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Mary Earps is motivated by being “the best” and was not offering a response to an England snub when starring for Manchester United, says Marc Skinner.

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• Keeper dropped for Euro 2025 qualifier
• Remains a key figure for the Red Devils
• Helped to booked FA Cup final berth

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The European Championship winner and World Cup finalist was surprisingly dropped to the bench by the Lionesses for their Euro 2025 qualifier against the Republic of Ireland. On the back of that international disappointment, Earps was in domestic action for United against Chelsea on Sunday.

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  She played a starring role for the Red Devils as they claimed a 2-1 FA Cup semi-final win, producing one stunning save to keep out Lionesses team-mate Lauren James, and another shot at major silverware has now been lined up. Earps may have wanted to offer a reminder to Sarina Wiegman of her worth in that contest, but Skinner says such thoughts will never dominate for a proven winner.

• WHAT SKINNER SAID ABOUT EARPS

  United’s head coach told reporters when asked if England provided added motivation for his first-choice goalkeeper: “I don't think Mary is motivated by doing that. I think Mary is motivated by being the very best of herself. She's an incredibly beautiful character Mary, a great character, and with great characters comes an ability to do things differently. Mary has this really unique way of resetting from bad moments. I'm not saying that was a bad moment for her because she is a realist, but to come out and to make that save, and there's loads of others. The ones where she positions herself right, the ball might have gone into her but she positions herself right for them. We talk about the magnificent save but I thought she was incredible today. Her kicking, her distances on her kicking were fantastic. She's a big part of why we've won the game today but also the team in front of her helped her. The beauty of Mary is that she's not motivated by proving others wrong. She's motivated by herself.”

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  WHAT NEXT FOR EARPS?

  Earps is yet to land a major honour with United, having joined them in 2019 and finished as a runner-up in the FA Cup last season. That trophy is now back within reach, with the Red Devils set to face Tottenham in the 2024 final at Wembley on May 12.

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has delivered his verdict on the touchline row between Mohamed Salah and Jurgen Klopp at West Ham.

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• Liverpool held to draw at West Ham
• Klopp and Salah in touchline bust-up
• Carragher hints at who is to blame

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Liverpool dropped more points on Saturday in a draw with West Ham, but the game was overshadowed by an angry clash between Salah and Klopp on the touchline. Klopp played down the incident after the game, while Salah offered a cryptic response when asked after the final whistle. Carragher has now shared his thoughts on what might have sparked the row.

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• WHAT CARRAGHER SAID

  He wrote on X: "The only reason a manager would be unhappy in this situation, is the player took too long to be ready to come on."

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  The incident is likely to place more doubts over Salah's future at Liverpool. Carragher has already suggested a "discussion needs to be had" over the Egyptian after an anonymous display in the Merseyside derby against Everton. Salah is heading into the final year of his current contract at Liverpool and there is a possibility he could join Klopp in leaving Anfield in the summer.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL

  Liverpool return to action on Sunday, May 5 when they host Tottenham at Anfield in the Premier League.

Liverpool's frontline might appear to be the one area of Jurgen Klopp's squad that does not require attention, but there are murmurings that change could be afoot.

Over the past few years, the Reds have prioritised the bolstering of the attacking ranks to combat sales of stars such as Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, but this has come at the expense of defensive and midfield recruitment.

After falling flat last year, Klopp and co restored the engine room and are now in pursuit of prominence once again, and while the rearguard is considered the priority zone in the transfer market, recent rumours have suggested that Liverpool are interested in signing Leroy Sane from Bayern Munich.

Liverpool transfer news – Leroy Sane

According to the Mirror, Sane has put a halt on negotiations to renew his contract with the German Bundesliga champions, claiming that he wants to "concentrate on the season."

This comes at a time when Liverpool are eyeing up a possible swoop, with German outlet BILD stating that Die Roten would entertain the 27-year-old's sale but have slapped a €100m (£87m) price tag on his name as a deterrent.

The report from the Mirror reveals that Liverpool are indeed monitoring the Germany international's situation, with his former club Manchester City also attentive.

Leroy Sane's style of play

Sane is a player Liverpool will be all too aware of after years of fierce battling while plying his trade for Pep Guardiola's City; from just five Premier League matches against the Reds, he has scored four goals.

Notably winning two league titles and the FA Cup in England, Sane completed a £55m transfer to Bayern in 2020 and has since developed his brilliant raw attributes and refined them to perfection.

The £337k-per-week star is technically astounding and intelligent with his movement, distribution and progression, and he would be the perfect addition to this Liverpool team, should the need for another attacker arise.

Why Liverpool might need to sign Leroy Sane

This season, Sane has scored nine goals and supplied seven assists across 18 matches in all competitions, proving to be an integral component of Bayern's frightening frontline.

Liverpool could hand Trent new role by signing "breathtaking" £52m-rated target

Jurgen Klopp could strengthen his side in a number of areas with one January signing…

By
Rosie Tudball

Nov 23, 2023

Incredibly, the 59-cap international is averaging 3.5 key passes per game in the Bundesliga this term – as per Sofascore – despite also investing his focus into his goalscoring feats, plundering eight strikes from 11 games.

Described as a "world-class" player by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Sane ranks among the top 10% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 7% for assists, the top 9% for shot-creating actions, the top 14% for progressive passes and the top 3% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.

While Liverpool boast a range of excellent forwards, recent news suggests that Barcelona are interested in signing Luis Diaz, with the Colombian understood to consider a move to Camp Nou as his "dream."

Diaz was signed from Porto for an initial £37m in January 2022 and has won the FA Cup and Carabao Cup at the outfit, completing 61 matches, scoring 15 goals and providing nine assists.

Ranking among the top 16% of positional peers for goals and the top 14% for successful take-ons per 90, Diaz has been hailed for his "world-class" talents (like Sane) and is comfortably one of the finest wingers in the Premier League.

Should Barcelona decide to further their interest in the 26-year-old, then Sane would be the perfect replacement – perhaps even an upgrade.

ExWHUemployee has shared some important January transfer news on West Ham and their budget for the winter window.

Steidten's task to sign new forward for West Ham

As reported by Ex last week, technical director Tim Steidten is growing more and more influential at the club and his "main focus" is signing a new striker for manager David Moyes.

Michail Antonio limped off on international duty recently, and he is expected to be out for around a month (Evening Standard). While his prognosis isn't as bad as first feared, losing the Jamaican comes as a bitter blow for Moyes and highlights West Ham's lack of number nine options.

Danny Ings appears out of favour at the club, having played just 68 minutes in the Premier League this season, with recent reports stating the Hammers are very eager for a few new options ahead of January.

Bournemouth forward Dominic Solanke is a target for West Ham, while rumours suggest that Steidten could go back in for Hugo Ekitike of Paris-Saint Germain.

Moyes has used the likes of Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen in more central roles this term, but an injury to the latter could make West Ham's next starting eleven look very interesting. Signing a new number nine could be an all the more pivotal task for Steidten. While Antonio and Bowen could be back and firing by the time January comes around, their injury woes have drawn attention to West Ham's serious lack of depth going forward.

ExWHUemployee shares January budget news

Speaking on his Patreon, as shared by West Ham Way, reliable club insider Ex says West Ham are "struggling" with their transfer budget this winter. He claims that while there is indeed money in the pot to potentially bring in a new forward, it isn't seen as a large amount, and West Ham must be careful not to "do an Everton".

“I have spoken to the person who would be best placed to answer on our January transfer budget,” said Ex.

“What I was told is that Under Financial Fair Play we are struggling. We overspent in 2021 and we have to be careful to not ‘do an Everton’.

“So although there is money there in the pot, it isn’t a huge amount as the club are being understandably careful. We only need to look at the situations at Everton, Man City and Chelsea to know how serious it can be if not keeping within the parameters.”

The three aforementioned sides are in trouble with the Premier League over alleged FFP breaches, with the Toffees in particular being docked 10 points and now facing a hefty compensation bill.

It is believed Southampton, Leicester, Leeds, Nottingham Forest and Burnley are attempting to sue Everton for around £300 million, as they all believe they're entitled to compensation after Sean Dyche's repeated avoidance of relegation to the Championship.

