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Manchester City have a big couple of months ahead of them in 2019, with their Premier League title under threat from Liverpool, and some big decisions to make around the future of some of their players.

The City squad, despite being superb in terms of talent, does have a few players in there who are ageing somewhat, and manager Pep Guardiola will need to be keeping a keen eye on potential replacements.

One of the positions that could do with looking at is in the centre of the park, where Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho is going to be coming to end of his prime years in the not too distant future.

Replacing a player of his quality is going to be a tough task indeed for the blue half of Manchester, but there are players out there who could be worth a punt, and one man we think would be a good signing for City is Leicester City man Wilfred Ndidi.

The 22-year-old powerhouse has bags of ability and even more potential, and at a club like City, with quality around him and the coaching structure they have in place there, he might just flourish.

Strong in the tackle and someone who gets about the pitch well, Ndidi is someone who is often overlooked as being one of the better midfield players in the Premier League, but make no mistake, he is a quality operator.

With a few tweaks to his game he could be world class, and City could be just the place for him to make those necessary improvements.

City fans, what do you think? Would you take Ndidi? Let us know in the comments!

[ad_pod ]Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter to express their disappointment at the club’s transfer activity, as after 25 days and not a single sign of a new forward arriving, the recruitment team at Selhurst Park have decided to bring Bakary Sako back to Selhurst Park, as reported by The Guardian’s Dominic Fifield.It was only back in the summer that the Eagles had the Malian international on their books before his contract expired, and after deciding not to renew it they have now decided they want the current West Brom attacker back.Makes sense, that.Which player with “no potential” has just been named Crystal Palace’s worst ever January signing? Find out in the video below…The 30-year-old has made just five appearances in the Championship for the Baggies this season, as per Transfermarkt, including only two starts as he again struggles for fitness. According to Dominic Fifield, Sako is hoping to have his contract with the Midlands-based club terminated with a view to rejoining the Eagles on a six-month deal to ease their lack of depth in attack.Palace fans had hoped to see a new face arrive who would be a sure-fire answer to their lack of goals, as only Jordan Ayew has found the back of the net in the league this season for the South Londoners out of himself, Christian Benteke and Connor Wickham – even then, the Ghanaian has just one top flight goal to his name.Naturally, Palace fans are extremely disappointed with the move…

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Everton have named their price for reported Crystal Palace target Cenk Tosun, with The Daily Star claiming the Toffees are open to cashing in.

What’s the word?

Tosun only moved to Merseyside a year ago when Everton landed the Turkish forward from Besiktas.

The 27-year-old, however, has struggled in England and has found himself ushered down the pecking order under Marco Silva.

Even scoring with his only effort on target in Saturday’s shock FA Cup defeat to Millwall does not seem to have done enough to warrant a further stay at Goodison Park, with  The Daily Star suggesting that Everton will sell the striker this month if they receive the right offer.

Crystal Palace have already enquired about taking Tosun on loan for the remainder of the season, and Huddersfield have also raised the question, but Everton are said to only be considering selling the 35-cap international and will demand £20million.

Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin may be out for the season but it’s given him a chance to show off his new accessory. Check out the video below to see for yourself…

Should Everton sell?

If Crystal Palace or Huddersfield are open to buying Tosun, Everton have to take the financial hit and sell.

He does not offer Silva enough to hold down the striker spot at Goodison Park and has shown he cannot find the target regularly enough to be the Toffees’ main forward, either.

Everton will lose millions of pounds by cashing in now, but it would be better to take the £20million if the club’s valuation is met rather than losing even more by not selling and letting Tosun’s value further depreciate.

The only question that should be debated on Merseyside is whether there’s enough time left in the January window to bring in a new option up top.

The Sun reported earlier this month that Everton are interested in Chelsea’s out-of-favour striker Michy Batshuayi, and the money raised from Tosun’s exit would help towards the potential £40million deal.

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Tottenham fans have taken to Twitter to discuss Ryan Fredericks’ performance for West Ham against Liverpool on Monday night, after the English right-back put in an excellent shift to help his side snatch an unlikely point against the league leaders.

The 26-year-old, signed from Fulham in the summer, helped limit the Reds’ goalscoring chances, whilst also proving to be a good attacking outlet on the overlap – this was key, as it helped nullify Andrew Robertson’s usually dangerous impact going forward.

Fredericks is a fantastic modern-day full-back, who possesses an abundance of pace but is physical enough to deal with most wingers, and Tottenham fans were certainly made to sit up and take notice of their former youth player’s performance.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

Spurs have a bit of an issue at right-back currently, with both Serge Aurier and Kieran Trippier struggling for form and Kyle Walker-Peters still relatively inexperienced, so they were keeping a very close eye on how their ex-starlet fared against Jurgen Klopp’s side.

