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BBC pundit Alan Hutton has claimed that Liverpool will be ‘raging’ after news has emerged that Mohamed Salah has turned down the opportunity of an injury scan whilst away on international duty.

The Lowdown: Salah rejects Liverpool request

It was reported by BBC Sport earlier this week that the 29-year-old had rejected the Reds’ request for him to have tests on a mystery injury before participating in Egypt’s match against Guinea on Sunday.

In a post-match interview, manager Ehab Galal confirmed that the forward did indeed have a problem before the game kicked off, but that he decided to ‘play through it’, rather than getting it checked out by the medical team.

The Latest: Hutton’s ‘angry’ Salah claim

Speaking to Football Insider, Hutton claimed that Liverpool will be far from happy with Salah taking any unnecessary risks ahead of the start of the new season.

“Liverpool will probably be raging. It’s things I’ve seen throughout my own career, this kind of battle between club and country.

“The player wants to play for this country, which is obviously great, but for the club, they obviously pay him the big wages. They expect him to be ready for pre-season and fighting fit.

“If he needed an operation, for talking sake, and he’d miss four, five weeks because of it, you could get that done now. He’d be back in time.

“Hiding the scan results or not showing Liverpool what’s going on, it masks over all that. They’re left in the dark.

“Of course, you’re going to be angry about that. It’s just natural you want your best players fit and ready to go for the start of the new season.

“It’ll be interesting to see what comes out from it. It’s not ideal hiding it from the club.”

The Verdict: Durable as ever

Salah did sustain a groin injury during the FA Cup final against Chelsea which saw him forced off the pitch, but was able to make a return before the conclusion of the season, having featured in the final day Premier League victory against Wolves to then going on to play the full 90 minutes of the Champions League final prior to leaving for international duty.

The 5 foot 9 talisman is an extremely durable player for Jurgen Klopp, having missed just three games through injury in his entire Reds career, so we don’t see this as a major issue.

He currently finds his future at Liverpool very much up in the air as he enters the final 12 months of his contract at Anfield, but if he is to remain on Merseyside, the Reds will expect their star man to be fully fit ahead of the start of the new season, while Egypt’s absence from the World Cup will force him to rest in the usually hectic winter period.

In other news… Liverpool are reportedly in talks with one of their first-team starlets over a possible new deal.

Leeds United winger Raphinha will be ‘buzzing’ after helping the Whites to secure Premier League survival, Noel Whelan has said. 

The lowdown

The 25-year-old scored the Whites’ opening goal as they beat Brentford 2-1 on the final day of the season to avoid the drop.

Leeds had gone into the final day level on points with Burnley but well behind on goal difference. However, the Clarets lost 2-1 at home to Newcastle United, surrendering 17th spot to Jesse Marsch’s team.

Shortly after the end of the club campaign, Raphinha jetted off to Brazil for his country’s friendlies against South Korea, Japan and Argentina.

The latest

Whelan, who came through the youth ranks at Leeds and made 53 senior appearances between 1993 and 1995, says Raphinha will have been energised by the team’s final day heroics. The 47-year-old added that the winger would have joined up with Brazil in a rueful mood had the Whites been relegated, but ‘now he can just enjoy the break’.

Speaking to Football Insider, the former Elland Road striker said of Raphinha: “I think if results hadn’t gone our way on the final day, he might have a slightly different mindset. He might have that bit more mental fatigue and have been a bit more run down.

“But to finish the season the way he did on the final day, winning the massive game and staying up – I think that takes you into the break in a different mindset altogether.

“You’re happy, you’re buzzing, the pressure’s not there. Now he can just enjoy the break and playing for his country.

“I think we would be seeing a whole different Raphinha had things gone differently on the final day. Staying up like that has got to give you a huge boost going into the international games.”

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The verdict

Raphinha played 78 minutes in the 5-1 victory over South Korea and then clocked another 63 minutes as Brazil beat Japan 1-0. National outlet Globo Esporte rated him 6 out of 10 in the first game, suggesting that he could have been more ruthless in the final third and that he frustrated his manager.

However, the 25-year-old can be forgiven if there has been a dip in his on-field performances, having given everything to Leeds’ survival push. He led Marsch’s squad for goal involvements with 14 (11 goals, three assists), while his defensive numbers – 17.7 pressures, 1.7 tackles, 1.3 interceptions, 1.82 blocks and 0.7 clearances per game – show just how hard he worked out of possession.

Leeds fans will hope that the experience has strengthened his bond with the club to the extent that he’ll decide to stay. Indeed, Raphinha climbed into the away end at the Brentford Community Stadium to celebrate with the supporters on that dramatic final day of the league campaign.

Barcelona are pursuing his signature, with the La Liga club’s director of football Mateu Alemany reportedly deciding to travel to England for talks over a potential transfer. Hopefully his trip will prove to be in vain.

In other news, Leeds are working on another summer transfer

Aston Villa are now plotting a bid for Burnley centre back Ben Mee as Steven Gerrard looks to improve his backline ahead of next season.

What’s the word?

That’s according to The Mirror [via Read Aston Villa], who reported that West Ham and Everton are also in the hunt to sign the Clarets defender this summer.

The 32-year-old is out of contract at the end of the month and will be available on a free transfer as he looks set to leave Burnley following an 11-year spell at the club.

Gerrard can add to his squad

The Villa manager has already made a head-start on his Premier League rivals in the transfer market and it hasn’t even officially opened yet, having signed no fewer than four players for the Midlands club in the last month.

Among them is a defender, Diego Carlos, who will add a greater presence at the heart of the Villa backline, but Gerrard doesn’t want to stop there considering the reports emerging about Mee.

The £73k-p/w Burnley centre-back, whose former boss Sean Dyche once called “very strong”, would be a solid and reliable signing for the 42-year-old as he aims to build a new-look defence.

His ability in the air and talent for reading the game well could see another one of the Villa backline potentially leave, as the manager clearly wants to bring in his own signings to challenge for places.

Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa were both underwhelming during the 2021/22 season. With WhoScored ratings of 6.74 and 6.43 respectively, placing them 10th and 17th in Gerrard’s squad, they hardly set the world alight as Villa conceded 54 goals in the Premier League.

Although he maybe not as exotic as new signing Carlos, Mee could prove to be a cost-effective short-term solution to a longer-term problem at Villa Park.

If a move does materialise for the 32-year-old, Gerrard will surely have to axe either Mings (who has been targeted by Newcastle) or Konsa in order to continue the restructuring of his side.

Villa needs a strong start next season, or else the project that Gerrard has got going in the Midlands might go up in a puff of smoke. The same could be said for Mings’ Villa career if Mee does come in and prove to be a success.

AND in other news, Lange can land “the next Declan Rice” as Villa eye talent who’s “getting rave reviews”

Rangers chief executive Ross Wilson is set for a big summer transfer window at Ibrox, as it will be Gio van Bronckhorst’s first extended chance to shape his squad.

The Dutchman had one month in January to bolster his playing ranks and was given a number of loanees to work with as Amad Diallo, James Sands and Aaron Ramsey all came in.

Nathan Patterson was also sold for a club-record transfer fee after coming through the academy setup, and he is one of many players over the years to achieve success after rising through the ranks at Ibrox.

However, one youth product on whom the club dropped a clanger was defender Craig Halkett, who Mark Warburton allowed to leave on a free transfer in 2016.

The centre-back was never offered an opportunity to play at senior level for the Gers, as he went on loan twice before joining Livingston on a permanent deal.

This gave him the chance to get regular game-time under his belt and he played 137 times in three-and-a-half seasons for Livi, helping them to climb from League One to the Premiership with back-to-back promotions – an extraordinary feat.

He then earned himself a move to Hearts in 2019 and he has played more than 100 matches for the Edinburgh club to date, catching the eye in the 2021/22 campaign.

Jam Tarts manager Robbie Neilson previously hailed the 26-year-old’s “standout” performances, while Hearts TV pundit Robert Borthwick claimed in March that Halkett had been “immense all season”, and the statistics back that up.

In the Premiership, he averaged an excellent SofaScore rating of 7.14 across 28 outings. He made a whopping 4.5 clearances per game and won an impressive 67% of his duels as he showcased both his positional awareness and his physical strength at this level.

For context, that rating would place him seventh in the Rangers squad for outfield average ratings in the top flight. This suggests that the £2.4k-per-week enforcer would be one of the Gers’ top performers if Van Bronckhorst had him as an option within his squad.

At the age of 26, Halkett is now heading into the prime years of his career, and he still has room to hone his skills even further as he continues to gain experience.

Therefore, Warburton dropped a huge clanger by allowing the defender to leave for nothing six years ago, as the Hearts tank has gone on to make a success of himself elsewhere. The former Rangers boss must surely be regretting the call to axe him from the squad in 2016.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Lundstram: GvB can form scary Rangers duo by signing £4.5k-p/w machine…

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte is eyeing an ‘impressive’ signing whilst also showing one of his players the summer exit door, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Big summer of change…

The Times, sharing news in the last week, revealed a private dinner between Conte and chairman Daniel Levy where the pair were thought to have discussed potential transfers.

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Spurs’ head coach, guiding the Lilywhites to within touching distance of a Premier League top four finish, has a plethora of incomings in his sights for the next transfer window with just as many leaving N17.

Looking to ‘offload’ the likes of Sergio Reguilón, Emerson Royal, Steven Bergwijn, Giovani Lo Celso and Tanguy Ndombele, the Italian also wants to bring in ‘at least’ six major signings (The Times).

A reserve goalkeeper to provide support for long-serving mainstay Hugo Lloris has also been touted with West Bromwich Albion keeper Sam Johnstone heavily linked.

The Latest: The Sun make Gollini and Johnstone claim…

According to The Sun, Conte is indeed eyeing a Bosman move for Johnstone as Spurs make ‘contact’ ahead of the summer window.

This comes after the ex-Chelsea boss tells current number two Pierluigi Gollini he’s set to leave and return to parent club Atalanta this summer, and contrasts with claims from The Athletic that they may have turned their attention to Fraser Forster.

The Verdict: Right move?

Called ‘amazing’ behind-the-scenes by defender Eric Dier, it appears Conte hasn’t been in agreement over 2021/2022 judging by Gollini’s lack of game time in the top flight.

Johnstone’s potential incoming would solve a gaping hole behind Lloris after Gollini’s exit and go some way to solving their current homegrown quota issue.

Taking this into account, it’s little wonder members of the media like journalist Pete O’Rourke believe he would be a ‘really impressive’ signing at Spurs.

In other news: ‘Spurs will…’ – Fabrizio Romano shares exciting behind-scenes update with Conte ‘very happy’…find out more here.

TalkSPORT reporter Alex Crook has now made a Southampton transfer claim involving electric Lyon forward Tete ahead of the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Saints prepare?

Following the 2021/2022 Premier League season’s conclusion, all eyes will be on how the Saints can back manager Ralph Hasenhuttl after their tame finish.

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The St. Mary’s side won just once in their final 11 top flight matches, perhaps highlighting how much they need to strengthen ahead of next year or suffer the threat of potential relegation.

Hasenhuttl’s side finished just a few points off the drop zone with reports suggesting they are looking to bolster their attacking areas.

The Latest: Crook makes Tete claim…

Speaking to GiveMeSport, talkSPORT’S journalist Crook now claims that Southampton will be in the mix to sign Ligue 1 star Tete this summer when his loan spell there comes to an end.

However, they will face competition from the likes of West Ham and Brentford.

He explained: “Tete is definitely someone they were in for before he went to Lyon and I think it’s transpired that it’s only a loan deal because there were complications on the Shakhtar side of the paperwork due to the war in Ukraine.

“They will be sniffing around again, but so are Brentford and so are West Ham, so there’s some big clubs looking at Tete.”

Newcastle United are closing in on a colossal signing as they head towards the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

The Mirror’s James Nursey has revealed that fellow Premier League side West Ham believe that he will be signing for the Magpies at the end of the season.

He is out of contract this year and it remains to be seen whether or not Burnley will be able to convince him to put pen to paper on fresh terms, which would force PIF to shell out a transfer fee for him.

Nursey Tweeted: “WHUFC end interest in free agent James Tarkowski as they expect him to go to Newcastle.”

Supporters will be elated

The Toon supporters will surely be elated by this news as Tarkowski would be a colossal signing for Eddie Howe’s team.

He is a proven Premier League performer who has been consistently brilliant at the back for a number of years at Turf Moor. Tarkowski has racked up 192 top-flight appearances for Burnley since their promotion in 2014 and has been a considerable part of their success in staying in the division for the past eight years.

His side are currently 17th and battling against the drop but have a better defensive record than nine other teams in the league. The centre-back has been key to this as he has averaged a superb SofaScore rating of 7.17 across 33 outings this term.

Tarkowski has won a whopping 68% of his individual duels and won 4.4 aerial battles per game. He has been a dominant force in defence and his form over the years proves that it has not been a fluke this year and that he is comfortable at this level.

The English defender has averaged a rating of 7.04 or higher in each of the last five Premier League seasons respectively. This shows that he has consistently delivered high-quality performances for Burnley and that is why he would be a colossus for Newcastle at the back as he knows how to perform in the English top flight and would be able to slot straight into the team.

Therefore, supporters will be elated by the prospect of Tarkowski lining up week-in-week-out for the Magpies next season. He can be a colossus at the heart of the back four and improve Howe’s defence, as no Toon centre-back has averaged a higher rating than 6.98 this season.

AND in other news, Howe now plotting £17m move for “terrific” machine, he’d be a “big influence” at NUFC…

Having missed the play-offs in what is their first season back in the Championship, the Baggies will be underwhelmed over this season and apprehensive about their chances of escaping the division come next season.

What’s the latest?

Bruce has already stated that he intends to bolster the West Brom squad, having already signed Jayson Molumby from Brighton & Hove Albion.

Speaking to BirminghamLive, Bruce said: “I think we need as many as five or six [transfers] – a major overhaul is needed.

“The supporters need a new face or two who they can get right behind.”

On the chalkboard

One of those new faces could well be MK Dons’ 22-year-old forward Scott Twine, who has been linked in a report from TEAMtalk and has enjoyed a prosperous campaign.

It has seen him notch up a staggering 33 goal contributions in League One, totalling 20 goals and 13 assists in 44 appearances to help the Dons march into a play-off semi-final that saw them narrowly miss out on their Championship aspirations.

Being in the form that he is in, Twine may look to cut ties with Liam Manning’s side, in order to continue his development in the division above.

Considering his £3m-rated market value, age, and pondering his potential, West Brom would be right to rival the reported teams of Burnley, Norwich City and Middlesborough for his signature.

With his goal tally in mind from the third tier, Twine has outscored two of Bruce’s forward options in Robinson and Carroll, who have scored a combined total of 12 in the Championship this season.

With the Baggies set to lose the latter upon his contract expiry at the end of the season, Twine would represent an astute replacement who could form a formidable partnership with Karlan Grant and allow Bruce to axe Robinson, who despite being the Baggies’ second-highest goalscorer this season has tailed off towards the end.

The 27-year-old is far from the “pest” that Gabby Agbonlahor once described with the Irishman scoring just twice in his final 20 appearances.

Though his ability to play on the wings could make way for Daryl Dike’s inclusion in the squad – with Twine also demonstrating his creativity this season with 13 assists – the second-highest total in England’s third division.

Bruce looks to play a strike partnership up top – whether it be through the means of a 3-5-2 formation or 4-4-2 system. And with the opportunity to play on the wings or through the middle, Bruce could help to transition the form of the “difference maker”  – in the words of Sky Football – to the Championship.

In other news: Forget Grant: West Brom’s 104-touch star put on an impressive display against Barnsley 

Liverpool striker Roberto Firmino’s foot injury could keep him out for ‘longer than expected’, according to injury expert Ben Dinnery.

The Lowdown: Firmino missing due to foot injury

Jurgen Klopp has been fortunate in that department of late, having almost a full squad to choose from for some crucial Premier League and Champions League games.

With Divock Origi recovered after a brief illness, Firmino – who has been struggling with a foot issue since the middle of April, not appearing at all in that time – is the only Reds player currently absent.

The hope was that the Brazilian would be back available by now but he is still out for the Champions League semi-final second leg clash with Villarreal on Tuesday night.

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The Latest: Expert drops fresh Firmino injury claim

Speaking to Football Insider, Dinnery admitted that Firmino may simply be reacting slower than others in his recovery, with his return potentially still a way off. The injury expert outlined:

“Sometimes things can take longer than expected. He might have been expected to respond in a certain way and it hasn’t worked out like that.

“It is a science but not an exact science. Individuals respond to treatment in different ways. If you suffer a setback or reaction, you need to make sure you return pain-free.

“They aren’t just thinking about the next game. They have got the rest of the league campaign and possibly a Champions League final. It is better to take that additional recovery time than rush him back. They are well-stocked in those positions now anyway.”

The Verdict: At least there’s depth now

In the past, losing Firmino at such a massive point in the season would have felt fatal for Liverpool, considering how dependent they were on him, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane staying fit.

Thankfully, Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota have now provided Jurgen Klopp with some incredible squad depth, meaning the Brazil international isn’t as badly missed, especially as he has arguably drifted past his absolute peak.

Nonetheless, the hope is that Firmino is back as soon as possible, allowing for squad rotation to come into play during Liverpool’s quest for an unprecedented quadruple.

In other news, Fabrizio Romano has dropped an exciting Liverpool transfer claim. Read more here.

Everton took a huge stride towards Premier League survival on Sunday afternoon after recording a hard-fought – and much needed – 1-0 win over Chelsea at Goodison Park, with Richarlison netting what proved to be the game’s defining goal.

Buoyed by a raucous home crowd, the Brazilian fired Frank Lampard’s men ahead just minutes after the interval, with the Toffees boss earning sweet revenge against the side that had brutally sacked him just over a year ago.

While the goalscorer – and the victorious manager – may well grab the headlines, alongside England stopper Jordan Pickford, one man who was something of an unsung hero in that triumph was summer signing Demarai Gray, with his tireless display integral to the hosts hanging onto all three points.

Despite making just 11 passes in the match, the former Leicester City man caught the eye with his seemingly boundless energy, putting in a real shift defensively as he won five of his six ground duels and made three tackles, all while giving the usually unflappable Reece James a real tough afternoon down the visitors’ right flank.

Gray – who has previously been dubbed “influential” by pundit Martin Keown – was also decisive at the other end in helping his side get ahead on 47 minutes, teeing up teammate Richarlison to slot home after the duo had capitalised on some errant defending from Blues skipper, Cesar Azpilicueta.

That performance was also highly praised by Liverpool Echo writer Adam Jones, who handed the pacy wide man an 8/10 match rating and said of his display that: “Another who tried to cover every blade of grass for his side and his high press was pivotal in the build up to the goal. His defensive work in the second half was absolutely fantastic too, which made up for a few errors at the other end of the pitch.”

Unsurprisingly, the 24-year-old also earned an 8.0 match rating via SofaScore, for that impressive outing, with only the aforementioned Pickford recording a better score on the day (8.1) across all 22 starters on the pitch.

That pivotal assist also means that the £19.8m-rated man now has eight goal contributions for the season in the top-flight, continually making his £1.7m signing from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen appear an absolute bargain.

If he keeps delivering the goods then it should stand Lampard’s men in good stead on their quest to retain their Premier League status, with the Merseysiders now just two points behind 17th placed Leeds United, and with a game in hand on both the Elland Road outfit and fellow strugglers, Burnley.

They will, however, need to translate their strong home form into positive results on the road, with their record of just one away win the worst in the division this season.

In other news, Benitez howler: Everton facing setback over £27m-rated star, supporters will be fuming – opinion