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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…

It’s that time of the year again where little transfer tidbits begin circulating about almost every club in the country.

Of course, Leeds United are no different in that regard, and the Whites fanbase will likely have seen the recent reports that their summer transfer target Baghdad Bounedjah will now be available for half of the €15m (£12.9m) fee that was once demanded for his services.

However, the key thing at this time of the year is to separate the true transfer reports away from the nonsense that is published every day.

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Unfortunately for the Whites, this report is rather difficult to believe.

Firstly, Leeds simply don’t have the power to spend money in January.

Victor Orta recently stated that permanent deals weren’t feasible because of their financial situation and thus, any paid transfer will likely have to be put on the back burner – especially given Leeds’ £40m wage level.

While they might be able to afford him next summer, rumours of a move in the imminent future are surely wide of the mark.

Meanwhile, the striker had an asking price of the aforementioned value for a reason, and after netting seven goals after five league games this season why on earth would that valuation be cut in half?

It’s not as if Al-Sadd are a poor club that needs the money either.

This is the Qatari team that apparently paid Xavi €10m (£8.65m) a year during his time as a player there.

To the surprise of absolutely nobody, the club’s chairman is a member of the Qatari royal family, so it’s a given that they’re not short on cash.

Find out a how a world-record-holding freestyler got on with the worst football in the world in the video below…

Now, we don’t want to discredit any news outlet, but the fact that the original report came from Algerian outlet Competition isn’t the most encouraging of signs.

Leeds fans should certainly take these rumours with more than a pinch of salt as the factors surrounding the story simply don’t add up.

Orta’s comments are fine evidence of that.

According to The Daily Mail, Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino’s treatment of three players this season has caused unease.

The report names Jan Vertonghen, Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli as the trio in question, with all being dropped by the Argentine at points during the season.

The former missed out on the squad entirely on the opening day against Aston Villa despite being available – with The Daily Mail reporting at the time that it was down to fitness levels and poor pre-season displays – while Eriksen had to settle for a spot on the substitutes’ bench against Leicester City and then Bayern Munich on Tuesday.

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Meanwhile, Alli was another who failed to make the 18 altogether for the trip to the King Power Stadium last month.

The Daily Mail says those occurrences have caused unease at the club.

Verdict

It is surprising to see players who have been so key during Pochettino’s tenure with the north London outfit left out of matchday squads, because even if they aren’t performing to the level they once were you would still expect them to be part of the 18.

Vertonghen especially is clearly an experienced and influential member of the team, so it is no surprise that the manager potentially having disagreements with the 32-year-old would cause some tension and unease.

It is also understandable in other ways however, with the 47-year-old manager probably frustrated that the Belgian and Eriksen both have less than a year remaining on their contracts, meaning the uncertainty over whether they will go or stay remains.

He could do without that distraction, but he also needs everyone onside and pulling in the same direction to get Tottenham back on track.

Queens Park Rangers have commenced their 2019/20 Championship campaign in decent form to rise to 10th in the table, but the performances of one player and consequent links away from the club have got some fans talking about his potential departure from Loftus Road.

Ryan Manning, 23, has made 11 appearances for Mark Warburton’s side in the current campaign, registering three assists whilst also being the only player – alongside Eberechi Eze – to appear in all of the R’s Championship games so far this season.

Manning, who has earned a regular starting berth in the west London side’s midfield, has been linked with a potential move away from the club with Newcastle, Southampton and most recently West Ham rumoured to be interested in a move for the promising Irishman, per London Football News.

Following the report, some of the club’s fans have been having their say on a potential value for their vitally important midfielder.

Check out some of the best reactions from QPR fans below…

Some QPR fans, however, took a different stance, insisting that a player of Manning’s importance simply must not be sold if the club are to progress under Warburton.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp has praised Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson following his two-goal display in his side’s 3-1 win against Everton on Sunday, and said the south coast outfit did well to keep him out of the clutches of West Ham during the summer.

What did Redknapp say?

Writing in his Daily Mail column, the former Liverpool midfielder said:

“Scoring twice against Everton was a timely reminder from Callum Wilson about what he could bring to Gareth Southgate’s England squad.

“His first goal came about because he got himself in the right place at the right time in the six-yard box. It was a proper poacher’s finish. His second saw him beat Jordan Pickford with a lovely lob.

“Bournemouth did well to keep hold of the 27-year-old when West Ham and Co were circling in the summer. Wilson is such a handful.”

Will West Ham regret not getting their man?

Possibly, yes.

