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Liverpool have been linked with a move for Porto midfielder Otavio as the search for Gini Wijnaldum’s successor steps up and recent comments by the player’s agent may give The Reds hope of getting a deal done.

What’s the story?

According to a report from Portuguese outlet A Bola last week (as reported by Sport Witness), the Reds were in advanced talks for the 26-year-old after he caught the eye of Jurgen Klopp.

The report claimed that the Merseyside outfit are acting on an “express request” from the German tactician after a string of impressive performances from the creative talent.

And a recent update provided by Otavio’s agent will provide further hope for Klopp that he can secure his man this summer.

“If it’s good for Porto and for Otavio,” he said to A Bola when he was asked if his client could be on the move this summer, indicating that a transfer is a possibility.

Klopp will be buzzing

The Brazilian’s exit clause increased from £34 million to £51.5m at the beginning of July, but there’s a growing belief Porto will allow him to depart for considerably less than that.

A significant discount could even be on the cards for the attacking midfielder, with Porto needing to sell players to improve their poor financial situation. The Dragons are reportedly willing to sell him for a fee they deem “fair”, meaning The Reds’ director of football Michael Edwards could secure another bargain.

Wijnaldum’s decision to join French giants Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer has left a significant gap in Liverpool’s engine room.

Several big names, such as Renato Sanches and Saul Niguez, have been strongly linked with a move to Anfield as a result, but Otavio now appears to be firmly in the running.

The South American has bagged 19 goals and provided a further 49 assists in 188 appearances for Porto, winning two league titles and a Portuguese Cup along the way.

With the ongoing pandemic continuing to affect clubs’ finances, Otavio could be deemed a realistic option for Liverpool as they aim to replace Wijnaldum’s passing ability in the middle of the park.

The Merseyside outfit may have to sell some fringe players before they can further bolster their ranks this summer, but news that Otavio could be available will surely leave Klopp buzzing given it’s reportedly him who is keen for a deal to be completed.

And, in other news…Imagine him & Thiago: Edwards could get LFC rocking again by signing £60m “conductor” 

Speaking to Football Insider, pundit Paul Robinson, as seen on Sky Sports, has been left thrilled by West Ham United transfer news involving Liverpool defender Nathaniel Phillips.

The Lowdown: West Ham ‘lay groundwork’…

As reported by FI recently, West Ham and manager David Moyes are allegedly laying the groundwork to sign Phillips behind-the-scenes amid their central defensive crisis.

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Indeed, it is claimed by the outlet that they are ‘lining up a move’ as the club, and recruitment chief Rob Newman, apparently work on his signing.

Other sources somewhat back this, with football.london correspondent Tom Clark explaining last week that West Ham are indeed exploring an offer to sign Phillips in January.

The Latest: Robinson reacts…

Speaking to FI, former England international Robinson has been left thrilled by West Ham as they eye Phillips whilst insisting he would be a ‘brilliant signing’.

“Phillips will give West Ham the push they need.

“We have seen Moyes rotate the squad over the past few weeks but even then they are struggling in a couple of areas with injuries.

“I think Phillips would be a brilliant signing. In all honesty, I think it would be a move that works for all parties.

“Phillips has not played anywhere near as many games as he would’ve liked having had such a good season last year. He got a taste of it. He clearly wants to leave so it seems a matter of when not if.

“West Ham would be a good fit. Moyes recognises that they need players. He won’t sign anyone for the sake of it though. He would only sign a top player who fits into the system and I think Nat Phillips fits the bill.”

The Verdict: In agreement…

The 24-year-old could leave Anfield for as little as £15 million according to reports, and at that price, he would come as an absolute steal for the club.

Homegrown, still fairly young and proven in the Premier League – he could come as the astute defensive signing which would gift Moyes a big January boost.

Phillips even averaged more clearances per 90 than any Reds player in the top flight last season (WhoScored) – perhaps a sure-fire indicator of his obvious quality.

In other news: ‘Can’t wait’, ‘Best news today’…ExWHUemployee’s ‘amazing’ update has many West Ham fans buzzing, find out more here.

Celtic had a rather enjoyable afternoon back in Premiership action today following their Old Firm victory last weekend.

This time, Ange Postecoglou’s side secured a tantalising 7-0 victory over St Johnstone at Parkhead courtesy of six different goalscorers.

