Amid a summer spending spree that eventually exceeded the £110million mark, Brendan Rodgers professed to journalists that Liverpool hadn’t fallen into the same traps as Tottenham the year previous.

Yet seven games into the new Premier League season, as the Reds find themselves in ninth place, nine points away from the division’s summit and struggling to find a successful formula, it appears that’s exactly what they’ve done.

The similarities between Spurs in summer 2013 and Liverpool in summer 2014 are genuinely staggering.

Fearing the debasing effects of Gareth Bale’s move to Real Madrid whilst also coping with the inevitable burdens of the Europa League, the Lilywhites splashed out £110million on seven signings in 2013, only for their league form to plummet to such disappointing depths that Andre Villas-Boas was given his marching orders by the end of December. Coincidentally, following a 5-0 thrashing by Liverpool.

Concerned how Liverpool would simultaneously handle Luis Suarez’ departure to Barcelona and the return of Champions League football at  Anfield for the first time since 2009, Brendan Rodgers spent an almost identical sum on eight players, only for his side to endure an incredibly turbulent start to the current season, including shock defeats to West Ham and Aston Villa.

Those connections may seem largely superficial; especially in regards to the amount spent and the number of players brought in. But the causes of Liverpool and Totteham’s failed spending sprees were the same, as the consequences are also proving to be.

Perhaps the most predominant effect being a backbreaking  weight of expectation. When Spurs cashed in on Gareth Bale and invested in Christian Eriksen, Paulinho, Roberto Soldado, Etienne Capoue, Nacer Chadli and Vlad Chiriches, there was a common feeling the north Londoners could become the Premier League’s dark horses – a new force for the title regulars to fear.

They were an exciting unknown quantity, built upon preceding reputations and the hypothesis that Spurs had swapped a one-man team for an eleven-man team, but eventually never came anywhere that billing. In fact, the failings of Tottenham’s summer 2013 transfer policy have effectively undone the hard work of Harry Redknapp’s four year tenure which pushed them upon the peripheries of the Champions League.

Few anticipate Liverpool to stage another title charge this year, but the new signings were expected to fill Luis Suarez’ almighty void considerably better than they’ve done thus far. Like Tottenham, Liverpool went for improved depth across all departments and in parody of the Lilywhites’ decisions regarding Gareth Bale, they decided not to source a direct like-for-like replacement to Suarez.

But the Uruguayan’s intensity and quality set the tone for the rest of the team; he came to epitomise Liverpool’s tenacious-yet-progressive philosophy last season. In the absence of a similar talismanic figure, the Reds have lacked that sense of urgency both with and without the ball.

There have been other intrinsic mistakes at Anfield this year. Rodgers claimed Liverpool’s summer spending would pan out differently to Tottenham’s, in part due to the fact he invested around half his funds in Premier League-proven players – it’s indisputable that Rickie Lambert, Dejan Lovren, Adam Lallana and Mario Balotelli have all demonstrated the quality and suitability to be playing for top English sides. Spurs on the other hand, splashed out on seven players who had never set foot in the Premier League before.

Yet three of Liverpool’s starting back four have changed since last season, with Martin Skrtel now commonly accompanied by summer signings Alberto Moreno, Javier Manquillo and Lovren. The lack of continuity has resulted in shambolic defending and the fifth-worst goals conceded column in the Premier League.

And continuity is the underlying theme. Liverpool have by no means eradicated their core in the same manner Tottenham did – Pepe Reina and Daniel Agger where the only other notable departures this summer, whereas Spurs said goodbye to Scott Parker, William Gallas, Steven Caulker, Tom Huddlestone and Clint Dempsey in the same window as Bale, soon followed by Jermain Defoe in January – but the inclusion of so many new first team players at Anfield, in terms of philosophy, tactics and formation, has caused more problems than solved.

An adaption period is inevitable, yet some signings directly conflict with the style of play we witnessed from Liverpool last term; Rickie Lambert and Mario Balotelli for example, although two talented strikers, do not fit Liverpool’s breakneck-paced attacking mantra and their limited mobility has resulted in just one collective goal in 467 minutes of Premier League football. Likewise, Lazar Markovic, the joint-second largest Liverpool transfer under Rodgers, is still struggling to overcome the power, pace, intensity and quality of the English game.

