Last Sunday, Jurgen Klopp celebrated his two-year anniversary at the Anfield helm. But not everybody is convinced the German gaffer has taken Liverpool in the right direction.

Although the Reds have reached two cup finals and qualified for the Champions League under his tutelage, their 2016/17 title push imploded between January and March last season and the Merseysiders look a little short of the Premier League’s top club’s once again this term.

Of course, Liverpool haven’t won a league title since the 1980s. But Klopp’s direct predecessor Brendan Rodgers has taken them the closest to doing so in the period since, his Luis Suarez-inspired side finishing second in 2013/14.

Statistically speaking too, Liverpool enjoyed a better win-rate across all competitions and picked up more points per game in the Premier League under the now-Celtic boss – although he did spend £201million more on new signings. Some difference, that.

So, Liverpool fans, do you think your club was better off under Rodgers than it currently is under Klopp? Let us know by voting below…

Lyon forward Nabil Fekir maintained his impressive start to the season with a man-of-the-match display in his side’s 3-2 win against Monaco on Friday night, and Arsenal fans believe that he could be the man to replace the unsettled Alexis Sanchez.

It seems more and more likely that the Chile international will either leave the Emirates during the January transfer window or next summer when his contract is due to expire, and Gunners manager Arsene Wenger will need to start thinking about who could replace the influential 28-year-old.

Meanwhile, Fekir has been producing some standout performances from an attacking midfield role for the French outfit this term, and he scored two and assisted one in the victory against the Ligue 1 leaders on Friday.

It means that he has now netted seven goals and provided three assists in 11 appearances in all competitions throughout the current campaign, and his form hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Arsenal supporters were quick to react to his latest showing via social media, and while some said that the 24-year-old should be signed to “replace Sanchez”, others would ‘love to see him at the club’.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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According to reports in The Times, Chelsea are ready to offer midfielder Cesc Fabregas, who is rated at £31.5m by Transfermarkt, a new deal amid renewed interest in the Spaniard from Premier League rivals Manchester United.

What’s the word, then?

Well, The Times says that while the 30-year-old has 18 months left on his current contract, the Blues are keen for him to extend his stay at Stamford Bridge despite the fact that the length of any proposed new deal is yet to be agreed.

The Times says that while Fabregas would like a two-year contract, the west London outfit have only tended to offer one-year extensions to players aged 30 and over.

However, with the report adding that Red Devils boss and former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has been keeping tabs on the midfielder over the course of the last 18 months as he sees him as a potential alternative target to Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil, they may be forced to give into the Spaniard’s demands.

How has Fabregas done this season?

He has certainly been more of a key figure than he was last term.

The 30-year-old’s future was probably in doubt going into the summer after he often found himself on the substitutes’ bench with N’Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic preferred in the middle of the park, but despite the departure of the latter to Manchester United and the arrival of Tiemoue Bakayoko and Danny Drinkwater over the summer, he has been given more of a chance by Conte this season.

Injuries to all three of his central midfield rivals have certainly helped the Spaniard, while the 3-5-2 formation that the manager has preferred on occasions has opened up another spot in the middle of the park.

The Times says that Conte is desperate to retain Fabregas, who has scored one goal and provided a further four assists in 15 appearances in all competitions throughout the campaign so far.

Will he stay?

With Conte seemingly convinced that he can still make an impact for the Blues, it seems likely that Chelsea will offer Fabregas the two-year extension he wants – as they did when they gave Gary Cahill a new four-deal when he was 29.

In addition, they certainly will be determined not to lose another player to former boss Mourinho and Manchester United having seen Matic go during the summer transfer window.

Few paid much attention when Watford announced an £11.2million deal for relatively unknown Brazilian Richarlison during the summer. Vicarage Road has seen countless players come and go under the Pozzos, just as European football has seen countless young Brazilians imported from South America struggle with the physicality of our game before fading into obscurity.

Richarlison though, already looks something truly special; an immensely natural talent who has the pace and guile to take on defenders, the technical quality and vision to create chances and the intelligence to get into great scoring positions – a combination that has seen him produce four goals and two assists already this season.

Considering how competitive the English top flight is these days, that marks a phenomenal return from a 20-year-old’s first ten Premier League fixtures, which in itself is a testament to his character.