Three first-half strikes from Reo Hatate, Giorgos Giakoumakis and Daizen Maeda gave the home side a comfortable 3-0 lead at the midway point. A penalty from Josip Juranovic, a brace from Matt O’Riley and a clinching goal from Liel Abada gave Postecoglou and the home fans a lot to savour as they take another step closer to the title.On a day when many Hoops players had a lot to smile about, one player in particular lit up Parkhead and stole the show.Having opened the scoring for his team, Reo Hatate had 60 touches of the ball before being replaced by fellow midfielder David Turnbull in the 55th minute. Out of the 47 passes he attempted, 43 found their intended target, including all three of the long balls he attempted.He also had three shots on target in total and won the penalty that Juranovic put away in the second half, in addition to completing both of his dribbles, showing how tricky he was to play against. That was in stark contrast with his fellow countryman Maeda, who failed to complete any of his three dribble attempts.The 24-year-old also did his bit defensively by winning three of his four duels, showing how useful he was in and out of possession for his team.This performance ultimately earned the midfield gem an overall match rating of 8/10 from SofaScore, making him the joint-second highest rated Celtic player to start the game.Labelled an “outrageous” player by Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn, Hatate has shown once again today why Postecoglou chose to bring the Japanese maestro to Parkhead in the January transfer window.If the Australian coach can keep getting Hatate and the rest of the Celtic players to deliver performances like this throughout the remainder of the season, they should be a shoo-in to secure the Premiership title.In other news: £2.7m down the drain as Celtic had a howler on “difficult” £450k-rated Parkhead flop

West Ham United’s winning run came to a devastating end in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon as they were defeated 1-0 by Wolverhampton Wanderers.

A solitary goals from Raul Jimenez handed David Moyes’ men their first loss in eight games across all competitions.

The Irons were fortunate to be level at half-time after the home side dominated proceedings in the first 45 minutes and soon after the break, the Mexican talisman fired home from the edge of the box, and it was enough to punish the visitors.

There were several underwhelming displays across the pitch – for instance, Michail Antonio looked a little jaded following his cross-Atlantic duties this international break, whilst Tomas Soucek was way off the pace once again.

Even Pablo Fornals looked a shadow of himself this season and arguably, the Spanish attacking midfielder badly let down his manager and the side in the final third.

Despite playing in the no.10 role. the 25-year-old maestro registered ten fewer touches than even goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski (35), as per SofaScore, who also graded him their lowest-rated player at 6.3.

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It’s no wonder he was hooked just before the hour mark as Moyes clearly had enough with what he was witnessing.

Fornals also failed to register a single key pass from just 13 passing attempts – substitute Nikola Vlasic managed the same number of passes, even though he played just 19 minutes.

The £18m-rated Spaniard also failed to record a single dribble or accurate cross and looked rather lightweight in possession, losing 66.6% of his duels. He even lost the ball once every three touches to compound his miserable afternoon at Molineux.

Jack Rosser of the Evening Standard was less than impressed with the Irons star either. In his post-match ratings column, the journalist claimed Fornals was ‘wasteful on the ball’ and ‘had no impact going forward.’

It can hardly be a surprise that Antonio looked terrible in attack when he wasn’t being supplied with enough quality.

Therefore, on the above evidence, Fornals badly let Moyes and co down this weekend. He will have to vastly improve heading into matches against Rapid Wien and Manchester City next week.

AND in other news, “I understand..”: Journo reveals “West Ham interest” in 28 y/o, fans will be ecstatic…

According to a Manchester City source (via Football Insider), Pep Guardiola was left unimpressed by Jack Grealish following their UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie with Atletico Madrid, with 

The lowdown: A feisty encounter

City became embroiled in a war of attrition with their Spanish counterparts over two legs, with the second clash at the Wanda Metropolitano particularly tension fuelled.

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Following a 1-0 success at the Etihad, the Citizens were able to advance to the semi-finals with a goalless draw in Spain but tensions boiled over in the closing stages.

Whilst warming up as a substitute, Grealish became embroiled in an altercation with Stefan Savic that would appear to have left Guardiola less than pleased…

The latest: Pep’s angry

As per the FI source, the 51-year-old is believed to be ‘unhappy’ with his £100 million record signing being caught up in the antics of Diego Simeone’s side.

It’s claimed that Guardiola ‘does not want any type of ill-discipline or provocative behaviour’ in the Sky Blues squad.

Meanwhile, the report goes on to claim that the 20-cap England ace has ‘complained’ about a lack of the ball in his short City career to date.

The verdict: Unnecessary distraction

Albeit the fracas was almost certainly caused by the ferocious nature of the opposition, it’s perhaps not a surprise that Guardiola, ever the consummate professional would rather his players steer clear of controversy.

In truth, ex-Aston Villa star Grealish has made a rather inauspicious start to life in Manchester, scoring five times and providing three assists in 33 appearances for the club.

