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Tottenham Hotspur yet again refused to make a single signing in the January transfer window.

Spurs went through the month without adding a player, having also opted against adding personnel in the summer, with mooted interest in Michy Batshuayi, per Sky, proving fruitless.

On the chalkboard

Football FanCast reported on Thursday that Batshuayi was pushing for a move to Tottenham amid interest from West Ham United.

His wage demands – worth £170,000-per-week – proved prohibitive for both clubs, despite his desire to join Mauricio Pochettino’s squad. Chelsea were also far less willing to send the striker to a major rival, unsurprisingly.

Instead, he has moved to Crystal Palace, his third loan move in as many years.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

He has spent time with Valencia and Borussia Dortmund in recent seasons, despite joining the Blues with major billing in 2016 after some impressive displays at the European Championships that summer.

The BBC report that the deal was worth £33million, with the striker going on to score just 19 goals for the club in 53 appearances, per Transfermarkt.

His spell at Valencia – three goals in 23 appearances – hinted at stalled development, though he did score nine goals in 14 outings at Dortmund.

Just not good enough

At the end of the day, the deal just didn’t make sense for Spurs.

They have Fernando Llorente as a perfectly serviceable deputy to Harry Kane and it seems as though Mauricio Pochettino eventually opted against any deals.

The Spurs boss said on Friday, per BBC (13:43): “Yesterday there were reports and rumours. The media got more info than us.

“I cannot talk about that rumour but we were open to adding quality to help us achieve but we couldn’t add that quality. I was open to it.”

Batshuayi has yet to prove his worth in the Premier League and if Spurs are in the market for short-term reinforcements, they need players with genuine top-flight pedigree.

Batshuayi, quite simply, does not have that, and although chairman Daniel Levy has taken plenty of stick for the lack of signings, this was undoubtedly the correct decision.

Manchester United’s attempts to secure a replacement for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have taken a significant blow after both Luis Enrique and Julen Lopetegui were ruled out of the running. 

What’s the story?

The Spanish pair were believed to be part of an extensive list of managerial targets being considered by the Old Trafford hierarchy, but it appears as though they will now have to turn their attention to alternative targets.

According to well-known journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, neither Enrique or Lopetegui are interested in joining United, with both men focussed on their current positions.

He tweeted: “Luis Enrique won’t be involved in any talk with Manchester United. He’s only planning for the World Cup with Spain and he’s not gonna change his mind. #MUFC Sevilla manager Jules Lopetegui also denied Man Utd job chance: ‘It seems absurd to me’.”

Man Utd fans will be gutted

News that both the Spanish national team manager and Sevilla boss aren’t interested in taking charge of the Red Devils will leave large sections of the club’s fanbase feeling wounded.

Enrique and Lopetegui have cultivated enviable reputations as highly-regarded tacticians for their impressive work in their homeland, but the lure of Manchester isn’t what it once was.

The duo join Ajax boss Erik ten Hag in exiting the race to become Solsskjaer’s successor, with the whole affair threatening to turn into a rather embarrassing circus for the Glazers and co.

It was recently reported by ESPN that United have had an initial approach rebuffed by Paris Saint-Germain as they attempt to prize Mauricio Pochettino away from the French capital, meaning an interim manager is now likely to take the reins.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-manchester-united-news-manager-solskjaer-pochettino-enrique-rodgers-psg” title=”Check out the latest Man United manager news!”]

Several intriguing candidates such as Ralf Rangnick, Ernesto Valverde and Rudi Garcia have emerged as favourites for that particular role, but that approach is unlikely to go down well with the supporters.

Since Sir Alex Ferguson retired back in 2013, the 20-time English champions have been through six temporary and permanent managers. The time for stability and long-term planning has now arrived.

Therefore, Romano’s latest revelation regarding Enrique and Lopetegui will be hugely disappointing for everyone associated with United, and they’ll be hoping for a quick resolution to their managerial conundrum.

And, in other news…Big Man United manager update issued live on Sky Sports, fans will be concerned 

Leeds United will be looking to secure back-to-back victories in the Premier League for the first time this season when they welcome Brentford to Elland Road over the weekend.