But when taking a closer look at Richarlison, we perhaps shouldn’t be so surprised he’s acclimatised so quickly; alongside his obvious Selecao flair, there’s a physical and aggressive edge to his game – Swansea City’s Jordan Ayew is the only forward to make more tackles in the Premier League than Richarlison this season.

That perhaps explains why Mirror Football claim Tottenham Hotspur are already eyeing the 5 foot 10 attacker, despite him signing for the Canaries just a matter of months ago. The ability to press high is an integral part of Mauricio Pochettino’s game-plan and Richarlison has already shown he has not only the tools but also the willingness to fit into that energetic philosophy.

Likewise, although Fernando Llorente arrived in the summer, it still feels as if Tottenham need another option in attack to truly challenge for the title, one who can provide them with more natural width or the ability to threaten space behind when deployed centrally.

The versatile Brazilian can address both of those issues within the squad – so, should be on Tottenham’s transfer hit list for January? Let us know by voting below…

According to former Everton director of communications Alan Myers on his official Twitter account, Shakhtar Donetsk manager Paulo Fonseca is on the three-man shortlist for the vacant manager’s job at Goodison Park, and Toffees fans have been having their say on him.

According to Alan Myers, majority shareholder is set to pick from Sam Allardyce, Martin O’Neill and Fonseca as he finally looks to replace Ronald Koeman more than five weeks after the Dutchman was sacked.

Things have gone from bad to worse for the Merseyside outfit and successive 5-1 and 4-1 defeats against Atalanta and Southampton respectively mean they need to act, and quickly.

Fonseca has been with Shakhtar since May 2016, and he has impressed by winning 56 of his 73 matches in charge of the Ukrainian outfit.

Everton supporters took to social media to give their thoughts on the potential of the 44-year-old taking over, and while one said “he knows how to win”, another argued that appointing him would be “too much of a risk” given the situation they find themselves in.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Monday’s UEFA Europa League draw threw up a tantalising tie for Celtic. They’ll face Russian side Zenit St Petersburg in the Round of 32, set to take place next February.

It’s a hugely difficult match-up for the Hoops, but perhaps not the worst case scenario given they could have drawn the likes of Arsenal and Atletico Madrid.

Celtic have a great record against Russian opposition, playing six matches, winning three, drawing two and losing just once. They’ve also progressed from every knock-out tie involving Russian teams.

Still, Zenit are a talented side and scored more goals than any other team in the Europa League group stages, demonstrating their attacking threat will be a stern test for Brendan Rodgers’ defence.

Supporters recognise that threat and most make them favourites, but some are taking solace in the fact that the Russians don’t have a competitive match until they visit Celtic Park.

The Russian Premier League’s Winter break has just started and the fact they don’t play a serious game until the two sides meet could be a factor in the tie.

Fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the matter…

According to reports in The Sunday Mirror, new Everton boss Sam Allardyce has targeted unhappy Sevilla midfielder Steven N’Zonzi as one of his priority transfer targets.

What’s the word, then?

Well, The Sunday Mirror says that having been promised a bumper January budget by majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri, Allardyce could look to be reunited with the 28-year-old.

The 63-year-old signed the Frenchman when he was Blackburn Rovers manager, and The Sunday Mirror also says that he was keen to see if the midfielder was eligible to play for England when he was in charge of the Three Lions.

The report adds that N’Zonzi is keen to leave the La Liga outfit and although Sevilla would be reluctant to let him go, they could be tempted if they are offered £20m.

How has N’Zonzi done this season?

The 28-year-old has been a regular in the Sevilla side this season, but he wasn’t happy when he was taken off at half-time in the draw against Liverpool in the Champions League, and he failed to turn up to training the next day.

Since then, the Frenchman hasn’t made the squad for the La Liga matches against Villarreal and Deportivo La Coruna, with the relationship between himself and manager Eduardo Berizzo still not repaired.

Do Everton need him?

With the likes of Idrissa Gueye, Morgan Schneiderlin, James McCarthy, Mo Besic, Beni Baningime and Tom Davies in the middle of the park, you wouldn’t necessarily think that they need N’Zonzi but the former two especially have been performing far worse than they did last season.

There is no doubt that the Sevilla man would add some strength and power in the centre, and he would prove to be an important player at both ends of the pitch when it comes to set-pieces.

What’s the verdict, then?

Well, if Everton could pick N’Zonzi up for £20m Allardyce would probably be happy to do it, especially having worked with the Frenchman before and the fact that he has experience of playing Premier League, Champions League and Europa League football.