This kind of matter will only act as an undue distraction as the 26-year-old attempts to become a regular feature in Guardiola’s side and begin to impact on the big occasions after an FA Cup semi-final goal in vein against Liverpool.

In other news: German source makes exciting transfer claim involving City! Find out more here.

Crystal Palace embarked on a mass overhaul of their first-team squad over the summer, allowing several experienced campaigners to depart before replacing them with exciting, young acquisitions.

And the early indications are that the capital club’s dealings were a huge success. The likes of Marc Guehi, Odsonne Edouard and Conor Gallagher have all hit the ground running at Selhurst Park, propelling Patrick Vieira’s new-look side to a memorable victory over Tottenham Hotspur.

However, while there can be little doubt over the incomings in south London, the club’s hierarchy arguably made a few mistakes when allowing some seasoned professionals to walk out the exit.

Winger Andros Townsend has been excelling at fellow Premier League club Everton in the opening weeks of the new campaign with five goals for the Toffees already, but defender Patrick van Aanholt is another who Palace chairman Steve Parish may have some regrets over.

After joining the Eagles via a £9.45m move in January 2017, the attacking left-back went on to make 134 appearances in all competitions, scoring 14 goals and providing six assists in the process.

His impressive performances for Palace saw him soon became a pivotal part of the English sides system under former manager Roy Hodgson, earning him 19 caps for the Netherlands senior setup as a result.

But while the ex-England boss brought stability to Palace during his tenure, Hodgson has left behind an imbalanced and unstable playing squad, with the Selhurst Park outfit having the oldest squad in the top flight in 2020/21.

Consequently, Van Aanholt was one of the players sacrificed to make way for the new era in south London and was phased out of the Palace starting XI in the final few weeks of last term, allowing promising full-back Tyrick Mitchell a chance to shine.

However, the now 31-year-old still made 22 Premier League appearances for Palace, recording 1.4 interceptions per game and 1.1 defensive dribbles per game, the third-highest totals in the Palace squad for each metric, respectively.

His departure on a free transfer in the previous window has left Mitchell as the only natural left-back in Vieira’s squad, while Van Aanholt’s eye-catching performances for Galatasaray in the Europa League will surely leave Parish and co. lamenting their decision to let the defender go.

And, in other news…Signed for £0, sold for £49.5m: Parish struck gold for Palace over £90k-p/w gem

Former Leeds United star David Norris insists that Conor Gallagher snubbed the club because he wanted to stay in London, and admits that he has been surprised by his form at Crystal Palace.

Gallagher moved to Palace on loan from Chelsea in the summer transfer window despite also being linked with Leeds.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side were reportedly rejected by Gallagher, as he looked to link up with Patrick Vieira’s side at Selhurst Park.

Since his arrival, Gallagher has been pulling up trees in the Premier League, making five appearances and scoring two goals, while also laying on an assist.

He has emerged as a key player under Vieira already, with Palace only losing to Chelsea – in a game for which Gallagher was ineligible – and Liverpool.

Norris is not surprised that the midfielder chose to move to Palace because of the locality of the club to Stamford Bridge, and claims he has already been shocked by how good he is turning out to be.

Norris said: “I think he wanted the London move so it was always going to be a little bit more difficult for Leeds in that sense but he’s surprised me, just with the impact that he’s had so far.”

Sheffield United goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale’s move to join Premier League giants Arsenal has broken down, as reported by the Express.

The Lowdown: Ramsdale looked set for Arsenal as he entered advanced talks over exit

Looking to add to their depth in the goalkeeping department, Arsenal were believed to be close to agreeing a deal for England international Ramsdale for an up-front fee of around £24 million rising to £30 million [Football London].

His homegrown status was said to be an important factor in the prospective deal, as well as providing a competent option to compete with the underperforming Bernd Leno for the number one jersey.

However, the 23-year-old ace now looks set to stay at Bramall Lane for the time being following recent developments.

The Latest: Ramsdale move collapses after breakdown in discussions

Now, it seems no such switch will materialise. Despite player and club engaging in positive discussions, the sides failed to agree a fee for the ex-Bournemouth stopper [Express].

Any notion of Ramsdale moving to the Emirates Stadium this summer looks to now be dead and buried, provoking deep disappointment on his behalf.

The Blades will now keep hold of their top asset, with Arsenal set to move on to a host of other options.

The Verdict: Ramsdale exit would’ve provoked conflicting emotions amongst the Blades support

In 2020/21, Ramsdale registered six clean sheets in 42 appearances within all competitions [Transfermarkt]. Furthermore, he impressed with his distribution across the piece, completing a commendable 281 accurate long balls last year [Premier League].

Once labelled as ‘incredible’ by Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, this latest development may stir mixed emotions at Bramall Lane.

