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Many Liverpool fans questioned goalkeeper Alisson Becker during their Premier League clash with Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon. 

Liverpool were looking to extend the six-game winning streak that began after the November international break.

Saturday’s fixture saw Steven Gerrard, third on the Reds’ all-time appearance list, return to Anfield in the opposition dugout.

Jurgen Klopp made one change from the side that won 1-0 at Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain starting a game at centre forward for the first time this season.

Diogo Jota was only fit enough for the substitutes’ bench, having been sidelined for much of the week’s training.

Recapping Alisson’s performance

There were two moments of uncertainty from Alisson in the first half. First, he misjudged a long ball, with Ashley Young able to nod it beyond him, only for his pull-back to Ollie Watkins to be cut out.

Later, miscommunication with Trent Alexander-Arnold nearly allowed to nick the ball in the penalty area.

He didn’t regain any confidence after the break, nearly giving VAR a reason to get involved with a late scuffle involving Danny Ings.

Along with Thiago Alcantara, Alisson recorded the joint-lowest SofaScore rating in the Liverpool team (6.5).

These Liverpool fans slam Alisson

“With Alisson in goal it looks like we are going to concede a goal any moment”

Credit: @Limzy09

“What is going on with Alisson? A couple of missteps by him so far”

Credit: @B2Life33

“Alisson had a bevvy?”

Credit: @ianyoungkop

“Alisson brain farted twice now”

Credit: @lfcdaz1983

“Alisson’s been very concerning today”

Credit: @salahfanv1

“Why is Alisson scared to touch the ball today?”

Credit: @quarterluke

In other news, Liverpool have been backed to land this Barcelona star.

Crystal Palace have joined Newcastle United in the race to sign Atletico Madrid right-back Kieran Trippier, 90min report.

The Lowdown: Trippier’s situation

Trippier, labelled as ‘outstanding’ by Gareth Southgate, made the move to Spain from Tottenham back in 2019 in a deal worth just shy of £20m.

Since then, he’s made 83 appearances under Diego Simeone, helping Atletico win La Liga last season.

He’s out of contract at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in 18 months’ time and wanted a return to the Premier League in the summer, and it seems as if he won’t be short of options in 2022.

The Latest: Palace name-checked

90min shared a story on Wednesday afternoon, suggesting Newcastle are set to offer the 31-year-old a club-record contract.

They then go on to add that Trippier is still keen on a Premier League return, with Palace, Aston Villa, Everton and Manchester United ready to make a move, should Atletico be open to selling the England international.

The Verdict: Freedman would need to smash club-record

90min suggest that Atletico would demand a fee in excess of £39m from Newcastle for Trippier. Should Palace be the ones to make their move, you’d expect there would be no change to that fee, meaning Dougie Freedman would need to smash Palace’s club-record in order to bring Trippier to Selhurst Park.

Patrick Vieira currently has three right-backs to choose from, with Joel Ward a regular and winning the club’s Player of the Month award for October.

On that basis, if Palace are willing to go big in January, then perhaps they should look at bolstering other areas of the pitch, with just one left-back and no right midfielders at the club. [Transfermarkt]

In other news: ‘I will flip’ – Many Palace fans react as ‘class’ transfer news emerges. 

Lots of Wolves fans were left bemoaning some injury news before their game away at Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League on Wednesday night.

As per Birmingham Live, Rayan Ait-Nouri was injured in the warm up in the build-up to the match, and thus had to be replaced by Fernando Marcal in the starting eleven at short notice.

Of course, it did not matter too much in the end, as Bruno Lage’s team clinched a 1-0 win courtesy of a goal from Romain Saiss.

However, some members of the Molineux faithful are now fearing that Ait-Nouri has picked up a serious injury ahead of the busy Christmas period.

The left wing-back has certainly been one of he Midlands club’s standout players so far this season, averaging more tackles (3.9) and crosses (1.2) than any of his teammates in the Premier League (WhoScored), and so losing him for a length period of time would cause concern.

Meanwhile, Marcal was heavily criticised for the performance he delivered in the Frenchman’s place.

Wolves fans bemoan injury news

These WWFC supporters bemoaned the injury news on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that they were ‘crying’ after it, while another called it a ‘worry’:

“NOOOOOOO”

Credit: @senorlage

“Go away”

Credit: @_tomwwfc

“Bed bed bed”

Credit: @wwfcglover

“This will end in tears”

Credit: @yeahiroy

“Crying nice one”

Credit: @matthewashaw_

“That’s a worry”

Credit: @shewolf1877

In other news, find out whose display against Brighton was slammed here!

