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Liverpool’s decision to remain at Anfield is one that makes economic sense according to the club’s managing director, Ian Ayre, with the club deciding to increase the capacity of their own ground instead of moving to a new stadium.

He claims that moving to a new stadium would cost £300million, a cost which would not justify building a brand new stadium with only 15,000 more seats than Anfield.

It will come as relief to the club’s long-suffering fans that the club now has a clear direction for the future; and that extra money will be raised for potential new signings to take the club back into contention for major honours.

Many of the club’s supporters struggled with the concept of leaving their traditional home; a move which was supported by Hicks and Gillett in their turbulent tenure at the club.

The unpopular pair wasted £50million into planning of a new stadium, money which the new owners, FSG, have been forced to write off

Liverpool’s £150 million investment in Anfield will please the traditionalists, considering the ground is the only which the club has ever had; however there are still a number of drawbacks in remaining at the site.

The economic benefits of staying have been well-publicised, but the club needs to address the on-going housing situation around the ground if it wants to increase the capacity.

The club still needs to purchase houses around the stadium and consequently demolish them in order to take the ground’s capacity to 60,000; with reports claiming that Ian Ayre would be happy to fork out more than market value for the properties.

In addition, staying at Anfield means the club cannot walk away from the long-standing logistical problems which include; poor parking, poor public transport and traffic chaos on match days.

Staying at the site and not moving to Stanley Park also makes it more difficult for the club’s out of town fans to bring money to the club; with a brand new stadium possibly making the club more commercially viable in appealing to the global market.

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Despite Ayre’s announcement, there is still a large degree of uncertainty surrounding the stadium expansion; as the planning application is not due to be submitted until next summer and consultations with residents have yet to begin.

Staying at Anfield may be a money-saver in the short-term, but it remains to be seen whether the decision will be thought of as a shrewd move or a missed opportunity.

You can follow me on twitter: @JamesHilsum

The 2018 FIFA World Cup has just passed the halfway mark, and we are already starting to get a good idea of the teams that will be involved in the latter stages. There is huge Premier League representation at the tournament with 107 players from the English top division taking part in Russia. In this article we take a look at some of the best performing Premier League players at the World Cup.

1. Harry Kane, England & Tottenham Hotspur

England are the only squad in Russia this summer with a squad made up entirely of players playing in their home nation. Leading those players is Captain Harry Kane, who at time of writing leads the goal-scoring charts with 5 goals in 2 games.

The impressive 24-year-old has notched 108 times in 153 Premier League games for Tottenham and has finally captured that form for the national team. If Kane continues his rich-vein of goal-scoring form, there’s every chance that England could win the World Cup for the first time since 1966.

2. Romelu Lukaku, Belgium & Manchester United

Chasing Kane for the Golden Boot is Manchester United’s blustering forward Lukaku, who scored a brace in Belgium’s opening two group games. Since moving to Old Trafford, Lukaku has fit in well and hit 16 league goals in his first with United.

Question marks remain over Lukaku’s ability to score in important games against the best opposition. Despite his good start to the tournament, it remains to be seen whether he can perform when Belgium face sterner opposition.

3. David Ospina, Arsenal & Colombia

Arsenal’s stand-in goalkeeper suffers from what is affectionately known as David Healy syndrome. When playing for his club side, he has often flattered to deceive and Gunners’ fans have never had complete confidence in his abilities.

However, for Colombia he has been a rock in recent tournaments. In the 2015 Copa America, Ospina made a string of stunning saves to hold Argentina to a stalemate, one of which was an incredible double save from Lionel Messi.

Following Los Cafeteros 3-0 victory over Poland, they look well-set to reach the knockout stages and Ospina’s performances could be vital to their ambitions.

4. Olivier Giroud, France & Chelsea

After scoring 4 goals in 8 qualifying matches the towering Frenchman has established himself as a prominent feature in Didier Deschamp’s sides. Giroud brings something different to an otherwise fast but small attack.

Giroud has never been a truly prolific striker, but in spells at Arsenal and Chelsea he has scored 76 goals and provided 24 assists. Which is an overall contribution of 100 goals in 193 Premier League appearances.

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5. Dejan Lovren, Croatia & Liverpool

Since his high-profile move from St. Mary’s to Anfield, Lovren has been a figure of derision amongst rival fans and pundits. Several lapses in concentration have been punished during his time with Liverpool yet his game has improved remarkably since the arrival of Virgil Van Dijk.

Lovren was part of the Liverpool side that reached last season’s Champions League final and he has played solidly so far for Croatia. After an opening win against Nigeria, Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic inspired the Croatians to a 3-0 win over Argentina.

Keeping a firm defence will be key for Croatia as they look to progress through the knockout phases, will Dejan Lovren help them to an unlikely World Cup win?

As reported by Italian outlet CalcioMercato.it, Arsenal have recently sent scouts to the track the progress of Napoli attacker Lorenzo Insigne.

What’s the story?

With the departures of Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud in January, Arsenal could do with summer reinforcements in attack, even after the arrivals of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

CalcioMercato.it report that the Gunners recently sent scouts to Napoli’s match with RB Leipzig, with one of the players they were there to watch being Lorenzo Insigne.

Rated at £54m by Transfermarkt, any deal to bring the Italian international to the Emirates would be significant, but is he the direct Sanchez replacement that could turn Arsenal into a top four force again?

How good is he?

While Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Mesut Ozil provide pure creativity and Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang offer raw firepower, Insigne is the kind of player that blends the two in a manner similar to Alexis Sanchez’s contributions at the Gunners.

This season so far the 26-year-old has scored 10 goals and provided eight assists, helping his side to the top of the Serie A table, following on from last term’s impressive return of 20 goals and 12 assists.

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The Italian has been an absolute stand-out at Napoli for three years now and securing his signature would be quite a coup considering his potential to improve most teams around Europe.

A player who excels predominately on the left, a front four of Insigne, Ozil, Mkhitaryan and Aubameyang could provide the Gunners with an unstoppable attacking force next season if they follow up their reported interest.

A stunning hat trick to send Manchester United through  in the Champions League doesn’t disguise the fact that there is something clearly not right with Robin van Persie this season.

The Dutchman, who was lauded as the key to United’s title triumph last season, has often been absent or cut a forlorn figure under new manager David Moyes.

With the club currently languishing in 7th place in the Premier League right now, van Persie is obviously not the only player at Old Trafford failing to replicate last season’s form.

Having featured in every league fixture during Sir Alex Ferguson’s final year in charge, the Dutchman has only appeared eighteen times in the same competition for Moyes in this campaign.

Although he managed to stay fit for the previous two seasons, injuries that had plagued the entirety of van Persie’s career seem to have returned to haunt him once more.

Even so, some will point to the fact that he has still notched 11 league goals in this injury-hit campaign as evidence that there is nothing wrong with the striker.

11 from 18 is a record that all strikers would be proud of.

But to suggest that all is well for the Dutchman at Old Trafford would be to ignore the player’s body language and performances at times this season.

Talks of a rift with David Moyes remain unfounded. Accusations mounted that van Persie’s numerous absences from the side were due to disputes rather than any injury. If all newspaper reports were to be believed, nearly every player at the club has had some issue with the manager this season.

But despite this, van Persie’s criticism of his team-mates “sometimes occupying the spaces I want to play in” after the first leg defeat in Greece revealed a very telling disillusionment at the club.

The Dutchman added in the same interview that his fellow United players are “often playing in my zones”, which forces him to alter his natural game.

How often does a player ever come out publicly and express concerns with the team’s tactics? Although he was very clear in not pointing the finger at Moyes, these remarkable comments reveal the striker’s discontent with his side’s setup this season.

