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Sky Sports journalist Dharmesh Sheth has revealed that Liverpool are “still pushing” to sign Fulham starlet Fabio Carvalho on transfer deadline day.

What’s the story?

After initially looking like the January transfer window would be a quiet one in terms of incomings for Jurgen Klopp’s side, the Reds gazumped Premier League rivals Spurs to the signing of Porto winger Luis Diaz.

Now, Sheth has revealed that the Merseyside club continue to pursue Carvalho amid interest from other clubs.

Writing on Twitter, he said: “Liverpool still pushing to sign Fulham forward Fabio Carvalho. A number of other clubs are interested. Fulham remain confident he will be at Craven Cottage until the summer. Carvalho has entered final 6 months of his Fulham contract.”

He’s an exciting talent

Speaking after he watched him score his first goal for the club against Southampton towards the back end of last season, former Fulham boss Scott Parker said: “Fabio was lively, he had great amounts of energy. All round his performance was very good for a young boy that has come into the team for his full debut.

“He showed real courage and bravery, he’s earned the right to get into this team. He’s not in this team because our season’s over, he’s in the team because he deserves it.”

No categories

Able to play anywhere across midfield and further forward too, Carvalho has been at his best for Fulham’s youth sides when playing just behind the striker.

In 42 games in that position for the Cottagers, the England U18 international has smashed in an incredible 20 goals and provided another nine assists too, while he’s also equally effective out wide too (he’s scored seven goals and set up another eight from the right-hand side).

This season has seen him start off with a bang for the senior side, bagging seven goals in 18 Championship games, including providing four assists too.

His recent form has been particularly impressive, netting three goals and setting up another three in just his past four league games – quite the feat considering he will likely be aware of all the transfer speculation surrounding him.

That speaks to the elite mentality and professionalism that he has even at just the age of 19, and it’s exactly why Sheth’s update that Liverpool are “still pushing” to sign him is likely to have fans absolutely buzzing at the prospect of him joining.

Leeds United make their return to Premier League action sitting just one place about the relegation zone as they head to north London for Sunday’s late kick-off.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side finished inside the top ten in their first top-flight campaign in 16 years but are now looking perilous only two points above the drop.

The 2021/22 season has not gone to plan for the Yorkshiremen as they have battled with inconsistencies on the pitch and injuries off it.

Now they face a Tottenham Hotspur side who have a new manager in former Premier League and FA Cup winner Antonio Conte, who is unbeaten in his first two games in charge.

United are amongst the lowest scorers in the division, having scored 11 goals from their opening 11 matches – only two teams have scored fewer, one of which being rock-bottom Norwich City.

Indeed, the Whites have been futile in attack this term and that’s hardly a surprise with several of Bielsa’s wing options underperforming, most notably Jack Harrison, who delivered decent returns of eight goals and eights assists last year.

He now ranks as their worst player (six or more league starts), as per WhoScored ratings, having averaged a 6.33 and he is yet to register a single direct goal contribution from nine appearances either.

It means the bulk of Bielsa’s reliance has been on Raphinha (five goals).

The 25-year-old, signed permanently from Manchester City in the summer, is winning only 32% of his midfield battles and has managed just one shot per game, as per SofaScore.

His form has been so poor that Bielsa struggled to comment on his star man last month.

“You ask me a question where you know that I can’t praise his performances up until now,” he told reporters (via LeedsLive). “But what’s happening to Harrison is happening to all our players in the squad where they have better or worse moments and nobody is able to maintain a regular consistency in their performances especially when they are playing in attack.”

His latest appearance for Leeds saw further poor returns as he struggled against Leicester City before the international break.

The £18m-rated winger was their worst-rated player on the afternoon as he won just 33% of his 18 duels, lost possession 24 times from only 59 touches and contributed just 18 passes – four fewer than goalkeeper Ilian Meslier, via SofaScore.

On the above evidence, Harrison has been shocking all season, so it’s time for Bielsa to stop putting his faith in him. It would be ruthless considering his loyalty to him but it’s a call that has to be made heading into a crucial match against Spurs.

AND in other news, Leeds United handed major injury boost ahead of Spurs clash, Bielsa will be buzzing…

Pundit Gabby Agbonlahor believes the introduction of VAR could be key in Celtic and Rangers’ battle for the Scottish Premiership title in the future, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: VAR talks

Former referee Howard Webb addressed all 12 top-flight sides last Friday over the possibility of VAR being brought to Scotland.

