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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…

Wolverhampton Wanderers have a lot to thank Portugal for and on Sunday afternoon the Portuguese nation did the Midlands outfit yet another favour.

Portugal’s squad

It’s no secret that Wolves’ recruitment policy in recent years has been heavily built around the signing of players from Portugal due to their affiliations with super-agent Jorge Mendes.

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Of course, signing top-end talent means that these players will be selected for international duty, and that can be a spanner in the works for any squad as these players are much more susceptible to injury, with congested schedules and intense travelling contributing to that.

However, Portugal may have inadvertently done Nuno Espirito Santo’s side a massive favour with their team selection on Sunday.

Portugal’s team selection

Fernando Santos helped the Molineux outfit out with his team selection against Luxembourg as he opted to leave three of Wolves’ key players on the bench.

Indeed, Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho and Diogo Jota were all left out of the starting XI this weekend, and while that may be seen as a negative by the players it will be music to the ears of their club.

Of course, the fact these players were left on the bench from the start on Sunday meant that they were allowed a little bit of extra rest, and with Wolves having three very winnable fixtures coming up against Bournemouth, Sheffield United and West Ham, this slight extra advantage will certainly help Wolves.

Leeds United fans on Twitter believe that the club are about to make the same costly error that affected the club’s chances of promotion last season.

Indeed, a number of Whites supporters blamed a lack of action in the January transfer window last term for their failure to clinch promotion, and Victor Orta has now stated that Leeds will be having a quiet window once 2020 rolls around.

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This has infuriated a number of fans as the club are seemingly just a few additions away from absolutely dominating this division.

Indeed, the Yorkshire outfit top the xG league table by quite some way, but their troubles in front of goal mean that they currently sit third in the Championship.

Whether or not Leeds actually do anything in the January transfer window remains to be seen, but Orta’s quotes suggest they won’t, and fans are far from happy.

Here’s what the Elland Road faithful have been saying on social media…

Southampton travel to north London this Saturday to take on an Arsenal side who aren’t in the best shape, to say the least.

Unai Emery’s side currently sit sixth in the Premier League table – one place behind Sheffield United – having won just four of their 12 league games so far this season.

Having said that, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side would be sat bottom of England’s top-flight were it not for Norwich’s ineptitude. The Saints have won just twice this season, while also conceding the most goals in the division with 29 in 12 games.

Hasenhuttl, formerly of RB Leipzig, can’t seem to settle on a consistent starting XI, while also shoving square pegs in round holes on numerous occasions – the Austrian played Stuart Armstrong, a natural midfielder, at right wing-back last time out.

In that respect, here’s the XI that we think Hasenhuttl should put out against an Arsenal side with definite weaknesses…

To begin with, we feel that Hasenhuttl has to bring Ryan Bertrand straight back into the starting XI following the end of his three-match suspension, purely due to the lack of left-back options at the club.

On the other side, Cedric Soares, who recently revealed his intention to leave at the end of the season, played at left wing-back last time out, although Hasenhuttl must restore him to his natural position on the right – again due to the lack of quality options in that area.

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Ahead of the back four, a defensive-midfield duo of Pierre-Emile Højbjerg and Oriol Romeu should provide enough cover for the backline.

In attack, we outlined how Sofiane Boufal will cause Calum Chambers some problems on the left flank given how much the Arsenal man – a graduate of Southampton’s academy – struggled against another tricky winger in Wilfried Zaha a few weeks ago.

Danny Ings – the Saints’ top-scorer with seven goals – must start up top, while £15m summer signing Moussa Djenepo should be given the nod out on the right flank having scored two Premier League goals this season.

Nathan Redmond – who has started ten Premier League games this season – should be dropped having seemingly reverted to type this term, having scored just one goal amid a string of ineffective performances.

Both Boufal and Djenepo seem like much more of a handful for defenders to contend with, and for that reason, Hasenhuttl should take the former Norwich man out of the firing line and stick him on the bench.

According to reports from The Daily Star, Manchester United are growing increasingly confident of signing Atletico Madrid’s Saul Niguez in a £135m deal.

What’s the word?

It is claimed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s targeting the Spain international as a replacement for Paul Pogba, who is expected to join Real Madrid in the next transfer window provided they meet United’s £100m asking price.

The funds will then be used to help activate Niguez’s £135m release clause, with the United boss believing a midfield containing the Atletico man and January signing Bruno Fernandes can propel the club back towards its domineering status of old.

That would make the 25-year-old the most expensive signing in Premier League history, eclipsing the £94.5m United spent on Pogba almost four years ago by more than £40m.

Cameo Clubs: Which obscure teams did these football legends play for?

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McTominay and Fred at loggerheads

Scott McTominay and Fred have been arguably United’s two most improved players of the 2019/20 campaign, but if The Daily Star’s report is to be believed then the midfield duo could ultimately end up at loggerheads next season.

After managing just 13 Premier League starts during his debut campaign at Old Trafford, the Brazilian has made himself one of the first names on the team-sheet and completely overturned his status as a costly flop, to the extent that United fans were comparing him to Park Ji-Sung and N’Golo Kante after the most recent Manchester derby.

Speaking of which, McTominay’s rise from promising youngster continued in that game with a goal against United’s bitter rivals, while Whoscored have him as United’s sixth-best performer in the top flight this term – his average rating jumping up from just 6.48 in 2018/19 to 7.1 this time around.

But unless Solskjaer intends to use the diamond system that he’s deployed just once in the Premier League this season – according to Whoscored – on a more permanent basis, then McTominay and Fred will be left fighting for the solitary spot left in United’s midfield, presumably anchoring Niguez and Fernandes.

Of course, United will be fighting on multiple fronts and squad depth is crucial, but ultimately both players, Niguez and Fernandes can’t all make Solskjaer’s strongest XI. Rather than working in impressive tandem as they have for much of the current campaign, Fred and McTominay will have to fight it out for that last vacancy in United’s engine room.

Loads of Aston Villa supporters have reacted to Tyrone Mings’ latest interview with talkSPORT.

Speaking to Laura Woods, Mings said: “I feel fortunate to be playing at Villa playing in front of the fans at Villa Park. It’s probably one of the reasons why as players we hope the matches aren’t played behind closed doors. The fans are such a big driver when you walk out.”

The 27-year-old went on to talk about a number of topics, including the ways in which he is keeping himself entertained during the lockdown, how he has changed positions throughout his career, and his thoughts on how the season should come to an end.

After rejoining Villa from Bournemouth last summer on a permanent basis for a reported fee worth £20.07m, Mings has made 23 appearances in the Premier League for Dean Smith’s side, scoring 2 goals and providing 1 assist, as well as making a staggering 5.8 clearances per game and averaging 1.7 blocks in the English top flight (via WhoScored).

As expected, a large portion of the AVFC faithful praised his comments on Twitter, although some fans are sceptical as to whether or not he will still be wearing the famous Claret and Blue jersey if the club are indeed relegated when the campaign finally comes to a close. One supporter claimed Mings is a “Villan for life” while another labelled him as a “lovely bloke.” Others noted the defender and his teammate John McGinn are “too good” for the Championship.

Have a read through the mixed reactions down below…

Missing football!? There’s still plenty of Villa discussion going on in the Vital Villa Forum! Click here to get involved!

A lot of Celtic fans are loving pictures posted by a fellow fan on Twitter showing the club’s possible kits for next season.

There are various kits which have left the Celtic faithful with great memories, like the European Cup-winning one worn in 1967, which was voted in the top 20 kits of all time by France Football, via Celtic FC. There was also the 1988 strip, which celebrated the Scottish side’s centenary season, as per Celtic FC.

Fans often love strips which remind them of historic moments, although the new concept design takes a new modern take. The image posted by Hoops fan @debstar1988 shows that the three shirts all have circular collars, with the home strip featuring the typical green and white hoops, whilst it looks like the away kit will be completely white apart from a green collar and thin green lines going down the shirt. Their third kit takes a completely different look as it is black, with some light green detail added on the right shoulder and down the sides.

Many Celtic fans loved the rumoured kit designs and they will no doubt hope that whatever shirts are worn  next season will go down in history. If the Hoops are crowned Premiership champions this season, they will make it nine in a row, via Transfermarkt. Therefore, next year’s kits could be associated with a history-making 10 league titles in a row, something that has never been done in Scotland before, as per talkSPORT.

Here is what some Celtic fans had to say about the rumoured new kits:

Celtic fans, do you like the rumoured kit designs for next season? Comment below with your views!

Tottenham Hotspur fans have been demanding the signing of one player this summer after he expressed his desire to ‘play at a higher level’.

According to the Telegraph, Spurs are keen on submitting a bid for Southampton midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg this summer but will reassess their finances post-pandemic.

The Saints skipper has been talking to SPORT1 this week where he fired a subtle transfer message to his admirers, he said: “I know what I want, the club knows it too. I want to play at an even higher level than I am currently.”

This has caused much of the Spurs faithful to drool over the prospect of landing the 24-year-old to upgrade Jose Mourinho’s midfield.

Hojbjerg has impressed this season as the lynchpin of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side, he has been averaging 2.4 tackles, 1.5 interceptions, 1.5 shots and 1 key pass per game in the Premier League, via WhoScored.

Money talks: How much did Levy pay for each of these Spurs stars?

Having amassed over 100 appearances in the English top-flight, the Dane would certainly need no time to adapt to a change in scenery.

Here’s the word from supporters in north London…

AND in other news, Spurs could get a future superstar in Serie A maestro…

Newcastle United’s takeover – as of this morning- has not yet been approved contrary to other reports, according to Duncan Castles.The Times and Daily Record transfer-breaker provided a latest update to fans on Twitter and it comes within 24 hours of the Express claiming that the Premier League had given the all-clear.He said:

Late on Wednesday evening, a story circulated suggesting that the PL had approved the takeover following the owners and directors test, but this now doesn’t appear to be the case as per Castles’ information.

The reliable journalist has been on the ball with updates throughout this whole process – last month he broke the news that Steve Bruce would stay as part of the process and the club would be run by PCP Capital’s Amanda Staveley.

Premier League Inflation: You won’t believe how much these famous transfers would cost today…

Another thing that’s on the plate of the Premier League is getting the season resumed whilst still having to deal with the consequences of this pandemic, so understandably things are taking a little longer than usual.

AND in other news, The Sun’s Neil Custis claims Newcastle takeover has been delayed

This article forms part of our Total Duds feature series, which is where Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at how a player has fared since being signed or sold, using statistical figures and statements from pundits to prove how bad a deal the club got.

A deal that many Everton fans may look back on and wonder why it even happened in the first place, was their appointment of James McCarthy. The Blues brought him in from Wigan for a £13 million fee (via Independent), but in hindsight, maybe they shouldn’t have even bothered.

The Glaswegian turned Republic of Ireland international hardly painted his name in lights during his time with the Merseyside outfit. Amassing 133 appearances in blue, McCarthy managed to muster up just six goals and ten assists (via Transfermarkt) which works out to be a goal every 22 matches. Not exactly ideal numbers for a central midfielder.

His final couple of seasons with Everton were riddled with injuries. Before he was sold in 2019, the 29-year-old suffered a a leg fracture and was out of action for almost 12 months. Despite returning to fitness, McCarthy was dropped almost completely from the first team squad, featuring just once in the 2018/19 season – a 14 minute cameo against Manchester United.

The ROI international’s stint at Goodison Park ended last summer, when Crystal Palace came knocking with a £3million bid to acquire his services. Snatching their hand off so as not to miss another chance to offload him, Everton banked the money and accepted a hefty loss on the fee they originally paid.

Following the arrival of Carlo Ancelotti, the Blues’ transfer tactics seem a lot smarter. The Italian is using his links to Serie A to coax proven players into joining the Everton set up. Hopefully with the 60-year-old in charge, the club won’t make a similar mistake in the near future.

How would you rate James McCarthy’s time at Everton, Blues fans? Have your say in the comments below…

The forward is probably right as the stats show that, even though the north London side had more possession, the Blades had more shots overall and more shots on target but clearly just didn’t take enough of their chances, per BBC Sport.

They were also rightfully disallowed two goals by VAR but it did show that the Blades competed well against a good side and should give them a morale boost for the remainder of the season. Manager Chris Wilder clearly felt the same as he said in his post conference “That was more like Sheffield United”, via Yorkshire Live.

McGoldrick has scored two goals this season, both in the FA Cup (via WhoScored) but he will hopefully come into a bit of form now and help the Blades finish in the top half in the Premier League.

Blades fans, what are your thoughts after the game? Comment below with your views!