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Upon signing for Manchester United in 2016, there was hope that Eric Bailly could have been the defensive colossus for which the Red Devils were striving.

However, it has not panned out that way for the Ivorian at Old Trafford, with his transfer valuation now the lowest it has ever been since he arrived in Manchester.

Initially when he arrived at the club under Portuguese Jose Mourinho from Spanish outfit Villarreal, the then 22-year-old was rated at £18m by Transfermarkt.

As he established himself within the Red Devils setup with an impressive debut campaign, that rating shot up to its peak of £31.5m at the start of 2018.

However, a combination of poor form, injury woes and new signings have all seen Bailly fall down the pecking order at Old Trafford and consequently seen his valuation slide all the way down to its current level of £13.5m – an £18m decrease on its peak.

Since his first season at the club, the centre-back has not played more than 20 matches in all competitions during a single campaign – only taking to the pitch on 11 occasions during the 2019/20 season.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-man-united-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=” Latest Man United transfer rumours and news!”]

The 36-cap international now seems highly unlikely to improve on those numbers, with the likes of Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof being Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first-choice pairing, whilst the Norwegian is also reportedly keen to bring in a new centre-back during the transfer window.

This would, of course, be bad news for Bailly as he gets pushed even further down the pecking order despite Solskjaer recently praising his “immense” performances.

Considering that he is now meant to be entering his peak, the defender’s lack action on the pitch and his perennially falling transfer rating both suggest otherwise.

Once again, it is not the trajectory that Bailly would have envisaged when he swapped the Estadio de la Cerámica for Old Trafford in 2016.

AND in more news, take a look at which European hotshot could replace Edinson Cavani at Old Trafford…

According to a report by Football League World, GSB and West Ham United remain interested in signing Blackburn Rovers star Adam Armstrong this summer – with the Englishman on a shortlist alongside three other options for David Moyes. 

GSB and West Ham eyeing Armstrong

Indeed, sources have told FLW that the Irons are still eyeing a swoop for Armstrong – and Blackburn will apparently accept a fee of around £20 million for his services.

The 24-year-old, who has scored an impressive 19 goals whilst notching three assists in 32 Championship appearances this season (Transfermarkt), before today’s action, is reportedly being watched as well as a trio of other forwards.

West Ham have been told by this report the price they will need to pay to sign him this summer, but face stiff competition from Steve Bruce and Newcastle United.

Transfer Tavern take

This comes after an ExWHUemployee claim made back in January, with the club insider revealing that West Ham ‘especially rate’ Armstrong (Patreon).

Speaking to Football Insider, pundit Gabriel Agbonlahor also branded the attacker as a potentially ‘perfect signing’ for the east Londoners.

Time will tell whether West Ham’s interest heats up in the summer or if a more formal approach will be made, but he certainly appears on the radar.

In other news: West Ham fans flocked to ‘excellent news’, find out more here.

It would be fair to say that Liverpool’s defence of their Premier League title has been a miserable one.

Jurgen Klopp’s troops have severely underwhelmed domestically, currently sitting in eighth place, 28 points behind current leaders Manchester City.

As it stands, the Reds only need to drop a maximum of two more points to rule themselves out of the title race, a prospect that could well come to fruition in Monday’s clash against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

With Jurgen Klopp having already conceded the title, it now looks like the Reds are in a battle for the top four, to hopefully retain their place in the UEFA Champions League next season.

Instead, former Liverpool hero Dietmar Hamann has called on Klopp to focus entirely on Europe, suggesting to Sky in Germany that the German “can handle” winning the Champions League once more.

It is hard to argue that fact considering both the German’s history and Liverpool’s history. in the competition.

Throughout his career with Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool, Klopp has reached a total of three UEFA Champions League finals, winning one against Tottenham Hotspur at the conclusion of the 2018/19 campaign.

Liverpool are also the joint-third most successful club in the history of the European Cup having lifted a total of six trophies from nine finals.

With a further ten matches left to play in the Premier League, and a maximum of just five to play in Europe, it surely makes sense to prioritise the lower workload, and even win a trophy – which of course would paint a far more successful season as opposed to just securing a place in the top-four.

Having already progressed to the Champions League quarter-finals with a 4-0 aggregate success against Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig, The Reds have the momentum too, an aspect that they simply do not possess in the Premier League having lost six out of their last seven games.

It makes sense then to somewhat abandon their league push and instead focus their efforts on winning another European title.

