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

The Sun journalist Alan Nixon has claimed on Twitter that Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster has had a pay hike this season, which is absolutely baffling in the circumstances.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Nixon revealed that Saints are looking to offload both Forster and fellow stopper Alex McCarthy on loan during the summer transfer window, which isn’t too much of a surprise given Angus Gunn has established himself as Ralph Hasenhuttl’s first choice in 2019.

However, it was a detail at the end of the tweet that made for interesting reading, as he suggested that a potential exit is proving difficult because of the wage packets the duo are on, with both said to have risen this term.

Watch Southampton Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

It remains unclear whether Nixon means in 2018/19 or ahead of the upcoming campaign, but whatever the case it is quite remarkable in Forster’s case.

Why’s that?

The 31-year-old was once upon a time the undoubted number one at St Mary’s under the likes of Ronald Koeman and Claude Puel, but his form dropped off dramatically towards the end of 2017 – six months after he had signed a new five-year contract with the south coast club.

Remember when Fraser Forster was challenging for the England No. 1 spot instead of Southampton’s No. 4? We throw back to a happier time for him in the video below…

Following a 5-2 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur on Boxing Day, the former Newcastle man was dropped in favour of Alex McCarthy and has only made one senior appearance since then – against West Ham United back in May.

It is no secret that he is reported to be one of the highest-earning players at Southampton, which makes sense from the bumper deal he put pen to paper on two summers ago.

However, if Nixon is right and he has seen a hike in his pay either last season or for the upcoming one, it shows just how badly the club has been run in the past.

Saints appear desperate to offload the 6 foot 7 goalkeeper before the transfer window shuts next month, but they may have dug their own grave if Nixon is right.

[ad_pod ]This article is part of Football FanCast’s Expert Roundup feature, which provides three quotes from those in the know in order to illuminate fundamental strengths, weaknesses, quirks, kinks, stylistic comparisons and general observations of players, transfer targets and confirmed signings.Having only completed two signings this summer and with the new Premier League season fast approaching, Crystal Palace supporters are waiting eagerly for acquisitions to arrive at Selhurst Park.Stephen Henderson and Jordan Ayew are the only incoming signings that Palace have completed so far and signing additional goalkeeping cover is unlikely to enthuse the masses.That said, it appears that the Eagles are actively pursuing deals. According to the Daily Star, the South London side have had a £20m bid rejected for Chelsea’s Reece James.Palace’s interest in the Chelsea starlet has been reaffirmed by Sky Sports, who say they’re one of several teams interested in signing the 19-year-old.Following Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s departure to Manchester United, Roy Hodgson’s side need a replacement.While both reports state that Chelsea are unwilling to part ways with James, particularly as they’re banned from signing players, transfers are historically unpredictable.But what have those in the know had to say about James’ ability?

Paul Cook, Wigan Athletic manager

“Reece was outstanding and his goal epitomises where he is as a lad. He is so self-confident, and that is backed up by his ability and work ethic. All season he has been showing people that he has a very strong career ahead of him, and we are delighted to be playing a small part in his progression.”

James’ success during his loan move to Wigan Athletic last season is well-documented. During the club’s end of season awards ceremony, the teenager bagged a hat-trick of awards, having been named Player of the Year, Players’ Player of the Year, while also winning Goal of the Season for his wonder strike against Bristol City.

Following that tremendous goal against the Robins, Cook spoke ardently of James’ qualities and his enormous potential, as Sports Mole reported. His work ethic is reflected by the awards he attained, particularly by the recognition he garnered from his teammates – the hallmark of any good player.

Such was the consistency of the Englishman’s performances, he achieved an average score of 7.1 per Championship outing by WhoScored last campaign, and he was named in their best Championship starting eleven for the season. ÂAccordingly, it seems that James would be the ideal replacement for Wan-Bissaka.

Joe Tweedie, Chelsea expert and football writer

“From a defensive standpoint he is incredibly difficult to beat. When you marry his physicality (James has a touch of the Michael Essien’s about him!) with great technique, you have a serious prospect on your hands. In attack, James utilises his previous experience as a winger as well as any fullback in developmental football. Crucially, he is comfortable in every third of the pitch (with and without the ball), and he is notorious for his superb end-product and intelligent link play.â€

Writing for BTL about James’ performances for Chelsea’s youth sides at the end of the 2017/18 season, Tweedie identified the teenager’s multifaceted skill set before his breakthrough season at Wigan. The Chelsea starlet’s displays for the club attest to Tweedie’s glowing assessment.

