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Former Liverpool centre-back Stephane Henchoz has explained why Xherdan Shaqiri sees his future lying away from Anfield this summer.

The Lowdown: Shaqiri linked with exit

Shaqiri has spent three seasons as a Reds player, making 63 appearances and famously scoring a match-winning double at home to Manchester United back in 2018/19.

It looks as though the 29-year-old’s time on Merseyside is coming to an end, however, with first-team opportunities few and far between.

Lyon are the latest club to be linked with a move for Shaqiri, who James Pearce once hailed for having ‘breathtaking technique’.

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The Latest: Henchoz provides update

Speaking to Blick [via Sport Witness], Henchoz claims it is only natural that Shaqiri wants to move on, given his lack of playing time:

“Shaqiri is an outstanding player, he has shown that many times. At Liverpool, however, the competition is simply too great.

“After this excellent Euro 2020, he would like to be a regular at a club. That is why he has now sent a clear signal to Liverpool with these clear words.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/the-latest-liverpool-transfer-news-9/” title=”The latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

The Verdict: Best for all parties

It makes sense for everyone that Shaqiri finds a new club this summer, allowing him to be a key man elsewhere and generating transfer funds for Liverpool.

In Harvey Elliott, the Reds look to have a tailor-made younger replacement for the Switzerland international, and his path won’t be blocked by his senior teammate staying put.

Shaqiri has a huge amount of quality and could enjoy success elsewhere, but his time for the Reds has run its course.

In other news, Liverpool could reportedly make a move for a midfielder this summer. Find out who it is here.

Paddy Kenny has applauded Newcastle United after they cashed in on Adam Armstrong’s Blackburn Rovers exit. 

The former Sheffield United and Leeds United goalkeeper was speaking to Football Insider.

The lowdown

Southampton last week completed a deal worth £15m to sign former Newcastle striker Armstrong as a replacement for Danny Ings, who had been snapped up by Aston Villa.

When Newcastle sold Armstrong to Rovers for £1.7m, they negotiated a 40% sell-on clause, and so they are set to bank around £7m from the transfer.

Having starred at youth level, he made 21 senior appearances for the Magpies but failed to score a goal (via Transfermarkt).

The windfall could be significant for Steve Bruce’s side, who have been operating with what’s been described as a ‘meagre’ transfer budget this summer. The manager is still hopeful of two more signings after Newcastle kick-started their summer business with a move for Arsenal’s Joe Willock.

The latest

Kenny says that Newcastle cleverly thought long-term when agreeing the sell-on clause and may have capitalised on Blackburn’s apparent desperation to sign him at the time.

The former Republic of Ireland goalkeeper was also struck by the size of the clause, telling Football Insider: “It’s just clever business at the end of the day. If someone’s not right for you but you can see him moving on and doing well, it’s really clever.

“If the club who are taking him are desperate then it works for them too. It seems like a lot, 40 per cent. You’d think it’d be more like 20 per cent.

“But if Blackburn have let Newcastle put that in the contract then it’s an amazing bit of business.

“It’s £5m they didn’t think they’d have. If they signed him for almost £2m, that’s £7m right there.”

The verdict

It didn’t work out for Armstrong at Newcastle but they clearly sensed there was a player in there, and after he unlocked his potential in Lancashire, they have now reaped the rewards.

We may need to reconsider what constitutes successful youth development. Ideally you want academy graduates making a real impression at senior level, but they can also be used to generate healthy funds for clubs to reinvest in first team recruits.

As Kenny says, a 40% sell-on clause does seem particularly high. Indeed, Blackburn were initially demanding as much as £30m because they knew Newcastle were due such a significant portion of the proceeds.

Nevertheless, the Magpies were indeed “clever” to tack on that particular clause, with the multimillion-pound windfall perhaps helping to fund a new addition to Steve Bruce’s squad this month.

In other news, this could be a significant development regarding Saint-Maximin’s future.

