According to reports in the Daily Mail, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea are among the top European clubs considering making a move for Hamburg starlet Jann-Fiete Arp, who has been described as ‘the German Harry Kane’ by football.london.

The 17-year-old striker has made his first-team breakthrough for the Bundesliga outfit this term following some impressive form for the U19 side and the Germany U17s, and he has already made a huge impression.

The Daily Mail says that while Chelsea have scouted the young centre-forward, Spurs have also been keeping a keen eye on his progress and the German club may well be concerned about losing him with his current contract due to run out in 2019.

Meanwhile, Southampton have made a disappointing start to the Premier League campaign and having scored just nine goals in 11 top flight games, manager Mauricio Pellegrino is likely to look to strengthen his attack in the January transfer window and it could be a smart decision to target the teenager.

Here are three reasons Southampton should hijack Tottenham and Chelsea’s bid to sign Arp…

Statistics

Arp may only be 17 years of age but he is already making a huge impression for club and country.

The centre-forward was promoted to the first team after scoring seven goals in three matches for the U19s this season, and he has since scored two goals in three appearances – although the first of those outings was as a last-gasp substitute.

The German starlet scored on his first start in the 3-1 win against Stuttgart on Saturday, and all five of the shots he has had this term have been on target.

When you take into consideration that he has scored 15 goals in 17 appearances for the Germany U17s, it is clear to see the quality and potential he would bring to Southampton and there would also be less pressure on his young shoulders.

They need a new centre-forward

Southampton manager Pellegrino has favoured the 4-2-3-1 formation this season, but it is a system that Saints have struggled with since the start of last season.

The south coast outfit played their best football when they had Rickie Lambert and then Graziano Pelle spearheading the attack, but it is a lone role that none of Manolo Gabbiadini, Shane Long or Charlie Austin are really comfortable in, with the latter having the height but perhaps not the presence required.

It is clear that Southampton need a new player with all-round centre-forward traits and the 6ft 2in Arp could be the answer to their problems.

The Harry Kane similarities

Rather than Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, Arp says his primary role model in football is Kane, and there are certainly a lot of similarities between the two.

As well as being almost the same height as the England international and having a prolific record in front of goal – despite being in the very early stages of his young career – the 17-year-old also looks equally confident scoring with both feet as well as with his head.

With a decent physical presence and good awareness and movement in and around the penalty area the Germany U17 international looks set to have a huge future, and Southampton could be the platform to prove himself on before he joins a Liverpool or a Tottenham Hotspur – paths that the likes of Sadio Mane and Victor Wanyama have taken in recent years.

Do you agree, Saints fans? Let us know below.

Newcastle United will be looking to avoid a fourth successive Premier League defeat when they host Watford at St James’ Park on Saturday, and Magpies fans want fringe star Aleksandar Mitrovic to start.

Rafa Benitez’s men come into the clash against the Hornets having been beaten by Burnley, Bournemouth and Manchester United in their last three matches, scoring just one goal in the process.

First-choice centre-forward Joselu has one goal in his last eight top-flight appearances, and he once again drew a blank against the Red Devils last week with strike partner Dwight Gayle getting on the score-sheet.

Meanwhile, Mitrovic has featured for just 49 minutes in the Premier League this term after receiving a retrospective ban for being found guilty of elbowing West Ham United’s Manuel Lanzini in August.

Newcastle supporters were quick to have their say on the Serbia international via social media, and while one person said ‘I’ll be absolutely gutted if he doesn’t start’, another urged Benitez to “give Mitrovic a decent run out”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

[ad_pod ]

Former Manchester United target Alvaro Morata is set to miss Chelsea’s Premier League clash against Huddersfield Town at the John Smith’s Stadium on Tuesday night through fatigue, and Red Devils fans are happy the club didn’t sign him.The Spaniard revealed in an interview with the Daily Mail in September that he had an offer to join United as he looked to leave Real Madrid in search of regular first-team football, but Jose Mourinho eventually brought in Romelu Lukaku from Everton instead with Morata moving to Stamford Bridge.The striker has gone on to score 10 goals in all competitions for the Blues this term, while the Belgium international has 13 in total for the Red Devils.Man United supporters were quick to have their say on the absence of their former target via social media, and while one said “I’m still glad United signed Lukaku over Morata”, another believes the club “dodged a bullet” by not getting him.Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Liverpool fans in the Transfer Tavern have been huddled round awaiting some positive transfer news. 

It seems like it’s going to be an exciting season for Liverpool fans next season. The Merseyside club have added Fabinho and Naby Keita to their ranks as Klopp looks to fire their way to the title. While those are great additions, Liverpool still need to add a new goalkeeper but it looks like Klopp is ready to shock the fans and stay with Loris Karius.

Liverpool have long been linked with a move for Roma and Brazil international, Alisson and also Atletico Madrid goalkeeper, Jan Oblak. Both ‘keepers would’ve been superb signings and instantly would’ve made Liverpool serious title contenders. According to the Mirror, however, Jurgen Klopp is set to anger the Liverpool faithful and stick with the error-prone Loris Karius.

The Breakdown

Karius has made blunder after blunder, culminating in his shocking performance in the Champions League which cost Liverpool the Champions League. The former Mainz man seems to be a Klopp favourite but in truth, he’s not the goalie should have if they want to win serious silverware, and nor is Simon Mignloet for that matter.

While both Alisson and Oblak would likely command fees in excess of £50 million, if Liverpool are ready to splash the cahs on Van Dijk, they have to follow suit on these two goalkeepers, especially Alisson. The Brazilian made wonder save after wonder save last season as Roma finished 3rd in Serie A, and beat Barcelona in the Champions League.

Whereas Oblak has had the benefit of having a solid back four and midfield always sitting in front of him, Alisson has had to deal with a lot more, one on one situations. Moreover, the Brazilian is much better with his feet and fits the mould of a more modern style goalkeeper.

There simply isn’t any comparison between Karius and Alisson, Klopp simply has to get the Roma goalkeeper.

Would you be happy with Karius next season Liverpool fans?

Southampton have been busy in the transfer window of late having both signed and sold the likes of Stuart Armstrong, Mohamed Elyounoussi and Dusan Tadic. And one player who could be set to follow Tadic out of the St. Mary’s exit door is midfielder Jordy Clasie, according to Voetbal International. 

The Breakdown

Clasie was brought to Southampton by manager at the time Ronald Koeman back in the summer of 2015 to replace Morgan Schneiderlin, who departed St. Mary’s for Manchester United in the same window.

£5.8m-rated (via Transfermarkt) Clasie, however, was not able to have the same sort of influence in the middle of the park that Schneiderlin did. The Netherlands international has since gone on to spend a season out on loan at Club Brugge following back-to-back disappointing campaigns in England, but could now be set for a permanent move away from Southampton.

Assessing the Saints’ squad, midfield is arguably their strongest area. Mario Lemina, Oriol Romeu, James Ward-Prowse and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg are all very good midfielders.

Including the addition of Armstrong, it is hard to see how Clasie could find a way into Mark Hughes’ starting XI.

Ultimately, now is probably a good time for the Southampton hierarchy to cash in on Clasie. The 27-year-old has failed to make any impact at St. Mary’s and is not better than any of the other options Hughes currently has at his disposal.

After a report claimed Sunderland will play hardball over a fee for Lamine Kone, fans are adamant they should just dump him as soon as possible.

Stewart Donald and Jack Ross have a hell of a lot of work to do at the Stadium of Light this summer, clearing out tons of unwanted players on big wages while also trying to freshen up the first eleven.

The incomings have been going along pretty smoothly, although a striker is still desperately needed, but selling players has proved a little more difficult.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”271323″ player=”12034″ title=”Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus on Football Manager”]

Wahbi Khazri’s move back to France hit a snag this week, and now The Chronicle claim Ligue 1 side Strasbourg have been put off by the Black Cats’ asking price for Kone.

The 29 year-old is one of a number of players that are certain to leave this summer, and the report from The Chronicle suspects his price tag is somewhere between the £6m and £10m, which would be big money to reinvest into the squad.

Fans want the towering centre back gone ASAP after his minimal effort last season though, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Liverpool are interested in signing Sunderland youngster Luca Stephenson according to The Sun.

What’s the story?

The 15-year-old is the latest in a line of Sunderland academy talents after Jordan Pickford and Jordan Henderson made it to the big time.

According to the report, it will take Liverpool £500,000 to sign the young midfielder who has been dubbed the new Jordan Henderson.

The youngster will likely join the U23 squad and will sign a professional contract when he turns 17.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”269905″ player=”12034″ title=”Football’s Coming Home The Myth Behind ‘Three Lions'”]

One for the future

By all accounts, Stephenson looks like he could be a top player for years to come and the Reds will be pleased if they can snap him up at such a young age.

Has this been the best World Cup ever? Tell us here and win any World Cup shirt of your choice.

