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David Moyes is on a lookout for potential reinforcements this summer and if the latest reports coming from The Telegraph are to be believed, he has cast his gaze on Queens Park Rangers’ Ryan Manning.

The same outlet says West Ham United would be interested in securing the transfer early in the window. That way, it would seem, he could fend off potential rivals and get his man in as soon as possible.

Of course, it all depends on Manning’s availability, especially since QPR recently activated their option to extend the full-back’s contract, albeit only for an additional year. Otherwise, he’d be gone on a free.

Still, Moyes seems to believe signing Manning would be a low-risk deal seeing how the player in question has been improving year after year. But this also means the Hammers might not be the only club looking to acquire his services in the ongoing summer transfer window.

West Ham will have to be swift and decisive if they want to get this deal over the line. Of course, we also know Manning is not the only QPR player Moyes is eyeing and is also interested in Eberechi Eze.

Can they really make a swoop for both players or is Moyes potentially being a bit too ambitious in his attempts? We will simply have to wait and see for that one.

Verdict

The 24-year-old left-back seems like a reliable man to boost West Ham’s full-back options and should he indeed be available this summer, it’s fairly easy to see why they might be interested in bringing him in.

Throughout 2019/20, Manning has played all but five Championship games and has pretty much cemented his place as a hard-working and secure wide defender for QPR.

Even though they have recently extended his contract, now he has only one year left on that deal and his asking price could therefore drop, giving the Hammers a chance to swoop in and seal the deal.

Leeds United are on the hunt for a new central defender and it appears they may have edged closer to landing one if reports are to be believed.

What’s the word?

According to The Sun, the Yorkshire giants are lining up a £15m swoop for Spurs defender Juan Foyth with Marcelo Bielsa believing his fellow Argentinian compatriot would improve the Premier League newcomers.

It’s also claimed that this won’t affect the club’s pursuit to land fan-favourite loan star Ben White on a permanent basis either, which will come as encouraging news to the Elland Road faithful.

Foyth has fallen out of favour in north London and is ‘set to quit’ the club in search of regular match opportunities.

The idea of playing under the 65-year-old is also of huge appeal after the centre-back claimed “[Bielsa is] one of the best coaches in the world and it would be nice to be coached by him.”

Bielsa headache alleviated?

There’s no denying that the Whites will need to bolster their squad in order to compete in the top-flight but no position will be more of a concern than in central defence.

Currently, Bielsa only has one senior option in the role in skipper Liam Cooper, so finding the right sort of target to fill such a void will undoubtedly provide the Argentine with his biggest headache in two years at the club.

Soon-to-be free-agent Gaetano Berardi has been ruled out of action until April 2021, so that’s put pay to any new contract, you’d imagine.

If they can clinch White from Brighton’s grasp after a stunning breakthrough year, it would be huge to their chances of longevity in the PL, but adding a player like Foyth alongside him would surely be the stuff of dreams.

The 22-year-old has been courted by Barcelona in recent months and despite a lack of regular game time at Spurs, plenty have heaped praise on him.

His former boss Mauricio Pochettino called him a “clever” player with “a lot of potential” whilst Jose Mourinho halted a loan exit in January, labelling Foyth “very solid” and “very calm”.

Leeds having a partnership of White and Foyth would be cetainly be a good way to kickstart their first top-flight campaign in 16 years. Solid.

AND in other news, Orta can land a dream Phillips successor in “exceptional” £27m beast…

Tottenham Hotspur could land one of their mooted transfer targets on the cheap this summer if fresh reports are to be believed…

What’s the word?

According to Foot Mercato, Ligue 2 side Toulouse have dropped the asking price for box-to-box midfielder Ibrahim Sangare this summer to just €10m (£9m) with only one year remaining on his current contract.

Spurs have been linked to the impressive powerhouse for quite some time but as per GFFN, the recently-relegated French side were asking for double that at €20m (£18m), so no bid was made.

Mourinho’s new Essien?

Jose Mourinho may have already bolstered his midfield with the addition of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg but he simply can’t pass up an opportunity to clinch the Ivorian international.

The 22-year-old has become a regular at Toulouse, managing 78 appearances in the French top-flight already. Last season, Sangare was one of the few shining lights having averaged a whopping 3.4 tackles, 1.6 interceptions, 1.2 dribbles and 1.1 key passes per game, via WhoScored.

It’s no wonder that he’s been compared to fellow countryman Yaya Toure throughout his career and his role in north London could echo that of Mourinho’s first spell at local rivals Chelsea where he was blessed with the likes of Frank Lampard and Claude Makelele.

But there was also a certain Michael Essien in those ranks too. A player the ex-Blues boss signed from Lyon at the very same age.

Former Toulouse coach Alain Casanova believes Sangare is the best prospect he’s seen at the club – even above Spurs’ current midfielder Moussa Sissoko – whilst he’s been described as “physical” and “passionate,” which only resonates with Essien even more.

Sangare is calm in small spaces and comes out of pressure in “incredible ways” thus making him a perfect fit for Mourinho’s system.

Having averaged more tackles per game than Hojbjerg, you might as well forget about someone like Harry Winks and sign the 22-year-old instead.

For just £9m, it would be a monumental steal and well within Daniel Levy’s tight budget.

AND in other news, Spurs tipped to sign PL brute, he’d be a dream for Mourinho…

Tottenham Hotspur were dealt a devastating blow as one of their mooted defensive targets rejected a move on deadline day…

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Star, Manchester City centre-back John Stones rejected a chance to join Spurs despite falling down the pecking order under Pep Guardiola.

It’s believed that the 26-year-old was reluctant to uproot his family and move to north London and will also not commit to leaving the Etihad Stadium until he’s told that he’s no longer wanted.

Missed trick?

Spurs could well have missed out on something good here.

The English colossus has often divided opinion following a £47.5m move to City but if there’s anyone that could bring the best out of a defender then it’s certainly going to be Jose Mourinho over Pep Guardiola, who once openly admitted that he doesn’t work on tackling and other elements of the defensive game.

Stones has enjoyed success against Harry Kane in the past too, silencing him in 2018 – per SofaScore, the City star won five duels and kept a clean sheet, leaving Spurs’ key talisman with a shocking 6.5 rating.

Former Spurs defender Kyle Walker is also a huge admirer of his teammate, once dubbing him “unbelievable” before adding: “You don’t quite appreciate him until you are playing alongside him. He rarely gets beat, he is great on the ball and he is very calm and level-headed.”

Mourinho’s first-choice pairing seems to be Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez, so with Toby Alderweireld starting to peak at 31, he could have been an ideal contender, if not successor, to the Belgian international.

The £27m-rated Stones has averaged an impressive 92% passing accuracy from nearly 60 passes per game, via WhoScored, throughout his career so there’s no doubting he’s an ideal modern-day central defender.

You can’t help but feel that Spurs have missed out severely here, although their transfer window, on the whole, was phenomenal.

AND in other news, £60k-p/w outcast quickly becoming a forgotten man at Spurs

Mason Greenwood has kept Manchester United fans in the loop after he posted a picture of himself in a shocking new outfit. 

After being given his first team debut by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer last year, Greenwood has played in 39 games for United in this season so far, scoring 14 goals and supplying one assist in total.

Although most of his appearances have come as a substitute, the teenager has still managed to bag five goals in the Premier League (WhoScored).

The 18-year-old uploaded a photo of himself wearing some rather peculiar trousers.

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Many eagle-eyed-fans will surely notice the red trim around the bottom of his car, which is a homage to his boyhood club. Fellow United academy product Brandon Williams clearly loved the body wrap as he commented: “need for speed.”

Solskjaer’s side reported for duty at Carrington earlier this week after the Premier League unanimously voted in favour of a return to group training in a major boost for Project Restart.

Greenwood will no doubt be looking to continue his fine form ahead of the European Championship next year as the domestic league aims to resume behind closed doors next month.

United fans, are you excited to see Mason Greenwood back on the pitch? Let us know down below!

After signing on a season-long loan from Liverpool last summer, Sheyi Ojo has played a prominent role in Steven Gerrard’s first-team squad this season, making 36 appearances across all competitions.

But the 22-year-old struggled to force himself into the starting eleven on a regular basis, playing the full 90 minutes for the Gers just four times in the Scottish Premiership.

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Ojo still managed five goals and seven assists however, with Steven Gerrard declaring himself delighted after a particularly impressive cameo against St Mirren earlier this year.

However, the attacker has now taken to social media to announce his farewell to the club’s fans, and after seeing his Twitter post, Rangers supporters voiced their reaction to the news.

One Rangers fan felt that the club never got to see the best of him because of Gerrard’s tactics not suiting his style of play.

As loan signings go, Ojo certainly showed the kinds of flashes of brilliance that convinced Gerrard to bring him to Ibrox in the first place.

At 22, time is certainly running out for him to make his mark on the first-team back at Liverpool, so a return to Rangers in the future may not be too far-fetched.

Liverpool failed to return to winning ways against Arsenal after throwing away an early 1-0 lead at the Emirates.

The Gunners were able to capitalise on two defensive errors to come from behind and win the match 2-1. The victory sees them stay in their fight for Europa League football but ends Liverpool’s dreams of a 100-point season.

Jurgen Klopp’s side have won just two of their matches since they were crowned champions. Their loss in London means they will not achieve centurion status and following their draw against Burnley at Anfield, they will not finish the season with a perfect home record.

Fans are frustrated with their most recent result and are particularly criticising Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s performance against his former side. According to Sofascore, the midfielder lost possession 14 times and failed to complete any of his attempted crosses. He was substituted off after 61 minutes and earned a disappointing rating of 6.5.

A lot of fans on Twitter aren’t happy – with one telling Chamberlain to ‘leave my club ASAP’. Others have branded him a ‘fraud’ and claimed ‘he’s done’.

Read more replies here:

Do you agree with the comments on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Reds? Join the conversation in the comments below…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Amidst all of Aston Villa’s summer transfer business in which the club shelled out over £130m on new arrivals, the signing of Marvelous Nakamba is currently proving to be one of Dean Smith’s shrewdest additions and the Zimbabwean international has been speaking out regarding his time so far in the West Midlands.

What did he say?

Speaking to The Herald, Nakamba said: “The (Villa) fans are very friendly, they are amazing, even if we walk in the streets, they are very supportive. I am feeling at home and enjoying the experience.

“I am giving everything, it is a new league and I am trying to adjust to the new environment, now I am more mature, I have played somewhere and it is a bit easy to adapt.”

“I am 25 now and I think I can handle the pressure. For me it is an honour playing against the best players in the world week-in-week-out.”

Nakamba’s growing importance

Nakamba, 25, arrived from Club Brugges in an £11m deal in July, and the defensive midfielder has featured regularly for Smith’s side in the current campaign – starting all of Villa’s last eight league matches.

The summer signing has nailed down a regular starting berth at the expense of Douglas Luiz who had initially impressed for the newly-promoted side, but Nakamba’s relentless work ethic and tenacity in central midfield is proving to be exactly what Smith is looking for in the centre of the park.

Although the club are currently on a tricky run of form, having lost their last three league matches to Manchester City, Liverpool and Wolves, Nakamba will be looking to get his club back on track when they host Newcastle following the conclusion of the international break.

There can be no doubting the former Club Brugges man is enjoying his time so far in the English top-flight and is impressing accordingly, too. 

Strong in the tackle, Villa’s number 11 has won 3.8 of them per game in 2019/20, as well as producing 1.8 interceptions. He’s certainly been a big presence.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets… 

Another week, another narrow win for Liverpool.

Despite winning 12 of their first 13 matches in the Premier League so far this campaign, seven of those victories have been by a single goal. However, it shows that although the Reds are yet to hit top gear during this season, they are still picking up the points they need to give them a commanding eight-point advantage at the top.

On Saturday against Crystal Palace, they were without Mohamed Salah, the division’s Golden Boot winner in each of the last two seasons. Without him, Senegal international Sadio Mane moved over to the right wing to take the 27-year-old’s place, whilst Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain lined up on the opposite flank. In this match, it was the former’s performance that showed Klopp can deal without the presence of the Egyptian King.

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The former Southampton man set the ball rolling for the Merseyside outfit, netting in the 49th minute after an assist from Andrew Robertson. It was a vital moment, and it was just one facet of a great display from Mane.

That was one of three shots he managed during the match, whilst he also completed the only dribble that he attempted. He also turned creator as well, managing two key passes for his teammates. Only Trent Alexander-Arnold managed more than the 27-year-old. He won 50% of his duels, including two in the air, and he also managed to win two fouls, with Fabinho being the only Liverpool player to beat him in that department.

Watch Liverpool Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Since moving to Anfield, Mane has played more than twice as many games on the left of the front three than on the right according to those where his position has been recorded by Transfermarkt. However, he actually has a better record on that side.

In 40 matches, he has 20 goals, as well as nine assists – as per Transfermarkt – whilst in 91 games on the left, he has 44 goals and 17 assists. The numbers are similar, yet there is a slight advantage on the right. He has scored 0.48 goals per match on the left compared to 0.5 on the right, and he has 0.23 assists per game on the right compared to 0.19 on the other side.

The reason he has been used on the left for the most part is down to Salah’s proficiency. According to Transfermarkt, the £135m-valued ex-Chelsea player has never played on the left wing for Liverpool, but has 61 goals in 96 games on the other side. Clearly, he is less manoeuvrable than Mane, hence why he been used there predominantly. Whilst the Senegalese man may be performing fantastically, the stats show that the former AS Roma man is perhaps preventing him from reaching his full potential. It is something for Klopp to think about.

In other news, Liverpool fans cannot believe they could make a profit on this dud.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Ivan Rakitic has recently spoken to Movistar+ and talked about his current situation at Barcelona. The Croatian midfielder publicly expressed his sadness and discontent because he is not playing as much as he would want to. And considering he still has a lot to offer, Ernesto Valverde’s treatment does seem quite strange.

What did he say?

It’s not really easy going from being the guy who plays all the time to the guy who occasionally makes a cameo appearance.

All football players want to be on the pitch as much as possible and Rakitic is clearly not the exception.

But the Croat can only boast a total of 255 minutes of game time in the span of ten games he’s participated in across all competitions. By all means, this was a huge fall from grace for a guy who was Valverde’s most used player in 2018/19 campaign.

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And now, he finally couldn’t keep silent anymore and he opened up in a rather sincere interview with Movistar+ (quoted by Mundo Deportivo).

Here’s what he had to say in full:

“How can one enjoy? [By] Playing football. And it’s like I say many times, how does my little daughter feel when you take a toy from her? She feels sad. Well, I feel the same, they took my ball. I feel sad. And what I want is to be able to continue enjoying and that is the most important thing for me, then one enjoys only playing. I’m 31 years old, I’m not 38, and I feel at my best.”

A baffling approach

With the recent emergence of Arthur Melo and the arrival of Frenkie de Jong, it was quite obvious that someone will have to be cut from the squad.

Sergio Busquets, even though ageing as well, is still an irreplaceable piece of Barcelona’s jigsaw and that meant Rakitic was the only suitable candidate to be dropped.

But this sudden change – going from most-used to almost never used – is rather strange if nothing else.

If Valverde never had any intention of playing Rakitic in 2019/20, for whatever reason, then why didn’t Barcelona make sure he was sold rather than just rotting on the bench and losing value?

A case could be argued about their bad management in the first place, seeing how they have a total of eight midfielders competing for three spots in the starting line-up. In such a scenario, players like Rakitic and Vidal or even the youngsters like Carles Alena and Riqui Puig, can’t even dream of regular football throughout the season.

But the Croat was cast out of the squad with no warning and no explanation.

It’s highly unlikely that Valverde suddenly realised he was no longer good for his team, after a whole 2018/19 of constantly playing the midfielder in his starting XI.

Even if they wanted to get rid of him, not giving him any minutes at all will hardly attract big suitors and it seems that they are handling this situation rather poorly.

Not to mention that Rakitic does make a point in his statement – he still has something to offer and he’s not obsolete just yet.

In 2018/19, Barcelona won 71% of matches with him in the team and only 50% of the matches without him.

Clearly he had an impact on their results and maybe his sudden exclusion could also be part of the reason they are struggling this year in the first place.