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Everton must surely rue their decision to reject the chance to sign Erling Braut Haaland during his youth given the progression of the Borussia Dortmund star in the years since.

What’s the word?

While speaking with the Liverpool Echo, the Toffees’ former Head of European Recruitment, Ian Atkins, has revealed that the Goodison Park outfit snubbed the chance to sign Haaland as a teen.

The club’s then-Scandinavia-based talent spotter Brian King had spotted the emerging skills of the striker whilst he built a name for himself at Bryne FK, while contacts across Norway were already buzzing with talk of the country’s up-and-coming sensation.

Haaland would travel to Merseyside for a trial and a chance to prove himself at a Premier League club with a record for promoting their academy talents, but the views of those in control did not share King’s excitement.

“King was really excited about this kid,” Atkins said. “He’d watched Haaland a lot and rated him really highly. He gets on to the club and manages to get him in for four days with the academy, so that the coaches can have a look at him and see what they think.

“This is when Haaland is at Bryne, before the Molde move, so he’s raw but he’s got all these great attributes you don’t often see in someone so young.

“He comes in for four days and the academy decided he wasn’t good enough, something that Brian King didn’t agree with. He thought there was a real talent in there, but they didn’t agree. He was one that got away for Everton, but you get that in football. I think Haaland would have suited the English game.”

It is noted that it was not long after his failed trial spell that Haaland agreed to join a then-Ole Gunnar Solskjaer managed Molde FK, where his efforts would lead to a move to RB Salzburg and later Borussia Dortmund.

One that got away

Like Atkins told the Liverpool Echo, Haaland is certainly one that got away from Everton with the 20-year-old now one of Europe’s hottest properties and thought to be a target for Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Real Madrid.

Any side wishing to land the striker faces having to pay a king’s ransom, with his €75m (£65m) Dortmund buy-out clause not active until 2022 and claims that his agent, Mino Raiola, will push for a £78m, five-year contract with a basic wage of £300,000-per-week.

Raiola and BVB can both stake their claim to mammoth fees for Haaland to move this summer as few strikes in Europe offer as much as the Norwegian, or on such a regular basis.

Only Robert Lewandowski (26) and Andre Silva (18) have netted more goals than Haaland (17) in the Bundesliga this term, though no one has scored more often in the Champions League than the Leeds-born attacker – with a TransferMarkt valuation of £99m – who has struck home eight times in five games so far.

Haaland is far from the finished product, either, with Jesse Marsch – his former coach at RB Salzburg – only able to wax lyrical over the seven-cap striker.

“I always say about Erling, if you just talk about his talent, his physical abilities as a footballer, he is right away in the top one per cent of professionals, of the best players in the world, Marsch told Sky Sports. “But when you add his mentality, his joy, his commitment to improve, his work ethic, his fearlessness, right away, it is clear that there is no ceiling for this young man.”

But Everton will likely have to watch on as Haaland continues to take Europe by storm, knowing that they passed up on his potential after a four-day trial against the better judgment of the man who discovered his talent.

AND in other news, Everton eye free transfer of £113k-p/w maestro who “always gives everything”…

Leeds United will look to right the wrongs from their latest outing in the Premier League. They were handed a 4-2 defeat by Arsenal last weekend – despite their second half spurt of energy, Marcelo Bielsa’s men couldn’t dig deep enough to counteract the home side’s emphatic performance.

Focus shifts to tonight’s match against Wolves as the Whites ready up to travel to Molineux for their next challenge. Bielsa has provided some positive updates regarding two of his senior personnel, confirming in his latest press conference that both Diego Llorente and Mateusz Klich are match fit.

With only three points in mind, Football FanCast has predicted how Leeds will set-up to take on the Wanderers this evening…

With the huge boost that Llorente has finally returned from injury, he could start tonight alongside Liam Cooper. Due to an injury-stricken squad, Bielsa has been forced to deploy Luke Ayling in a more central position to cater for the lack of centre-backs. But the £18m-rated summer recruit could once again kickstart his debut Leeds season with a solid performance in defence tonight.

Amid mounting exit links, Ezgjan Alioski continues to disappoint in white. He was replaced by 20-year-old Niall Huggins after 53 minutes against Arsenal. The youngster put in a very promising performance, completing 88% accurate passes to Alioski’s 70% and losing possession just three times compared to his senior’s 13, according to Sofascore.

His cameo against the Gunners was Huggins’ debut appearance for Leeds and now he has had a taste, he will be hungry for more. Bielsa could take a punt by starting him in defence tonight and seeing how he fares with a full 90 minutes under his belt.

In the engine room, things will likely remain unchanged. Pascal Struijk has been solid operating in the No.6 role in absence of Kalvin Phillips and the boss won’t want to upset this rhythm. Leeds need as much firepower to protect their goal as they can get – Wolves’ attack is firing from all cylinders despite the absence of Raul Jimenez and Bielsa will not want to come away without a positive result tonight.

Jack Harrison and Raphinha will as always support Patrick Bamford in attack, hoping to really give the home side’s backline something to cry about.

In other news, Leeds injury update on Diego Llorente is huge boost ahead of Wolves…

Tottenham Hotspur have enjoyed fine partnerships over the years, the latest being Harry Kane and Heung-min Son’s telepathic double-act that has seen them consistently deliver goals.

Indeed, they are on the verge of breaking Premier League records this campaign.

Belgian twosome Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen were the defensive wall for Mauricio Pochettino for many seasons, whilst there has to be an honourable mention for Victor Wanyama and Mousa Dembele.

And who could forget the ‘David and Goliath’ pairing of Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe?

Now the door has opened for Daniel Levy to seal the next deadly duo in north London.

According to L’Equipe, Spurs have made contact with veteran winger Angel Di Maria over a potential free transfer in the summer as he remains out of contract in the French capital at the end of the current season.

Whilst Paris Saint-Germain, managed by former favourite Mauricio Pochettino, is hopeful of keeping hold of the 32-year-old, Jose Mourinho is keen to bring his old Real Madrid man to N17.

And Levy ought to do what he can to convince the £220k-per-week Argentina international to join.

He’s formed an exciting partnership with Spurs midfielder Giovani Lo Celso for both club and country over the years. By bringing Di Maria to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Levy could create the second coming of Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-and-rumours” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer rumours, injury latest and more!”]

When Keith Burkinshaw secured the two World Cup winners in 1978, it transformed the fortunes of Spurs and sent a stark warning across Europe.

The north London outfit had only just been promoted to the First Division, so the £750k swoop for the Argentinian pair was quite the outstanding coup.

They both struggled to hit the ground running, but soon their influence helped Spurs to two FA Cup final wins.

Levy’s team haven’t secured a piece of silverware since 2008, and the wait goes on, so bringing someone in of Di Maria’s calibre would certainly bolster their prospects of breaking that duck.

He has won La Liga and Ligue 1, and the Champions League too, whilst he was part of the Argentina squad to finish runner-up at the 2014 World Cup.

Di Maria can be Villa, whilst Spurs already have Ardiles 2.0 in Lo Celso.

When playing together, the duo have an impressive 76.5% win-rate and combined, they have delivered a total of 21 goals and 23 assists, per Transfermarkt.

Dubbed “exceptional” by new Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel and “extraordinary” by PSG enforcer Marco Verratti, Di Maria would be an incredible free transfer signing irrespective of his poor stint at Premier League rivals Manchester United.

The £25.2m-rated winger could help Lo Celso thrive with the £55m arrival only delivering seven goals and four assists in the 18 months he’s been at the club.

Perhaps the influence of his international and former PSG teammate can be the spark he needs, and in turn, it may well give Spurs another famous duo – one that is certainly shades of Ardiles and Villa mark two.

AND in other news, Mourinho could give Spurs new threat with £36m “exceptional talent” who idolises Ozil…

Celtic could clinch a stunning bargain by landing Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Adam Reach.

What’s the story?

With Neil Lennon’s side virtually out of the race for the Scottish Premiership title, attentions naturally will turn towards how the Hoops could strengthen ahead of next season.

And according to The Lancashire Telegraph, one player who the Bhoys could make a move for is Reach.

The report claims that with his contract expiring come the end of the season, both Celtic and rivals Rangers could make a move for the 27-year-old. It’s added Lennon’s side “may once again take advantage of expiring contracts and cross-border transfer rules to bag bargain signings without having to pay a huge compensation fee.”

Bargain for Lawwell

With Reach’s contract running down, Peter Lawwell could clinch an absolute bargain for Celtic by snapping up the 27-year-old.

The versatile midfielder has virtually played in every single position this season for the Owls, barring centre-back and right-back. The 6 foot 1 ace may not be the kind of game-changing signing that Celtic fans might be hoping for, but Reach could bring the steady reliable hand that they’ve been missing.

Described as a “class player” by his teammate, Josh Windass, there’s no questioning Reach’s ability. His former boss at Hillsborough, Garry Monk, said: “On his day, Reach can be one of the most influential players in the Championship. He showed that on occasions last season. He can turn a game on its head in the blink of an eye. He has that quality.”

The key to this signing is the low cost of it, with Lawwell not even having to pay an actual transfer fee to get Reach on board. It’s deal that’s incredibly low risk but with the potential for a decent reward, and something Celtic would be foolish to pass up.

A rebuild isn’t often centred around the arrival of a marquee signing or a superstar player. Instead, that someone who can come in, hit the ground running and breathe new life is what’s needed, and Reach’s ability on the ball and his shed-load of Championship experience fits that bill to a tee. Nick Hammond could pull off a real transfer heist by getting this deal over the line.

With the new year fast approaching, Manchester United were brought crashing back down to earth as they drew with Leicester City at the King Power Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

Marcus Rashford opened the scoring following a sublime pass from Bruno Fernandes, before Brendan Rodgers’ side hit back shortly before the break after a sensational strike from Harvey Barnes, until Fernandes followed up his early assist with a fine finish to set the Red Devils on course for what seemed like certain victory.

But Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side shared the spoils with the Foxes after they were left frustrated by a late goal from Leicester striker Jamie Vardy.

But while Fernandes may receive most of the plaudits after he accumulated his 44th goal contribution in 44 games across all competitions for the club, Solskjaer will have surely been delighted with Fred’s performance in the middle of the park.

He was at the centre of nearly everything in the midfield, breaking up attacks on a whim and

As per SofaScore, the 27-year-old, who earns around £120,000-per-week at Old Trafford, won nine out of his 14 duels overall (64%), which was the most out of any other player on the pitch, and made five tackles and four interceptions.

Fred also took 89 touches of the ball, made one key pass and created one big chance, which shows that he contributed going forwards as well.

The Brazilian has recently been accused of being “lazy” by club legend and Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane but it’s fair to say that he looked like anything but lazy with his latest showing against Leicester.

If Solskjaer wanted Fred to defy his critics, then there’s no doubt he precisely did just that. 52 out of 68 passes (76%) is certainly nothing to sniff at.

We’re only halfway through the season, but if Fred can maintain his current run of form, then he could help to propel United towards their first piece of silverware since they won the Europa League under Jose Mourinho in 2017.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Former Hull City striker Dean Windass says Jadon Sancho shouldn’t join Manchester United…

A lot of Liverpool fans have been reacting with excitement to a tweet posted by Reds news Twitter account @AnfieldWatch, which relayed a claim from French publication Le Parisien about Liverpool’s hopes of signing Paris Saint-Germain attacker Kylian Mbappe. 

According to Le Parisien, via Sport Witness, Mbappe is asking for sport-related guarantees from the Ligue 1 club to get him to sign a new contract at Le Parc des Princes, with his current deal set to expire at the end of the 2021/22 campaign. 

Meanwhile, it’s claimed that even though Liverpool would not be able to offer Mbappe as much money as PSG, they are hopeful that they can present ‘a better sporting project’ to the 21-year-old, who is currently the world’s most valuable player, per Transfermarkt, in order to persuade him to commit his future to the Merseyside club. 

The report also claims the Reds’ interest in the young superstar is ‘real’.

So, how did these Liverpool fans react to this claim on their hopes of signing Mbappe?

Many Reds fans reacted to @AnfieldWatch’s tweet sharing this claim with pure excitement, indicating that they think there is a genuine chance their club could convince Mbappe to move to Anfield, a signing that would of course set the Premier League alight and turn all eyes to Merseyside. 

In other news, some Liverpool fans have been fuming at ex-Reds centre-back Dejan Lovren over his recent comments on his Anfield departure.

Pablo Fornals has dealt West Ham United a titanic blow ahead of facing Sheffield United on Sunday after stating why he favours playing with Michail Antonio over Sebastien Haller.

What’s he said?

While speaking with the Irons’ official club website, Fornals has noted how Antonio has the ability to make attacks easy as all the Spanish midfielder has to do is pick him out, knowing the centre-forward can do the rest.

Antonio has often been praised by manager David Moyes for his relentless workrate as the spearhead of West Ham’s frontline, in a role the Hammers chief does not feel Haller has the ability to match when played in a one-striker formation.

Moyes has persisted with a single central attacker since returning to the London Stadium to succeed Manuel Pellegrini, with the 57-year-old only naming two centre-forwards in five fixtures across all competitions during his current 31-match run at the helm.

The Scottish coach is unlikely to favour a change in tack when West Ham visit Sheffield United on Sunday, with Moyes already backed to name Haller as his starting striker with Antonio only among the substitutes following his hamstring injury.

Doing so could see Fornals struggle in his search for a third assist of the top-flight season, having noted the reasons why he favours lining up behind Antonio rather than Haller.

“We are close friends, not just outside the pitch but on it too, where all of you can see how both of us enjoy playing together,” Fornals said while smiling.

“I always say that in whatever team I play for, I want to play with a player like Mikey because, for me, he makes it so easy to play with him. I just have to find his body [with the ball], because if I find his body, I know we will have the ball for a second chance.”

The last time Moyes named two strikers in a starting line-up for a Premier League fixture came in March’s 1-0 loss at Arsenal to extend a winless run with multiple centre-forwards, along with a 2-0 defeat at Manchester City and a 4-1 drubbing by Leicester, plus a 1-0 loss to West Brom after a 2-0 win over Gillingham in the FA Cup.

Titanic blow for Moyes

With Moyes already backed to favour handing Haller, who has largely flopped so far with 12 goals in 44 matches following a £45m move in 2019, his third start of the Premier League season, Fornals’ comments may come as a titanic blow to both him and West Ham’s hope of beating Sheffield United this weekend.

In the two full top-flight fixtures the Irons have contended since losing Antonio, Fornals has failed to register any key balls, deliver an accurate cross, connect a long pass, has lost possession 24 times, made just two successful dribbles, directed two shots on target and won three of his 10 ground duels, per SofaScore.

Moyes even saw enough from Fornals that he hauled the £67,308-per-week midfielder off after 72-minutes against Fulham while West Ham continued to search for a breakthrough goal.

It was a performance that will have left a shoddy impression on the Hammers boss, who has previously urged Fornals to deliver consistent performances as he can typify the energy the Scot wants from his players.

“He is a really likeable boy, and he works incredibly hard for the team,” Moyes said, via quotes by the West Ham website. “We are always demanding more from him because we want him to contribute with assists and goals and he has been doing that.

“He’s been more involved, and I have to say, his energy and enthusiasm in training is incredible and we really like him. What we have got here is the slight makings of a young group of players who are all doing well and giving us a much bigger energy than in the past.”

AND in other news, a West Ham gem with his “best years ahead of him” has been tipped for David Moyes’ axe this January.

Manchester United will at some point need to find a replacement for Edinson Cavani, never mind a right winger, and with the club failing to sign Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund in the summer, executive-vice chairman Ed Woodward can make amends in the not too distant future.

What’s the word?

According to Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo, as relayed by TEAMtalk, Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Braut Haaland is still of interest to United and the Bundesliga challengers are open to offloading him for around £91m.

Premier League rivals Liverpool also reportedly remain interested in the son of former Norwegian international Alf-Inge Haaland.

However, as is often the case, there is a catch, as his release clause will come into effect in the summer of 2022.

Get it done, Woodward

Reports earlier this year revealed the Red Devils failed with a bid in January whilst Solskjaer was desperate to bolster his firepower.

The 20-year-old has been in prolific form for the German giants, providing 17 goals and 3 assists in all competitions so far this season, via Transfermarkt.

Anthony Martial has struggled for consistency so far this season, with just one goal in his past five games, which has coincided with United’s inconsistent run of form, having been beaten by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

Valued at €200m (£180m) via the CIES Football Observatory, Woodward would be wise to sanction a move for Haaland as not only would he be the perfect replacement for Cavani, who’s contract will run out in 2021 with the option for a further year, he would also be able to challenge Martial for a place in the starting line-up, although two years is still a heck of a long time to wait.

Whilst United’s problem with the right wing are well documented, they shouldn’t neglect the top of the pitch, either. In fact, we’d even go so far as to say they should forget about Sancho and sign Haaland instead, if and when the chance arises, as Amad Diallo could turn out to be an absolute steal.

Solskjaer has recently heaped praise on his countryman after he admitted he will topple his Champions League record, saying: “He’ll beat it and very quickly, that’s for sure.

The boy has had a great start to his career. It was really good to work with him, to see the potential in him and some part of me feels proud of having a little bit of input into such a rise.

”I’m sure Erling will score loads of goals in the Champions League.”

If his comments aren’t enough to convince the club to return for the monster goal machine, we don’t know what will be.

AND in other news, Forget Fred: Manchester United magnifico Bruno Fernandes seriously let Solskjaer down vs PSG…

According to a report by The Athletic journalist David Ornstein, via Sports Illustrated, Man City are huge admirers of Aston Villa star Jack Grealish – with the news prompting many Sky Blues to go wild and urge Txiki Begiristain to ‘get this deal done’.Â

Grealish, who has been a pivotal figure for the Villans over these last two seasons, is currently turning the heads of some big Premier League clubs – which includes City as per this latest update.

The £135,000-per-week England international had attracted interest from the Citizens’ cross-town rivals Man United over the summer, but the playmaker who has drawn comparisons to club legend David Silva is also said to be on City’s watchlist.

As a result, plenty of Sky Blues are keen to see him make a move to the Etihad Stadium – find all of their best verdicts from Twitter down below.

Man City fans want Grealish

In other news: City have also been tipped to sign this 6 foot 2 ‘beast’ – find out more here.Â

Crystal Palace may have struggled to a dull 1-1 draw with Premier League rivals Brighton in the A23 derby, but one player stood out from the rest.

What’s the word?

Roy Hodgson heaped praise upon Gary Cahill following an impressive display after his return from injury at Selhurst Park on Sunday afternoon.

He told Palace TV: “First of all he’s a very, very good defender.

“His position is very good, he’s exceptionally good in the air, he’s a strong challenger for the ball and a very good blocker of the ball. These are the defensive qualities we don’t talk about every day… They’re the qualities that get you the clean sheets.

Hodgson has options at the back once again as Cahill, James Tomkins and Patrick van Aanholt have worked their way back from fitness. But the former Chelsea man showed his value as the Eagles secured a point against the Seagulls.

Bargain buy?

It’s safe to say that Cahill has turned out to be one of the club’s best buys in recent memory. The 34-year-old, who previously played for Bolton, Burnley and Everton, made 290 appearances for the Blues, scored 25 goals and supplied 7 assists, whilst he won the Premier League twice, the Champions League, two Europa League trophies and the FA Cup during his time at Stamford Bridge, via Transfermarkt.

Since then, the former 61-cap England international has played 28 games for Palace, and made 25 appearances in the English top flight last term, whilst he averaged 1 block and 4.4 clearances per game, via WhoScored.

The centre-back, who currently earns wages worth £65,000-per-week, was on the receiving end of a reckless tackle from Brighton defender Lewis Dunk, who was sent off in extra time.

SofaScore gave him a high grade of 7.1 for his efforts – if you look at his heatmap, you can see that he was most active inside the box, which explains why he made four clearances, two blocked shots, two tackles, whilst he only lost possession six times, won 100% of his ground duels, and four out of eight of his aerial duels, which shows that he was a threat in the air as well.

SkySports gave Cahill a 7/10 rating, which is fairly accurate, whilst football.london gave him the same score, claiming he “looked comfortable in the opening stages on his return, marshalling the defence well” but “could have picked up an injury late on due to Dunk’s ferocious tackle.”

Palace had a promising start to the season, before back-to-back defeats culminated in a 4-0 defeat to his former side Chelsea at Stamford Bridge before the international break. Whilst Hodgson’s side once again failed to keep a clean sheet, Cahill seems to have shaken off any concerns, which could bode well for the future.

Once lauded as an “exceptional” professional footballer by Steve Parish, the Palace chairman must secure his future at Selhurst Park, as his current contract is set to expire in 2021. If his performance is anything to by, the £2.25m-rated veteran must start against Fulham at all costs.

AND in other news, Roy Hodgson must unleash Crystal Palace ace Eberechi Eze against Fulham…