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Manchester City’s Kyle Walker is a top quality player 95% of the time, but those lapses in concentration which consistently manifest themselves in crucial moments have tarnished his reputation throughout his career. 

In last season’s FA Cup 5th round, when Man City were still dreaming of an unprecedented quadruple, Walker allowed the ball to run beyond him into Will Grigg’s path and the iconic striker punished him in emphatic style to dump City out of the competition.

Back in December, Walker failed to get tight enough to Jeffrey Schlupp before he clinically slammed the ball beyond Ederson and he later upended Max Meyer with a rash challenge inside the penalty area to gift Palace a two goal advantage.

The consequence for his errors against Palace: an omission from the starting eleven from the three league fixtures which followed. Walker is now back in the side after starting back-to-back fixtures against Wolves and Huddersfield, but his shocker against Palace served to underline his tendency to make fundamental defensive errors.

There is no doubt that Walker will re-establish himself in the first-team and learn from his mistakes, but it appears that City are already looking to set the wheels in motion to secure their long-term upgrade on the England international.

Indeed, according to a recent report from Italian media outlet Milan News, Manchester City are interested in signing Milan’s highly rated prodigy Raoul Bellanova, but they will face competition from a whole host of clubs for his signature, including Tottenham Hotspur, Juventus, Bologna and Sassuolo.

The 18-year-old defender is considered to possess the attributes which form a successful modern day full-back, particularly at a club like Manchester City who strive to dominate possession.

Bellanova is a natural marauder with the natural instinct to support his attacking teammates in the final-third, and with pace to burn he is physically prepared to work back quickly to get back into position.

That may well ring alarm bells for those City fans who attribute a comparable description to Walker, but signing a player at Bellanova’s age would give Guardiola and his future successors the opportunity to mould his style appropriately, ensuring a perfect blend between attacking intent and defensive reliability.

And, with Bellanova’s contract due to expire in June 2019, City have a perfect opportunity to sign Milan’s hot prospect at an incredibly attractive price this month or, alternatively, agree a pre-contract agreement with him ahead of a permanent switch in the summer.

Walker’s arrival was integral to City’s incredible 2017/18 season, but his flaws are obvious and the club need to ensure that their future full-backs are more reliable in the defensive third than the England international.

Signing a player like Bellanova, who appears to possess the potential to eventually replace Walker as City’s first-choice full-back, could yet prove to be a cunning swoop from City in both footballing and financial terms.

Manchester City fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

Tottenham Hotspur will be desperate to improve on their recent run of results as they’ve slipped out of the Premier League title race and now face a battle to secure a top-four spot. 

Spurs remain in the Champions League, Carabao Cup and the FA Cup, so they still have plenty of opportunities to secure silverware in the current campaign.

However, with the January transfer window now here, it’s about time Daniel Levy made a move.

Levy’s best signing over the past few years or so is arguably Toby Alderweireld. The Belgian signed for a bargain price of £11.4 million back in July of 2015 and has since gone on to establish himself as one of the best central defenders in the whole of world football, as well as an international star and he has already played a monumental part in Spurs’ rise under current boss Mauricio Pochettino.

Heung-Min Son has played a massive part since joining as he continues to bang in the goals in North London, but the price of the Alderweireld deal and the Belgian’s overall impact on proceedings makes him the better signing.

However, with fan favourite Christian Eriksen’s future surrounded with doubt at this moment in time, the Lilywhites may need to bring in a replacement.

One player who is seemingly searching for an exit is Real Madrid’s James Rodriguez. The Colombian international is reportedly being eyed by North London rivals Arsenal, and a deal could hinge on selling Mesut Ozil, though he is interested in a move to England nevertheless.

It is reported that Arsenal will need to cover the remaining £3 million of the £11.5 million loan fee Bayern Munich agreed with Real Madrid to secure his services, so Levy should go ahead and match it before it’s too late.

Rodriguez has established himself as one of the world’s best attacking midfielders over the past few seasons, but this season has been one to forget as he continues to search for a way out of his current loan deal at Bayern Munich.

His passing ability and eagle eye for goal is second to none and he has already produced a countless amount of world-class performances in the Champions League and internationally. The 27-year-old’s creativity would easily take Spurs to another level, with Harry Kane, Heung-Min Son and Dele Alli all thriving off runs in behind.

