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Harry Maguire has backed calls to scrap VAR for all but one aspect of the game, as Premier League clubs prepare to vote on the technology's future.

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• Maguire backs calls to scrap VAR for subjective decisions
• Wolves put forward resolution to remove tech from PL
• Clubs set to vote ahead of 2024-25 season

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Wolves have tabled a motion to scrap VAR from next season, and Premier League clubs will vote on that at their next general meeting this summer; they require 13 other clubs to approve the motion for it to pass. It remains to be seen if United will vote with the Midlands club but Maguire is in favour of removing VAR from the game for subjective decisions such as fouls and red cards.

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  Nevertheless, the England international believes that the technology should remain for "factual" decisions such as offsides, where there is no subjectivity involved. Maguire has made 22 appearances for United in the Premier League this season and has seen enough VAR interventions.

• WHAT MAGUIRE SAID

  He said, per : "I think it is going to divide opinion and a lot of people will want to keep it. Equally, the popular thing at the moment is to say get rid of it. It probably does need to be done better. The automated offsides are coming in next season and that will improve it. It will make things quicker.

  "Personally, I would keep VAR but for offsides only. I would scrap it for everything that is opinion based. Offsides are factual and not subjective. It is so difficult to lose a game on an offside goal when a player is two or three yards offside. Everyone makes mistakes, linesmen make mistakes, so that is why I would keep VAR for that. But I would not have it for red cards, or penalties because even now, people disagree if a decision is right or wrong."

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  WHAT NEXT?

  United wrap up their Premier League season on Sunday against Brighton on the south coast. They then face Manchester City in the FA Cup final on May 25.

Prior to the new campaign, Manchester United fans will have been optimistic after a season of success. However, fast-forward to today, and they sit eighth in the Premier League with just 28 points.

The Red Devils have failed to score in their last four matches for the first time since 1992, which highlights the lack of goals as their biggest downfall.

With that in mind, Erik ten Hag will look to address that issue in January by signing a centre forward to support the struggling Rasmus Hojlund, who is yet to score a Premier League goal in 14 matches.

Man Utd transfers latest – Youssef En-Nesyri

According to The Sun, Man United are interested in signing Youssef En-Nesyri from Sevilla in January.

It is believed that the United scouting department has been watching the 26-year-old over the last few matches.

£16m would be enough to secure the services of the Moroccan, who is contracted to the Spanish club until June 2025.

How Youssef En-Nesyri compares to Rasmus Hojlund

The Sevilla focal point has featured 16 times in La Liga this season for his underperforming side, scoring five goals and registering one assist. Even though these statistics aren’t exactly brilliant, he has been living off scraps in almost every game.

According to FBref’s similar players model, the 26-year-old is actually one of the most similar players to the aforementioned Hojlund. Indeed, he has plenty of attributes similar to the young Danish striker, and the table below showcases that via stats from this season's Champions League.

As you can see by their low pass and touch statistics, they are both strikers who stay on the last line of the defence and rarely get involved in build-up. Neither are technically brilliant, which may be the reason for that, but when facing a low block, it is important that the centre forward can identify spaces in front of the backline to pick up the ball and link up play.

However, both forwards love to stay in between the goal posts and get on the end of crosses. Hojlund prefers the service to be flashed across the box on the floor, whereas En-Nesyri favours crosses with height, as "he’s such a handful in the air" according to football reporter Ryan Taylor. This is where the duo both thrive.

In truth, En-Nesyri is just a worse version of Hojlund, who offers very little other than aerial ability, and with United’s current chance creation crisis, the Moroccan would simply be ineffective as he ranks in the bottom 1 percentile of strikers for progressive passes received, passes completed, touches, shot-creating actions, and successful take-on percentage across Europe's top five leagues.

Overall, it is clear that En-Nesyri wouldn’t offer much more than what Hojlund currently does, other than a rotation option and an aerial threat. Moving for the Sevilla man seems like a decision based on who United can get rather than what they actually need.

A different style of centre forward who can offer contrasting attributes to the ex-Atalanta player would make much more sense, as it would provide Ten Hag with alternative attacking patterns and a plan B.