In that respect, Fredericks’ fantastic performance prompted some Spurs fans on Twitter to call for their club to sign him…

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…

Leeds beat Huddersfield 2-0 on Saturday, but it was by no means a straightforward victory for the Whites.

The Terriers threatened the Whites a few times in the first-half as Phil Hay described the Whites’ defence as ropey, while he also stated that Ben White looked under pressure.

Fortunately, the Yorkshire outfit didn’t have to rely on White too much in this fixture as Luke Ayling stepped up to the plate with an admirable defensive performance.

While White may have been under pressure on Saturday, the stats show that Ayling’s brilliance more than made up for it.

The Brighton loanee has made more interceptions than anyone else in the Championship, but it was Ayling doing most of that work at the John Smith’s Stadium as he made three vital interceptions against the Terriers.

It was a rather strange role that Ayling was playing this weekend as he wasn’t pressing as much as you’d expect a centre-back in Bielsa’s system to as he didn’t make a single tackle throughout the game, but that doesn’t mean that he wasn’t effective in stopping Danny Cowley’s side.

Last week we stated that Gaetano Berardi may have to be vigilant when it came to blocking shots, but instead it was Ayling picking up a lot of that weight as he blocked two efforts on Saturday.

He was also key in other defensive areas as he made four clearances while also winning four aerial duels.

All in all, it was an incredibly assured performance from Ayling as Leeds kept up their incredible defensive record while keeping their 11th clean sheet of the season.

Meanwhile, Phil Hay has claimed that one youngster could get his chance in the coming weeks.

Jurgen Klopp has done wonders at Liverpool since joining in October of 2015.

At that point, the Reds were 10th in the Premier League table and in disarray after Brendan Rodgers’ sacking. And in that first campaign, the 52-year-old could only lead them to eighth place in the division, but ever since then, they have been on an upward spiral.

They have qualified for the Champions League in each term since then, and have made it to the final twice – winning once as well. Now, they top the league by 10 points and have won an astonishing 16 of their opening 17 games in the division in 2019/20.

Watch Leicester vs Liverpool Free Live and Free with Amazon Prime on Boxing Day

Their victory against Monterrey means they are now in the final of the Club World Cup, and if they beat Flamengo on Saturday, they will win the intercontinental trophy for the first time in their history. It would cap off an incredible year for Klopp and his men, and a title win in May would cement his position as one of the greatest managers in the club’s history.

Can you name the result these iconic Liverpool images belong to? Give it a go now…

Unsurprisingly, him and his players have come in for praise for people all over the footballing world. One of those to be impressed is former Barcelona star Xavi Hernandez.

Speaking to FIFA.com, he said: “When Jurgen Klopp came in, the one worry for me was whether he would evolve, adapt, change, really from 4-3-3, constant pressing all the time. Will his teams ever not be involved in end-to-end basketball games? Will he sort the defence out? I didn’t think he would. [The success they’ve had] is because of the changes Klopp has brought in and that’s the biggest testament to him as a manager.”

He added: “They’re a very difficult team to attack. Physically they’re very strong. They win all the second balls and they also work really hard on their tactics. They’re dominant in so many areas of the game.

“Their transitions in attack and defence are just about perfect: how they defend, how they drop back, how they hit hard on the counter, the pace of their players and above all the intensity Klopp gives them.”

Adulation and applause does not come much better than that. The 39-year-old is one of the greatest players ever to have played the game, managing 769 appearances for Barcelona during his time with the club. He has won all there is to win in the game as a player – he has La Liga, Champions League, Club World Cup, World Cup and European Championship medals, amongst others, in his trophy cabinet – and he was also capped 133 times by Spain.

He is someone who was at the very top of the game for a number of years giving Klopp and Liverpool in-depth praise. He knows all about high-intensity, pressing football – this is something we saw during Pep Guardiola’s spell as Barcelona manager – and he clearly admires what the former Borussia Dortmund manager has done on Merseyside.

When legends such as Xavi are astonished, you can appreciate just how good this Liverpool team is. The supporters will be hoping it continues for the foreseeable future.

Elsewhere, Liverpool fans react to this man’s display against Aston Villa in the League Cup.

Lee Bowyer has revealed that Lyle Taylor could be set to play another 45 minutes for Charlton Athletic, rather than starting against Queens Park Rangers, as reported by London News Online.

What did he say?

The Montserrat international was prolific at the beginning of the season, getting five goals and an assist in the first six matches of the season.

That is before he picked up a problem on international duty that saw him miss 13 league matches, part of an injury crisis that coincided with a dramatic drop in form from the Addicks.

The 29-year-old has now made three substitute appearances as part of his return and was controversially denied a goal on his return against Middlesbrough.

Watch Charlton Athletic Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Bowyer has confirmed that he is ready to start, but may have to wait:

“We have to be careful – like with Lyle [Taylor]. Lyle will be ready to start now. Whether we just chuck him in, I don’t know.

