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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Manchester City are keeping tabs on Italian youngster Lorenzo Pirola, having had scouts track the defender at the ongoing U17 World Cup.

What’s the word?

Reports from FcInternews.it state that City, as well as Manchester United,  are keeping a close eye on the 17-year-old.

Pirola was recently knocked out of the FIFA U17 World Cup by Paraguay, but he did score the opening goal in the 2-1 defeat.

The report claims that City had a scout watching the defender in the three group games, whilst United have been keeping tabs on the youngster for a little longer.

Looking promising

Pirola has been impressing a lot during the early stages of his career. The Italian was named in the Team of the Tournament in the U17 European Championships, as he helped his nation to the runners-up spot.

In a piece written by Calciomercato, the Italian outlet referred to the promising defender as a “small Chiellini” which is, of course, an almighty comparison. Although yet to make a senior appearance for Inter Milan, the defender has been a mainstay in the U17s, making 35 appearances.

The youngster has even popped up with a goal for the Inter youth sides, registering three goals and providing two assists from centre-back.

In an interview with Italian media outlet Corriere Dello Sport (via Sempreinter), Pirola has also stated that his footballing idol is Milan Skriniar, who is valued at £54m by Transfermarkt.

If the U17 star were to match the abilities of the Slovakia international, Inter will surely have some player on their hands.

City should continue to track this promising youngster, who is going from strength to strength.

Perhaps he may even make his way into Antonio Conte’s side at some point this season having appeared in a friendly against Tottenham Hotspur in August.

Tottenham Hotspur chief Daniel Levy wants to offload Serge Aurier in January, however he does not feel confident he will get the figure he wants for him, according to a report by Football Insider.

The Ivorian has struggled to make an impact in north London since arriving from Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 and the Spurs hierarchy are ready to sever ties with him.

However, Levy does not expect the club to recoup the £23m they spent on him and expects to make a significant loss as they are keen to get him off their wage bill.

Aurier has had a torrid time at Tottenham since joining the club and, despite having been given an opportunity to potentially prove his worth to the club, it does not appear to be getting any better for the Ivorian.

Having only made 45 appearances in his time as a Spurs player, the 26-year-old has gone on to play four matches across all competitions this season, however he has come in for some criticism regarding his performances.

He was heavily slated for his display against Southampton after he was shown a red card inside the opening 30 minutes, whilst he also drew negative reactions in the drubbing they suffered against Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

Indeed, Aurier raised questions about his Tottenham future recently as he revealed he wanted to leave in the summer – as well as mentioning that he did not feel there was any competition at Spurs for his place in the side.

Indeed, Aurier does not look to have done himself any favours with his antics and it certainly does not come as a surprise to hear that Levy wants to offload the Mauricio Pochettino misfit as soon as he can.

However, the Tottenham chief is going to be right not to be confident about being able to recoup their money for the Ivory Coast international, as the right-back is not showing any signs that he is worth the £20m+ that the club will likely be looking for.

Tottenham fans, do you think the club will be able to offload Aurier in January? Let us know your thoughts by sharing them below!

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

After squeezing past Partizan Belgrade on Thursday night in the Europa League, Manchester United return to Premier League action on Sunday when they take on newly-promoted Norwich.

The Canaries find themselves in the relegation zone after picking up just seven points from their opening nine games, and have conceded a joint division high of 21 goals. On paper at least, it looks like a comfortable afternoon for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.

Watch the video below to see the most insane overhead kick you will see this week…

But the Red Devils’ biggest struggles have come against the teams that they have been expected to beat, losing to the likes of Crystal Palace and Newcastle already. If they are to avoid a similar upset at the weekend, then it will be imperative they stop Norwich’s danger man Emiliano Buendia, and Scott McTominay could be the man tasked with the job of doing so.

Particularly earlier on in the season, including that seismic victory over champions Manchester City, Buendia and teammate Teemu Pukki were at the heart of everything good about Daniel Farke’s side. The former is a creative force to be reckoned with, and against sides that like to play a high-line, his ability to pick out runners in behind the defence is impressive.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The Argentine has averaged 2.7 key passes per game this season in the Premier League, and Pukki has been the main beneficiary of his creativity. The Canaries forward has six goals already, and so cutting off the supply line from Buendia will be United’s biggest defensive task on Sunday.

McTominay has been the main cog in the Red Devils’ midfield, featuring in every Premier League game. Against Liverpool last time out in the top-flight, he was a key factor in Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness remarking that the United midfielders “bossed” their counterparts. If the Scotland international can show that same combative spirit against the Canaries, Solskjaer’s men stand a great chance of picking up a vital three points.

