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Manchester United are set to rekindle their interest in Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira once the transfer window re-opens, according to reports from The Mirror.

David Moyes made a late move for the German international over the summer, but was unable to tie up a deal.

But, the Scot remains interested in the 26-year-old, who is thought to be unsettled at the Bernabeu.

The Premier League champions had scouts in attendance for Real’s recent 7-3 win over Sevilla to assess Khedira.

Rumours suggest that the reports received were unanimously positive, which has convinced Moyes to press ahead with a £35m move.

The former Everton man has only been able to sign Marouane Fellaini since taking control at Old Trafford, and is believed to have concerns over his options in central positions.

Khedira is seen as the perfect man to add a combative edge as well as some forward-thinking creativity to the Red Devils’ ranks.

Real are thought to be willing to sell for the right price, with the ex-Stuttgart man no longer an essential first-team player

Chelsea are also keen, with Jose Mourinho – who coached the midfielder while in the Spanish capital – an admirer of his abilities.

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Could Sami Khedira transform Manchester United’s midfield?

Comment below to have your say!

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Per Mertesacker’s impact at Arsenal was played down even before he kicked a ball for his new team. Arriving from Werder Bremen in the summer of last year—that chaotic, throw-everything-into-the-trolley-at-the-last-minute summer—the German international was deemed too slow for the pace of English football and not good enough to fix that problematic area for Arsenal. At this stage, is it a fair shout to say Arsene Wenger has pulled another great buy out of the hat?

English football seems to want it all from every position on the field: centre-backs need to be tall, fast, strong, and good on the ball. Funnily enough, it’s similar demands from centre-forwards as well. Unless your striker has all of these attributes in his locker, he’ll be dismissed just as quickly and easily as Mertesacker was.

But it’s hyperbole, it’s hypocrisy, above all, it’s just a bit daft. Lets forget the negativity surrounding John Terry and focus solely on the centre-back of Chelsea. Isn’t that what everyone wants from a central defender? One of the best leaders in the game and one of England’s finest. Yet Terry isn’t the quickest, nor would he waltz up field from the back and launch attacks from deep. The waltz, something we see regularly from Spain’s centre-backs, is more akin to a trudge when referring to Terry and his overall ability on the ball. But that’s never a problem. Maybe it’s his passport.

Mertesacker is exactly the type of defender Arsenal needed and had been crying out for. It wasn’t a last minute dash and a lack of clear thinking that brought the German to Arsenal, Arsene Wenger had tried to bring the centre-back to the Emirates during the previous summer. Maybe something to do with transfer fees stopped that deal ever happening. But he’s the perfect partner for either Thomas Vermaelen or Laurent Koscielny; a duo who really don’t complement each other well, at least not consistently.

The debate was there on the table prior to this season kicking off: who should partner Thomas Vermaelen? Was the captain really droppable in favour of either of the other two? Wenger more or less made his mind up that Vermaelen would be the regular go-to centre-back due to his carrying of the armband, while one of the other two would be picked on merit. Perhaps Mikel Arteta, an undoubted starter for Arsenal, should have been given greater consideration for the captaincy. At least there’s comfort in knowing Barcelona wouldn’t publicly raise his easily forgettable “Barcelona DNA.”

But it tells you a lot of Mertesacker and his influence at Arsenal when fans seem to mourn his lack of inclusion in the starting XI. Arsenal’s attackers played some excellent and fearless football away at the Etihad against Manchester City, but Mertesacker was the clear star performer.

The German didn’t need pace or even his obvious strength to keep City’s attackers at bay; his reading of the game is what really shone through. And even with an early yellow card to his name against Liverpool, his performance never allowed for another booking. He doesn’t play with an erratic nature, flying into challenges that serves no great purpose in the defence of his goal. He appears to be meticulous in his approach, never succumbing to the quality and wizardry of the opposition.

Every defence needs a calming head, and how many times have Arsenal heard the same story rolled out about them needing an experienced centre-half? Do they come much more experienced that a German international at the peak of his powers with close to 100 international caps?