With recent Liverpool academy graduate Trent Alexander-Arnold establishing himself as a key first-team player, Jurgen Klopp has shown that he is willing to put his faith in the system, and Stephenson will be in the perfect environment to hone his talents.

Loads of Newcastle fans have been reacting to the latest transfer news, as the Magpies are eyeing a £3m swoop for Switzerland international Fabian Schar.

According to Lee Ryder from The Chronicle, Newcastle are eyeing up the release clause of Deportivo’s Schar, which stands at £3m.

The 26 year-old centre back was one of the most highly rated young defenders in the world when he broke into the first team at FC Basel, but his career has stagnated since leaving the Swiss club.

He joined Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim in 2015, before moving to Deportivo last summer, where he scored twice in 25 La Liga appearances.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”273047″ player=”12034″ title=”Power Ranking the 1819 Premier League kits”]

The 26 year-old has 42 Switzerland caps, and has scored seven times for his country, a pretty impressive hit rate for a centre back.

He featured alongside the highly rated Manuel Akanji in Switzerland’s impressive World Cup side, though he struggled massively against the Magpies’ Mitrovic in the win over Serbia, as the towering striker won eight aerial duels against the pair.

Chancel Mbemba has now confirmed his move to Porto, so it would be pretty good business getting Schar in as a replacement and turning a tidy profit.

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

According to The Daily Record, Celtic have agreed a deal in principle to sign Australian wonderkid Daniel Arzani on a two-year loan deal after he completes his move to Manchester City.

What’s the story?

The 19-year-old left-winger is currently at A-League side Melbourne City, who are fellow members of the City Football Group and means that the Manchester side will be able to secure the talented youngster on a cut-price deal.

His two goals and three assists in the league last season barely reflect his gifted technical ability and talent on the ball.

Having been born in Iran, Arzani represents Australia at international level and was the youngest player at this summer’s World Cup. He was included in the squad after making his debut in a friendly against the Czech Republic at the start of June.

He then scored his first international goal in the next World Cup warm-up match against Hungary, securing his place on the plane to Russia where he appeared as a substitute in all three of Australia’s matches.

Hijacking the deal in principle

Although The Daily Record reports that top-level discussions have taken place between Man City and Celtic officials, Arzani’s move to Manchester has not been confirmed yet and there could still be time for a club to jump in on the deal.

Aitor Karanka’s Middlesbrough were recently linked with a £10m move for Liverpool winger Sheyi Ojo by The Irish Sun, but if they could secure Arzani on a two-year loan deal it would represent much better value as they attempt to secure promotion from the Championship.

Karanka has already made 10 signings so far this summer, some with the help of super agent Jorge Mendes, and hijacking Celtic’s rumoured deal could provide them with one of the world’s top talents.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”274435″ player=”12034″ title=”Rafa Benitez Deserves More Respect At Newcastle”]

The majority of the West Ham United fanbase were excited when former Manchester United forward Javier Hernandez agreed to join the club from Bayer Leverkusen last year.

The Mexico international arrived with plenty of promise, but he struggled to make a significant impact up front.

Hernandez, rated at £13.5m by Transfermarkt, managed just eight goals in 28 Premier League outings, but for the majority of them he was farmed out wide.

In addition, he only started 16 of those matches, while the remaining appearances were as a substitute off the bench.

This season, new manager Manuel Pellegrini will have a variety of attacking options to choose from following the arrivals of Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko.

It is unclear what role Hernandez will play with regards to positioning, but by all accounts, the attacker, who has scored 45 Premier League goals in his career, is wanted by Pellegrini.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”255853″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch West Ham’s opening fixtures for the 201819 Premier League season”]

While speaking to the media during his first official press conference as manager, the Chilean claimed that Hernandez will be a “very important” player in his team.

Due to his lack of first-team starts last season, there were rumblings that the ex-United star would move on, but some West Ham fans feel relieved after hearing Pellegrini’s comments.

Comment from discussion Pellegrini: Chicharito will stay, be very important part of this year’s squad..Comment from discussion Pellegrini: Chicharito will stay, be very important part of this year’s squad..Comment from discussion Pellegrini: Chicharito will stay, be very important part of this year’s squad..Comment from discussion Pellegrini: Chicharito will stay, be very important part of this year’s squad..Comment from discussion Pellegrini: Chicharito will stay, be very important part of this year’s squad..Comment from discussion Pellegrini: Chicharito will stay, be very important part of this year’s squad..