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Manchester United have gone seven years without winning a Premier League title, the club’s longest dry-spell since the league’s rebrand in 1992.

It’s no secret that many believe that the big issue at the club is a weakened mentality since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson, with Gary Neville or Roy Keane seemingly ranting about that exact issue on Sky Sports every couple of weeks or so.

United seem to be getting back on track when it comes to talent on the pitch, they’ve won six of their first eight league games since the restart, and one player they’re reportedly looking into signing could help bring back the winning mentality that has seemingly been lacking.

The Athletic have reported that the Red Devils are looking into the possibility of bringing in Kingsley Coman as an alternative to Jadon Sancho.

On face value, Coman doesn’t look to be as good as Sancho, the Frenchman has 26 fewer goal contributions in the league than the Dortmund star this term, but despite that, the 24-year-old can bring something that Sancho may not have.

Indeed, the Bayern man may not score or assist as much as the England international, but it’s impossible to deny the fact that he is a born winner.

Coman has won eight league titles in a row throughout his spells with PSG, Juventus and Bayern Munich, and being in a title-winning dressing room that often is bound to breed a winning mentality.

The winger has what it takes to play a part in a title-winning side, and that could be huge in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s quest to lead United back to glory in the coming years.

If Coman can come in and bring that sort of attitude to the squad, it could be huge for the Red Devils.

Gareth Bale and Real Madrid are one of the most interesting stories in world football. Of course, once the most expensive player on the planet, the Welshman is now reduced to yawning in the stands and rarely getting the chance to play.

His relationship with the gaffer, Zinedine Zidane, is practically non-existent but for one reason or the other, Los Blancos were never really keen to see him leave. Until now, that is.

According to the latest report from The Telegraph, Real Madrid are finally ready to facilitate the winger’s departure and would even pay half his wages just to make it happen.

This, of course, would be a huge boost for the likes of Tottenham Hotspur or even Manchester United who were touted as interested parties. Jose Mourinho is an admirer but Bale’s wages and a potentially astronomical price tag were the main obstacles.

Spurs are not exactly blessed with a full warchest but if Real really do pay half of the Welshman’s reported £600,000-a-week wage, maybe a window suddenly opens for them to strike.

Even though the Spanish champions are not in a financial crisis like most of the footballing world, keeping such an expensive player only for him to play golf and warm the bench is not exactly an ideal scenario.

Offloading him to the Premier League, on the other hand, might be.

But it will be up to Daniel Levy to sanction such a move first.

Verdict

This is not the first time we talk about Bale potentially returning to Spurs and until he finally makes the move and leaves Madrid, the stories are going to keep on appearing.

But maybe Mourinho needs such a superstar in the team after all. He’s got Harry Kane, of course, but adding a bit more firepower would surely go a long way to helping Spurs finally reach for the stars.

Newcastle United are reportedly interested in signing the highly-rated 16-year old prospect Ilyes Zouaoui from Olympique Marseille as the French club are looking to secure him on a new deal, according to The Daily Mail.

As per the outlet, Zouaoui is out of contract in the summer and is in danger of being snapped up for free in the upcoming transfer window.

However, he has also attracted interest from several European giants with Borussia Dortmund, Juventus and Olympiakos among the teams thought to have scouted the youngster.

They had apparently been impressed with his ability to cut in from the left-hand side and score off of his right foot.

Zouaoui had scored 15 goals and made 14 assists in just 16 games for Marseille’s under-18s side prior to youth football being suspended due to the global pandemic, and he is also an established U17 international for France.

These are highly impressive stats at any level, and the fact that Zouaoui is still so young and other big heavyweights are chasing his signature should give NUFC at least some incentive to consider signing him up.

In addition, the Frenchman will already have a mentor to learn from in fellow countryman Allan Saint-Maximin. The 23-year old was also signed from French football and plays in a similar position.

ASM has averaged the highest rating (7.18) in the Premier League so far out of his teammates this season, and also averages 4.4 dribbles per match, the most by far (via Whoscored).

Signing Zouaoui on a free transfer would be low-risk and he still has so much time in front of him to grow into a potential fans favourite.

Geordies, would this be a good signing? Comment below!

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has transformed the Reds into a world-beating side inside an extraordinary 13 months. 

Klopp will be immortalised forever at Anfield alongside the likes of Bob Paisley and Joe Fagan. However, life could have been very different for the Premier League champions.

According to The Athletic, as relayed by @AnfieldEdition, Fenway Sports Group (FSG) were interested in appointing Eddie Howe after sacking Brendan Rodgers in 2015. Rodgers, who is now in charge of Leicester, met his demise following a slump in form.

FSG “gave serious consideration to hiring Howe” as he was on a three-man shortlist with Carlo Ancelotti, who later ended up at Merseyside rivals Everton, before opting for Klopp instead.

By that stage, the Cherries boss had earned a reputation for developing young players and playing attractive football, although he was still relatively inexperienced at the time.

Bournemouth are engulfed in a relegation scrap for survival and remain in the drop zone on goal difference ahead of the game against Newcastle this evening. To make matters worse, Callum Wilson, who is the club’s top scorer, has been handed a two-match ban.

Unsurprisingly, loads of LFC fans blasted the “close shave” on social media, with one fan tweeting that Howe could have been “another Brendan Rodgers” in reference to Bournemouth’s dramatic decline in form, while another added that he is “garbage”.

Scroll down through some of the scathing reactions so far…

Liverpool fans, are you glad you ended up with Jurgen Klopp and not Eddie How? Let us know your views in the comments below!

هنأ محمد أبو تريكة نجم الأهلي السابق، القلعة الحمراء بعد حصد لقب السوبر الإفريقي على حساب نهضة بركان.

الأهلي واجه نهضة بركان المغربي، في السوبر الإفريقي الذي يجمع بينهما على استاد جاسم بن حمد بنادي السد القطري.

وسجل محمد شريف الهدف الأول للأهلي في الدقيقة 57، فيما أضاف صلاح محسن الهدف الثاني في الدقيقة 82. شاهد أهداف الأهلي ونهضة بركان

ونشر تريكة على حسابه الرسمي بموقع التغريدات القصيرة “تويتر”: “برونزية العالم، بطولة إفريقيا، سوبر إفريقي، جيل يسطر التاريخ كما الأجيال السابقة”.

واختتم: “الكل يتغير والأهلي هو الثابت، ودائما هو في المقدمة، ألف مبروك يا أهلي يا كبير”.

برونزية العالم …بطولة افريقيا …سوبر افريقي …جيل يسطر التاريخ كما الاجيال السابقه ..الكل يتغير والاهلي هو الثابت ودائما هو فى المقدمة ..الف مبروك يا أهلي يا كبير

— محمد أبوتريكة (@trikaofficial) May 28, 2021

This article is part of Football FanCast’s One to Watch series, which focuses on those players we think are particularly worth keeping an eagle-eye on as the 2019/20 season unfolds.

The world is currently at Erling Haaland’s feet and he’s only 19 years of age.

If that is not a scary statement, then nothing really is.

Haaland is at the very beginning of his promising career in every sense of that word and yet, it feels like he has already conquered it all. After all, we’re talking here about an unstoppable talent that has already bagged 26 goals and six assists in just 18 games this season for Red Bull Salzburg.

That would be impressive for almost anyone not named Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, let alone for a 19-year-old kid who’s just starting his career.

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And naturally, it didn’t take long for the big clubs to get linked with this Norwegian talisman.

Manchester United have recently become a part of that group of elite clubs looking to potentially snatch the big talent up.

According to The Athletic’s exclusive report, the Red Devils have dispatched their most-trusted scouts to personally watch the 19-year-old in action in order to fully evaluate him.

The same source claims Manchester United will focus on his Champions League clashes but Haaland could potentially be in action for his national side as early as this evening.

Norway will face the Faroe Islands and this could be the youngster’s opportunity to increase the already ridiculous tally of goals he has in 2019.

Still, he was only capped twice for his national side so far but with his recent explosion to the scene, it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume that figure will only rise in the not so distant future.

And if he can start netting goals for fun for Norway as well, it would be hard to make a case against his signing, no matter which club we’re talking about.

Of course, with Manchester United’s more than just unfavourable situation in the Premier League, they might be in dire need of a big reinforcement.

The Red Devils are currently sitting in seventh place and behind most of the big English names bar Tottenham Hotspur.

Is Haaland the answer to their problems?

He could be and for that reason, their fans better keep their eyes peeled for the young prodigy’s potential show later on tonight.

Loads of Aston Villa fans have been lauding summer signing Trezeguet for his “outstanding” performance against Liverpool on Saturday, as the £8.75million arrival opened his account in a 2-1 defeat.

Trezeguet made his seventh start in the Premier League against Jurgen Klopp’s title-chasing Reds, and gave the German cause for concern in the 21st-minute by handing the Villans a well-deserved lead.

Watch Aston Villa Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The Egyptian forward volleyed home at the back post midway through the first-half, after John McGinn delivered a teasing free-kick into the box which Liverpool’s defenders failed to deal with as he was left unchallenged to score.

A mistake by Trent Alexander-Arnold could have gifted Trezeguet his second in the closing stages, too, but the 25-year-old could not beat Virgil van Dijk after pouncing on an error by the England right-back.

Andy Roberston pulled the Anfield outfit level not long after, and Villa were left heartbroken in stoppage-time when Sadio Mane fired a low header home.

Fans have been lauding Trezeguet for his performance despite the end result, though, with many impressed by the former Kasimpasa man’s efforts against the unbeaten Premier League leaders.

As well as his goal, Trezeguet attempted 13 passes, nine of which came in the final third, along with five attempted dribbles, two successful tackles, two interceptions, four blocks, and was dispossessed by an opponent just once, per WhoScored data.