AND in more news, have a look at which Bundesliga star could be a perfect signing for the Reds in the upcoming transfer window…

Alongside the several potential new players Celtic have been linked to this window, they also have their eye on a new manager. The Mirror recently reported that Rafael Benitez is in the picture to usurp Neil Lennon as head coach of the Glasgow giants, following his decision to leave his role in China.

No decision has been confirmed yet and Lennon is still very much in charge of the Hoops, but if he is to be shown the door, the club have a lot to thank him for.

Not only did the Irishman lead Celtic to their historic quadruple-treble accolade, alongside several Premiership titles but he has developed players like Ismaila Soro and David Turnbull into proven first team players.

The 2020/21 season has undeniably been tough on the Bhoys, who are down and out in their chances of securing a tenth consecutive Premiership trophy. They were also handed an early exit from the Europa League after conceding the joint-most amount of goals (19) and managing to win just one match out of the group stages.

With a crisis on their hands, Lennon was forced to rummage around in the substitutes barrel. Taking a punt, the boss took a chance on 2020 signings Turnbull and Soro. This is one of the smartest decisions Lennon has made this season and if he is to part ways with Celtic, he will leaving two ready-made stars in his wake.

According to Transfermarkt, Turnbull has contributed six goals and three assists for Celtic this season, despite only making his first start in October. He has been the difference for his side on numerous occasions, including his goal to secure a point against Hibernian earlier this month.

Soro has also made a vast difference to Celtic’s midfield and has taken the place of Scott Brown on several occasions. According to WhoScored, the 22-year-old has averaged a higher passing accuracy than the Hoops skipper and more interceptions and tackles per match.

This goes to show the benefits of Lennon taking a risk as he desperately tried to turn this season on its head. Whilst he hasn’t achieved what he wanted, he can be proud that he has developed two overlooked players into solid and reliable starters.

In other news, Carlton Palmer believes Benitez would be good coup for Celtic…

Many Liverpool fans have been responding to a tweet from Reds news Twitter account @TheAnfieldTalk, which relayed a revelation made about Ozan Kabak by former Arsenal head of recruitment Sven Mislintat. 

This comes after the Reds signed the 20-year-old on loan from Schalke for the rest of the 2020/21 campaign, with an option to make his move permanent in the summer. 

Per The Athletic, Mislintat described Kabak as “a top lad” to Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and the Stuttgart sporting director has also claimed that the Turkey international is a similar type of player to Dejan Lovren, who won the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Supercup and the Premier League at Anfield before leaving the Merseyside club last summer. 

Mislintat was of course in charge of recruitment at Stuttgart while Kabak was at the club, so his comments do hold some weight, and it’s fair to say Liverpool fans weren’t too happy to hear a comparison to Lovren, who was often a divisive figure during his time at Anfield. 

So, how have these Liverpool fans been reacting? 

It seems from the replies to @TheAnfieldTalk that plenty of Reds supporters don’t think very highly of Lovren, as Mislintat’s comments seem to have got alarm bells ringing for many Liverpool fans. 

“So he’s full of mistakes”

Credit: @1DanE_T

“If he’s a Dejan Lovren type well we’re in trouble.”

Credit: @amadu38

“Send him back”

Credit: @Elismpj

“Dejan? My goodness we just signed a flop”

Credit: @Raph_8

“Oh no”

Credit: @SeulmentFirmino

“Have we got a receipt”

Credit: @Msudais01

“Terminate his contract already!”

Credit: @TeeBamuza

“Comparing him to Lovren doesn’t fill me with any confidence at all!!!!”

Credit: @Monstaza

In other news, James Pearce has fired back at Paul Merson over his Kabak claim.

Like many others around the world, Manchester United experienced something akin to a wild ride during 2020.

The Red Devils didn’t get off to the best of starts and it seemed all hope was lost after they suffered two defeats and one draw in their first three fixtures of the year but they soon bounced back shortly after the arrival of Portuguese magnifico Bruno Fernandes.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had made Borussia Dortmund starlet Jadon Sancho his top transfer target in the summer but had to settle for Amad Diallo, Facundo Pellistri, Alex Telles and Donny van de Beek instead, although Ed Woodward should be given credit for signing former Paris-Saint Germain striker Edinson Cavani as a free agent, as it’s safe to say the 33-year-old has turned out to be a total revelation ever since he first set foot inside Old Trafford.

