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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…

Speaking to Metaratings, former Manchester United man Lee Sharpe has revealed even a peak Cristiano Ronaldo wouldn’t be able to guarantee a return to the glory days.

What did he say?

Since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in the summer of 2013, the Red Devils have failed to win a single Premier League title. Numerous bosses have come and gone, with the latest, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, in the midst of a difficult patch in his managerial reign.

How much money could you make busking for a week as a freestyle footballer? Find out in the video below…

Now, Sharpe has made a huge claim by suggesting even Ronaldo at the peak of his powers would find it a struggle to restore the club to their former glories.

He said: “I think they would still be off the pace, but they wouldn’t be that far off with someone scoring 25-30 goals a season. We saw that with Liverpool with Suarez a few seasons ago, how much it changes things. If you’ve got a player that can run from the halfway line and score when you’re under the kosh, and someone that can score tap-ins, headers, volleys and from outside of the box, an array of goals that can come from one player, then you’re always in with a chance.

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“The amount of chances you’ll create at a club like United, chances are that you’re going to score more than you’ll concede. If you’ve got a Ronaldo or a Messi, even a Harry Kane, then you’re never going to be too far off the pace.”

Bitter truth

As much as individual brilliance can win you football games, the fact remains that the sport is still a team game. A sprinkling of star dust goes a long way in making a good side great, but, when you’ve been as poor as United have, there’s only so far you can go.

Solskjaer’s men find themselves in tenth in the Premier League table, having gained just nine points from their opening seven games. It’s been an incredibly underwhelming start, and their lack of goals (they’ve scored just nine times in the division) makes for alarming reading.

Ronaldo may be able to drag the club into the top four just through his own sheer quality, but anything more than that is impossible with the faltering squad United have at the moment.

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

According to The Sun, Tottenham have made James Maddison their main priority to replace the potentially outgoing Christian Eriksen.

What’s the word?

Eriksen was the subject of intense transfer speculation over the course of the summer window, with reports suggesting Manchester United and Real Madrid were keen on luring him away from north London.

Despite a move failing to materialise before the end of the deadline, it still remains likely that the Denmark international makes his Spurs exit due to his contract situation.

Now, The Sun claim that if the play-maker leaves at the end of his contract in June, Mauricio Pochettino’s side will target Leicester midfielder Maddison to replace the Dane.

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

The report adds the Lilywhites will have to battle United to secure the 22-year-old’s signature, and it is thought Leicester will demand up to £70m.

Shrewd business

If Spurs do end up losing Eriksen, but then manage to pull off the signing of Maddison, then that would go down as a major coup. And whisper it quietly, but it would represent a potential upgrade too. The former’s performances this season have been so lacklustre, and a far cry from what we usually expect from the talented play-maker.

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His averages of 1.8 shots and 1.6 key passes in the Premier League this season is a significant drop-off to his numbers from the previous campaign, in which he managed 2.4 shots and 2.1 key passes respectively. Maddison, on the other hand, continues to improve week-by-week, and his manager Brendan Rodgers paid a glowing appraisal of his talents earlier in September.

“He’s got big potential. I think he’s going to improve in his game, the management of his game, but he’s a big talent and we’re just trying to prepare him in order for him to play at the highest level for as long as he can. He has to be consistent, (but is) a really humble boy, has a lovely swagger, a lovely arrogance, and he is a good kid who will get better.”

And with Eriken looking like an empty shell and a complete shadow of his former self, a swoop for Maddison would give Spurs a number ten with a bit of magic again.

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

As reported by Tutto Mercato, Everton are showing interest in Shakhtar Donetsk chief scout Jose Boto amidst their current relegation scrap. The Toffees are sitting in the drop zone and may well need recruitments in January to help them out.

What do the reports say?

Boto has been in Ukraine with Shakhtar for a little over a year, after spending just short of a decade in his homeland with Portuguese giants Benfica (as per Transfermarkt).

