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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Sir Alex Ferguson believes Manchester United should do a deal for Leicester City defender Harry Maguire this summer, as reported by Manchester Evening News.

What’s the story?

Although not carrying direct quotes from the Old Trafford managerial legend, the paper cites sources claiming that Ferguson believes the club should be doing all they can to land the England international, and he is shocked that they didn’t make a move for the player earlier.

The report states that the Red Devils icon reckons Maguire “would be an ideal signing”.

It was reported last week that United had a £70m bid for the player kicked into touch by the Foxes, although, it is claimed they value the player at around £75m.

Should the club take Sir Alex Ferguson’s recommendation to heart and up their initial bid?

Expensive choice

Maguire is a competent defender at the top level and has extensive experience behind him that suggests he is comfortable in the English Premier League, but at the reported £75m he would be an expensive choice.

When you consider that United signed Victor Lindelof for £31m and Eric Bailly for £30m in recent years, then it becomes a fee that borders on the absurd given Maguire is not necessarily a huge upgrade on either.

He also lacks any UEFA Champions League experience, with performances in that competition a key indicator of whether a player can step up to the elite level that United need to reach next season. Both Lindelof and Bailly have that under their belts.

Ferguson’s endorsement doesn’t make a huge money move for him more sensible or justifiable.

Leicester value the player highly because of his importance to them, not his potential at United, and with many years left on his contract they are rightly protecting a key asset.

From the Red Devils’ perspective though, Maguire should be avoided until the asking price is reduced.

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Arsenal have made an €80m (£71.83m) bid for Lille winger Nicolas Pepe, according to French media outlet Telefoot.

The report states that the player has yet to decide where he wants to be playing his football, but that Paris Saint-Germain remains a priority destination if they get rid of Brazilian international Neymar.

Pepe was one of the stand-out players in Ligue 1 last term, scoring a superb 22 goals as well as assisting 11 times.

Check out 5 reasons why Arsenal need Wilfried Zaha in the video below…

It’s the kind of attacking contribution that would go down a treat at the Emirates if it could be replicated, but is there really a chance of him arriving in London?

The club have already struggled to get a deal for Wilfried Zaha done this summer, while the transfer saga involving Kieran Tierney rumbles on.

Watch Arsenal Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Arsenal fans aren’t convinced that they have the funds available to secure a signing like Pepe, with many taking to Twitter to laugh off or dismiss the reported bid…

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Arsenal fans have wasted no time in getting stuck into Mesut Ozil during pre-season.

The Gunners were victorious against Fiorentina in a 3-0 win on Saturday evening but in a series of tweets leading up to and after the game had finished, their supporters still weren’t convinced by the German.

Ozil appeared to show renewed work rate and strength in Arsenal’s win over Bayern Munich last week, but was restricted to a substitute appearance in which he had little to do against the Italian outfit.

However, debating his future and whether he could turn around his fortunes, supporters mercilessly slammed the 30-year-old on Twitter.

One fan urged the club to get rid of him whilst another said he only turns up once in a blue moon.

Ozil has done little wrong in pre-season so far so it seems rather strange that certain segments of the fan base are already criticising him.

However, it’s a sign of the poor relationship that’s developed between him and the Emirates Stadium faithful since putting pen to paper on a new contract worth £350k a week in January 2018.

A further supporter said they couldn’t trust him anymore whilst one branded him a liability.

Ozil only scored five goals last term whilst picking up a measly two assists.

Here’s the best of the debate.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Amidst all the understandable excitement surrounding the performances of academy products Reiss Nelson and Joe Willock on Sunday, one man whose fine display went slightly under the radar was Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

The Armenia international was a real live-wire going forward and showed another tantalising glimpse that the ‘old’ Mkhitaryan is still in there somewhere.

But, with the arrival of Dani Ceballos and potential swoop for Nicolas Pepe, the Gunners’ summer transfer business could be seen as the final nail in the coffin of any hopes of the former Manchester United man becoming a star in north London. Or, could it be a blessing in disguise?

Such has been the incredible difficulties experienced by Alexis Sanchez at Manchester United, that Mkhitaryan’s performances for the Gunners have received far less attention. The attacking midfielder enjoyed a blistering start to life in north London with his performance against Everton in February 2018, but that night arguably still remains his greatest showing in an Arsenal shirt to date – that night accounted for over 20% of his total Premier League assists.

Watch Arsenal Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

But against Lyon at the Emirates Cup, the Armenian delivered a timely reminder that he can still be a huge influence for Unai Emery’s side. The 30-year-old’s versatility was on full display as he started out wide before coming into a number ten role. The midfielder was powerful and direct with his running, and always looked to quicken up the tempo with his short incisive passing.

Mkhitaryan’s lacklustre performances last season could in part be put down to the lack of competition he had to face in making the team. The Gunners essentially had Alex Iwobi and the Armenian as their sole wide options, meaning he was largely assured of a place in the first-team squad. But with the return of Reiss Nelson on loan, and Pepe’s reported arrival for £72m, the former Shakhtar Donetsk star is no longer an automatic choice.

Watch the video below to see the most insane overhead kick you will see this week…

It could quite conceivably lift Mkhitaryan to greater performances in the games where he’s afforded a chance by Emery, knowing full well that he has players itching to take his place. Sometimes even great players can get themselves into a lull and a false sense of security; Arsenal’s summer business may just inspire the £180k-a-week star to impressive heights once again. Let’s not forget he racked up 90 direct goal contributions in 140 games for Borussia Dortmund.

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Former Leeds ace Noel Whelan has told Football Insider how good a signing he thinks Ryan Kent would be for Rangers.

What’s he said?

The 22-year-old has been told by Jurgen Klopp that he won’t get another chance out on loan, meaning a permanent move away from Anfield is likely this summer. As a result, the ex-Aberdeen man has tipped the Liverpool winger to be a brilliant bit of business if he were to go back to Steven Gerrard’s side.

“Kent would be a brilliant signing for Rangers or Leeds,” Whelan told Football Insider.

“There’s no chance of him playing regularly at Liverpool, there is just too much attacking depth, so he really needs to move on this summer.

“At Rangers, he would be a standout player. He developed well last season and showed he can be a regular matchwinner.

“He is quick, technically good, can beat a man, dribble, manipulate the ball, can play on both flanks or in the number 10 role, and creates and scores goals.”

His high praise of the wide-man has been reciprocated by many in Scotland, with Kent picking up the Young Player of the Year award last season while on loan at Ibrox.

Despite the club’s clear interest in the player and him seemingly now becoming available for a permanent transfer, there’s no guarantee that the deal will go ahead.

The stumbling blocks

The stars seem to be aligning for a return to Ibrox, but Kent to Rangers is far from a done deal.

Firstly, the reported price of £8m by BBC Sport would be the third-highest in the Light Blues’ history if went through. With the club’s record buy since promotion back to the top flight being £3.5m for Filip Helander, it would go against the grain of their recent activity.

Secondly, with Leeds United in the hunt for the winger, per The Scottish Sun, Gerrard faces tricky opposition to bring his starlet back to the club. The prospect of playing under Marcelo Bielsa must be intriguing, with the Argentine being cited by many of the game’s most prominent figures as an inspiration.

Lastly, Gerrard has already brought in four new wingers to the club this summer. Sheyi Ojo, Jordan Jones, Greg Stewart and Jake Hastie didn’t cost a penny but will have taken a dent out of the wage bill, meaning that the funds could be restricted for the already expensive deal for the winger.

While there are some promising signs that Kent will be a Rangers player, fans shouldn’t hold their breath on account of Whelan’s comments.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Newcastle have knocked back multiple approaches for Dwight Gayle, per Football Insider.

What’s the story?

Football Insider claim the Magpies have rejected swoops from a number of clubs, namely West Brom and Stoke City, as Steve Bruce wants to keep Gayle on Tyneside.

The former Crystal Palace ace was superb for the Baggies while on loan at the Hawthorns last season, scoring 24 Championship goals.

And while plenty of Newcastle fans are bashing the decision to keep the 28 year-old, they may just need to trust their gaffer on this one.

Quality back-up

It is true that Gayle has struggled to find the net in the top flight, scoring 21 times in 99 appearances, assisting four.

However, when you consider the striker has played in five different positions, not always given the nod to actually lead the line, one goal contribution in every four matches becomes slightly more respectable, especially considering he will not be first-choice after the £40m capture of Joelinton.

Looking deeper into his numbers, over the last three seasons the striker has bagged 53 goals and 16 assists in 123 games in all competitions. 69 direct goal contributions in 123 showings comes out at more than one every two matches, or 0.56 per game.

And while two of those three seasons came in the Championship, that hardly makes them irrelevant – Brighton have just signed Neal Maupay for a whopping £20m due to his sensational goalscoring record in the division.

