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Leicester City’s £30million summer capture of defender Wesley Fofana has reportedly left West Ham United boss David Moyes in agony.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, Moyes has been blown away by how Fofana has instantly impressed in the Premier League following his move to the King Power Stadium in the recent transfer window.

West Ham had strived to rival the Foxes in efforts to sign Fofana after his former side Saint-Etienne were left furious by Leicester’s tactics, but eventually missed out to Brendan Rodgers’ side after the Ligue 1 outfit accepted a club-record offer worth €38.5m (£30m).

Leicester had seen several bids rejected over the course of the market, though secured a deal for the highly-coveted youngster after ASSE accepted what they deemed to be an “exceptional” sum during the “uncertain economic context caused by the health crisis”, as noted in an official statement.

Rodgers has been reaping the rewards ever since, with Fofana starting four of Leicester’s Premier League fixtures and helping to two clean sheets including a 1-0 win over Arsenal and a 1-0 victory at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Moyes has been left in awe of the 19-year-old’s instant success in England and is greatly frustrated to not be seeing those efforts in east London, having identified the Under 21 international as a candidate to solve his priority need at centre-half.

Sullivan’s disaster

David Sullivan’s inability to match or better Leicester’s £30m offer for Fofana before Saint-Etienne accepted the Foxes’ bid will be a failure West Ham could live to rue for years to come, given how well and how fast the teenage brute has taken to the Premier League.

Fofana has enjoyed a dream start to life at the King Power Stadium where Rodgers has hailed the ASSE product, noting via quotes by the Leicester Mercury: “For a boy of 19 years of age, it’s why we worked so hard to get him in. He’s come into a developing team and he’s going to make mistakes.

“Sometimes he stays on the ball a bit longer, he could get his pass off earlier. And sometimes he gets a fraction too tight, but I like my defenders to be able to defend forward and jump forward. That’s just about experience and knowing when to full press or when to three-quarter press.

“He has so many natural attributes, physically he’s a big boy, he’s great in the air, he’s strong, he’s quick, he’ll never get bullied as a centre-half. His profile is perfect for the British game. What you see is that he can play, he takes the ball, he passes the ball, he can step in with the ball, and he can play short and long passes. It’s great.”

Moyes would undoubtedly have loved to have had the chance of nurturing Fofana’s development and to utilise a player Rodgers believes is “perfect” for the Premier League.

Fofana is also one who has made just one fewer successful tackles (8) than Fabian Balbuena (9), made more interceptions (12) than Aaron Cresswell (8) and Angelo Ogbonna (6) and won more ground duels (13) than Balbuena (10), per SofaScore, despite playing vastly fewer top-flight minutes (360) than each Balbuena (540), Ogbonna (693) and Cresswell (720).

AND in other news, West Ham are eying a perfect £30m swoop to sign a “complete player” who has been backed for greatness.

Celtic are easily at their lowest ebb in the last ten years.

This season was supposed to be all about silverware, a tenth successive league crown and dominating Rangers once again.

However, as it turns out, they can’t even dominate the likes of Ross County.

Neil Lennon’s side were knocked out of the Champions League by Hungarian opposition and then shipped eight goals in two games against Sparta Prague as the Hoops exited the Europa League.

11 points behind the Gers in the league and now out of the Scottish Cup too, it has been a disastrous campaign.

Fans have started protesting outside Parkhead and things are getting rather messy in Glasgow from a green and white perspective.

It feels like only a matter of time before Lennon gets the boot and if they want to make full use of the January window for a new manager, they will have to get someone in soon.

It’s now only four weeks before the market opens and Celtic are already being linked with a new midfielder.

That happens to be boyhood Hoops fan James McCarthy. The Crystal Palace enforcer is out of contract at the end of the season and thus, can begin discussing terms with the Bhoys as soon as January.

It’s not a signing that catches the eye immediately, but Nick Hammond could help fix a glaring issue in the Celtic squad by bringing the 42-cap Irishman to Scotland.

First and foremost, he is in the Scott Brown mould, someone who evidently has not been at the races this season.

He might be Celtic’s captain but his performances are not indicative of that. Brown has been woeful and against Sparta last week, he was at fault for the opening goal and made the fewest touches of any player to start the game for Lennon.

Known by many in the game as a bruiser, someone who gets stuck in, that’s the exact qualities that McCarthy could replicate if he made the move across the border.

Once dubbed a “class player” by Roy Hodgson, it’s clear to see why that assessment has been delivered.

Although he is effective in defensive situations, he is also a safe and measured passer with the ability to dictate the play from the middle of the park.

In 2020/21 so far, McCarthy has managed 2.2 tackles per game. For immediate context, Brown only manages 1.5 a match. Vitally, though, the Palace titan commits fewer fouls (0.5) over the course of a game than the Celtic skipper (1.5).

Not only is McCarthy strong in the tackle but he does so by winning the ball and then moving it on. The same cannot be said for Brown, someone who is becoming a greater liability as the weeks go by.

At the age of 35, he is no spring chicken and needs replacing. This must be one of the first priorities for any new manager coming in.

It would be an ideal signing, especially on a free transfer.

In other news, Celtic must UNLEASH this player instead of Scott Brown…

Dele Alli has proven why Jose Mourinho can finally trust the Tottenham Hotspur outcast after producing a creative display in victory over Ludogorets on Thursday night.

Mourinho returned Alli to the starting line-up for the visit of Spurs’ Bulgarian opposition, having opted to omit the 24-year-old from his last five Premier League matchday squads and benching the midfielder at Ludogorets earlier this month.

Former Tottenham defender Danny Mills believes Alli should be “raging” over his recent treatment, which has sparked rumours Everton could look to forge a swoop on north London seeking a loan deal in the upcoming January window.

Mourinho’s reluctance to field Alli was capitalised last weekend when the Portuguese tactician only saw fit to name the £46.8m-rated star as the 19th-man against Manchester City, and left him to watch the win from the stands.

But Alli grabbed his chance to impress the former Chelsea boss against Ludogorets ahead of Tottenham’s trip to Stamford Bridge on Sunday, with the MK Dons product display the touch of magic Spurs icon Gary Mabbutt recently told Football FanCast he believes the midfielder is capable of.

“Having watched Dele Alli grow as a player from when he first arrived at the club to where he is now, in a game you don’t deserve to win, he can create a bit of magic, he creates that opportunity for you, or scores a goal for you. He has an incredible potential to be a top player,” Mabbutt said.

Tottenham’s night got off to the perfect start when summer signing Carlos Vinicius opened the scoring in the 16th-minute at home to Ludogorets, before doubling Spurs’ advantage with his second goal of the Group Stage thanks to Alli’s first assist of the season.

Just 243 minutes of first-team football across all competitions this season had restricted Alli’s opportunities to impress Mourinho prior to Thursday night’s Europa League tie, which saw the 37-cap England international register three key balls and complete 51 of 64 total passes, including two of three long balls, per SofaScore.

He further won each of his two aerial duels, two of his five ground duels, struck three shots on goal, completed one of two attempted dribbles and delivered an accurate delivery with his sole cross of the game.

Alli may have lost possession 17 times but proved to Mourinho why he can be relied on to offer a creative spark in behind the sole striker, even if he lacks defensively with just one interception to his name against Ludogorets.

AND in other news, a Spurs gem who isn’t “shy” has a mountain to climb if he’s to win Jose Mourinho over.

According to a recent report from 90min.com Juventus star Paulo Dybala has been offered to the Premier League’s ‘Big Six’ ahead of the January transfer window and Liverpool should be the ones to take advantage.

The Argentinian has found himself on the fringes of the Juventus squad this season, with new manager Andrea Pirlo preferring Alvaro Morata up front, as Dybala has made just six starts in all competitions so far this season.

The 27-year-old enjoyed a superb campaign last time out under Maurizio Sarri, contributing 11 goals and six assists in 33 Serie A appearances, which saw him average an incredible 7.44 rating (per WhoScored).

This came after a failed transfer to Tottenham Hotspur the summer before, with the former Palermo man opting to stay with the Italian giants after an issue with his image rights saw the deal fall through, and it seemed as if he was destined for another strong campaign with the Old Lady this time out.

However, it seems as if Pirlo no longer wants to work with Dybala, as he has reportedly been offered to several teams in the Premier League ahead of next month’s transfer window.

The Argentinian international is capable of playing as a centre-forward, a winger, and a second-striker, suggesting that he would fit well into Liverpool’s fluid attack.

He could also be compared to Borussia Dortmund star Marco Reus, who also played in a number of positions across the attack during Klopp’s time in charge of the Bundesliga side.

