Naby Keita was one of the names that frequently popped up during Liverpool’s transfer window in the summer.Initially it seemed that a deal was dead in the water, but eventually an agreement was made for the midfielder to sign for the Reds from RB Leipzig before the start of the 2018-19 season.All parties were content with the arrangement, but it appears that there has been a shift due to the recent departure of Philippe Coutinho.The Brazilian joined Barcelona last week in aÂreported £142m deal, making him the third most expensive signing in history.According to theÂLiverpool Echo, Coutinho’s exit has sparked Anfield bosses into enquiring about the possibility of accelerating Keita’s move.It is believed that the Merseyside outfit are willing to pay a premium on top of the £55m already agreed to speed up the process.However, Leipzig are reportedly not prepared to let go of the box-to-box midfielder before the end of the season.This latest news has got Liverpool fans talking on Twitter.
Not long ago, it appeared English football had reverted back to the dark ages, with no light at the end of the tunnel.
Perhaps such a condemnation was rather premature, considering the Three Lions comfortably qualified for the World Cup in Brazil, albeit in a rather laboured and uninspiring fashion.
But more than simply FIFA rankings and our place at the world’s greatest footballing spectacle at stake, the slow but steady decline of the national team, the unfulfilled potential of our supposed golden generation, epitomised concerns about the manner in which we view, teach and train football in England.
Harry Redknapp summarised the issue perfectly in his column for the Sun in June this year, after an incredibly poor showing from the Young Lions in last summer’s U21 European Championship, arguing; “The overriding problem we all face is that English football must change. And it has to come from the very top of the game. We do not know how to play football. We just boot the ball up the pitch and it gets us nowhere.
“In international football you cannot just hit and hope because you give the ball away. It’s all about possession, retaining the ball, controlling the game. We need coaches who believe in that ideal.”
Extrapolate the current trend further, and you can only see the Three Lions moving backwards as a footballing entity. A view clearly shared by new FA chief Greg Dyke, who a few months ago instigated his own committee to get to the heart of the intrinsic issues the national game currently faces.
But before we receive Dyke’s recommendations around March-time next year, there are already signs that things are changing for the better. The source; the current Premier League campaign.
In a season completely different to any other, where Tottenham broke their transfer record three times in the same window, Manchester United have transformed into uncomfortable mid-tablers and Arsene Wenger spent £42million on a single player, as if someone somewhere in the footballing heavens had hit the reset button and instigated a ground-zero scenario not too dissimilar to the end of Fight club, it’s surprisingly been the football purists that have managed to progress, whilst the hoof-ball enthusiasts have failed to dominate.
The purists I’m referring to in particular are Liverpool, Everton and Arsenal.
The fact Arsene Wenger is now reaping the rewards for over a decade’s worth of stubbornness when it comes to his footballing philosophy is no coincidence. With Mesut Ozil seemingly the final piece of the purist jigsaw falling into place, Arsenal are now topping the Premier League table, and barring Manchester City’s home form are undoubtedly playing the best football in the country right now.
Compare that to Chelsea, a side who Jose Mourinho has transformed from free-thinking experimentalists, often to their own demise at times last season, into a gang of Special-One-fearing robots, and you begin to see my point.
The Blues are currently five points off the league leaders, despite trumping their summer spending by some £20million in the offseason, which I’d argue has something to do with the fact only 60% of their goals this season have come from open play, in comparison to Arsenal’s 83%.
At the same time, Everton and Liverpool have both emerged as dark horses this season. The Reds are currently in second place with 30 points, whilst their local rivals aren’t too far behind in fifth with 28.
Over the last few years, both clubs have sought transformation into aesthetically pleasing sides after suffering from brief identity crises.
Following campaign upon campaign of stagnation, the Anfield outfit turned to Brendan Rodgers, a manager famed for his faith in possession football and bringing through youngsters.
And it’s through that philosophical belief that he’s got the Liverpool house in order, donning the youngest roster in the entire division and insisting upon a style of football that emphasises control of the ball as the key to success.
This season they’ve averaged 55% possession per match and a pass completion ratio of 85%, with the latter statistic only bettered by Arsenal, City and Swansea. Their 57 long balls per match is also the fourth-fewest in the league.