The Blues are believed to be impressed by his track record down the years, and having not done spectacularly well in the transfer market themselves, have looked at Boto as a man to find the next stars for the Merseysiders.

The report by Tutto Mercato does indeed suggest that Everton are looking at a recruitment reshuffle, although Marcel Brands’ position is seemingly safe as the club’s director of football.

Necessary steps for improvement

As Everton are in the relegation zone and have scored just six Premier League goals, it is fair to say their recruitment up top has been poor. The likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson for £45m and Richarlison for £50m have proved to be decent signings in general despite some questionable form this season, scoring 26 league goals between them during the previous campaign.

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However, recruitment elsewhere has been poor, especially in the attacking aspects. Over the years, Everton have brought in Cenk Tosun for £27m, who has only scored nine times for the club and Sandro Ramirez, who only managed one goal and spent an awful lot more time on loan in Spain than in Merseyside.

Since the departure of Romelu Lukaku for £75m, the club have failed to replace his 87 goals in 166 appearances, and in truth, not even come close to doing so. Even the likes of Bernard, who they signed on a free, have been fairly wasteful pieces of business, having scored just twice for the club in 43 appearances.

Bringing in a new chief scout can perhaps find the next Lukaku or Wayne Rooney, rather than settling for signings such as Dominic Calvert-Lewin from Sheffield United, who can’t be faulted for effort but for his goal record having netted a dismal 21 goals in 102 appearances for the Blues.

Everton have the right idea with Brands as director of football, but it will be near enough impossible for him to find all the future Goodison Park heroes by himself. He is going to need an army of scouts who are ready to get straight to work and fire the Blues into the European spots – Boto could be the man to do just that.

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

West Brom venture north of the wall to face Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium, hoping they’ll be able to still reign supreme as Championship kings by the end of the evening.

The north-east has very much mirrored that of Westeros this season as many teams in this division have gone there and picked up a result, living up to the name of the ‘free folk,’ with Boro sitting 20th in the table currently.

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Jonathan Woodgate’s side sit just two points from the relegation zone and have won only the two games on their own patch this term.

Albion come into the game full of confidence, knowing they defeated Cardiff City 4-2 last time out.

But that doesn’t mean it won’t be difficult as Boro have individuals that could cause Slaven Bilic and his side a problem.

On the Chalkboard

Paddy McNair has all the qualities to knock West Brom off their iron throne as he interestingly offers up a threat in all aspects of the midfield game.

The former Manchester United man can play at centre-back, but he’s been deployed in a defensive midfield role under Woodgate, very much in the mould of his ex-teammate Scott McTominay.

McNair is averaging 1.1 tackles, 1.5 clearances, and 0.7 interceptions per game, which suggests he holds some authority in the centre of the park, but he also offers up danger at the other end of the pitch having bagged two goals this season – only bettered by Britt Assombalonga, per WhoScored.

No player in the side averages more shots per game than him either, which is bizarre for a defensive-minded player.

This means Romaine Sawyers will need to keep him in check on Saturday afternoon as the Northern Irishman has the ability to influence the match in all three-thirds of the field.

The Baggies academy graduate averages 1.6 tackles per game, which suggests he will be able to capitalise on McNair’s high dispossession rate.

Sawyers is the engine in Bilic’s midfield, recording the second-highest average passing accuracy in the league with 92.1% on top of providing 1.3 key passes per game.

Whoever comes out on top in this enthralling duel will undoubtedly help their side to a positive result.

For Albion’s sake, let’s hope the 27-year-old doesn’t follow the inexorable fate of the Night King.

Arsenal will look to pick up where they left off before the international break as they make the trip north to face Sheffield United on Monday night in the Premier League.

The Gunners edged past a keen Bournemouth side in their last game and won 1-0 at the Emirates, with David Luiz getting the only goal of the game.

Their only defeat of the season so far has been against Liverpool at Anfield which ended in a 3-1 loss.

However, it won’t be an easy task to get past Chris Wilder’s Blades after his side almost caused an upset against the European Champions themselves, a Georginio Wijnaldum strike being the only difference at Bramall Lane back in September.

In the video below, we look at where it all went wrong for Arsenal’s former ‘saviour’, Mesut Ozil…

So what starting XI should Unai Emery select on Monday evening? Here is what we think the Spaniard should do to deliver another three points on the road and continue the Gunners’ good run…

Bernd Leno should keep his place in between the sticks as Emery’s clear No.1, starting all of Arsenal’s games so far this season.

But we recommend significant changes amongst the defence – Kieran Tierney should line up at left-back and make his Premier League debut with the returning Hector Bellerin on the right, after both recently completed a full ninety minutes for the Gunners in the Europa League.

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Arsenal fans deserve to get their wish and see Callum Chambers play in his natural position as a centre back alongside David Luiz. While the England international has brought two clean sheets in his last three starts, regular Sokratis – who started Arsenal’s last game – has a Whoscored rating of just 6.66 this term.

Ahead of them in the midfield, we propose Granit Xhaka as the anchor between Matteo Guendouzi and Dani Ceballos. The 23-year-old Spaniard will be critical in this game as his creativity could decide the outcome of the match against what looks almost certain to be a water-tight Sheffield United backline.

Alexandre Lacazette could be available again after injury but we want to see 18-year-old Bukayo Saka fill in once more on the left of the front three. The youngster had a superb game at Old Trafford earlier in the season and Lacazette probably isn’t ready to start from the off anyway. Nicolas Pepe should feature on the right and will be expected to provide more output after assisting against Bournemouth.

Of course, we’re giving talisman Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang the nod up top. He’s scored seven goals in eight Premier League games this term.

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

Tottenham may have got back to winning ways in fine fashion on Tuesday but that hasn’t changed the thinking of Mauricio Pochettino, who still wants to get rid of several players at the club, according to The Daily Mail.

What’s the latest?

There are many players in Spurs’ squad whose futures remain under a cloud of doubt, with Christian Eriksen and Danny Rose both having questioned their future at the club in the past.

The pair are reportedly on Pochettino’s list of players he wants out of the club, which also includes Victor Wanyama, Eric Dier and Serge Aurier, all of whom have had a troubling 12 months.

Wanyama was close to joining Club Brugge over the summer but despite that the Kenyan is still keen on fighting for his place in the Argentine’s squad, though the addition of Tanguy Ndombele makes that a more difficult task.

Spurs continue to be linked with new additions, with Everton Soares and Max Aarons amongst the latest names, as Pochettino is reportedly keen to add “athleticism and energy” to his squad, possibly in a bid to get his side back to their pressing best.

Necessary step

There has been a lot of discussion about whether the Spurs boss needs to make the bold call to get rid of his long-serving players, many of whom are now letting him down.

The likes of Wanyama and Dier have struggled with fitness and made only 22 league starts between them last term, with Danny Rose and Serge Aurier also coming under scrutiny from fans due to their lacklustre performances.

Check out a hilarious FIFA Forefiet Challenge with a Watford Ladies pro in the video below…

As a result, Pochettino needs to have a clearout. It would mark a change of pace and a ruthlessness he had when he first arrived in 2014, when he soon got rid of first-team players such as Emmanuel Adebayor and Aaron Lennon.

That allowed him to rebuild the squad and he may have to do so once again, as other than the win against weaker European opposition in midweek Spurs have been stuck in a rut, with players said to be disillusioned too.

Out of the players listed Christian Eriksen would be the most stand-out departure, but even his loss wouldn’t impact the squad too significantly, particularly if their continued interest in Bruno Fernandes results in him joining the club.

In our Transfers that shook the club feature, Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at deals that had many may not have seen coming and the impact that they had during their time by using statistical data and pundit remarks.

When Andriy Shevchenko signed for AC Milan from Dynamo Kyiv in 1999, he may not have played for a club outside of Ukraine, but he had scored a hat-trick against Barcelona, as well as braces against Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in the Champions League, as per Transfermarkt.

So when the Italian club paid £21.52m for him, it will have seemed justified to many, though if there were some who doubted the reasoning behind it, Shevchenko would go on to prove he was worth that and more.

Over two spells in Milan, the Ukrainian would go on to play a total of 332 games, scoring 175 goals and getting 27 assists, playing an integral part in the club winning a Champions League, Serie A, Copa Italia, Supercoppa Italiana, and a UEFA Super Cup.

It is undoubted that he made his impact on the club during his time there as a player, as is also signified by the fact he was awarded Best Player in Europe in 2004.

There is an indication that he could now be given the opportunity to impress in Milan once again, having made his mark against Europe’s best from within Ukraine, but this time from the dugout.

This comes after suggestions that he is a backup option for the club if they are unable to get Pep Guardiola to join in 2021.

He has already shown that he can be effective, having led his nation to Euro 2020 qualification with a 2-1 victory over Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal.

The 43-year-old has proven himself to be influential in getting Milan trophies as a player, with the club not having won a league title since 2010/11, they may look for him to do so again as manager.

Milan fans, would you like to see Shevchenko come in as your manager? Join the discussion by commenting below…

Since Lee Bowyer stepped into the Charlton hotseat, the 42-year-old has been forced to rely heavily on loan deals with Roland Duchatelet holding a tight grip of his purse-strings at The Valley.

The Addicks boss has only spent a fee on Macauley Bonne out of the 14 players he has signed for the south London club, and whilst we assume the former Leeds midfielder would prefer to get players on a permanent basis, the loan system has been paying dividends for Bowyer.

Back in the summer, Chelsea decided to send Conor Gallagher to The Valley, while Josh Cullen re-joined the Addicks having spent last season on loan as well.

West Brom also allowed Jonathan Leko to spend the 2019/20 campaign in south London, whereas the Baggies also let Sam Field sign for the Addicks on loan.

While Field and Cullen have been solid performers, Gallagher has arguably been the standout name. The England U21 international is Charlton’s joint-top scorer with five league goals – Leko has also impressed with two goals and two assists this term.

So, which one of the loan stars should Bowyer try and sign on a permanent basis?

Billy Meyers

“If money wasn’t an object, then Bowyer should go all out to sign Gallagher from Chelsea given his huge impact so far. The Charlton boss has already said that he sees a bit of himself in the 19-year-old midfielder, and the teen looks to have all the makings of becoming a top-class talent – however, given Frank Lampard’s impressive use of his young players, it would surely take a huge offer from Charlton to prise him away. In that case, the man who makes the Addicks tick in Josh Cullen should be prioritised. 

“Head of Recruitment Steve Gallen was over the moon to bring Cullen back to The Valley in the summer, and he has once again been a key cog in the midfield as the Addicks sit 9th in the Championship – some Charlton fans on Twitter even hijacked a thread to demand his permanent arrival . If there is even a glimmer of a chance to sign him, Charlton must jump at it.”

Charles Jones

“I think that Bowyer should be looking at signing more than one of these loanees on a permanent deal, but if he were to pick just one it should be Gallagher. I’m not sure how viable signing Gallagher would be as Lampard may fancy giving him a go at Chelsea after his impressive season out on loan so far.

“However, if the Addicks can keep the midfielder at the club he would be a real asset for years to come. He’s only 19 years old, and he could develop into a fantastic player after netting five Championship goals already this term.”

VJ

“Goal-scorers are like stardust. They are very rare to find, and even harder to keep. So for Charlton to pull off the massive coup by landing Gallagher on loan in the summer has to go down as a Lee Bowyer master-stroke. What makes the 19-year-old’s exploits this season even more impressive is that he has predominantly played in holding midfield, with eight games in that position.

“Despite not being a striker, he has bagged himself five goals and provided a further two assists in the Championship, and having someone who can pop up with vital strikes from anywhere other than the front-line is invaluable. If the Addicks do one thing, then securing the permanent signing of Gallagher has to be the biggest priority.”

Kealan Hughes

“Gallagher is the obvious choice because of the goals he has contributed in a relatively short period of time, but it seems unrealistic that Bowyer would be able to persuade him into a permanent stay at the Valley.

“As a result, Cullen would be the best option. He has shown he is pivotal to Bowyer’s system by starting in all but one league match and his average of two tackles per game shows his importance to Charlton’s organised style, helping them have the eighth-best defence in the division.

“He is also useful with the ball at his feet and his 84% pass accuracy makes him a valuable player to have whether on the right of a diamond or sitting deep – the fact he is in his second loan spell at the Addicks in as many years also suggests he is highly-rated by the manager.”

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

According to Calciomercato, Crystal Palace are ‘following’ Wolfsburg striker Wout Weghorst, who is enjoying a decent campaign with the German side.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the three-cap Netherlands international has found the back of the net eight times in all competitions for Wolfsburg this season, including five goals in ten Bundesliga games.

The forward, who is a shade under 6 foot 6, has been likened to Edin Dzeko by the official Bundesliga website, who detail that Weghorst’s excellent hold-up play, tireless work-rate and willingness to pass to teammates in better positions is vastly similar to the former Manchester City striker’s playing style.

The 27-year-old also has three assists this season, and appears to be a real powerhouse of a frontman.

Two reasons why Palace should avoid a move

At first glance, it doesn’t seem like a terrible idea to sign Weghorst given the aforementioned detail.

However, there are two reasons why the south Londoners should steer clear of a deal.

Firstly, this article by The Athletic reveals that Palace chairman Steve Parish and Sporting Director Dougie Freedman are keen to bring in players who are in their early 20s, with a view to the club’s future.

“The sporting director, Dougie Freedman, and chairman, Steve Parish, were also acutely aware of the relatively hefty average age of the squad. There is a desire to bring in more players in their early 20s with an eye to the future.”

With that transfer vision in mind, it would be contradictory to go and sign a striker who is three years away from his 30th birthday – of all the players in Palace’s first-team squad, only Max Meyer, Wilfried Zaha, Jeffrey Schlupp and the injury-stricken Connor Wickham are under the age of 28.

The second reason is the fact that the south Londoners simply can’t afford to take anymore gambles on players with no Premier League experience.

For example, Alexander Sorloth looked like an exciting addition when he signed from FC Midtjylland back in January 2018, having scored 15 goals in 26 games prior to joining the Eagles.

However, the Norway international scored just once in 20 games before being shipped out on loan.

Palace already have Christian Benteke and Wickham in their ranks, both of whom have failed to score this term, while previous forwards of theirs such as Kevin Doyle, Shola Ameobi, Patrick Bamford and Yaya Sanogo failed miserably – having scored just ten times in 11 Premier League games this season, Palace can’t afford to gamble on a player with no proved pedigree in England and be left burdened with another flop.

Social media can be a powerful tool for driving change, and former Liverpool star defender Jamie Carragher has used his vast following on Twitter to help direct people towards a petition calling for the government to hold an inquest into the death of Matthew Leahy.Leahy suffered from mental health issues and was taken to a place of safety when he was 20-years-old, but would pass away just seven days later.His mother, Melanie, is now striving for answers, feeling that not enough has been done to address the problems after various others lost their loved ones in a similar manner.The police have carried out investigations in the past and inquests have been held based on a Trust Serious Incident Investigation report, but a four-and-a-half-year Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman Report concluded that those investigations were not adequate and lacked credibility.Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The Government responded to Leahy’s petition by stating that the NHS has agreed to conduct a review of the cases detailed in the PHSO report.

A statement read: “We are committed to improving the quality of care in mental health wards for anyone with a mental health issue, learning disability or autism. We know the problems that exist in the system and we are working to address them.”

Carragher has a following of more than 1.4million on Twitter, and recently shared a post on the platform backing Leahy’s petition and calling for some of his followers to add their names to the thousands of signatures already given.

The petition requires a total of 100,000 signatures.