Southampton manager Claude Puel is keen to wrap up a deal for former Barcelona and Juventus defender Martin Caceres as quickly as possible.
The 29-year-old Uruguyan, a free agent, is waiting for his work permit to be granted before finalising a contract with the Premier League club.
Caceres will provide cover for Virgil van Dijk, who faces three months on the sidelines with an ankle injury.
Puel provided an update on the situation ahead of Southampton’s match with Sunderland on Saturday.
He said: 'In the next few days we see if he can bring something for the squad and if he signs.
‘He is an international player and his quality and his spirit can be interesting. For the moment the priority is that he can sign for Southampton. But for the moment it’s not the reality.’
Caceres, who won four league titles with Juventus and La Liga with Barcelona, will agree a short-term deal until the end of the season.
But he has not made a competitive appearance since last February after rupturing his Achilles tendon.
Southampton’s defensive crisis threatens to wreck their first cup final in 14 years, and there are growing fears that Virgil van Dijk’s ankle problem could see him miss the remainder of the season.
However, there is hope at St Mary’s that the much-admired defender wants to stay at the club this summer.
Van Dijk is already out of the club’s EFL Cup final clash with Manchester United later this month.
The Dutch international picked up an injury in a clash with Jamie Vardy last month, and has not played since.
The Saints defender remains in a protective boot - set to be removed next week - at which point he will face further assessments from the club’s medical staff, having already seen two specialists.
According to reports in the Daily Mail, Van Dijk believes he is unlikely to play again this term.
That leaves Claude Puel to rely on Mayo Yoshida and Jack Stephens at the heart of his Saints defence, following the January departure of Jose Fonte to West Ham. Incoming Martin Caceres is still some way below full fitness, having not played since last February.
Following Fonte’s departure, Van Dijk was named club captain. And the ex-Celtic man is understood to have done so believing that his appointment was not merely for the remainder of the season.
Van Dijk signed a six-year deal on the south coast last May, and is happy at the club. Since joining from the Scottish champions in 2015 for £10million, he has matured into one of Europe’s finest centre-halves.
Should Southampton receive an offer in excess of £40million, they are likely to cash in and reinvest, as has become the norm on the south coast in recent years with the sales of the likes of Adam Lallana, Nathaniel Clyne and Luke Shaw.
But Van Dijk has no plans to rock the boat in the manner of his former defensive partner, who handed in a transfer request to force a move.
He has a good relationship with Puel, who has helped add a more steely edge to the 25-year-old’s game this season.
The Saints have lost six of their last seven league matches and were also dumped out of the FA Cup by Arsenal, beaten 5-0 on home soil.
They face Sunderland on Saturday and Puel is looking for a reaction.
“The squad is angry with the last results,” he said. "We have to correct this and give a good answer.
“We cannot accept this position and the recent results. It’s not us.”
THE Premier League is one of the biggest sporting competitions in the world, but which club lures in the most supporters?
“Liverpool and Manchester United are both currently outside the top four, but how many fans are they bringing in?”
Chelsea are leading the way this season with a nine-point gap over London rivals Tottenham.
The two most historically successful clubs in England - Liverpool and Manchester United - are both currently outside the top four- but how many fans are they bringing in?
WHICH referee will take charge of your side’s Premier League match in gameweek 25?
There are some exciting matches to be played this weekend, with Liverpool facing Tottenham at Anfield and Chelsea travelling to Turf Moor to face Burnley.
But which official will be handed the whistle for your favourite side’s game this weekend?
CLAUDE Puel and his Saints squad are on the brink of equalling an unwanted club record.
Saints have slumped to six defeats in their last seven Premier League games, taking only three points out a possible 21.
And that was courtesy of a 3-0 win over struggling champions Leicester, who have yet to score a league goal in 2017.
Now Saints will equal the club’s top flight record of seven losses in eight games if they are beaten by bottom club Sunderland tomorrow.
Saints have only twice embarked on a worse losing run in the top flight in their history than their current spell.