His defensive side of the game is ever-improving, as evidenced by 1.9 tackles and 1.6 interceptions per game respectively. So whilst the Manchester side will be keen to play on the front foot, they will have to be very wary of the problems Norwich could cause going the other way.

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Sean and Matty Longstaff agreed to appear on BBC Sport’s Youtube channel this week to answer a series of questions.

Unfortunately for the two Newcastle youngsters, things were quickly made awkward for them as they had to answer a rather difficult question.

The pair were asked whether they’d rather play with Alan Shearer or Michael Owen, and luckily they provided the answer that every Newcastle fan will have wanted to hear.

Watch Newcastle United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Shearer and Owen had a very public spat a couple of weeks ago, due to some comments made in the former Liverpool striker’s book, so choosing between the two former England strikers was quite awkward for the Longstaff brothers.

In the end, they both opted to pick the Premier League’s all-time leading goalscorer.

As Newcastle players, this was absolutely the right choice, as the pair would have been crucified on social media had they chosen Owen over the club legend.

Having arrived from Sporting CP in the summer of 2014 for a reported £4m, Eric Dier has been an ever-present in the Tottenham squad, making 213 appearances for the club in total.

However, he has not featured as prominently this season under Mauricio Pochettino, and made just his first start of the current Premier League campaign against Brighton on Saturday afternoon.

The England international didn’t seem to be at the races in holding midfield, and as per Sofascore, had a pass completion of just 74% and lost possession 15 times over the course of the game.

After seeing the 25-year-old’s performance, Tottenham fans flooded to Twitter to share their thoughts about the matter.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Many supporters of the north London side insisted he simply isn’t good enough to be in the team, and pointed out that it is exactly why Pochettino doesn’t pick him as often anymore.

Some fans felt Dier was “off the pace” and looked all at sea playing in central midfield against the Seagulls.

Check out some of the reaction of Spurs fans below:

Last night saw Manchester City somehow scrape past Schalke in their round of 16 first leg clash in Germany. The Citizens were saved at the death by goals from Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling, but when they were 2-1 down to a Nabil Bentaleb double and saw Nicolas Otamendi sent off for a second yellow card things were looking bleak.

At the time of Nicolas Otamendi’s dismissal, a lot of the fans were starting to turn on Pep Guardiola. The Spaniard very rarely gets it wrong when he’s setting up his side, although the fans were more than happy to stick the knife in when they saw that Otamendi had been shown a red card, as they’d never have started the 31-year-old Argentine from the get-go in such a big game.

Otamendi has appeared in the Champions League four times this season and was even given the captain’s armband by Guardiola in the club’s final group stage game, a 2-1 home win against Hoffenheim. However, this season has seen Otamendi drop down the pecking order at the club, with John Stones and Aymeric Laporte the two first-choice options for Guardiola, so to see him mix things up and use his unreliable Argentine was a shock to the fans.

You can read the Citizens’ thoughts on Otamendi’s dismissal here:

The Citizens were far from happy with Guardiola as his side limped over the line yesterday and will be keen for swift improvements when they meet Schalke at The Etihad.

View this post on InstagramAnother point and we go again on sunday ?A post shared by Jota Peleteiro (@kingjota23) on Sep 17, 2019 at 6:31am PDT

Tyrone Mings seemed to be quite pleased with how the team got on, as the Villans kept their second clean sheet of the season.

However, certain members of the squad felt disappointed that they couldn’t get more than a point against the Hammers.

View this post on InstagramThought we could’ve came away with 3 points last night but a point on board against a strong West Ham side. On to Sunday now ⚽️A post shared by Jack Grealish (@jackgrealish) on Sep 17, 2019 at 7:31am PDT

View this post on InstagramDisappointed with this result ?. But what a pleasure to return to VILLA PARK ?A post shared by Fred Guilbert (@fredguilbert02) on Sep 17, 2019 at 2:01am PDT

It’s strange to see such differing views on Monday’s results from players within the same squad.

Watch Aston Villa Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

It’s also easy to see both sides of the split. West Ham are eighth in the league, but they also had a man sent off in the second half. Perhaps they should feel disappointed not to have won, but they will have much easier tests than Manuel Pellegrini’s side this campaign.

Many Liverpool fans have erupted at the news that midfielder Thiago Alcantara could be back for their next match. 

According to The Liverpool Echo, the 30-year-old should return to full team training ahead of the FA Cup fourth round clash with Cardiff City at Anfield next Sunday. He may well be in contention to start at the weekend, or at least make an appearance from the bench.

Elsewhere, Divock Origi should return to the fold before the end of February as he recovers from a knee problem, while Harvey Elliott is building up his ‘general fitness’ at the AXA Training Centre in Kirkby after missing more than four months with a serious ankle injury.

Why is this a big deal?

Thiago hasn’t played a Premier League match since the 3-1 victory over Newcastle United nine days before Christmas.

Significantly, Liverpool have won all eight top-flight games that the Spaniard has started this season, so his comeback is a welcome boost as the Reds try to reel in Manchester City at the top of the table.

Fan feed Anfield Watch relayed The Liverpool Echo’s report, and here’s what some supporters had to say about the Spain midfielder’s impending return to action. For some Kopites, it adds to the positive vibes around Anfield after the signing of Luis Diaz in recent days.

These Liverpool fans buzzing over Thiago news

“Omg what a dayyyyy”

Credit: @97HassanM

“Honestly what a week”

Credit: @LFCVik2

“This day gets better and better”

Credit: @moe_y11

“GOAAATTTT”

Credit: @amaadcx

“Things I love to see”

Credit: @mmawuli27

“Wow, welcome Thiago”

Credit: @frankymavhura

In other news, there’s a big update on Neco Williams from The Athletic

Barcelona are reportedly interested in signing Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah this summer, as speculation regarding his future continues.

The Lowdown: Salah’s future up in the air

Salah has been a sensational player for the Reds since joining from Roma in 2017 – he has scored 153 goals in 239 appearances and you could certainly argue he is the world’s best footballer on current form, with 38 direct goal involvements from 36 matches in all competitions this term.

Unfortunately, Liverpool and the player’s representatives are yet to agree a new deal for the 29-year-old, with his current contract expiring in the summer of 2023.

Salah’s future continues to dominate the headlines and a fresh transfer rumour has now emerged.

The Latest: Barca keen on move

According to Sport [via Sport Witness], Salah’s name is ‘on the table’ at Barca, as they look to pull off a stunning move at the end of the season.

Their interest in the Egyptian has ‘grown in recent days’ and they see him as an alternative to Erling Haaland if they fail to sign the Borussia Dortmund striker.

The report claims they are ‘monitoring’ Salah’s contract talks, which are ‘far from reaching an agreement’.

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The Verdict: Such a sticky situation

This feels like a saga that is going to run and run, which is far from ideal, considering Liverpool are battling across four competitions and could do without any distractions.

In truth, it looks as though Salah is going to move on if a compromise can’t be met, with the Reds willing to up his wages but his agent seemingly still unhappy with the terms offered, even going so far as to drop hints on Twitter during Jurgen Klopp’s press conferences.

It would be devastating for Liverpool to lose their star player, but equally, no individual is bigger than the club and if an agreement doesn’t come to fruition, the Reds will continue to shine without him, hopefully using the funds received to good effect.

In other news, Liverpool are thought to be leading the race to sign one player. Find out who it is here.

Many Wolves fans were critical of Leander Dendoncker during their clash with Southampton on Saturday afternoon. 

Wolves, who started the day ninth in the Premier League, were looking to make it three straight wins in all competitions. They followed up their first Old Trafford victory since 1980 with a 3-0 FA Cup win over Championship Sheffield United.

Southampton were also carrying momentum into the game however, having thrashed Brentford 4-1 in midweek. Ralph Hassenhuttl’s Saints had lost only one of their last seven PL matches.

Bruno Lage made three changes from the side that won at United, with Romain Saiss (AFCON), Ruben Neves (Covid-19) and Marcal dropping out. In came 22-year-old Toti Gomes for his debut, Dendoncker and Rayan Ait-Nouri.

Dendoncker’s struggle vs Saints

The Belgian’s SofaScore rating of 6.3/10 was the lowest in the Wolves side.

He won just one of his ten duels, a success rate of 10%, and was dribbled past four times in total (the most of any player on the field).

Dendoncker tried his luck from the distance in the first half, but The Athletic’s Tim Spiers remarked that it nearly hit the top tier of the stand behind the goal.

And another journalist, Joe Prince-Wright, said he was fortunate to avoid giving away a penalty after a challenge on Oriol Romeu around an hour into the game.

Many WWFC fans slam Dendoncker

“Dendoncker has been atrocious again. Complete ghost in the middle. Moutinho having to do it all himself.”

Credit: @parker_bradley

“That was a rough attempt by Dendoncker”

Credit: @OldGoldAmerica

“Neves and Moutinho work but Dendoncker can’t control the game”

Credit: @WolvesNumber37

“Yeah, let’s never tell Dendoncker to shoot again lol”

Credit: @kcb92

“As much as I was fan of Dendoncker in previous seasons, he’s not the same player anymore. I think it’s time to sell him this window and user the funds towards a decent centre midfielder, as Moutinho’s legs won’t last forever! Get your finger out”

Credit: @spena2k10

“Get him off the pitch he’s been useless again.”

Credit: @Jim96925627

In other news, fans weren’t happy with this transfer news.