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The Premier League has announced its shortlist for the August Player of the Month award, and for Liverpool fans there can only be one winner.

The Reds have started the season in fine form with four wins from four but despite that the only player to be nominated is Roberto Firmino, who has scored two and assisted two in those matches.

Title rivals Manchester City have three players up for the award in Sergio Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne and former Liverpool player Raheem Sterling, whom the Anfield faithful probably want to win the least.

Others listed include Ashley Barnes and Premier League newcomer Teemu Pukki, who has scored five goals for the Canaries.

Firmino has never won the Premier Player of the Month award and in fact, it has only been won by a Brazilian on four occasions since its inception at the beginning of the 1994/95 season.

However, Liverpool fans think it’s time for that to change, and as shown in the reactions below they believe their No.9 is a deserving winner.

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Everyone has those moments of football commentary that stick in their mind forever.For Manchester City fans, it’s Martin Tyler screeching Sergio Aguero’s name as the Argentine wheeled away from QPR’s goal swinging his shirt around like a lunatic.For Liverpool fans, it’s club commentator Steve Hunter’s depiction of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s genius corner that set up Divock Origi’s winning goal in last year’s Champions League semi-final.And Rangers fans have got plenty of those moments to reflect on too, but this latest one might just take the cake.

Tom Miller and Andy Little’s reaction to Alfredo Morelos’ dramatic stoppage-time winner against Legia Warsaw is sure to stir the emotions of every Ger on the planet.

No sooner had Miller uttered the first syllable of the Colombian’s name was Little screaming at the top of his lungs over his co-commentator.

Little then proceeded to belt out a series of bizarre celebratory noises as Miller tried his utmost best to remain professional and describe the goal, and we don’t think anyone who was watching Rangers TV on Thursday night will forget this one in a hurry.

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Despite having a healthy number of central-midfielders in their current squad including the likes of Naby Keita, Thiago Alcantara, James Milner, Jordan Henderson, Curtis Jones and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, it seems as though Liverpool have their eye on securing a new midfield star to add to their ranks in the near future.

What’s the latest?

It has been recently reported by Spanish media outlet El Nacional that Liverpool are weighing up a €25m bid (£21.1m) for AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie, who was once described as “devastating” by former Milan striker Antonio Cassano.

Milan originally signed Kessie on a loan deal from fellow Italian side Atalanta back in the 2017 summer transfer window before securing him on a permanent deal in the 2019 summer window.

Wijnaldum replacement?

Overall, the 24-year-old, who is currently valued at £49.5m according to Transfermarkt, has made a total of 191 appearances for the club in which he has managed to score 30 goals and provide 15 assists along the way.

So far this season, Kessie has played in all but two of Milan’s games across all competitions, including playing 90 minutes in the 3-2 defeat against Liverpool in the Champions League.

In terms of a potential move to Liverpool, we feel that Kessie could provide Jurgen Klopp with a suitable replacement for Georginio Wijnaldum who left the club on a free transfer in the summer.

Given how the midfielder has managed to rack up a passing accuracy percentage of 91.3% in Serie A so far this season, it shows striking similarities with the Reds’ former Dutchman who completed a percentage of 92.7% last season in the Premier League, a tally that was higher than any other Reds player.

A review from Vincenzo Montella, his former manager, also paints him with vibrancy. He once dubbed the Milan star “an extraordinary player” with “sublime intelligence.” That last passage certainly resembles Wijnaldum in some regard.

Considering the age of some of Liverpool’s midfield options such as Thiago (30), Milner (35) and Henderson (31), Kessie could well be a good long-term midfield option for the Reds, especially if they manage to sign him for the fee mentioned in the report.

However, with Kessie’s current contract at the Italian club set to expire at next summer, perhaps Liverpool could be better off potentially signing him on a free transfer then instead of having to pay a fee for him if he doesn’t sign a new deal at Milan.

In other news: Liverpool could secure next Mane with move for £23.4m-rated “diamond in the rough” – opinion

Everton are set to receive a big injury boost ahead of their Premier League encounter with West Ham United following the international break.

What’s the word?

Toffees manager Rafael Benitez has confirmed he’s hopeful that multiple players will be available to return from injury after the current pause in Premier League action.

Although Everton have made a fast start under their new boss, the Spanish tactician was unable to call upon the services of Seamus Coleman, Andre Gomes, Fabian Delph, Alex Iwobi, Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin for the draw against Manchester United last time out.

And while Benitez hasn’t given any specific information about when his injured stars will be ready to return, he does expect to have a stronger squad for his side’s game against the Hammers at Goodison Park a week on Sunday.

“Hopefully, we can rest some players (during the international break). We can recover some players who are a little bit tired – and then the others, if we have one or two coming back, we will be grateful, because we need legs,” the 61-year-old said (as relayed by the Liverpool ECHO).

“I am really pleased with the players we have at the moment, but if you have two or three players that will come back and help the others, then hopefully, it will be very useful for the team.”