Spurs have definitely splashed the cash at times over the past few years, but they haven’t managed to make a top-tier recently, other than securing a string of solid captures, so Rodriguez could be the next.

Tottenham Hotspur fans – thoughts on a potential move for James Rodriguez?

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Tottenham are interested in signing Monaco midfielder Youri Tielemans, who is allowed to leave the struggling Ligue 1 club either for a £20m fee or on loan, as reported by the Telegraph.

What’s the word, then?

The 21-year-old has been one of Monaco’s standout performers this season under both Leonardo Jardim and Thierry Henry, making 20 league starts and scoring five goals from midfield – an impressive rate of a goal every four games as per Whoscored.

Tielemans was one of the hottest prospects in Europe during his time at Anderlecht, before making a £20m move to France in May 2017 (as per the BBC). He remains an extremely promising young talent, but with Monaco currently sat just one place off the bottom in France’s top-flight and in real danger of relegation, he could be set for a move away.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

Tottenham are looking light in midfield following the departure of Mousa Dembele to Guangzhou R&F (as per the BBC), and coupled with Victor Wanyama’s injury problems this season, they could do with getting another body in.

Where would he fit in and who would he replace?

Tielemans would thrive under the tutelage of Mauricio Pochettino, and would undoubtedly start to fulfil his vast potential. Spurs haven’t signed a single player in this window, nor in the summer window, so a late big-money move such as this would be a surprise.

However, if the Belgium international does arrive in north London, it could be bad news for Moussa Sissoko, who has enjoyed somewhat of a resurgence in his Tottenham career in the current campaign.

His continued involvement in the starting eleven seems to be more Pochettino making the most of his squad amid a difficult period in terms of injuries, rather than the France international being a genuinely indispensable first-team member. Tielemans feels like a welcome upgrade, especially in the long-term.

Tielemans was part of the Belgium side that finished third at the World Cup back in the summer, and, alongside Harry Winks, could be part of the foundations of Spurs’ midfield for years to come. Sissoko, meanwhile, could well slip back from being a starting XI regular to a rotational member of the squad.

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Aston Villa academy manager Sean Kimberley has tipped 17-year-old Jacob Ramsey to ‘have a bright future in the game’, as per quotes via The Birmingham Mail.

Ramsey joined Villa’s youth system at the age of six and recently signed his first professional contract with the Championship outfit.

It would be fair to say that there is a lot of excitement surrounding the teenager, who has scored four times in nine Under-18 Premier League games this season.

Ramsey has also contributed one goal in six Under-23 outings in Premier League 2 this term.

Kimberley has been discussing the teenager’s immense talent, but the club’s academy manager has urged the midfielder to keep his feet planted firmly on the ground.

The Birmingham Mail quotes Kimberley as saying:

“If he continues to match his undoubted technical ability and eye for a goal with the desire and energy to reach the next level, he will have a bright future in the game.”

Villa’s first team, meanwhile, were held to a goalless draw by Reading in the Championship on Saturday afternoon.

Dean Smith’s side, who are currently ninth in the Championship table, will continue their league campaign and push for the play-off spots when they host Sheffield United on Friday night.

Who are the best away fans in the Championship? Pl>ymaker FC’s Thogden gives his top 10 in the video below…

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Leeds rescued a point in dramatic fashion at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday afternoon, but the performance was once again unbefitting of Marcelo Bielsa’s genius.

Leeds started the season in incredible form; riding a wave of positivity as they lost just once in their first 12 Championship matches under Bielsa.

The results have dropped off since Christmas though, as the Whites have now picked up just seven points from their last seven league games, losing four times.

Check out Neymar’s controversial new haircut for 2019 and Xherdan Shaqiri as you’ve never seen him before in the video below…

This is not a result of Bielsa’s tactics getting found out, but rather a complete lack of sense from the club not adding to the squad in January.

With injuries spreading around Thorp Arch like a plague, the boss is quite literally running out of first team players to choose from, and his side’s bad form is a direct result of the club’s failure to strengthen the squad in the transfer market.

On the chalkboard

The game at the Riverside on Saturday followed the exact same pattern as the defeats to Stoke City and Norwich, with Leeds dominated the ball but creating very few clear-cut chances.