At the start of 1998/99 Dave Jones’ side lost seven of their first eight matches, drawing the other one. Despite that, Saints still avoided relegation in what is famously remembered as the ‘Great Escape’ campaign.
Ted Bates’ Saints also lost seven games in an eight-match spell in 1971/72.
Infamous That run started with a New Year’s Day loss to Coventry and included the infamous 7-0 drubbing at Elland Road which was featured on Match of the Day.
Saints’ only points in that eight-game run was a 4-1 home victory over Nottingham Forest, who ended up relegated.
Lawrie McMenemy’s Saints also lost six games out of seven in the first half of the 1979/80 campaign.
Strangely, their only win in that period was ALSO a 4-1 Dell victory over Nottingham Forest!
This was a far better win than in 1972, though - for Brian Clough’s visitors were the reigning European champions.
Puel, meanwhile, is not the first Saints boss in recent times to suffer a poor losing run.
Only last season, Ronald Koeman lost six games in an eight-match stretch from late November through to early January.
Saints only picked up four points out of 24 in that time - via a stunning 4-0 St Mary’s thrashing of Arsenal and a dire 1-1 home draw with rock bottom Aston Villa.
Koeman and co ended their losing streak by winning five of their next six games, and didn’t concede a single goal in the process.
How Puel could do with a similar upturn in fortunes - starting at the Stadium of Light tomorrow.
Liverpool still haven’t won a league game in 2017. They host rivals Tottenham on Saturday evening with both sides still hoping for a slip-up from Chelsea in their pursuit of the title.
Elsewhere, there’s a monster of a game at the Liberty, with Leicester facing Swansea as their relegation battle takes another twist. The champions are in danger of going down, just one point off the bottom three ahead of the weekend, and could even start the game in the relegation zone if results go against them on Saturday.
Predict that and the rest of the action in our match polls …
LIVERPOOL: Despite a growing difference between the two teams’ current form, Liverpool do still give the bigger clubs a run for their money and games between the two have been very close during recent seasons. The Reds will unsettle Spurs at first but will inevitably be pegged back.
Prediction: Liverpool 1-1 Tottenham – Dave Usher
TOTTENHAM: Though Liverpool have all the hallmarks of a team suffering a crisis of confidence, having not won a game all year, Spurs don’t go to Anfield in the best of shape themselves. Injuries have limited their options and Tottenham have struggled to make their advantage count in their past two games against relegation strugglers Sunderland and Middlesbrough.
Prediction: Liverpool 1-1 Tottenham – John Crace
SWANSEA: The spectre of relegation had already passed from Swansea to Leicester even before Sunday’s game. The reigning champions are in freefall, scoreless in four, while Swansea are firmly marching onwards and upwards. This six-pointer should only go one way.
Prediction: Swansea 2-0 Leicester – Max Hicks
LEICESTER: A trip to Swansea is arguably bigger than the round of 16 Champions League tie against Sevilla. Leicester must end their away hoodoo and in doing so alleviate their relegation fears. Defeat, however, could make the decision to offer Claudio Ranieri “unwavering support” look a little foolish. Riyad Mahrez scored a hat trick the last time the sides met at the Liberty and if he gets motoring again Leicester will win.
Prediction: Swansea 0-2 Leicester – Ben Jacobs
BURNLEY: Fortress Turf Moor welcomes the champions-elect this weekend and it would be asking a lot for Burnley’s five-game home winning streak to continue. Chelsea look unstoppable and Burnley’s defence is unlikely to be able to cope, although Sean Dyche’s side can get on the scoresheet and keep the result respectable.
Prediction: Burnley 1-3 Chelsea – Jamie Smith
CHELSEA: Chelsea can expect a tough battle at Turf Moor against a Burnley side that have consistently proved themselves to be stubborn opposition at home. If Eden Hazard retains the motivation he displayed against Arsenal last weekend, the Belgium international could again prove to be the Blues’ match winner – possibly from the penalty spot as he is certain to be the attention of some overzealous defending.
Prediction: Burnley 0-2 Chelsea – Mark Worrall
ARSENAL: Arsenal are deep into their annual crisis and a rapidly improving Hull, with victories over Liverpool and Manchester United in their past four games, are capable of darkening the gloom. Still, a third consecutive loss should be avoided.
Prediction: Arsenal 2-2 Hull – Tom Adams
HULL CITY: What a difference a month has made under Marco Silva. Hull City are no longer the relegation fodder they looked to be under Mike Phelan and the four points taken from Manchester United and Liverpool ensure confidence has never been higher as they head to the Emirates. Arsenal are hardly flying in the Premier League so Silva and his players will fancy another upset.
Prediction: Arsenal 1-1 Hull – Phil Buckingham
BOURNEMOUTH: Eddie Howe’s side have been terrible lately and despite being at home, taking points off Pep Guardiola’s men is very unlikely. Josh King’s form should help supply some optimism heading into the game but Bournemouth need more than just him on form to claim a positive result.
Prediction: Bournemouth 1-3 Manchester City – Will Kent
MAN CITY: Fresh from a 6-3 drubbing at Goodison Park, Bournemouth face a City side gaining momentum. Despite dreadful current form, the south coast club recorded memorable games with Liverpool (4-3) and Arsenal (3-3) at their tight Vitality Stadium in December and January. City must be wary of being dragged unwittingly into similarly anarchic circumstances.
Prediction: Bournemouth 1-3 Manchester City – Simon Curtis
MAN UNITED: On the back of a convincing 3-0 win against Leicester, Manchester United will be looking to improve their chances of finishing in the top four with a win over Watford. Having trialled a new formation, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan taking control of United’s attack from a more central position, they look in good shape to claim victory.
Prediction: Manchester United 3-1 Watford – Scott Patterson
WATFORD: Watford beat United in a memorable encounter at Vicarage Road this season, but despite a recent upturn in form a repeat result seems unlikely. The Hornets’ injury backlog is finally clearing and the impressive trio of January signings (Tom Cleverley, Mauro Zarate and M’Baye Niang) are all likely to feature at Old Trafford, but with Mourinho’s men in fine form, this represents an enormous challenge.
Prediction: Manchester United 3-1 Watford – Mike Parkin
MIDDLESBROUGH: Could the recent 1-0 defeat at Spurs be Boro’s turning point? The last 10 minutes saw them testing the opposition while maintaining their defensive cool. Romelu Lukaku is flying but maybe Boro will have enough to keep him at bay.
Prediction: Middlesbrough 2-1 Everton – Catherine Wilson
EVERTON: Unbeaten in seven league games, their best run of the season, Everton travel to Middlesbrough in great shape after putting six past Bournemouth last time out. Eyeing the top 6, three points against a newly promoted team are imperative if this recent revival is to eventually amount to anything.
Prediction: Middlesbrough 1-3 Everton – Luke O’Farrell
SUNDERLAND: Sunderland go into the last third of the season needing to maintain the form of the past two games which saw them thwart Tottenham’s ambitions and drag Crystal Palace right into the relegation scrap. They now face a Southampton side who have hit a sticky patch and who may well be looking over their shoulders at the bottom six. A home win is essential for David Moyes and the 40,000-plus who will be supporting the Wearsiders.
Prediction: Sunderland 2-1 Southampton – Pete Sixsmith
SOUTHAMPTON: Southampton are short on confidence after a run of three straight defeats and the continued absence of injured captain Virgil van Dijk has hit them hard at the back. Whether a patched-up defence can stop Jermain Defoe adding to his 14 goals for the season is the key.
Prediction: Sunderland 2-1 Southampton – Alex Crook
WEST HAM: The Hammers and the Baggies surprisingly find themselves tussling for leadership in the Premier League’s mini league outside the top seven. Slaven Bilic’s men are confident and playing well enough to close the gap to two points.