Aston Villa and Leicester City have approached Rangers over midfielder Joe Aribo, according to Fichajes.net, with the clubs hoping to complete a deal before he plays another game at Ibrox.

The lowdown

25-year-old Aribo is in the final 18 months of his £14,000-per-week contract at Ibrox.

The midfield maestro, who can also play on the right, joined Rangers on a free transfer from Charlton Athletic in 2019 and has gone to make 123 appearances for the club.

He’s now valued at £5.85million by Transfermarkt, a figure that’s soared since the summer of 2020.

The latest

The report claims Steven Gerrard has ‘expressly requested’ the signing of Aribo as he looks to reunite with the player in the Midlands.

Leicester are at a ‘disadvantage’, but their midfielder Wilfred Ndidi is a ‘great friend’ of Aribo and will try and convince his countryman to pick The Foxes.

Both clubs have ‘already contacted’ Rangers but if they’re to do a deal in January, it’ll most likely have to be before Aribo ‘concentrates’ on the Africa Cup of Nations.

UK-based players are expected to link up with the Nigeria squad on Monday, January 3, meaning Aribo has played his last game for the Light Blues if one of the buyers get their wish.

The verdict

Could Aribo have played his last game for Rangers? Well, if Villa and Leicester are wary of losing out to each other, they may well try to fast-track the deal in the next week.

While they would be furnished with the funds to replace him, losing Aribo would undoubtedly be a big blow to Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

He’s started 19 out of a possible 20 Premiership matches and ranks as their second-highest performer according to WhoScored metrics, behind only James Tavernier.

Aribo, who’s scored six goals and provided three assists in the SPFL, has been hailed as a ‘gem’ and the ‘best player in the league’ by sports journalist Josh Bunting, so the club must ensure they bank a huge profit if they opt to cash in.

In other news, Rangers have been linked with this Spanish sensation.

After not playing for a couple of weeks over the Christmas period, Leeds United are finally back in action when they take on Burnley at Elland Road on Sunday afternoon.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side’s last Premier League outing came when they were beaten comprehensively by Arsenal in mid-December, and they face a Clarets outfit who are also in a perilous position near the bottom of the table.

The Whites were handed a significant boost ahead of the game, though, with Bielsa confirming that centre-back Diego Llorente is fit and available again for selection. If he comes through any late fitness checks, he surely must start against Sean Dyche’s side.

The “imperious” Spaniard became a regular in Leeds’ defence in the final few weeks of the 2020/21 season, starting 13 of the last 14 games in the top flight and coming up with some impressive performances, not least netting a late equaliser against Liverpool.

He earned a WhoScored match rating of 6.90 for that campaign, which marked him out as the Whites’ second-best centre-back after Cooper, who was also the only player at the club to win more headers per game than Llorente’s 2.2.

Former Leeds striker Noel Whelan raved: “He looked every bit that leader and that quality centre-half that we were all expecting when he signed for the football club. There was great excitement about him it took a long time to get to see him consistently.

“But when we did, we saw him grow and grow and grow. We saw him get stronger and better as the games went on. If you ask any Leeds United fan who watched him in that second part of the season and ask them who would be the first centre-half on the team sheet, they would say Llorente.”

With the Whites shipping an abysmal 11 goals in their past two Premier League games – albeit against Manchester City and Arsenal – having Llorente back could go a long way to restoring a bit of calm and composure in defence.

The £16.2m-rated ace could well be the game-changing return in defence which swings things back in Leeds’ favour heading into tomorrow’s clash against Burnley.

Meanwhile, this Championship ace “would jump” at the chance to join Leeds…

Leeds United have been boosted in their attempts to sign Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie, with journalist Pete O’Rourke claiming a January move could happen.

The Lowdown: Leeds keen on signing McKennie

The Whites are searching for a new midfielder in the January transfer window, with Kalvin Phillips out injured for the foreseeable future and reports suggesting Victor Orta is seeking two additions – a number six and a number eight.

One player who Leeds have been linked with signing is McKennie, with the American not always a regular for Juventus this season, starting 11 out of 20 Serie A matches.

It appears as though Marcelo Bielsa could be pushing for the £22.5million-rated midfielder’s signature, with a fresh update emerging on the situation.

