship.

James Beavis

Seven defeats from seven fixtures and no goals shows the difficult situation that Crystal Palace find themselves in right now, and a match against Chelsea on Saturday is certainly not what they need right now.

Are they doomed already? Well, while they are in a precarious position you always feel that the first goal and point/win could set the Eagles on a bit of a roll, and I maintain that perhaps outside of the top six in the Premier League, anyone can beat anyone and that will always mean that Hodgson has a chance of keeping them up.

He needs some of those victories on the board before the January transfer window, though.

Though Newcastle United have the joint-best defensive record in the Sky Bet Championship this season, Chancel Mbemba’s performance against Sheffield Wednesday over the course of the weekend raised an interesting debate.

The Congolese was afforded a rare start by manager Rafa Benitez in the game prior to the loss at Hillsborough and he appeared to take his chance against Burton Albion, though was poor in Sheffield on Saturday evening.

Since, there’s been talk online as to whether or not the former Anderlecht man is indeed the Toon’s best defender. While he looked promising at times last season, life in the second tier doesn’t appear to suit his game, despite the ability shown in the Premier League.

Clearly, Mbemba has talent. Still, the form of Ciaran Clark since his move from Aston Villa last summer has seen the Irishman become influential in a Magpies side trying to make an instant return to the English elite.

So, we asked our Newcastle-supporting readers here on Football FanCast exactly who they thought was actually the club’s best defender.

As you can see from the ratings below, Clark comes out on top by a distance, with 22 positives votes compared to his teammate, who garnered just 6. That’s a mammoth 88% of voters who believe Clark can claim the mantle.

Liverpool fans in the Transfer Tavern are excited to hear that they’ve joined the hunt for a big signing, ad they rival a number of Premier League clubs for a midfielder’s signature.

The Daily Star says Jurgen Klopp is expressing an interest in Leicester City midfielder N’Golo Kante and the Reds are prepared to rival Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham in the market for the player’s services.

Kante enjoyed a fine season last term as Leicester stormed to the Premier League title but the Foxes are resigned to losing the 25-year-old midfielder, who starred for France in their opening Euro 2016 victory over Romania.

Following a bargain buy last summer, Kante is available for £22m this close-season and a host of big names are ready to activate that release clause, although Liverpool may find it difficult as they cannot offer Champions League football.

Our landlord reckons it’s a straight shoot-out between Arsenal and Spurs for the player’s services, as other interested parties can’t offer him action in Europe’s elite competition.

Where will Kante be playing next season? Let us know in the comments below!

England head coach Sarina Wiegman has responded to Mary Earps' comments that she let the Lionesses "down" in a dramatic win over the Netherlands.

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Earps said she "let down" England on FridayGoalkeeper made error in 3-2 win over NetherlandsWiegman showed support for EarpsWHAT HAPPENED?

Earps made a costly error in England's clash with the Dutch at Wembley on Friday, allowing the visitors to take a 2-0 lead in a game that the Lionesses absolutely had to win to keep their UEFA Women's Nations League campaign alive. Goals from Georgia Stanway, Lauren Hemp and Ella Toone meant the European champions completed an incredible second half comeback but their chances of progressing to the finals of the competition are not straight-forward after a victory by just a one-goal margin.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT WAS SAID?

Speaking to ITV after the game, Earps said: "I'm sorry my performance cost the girls like that. That will haunt me for a long time. I've really let the team down today. I'm really gutted."

However, Wiegman dismissed those comments in her press conference, telling reporters: "I don’t want her to talk like that, because you win as a team and lose as a team. She didn’t let the team down. Everyone does their best. You only let your team down when you don’t put effort in."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

England's 3-2 win means their hopes of making the Nations League finals are still alive – just. It is likely that the Lionesses will need to beat Scotland heavily on Tuesday in their final group stage match in order to progress to the next round, which would keep the chances of Great Britain being able to send a women's team to next summer's Olympics alive, too. The permutations are extensive, though, with Belgium playing the Netherlands at the same time.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR EARPS AND ENGLAND?

England face Scotland at Hampden Park in Glasgow on Tuesday night. Their neighbours were relegated from League A in the Nations League on Friday evening, after drawing with Belgium.

The Blues' owners have had enough and sacked the Englishman after his team's latest upset and will now look for his successor

Graham Potter's reign as Chelsea manager has come to an end. Just over six months since he replaced Thomas Tuchel at the helm of the Premier League side, the ex-Brighton manager has been sacked.

The Stamford Bridge club decided enough was enough after they were beaten 2-0 by Aston Villa on home soil, leaving them sitting 11th in the Premier League table.

Despite the January signings of the likes of Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk and Joao Felix, the situation in west London did not improve under Potter.

In the end, his team won just 12 of the 31 matches they played since Chelsea forked over £21.5 million ($26.3m) to take him away from Brighton.

Now the club's board must begin their search for a replacement for the 47-year-old, but who are the candidates to step into the hot seat?

