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In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, John Hartson discussed the title race and suggested that Liverpool have a huge advantage, and not just because they already boast an eight-point lead.

The Reds are in impressive form with eight wins from eight in the Premier League. Brushing aside the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea in the process, and they currently don’t look like a side that will lose any time soon.

However, despite their 100% record they haven’t always impressed, and in recent games they have got over the line thanks to more than just the quality of their players, but the former Wales international believes that is a big positive.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, Hartson said: “Winning ugly is a good sign. This season they’re winning games by the odd goal. When you’re not quite at it but you’re still winning games that is an incredibly good sign.”

The former striker refers to their past two league matches in which they have earned narrow victories over Sheffield United and Leicester City, relying on a last-minute penalty against the latter to maintain their winning start.

It is a great trait to have, and a characteristic of many title-winning sides – even Pep Guardiola’s brilliant Manchester City – and an aspect of Liverpool’s play that Jurgen Klopp has no problem with.

Much has been made of Liverpool’s early lead but some think it is too early to write off City, a sentiment Hartson agrees with.

“It’s very, very early. I’ve never seen a league title being handed out in October, but they have got a brilliant lead.”

One factor that strengthens the Reds’ place at the top of the table is their rival’s defensive vulnerability.

Due to injuries they have resorted to playing Nicolas Otamendi and the out of position Fernandinho in recent games, resulting in defeats against Norwich and Wolves, and there are signs that things aren’t quite right.

Speaking about the impact injuries will have on the race, Hartson added: “I think Laporte is a fantastic centre-half. So Man City will be missing him yes of course.”

With Guardiola’s side lacking their most reliable and defensively capable defender for an extended period of time, there’s no doubt the Reds have an early advantage in the title race.

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Lots of Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to call on the club to sign Leicester star James Maddison, after the attacking midfielder’s match-winning display against Tottenham.

The former Norwich man – who the Foxes signed for £20m two summers ago – earned his side all three points with a late winner from long range against Spurs on Saturday.

Maddison, 22, also took four shots in total and made two key passes as he proved to be a constant thorn in Tottenham’s side.

Forgetting his fine performance for a minute, Maddison’s standing amongst Liverpool fans has seemingly gone up even more after he called out The Sun for their tweet about his backpack choice – a quick look at the replies to his tweet shows any criticism of the newspaper is met with delight from Reds fans.

One fan said the Englishman would be “perfect” for the Anfield outfit, while another said he would slot perfectly into Jurgen Klopp’s midfield three.

Let’s take a look at some more of the Twitter reaction…

Jon McLaughlin has been called up for the Scotland national team squad, as confirmed on the Sunderland Twitter account.

This comes after he has started all nine of Sunderland’s League One matches so far, though he is yet to keep a clean sheet, as per Transfermarkt.

The 32-year-old’s inclusion will put him up against David Marshall and Craig MacGillivray to feature against Russia and San Marino:

Rather than looking at this development in excitement for McLaughlin, many Sunderland fans are actually seeing this as a big opportunity for his understudy, Lee Burge.

The 26-year-old has only featured in the Carabao Cup so far this season, though he has played the full 90 minutes in all three of the games.

He has been impressive, especially against Sheffield United, when he kept the Black Cats’ first clean sheet of the season.

There are sections of the Sunderland support who feel Burge should also be playing in the league, with McLaughlin’s time away with the Scotland national team potentially being his chance to show it.

A selection of Twitter reaction to the announcement, including posts from excited Sunderland fans, can be seen below:

Sunderland fans, can Burge become your club’s main goalkeeper? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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Loads of Spurs fans have been reacting to an absolute horror tackle suffered by Giovani Lo Celso while on international duty.

Ah the international break. As soon as the excitement for the new season kicks in, we are brought back down to Earth by two weeks of mostly turgid football, during which time we hope and pray that our club’s greatest assets don’t pick up injuries.

And you can’t blame Spurs fans for feeling particularly hard done by. They have seen their key men get injured while on England duty in the past, and plenty are now reacting to the horrific challenge Lo Celso suffered while paying for Argentina on Thursday night.

Now, before we go any further, we are happy to report that the summer signing seems to be okay, revealing that the injury that forced him off the pitch was actually to his groin, and is “not something to worry about”, per Sky Sports.

That hasn’t stopped fans from fuming at a tackle that came earlier in the match though, as the 23 year-old was hit with a potential leg breaker by Chile midfielder Charles Aranguiz, which you can view below.

The match ended in a 0-0 stalemate, and you can see some of the best fan reactions down below…

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EA Sports have now officially released their top 20 players in their newest edition of FIFA.

FIFA 20, as it will be called this year, features Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as their two best players in the whole game with the overall rating of 93 and 94 respectively.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

They have thus confirmed that Barcelona’s little magician will be the highest rated card in the game. But even with that being said, it seems that many Barcelona fans still don’t fully like what they’ve got this time around either.

