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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…

As quoted by Sky Sports, Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs has urged referees to protect Daniel James.

What did he say?

The Wales international endured a difficult night on Monday against Nuno Espirito Santo’s Wolves, and received boos from the home fans after being booked for diving in the first-half.

Now, Giggs has leapt to the 21-year-old’s defence and insisted it is up to the referees to ensure he remains protected from defenders.

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He said: “You’ve seen he gets kicked a lot. Sometimes when you anticipate it, it can look like a dive. The speed he’s going at, it can look worse, but I’m not worried about that. He gets a lot of stick and referees need to protect him.”

Badge of honour

Having enjoyed a dream start to his United career with a goal on his Premier League debut for the club, James was effectively brought down to Earth with a shuddering halt against Wolves. The former Swansea star was unable to use his explosive pace to hurt Nuno’s side, and the opposition certainly did their best to stop him in his tracks with a team-high four fouls being committed against him.

Instead, James’ game was defined by being booked for apparent simulation, and he spent the rest of his time on the pitch being booed by the home fans. It must have been a real chastening experience for the young winger, and it will be up to him to make sure he doesn’t end up building an unwanted reputation of being a diver.

Check out the below above to see football played as you’ve never seen it before… in a maze!

His pace and speed will naturally make things more difficult for officials to spot if he has genuinely been fouled, and it is certainly right to hope that they look out for opposition players looking to target him with strong tackles. But Giggs’ claim of James needing “protection”?

The likes of Wilfried Zaha and Eden Hazard when he was in the Premier League made a career out of almost relishing being two of the most fouled players in the league. It represents something of a badge of honour that players need to resort to ‘dirty tactics’ to stop them. So if anything, James should simply dust himself off, smile and embrace the rough treatment.

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Aston Villa’s chief executive Christian Purslow gave a sensational interview on Monday evening to Sky Sports News as he looked to defend the club’s summer of high-spending.

Villa boss Dean Smith brought in 12 new signings for a total fee of around £144.5m after winning promotion to the big time via the Championship playoffs in May.

Of all the Premier League sides, only Manchester United spent more this summer though Villa had a higher net spend, and their attempts had previously been likened to Fulham who were immediately relegated last season following a net spend of £100m.

Four new arrivals started the game against Tottenham on Saturday evening as Villa succumbed to a 3-1 defeat in North London.

Purslow appeared to impressively swat away every single question fired at him by the Sky Sports presenter which has caused a reaction from a number of fans at Villa Park.

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He said: “It is a lot of money, and I’m incredibly grateful to our owners, but a couple of important points. Firstly, at the end of last season we had 12 players leave Villa, so we would have been starting with 10 players had we not bought.

“With or without promotion, Dean Smith and Jesus Garcia Pitarch came to Aston Villa with the certain knowledge we would be rebuilding our club this summer.”

One supporter labelled him a ‘class act’ whilst others called him ‘very reassuring and genuinely honest.’

A further fan added that Purslow is possibly the best signing the club have made which was backed up by another who believes the club is in the best hands it has ever been in and that they are building something special.

Here’s the best of the reaction:

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Tottenham Hotspur face Arsenal this weekend and they have a few problems ahead of the game.

Tanguy Ndombele and Kyle Walker-Peters are both reportedly injured, meaning that there will need to be replacements both in central midfield and at right-back.

The latter is complicated by the fact that Juan Foyth is also injured, while Serge Aurier is said to be available for transfer.

Christian Eriksen has been on the bench for two of the club’s three outings thus far, against Aston Villa and Newcastle United, while Jan Vertonghen has yet to play this season.

The latter, though, is said to be confident of his fitness for the derby, but it remains to be seen if Mauricio Pochettino will pick him.

Dele Alli, meanwhile, could make his first appearance of the season.

Football FanCast has taken a look at how Spurs could line up…

Hugo Lloris is guaranteed to play in goal.

Spurs should avoid the temptation of throwing Sissoko into the derby at right-back and should instead play Eric Dier in the role; he has experience of playing in defence and can play as a full-back. It simply makes more sense.

Vertonghen, if he is fit, has to play; Davinson Sanchez was at fault for Joelinton’s goal as Spurs lost to Newcastle United last weekend.

Restoring his partnership with Toby Alderweireld should be a priority, with Danny Rose at left-back.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Keeping the engine of Sissoko in midfield is a no-brainer alongside Harry Winks, while Alli should be restored to the starting XI.

It feels unlikely at this stage that Eriksen will start but his absence should be offset by Alli’s inclusion, particularly if Son Heung-min and Lucas Moura start on the flanks in support of Harry Kane.

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علّق نجم مانشستر يونايتد برونو فرنانديز، على تعادلهم المخيب للآمال أمس الأحد أمام وست بروميتش ألبيون، في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وتلاقى الفريقان في إطار منافسات الجولة الرابعة والعشرين من البطولة، حيث تعادلا بهدف لمثله. أهداف مباراة مانشستر يونايتد ووست بروميتش

وكتب برونو عبر حسابه الشخصي بموقع “تويتر”: “ليست النتيجة التي أردناها، ولكننا سنواصل العمل”.

وأضاف البرتغالي: “نحن لن نستسلم أبدًا”.

ويحتل مانشستر يونايتد حاليًا المركز الثاني في جدول البريميرليج برصيد 46 نقطة، بفارق 7 نقاط عن مانشستر سيتي المتصدر، والذي لديه مباراة مؤجلة أمام إيفرتون.

Not the result we wanted, but we’ll keep on working and we’ll never give up! #mufc pic.twitter.com/MlgFpveDz1

— Bruno Fernandes (@B_Fernandes8) February 14, 2021

[ad_pod ]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…Aaron Wan-Bissaka is one of the best right-backs around after he enjoyed an incredible 2018/19 campaign with Crystal Palace in which he finished as the Premier League’s best defensive full-back.

In just his first full season as a senior player, the England Under-21 star recorded the highest amount of clearances, tackles, take-ons and interceptions out of every full-back in England’s top-flight. Pretty impressive stuff.

However, he really isn’t as good going forward.

The Eagles academy graduate had just 0.3 shots per game on average last season, and was only able to muster up a measly 0.4 key passes per game. To compare, Trent Alexander-Arnold recorded 1.7 key passes per game, and finished with nine more assists that Wan-Bissaka’s three.

Could Paul Pogba be on his way out of Old Trafford? 442oons have put their unqiue spin on the matter in the video below…

But there is another comparison to be made with a Premier League full-back which suggests that the £50m man can become a competent figure in more than one position just through his sheer natural ability to defend.

Stark similarities with Cesar Azpilicueta when the Spaniard played at left-back instead of his natural right-back position in 2014/15 implies that Wan-Bissaka could become an effective option at the heart of defence too – where his lack of offensive output won’t be so much of an issue.

As you can see, Wan-Bissaka betters Azpilicueta’s defensive stats in every department – it is an extremely telling graphic when you see how the 21-year-old compares up against a player who was considered the best in the league at the time.

Both Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher named the former Marseille full-back as the best defender in the Premier League back in November 2014, in the early stages of a campaign where Azpilicueta went on to win the title under Jose Mourinho.

The fact that Wan-Bissaka has bettered the 29-year-old’s defensive statistics from that specific season speaks volumes about just how good, and how natural, a defender he really is.

Azpilicueta was eventually moved into centre-back when Antonio Conte rocked up on these shores at the start of the 2016/17 season, and it was a position that he took to like a duck to water thanks to his immense defensive capabilities.

The 5 foot 10 defender was deployed in a three-man centre-back system in a 3-4-3 formation, and once again won the league title whilst recording some pretty impressive defensive figures. He made 2.2 tackles per game, 1.9 interceptions and 3.1 clearances and on top of that registered six assists.

Wan-Bissaka is not a particularly formidable aerial presence by centre-back standards standing at just 6 foot – but is height really such an important trait for a centre-half in the modern game? Roberto Firmino was the first-choice top six striker with the most headed goals last season, and he only notched up three.

It seems quality in possession is more important these days – the money Manchester City spent on John Stones and Aymeric Laporte is a prime example of that – and Wan-Bissaka’s competent on the ball, even if that doesn’t always translate into defensive flair.

But the fact that the Manchester United new boy bettered Azpilicueta’s stats from what is considered the Spaniard’s best season in England in just his first full term as a senior professional is eye-catching.

And it suggests Wan-Bissaka may have the potential to follow in Azpilicueta’s footsteps by slotting into a more central defensive role in future, judging by their similarities as naturally gifted defenders.

The Chelsea man displayed excellent defensive qualities at full-back which allowed him to adapt instantly to becoming a formidable centre-half, and Wan-Bissaka has shown he has the potential to follow suit. Maybe a back three would fit him more than a two-man partnership, but the latter shouldn’t be ruled out either.

One final thing to take from this, however, is that they are both extremely talented defenders – with time on his side, Wan-Bissaka could become a well-rounded and versatile defensive force akin to the Chelsea star.

