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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 Spanish publication El Desmarque, Manchester United are planning on making a bid for Tottenham midfielder Christian Eriksen in the upcoming January transfer window.

What’s the word?

The Denmark international has been the subject of intense transfer speculation for a number of months now, with reports back in the summer suggesting Manchester United had ended their late interest in the play-maker because they felt he had his heart set on a move to Real Madrid.

However, El Desmarque (via The Daily Mirror) now claim the Red Devils are preparing to make a £42m bid for the 27-year-old after holding talks with him last month. The report adds Eriksen has supposedly grown wearisome of waiting for Madrid to make an offer for him, and has therefore started the negotiation process with United.

Foolishness

Even just a few months ago, a move for Eriksen would have sounded like a great piece of business for United. The Dane had come off the back of a season in which he scored ten goals and racked up a further 17 assists across all competitions. But fast forward a months, and the 27-year-old is producing nowhere near the kind of form that should be enticing the Red Devils to make a bid for him.

This campaign, he has managed a measly two goals and one assist in 14 games, whilst as per Whoscored, his shots (1.5), key passes (1.4) and average passes (36.5) per game have taken a sharp decline from last year. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have already been burned once before by making a move for a proven Premier League star with his contract running down. Alexis Sanchez anyone? The ex-Arsenal man arrived at Old Trafford in a high-profile deal back in January 2018, only to leave the club more than a year-and-a-half later with just five goals to his name.

United would therefore simply be making a foolish mistake by letting history repeat itself in the form of a winter swoop for Eriksen.

Times are tough at Tottenham Hotspur at the moment but it seems that they aren’t tough enough for many of Spurs fans to actually want Jose Mourinho at the helm instead of Mauricio Pochettino.

A new report coming from The Sun stated that the Portuguese manager is keeping an eye on the London club just in case he doesn’t accept the same role over at Real Madrid.

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It seems that Mourinho is confident that Florentino Perez would offer him the job if Zinedine Zidane was to get sacked but he still isn’t sure whether he would want to take it or not.

And that’s where Tottenham Hotspur come into play as one of his potential destinations in the not so distant future.

But as we’ve already stated, many Spurs fans actually don’t want Mourinho at the helm as they feel his time has passed, with one even calling him a “relic”.

Besides, some of them believe Pochettino is the better option of the two anyway.

You can see some of their replies down in the tweets below:

The Special One is back. Less than a year after being shown the exit door at Manchester United, Jose Mourinho finds himself back at work in the Premier League. And this time, for Tottenham.

The Portuguese was fired by the Red Devils in the middle of last season after a series of poor results had seen them fall 19 points behind then Premier League leaders Liverpool by mid-December.

But, following Spurs’ sacking of Mauricio Pochettino, the north London side have moved quick to appointing a successor, by naming Mourinho as his replacement.

And with Spurs and United set to do battle next month, fans of the Manchester side flooded to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the shock situation.

Many Red Devils supporters revealed they are now fearing the worst following Mourinho’s move to north London, and insisted they are afraid the former Chelsea boss will turn up at Old Trafford and beat them.

Check out some of the reaction of United fans below:

Football clubs can be an integral part of the lives of those who follow them, whether that person goes around the country watching them or do so from the comfort of their own home.It is much easier for them to have an impact when they are on the pitch, but with the Premier League currently suspended, one Crystal Palace fan, who goes by J__CPFC has shown on Twitter how the club did that for their grandfather.Someone phoned to check on him, and while that may seem like something small, it has clearly made its mark on that person.

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Football clubs are pillars of their communities, and even when a ball is not being kicked, they can play an important role in supporting their fans.

The Eagles have shown a way of doing this, which should definitely be commended, and other Premier League clubs should be taking notes.

The Palace fan’s original post can be seen below:

Meanwhile, Palace fans have been showing their love for one man.

Everton fans on Twitter have been lauding their club’s policy on payings non-playing staff amid complications that the pandemic has thrown up for businesses all over the world.

Football clubs may seem like they operate in their own grossly inflated and mind-boggling financial world, but recent decisions in the Premier League prove that, for the vast majority at least, they are run just like any other business.

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Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur have come under fire recently for their respective decisions to furlough non-playing staff, with the former’s decision subject to plenty of scrutiny over the course of the weekend.

