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The Merseyside derby on Monday is likely to come ‘too soon’ for Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk to return from injury, according to expert Ben Dinnery.

The Lowdown: Van Dijk injured

After being forced off at half-time in Liverpool’s 3-1 defeat away at Brentford at the beginning of January, Jurgen Klopp confirmed Van Dijk would be out for at least ‘a few weeks’.

The centre-back has recently taken to Instagram to share an update on his progress, posting stats of a fitness session he was involved in, after what transpired to be a hamstring injury ended up being worse than first feared.

The Latest: Dinnery’s update

In an interview with GIVEMESPORT, Dinnery claimed that next week’s Merseyside derby against Everton will be too early for the Dutchman to make a return.

The injury expert said: “I would suggest that the Merseyside derby on Monday is probably going to come a little bit too soon for him.

“I think, realistically, Jurgen Klopp would want more time on the training pitches for him, so it could be the game after that where he makes his return.”

The Verdict: Disappointing news

Hailed as ‘outrageous’ by Jonathan Woodgate (via The Mirror), it is no secret how important the 31-year-old is for Klopp’s side, ranked by Sofascore as their best-performing centre-back in the Premier League this season, averaging a 7.01 match rating.

In the absence of the 6 foot 5 titan, the Reds have looked shaky defensively, going two goals down inside 12 minutes against Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend, with Joel Matip being rated as the worst player on the pitch.

While Liverpool should not need Van Dijk to beat Everton, given the disparity between the teams in the league table, Klopp will still be disappointed that one of his best players is not back to full fitness yet, and the hope will be that he can return for the tough trip to Newcastle United a week on Saturday.

Man City are lining up a summer bid for Fulham defender Antonee Robinson as Pep Guardiola already ‘finds’ his heir to Joao Cancelo.

The Lowdown: Cancelo departs…

In perhaps one of the shocks of the January transfer window, Cancelo, a Sky Blue mainstay and star player of the last two years left Eastlands – joined Bayern Munich on loan with a €70 million (£62m) option to buy.

Reports suggest that the Portugal international had a fall-out with Guardiola behind-the-scenes though this is categorically denied by the player himself.

Cancelo had been used sparingly since returning from the World Cup in Qatar, perhaps owing to the brilliant form of rising star Rico Lewis and versatile ace Nathan Ake.

The Latest: Man City line up Robinson bid…

City supporters have been left surprised and disappointed by Cancelo’s exit given his importance and status in Guardiola’s first team since 2020/2021.

The 28-year-old’s technical ability and flair out wide will be sorely missed, but according to The Sun, club chiefs are already lining up a summer bid for his possible heir.

The outlet states City ‘will’ make a bid for USA international Robinson in the summer as Guardiola already ‘finds’ his replacement for Cancelo.

The Verdict: Good option?

The 25-year-old, who won stellar praise for his performances at last year’s World Cup, could prove to be a good option to succeed the departed Cancelo.

As per WhoScored, Robinson has become a key player under Marco Silva in the Premier League – starting 18 league matches as one of their most-selected men.

He also averages Fulham’s second-highest rate of crosses per 90 from out wide and ranks third in their squad for completed take-ons.

Robinson is also highly versatile, able to play at both left-back and further forward on the wing.

Members of the press have called the defender ‘magnificent’ after seeing him shine in Qatar and City have apparently been quoted a reasonable £20m fee.

His status as an English top flight regular with international pedigree could make £20m seem like a bargain.

Wolves are reportedly ‘plotting’ a raid of their Black Country rivals West Brom for their right-back Ethan Ingram.

The Lowdown: Busy window

The Old Gold have already made four signings in the January transfer window so far, bringing in Matheus Cunha, Mario Lemina, Pablo Sarabia and Craig Dawson.

Their spending spree shows no sign of stopping, as they have also been linked with moves for Atletico Madrid’s Felipe and Flamengo’s Joao Gomes in recent days.

The Latest: Ingram raid

As per Football Insider, the Wanderers, as well as QPR, are ‘plotting’ a move for Ingram before the window shuts.

The 19-year-old is in the final 18 months of his deal, and his future is thought to be ‘up in the air’.

The Molineux outfit are in the market for a new right-back, and they regard Ingram as a player with ‘huge potential’ for the future.

The Verdict: Semedo competition needed

Nelson Semedo is the only recognised senior right-back in the squad at the moment, and so Julien Lopetegui could do with another to compete with the Portuguese.

At 19, Ingram could understudy the 29-year-old, with the thought of replacing him as first choice in the future.

He has experienced men’s football before with two senior appearances for West Brom, but has mainly featured for them at youth level, with 71 games played, recording an impressive two goals and 10 assists from right-back (Transfermarkt).

Ingram has also been capped at youth level for England, and so is clearly a highly-rated prospect.

Nonetheless, this would be a smart signing for Wolves.

Southampton’s interest in Shakhtar Donetsk winger Tete could be reignited, according to Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Failed move

Southampton previously held interest in the Brazilian winger, with 90min reporting back in March that the Saints were set to sign him ahead of a host of other interested Premier League sides.

However, the deal failed to happen after the Premier League blocked FIFA’s mid-season ruling that foreign players from Ukrainian and Russian sides could leave their teams mid-season due to the ongoing problems in the region.

The Latest: Chance to resurrect

Lyon instead swooped, but it looks like his loan spell at the Groupama Stadium is set to come to an end, reigniting the interest of English sides, notably Southampton.

Jones told GiveMeSport that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Saints were to once again go back in for the 22-year-old.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if they were going back over some previous targets, it is clubs that get into a situation like this that often do that, because they have such extensive scouting already done on these players and they know the roles that they were looking for, so that wouldn’t surprise me.”

The Verdict: Bring him in

Interestingly, the winger was valued at €70m (£62m) back in 2020, so it remains to be seen as to how much the Saints may have to pay now but it doesn’t look as if he will be a cheap option.

Southampton are currently embroiled in a battle to survive in the top flight with the Saints currently bottom of the league after five straight defeats, seeing no new manager bounce occurring under Nathan Jones.

Tete has bagged six goals and three assists in Ligue 1 this season – which would make him the top scorer and top provider at St Mary’s – following on from nine goals in 17 Ukrainian Premier Liga games last season.

Attacking options are severely limited on the south coast, while their output of only 15 goals scored in 17 games contributing to the third-worst goal difference in the league.

We think the Saints need a spark, and what better than bringing in some Brazilian flair to inspire a second-half-of-the-season comeback to beat the drop, with noted scout Jacek Kulig dubbing him “very talented”.

Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou will likely be plotting to move on some members of his squad in the January window, with the Parkhead outfit having a handful of figures who are currently on the periphery at present.

One of those who is out in the cold is boyhood fan, James McCarthy, with the 32-year-old having endured a miserable time of it in Glasgow since joining the Old Firm outfit back in the summer of 2021.

The Republic of Ireland international has gone on to make only 27 appearances in all competitions since then over the last 18 months, with only six of those outings having come from the start as a marker of his struggles for game time.

The 43-cap dud – who is currently ruled out with injury – has been restricted to just 62 minutes of action in the current campaign thus far, with it appearing a notable mistake to have awarded the former Crystal Palace man a lengthy, four-year contract at the time of his arrival.

Reports back in October suggested that the Scottish champions are already looking to shift the £14k-per-week man in the New Year, with pundit Frank McAvennie suggesting that the midfielder “will go” if an offer does arrive.

That exit could well provide the chance for Postecoglou to promote a promising talent from the club’s youth ranks, with 17-year-old Daniel Kelly one such figure who could well prove to be the heir to McCarthy in the side.

The highly-rated playmaker appears to have a “big future” in the game – in the words of B team coach Tommy McIntyre – with the teenager having impressed in his deep-lying midfield role of late, racking up 13 appearances in all competitions this season.

The young Scotsman – who is yet to feature at senior level – was notably lauded following his display in a recent clash against Dunfermline, with opposition boss James McPake having spoken highly of his quality:

“You come up against a CDM or a No 6 in that role, the deep-lying midfielder, Daniel Kelly is the best about at that age for Celtic, I’ve seen him a few times. He’s so assured.”

Such a glowing assessment is a marker of just what a genuine starlet the Bhoys do have on their hands, with that talent also illustrated by the fact that the youngster has earned notable interest of late, with Premier League clubs having been circling prior to his recent contract extension.

The next step will no doubt be to hand Kelly a more prominent role at first-team level, with the departure of McCarthy seemingly set to afford the youngster a great chance of staking his claim in the side at the base of the midfield.

It could well be wise for Postecoglou to try and spark the Celtic career of one gem, while ending the career of another.

West Ham United spent big in the summer, with David Moyes backed to be the man to continue the progression he had already made with this Hammers side.

The Scotsman would unload £157m on eight new faces, with the crowning jewel being their acquisition of Lucas Paqueta.

Brought in on a club-record £51m deal, there was a belief that the Brazilian could add that touch of class and creativity just in front of the midfield two to unlock the Irons’ attacking potential.

