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As reported by BBC Sport this afternoon, Chelsea’s Petr Cech has been ‘given permission’ to talk to other clubs regarding a potential summer move.

The Czech international is undoubtedly one of the greatest goalkeepers in Premier League history, boasting four league titles, the 2012 Champions League title and 332 appearances as the Blues No.1, and at 32 years of age is still firmly within his goalkeeping prime.

But he’ll be leaving Stamford Bridge in the coming transfer window after losing his starting berth to the prodigious Thibaut Courtois.

Arsenal and Liverpool are considered to be his likeliest suitors; but Jose Mourinho revealed last weekend his reluctance to let Cech leave for another Premier League side – as reported by The Guardian.

That could rule both English clubs out of the equation, amid rumours Cech’s already held talks with Turkish outfit Besiktas.

But fear not Liverpool fans, for Football Fancast is here to help. Using our god-given powers of transfer know-how, we’ve listed FIVE alternative goalkeepers the Reds could turn to this summer.

NOBERTO NETO

According to reports from The Daily Mail last week, Liverpool have been running the rule over Fiorentina’s Noberto Neto for some time.

The 25 year-old has emerged as one of the most consistent No.1s in Serie A since joining the Florence outfit from Atletico Paranaense in summer 2011, this season claiming nine clean sheets and making 46 saves in 27 league starts.

Perhaps most appealingly to Liverpool, the Brazilian is set to leave Viola on a free transfer this summer – as Fiorentina revealed in an official club statement during the January transfer window.

But if there’s one predominant concern, it’s Neto’s limited exposure to English, international or Champions League football – although he did reach the semi-finals of the Europa League this season.

Liverpool aren’t the only interested party, however; The Metro have alleged Arsenal and Juventus to be also courting his signature.

BERND LENO

Primarily considered an Arsenal target, but with a release clause of just £13million, Liverpool would be wise to enter the race for Bayer Leverkusen’s Bernd Leno too.

The 23 year-old has served as the Bundesliga outfit’s No.1 for the past four seasons, amassing 164 appearances in all competitions, and particularly impressed in the Champions League’s group stages earlier this year.

Domestically too, he’s been in fantastic form, claiming the second-most clean sheets of any goalkeeper in the German top flight, 15, after Bayern Munich’s Manuel Neuer, 19.

Germany have produced an outrageous number of high quality goalkeepers over the last few years and Leno is yet another. He also boasts the record as the youngest goalie to ever feature in the Champions League, aged 19 back in 2011.

That suggests a bright future ahead for the 6 foot 3 shot-stopper – but as aforementioned, Arsenal are considered the front-runners for his signature.

KEYLOR NAVAS

Keylor Navas signed for Real Madrid in a €10million deal only last summer following his World Cup heroics for Costa Rica, playing an intrinsic role in their march to the tournament’s quarter-finals.

But he’s since made just ten appearances in all competitions for Los Blancos, with public consensus firmly on the side of veteran No.1 Iker Casillas, including only five starts in La Liga.

If the European champions launch a swoop for Manchester United’s David De Gea this summer as widely expected, the 28 year-old could find himself plummeting even further down the Bernabeu pecking order.

No doubt, Navas is a sensationally talented goalkeeper; last term he claimed La Liga’s Goalkeeper of the Year award, having made the most saves of any ‘keeper in the division – an incredible 141 – for former club Levante.

Should Real’s move for De Gea come into fruition, Navas might be keen to jump ship – in fact, The Metro have already alleged such a scenario. Earlier this season, however, the 6 foot 1 shot-stopper stated his intentions to continue fighting for a starting berth in the Spanish capital.

ASMIR BEGOVIC

In terms of goalkeepers with Premier League-proven pedigree who are realistically available this summer, Asmir Begovic tops the list.

He’s shown a remarkable consistency as Stoke City’s No.1 over the last five seasons, in that time winning the club’s Young Player of the Year, Player of the Year, Players’ Player of the Year (twice) and Supporters’ Club Player of the Year awards.

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With just a year remaining on his Potters contract and discussions over a new deal yet to get underway, Stoke could be forced to cash in on the Bosnian international this summer.

In fact, manager Mark Hughes has dropped the 27 year-old from Stoke’s last two matchday squads, facing Swansea and Spurs, in favour of prodigious understudy Jack Butland – suggesting Stoke could already be preparing for life without him.