Bayern Munich are reportedly set to offer Burnley boss Vincent Kompany a three-year deal but the two sides are yet to agree on a compensation package.

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• Burnley relegated under Kompany
• Bayern move to recruit Belgian
• Contract & compensation details revealed

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Mere days after Burnley were relegated from the Premier League under Kompany, the German giants have moved to lure him to Allianz Arena. Reports in Germany suggest the Clarets want £17 million ($22m) for the former Manchester City player but the Bavarians are only willing to pay half of that. However, it is expected approximately £13m ($16m) will be enough to get the deal done and their hunt to replace Thomas Tuchel will finally draw to a close.

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  According to, Bayern want Kompany to sign a deal until 2027 rather than just a one-year contract. Incidentally, to go from preparing for life in the Championship to managing one of the biggest teams in the world is a remarkable turn of events. However, the 37-year-old is effectively the Bavarians' ninth choice for the job after the likes of Xabi Alonso, Julian Nagelsmann, and Ralf Rangnick snubbed their advances.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Kompany began his management career at Belgian side Anderlecht in 2022 and after two years there he joined Burnley in the Championship. He led the Lancashire outfit to the Premier League at the first time of asking but they finished 19th this term to fall back to the English second-tier.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  It may just be a matter of time before Kompany, who wracked up 89 appearances for the Belgian national side, is unveiled as Bayern's new coach – ending a torrid few months of searching for Tuchel's successor.

Tim Weah started Juventus' final Serie A match of the season as the Old Lady sealed a 2-0 win over Monza on Saturday.

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• Weah starts for Juve
• McKennie remains on bench
• Old Lady win 2-0 on goals from Chiesa and Sandro

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Juventus seized the lead in the 26th minute on a goal from Federico Chiesa. The Italian's finish came after a fantastic solo effort before a strike to the near post made the game 1-0.

  Just two minutes later, it was 2-0. Alex Sandro, set to leave the club after this season, ended his Juve career with one last bright moment, heading home a corner kick from Nicolo Fagioli for Juventus' second.

  From there, there was no way back for Monza as Juve largely saw out the game to end the Serie A season with three points.

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  The Juve win comes just days after the Old Lady lifted the Coppa Italia, effectively ending their season on a high. Saturday's match had little impact on the season, with Juve already having a trophy and Champions League qualification in their back pocket.

  With the win, Juventus finish the season in third place behind only runaway champions Inter and second-place AC Milan.

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  USMNT IMPACT

  Weah was handed the start once again for Juve as the American started four of the team's final five games of the Serie A season. That was a solid run for Weah, who had fallen out of the XI for a time before reclaiming his starting place towards the end of the season. In total, Weah made 12 starts across 30 Serie A appearances.

  The season very nearly ended on a sour note, though, as Weah was almost called for a penalty for a foul in the final minute of this final game. Ultimately, a handball earlier int he sequence bailed Weah out, helping Juve preserve the clean sheet.

  McKennie, meanwhile, was named to the bench, having been relegated to substitute duty a few times towards the end of the season. He started 29 total matches for Juve, though, having established himself as one of the club's best players throughout this 2023-24 campaign.

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  GOAL'S RATINGS

  Tim Weah (6/10):

  Somewhat quiet on the attacking side. Only played in one cross and didn't create any chances from his wide position on the right.

  Weston McKennie (N/A):

  Was in the squad, but wasn't on the field. That was, at least partly, due to some interesting year-end subs from Juve as, for example, third-string goalkeeper Carlo Pinsoglio was brought on as a substitute for some rare playing time.

Leeds United have put the wheels in motion at Elland Road with incomings likely this month and they have now come to a decision on one rumoured target, according to a report.

Leeds set for busy January window

Daniel Farke has made commendable progress with his squad since arriving at Elland Road last summer; however, he will be aware that January additions will be necessary to maintain his side's Championship promotion push.

Journalist Ben Jacobs has recently delivered an update on potential targets that could arrive at the club this month alongside detailing who Farke's men will endeavour to keep around in Yorkshire, as he stated on social media platform X:

Departures have also started to take place at the Whites and Luke Ayling has joined Middlesbrough on loan until the end of the campaign, something which will signal the end of his eight-year spell at the club.

On X, Hay explained that there are plans in place to offer the 32-year-old a proper send-off after a period of distinguished service, as he revealed to his followers: "Luke Ayling signs for Middlesbrough, signalling the end of an excellent Leeds United career. Leeds want him to attend Elland Road for a proper send-off against Preston on January 21."

With speculation rife over who will arrive at Thorp Arch, recent reports suggest that the second-tier outfit has made a decision regarding one man who has been a target for the club.

Leeds United make decision on Nathaniel Adjei

According to LUFCFANZONE, Leeds United have decided not to move for Hammarby defender Nathaniel Adjei as a priority after holding a meeting over a proposed transfer involving the Ghana Under-23 international.

It was previously thought that a fee of between £3-4 million would've been enough to acquire the central defender, who has also attracted interest from divisional rivals Millwall and Ipswich Town. Personal terms weren't thought to be something that would become an issue; however, it is now clear that the Whites will focus their energy on alternative solutions to add some extra steel to their backline.

Labelled "very exciting" by former Hammarby sporting director Jesper Jansson, Adjei has made 32 appearances for Hammarby over the course of his time at the Allsvenskan giants, registering one goal in the process (Adjei statistics – Transfermarkt).

Despite resembling the sort of solidity that Leeds could use more of heading into the remainder of this season, Adjei pitching up at Elland Road is now off the table.

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have been taught a “more difficult” transfer lesson at Wrexham, but an early snub is not considered to be “an issue”.

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• Red Dragons had hoped to land Hourihane
• Big offer was knocked back by midfielder
• Welsh outfit now exploring other options

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Red Dragons had been hoping to welcome more experience onto their books in the summer window, with a move made to snap up former Republic of Ireland international Conor Hourihane as a free agent. A lucrative contract offer was put to the 33-year-old midfielder, but he has taken on a player-coaching role at League One rivals Barnsley.

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  Reynolds and McElhenney have grown accustomed to getting their own way while overseeing back-to-back promotions, but are now discovering that life in the third tier of English football is slightly more competitive and that Hollywood finances do not stretch quite as far.

• WHAT PALMER SAID

  Former EFL star Carlton Palmer sees no cause for concern in North Wales, but has told of Wrexham learning the hard way that recruitment business will not be easy to complete: “I don't think you can read too much into Conor Hourihane signing for Barnsley on a free transfer. A lot of people are reading into the fact that Wrexham offered him a very lucrative contract, he was available on a free after leaving Derby County, and the fact that he turned them down, I don't see this being an issue. The situation with Conor is that he was offered a player-coaches role, he's 33, and he's got Barnsley connections. So I would think all of those things factor into his decision not to go to Wrexham.

  “Wrexham are on the up and up, and are doing really, really well – back-to-back promotions. They are going to face competition from other clubs, now that they've got up to League One, whereas they were down there, the Wrexham owners were throwing money at the job and paying people a lot of money. I think they will still be a very, very good project for some players to go to, but obviously in League One now competing with other big clubs who can pay those salaries, obviously it's going to be more difficult for Wrexham to get signings over the line. But this one, I wouldn't make too much of an issue of Wrexham missing out on his signature, despite the big offer reported to have been offered by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. I don't think too much can be read into that. The fact that he'd been offered a player-coaches role is more I think to do with his signature going to Barnsley, and his connection with the football club.”

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  WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

  Having missed out on Hourihane, Wrexham are now turning their attention elsewhere. McElhenney has admitted that further rounds of transfer talks are set to be held with Phil Parkinson in a bid to ensure that the right additions are made ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.

Whilst Sunderland will want their focus to be on handing Michael Beale a successful first transfer window in charge with some players who fit his style, it has been exit news stealing the headlines as he looks to keep hold of the Black Cats' Championship play-off spot. Now, an approach has reportedly been made, potentially handing Sunderland an uphill battle.

Sunderland transfer news

When it comes to incomings, although Sunderland are unlikely to be the biggest spenders this month, they could still hand Beale some crucial reinforcements. Sam Gallagher's transfer rumours suggest that he may well be among those too. The Blackburn Rovers forward has reportedly been identified as a back-up option, should Sunderland's pursuit of Kieffer Moore fall short. Given that Gallagher's contract runs out this summer, he could be one to keep an eye on if the Black Cats look to bolster their attacking options.

