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Along with Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho, Jack Grealish has been one of the most high-profile names to have been linked with a move to Manchester United throughout this season.

The Aston Villa captain has been in inspired form for the Midlands side, leading from the front as Dean Smith’s side look to stave off relegation this season – he has managed seven goals and six assists in just 26 games in the Premier League alone.

Now, The Athletic have revealed that whilst Sancho remains United’s big priority for the upcoming summer transfer window, the signing of Grealish could now depend upon whether Villa are willing to let him leave, and whether Paul Pogba stays at the club.

It is further suggested that Grealish is still a player the club are “certainly” keeping a close eye on. And after hearing about the update on their potential move for the 24-year-old attacking midfielder, United fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the situation.

A few United fans suggested that the likes of Jesse Lingard and Andreas Pereira simply aren’t good enough, and that Grealish’s arrival is important even if Pogba were to stay.

David Ornstein has reported on The Athletic that Arsenal’s hierarchy is 100% behind Unai Emery, following the 2-0 loss against Leicester City on Saturday.

There have been various calls for the Spaniard to be sacked after the result, which sees Arsenal drop to nine points behind Leicester in the Premier League table.

However, it appears that Emery will be staying put at the Emirates for the foreseeable future:

This has left many fans outraged with the board, feeling that the club is not taking their feelings into account and displaying a lack of ambition.

There are even some who have claimed that they will not be supporting the Gunners again until Emery is gone, as they are fed up with the same old issues not being addressed.

Emery’s side have now gone five games without a win in all competitions, meaning the feeling among fans is that the manager needs to go, even if that opinion does not seem to be mirrored by the board.

A selection of Twitter reaction to the update, including posts from fuming Arsenal fans, can be seen below:

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

West Ham United are going to give David Martin a chance to show what he can do in goal, according to Football Insider.

Manuel Pellegrini is said to be ready to trial him in what is regarded as the first-team during international break training, and the view is that he will start against Tottenham Hotspur if he impresses.

This is the correct decision from the Hammers manager, as he simply can’t afford to blindly stick with Roberto after all of the mistakes he has made.

The shocking attempt at a punch against Burnley and terrible positioning for Newcastle’s second are among the most obvious errors, but there have been many more.

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They have been costly for the team, who are now on a run of seven games without a win in all competitions, which has seen them drop down to 16th in the league.

When thinking of Martin’s on-pitch actions, many will likely think of his mistake for Millwall against Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup last season.

However, Phil Parkes has said the Englishman should not be judged on that moment alone, as reported by Claret & Hugh: “I think the manager needs to make sure that Alvin’s son Dave Martin is between the posts against Spurs.

“Ok, we know he had a bad game in a Cup match on television but before that, he had performed impeccably and has to be a better bet than the Spanish lad.”

The Englishman played 10 league games for Millwall last season, keeping 4 clean sheets and conceded 9 goals.

Considering Roberto has conceded 12 times in 6 Premier League games, it is definitely worth giving Martin a chance after the international break.

Tottenham Hotspur are seriously considering the prospect of signing an England international for manager Ange Postecoglou, with the Australian somewhat under fire right now after a tepid start to the season.

Spurs escape Coventry City upset with dramatic 2-1 win

The Lilywhites were just minutes away from what would’ve been a calamitous result in the EFL Cup on Wednesday evening.

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An uninspiring display at Championship side Coventry City in the EFL Cup nearly resulted in Postecoglou’s side squandering a potential cup run right at the very beginning of the season, and it took two dramatic last-gasp strikes to ensure their place in the next round.

Brandon Thomas-Asante’s opening goal for Coventry just past the hour mark had Tottenham supporters in panic mode, but substitutes Djed Spence and Brennan Johnson were on hand to spare Postecoglou’s blushes.

Timo Werner

RB Leipzig (loan)

Dominic Solanke

Bournemouth

Archie Gray

Leeds

Wilson Odobert

Burnley

Lucas Bergvall

Djurgarden

Min-hyeok Yang

Gangwon FC

Spence’s strike in the 88th minute and Johnson’s winner in added time kept Spurs’ hopes of winning the competition very much alive, though Postecoglou came under fire afterwards considering the lacklustre display from his team.

Speaking to the media after Tottenham’s smash and grab win, Postecoglou defended his players and praised Coventry for their performance.

“Yeah, I don’t know, flat performance is a bit harsh. I thought I was a typical cup game,” said Postecoglou after Spurs’ 2-1 win at Coventry.

“I thought Coventry were really good. They put some real energy into the game, and we couldn’t really get a grip on it. So we had to hang in there. We had to work really, really hard just to stay in the game and obviously going a goal behind makes it even more challenging. But like you said at the end there we showed some real spirit and character, which is probably what’s been missing in the first four games. We’ve had the performance, but we haven’t had that relentlessness to to get a result. You sense that in the last 10 minutes, we got real belief out of that, and hopefully that’s a good sign moving forward.”

Tottenham are also fresh off the back of two consecutive Premier League defeats, but Postecoglou has told his Spurs squad to remain calm and keep up their performance, ahead of a tough second campaign in charge for the tactician.

Tottenham seriously considering Angel Gomes move

As the pressure mounts on Postecoglou, club transfer chiefs are at work on potential signings to strengthen the squad as 2025 looms.

Lille midfielder and ex-Man United starlet Angel Gomes, who recently earned his first international caps for England, is apparently turning heads in north London.

According to GiveMeSport, Tottenham are seriously considering a move for Gomes while “offering him a route back to his homeland”, which would be a very low-cost deal with the 24-year-old’s contract expiring next summer.

While he is valued at around £21 million by Transfermarkt, Spurs could bypass a fee entirely next summer, or sign him for a very cheap fee in January.

Gomes has impressed for Lille since joining them in 2021, becoming a real mainstay and key player on their team sheet. The attacking midfielder chalked up eight assists in Ligue 1 alone last season, and he could be a sound alternative to James Maddison in the middle.

“Angel is maybe the most intelligent player I have in my team. He understands faster than the others everything about the game; he loves the game. He loves to learn and he is a player with big skills, big technique,” said ex-Lille boss Paulo Fonseca.

“He is a player who under pressure it is not easy to steal the ball off him and who discovers the space so easily. He is young, he has a big talent. I believe with the right coach, with the right project, with the right game for him, he can have the possibility to have a big step in his career.”

Glasgow Rangers underwent squad surgery during the recent summer transfer window, as a number of players moved in and out of Ibrox before the deadline.

Philippe Clement and Nils Koppen were clearly eager to freshen up the team and did exactly that by allowing the likes of Ryan Jack, Connor Goldson, Borna Barisic, Todd Cantwell, and John Lundstram, among others to move on.

The Gers duo also brought in the likes of Vaclav Cerny, Nedim Bajrami, Robin Propper, Clinton Nsiala, Hamza Igamane, and Connor Barron, among others, to bolster their options across the pitch.

One move that could lead to a long-term improvement to the team was the decision to send defender Johnly Yfeko out on loan, as he could develop into a first-team option for Rangers as an upgrade on John Souttar.

John Souttar's struggles this season

The Scotland international has endured a difficult start to the 2024/25 campaign, with his latest performance against Celtic perfectly illustrating his issues on the pitch.

Souttar played the full 90 minutes as Rangers were convincingly beaten 3-0 by their rivals in the first Old Firm clash of the season, and he lost all four of his ground duels, whilst being dribbled past twice, at Parkhead.

As you can see in the clip above, the former Hearts star was sucked away from the middle of the box by Kyogo Furuhashi's run and that opened up the space for Daizen Maeda to score, whilst the centre-back also failed to make the block in front of Jack Butland from the shot.

In his four Premiership appearances so far this season, Souttar has lost a whopping 87% of his ground duels and is yet to make a single tackle or interception to help his team out defensively.

Why Johnly Yfeko could be an upgrade

Yfeko's performances whilst on loan with Exeter so far this season suggest that the potential is there for him to develop into an upgrade on the Scottish dud.

It must be caveated by the fact that he is playing in the third tier in England, in League One, but if he can maintain his current level of performance and translate it to the Scottish Premiership then Clement could have a huge asset at his disposal.

Appearances

4

4

Tackles + interceptions per game

0

3.6

Ball recoveries per game

2.8

3.5

Ground duel success rate

13%

44%

Aerial duel success rate

64%

91%

As you can see in the table above, the 6 foot 2 loanee has significantly outperformed Souttar as an out-and-out defender, by winning possession back far more frequently and winning a much higher percentage of his physical contests.

Yfeko, who was described as "physical" by manager Gary Caldwell, has won a whopping 24 duels in four League One outings, compared to the Rangers dud's 17 duels won.

The 21-year-old starlet, who has made 1.3 key passes per game, has been deployed as a left-sided centre-back by Exeter and could come in to replace Souttar, which would then allow Propper, who is comfortable on either foot, to play on the right.

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If Yfeko can maintain that level of performance and adapt to the Premiership with Rangers, he could be far more dominant and secure at the heart of the defence for Clement than Souttar, hence why the manager may already have an upgrade on him at the club.

West Ham United have basically already wrapped up their first major piece of transfer business for 2025, according to popular insider Fabrizio Romano.

West Ham make solid start after busy summer

Tim Steidten certainly earned his money this summer as the Hammers embarked on one of their busiest windows in years, seeing ten new players arrive at the club as a whole host of last year's squad were either sold on or sent out on loan.

West Ham summer signings

From

Fee (Transfermarkt)

Max Kilman

Wolves

€47.5m

Crysencio Summerville

Leeds United

€29.3m

Niclas Fullkrug

Borussia Dortmund

€27m

Luis Guilherme

Palmeiras

€23m

Aaron Wan-Bissaka

Man Utd

€18m

Wes Foderingham

Sheffield United

Free transfer

Guido Rodriguez

Real Betis

Free transfer

Jean-Clair Todibo

Nice

Loan transfer

Carlos Soler

PSG

Loan transfer

Mohamadou Kante

Paris FC

Undisclosed

West Ham summer departures

To

Fee (Transfermarkt)

Flynn Downes

Southampton

€17.85m

Said Benrahma

Lyon

€14.4m

Thilo Kehrer

Monaco

€11m

Nathan Trott

FC Copenhagen

€1.5m

Ben Johnson

Ipswich Town

Free transfer

Joseph Anang

St. Patrick's Athletic

Free transfer

Angelo Ogbonna

Watford

Free transfer

Divin Mubama

Man City U21

Undisclosed

Mohamadou Kante

Paris FC

Loan transfer

Kurt Zouma

Al-Orobah

Loan transfer

Nayef Aguerd

Real Sociedad

Loan transfer

James Ward-Prowse

Nottingham Forest

Loan transfer

Maxwel Cornet

Southampton

Loan transfer

The Irons have reaped the rewards of their business so far, despite a hard fought defeat against Manchester City last time out, looking impressive against Crystal Palace – the 'dark horse' pick of many fans and pundits – and seeing new faces like Max Kilman and Aaron Wan-Bissaka shine.

Julen Lopetegui bemoaned self inflicted wounds after the clash against City, but saw plenty of positive signs as his side prepare to take on Fulham at Craven Cottage after the international break: "I think we did really well in the half of the second half, but we didn’t score and when you don’t score against these kinds of teams, they don’t forgive."

He continued: "It was a pity because the players and the team made a big effort today after playing three days in a very tough match against Bournemouth. We were very close to drawing and I think we deserved it in the second half above all, but we didn’t and we have to keep the good things and try to improve the other things."

Hammers closing in on permanent deal for Todibo

While the manager prepares his team for action on the pitch, it seems Steidten and the higher ups are already hard at work preparing for the next transfer windows, with Fabrizio Romano confirming on X this weekend that their first major deal of 2025 is basically already done as they prepare to make Jean-Clair Todibo's loan transfer permanent for a fee of roughly £34m.

The 24 year-old, who was on the brink of signing for Manchester United before the Hammers swooped in, has featured for just seven minutes in the top flight so far, but did get 45 more under his belt in the Carabao Cup outing against Bournemouth. Lopetegui will surely be hoping it's only a matter of time before his newest star is fully fit and firing to form a long-term partnership with the impressive Kilman.

With outgoings aplenty and reports of replacements on their way, Chelsea could field a much-changed line-up on the opening day of the Premier League season against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge.

It will be the start of what will be a crucial first season for Mauricio Pochettino and the Blues, who will be looking to make an instant return to the Champions League. It may take time for a new-look squad to gel, however, as the new boss attempts to find his strongest starting line-up.

With that said, we've taken a look at the potential new additions to Pochettino's line-up after the summer transfer window.

4 GK: Mike Maignan

Following the pending departure of Edouard Mendy, Chelsea are short on a goalkeeper to compete with Kepa Arrizabalaga next season. And that's where Mike Maignan could come in, with the shot-stopper valued at £30m (via Yahoo).

