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Manchester City’s failure to keep hold of Jadon Sancho represents one of their biggest transfer disappointments in recent memory, but there is reason to suggest that he will eventually make a return to the Etihad Stadium. 

The hype surrounding Sancho’s development at Borussia Dortmund this season has dominated headlines throughout the British media.

Laying on assists at will in the Bundesliga, Sancho has showcased a level of potential for supporters to salivate over and, in Man City’s case, weep over.

City had Sancho (valued at £40.5 million by Transfermarkt) in the palm of their hands but they failed to convince him to remain at the club, with concerns over the strength of Pep Guardiola’s squad and a subsequent lack of guarantees regarding first-team football providing the wonderkid with sufficient reason to embark on a new challenge in Germany.

Fortune favours the brave, as they say, and Sancho’s success is a prime example which vindicates that particular mantra.

Sancho’s brilliance with Dortmund has provoked plenty of speculation regarding how much control City have over his future, and if there are any telling clauses which can provide the supporters with hope that a return is within their grasp.

According to a recent report from Bleacher Report, City have the first option on Sancho, implying that in the event Dortmund accept a bid for his services, Txiki Begiristian will be presented with the opportunity to have a bid accepted at the same price.

The report also claims that Sancho is open to a return to the Etihad, so it’s clear that Begiristian’s ability to negotiate a first refusal clause along with the exemplary attitude observed by City in response to his departure have put them in pole position to sign him in the future.

Sancho’s rapid rise to attention will certainly have landed him on the radar of a handful of Europe’s top clubs, but the recent report from BR proves that Begiristain has put City in a perfect position from which to re-sign the 18-year-old.

Financially it won’t look too pretty if City eventually decide to make a bid for Sancho, however, judging by his meteoric rise this season, his extortionate asking price may well prove to be one worth paying for the Premier League champions.

Man City fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

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Loads of Everton fans have been discussing the future of Seamus Coleman, and fans are completely split on a potential move to replace the Irish international.

Everton’s defensive overhaul this summer had been a long time coming, as the likes of of Phil Jagielka and Leighton Baines were well beyond their sell-by date.

Coleman could well be the next to go, as the 30 year-old has not quite looked the same since recovering from two serious injuries.

The Goodison fan favourite fractured both his tibia and fibula on international duty in March 2017, and missed the beginning of this campaign with a foot injury.

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He has been a step off the pace since returning to action, and he had an absolute nightmare dealing with Anthony Martial at Old Trafford a few weeks ago.

Fans are split on whether they should upgrade him though, with 46 per cent voting in favour of a move.

Jonjoe Kenny is simply not good enough, so Brands may be best searching for a new understudy to take the reigns from Coleman in a few years, rather than a direct replacement.

You can view the full poll results down below…

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Steven Gerrard has updated fans on the reason Lee Wallace isn’t getting any playing time, and it’s not good news for the 31-year-old.

Rangers’ annual general meeting was somewhat underwhelming if truth be told, but Gerrard’s comments on Wallace certainly raised a few eyebrows.

The defender missed the entirety of last season with a hernia injury, and was then the subject of much controversy over a dispute with former manager Graeme Murty.

Gerrard has now revealed the reason Wallace has not returned to the first team this season, and it’s an awful lot simpler than fans might have suspected.

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“Lee Wallace was out injured when I came in and had missed 12 months before then,” the gaffer said when an angry shareholder blasted the club’s treatment of the defender.

“I pay tribute to how Lee has gone about his business when he has been injured.

“To be candid, as long as he’s here he remains part of my plans and he trains with us but I believe we have better options in that position at the moment. My relationship with Lee is fine.”

Gerrard’s blunt response has drawn a mixed reaction from fans, but in truth it is good news, as it shows how far the squad has come in such a short time under the new leadership.

Summer signing Borna Barisic is expected to be the first choice for that left-back spot once he is fully fit again.

So, Rangers fans, what do you think of the boss’ comments? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…

Aston Villa put in a superb performance yesterday as Dean Smith’s side won yet another game to make it four wins in their last five and to take them just three points off the playoff places. 

With Smith at the helm, Villa have turned into one of the best attacking teams in the league and in just four games, they have scored 15 goals in the league.

Thanks to the incredible form of Tammy Abraham, Villa now look like one of the most dangerous sides in the league and one that could be a dark horse in the title race.

The on-loan Chelsea striker has scored an impressive 11 goals in just 14 appearances for the side and with Yannick Bolasie and Jack Grealish, Villa have a dynamic attack. At the back, however, Villa haven’t been quite as good and have conceded 30 goals this season.

In order to remedy the club’s shortfalls in defence, Smith has apparently sanctioned a deal to bring former Villa man, James Collins, back to the club.

The Breakdown

The former Wales international has been training with the club since September and despite being 35, he will provide some valuable depth in defence for Smith as the club goes into the busy Christmas period.

As it stands, Smith only has James Chester and Axel Tuanzebe as his recognised centrebacks and with his side conceding seven goals in the two games before their match against Middlesbrough, Smith needs to strengthen and bringing back Collins would be a wise move.

Thoughts Villa fans? 

On 20th August 2014, West Ham United managed to bring Alex Song to the Boleyn Ground on an initial season-long loan deal from Barcelona, with the option of an additional year.

The midfielder was considered to be somewhat a coup for the side being managed by Sam Allardyce at the time and had certainly raised a few eyebrows when he made a return to London.

The former Cameroon international had been at Arsenal for a number of years prior to his move to the Catalan giants, however, things quite simply did not work out for him in Spain.

These West Ham fans cooed about the capture of Song, with many taking to Twitter to provide their reactions to the deal.

Here are just some of them…

Song had started the season well for the Hammers and had been a key man for Allardyce, however, he saw his performances deteriorate over as the campaign went on.

The Irons decided to extend his stay a further year, however, with Slaven Bilic at the helm, he struggled to get much game-time and returned to Barcelona after his two-year stay with the Irons.

Since that loan spell, he has gone on to represent Russian outfit Rubin Kazan and now currently plays his football in Switzerland for Sion.

Following his impressive time at the Gunners, Song never really managed to get going and became somewhat a bit of a disappointment.

West Ham fans – thoughts?

Crystal Palace’s over-reliance on Wilfried Zaha could prove costly if performances do not improve over the festive period.

The Eagles look like a different team without their star player – Palace haven’t won a game without Zaha in the side since September 2016 when Alan Pardew was in charge. Roy Hodgson worked miracles to save the club from relegation last year but has struggled to have a similar impact in the new campaign. Palace’s lack of goals this season has been a real issue with Jordan Ayew failing to find the back of the net once since joining on loan from Swansea City in the summer.

The January transfer window opens in less than a month, and the former England manager will have the opportunity to add to his attacking options. With Alexander Sorloth yet to start a Premier League game this season, it’s clear Hodgson has lost faith in his current crop of attackers. Signing a new number ten to get the best out of his attackers would be a wise move.

One man who should be on his shortlist is Wigan Athletic midfielder – Nick Powell. Valued at £2.7m by Transfermarkt, the Englishman has developed into a crucial player for Latics after failing to break into the Manchester United first-team. Powell played a massive role in Wigan’s successful promotion bid last season, netting 15 league goals as well as registering seven assists for his team-mates in League One.

Powell’s excellent showings have continued in the higher division, scoring four and creating five in the Championship so far. With excellent dribbling skills and the vision to unlock a defence, the 24-year-old could help Zaha get back to his best in the Palace attack. His eye for a goal would also help lessen the goalscoring burden on the shoulders of the Ivorian.

With less than a year remaining on his contract, the Eagles should grab themselves a bargain in January and give Powell another chance to succeed in the Premier League.

Crystal Palace fans, thoughts?

Arsenal are going through a rough patch of form as after their long 22-game unbeaten run, Unai Emery’s side made tough work of their match against Burnley and also dropped points against Brighton. 

Up until recently, Emery’s side had proven itself to be one of the best in the league but following a raft of injuries, the Spaniard will need to reinvest into his squad next month.

Following injuries to Hector Bellerin, Shkodran Mustafi and Rob Holding, Arsenal are severely lacking in defensive numbers. In midfield too, the Gunners lack much depth and going forward Emery needs a dynamic winger, although that deal may well have to wait until the summer.

With Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil’s respective futures up in the air at the moment, Arsenal need an attacking central midfielder but also further back. According to Argentine journalist Roberto Martinez, Arsenal are closing in on a move for Ever Banega who Emery was keen on signing over the summer.

The Breakdown

At 30, he might not be at his best anymore but he would be a great option for the Gunners and is only valued at £18 million. The Argentine has the experience and ability to play in the Premier League and has played some of his best football under Emery but it would be incredibly hard to prise him away from Sevilla halfway through the season.

He’s scored seven goals to go with three assists in 21 games this season and has been a huge reason to Sevilla’s rise to third this year.

Thoughts Sevilla fans? 

Marco Silva’s sudden tactical change of heart could have big implications on Idrissa Gueye’s Everton career.

On the chalkboard

Silva appeared to have built his Toffees side around a solid 4-2-3-1 upon being named manager at Goodison Park.

Results were initially poor as a new fashion of play was developed following months of dire football under Sam Allardyce, but a change of fortunes kick-started results with a 3-0 thrashing of Fulham at the end of September.

Fatigue and injuries began to creep in, however, and results started to dip on the back of late heartbreak at the hands of Merseyside rivals Liverpool, when Jordan Pickford attempted to let the ball head out of play only for it to cannon back in off the crossbar for Divock Origi to score.

A 3-1 trouncing at the Etihad Stadium and a humbling 6-2 defeat at home to Tottenham left Silva scratching his head for answers, before flipping the script to thump Burnley 5-1 in their own backyard.

The Playmaker FC squad decided to wind-up some unsuspecting Brazil fans at the Emirates on Saturday night. Watch the hilarious results in the video below…

A change of formation

Gueye proved a fatal loss against Manchester City, with the Toffees lacking the defensive midfielder they were building around, leaving Silva forced to change his plans.

A five-man defence behind two forward-thinking creative midfielders turned out to be a horrific error as Everton could not get a foot in the game, but a return to 4-2-3-1 against Spurs showed no difference with Tom Davies sat alongside Andre Gomes.

Revisiting three centre-backs at Turf Moor – with Gylfi Sigurdsson once again sat in front of Kurt Zouma, Michael Keane and Yerry Mina with his Portuguese team-mate pulling the strings from deep – turned out to be a masterstroke, though, as the Blues came out considerable winners.

It worked against a struggling side

Although three centre-backs with two creative midfielders worked at Burnley, Silva cannot pursue the formation against stronger sides.

The Manchester City defeat showed Everton are not capable of challenging the top teams with it, and within this lies Gueye’s secure future at Goodison Park.

Without the Senegalese ace, the Toffees lack someone who can break the opponents play and ignite a quick counter-attack, rather than relying on the last man back to cut the threat.

Evidence of this can be found in the fact Gueye has the most interceptions of any Everton player, with his 33 in 16 games nearly double that of the next midfielder – Sigurdsson has 17 in 19.

Gueye also leads the way for tackles made – winning 67 of 81 – and total passes – completing 810, to second-placed Keane’s 759.

West Ham failed to improve on their dominant December as they fell to a shock 2-0 defeat to Burnley and, while none of Manuel Pellegrini’s men were quite at the races, defensive stand-in Angelo Ogbonna was a standout for all the wrong reasons.

The Italian was bullied by brutish Clarets forwards Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood from the first whistle and looked fortunate to be alongside Issa Diop who, despite being pretty poor himself on this occasion, has been a rock at the back for the Hammers all season.

Former Torino man Ogbonna was called upon by Pellegrini as summer signing Fabian Balbuena was ruled out with a knee injury and failed to assert himself on the tie, completing zero tackles and just one interception as Sean Dyche’s men struck twice in the first half on their way to only their second win in the last 13 games.

It’s safe to say that the Irons fans on Twitter were less than pleased with the 30-year-old’s performance, as they ripped into him spectacularly – you can find the best of the reaction below…

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Mauricio Pochettino has tried and failed to land Leicester City winger Demarai Gray on multiple occasions, but he should try his hand once more in January.

What’s the word?

A source close to the North London club is said to have told ESPN earlier in 2018 that Spurs were weighing up another move for Gray, having expressed interest in the previous year.

Leicester refused to consider any approach in the initial window, and the winger has continued to develop at the King Power Stadium with Pochettino keeping a close eye on his progress.

The Argentine manager would have noted in that period Gray recording five goals and three assists in 53 Premier League appearances since, to add to his one previous successful strike and four assists in the English top flight.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas which Arsenal players would get into the Tottenham team ahead of the North London Derby – Check out the video below…

Why make a move now?

Pochettino once saw something in the right-footed left-winger that made him sit up and take note, but under Claude Puel, those moments of magic have been thin and far between.

As a result, the England Under 21 international is getting fewer chances to return to his best and has an average minutes per game in the Premier League of 59 at present.

A majority of those minutes, however, come through starts at the beginning of the season, where he featured for at least 76 minutes in the opening four – Gray has started just once in his last four outings.

Even in the FA Cup, in a much-changed Foxes line-up, the 22-year-old was overlooked until the 60th minute when brought on to replace Danny Simpson.

If Pochettino was to make a move for the out-of-favour winger, he could work his magic on Gray in a similar manner to that of Lucas Moura and Serge Aurier, who both arrived from Paris Saint-Germain lacking consistency and a killer instinct.

The duo have since come on leaps and bounds under the Argentine manager’s guidance, with Moura claiming the Premier League’s Player of the Month award for August.

Gray would also provide the former Southampton boss with further cover for the likes of Moura, Son Heung-Min and Erik Lamela.