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A number of Manchester United fans have called for their club to secure the signature of Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi ahead of the 2019-20 season.

Ndidi – speaking on international duty with Nigeria – has told Goal.com that he is ‘flattered’ to be linked with a move to Old Trafford, amongst other big clubs, having been mooted as a United target in the past.

The midfielder joined Leicester from Genk in January 2017 and has made 101 appearances for the Foxes in all competitions.

During the 2018-19 campaign, the 22-year-old contributed two goals in 38 Premier League appearances for the former English champions.

United are likely to move for at least one new central midfielder this summer following the departure of Ander Herrera.

And a number of the club’s fans have called for executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward to seal Ndidi’s signature in this summer’s transfer window.

Could United be in the hunt for an £85m blockbuster signing this summer? Check out the video below…

Indeed, the midfielder could now become a priority for United with Paul Pogba admitting that he is targeting a move away from Old Trafford ahead of the new campaign.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Loads of Liverpool fans have been discussing the form and future of Dejan Lovren, but should the Croatian be replaced this summer?

Neil Jones of GOAL.com has released a detailed report on the future of several Reds stars, and Lovren is one of those under the microscope.

The World Cup finalist has lost his place first to Joe Gomez and then Joel Matip this season, effectively making him the fourth choice centre back at Anfield.

According to Jones, Lovren is not up for sale necessarily, but could be sold and replaced if the right offers comes in.

We asked our writers at Football FanCast if the Reds should indeed look to upgrade on the 29 year-old, here’s what they said…

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…

Harry Elnaugh

“The self-proclaimed ‘best centre-back in the world’ is a more than capable back-up for Joel Matip, who has been excellent in 18/19, although perhaps finding a player whom Matip can be deputy to is more important. Liverpool would have the Prem’s best back four by far and away if they sign another top defender to partner Van Dijk.”

Harry Sherlock

“Lovren is okay. That’s about it. He seems to have a fair amount of ego, though, and there are certainly better out there. It really depends on how much the Reds want to spend; a move for the likes of Matthijs De Ligt or Kalidou Koulibaly would do wonders for their backline. But, if they’re intending to keep their wallet in their pocket, keeping Lovren around makes sense. They just need to hope that Virgil van Dijk doesn’t get injured!”

Billy Meyers

“Lovren’s woeful performance at the Etihad in January ultimately cost Liverpool the title, and it is these small margins at the highest level that will come back to bite you if you allow mediocrity to settle into your side. Whilst his stock is still fairly high, Liverpool should cash in as soon as possible on the Croatian; they can easily find someone else to do what he does.”

يرى بيب جوارديولا مدرب مانشستر سيتي إنهم ليسوا بعيدين عن المنافسة على لقب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز رغم خسارتهم في مباراة اليوم السبت أمام توتنهام.

وتلاقى الفريقان في إطار منافسات الجولة التاسعة على ملعب توتنهام، حيث خسر مانشستر سيتي بهدفين دون رد.

ويحتل مانشستر سيتي حاليًا المركز العاشر برصيد 12 نقطة، بينما يتواجد توتنهام في الصدارة بـ20 نقطة.

وقال جوارديولا، في تصريحات نشرها الموقع الرسمي للنادي: “الإحصائيات تتحدث عن نفسها، كنا أفضل على عدة مستويات لكننا لم نسجل”.

وأضاف الإسباني: “دافع توتنهام بعمق وكان ينتظر خطأ منا، كان لدينا بعض اللحظات ولكن الحقيقة أننا نكافح لتسجيل الأهداف هذا الموسم”.

وواصل: “توتنهام يتصدر الدوري لهذا هم متنافسون على اللقب أكثر من أي فريق آخر في الوقت الحالي”.

وتابع: “أمامنا الكثير من الفرق، أعتقد أننا لسنا بعيدين، لكننا نكافح لتسجيل الأهداف في الوقت الحالي، تسجيل 10 أهداف في 9 مباريات أمر ليس جيدًا بدرجة كافية”.

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Tottenham Hotspur have sold Connor Ogilvie to Gillingham, the BBC have confirmed.

What’s the word?

The 23-year-old has spent two seasons on loan at the League One club and has now made the move permanent.

Ogilvie never once made a first-team appearance for Spurs, despite coming through their youth academy, and also took in two loan spells with Stevenage.

A defender who can play at left-back and centre-back, he has made a total of 79 appearances for the Gills; he turned out 36 times for Tottenham’s Under-23 side.

An England youth international who has won caps at both Under-16 and Under-17 level, Ogilvie will be out to get his career back on track in Kent.

The first of many

This is a positive step for Spurs; Ogilvie was always likely to leave the club but this shows that chairman Daniel Levy has his priorities right this summer.

There are plenty of players at the club, both at youth level and in the first-team, who need to be shipped out; namely Kieran Trippier, Erik Lamela and Georges-Kevin N’Koudou.

With Mauricio Pochettino surely set to reshape his squad this summer after reaching the Champions League final and finishing in the Premier League top-four, there are likely to be plenty more outgoings.

And if big fees can be garnered, there could be something of a war chest that Pochettino can dip into.

Ogilvie, then, needs to be first of many, and a sign of things to come from Levy.

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Back in December, Jamie Vardy issued a frustrated statement, claiming that Claude Puel’s style of play didn’t suit him.

The forward has since flourished under Brendan Rodgers, and although Vardy is key to the Leicester side, he arguably isn’t the man that’s benefited most from Puel’s sacking.

Wilfred Ndidi has been the biggest benefactor. The Nigerian has been a top signing since arriving from Genk in 2017 but under Puel seemed to lose his way in a few games.

He’s usually known to be an incredibly consistent player and so far under Rodgers, he’s shown that.

Vitally, Ndidi and Youri Tielemans have already established a terrific understanding of each other’s games and their simple yet effective partnership has provided more protection in defence and better fluidity going forward too.

Before Tielemans arrived he was having to do two jobs in midfield and was essentially playing as a box to box midfielder. However, he’s now playing simply as the holding player.

It’s benefited him hugely and that can be seen in his stats since Rodgers arrived from Celtic.

The Foxes boss said this week about the Nigerian: “All we try to do is make it clear what his function is in the team. It’s a job that may seem a simple job but he does it so effectively. He has to win the ball and give it, simple as that. He doesn’t need to be in the box shooting, that’s not your job.”

It’s going back to the basics and the simplicity of his game that is really noticeable about the midfielder now. In the last six games he played before Puel was sacked, he notched up 11 dribbles. The six games after has seen him perform just three.

That’s a clear indication of Rodgers telling him to sit deep and play simple, rather than rampaging forward.

It’s been incredibly effective too. He’s made nine more tackles under Rodgers than he did in the same six-game period where he was dribbling with the ball more under Puel.

The fact Ndidi is still only 22 years of age is easy to forget and it surely won’t be long before he becomes one of the most accomplished defensive midfielders in the English game.

Leicester will do well to hang onto him if bigger clubs come calling this summer.

This title race is really going to the final day, isn’t it? Indeed, Liverpool fans can’t quite believe how good their team has been and yet it still might not be enough to win the league. Typical. Absolutely typical. 

Obviously, the battle between Liverpool and Manchester City at the summit of English football has been utterly gripping to watch as neither side could get any better. Whoever finishes second will be the best ever runner up in the Premier League era and, while that’s a moniker no one wants, it goes to show the level of quality in play.

Goals are flying in at one end, whilst both defences are staying resolute at the other end of the pitch.

Jurgen Klopp simply can’t ask for any more from his players but when it comes to the summer, Liverpool’s task will be sustaining the quality they currently have in their team, whilst adding quality into their squad depth.

Central-midfield is surely an area that the Reds have plenty of options in but adding Napoli’s Piotr Zielinski to that would be a fantastic idea for Liverpool.

Zielinski, who was signed for £12.6 million, usually plays a very active role in Naples, helping out both defensively and when getting forward as well.  As shown by his regular, consistent performances for the Italian side, Piotr Zielinski is a player who could do extremely well for Liverpool.

Indeed, this season alone, he has played his part in 43 total appearances, where he has gone on to provide six goals and two assists from the centre of midfield. Linked with a move to Anfield by Calcio Napoli 24 via Sport Witness earlier this month, it’s easy to see.

People have talked about Liverpool’s workman-like engine room all season but a move for the Poland international would bring another touch of guile alongside the likes of Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Naby Keita. We all saw the impact Henderson made when he moved forward and Zielinski can mirror that, adding more goals from a crucial area of the pitch.

The former Empoli man was even pictured donning the famous red kit of Liverpool back in 2016 (via Metro) after all.

Jurgen Klopp has chased him for what seems like a number of windows now, so could this finally be the summer where Liverpool get their man? Kopites better hope so.

Should Liverpool be targeting Piotr Zielinski once again this summer? If not, why not? Let us know!

Chelsea once again fell to defeat in the Premier League as Everton saw them off at Goodison Park.

The Blues put in a lacklustre performance and could not live with an energetic Everton showing in the second period, and manager Mauro Sarri will once again have plenty of questions asked of him during the post match press conferences.

Sarri has already come under fire this season for various different issues, but today once again showed just why he could be a man on borrowed time come the summer, when the Blues will no doubt assess their managerial options once more.

The lack of inginuity from Sarri is something of a worry too, with his substitutions often lacking any sort of imagination and the like for like switches becoming somewhat tiresome for onlooking Chelsea fans.

It’s for reasons like this that we here in the Tavern feel Sarri could be a man on the move come the summer, with Chelsea always a club not willing to settle for failure and always looking for the next big thing in management to come along and bring them back up to scratch.

The club’s transfer embargo will mean potential managers could be put off by the role, but for Sarri, you just get the feeling that his time at Stamford Bridge will come to an end sooner, rather than later.

Billy Sharp may have fired in the goals to get the Blades within touching distance of automatic promotion this season yet the form of his strike-partner could prove pivotal over the coming weeks.

David McGoldrick has scored on eleven occasions for Chris Wilder’s side during their Championship campaign but has been experiencing somewhat of a drought in recent games having failed to find the target in five games.

Following the departure of Leon Clarke and Ben Woodburn in January, Sheffield United have inadvertently put more pressure on Sharp to lead the line as both Gary Madine and Scott Hogan have failed to provide the necessary impact in-front of goal since their arrival at Bramall Lane.

In order for the Blades to reach the promise land of the Premier League at the end of the season, McGoldrick will almost certainly have to return to form as Norwich City and Leeds United show no signs of slowing down in the hunt for the top two spots in the Championship.

An injury to top-scorer Sharp could prove to be devastating for the Blades in their hunt for promotion yet even if their veteran forward stays fit, his fellow forwards will need to step up at some point if they are to overcome a tough run-in.

Wilder’s side face the likes of Leeds United, Bristol City and in-form Brentford over the next three weeks with the fixture against the Bees occurring on Tuesday night.

The 31-year-old forward has previous experience of playing in England’s top flight division during a five-year spell at Southampton and his calm aura whilst on the pitch could help his side overcome any nerves that they may experience.

A second promotion in three years would cap off a meteoric rise since the arrival of Wilder from Northampton Town who joined the club after they limped to a disappointing eleventh placed finish in League One under previous boss Nigel Adkins.

A fairytale indeed, but Sharp isn’t the protagonist.

Sheffield United fans, do you think Sharp is your main man? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

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According to Miguel Almiron’s agent Daniel Campos (as per ABC Cardinal via the Daily Star),  Southampton were reportedly met with failure in their attempts to sign the attacker on a loan deal back in the January window, before they were beaten to the punch by Newcastle who signed him for a club-record fee.

What’s the word, then?

The Paraguay international signed for the Magpies on deadline day, but not before the Saints and even Arsenal had submitted offers to take the 25-year-old on loan.

Almiron has starred in his three appearances for Newcastle so far, with his debut from the bench ending with a draw, whilst his two starts have both ended with three points in the bag for Rafa Benitez’s side – his impact on the team has been immediate and very impressive.

A huge error by Southampton

The repercussions of missing out on Almiron could be huge for the South Coast side. Ralph Hasenhuttl seemed to have somewhat of a nightmare in the January window, as he failed to secure moves for the former Atlanta playmaker as well as Birmingham goal machine Che Adams.

Adams, who has scored 21 goals this term, would have been ideal for the goal-shy Saints, but the club never made a bid higher than the £8m offered towards the end of the window.

Southampton and Mark Hughes wasted a huge £16m on Mohamed Elyounoussi back in the summer, a man who has failed to be involved in a single goal in his 18 appearances this season, money which could have gone some way to securing both Almiron and Adams and make their battle against relegation a lot easier.

Hasenhuttl’s side lack a cutting edge and a creative source right now – Danny Ings is their top scorer with seven goals, but the next highest scorer is midfielder James Ward-Prowse with four.

Southampton sit in 17th place, just two points off the drop zone and with Manchester United and Tottenham up next with relegation a real possibility; they should be kicking themselves that they didn’t do more to secure at least one of Adams or Almiron in January.

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According to Football Insider, Everton are preparing to launch a move to sign Leicester City youngster Sidnei Tavares.

What’s the story?

As per the aforementioned Football Insider report, the Toffees are one of a number of clubs, both in England and abroad, to hold an interest in the midfielder, who is yet to sign professional terms at the King Power Stadium.

The 17-year-old has been a regular feature for the Foxes’ youth side this season, regularly impressing in a central midfield berth. His form has also earned him international recognition, with Tavares having represented Portugal at under-19 and under-18 level.

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Given he is yet to sign a professional contract, Everton could pick Tavares up cheaply if they could tempt him to make the switch to Goodison Park.

One for the future

If Silva does make a move for his young compatriot, then it would suggest that the manager is already laying long-term plans for Everton’s future.

The Merseyside club have brought through a number of promising youngsters into their first team in recent years, with the likes of Tom Davies, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Jonjoe Kenny all Premier League regulars now.

Tavares will likely only consider a move to Goodison if he sees a clear path to first team football available to him there. The Toffees’ record of investing faith and game time in young players could play a big part in making up the starlet’s mind about a move.

Of course, Tavares represents an investment for the future, but bringing him to the club as soon as possible would be a positive step on Everton’s part.