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Loads of Liverpool fans have been reacting to a huge setback for Joe Gomez, as the defender is expected to miss the entire Christmas period with a fractured leg.

Liverpool have confirmed the news fans were dreading, as the injury Gomez picked up at Turf Moor is worse than first thought

Ben Mee’s challenge on the Reds’ rising star seemed clean enough, but the 21 year-old will now miss around six weeks with a fracture to his lower left leg.

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This is a devastating setback for the player, club and of course Jurgen Klopp, who was building the league’s best defence around both Gomez and the colossal Virgil van Dijk.

The race is now on between Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip to take Gomez’s spot, and one would have to assume Lovren is first choice despite Matip’s relatively assured performance at Burnley.

Loads of fans have been reacting to the setback for Gomez, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

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According to The Daily Mail, Everton are considering launching a January bid to land unsettled West Ham United defender Reece Oxford.

What’s the story?

According to the aforementioned report, Oxford is only interested in securing a permanent move away from the London Stadium, as he doesn’t want to be turfed out on yet another loan deal.

Despite the Hammers seeming to prefer another temporary arrangement, they could probably be tempted into selling the 20-year-old in the upcoming winter window. For all his potential, Oxford hasn’t been in Manuel Pellegrini’s plans this season, and is yet to make an appearance for the Irons under the Chilean.

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Letting Oxford go wouldn’t be the end of the world for the east London outfit, but other Premier League clubs should certainly be tempted by the prospect of coaxing the best out of the 6’3” youngster. 

Everton boss Marco Silva will fancy his chances of revitalising Oxford’s stagnating career.

Worth the risk?

The Toffees already have one promising English youngster who Silva has been tasked with getting the best out of, Ademola Lookman.

The similarities don’t end there, either. Both players have also had their attitudes questioned – Lookman by former boss Sam Allardyce, and Oxford for his desire to push for moves elsewhere.

Before attempting to lure Oxford to Goodison Park though, Silva should think carefully about whether such a move is really worth the risk. If he is serious about achieving Everton’s ambitions of securing European football, perhaps signing an unreliable and inexperienced centre-back isn’t the smart way to go. 

According to a recent report from RTL (via Sky Sports), Adrien Rabiot looks set to leave French giants Paris Saint-Germain in 2019. The 23-year-old has come up through the ranks at the Parc des Princes and been a regular in the first team pretty much ever since breaking into the senior set-up back in 2012, although it doesn’t look as though he has much of a future at the Ligue 1 champions.

And that’s because recent comments from his agent suggest that he will definitely not be signing a contract extension with Thomas Tuchel’s side, and while reports earlier this week suggested that he had rejected a move to Premier League outfit Tottenham, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy shouldn’t be deterred in his quest to land Mauricio Pochettino the perfect Tottenham signing.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, the midfield ranks at the North London outfit look set for some change come the end of the season what with Mousa Dembele’s contract set to expire in the summer, and no new agreement seemingly likely to keep the Belgian ace at the club.

And with Victor Wanyama’s fitness proving to be something of a problem in recent times, it seems pretty clear that Pochettino could do with another hugely accomplished option in the middle of the park – after all, it was the combination of Dembele and Wanyama which helped the club finish second behind Chelsea in the Premier League in 2017.

And while the efforts of Eric Dier, Harry Winks, and Moussa Sissoko haven’t gone unnoticed, Spurs need greater quality and players of the calibre of Dembele and Wanyama to take the next step in their pursuit of major honours – Rabiot is of that calibre.

The 23-year-old has proven to be a hugely adept central midfielder over the years at PSG, scoring 24 goals and laying on 17 assists in 224 appearances for the French heavyweights, with the France international pretty much a regular throughout his time at the club other than this season.

And in possessing similar midfield traits to that of Dembele, be it great calmness and strength on the ball in making driving runs and picking a pass, or indeed tenacity off it in breaking up play with well-timed tackles and interceptions, the Frenchman appears to be exactly what Spurs need in the middle of the park were the Belgium international to leave.

And at the tender age of 23, yet having already achieved so much in the game at PSG, Rabiot would be the perfect signing for both the present and indeed the future – he’s the calibre of signing Tottenham must now target if they are to compete with England and Europe’s elite clubs.

Thus, while reports suggested that the 23-year-old has turned down Spurs, the fact that Rabiot’s agent has confirmed that he will be leaving PSG should be of interest to Tottenham chairman Levy – he shouldn’t be deterred by the former reports in his quest to land Pochettino the perfect Spurs signing.

Tottenham fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Ralph Hasenhuttl has made an immediate impact since joining Southampton and the club’s ambition of securing survival suddenly looks markedly more realistic, and with the January window looming it’s a perfect time for the Austrian to stamp his personal mark on the south coast.

