According to The Mirror, PSG, Juventus and Bayern Munich are all in the hunt to sign Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey, who is set to become a free agent at the end of the season.

With the Welshman certain to leave, Unai Emery must now focus on identifying his replacement.

What’s the word?

Ramsey has been a vital player for the Gunners in his decade with the club, and has often had an impact in big games, including scoring the winning goal in two FA Cup finals. His departure will certainly leave a significant hole in the Arsenal squad.

Playmaker FC believes Arsenal fans won’t have to wait long to see Unai Emery’s long-term ambitions for the club come to fruition. Watch the video below to find out why…

However, bringing in a new player who replicates Ramsey’s own attributes may not be the wisest course of action. Whilst the Gunners may miss his stamina, skill and goal threat, bringing in a more creative, physical, tenacious figure would be the smarter move. 

For that reason, Emery should seek to reunite with Ever Banega at the Emirates Stadium.

Emery’s next step

Emery worked with the 30-year-old during his time in charge at Sevilla, and the 65-cap Argentina international is well-suited and experienced with the Spaniard’s preferred style of play.

The midfielder is a battling presence, who would add some much-needed steel to the midfield contingent at the Emirates Stadium. As Emery seeks to continue rebuilding the Arsenal squad in his image, the signing of Banega would represent a big step forward in that process.

What’s more, according to The Mirror, Banega’s agents are in London, keen to secure their client a move to Arsenal that would only set the Gunners back the price of the Sevilla man’s £18 million release clause.

Rafa Benitez should look to have a slight shuffle of the squad in January.

Benitez has been working with limited funds for quite some time now and as the January transfer window approaches, that could change.

The Magpies have been reportedly been linked with four names according to The Mirror, most notably Miguel Almiron, Atlanta United’s creative midfielder and regardless of a potential takeover, that should not seem to affect his spending.

As well as incomings, there could be a couple of outgoings too that Benitez could offload to raise more transfer funds for the club.

Therefore, Benitez has no choice but to send this Newcastle DUO packing in January…

Karl Darlow

Having been brought to Newcastle ahead of the 2015/16 season, not much was mentioned of Karl Darlow. After a handful of Premier League appearances at the back-end of that season and relegation to the Championship, he cemented his place the following campaign.

Upon a return to the Premier League with Newcastle in 2017/18, Darlow was not nailed on as number one and Martin Dubravka’s performances soon took that throne, which has been retained by the Slovakian ever since.

With just one game this season, Darlow should move on to continue playing at a good standard and as Newcastle have four goalkeepers. That would allow the young, hungry Freddie Woodman to keep Dubravka on his toes.

Isaac Hayden

Alike Darlow, Isaac Hayden was key in Newcastle’s Championship triumph, however, since handing in a transfer request last summer citing “family reasons” and getting sent off in his first outing of this season, it seems he has since lost Benitez’s faith.

Since the sending off, Hayden has only played four times since, amounting to 123 minutes. If he is granted the wish to move away from the North East, Newcastle would be able to raise funds for their transfer budget to bring in fresh faces in January.

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According to the print version of The Daily Mail (January 8, page 72), Nottingham Forest are reportedly keen to sign Burnley goalkeeper Tom Heaton on loan, but they should forget about him and try and sign his teammate Joe Hart instead.

What’s the word, then?

Well, The Daily Mail reported on Tuesday that Reds boss Aitor Karanka wants to bring the experienced 32-year-old to The City Ground for the second-half of the Championship campaign as they eye promotion.

An exit that looked to be on the cards just a few weeks ago could now be in doubt however, with the England international replacing Hart between the sticks for the Clarets’ previous two Premier League fixtures – keeping two clean sheets in two wins in the process.

The Daily Mail adds that Heaton will only stay if he is guaranteed to be a starter at Turf Moor, but that could be in doubt as firstly he needs to keep his place ahead of Hart, and also because former number one Nick Pope is set to return from injury imminently.

Why should Forest move for Hart?

The Sun reported on Tuesday that fellow Championship outfit have enquired about bringing the former Manchester City man in on loan, and he could well be a stopper in demand if he slips down the pecking order at Burnley.

Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday With Max was at the East Midlands Derby in December. Check out Forest and Derby fans thoughts on their respective managers in the video below…

The 31-year-old would surely prefer to be playing than sitting on the substitutes’ bench or perhaps even worse at this stage of his career, and a temporary move down a division to play regularly could tempt him.

Costel Pantilimon has certainly flattered to deceive at points this season for the play-off chasing Reds, and while Hart has been dropped by Sean Dyche he also showed plenty of glimpses of the quality he has in his locker prior to that in the top-flight this term.

Signing him would be a huge coup and with a big personality to boot, he could help Forest over the line come what May.

Liverpool remain primed to win the Premier League despite a poor week which has seen them lose to Man City and drop out of the FA Cup at the first attempt.

The Reds are still in the clear at the top of the table, but the pressure is growing, and it will be a massive period of the season for Jurgen Klopp and his team during the next few months as to if they really are top contenders for the big prize.

The squad at Anfield is probably better than it has ever been, but there is, like with most squads, players within the squad who simply might not be up to the standard needed to ensure the Reds continue to challenge.

It’s for that reason that we here at the Tavern think Klopp should act now to clear some space in his squad, and while he might not move to bring replacements in, sometimes just clearing out some of the players not involved can refresh things and ensure the club are not carrying dead weight.

With that in mind, we’ve looked at TWO Liverpool players who Klopp should be looking to move on in the coming weeks…

Divock Origi

Liverpool might be short of central striking options, and the sale of Dominic Solanke makes them even lighter, but Origi has never looked like doing it.

Despite his goal which sealed the Merseyside derby earlier in the season, Origi has not ever looked like being a legitimate centre forward of note for Liverpool.

Klopp should cash in while he is still young and commanding a big fee, and there would no doubt be interest from Europe for the Belgian.

Alberto Moreno

The Spaniard has been out of the picture for some time now, and the addition of Andrew Robertson only highlighted how below par Moreno’s showings had been.

He’s not looking like getting into the team any time soon, and he will no doubt know himself that his time is up at Anfield.

Klopp should get rid, frankly. There is little point in keeping the left back around the place.

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With an FA Cup fourth round tie against Brighton on the horizon, West Brom boss Darren Moore has an ideal opportunity to experiment with his lineup in the hope of finding an able replacement for the departed Harvey Barnes.

How big a loss will Barnes be?

Whilst the Baggies will undoubtedly want to progress in the competition, and should view the Seagulls as beatable opposition, Moore should take a few risks to see if he can find someone to replicate the talents of Barnes in that creative role supporting the strikers.

21-year-old Barnes, who was on loan from Leicester, was recalled by the Foxes (as per the BBC) thanks to his scintillating form at the Hawthorns. Barnes managed to score nine goals and record six assists in 26 Championship starts for the Midlands-based side as per Whoscored, which prompted boss Claude Puel to bring him back to the King Power Stadium and throw him in against Wolves for his first Premier League start.

Thogden has ranked his top 5 sets of Championship away fans for Pl>ymaker FC. Did your club make the list? Find out in the video below…

Whilst that is good news for Leicester and for Barnes, it is a big problem for West Brom who were surely hoping for the Englishman to stay and aid their push for promotion.

What can Moore do?

The Baggies boss should hand young forward Jonathan Leko a rare start for the trip to the Amex Stadium, having started him in the 1-0 win against Wigan in the earlier rounds of the FA Cup. The 19-year-old has only made one other start this season, coming in the Carabao Cup, but he will be hoping for more game time following Barnes’ departure.

Leko is predominantly a winger, but is a skilful player who has a good eye for a through ball and decent dribbling ability, which suggests that he could be an able performer in a central attacking midfield role too.

The teenager has featured in that position sporadically this season already (as seen on Transfermarkt), and the game against Chris Hughton’s men will give Moore a great chance to test out a 4-2-3-1 system with Leko in behind one of Dwight Gayle or Jay Rodriguez, having favoured a 4-3-3 system in recent weeks.

Moore has opted for a 3-4-1-2 system frequently this season, which would also be an option that deploys Leko in the no.10 role.

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Southampton confirmed the signing of defender Jannik Vestergaard from Borussia Monchengladbach on July 13, 2018.

The 26-year-old agreed a four-year deal at St Mary’s Stadium, and according to Sky Sports his signature cost the Saints £18million.

