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Southampton return to Premier League action following the international break with a tough game against Wolves at Molineux on Monday night, and while Theo Walcott and Che Adams may start up top, it is Stuart Armstrong who could be the man to make the difference.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side will be in confident form, having briefly gone top of the league after beating Newcastle United 2-0 in their last game before the international break (per BBC Sport).

The Scottish international has enjoyed an excellent start to the season with the Saints, having contributed one goal and two assists in six top-flight appearances, resulting in a solid 6.97 rating (per WhoScored).

However, Wolves have also started the season in decent form, having won four of their opening eight matches and they have also lost just once at home this season, which came against Manchester City (per Sky Sports).

The Saints can exploit one weakness in Nuno Espirito Santo’s side on Monday night however as the Old Gold are without first-choice left-back Jonny Otto, whilst Rayan Ait-Nouri is also a doubt for the game after he picked up an injury on France U-21 duty (per Hampshire Live).

Meanwhile, 31-year-old Fernando Marcal has been used sparingly by Wolves as he recovered from a calf injury, so he may not be fully fit to face the Saints on Monday.

This could leave the Portuguese manager without a fit natural left-back in his squad, meaning Armstrong could be the key man for the Saints, if he features on the right-wing.

The former Celtic man can be a threat with his pace and ability to take on a man, so he will fancy his chances if he is up against someone who is an unnatural left-back, on in the case of Marcal, someone who is perhaps not fully match fit.

Hasenhuttl was full of praise for the 28-year-old earlier this year, saying:

“That is one of the reasons why we have been better because he is very hard-working and is now scoring by coming more often in the position to score.

“This was a fantastic turnaround and he’s also something of a role model for our transformation.” (per Daily Echo)

It will be interesting to see if the Saints can continue their impressive start to the season by picking up points at Molineux on Monday night and whether Armstrong can be the man to make the difference.

Tottenham Hotspur could be closing in on a new central defender if fresh reports emerging from Italy are to be believed…

What’s the word?

According to Corriere di Verona, Spurs hold ‘strong interest’ in Hellas Verona colossus Marash Kumbulla, who did appear to be set for a move to Inter Milan until recently.

Gianluca Di Marzio claimed last month that a €30m (£26.5m) deal had been agreed between the two Serie A clubs but it now appears Antonio Conte will target other options.

The 20-year-old is valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt despite his lack of experience at the top of the game.

Needed addition

With Jan Vertonghen out the door and Juan Foyth likely to follow suit, it would be wise for Jose Mourinho to add another defender before the window closing next month.

And in Kumbulla, they’d be getting a really impressive addition.

The young Verona colossus has been likened to Milan legend Paolo Maldini due to his aggressive nature and ability to read the game.

In 25 appearances in Serie A last season, Kumbulla averaged 3.3 clearances, 2.6 aerials won, 2 interceptions and 1.6 tackles per match, via WhoScored, which only goes to show that he’s a complete beast at the back.

Others have compared him to Giorgio Chiellini as he has the “classic frame of a long-serving Serie A defender” with that being tall in stature, broad shoulders and the ferocity to overpower the opposition.

No centre-back in the Italian top-flight won more defensive duels before lockdown than Kumbulla either.

The 6 foot 1 monster would be an ideal signing to strike fear into the rest of the Premier League, either to replace Vertonghen or Foyth. Pair him up with Toby Alderweireld and it’ll be like his fellow Belgian counterpart never left.

£26.5m may seem a little pricey, but that’s a mere scratch on the £80m paid for Harry Maguire.

AND in other news, Mourinho could unleash frightening Spurs attack with £45m speedster…

West Ham’s start to the new campaign has hardly gone to plan so far.

It’s been two Premier League defeats for David Moyes’ side from their opening two matches and the atmosphere at the London Stadium is bordering on toxic.

The Irons sold young academy prospect Grady Diangana to his loan club West Brom for £18m and GSB are yet to reinvest that money into the playing squad – or sign anyone new at all.