In a similar fashion, Everton’s loss of David Moyes had many at Goodison fearing the worst. But if anything, the appointment of Roberto Martinez has pushed the Toffees even closer towards his predecessor’s ultimate aim of Champions League qualification.
The Spaniard has insisted upon a style of football sharply deviating from the former Everton gaffer’s more traditional and direct approach, that’s seen them claim the fifth-highest possession rate in the league and a pass success rate of 83% this season.
With more emphasis on inventive attack than solid defence, and smooth transitions between 3-4-3 and 4-5-1 formations, the Merseysiders have become incredibly pleasing on the eye. Subsequently, results are improving all the time, best illustrated by four points claimed in their last two Premier League fixtures against Manchester United and Arsenal.
However, what’s most impressive about Everton’s transformation is the fact they were largely considered to be a long ball side, albeit more classy than your average West Ham or Stoke outfit, just a matter of months ago.
Martinez has been able to create an incredibly different, more productive and inventive style of football out of essentially the same group of players, which should serve as a lesson in mind for those Three Lions neysays who argue our entrenched hit-and-hope culture is incapable of change.
If Phil Jagileka and Gareth Barry can be at the heart-beat of a team who outplayed Arsenal at the Emirates last weekend, any home-grown talent can.
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Furthermore, at the centre of each club’s successful escapades this year has been a glowing British contingent. At Arsenal, Welshman Aaron Ramsey is leading the scoring charts, with eight goals and five assists in 14 starts. Jack Wilshere, Theo Wacott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Kerian Gibbs too have all contributed; their influence would have been key if they’d managed to stay off the sidelines.
For Everton, Phil Jagielka, Irishman James McCarthy, Gareth Barry, Leighton Baines and Leon Osman have all been vital to the cause, but it’s Ross Barkley – perhaps the greatest technical talent of his generation – who’s been receiving the rave reviews for his impact in the final third.
And at Liverpool, although Luis Suarez has been the star of the show, the efforts of Daniel Sturridge, Steven Gerrard, Glen Johnson, Jordan Henderson and Raheem Sterling should not go unnoticed.
From the depths of long-ball oblivion, the unpredictability of the current Premier League season has allowed the purist sides, prioritising technical ability and flair over mechanical stability, to shine through, with home-grown talents at the core.
It’s by no means a revolution to England’s footballing woes, but certainly serves as a suggestion we’re finally moving in the right direction. One can only hope that all three clubs maintain their strong form until the end of the season, demonstrating to the more traditionalist managers, including Roy Hodgson, that there is a vital correlation between results and the breed of football you choose to adopt.
Yet there is one sour note to finally end on. Wenger, Rodgers, Martinez; all philosophical dreamers and champagne football enthusiasts, none English. If the modern game is to be transformed, we need home-grown coaches teaching a style of play more common abroad than in the British isles.
Such an overhaul could take generations to fully materialise, but its the shining examples Arsenal, Everton and Liverpool are providing this season that will get the process in motion.
Tottenham have enjoyed a decent start to their Premier League campaign under new boss Andre Villas-Boas, taking eight points from their first games to sit in eighth in the table. One of the major plus points of this start has been the form of striker Jermain Defoe, who appears to have adapted brilliantly to his new role as a lone front-man. This in turn has cast a shadow over Emmanuel Adebayor’s starting place in the side, but is there a way for both of them to co-exist?
The 28-year-old Togolese front-man was superb last season at White Hart Lane, finishing the term with 17 league goals and 12 assists and it should have been a lot more given his sometimes profligate ways in front of goal, Nevertheless, he was a fabulous focal point to their attack, holding the play up well, bringing the best out of Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon out wide and ensuring that the side were an extremely dangerous side to play.
Defoe’s start to the new season, though, which has seen him strike four league goals in their opening five games has really caught the eye. He can still be wasteful, with the game against Reading serving as a prime example – his movement throughout was nothing short of brilliant and he managed to create space for himself easily against a shaky defence and despite a marvellous solo goal, it’s also worth remembering that he missed at least three other gilt-edged chances that game despite finishing with a double.
