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Liverpool forward Luis Diaz is now back running on the training pitches after a lengthy absence through injury.

The Lowdown: Diaz a huge loss for Liverpool

The Colombian was an instant hit when he arrived from Porto last January, adding new life to the Reds’ season as they pushed to win an unprecedented quadruple.

Diaz came into this season as an undisputed key man, but unfortunately, he was limited to just seven Premier League starts before picking up a knee injury against Arsenal.

Thankfully, it now looks as though the 26-year-old’s return isn’t a million miles away, following a new update.

The Latest: Back on track

Taking to Twitter, Jones reacted to an image showing Diaz is now running outside again, albeit not taking part in full contact training:

“Another positive step for Luis Díaz in his recovery from injury.”

The Verdict: Massive boost for Reds

It may still be a while before Diaz officially returns to the pitch for Liverpool but this is undoubtedly a huge positive in their season, given his importance to the team.

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The 37-cap Colombia international’s pace and directness have been a major loss for Jurgen Klopp, with that left-sided position tough to fill without him around.

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The manager has hailed Diaz as ‘exceptional’ in the past and he is someone who could be such a key player in the latter weeks of the season, should Liverpool be pushing for a top-four finish.

Moving forward, the £56,000-a-week star can become an even greater force, with his best years potentially coming up, and his absence has to be considered a big reason for the Reds’ struggles this season.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have been credited with an interest in Sevilla full-back Marcos Acuna recently and the Argentine could be Julen Lopetegui’s own version of Arsenal star Oleksandr Zinchenko.

According to Spanish news outlet Vamos mi Sevilla, Wolves are one of four clubs keen on signing the versatile defender in next month’s transfer window.

They claim that the La Liga side want around €12m (£10m) from his sale, after informing the 31-year-old that he is now surplus to requirements at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium.

The former Sporting Lisbon man is well-known to Lopetegui, having made 84 appearances under the Spanish manager during his time with Sevilla, so it is perhaps no surprise that he is keen to reunite with the Argentina international at Molineux.

Should he swap Sevilla for the Midlands in January, he could perform a similar role to Zinchenko’s at Arsenal and Manchester City in recent seasons.

The Ukraine international has struggled with injuries since signing for Mikel Arteta’s side in January but has impressed in his seven appearances in the Premier League, averaging a strong 6.90 average rating from WhoScored for his performances.

According to FBref, the versatile 25-year-old is the seventh-most similar player to Acuna when compared to other full-backs across Europe’s top leagues.

This season has seen the two defenders register similar statistics with regard to goal-creating actions per 90 minutes (both 0.16), progressive passes received (10 vs 11) and aerials won (both 10).

According to WhoScored, both Zinchenko and Acuna excel at passing, holding onto the ball and playing key passes, which is perhaps exactly what you would expect from two full-backs who have featured in midfield on a regular basis in their careers.

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Considering how good Zinchenko has been for Arsenal and City since his move to England, Lopetegui would surely be foolish to turn down a player so statistically similar, especially one who he has worked with before and clearly trusts.

Therefore, owner Jeff Shi should definitely look at bringing Argentina’s World Cup star Acuna to Molineux in January as he looks to provide Lopetegui with the signings he needs to turn the Old Gold’s fortunes around and stave off relegation.

Wolves striker Raul Jimenez has a potential groin injury, which is why he didn’t feature against Southampton, according to reliable journalist Liam Keen.

The Lowdown: Jimenez misses Wolves win

Bruno Lage’s men secured a 1-0 win at home to Saints in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, with Daniel Podence’s first-half strike proving to be the difference between the two sides.

However, Jimenez didn’t feature in the squad at Molineux due to fitness concerns, but new big-money striker Sasa Kalajdzic led the line for the hosts.

In a cruel twist, the towering striker picked up an injury which has since been confirmed as ACL damage, meaning that he could be out for the rest of the season.

The Latest: Jimenez injury blow

Taking to Twitter on Sunday, Keen confirmed that a groin problem kept Jimenez out of proceedings, in what is an added blow after Kalajdzic’s setback.

The journalist relayed:

“Wolves have confirmed that new signing Sasa Kalajdzic has suffered an ACL injury to his knee on his debut. He will now see a specialist. Also said Raul Jimenez felt some pain his groin and they didn’t want to risk him.”