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Once again, one can call upon Tottenham Hotspur to offer comparison. Their huge turnaround left them struggling for a sense of identity, and in Roberto Soldado they purchased a striker completely alien to their style of play. In 2011/2012 and 2012/13, the Lilywhites recorded the second-most shots per match of any Premier League side, 47% and 56% respectively of which were from outside the box, yet at Valencia, the Spain international was famed for his predatory instincts in the penalty area – he could count his amount of goals from over 18 yards for Los Che on one hand.

You can argue both Liverpool and Spurs were left with little choice to invest such prolific sums in squad depth after losing key players – the temptation to do so is certainly understandable.

Yet, both clubs have proved that integrating so many signings of varied backgrounds at the same time, whilst attempting to reinvent formulas that can compensate for the departure of talismanic entities, is a near impossible task.

Tottenham fell into that trap and so did the Reds – it may not be the most popular decision with the supporters amid the ever-theatrical Hollywood tones of deadline day, but the next Premier League club to be lauded with unprecedented finance for surrendering a star of Suarez or Bale’s quality, would likely be better off holding onto their money.

When attempting to fathom where it’s all gone wrong for his 11th-place Liverpool side, Brendan Rodgers need only retrace his steps back to the summer transfer window – the vast majority of the Reds’ many problems his season have stemmed from there.

Indeed, it was a window that appeared devoid of any plan or structure on the Mersey outfit’s part, who seemed almost overawed by the £120million at their disposal, grabbing any promising talent or in-form player they could get their hands on – ranging from Southampton’s Rickie Lambert to Benfica prodigy Lazar Markovic. Resultantly, the Liverpool boss is now left with a squad lacking clarity, identity and hierarchy, posing far more questions than answers.

No signing epitomises this more than Mario Balotelli, a certified vanity project that’s gone horribly wrong for Rodgers. One can easily speculate his line of thought; “I controlled Luis Suarez as much as humanly possible for two seasons, perhaps I can do the same with Balotelli”. No doubt, the Anfield manager would love an individual triumph where Roberto Mancini, Cesare Prandelli and most significantly, Jose Mourinho, have failed.

The only problem is that whilst Suarez is an incredibly competitive footballer who often finds himself blurring the line of moral acceptability, Balotelli is a mischievous twelve year-old trapped in the body of a top-class centre-forward. They’re two completely different animals at opposing ends of the footballing bad-boy spectrum; the former, haunted by a desperate intensity to win, the mercurial latter motivated only by his own whims. As Mourinho claimed, ‘unmanageable’.

So it’s no great surprise the Italy international is still searching for his first Premier League goal in Liverpool colours, despite averaging 4.2 shots per match – the fifth-most of any player in Europe’s  five leading top flights – whilst his controversial Twitter activity and infamous half-time shirt-swap with Real Madrid’s Pepe has drawn a plethora of negative attention.

Now Rodgers is faced with a real dilemma; does he admit his mistake in the transfer market – or perhaps a more fitting description would be egotism – by selling Balotelli in January, after just six months on Merseyside?

The goal-shy striker isn’t the first acquisition that’s left a lot to be desired since Rodgers took the Anfield helm three summers ago. In that time, he’s spent around £215million on 25 players, but only two have really gone on to exceed their transfer fees, Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho, whilst only four, Coutinho, Dejan Lovren, Simon Mignolet and Alberto Moreno, have made ten or more Premier League appearances this season. Seven have either left the club or are currently on loan. Overall, for a manager that boasts an LMA Manager of the Year award, Rodgers’ transfer record is exceptionally poor.

Thus, perhaps accepting defeat with Balotelli would provide a sense of atonement from the Liverpool boss – an admission that he and the club made mistakes this summer.

