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According to the Daily Mail, Fulham are considering resuming their summer pursuit of Celtic centre-back Dedryck Boyata in the upcoming January transfer window.

What’s the story?

The 15-cap Belgium international’s current contract with the reigning Scottish champions is set to expire at the end of the season, which means the Bhoys may be willing to cash in on Boyata for a cut price fee in the winter window.

Such a state of affairs means that the 27-year-old could be available at a bargain to someone. The Cottagers, however, ought to resist the temptation to swoop for the Celtic man.

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The newly-promoted west London club spent over £100 million in the summer as they prepared for life in the Premier League by welcoming a vast number of new arrivals to Craven Cottage. This was a mistake that Fulham must now learn from.

Keeping faith in the current crop

A lot of these additions came into the defensive contingent, with Alfie Mawson, Calum Chambers, Maxime Le Marchand, Joe Bryan and Tim Fose-Mensah all signed to bolster Fulham’s ranks at the back.

The club subsequently got off to a disastrous start to the campaign. Manager Slavisa Jokanovic was sacked with twelve games played, with his side at the foot of the table and with the worst defensive record in the division.

These defensive woes are largely owed to the sheer volume of new arrivals who had no time to settle or gel into a cohesive unit. 

On an individual basis, Fulham have good players at their disposal. Jokanovic’s successor, Claudio Ranieri, must now refrain from seeking bought-in solutions, and rather give his current defensive contingent an opportunity to come good. Adding Boyata in January could easily hinder this process and further jeopardise the club’s top flight status.

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Everton fans have taken to Twitter to react after Jordan Pickford cost their side a result in the last seconds of the Merseyside derby.

The England number one inexplicably attempted to catch a looping, sliced effort from Virgin van Dijk with just seconds left at Anfield, when he really should’ve tipped the ball out for a corner or just left it alone completely.

Instead, Pickford nudged the ball back into play, where Divock Origi was lurking to head home his third goal against Everton in just three Merseyside derby appearances.

Marco Silva’s side impressed throughout and could’ve taken the three points themselves were it not for Alisson’s heroics in goal, but ultimately, the former Sunderland keeper’s mistake meant they had nothing to show for their efforts.

The Toffees’ keeper was erratic throughout the game, skewing his passes out from the back on some occasions and not looking overly convincing in between the posts.

Naturally, Everton fans have reacted to their player’s error…

Playmaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals he often received racist abuse after North London Derbies – Check out the video below…

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Newcastle are reportedly keen to tie down youth prospect Elias Sorensen for the foreseeable future – the Danish striker has scored 15 goals already this campaign – but have thus far been unable to agree on terms, The Sun understands.

The Sun reports that the club and managing director Lee Charnley have offered the 19-year-old, whose current contract expires in the summer, £1,500-a-week to sign a new three-year deal, but that he is demanding around £2,500-a-week, instead.

Despite having made the switch to St James’ Park from HB Koge three years ago, the young forward has only just begun to establish himself in the Toon youth set-up this season and was in the running for the Premier League 2’s player of the month award after a sensational string of performances saw him bag trebles against Aston Villa and Fulham.

Magpies fans are certainly hoping that the club can meet the star’s terms as he is one of their brightest prospects. Here’s how they reacted on Twitter.

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Chelsea continued their good form this weekend with a solid 2-1 win at Brighton and Hove Albion and they continue to be in the hunt for the Premier League title.

The Blues and manager Mauro Sarri are putting in some fine performances and the form of Eden Hazard is something of a massive plus for the club as they continue to pick up excellent results and look stick ons for a Champions League spot come the end of the campaign.

There are though, some ageing players in the Chelsea squad, and Sarri will no doubt have a keen eye on some potential recruitment options for the next couple of transfer windows, and we at the Tavern think the Blues do indeed need to bring in a few new faces.

One man we think would be a solid addition for the Blues is former Man United defender Daley Blind, who has been in exceptional form for Ajax since making the move back to his homeland from Old Trafford.

Valued at some £18m by Transfermarkt, the Dutchman has all the talent to be top player in world football, and despite not being at his best during his time at United, he clearly has more to offer going forward.

Blind is still in his mid 20’s, and if he can keep performing for Ajax, then there is no reason they cannot be given another chance in the English game and be a success.

Chelsea fans, what do you think? Would Blind be a good signing? Let us know!

It is no secret that Jurgen Klopp has made a handful of truly world-class signings for Liverpool since arriving on Merseyside, signings that have made the Reds serious title challengers once again as they look to overcome Pep Guardiola’s record-breaking Manchester City side.

The German boss has attracted the likes of £75m Virgil van Dijk, £36m Mohamed Salah and £66m Alisson Becker to Anfield, all of whom are the spine of one of the best Liverpool sides in recent memory.

It is a particularly tough ask to decipher just who is the best of the lot out of the aforementioned trio, as well as names such as Andrew Robertson, Fabinho and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

So, as a result, we asked Liverpool fans who they think their best signing under the former Borussia Dortmund boss has been.

Understandably, the results were close, but the majority of those who voted think that van Dijk has been the best signing as shown by the results below…

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Christian Eriksen has been involved in 14 goals during his 23 appearances for Tottenham Hotspur during the 2018-19 campaign.

Indeed, the Denmark international has managed five goals and nine assists, and his form in recent matches has been absolutely terrific.

Eriksen has netted in each of his last three Premier League appearances for a Tottenham team who have moved into second position in the table.

Eriksen will see his current deal with Spurs expire at the end of next season, however, and there are concerns when it comes to the attacker’s future.

Real Madrid and Barcelona have previously been linked with the 26-year-old, who would not be short of takers if he left Tottenham.

To be honest, Eriksen is good enough to represent any team in world football.

The Tottenham fans have once again been on social media expressing their feelings on the attacker’s contract situation, and a selection of their reaction can be seen below:

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According to the Express and Star, West Brom are closing in on a January loan deal for young Everton defender Mason Holgate, and Baggies fans on Twitter are clearly excited.

West Brom are sitting third in the Championship table and head into the new year just two points behind Norwich in the second of the automatic promotion spots. A strong second half to the season will be needed then, and boss Darren Moore would be wise to wrap this deal up quickly.

Scoring goals has not been a problem so far this season for the Baggies, evident by their current total of 53 in the league – higher than any other team. However, they have also conceded a worrying 32 at the other end and bringing in defenders is clearly the priority in January.

Despite Holgate being just 22 years of age, the former England U21 international has racked up 48 appearances for the Toffees since joining from Barnsley in 2015.

His versatility will also be an asset for Moore as he can play at right-back as well as at centre-back. The Baggies fans are clearly looking forward to this signing. Check out some of the best reaction below…

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Fulham boss Claudio Ranieri has revealed that Timothy Fosu-Mensah is free to return to Manchester United during the January transfer window.

And Leeds United should make an attempt to land the versatile defender on loan for the remainder of the 2018-19 campaign.

What’s the word, then?

Fosu-Mensah joined Fulham on loan from United during the summer, but has struggled to establish himself with the Cottagers.

Ranieri told reporters that Fosu-Mensah could return to United this month with the view to potentially joining another club on loan for the rest of the season.

Fosu-Mensah has actually played 21 times for United’s first team, whilst he made 21 Premier League appearances during a loan spell at Crystal Palace last season.

It is a touch strange that he has not been involved for Fulham in recent weeks when considering the London club’s problems in a defensive area.

Fulham’s loss will be another’s gain, however, and Leeds should attempt to bring the three-time Netherlands international to Elland Road this month.

Why should Leeds move for Fosu-Mensah?

Leeds have had their problems in a defensive area this season and the chance to loan players with Fosu-Mensah’s credentials do not come around every day of the week.

Capable of playing at right-back, in central defence and indeed in a holding midfield position, Fosu-Mensah joined United from Ajax in 2014.

It would be fair to say that the Dutchman is not currently ready for regular action at United, but he did prove his worth at Palace in the Premier League last season.

