Paper Round: Jose Mourinho wants Mikel, Liverpool can cope without Philippe Coutinho

With John Obi Mikel unlikely to be offered a new deal by Chelsea the midfielder's former manager Jose Mourinho is ready to sign him in January. Mikel's contract expires at the end of the season and Mourinho, who signed him for Chelsea, is reportedly ready to bring him in on a cut-price deal in January. Mourinho reportedly believes that Mikel is the perfect anchor in order to get the best out of record signing Paul Pogba. It's also reported that any deal for Mikel, who is now the primary target after interest in Leicester City's Danny Drinkwater cooled, would be worth just £2 million.

Paper Round's view: Recently Paper Round expressed severe doubt over a rumour suggesting Mourinho would sign Willian from his former club but this seems far more plausible. Mikel is clearly out of the picture at Chelsea, and Paper Round's two cents are that it is because Mikel doesn't fit into Antonio Conte's system, not that he represented his country in the Olympics as has been suggested. Mikel simply isn't mobile enough to offer the protection that Nemanja Matic and in particular N'Golo Kante do for the defence. There's every chance Mikel could be tempted to prolong his Premier League career, particularly if Mourinho can offer him regular football.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has insisted that the team can cope without Philippe Coutinho, who is set to be out for six weeks. The Brazilian has suffered ankle ligament and tendon damage and will miss the crucial Christmas period. Klopp admitted that the injury was far from ideal but the team does not solely rely on Coutinho to function. Speaking ahead of the EFL Cup game against Leeds United he continually stressed that the team ethos was more important.

Paper Round's view: Philippe Coutinho is an undeniably divisive player. Some will tell you he's an overrated fraud, others will tell you he's Liverpool's Messi whilst most reasonable people will accept he's a talented footballer who's prone to spells of inconsistency. This season Klopp has evidently been able to push Coutinho to a higher plane and therefore his absence is a big blow for the club. However having said that watching Liverpool this season it's stark how interchangeable their players on the pitch are. There are few set positions, something Klopp himself has previously alluded to, and as such this may help them to cope without Coutinho. Of course the Brazilian is difficult to replace as an individual but as a squad, Liverpool might be okay.

Juan Mata will cap a remarkable turnaround at Manchester United under Jose Mourinho by soon putting pen to a new contract. Given how quickly Mourinho offloaded the Spaniard when he returned to Chelsea for a second spell in 2013 most expected a repeat at Old Trafford. However Mata has emerged as one of the key players at United this season and the Sun claim his boss is keen to see him rewarded with a new contract. Talks with Mata, whose contract expires in 2018, were originally scheduled for the summer but Mourinho is reportedly keen to bring them forward.

Paper Round's view: This is good news for United fans as Mata has been excellent this season and he is one of the most popular players amongst the club's supporters. It's astonishing to consider how important Mata is at the moment but it must be a slight concern that the other three players mentioned in the piece who will also earn new deals are Antonio Valencia, Michael Carrick and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. All undoubtedly fine players, but all into their 30s now. What does this say for the club's younger players?

Gareth Southgate is intent on appointing Steve Holland as part of his England backroom staff on a permanent basis. Holland has been Southgate's No.2 with both the U21 and senior side whilst keeping his role as one of Chelsea's first team coaches. Tottenham Hotspur have been the only Premier League side to object to this but manager Mauricio Pochettino seemed more relaxed about the possible appointment when recently asked about it. Chelsea are keen to keep Holland but at the same time they will not stand in his way should he want to join the FA permanently.

Paper Round's view: Holland is obviously a talented coach and he has worked with some of the best managers in the world during his time at Chelsea. There's a school of some fans who would one day like to see him given the top job at the club but that may well never happen. It would be a blow to the Blues should they lose him but an obvious asset to England and Southgate. The situation also raises an interesting debate about whether Holland should even be doing both jobs, although the lack of objection from most clubs shows they don't consider it a massive issue.