Not to be outdone by all of the new signings, Marcus Rashford was awarded a MBE for his services to vulnerable children across the UK during the coronavirus pandemic, and the 23-year-old forward finished the year as the club’s top scorer for the 2020/21 season across all competitions.

United currently sit second in the Premier League, with three points between them and league leaders Liverpool, although they still have a game in-hand over their bitter arch-rivals.

Who knows where United will end up at the end of the season, but there’s one thing for sure, that shouldn’t take anything away from what has been another step in the right direction. How well can you remember United’s 2020? Try your hand and test yourself to the very limit with Football FanCast’s Big Fat Quiz of 2020!

Sheffield Wednesday are no closer to appointing Tony Pulis’ successor despite the Welshman being sacked nearly three weeks ago, though a new name has emerged as a potential option at Hillsborough Stadium…

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Mail, two-time promotion winner Slavisa Jokanovic is in the running for the vacant Owls job, as the current Al-Gharafa boss eyes a return to management in England.

It’s claimed that the 52-year-old would welcome another chance to return to the country and with his family still based in Europe, which should hopefully see Euro 2021 take place this year for which pitchinvasion.net offer betting markets, Jokanovic has already decided to leave the Qatari outfit at the end of their current campaign.

A dream appointment

This could potentially be a dream appointment for Dejphon Chansiri and fans alike.

When the Thai businessman took over from Milan Mandaric in March 2015, he targeted a return to the Premier League within the following two years – well, nearly six years later, they’re heading towards the third tier rather than towards the top-flight.

That said, the Owls came close to getting promoted twice under Carlos Carvalhal during the first 18 months under Chansiri’s stewardship.

Jokanovic has won promotion from the Championship twice in his career, first with Watford in 2014/15 by finishing in second place, and then in 2018 with Fulham, winning the playoffs.

If the Owls can stay up, then perhaps there isn’t a more perfect candidate to match the ambitions of Chansiri, even if it’s taken three times longer that his initial targeted timescale .

It certainly seems like the Yugoslavian is one of the top options for the Hillsborough faithful too as many fans flocked to social media to throw their support behind the potential appointment, as seen below:

Indeed, it’s easy to see why so many supporters would be absolutely thrilled with Jokanovic.

Across 180 combined matches in charge of the Hornets and Cottagers, the former Chelsea midfielder managed a win-rate of 46.6%.

His Fulham side were also once dubbed the “Man City of the Championship,” which would be a stark contrast to the negative football that was on offer under Pulis, which is another thing that would appease Chansiri immensely.

After sacking the 63-year-old, Chansiri told reporters in a press conference, via talkSPORT: “I was not convinced about his style of play so it was not the right choice,” before adding: “I told him I don’t like the old English style but he told me he wouldn’t play like that.”

Jordi Cruyff’s praise of Jokanovic shows why Wednesday would be getting a fresh attacking style if they hired him, he told the Guardian: “He does like to play from behind but he also likes to adapt himself to moments that he might not have control of. I think his reading of the game was very good.”

Also dubbed “intimidating,” the former Fulham man could be exactly what the Owls need to achieve their long-term ambitions, but first, they must fully dig themselves out of the relegation mire.

AND in other news, Chansiri must AVOID hiring 61 y/o who “would take” vacant Owls job, he’d be Pulis 2.0…

Amidst all the takeover talk that had dominated Newcastle headlines earlier this summer, it’s easy to forget that a year prior, the club was also looking it was on the verge of seeing Mike Ashley’s era come to an end.

Reports back in May 2019 had suggested that the current Magpies owner was in talks to sell the club to Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and that the potential deal was worth around £350m.

It was even claimed by the Bin Zayed Group that terms had been all agreed, and that they had hoped to complete the takeover at the “earliest opportunity”.

Of course, that all failed to materialise, but that hasn’t stopped them from trying to make their mark on English football. They now currently own Derby County after agreeing a takeover earlier this month, and have now made the decision to appoint Steve McClaren as technical director.

As well as the Bin Zayed group, McClaren is also a familiar name on Tyneside, having managed at St James’ Park a few years ago and ending up being sacked after just nine months in charge.

The former England boss opened up on his time at the club earlier this year, saying: “It was a difficult club at that time to manage and, again, I thought I had all the experience. Time is something you don’t get at a football club and that club needed time to turn around, and I knew after six weeks, 10 weeks in the dressing room that it needed changing around and that might have taken a year, two years.