The 6’6” centre-back was signed to fill the sizeable hole left in the south coast club’s rearguard by the departure of Virgil van Dijk. Those are big shoes to fill at Southampton, but former Saints boss Mark Hughes and the club clearly considered Vestergaard to be up to that task.

Check out Neymar’s controversial new haircut for 2019 and Xherdan Shaqiri as you’ve never seen him before in the video below…

Southampton’s new manager, Ralph Hasenhuttl, may need convincing that Vestergaard should be in his long-term plans, even though he will be familiar with the player from his time managing in Germany. However, so far at least, the 16-cap Denmark international has been a regular fixture in the Austrian’s starting XI.

Vestergaard has played every minute of all but one of the 51-year-old’s league matches in charge so far.

So far this season, the Dane has made 14 Premier League appearances, all as a starter. Across those matches, according to the stats available on WhoScored, he has averaged 1.9 tackles, 1.6 interceptions and 7.4 clearances per game. Those numbers are all fairly impressive, and the number of successful clearances he averages per match is particularly eye-catching.

However, his pass accuracy rating of 77% isn’t spectacular, and he has looked awkward on the ball on a number of occasions this season. In an increasingly fast-paced and intense Premier League, Vestergaard must improve in possession if he is to become the ball-playing centre-back for Southampton that van Dijk was, and Hasenhuttl is likely to want.

According to a recent report from The Scottish Sun, Celtic could be without defender Filip Benkovic for the rest of the season due to injury. The centre back made the move to Parkhead back in the summer on loan from Premier League outfit Leicester City, and his impressive efforts in the heart of the Bhoys backline has seen him become a regular under manager Brendan Rodgers.

However, a recent report from The Scottish Sun suggests that the Croatia Under-21 international picked up a ‘leg problem’ in their 3-0 win over Hamilton in the Scottish Premiership at the weekend, a problem which reportedly (as per The Scottish Sun) could see him miss the rest of the season.

Thus, with Benkovic possibly out for the remainder of the campaign, Rodgers might well be on the lookout for a centre back in the last knockings of the transfer window, with veteran Everton defender Phil Jagielka potentially the man to fill the void left by the Croatian sensation.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, 21-year-old Benkovic has been something of a revelation since making the move north of the border back in the summer, with the centre back very much nailing down a place in Rodgers’ starting eleven such have been his high-level displays for the seven-times defending league champions.

The Croatian ace, capped seven times at Under-21 level by his country, has appeared in each of Celtic’s last 15 league matches and in that time has helped the club to a staggering nine clean sheets, while he also did his bit to help the Bhoys through their Europa League group, as well as win the Scottish League Cup back in November.

Clearly then, if a recent report from The Scottish Sun is indeed correct, losing Benkovic for the rest of the campaign would be a huge blow to Rodgers and his side, which is why delving into the transfer window for someone to fill that void is an absolute must – Jagielka well could be that man.

Yes, the Englishman may well be entering the latter stages of his career at the age of 36, but there is little doubting that he still retains the quality to do a job in the heart of the backline, having done so effectively for Everton and indeed England over the years.

The defender has appeared 380 times for the Toffees following his move from Sheffield United back in 2007, while in that time he has also earned 40 England caps to underline his status as one of the country’s best centre backs in the last decade or so.

Significantly, it was only last season in which the 36-year-old appeared 25 times for the Merseysiders in the Premier League as they finished ninth under Sam Allardyce, with this term the only one in which Jagielka has fallen down the pecking order – the arrivals of Kurt Zouma and Yerry Mina have forced that upon the Englishman.

Nonetheless, recent years have underlined that Jagielka remains a hugely adept centre back who also possesses a wealth of experience that would aid many a side in the UK, not least a Celtic team facing a title challenge this season as they go in search of an eighth successive league crown.

And with Benkovic reportedly (as per The Scottish Sun) set to miss the rest of the season through injury, Rodgers would be wise to launch a move for Jagielka, who could go some way to filling the void left by the 21-year-old.

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

Leeds United still find themselves in a commanding position at this moment in time, despite their recent result, so there’s all the more reason to be positive. 

The Whites will need to be at their best if they are to get the better of Middlesbrough on Saturday, with a win or a draw taking them to the top of the table until Norwich play their game.

However, the Yorkshire club’s recent defeat at the hands of Norwich City raised a few alarm bells at Elland Road, as they looked less than convincing in front of home support.

Marcelo Bielsa only decided to bring in Kiko Casilla back in the January transfer window as a late deal for Daniel James ended up collapsing. And, it’s safe to say that missing out on targets could come back to bite the Whites from here on in until the end of the season, with injuries possibly taking their toll.

One player who Leeds United were linked with was Fulham’s Stefan Johansen, who ended up joining West Brom.

Of course, it came as a big blow for supporters when Johansen joined the Baggies, but fans can still dream of what might have been had they gone the extra mile to secure his services.

Leeds currently have the likes of Mateusz Klich, Kalvin Phillips and Adam Forshaw in the middle of midfield, with Klich being the only player that really offers something moving forward. Johansen has the ability to make a huge impact in all areas of the field, which is something that’s very hard to find, so he would have been a valuable asset.

Johansen would have lightened the load on Pablo Hernandez’s shoulders by helping create in the final third, as well as producing goals, with experience of securing promotion last year. Samu Saiz was the attacking spark that really made Leeds tick when he was at his best, so it comes as some surprise that Bielsa didn’t go all out to sign Johansen.

It’s safe to say that the Norwegian, who is valued at £3.6 million (by Transfermarkt), would’ve brought Leeds’ Premier League dream one step closer, as his skill, dribbling and ability to pick a defence-splitting pass makes him almost impossible to defend against, with Kemar Roofe thriving off balls in behind the opposition’s defence.

Leeds United fans – thoughts on whether you should have signed Johansen?

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Crystal Palace fans were fuming at Roy Hodgson for not starting Max Meyer on Saturday, but the gaffer’s post-match comments suggest the fans may finally get their wish.

Palace racked up a frankly ridiculous 25 shots against West Ham, per BBC’s stats, but found the net just once with a deflected effort from Wilfried Zaha.

While some of this was down to Lukasz Fabianski’s brilliance, the main problem was just simply terrible finishing, and none worse than James McArthur.

The 32-cap Scottish international missed an absolute sitter when he had the option of squaring it to two teammates standing in front of an open goal, and the boss is clearly not happy.

Check out Neymar’s controversial new haircut for 2019 and Xherdan Shaqiri as you’ve never seen him before in the video below…

What’s he said?

“If you don’t miss chances, and we took every chance we got, every game would end 10-8,” he told Sky Sports.

“But I was disappointed in them. I really did think with the James McArthur one and the Michy Batshuayi one we were definitely going to score.

“Other chances we created the goalkeeper (Fabianski) was very good.”

Is it finally Meyer time?

Well, it seems harsh to single out two players in a game where the Eagles wasted tons of chances, but McArthur took a remarkable five shots, finding the target just once.

The 31 year-old’s aforementioned miss from close range was a legitimate contender for miss of the season, and Hodgson is absolutely right to criticise him.

Meyer on the other hand replaced McArthur with 12 minutes remaining, and the German playmaker’s quality on the ball was instantly evident.

The 23 year-old made two key passes and drew one foul in his short cameo, and Hodgson may have no choice but to start him from here on out after McArthur’s nightmare day at the office.

Palace fans may soon get their wish.

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Sunderland failed to take advantage of another one of their games in-hand in the League One promotion race as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Blackpool at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday night, and some Black Cats fans are turning on captain George Honeyman.

The Mackems skipper started in a central role but often seemed to drift out to the right, and he had little impact in the final third for Jack Ross’ men who had to rely on defender Jack Baldwin to rescue a point against the Seasiders in the 75th minute.

It was the Wearside outfit’s 13th league draw of the campaign and left them four points adrift of second-placed Barnsley with only one fixture in-hand remaining, and it is clear that something needs to change for them in attacking areas if they are to pick up more victories.

Whether dropping Honeyman from the starting XI will ensure that happens remains to be seen, but many Sunderland supporters have made their feelings on their 24-year-old leader perfectly clear.

While one said “every time George Honeyman plays, Sunderland are effectively playing with 10 men”, another said “Honeyman is rubbish and shouldn’t even be in the 18”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Watch the video below to see the most insane overhead kick you will see this week…