How much money Hasenhuttl will have to spend in January, if any, remains unknown, but there’s no doubt he will be eager to bring in at least a couple of new players to ensure the club steer clear of the bottom-three.

His time in the Bundesliga will naturally draw him towards some of Germany’s top talents, but a recent report from the Daily Mail suggests he should strongly consider a move for a player who previously wore the red and white stripes of Southampton, namely Victory Wanyama.

Indeed, the report claims that Tottenham Hotspur are set to instigate a January clear out, and Wanyama’s name is a surprise inclusion on a list of outcasts who are edging towards the exit door.

Wanyama (valued at £22.5 million by Transfermarkt) has fallen down the pecking order at Spurs following a handful injury problems.

He became a firm favourite in north London shortly after arriving from Southampton, establishing a formidable partnership with Mousa Dembele in midfield and playing with the intensity of a player who was verging on indispensable.

But his decline has made him something of a forgotten man and Southampton are in a fantastic position to capitalise on his availability.

The feel good factor which has emerged in light of Hasenhuttl’s appointment will naturally give him reason to believe St Mary’s is a solid club to join at this moment in time, while his connection with the club and the supporters should ensure a smooth transition back to the club where he made his name in English football.

Add in the fact that Wanyama’s high-energy, box-to-box approach is well suited to Hasenhuttl’s philosophy and it’s clear that a January move is in the best interests of all-parties concerned.

A loan deal with an option-to-buy clause would represent an excellent piece for Hasenhuttl in January.

Southampton fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

The festive period has been a mixed bag so far for Everton.

Their humiliating 6-2 loss at the hands of Tottenham at Goodison Park Before Christmas proceeded a resounding 5-1 victory against Burnley on Boxing Day.  However their lacklustre loss to Brighton on Saturday highlighted what has been a flaw of The Toffees so far this season.

There is no denying that Everton have looked good in spells so far this season, particularly with the form of newcomer Richarlison. The Brazilian was brought in primarily as a winger but manager Marco Silva has largely deployed him as a striker given the club’s dearth of players in that position. However, in recent weeks the Portuguese has turned to youngster Dominic Calvert-Lewin to lead the line with Richarlison on the wing. Despite his early success in the season as a striker, the the former Watford man’s impact has grown less and less. Although he did start as a striker against Brighton, this clearly was not a good idea as he could not get into the game. Furthermore, he did not even start against Burnley.

What this highlights is that Silva has now run out of options with his strikers. Despite Calvert-Lewin showing promise, he does not yet look like the man who could be the successor to Romelu Lukaku at Goodison Park.

Since the day of Belgian’s departure, The Toffees have struggled to replace him and while Richarlison looked like he could have been that man, he still looks like he will be a winger in the long-term.

Fortunately for the club,  Silva has come to this conclusion immediately before the transfer window and while they tried to remedy this problem this time last year by recruiting Cenk Tosun, that has obviously failed. Nonetheless, it is imperative that they recruit a high quality player in this position if they ever want to challenge the top echelons of the Premier League.

A new era seems to be beckoning at Chelsea, and it’s exactly what the Blues need. Maurizio Sarri appears to be more willing to afford opportunities to young players, and for the first time in years, it seems like a few Stamford Bridge starlets are getting their chance.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek, prior to his injury, had finally been given a regular role in the squad, whilst Andreas Christensen has also had some intermittent involvement.

Furthermore, Callum Hudson-Odoi picked up 90 minutes in the FA Cup against Nottingham Forest in addition to most of the game against Tottenham, and Sarri recently noted that the Englishman is ‘ready’ for the first team – meaning that he can expect a bit more action in the coming weeks.

There’s also good news for young Ethan Ampadu, and that’s maybe the most exciting admission that Sarri has made.

Gary Cahill looks set to leave Chelsea, and Sarri was recently questioned on whether he will have to be replaced. The boss has revealed that he will not – because he’s already got Ampadu.

According to Football.London, he said: “…we have Ampadu. We don’t need a replacement”. 

This is hugely encouraging, because perhaps for the first time, a young Chelsea man is looking set to take over the mantle from a current first-teamer. Previously, the Blues would have moved to sign an expensive replacement, but now the boss seems to be happy to look towards the youth.

That’s with good reason, too. Ampadu has looked so good whenever he has played for the Blues, and he’s the sort of player that – if he was a few years older and playing abroad – he’d be worth a huge sum of money. The reality, though, is that Chelsea already have him – and they need to utilise him.

Sarri is saying all the right things here.

Thoughts?

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A recent transfer rumour by the Sunderland Echo claimed Daniel Stendel will look to test the Black Cats’ resolve over Andrew Nelson’s signature in a bid to add more goals to his side.

Nelson has recently shown terrific form during a brief loan spell in the National League North with Darlington, where he scored six goals in five games, all of which came in the form of braces – Ashton United, York City and Chorley found themselves the victims.