James played in three different positions (right-back, defensive midfield and centre-back) in the Championship for Wigan last season and excelled in each. The number of positions James has played extends to four when factoring in his displays at youth level, where he occasionally played as a right midfielder for the Blues.

Such intelligence and tactical adaptability could prove invaluable for Crystal Palace. Seldom do you see a homegrown prospect as skilled and justifiably revered as James; indicative of his enormous potential.

English prospects are typically overrated to such a ridiculous extent that they’re preordained to fail from the off, but one senses that the hype surrounding James is entirely vindicated.

Frank Lampard, Chelsea manager

“I think he’s going to be a top player. He’s already a top young player, and I think he’s going to be a top player. It’s great for him to get this opportunity at Wigan, and I notice he’s been player of the month three times in a row which is obviously something! That shows how well he’s playing and how much his development is coming on.

“I did a lot of work with the Academy at Chelsea last year, and I saw a lot of him, trained with him a lot. It was very evident the player he already is – and the player he will hopefully become.â€

More fervent praise was handed to James in December last year by Chelsea legend Frank Lampard. Little did we expect that seven months later Lampard would be managing the starlet at Chelsea, and the Blues’ all-time leading scorer acknowledged James’ potential early, as he told Wigan Today.

To have a man of Lampard’s esteemed pedigree and monumental success label you as a “top talent” is conceivably the best praise that any young player could receive. A consensus is forming in these opinions; everyone recognises the 19-year-old’s vast potential.

If Palace are successful in their pursuit of the youngster, the move would signify an excellent long-term investment. Given the unanimous positive appraisal of James’ talent, Palace shouldn’t concede hope of signing him just yet.

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Katic said: “At least you didn’t steal it from anyone. Great Job bro”

This, of course, refers to the fact that Goldson pinched Katic’s goalbound effort when it was just about to cross the line in Rangers’ pre-season friendly against Marseille.

Just look at his face.

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The opening fixture of the new 2019/20 Premier League season has not really been kind to everyone in the English top-flight.

One team in particular that suffered a great loss was Chelsea.

Frank Lampard’s big Premier League debut was a devastating 4-0 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford and it certainly left them with a sour taste in their mouths.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

But despite that seeming like a rather cruel day for the boys from London, Paul Pogba took to Instagram to show everyone what football is all about.

The Frenchman shared a brilliant snap with Chelsea’s own star, Christian Pulisic, and he captioned it as “This is why we play”.

The photo depicted both players as they walked off the pitch together, looking more like friends than rivals and in a way breaching that gap and showing us all that, at the end of the day, this is just a game.

It was definitely a great gesture by the French Red Devil.

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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… 

For Leeds United, last season seemed to be all about one man in attack.

That was Pablo Hernandez who after his stellar season may or may not have been unfortunate to miss out on a nomination for the PFA Player of the Year award.

Missing out on promotion will have been a deeper concern for the Spaniard who scored 12 goals but also laid on the same number of assists in what was a superb campaign for the experienced individual.

He started the new term in similar form, netting in Leeds’ opening two matches against Bristol City and Nottingham Forest but his display against Brentford was uncharacteristic.

It was a display which could come as a particular concern for Marcelo Bielsa whose team lacked large amounts of creativity throughout the 90 minutes.

Their game against Brentford amounted to eight key passes, three of which came from Ezgjan Alioski, a statistic that tells a sorry tale of their struggles to find Patrick Bamford who had just two attempts on goal.

Hernandez was bright against Wigan last weekend, albeit versus ten men as he registered five shots. However, in his last three matches, he’s only created three chances for his teammates.

Compared to last term when he laid on three key passes in a single game on average, there is a big difference.

His struggles to create were evident on Wednesday night as the 34-year-old ended the encounter with a measly pass success rate of just 75%.

If that wasn’t bad enough, he was dispossessed twice as he failed to ever really get going.

Brentford stood firm for large parts of the game which meant Hernandez managed just one dribble. Against Wigan he had five which sums up his tricky evening and why it was a particularly concerning outing.

The former Swansea man was eventually dragged off in place of match-winner Eddie Nketiah as Helder Costa moved out to the right-hand side.

Both of their impacts were devastating, combining for the goal as Bielsa finally found an answer going forward.

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AIK striker Tarik Elyounoussi has been talking about Celtic and Scottish football in the build-up to their Europa League play-off tie, and the Parkhead fans totally agree with the 31-year-old.

The striker was damning in his comments on the Bhoys, yet it’s music to the ears of the supporters of the Scottish champions, who have been shaming the board and management for quite some time.

The Norwegian took aim at Neil Lennon’s men as he had a go at the standard of Scottish football and the side’s embarrassing loss to Cluj last week.

The comments, which you can view in full here, have gone down well with the fans, who have been saying the same things since their Champions League qualifiers exit. The supporters have been hurting after the Cluj defeat and nobody has been spared criticism for such a jarring loss.

Watch Celtic Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Chief executive Peter Lawwell, Lennon and some of the players have felt the wrath of the Celts faithful in the past week, as they lay blame for one of the worst nights in their recent European history.

Here’s what the fans had to say on Twitter about Elyounoussi’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…

It feels like every day we get a different take on the whole Neymar Junior to Barcelona saga. Today, Sport have come out with an update stating that Barcelona are now ready to offer Jean-Clair Todibo along with Ivan Rakitić, Ousmane Dembele on loan and a large sum of money for the Brazilian. Even though that deal would be incredibly foolish, it should open a door for one La Masia graduate.

What’s the word, then?

The deadline day is almost upon us as 2nd September edges ever closer with each passing day. The clock is very much ticking for the Catalans if they really want to get this deal over the line. The ball, however, seems to be in Paris Saint-Germain’s court most of the time as Sport claim Barcelona have made them a brand new offer.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

And in this one, on top of getting Rakitić, Dembele on loan and €130m (£117.8m) they would also get the young defender, Todibo, who just arrived at Barcelona last year from Toulouse. The deal itself really looks to be a rather bad one for Blaugrana as they would be giving away some young players with high potential along with an experienced piece of the squad and a ridiculous amount of money.

But if this deal were to somehow happen, Barcelona would suddenly be short-staffed at the back and that’s when Chumi comes into play.

One door closes…

Juan Brandariz Movilla or simply just Chumi, is currently a Barcelona B player who plays as a centre-back. Chumi is only 20 years old and so far, his involvement with the senior team has been minimal, to say the least.

He only participated in three games with Barcelona but if this deal does happen, Ernesto Valverde should hand him a huge chance to really make a name for himself and establish his standing in the senior squad. After all, if Todibo does leave this summer, that would leave Barcelona with only Gerrard Pique, who’s 32 already, Samuel Umtiti, who’s had serious problems with his knee before and Clement Lenglet.

Three centre-backs to occupy two positions throughout a long campaign is not really ideal, especially considering one of them is over 30 and the other is still injury prone. Extra cover is needed, and Chumi should be the man who gets the opportunity to provide it.

So far, he’s managed 28 appearances for Barcelona B and 14 for their U19 squad, tallying one assist in the process across tenures with both teams, and while his capacity at the top level isn’t wholly clear right now, he’s a La Masia product through and through. Barcelona’s greatest successes have been built on the talent in their academy – Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta were all products of the setup – but such stories have dried up of late.

Chumi may or may not be the man to provide another, but Valverde won’t know for sure until he’s given a chance.

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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…

Real Madrid have once again spent big money in the transfer window with nearly £300m thrown at a number of new signings. But despite some exciting names joining the squad, their issues at the back remain unsolved.

On the chalkboard

By this point and after only one pre-season tour and three games played in the new 2019/20 La Liga season, it’s becoming pretty obvious: Real Madrid are leaking goals. During the summer when they were gearing up for the new campaign, Los Blancos played five games and conceded an incredible 16 goals, almost equalling their worst-ever tally from 1980 when they let 17 strikes rattle their net.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

When we crunch the numbers a bit more we get a rather worrying figure of 3.2 goals conceded per game, which is far too many for a club of Real Madrid’s pedigree and stature, not to mention their aspirations.