And there is absolutely no question that Fosu-Mensah, who has 41 Premier League appearances to his name, has the credentials to be a real asset to a Championship club in the second half of the 2018-19 campaign.

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Leeds currently lead the Championship ahead of their huge home game against Derby County on Friday night.

However, the Whites have lost their last two league fixtures – conceding six times in the process – and a move for Fosu-Mensah at this stage makes perfect sense.

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Newcastle fans have taken to Twitter to express their anger after Rio Ferdinand put his foot in his mouth regarding the current situation at the club involving Mike Ashley and transfers.

The Magpies’ owner has rarely backed boss Rafa Benitez throughout the Spaniard’s time on Tyneside, with his only significant spending spree coming after relegation, when the club managed to offload Georginio Wijnaldum, Moussa Sissoko and Andros Townsend for big fees.

Speaking on BT Sport on Saturday, Ferdinand stated that he thinks the Newcastle fans should thank Ashley for getting Benitez in as manager, and for splashing ‘his own money’ to get the club back into the Premier League, despite receiving a huge windfall through parachute payments and the aforementioned player sales.

It was a comment which has sparked fury on Tyneside, as we all know that Newcastle fans despise Ashley anyway, let alone after being told that they should be thanking him.

Ferdinand even described them as a yo-yo club, which simply isn’t true. Perhaps it has something to do with Ferdinand’s association with Sports Direct, owned by Ashley…

According to a recent report from Aydin Post (via The Leicester Mercury), Southampton are interested in a January move for Islam Slimani. The 30-year-old currently plays his football at Turkish giants Fenerbahce on loan from Premier League outfit Leicester City, yet struggles in the Super Lig has raised the possibility of his temporary stint in Turkey being cut short this month.

And a recent report from Aydin Post (via The Leicester Mercury) suggests that Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Saints are one side seeking to benefit from Slimani’s woes by moving for him this month, and were the £9 million-rated ace (as per Transfermarkt) to indeed make the move to St Mary’s, it could spell seriously bad news for current Southampton forward Sam Gallagher.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, while Algeria international Slimani has struggled for form for Fenerbahce this term with just one goal in 14 league games for the Turkish heavyweights, his overall goal-scoring record in his career is mightily impressive, and the sort that could seriously aid Southampton in their battle against relegation.

The 30-year-old netted 57 times in just 111 games for Sporting Lisbon between 2013 and 2016 to underline his clinical edge in front of goal, with those goal-scoring exploits thus earning him a move to Leicester that summer, for whom he has since netted 13 times in 46 matches.

And while many have viewed his time at the King Power Stadium as on the whole disappointing, that is not a bad return from the striker – yes, his recent spells at both Newcastle United and now Fenerbahce leave a lot to be desired, but there is clearly a hugely accomplished striker in Slimani.

And were he to make the move to St Mary’s this month, and thus provide Hasenhuttl with another option in the final third of the pitch, it could spell seriously bad news for Gallagher and his hopes of playing regularly in the second half of the season.

The 23-year-old made the move to Southampton as a youth player back in 2012 before making his senior debut for the Saints little over a year later, which has since paved the way for 22 further appearances for the club, in which time he has netted on two occasions.

Loan spells at MK Dons, Blackburn Rovers, and Birmingham City have littered his time at St Mary’s to suggest that he was still some way away from the first team, but the fact he hasn’t been sent out on loan this term by either Mark Hughes or Hasenhuttl suggests that he is very much in first team plans this time round.

And with minutes against Derby County in the FA Cup and Leicester in the Premier League this month, the striker may well have a part to play between now and the end of the season, although the arrival of Slimani is sure to push him down the Saints pecking order.

And given Gallagher appears to already be behind the likes of Danny Ings and Shane Long, and maybe even Charlie Austin and Michael Obafemi as well, his first team chances would likely take a severe hit were the Algerian ace to join the Saints this month.

Just when it looked like the 23-year-old was beginning to edge closer to first team action, a move for Slimani would surely push him back to square one – thus, a move for the 30-year-old may well be well received by Saints fans, but it could spell seriously bad news for striker Gallagher.

Southampton fans… what do you think? Let us know!