You’ll never get such an apology in spoken public verse; managers are prepared to question the performances of their players but rarely, if ever, themselves. Yet if Rodgers had the opportunity to repeat the summer window, the most lucrative one in Liverpool’s history likely containing the largest transfer budget he’ll ever receive as a manager, he’d almost certainly approach it with a less cavalier mindset.

Of course, there are some problems with this suggestion; firstly, managers tend to live and die by their signings, so selling Balotelli after just six months will only further add to the growing narrative that Rodgers and Liverpool’s transfer committee have taken the club a step backwards – however true that might be.

Secondly, who would actually want to buy Mario Balotelli right now? This is probably the lowest point of his entire career, and having now failed at two of the biggest clubs in Italy and two of the biggest clubs in England, potential transfer destinations are few and far between. Convincing the 24-year-old to join a lesser club, with three-and-a-half years left on his Anfield contract, won’t be an easy sell.

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Yet, cutting loses – both in finance and reputation – rather than prolonging the obvious failings of Liverpool’s £16million acquisition in order to save face, is surely the more logical solution. And even if it’s only in non-verbal, tacit form, the Liverpool fans deserve an admission of their club’s poor business during the summer, a sign that the same mistakes won’t be made again and lessons have been learned.

Whether Rodgers has come to term with the extremities of Liverpool’s wayward recruitment however, remains to be seen.

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Tottenham’s new era under Mauricio Pochettino hasn’t exactly been the inspiring journey many Spurs fans were hoping for.

The continuous curse of Europa League football has given them issues against this season, while they haven’t exactly been putting in the performances that you’d expect from a team that is worth well over £100m.

But Pochettino’s side showed some real signs this afternoon that they’re improving under the Argentine, with a lot of fans finally having some good things to say about their team after being so disillusioned with their side for so long.

So here’s THREE points that prove Spurs are indeed improving under their new boss…

[ffc-gallery]Click on Roberto Soldado to reveal

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Harry Kane is fast becoming a proper footballer

When Kane first broke in to the Spurs squad, most fans didn’t expect him to go on to be the first choice striker he is today.

The youngster has been given the chance to show everyone what he’s all about on a weekly basis and he’s returned that faith with a number of important goals and impressive performances. Now the Spurs fans love him.

Pochettino has turned Kane from being an average striker to one who can go on to achieve good things within the game. Can you net 15+ league goals in a season? No reason why not.

Soldado’s confidence is growing

Poor ol’ Roberto has had a torrid time at Spurs since signing two summers ago, but Spurs fans have kept faith in the Spaniard and supported him throughout.

And he managed to get his first Premier League goal of the season against Everton and put in a dogged performance for the hosts, which didn’t go unnoticed by fans, pundits and neutrals alike.

A goal like that will only boost his confidence and give him the belief that he can find the shooting boots that made Spurs invest so much money on him. If he can go on a little goalscoring run then Daniel Levy might finally believe he’ll be getting some good value for money.

Players finally adapting to Pochettino’s attacking style

Pochettino’s been criticised by many Spurs fans who felt nothing had really changed under him after dissapointing periods under Andre Villas-Boas and Tim Sherwood.

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But he has needed time to get his new players to buy in to his philosophy and we’ve witnessed that happening more and more over the last few weeks. Christian Eriksen, Erik Lamela, Harry Kane and Roberto Soldado all look at ease this season and will only continue to improve.

Can Pochettino guide Spurs in to the top four? Only time will tell but, what we do know is that Spurs fans should start feeling exciting about a future under the former Southampton chief.

Tottenham Hotspur’s longest-serving player Aaron Lennon looks set to leave White Hart Lane this January, with a number of Premier League suitors eyeing up a potential move for the pacey winger, according to the Daily Star.

Lennon has been a great servant to Tottenham since his £1million switch from Leeds United in June 2005. This season though, Mauricio Pochettino hasn’t utilised Lennon as much as the former England international would have liked. The 27-year-old has only made nine Premier League appearances for the Lilywhites – 17 in total – and he has very much found himself on the fringes of Pochettino’s first-team plans.

Lennon’s lack of game time at Spurs has put a number of Premier League clubs on red alert. Reports in the Daily Star above suggest Hull City, Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion have all been linked with a move for the winger. Tony Pulis has gone on record in the Metro to say his team lacks pace, making Lennon the perfect acquisition for West Brom, but it’s Hull City who look like the frontrunners to secure his signature, as Tigers boss Steve Bruce seeks to bolster his attacking options readying for a relegation scrap.

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Lennon is at the time in his career now where he needs to be playing regular first-team football. He seems to have been around for a very long time, but he’s still only 27 and has a lot to offer in the top flight. The ex-Leeds man hasn’t lost any of his blistering pace, and he’s still more than capable of providing decent service into the box. Any of the previous clubs mentioned would certainly benefit from his services. In his time with Spurs, Lennon has stacked up 267 Premier League appearances for the Lilywhites, and has weighed in with 26 league goals.

Tottenham have recently been heavily linked with a £15m bid for PSV starlet Memphis Depay and it’s a deal Pochettino wants to get done and dusted before the transfer window slams shut next week, while the Mirror have reported Spurs have also enquired about Everton’s Kevin Mirallas in recent weeks – with rumours of Lennon going in the opposite direction. If any of these deals do go through, it would almost certainly spell the end of the diminutive winger’s 10-year tenure at the north London club.

Some of the Tottenham fans are bound to be disappointed to see their longest-serving player leave the club, but no disrespect to Lennon, these are the sort of players Spurs must replace to move on to the next level.

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The pint-sized player’s love affair with Tottenham Hotspur is set to come to an end and while he’s undoubtedly lit up White Hart Lane at times over the years, now is the time for him to move on and prove his abilities elsewhere.

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Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has revealed his preferred formation heading into the last nine games of the season, according to reports from the Express.

After experimenting for much of the campaign, Van Gaal now believes that the best formation for his side is the 4-3-3.

At the start of the season, the Dutch boss deployed a 3-5-2 set-up before changing to a 4-4-2 diamond midfield after some criticism from the fans.

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But, after their emphatic 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in their latest game, Van Gaal finally believes he found the best system for his current crop of players.

The former Bayern Munich boss explained in an exclusive interview for The Telegraph that using only one striker helps his side switch from attack to defence and vice-versa much more effectively.

He explained: “I am the most flexible manager you can imagine. When the players are coming with good arguments, I change my opinion.

“They need to have very good arguments. It is not so easy to convince me – that’s true. But when you convince me I change my opinion.

“Most of the players here think the manager is deciding that (change). I ask also the players which system they want to play. And then I ask individual players: ‘What’s your favourite position?’ First they don’t want to answer but now they are more open, and they answer.

“[4-4-2?] No. The fans are shouting it. I have played it but that was to do with accidental circumstances.

“The system we play now is the system that I prefer, that I have played everywhere. Yesterday (against Spurs) is my preferred system. When it is needed, then I play with five at the back.

“Yesterday was 4-3-3 when we had the ball. For example, Juan (Mata) more inside and (Ashley) Young outside. When we defend it was more 4-1-4-1 yesterday. Next game is different.”

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United travel to Anfield to face an in-form Liverpool side this Sunday, with the Reds winning eight out of their last nine league games.

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Finding the back of the net for the England national side has brought Raheem Sterling back into the headlines, the focal point being Sterling’s contract negotiations with current club Liverpool.

The 20-year-old has tried to divert attention from the situation by saying he is focussed on football for the time being, and his contract will be sorted out come the summer. But does Sterling have big plans away from Anfield?

Sterling has been one to watch this term. On the opening day of the season, Raheem found the back of the net for Liverpool in a 2-1 win over Southampton. He scored again at White Hart Lane, where has was named the Man of the Match. Thus far, Sterling has six goals under his belt, as well as seven assists. Back in December, Sterling was the recipient of the Golden Boy award: an accolade previously received by Wayne Rooney, Paul Pogba and Lionel Messi.

But his form and applause has also resulted in Sterling claiming he has been tired during this domestic season. This is understandable; going from a title-challenging season, to the World Cup and then a new Premier League season is always going to take its toll on a player. But the youngster was heavily criticised for admitting his fatigue.

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As Sterling has not signed a new contract, the transfer rumour mill has run wild. Arsenal are one of the teams in question hoping to secure Sterling’s signature, but they may been put off by his performance against them at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Tensions ran high between the two sides over the signing of Barcelona’s Luis Suarez, a battle which Brendan Rodgers won.

Aside from the north London club, though, Manchester City are also believed to be interested in securing his signature, as are Real Madrid, Chelsea and Bayern Munich.

Liverpool are thought to be offering Sterling a huge £100,000-a-week to keep him at Anfield, though some media outlets reporting the weekly wage could be double that. This is quite a step up from his current salary, thought to be roughly £35,000 per week. But, could the fact Sterling is cooling it on the contract front mean it’s about more than the money?

An opportunity to play for Real Madrid – if the rumours are true – may not come around again for Sterling. Could anyone turn down one of the biggest clubs in the world? Just ask Gareth Bale and you might get your answer.

Whether Raheem Sterling will be a Liverpool player or not, next season seems to be up in the air. Liverpool are keen to keep the midfielder, but he may have bigger and better offers elsewhere, especially if Brendan Rodgers’ side fail to qualify for the Champions League.

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The Reds have just eight games left to play this season, so Sterling has little time to assess his options. But, if Real Madrid are interested, you would think there is a high chance Sterling could face his old team mate Suarez in the El Clasico next year.

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With 33-year-old Michael Carrick looking increasingly likely to end his long-term stay at Old Trafford in the not too distant future, Louis van Gaal is arguably in desperate need for a new centre-midfielder going into the 2015/16 campaign.

When the former England international was missing from the star-studded Manchester United line-up last season, the overall balance in the team was thrown completely off kilter, leaving many Red Devils fans scratching their heads over just what was so badly missing.

Towards the end of the campaign, it became clear that the likes of Ander Herrera and Daley Blind – whilst offering their own unique qualities to the side – just couldn’t adequately replicate Michael Carrick’s calming influence on the team.

So then, with talk of the new season already present within the wider footballing community, Louis van Gaal has reportedly set his sights on 26-year-old Belgian international and Zenit St. Petersburg midfielder, Axel Witsel.

However, as the bustling no. 28 is also reportedly keen on making the switch to Juventus this summer, are Manchester United ultimately going to miss out on the services of Axel Witsel whether they like it or not?

The Old Trafford faithful will likely be keeping their fingers crossed. Whilst the Belgian may not be able to match Michael Carrick’s skills precisely for the Red Devils next season, he would nonetheless offer a rather impressive individual skill-set for Louis van Gaal to consider ahead of the new campaign.

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Carrick himself wasn’t much of a ball-winner or incredibly combative in the middle of the park. His unmatched vision and flawless composure on the ball often made up for his weaknesses in the modern game, and helped saw his side triumph far more often than not.

Axel Witsel however – despite also paying witness to some pretty swift passing skills and admirable ease with the ball at his feet – may even represent a much more rounded option for Louis van Gaal next season. When it comes to breaking up play and winning possession from the opposition, displaying nice touches with his teammates across the whole pitch, and ultimately possessing the skills of a pure box-to-box man – the 26-year-old really doesn’t disappoint.

He helped win the Russian league this season with his current employers Zenit, and although the Belgian international certainly comes across as a somewhat bulky player when he goes about his business, Witsel nonetheless displays some surprisingly quick-feet and smart ideas for someone of his stature. When given adequate creative licence to do so, the current Petrovsky Stadium favourite certainly shows himself to be no one trick pony.

As is usually the case with Europe’s most coveted talent though, Manchester United are not the only team to have registered an interest in signing the Zenit man ahead of the 2015/16 campaign. Champions League finalists – Juventus – will also reportedly be after the combative midfielder as the new season approaches, and as the player himself has already spoken admirably of the club ahead of a potential move this summer, the signs ultimately don’t look too promising for Louis van Gaal’s current outfit.

Perhaps such a notion should hardly come as much surprise in today’s game. Although Manchester United undoubtedly have some real spending power behind them this summer, their previous signings for the 2014/15 campaign really didn’t shine the club in the best light in all honesty. Yes, the likes of Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao certainly offered a great deal on paper, but as they failed to have much influence out on the pitch for the Red Devils last season, it remains questionable as to which direction the club are actually heading in these days.

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Juventus on the other hand have proven to be very shrewd with their spending capabilities, yet equally ambitious when it comes to delivering the results. The combined transfer fees of Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal, Claudio Marchisio and Paul Pogba came to less than £8 million in total. Especially with their recent run in the Champions League in mind, there is therefore very little doubt over Juventus’ ability to reassert their dominance in Europe in the next couple of seasons.

However, considering that Massimiliano Allegri’s side have recently acquired the services of German World Cup winner, Sami Khedira – Manchester United may end up with a chance of signing Axel Witsel after all.

It might not have been his preferred destination with all things considered, but Old Trafford would nevertheless offer the in-demand Belgian the chance to make his mark in the Premier League, and that is an opportunity very few foreign stars ultimately see fit to turn down.

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Oh dear, the news Liverpool fans have been fearing for a little while now has broken…. Raheem Sterling wants out. Although his agent has since claimed that things have been “blown somewhat out of proportion”, smoke without fire is rare, and with the Reds’ season confirmed as a failure, claims of seeking trophies and success lend some backing to potential desires to leave.

The 20-year-old has been one of the Merseysiders’ standout performers this season, with his performances far above the level ordinarily expected of such a young talent. He’s led the line for the club, scored the most Premier league goals from open play of anyone in the squad and has worked well when deployed from his natural wide role.

Reports claim that £35m may be needed to lure him away, and should Brendan Rodgers lose the England international a replacement would be needed. But, Liverpool need a player with scope to improve, one able to play all across the front three and one able to fit into the Northern Irishman’s set-up… and all of this for a relatively low fee. Difficult, then! However, here are FIVE options…

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Alexandre Lacazette

Perhaps the ideal solution to the problems at Liverpool is Lacazette. The France international has been, arguably, the most impressive player away from the giants of the game in European football this term, smashing 27 Ligue 1 goals in 33 outings to fire unfancied Lyon to a shock title challenge – they ultimately lost out to PSG, though. In recent days the player himself has suggested that he may leave, which has alerted the Reds.

With pace, an eye for goal and the ability to play on either flank or as a main centre-forward, Lacazette is ideally suited to a Rodgers team, an could provide cover for Daniel Sturridge or potentially work in tandem with him. He is also able to fill Sterling’s role from wide.

Mauro Icardi

Another impressive player on the continent right now is Icardi. The Argentine is not dissimilar to former Kop hero Luis Suarez in his playing style, with high-energy hustle and bustle what is on offer from him. Icardi is, though, a very talented player, with his 19 goals for an Inter Milan team entrenched in midtable battle showing just what he’s capable of in the final third.

Chelsea are the side believed to be leading the race for his signature, but Liverpool have been linked with him since the summer of 2014, so they could opt to swoop.

Saido Berahino

West Brom’s Berahino has enjoyed a fine breakthrough season. The Baggies ace has always had the talent, but often a perceived lack of application has cost him in his pursuit of becoming a Premier League-standard attacker. However, he’s knuckled down at the Hawthorns this term, and a return of 14 goals is impressive given that he’s still only 21.

Liverpool are one of a host of clubs thought to be looking at him this summer, and with West Brom unlikely to be able to resist sizable offers, he could head to Anfield. A quick striker able to occupy roles on the flank or at the apex of a midfield diamond? Perfect.

Stevan Jovetic

Jovetic presents an interesting option. Supremely talented and celebrated during his time with Fiorentina, the Montenegrin certainly has ability. However, his two years at Manchester City have been quiet to say the least, with injuries and competition having limited his playing time. Is he good enough? Could he be saved by Liverpool?

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Reports have revealed that the Reds are indeed keen, and after reviving Daniel Sturridge’s career, perhaps a Premier League giant’s trash could be their treasure again. He appears well-suited to Rodgers’ way of playing, with neat skills and decent finishing ability partnered by an ability to occupy any role in the final third.

Luciano Vietto

21-years-old, pacey, able to play as a striker and from out wide and unlikely to command vast wages, Vietto ticks the boxes for Liverpool. The Argentine has been impressive for Villarreal in La Liga this term, finding the net on 12 occasions to keep the Yellow Submarine in the driving seat for European qualification – a big deal considering their recent relegation/promotion blip.

Liverpool are understood to be keen, but he appears to be a background target.

Did you hear that? Listen closely: It’s the sound of Jose Mourinho smacking himself in the forehead after missing out on a 27-goal striker.

Anderlecht star – and former Chelsea target – Aleksandar Mitrovic completed his move from Anderlecht to Newcastle last week. The signing comes as a great relief to Magpies fans who saw their squad struggle for goals last season, finding the net just 40 times. But just how much of an impact will the Serbian have at St. James’ Park?

Mitrovic’s goal total from 50 appearances for Anderlecht is more than twice that of top Newcastle scorer Papiss Cisse. The centre forward started in all but one of his 27 Jupiler Pro League games and proved himself a superb finisher, with a 57 percent shot accuracy rate, as well as scoring almost half his goals from headers.

The 20-year-old proved his ability in european competition as well, scoring twice in five Champions League games. The most notable strike came in Anderlecht’s 3-3 draw with Arsenal, when Mitrovic’s well-placed header in the 89th minute helped the Purple & White put the finishing touch on a comeback after being down 0-3.

So we’ve seen that Mitrovic can perform against physical Premier League sides, but how will he fare playing for one? At Anderlecht, he occupied the lone central striker spot in a 4-2-3-1 system, the same formation the Magpies relied on, a similarity that looks promising in aiding his adjustment.

New boss Steve McClaren may very well decide to change the system, but regardless, Mitrovic’s 6-foot-2 frame will go a long way in giving teammates a target inside the box.

Areas in which the youngster will have to improve, however, are in passing and possession.  His pass success percentage was just 75.3 percent on mostly short balls. And Mitrovic’s inability to cross, pass or shoot from outside the box is somewhat troubling should he want to become a more versatile player.

Due to a lack of speed, the Serb also tends to wait for passes to come to him rather than try and move to the ball, a tendency that makes him easy to mark. When he does dribble, he has trouble holding onto the ball, and was dispossessed an average of two times per game.

Regardless of his weaknesses, Mitrovic’s youth means he has plenty of time for both mental and physical development, and it looks like he will be the most productive attacker at St. James’ Park.

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If Mitrovic continues his upward trajectory, McClaren may have to prepare to fight off larger clubs to keep hold of the striker, whether the interested party is Mourinho or someone else.

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As reported by The Sunday Post, Rangers are interested in signing Kilmarnock winger Jordan Jones this January.

What’s the story?

Ever since Barrie McKay departed the club earlier this year, the left wing position has been a problem one for Rangers, with nobody really able to step up and add the natural width that they need.

It seems though that the club are looking to solve the problem and have earmarked a Scottish Premiership talent as the potential solution.

The Sunday Post report that Rangers are interested in signing Jordan Jones, competing with the likes of Burnley and Norwich City for his signature.

The 23-year-old, who is rated as worth around £200,000 by Transfermarkt, could be a cost effective and viable option to provide competition in the wide areas after impressing for Kilmarnock over the last year.

Emerging talent

Jones may not quite be the finished article yet, but he’s certainly showing rapid improvement at Rugby Park since joining from Middlesbrough last summer.

In a struggling side, he’s been one of their main creative outlets, producing 11 assists in his time at the club so far.

It’s form that prompted Michael O’Neill to call him up for recent World Cup Qualifiers and he made his international debut in the crucial play-off against Switzerland.

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If Rangers can get the business done for him January they could be securing a real emerging talent and one who can improve further surrounded by better players at Ibrox.