[freshpress-quiz id=“383507″]

The Latest: Journalist provides update

Speaking to Give Me Sport, O’Rourke claimed a January move for McKennie isn’t out of the question:

“I think McKennie could be a target, whether you could get them away from Juventus to join a relegation battle will be another issue, but Juventus are open to letting McKennie go, so that maybe gives Leeds a bit of hope in that one.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-30/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Much-needed addition

The 23-year-old is exactly the kind of player Leeds could do with signing this month, with his profile ideal for what Bielsa is looking for.

His age makes him a long-term acquisition but he already possesses plenty of experience, scoring eight goals in 28 caps for the USA and making 65 appearances for Juve after racking up 91 games for Schalke.

According to the official Bundesliga site, the youngster is capable of playing pretty much anywhere in midfield and even in defence, making him the ideal signing in Orta’s search to add depth to the squad – he has played eight different positions in his career.

His former manager in Germany, David Wagner, hailed him as a ‘leader’, which is surely the type of personality Bielsa would want in a relegation dogfight.

McKennie was won an average of 1.6 aerial duels per game in the league this season, not to mention 1.1 tackles and dribbles apiece, highlighting his all-round expertise in the middle of the park.

In other news, Leeds have also been linked with another signing. Find out who it is here.

Aston Villa have been linked with a move for West Ham goalkeeper Darren Randolph.

That’s according to talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook, and, as to be expected, a number of Villa fans have been reacting to the news on social media.

Villa have already made their first marquee addition with Philippe Coutinho joining on loan, with attentions now turning to full-backs, a midfielder and a back-up goalkeeper.

Everton’s Lucas Digne looks like he could be brought in to challenge Matt Targett at left-back, with Sky Sports’ Rob Dorsett revealing personal terms will be completed ‘swiftly’ after a fee was agreed for the France international.

Crook then claimed on Monday lunchtime that Randolph is another pending arrival at Villa Park.

The 50-cap Republic of Ireland international may arrive on loan until the end of the season to provide cover for Emiliano Martinez. Randolph, 34, is yet to make an appearance for the Hammers this season and is out of contract in 18 months.

Villa fans react

@villareport shared the news regarding Randolph on Twitter. This is what these supporters had to say in reply, with many seeing it as a shrewd move.

“Great move”

Credit: @Guirkav

“Didn’t see this happening but not surprised”

Credit: @Emi1Martinez

“Quality back up keeper. And more than willing to be sat on the bench”

Credit: @jackMalin

“Very tidy”

Credit: @JayK0165

“Very good business delighted for him. Was so good for Ireland over the years”

Credit: @DaveHin55518309

“SUIIII”

Credit: @VillaWatch1

In other news: ‘This is a shock’ – Many Villa fans ‘buzzing’ as club confirm ‘big’ news. 

Everton have officially sacked Rafa Benitez, becoming the fifth manager to be shown the door since Farhad Moshiri became the majority shareholder at the club in 2016, and there are already a number of managers being named as potential suitors for the position.

Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney and Roberto Martinez have all been identified as rumoured targets as Benitez’s successor at the club, after Sky Sports journalist, Ben Ransom, named the trio live at Finch Farm on Sunday afternoon.

However, there is a manager that was closely linked with the Everton job before they appointed the Spaniard in the summer.

Nuno Espirito Santo is currently out of work, after being sacked by Tottenham Hotspur following a poor start to the season, and was replaced with Italian manager, Antonio Conte, but could become the perfect appointment for Everton in their current situation where they find themselves 16th in the Premier League this season.

The Portuguese coach earned his credibility and respect in the top-flight during his tenure at Wolverhampton Wanderers taking them from midtable in the Championship to a Europa League quarter-final and an FA Cup semi-final, establishing themselves as a Premier League club finishing as high as seventh in two consecutive seasons in the league under his guidance.

His 47.7% win ratio at Molineux surpasses the 47.1% Wolves completed as they won three league titles in the 1950s under Stanley Cullis, earning him high praise from respected figures in English football, with Gary Lineker hailing the manager “fabulous” upon his mutual departure from the Midlands club.

Lineker told viewers of Match of the Day after Wolves were defeated in Nuno’s last game in charge:

“Ultimately, a disappointing farewell for Nuno but he’s done a fabulous job there over the years and turned them into a real, proper Premier League club.”

Moshiri could hire Nuno and utilise his proven experience in building a club up from mediocrity to challenging in Europe and domestic competitions, finally giving Everton fans something to smile about after a nightmare season so far, with an ongoing lack of success, going further back then Moshiri’s Everton journey, which has seen the club without a trophy for almost 27 years.

