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Roy Keane and Sir Alex Ferguson aren’t friends, that much is for certain.The pair fell out in 2005, ultimately leading to the iconic captain’s mid-season departure to Celtic, and it seems the relationship hasn’t improved much since, either.“I wouldn’t forgive Ferguson,†Keane toldÂOffTheBall.com as he reignited the feud in September. “The media spin, how I apparently upset everybody, it was all nonsense.â€He added: “Ferguson came out afterwards and said he always did what was best by Manchester United. Nonsense.“People said [Ferguson] always had the best interests of Manchester United at heart. Darren Ferguson [his son] won a medal. He was very lucky.“[Alex Ferguson’s] brother was the chief scout for Manchester United for a long time. I’m surprised his wife wasn’t involved in the staff somewhere.â€But that isn’t to say there isn’t a certain degree of admiration felt between the midfielder and his former boss. After all, the pair worked together for just over 12 years at Old Trafford and had a hand in winning seven Premier League titles and one Champions League medal.Indeed, if there’s one thing you’re guaranteed from the footballer-turned-manager-turned-pundit it’s honesty. And while he’ll happily admit his “friendship†with Ferguson is over, and will never be returning, he’s equally quick to acknowledge that the Scot was one of the greatest at his job.Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Away from the typical pantomime act we’re so used to seeing, Keane treated us to an insightful review of his relationship with the Manchester United legend on Monday Night Football…

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

According to The Times, Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino wants five players gone in January as he bids to rescue the club’s season, and chairman Daniel Levy has a big part to play.

What’s the word, then?

Well, The Times report that Pochettino plans to accelerate a clear-out of underperforming Spurs in January following their dismal start to the 2019 campaign, which has seen them knocked out of the Carabao Cup, lose 7-2 at home to Bayern Munich and lie 13 points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool after just eight games.

The Argentine wants rid of Eric Dier, Christian Eriksen, Serge Aurier, Victor Wanyama and Danny Rose – all of whom the report adds the north London outfit wanted to sell during the previous summer transfer window.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The Times says that the negative atmosphere around the squad this term has stemmed from players being told they weren’t wanted, but remaining at the club beyond the deadline.

Levy needs to deliver

The Tottenham chairman is reportedly right behind the man he appointed in 2014, and now he needs to make sure he fulfils his January wish.

It is clear to see that something hasn’t quite been right with Spurs, their players and the manager this season, and if The Times is right it could be down to unwanted players ending up staying in north London.

In that sense, Levy must not let Pochettino down when it comes to moving these players on in January, and should already be exploring avenues of possibility so that they can go for the best possible deal as early in the New Year as they can.

Doing that would also allow the 47-year-old to get in any players he wants at that point, with what is a bloated squad surely needing to be cut before new signings can be brought in.

According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal are closely monitoring the progress of RB Salzburg winger Hwang Hee-chan.

What’s the word?

Hwang, 23, thoroughly impressed during the Austrian side’s 4-3 defeat against Liverpool in the Champions League as he negotiated past the colossal defender Virgil van Dijk to get himself on the score sheet.

Arsenal have joined the likes of Crystal Palace in the race for Hwang’s signature in the next transfer window, with scouts from major European leagues following the Austrian Bundesliga forward closely, per the Daily Mail.

The South Korean winger has been at RB Salzburg since 2015 and has had two loan spells with Austrian Division Two side FC Liefering and with Hamburg in the German Bundesliga.

Following in the footsteps

Following a loan spell in Germany last season where he did not impress, the South Korean winger has had a resurgence during the start of this campaign and finds himself with seven goals and 10 assists in 11 games in all competitions.

RB Salzburg have been praised for their progression through the European ranks, particularly as they reached the Europa League semi-finals last season. More importantly, a few well-known stars have emerged from the Austrian ranks that now play among the elite in European football.

Liverpool’s Sadio Mane, who moved to Anfield for £34m, started as a youngster at RB Salzburg before making a move to Southampton in 2014 for £10m. He scored 19 goals in all competitions for Die Mozartstädter during the 2012/13 season which opened the door to the Premier League for the Senegal international two years later.

The other player is Naby Keita. The Guinean midfielder caught the eye of many clubs during the 2015/16 campaign after scoring 12 goals in 28 league games for the Austrian side, rewarding him with a move to their sister club RB Leipzig in Germany and then onto Liverpool in a £48m deal.

The Austrian outfit have become a hotbed for bringing through up and coming talent and the Gunners have identified a player that would certainly boost Unai Emery’s side and provide an additional avenue for strength in depth in the attacking areas of the team, illustrating the intelligence of the Arsenal scouting set up, per the Daily Mail.