It has led to some protesting outside the ground in recent weeks whilst rumours of a potential takeover continue to bubble beneath the surface.

Speaking exclusively to FootballFanCast, former Hammers striker Neil Mellor delivered his verdict on the Diangana saga and explained how the club’s owners could get the baying supporters back on side.

He said:

“I think they need to start hoping that the results turn around on the pitch because I think that would quieten down a little bit of the noise.

“The West Ham supporters are frustrated and understandably so, the team struggled last season and just about stayed up. They have invested in the squad but when there’s a young player coming through like [Grady] Diangana who the fans were really excited about, one they thought could potentially come through and have that connection with the fans that all teams want.

“Unfortunately, he was sold on and West Ham haven’t invested that money as of yet, now the transfer window still open, we can go and reinvest the perhaps bring a little bit of quality in, which will help them this season.

“But the mood’s not good at West Ham. It’s disappointing to see. It feels like it’s going to be another frustrating season for them perhaps fighting relegation which is what the West Ham fans don’t want. They want to be looking towards the top half of the table perhaps an outside chance of European football but the mood isn’t good at the moment.

“When the transfer window closes it’ll be interesting to see how that money has been invested because the fans need a lift, they need a boost at the moment.”

The Irons’ only piece of business so far this window has been the confirmation of Tomas Soucek’s loan deal becoming permanent for an additional £15m.

Expensive flops Sebastien Haller, Felipe Anderson and Manuel Lanzini have even struggled to make the starting XI despite clear woes in front of goal, so West Ham undeniably need additions.

It’s thought that Moyes would like to bolster his defensive ranks with Burnley colossus James Tarkowski a top target but he’ll need so much more than just one centre-back to get the loyal Hammers faithful back onside.

And as Mellor says, the club could well be on for another season battling relegation.

With only two weeks to go in the window, it very much remains to be seen if GSB will open the chequebook in time.

WHILE in other news, West Ham leading race to sign ex-PL loanee who’s been slammed by Gary Neville…

It’s no secret that Tottenham are interested in Southampton midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg after reports this week stated that the London club are in for the Dane.

With the midfielder entering the final year of his contract, one would imagine that he’d be available for a cut-price fee, but unfortunately for Spurs, it seems as though that’s not the case.

Ralph Hasenhuttl made it abundantly clear with his comments earlier this week that the Saints wouldn’t be letting the former Bayern Munich man go for cheap, and The Times have stated that the south-coast outfit value the midfielder at £35m.

This news has Tottenham fans concerned, partially down to the reputation Daniel Levy has garnered for himself when it comes to being a tough negotiator and refusing to pay over the odds for a player.

The pessimists amongst the fanbase are already blaming Levy for the deal falling through, despite no reports backing up those claims.

You can’t help but feel Levy is being a little hard done by here, fans are already angry with him for not completing a deal that may still yet be done, and even if he does refuse to pay, is that necessarily a bad thing?

Hojbjerg is a good player, but £35m for a player in the final year of their contract is preposterous, especially when they’re not from a top side.

Other’s simply weren’t happy with the valuation, stating that Hojbjerg isn’t worth the £35m that Tottenham are being quoted.

One fan claimed that better players were available at that price point, and with Liverpool being reportedly being asked for just £1m more for Thiago Alcantara, who is a regular for one of Europe’s top sides, you have to say that these fans may have a point.

Brighton’s pathway development manager David Weir has backed the club’s returning loan players to push for inclusion in Graham Potter’s first team in the near future.

Ben White, Jayson Molumby, Christian Walton and Matt Clarke were among the numerous players loaned out by the Seagulls in 2019/20 and Weir believes that some of those could force their way into the first team manager’s plans for next season.

As per The Argus, he said: “It’s now Graham Potter’s job to assess his squad and his options, to try and see which player ticks as many boxes as possible.

“The lads have done their bit and I am sure a few of them will be in and around his thoughts, but not everyone can be. That’s why we see the benefit of the players being able to go out and get experience in other places.”

Brighton had a large number of players out on loan during 2019/20, some of whom have since left the club permanently (Anthony Knockaert, Leon Balogun, Beram Kayal) or, in Percy Tau’s case, been loaned out again.

However, several Seagulls players made the most of loan spells in the Championship. White is perhaps the most prominent of those, with the centre-back playing every minute of Leeds’ promotion-winning campaign and having a subsequent £22m bid from the Yorkshire outfit rejected by Albion.

Fellow centre-back Clarke started 34 league games for Derby and won an impressive 4.4 headers per game for Philip Cocu’s side. However, with strong competition for defensive places at the Amex Stadium, the 23-year-old could be set for another loan move, as hinted by The Athletic’s Ryan Conway.

Central midfielder Molumby played in 36 league games for Millwall last term, starting 31, with a goal and an assist to his name (as per TransferMarkt). However, like Clarke, he plays in a position where Brighton are already well-stocked, with Adam Lallana joining the midfield ranks last month, so the 21-year-old Irishman may need to bide his time with the Seagulls or opt for another loan switch.

Walton was Blackburn’s first-choice goalkeeper last season, playing the entirety of their Championship season and keeping 12 clean sheets in 46 games (as per TransferMarkt). That might be enough to persuade Potter to keep him at Brighton, albeit as backup to Mat Ryan, who was ever-present for the Seagulls in the 2019/20 Premier League.

Of that quartet, White seems the most likely to break into the Brighton first team next season, so long as he stays amid continuing transfer speculation. Walton may also get his chance if, heaven forbid, Ryan is laid low with injury.

Potter has shown a willingness to put his faith in rising talents like Tariq Lamptey, Aaron Connolly and Alexis Mac Allister, which may give hope to the players returning to the Amex from their respective loan spells that they might get their chance in the first team, with some of them enjoying the backing of Weir.

Brighton fans, which players can you see breaking into the first team next season? Have your say by commenting below!

Getting booed by sections of his own club’s support during the pre-season tour in the summer appeared to provide a great snapshot of Ashley Young’s career in recent seasons. The 34-year-old has had to play out-of-position at left-back, and that certainly hasn’t helped matters in terms of his own performance. But add to that Manchester United’s own struggles, and the veteran has arguably become an easy target for criticism.

Watch Manchester United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

And with his contract set to expire in the summer, his future at Old Trafford remained uncertain. But now, according to The Evening Standard, Young expects to be released by the Red Devils come the end of the season, and that amid growing competition for places, he “privately accepts” he may need to move on.

Watch Man Utd vs Newcastle Live and Free with Amazon Prime on Boxing Day

After hearing the news Young could be set to make his departure after initially joining the club from Aston Villa back in 2011 for a fee of £17m, United fans flooded to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the matter.

A couple of fans suggested that even at 34, Young remains a better player than Luke Shaw, with the duo competing for the starting left-back slot at United.

Make no mistake about it, letting Young go would rob the Red Devils of a big presence in the dressing room – after all he is the club captain. Whether his performances have been up to scratch or not is certainly debatable at the very least, but he no doubt would have been a great role model for the up-and-coming stars at Old Trafford.

Meanwhile, Manchester United fans have hammered this star after his anonymous display against Everton.

If there was an award for most valuable signing of the season, then Manchester United magician Bruno Fernandes is surely near the top of the contenders list.

The Portugal international may have only arrived back in the January transfer window, but his impact on this Red Devils team has been nothing short of remarkable.

In 14 total games for the club across all competitions, he has scored seven times and provided a further six assists, with United remaining unbeaten in every single fixture he has been involved in.

And against Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon, he was once again in imperious form, scoring once, setting up two others and also providing an impressive five key passes. After seeing his performance in the 5-2 thrashing of the Cherries, United fans flooded to Twitter to share their reactions.

