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

Bayern Munich are fans of Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino as they search for a successor to current boss Niko Kovac, per Sport1.

What’s the word?

The Bundesliga giants are currently second in the table, one point behind Borussia Monchengladbach.

Bayern were almost knocked out of the DFB Cup on Tuesday, too, as Serge Gnabry and Thomas Muller saved the club from a 1-0 defeat to second-tier VFL Bochum.

And the report claims that the club’s players have stopped playing for the 48-year-old, with Pochettino a potential successor.

Indeed, sporting director Hasan Salihamidicz is said to be an advocate of appointing the Spurs manager, and he has the Argentine’s phone number.

Waiting by the phone

One imagines that Pochettino might well be waiting by the phone.

The former Southampton boss has spent a total of five years at Spurs, guiding them to the Champions League final last season.

Yet, this year, he has overseen a traumatic start to the campaign; they have won just three games in the Premier League and, ironically, were thumped 7-2 by Bayern in the Champions League.

There are not many opportunities for managers to move to genuinely elite European clubs but it appears as though the door may be ajar at the Allianz Arena.

Bayern are serial trophy winners, they have won the last seven Bundesliga titles in a row and Pochettino has yet to pick up a single winner’s medal as a coach.

Indeed, one feels that his project at Spurs is nearing an end, such is their poor form, and that he could suddenly be tempted away.

A move to the Bavarian giants would almost guarantee a trophy and Pochettino ought to seriously consider the possibility.

A selection of Newcastle United supporters have been reacting on social media, after German publication Bild ran a story on the future of on-loan Eintracht Frankfurt full-back Jetro Willems.

The Dutchman is currently at St. James’ Park on a one-season loan deal from the Bundesliga outfit, and while it has long been acknowledged that Newcastle hold an option to purchase the left-back next summer, the fee in question remained unclear.

But Bild claimed over the weekend that United would have to pay €10million (£8.7m), on top of the €1m loan fee (£874k) already paid, if they want to purchase the Frankfurt defender at the end of the temporary arrangement.

A Newcastle fan calls for Sean and Matt Longstaff’s Mum to give birth to a starting eleven’s worth of Longstaffs in the video below…

Willems has become a regular in the Newcastle first-team under Steve Bruce of late, with the 25-year-old named in the starting line-up for four of the Magpies’ last five Premier League games, and featured extensively in the Carabao Cup defeat to Leicester City (TransferMarkt).

Bruce was unable to call on the 22-cap international for his side’s devastating defeat to Leicester in the league through injury, though, otherwise Willems would likely have retained his starting role over on-the-day full-back Paul Dummett.

Willems has impressed many Newcastle fans with his efforts in Black and White to date, leading to lots of them calling for their club to trigger the €10m clause after the Rotterdam-born left-back scored once and assisted once in five top-flight outings.

The Sparta Rotterdam product has also averaged 2.1 successful tackles from three attempts per ninety minutes in the Premier League thus far, according to data collected by WhoScored. Moreover, he has recorded 1.2 clearances, 0.9 interceptions, and completed 1.2 of 1.6 dribbles while playing 1.2 key balls.

Bid added that the fee agreed with Newcastle is looked at positively by Frankfurt, who are pleased by Willems’ form in England and are growing confident that the Magpies will take up their option.

Here are some of the reactions shared from Newcastle fans discussing the future of Willems at St. James’ Park…

In one of the longest running transfer sagas of the summer, Paul Pogba’s ‘will-he-stay’ or ‘will-he-go’ situation overwhelmed Manchester United’s entire summer.

All the headlines were dominated with whether the Frenchman would be making his departure from Old Trafford, particularly after his very public comments about wanting a new challenge.

However, a move to either Real Madrid or Juventus failed to materialise, and the 26-year-old has had no choice but to stay put at the club.

The France World Cup winner has been out of action for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side with injury, and the United boss confirmed ahead of the club’s Europa League match with Partizan Belgrade that he doesn’t have an exact date as to when the midfielder will make his return.

After hearing the latest injury news on the former Juventus man, United fans flooded to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the France international.