In the 1-1 draw against Tony Pulis’ side, the Whites had 69 per cent of the ball, 17 shots to Boro’s nine and a whopping nine corners to just two, per Whoscored.

Despite this, Bielsa’s side never really looked overly threatening, as they lack the sufficient quality to break down a deep defence.

Players like Samuel Saiz and Pablo Hernandez, who can unlock an organised defence in an instant, are a rarity outside of the top tiers of European football, and selling one of them without signing a replacement was absolutely criminal.

Put simply, Bielsa’s style is struggling due to a lack of tehcinally gifted players in the side, and if the boss fails to secure automatic promotion then the blame should be placed entirely on those above him.

Tottenham Hotspur will play RB Leipzig in the Champions League knockout round.

The first reaction for a number of Spurs fans will surely have been to breathe a sigh of relief.

Spurs had two possible opponents at the end of the draw and while one was Leipzig, the other was Barcelona.

Ledley King, the club’s former captain turned ambassador, spoke in the immediate aftermath and claimed he was “quite confident”.

Yet this feels like a tougher draw than it first appears.

Leipzig have plenty of admirers within the Spurs boardroom as Julian Nagelsmann, the club’s manager, was deemed a potential replacement to Mauricio Pochettino before the Argentine’s sacking, per Football FanCast sources.

Watch Spurs vs Brighton Live and Free with Amazon Prime on Boxing Day

They were unable to extricate him from the German club, given that he only joined them in the summer and is overseeing a title charge.

For context here, Leipzig are seven points clear of the Bayern Munich team that beat Spurs 7-2 in north London. The two sides drew 1-1 when they met in the Bundesliga in September.

Not only that, but Leipzig have Timo Werner up front, a player who is something of a goal machine.

He has scored 18 goals in the German top-flight, and he is currently on a run of scoring in six consecutiv league games. That includes a hat-trick of both goals and assists against Mainz in a thumping 8-0 win.

Who is that?! Can you name all of these obscure Spurs signings? Give it a go now…

This is not a team to be underestimated.

While they may have struggled somewhat to impose themselves on an open group also featuring Lyon, Zenit St Petersburg and Benfica – they drew their last two games and lost to the French club – they have all of the ingredients needed to trouble Spurs.

Their pace up front in Werner will be a worry to the Tottenham defence, while wingers Marcel Sabitzer and Emil Forsberg are legitimate goalscorers, too, netting 19 goals between them this term.

Leipzig also have the second meanest defence in the Bundesliga, second only to Wolfsburg, and will be a tough nut to crack at home; only Schalke have won at the Red Bull Arena domestically this season.

Fans may have breathed a sigh of relief when they avoided Barcelona, but this remains one of the most difficult games Spurs could have faced.

Meanwhile, Spurs boss Jose Mourinho has delivered his verdict on the dramatic win over Wolves.

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

Sheffield United may have beaten Aston Villa on Saturday but John Egan was in remarkably poor form in defence.

On the chalkboard

The win moved the Blades into fifth in the Premier League, yet again emphasising the fantastic job that manager Chris Wilder is doing at Bramall Lane.

A brace from John Fleck gave United an important victory and, while they kept a clean sheet, Egan was something of a passenger in defence.

He has missed just one game in the league this season, the 3-3 draw with Manchester United, but against Villa he was carried along by both Chris Basham and Jack O’Connell in a back five.

Per WhoScored, he had 54 touches of the ball and failed to win a single tackle throughout the 90 minutes.

He made just two clearances – three fewer than O’Connell – while he also won just 33% of the aerial duels he attempted.

That is compared to Basham’s 75% and O’Connell’s 100%.

A poor show

Wilder has a decision to make here.

Playing five at the back has worked for the Blades throughout this campaign but, versus Villa, there was a clear weak link.

Calling all Premier League experts: Who do these unique statistics belong to? Find out below….

Egan is clearly not as good in the air as O’Connell, nor is he as adept at reading the danger as Basham.

United, therefore, may well have to switch formations or look for other options in the transfer market.

They have the luxury of experimentation; they are currently ten points clear of Villa in the drop zone.

With games against Brighton & Hove Albion, Watford and Manchester City to come over the busy festive period, the Blades need to make a decision over their defence.

After this display, Egan could be the major casualty.

Discussion over Eddie Nketiah’s future at Leeds United has been rife in recent months and that trend continued on Boxing Day both on and off the field.

Phil Hay, The Athletic’s Leeds correspondent, published a report on the morning of the game which suggested Nketiah could be set to return to Arsenal in January.

According to the report, sources close to The Athletic claim the Gunners are likely to recall him when the window reopens for business next month.

That the 19-year-old prodigy has never started a Championship game for the Whites is clearly a contributing factor to suggestions of a return to north London, but his latest performance suggests Marcelo Bielsa may have neglected a huge asset.

The decision to substitute Patrick Bamford against Preston was met with audible boos from the home supporters, but any lingering discontent was quickly forgotten.

Nketiah injected fresh life into the attack, oscillating from left to right in the final third in a bid to unsettle the opposition. It was not always aesthetically pleasing but it was highly effective from a substitute who out-performed the man he replaced.

The England youth international had 17 touches in his 27 minutes on the field, which was just one less than Bamford during 63, completed two dribbles, won a free-kick, had a shot on target and won an aerial duel, per Whoscored.

By comparison, Bamford failed to complete a single dribble, didn’t record a shot on target or an aerial duel.

Those are damning statistics for a striker who cost £10m and has established himself as a strong favourite under Bielsa.

Whether Nketiah’s future rests in the hands of Leeds or the decision-makers at Arsenal remains to be seen, but the latest evidence suggests the promotion-chasing outfit are going to lose a player with genuine game-changing flair next month.

Reports coming from Hay are ominous under the circumstances.

If supporters weren’t already feeling disappointed by the prospect of Nketiah’s exit then his latest performance is likely to have changed that feeling.

Leeds fans might just have to pray that Arsenal’s exciting teenager doesn’t move to a fellow promotion rival.

In other news, some Leeds fans were left fuming by one player’s omission from the matchday squad vs Preston…

Plenty of Manchester United fans were left baffled by the reason given by manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for the omission of Paul Pogba from the matchday squad tonight.

The France midfielder was not included in the starting XI or even among the substitutes for the trip to Turf Moor to face Burnley. [via Sky Sports]

When speaking to MUTV prior to kick-off, Solskjaer said that “we didn’t feel it was right for him to participate today” after playing in United’s previous two games, with that quote communicated by @utdxtra on Twitter.

Pogba’s season has been curtailed by an ankle injury which kept him out for almost three months before he returned to action in last weekend’s defeat at Watford, when he featured for 26 minutes as a substitute. The 26-year-old then appeared for 45 minutes off the bench in the Boxing Day win over Newcastle.

With Scott McTominay missing through injury, Nemanja Matic came into the Red Devils’ midfield alongside Fred (as per Sky Sports).

These Manchester United fans took to Twitter to voice their astonishment over Solskjaer’s comments on Pogba being left out for the trip to Burnley:

What do you make of Solskjaer’s reasoning for not selecting Pogba tonight? Comment below with your views!

After a miserable 2019, it’s fair to say Jesse Lingard more than most will be hoping for a better year this time around. The England international went from January to November without even scoring a single goal for Manchester United, and it’s little surprise to see him look to change things up at the start of this new decade.

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According to The Daily Mail, Lingard is now teaming up with Mino Raiola, with the partnership said to be a “part of a wider strategy from the agent to establish links with more English players”. The report further claims that “United are aware that Raiola has taken charge of Lingard’s affairs, and privately accept that the development may make it more difficult to keep hold of him given their stormy relationship with the agent”.

Quickfire Quiz: How much do you know about Man Utd’s history in the January transfer window?

And after hearing about the reports, United fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the surprising development, with a load of them hailing Raiola.

A couple of fans couldn’t hide their delight at the possible result of seeing Lingard finally leave the club.

A few supporters of the Manchester side even urged Raiola to sign up some of the club’s other unheralded players like Luke Shaw, Nemanja Matic and Ashley Young.

Whether Lingard’s intentions with linking up with someone as notorious as Raiola is to engineer a move away from Old Trafford, or simply to better boost his chances of securing the biggest contract possible, is up for debate. One thing is for sure from a United perspective, is that the Red Devils are continuing to get sucked into this inescapable world of super-agents. And that’s something that doesn’t bode well for them.

Meanwhile, Manchester United fans are split on this starlet’s poor performance against Wolves in the FA Cup.