A couple of fans compared Fernandes to United legend Eric Cantona, and it’s certainly not something that feels too exaggerated – the Portuguese ace reached ten goal involvements in just nine Premier League games on Saturday, meaning he is the joint-quickest to do so for the club alongside Cantona himself and Robin van Persie.

The Cantona comparison says it all really.

Can you name every one of United’s top goalscorers from the past 15 seasons? It’s a tricky one…

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

That has been the kind of transformation Fernandes has had on this United team, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side looking so much more devastating when going forward.

United have been blessed with some great attacking talents over the course of their history, and if Fernandes continues in this vein, then there’s no reason why he can’t join them.

Former England forward Gary Lineker has insisted that Lionel Messi deserved to win the 2019 Ballon d’Or ahead of Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk.Having helped Liverpool win the 2019 Champions League and also played a key role in the Netherlands reaching the UEFA Nations League final, there was a lot of clamour for Van Dijk to be handed the individual honour in Monday night’s ceremony – with Anfield favourites Jurgen Klopp and Steven Gerrard backing him to clinch the accolade.However, Messi picked up the accolade, winning it for a record sixth time, while Liverpool’s star defender had to settle for second place.

It is actually the 32-year-old’s first Ballon d’Or since 2015, and it arrived after finding the back of the net on 54 occasions for Barca and Argentina during the 2018/19 campaign.

Lineker has insisted that Messi is “head and shoulders” above every other footballer on the planet, and the pundit has insisted that the South American is fully deserving of the award despite Van Dijk’s impressive form for club and country during 2019.

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Lineker’s message on social media is available to view below…

Van Dijk has again recently been praised by the Liverpool supporters as the former Southampton ace continues to go from strength to strength.

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

Jose Mourinho has cooled Tottenham Hotspur’s interest in Barcelona midfielder Carles Alena, per Sport via Sport Witness.

What’s the word?

The report states that previous manager Mauricio Pochettino was heavily interested in recruiting the 21-year-old, valued at £27m by Transfermarkt.

Who is that?! Can you name all of these obscure Spurs signings? Give it a go now…

Alena has struggled for minutes at the Camp Nou and has made just two La Liga appearances thus far this season, though he did play 90 minutes in Tuesday’s 2-1 Champions League win over Inter Milan.

But Mourinho is said to have cooled Spurs’ interest as the January window approaches, with Getafe and Real Betis both linked with a move.

Not the player needed

This is a wise choice from Mourinho.

Football FanCast has detailed previously how Alena doesn’t really seem to know his best position and, at this point, he would merely be blocking the way for Spurs’ talented youngsters.

The likes of Oliver Skipp and Harry Winks both play a similar role to the youthful Barca ace and stifling their development – the former remains a teenager, Winks is just 23 – makes precious little sense.

The fact that Getafe and Betis – two mid-tier La Liga clubs – are being linked too should paint the picture; that is his level.

Spurs are better off out of any bidding war.

Meanwhile, Barcelona have been told to sign one Spurs star.

Tottenham Hotspur youngster Troy Parrott capped his first Republic of Ireland appearance with an assist in Thursday’s 3-1 win over New Zealand.

The 17-year-old’s only first-team minutes for Spurs this season have come in the EFL Cup.

Indeed, despite the team’s struggles – winning just three of their 12 Premier League matches – Parrott has not been called upon to appear in the league.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Parrott made a telling contribution for his country on Thursday, though, before leaving the field in the 63rd minute of the international friendly.

Tottenham’s official Twitter account provided a video of the assist from the 6 ft 1 ace.

And it was not a surprise that a whole host of Spurs fans responded by once again calling for Mauricio Pochettino to start handing the teenager some first-team action, having done so last month when Parrott was announced part of Ireland’s initial 39-man squad.

With seven goals in four appearances in the UEFA Youth League and Premier League 2 this season, Parrott surely has to be worth a punt for the out-of-form capital giants.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below: