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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.”

Noel Whelan has slammed Glasgow Rangers’ Leon Balogun following his performance in the Old Firm derby on Sunday.

Whelan slams Balogun

Balogun was selected to play at right-back in the absence of James Tavernier against Celtic. In what was an unfamiliar position for the 32-year-old, he struggled to deal with the Bhoys’ attacks on that side of the back four.

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan was particularly critical of the Nigerian’s display as he said:

“They massively missed Tavernier. If you’ve got a player like that missing, you’re missing your captain, your leader.

“You could see Celtic targeting that as well. They could see there was a weak link in the defence and that’s where it was.

“When you’re missing a key player like Tavernier, you’re gonna feel it. Celtic, fair play to them, they recognised that and used it to their advantage.

“I think it showed just how much they miss him and just how good he is in that department. He gives you everything, defensively, in midfield, quality going forward.”

Hard to disagree

There is no doubting that Balogun was out of his depth, as Whelan has hinted. He was taken off after just 56 minutes to be replaced by 19-year-old Nathan Patterson, who had been an injury doubt in the build-up to the game (Daily Record). Clearly, Steven Gerrard’s decision to play the Nigeria international in that role backfired, even though he did move to justify Balogun’s inclusion afterwards and praised him for his “fantastic” involvement in Alfredo Morelos’ equaliser (rangers.co.uk).

Obviously, the absence of James Tavernier is a big blow to the 55-time Scottish champions. With 17 goals and 15 assists in all competitions (Transfermarkt), he has been a huge attacking threat, while he has also contributed defensively to a team which has conceded just 10 goals in the league this season (BBC). Balogun may be an experienced defender, but he was always going to have a hard time replacing the Gers captain.

In other news, this Rangers man has been tipped to be the club’s Player of the Year.

Red Bull Salzburg boss Jesse Marsch won’t be the next Celtic manager, according to reliable reporter Christian Falk.

The American recently admitted it was an “honour” to be linked with the Celtic job, describing the role as “interesting”.

That led to several Celtic fans urging the Hoops to seal a deal for the 47-year-old, with Parkhead chiefs admirers of Marsch, but those fans will now be disappointed after the latest update.

Marsch makes Celtic contact

However, Falk simply ended a tweet on Thursday morning claiming he has ‘confirmation’ that ‘Jesse Marsch won‘t join Celtic FC’.

Falk’s earlier post claimed that Marsch told the Celtic board that the interest is an honour, but he will not be available in the summer for the vacant job.

Transfer Tavern take

Even though Marsch is now out of the running to succeed Neil Lennon, we feel that the club can take heart in the fact that a boss with an impressive record was full of praise for the club and the available position.

The Hoops, we feel, should now be full of optimism over the coming months in their pursuit of a new manager.

The successful director of football candidate will also have a role to play in that search, and if the club get both appointments spot on, fans could well see an immediate response in the 2021/22 season following this season’s disappointing campaign.

In other news: In-demand Scot ready to quit Celtic as unlikely transfer destination emerges, find out more here. 

Former Scotland international Alan Hutton believes that Celtic’s head of recruitment Gary Penrice deserves to lose his job.

Penrice out?

The Bhoys spent a total of £14.13m (Transfermarkt) in the summer, opting to bring in the likes of Albian Ajeti, Vasilis Barkas and Shane Duffy on loan to bolster their hopes of winning an unprecedented 10-in-a-row.

However, that has not gone to plan with manager Neil Lennon resigning and reports suggested in January that transfer guru Nick Hammond could be dismissed in the summer in what could be a summer overhaul at Parkhead.

On top of this, Penrice has also been linked with a move out of the club after what has been a disastrous 2020/21 campaign for the green half of Glasgow.

Speaking to Football Insider, Hutton believes that Penrice is not up to the task anymore and expects him to be replaced this summer.

“They need to act, it’s as simple as that,” he said. “It’s not been good enough. It’s like any work you do, if you’re making mistake after mistake, you’re going to lose your job.

“You saw it happen at Aston Villa with Suso (Jesus Garcia Pitarch). He brought in so many players and it didn’t work out. He moved on and look at them now.

“I think if you go through the Celtic squad and what they brought in, yes they had some players that worked out but more often than not, it didn’t. They spent big money.

“It doesn’t surprise me they’re having a full shakeup, revamping everything.”

Transfer Tavern Verdict

There is no doubt that Celtic need a revamp – and fast. But supporters will probably need to accept that the rebuild could take a few seasons to get right.

While there are huge expectations for the Hoops to reclaim the Scottish Premiership crown at the first time of asking, it may take a couple of campaigns to put the respective measures in place to eradicate the deadwood in the side.

