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Southampton are prepared to listen to offers for striker Charlie Austin, according to Sky Sports.

Manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has been trimming his squad this January and is now prepared to part with the forward, who has been at St Mary’s Stadium since 2016.

What’s the word?

Austin has scored three goals this season, in 18 appearances in all competitions – per Transfermarkt.

However, his contract expires at the end of next season and the 29-year-old is deemed expendable by Hasenhuttl.

Indeed, Austin has not played 90 minutes this season and has been handed just three starts by the Austrian.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

The Englishman has not played for the club since the 2-2 FA Cup draw with Derby County and is now seemingly poised for an exit from the Saints.

Southampton have already sold Manolo Gabbiadini to Sampdoria this month – per BBC – while Wesley Hoedt was shipped out on loan to Celta Vigo, reports Sky Sports.

The club have yet to recruit a new addition in this transfer window, however.

No mercy

Hasenhuttl is showing absolutely no mercy at Southampton.

He is well aware of the style of play he wants to implement and it has become apparent that Austin does not fit with that vision.

The striker has been something of a journeyman throughout his career – playing for the likes of Poole Town, Swindon Town, Burnley and QPR prior to joining Southampton – and he appears poised to return to his nomadic roots this month.

It remains to be seen if any Premier League clubs will be willing to take a gamble on Austin, though, as he has never scored over 10 goals for the club in a single campaign.

But he does, at least, have the chance of a fresh start, while Hasenhuttl has the ability to bring in a new striker more in keeping with his modus operandi on the south coast.

Liverpool have been held back in the past for not having enough strength in depth.

They have often been let down by the lack of quality on their bench, but this time around, Jurgen Klopp has a handful of options.

Georginio Wijnaldum, James Milner, Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita, Fabinho and Adam Lallana are among the list of players vying for a space in midfield.

Summer signing Xherdan Shaqiri can also be thrown into that pack, but he is also capable of filling in for one of the top three.

Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane are first on the teamsheet, but if injuries occur or one of them needs to be rested, Klopp has players to call upon.

At the weekend, the manager decided to start fringe player Lallana, who has struggled with injuries in recent seasons, against Cardiff City.

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The England international joined Fabinho and Wijnaldum in the middle third and was later replaced by Shaqiri in the second half.

After the Switzerland international came onto the pitch, he made a big impact by scoring in the 4-1 triumph at Anfield.

Following the performances of the pair on Saturday, who do you think should be a priority for Klopp?

Let us know by voting below.

After months of intense hype and a flurry of transfer activity in the Scottish capital, Rangers finally kicked off their Scottish Premiership campaign on Sunday afternoon against Aberdeen with a 1-1 draw despite playing with 10 men for the majority of proceedings. 

Indeed, Alfredo Morelos was dismissed just 12 minutes into the new campaign under hugely controversial circumstances for what the referee perceived as a dangerous off the ball challenge. Although there’s no doubt that Morelos kicked out at his opposite number, he was incredibly unfortunate to receive his marching orders for the incident.

However, the Colombian’s petulance will certainly concern Gerrard for the season ahead, so the addition of a clinical striker with a better disciplinary record should be his primary focus during the final weeks of the transfer window.

With that being said, Rangers should look no further than Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham…

With the likes of Alvaro Morata, Olivier Giroud and Michy Batshuayi ahead of him in the pecking order there’s almost no chance that Abraham will be afforded an opportunity to prove himself next season, especially after struggling at Swansea during the 2017/18 campaign.

Abraham’s failure to impress with the Swans was rather surprising given the success he enjoyed at Bristol City in the 2016/17 season in which he notched 23 goals from just 41 appearances in the Championship.

The fact he only collected 3 yellow cards during the same period of time and was never shown a red card suggests that he possesses the temperament to deal with the rugged approach which plenty of SPFL defenders implement to get under the skin of strikers, such as Morelos.

At this stage it’s likely that Chelsea will be eager to sell Abraham rather than allow him to leave on loan again next season, but the 20-year-old’s failure to find the net on a regular basis at Swansea will almost certainly force them to sanction another loan before they can expect to receive a fair offer for his services.

Taking Rangers’, Chelsea’s and Abraham’s circumstances into consideration, it appears that a loan deal, although audacious from Gerrard’s perspective, is in the best interest of all parties concerned, so Rangers would be wise to propose a season-long loan deal before a Premier League club swoops in to secure his signature.

