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Things are already looking incredibly different at Manchester United with the dark cloud of 3rd-year-syndrome-Jose- Mourinho now a thing of the past.

Despite Paul Ince’s deluded opinion that just about anyone could pull things around at United – including himself, strangely – Ole Gunnar Solskjær has worked absolute wonders to get the players back on board and inject a bit of identity back into their game.

Paul Pogba is finally showing signs of consistency and quality to back up his dabbing frenzies, Anthony Martial is his opportunity to shine, Marcus Rashford is being played in the correct position, and Victor Lindelöf has firmly rescued himself from the “flop” pile. Even the draw against Burnley showed signs of classic Ferguson-era Manchester United.

What will excite fans the most, however, is Solskjær’s work off the pitch. One of the club’s most prized positions, Anthony Martial, has already signed a contract keeping him in Manchester until 2024 (source: manunited.com). A miracle, given just how reportedly close he was to leaving just a few months ago.

Now, attention is turned to their next superstar, Marcus Rashford.

The forward’s contract is due to expire at the end of next season with an option to extend for a further year if the club so wish. Reports from the Telegraph suggest that United are preparing to double Rashford’s current wage to more than £150,000 a week with bonuses in an effort to secure his services for the foreseeable future.

There’s every reason for United fans to be excited about this. Solskjær’s faith in Rashford as the starting striker has been repaid with the young forward returning six league goals in eight games, and showing signs of a developing lethal partnership with Paul Pogba – who has also been given a new role as the designated number 10.

The times are most certainly changing at Manchester United. For Rashford too, things could really be on the up.

If Everton find themselves in Europe next season, this could be a huge summer for both Marcel Brands and Carlo Ancelotti.

The Toffees haven’t been afraid of spending in recent years and they could splash the cash again in a few months time.

What’s the word?

According to The Daily Mail, Everton are leading the chase for Metz midfielder Pape Sarr.

The 18-year-old has caught the eye with his battling performances in Ligue 1 this season and had already been capped at international level by Senegal.

Manchester United and Chelsea are also thought to be interested in Sarr’s signature so it won’t be a straightforward chase.

Everton will also need around £27m to prise him away from France and bring him to the Premier League.

It’s understood the Toffees will also have to rival Newcastle and Aston Villa for his signature.

Replacing Gueye

When Everton sold Idrissa Gueye to PSG, they let a huge asset go.

This was a player who laid the foundations in the middle of the park, a man who could tackle brutally and stride forward with immense energy.

He has since become a pivotal cog for the Parisians and played a key role in knocking Bayern Munich out of the Champions League a few weeks ago.

The Merseyside outfit have since struggled to replace him. Carlo Ancelotti did bring Allan to the club last summer but he’s not been long back from a muscle injury that saw the Brazilian miss 13 matches.

However, the addition of Sarr would go a long way to finally replacing Gueye. Not only do they hail from the same nation, but they display very similar qualities.

Speaking about the teenager previously, his teammate at Metz, Lamina Gueye said: “He is a really talented youngster who is very serious in training or during matches. He’s always been like that. He works hard.”

Metz captain John Boye added: “He has great potential. We are all the time pushing him, encouraging him, talking to him and giving him confidence. He has it all.”

So far this term, Sarr has registered an impressive 2.1 tackles per game, while winning 1.1 aerial duels per match and keeping a pass success rate of 84.2.%.

A quick look at Gueye’s stats tells you the similarities. The former Everton man has prevailed in 2.3 tackles and completed 90% of his passes.

More discipline will come with Sarr’s performances as he gets older and it wouldn’t be a great surprise if he finds his passing improving, just as it has done with Gueye.

Allan hasn’t been a bad signing for Everton but the teenager in question here would undoubtedly give Ancelotti’s men a bit of extra bite and energy in midfield.

AND in other news, Everton must complete swoop for “unbelievable” £20m gem, he plays “like a soldier”…

Jamaal Lascelles has dropped a quite promising injury claim before Newcastle United hosting West Ham United in the Premier League at Saturday lunchtime.

The clash with the Hammers will come too soon, but speaking to talkSPORT (via The Chronicle), the former Nottingham Forest central defender claimed ‘I’m not ruling out Sheff United or Fulham’, before explaining that the type of injury he has is ‘four weeks in a boot and four weeks until you are back on grass’.

The exact timescale of the latter comment would mean that he misses the rest of the 2020/21 term, but the fact that Lascelles is aiming for a potential early return for their games against both Sheffield United and Fulham, which could well be pivotal in terms of whether they avoid relegation or not, should give a lot of promise to the St. James’ Park faithful.

Newcastle need Lascelles back

There is no doubt whatsoever that Steve Bruce will want Lascelles back into the team as soon as possible, given that he is the captain and his leadership qualities could be crucial in driving the North East club away from the drop zone.

The 27-year-old, currently earning £50,000 per week on Tyneside, has not been left out of a single match in the Premier League so far in the 2020/21 season when he has been fit, showing just how important he is to the side.

Nonetheless, if Lascelles were to play any part from now until the end of the season, it would certainly be a big boost to the Magpies.

In other news, find out which three clubs are ‘eyeing’ this ‘excellent’ Toon ace here!

Former Manchester United man Keith Gillespie insists that the club must prioritise the Europa League this season as they look to end a four-year trophy drought, in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast.

United are currently second in the Premier League and are eight points clear of fifth-placed West Ham United.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men are likely to finish in the top four this season but their only hope of silverware comes in the Europa League.

United lost to Leicester City in an FA Cup quarter-final at the weekend, and are also 14 points behind leaders Manchester City in the league.

They will play Granada in the quarter-finals of the Europa League, with the victor playing the winner of the tie between Ajax and Roma.

Gillespie believes that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should throw all of his eggs into the European basket, as United are enduring a barren patch.

Their last success came in the 2016/17 season, when Jose Mourinho’s men won the League Cup and the Europa League.

Speaking to FFC, Gillespie was asked whether a top-four finish sounds good enough for United this season.

He said: “It doesn’t and that’s because of the standard they’ve set over all these years, since the Premier League really began back in the early 90s.

“It’s four years without a trophy. You look at last season, the semi-finals that they got to and lost in every one. They’ve had a favourable draw in the Europa League with Granada. So you would expect them to get to the semis there.

“But I think we probably are going to finish in the top four. So it is something which they do need to prioritise. They’ve got a big enough squad where they can rotate at times with the league, but in terms of the Europa League, go out there and play your best team and try and win that tournament because four years without a trophy is something Man United aren’t used to, in terms of the dominance that they’ve had for a lot of years under Sir Alex.

“So I think it is something that they do need to really look at and prioritise.”

Graham Roberts has exclusively told Football FanCast that there’s a possibility Tottenham’s final-day trip to Leicester could become a straight shootout for the Champions League.

Spurs are currently seven points behind the Foxes with just four games remaining, but they face trips to both Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge prior to their final-day showdown at the King Power Stadium.

Meanwhile, Ryan Mason’s Tottenham have a far kinder fixture list with home games against Aston Villa and Wolves, who seemingly have little to play for, following Saturday’s visit to Leeds.

Both Liverpool and West Ham remain heavily involved in the fight for top four, but Roberts believes that should Spurs take maximum points from their next three games before beating Leicester two weeks on Sunday, it could be enough to see them qualify for the Champions League.

But before Tottenham arrive at Elland Road, they could find themselves 10 points adrift of the Foxes, who host Newcastle on the Friday Night Football.

However, just like 12 months ago, Roberts has hinted at the possibility of another Leicester collapse.

He told Football FanCast:

“Manchester United, Chelsea and us, that is not easy. I think, if we win our three games before them, I think whoever wins that game could be in the Champions League.

“But, saying that, West Ham are still hanging in there, so it’s going to be tight.

“I think Leicester need to beat Newcastle, and they’re at home, so they should beat them. I think they might lose out again because of the three games they’ve got left.”

Liverpool have seemingly begun the process of replacing Mo Salah with a move for Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho.

The current Reds’ star has long been linked with a move away from Liverpool, with French giants Paris Saint Germain thought to be the latest club to open talks with the Egyptian, according to Telefoot.

As a result, Liverpool have been linked with a swoop for Sancho, with reports in Spain indicating that FSG would be willing to part with €100m (£86m) to bring him to Anfield in a deal that would be beneficial for the Reds.

Since signing for Dortmund from Manchester City, the English winger has been nothing short of sensational.

At just the age of 21, he has made 131 appearances for BVB, scoring 46 goals and providing a further 60 assists at a rate of a direct goal contribution rate of 0.8 per game in all competitions.

His performances have certainly earned him praise from all quarters with former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann labelling the wideman as “world-class”.

For comparison, Sancho’s numbers are certainly not behind that of current Reds forward Salah.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-liverpool-news%2c-transfer-rumours-and-more-asensio-vlahovic-van-dijk-alberto-pedri” title=” Read the latest Liverpool news, transfer rumours and more…”]

Since the Egyptian’s arrival from Roma, he has made 197 appearances for the Reds, scoring an eye-watering 122 strikes and laying on a further 45. It means that Salah is only marginally more productive than Sancho at a goal contribution rate of 0.84 per match.

Interestingly enough, the 28-year-old is outperformed by the Dortmund man in most other facets of the game.

According to WhoScored, whilst Salah takes more shots per game in the league at 3.3 compared to 2.1, Sancho excels in key passes, dribbles and passes per game.

It all goes to show then that should Liverpool elect to sell their ‘Egyptian King’ at some point in the near future, £190k per week Sancho would certainly be a very capable heir to his crown at Anfield.

AND in more news, read which other Borussia Dortmund star the Reds must also try to bring to the club this summer…

Many Arsenal fans have been slamming the display of Alex Lacazette in their 1-1 draw with Slavia Prague in the Europa League on Thursday night.

Mikel Arteta’s team blew their chance to take a lead into the second leg of the quarter-finals, conceding a goal from a corner in injury time after Nicolas Pepe had given them the lead at the Emirates Stadium with a cool finish.

Lacazette did not have his best game in a Gunners shirt, missing a big opportunity after he was through one-on-one with the goalkeeper, only to hit the crossbar.

The former Lyon ace lost out on two of his duels and did not record a single shot on target as he failed to =make an impact in the match, having fewer touches of the ball (32) than his own goalkeeper Bernd Leno (40), per Sofascore.

Arsenal fans on Lacazette display

These Gooners slammed the Frenchman’s performance on Twitter, with one Arsenal supporter even going as far as to claim that the 29-year-old striker was ’embarrassing’:

“Can’t believe Arsenal spent a FAT £50m on Lacazette #afc”

Credit: @KrisValue

“I’ll say it now Lacazette should never start as an Arsenal striker. One of the worst strikers I’ve ever seen. £46.5m waste!!! #arsenal #AFC”

Credit: @DailyGoonerSam

“It’s clear Aubameyang and Lacazette can’t play together. So Laca has to go this summer. You can’t spend half a million pounds a week on wages for 2 players that are incompatible, that’s just not good business #AFC”

Credit: @hayden_easter

“I’m sorry but Lacazette has to go. The one thing he had when he joined was a decent finish and now that’s gone. No pace, no size or physicality he’s literally missing sitter after sitter week in week out. Take £20m and move on. #AFC”

Credit: @Pier_C_1

“Lacazette is no longer a footballer #AFC”

Credit: @KYEkye45

“Embarrassing from Lacazette #AFC”

Credit: @AndrewAFC89

In other news, find out what William Saliba revelation has left some fans fuming!

West Ham fans are delighted after ExWHUemployee, via West Ham News, shared that Hammers star Angelo Ogbonna is expected to return to full training within the next week – and the Italian was apparently spotted in action on Wednesday afternoon.

Having been out of action since mid-February, suffering an ankle sprain during West Ham’s FA Cup defeat away to Manchester United, news of his return to training comes as a boost for David Moyes.

A mainstay before his knock, Ogbonna was arguably having a wonderful season before injury forced him into rehabilitation.

At times since, the Irons haven’t looked as stable in defence – evidenced by Wolves clawing two goals back during the away win on Monday, not to mention the infamous Arsenal fightback which saw them scrape a 3-3 draw at the London Stadium recently.

ExWHUemployee, however, said it wasn’t long before Ogbonna’s return to full training with plenty of supporters overjoyed at that update.

Since then, the club insider has been proven right with the 32-year-old seen on the live virtual training session. Whether or not that means he is fully recovered is not yet clear.

Nonetheless, you can find all of the most excited fan verdicts down below.

West Ham fans love Ogbonna update

“Massive boost for the run in.”

Credit: @smithy2786

“Great news. Oggy has been superb this season and Dawson plays well alongside him”

Credit: @sheard_mark

“Get in”

Credit: @JasonHo94454369

“Thank God. Can’t deal with the stress Issa Diop is giving me any longer”

Credit: @CAldridge94

“OG FATHER”

Credit: @conwhufc03

“Needed”

Credit: @eugene_gaughan

“that is fantastic news!!”

Credit: @BrantonSpencer

“Very good news”

Credit: @DaveMun1

In other news: West Ham are warming up to sign this 6 foot 4 powerhouse, find out more here.

Alex McLeish has warned Celtic that they could regret selling young midfielder Ismaila Soro.

The Daily Mail reported last week that Tottenham were monitoring the 22-year-old, having identified him as a ‘holding player of talent who could bolster their squad’.

Soro only joined Celtic from Israeli side Bnei Yehuda in January 2020, penning a four-and-a-half-year deal.

What role has Soro played for Celtic this season?

He had to wait until 13 December for his first league start of this season, but it kick-started a run of 10 successive starts. That streak ended at the beginning of February, and he has only been selected for one Premiership game by John Kennedy.

The £11,000-per-week Ivorian’s involvement in Celtic’s brief European campaign was also limited to 109 minutes.

The midfielder has averaged 2.2 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 1.8 accurate long balls per game when he has featured (via WhoScored).

‘I’m certain Soro understands what it means to play for Celtic’

Former Scotland manager McLeish understands the argument that selling Soro could raise funds, but suggested that he could be a success if he was truly backed.

Asked whether Celtic would be hurt by his potential exit, the 62-year-old told Football Insider: “There’s no doubt about that.

“I’m certain, the foreign players understand what it means to play for Rangers and Celtic in the same way as Scottish players do.

“The money could go into helping the rebuild this summer, that’s got to be taken into consideration.”

It should be noted that, according to the Daily Mail, ‘there would be obstacles’ around Soro earning the work permit required to represent Tottenham Hotspur. An appeal would be necessary if Spurs were to escalate their interest.

Transfer Tavern verdict

Celtic are in need of a rebuild, but the lion’s share of the funds should come from the prospective sales of Odsonne Edouard and Kristtofer Ajer.

If the price-tags floated by the Daily Mail are to be believed, those deals could generate £23m to reinvest (£15m for the French striker and £8m for the Norway defender).

The new manager should be given the chance to assess Soro rather than him being flogged elsewhere without getting a fair opportunity to prove his worth.

In other news, read about this development in the transfer race for Edouard. 

There have certainly not been too many players to return to Crystal Palace over the years following an initial release.

However, one man who did just that is winger Bakary Sako. However, Steve Parish will be delighted that he is once again off of the wage bill following his exit at the conclusion of the 2018/19 campaign.

The Malian wideman originally joined the Eagles at the beginning of the 2015/16 season, fresh off the back of a brilliant campaign with Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Joining on a free transfer, he could not capture his best form in front of goal, scoring just eight goals at Selhurst Park across three seasons before his original contract came to an end in 2018.

It was certainly a relief to have the winger off of the Selhurst Park wage bill considering that he was hoovering up approximately £55k per week throughout his contract. For comparison, that is the same amount that club captain Luka Milivojevic is currently earning at the club and considerably more than fellow wideman Eberechi Eze is currently being paid.

Linking up with West Bromwich Albion in the Championship after his time at Palace came to an end, Sako would intriguingly return to the club just over three months later for a second spell – a period in which he would play just four games before getting released once more.

Now 32, Sako was last seen playing for Cypriot outfit Pafos FC, where he made just six appearances and scored a solitary goal, following a failed move to Denizlispor.

He is now a free agent and whilst he is one of few players to have signed for the Eagles twice throughout his career, a third spell at Selhurst Park seems highly unlikely.

Parish will be delighted that he is no longer forking out for his considerable wages. He made the right call when letting him go dfor the secon time.

AND in more news, read about which Palace beast needs to be offered a new deal at Selhurst Park…