According to reports from the Stoke Sentinel, Begovic will be made available for just £8million this summer – but Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United have all been linked by the tabloids in recent weeks.

SAMIR HANDANOVIC

Head and shoulders above the rest in Serie A this season, Samir Handanovic looks set to claim his third spot in the division’s Team of the Year.

That’s in no small part due to him keeping eleven clean sheets and making 71 saves in his 34 league outings for Inter Milan, ranking him fourth and seventh throughout the Italian top flight in each category respectively.

The 30 year-old also lays claim to the rather incredible feat of saving six consecutive penalties for the San Siro outfit and boasts considerable experience at the top end of the game, with 35 appearances in continental competitions and 75 caps for Slovenia under his belt already.

And although Inter Milan now find themselves privy to the fortunes of owner Erick Thorhir, they could still be forced to cash in on Handanovic this summer; his contract is set to expire in 2016, and Nerazzurri need to balance their books to comply with Financial Fair Play regulations.

The Metro value him at around the £16million mark, but also moot Manchester United as his likeliest suitors.

After spending some pretty inflated sums of cash in last summer’s transfer window, yet subsequently failing to witness much return on their new stars when it mattered out on the pitch – Brendan Rodgers and his determined Liverpool side truly had a campaign to forget last term.

2014/15 can largely be defined as an extremely disappointing season for the Anfield faithful. The Reds categorically failed to build upon the success Luis Suarez brought to Merseyside just the year before, they looked uncharacteristically slow in almost every aspect of their game – and as for Liverpool’s record in front of goal last season – perhaps the least said about that, the better.

With the likes of Mario Balotelli and Rickie Lambert seemingly finding themselves somewhat out of their depth at Anfield, Liverpool have nonetheless approached the 2015 summer transfer window with some pretty distinct striking goals in mind.

The ever-loyal Raheem Sterling may have already packed his bags for the Etihad this summer, yet as Roberto Firmino and Danny Ings have already put pen-to-paper on a contract at Anfield in recent weeks, Rodgers does in-fact seem to be addressing his side’s major issues in front of goal from last season.

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However, even though several other top talents in the striking department have been purposely sounded out for the Reds this summer – Liverpool still arguably won’t win anything in 2015/16 for one reason and one reason only…

…and that would be Brendan Rodgers’ increasingly questionable defensive back-line.

Let’s face it, if the Anfield faithful had paid witness to an improved defence back in 2013/14, Liverpool could have easily won the league that season.

Even when the goals seemingly couldn’t stop flying in for the Reds with the likes of Luis Suarez, Daniel Sturridge, Raheem Sterling and Coutinho all pulling the strings in unison – defensive calamities ultimately cost Brendan Rodgers’ side dearly that campaign, and stopped the club from becoming the formidable European force that their fans so desire.

Although some new attacking outlets will eventually have to be sourced for the Reds in the not too distant future, Liverpool must therefore learn from their past errors and prioritize their back-line before anything else this summer. If their fans get carried away with the potential signing of a player like Christian Benteke in the run up to the 2015/16 campaign without enough solid defensive strengthening, the immediate outcome will likely prove successful, but the long-term effect could be disastrous.

Whilst Reds fans have seemingly taken to his style and overall work rate in recent years, Slovakia international, Martin Skrtel, ultimately isn’t quite at the level Liverpool require if they really want to solidify themselves as worthy Champions League representatives. The fearless centre-back obviously isn’t scared of putting his head where it hurts – yet when it comes to concentrating solidly for the whole 90 minutes and keeping the back-line as tight as possible – Skrtel has simply proved himself to be an incomplete defender time and time again.

The same can also be said of the increasingly ageing Kolo Toure, and the obscenely expensive Mamadou Sakho – who have each failed to provide their team with much reliability at the back whatsoever. Both centre-backs frequently fail to relieve the pressure throughout the rest of the team thanks to their unpredictable style and less than convincing approach.

Perhaps that same ability to make mistakes at key moments managed to rub off on fellow Reds centre-back, Dejan Lovren, last season as well, seeing as the former Southampton man also largely fell short of his requirements throughout the 2014/15 campaign.

The Premier League now knows all about such players well enough, and if the chance to exploit their respective weaknesses crops up across the coming season, expect even the lower placed teams to attack the Liverpool back-line at full throttle.