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Per Mertesacker is the closets thing Arsenal have to an old fashioned centre-back. No nonsense, just a desire to defend and to defend well. The other two regular centre-backs at Arsenal are a modern hybrid of the position, one combines his upbringings of Dutch total football, while the other’s pace and build would make him appear a comfortable fit for a few other positions. But Mertesacker has proven quickly to be the team’s most valuable asset in defence, a player who settles the back line and guarantees a comfortable adaptation to the contrasting attacks that are regularly on display in the Premier League.

Leeds announced a new investment deal in partnership with the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday, and the first step to a new era at the club should be buying a truly top goalscorer in Matej Vydra.

What’s the story?

Reports last week claimed Derby County will look to sell Vydra after missing out on the Premier League, and Leeds should be at the front of the queue to sign the Czech international.

According to the Telegraph, Derby will move to slash their budget after their playoff loss Fulham, and Vydra is “their most sellable asset” after a fantastic season for the Rams.

Owner Mel Morris has admitted there will be little investment at Pride Park this summer, as he looks to significantly cut the wage bill ahead of another season in the second tier.

Derby already have Cameron Jerome, David Nugent, Chris Martin and Andreas Weimann on their books to accompany Vydra, so it is no surprise that they want to trim down.

Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani said on Thursday the new partnership with NFL franchise the 49ers will give Leeds “access to a rich source of business and sporting expertise”, and signing Vydra from their Championship rivals would be an excellent starting point.

Is he good enough?

Leeds fans have already been debating moves for several forwards this summer, as Hull City front man Abel Hernandez will be on the market when his contract expires, and Carpi striker Jerry Mbakogu has been linked with a move to Elland Road as well.

Whether Paul Heckingbottom stays at the club or not, they are in desperate need of someone who can take the goalscoring responsibilities off struggling youngsters Jay-Roy Grot and Caleb Ekuban, and what better way to do it than by weakening a league rival at the same time.

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Vydra grabbed 21 league goals in 35 starts for the Rams this season, including an impressive hat trick in a 3-0 win at Middlesbrough back in November.

The 26 year-old is strong with the ball at his feet, but most importantly of all he knows how to bury chances when they come his way, and the presence of the likes of Pablo Hernandez and Samuel Saiz could present him with plenty of opportunities.

This season was Vydra’s third excellent Championship season in his career so far, grabbing 22 league goals with Watford in 2012/13, before netting 16 times in 2014/15 with the Hornets.

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His only real poor season came in 2015/16 with Reading, when he grabbed just three league goals in 2,103 minutes on the pitch. But the struggling Royals finished 17th that season and had very little creative influence in the side.

Leeds may yet win the race for Abel Hernandez, but with the pacey striker available on a free transfer when his contract expires, why not get both?

So, Leeds fans, would you back a summer swoop for Vydra? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…

To celebrate 25 years of the Premier League each week in Football Fancast we’re going to be looking back at a memorable game that took place on the corresponding date. This time out we revisit a Boxing Day belter that would have a very different slant on it today.

Twelve years ago this Christmas Wigan Athletic beat Manchester City in a seven goal thriller at the JJB Stadium. The Latics were six months in to their first ever season in the top flight and safely moored in mid-table their sole aspiration was to establish themselves as a Premier League club. With that aim in mind this victory certainly helped, secured on Boxing Day 2005, as too did their surprise win up in Manchester three months later. Under the charge of their impressive coach Paul Jewell, Wigan were very much a club on the up.

As for City this 4-3 defeat was just the latest in a series of setbacks endured during a drab and underwhelming period that still sends a shiver down Blues’ spines to this very day. Throughout the whole season Stuart Pearce’s side never once inhabited the bottom three yet also never threatened to reach the heady heights of mid-table that Wigan revelled in. Furthermore the club was essentially skint yet still somehow found the resources to purchase Georgios Samaras that summer, a Greek saviour who finished the campaign with just five goals. That summer they also had the opportunity to recruit an aging trialist for free, a midfielder with bags of experience and six La Liga titles to his name. Pearce, in his infinite wisdom, turned him down. His name was Pep Guardiola.

Presently both clubs are top of their respective tables, with Wigan enjoying eight consecutive years in the Premier League (sometimes requiring last day heroics to do so) before twice plummeting into the third tier. That’s where they are now, in League One with promotion in their nostrils. City meanwhile lead the field in the same league they have resided in since a Lee McCulloch header, Henri Camara decider, and Jason Roberts double saw them off home to eat their turkey leftovers in miserable fashion. Yet speak to anyone at the ground that day and inform them of what the future beckoned and only one fan-base would be astonished, and it wouldn’t be the club destined to yo-yo through the divisions.

