Wayne Rooney is the owner of an abundance of Premier League records and as Manchester United’s all-time record goalscorer, he’s the man many clubs have conceded to the most times throughout the last 25 years of top flight football.

Liverpool, however, aren’t one such club. Despite only plying his trade with their two most fierce rivals in Everton, Manchester United and then Everton again, Rooney has only ever scored six goals against the Reds from a whopping 27 attempts. That’s just shy of one every five games.

The 32-year-old attacker, who Transfermarkt value at £13.5million, clearly struggles to produce his best form in such an emotional occasion for him personally, having grown up on Merseyside.

So although he’s currently enjoying a bit of a purple patch with a hat-trick and an assist in his last two Premier League appearances, would you leave Rooney on the bench for the Merseyside derby this weekend?

Everton fans, let us know by voting below…

Liverpool fans in the Transfer Tavern can’t wait to watch Fabinho and Naby Keita tear up the Premier League next season.

The pair officially became Liverpool players on July 1st completing moves from Monaco and RB Leipzig respectively at an outlay of around £95m. Keita arrives with a reputation as one of the most exciting midfielders in world football. On the other hand, Fabinho has been a mainstay in Monaco’s team for years and attracted interest from Manchester United before sealing a move to Merseyside.

The Brazilian is seen as a direct replacement for Emre Can who departed on a free transfer to Juventus. The German had developed into a key player under Jurgen Klopp and will be missed in the engine room. With a long season ahead, Klopp would be wise to sign another midfielder to replace him.

One man he would be foolish to overlook is Real Madrid midfielder – Mateo Kovacic. Valued at £27m by Transfermarkt, the Croatia international seems destined to leave the club after admitting he must depart in order to find first-team football. Currently at the World Cup with his country, the former Inter Milan star would be an excellent addition to Klopp’s squad.

The 24-year-old is perfectly suited to the box-to-box midfield role in Klopp’s 4-3-3 system at Anfield. A powerful midfielder with excellent technical ability, he would thrive alongside Keita and give Liverpool’s forwards plenty of ammunition. With a fantastic range of passing, he would be a fan favourite in no time.

His performances in Russia will only increase his price tag so Liverpool should move quickly to secure his services.

Liverpool fans, thoughts?

Rangers fans are expecting big things from Scott Arfield, after the former Burnley man grabbed two goals in the Gers’ 6-0 friendly win over Bury.

Steven Gerrard had a very happy start to his managerial career on Friday as his side romped to a 6-0 win in front of over 41,000 fans at Ibrox.

League Two side Bury were on the receiving end, and there were plenty of impressive performances from Gerrard’s men.

18 year-old Zak Rudden drew praise from his manager for his late goal, and Nikola Katic bagged a goal on his debut.

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No one was more impressive than Arfield though, who followed up a close range effort by capping off a lovely team move shortly after the break.

The 29 year-old, valued at £2.7m by Transfermarkt, made the move up north this summer, after making nearly 200 league appearances at Turf Moor.

Fans are delighted with his performance in the friendly, and they’re excited to see more from the 12-cap Canadian.

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You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, where fans are expecting big things from their new star…

West Ham United confirmed on Monday that they had completed the signing of Jack Wilshere on a free transfer.[ad_pod ]Wilshere had been available following his release from Arsenal at the end of last month, and a number of clubs were linked with the England international.It was West Ham that secured the midfielder’s signature, however, and he has penned a three-year contract at the London Stadium ahead of the 2018-19 campaign.[brid autoplay=”true” video=”269905″ player=”12034″ title=”Football’s Coming Home The Myth Behind ‘Three Lions'”]The West Ham fans were delighted with the deal, but the Tottenham Hotspur supporters have offered some different views on the situation.It does not take much for the two set of supporters to disagree, and the Spurs fans have taken the chance to poke fun at the signing of a player who has struggled in recent seasons.But the West Ham fanbase will be hoping for the last laugh.A selection of the best Twitter reaction from the Spurs supporters can be seen below:

Despite having ‘one of the best defenders in the world’ among their ranks, it wasn’t Dejan Lovren who impressed for Croatia in the World Cup. Rather, it was his lesser-known partner Domagoj Vida who consistently showed throughout the tournament that he deserved his place in a World Cup final.

