That's all from us today, thanks for joining our live coverage where Wolves recorded an emphatic 3-0 victory over Liverpool.
Join us next time for more Premier League Live!
Leicester’s new boys breathed life into their battle for survival as the Foxes exploited some dreadful Aston Villa defending to record their first league win since November.
All three of their January signings, Victor Kristiansen, Harry Souttar and Tete, made their league debuts and while Tete scored the third goal, it was Kristiansen who produced a man-of-the-match display at left-back.
Souttar was a little less assured yet the Australia centre-back still made some crucial interceptions in the second half when Villa were piling on the pressure.
Kaoru Mitoma scored a late winner for the second consecutive game to extend Brighton's unbeaten run with a hard fought win over Bournemouth.
Mitoma headed in from Jeremy Sarmiento's cross in the final minutes to deny the Cherries a point at the Amex Stadium.
The second half also saw the return of Moises Caicedo, with the Ecuador midfielder applauded onto the pitch after returning to the Brighton squad despite attempting to force a move in the transfer window.
Brentford hammered Southampton to fuel their fans dreams of going on a European tour but leave Nathan Jones with a supporter revolt on his hands.
The away fans turned up the heat on their under-fire manager with a string of anti-Jones chants as the side they had travelled to watch unravelled defensively once again and offered little in response.
Take your pick from which one would have been the hardest for Jones to hear in what is looking like an increasingly doomed attempt to win round his doubters.
We know Jurgen Klopp doesn’t like to answer the money question. He scowls and snarls at it. He gets defensive. And so it is maybe with some irony that he is currently spared from tougher inquisitions around the freefall of a giant on account of how much credit he has in the bank.
Which is right, of course. There is a balance to these things and six and a half exceptional years cannot be undone by one almighty dud of a season. No set of scales, even in the grubby madness of this league, would accept such nonsense.
Well... what an absolute goalfest that was!
Leicester came from behind twice to beat Aston Villa 4-2 in the pick of the games. Meanwhile, Mitoma stole all three points at the death for Brighton.
And Brentford ran riot against bottom of the league Southampton to win 3-0.
Elsewhere, 10-man Manchester United survived a late onslaught from Crystal Palace to hang on and win 2-1.
But at Molineux, Wolves crushed Liverpool 3-0 to mount more pressure on Jurgen Klopp and his struggling side.
The full-time whistle has gone across the rest of the Premier League clashes too.
Wow! What a win that is for Wolves to inflict more misery on Jurgen Klopp's men.
We are into four minutes of stoppage time but this game is all over.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain cuts inside off the left and has a wild effort at goal but it deflects wide.
It should be 4-0 Wolves! Jimenez spurns a glorious chance to save Liverpool's blushes.
Elsewhere, Brighton have snatched it at the death! Kaoru Mitoma with an 87th minute strike!
Wolves just trying to kill the game off now. Podence and Jonny are on for Lemina and Ait-Nouri with less than ten minutes to play.
While Milner, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Tsimikas also prepare to come on for the Reds in place of Robertson, Thiago and Gakpo.
We have some more second-half goals!
Mathias Jenson puts Brentford 3-0 up against Southampton, while Dennis Praet puts Leicester 4-2 up at Villa Park!
Harvey Elliott has replaced Stefan Bajcetic. It looks like Liverpool have gone to a 4-4-2 with Salah and Nunez up top together.
Still no goals in the other games we are covering, but at Old Trafford it is well and truly game on!
Marcus Rashford doubled United's lead but Casemiro has been sent off for the Red Devils and Jeffrey Schlupp has just halved the deficit.
2-1 at Old Trafford.
Wolves fans are taunting Jurgen Klopp with chants of 'You're getting sacked in the morning'.
Meanwhile, Joe Gomez goes into the book for a late challenge on Jimenez.
IT's THREE! Ruben Neves with the third! Wolves have just managed six goals at Molineux all season, three of which have come this afternoon.
It was a devastating counter-attack from the hosts with Traore breaking away down the right.
The winger finds Neves who controls the ball and fires home! That is surely game, set and match for Julen Lopetegui's side. Less than 20 minutes to go.
He has to score!
Trent finds Darwin Nunez with an excellent ball in behind but the Uruguayan is denied by Jose Sa.
A decent save on the angle, but the Liverpool striker should be doing better there.
Klopp does turn to his bench with around 25 minutes to go.
The experienced Jordan Henderson replaces Naby Keita. Liverpool have to make the most of this second-half possession.
Gakpo pounces on a loose ball from Dawson and finds Salah. The winger uses Kilman to try and curl the ball into the far corner but it goes inches wide.
Wolves started so brightly but they are just absorbing the Liverpool pressure here.
For the moment it is still 2-0, but it feels like it is only a matter of time before Liverpool find a goal.
Some changes here from Julen Lopetegui.
Jimenez and Moutinho replace Cunha and Sarabia for the hosts.
As Liverpool try to get back into the game at Molineux, let's have a look at the latest scores around the country.
Salah is the latest Liverpool player to spring to life.
The winger snatches at an effort and fires over. He should do much better there. Wolves are struggling to get out here.
Jurgen Klopp has certainly had a response from his players.
Gakpo and Keita are involved in the latest attack with the midfielder having two shots blocked before a third almost crosses the line.
Liverpool are adamant they should have a penalty with the ball appearing to strike Max Kilman's arm but VAR say no.
Better from Liverpool as Cody Gakpo almost gets around Nelson Semedo. The Dutchman tries to pull the ball back to Mohamed Salah but Semedo recovers well to get a tackle in.
The hosts get us back underway here at Molineux.
No changes made from either side at the break.
We are also back underway across the other Premier League 3pm kick-offs.
That was a dismal first-half performance from the away side and Jurgen Klopp may well think of turning to his bench.
What a terrific first-half of football! There have been 10 goals in the opening 45 minutes so let's hope we have 10 more!
So a disaster of an afternoon for Liverpool so far.
Just before the break, Craig Dawson goes into the book after chopping down Darwin Nunez but Liverpool have an absolute mountain to climb.
They need to find three goals, and judging by the performance so far, they will struggle to even find one.
Wolves deservedly two goals to the good.
Surely not another one... there is!
Leicester lead for the first time in the game and it is Tete with the fifth goal of the afternoon on his debut!
He is found in behind by Iheanacho before rounding Emi Martinez and finishing.
As we approach half-time here, Darwin Nunez has an effort at goal but he smashes his shot wide of Sa.
That just about sums up Liverpool's day so far...
Just like that, Brentford are 2-up against bottom of the league Southampton!
This time it is Bryan Mbeumo who rolls home from the edge of the six-yard box from a Wissa cutback.
Brentford are in dreamland!
The first thing that's gone against Wolves this afternoon. Hwang Hee-Chan is forced off after pulling up mid-sprint.
Adama Traore replaces him. Not a bad man to bring on!
We have the opener in west London! It's Ben Mee who gives the Bees the lead. It's a thumping header from a Bryan Mbeumo cross.
Goals galore in the Premier League! This is what we love!
What a game at Villa Park!
Kelechi Iheanacho levels things up for the Foxes again! It's great build up from Leicester, as Kristiansen finds Barnes whose inch-perfect cross is headed home by Iheanacho.
Every week it's somehow getting worse for Liverpool.
Gakpo gets away from Hwang with a delightful bit of skill and the Wolves forward has no choice but to bring him down.
It gives Liverpool a free-kick in a dangerous position but once again Wolves are able to cope with Robertson's ball in.
