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Jan Vertonghen has refused to rule out staying in the Premier League following his departure from Tottenham Hotspur, according to reports. 

According to The Sun, the Belgian defender has hinted he could stay in England after his eight-year spell with Spurs ended this week. Recent reports suggested that he would reject offers from Premier League rivals like Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City but this no longer seems to be the case.

According to Il Messaggero, as relayed by Ricky Sacks, Wolves have entered the race to sign Vertonghen this summer, amid interest from Atletico Madrid and Roma. The Italian publication claimed that his representatives have held talks with Diego Simeone’s side while Roma have registered their interest in the Belgium international.

The former Spurs star is not short of potential suitors as he is now a free agent, so it is hardly surprising that he has attracted attention from across the globe.

Clubs around the world are fighting back against the financial pressures of these unprecedented circumstances and many will have to resort to hunting for bargains, signing free agents and organising swap deals in the summer.

Vertonghen was a firm favourite of Mauricio Pochettino but fell out of favour under his successor Jose Mourinho, earning his last start for the club during the dull 0-0 draw with Bournemouth earlier this month before being dropped to the bench.

The 33-year-old arguably still has plenty left in the tank as he earned the same WhoScored rating as his former Spurs teammate Davinson Sanchez this season.

While Wolves narrowly missed out on a spot in the Europa League, as Spurs staged a remarkable comeback to usurp them for sixth place, Nuno Espirito Santos knows that he needs to sign defensive cover sooner rather than later. However, the Molineux outfit could become embroiled in a transfer battle as they face stiff competition from the European giants.

Seasoned veteran Vertonghen is a versatile player who is capable of playing in the centre or on the left flank and Daniel Levy may live to regret his decision to let him leave in the summer.

Tottenham fans, do you think Levy has made a mistake by letting Vertonghen leave? Let us know your views in the comments below!

Tiemoue Bakayoko has been attracting a lot of Premier League attention, with Newcastle and Watford named amongst the potential suitors.

According to Le10 Sport (via Sport Witness), the Chelsea castaway is being monitored by the English duo, as well as West Ham who are also keen on his services.

Newcastle and Watford have reportedly made ‘first approaches’ towards potentially signing the France international.

Bakayoko has fallen down the pecking order at Chelsea over the years and has spent the last two seasons on loan with AC Milan and Monaco respectively. In his 43 appearances for the Blues, the midfielder has scored just three goals and provided three assists (via Transfermarkt).

Frank Lampard now has the choice of N’Golo Kante, Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic, Mason Mount, Ross Barkley, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and young Billy Gilmour in the middle of the park, meaning a permanent move away for Bakayoko is all but nailed on.

The 25-year-old’s current Transfermarkt value is £22.9million, which is by no means a large sum in today’s climate. Chelsea could even name a lower asking price in order to clear him from their books.

Newcastle are arguably one of the most exciting looking Premier League teams at the moment as they look to enter an entirely new era. Takeover talks continue to swirl around the Tyneside club, which go hand-in-hand with transfer rumours.

Should the Toon swoop for Bakayoko, they could make him the focal point of their midfield and he could replace Matty Longstaff, who has been linked with a transfer to Udinese (Sky Sports).

A move for Bakayoko could be an ideal place to start before Newcastle think about spending mega cash on some of the bigger name they have been linked to. If they come knocking with a good enough offer, it’s likely Chelsea with snatch their hand off.

Do you think Bakayoko will leave the Bridge this summer? Have your say in the comments below…

It was a man they wanted back when Mauricio Pochettino was in charge, but it appears Tottenham could finally be set to land Geoffrey Kondogbia this summer.

With the current situation affecting the world taking its toll on football clubs too, Spanish giants Valencia appear to be hit harder than most. According to French publication Foot Mercato, their failure to qualify for the Champions League next season, and deepening financial problems, are set to lead to a major firesale of players.

The report claims that Kondogbia is one of the names who is likely to be shown the exit door, and Foot Mercato claim both Spurs and Premier League rivals Manchester United have a keen eye on the midfielder.