عبر أسطورة نادي برشلونة، خريستو ستويشكوف، عن أمنيته في أن يبقى قائد الفريق الأول لكرة القدم، ليونيل ميسي، ويجدد عقده مع العملاق الكتالوني قبل نهاية الموسم الجاري.

وينتهي عقد ميسي مع برشلونة في يونيو المقبل، وهناك العديد من التكهنات حول مستقبله مع وجود اهتمام من طرف ناديي باريس سان جيرمان ومانشستر سيتي.

اقرأ أيضًا.. الموندو تُسرب عقد ميسي وراتبه الخرافي مع برشلونة

وتحدث ستويشكوف عن مستقبل الأرجنتيني في حواره مع صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” الكتالونية، وقال: “أتمنى أن يستمر في برشلونة، دون أدنى شك ولكن القرار النهائي يعود إليه وليس للنادي أو للجماهير او للأعضاء”.

وتابع: “أي كان ما يقرره ليو، فهو يعلم أن ستويشكوف سيدعمه به، كل ما فعله للنادي فعله لأنه يحب برشلونة، صداقتنا ستستمر مدى الحياة وأشعر بالفخر دائمًا بها”.

وبسؤاله “ما الذي يجب أن يفعله الرئيس القادم لإقناع ميسي بالتجديد؟” أجاب البلغاري: “عليه التحدث معه بكل وضوح، وتقديم مشروع رياضي قوي يتضمن فريق يستطيع المنافسة على الألقاب من خلال صفقات جديدة مميزة”.

وأضاف: “ميسي وُلد ليفوز بالبطولات، فهو يمتلك عقلية الفائز وإذا لم يحدث ذلك يشعر بالحزن بكل تأكيد ولا يكون سعيدًا داخل برشلونة”.

وأتم تصريحاته: “يجب على الرئيس القادم أن يحاول تغيير الأجواء داخل برشلونة للأفضل، أن تكون هناك ابتسامة على وجوه اللاعبين قبل خوض المباريات لضمان النجاح، وهذا لن يأتي إلا مع شخص نزيه وواضح وصريح للغاية”.

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

According to The Sun, Everton are interested in making a £16m swoop for versatile Manchester City ace Fabian Delph.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the England international has been pushed further down the pecking order in two positions at the Etihad Stadium this summer, as a result of City’s only two signings.

The club-record capture of Spain midfielder Rodri means that Delph will now find chances in the middle of the park even harder to come by.

Thogden challenged himself to DM 100 footballers on Instagram. Find out who replied in the video below…

Additionally, the return of left-back Angelino means that even Delph’s second position has been bolstered – the former Leeds man often deputised for Benjamin Mendy and Oleksandr Zinchenko in defence, but his chances of playing there may now be limited with Angelino back.

The 29-year-old, who earns £90,000-a-week according to Spotrac, could now be surplus to requirements with the champions.

Would he even get in Everton’s starting eleven?

The same issues as previously mentioned may also affect Delph at Goodison Park if he ends up making the move to Merseyside.

Marco Silva has Andre Gomes and Idrissa Gueye occupying his only two centre-midfield positions, and given how well they hit it off together last term, it seems unlikely that anything will break that.

So, in addition to the fact that a starting place in midfield seems a long way off, 5 foot 9 ace Delph would even struggle to get into the side in his other position of left-back.

The form of Everton’s Player of the Season Lucas Digne last term was impressive after his £18m move from Barcelona – he won the award thanks to some fine performances that saw him end the campaign with four goals and four assists.

He is arguably one of the Toffees’ best performers, so it seems massively unlikely that Silva would play Delph at left-back instead unless the France international suffered an injury.

Everton really don’t need an ageing Delph, especially given their strength in his best positions.

Summer is now upon us, the silly season is in its early days but the transfer rumour mill is already spinning. In the Northeast, this is no different, and the midfield picture at Newcastle could be set for vast change. Don’t fret too much Newcastle fans, as Rafa Benitez, whilst still at the club, has you in safe hands, even if there are rumours of Sean Longstaff’s exit.

There have been plenty of talks that Jonjo Shelvey won’t be sticking around for long, but losing the former Liverpool man would be nothing in comparison to having Sean Longstaff poached by Manchester United. The young North Shields-born midfielder was the heartbeat of the St James Park side up until his season-ending knee injury, and losing him would be the worst outcome of the summer.

