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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…

It’s that time of the year again where little transfer tidbits begin circulating about almost every club in the country.

Of course, Leeds United are no different in that regard, and the Whites fanbase will likely have seen the recent reports that their summer transfer target Baghdad Bounedjah will now be available for half of the €15m (£12.9m) fee that was once demanded for his services.

However, the key thing at this time of the year is to separate the true transfer reports away from the nonsense that is published every day.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Unfortunately for the Whites, this report is rather difficult to believe.

Firstly, Leeds simply don’t have the power to spend money in January.

Victor Orta recently stated that permanent deals weren’t feasible because of their financial situation and thus, any paid transfer will likely have to be put on the back burner – especially given Leeds’ £40m wage level.

While they might be able to afford him next summer, rumours of a move in the imminent future are surely wide of the mark.

Meanwhile, the striker had an asking price of the aforementioned value for a reason, and after netting seven goals after five league games this season why on earth would that valuation be cut in half?

It’s not as if Al-Sadd are a poor club that needs the money either.

This is the Qatari team that apparently paid Xavi €10m (£8.65m) a year during his time as a player there.

To the surprise of absolutely nobody, the club’s chairman is a member of the Qatari royal family, so it’s a given that they’re not short on cash.

Find out a how a world-record-holding freestyler got on with the worst football in the world in the video below…

Now, we don’t want to discredit any news outlet, but the fact that the original report came from Algerian outlet Competition isn’t the most encouraging of signs.

Leeds fans should certainly take these rumours with more than a pinch of salt as the factors surrounding the story simply don’t add up.

Orta’s comments are fine evidence of that.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets… 

Charlton Athletic had to take a share of the spoils at Craven Cottage as Fulham twice hit back after going behind in a four-goal thriller.

The visitors opened the scoring just before half-time when Conor Gallagher squeezed a strike underneath Marcus Bettinelli in the Cottagers’ net before the lively Ivan Cavaleiro hit back with a superb solo effort ten minutes into the second half.

Macauley Bonne then managed to double his tally for the club just 90 seconds later, as his header looped over the Fulham shot-stopper.

Watch Charlton Athletic Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

But their lead was short-lived with Aleksander Mitrovic, the Championship’s top goalscorer, finally getting a goal himself having hit the crossbar earlier in the match.

The 25-year-old poked home from close range to score his eighth of the season.

The Addicks had their backs against the wall in the final 25 minutes with Fulham launching an onslaught in the hope of finding a winner – Scott Parker’s side recorded 80.9% possession and eight shots, per WhoScored.

One minute after Fulham’s equaliser, Lee Bowyer looked to West Brom loanee Jonathan Leko, but the young forward failed to show why he should be trusted with a starting berth more often.

Per SofaScore, the 20-year-old failed to win any of his ten duels, nine of which were on the ground, which suggests he struggled to match his opposite number and thus invited the aforementioned pressure back onto his side.

He also lost possession four times, having only been on the pitch for a total of 26 minutes, adding to the argument that his presence practically aided Fulham’s barrage of attacks in the final quarter of the game.

Leko has been primarily a winger for West Brom when given an opportunity, playing 63 times on the right according to Transfermarkt’s recorded matches, but for Bowyer, he’s been utilised as a striker.

The youngster has scored two and assisted two so far this season, but this latest performance won’t have done his starting claims any favours, especially after Bonne scored in the lone striker’s role.

WhoScored actually rate Leko’s best position for Charlton out wide as he averages 7.21, which is higher than 6.57 as a striker, so maybe that’s something the Addicks boss should consider going forward.

Though, he won’t be inspired by that dire cameo display.

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…

Former Chelsea defender Paul Elliott feels that Aaron Ramsey left the club “at the right time” after his free transfer to Juventus last summer.

What’s the word?

The Wales international signed a pre-contractual agreement with the Serie A side after being unable to agree to a new deal at the Emirates with a year left on his contract.

Ramsey left north London after a nine-year stint, having signed from Cardiff City in 2008 for £5m.

Elliott, 55, told football.london that the Welshman made the right decision to leave the club.

He said: “They bought him for barely nothing and they have got ten years of services out of him. He is an outstanding talent. I speak to a lot of Arsenal supporters and they were devastated when he left. He went for nothing essentially and that’s to Juventus’ benefit.

