Thursday, December 08, 2011

Luis Suarez Charged By FA Over Hand Gesture

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has been charged with improper conduct following an alleged gesture he made towards Fulham fans on Monday night, the Football Association have announced.

The incident was captured by photographers as the Uruguayan left the pitch at the end of Liverpool's 1-0 defeat, and he has until 4pm on Monday to respond to the charge.

Liverpool, meanwhile, have been charged by the FA with failing to ensure their players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion following the controversial sending-off of Jay Spearing in the second half.

Kenny Tipped To Capture Celtic Star

Liverpool are thought to be pondering over a move for Celtic full-back Adam Matthews who is also a target for Everton, according to Footylatest. The Merseyside rivals will reportedly battle it out in January for the 19 year-old’s signature who only made the switch from Cardiff City to Parkhead on a free transfer during the summer.

Matthews has made an impressive start to his Celtic career receiving high praise for the 13 appearances he has made, which in turn has helped him become a regular for the Welsh national team. Good form at such a young age inevitably attracts interest from elsewhere and Everton boss David Moyes is thought to be lining up an offer in the region of £1.5m which is sure to annoy any Hoops supporter.

The worrying financial state Everton find themselves in means they would struggle to increase their offer should it fall short of the mark as they search for bargains in the market. Liverpool, however, are now in a strong financial position with sources suggesting that the Red’s will outbid their local rivals by doubling the offer, an amount which Celt’s may still claim to be too small.

Celtic will undoubtedly want to keep hold of the highly-rated teenager but cashing in on a player who was acquired for free may be seen as good business should a reasonable bid be tabled. In the meantime, Celtic await the arrival of Swedish international right-back Mikael Lustig in January who signed on a free transfer from Rosenborg further adding to the speculation surrounding Matthews’ future.

Kenny Dalglish already has a wealth of right-backs at his disposal in Glen Johnson, Martin Kelly, Jon Flanagan and Jack Robinson but clearly the Liverpool boss is aiming to build a strong squad for the future with the emphasis on young promising British talent. Matthews certainly falls under such bracket.

Liverpool Join Arsenal In Race For Uruguayan Defender

Liverpool are the latest club to be linked with a move for Atletico Madrid defender Diego Godin who has reiterated his desire to move to the Premier League.

The Uruguay international was strongly linked with a switch to Chelsea over the summer but it appears as though Andre Villas-Boas will now move to sign the cheaper option in Bolton centre-back Gary Cahill.

That has opened the door for two of Chelsea's rivals with Liverpool and Arsenal both hoping to secure the services of 25-year-old defender.

Godin's agent Diego Herdia Triguero has now revealed that the defender has attracted interest from a number of English clubs.

As I said, Godin is talked about a lot in England, there are clubs like Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal who are also quite careful about certain players.

"I've spoken a little to all of them. But real negotiations have not yet been launched," Triguero told Calciomercato.com.

Both Liverpool and Arsenal have been linked with a number of defenders in recent months but are aware that they would have to offer as much as £15million for the defender.

Godin has 47 caps for Uruguay and was an integral member of the team that won the Copa America earlier this year.

Villa Star Wants Dream Liverpool Move

Aston Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov would swap his current situation with any Liverpool player in order to fulfil his dream of playing for the Reds.

The 32-year-old began his career in his native Bulgaria with CSKA Sofia before being granted a move to Celtic in the summer of 1999.

It was not until 2006 that Petrov finally realized his ambition of playing in the Barclays Premier League, when he move to Villa Park for £6.5 million.

Petrov, however, still wishes he had signed had moved to Anfield, having grown up as a Liverpool fan.

"I'd swap with any Liverpool player because I'm a Liverpool fan," he told Match of the Day Magazine.

"It'd be great to have that experience. But sometimes dreams don't come true.

"I've been a Liverpool fan since a young boy."

Chiellini Laughs Off Liverpool Talk

Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini has brushed off speculation linking him with a possible move to Liverpool.

Reports emanating in England had suggested Liverpool were lining up a January swoop for the Italy international.

However, Chiellini has moved quickly to brush off the rumours admitting the reports were "laughable".

"When I read these things, it really is laughable," wrote Chiellini on his Twitter account.

"They really don't know what to write."

Rory Donnelly Is Attracting Interest From Liverpool & Swansea

Swansea face a battle with Liverpool to sign teenage Cliftonville striker Rory Donnelly reports the Daily Express.

The 19-year-old is attracting interest from a number of English clubs, with League One side Brentford having also made an offer for the talented youngster.

Reds boss Kenny Dalglish has been alerted to Donnelly's potential and is weighing up an attempt to entice him to Anfield when the transfer window reopens in January.

However, Liverpool will face competition from the Swans, after manager Brendan Rodgers tabled an undisclosed bid for a player that has scored an impressive 17 goals already this season in the Irish Carling Premiership.

Donnelly, a 6ft 2in Northern Ireland U21 international is best described as an 'old-school No.9' - with his uncompromising figure, and no-nonsense approach meaning he will be well suited to the Barclays Premier League.

Burnley and Peterborough United lead a list of Championship clubs also believed to be tracking the striker, but Swansea and Liverpool are the favourites to land his signature.

Coates Wants To Play At Anfield

Liverpool defender Sebastian Coates has declared that he cannot wait to run onto the pitch at Anfield and hear the loyal supporters roar the team on.

The Uruguay international signed for the Reds in August and has made four appearances so far which have all been away from home.

The young centre-back has watched many games from the bench this season and he has expressed his desire to play in front of the Kop fans at home.

"I have only played away from home so far and it would be very nice to play at Anfield," Coates told LFC magazine.

"You can see the passion there is in the crowd. You can see it sitting on the bench but it would be much nicer to see it playing on the field.

"It hasn't really come as a surprise to me because I had already heard of the passion that Liverpool fans had but being told about something and then seeing it for yourself first hand are two different things.

"In other parts of the world, the fans of other clubs are also passionate about their teams but here I believe that the passion of the fans is special. It makes it very difficult for the teams that come to visit Anfield."

Coates is enjoying his time at Liverpool and he believes that he is still adapting to the style of the Premier league.

"English football is more dynamic. It is faster but little by little I am trying to adapt better to it," added Coates.

"I have obviously come from a league which is much slower than this, where there is much more time to think about what you are going to do, but I understand this is an area I need to improve.

"I need to change but I think I am making those changes and adapting well to the English league and I reckon with the passing of time I will get better and better.

"I think a year will be long enough for me to adapt. I am learning a lot from Jamie Carragher, from Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel.

"And it is logical for the team and the club to expect me to adapt within a year so I am going to do my best to do so and I think I will achieve it."

Young Reds Crash Out Of Cup

It was a disappointing night for Liverpool U18s after they crashed out of the FA Youth Cup losing 3-1 to Swansea City on Tuesday night.

Mike Marsh's charges were boosted by the inclusion of Raheem Sterling and Brad Smith in their starting line-up, but they were second best to Swansea at the Liberty Stadium.

Two goals in two first half minutes put the Swans in control. Scott Tancock, from a free header, nodded the home side into the lead after 37 minutes and James Loveridge soon made it 2-0 with a spectacular finish.

Liverpool were then dealt a killer blow just after the restart with a bizarre goal that will in the future be a prime candidate for 'What Happened Next?' Joe Rafferty's attempted clearance from the left wing struck the boot of Jandir Zola and the ball ended up looping over Tyrell Belford and into the net.

Lewis Hatch scored a superb header right at the end to give the Reds some consolation but it was a night of frustration for the Reds youngsters.

Liverpool team: Belford, Hatch, Smith, Rafferty (Wilson), Regan, Aylmer (Quirk), Sterling, Pelosi, Morgan, Sumner (Gainford), Lussey. Unused subs: Baio, Wearing.