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James Maddison has garnered a reputation as a bit of a flash footballer.The media often paint him as the stereotypical modern footballer. Whether it’s wearing a backpack worth thousands of poundsÂor getting into an argument with Jeremy Clarkson on Twitter – it seems that he’s a player certain outlets are desperate to paint with the arrogance brush.Watch Leicester City Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

However, one thing that will humble any young footballer is being called up to the England duty, and Maddison was no different as he was named in Gareth Southgate’s latest Three Lions squad.

Maddison stated that he was very grateful to have received the call-up to the national team.

The midfielder clearly takes great pride in playing for England as his current pinned tweet is his reaction to his previous call-up, and his profile picture is of him during a warm-up before a Three Lions match.

He’s yet to be handed his full debut for his country, but when the time does come for him to get onto the pitch we’re sure he will grab it with both hands, and his behaviour around his time in the international set-up proves he’s as humble as they come.

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…

Speaking to beIN Sports, Arsene Wenger has suggested Paul Pogba’s recent behaviour is down to his lack of belief in Manchester United.

What did he say?

The France World Cup winner was the subject of intense transfer speculation over the course of the summer window, after he publicly admitted he would be happy to explore a “new challenge”.

The 26-year-old then admitted a “question mark” remained over his long-term future at the club, but a move away from Old Trafford failed to materialise before the end of the deadline.

The indoor football skills in the video below have to be seen to be believed…

Now, Wenger has admitted the midfielder’s form has suffered as a direct result of the transfer ordeal, and suggested the ex-Juventus star may also have reservations over the Red Devils’ ability to challenge for the biggest honours.

He said: “First of all, I think Paul Pogba since the start of the season has never been completely fit, injury wise. He doesn’t look completely confident physically and he’s the type of player who has a huge physical power. He needs to be perfectly fit physically.

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“After that, when a player wants to leave and you stop him from leaving, you know you go through a process of rebuilding the relationship that the first thing that suffers is the performances. I personally think he behaves as well like he knows that Man United at the moment is not the team to compete for the championship. And, plus the fact that he was stopped from going away, it looks like the two together a bit tarnish his performances.”

Inevitable

If United are to agree with Wenger’s observations, then there simply isn’t a way back for Pogba at Old Trafford. The moment one of your star players begins to question the direction the club is looking to go, is the time where the relationship between the two becomes irreparable.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer must simply stick to his guns, and invest his time and energy in players who have expressed their wholehearted commitment to the cause. The Red Devils are in dire need of building a squad who simply want to play for the club, and are not thinking of it as a stepping stone to a team elsewhere. Wenger’s insight may just be the eye-opening advice United desperately need.

According to Dutch media outlet NOS, and rather out of the blue, Tottenham Hotspur have re-signed goalkeeper Michel Vorm on a deal until the end of the season, and Spurs fans have been quick to react to the surprise update on Twitter.

The 35-year-old left the north London outfit during the summer following the expiry of his contract at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and seemingly having been deemed not good enough to get a new deal, but NOS report that the club have now brought him back to the English capital.

The update comes on the back of first-choice stopper Hugo Lloris being ruled out until 2020 having dislocated his elbow during the 3-0 defeat against Brighton and Hove Albion before the international break, which left Paulo Gazzaniga and Alfie Whiteman as the club’s most senior options in that position.

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The Dutchman made 47 appearances for Spurs before his departure just a few months ago, according to Transfermarkt, conceding 47 goals and keeping 17 clean sheets.

Tottenham supporters have taken to social media to give their thoughts on the reported transfer move, and while one said “no way”, another simply said “the state of this club”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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…

After a summer transfer window that saw the likes of Aaron Wan-Bissaka depart the club in a £50m move to Manchester United, Crystal Palace fans would have been understandably apprehensive as to what the 2019/20 Premier League season held in store for the Eagles.

In addition to Wan-Bissaka’s departure to Old Trafford, the likes of Wilfried Zaha were strongly linked with a move away from Selhurst Park, yet Roy Hodgson’s recruitment, and specifically bringing in one particular player, has revitalised the club’s defence and provided impetus to a squad who now sit sixth in the Premier League table.

Although Palace did have money to spend, Hodgson instead opted to move for Gary Cahill, formerly of Chelsea, on a free transfer. The 33-year-old’s transition from west London to south London has been as seamless as it has been impressive, and the centre-back is playing a vital role at the heart of the Eagles’ backline.

After missing the club’s first two league games, Cahill has proceeded to start Palace’s next six league fixtures – keeping two clean-sheets. Barring the 4-0 mauling at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur, Hodgson’s side have not conceded more than one goal in any of their games in the 2019/20 campaign, highlighting how they’ve retained a sense of defensive solidarity despite Wan-Bissaka’s absence. 

On average in the league, Cahill is making a clearance every 17.4 minutes, whilst also making five blocks per game, meaning that despite arriving on a free in the summer, Cahill is proving to be extremely valuable to Hodgson’s pursuit of a top-ten finish at Selhurst.

If Palace are able to retain the services of Zaha in the upcoming January window, then the Ivorian’s attacking abilities combined with the defensive excellence that Cahill is providing could bode well for a potential club-record finish in the league.

But for now, the 31-year-old’s performances are proving to be vital for the Eagles’ in their impressive start to the 2019/20 campaign.

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…

Just recently, the sporting director of the Dutch Football Federation (KNVB), Nico-Jan Hoogma, spoke to Fox Sports (via ESPN) and revealed that Ronald Koeman has a clause in his contract that will allow him to potentially return to Barcelona in the near future.

What did he say?

Koeman is no stranger to Barcelona.

After all, the now 56-year-old head coach of the Netherlands arrived at Barcelona in 1989 and ended up playing a total of 252 games for the Catalan giants until he finally left the club in 1995 and moved to Feyenoord.

But if Hoogma’s words are any indication, Koeman actually has a “Barcelona clause” in his contract that states he can be released to become their coach after the conclusion of the 2020 European Championship, assuming the Catalans pay a fee to the Dutch team.

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If true, this could mean that he is already preparing for the moment Ernesto Valverde is shown the door.

Here’s what Hoogma said in full:

“I hope that we can work together for a very long time, because I think it is going very well. But Ronald has long indicated that he wants to be a Barcelona coach someday.”

Asked whether there was a specific Barcelona clause, Hoogma added:

“Agreements have been made about that. They have to pay for that.”

The clock is ticking

It’s safe to say that Ernesto Valverde is not really a beloved figure among the fans right now.

Watch Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale answer the internet’s weirdest questions in the video below…

Even though the Basque coach has already clinched two La Liga titles in his ongoing tenure at the Catalan capital, Champions League blunders seem to haunt him, seeing how his team blew 4-1 and 3-0 leads in the knockout stages of their last two campaigns against Roma and Liverpool respectively.

And it seems that Koeman is holding out hope for the possibility of Barcelona sacking their man and then knocking on his door.

After all, why would he insert a “Barcelona clause” in his contract if he wasn’t planning on coaching them in the near future?

We don’t know whether it’s going to come to that or not but in any case, it seems that there are already people waiting in line for Valverde’s sacking.

If the results don’t go Barcelona’s way this season, and this is probably with an emphasis on the Champions League trophy, we could be seeing a new Blaugrana boss come the end of the campaign.

Koeman may be hoping that it is him.

Lionel Messi dancing through the entirety of the opposition’s team is not really surprising at this point.The little Argentine magician is now 32 and, unfortunately for the footballing world, we’re getting closer to the twilight of his career.Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

For that reason, his unbelievable performances should be cherished more than ever before.

One such performance came against Inter Milan in Barcelona’s second Champions League fixture of the ongoing 2019/20 campaign and the Blaugrana took to Twitter to post a compilation of some of his best moves from the clash.

Naturally, the footage was brilliant and loads of football fans swarmed the comments section with words of praise, as they drooled over Messi’s ability and the video itself.

Of course, the veteran forward getting all sorts of compliments is something he’s largely used to by now but these Twitter users were loving the skills that were on display in the footage.

Check out some of their replies down in the collection of tweets below:

Greatness has recognised greatness.It seems like an eternity ago that Manchester City were playing at their spiritual home Maine Road – when Pep Guardiola was a mere speck on the footballing landscape and the likes of Sergio Aguero, Kevin de Bruyne, David Silva were probably blissfully unaware of the club’s existence.Watch Manchester City Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Before the petrodollars of Sheikh Mansour flushed into the club, and with it global recognition and scouting networks that extend to the far reaches of the earth, there existed a champion, a goal-scoring fiend and legend by the name of Shaun Goater – or as his official Twitter account states: ‘Shaun Goater MBE (Feed The Goat)’.

Goater is apparently just one of 16 City players who have reached the 100-goal mark for the club, having scored 103 times during his five-year stint. Three of those came in a single season against bitter rivals Manchester United, and it doesn’t get much better than that.

Aguero, who is valued at £58.5m by Transfermarkt (an inconceivable number for veterans of the ‘good old days’), netted twice during Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup clash against Southampton to take his tally to 243 goals for the Blues.

In response to the Argentian’s goalscoring escapades, Goater tweeted: “The goal machine has just been switched on.”

Charlton fans have taken to Twitter to reveal that they don’t believe Lee Bowyer, after the 42-year-old ruled Lyle Taylor out of next weekend’s south London derby clash against Millwall at The Den.

The Montserrat international striker damaged his knee ligaments whilst on international duty after six games of the Championship campaign, ruling him out for around two months at the time.

Taylor, 29, recently came out of his knee brace, but Bowyer revealed that his five-goal forward suffered a minor setback in his recovery and will miss the south London derby against the Lions.

While this information has come from a pretty concrete source having literally been said the boss, some Charlton fans on Twitter still aren’t convinced that their side’s manager is telling the truth.

One fan said that Taylor will come on and score a hat-trick, whereas another just said that they “fully expect” the striker to start.

Let’s take a look at some more tweets…

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

According to TEAMtalk, Sheffield Wednesday are leading the chase to sign Crawley Town forward Beryly ‘Bez’ Lubala in January.

And it could be precisely what they need if they are to lessen the reliance on top goalscorer Steven Fletcher.

What’s the word?

The report suggests that a whole host of Championship and League One clubs are keen on signing the 21-year-old, including Garry Monk’s former club Middlesbrough, Wigan Athletic, and Peterborough United.

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It is believed that the Owls are the front-runners due to Monk’s previous experience with the young starlet, having been the man to hand Lubala his professional debut at Birmingham City.

Now the Congolese native plies his trade in League Two for Crawley Town after being unable to come to an agreement over a new contract up in the Midlands, and his form so far this campaign has clearly caught the eye.

Lubala has netted seven times in 19 appearances across all competitions, which even includes a finish against Premier League outfit Norwich City in the Carabao Cup, per Transfermarkt.

Void fulfilled?

Much has been made of Wednesday’s struggles in front of goal – Fletcher hasn’t netted in five straight games now, and as their top goalscorer, the onus has been on him.

Massimo Luongo had started to chip in before injury while the likes of Sam Winnall, Jordan Rhodes, and the returning Fernando Forestieri can barely get a look in for whatever reason.

Lubala displays an array of attributes that none of the above have, and it could also aid Monk’s 4-4-2 system as he would become an ideal partner to the 32-year-old in attack due to his contrasting style.

Bradley Rice at BirminghamLive once described the emerging talent as a “natural athlete” who has the ability to “inject pace and energy” while his current boss at Crawley (and ex-Blues coach), Gabriele Cioffi, said this upon signing him in the summer: “He is a terrific athlete, he can score goals. I think he will thrive with us.”

It remains to be seen how accurate these reports are, but it can be said that Monk knows exactly what he would be getting from the 21-year-old, and there’s no hiding from the fact that a forward is needed in January.

He would be an ideal acquisition.

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…

Mauricio Pochettino has made a grievous error.

The Tottenham Hotspur manager went to bat for Christian Eriksen on Tuesday, insisting that he remains fully committed to the club and that his performances are the same as they were five years ago, per The London Evening Standard.

Now, first of all, it has to be said that it was unlikely Pochettino was going to throw the Denmark international under the bus in public.

But, at the same time, the continued selection of Eriksen suggests that the former Southampton boss actually believes what he is saying, that he thinks this is the same attacking midfielder that was at the club previously.

Football FanCast has already broken down that assertion, with the player on a statistical downswing.

And one has to ask what has happened to the manager who was previously so ruthless.

Pochettino joined Spurs in 2014 and, in his first transfer window as manager, he oversaw the acquisition of six players – Ben Davies, Michel Vorm, Eric Dier, DeAndre Yedlin, Federico Fazio and Benjamin Stambouli. The likes of Heurelho Gomes, Jake Livermore, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Michael Dawson and Sandro were all moved on. Dele Alli was signed in January and loaned back to MK Dons.

In terms of departures, it was a similar story the following summer, as Paulinho, Lewis Holtby, Etienne Capoue, Younes Kaboul, Stambouli, Vlad Chiriches and Roberto Soldado were sold.

They didn’t fit the Pochettino mould, so out they went as players like Son Heung-Min and Toby Alderweireld arrived. Think too of Andros Townsend, Emmanuel Adebayor, Aaron Lennon, Ryan Mason, Nabil Bentaleb and Fazio. Once it became clear they either weren’t good enough or didn’t fit, they were told to leave.

Kyle Walker was a prominent example of a player who reportedly suggested he wanted to leave and was told to do just that, joining Manchester City.

Why, then, is Pochettino suddenly showing loyalty to a player who has both admitted his desire to leave and then subsequently underperformed?

Eriksen has scored two goals and registered one assist all season. Against Everton and Liverpool, he failed to complete a single dribble or make a single tackle, per WhoScored.

One feels that, if we were five years in the past, this Eriksen would have been moved on and sold to the first bidder that came knocking, with Pochettino given the chance to replace him.

Instead, he remains. Every weekend, there he is, on the teamsheet, struggling for form.

It is a misjudgement from Pochettino and his defence of the player is entirely out-of-keep with the rest of his reign. That ruthlessness which once defined the Spurs boss, especially in terms of parting with big names for players who better fitted his philosophy, appears to be disappearing.