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According to The Guardian, Massimiliano Allegri is learning English and interested in taking over at Manchester United, but it is an idea that doesn’t sit well with their fans.

It is an interesting stance to take considering the Italian was very successful in his last stint as manager, taking Juventus to five consecutive Serie A titles as well as the Champions League final on two occasions.

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Despite that, some fans view him as a defensive manager and therefore a throwback to the days of Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho, which is viewed as a negative even though both managers won trophies whilst at Old Trafford.

As a result, they oppose the appointment of Allegri, with some offering up different managers who they think would be a better fit, such as Mauricio Pochettino and Julian Nagelsmann.

There is reason for United supporters to feel that way, as the 52-year-old’s Juventus team conceded just 208 goals in 271 matches, but since United have only kept two clean sheets out of a possible nine this term, a more defensive approach may be more suitable.

Here is some of the reaction to the idea of Allegri coming to Old Trafford.

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

In recent reports from The Daily Mail, Newcastle United are looking to lure back Lewis Gibson, who they sold to Everton in 2017 for a reported fee of £6m. The reports suggest he could be tempted to return to Tyneside now that U23 boss Peter Beardsley has left.

What has he done on Merseyside?

Gibson moved to Merseyside when he was just 16 and has certainly made a name for himself amongst the many young English talents around the country. In 2017, weeks after moving to Everton, Gibson played a role in helping the England U17s win the World Cup, which earned him a regular spot in the Premier League 2 side, playing 17 times in his first campaign.

This season, the defender scored his first goal for the Toffees and has played just twice thus far. Throughout his time at the club, the teenager has mainly stayed with the U23s, meaning he has played above his age group for some time, considering he joined the club at 16 and is still only 19.

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As demonstrated by Transfermarkt, Gibson is also known for his versatility, playing predominantly at centre-back, although he has stepped in as a left-back and even as a left midfielder.

Also, last season, the former Newcastle man played a role in helping the U23s win the Premier League 2 alongside the likes of Mason Holgate and Fraser Hornby, both of which are also struggling for first-team action with Everton.

Gibson may need to leave

As mentioned, Gibson joined the Toffees at just 16, as he believed he saw more of a future with the club. Back in 2017, he told Everton officials (as quoted by Chronicle Live): “The reputation has long been there that Everton brings through young players. You only have to look at the likes of Tom Davies, Kieran Dowell, Jonjoe Kenny”.

However, it has been anything but this for the youngster. Since moving from Tyneside, the centre-back has not yet stepped out for the first-team, despite playing a huge role in the Premier League 2 triumph and proving his worth with England’s successful youth sides.

This year, young stars such as Holgate have found only 17 minutes of Premier League action all season, while Tom Davies has featured for just 20 minutes in the top flight in 2019/20, whilst Jonjoe Kenny has had to move to Schalke on loan to get the game time he needs. Even at 26, left-back Luke Garbutt has had to pack his bags for another loan spell, just to get the minutes he craves.

In truth, Gibson’s plan of moving to Everton to break into the first-team has not happened at all, and if he wants to play senior football soon then perhaps moving back home to Newcastle will be his best idea.

Former Chelsea and Millwall striker Tony Cascarino has suggested Everton’s transfer policy this summer was “really weird”, as the Blues bid well below what they needed to pay for Wilfried Zaha and ultimately signed Alex Iwobi instead.

What’s he said?

Everton were heavily linked with a move to sign Crystal Palace forward Zaha in the summer, with the Blues reportedly offering the South London outfit a package totalling £60m in cash and outcast striker Cenk Tosun in July.

When that offer was rejected, a further approach of £70m plus James McCarthy and a one-season loan deal for Tosun was reported by The Guardian, but the Eagles rejected whatever bid was put in front of them, stating that only £100m outright would be enough to sign the Ivory Coast international.

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Palace’s refusal to strike an agreement sparked Zaha to take matters into his own hands and hand in a transfer request to try and force his way out of Selhurst Park, feeling the Eagles were trying to block him from leaving.