Regarding the game itself both clubs went into this festive contest buoyed by healthy wins prior to Santa’s arrival. What also united the sides was that each were being elevated on a weekly basis by influential midfield performances from Joey Barton for City and Jimmy Bullard for the Latics. Both men featured prominently here with Barton banging home a late consolation volley and the soon-to-be Sky joker running the show elsewhere.

The real star of the day however was City’s farcical defending and here some sympathy is due for Pearce who said later, “For a defender of 25 years watching us defend was a horror show”. It was hardly a comedy of errors for the travelling supporters either and in truth three of Wigan’s quartet of goals was gifted to them even if they were executed professionally.

City’s French midfielder Antoine Sibierski opened proceedings two minutes in with a far-post header but from then onwards it was all Wigan as they countered brilliantly and exploited the gaps offered up by a haphazard back-line. Roberts equalised soon after before McCulloch guided home a powerful header. Before the first half was out Roberts once again capitalised on indecision to convert his second one-on-one with David James.

When Camara easily turned his marker and slid home a fourth the result was no longer in doubt, or so everyone believed at least. Barton’s humdinger reduced the deficit and when Andy Cole pulled back a third with 90 seconds left on the clock it meant a nail-biting finale was on the cards.

“You can’t take your foot off the gas at this level,” a relived Jewell said later. “We created our own problems,” was Pearce’s diagnosis. Perhaps if they had a master tactician on the pitch it might have been different, let’s say for argument’s sake a highly experienced five-time La Liga winner.

What happened next?

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Wigan’s inaugural season in the top flight ended successfully with a tenth place finish and better yet an appearance at the Millennium Stadium in the League Cup final where they lost to Manchester United.

City’s existing for existence’s sake continued for a further year in an era that can safely be described as a prolonged calm before a storm.

Phil Neville is relishing the prospect of facing Everton as coach of Manchester United for the first time, reports the Guardian.

Neville spent eight years with the Toffees, and tonight comes up against them for the first time since leaving Goodison Park as a player in the summer.

Now back at Old Trafford in a coaching capacity alongside his former Everton boss David Moyes, Neville has only fond memories of his time at the club, and claims his spell there made him a better player and a better person.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Guardian, Neville was able to recall the moment Sir Alex Ferguson invited him to his house to inform him he would be sold.

“Inside – and this is the weird thing – it was probably one of the most magical moments of my career,” Neville says.

“We were in his front room, having a cup of tea and he was plotting my next career move, where I was going, how I would play, everything.

“I went outside and my wife was in tears. But it wasn’t done in a cold office. It was done with warmth, like going round to your Mum and Dad’s for some advice. But don’t get me wrong, I went home and cried my eyes out for 24 hours.”

Despite the tears however, Neville has only positive memories of his time at Goodison Park.

“I didn’t win a trophy with Everton but that time is just as special as my playing career at United,” he added.

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“People leave United and tend to drift out of the game. I actually think I became a better player and a better person. I proved a lot of doubters wrong. I was there on my own. It was a culture shock, being out of the bubble of Manchester United, but I thrived. It was the making of me.”

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Patrice Evra is set to return to the Manchester United first-team for Wednesday night’s clash with Galatasaray, according to BBC Sport.

The France international suffered a minor knock whilst away on World Cup qualifying duty with Les Bleus, and as such was rested for the Red Devils’ 4-0 victory over Wigan in the Premier League on Saturday.

Alexander Buttner, who signed from Vitesse Arnhem in the summer as a long-term replacement for the ageing Evra, started against the Latics and impressed on his debut.

Despite the young Dutch full-back even scoring an individual goal in the rout of Roberto Martinez’s men, Evra will be reinstated to Sir Alex Ferguson’s staring XI for the clash with the Turkish giants.

Attackers Robin van Persie and Shinji Kagawa also did not start the game against the Latics after also picking up injuries on international duty, but both new men have been training with the side and are thought to be fully available for Ferguson to select in midweek if desired.