GOAL runs through the options…

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  Julian Nagelsmann

  Following his sacking from Bayern Munich, Julian Nagelsmann is a top candidate to step in to take over at Stamford Bridge.

  The German manager was replaced by Thomas Tuchel at Bayern – the coach Potter succeeded at Chelsea in September.

  Nagelsmann, 35, is still regarded as one of the most promising coaches in world football, having been a success at Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig before Bayern snapped him up in 2021.

  Tottenham were recently linked with Nagelsmann after Antonio Conte's departure, but the Blues may attempt to beat their London rivals to him.

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  Mauricio Pochettino

  Inevitably among the first names linked with the job as soon as the pressure began to ramp up on Potter – just as was the case when Thomas Tuchel was sacked last year.

  Pochettino has been out of work since his ill-fated spell at Paris Saint-Germain came to an end in the summer, and Chelsea would undoubtedly consider him for the job.

  However, they will be wary of his underwhelming time in Paris and may well face stiff competition from his former club Tottenham now that they are hunting for Antonio Conte's replacement.

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  Zinedine Zidane

  Zidane has been playing hard to get ever since his second stint in charge of Real Madrid came to an end in 2021.

  PSG, France and the United States have all apparently courted the three-time Champions League-winning coach, but he remains a free agent for now.

  Zidane has hardly anything in common with Potter, so his appointment would represent a dramatic shift in direction by the Chelsea ownership. However, it is hard to argue with the results that Zizou has achieved in his managerial career so far, and he is used to managing big egos – of which there are plenty at Stamford Bridge.

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  Luis Enrique

  Having stepped down as Spain boss following their last-16 exit from the 2022 World Cup, it surely won't be long until Luis Enrique rebounds back into a top managerial job.

  A committed footballing idealist, on paper he should be able to plot a path for Chelsea to follow over the next few years – though that's easier said than done due to the recent turnover of players.

  The 52-year-old has not managed in the Premier League previously and has been out of the club game for some time now – two things that could go against him in any potential job interview.

  Saying that, Boehly and Co. want entertaining football, which is something the Spaniard could provide.

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It's been a year of sensational collaborations and top-class archival releases

Here at GOAL, we take football boots seriously. Throughout the year, our inboxes are inundated with the latest drops – some of which we deem worthy enough to share with you.

We’re constantly testing and judging, so as 2022 draws to a close, we thought it was time to share our insights on the best boot releases of the year.

From cult collabs to the retro releases dreams are made of. Budget-friendly to worth the price tag. Best speed for strikers and no-nonsense designs for defenders. We’ve narrowed our list down to ten categories, which we’ve judged by comfort, speed, control and style.

Without any further delay, here are the GOAL 2022 Boot Awards.

The GOAL Boot Awards 2022

Best Boot CollaborationStone Island x New Balance Furon v7$220.00 at StockX

Honourable mentions: Nike x Mbappe Air Zoom Mercurial, PUMA x Liberty Ultra Ultimate

Stone Island’s collaboration with New Balance only arrived in November, but the late entry has already cemented its status as one of the year’s best.

As well as officially introducing Stone Island into football for the first time – after decades of casual association with the sport – it has also made an impact at the World Cup.

When Raheem Sterling scored England’s third goal against Iran he used the outside of the boot, leading some fans to speculate that he had gone out of his way to “get the badge in.”

Comfort Speed Control Style

3/53/54/55/5Advertisement

Best Retro BootGold Predator Absolute Zidane$325.00 at StockX

Honourable mentions: Nike Air Zoom Mercurial Vapor XV SE, adidas Predator Edge 94+

adidas has released a series of Predator iterations over the course of the past year, but arguably the best is a nod to an infamous moment for the silhouette.

The original Predator Absolute in gold was worn by Zinedine Zidane for his last ever match, the 2006 World Cup final that ended in a headbutt and eventual defeat.

Despite that origin, the boot is a classic, and the Three Stripes made an inspired call in bringing it back from the archive.

Comfort Speed Control Style

4/53/54/55/5

Best Boot Under £100Nike Phantom GTII Academy$69.99 at Soccer.com

Honourable mentions: adidas Predator Edge.3, Mizuno Monarcida Neo II

The Nike Phantom GTII has proven itself to be a popular choice for elite-level players this season, and the Academy version offers an affordable alternative.

The boot is packed with design touches to improve your play, including patterning that helps you place your shots and an off-centre lacing system that is intended to help you dribble, pass and score.

If you’re buying a pair, we’d go for the Glacier Ice, Yellow Strike and Sunset Glow colourway favoured by Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden and Harry Kane.

Comfort Speed Control Style

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Best Boot Over £100 Nike Air Zoom Mercurial Vapor XV$260.00 at Nike

Honourable mentions: adidas Copa Sense+, PUMA Future 1.4 NJR Rare

The latest innovation for Nike’s Mercurial line arrived this year, with Air Zoom added for the first time since 2001.

