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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Venezuelan journalist Carlos Ponte believes Manchester City’s loanee Yangel Herrera will move to a top European club in the near future.

What did he say?

Herrera has been on loan at Granada this season and has already made an impact on the Spanish club. Remarkably, Granada sit third in La Liga after 10 games, and are just two points off leaders Barcelona. Herrera has helped them get to this point, starting seven games and coming off the bench for another.

Ponte has spoken very highly of the 21-year-old and stated that he could move to a top European club if he continues his current form

He told talkSPORT: “At New York City FC his coach was Patrick Vieira, and he took Andrea Pirlo’s place in the team, so he must have learned something.

“He has a lot of energy and stamina, is great at providing cover and a true team player. He’s good at bringing the ball out with a certain degree of elegancy.

“He’s not Sergio Busquets or Rodri, but does that job quite well. He’s very reliable and rarely commits mistakes that leave the team in a bad position. And he’s aggressive: plays in your face without any nastiness, though does get a lot of bookings.

“To be a Guardiola-style midfielder he needs to improve his use of the ball – that style requires so much precision and speed in decision making.

“If he continues his development he’ll end up at a big European club.”

A potential replacement for Fernandinho

The signing of Rodri has made City well equipped in the defensive midfielder role. Rodri joined the Brazilian and Ilkay Gundogan at City, inevitably forcing Herrera elsewhere to gain experience.

However, as Ponte stated, he has massively improved in Spain this year and rarely makes any mistakes. Plus Fernandinho will be 35 come May, and surely does not have many years left at the Etihad as a result.

If Herrera can continue to perform in Granada’s midfield, Guardiola may see him as a long term replacement for the City legend.

If not, City may lose out on a potential star of the future, and the Venezuelan might not be short of offers in the summer if Ponte’s assessment is anything to go by.

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

Leeds United have dropped down to fifth in the Championship after results in recent games saw them register just one win in the last four. Defeats to Millwall, Charlton Athletic and a draw to Derby County have shown a slight concern in the goalscoring department recently, with just three goals in four games.

On the chalkboard

Although the Whites are the best defensive side in the Championship, they have the least amount of goals inside the top 11, scoring 15 times which puts them on the same amount as Luton Town in 18th.

As for the centre-forward role, Leeds are slightly undercovered in that department, with only Patrick Bamford and Eddie Nketiah the two usual candidates, as Tyler Roberts has played just 65 minutes of league action. Bamford has started every game so far in the Championship but has only netted four times in those 11 fixtures, whilst Nketiah has just two Championship goals, although he has played in only seven substitute appearances.

In theory, the Arsenal loanee has a much better goals per minute ratio than the former Middlesbrough man, with Nketiah playing 703 fewer minutes but still scoring twice. The 20-year-old has also scored another two in the Carabao Cup for the Whites and has so far proved to be a decent addition to Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

There was a debate last month on the two playing together up top, and fans seemed to love the idea. But is it really what is best for the club?

Why are Leeds fans the best in the country? Find out in the video below…

But who should be sacrificed?

As Bielsa alluded to earlier on in the season, if Bamford and Nketiah are to play together, a midfielder must lose their place in the side. This would be a tough call for the Argentine to make, considering the form of those in question.

Pablo Hernandez has continued his breathtaking form from last year, scoring and assisting twice, whilst midfield partners Mateusz Klich, Kalvin Phillips and Stuart Dallas have averaged a 6.93, 7.33 and a 7.02 rating respectively so far. In truth, every midfielder in Leeds’ line-up thus far does not deserve to be dropped, especially considering Nketiah only has two goals in the Championship anyway.

Dropping a midfielder would potentially tarnish what has been the league’s best defence, and some players like Phillips and Klich have been just as important as the strikers at times this year.

So, would Leeds’ attack improve if one of the midfielders switches for an attacker? Potentially. But it simply isn’t worth damaging their fantastic defence to accommodate another attacker.

Bielsa should stick to his guns and not drop a midfielder for the hope that it returns goals.

Former Sunderland midfielder Jack Rodwell is being linked to Roma in a move which is understandably being greeted with shock by Mackems fans.

The ex-Black Cat spent more than four years in the north-east but played only 76 games, winning just nine of those, building up a reputation as someone who was unavailable more often than not, and one of many players who ultimately contributed to the back-to-back relegations.

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He was released in 2018 and subsequently signed for Blackburn, where he was a similar disappointment and made only 22 appearances – and that was in the Championship.

As a result, it is crazy to some supporters that he is not only getting a move to the Serie A, but to a team which qualified for the Europa League and who currently sit sixth in the table.

One fan suggested that he must have the best agent in the world to pull off such a move, and that is a sentiment some likely agree with considering his decline as a footballer since signing departing Manchester City in 2014.

Here are some of the reactions from mostly astounded Sunderland fans.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Brentford B Assistant Coach Sam Saunders has spoken exclusively to Football League World about QPR boss Mark Warburton, and where he thinks the R’s need to be in the next two months for them to potentially achieve promotion.

Saunders – who made 204 appearances for Brentford as a player, scoring 30 goals – is currently looking up at the R’s in the Championship table after the Bees’ poor start to the campaign, but he has still spoken glowingly about the former Brentford and Rangers boss Warburton.

What did he say?

Saunders told FLW: “With Mark Warburton, he’s had success in the Championship before with Brentford and in their first season in the division he got them to the play-offs.

“That shows he’s done it before, so why couldn’t he do it again? I won’t be popular saying that, what with the rivalry, but he’s a really good manager and he gets them playing in a really nice way, attacking, front foot football.

“The league is starting to take shape now. If they go through October and into November time, still in and around the top six then I don’t see why not.”

No reason why Warburton can’t do it

There is simply no reason why Warburton cannot achieve promotion with this QPR side.

He has displayed tactical flexibility with his squad, using his players in a 4-2-3-1 system as well as the successful 5-3-2 formation that has merited three wins from the Londoners’ last three league games – a trait that should be of use across the 46-game season.

In Nahki Wells and Jordan Hugill, the 57-year-old boss has two of the Championship’s joint-top scorers on five goals each. All promotion-chasing teams need a top goalscorer, how about two?

Behind them, he has the young Eberechi Eze, who is taking the division by storm – receiving a maiden England Under-21 call-up for his efforts – and in Ryan Manning, Warburton has a left-back who is thriving in the new 5-3-2 system – his excellent performance against Sheffield Wednesday proved that.

Warburton has all the tools – within his own managerial locker and within his playing squad – to achieve automatic promotion, or at least a playoff spot, with this QPR side.

Saunders has spoken glowingly of the former Brentford boss, and the praise is definitely well-placed.

It is nearly time now.

Barcelona welcoming Inter Milan to the Camp Nou tonight as we head into the second group stage match of the new 2019/20 Champions League season.

The opening clash against Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park was a slight disappointment for the Catalans as the two giants of European football shared the spoils.

And seeing how that was indeed a tough game on the road, Blaugrana should still be happy with a point for their troubles. But now, with the Champions League making a big return to the Camp Nou, there will be no excuses and Barcelona will be put to a real test.

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Inter are no easy opponents, either.

Antonio Conte’s side are currently sitting pretty at the summit of Serie A, leaving the likes of Juventus behind them and their start to the ongoing 2019/20 campaign has definitely been more successful than their Wednesday night counterparts.

With a total of 13 goals scored and only two conceded, the Nerazzurri have been extremely prolific in front of the opposition’s goal and very tidy in front of their own, something we’ve come to expect from Conte’s sides.

The former Chelsea man will no doubt bring his A-game to Catalonia as well and seeing how his teams are usually well-known for their rigid and organised defensive systems, Barcelona will definitely have to get creative to unlock it successfully.

While scoring goals at the Camp Nou was never really a problem for the hosts, seeing how they’ve already scored 12 in just three games in La Liga this season, Inter are a completely different breed when it comes to tight defences and deep blocks.

Saying that the Blaugrana might struggle with breaking their guests down would not be a stretch and especially when we consider that both Ansu Fati and Ousmane Dembele are still out injured, leaving Barcelona with only a few natural wingers in the team.

In fact, looking at their squad and how likely everyone is to feature come Wednesday night, the only real wide option to stretch that tight defence of Inter might be the 21-year-old La Masia product, Carles Perez.

Until this season, the young winger has mostly been flying under the radar of the general public. But now, he has not only tallied one goal and three assists for Barcelona’s senior team but has also recently signed a new contract with the Catalans.

It seems that they believe he has a big part to play in their project for the future and so they decided to keep him in Catalonia until at least 30 June 2022, with two more years added to his existing contract.

Claiming Barcelona’s hopes and dreams of beating Inter lie solely on a 21-year-old’s shoulders is quite a damning and hyperbolic statement for all the Cules waiting for the game to start – but there may be some accuracy lying within it.

Perez is looking extremely likely to be the only natural wide man on the pitch for Barcelona, which means that he will have a unique job on his hands.

Both Luis Suarez and Antoine Griezmann love to position themselves around the centre of the pitch, making Inter’s task of marking them a lot easier. But it will be up to Perez to constantly keep them on their toes and making sure they can’t just turtle up and block all of Barcelona’s passing lanes.

Of course, the Blaugrana squad will have to perform as a unit and everyone will have to pull their weight come Wednesday night but without other natural wingers available and fully fit, Perez will certainly have a key role to play.