In the video below, we look at where it all went wrong for Arsenal’s former ‘saviour’, Mesut Ozil…

“Aaron Ramsey is a modern-day top-class midfield player. He is all over the pitch and scores goals. He does the ugly things in football, technically he is very proficient and he will always get you goals. He is a fantastic acquisition for Juventus.

“He is at the peak of his career and I think he is going to have a great two or three years there. He’s a fine acquisition. He has a legacy at Arsenal cemented and I think he’s got out at the right time and he can still be at his peak for a while yet. He had been one of the most consistent Premier League performers.”

The emergence of Joe Willock

Elliott claims that Ramsey left at the right time but Arsenal may well have let him go at the right time too.

Indeed, Joe Willock has been a regular in Unai Emery’s side this season and has the potential to step into the shoes of the Welshman in the future through his liveliness in the middle of the park, tenacity and eagerness to press forward.

With the 20-year-old having featured seven times in the Premier League this season as well as twice in the Europa League, it’s clear that the manager has plans for the Englishman. Willock has two goals in Europe this season, as well as scoring against Nottingham Forest during Arsenal’s 5-0 win in the Carabao Cup.

Emery even insinuated that the youngster can replace Ramsey in the long run after his goal against Standard Liege in the Europa League.

Per The Sun, he said: “My decision was after I saw him the last two months of last season working with us, his really big challenge was that Jack Wilshere left here, Aaron Ramsey left and he had to take that opportunity to be with us.”

Albeit looking from the opposite perspective, what Elliott said about Ramsey was spot on as his departure has effectively paved the way for Willock to show the world what he is about.

Having represented the England U21s for the first time this season, the youngster’s progression as a player continues to accelerate at an impressive rate, which could end with the 20-year-old cementing his status as Ramsey’s swashbuckling midfield successor.

Three days after the first-team registered their third Premier League defeat in a row, the Everton U21s impressed once again in a convincing victory over Burton Albion in the EFL Trophy.Goals from Ellis Simms and Antony Evans ensured the win in the group stage match, giving the young Toffees their second win in the competition after they beat Mansfield Town earlier in the campaign.

David Unsworth’s side are still unbeaten this season, and after registering a draw against Manchester City on Friday and now beating a team 14th in League One, it seems some fans are calling for the youngsters to step up to the first-team in the wake of the poor form.

The senior squad sits 15th, having scored just six goals in eight Premier League games, with the 3-2 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers the only time Marco Silva’s men have scored more than once in a league game.

Fans are also buzzing over the form of Simms after the 18-year-old bagged an almighty 32 goals in 21 appearances last campaign, now adding another to his collection.

Here’s a look at what Everton supporters said on Twitter after the win over the third-tier side…

The Everton striker is a Sheffield lad born and bred, and due to his affiliation with Sheffield United, he will have wanted to get one over Wednesday.

Watch Everton Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The youngster states that he grew up just five minutes away from Hillsborough, so playing there for Everton may have felt a bit surreal for him.

The Carabao Cup can sometimes be seen as a less important fixture by some players and managers, but Calvert-Lewin had the motivation to give it his all on Tuesday, and his efforts were rewarded as he netted twice.

Aston Villa have confirmed a major injury boost over Leon Bailey ahead of their Premier League encounter with Arsenal on Friday night.

Dean Smith’s side have been without the summer signing for the past three games in the Premier League after being forced off in the second half against Everton back in mid-September.

However, speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the game against Mikel Arteta’s side at the Emirates Stadium, the Villa manager said: “Leon Bailey and Bertrand Traore have both trained over the last couple of days and both will be available for the squad down at Arsenal.

“But we have to be aware that Bailey’s had a thigh injury for four weeks so we have to assess how much of a risk we take with him. We are building up their fitness, they will be in the squad, but we’ll have to assess where they are. They have both been out injured for a few weeks, so they are lacking minutes.”

The Jamaica international has had an injury-disrupted start to life at Villa Park, playing just 85 minutes of football in the Premier League, but even in that limited amount of game-time, he has shown exactly why Villa fans should be excited about their summer signing.

After coming off the bench to great effect against Watford on the opening day – he marked his Premier League debut for the club by setting up John McGinn’s goal and almost sparking a late comeback – the Jamaican flier showed just what he can bring to the table when he delivered another barnstorming cameo against Everton.

