Without a question, the best players want to play in the Champions League. Money is important too but it's not the deciding factor. He will be getting paid well up in the North East. But the Champions League is the trophy along with the World Cup that all players want to win. If you're not in the Champions League, you can't win it.
Liverpool enter the weekend sitting sixth and outside the Champions League places, regardless of whether England earns an additional qualification spot, while Manchester City are under mounting pressure to keep pace with Arsenal in a title race that appears to be slipping further out of reach. Both teams will approach this clash knowing that anything less than three points could prove damaging.
Regis Le Bris' side have had a fine first half of the season back in the Premier League but have stuttered somewhat of late. They have only won of their last six games but are the only side yet to lose a home Premier League match this season, winning six and drawing five of their 11 games at the Stadium of Light. The only promoted side to have a longer home unbeaten run in a Premier League season is Birmingham City in 2009-10 (15).
The attacking midfielder joined Villa on loan from Liverpool last summer, but his situation appeared to stall earlier in the campaign after manager Unai Emery decided against pursuing a permanent deal. Emery had publicly indicated as far back as October that Villa did not intend to trigger their option to buy the 22-year-old, a decision that saw Elliott fall out of the matchday picture for an extended period.
The deal sheet allows a club to confirm that an agreement has been reached and also give themselves more time to submit the remaining documentation. The Premier League and the English Football League have both set a transfer deadline for Monday, 2 February at 19:00 GMT. The deal sheet cannot be used before 17:00 GMT and needs to be filled in before the transfer window closes.
It is understood the Toffees made an approach for the 28-year-old last week, but it was turned down by the Cottagers. The Wales international is out of contract this summer and could leave for free, but Fulham are adamant on not selling him this month. Head coach Marco Silva has also said there is "zero chance" of Wilson being sold in the January transfer window.
Joao Pedro is enjoying life under Liam Rosenior. The versatile Brazil forward was excellent after coming on at half-time against West Ham. Joao Pedro, who has five goals in his last five games, helped Chelsea complete their comeback from 2-0 down by scoring his side's first and then creating Enzo Fernandez's stoppage-time winner. Chelsea chose well when they beat Newcastle to the signing of the 24-year-old from Brighton last summer.
When it comes to transfer windows it's not all about the numbers - the letters are important too! Can you complete our A-Z of transfers quiz? We want to know the world's most expensive footballer for each letter of the alphabet. Which player, whose surname begins with A, cost one club more than 81m in 2022? It's time to tackle our quiz. Good luck!
Liverpool are considering making a move for Sunderland defender Lutsharel Geertruida, who is at the Stadium of Light from RB Leipzig on loan. Fabrizio Romano reports the Reds could either look to take over the 25-year-old's loan agreement, or sign him permanently. Geertruida was Arne Slot's captain at Feyenoord, and can play either right back or center back, two positions in which Liverpool have struggled to cover in recent weeks.
The future of Dayot Upamecano is attracting attention as the Bayern Munich defender is set to become a free agent in the summer. According to TEAMtalk, a host of major sides, including Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Inter, have all held discussions with Upamecano's camp. The widespread interest reflects both the player's standing at the top level and the uncertainty surrounding his contract situation in Munich.
The Liverpool striker gave Eddie Howe further cause for regret with a gamechanging, match-winning performance at Anfield, however, as Arne Slot's side found the consistency that has eluded them too often this season to record a second impressive win in succession. Ekitike struck twice against the club that had agreed a deal to sign him from Eintracht Frankfurt before Liverpool swept in. Their initial outlay of 69m, rising to 79m, is proving money very well spent.
Though not an official term, in football 'bomb squad' is widely used to describe players who have fallen out of favour but still remain under contact. Those players are often excluded from first-team training and have to attend separate sessions with the club's youth teams, or even on their own in extreme cases. Some clubs even go as far as restricting any contact between the first-team and 'bomb squad' members by scheduling training sessions at times of day that will minimise the crossover between players.
In La Liga, Espanyol missed a chance to consolidate their high-flying position as they lost 2-1 at home to Alaves they took the lead through Roberto Fernandez in the 15th minute, but Antonio Blanco levelled 12 minutes later and the points were secured when Lucas Boye finished a counterattack from close range with 19 minutes remaining. It means Espanyol go into the weekend fifth but that defeat extended their winless run to five games.