He revealed to Sky Sports that Scottish Premiership clubs have initially backed plans for the use of technology following a meeting by the Scottish FA and SPFL.

SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster now hopes that VAR will be “introduced as soon as is practicably possible”, with clubs set to vote on the changes once plans are officially drawn up.

The Latest: Agbonlahor reacts

Agbonlahor, who features as a pundit for Sky Sports, was asked by Football Insider for his thoughts on VAR being introduced in Scotland.

He believes it would be a good move and one that could decide a title down the line.

“I think it is.

“Scotland were given a goal [against Isreal] that was rightly given after Lyndon Dykes with his foot that wasn’t high.

“That might be something, in the Scottish Premiership, this decides the title.

“The Scottish Premiership deserves the respect to have VAR. I’m all for it.

“I’m sure all the managers are in favour too because nine times out of 10 VAR is going to make the right decision.”

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The Verdict: The right time…

VAR was first brought in back in 2018, and after getting to grips with the system, now feels like the right time for Scotland to use the technology.

Up to 152 stadiums in all of UEFA’s 55 member associations throughout Europe have VAR available as of September, so Scotland could be at risk of being left behind if they don’t give it the green light soon.

As Agbonlahor mentions, the Scottish Premiership title could be decided by the smallest of margins in the future, so having the use of VAR could prove extremely helpful.

In other news: Defender ‘like Rio Ferdinand’ now reveals he wished he’d joined Celtic. 

Journalist Pete O’Rourke has made a claim regarding Celtic’s possible permanent swoop for Tottenham’s Cameron Carter-Vickers, Give Me Sport report.

The Lowdown: Carter-Vickers under Postecoglou

Carter-Vickers was the club’s final addition over the summer, joining on deadline day in a season-long loan deal that includes an option to buy next summer.

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Since then, the 23-year-old has been an ever-present figure at the back under Ange Postecoglou, making 20 appearances in green and white.

He’s missed just one Scottish Premiership fixture following his move and was hailed as an ‘excellent professional’ by Kenny Dalglish.

The Latest: O’Rourke’s claim

Give Me Sport shared the latest news on Carter-Vickers making a permanent Parkhead switch, suggesting both Celtic and the player are keen on a full-time move.

Reporter O’Rourke gave his thoughts on a possible permanent swoop to Give Me Sport, admitting he wasn’t sure if the Hoops could reach the £10m asking price, as reported by The Daily Record.

“Cameron Carter-Vickers has made a big impression since his loan move from Tottenham, but I’m not sure if Celtic could reach that £10m valuation that Spurs are looking for a permanent deal, though.”

The Verdict: Club record fee

Should Celtic stump up the fee for Carter-Vickers, they’d reportedly have to pay two separate add-ons which would take the deal over £10m.

That would make him the club’s most expensive signing of all time, eclipsing the £9.27m move that made Odsonne Edouard’s loan permanent from Paris Saint-Germain.

There’s no denying that Carter-Vickers has impressed at Celtic Park, however, £10m is a lot of money, especially with the Hoops already spending over £20m in the summer and seemingly looking at four January permanent additions in Reo Hatate, Yosuke Ideguchi, Daizen Maeda and on-loan Jota.

In other news: Devlin shares worrying injury update on Celtic ace after bone ‘break’. 

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Bull, who made 13 appearances for England, believes Fabio Silva’s misfortunes in front of goal are down to his long hair after he missed late headers against both Newcastle United and Liverpool in recent weeks.

Wolves bought Silva from FC Porto for £36 million and in 27 appearances he has managed just two goals with the 18-year old getting more minutes than he maybe expected due to Raul Jimenez’s extended spell on the sidelines.

Bull did joke about Silva’s ‘locks’ but admits he believes that is one of the reasons why he struggles with his headers as the ball slides off his long hair and he’s not able to make good contact with the ball.

Speaking on Silva’s struggles in front of goal and if the exposure to a lot of first-team football will be impacting the 18-year old negatively, Bull told FFC exclusively:

“I think the more football and experience he gets, the better it is for him.

“I think if I had him in front of me, the first thing I’d say to him is get your hair cut because when he’s heading the ball it isn’t hitting him directly on his head, it’s hitting him on the side where his hair is and he isn’t getting the power behind it.

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“Seriously, that’s not me being funny. Think when you head a ball at full power it’s off your forehead but when it comes to him, it’s gliding off his locks.

“The amount of time he’s getting I think is good the way Nuno is doing it. I just think that you’ve got to introduce players especially with a big price tag into the team gradually.”