However, it seems that Everton are set to go down a different path altogether, one which has induced feelings of pride amongst the supporters.

Indeed, The Athletic’s Greg O’Keeffe recently posted an article covering the club’s strategy to tackle the current issues, with club CEO Denise Barrett-Baxendale’s attitude and intelligent foresight a core theme which underpins the piece.

And, with O’Keeffe confirming in his tweet that Barrett-Baxendale has ensured match day stewards will still get paid during the lockdown, the fans lauded the club’s response and many suggested their Merseyside neighbours could take a leaf from their book.

The Toffees faithful lauded the strength of the leadership shown by Barrett-Baxendale as some suggested she, along with the rest of the club’s decision makers, is setting an example to the rest of the division.

Here’s what the Everton fans had to say in response to O’Keeffe’s post…

Loads of Sheffield United fans have been reacting to a post from the Blades’ official Twitter account showing pictures of the first-team celebrating goals disallowed by VAR.Â

Due to the ongoing pandemic, clubs have been trying to find ways to keep supporters entertained during the nationwide lockdown, with many posting funny montages and reaction tweets to pass the time.

Since its Premier League inauguration at the start of the season, the video assistant referee has become a controversial hot topic, and has proven to be a regular thorn in Chris Wilder’s side throughout the campaign so far.

Wilder’s team are currently seventh in the table, tied with Wolverhampton Wanderers on 43 points, two points clear of Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspur, and just behind Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United, with a game still in hand.

Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs notably benefited from one of the worst calls in the English top flight last year at the expense of the South Yorkshire outfit. David McGoldrick thought he had scored a famous equalizer against the Lilywhites at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, only for the Stockley Park officials to outrageously overrule the goal, as John Lundstram’s toe was ruled to be offside (talkSPORT).

It is hardly surprising many SUFC supporters are still dismayed by the decisions they’ve received up until now, with one angry fan lamenting the “stupid technology,” and another expressing he is “gutted for Didz,” – a nickname for McGoldrick.

Take a look at some of the frustrated reactions down below…

Missing football!? There’s still plenty of Blades discussion going on in the Vital Blades Forum! Click here to get involved!

Many West Ham United fans are praising former player Scott Parker after the club tweeted out throwback images of him in a Hammers kit.

The central defensive midfielder made 129 appearances for the East London side, managing to pick up 12 goals and 11 assists along the way, per Transfermarkt, from 2007 to 2011.

He also picked up the Football Writers Association Player of the Year award whilst at the Irons after the 2010/11 campaign, via BBC Sport. It is fair to say the ex-player had a great career as he also won the Premier League and the League Cup with Chelsea in 2005, per Transfermarkt.

However it might be quite surprising that the player still receives such love from West Ham supporters, considering he left the club for bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur in August 2011 for £5.18 million.

At the age of 39, Parker is now retired, however he has not stopped working within the football world as he manages Championship side Fulham and currently has them sitting third in the league during his first full season in charge, per BBC Sport.

Here is what fans had to say following the tweet:

West Ham fans, is Parker still a legend in your eyes? Comment below!

Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti appears to be eyeing his first major splash as Toffees boss by landing a Serie A star this summer.According to Italian journalist Nicolo Schira, the Merseyside outfit are keen on paying the release clause of AS Roma midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini, thought to be €30m (£27m) which would be paid in two installments.

And it could be an absolute bargain considering the £45m fee they paid for Gylfi Sigurdsson, who fans are quickly becoming disillusioned with after a string of poor performances as seen here.

Pellegrini has been likened to Roma legend Francesco Totti and is the sort of box-to-box midfielder that can grant Ancelotti’s engine room the ability to thrive – arguably the weakest position at the minute.

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Sigurdsson, typically the number ten for the Toffees, has struggled this term after contributing to just three goals whilst also averaging 1.8 key passes and 0.5 dribbles per game as well as recording 1.3 unsuccessful touches, via WhoScored.

Pellegrini, on the other hand, has recorded numbers off the charts this season – the 23-year-old is managing a whopping 2.9 key passes, 2.7 shots, 1.3 dribbles and 1.1 tackles each match, proving he’s contributing just about everywhere on the pitch – and more so than the Icelandic international.