Marcelo Bielsa’s charges put some breathing space between themselves and the relegation zone after Raphinha dispatched an injury-time penalty last time out, and they’ll be desperate to build on that momentum in this intriguing encounter.

Putting the ball in the back of the net has been a major issue for the west Yorkshire outfit throughout 2021/22, though, significantly halting their progress on the pitch.

In their 14 top-flight fixtures to date, Leeds have only managed 13 goals, with talisman Raphinha responsible for six of those strikes.

Patrick Bamford’s enforced absence through injury has been the main source of attacking frustration for Bielsa’s struggling side, but the solution to their attacking woes could be a rather simple one.

Rodrigo has shown glimpses of the true quality he possesses throughout the current campaign despite only bagging two goals in his 15 appearances.

Dubbed “extraordinary” by former Barcelona boss Quique Setien, the 30-year-old hasn’t been able to hit the ground running at Leeds since his big-money move last summer, yet his underlying numbers are indicative of the form he can produce.

As per WhoScored, Rodrigo has averaged 1.6 key passes per league game this term, 0.8 crosses and 1.8 shots, placing him in the top three for each metric amongst his teammates who have started over five games.

Indeed, after an impressive performance against Arsenal last season, former Leeds striker Noel Whelan explained just how important the £16.2m-rated gem is to Bielsa’s side.

Whelan told Football Insider: “He’s always looking for it, he’s never ever standing still, he’s always on the move and that’s what I like about him. He can’t be marked; he’s always looking for a space – very much the next Hernandez.

“He is a player that looks like he can make things happen. He’s very intelligent, he brings other people into play and makes space for them.”

After making a positive impact off the bench last time out as a half-time substitute, Bielsa must unleash the Spain international from the first whistle against the Bees on Sunday, providing Leeds with the firepower they need to secure a vital three points.

And, in other news…”It’s likely..”: Leeds handed major injury boost vs Brentford, Bielsa will be buzzing

Now that the 2022 January transfer window has opened, this will allow a wide variety of clubs to make some transfer deals to help them strengthen their squads.

One deal that Aston Villa and Steven Gerrard should be looking to complete would be to move Trezeguet out and potentially bring in a new winger to replace him.

Since joining the Midlands club back in the 2019 summer transfer window from Turkish club Kasimpasa, the winger has made a total of 64 appearances for Villa across all competitions but has only managed to score nine goals and provide five assists along the way.

His latest appearance for the Villans came during their recent 2-1 defeat against Brentford where he came off the substitutes bench to replace Bertrand Traore in the final ten minutes of the match to try and grab a positive result for the travelling side.

Instead of that, the only notable thing Trezeguet did during his short spell on the pitch was an eye-catching attempt to win a penalty for his side which did not go down well on social media, as he threw himself to the floor after no contact.

Prior to the serious knee injury that has kept him out of action for a considerable amount of time from April to October last year, Trezeguet, who is currently picking up a weekly wage of £47k-per-week according to Salary Sport, was on the end of some criticism from former Villa attacker Gabby Agbonlahor who had previously described him as a “frustrating” player to watch.

In addition to this, there have been reports in recent weeks and months that the Egyptian could be one of a number of Villa players that Gerrard could look to move on in January, as well as there being a number of different attacking players linked with a move to Villa Park in January.

Taking all of this into account, it could be worth Villa getting Trezeguet off their wage bill this month if Gerrard thinks he isn’t capable of delivering the sort of performances he wants to see from his players and isn’t likely to be playing regularly, especially if they’re able to bring a new player into replace him.

After all, after his horrendous bit of play-acting last weekend, it would be a surprise if we saw him in the claret and blue again.

In other news: Lange could solve Gerrard’s big AVFC issue with swoop for “complete” £24.3m-rated gem – opinion

Everton owner Farhad Moshiri is interested in a deal to appoint Jose Mourinho as the Toffees’ next manager.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Kaveh Solhekol, with the Sky Sports journalist revealing on The Transfer Show that the AS Roma boss is one of the names under consideration for the vacant managerial position at Goodison Park following the sacking of Rafael Benitez last weekend.

Speaking about Everton’s shortlist of candidates, the transfer insider said: “This is a story that has just come in from our North West office. They are saying that Jose Mourinho is now under consideration to become the next Everton manager.

“An official approach has yet to be made to Mourinho’s current club Roma by the Everton owner Farhad Moshiri, but he is contemplating the prospect of bringing the former Chelsea, Manchester United and Spurs manager to Goodison Park.”

Fans will be livid

Considering the fact that Everton have just parted with a manager whose best days are quite clearly behind him, the prospect of appointing a new head coach in exactly the same mould is undoubtedly something that will leave the Goodison Park faithful livid.

Indeed, while Mourinho has enjoyed a remarkable amount of success in the game, winning a plethora of trophies throughout his career – including two Champions Leagues, one UEFA Cup, one Europa League, three Premier League titles, three LaLiga titles and two Serie A titles – it is an unavoidable fact that the last trophy the 58-year-old lifted was back in 2017, five years ago.

Furthermore, while the Portuguese manager has always had something of a reputation for rubbing people up the wrong way, this trait appears to have been exacerbated in recent years – with Tottenham Hotspur sacking Mourinho just 17 months into the job after reports of a players’ revolt against the management style of the former FC Porto boss.

This also appears to have been reflected on the pitch, with Jose only being able to guide Spurs to sixth in his first season in charge at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as well as leaving the club languishing down in seventh place after 32 fixtures in 2020/21 – prior to his sacking.

Yet still, another reason against the appointment of Mourinho is the fact he would more than likely demand an extremely hefty wage to take the job at Goodison Park, with the 58-year-old earning around £10m-per-year during his time in North London – a figure which is just shy of £200k-per-week.

As such, while the legendary Portuguese coach may well be a “heavyweight” name, as Hayley McQueen suggests, should Everton wish to build towards a brighter future at Goodison Park, they should not be considering the appointment of a manager whose best days are in the past.

In other news: Everton urged to appoint “unbelievable” Big Dunc alternative, fans would surely fume

A much-changed Manchester United secured a 1-1 draw with BSC Young Boys at Old Trafford in their final Champions League encounter in Group F.

Ralf Rangnick made a full 11 changes to the side that featured from the off in the victory over Crystal Palace on Sunday, handing first starts of the season to teenagers Anthony Elanga and Amad Diallo.

And it was a fast start from the hosts, with Mason Greenwood finishing in spectacular style within the opening ten minutes following Luke Shaw’s measured cutback.

United continuously won the ball back high up the pitch at the start of proceedings as Rangnick slowly implements his Gegenpressing style, but Diallo and Juan Mata both failed to finish off promising attacking moves.

However, the Red Devils were unable to sustain their pressing game and their Swiss opposition clawed themselves back into the tie on the stroke of half-time.

Fabian Reider won the ball back following some sloppy play on the edge of United’s area before bending in an unstoppable strike, leaving Dean Henderson helpless between the sticks.

An uneventful second half saw Rangnick hand first-team debuts to Tom Heaton, Charlie Savage and Zidane Iqbal, while Shola Shoretire also made his first appearance of the campaign, but it was perhaps a more experienced head who really took his chance.

Donny van de Beek controlled proceedings in the middle of the park and put his name firmly in the hat for more consistent outings under the new regime.

As per SofaScore, the Netherlands international had a whopping 92 touches throughout the 90 minutes, won nine of his 11 duels (82%) and picked out a teammate with three of his four attempted long balls.

The 24-year-old finished the game with a passing accuracy of 84% and successfully completed both of his dribbles, yet it was defensive contribution that really caught the eye.

Van de Beek made six tackles – at least two more than any of his teammates – pulled off three interceptions, two clearances and one block, highlighting his hugely effective display at both ends of the pitch.

His part in Young Boys’ equaliser was the only blot on the former Ajax ace’s copybook, and he’ll be hoping Rangnick can look past his single error as he bids to become a regular fixture in the starting lineup.

