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Shanghai Shenua are open to allowing Odion Ighalo to stay at Manchester United until next January and talks are ongoing over a loan extension, according to Sky Sports via @utdreport. 

Ed Woodward is currently in negotiations with Shanghai to extend Ighalo’s contract, which is set to expire on Sunday.

Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Sky Sports understands that border restrictions may prevent the forward from returning to China in time for the new season. Furthermore, if he is unable to return, they will have to find a suitable replacement.

This is quite a dramatic U-turn from his parent club’s original stance, after The Times reported they had offered him a new deal worth more than £75m spread over four years.

The Nigerian was initially brought in to cover for injured duo Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial but he has shone up until now, scoring four goals in eight games for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team.

Although the 30-year-old is yet to score in the Premier League this season, his workload will no doubt make him a valuable asset to keep on the bench, as he has averaged 2.7 shots, made two key passes and completed 1.7 dribbles per game on average in the Europa League (WhoScored).

Unsurprisingly, many United fans gushed over Ighalo’s “perfect” transfer update, with one fan tweeting “what a turnaround” in reference to Shanghai’s shock decision and another adding that an extension is a “no brainer” given his performances so far for the club.

Scroll through some of the glowing reactions to the update on the Nigerian:

United fans, do you think the board should sign Odion Ighalo and extend this stay at Old Trafford? Let us know in the comments section!

With the Scottish football season now having drawn to a close, it is time to look back on the campaign and decide who deserves to win the Football Writers’ Player of the Year award.

Whilst the term was not completed, the top tier still managed to get through 29 games – with some even playing 30 times – and that division contributes to three of the four players who have been nominated for the accolade. Celtic pair Odsonne Edouard and Callum McGregor are on the shortlist, whilst Glasgow Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos is also there after having scored 29 goals throughout the campaign in all competitions. Lawrence Shankland also makes the list despite playing in the Championship after scoring 26 goals for Dundee United.

Tom English, the Chief Sports Writer for BBC Scotland, believes that Edouard is deserving of the accolade and has said that 23-year-old Morelos wouldn’t be a worthy winner, claiming that he didn’t perform when it really mattered. This does not appear to have gone down too well with these ‘Gers supporters, who they have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts. You can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below:

‘Gers fans, were you angered by English’s criticism of Morelos? Let us know what you think by commenting below!

Tottenham are ‘certain’ to make a move for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the summer after the Southampton star was recently stripped of the captaincy by Ralph Hasenhuttl. 

Last month, Hojbjerg made it clear that he wants to play at “an even higher level than I already am” amid interest from Spurs and Everton. As a result, Hasenhuttl swiftly removed the captain’s armband from him and has promoted James Ward-Prowse ahead of the Premier League game against Norwich this evening.

Sky Sports revealed earlier this year that Jose Mourinho indicated that the Dane is at the top of his summer shortlist. The Saints will reportedly demand £35m for their former captain, according to The Times, while the Lilywhites had hoped he would be available for about £20m.

After impressing at St Mary’s Stadium, Hojbjerg has been on the coach’s radar for a number of months. The Danish international, who previously played for Bayern Munich, has made 28 appearances for Hasenhuttl’s side this season, providing one assist, winning 2.4 tackles per game, averaging 1.5 interceptions and successfully completing 1.7 clearances per game on average (via WhoScored).

According to Ekstra Bladet, as relayed by Sport Witness, Tottenham will launch a bid for the midfielder in the summer. However, the Danish tabloid confirmed that Southampton are still holding out for their original valuation. Hojbjerg is an international teammate of former White Hart Lane favourite Christian Eriksen.

Mourinho has been informed he will be restricted by a tight budget when the transfer market opens as Spurs reel from the financial repercussions of the coronavirus crisis.

Although their asking price should be more than affordable, as Daniel Levy previously signed Tanguy Ndombele for a club record fee of £53.8m, clubs are operating in uncertain times. Therefore, fans will have to wait and see what deals can be made before the start of next season.

Tottenham fans, should Levy sign Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the summer? Let us know in the comments below!

Tottenham Hotspur have been busy ahead of the 2020/21 Premier League season by tying down Eric Dier and Oliver Skipp to new deals. 

Just days after Skipp signed a new four-year deal, Dier swiftly followed suit, keeping him at the club until 2024.