Bull is Wolves’ all-time top scorer with 306 goals so, Silva may feel cutting his hair extreme but he could learn a thing or two from the Wolves legend.

Before he signed for Wolves, Silva had played just 21 games for Porto, finding the net three times so, the Midlands club have put a lot of faith in the striker.

After signing from Manchester City for a reported fee of around £15m back in the summer of 2019, it’s fair to say Douglas Luiz has really come on leaps and bounds at Aston Villa.

The 22-year-old has been a permanent fixture in Dean Smith’s side since making the switch to Villa Park, already making 67 appearances for the first-team.

His form has even earned him international honours, picking up his first couple of senior caps for Brazil. It’s been no surprise then that his market value has absolutely sky-rocketed, more than doubling in value.

According to Transfermarkt, it now stands at £31.5m, and that’s a real testament to just how much his own play has improved, and how much Smith himself has helped him develop under his wing.

Speaking earlier in the summer, The Athletic journalist Gregg Evans, said of him: “He’s an absolute joy to watch now and I never thought I would be saying that. Villa have got a fantastic player in Douglas Luiz now, he looks like an absolute star, he could have played in that Man United team.

“He was better than (Paul) Pogba, I thought. I thought he was brilliant, hardly did anything wrong, hardly put a foot wrong. He won so many interceptions and made so many important blocks. When he gets the ball, he passes it nicely. He’s the best player in that Villa team at the moment because it’s just not working for John McGinn.”

Make no mistake about it, given how Luiz has developed at Villa Park since his move to the Midlands, Johan Lange played an absolute blinder in signing the Brazilian for the club.

If Villa ever contemplate selling him, or if rival clubs start showing some genuine interest in signing him, they know they could bring in a massive fee.

Meanwhile, this Villa man was shocking in the defeat to Spurs…

Manchester City have received ‘enquiries’ from Barcelona and Juventus for striker Gabriel Jesus, ahead of a potential exodus from the club this summer.

The Lowdown: Jesus to follow Sterling?

The Brazilian has struggled to force his way into being a regular part of Pep Guardiola’s plans this season, often finding himself on the substitutes’ bench.

Jesus has only started 16 out of 32 Premier League games, as well as forcing his way into the starting lineup just once in the Champions League to date.

With Erling Haaland looking likely to join City this summer, it could be that their current No.9 is deemed surplus to requirements, following reports that Raheem Sterling could leave, too.

According to the Italian press, Sterling could join AC Milan because he is ‘no longer on good terms’ with Guardiola.

The Latest: Contact made

As per a report from Lance [via Sport Witness], both Barca and Juve have made ‘enquiries’ about Jesus, while it is claimed that he is ‘likely’ to be at another club next season.

The 25-year-old’s current deal expires at the end of next season, which increases the chance of him leaving this summer, in order for City to receive a fee before the risk of losing him as a free agent next year.

The Verdict: Time to move on

Jesus’ City career has been a curious one in many ways, with the Brazil international showing immense talent but never quite managing to kick on and become the true heir to Sergio Aguero.

While 89 goals in 229 appearances is not to be sniffed at, it is damning that Guardiola has often opted to play with someone like Phil Foden as a false nine instead, suggesting he doesn’t think his striker is good enough.

It feels like the right time for Jesus to move on and enjoy a fresh challenge, with a move to Barca allowing him to follow in the footsteps of Brazilian greats such as Ronaldo and Ronaldinho.

In other news, a journalist has shared a major City transfer breakthrough. Read more here.

Tottenham Hotspur youngster Dane Scarlett is enjoying a superb season with the Spurs academy and based on his current progress, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he starts to feature regularly in the first-team in the next couple of seasons.

The 16-year-old featured in the first-team during pre-season and was rewarded with his professional debut in the 4-0 win against Ludogorets in the Europa League group stages earlier in the season.

The striker has contributed an impressive 19 goals and four assists in just 15 appearances for the U’18 side so far this season, whilst he also has two goals in two appearances in the Premier League 2.

Last season we saw Troy Parrott touted as the potential long-term replacement for Harry Kane but the Republic of Ireland international has disappointed in his loan spell with Millwall so far this season, having failed to score in 13 appearances for the Championship side.

Although he is only 18 himself, it might not be too long until Scarlett overtakes him at the pecking order at Spurs, and he is clearly turning heads at the North London club, having managed to score five goals in the 6-2 win against Newport County in the FA Youth Cup recently.

Football.London journalist Alasdair Gold was quick to praise the 16-year-old in a recent article, suggesting that those at the club feel he could be a ‘real star of the future.’

He also lauded the youngster on Twitter after he scored past Petr Cech in an U23 game against Chelsea, dubbing him the “record-breaking teenager” in reference to him becoming the youngest ever player to feature in a game for Spurs’ senior team earlier in the season.

Although this record was surpassed by Alfie Devine when he appeared in the 5-0 win against Marine, Scarlett remains the youngest ever player to feature in Europe for Spurs, and if his form with the academy sides continues, it won’t be too long until he makes his second appearance for Mourinho’s side.

Certainly, it seems as if Scarlett could quickly surpass Parrott as the one to watch in Spurs’ academy unless the 18-year-old starts to find the net in the Championship.

AND, in other news… Levy swoop for teen prodigy could spell trouble for £18m-rated Spurs gem Jose is “so happy” with 

Jurgen Klopp ‘increased the pressure’ on Virgil van Dijk to sit out this summer’s European Championships.

That’s according to Friday’s print edition of Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf (via Sport Witness).

The lowdown

Former PFA Player of the Year Van Dijk has been out of action since mid-October after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Liverpool initially coped well in his absence, topping the Premier League at Christmas, but Klopp’s side unravelled at the turn of the year and now trail Manchester City, who have regained their title, by a whopping 23 points.

However, the Reds were boosted this week by the news that Van Dijk has abandoned his Euro 2020 hopes in favour of readying himself for pre-season.

The latest

De Telegraaf claimed (via Sport Witness) that Klopp helped to force Van Dijk’s decision and adopted a deliberate media strategy of raising doubts about the centre-back’s availability.

Whilst it was unlikely that he would feature in the group stage of the competition, which will see the Oranje face Ukraine, Austria and North Macedonia, he could have been in contention for the knockout stages if Frank de Boer’s side made it that far.

The verdict

This was clearly a difficult decision for Van Dijk as the captain of his country, who have not been to a major tournament since the 2014 World Cup, but the nightmare scenario for Liverpool was the 29-year-old’s progress being undone by an all-too-hasty return to action.

The Netherlands, for their part, can still call upon the likes of Matthijs de Ligt, Stefan de Vrij and Nathan Ake at centre-back, but they may sorely miss Van Dijk’s leadership during the summer showcase.

In other news, Liverpool are set to do battle with another Premier League club for this player’s signature.

Rangers have reportedly made an approach for Nimes winger Zinedine Ferhat ahead of the transfer window, which could prove to be a huge boost for Steven Gerrard ahead of next season should the 28-year-old complete a move to Ibrox this summer.

Rangers were initially linked with the Algerian by French news outlet Foot Mercato earlier this month and it has now been claimed that the Ibrox outfit have made an official approach as they look to prise him away from the Ligue 1 side, who recently lost their battle against top-flight relegation.

A source has claimed [via Rangers Vital]: “I was able to approach a source at Nimes. The source at Nimes asked not to be identified (understandably) and confirmed that the report from Foot Mercato was legitimate. Rangers have definitely made an approach for Ferhat.

“However, the midfielder already has other teams in France interested in him, and according to him, Rangers will need to make a substantial offer to get him. The plus side for any team approaching is that the player’s contract will expire next season, and there is a chance Nimes is relegated to Ligue 2.”

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The 28-year-old winger has enjoyed a superb campaign in the French top flight but he was unable to save Nimes from relegation, which suggests that he will likely depart Stade des Costières this summer.

In 33 league appearances, Ferhat contributed an impressive six goals and 10 assists, helping him earn an impressive 7.21 average match rating from WhoScored.

This has been his best goalscoring season to date, with just 29 senior goals in his career. However, he has consistently shown that he is capable of getting assists, contributing 20 for Le Havre in the 2017/18 season, so he could definitely be a threat in Gerrard’s side if he moves to Ibrox.

Transfermarkt currently values Ferhat at £7.2m, which suggests that he won’t come cheap, but Gerrard will undoubtedly be looking to add players with Champions League quality to his side ahead of next season. Given that Ferhat is joint-top of the assists chart in Ligue 1 this season, despite playing in a relegated side, it seems that he would be a stellar addition at Ibrox.

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Therefore, if Ross Wilson has indeed made an official approach for him, then Gerrard could be on track to receive a huge boost to his squad in the coming weeks.

In other news… Rangers linked with 21 y/o wonderkid likened to Sadio Mane