If Arsenal’s interest is genuine, Hwang could follow the likes of Mane and Keita to an elite Premier League club after impressing in Austria, and with Erling Haaland scoring goals at a relentless rate this season, the South Korea international is unlikely to be the only Salzburg star attracting interest from some of Europe’s best in the coming months.

After a sensational start to the season, consistency could grant him a move to a top club; Arsenal may be his next destination.

Troy Deeney news for you now.

He’s currently doing his best to come back from injury and posted a video to his Twitter account showing off his efforts.

Whilst the health and fitness of a Watford forward might not be the biggest news when it comes to fans at St Andrew’s, there was one part of the video that got their attention, and that was the tattoo he had on his leg.

It’s no secret who Deeney swears his allegiances to, and Bluenoses loved seeing the sight of it, with a couple even trying to convince the forward to move in January.

If Wayne Rooney can go back to Everton and Andy Carroll can return to Newcastle, then who knows what the future might hold for Deeney.

Saying that, one thing that may have passed them by, is that even though he’s a fan of the club, he has stated in the past that he isn’t 100% keen on playing for them. Perhaps he’s changed his mind since then? Some fans will certainly hope so.

View this post on InstagramThe lads ??A post shared by Matt Doherty (@mattdoherty20) on Oct 17, 2019 at 8:20am PDT

The pair both uploaded the same team photo with different captions.

Both captions show that they feel a great affinity with their teammates, and it shows that above all else they’re a team rather than just a group of individuals.

This sort of spirit within the camp will certainly help Wolves’ aspirations of another top seven finish or a decent Europa League run.

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…

Speaking on talkSPORT, Stuart Pearce has dismissed Roy Keane’s suggestions that Manchester United could lure Harry Kane to Old Trafford.

What did he say?

Speaking after the Red Devils’ 1-1 draw with Liverpool on Sunday afternoon, United legend Keane urged the club to go and get Kane from Tottenham in a bid to solve their goal-scoring crisis.

However, whilst Pearce acknowledged the England international would bring a lot to the table at Old Trafford, he insisted the Red Devils would find it incredibly difficult to entice him away from north London.

The indoor football skills in the video below have to be seen to be believed…

He said: “When you look at United in years gone by, that’s what Sir Alex used to do. Van Nistelrooy, Cole, Sheringham, Berbatov – he used to go out and buy the best centre forward who was available at the time.

“Also there are question marks over the character of the dressing room at United, and when you sign Harry Kane you get a top character a well, a top professional.

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“But Harry Kane is one of the few players who you feel has an affection, a real connection with the club he plays for, and that’s going to be a problem. There’s no Champions League football at Old Trafford at the moment, so that’s a problem as well. That’s what players want, that’s the clamour.”

Perspective

Whilst Keane’s dead-pan comments on United targeting Kane certainly went down well with the Red Devils faithful on social media, a bit of perspective is perhaps needed. The Spurs marksman has been with the north Londoners for years upon years, and as Pearce says, has developed a real affinity for the club.

As well as his personal ties with Mauricio Pochettino’s side, their record of playing in the Champions League in the past few seasons also counts as a massive plus – something United cannot provide this campaign, and appear unlikely to next year too. The best of the best want to be testing themselves in European football’s elite competition, and until the Red Devils do that, attracting the very top talent will remain very difficult indeed.

Rio Ferdinand has clapped the return of Anthony Martial as Manchester United did the seemingly impossible and scored more than one goal in a game for the first time since the opening match of the season, beating Norwich 3-1 at Carrow Road.Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

It’s been fairly dull being a United fan the past couple of months. Hit by a number of injuries in the forward positions and midfield, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been almost entirely reliant on Marcus Rashford and Daniel James to provide goals and assists, whilst the likes of Paul Pogba – the club’s top scorer last term with 16 to his name – and our man in question have spent time on the sidelines.

According to Statman Dave, United have won 77 per cent of their league games under their Norwegian hero when Martial has started, compared to a very bleak 29 per cent when he hasn’t.

And after the latest win involving Martial, Ferdinand took to Twitter to say something positive about his influence…

Loads of Arsenal fans have been reacting on social media after Martin Keown claimed in his column for the Daily Mail that Unai Emery was as much to blame for Granit Xhaka being booed as anyone else.

The former Gunners ace noted that Sunday’s events seen as the North London side drew 2-2 with Crystal Palace was not the first instance of fans booing Xhaka, as jeers rang around the Emirates in September when the 27-year-old was taken off against Aston Villa.

Five days after that Premier League clash Arsenal went on to win without the Switzerland international on the field, Emery named Xhaka as the Gunners’ new captain following Laurent Koscielny’s summer departure.

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Xhaka was handed the armband after Emery held a secret ballot among the Arsenal dressing room, in which the former Borussia Monchengladbach man is a hugely popular figure.

Keown has pointed to this as Emery turning up the heat on an already hostile atmosphere for Xhaka, that makes the Spanish tactician as much to blame for supporters reacting angrily on Sunday.

“Emery is as much to blame as anyone,” Keown noted. “If you let the players pick their skipper, then it becomes a popularity contest and that is not what leadership is about.

“I’ve never had a manager who decided the captaincy that way and, for me, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is still the safer bet.”

Young forward Bukayo Saka replaced Xhaka in the 61st-minute on Sunday as Arsenal searched for a go-ahead goal at home to Palace, with fans reacting with jeers that soon turned to boos as the 27-year-old cupped his ear.

Xhaka responded to the boos by appearing to swear at supporters, before throwing the captain’s armband to the floor and storming off down the tunnel.

Here are some of the reactions shared to Keown’s verdict…

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…

Jamaal Lascelles has praised Newcastle’s attackers and believes that it won’t be long until they are playing to the best of their abilities.

What did he say?

Although they have shown what they have to offer in glimpses, so far each of the front-three is yet to get firing this season, with just one goal and one assist between Joelinton, Miguel Almiron and Allan Saint-Maximin.

Despite that, they are apparently impressing in training, and have certainly persuaded their skipper that they have the quality to take Newcastle up the table.

Currently, it would be understandable if the pressure of a lack of goals is getting to them, particuarly Almiron who appears to be low on confidence, but according to Lascelles they are ready to start delivering.

Speaking to Sky Sports News [06/11], as reported by HITC, he said:

“I think once one of them gets that goal, it’ll just break the ice and then they can start expressing themselves more.

“The three of them are always banging in goals, left, right and centre in training. They like to express themselves, so I just think it’s about getting past that first hurdle.

“You have always got the big man Andy [Carroll] on the bench. When Dwight’s back fully fit, we have an exciting team and I think we are in a good position now.”

Attack coming together

All three of Newcastle’s forwards have shown signs that they can be effective for Steve Bruce this season, and so far their lack of productivity has been down to bad luck and poor decision-making.

Saint-Maximin displayed that against the Hammers last week, deciding to pass across goal rather than finish the chance himself, and if he can work on that in training, with his manager’s guidance, he should begin adding goals to his game.

Bruce’s tactics of using the pace of his wingers to run in behind the defence has created numerous chances for his side this term, with the long-range passing ability of Jonjo Shelvey and Sean Longstaff often coming into effect.

The pair have managed three and 1.6 long balls per game respectively, and therefore it is likely just poor finishing letting down the front three.

According to Lascelles they have been prolific in training. That suggests it is only a matter of time before they find their feet in the Premier League, and the confidence boost they should experience upon finding the net for the first should be of huge benefit for the Toon.

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

You’d think that the numbers would be a little closer, but that’s not really the case.

Having started off the season on the bench, Yuri Ribeiro has found himself in and out of the side in recent weeks, battling it out with Jack Robinson to nail down that starting left-back spot.

It’s something that seems to be developing among the rest of the Nottingham Forest side, as Sabri Lamouchi hasn’t named an unchanged eleven in the league since the opening two games of the season against West Bromwich Albion and Leeds United.

In light of Garry Birtles’ comments that the team against Luton Town needs to be unchanged, it’s worth looking at whether or not Ribeiro is actually the best choice going forward for the club. And whilst Lamouchi might pick him for this weekend’s game against Derby County, when the squad returns from the international break, who should be the team’s starting left-back?

Find out what happened when a world-record-holding freestyler attempting skills with the worst pair of boots available on eBay in the video below…

On the chalkboard

If you take a look at the raw data (all stats provided by WhoScored) you start to wonder how Ribeiro even made it this far into the season.

Let’s look at their defensive numbers first, where Ribeiro is currently averaging 0.8 tackles per game, compared to Robinson’s 2.5.

He’s also lagging behind him in terms of aerial duels won, 1.3 compared to 2. It’s not even like you can make the argument that he ‘brings more to the attacking game’, because Robinson has him beat there as well, with a pass completion rate of just 70.1% compared to 77.5%. and 31.2 passes completed per game as opposed to 34.4.

So either there is something that’s intangible that Lamouchi sees in Ribeiro that is forcing him to pick him on a semi-regular basis, or he just simply doesn’t trust Robinson to be the left-back of the future.

With that in mind, he could simply be easing the Portuguese defender in slowly rather than throwing him in at the deep end, but the numbers so far just don’t back that idea up.

So when Lamouchi is done with his chopping and changing to the starting line-up, hopefully, he realises who the better player is, because the numbers are staring at him right in the face.

Ribeiro is under threat.