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Brighton are among several clubs showing an interest in Cuban goalkeeper Christian Joel Sanchez Leal, according to reports from Spanish media.

Grada 3 claimed [via Sport Witness] that the Seagulls have eyes on the Sporting Gijon stopper, but they face some intense competition for his signature as both Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid, along with Villarreal and Brentford, have been credited with interest.

Indeed, the report states that Atletico had already seen an €800,000 (£727,452) offer rejected by the Segunda Division outfit, with the 21-year-old having a release clause of €6m (£5.46m) in his contract.

Christian Joel, the nomenclature adopted on Sporting Gijon’s official website, has so far made just two senior appearances for the club but kept a clean sheet on his debut in a 1-0 win over Cadiz, who were promoted to La Liga this year, in June 2019.

In 34 career appearances so far between youth and first team level, he has conceded 39 goals (1.15 per game) and racked up nine clean sheets (26.47% of games). [via TransferMarkt]

While Mat Ryan is the undisputed first choice goalkeeper at Brighton, playing every minute of their 2019/20 Premier League campaign, there is plenty of competition for the role of backup to the Australian. Christian Walton, Jason Steele and Robert Sanchez are all in the first team squad, although the former faces several weeks on the sidelines after injuring his ankle in pre-season.

Walton played all 46 of Blackburn’s Championship games on loan last term, conceding 63 goals (1.37 per game) and keeping 12 clean sheets (26.1% of games). Steele has made just one senior appearance for Brighton since joining in 2018 while Sanchez is still awaiting a first team debut for the Seagulls, having shipped 53 goals in 35 matches (1.51 per game) on loan at Rochdale in 2019/20, with nine shutouts (25.71% of games).

Although Christian Joel has very little experience at senior level and has never played a top-flight match, his concession figures stand up to scrutiny in comparison with the goalkeeping alternatives to Ryan at Brighton.

Also, with Madrid’s top two clubs both reportedly interested, that is an indicator of the Cuban’s talents, so it would be quite a coup for the Seagulls if they can swoop for him.

Brighton fans, how impressive would the signing of Christian Joel be if the Seagulls beat the likes of Real Madrid to his signature? Comment below with your views!

According to Fabrizio Romano, reported Everton target Alessandro Florenzi is on the verge of signing for PSG.

What’s the word?

Reports in recent weeks had suggested that the AS Roma star has been on the radar of Carlo Ancelotti’s side during this summer transfer window, but it now appears he’ll be swapping Italy for France.

How big of an Everton fan are you? Can you spot Mikel Arteta from Graham Stuart? This quiz will test your knowledge, try it if you’re brave enough…



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Romano claims that Ligue 1 giants PSG have reached an agreement with Roma over a loan deal with an option to buy at the end of it, thus ending any potential speculation of Florenzi potentially heading to Goodison Park.

Letting Ancelotti down

A versatile player who has played Champions League football year-in and year-out for a number of seasons now, Florenzi has built up the kind of experience that would have surely boosted Everton’s first-team squad.

The signings of Allan, James Rodriguez and Abdoulaye Doucoure point to Ancelotti recognising that he needs players of a high standard who are ready to perform now, rather than later.

And in Florenzi, Ancelotti could have formed a very exciting Italian partnership on Merseyside. The £95k-a-week ace’s former teammate at Roma, Simone Pepe, said: “He is a leader, the worthy heir to (Francesco) Totti and (Daniele) De Rossi, especially now that he’s beginning to wear the captain’s armband. Being versatile, if you can use that to your benefit like Alessandro does, is a great advantage.”

Bringing in a calibre of player like Florenzi would have seen Everton take another massive step in bridging the gap to the Premier League’s big six, but instead Marcel Brands will be watching the Italy international slip through his fingers.

Glasgow Rangers have already made some serious moves in the transfer market as they try to close the gap on Celtic and it appears they are about to steal a march on their closest rivals…

What’s the word?

