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David Silva is one of the last surviving members of Manchester City’s old guard, but ultimately the day will come when supporters have to wave goodbye to their little magician. 

El Mago has consistently amazed City supporters since arriving from Valencia in 2010, casting his magic wand on the Premier League with a regularity and potency which leaves defenders bamboozled and second-guessing his every step.

But at the end of a season-defining fixture against Liverpool last week, fuelled by positive performances throughout City’s ranks, one question must have been lingering in the minds of enthused onlookers: what on earth was wrong with Silva?

The entire game was scrappy, rugged and, despite all its heart-racing entertainment, lacking the standard which both sides have set this season, but even in the context of the game Silva’s own performance was alarming. Misplaced passes became the norm, he lacked conviction when presented with a decent chance at 0-0 and the composure which typically characterises his game was absent.

While it’s certainly premature to write Silva off on the basis of one performance, the Liverpool game perhaps hinted that Guardiola may not be able to rely on him for much longer in high-intensity fixtures of paramount importance.

Silva turns 33 tomorrow, and with that in mind it appears that City might be planning for life after the Spaniard. According to a recent report from Italian media outlet Tutto Sport, City are one of three clubs to submit an offer for Juventus’ Paulo Dybala.

The same report claims that the Old Lady are holding out for a fee of 100 million euros (£90 million), which isn’t beyond the realms of possibility for a club with City’s immense financial backing.

Dybala is one of those elusive attacking players who is difficult to label: he is not a natural number nine but he is more than capable of playing at the spearhead, while he is also comfortable playing as a number ten or as an inside-forward.

It’s the Argentine’s ability to float throughout the final-third and impact the game from both central and wide positions which makes him such a coveted talent, and if City were able to strike a deal with Juventus there is no question it would be an incredibly forward-thinking signing.

At 25-years-of-age Dybala is edging towards his prime, and under a manager of Pep Guardiola’s standing there is no doubt he can smash through his ceiling. On paper, Dybala is not a like-for-like replacement for Silva; his instinct is to remain high up the pitch and cause damage inside the penalty area, but he relies more heavily on his speed and ability to bypass opponents rather than his incisive vision and majestic interplay.

It’s a case of fine tuning Dybala’s style of play and making small adjustments rather than reinventing him as a playmaker to help him to fill the void left by Silva, but he possesses the technical attributes and physical stature to ensure City make a seamless transition into the post-Silva era.

Dybala could be a menace for Premier League defenders operating in the pockets of space typically occupied by Silva – now it’s down to City’s recruitment team to conclude a deal this year.

Manchester City fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

Manchester United defender Phil Jones will see his contract at Old Trafford expire at the end of the season.

Jones is one of a number of United stars out of contract this summer, but it is understood that the Red Devils will soon activate a 12-month extension.

It is thought that the activation is purely to protect the value of the defender, however, rather than to reflect his importance to the team.

It is true that Jones has been a regular since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer replaced Jose Mourinho as United boss last month.

However, the Red Devils are expected to sign at least one new centre-back at the end of the season and Jones’ long-term future is far from secure.

Jones was once regarded as one of the best young talents in the English game, he has just not been able to become the player that many – including a certain Sir Alex Ferguson – thought he would.

There are plenty of clubs who would take him, however, and Championship leaders Leeds United might be monitoring developments.

With that in mind, we put the question to the Leeds fans – would you be interested in a move for Jones if your club were promoted to the Premier League?

Have your say down below and look out for the published results…

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West Ham are reportedly interested in signing Sunderland’s top scorer Josh Maja on a permanent deal before sending him back to Wearside on an 18-month loan, as reported by The Sunderland Echo.

What’s the word, then?

The 20-year-old has been in exquisite form for the Black Cats so far this season, scoring 15 goals in 23 League One starts and 16 in all competitions – as per Transfermarkt – for Jack Ross’ side, who are hopeful of an immediate return to the Championship following their relegation last term.

Maja’s rejection of a new contract offer at the Stadium of Light has left them in a perilous position though, seeing as the youngster’s current deal is set to expire in the summer.

Who should replace Marko Arnautovic if he leaves West Ham? FFC’s James Jones has the answer! Check out the video below to find out…

Sunderland must now sell Maja this month to attain a significant sum for their prize asset, or risk losing him for a mere compensation fee at the end of the season.

Would he suit West Ham?

In a year or two, yes. Maja is a powerful striker with a fantastic eye for goal, but he would perhaps struggle to make the jump from League One to the Premier League immediately. Hammers boss Manuel Pellegrini currently has Marko Arnautovic, Javier Hernandez, Andy Carroll and Lucas Perez at his disposal, so the youngster would struggle to continue his development in east London through regular game-time.

The aforementioned deal, which would see Maja sign for the club and then return to Sunderland for 18 months, seems an ideal move for all parties, especially for the reported £3m fee being touted by The Sunderland Echo.

West Ham would secure Maja’s services in the long run at little cost but keep him at a level where he is clearly thriving and learning by the game, while Sunderland wouldn’t lose a key figure in their promotion push mid-season.

[ad_pod ]Brendan Rodgers faces a Europa League dilemma with only three of his four January signings available for the matches with Valencia.On Thursday night the Hoops secured a loan deal for Jeremy Toljan with Oliver Burke, Timo Weah and Vakoun IssoufÂBayo already on board.The Europa League issue was highlighted by Moravcik 67, who is a Twitter guru of UEFA rules and regulations with his understanding of coefficients second to none.

Already on the score sheet for Celtic, Weah and Burke seem certain to be added to the UEFA squad with just three matches to go before Valencia visit Celtic Park.

Toljan is the highest profile signing made by Rodgers during the transfer window and seems likely be involved in the next couple of matches even if Sunday’s game against St Johnstone comes too soon.

With that process completed, Bayo is probably the likeliest to miss out – leaving Burke and Odsonne Edouard as the striking options.

Europa League a bonus

Clearly Celtic’s priority is to secure an eighth successive title with progress in the Europa League a bonus rather than a necessity.

Rodgers got what he was looking for in terms of attacking options during the January window but defensively the Hoops look light especially with Filip Benkovic and Dedryck Boyata both out injured.

Getting Toljan up and running is a priority. If the German goes straight into the side Mikael Lustig becomes an option in central defence.

According to a recent report from The Daily Mirror, Tottenham are interested in a move for attacker James Maddison. The 22-year-old currently plays his football at fellow Premier League side Leicester City and has done so since leaving Norwich City last year, with his fine start to life in the top-flight seemingly attracting the interest of Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino.

And that’s because a recent report from The Daily Mirror suggests that the North Londoners are eyeing up a move for the Englishman in preparation for the possible exit of Christian Eriksen – and were Maddison to indeed make the move to Tottenham, he could be the man to make Dele Alli even better.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, 22-year-old Alli has undertaken a quite sensational rise ever since making the move to Spurs back in January 2015, what with the young midfielder going from a League One regular at MK Dons to one of the most effective attacking players in the Premier League, and indeed for England.

And that’s because the 22-year-old has bagged 53 goals and laid on 45 assists in only 171 appearances for Spurs in the last few years, 42 goals and 30 assists of which have come in the Premier League to help Pochettino’s men become one of the best teams in England – clearly, Alli has played a key part in their ascent.

And with seven goals and four assists in all competitions this time round prior to suffering an injury against Fulham last month, the midfielder looked set for another fine campaign for Spurs in that advanced central role – a role Maddison has also made his own at Leicester this season.

And given the ability the Foxes ace has in the final third of the field, a move to Spurs would not only give them a possible replacement for Eriksen, but it could go some way to making Alli even better given he’d have someone breathing down his neck in pursuit of that attacking midfield position.

Ultimately, 22-year-old Maddison has been an absolute revelation since making the move to Leicester last summer, what with the attacker since then netting five goals and laying on four assists in just 23 Premier League games for Claude Puel’s side – only Jamie Vardy (ten) has directly contributed more in the league than his compatriot.

And his impressive start to life in the Premier League is very much comparable to how well Alli did upon his first few months in the top tier, and with Maddison certainly possessing the attacking quality needed to succeed in the top-flight, he’s a player that could seriously push Alli for that role in Pochettino’s team.

And that could be exactly what Alli needs to reach an even higher level in times to come, as failure to continuously deliver in that position, as he did for a time last season in a testing run of form, could see him come under pressure from the 22-year-old – in fact, it wouldn’t necessarily just be at Tottenham in which they would be battling for position, it could be for England as well.

As such, not only would Maddison’s arrival go some way to minimising the impact of Eriksen’s possible Spurs departure, but he could be the man to make Alli even better at the Premier League title contenders.

Tottenham fans… what do you think? Let us know!

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Southampton came within seconds of picking up another vital three points and a clean sheet in their battle against relegation before the last-gasp penalty they conceded in their 1-1 draw against Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday.

The south coast outfit looked on course to pull away from the bottom three following Nathan Redmond’s superb second-half strike, but after Jack Stephens handled in the area Ashley Barnes calmly converted from 12 yards with what was pretty much the last kick of the encounter in Lancashire.

The guilty party for the goal was once again deployed alongside Jannik Vestergaard and Jan Bednarek in a three-man defence against Sean Dyche’s men, and it was the latter that once again caught the eye having been a regular fixture in the starting XI since Ralph Hasenhuttl arrived at St Mary’s at the beginning of December.

The Poland international is clearly benefitting from the number of minutes he is getting on the pitch and appears to be getting better and better every match, and it was no different against the Clarets.

From a defensive point of view, the 22-year-old was certainly faced with plenty of balls over the top and crosses into the box, but he dealt with them admirably and provided another mature performance across the 90 minutes.

His showing was made even better by the fact that he also provided the assist for Redmond’s strike with a fine pass to the attacker from deep, and that wasn’t his only key pass of the game, as per stats-based website WhoScored.

Bendarek also won eight aerial duels and made two interceptions and five clearances, and you would be hard pressed to find a Southampton fan that doesn’t think he is the club’s best centre-back option right now.

If he can start to impact the match in the final third with clever incisive passing as he did against Burnley, then there is no doubt that he can be the team’s key player in their battle against the drop – one which is very much alive as their next opponents Cardiff City’s win over Bournemouth at the weekend means Hasenhuttl’s men are just two points above the drop-zone despite their recent good form.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

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Tottenham Hotspur have enquired about the possibility of signing Franck Kessie from AC Milan, per TuttoMercatoWeb.

Spurs are reportedly making plans for the summer after going two transfer windows without signing a single player.

What’s the word?

Per the aforementioned report, Spurs have initiated contact with Kessie’s representatives to discuss the possibility of a move.

Kessie joined Milan on an initial two-year loan deal from Atalanta in 2017 but Milan hold an obligation to buy him at the end of the 48-month period this summer. TuttoMercatoWeb claim that the price stands at €20million (£17.56m).

However, the report states that Milan now value Kessie at €40m (£35m), opening up the prospect of the Italian club turning a healthy profit by securing his signature and then selling him on.

TuttoMercatoWeb also claim that PSG are monitoring Kessie’s progress in Serie A, where he has become an important member of Milan’s starting XI.

The 22-year-old has made 21 appearances in Serie A this season and has a total of 81 games to his name for the Rossoneri.

The end of Wanyama?

Victor Wanyama has struggled immensely with injuries at Spurs and is still on the sidelines this season.

The Kenya international has made just 10 appearances in all competitions this season, five of which have come in the Premier League.

Wanyama’s questionable fitness, coupled with Eric Dier’s injury woes in 2018-19, have regularly left Spurs thin in midfield, with Harry Winks the only senior option in the squad at one stage.

However, signing Kessie would solve that problem at a stroke.

The young defensive midfielder fits the profile of Pochettino signings perfectly, as he has the ability to improve under the Argentine’s management and also has the pedigree to instantly command a place in the starting XI in north London.

An investment of €40m is not cheap, but chairman Daniel Levy will surely see the value of it too, such is the resale potential if Kessie follows in the footsteps of the likes of Son Heung-Min and Dele Alli and becomes a star due to the Spurs boss.

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

Claret and Hugh are reporting that West Ham are set to offer Michail Antonio a new deal which will keep him at the club until 2023.

What’s the story?

The 29-year-old already has a deal that will see him stay with the Hammers until 2021.

However, it is believed that the London Stadium outfit have a two-year extension option, and it is understood they are likely to utilise it.

Worrying trend

There is no doubting that £10.8m-valued Antonio – as per Transfermarkt – has been a good performer for West Ham. In 136 games, he has 29 goals and 18 assists, and even though those stats don’t jump off the page, his work-rate has been a nuisance to many a Premier League defence.

A football legend: How much do you know about the late, great Bobby Moore? Test your knowledge below…

However, extending his contract would make little sense, and that is unfortunately down to his inability to stay fit. Only once has he managed to feature in more than 30 matches in the top flight in one campaign, and that has been down to a number of injuries.

According to Transfermarkt, he has already had six separate issues since joining from Nottingham Forest in 2015, which have caused to him miss 36 games. And that does not include every spell on the sidelines, such as the one he suffered this term which has already seen him miss two-and-a-half months.

He is not the only injury-prone West Ham player to be offered a new deal. Winston Reid was given a new contract in 2017 that will keep him at the club until 2023, even though he himself had suffered eight injuries during his time as a Hammer at the time. Less than a year later, in March 2018, he suffered a knee injury and has not played for the club since.

Manuel Lanzini is another who has been consistently on the sidelines during his time with West Ham. He was still suffering from a cruciate ligament rupture until January of this year, yet he was offered a new deal in August. Irons fans may not have have been too surprised to see him be ruled out until the New Year with a shoulder issue.

Those two, just like Antonio, are valuable members of the team when they are able to play, but what is the point in having them on such long contracts if they are unable to regularly take the field? In essence, West Ham would be burning money here once again – this is a deal that is worth avoiding.

Meanwhile, West Ham fans react to this injury update.

It’s been a difficult season for Manuel Pellegrini with his side struggling to compete in the Premier League.

West Ham are sitting in 16th spot in the table and the gaffer should use the January transfer window to give his team a much-needed boost.

With that in mind, Football FanCast outlines two January transfer priorities for the Irons…

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Back-up striker

Even though he is still very much a fresh signing for the Hammers, Albian Ajeti is already looking like an outcast just waiting to be sold.

Interestingly enough, he was linked with an exit earlier this month as Claret & Hugh stated West Ham could be looking to ship him off in January.

Did he really play for us?! No West Ham fan has managed to name all of these obscure Irons signings….

This actually goes hand in hand with some other reports suggesting that his senior teammates were quite disappointed with the young forward’s level upon arriving at his new club, which can also be seen in his endeavours in 2019/20.

The 22-year-old has only managed to muster 100 minutes across five Premier League outings and with a Whoscored rating of just 5.96, he has largely been an underwhelming signing.

Clearly, finding a more capable back-up striker should be one of West Ham’s priorities or they’ll be relying on goals from Sebastian Haller – who has only managed five himself – all season.

Find another holding midfielder

Another similar problem Pellegrini might want to solve come this winter is the defensive midfielder position.

Currently, he has two players occupying it: Declan Rice and Carlos Sanchez, but the latter has only mustered 51 minutes in the Premier League, almost never featuring for his side.

Watch Crystal Palace vs West Ham Live and Free with Amazon Prime on Boxing Day

Clearly, the coach doesn’t trust him and besides, he is 33 years old and his contract is due to expire in the summer.

It makes sense to move him on in January and find a replacement who can really challenge for a midfield place.

It would also enhance Pellegrini’s tactical options and allow him to play Rice in a deep-lying double pivot against top-quality opposition, rather than trying to protect the whole defence virtually single-handed.

West Ham United fans have been slowly digesting the news that David Moyes has been appointed as the new manager of the club.

It’s a realisation that has been met with widespread discontent and understandably so.

There appears to be little complaint about Manuel Pellegrini’s departure, though, and a recent revelation from club insider ExWHUemployee may well compound the feeling that it was the right time for him to leave.

That the players were actively questioning the manger’s methods on the training ground suggests the relationship between Pellegrini and the squad was broken beyond repair.

These two Hammers were clearly bemused by the admission, but other fans suggested that Noble’s ability – or lack thereof – is actually a major part of the club’s ongoing problems, while his place in the starting XI was also called into question.

The veteran midfielder is a huge cult hero amongst the supporters but one fan presented an interesting theory about why he’s become Mr West Ham.

The suggestion that nobody ever made Noble an offer to move away from the club rather undermines his heroic status on the terraces at London Stadium, but it’s easy to see why this particular fan has come to that conclusion.

One fan, though, was in no such mood to criticise the club captain and summed up a rather prominent feeling in east London…

In other West Ham news, David Moyes has already made a quite frankly ludicrous statement about the club…