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It was suggested back in the summer of 2018, that the Lilywhites were interested in Kondogbia, but a deal failed to materialise. But now, two years later, Daniel Levy has the perfect chance to sign the 6 foot 2 man, at a likely lower cost than it would have taken before.

And when you look at the kind of player Spurs would be getting, it seems like it could be one of the smartest signings of the window. Strong and physical, Kondogbia also has very impressive technical ability too, almost in the mould of former Lilywhites favourite Mousa Dembele.

Both are left-footed, and have this natural gift at gliding past players with ease when in their stride. Kondogbia has a career average of 1.4 dribbles per game, whilst Dembele is at 2.4. The duo are also equally capable of getting off a shot on goal, with the former averaging one per match, and the latter 0.8.

With his physicality and height, Kondogbia does seem like the archetypal midfielder Mourinho loves to sign – you only have to look at how he brought Nemanja Matic to Chelsea, and then to Manchester United in his time in charge of both clubs.

And now both Levy and Mourinho could be set to profit thanks to Valencia’s problems.

Plenty of Everton fans have been reacting to the latest transfer link to Adrien Rabiot as Spanish outlet Sport have reported that he has been pressing in recent days to force his departure from Juventus and it is clear that his destiny is none other than the Merseyside club, now headed by  Carlo Ancelotti .

One EFC supporter in particular cited ‘Ancelotti’s pulling power’ on Twitter, and this is highlighted by the number of quality players he has been able to attract to the various big clubs he has managed.

As per the publication, Rabiot was admired by Barcelona when he was at PSG, so he must have shown some quality at least whilst he was in France to be involved with household European giants.

However, he has perhaps not adapted to Serie A or to the methods of Maurizio Sarri , who has apparently not trusted him and has spent much of the season on the bench as a substitute and without any role in the team.

Indeed, the 25-year old has only lasted 90 minutes in eight out of the 17 games he’s featured in Italy’s top division so far in the 2019/2020 campaign, according to Transfermarkt.

Another Toffee described the French international as ‘Schneiderlin 2.0’, who was arguably another central midfield player who has been used relatively sparingly during his time at Goodison Park, as per the website.

These Blues reacted to the link, with some rather mixed responses:

Evertonians, what are your thoughts on Rabiot? Comment below!

In a season that has had its fair share of ups and downs at Manchester United, one moment that will live long in the memory of Red Devils fans is the club’s 2-1 victory over noisy neighbours Manchester City back in December 2019.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side had up until that point only beaten newly-promoted Norwich away from home, and so stepping into the Premier League champions’ own backyard was no doubt an intimidating prospect.

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But a breathless attacking performance – particularly in the first-half – saw United race to a two-goal lead thanks to a penalty from Marcus Rashford and a fine strike from Anthony Martial.

A Nicolas Otamendi goal five minutes before the end only proved to be a consolation, as United claimed all three points.

And despite it being a few months since that game, fans of the Manchester side have taken to Twitter to reminisce about that night on Twitter.

One United fan in particular questioned how fellow supporters could still want Solskjaer out, and insisted “these are exciting times”.

The Red Devils have enjoyed some impressive performances and results against some of the Premier League’s ‘big six’ under Solskjaer – their 4-0 victory over Chelsea on the opening day of this season certainly set the tone for it.

And this triumph over City gave the current United boss some added respect and credentials.

Meanwhile, Man Utd fans discuss this key aspect about Jadon Sancho’s potential arrival.

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…

Real Madrid have been on fire recently.

Following a rocky start to the 2019/20 season, Los Blancos have successfully turned their fortunes around and have now tallied 18 goals in the last five games, conceding just one goal in the process.

By all standards, Zinedine Zidane has definitely made some good changes that benefited the team and they are still reaping their rewards with some important games coming up in the near future.

And one big part of that success has been the emergence of their young players like Federico Valverde and Rodrygo.

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Both players have been extremely efficient and have given some much-needed wind to the Galacticos’ sails. Of course, we shouldn’t forget Vinicius Junior, who is another young, up and coming player with enough talent to become a star of the future.