However, with 14 games under his belt for the east London outfit, the 25-year-old is yet to score and has just three assists.

It seems he is yet to recapture the form that saw him score 11 and assist seven the season prior for Lyon.

Despite this apparent poor form, he still retained his place in the Brazil squad for the World Cup.

Aside from the Cameroon loss, he has actually featured in all of their matches so far, earning his position alongside Casemiro in central midfield.

Perhaps Moyes could look to employ Paqueta in that position alongside Declan Rice when this tournament culminates, especially after if his display against South Korea is anything to go by.

Earning a 7.7 rating, he was actually the second-highest-rated player of anyone on the pitch.

His statistics help paint the picture of why, as he was a creative threat from deep throughout and even scored one himself.

Arriving late into the box, Vinicius Junior chipped the ball to the onrushing maestro who volleyed across goal to cap off a fine win. He would also record three key passes alongside a 90% pass accuracy, and was happy to muck in with two tackles too, via Sofascore.

This match stood as proof that even from further back in the pitch he could be the “warrior and a wizard” he was dubbed by Squawka.

Moyes will surely be watching, and with this string of performances thinking that maybe he has got it wrong with the first half of the season.

Perhaps January could see him dip back into the transfer window for a true no.10, and allow Paqueta to flourish in a role where he has starred in Qatar.

Everton reportedly have a long-standing interest in Villarreal defender Pau Torres ahead of the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Going to the World Cup…

The 25-year-old will be one of many stars to look out for at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, as he heads to the tournament with Spain.

The 2010 champions won 3-1 against Jordan in a friendly in preparation for the World Cup on Thursday afternoon, in which Torres played the full 90 minutes.

The Latest: Everton interested in Torres

Writing in his latest piece for 90min, transfer expert Graeme Bailey has revealed that Everton have a ‘long-standing interest’ in Torres ahead of January.

They are ‘ready to move on’ from the likes of Michael Keane and Yerry Mina, and Torres could come in as a replacement for the duo.

Villarreal are open to selling him in January, but will demand a fee in the region of £40m-£55m for his signature, and Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Wolves, Manchester United, PSG and Inter Milan are also thought to be interested in his signature.

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The Verdict: Unlikely

Given the calibre of clubs who are in for Torres, with some playing in the Champions League, it seems highly unlikely that Frank Lampard’s team would be able to persuade him to move to Everton.

The 6 foot 3 colossus has played 150 times for Villarreal at the highest level, including 12 appearances in the Champions League last season as he helped his side to reach the semi-finals of Europe’s premier club competition (Transfermarkt).

Hailed as a ‘sensational’ and ‘superb’ defender by Spain boss Luis Enrique, it is easy to see why he has picked Torres in his squad heading for the World Cup, and the 25-yer-old will only be under the spotlight even more as the tournament begins.

It seems likely that Everton would find it very hard to sign him in January ahead of the level of competition.

Newcastle United are back in action at home to Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup this evening, with the Magpies likely hoping to keep their current relentless form going in what is the penultimate game before the World Cup break.

While tonight’s competition may not be the priority for the northeast side – with the club currently firmly in the mix to secure a Champions League berth – manager Eddie Howe is no doubt aware of the club’s ongoing barren run, having last secured silverware back in 1969.

A win over Patrick Vieira’s side would move the Tynesiders another step closer to realising that ambition, although it will prove a tough ask against a side who held the hosts to a goalless draw at St James’ Park earlier this season.

Although it remains to be seen if Howe will rotate his side for that upcoming meeting, one man who could well come back into the side is full-back Matt Targett, with the Englishman having recently lost his place in the starting XI as a result of the form of compatriot Dan Burn.

The latter man had seemingly bolstered his chances of an inclusion in Gareth Southgate’s England squad with a string of fine showings in recent weeks, although the towering defender produced a far more shaky display in front of the Three Lions boss against Southampton last time out.

Despite the eventual 4-1 scoreline, it had not been plain sailing for the visitors at St Mary’s on the day, with Burn no doubt one notable villain having failed to prevent Romain Perraud from netting a consolation having been done far too easily by the Saints man after making a foolish, diving lunge.

It could well be an ideal chance to take the former Brighton and Hove Albion man out of the firing line and start the aforementioned Targett in his place, with the £100k-per-week gem having rarely let his side down since his initial loan move from Aston Villa back in January.

The 27-year-old is arguably a more natural fit at left-back than teammate Burn – who typically operates at centre-back – although is a player who has at times gone “under the radar”, in the words of James Wickham.