Under the German manager, Reus would make 121 appearances, contributing an impressive 53 goals and 45 assists (per Transfermarkt).

If Dybala could produce anywhere near those numbers should he join Liverpool, he would surely prove to be an excellent signing indeed.

Earlier this year, Juventus legend Alessandro Del Piero spoke highly of the Argentinian, saying:

“Considering what I know of him, his performances on the field and off, I think that Paulo has matured in recent months. The best show of that was how he dealt with what happened over the summer, his reaction emblematic of how much he has grown.

“We knew he was someone who loves to work and today I feel he has become a complete player.”

Therefore, Dybala is clearly held in high regard and considering he looks to be something of an outcast at Juventus now, it could be the perfect opportunity for Liverpool to sign the £72 million rated forward in a cut-price deal.

And, in other news… Stealing a wage: Klopp must axe £75k-p/w “machine” who’s bleeding Edwards dry

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Dean Windass has opened up on the possibility of Leeds United signing Phil Jones from Manchester United.

The Whites currently have an extremely depleted defence which was only worsened by an injury blow to Liam Cooper on Sunday evening.

Heading into their clash with Man United last weekend, they were already without Robin Koch and Diego Llorente so Cooper was the only fit senior central defender in the entire squad.

The length of his spell on the sidelines is unknown but it could be a chance for the likes of Pascal Struijk to impress for a few weeks.

Of course, the January transfer window is now just a matter of weeks away and Leeds could look to solve their defensive crisis by exploiting the market.

And one player they could look to move for is English defender Phil Jones. Asked about the possibility when talking to FFC, Windass wasn’t too convinced. He said:

“I don’t think so. I think he’s another one now coming to the end of his career. You know, I think the short term you can get younger centre backs out there now. Leeds at the back need pace, and Phil Jones now is coming to the end of his career.”

“Side point, him alongside Liam Cooper. Yeah experienced but you need pace now in the Premier League. And I’m not saying Phil Jones is slow but he’s coming to the wrong end of his career. So, I might be wrong, they might try signing him.” 

Leeds have been linked with Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori on loan but Jones could be a more long-term solution for Marcelo Bielsa and Victor Orta.

Jones’ contract doesn’t expire until 2023 and even then, United have the option for a further year. However, considering he hasn’t played all season, the exit door surely beckons.

The 28-year-old is currently valued at £5.4m via Transfermarkt and earns a pretty meaty weekly salary of £75,000.

Having played 200 Premier League games, he’s certainly what they’re looking for in terms of experience but his injury history isn’t the best. He has picked up 18 separate issues since penning terms at Old Trafford.

Orta needs to consider this one carefully.

AND in other news, Leeds could have their NEW Ben White if Orta sanctions swoop for “huge talent”…

Celtic have managed to turn things around in the last few weeks.

It’s been a timely return to form for a side who desperately need to improve in January to bridge the gap to Rangers.

What’s the word?

Despite their six-game win streak, the Hoops are still 16 points off the pace in the SPFL.

2020 was undoubtedly Celtic’s year in terms of trophies but it looks as though they may have to surrender to the mercy of the Gers in 2021.

Neil Lennon has reinvigorated his side well, though, and they now appear to have their swagger back. Therefore, a few extra additions in the transfer market would surely go down a treat.

One player they could sign is someone who was utilised so well at Parkhead under a certain Brendan Rodgers. The man in question is winger Patrick Roberts.

According to The Daily Record, Middlesbrough have told the 23-year-old that he could be free to leave his loan stint in order to find regular football elsewhere.

Consequently, Celtic have been alerted to the availability of the £39k-per-week attacker during the January window.

Sign him

If Roberts does leave Manchester City again then it will presumably be a loan deal.

Given the winger’s form over the last few years and his lack of football this year, it could be exactly the move to reignite his career. Add the fact that James Forrest is still out injured and it only elevates the importance of signing a player like Roberts for Celtic.

He was a real livewire during his previous stint in Glasgow and it cannot be underestimated how important it would be to bring someone in who is already familiar with the surroundings.

January moves are often tough because you have no pre-season and aren’t familiar with the tactics. Though, that wouldn’t be an issue for the Man City flanker – someone who already knows the vast majority of the playing squad.

Roberts scored 18 goals and registered an impressive haul of 26 assists in his 78 Celtic appearances to date and now a more mature man, he’d surely better that considerably.

