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Liverpool are reportedly willing to pay big money to sign Internazionale's Nicolo Barella this summer and his club are seriously worried about losing their superstar midfielder.

Which midfielders are Liverpool linked with?

The Reds really struggled in the middle of the park throughout last season, with far too many players either below their best or unavailable because of injury, whether it be Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, Thiago, Curtis Jones, Naby Keita or Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

It is essential that major additions are made in that area ahead of next season, and with Alexis Mac Allister already brought in from Brighton, the early signs are certainly promising.

The likes of Khephren Thuram, Manu Kone and Romeo Lavia have all been linked with moves to Liverpool, and Barella is another whose name has been thrown into the mix in recent months. Now, a new update further suggests that the £154,000-a-week Italian could be a genuine target for the Reds this summer.

Are Liverpool signing Barella?

According to Il Tempo [Paisley Gates], Liverpool are willing to pay as much as £68.7m to sign Barella in the coming weeks, seeing him as a great option to bring in and bolster their midfield. It is reported that Premier League clubs are believed to be keen on continuing their "looting of Serie A", which is where the Reds' interest in the Inter star is mentioned.

Manager Simone Inzaghi is believed to be "trembling" at the thought of losing one of his most prized assets, with Liverpool happy to go big on Barella, spending the same amount as Newcastle are on Sandro Tonali in the process.

Barella could arguably be about the perfect midfield signing for Liverpool this summer, possessing all the attributes that Jurgen Klopp loves in his players. He is supremely gifted technically, registering six goals and assists apiece in Serie A last season, but he is also hard-working, averaging 1.9 tackles per game in the Champions League in 2022/23, as Inter reached the final.

At 26, he is a player at the peak of his powers, and should be for the foreseeable future, and Liverpool snapping him up and slotting him into one of the No.8 roles would be ideal.

Former Reds striker Peter Crouch recently said the Italy star has "got great feet, (is) tenacious as well and is decent in the tackle", while Klopp himself is clearly a big fan after he called the midfielder "top class".

England captain Eoin Morgan says his bowlers were badly let down by their batsmen after a collapse of 8 for 8 sealed a 75-run defeat to India in the third T20I at Bangalore

Deivarayan Muthu in Bangalore01-Feb-20171:30

‘We fell away terribly towards the end’ – Morgan

England lost 10 for 83 in the last innings in the second Test in Visakhapatnam. They lost 5 for 70 in the first innings in the third Test in Mohali. They lost 7 for 54 in their second innings in the fourth Test in Mumbai. The visitors then suffered a more cataclysmic fall in their second innings in the fifth Test in Chennai, losing 10 for 104 after piling on 477 in their first dig.The limited-overs players then roused the side from its gloom after Christmas, pushing India in 50-over cricket and proceeded to go 1-0 up in the subsequent T20 series. England were then at the receiving end of two incorrect umpiring decisions and lost the second T20. In the series decider in Bangalore, they unravelled dramatically against legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal and left to head home empty-handed.England experienced a fair share of collapses on this gruelling tour, but losing 8 for 8 on Wednesday night was as chaotic as it could get. Their breezy start to the chase – they were 119 for 2 in the 14th over in pursuit of 203 – starkly contrasted with what was to follow. The two set batsmen – Joe Root and captain Eoin Morgan – were dismissed by Chahal in successive balls and England eventually suffered the second-worst eight-wicket collapse in international cricket to be rolled over for 127 with 21 balls to spare in their innings.England captain Eoin Morgan cut a sorry figure at the post-match press conference, but did not mince any words about his team’s batting performance.”It does hurt. Very disappointing,” Morgan said. “Maybe 60% of the game we were competitive and right in amongst it but fell away terribly in the end. Committed a cardinal sin of losing two in-players in one over and allowed India to build a little bit of pressure and we weren’t up to it at all.”So what really went wrong in the middle?”I can’t put a finger on it. We haven’t produced a batting performance as bad as that in two or two-and-a-half years,” Morgan said. “We pride ourselves on our batting, it has been a strong suit for a long time but this series our bowlers have outperformed our batsmen I think.”Morgan, who had played for Royal Challengers Bangalore for a season in the IPL in 2010, believed that England were on track to exploit the flat surface and the short boundaries at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium at the halfway mark of the chase. Root bedded himself in, and Morgan himself hinted at hitting full tilt with three sixes from Suresh Raina’s part-time offbreaks in three balls during the 12th over.”I thought we were going quite well,” Morgan said. “A majority of the runs at this ground are always scored in the last 10 overs. Bangalore have done it extremely well for a long period of time and India did well today. So, I think we needed 110 [sic 117] off the last 10 maybe with eight wickets in the shed.”Morgan said that England could have chased the target down had he or Root kicked on with contributions from the lower-middle order.”If a better performance from either me or Joe – a 70 or 80 from me or him and if the two of us seeing off – and a couple of guys batting around us could have made a huge difference,” Morgan said.England’s sharp nosedive began with Morgan galloping down the track, fetching a slog-sweep from outside off and skying a wrong’un to deep midwicket. He backed his intent but blamed the execution for the dismissal.”It wasn’t necessarily a big shot,” Morgan said. “It wasn’t executed that well, I didn’t mean to hit it in the air. The ball – it was a googly – held up a little bit. I wanted to hit down the ground, but hit it squarer.”Morgan also conceded that losing a close ODI series “hurt” more than losing the T20 series, but was confident of recovering from the setbacks.”We had performances in the one-day series that were potentially worthy of winning,” he said. “In this series probably the last game [in Nagpur] hurt us more. The game got away from us, we should have won. Today we underperformed and we weren’t good enough.”I don’t think [there will be a lingering feeling]. If there was a consistent run of performances like that it would hurt to fail again. But like I said, our batting has been outstanding for a long time and tonight it wasn’t anywhere near as it should be.”