So, forgetting the name Gayle for a moment. Here we have a player who is only expected to be a back-up, has been providing a goal or assist once every two games consistently for the last three years, and unlike the likes of Maupay, has also racked up extensive top-flight experience and will only perform a support role to the starting number nine.

The Toon Army are right to be frustrated with their club’s leadership and transfer activity, but at 28 Gayle still has room to improve, and Bruce is absolutely right to want to keep him around.

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After getting a glimpse of their new big-money striker in pre-season, West Ham fans saw Sebastien Haller get his first taste of Premier League football against reigning champions Manchester City.

The Frenchman arrived from German side Eintracht Frankfurt in a club-record deal of £45m earlier this summer, and showed the Hammers faithful an early sign of what he has to offer.

Leading the line on his top-flight debut, Haller was one of the bright sparks of what otherwise was a rather forgettable afternoon for West Ham.

Manuel Pellegrini’s side slumped to a disappointing 5-0 defeat at home, but Haller’s hold-up play and touch certainly represented a silver lining.

Indeed, after seeing their record signing deliver a fine early impression, Irons fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the forward.

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Many hailed his close control and ability to hold up the ball for his teammates, and praised his work ethic during the game.

Despite conceding much of the possession to the visitors, West Ham supporters praised Haller’s defensive contributions in the match and felt there is a lot more to come.

Check out some of the reaction of Hammers fans below:

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We’re yet to fully translate the complexities of emoji language, but we assume what Gerrard is trying to say is: “Good luck on the new season Rhian because if you don’t perform you’re going to end up at Rangers with me *OK hand*”

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“When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea.”

If people thought Eric Cantona’s famous way with words had waned over time, then he firmly shattered that myth with his unbelievable speech at the Champions League draw on Thursday.

The iconic Frenchman went full-on Cantona-mode when taking to the stage to collect his UEFA President’s Award, and left the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi looking as though they’d just seen a ghost.

The Manchester United legend began by quoting from William Shakespeare’s King Lear, then moved onto how science would make mankind immortal (at least that’s what it sounded like), before ending off in typical nonchalant fashion by declaring he simply loved football.

It was quite the speech from the man whose beard would give Russell Crowe’s a run for its money, and it understandably led to many United fans flooding to Twitter to share their thoughts about their former star.

Most Red Devils supporters simply hoped Cantona would “never change” and appeared to revel in the 53-year-old’s maverick ways.

Some United fans who clearly weren’t on the same wavelength as the Frenchman just revealed their disbelief with a series of amusing gifs and deadpan comments.

Check out some of the stunned reaction of United fans below:

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

Leicester City have moved to fourth in the table following their first Premier League victory of the season.

Jamie Vardy had opened the scoring after James Maddison found him with an outrageous outside of the boot through ball, but Brendan Rodgers needed a long-range scorcher from substitute Harvey Barnes to secure all three points.

There were many players that stood out, on top of the three aforementioned stars. Caglar Soyuncu continued to impress in the heart of defence, this time winning nine aerial duels – more than anyone on the pitch – as well as assisting Barnes’ winner.

Yet, it was Hamza Choudhury at the base of the three-man midfield who could give Brendan Rodgers plenty of food for thought going into the next round of Premier League matches.

On the chalkboard

The 21-year-old can be the sort of industrious defensive midfielder in the pivot that would allow the likes of Maddison and Ayoze Perez to thrive more in the attack.

Alan Shearer selected Choudhury in his Team of the Week and simply described him as ‘great protection’, whilst the Foxes manager has since praised him for overcoming his red card for the England Under-21s this summer by performing ‘outstanding’ so far this campaign.

Watch Leicester City Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The 5 foot 10 starlet recorded the most interceptions on the pitch against Sheffield United, with five, which was 45% of the Foxes’ total for the game, per WhoScored.

He also managed four clearances, more than any other midfielder in Leicester’s XI, and two blocks, which was also the highest in the match.

It’s this sort of tenacious aggressive style that suits Rodgers, so the youngster could well be the long-term answer in midfield with the Northern Irishman describing him as ‘one of the best in terms of getting up to the ball and winning it back’.

That sounds awfully N’Golo Kante-esque, a player every team would desire to have in their midfield, and with Choudhury filling in so superbly for Wilfred Ndidi, it would be silly not to see him continue in that role long-term.

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