A quiet period in the game as we approach the final 10 minutes of the first-half.
That early Wolves domination has been stemmed for now. Meanwhile, Robertson puts in a wonderful ball from a free-kick on the left, but there is no one in red to get on the end of it as the Wolves defence cope with the danger.
Liverpool's front three have not been able to get into the game at all.
Villa have the lead again! This time it is an own goal from Souttar. Lively first-half at Villa Park!
Digne plays the ball into Watkins, who swivels and gets away a shot that deflects in off Souttar.
Craig Dawson will be hugely disappointed with that effort. Wolves take a corner short and Ruben Neves crosses the ball in to the back post.
He finds Dawson in acres of space but the goalscorer heads well over the bar.
Replays show that he might well have been offside anyway, but Liverpool are living dangerously here.
Joel Matip, what are you doing!?
The defender gives the ball away to a persistent Nunes who closes him down on the edge of the Liverpool box.
Nunes is through one-on-one with Alisson but he can't beat the Liverpool goalkeeper who gets down to save well.
The rebounds falls to Cunha but Liverpool manage to get back and prevent Wolves grabbing a third in the opening 30 minutes!
Jurgen Klopp is fuming with the defender, who scored an own-goal earlier.
Well I just said Liverpool had no end product and Darwin Nunez has just proven me right.
The striker drives down the left flank and has all the time to put a cross in but sends it miles off target and out for a goal kick.
The Wolves fans absolutely loved that one.
Joel Matip strides towards goal and finds Naby Keita in a pocket of space.
The midfielder swivels and has an effort at goal but he fires wide. Better from Liverpool but still no end product.
Salah, on his 200th appearance for Liverpool, tries to bend one in past Sa but it heads well over.
This is the worst possible start for Jurgen Klopp's side, who just cannot find their form at the moment.
Well there's only been 20 minutes played across the grounds, but we have FIVE goals already!
Let's hope it carries on like this!
The Reds are trying to get a hold in this game but Wolves are so up for this one.
Gakpo breaks down the left and pulls the ball back to Naby Keita. The midfielder has two efforts at goal but both are blocked from the determined Wolves defence.
Thiago threads a pass in to Darwin Nunez and the Liverpool striker takes an early shot at goal but Jose Sa does well to palm it away.
A long way back for the Reds now and Jurgen Klopp is furious!
Well that lead didn't last long for the hosts!
Leicester have pulled one back and it is James Maddison who levels things up!
Would you believe it!? Wolves are 2-0 up and it's new signing Craig Dawson on his debut!
It's an absolute belter from the centre-back! Neves takes a free-kick for the hosts, which Cunha gets on the end of. He crosses it in from the right and Gomez tries to clear but it only goes as far as Dawson.
The ex-West Ham man rifles it home!
What a bright start we have had here across the 3pm kick-offs!
Ollie Watkins has given Aston Villa the lead against Leicester.
Meanwhile Manchester United are 1-0 up against Crystal Palace, thanks to a Bruno Fernandes penalty.
How are Brentford not ahead!?
Yoane Wissa gets played in behind over the top, beats the keeper but fires it against the crossbar with an open goal gaping!
Wolves started well and they have a goal to show for it!
It's an own goal from Joel Matip as Liverpool's defensive problems mount even further!
Hwang gets in behind down the right and squares it across goal but it cannons of Matip, hits the post and just about crosses the line!
Terrific start from Wolves and this time Sarabia has an effort. Unfortunately, the January signing drags his effort wide of Alisson's goal but it's a great start from the hosts.
First chance of the game already - and it goes to Wolves!
Cunha has a pop at goal and Alisson and palms it away to safety. Bright start from the hosts.
A cagey start to proceedings here. Robertson tries to find Thiago in behind down the left-hand side but Wolves are able to deal with it.
Cody Gakpo has started on the left where he will try to cut inside and create an attacking threat for Liverpool.
We are underway across the Premier League 3pm Premier League kick-offs.
Here at Molineux, Liverpool get us going in search of a vital three points.
The teams are coming out in Molineux and we are minutes away from kick-off here.
Liverpool have a sensational record against Wolves here but find themselves in a poor run of form.
Before today's clash with Wolves, Jurgen Klopp urged Fabinho to take inspiration from Marcus Rashford's return to form with the Brazilian being kept out of the side by 18-year-old Stefan Bajcetic.
However, there is no place for Fabinho in the Liverpool squad at all today.
We are around 10 minutes away from kick-off across all of the Premier League's 3pm kick-offs.
You can follow our live dedicated coverage of Manchester United vs Crystal Palace here - with new signing Marcel Sabitzer on the bench.
With Liverpool struggling for goals in recent weeks, Jurgen Klopp wants his front three firing this afternoon.
Speaking about what he wants from Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez ahead of kick-off, Klopp said: 'Football, connecting, finishes if possible and good defending because that's important as well.
'They don't have to change it alone for us – we all want to do it together. But the more influential they can be, the better it is.'
Some very important 3pm games going on across the country today.
Southampton can escape the bottom of the league with a win over Brentford.
Meanwhile Bournemouth can escape the relegation zone with a win over high-flying Brighton.
The Seagulls, on the other hands, can go to within five points of the top-four with a win, and they have a game in hand.
The players are warming up on the Molineux turf which can only mean one thing. We are edging closer and closer towards kick-off here.
A dream day for Dyche! The new Everton boss has got off to a flyer by stunning Premier League leaders Arsenal.
It's an absolutely crucial win for the Toffees who climb to 17th after securing their first win since October!
James Tarkowski scored the all-important goal which also blows the title race wide open. Manchester City can go within two points of Arsenal tomorrow if they beat Tottenham.
The Liverpool squad have been pictured arriving at Molineux. We are just over half-an-hour away from kick-off here!
Jurgen Klopp is in desperate need of a win and he will be hoping his star man Mo Salah can find his form again.
The Egyptian is making his 200th appearance for the Reds this afternoon and he would love to celebrate with a goal (or two!).
Liverpool have been leaking goals and failing to score in recent weeks.
In their last six matches, they have scored five but conceded 10. They are without the injured Konate today.
Roberto de Zerbi has left Moises Caicedo on the bench this afternoon. The Brighton midfielder tried to leave the club in Janaury, with Arsenal having their bids rejected.
For Bournemouth, January signings Antoine Semenyo and Hamed Traore both start.
So with all the team news unloaded down below, let's recap on Jurgen Klopp and Julen Lopetegui's decisions.
Darwin Nunez is starting for Liverpool alongside Mo Salah and Cody Gakpo, but there is no place for Fabinho in the squad.
For Wolves, Sarabia starts and Craig Dawson makes his debut.
Before we get into team news, there's been a goal in the lunchtime kick-off at Goodison Park.
But for who Chris Kamara?
Would you believe it? Sean Dyche's Everton are 1-0 up against table-toppers Arsenal thanks to a James Tarkowski header.
Can they hold on!? Just over 20 minutes to go at Goodison...
Teams across the Premier League are arriving at the Brentford Community Stadium, Villa Park and the Amex.
We are less than 15 minutes away from kick-off and some pictures have emerged of the Wolves squad arriving.
Julen Lopetegui and Adama Traore look in the zone as they make their way towards the home dressing room.
A good result here for Wolves would be huge as they are currently 17th in the league, level on points with 18th-placed Bournemouth.
This is the THIRD time that Wolves and Liverpool have met in the last month.
The sides first came up against each other on January 7 in a controversial FA Cup third round tie.
The game finished 2-2, forcing a replay, but Wolves were outraged by a VAR decision that deprived them of a late winner.
Their misery was compounded when Liverpool triumphed 1-0 in the replay at Molineux on January 17.
But now, just a few weeks on, the Reds are back at Molineux as they look to avoid a third successive Premier League away defeat for the first time since 2012, under Kenny Dalglish.
Good afternoon and welcome to Sportsmail's live coverage of Wolves vs Liverpool and all the other 3pm kick-offs.
Jurgen Klopp is in desperate need of a win with his side having somewhat of a bad patch.
Liverpool will be hoping to bounce back from their FA Cup knockout to Brighton last weekend, while Wolves will try and break away from the bottom three.
Stay with us for what should be an exhilarating afternoon of Premier League football!
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Credit: dailymail.co.uk. You can read the original article here.
Argentina: 09:00 hours Bolivia: 10:00 a.m. Brazil: 10:00 a.m. Chile: 08:00 hours Colombia: 08:00 hours Ecuador: 09:00 hours USA (ET): 09:00 HOURS USA (ET): 0900 hours Spain: 15:00 hours Mexico: 09:00 hours Paraguay: 09:00 hours Peru: 09:00 hours Uruguay: 10:00 a.m. Venezuela: 10:00 a.m.
Credit: vavel.com. You can read the original article here.
“Leaping” Lanny Poffo—better known to many WWF and WWE fans as the poetry-reciting, cap-and-gown-clad Genius—died this week at the age of 68. Poffo was the last surviving member of a wrestling mini-dynasty that included territorial star father Angelo Poffo, who wrestled from 1949 until the 1980s, and older brother Randy “Macho Man” Savage, one of the sport’s most colorful personalities and intense in-ring performers. Angelo and Randy passed in 2010 and 2011, respectively, so Lanny had spent the better part of the past decade honoring their legacy at the various wrestling events he attended.
For the tight-knit Poffo clan, nothing mattered more than family. And Lanny, who was the spitting image of broad-shouldered, square-jawed Angelo, took the Poffo legacy seriously. Although Lanny played high school baseball alongside his brother and showed promise—a 1972 Chicago Tribune article quotes Angelo as saying that both Randy and Lanny wanted to be big-league catchers—only Randy pursued that dream in the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds farm systems. Lanny wrote in his comic-book autobiography that “I knew in my heart that professional baseball was not the path that I would follow”; he wanted to train at the feet of Angelo, who had a successful wrestling career in the 1950s and 1960s.
Angelo had built his reputation on general athleticism—he was one of the better-built and more mobile wrestlers of his era—as well as a startling 1945 feat of strength that won him acclaim as a world-record holder: He completed 6,033 sit-ups in 4 hours and 10 minutes while serving in the U.S. Navy (the extra 33 reps were in commemoration of Jesus’s 33 years of life; both Angelo and Lanny were religious, and neither failed to mention the extra 33 reps when discussing Angelo’s achievement). Angelo’s base of operations was the Midwest; he served as a main-event mainstay for Fred Kohler’s Illinois-based wrestling promotion, held the Chicago version of the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship, and won the World Tag Team Championships in Dick the Bruiser and Wilbur Snyder’s Indianapolis-based World Wrestling Association on three separate occasions.
After training for a year under Angelo, Lanny’s unofficial debut was in a losing undercard match against his father in Paducah, Kentucky. He would then make his way to Georgia, where he competed in All-South Wrestling in Atlanta, and then to the Sheik’s Big Time Wrestling promotion in Detroit, where he and Angelo—Angelo came to the ring in a graduation cap and gown similar to what Lanny would later don in WWE—won the Detroit version of the NWA World Tag Team Championships from pioneering Black wrestler Bobo Brazil and “Flying” Fred Curry, son of hardcore legend “Wild Bull” Curry. In 1976, in a televised match on the iconic St. Louis Wrestling at the Chase show, Lanny lost to Terry Funk for the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship.
By 1974, Randy—who never got past the Class A minor leagues—had given up on baseball and fully turned his attention to the ring. Starting with Jim Crockett’s Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, Lanny and Randy would team up for the better part of 1976. And when they disbanded in 1977, Lanny enjoyed success in a variety of other NWA territories, eventually receiving another shot at the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship, then held by Harley Race, and wrestling the champ to a time-limit draw.
In 1978, the three Poffos again joined forces, this time to form the outlaw International Championship Wrestling promotion based out of Lexington, Kentucky. ICW’s location put them squarely in the crosshairs of Jerry Jarrett’s NWA-sanctioned Continental Wrestling Association, which was headlined by Jerry “the King” Lawler. The Poffos’ challenge to the NWA was more spirited than most, lasting nearly six years and including an unsuccessful $1
Credit: https://www.theringer.com/wwe/2023/2/3/23584633/lanny-poffo-obituary-the-genius-poffo-family-legacy
2.4 million antitrust lawsuit charging nine wrestling promoters with monopolizing the business. Lanny and Randy, arguably in their athletic primes, constituted the beating heart of ICW; with two exceptions—future NWA Worlds Heavyweight champion Ron Garvin and future WWF jobber Paul Christy—either Lanny or Randy held the ICW Heavyweight Championship throughout the promotion’s existence, despite a roster that included Ox Baker, Pez Whatley, and “Cowboy” Bob Orton Jr.After ICW dissolved and was absorbed into the CWA, Randy and Lanny found themselves in a series of high-profile feuds with CWA talent, including tag team rivalries with the Rock ’n’ Roll Express as well as conflicts with top regional stars “Wildfire” Tommy Rich and “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert. These matches put Randy—said by Lanny to be the one with the “it factor”—on the expanding WWF’s radar screen. When WWF booker George Scott offered Randy a deal, Randy insisted they take Lanny as well. Scott agreed, and the most memorable phase of Lanny’s career was about to begin.
At that point, it might have seemed like Lanny was destined for stardom: He could talk, he had a great build, and he was one of the few domestic wrestlers doing sentons and moonsaults in the early to mid-1980s (his moonsault, or “leaping backflip,” as announcer Vince McMahon called it, was arguably safer and smoother than the similarly sized Great Muta’s version of the move). The WWF didn’t pair him with Randy or even acknowledge their relationship, but Lanny had everything it took to succeed in the spotlight. However, as “Leaping” Lanny Poffo, he remained a good guy who merely wrestled in competitive matches. He built on that babyface gimmick, though, reading poems he had written, often poems that mocked the bad guy he was about to wrestle (an updated, hip-hop variation on this insult-comedy gimmick helped AEW’s the Acclaimed seize that promotion’s tag titles). These poems were affixed to Frisbees that Lanny would then toss into the crowd. The Frisbee tossing won him no small amount of attention; a fawning 1986 profile in The Dispatch described him as “gorgeous,” the “poet laureate of professional wrestling,” a “straight-A student,” a “fan of “Rudyard Kipling and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow,” and able to “recite all the presidents in order of their terms, and the states and capitals.”
In the early days of WWF’s Saturday Night’s Main Event partnership with NBC—special event shows that generated ratings orders of magnitude greater than what wrestling produces today—good-guy Lanny stole the show on several occasions. On the first episode of SNME, he recited a poem at the enormous Uncle Elmer’s raucous real-life country wedding, even working in a reference to the “Holy Spirit” for the enormous television-viewing audience. Ten shows later, at a battle royal held in the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit in 1987, he helped put over future Hulk Hogan opponent Andre the Giant as a convincing bad guy by surreptitiously using a razor blade to slash his forehead, “getting color” on national television and making André’s headbutt—which sent him toppling out of the ring—look like a dangerous weapon. The headbutt did no actual damage, Lanny later explained, because Andre was a pro, and Lanny had bladed in plain sight in the middle of the ring a few moments earlier, confident that WWF’s production crew, working on a tape delay, wouldn’t show that footage.
Alas, Lanny’s good-guy run had a ceiling: He was the guy who beat perennial backslapping jobber Barry Horowitz and regularly lost to everyone else. He self-published a book of poetry, Wrestling With Rhyme, in 1988; the book is now extremely hard to find and can fetch upward of $1
Credit: https://www.theringer.com/wwe/2023/2/3/23584633/lanny-poffo-obituary-the-genius-poffo-family-legacy
290 whenever it appears on a site like Amazon.My name is Lanny Poffo and I always know what’s up.The Bruins haven’t got a chance to win the Stanley Cup.The Red Sox haven’t won in years and I hope they never do.The Celtics are a travesty; the Patriots are too.
This wasn’t the sort of shocking material one might hear “Platinum” Max Caster use to trash Jeff Jarrett in 2023, but Lanny’s haughty delivery drew loads of boos from the capacity crowd, causing one fan to jump into the ring. He was reintroduced thereafter as the Genius, with the WWF—in its usual fashion—not calling back to his former persona. Lanny sported a gown and mortarboard, much like Angelo had in the 1970s, and amplified all his irritating mannerisms, developing a style of performance that was a cross between perfume-spritzing villain Gorgeous George’s and wrestling gymnast Ricki Starr’s. Additional touches, including frequently “skinning the cat,” or sliding out of the ring to work math problems and sketch battle plans intended to help him win the match, turned the Genius into a magnet for crowd heat.
Finally, Lanny began his ascent up the WWF card, culminating in a WWF World Heavyweight Championship match that aired November 25, 1989, on Saturday’s Night Main Event. There, the Genius achieved arguably his greatest career highlight: He defeated Hogan by count-out thanks to the timely interference of “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig, who showed up near the end to deface Hogan’s title belt with chewing gum before coldcocking him outside the ring with it. Everything about this match is perfect, in fact: Lanny’s poem before the bout (he rhymes Hogan’s “What are you gonna do?” with “incredible IQ”), his routine during the match (including an incredibly smooth kip-up, an effortless instance of “skinning the cat” back into the ring, a second-rope moonsault, and loads of begging off and mincing about the ring), and Hennig’s starring role in the convoluted finish.
Lanny stuck around for nearly three years, slowly making his way back down the card—his head would be shaved at WrestleMania VI by Brutus Beefcake after Beefcake defeated Mr. Perfect, and the Genius would be replaced by Bobby Heenan as Hennig’s manager thereafter—yet lingering on the main roster until his final appearance managing the Beverly Brothers at the 1992 Survivor Series. Always effective in whatever role he was given, Lanny spent most of 1993 and early 1994 on the sidelines, working some independent shows before briefly returning to the WWF in May of 1994.
Lanny would then spend five years in WCW, signing in 1995 and receiving regular paychecks until 1999 without wrestling a single match. Once again, Randy—who had somehow acquired the rights to the Gorgeous George gimmick, with the possibility that Lanny could take on that persona—had prevailed upon his employer to hire his talented younger brother. In this case, Lanny, who bleached his hair blond and trained diligently for his return to the ring, simply never received a call from WCW to wrestle, in spite of his presence on their payroll (a major problem for the company, particularly as its star-laden roster swelled toward the end of the decade). Eventually, Stephanie Bellars, who would serve as Randy’s valet in WCW, was dubbed Gorgeous George instead of Lanny.
This anticlimactic run of well-compensated inactivity marked the end of Lanny’s serious in-ring career. He continued to make sporadic in-ring appearances for various promotions, but the younger, bigger, and arguably more athletic of the Poffo brothers had entered another stage of his career. In this capacity—which expanded after the death of his father and the untimely passing of his brother a year later—he became the historian responsible for the Poffo legacy, giving countless interviews about the contributions of his more famous relatives and, to a lesser extent, his own.
In triumphant jubilation, we celebrate his name.Finally, the Macho Man is in the Hall of Fame!
“At the many Florida convention appearances we did together before he relocated to Ecuador, I remember how generous Lanny was to his fans,” Crowther told me via email. “He never took money for personal gain for autographs, books, action figures, and so on, but only accepted donations to children’s charities on behalf of his brother, not himself. The pride he had for his father and particularly for his brother exceeded any pride he took in his own accomplishments.”
“Leaping” Lanny was a wrestling Genius who had everything it took to be a generational talent—looks, smarts, charisma, athleticism—but all he ever wanted to be was a Poffo.
Oliver Lee Bateman is a journalist and sports historian who lives in Pittsburgh. You can follow him on Twitter (@MoustacheClubUS) and read more of his work at oliverbateman.com. He blogs, vlogs, and podcasts at his Substack, Oliver Bateman Does the Work.
Credit: theringer.com. You can read the original article here.
Lanny Poffo performed at WrestleMania events and headlined professional wrestling cards against Hulk Hogan.
Yet, when writing his memoir — in comic form — coauthor John Crowther had to remind Poffo that the book was about his career.
“He preferred to talk about his father and his brother,” professional wrestlers Angelo Poffo and Randy Poffo, better known as Randy “Macho Man” Savage, Crowther said. “That was Lanny. He was humble. He always wanted to put other people over.”
Poffo, a longtime Tampa Bay resident before moving to Ecuador a few years ago, died on Thursday.
He was 68. A cause of death has not yet been announced.
“I would like to pay my respects to the passing of Lanny Poffo,” former professional wrestler Barry Horowitz posted on Twitter. “We had worked together many years. He came from a great wrestling family.”
Poffo’s father primarily performed for the National Wrestling Alliance, winning several championships before retiring to Indian Rocks in 1985. The Poffo brothers moved to the Tampa Bay area a year later.
In the scripted WWE, their sibling relationship was never acknowledged.
Poffo entered the WWE as “Leaping Lanny,” a good guy who recited charming poems and tossed flying discs to the crowd. His highflying offense, which included a backflip off the top turnbuckle that ended with him splashing onto a downed opponent, was considered radical for the time.
“While he achieved some success as a fan favorite,” the WWE website says, “he reached new heights as The Genius.”
As “The Genius,” he wore a collegiate cap and gown, claimed to be the world’s smartest man, and his once lighthearted poems instead incited the audience by insulting their intelligence. That storyline peaked with a win via cheating against Hogan in a match nationally televised on NBC’s “Saturday Night’s Main Event” in 1989.
“He was always proud of that moment,” Crowther said.
Randy Poffo refused entry into the WWE Hall of Fame unless Poffo and their father were inducted with him. After Randy Poffo died in 2011, Poffo told the WWE that they could ignore that request and induct “The Macho Man.”
“I’m the older brother now,” he told the Times in 2015, noting at that time that he was 60 and his brother was 58 when he died. “I get to make all the decisions. I just thought the fans had suffered enough.”
His mother, Judy Poffo, whom Poffo called “The Macho Mom,” died in 2017.
“After that, he lost his reason to stay here, so he moved to Ecuador a few years later,” Crowther said. “He was happy there.”
But he made regular trips to the United States to meet with fans at wrestling conventions. He was in New York for one when he died.
Poffo’s final Facebook post was a photo of him and a friend outside the Gershwin Theatre to see “Wicked.” The marque behind him read, “A cultural phenomenon.”
Jody Simon, a former professional wrestler and current Tampa resident, commented on the photo a day before Poffo died: “You sir, are a cultural phenomenon.”
Credit: tampabay.com. You can read the original article here.
The transfer window has now closed and most European soccer clubs are unable to do any further business until the summer. It was a busy final day of business with a lot of unexpected players joining surprise clubs which means that there were a number of winners and losers in terms of those landing good moves and some being forced to stay put despite wanting to go elsewhere. Enzo Fernandez, Jorginho, Isco, Marcel Sabitzer and Milan Skriniar were just a few to experience contrasting fortunes on Jan. 31.
The transfer saga of this January window ended with the Argentina international getting the move that he has been after all month. The two clubs struck a deal at the last minute possible and the 22-year-old completes what has been a lavish winter spending spree even by Chelsea's new standards. Fernandez leaves a sizeable hole for the Portuguese giants, but brings in the largest possible fee which can be reinvested in the future. Now for the South American to get to work as Graham Potter tries to rebuild the Blues' midfield with his latest acquisition.
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It seemed as if the Morocco international would be a winner, but his move to Parc Des Princes to join Paris Saint-Germain hit a snag as reports say a paperwork issue on Chelsea's end resulted in documentation not being submitted in time. The French Professional League have now confirmed that the switch is not valid. Ziyech has become a forgotten man a little bit more with each new arrival as the likes of Mudryk and Joao Felix arrived at Stamford Bridge. A move would give him a new lease on life, but he will now have to stick it out in London until at least this summer. There is little doubt that the FIFA 2022 World Cup played a role in earning Ziyech this potential shot at 29, but there was also that bit of need on the part of the French champions who badly needed an injection of creativity. It was an interesting possibility in a position of need, just not as much as the new defender PSG badly needed...
Which brings us to one of the major losers who will now have to see out the season with Inter Milan. Skriniar has agreed a summer switch to PSG as a free agent but both will have to do without until then which is not necessarily good news for the remainder of this season. The Ligue 1 leaders badly needed new defensive blood given their current struggles and Skriniar has been desperate to leave as soon as possible but must now give it his all in awkward circumstances for the Nerazzurri.
Towards the end of last week, Arsenal were expected to spend big to land Brighton's Moises Caicedo yet the Ecuador international finds himself stuck with the Seagulls just a few days later. After refusing to be drawn into a bidding war for Caicedo, the Gunners took the same pragmatic approach which saw them let Mykhailo Mudryk join Chelsea and go for Leandro Trossard and Jakub Kiwior instead. Mike Arteta's men now find themselves with three quality additions at a fraction of the prices discussed regarding both Mudryk and Caicedo. Jorginho might just end up a Premier League champion, too.
For a short while, it looked as if Union Berlin would pull off something of a coup with the Spaniard joining the likes of Josip Juranovic, Jerome Roussillon and Aissa Laidouni at Stadion An der Altern Forsterei. However, the medical proved problematic and the move quickly fell apart for the 30-year-old former Real Madrid and Sevilla man who remains without a club. The Germans will be fine and are well-equipped for their battle at the top end of the Bundesliga but there is no guarantee that Isco finds a new club anytime soon given that there are now major questions over his physical state.
The Ecuador international overplayed his hand and got burned when Arsenal baulked at Brighton's asking price. Isolated from the senior squad while the transfer window passed, Caicedo now faces a tough task to win back the trust of his manager, teammates, and the Seagulls fans. Given the high price tag, potential future suitors will be wary of this episode before trying to acquire the 21-year-old this summer -- assuming that his form has recovered.
Credit: https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/transfer-deadline-day-winners-losers-chelsea-land-enzo-fernandez-psg-and-ziyech-fail-arsenal-get-jorginho/
It's been a tough season for Liverpool, who have been plagued by plenty of issues this term - and Jurgen Klopp and the Anfield hierarchy haven't been able to conjure up any solutions in the January transfer window.
The Reds had always been expected to keep their powder dry after spending big money on Darwin Nunez in the summer. But it remained to be seen if that stance would soften in the wake of Liverpool's struggles in the Premier League.
Liverpool did strike early in the window to pip Manchester United to a deal for Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo. The 23-year-old has, however, proved to be the only new recruit to arrive on Merseyside this month.
There was other activity at Anfield throughout the window as a handful of youngsters left the club on loan, including 18-year-old defender Luke Chambers, who joined Kilmarnock on loan shortly before Tuesday's transfer deadline.
But while a dearth of activity this month has left some fans disappointed, Liverpool are expected to conduct some significant business in the summer window ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
The Reds' midfield has been an area of concern all season and the club are expected to reshape their engine room in the summer.
It's been widely reported that Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham is the club's top target, but Liverpool are likely to face significant competition in the race for the England star.
Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo has also been linked with a move to Anfield over the past few months and was the subject of two failed bids from Arsenal in the January window.
The Seagulls were reluctant to cash in on another prized asset after losing Marc Cucurella and Leandro Trossard to Chelsea and Arsenal respectively, but that stance could soften in the summer - particularly as Caicedo made it clear that he was eager to join the Gunners.
A move for the Ecuador international would fit the bill and could materialise if the Reds are beaten to a deal for Bellingham. While it is unlikely Liverpool will have the funds for both, Wolves ' Matheus Nunes is also a target and would represent a more financially viable option for an accompanying midfield spot.
Elsewhere, the Reds are in better health. The Anfield hierarchy are in a position of strength in terms of their attacking options after acquiring Gakpo and he is likely to battle for a spot alongside Nunez, Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz, Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota.
Ibrahima Konate is set to spend the next few weeks on the sidelines but he has established himself as Virgil van Dijk's long-term partner in defence.
Andy Robertson, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alisson Becker are all unlikely to be impacted by any future transfer business in the summer with Liverpool fully focused on rebuilding their faltering engine room.
Potential dream Liverpool line-up for 2023-24 : Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson, Fabinho, Nunes, Bellingham, Salah, Gakpo, Nunez.
Credit: https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/liverpool-jurgen-klopp-transfer-news-29100423
It’s fair to say that, at the start of this transfer window, Arsenal would not have expected their three additions to include a 28-year-old and a 31-year-old.
But the signings of Leandro Trossard and Jorginho reflect Arsenal’s position. They are more short-term moves, with a very short-term goal in mind: the prospect of a Premier League title.
Was this the plan? Not really. Arsenal began the window with aspirations of adding Mykhailo Mudryk to their front line, then pivoted to Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo. That they failed to land either of their top targets is disappointing for the club and lessons can surely be learned from how they approached these negotiations. In previous years, they would have responded to missing out by keeping their powder dry, but Arsenal knew that was not an option this time.
There is too much at stake. Arsenal learned from the lessons of last season when they failed to strengthen in January and it arguably cost them their place in the top four. The prize up for grabs now is even more precious: the title itself. The bottom line is that they finish the window with a stronger, deeper squad than they started.
The addition of Jorginho has been divisive among Arsenal supporters. A lot of baggage is attached to recruiting a veteran from Chelsea, especially after the disastrous signing of Willian in 2020. But manager Mikel Arteta and technical director Edu cannot put too much weight on fan sentiment. Having recognised the Caicedo deal was off, they made a swift, pragmatic move for a player they have long admired.
