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Carlton Palmer has insisted Paul Pogba will not spend the rest of his career at Manchester United despite Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s initial protestations.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast correspondent Tom Ward, the former England international claims there may even come a point where Solskjaer is forced to sell his prized asset.

Reports in recent times revealed that United triggered a one-year option in his contract that will keep him at Old Trafford until 2022 and Solskjaer had been hopeful that Pogba would sign a new contract extension in the summer amid links abroad.

However, since then there have been no reports confirming the news, which has cast doubts over his future at the club.

Palmer believes Solskjaer will most likely sell Pogba simply because he has too many options to choose from in the midfield.

He told FFC:

“Why haven’t they got the best out of Pogba? Solskjaer hasn’t set the team up to get the best out of him.

“How come every time he goes and plays for France, he’s outstanding? Because the team’s set up to enable him to do what he does, which allows him to play football, he needs the freedom of the park. With somebody like Kante, he can have the freedom of the pitch, and they’ve still got all of the flair players in the side, like Griezmann, Mbappe and Martial, but he can’t get it to work at United.

“Why? Well, first of all they haven’t got a back four that can defend properly. I think Pogba and Matic could work together, but I think Matic’s legs are going a little bit, so you need someone who is a bit more mobile, like Donny van de Beek.

“Give Pogba the freedom to go and play, tell him ‘at the end of the day, your job is to make things happen for this football team. I’m sure that’s what Didier says to him in the French team – he drops off, he plays lovely sublime balls, he gets forward, he gets crosses in and he scores goals.

“So why is he not doing it at United? Because the team’s not set up right for Pogba to do so.

“So, he’ll probably sell Pogba, because he’s brought in too many other players like McTominay, Van de Beek, to play in the same position.”

Pogba has been an integral part of the side in recent seasons, having featured 35 times in the 2018-19 campaign as Solskjaer’s side finished sixth in the Premier League after the turbulent departure of former manager Jose Mourinho.

However, an injury-stricken season coupled with the arrival of Portuguese magnifico Bruno Fernandes from Sporting Libson in January has seen his playing time limited in recent months, as he has made just seven appearances in the Premier League this season.

The Red Devils have endured an inconsistent run of form, as they have lost three and drawn one of their nine games in the top flight so far this season.

In 12 appearances this season, Pogba has scored one goal and supplied two assists in all competitions, which is a pretty decent return, especially when you consider the fact he has made an appearance as a substitute from the bench seven times so far.

With the winter transfer market set to open in just under a month’s time, there’s no doubt that the rumours linking him elsewhere will start to circle once again.

AND in other news, Forget Fred: Manchester United magnifico Bruno Fernandes seriously let Solskjaer down vs PSG…

Marcel Brands has landed a huge break in his bid to finally rid Everton of Yannick Bolasie with Middlesbrough reportedly reigniting their drive to sign the unwanted winger.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, Neil Warnock’s Boro are putting plans in place to bring Bolasie to the Riverside Stadium in January having failed to get a deal over the line this summer.

Everton were believed to have agreed on terms with the Championship side ahead of the window slamming shut, but saw the move collapse on Deadline Day as the paperwork needed to register the DR Congo international was not processed in time.

Warnock is a big admirer of Bolasie’s talents following their time together at Crystal Palace and has stated previously a determination to reunite with the forward in January, feeling the 31-year-old is the type of player who can make a difference in their push for promotion.

Boro sit six-points outside the Play-Off positions after the opening 17 games of the campaign thanks to one of the second-tier’s most evenly-balanced records, featuring six wins, six draws and five defeats, but a tame offence with just 16 goals scored thus far.

Bolasie has not featured in any competition this season after Carlo Ancelotti informed Everton’s £25million signing that he was surplus to requirements at Goodison Park upon returning from a season-long loan with Liga NOS powerhouse Sporting CP.

Millions on millions wasted

Middlesbrough reigniting their efforts to end Bolasie’s Goodison Park nightmare is a huge break for Everton’s Director of Football Brands, who has shouldered the burden of removing Steve Walsh’s disastrous signing since arriving on Merseyside in 2018.

Bolasie has been completely frozen out at Everton since the appointment of Ancelotti, but his horrors date back further with a serious knee injury in December 2016 – just months after his arrival – the start of what has proven to be a long road to nowhere.

