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According to new reports coming from Sky Sports, AC Milan are considering Andreas Christensen as a player to bolster their defensive line in January.

What’s the word, then?

It seems that the Rossoneri want to acquire some reinforcements for their backline and would like to do so in the January window.

Christensen, who has fallen out of favour at Stamford Bridge, has registered only 672 minutes across eight games in the Premier League this season and seems like a feasible option for the Italian outift.

His availability might also be emphasised by the fact that the 23-year-old fringe player hasn’t featured for Frank Lampard since December, warming the bench in every single one of the last five games in the English top-flight.

Milan would also like any kind of deal in January to be an initial loan with the option to buy, as Sky Sports in Italy explain.

Verdict

Despite the fact that Christensen is not really enjoying his stay at Chelsea right now, he still remains a good option for Milan, especially considering all of their issues in the back.

With Leo Duarte out with a serious injury and Mateo Mussachio the only reliable option they are currently using – seeing how both Mattia Caldara and Matteo Gabbia are yet to tally a single minute in the ongoing campaign – the Rossoneri are in dire need of some reinforcements.

The Blues’ centre-back is young and could be a good option for them, not just as an immediate fix but possibly as a bet for the future.

With just 23 years on his back, he could potentially still develop into a great defender as time goes on.

Mourinho’s produced some incredible footballing stars – how much do you know about them?

Either way, their defensive line is definitely an area of the pitch that needs addressing and 24 goals conceded in the first 18 Serie A games can surely attest to that.

Maybe Lampard’s young defender is the solution they’ve been looking for.

Elsewhere, Chelsea have made a lucrative offer for one of their big transfer targets, including one player on top of a big sum of money to land their man…

Crystal Palace tried to sign James McCarthy as far back as 2016.

Back then, only Moussa Sissoko’s rejection of Everton scuppered a deal, but solely through the Eagles’ interest in him almost four years ago, you can tell that the 41-cap Republic of Ireland international has been a long-term target for the club.

Even after finally capturing him in a deal worth £3m back in the summer, Roy Hodgson revealed that he was pleased to have secured McCarthy’s signature as he has admired the midfielder for a very long time.

“I’m really pleased we’ve been able to bring James to the club because he’s a player I’ve admired for a very long time.”

Additionally, club chairman Steve Parish admitted that the former Wigan man was “a player we’ve almost managed to sign a couple of times” – further reiterating the fact that McCarthy has been in the Eagles’ sights for some time.

“James is a player we’ve almost managed to sign a couple of times, so I’m delighted that Roy has helped persuade him to join us on this occasion.”

So, why on Earth would the south Londoners decide to cash in on the player?

That is what TEAMtalk are reporting, detailing that four Premier League clubs in Aston Villa, Newcastle, Burnley and Bournemouth are interested in signing the 29-year-old who Palace are open to offers for.

They reveal that Palace would only sanction a loan move if there was an agreement to make the deal permanent in the summer, which begs the question – why are the Eagles so desperate to offload the former Hamilton player having only landed him back in the summer?

Having chased him since 2016,  it would make no sense for Palace to give up on McCarthy almost immediately after securing his signature, even more so after Hodgson has afforded him just four Premier League starts so far this season before the visit of Arsenal on Saturday afternoon.

Call yourself a Premier League expert? How much did each of these big-money January signings cost?

The south Londoners are yet to see the best of the Irishman due to his lack of game time, and given Parish and Hodgson’s glowing reviews of the player and their long-term pursuit of him, a sale so soon into his career at Selhurst Park truly wouldn’t make any sense whatsoever.

In other news, these Crystal Palace fans have reacted to a report on a player who “needs to drop a level”…

The Evening Standard’s Jack Rosser has revealed that Crystal Palace are ‘on the verge’ of signing Scott Banks from Dundee United.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Rosser was present at Roy Hodgson’s pre-Southampton press conference on Monday, where he tweeted that the former England manager confirmed to him that Banks was “on the verge” of joining the south London side.

