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Jurgen Klopp has done what can only be described as an outstanding job at Liverpool since joining in 2015.

When he took over from Brendan Rodgers in October 2015, the Reds had won just four of their first 11 matches in all competitions that campaign. Now, they lead the way by a huge 25 points from Manchester City – the biggest such margin in the club’s history – and they lifted the Champions League last season as well.

Having already spent five years at the club, he has a contract lasting four more years, meaning that his current deal will come to an end in 2024. It remains to be seen whether he signs a new contract with the club, but if he doesn’t, someone else will need to take over.

Liverpool reporter James Pearce has been talking about who should replace him, and he believes that one of Steven Gerrard, Pep Lijnders or Mauricio Pochettino should be given the job once the 52-year-old departs.

The Reds fans have been reacting to the quotes, and they have absolutely slammed the journalist – one supporter even said he has a “lack of basic football knowledge.”

They have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

Do you agree with Pearce? Let us know in the comments!

In an exclusive interview with Football Insider, Danny Mills has suggested that Carlo Ancelotti’s presence at Everton could help them secure the services of Napoli colossus Kalidou Koulibaly.

What’s the word?

Ancelotti’s arrival at Everton could be a game changer for the club both on the pitch and in the transfer market.

The Italian has worked with some of the most talented players in modern footballing history, including the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paolo Maldini.

During his time at Napoli he worked with one of the most highly-rated central defenders on the planet, namely Koulibaly.

And according to journalist Fabio Santini, the Serie A star could be on his way out of the club in the not too distant future.

While speaking on Il Process (via Arena Napoli), Santini suggested that a handful of Napoli players don’t have futures at the club, with Koulibaly and Hirving Lozano two of the players name-checked by the journalist.

In response to these reports, Football Insider asked Mills whether the Senegal international could move to Goodison Park in the future and he suggested that Ancelotti’s presence would offer a big incentive.

“Yes. World class players that he has worked with and players that know him. It is a big incentive.

“Players know what they are getting into and players like familiarity. I think, Koulibaly, he is an absolute definite.

“If a manager like that comes knocking it does spark your interest more than normal, that is for sure.

“The only worry for Everton is that the transfer window could be very brief and very quick. It could be shortened – we do not know. Is the British transfer window going to coincide with the rest of Europe?

“Everton is a work in progress but most things are now in place. Recruitment of top quality players is now crucial.”

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Ancelotti effect

There is little doubt that Ancelotti gives the Toffees a new dynamic in the transfer market.

He is one of the most revered and successful managers in the modern game having won three Champions Leagues and a multitude of domestic titles across Europe’s most prestigious divisions.

Not only will the 60-year-old manager play a role in bringing in players he’s previously worked with, such as Koulibaly, he will also be a major pulling factor for players who are looking to elevate their status in Premier League football.

If he can indeed help Everton pull off a major coup with a deal for Koulibaly, it could well convince other elite players to make the move to the blue half, rather than the red half, of Merseyside.

In other Everton news, Goodison Park has been mooted as a future destination for World Cup winning playmaker…

According to the Daily Mail via Man City Superbia, manager Pep Guardiola has awarded every travelling fan to September’s away game to Shakhtar Donetsk a hospitality package for the return game. 

The Sky Blues ran rampant in Ukraine that night, with goals from Riyad Mahrez, Ilkay Gundogan and Gabriel Jesus getting City off to a flying start in their Champions League group.

However, from the fans perspective, it was one arduous journey to make – with a credible travelling support of 114 flying all the way out to Ukraine on a Tuesday night to watch their team put on a dominant performance.

While some football fans may laugh at those numbers and perceive them as small, the logistics of the trip have to be taken into account – especially when you consider the politics – with the country currently at war with neighbours Russia.

Realising this, and making an enormous gesture, Guardiola personally sent free hospitality tickets to all the travelling fans for the return leg at the Etihad.

Here’s how the supporters reacted to a brilliant piece of news.

Wolverhampton Wanderers were knocked out of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening after defeat at the hands of their local rivals.

Nuno Santo named 11 changes to the side that drew with Newcastle United at the weekend with him primarily opting for a youthful-looking squad barring the likes of Patrick Cutrone, Ryan Bennett, and John Ruddy.