The Italian has also been lauded as a “strong character” who could one day hold the captain’s armband at the Serie A side just like one former predecessor, Totti.

Earlier this year, FootballBH waxed lyrical about the midfielder in a scout report whereby he was talked up to be one of the most creative players in Europe, being involved in a goal every 109 minutes.

By comparison, Sigurdsson is involved in a goal every 676 minutes – quite the contrast. Which is maybe why Everton have only scored 37 goals this campaign.

Pellegrini solves a lot of that.

AND in other news,ÂFive players Everton must try to sign this summer…

Former England striker Darren Bent has been speaking about West Ham, and he is excited about young Grady Diangana after his performances so far whilst on loan at West Bromwich Albion this season.

The winger has helped the Baggies fight for promotion in the Championship this term and in his 21 league appearances he has managed to score five goals from the left-wing, whilst also chipping in with six assists on top of that per Transfermarkt.

This has seen many West Ham fans excited over the 22 year-old’s potential, and it was reported recently that David Moyes will give the Englishman a key role at the club next season, per Football.London.

Speaking to Football Insider about Diangana, Bent said, “They’ve got the guy on loan at West Brom – Diangana – he’s another top, top player, he’s been brilliant for West Brom this season.  

“It really surprised me in January that they didn’t take him back.

“He’s a top player and if that’s the route they’re going down – they bring him back, they brought Jarrod Bowen from Hull and he’s been an absolute revelation, if they can get him (Eze) from QPR as well, he’s been absolutely top drawer – I really like the direction they’re going in.”

It’s hard to disagree with Bent here, the club could have possibly looked to bring the winger back in January as they are currently fighting for their lives in the Premier League. He could have provided a real attacking intent which is proven by his stats as he managed on average 1.5 shots per game, which would rank him fifth best in the Hammers squad, whilst his 1.3 key passes would rank him third and his 2.3 successful dribbles per game would see him in the top three, via WhoScored.

The Irons have also seen Jarrod Bowen make a positive start, scoring one goal in his four appearances for the East London side, showing that a player excelling in the league below can continue to succeed in England’s top flight, so the fact that next season the club could have Diangana and Bowen on either flank should be something that excites everyone involved with the club.

It seems like the Hammers could have some great talent in their squad for next season, and it’s hard to not side with Bent and be excited for the potential and direction that the club could be going in.

Hammers fans, are you excited to see Diangana return? Comment below!

Tottenham striker Harry Kane scored his first goal of the year in the 2-0 victory over West Ham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Jose Mourinho bemoaned the lack of attackers at his disposal against Manchester United, but he had no reason to complain after Dele Alli and Lucas Moura returned in time for the London derby.

Kane beat Fabian Balbuena for pace and netted for the first time this calendar year to put the game beyond the Hammers.

Frank McAvennie praised the striker after the game and said “it is great to see him back” for club and country.

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former West Ham forward claimed Kane will have been “licking his lips” ahead of the clash with the Irons.

McAvennie told football writer Dylan Childs: “It is great for him to get the goal. I like the way he goes about his business. He’s not afraid to drop off get the ball and play with people and he is always in the box when the ball comes in.”

“For England and Tottenham it is great to see him back. He was on the fringes against Man United but you could see his sharpness last night.

“Mourinho has unbelievable faith in him. There was talk of him not playing last night but the best way a striker can get fit is by playing games. That is the only way to do it.

“He must have been licking his lips before the game and there is no way he would have let Mourinho leave him out because he will have fancied scoring against them!”

It is difficult to disagree with McAvennie on this one, as Kane insisted he would be back better than ever before after the nationwide lockdown.

The 26-year-old, who is Spurs’ top scorer this season, has scored 12 goals in 22 Premier League games at the time of writing.

West Ham have shockingly conceded the third highest amount of goals so far, which would have caught Kane’s attention heading into the game.

The England international would have surely fancied his chances of scoring on Tuesday night, as he had found the back of the net eight times beforehand.

Mourinho’s side are currently seventh in the table, four points away from Manchester United, and six points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.

The Portuguese will need Kane to be at his very best if his team are to challenge for European football next season.

Tottenham fans, do you think Harry Kane can make a difference? Let us know down below!