According to TEAMtalk, the Old Firm giants have expressed their interest in midfielder Tom Ince, although they face competition from Premier League side West Bromwich Albion.

Ince hasn’t featured for Stoke City at all so far this season and it seems the Potters boss Michael O’Neill has told him he is surplus to requirements.

As it stands both Jacob Brown and Tommy Smith are ahead of the former England U21 international in the pecking order and it appears as though he will be allowed to leave on loan.

It remains to be seen how much it will cost to prise Ince away from the bet365 Stadium on a permanent basis with the 28-year-old valued at £4m on Transfermarkt, a dramatic decrease on his valuation the previous year, which came to around about £9m.

Bye-Bye Hagi?

But who would be the better option on the right-hand side – the young prospect Ianis Hagi or the former Liverpool man?

It’s no secret that Gerrard desperately needs a midfield player who can chip in with goals – Alfredo Morelos scored 12 goals himself in the Scottish Premiership last season, while Hagi has only scored once so far.

In fact, it could be argued that Hagi has failed to hit the same heights he enjoyed during his loan spell last season.

Ince is no longer the first choice for his club which should give the Gers some encouragement. Over the course of his career, he has barely been injured at all which speaks volumes as Jordan Jones has only recently recovered from an injury problem.

While it is fair to say his time at the bet365 Stadium hasn’t been the most exciting, he has still managed to score or assist 20 goals in 81 games for Stoke.

Perhaps all he really needs is a change of scenery to rediscover the form that saw him win the 2013 Football League Young Player Of The Year award.

His old boss Ian Holloway once claimed that he is a “fantastic” player – surely a mere £4m is worth the risk?

Rangers interim chairman Douglas Park should submit a bid for Ince before it is too late, especially as Celtic are closely monitoring the situation.

AND in other news, Defoe and Hagi start, no Cedric Itten: Predicted Rangers XI vs Galatasaray…

Celtic received some bad news as they found out one of their key players in Ryan Christie had to isolate for 14 days. 

The Guardian recently reported that Southampton player Stuart Armstrong has tested positive for Covid whilst preparing for international duty with Scotland. As a result, fellow internationals Kieran Tierney and Christie will now have to isolate as they have been in close contact with the ex-Parkhead midfielder recently.

Former Scottish international Alan Hutton has been discussing his absence and how it will impact Celtic, saying that his absence could be a significant blow for Neil Lennon’s side.

What did Hutton have to say about Ryan Christie?

Speaking to Football Insider, Hutton said: “You don’t want to see anybody out and not well, it’s a catch-22 a little bit. He’s a fantastic player, I think he brings so much to the Celtic team going forward, he’s that creative spark and he scores goals.

“For Neil Lennon it’s a massive worry, he’s got a few players now with the Covid-19 stuff, it’s not been ideal. Probably out of everybody it’s affecting Celtic more than Rangers with the situation at the moment.

“They’ve got a strong squad, it’s an opportunity for players to prove their worth on the big stage. They’ll have to step up, be counted and really do their best.”

Are Hutton’s comments about Ryan Christie’s short absence right?

Christie has played 107 times for the Hoops, per Transfermarkt, scoring 35 goals and setting up another 33. The attacking midfielder has also won six trophies with the club.

He has been in very good form at the start of the 2020/21 campaign as he has seven assists and three goals in his 13 appearances this term, per Transfermarkt. These figures highlight that Celtic will be deprived of a key attacking asset and, with fixtures coming up against Rangers and AC Milan, this is the last thing Lennon would have wanted.

It is understandable why Hutton believes Christie’s absence will impact the Hoops, especially against their table-topping rivals. Hopefully the Bhoys can cope without him, and if they can, they should be in an even better position when he returns.

Celtic fans, how badly will Christie be missed on Saturday? Comment below with your views!

Daily Record journalist Fraser Wilson believes Glasgow Rangers made a huge mistake in not signing Lyndon Dykes this summer.

Rangers’ Dykes interest

The former Livingston striker was linked with a potential £2m move across Scotland to Ibrox during the summer. He even spoke about playing for the 54-time Scottish champions but in the end he made the move to English Championship outfit QPR for the aforementioned fee.

Wilson believes that Steven Gerrard made a big mistake in not signing the 25-year-old. He wrote:

“For Rangers supporters there must be a lingering feeling of ‘what if’ every time they see the hitman ruffing up defenders in the dark blue of Scotland.

“While Rangers boss Steven Gerrard must be content with the striking options he has after bringing in Kemar Roofe and Cedric Itten to challenge Alfredo Morelos and Jermain Defoe, it’s fair to say the new guys have still to find top gear.

“Dykes was ready made for the battle which lies ahead in a season like no other for the Ibrox club – yet there are still critics who reckon he’s nothing more than a battering ram.”

Itten, Roofe and Morelos can do the job

Dykes has already started to prove his worth since moving south of the border. He has scored twice in his first four games in the English second tier, whilst he has two goals in five Scotland caps this term. So far, he is looking like a clever acquisition for ex-‘Gers boss Mark Warburton at Loftus Road.

However, it is not as if Rangers have a lack of attacking options at Ibrox. Kemar Roofe and Cedric Itten both joined in the summer and Alfredo Morelos stayed put despite reportedly agreeing personal terms with Lille. So far, the trio have managed nine goals between them – there is still room for improvement, but it is not the worst start.

Dykes could have offered something different, but as Wilson says, Rangers are likely to be happy with their striking options for now.

‘Gers fans, were you disappointed to miss out on Dykes? Let us know what you think by commenting below!

Tottenham Hotspur kick off their Europa League campaign later this evening as they welcome Group J rivals LASK Linz to north London.

Jose Mourinho will be looking for a response from his squad after they threw away a three-goal lead over West Ham on Sunday night, though they remain unbeaten since an opening day defeat to Everton.

It is the Lilywhite’s first venture into the Europa League since 2017 after they were knocked out by Gent in the last 32 round having failed to make it past the group stages in the Champions League.

The congested fixture list this season, much of which Spurs have already had to deal with, gives Mourinho plenty to consider – so here’s how he could line up his starting XI here tonight…

There could be as many as six changes to the side that squandered those two additional points at the weekend.

Gareth Bale is in line to make his full debut after his cameo in the second half against the Hammers, he had a golden chance to win it late on but he was evidently rusty, so an hour or so from the off tonight makes a ton of sense.

Another player who could make their maiden Spurs bow is Carlos Vinicius, though he may have to wait with Harry Kane likely to get the nod to start.

Both Harry Winks and Lucas Moura were also brought on off the bench by Mourinho on Sunday, so they will surely be named in the starting lineup this time around with Moussa Sissoko and Heung-min Son being dropped, the latter is worthy of some much-needed rest.

In defence, both Ben Davies and Matt Doherty could come back into the side with Sergio Reguilon and Serge Aurier making way.

Joe Rodon isn’t eligible to play this evening, so a central defensive pairing of Toby Alderweireld and Davinson Sanchez seems likely with both Eric Dier and Japhet Tanganga injured.

Giovani Lo Celso was confirmed to be back in training this week and he may well be handed a starting role over the £36m-rated Tanguy Ndombele, but there is still no place for Dele Alli.

Whilst Spurs youngster Jack Clarke could feature from the bench late on.

AND in other news, Fresh Spurs contract for £18m-rated LIABILITY would be a DISASTER waiting to happen…

Lately, there seems to be very few decisions that the Liverpool board get wrong when it comes to incoming and outgoing personnel. Take their sale of Philippe Coutinho that in turn bought them both Virgil van Dijk and Alisson without spending a penny of the club’s actual money.

Even the somewhat out of character £41million splurged on fringe forward Diogo Jota, who has already proven to be worth his price tag this season. So it comes across as odd that the Merseyside club wouldn’t take advantage of the bargain that was Dele Alli back in 2015.

The Reds were keen on the young MK Dons midfielder, who eventually signed for Tottenham Hotspur, for the slight fee of £5million. He may not have fit the bill five years ago, but Liverpool could have transformed Alli into a completely different player had they snapped him up.

Would Dele Alli have suited Liverpool?

With Brendan Rodgers at the hilt during Alli’s transfer, it’s arguable that he wouldn’t have fit the Irishman’s playing style. Stalwart Coutinho was often deployed either on the left wing or in attacking midfield. When on the left flank, Rodgers played a very flat midfield that wouldn’t have suited Alli.

Similarly, the Englishman wouldn’t have had a space in the team during Coutinho’s spells in the No.10 position either. Through this, Liverpool missed out on bagging a fine young talent and a player that Steven Gerrard was a huge fan of.

“I was actually disappointed Liverpool didn’t sign him,” the former captain said (via SportsJOE). “I thought he was certainly a player Liverpool might have tried to go for, especially with me coming toward the end.”

Indeed, Alli’s work ethic shone through during his opening seasons in north London. His best campaign came in 2016/17, tallying a superb 18 goals and nine assists in 37 Premier League appearances. He finished the term off with a grand total of 35 goal contributions for Spurs (via Transfermarkt).

It warranted comments from the likes of Darren Anderton, who labelled him a “freak of talent” back in 2017.

Klopp could have transformed Alli

As the Jose Mourinho era started at Tottenham, Alli’s career began to decline. The 24-year-old has been dropped on numerous occasions this season after failing to deliver his usual fiery performances. Clearly falling down the pecking order, the England international could be wondering how different his career would’ve been had Liverpool decided to come in for him.

Under Jurgen Klopp, Alli might have been inspired to perform better and more consistently with the ongoing promise of a title challenge. The Reds have raked in the silverware over the last two years, which will be difficult for a young player not to be envious of. It will sting even more knowing that he could’ve been celebrating with the team had decisions not taken him to Spurs.

Klopp would have also reined in his equally fiery attitude. The £46.8m-valued ace is known for his sideline strops, with a recent one coming following being subbed off against RB Leipzig earlier this year. Whether it’s viewed as raw passion or a bit of entitlement, it’s something you don’t often see in the Reds ranks.

Not only would Klopp have catered the team to Alli’s skillset, but he would have completely moulded his attitude to suit the Liverpool ethics. This goes down as a huge ‘what if…?’ for both the player and the club.

In other news, Gini Wijnaldum went under the radar with solid performance vs West Ham…

He might not be able to play on Thursday night, but Tottenham Hotspur’s summer arrival, Joe Rodon, has to be the man to replace Toby Alderweireld going forward.

Spurs boss Jose Mourinho was dealt one hell of a blow that put a massive dampener on their 2-0 win over Manchester City at the weekend as the Belgian centre-back went off injured in the second-half without coming into contact with an opposition player.

Alderweireld has played a big part in the north Londoners keeping three clean sheets in four matches.

Following the match, the Special One claimed: “It’s bad, it’s bad. It’s a muscular injury,” which may have to be taken with a pinch of salt but it would not be a shock considering he had played three international matches in just over a week beforehand.

There will be a temptation to bring Davinson Sanchez back into the fold having not made the matchday squad in any of their last four Premier League outings whilst he only made the bench last time out in the Europa League.

The one-time club-record £42m arrival, who is now worth €50m (£45m) will undoubtedly feature against Ludogorets this week and that’s a risk they can afford to make given the level in competition, but regardless of his performance, he can’t be trusted for their trip to Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

A frontline involving Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech and Kai Havertz is a scary prospect as it is, it’ll only be made worse by putting a player dubbed a “liability” by many supporters next to Eric Dier, who is not a centre-back by trade himself.

An argument can easily be made against Rodon, considering his only top-flight experience has been a total of ten minutes across substitute appearances against Burnley and City, but he’s far more worth the gamble than an already-known calamity.