Arsenal’s scouting department could be set for a much-needed overhaul in the summer.

The Gunners recently dismissed former sporting director Sven Mislantat who did enjoy some success in the transfer market – signing the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Lucas Torreira. Arsenal are eager to find a replacement ahead of another important transfer window in the summer. Reports from the Mirror suggest that Roma’s Monchi will be offered the chance to reunite with Unai Emery at the Emirates.

Working together at Sevilla, the duo enjoyed a fruitful spell at the club and Monchi is considered one of the world’s best in his position. His appointment could lead to a raid on his current employers to lure some of their top stars to England. Strengthening the Arsenal attack could be a priority with Henrikh Mkhitaryan failing to reach expectations since joining from Manchester United.

One man the Gunners should be targeting is Roma wonderkid – Cengiz Under. Valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt, the 21-year-old earned a reputation as one of Europe’s hottest properties after rising through the youth ranks in Turkey. After impressing for Basaksehir, Roma paid £12m to bring him to the Serie A in the summer of 2017.

Under has continued to develop at a rapid rate in Italy, netting seven league goals in just 15 starts during his debut campaign. The youngster has been a crucial player for his side yet again, netting three goals in the Champions League as well as three goals and five assists in the league. A tricky winger with an eye for goal, Under is blessed with tremendous technical ability and would add a new dimension to the Arsenal attack.

Previously reported back in January (via Fotomac) to have had a bid snubbed by Roma, Arsenal have to splash the cash in order to upgrade on Mkhitaryan.

Still developing and improving, pairing him with Aubameyang in the Gunners front line would be a frightening prospect.

Arsenal fans, thoughts?

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets… 

Against Barnsley, Jamie Shackleton put in a hugely impressive performance in terms of his numbers.

The young midfielder managed to complete four tackles, the same as Kalvin Phillips, while he also created three chances.

It was a big hole to fill given the consistency of Adam Forshaw this term.

The former Middlesbrough man has a pass success rate of over 90%, even if he hasn’t scored or assisted.

His performances have been understated and it hasn’t been until he’s out of the side that supporters have realised what they’ve missed.

They decided that his absence was felt hard following that victory at Oakwell and they may well be feeling the same way after Shackleton’s display against Derby.

Leeds dominated and should have been out of sight following Mateusz Klich’s penalty. He and his midfield partner had looked dynamic against Daniel Stendel’s team but in a home encounter where the Whites again struggled to get over the line, the same old problems arose.

Marcelo Bielsa ruled Forshaw out of the game last week in his press conference and Shackleton deservedly got another chance to prove what he could do.

The teenager spent some of his playing time at right-back in 2018/19 but Stuart Dallas’ emergence in that role and the imminent return of Luke Ayling suggests he’s unlikely to feature in defence.

So it’s in central midfield where he’ll presumably get minutes, but that will only happen if he now improves and finds a level of consistency.

Shackleton was rather anonymous in midfield and for all of Leeds’ dominance, he couldn’t get into the game.

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He gave the ball away and was dispossessed on two occasions while he registered no tackles, shots or key passes according to WhoScored.

It was a mediocre outing for the 19-year-old who failed to prove himself to Bielsa.

This was a big chance for Shackleton given Forshaw was missing once again but in a game where Leeds were the better side, he was merely a passenger in proceedings.

He played the full 90 minutes which was rather surprising given his efforts during the match.

Bielsa has only made four changes to his starting XI in the Championship this term so he will at least have that on his side next week if the Argentine decides to stick with the same policy of not changing things up.

Everton have further fortune in their favour after their fantastic FA Cup win at the weekend, with a fresh update on injuries handing Frank Lampard a huge boost in the Premier League challenge that lies ahead of the new manager.

What’s the word?

The ex-Chelsea boss took to his pre-match press conference to confirm that Dominic Calvert-Lewin is back in training with the squad and will be available for the upcoming fixture against Newcastle United this evening.

Lampard simply said: “Dominic’s in the squad, so, Dominic has been training for the last few days.”

The striker had been confirmed last week as unavailable for the FA Cup clash with Brentford last Saturday afternoon after sustaining a knock, but quickly returned to training and will now be in contention for a place in the team at St James’ Park.

Fans will be delighted

Calvert-Lewin has cemented himself as a fan favourite at the club thanks to his attacking output since he joined the club in 2016 when he was signed for just £1.5m.

He has been worth his weight in gold with 56 goals and 16 assists in 179 appearances for the Toffees.

The 24-year-old has been instrumental for the side and continues to have a presence Everton seem to struggle without, almost seven years into his time at Goodison Park, which is something we have witnessed this season with Calvert-Lewin missing the majority so far through injury.

The star striker has scored three goals this term so far of which were scored consecutively in the first, second and third games of the season, in which they won two and drew one. Sadly his momentum came to an end when he sustained a quadriceps injury and a fractured toe at the beginning of September.

Since then, it has been downhill for the Toffees, winning just two games in the Premier League in Calvert-Lewin’s absence, conceding 11 more goals than they have scored in their campaign, so his return will surely be a huge boost for the team and for Lampard, as he considers his starting XI tonight with a desperately needed win the outcome the new manager will be hoping for.

New signings Donny van de Beek and Dele Alli will also be available for the league fixture for the first time and it will be interesting to see if Lampard will stick or twist with his winning team from the FA Cup clash at the weekend.

In other news: Lampard could sign Broja in the summer

Wolves could find themselves short on midfield options this summer with Leander Dendoncker reportedly available for transfer, while Ruben Neves could also be heading through the exit door with Barcelona keen on the Portuguese midfielder – who is viewed by the La Liga giants as the heir to Sergio Busquets.

With another key playmaker in Joao Moutinho expected to leave at the end of the season too upon the expiration of his contract, manager Bruno Lage could be forced into the transfer market to spend a hefty amount on replacements, who he will have to fast-track into the first team and help adapt to the Midlands as quick as possible.

Youngsters like Luke Cundle could also make the step up and become first-team regulars, but one player that could have helped the squad massively was homegrown Slovakian midfielder Christian Herc, who left permanently at the start of the season for Swiss side Grasshoppers.

Deemed surplus to requirements and not good enough for Lage’s plans, the then-22-year-old managed to secure himself a move to a top-flight European league in a team with a healthy connection to the Midlands club.

At Grasshoppers, based in Zurich, he has been joined by Wolves loanees Bendeguz Bolla, Bruno Jordao, Hayao Kawabe, Sang-bin Jeong and Leo Bonatini, as well as former centre-back Georg Margreitter, who played at Molineux between 2012 and 2015.

During his time under contract at the West Midlands club, he spent the second half of the 2017/18 season and the entirety of the 2018/19 campaign on loan in his homeland, before spending the next two seasons playing in Czech Republic, and during his first loan spell with DAC Dunajska Streda, he said: “I think I’ve developed in every way on the pitch.”

Now aged 23, he has averaged a 7.03 match rating according to SofaScore in the Swiss Super League, and has started 25 of the 26 games he has appeared in for the club this season, scoring three goals and assisting four more – becoming a key man for the club throughout this season, with just Mamadou Kaly Sene averaging a higher match rating in the Grasshoppers squad.

His impressive form this season has not only earned him his first cap for Slovakia, but has also shown exactly why Nuno Santo and then Lage should have given him more of a chance to impress, and even if he was still afterwards not part of either of their plans, the exposure to first-team Premier League football could have improved his £1.35m valuation.

In other news: Nearly signed for £15m, now a 0 goal flop: Wolves struck gold over “desperate” 25 y/o

Tottenham Hotspur are likely to be busy before next Monday’s transfer deadline…

What’s the word?

That is according to journalist Pete O’Rourke, who delivered a rather big claim to GIVEMESPORT this week, suggesting that the north London outfit would be very active over the coming week as they try to land manager Antonio Conte his key targets.

“I’m told that Antonio Conte wants three new players in this window,” he said. “I think a lot depends on possible outs. They won’t be doing anything until they get rid of some of the players Conte doesn’t fancy.”

You’d imagine that a right wing-back is on the agenda amid intense links to Wolves star Adama Traore, whilst a new midfielder may also be considered given the exit talk surrounding Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso and Dele Alli.

Meanwhile, Harry Kane could do with a backup and there is always a need for reinforcements to the Italian’s backline, especially as he deploys a back-three.

Time running out

Spurs are quickly running out of time to secure Conte the players he desperately needs but the fact that he wants three additions has to be exciting news for the Lilywhites faithful around N17.

For many years, supporters have implored the club’s board, namely chairman Daniel Levy and owner Joe Lewis, to get the chequebook open to bolster this struggling squad.

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Much of the side that let the very successful Mauricio Pochettino down still remain and whilst new sporting director Fabio Paratici took measures to start this transitional period during the summer, they are still a long way off in clearing out the deadwood.

The likes of Erik Lamela, Moussa Sissoko and Serge Aurier moved onto pastures new but if Conte is going to stand a chance at elevating this team back to the top, where they regularly challenged for a place inside the top three, and sometimes the title, then he must be backed.

If he wants as many as three new signings, then it is on the Spurs hierarchy to get that done but there is now less than a week on the clock, with several players away on a winter break or with their respective national teams.

Either way, it’s going to be a very thrilling week ahead if you’re a Tottenham fan, that’s for sure.

AND in other news, David Ornstein drops late January transfer claim that’ll leave Spurs fans buzzing…