Nobody in their right mind felt that Defoe was tailor-made for Villas-Boas’ system and in a lot of way, he still isn’t, he struggles to hold the ball up and he can go missing for spells, but he’s a very good finisher when in this kind of form and he thrives on the sort of service that both Bale and Lennon provide, particularly against lesser opposition.
However, whenever the side’s two wingers manage to beat their full-back on the outside and arrow in a low cross, Defoe is often caught on his heels and it’s the sort of run that they’re used to Adebayor making. They may have scored eight goals in the league so far this season, but with the sheer volume of chances that they’ve created, it should have been many more and they were scintillating in the second half against QPR in particular.
A noticeable aspect of the club’s lacklustre first half performance against the Hoops’ was how much they lacked a cutting edge up top, failing to establish a platform in midfield. This all changed in the second half after a tactical substitution by Villas-Boas, as he compensated for his initial mistakes on what was an unbalanced starting line-up.
This saw the ineffectual and quite frankly awful Gylfi Sigurdsson hauled off, Bale restored to the left wing and Clint Dempsey moved inside behind Defoe, with Steven Caulker coming in at the heart of the back four, with Jan Vertonghen shifting to left-back. The result was an excellent second half performance from the entire side, with Bale and Vertonghen a constant threat down the left flank and Dempsey coming into the game more and more through the middle.
Liverpool were linked with a move for Dempsey all summer but they were pipped to his signature by a late move by Tottenham on transfer deadline day. Moreover, I always insisted that Dempsey was not ideally suited to playing in a 4-3-3 formation, given that he was too slow to play on the wing and would narrow the midfield and played more as a conventional forward last term than midfielder for Fulham.
While he is certainly a key squad player and he did well against Lazio in their Europa League clash mid-week, perhaps seeing Adebayor given the nod ahead of the American would see the side become even more of a goal threat. Defoe’s movement could see him drop deeper behind the Togolese striker and be a success, while they’d still retain the physical option of the former Manchester City man as the spearhead to their attack.
Sigurdsson has started life slowly so far at White Hart Lane and unless he’s scoring, he doesn’t especially contribute a whole lot else to their attacking play and his passing can be both ponderous and wayward. Dempsey is the natural choice to fill the role instead given his successes at Craven Cottage last year and they would be mad to drop Defoe while he is in such good form, but Adebayor is a class act and it was a surprise not to see him given a run-out against Lazio.
He appears to still be counting the cost of missing nearly the entirety of pre-season and while he may still be a bit rusty, he is only going to get better with games. His move from the Etihad was completed nearly two months later than initially expected and like Robin van Persie at Manchester United, he will inevitably be a bit off the pace as a result.
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Tottenham may have threatened during decent spells in certain game and the signing of Moussa Dembele already looks a masterstroke give what he can offer the team’s midfield with his surging forward runs and ability to beat a man in the middle of the park, but they have also flattered to deceive just as many times, drawing their opening two home games against Norwich and West Brom at the start of the season.
Defoe is on fire and is assured of a starting place at the moment, but with Villas-Boas showing a willingness to adjust his side if it isn’t doing well against QPR, bringing in Adebayor from the start is the next logical step in making the side an altogether more aesthetically-pleasing and dangerous outfit.
Southampton had a brush with relegation this season, and for weeks it looked as though the coastal club would be dropping into the Championship.
However, the arrival of Mark Hughes in March made a difference as the former Stoke City boss managed to guide the team out of the bottom three.
The fixture against fellow relegation battlers Swansea City turned out to be the decider, and it was Manolo Gabbiadini who nabbed the one and only goal of the game to all but secure safety for the Saints.
In the end, the club finished the campaign just three points above the bottom three.
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The club will be hopeful that they do not see a repeat of that in the upcoming season, and some fans are already looking ahead to who their team will go up against.
Wolverhampton Wanderers and Cardiff City have already earned promotion to the top flight via the automatic spots in the second tier.
The remaining place up for grabs will be taken by either Aston Villa or Fulham, who will go head to head in the playoff final this weekend.
On Reddit, Southampton fans have been discussing who they would prefer to come into the Premier League.
Card
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Tottenham Hotspur regularly give their fans an insight into how the club’s new stadium is developing.