The new feature was rolled out across two silhouettes, with the Mercurial Vapor XV the pick of the bunch.

The boot is designed with a three-quarter length air cushion, giving the players extra speed and control, while the upper is designed for ball control, and a new stud pattern is used to allow for play in all directions.

At £235, it’s not cheap, but it packs a punch with Nike’s cutting-edge technology.

Comfort Speed Control Style

4/55/54/54/5

MatériaMais Notícias

Como pode um clube oferecer mais de R$ 100 milhões num jogador de apenas 17 anos? Como um menino que disputou apenas 15 jogos como profissional pode valer tanto? Bom, essas foram algumas das perguntas feitas por torcedores logo após surgir o interesse do Real Madrid na contratação do meia Reinier, do Flamengo. Uma negociação que gira em torno de R$ 130 milhões.

A grande questão é que Reinier é uma novidade no mercado nacional agora, mas já chama a atenção do exterior há muito tempo. Camisa 10 da Seleção Brasileira desde o sub-15, o menino é monitorado – ele e outros, é claro – de perto pelos grandes clubes europeus desde então. O sucesso no primeiro ano de profissional apenas aumentou o desejo de fora, principalmente do Real. E ao contrário do que muitos pensam, a pouca idade não é um empecilho. Pelo contrário, é uma vantagem.

E quando digo sucesso, não me refiro apenas às conquistas coletivas do Rubro-Negro em 2019. Individualmente, Reinier também brilhou. Aos 17 anos, o meia teve o segundo melhor aproveitamento do Campeonato Brasileiro na relação gol/finalização entre os jogadores que marcaram aos menos cinco vezes. Para estufar as redes. Foram seis tentos em apenas 16 conclusões, ou seja, um a cada 2,66 tentativas – Luiz Adriano, do Palmeiras, com 2,17, liderou o ranking. O desempenho foi superior, por exemplo, ao de Gabigol, Artilheiro da competição com 25 gols, mas precisando de 4,16 oportunidades para marcar.

RelacionadasFlamengoFlamengo e Real Madrid chegam a acordo de R$ 136 milhões por ReinierFlamengo04/01/2020VaivémReinier no Real, Vanderlei insatisfeito, Palmeiras de olho em lateral e mais: O vaivém deste sábadoVaivém04/01/2020FlamengoPerto de ser finalizada, transferência de Reinier fará Flamengo bater valor orçado para 2020 com vendasFlamengo05/01/2020

Reinier terminou em segundo também na lista dos atletas que necessitaram de menos tempo em campo para estufar as redes – mínimo de 5 gols também. Dessa vez, Gabriel levou a melhor, marcando um a cada 102 minutos, enquanto que o jovem precisou de 118 para anotar cada gol.

Outra estatística que o garoto apareceu muito bem posicionado foi a de gols saindo do banco de reservas. Das 14 partidas que disputou no Brasileirão, foi titular em apenas oito. Nas seis em que saiu do banco, no entanto, marcou três vezes. Uma marca que só foi superada por Pepê, do Grêmio, que fez quatro. O gremista de 22 anos, porém, entrou no decorrer de 18 jogos, o triplo de Reinier.

FINALIZAÇÕES PARA MARCAR UM GOL
– Dados do Footstats/mínimo de 5 gols marcados

1º – Luiz Adriano – Palmeiras – 2,17 finalizações para marcar um gol
2º – Reinier – Flamengo – 2,66 finalizações para marcar um gol
3º – Arrascaeta – Flamengo – 3,69 finalizações para marcar um gol
4º – Boselli – Corinthians – 4 finalizações para marcar um gol
5º – Gabigol – Flamengo – 4,16 finalizações para marcar um gol

TEMPO EM CAMPO PARA MARCAR UM GOL
– Dados do OGol/mínimo de 5 gols

1º – Gabigol – Flamengo – 102 minutos para marcar um gol
2º – Reinier – Flamengo – 118 minutos para marcar um gol
3º – Bruno Henrique – Flamengo – 122 minutos para marcar um gol
4º – Pedro – Fluminense – 125 minutos para marcar um gol
5º – Arrascaeta – Flamengo – 141 minutos para marcar um gol

MAIS GOLS COMO RESERVA
– Dados do OGol
​
1º – Pepê – Grêmio – 4 gols em 18 jogos saindo do banco
2º – Reinier – Flamengo – 3 gols em 6 jogos saindo do banco
Marcelo Cirino – Athletico-PR – 3 gols em 11 jogos saindo do banco
Arthur Gomes – Chapecoense – 3 gols em 12 jogos saindo do banco
​Mateus Gonçalves – Ceará – 3 gols em 16 jogos saindo do banco
Gustagol – Corinthians – 3 gols em 16 jogos saindo do banco
Arthur Caíque – Bahia – 3 gols em 20 jogos saindo do banco