And the problems were not fixed at the beginning of 2019/20 either. In the first three games they played, the Galacticos conceded four goals, which is only two fewer than they’ve scored in the process. Clearly, there’s a glaring flaw in that squad: their defence.

Out with the old, in with the new

If Zinedine Zidane was looking for culprits for this crime, which he should be doing, he wouldn’t have to look much further than his own backline. All four of Marcelo, Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane and Dani Carvajal have seen some better days. Ferland Mendy’s performance against Villarreal immediately showed how big of a difference it makes to have a good defender in the squad, but it was actually the centre-backs that have been questioned as of late.

Both Varane and Ramos have averaged only 1.3 tackles per game in La Liga so far this season and the Frenchman has only one interception per game while the Spaniard sits at 1.3. It’s safe to say that they haven’t really set the world alight with their performances and Zidane should be looking to bring more competition into the ranks.

Eder Militao is the only new centre-back who joined the squad but he’s yet to make his official debut in the competition, which might suggest Zidane is sticking with more familiar faces for now. And looking at the stats and Madrid’s leakiness in the back, that might not be the best of ideas.

Real have played a total of 21 games since Zidane’s return and in that period they’ve won eight, drawn six and lost seven games. Their goal difference is rather bad as well: 36 scored and 35 conceded with just five clean sheets.

Something has to change fast and it would be wise of Zidane to forget all about Neymar, who seems to be back on the table, and look for some new defenders instead.

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England maintained their 100% record in Euro 2020 qualifying on Saturday evening with a 4-0 drubbing of Bulgaria at Wembley thanks to a Harry Kane hat-trick and a goal from Raheem Sterling.

Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate left some of his exciting youngsters on the bench for this fixture, with Mason Mount and Jadon Sancho both only managing substitute minutes on the pitch in the second half.

Such decisions from the popular 49-year-old have left a number of fans debating the team ahead of Tuesday’s top of the table clash with Kosovo, who too are unbeaten in Group A.

Three Lions or Super Eagles? Watch the video below for the important decision facing Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham…

One man they are hoping to see start the match at Southampton’s St Mary’s on Tuesday is indeed the Borussia Dortmund star.

The 19-year-old has now picked up seven senior caps for England and could well be one of the first names on the teamsheet at next summer’s tournament should England continue to impress in the qualifying round.

You can read some of the reaction 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… 

Nottingham Forest are finally back in action this afternoon after some time off for the international break.

Sabri Lamouchi’s men will have been hard at training considering it is the first time he’s had any significant involvement with his squad as he was appointed so late before pre-season got underway.

It means he’s had time to fully instil his gameplan and tactics without the distractions of playing two matches a week.

Watch Nottingham Forest Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The Reds’ fixtures appear much more comfortable this month, but it does begin with the tough trip to league leaders Swansea City.

It may be the perfect opportunity to implement a change that needs to happen to benefit Forest not only in the short-term but hopefully in the long term too.

On the Chalkboard

Currently, Lamouchi deploys Ben Watson in defensive midfield, but fans haven’t been overly keen on him this season, and at 34, he can’t be far off retiring considering this is the twilight of his career.

The 5 foot 10 midfielder hasn’t done a great deal wrong if you’re fair, but his legs are starting to go a little bit – not that it is a problem for the role he’s required to play.

He’s averaging just 0.7 key passes per game, as well as 0.2 dribbles per outing which maybe proves the previous statement.

They signed John Bostock on loan this summer, and he’s an ideal candidate to replace the former Wigan midfielder.

He was once courted by La Liga giants Barcelona when he was a teenager and at one stage earned a move to Tottenham, so there had to have been some talent there.

He’s since lost his way, playing in Belgium, Turkey and France but maybe the French boss can be the one to get the best out of him.

There were definitely glimpses of that against Derby in their Carabao Cup demolishing where he was arguably one of the best players on the pitch. He completed 96% of his passes and also won three aerial duels according to SofaScore.

To do it against opposition of the same tier as Forest surely only strengthens his argument on why he should be given a start.

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