A round-up of the Super Smash matches held on December 26, 2016

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Dec-2016

Central Districts’ strong bowling performance followed up with a relatively hiccup-free chase meant they beat Wellington by six wickets at the Basin Reserve. George Worker finished with 3 for 26 – and was one of Wellington’s five wicket-taking bowlers – as they bowled Wellington out for 133 before achieving the target with 21 balls to spare.After choosing to bat, Wellington lost both openers by the fourth over with the team’s score at 22 for 2. Stephen Murdoch (32) and Tom Blundell (20) added 35 runs for the third wicket, before a string of wickets between the ninth and 12th over had them slip from 57 for 2 to 76 for 6. Grant Elliott top scored with 39 off 32 balls and kept the innings afloat, but with his dismissal – the team’s eighth wicket, on 124 – Wellington folded quickly. Ben Wheeler, who was selected in New Zealand’s T20 squad against Bangladesh on the day, and Seth Rance finished with two wickets each.Opener Worker performed with the bat too; he hit a run-a-ball 32 with partner Mahela Jayawardene (21-ball 40), to give Central Districts a flying start. They did lose quick wickets in the 10th and 12th overs, but with the team’s score at 89 for 3, Tom Bruce, also selected for the T20 series against Bangladesh, hit a brisk 24 to all but take them home before Dane Cleaver (19*) and Josh Clarkson (5*) saw them through with 3.3 overs to spare.Todd Astle, Kyle Jamieson and Andrew Ellis combined for figures of 5 for 46 in 11 overs to help Canterbury defend 152 against Otago, who managed only 136 in their chase, in Alexandra.Canterbury captain Ellis also hit 23 off 18 balls; he was the team’s second-highest scorer with only opener Chad Bowes scoring more, with a 39-ball 54. Neil Wagner (2-20) and Sam Wells (2-21) kept it tight for Otago, striking regularly in an innings in which the last eight overs fetched only 57 runs.Otago’s response began with a wicket off the second ball, as Ed Nuttall (2-44) dismissed Anaru Kitchen for a duck. Jamieson then struck in consecutive overs to reduce Otago to 34 for 3 inside the fourth over. The middle order attempted a rescue, but were made to work hard for their runs by Ellis (1-11) and Astle (2-16), neither of whom could be taken for more than four per over. Christi Viljeon triggered a late surge with an unbeaten 34 off 22 balls, but this wasn’t enough for Otago.

Celtic majority shareholder Dermot Desmond remains engaged in efforts to find a replacement for recently-departed head coach Ange Postecoglou.

The 57-year-old completed a move to Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur last week and the Hoops are now in the market to appoint a new manager.

Sky Sports recently reported that Brendan Rodgers, who has already enjoyed one successful stint with the Scottish giants, has held talks with the club. And they are now set to hold further discussions with the Northern Irish coach in the coming days as they attempt to bring him back to Parkhead.

However, if they fail to convince the former Leicester City boss to take the job for a second time, then Desmond could find a dream alternative in Bodo/Glimt's Kjetil Knutsen, who is also reportedly on Celtic's radar.

What is Kjetil Knutsen's style of play?

The Norwegian manager plays a "kamikaze" style – as described by his captain Ulrick Saltnes – once explained his own philosophy by saying:

“Dominating doesn’t just mean scoring but also having the possession of the ball and dictating the rules of the game."

These comments show that the 4-3-3 tactician plays an intense brand of attacking football that results in his side being able to dominate the opposition, which has led to terrific results during his time with Bodo/Glimt.

Rodgers won seven trophies in less than three years at Parkhead and would come in as a proven winner, but Knutsen has also achieved great success in Norway and has proven that he knows how to win titles too.

The 54-year-old has won two Eliteserien titles in the last three years, whilst his side have won ten of their 11 league games so far in the division during 2023, which suggests that he is on his way to a third.

Knutsen has also shown signs of promise with his work in European competitions.

In the 2021/22 campaign, the promising coach reached the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League and won seven of his 11 matches in the tournament, which suggests that the potential is there for him to be a success on the continent.

Whereas, Rodgers failed to reach the last-16 in any European setting during his time in Scotland and, therefore, there are still question marks over his suitability to take the club forward outside of domestic football.

The Bodo/Glimt boss would not come in as a proven quantity in Scottish football as the Northern Irish manager would, but his impressive work in Norway – domestically and in Europe – suggests that the 54-year-old could be an excellent alternative to Rodgers if Desmond is unable to convince the former Liverpool chief to take on the job for a second time.

Pitch imperfect?
The message from the BCCI may have been on uniformity in pitch preparation, but doubts over the neutral-venues concept continued to be raised after the opening round of the Ranji Trophy. The Mumbai-Tamil Nadu opener in Lahli, a marquee clash in Group A, finished in a little over two days, with 34 out of the 38 wickets to fall taken by the fast bowlers.”It was basically a very green pitch,” Abhishek Nayar, who made an unbeaten 45 to help Mumbai scrape home by two wickets, told ESPNcricinfo after the game. “Initially, there was a very thick covering of grass that made it very tough for stroke-play. What made things more difficult was the outfield was super slow, so getting boundaries was not easy.”It wasn’t too different in Ranchi, where Chhattisgarh beat Tripura by nine wickets. While Yashpal Singh, Tripura’s most experienced batsmen, termed it a “rubbish pitch”, Sulakshan Kulkarni, Chhattisgarh’s head coach, also wasn’t pleased with the surface despite his side recording a historic win. “The wicket was up and down right from the start,” he said. “You are supposed to have consistent bounce to begin with, but here it was scooting low and shooting up right from the start. There wasn’t a blade of grass. Surely better wickets can be prepared. What’s the use of playing on these kind of surfaces even after adopting neutral venues?”Maharashtra’s loss to Jharkhand at the Karnail Singh Stadium, which was banned from hosting first-class cricket for a year in 2012, also threw the spotlight on the 22 yards. Kedar Jadhav, who scored two half-centuries in a losing cause for Maharashtra, was fuming after the game. “If a match gets over in close to three days, it is not a good sign for cricket. It has to be a good quality pitch, where you get four days of competitive cricket,” he told the . “The result does not matter. The match has to last for four days. That is how the quality of cricket in general will rise.”Uthappa, Gautam swap no more
One of the reasons cited for possible discord within the Karnataka set-up during the 2015-16 Ranji Trophy was that of Robin Uthappa and CM Gautam, two of their most experienced players, being in the middle of an unwanted restructuring. Karnataka began to alternate wicketkeeping duties between Uthappa and Gautam at the behest of KSCA secretary Brijesh Patel in order to facilitate Uthappa’s return to international cricket as a wicketkeeper-batsman. The decision, which gave Karnataka’s batting coach J Arun Kumar “sleepless nights”, resulted in a bit of friction as Gautam confessed that switching between fielding and wicketkeeping was a “little irritating”.In a bid to return to winning ways, the team management has made it clear to both players about their roles this time around. “Last season was a learning for me; I understood a little more about team chemistry,” Uthappa told the . “The chemistry works with CM keeping, and I respect that. For me, it was learning, and I’ve accepted that learning and grown with that.”Shreyas, Shardul boost for Mumbai
Mumbai will be boosted by the returns of Shardul Thakur and Shreyas Iyer for their second match against Baroda in Delhi. Shardul was called up to the Indian team as a late replacement for Bhuvneshwar Kumar on the eve of Mumbai’s opening game against Tamil Nadu, while Shreyas, last season’s highest run-scorer, missed the match because of a quadriceps injury.Vijay and Harbhajan at NCA
M Vijay has been asked to report to the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore for a rehabilitation programme, and therefore will not be available to play for Tamil Nadu in the third round of the Ranji Trophy, starting October 20. The TNCA had earlier requested the BCCI to release Vijay, whose next international commitments, fitness permitting, will be the Test series against England, which starts on November 9 in Rajkot.Meanwhile, Harbhajan Singh, who was initially not named for just the first fixture, will not lead Punjab in the second round too. Harbhajan is currently at the NCA for a fitness assessment.

Arsenal are expected to have a busy summer, after the Gunners narrowly missed out on securing their first Premier League title since 2004.

With one game remaining, it has overall been a successful campaign for Mikel Arteta’s side, who fell agonisingly short in the final months that saw Manchester City claim the title once more.

Lack of squad depth was a huge factor to Arsenal’s downfall, with the injury to William Saliba proving costly at a time when stability was essential.

Now, with the summer window approaching, it’s expected that the north Londoners will look to recruit in defence for depth to go again with big aspirations next season.

One name has been linked with a potential move to the Emirates this week, as a Bundesliga centre-back has emerged as a target.

What’s the latest on Edmond Tapsoba to Arsenal?

As reported by Fabrizio Romano earlier this week, Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Edmond Tapsoba has been monitored by scouts representing Arsenal.

The Gunners aren’t the only club in north London eyeing the 24-year-old, as Tottenham have also scouted the defender with the race remaining “absolutely open”, as per Romano.

It was reported by BILD in 2021 that Leverkusen had demanded a fee in the region of €70m (£61m).

What could Edmond Tapsoba bring to Arsenal?

Hailed as a “monster” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, Tapsoba has shone for Leverkusen this season, cementing himself as a firm starter for the Bundesliga side.

The young defender has marshalled at the back, but has been praised for attributes beyond the art of defending in relation to his comfort on the ball and “very good” footballing IQ.

Described as being an “elite ball-player” by members of the media, the 24-year-old would be a perfect fit in Arteta’s plans going forward, with the Gunners in dire need for strength in quality at the back.

Despite the position of Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes looking untouchable now, it would undoubtedly benefit the squad to provide some competition for places, with no players in Arsenal’s ranks able to consistently reach the heights of the two first choices.

When you review the success of Pep Guardiola’s defence, a lot of performance has been raised in having a group of equally talented defenders rivalling each other for a shot at consistent game time.

Arteta could replicate the strict competition at the Etihad through smart recruitment, and with Tapsoba potentially in a position to be lured away from Leverkusen this summer, Arsenal would be missing a trick in not snatching him up.

The Burkina Faso international suits the Spaniard’s favoured attributes as a ball-playing centre-back, as highlighted by FBref through his numbers, averaging 5.82 progressive passes per 90, ranking him in the top 4% of centre-backs in Europe in this skill.

The Bundesliga talent actually tops Gabriel in his progressive play, and also in some defensive areas, averaging 1.71 tackles and 1.15 interceptions per 90 to the Brazilian’s average 1.29 tackles and 0.87 interceptions – as per FBref.

Inducing competition to a stable area of a squad not only enhances performance but increases depth and expands ideas on a game-to-game basis, as managers can plot their next moves dependent on the opponent, reducing predictability.

As a player expected to be in demand this summer, Arsenal should act fast in their pursuit of Tapsoba when the window opens, who could undoubtedly be a strong addition to their squad.

England will host Ireland for two ODIs in 2017, in a move described as “an historic stepping stone for Irish cricket”. The fixtures, one of which will be at Lord’s, represent the first bilateral series between the sides, as well as the first time they have faced each other in England.Under the previous agreement between the ECB and Cricket Ireland, England played a biennial ODI in Ireland. Next year they will instead host Ireland at Bristol, on May 5, and Lord’s, on May 7, as part of their build-up to the Champions Trophy. The development is a further boost for Ireland as they seek greater engagement with Full Members and a calendar that can help them challenge for World Cup qualification via the ODI rankings.Ireland’s captain William Porterfield, who has led calls for more opportunities for his side, described the series as “absolutely massive”, while Warren Deutrom, Cricket Ireland’s chief executive, thanked the ECB for helping to bring it about. Ireland are also due to host New Zealand and Bangladesh for a six-match triangular series in May 2017.”We would like to extend our sincere thanks to ECB for their support in bringing this series to fruition and, in particular, giving us the opportunity to play a two-match series in England for the first time,” Deutrom said. “Rounding the series off at Lord’s will, of course, make this truly memorable for everyone involved.”We have set out our stall to make cricket a mainstream sport in Ireland and perhaps one measure of that is for the Blarney Army, whether living in Ireland or England, to arrive in their thousands to paint the Home of Cricket green in front of a worldwide TV audience.”England were Ireland’s opponents in their first ODI, in Belfast in 2006, and they have met twice in World Cups but this move signals a greater degree of commitment from the ECB to helping their Associate neighbours. It is understood that part of the decision for England to host the games was in order to save Cricket Ireland the set-up costs.”This series will represent a historic stepping stone in the development of Irish cricket and give further impetus to the growth of the game in Ireland as a whole,” the ECB’s chief executive Tom Harrison said. “There’s always been a friendly local rivalry between Ireland and England on the sporting field and this is a great opportunity for cricket matches between the two countries to enjoy even greater status and profile.”Ireland recently played a two-match series against Sri Lanka and will host Afghanistan and Pakistan this summer, before playing ODIs against South Africa and Australia later in the year. They were added to the ICC ODI rankings last year, giving them a chance to secure automatic qualification for the 2019 World Cup by reaching the top eight, but had struggled to arrange a competitive fixture list.England had previously only played one-off fixtures against Ireland, in Belfast once again in 2009, then at Clontarf, in Dublin, two years later, followed by matches in 2013 and 2015 at Ireland’s new home, Malahide. Ireland’s only win over England came at the 2011 World Cup, when they pulled off the highest successful chase in the competition’s history in Bangalore.”It’s absolutely massive for us to have the opportunity to play against England in a series,” Porterfield said. “What makes it extra special is the fact that one of the games is at Lord’s – where every cricketer dreams of playing.”I’m certain we’ll have a lot of support there from both the Irish living in London and travelling over from Ireland. There’ll be a great atmosphere and it will be one which the team will relish playing in front of.”Teams travelling to play England are also coming over here now to play series too so hopefully that trend will continue. We are getting more and more international fixtures with games against Pakistan, Afghanistan, Australia and South Africa still to come this year, and England, Bangladesh and New Zealand confirmed already for next year.”

Tottenham Hotspur could make an approach for Brentford manager Thomas Frank in the summer, according to a report from talkSPORT.

What's the latest Tottenham manager news?

Tottenham are now plotting a stunning swoop for Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Julen Lopetegui, with the board impressed by the turnaround he has overseen with his current club this season.

Spurs remain a serious option for Feyenoord boss Arne Slot, who led the Dutch club to the league title at the weekend, while Xabi Alonso is also in the running, although he is currently said to be happy at Bayer Leverkusen.

Even before Antonio Conte was sacked by chairman Daniel Levy, the Lilywhites were impressed with the job Frank was doing at Brentford, and having mathematically confirmed a top-half finish with the Bees, he could be on the move this summer.

According to a report from talkSPORT, Brentford are braced for an approach from Tottenham for their manager, and the north London club have an "admiration" for the Danish coach, according to reporter Alex Crook.

Crook also added: "I would go as far as to say that Brentford are even anticipating an approach for Thomas Frank.

“But they need a new director of football, they need a new manager and they need some direction.”

Should Tottenham appoint Thomas Frank?

Although the 49-year-old is not the big-name manager that a lot of fans are probably clamouring for, as pointed out by Crook, Arsenal were also in a similar position a few years ago, before they brought in Mikel Arteta.

Much to the delight of Tottenham fans, the Spaniard now looks very unlikely to lead the Gunners to the Premier League title, but they have made progress year-on-year, which Frank has also done during his time with Brentford.