That said, his fall-out with his current boss in recent weeks would bring some question marks over his attitude and character.

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Most of the nation’s attention has been on the World Cup the last few weeks, but Premier League clubs are now preparing to get their pre-season action underway.

This weekend, Liverpool will take on Chester at the Swansway Chester Stadium in their first friendly ahead of the 2018-19 campaign.

Manager Jurgen Klopp welcomed back the majority of his squad earlier this week, but there were notable first-team absentees.

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Roberto Firmino, Jordan Henderson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dejan Lovren and Simon Mignolet all remain in Russia with their respective countries for the World Cup.

Georginio Wijnaldum and Virgil van Dijk are also yet to return to the squad, while Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane have been given extended time off following their World Cup elimination.

What do you think of the World Cup so far? Let us know and win any World Cup shirt of your choice.

The likes of James Milner and Adam Lallana are expected to get game time on Saturday, while new signings Naby Keita and Fabinho could make their non-competitive debuts for the Reds.

The Liverpool Echo put together a suggested XI for the encounter against Chester, and it featured the Reds’ two new signings, as well as Divock Origi, Ben Woodburn and Harry Wilson.

Some fans discussed the possible lineup on Reddit, with some admitting that they will be watching Liverpool instead of England’s 3pm kickoff against Sweden in the quarter-finals of the World Cup.

This will be Liverpool’s most likely lineup against Chester this Saturday according to the echo. from r/LiverpoolFC

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Southampton opened their preparations for the 2018-19 Premier League season with a 3-2 win over Chinese club Jiangsu Suning on Wednesday afternoon.

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Manolo Gabbiadini, Nathan Redmond and Sam Gallagher were on the scoresheet as the Premier League outfit began their pre-season with a victory.

It was a positive 90 minutes for the Saints, and the club’s supporters were keen to pay tribute to summer arrival Stuart Armstrong, who provided a wonderful assist for Gabbiadini to make the breakthrough.

Armstrong is a recent arrival from Celtic, and has already been tipped by the Southampton fans to play a key role for the English outfit.

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The midfielder was named in a strong starting XI, and did not take long to make his mark.

Saints boss Mark Hughes has already added some exciting players this summer, and the club are said to be far from finished as they look to avoid a repeat of last season.

A selection of the Twitter reaction to Armstrong’s performance can be seen below:

According to a report from The Liverpool Echo, Jurgen Klopp is set to give goalkeeper Danny Ward a chance in the first team. The Reds have struggled in the shot-stopping department for a while now with neither Loris Karius nor Simon Mignolet doing enough to convince of their capabilities, with the former in particular guilty of high-profile errors in the Champions League final back in May.

And with the Liverpool chief reportedly ready to give £2.25 million-rated star Ward (as per Transfermarkt) an opportunity, it could actually be the best thing possible for fellow Reds goalkeeper Karius.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, the pressure has been on Karius to deliver ever since he was given the nod by Klopp to be his number one at the start of 2018, and for the most part, the young German did reasonably well.

However, two howlers in the Champions League final alongside a sluggish start to pre-season has again thrown into doubt whether the 24-year-old has what it takes to be Liverpool’s number one for the coming season, hence Klopp is reportedly willing to give Ward a chance.

But taking Karius out of the firing line and away from the spotlight could actually be a good thing for the ex-Mainz goalkeeper, as it would give him the opportunity to focus purely on training and trying to better himself as a shot-stopper, without the added pressure of having to perform on a week-by-week basis under extreme pressure.

After all, Karius is only 25 and for a goalkeeper that is a pretty young age in the early phases of his career, and while he will always be remembered for his errors in Kiev earlier this year, one mustn’t forget that, in the few months prior to that, the German did pretty well.

And while failing to play week in week out is sure to be of frustration to Karius, it could actually help him in the long term in being able to concentrate primarily on becoming the best goalkeeper he can possibly be in training, without the added weight of expectation that comes with being a Liverpool shot-stopper.

Ultimately, there is no doubt that Ward deserves an opportunity in the first team given the struggles of messrs Mignolet and Karius, yet the sheer fact that he’d no longer be in the spotlight and under pressure to perform could actually hugely benefit the latter in terms of his development as a goalkeeper.

Liverpool fans… what do you think? Let us know!