The Selhurst Park outfit’s refusal to sell below their asking price left Everton with the potential of making no further forward additions, but instead moved from South London to North and signed Iwobi from Arsenal for a potential £34m.

This decision has not sat right with Cascarino, who feels Everton moved below the market value for Zaha and ended up buying a player who was not who they needed.

Speaking on talkSPORT’s Weekend Sports Breakfast show (13/10/2019 at 09:05), the former Olympique de Marseille striker said:

“I never quite got the Wilf Zaha one. They made a bid for Zaha, and they ended up with Iwobi.

“Okay, they have different qualities. But Everton looked like they were trying to get to a level of competing against the top-six and then they couldn’t get him [Zaha], and it felt like a deal that really never got going. It was really weird.

“If you offer £50m-plus, you know you are going to have to offer more to go after Wilf. If you are looking at [being] a top-six team, I don’t think Iwobi ticks that box, at this moment. He is still a young man, so he could become a better player.”

Creativity over finishing in Iwobi over Zaha

Palace had every right to demand such a lofty figure for Zaha, who has been a shining light at Selhurst Park, and displayed the best form of his career with ten goals and ten assists in the Premier League last season.

Iwobi, on the other hand, cost just a fraction of the figure demanded by the Eagles because he was leaving Arsenal as a player that failed to live up to the demands bestowed on him, with only 15 goals and 27 assists in 149 games across all competitions.

He was, however, one of their best creative talents in the league last term, and that was what Everton signed by moving for the Nigerian.

Per ninety minutes in the Premier League last season, Iwobi had the fifth-highest number of key passes, per WhoScored data.

Everton are yet to turn those chances created into results, but once Iwobi’s average of one key ball per 90 minutes this season are scored from, pundits like Cascarino may look more positively on his move to Goodison Park.

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

According to SportBild, via Sport Witness, Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has made contact with Mainz striker Jean-Philippe Mateta’s agent as he looks to win the race for the 6 foot 3 man’s signature, and he would bring more than just goals.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Sport Bild, via Sport Witness, report that Spurs, along with Premier League rivals Southampton, have made contact with Pierre-Henri Bovis, with Pochettino understood to have made a personal call to the 22-year-old’s agent.

Mateta has presumably attracted interest from the English top flight clubs following an impressive debut campaign for the Bundesliga outfit, in which he scored 14 goals and provided a further three assists.

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However, he is yet to play this season because of injury, with Sport Witness reporting that he is expected to be back in action next month.

Would bring more than just goals

While there are no 2019/20 stats to examine for the France U21 international because of his spell on the sidelines, it is clear to see what he would bring to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

According to Transfermarkt, he has 49 goals in 102 games at club level during his career to date, and he would clearly add some much-needed competition for Harry Kane that has been missing since Fernando Llorente’s departure in the summer following the expiration of his contract.

The Spaniard largely played back-up to the England captain but did make a big impact at times – such as his tie-winning Champions League goal against Manchester City last season – but the good thing about Mateta is that he is 12 years younger with an impressive record in front of goal.

He would bring far more than just being clinical however, because according to a Bundesliga profile piece on him he is ‘mobile’ – one of Llorente’s weaknesses – while he is also known for his speed and dribbling ability.

Should Spurs manage to bring him to north London, supporters would surely be licking their lips at the prospect of a striker with those attributes potentially lining up for them.

Leeds United have finally announced their third kit for this season.The Yorkshire club’s third strip is a tidy powder blue number, and it does look quite nice.However, it wouldn’t be a kit announcement if there weren’t some complaints to go alongside it.Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

While it seems as if a number of fans don’t actually have a problem with this strip, the supporters have made it clear that they wanted a yellow and blue kit this season.

You can’t blame them either, some of the club’s most iconic attires have been in those colours, and it would’ve been nice for Leeds to have released a strip in that scheme to celebrate their 100th anniversary.

At least this kit launch hasn’t gone down as badly as the grey and pink away kit did in the summer as that was pretty much universally hated throughout the fanbase.

Here’s what the Elland Road faithful have been saying on Twitter…

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

Brazilian forward Willian Jose has claimed that he turned down the chance to join Newcastle United from Real Sociedad in 2018.

And the Magpies have been made to regret missing out on the Sociedad ace with Joelinton struggling to make his mark since arriving from Hoffenheim.

What’s the word, then?

Speaking to Marca, Willian Jose revealed that he had the opportunity to join Newcastle last summer but ultimately remained with Sociedad.

The 27-year-old had spells with Real Madrid and Real Zaragoza before joining Las Palmas, where he managed 10 goals in 34 outings during the 2015-16 campaign.

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Sociedad signed the forward in the summer of 2016, and he has been in fine form the Basque club – netting 49 times in 117 appearances in all competitions.

This season, Willian Jose has four goals in nine La Liga outings, whilst his overall record in La Liga is 51 strikes in 133 appearances, which is some going when considering that he has not been turning out for the likes of Barcelona.

Newcastle had been in the market for a striker for some time before ultimately deciding to sign Joelinton during the summer, and the South American’s struggles suggest that Willian Jose would have been a much better option for the club.

Can Joelinton turn his form around?

It was always going to be difficult for the summer arrival to hit the ground running as Newcastle are not exactly a team that create bundles of opportunities.

The striker has netted just once in nine Premier League appearances this season, whilst his record of 15 goals in 60 Bundesliga matches is not exactly prolific.

It remains to be seen whether Joelinton can score the goals to keep Newcastle in the Premier League.

We mastered the trick in the video below in 8 attempts… could you do better?

It is difficult to say with any certainty that Willian Jose would have been a success in England’s top flight as he is unproven in the Premier League.

The Brazilian’s goal record in recent years is very, very impressive, though, and Newcastle missed a real trick when they failed to bring him to St James’ Park.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Barcelona have largely been underwhelming in their European conquests during Ernesto Valverde’s tenure at the club. And their biggest issue is stemming from their underwhelming defensive contributions.

On the chalkboard

It has been four years since we’ve last seen Barcelona as real contenders for the Champions League trophy.

And yes, every year they look formidable and many are inclined to list them as one of the favourites to get the coveted crown but when the real business starts and they face serious teams that can match their level, they crumble.

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After all, we’ve seen them embarrassed year upon year, regardless of the opponent or the venue – the catastrophes of Anfield and Rome are unlikely to be forgotten any time soon or ever, for that matter.

But even though we’re yet to see a failure of that magnitude happen in the ongoing campaign, stats do suggest it’s a disaster waiting to happen.

Sleepwalking into another disaster

When we take a look at Barcelona’s season so far, it’s pretty easy to fall into the trap of false security.

After all, we’re talking about the current leaders in both of their respective campaigns – the Catalans are top of La Liga and their Champions League group and things seem to be fine. But they’re not. Not in the slightest.

The Blaugrana have already conceded 12 goals in 12 games so far across all competitions and even though that’s already quite a lot, it’s not that alarming.

What is alarming, however, is how many chances they’re leaking at the back.

Watch Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale answer the internet’s weirdest questions in the video below…

So far, in the three Champions League clashes they’ve played in the ongoing season, Valverde’s troops have conceded 16 shots per game which equates to a total of 48 at the end of the day.

That is just unacceptable, and no other top team in Europe concedes as much.

Liverpool, the leaders over in England, have conceded 9.3 shots per game, Bayern 10.7 and Paris Saint-Germain 8.7, just to name a few who are miles ahead of the Catalans.

Sooner or later, and especially once they face a much better opponent, Barcelona are bound to get found out and punished for their lack of effort.

And it really is a lack of effort.

After all, the Catalans were the team that ran the least on the third matchday of the Champions League with just 100.4km under their belts.

Slavia Prague, their opponents that night, for example, ran 115.2km which is significantly more than the Catalans.

And needless to say, that clearly shows who fought until the very end and who coasted the entire clash.

So far, this hasn’t played a major role in their campaign but sooner or later, their luck may run out and then, the cracks will start showing once more.

Because let’s not forget what happened at Anfield last season and in Rome the season before.

Could Valverde be heading to his third embarrassment in the near future?

If nothing changes, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that he’s sleepwalking into one.

Plenty of Manchester City supporters were very happy to see a photo on Twitter which showed three of the club’s youngsters.

City prodigies Phil Foden, Eric Garcia and Tommy Doyle all started in the 3-1 victory over Southampton in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night, prompting one of the club’s photographers to take an opportunistic snapshot of them together in frame to emphasise the club’s bright future in homegrown talent.

The academy graduates all had impressive games at the Etihad Stadium, with Foden and Doyle in particular bossing the midfield in a dominant performance – the former completed 40 of his 48 passes, while the latter had an 89% passing accuracy rate and four successful dribbles, as per WhoScored.

It was a particularly special night for Doyle, who made his first City start, following in the footsteps of former City legends and family members Mike Doyle and Glyn Pardoe – with the latter getting emotional at the prospect of his grandson donning the sky blue jersey.

On an evening to remember for the youngsters, they now have this photograph to look back on, with these Manchester City fans on Twitter quick to praise the brilliant snap.

Did you like the photo of the three Manchester City youngsters in the one frame? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!

Leeds United fans on Twitter have shown great morals over the past 24 hours as they’ve made it clear what they want to happen to Kiko Casilla if he is found guilty of racially abusing Jonathan Leko.

The goalkeeper has been charged for the incident, and with two Charlton players backing up the claim things don’t look good for the former Real Madrid man.

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If he is found guilty, supporters have made it clear that they want to distance themselves from the goalkeeper as they’ve called for him to be sacked.

You can’t help but admire the fanbase’s attitude towards racism. Casilla has been one of Leeds’ most important players this term, but they aren’t willing to back him if he is found guilty of what he is accused of.

Whether or not Casilla is found guilty or not remains to be seen but with a 12 game ban possibly awaiting the Spaniard, it doesn’t bode well.

Here’s what the Elland Road faithful have been saying on Twitter…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…

Manchester City’s defence was at sixes and sevens too often against Liverpool, as the champions slumped to their third to defeat of the Premier League season. Two quickfire goals early on in the game and a Sadio Mane header in the second half showed there any still many gaps within the City backline.

The likes of Ederson were clearly missed, whilst the absence of Aymeric Laporte and departure of Vincent Kompany have equally been felt during the season. At right-back, Pep Guardiola has been experimenting and perhaps still does not know his best player in that spot, having played Joao Cancelo five times in the Premier League, as well as Kyle Walker.

Cancelo signed for City this summer for £27.5m and hasn’t managed to dethrone Walker just yet, though he has shown enough promise to suggest he can eventually become the club’s first-choice right-back.

Just a week before the battle on Merseyside, Walker put in a game-winning display against Southampton by assisting the equaliser and scoring the winner. However, his form over the past year has seen him miss out on the England squad, raising questions marks over the true extent of his ability in the process.

The 25-year-old right-back has so far averaged 2.4 tackles per game in the Premier League and two tackles per match in the Champions League. On the other hand, against Liverpool, Walker made just one tackle and was beaten twice in the game.

In truth, throughout the tie, Mane had a fairly easy game against the former Tottenham Hotspur man.

Even going forward the 29-year-old made just 34 passes, which equalled to a 74% completion rate, whilst Walker also failed to accurately complete a single cross.

Despite his proven ability going forward, Walker’s defensive frailties have been exposed at times.

With Cancelo still relatively new to the club and looking to stamp his mark at the Etihad, Walker’s latest performance will certainly give Guardiola food for thought moving forward.