David Norris has urged Leeds United to capitalise on Rangers’ Champions League exit by swooping for Ryan Kent.

The reigning Scottish Premiership champions crashed out of European football’s elite competition after suffering a third qualifying round defeat to Swedish side Malmo last week.

Missing out on the financial windfall that comes with competing in the Champions League has resulted in Rangers boss Steven Gerrard admitting some prized assets may have to be sold.

Among those gaining interest is former Liverpool winger Kent, who has been a long-term target for Leeds. The Whites failed with a bid for the 24-year-old 12 months ago.

However, Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa has not given up on welcoming Kent to Elland Road and reports suggest he could persuade the Gers to sell him for £15million.

Kent has made a strong start to the new season, making four appearances and registering two assists so far, and former Leeds midfielder Norris believes Victor Orta should pounce following Rangers’ Champions League frustrations.

He exclusively told Football FanCast: “Go and get him. Rangers are making those whispers that they might need to sell and it feels like they’re putting those feelers out.

“He has been linked many times and is obviously thought really highly of at Leeds. I think he would make a big difference as well.

“I would say signal your intent and put a decent offer in. I think he would be a good player at Leeds.”

Aston Villa are keen on making a late transfer window swoop for Borussia Dortmund star Thomas Delaney.

What’s the story?

Despite making a number of signings over the course of this summer window, it appears that Dean Smith isn’t yet done with his transfer business.

According to Homme du Match, the Premier League club are planning a move for Denmark international Delaney as they look to bring in a new central midfielder before deadline day.

Fans will be buzzing

Former Dortmund interim boss Edin Terzic was full of praise for the Denmark midfielder last season, saying: “Thomas Delaney always performs well, not just in the last two games. He is definitely a very important player who stabilises our defence and is always capable of destabilising our opponents. That is very important in this position. We are lucky to have a player like him in the squad.”

The £13.5m-rated beast has plenty of experience playing in elite competition over the years, not least competing with Bayern Munich for the Bundesliga title, playing in the Champions League most years and being a part of the Denmark side which reached the semi-finals of Euro 2020 earlier this summer.

His Dortmund teammate Marco Reus said of him: “Thomas is an exceptional kind of player. He’s the kind of player we’ve been missing in the past. You need a player like (Delaney) in the niggly games. He sweeps up and gets the game going again in the other direction. Thomas can be a really important player.”

Villa fans will be buzzing with the thought of the club landing the 6 foot midfielder this summer.

Meanwhile, Villa must finally land this star…

Norwich City are reportedly interested in signing Brighton goalkeeper Christian Walton before the summer transfer window closes.

The Lowdown: Time running out

The Canaries have had a sobering return to the Premier League, suffering respective 3-0 and 5-0 defeats to Liverpool and Manchester City.

Daniel Farke may still be on the lookout for new signings ahead of next Tuesday’s transfer deadline in order to strengthen his squad, particularly at the back, where their latest target plies his trade.

The Latest: Walton linked with Norwich move

According to Football Insider’s Brighton source, Norwich are one of a number of clubs eyeing up a move for Walton, with Nottingham Forest and Derby County also mentioned.

The 25-year-old, who was once hailed as ‘different class’ by Luton Town teammate Scott Cuthbert, didn’t make a single Premier League appearance for Brighton last season.

The Seagulls are believed to have lowered their asking price for Walton, with his contract expiring at the AMEX Stadium next summer.

The Verdict: Good squad option

Walton could be a solid addition for Norwich, not coming in as first-choice between the sticks but providing competition for Tim Krul and Angus Gunn.

Granted, he could find it difficult to earn playing time, as has been the case at Brighton, but a fresh challenge may do him the world of good and it’s fair to say Krul hasn’t exactly been convincing so far.

Walton has made 83 Championship appearances, highlighting his experience, and at 25 he is still relatively young for a goalkeeper, so could develop into a first XI option.

In other news, one Norwich player has been tipped to join a fellow Premier League club. Find out who it is here.

Sunderland fans are delighted with the news that they are close to signing Leon Dajaku on loan from Union Berlin.

The Black Cats have had a busy summer, with plenty of incomings and outgoings, and it has seen Lee Johnson’s side get off to a good start. In seven games in all competitions, the Stadium of Light outfit have won six (Sky Sports), and they look as though they have a real chance of promotion to the Championship from League One.

It seems the north-east side are not yet done in the transfer window. As per Roker Report, the club are looking to bring in Dajaku from Union Berlin – he is set to sign for the UEFA Europa Conference League side from Bayern Munich before being loaned out for the campaign (The Sunderland Echo).

The news was shared on Twitter by Roker Report themselves, and it attracted plenty of news from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Dajaku news below

“absolute madness the way people were going on over the data led approach to signings a few weeks ago”

Credit: @RossCheal10

“Hopefully if we can get this lad in, he’ll hit the ground running”

Credit: @Craig_SAFC

“Oh yes”

Credit: @bamgboyeolu

“if we get this lad i might become a stan acc ngl”

Credit: @Pancake2733

“Champions League in two years.”

Credit: @GrizlyBizly

“”Sunderland in talks with Bayern Munich” is a sentence I never thought I’d read.”

Credit: @KAH_73

In other news, Sunderland are close to signing this goalkeeper.

Sky Sports pundit Kevin Phillips has said that he ‘would be slightly concerned as a Leeds supporter’ after the decision to spend £25m on Dan James. 

The lowdown

Leeds sealed the signing of the Welsh winger from Manchester United on transfer deadline day last week. He became their fourth and most expensive signing of the summer after earlier moves for Jack Harrison, Junior Firpo and Kristoffer Klaesson.

James slots into second place in the club’s all-time list of record arrivals, behind only £27m addition Rodrigo (via Transfermarkt).

He made a total of 39 Premier League starts for Manchester United, scoring six times and setting up seven goals (via WhoScored).

The latest

While Phillips believes that James has the potential to be ‘a very good signing’ if he can become more consistent under the tutelage of Marcelo Bielsa, the former Sunderland frontman has questioned the wisdom of the move when he saw a more pressing need for a back-up striker.

He told Football Insider: “Let’s hope he gets his career back up and running and excites us. He has shown flashes of brilliance but it is now about showing consistency. If he is firing on all cylinders he could turn out to be a very good signing.

“Personally, I would have rather have spent the £25million spent on another striker. There is no backup or competition for Patrick Bamford.

“If he is out injured or out of form who is there to come in? I’m very surprised they’ve chose to sign Dan James over a striker because they have strength and cover out wide. I would be slightly concerned as a Leeds supporter.”

The verdict

It was somewhat surprising to see Leeds spend so much on a player who may struggle to displace Raphinha in Bielsa’s side – perhaps James has been signed partly in anticipation of the Brazilian being lured away, following reported transfer interest in the former Rennes man during the summer.

Bielsa will back himself to extract another level from a player he had first hoped to sign more than two years previously, but Phillips does have a point about the striker position. Tyler Roberts has yet to show he can cut it at this level, scoring just once in 31 top-flight appearances, and Rodrigo may be better suited to a deeper role.

In other news, this mooted Leeds transfer has seemingly been dumped.

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Nuno Espirito Santo has provided an update on the fitness of Son Heung-Min and Steven Bergwijn.

The Lowdown: Growing list of absences

Having topped the Premier League table at the end of August after three straight 1-0 victories, Spurs were heavily defeated at Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Eric Dier was forced off injured in the first half and Japhet Tanganga was sent off as Palace scored three times in the final 15 minutes to hand Nuno his first league defeat as Spurs manager.

Tottenham were without a bunch of first team players, with Cristian Romero, Giovani Lo Celso, Davinson Sanchez, Ryan Sessegnon, Son and Bergwijn all missing the trip to Selhurst Park.

The Latest: Nuno hoping to have duo back for Chelsea clash

As per Charlie Eccleshare of The Athletic, the manager has at least hinted that the Korean and Dutch forwards could feature in next week’s clash at home to in-form Chelsea.

Nuno claimed that the duo will “hopefully improve and be available for the game next week” after the defeat at Palace, whilst Romero, Lo Celso and Sanchez are likely to miss the clash as they are only due to arrive in London on Saturday, just one day before the match.

The Spurs boss also said: “I believe that we have a good squad and enough quality and talent to overcome all the situations.”

The Verdict: Not the time to panic

Tottenham’s defeat at Palace has stopped them in their tracks, but remember that they won their first three league fixtures of the season and have bolstered their squad whilst keeping Harry Kane.

There are certainly areas for improvement for Spurs, but they have still made a good start to the season and having Son and Bergwijn back for the Chelsea game would provide a lift to the squad.

The Dutchman has previous in terms of scoring against elite opposition, memorably netting against Manchester City on his north London debut, while Son had the second-highest tally of goal contributions (27) at the club in 2020/21. Therefore, Nuno’s cautious optimism that the pair might be fine to feature against the Blues is quite pleasing to hear.

In other news, a BBC pundit has welcomed news of a new role for Daniel Levy. Find out more here.

A number of Rangers supporters are fuming after Steven Gerrard confirmed Filip Helander will miss his side’s Europa League clash with Lyon.

The Gers were knocked out of the Champions League by Malmo last month, meaning their attention now turns to Europa League action on Thursday nights.

Steven Gerrard’s men have an exciting clash with Ligue 1 giants Lyon to look forward to this week, with Ibrox hopefully rocking for the game.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Wednesday [via Rangers’ official Twitter account], the manager confirmed that Helander would be absent for the game.

The 28-year-old has started three Scottish Premiership games this season and could be a big loss for his side on Thursday evening.

Rangers fans react to Helander injury update

The news has unsurprisingly been met with plenty of negativity from some Gers fans – here are some of the best reactions on Twitter.

“Absolute disaster that. He was becoming one of the most important players in our team”

Credit: @J1872READY

“I am in pain”

Credit: @MrElite2

“Bad news”

Credit: @55Beats10

“That is a huge blow. Our best centre back by a distance for me. Still huge question marks over Jack Simpson. Goldson and Balogun are going to play a lot of football”

Credit: @BMCRangersRants

“League’s done, just hand Hibs the league title now”

Credit: @C_M286

“Body blow and it doesn’t half leave us short at the back”

Credit: @cozy1872

In other news, some Rangers fans love an official club tweet ahead of the Lyon game. Read more here.

During Liverpool’s encounter with Crystal Palace at Anfield, many Reds supporters were less than impressed with the first half performance of Diogo Jota.

Jurgen Klopp’s side are seeking to maintain their solid start to the campaign, coming up against Patrck Vieira’s south Londoners. Liverpool are looking to put last season behind them and get back in among the Premier League’s elite, with a largely regrettable 2020/2021 campaign curtailed by many injury issues.

Today, the Reds took a 1-0 lead into half-time courtesy of Sadio Mane, but what came before was Jota missing a plethora of first half chances, including one from inside the six-yard box towards the end of the first half.

As a result, it’s little wonder that some Liverpool fans were raging with his showing on social media, with one even branding the 24-year-old a ‘liability’.

Check out some of their verdicts on his performance so far below.

Liverpool fans slam Jota

“Jota has been stinking up the place the last few games. Milner at RB should not be happening in 2021 for LIVERPOOL… KMT”

Credit: @IamIvan_91

“Jota’s been awful so far.”

Credit: @marcus_fronto

“Jota is a liability”

Credit: @g_wilko87

“Jota has been having an absolute nightmare out there”

Credit: @BrooklynRed88

“Jota has lost it today”

Credit: @Hafsa_1M

“Terrible from Jota. Can’t be missing that.”

Credit: @siddhesh_5