Benitez will be delighted

Benitez’s arrival at Everton over the summer was a controversial one given his previous history with local rivals Liverpool, but the Champions League-winning manager is quickly winning over the fanbase.

A healthy total of 14 points from their opening seven top-flight fixtures has left the Toffees in fifth position at this moment in time, sparking genuine hope of a European push.

The fact they’ve managed to achieve that despite having a number of their star players on the treatment table, therefore, is quite incredible. They haven’t missed the goals of Calvert-Lewin who had netted three times in his opening three outings with Andros Townsend and Demarai Gray hitting the ground running so well in Merseyside.

Gray has four goal involvements to his name while Townsend has five strikes and three assists in ten outings.

Therefore, if you combine that sort of form with returning players like Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison, the Toffees should become even better in the weeks to come.

Benitez will no doubt be delighted that several of his injured players are nearing a return to full fitness as the visit of West Ham will be a tough test for his threadbare charges.

And, in other news…Bought for £26m, left for £0: Everton endured transfer nightmare over 32 y/o flop 

Sunderland are set to sanction the temporary departure of Anthony Patterson from the Stadium of Light.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Alan Nixon, with The Sun journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that Notts County are closing in on a move for the 21-year-old goalkeeper, who looks set to join the National League side on a season-long loan deal.

In his tweet, Nixon said: “Notts County. Signing keeper Patterson from Sunderland on loan.”

Good news for Sunderland

It is undeniable that Patterson is a goalkeeper who boasts plenty of potential, but with Lee Johnson signing Bayern Munich’s Ron-Thorben Hoffmann in the summer transfer window, as well as already having Lee Burge in his ranks, loaning out the 21-year-old would appear to be a smart move by the Black Cats.

Indeed, Patterson impressed over his two League One appearances so far this season, with the youngster keeping one clean sheet, conceding one goal and making four saves.

These returns saw the £600-per-week ‘keeper average a SofaScore match rating of 6.95, ranking the 21-year-old as the Black Cats’ eighth-best performer in the third tier of English football – albeit with a limited sample size of fixtures.

The player who Johnson himself dubbed an “excellent” talent also turned in impressive displays in each of his two appearances in the Carabao Cup, averaging a SofaScore match rating of 7.05 in the competition.

As such, it is clear that Patterson is a goalkeeper who has the ability to one day become the Mackems’ first choice in the position. However, with both Hoffmann and Burge ahead of the 21-year-old in the pecking order, a loan move to a club where he will more than likely receive ample game-time this season is certainly the most beneficial decision for his development as a player, and should duly be good news for the future of the club.

In other news: Johnson drops injury update on “outstanding” 20 y/o, Sunderland fans will be buzzing

Miguel Almiron may now miss Newcastle United’s away game at Manchester United in the Premier League on Saturday 11th September, says Lee Ryder.

The Lowdown: Premier League statement

In a statement released on the official website of the Premier League last month, the top flight decided not to release players for international games that are due to take place in red-list countries.

This includes Almiron, who was due to play for Paraguay in crunch FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela.

The Latest: Ryder drops Almiron concern

Writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, Ryder has now said that Almiron could be banned from playing against the Red Devils at Old Trafford.

This is because Paraguay has complained and asked for those held back not to be able to appear in the first matches after the international break.

The St. James’ Park faithful may be hit by action from FIFA, as they can ban players from taking part in the first games in the Premier League, and impose a five-day rule on them.

The Verdict: Big blow

It certainly would be a blow if the Toon cannot play Almiron against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.

Dubbed ‘magnificent’ by Alan Shearer after a very impressive performance in a 3-2 home win over Southampton in the top flight back in February, he has certainly been a key player over the last few seasons for the Tyneside outfit, scoring 13 goals and making a further five assists in 95 appearances in total over all competitions (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, if an away game against the Red Devils was not difficult enough already, Cristiano Ronaldo is likely to make his second debut for them, and so the Magpies need all of the firepower that they can get in order to try and dig out a result.

Losing out on Almiron’s counter attacking pace and ability to carry the ball forward or draw fouls will be a huge hit to Steve Bruce’s gameplan.

In other news, find out which ‘excellent’ Premier League ace NUFC discussed signing here!

Football Insider pundit Gabby Agbonlahor has tipped Odsonne Edouard to stay at Celtic past next week’s transfer deadline.

The Lowdown: Palace interest, Romano reveal

Edouard, on £988,000-a-year in Scotland, has reportedly been working on a Parkhead exit since July after his move to Leicester City fell through.

Fabrizio Romano was one of the first to share details of the 23-year-old’s move to the King Power collapsing, and the transfer expert recently responded to links of a switch to Crystal Palace.

The Eagles were thought to be weighing up a move for Edouard, however, Romano labelled that as ‘fake’.

The Latest: Agbonlahor’s claim

Following the updates with Edouard, Football Insider asked Agbonlahor if he thinks the French forward will be a Hoops player on September 1 following the deadline.