“Unfortunately, I wasn’t given that time and that’s what happens in football. You’ve still got to win in the short-term and plan for the long-term. That has always been the motto and always will be. Unfortunately, I ran out of time.”

And after hearing about his appointment at Derby, Newcastle fans made it clear that they seem to have had a lucky escape with the Bin Zayed takeover falling through.

If their appointment of McClaren is an indication of how they may have run things at Newcastle, then it’s fair to say the Magpies may have dodged a bullet. Having billionaire owners come in and take over is all well and good, but if they don’t get the key personnel decisions right, then it all goes to pot.

After tasting yet another defeat in the Premier League, Arsenal return to the more welcome comforts of European football when they finish off the Europa League group stages against Dundalk on Thursday night.

The Gunners slid to a hugely disappointing 2-0 loss to north London rivals Tottenham on Sunday afternoon, and Mikel Arteta will no doubt be hoping that whatever their struggles in the top-flight are, they can continue their perfect run in Europe.

Arteta’s men have won every single game in the group and have already clinched top spot and qualification into the knock-out rounds, so Thursday evening will surely be the perfect time for him to experiment.

And below is a look at just how Arsenal might line up for the trip to Ireland.

In goal, Runar Runarsson will surely come back in to give Bernd Leno a rest, whilst the likes of Cedric, David Luiz, Calum Chambers and Ainsley Maitland-Niles are also likely to return and complete a whole sweep of changes to the Gunners’ back-line – Sead Kolasinac has been ruled out.

Even without the injury concern to Thomas Partey, it would have been hugely surprisingly if the Ghanaian were to feature in a meaningless contest, so Joe Willock, Dani Ceballos and Mohamed Elneny may form the central midfield trio. Granit Xhaka’s woeful performance against Spurs which drew a lot of criticism will surely see the 28-year-old drop out of contention too.

Ahead of them, Nicolas Pepe and Emile Smith Rowe should also start (Reiss Nelson having seemingly been ruled out according to journalist Chris Wheatley), whilst Arteta must surely be tempted to give Folarin Balogun his first competitive start in an Arsenal shirt too.

Predicted XI: Runarsson; Cedric, Luiz, Chambers, Maitland-Niles; Elneny, Willock, Ceballos; Pepe, Smith Rowe, Balogun.

Meanwhile, Arsenal must surely bring in this play-maker who was a “revelation” in the Premier League.

Crystal Palace cruised to a comfortable 2-1 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage. Roy Hodgson’s side took the lead after Jairo Riedewald slotted home a sublime pass from Wilfried Zaha.

But the best was yet to come, as Michy Batshuayi picked out a near-perfect pass for Zaha to pick up the vital three points, which means that Fulham are still waiting for their first win of the 2020/21 Premier League season.

Batshuayi could have scored himself before he saw another goal ruled out for offside for the second time in two weeks, but he quickly made amends shortly afterwards with a match-winning contribution.

Look, we get it. We’ll be the first to admit that we may have been a little bit too hasty in writing him off almost immediately after his erratic display during the dull draw with Brighton. But we’re not the first and won’t be the last to criticise a player – but at least we’re willing to admit it when we get it wrong!

In fact, Batshuayi has faced a fair amount of criticism for his performances over the years so far. But it’s fair to say that the Belgium international has silenced the critics with his performance against Fulham at Craven Cottage.

Per SofaScore, the 27-year-old took two shots on target, took 37 touches of the ball, and created one big chance, whilst he made two clearances, two interceptions and blocked one shot, which shows that he contributed defensively as well.

SofaScore gave the Belgian striker a grade of 7.5, which is higher than what Wilfried Zaha received, whilst Sky Sports similarly awarded him with a rating of 7/10. Likewise, football.london gave him the same score, saying he “stretched the defence and showed more of what Hodgson will want to see this season.”

Batshuayi, who is currently rated at £10.8m via Transfermarkt, has received full backing from Roy Hodgson. And the Palace boss has been rewarded as the Chelsea loanee provided the assist to seal the win over his former club.

Once hailed as a “hard-working” player by Blues boss Frank Lampard, Hodgson must rebuild Batshuayi’s confidence, which has arguably been shot to pieces by his struggles at Stamford Bridge.

However, he has shown signs that he is beginning to rediscover the form from his first spell at Selhurst Park. Getting on the scoresheet should be the next thing on the list.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace missed out on key summer signing in Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins…