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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…

Former Manchester City striker Paul Dickov has heaped the praise on Phil Foden following his performance against Atalanta in the Champions League.

What did he say?

Foden was starting a game for only the second time this season after he played 90 minutes against Preston North End in the Carabao Cup earlier in the season.

Fans were calling for the 19-year-old to start prior to the game, and their prayers were answered by Guardiola as he was named in the starting XI alongside Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne in midfield.

And the quality of his performance appears to have made a profound impact on City legend Dickov.

The Scot wrote on his Twitter: “Forget about the sending off, @PhilFoden absolutely magnificent tonight and showed everybody why he’s going nowhere on loan & @ManCity is the place to be”

Guardiola has to let him build

Foden, who is already valued at £27m by Transfermarkt, was in fantastic form against Atalanta and proved within his display that he deserves more minutes for the Premier League champions going forward.

The academy graduate scored in the last Champions League fixture against Dinamo Zagreb and matched that goal with an assist and four big chances created against the Italian side in the week. His performance was slightly marred by a late sending off, as he received two yellow cards inside six minutes of each. The first one was slightly harsh, although the second one was a clear foul on Marten de Roon.

Guardiola must, however, look past the sending off and remember his excellent performance, as Foden will need all the minutes he can get if he is going to build and become a regular for City.

There is then the issue City have with David Silva leaving at the end of the season. The Spaniard has enjoyed 10 sensational years at the Etihad and no doubt Guardiola will be already looking for his replacement.

However, the man to fill his boots could be Foden for the years to come, but it is hard to seem him being fit to do so as soon as next season given his lack of minutes of late.

With this in mind, it’s vital the former Barcelona coach gives him all the game time in the near future.

Has Ole Gunnar Solskjaer knowingly weakened his Manchester United side, as Michael Owen suggests?You’d do well to convince us that this is all a tactical ploy. While we all understand the concept of going backwards to go forwards and so on and so forth, United’s current form suggests that there’s no forthcoming revival to look forward to. Rather, there’s just more misery.Indeed, the goalless draw on Thursday night against AZ Alkmaar means the 20-time champions of England have won just five in 22 matches since Solskjaer was given the permanent job.And though their activity in the transfer window was promising, introducing the likes of Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James, who current tops their scoring charts alongside Rashford, not replacing Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez was negligent at best. It’s like ‘127 Hours’ but they’ve cut off the wrong arm.Michael Owen tried his best to diagnose the problems at Old Trafford with an optimistic twist on their recent decisions…

Some Arsenal fans have taken to Twitter to react after they discovered that Nicolas Pepe had scored for the Ivory Coast in their 3-1 win over DR Congo on Sunday.

The forward – who cost a club-record £72m from Lille back in the summer – back-heeled into an empty net after some good play from Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha – the Gunners tried to sign the Eagles winger back in the summer before they captured Pepe.

It was Pepe’s first goal of the season from open play, with his only other strike this term coming from the penalty spot in the 3-2 win over Aston Villa.

The 24-year-old has disappointed somewhat since his big-money move from France, given his fee and the fact that he scored 22 goals in Ligue 1 last season.

However, his goal against DR Congo could help kickstart his campaign – one supporter below said that his back-heel goal should be “great” for his confidence.

Let’s take a look at some more of the Twitter reaction…

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

According to The Northern Echo, Steve Bruce will “step up his planning” for the January transfer window, with Sevilla’s Rony Lopes a target.

What’s the word?

Newcastle spent in the region of £61.5m on summer signings, with the likes of Joelinton, Allan Saint-Maximin and Emil Krafth all arriving on Tyneside.

However, The Northern Echo claim that having received £30m from selling Ayoze Perez, Bruce will have the majority of that money available for him to spend in the winter window.

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The report adds Lopes is being considered as a “leading target”, and having seen him fail to establish himself in the Sevilla side, the Magpies are ready to make a formal approach towards the end of the year.

Attacking quality

Having scored just four goals in their opening five Premier League games, Newcastle are in desperate need of some attacking firepower. Club-record signing Joelinton has shown glimpses of what he can bring to the table with his physical play, but Saint-Maximin’s injury troubles and Miguel Almiron’s luckless run in front of goal have compounded the Magpies’ woes going forward.

A swoop for Lopes would give them a creative winger who has proven in previous seasons that he can offer something different. In his standout 2017/2018 campaign, the Portuguese man registered 15 goals and 5 assists in Ligue 1 alone. His penchant for taking the game to the opposition is something the Magpies could really do with.

Before this current season, the 23-year-old had never averaged less than 1.5 shots and 1 dribble per game over his entire career. The former Manchester City starlet has had a difficult time since arriving at Sevilla earlier this summer, playing just 11 minutes of league football.

However, Lopes undoubtedly has talent. Speaking back in March 2015, his former reserve team boss at the Etihad, Patrick Vieira, provided a glowing assessment of just how good the winger could be.

“I must say Marcos ‘Rony’ Lopes is a special talent. He is 19, an attacking midfielder. We have just sent him to Lille on loan. Talent is not enough for the first-team. Your work-ethic, focus and determination has to be there. I believe Lopes has those things.” Patrick Vieira, March 2015

If Newcastle can revive the former prodigy’s career at St. James’ Park, then they could have someone with enormous potential to not only boost the quality of the first-team, but also one for the future too.

In today’s West Ham United roundup, we take a look at what news has been making the headlines for the Hammers. Gary Neville believes the Hammers have a good chance of making the top six after defeating Manchester United, chairman David Gold questions VAR, and Arsenal are willing to let Stan Flaherty undergo a trial at West Ham.

Gold questions VAR

Report: West Ham chairman David Gold has taken to Twitter to call for a rule change in red card situations now that we have the addition of VAR. Gold believes teams should be able to appeal the second yellow card, after Arthur Masuaku’s double yellow against Aston Villa.

He tweeted: “Would it be fairer to be able to appeal a red card following two yellows after all he and the club could be punished twice, once for the sending off and two for the ban from the next game when on reviewing the incidents one of them was not worthy of a yellow.”

Verdict: Whether you love it or hate it, VAR is here to stay and will seemingly split opinions for the foreseeable future. Although, what has been one of it’s biggest flaws is not necessarily the decisions, but the manner in which it is used and what it is used for. For example, referee’s can overturn a straight red card if deemed an incorrect decision. However, officials cannot overturn the decision of a second yellow card, despite the outcome of the player leaving the pitch still the same as a straight red.

Quite frankly, as Gold alluded to, it doesn’t make sense to have VAR help straight red cards, but not a second yellow – the player will still leave the pitch and a ban will still take place. Truthfully, if we have the technology to right a wrong, it should be used to correct every bad decision and not just pick and choose what can and can’t be helped.

West Ham have a ‘really good chance’ of top six, says Neville

Report: Ex-Manchester United man Gary Neville believes West Ham could make the top six this campaign. He said on his podcast: “If West Ham and Leicester keep their squads fit, they have got a really good chance of getting into that sixth or fifth position.

“I looked at Manchester United’s team for instance on Sunday compared to West Ham and you would probably swap quite a few players into it.

“It’s the same with Leicester for the likes of (James) Maddison, (Youri) Tielemans, (Jamie) Vardy, Demarai Gray and others. They would get into this Manchester United team or bench.”

Verdict: It can be argued that this West Ham side has the best chance of cracking to top six since the club finished seventh in 2015-16 under Slaven Bilic. Back then, the club was led by stars such as Dimitri Payet, who scored nine goals in that year. Now, the likes of Sebastian Haller already has three goals, whilst Andriy Yarmolenko has two this season.

In midfield, Mark Noble continues to impress after his Man of the Match for his display against United, alongside Declan Rice who has so far averaged a performance rating of 7.05. Indeed, this West Ham side has massively improved it’s attacking options now and with Manuel Pellegrini at the helm, the club continues to get better.

It is, of course, still early days. Although, based on the poor start to the campaign from the usual top six contenders, the Hammers do have a great chance at finally breaking that top six barrier. It may take a bit of luck and hope of little injuries, but as of now, West Ham fans have a right to be excited.

Flaherty set for trial

Report: According to Football Insider, Arsenal youngster Stan Flaherty is set to undergo a trial at West Ham. The report suggests that the 17-year-old is hoping of transferring from the Gunners to a fellow Premier League club after been given the green light by the club.

Verdict: Flaherty is able to play in various positions on the wing and through the middle, and after scoring two goals and providing an assist in 11 games for Arsenal’s U18’s, the Englishman has seemingly caught the eye of West Ham.

The Hammers would also be bagging a man inform, after Flaherty scored with his first touch last weekend and netted a free-kick towards the end of Arsenal’s 4-1 win over Norwich, as per the report from Football Insider.

It is often good news if West Ham are planning on investing in youth talent, as they have such a positive track record throughout their history in bringing through some incredible players. This transfer could only be good news for both Flaherty and West Ham.

The Premier League has witnessed so many world class goalscorers in its time. This season there will be several superstars vying for the 2019/20 Golden Boot, as the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Harry Kane, Mohamed Salah and Sergio Aguero battle it out for the crown.

But who is the most clinical goalscorer ever in the Premier League, in terms of minute per goal?

The leaderboard of most clinical scorers in the history of England’s top-flight is comprised of players whose knack for not only finding the back of the net, but doing so frequently, made them international superstars.

Yet for all the superstars on the list, you might be surprised to find out where some of the game’s most prolific scorers, such as all-time leading goal scorer Alan Shearer with his 260 career goals, ultimately find themselves.

Here’s how the top-25 most clinical goal scorers in Premier League history stack up, correct as of the last round of fixtures on August 31, 2019…

25. Anthony Yeboah – 162 minutes per goal

Leeds fans will certianly remember the name Yeboah, and he just squeezes in the top 25 of the most prolific goalscorers in the Premier League.

The former Ghana striker averaged a goal every 162 minutes of league action, scoring 24 goals in 47 appearances.

24. Branko Strupar, 161 minutes per goal

Strupar may be a vacant figure in your memory of the most prolific strikers the Premier League has witnessed, but with a goal every 161 minutes, he ranks in the top 25.

The former Derby County striker scored 15 goals in 36 Premier League appearances and is deserved of his place in the rankings.

23. Divock Origi, 161 minutes per goal

The Belgium forward may not start under Jurgen Klopp, but he still remains one of the most clinical strikers in the top-tier of English football.

Origi has made 65 appearances in the Premier League for Liverpool, scoring 16 goals in the process.

22. Loic Remy, 160 minutes per goal

Remy played for four different Premier League clubs but that did not stop his goalscoring antics, netting everywhere he went.

The France striker scored 28 goals in the top-tier of English football, netting every 160 minutes.

21. Demba Ba, 160 minutes per goal

The Senegalese striker picked up his 43 Premier League goals for West Ham, Newcastle and Chelsea in just five seasons spent in England, finding the back of the net once every 160 minutes.

20. Ian Wright, 157 minutes per goal

While a vast majority of Ian Wright’s 113 Premier League goals came for Arsenal, the former England international closed out his career in 1998-99 with nine goals in 22 appearances with West Ham United.

Arsenal’s second-leading Premier League scorer of all time finished his career with 157 minutes per goal.

19. Michael Owen, 153 minutes per goal

The 2001 Ballon d’Or winner tallied 150 career goals in the Premier League in 15 seasons playing for Liverpool, Newcastle United, Manchester United and Stoke City.

When his storied career came to an end, Owen had scored once every 153 minutes.

18. Ole Gunnar Solskjær, 151 minutes per goal

Manchester United’s current interim manager was himself an accomplished scorer during his playing days and had amassed 92 Premier League goals when his career came to a close following the 2006-07 season.

The Norwegian striker scored once every 151 minutes over his 234 top-flight appearances for the Red Devils.

17. Ivan Klasnic – 150 minutes per goal

Remember Klasnic? He may not be notoriously known as one of the best strikers in Premier League record, but his strike rate speaks for itself.

The former Bolton Wanderers forward scored 20 goals for the club, netting every 150 minutes of league action.

16. Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 149 minutes per goal

Zlatan certainly comes with his controversy, but there is no denying his goalscoring nature.

The former Sweden international made his mark at Old Trafford, scoring 17 goals in 33 Premier League appearances for the Red Devils.

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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…

Per Mertesacker has told The Athletic it was “unacceptable” and a “failure” that there were no Arsenal players in the last England squad.

What did he say?

The Three Lions faced Bulgaria and Kosovo in their most recent qualifiers for Euro 2020, and the players included in the squad came from a variety of clubs. Thirteen, to be exact.

However, there was no place for any of Arsenal’s eligible English players, such as Reiss Nelson, Joe Willock and Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

Mertesacker was clearly unhappy with the lack of Gunners presence in Gareth Southgate’s side.

When asked about it, he said, “I was shocked. No senior England players. That’s unacceptable. That’s a failure. When you look at the England squad, you see players from Tottenham, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea… They all have players there – and not one. Two or three. That’s what we need.”

How do football vloggers afford to watch their team week in, week out? Find out in the video below…

Is it that important to clubs?

From a German perspective, it is understandable that Mertesacker would find it bizarre that one of England’s top clubs would have no names in the national side.

After all, when Die Mannschaft won the World Cup in 2014, Bayern Munich provided seven members to the side, while Borussia Dortmund had four.

However, such quality in England has not been the case for a while. A study from 2017 showed that just 31.8% of players playing in the Premier League were English and, whilst that number rose to just over 37% on the opening weekend of this season, it is still some way off La Liga and the Bundesliga. The former had a 59.6% eligibility rate last season, while the latter had 44.6%.

The question is, do teams in the English top tier really need to produce quality players for Southgate’s team?

Only eight players in each 25-man Premier League squad needs to be “homegrown”, but not only do they not need to be English – read Cesc Fabregas – they also don’t need to play.

These, therefore, can often be token selections, such as Rob Green at Chelsea and Scott Carson at Manchester City. The former did not make an appearance for the Blues, whilst it is hard to imagine the latter will make many, if any at all, with the Citizens.

Yet the elite continue to grow stronger and stronger each campaign. The latest TV deal, completed in May of this year, will see the Premier League sides earn £9.2 billion between 2019 and 2022, which is an eight percent increase on the previous agreement. Huddersfield, who finished bottom of the top flight last season, raked in £96.6m in TV money. Bayern Munich, the Bundesliga champions, earned £87.6m. With financial prosperity so important, the lack of Englishmen has done nothing to stop people all around the globe from being as captivated as ever by a league often called “the best in the world”.

That, in essence, is the whole point. The Premier League markets itself as a global brand, targeting customers from Asia to the USA and everywhere in between. Why would people from those regions care where the players on the field come from? Or more specifically, why would they care if they’re English?

There is also the issue that footballers from these shores are not cost-effective. Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who spent much of last year in mid-table with Crystal Palace and is yet to make an appearance for England, cost £45m. Joao Cancelo, a Serie A champion and Nations League winner, cost just £200,000 more (including the market value of Danilo, who went the other way to Juventus). It does not take a rocket scientist to work out which deal is better value.

For English fans, seeing their team produce players for the national side can often be a source of joy. But for the clubs themselves, it is just not a priority. Which is why, from the point of view of the men who run Arsenal, it will not be deemed a failure at all.

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Crystal Palace are among the Premier League clubs targeting Celtic teenager Mitchel Frame, The Daily Record’s Scott Burns has revealed. 

The lowdown

With a week of the January transfer window remaining, the Eagles have yet to execute any first-team business, either in or out of the club, but they have strengthened their youth ranks with a couple of additions.

Right winger Killian Phillips (19) has joined from League of Ireland outfit Drogheda United, while the Eagles have also snapped up 18-year-old goalkeeper Serine Sanneh, who was a free agent.

Frame, who will turn 16 on Tuesday, would also very much be one for the future at Selhurst Park.

The latest

According to The Daily Record, Palace could battle with their fierce rivals Brighton and Hove Albion for the signature of the Celtic teenager.

Fellow Premier League club Newcastle United are also said to be interested in a player who is ‘catching the eye in the Celtic youth squads’, as per this report.

The verdict

The Scotsman’s preferred position for now is left-back, but at his tender age, he may develop the capacity to play elsewhere over the coming years.

Tyrick Mitchell is only 22 and could potentially have the left-back spot at Selhurst Park tied down for the next decade. He is considered one of the first names on Patrick Vieira’s team sheet, having played all but eight minutes in the Premier League for the Eagles so far this season.

That’s why it might be advisable for Frame, and indeed any other left-backs who might come through the ranks at Palace, to add more strings to his bow.

Celtic could put up a fight, having already seen promising talents like Leo Hjelde, Liam Morrison and Josh Adam lured away in recent times, so the Eagles can expect a strong battle over the next week if they intend to win the transfer race for the Hoops’ 15-year-old prodigy.

In other news, some Palace fans were not happy with this man’s performance against Liverpool

West Ham United remain interested in signing Leeds United star Raphinha amid their failed attempted to land him in the January transfer window.

What’s the story?

Reports suggested that David Moyes’ side had tabled an offer for the Brazilian but that the Whites refused to do business.

Football Insider have now revealed that a source has confirmed the Hammers’ interest in the winger, and that the Irons have asked about his availability.

However, the report added that Leeds are now looking to tie down Raphinha to a new contract, and are confident of doing so in the next few weeks.

Would be incredible for West Ham

The Brazilian has been an absolute revelation for Marcelo Bielsa’s side since joining in a £17m deal from French outfit Stade Rennes back in the summer of 2020, enjoying a superb debut campaign in English football which saw him net six goals and provide another nine assists in the Premier League alone.

Dubbed as “star dust” and a “matchwinner” by The Athletic’s Phil Hay, his start to the current campaign has been equally impressive, notching eight goals and setting up another two in just 19 games in the top-flight – including having two goal contributions in both games against West Ham themselves.

Raphinha’s displays had Leeds team-mate Patrick Bamford hailing him after the 2-0 win over Crystal Palace last February, with the Englishman telling Sky Sports: “I think, to be honest, he has been a steal for Leeds. I am surprised. As soon as he came in, you saw him in training, you know sometimes with players whether they are good or they are top class, and he really was. He stood out straightaway.

“I am surprised that bigger teams, more established Premier League teams I should say, haven’t taken a punt on him because he really is someone special, and he is young.”

Having someone like Raphinha on one flank and Jarrod Bowen on the other would be a mouth-watering prospect for Hammers fans. They would have two quality wingers who can not only score goals, but also set up teammates too, and would go a long way to completing a dream attack for Moyes.

The £36m-rated Raphinha would be an exciting addition to this West Ham team.

Meanwhile, West Ham are also interested in this Premier League starlet…

With Southampton now under new ownership after Sport Republic, backed by Serbian media mogul Dragan Solak, bought Gao Jisheng’s 80% stake of the club earlier this week, it hasn’t taken long for transfer rumours to emerge, this time linking the Saints with a very familiar face.

According to a recent report from El Nacional, Solak has identified Real Madrid star and former Saints player Gareth Bale as his first acquisition in charge of the south coast club.

Having started off his career at Southampton, Bale has gone on to make 536 senior appearances for the Saints, Tottenham and Real Madrid, scoring 183 goals, providing 140 assists and winning a plethora of trophies along the way, including four Champions League titles.

Despite being 32 years of age, the Welshman showed last season that he still has what it takes to perform at a high level in the Premier League by racking up 11 goals and two assists in 20 top-flight appearances during his loan spell at Tottenham. He also ended up as their second-highest rated player for the campaign, with an overall performance rating of 7.3/10 according to WhoScored.

Having been described as having a “magnificent” left foot by Sky Sports pundit Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Bale’s potential return to St Mary’s this month would surely stun a lot of Southampton fans. It would be a real statement of intent by Solak and highlight his aspirations for the club moving forward, considering Bale’s pedigree and experience.

However, given the Welshman’s previous struggles with injuries, which have also kept him sidelined for most of this season at the Bernabeu, this will need to be taken into consideration if Southampton decide to make a move for the winger this month.

If the Saints can manage to secure a deal for Bale, who is currently valued at £4.5m by Transfermarkt, and if he can overcome his injury woes, it will be interesting to see if he would be able to replicate the goalscoring form he showed at Spurs last season this time around for Ralph Hasenhuttl.

If this were to happen, he would surely give Southampton a great chance of potentially ending the season in or around the top half of the Premier League table, duly delighting a lot of Saints fans in the process.

In other news: Journalist drops positive transfer claim at Southampton which will have fans delighted