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Aston Villa could be set to appoint Thierry Henry and John Terry as a duo following Steve Bruce’s sacking last week, according to The Daily Mail.

What’s the word?

A slow start to the season has left Aston Villa’s promotion ambitions in danger of going up in smoke and the club made the decision last week to part ways with Steve Bruce, following a woeful sequence of results that saw them win just one of their last ten fixtures.

Villa’s poor form continued at the weekend as they lost 2-1 to Millwall and the club are now focusing on appointing a new boss during this months’ international break, having two weeks before their next clash against Swansea City.

A number of candidates are being considered but The Daily Mail states that a dynamic duo could be formed between Arsenal legend Theirry Henry and former Aston Villa defender John Terry, with the latter being an assistant to the Frenchman.

Worth a risk?

With just one win in 11 matches across all competitions and sinking to four points off the playoff spots, Aston Villa are in need of a quick revival from whoever takes charge at Villa Park but appointing Henry and Terry would be a major risk.

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Henry, currently assistant to Belgium coach Roberto Martinez, has limited experience in coaching and Terry, who only announced his retirement yesterday, also lacks the management experience that Villa will need.

While the club may be inspired by Steven Gerrard’s form with Rangers and Frank Lampard’s success with Derby County, the situations are not comparable as they had the summer to build their squad whereas Henry and Terry would be thrown straight into the deep end.

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Loads of Liverpool fans have been discussing the links to Dutch wonderkid Steven Bergwijn, as reports claimed the Reds are battling it out for his signature.

According to SPORT, Liverpool, Manchester United, Barcelona and AC Milan are all interested in PSV winger Bergwijn.

The 21 year-old has already racked up four goals and four assists in the Eredivisie this season, and could be the perfect understudy for both Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.

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The Reds’ star wingers have not quite found their feet yet this campaign, and perhaps a little competition for places could be just the trick to get them firing again.

Bergwijn can play on either flank, and his rapid acceleration with the ball, low centre of gravity and clinical finishing might remind fans of Mane himself.

It is perhaps no surprise that Manchester United are also interested as Jose Mourinho tries to inject some excitement at Old Trafford, but the young winger seems tailor-made for Jürgen Klopp’s high-tempo style.

You can view the full poll results down below, where 87 per cent of fans are backing a move…

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Ex-Chelsea forward Tony Cascarino has urged Harry Kane to quit Tottenham to move to Real Madrid, writing in The Times.

What’s the word?

Tottenham are entering a period of major change as they eagerly await their move to their new stadium and there is a risk that the club could be forced into selling key players to balance the books in the coming years.

Harry Kane’s form continues to be a driving force behind Spurs’ success and he has also proven his worth for England, winning the Golden Boot at the World Cup and playing a part in all three of his nation’s goals in Monday’s 3-2 win over Spain.

Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos sung the praises of the striker after the match and, writing in The Times, ex-Chelsea striker Tony Cascarino has urged Kane to listen to those comments and push for a move to join the Spanish giants.

What was said?

“It’s interesting that Sergio Ramos has been talking up Kane. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Spaniard realised what a handful the striker was when they were in direct opposition twice in the Champions League last season, and encouraged his employers to consider signing him.

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“I completely agree with Sergio Ramos when he says that Harry Kane could thrive in La Liga. Kane has done brilliantly with Tottenham Hotspur and England and has the ability and character to play for a third white-shirted team with Ramos at Real Madrid.

“It would make sense for Real to move for Kane, who is 25 and has five or six years on most of the other quality centre-forwards around Europe. Edinson Cavani is 31 while Robert Lewandowski, Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema are all 30.

“With Benzema getting on and Cristiano Ronaldo having departed, there is a void at Real for an established, world-class centre-forward who can give them several goal-filled years and Kane is that man.

“Even when he is not at his best Kane will still get chances, as happened the other night when he headed onto the bar against Croatia.”

Will it happen?

Spurs face an extremely nervy year ahead as they await what sort of impact their stadium move will have and whether it will inspire the Lilywhites to end their trophy drought, or result in financial implications that could force sales.

While Kane will be seen as indispensable by the club, the 25-year-old may seek a move to push his career to the next level by joining a side who can offer the chance of regularly lifting trophies – and it could prove beneficial to England too.

The comments from Cascarino will certainly frustrate supporters of the north London outfit however, who have had to get used to reports linking their talisman with an exit.

The pressure to secure promotion to the Premier League is heavy on plenty of Championship club’s shoulders, but that level is increased when it concerns a club that have been relegated from the top flight.

West Bromwich Albion dropped into the second tier with a whimper last season, but Darren Moore swiftly got them back on track.

It is extremely tight at the top, with just two points separating first from sixth, but the Baggies are in the mix.

At the moment they sit fourth in the standings, but some supporters are worried about the club’s promotion chances following recent results.

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Last weekend, West Brom were beaten 1-0 by Wigan Athletic and on Wednesday night they lost 4-1 to Derby County on home soil at The Hawthorns.

It is easy to make a knee-jerk reaction to an unsavoury result, but some supporters are genuinely fearful that their attempts to return to the Premier League will come to nothing.

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Since joining Arsenal in the summer of 2016, for a fee in the region of £35m, Granit Xhaka has struggled to wholly convince as an elite level central midfielder. Whilst he boasts brilliant vision, a wonderful passing range and a penchant for 30-yard thunderbolts, various drawbacks in his game have seen him slowly become a much-maligned figure amongst a section of the Emirates Stadium faithful.

These deficiencies went unaddressed for a long time and Xhaka himself appeared unable to alter his game in order to iron the mistakes out. His lack of pace and mobility, coupled with his regular losses of defensive concentration and habit for making rash tackles, led to him becoming a defensive liability for the Gunners.

What has not helped the 26-year-old, though, is that for the vast majority of his time in north London the style of play at Arsenal has done nothing to protect his weaknesses. Rather, in being left exposed in an unbalanced midfield contingent, Xhaka’s frailties were amplified.

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Under Arsene Wenger, Xhaka was all too often burdened with a huge amount of defensive responsibility without being also given the right players around him to support him in his task.

Now, however, following the arrivals of manager Unai Emery and 22-year-old Uruguayan Lucas Torreira, the 70-cap Switzerland international is finally in the right environment to thrive at Arsenal. Together, in a tough test against unbeaten Liverpool on Saturday, Xhaka and Torreira were able to dominate the midfield area and remain defensively solid throughout.

With his workload lightened due to the presence of Torreira, Xhaka was able to produce five tackles (more than any other Arsenal player), two interceptions and make two clearances. 

On top of his defensive shift, Xhaka was confident and composed as usual in possession. He racked up 119 touches and 97 passes against the Reds – in both cases he led all players on the pitch by a considerable margin. Not only that, he also produced a remarkably high pass accuracy rating of 87.6%.

Xhaka has always been excellent on the ball, but now he is also operating in a system that suits him and he looks all the more relaxed for it. Torreira’s presence is now allowing the best to come from Xhaka too, making the Gunners’ engine room as solid, effective, hard-working and cohesive as it has been in many years.

According to The Hartlepool Mail, Middlesbrough manager Tony Pulis has said that he needs to recruit attacking players in January. 

Speaking after his side’s draw to Derby County at The Riverside, the former Premier League Manager of the Year said “we need a bit more individual ability in the final third”.

This should be an encouraging sign to Middlesbrough fans, and sometimes the supporters feel that the manager is out of touch with what they want and feel the club need.

However, it is all too apparent that The Boro are lacking creativity in the midfield, and that is costing them goals. Fortunately, Pulis’ team are robust enough defensively that the team can creep by and earn victories, but the lack of creativity has nonetheless been a problem so far this term.

As much as they are adored by fans for the effort they put in, there is an argument that Adam Clayton and Mo Bešić stultify their team’s attacking progress. Both are more defensively minded, and while that has gone a long way in helping The Boro concede the fewest goals this season, it has also contributed to them scoring the fewest out of the top seven teams.

The encouraging thing for Boro fans is that the team are still in a very healthy position in third, only two points behind leaders Sheffield United, and already know what they need to address in January. That means they can quickly fix their problems and can look forward to a highly successful end to the season.

Man United were seen off with relative ease in the Manchester derby this afternoon, as Pep Guardiola’s men dominated from start to finish.

It once again demonstrated the gulf in class between the two sides, and further highlighted the need for United to make some new signings in the next window.

Indeed, one player we at the Transfer Tavern think would be a superb addition is former flop midfielder Memphis Depay, who has seriously found his feet in France during a spell with Lyon.

19 goals last season for the £40.5m-rated winger really enhanced his reputation further, and although a move back to his former club might not be ideal, he might well fancy the chance of proving himself at Old Trafford now he is back in form.

Held back by Louis Van Gaal somewhat in his previous spell, the 24-year-old is a talented individual, and someone who can indeed improve further.

The Dutchman is a different player to that we saw previously in the Premier League, and if he can bring his fearless attitude, goals, and assists to the English game with United, then the Red Devils should have quite the player on their hands.

United fans, what do you think? Good signing? Let us know in the comments!

For all of Liverpool’s offensive flair, one thing that they do lack is a little bit of depth. Xherdan Shaqiri has come in and improved things in that regard this season, but they’re still a little short, particularly in the striking berth.

Daniel Sturridge has been able to have an impact this term, but he’s hardly the sort of forward that someone can rely on anymore given his recent form and injury record, and so Jurgen Klopp would be wise to think ahead and consider an alternative.

Fortunately, West Ham man Marko Arnautovic seemingly has aspirations of playing for a top club, and a Liverpool move for the ambitious forward could make sense for all parties.

For the attacker, he’d get an opportunity to win the title and play in Europe, not to mention he’d be able to play alongside some of Europe’s best and most exciting players.

Liverpool themselves, though, would stand to be the real benefactors of such a move.

Arnautovic is different to Firmino in that he’s more of a physical option. Not quite a target man, his frame does allow him to bully defenders a little more, and so he’d be a worthy alternative.

That said, he’s also impressively technical, often able to dribble past players with ease and make a real impact away from the goal.

Naturally, though, his main strengths come from his goalscoring. Arnautovic has bagged 5 league goals already this season, and for much of the campaign, he’s looked like the only West Ham man capable of scoring regularly.

For Liverpool, then, he could be an ideal target. He’d offer a brilliant rotational option, and if he’s able to match his early-season form, he’d give Firmino real trouble. That would be great for the club.

Thoughts?

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Loads of Everton fans have been reacting to the performance of Nikola Vlasic, after the youngster started in midfield against England on Sunday.

Marcel Brands and Marco Silva had a massive job on their hands this summer, overhauling a huge squad filled with players that simply aren’t good enough to challenge the top six.

Vlasic was one of several players brought in by Ronald Koeman who failed to deliver, and the young Croatian was loaned out to CSKA Moscow this summer.

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The 21-year-old has been in fine form for the Russian giants though, and was rewarded with a start at Wembley on Sunday.

He was impressive as well, putting in a well-rounded display with one assist, two key passes, two dribbles, three tackles and two clearances.

The youngster was always stuck on the wing under Koeman and Sam Allardyce, but he is showing this season what a valuable asset he is in the middle of the park.

Loads of fans are having their say on his performance and future, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Along with Man City, Liverpool remain the only other side to remain unbeaten this season in the league and look as though they’ll be the sole challenge to City for the title this year. 

Jurgen Klopp was heavily backed in the transfer market over the summer as Alisson, Naby Keita, Xherdan Shaqiri and Fabinho joined the club.

While he may not have been billed as a superb piece of business at the time, Shaqiri has arguably been the best of the lot. Keita has struggled to get into the side, while Alisson hasn’t been bad but hasn’t really had much to do due to Liverpool’s superb defence.

The last signing, Fabinho has also failed to have much of an impact on the side following his move from Monaco.

The midfielder has only made eight appearances in the league and according to L’Equipe via The Sun, Liverpool are ready to cut their losses and sell the Brazilian to PSG.

The Breakdown

During his time with Monaco, Fabinho had established himself as one of the best players in the league and was an essential player in Monaco’s rise to be title winners.

Although Fabinho hasn’t been great, if Liverpool were to sell the midfielder, they would be making a huge mistake.

Aside from Jordan Henderson, he remains the only player who can naturally play at the base of Klopp’s midfield three. His defensive awareness is superb and if he is given a sustained period of time in the side, he could turn out to be a crucial player for Klopp.

Thoughts Liverpool fans?