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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Moise Kean signed for Everton this summer for a fee of £27.5m and has since endured an unpleasant time on Merseyside. The Italian was joining English football off the back of scoring six league goals in 13 games for Juventus, and it’s fair to say his reputation preceded him.

Whilst still in his teenage years, the striker was establishing himself as one of Europe’s best young talents back in his homeland. However, since he swapped Turin for Goodison Park, his career has taken a downward turn.

It has recently been reported that the 19-year-old was dropped for the match against Southampton for disciplinary reasons, rather than poor form. BBC Sport state how the forward was late to a team meeting, and as it was the second time, he forced Marco Silva to drop him from the squad.

Since he has joined Everton, Kean has not looked like scoring at all. The former Juventus man has averaged just one shot per Premier League game and has had to settle for seven substitute appearances and only two starting roles in the league.

Also, he has not been seen on a Premier League pitch since the win over West Ham United last month. Perhaps this is due to his attitude and late arrivals, or his poor start to his Everton career. However, with Cenk Tosun working his way back into the side and with Dominic Calvert-Lewin up top, Kean is far away from the starting XI regardless.

In truth, with three league goals from Richarlison, there is a chance that the Italian is as low as fourth in the pecking order for a spot in the starting striker berth.

Not only does Silva need to resolve his form on the field of play, he also needs to find a way to bolster his professionalism. These types of problems are not only detrimental to the individual in question but they also have the potential to upset the dressing room, so it’s absolutely imperative that the Portuguese manager handles the situation appropriately.

Kean needs to fix up his attitude and his performances both on and off the pitch – with or without Silva’s guidance – otherwise his Premier League story could be over before it’s even started.

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

According to Corriere dello Sport, Liverpool are interested in signing Amine Harit from Schalke as they study his performances.

What’s the story?

So far this season, the Morocco international has impressed in the Bundesliga with Die Konigsblauen. Up until now, he has five goals and two assists.

As such, the Reds are said to be keeping an eye on the player. The Italian outlet states that there are a number of admirers, and that he would have a price tag of around €20m (£17m) should he leave the club.

Wagner-Klopp friendship

Last season, Schalke had a nightmare. Under Domenico Tedesco, and then Huub Stevens, they only managed a 14th-place finish despite having qualified for the Champions League in the previous campaign. To attempt to restore the good times to the Gelsenkirchen-based club, former player David Wagner was named manager after leaving Huddersfield Town by mutual consent earlier this year.

The 48-year-old has had a fantastic influence on the whole team – they currently lie seventh in the table, just two points off the top four – but it is Harit who has perhaps seen the biggest improvement in his performances.

In 18 matches in Germany’s top-tier last season, he scored one goal and provided one assist. This term, though, he has already beaten that record, as stated above. In terms of goals, it is already his best return in a league campaign with 23 matches left.

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Wagner and Jurgen Klopp are very good friends. The former was even the best man at the Liverpool manager’s wedding in 2005. Not only that but, as admitted by Wagner himself, the former Borussia Dortmund boss has been a role model. The two played together at Mainz and worked together at Dortmund. Not only that, but they share a similar philosophy of what Wagner calls “full-throttle football.”

In regards to 22-year-old Harit, this could work to the Anfield side’s advantage. Should the former Nantes player continue to shine, the time will come for him to depart. At that point, Klopp’s past relationship with his manager could not only put Liverpool at the head of the queue of potential destinations, but their similar playing styles would make the transition easy for the Schalke ace.

Klopp is a wonderful manager, but sometimes, it is not what you know, but who you know. After Wagner was convinced by the Champions League winner to give up teaching and go full-time into management, he could return the favour and allow one of his star players to play for his buddy.

It has been somewhat of a frustrating season for Rhian Brewster.

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So far this campaign, the 19-year-old has been reduced to just two senior appearances, both of which have come in the League Cup. Those are the only professional matches he has played in during his career so far, and he will be turning 20 next April. This all comes after Jurgen Klopp refused to let him leave on loan at the start of the season, instead choosing to keep with the first-team squad.

Considering his considerable lack of experience, it is surely time the £3.6m-valued England U21 international – as per Transfermarkt – got some regular action. And according to The Mirror, he may be handed a lifeline in January. They are reporting that Aston Villa, Swansea City, Crystal Palace and Leeds United are all interested in signing Brewster on a short-term basis until the end of the season.

The Anfield outfit’s supporters have been reacting to the news on Twitter, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

Meanwhile, Liverpool are said to be interested in this 26-year-old La Liga man.

Leeds United fans have been reminiscing about a former player on social media this week after the club’s official Twitter feed posted a highlights reel of Ross McCormack and his best ten goals for the club.

The 33-year-old, who is now without a team, enjoyed a very prolific four years at Elland Road after scoring 58 goals in 157 appearances, which also included 31 assists before he joined Championship rivals Fulham in an £11m deal.

McCormack went on to play for Aston Villa and two Australian A-League sides but has been a free agent since the summer.

There are many mixed opinions on the Scotsman in west Yorkshire, some would love to see his attacking exploits under Marcelo Bielsa whilst some are still slightly hurting by his 2014 exit.

During his time at United, McCormack won the players’ and fans’ ‘Player of the Year’ award in 2013/14 where he also clinched the Championship’s Golden Boot and was named in the PFA ‘Team of the Year’.

Are you a Championship expert? How much did each of these big-money signings cost?

Here’s how fans have been reacting to the throwback video…

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

AND in other news, Leeds urged to sign Aston Villa colossus…

With the Premier League now suspended indefinitely, we’ve been given plenty of time to reflect on what’s already happened this season.

It’s been something of a rollercoaster ride for Man United: a defeat to Newcastle in October saw them plummet all the way down to 12th place, but they’re now just three points off claiming a Champions League spot.

So, who has been pulling their weight at Old Trafford this term and who has left much to be desired? We look at two players who’ve let manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer down this season, in one way or another…

Hilariously obscure Premier League players – Can you name them all?

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Andreas Pereira

Granted, Pereira may have only begun starting regularly for United last season, but he also has two full campaigns of senior action in La Liga under his belt and is 24 years of age. Throw in a cap for Brazil as well, and the midfielder should be a far more consistent performer for United, but ultimately he’s continued to underwhelm, earning a Whoscored rating of just 6.59 for his Premier League efforts this term.

But the real disappointment here is the fact Solskjaer’s persisted with Pereira by continuing to give him chances. He’s made 18 Premier League starts this season – only eight team-mates boast more – and predominantly featured in his favoured No.10 role, yet produced just one goal and three assists in the top flight, with all except a setup versus Chelsea on the opening weekend of the season coming against very unspectacular opposition.

Perhaps Pereira simply isn’t at United’s level – although he has previously won the Goal of the Season and Reserve of the Year awards at Old Trafford – but Solskjaer must be frustrated that his faith simply hasn’t been rewarded.

Jesse Lingard

Aged 27, a fully-fledged England international and a Red Devils academy product, Lingard should be one of the real leaders of this United team, someone who demonstrates the level of industry and consistency needed to become part of the furniture at Old Trafford. Think back to the likes of Wes Brown or Nicky Butt; they were by no means the biggest talents in the squad and didn’t start every game, but usually delivered when called upon.

Lingard’s career should be following a similar trajectory, but instead he’s quite clearly regressing. 20 Premier League outings this season haven’t produced a single goal or assist and while just nine of those have been starts, it’s incredibly telling that Solskjaer has preferred the likes of Dan James and even the aforementioned Pereira to Lingard at times.

United have the youngest squad age in the Premier League currently and Lingard should be showing the others how it’s done. His form this season though has been nothing short of rookie.

Meanwhile, Odion Ighalo has revealed what he loves most about Manchester United.

A lot of Crystal Palace fans have reacted to the latest transfer rumour surrounding Alexander Sorloth, as Premier League side Liverpool, who recently won the Champions League, are apparently the latest club to be interested in the striker, according to Fanatik,via CPFC NEWS HQ.

It is rumoured he could go for around £22 million, with the article mentioning that Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Napoli and Sevilla are also some of the big clubs interested.

During his career in South London, the Norwegian has yet to score since he joined the Eagles in January 2018, per Transfermarkt. However he has found his form, or arguably his level, whilst he has been loaned out to Turkish side Trabzonspor in the Super Lig, where he has scored 19 goals and provided six assists this campaign, via WhoScored.

He has a two year loan at the club, so it will be interesting to see whether he can continue this fine form abroad, however for now, it seems like the 24 year old, via WhoScored, will continue to be linked to big clubs across Europe whilst he keeps on scoring.

Unfortunately for Palace, they will not receive any big fee for Sorloth if Liverpool do buy as Trabzonspor can trigger a €6m clause to sign him permanently before probably selling him straight on for an immediate profit.

Plenty of fans seem to be bemused by the rumours given his poor record at Selhurst Park, as one replied to CPFC NEWS HQ mocking the link to Liverpool as he said: “This is just a troll account now”

Here is what Palace fans had to say about the striker:

Palace fans, do you think Sorloth could become a great striker? Comment below!

Almost every club has a tale of when they ‘almost’ signed a world-class superstar, either before they’d made it big or during the latter stages of their career.

Some tales are quite hard to believe, but when you hear them from the horse’s mouth, like managers discussing players they almost signed while at certain clubs, you can’t not believe them.

In an alternative universe, West Ham could’ve signed Neymar or Lionel Messi may have been scoring hundreds of goals for Arsenal instead of Barcelona – it’s almost impossible to get your head around.

Recently we’ve learned of Leeds’ attempts to sign Erling Haaland from Molde, obviously before he became one of the most lethal strikers in world football. So we’ve gone through the archives and looked at some of the biggest and most shocking transfers that never actually happened in football.

Some of these signings could’ve led the footballing universe we all know down a very different path…

Kaka to Manchester City

The Brazilian superstar is said to have almost joined Manchester City following the club’s 2009 takeover.

Despite a £108m offer on the table, Kaka opted to sign for AC Milan instead.

Cristiano Ronaldo to Arsenal

Before Sir Alex Ferguson brought the superstar to Old Trafford it is believed the Portuguese goal machine had conversations with Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger.

Would his career have panned out the way he did if he had started his Premier League career with the Gunners instead?

Diego Maradona to Sheffield United

Way back in 1978, the Blades tried their hardest to bring the Argentine genius to Bramall Lane.

However, they were unable to afford his £200k asking price and instead they signed one of his teammates to help soften the disappointment.

Steven Gerrard to Chelsea

Almost everyone already knows about this but it’s worth revisting.

Liverpool-born and club-captain, Gerrard had just led the Reds to that incredible comeback in Istanbul – one of the most magical moments in football history.

But behind all that, he was having his head turned by Jose Mourinho at Chelsea and he even handed in a transfer request in an attempt to force a move through.

Obviously it never happened but you wonder what he might have gone on to achieve in the domestic game if he had signed for Chelsea.

Robert Lewandowski to Blackburn Rovers

This is another well known failed transfer, but it’s worth revisiting just bcause of sheer hard luck for Blackburn.

Rovers were on the verge of securing the Poland legend’s signature from Lech Poznan in 2010, but a volcanic ash cloud prevented the striker from travelling to England to finalise talks and he instead signed for Borussia Dortmund.

The rest is history where both parties are concerned.

Andriy Shevchenko to West Ham

West Ham have always had a bit of a reputation of showing false ambition on the transfer window. Remember when they publically said they wanted to sign Alexandre Lacazette and Michy Batshuayi in the same summer window?

Well, back in 1994 they did actually come close to signing legendary Ukrainian forward Andriy Shevchenko but, after a short trial, manager Harry Redknapp decided he wasn’t good enough!

Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Arsenal

“Zlatan doesn’t do auditions” is the famous line the Swede gave when talking about the time he almost signed for the Gunners.

Wenger wanted the striker to go on trial before signing a contract and being given the number nine shirt. Zlatan naturally refused and signed for Ajax a year later.

Rivaldo to Bolton Wanderers

Brazil legend Rivaldo had been on Sam Allardyce’s Bolton radar back in 2004 but after initially showing an interest in playing in the Premier League, he decided against it and signed for Olympiakos instead.

Alan Shearer to Manchester United

The Premier League’s all-time record goalscorer came very close to signing for Manchester United twice, even meeting with Sir Alex Ferguson at his home.

Despite all that, the England striker opted to sign for Blackburn and then Newcastle.

Imagine how many more goals he would’ve scored at United!?

Ruud Gullit to Ipswich Town

The Dutch legend had actually been on trial with Ipswich under Sir Bobby Robson back in 1980 but the great manager decided against signing him.

He eventually joined Feyenoord before finally arriving in England when joining Chelsea.

Michael Essien to Burnley

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and that’s what Burnley will be telling themselves now after deciding against signing a 17-year-old Esien back in 1999 because they wouldn’t agree to his £60-a-week (sixty pounds sterling) apprentice wage!

Gary Linekar to Manchester United

Gary Lineker had spent three years at Barcelona before returning to England with Tottenham, but had that White Hart Lane switch fallen through, Man United were actually waiting in the wings to bring him to Old Trafford!

Luis Figo to Newcastle United

Luis Figo had an offer on the table from Newcastle United in 2005, prior to completing his move to Real Madrid.

Unfortunately for Newcastle, they were unable to meet his ludicrous wage demands!

Luis Nani to Middlesbrough

In 2006, Gareth Southgate was offered the chance to sign Nani for Middlesbrough in a deal worth in the region of £3.5m.

Southgate didn’t fancy it and a year later Nani rocked up at Manchester United instead.

Edinson Cavani to West Ham

Another one for West Ham fans – Gianfranco Zolo was looking to make a marquee signing for the Hammers during his first journey into management and wanted to sign Cavani on loan in 2008.

A deadline day move fell through and the Uruguayan striker went on to become of the deadliest strikers in world football with Napoli and PSG.

One day the Hammers might actually get one of these deals over the line. Legally, of course.

Robinho to Chelsea

Yet another well-known tale.

Manchester City swooped in and stole the Brazilian’s signature from Chelsea’s grasp just hours after being taken over on Deadline Day in 2009.

Rumour has it Robinho had still thought he was signing for Chelsea, only to find out he’d actually signed for City minutes before his unveiling.

Lionel Messi to Arsenal

It’s hard to believe Barcelona would have ever considered allowing Messi to leave, but Wenger recently revealed that the world’s greatest ever player was actually involved in the talks when the Gunners signed Cesc Fabregas back in 2003.

Liverpool are said to be interested in signing AS Roma’s Nicolo Zaniolo.

The Italy international ruptured his cruciate ligament earlier this campaign but he is still one of the up-and-coming stars in Serie A. He has already made 60 appearances for the Giallorossi since signing from Internazionale and he has also scored twice in five caps for the Azzurri.

According to Il Sussidiario, the Reds are interested in the 20-year-old, for whom they may need to pay up to €60m (£53.9m). Also, it is reported that the Italian side would want Dejan Lovren in exchange in any deal to sign the youngster – they have been linked with the Croatia international in the past (Corriere di Roma via Calciomercato).

The former Southampton defender is far from a popular figure on Merseyside and many of the club’s supporters appear delighted with the suggestion that he may be offered in a deal for Zaniolo. They have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below:

Liverpool fans, do you want to see Zaniolo arriving at Anfield with Lovren going the other way? Let us know what you think by commenting below!

Leeds United player Adam Forshaw has claimed Ben White would be a ‘good fit’ for Premier League side Liverpool.

Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds side have been superb this season and they are on the verge of gaining a promotion to the Premeir League.

Sitting top of the Championship table as the pending return of league action approaches (June 20), Bielsa can be thankful to a number of his first team players, who have been consistently brilliant throughout the 2019/2020 campaign.

One of those players has been Brighton’s very own White, who has firmly established himself at centre-back, playing alongside Liam Cooper for the most part this term.

A total of 37 league appearances has seen the young defender gain a wealth of experience and help enhance his reputation.

With the Championship season delayed, but set to return, White has agreed a loan extension with The Whites to help them see out their automatic promotion bid, but question marks over where he will play his football next season have started to emerge.

Liverpool have been keen admirers of the young defender, whilst Brighton will have their own plans for him when he returns to the AMEX which would seemingly see them want to keep him at the club through to next season.

Adding fuel to such speculation, Leeds midfielder Forshaw has now given his thoughts on the 22-year-old defender’s future.

“I think Ben would be a good fit at a top Premier League team, I don’t think Leeds fans would thank me for saying this,” he told Leeds That podcast.

“He’s a top lad and he’s got everything. He would suit a club like that [Liverpool]. He loves it at Leeds, though.”

Such links to Liverpool only further enhance the ever growing reputation of White, but the youngster would be wise to hold off making such a big move at this moment in his career. Indeed, with Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez a settled partnership at Anfield, it is hard to see him getting minutes on the pitch ahead of them.

White under Bielsa has been a perfect combination and if Leeds can gain promotion and talk Brighton round to a permanent deal, then he may well continue to blossom at Elland Road.

Alternatively he could get his first taste of Premier League football with the Seagulls, if they can avoid relegation to the Championship. Graham Potter has at times played with three centre-backs this season, so there should be opportunities for the young defender to get minutes at the AMEX.

Where do you think White will play his football next season? Let us know in the comments section below…

Kai Havertz has revealed that he will not rule out a move to a club if they aren’t competing in the Champions League next season, which could be good news for Chelsea.

The midfielder has admitted that whilst being a part of the European competition is a desire, it will not be a dealbreaker when approaching a potential move (via BBC Sport). Havertz is a huge target on Chelsea’s radar but the Blues are locked in a fierce battle for top four as the Premier League term comes to a close.

The highly sought after playmaker will not turn down a move to Chelsea if they come in for him but finish outside of the top four this season. Havertz has said he values the long-term project of his future club as much as he does their current form.

The Blues were recently named favourites by Sky Sports to acquire his signature, but Manchester United and Real Madrid are reportedly also keen.

The latest development in Frank Lampard’s relationship with Havertz showed that the club were lining up a £62 million bid (according to Nico Schira, via Sportslens).

If Havertz opts to join Chelsea even without the promise of Champions League football, he will still be joining an incredibly exciting club. It is not up for debate how something special is happening at Stamford Bridge under Lampard at the moment.

The 21-year-old would be a part of a side fielding fellow Germany international Timo Werner, former Ajax man Hakim Ziyech and some of England’s brightest young talents in Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham. Chelsea should view Havertz’s comments as a major boost and accelerate their move before Madrid or anyone else can table an offer.

Do you think Kai Havertz is London-bound, Blues? Join the discussion in the comments below!