Aston Villa came out on top with a 2-1 victory thanks to goals from Anwar El Ghazi and Ahmed Elmohamady while it was the Italian striker who got on the scoresheet for the visitors.

Many supporters at Molineux firmly believe their experienced goalkeeper was at fault for both strikes as he was making just his third appearance of the season.

One fan blasted the 33-year-old saying he needs to retire and start his gardening career, which echoed the thoughts of another, who believed Ruddy had ‘no future’ at Wolves.

‘Shambolic’ and ‘lacklustre’ were just two of the other words used to describe his performance at Villa Park.

A further member of the old gold faithful even claimed that the shot-stopper had let the young members of the starting XI down with his mistakes.

Here’s the best of the reaction:

Arsenal have been calling for Mesut Ozil after the club lost to Sheffield United in the Premier League last night.

The Gunners lost 1-0 thanks to a goal from Lys Mousset midway through the first half. Arsenal created very little in front of goal with the best chance falling to Nicolas Pepe, who failed to convert from close range.

In all the Gunners had nine shots at goal, however, only three of them were on target with none in the final 18 minutes (via WhoScored).

Last night wasn’t the only game the side have failed to create chances in. The game at home to Bournemouth prior to the recent international break saw Arsenal create just one shot on target from open play.

Ozil has been frozen out by manager Unai Emery this season, only starting two of the club’s 12 games in all competitions.

Former Arsenal man Paul Merson expressed his shock at the 31-year-old’s omission from the line-up, saying he should be starting (via Daily Star).

Fans took to Twitter to ask for the reintroduction of Ozil after last night’s game.

Here is a selection of tweets from the north London faithful:

Arsenal fans, would you reintroduce Ozil into the starting lineup? Let us know your thoughts!

Lots of Southampton fans have taken to Twitter to discuss Jan Bednarek’s form, after WhoScored highlighted a particularly concerning statistic.The 23-year-old has committed more errors leading to goals that any other outfield player in Europe’s top five leagues this season, with the Poland international making three costly mistakes.

While that stat sounds like a worrying one, it hasn’t stopped Ralph Hasenhuttl starting the 6 foot 2 centre-back in all eight of the Saints’ Premier League games this term.

It also hasn’t led to Southampton fans below jumping on his back, quite the contrary in fact.

One supporter said that Bednarek’s style is a “joy to watch”, while another called him the best defender at the club.

However, another said that he gets away with it as he is the “best of a bad bunch”, whereas another feels confused as to why the youngster is exempt from criticism at times.

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

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Following a dreadful display against Olympiacos in the Champions League, Tottenham Hotspur contract rebel Christian Eriksen was, probably deservedly, dropped to the substitutes’ bench for the Premier League trip to Leicester City at the weekend.

Marca reported earlier this month that the Denmark international has rejected every Daniel Levy contract offer on the table as he waits for Real Madrid to make their move, and it’s hard to argue that he has been 100% committed to Spurs when it has come to his performances this term.

Nothing went right for the 27-year-old in Athens as he picked up a 3/10 rating from Football London for his display, yet he still managed to stay on the pitch for the full 90 minutes.

If Mauricio Pochettino showed some faith in the Dane then, it was a different story when it came to naming his starting XI at the King Power Stadium as he was left among the substitutes.

The Argentine manager is lucky in that sense that he has great competition for places – in theory anyway – with Son Heung-min, Dele Alli, Erik Lamela and Giovani Lo Celso – when he returns from injury – all able to fill in for Eriksen.

If Pochettino is going to be ruthless when it comes to one of the main playmakers in his team, he must do the same to two key players in Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld when they don’t perform, too.

The Belgian duo are in a similar boat to their teammate because their own deals are due to expire next summer, and therefore they shouldn’t be treated any differently even if perhaps there is a little less competition for the centre-back berths.

As things stand the north London outfit will lose them either in January for a fee or next summer for nothing, and therefore their manager should be looking to the future rather than sticking with them when theyare below-par.

He does have Davinson Sanchez and Juan Foyth to call upon when needed, and he shouldn’t be afraid to blood both of those for the good of the future of the club if Alderweireld and Vertonghen aren’t up to scratch.

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There has been signs of that as well with the latter not great and giving away an uncharacteristically cheap penalty in the draw with Olympiacos as Spurs crumbled having taken a 2-0 lead, while the former struggled to deal with the pace of Jamie Vardy and Harvey Barnes in the opening 45 minutes at the weekend.

If Pochettino wants the respect of his players and the fans, he shouldn’t be treating those two players any differently to Eriksen if their below-par displays continue.

Plenty of Liverpool fans on Twitter got a great kick out of a viral video on the social media platform showing Virgil van Dijk speaking with two children.

The clip, which was shared by @TheRedmenTV, shows the Reds defender being quizzed by two youngsters, one supporting Liverpool and the other an Everton fan.

The Liverpool fan asked Van Dijk how happy he was after winning the Champions League, with the 28-year-old replying “I was very happy” and asking if the boy shared those sentiments, which drew a positive reply.

When the other boy said that he wasn’t so happy to see the Reds conquering Europe, Van Dijk asked him if he was an Everton supporter and, upon hearing of the affirmative reply, he quipped: “Tough, isn’t it? Must be very tough.”

While Liverpool have started the season with eight consecutive wins in the Premier League to establish an eight-point lead at the top, their crosstown rivals are languishing in the relegation zone after four straight league defeats. [via premierleague.com]

These Liverpool fans on Twitter absolutely loved Van Dijk’s reaction to the young Everton supporter in the video:

What did you make of Van Dijk’s interaction with the two youngsters in the video clip? Have your say by commenting below!

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

All summer long, Real Madrid have been longing for their Galactico signings, or at least, that was the narrative the media around them tried to create. And when that pursuit yielded no real results, and they ended up bringing in just one star, it was labelled as a failure. But now, if the reports from AS are to be believed, Los Blancos have finally found their man.

What’s the word, then?

Real Madrid have been flirting with Paul Pogba for a while now and though nothing is for certain, it does look unlikely that a deal will be struck anytime soon.

At least that’s what the reported €200m (£178,6m) asking price would indicate at first. AS also go on to say that Manchester United will be looking to offer the Frenchman a new contract, which would make things a lot more difficult than they already are.

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But they don’t have to be. All Real Madrid have to do is drop the pursuit that is likely to leave their wallets empty and nerves spent and turn to another, seemingly more attainable target who could offer a similar amount of quality: Christian Eriksen.

A new Galactico for Real

If Real Madrid are indeed on a hunt for Galactico signings to please both the fans and the media’s outcries, they really shouldn’t look much further than Eriksen. The 27-year-old midfielder is a name well-known in the world of football and one that could most likely give them exactly what they’re seeking.

And the best part is that the Dane is entering the final stretches of his Tottenham Hotspur contract and has so far not shown any indication that he will sign a new one. Of course, this means that Real Madrid can even grab him for free should he decide to join, and they will be able to land him on a pre-contract agreement in January.

But money was never really a big problem for a club in Real who are no strangers to spending the big bucks to land their targets. They’ve shown as much when they scooped up Eden Hazard from Chelsea just this summer. But Eriksen brings a lot of quality as well and would be a Galactico even if he arrives on the cheap.

Just last season, he scored 10 goals and assisted 17 across all competitions for Spurs. Getting such a target would be quite a prize in itself but landing him on the cheap or, even better, for free, would make the deal that little bit sweeter.

AS also state that the player has been offered a new contract by Daniel Levy, and a tempting one at that.

With that news in mind, Los Blancos better hurry while the contract is only on the table and not laced with Eriksen’s freshly documented signature.

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You know what they say, class is permanent. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may have retired from the game a few years ago, but the Norwegian appears to have lost none of his technique and ability.

The Manchester United manager looks like he can still hang in the modern game, and judging by training ground footage picked up by Sky Sports, that really might be the case.

Ahead of the Red Devils’ Europa League clash on Thursday night, Solskjaer and members of his coaching staff appeared to be trying their hands at a ‘bin-shot’. The United boss stepped up to the plate, chipped the ball off the back walls of the training pitch, and saw it bounce into the bin.

After seeing the Norwegian’s trick-shot, United fans flooded to Twitter to share their thoughts about just how good the 46-year-old is.

Many Red Devils supporters called for him to be given a chance against West Ham in the Premier League this weekend, and insisted he is more than good enough to play.

Some fans even suggested Marcus Rashford would probably have skied his effort over, and that Solskjaer is still the most “accurate finisher” at the club.

Check out some of the reaction of United fans below: