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Borussia Dortmund starlet Jadon Sancho has been on Manchester United’s radar for what feels like eternity.

The England international has been linked with a big-money move to Old Trafford for a number of months now, amid suggestions that he could finally be set for a return to English football after a few years in Germany.

The likes of Chelsea and Liverpool are also reported to be monitoring the situation, but recent reports have claimed that United are the ones in pole position.

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However, a fresh update from The Daily Express has claimed that the current situation surrounding the world at the moment makes it “far-fetched” that United could spend £120m on Sancho.

As such, it’s suggested the Manchester side could could active their buy-back clauses on Memphis Depay or Wilfried Zaha.

Whilst the reasons behind such a stance is understandable, this could turn into a monumental mistake from Ed Woodward. Make no mistake about it, if United have second thoughts about signing Sancho, then the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool will no doubt be prepared to blow them out of the water and beat them to the punch.

If Sancho really is the priority signing for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer this summer, then there really shouldn’t be any settling for second-best, whatever the circumstances.

Getting the Dortmund starlet in would mean United have a winger for the next decade or so in their first-team – both Depay and Zaha on the other hand would come with a question mark due to them initially failing to make the grade at Old Trafford.

Sancho’s arrival would be a statement of intent that Solskjaer’s team are battling for the biggest and best signings in world football. Going for cheaper alternatives would completely undermine that and set United back years. Re-signing a flop would make them a laughing stock, and another sign that they are not amongst the elite.

Meanwhile, Man Utd would make a statement of intent with move for this Serie A ace.

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

Leeds United leapfrogged their nearest challengers to regain control at the top of the Championship table after picking up their sixth league win in a row with a 2-0 victory over west Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield Town.

Marcelo Bielsa had to wait until the second half to see his side break the deadlock when Ezgjan Alioski slammed in a stunning first-time volley as the Terriers failed to clear a corner before Jack Harrison put the ball on the plate for Pablo Hernandez to head home.

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Even though the Whites clinched an 11th clean sheet of the season, it was no easy feat with the scoreline certainly appearing to be a little flattering.

The Chilean boss was forced into a couple of changes with integral anchorman Kalvin Phillips facing suspension.

On the Chalkboard

It wouldn’t be unfair to suggest that his absence was the root cause of Leeds’ subpar showing as he possesses the sort of qualities that no one else in the side holds.

Which was just ever so evident at times against Huddersfield.

Bielsa tasked Ben White to fill his void in the build-up to the match but at times it looked more like a back three, meaning there was no sort of defensive wall to protect the backline – the Brighton loanee lost possession 13 times while only managing a 68% passing success rate.

The home side managed ten shots at goal, which is a lot considering Leeds hold the acclaim of having the best defensive record in the league.

Phillips, who the club reportedly valued at £20m last summer, averages a passing accuracy rate of 81.5% which includes a monumental 5.1 long passes per game while he also ranks first in the squad for tackles, averaging 3.7 per game, via WhoScored.

That only goes to show just how influential he is in Leeds’ engine room.

Bielsa and those involved at the club can’t be fooled by the scoreline either, it only proved that a future without Phillips looks rather bleak and that it should be a worry.

The 24-year-old has continually been linked to Manchester United this season so there’s always a chance that his future may lie elsewhere, especially if the south Yorkshiremen falter come the end of the campaign.

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Meanwhile, several Leeds fans have been left fuming over the situation involving their FA Cup tie with Arsenal…

Nottingham Forest returned to winning ways with a 2-1 victory at Luton Town on Saturday afternoon, meaning they moved back into a playoff position.

Lewis Grabban latched onto Tiago Silva’s through ball just before half-time to coolly slot past the Hatters’ goalkeeper before Sammy Ameobi fired home from Joe Lolley’s cross to double their advantage.

The home side pulled one back through Callum McManaman as he curled one round an out-stretched Brice Samba.

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Sabri Lamouchi’s men had lost both of their last two matches, and couldn’t play last weekend due to adverse weather conditions causing a waterlogged pitch, so it was a perfect response to kickstart November.

The 47-year-old opted for Yuri Ribeiro over Jack Robinson at left-back, and his decision paid off, as seen with the reaction from the City Ground faithful on social media following the game.

One supporter called him an ‘unbelievable’ player who needs to be starting games week in week out, while another labelled him the ‘Portugal Gareth Bale.’

A further member of the visiting crowd stated that the 22-year-old really stood out in the Forest XI with one more believing he was ‘absolutely class.’

Here’s the best of the reaction:

Leeds United fans on Twitter have been naming their price for Kalvin Phillips after rumours emerged that Manchester United were interested in the midfielder.

Of course, there were some ridiculous valuations from some supporters who quite clearly don’t want to see the Yorkshire Pirlo depart the club anytime soon.

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One Twitter user said that he’s worth at least £300m, while another quoted a price of over £600m with an extra £29,000.83 tacked onto the end for good measure.

Away from the ridiculous claims, we saw some more realistic valuations of what United fans would want for the midfielder.

One fan stated that he’d want at least £45m for Phillips, which isn’t too outrageous when you consider there were reports in the summer that the Red Devils were willing to pay £50m for John McGinn.

Others were more reserved in their valuations, stating that they’d be willing to let him go for around £15-£20m.

Whether or not Phillips leaves the Elland Road outfit remains to be seen, but if he does the Whites will certainly want a hefty fee for him.

Here’s what the Elland Road faithful have been saying on Twitter…

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

According to a report from TeamTalk, Nottingham Forest are closing in on a deal to sign French midfielder Ilyas El Khabchi.

What’s the word?

The report states that the 21-year-old has been on trial at the City Ground, having been released from French fifth-tier side Jura Dolois, and has clearly done enough to impress boss Sabri Lamouchi if they are considering turning that trial into a permanent deal for the rest of the campaign.

Whilst he may not be a household name in England, that should not put fans off straight away. N’Golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez were both plucked from the French leagues despite not being well known on these shores, and they’ve both since gone on to win Premier League titles.

According to TeamTalk, Lamouchi is keen to test El Khabchi at U23 level before potentially promoting him to the senior squad. So where would he fit into the system at Nottingham Forest, should he eventually make his way up to the starting XI?

Goal threat stands out

Whilst a lot isn’t known about El Khabchi, at least we know that he is an attacking midfielder, and based on his records from GlobalSportsArchive, we also know that he has a goal in his back pocket, with a record of 13 goals in 35 games for Jura Dolois. Contrast that to only two assists in the same time span, and it’s clear that he is very much a finisher rather than a creator.

If scoring goals is more his forte than setting them up, then he should be able to fit in the current Forest 4-2-3-1 system right behind Lewis Grabban in the middle of the attacking midfield three.

It’s obviously difficult to tell whether or not he’ll be able to replicate his form from France in the Championship or how long it’d take him to do so.

But if he can, perhaps he’ll be able to take some of the pressure off Grabban as the team’s main goal threat by chipping in every now and again, potentially through exploiting the space Forest’s front-man creates when occupying defenders.

It has been a fantastic start to his maiden season as Chelsea’s number nine for Tammy Abraham, and it’s been so good that talk of him replacing Harry Kane in England’s starting XI has emerged on social media.

The 21-year-old has scored nine goals in his first nine games in all competitions after being the given the opportunity to impress by new boss Frank Lampard.

After scoring 26 goals for Aston Villa in the Championship last season, he deserved his chance to shine, and he has taken it with both hands.

Who has been the most improved player in the EPL this season? Find out in the video below…

Of course, Harry Kane is the number one choice for Gareth Southgate, and rightly so. He is the captain, and has 26 goals in 41 games so far for the Three Lions. As such, he should start both games as England look to secure qualification for next year’s tournament.

However, it seems not everyone agrees.

A lot of England fans actually want the youngster to take the Tottenham forward’s place in the starting line-up.

They have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

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…

Speaking to episode seven of the Training Ground Guru Podcast, Victor Orta gave an in-depth assessment of the club and Marcelo Bielsa, detailing specifically the advantage the young players have at the club.

What’s he said?

Leeds may be sitting in fifth place in the Championship after their defeat to Millwall but there are still reasons to be positive, particularly as they’re playing such good football.

One negative, however, is the current injuries. Liam Cooper is out for six weeks while Jamie Shackleton is also set to miss a month.

That being said, chances could be on the horizon for a few more younger players. Leif Davis, Robbie Gotts and Jack Clarke were on the bench last weekend while Pascal Struijk and Olly Casey were spoken about by Bielsa recently too.

It’s no secret that the Argentine likes to give opportunities to the young players but that’s only been magnified by Orta, who suggested they help him with his ideas. He said:

“He talks with facts. Jack Clarke, Leif Davis. He talks always in his career – I remember in Bilbao that changed lives. He talks with facts. He likes the young players because what he finds in them is amazing for his ideas.”

Promising future

As of last January, Bielsa had handed ten opportunities to players under the age of 21. That’s a glowing indication of his attention to youth but so is the fact he’s given first-team debuts to Alfie McCalmont and Mateusz Bogusz since then as well.

Bielsa has helped change the face of the football club and that’s ringing true at academy level too where he’s installed one of his assistant’s Carlos Corberan as the U23s manager.

The fact that the 64-year-old finds the young players amazing for instilling his own ideas is something that simply has to be relayed to those coming through at Thorp Arch.

If Jack Clarke is worried about his game time then he needs to bear in mind Bielsa was the one that gave him his chance in the first place. The same goes for someone like Davis who has also been handed chances sparingly in 2019/20.

But for those who haven’t earned debuts, this should be seen as an opportunity too, not least for the aforementioned Struijk and Casey who could well pounce on the uncertainty surrounding the defence.

Bielsa appears straight up with the young players and Orta’s words should serve as big motivation. They must be on red alert with opportunities there to be had.

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Everton fans have criticised Lucas Digne for his performance against Manchester City on Saturday.

The Toffees lost 3-1 to the Premier League champions in a pulsating game at Goodison Park.

Digne has been something of a creative force from defence already this season, providing two assists in the Premier League, while also scoring and assisting in the Carabao Cup.

However, he struggled against City, winning just two tackles out of an attempted five, per WhoScored, while also being dribbled past on three occasions.

Digne also failed to complete a dribble and was also unable to win an aerial duel.

While he did complete two key passes, he was run ragged by Riyad Mahrez as Marco Silva’s men again went without a win – they have now lost three successive games in the league.

And fans on Twitter and social media certainly noticed his troubles.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

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West Brom continued their unbeaten run in the Championship last weekend as they salvaged a point against Derby County at Pride Park in what quickly became the ‘battle of the penalties.’

The home side took an early lead through a Martyn Waghorn spot-kick and should have doubled the lead with their second penalty of the match right before half-time, but Baggies goalkeeper Sam Johnstone was equal to it this time.

Slaven Bilic’s men then needed one of their own late on to rescue a point as for the second time in a week, Kenneth Zohore stepped up to slot home from 12 yards out.

The match clearly frustrated the Croatian as he managed to get sent off by Gavin Ward following two yellow cards.

It is believed that the West Brom boss will accept the charge by taking a fine, which would mean he is able to be in the dugout for this weekend’s tie against Blackburn Rovers.

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Bilic has since admitted that it is something he needs to manage, he said:

“I will have to work on it; I will have to control myself.”

Several fans at the Hawthorns have reacted to the news as one described the officiating on Saturday as ‘pathetic’ whilst another claimed the referee was poor for both sides.

One supporter stated that he likes to see a manager with passion on the touchline.

Here’s the best of the reaction:

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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…

Ian Wright has branded Harry Kane a ‘cheat’ after the Tottenham Hotspur striker attempted to win a penalty against Arsenal in the north London derby, per BBC via Metro.

What’s he said?

Spurs took a 2-0 lead against their north London rivals, with Kane scoring the second from the penalty spot after Christian Eriksen’s opener.

The Gunners came back into the game, though, to level the scores through Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

In the closing stages of the game, though, Kane went down in the box under the challenge of Sokratis, appealing for a penalty, though it wasn’t given and referee Martin Atkinson decided against punishing the England captain for a dive.

And Wright, speaking on BBC’s Monday Night Club, insists that Kane cheated.

He said: “The ball was on the left and he moved to the right to initiate contact.

“We saw Jamie Vardy used to do that one where he got his legs tangled up with the defender and his leg would be searching for the contact, trying to get his leg in between the defender’s legs so it looks like [a foul].

“But what Harry Kane did was stepped across, he initiated the contact and went over. It’s simulation. It’s cheating. I’d rather call it that. That’s all it was.”

Forward play

Wright should know more than anyone else that top strikers occasionally have to go to ground in the penalty area.

While it may not have been a stone-wall penalty, it would have been a foul anywhere else on the pitch.

Kane attempted to shield the ball and was pushed to the ground by Sokratis.

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He wasn’t cheating; he was bundled over, and it is biased from a former Arsenal player to suggest anything else.

While it may not have been a spot-kick in the eyes of the referee, Wright has made a mistake here.

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