After months of speculation, it seems that Japhet Tanganga is also close to signing a new deal. According to The Evening Standard, as per @Daily_Hotspur, the 21-year-old is expected to become the latest Tottenham player to commit his future to the club.

Recent reports had suggested that his future in north London was in doubt, but this no longer seems to be the case. The Athletic claimed that talks between the two sides had stalled, as his representatives were unimpressed by the board’s offer.

However, he is now close to reaching an agreement with Spurs, which will extend his stay until 2024 and significantly increase his current £1,000-a-week wages.

Tanganga, who is currently valued at £6m by Transfermarkt, has won 2.8 tackles and averaged 1.8 interceptions per game, and completed a staggering 4.8 clearances per match on average so far (stats provided by WhoScored).

Despite his young age, he has already played six games in the Premier League so far before succumbing to a back injury. While he has been absent since the restart, he has made a full recovery and has spent the past two games on the Spurs bench.

The centre-back has actually earned a higher WhoScored rating than his fellow Tottenham defenders Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen, among others.

Tanganga has been one of the few positives in a challenging campaign for Tottenham, who have failed to build on the momentum gained by Mauricio Pochettino as the Lilywhites staged a remarkable comeback to book their place in the Champions League final last year.

He has shown a maturity beyond his years and impressed Jose Mourinho after making his debut in the defeat to Premier League champions Liverpool back in January.

Mourinho rates him very highly and he should save Spurs several million pounds in the future.

Tottenham fans, has Tanganga made the right decision? Let us know your views in the comments section below!

Manchester United have shown encouraging signs that their Premier League title drought could well end in the next campaign due to the resurgence of their attacking flair. The Red Devils have been derided over the past seven years following their fall from grace since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson. David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, and Jose Mourinho all failed to return the club to the Premier League summit.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer put faith in his young players to push United back into contention for a Champions League, and they have delivered. The uncertainty of Manchester City’s future in Europe’s elite competition has opened up a pathway for the Red Devils to capitalise on their rivals’ misfortune.

It would be the perfect springboard for Solskjaer’s men to launch an assault on the Premier League crown. Liverpool and City are not going anywhere soon, but the recent performances of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, and Mason Greenwood, along with new signing Bruno Fernandes suggest that United could have a strikeforce to match the potency of the Reds and Pep Guardiola’s side.

Despite their lack of relative success, the club remains one of the most popular in the world, especially in the United States, according to research by Statista. With a return to relevance, United will no doubt be a popular bet in markets to win the title in the 2020/21 Premier League season due to their strong and loyal following across the globe.

It will be worth monitoring the best football betting websites to find optimum value. They’re unlikely to be ahead of Liverpool and City, but their performances could edge them ahead of another side whose rebuild looks very encouraging – Chelsea. Shopping around for the top value or offers could pay dividends for those supporters who wish to back Solskjaer’s men – and there are plenty of reasons for them to.

Firing Frontline

Outside of Rashford, United were struggling to fire under Solskjaer in the opening six months of the current campaign. There was no creative outlet to allow the Red Devils to flourish in the final third, especially after Paul Pogba was ruled out of action for a long period of the term, only returning in June. All eyes were on United to make a splash in the transfer market to spark the team into life.

Fernandes has performed above all expectations since arriving from Sporting CP. The 25-year-old has been the architect of United’s renaissance, bringing out the best in Rashford, Greenwood, and Martial. Even Pogba appears to be more relaxed in his approach – with the burden of carrying the fortunes of the team in the middle of the park been eased by the Portuguese.

Martial’s resurgence has been particularly noteworthy, blossoming into the number nine that Mourinho did not believe could flourish as United’s spearhead. Both the Frenchman and Rashford are approaching 20 goals apiece for the campaign in the league. That is the level that can allow United to compete with the forward lines of Liverpool and City. Add Greenwood into the mix – with the potential to be even better than his team-mates, and it could be a trifecta that sees the Premier League crown return to Old Trafford after an eight-year wait.

Depth Issues

United remain one injury away from a world of trouble. Their starting line-up is good enough to match up with their potential rivals, but their levels of depth in the squad are not. Their cause has not been aided by the impending departure of the promising Angel Gomes, while Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard’s days as contributors appear to be numbered. Should Fernandes suffer an injury, then the club are back to square one.

There’s no Phil Foden emerging through the ranks in the middle of the park to fill the creative void. A player like Jack Grealish would be a welcome addition to provide that additional layer of depth to ensure that Solskjaer and his team can compete on four fronts without having to adapt their system. That issue is also prevalent within the three-man strikeforce. The club will want to keep Rashford, Martial and Greenwood fit and firing throughout the term. Liverpool have successfully managed the fitness of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, and Mohamed Salah without losing one of their trio for a significant period of time.

United could have the same fortune, although the presence of a forward of the ilk of Odion Ighalo is useful. If the club can secure his services on a permanent basis, he could be a solid depth option. Wissam Ben Yedder is also another reported target and adding a veteran presence would be a wise idea, which could even lead to the prospect of Edinson Cavani. However, they will not want to disrupt the harmony and development of their forwards – therefore any move must come with the caveat of not denying Rashford, Greenwood, and Martial the starting roles.

Leeds United appear to be pressing ahead with their summer transfer plans with an intriguing report emerging from South America this week.

What’s the word?

According to AlAireLibre, Marcelo Bielsa has his eye on an array of players from his home nation, Argentina, and some of its neighbouring countries, including Man City veteran Claudio Bravo and Spurs defender Juan Foyth.

But interestingly, one name mentioned is Stuttgart forward Nicolas Gonzalez.

The Yorkshire giants are already tied down to a £19m obligation to sign Leipzig flop Jean-Kevin Augustin and of course, have Patrick Bamford and Tyler Roberts as options in the striker role.

Valued at just £8.1m by Transfermarkt, the 22-year-old has enjoyed a very productive season in the second-tier of German football.

The next Diego Maradona

Gonzalez provided 14 goals and three assists, helping fire Stuttgart into the Bundesliga and when delving into deeper numbers, we see the sort of player he is.

The Argentine has played in pretty much every position bar central defence and between the sticks. Per WhoScored, he averaged 2.7 shots, 2.1 dribbles, 1.5 key passes and 0.5 tackles per game.

This is very much the sort of pressing style that Bielsa loves in a striker.

Given he was born in a shantytown in the outskirts of Buenos Aires before going on to start his career at Argentinos Juniors, Gonzalez has drawn comparisons to the legendary Diego Maradona.

The young talisman has also been likened to World Cup winner Mario Kempes by Alfredo Berti due to him being a ‘natural goalscorer’ who can play wide, too.

Gonzalez’ current head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo waxed lyrical about him, claiming “he’s a winner” who “always gives 100 percent and gets stuck in.”

Whether Bielsa can land his man remains to be seen, but he’d certainly be a welcome addition as strength in depth will be vital in the Premier League.

AND in other news, Leeds need to steer clear of a potential £80k-per-week nightmare…

Liverpool aren’t going to be looking for an elite attacker this summer, but that doesn’t mean that their frontline won’t have a little bit of a shakeup.

The Reds’ front three has proven almost impenetrable with Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino all playing at least 34 league games this term.

However, having a capable backup is vital at any club, and while Liverpool have had that in Divock Origi, that could change next season.

What’s the story then?

Alan Nixon claimed on Saturday that Rhian Brewster won’t be going out on loan anytime soon.

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The journalist went on to say that the youngster could be close to making the team if Origi departs the club this summer, and with Aston Villa reportedly interested in the Belgian, this is a real possibility.

However, you can’t help but feel Jurgen Klopp would be making a mistake by replacing Origi with Brewster.

Not a patch on Origi

Now, we aren’t saying that Brewster isn’t a brilliant player, the 20-year-old has a lot of potential and his 11 goals in 22 Championship games shows exactly what he can bring to a team.

However, it’s hard to imagine that anyone will fit Origi’s role as well as he does, he’s content not being a starter, but whenever he is called upon he gets the job done, scoring a litany of late goals that have changed the course of vital matches over the past 18 months or so.

His brace against Barcelona sent the Reds to the Champions League final last year, while he also sealed the win against Spurs in that final, netting late on to make it 2-0 and wrap up the tie.

Meanwhile, his goals against Everton in Merseyside derbies over the past two years have given Liverpool valuable bragging rights in their own city.

Brewster has never played in such big games, whereas Origi is a proven performer when it matters most.

This would be a big mistake on Klopp’s part to let the 25-year-old go and hang his hopes on Brewster.

West Ham United and Celtic have been fighting for Shane Duffy’s signature for quite a while now. Both sides seem to be prioritising a boost to their defensive lines and the 28-year-old centre-back is the chosen one.

The reports have been going back and forth and it was always going to be a battle between money up front the Hammers were said to be offering and the player’s childhood love for the Hoops.

But now, according to the latest report from Daily Record, Celtic have decided to hit the pause button on the Duffy chase in order to finalise the transfer of David Turnbull from Motherwell.

This could indeed be an opening for David Moyes to strike and get the defender in while their rivals are shifting their attention to other targets. Of course, it has to be said that the coach himself has admitted the Hammers don’t have a lot of money due to the recent outbreak and it’s still questionable if there’s enough financial power in the club to scoop up the Brighton and Hove Albion defender.

Here’s what he said recently, as quoted by Daily Record: “We’ve got some bright young players and some players who are improving, so if we can add to it, great, but as I’ve reiterated a few times, the owners spent a lot of money over a year ago, and I’m sure we don’t have that amount of money available to spend again.”

Verdict

The money might be really tight at the moment but West Ham need defensive reinforcements and with Celtic preoccupied with Turnbull, now is the right time for them to strike a deal with the Premier League centre-back.

Of course, after selling Albian Ajeti to Celtic for around £5m and then offloading Jordan Hugill for another £5m to Norwich, maybe they can use some of those resources and invest them into the right areas.

Plenty of West Ham United fans will have found this transfer window highly frustrating, with Tomas Soucek joining permanently from Slavia Prague still their only completed move so far.

However, it is the sale of Grady Diangana to West Bromwich Albion which unleashed the wrath of Hammers, as signified by the fact they got #GSBOUT as the top trend on Twitter after it was announced.

As well as looking to strengthen the side, it is likely those within West Ham will also be hoping to ease some of the fury being aimed towards them when bringing in any new players.

Is life under Gold and Sullivan really that bad? Maybe this quiz will change your minds, West Ham fans…

90min have reported that the Hammers are leading the way in the pursuit of Brighton & Hove Albion winger Solly March, with Everton, Newcastle United and Wolverhampton Wanderers also looking to bring him in.

There may be competition for his signature, but that doesn’t change the fact that March would be a massively underwhelming signing for the Hammers, considering the talent they just sold.

The 26-year-old March made 11 league starts and eight substitute appearances for the Seagulls last term, managing just one assist in that time and failing to record a single goal.

Meanwhile, 22-year-old Diangana, who helped West Brom get promoted while on loan, made 23 league starts and seven substitute appearances, scoring eight goals and providing six assists.

West Ham fans will have been looking for ambition in this window, especially after the disappointment that last season turned out to be, as the Hammers stayed up by a mere five points, finishing 16th in the table.

Signing somebody who played fairly sporadically for the team that finished one place higher gets nowhere near completing the brief of showing intent to move the club forward.

If a move is completed, there is, of course, a chance that things could eventually turn out well for March on the pitch. However, in the short-term, this really doesn’t feel like the sort of move that will appease the fans’ simmering frustrations.

Things were looking pretty miserable at half time for Newcastle United, as they trailed Brighton & Hove Albion due to a Neal Maupay brace.

Steve Bruce made the decision to bring off Andy Carroll after a quiet half from the big man, replacing him with the more mobile Miguel Almiron.

While the Newcastle number 7 didn’t have his best game, it would be harsh to hold that against him, as he received pretty much no support throughout the half, despite pairing with Callum Wilson upfront.

Can you name every one of the Magpies’ top goalscorers from the past 15 seasons? It’s a tricky one…

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His statistics show that he was still putting the effort in, as can most obviously be seen in the fact he competed in a total of seven aerial duels, winning five of them – despite coming off at half time, nobody won more aerial duels than Carroll. He was also successful in the one tackle that he attempted, and even made two clearances.

Carroll actually won 73% of his duels in total.

However, there weren’t enough players getting around him to get the knockdowns or to give him options whenever he was able to get the ball under control.

This can, perhaps, be seen in the fact that Carroll managed to find a teammate with just three of the 11 passes that he attempted – both the low number of passes attempted and poor accuracy offer an indication of this.

Carroll showed how much of an asset he can be during the 2-0 win over West Ham. A massive reason for that is because his teammates played to his strengths, using his aerial threat to get up the pitch and create chances.

The 31-year-old is not the type of player that will single-handedly take the game to opponents; he needs service and support, which he simply didn’t get during this match.