Many supporters of the Manchester side appeared to have a resigned feeling over the matter, suggesting that delayed comeback is simply a way of wanting out of the club in the near future.

Check out some of the reaction of United fans below:

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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…

There is quite clearly a model at Tottenham that Mauricio Pochettino follows closely.

Since leaving Southampton and stepping into the Spurs hotseat, the Argentine has primarily signed young players, or brought young players through from the academy into the first-team.

There are few ready-made superstars arriving on Tottenham’s doorstep, if any – only £55m man Tanguy Ndombele arguably fits that tagline and even the classy Frenchman is just 22 years of age.

Pochettino has developed academy prospects such as Kyle Walker-Peters and Oliver Skipp and arguably even Harry Kane, who wasn’t a first-team regular before the 47-year-old was appointed.

Dele Alli has also come on leaps and bounds under the Argentine, Giovani Lo Celso and Son Heung-min Son were both signed at the age of 23, Davinson Sanchez also arrived aged just 21 and teenage talents Ryan Sessegnon and Jack Clarke both completed permanent switches in the summer, with the latter immediately returning on loan to Leeds United.

The bottom line is that Spurs go for exciting talent over tailor-made stars.

In that respect, two reported transfer targets come into the equation with one far more suited to Spurs than the other.

QPR starlet Eberechi Eze – recently called up to the England U21 squad for the first time – is reportedly on Tottenham’s radar and scouts were said to have been sent to watch him in action last year.

Eze has three goals and two assists for the R’s this season under Mark Warburton in eight Championship appearances.

A player full of flair and flamboyance, his abilities are of a similar ilk to another London-based mercurial talent in Wilfried Zaha.

Both players possess great speed and technique on the ball, while both started to blossom in the Championship and honed their skills in the second tier – Eze with QPR, and Zaha with Crystal Palace before their promotion in 2013.

Eze is a real box of tricks but has substance as well as style – his flair-filled performances, which have merited five goals involvements in eight games, three WhoScored MOTM awards and a maiden England Under-21 call-up attest to that.

Zaha is also a man with plenty of skills under his belt, but another player who adds some substance to his play – Zaha scored 10 goals in the Premier League last year.

Like Eze, the Crystal Palace talisman was believed to be of interest to Spurs heading into the summer, but the Eagles value their No.11 highly and slapped a £100m price tag on his head this summer, which was said to have scared off Tottenham.

However, they should forget Zaha as Eze is the player most suited to the Tottenham model.

Zaha, as aforesaid, would cost a fair wedge of cash and is a ready-made superstar who presumably has little room left for improvement .

In Eze’s case, at just 21 and with the ability to play either on the left or right flank, as well as in the centre, he is almost perfect for Pochettino, who has used back fours, back threes, midfield diamonds and more during his time as Spurs boss. That versatility is a major asset.

Going back to the Tottenham model, we saw in Spurs’ failed pursuit of Grealish last summer as well as their interest in Hull City youngster Jarrod Bowen that exciting Championship starlets are most certainly on their radar.

Numerous top-four finishes and a trip to Madrid for the Champions League final last season prove that this model is moving in the right direction.

Given Eze’s obvious talent and his suitability to Spurs, he might just be a perfect alternative to Zaha.

Luka Jovic had a wonderful career back at Eintracht Frankfurt.

The 21-year-old forward played a total of 75 games for the German team, scoring 36 goals and registering nine assists.

For that reason, Real Madrid’s interest was not really a surprise and the young Serbian made the transfer to the Spanish capital during the summer.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

But so far, his career in Spain hasn’t really kicked off.

In fact, he has only played a total of seven games since he joined Zinedine Zidane’s side and has no goals or assists to his name. Of course, the potential is still there and the chances are bound to come one day.

But many fans want them to come sooner rather than later as they swarmed Real’s official Twitter account, urging the club to give the young striker more minutes this season after they posted a clip of him scoring in training.

They were also quick to point out that Jovic won’t be able to develop and show what he can do if he is always on the bench.

You can see some of their replies and comments down in the tweets below:

New Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers will have been encouraged by what he saw this midweek as the Foxes ground out a win over Brighton at the King Power.

The former Liverpool and Watford boss has made the big and bold decision to move from Celtic back to the Premier League, and it will be interesting to see just how he adapts to life back in the English game after ever so nearly leading Liverpool to glory.

However, he is going to need to be backed with some of his own players if he is to be a success, and we here in the Tavern wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him raid Celtic for some talent.

And one man who we feel might be of particular interest to Rodgers is attacking midfielder James Forrest, who has once again been in fine form for the Bhoys this term.

Double figures in terms of goals once again show the talent the Celtic man has, and at 27 and heading into his prime years, the challenge of the Premier League might well be too enticing a proposition to ignore.

Forrest is real handful in both wide and central areas, and with the Foxes having never really replaced the creative spark that Riyad Mahrez brought to the club, the Scottish star might well be the answer.

Quick, able to beat a man and with a keen eye for goal, Forrest would be a fine addition for Leicester and Rodgers.

While Celtic might not want to sell, the thought of having Forrest and the ever impressive James Maddison providing the creativity from attacking midfield is an exciting prospect for Leicester if they can convince the Scottish champions to part ways with their key man.

Leicester fans, what do you think? Let us know in the comments!

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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…

Liverpool have started the season in fine form and that is in large part due to their ability to score goals in a variety of different ways.

The front three are known for providing the threat and it is true that they are amongst the most deadly trio in European football, with 13 goals and eight assists between them already this term, with the Reds scoring 17 in the Premier League so far.

Added to that, they have a midfield three who keep the ball effectively – with Fabinho, Georginio Wijnaldum and Jordan Henderson boasting pass success rates of 87%, 91% and 75% respectively – allowing pressure to mount on the opposition due to the pace with which they come back for another attack.

The Arsenal match a few weeks ago was a great example of exactly that, with Gunners players pinned down inside their own half for large periods – as the match heat map shows – allowing Liverpool’s full-backs to exploit the wings, which they do to great effect – with a combined 29 assists last term.

However, another aspect of their game which makes them the best in the league is their record from set-pieces.

It may be quite surprising given the lack of height in the team, but the Reds have scored the most from set-pieces in the Premier League since the beginning of last season, with four goals in this campaign adding to the 20 they tallied in 2018/19.

Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip have headed in 10 between them in that period, but the innovation used has also got the best out of the likes of Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, as best evidenced against Chelsea last weekend.

In their Champions League run last year set-pieces were key in victories at the Allianz Arena and at home to Barcelona, so for all the work Jurgen Klopp does on the training pitch, his work from corners and free-kicks is arguably proving to be the most decisive.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

By comparison, Manchester City have scored ten fewer from set-pieces in the same period, with 11 in 2018/19 and three in this campaign,  and though they possess a threat from open play such a difference could prove advantageous to Klopp’s side over the course of the season.

That is particularly true when their defensive record from set-pieces is compared. Liverpool conceded only eight last year and none so far in 2019/20, but the Citizens have let in 12 from set-pieces in that time, with goals for Norwich and Tottenham exposing a weakness from corners that ended up costing them points.

In a title race which will likely go down to the wire such fine margins are vital, and if the Reds can maintain their current effectiveness in attack then they may be able to edge in front of Man City.

Speaking to Give Me Sport, journalist Ryan Taylor of The Daily Express has made a West Ham United summer transfer claim involving Burnley defender James Tarkowski.

The Lowdown: West Ham eye January move…

A plethora of central defenders were tipped with a potential move to the London Stadium last month as manager David Moyes saw it as a transfer priority alongside the need for another striker (The Daily Mail).

The likes of Duje Caleta-Car were mentioned, with late window talks apparently held for the Croatian, while Manchester City’s Nathan Ake and Bournemouth loanee Nathaniel Phillips had also been linked (The Evening Standard).

Tarkowski, whose contract at current club Burnley expires later this year, was another name on the target list for Moyes with Express reporter Taylor now sharing an update on their interest.

The Latest: Taylor expects summer move

Speaking to GMS, the reporter says West Ham could in fact ‘enter the fray’ for Tarkowski again in the summer.

He explained: “All signs pointed towards him staying to the end of the season, then West Ham could enter the fray.”

The Verdict: Get it done?

While the Hammers couldn’t seal a central defensive signing for Moyes last month, recruitment chief Rob Newman would be remiss if he didn’t at least consider Tarkowski on a free.

The 29-year-old, who was once valued at his £50 million release clause by Burnley, looks set to leave for nothing in the summer and West Ham could secure a short term centre-back option at the very least.

Described as one of Sean Dyche’s ‘talismans’ and a ‘real leader’ by pundit Noel Whelan, Moyes’ side could benefit from a figure like this in the heart of West Ham’s defence – especially for no transfer fee.

In other news: ExWHUemployee: Moyes now personally wants ‘unreal’ international who’s also a Salthouse client, find out more here.

Speaking on Friday ahead of the West Midlands derby against Aston Villa, Wolves manager Bruno Lage revealed that all of his players have come back fit and ready from the international break.

What’s the latest?

During the press conference on Friday ahead of today’s clash at Molineux, the 45-year-old said: “Everyone came back with good news from national teams because every player [involved in qualifying] got to the World Cup, and we are just waiting for Tony Roberts and Wales, because they didn’t play, I think they will play in the first days of June, but everyone else will go to the World Cup.

“It was good news and it was a good environment yesterday because everyone came back with the good news. I was happy because I was supporting everyone, so I was happy for them because qualifying for a World Cup is a big moment for everyone.”

Delight for Wolves

Lage’s comments about his players returning from international duty will surely leave the Wolves faithful delighted ahead of today’s derby encounter.

The manager, and indeed supporters of the Old Gold, may well have spent the last fortnight sweating on the fortunes of every player who had flown out to represent their countries, as Lage was already trying to cope with several standout absences.

Raul Jimenez is suspended for the next two matches after his second red card of the season against Leeds in Wolves’ last outing, while the same night saw Ruben Neves incur a knee injury which could have ended his campaign prematurely. Nelson Semedo and Pedro Neto are also doubtful for the visit of Steven Gerrard’s side this afternoon.

The importance of the first two players in particular cannot be overstated. The Mexican has been the team’s top scorer in league action with six goals, also providing three assists for good measure, while WhoScored rank Neves as the squad’s second-best performer when players to start two games or fewer are disregarded.

With Villa having almost a fully-fit squad at their disposal, Lage could not have afforded any further setbacks during the international break, particularly with his team losing three of their last four matches to leave their hopes of European qualification in doubt.

Therefore, he and the Molineux faithful will be relieved and delighted to have made it through the break with a clean bill of health for everyone who had been in international action over the past fortnight.

In other news – Lage could finally unearth Wolves’ new Diogo Jota in “unpredictable” £33m speedster

Wolves are looking to sign a new striker before the end of the January transfer window, according to reliable journalist Sami Mokbel.

The Lowdown: Wolves continue impressive form

Wanderers picked up yet another impressive Premier League win on Saturday afternoon, battling their way to a 2-1 victory away to Brentford. Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves were the goalscoring heroes for Wolves, who have now won four games in a row in all competitions.

Despite Bruno Lage’s side excelling at the moment, there could still be a need to bring in new players, ensuring that they keep improving the squad and move in the right direction.

The Latest: Journalist talks up striker move

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Mokbel claimed Wolves are after a striker this month in order to add more firepower in the final third.

He said: “A striker for them, I’m sure, would be at the forefront of Bruno Lage’s mind. Jimenez is back, but they certainly want more goals and more of a different kind of threat than he would offer, as good as a player he is.”

The Verdict: Makes complete sense

While Wolves have been increasingly strong as the season has progressed, they certainly haven’t been renowned for their goalscoring prowess.

They have only scored 19 times in 21 league games – 19th-placed Watford have four more – and both Hwang Hee-chan and Raul Jimenez lead the way with just four goals apiece, highlighting the need for more ammunition in attack.

With Adama Traore seeming likely to join Tottenham, the money should hopefully be there to spend on a striker in January if that deal goes through during the week, hopefully making Wolves even more potent in the process.

In other news, some Wolves fans love footage that has emerged from the win over Brentford. Read more here.