Rangers fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

Arsenal will look to avoid a third consecutive Premier League defeat when they welcome Bournemouth to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Head coach Arsene Wenger faced the media on Thursday ahead of the clash with the Cherries, and a number of topics were discussed.

The club’s failure to sign Kylian Mbappe from AS Monaco was one of the questions that Wenger faced, in addition to previewing this weekend’s clash with Bournemouth.

Arsenal’s supporters were unhappy with Wenger’s responses, however, claiming that the Frenchman always avoids the opportunity to answer honestly when it comes to transfers, or a potential crisis at the club.

Whether Wenger should have walked away from Arsenal last summer is a question for another day, but there is huge pressure on the Gunners in this weekend’s clash with Bournemouth.

Social media might well go into meltdown if Arsenal fail to return to winning ways on Saturday, but regardless of the result, it appears that Wenger will continue to take abuse from the club’s suffering supporters.

David Moyes returns to Everton this weekend with his struggling Sunderland side, hoping for better fortune upon his return to Goodison Park after losing in 2014 as Manchester United boss.

Moyes spent 11 successful years on Merseyside with the Toffees but has failed to succeed in his following jobs with United, Real Sociedad and Sunderland, with the Black Cats precariously sitting rock-bottom of the Premier League and two points from safety.

The odds clearly looked stacked against Sunderland this weekend as they travel to face an Everton side who have not lost a league game since December but BBC pundit Mark Lawrenson is predicting a positive outcome this weekend.

“Goodison Park will be familiar territory for a few of Sunderland’s players, as well as Black Cats boss David Moyes. After 11 years as Everton manager, Moyes lost the first time he went back there, as Manchester United manager in 2014, and he will clearly be desperate to avoid the same outcome on Saturday.”

“It will be tough for them because Everton are in excellent form. They have not lost in the league since the Merseyside derby before Christmas – and they were unlucky to be beaten in that game. But I just have a feeling Sunderland will get something here. They will have their chances, and I think they might find a way of picking up a point.”

Unfortunately for the Black Cats, a point would not be enough to lift them out of the relegation zone but with Crystal Palace clashing with relegation rivals Middlesbrough this weekend and Leicester facing a huge test against Leicester, there’s certainly scope for them to cut the deficit on their rivals.

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“You mention Bryan Robson: that’s the player I’d like to think he could become” were the words used by England manager Roy Hodgson before his side’s emphatic 3-2 win over Germany last weekend.

Who was he talking about? Dele Alli of course, the youngster that has taken both the Premier League and world by storm in his debut season for Tottenham Hotspur.

He helped England to a famous 3-2 victory over Germany last weekend and his displays have been part of Spurs’ rise to second in the league, with the title still in sight.

His rapid development has been extraordinary. He has gone from playing in front of 12,000 at MK Dons to the bookmakers’ favourite for this year’s PFA Young Player of the Year award. He’s gone from a holding midfielder to being able to play wide, or in a more attacking berth, which has led some to dispute where his best position actually is. Versatility is fantastic at such a young age.

He could perhaps be that box-to-box midfielder England have missed for years, but it’s unquestionable that he has all-round ability. He’s got good vision and can score goals too, an extremely desirable asset for a midfielder in this day and age. He’s only 19, too.

For Spurs, Champions League qualification looks on the cards and that is a major plus point when the inevitable transfer rumours begin in the summer. Make no mistake about it, Europe’s big guns will be on the prowl.

Four Spurs players made the cut for the England game against Germany, and with the quartet performing so strongly, it seems like the ideal environment for Alli to continue nurturing his game. It’s nothing but an advantage for England if they can carry on playing so well in the league – the form will surely translate to the national team.

People must remember that Alli is only a teenager and that he’s only been in the ‘big-time’ for one season. He needs to continue his development in as calm a way as possible and in the future, England can turn him into the big player that many expect him to be.

He has another four of five years of growing physically and mentally as a player, but he needs to mature quickly. Being thrown onto football’s biggest stage at such an early stage in your career can be either extremely positive or very destructive. There are many players that get to Alli’s stage and end up throwing it away because they believe in their own hype.

Alli needs to be a footballer that realises his potential and genuine quality, but also understands that hard work and what happens on the pitch will be what takes him forward.

Both Spurs and England have a long way to go with the youngster. But it’s extremely clear that he can be an asset to both in years to come.

Keep your head down Dele, and good things will happen.

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Real Madrid star Aurelien Tchouameni reached for the popcorn after Kylian Mbappe reportedly informed PSG about a potential summer exit.

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• Mbappe set to leave PSG in the summer
• Tchouameni had earlier denied knowing details about Mbappe's future
• Shares an incredible bond with the PSG forward

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  On Wednesday afternoon, Tchouameni posted a tweet featuring two popcorn emojis, shortly after reports surfaced regarding Mbappe's contract situation in Paris. His cryptic tweet following the news of Mbappe's impending departure from Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season, sparked speculation that the French midfielder might have more details about the transfer with a section of fans even interpreting it as a subtle nod towards Mbappe's rumoured move to Real Madrid.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Tchouameni has forged a close bond with Mbappe as they share the same dressing room when they are called up for national duty by France boss Didier Deschamps. Previously, he did acknowledge that Mbappe's future is a significant topic of discussion within the Real Madrid dressing room but insisted that he has not received any personal communication from Mbappe regarding his plans.

  "Has Mbappe communicated to me his decision for next season? Me personally? Not really. And even if he had told me, I wouldn't have said it," he said.

  "We talk about it from time to time in the dressing room, it's an important topic. We hope things calm down in the coming weeks."

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Mbappe is PSG's all-time leading goalscorers and has scored 243 goals in 290 appearances for the club in all competitions.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Mbappe's potential departure from PSG marks another chapter in the ongoing saga surrounding one of football's most prominent transfer stories. While Liverpool and Arsenal have been linked in the past with the 25-year-old, Real Madrid appears to be the leading contender to secure his signature. As Los Blancos fans eagerly await Mbappe's decision, Tchouameni's tweet definitely adds an intriguing twist to the unfolding narrative that should have an ending in the summer.

The fiery Italian was many United fans' choice to shake things up last season, but the club made an inspired move by opting against bringing him in

October 30, 2021: Tottenham were hosting Manchester United and both Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Nuno Espirito Santos' jobs were on the line.

Solskjaer had just overseen a harrowing 5-0 home defeat at the hands of Liverpool, and the writing was on the wall for the Norwegian. In north London, his side overpowered Spurs, with goals from Edinson Cavani, Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcus Rashford ensuring Solskjaer lived to fight another day.

His opposite number was not so lucky. The defeat was the final straw for Daniel Levy and Nuno was sacked after only three months in charge.

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Spurs swiftly hired Antonio Conte, and 22 days after overseeing the 3-0 victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Solskjaer was let go by United after another humiliating defeat, this time to Watford.

With Conte no longer available, there was a serious shortage of top coaches on the market. United decided to adjourn their search for a permanent manager until the summer and install Ralf Rangnick, a sporting director for most of his recent career, as interim coach.

The results were disastrous. The players did not respect Rangnick, who Ronaldo would later claim to have never heard of, and United sunk to their lowest points total in 30 years in the Premier League.

Tottenham, meanwhile, staged a remarkable turnaround to clinch fourth spot and Champions League football.

At the time, the decision to keep faith with Solskjaer and allow Conte to go to Tottenham looked like yet another woeful move from United's hierarchy.

One year on, however, not hiring Conte appears to have been a masterstroke.

• Getty
  

  Avoiding a short-term fix

  Tottenham are now a laughing stock, having parted ways with Conte and then sacking his interim successor, Cristian Stellini, less than a month later.

  United, meanwhile, are enjoying one of their best campaigns since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement under Erik ten Hag.

  They have a trophy in the bag and are in a strong position to finish in the top four. They are six points ahead of Tottenham heading into Thursday's match, with two games in hand, and a win would practically doom Spurs' hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.

  On the same day Tottenham were humiliated 6-1 by Newcastle, United were reaching the FA Cup final. The contrast in emotions between the two fanbases could not be greater.

  While Conte was a tempting short-term fix, Ten Hag was a bet on the future, and United's much-maligned sporting director John Murtough and chief executive Richard Arnold deserve a huge amount of credit for having the vision to see that and making the right decision.

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  An antidote to Solskjaer's soft touch

  But looking back to the chaos of last season under Solskjaer, it is easy to see why certain fans and pundits felt Conte was the right man to solve United's deep problems.

  The Norwegian had fostered a culture of acceptance of being second best. He had allowed the squad to become too comfortable. According to one report, he barely criticised the team after a shock defeat by Sheffield United which derailed their title bid in the 2020-21 season.

  To the chagrin of fans, he had also not put enough pressure on the board and the Glazer family to back him in the transfer market.

  To cap it all, in almost three years in charge, he had failed to win a trophy.

• Getty
  

  Dragging teams back to glory

  The contrast between Solskjaer and Conte couldn't have been bigger.

  The Italian had won the league with practically every team he had coached, often dragging teams straight back to glory after years in the wilderness such as Juventus or Inter, or after a miserable season, as he did at Chelsea.

  He instantly raised standards, and he was never afraid to tell those higher up his true feelings.

  To United fans tired of managers being too passive with the Glazers, Conte was the perfect man to shake things up and lead the fightback.

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  Ranting and raving only gets you so far

  However, Tottenham have realised that, rather like Jose Mourinho before him, Conte leaves scorched earth wherever he goes. And what he might see as high demands are interpreted by others as a tendency to lose his rag.

  His ranting press conference after the draw with Southampton was the most flagrant example of him throwing his toys out of the pram and ultimately led to him leaving, but it was far from his first outburst.

  Many fans and pundits thought he was about to resign just three months into his tenure after defeat at Burnley, when he said he was not capable of improving the team and questioned whether it was right for him to take a salary from the club.

  Spurs’ players lived in constant fear of being laid into by the Italian, while fans constantly thought he was about to walk away.

  Even though they achieved epic wins over the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal, there was always a chaotic feeling to the team. And that is no platform to build on, as his miserable second season proved.

Goal takes a look at the 20 highest-paid managers in football

France Football are set to reveal their annual lost of football's highest-paid coaches, and Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone leads the way by quite some distance.

The Argentine has led Atleti to one of the most successful spells in their history and has been well rewarded for doing so by his employers. 

Simeone earns a staggering €10 million (£8.6m/$11.2m) more than Jose Mourinho did when the Portuguese was in charge at Manchester United.

In addition, France Football unveiled the list of highest-paid players in the game, with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo leading the way. 

Below, Goal takes a look at the 20 highest-paid managers in football. 

• saudi arabia
  

  20Dragan Stojkovic

  Club: Guangzhou R&F.

  Total income: €7 million (£6m/$7.9m)

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  19Unai Emery

  Club: Arsenal.

  Total income: €7 million (£6m/$7.9m)

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  18Zinedine Zidane

  Club: Real Madrid.

  Total income: €7.5 million (£6.4m/$8.4m).

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  17Niko Kovac

  Club: Bayern Munich.

  Total income: €7.5 million (£6.4m/$8.4m).

MatériaMais Notícias

Como já estava programado, o Palmeiras treinou na manhã desta quarta-feira, nos Estados Unidos, mesmo tendo jogo contra o Atlético Nacional, da Colômbia, às 22h30 (horário de Brasília), pela Florida Cup. Vanderlei Luxemburgo cobra vitória, mas enxerga o torneio como parte da pré-temporada e, por isso, comandou uma atividade com desgaste dosado.

Sem a presença da imprensa, o elenco realizou trabalhos de bolas paradas, posicionamentos e jogadas ensaiadas, com carga controlada. A ideia é enxergar a partida como mais uma sessão de treinamento e, dentro do programa de preparação, manter duas atividades diárias neste momento.

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A decisão de treinar mesmo em dia de jogo se deu pelo regulamento da Florida Cup, com substituições ilimitadas, o que permite que cada um tenha, no máximo, 45 minutos de jogo. Assim, Vanderlei Luxemburgo já avisou que pretende utilizar todos do elenco nesta quarta-feira, com exceção do volante Matheus Fernandes, que segue nos Estados Unidos enquanto se resolvem os últimos detalhes burocráticos de sua ida para o Barcelona.

Pelo treinamento de terça-feira, Luxemburgo tende a começar a sua quinta passagem pelo Palmeiras com:Weverton; Marcos Rocha, Felipe Melo, Gustavo Gómez e Diogo Barbosa; Patrick de Paula, Bruno Henrique e Lucas Lima; Dudu, Raphael Veiga e Luiz Adriano.

No segundo tempo, todos devem ser trocados. O time preparado para a etapa final tem:Jailson, Mayke, Pedrão, Emerson Santos e Victor Luís; Luan, Gabriel Menino, Ramires e Zé Rafael; Gabriel Veron e Willian. O goleiro Vinicius Silvestre, o lateral-esquerdo Lucas Esteves, os meias Alan e Gustavo Scarpa e o atacante Wesley deve entrar ao longo desta metade final da partida.

O Palmeiras enfrenta o Atlético Nacional às 22h30 (de Brasília) desta quarta-feira, e se despede da Florida Cup no sábado, às 16h, contra o norte-americano New York City. O primeiro compromisso oficial da temporada será contra o Ituano, fora de casa, no dia 22, pelo Campeonato Paulista.