EFL Championship done deals: Every January 2024 transfer

As the January transfer window closes, FFC has you covered for every in and out involving your club in the EFL Championship.

By
Luke Randall

Feb 1, 2024

Beale, of course, may be left with no choice but to seek offensive reinforcements, with reports indicating that those at The Stadium of Light face a battle to keep hold of one of their most important players this month. According to Wayne Veysey of Football Insider, Sunderland have received an approach for Jack Clarke from West Ham United, in a development on the London club's previous interest.

The winger, who Sunderland reportedly value at between £15m and £20m, has attracted plenty of interest in the January transfer window, with Brentford and Crystal Palace also registering their interest in the 23-year-old.

One boost that Sunderland have seemingly received, however, is that Clarke is concerned about moving back to a London club after failing to make an impact at Tottenham Hotspur some time ago. Keen to earn Premier League redemption nonetheless, it remains to be seen whether Clarke will pursue that redemption with Sunderland or another English club to deal the Black Cats a major blow this month.

"Great" Clarke is key to Sunderland promotion

If Sunderland are to secure a spot in the play-offs and then subsequent promotion this season, keeping hold of their star man will be the key. Clarke's stats alone show just how good he's been, with his 12 goals and two assists handing Sunderland a helping hand into the top six. With everything to play for in the second half of the campaign, the winger could yet get even better too, whether that be in the Premier League or at The Stadium of Light.

The West Ham target has previously earned the praise of former manager Tony Mowbray, who said last April: "I had a big shout at him at half-time, to be honest, I thought he was really poor for 20 minutes but his reaction was amazing. We can't sit here and question Jack Clarke's talent, he has double-figure goals now from the left wing and I think probably double-figure assists as well. He's a great player and yet he has to understand – and in my mind he is still a young boy – that we need 90 minutes, not a brilliant 60 minutes.

"Yet, notoriously, wide attackers are a bit flighty, generally. I want Jack to be the best player every game, score goals, create goals, and be too good for the Championship. He has to embrace that and want to do it, and not be happy if he is getting shouted at. I've said to him that I'll always love him. I'll shout at him, I'll get annoyed, but the next morning I'll make you a cup of tea and put my arm around you, it's fine – life's good."

Gareth Southgate has added Jude Bellingham to England's leadership group for Euro 2024 – despite being the third-youngest member of the squad.

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• Bellingham joins England leadership group
• Three Lions boss Southgate explains decision
• Preparing to face Serbia in Euro 2024 opener

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Southgate revealed that the 20-year-old has been promoted to a select group of leaders, namely captain Harry Kane, Kyle Walker and Declan Rice. The England boss wants them to gauge the mood of the squad and use them as a conduit to speak to him about any concerns they have – and in Bellingham's case, especially the younger ones.

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  WHAT GARETH SOUTHGATE SAID

  He said: “I think we have a very open relationship with all of the players. We’ve put a small leadership group together for this tournament now with Harry, Kyle Walker, Declan Rice, and Jude Bellingham because there is a different dynamic to this group, there’s a lot of younger players.

  “I want to make sure the voices of the younger players, that I’m really in touch with that as well. I don’t want to leave here with any stone unturned, I don’t want to have missed anything. It’s always important to know what the players are thinking, they have good views, they have good experiences.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Bellingham has been magnificent for Real Madrid this season and the fact that the Champions League and La Liga winner is being trusted to be part of this leadership group shows how highly Southgate rates the midfielder. Only Kobbie Mainoo, 19, and Adam Wharton, 20, are younger than the former Borussia Dortmund man in the England squad.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Bellingham's England begin their Euros campaign on Sunday night against Serbia at Arena AufSchalke, before taking on Denmark four days later and then rounding off the group stages against Slovenia on June 25.

There are now only five days to go until the transfer deadline on 1st February, and Gary O'Neil and Wolves still haven't managed to add a new striker to their squad, having allowed Sasa Kalajdzic and Fabio Silva to leave on loan for Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers respectively.

One potential target for the Molineux outfit is Chelsea's Armando Broja, who doesn't appear to have a long-term future in west London. Wolves have been in touch, along with fellow Premier League sides Fulham, Crystal Palace and West Ham, to express their interest in a potential deal. The Blues are willing to sanction an initial loan, but they're insistent upon a £35m obligation to buy at the end of it.

As you can see in the table above, Broja has appeared in 19 games for Chelsea this season, and started five of the last seven with striker rival Nicolas Jackson away at the Africa Cup of Nations. Clearly, though, Mauricio Pochettino has been dissatisfied with his output, and is ready to move on.

Fosun now receive Broja ultimatum

According to transfer insider Dean Jones, Broja is Wolves' top striker target this month. However, Chelsea have issued an ultimatum to Fosun, telling them that they need to agree to the obligation to buy if they want to get a deal done. Wolves may feel as if they can test the Blues' resolve on the price tag, however, given that they clearly want rid of the Albanian.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones said: "Wolves' intent around Broja is definitely there. They will sign a striker, and they’d like it to be Broja. Chelsea say it can be done, but with an obligation.

"If the obligation is £35m, then that's a big call from Wolves if they're willing to throw themselves at that one because there's a reason that Chelsea are putting an obligation in there.

"That’s telling you that they don't want the player anymore if they're saying that Wolves have to buy him because if Chelsea still had faith in Broja, they would be sending him to Wolves to score the goals they've been hoping he would get and bring him back into the picture to do a job for them. But that's not the case at the moment. Chelsea are saying it's got to be an obligation."

O'Neil and Wolves eye "red-hot" striker available for £20m – report

Only Jude Bellingham has scored more goals than him this season.

By
David Comerford

Jan 12, 2024

Diallo and Mayoral among Broja alternatives

If Wolves don't respond positively to the aforementioned ultimatum, there are a couple of different targets they could pivot towards in the final days of the window. One of those is Getafe striker Borja Mayoral, who's been watched closely and shares the same agent as Hugo Bueno.

Crystal Palace and Arsenal are interested too, but with Getafe demanding £20m, he too could prove overly expensive for a side walking a financial tightrope.

That could lead Wolves to favour Al-Shabab's Habib Diallo, who's apparently grown unhappy in Saudi Arabia and wants to return to Europe. There's rival interest in France and Germany, but they're apparently ready to loan him out if they receive an appropriate offer.

Wolves have clearly taken ample time to assess their options and lay the groundwork for some potential deals, but we're fast approaching the phase of the window where they need to press the button and move forward.

Turkey star Arda Guler has gained more Instagram followers than the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe during Euro 2024, new figures reveal.

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• Euro 2024 stars see Instagram follower rise
• Figures increase for Ronaldo, Mbappe & Bellingham
• Turkey & Real Madrid star Guler tops them all

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Analysis from compiled data between June 13, the day before the Euros began, and June 27 – hours after the group stages concluded. Their findings states Real Madrid youngster Guler gained more than one million Instagram followers in this period, with Portugal's Ronaldo, England's Jude Bellingham and France's Mbappe experiencing the next biggest gains on the social media website. While all three have more followers than Guler, his stock is definitely rising fast.

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• WHAT THE RESULTS SHOW

  Ranking	Nation	Player	Followers gained
  1.	Turkey	Arda Güler	1,093,669
  2.	Portugal	Cristiano Ronaldo	996,661
  3.	England	Jude Bellingham	725,529
  4.	France	Kylian Mbappé	706,332
  5.	Spain	Lamine Yamal	653,928
  6.	Italy	Riccardo Calafiori	404,544
  7.	Turkey	Kenan Yildiz	373,554
  8.	Germany	Florian Wirtz	335,738
  9.	Germany	Toni Kroos	293,138
  10.	Germany	Jamal Musiala	282,731

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  Guler announced himself on the international stage with a stunning goal for Turkey in their Euro 2024 opening win over Georgia earlier this month. The 19-year-old had a strong end to the season for Madrid and he also played a key role in helping them progress to the knockout stages in Germany.

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  The findings state that Poland's Robert Lewandowski actually ended up losing more than 20,000 followers in this period as his country exited the competition, while Netherlands duo Steven Bergwijn and Frenkie de Jong saw respective drops of 13,000 and 11,000.