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Liverpool have been dealt a late injury setback ahead of their upcoming Champions League meeting with Benfica this evening.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to Dylan Terry, with the Independent journalist revealing in a recent article that, despite returning to training ahead of the Reds’ trip to Portugal, Nabby Keita remains a doubt for the quarter-final first-leg tie on Thursday night.

In his piece, Terry writes: “Trent Alexander-Arnold is expected to return for Klopp’s side after missing the win over Watford on Saturday. Curtis Jones and Joe Matip are set to be available, but Naby Keita remains a doubt. The rest of the Liverpool squad are all fit and ready for the game.”

Klopp will be gutted

While it is true that Keita has not exactly been a first-team regular at Anfield this season, the fact that the midfielder remains a doubt for the trip to Benfica is nevertheless sure to have left Jurgen Klopp gutted.

Indeed, despite having missed a host of games already this season due to injury, the £27m-rated dynamo has still managed to impress over his 15 Premier League outings, scoring two goals, registering one assist and creating two big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 0.7 key passes, 0.7 interceptions, 2.5 tackles and winning 3.7 duels – at a success rate of 53% – per game.

These returns have seen the £130k-per-week Guinea international average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.15, ranking him as Klopp’s ninth-best performer in the top flight of English football.

As such, the news that the 27-year-old could well be set to miss out once again on Thursday evening is sure to have caused the German coach and his backroom staff a great deal of frustration – as it is clear that a fit and firing Keita is a fantastic option for Liverpool to be able to call upon.

AND in other news: Liverpool now plotting bid for “unplayable” £58m machine, it could be bye-bye Salah

Newcastle United supporters have a reason to look forward to the future under PIF after the Saudi Arabian consortium splashed the cash in January to help them avoid relegation from the top-flight.

It was a sign of intent from the new owners and the Magpies can now hope that they will be able to compete higher up the food chain in the Premier League in the years to come.

The Toon faithful may be jealous of the likes of West Ham and Leicester this week as both sides secured places in European semi-finals, dreaming that their side will one day make it to one under PIF’s leadership.

English midfielder James Maddison was named Man of the Match, and scored, as the Foxes beat PSV in the Conference League quarter-finals and he is a player who could have been wearing a Newcastle shirt.

In the summer of 2018, Newcastle were one of the teams reportedly interested in signing the playmaker from Norwich.

However, Mike Ashley was unable to get a deal over the line as Leicester swooped in to snap him up, with Transfermarkt valuing him at £9m at the time.

Since joining the Foxes, he has proven himself in the Premier League and in Europe with his ability to score and create from midfield.

In 12 top-flight matches, Maddison has scored 29 goals and provided 22 assists. He also has five goals and four assists for the club in 16 outings in European competitions, which shows that he can deliver domestically and in Europe.

At the time of writing (15/04/22), Transfermarkt value him at a whopping £45m. This is a huge increase in the space of just under four years and illustrates how he has been able to fulfill the potential he showed whilst at Carrow Road in the Championship.

Although he has only been capped once by England, Gareth Southgate previously hailed his “world-class” set-pieces and he still has time to make an impact on the international stage. At the age of 25, he has plenty of time to keep improving and increasing his value – which will cause the size of Ashley’s blunder to grow.

The former Toon owner endured a major howler by failing to beat Leicester to his signature as he has turned out to be a phenomenal signing for the Foxes. He is thriving under Brendan Rodgers with his goals and assists from the number 10 position and the magician could have been strutting his stuff at St. James’ Park…

AND in other news, Same agency as Joelinton: NUFC scouting 6 ft 4 star, he’s a dream Botman alternative…

Having scored fewer goals than all of the clubs currently above them in the Championship table as well as a few currently underneath them, West Bromwich Albion dived into the January transfer market to add some extra firepower to Valerien Ismael’s squad with the signing of Daryl Dike from Orlando City.

However, with only a few days left until the window shuts, the Baggies may have to bring another attacking option to the club before the deadline arrives as a result of Dike’s recent muscle injury that will keep him out of action for the next eight weeks.

One potential option that West Brom could realistically look to bring in before the end of the month that they have been mentioned with recently is Middlesbrough striker Uche Ikpeazu.

With a total of 269 senior club appearances under his belt, the 26-year-old, who is currently picking up a weekly wage of £5.5k-per-week according to Salary Sport, has managed to score 53 goals and provide 32 assists along the way, highlighting the sort of experience he has and his ability to score and create goals, which is something that West Brom could do with at the moment.

Even though the attacker only joined Middlesbrough back in the previous summer transfer window from Wycombe Wanderers, he has only started eight of the 20 league games he’s appeared in, which suggests that he could be tempted with a move elsewhere if he’d get regular game time, which West Brom could offer him as a result of Dike’s unfortunate injury.

Labelled as a “humble” person in the past by Gareth Ainsworth, Ikpeazu could be just what Ismael needs at the moment to add an extra attacking dynamic to his side and potentially push the Baggies closer to promotion if he can hit the ground running in terms of scoring goals.

Moving forward, with West Brom’s recent 2-0 defeat against Preston North End proving how much they could do with some attacking reinforcements by having no shots on target throughout the match, the Baggies should definitely make a late approach to Middlesbrough to see if they’d be willing to negotiate a deal to sell their striker.

However, with Boro only three points behind West Brom at this stage of the season, they could be reluctant in allowing one of their attacking talents to join another team so close to them in the table, making it a potential challenge for the Baggies to sign him.

In other news: Ismael must finally axe £36k-p/w West Brom “leader” this month, he’s stealing a living

One of the gems of Rangers’ title win last season, Joe Aribo has certainly developed into a bona-fide star at Ibrox following his move a couple of years ago.

Having initially signed him for Rangers on a free transfer from Charlton, former Gers boss Steven Gerrard was very vocal in his praise of the midfielder, even going so far as to saying that he hoped he would be able to manage him for a long time.

Speaking after a particularly impressive performance against East Fife, Gerrard said of Aribo: “I am not sure how many good players have been at this stadium, but I don’t think you will see many better than Joe. Top players turn up anywhere, it doesn’t matter if it is in front of 50,000, or 1500, your standards are always the same and from day one Joe has done that. He was outstanding from start to finish.

“He can go as far as he wants. I hope he stays alongside me for many years, but he’s got the world at his feet.”

The 25-year-old Aribo ended up playing 112 times for Gerrard’s Rangers in his time north of the border, scoring 20 goals and providing another 18 assists as he embraced a real box-to-box role at Ibrox.

Transfermarkt now value him at £9m, and it’s testament to his ability that even with the change in manager recently to Giovanni van Bronckhorst, he has remained a real threat going forwards – in his 13 games under the Dutchman, he has managed three goals and three assists.

His role in helping the Gers finally wrestle away the Scottish Premiership crown from Celtic was huge, notching six goals and providing four assists in his 25 top-flight appearances, playing in a number of different roles from number ten to out wide on the right too.

Ross Wilson should take a lot of credit for spotting the diamond that Aribo has turned out to be for the Gers, and the fact he arrived for absolutely nothing in terms of a transfer fee makes it a dream deal.

Meanwhile, GVB has revealed a major Rangers blow…

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Football Fancast is embarking on a new series, in which we take a look at some of the hottest young prospects currently playing in the Championship…

Tall, quick and powerful. Brentford’s Ollie Watkins seems tailor-made for the top flight, and appears to have all the necessary tools to become one of the Premier League’s most dangerous wide forwards in years to come – for now, at least, he will have to contend with being the Championship’s most effective winger.

Watkins’ rise has not quite been meteoric, but it has been an eye-catching one. It was only in the summer of 2017 that the Bees took the plunge in signing a little-known League Two forward from Exeter, where he had just missed out on promotion after losing the play-off final to Blackpool.

Despite his side’s failure to earn promotion, the campaign was a personal triumph for Watkins as he was named the EFL Young Player of the Year, having notched 16 goals in 52 appearances.

The Englishman shows a maturity in his position that should be beyond his years. The most common irregularity of a young winger’s game is his tendency to hug the touchline for much of the 90 minutes, where he will struggle to make an impact for the majority of the game unless he is spoon-fed the ball.

What Watkins does differently, however, is ensure that he is always getting inside his full-back when not on the ball, so he can be first in line to head home or tap in a cross if the right delivery comes in, as opposed to allowing an easy clearance for the opposition defenders.

The former Weston-super-Mare loanee has plenty of time on his side at just 23 years of age, and is taking to the Championship like a duck to water with nine goals and five assists so far for Brentford this season.

Another man who has been performing superbly for the Bees this season is French striker Neal Maupay, who has hit 21 goals across all competitions so far in the current campaign and has consequently attracted interest from the Premier League – Huddersfield were keen in the January window.

Maupay has arguably had more media coverage and attention in comparison to Watkins, which is unfair on the latter seeing as he has performed just as admirably.

Crystal Palace and Bournemouth were circling around Watkins back in the summer, and one would assume that they and plenty others will be back at Griffin Park in a few months to check on his availability.

While it is often difficult to predict which signings will and won’t work out, recruiting an injury prone individual more often than not tends to end in disaster for the buying party.

That has seemingly proved the case for Nottingham Forest and defender Carl Jenkinson, with the former Arsenal man having endured a torrid time of it at the City Ground, prior to his loan move away from the club in January.

Signed for £2m from the Gunners in the summer of 2019, the Englishman has since made just 15 appearances in all competitions, with both loss of form and fitness issues having perhaps predictably plagued his time at the club.

During his time at the Emirates, the Harlow-born full-back had failed to ever really nail down a regular starting berth, spending much of his eight-year stint out on loan at the likes of West Ham United and Birmingham City, as well as on the treatment table.

After making just 41 Premier League appearances for the north Londoners, he was eventually snapped up by Forest just under three years ago, albeit while never looking like a convincing option as he made just eight league appearances in his debut season.

The form of current Aston Villa and Poland star Matty Cash – as well as an ankle issue sustained just a month into his Forest career – ensured a tricky start to life in Nottingham, with the 6 foot 1 full-back having never recovered from that early setback.

He made just three more league outings the following campaign, with the arrival of Chris Hughton in the dugout bringing a halt to his already sporadic role, with the former Brighton man informing the defender that he could move on at the end of 2020/21 season.

Despite sticking it out with the second-tier side, the appointment of Steve Cooper was the final nail in the coffin, with the 30-year-old having not featured for the club since an FA Cup fourth-round tie against Swansea City in January 2021.

After a year out in the footballing wilderness, the £450k-rated man secured a surprise temporary move to Australian outfit Melbourne City over the winter, where he has since netted twice in 17 league outings.

In truth, Cooper and co will have been happy to offload some of the player’s hefty £27k-per-week wages, with Jenkinson having cost the club a whopping £5m – including his initial transfer fee – since his move from Arsenal, rinsing the club for a total of 128 weeks.

Thankfully, with just a few months remaining on his existing deal, the one-time Charlton Athletic man will likely be moving on this summer, bringing an end to what’s been a tumultuous and costly last few years for all concerned.

In other news, Forest must seal summer swoop for £2.7m-rated star who has “a touch of Collymore” – opinion

Liverpool striker Divock Origi is preparing to leave Anfield this summer, according to Fabrizio Romano. 

The lowdown: Yet more heroics from Origi

The 27-year-old was once again the hero for the Reds on Sunday as Jurgen Klopp’s side overcame Everton 2-0 in the Merseyside derby, scoring once and playing a pivotal role in the build-up to Andy Robertson’s opening goal.

The Belgium marksman has developed a happy knack of turning up when he’s needed the most and now has six derby goals to add to a Champions League final strike and a stunning brace in an unforgettable 4-0 victory over Barcelona.

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However, despite multiple iconic moments from the 27-year-old, it appears that the end could well be nigh for Origi at Anfield…

The latest: Romano provides Origi latest

Taking to Twitter to cite Klopp’s glowing words on the enigmatic Belgian, reputable journalist Romano confirmed that the 32-cap international is heading towards the exit door.

The reporter tweeted: ‘Jurgen Klopp: “We will miss Divock Origi – if he leaves, he will explode wherever he goes. He is a world-class striker, he is a legend and will stay a legend forever”. #LFC

‘Origi will leave Liverpool in June – AC Milan are leading the race to sign him as free agent.‘

The verdict: Time to say goodbye

Liverpool have certainly gotten their money’s worth from the £10m spent when bringing Origi to the club from Lille in 2014 (BBC). During his time on Merseyside, the Belgium striker has scored 41 goals and provided 17 assists in 173 outings as a Red.

However, with the likes of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota all ahead of him in the pecking order and Takumi Minamino also somewhat in the cold, it has become apparent that opportunities will be few and far between for the man once described as a ‘monster’ by Klopp following a last-gasp winner against Wolves in December.

Out of contract in July (Transfermarkt), so far this season Origi has netted six times in 16 appearances across all competitions, and his latest derby exploits would suggest that should AC Milan indeed be the benefactors, the Serie A outfit would be landing a big-game striker for nothing in transfer fees.

In other news, Liverpool have been linked with a shock move for one player. Find out who it is here.

Rangers have a big game ahead of them at Ibrox in the SPFL when the latest international break comes to a close.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side have the chance to go level at the top of the league table if they manage to beat Celtic in the latest Old Firm Derby.

In recent days, the Gers have been hit with a potential injury worry as Alfredo Morelos has been reportedly left out of Colombia’s squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifying match against Bolivia due to “muscle overload.”

Should the striker be unable to play in the showdown against the Hoops next weekend, this could pave the way for Van Bronckhorst to put his trust in another attacking figure in his squad.

Opportunity knocks

Since arriving at the club back in the 2020 summer transfer window from RSC Anderlecht, Kemar Roofe has gone on to make 66 appearances for the Gers across all competitions and score 30 goals in the process, chipping in with three assists as well.

Despite appearing in 19 league games this season, the 29-year-old, who is currently valued at £3.6m according to Transfermarkt, has only started seven of them, showing that he has been playing second fiddle to Morelos, who has started 25 league games, for most of the campaign.

Even though he hasn’t been a regular starter for the Ibrox side this season, Roofe has still shown that he is a capable goalscorer, having found the back of the net 12 times across all competitions.

Labelled as a “leader” for his side on the pitch in the past by Michael Beale, the striker could be just what Van Bronckhorst needs in his team to take on the Parkhead club if Morelos isn’t fit enough to play.

Having not started a league game for the reigning SPFL champions since their last meeting with Celtic back in early-February where he failed to register even one shot at goal in the entire 90 minutes, the Jamaican will undoubtedly be hoping that he gets the chance to take on Ange Postecoglou’s side once again and deliver a more impactful display that he did last time.

Previously tipped to be a “real handful” for the team up front by former Gers manager Steven Gerrard, this exactly what his current boss will need him to be if he does end up starting against Celtic.

In other news: Forget Morelos: “Beautiful” Rangers gem who’s “unplayable” could fire GVB to the title

Even though the 2022 January transfer window has only just closed, it seems as though a clue has emerged on what the next summer market could look like for Wolves.

What’s the news?

In a recent online Q&A for The Athletic, Wolves journalist Tim Spiers was quoted as saying: “I’d certainly expect a busy one,” in regards to their transfer business in a few months time.

Spiers also added that “signing a pacey or imposing defender and a dynamic midfielder have been on their agenda for quite a while now and they will be priorities in the summer.”

Fans will be excited

The recent January window saw the Old Gold secure deals for Chiquinho, Hayao Kawabe and Sang-bin Jeong, with the latter two heading out on loan for the remainder of the current season.

Similarly, in midfield, with 35-year-old Joao Moutinho’s current contract at Molineux set to expire in the summer, it would definitely be worth the club bringing in a new midfielder in case the Portuguese veteran doesn’t continue his spell with Lage’s side.

With all of that in mind, if Wolves are intending on strengthening their squad in the summer transfer window with some new players, it could be a very exciting period of time for the fans to see what business their club does.

Also, with Wolves saying goodbye to Adama Traore last month, there’s every chance that the club will look to bring in a new attacking player to replace him if Barcelona decide to make his loan deal permanent in the summer.

Looking ahead to the summer, if Wolves can end this current season in a European place in the league table, this would presumably give the club more of a chance to persuade top quality players to join them and give them the chance to play in the Premier League and in Europe.

In other news: Forget Traore: Lage could fix big Wolves issue by unleashing “magic” £900k-rated gem – opinion

Aston Villa have set their sights on signing Rangers centre-back Filip Helander, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Helander profiled

Helander, labelled as ‘very tough’, was brought to Ibrox by Steven Gerrard back in 2019 in a deal worth £3.5m.

Since then, the Sweden international has made 60 appearances for the Scottish giants, however, only 11 of those have come during the current campaign, with Helander missing large parts of the season through injury.

He will be entering the final 12 months of his Rangers contract in the summer, and it looks as if Villa are keen on a cut-price deal for the now £3.15m-rated defender.

The Latest: Source shares update

Football Insider shared a story on Tuesday morning regarding Helander after being informed by a Villa source.

They claim that Johan Lange and co. are interested in signing the 28-year-old this summer, but Gerrard is concerned over Helander’s injury record, something which could put a move in jeopardy.

The Verdict: A risk

A number of defensive signings could well be needed this summer, especially with the futures of Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa up in the air.

Should the pair move on, bringing in someone like Helander in a cut-price deal could be a shrewd move to bolster the club’s options, however, it would also be a gamble.

The Rangers man has missed 66 games through injury since arriving in Scotland, so Gerrard may feel he could be signing a player he can’t rely on completely heading into his first full season in charge.

In other news: Source: Villa now open to selling 2022 star this summer despite Gerrard being a big fan.