Ajeti, Barkas and Duffy have been heavily criticised for their abject performances this season – and rightly so. Time will tell whether Penrice is moved on or if Dominic McKay will trust him to move the club forward.

In other news, Celtic-linked manager reacts to Parkhead rumours; Mourinho dubbed him as ‘incredible.’

Carlo Ancelotti has dropped a pre-FA Cup hint that could see Everton deliver Tottenham Hotspur a rare challenge when the two sides meet on Wednesday.

The Toffees beat Spurs when the clubs last faced one another in the Premier League with the Merseyside outfit running out 1-0 victors in North London last September, ending a 15-game winless run in the fixture.

Everton had not beaten Tottenham in any competition since December 2012 before this season’s win, and are now preparing to face the Lilywhites in the FA Cup for the first time since 1995 when the Blues won 4-1 to seal a place in the Final.

Tonight’s match will see Everton and Tottenham contest for a place in the Quarter-Final of this year’s edition, with Ancelotti also looking to maintain his unbeaten record in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

To do so, the Italian has hinted he may stick with the new formation he deployed at Old Trafford on Saturday, when Everton came from behind twice to hold Manchester United to a draw.

“Maybe it was difficult to adjust again to Goodison being empty but we could do better at this – and I am really pleased with how my players adapt to many things,” Ancelotti wrote in his programme notes ahead of tonight’s FA Cup tie with Tottenham.

“They can move to different positions and, like at Manchester United on Saturday, go into a new system. We had a diamond in midfield to give us one more body in an area where United are really strong.

“The plan worked, in my opinion, and even at half-time when we were 2-0 down, I was happy with the tactical aspect. But our passing in the first half was too safe. It can happen against a team that is strong on the counter-attacks and United are one of the best in the world at this.”

Ancelotti fielded Everton in a 4-3-1-2 system for the first time since his appointment in December 2019, with Richarlison joining Dominic Calvert-Lewin in attack but tasked with playing wider to afford James Rodriguez space to operate in a free role in front of Andre Gomes, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Tom Davies.

The Toffees boss noting that he felt the diamond system was working at Manchester United even when trailing would suggest he is considering utilising the formation against Tottenham in the FA Cup, which could help nullify the threat of Tanguy Ndombele like he sought to with Bruno Fernandes.

Only Harry Kane (20) and Son Heung-Min (17) have scored more often for Spurs than Ndombele (6) across all competitions this season, while Jose Mourinho has also seen the 24-year-old Frenchman provide three assists yet lauds him for his “magnificent” general play.

Everton lining up in a 4-3-1-2 on Wednesday night will also present Tottenham with a challenge they are not accustomed to facing, having yet played against a side using the formation in any of their 37 competitive matches played this season.

The closest Mourinho’s men have come is in their fixtures against sides using a 3-4-1-2 or 3-4-2-1, which coincidently returned two defeats in their last three games with Brighton and Chelsea both running out 1-0 victors over the last two weeks.

If Ancelotti is to see Tottenham’s run of results stretch to three defeats in four and record a rare Everton win over the north London side, sticking with the 4-3-1-2 used at Manchester United may be the way to go.

AND in other news, Everton have been tipped to sign a £2m-rated veteran this summer after a 2020 deal collapsed…

Liverpool went out with “a whimper” and were “disgraceful” as they lost 1-0 to Brighton at Anfield on Wednesday night.

Cundy not impressed

Those were the words of former Chelsea defender Jason Cundy, as he reacted to the Reds’ second home defeat in a row.

The Seagulls’ Steven Alzate scored the only goal of the game in the second half after Trent Alexander-Arnold got himself caught under the ball and Dan Burn headed across goal to provide the assist.

While Liverpool once again fielded a makeshift defence, it was at the other end of the field where their problems lied, having created just two big chances and one shot on target during the 90 minutes (Fotmob).

Speaking to talkSPORT, Cundy was furious with what he saw and did not sugarcoat his words while discussing the performance.

“That was pathetic from Liverpool tonight,” he said.

“They are up against a side, and credit to Brighton they are a good side, but that is the defending champions you just watched there.

“A whimper, disgraceful, shocking… and you know what? History may be repeating itself.”

Klopp managed to secure two Bundesliga titles with Borussia Dortmund before he left his position, and Cundy related Liverpool’s current form to the German tactician’s final days in charge in North Rhine-Westphalia.

“You look at what Klopp did at Dortmund when their season imploded; in his final season all of a sudden it went to pot when they went on a run of two wins out of 16.

“This is something that has happened before to Klopp, in Germany. He demands so much, and his demands have been brilliant.

“But are we looking at a Liverpool side now that has just run out of gas? Because that is not the Klopp Liverpool that we have seen over the past three seasons. They went out with a whimper.

“Credit to Brighton, because they deserved it, but that was just shocking!”

Transfer Tavern Verdict

While it was a really poor performance from Liverpool, it’s fair to say there are elements about the display which were out of the manager’s control – namely injuries.

Let’s not forget, captain Jordan Henderson is being made to play as a centre-back, costing the Reds his usual energy in midfield, while the likes of Alisson, Sadio Mane and Diogo Jota all missed the match as well.

Supporters will be feeling down in the dumps after that one, but it can all change again if they can beat Manchester City on Sunday. What a funny old game football can be.

In other news, Liverpool fans go after under-fire Klopp star once more after Brighton slip-up.

Daniel Levy will lose his mind at Jose Mourinho if the Tottenham Hotspur boss forces Davinson Sanchez out of the club in the January transfer window.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, the Spurs first-team have been given the next six-to-eight weeks to prove themselves to Mourinho and Levy, with the pair yet finalise a definitive plan for the upcoming market.

Tottenham intend to bolster the ranks in north London this winter after the fine start to the campaign Mourinho has orchestrated, with Spurs sitting second in the table and with the chance to go temporarily to the top with a win over Manchester City on Saturday.

Mourinho’s backline is expected to bear the brunt of the Portuguese’s focus, having grown concerned by the lack of pace that a pairing of Eric Dier and Toby Alderweireld have to offer.

Sanchez is seen to be the fastest of Spurs’ centre-halves but found himself axed from their last three Premier League squads before the November international break, while summer signing Joe Rodon is yet to feature as anything more than a last-minute substitute at Burnley.

Should Sanchez or Rodon fail to dethrone either Dier or Alderweireld before the New Year, Mourinho is expected to explore the potential of adding a new central defender to his plans with the former Chelsea boss favouring a proven option over youth prospect Japhet Tanganga.

Sanchez may even find himself pushed out of north London, with the Colombian not thought of highly by Mourinho while Levy has to offload some of Tottenham’s unneeded high-earners to fund his winter dealings.

Levy will lose his mind

If Mourinho does decide over the next six-to-eight weeks that Sanchez has no future at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, his decision may see Levy lose his mind having signed the 24-year-old from AFC Ajax in 2017 for a then-club-record £40million.

The Spurs chief will surely struggle to find a suitor willing to match – or better – that sum in the winter market, having seen the Colombian fail to keep a clean sheet in either of his four Premier League starts this season before losing his place in the 18-man squad.

Then finding a replacement for Sanchez who presents good value for money will be a second thwart challenge for Levy to overcome, with clubs reluctant to part with their most prized assets in the mid-season window for anything less than top-dollar as their departures could turn a campaign on its head.

Levy will be far better placed to urge Mourinho to keep faith in what Sanchez can have to offer, with the £65,000-per-week outcast’s performances over his top-flight appearances enough to rank first among all Tottenham defenders for successful tackles (9), and have three times as many interceptions (3) as Alderweireld (1) and ground duels won (9) as Dier (3), per SofaScore.

Levy can also turn to the words of Mourinho’s predecessor Mauricio Pochettino in arguing the case for the Colombian to stay, at least until the summer, as the Argentine coach was a staunch advocate for the defender’s potential.

“We nearly changed all the players and of course it’s important, after only 48 hours, to say [well done] to Davinson Sanchez because his effort on Monday and [Wednesday] was massive,” Pochettino said in November 2018 after helping Spurs to beat West Ham in the EFL Cup, via quotes by Goal. “He showed great mentality. He’s a beast.”

Pochettino also suspected the world would be Sanchez’s oyster after his capture in 2017, tipping the Ajax arrival to go on and become one of the best in his position.

“He has an amazing history and background,” Pochettino said, via quotes by The Guardian. “He is so aggressive, so fast and he loves to play with risk at his back. It’s a massive opportunity because we believe he will be one of the best centre-backs in the world.”

Only time will tell if Sanchez can use the next six-to-eight weeks to his advantage or if Mourinho has already decided the Colombian has no future in north London.

AND in other news, Jose Mourinho has been tipped for crunch talks with an “amazing” Spurs gem who’s unhappy in north London.

It was reported earlier in the year that Southampton were keen on signing Rob Dickie from Oxford United and after his impressive start to the 2020/21 campaign, it could be argued that they may regret not acting on that reported interest.

The centre-back eventually ended up joining Championship side QPR, where he has enjoyed an excellent start to life with the Hoops, having averaged a very solid 6.96 rating across his 10 appearances in the second division thus far (per WhoScored).

Mark Warburton’s side were able to sign the 24-year-old for just £2.43 million, suggesting that it could have been a bargain deal for the Saints if they had managed to bring him to the South Coast.

During his time with Oxford United, Dickie was heavily praised by manager Karl Robinson, who said:

“I know he’s quick, I know he’s talented, I know he’s great in the air, but I need to see what he’s like when he’s on the floor and see how he stands up. In the second half, I thought Rob Dickie was magnificent.” (per Oxford Mail)

Whilst the centre-backs at Southampton have impressed this season, with Jan Bednarek and Jannik Vestergaard two of the club’s best-performers in the Premier League so far this season, Dickie could have been an excellent back-up option in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.

At just 24-years-old, you would imagine that he still has a lot of room for improvement in his game, so he could have been one for the future at the Saints.

WhoScored describes the defender’s strengths as passing, ball interception and blocking the ball, suggesting that he could have done a job as a ball-playing centre-back at the South Coast club.

The deal to sign him for so cheap could be compared to the Saints’ signing of Jose Fonte back in 2010, with the Portuguese centre-back joining from Crystal Palace for just £1.26 million, before going on to make 286 appearances for the Saints in a seven-year spell at the club.

It can be certainly argued that after an impressive start to life at QPR, the Saints may regret not taking a chance on Dickie, especially when he was available for less than £3 million.

Just what does Federico Fernandez have to do to be recognised as one of the Premier League’s better central defenders?

Whether it’s because he plays for a Newcastle side that haven’t pulled up any trees and have had to fend off relegation battles in recent seasons, or that he isn’t in the mould of a modern, flashy centre-back, Fernandez’s name isn’t one that crops up in conversations about who the top-flight best defenders are.

On Sunday afternoon against Everton, the Argentine delivered yet another monstrous display at the heart of defence, as Steve Bruce’s side stopped the high-flying Toffees 2-1 at St James’ Park.

And whilst Callum Wilson will be the man in the headlines for his match-winning brace, Fernandez deserves a whole load of credit for the way he marshalled the Newcastle back-line, and was desperately unlucky not to have been a part of a side that kept a clean-sheet – Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s injury-time strike put an end to that.

But that takes nothing away from Fernandez’s individual performance. As per Sofascore, he won an impressive 100% of his duels, whilst he really batten down the hatches with a monstrous ten clearances. To put that last stat into context, the rest of his Newcastle teammates only combined for 13 in total.

The 31-year-old – signed by Rafa Benitez in the summer of 2018 from Swansea – also threw himself at everything, putting his body on the line for the cause and ending up blocking two shots, including a fine one on Calvert-Lewin’s effort.

Fernandez’s tally of clearances actually ranks him first in the entire Premier League, and 13 more than fellow centre-back and club captain Jamaal Lascelles.

Whilst he may not wear the armband, the Argentine continues to prove he’s one of Bruce’s unsung heroes, and the real kingpin of a defence that could really hold the key to their success this season.

The Magpies should be thanking Benitez for bringing him in for just £6m a couple of years ago. An absolute bargain.

After surviving relegation from the Premier League on the final day of last season, Aston Villa fans will surely be hoping for a campaign without that kind of stress.And judging by the kind of start they have made so far, both on and off the pitch, it does look to be a season of promise for Dean Smith’s side.

The Greatest Bargains in Premier League history – How much did they cost?

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A victory over Sheffield United in their opening Premier League game has set them up perfectly, whilst they have made exciting signings in the likes of Ollie Watkins and Bertrand Traore in particular.

Now, French publication Foot Mercato claim the club have made a €17.5m (£16m) offer for Nice midfielder Wylan Cyprien, and that they see him following a similar path to former star Idrissa Gueye.

And after hearing about their links to the 5 foot 11 midfielder, Villa fans took to Twitter to share their reactions.

A couple of fans lauded the fact that he could be a quality box-to-box midfielder, with one Villa supporter even suggesting that Cyprien reminds him of Chelsea star N’Golo Kante.

As a midfielder who scored an impressive eight goals in just 24 games across all competitions last season for Nice, it’s no surprise to see Villa fans seem particularly excited by the potential arrival of Cyprien.

Having someone from deep who can chip in regularly with goals and break into the box to provide an extra edge to their attack could be the key to ensuring main man Jack Grealish doesn’t feel too burdened.

Villa could be making yet another shrewd move in the transfer market.