Here are some of the messages shared…

In one of the longest running transfer sagas of the summer, Paul Pogba’s ‘will-he-stay’ or ‘will-he-go’ situation overwhelmed Manchester United’s entire summer.

All the headlines were dominated with whether the Frenchman would be making his departure from Old Trafford, particularly after his very public comments about wanting a new challenge.

However, a move to either Real Madrid or Juventus failed to materialise, and the 26-year-old has had no choice but to stay put at the club.

The France World Cup winner has been out of action for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side with injury, and the United boss confirmed ahead of the club’s Europa League match with Partizan Belgrade that he doesn’t have an exact date as to when the midfielder will make his return.

After hearing the latest injury news on the former Juventus man, United fans flooded to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the France international.

Many supporters of the Manchester side appeared to have a resigned feeling over the matter, suggesting that delayed comeback is simply a way of wanting out of the club in the near future.

Check out some of the reaction of United fans below:

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

As reported by TEAMtalk, Manchester City have set their sights on Mikel Oyarzabal as a replacement for Leroy Sane, with the club prepared to let the Germany international move to Bayern Munich at the end of the season.

What’s the word, then?

The reports claim that Sane will depart for the German giants at the end of the season, and City scouts have been on the lookout for a player to replace him.

Oyarzabal, who has a release clause just shy of £70m, has been identified as a potential candidate to fill the void.

The Premier League champions’ asking price for Sane is set at more than £100m and the player has made it clear that he wants to join Bayern.

The Citizens signed Sane for £37m back in 2016 and would clearly make an incredible profit on him should that deal go through.

Watch Manchester City Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Not a transfer that makes sense

The winger is currently out injured after he damaged his anterior cruciate ligament in the Community Shield. It means Sane will miss the majority of the season after undergoing surgery on the issue.

Prior to his injury, Sane proved to be a vital man for Pep Guardiola’s side. The German scored 10 goals and provided 10 assists in the Premier League last season as the club defended the title, and that was during a season in which he didn’t appear to be in full flow.

On his debut campaign the former Schalke man netted 10 times and bagged himself 15 assists.

Aside from his natural ability to make a potent impact in the final-third, the 23-year-old’s defining attribute in Manchester has been his pace.

Sane has provided lightning-quick speed down the left for City, and defenders have constantly struggled to contain it. In truth, his speed and elegance in full flight is not something that comes around often and he’s a talent who deserves to be cherished and nurtured whilst he’s available to Guardiola.

Quite frankly, it’s not a transfer that should be avoided from a City perspective.

That the club broke their transfer record to secure the services of Rodri in a £63m deal in the summer suggests they don’t need the money and from a footballing perspective it makes no sense to let Sane leave.

He has been a revelation since signing for the club and is only one year older than Oyarzabal.

Only Sane will know exactly where he envisages his future, but Guardiola and the rest of City’s hierarchy should do everything in their power to convince him to remain at the Etihad Stadium.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Former Arsenal left-back Nacho Monreal has said that he did not need to think twice about joining Arsenal in 2013.

What’s the word?

Monreal, 33, departed the club last summer after agreeing to move to Real Sociedad after six and a half seasons at the Emirates.

The Spaniard told Mundo Deportivo (via football.london) how his move to Arsenal happened and how he struggled during the first 12 months.

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“Yes, no doubt (I was right to join Arsenal). I was very happy in Malaga. But the club had financial needs and problems with the sheikh. I was the third to go after (Santi) Cazorla and (Salomon) Rondon.

“Besides, when Arsenal calls, you don’t think about it. I said yes immediately.

In the video below, we look at where it all went wrong for Arsenal’s former ‘saviour’, Mesut Ozil…

“The beginning was difficult. I was very shy; a new country, a new language, new culture, players I didn’t know. It became very hard. I suffered for the first 12 months.

“But I acclimatised to the city, the club and English football and my memories are wonderful. Even being captain of Arsenal. A pride.”

Underappreciated

Within a side that boasted the likes of prime Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, Monreal found himself to be the polar opposite of those names as an unspectacular, no-frills defender that got through games with just hard work and determination.

Former Arsenal legend Ian Wright branded the Spaniard as a “total professional” and someone who always gave 100% during matches.

Monreal was always on the left side on the back four and was well known for operating as a wing-back with his efforts going forward. His best season came during the 2017/18 campaign, with five goals and two assists in the Premier League.

This was accompanied by impressive attacking stats with 0.8 shots per game and 0.5 key passes on average. For a left-back, this illustrates his underappreciated contributions.

The Spaniard was equally as impressive defensively, Monreal accumulated an average of 2.2 aerial duels won, 1.9 tackles and two interceptions per match in that fantastic 17/18 season.

His commanding presence and his capabilities at the back saw him take the captain’s armband and demand more of a leadership role, as he told the club’s official website.

The gap that Monreal left was quickly filled with the arrival of Kieran Tierney from Celtic, but his latest comments are just another reminder of the kind of player he was for the club, perhaps under-appreciated considering his passion for the badge and exploits on the pitch.