The Express recently reported that the Eagles agreed a ‘substantial’ transfer fee with the Scottish side for the 18-year-old, believed to be a six-figure sum – it is understood that Crystal Palace could’ve signed Banks for £200k if they waited until the summer, although the agreed sum this month is far more than that.

The teenager was also being eyed up by Southampton, who failed with a bid for the Scotland U19 international back in the summer as the Eagles did too.

Not for the present

Rosser adds that the youngster – who spent last season on loan at Clyde – will ‘more than likely’ go into the academy setup at Selhurst Park, so he isn’t one expected to go straight into the first-team and play alongside the likes of Cenk Tosun and Wilfried Zaha.

Banks – an attacking midfielder – certainly seems to be one for the future, and seeing as Southampton also had their eye on him, he must have something in his locker that is enticing for Premier League clubs.

Following Rosser’s update, this deal now looks extremely close and the Eagles will have secured their second signing of the January transfer window – albeit it a far less high-profile one than their first, a 42-cap Turkey international with Champions League experience.

Nevertheless, it is encouraging to see the south Londoners scout, and sign, exciting young talent, especially seeing as they have just four players under the age of 27 in their squad.

It’s the dawn of a new decade in the Premier League, but how much do you know about the last 10 years?

Max Meyer, Jairo Riedewald, Brandon Pierrick and Connor Wickham are the only players who fall into that category.

In other news, these Crystal Palace fans have reacted as player who is “exactly what I’ve been crying out for” is linked…

In the context of a 90 minute game against the Premier League’s runaway leaders, a 2-0 defeat doesn’t sound like the worst result in the world for Manchester United. Their arch-rivals Liverpool have been blowing past sides all season, scoring 52 goals in the process – the division’s second-best record behind Manchester City.

But in the grand scheme of things, the Red Devils faced familiar travails, particularly going forward. After 23 games of the season, they have scored just 36 times in the top-flight, and whilst a new striker may have to be on the cards, they have a far more pressing need for a creative number ten. Just 23% of their attacks come via the middle of the pitch – a record that is only good enough for 13th in the rankings.

Watch Manchester United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

And against Liverpool on Sunday afternoon, their lack of a dominant presence in that more advanced role was particularly telling. Andreas Pereira was given the task of being the side’s chief creator, and the Brazilian failed miserably. Whilst he certainly huffed and puffed – he involved himself in 13 total duels – there was a glaring lack of end product.

As per Sofascore, he missed one big chance, had just one shot on target, and provided just one key pass. Not to mention the fact he only had 44 touches of the ball too. The play-maker role has to be filled by someone who is confident enough in dictating the tempo of the game, regardless of the opposition. Pereira simply got lost and overwhelmed by the Liverpool midfielders, losing possession 19 times.

And when Juan Mata came on for the final 16 minutes of the game at Anfield, things hardly got better. In fact, it arguably got even worse. He completed just one his three attempted crosses, failed to record a single successful dribble, and had just one shot on target. The Red Devils simply couldn’t get any service into the likes of Anthony Martial and Daniel James, who only had 37 and 32 touches respectively over the 90 minutes.

Quickfire Quiz: How much do you know about Man Utd’s history in the January transfer window?

Their creative struggles is exactly why a swoop for Bruno Fernandes has now become an absolute necessity for the Red Devils. The Portugal international has been in sensational form this season for Sporting CP, scoring 14 times and providing a further ten assists as per Whoscored. And when looking at his underlying numbers, you get a far bigger picture of why exactly he is a must-sign for United.

His average of 3.6 key passes, 56 average passes and 1.8 dribbles per game in Liga NOS makes him the perfect antidote for the Red Devils’ problems in that number ten area. The 25-year-old can feed the likes of James and Martial and also take the game to the opposition himself with his direct running. They badly missed that quality against Liverpool, and Ed Woodward should surely now stop any dilly-dallying over price and finalise the signing of Fernandes.

Meanwhile, Manchester United fans discuss their transfer battle with Chelsea over this starlet.

According to Sky Sports, Sheffield United are the favourites to sign Genk midfielder Sander Berge after he requested to leave the club before Friday’s transfer deadline, and Everton fans have been discussing the 21-year-old on Twitter and the January Transfer Thread 2020 on the Grand Old Team forum.Sky Sports report that the two teams have picked up negotiations again in recent days following a failed summer move by the Blades, with a £20m deal being spoken about.The report adds that while the Belgian club would like to keep him, the fact he has only 18 months left on his contract means it is likely they will let him go.The 6 foot 5 midfielder has scored four goals in 23 league appearances for Genk this term, and has averaged 1.5 tackles, 1.2 interceptions, 0.8 key passes and 1.3 dribbles per game on average in his six Champions League outings in 2019/20, as per WhoScored.It appears that Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti wants to sign a new central midfielder too, with Gazzetta dello Sport repoerting that they will get the green light to sign Inter Milan midfielder Matias Vecino once the Serie A giants get Olivier Giroud.It seems as though many Toffees supoorters would prefer him to sign Berge instead, however, given what fans said on Twitter and on the Grand Old Team forum on Monday night.

Two fans looked at the Norwegian youngster in more detail though, with one suggesting “he could be a monster”, but also saying that “he’s similar to Gomes in that he’s not a particularly responsible defensive player”.

Did he really play for us?! No Everton fan has managed to name all of these obscure Toffees players….

That may make it difficult to have both in the same midfield in Ancelotti’s preferred 4-4-2 system, then.

Two individuals chose to compare him with Vecino directly, with one acknowledging that while he was a fan of Berge, he trusts Ancelotti’s judgment if he wants the Uruguay international – rightly so given the 60-year-old experience and his honours list during his managerial career.

Another was unhappy at the fact that the promising 21-year-old could cost around the same amount as a player who turns 29 years of age later this year, with Vecino’s reported asking price set at €20m (£16.9m), according to Gazzetta dello Sport.

In other Everton news, one reported Toffees target showed at the weekend why Farhad Moshiri needs to splash £35m on him…

Sunderland could look for more additions in the final days of the transfer window as Phil Parkinson attempts to boost his squad in their pursuit of promotion.

Josh Scowen arrived on Monday but the Black Cats may not stop there, as they are believed to be leading the race to sign Manchester United’s James Garner, with the youngster available for loan.

The 18-year-old has played for both United’s first-team and youth team this season, and will be eager to follow in the footsteps of Mason Greenwood and Brandon Williams, both of whom have featured under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after graduating from the academy.

To do that a loan move could be beneficial for Garner, and it will be interesting to see if that leads him to impress for Sunderland, should he join.

The north-east outfit may have to rely on temporary moves if they are to complete any more business and the deeper their squad, the better their chances are of achieving promotion.

Strengthening the squad should act as a boost to the current players at the Stadium of Light, though given Garner’s youth he may have to be patient as he waits for an opportunity to impress.

Watch Sunderland Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Our team of Football FanCast writers have shared their verdict on whether the centre-midfielder would be a good addition for Phil Parkinson’s side.

Viji Jeevathayalan

“Phil Parkinson has got Sunderland playing a possession-based style of football – the Black Cats are seventh in the League One rankings for average possession and pass accuracy – so James Garner would be a perfect fit.

“The Manchester United academy product has earned rave reviews in his fledgling career as a professional footballer, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, in particular, has given him a huge compliment by revealing they have huge faith in him being the “next Michael Carrick”.

“Garner would seamlessly fit into that possession-focused mentality, with Solskjaer also hailing his ability to play both the simple and between-the-lines passes. The 18-year-old is a perfect match for Parkinson.”

Danny Lewis

“Sunderland don’t have the youngest of squads this season, with Denver Hume the only real regular who can be called a youngster, having started 20 League One games this term. Therefore, the injection of youth that Garner would bring can be seen as a real bonus for Parkinson’s side as they look to secure promotion to the Championship.

“They were shown the impact an effective midfield loanee can have last campaign when Josh Cullen’s cross led to Charlton Athletic’s play-off final winner. If Garner joins, the Black Cats will be hoping he is the one having a moment of glory.”

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Matt Dawson

“James Garner has enjoyed mixed success at United in his eight games in all competitions this season, even playing four times in Europe. However, at 18 years of age, he still has a long way to go and it remains to be seen how he would cope in League One while playing on a regular basis.

“His pass success rate of 90% in the Europa League is eye-catching and tops everyone in the Black Cats’ squad while he also contributed to two goals in two games throughout the EFL Trophy. That bodes well for any move that potentially goes through. A loan deal would also be low risk too so I see little wrong with bringing the teenager to the Stadium of Light in the remaining days of the window. 

“Josh Scowen may have already signed but there is still a lack of quality depth with Dylan McGeough departing and Grant Leadbitter remaining an option. He’s achieved an average match rating of just 6.74, via WhoScored, this term. As a result, this could be a smart move.”

Kealan Hughes

“Bringing James Garner in, even on a temporary basis, is a very risky strategy but it seems that Phil Parkinson has been left with little choice due to budget constraints.

“The positive for Sunderland is that the midfielder has game time for the Red Devils’ senior squad under his belt, and he likely benefitted a lot from the tutillage of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and of course Michael Carrick.

“If he can use this potential loan spell to express his talent and make a name for himself then the Black Cats could benefit hugely, not least because it would create a competition for places that should lead to better performances from the other midfielders in the squad.”

Meanwhile, another piece of transfer business constructed by Phil Parkinson may not work out as planned.

Since playing the full 90 minutes in David Moyes’ first West Ham game, Pablo Fornals has managed just 137 league minutes from a possible 450.

Having been involved in a 4-0 victory during that match against the Cherries, the Spaniard can feel pretty hard-done-by, especially as he went on to grab a goal and assist during the 2-0 FA Cup win over Gillingham.

What also makes this worse from his point of view is that the Hammers haven’t won any of those games, with the longest amount of time on the pitch during one outing being 60 minutes – the 1-1 draw against Everton.

With that in mind, it can perhaps be suggested that David Moyes is showing a certain level of stubbornness in his decision making regarding the Spaniard.

Watch West Ham United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

So far, he has largely stuck with Manuel Lanzini, who has played a comparatively massive amount, getting 332 minutes on the pitch since being on the bench for the aforementioned resounding win.

The Argentinian has been pretty underwhelming during that period, failing to contribute a single goal or assist, missing some very clear chances, with his shocking attempt against Liverpool being the biggest indicator of that lack of prolificacy.

In addition to that, he has managed one key pass during that time, which came against Liverpool, while his three dribbles against Sheffield United are the only ones he has managed – in contrast, he has produced 10 bad touches during that same period of time.

All of the above indicates just how ineffective he has been for the Hammers in recent times, yet he is still being picked by Moyes.

Call yourself a West Ham expert? How much did each of these January signings cost?

This seems baffling when it’s considered that directly before the Scotsman came, Fornals recorded one goal and three assists in six league matches, which seemed to give the £19.8m-rated man a real confidence boost.

He has been looking devoid of that very same confidence since Moyes gave him just six minutes against Sheffield United, as he has taken two shots while not making any dribbles or key passes.

Moyes has displayed his stubborn side during this time, and it is Fornals who is paying the price.

Meanwhile, Manuel Pellegrini has completely undermined his transfer decision.

Amidst a hugely successful loan spell at Sheffield United, Dean Henderson is doing his case of being Manchester United’s number one next year no harm.

The Blades have conceded just 24 goals in their 26 Premier League games this season, meaning they have the second-best defensive record in the division – only behind leaders Liverpool.

Henderson has previously admitted he is keen on establishing himself at Old Trafford, but with David de Gea holding the fort in between the sticks for the Red Devils, chances may be few and far in between.

And now, The Daily Mail claim French giants PSG have joined the likes of Chelsea and Tottenham in keeping a close eye on the goalkeeper, and that they are planning a summer approach for him.

Watch Manchester United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

After hearing about the update on Henderson, United fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the situation.

Some fans of the Manchester side took the opportunity to quote some ridiculous prices for what they thought it would take to sell Henderson.

One fan in particular meanwhile simply insisted that if they let go of Henderson, then they wouldn’t be able to “forgive” the club.

The level of interest in Henderson speaks volumes about the kind of season he is having with Sheffield United.

It all means Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and the United hierarchy have a major decision on their hands this summer on whether they cash in on the 22-year-old, or give him a legitimate opportunity to succeed.

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But with De Gea and Sergio Romero standing in his way, claiming the number one jersey at Old Trafford looks like a very tall mountain to climb. The least they should do however, is give him a chance to impress during pre-season.

Meanwhile, Man Utd fans are buzzing with this update on Mauricio Pochettino.

Former Southampton man Matt Targett has responded to Danny Ings’ latest Instagram post.

The left-back – who departed St Mary’s back in the summer to join Aston Villa for an initial £14m fee, rising to £17m – made 63 appearances for the Southampton first-team having broken through the youth ranks at St Mary’s.

So far this term, the 24-year-old has appeared 17 times in the Premier League for the Villans, scoring one goal – a 93rd minute winner against Brighton back in October – while also registering two assists.

Targett has also netted once in the Carabao Cup, a crucial semi-final strike against Villa’s Midlands rivals Leicester which helped Dean Smith’s side set up a tie against Manchester City at Wembley.

Despite leaving Southampton – and Ings – back in the summer, he evidently still remains in contact with the Saints No.9 given his response to the 17-goal striker’s Instagram post.

You can see what Targett had to say to his former teammate below.

Someone’s got to own them: Who do these incredibly unwanted PL records belong to?

In other news, this journalist has revealed that a Southampton player will sign a contract extension…

An update on Sunderland’s takeover situation has been provided by journalist Alan Nixon.

He claims that Stewart Donald wants a bidding war, although they are struggling to find suitors at the current price.

What’s the word?

Earlier this month, Bloomberg claimed that Sunderland were seeking £40m in order sell the club in the coming months.

The outlet suggested Donald had been holding talks with two parties over a possible takeover and were hoping to reach a decision by the end of February.

However, the latest update from Nixon makes that aim look rather difficult. Speaking on Twitter, he delivered a number of updates.

The first said that Sunderland had attempted to start an auction but nobody was paying the asking price. Nixon then commented that Donald was trying to start a bidding war for his asset.

The real bad news, though, was that no one is interested in buying at this stage for the money Donald wants.

Far from ideal

Although Sunderland would be worth more to Donald if they achieve promotion to the Championship, a plethora of fans would rather see the club sold now.

They have repeatedly been on the owner’s back, none more so than when he said he’d put the club up for sale in January.

The statement then suggested he couldn’t carry on but six weeks on from that and we’re no closer to seeing whether a buyer will be found.

In fact, it’s looking increasingly bleak for the Mackems as far as off-field matters go. If they can’t find a suitor then they’ll be left with the incompetent Donald for an even longer period of time.

There have been false promises, particularly when it’s come to spending. He admitted at the start of January that sufficient funds would be there for the winter window but the Black Cats only strengthened their squad through loan deals and free transfers.

For away day veterans only: Can you name all of these defunct stadiums?

That being said, matters have improved on the pitch. Sunderland are now fifth in the league table and have won seven of their last nine matches. Perhaps all that was needed was patience?

In other news, Sunderland fans have been left bemused by SOUR remarks from Karl Robinson…