Having come on as a substitute once again, Bailey whipped in the corner which was turned in by Lucas Digne, before firing in a superb goal of his own to seal an impressive 3-0 win for Villa.

Speaking before the Midlands club officially confirmed the deal to sign the winger, Alan Hutton threw his backing behind a move for the Jamaica international.

He said: “I’m so excited to see this one. I’ve heard a lot about him over the past two or three seasons. He’s obviously still very young but he’s electric, he gets people off their seats. That’s what you want in a player.

“But what’s more impressive, 15 goals and 11 assists from wide areas in the German league. That’s unbelievable. It’s the kind of consistency you want from your wingers.”

The fact that he’s now back in the frame to play against Arsenal tonight is sure to have fans absolutely buzzing, especially at a time when Villa have fallen into a bit of a slump.

Meanwhile, Villa must start this £7.2m-rated gem against Arsenal…

Manchester United had to rely on a last-minute Cristiano Ronaldo strike to seal a victory against a well-organised Villarreal side in an entertaining Champions League encounter.

The Red Devils were searching for their first points in Group F on Wednesday night after an opening day defeat away at Young Boys, but it was another underwhelming performance from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s charges.

Alex Telles’ magnificent volley and Ronaldo’s dramatic first-time finish earned a comeback win for the Old Trafford outfit, although it could have been a different story if it wasn’t for their in-form goalkeeper.

A bright start from the visitors forced David de Gea into an early save after Arnaut Danjuma drove his effort towards goal, and the Spanish shot-stopper would be called into action on several occasions in the remainder of the half.

Danjuma again stung the palms of De Gea just 10 minutes later, this time firing across the keeper’s body, but he was able to force the former Bournemouth winger’s strike wide when at full stretch.

Just moments later, United’s No.1 was called into action once more, this time tipping a glancing header from Villarreal striker Paco Alcacer over his crossbar.

The remainder of the first half carried on in a similar fashion, with De Gea repelling the La Liga’s outfit’s advances via some outstanding saves, yet the deadlock was finally broken just eight minutes after the interval.

This time, Alcacer’s effort squeezed between his compatriot’s legs after latching onto another Danjuma cross, although it didn’t take the shine off of what was a classic performance from the 30-year-old gem.

As per SofaScore, De Gea received a match rating of 7.7 out of 10, the highest total awarded to any player on the pitch. And when looking at his underlying numbers, it’s easy to understand why.

The ex-Atletico Madrid ace made a huge six saves on the night, all from within his own penalty box. He also achieved a passing accuracy of 100%, illustrating his ability with the ball at his feet and picked out a teammate with both of his attempted long balls.

It’s been a fabulous return to form for De Gea after several years struggling for consistency between the sticks, and he’ll now be hoping to continue in a similar vein for the remainder of the campaign.

And, in other news…Imagine him and Pogba: Man Utd must complete swoop for £60m beast, he’s a big upgrade 

Kevin Phillips says Everton may look to offload midfielder Jean-Philippe Gbamin in the January transfer window. 

The former Sunderland striker was discussing the Ivorian’s future with Football Insider.

The lowdown

Everton paid £22.5million to sign Gbamin from Bundesliga outfit FSV Mainz in 2019, ranking him in their top 15 biggest transfers (via Transfermarkt).

But he’s endured a torrid time at Goodison Park, making just four appearances across more than two seasons.

He’s suffered three serious injuries, including an MCL injury just over a week after he’d returned from an Achilles tendon rupture.

Off the field, meanwhile, Gbamin was hit with a £25,000 fine and a 14-month driving ban after an incident in August (via Liverpool Echo).

The latest

Phillips, a regular on Sky Sports, says Everton may now have lost patience with Gbamin and thinks that they may look to ‘get him off the payroll’ as they did with £200,000-per-week star James Rodriguez, who left for Qatari side Al Rayyan last month.

“From a football point of view, he has had injuries, he has not been playing and then this,” Phillips said. “Come January they may look to move him on.

“Like Rodriguez, they might try to get him off the payroll and use the money to strengthen somewhere else.

“I imagine it’s been difficult for him since moving to Everton and this incident has just topped it off. It is not good to see.”

The verdict

Gbamin’s wages, it should be said, are a considerably smaller burden than those of Rodriguez. He’s said to earn £25,000 per week.

It is, however, increasingly difficult to see him making a success of his Everton career, and maybe it’s best to move on.