The blow brought short a campaign of little promise with four assists and one goal in 13 Premier League appearances, and forced Bolasie to miss more than a year out before offering one goal and no assists in 16 games under Sam Allardyce upon his return.

Bolasie’s seven-minute run out in Everton’s 3-1 loss to West Ham United on the final day of the 2017/18 season remains his last for the club and with his £75,000-per-week contract due to expire next summer, Brands must do all he can to ensure the Lyon-born forward’s record scratches to its final halt this winter.

Everton have already wasted millions on millions through Ronald Koeman’s decision to sign Bolasie and Walsh’s call to pay £25m, as his total salary to date has pushed the Blues’ outlay to £41.87m and will only continue to climb until he says his last goodbyes.

AND in other news, Everton already have their answer to a 48-goal target “every coach wants”.

Many Southampton fans were full of praise for midfielder Ibrahima Diallo following his side’s 0-0 draw against Fulham on Boxing Day.

The 21-year-old made his first Premier League start for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side at Craven Cottage and asserted himself as a possible mainstay in the near future.

Per Sofascore, Diallo made three tackles, two interceptions, and accumulated a pass success rate of 85%, the highest from the visiting team.

Diallo signed a four-year contract at St Marys following his £11m move from the French side Brest and continues to settle into life in England.

Unsurprisingly, supporters were delighted to see Diallo perform at such a high level as he provided a possible taster of what can be expected from the Frenchman going forward.

Fans impressed with Diallo

“Lacked a lot of big players out there, notably Ings, Romeu and Jannik. Not sure why Long played but he didn’t do much as usual. Diallo looks like a good little player. Not over the moon with a point, but as long as we keep picking up those points then all good #saintsfc”

Credit: @matt_kempez

“On the plus side, after a slow start Diallo is definitely one for the future #SaintsFC”

Credit: @miserygutscoop

“1/3 not bad

Seriously though, Diallo probably the best of the bunch, promising signs. Stephens did alright too considering.”

Credit: @KingslandMush

“Not a bad performance, just one of those days. Thought Diallo grew into the game well, and very impressed with his stamina considering it was his first 90 minutes. Onto West Ham”

Credit: @StrangerIngsy

“Weird subs, thought Djenepo especially could of made an impact earlier. MOTM for me was Diallo. Extremely composed, thought Stephens was good too. Perhaps a crucial block in last second. Should of won. #saintsfc”

Credit: @andrewhal20

“Diallo looked promising. Some nice touches and runs but a lot to learn as well. Liked the look of him #saintsfc”

Credit: @L1minus10

In other news, Southampton fans rush to social media after transfer claims regarding Demarai Gray emerge.

Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey has compared a recent potential red card to the one that was shown to Wolves star Joao Moutinho’s a couple of weeks ago.

Nuno Santo’s Wolves side face Manchester United in the Premier League this evening and any potential sending off for Bruno Fernandes against Leicester City would have meant that the Portuguese star wouldn’t have been able to feature in tonight’s match. The midfielder, however, stayed on the pitch against Leicester after scoring and assisting in the 2-2 draw.

Fernandes had already been booked but the former Sporting man evaded a second yellow despite a clear foul on Jonny Evans near the touchline (as per BBC Sport).

Wolves will be ‘disappointed’ with the Fernandes decision

Halsey, talking exclusively with Transfer Tavern about Fernandes and the fact that he wasn’t sent off against Leicester. He compared the situation to that of Moutinho, who was shown a second yellow card against Aston Villa. Halsey believes that Moutinho got sent off for ‘nothing’ against Villa and Wolves fans would be ‘disappointed’ by the fact that Fernandes wasn’t dismissed – especially since both decisions were made by referee Mike Dean.

The former referee said:

“I think Wolves fans will be disappointed because when they go back to Wolves versus Aston Villa a couple of weeks ago, Moutinho got sent off for a second yellow for nothing and that was Mike Dean too. I suppose Wolves fans will have a bit of a grudge against Mike but this is one of those things that is subjective. I think that Mike got [the Fernandes] one right, I wouldn’t want to see a player sent off for a second yellow card like that.”

Moutinho had committed a foul on Villa’s young star Jacob Ramsey and that led to his sending off as Santo’s men lost the game 1-0 at home.

Fernandes’ presence could harm Wolves

In the current campaign, Fernandes has picked up the fourth-highest rating in the Premier League – 7.67. He has scored ten goals while picking up six assists as well (as per Whoscored).