The 21-year-old, though, has never featured for the Sunderland first-team, and only tasted senior professional football during loan spells. The Black Cats academy striker first spent the 2016/17 season in League Two with Hartlepool, where he featured four times, before another loan last season, this time to Scottish Championship outfit Falkirk, where he made 15 outings.

Already, the Tykes hold one of the best offences in League One with Stendel’s men scoring 43 times in 26 games – enough to claim fifth place with a game in hand over Play-Off chasing Doncaster.

It is unclear, however, if Sunderland would allow their striker to join a potential promotion rival, but that is not enough to stop some Barnsley fans from getting their hopes up.

In a recent poll on Football FanCast, we asked if the 21-year-old was worth a punt in the January window, and 58% of those who voted back the potential move. Hardly the greatest endorsement of his quality, but a winning majority nonetheless.

Manchester United’s season has picked up under Ole Solskjaer, with the Red Devils propelling themselves back into Champions League contention with a series of wins under the Norwegian.

A tough game awaits them this weekend though, with United preparing for a hard game at Wembley against Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs side – at the time of writing.

With the January window firmly in full flow too, there are of course all sorts of rumours circulating, and United are one of the clubs being linked with some big money moves, with it no secret the club needs some more additions if they are to continue improving.

While defence remains a priority, we here at the Tavern feel that United should be looking at attacking areas too, and we feel they need to act now to secure the signing of Bournemouth attacking midfielder David Brooks.

The former Sheffield United man has excelled in his debut season in the top flight and has drawn plenty of praise and admiring glances from onlooking scouting teams.

The Welsh star, who is still only in his very early twenties, has massive scope for improvement too, and a move to a club the size of United would no doubt not faze the youngsters confidence.

A bagful of tricks and someone who can ghost past people with ease to create chances, we feel he’d be a better option for United than Alexis Sanchez, who has been a massive disappointment since sealing a move to Old Trafford from Arsenal.

United fans, what do you think? Good signing? Let us know in the comments!

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Crystal Palace fans on social media have been reacting to their thrilling defeat at Anfield, and they’re not too happy with Roy Hodgson’s team selection.

Crystal Palace nearly grabbed their second stunning win against a title contender this season after recently beating Manchester City, as they fell to a 4-3 defeat to Liverpool on Saturday.

The Eagles took the lead courtesy of a superb first half counter attack. Wilfried Zaha danced past makeshift right back James Milner and whipped a lovely low cross in for Andros Townsend to finish.

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The hosts then gained the advantage with two quickfire strikes after half time, but James Tomkins pulled the Eagles level once again with a relatively simple header from a corner.

Liverpool then re-established their lead after a howler from veteran shot-stopper Julian Speroni, and the Reds added another before Max Meyer’s stoppage time consolation goal made it 4-3.

While there were plenty of positives to take from the performance, fans are fuming that Meyer didn’t start the match.

The crafty attacking midfielder has shown brief glimpses of brilliance since joining the club in the summer, and he did more in his ten-minute cameo than James McArthur managed in his 80 minutes on the pitch.

You can find how some Palace fans responded to Hodgson’s selection call on Twitter down below…

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Sunderland have confirmed the signing of Lewis Morgan from Celtic, with the winger joining on loan from the Scottish champions until the end of the season (via the BBC).

What’s the word, then?

The Black Cats have reunited Morgan with his old boss Jack Ross, as the pair worked together whilst at St Mirren. After signing on the dotted line for the League One promotion chasers, Morgan told the club’s official website: “I’m joining coaching staff I’ve worked with before, and once I got the opportunity to speak with them, my decision was made.

“My game is based around scoring and creating goals, but I obviously also try to work hard for the team, and that is the most important thing.”

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It is clear that Ross’ influence was key in getting the 22-year-old to the Stadium of Light, and Sunderland will be getting a very good player who was instrumental in helping St Mirren win promotion to the Scottish Premiership last season.

He looks to be surplus to requirements under Brendan Rodgers at Celtic, having made just one start this season, and he will be hoping he can gain a second promotion in two seasons with the Wearsiders.

What sort of player is Morgan?

The Scottish international is a speedy left winger who enjoys taking his man on and looking to make things happen. At 22 years of age, Morgan still has a high ceiling for improvement and is in the perfect place to develop that potential further under a manager who trusts him.

Sunderland are in need of a new spark in attack following the departure of Josh Maja to Bordeaux, as the 20-year-old Englishman scored 15 league goals before his departure and was the main spearhead behind the club’s promotion push.

There seems plenty more to come from Morgan, and he appears hungry to prove himself in English football as Ross has given him no guarantees over his place in the team after telling the official site: “I’ve been very open and honest with him about how hard he will have to work to get into our team, as we have some very good players, but he’s welcomed that challenge.”