And, in other news…Rangnick lines up move for “unbelievable” £100k-p/w “animal”, he’s what Man Utd need

Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek could be set for a January exit after finding opportunities hard to come by during his time at the club.

What’s the story?

The 24-year-old has been linked with an Old Trafford departure for several months, with the likes of Everton, Newcastle United and Wolves all credited with an interest in his services.

And now, well-known journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has provided an update on Van de Beek’s future, stating he expects the creative talent to leave United over the coming months unless his current situation changes.

Popular Twitter page UtdReport relayed his comments, tweeting: “Fabrizio Romano: ‘As things stand now, in November, if the situation continues with Solskjær as manager, not trusting or playing Donny van de Beek, I expect Van de Beek to leave the club in January.'”

Man Utd fans will be worried

The Netherlands international arrived at United in the summer of 2020 via a £40m move from boyhood club Ajax but has been unable to break into Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side on a regular basis.

In his maiden campaign on English shores, Van de Beek started just 15 games in all competitions for the Red Devils, with only four of those outings coming in the Premier League.

His bit-part role under Solskjaer led to heavy speculation that he could seek pastures new last summer after only 12 months at the club, and Everton reportedly came close to securing his signature.

Marcel Brands, the Toffees director of football, openly admitted that the creative talent was on his list of potential targets before the deal collapsed.

“We had him on our list. At the beginning of the transfer window, we enquired at United, then it was impossible,” he told Dutch outlet NOS.

“At the end of the window, I received a call from Guido Albers, his agent, that he might be rented out after all. But at the last minute, it was cancelled. Stopped again.”

Since then, Van de Beek has only been awarded 154 minutes of action in all competitions in 2021/22 as he’s been forced to watch on from the sidelines and changed agents in an attempt to end his United nightmare.

And news that the engine room operator is set to depart Old Trafford will leave large sections of the club’s supporters worried, despite his limited impact.

With Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata all in the final year of their contracts, United could be desperately sort of attacking midfielders next season, and Van de Beek’s exit would only add to their woes.

And, in other news…Murtough could finally end Man Utd’s midfielder hunt with “extraordinary” £42.5m beast

A number of Liverpool supporters have reacted positively to Jamie Carragher’s claim that the Reds should push to sign Jude Bellingham this summer.

The 18-year-old has emerged as arguably one of the most exciting teenagers in world football, catching the eye hugely with his performances for Borussia Dortmund.

Despite his tender years, Bellingham is already an undisputed key player for the Bundesliga giants, scoring eight goals and registering 13 assists in 71 appearances.

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Liverpool have been linked with a move for the England international numerous times in the past and Carragher has now talked up his potential signing.

Taking to Twitter during a Q&A on Saturday, the Reds legend said that Bellingham would be the one player he would choose to sign at Anfield this summer:

“Jude Bellingham & the summer window is fine for me!”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-16/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Liverpool fans love Carragher claim

These Liverpool fans loved what Carragher had to say, praising his comments and calling for the Reds’ FSG ownership to snap up the Dortmund star, who one Kopite feels would be just as transformative as the signings of Virgil van Dijk and Alisson.

“This would be a signing on the level of VVD or Alisson”

Credit: @O38Degrees

“YESSS”

Credit: @f1_terrier

“Jamie knows ball. Jude>>>”

Credit: @66_lfc_

“Dear FSG…”

Credit: @biGDhee08

“I’d give a kidney for us to get Jude”

Credit: @ikomo1604

“Would love that. Natural successor to Henderson and would add more dynamism and athleticism.”

Credit: @StefromBurnley

In other news, some Liverpool fans are fuming at a Fabrizio Romano update. Read more here.

West Bromwich Albion manager Steve Bruce has provided an update on the fitness of long-term absentees Kean Bryan and Kenneth Zohore as the Baggies approach the conclusion of their campaign.

What’s the story?

Speaking to the media ahead of today’s Championship clash against Stoke City at The Hawthorns, the Albion boss revealed that the duo are working hard to be fit in time for pre-season training in the summer, but has effectively ruled out any hope of either player featuring for the remainder of 2021/22.

Bryan required knee surgery after damaging his ACL in November, having played just 49 minutes of league action across three appearances after joining the West Midlands club on a free transfer from Sheffield United.

On the 25-year-old defender, the Albion manager said: “That’s a hard thing to deal with, especially when you’re a new player at a club and you do your ACL.

“I spoke to him the other day – his knee resembles a knee again, which three months ago it didn’t. He’s working extremely hard. It’s a big summer for him, too. He’s on track.

“I think it’s a crucial time, pre-season. Every club have had a struggle with it, because of the pandemic.”

As for Zohore, the striker has been limited to just two Championship appearances this term, featuring seven times in Premier League 2 for the under-23s.

A nightmare season was made even worse when he picked up a thigh injury and then got injured again upon returning to training.

Bruce stated of the Dane: “It was a bad couple of days for us, because unfortunately he broke down. It’s a reset for him, as well. He got a thigh injury, a muscle injury, and he’d been six weeks out. He got re-injured. It was horrible. He’d only trained for 20 minutes and then he broke down again. It’s a reset for him. I would think that’s his season.”

Bruce will be gutted

Having been in the job for just two months, the 61-year-old is still yet to be able to fully witness the capabilities of both Zohore and Bryan, a development which will no doubt leave the West Brom boss feeling gutted.

The West Midlands outfit have endured a tricky campaign after being relegated from the Premier League last term, with Bruce’s team sat in 11th going into Saturday’s meeting with the Potters.

With just six games to go and the play-offs seemingly beyond Albion this year, Baggies supporters will be keen to see the back end of a difficult season. They will also be keen to have as many players as possible available for the new campaign, as will Bruce, who might then be able to make a proper assessment of the squad at his disposal.

It’s vital that Bryan and Zohore ensure that they are fit in time for pre-season in order to make an impression on the manager in order to reignite their respective West Brom careers. Otherwise they may have to seek moves elsewhere.

In other news: West Brom now set for big disaster over “unbelievable” £7.2m-rated gem

It seems that Everton both bought and sold Belgian midfielder Marouane Fellaini at the perfect time.

Whilst they broke their club record transfer fee at the time for the £15m acquisition of Fellaini, it turned out to be an astute move, with the Toffees getting the best out of him and shipping him onto Manchester United for a tidy profit in what was a player at the very start of his decline.

Tremendous from the Toffees

After rejecting advances from Manchester United and bypassing reported interest from the likes of Aston Villa, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur, Fellaini put pen to paper on a five-year deal to play for Everton in the year 2008.

He was 20-years-of-age at the time and arrived in England with a playing identity of a box-to-box midfielder and soon managed to prove his attacking proficiency with what turned out to be a seamless integration into England’s top flight.

In his first season, Fellaini ended his first campaign with nine goals and four assists. Perhaps the most demonstrative indicator of the Belgian-Morrocan midfielder’s playing style was his total of 13 yellow cards. He did well to end on this number, having been booked ten times in his first 17 games.

At Everton, Fellaini made himself a star and left for £27.5m, having scored an impressive 11 goals in the Premier League for the Toffees, to reunite with former Everton boss David Moyes at Manchester United. This was the start of his decline.

Despite his goalscoring feat for Everton the season prior, the 2013/2014 season saw Fellaini score a total of zero goals with an assist total of one in the Premier League, as he saw his minutes cut in half at the Old Trafford side.

Fellaini never managed to replicate his goalscoring form at Manchester United and after the dismissal of Jose Mourinho back in the 2018/2019 season, found his opportunities limited under caretaker manager at the time; Ole Gunnar Solskjær.

United recouped £10.5m for Fellaini, allowing him to join Chinese Super League side Shandong Taishan where he rediscovered his goalscoring form.

At 34 years of age, the former Belgian international is now worth just £4m, though his wage is drastically higher, with the former Toffees midfielder now pocketing a handsome wage of £362k-per-week.

Ultimately, Everton’s decision to sell when they did was perfect. They got the best performances out of him and received the most money for him, making a tidy profit on their initial £15m payout.

Well played, Everton.

In other news – Forget relegation: Lampard now heading for huge Everton disaster over £72k-p/w star