Sure, Messi is going to be better than Ronaldo but some of them seem to think FIFA still got it all wrong and Messi should, in fact, be even higher rated than he already is.

Some even called the Argentine the “most underrated player of all time” and accused FIFA of being on drugs while making these ratings.

Either way, they were once again pretty vocal about EA’s ratings and you can see some of the replies in the collection of tweets down below:

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West Ham United look destined to sign Maxi Gomez this month one way or another but, with Celta Vigo struggling at the foot of La Liga, the conclusion of the mooted deal is far from straightforward. 

Reports in recent days have depicted Gomez to West Ham as something of a formality, but with less than 48 hours remaining until the deadline passes time is running out for the Hammers to reach an agreement.

Gomez reportedly has a £43.5 million release clause in his contract, but the fact Celta want West Ham to loan him back to the club after completing a deal is complicating matters, according to Sky Sports journalist Dharmesh Sheth.

Indeed, while speaking on Sky Sports’ Transfer Talk podcast, Sheth claimed that one of his sources close to the deal revealed that West Ham are looking to secure a transfer for a fee below the £43.5 million release clause because they will not be benefiting from his presence until the summer. Crucially, though, Celta are reluctant to accept a reduced fee.

“The information I was getting for someone who was close to the deal was saying that there were 2 different prices: one if they bought him in January and they’d want the full release clause, but if West Ham waited and bought him in the summer then there would be a reduction in the price.

“But what Celta are trying to do is a combination of both, they’re saying we’re selling to you in January so give us the full release clause but what we want is him to be loaned back.

“The discussions that are happening now, I’m led to believe, is that West Ham want a reduction in what they’re paying because they’re effectively not getting him until the summer but they’re securing his services now.”

Murmurs emerging from the media suggest that Manuel Pellegrini is more than willing to allow Gomez to stay in Spain until the end of the season, with Marko Arnautovic’s peculiar contract extension also lending reason to believe that the Austrian hitman has agreed to stay until the La Liga goal-machine moves to east London.

That Celta are playing hardball on the figure is far from surprising considering the circumstances; they hold all the cards given Gomez’s obvious attraction and the tentative situation regarding Arnuatovic’s future.

But, with time still remaining in the window, the powers that be at West Ham will be hoping to knock a few million pounds off the eventual figure to ensure something of a straight footballing and financial swap in the summer when Arnautovic renew his effort to leave the club.

It’s a complicated time for West Ham in the transfer market but, even with Celta’s tough stance on Gomez in mind, it seems Pellegrini is in a strong position to secure a massive signing for the club – whether it be for £43.5 million or slightly less.

West Ham fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

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Leeds have been impressive this season but against Swansea on Saturday, they failed to attain any points for the first time this term.

Once again they dominated, achieving 61.9% of the possession and having 21 shots.

However, they conceded a devastating late goal that meant they relinquished their lead at the top of the Championship table.

It was a sloppy strike to concede as the Whites didn’t clear their lines with Wayne Routledge then somehow finding the back of the net.

For the Leeds players, it was obviously bitterly disappointing but one man was more dejected than anyone else.

That happened to be the imperious Ben White who despite his defensive efforts couldn’t prevent Leeds from conceding.

In the image above, you can see White sink to the floor as Routledge wheels away in delight after beating Kiko Casilla.

The pure heartbreak in the Brighton loanee’s body is clear to see as he looks a completely broken figure.

It’s a photo that shows just how much the youngster cares, even if he is simply on loan at Elland Road.

But it also sums up the type of player he is. Since walking through the doors at Thorp Arch he has been nothing but exceptional and has quickly become a fan favourite, earning rave reviews after their win against Stoke.

So far this season, the 21-year-old has won 2.5 tackles per game, as well as making a colossal 4.2 interceptions each match. He also has an impressive pass success rate of 87.6%, per WhoScored.

In the frame before the picture above, he desperately tries to throw himself in the way of the ball, something that displayed his dedication and commitment to the cause.

However, for one of the first times this season, White came out second best.

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Arsenal are one of the teams interested in Jonathan David, according to Fabrizio Romano…

What’s the word?

The Italian transfer expert delivered the exciting claim to Twitter earlier this week as the Gunners’ search for a new striker rumbles on, though it’s a move that may have to wait until the summer window.

“Jonathan David will be one of the big names on the market… in the summer. He’s not leaving Lille in January, the plan is to complete the season in Ligue 1.

“Arsenal have been mentioned among clubs interested in him – but there’s nothing advanced yet. Open and long race,” he said.

David is currently valued at £45m, as per Transfermarkt.

Vlahovic alternative

Thus far, the north London giants have been left frustrated in their pursuit to find a new talisman for manager Mikel Arteta – a need that is only going to get desperate the closer we get to next season.

That’s because Alexandre Lacazette is still out of contract end the end of the current campaign, whilst the future of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is by no means certain, having been stripped of the captaincy for behind-the-scenes disciplinary reasons.

Fiorentina forward Dusan Vlahovic has emerged as a key target for the club but they are yet to make any advances despite being linked with a £150m package for him this month.

It’s been reported that he isn’t keen on a move to the Emirates Stadium and that he could well also remain in Italy until the summer, at the earliest.

David could therefore be an intriguing and perhaps perfect alternative as he’s not going to cost as much as the Serbian and he too has been in electric form this term.

As per Transfermarkt, the Canada international has found the net 16 times from only 28 appearances, averaging one goal every 134 minutes, which is very impressive indeed.

He is finally living up to him €30m (£26m) price tag from Club Brugge, where his former boss Hein Vanhaezebrouck once dubbed him “a phenomenon” and “the best player in the country.”

Last season, he bagged 13 goals on their way to the Ligue 1 title, so the 5 foot 11 marksman has been a very important player for Les Dogues.

Strong with both feed and pace to burn, David could easily fit in with Arteta’s system as he seems the ideal mix between both Aubameyang and Lacazette.

Therefore, it would make sense for Edu Gaspar and the Gunners’ recruitment team to turn to the Lille beast in the coming weeks, if not months as the need for a new striker is paramount ahead of next season.

Arteta would surely love David at Arsenal.

AND in other news, Arsenal dealt huge transfer setback… 

As per Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport, via Football Italia, there has been an update on Tottenham Hotspur’s transfer links to Juventus forward Paulo Dybala.

The Lowdown: Spurs eye Bosman move…

Spurs transfer chief Fabio Paratici reportedly plans to sign quality options at zero cost in the form of soon-to-be 2022 free agents with the likes of Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona) and Jesse Lingard (Man United) previously linked.

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Dybala, who is now set to leave Turin in June, is another big name who Tottenham could sign for Antonio Conte this summer on a free deal with various reports namedropping the Lilywhites as an interested party.

Sharing an update, Italian publication CDS now have some news for Spurs fans.

The Latest: Tottenham enter out-of-window talks…

According to their information, as shared by FI, Dybala’s representatives are currently ‘talking’ to Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester City as the Lilywhites enter out-of-window negotiations.

They also add that one of the player’s intermediaries/emissaries has recently travelled to England with a move abroad for the Argentine now seeming like the most likely option.

The Verdict: Get it done…

While Dybala’s £220,000-per-week wages could be a point of contention, especially given a salary that high would make him the highest paid player in Conte’s squad, we believe he could be a fine addition for no transfer fee.

Pundit Paddy Kenny, commenting on the links recently, claimed he would be a ‘statement’ signing for Spurs and the numbers certainly back his point.

According to WhoScored, Dybala stands out as Juve’s best performing Serie A player this season going by average match rating (7.41), attempting far more shots at goal per 90 (3.6) than anyone in Massimiliano Allegri’s squad.

As the Italian footballing giants seem set to lose a star man, Tottenham could be remiss if they don’t at least attempt to take full advantage.

In other news: Paratici sets sights on ‘phenomenal’ £100m man who Spurs have been offered before! Find out more here.

Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard posted a picture in West Ham colours on his Instagram story recently.

A number of Red Devils fans have hit out at the 29-year-old as a result, with the player wanted back at the London Stadium in a possible January switch.

Lingard is yet to feature under Ralf Rangnick in the Premier League and has made just two starts all season. The Englishman is out of contract at the end of the campaign, meaning that he could technically pen pre-contract terms now with a club outside of England ahead of a free transfer in the summer.

However, the Hammers are still interested in Lingard, who relayed a Premier League post on his Instagram story alongside Declan Rice, Pablo Fornals and Tomas Soucek from when he was on loan with the east London club last season.

United fans react

The United Stand shared the screenshot of Lingard’s social media post on Twitter. Here is what these United supporters had to say in reply, with many not pleased and one describing it as ‘disrespectful’ to his current club.

Indeed, it is not the first time that the 29-year-old has enraged some of the Old Trafford fan base over his social media antics, and given his inactivity this season, some supporters feel that it is time for him to be moved on.

“Genuinely can’t believe we didn’t sell Lingard in the summer. Sell him in January. Try and get something for him.”

Credit: @Daniaal_7

“He’s becoming disrespectful”

Credit: @YourstrulyKemar

“get this man out of the club”

Credit: @lwsn___

“He should be banned from kicking ball at my club for life”

Credit: @Dope_Sbu

“Let him go, we don’t need him, we don’t play him, get him off the books”

Credit: @Acro_ManUtd

“I really hope he leave this club”

Credit: @AidanUTD7

In other news: ‘Pathetic’ – Many Man Utd fans fume over ’embarrassing’ behind-the-scenes revelation