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Leicester City will look to face off against AEK Athens in their final group stage match of their Europa League run. They are currently leading Group G on ten points, ahead of SC Braga on goal difference. Whilst they have already secured their progression into the next round, Brendan Rodgers will still want to put in a convincing performance against bottom of the table Athens.

But with safety already banked, he can afford to change up his starting XI and give some lesser seen players a chance. With that being said, Football FanCast has predicted how the Foxes will set up this evening…

With Caglar Soyuncu still not 100% ready to return to the action, Rodgers might opt to start club captain Wes Morgan, who has fallen down the pecking order in the Premier League this season, in defence. Starting him alongside 19-year-old Wesley Fofana will provide a strong balance between seniority and fresh legs, which could be a winning combination against Athens.

Rising talent Luke Thomas could be handed his third start of the season with the nod to slot into the left-back position. The versatile defender has featured three times in total under Rodgers this term and has already bagged himself a Europa League goal. With the manager’s trust in him, he could deliver another solid performance for Leicester.

After returning to the action against Zorya, Rodgers may bring Wilfred Ndidi back into the starting lineup as he adjusts himself following his comeback from injury. He will help support the defence whilst the likes of Dennis Praet and Hamza Choudhury feature just in front in the midfield.

Whilst Ayoze Perez is battling for game time, he could be rewarded for his goal against Sheffield United by starting this evening. He will support fringe striker Kelechi Iheanacho along with Demarai Gray, who could make a surprise appearance in this stress-free fixture – what would be the 24-year-old’s second start of the campaign.

In other news, Ricardo Pereira’s U23 appearance is exactly what Rodgers needed…

The transfer window is now finally open and with it, we need to prepare ourselves for the barrage of rumours and reports coming our way.

For Wolves, they will predominantly be linked with improving one area – their attack.

What’s the word?

Nuno Santo’s men were dealt a huge blow before the turn of the year when Raul Jimenez suffered a fractured skull.

As a result, the Old Gold are searching for cover in the January transfer market. The likes of Divock Origi and Diego Costa have both been linked but a fresh name has come to the centre of attention.

Coincidentally, it’s someone that Wolves reportedly wanted to sign in 2019 – Stephane Bahoken.

The new report comes courtesy of Football Insider who suggests that Premier League clubs are lining up a move for the 12-cap Cameroon striker.

Bahoken currently plays for Angers in Ligue 1 and is rated at just £5.4m according to Transfermarkt. Thus, it’s unlikely he’ll cost Jeff Shi and co too much money.

Must sign him

On the surface, Bahoken doesn’t look like a particularly eye-catching striker. The 28-year-old has scored just five goals so far this season, and found the net on seven occasions last term.

He’s not exactly going to fire Wolves to glory but that’s not what they need.

Jimenez won’t be out for too much longer and as we’ve already stated, they only need basic cover in January – not someone capable of scoring 20+.

Despite not finding the net on a regular basis, Nuno should be comfortable of landing a gem – that’s when you consider the previous business they’ve done with Angers.

The French club have supplied Wolves with both Romain Saiss and Rayan Ait-Nouri in years gone by and they’ve clearly learnt a promising football education in that part of the world.

Of course, they play in different positions, but the French club must be doing something right in preparing their players for bigger moves. Saiss has become a pivotal part of the way Wolves play, possessing the ability to play in a host of positions. Furthermore, he comes up with big moments.

The defender scored against Tottenham and then rattled the woodwork against Manchester United last time out. He has proven to be a consistent outlet for Nuno, one they hope will serve as an example for Bahoken.

Wolves have certainly had no trouble buying from them before. This would be a shrewd acquisition, one that solves their problem of a lack of depth in attack.

AND in other news, Shi must land Wolves upgrade in £25m “coach’s dream”, he destroyed Coady this year…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former West Brom midfielder Carlton Palmer has claimed that a current free-agent could do a job for the Midlands outfit as they battle to stave off relegation.

Jack Wilshere is still currently without a club after he had his £100k-per-week West Ham contract ripped up back in October.

The 29-year-old managed to play just 19 matches over the course of two years due to persistent injury troubles, and this ultimately forced David Moyes’ hand with the player on such high wages.

Although Wilshere has told The Times’ chief football writer Henry Winter that he is fit and raring to go.

In a bid to maintain that, the Englishman is training with Championship outfit AFC Bournemouth, where he spent the 2016/17 season on loan at from Arsenal.

He has been linked to moves to the MLS and A-League.