Prediction: West Ham 2-0 West Brom – Peter Thorne
WEST BROM: The Baggies make their first trip to the London Stadium this weekend to face a rejuvenated West Ham. The big pitch may actually play into West Brom’s hands with the way they’ve counterattacked in recent matches, so Matt Phillips and Nacer Chadli could have big parts to play.
Prediction: West Ham 2-2 West Brom – Matthew Evans
STOKE: While there is no such thing as an easy game, Mark Hughes would be foolish not to be targeting all three points and a return to the top half of the league against freefalling Crystal Palace. New boy Saido Berahino will be glad of the chance to make some positive headlines with his first goal(s) for the Potters in what will hopefully be a comfortable win.
Prediction: Stoke 2-0 Crystal Palace – James Whittaker
CRYSTAL PALACE: While Crystal Palace’s players will have learned from the shock of the 4-0 defeat to Sunderland, that susceptibility to conceding is still a major risk. A clean sheet is unlikely and while that is the case, so is a win.
Prediction: Stoke 2-1 Crystal Palace – Rob Sutherland
Manchester United, sixth since October, can finally move positions this weekend but will need to get past a resurgent Watford to do so, while ever-improving Hull travel to Arsenal on a high after last week’s 2-0 win against Liverpool.
How will the games go this time around? Vote in the polls and have your say in the comments.
Follow @ESPNFC on Twitter to keep up with the latest football updates.
FORMER Saints defender Steven Caulker’s surprise move to Lokomotiv Moscow is looking increasingly unlikely.
The 25-year-old centre-back has struggled to make an impact at Queens Park Rangers since making an £8m move from Cardiff in 2014, spending time on loan at Saints and Liverpool last term.
Caulker has made 14 appearances for QPR this season but has been in talks with Lokomotiv Moscow about a shock move to Russia.
Lokomotiv jumped the gun with several posts on social media suggesting the deal was close to completion last week but yesterday posted a Twitter video suggesting the move was ‘cancelled’.
It is understood a deal is tentatively still being discussed, although a departure is now looking increasingly unlikely.
Caulker, who has made one senior appearance for England, has not played for QPR on October 28 due to a hip injury.
Brought in on loan by Ronald Koeman in the summer of 2015, Caulker only made six starts for Saints - three of which were in the Europa League.
His last appearance was in the dismal 6-1 home thrashing by Liverpool in the quarter final of the League Cup.
Despite his poor performance that night, Reds boss Jurgen Klopp swooped in the January transfer window to take the player to Anfield on loan.
Caulker proceeded to make three sub appearances in the league, as well as one FA Cup start.
| Preview: Sunderland vs Southampton | Following on from six defeats in our last seven fixtures, this would normally be the perfect time for any team to … 10-02-2017 |
PAUL MERSON has put his neck on the line and called the results of every Premier League match this weekend.
The former Arsenal and Aston Villa star is known for his outspoken opinions, and he doesn’t shy away from a score prediction either - revealing his thoughts to Sky Sports.
It’s a big weekend in the top flight with Liverpool v Tottenham the standout fixture, taking place at 5.30pm on Saturday.
CLICK THROUGH THE GALLERY ABOVE TO SEE MERSON’S PREDICTIONS FOR EVERY GAME.
Sunderland striker Jermain Defoe is refusing to allow speculation over his future to distract him from the business of scoring precious goals for the Black Cats.
Former club West Ham had a £6million bid for the 34-year-old rejected early last month, leaving Sunderland fans worrying for the rest of the transfer window over whether he would remain at the Stadium of Light.
However, Defoe just carried on doing what he has done throughout his two years on Wearside and, since the turn of the year, has added five goals in as many Premier League games to the nine he scored during the first half of the campaign.
With 14 to his name already, therefore, he has scored more in the league than Saints’ four frontline forwards - Charlie Austin, Jay Rodriguez, Shane Long and Manolo Gabbiadini - put together.
Ahead of Saints’ crucial visit to the Stadium of Light tomorrow, Defoe said: “I’m totally focused on scoring goals, I’m totally focused on helping this football club stay in the Premier League.
“For me, that’s the best way to approach it so I’m not distracted. I’ll just keep my head down and work hard.