If he was to leave in January, then he’d surely have to go down as one of the least impactful big-money signings in Premier League history.

In other news, what about a potential incoming at Goodison Park?

Rangers’ six-game unbeaten run in all competitions came crashing to an end as they lost 2-0 to Ligue 1 side Lyon on Thursday night in the Europa League.

Steven Gerrard’s side were unable to pick up their first points of the group stage as a stunning strike from Toto Ekambi and an own goal from James Tavernier sealed the win for the French outfit at Ibrox.

Despite the defeat, there were some green shoots of potential in the performance, with a few players impressing throughout the match. One player who was a shining light for Gerrard was central defender Leon Balogun, who caught the eye at the back.

The centre-back was paired alongside Connor Goldson and was excellent throughout. He could do nothing about either of the goals, with John Lundstram allowing Ekambi to beat him too easily for the first and the second coming when Goldson’s block ricocheted off Tavernier and rolled into an empty net.

Defensively, Balogun was excellent. As per SofaScore, he won seven of his 11 duels on the pitch, making two clearances, two interceptions and two tackles. He also put in two blocks to show off his superb positioning and bravery to get in the way of the ball and prevent Allan McGregor from needing to make a save.

This shows that he was able to answer the majority of the questions Lyon posed of him. He showcased his strong defending and proved that he is able to perform at Europa League level, which will delight Gerrard as the manager will now know that he can rely upon the Nigerian for the rest of the group stage if needed.

The Rangers beast was also impressive on the ball. As per SofaScore, he had 61 touches and completed 87% of his attempted passes, including four of his eight longer pass attempts. The experienced 33-year-old was also successful with one of his two dribble attempts and won two free-kicks for the Gers, showing his nous to relieve pressure on his team.

This shows that he was competent on the ball to go along with his stout defending at the back. He put in an all-around top-class performance at centre-back for Rangers and was a shining light in an otherwise disappointing night for the Gers.

AND in other news, 62% duels lost: Rangers lightweight who lost possession 12x badly let Gerrard down…

Gio Reyna made another cameo to continue his frustrating loan spell with Forest, but Matt Turner put in a strong shift in a loss to Manchester United.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Reyna benched again
• Six saves for Turner
• Forest fall 1-0

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Wednesday's 1-0 FA Cup defeat to United was a tense affair from the beginning, with both sides having a few good chances to take the lead. On the Forest side, USMNT star Turner prevented several of those chances from turning into goals, making two good first-half stops to help his team set a tone.

  That tone was that they'd be hard to beat, and that's exactly what happened. United struggled for large stretches, with a predictable attack failing to break down Forest's resolute defense.

  The breakthrough did come, though, with just minutes to spare. Forest failed to deal with Bruno Fernandes' free kick, with Callum Hudson-Odoi clearly out of position. That left Casemiro with an open header from close range in the 89th minute, sealing the win and a spot in the next round of the FA Cup.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  With the loss, Forest will now turn their attention strictly towards the Premier League. As things stand, Forest sit 17th in the league and find themselves in a real relegation fight at the bottom of the table. Forest currently have 24 points after 26 games, four-more than 18th-place Luton Town for that third and final relegation spot, but Luton have a game in hand that could see them close the gap.

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  USMNT IMPACT

  What's Reyna going to have to do to get some run? Having barely played in the Premier League, it felt like the FA Cup was a perfect place to give the American a proper chance. It didn't happen. Instead, he was thrown into the fray right after the United goal and given just a few short minutes to do anything with Forest chasing the result.

  it was yet another sign of just how bad this loan move has gone. Reyna has found minutes even harder to come by at Forest than he did at Dortmund, making this loan essentially useless thus far. Unless something changes quickly, Reyna may not get even close to enough playing time this season as Forest rely on the tried and true in an attempt to avoid relegation.

  As for Turner, the USMNT No. 1 put in a strong shift, making some big saves. It likely won't be enough for him to earn back his starting job but it was a good sign that, despite losing his place, his confidence is still there.

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  GOAL'S RATINGS

  Matt Turner (8/10):

  Could do nothing about the goal, but was just about perfect otherwise. Made six saves ranging from the routine to the wonderful. A big message to the critics that he can perform at this type of level.

  Gio Reyna (N/A):

  Had just three touches after coming on. Really, what's the point of this loan?