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Many Southampton fans have been slamming the performance of Adam Armstrong in their 4-0 loss at Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday.

The visitors almost immediately went behind to a second-minute Diogo Jota goal after some fine work by Andy Robertson, before the former Wolves winger got his second just after the half-hour mark.

Thiago and Virgil van Dijk added to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s misery by the full-time whistle, as his team endured a real drubbing at Anfield.

Armstrong was one Saints player who seemed to struggle throughout the game, losing out on two of his duels, while he also missed with four of his goal attempts and failed to record a single successful dribble or key pass (SofaScore).

The striker was guilty of losing the ball on 10 separate occasions, and the fact that he had fewer touches (31) than his own goalkeeper Alex McCarthy (37) (SofaScore) summed up how little impact he had on the match.

Southampton fans slam Armstrong

These Southampton fans slammed the striker’s performance on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that he is a ‘Championship’ player:

“Perraud – Championship player. Armstrong – Championship player. Saints squad – Championship. Just not good enough.”

Credit: @LoveysShaun

“Better 2nd half. Lyanco is levels above Bednarek. Tella has to start more often. Armstrong was far too wasteful.”

Credit: @CameronSFC

“Adam Armstrong looks broken after 13 games. Buying good Champ players will always be a massive gamble as they can’t always make that step up to the PL”

Credit: @jamiepang

“Adam Armstrong is so so bad.”

Credit: @SB85SB

“I didn’t think there could’ve been a less convincing finisher that Chele but we certainly found him in Armstrong. Shocking”

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Credit: @RJn00b

“Armstrong = The English Carrillo”

Credit: @And_McDougall

In other news, find out whose display against Liverpool was also slammed by many Saints fans

Despite losing their previous Premier League game 3-2 against West Ham United going into the latest international break, Liverpool have had a fairly good start to their 2021/22 season, with 22 points on the board in the league and remaining unbeaten in the Champions League and Carabao Cup.

One man who has played a big part in Liverpool’s campaign and deserves a lot of credit is Diogo Jota. With 14 appearances under his belt for the Reds this season across all competitions, the 24-year-old has scored five goals and provided two assists in the process.

As well as his goals and assists, the winger – who is currently valued at £40.5m by Transfermarkt – has averaged 2.2 shots and 1.6 key passes in the league, showing how much of a danger he can pose to opponents.

The Portuguese forward has also showed his worth to Jurgen Klopp in the Champions League this season by either providing an assist or scoring a goal in Liverpool’s group games against his former club Atletico Madrid.

With this in mind, it seems as though Jota is having a similar sort of season to last year after joining the Reds from fellow Premier League side Wolves in a deal worth a reported fee of £41m, with 13 goals in 30 appearances in the 2020/21 campaign.

Even though fellow Reds wingers Sadio Mane (eight) and Mohamed Salah (15) have scored more than Jota at this point in the season, the former Wolves man – who has been described as “incredible” by fellow Reds teammate Adrian – has certainly proven himself to be an unsung hero for Klopp who can step up to the plate whenever he’s called upon.

Looking ahead to the rest of the season, with Salah and Mane set to spend a period of time away from Anfield in January to take part in the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations, it’s safe to say that Klopp will be relying on Jota to fill in for the duo when that time comes.

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Thankfully, the 24-year-old has proven during his time on Merseyside  that he is capable of doing just that, and he could help the team push closer to the top of the table in the forthcoming absence of Salah and Mane.

In other news: Liverpool handed huge injury boost ahead of Arsenal clash, Klopp will be buzzing

Leeds Live’s Beren Cross has delivered an update on Leeds United’s pursuit of John Swift ahead of the January transfer window.

What’s the story?

According to recent reports in The Sheffield Star, Marcelo Bielsa’s side have their eye on the attacking midfielder, along with the likes of Newcastle United and Brentford.

Cross has now delivered an update on where things currently stand with a potential move for Swift.

He said: “Swift will certainly be a player Orta and Bielsa are aware of. An English talent at 26 with an expiring contract is hard to ignore. After a few injury issues across the past few seasons, he has continued to play well this season and led from the front with Reading. Evidently, he will leave there in January for a smaller fee or wait to go for nothing next summer.

“It is fair to say he has outgrown the Berkshire club. I am not aware Leeds have ever shown strong interest in taking Swift to Elland Road, and that includes the Championship days. Now, in the Premier League, Swift is unproven and could be considered a risk. The finances would not be an issue, but is he that much better than what Leeds already have and does he have that box-to-box profile Leeds need alongside a Rodrigo in the middle?”

Would be an exciting addition for Leeds

Swift has a track record of offering a goal-scoring threat from attacking midfield, managing an impressive 63 goal contributions in 181 games. in fact, his start to the current campaign for Reading has been quite incredible, netting eight goals in 17 matches in the Championship as well as chipping in with seven assists.

Speaking back in August after a 2-1 win over Preston, Royals manager Veljko Paunovic said of the 26-year-old: “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.”

That ability to come from deep and find the back of the net – he has scored 40 senior goals in his professional career thus far – would add a different dimension to Leeds’ side.

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The fact that Bielsa and Orta will be “aware” of Swift and his progress at Reading could be crucial to potentially making a move for him in January when the transfer window opens again.

He’d certainly be an exciting addition for Leeds fans.

Meanwhile, Leeds are facing a transfer battle for this Brazilian ace…

Speaking to GiveMeSport, journalist Paul Brown of The Daily Star has revealed what chairman Daniel Levy has personally ‘promised’ Antonio Conte at Tottenham.

The Lowdown: Conte takes charge…

The 52-year-old’s tenure has officially begun and it’s a new era which comes with plenty of promise and excitement.

Calciomercato.it recently claimed that the former Chelsea boss has demanded a €280 million (£239.6m) transfer war chest as he eyes a plethora of Serie A stars and a major Tottenham rebuild.

Meanwhile, The Sun believe Conte will be given a big budget to play with, though not quite as extravagant, with Levy apparently set to grant him a £150m budget to bring in his desired talent.

Now, backing somewhat backing these claims, Brown has shared what he believes to GMS.

The Latest: Brown makes Levy claim…

Speaking to the outlet, Brown has now shared what Levy has personally ‘promised’ Conte at Spurs and it’s quite an intriguing claim which could entice some Spurs supporters.

“He has been promised a fairly big whack, and a good go at things.” said the journalist.

The Verdict: Promising…

If Conte does indeed get the backing required to make Tottenham a force again, perhaps akin to the latter stage of Mauricio Pochettino’s tenure, they could have all the ingredients to become a European powerhouse once again.

Since reaching the Champions League final in 2019, the club have seen Pochettino, Jose Mourinho and Nuno Espirito Santo sacked whilst also delaying the rebuild process of a squad in need of a big overhaul.

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Pochettino himself candidly admitted that his side needed a ‘painful rebuild’ long before he was shown the door and Conte’s arrival could finally mark the beginning of the process.

He will need help from managing director Fabio Paratici as the Italian duo seek to turn Tottenham’s fortunes around.

In other news: Conte personally plotting to sell ‘very talented’ Spurs player who Nuno called ‘unique’, find out more here.

Manchester City fans are far from happy with the news that Brendan Rodgers is eyeing the Citizens managerial position when Pep Guardiola departs the club.

Since making the move to the Citizens in 2016, Guardiola has had huge success. He has already won ten trophies during that period, including three Premier League titles, one of which came after the Citizens racked up 100 points (Goal.com).

He has yet to get his hands on a European trophy, with last year the closest City have come to the Champions League as they lost 1-0 to Chelsea.

However, the five years he has spent at City is his longest spell at one club, and so perhaps the club do need to start considering long-term plans. And, according to Caught Offside, Rodgers is reluctant to enter negotiations with Manchester United as he would like to succeed Guardiola instead.

The news was shared on Twitter by @City_Xtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Rodgers news below

“Let’s all have a laugh at this? Nah thank you Rogers.”

Credit: @MarionEsther9

“Just no I don’t want Rodgers. I want Enrique or Ten Haag. Nagelsmann and Flick would be great but I can’t see them leaving Bayern and Germany NT in next 5 years.”

Credit: @Jerarudo1

“Yea no thanks, Nagelsmann or Ten Hag for me.”

Credit: @JMC_Official

“Will be biggest downgrade in history. I’ll even consider stop supporting city”

Credit: @gotcakemate

“Please no”

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Credit: @7Mcfcmax

“Rodgers is a big no for me. He could not perform at Liverpool despite having a good squad and you expect him to perform at Man City. Nope.”

Credit: @IrepApril6

In other news, City fans were gutted with this United news.

Leeds failed to build on their first Premier League win of the season against Watford as they lost 1-0 to Southampton at the weekend.

Marcelo Bielsa was without Raphinha, Kalvin Phillips and Patrick Bamford as Armando Broja’s goal was enough to secure the points for the home side.

The Whites clearly missed their key players as they failed to register a single shot on target in the entire match, managing three efforts overall – all off-target.

This is despite £24m summer signing Dan James playing out wide on the left. He created zero chances in the game as he completed 25% of his attempted crosses and missed one ‘big chance’, with the Welshman yet to score or assist a goal in six appearances.

James was unable to provide the spark for Leeds that Raphinha often produces from out wide. The Brazilian has nine goals and nine assists since the start of last season, demonstrating that he can show up in key moments to deliver the goods for Leeds. Unfortunately, James has come in and, so far, failed to do the same, and this suggests that Victor Orta could need to dip into the market in January to rectify the situation.

Leeds reportedly sent scouts to watch Villarreal forward Arnaut Danjuma earlier this month and he could be the ideal player to come in and solve this problem. Orta could land a Raphinha alternative, or Raphinha 2.0 if you will, by bringing the Dutch international in to bolster Bielsa’s options out wide and that is why he must strike in the next window.

Clinton Morrison lauded the ex-Bournemouth man when speaking about him on Quest, via Football League World, saying: “Danjuma is an excellent player. Whatever happens, he will be playing Premier League football next year, whether it’s with Bournemouth or without them. He’s an exceptional talent.”

Danjuma has produced five goals and one assist in six starts since moving to Villarreal across the Champions League and La Liga this season, after managing 17 strikes and seven assists in the Championship for the Cherries last term. This shows that, like Raphinha, he has the ability to bully defenders.

Therefore, the £22.5m-rated man could be the Raphinha 2.0 Bielsa needs at Elland Road. Not only could he help Leeds cope without the ex-Rennes man when he is unavailable, but he could also link up with his fellow winger to terrorize opposition defences in the top-flight with their combined ability on the ball.

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He has already shown that he can perform in England, albeit in the second tier, and is now proving himself at the very top level for Villarreal. This is why Orta must bring him to the club in January to improve the team and ensure that Leeds do not become unstuck at Premier League level because of Raphinha’s fitness or availability in the second half of the campaign.

AND in other news, oncerning injury update emerges on £35k-p/w Leeds powerhouse, fans surely devastated…

Journalist Luke Hatfield has been discussing Yerson Mosquera’s injury for Wolves, describing it as a ‘big blow’ for both player and club.

The Lowdown: Mosquera picks up injury

The young centre-back made the move to Molineux in the summer transfer window, sealing a switch from Atletico Nacional in his homeland of Colombia.

Unfortunately, the 20-year-old has picked up a serious hamstring injury which is set to keep him sidelined for five months, coming as a big setback for him early on in his Wolves career.

The Latest: Hatfield discusses injury

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Hatfield of The Express & Star admitted that it was a blow for Mosquera and Wolves, but he has backed the youngster to make a full recovery.

The journalist said: “Losing Mosquera is a big blow. He was obviously a signing they had big hopes for and still do because he’s only a young player.”

The Verdict: Come back stronger next season

In many ways, Mosquera should almost consider writing off his first season in a Wolves shirt, considering that his return is unlikely to arrive until the spring.

By the time he is fit again, he will struggle to find the match sharpness to play a key role for Bruno Lage’s side, so focusing on next season instead makes more sense.

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Mosquera has been described as ‘very, very quick’ by Colombian-based journalist Simon Edwards – the hope is that this hamstring issue doesn’t take away any of that speed.

In other news, some Wolves fans loved this Tim Spiers tweet. Read more here.

The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards has dropped a worrying update from behind-the-scenes at Newcastle United amid continued speculation over Steve Bruce’s future.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days had suggested that Bruce was set to be axed ahead of this weekend’s Premier League game against Spurs, but with just a couple of days to go now before Sunday’s clash, no action has yet been taken.

And now, Edwards has revealed that those behind-the-scenes at the club are beginning to worry about the situation and what is likely to happen.

Initially on Twitter, he said: “Mood darkens around St James’ Park with lack of clarity over Steve Bruce’s future.”

Then, in a follow-up article for The Telegraph, he added: “Worryingly, training ground sources have said the mood has darkened in the last couple of days, with coaches fearing they are about to lose their jobs and players lacking focus because of the lack of clarity.

“Both players and staff are taking a day off on Thursday and that surely represents the moment to reveal whether Bruce is going to stay on or not.”

Fans will be worried

When the takeover was confirmed, Newcastle fans would surely have been hoping, if not expecting, Bruce to be gone and a new man (if temporary) in charge for the game against Spurs.

The clash against Nuno Espirito Santo’s side seemed like the perfect stage for a fresh new era, especially with it being at home to St James’ Park – having Bruce in the dugout for a game of such significance in the club’s history was almost unthinkable.

But according to Edwards, the lack of action over Bruce has those inside the training ground feeling like they have been left in the dark, unsure of where they stand with the new regime.

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That is hardly the kind of preparation and feel-good momentum anyone would have wanted heading into the first game of the PIF era.

The longer the new owners leave it to relieve Bruce of his duties and make it clear what their plans are – either appointing a new manager straight away or confirming Graeme Jones as some sort of caretaker boss – fans will be worried.

Meanwhile, Newcastle are keen on making this landmark appointment…

At the moment, Liverpool are not shy of options for the central-midfield position.

However, we feel that with the likes of James Milner and Jordan Henderson now over the age of 30 and Thiago Alcantara having hit that landmark back in April, they will need to add some young blood into their squad at some point.

What’s the latest?

Earlier last week, football pundit Don Hutchinson said that Liverpool could be one of the Premier League clubs that would be interested in signing Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips in the next summer transfer window from the Yorkshire club.

He said: “Everything about him told me that he’s not going to be at Leeds for much longer. There is going to be Liverpool and Man United, all the big clubs are going to want him in the summer.”

Should Liverpool make a move for Phillips?

As a product of Leeds’ youth academy, Phillips made his senior debut for the Whites back in April 2015 in a 4-3 defeat against Wolves in the Championship.

Since then, the midfielder, who was labelled as “magnificent” by BBC pundit Alan Shearer as a result of his work alongside West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice during England’s Euro 2020 campaign over the summer, has made a total of 219 appearances for Leeds across all competitions.

During that time, he has managed to score 14 goals and provide 12 assists along the way.

Looking ahead to a possible summer transfer move for Phillips from Liverpool, we feel that even if the Reds were interested in signing the player, it could prove to be quite costly for the Merseyside club, especially with the midfielder apparently keen to sign a new and improved deal at Leeds even though his current contract isn’t set to expire until 2024. Transfermarkt currently values him at £36m, after all.

Also, with Henderson himself having recently put pen to paper on a new four-year deal that will see him stay at the club until 2025, it could be argued that the Reds still has some time before they consider bringing in a potential new midfield player to replace him.

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That being said, the two England internationals are vastly similar. They have both completed just north of 85% of their passes and they are both strong in the tackle. Phillips won 2.3 tackles per game last term for instance while Henderson won 2.1 when Liverpool won the league in 2019/20.

In our view, for the time being, it feels as though Liverpool will be set to continue with the plethora of midfield options they currently have at their disposal. However, with the summer transfer window still months away, anything could change between now and then that could make signing a new midfielder such as Phillips a priority for the Merseyside club.

In other news: £7.5k-p/w Liverpool gem has seen his value soar by £25.2m in 2 years, he’s exceptional – opinion

A number of Liverpool supporters have been reacting negatively to an update regarding the extent of Naby Keita’s latest injury problem.

The Reds experienced a below-par night at the office on Saturday, drawing 3-3 away to Premier League newcomers Brentford. While there was plenty of attacking quality on show, Jurgen Klopp’s men were woeful in defence, twice giving away a lead in sloppy fashion.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359326”]

Curtis Jones scored Liverpool’s third goal at the Brentford Community Stadium, with the youngster playing in the absence of Harvey Elliott, Thiago and Keita.

Speaking after the game in a Q&A for The Athletic, journalist Caoimhe O’Neill claimed that the Reds are “still waiting to see the extent” of the Guinean’s injury after he hurt himself in the Carabao Cup third round win at Norwich City last week.

Keita’s three-year stint at Anfield has been dogged by persistent injury problems, having missed 23 matches last season alone (Transfermarkt), and he has made just 34 Premier League starts since his 2018 move to Merseyside.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-4/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Liverpool fans react to Keita latest

These Reds fans took to Twitter to react to O’Neill’s update on the 26-year-old, with plenty of negativity in the air from frustrated Kopites.

“It’s Keita, he will be out for months.”

Credit: @DavidVaughan5

“How is he injured again”

Credit: @ADTrouble

“I give up”

Credit: @GuineaMaestro

“Just sell him, I beg”

Credit: @DiogoSlotta

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“just bin him at this stage, becoming ridiculous now”

Credit: @Adamf941

“Lol he kicks the ground and he’s injured. He’ll never make it at Liverpool as long as this keeps happening”

Credit: @G1121C

In other news, some Liverpool fans were unhappy with one player’s performance against Brentford. Read more here.