In the discussion after the second leg triumph, the Sky Sports panel noted how Moyes’ alterations had managed to bring the best out of van Persie.

Gary Neville pointed out that the inclusion of Ryan Giggs’ forward passing from midfield and Danny Welbeck’s industry out wide served to create the space and opportunities that the Dutchman thrives upon.

For a player that was often decisive in fixtures last season, van Persie has been nothing more than a passenger in too many of the big games this year.

Heat maps and analyses of the Dutchman’s touches in some of these matches reveal just how little impact the striker has had in many of United’s disappointing results this season.

In the recent devastating home loss to Liverpool, the striker was essentially a bystander. Even with Adnan Januzaj, Juan Mata and Wayne Rooney surrounding him, van Persie was unable to exert any influence on the game.

The situation has deteriorated to the point where journalists such as Neil Custis of The Sun have suggested that the club may actively look to sell the player in the summer. Talk of a return to Arsenal or a move to Juventus has been mooted.

Only last week, van Persie publicly outlined his intention to stay at the club. But the January arrival of Mata and Rooney’s recent contract extension perhaps suggests that United are planning for a future without the Dutchman.

The levels of finance involved in both of these deals implies that the pair are considered integral to Moyes’ plans.

Mata is clearly not suited to the wide role which the manager has at times asked him to occupy which begs the question, can these three players actually play in the same side?

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Injury plagued and thirty one in the summer, van Persie may be the one ousted either from the starting XI or even the club altogether.

Provided that the knock he suffered in the closing stages against Olympiakos doesn’t prove to be serious, maybe the hat trick will rejuvenate the striker and the club’s fortunes.

But there have been many false dawns at United this season. And something is still clearly not right with Robin van Persie.

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Everton striker Victor Anichebe is desperate to break his derby duck against Liverpool on Sunday.

The 24-year-old Nigerian striker has yet to score against Liverpool and insists that derby day goals are the benchmark of any good Goodison forward.

Despite suffering a head injury last time out against QPR, Anichebe is expected to start against Liverpool as Steven Pienaar’s dismissal means that David Moyes will have to re-shuffle his side’s attacking options.

Despite high hopes of breaking his personal hoodoo against Liverpool in the 219th Merseyside derby, Anichebe has less selfish hopes of seeing the Blues pick up three points as Everton look to remain in the top four.

“I was thinking about the fact that I haven’t scored against Liverpool recently,” the Everton striker told the Liverpool Echo.

“I really want to change that – it would mean a lot to me.

“Scoring is always nice no matter who it’s against but against Liverpool would be extra special.

“It’d be nice for me and the fans. Jela has done it and many of Everton’s best centre forwards over the years can say they’ve done it.

“More important though is that we win.

“That’d be perfect for us,” he added.

Anichebe has netted on four occasions this season, two coming in the Premier League and is hoping goals in the derby will help  his claims for more first team action.

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Everton fans are still waiting to hear whether influential midfielder Marouane Fellaini is going to be fit for the clash on Sunday.

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Jack Wilshere’s 17-year spell at Arsenal will soon be coming to an end after the midfielder decided to seek pastures new.

The 26-year-old has been with the Gunners for his entire career so far, but a lack of game time has led to his departure.

In a statement posted on Instagram, the England international confirmed that he had agreed to take a pay cut in order to stay at the club, but a talks with new manager Unai Emery made up his mind.

Wilshere revealed that the coach was happy for him to sign a new contract, but informed the midfielder that he would not be a regular feature in the team this season.

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The Englishman will be a free agent from next month when his current deal expires, which could spark a scramble for his signature.

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Liverpool are not a club that have been regularly linked with Wilshere and they are already flush with midfielders, but some fans want the ex-Arsenal man.

Everton boss Sam Allardyce has said that January arrival Eliaquim Mangala will give the Toffees ‘better balance’ on the left-side of the field.

Mangala joined Everton on loan from Manchester City in the latter stages of January transfer window.

The 26-year-old has made 15 appearances for City during the 2017-18 campaign, but was deemed surplus to requirements following the arrival of Aymeric Laporte from Athletic Bilbao.

Mangala, who is valued at £13.5m by transfermarkt.co.uk, could make his Toffees debut in Saturday’s Premier League clash against Arsenal.

Allardyce’s side have had a problem down the left in recent weeks, and the former England boss is delighted to have been able to bring the Frenchman to Goodison Park.

Allardyce told reporters:

“He is naturally left footed, who will not only be defensively be better but also better in both areas. He will give us better balance.

“You can see the other night that our strength lay down the right hand side. Our left was pretty good but…”

Seamus Coleman and Theo Walcott impressed down the right during Wednesday’s 2-1 win over Leicester City in the Premier League.

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The left-hand side of the field, however, has been the source of frustration for a lot of Everton supporters over the last few months.

Chelsea went top of the Barclays Premier League after a hard fought 2-0 victory against Hull City at the KC Stadium.

Here’s how Twitter reacted to the game’s biggest talking points…

25 minutes: Yannick Sagbo misses a big chance to take the lead for Hull after John Terry’s fluffed clearance, but he blasts wide

33 minutes: Chelsea’s Oscar finds himself in a golden position to open the scoring, but McGregor some how manages to tip the Brazilian’s effort over from six yards

55 minutes: After a goalless first-half, Chelsea take the lead through Eden Hazards 12 yard effort

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86 minutes: And Fernando Torres secured all three points for Chelsea with a trademark finish, sending Chelsea back to the top of the Premier League

Tottenham Hotspur are set to launch a January transfer bid for highly-rated Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder Patrick Herrmann, according to The Sun.

The north London club are going through a squad revamp under new coach Andre Villas-Boas, with the Portuguese head coach looking to add young prospects to his contingent.

The White Hart Lane side are believed to be one of the Premier League clubs that will look to add further players in the new year, with the Bundesliga star on a number of managers’ wishlist.

Herrmann played a key role in leading Mönchengladbach to third place in the German top flight last season against the odds, with the side qualifying for the Champions League unexpectedly after being close to relegation the season before.

The box-to-box midfielder has represented Germany from under-16 to under-21 level; he has played six times for the under 21s.

Herrmann has an eye for goal and has scored 10 goals for Mönchengladbach in 56 games since making his first-team debut for the club in 2010.

It is believed that Inter are also keen on the young German, with Herrmann valued at around £7.5 million.

Mönchengladbach have lost some of their key players since impressing last term, with Dante and Marco Reus joining Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund in the summer respectively.

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It is thought that a move to one of the major European leagues would be too good an opportunity to turn down for Herrmann, while the club are realistic that a move to a bigger club cannot be avoided.

Spurs are still looking to bolster their midfield options after Luka Modric left for Real Madrid in the summer.

Newcastle fans are starting to wonder if it’s a mistake to let Aleksandar Mitrovic leave, after the striker scored a hat trick on international duty with Serbia.

It seems to have been abundantly clear since January that Newcastle’s Mitrovic has no future on Tyneside, but that’s starting to look like a big mistake from Rafael Benitez.

The feisty striker is undoubtedly the most natural number nine in the Magpies’ current squad, but his work rate and attitude have been questioned on plenty of occasions, and he has seemingly been at odds with Benitez for quite some time.

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The Spanish magician hasn’t done much wrong since taking over on Tyneside, but his January decision to send the striker on loan and bring in an injured Islam Slimani is starting to look more and more bizarre.

After grabbing 12 Championship goals with Fulham, Mitrovic scored a wonderful hat trick in his country’s 5-1 win over Bolivia on Saturday, and the third strike was really special.

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That is now 24 goals in his last 26 games for club and country, and fans are starting to feel they could save a lot of money this summer by giving “Mitro” another chance.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…