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According to a recent report from Faro de Vigo, Wesley Hoedt looks set to leave Southampton this month. The 24-year-old only made the move to the Premier League outfit back in the summer of 2017 after two years at Serie A heavyweights Lazio, yet struggles for regular game time under new Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has plunged his future at the club into huge doubt.

And reports suggest that the centre back is set to join Spanish club Celta Vigo on loan for the rest of the season in a bid to earn that regular first team football, and the South Coast outfit simply must seek to replace the Spain-bound defender by luring Chelsea outcast Gary Cahill to St Mary’s.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, Hoedt became a regular at Southampton upon arrival at the club 18 months ago, appearing 28 times in the Premier League as they narrowly avoided relegation, before turning out frequently under Mark Hughes this time round as well before the Welshman’s sacking in December.

But since the arrival of former Red Bull Leipzig boss Hasenhuttl, the Netherlands international has been nowhere to be seen in failing to appear at all for the Saints under the Austrian, with his failure to appear in each of their last six match-day squads underlining just how far away he is from Hasenhuttl’s thinking.

As such, one could argue that the Saints do not need to replace Hoedt given how far out of favour he is, but having played with three centre backs on occasion under Hasenhuttl, another accomplished option in that area of the field certainly wouldn’t go amiss to compete with the likes of Jan Bednarek, Jack Stephens, Jannik Vestegaard, and Maya Yoshida – Cahill falls into that category.

The 33-year-old may have seriously struggled for regular first team football under new Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri this season, appearing only seven times in all competitions, but one mustn’t forget just how great a defender he has been at Stamford Bridge over the years in helping the Blues win two Premier League titles in 2015 and 2017.

In fact, the latter of those two title successes saw Cahill excel in Antonio Conte’s back three with 27 Premier League appearances for the West Londoners – so not only does he possess a vast amount of experience at both club and international level, but he has produced the goods in a system similar to what Hasenhuttl has been implementing at Southampton.

And having delivered that level of performance little over 18 months ago for Chelsea, there is clearly still a very good centre back in the former England international – and in a Saints side seeking to pull clear of the bottom three, he could prove to be the ideal addition.

Thus, with Hoedt seemingly on his way out of St Mary’s this month, the South Coast outfit must seek to replace him despite his lowly position in the pecking order, with £9 million-rated Cahill (as per Transfermarkt) the man who would seriously bolster Hasenhuttl’s centre back ranks after Hoedt’s exit.

Southampton fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Tottenham Hotspur have allowed Georges-Kevin N’Koudou to join AS Monaco on loan, per a tweet from their official Twitter account.

The left winger departs after struggling to make a first-team breakthrough in north London over the past season.

N’Koudou, per Transfermarkt, has made three appearances for the club this season, playing 90 minutes once, in the FA Cup defeat to Crystal Palace.

He joined the club from Marseille in 2016 for a fee of around £9m and, having spent part of last season on loan at Burnley, will now return to Ligue 1 as he looks to get his career back on track.

The deal is the second departure Spurs have sanctioned this month after allowing Belgian midfielder Mousa Dembele to move to China earlier in the window.

However, they have yet to make a new signing themselves, and Spurs fans cannot understand why N’Koudou has been allowed to leave, such has been their inactivity in the transfer window.

According to a recent report from Corriere Fiorentino (via The Newcastle Chronicle), Newcastle United made a move for Marko Pjaca in the latter stages of the January transfer window. The 23-year-old currently plays his football at Italian outfit Fiorentina on loan from Serie A giants Juventus, although struggles for regular football seemingly attracted the interest of Magpies manager Rafa Benitez.

And that’s because a recent report from Corriere Fiorentino (via The Newcastle Chronicle) suggests that the North East giants sought a deal for the winger in the last knockings of the transfer window – a deal that, had they got done alongside that of Miguel Almiron, would have sent St James’ Park into raptures ahead of the rest of the season.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, the addition of Paraguay international Almiron on Deadline Day was met with widespread delight by Newcastle supporters, what with owner Mike Ashley finally breaking the club’s long-standing transfer record to equip Benitez with a signing of pure quality.

And that’s because the 24-year-old had shone throughout his spell in Major League Soccer, bagging 22 goals and laying on 21 assists in just 70 appearances for Atlanta United, equating to a direct contribution every 136 minutes of action.

And with Newcastle somewhat struggling for that creative and forward-thinking number ten, what with Ayoze Perez a more defensive-minded attacker who doesn’t have that flair, it was a move that was needed to enable Benitez to take this Magpies team forward – it was a signing that both he and indeed the supporters so desperately needed.

Almiron’s addition itself was enough to supremely delight plenty of Newcastle fans, but had they also been able to lure the hugely talented Pjaca to the North East as well, it would have gone some way to sending St James’ Park into raptures.

The 23-year-old may have struggled for regular football on loan at Fiorentina this season with only eight Serie A starts to his name so far, just one of which has come since the start of December, but there is a reason that Juventus lured the winger away from Dinamo Zagreb back in 2016 – and that’s because he has got serious ability.