It is not a deal that significantly encumbers Arsenal’s future plans. The Jorginho fee was widely reported as £12million ($15m), but could rise to £13million if Arsenal become Premier League champions. Should they end up lifting the trophy, they’ll be more than happy to part with that extra £1m.
Crucially, it is a short-term contract — 18 months with the option for an extra year. That relative affordability ensures Arsenal can take a run at long-term targets in the summer — perhaps West Ham United’s Declan Rice, or even returning to Caicedo.
Arsenal feel they have signed a player who offers them quality, experience and a winning mentality. Jorginho has won the Coppa Italia, Europa League, Champions League and Club World Cup. With Italy, he won Euro 2020. In 2021, he came third in the Ballon d’Or. There aren’t many players with equivalent CVs among the Arsenal squad, and his arrival was greeted with widespread positivity at London Colney. For a young group, he could be a valuable addition.
Despite the speed with which this deal came together, there is considerable history between Arteta and Jorginho.
In the summer of 2018, Arteta was serving as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City. Arteta was one of the biggest proponents of Manchester City attempting to sign Jorginho from Napoli, arguing that he was a perfect fit for Guardiola’s system and could cover the pitch thanks to his tactical awareness. City thought they had a deal at £50million, only for Chelsea to swoop in and gazump them. After the Mudryk saga, Arsenal know all about how that feels.
A year later, Arteta gave an interview to the Spanish newspaper Marca, in which he used Jorginho as a reference point for how he saw the No 6 position. At the time, many teams were playing with a double pivot but City were hoping to sign Rodri to enable them to play with a sole holding midfielder.
“I do not get into names but City’s ‘six’ must understand our game. It is vital,” he said. “He is the one that makes everyone work, frees those in front, and sets the pace. Our position has changed a lot. There are few teams that want to play with a single defensive midfielder, holding the whole game.
“In other teams, that role is not as defined and we are losing the idea of having one who plays there — the Jorginho type, that I love.”
In the summer of 2020, recently installed as Arsenal manager, Arteta considered a move to sign Jorginho from Chelsea. At that point, however, Chelsea said he was not for sale. Arsenal instead made a deadline-day move to activate the release clause for Thomas Partey.
And now, in 2023, Arteta has finally got his man. The question is whether, at 31, this is still the same player the Arsenal manager once so admired. We will only find out how wise this signing was when Jorginho takes to the field.
Given the sense of urgency in the final few days of the window, it’s strange to recall that Arsenal began the month of January not necessarily expecting to sign a central midfielder. It was felt that Mohamed Elneny offered adequate support for Partey, so the position was not a priority. The plan was to focus on an attacking addition — namely Mudryk — and address midfield in the summer.
Plans change. In the space of a few days, Arsenal lost Mudryk to Chelsea and Elneny to injury. Suddenly, Arsenal had an unexpected amount of money available to spend and an equally unexpected hole in their squad.
Arsenal explored bringing in a premium, big-ticket holding midfielder — someone who could not only provide cover for Partey but ultimately be his successor. This would be a ‘project player’ — someone who fitted the club’s guiding recruitment strategy. The two names at the top of their list were Rice and Caicedo.
Rice already figured prominently in Arsenal’s plans for the summer. Unfortunately, with West Ham in a relegation battle, the chances of them allowing their captain to leave mid-season were slim to none. Rice would also have been reluctant to depart at such a critical moment.
So, in the penultimate week of the window, Arsenal focused on Caicedo. They received encouragement that he would be eager to move and hoped a deal could be struck for around £75million. The price was high but not considered overly unreasonable for a 21-year-old Ecuador international who was already regular at an impressive Premier League side.
Around the same time, Caicedo switched agents and began working with Futbol Division and Epic Sports. That was seen as a positive for Arsenal, who were already in dialogue with Epic owing to the club’s tentative interest in Real Valladolid right-back Ivan Fresneda, one of its clients. Those conversations, which had been focused on the 18-year-old, began to focus on Caicedo.
On January 27, Arsenal tabled an opening bid of £60million for Caicedo. They did not expect it to be accepted — Chelsea had seen a £55million bid rejected out of hand — but hoped it would at least begin a negotiation.
Arsenal misjudged the situation. Brighton dismissed the offer within minutes and made it clear they had no intention of allowing Caicedo to leave.
Having seen the Mudryk saga become so public, Arsenal actively sought to act with discretion in the Caicedo pursuit. Arteta and Edu circled the wagons and tightened the sharing of information. Any hopes that this deal might be more straightforward, however, ended later that night, when the Caicedo camp — of their own volition — decided to release a statement expressing the player’s desire to leave.
Overnight, Brighton took the decision to keep Caicedo away from training until the end of the window, ruling him out of Sunday’s FA Cup match with Liverpool. It was a drastic course of action, but one that effectively took away the player’s ability to rock the boat by refusing to train or play.
Brighton’s owner and chairman, Tony Bloom, was insistent Caicedo was not going anywhere. For their part, Arsenal still hoped that the professional poker player was simply bluffing. On January 28, in an attempt to find a breakthrough, a call took place between Bloom and Arsenal board member Tim Lewis. The discussions reached a dead end — Brighton were not for moving.
Nevertheless, Arsenal resolved to try again. On January 29, they raised their offer to £65million plus £5million in potential add-ons. Again, the offer was dismissed. Brighton were perplexed and irritated Arsenal had not got the message. The relationship between the clubs, which had been cordial through negotiations for Ben White and Leandro Trossard, has been damaged.
With it becoming increasingly obvious that an agreement for Caicedo was out of reach, Arsenal regrouped on Monday — the eve of the transfer window. The task now was to find a deal for a midfielder that could be completed in around 36 hours.
Caicedo and Rice were not the only midfielders discussed in the course of the window — Martin Zubimendi of Real Sociedad and Edson Alvarez of Ajax were among the names considered. Arsenal were willing to trigger the €60million release clause for Zubimendi, but the Spanish international preferred to remain in San Sebastian until the summer. Arsenal have been impressed with Charlie Patino’s form at Blackpool, but there were no discussions about bringing him back from his loan prematurely.
In the final days of the window, Arsenal were offered other midfield players by intermediaries. Many of these simply did not meet Arteta’s specifications. Jorginho, ultimately, was the exception.
The addition of 22-year-old Jakub Kiwior is more in line with Arsenal’s model. They had planned to recruit the left-footed centre-half in this window for some time. Edu made initial contact with Spezia and the player’s camp in December, before Kiwior’s agent was invited to London Colney for further talks.
This deal caught many fans — and indeed media — off-guard. Although there have been reports of a ‘confidentiality clause’, Arsenal simply entered into a gentleman’s agreement with Kiwior’s camp to keep things under wraps. That they managed to do so, especially while recruiting in the transfer-crazy media landscape of Italy, is a source of pride for all parties.
Deadline day also saw two first-team players leave the club on loan: Albert Sambi Lokonga joined up with Patrick Vieira at Crystal Palace and Cedric was reunited at Fulham with Marco Silva, who coached him at Sporting Lisbon. The decision to let Lokonga leave arguably incurs some risk, but ultimately Arsenal chose to respect the player’s desire for regular football. No decision has yet been reached on either player’s future beyond the summer. As for Elneny, Arsenal are considering activating the one-year option on his contract, rather than releasing him partway through his rehabilitation.