“Even with the speculation about West Ham, it’s always nice when you’re wanted.
“But at the end of the day, I’ve been a part of this game for a long time and that’s part and parcel of it now, so it was easy for me to see it and just think, ‘Okay, that’s nice people want me, but I’ve got to be focused on Sunderland’.”
Defoe’s prowess in front of goal has given manager David Moyes fresh hope that the Black Cats can get themselves out of relegation trouble once again, and the double he claimed in last Saturday’s stunning 4-0 victory at Crystal Palace helped to raise spirits significantly.
He has carried the burden of providing the bulk of the goals ever since his arrival from Toronto in January 2015, but it is one which does not weigh heavily on his shoulders.
“It’s a lot of pressure, but it’s not something I really think about,” Defoe said. “It’s not something that gets to me.
“I think I quite enjoy it, if I’m being totally honest. I realise how important the goals are, so I totally dedicate myself to preparing in the correct way so I’m ready to go.”
Defoe has scored against Saints in each of the last two seasons at St Mary’s - each time helping Sunderland to a 1-1 draw.
Saints might be favourites with the bookies to beat Sunderland tomorrow.
But nothing can be taken for granted with a team on a run of just one win and six losses in their last seven league matches.
188BET offer Saints at Evens for the three points whilst Sunderland, buoyed by their recent thumping of Crystal Palace, will be dangerous despite their outside odds of 3/1. A stalemate at 5/2 can’t be dismissed in this one.
With the exception of THAT 8-0 victory two seasons ago, there has not been more than one goal separating these two sides in any other of their last 12 meetings.
There have been four 1-0 scores in that time, which is 6/1 to fall in Saints’ favour in this one, and four 1-1 draws which is 28/5 to happen again.
A Saints win by a one goal margin is 13/5.
That said, when Saints do win on the road it is often emphatically.
Both of their away wins in the league this season has seen them score three goals.
A visiting win with more than two goals in the game is 9/4 and a three-goal winning margin for Claude Puel’s team is 10/1.
Manolo Gabbiadini marked his debut with a cracker last week and is 6/4 to score again in this one.
The Italian is also 9/2 for the first goal whilst Jay Rodriguez, who scored Saints’ goal when the two teams met in August, is 9/5 to score at any time.
For Sunderland it is no secret that stopping the evergreen Jermain Defoe goes a long way to cancelling out their goal threat.
The former England striker is 17/10 to score in this one.
Echo readers, bet £10 and receive a £30 free bet to use on any sports market. Terms apply. Visit 188bet.co.uk for full details.
Big-money moves for Memphis Depay, Julian Draxler and Dimitri Payet combined to take spending by French clubs to a record £150million in the January transfer window.
And for the first time, that was more than Premier League clubs splashed out - despite a handful of big money moves in England such as Saints signing £14m Napoli striker Manolo Gabbiadini.
According to a FIFA Transfer Matching System study of cross-border deals this winter, Europe’s big five leagues accounted for two thirds of the global spend of £683.4million on international moves in January, with France leading the way and England second.
Of the more than 3,000 international transfers, involving 161 countries, only one in seven involved a transfer fee.
French clubs, however, shelled out more in January than they spent last summer, with Paris St Germain investing £56million in German midfielder Draxler and Portuguese winger Goncalo Guedes.
Payet’s contentious move from West Ham to Marseille and Depay’s escape from Manchester United to Lyon added another £36million to the French total and also helped English clubs bring in almost £134m, virtually off-setting the £135million spent in deals such as Wilfred Ndidi to Leicester and Gabbiadini to Saints
English clubs did make more transfers - 146 in and 151 out - than their rivals abroad, although Spanish clubs signed 127 players from abroad, while sending only 65 across the border.
German clubs spent the third highest total in January, with Spain fourth and Italy fifth, with Italian clubs recording a net profit of £38.5million.
The data only deals with cross-border transfers, with England remaining the biggest-spending nation in the window when domestic transfers were included.
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