“It might be a case of giving him another 45 minutes. We’ll see how it goes this week.”

Encouraging signs

Whether Taylor actually does start or not, the fact that he is deemed ready to be playing matches from the off is definitely an encouraging sign for the Addicks.

As indicated by his record at the beginning of the campaign, Taylor is a key man for Charlton, and with the team now on a run of ten games without a win, they need all the help they can get.

Bowyer’s stance on the situation should also be positively viewed, as he is ensuring that Taylor is fully prepared to start, rather than rushing him in and risking further injury.

This highlights the manager’s measured approach that has had to be adopted during the club’s injury crisis.

Calling all Premier League experts: Who do these unique statistics belong to? Find out below….

Whether or not it comes against QPR, the talismanic figure is getting closer to making his return to the starting lineup, which can only be good news as the Addicks attempt to rediscover their form.

In other news, Bowyer is expecting Charlton duo to be available for the clash against QPR.

Leeds United drew 1-1 with Preston North End on Boxing Day and missed the opportunity to close the gap on West Bromwich Albion at the summit of the table.

The Whites were unusually lacklustre in the first half and they will have to be pleased with a point given how slow they were out the blocks.

However, a talking point emerged before a ball had even be kicked as Adam Pope confirmed that Barry Douglas was absent from the matchday squad.

The 30-year-old left-back has played just 335 Championship minutes this season from three starts but his most recent absence appears to have frustrated a handful of supporters.

There fans suggested that Douglas has been keeping a high profile on Instagram of late for someone who is reportedly ill…

The frustration that appears to be rising amongst the Elland Road faithful is more than understandable given Douglas should be the club’s first choice at left-back – on paper, at least.

And the level of discontent over Douglas has spiked among a handful of supporters, with some suggesting he should (or could) be offloaded when the January window opens for business next month.

Finally, two more fans suggested he’s effectively become redundant in Yorkshire such is his lack of involvement in the team.

In other Leeds news, Football FanCast writers have offered their verdicts on a potential transfer target for Bielsa…

Aston Villa will have gone into their Carabao Cup semi-final with Leicester City as underdogs, considering they are at opposite ends of the Premier League, while they were also beaten 4-1 by them in the league.

However, with the first leg over, Dean Smith’s men are in a good position to reach Wembley after keeping a 1-1 draw at the King Power Stadium.

Watch Aston Villa Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Orjan Nyland played a massive part in ensuring that was the case and got plenty of appreciation from the club’s admin for it.

There was even more praise to come from the supporters, who were thrilled with the “brilliant performance” that the Norway international put in.

Only James Maddison was given a higher rating than Nyland’s 7.6 awarded by SofaScore, with the goalkeeper thoroughly deserving of that number, having made a total of five saves.

He was also dominant in dealing with balls into the box, as encapsulated by the catch that he made despite eventually clashing heads with Jonny Evans.

Call yourself a Premier League expert? How much did each of these big-money January signings cost?

This has led to many fans backing the 29-year-old as Villa’s go-to man during the absence of Tom Heaton, with one fan claiming “we don’t need another goalkeeper”.

The possibility of Pepe Reina making a move to Villa Park has become apparent, as reported by The Daily Mail, but supporters don’t want him, as one openly showed by naming the Spaniard.

Nyland seems to have won the trust of Villa fans, as he is the man that they want to see between the sticks for them.

Meanwhile, Villa fans are thrilled by reports linking them to a £25.4m striker.

A number of Celtic fans on social media appear unconvinced about the prospect of midfielder Victor Wanyama returning to the club. On Monday, @celticbible on Twitter shared a photo of Hoops manager Neil Lennon warmly greeting the Kenyan from his time at Parkhead between 2011 and 2013.

At the club’s AGM in November, Lennon admitted that he would like to have the Tottenham midfielder back at Celtic (as per Daily Record), while Spurs boss Jose Mourinho recently spoke to Football London about the 28-year-old’s future at the English Premier League club, where he has played just four times all season. Mourinho said: “He’s our player. If he wants to leave or not, he didn’t tell me, we didn’t discuss. We are calm about it. Good professional. That’s it.” [via Football London]

The Daily Mail reported last year that Celtic had considered bringing him in on a season-long loan during the summer transfer window, although the Hoops’ attention now seems to have switched to another defensive midfielder in Bnei Yehuda’s Ismaila Soro, who according to the Daily Record has agreed a deal to sign for the Scottish champions.

In responding to the tweet from @celticbible, these Celtic fans on Twitter do not seem convinced about the possibility of Wanyama returning to Parkhead:

Do you think Wanyama will rejoin Celtic this year? Would you like to see him back with the Hoops or do they need to move on from him? Comment below with your views!