Everton have confirmed in a statement that they will announce the new manager at Goodison Park in due course, with currently no word of any official approach being made for any prospective appointment so far.

That said, we think it should be the former Wolves and Tottenham boss who is handed the keys to Goodison Park.

In other news: Sky Sports journalist reveals favourites for the job

With the likes of Robin Olsen, Lucas Digne and Philippe Coutinho having made their way to Aston Villa to join up with the rest of Steven Gerrard’s squad, this highlights how busy the Midlands club have been during the current January transfer window.

Now with just a week left before the window closes, it seems as though the Villans have their eye on bringing another player in that would strengthen Gerrard’s squad further.

What’s the latest?

According to a recent Twitter post from journalist John Percy, Atletico Madrid striker and Gerrard’s former Liverpool teammate, Luis Suarez, has provided the Villa manager with a “glowing reference” on reported transfer target Rodrigo Bentancur from Juventus.

He is apparently now the club’s first-choice for a new defensive-midfielder after seeing a £25m bid for Yves Bissouma rejected by Brighton & Hove Albion.

In full, he said: “Luis Suarez has provided Steven Gerrard with a glowing reference on #avfc target Rodrigo Bentancur. Juventus midfielder & Uruguay international now #1 choice at DCM after Villa’s £25m bid for Yves Bissouma rejected by Brighton. Talks to continue this week, as per @TomCollomosse.”

As a product of Boca Juniors’ youth system, Bentancur eventually joined Juventus back in the 2017 summer transfer window and has since gone on to make a total of 181 appearances for the Italian club across all competitions, scoring three goals and providing 18 assists along the way.

Fans will be thrilled

With Suarez having played with a number of top talents throughout his playing career such as Gerrard and Coutinho as well as the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Andres Iniesta among many others, it’s safe to say that a glowing reference from him will mean a lot and thus, will surely excite a lot of Villa fans about the possibility of Bentancur joining the club.

However, with the Uruguay international having played in 26 games for Juventus so far this season across all competitions, Villa could find it difficult to sign him if Juventus are reluctant to let him go.

Moving forward, if Villa were able to sign the 24-year-old in the next few days before the end of the month, this would surely be another big transfer move from the Midlands club.

That’s when you consider the experience Bentancur has of playing in one of the top teams in Europe in competitions such as Serie A and the Champions League while winning a number of trophies in the process.

It really does feel as though Gerrard is flooding his team with as much elite experience as possible; an exciting proposition for any fan at Villa Park in 2022.

In other news: Journalist drops latest Yves Bissouma transfer update

Everton have already interviewed Vitor Pereira and Fabio Cannavaro, but have still not announced the next manager to lead the Toffees into their last few months of the season, with a fresh twist emerging on the manager search.

What’s the word?

Reliable journalists, Chris Bascombe and John Percy have put together a report in The Telegraph to confirm that Frank Lampard will have a second interview on Thursday afternoon.

According to the report, the ex-Chelsea boss remains in serious consideration for landing the role at Goodison Park, despite interviewing and refusing to officially rule out Pereira from the role after his shocking Sky Sports News interview on Wednesday afternoon.

Duncan Ferguson has been appointed as interim manager at the club until Farhad Moshiri and the Everton board have made a decision on who will take over the challenge at the club for the rest of the season.

Fans will be buzzing

Everton fans have made it very clear who they want as manager, storming Goodison Park on Wednesday night to protest against the owners and their potential appointment of Pereira, with fans spray painting a message on the walls of the stadium saying ‘Pereira out, Lampard in’ and supporters have been vocal on social media too.

One fan tweeted: “Today is the day to announce Lampard to lift the fanbase. Plus it’s time to finally say goodbye to the Vitor once and for all #Everton.”

Lampard has been out of work since he was sacked by Chelsea in January 2021, and although offering less experience than some of the candidates, his work at Derby County by getting them to the playoff final and knocking Manchester United out of the Carabao Cup can’t go unrecognised.

That’s along with his commitment to developing young talent like Mason Mount, who was given his Premier League debut by Lampard, and went on to win the Champions League with the club last summer.

This could be a real opportunity for Moshiri to make amends with the fans and employ the manager that the fanbase clearly wants to see at the club.. However, it will be interesting to see what direction the Everton board do decide to go in over the next few days.

In other news: Alan Myers drops two-word update on Everton manager search