Rafa Benitez obviously rates Longstaff very highly. The Newcastle academy man was given a contract extension at St James Park back in December to reward the 21-year-old for breaking into the first-team picture, and there are talks, which are mentioned in the Sky Sports News story reporting of Manchester United’s interests, that claim he’ll be set for a new contract this summer to give him a wage increase.

It will come as no shock to anyone, though, that Manchester United can afford to pay a lot more money than Newcastle United can. Rafa Benitez will be a major reason for Longstaff to sign a new deal and stay in the Northeast, but should Mike Ashley fail to get a new deal on the table for his gaffer, he could be set to lose out twice, as Longstaff could easily have his turned by United should Benitez depart.

If the young midfielder plays his cards right, he has the talents to be the man to lead the Geordies into a golden era, but should Mike Ashley sniff out a hefty profit on the academy man that has come through for nothing then it could be a very different story. All that the Magpies know is that £2.25 million man, as valued by Transfermarkt, is much better off at St James Park than anywhere else for now.

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Celtic right-back Cristian Gamboa is on the verge of a Parkhead exit, with FC Copenhagen his likely destination, according to The Scottish Sun.

What’s the story?

The Costa Rican international’s contract expires at the end of the season and the paper say he is certain not to receive an offer to continue his Celtic Park stay.

The report states he will reject a return to his homeland after being offered a deal by Deportiva Alajuelense, opening the door for a potential switch to Denmark.

Gamboa has managed to make just seven appearances this season for the Hoops, with Celtic signing Jeremy Toljan on loan in January and effectively ending the 29-year-old’s hopes of playing regular matches.

Watch the best fails from the world of indoor football in the video below…

He’s not the only right-back that could leave Celtic Park this summer either, with Mikael Lustig receiving lucrative offers and Toljan heading back to parent club Borussia Dortmund.

Can Anthony Ralston step up?

The jury is out on whether Ralston can be a regular at Celtic, but the departure of players such as Gamboa and Toljan certainly gives him a bit of room to get more appearances under his belt and develop further.

Ralston made his debut aged 17 and his initial appearances at the club drew favourable comparisons to Kieran Tierney, who broke through into the team as a full-back at a similar age.

Since then he’s failed to really kick on and recent performances, like in the recent match against Hearts, haven’t drawn incredible reviews from supporters.

Nonetheless it’s important to remember he is still very young and his contract at Celtic doesn’t expire until 2022, meaning he has plenty of time to make his name in green and white.

There’s absolutely no doubt that the Hoops need to go out and sign a quality right-back this summer, but since they have Ralston they arguably don’t need to buy two.

He may not quite have the talent Tierney has but he has only made 15 career appearances for the club and it’s far too soon to write him off yet. Getting rid of mediocre talent in his position can only be a benefit to him.

When Leeds United bought Kemar Roofe from Oxford United in 2016, not many of their supporters would have predicted just how big of an impact he would have on the club’s fortunes.

Having played primarily as a winger in his first two seasons at Elland Road, the arrival of Marcelo Bielsa as manager last summer saw the 26-year-old move into a more central role after first-choice striker Patrick Bamford suffered a serious injury just weeks into the new campaign.

Whereas many players would have taken a considerable amount of time to adjust to this new position, Roofe made an immediate impact as he fired in five goals in his first six games of the year whilst also providing two assists for his team-mates.

Since this incredible start, the forward has gone from strength to strength in the Championship as he has found the back of the net on a further nine occasions.

However, after being ruled out for two months due to a serious knee injury, Roofe has been limited to substitute appearances in recent weeks.

With Leeds having to settle for the lottery of the play-offs following Sheffield United’s victory last Saturday, it is clear that if they cannot secure promotion to the Premier League, they may be at risk of losing their top-scorer in the summer.

According to Football Insider, Burnley are eyeing up a potential swoop for Roofe as Sean Dyche looks to bolster his attacking options ahead of next season.

If the Clarets do indeed tempt Leeds with an offer for the £4.5m-rated ace (via Transfermarkt), Bielsa must not fall into the same trap that saw Thomas Christensen let Chris Wood move to Turf Moor in 2017. After selling the New Zealand international to Burnley, Leeds suffered a hugely disappointing campaign which saw them finish 13th in the Championship.

Therefore, by doing everything they can to convince Roofe not to follow in the footsteps of Wood, the Whites will be illustrating that have learned from their previous mistakes and are willing to avoid temptation in order to build a successful future at Elland Road.

What do you think Leeds fans? How important is it that Bielsa keeps Roofe at Elland Road next season? Does the forward’s future rely on the outcome of the current season? Let us know below.