@Nikola, is there anything in the Andrija Maksimovic rumours, what do you know or think?
17-year old midfielder from Red Star Belgrade, already with a few caps for Serbia, linked with Liverpool and Juventus.
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I have a mate whoās a match-going, die-hard fan, knows some people who work for their club as well (which is not difficult in these parts, as you know all too well). My mateās a genuine guy and Iāve always been inclined to believe what he says - and he says that virtually every top club has been sending scouts for a while to watch MaksimoviÄ and a few other youth players from Crvena Zvezda (he name-checked him and a couple of others before they made their senior debuts).
He was pretty blunt about the kidās future at the club - he will be sold to the highest bidder, thatās the way the things are here. He canāt even celebrate his breakthrough at the club, which is a pretty tragic thing (something similar happened with Kosta NedeljkoviÄ, whoās with Aston Villa now), though he hopes heāll stay with the club until the end of the season, regardless of whether heās sold in January.
I actually started watching the kid on his recommendation and I can tell you, as far as the eye test goes, heās the real deal, I donāt think Serbia have ever had such a well rounded talent. Itās not his technical ability that caught my eye initially but his tenacity. He tracks back and presses with aggression, which used to be a non-existent trait in players from these parts.
Iād compare him to a quicker and more nimble version of Elliott - he can play on the flanks but Iām convinced that his future will be in a central role because he likes to have the ball and make things happen (no. 10 would be a natural role for him).
If he knows whatās good for him, heāll avoid the direct route to one of the biggest clubs and choose a club that will actually give him minutes and develop him. I donāt see how heād be able to do that at Liverpool, to be honest, but again, I doubt heāll have much of a say about his next club.
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There are several reports of Evan Ferguson being a target for numerous clubs this winter. None I have seen have linked us in that move, but the relevance is his exit now may make it harder (or maybe just more expensive) to get Pedro from Brighton in the summer if that is what weāre really interested in.
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He looks a bit lazy in any of the games Iāve seen him. Plays deep. Creative but not really the striker we need if replacing Darwin
Are you talking about Joao Pedro? I dont really have a personal position on him, but feel the reports probably indicate a real interest in him.
In other news, Dewsbury Hall is being linked to a move away from Chelsea already 
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Yeah was referring to Pedro. Iād prefer to sign Ferguson but canāt see Brighton letting him go!
Heās only 20. So much potential (if he stays away from City)
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ā¦ nes, who himself has dropped further back to replace Alexis Mac Allister when necessary.
A definite option in the position now that he has returned from injury is Harvey Elliott, who had his first start of the season against Southampton last night and was exemplary in doing so - although he largely operated off the right.
Liverpool have been linked to another player who operates in both attacking midfield and off the right - Lyonās Rayan Cherki.
The Reds are now reportedly directly in line to sign Cherki as early as the January transfer window, with Lyon in dire financial trouble.
The French side have been handed a provisional relegation from Ligue 1 at the end of this season if they canāt demonstrate a healthier financial outlook, meaning a fire-sale of their top talents seems inevitable.
A lowdown on Cherki was provided in this exclusive interview with French football expert Robin Bairner, explaining just how good the French player is.
Itās an interesting proposition as Liverpool already have an established player in that mould on the books at the club in Elliott. So would Cherki be worth it?
## Rayan Cherki vs Harvey Elliott
A look at the underlying numbers from Cherkiās current season and Elliott last season (due to lack of game time right now) suggests he would be but has a different profile to Elliott.
Attacking-wise they are similar, but Cherki outweighs him in almost all areas. The French star achieves 3.71 progressive carries and 9.14 progressive passes per-90 to Elliottās 2.93 and 8.53, respectively.
He also holds 7.43 shot-creating actions per-90 to Elliottās 5.19 and 3.29 key passes to the Liverpool manās 2.47.
Cherki also holds 12 goal involvements in all competitions this season to Elliotās 15 across the entirety of last season, showing an ability to convert to actual output at a better rate.
Where they differ is in defensive work, which Arne Slot does desire from every member of his team.
Elliott achieved 2.2 tackles and interceptions per-90 last year to Cherkiās 1.29 per-90 in this campaign, at a 32.3% tackle rate to Cherkiās 25%. Elliott also demolishes the French player in blocks, with 1.8 to 0.43, showing just how different the two are defensively.
As a result, if Cherki were to be incorporated into the team, it would present a different proposition to how the team operate now. Whilst we have no doubt Slot would get the necessary pressing out of him, his natural creativity would provide a central and wide creative option with greater output than Elliott has shown he can achieve.
It would leave Elliott out in the cold, signing a player his age who is already doing more.
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Pedro is interesting and one to continue monitoring for sure.
Donāt know how he ended up at Watford of all places when he did (though they also got Richarlison before). But of course one thing is talent, it all took a bit of time with his permit, getting a chance and proving himself.
An unusual path to becoming a Brazil international, but maybe it tells a thing or two about him also. Ready for challenges.
Ferguson did well initially when he got a chance at Brighton, but I donāt think heās the right profile for us in different aspects.
If weāre getting a striker soon, we need someone of serious quality and the right style to be a first XI player. We have enough options who can provide backup, do a job and what not.
That quality bit can sometimes come from different places, as weāve seen from plenty of past examples.
I think Pedro has the potential to get there, but with someone like Ferguson, it screams much more ābackup and time to work with himā.
Time which we already spent the last few years under different coaches trying to find the right starting combination. From Nunez, to Gakpo (though not anymore under Slot, heās back being a winger), etc.
Iām not saying the new guy needs to absolutely hit the ground running from day one, but come onā¦ we need a serious player, not a young project.
Surely there will be many more strikers linked with us.
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From the clips Iāve seen (which isnāt enough!) Cherki looks like a very skillful and useful player. However, Iām not convinced he is better than Harvey Elliott. And even though the attacking stats in the article put Cherki slightly ahead, I would imagine Elliott would look very good indeed if he were playing regularly in France.
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Iād be shocked if we moved for Cherki.
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Tyler Dibling looked impressive again yesterday. Wouldnāt mind if we went for him
Liverpool not willing to offer star new deal
That is according to reports coming out of Spain, which point to Luis Diaz as the man in question and suggests that he could look to leave Liverpool in the near future as a result. The Colombian forward, who has started 10 of Liverpoolās 15 Premier League games this season, was linked with a move away from the club over the summer but has emerged as a key man for Arne Slot.
His current deal runs until 2027, which sees him take home Ā£2.8m a year (Ā£55,000 a week), a wage that puts him among Liverpoolās lowest earners.
Liverpoolās lowest earners (Outfield players)
Player
Weekly wage
Conor Bradley - Ā£10,000
Curtis Jones - Ā£15,000
Jarell Quansah - Ā£30,000
Harvey Elliott - Ā£40,000
Wataru Endo - Ā£50,000
Luis Diaz - Ā£55,000
That salary, which the report claims āno longer corresponds to his importance in the teamā, is seemingly unlikely to change any time soon though. They add the Reds are ānot willing to make a financial effort to renew himā due to the ādelicate situation with financial fair playā they find themselves in.
It is claimed that this has seen Barcelona rekindle their interest in the forward, though they will be unlikely to move for the Colombian any time soon given that they currently cannot even register summer signing Dani Olmo for the second half of the season due to financial issues of their own.
Nonetheless, it is added that a move for the winger ācould become a priority if his contractual situation does not improve at Anfieldā, and they may not be the only interested party able to offer a significant wage bump to the south American if Liverpool continue to overlook his importance.
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Where did you find that dross?
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If the wages are true, Diaz is absolutely worth a new deal, asap, on double the money, maybe a bit more.
If you underpay it is short sighted. It gives room for grievance to open up as he is doing very well for us, and has even done well in the middle when called upon.
Nobody wants the wages to spiral out of control where we give fortunes to underperforming players, ala Man Utd, but the other side of it is that you need to pay the going rate for players who are doing well for you. Bradley and Jones need looking at too.
Football FanCast
FSG refusing to offer Ā£2.8m-a-year Liverpool star new contract due to FFP
Story by Ben Browning
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ā¦the whole article smacks of Diaz Snr speaking to the Spanish Pressā¦ Wages quoted, seem either too accurate for guessworkā¦ or as COG statesā¦ the whole article is bullshit
Hey, Donāt forget, Iām just the messenger who brings these things some attention on TAN 
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Weāve got enough bullshit on here as it is.
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