The best part of that, however, seems to be in Zidane and Florentino Perez’s stance on their young players.

Just recently, Defensa Central came out with a story stating Real Madrid have been offered Willian from Chelsea as the Brazilian is looking to leave London in the not too distant future.

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Interestingly enough, the now 31-year-old winger will be out of contract next summer and even though there is certainly quality still in his legs, Real reportedly decided to turn this offer down.

To put it simply – they have no need for Willian and despite his availability, it seems that Real Madrid will put some faith into their current wingers, especially the young ones in the form of Rodrygo and Vinicius.

This update is definitely great news for the duo as it seems that Zidane trusts them and will keep them in his plans.

As for Willian – he has managed to bag three goals and three assists in a total of 16 games across all competitions, but that doesn’t seem to be enough to convince Los Blancos.

Given the expiry date of his contract and Frank Lampard’s young squad, separation does seem more than just a distant thought at this point in time.

Seeing how the Blues are currently fourth in the table and on track to fight for the top spots in the Premier League, maybe the Blues could use Willian’s experience and pedigree to their advantage.

Keeping him until the summer, for that reason, could also be a decent idea for the London team.

In other news, there has been an intriguing revelation connecting Real Madrid with new Spurs boss Jose Mourinho.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Loan Watch series, which takes a closer look at those players who are aiming to galvanise their careers away from the spotlight of their parent club.

When Jordan Hugill left West Ham United to join Queens Park Rangers on loan during the summer, he did so as a man with a point to prove

He had pretty much been discarded by the Hammers after playing just 22 minutes of football for them across three substitute appearances in 2018.

The striker spent last season with Middlesbrough, scoring 6 goals in 20 league starts and 17 substitute appearances for the club – a decent total, albeit far from eye-catching.

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He has really kicked on this season at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium though, already exceeding last season’s goal tally with 7 strikes from 11 starts and 4 substitute appearances – that tally includes a brace against Sheffield Wednesday to secure a 2-1 victory for QPR.

Following that game, Mark Warburton summarised how useful he has been for the club, as he was quoted on West London Sport as saying: “A good striker feeds off of good chances and I told him he’d get that by coming to QPR, and he has. He’s responded really well.

“There were good quality finishes today I’m sure he upset a few in the crowd. But you have to do that. You have to come to a tough venue and draw the fouls, and you have to be strong, and you have to look after the football and link play – and he did all of those and more.”

The 27-year-old’s effectiveness hasn’t come solely from goals though, as he has won 3.3 aerial duels per game, helping to bring strike partner Nakhi Wells into the game – his influence is indicated by the fact he has already been awarded Man of the Match twice by WhoScored.

His lack of polish is still evident though, marked by 6 yellow cards, 2.2 fouls committed per game, as well as his average of 2.5 unsuccessful touches.

It is this side of the former Preston North End striker’s game that makes it unlikely Manuel Pellegrini will reinstate him to the West Ham team, but that should not detract from the fact Hugill, who is valued at £5.4m by Transfermarkt, has achieved some form of redemption this season after a tough couple of years since moving to the Hammers.

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…

Leroy Sane could leave Manchester City for Bayern Munich, hints The Athletic’s Sam Lee.

What did he say?

Sane has been subject of heavy transfer speculation regarding a return to Germany for a few months now. Over the summer, Bayern had to squash the rumours that the winger was set to join the club, but recent reports state they are still after him.

Sky Germany reported that the Bundesliga champions will go in for Sane, with City lining up Mikel Oyarzabal as a replacement. Now, reliable journalist Lee has said in his Q&A with The Athletic that he believes the German will leave.

When asked whether Sane’s lack of online engagement since his injury is anything to worry about, Lee Said: “There’s probably something in that tbh.

“I do think he’s leaving, and I think he probably would have done had he not got injured,” he added.

“City had/have a chance to convince him during his injury, buy I’m not sure how that’s going – but I have been told they are looking at options (well, one in particular) if he does leave, so I would say at this point that it’s quite likely he will – just don’t know when. (The player I’ve heard isn’t Sancho btw, although I couldn’t rule it out 100%).”

Looking likely

There is no doubt that Bayern are the leaders of German football. They are the behemoth outfit of Bundesliga and are renowned for pinching the best talent around Germany from big clubs like Borussia Dortmund.

So, all the signs do point to Sane joining the gargantuan club. The 23-year-old has has thrived in Manchester, but the idea of returning home, living by his native language and playing for the country’s top dog is perhaps too much to turn down.

Sane is out injured and will miss most of what could be his final season at the club.

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

Mark Warburton is yet to find the answer to QPR’s defensive problems but the solution could come in the form of Dominic Ball.

On the chalkboard

The former Rangers player was brought to West London over the summer on a free by the R’s boss, who seems to be a fan of the 24-year-old, having also signed him for the Scottish outfit.

He has started just seven league games so far but the R’s have won the majority of those matches, and if he is given the role of protecting the defence then that could be key for his team.

Warburton has shown that a 3-5-2 formation could be his chosen system now Lee Wallace has returned, and if Ball were included from the start it could free up the likes of Eberechi Eze and Josh Scowen to display their usual effectiveness.

Added to that, Ilias Chair’s performances have dropped off in recent matches and given he is not the best defensively – average just 0.3 interceptions per game this term – replacing him could lead to an improvement on that front.

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Complete midfielder

QPR could benefit from Ball’s defensive awareness and if given the sole responsibility of watching over an opposition player he could be a very effective player for Warburton.

He offers more than just defensive capabilities, however, and doesn’t often give the ball away, which means his mistakes are less frequent. A pass accuracy of 84% is evidence of that, and is an aspect of his play which suits Warburton’s philosophy, whose team have averaged 54% possession in the Championship.

As well as that, his average of two tackles per game is the fourth most of any player in the QPR squad, which suggests that the R’s are in need of a player who can provide more bite in midfield.

With an away trip to Fulham coming up after Middlesbrough fixture – a team which has scored 23 league goals – there will be concern for Warburton about his team’s vulnerability, but Ball would ease his worries.

The former Rotherham player started in difficult away matches at Sheffield Wednesday and Millwall, both of which QPR won by a narrow margin, and if he can maintain or improve his average of one interception per game then QPR should steadily improve defensively.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Loan Watch series, which takes a closer look at those players who are aiming to galvanise their careers away from the spotlight of their parent club.

Everton have struggled defensively this season and sit in 16th, just two points off the relegation zone. Marco Silva’s men have let in 16 goals in just 10 games so far, making them the joint third-worst defensive side in the Premier League.

Right-back is far from a problem position for the club with both Seamus Coleman and Djibril Sidibe available to Silva, but he will surely be keeping a close eye on Jonjoe Kenny’s time at Schalke with the prospect of a 2020 breakthrough in his mind.

The Liverpudlian burst onto the scene under Ronald Koeman and Sam Allardyce in 2017-18, making 19 Premier League appearances that season and providing two assists. Two seasons on, Kenny is showing his brilliance in the Bundesliga.

Schalke manager David Wagner is a huge fan of his and told The Independent (via Bundesliga.com): “I can tell you what, he’s already close to becoming a fan favourite here in our stadium. He’s done an amazing job so far and scored a wonderful goal against [Hertha] Berlin. He’s, for sure, one of the best signings which we have made this summer.”

Not only has Kenny received praise from his manager, he has also won the Rookie of the Month for August in the Bundesliga and was again nominated for the award in September.

It is no surprise to see the 22-year-old earning such praise when he has started all nine Bundesliga games, registering a goal and two assists along the way.

Watching Kenny perform so well will give Everton fans hope for the future, as Coleman is now 31 and may not have long left at Goodison Park. Also, Sidibe is only on loan from Monaco, which means the right-back slot could be his for the taking next season if the Toffees decide against making his deal permanent.

This story is yet another example of a British talent flourishing abroad and it’s a trend that suggests managers should trust these players and used them more often.

Kenny may have to wait until next campaign to fully make his mark on Merseyside, but his early success in Germany suggests he could be ready to succeed Coleman in 2020.