Sam Preston Archives: 12/2018

Wembley was barely a third full as Tottenham saw off Southampton 3-1 on Wednesday night and Danny Rose’s comments about the novelty of playing at the stadium underline what a big issue the failure to get the new stadium completed is.

Steven Gerrard drew the comparison between Alfredo Morelos and Luis Suarez recently but Odsonne Edouard’s latest comments show that he wants to get to the same level as the Uruguayan and his international team-mate Edinson Cavani, who mentored him at PSG.

Jake Cooper was a transfer target for Rangers in the summer but decided to stay at Millwall after they had enjoyed a surprisingly good season upon their return to the Championship. The current campaign so far may have altered his thinking…

Arsenal are among a number of clubs across Europe tracking Ozan Kabak of Galatasaray and the serious injury suffered by Rob Holding against Manchester United may push Unai Emery into action.

Alfredo Morelos has three red cards to his name already this season and it is no secret that he needs to improve his discipline. Gareth McAuley may not make a huge contribution on the pitch this season, but perhaps he can help Steven Gerrard off the pitch by setting the example for Rangers’ talisman to follow.

Borini’s Sunderland connections may make him an odd choice to bolster Newcastle’s struggling attack, but if Rafa Benitez does sign the Italian, it is hard to see how both he and Perez would fit into the same Magpies team.

The Juventus left-back may well be close to agreeing fresh terms but given Arsenal’s lack of a long-term solution in that position, Unai Emery have been in the battle against Manchester United.

One potential way Newcastle are reportedly looking at formatting a deal for top January target Miguel Almiron could leave them lumbered with an expensive new recruit in the Championship.

Jurgen Klopp understandably plumped for Alberto Moreno when Andy Robertson was ruled out of Wednesday’s trip to Burnley but James Milner’s performance when moved to left back in the second half shows he should be Liverpool’s second choice in that role.

Daniel Levy has negotiated with Manchester United before, with the sole objective of getting the highest price possible for both Michael Carrick and Dimitar Berbatov. But now he must battle to keep the almost irreplaceable Mauricio Pochettino.

Arsenal are reportedly set to battle Manchester United for Galatasaray’s teenage central defender Ozan Kabak but Unai Emery needs a more senior option who can make an instant impact on his Gunners defence.

Everton starlet Ademola Lookman shone under the management of new Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl during his loan spell with RB Leipzig in the second half of last season.

Jordon Mutch has been frozen out at Selhurst Park and his former club Cardiff City have been sniffing around with designs on engineering his return to south Wales, but he still has something to offer Roy Hodgson’s side.

Jurgen Klopp made a host of changes for Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Burnley last night and deployed a new-look 4-4-2 formation. Many first-team regulars will expect to return for the trip to Bournemouth, but that same shape may get the best out of Roberto Firmino and Mo Salah.

Sam Allardyce spent big on Cenk Tosun and Theo Walcott during his short reign as Everton manager and the duo have provided his successor Marco Silva with headaches this season.