Here’s what the 34-year-old had to say in reply, believing there’s ‘a great chance’ he’ll stay in Glasgow.

“I think he might.

“He’s got a great chance of staying now with it being so close to the end of the window. Clubs may have already done all of their business and might not look at him.

“I don’t think he will mind, he’ll think to himself ‘Have a good season at Celtic and maybe I can get a better move on a free transfer’.

“When you’ve got a year left you’re not worried either way. If it’s not this summer, it will be next summer.”

The Verdict: Sell

With Celtic now appearing to be the frontrunners to sign VVV-Venlo striker Georgios Giakoumakis, parting ways with Edouard should be on Dominic McKay’s agenda over the next seven days.

Edouard is into the final 12 months of his Celtic contract, so the current window could be the last chance the Hoops have to receive a decent fee for a player, as he could sign pre-contract terms elsewhere in the New Year.

Celtic shouldn’t let it get to that point, especially if they sign Giakoumakis, but they’ll need to find a buyer relatively quickly who are happy to meet the Hoops’ demands.

In other news: 3 more: Reliable reporters share Postecoglou’s Celtic requests to McKay for the next seven days. 

The Express and Star reporter Luke Hatfield told The Transfer Tavern that Carlos Vinicius would be an interesting signing for Wolves.

The Brazilian striker spent last season on loan at Tottenham having been signed by Jose Mourinho, but managed just one Premier League goal, although he played just 303 minutes in the league.

But in the Europa League and domestic cups, Vinicius proved himself as a lethal goalscorer, netting nine goals in just 670 minutes outside of the Premier League, including one hat-trick and two braces.

However, with Heung-min Son and Harry Kane at the peak of their powers, Vinicius was an unused substitute on 17 times last season, which all but ended any chance of Tottenham activating his buy-out clause.

Just a matter of months down the line, however, according to the Mirror, Wolves, who’re short of options up front, could turn to the £16.2m-rated striker.

Vinicius scored 24 goals under the guidance of Wolves boss Bruno Lage when the pair were together at Benfica in 2019-2020.

“He would be an interesting player were Wolves to sign him,” Hatfield told The Transfer Tavern. 

“He didn’t get a fair crack at the whip at Spurs, it was always going to be tough playing back-up to Harry Kane because he’s always going to want to play week in week out and you’ll only see limited opportunities.

“But he showed enough to attract interest of Premier League clubs, so he’d be an interesting signing for Wolves.”

Many Southampton fans do not want the club to sign Nathaniel Phillips from Liverpool this summer after they were linked with a move for the centre-back.

The Saints will kick off their Premier League season against Everton at St Mary’s on Saturday. Ralph Hasenhuttl and co will be looking to improve on their 15th-placed finish from last term and they will be hoping that the three signings they have made will provide a boost.

According to The Athletic, the Saints are interested in signing Phillips from the Reds and have made contact with the Merseyside club. As Jurgen Klopp’s side were hit with several defensive injuries last season, Phillips ended up making 20 appearances in all competitions (Transfermarkt) – the Anfield outfit are now said to be looking for between £12m and £15m to part with the 24-year-old, who had played just once for their first team prior to 2020/21.

The news was shared on Twitter by @SaintsExtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts, with many unconvinced by Phillips, perhaps given his relative inexperience at 24.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about the Phillips link

“Relegate us now”

Credit: @IsaacPollard12

“Pain”

Credit: @PieterJCL

“Please no and please no to Sorloth”

Credit: @jamesalexwhite7

“Another duffer. The links to the PSV kid and Tammy A just sound like pandering to the fans with little chance of them coming off. Another disappointing pre season”

Credit: @Stumando28

“I’d be livid if we spent anything more than £5m. I don’t rate him at all. Would be a waste of money”

Credit: @SFCMart

“Things just get worse at this club day by day”

Credit: @SaintLiam02

In other news, Southampton want to sign this Ligue 1 defender.

Wolves winger Adama Traore will probably cost £35-40m this summer, journalist Luke Hatfield has told Football FanCast.

Traore has been heavily linked with a move away from Molineux, with Chelsea thought to be one team currently circling.

According to The Athletic, the west London club have an interest in the 25-year-old, who could give Thomas Tuchel the kind of attacking threat down the right flank he is looking for.

Traore has just two years left on his contract, so this could be Wolves’ last opportunity to make good money off of the Spaniard.

When asked by FFC how much Wolves could sell him for, Hatfield of the Express & Star said:

“His contract makes it murky, doesn’t it? I’d say probably a similar amount to [Ruben] Neves, 35, maybe £40m.

“He’s a young player, so he can still improve. But the contract situation, as I said, makes it murky.”

It is not the £80m price tag that has floated around in the past, but selling Traore for half of that would still be good business from a financial point of view.

Wolves signed Traore for £18m from Middlesbrough back in 2018 after meeting a release clause in his contract, so the Midlands club would still obviously be making a profit.