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By Gareth McKnight

According to reliable club insider @ExWHUemployee on Episode 86 of The West Ham Way radio show, West Ham United are considering a move to sign Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure on a free transfer this summer, and Irons fans have been quick to react to the rumour.

It was announced earlier this month that the 34-year-old will be leaving the Etihad when his contract expires at the end of the season, but the Ivory Coast international has expressed a wish to carry on playing in the Premier League with an extraordinary proposal for potential suitors – something which has seemingly caught the east London outfit’s attention.

The midfielder – who turns 35 years of age on Sunday – made his first top flight start of the campaign in the 3-1 win against Brighton and Hove Albion on Wednesday night, and he has scored 59 goals in 230 Premier League games for the champions.

West Ham supporters took to social media to give their thoughts on the story, and while one said he “could be a great mentor to Declan Rice”, another said he is “too old and way past his prime”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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With the January transfer window now in full swing, speculation involving the Premier League’s top clubs is rife.

The Express recently reported that Arsenal are leading the way in a pursuit of Chelsea defender David Luiz.

The Brazilian has dropped out of contention at Chelsea since manager Antonio Conte left him out of his squad at the end of October.

The former Paris Saint-Germain star was also struck down with a knee injury, but is closing in on a return.

Arsenal have had problems in defence this season, but according to Wenger, Luiz will not be arriving at the North London outfit this month.

While speaking to reporters ahead of Wednesday’s Premier League clash against Chelsea, the Arsenal boss described the Luiz rumours as “wrong”.

The Frenchman went on to indicate that he is only looking for an “exceptional” player to boost his squad.

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After the manager delivered his thoughts on the speculation involving Luiz, Arsenal fans tweeted their reaction.

We have all heard of Fergie Time, where referees seem to add more minutes than perhaps is necessary waiting for the ‘Red Devils’ to nick that much needed equaliser, or indeed winner.

However, now revelations that referee Mark Halsey used to be on texting terms with Sir Alex, seem to only further emphasise this speculation.

Opposition fans have always felt that referees didn’t do them any favours at Old Trafford, so you can understand the controversy surrounding the revelations that Sir Alex Ferguson used to be so close to Halsey.

The details are revealed in Halsey’s new book in which the ref admits texting Fergie, including to get his support for Mark Clattenburg during the John Obi Mikel racism row.

Halsey wrote: “I took matters in my own hands and rang Sir Alex asking him to speak out.

“He agreed and used his Friday press conference to say he could not conceive of Mark [Clattenburg] saying such things. It helped the situation a great deal.”

Despite this, it has been emphasised that when on the pitch, no favours were given to the mighty Scot.

“I may have spoken to him a lot and shared texts but he knew when I crossed that white line there were no favours,” he added.

“Players and managers would not respect you if you gave decisions based on friendship.”

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This can be seen to be apparent when analysing Halsey’s reaction to a late United goal in a Premier League contest against Wolves. The look of disgust on his face in the video below speaks for itself.

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When Andre Villas-Boas was appointment as Spurs new Head Coach he assured fans that he had learned from the mistakes he had made at Chelsea and vowed not to change too much, too soon.

The transfer window has now slammed shut with 12 players heading out of the White Hart Lane exit door on either loan or permanent deals and 6 players coming in.  The number of players to have left WHL could have been higher still with Spurs willingness to listen to offers for their Team Captain Michael Dawson, Tom Huddlestone, Jermaine Jenas and David Bentley all of which were unable or unwilling to secure moves away from the club.  AVB’s man management skills were heavily criticized during his time at Chelsea but  he now faces a significant test of his credentials once more.  The head coach will need to move quickly to reintegrate and motivate this core group of English players back into his squad in order to avoid what is the all too familiar sound of discontent within the ranks.

AVB claimed he would be making ‘progressive’ rather than the wholesale changes which blighted his time at Chelsea.  However history could be in danger of repeating itself with AVB making similar mistakes again during his early tenure at Spurs.  He has seemingly ostracized senior players within the squad, sold influential playmakers Modric and VDV and implemeted an immediate change of system and personnel.

Couple these changes of formation and tactics with the introduction of a large number of new first team players and it could be argued that AVB has learned little from his ill-fated experience at Chelsea.

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