The North London outfit hope to compete with the big boys in the Premier League when they move into a state-of-the-art £61,000-seater structure for the start of the 2018-19 season.
In the current campaign, the team have been playing all of their home games at Wembley.
The national stadium has not been the greatest of bases for Spurs in terms of results, so staff and fans alike are excited to move into their new space.
This week, the club have posted fresh photos of the stadium, showing where it currently is in the construction process.
While some fans were delighted about receiving the update, others were more interested in focusing on current matters on the pitch.
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Mauricio Pochettino’s men managed to overcome a four-game winless run in the Premier League by defeating Stoke City and Brighton, but last weekend they were outclassed by table-toppers Manchester City in a 4-1 loss at the Etihad Stadium.
There are three key duels in the offering at Old Trafford as two teams, with 12 League Cup wins between them, although Liverpool with eight successes are twice as successful as United, clash for a place in Round 4 of the Capital One Cup.
SUAREZ v VIDIC
After his lengthy suspension for biting Branislav Ivanavic, Luis Suarez is expected to return to the Liverpool team, despite Daniel Sturridge’s goal-laden start to the Premier League season.
Suarez has everything a central defender hates; pace, guile, nous, not to mention being a bit sneaky, ok, a lot sneaky. The Uruguayan will be fresh, certainly, chomping at the bit, hopefully, and who knows he may just have taken on board ALL the rhetoric that he OWES Liverpool and the fans payback for the way they stood by him when many were in favour of shipping him out. In the old days a senior pro would have taken him behind the bike sheds and pointed out to the striker the error of his ways.
Vidic has the kind of strength and tenacity that strikers do not like and a striker of the character of senior Suarez isn’t the kind of individual who relishes a battle. A warrior-like Vidic would win a clash like that every day of the week. The United skipper has learned from his red cards when faced with Torres in the past and if either of these two protagonists sees red at OT the bookies’ money would be on Suarez.
There’s little doubt Suarez will get a chance or two in the tie, but that is all he will need.
AGGER v VAN PERSIE
On paper, and more than likely on grass, the Dutchman will be the winner eight times out of ten. The fact that this is a one-off cup tie does not diminish van Persie’s superiority over Agger who, despite his defensive qualities, is susceptible to the kind of guile and pace the United man possesses.
While van Persie will be deadly in the Liverpool penalty area, so too will Agger at the other end. But the Dane is obviously a more accomplished defender than Robin who is more reliant on his aerial ability in the attacking third than marking a defender at set pieces.
Van Persie will get chances, and probably more than Suarez, which does not bode well for Liverpool’s chances. Last season the Dutchman’s chance to goal conversion rate was 22% compared to Suarez’s 16.1%, which then puts the onus on the marker assigned to them on the night. It was also noticeable last season how reliant Brendan Rogers’ team was on Suarez who contributed to 44% of Liverpool’s goal tally, goals scored and assists, whereas United had 20 different players netting at least one league goal, a club record.
ROONEY v GERRARD
While the first two head-to-heads are attack v defence, the outcome of this tie of the Capital One Cup Round 3 could well hinge on the clash between two Liverpudlians.
It is becoming increasingly apparent that Wayne’s future is likely to be in a deeper role than as a lone striker or any striker for that matter. Much better at moving on to the ball and goal wards than with his back to the target, he has a chance to establish a new barometer by which a midfield player is judged.
Some statement when he is operating in an era enriched by Gerrard and Lampard, but both of those players will be long retired before Rooney assumed the mantle of top midfield man. Crucially the United man is more comfortable than either of those senior pros sitting just behind a striker or pair of strikers, but at Old Trafford he will find Gerrard snapping at his ankles any time the ball and Rooney get into the final third.
While Rooney is just as capable as Gerrard of bursting forward, it is the Liverpool skipper who would edge it in terms of tenacity when a lung-busting break is called for, again and again. Gerrard is also the better tackler and despite the improvement in Wayne’s passing over the last couple of seasons, Gerrard is still the pass master and is more likely to catch his England colleague out by drawing him on and hitting a counter-attacking pass than vice-versa.
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In a way you have to feel a degree of sorrow for Brendan Rodgers, in what can only be described as, a nightmare start to his reign as Reds boss. Three games into the new Premier League campaign and already the vultures of pessimism are circling around Merseyside ready to gnaw a chunk out of Rodgers at every available opportunity. Question marks over his relationship with owner John W. Henry have also come into question after a misunderstanding that saw the Northern Irishman sanction a loan move for Andy Carroll only to learn he wouldn’t have the funds to bring in a replacement. It’s just another off the field distraction that has contributed to a disappointing start to the season. Rodgers’ plan to build a new Anfield dynasty is also under threat after Henry commented in the week that the days of affluent spending is over as the club battle to balance the books in the aftermath of Kenny Dalglish’s catastrophic second spell in the dugout. Altering their recruitment strategy in order to focus on cost effective signings with significant sell on value isn’t necessarily a step back but with the 39-year-old having blown a substantial hole in his budget during the summer is there enough in the pot to strengthen his squad in January?
This week on FFC is Pepe Reina becoming a liability for the Reds nowadays and which Italian superstar did the club make a last ditch bid for?
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Best of FFC
In light of Liverpool’s woe, is it dangerous to have owners who are tied up elsewhere?
Fast becoming a liability at Anfield?
Are Liverpool The First To Feel The Pinch?
Brendan Rodgers left in the mire
The criticisms show how short-sighted football has become
Are Liverpool still paying the price for his failings?
Did the Premier League miss the boat on this player?
Pignata confirms Liverpool made late bid
Liverpool ace to fight for his place at Anfield
Luigi insists they won’t budge on Damiao valuation
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Best of WEB
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Loss Highlights Lack of Tiki-Taka Experience – Live 4 Liverpool
Bravo, Brendan! You did the right thing trying to shift KD’s flops… – Liverpool Kop
“Death by football” – Rodgers explains his Liverpool vision – This is Anfield
‘He had no impact!’ – Fairclough blasts ‘ineffective’ Gerrard. Drop him? – Liverpool Kop
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Can We Ever Get Back to the Top? – The Tomkins Times
Who’s Really To Blame For Lack Of Deadline Day Dealings? – Live 4 Liverpool
The curious case of FSG: where now? – This is Anfield
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Quote of the Week
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“We are still in the process of reversing the errors of previous regimes. It will not happen overnight. It has been compounded by our own mistakes in a difficult first two years of ownership. It has been a harsh education, but make no mistake, the club is healthier today than when we took over. We will build and grow from within, buy prudently and cleverly and never again waste resources on inflated transfer fees and unrealistic wages. We have no fear of spending and competing with the very best but we will not overpay for players. We will never place this club in the precarious position that we found it in when we took over at Anfield.” John W. Henry defends Liverpool’s new transfer philosophy
Michael Carrick was always going to get a wonderful send-off from Manchester United fans and so it proved in the 1-0 win over Watford on Sunday that ensured they finish the season with 81 points.
The playmaker, who criminally only won 34 caps for England throughout his career, has been the epitome of composure and class throughout his United career and as the final member of Sir Alex Ferguson’s all-conquering squad to leave the club, his departure has been keenly felt.
Carrick will join the coaching staff at United and with Rui Faria set to leave Jose Mourinho’s side at the end of the season, the stage looks set for the former Tottenham man to take on increasing responsibility behind the scenes at Old Trafford.
Before that, United have an FA Cup final to contend with and Carrick had to navigate the Hornets match in the absence of a great deal of match fitness.
He, of course, did so with aplomb. His ambitious passing was again in evidence, trying 15 long balls to get the game going as well as creating the situation that led to the only goal of the game, scored by Marcus Rashford.
86% of his 69 passes found their target and as ever, he contributed at the back end of the pitch as well, with two interceptions and three clearances as he was charged with protecting that Reds defence one final time.
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Whilst it was by no means a completely satisfactory season for the Old Trafford faithful last term, ultimately no one could accuse Manchester United and Louis van Gaal of not paying witness to an overall successful campaign throughout 2014/15.
In managing to eventually tie down an illustrious top four spot in the Premier League and once again begin a new campaign back under the all-important umbrella of Champions League football, the Red Devils have certainly begun to head in the right direction once again, one way or another.
The club spent a quite frankly obscene amount during last summer’s hectic transfer window, seemingly sacrificed their place in cup competitions in favour of prioritising the league – and in hiring the no-nonsense Louis van Gaal to swiftly take over from the somewhat lost David Moyes last term – Manchester United done all they could to re-establish their dominant name throughout the rest of Europe.
So then, with the 2015/16 campaign already fast approaching for Wayne Rooney and co. this summer, do the Red Devils have more than enough reason to remain optimistic ahead of the new season, or will the troubles ultimately continue for Manchester United as they look to move past this testing transitional phase in their history.
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Well, if the calibre of their enigmatic manager is anything to go by, the signs certainly look promising at Old Trafford – even if they can only currently be viewed in a rather subtle light. Louis van Gaal is someone who has been there and done it before, which simply can’t be argued with.
Although the Champions League has traditionally remained a tough nut to crack for the Dutchman since he first moved on from the Eredivise all those years ago, the 63-year-old has still enjoyed several successful domestic campaigns with Barcelona and Bayern Munich since then, and that is something all Manchester United fans would be unwise to forget.
Sometimes a relatively slow start in the managerial dug-out acts as a surprise indicator for future success at the club. If Sir Alex Ferguson had been sacked after just one year in the job at Old Trafford, history would have worked out very differently indeed for the Red Devils – even though such a notion will admittedly come as little benefit to David Moyes looking back.
Nevertheless, Louis van Gaal is someone with a somewhat untouchable reputation in the modern era, which seems to be a necessity for success nowadays at Manchester United.
The likes of Juan Mata and Ander Herrera will likely continue their promising form in the middle of the park for United next term, supporting an attack force that has to score an abundance of goals sooner rather than later. Although marquee man, Angel Di Maria, hardly shone himself in the greatest of lights out on the pitch last season, 2015/16 offers the silky Argentinean the chance to put his off-filed worries behind him and finally start showing some true class worthy of his hefty price tag.
With new boy, Memphis Depay, also on course to maintain his rapid rise at the high profile setting of Old Trafford next year, Manchester United fans ultimately have every reason to feel optimistic. If the club can successfully source a few more promising new faces this summer, honing in the somewhat carefree spending practises that seemed to define the club’s transfer activity last year, then perhaps van Gaal will have finally rebuilt the squad that Sir Alex Ferguson left in a somewhat precarious position when he eventually departed Old Trafford in 2013.
Manchester United’s outstanding concern ahead of the 2015/16 campaign, however, is the dramatic need to improve their increasingly questionable back-line. Yes, persevering with young talents is all well and good when looking to build for the future – but as the likes of Jonny Evans, Phil Jones and arguably even Chris Smalling still, simply don’t represent enough defensive reliability going into the new season – something has to be done sooner or later.
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As each of Mats Hummels, Nicolas Otamendi and Sergio Ramos have all gone down as reported targets for the Red Devils in the past few months though, maybe that particular problem will soon be addressed.
Manchester United can therefore look forward to an improved campaign throughout 2015/16 with all things considered, and a little bit of good fortune helping them along the way.
West Brom have told Jerome Thomas and Gonzalo Jara Reyes they can leave the club as they are not in the plans of Steve Clarke.
Free agent Thomas has struggled for first-team football at the Hawthorns in the past season under Steve Clarke and even spent time away on loan at Championship side Leeds United.
As a result, he will be allowed to depart on a Bosman-free transfer along with Jara Reyes, who has reached his one-year option period which will not be taken up.
Sporting & Technical Director Richard Garlick said on the club’s website: “Both Jerome and Gonzalo have played important roles in helping the club reach and stay in the Premier League since joining us four years ago.
“They have found first-team opportunities harder to come by this season and had spells out on loan. They both leave with our best wishes.”
Meanwhile, Steven Reid and Zoltan Gera are waiting to see if they will be kept on despite both failing to make enough appearances to guarantee another year.
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Striker Marc-Antoine Fortune is out of contract at the end of next month but could be offered another 12 months, while Albion must decide whether to turn Macedonian defender Goarn Popov’s loan spell from Dynamo Kyiv into a permanent arrangement.