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Nampalys Mendy could be allowed to leave Leicester City during the January transfer window, as reported by The Telegraph.

Brendan Rodgers is looking to trim down his squad, with the Frenchman being touted as somebody who could leave the King Power Stadium, having arrived there in 2016.

Mendy has been cast to the side at Leicester, playing just one solitary minute of football this season, as per WhoScored, which came when he replaced Youri Tielemans during the 2-1 win over Sheffield United.

A sign of how far down the pecking order he has fallen in a quick period of time, is that the 27-year-old started 23 league games last season and came off the bench on 8 occasions.

The rise of Hamza Choudhury will likely have contributed to this, as the 22-year-old only made 7 starts and 2 substitute appearances last season, but has already played 4 games from the start and come off the bench for another 4 this time around.

Letting Mendy leave is likely the best move for the Frenchman’s career, as the chances of him getting any substantial game time at the King Power Stadium seem very slim.

This can also be a good move for Leicester, as any of the funds raised can be added to the Harry Maguire money and used to further strengthen the squad.

Leicester fans, what have you made of Mendy’s time at your club? Join the discussion by commenting below…

It must be an awful time to be a Manchester United fan.

Not only are the Red Devils in a bad place at the moment, sitting tenth in the Premier League table, but to make matters worse, their two biggest rivals are currently on top of the world.

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Man City won a domestic treble last term, and Liverpool picked up the only trophy City didn’t win as they lifted the Champions League.

It once again looks like one of those two sides will win the league title this term, and while that will infuriate a number of Man United fans, one of their biggest legends doesn’t seem to mind.

Roy Keane was asked on Sky Sports whether he’d rather see City or Liverpool win the league this term, and he gave a very mature response.

He says that despite his affiliation with Manchester United he wouldn’t mind seeing either team winning the title as they would have deserved it.

Considering some of the intense encounters the Irishman played in against those two teams, his answer is somewhat surprising, but certainly refreshing.

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 hinted that he could leave Barcelona, per 24 sata.

What did he say?

Rakitic has been a pivotal part of Barcelona’s recent success.

Shortly after arriving from Sevilla, the Croatian midfielder cemented himself as one of Blaugrana’s key players, making a total of 274 appearances for the club.

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But this season, we have seen a drastic change in his status at the club – Rakitic went from being one of the most used players to one that hardly ever plays, tallying only 186 minutes across all competitions in 2019/20.

And now, he has finally spoken up about his situation and the possibility of leaving Barcelona behind.

Here’s what he said in full:

“It’s tough because I want to play and not just be part of the team. I will do everything possible to change my situation. I have two years left on my contract and there’s no better place to play than Barcelona, the best club in the world, but I need to play and not just enjoy walks around the city and the beach. I spoke with people at the club, everyone knew I had other options. I want to fight so that the team see me ready to deliver on the pitch. I want to thank the fans for the affection they showed me this weekend, but if nothing changes, we will sit down and talk about my situation again.”

Time to say goodbye?

As Rakitic admitted himself, he did have options on the table during the summer.

Juventus were said to be interested but Barcelona reportedly wanted at least €50m (£44.9m) for the 31-year-old Croatian midfielder, and that was too much for the Italians.

The player even admitted that Cristiano Ronaldo called him himself and asked him to join but it was not to be.

Watch Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale answer the internet’s weirdest questions in the video below…

At least for now, that is.

Looking forward, it’s really unlikely that we will see Rakitic stay at Barcelona. After all, the incorporation of Frenkie de Jong and their midfield being overcrowded in general – with eight players fighting for three spots – everything points towards an exit pretty soon.

The deal couldn’t be struck in the summer but winter might bring new possibilities.

His game time has depleted drastically but the worrying thing for Rakitic could be the fact that it’s unlikely to go back up ever again. If he stays at Barcelona, he might have to get used to the bench.

But if his words are any indication, that’s not really an option for him.

For that reason, this might be the best time to say goodbye.

Michael Keane has been a beneficiary of John Stones’ injury problems, with the Everton defender once again lining up in the heart of the England defence for Tuesday night’s Euro 2020 qualifier with Kosovo.

The 26-year-old had a horror moment in the opening minute, however, when he conceded possession in a dangerous position – allowing Valon Berisha to send the visitors into the lead at St Mary’s.

