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West Ham United manager Manuel Pellegrini has admitted that he was interested in signing former Cardiff City midfielder Gary Medel in the recent January transfer window, but couldn’t come to an agreement with the midfielder’s current club, Besiktas, as reported by talkSPORT.

What’s the story?

As per the aforementioned report, the Hammers boss is quoted as saying, “the only player we had interest in was Gary Medel, they told us it was free and we were interested because he can play in two or three positions. But then it turned out the player was not free.”

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

The Irons failed to bring the 31-year-old to the London Stadium before the transfer window deadline arrived. Before the end of the season, Pellegrini may come to regret not having done more to bring the experienced 114-cap Chile international back to the Premier League.

Weak in the middle

The Daily Mail recently reported that midfielder Jack Wilshere could be out for the rest of the season with a persistent ankle injury. Earlier in the campaign, Wilshere’s fellow summer arrival Carlos Sanchez also suffered an almost certainly season-ending injury, meaning the Hammers have now lost two of their most experienced midfielders until the summer. 

In failing to bring Medel to east London, West Ham have failed to adequately replace these losses. Far too great a burden is now being placed on teenager Declan Rice and the ageing Mark Noble to anchor the midfield for the rest of the season, with only Pedro Obiang on hand to offer an experienced back-up option in the middle of the park.

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According to a report in The Daily Mail, Southampton are reportedly in talks to sign Olympiacos right-back Omar Elabdellaoui in a £6m deal, but his addition would go against what manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has said previously that he wanted to add to his squad this month.

What’s the word, then?

Well, The Daily Mail report that Saints had targeted a £10.5m move for Genk full-back Joakim Maehle after Cedric Soares joined Serie A giants Inter Milan on loan, but the Belgian top-flight leaders refused to sell.

The Daily Mail report that the 27-year-old looks set to be the Euro 2016 winner’s replacement if he arrives at St Mary’s before Thursday’s transfer deadline, even if Hasenhuttl often chose to use Yan Valery ahead of Cedric since he succeeded Mark Hughes last month.

Elabdellaoui has been a Premier League player before, although he made no appearances for Manchester City but did have nine outings for Hull City, as per Transfermarkt, during a loan spell in the second-half of the 2016/17 campaign.

What did Hasenhuttl say previously?

In an interview conducted with Sky Sports earlier this month, the 51-year-old said when asked about the club’s transfer plans:

“We are looking, but we’ll only do a transfer if it helps us immediately and also for the future.

“It’s a package. If you find a young player who has potential and quality then we’ll think about a transfer.”

From those comments you would expect that Southampton would be looking at signing younger players with huge potential to improve and grow with the club, and the interest in Maehle certainly made sense from that point of view.

Signing Elabdellaoui certainly wouldn’t be as easy to understand however, given he is 27 years of age and has hardly set the world alight during his career to date, especially aside from his spell in Greece.

Check out the video below for Emma Conybeare’s rundown of which clubs need what in the January transfer window…

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Loads of Liverpool fans have been reacting to a story on the club’s finances, as the Reds secured record-high profits in 2018.

According to Paul Joyce of The Times, Liverpool set a world-record profit of £125 million in the financial year ending May 2018.

The Reds were in deep financial trouble under previous owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, as reported by The Liverpool Echo, but the heavily-criticised Fenway Sports Group have got things back on track and so much more.

Who has the loudest fans in Europe? PSG certainly state their claim in the video below…

The American owners were bashed tirelessly by supporters during their first few years at the club, as the Anfield faithful were just fed up of poor transfer business and trophy-less seasons.

While the latter of those things hasn’t changed (yet), the Reds are now kings of the transfer market, regularly hailed as one of the best operators in the business.

On top of that, Joyce reports that the club recorded £125m profit last year, a whopping £40m increase on the previous year.

This is even including the £190m Jurgen Klopp splashed out on the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Naby Keita, Fabinho and Alisson Becker, and fans are heaping praise on the previously divisive FSG.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below..

Tottenham Hotspur’s stronghold on Christian Eriksen seems to be loosening. The Danish midfielder only has 18 months left on his contract and is unwilling to sign a new deal, reportedly (via AS) wanting a big move up to Real Madrid. According to reports (via the Express), Spurs want to bring in Leicester City’s breakthrough star James Maddison as his replacement in the summer.

The former Norwich City man’s enjoyed life in the Premier League, having scored five goals and assisting four times. He’s formed a menacing partnership with Jamie Vardy and his impressive work has caught Mauricio Pochettino’s eye.

Maddison could be a valuable addition to the Spurs team, as he ticks all the boxes when it comes to creating, scoring and playing for the team. The home-grown quota also works in his favour and the prospect of watching him develop under Mauricio Pochettino’s stewardship is certainly exciting. However, when comparing with a creative genius like Eriksen, he could be under pressure to produce similar goods consistently.

Maddison’s lost form slightly after his amazing start to the season and isn’t as influential like Eriksen. The Dane controls much of Spurs attacking moves, stitching together majestic passes every now and then as well as scoring crucial winners for them. That’s the difference in the two right now.

Maddison’s lack of European experience can also hurt Spurs while bringing him will probably force Dele Alli to play deeper in midfield. However, knowing Spurs’ habit of elevating promising talents, the Leicester star could revel in North London. Replacing the experienced Eriksen with him is definitely a risk, but knowing Maddison’s talent, it’s one worth taking.

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Tottenham Hotspur have been rocked by the news that they will not be able to open their new stadium until April.

According to Sky Sports, the north London outfit had hoped to raise the curtain on their new ground on March 17, in a game against Crystal Palace.

However, the Eagles progressed to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup over the weekend, meaning the fixture will have to be rearranged. The quarter-finals will be played on the weekend of March 16th and 17th.

An international break follows that and Spurs play Liverpool at Anfield on the 31st of March.

Thus, Mauricio Pochettino’s men will not be able to move into their new stadium until at least April, with the first date being the sixth, when they are due to host Brighton and Hove Albion. They, too, are still in the FA Cup, however, and that game may also have to be rearranged.

The news has been greeted with predictable bemusement by Spurs fans, who are growing used to hearing of setbacks regarding their new home.

Huddersfield Town proved to be the surprise packages of the week when they forced through a shock 1-0 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Tuesday night.

However, those accustomed with this fixture will know that the Terriers have been absolute nightmares for Wolves in the past few years.

As a matter of fact, they had won their last four games in all competitions against Nuno Espirito Santo’s men (stats via SofaScore). Despite being stuck to the bottom of the league and having last won a league game in November, the Terriers somehow managed to pack all their energy in dealing a knockout punch to the Wanderers.

After pushing on relentlessly for a winner, Steve Mounie scored in the dying moments to give Jan Siewert his first win as manager. That being said, this inspired win doesn’t mean things are going to turnaround for their doomed season. The Terriers are still 13 points astray from avoiding relegation and have a tough schedule ahead.

While Siewert might have brought back life into their game, allowing them to attack with more intensity, they’re still quite poor defensively. Wolves were clueless in front of goal in the mid-week, allowing Huddersfield to cling onto hope for a winner till the absolute end.

Huddersfield have games against Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Manchester United remaining along with tough away fixtures against in-form sides. Being so far off from the shallow end of surviving relegation, Huddersfield’s fate is almost sealed and despite picking up form recently, it’s too little too late for the Terriers.

However, Siewert’s appointment is – oddly considering results against him – is looking a smart one and could yet be another masterstroke from Dean Hoyle.

Steven Gerrard’s quest in winning back the Scottish Premiership has been tarnished with their recent draw to St. Johnstone.

While Gerrard made the Gers dream big with an encouraged fight to Celtic, they’ve fallen short of the mark.

However, all is not lost for Gerrard’s side. There’s still the prestigious Scottish Cup to play for, which has evaded the Gers for almost a decade. If not anything, the narrow win against Celtic before New Year’s proved that Gerrard’s taught them how to win the big matches, something they’ll need in the Cup.

With dominating victories in the earlier rounds, Rangers have proven they’re taking the competition seriously. Considering it’s the only remaining cup they could win, Gerrard will now instil his focus into winning it. Being trophyless for a long time, having last won the Scottish second-tier in 2016 and a proper competition in 2011, Rangers fans are desperate to see some gold.

If Gerrard’s thrilling football’s proved anything, they can definitely dream to expect silverware at the end of the season. Having brought in the experienced Jermaine Defoe in the winter and goal-machine Alfredo Morelos having scored 27 goals in all competitions (stats via WhoScored), The Gers look favourites for the Cup.

They face bitter rivals Aberdeen in the quarter-finals and beating them at the Pittodrie Stadium would be the icing on the cake. However, unlike other seasons, Rangers aren’t convinced at considering a derby win as a trophy. They’re going all out this time, as Gerrard will make sure this sizzling attacking football ends their trophy-drought.

[ad_pod ]Liverpool fans have slated Mohamed Salah after another anonymous performance in the Merseyside derby against Everton.The 62-cap Egypt international struggled to impact the game in the final third and, per WhoScored, had just two shots on goal throughout the 90 minutes.Both of those efforts were well saved by England international Jordan Pickford as the Toffees held onto a 0-0 draw at Goodison Park.

The result means that Liverpool are now second to Manchester City in the Premier League title race, having played the same amount of games.

Salah’s latest dismal performance is his second in a week after he also endured a poor display against Manchester United.

Liverpool have failed to win both games, and are now relying on a City slip up if they are to win their first title in a generation.

And fans have savaged Salah on Twitter, insisting that he needs to start delivering if Jurgen Klopp’s side are to make up the gap to Pep Guardiola’s champions.

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Leeds United’s season has largely been defined by widespread optimism with the club in with a genuine chance of clinching promotion. Marcelo Bielsa has been an inspired appointment and his influence has sent individual reputations soaring, but a handful of players have been a touch overrated amid the hype.

Indeed, here at Football Fancast we’ve been discussing which Leeds players flatter to deceive within a widely lauded squad. Here’s what some of FFC’s writers have had to say on the matter…

Ben Goodwin – Mateusz Klich

“The Polish international had an excellent start to life under Bielsa, grabbing five goals and five assists by November, but has managed just two goals and two assists since then, with both of those goals coming in the same game against Rotherham. The 28 year-old is nowhere near as influential in the attacking third as the true creators like Pablo Hernandez, yet doesn’t offer the defensive protection that Kalvin Phillips will in midfield. Jack-of-all-trades, master of none.”

James Beavis – Luke Ayling

“Yes, he works hard and is clearly committed to the cause, but in my eyes he doesn’t quite produce the quality needed from a full-back – especially from an attacking point of view. Youngster Jamie Shackleton did a brilliant job in his absence through injury earlier this season, and the Yorkshire outfit didn’t really miss the 27-year-old too much given they won six of their seven Championship fixtures without him. Although he has been a regular fixture in the XI under Bielsa term, he would be cast aside in the Premier League.”

Billy Myers – Barry Douglas

“Having arrived to much fanfare after starring for Wolves in the previous campaign with five goals and 14 assists, Douglas has struggled to maintain his fitness this season and has found it tough to replicate his form from last season as a consequence. Luckily for him, Gjanni Alioski has helped to cover for his occasional absence at left-back, but if it weren’t for the Macedonian, Douglas’ poor form would’ve been spoken of more frequently.”

Despite going through a “difficult patch” according to Garry Monk, City fans are literally showing their support for him and their team in numbers, with over 5,600 of them travelling to Deepdale this weekend for the game against Preston.

It is a clear show of faith from supporters who remember where they were a year ago, and is something that does not surprise Monk in the slightest.

The manager was aware that many were left frustrated by an abject performance in their home defeat to Millwall on Wednesday, and agreed that the dissent from the stands on the final whistle were “thoroughly deserved”.

Speaking to Birmingham Live about the fans, he said: “We have done that quite a few times this season [taken huge numbers to away games], the attendances at home and away have improved this season.

“That just shows how much the belief of the fans has come back in this team. Yes we are in a difficult patch – but what are we going to do about it?

“We are going to stick together – that’s the way it is. That’s what we do at this club, that’s been the mentality at this club for a long, long time. What are we going to do? Turn on each other? No chance. We have come too far to do that.

“I understood on Wednesday night, there were some frustrations at the end – but thoroughly deserved. We appreciate that, we are an honest group of people here.”

The travelling numbers will be hoping for an improvement off the pitch, and if the players could show the level of commitment the supporters do week upon week, then Birmingham would be right up there in the promotion mix.

Monk will be hoping for a reaction from his team, and if he does not get one from the players, he is certainly getting it from the fans.

Birmingham fans, just how annoyed are you at the current predicament? Join the discussion by commenting below…