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Manchester City have got a big few transfer windows ahead of them, as the club look set to see some of their elder statesmen so to speak come to the end of their peak.

City and manager Pep Guardiola have always been active and shrewd in the market in the main, and this summer gives them a chance to act once again.

The likes of Fernandinho, David Silva, Vincent Kompany, and Sergio Aguero are all players into their 30’s now, and it’s only natural for a club to look for continuity.

We here in the Tavern feel it might take one or two, maybe even more windows, for the club to fully replace that talent, but this summer could be a start.

With that, we’ve looked at TWO players who City should be looking to sign this summer…

Isco

A younger David Silva essentially, the Madrid man has not been the number one choice this season, making a move look likely come the summer.

Isco remains a class act though, and under Pep Guardiola, it’s easy to see him flourishing.

The chance to come and learn from Silva is also something which could appeal, and it would be no surprise to us to see City make their move for the Spaniard.

Tanguy Ndombele

The French midfielder is really coming on leaps and bounds, and as a direct replacement for Fernandinho, he would be a superb signing.

The Lyon man is growing by the game, and still very much in his infancy as a footballer, would have massive scope for development under Guardiola.

Tough tackling and full of energy, Ndombele would be a superb capture at the Etihad.

According to The Sun, Leeds are tracking Cardiff winger Kadeem Harris, whose contract with The Bluebirds expires at the end of the season. 

Should the winger fail to sign a new deal, the club may want to part ways with him in January, and that will be the perfect opportunity for Leeds to swoop.

Although the 25-year-old has not featured extensively under Neil Warnock this season, his playing time has increased recently, and so has Cardiff’s results.

While it is rumoured that Leeds are planning a quiet January, this is an area that they can ill-afford to look over, as it may cost their season.

Leeds’ winger Pablo Hernández has been hugely impressive this season for The Whites, but his absence was noticed when injured. Surely Bielsa will want extra cover for the 33-year-old, particularly for the denouement of the season.

On the other hand, his teammate on the other flank Ezgjan Alioski has been less convincing this season. Harris, who is now adapting to the Premier League, would be a serious improvement to the Macedonian winger, and would make The Peacock’s attack truly lethal in the Championship with Kemar Roofe leading the line.

Leeds will not want their pressure at the top of the table to slip as the season progresses, and with such a small squad, they will want some reinforcements in January. Furthermore, with the intense style of football that Bielsa demands from his players on the pitch and training paddock, extra players in the squad will only help. This will allow the manager to rotate his players, and a few more high-quality players to chose from will only make the Argentinian’s job easier.

Aston Villa are fighting hard to secure the loan services of Chelsea forward Tammy Abraham before the end of the month – as recently covered by The Telegraph.

Abraham, 20, scored five Premier League goals for Swansea City last season, but could not prevent the Welsh outfit from being relegated to the Championship.

The England international is back with his parent club, but has not been involved in the early stages of the 2018-19 Premier League season amid talk of an exit.

A number of clubs have been credited with an interest in the centre-forward, and it is understood that Villa are very much in the hunt.

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That said, Birmingham Live have reported that the 6ft 3in ace is currently reluctant to drop down to the Championship as he feels that it would not be the correct career move.

A lot could happen in the final days of the window, and the Villa supporters have been reacting to the speculation on social media – a selection of which can be seen below:

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While it was never confirmed in the press, it would certainly seem as though former Southampton manager Claude Puel wasn’t popular with a number of the players because of his often negative style of play, and that was perhaps shown by the fact that James Ward-Prowse and Oriol Romeu were the only ones to publicly thank him following his departure in June.

One of the aims for executive director Les Reed in the summer therefore would have been to select not only a good coach, but one that would get on well with the players in order to try and better the eighth-place finish the south coast outfit secured last season.

Mauricio Pellegrino was appointed as Puel’s successor following the usual interview process, and the Argentine arrived at St Mary’s after leading newly-promoted Alaves to a ninth-place finish in La Liga, as well as the Copa del Rey final, in his only season in charge.

Already, the majority of the Saints players seem happier than they were at points last season, with Ryan Bertrand and Virgil van Dijk both looking committed to the cause in recent matches despite the fact that they were both heavily linked with moves away from the club during the summer – we all know the latter in particular was keen to go.

While players like Sofiane Boufal and new addition Wesley Hoedt may not be happy right now as they find themselves on the substitutes’ bench rather than in the starting line-up, that issue is natural in any large Premier League squad and they will be fighting for their place in the side.

Pellegrino may be popular with the players but there is something that is letting Southampton down right now, and that is his tactics.

One of the 43-year-old’s biggest issues when he took the reins was to sort out the team’s goalscoring issues after they netted just 41 times in their 38 Premier League matches last season.

That clearly isn’t good enough if the club wants to be in contention to qualify for European football again this term, and they certainly haven’t got off to the best of starts this term to try and rectify that problem.

While the opening day goalless draw against Swansea City was perhaps one of those days seeing as his team had 29 efforts on goal, the 3-2 success against West Ham United that followed was certainly fortunate.

Saints were leading 2-0 against 10 men before being pegged back to 2-2, and the Irons were the better team before Charlie Austin’s last-gasp penalty.

That match was certainly an early indication of the naivety in Pellegrino’s methods, and the fact that he was out-thought by Marco Silva in the 2-0 home defeat to Watford in September also showed that the former Alaves man still has plenty to learn.

The south coast outfit have tended to favour getting the ball out wide to the full-backs or wingers before crossing it into the box so far this term, but with many of those not being good enough and the lack of a real target man – or goalscorer when Shane Long is on the pitch – in the penalty area when they are, it certainly hasn’t proved to be a fruitful tactic and there needs to be more variation in the final third to boost that disappointing goal tally.

The sign of a good manager is learning from your mistakes and making changes, but the jury is still out on whether the 43-year-old has the ability and confidence to do that.

While Southampton did beat a poor Crystal Palace side 1-0, they then took just one point from three matches against Stoke City, Manchester United and Newcastle United, with the loss against the former looking particularly poor given their current spot in the Premier League table.

Saints’ most likely goalscorer, arguably, Manolo Gabbiadini found himself on the substitutes’ bench in two of those three matches, while Boufal was for all three despite the XI often including too many ‘safe’ rather than attacking players.

Despite the latter making a positive impression off of the bench against the Potters – he helped set up the equaliser – and an encouraging cameo against the Magpies, the Moroccan once again failed to make the starting line-up against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday even though Nathan Redmond was dropped and Dusan Tadic is clearly out of form.

While the south coast outfit were always on top against the Baggies, you never really saw them scoring and it was only an incredible piece of solo magic from Boufal that finally found the breakthrough.

Now I think that goal and impact would see the majority of Premier League managers select the 24-year-old in the starting line-up against Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday, but I am generally unsure whether Pellegrino will do that.

He seems to be the kind of cautious coach that would keep the attacker on the substitutes’ bench as he knows he can make an impression from there, rather than giving him a go from the beginning of the game.

We will see this weekend.

With Tottenham boasting one of the most dynamic squads in Europe right now, there’s really little surprise to see some of their best players linked with moves away. Still, what’s more surprising, is the fact it’s hard to see exactly why anyone would want to leave right now.Under Mauricio Pochettino’s stewardship, the north London outfit have fast become one of the most exciting sides in the Premier League, with the performance of some of their best players not to have gone unnoticed.https://video.footballfancast.com/video-2015/alli-gerrard.mp4However, much as rumours and reports are expected in the buildup to the summer, a story from the Daily Telegraph has come slightly out of left field. They claim those on Hotspur Way are keen on signing Burnley and England defender Michael Keane, a deal that could reportedly pave the way for Eric Dier to leave for Manchester United.Jose Mourinho is said to be desperate to sign the former Sporting Lisbon man, though the news has been taken with a pinch of salt online. With that in mind, here’s how Twitter reacted.

The return of the Premier League may have been underwhelming for many, but for some it provided a welcome chance to win some cash from FanDuel.

Of course, those of you had selected the likes of Philippe Coutinho, Leroy Fer and Nathan Redmond in their team will have boosted their chances of winning some money last weekend – but they weren’t necessarily the players who got you most value for money.

That’s because while goals and assists will always boost your points scoring, there are 17 other ways in which players can earn, or lose, points throughout the weekend.

This is evident in the fact West Ham’s James Collins scored the highest points per million over the weekend, despite being on the end of a 2-1 away defeat to Chelsea.

Priced at just £4.3m, Collins would have been a shrewd addition to any FanDuel player’s squad. The Welshman totalled 43.25 points against Chelsea, averaging an impressive 10.06 points per million.

This is because he collected vital points via his tackling, interception and clearance statistics – proving there are far more points to be won than just goals and assists.

Collins did score West Ham’s only goal, netting 20 points (5 for the shot on target and 15 for the goal itself), which boosted his points total impressively.

The same can be applied to the likes of Arsenal’s Calum Chambers, who enjoyed a similar game to Collins, and Hull City trio Adama Diomande, Robert Snodgrass and Curtis Davis.

For example, 10.5 of Curtis Davis’ total score 32.75 points came interceptions alone. As players earn 1.5 points per interception, it shows that defenders, and even midfielders, can collect a serious amount of points from deep areas of the pitch.

These cheaper players have already hammered home the fact that spending big money on more recognisable names isn’t always the best way to win at FanDuel. Any player of Fantasy Football games will know all about the importance of getting value for money when putting your squad together – and it’s no different with FanDuel.

So looking ahead to this weekend, which bargain players should you be looking at to get you the best value for money?

It’s important to look at the fixtures being played and then work out where the best value for money is. Players playing at home, or even against sides you know they are going to dominate, should be at the forefront of any decisions. So here are three players we think you should be considering this weekend…

Kyle Naughton (£5.5m)

The Swansea defender totalled 24 points last week, and although that wasn’t exactly up there as one of the highest in the division, it still represented a good total for a player playing away from home.

Swansea host newly-promoted Hull on Saturday, and it’s important not to be deceived by Hull’s shock opening day win over Leicester – their squad isn’t big or strong enough to keep up such impressive form.

Expect Swansea to dominate the game against Hull, which will give Naughton the chance to rack up the points. Last week he picked up 12 points for tackles and six for interceptions, which is where he’ll earn most of his points each week. Additionally, with Swansea expected to enjoy more of the possession, Naughton is bound to build on the 2 points he earned from successful passes this time around.

Simon Mignolet (£6.8m)

Much has been said of Liverpool’s defensive issues after their 4-3 win over Arsenal last weekend, so you’d think picking Liverpool’s goalkeeper would be a strange choice.

However, Liverpool travel to newly promoted Burnley on Saturday and it’s difficult not to look past the Belgium international as someone who can nab a decent points total.

He only collected 12 points against Arsenal, and that was partly down to earning 6 points for saving Walcott’s penalty. It’s unlikely he’ll save another penalty, but you’ll expect him to pick up points for saves (3 points per save) and there’s huge potential for a clean sheet (10 points), making him good value for money at just £6.8m.

Jonathan Calleri (£6m)

The Argentine has just signed for the club, so it’s a bit of a gamble putting him in. However, with West Ham suffering crippling injuries to a number of key players in recent days, there’s a huge chance Slaven Bilic will hand him a Premier League debut for the Hammers.

It will be West Ham’s first Premier League game at the new London Stadium, so they’re going to be eager to impress against Bournemouth in front of 57,000 fans. They were disappointing against Chelsea on Monday night, but you can count on Bilic reverting to his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation at home, which is the system in which the Hammers were so impressive last season.

Calleri is likely to play a huge role give the Hammers’ injury woes and, with 3 goals in 5 appearances for Sao Paulo before arriving in East London, the 22-year-old is already in good form.

Expect him to have a positive impact against Bournemouth this weekend, whether it’s via goals (15 points a goal), shots on target (5 points) and even assists (7 points).

Think you know fantasy football? Prove it! Sign up now: http://po.st/FanDuelEd

Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth has reportedly asked to leave the club amid interest from Manchester United.

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Ashworth informed Newcastle of approach from Man UtdINEOS eager to bring him to Old TraffordHas now asked to depart St James' ParkWHAT HAPPENED?

Ashworth informed Newcastle of an official approach from United to take over as the club's new sporting director last week, with the 52-year-old having been identified as a top target by Sir Jim Ratfcliffe and INEOS – the new minority shareholders at Old Trafford. According to , Ashworth told Newcastle on Sunday that he wants to leave St James' Park, which could fast-track his proposed switch to Manchester.

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adds that Ashworth has attracted attention from United due to his strong reputation in the fields of player recruitment and high-performance structure building, with Ratcliffe currently in the process of overhauling the football side of operations at Old Trafford. Newcastle and United have not yet opened formal talks over Ashworth's proposed move, but they are anticipated "soon".

DID YOU KNOW?

Ashworth, who has now been placed on gardening leave at St James' Park, initially joined Newcastle in early 2022 after leaving his technical director post at Brighton. As reports, if he does head to United as expected, Ashworth is likely to bring a support team with him, which could include analyst Kyle Macaulay – who worked with Graham Potter during his tenure as Chelsea manager.

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WHAT'S NEXT?

Ashworth is, however, still under contract at Newcastle, who are set to demand a huge compensation package. According to , United won't be able to make Ashworth their new sporting director until 2026 unless they pay the Magpies £20 million ($25m). Newcastle always said they were "very well protected" after the initial approach from the Red Devils, and it remains to be seen whether they can negotiate that huge fee down in the coming weeks.

The German side last won the UWCL back in 2014. Can they overcome the Catalans in Eindhoven to finally end the wait for a third title?

Taking on Barcelona is a daunting task for any team. This is a side that has won four successive league titles, reached four Champions League finals in five years and, this season, was one game away from not suffering a single league defeat. It’s little wonder, then, that they are the favourites for Saturday’s Women’s Champions League final against Wolfsburg.

But their opponents will not be scared of them. Not one bit. After all, this Wolfsburg team is one packed with winners, players who know exactly what it takes to get over the line.

As a club, they last did that in Europe in 2014, coming from 2-0 down against a star-studded Tyreso side to win 4-3. Only Alex Popp, still starting in the forward line, and Merle Frohms, then a back-up goalkeeper and now first choice, remain from the matchday squad for that final. But in Kathrin Hendrich, Pauline Bremer, Marina Hegering, Svenja Huth and Lisa Weiss, they have five more players in their ranks who have won this trophy elsewhere, too.

They’ve certainly got experience and quality aplenty as they look to deliver third UWCL title and a first in nine years. So, how do they take down this brilliant Barca team?

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  Learn from last year

  It was only last season when these two last met in the Champions League, Barcelona triumphing over two legs in their semi-final clash. Both games can be a huge resource for Tommy Stroot, Wolfsburg’s clever young coach, in the build-up to this fixture.

  The first leg was a nightmare. Barca were in full flow at Camp Nou in front of a world-record crowd that roared them onto a huge 5-1 win. However, it was evident that Stroot had taken in plenty of the problems during the game and figured out the solutions, as his team were 2-0 winners in the return leg in Germany.

  It might not have saved the tie, but it was Barca’s first defeat of the season and a shock outcome as a result of their seemingly unbeatable form.

  Back then, Wolfsburg did not have Lena Oberdorf available in midfield, and star strikers Alex Popp and Ewa Pajor had both had their seasons, and therefore their form, disrupted by injuries. All three will be fit and firing this time around as Stroot looks to put together a game plan that delivers UWCL glory, all while enhancing his growing reputation.

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  Suffer

  First of all, though, Wolfsburg will have to suffer. Barcelona will dominate this game and Stroot and his players will be well aware of that. They'll be starved of the ball at times and will have to focus intensely on ensuring the opponent cannot break them down.

  It's not an easy thing to do when you are a top team in your own right, to sit back and let an opposition play the games on their terms. But to go toe-to-toe with Barca in a possession sense would be a suicidal plan for any team.

  Fortunately, Wolfsburg are blessed with a lot of experience and they will not be fazed by this proposition. Many of them will have done it before and they'll know it's a necessary part of the plan to win.

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  Be strong in midfield

  One weakness in this Wolfsburg team in recent weeks has been in midfield due to the absence of Lena Lattwein. The Germany international is an incredibly intelligent footballer and an integral part of the team, with them just not as solid in the centre of the park without her.

  It was something that Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall identified and did his best to get his team to exploit during the semi-finals, with the Gunners very notably targeting the middle of the pitch early on in the second leg at the Emirates – until Wolfsburg made a change.

  That change was to put Alex Popp in there. The Germany star is an insanely versatile footballer. Usually a goal machine in a forward position, she can also bring gritty qualities to the middle of the park when needed.

  Wolfsburg and Stroot will hope that is not necessary for this final, though, as the preference would certainly be to have a deadly finisher like her in those attacking areas. Instead, they will hope that Lattwein is fit enough to start this final alongside another fantastic midfield enforcer, Lena Oberdorf, the 2020 NXGN winner. The pair form a truly excellent partnership.

  If Lattwein isn’t ready for such a role, the coach will have a decision to make as he cannot allow his team to be so weak in midfield given that is probably Barca’s strongest department.

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  Take advantage of set-pieces

  A more positive notable feature of Wolfsburg’s play in that Arsenal tie was just how good the German side are from set-pieces. From a free-kick taken by Felicitas Rauch just inside Arsenal's half, Popp headed the ball down and into the path of Jill Roord for their first goal, the former Gunner striking it well from the edge of the box to beat Manuela Zinsberger. For their second, it was another great delivery from Rauch that was met by Popp, this time a corner that the forward directed into the back of the net at the near post.

  This has been a huge strength of theirs all season long, though, not just in this one particular game. In the league, Wolfsburg scored 16 goals from set-plays this past season. That’s double the amount of Bayern Munich, the team next on the list. They also scored the most headed goals and had the most headed shots in the division, while Rauch created more chances from set-pieces than any other player, with Svenja Huth, another regular taker, third.

  Their stats are similarly strong in Europe, but they’ll have to make sure they use their big aerial presence on the defensive side, too, because it’s actually Barca who have scored the most headed goals in this year’s UWCL.

The Gunners produced a first half masterclass to restore their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League

A scintillating first half display saw Arsenal blow Fulham away at Craven Cottage to restore their five-point advantage at the top of the Premier League.

Goals from Gabriel Magalhaes, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard sealed a comfortable 3-0 success for Mikel Arteta's side, who welcomed back Gabriel Jesus in the second half following three months on the sidelines with a knee injury.

It was a dominant display from the league leaders, who responded defiantly to Manchester City's win at Crystal Palace on Saturday night.

GOAL rates Arsenal's players from Craven Cottage…

GettyGoalkeeper & Defence

Aaron Ramsdale (7/10):

Couple of nervy moments with the ball at his feet, but solid other than that. One great second half save.

Ben White (7/10):

As consistent as always.

William Saliba (8/10):

Superb. Dealt so well with the threat of Mitrovic expertly.

Gabriel Magalhaes (8/10):

Opened the scoring and cruised through the game with class.

Oleksandr Zinchenko (7/10):

His clever movement caused Fulham problems.

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Thomas Partey (8/10):

Dominated the midfield. Exceptional, especially in the first half

Granit Xhaka (7/10):

Should have finished off a wonderful first half move.

Martin Odegaard (8/10):

Another goal from the captain. Impressive.

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Bukayo Saka (6/10):

Not at his best. Looked a bit tired.

Leandro Trossard (9/10):

Hat-trick of assists. Fulham couldn't get near him.

Gabriel Martinelli (8/10):

Really lively, on the scoresheet again.

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GettySubs & Manager

Kieran Tierney (6/10):

Good to see him back after illness. Solid.

Reiss Nelson (6/10):

Should have done better after being set up by Jesus.

Gabriel Jesus (6/10):

Got the biggest cheer of the day when he came on. Should have marked his return with a goal, but Leno saved.

Fabio Vieira (6/10):

Excellent play to set up a chance for Jesus.

Takehiro Tomiyasu (N/A):

Introduced late on.

Mikel Arteta (7/10):

Perfect day for him. Three goals, clean sheet and Jesus returns.

MatériaMais Notícias

Grêmio e Internacional se encontram neste sábado, às 10h (de Brasília), no Pacaembu, para a grande final da Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior. No dia do aniversário de 466 anos da capital paulista, o clássico inédito na decisão receberá torcedores de ambas os clubes finalistas. As entradas, gratuitas, estão esgotadas.

O Colorado vai em busca de seu quinto caneco na competição, sendo o último deles conquistado em 1998. A campanha da equipe comandada por Fábio Matias neste ano é de seis vitórias e dois empates, com destaque para o triunfo maiúsculo em cima do Corinthians, na semifinal. No total, foram 15 gols marcados e apenas três sofridos.

Com pouca altura mas muita habilidade, o atacante Guilherme Pato foi um dos destaques do Colorado no torneio. Contra o Corinthians, por exemplo, fez um dos tentos e foi essencial em outros momentos. O meia Praxedes, de apenas 17 anos, também chamou atenção, tanto que o técnico Eduardo Coudet, da equipe principal, estuda promovê-lo.

RelacionadasFutebol NacionalSão Paulo recebe clássico com torcida mista após quatro anos de medidaFutebol Nacional24/01/2020GrêmioReforços em potencial foram comentados por presidente do GrêmioGrêmio23/01/2020InternacionalThiago Galhardo marca de pênalti, e Inter estreia no Gauchão com vitória sobre o JuventudeInternacional23/01/2020

Já o Tricolor Gaúcho vai para sua segunda final e deseja conquistar seu primeiro título na história. A campanha da equipe também é composta por seis vitórias e dois empates, tendo derrotado o Oeste na última etapa. O Grêmio marcou três gols a mais que o adversário durante a competição.

Campeão com a Seleção Sub-17, o volante Diego Rosa é uma das promessas da base do clube, muito por conta de suas habilidades tanto na defesa quanto no ataque. Depois de cumprir suspensão, ele está de volta entre os titulares. Além dele, o atacante Elias é um dos destaques, com a artilharia do time na competição e bonitos gols.

O Gre-Nal é inédito na Copinha. Foram nove clássicos ao todo desde o início do torneio, com apenas dois deles com equipes fora do estado de São Paulo. Em 1971, Fluminense e Botafogo se enfrentaram, com vitória tricolor; e em 96, foi a vez de América e Cruzeiro medirem forças, com triunfo americano.

Os ingressos, gratuitos, já estão todos reservados (16 mil para cada torcida). Além disso, as únicas camisas de futebol permitidas serão as dos clubes finalistas.

Confira todas as informações da partida:

Local: Estádio do Pacaembu, em São Paulo (SP)
Data-Hora: 25 de janeiro de 2020, às 10h
Árbitro: João Vitor Gobi
Assistentes: Leandro Matos Feitosa e Rodrigo Meirelles Bernardo
Quarto árbitro: Leandro Carvalho da Silva
Onde assistir: TV Globo (somente RS), SporTV, Rede Vida e TV Cultura

INTERNACIONAL:Emerson Júnior, Lucas Mazetti, Tiago Barbosa, Carlos Eduardo e Murilo, Leonardo, Praxedes e Cesinha; Guilherme Pato, Matheus Monteiro e Caio. Técnico: Fábio Matias.

GRÊMIO:Adriel, Vanderson, Alison Calegari, Heitor e Matheus Nunes; Diego Rosa, Gazão e Pedro Lucas; Rildo, Elias e Fabrício. Técnico: Guilherme Bossle.