The Croatia international, who has been capped 23 times by his country already, shone in his homeland at Dinamo Zagreb with 28 goals and 13 assists in 91 appearances for the club, reaching double figures in both of his full seasons in the Croatian capital to underline his credentials in front of goal.

And he even earned 20 appearances for the Old Lady in his first season in Turin to suggest that he is very much in Massimiliano Allegri’s thoughts, although loan spells at Schalke and now Fiorentina suggests that he still has work to do to hone in his skills to thus become a regular at the Juventus Stadium.

Nonetheless, Pjaca is clearly an exciting player with much potential – and with Newcastle somewhat lacking in genuine flair down the flanks, it’s a deal that would have surely been well received by Magpies faithful.

In fact, that alongside the signing of Almiron would have gone some way to sending St James’ Park into raptures.

Newcastle fans… what do you think? Let us know!

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Everton’s official Twitter account wished the club’s supporters a ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’ by posting an image of Richarlison and Yerry Mina together.

The message was simple – find love like Richarlison and Mina.

The problem with that is neither player is too popular with the Toffees fans at the moment.

Richarlison – a £35m arrival from Watford – has scored 10 Premier League goals this season, but it would be fair to say that not all of the Everton fans are convinced by the Brazil international.

Mina, meanwhile, has not been seen in an Everton shirt in the Premier League since January 13.

Indeed, the Colombia international – signed from Barcelona for £27.1m – has not featured in any of the club’s last five league matches and has not even made the squad for the previous four.

Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

The defender is still struggling with the injury that he picked up against Millwall in the FA Cup at the end of last month.

And it is currently unclear when the towering centre-back will be able to return.

To suggest that Everton’s tweet did not go down well with the club’s supporters would be an understatement, with a selection of their reaction available to view below:

Manchester United must move to strengthen their defence heavily during the upcoming summer transfer window.

Former manager Jose Mourinho was desperate to add defensive reinforcements last summer but United tried and failed to land a number of key targets. Mourinho was left disappointed and United’s poor form on the pitch ultimately cost him his job. His replacement, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, has performed admirably in the role and his chances of landing the job permanently has been greatly improved as a result of their performances.

Should the Norwegian legend be appointed, improving his defence must be a priority. Solskjaer has finally got the best from Paul Pogba as well as reinvigorating Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial at the top of the field. Strengthening their back four would have United challenging for the title in no time.

One man the Red Devils should look to recruit is Lyon flyer – Ferland Mendy. Valued at £10.8m by Transfermarkt, the left-back has developed into a crucial player for his side since joining from Le Havre in the summer of 2017. Mendy is enjoying his finest season to date and has earned praise from fans and pundits alike due to his exceptional showings in Ligue 1.

The France international possesses blistering pace which allows him to keep up with the quickest of forwards as well as bomb forward to help out the attack. His biggest asset is his dribbling ability, averaging two successful dribbles per game this season, which helps him beat players with ease when bringing the ball out of defence. Mendy has also averaged an impressive 1.4 key passes per game this season which could mean even more goals for Rashford in the United attack (WhoScored).

Still improving and developing, this move should be a no brainer for Solskjaer.

Manchester United fans, thoughts?

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It has been a good weekend for Wolverhampton Wanderers defender Matt Doherty.

Indeed, the 27-year-old signed a new long-term contract with Wolves before starring in their 1-0 win over Bristol City in the FA Cup on Sunday afternoon.

Doherty provided the assist for Ivan Cavaleiro to register at Ashton Gate, and the Portuguese’s goal decided the fifth-round contest.

The assist was Doherty’s seventh in all competitions this season, with two of those coming in the FA Cup and five in the Premier League.

There is absolutely no question that the Republic of Ireland international is enjoying a fine campaign.

And therefore it was not a surprise when a whole host of Wolves fans took to social media to lavish praise on the 6ft defender’s recent performance.

Wolves have a number of talented footballers, but few have made a bigger impact than Doherty during the 2018-19 campaign.

A selection of the best Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Leeds United attacker Tyler Roberts produced a poor display in his side’s 1-0 defeat against Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road on Tuesday, but he can play a big role against former club West Bromwich Albion at Elland Road on Friday night.

On the chalkboard

With the likes of Adam Forshaw, Kemar Roofe and Jack Clarke missing through injury and illness right now, Roberts has started the Yorkshire outfit’s previous two Championship fixtures having found consistent starts hard to come by previously.

The Wales international has played alongside Mateusz Klich through the middle in something of a No.10 role behind Patrick Bamford, but he certainly wasn’t at his best in the capital and gave the ball away cheaply on a number of occasions – something that didn’t go unnoticed by Whites fans on Twitter as he was heavily criticised.

Despite that, Bielsa has confirmed that the same starting XI that was beaten on Tuesday will be the same one that faces the Baggies, meaning the 20-year-old will get another opportunity to impress.

Can he make a difference?

He certainly can.

Not only will Roberts be motivated when he comes up against a former employer, but he only needs to take a look at West Brom’s 1-0 defeat to Sheffield United last weekend to see the difference he can make from his position.

Kieran Dowell, who featured in behind the two strikers for the Blades at The Hawthorns, ensured his side took the three points after finishing off a swift counter-attack in the 14th minute.

Leeds’ young player will be featuring in a similar role on Friday, and he needs to stamp his authority on proceedings and exploit the gaps that could appear between the midfield and the backline to get his team back to winning ways in the promotion race – Gareth Barry and Jake Livermore are certainly there to be got at.

As one of the biggest clubs in England, it probably comes as no surprise when we say that Arsenal possess serious quality in every department. But who, out of everyone on the squad, really stands out as the finest of all?

Starting from the bottom, we could not gift either ‘keeper with this title. As much of a serviceman Petr Cech has been to the club, and Premier League football in general, he is past his best.

Bernd Leno has been decent enough since arriving at the start of the season, but with Arsenal’s goal being one of the leakiest in top-half of the table we could not possibly suggest him either.

The same goes for the defence.

All decent enough players on the day but are yet to bond collectively.

However, you could probably argue that Hector Bellerin and Rob Holding deserve credit for some exceptional performances before their injuries.

Midfield is a tough one. Matteo Guendouzi has been a revelation since arriving from Lorient for a bargain fee earlier and has genuinely turned a lot of heads in the process. Indeed, there is no doubting that he could become one of the best midfielders in the world providing his progress is monitored correctly. Lucas Torreira looked to be Arsenal’s answer to N’Golo Kante before his form dropped off slightly, but there is a major player in there.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Alex Iwobi, as far as we are concerned, are team players who occasionally turn up.

Lacazette has improved massively this season and alongside Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang forms one of the most formidable offensive partnerships in the Premier League.

Arsenal have been poor at the back this year leaving their attacking players with it all to do, and for the most part, they have done well. The Gabon international is the third top scorer in the Premier League as it stands, behind Manchester City’s Aguero and Liverpool’s Salah, and he has been good value for this position.

Vital player.

Fan favourite Gaetano Berardi has made his much-anticipated return from injury but there is no guarantee he will get time in the current squad, and what a mistake that could turn out to be.

Hard-nut Gaetano Berardi is a highly regarded figure around Elland Road and a huge favourite of Marcelo Bielsa.

Following his return to the first-team in Leeds United victory over fellow promotion hopefuls Bristol City, the Argentine was full of praise.

“Gaetano Berardi is always a very important player for us,” said Bielsa.

“The fact that we have him back and he’s at the disposal of the team is a very important for the performance of the team and it’s every important for the players.

“He’s a loved player, a very respected player and a very important player.”

But is this enough to keep him in the squad?

Yorkshire Evening Post have certainly cast doubt over the chances of the 30-year-old reclaiming his permanent spot, citing the form of current starters Liam Cooper and Pontus Janssen as key reasons behind a future peripheral role.

We believe this would be a major error of judgement. Berardi is a favourite for a reason, after all.

He commands respect around the squad; that other individuals can look to in times of disrepute for assurances and inspiration.

Leeds United need every single of these Berardi-style characters pushing into the most important period of their season. In turn, Bielsa needs someone he can rely on; a player who will literally fight their way through the remaining 10 games onto promotion. A mad dog. The one to break down staunch opposition and set an example.

The ferocious defender may have a slight issue with discipline, but that is surely welcomed now.

To take that away from the team is to risk leaving them spineless.

Leeds United fans, how do you think Bielsa should handle Berardi for the remainder of the season? Let us know in the comments below…

There is no doubting that over the years Celtic have been smart and efficient within the transfer market. But, just how many signings will truly make a dent in the history of the Glasgow giants? 

With so many players coming in and out of the club over the last five years, it is hard to tell who truly gave themselves the right to say they are in the Hoops’ folklore. However, there have certainly been a couple of signings where fans just don’t understand how good they were.

In the modern game, the growing problem for players and clubs alike is the price.

The price of a player, the wages to be paid, the agent fees, it’s all becoming too much.

With this in mind, Celtic have certainly managed to go under the radar and really bring in some proper talent without paying millions, so here we take a look at a couple of smart signings made by the Bhoys.

Moussa Dembele 

Joining from Fulham back in the 2016/17 season, Moussa Dembele certainly made his mark in his maiden season for Celtic. Making his debut on only his 20th birthday, there was, of course, a lot of pressure on the French international.

Despite all the pressure, he raised his game to the very top, scoring 32 goals in all competitions, as well as helping the club qualify for the Champions League group stage.

The then 20-year-old had a stellar spell at Celtic, and one of the best bits about it for you Celtic fans, he came on a free transfer.

Imagine that. 32 free goals, helping to gain a clean sweep of Scottish trophies, and a Champions League group stage. Brilliant Business.

Kristoffer Ajer

Joining from Norwegian club Start, for a pretty small price, no one at the club had expected what the young 20-year-old has become today. Signing for the Hoops back in 2016, most fans would have thought he is only a youth prospect, another player coming into the youth ranks only to be shipped out when older.

Well, now making himself a permanent face in the heart of the Celtic defence. Ajer has become integral to the success at Celtic Park, just imagine his price in the years to come. It certainly is a bright future for the defender.