It is a compliment to Eddie Nketiah’s form that a new centre-forward to replace Gabriel Jesus was never under discussion. Arsenal had the option of recalling Folarin Balogun from Reims, but it would have incurred certain financial penalties, and was not considered best for the striker’s development.
Nevertheless, the arrivals of Kiwior, Jorginho and Trossard mean Arsenal end the window with new signings in defence, midfield and attack. They did not get the marquee names they hoped for, and there are lessons to be learned from those unsuccessful pursuits. Arsenal’s squad is now at the level where the players likely to help them move forward will be in high demand. They must learn to close on those key targets.
The signings they have made are less spectacular but may ultimately prove to be sensible in supporting Arsenal’s title chase.
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Credit: https://theathletic.com/4143445/2023/02/01/arsenal-transfers-jorginho-trossard/
Jan 31 (Reuters) - Premier League leaders Arsenal have signed experienced Italian midfielder Jorginho from London rivals Chelsea on an 18-month contract, the club said on Tuesday.
Financial details of the transfer were not disclosed but British media reported the deal was worth 12 million pounds ($14.78 million).
"Jorginho is a midfield player with intelligence, deep leadership skills and a huge amount of Premier League and international experience," Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta told the club's website.
"Jorginho has won in his career but he still has the hunger and huge willingness to contribute here. We are so pleased to sign Jorginho and welcome him and his family to the club."
Arsenal, who are five points clear of champions Manchester City in the title race, needed midfield reinforcements especially with Mohamed Elneny ruled out with a knee injury which the club said required surgery that will keep him sidelined for "an extended period of time".
Brazilian-born Jorginho will provide Arsenal with significant experience in their title charge, having won the Champions League with Chelsea and the 2020 European Championship with Italy.
The 31-year-old has been a key player for Chelsea this season, featuring 25 times in all competitions.
Jorginho also won the Europa League, three FA Cups and two League Cups in more than 200 appearances for Chelsea since joining them in July 2018 from Serie A side Napoli.
He spent 4-1/2 years at Napoli and enjoyed a breakthrough 2017-18 season, where he was integral to their title challenge as they finished second.
Arsenal made a late bid for Jorginho after they reportedly had two offers for Ecuador midfielder Moises Caicedo rejected by Brighton & Hove Albion.
Arsenal return to league action on Saturday against 19th-placed Everton, who appointed Sean Dyche as manager on Monday in a bid to secure their top-flight survival.
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Credit: https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/arsenal-sign-midfielder-jorginho-chelsea-2023-01-31/
Benfica's World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez seems destined to become a Chelsea player with reports suggesting the Argentina international will sign imminently with the Premier League club.
Transfer talk around the 22-year-old intensified while he helped Argentina to glory in Qatar, winning the FIFA World Cup Young Player Award.
Liverpool have also shown interest in the former River Plate player, who is in his first season in Europe after joining Benfica from the Argentine club in the summer.
What's the current state of play and how likely is Fernandez to be a Premier League player in February? Here's what we know.
Enzo Fernandez is set to be unveiled as a Chelsea player before transfer deadline, according to reports from several sources.
According to Sky Sports, the Argentina international is currently undergoing a medical with Blues staff and is set to board a flight to London for the official announcement shortly, with the transfer fee paid to Benfica set to be the player's £105 million release clause.
Chelsea and the Portuguese club are racing to make sure the deal is confirmed before the 11pm deadline but Fernandez will arrive in London shortly for the official formalities, reports Fabrizio Romano.
Earlier, Chelsea bid £105.6m ($130.7m) for Fernandez on January 30, hours after stories emerged that the Blues had re-entered negotiations for him.
The figure is significant because it matches the release clause in his contract. Benfica head coach Roger Schmidt accused the frontrunners for his signature of trying to sway Fernandez and being disrespectful towards his club at the start of this month, although he did not directly name Chelsea as his suitors.
According to transfer journalist Graeme Bailey, Chelsea have now agreed a £115m British record fee for Fernandez.
Despite his release clause being set at £105m, they have agreed to pay more in instalments to Benfica in order to secure his signature now.
On January 31, with around six hours to go until the deadline passes, The Athletic's David Ornstein claimed there's "heightened optimism" a deal can be struck and Benfica have sanctioned a medical to take place in Portugal.
The biggest spenders in the Premier League this season are said to have irritated Benfica by previously offering a deal involving payments in instalments or a lower amount including the loans of David Datro Fofana, Andrey Santos and Hakim Ziyech in the opposite direction.
"We all know that we have a situation with Enzo, that he has a clause in the contract," Schmidt said, as relayed by transfer reporter Ben Jacobs, who also claimed that Chelsea have been encouraged by Benfica's "engagement" over the potential deal.
"That means if the player wants to and there is a club who pays this amount of money, you cannot stop that. At this moment, he is our player and there is no deal.
“We will see what happens in the next two days. He is a great person and player. As long as the transfer window is open, you always have to expect that something can happen… we know how football business is. I can't say anymore.”
A spate of injuries in midfield led to Liverpool being strongly linked with Fernandez at the start of the 2022/23 season.
The Reds are expected to overhaul their midfield at the end of what has been an underwhelming season for head coach Jurgen Klopp's side so far, with reports suggesting they held talks over Fernandez before Chelsea's latest attempt to sign him.
Should Chelsea's move to sign him this month through fall, it seems likely that he would be back in Liverpool's sights in the summer.
Klopp dodged discussing Fernandez directly when he was asked about him in September by merely affirming that Liverpool are looking to strengthen when suitable players are available.
Manchester United were also said to have an interest in Fernandez, while Wolves reportedly made a move for him while he was at River Plate.
Jacobs has said that Chelsea, Liverpool and Real Madrid will be involved in an "open race" for Fernandez in the summer unless there is a "dramatic" development in January of the kind that Chelsea appear to have now initiated.
Chelsea could turn their interest to Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo if they cannot complete the deal.
Ecuador prodigy Caicedo has been told to stay away from Brighton training until the transfer window has closed amid uncertainty over his future.
The 21-year issued a statement on Friday voicing his desire to leave the club following an unsuccessful bid for him by Arsenal, who have since had a second offer of £70m ($86.6m) plus add-ons rejected.
Fernandez only signed his five-year contract with the Portuguese club in July but could already be on the move.
He will earn around 10 million euros a season as part of a contract until 2030 if he moves to Stamford Bridge, according to reporter Nico Schira.
Credit: https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/soccer/news/enzo-fernandez-transfer-news-chelsea-benfica-fee-price/ynl7nwwnic1g4yp7zgmmkxzl
Chelsea appear to be ready to go back in for Benfica's World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez before Tuesday's deadline; having been rebuffed in their latest attempts to sign Moises Caicedo, will Arsenal table an improved offer to Brighton?
We are into the final hours of the January transfer window, so which deals will emerge out of nowhere and which saga will finally be put to bed between now and 11pm on Tuesday night?
Premier League clubs at both ends of the table will be scrambling for some last-minute business to ensure their chances of success and survival are enhanced for the second half of the campaign.
Sky Sports runs through the transfers that could still happen in the final 24 hours.
Chelsea are close to agreeing a deal for Benfica's Enzo Fernandez after making a £105.6m bid - the same value as the midfielder's release clause.
Todd Boehly's Blues want to structure that release clause fee in instalments, as paying in one go has Financial Fair Play and tax implications.
Chelsea have been in talks to sign the Argentina World Cup winner throughout this month but Benfica had refused to do business unless the Blues pay the €120m (£105.6m) release clause.
Chelsea had offered players on loan and on permanent deals but the Portuguese side refused to accept anything except the release clause figure.
The midfielder has once again told Benfica that he wants to join Chelsea. If Fernandez does move to Stamford Bridge, he would surpass the £100m Manchester City paid for Jack Grealish from Aston Villa 18 months ago, making him the most expensive Premier League signing ever.
Chelsea have also tried to sign Brighton's Moises Caicedo and Everton's Amadou Onana this month to help bolster their midfield options. The west London club also have a number of players that could leave before the deadline including Hakim Ziyech.
Either Conor Gallaher or Ruben Loftus Cheek could also go if Enzo comes in.
Arsenal remain in the market to strengthen in the remaining hours of the window. Midfield is the primary focus after seeing two bids rejected by Brighton for Moises Caicedo, the latest totalling £70m.
The feeling is Brighton would have to change their stance for Arsenal to even consider going back in for the player.
Mikel Arteta's side had their initial £60m offer for Caicedo rejected, which prompted the Ecuador international to plead with Brighton to let him leave and join the Premier League leaders in a statement on social media.
Thomas Partey went off with a rib injury in the FA Cup defeat at Manchester City. But it's thought the problem is not a serious one and it's hoped he will be back soon.
Still no confirmation on how long Mohamed Elneny's knee injury will keep him out.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta wants to add to his squad before the end of the window - but is satisfied with his existing options if nothing was to materialise.
Arsenal have always maintained they will only go in to the market if the right player becomes available at the right price.
As it stands, there have been no official offers for Real Vallodolid right-back Ivan Fresneda. Representatives of the player have been approached by 10 top European clubs about a potential deal.
It is thought Fresneda is open to moving in this window and would be happy to stay on loan at Vallodolid for the rest of the season. It is understood the La Liga club want €15m for the player.
Borussia Dortmund are expected to make a formal offer but Arsenal are considering their next move.
Fresneda wants to go somewhere where he will be given first-team opportunities, but the player wasn't in the squad for Sunday's game against Valencia.
A source has told Sky Sports News he was left out as the club are expecting a number of formal offers before the window closes.
Newcastle scouted him on a number of occasions - but have now agreed a deal with West Ham for Harrison Ashby.
Could Manchester United captain Harry Maguire be on his way out of Old Trafford? The England centre-back is being monitored by Inter Milan, who are set to lose Milan Skriniar when his contract expires at the end of the season.
The club are currently locked in negotiations with Paris Saint-Germain over a last-minute transfer this month in order to recoup a fee - which could pave the way for Maguire's hasty exit as a replacement.
Maguire reiterated his desire to reclaim a regular starting spot in the team's defence after helping his side reach the fifth round of the FA Cup.
The win over Reading was Maguire's first start since the Carabao Cup victory over Charlton on January 10 and he's begun just four Premier League games this season after slipping down the pecking order at Old Trafford.
"I'm 29 years old and I haven't really been in this position in my career," he told ITV. "It's a position I don't want to get used to."
Manchester United forward Anthony Elanga is reportedly in demand.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reports that United have received 10 proposals to take the fringe player on loan this month. One of them is expected to be Everton, who are seeking a replacement for Anthony Gordon following his £45m move to Newcastle.
Sky Sports News reporter Dharmesh Sheth told the Transfer Show late last week: "There has been tentative interest in loan deals away from Old Trafford for the forwards Anthony Elanga and Facundo Pellistri.
"I'm told United would be open to loan offers for them, but only if it suited the club and if it aided the development of the players.
"I'm told the clubs that have come in for these players are not the clubs Manchester United would want them to go to for their development. We've not been given any names for absolute certainty."
Sheffield United forward Iliman Ndiaye has rejected an offer to join Everton, according to L'Equipe. The French newspaper claim Everton have bid €23m (£20.2m) for the Blades attacker, but will Everton come back in with an improved offer?
Southampton have now been agreed a deal of £22m (€25m) plus bonuses to sign Kamaldeen Sulemana from Rennes.
It means it will be a club-record if bonuses are met.
The previous record was the £22m they committed to signing Danny Ings from Liverpool in 2019.
Leicester City haven't given up hope of signing Leeds winger Jack Harrison in the final few hours of this window - but it looks increasingly likely he will stay at Elland Road.
Leicester's priority is to bring in a new CB before the deadline, and they're focussing on a £15m deal for Stoke's Harry Souttar.
Sky Sports News has been told that, with Financial Fair Play restrictions, Leicester would then struggle to pay the £25m Leeds would want for Harrison.
And whilst a loan deal might be an option, it's thought Leeds would be loath to allow Harrison to join a rival at the bottom end of the Premier League table, and Harrison himself is keen to stay at Elland Road.
Whether there is an approach from another Premier League club in the final hours of the window remains to be seen.
Leeds manager Jesse Marsch was asked about the in-demand midfielder after his goal in their FA Cup win at Accrington on Saturday, and said: "All I will say is that I really like Jack.
"Firstly as a person, one of the most incredible people I've ever coached. We like him here, we want to keep him and he's performing really well."
Sander Berge could be on his way out at Sheffield United after reportedly receiving interest from Premier League clubs.
The Norway international was left out of the Blades' squad against Wrexham in the FA Cup on Sunday and manager Paul Heckingbottom revealed post-match he was told to omit the midfielder.
Fulham are said to be one of the interested parties, with other reports suggesting Chelsea and Newcastle are also keen.
The Norwegian is on the shortlist of targets Eddie Howe and the club are considering as replacement for Jonjo Shelvey, who is set to join Nottingham Forest.
There seems to be no end to Nottingham Forest's list of incoming transfers and Steve Cooper's side could make their 25th signing of the season.
Forest added Chris Wood to their ranks earlier in the month, with the striker arriving on loan from Newcastle and Shelvey could be joining him.
Injuries have limited Shelvey's involvement with the high-flying Magpies this season, but he looks likely to swap Newcastle for Nottingham.
Nottingham Forest have hit a snag in their attempt to sign three-time Champions League winning goalkeeper Kaylor Navas from PSG.
Forest were in advanced talks to sign Navas, who was keen on a move to the Premier League having not played a single game in Ligue 1 this season.
But the finances of the deal currently look to be insurmountable from Forest's perspective.
Forest are now turning their attentions to finding another goalkeeper, in the final hours of this window.
Dean Henderson, currently on loan at the City Ground from Manchester United, is out for around a fortnight with a thigh muscle injury, leaving Wayne Hennessey as Forest's only fit, senior keeper.
Sky Sports News has been told that, with deals progressing for Felipe and Jonjo Shelvey, manager Steve Cooper sees signing another keeper as his top priority.
Pedro Porro was flying into London on Monday night and is scheduled to undergo his Tottenham medical on Deadline Day.
The deal is now close to being finalised after a day of intensive talks. There is growing optimism this transfer will be completed before the deadline for a fee in excess of £39m (€45m).
Spurs are believed to be making structured payments. They are also giving up 15 per cent of their sell-on clause for Marcus Edwards.
Sporting Lisbon had been interested in making Hector Bellerin their replacement for Porro, but the former Arsenal defender could yet make the move.
Who will be on the move this winter? The January transfer window closes at 11pm on Tuesday January 31, 2023.
Keep up-to-date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports' digital platforms. You can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News.
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Credit: https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11667/12799009/transfer-deadline-day-january-2023-top-premier-league-transfers-that-could-still-happen-before-window-shuts