And Palmer believes the box-to-box maestro is worth the gamble if the Baggies can secure him on a play-as-you-play contract…

He told FFC:

“Jack Wilshere is a talented, talented player, and we’ll be saying that when Wilshere is retired. But he’s too injury prone.

“I’m sure he could still make a contribution in the Premier League, but not on a full-time contract. You need players who will play regularly and Wilshere’s history shows that he’s not going to play football games and he’s going to break down.

“But you never know, there are clubs out there like West Brom at the moment. He could go in there and he’d do a job for Sam.

“Sam is known for taking gambles on players as he did with Andy Carroll at Newcastle.”

Indeed, it would be quite the risk for Big Sam to make but right now, desperate times call for desperate measures. On his day, Wilshere is a cut above that of either Romaine Sawyers or skipper Jake Livermore.

Despite all of his injury problems, the 29-year-old has still played 182 times in the Premier League and 40 times in both European competitions, via Transfermarkt, which is some experience that Albion lack in abundance right now.

It was only a few years ago that Pep Guardiola was waxing lyrical about Wilshere’s ability, he said:

“He’s lucky to play regularly for one season and he is going to be back to being one of the best midfield players in England by far. He’s quality, he’s smart and has the quality on the ball.

“He has a special quality with the ball, dribbling as a holding midfielder to attack central defenders – it’s not easy to do that.”

For the right price, this could well be a shrewd move to make this January, and let’s face it, the 66-year-old isn’t going to be rolling in riches this month.

AND in other news, Forget Sawyers: Abysmal Baggies ace who lost possession 26x BETRAYED Big Sam…

Many Southampton fans have been buzzing at a video involving Ralph Hasenhuttl that recently emerged on social media.

Saints boss Hasenhuttl was recently asked about Danny Ings’ situation at the club’s recent press conference. He was asked about suggestions regarding the reports which suggested that the Englishman wants to play for a Champions League club in the future.

To this, Hasenhuttl replied that he is confident of keeping Ings at St. Mary’s in the summer transfer window. He also said that if Ings wants to play Champions League football, he should score 15 or 20 goals more for the Saints and help them potentially qualify for Europe.

The Athletic have stated that contract negotiations for Ings’ new deal are at a delicate stage right now, but wages aren’t an issue for him. He feels that if he signs a new contract, it would rule out the possibility of a Champions League side paying a fee what Southampton would deem acceptable. So the Englishman wants a suitable release clause to be inserted.

They have also reported that the longer the negotiations carry on, it will look increasingly unlikely that he extends his contract. He isn’t agitating for a move and he isn’t forcing his way out either.

A video involving Hasenhuttl’s comments was relayed on Twitter recently. Many Saints fans gave their opinion about the Southampton manager.

What did Southampton fans make of this Hasenhuttl video?

“Looks so proud of his answer.”

Credit: @sam_ratliffe

“Gotta love him.”

Credit: @sfcrxbbo_

“Love it from the boss.”

Credit: @Saints_Mike7167

“They said you couldn’t love Ralph anymore…”

Credit: @SaintsfcViews

“Honestly love this man.”

Credit: @NotSoWittyUN

“Reporter: ”Danny wants to play Champions League football?” Ralph: “Yeah sure, he only needs to score 10-15 more goals for us, it’s possible” LOVE HIM”

Credit: @FplLost

In other news, many Saints fans have been fu

Steve Bruce could set Newcastle United back even further by selling Matt Ritchie to AFC Bournemouth amid plans to reshape the Toon this month.

What’s the word?

According to The Shields Gazette, Bruce is considering parting ways with at least one of his high-earning players ahead of the February 1 transfer deadline as he looks to freshen up his underperforming squad.

The Magpies are without a win in 10 games across all competitions after losing 2-0 at Aston Villa on Saturday night, while boasting just a single goal in 746 minutes of football after going four games without scoring.

Bruce is now said to be weighing up whether or not to cash-in on some of the members of his Premier League squad to free funds that will allow for at least one loan signing in the January transfer window, with United just seven points clear of the relegation zone.

Yet Bruce is keen to retain West Bromwich Albion target Andy Carroll and has considered offering new contracts to free-agents-to-be Dwight Gayle and Jacob Murphy ahead of their current deals expiring at the end of the season.

Ritchie is another who may spend the final week of the winter market with an uncertain future on Tyneside, following reports by The Sun that claimed Bournemouth were keen to re-sign the former Scotland international after his move to St. James’ Park in 2016.

The midfielder’s situation is also said to have been discussed during talks over Cherries coach Graeme Jones’ move to the Magpies, per Football Insider, as the Championship outfit failed to reach an agreement to re-sign Ritchie last summer when selling Callum Wilson to Newcastle.

U-turn needed

Bruce is absolutely right to consider parting ways with those he feels will not help Newcastle secure Premier League safety as he looks to freshen up the United squad, but should not contemplate including Ritchie in the list of players who could leave Tyneside this month.

Instead, Bruce should make a U-turn on his stance over Ritchie’s place in the starting line-up, with the 31-year-old only playing 16 minutes across the Toon’s last three top-flight fixtures and not starting at left-midfield since the Magpies last won a league match.

Just weeks after undergoing surgery for a shoulder injury, Ritchie returned to the starting XI at home to West Bromwich Albion last month and showed no fear with a string of crunching challenges to help toward a 2-1 victory.

Bruce will need players with the spirit Ritchie showed at St. James’ Park if he is to get Newcastle through their difficult patch, especially with top-scorer Wilson being questioned for his work rate in an abject display at Villa Park over the weekend.

No Newcastle player has been as creative as Ritchie when fielded in the top-flight, either, with the £45,000-per-week beast offering 1.6 key passes a game as one of only two United players to have carved out more than one goal scoring opportunity whenever they take to the pitch, per WhoScored.

He also offers a key pass every 30 minutes when fielded at left-midfield, a record 11 times better than that of Joelinton with the Brazilian creating only one opportunity for a Toon teammate to find the back of the net over his 335 minutes on the flank to date this term.

If Allan Saint-Maximin is unable to hit the ground running now that he has returned from a lengthy spell out after testing positive for Covid-19, Bruce will need Ritchie. But if the £8.5m-rated maestro is on the south coast, the Magpies boss will be the only one responsible for setting the St. James’ Park natives back.

AND in other news, Steve Bruce must axe an £8m-rated total dud holding Newcastle back…

Serge Aurier was up to his old tricks once again on Thursday night.

The Tottenham Hotspur star has hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons following their 3-1 home defeat to Liverpool during the week.

According to The Telegraph’s Matt Law, the 28-year-old left the stadium early after being hauled off at half-time by Jose Mourinho as he believed the Ivorian was at fault for their opener right before the break.

‘It is understood the right-back left the ground in a move that will no doubt have angered head coach Jose Mourinho,’ wrote the reliable Law.

Given emerging transfer reports this week, the £23m signing from PSG could be in grave danger soon…

On the Chalkboard

It’s thought that Spurs are monitoring the progress of Max Aarons ahead of a potential move with Norwich City currently valuing him at £20m, as per the Sunday Mirror (24/01, page 71).

Chief Scout Steve Hitchen has been in attendance in recent matches, not only keeping tabs on Spurs loan star Oliver Skipp but clearly his England U21 teammate too.

Aurier’s latest decision, as Law says, will undoubtedly cause a stir with Mourinho. The right-back has always been a controversial figure in north London – he had to be disciplined after breaching the UK’s lockdown guidelines last year, while his performances on the pitch have been far from consistent.

Former Spurs striker Darren Bent dubbed him a “liability” to the Sky Sports Debate show last season, which echoes the thoughts of plenty of supporters as recently as last month, as you can read here.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-this-weeks-latest-spurs-news-and-transfer-rumours” title= Read this week’s latest Spurs news, transfer rumours and more…”]

“Positionally, he’s all over the place, he’s always got that tendency to dive in and give a foul away,” added Bent.

Aurier has also been linked with a return to former club PSG as Mauricio Pochettino has taken over there and after this most recent incident, Noel Whelan believes he could be expendable, he told Football Insider:

“We know there’s been fractious times between Aurier and Mourinho, we know that he’s been on the cards for a transfer anyway. I think this has just sealed it for him if the rumours are true.”

Indeed, with Spurs’ sights seemingly set on Aarons, it could be a wise decision that allows Mourinho to finally axe his inconsistent defender.

The Canaries’ youth prodigy is a raw talent with bags of potential, but as we’ve seen with Joe Rodon, the Spurs boss isn’t afraid to trust him despite his own mistakes.

Valued at £18m by Transfermarkt, Aarons has been lauded as a “special player” with an “unbelievable future” by Daniel Farke. He’s the only Norwich player to start and feature the full 90 in all 26 of their league outings this term.

Even though he’s played 100% of minutes, he ranks last for fouls per 90 minutes too (0.6), which would suggest he’s a far more reliable option than Aurier, who commits 1.5 fouls per 90 on average this term, via WhoScored.