The former England U21 international has not started since the draw with Bournemouth back in early September, although tonight’s encounter with the Eagles could well be an opportune time for him to show his worth.

Arguably Jurgen Klopp’s biggest strength is his diligence in the transfer market, being able to improve his Liverpool squad with shrewd signings.

There have of course been some significant financial outlays for players, spending £75m to sign Virgil van Dijk nearly five years ago before splashing out a record £85m to bring Darwin Nunez to Anfield in the summer just gone.

One of Klopp’s most impressive forays into the market was back in 2016 when he signed an experienced Bundesliga defender on a pre-contract agreement…

Klopp struck gold on Joel Matip

Having made more than 250 appearances for Schalke 04 since his debut in 2009, a move to the Premier League was the next logical step for the Cameroon centre-back.

He duly impressed during his first season at Anfield, receiving a SofaScore rating of 7.11, although Liverpool ended that campaign trophyless.

It wasn’t to be until 2018/19 that Matip lifted his first piece of silverware with the Reds, going on to make eight appearances in the Champions League and starting in the 2-0 final victory over Tottenham Hotspur. His WhoScored average rating for the tournament was 7.12 and was good enough to rank second out of the whole squad, proving his importance to Klopp.

However, injury problems resulted in the player featuring in just 25 matches over the next two seasons as Liverpool claimed their first Premier League title.

The £100k-per-week colossus, who was dubbed “underrated” by former Tottenham player Jermaine Jenas last season, roared back in impressive style in 2021/22, playing in 43 matches in all competitions and even chipping in with three league goals for good measure.

The 31-year-old has been Liverpool’s fifth-best performer in the Champions League this season, averaging a 7.27 rating from SofaScore, and despite having Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez as options to partner Van Dijk, Klopp still values the importance of Matip’s experience.

With CIES Football Observatory valuing Matip at €20m (£17.3m), Klopp has certainly stuck gold with the player and could make a solid profit if moving him on next summer.

With 18 months left on his current contract, the German will most likely avoid this scenario and utilise the centre-back as much as possible.

Glasgow Rangers were busy in the summer transfer window as they invested in their squad by bringing in a host of new signings to Ibrox.

Sporting director Ross Wilson wasted no time in snapping up John Souttar (although he penned a pre-contract deal back in January), Ben Davies, Malik Tillman, Antonio Colak, Ridvan Yilmaz, Tom Lawrence, and Rabbi Matondo.

However, the Light Blues did not recruit any players in the goalkeeping department after extending Allan McGregor and Jon McLaughlin’s respective contracts over the summer.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s options in that position appeared to be in need of an upgrade after McGregor’s shaky form in the Premiership last season. The 40-year-old made four errors directly leading to shots or goals for the opposition in the Scottish top flight, with his mistakes making him a weak link in the team as he was all too often error-prone.

This led to the Dutch head coach making McLaughlin his number one for the 2022/23 campaign, but the Scotland international has not repaid the faith shown in him.

In the Premiership this season, the former Sunderland man has made one error leading to a goal in six appearances and has let in every other shot on target against him, with a save percentage of 50%. This indicates that he has struggled badly in terms of shot-stopping and is conceding goals at an alarming rate, in relation to the number of shots that he is facing.

Therefore, the £6.1k-per-week goalkeeper has been a liability for the Light Blues, and his performances may result in Wilson and Van Bronckhorst regretting not dipping into the market to sign a new number one.

The head coach has not handed a single appearance to Robby McCrorie since arriving at the club in 2021, and if he is not willing to give the Scotland international a chance, this means that the Dutchman could need to look further down the ranks in search of a solution to the goalkeeping situation.

One player who could be the heir to McLaughlin between the sticks is B-team goalkeeper Lewis Budinauckas, who has established himself as the Gers’ first-choice at youth level.

The 20-year-old has played 13 times for Rangers B and has been named on the bench in the Champions League this season, which suggests that Van Bronckhorst has kept a close eye on his development.

His academy teammate Adam Devine described him as a “confident” goalkeeper who you “can always depend on” after an impressive performance against Celtic in the Glasgow Cup in April, which shows how highly he is rated and appreciated by his peers.

The gem has also had experience at senior level with loan spells at Civil Service Strollers and Raith Rovers, although he was an unused substitute for the latter in the Championship.

He is a promising young player with his entire career ahead of him, and Van Bronckhorst could be the manager to give him his first taste of first-team action at Ibrox to see if he is good enough to be McLaughlin’s heir, whilst hopefully ending the continuing problems between the sticks for Rangers.