The 29-year-old centre-back only signed for Besiktas in January but has struggled to settle at the Turkish club, making only seven starts since his move. However, the no-nonsense defender has proved his worth at the World Cup and he has consequently been linked with a number of Premier League clubs, including Tottenham Hotspur.

Despite conceding four goals against France in the World Cup final, Vida still looked like a rock in defence and he could do very little about the goals.

The hardman showed why he is as much of an asset going forward as he is in defence by assisting Ivan Perisic’s equaliser in the first half, adding to the goal he scored against Russia in the Quarter Finals.

He was also solid at the back despite the scoreline, registering four tackles and two aerial battles won, and enjoyed an impressive passing success rate of 92 per cent.

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If Spurs defender Toby Alderweireld does leave White Hart Lane this summer as many expect, Daniel Levy could do much worse than looking at the old-fashioned defender who is valued at £10.8million on Transfermarkt.

Fulham will be hoping to take the Premier League by storm with their exciting brand of attacking football which took the Championship by storm last term.

The Cottagers, managed by Slavisa Jokanovic, will be hoping to use their already talented squad, mixed with some new signings, to make a big impact in the top flight and avoid any sort of scrap against relegation in the process.

However, there is little doubting new players will be needed to aid the likes of Ryan Sessegnon and Tom Cairney, and we here at the Transfer Tavern have been scouring the market looking for players we think might have an impact at Craven Cottage.

One player who has sprung to mind is Chelsea midfielder Marco Van Ginkel, who is remarkably still a Blues player, despite spending the majority of his time away from the club since arriving at the Bridge some five years ago.

However, the £10.5m-rated midfielder had a breakout campaign last season at PSV Eindhoven, and he contributed an impressive 14 goals for the Dutch side.

Still only 25, Van Ginkel clearly has plenty more to give despite his development already, and a move to a club like Fulham, who are looking to improve their squad, could well be a perfect switch.

It’s unlikely that Van Ginkel will be afforded the chance to impress with Chelsea, but the Blues’ loss should be Fulham’s gain, and he would slot in nicely into the midfield alongside the likes of Cairney and the impressive Kevin McDonald.

Fulham fans, what do you think? Would this be a good signing? Let us know in the comments!

It’s been well documented that Newcastle need some new players in attack. 

The club has been frantically searching for players to help bolster them on the goalscoring front.

Alassane Plea was the main target for Newcastle but they eventually lost the race to Borussia Monchengladbach. Benitez has also been looking for a new winger and a creative player to help out and according to The Mirror, the club are targeting a move for West Ham youth star, Domingos Quina.

If the Magpies want the youngster, however, they will need to fight off interest from Leeds and now Barcelona.

The Breakdown

The 18-year-old attacker, who can play on the wing or as a number 10, is widely regarded as the best player at West Ham’s youth academy. The youngster hasn’t managed to break into the first-team and with the signings of Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko, a clear pathway to the first XI might now not be possible.

The reported £600,000 a fee isn’t a massive fee but with Barcelona now interested in the player it seems that Newcastle may now be hard pushed to sign the youngster. While Barcelona may have the prestige, Newcastle could well offer him the chance to stay in a very competitive league and also the instant chance to play first-team football.

It may take a lot of convincing but it’s deal that the Magpies could well benefit from. He’ll be a contributor instantly in the first-team and in the long run, he could command a huge transfer fee.

Thoughts Newcastle fans? 

Sheffield Wednesday are looking to offload Keiren Westwood and he has attracted interest from clubs in both the Premier League and the Championship, according to the Daily Mail.

What’s the story, then?

The Mail report that Wednesday want to get rid of 6ft 2in Republic of Ireland international Westwood to trim their wage bill and that a row is brewing between him and manager Jos Luhukay over his fitness.

Luhukay left out of the tetchy pre-season friendly against Mansfield on Tuesday – reportedly citing a knee problem but Westwood has denied that he is injured, claiming he has missed just one training session all summer.

Championship promotion chasers West Brom and Stoke are named as interested in Westwood’s situation, but there is still reportedly Premier League interest in his signature after Cardiff failed to agree a fee earlier in the transfer window.

Palace still need a goalkeeping upgrade

Goalkeeper Vicente Guaita has arrived at Selhurst Park on a free transfer from Getafe already this summer, but it remains to be seen whether he has the quality required to be an improvement on Wayne Hennessey.

Palace have needed an upgrade on the Welshman for a number of years and Westwood would offer one. There isn’t a better goalkeeper currently in the Championship and he has international and top flight experience to boot.

Westwood would not be the big-name acquisition that perhaps some Palace fans would like to see but he would be a sensible purchase, who would not cost the earth because of Wednesday’s willingness to sell and get him off the wage bill.

If West Brom and Stoke are the only competition for his signature, then Palace should be able to see both off with the lure of Premier League football and the fact that there would be no genuine stand-out candidate blocking Westwood’s path to the number one jersey.

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Marco Silva is looking to make significant progress in the final days of the transfer window as he prepares his Everton side for the new season, and a recent report from Spanish media outlet Sport suggests that defensive acquisitions are his priority. 

According to the report from Sport, Everton have reached an agreement with Barcelona to sign Yerry Mina for a fee in the region of 32 million euros (£28 million), with the Colombia international set to sign a 5-year contract with the Toffees. The news will be greeted with delight by the supporters who watched their side struggle defensively last season with a hapless partnership of Ashley Williams and Michael Keane providing the foundations at the back, and they will be hoping Mina can immediately inject solidity into the defence.

However, Everton are still short of defensive options even with Mina’s arrival to consider, so Marco Silva should do everything in his power to secure the services of another club target, namely Marcos Rojo.

Although Mina will arrive at Goodison with a prestigious footballing background, his lack of experience in the Premier League will undoubtedly force him to go through a period of adjustment whilst he adapts to his new surroundings.

With that to consider, the presence of an experienced Premier League centre-back could ensure a smooth transition period for the new recruit, which, besides 35-year-old Phil Jagielka, Everton are seriously lacking.

Rojo has 4-years of experience playing for a top-four club to bring to the table and 59 appearances at international level for Argentina, and his level of experience is certainly a quality which Everton will need in their back-four to demonstrate a marked improvement next season.

With Jordan Pickford in goal, mr. reliable Seamus Coleman at right-back, Lucas Digne stepping in for Leighton Baines and Mina slotting into the back-four, Silva is just one defender short of an incredibly sturdy defensive unit.

The Argentina international represents the perfect candidate to complete Silva’s new-look defence, so the club’s hierarchy should make him something of a priority in the final days of the window.

Everton fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

According to a recent report from The Daily Mirror, Everton are interested in a late summer move for Kurt Zouma. The 23-year-old currently plays his football at fellow Premier League outfit Chelsea and has done so since 2014, although the defender spent the entirety of last season on loan at Stoke City, and ultimately failed to help keep the Potters in the top-flight.

Yet it appears that Marco Silva’s Toffees are keen on the £13.5 million-rated ace (as per Transfermarkt), although Rafa Benitez’s Newcastle United must seek to hijack their proposed move for the centre back in a bid to land the perfect deputy for the injured Florian Lejeune.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, Magpies defender Lejeune suffered ligament damage earlier in pre-season to suggest that he could be set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines, with reports yesterday confirming that he had successful surgery to ‘repair an anterior cruciate ligament tear’.

Thus, manager Benitez looks set to be without the Frenchman for some time, and while Jamaal Lascelles and new signing Florian Schar offer him excellent centre back options, further depth and thus greater competition may be needed in that area of the field – Zouma would provide just that.

The 23-year-old may well have been part of a Stoke side that were relegated from the top-flight last season, but he was one of a few bright sparks in an otherwise shambolic campaign for the Potters to underline his top tier credentials – there’s a reason he has featured 71 times for Chelsea.

In fact, it’s arguable that the only reason he isn’t currently turning out week in week out for the Blues is because he suffered a nasty injury back in February 2016 – until that point in the season, he had featured in all but two of Chelsea’s Premier League games.

Thus, it’s clear that he is very highly-rated at Stamford Bridge, and with Everton themselves clearly in need of reinforcements at the back, it’s not difficult to see why they are keen on the 23-year-old.

Michael Keane and Phil Jagielka are Silva’s only fit centre backs at present given the injury to Mason Holgate, and with Ashley Williams shipped out on loan to Stoke City and Ramiro Funes Mori sold earlier this summer, they are very depleted in that department.

As such, it may be difficult for Benitez’s men to get a deal done ahead of the Toffees, but given that Lejeune looks set for a lengthy time out with injury, the Magpies must seek to hijack Everton’s move for the France international.

Newcastle and Everton fans… what do you think? Let us know!