Speaking about the forward in May 2016, Rodgers said: “Patrick is more a David Silva type, more on the inside. He looks like he has an eye for goal. He’s very young and he looks a talent.”

With the Bhoys in need of strengthening all areas of their squad in order to narrow the gap to Rangers, Roberts would be pretty perfect. You don’t get compared to someone like Silva for no reason.

There are certainly plenty of positives to bringing him back to Parkhead. Nick Hammond must get a deal done.

AND in other news, Celtic liability who lost 83.4% of his duels massively betrayed Neil Lennon…

Sunderland haven’t been particularly active in the transfer window but they have made positive strides towards improving the team.

Carl Winchester has signed from Forest Green but recent reports suggest a left-back could be arriving.

What’s the word?

The Mackems have recently been touted with signing St Johnstone defender Scott Tanser but now another full-back has emerged on their radar.

According to Football Insider, the Black Cats are interested in signing Brighton defender Alex Cochrane.

The 20-year-old is currently on loan in Belgium at Union SG but with his contract expiring this summer, a permanent transfer elsewhere could be on the cards.

It’s thought that Sunderland want to sign him either on loan or on a permanent transfer this month.

Solving a problem

When Kristjaan Speakman walked into the football club, little did he think he’d be having to waver a bit of an injury crisis.

Lee Johnson’s men were struck by a bout of Covid, all while having to deal with injuries to Luke O’Nien, Josh Scowen, Lynden Gooch, Denver Hume, Conor McLaughlin and Danny Graham.

Scowen and Gooch may have returned but it’s in Hume’s position where an issue has emerged. The full-back has recently suffered a setback in his bid to return to fitness and now, Johnson will be sweating over his options.

Calum McFadzean gave away a penalty against Wimbledon and is far from assuring while his other option – Dion Sanderson – is not a natural left-back.

Thus, the addition of Cochrane would be invaluable in their quest to be promoted. Hume has been a major player for Sunderland this season, registering two assists from full-back and proving to be a huge asset going forward.

Fortunately, they’d discover similar qualities with the Brighton defender. Speaking about him in the summer, journalist Derren Howard said: “He’s a good athlete who defends well, but like most modern-day full-backs he’s also very attack-minded and links well with the midfield.

“He is clever and skilful on the ball and for a young player he also reads the game well and is tactically aware.”

The youngster hasn’t contributed to a goal during his time in Belgium but we get a sense for his qualities in the final third by looking at his performances for Brighton U23s in the EFL Trophy last term.

In a match with Sunderland’s fellow League One side Wimbledon, Cochrane was a rampaging force down the left, delivering four crosses and winning 75% of his duels. Against Newport County, meanwhile, he delivered three crosses.

For context, Hume has registered 1.5 crosses per game this season so they may even discover an upgrade.

Most importantly, though, they’d find cover in an area where Hume’s injury has become a problem for Sunderland. This would be a solid acquisition in January, one that ensures Johnson can rest a little easier between now and the end of the season.

AND in other news, SAFC swoop for £800-p/w ace would be final nail in Sanderson’s Stadium of Light coffin…

Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed Everton will be without top-scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin for their midweek trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers as the striker is struggling with a hamstring injury.

The forward missed the Toffees’ FA Cup third round win over Rotherham United on Saturday as a result of the blow, which he first sustained prior to his side’s 1-0 defeat at home to West Ham United on New Year’s Day, according to the Liverpool Echo.

Everton had hoped to see Calvert-Lewin overcome the issue ahead of travelling to Molineux on Tuesday, but he has not yet recovered sufficiently, leaving the club keen to be cautious with the £100,000-per-week attacker.

Calvert-Lewin had scored 11 goals over the opening 11 games of the Premier League season but is now without finding the back of the net in his last five top-flight appearances, which have seen Everton win by a single-goal margin on three occasions and lose once.

Ancelotti is not overly concerned by the severity of Calvert-Lewin’s hamstring injury, though accepts Everton will need to find alternative ways of beating Wolves.

“Calvert-Lewin is not available. It is a hamstring problem,” the former Chelsea boss said. “I think he can recover soon. He had a little problem in the week before West Ham, but, given the fact he had never had this injury before, he was not able to judge for himself 100%.

“He played the whole game against West Ham, so this means that it’s not a really important injury, but we want to keep him safe and when he comes back, be 100%. Without an important player like Dominic, we need to be able to replace him in different ways.

“We’re going to play a player with different characteristics, and we have to adapt for this. For sure, we will be less dangerous from crosses but maybe we can be more dangerous with the final pass.”

Ancelotti and Everton opting to play it safe with Calvert-Lewin as he strives to recover from a first hamstring injury of his career may prove beneficial for the £40.5m-rated attacker, as the extended break between appearances will afford the 23-year-old a chance to hit the reset button.

Calvert-Lewin broke out of the gates on fire at the start of the season but has lost his lethal edge over the past month and has struggled to create chances, twice only recording one shot and twice hitting just two efforts in a game since last finding the back of the net, per WhoScored.

His time on the field has not reduced over those games with Ancelotti only withdrawing the England international for the final 10 minutes of this month’s defeat to West Ham, marking Calvert-Lewin’s first substitution during a league fixture since matchday two.

Everton will need to see Calvert-Lewin back to his best soon with fixtures coming thick and fast over the next month, and competition for the Champions League places fierce with the top-10 separated by just seven points.

AND in other news: “Absolutely” – Exclusive: Pundit can see £31.5m-rated “Ancelotti type of player” joining Everton.

Many Liverpool fans were delighted to discover that second-string goalkeeper could be leaving Anfield in the summer, with one supporter calling it ‘wonderful news’.

The Mirror reported that following the end of the Spaniard’s contract, the 34-year-old will leave the club after two full seasons.

Adrian lost his place in the squad to youngster Caoimhin Kelleher, who stepped in during Alisson Becker’s absence during two Champions League games – and the Irishman shone against Ajax after making a series of fine saves.

The veteran shot-stopper has not featured since October after his side’s 2-2 draw with arch-rivals Everton. But the decision could be in relation to their 7-2 horror defeat to Aston Villa two weeks before, where he received a match rating of just 3.83 from Whoscored.

Because of this, supporters were happy that they will possibly be seeing the back of Adrian at the end of the season, forgetting about the actions that took place during the Super Cup Final against Chelsea.

Fans want to see Adrian leave

“WORST PLAYER TO EVER PLAY FOR THE CLUB, GOOD RIDDANCE”

Credit: @Kostarlos

“Yesssssssss!!!!!!!”

Credit: @1CraigFisher

“We’ve won”

Credit: @lfcjamie10

“Spelt Adrian read Fraudrían, always.”

Credit: @miratderler

“Couldn’t be happier”

Credit: @BeardmanLFC11

“God is so great man, look at this wonderful news”

Credit: @SAINTLAUR3N

In other news, Huge boost for Liverpool as 6 ft 3 star reveals behind the scenes footage; Beckenbauer loves him.

Leeds United have been linked with several new names this month as the January transfer deadline edges closer. One man who remains on the radar is Hibernian full-back Josh Doig. According to Goal, the Whites join Celtic and Manchester City in the running for the 18-year-old who has two-and-a-half years left on his current contract in Scotland.

The recent Championship winners have shipped a hefty amount of goals this season, letting 35 past them so far. Only Crystal Palace (36) and West Brom (48) have conceded more this 2020/21 term.

Marcelo Bielsa’s backline will be the main source of his worries, but signing Doig could create some problems for fellow left-back Leif Davis.

Davis could suffer if Doig signs for Leeds

According to the report, the young Scot would be available for as little as £1million if Leeds are to pursue a move. This will be a very attractive fact for Andrea Radrizzani, who spent almost £100million during the summer on new recruits.

Robin Koch and Diego Llorente are both injured and they are the main reason why the Whites are struggling to defend right now. Bielsa has been forced to deploy Luke Ayling in central defence, rather than in his natural position at right-back.

Whilst recruiting Doig would add to Leeds’ defensive options, he will be directly competing with fellow rising full-back Davis. According to Transfermarkt, the Newcastle-born defender has made just two senior appearances this season, both in the form of cameos.

However, on the flip side, Doig has been a prominent figure for Hibernian, making 17 appearances in the Premiership this campaign and and contributing two assists, as per Transfermarkt. He recently received praise from Hibs manager Jack Ross for being a “confident” and “impressive” player.

Despite being three years Davis’ senior, Doig has more experience at the top level and could really pile the pressure on the elusive Leeds youngster.

In other news, Bielsa made huge mistake rushing Diego Llorente back…