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Manchester City fans have expressed their desire to see academy graduate Phil Foden start in the Champions League tonight against Atalanta.

The 19-year-old has played only 11 minutes of Premier League action so far and is still finding it extremely difficult to earn a spot in Pep Guardiola’s side.

With the Italian side slumped at the bottom of Group C without a point, now would be the perfect time for Foden to get some minutes, especially considering Atalanta have let in six goals in two games.

As was announced earlier in the year, David Silva will be leaving the Etihad at the end of the season.

If the City youth product is going to replace El Mago as the club’s playmaker, Foden will need nights like this to grow and learn as a player.

Indeed, fans believe this is the perfect time for the youngster to start and learn his trade on the big stage.

Having come through the ranks at City and born in the local area of Stockport, the midfielder is already a fan favourite with the Etihad faithful, and it seems supporters want him to play much more.

Here’s what some of them had to say…

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has lauded Dominic Calvert-Lewin as ‘one of the best’ in the air, after being left impressed by the Everton regular’s performance against his title-chasing side on Saturday.

Marco Silva once again trusted Calvert-Lewin to lead his attack at Goodison Park over the weekend, in what was the former England under-21 international’s 15th start in the Premier League from a possible 18 dating back to his outing at Cardiff City on February 26 (TransferMarkt).

Despite being the striker favoured by Silva throughout the closing stages of the Portuguese’s maiden term at Goodison Park, Calvert-Lewin repaid his manager’s faith with just six goals in 35 games in the league.

The Sheffield-born forward has already scored two goals in six league fixtures this season, with the 22-year-old nodding home from the line on Saturday after Seamus Coleman chipped Man City ‘keeper Ederson for what would have been the Republic of Ireland captain’s 27th in blue.

Calvert-Lewin’s prior strike at Bournemouth also came from the air, when he rose highest in the Cherries’ box to strike from close range after Richarlison whipped the ball into the area.

The Sheffield United product has caught the attention of City boss Guardiola, who claimed sides would need the talents of the 22-year-old if they were to cause his squad as many problems in the absence of John Stones and Aymeric Laporte.

“They can do it if they have Calvert-Lewin’s skills,” Guardiola said, as quoted by the Liverpool Echo, when asked if long balls and diagonal passes could be a tactic teams could use to get the better of his Etihad Stadium natives.

“If they have Richarlison skills, they can do it. There are a few teams that are using it and we adapt to it. I think, when you win two Premier Leagues, you face different styles, not just all the same.

“We knew it was tight, this stadium, and the spectators push a lot to [the players]. We knew it. Calvert-Lewin is one of the best headers I have ever seen in jumping and flicking the ball [on]. Richarlison is strong, so we know it [was going to be tough].”

Despite Guardiola’s lavish praise, Calvert-Lewin is not entirely showing himself to be ‘one of the best’ players in the air, as the 22-year-old has actually lost more duels than he has won since the start of the 2017/18 Premier League campaign.

Across his 32 appearances in the 17/18 season, he won 135 of his 305 duels in the air, which was a tally which decreased to 111 from 160 last term, and is so far continuing on the same path with Calvert-Lewin only getting the better of an opponent 31 times in 66 battles, per WhoScored data.

The 1.87m centre-forward may be set for a career-high average 6.9 successful duels per 90 minutes, but is also set to come home close behind his career-high duels lost (7.8 to the 8.2 recorded in 17/18), which he must improve to warrant the praise Guardiola has issued.

Everton fans, what do you see as Calvert-Lewin’s biggest strength? Let us know in the comments below…

Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger had one of the greatest rivalries in Premier League history.With both managers currently out of a job you’d have thought that this feud would have been put to bed, but Mourinho couldn’t help but have a dig at Wenger as he appeared in an advert this week.Watch Arsenal Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Indeed, the Portuguese manager starred in Paddy Power’s latest advert, and there were a few sly digs at Wenger in there that many won’t have spotted on first viewing.

Towards the end of the attached video you’ll see that the advert included some sneaky digs at the former Arsenal manager with Mourinho’s selection of books.

One of Mourinho’s novels was called ‘The Voyeur’, alluding to the fact that the former United boss infamously used that term to describeÂthe Frenchman a back in 2005.

Another title that sits in his bookcase is ‘Le Specialiste en Failure’. No prizes for guessing what that translates to – as it is, of course, a cheeky nod to Mourinho’s incredible insult aimed at Wenger back in 2014.

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Denmark fans on Twitter ripped into Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Christian Eriksen following his performance in the disappointing 0-0 draw against Georgia on Sunday.

The nation had the chance to go top of Group D – above the Republic of Ireland – with a win in Tbilisi at the weekend, but they failed to get it in what was a largely dour contest between the two countries.

Supporters may well have been expecting another big showing from their 27-year-old talisman after he scored two and assisted a further two in the 6-0 thrashing of Gibraltar on Thursday, but it wasn’t forthcoming.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The Spurs man, who has one goal in four outings for the north London outfit this term, failed to grab the scrappy encounter by the scruff of the neck, and made little impact in the final third for the Danes despite playing in a No.10 role.

It was something that didn’t go unnoticed by Denmark supporters on the popular social media platform, who wasted little time in criticising Eriksen for his display.

While one labelled him as “frighteningly poor”, another told him directly “you disappointed us today”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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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… 

Wolves begin their Europa League group stage campaign on Thursday night having sailed through the rigorous qualification stages as if it were a routine thing for them.

Faced with the task of trips to Armenia and Italy, Nuno Santo’s men breezed past every opposition, winning all six of their ties.

Their form in the Premier League has taken a hit as a result, culminating in a shocking 5-2 defeat at the hands of Chelsea last Saturday afternoon.

Now they host Portuguese outfit Braga at Molineux as they look to continue their historic run in the European competition.

But where should Nuno look to exploit?

Wolves fans have been great value this season, and now they’ve added another couple of belters to their arsenal of songs. Check them out in the video below…

On the Chalkboard

Braga are also suffering domestically as they sit 16th in the Primeira Liga with just one win from five matches.

Portuguese journalist Luis Cristovao told Birmingham Live where they are weakest, he said:

“The point where Wolverhampton can trouble Braga is in midfield. Braga is not a very tough team in the midfield.

“In the defensive transition, they have some problems.

“When Braga loses the ball, if Wolves can, in one or two touches, be aggressive going forward Braga will suffer.”

Therefore, it would seem reasonable to suggest that Joao Moutinho’s contribution will decide just how much success Wolves will garner on Thursday night.

Watch Wolverhampton Wanderers Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The 33-year-old is the playmaker of the team yet so far this season in the Premier League he just hasn’t got going as we have highlighted here on Football FanCast this week.

In the Europa League, the 5 foot 7 midfielder has already notched up four assists so on the other hand that certainly bodes well going into this match.

Last season, he averaged 2.2 key passes per game which ultimately helped towards him laying on eight assists for his side just proving how influential he is in spearheading Nuno’s midfield.

Considering Braga’s major weakness, it appears the midfield is where the game can be won or lost. Therefore, the Euro 2016 winner will need to be on his game on Thursday night if Wolves want to start the group stage with a perfect three points.

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Championship side Stoke City have identified Barnsley’s ace centre-back Liam Lindsay as a late January transfer target, per The Sun’s Alan Nixon.

What’s the word?

The Sun’s transfer expert Nixon has claimed that while Stoke are looking to complete a deal for Portsmouth’s Matt Clarke, they may be put off by his £5million valuation.

As a result, the Potters may turn their attention to other young defenders in League One, such as Barnsley’s Lindsay, who remained at Oakwell in the summer despite the Tykes’ relegation.

The Potters would benefit from a new centre-back, as Nathan Jones’ side have won just once in their last eight games in all competitions and conceded 14 goals. Clearly, a leaky defensive line is a problem Stoke’s new manager will need to address in the coming weeks.

Barnsley, though, would be losing the services of a defender who has featured in 25 of their 28 League One fixtures so far this season, and would be forced to hand 10% of any transfer fee to Partick Thistle, who The Sun claim hold a sell-on clause from the deal that saw Lindsay move to Oakwell in 2017.

One of English football’s lesser known rivalries was reignited on Saturday thanks to an unlikely source. Check out the video above to find out which one…

Could it happen?

Unfortunately for Barnsley fans, Lindsay’s fate at Oakwell remains uncertain until Stoke decide whether they wish to pursue Portsmouth’s Clarke or not.

Should the Potters dig deep and pay Pompey’s £5million valuation, any Tykes supporter can then rest easy as Lindsay would likely remain one of their players, at least until the next transfer window opens.

But if Jones is not convinced that Clarke is worth the figure the Fratton Park outfit demand, Barnsley supporters will have to hope the 23-year-old defender is confident in their chances of gaining promotion back into the Championship this season.

With Ashley Williams and Ryan Shawcross both over 30, and struggling to produce the form that made them amongst the most consistent centre-backs in the Premier League during prior stages of their career, Lindsay would be a welcome addition at the bet365 Stadium.

He could be key in not only getting the Jones revolution underway in the second half of this season, but also the long-term rebuild of this Potters team.

Despite a relatively strong start to the campaign, Sunderland fans are crucifying Jack Ross for his verdict on the loss to Peterborough.

The Black Cats had started this season excellently, with a 2-1 home win over Portsmouth and a hard-fought 2-1 victory at Rochdale both particularly encouraging signs – the latter hadn’t lost a home league fixture to a team other than Sunderland since February.

Yet, the mood has been dampened significantly by the collapse at London Road.

Two players were sent off for Ross’ side, and a brace from Marcus Maddison, who fans have wanted on Wearside for quite some time, only served to compound fans’ misery.

Ross is taking a more positive outlook though, saying: “It’s not a reality check for us because there’s no way in the world we were carried away or approached this game with (any complacency).

“If the performance was poor from minute one, I’d have accepted that as a potential criticism, but we were at it on Saturday.”

He continued: “Peterborough deserved to win the game, they’ve recorded a good result, and we move on.”

Unfortunately for the Scot, fans aren’t in a forgiving mood after such a heavy defeat to a promotion rival, and they have been slamming the 43 year-old for his verdict.

Many believe they have a squad good enough to earn promotion with a better tactician in the dugout, and just take a look at some of the Twitter reactions down below…

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West Ham United will not look to secure a deal to bring Alex Kral to the London Stadium on a permanent basis.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Claret & Hugh, with the club insider revealing that David Moyes will not look to take up the £12m option-to-buy clause for the defensive midfielder. Indeed, they may even look to terminate the 23-year-old’s loan deal before the end of the January transfer window.

In the update, Claret & Hugh said: “West Ham look likely to allow Alex Kral back to Spartak Moscow after the midfielder has been found himself unable to make any impact at the London Stadium so far this season.”

They later added: “The Hammers organised a loan with a permanent deal option at around £12m but given his shortage of any real action, one wonders why the boss agreed to such a move in the first place. Now it looks likely that he could even be back in Russia before the current season comes to an end.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering how little impact Kral has made at West Ham since making his temporary switch from Spartak Moscow last year, the news that Moyes is not planning to sign him on a permanent basis is sure to have left the London Stadium faithful buzzing.

Indeed, so far this season, the £7.2m-rated Czech international has made just one Premier League appearance – coming on for the final minute of the 4-1 win over Watford – in the current campaign, as well as making three appearances in the Europa League and one in the Carabao Cup.

It is not difficult to see why Moyes is so reluctant to afford the 23-year-old more regularly game-time, as, over his three European outings, the £24k-per-week midfielder has averaged a disappointing SofaScore match rating of just 6.63 – ranking him as the Hammers’ joint fifth-worst performer in the competition.

As such, it is clear to see that the player who Moyes claimed has “bags of energy” is simply not of the standard required to be a first-team regular at the London Stadium. That leads us to believe that the 58-year-old simply must send the Czech Republic midfielder back to his parent club this month.

In other news: Moyes could finally replace Haller as West Ham plot bid for “complete” £13.5m-rated machine

A move for Tanguy Ndombele to Valencia from Tottenham Hotspur is reportedly now in doubt, despite an initial agreement being reached with the La Liga club.

The Lowdown: On his way out

Ndombele has been linked with a loan move away from Spurs throughout the January transfer window, with Everton just one of a number of clubs reportedly interested in his signature.

He has not featured for the North London club since the 3-1 win at home to Morecambe in the FA Cup earlier this month, after he was booed off by some supporters for trudging too slowly off of the pitch, leaving Antonio Conte very disappointed (The Sun).

Nonetheless, it seems as if a move away would be best for all parties, as Ndombele can get some more game time ahead of a potential FIFA World Cup with France, and the Lilywhites can get some of his astronomical £200,000-per-week wages off of their books.

The Latest: Valencia move in doubt

As per Calciomercato, a loan move for Ndombele to Valencia is now in doubt, as ‘in the last few hours’, there has been some hesitation from the central midfielder to go to Spain.

This is because PSG are still considering signing him, and Roma also remain interested, of course managed by former THFC managers Mauricio Pochettino and Jose Mourinho respectively.

Valencia had an initial agreement with Tottenham over Ndombele’s signing, but it now looks as if he could move to a different club with just a few days of the window remaining.

The Verdict: Just get rid

If Spurs can do a deal to offload Ndombele abroad now, they simply must just get rid.

Freeing up some of his wages from the bill could then potentially be used to fund an incoming deal, and if he performs well, they could recoup a decent transfer fee for him in the summer.

He has only managed to score a mere six goals and supplied five assists in total in the Premier League since his arrival (Transfermarkt), which for a club record signing, is simply not good enough.

Added to the disappointments with the fans and Conte, now is the best time to part ways.

In other news, find out who Tottenham are now preparing a ‘big-money transfer’ for here!

Newcastle United reportedly ‘reckon’ that they now have ‘a chance’ of signing Timo Werner, according to Christian Falk.

The Lowdown: A disappointment

For a player that promised so much after scoring £47.7m move to Chelsea in July of last year.

Considering the money that they have spent on him, the striker has only managed to score 17 goals in 66 games in total over all competitions for the Blues, including just five so far this season (Transfermarkt).

Thus, given that he is still at a good age at 25, Thomas Tuchel’s team may want to consider selling him now in order to recoup as much of that money back as possible.

The Latest: Newcastle swoop?

Speaking to BILD (via Sport Witness), Bundesliga journalist and transfer expert Falk has now revealed the latest on the St. James’ Park faithful’s hope of signing Werner in the January transfer window:

“With Werner, they reckon they’ve got a bit of a chance. They’ve got contacts with the management. One of their players (Fabian Schar) is also managed by the German agency that represents Werner.

“Whether Werner will end up feeling so frustrated at Chelsea and then say ‘I’ll give it a go in Newcastle’ is the big question.”

The Verdict: Avoid

The move for Werner to English football has clearly not worked out thus far, and so he may struggle even more in the North East compared to title hopefuls Chelsea.

Even though the new Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium have the money to spend, Werner is simply too inconsistent to justify paying his whopping £268,000-per-week wages, on top of a potentially hefty transfer fee given his age and position.

Nonetheless, their attack is not the main problem, with their 41 goals conceded by far the most in the top flight so far this term, and so the Tyneside outfit should be looking to prioritise strengthening the defence first of all.

In other news, find out what ‘worrying’ NUFC injury claim has now been dropped here!