The Sun reported back in June that Irons manager Manuel Pellegrini wanted the attacker and was going to make an ambitious £35m move to bring him to the London Stadium.

And while summer addition Sebastien Haller looks as though he could prove to be an effective signing, back-up striker Albian Ajeti is still yet to really make his mark in a claret and blue shirt.

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Meanwhile, Wilson has three goals and one assist in five top flight appearances this term, while he was once again named in Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad.

Given he can now be considered a proven Premier League striker seeing as he has netted 36 goals in 96 top flight games, he would undoubtedly bring something to West Ham’s frontline.

It remains to be seen whether the Hammers will make another move for him in the future, but Redknapp is clearly a huge fan and Pellegrini has also seen something he likes in the former Coventry City man.

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The Scottish Premiership table is beginning to look quite interesting.

After seven games of the campaign, Celtic are top of the table, as you would expect. But they are only one point ahead of Rangers in second place. The Gers will no doubt be the Bhoys’ main rivals as the latter attempt to win their ninth league title in a row.

Celtic were in action on Saturday against Hibernian as they aimed to maintain their 100% record in the league. However, they could only come away with a 1-1 draw from Celtic Park after going 1-0 behind thanks to a Kristoffer Ajer own goal.

Neil Lennon’s substitutions were perhaps questionable. For example, Odsonne Edouard, the team’s second top goalscorer this term, was brought off with 18 minutes left on the clock as the home side pushed for an equaliser.

The Glasgow outfit’s fans were far from happy with their boss’ changes, and they took to Twitter to share their thoughts. You can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

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Manchester United cruised into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup as they beat Chelsea 2-0 in the fifth round at Stamford Bridge on Monday night, but despite the impressive win one player is still visibly struggling to find his role in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team.

The Norwegian may have only led the Red Devils in 13 matches in all competitions following Jose Mourinho’s departure in December, but in that time he has chosen to utilise a number of different formations including 4-3-3, 4-4-2 diamond and 4-3-1-2 systems.

The 45-year-old opted for the latter for the trip to west London on Monday, with Romelu Lukaku partnering Marcus Rashford in attack.

The majority of the Belgium international’s starts and time on the pitch in general have come in the FA Cup, with his spot in the XI from the beginning in the 3-0 win against Fulham in United’s previous Premier League fixture just his second since Solskjaer arrived at Old Trafford.

That clash at Craven Cottage and the one just a few miles away at Stamford Bridge were ideal opportunities for Lukaku to prove to the former Red Devils hitman that he can thrive alongside Rashford, but he hasn’t really done that.

A 90-minute blank in terms of goals and assists against Claudio Ranieri’s men was followed up by another below-par showing against Chelsea, where he once again struggled to make a real impact in the final third for his side before being replaced in the 73rd minute.

In total the 25-year-old had 28 touches and made 10 passes, but he only had one effort at goal – and it wasn’t on target.

Perhaps even more worrying was his overall centre-forward play – something that he has often been questioned on in the past – as he failed to win a single aerial duel despite his strength, while he was dispossessed on three occasions and suffered from bad control five times.

It wasn’t a great showing from the Belgian, and if he wants to prove that he has in a place in a Solskjaer team for the remainder of the campaign and prove that he can be a key Man United player beyond the end of the season, then he needs to step up and excel in a role soon.

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Southampton travel to Bramall Lane this Saturday to take on a Sheffield United side who have made a wonderful start to life back in the Premier League.

Chris Wilder’s side have taken five points from their first four games, including a win over Crystal Palace and a spirited fightback against Chelsea to snatch a 2-2 draw late on at Stamford Bridge having been 2-0 down.

The likes of Callum Robinson and John Lundstram have impressed, having already scored this term, although there is one unsung hero who Saints midfielder Pierre-Emile Højbjerg must keep under wraps.

Who is it?

Oliver Norwood. The Blades string-puller sits in the middle of the park and helps Wilder’s team tick along nicely, doing an excellent job in numerous departments.

As you can see, the 28-year-old is an important cog in front of the United backline, who tend to go all over the place in Wilder’s unique overlapping centre-back system. Norwood records decent defensive numbers – 2.5 tackles and 1.8 interceptions per game – but the fact that he also registers an average of 2.3 key passes per game and the most passes per game of any Blades player (58.8) shows his ability to orchestrate play.

We recently detailed how Ralph Hasenhuttl should stick with his 4-2-2-2 formation to combat the Blades’ 3-5-2, by packing the midfield and looking to press the midfielders into making errors, where the Saints can then take advantage of the space vacated by the roaming centre-backs.

Højbjerg is pivotal to this happening. The 24-year-old midfielder averages some decent defensive numbers with 1.5 tackles per game and 1.8 interceptions per game, while his sheer energy makes him the Saints’ best chance of pressing Sheffield United into a mistake; his midfield partner Oriol Romeu averages two more tackles per game in fairness, but is simply too slow across the ground to be able to press effectively.

It is likely that the centre-backs won’t be pushed on when Southampton are in possession, so it is important that Hasenhuttl’s side catch the Blades by surprise and win the ball back while they are pushing players forward – especially the centre-halves.

Højbjerg has a vital role then, in turning defence into attack.

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Manchester United have seemingly leapfrogged Aston Villa in the race to sign Marseille midfielder Boubacar Kamara.

That’s according to Italian news outlet Gazzetta dello Sport, and, as to be expected, a number of United fans have been reacting to the update on social media.

Kamara appears to be a player in demand, with the holding midfielder’s contract set to expire at the end of the season.

The 22-year-old is on Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa wishlist, with United, Villa and Leeds all talking to the player’s agent ahead of a possible £10m transfer.

And now, according to Gazzetta dello Sport, United have overtaken all competitors when it comes to Kamara and are leading the race to secure his services.

United fans react

@utdreport relayed the update regarding Kamara on Twitter via GIFN (Get Italian Football News). This is what these United supporters had to say in reply, with many hoping to see a move materialise in the final days of the January window.

“We’re alive”

Credit: @BigTeezo

“Never heard of GIFN but let’s go”

Credit: @utd_victor_

“PLEASEEEE”

Credit: @hhhhmmmm_

“I hope this is true”

Credit: @I_am_lakes

“Definitely a better option defensively when compared to Zakaria.”

Credit: @TheUnitedLink

“SIGN HIM PLS IMMEDIATELY PLS”

Credit: @kurtbuckerfield

In other news: ‘Finished’ – Many MUFC fans react as Spurs make move for ‘amazing’ ace. 

Leeds United are showing late interest over a move for Liverpool target Fabio Carvalho, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Liverpool in pole position

The Reds saw a deadline day move for the Fulham man collapse, however, they are still working on a cut-price deal that would go through in the summer.

Carvalho, who has been described as ‘lively’, is out of contract in the summer, with Liverpool officials scheduling new talks with the forward’s camp this month.

The attacking midfielder had already agreed on personal terms and passed a medical regarding a move to Anfield, but it now seems as if Leeds are keen.

The Latest: Leeds interest

According to Football Insider, Liverpool will hold fresh talks with Fulham this month as they look to strike terms for Carvalho in advance of the summer window.

Liverpool want a deal in place as soon as possible as they are aware that Leeds, Southampton and West Ham are showing a strong interest.

The Verdict: Unlikely

Leeds are confident of securing a move for main target Brenden Aaronson this summer, but a swoop for Carvalho looks less likely.

The youngster seemingly has his heart set on a move to Anfield and Liverpool are still extremely keen despite a move falling through last Monday.

Fulham would also benefit by agreeing on a deal now instead of going down the tribunal route, so Victor Orta would need to pull off a masterclass to bring Carvalho to Yorkshire.

He needs to act fast if he wishes to do so, as well, following those reports of more talks this month between the two clubs.

In other news: Leeds beast who Harvey Elliott recently praised may now leave permanently in summer – journalist. 

Many Wolves fans have been left flocking to some transfer news that has emerged on Willy Boly.

As per The Daily Mail, the Midlands club are now willing to listen to offers for the central defender in the January transfer window, as he has reportedly falling down the pecking order under Bruno Lage.

He has been left on the bench on injuries, and with the likes of Conor Coady and Romain Saiss to call upon, it may be time for him to leave.

However, he has been a great servant at Molineux, being a mainstay in the Championship-winning campaign and then in the Premier League, and so some WWFC supporters are understandably reluctant to let him go.

Wolves fans on Boly transfer news

These Wanderers flocked to the transfer news as it was shared on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that it would be ‘extremely sad’:

“Seen it all now”

Credit: @xReecexx

“NOOOOOOOOO”

Credit: @BekiWolves1877

“Don’t”

Credit: @Millennewell

“Made a massive difference for us when he arrived, I’d be sad to see him go”

Credit: @Wolfy1223754986

“Pain”

Credit: @wwfc_adam

“Would be an extremely sad way for an important player for Wolves over the last few years to leave.”

Credit: @David_gill14

In other news, find out what potential swap deal has Wanderers buzzing here!