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During Manchester City’s 2-1 loss to Leeds United at the Etihad Stadium this afternoon, plenty of Sky Blues weren’t impressed with the performance of defender Benjamin Mendy – with some fans even calling him a ‘liability’ and claiming he ‘needs to be sold’.

Mendy, who was handed another Premier League start by Pep Guardiola after making his mark against Leicester City last weekend, often proved ineffective against the Whites.

According to SofaScore, the Frenchman won just 3/7 ground duels before being taken off for Phil Foden in the second half – and Mendy also failed to find anyone with three crosses from the left hand side.

He also lost possession 9 times and got dribbled past twice, with City supporters making their feelings towards him known on social media.

Mendy was the hero last weekend against Leicester after scoring the opener with an acute right footed finish into the bottom corner, but he couldn’t replicate that influence this time round.

Find all of their verdicts on Mendy down below.

Man City fans slam Benjamin Mendy

“Mendy genuinely is a shocking footballer. No two ways about it”

Credit: @jessrothberg

“Mendy needs to be sold”

Credit: @adamdavidhunt1

“Mendy is the opposite. A continued liability.”

Credit: @commando42

“Mendy is so useless”

Credit: @SazMCFC

“Mendy useless yet again”

Credit: @SamMCFC1

“mendy thanks for your goal but it’s time to leave”

Credit: @ICsLocked

“Genuinely can’t remember one thing Mendy has done right today. Sell”

Credit: @MattIngham87

“I never want to see Mendy play for this club ever again.”

Credit: @JudasFan1

In other news: Man City fans loved this news, find out more here.

If you thought there would be a quick resolution to Celtic’s manager search, think again.

The Bhoys have been trying hard to find a coach to succeed Neil Lennon in the Parkhead dugout but they are continually being handed major setbacks.

What’s the word?

Celtic have considered both Roy Keane and Eddie Howe as candidates to be their new manager, but one name doing the rounds a few months ago has come to the centre of attention again. That happens to be a certain Rafael Benitez.

The former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss was linked with the Hoops job at the start of the year, when The Mirror claimed Benitez had left his role in China to become the new manager of Celtic. That never materialised with the Spaniard preferring a vacancy back in the Premier League instead.

However, journalist Alan Nixon shed some more light on their chase of Benitez when answering a supporter’s query on Twitter. He claimed that “It really would take a lot of cash” for the Hoops to secure the services of the 61-year-old.

Not good news

Reports of Benitez coming to Celtic were clearly premature but it looks like this ship has well and truly sailed now for majority shareholder Dermot Desmond.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time that wages have become a bit of a problem for the Hoops in their hunt to find a new manager – they are facing the same issue with former Borussia Dortmund chief Lucien Favre.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-celtic-manager-and-transfer-news-howe-lampard-klimala-ajer-gossip” title= “Read the latest Celtic manager and transfer news!”]

He was linked with a move to Fenerbahce but they pulled the plug on a deal because he wanted a salary of around €4.5m per year in Turkey, which works out at around £75,000 per week. It remains to be seen how much the 63-year-old would be seeking in Glasgow, but it doesn’t bode well for Celtic’s hierarchy.

Benitez has earned a pretty hefty sum throughout his career, too. He was reportedly earning a jaw-dropping €13m (£11.3m) per year in China. He was also notoriously one of the highest-paid managers in the Premier League when he was in charge of Newcastle United.

With that in mind, a move for Benitez feels entirely out of the question.

This should be gutting news for Celtic given his experience. He has won the Champions League and Europa League and has gained knowledge of major leagues from all over Europe; he would have been a major coup for the Hoops.

AND in other news, Forget Harkin: Celtic could find their new Van Dijk by appointing title-winning 39 y/o…

Sheffield Wednesday’s chances of remaining in the Championship were given a massive boost before the international break after they ended a winless run of eight matches by defeating their local rivals.

The Owls are now six points off safety, though they do have a game in hand on the side occupying that lucrative final spot in the English second tier.

It’ll be a hard task for Darren Moore to keep the Yorkshire giants in the division, but it isn’t out of the realms of possibility just yet. And one man could hold all the key to getting them over the line…

On the Chalkboard

“Out of all the clubs I’ve managed, it’s probably as disjointed a group as I’ve managed. If you look at it, there’s six centre-halves, and I don’t think we’ve got a left back. We’ve got five tens, and really not a centre-forward.”

Those were the thoughts of axed Owls boss Tony Pulis back in December as he continued to shun the presence of Jordan Rhodes from his squad.

It was a rather damning indictment on the Scotsman; to say that they haven’t really got a centre-forward when in reality, there was one staring him right in the face each day.

Perhaps if the well-travelled 63-year-old had a little more faith in the long-serving Owls striker, then he may well still be in the job.

Compare that to how Moore feels about the 31-year-old, during his unveiling, he said (via YorkshireLive):

“Jordan is a good striker. He can finish and we don’t doubt that finishing ability. There’s plenty more football left in Jordan. There’s a wonderful talent if we are looking at him as an isolated figure. He’s a goalscorer, and he knows where the back of the net is.”

Since being appointed at the start of the month, no other Owls player has found the net more times than Rhodes, having bagged the opener against former club Norwich City and a brace in last weekend’s South Yorkshire derby.

From being snubbed by Pulis to becoming Wednesday’s joint-top goalscorer almost overnight, it’s clear to see that the 31-year-old, who is the club’s highest earner on £35k-per-week, still has a lot to give at Hillsborough.

His undeniable goalscoring ability will undoubtedly hold the key as to whether or not the Owls remain in the Championship this season. Wins are all that matter now, and you’ll only pick up three points by finding the net.

After all, Rhodes is merely eight goals away from being the division’s most prolific striker, so it’s no surprise to see Moore building his attack around him thus far.

Feed the Rhodes, and he will score.

AND in other news, More goals than Marriott: Chansiri call now looking a big Sheffield Wednesday blunder…

According to a report by Football Insider, Tottenham Hotspur and chairman Daniel Levy have set their sights on signing two new goalkeepers this summer amid speculation surrounding a potential exit for Hugo Lloris.

Indeed, as per the outlet, Levy and co are ‘in the market’ for a possible heir to Lloris as well as a quality back-up option – with the club planning for a possible exit as he is soon to enter the final 12 months of his contract.

Daniel Levy sets sights on two Tottenham additions

As well as the Tottenham first choice, both Paulo Gazzaniga and Joe Hart will be in the final year of their contracts this summer, prompting the club to weigh up options for the goalkeeping department next window.

Lloris has been linked with a Spurs exit lately, as Football Insider recently reported that he is in ‘regular contact’ with Paris-Saint Germain coach and former Lilywhites boss Mauricio Pochettino who would apparently love to sign him.

After this claim, Football Insider has dropped an update sharing that Spurs officials have set their sights on two new goalkeepers this summer as they plan for Lloris’ potential departure.

Transfer Tavern take

Whether or not this comes to fruition remains to be seen, but it could be an interesting development after Pochettino was also heavily linked with Dele Alli in January.

It appears Levy may have plenty of contact with the man he sacked when the transfer window opens this summer, and a departure for Lloris would certainly force his hand in the goalkeeper market.

In other news: Tottenham are reportedly set for exit talks, find out more here.

Anwar El Ghazi was a notable absentee from the Aston Villa team sheet for the match against Wolves and Dean Smith has provided an update on the player.

The latest on El Ghazi

Smith confirmed that El Ghazi is out with an infected toe picked up against Sheffield United, with the manager saying: “He came back after the game and had a bruise which got infected. He wasn’t able to get a boot on. He’s a big loss.”

This is a big blow for Villa

It has been a remarkable turnaround for El Ghazi, who has scored six goals in his 16 Premier League appearances so far this season (Transfermarkt). This is already two more than he managed the whole of last season over 34 games.

He received great praise from former Villa defender Alan Hutton, who said: “I’ve played with him and played against him. In training, he can be unstoppable.”

El Ghazi has also been a great attacking threat and has been a handful for defences, with an average of 2.1 shots, 1.1 key passes and 1.4 successful dribbles per game this season (WhoScored). He clearly was missed in the 0-0 draw against Wolves as many Villa supporters slated the performance of his replacement Trezeguet.

Hopefully the injury is not a lengthy one, especially during a particularly good campaign for the player, as he provides a much better threat than Trezeguet (who has failed to score in his 18 appearances this term) and he could be vital for a top half finish in 2020/21.

In other Villa news, some fans have been piling praise on one star at the club following his latest comments. Have a read who it is here!

Aston Villa and Leicester City are both interested in Rangers defender Filip Helander.

That’s according to Swedish outlet Sportbladet, cited by the Daily Record, who claimed that the Scottish champions could replace Helander with Elfsborg’s Joseph Okumu.

Helander a Rangers regular

Helander, valued at just £1.8m by Transfermarkt, is under contract at Ibrox until 2023.

The Sweden international has made 27 appearances under Steven Gerrard this season, and it seems as if his performances have caught the eyes of Dean Smith and Brendan Rodgers.

Transfer Tavern take

It’s not the first time Villa have been linked with the towering centre-back. Former Villa manager Steve Bruce was reportedly keen on Helander back in the 2018 January window during the player’s time with Bologna.

It seems as if the club have reignited their interest three years on, and statistically Helander has outperformed both Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa this season. As per WhoScored, the Swede has averaged a match rating of 7.11 in the Scottish Premiership, higher than Mings’ 6.88 and Konsa’s 6.82. Helander has also won more aerial duels per game with 4.3, compared to Mings 2.8 and Konsa’s 2.6.

Based on those figures, the 27-year-old could be well worth the Villans’ time in seeking a potential move south of the border.

In other news: Many AVFC fans react to Villa-linked star’s social media activity, find out more here. 

Five of the starting line-up that beat Crystal Palace on Tuesday night were players West Ham United have signed since the appointment of David Moyes. One, though, in Tomas Soucek, will make the London Stadium a hotbed for vultures to pick apart.

Soucek was the absolute star of the show as the Hammers comfortably beat the Eagles 3-2, on a night the scoreline would have been far wider had Michail Antonio not squandered a hat-trick’s worth of chances to fire past Vincente Guaita.

Instead, the Irons were indebted to Soucek for guiding them to glory over their London rivals with a brace as he took his tally for the season to seven, with what has become a trademark late run and a powerful header from the Czech Republic international.

Soucek does not do anything overly fancy or try to go on a dazzling 40-yard dribble past half a dozen players like a stereotypical Brazilian in their prime. Instead, the 25-year-old excels at anticipating where a chance is going to come from and pre-empting the path of the ball to ensure he glides in, often unnoticed, to the right place at the right time.

His ability to reach the ball at the optimum moment against Palace left Moyes rightfully impressed with his £19m summer capture, who the former Manchester United boss was never going to let leave the London Stadium after his initial loan spell for any reason other than relegation.

“He has done brilliantly since he came to the country, it was this time last year when we signed him, and to come in and hit the ground running in the Premier League is really difficult at any time,” said Moyes, via quotes by football.london, following Tuesday’s win.

“I can’t put him in a Steven Gerard mould but midfielders who can get into the box and score goals is a great thing and Tomas is that. He’s a wee bit old-fashioned in many ways but his attitude and commitment to the team is second to none. He is a joy to work with.”

But for how long Moyes can enjoy working with Soucek remains to be seen, as the Czech Republic international’s exploits will be sure to make the London Stadium a hotbed for vultures to circle and not just those looking to sign the supposed cherry of Frank Lampard’s eye Declan Rice.

Reports have already emerged in recent months suggesting Bayern Munich and a clutch of European outfits are now monitoring Soucek’s situation following his sublime first year in claret and blue, as he went from an unknown quantity to a pivotal part of a top Premier League side.

West Ham would be nine points worse off were it not for the goals that Soucek has scored in the league this season, with the £27m-rated beast’s strike in defeat to Manchester United the only effort to have not returned a win or a draw thus far.

Soucek offers far more than just goals, too, with Vladimir Coufal (45) and Rice (38) the only members of Moyes’ squad to have recorded a greater number of successful tackles (37) in the top-flight this term, per WhoScored.

Rice is also the only one to intercept the ball more often (39) than Soucek (29), as the pair sniff out danger before it can threaten Lukasz Fabianski’s goal and dictate how West Ham operate with the second (975) and third-most (808) total passes, only behind Aaron Cresswell (984).

Moyes should fittingly be lauded for his masterclass in polishing the diamond that Soucek has become in his year in east London, but the midfielder he lauds for being “brilliant” will soon put the Scot’s resolve to the test when offers no doubt come flooding in thick and fast from Europe’s elite.

AND in other news – Exclusive: Pundit drops verdict on West Ham’s links to £7m-rated striker…

Speaking to Football Insider, pundit Frank McAvennie has spoken out over Jose Mourinho’s decision not to start Gareth Bale in the Premier League on a regular basis – coming after a claim that he is ‘not going to play’ against the big sides. 

Bale, who was snapped up from Real Madrid on a season-long loan deal over the summer, has been utilised carefully by coach Mourinho – mainly due to slight fitness concerns and, debatably, the improving form of January signing Steven Bergwijn.

The Welshman has started just one Premier League game since returning to Spurs, away to West Bromwich Albion, where the Lilywhites eventually came away with all three points thanks to a last gasp strike from Harry Kane.

McAvennie baffled by Mourinho call on Bale

McAvennie, in an interview with Football Insider, has questioned the manager’s decision not to play him more often – with Bale so far reduced to Europa League starts and the occasional top flight cameo.

“I do not get it,” the former West Ham man explained.

“I really do not understand it. I thought we were going to see the front three of Kane, Son and Bale every week. I do not understand why he is not playing him in the Premier League.”

Despite being perplexed by Mourinho’s decision over the ‘very important’ summer signing, McAvennie still holds praise for Spurs as they challenge at the top of the table.

“Even then they have been fantastic going forward,” he continued.

“I hate to say it but they are putting a challenge in this season.”

Transfer Tavern take

While some believe that Mourinho is not playing Bale enough, you could argue that this is a smart decision given his past injury problems coupled with the intensity of English football.

As the 31-year-old continues to be eased in, there is little doubt we will see more of him over a congested fixture calendar.

In other news: Tottenham have been gifted an unlikely boost by Levy, find out more here.

When it comes to the January transfer window, Wolves’ plans solely revolve around finding a new striker.

After Raul Jimenez fractured his skull against Arsenal, they have been relentlessly searching for someone to fill his void.

Fabio Silva has scored just once since the Mexican was ruled out for an unspecified amount of time and as a result, the club recalled Patrick Cutrone from his unsuccessful loan stint with Fiorentina.

The Italian has failed to score all season so it’s rather questionable that Nuno Santo believes him best qualified to replace Jimenez.

That being said, they are surely no better targeting Stephane Bahoken. The Cameroon international has been linked with a switch to Wolves in the last few weeks but hasn’t particularly caught the eye since.

Judging by the acquisitions of Romain Saiss and Rayan Ait-Nouri from Bahoken’s club Angers, he’d be a good signing, but his performance off the bench on Saturday was nothing short of a horror show.

His team were defeated 3-0 by Monaco and the striker came on and played the final 34 minutes of the encounter. Unfortunately, he failed to inspire a fightback.

The 28-year-old cut a frustrated figure as he completed just 57% of his passes – four out of seven. Coincidentally that was a worse tally than Cutrone managed when he came off the bench for Wolves last Friday in the FA Cup.

He only managed three passes but was successful with all of them at least. From just ten touches of the ball, Bahoken lost it on four occasions and only managed a solitary shot towards goal.

There was a distinct lack of threat from the experienced forward who didn’t do anything positive of note. Cutrone did at least try one dribble when he came on for Wolves but it would be wrong to say he didn’t struggle too.

It’s unsurprising, though, when you consider it was his first appearance of the season for the Old Gold.

That being said, he is still probably a better option than Wolves’ current target. Cutrone at least knows the demands of Nuno and how the team plays.

They must forget about Bahoken for the time being. This small cameo was a disaster.

AND in other news, Wolves can find their next Boly with swoop for £1.5m “weapon”, he’s a “great talker”…

Many Rangers fans have flocked to a tweet that was recently posted by the club’s official Twitter account announcing that the Glasgow club have agreed on a four-year deal with Nnamdi Ofoborh, which is set to begin in the summer. 

This tweet includes a link to a post on the Gers’ official website in which it is explained that ‘there will be training compensation payable’ to Bournemouth, with Ofoborh agreeing to move to Ibrox after rejecting a contract extension at the Vitality Stadium. 

The 21-year-old midfielder is currently on loan at the Cherries’ EFL Championship rivals Wycombe Wanderers for the remainder of the 2020/21 campaign after which he will join up with the current Scottish Premiership leaders. 

His teammate on the south coast, Jack Simpson, will join the Gers immediately, replacing George Edmundson, who joined Derby County.

So, how have these Rangers fans been reacting to this news? 

The club’s tweet sharing the Ofoborh news drew a largely positive response from fans of the Glasgow club,  a lot of whom, it seems, can’t wait to see the midfielder at Ibrox.

“Brilliant”

Credit: @muirsy1

“Lovely”

Credit: @camrfc

“Nice!”

Credit: @onlyoneamoruso

“No messing outstanding Rangers”

Credit: @ayeready1872

“Yesssss Morning Announcements”

Credit: @SuperAlly1989

“incredible”

Credit: @hannahfirman_30

“It just keeps getting better & better.

what a time to be alive.

C’mon the Gers.”

Credit: @DugsOf

In other news, many Rangers fans have been raging at their club over their Alfredo Morelos decision.