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Southampton were handed a big boost earlier this week as Spanish midfielder Oriol Romeu committed to a new contract with the South Coast club, but the Saints must not rest on their laurels and should now prioritise extending Ryan Bertrand’s contract.

The defensive midfielder’s contract had been set to extend at the end of this campaign but has now signed on till the end of the 2023 season (per Southampton).

It means that of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s first-team regulars, only Bertrand’s contract is set to expire at the end of the current season and Saints should do everything they can to ensure that he doesn’t depart on a free transfer next summer.

The 31-year-old joined Southampton from Chelsea in February 2015 and has been a regular for the Saints in his five-and-a-half years with the club; making 214 appearances, in which he has contributed eight goals and 19 assists (per Transfermarkt).

Bertrand has been a regular for Hasenhuttl’s side so far this season, having appeared in seven of their eight Premier League fixtures thus far, in which he has averaged a solid, if unspectacular, 6.68 rating (per WhoScored).

The former England international picked up an injury in Villa’s recent win against Aston Villa and it is unknown when he is going to return, which could be a big blow for the South Coast club, as other than Bertrand, they have just 20-year-old Jake Vokins currently available as a natural left-back in their squad.

This suggests that left-back is not a position which Hasenhuttl has a lot of options in, so the club must ensure they are not left short-handed next season if they let Bertrand depart on a free transfer.

Although he is now 31-years-old, the fact he has still been a regular in the Southampton side which has performed so well so far this season demonstrates that he still has the ability to play at the top level.

Reports last month suggested Danny Ings was set to sign a new long-term contract at St Mary’s, but with his deal running until 2022 currently, there are arguably bigger priorities.

Hopefully, after Romeu’s contract was sorted this week, the club will begin negotiations over a new contract for the £9.45 million-rated Bertrand in the near future.

FIFA has announced there will be two new Chelsea additions to their Ultimate Team ‘Icons’.

The 21st edition of the game will see Blues legends Ashley Cole and Petr Cech receive honorary places in the game. The duo will appear in the FIFA Ultimate Team mode as Icons – the most prestigious status of playable cards on the game.

Chelsea have uploaded sneak peeks of Cole and Cech’s FUT cards to their official Instagram account. Many supporters are excited to see them given the nod, but a lot are wondering why the club ignored the fact that two more of their ex-players had been given Icon status.

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Indeed, both Fernando Torres and Samuel Eto’o were added to the latest edition of the game but despite both strikers having spent time at Stamford Bridge, there was no mention of them on the Instagram post.

Former Blues goalkeeper Cech left Stamford Bridge in 2015 to pursue a move to London rivals Arsenal (via BBC Sport). After half a decade with the Gunners, Cech is now back with Chelsea and operating as the club’s technical and performance advisor.

The former Czech Republic international played a big part in helped the Blues secure the signing of Timo Werner earlier this summer.

Frank Lampard and his men have now completed their 2019/20 season and will be looking ahead to upcoming term. One which promises to be full of twists, turns and excitement.

How do you feel about these new FUT Icons? Join the conversation in the comments below!

Sunderland have further added to the club’s under-23 side with the signing of Stephen Wearne, once of Middlesbrough.

The 2019/20 campaign saw the Black Cats’ academy have a disastrous run of form in the league with both the under-18 and under-23 outfits failing to gain a single victory in their respective divisions.

Following such poor performances, Paul Reid left his role as academy manager, prompting speculation that the club’s Tier 1 academy status could be under threat.

A plethora of players have since left the academy setup but they have since been replaced by a number of new faces.

The changes at under-23 level saw three new faces arrive last month to bolster Elliot Dickman’s squad, with Sam Wilding, Bobby Beaumont and Vinnie Steels coming in, whilst Kenton Richardson also signed.

Joining the aforementioned four players was Burnley striker Will Harris, and they have now been supplemented by the addition of attacking midfielder Wearne.

The 19-year-old has put pen to paper on a one-year deal on Wearside after leaving ‘Boro earlier this summer, where he made 60 appearances for the Championship club at youth level.

Wearne is a good addition for Elliot Dickman, especially given that he contributed to 20 goals in those 60 games for Boro, with 10 goals and 10 assists.

The under-23 side have no excuse but to improve given that several new players have arrived and it will be interesting to see how they develop over the next few weeks and beyond.

Do you think Sunderland’s academy sides can improve on last season? Let us know your views in the comments section below…

After failing to score in their last five away games, Liverpool ended that streak on Wednesday night, and enjoyed an impressive 3-1 victory over Brighton in the Premier League.

The Reds were largely in control of the tie, enjoying 56% possession and racking up 19 total shots on the Seagulls’ goal. But whilst a couple of players put in some impressive shifts – most notably Mohamed Salah who struck twice, and Naby Keita who showed signs of his huge potential – there was one player who badly let Jurgen Klopp down: Georginio Wijnaldum.

The Dutchman looked completely out of sorts against Graham Potter’s side, and it was no surprise that his official match rating of 6.3 as per Sofascore, was the worst of any player who started for the Reds.

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He could only manage one shot off target in the entire game, whilst he was only successful with just one his three attempted dribbles – the former Newcastle man has of course come up with some big goals for Liverpool, most notably in the Champions League, but that completely deserted him on Wednesday.

He offered no creativity whatsoever for Klopp’s men, failing to create a single big chance or provide a key pass, whilst he simply got bullied off the ball far too easily by the home side.

He lost possession on 11 occasions, and in the ten total duels that he contested, he lost seven of them. It was a weak and fragile display from a midfielder who is usually a real live-wire on the pitch – this season in the Premier League, he has won an impressive 50% of his ground duels, and conceded possession just 7.2 times per game.

Thankfully for Wijnaldum and Klopp, his midfield partner Keita, carried his burden for the Reds, and inspired them to another three points in the top-flight. The Liverpool manager will surely be hoping that having let him down on Wednesday, his Dutch midfielder can quickly get resume normal service.

It feels like Everton have been negotiating with Lille for Gabriel Magalhaes for an eternity. In reality, of course, not that much has passed since their first efforts to snatch him up, although the whole process is starting to turn into a bit of a transfer saga.

Be that as it may, a new exclusive report from Football Insider claims the Toffees have been dealt another blow in their big-money transfer chase and this one could indeed be the final one.

Earlier this month, Carlo Ancelotti was reportedly pushing for the transfer of the Lille defender and it seemed like Everton would indeed give their all to land their man. But now, as the same source implies, the club have been unable to negotiate a fee with the sellers despite agreeing all the personal terms with the centre-back himself.

Instead, the Merseysiders could very well be leapfrogged by Napoli in this pursuit as the Italians are confident they can close out the deal. Presumably, they have the funds necessary to get the transfer over the line.

Everton, on the other hand, have offered over £20m for Gabriel but it wasn’t enough to convince the French outfit and bring the player to the Premier League. At this very moment, it seems like Ancelotti is set to miss out on one of the priority signings of the summer transfer window.

Unless something drastically changes in their favour, that is. But that also seems highly unlikely at this point in time.

Verdict

The only positive from this whole situation is that Everton still have time to find an alternative to Gabriel. The defender is obviously in high-demand and there was always a possibility someone beats them to the punch.

But there is still ample time to find other solutions to this problem. Let’s see if the Toffees manage to find them.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Lyon are currently sitting in seventh place in Ligue 1 which, for a club of their past pedigree and stature, is nowhere near good enough.

Quite clearly, things are not clicking the way they would like them to click but the situation becomes even more worrying when we take a closer look at their squad.

Of course, stars like Moussa Dembele and Memphis Depay are definitely leading by example, especially in front of goal, but apart from them two, the French titans can’t really boast with much else.

They have scored a total of 28 goals in 17 Ligue 1 games but 19 of those have been scored between the aforementioned duo – Dembele has ten and Depay nine.

By all accounts, the team’s dependence on their high-flying performers is plain to see and the prospect of one of them, let alone both, leaving could spell demise for Lyon.

Unfortunately for them, shortly after Depay was linked with Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, as per Calciomercato’s recent reports, Dembele was also involved in a story with Chelsea.

Daily Mail claim the Blues have already sent scouts to observe the 23-year-old forward and with their transfer ban now cut short, Frank Lampard could very well swoop in and get a couple of key targets.

Both the Blues’ and the Reds’ interest is very much warranted as Lyon’s shining lights are producing some masterful displays with their goal-scoring abilities.

The Merseyside squad already has some brilliant forwards in their team and we know Jurgen Klopp’s system is blessed with prolific wingers. Both Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah are great examples of just that.

Adding in Depay seems like a natural choice for the German manager as the 25-year-old man has a skillset Liverpool could most likely put to good use.

A similar thing is true for the boys from London.

Lampard’s young striker-force looks scary as it is and Dembele fits the bill perfectly as both a wise reinforcement for now and also a big bet for the future.

Just like Tammy Abraham, the 23-year-old looks like someone with a high ceiling and with plenty of firepower to offer the team right now, so the fact the Blues are taking an interest comes as no real surprise.

But, from Lyon’s perspective, just imagine what would happen to the club if both of their star players were snapped up by the interested Premier League clubs.

It’s not really a stretch to say that they would be left stripped of two of their most indispensable assets and would likely plummet down the table as a consequence.

The million-dollar question still remains, however – can they actually stop the English giants from scooping both of their talents and what would it take for them to actually accomplish it?

If there is any truth in the aforementioned reports, Lyon could find themselves with their backs against the wall in the transfer market next year.

Can Depay and Dembele really say no to Klopp and Lampard?

We’ll have to wait and see.

Meanwhile, many Spurs fans want to face one team in the knockout stages of the Champions League and there’s a special reason for it…

Much has been made of Manchester United’s formidable front three, but questions still remain over their options at the back. 

United are on a “fantastic” unbeaten run stretching all the way back to a 2-0 defeat to Burnley as they head into the closing stages of the Premier League.

While the Red Devils continue to score goals for fun, as they thumped Bournemouth 5-2 at Old Trafford, the Cherries still managed to expose a few defensive frailties despite their obvious struggles.

Junior Stanislas turned Harry Maguire inside out, which will be a cause for concern as he struggled to cope with Steven Bergwijn during the 1-1 draw with Spurs.

Meanwhile, Victor Lindelof has never looked convincing alongside the club captain as he has received a below-par WhoScored rating of 6.68 so far.

On the other hand, Eric Bailly has only managed 328 minutes of football all season after recovering from a career-threatening injury.

According to The Telegraph, as per @utdreport, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer appeared to reveal he wants to sign a left-footed defender in a conversation with Bournemouth ace Nathan Ake after the game.

The Norwegian wants to replace Marcos Rojo this summer and Ake is believed to be at the top of his list of potential candidates.

Rojo has reportedly made up his mind about his future and wants to stay at his boyhood club, leaving Solskjaer short of options on the bench.

He apparently told Ake “we need a left-footed centre-back, so keep going.”

The former Chelsea star, who moved to the Vitality Stadium for a club record fee, has impressed on the South Coast, playing 27 games in the Premier League, registering 1.1 tackles per game, averaging 1.3 interceptions, and completing a staggering 5.1 clearances on average (via WhoScored).

However, it is worth remembering the Blues have the option to re-sign Ake, and Frank Lampard’s side have problems of their own in the defence.

Moreover, Solskjaer has made it clear he wants to prioritise finding a striker and a right winger in the summer, and the board may choose to give this one a miss.

United fans, do you think Ed Woodward should sign Nathan Ake? Let us know down below!

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

At first sight, Barcelona don’t really seem like a club with an old squad.

After all, their current average age stands at 26.5 as per Transfermarkt and that, although not the youngest, is still far from alarming, isn’t it?

But upon further inspection, we can see that the main hub of that team is really getting on. All of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Gerard Pique, Ivan Rakitic and Sergio Busquets are already on the wrong side of their 30s and not getting any younger.

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And while the inevitable departure of Messi seems like a catastrophe waiting to happen, the Blaugrana might also run into trouble once Busquets calls it a day.

Of course, the signing of Frenkie de Jong could help but Ernesto Valverde has so far played the young Dutchman in that defensive midfielder role only six times out of 18 games in total that Transfermarkt have in their database, which could indicate that the Barcelona boss prefers to have him further up the pitch instead.

For that reason, their recent links to Rennes 17-year-old prodigy, Eduardo Camavinga, don’t really come as a surprise and seem like a rather good idea.

L’Equipe (via Mundo Deportivo) stated the French club will ask for around €60m (£51m) for their gem and Barcelona could face some competition from Manchester United as well.

But looking at the young talent, he really does seem worth the hassle.

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After all, he has already played a total of 23 games for Rennes in Ligue 1 despite being just 17 years of age and even has one assist to his name.

He’s a natural defensive midfielder by trade and that is very much visible in his statistics this season.

Camavinga has averaged an incredible 4.3 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per game in the French top-flight and has managed to maintain 87.5% passing accuracy, suggesting he’s quite good on the ball as well.

By all means, he really does seem like Busquets’ young replica and a perfect heir for Barcelona.

Of course, the Red Devils should also not be completely disregarded in this conversation.

The only true defensive midfielder they have in their squad is Nemanja Matic and the Serbian is slowly but surely getting on, similarly to Busquets.

Not to mention that he has also been linked with a move away from Old Trafford, seeing how his current contract is due to run out next summer and there are no clear indications that he might sign an extension.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has every right to chase Camavinga and for that reason, Blaugrana might not get the youngster without a fight.

Elsewhere, Gary Neville’s recent comments on Jose Mourinho have really stirred the pot with many Spurs fans…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Speaking on talkSPORT, Ian Holloway has insisted Manchester United would be in a “much better place” if they simply sold Paul Pogba and reinvested the money elsewhere.

What did he say?

The France World Cup winner was the subject of intense transfer speculation over the course of the summer, with reports suggesting that he was being touted with a move to either Juventus or Real Madrid.

The midfielder also fuelled the exit talk by publicly admitting he would be open to a new challenge, and that a question mark still remained over his long-term future at Old Trafford. His game-time this season has been disrupted by injuries, and Holloway has stated that the Red Devils could bring in players who are better suited to their current approach than Pogba.

He said: “I’d put him in the back of my car and drive him off – go away! I would, sorry. Do you think they’re missing him? I don’t, not at all! What could you do with that money? If you look at Ole’s last three signings, I love them all, he’s done well. So if you get rid of Pogba and give Ole that money to re-buy, I think Man United will be in a much better place.

“The focus they had on winning and what it takes to win was there every week, every minute, all the time and that was put there by their manager (referring to Sir Alex Ferguson). I believe their new manager is trying to do that and some of the lads aren’t having it, and Pogba is one of them because he cannot do it week-in, week-out.”

Never-ending debate

Until Pogba either signs a new long-term contract with the club, or ends up sealing a move away, the debate surrounding his future will cease to stop. Prior to the Red Devils’ mightily impressive wins over Tottenham and Manchester City, the return of their Frenchman from injury would no doubt have been hugely welcomed – after all, he did manage 16 goals and 11 assists across all competitions last season.

Can you get full marks on the Ultimate Man United Quiz? Test your knowledge below…

But those two wins have shown that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have found maybe the key to success, and they did so without their big-money signing. It alleviates any fears that they would potentially desperately miss the midfielder is he eventually left. The prospect of him leaving doesn’t seem so scary now for United.

Meanwhile, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer showed he is embracing his inner Jose Mourinho with his in-game management against Manchester City.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Manchester City right-back Kyle Walker was forced in goal against Atalanta on Wednesday after an injury to Ederson and a red card to Claudio Bravo.

After this crazy fixture, pundit Gary Lineker has made a hilarious claim that Pep Guardiola could make a “natural progression” into using outfielders as goalkeepers.

What did he say?

It truly was a bizarre sequence of events, as both of City’s goalkeepers left the pitch. Now, the injury to Ederson could rule him out of the crucial fixture against Liverpool on Sunday, as he joins a growing injury list.

As for Bravo, the Chile international was only on the pitch for 35 minutes before he received his straight red from referee Aleksey Kulbakov. Walker would then enter the fray and immediately have to save a free kick, which he initially spilled but held onto eventually.

Lineker tweeted after the game: “Will Pep do away with goalkeepers? A natural progression.”

As long as you’re good with your feet, right?

Guardiola has almost reinvented the role of a goalkeeper over the past few years, with his desire to see the shot-stoppers comfortable with the ball at their feet.

It seemed to be part of the reason why he signed Claudio Bravo from his old club Barcelona, as he learned that trade with the Spanish giants. Later on, Guardiola would eventually acquire the services of Ederson, who was known for this ability at Benfica.

The Brazilian is confident in his capabilities to play the ball out from the back and this has been an integral part of City’s play under the Spaniard.

Who knows, maybe we could see a deep-lying centre-back who can use his hands one day.