Nathaniel Clyne’s recent addition to Brendan Rodgers’ squad nevertheless seems likes a sensible one – but as Liverpool seemingly haven’t managed to improve their centre-back situation since the powerful Daniel Agger decided to move back to Denmark last summer – Clyne won’t exactly strengthen up the Reds defence overnight, will he?

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Therefore, even though a top striker would certainly be welcomed in at Anfield this summer with open arms to say the very least, Liverpool ultimately won’t look worthy of winning any silverware next season in their current precarious situation at the back.

No matter how optimistic certain Reds fans out there prove to be with every passing season, the club’s centre-backs at this stage of the game simply aren’t good enough, or reliable enough, to be trusted next term – regardless of how much money their initially cost Liverpool in the first place.

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Last night witnessed a Premier League first for West Ham – their first-ever comeback at the London Stadium, inspired by what had appeared an unlikely source in Andy Carroll.

The towering frontman hadn’t found a top flight goal since April, hadn’t started a Premier League game since November and endured the kind of first half that raised the inevitable question of whether the club could truly justify it’s long-standing faith in such an injury-prone striker when form while fit couldn’t always be guaranteed.

But as the Hammers looked to hit back from their one-goal deficit to West Brom in the second-half and confound the Leo Vegas odds, the other side to Andy Carroll came to life – the side that makes him an invaluable match-winner for a club like West Ham, especially during a season as turbulent as this one, and makes him one of the most unplayable forces in the Premier League.

Just before the hour mark, the 28-year-old rose above two West Brom defenders to head home an Aaron Cresswell cross from close range, and with ten minutes to go, Carroll completed his side’s – and his own personal comeback – by sliding in at the far post to tuck away Marko Arnautovic’s pass. Come the final whistle, Carrol’s influence on the match was undeniable; two goals from four shots, two chances created for team-mates, seven successful aerial duels and six touches in the opposition box.

Now one point and two places clear of the relegation zone, Carroll’s late brace could be looked back upon at a defining moment in West Ham’s season, one that transforms the campaign from one of fearing relegation to one of cautious optimism of sneaking into the top half by the end of May. But there’s one West Ham player the comeback does spell bad news for – summer signing Javier Hernandez.

Although he came on from the bench against the Baggies, finding a way to fit the former Manchester United striker, who Transfermarkt value at £16.2million, into the team has been a constant headache in east London this season.

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While there are still doubts over which system suits Hernandez best, Carroll has proved he successfully can lead the line within the confines of David Moyes’ game-plan.

West Ham United remain interested in signing Inter Milan midfielder Joao Mario this month, according to Sky Sports News.

What’s the word?

It has been widely suggested that Hammers manager David Moyes is keen to strengthen his midfield for the second half of the Premier League season.

The East London outfit currently reside 11th in the table, five points above relegation, but having the best squad possible will keep them on track for safety.

Sky Sports News claims that Mario initially rejected the idea of moving to West Ham, but has now become more open-minded to the possibility of a switch.

It is believed that the Italian outfit are open to sending their £40m man on loan with an option to buy.

What could have changed?

We will never be privy to that knowledge unless he shares it, but one could assume that the midfielder has realised that he will not be getting much game time in the coming months.

With the World Cup in Russia on the horizon, Mario will want to be playing as much football as possible in order to secure a place in the Portugal team.

So far this season, the midfielder has started just five Serie A matches and has come off the bench in a further nine.

Is Mario right for West Ham?

Bringing in a player that has zero Premier League experience is always a risk, particularly for a team that are trying to stave off relegation.

The Hammers have been linked to numerous midfielders in this window, but Mario has a certain pedigree.

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The 24-year-old understands how to compete at the top level, and he has the quality to do a decent job at the London Stadium.

Let’s not forget, Mario was a crucial component in the Portugal team that won the European Championships in 2016.

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Newcastle United fans face an anxious transfer deadline day as they await their club making the signings that can help them survive in the English Premier League.The Magpies have failed to make a single signing so far this month, a situation that hasn’t exactly gone down well with supporters.Can the club pull out all the stops at the last minute?One man they were reported to be tracking in the final days of the window was Manchester City defender Eliaquim Mangala, a player who has plenty of experience at the elite level and is rated at £13.5m by Transfermarkt.However it appears he’ll be another target they fail to attract to St James’ Park with Sky Sports reporting that Everton are confident of sealing a deal for the Frenchman at some point today.That news has upset Newcastle supporters, who are growing tired of the club’s inability to get deals over the line. Some are even calling it the worst transfer window they’ve ever seen.They took to Twitter to discuss latest developments…

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According to reports in The Sun, Everton are lining up a shock late January move for £15m-rated West Bromwich Albion striker Salomon Rondon, despite the fact they have already bought Cenk Tosun from Besiktas in a £27m deal.

The Sun says the Toffees are reportedly keen to bring the Venezuela international to Goodison Park before the transfer window slams shut on Wednesday after he caused all sorts of problem in his team’s 1-1 draw against the Merseyside outfit last weekend.

The 28-year-old, who was also involved in the unfortunate incident that saw James McCarthy suffer a double leg break, has 18 months left on his contract at the Hawthorns, but continues to be a regular starter under Alan Pardew.

Meanwhile, Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez is desperate to strengthen his frontline before the end of the month and has been heavily linked with a club-record deal for Feyenoord centre-forward Nicolai Jorgensen.

However, there has been progress in negotiations with the Eredivisie outfit for the 27-year-old Dane as of yet, and bringing Rondon to St James’ Park instead could prove to be a shrewd move.

Here are three reasons Newcastle must forget Jorgensen and hijack Everton’s move for the 6ft 1in attacker…

Premier League experience

Despite his impressive goal record for Feyenoord, Jorgensen has never played in the Premier League before and it would certainly be a huge risk to rely on him to score the goals to keep Newcastle away from the relegation zone in the coming months.

Coming from the Eredivisie and making an impact in the Premier League can be difficult – as the Magpies know all too well thanks to players like Siem and Luuk de Jong – and Rondon would certainly be less of a risk from that point of view.

The Venezuela international is quickly approaching 100 English top flight appearances for West Brom, and he knows exactly what to expect and what is needed to be successful at this level.

His qualities

While he has never been a prolific goalscorer for West Brom – which has been difficult for a lone centre-forward considering the Baggies were never a team that created plenty of chances under previous boss Tony Pulis – he has plenty more to his game than just being able to find the net.

The 28-year-old has scored 23 goals in 105 matches in total for the west Midlands outfit, but his work rate is impressive and he isn’t afraid to throw his weight around and cause big problems for opposition defenders – as he did at Goodison Park last weekend.

That fight and his ability to hold the ball up and bring others into play could be vital for a club like Newcastle in their survival bid in the coming months.

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Price tag

The Chronicle Live reported on Tuesday that Jorgensen could set Newcastle back a club-record £20m fee before the window slams shut on Wednesday, but Rafa Benitez should be tempted to switch his attentions to Rondon if it is true that he could be signed for a fee of around £15m.

To sign an experienced Premier League player who can make a difference for them in the next couple of months for that amount is a no-brainer, and the Magpies would be mad not to hijack any Everton move for the 28-year-old.

Do you agree, Magpies fans? Let us know below.

Things were looking a lot rosier for West Ham when they beat Huddersfield 4-1 at the John Smith’s Stadium early on in January, with fans expecting new signings to come through the door before the deadline day and with the club beginning to look up the Premier League table rather than over their shoulders towards the bottom three.

However, the rest of the month certainly didn’t go to plan for the east London outfit, as they lost in-form duo Manuel Lanzini and Marko Arnautovic to hamstring injuries in the 1-1 draw against Bournemouth at the London Stadium.

They were subsequently beaten 2-0 by League One outfit Wigan Athletic a week later and saw midfielder Pedro Obiang stretchered off with an injury that will keep him out for the rest of the season, while Arthur Masuaku was given a six-match ban after being sent off for spitting at a Latics player at the DW Stadium.

The addition of Joao Mario on loan from Inter Milan until the end of the season prior to the Wigan encounter gave fans hope that they would end January on a high, as the club continued to be linked with Anderlecht midfielder Leander Dendoncker – seen as one of the most highly-rated young defensive midfielders in European football.

The London Stadium faithful were also expecting a new striker through the door with Diafra Sakho joining Rennes and Andre Ayew returning to Swansea City, leaving Javier Hernandez and Toni Martinez as the only recognised strikers in the squad for the 1-1 draw at home to Crystal Palace on January 30.

One thing David Moyes didn’t need at that point – when he was already missing Arnautovic and Andy Carroll through injury – was Michail Antonio to turn up to a meeting late, but that is exactly what happened and he missed out on the 18 against the Eagles.

Deadline day started with hope, and then appeared to end in desperation for the club as they failed to sign the defensive or central midfielder they desperately looked to need, while they lost out to Newcastle United for the loan signing of Leicester City striker Islam Slimani because of comments made by Karren Brady, and instead brought in Jordan Hugill from Preston North End in a late £10m deal.

The West Ham fans aren’t very fond of their owners David Gold and David Sullivan, and they had every right to be angry and frustrated after a disappointing final 24 hours of the transfer window.

The club’s injury and suspension problems meant that Pablo Zabaleta lined up in an unfamiliar central midfield role for the trip to Brighton last weekend, with a poor display seeing Moyes’ men fall to a 3-1 defeat against their fellow strugglers to leave them just three points above the relegation zone.

The away supporters chanted for the board to leave and unveiled banners with a similar message, and you can’t help but feel it could have affected the players on a day where the defence in particular had an absolute nightmare – especially for Glenn Murray’s opener.

While West Ham fans are absolutely entitled to protest against the owners and the board considering what has happened to the club during their time at the helm, they also need to think about their players on the pitch and the situation the team currently finds itself in.

Those teams below them in the table – like Brighton – are beginning to pick up results and if the Irons continue to struggle to get wins on the board, they could quickly find themselves back in the dreaded relegation zone.

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They face a huge game against Watford at the London Stadium this weekend where they can reach the 30-point mark with a victory, and the crowd must leave their protestations against the owners to either before the start of the match or after the final whistle, and get behind their boys during the 90 minutes – boy do they need it right now.

West Ham supporters are understandably desperate for their owners to go, but being in the Premier League is vital too and with David Gold and David Sullivan unlikely to go anywhere before the end of the season and saying the protests “will achieve nothing”, now is the time to focus their attentions on the players and ensure that they aren’t distracted or affected by any animosity from the sidelines.

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Arsenal have confirmed on their official website, that they’ve agreed to a five-year extension to their current sponsorship deal with the airline, Emirates.

In fact, the sponsorship deal is one of the longest-running deal in the Premier League; Emirates became the Gunners’ shirt sponsor in 2006.

The latest announcement ensures that Emirates’ deal with the North London club will extend to at least 18 years.

Additionally, the extension ensures that Arsenal will fly on Emirates’ planes during pre-season tours, and Emirates will continue to have the right to create campaigns and initiatives across the globe.

The Gunners’ stadium will continue to be named the Emirates Stadium until 2028, an agreement that occurred during the extension in 2012.

The club’s chief executive, Ivan Gazidis expressed his delight at the news and revealed that the significant increase in investment provided by Emirates would help the club compete for trophies.

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Despite the positive news, Arsenal fans were calling on the club to announce another deal through Twitter…

What are your thoughts? Let us know!

According to reports in the Daily Star, Everton owner Farhad Moshiri is considering replacing Sam Allardyce with a younger and more dynamic coach this summer with Diego Simeone and Luis Enrique among the names on his shortlist, and Toffees fans have been quick to have their say on the rumour.

The Daily Star suggests that Moshiri is ready to sack Allardyce at the end of the season even though he signed a contract until 2019 when he succeeded Ronald Koeman in November, with results on the road for the Merseyside outfit in recent weeks particularly disappointing.

The report says that while sources close to the businessman have suggested he gets Shakhtar Donetsk’s Paulo Fonseca, he is ready to aim a little higher by going for former Barcelona chief Luis Enrique or Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone.

Everton supporters took to social media to give their thoughts on the story, and they don’t seem to share the 62-year-old’s optimism about bringing one of those two to Goodison Park.

While one said “welcome Eddie Howe”, another said “let’s face it, neither Simeone or Enrique would come to us at the minute”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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Southampton posted a 60-second round-up video on their official Twitter account on Thursday of manager Mauricio Pellegrino’s pre-match press conference for the crucial relegation six-pointer against Newcastle United at St James’ Park on Saturday, and Saints fans were quick to react.

Within the video the 46-year-old talked about how the south coast outfit have improved in 2018 having suffered only two defeats in their last nine matches, while he also talked about the possibility of playing with two strikers from the start against the Magpies.

Southampton’s goalless draw against fellow strugglers Stoke City at St Mary’s last weekend has ultimately meant that they must bring three points back from Tyneside if they are to have a good chance of beating the drop,

Southampton supporters took to social media to give their thoughts on the latest quotes from the man that they want to be sacked, and while one said they “can’t take anymore of this nonsense”, another described his words as “gibberish nonsensical rubbish”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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