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Not spending big in the summer window, Rafa Benitez will surely already be turning his attention to the January transfer window. 

Spanish manager Rafa Benitez did not spend big this summer, but he did manage to bring in some quality additions. Using the loan market, Benitez brought in Kenedy from Chelsea, and secured Salomon Rondon from West Bromwich Albion. He also utilised a free-transfer, bringing in Ki Sung-yeung after his Swansea City contract expired. The remaining players were bought for relatively small fees in comparison to the modern market.

A new striker to help put the ball in the net will certainly be Benitez’s priority. He will be hoping, given his good track record, the club will be willing to back him financially and sign an exciting striker.

One player Rafa Benitez should already have his eye on is Leeds United player Kemar Roofe. The Whites forward man is valued at £3.15m by Transfermarkt.

A move to play Premier League football would surely tempt Roofe away from Elland Road. With six months of first-team football under his belt under meticulous Argentine boss Marcelo Bielsa, Roofe is likely to have really developed as a player and be ready for first team Premier League football.

The Leeds United man would certainly be an upgrade on the hugely frustrating Ayoze Perez. Roofe is a specialist in cutting inside from wide positions, and releasing a fierce low shot or playing in other players. He might provide the perfect compliment to Salomon Rondon in a front-two for the Magpies.

The 25-year-old, who has worked his way back up to the Championship from League Two level after West Bromwich Albion sold the player, deserves a chance at top flight football. The Magpies could surely lure him to St James Park in January.

According to the Daily Mirror (Live Transfer blog 14/08, 05:31), Rangers boss Steven Gerrard is keen on taking Dominic Solanke on loan from Liverpool, but West Brom should attempt to hijack any deal and bring him to the Hawthorns as a Salomon Rondon replacement.

What’s the story?

Solanke struggled for game time at the Anfield club last season and has been pushed down the pecking order further after the return to form of Daniel Sturridge, who scored with his first touch in the 4-0 win over West Ham on Sunday.

The Mirror (Live Transfer blog 14/08, 05:31) reports that Gerrard is confident he can convince the 20-year-old to join his new project at Rangers. Solanke scored just one goal and provided one assist in 21 Premier League appearances for the Reds last season, although only five of these were from the starting XI.

With Roberto Firmino first choice and Sturridge second, it may make sense for Solanke to go out on loan this season and Baggies boss Darren Moore should look to him as a replacement for Salomon Rondon, who joined Newcastle this summer.

Rondon replacement

As part of the deal to take Rondon to St James’ Park, Newcastle sent Dwight Gayle on loan to Moore’s side, but the Baggies are still lacking a target man. Standing at 6ft 2in and with a strong build, Solanke would be the perfect player to hold the ball up in games where West Brom need a different approach.

The 4-3 win over Norwich was Moore’s first three-points in the Championship and Baggies fans will be hoping they can bounce straight back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

Signing Solanke on loan would signal a strong intent, and the Liverpool youngster could be as effective as Harvey Barnes, who has already netted two goals in three games after his temporary switch to the Hawthorns from Leicester, and he would shine alongside the in-form Jay Rodriguez up top for the west Midlands outfit.

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Arsenal should consider making a move for Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti if Aaron Ramsey leaves amid reports from The Sun that contract talks have stalled.

What’s the word?

Ramsey is in the final year of his contract at the Emirates, but there are no signs as yet that he is going to pen an extension.

The Gunners have been in this position before, with Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil running down their deals, and only the latter renewed.

According to a recent report in The Sun, no progress has been made in regard to contract talks with Ramsey, which has alerted the attention of Chelsea and Manchester United.

If the Wales international opts to leave the North London club at the end of the season, then the Gunners will have to hunt for a replacement.

Would Verratti be a good fit?

There is no doubting the midfielder’s talent and he is used to playing at the highest level having spent the last six years at Paris Saint-Germain.

The 25-year-old, who is valued at £63m by Transfermarkt, is a decent passer of the ball moving forward, but also has the steel to break up play deep in the field.

Arsenal already have an advantage given that Verratti worked under manager Unai Emery for two years before the Spanish coach took over from Arsene Wenger.

That could help in negotiations, but Arsenal would have to part with a huge wad of cash in order to get a deal done, particularly as the midfielder will have two years left on his contract at the end of the season.

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According to The Mirror, Italian outfit Roma were interested in signing Tottenham powerhouse Victor Wanyama, as an alternative to Steven N’Zonzi. 

Fortunately for The Lilywhites, Roma managed to capture the signature of N’Zonzi, and since then the interest has died down for the Kenyan. But it did raise the alarming prospect for fans of Wanyama leaving the club.

Entering his third season in north London, Wanyama (valued at £27m on Transfermarkt.co.uk) has had a mixed bag at White Hart Lane. He featured extensively in his first season, playing 36 Premier League games, but his appearances last year were curtailed by a knee injury that has recurred this year.

But amidst interest in the big man, Tottenham should certainly not plan on selling him, as it could spell disaster for the club. Wanyama was one of the best and most consistent performers under manager Mauricio Pochettino two years ago. His strength and solidity deep in the midfield allowed partner Mousa Dembélé a free roam around the pitch, in what was arguably Tottenham’s best season in a very long time.

The reason why Wanyama had such a starring role is because Eric Dier was deployed as a centre-back when Pochettino opted for three at the back. This created a space for Wanyama in the team and he took it. However, the purchase of Dávinson Sánchez, and choice of Pochettino to play with only two centre-backs meant Dier moved up into the midfield.

However, with a potential Toby Alderweireld exit, Pochettino could revert back to using Dier as a centre-back, meaning he will need that defensive-minded midfielder to rejoin the team.

But regardless of whether Alderweireld leaves or stays and where Dier plays, there is still an argument that Wanyama is a better midfielder than the Englishman. It is definitely a battle worth witnessing between the two. But with Dembélé getting older and potentially requiring more breaks, as well as the injuries to Harry Winks, Wanyama is likely to play a starring role in the Tottenham side this season.

That is why, despite potentially falling out of favour in north London last season, Wanyama still has a hugely important role at the club. After failing to recruit anyone over the summer, and a couple of injuries, Tottenham may find themselves pushed this year, and they’ll need the Kenyan.

Loads of Everton fans have been giving their verdict on Wednesday’s win over Rotherham, and Oumar Niasse is getting plenty of stick.

Everton continued their good start to the season on Wednesday evening, overpowering Rotherham at Goodison Park in a 3-1 win.

Lucas Digne was the star of the show, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin got a nice boost of confidence by scoring twice late on.

One man that didn’t impress fans quite so much though is Niasse, who has been linked with moves away this summer.

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The 28 year-old is not the most talented player in the squad, but there are few who work harder than him, which is perhaps why fans love him so much.

However, he seems to be unable to play in Silva’s fast-flowing system, and loads of fans are bashing his poor performance against Rotherham.

Sandro Ramirez is nearing an exit from the club, so Niasse is now expected to stay, but striker depth could be a real problem if Cenk Tosun misses any time throughout the season.

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You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Leeds have started four different players at centre back so far this season, but who should be Marcelo Bielsa’s first-choice pairing?

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Bielsa surprised everyone for the 0-0 draw against Middlesbrough, as the charismatic Leeds boss axed Pontus Jansson, despite fears about Boro’s set-piece threat.

Injuries to Jansson and Liam Cooper have forced Gateano Berardi and even Luke Ayling to deputise in the heart of defence, so who should be the starting duo?

It’s probably safe to rule out Ayling as anything other than a last resort, as the popular full back looked completely lost at centre back during the draw against Swansea.

Then there’s Jansson, who was an absolute beast during the win at Norwich, but seems to be the third choice at the moment, at least in Bielsa’s mind.

Berardi has surprisingly emerged as the first choice, as the converted full back has been sensational in his new role, using his ball-playing abilities to help lead the play out from the back.

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Finally, captain Cooper has had a solid start to the season after some poor form and unlucky injuries last year, but could the 27 year-old lose out?

Berardi is playing far too well to lose his place, and if Jansson can find form again the 6 ft 4 in beast is one of the best defenders in the Championship.

So, Leeds fans, who should be your first-choice pairing? Who misses out? Let us know your thoughts by voting in the poll below…

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Southampton left-back Matt Targett has impressed in the club’s previous two matches and proved that he is ready for regular first-team spot, and it means the time has arrived to sell Ryan Bertrand, rated at £18m by Transfermarkt.

What’s the word, then?

Well, even though the 22-year-old defender had racked up more than 40 appearances for the south coast outfit prior to this season, he had never impressed enough to be seen as the first-choice in his position ahead of Bertrand, who is now team captain.

However, the England U21 international showed during a loan spell with Fulham in the second-half of the 2017/18 campaign that he is getting closer to the required standard, and that has only been reinforced in recent weeks.

Having started, impressed and kept a clean sheet in a 1-0 win against Brighton and Hove Albion in the Carabao Cup, Targett produced another stirring cameo from the substitutes’ bench in the 2-0 success against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park last weekend, setting up Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg for his team’s second goal.

Why does Hughes have a decision to make?

Reports during the summer suggested that Fulham wanted the 22-year-old on a permanent basis and saw a £15m bid for his services rejected, and now they must keep Targett happy to prevent him wanting to move on.

To do that he will want regular minutes on the pitch, and he certainly deserves the chance to establish himself as Southampton’s first-choice left-back moving forward.

Bertrand may be club captain and relatively popular among the St Mary’s faithful, but he will celebrate his 30th birthday next year and the time may be running out to get the best possible price for the England international.

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Saints should sell him while his stock is still reasonably high – and allow him a fresh start after more than 150 appearances for them – as they are now well covered for his departure.

The Championship tie against high flying, top of the table Leeds United and Millwall has officially sold out.

According to a tweet by the official Millwall Twitter account, the match is a sell-out, with no further tickets being made available.

Whilst the Lions have not got off to the best start to the 2018/19 Championship campaign, picking up just one win from their opening six league fixtures, Leeds United have been the dominant side of the division.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side are unbeaten so far this season, winning four games and drawing two, and currently sit joint top of the rankings with Tony Pulis’ Middlesbrough.

The Lilywhites will enter this affair at The Den as odds on favourites to walk away with all three points, but Neil Harris’ side will be doing their best to pick up their second victory of the season.

But, the Leeds United faithful took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the real reason the clash has sold out.

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There’s been plenty of talk about Michael Oliver’s apparent affinity for Tottenham Hotspur and his seeming dislike of Liverpool, with the referee appointed to oversee Saturday’s early kickoff.

The statistics are certainly intriguing. Whereas Tottenham are on an eight-game winning run from matches with the 33-year-old in charge and have tasted victory 18 times from the 29 Spurs matches Oliver has officiated, Liverpool have won just 14 from a possible 33 – less than half.

But if we’re delving into the numbers and taking them at face value, then there’s a pivotal counterweight to bear in mind. Oliver’s home win bias in the Premier League last season was a mere 30%.

To put that in some perspective, just one referee to officiate more than one match in the Premier League last season had a lower percentage of home victories – that was the somewhat dubious Jonathan Moss.

Suddenly, the chances of Tottenham extending their winning run under Oliver seem greatly reduced, although both teams will need to be wary of the official’s disciplined style.

From the 21 referees to work in the top flight last season, he averaged the second-most fouls and red cards per game, while ranking in the top seven for penalties and fouls per tackle.

On the surface, that doesn’t really help or hinder either side particularly. So far this season, there has been a mere 1.3 difference between Tottenham and Liverpool for tackles per match, and an even smaller difference of 0.5 for fouls per match.

Nonetheless, considering how close an encounter Saturday’s game will likely be, one key call from the referee could decide the encounter – and Oliver seems more than happy to make it.

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Leeds United lost their first league game of the season on Saturday, falling to a 2-1 defeat at home to Birmingham, and fans of the Whites were fuming with winger Ezgjan Alioski’s performance.

The home side fell behind after just eight minutes as Birmingham striker Che Adams beat Leeds keeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell at his near post with a low strike. The same man then doubled the Blues’ lead just before the half-hour mark, finishing off a counter-attack to stun the Leeds fans who have become used to Bielsa’s fast starting, high-tempo style.

In the second half, Alioski pulled one back for the league leaders with a tidy finish from the left-hand side of the box. However, the Blues held out and Leeds fans on Twitter were not happy with their Macedonian international winger despite his goal.

The 26-year-old was often caught offside after getting into potentially dangerous positions and Leeds fans on Twitter slated his performance overall. Check out the best tweets below.

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