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Hürzeler also revealed Diego Coppola could leave Brighton on loan this month to boost the defender’s hopes of being selected for Italy at this summer’s World Cup – if indeed they qualify.
“It’s a 50-50 situation,” Hürzeler said. “Copps might be one player [to leave] but we really enjoy working with him.
“There’s a World Cup upcoming but I’m quite sure in the future he will be a big player for us. But we have to analyse what is best for the club and the individual development for the player.”
Danny Welbeck remains Brighton’s first-choice striker but Seagulls boss Fabian Hürzeler says Charalampos Kostoulas is pushing for a starting berth.
Kostoulas was introduced for the final 15 minutes in place of Welbeck on Monday and the teenager produced a stunning overhead kick to help Brighton to a 1-1 draw against Bournemouth.
All but two of the 18-year-old’s appearances this season have been as a substitute and that looks set to continue at Fulham on Saturday, but Hürzeler is happy to have the young Greek as an alternative.
“We all know his big potential and he can really change the game for us,” Hürzeler told reporters. “He’s still a young player and he’s still in a phase where he needs to develop and we try to help him.
“He’s definitely pushing (to start) by performance, that’s for sure. It’s definitely a tough decision but it’s helpful to have good back-up like him for Danny Welbeck.” PA Media
A bit of unexpected transfer news: Tottenham are working on deal to sign Liverpool’s Andy Robertson, according to transfer reporting doyen David Ornstein.
The 31-year-old is no longer first choice at Anfield and apparently Spurs have brought forward plans to snap him up, having originally planned to get him as a free agent in the summer.
Manchester United are reportedly ready to hand Kobbie Mainoo a bumper new contract, with the 20-year-old clearly now at the forefront of their midfield plans given the news of Casemiro’s impending summer exit.
There are some murmurs that the Stockport-born star will get a four-year extension worth around £150k a week.
It’s amazing how quickly things can change. Less than a month ago Mainoo was on the periphery at United, having failed to start a league game all season under Ruben Amorim. After one (admittedly impressive) 90-minute performance against Manchester City and a clear indication that Michael Carrick – rates him, Mainoo is once again the golden child of Carrington.
To be fair, that shimmy away from Antoine Semenyo in the derby was rather special, a microcosm of the best of Mainoo’s midfield grace.
Here’s a bit more from Slot on how Liverpool have improved defensively:
In all of the 13 games we are unbeaten, I think maybe only in the Brighton game we conceded more than one xG. To be honest, I think against Marseille we conceded two or three more good chances than we’ve conceded in other games but a good thing in football is that it doesn’t continue all season where the other team has one chance and it’s a goal.
Thank you Niall. I note that Arne Slot’s complaint about playing Wednesday-Saturday is strikingly similar to the notes chimed by his Anfield predecessor … at least Liverpool are playing at 5.30pm rather than 12.30pm.
Time to hand over to Dominic Booth, who will take you through the next few hours of team news and transfer tittle-tattle.
With the January transfer window slowly creaking shut, here are some players likely to make a move by the end of the month, according to WhoScored.
Nice work if you can get it: Matthew Hall reports that the Concacaf president, Victor Montagliani, is paid more than $3m (£2.22m) per year for five hours per week of work.
A little more from Eddie Howe on Bruno Guimarães, who he will give “every chance” to feature at home to Aston Villa on Sunday.
With Bruno we hope it’s not serious. The extent of the injury is still unknown, but he was reasonably positive after the game. Speaking to him again, he’s the guy that will never rule anything out, so we’re going to give him every chance for this weekend. Let’s wait and see.
[Bruno] is a pivotal player. I’ve always said he’s been the match-winner for us so many times over the years. He’s an inspirational figure so we need him, but of course we need him fit and available and able to perform to his best level, so we’ll try and make all the calculations and come up with the right decision.
Could Cole Palmer return to Manchester – and join United? Find out more in today’s Rumour Mill …
Bayern Munich continue their surge towards the Bundesliga title this weekend as Vincent Kompany’s unbeaten side host Bavarian neighbours Augsburg. Centre-back Dayot Upamecano has a viral infection and joins a growing defensive absentee list, with Josip Stanisic, Konrad Laimer and Sacha Boey also unavailable.
“Despite these absences, we still have good competition for the defence,” Kompany told a press conference. Kim Min-jae was sent off in Bayern’s Champions League win over Union Saint-Gilloise but is expected to play on Saturday, alongside Hiroki Ito and Joshua Kimmich.
Elsewhere this weekend, it’s the Hamburg derby tonight as St Pauli host HSV, while Dortmund – 11 points behind Bayern in the title race – go to Union Berlin tomorrow.
Slot adds that Salah is “ready to play” at the Vitality after starting against Marseille, but he will decide on his line-up tomorrow after a final training session. “Mo played 90 minutes and yesterday we had a recovery session, we trained today and knowing Mo he is ready to play tomorrow.”
The Liverpool manager is also keen to point out that, unlike Newcastle and Chelsea, his team are playing on Saturday after a Champions League game on Wednesday.
Ibrahima Konaté missed the Champions League trip to Marseille because his father sadly passed away this week. Slot says he has spoken to him “a few times” but he’d rather keep the details private. The defender will “need time” before he returns, so will not feature against Bournemouth on Saturday evening.
Arne Slot is speaking to the press, and expresses shock that the first question is not about Mohamed Salah. Instead, he’s asked for his thoughts on Dominik Szoboszlai – “a great leader – without the ball, he’s incredible. He’s improved this season on the ball.”
A bit of breaking transfer news from Sky Sports: Wolves have rejected a bid from Leeds for £40m-rated striker Jørgen Strand Larsen! So, despite what Daniel Farke said yesterday (see 9.24am), Leeds do appear to be in the market for attacking reinforcements.
This weekend’s Premier League games are the reverse fixtures of the season openers, back in sun-soaked August. Looking back, the most jarring result was Nottingham Forest 3-1 Brentford, with the teams taking very different trajectories since then.
“It was certainly a tough day for us all, but it is pretty obvious to see the development that we have made in the months since that, and I am delighted with the progress we have made,” Brentford manager Keith Andrews said yesterday.
“We have gone day-to-day, week-to-week, and game-to-game to build a team, a squad, a way of playing and a way of working. It is nice to see players flourish and grow in confidence. The way we are playing recently is really pleasing.”
Do you like football but also other sports too? Then the Friday quiz is for you!
Eddie Howe is now taking questions, and he says Bruno Guimaraẽs could feature against Aston Villa after suffering an injury against PSV in midweek. “Reasonably positive after the game, so we will give him every chance this weekend,” the Newcastle manager said.
Howe added that Dan Burn is back in training after suffering a punctured lung during December’s derby defeat to Sunderland – and was tight-lipped on transfers, saying the club “won’t panic” but will have to be guided by their PSR situation this month.
Régis Le Bris’ side shook off Afcon concerns by going unbeaten while those six players were away. “Our recent form shows the strength of the group,” the Sunderland manager said yesterday. “It is part of our identity. It is more about teamwork than individuals. We have had players missing, but we have stayed competitive.”
As for West Ham, Nuno Espírito Santo says he has seen an improvement in his players’ morale after winning at Spurs last weekend. “When you perform well and win, the week is good,” he straight-batted. “The boys have been working really, really hard.”
Sunderland go to West Ham in Saturday’s early kick-off. The club have welcomed back six players who travelled to Afcon, including Habib Diarra of champions Senegal – and they were all presented with framed pictures yesterday, which is a nice touch.
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The name’s Bord, James Bord. An interesting story from Matt Hughes about the poker player interested in buying Sheffield Wednesday, with links to their cross-city rivals.
A few Premier League managers spoke to the media on Thursday, including the man with football’s most exceptional voice, Daniel Farke. He takes his Leeds side to Everton on Monday night, and isn’t planning to make any big January signings beyond the loan move for Brighton’s Facundo Buonanotte.
“We want to keep the group tight. We want to keep our togetherness and our unity. If we got the feeling there was an option that makes us better, then we would do it. But you also know my attitude – I think the January market is a difficult one, and for that, we are not in panic mode, not under any pressure to do something.”
Brighton’s Fabian Hürzeler is the first Premier League manager facing the press today, with Eddie Howe following at 9.30am (GMT) and Arne Slot at 10am. Then the lunchtime rush will see Andoni Iraola and Pep Guardiola front up at 12.30pm, Rob Edwards at 1pm and six different managers at 1.30pm – Michael Carrick, Mikel Arteta, Liam Rosenior, Oliver Glasner, David Moyes and Marco Silva.
Emery laughs off touchline spat with Tielemans
Aston Villa sealed a top-eight finish in the Europa League after Jadon Sancho’s first goal for the club gave them a 1-0 win over Fenerbahce in Turkey. But the Villa manager, Unai Emery, was involved in a touchline spat with Youri Tielemans after the midfielder was substituted in stoppage time. Emery, who appeared to shove Tielemans as the Belgian left the pitch, appeared to laugh off the incident saying: “He’s my son. He’s my son.” Emery went on to say he was pleased to secure progress to the last 16, and said: “Europa League is important for us and we have got in the top eight. Building the team with some circumstances not helping us but next week we can finish the transfer window and hopefully we can get everything we need to complete the squad for the competitions we have.”
Preamble
No Premier League team has a win streak longer than one game, and a turbulent month shows no sign of settling down. Manchester United are enjoying a rare spell as the form side in their city after a derby demolition – Sunday’s trip to leaders Arsenal, fresh off two goalless draws in a row, feels less daunting than it might for Michael Carrick’s men.
As for City, their Arctic meltdown in midweek gives a home tie against spirited Wolves an unexpected edge. Will Marc Guéhi be parachuted straight into their threadbare defence? And what next for Palace, with players jumping ship and their manager starting fires? It may depend which version of Chelsea turn up at Selhurst Park.
The only team with two league defeats in a row – Thomas Frank’s Spurs! – got a big win at home to Dortmund, but any goodwill gained will be obliterated by defeat at Burnley. Was West Ham’s away win a blip, or is a great escape on the cards? We’ll get an idea in their early kick-off tomorrow, at home to Sunderland.
We’ll have all the latest from today’s press conferences, transfer updates and will also look ahead to a big WSL weekend, as Chelsea host Arsenal on Saturday and hope for Manchester City to slip up at London City Lionesses on Sunday. Here we go …
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