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The Verdict: Must sign a striker

This is a horribly unfortunate situation for Lage, spending lots of money on Kalajdzic only to lose him to long-term injury immediately. The hope is that the Austrian will be able to return to his best form once he recovers, given the severity of the issue.

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Jimenez has had fitness worries of his own in recent weeks and months, too, so it is absolutely imperative that Wolves sign a new striker who can bring some much-needed firepower.

The transfer window is closed, of course, meaning that only free agents can come in. However, a move for Diego Costa has been mooted, and while it might not seem the most ideal scenario, it could be a clever stop-gap swoop.

Manchester City have reportedly offered a new deal to Riyad Mahrez to keep him at the Etihad Stadium.

What’s the news?

According to a recent Twitter post from journalist Foot Mercato Santi Aouna, the Manchester club have offered the winger a short-term contract extension, with his current deal set to expire next summer.

In his tweet, Aouna said: “Info: Riyad Mahrez has been offered a SHORT TERM contract extension by Manchester City. From sources close to the board of Citizens, discussions are progressing well. Not agreed yet but optimism reigns.”

City signed the Algerian back in the 2018 summer transfer window from fellow Premier League club Leicester City in a deal worth a then club-record fee of £60m.

Since then, the 31-year-old has gone on to make 189 appearances for the Citizens across all competitions.

In those appearances, the attacker has found the net 63 times and delivered 46 assists along the way, in addition to winning three Premier League titles, three Carabao Cups and one FA Cup.

City fans will be buzzing

His previous Premier League campaign with Pep Guardiola’s side saw the former Foxes star score 11 goals and deliver five assists in 28 league appearances, leaving him with more goal contributions than the likes of Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish among others.

To further highlight how pivotal he was at times last season, the winger also scored seven goals and registered two assists in City’s 12 Champions League games, as well as scoring in big league games against the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United.

Taking all of this into account, it’s safe to say that Mahrez is an important figure for City and has been a big part of their success since his arrival.

It also makes it easy to see why the club are reportedly keen to extend his contract, which would surely leave a lot of buzzing to see happen this summer.

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Moving forward, if City can get the attacker to put pen to paper on this reported extension, it would definitely be a big boost for the club and put to bed any worries that may have cropped up over his future.

In terms of next season, if Mahrez can continue scoring and creating goals for his side, he will undoubtedly give the club a great chance of being successful in terms of winning trophies once again and prove why they were right to break their record transfer fee to sign him in the first place.

AND in other news: Pep can land the next Dias with Man City bid for £86m sensation who “can’t be stopped”

Sunderland are no stranger to a transfer mistake, as they have made a number of blunders over the years in the market.

Some of them were out there for all to see as the Netflix documentary illustrated their deal for Will Grigg – which flopped badly – in all of its glory.

However, they have all had howlers in the sense that they have not been able to land a player who has subsequently gone on to shine elsewhere.

One such player was left-back Marcos Alonso in 2014. He spent the second half of the 2013/14 campaign on loan at the club from Fiorentina and enjoyed his spell on Wearside, playing 20 matches, including a League Cup final defeat to Manchester City.

Speaking about his time at Sunderland, Alonso said in 2020: “I had six very happy months at Sunderland.

“When I went there we were bottom of the table but we ended up safe from relegation and there was also the League Cup final. That was special even if we could not win. That day at Wembley will always be good memories for me.

“The fans they enjoyed that day so much. I think even more so than we did. We lost in the end, but their support was amazing – much better than the City fans – and for me, that was very special.”

Despite the success of the loan move, the Black Cats were unable to strike a permanent deal for the defender, who was valued at £1.8m by Transfermarkt at the time.

He stayed with the Italian outfit for two more seasons before sealing a transfer to Chelsea in 2016, and that is where his career took off.

The Spaniard caught the eye in his first two campaigns at Stamford Bridge as he racked up 13 goals and five assists in two Premier League seasons for the Blues, winning the title in 2016/17 under Antonio Conte.

In 2018, then-Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri lavished the full-back with praise as he said: “Alonso, at the moment, this position at left-back is maybe the best in Europe. Physical qualities at a top level, I think. He’s doing very well in the offensive phase.”

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His market value backs up Sarri’s comments, as Transfermarkt valued him at a whopping £40m in 2018. This is a staggering increase from the £1.8m at which he was valued in 2014 and shows that he fulfilled his potential as a player, having been able to kick on after his loan spell at the Stadium of Light.

Therefore, the club made a big howler that year, as they would have benefitted from his immense talent over the years had they been able to sign him on a permanent basis.

AND in other news, Speakman must avoid embarrassing Sunderland error over “sublime” gem who “can change a game”…

A number of Liverpool supporters are delighted after journalist Fabrizio Romano claimed Divock Origi would not be leaving in the January transfer window.

The 26-year-old had put together a memorable Reds career – one that will likely see him considered a legend for many years to come.

While Origi has rarely been a regular starter for Liverpool since arriving in 2014, he has scored some iconic goals against the likes of Barcelona, Tottenham, Everton, Newcastle United and most recently Wolves.

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The Belgian’s current deal potentially expires in the summer of 2023 and he has even been linked with a January exit, despite Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane being away from Africa Cup of Nations duty.

Taking to Twitter on Saturday, however, Romano claimed Origi was going nowhere until at least the summer, saying Liverpool have no intention of selling him this month.

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Liverpool fans love Origi update

These Reds fans provided their positive thoughts on the matter on Twitter, no doubt delighted to keep hold of the cult hero given their lack of options up front in January.

“Not surprised, Salah and Mane already left for Afcon. And Minamino still injured…”

Credit: @biGDhee08

“HE STAYS!!!!”

Credit: @SIGHYONARA

“The hero stays!!!”

Credit: @lfc_reviews

“THANK GOD. WHAT WOULD WE DO WITHOUT LORD ORIGI”

Credit: @Muniamma007

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“Good”

Credit: @lomein4real

“At least we got to keep Origi”

Credit: @Littleisprince

In other news, some Liverpool fans also love a David Ornstein transfer claim. Read more here.

Aston Villa are once again interested in signing Reading midfielder John Swift amid suggestions that contract talks have stalled between him and the Royals.

What’s the story?

The former England U21 international was the subject of intense speculation over the course of the summer transfer window back in 2020, with reports even going so far as to claim that Villa were ready to make a bid for him.

While a deal failed to materialise back then, Football League World now claim that Dean Smith’s side are one of a number of teams keeping tabs on Swift’s situation at Reading.

It’s claimed that with the midfielder entering the final year of his contract, the Championship club have yet to agree a new deal with him, and thus opening the door to a potential move away.

Could be another John McGinn

Swift has a track record of being someone who can offer a goal-scoring threat from midfield much like McGinn has proven himself to be over the past few seasons, managing an impressive 58 goal contributions in 171 games for the club – in fact, his start to the current campaign for Reading has actually been quite incredible, netting seven in eight matches in the Championship as well as chipping in with four assists too.

Speaking back in August after a 2-1 win over Preston, Royals manager, Veljko Paunovic, said: “Now he’s back, it is important we keep him healthy and motivated as he is now because that will help us a lot.

“He is super talented and he showed an urgency that he wanted to decide the game. The first couple of passes to Azeez and Joao were fantastic vision and execution of the final pass – something we’ve missed in the past. We missed those slick combinations through the middle when we progress forward so that’s something we have to keep up.”

While McGinn has hardly been a Frank Lampard-esque midfielder in terms of his sheer number of goals – he’s contributed to 33 goals in 115 matches for Villa – he does pop up with some big goals in big games, not least scoring against the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City last season.

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The £3.6m-rated Swift could offer Villa another midfielder with some of the same attacking instincts as McGinn in the engine room.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa have another exciting academy starlet in this teenager…

Alex McLeish has backed Jesse Lingard to be a good signing for Tottenham Hotspur should he make a move to the North London club.

The Lowdown: Lingard eyed

As per Football Insider, Lingard is one of two players from Manchester United wanted by Nuno Espirito Santo in negotiations over a potential swap deal for Harry Kane.

His future at Old Trafford is currently in doubt as he only has a year left on his deal, and other clubs in the Premier League are interested in signing him.

The Latest: McLeish backs Lingard move

Speaking to Football Insider, McLeish, who is now a pundit having previously been a manager in the top flight, has backed Spurs in their move for Lingard, and cited how ‘amazing’ he was while on loan at West Ham United in the 2020/21 season:

“Well, if he plays to the level he played at West Ham, he will be an absolute improvement.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt about that. Jesse obviously kind of slowed down the last couple of years, when he was an England regular. That can hurt a player very badly.

“To do what he did at West Ham last season and help them to a fifth-place finish was amazing. It was a rise from nowhere, really.

“He was getting criticism at Man United, he was not involved in the team, never really picked at all.

“Then to come and play almost instantly at the level he played that then of course. I think if he continues that form, then he’ll be an asset to Spurs.”

The Verdict: Sign

There is no doubt that a whole host of teams will be queuing up to fight for Lingard’s signature given his impressive displays while with the Hammers, and that is precisely why the Lilywhites need to pounce, and fast.

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The 28-year-old scored no fewer than nine goals and made a further five assists in just 16 games in the Premier League with the Irons (Transfermarkt), which are exactly the kind of numbers that THFC could do with from midfield.

Nonetheless, having just missed out on the final England squad for Euro 2020, he will no doubt want to kick on even more this term in order to get himself back into contention.

In other news, find out what move Fabio Paratici has made for this ‘incredible’ star here!

Many Wolves fans have been left to slam a managerial update as The Sun have reported that Jorge Mendes wants to get Nuno Espirito Santo to Tottenham.

As per the news outlet, Mendes, who is Nuno’s agent, has made contact with Spurs over a potential switch in the summer.

The super-agent is also believed to be working on bringing Bruno Lage to replace Nuno at the Midlands club should he move over to London.

While Lage is currently available having been out of the job since leaving Benfica last summer, several members of the Molineux faithful do not seem to be inspired about his potential appointment, and while they have endured a disappointing season so far, there is some confidence that Nuno can still turn it around in the next campaign given the return of Raul Jimenez and a good transfer window.

Wolves fans on managerial update

These WWFC supporters slammed the managerial update after it was shared on Twitter (via Talking Wolves):

“Bruno Lage is the last manager we should be looking at..”

Credit: @PaulBeest

“Just take Lage to Spurs! Simple as that”

Credit: @lauwolf79

“Bruno Lage will never get us anywhere”

Credit: @fowls21wwfc

“I am confident that Lage would be an absolute disaster appointment. Has a very underwhelming CV with limited experience. Started out well at Benfica before delivering their worst set of results in over 20 years. I would rather keep Nuno if this is the best they can come up with.”

Credit: @Kcb92

“Lol”

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Credit: @DaveRos63040177

“I beg this isn’t true but then again it’s the Sun”

Credit: @Harley_V12

In other news, find out what transfer update has been lauded by Wanderers here!

After seeing Kalvin Phillips limp off in the dying minutes of Leeds’ 2-0 win over Crystal Palace, Marcelo Bielsa will no doubt be sweating over his talisman’s fitness during this week.

The Athletic’s Phil Hay revealed after the game that it was “too early to say” about the midfielder, but considering that he initially seemed to go down with a calf problem, he faces a real race against time to make the Premier League game against Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday.

But in Jamie Shackleton, Bielsa could find his saviour.

The 20-year-old has been on the fringes of Leeds’ long-awaited return to the Premier League, playing just 296 minutes of football in the top-flight.

And quite recently, Bielsa hasn’t even turned to him as an option off the bench – barring the two minutes that he came on to replace Phillips against Palace last time out, Shackleton remained an unused sub for the past four Premier League matches.

But with question marks over Phillips’ availability, Bielsa must unleash Shackleton on Sunday when they travel to north London to take on Arsenal.

Speaking after his cameo in that 5-0 win over West Brom earlier this season, the Leeds boss said: “Good organisation, energetic, he’s quick, he can surprise opponents, plays in a position which has many varieties as a box-to-box midfielder.”

Shackleton wouldn’t exactly be a like-for-like replacement for Phillips, but his extra energy and dynamism could counter Arsenal’s young guns well.

The likes of Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka have been two of Arsenal’s stand-out players in recent weeks, and Shackleton’s own youthful endeavour could be key to combating that – his average of 0.8 interceptions per game in the Premier League ranks him seventh among his Leeds teammates, while he actually gets dribbled past the least amount in the squad, just 0.5 times per match.

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And, after he produced a tigerish performance against Aston Villa, Leeds Live’s Beren Cross wrote: “Settled in so quickly and linked up the play between midfield and attack beautifully. So important for his confidence and visualising himself in this team going forward. Tireless running and helped Klich win that midfield battle with McGinn and Barkley.”

On Sunday, Leeds will need every bit of that tireless running as they try and find a unique way to replace Phillips. Shackleton’s introduction to the starting eleven could prove to be a masterstroke from Bielsa and one that helps the Whites boss forget all about his main midfield man.

Meanwhile, Bielsa can find his next Klich in this Leeds transfer target…