Daniel Levy must enable Mourinho to finally axe Aurier through the signing of Aarons.

AND in other news, Levy could land Spurs’ next Alli in £25k-p/w “god-given” talent who terrorised Doherty…

According to reports, Tottenham remain interested in signing Torino striker Andrea Belotti, amid claims of their transfer interest last summer.

What’s the story?

Torino’s sporting director, Davide Vagnotti, confirmed back in October that Spurs had actually made an approach to sign Belotti, but their offer wasn’t serious enough to be considered by them.

Now, Italian publication La Stampa (via TuttoMercatoWeb) claim that Jose Mourinho’s side “above all”, see Belotti as the “typical striker suited to the English” way of playing.

The report adds that with the 27-year-old’s contract at Torino coming to an end in the summer of 2022, his future must be resolved before the start of the new season.

Forget Carlos Vinicius

Having signed Vinicius from Benfica last summer on a season-long loan, Mourinho would surely have been hoping that the Brazilian could have represented the kind of Harry Kane alternative that could ease the burden on Spurs’ talisman.

Instead, the 25-year-old has been somewhat of a disappointment, with his haul of six goals coming exclusively in the cup competitions, against the likes of Ludogorets, Royal Antwerp and Marine.

Harry Kane is on course to become Tottenham’s all-time top goalscorer! Own a piece of historic memorabilia with a signed Harry Kane White Hart Lane street sign. Click here to view and buy!

The striker even came in for some criticism from his manager after the Premier League defeat to Chelsea, with Mourinho saying: “Vinicius, for example, is a player that has incredible spirit but his understanding of how to press, the positions on the pressing are not something that he’s still comfortable with so it was difficult, yes, but no chances.”

In the £36m-rated Belotti, however, they would be getting someone who has been banging in the goals in Serie A for a number of years now. The 27-year-old is the man who wears Torino’s armband, and has been hailed as a “real captain” for his performances for the club, and this season has just seen him continue his fine goal-scoring form – he’s bagged 11 times and provided another six assists in just 20 league games.

Joe Hart, who played with Belotti in his time at Torino, praised him for his “instinct for goals”, and that kind of knack is something that you just don’t lose. He could bring that clincal striker’s edge that Spurs miss without Kane in their side – you only have to look at Vinicius’ costly late miss against Chelsea to see that.

When Vinicius’ loan runs out, Spurs should simply wave good-bye to him and instead try and finally strike a deal for Belotti. The Italian would bring some added leadership and a much-needed ruthlessness in front of goal.

Meanwhile, Spurs could sign Mourinho’s next Lampard in this £18m-rated star…

It seems Rangers have played their cards right with Jordan Jones as Alan Hutton believes their price reveal will spark a bidding war for the Northern Irishman this summer.

What’s the word?

Jones, who reportedly earns £9,100-a-week, joined Sunderland on loan from Rangers in the January transfer window, but he has been restricted to just four appearances in the north east, including two as a substitute.

The 26-year-old has fallen out of favour under Steven Gerrard after breaking coronavirus protocols, and according to Football Insider, he could make a move for a fee of around £600,000.

When asked if their asking price could tempt potential suitors into trying to sign Jones in the summer, Hutton said: “Yeah, you would think so. I do like him as a player, but it’s not worked out.

“You can go right back to his injury against Celtic when it was a rash tackle, he’s still young enough, he’s got plenty of years in front of them and bringing him in on a free, you will make money out of the situation.

“It’s just been a shame and he’ll probably think the same, it was a massive opportunity coming to Rangers, his boyhood club, to really stamp his authority on it.

“Through different sorts of situations, on the field and off it’s not worked out.

“I think he’ll be a player that Rangers will look to offload in the summer but I’m sure if he goes down to Sunderland and does well, there will be teams that are willing to take the risk and pay the money for him.”

Exit pending?

It seems the Scottish Premiership leaders are preparing for a flood of offers for the nine-cap Northern Ireland international when the transfer market re-opens in the summer, so it appears they are setting the bar in advance.

Rangers know there may be plenty of Championship interest in the winger, who had attracted interest from the likes of Middlesbrough, QPR and Preston last year, while Sunderland may also be keeping a watchful eye on future proceedings.

As it stands, no official offers have been received for Jones, who has made just four appearances for Rangers this season, but it seems a bidding war could erupt at some point in the near future.

Big things were expected from the winger after impressing at Premiership rivals Kilmarnock, but by his own admission, it’s not worked out as well as planned for Jones at the 54-time Scottish champions.

He’s barely been used by Gerrard, and it’s easy to see why – one goal and two assists in 19 appearances across all competitions is hardly the stuff of legend.

Now 26 and heading into the final year of his contract, he won’t fetch a hefty price, but Rangers should look to get him off their books for good.

Gers Sporting Director Ross Wilson made the right decision this January.

AND in other news, Latest Rangers off-field drama exposes glaring weakness amid investigation…

After falling to a dismal 2-1 defeat to Leicester last week in the Premier League, Aston Villa return to top-flight action when they take on Leeds United on Saturday afternoon at Elland Road.

Dean Smith’s side have enjoyed an incredible second campaign back in the Premier League, staying well in the hunt for a shock European place next season.

And while things have been rosy for a number of months now, a couple of chinks in the Villa armour have started to emerge. Injuries to both Jack Grealish and Matty Cash have robbed the side of two key players in the starting eleven, while Smith must make a big call on the woefully out-of-form Ross Barkley.

The Chelsea loanee has had a rough time as of late, struggling to recapture his early season form following his comeback from a hamstring injury. In seven out of the last eight Premier League games, he’s been taken off before the full-time whistle, and Smith must finally say enough is enough, and take him out of the line-up when they visit Leeds.

Speaking after he was hauled off yet again in the second-half against Leicester, Sky Sports pundit Alex Scott slammed the midfielder for his display, saying: “For me it’s another missed opportunity for Ross Barkley to show up and demand, he’s been subbed off again and you can see in his face he’s not happy. But how many chances does a player need?

“You need to take it upon yourself. There’s only so many chances that he can be deserving. He’s missed another opportunity today.”

The Villa boss however was quick to dismiss any suggestion that Barkley’s move at Villa had gone sour, insisting: “It’s a long way off the mark to say things aren’t working out for him. His numbers have been really good in terms of his output on the pitch and we have to remember he’s been out for six or seven weeks with a hamstring injury and then had to play games to recapture that fitness because we haven’t been able to train.

“But he’s certainly getting back to where we want him to. I just needed to change the game at that time.”

While it’s rather unsurprising Smith leapt to his player’s defence, it is a slightly baffling take to claim that Barkley is getting back to his best. The England international has scored just one Premier League goal since mid-October when he netted the winner against Leicester, and for a player playing in his position of just behind the striker, that simply isn’t enough.

His lack of goals may not be that much of an issue if he were setting his teammates up instead, but his assists total have badly dried up too – he hasn’t done so since a 3-0 victory over Arsenal in early November.

The Athletic’s Gregg Evans suggested on the 1874 podcast that Barkley appears to be “playing with a bit of fear”, and admitted that the attacking midfielder “needs to be dropped” following his latest lacklustre display against the Foxes.

Valued at £17.5m by CIES, Barkley simply needs to be taken out of the firing line when Villa make the trip to Leeds on late Saturday afternoon.

Plenty of Liverpool fans had their say on James Milner during their Premier League encounter against Fulham on Sunday.

The 35-year-old made just his eighth league start of the season as manager Jurgen Klopp made seven changes to the team which lost 1-0 to Chelsea in midweek.

Milner, who earns £140,000-a-week at Anfield, was notably complacent in the midfield as his team attempted to overturn their wretched domestic form, gifting the ball to Ivan Cavaliero as the Cottagers almost scored as a result. Per Fotmob, Milner lost seven duels, misplaced three long balls and committed three fouls.

Manager Jurgen Klopp surprised many when Georginio Wijnaldum was brought off on the hour mark for Sadio Mane, with The Athletic’s James Pearce calling for Fabinho to take the veteran’s place in the second half.

With this in mind, some Liverpool supporters slammed Milner for being “miles off the pace” and a few even suggested that his time at the club may have come to an unfortunate end.

Milner lambasted by Kop faithful

“Milner has to come off! He is done at this club.”

Credit: @Andy_Melville

“Probably the worst I’ve seen Milner play for us!”

Credit: @aaron_price88

“GET MILNER OFF THE FIELD NOW!!!”

Credit: @b_t_jones

“Mr reliable James Milner having a stinker too.”

Credit: @LFC_talk_YNWA

“Get Milner off, he’s miles off the pace and get Fabinho back on in midfield”

Credit: @p_cord23

“Milner is not very good anymore”

Credit: @TimGale031181

In other news. Liverpool blockbuster move in trouble as ‘unplayable’ star’s hefty demands emerge