Therefore, West Ham absolutely cannot find themselves in the same precarious situation, but it will be interesting to see how they use their limited budget when the window reopens.

Robert Lewandowski has been generating transfer talk at Barcelona, but the Polish frontman reportedly has no intention of leaving Catalunya.

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• Prolific Pole linked with move elsewhere
• Interest reported in America & Middle East
• Still has two years left on his contract

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The prolific 35-year-old joined the Blaugrana in 2022 as a free agent after reaching the end of his contract at Bayern Munich. He hit 33 goals in his debut campaign with the Liga giants, helping them to domestic title glory.

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  Lewandowski has reached the 20-goal mark again this term – for the 13th successive season in his remarkable career – but questions have been asked of his value to the collective cause. He is not getting any younger and Barca are beginning to plan for the long-term future.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  There has been speculation regarding supposed interest in Lewandowski from the Saudi Pro League and MLS, which would allow him to follow in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi. , though, claims that the veteran striker intends to spend at least one more year in Spain.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR LEWANDOWSKI?

  Lewandowski is tied to a contract through to 2026 and would prefer to honour that agreement before taking on another challenge. He believes that he can continue to act as a mentor for exciting talents such as Lamine Yamal and Gavi, while there is also a desire on his part to win another trophy with Barca as they prepare to end the 2023-24 campaign empty-handed.

Bayern Munich will wear all red next season after launching their new home kit with the help of Harry Kane and Thomas Muller.

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• Bayern release new home shirt
• Top scorer features in launch of kit
• Bavarians back in all red

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Bayern have dropped their latest home kit ahead of the 2024-25 season and it's all change for Harry Kane and Co. The Bavarian giants have worn a white shirt with red sleeves in the current campaign but there's a bold new look for the new season. Bayern will revert to an all red shirt with a black trim as they aim to win back the Bundesliga title after seeing Bayer Leverkusen take their crown.

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• WATCH THE CLIP

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Bayern are set to wear their new kit for the first time on Saturday against Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga in the team's final home match of the season. The new shirt features a "first" in German football history as it contains a combination of an Allianz logo and a QR code which can be scanned and allows fans access to competitions and promotions.

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• WHAT NEXT FOR BAYERN

  Bayern may have missed out on the Bundesliga title but they remain in contention in the Champions League. The Bavarians are currently level at 2-2 with Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the competition, and the two teams will meet again in the second leg of their tie at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.

Everton manager Sean Dyche took his side's ten-point deduction with a shrug of the shoulders and the kind of galvanising stoicism that has been a trademark of his demeanour and deceptive charisma on the Premier League scene.

The Toffees lost 3-0 to Manchester United after the deduction but then won away against Nottingham Forest to move within two points of 17th-placed Luton Town – technically, Everton have 17 points right now, two off tenth-placed Chelsea.

There is every confidence that the ship will be steered back on course, but Dyche would be wise to make a shrewd investment in the January transfer window, and Lyon's Jake O'Brien could be the man.

Everton transfer news – Jake O'Brien

According to French outlet Foot Mercato, Everton are 'thinking' of making a winter swoop for the defender as Dyche looks to strengthen his relegation-threatened squad.

O'Brien joined the struggling French club from Crystal Palace for a reported fee of £1m in the summer, and while he has impressed recently, the Merseysiders could look to lure him back across the channel.

Jake O'Brien's style of play

Self-described as a "ball-playing centre-back who likes to bring the ball out and distribute", as well as noting his Irish "fighting spirit", O'Brien didn't feature across Lyon's opening five league matches but has since started seven times in succession, remarkably scoring three goals – including a recent brace against Lens.

As per FBref, he ranks among the top 1% of centre-halves across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 11% for pass completion and the top 15% for touches in the attacking box per 90, underpinning his offensive style.

Having scored three goals in Ligue 1, the Irishman has actually outscored Tottenham Hotspur's Richarlison this term having played fewer league matches, with the Brazilian forward scoring two Premier League goals since the start of last term.

Richarlison, who joined Spurs from Everton for £60m in 2022, was an immense talisman for the Merseyside outfit but has struggled to impress in London.

While James Tarkowski, aged 31, has been brilliant under Dyche's wing this season and certainly isn't going anywhere for the foreseeable future, O'Brien could be brought in to succeed the one-time Burnley titan.

Perhaps even forming a dynamic partnership with Jarrad Branthwaite, who's turning out to be quite the player.

Imagine Jake O'Brien & Jarrad Branthwaite

After Everton felled the Tricky Trees at the City Ground, talent scout Jacek Kulig lauded another "superb performance" from Branthwaite, saying: "Everton's biggest jewel. A very complete CB profile for such a young age. Definitely should be on the radar of Gareth Southgate and many TOP European clubs."

Branthwaite completed a loan spell with PSV Eindhoven last season and has returned to Goodison Park with so much to praise, starting 12 Premier League matches and remarkably averaging 2.1 tackles, 5.1 clearances and 7.4 ball recoveries per game, winning 63% of his duels, as per Sofascore.

As the chart highlights above, the 6 foot 5 titan is fantastic across all of his defensive metrics but tends to stray away from offensive movements.

That's okay though, with the notion that all defenders in this modern age of football require ball-playing skills to make Johan Cruyff tip his hat simply untrue – an industrious and iron-solid star such as Branthwaite is perfect in protecting the Toffees goal.

And with the 6 foot 6 O'Brien offering a divergence in traditional style, Dyche's prospective partnership could work wonders in continuing Everton's evolution after a period of great turmoil.

The road ahead is rocky, no question, but amid all of the chaos there is a sense that Everton are headed toward greener pastures, and O'Brien would be an excellent addition to the project.

Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's advisor Les Reed revealed the secret behind the Hollywood stars' success story in Wales.

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• Advisor to Wrexham owners reveals secret to success
• Red Dragons earned back-to-back promotions
• Welsh club to play pre-season friendlies in the US

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Since buying the club in November 2020, the Hollywood actors have managed to transform the Welsh side who earned back-to-back promotions and will now compete in League One next season. After winning the National League title last season, the Red Dragons managed to finish second in League Two.

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  Former Charlton Athletic manager Les Reed, who currently works as an advisor the the actors, revealed how the duo managed to find success with their club in a short period. Since Reynolds and McElhenney's entry into English football, several A-list stars like NFL legends JJ Watt and Tom Brady have turned their attention to football.

• WHAT HAS BEEN SAID

  Speaking to , Reed said, "I try to get people to understand what they are buying, rather than simply doing due diligence on the business side. There’s a slightly different thing here [in UK sport] called jeopardy because of relegation. There’s a sporting element to this business that everyone starts from the same point and is trying to beat each other every week.

  "Otherwise, it wouldn’t be exciting. The fun element of running a football club also relies on the ability to run it properly as a business and to get results — because if you’re losing football matches and/or money, it’s not fun."

  He added, "What I get asked by potential clients is, ‘Where’s the next Wrexham?’ And what I try to say to them is the ‘next Wrexham’ also means where is the next Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds? It’s the combination of Wrexham’s culture, history and tradition, its uniqueness as a Welsh club in an English league. With celebrities who understand all that and have got close to the community. They are not round every corner."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

  Phil Parkinson's side will be back in action in July when they travel to the US to play pre-season friendly matches against Premier League clubs like Chelsea and Bournemouth.

TalkSPORT pundit Jamie O'Hara has showered a Tottenham target with praise and said "we'll take him" after a Spurs transfer boost this week.

Players tipped to potentially join Spurs

Lilywhites boss Ange Postecoglou has suffered from a real lack of squad depth over this last month, forcing the Australian into some innovative on-field decisions at times.

Spurs "set their sights" on "dominant" centre-back after "weekly" talks

The north Londoners are determined to bring in a centre-back.

By
Emilio Galantini

Dec 12, 2023

Micky van de Ven's hamstring injury and a recent suspension for Cristian Romero prompted Postecoglou to use both Emerson Royal and Ben Davies as makeshift centre-backs for a period, highlighting his real lack of faith in Eric Dier.

Previous fringe players Giovani Lo Celso and Bryan Gil are also seeing more match action amid Spurs' recent shortage of cover, but that is an issue which sporting director Johan Lange and chairman Daniel Levy are reportedly looking to rectify in January.

Tottenham are looking to sign a new centre-half as one major priority (Sky Sports), leading to reported interest in Genoa star Radu Dragusin, Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite and other defenders linked with Spurs recently. Lange also holds a keen interest in Samuel Iling-Junior (Juventus), as Postecoglou and co allegedly scour the market for new wide options (Sky).

Amid some doubts over the futures of Lo Celso and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, there are some suggestions that Tottenham could reignite a move for Premier League midfielder Conor Gallagher as well.

The Mail reported this week that Spurs still want to sign the 23-year-old, and could well be boosted in their chase as Chelsea consider a "shock" sale of Gallagher to fund their own transfer plans.

O'Hara thrilled by Gallagher after Spurs transfer update

Following this update, when asked about it live on talkSPORT (via The Boot Room), O'Hara said he'll certainly "take" Gallagher at Spurs.

Praising the "high energy" star, who's now fought his way into becoming a key player for Pochettino, the ex-Tottenham midfielder also concedes that it will be a difficult one to pull off.

“Listen, I really like Conor Gallagher I think he’s got brilliant energy, high energy, he gets around the pitch," said O'Hara. "He lacks a little bit of what [James] Maddison’s got in terms of star quality but he’s got energy and you’ve seen with Ange Postecoglou’s side he likes a bit of fitness, he likes someone with high energy.

“I’d be surprised if Chelsea let him go to be honest, I think he’s been quite a big part of their side this season. In terms of one of their half-decent performers only him, Cole Palmer and [Raheem] Sterling have actually done anything good for them really. I’d be surprised if they let him go but if they want to then yeah we’ll take him.”

The former Crystal Palace star struggled at points last term but is now an important cog in Pochettino's midfield. Previously, his best season came when on loan at Palace, where he managed eight goals and three assists in 34 league appearances in 2021/2022.

Manchester City are tooling up for another busy transfer window at the Etihad Stadium and are now close to an agreement with a rising young star, according to a report.

Manchester City look to strengthen in January…

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola will probably feel one or two key additions are necessary in January as his side look to ramp up their pursuit of a record fourth Premier League title in a row once the mid-season window opens for business.

With the market now teetering on the verge of re-activating, transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that the Sky Blues have already completed one piece of business at academy level in the form of Leeds United youngster Finley Gorman.

Nonetheless, there will be plenty of stories that do the rounds regarding potential incomings in the North West. Romano has also recently confirmed that Girona loanee Savio, who has become something of a breakout star in La Liga, is another name on their radar ,and internal talks have taken place over a potential swoop for the Brazilian attacker.

The 19-year-old is currently on loan from ESTAC Troyes and both his parent and temporary home function under the banner of the City Football Group, which could pave the way for Savio to journey through three affiliated clubs in order to end up at Manchester City.

Now, a similar deal to the one that brought Julian Alvarez to Manchester is in the works in Argentina.

Manchester City close to signing Claudio Echeverri

According to ESPN, Manchester City are close to signing River Plate midfielder Claudio Echeverri after holding formal talks over bringing the 17-year-old to England. Once a deal is completed, it is believed that the Argentina Under-17 international will then be loaned back to his current employers to continue his development in what would be a similar arrangement to the one with Alvarez.

Argentinian journalist Gaston Edul has even gone one step further, saying Echeverri is "about to be sold" to Man City, but also reaffirming the player will stay with River for six or 12 months.

Echeverri's contract at River Plate expires in the winter of 2024 and he has indicated that he will not be signing an extension at the Argentinian giants, with Barcelona also mooted to be keen on his signature.

In total, the Resistencia-born youngster has managed to make six senior appearances for River Plate in all competitions, registering one assist in the process (Echeverri statistics – Transfermarkt).

Labelled "incredible" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the prodigious talent is one of the world's most heralded young players at the moment following his outstanding performance at the Under-17 World Cup, where he scored five goals, including a hat-trick against Brazil in the quarter-final.