According to The Telegraph, the Blues are considering making a move for the AC Milan shot-stopper this summer with Kepa's number-one spot in doubt under Pochettino.

3 CB: Levi Colwill

Not exactly a new signing, but Levi Colwill more than showed that he's capable of stepping into Chelsea's side next season after playing a key role at Brighton under Roberto de Zerbi in the last campaign.

The young defender can form a solid partnership with Wesley Fofana next season, finally adding some much-needed stability to the backline at Stamford Bridge.

It makes sense for Chelsea to keep hold of Colwill after letting Kalidou Koulibaly leave to Saudi Arabia this summer, too. The last thing they want is to be short on options.

2 CM: Moises Caicedo

After playing a pivotal role in Brighton & Hove Albion's Europa League qualification last season, Moises Caicedo is unsurprisingly a man in demand this summer. And, according to reports, it is Chelsea who lead the way.

As per Fabrizio Romano, the Blues are set to open talks with Brighton for the midfielder and personal terms are not an issue as the London club prepare to go full steam ahead for a deal – though a fee will reportedly cost over £80m.

Caicedo would likely replace N'Golo Kante in Chelsea's side after the Frenchman swapped London for Saudi Arabia this summer.

1 ST: Nicolas Jackson

According to Romano and Will Unwin of The Guardian, Chelsea have completed the signing of Villarreal forward Nicolas Jackson for £31.8m, as they look to solve their goal-scoring issues.

Scoring just 38 goals last season, the London club are in desperate need of a capable goalscorer, especially with Kai Havertz on the verge of joining Arsenal.

The hope will be that Jackson, who scored 12 La Liga goals last season, can take things up a level or two under Pochettino and become the striker that's needed at Stamford Bridge.

Pochettino's potential line-up: Mike Maignan; Reece James; Levi Colewill; Wesley Fofana; Ben Chilwell; Moises Caicedo; Enzo Fernandes; Conor Gallagher; Noni Madueke; Nicolas Jackson; Raheem Sterling

Manchester United are eyeing a swoop for Barcelona defender Andreas Christensen as Erik Ten Hag aims to bolster his defensive options next season.

What’s the latest on Andreas Christensen to Manchester United?

According to sources in Spain, Man United are willing to pay €40m (£34m) in order to sign Christensen from Barcelona this summer.

Ten Hag is aiming to sign an experienced centre-back and Christensen has plenty of Premier League experience having spent five seasons at Chelsea before joining the La Liga giants on a free transfer last summer.

The Dutchman could be set to sell Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof this summer in order to generate funds for better signings, and the Danish defender would certainly be a big upgrade on Maguire as Champions League football returns to Old Trafford.

Could Manchester United sign Andreas Christensen?

The 27-year-old still has three years remaining on his current contract, and as he enjoyed a successful debut campaign in Spain, Xavi won't be keen on getting rid of him anytime soon, making a move potentially problematic for Ten Hag.

He ranked 11th in the squad for overall rating as per Sofascore while also ranking second for accurate passes per game (61.1) and clearances (2), while coming third for interceptions (0.9), underlining just how effective he was during his maiden season for the club.

Maguire ranked seventh throughout the United squad for his overall rating (6.95/10), yet this was lower than the 7.05/10 that Christensen averaged in the Spanish top flight.

Meanwhile, the Englishman also ranked in a lowly eighth position for interceptions per game (0.8), fourth for clearances (2.6) and tenth for accurate passes (30.6), with Christensen making nearly double the number of passes per match.

Indeed, it’s evident that the Dane is a far superior passer of the ball compared to Maguire, as he ranks in the top 1% across Europe’s big five leagues for pass completion rate (93.7%) and also ranks in the top 10% for progressive passes per 90 (4.95), suggesting that he is excellent at starting attacks from the defence on a regular basis.

Maguire, on the other hand, only ranks in the top 48% across Europe’s top five leagues for pass completion rate (85.2%) and in the top 53% for progressive passes per 90 (3.09), which indicates that Christensen could be a major upgrade that would fit Ten Hag’s style of play.

The former Chelsea defender has been lauded as being “underrated” by his former teammate at Stamford Bridge, Cesc Fabregas, and should the Red Devils lure him to Manchester this summer, they would be able to ditch Maguire in the process, vastly improving their options at the back.