Keane did provide the assist for Raheem Sterling to level, but it was a tough night for England’s back four as they conceded three times in the 5-3 win.

According to WhoScored, Keane did not make a single successful tackle, which will be a concern when analysing his performance.

And a number of England fans have taken to social media to criticise the former Manchester United youngster – many claiming that he is not good enough to be a starter for Gareth Southgate’s side.

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A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Liverpool may have continued their 100% Premier League start with victory over Chelsea and taken their winning streak to 15 consecutive league games, but the performance on Sunday has left some fans concerned.

In particular, the second half display was regarded as not good enough by some supporters, and given they almost surrounded a 2-0 advantage it is clear to see why that sentiment exists.

In fact, if Tammy Abraham had connected better with a backheel inside the box then Chelsea would have got the two goals needed to level things up, and a somewhat lacklustre display in which the Reds had only 45% possession is in need of improvement according to some.

Although slightly worried, some fans are just happy to pick up the three points and continue their perfect start, which leaves them with an early five-point lead over Manchester City in the title race.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

As Roy Keane suggested, those are the type of matches title-winning teams need to win, and therefore the reactions below may seem a little more negative than necessary.

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Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could well end up playing a part for Liverpool in the latter stages of the 2018/19 campaign, which looked in severe doubt at one point.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has been on the sidelines since rupturing knee ligaments in the Champions League semi-final against Roma last April.

The 32-cap international was forced to miss the resulting Champions League final, in addition to the 2018 World Cup where England reached the semi-finals.

The 25-year-old has recently started ball work, however, and could return to first-team training in the middle of next month – according to The Liverpool Echo.

Liverpool will, obviously, be very careful when it comes to re-introducing Oxlade-Chamberlain due to the seriousness of his problem.

However, it now appears possible that the Englishman will play a part for Liverpool in the final weeks of the campaign.

His return will be like a new signing for Liverpool, who are battling to stay top of the Premier League table amid huge pressure from Manchester City.

Jurgen Klopp recently praised the manner in which Oxlade-Chamberlain has dealt with the setback, and Liverpool supporters were quick to respond on Twitter. Here’s a look at some of the best reactions…

Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Sky Sports have released an analysis of Opta’s advanced statistics, and it reveals just how crucial Christian Eriksen truly is for Tottenham.

On the chalkboard

It’s been talked about plenty already this season – the Lilywhites are a different side when Eriksen plays, evidenced by the way his introduction turned the game against Aston Villa.

The likes of Lucas Moura, Son Heung-min, Dele Alli and Erik Lamela all possess their fair share of qualities, but none of them can pick a pass like the Dane, and Opta’s stats only further confirm his importance in Mauricio Pochettino’s set-up.

According to the report, which analyses things like width, speed of build-up, turnover rate, pressing actions and build-up quality, Spurs’ style of play is quite closely aligned with Arsenal and Manchester United.

However, while the Gunners and Red Devils focus more on countering at speed, Pochettino’s men have been relying on “more patient pass sequences”, similar to Manchester City.

The major difference between the champions and Spurs however, is that the north Londoners struggle to find the “killer ball”, something City do not have an issue with.

The report details how Spurs have lots of pass sequences but few “build-up attacks”, basically meaning they are not converting their dominance of the ball into clear-cut chances.

Key man

So where does Eriksen come into this? Well, the Denmark international averages an incredible 3.1 key passes per 90 minutes this term, and this is not a new development either.

Per WhoScored, he racked up 12 Premier League assists last season and 10 the campaign before that, boasting averages of 2.4 and 2.7 key passes per 90 minutes respectively.

So, while Harry Kane, the side’s captain, talisman and chief goalscorer, is likely the popular pick for Tottenham’s most important player, the underlying numbers suggest the Dane is really Pochettino’s key to success.

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Lots of Everton fans have been flocking to some manager news involving Duncan Ferguson.

As per The Times, sources close to the Goodison Park club have now indicated that Rafael Benitez could be relieved of his duties before they play Aston Villa at home in the Premier League next Saturday.

Ferguson is ‘ready’ to take temporary charge of Everton once more if the Spaniard is given the chop before then.

After yesterday’s embarrassing 2-1 loss at relegation-threatened Norwich City, the Toffees have still only managed to pick up one win in the top flight since September, and the extremely poor run of form looks set to cost Benitez his job.

Nonetheless, Ferguson looks set to take the reins once more, having done so back in 2019, when he actually did pretty well over four games. He won his opening match 3-1 at home to Chelsea while also picking up credible draws against both Manchester United and Arsenal (Transfermarkt).

He surely cannot do any worse than Benitez in terms of results, so it seems that a lot of Toffees supporters would be happy with the the 50-year-old being appointed.

Everton fans on Ferguson manager news

These Everton flocked to the manager news as it was shared on Twitter:

“Right decision. Get him in for Villa and Goodison bouncing again”

Credit: @bluesofgoodison

“Let’s hope so..”

Credit: @neilthompson67

“Yes Yes Yes”

Credit: @Stephen12724226

“Big Dunc”

Credit: @AndyVale27

“Perfect choice. The fanbase and team needs uniting again and he’s the perfect man to do it. Imagine the atmosphere vs Villa alone.”

Credit: @SachinT1878

“Let him be in charge for the rest of the season, see how he gets on”

Credit: @AdamEFC9

In other news, this Everton player was slammed by many fans over his performance against Norwich

Aston Villa and their owners have shown in the past, and throughout the current January transfer window, that they are not shy when it comes to spending big amounts of money on bringing new players to the club such as Lucas Digne, Emi Buendia, Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins among others.

With that in mind, one man who could follow in the footsteps of these players and make his way to Villa Park in the future is Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma, who has been linked with a move to the Midlands in recent weeks.

Having been tipped to become a “massive asset” for Brighton by Dale Stephens in his early months at the club, Bissouma has certainly lived up to that expectation with WhoScored currently listing the midfielder as the Seagulls’ highest-rated player this season, with an overall performance rating of 7.13/10.

This rating would make the Mali international, who is currently picking up £29k-per-week according to Salary Sport, Villa’s third-highest rated player by the same metric behind Digne and John McGinn, showing that he is capable of playing at a high level.

Gerrard would love Bissouma at Villa

Taking this into account, Gerrard would surely love to see Villa’s owners splash the cash once again to sign an experienced and talented player such as Bissouma.

You only need to look at the heroic defensive statistics that he has posted in the Premier League this season, with 3.6 tackles and 1.9 interceptions per game. He ranks higher than any other Villa player for the former metric and is a close second to Digne for the latter.

With deadline day approaching, Villa may not be able to pull off a transfer for the 25-year-old before the end of the month. However, with the summer in mind, the £22.5m-rated beast should definitely be high on Johan Lange’s priority list given how he will be entering the final year of his current contract at Brighton, who may then be willing to negotiate a deal for their midfield maestro.

Also, with the future of Douglas Luiz under some speculation at the moment, if he were to leave Villa any time soon, this would only enhance the club’s need to add a midfielder of Bissouma’s ilk to their squad.

In other news: Gregg Evans drops fresh Aston Villa January update which will have Gerrard buzzing

Sky Sports journalist Keith Downie has dropped an exciting transfer claim about Newcastle United’s plans for the January window.

What’s the story?

Speaking live on Sky Sports’ Transfer Talk at 12.10pm, he said: “As I’ve been reporting for the last few days, Trippier, as the new owners would hope, is the first of maybe at least four or five new signings arriving this January.

“Newcastle are very interested in bringing Lucas Digne to the club, they need a new left-back. Digne is one of a few they are looking at, and there has been some initial discussions between both clubs.

“What makes this one a little interesting is that Everton are keen on Sean Longstaff, and it’s my understanding that an offer came in from Everton just after Christmas. Time will tell whether the two clubs could come to an agreement on some sort of swap deal plus cash.”

PIF making moves

Downie’s claim that Trippier is the first of a number of signings to potentially walk through the door at St James’ Park is sure to have the likes of Eddie Howe and the club’s fans very excited.

The Magpies are in a precarious predicament at the moment, firmly entrenched in a relegation battle and needing a truly miraculous escape to beat the drop from the Premier League.

But, rather than just giving up and even planning towards life in the Championship, the club’s new owners are going full steam ahead with trying to keep the Tyneside club afloat.

Trippier’s arrival is a statement of intent in itself given he was playing for a Champions League playing side like Atletico Madrid, and if any new additions are on a similar level of quality and experience, then Newcastle’s hopes of surviving will take an absolutely massive boost.

PIF are making some big moves.

Meanwhile, Craig Hope has delivered a major Newcastle update…