This shows the impact that the midfielder has had in the Premier League and his presence could harm Wolves since he wasn’t sent off for his challenge on Evans.

Halsey has previously said that Moutinho didn’t deserve a second yellow against Villa and while Fernandes wasn’t sent off anyway, it is understandable why Wolves fans would feel undone by Dean because of rather inconsistent decision-making from the official meaning that one of United’s best players will be free to play this evening.

In other news, Wolves have been linked with a move for Luka Jovic – read more about it here.

Glasgow Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has revealed that Kemar Roofe will not be available this weekend at Aberdeen, and that he is likely to miss a couple of games.

Since signing from Anderlecht during the summer, the former Leeds United man has been a revelation for the Ibrox outfit. So far, he has scored 12 goals in 21 matches and has produced some stunning moments – in particular, his goal from the halfway line against Standard Liege in the Europa League.

However, he has already had several injuries, and Gerrard has confirmed that he will once again have to spend some time on the sidelines. The news, which was tweeted by the club’s official Twitter account, has attracted the attention of the Gers supporters, as you would imagine, and it does not seem to have gone down well at all.

The supporters took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on the matter, as one even called the news a full scale ‘crisis’.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Roofe news below

“No Roofe again man, brutal. I’d bring in 1 or 2 players this window because we seem to keep getting quite lengthy injuries.”

Credit: @ggh1992

“An absolute injury crisis this.”

Credit: @SpeckyRSC

“pain”

Credit: @j_1690

“No way”

Credit: @55incoming

“Time to mske 1 or 2 signings before we regret it”

Credit: @mkrfc72

“Roofe is a huge blow ………now we need the goalscoring Wee buffalo to re appear and keep the heid”

Credit: @theboysof609

In other news, Rangers fan hammer this pundit’s Old Firm claim.

Many Everton fans have slammed Roy Keane after a video involving the pundit emerged on social media.

Football Daily recently relayed a video involving Roy Keane, who was talking about Everton’s chances of competing for the title on Super Sunday. The former Man Utd midfielder said that teams would need around 80 points to win the league, but he said that fans should ‘forget’ about Everton challenging for the title. He made it clear that he wouldn’t include Everton in the debate for potentially winning the league.

The Toffees are currently at sixth in the Premier League table. They have 32 points in the bag and they find themselves only five points behind league leaders Manchester United. In their previous game, they beat Wolves 2-1 and they’ve won five out of their last six outings in the league (as per Whoscored).

Carlo Ancelotti’s men have generated a non-penalty xG of 1.18 in the Premier League this season and that is the ninth-best tally in the division. Their non-penalty Expected Goals against metric stands at 1.16, which is the ninth-worst in the Premier League (as per FBRef).

The video involving Keane was relayed on Twitter by All Together Now Everton podcast. Many Toffees fans talked about the former midfielder.

What did Everton fans make of this video about Keane?

“Clearly still hasn’t got over Everton turning him down when he was booted out of Old Trafford.”

Credit: @NikolasHeyes

“He speaks about football as if it’s the same as when he played, which a lot of the time is edgy and funny but sometimes it’s just plain embarrassing.”

Credit: @Dan_EFC1878

“Good keep on discounting us we’ll be the ones laughing when we finish in the top four.”

Credit: @Hugodrax0077

“There is a reason why Keane is sitting in the studio & not in the dugout. It’s laughable that he bigs up Brendan Rodgers who has won nothing of note & dismisses Ancelotti who has won everything.”

Credit: @ChrisPerez75

“What would Roy know, he is a failed football manager to be fair.”

Credit: @PaulClews2

“Didn’t Little Everton beat Leicester recently.”

Credit: @jasontgoodall

In other news, Everton reportedly like a Premier League defender – read more about it here.

Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to continue their rich vein of form when they head to Championship outfit Wycombe Wanderers in an FA Cup fourth round clash later this evening.

After playing three times in seven days, Jose Mourinho’s side were gifted an eight-day rest ahead of their encounter, so barring those that are injured, the Portuguese has a full squad to choose from.

But given they are playing lower league opposition, there could be a chance to see some of the club’s future stars in action.

Indeed, against non-league Marine last time out, Mourinho fielded the likes of Harvey White (who is now at Portsmouth on loan), Alfie Devine and Jack Clarke (who has gone to Stoke City on loan).

According to The Sunday Times’ Duncan Castles, Mourinho would like a new pacey central defender in the transfer market before deadline day on February 1st, but it may be worth seeing what Japhet Tanganga can do as he could save Daniel Levy millions this month.

The 21-year-old gem has only featured for a total of 388 minutes this campaign, including a 45-minute cameo at Marine as well as two clean sheets in the Europa League, per Transfermarkt.

He’s a player that has been tipped for big things in the past.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-and-rumours” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer rumours, injury latest and more!”]

Former Spurs man Darren Bent lauded Tanganga a “very exciting prospect” to Football Insider, whilst club legend and current first-team coach Ledley King has always been a fan. He told talkSPORT:

“I’ve been able to have a few conversations with him actually sit down to show him a few bits and pieces. He’s a kid that is hungry to play, enjoys defending which is great. His main position is centre-back and he’s slotted in at right-back brilliantly.”

Both Serge Aurier and Matt Doherty are doubts for this tie, so Tanganga could slot right in there whilst it would be wise to keep the likes of Toby Alderweireld and Eric Dier fresh for the upcoming schedule – the Europa League returns next month, for example.

At 6-foot he should have no problem filling in centrally plus many Spurs fans have seen what he’s had to offer in the past. Aside from the aforementioned matches, Tanganga has also kept clean sheets against Man City and Watford in the top-flight last season.

Having conquered Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero once, the £25k-per-week colossus should have no problem against the rock-bottom Championship strugglers.

So forget Rodon or Devine, it’s Tanganga’s time to shine.

AND in other news, Imagine him & PEH: Spurs could create a formidable spine by signing £22.5m “beast”…

David Sullivan and Co at the London Stadium may rue missing out on a deal for West Ham United to sign now Newcastle striker Callum Wilson in the last transfer window.

What’s the word?

According to ExWHUemployee, the Irons have made several moves to sign Wilson previously, including in the aftermath of AFC Bournemouth’s relegation from the Premier League last season, as per Sky Sports.

However, Wilson joined Steve Bruce’s St. James’ Park natives in a £20m move and took his tally for the term to 10 in 19 top-flight games, after scoring a match-winning brace against Everton on Saturday.

The 28-year-old was widely linked with a move away from the south coast after the Cherries’ five-year stay in the Premier League came to an end last summer, with West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur said to have been keen to rival Newcastle for the England international.

Wilson now has 51 career top-flight goals to his name following a double at Goodison Park this weekend, and is on course for his best single-season return having only once boasted a double-digit tally for Bournemouth when scoring 14 in 30 games during the 2018/19 term.

West Ham failed to sign a striker in the summer market and are now again on the hunt for centre-forward reinforcements after selling Sebastien Haller to AFC Ajax, with RB Leipzig’s Hwang Hee-Chan considered to be the Irons’ last hope ahead of Monday’s deadline.

GSB may rue failed Wilson swoop

Wilson has been widely praised since his move to Newcastle last summer, with the striker settling into life on Tyneside like a duck to water with a career-best top-flight goals-to-games record of 0.52 thus far.

And that’s despite often being starved off service at St. James’ Park, to such a degree that it sparked Toon icon Malcom Macdonald to claim “it makes me want to cry†while waxing lyrical over the “excellent footballer and finisher†when speaking with The Sun.

Former Republic of Ireland midfielder Matt Holland has also only been able to sing Wilson’s praises, telling talkSPORT via quotes by The World News: “Goals give you a chance of winning games and Callum Wilson has been one of the best signings in the Premier League this season.

“He offers them something they haven’t had for a long time. He is a threat in behind, he is a constant menace, he is a goalscorer and he has made such a difference to that Newcastle team.â€

Few players have scored more often in the league this season than Wilson, who now boasts by far the highest contribution rate of any player in the division having scored 48% of Newcastle’s 21 goals to date.

Midfielder Tomas Soucek is presently West Ham’s top-scorer with seven of their 30 strikes ahead of Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen (5), before a drop off to Angelo Ogbonna and Pablo Fornals who boast two each ahead of Sunday’s showdown with Liverpool.

Bowen (37) and Soucek (35) also lead the way in east London for total shots taken, on par with Wilson (36) despite the forward playing 110 fewer minutes than the Irons’ Czech titan.

Needless to say, then, that Wilson would have been able to offer David Moyes a lot had Sullivan and the Irons board been able to strike a deal with Bournemouth. They would also likely not be leaving it late to potentially sign a striker this month after Haller’s exit.

AND in other news, West Ham eye late loan for teen gem who “makes the game look easy 

Leeds United have had a great first season back in the Premier League so far, and a lot of this has been down to the impact of Patrick Bamford. Marcelo Bielsa has heaped praise on the Englishman.

What Bielsa had to say about Bamford

Speaking before the clash against Crystal Palace, Bielsa said on his improvement: “I suppose it is to do with how he has matured professionally. I don’t know how he was before.

“What I can tell you is that Bamford is a complete mature professional. What indicates that a player has matured is the amount of attention he pays when he plays. That’s to say it is very difficult to catch him by surprise because he is focused on the game. The other aspect is from himself – he takes the best out of himself.

“If you see the players in the best teams in the world, not the best players, they are players who always play at one hundred per cent.

“It is very difficult that situations in games surprise or are superior to them. Those two characteristics you obtain by becoming more mature. It is not so frequent in young players but those who use their experiences.

“Bamford seems to me to have taken the correct conclusions from his career. He has been like this since I met him. I don’t know how he was before.”

It is easy to see why he is being praised

Bamford has definitely had a great campaign so far this season. The Englishman has scored eleven Premier League goals in 20 appearances (Transfermarkt). In his last two games, he has picked up one goal and two assists against Leicester, and an assist against Everton as he returned to form after a dry spell.
His stats across the season show why Bielsa is so impressed. As well as his eleven goals, Bamford has also picked up five assists and managed 3.4 shots per game (WhoScored). Without his eleven goals, Leeds would only have 25 this campaign, meaning that the Englishman has nearly scored a third of their top-flight goals (SofaScore).
Without him, the club would certainly be a lot closer to the relegation zone, but the former Chelsea youngster has taken to the top flight like a duck to water this time around, and if this was his ‘last chance’, he has certainly grabbed it.
In other Leeds news, the club have managed to tie down an exciting prospect. Have a read here!

West Ham United midfielder Pablo Fornals justified David Moyes’ surprise decision to start the Spaniard against Tottenham Hotspur by turning in a lively performance in Sunday’s 2-1 win.

Fornals had begun to fall out of favour at the London Stadium in recent weeks following Jesse Lingard’s arrival on loan from Manchester United but earned a recall to mark his 20th start of the Premier League season.

It was Fornals’ first top-flight appearance in three games after playing no role in his side’s previous goalless draw with Fulham or 3-0 win away to Sheffield United, while only featuring for the final six minutes of a 3-1 win at Aston Villa at the start of the month.

Few would have expected Fornals to open the action against Tottenham given his fall down Moyes’ pecking order, with Said Benrahma instead left a substitute as Jarrod Bowen was placed back on the wing to create space for Michal Antonio’s return.

Antonio had sat out the Blades affair on Monday night through fatigue, but the 31-year-old wasted no time in scoring his sixth goal of the Premier League campaign to break the deadlock.

He proved a constant problem for Tottenham’s defenders to deal with throughout the 90 minutes on Sunday, with Antonio frequently in the thick of West Ham’s attacking moves.

Yet his all-energy approach was nothing short of what supporters will have come to expect of the £11m-rated striker to allow Fornals to steal the honour of justifying Moyes’ team selection.

Fornals was tireless throughout his time on the field before making way for Ben Johnson to offer greater defensive support in the closing stages, as West Ham saw out a one-goal lead to move up to fourth in the Premier League table.

The £67k-per-week playmaker had been involved in Lingard doubling the Irons’ advantage early in the second half, as well, after playing a nice one-two with the England international who rounded Eric Dier and lashed home into the far corner.

Fornals and Lingard almost connected for a third with a quarter of an hour left on the clock, with the Spaniard’s pass on the edge of the box intended for Antonio rolling through to an alert Manchester United loanee whose shot was scrambled to safety.

Though only one of the chances was marked as a key pass by SofaScore, who further registered Fornals as winning four of 13 ground duels and one of two aerial contests, along with winning possession from three tackles.

On average this season, the 24-year-old has only recorded one tackle, won 2.4 ground duels, won 0.5 aerial duels per game, and further matched his usual standards with one successful dribble from two attempts.

Moyes will have been delighted to see Fornals perform at such a level to justify his selection, with it having been ever so easy to otherwise persist without the Spaniard in the side.

AND in other news, West Ham have been tipped to sign a 21-year-old talent his manager feels “personally let-down” by…