An update has emerged on Celtic and their plans to find a replacement for recently-departed manager Ange Postecoglou this summer…

What's the latest on Rik de Mil to Celtic?

According to Football Scotland, the Hoops have added Rik de Mil to their list of targets as they attempt to draw up a shortlist of coaches to take over at Parkhead.

The report claims that the club have been keeping tabs on the Club Brugge assistant manager and are joined by a number of European and Belgian teams in doing so.

It states that the 41-year-old is one of a number of candidates being considered by the Scottish giants with Brendan Rodgers, Enzo Maresca and Graham Potter named as other possible contenders for the job.

Would Rik de Mil be a success at Celtic?

Majority shareholder Dermot Desmond could uncover a dream replacement for Postecoglou by swooping for De Mil as could be a big success in Scotland.

The Club Brugge assistant, who Football Scotland claim is a "serious prospect with a top coaching career ahead of him", was given an opportunity to shine as the first-team manager for the first time earlier this year after Scott Parker was relieved of his duties and made an instant impact.

He won four of his six regular season games in the Pro League after the English head coach won two of his ten matches in the Belgian top-flight, but that was not enough to stop the club from appointing ex-Hoops boss Ronny Deila.

De Mil, who typically deploys a 4-2-3-1 formation, described his Brugge side as a "team putting forward pressure, trying to pin back its opponent high upfield."

He added: "There's still room for improvement when it comes to transition. Play it out a bit better at some moments, would have resulted in more goals. Those are some working points, absolutely, but I did see a dominant team in possession, finding space more easily."

These comments suggest that the Belgian tactician wants his team to dominate games and press high up the pitch to push the opposition's defence back and prevent them from building attacks of their own, which is akin to the way that Postecoglou set up his Celtic side with his high-pressing attacking style.

De Mil's limited experience as a senior manager means that it would be a gamble for Desmond to appoint him but the same could have been said about the club's last boss as the Australian had never managed in Europe but the 57-year-old ended up winning five trophies in two seasons at Parkhead.

Therefore, this could be a risk worth taking for Celtic as the talented Belgian has shown promise in his short managerial career to date and has a style of play that the supporters could connect with given the similarities to Postecoglou's philosophy of dominating with a high press.

Celtic will round off their season with the Scottish Cup final against Inverness on Saturday and can complete the domestic treble with a victory.

The Hoops have enjoyed an excellent campaign under Ange Postecoglou, as they have already wrapped up the Scottish Premiership and League Cup trophies, and they may now have one eye on 23/24.

Whilst the head coach could improve his squad by dipping into the transfer market to add fresh faces to the group, the Australian boss could delve into the academy to add competition for places.

One young gem who could be ready to make the step up to playing regular football for Celtic is youngster Adam Montgomery following his impressive loan spell with St Johnstone.

He is a 20-year-old defender who can play as a left-back or as a left-midfielder and the dynamo could be the long-term heir to Greg Taylor's position in the side.

How did Adam Montgomery perform this season?

Montgomery had already played 20 first-team games for the Hoops prior to going out on loan this season and racked up one goal and four assists in 33 appearances in all competitions for the Saints.

He showcased his defensive ability alongside his attacking prowess as the battler made 2.2 tackles and interceptions per game and won 53% of his physical duels.

Taylor, meanwhile, made featured in 31 Premiership games for Celtic and won 51% of his contests and made 2.2 tackles and interceptions per outing. The Scotland international also assisted four goals from left-back, which shows that both players are attack-minded defenders who can also put their foot in to win possession back for their sides.

Montgomery's performances in the Scottish top-flight suggest that the youngster, who is five years younger than Taylor, could be the long-term heir to the current Hoops star's position in the team, based on their similar attacking and defensive outputs.

The talented youngster was rewarded for his efforts by being named on the shortlist for the Scottish Football Writers' Young Player of the Year, which was ultimately won by Motherwell's Max Johnston.

St Johnstone boss Steven MacLean hailed the gem as "outstanding" and his former manager Callum Davidson claimed that the ace has a "big future" ahead of him, which shows that the defender impressed both of his coaches during his loan spell.

The 20-year-old still has plenty of time left ahead of him to develop and grow and being the back-up to Taylor for another season could provide the seasoned Hoops defender with competition and allow Montgomery to learn from him before eventually taking over the starting berth in the future.