The Bees are still mathematically in the race for Europe this season, having improved significantly under the helm of the Dane, who has transformed them from a mid-table Championship side, into a solid Premier League club.

Having been hailed for his "attractive" football and "incredible" performance as Brentford manager by members of the media, Frank could be exactly the type of appointment Spurs need to make at this point.

Mark Goldbridge has hit out at a Manchester United takeover update he’s heard from Old Trafford, with Friday’s deadline for final offers looming.

What’s the latest on a Man United takeover and what has Goldbridge said?

Reports have suggested that Sir Jim Ratcliffe is set to offer a deal that would allow Joel and Avram Glazer to remain at the club as minatory shareholders.

Mike Keegan of The Daily Mail believes that Ratcliffe’s possible offer would see him take a controlling stake of more than 50% at Old Trafford, with the Glazers holding a 20% share.

Sheikh Jassim appears to be one of Ratcliffe’s rivals in the race to potentially take control in Manchester and is only interested in taking a full 100% share.

Goldbridge took to Twitter on Wednesday evening to give his thoughts on the news regarding Ratcliffe potentially keeping the Glazers involved at Old Trafford, labelling it as a “disgrace” if true.

“Sir Jim proposing to allow the Glazers to Stay!!? If that's true it's a disgrace.”

Not ideal for Man United supporters…

You can see why Goldbridge isn’t impressed with the latest news. Plenty of Red Devils fans have been protesting against the Glazers for a number of years now, including during the Carabao Cup triumph against Newcastle United at Wembley with Avram Glazer in attendance.

Keegan has stated that further protests looking for a full sale are scheduled for this Sunday ahead of the club’s match with Aston Villa. A march from the city centre to Old Trafford has been planned, with some even not entering the stadium until 18 minutes into the match to represent every year the Glazers have been in charge.

By then, we should know more about Ratcliffe and Jassim’s bids, and it will be interesting to see if the former of the two interested parties goes through with his bid to keep the Glazers involved.

The current owners were previously confident of securing outside investment to remain as owners, but with Ratcliffe now wanting a major share, there could be further twists and turns over the coming days.

Chelsea striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could be set for more game time in the coming weeks, as he is thought of in high regard by Frank Lampard, according to journalist Simon Phillips.

Will Aubameyang leave Chelsea this summer?

Aubameyang arrived at Stamford Bridge from Barcelona last September, joining on a two-year deal, however, it appears as though his time at the club is set to be cut short, after failing to impress under Graham Potter.

The forward will "definitely" leave the Blues this summer, according to a recent update from Phillips, with Barca one of the clubs that are "pretty keen" on signing him, as manager Xavi never really wanted him to leave in the first place.

The Athletic has reported that Aston Villa could explore a move for the former Gabon international, meaning he is likely to have no shortage of offers this summer, however before then he could be set to come back into contention at Stamford Bridge.

Writing in a column for GiveMeSport, Phillips claimed that Lampard is a fan of the £160k-per-week attacker, and could give him increased game time in the latter stages of the season, with the Blues still competing for the Champions League.

The new manager is keen to give all the players at the club a fresh start, and he will not be afraid to give some more unknown players an opportunity.

Carney Chukwuemeka is also said to have caught the 44-year-old's eye since he's returned to Stamford Bridge, so it would not be a surprise to see the 19-year-old feature in the coming weeks.

Should Lampard start Aubameyang?

It seems a little unusual to start a player who is definitely set to leave at the end of the season, but Chelsea need some inspiration from somewhere, having failed to find the back of the net in their last three Premier League games.

In the 2-0 loss at home to Aston Villa, the Blues recorded 2.16 expected goals, but Mykhaylo Mudryk missed two big chances, with Kai Havertz also missing one, and they are in dire need of a more clinical goalscorer.

It has been hard for Aubameyang to put a good run together this season, making the majority of his Premier League appearances from the bench, but he has a fantastic record in front of goal throughout his career, scoring 11 in 17 La Liga games last season. He is currently rated as the second worst player at the club, according to WhoScored, which is 31st out of 32.

To stand any chance of winning the Champions League, Lampard's side need someone who can regularly convert chances, and at this stage, Lampard may as well give the 33-year-old, who Jurgen Klopp lauded as "wonderful", another opportunity to prove himself.