On one hand, losing a talented young stopper so early in a pivotal season would have come as a bitter blow to the Blades’ promotion aspirations.

Conversely, being able to recoup a sizeable amount of money for the 6 foot 2 ace may have gifted boss Slavisa Jokanović with a real opportunity to re-invest in key targets.

In other news, Sheffield United could be set for another prospective departure.

Antonio Conte was given a shock over just how much work he still has to do at Tottenham Hotspur after they lost 2-1 away at NS Mura on Thursday evening.

The Slovenians, who are the lowest-ranked team in the Europa Conference League, took an early lead after a fine curling strike from Tomi Horvat, before Ryan Sessegnon found himself sent off after being given two yellow cards by the referee.

Harry Kane levelled the match in the second half with a delicate chip over the goalkeeper, before a Ben Davies slip proved costly as Amadej Marosa raced through in the last minute of the game to put his shot past Pierluigi Gollini in the Tottenham net.

There were some truly abysmal performances from a lot of Spurs players on the night, and The Transfer Tavern has used statistical experts SofaScore to analyse who were the three worst to have played at least 45 minutes:

Dele Alli (6.4)

Admittedly tied with second place with the same SofaScore rating (6.4), Alli sneaks into third given that he had less time on the pitch after being substituted off for Son Heung-Min in the 54th minute.

It was yet another frustrating evening for the Englishman, summed up by getting himself booked for having an argument with a Mura player just before he came off.

Alli lost out on five of his duels and failed to record a single shot or key pass, while only managing 29 touches of the ball in total as he struggled to make any real impact.

Japhet Tanganga (6.4)

Tanganga also received a 6.4 rating from SofaScore after being part of a defence which was nothing short of shambolic at times.

The centre-back lost out on three duels and failed to make a clearance or block any shots on his goal, while he was also guilty of losing possession seven times.

Pierluigi Gollini (6.1)

Perhaps inevitably, Gollini was given a bad rating (6.1) by SofaScore after letting in two goals, and with the second he would have especially felt as if he could have done much better.

The goalkeeper resisted from trying to play out from the back on multiple occasions, yielding just 25 touches of the ball, while he made no saves at all in the entire match.

Sessegnon received a 5.1 rating after getting sent off, but of course played less than 45 minutes after getting sent off just after the half-hour mark.

In other news, Spurs are ‘preparing’ a bid for this ‘monster’

An update has emerged regarding Everton’s interest in Brazilian left-back Guilherme Arana.

What’s the talk?

According to Brazilian outlet Torcedores (via TEAMtalk), Everton are interested in signing Atletico Mineiro full-back Guilherme Arana.

The report claims that the Toffees have been sending scouts to watch him play for Brazil at the Olympics, where he is playing alongside Richarlison. They are in the quarter-finals of the competition, with the Blues continuing to track his progress.

Fans would love him

Marcel Brands must sanction a swoop for the left-back this summer as he could be a quality addition to the squad heading into next season, while the fans would likely love him.

Everton are short on cover in the full-back areas and Arana could be a much-needed signing to bolster the depth of Rafa Benitez’s squad. Lucas Digne is the first-choice on the left-hand side of the defence and there is no need for him to be immediately replaced, but behind him there is little in the way of competition.

Niels Nkounkou is still very raw, while Ben Godfrey was forced to play at left-back at times last season as a right-footed centre-back naturally, and bringing Arana in could alleviate any need to do that again. Not only would Digne have a serious challenger for his place in the team, it would also allow the former Norwich man to focus solely on playing at centre-back instead of filling in at full-back.

André Jardine, Brazil’s coach at the Olympics, heaped praise on the 1.76m (5 foot 9) beast as he said of the 24-year-old: “He is going through a spectacular phase, he was the best full-back at the last Brazilian Championship, with a great resourcefulness, defensively and offensively.

“His big message at the last Championship was that he scored goals, gave assists, he even scored a goal on our last call. I talk to Franco a lot. With his approval on the left-back, he really meets the Brazilian National Team. Arana fills our eyes with us at the club and here.”

This illustrates that Arana bombs up and down the left flank as he is able to make an impact at both ends of the pitch. Everton fans would likely appreciate him working hard to get up the pitch, as Digne does, whilst potentially offering some assists and goals from the back.

He has one assist in three games at the Olympics and has averaged a superb SofaScore rating of 7.10 in Tokyo. Therefore, he could be a quality signing for the Blues in an ideal position, and one who Everton supporters would surely love to see competing with Digne for the left-back spot next season.

AND in other news, Brands must “raise the bar” by landing “phenomenal” £195k-p/w colossus for Everton…