The Welshman’s ceiling is high having drawn comparisons to Rio Ferdinand and John Terry whilst journalist Dominic Booth added: “Rodon is a leader given his age, a bit of an old head on young shoulders. He’s good in the air despite not being a huge presence, and looks destined for bigger things.”

In his four appearances for Swansea before the switch, he averaged a whopping 7.8 clearances, 5.3 aerials won and 2.3 interceptions per game, via WhoScored.

His 6 foot 4 presence will be much-needed in the absence of Alderweireld. It’s on Mourinho to take that punt for the foreseeable future.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Winks: Jose must unleash “phenomenal” Spurs monster tipped as “future captain”…

Tony Pulis has only had a couple of games in charge of Sheffield Wednesday and he is without a win.

Of course, it was never going to be an easy task but there is no better game than a clash against his former employers Stoke to finally pick up those elusive three points.

His team go into the match off the back of a promising result against Swansea, a match they drew 1-1.

Thus, there surely won’t be much room for manoeuvre in terms of the starting XI.

We’re tipping Pulis to make two changes though, one of which is enforced.

As you can see, the Owls are set to pick a new goalkeeper on Saturday afternoon. Keiren Westwood had to be withdrawn against the Swans with a groin issue and looks likely to miss out this weekend.

Consequently, we think that Joe Wildsmith will get the nod ahead of Cameron Dawson, someone who hasn’t played since his disastrous outing against Rotherham at the back end of October.

The other change we suggest Pulis makes is up front.

The high-earning Jordan Rhodes – currently on £35k-a-week – failed to have a single shot at goal in midweek and subsequently, Elias Kachunga could be well placed to make his return to the starting XI.

Kadeem Harris is back from suspension but after the displays of Adam Reach and Callum Paterson at Swansea, will have to settle for a place on the bench.

Reach was among the goals while Paterson won a colossal 11 aerial duels in a dominating performance on the right flank.

Barry Bannan keeps his place in midfield having registered an assist only a few days ago.

Sheffield Wednesday’s defenders were fairly solid in Wales so they are unchanged there besides the goalkeeper.

With Stoke currently 8th in the table, this will be no easy fixture for Pulis and his team.

In other news, check out Carlton Palmer’s EXCLUSIVE claim on Chansiri…

Manchester United travel to RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Tuesday night knowing they need just a draw to qualify for the last 16.

After an inconsistent start to the season, failure is not an option for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who embarked on a spending spree in the summer, bringing in the likes of Alex Telles from FC Porto, Donny van de Beek from Ajax, and wide options Amad Diallo and Facundo Pellistri, as well as former Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani as a free agent.

The United boss confirmed Cavani and Anthony Martial will miss the Champions League clash, which means Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford are expected to lead the line, whilst Luke Shaw is available again after recovering from a hamstring injury.

Here at Football Fancast, we’ve worked on a predicted starting line-up, which sees Solskjaer make four changes to the team that beat West Ham at the London Stadium.

Dean Henderson may push for a recall, but United’s No. 1 goalkeeper David de Gea has been so strong in Europe that we reckon Solskjaer will stick with his trusted first-choice stopper after he missed the 3-1 win over West Ham on Saturday.

It’s unlikely he will make many changes to the back four, with Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Telles likely to start, although he has flirted with a three-man defence before, so Axel Tuanzebe could be in contention to start alongside the club captain.

Scott McTominay and Van de Beek struggled at times against West Ham, so switching Paul Pogba back to a deep-lying position and bringing Nemanja Matic to the left of the circle could be a tempting option, but Fred misses out in midfield as he is suspended for their final group stage tie.

The Red Devils are level on points with Leipzig and Paris Saint-Germain and can qualify for the last 16 with a draw at the Red Bull Arena.

United’s team to face the Bundesliga challengers will most likely contain no real surprises upfront, with Greenwood and Rashford given the green light to start after the forward pair picked up injuries at the weekend, whilst Bruno Fernandes returns to the starting line-up, having started from the bench against the Hammers.

AND in other news, Manchester United must unleash Bruno Fernandes against RB Leizpig in the Champions League…