Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has talked up teenage addition Joe Gomez as a first-team player for the 2015/16 campaign, despite links with a loan move away from Anfield.

The 18-year-old arrived on Merseyside from Charlton Athletic in a £3.5m deal just a matter of weeks ago, but, due to his age, a loan switch away from the club has been mooted to aid his development.

However, Gomez has started both of the Reds’ pre-season wins so far, against the Thailand All Stars and the Brisbane Roar, and has impressed in these outings.

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His performance at the Suncorp Stadium against the A-League side earlier today was particularly notable, with the England U-19 defender deployed at left-back, not his natural centre-back position.

He thrived in the role, and after the game Rodgers talked up Gomez’s performance and revealed that he will be a first-team player for the coming campaign:

“A big plus tonight was young Joe Gomez,” he is quoted by the Liverpool Echo.

“I’ve seen him at centre-half and at right-back but I wanted to see him at left-back and I thought he was outstanding.

“Joe will stay with the club this season. I’ve already seen enough in this period.

“With young players I bring them in and I judge them over the pre-season period and seeing him close at hand and his personality he will be staying, he will get games.”

Rodgers went on to say that Gomez’s impressive start to life at Liverpool means that there will be no need to buy another centre-back this summer:

“I think we’re fine for centre-halves,

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“We’ve got the two boys who started (Skrtel and Sakho) and then Lovren and Toure.

“Young Gomez can play in there too so we’re fine in that area. Joe played a lot of his career at Charlton in the middle.

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Tottenham Hotspur were in lethal form on Saturday, destroying Burnley at Turf Moor in the English Premier League.

The home side were powerless to resist the attacking threat of Mauricio Pochettino’s side, who had a Harry Kane at the top of his game to thank for the 3-0 victory. The England striker scored a sensational hat-trick, proving once again he is one of the best strikers in the world right now.

While he’ll grab the headlines, supporters were also full of praise for a more defensive talent, Davinson Sanchez.

The Colombian defender has missed Spurs’ last three matches due to suspension but was a rock at the back on Saturday, with some fans believing he makes all the difference to the team.

Spurs will be hoping they can carry the good form shown against Burnley into Boxing Day when they take on Southampton at Wembley.

Supporters took to Twitter to share their thoughts on Sanchez’s performance…

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According to reports in the Daily Mail, Everton scouted Lille defender Adama Soumaoro on Wednesday night and are considering making a January move for the player, who is rated at £20m according to a previous report by the Daily Mail earlier this month.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Daily Mail says that Toffees boss Sam Allardyce is desperate to bring in a left-sided central defender to the club in the New Year, and director of football Steve Walsh and chief scout Martyn Glover watched the Frenchman in action against Lille in midweek.

The Daily Mail says the centre-back wasn’t at his best in the Ligue 1 fixture against Nice as his team continue to struggle at the wrong end of the table, but his performances in general over the course of the last few weeks should mean that he will still be high on Allardyce’s wanted list.

Despite bringing in Michael Keane for big money during the summer, the England international has struggled for form in recent weeks with the 63-year-old former England manager preferring Ashley Williams and youngster Mason Holgate at the heart of the defence.

How has Soumaoro done this season?

The 25-year-old has only made six Ligue 1 outings this term as he was sidelined with a ruptured Achilles tendon earlier in the campaign, but he has still shown the ability he has in that time.

According to Squawka, the centre-back has won seven of the nine aerial duels he has faced, as well as making 19 clearances, eight interceptions and eight blocks.

He has also shown how comfortable he is in possession by successfully completing both of the dribbles he has attempted, and he has a hugely impressive passing accuracy of 93%.

Would he be a good signing for Everton?

He certainly would be.

As well as showing his defensive qualities on a consistent basis, the fact that Soumaoro is comfortable in possession and able to bring the ball out from the back will mean that he is an attractive option for the Merseyside club.

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The 25-year-old still has plenty of potential and time to improve in his career as well, and if Everton could bring him to Goodison Park for £20m in the current volatile transfer market they would probably be quite satisfied.

Tottenham Hotspur are through to the fourth round of the FA Cup after a comfortable 3-0 win over AFC Wimbledon at Wembley on Sunday.

Spurs dominated throughout the 90 minutes but had to remain patient before scoring the opener against determined lower league opposition, which came through Harry Kane in the 63rd minute.

He added his second of the afternoon and 26th of the season so far just two minutes later before defender Jan Vertonghen rounded off the scoring in the 71st minute.

Fans were happy with the result and performance but criticism was aimed at one player in particular after an ineffective performance.

Striker Fernando Llorente was given a rare start by Mauricio Pochettino alongside talisman Kane, but failed to provide the desired attacking threat and was ultimately hauled off just before the goals started pouring in.

He’s scored just two goals in 22 appearances since joining from Swansea City in the summer and supporters are beginning to question whether he should be included going forward.

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They took to Twitter to share their thoughts on his Sunday performance…

Rangers are through to the fifth round of the Scottish Cup after winning their rescheduled match away to Fraserburgh on Wednesday night.

It was a match that had the potential to be a bit of a banana skin but Graeme Murty’s side produced a professional performance to ensure there was no cup upset.

They have Josh Windass to thank for the win, with the player netting an excellent hat-trick to take his total goal tally for the season to nine.

It was also a night that Murty handed a first start to Jason Cummings, with Alfredo Morelos having to settle for a spot on the bench.

Chances were few and far between for the new signing with his teammates failing to produce the creativity that would provide opportunities in the final third.

While supporters were disappointed not to see him grab his first goal for the club, the majority had sympathy for him due to that lack of service and are calling on his teammates to supply him better in upcoming matches.

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They took to Twitter to share their thoughts…

Earlier today, Sky Sports reported that Newcastle had agreed a loan deal with Anderlecht for striker Aleksandar Mitrovic to return to his former stomping ground.

The 33-cap Serbian international earned a move to Tyneside in summer 2015 after excelling for the Belgian outfit. But he’s plummeted down the pecking order drastically since Rafa Benitez took charge of the Magpies and has made just six substitute appearances in the Premier League this season.

However, that doesn’t mean Mitrovic’s Newcastle career is definitely over. It’s assumed his loan deal will be until the summer, at which point his contract will have two years remaining. Likewise, with doubts ongoing regarding Benitez’s future, the 23-year-old could return to his parent club with someone else at the helm.

Accordingly, we asked Newcastle fans earlier today whether Mitrovic still has a future at the club but according to our poll, a slim majority of 54% believe his Toon career is essentially over.

Who would you like to see join the club before tonight’s deadline, Newcastle fans? Let us know by commenting below…

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Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has revealed that Jan Vertonghen will undergo a scan this week to learn the extent of an ankle problem.

The Belgian was left out of the team that took on Crystal Palace on Sunday, but they managed to get the job done without him.

Harry Kane scored late to snatch all three points for Mauricio Pochettino’s team, while the defenders also kept a clean sheet at Selhurst Park.

According to football.london, while speaking to reporters in his pre-match press conference, the manager provided an update on Vertonghen’s situation.

“He received a heavy knock on his ankle. We were training yesterday and we couldn’t not communicate because we were waiting until the next day to assess him to see whether it was possible to play him. He wasn’t ready, but now we need to see. We hope it’s not a big deal.”

The Belgian’s absence marked the first Premier League game of the season that the centre-back has not started.

If Vertonghen misses Wednesday’s FA Cup replay against Rochdale, it would not be a huge loss as Pochettino could rest players anyway.

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Not having the centre-back to call upon against Huddersfield Town at the weekend could pose a problem, but Tottenham fans will be more concerned about next week’s Champions League last-16 second leg against Juventus.

The tie is nicely poised at 2-2, and the North London outfit will need their best XI available.

Leeds United revealed on Wednesday that Tyler Roberts was facing ‘an extended period’ on the sidelines after picking up an ankle problem during a training session.

Roberts, 19, joined Leeds from West Bromwich Albion on the final day of the January transfer window, with the Whites believed to have paid £2.5m for the attacker’s services.

Roberts has not yet made his debut for the Championship club, and could now reportedly miss the remainder of the season with Leeds confirming in a statement that initial scans revealed a small crack in the teenager’s shin.

The news has come as a big blow to the Leeds supporters, who are not a happy bunch at the moment due to their team’s struggles in the Championship.

Indeed, a run of five defeats in their last seven league matches has seen the team drop into 11th position in the table – eight points off the playoff positions.

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The Roberts situation has been greeted with huge disappointment, although some supporters are attempting to remain upbeat.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

After fellow relegation rivals West Ham were well and truly clobbered during their visit to Anfield last weekend, Newcastle will be hoping they have a better time of it on Saturday when they make the trip to Merseyside.

If they are to avoid anything like the Hammers’ 4-1 defeat, not only will they need to play well defensively as they did against Manchester City and Manchester United in recent weeks, they’ll need to have a good showing from their forwards.

No Newcastle player has scored even half as many goals as Dwight Gayle since the beginning of last season and Christian Atsu in particular has struggled to stay on a consistent run of form.

January signing Kenedy could be just what Magpies fans are looking for though. The Brazilian youngster, who Transfermarkt value at £6.3million, has already contributed an assist and has looked promising in his four appearances so far for the Tyneside club. With Liverpool struggling to field a consistent back four this season, his pace and finesse could give the Reds problems this weekend.

And 71% of Newcastle fans in our poll yesterday are backing Kenedy to get the start ahead of the inconsistent Atsu, as can be seen by the results below.

How would you line up Rafa Benitez’s side on Saturday, Newcastle fans? Let us know by commenting below…

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Speaking to France Football, Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard has opened up on his time at the club so far and has nothing but nice things to say about his debut season.

What’s the story?

On loan from Paris Saint-Germain, Celtic are reported to have an option to buy the forward for £7m at end of his spell at the Hoops, although have not yet indicated they’ll be pursuing that.

The striker has suddenly become very popular with supporters after his winner against Rangers on Sunday, but will he be at the club next season?

While pressed to discuss his future come the end of the season by France Football, Edouard kept his cards close to his chest, although is positive about his time in Glasgow so far.

As quoted by the French outlet, the striker said:

At first, when I arrived, it was a little complicated. There is a change of country and especially of league. There were many differences. I did not give up and it ended up paying off gradually. Upon my arrival I took English classes – it is essential to communicate. I knew that my development would happen through integration efforts with the group and the club.

Frankly, I just play and finish the season. I do not think about what will happen next time. I’m having a lot of fun here at Celtic. It is an extraordinary club with a top coach and very big fans. I want to focus solely on my football and to help Celtic as best as I can.

No commitments then, but few players arrive at Celtic Park and are in a rush to leave, so if Celtic want him this summer, they’ll likely get him, but is the reported fee too hefty?

Record breaker?

The £7m it would take to bring Edouard to Celtic Park on a permanent basis would break their current transfer record of £6m and while the market has certainly inflated since the days of Chris Sutton and John Hartson, it’s still a massive sum for the Hoops to be spending.

After two seasons of Champions League money, the club would likely be able to afford it, but it’s all about balancing whether it should be spent on Edouard or other areas of the team.

The defensive line should be a huge priority and all resources in the summer may be directed there.

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While £7m may be a bit too much for Edouard at this stage of his career, perhaps if Celtic could negotiate that price tag down they could be onto a winner. The young Frenchman definitely has potential and his eight goals this season with limited game time, including the recent stunner at Ibrox, are proof of that.

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