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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 forward Gabriel Jesus does not mind playing on the wing so he can make room for the club’s top gun Sergio Aguero.

What did he say?

Jesus has been a fantastic goalscoring addition to City since he signed for £27m, scoring 50 goals in 112 appearances already. This season, the Brazilian has often kept Aguero out of the side and has scored five times in the 12 games he has played.

However, Jesus told The National’s Richard Jolly that he is happy to play a sidekick role for the club record goalscorer.

He said: “It is difficult to describe Sergio.

“Sergio is the top scorer of the club and every game he shows us why he is the top scorer so, of course, I have to learn from him because he is a legend. Every game he scores.

“I want to score every game but I think it is different. I am 22 years old, I have to improve and practice my finishing.

“Since the Copa America, I play right winger. I like it. I started with the position in Brazil at my old club [Palmeiras] and after I got to play as a striker but of course I like to play both positions. I think it is very important you can play more than one.

“It was my first game as a winger with five at the back for Southampton so it is difficult when you dribble past one [defender] and have another one.”

Aguero still the top dog, for now

Jesus’ start to this season has once again been positive. Five goals in 12 outings is a good return for a man who is still just 22. However, Aguero is still surpassing the ex-Palmeiras man as the club’s main goalscoring threat, with the Argentine bagging 12 goals in 12 appearances so far.

However, at 31 years old, there will not be many more years left for the legendary striker at the Etihad. Plus, with his contract ending in 2021, and his desire to return to Argentina, there is maybe just two years of his service left.

For now, Jesus can learn from Aguero as he continues to dominate up top. Also, playing on the wing will only benefit his abilities and versatility like we have seen with stars such as Thierry Henry.

Soon, however, we are likely to see the Brazilian become the main man at the Etihad.

Michael Owen has said that Nicolas Pepe’s slow start to life in north London is Arsenal’s “only big worry”.

What’s he said?

Despite criticism that the Gunners’ and the manager have received so far, the north London side themselves third in the Premier League, with their only defeat being against Liverpool at Anfield in August.

However, the Ivorian has got off to a sluggish start to Arsenal and admitted that his confidence is low but he is not overly concerned.

Owen, who played for both Liverpool and Manchester United, told Premier League Productions that Pepe’s poor form could become an issue if there are no signs of improvement.

Quoted by Premier League Productions (via football.london), Owen said: “I think that’s the only big worry I think for Arsenal at the moment. Things are going pretty well, in the league they are chugging along, in Europe they’re doing fine.

“But [Pepe] was a massive outlay, you’re expecting or almost wanting a guarantee of performance for that type of money. It hasn’t happened yet but we all saw him in France, he’s a terrific player. It might take him a little bit of time, let’s give him the benefit of the doubt at the minute.”

Give him time

Pundits have hit out at Pepe after he was outshone by the 18-year-old Bukayo Saka during the Gunners’ 1-1 draw against Manchester United. Owen joins a growing list who have expressed concern over the Ivory Coast international.

The 24-year-old needs time to bed into his new environment and surroundings. However, there can be no doubting Pepe’s abilities after such an impressive spell at Lille. The Ligue 1 club’s Sporting Director Luis Campos claimed his constant analysis of the game is a trait he shares in common with Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe, per Sky Sports, and that can only be a positive indicator for the future.

Pepe took Ligue 1 by storm last season and scored 37 goals in 79 appearances for Les Dogues, conjuring up 17 assists during two seasons at the club which resulted in his £72m club-record transfer to Arsenal.

While Owen raises some valid points and with the Ivorian still in the infancy of his time at Arsenal, there is plenty of learning that Pepe has to do at the age of 24.

With the attacking quality that is around him at the club, he has the resources available to him to become a world-class winger.

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 to The Daily Mail, former chief managing director of Juventus, Luciano Moggi, has suggested Massimiliano Allegri would win the Premier League within two years at Manchester United.

What did he say?

As speculation continues to mount over the long-term future of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, reports in recent weeks had suggested the Red Devils are in touch with Allegri over potentially taking over the reins at Old Trafford.

Watch the video below to see the most insane overhead kick you will see this week…

Now, Moggi has thrown his backing behind a potential move, and insisted he is quite simply far better than some of the managers the club have previously had at the helm.

He said: “Allegri is the best possible option for United. With all due respect to Moyes and Solskjaer, Allegri is better than both. He will bring United back to winning the championship and competing against Juventus, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Liverpool.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

“I’m sure that in two years, United would be triumphant in the Premier League with him on the bench.

Don’t be fooled

Much like the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, Moggi’s comments are designed to act as a tempting lure for a side craving for some success. United are still some way away from competing for the Champions League places this season – they are already seven points behind fourth – and to use one of Paul Merson’s favourite sayings, a ‘million miles’ away from making a Premier League title challenge.

Whether it’s Allegri, or perhaps even Sir Alex Ferguson, the Red Devils are in a difficult transition period that will take years and numerous transfer windows to fix. The much-talked about problems at centre-forward for instance would take some considerable action to solve.

But the way Moggi talks about it, it feels like Allegri would simply come in, wave his magic wand, and get United to where they used to belong. Sadly, football is a bit more pragmatic than that.

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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…

Carlos Corberan has a plethora of options available to him at U23 level.

Before last week, Leeds’ young stars had gone unbeaten and even beat Watford 6-0 while including players like Luke Ayling and Eddie Nketiah in the starting XI.

Previously at FFC we’ve analysed how this policy could have a negative impact on those coming through at academy level, but those who could be hindered most come in an attacking area.

Leeds only have two out-and-out strikes in their first team but Marcelo Bielsa’s favouritism of Patrick Bamford has meant Nketiah has also been reduced to chances in the academy.

Not only has this seen Ryan Edmondson struggle for opportunities after scoring a hat-trick in pre-season, but it’s also limited Kun Temenuzhkov, who could now be facing an uphill battle to make an impact.

The Bulgarian is a player with enormous promise, so much in fact that he was once in the famous La Masia academy at Barcelona.

You don’t grow up coming through the ranks in Catalonia without an abundance of talent. After all, it’s an academy that’s developed the likes of Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta.

Temenuzhkov isn’t close to possessing the same level of quality as those types of players but he does have great ability, something that was detailed when he was named as one of The Guardian’s 60 best young players in football for 2017.

A profile was given which compared him to the teenager’s idol and one of the current crop at Barcelona: “Temenuzhkov is deservedly regarded as one of Bulgaria’s hottest football prospects. Growing up idolising Luis Suarez, the pint-sized prospect has shown the same predator’s instinct in the penalty area as the Uruguay striker.”

That was fine praise indeed for the 18-year-old who has only featured on one occasion for the Leeds senior team after making the move from Spain.

Eligible to play for the Iberian country and Bulgaria, it’s looking increasingly unlikely that he’ll ever get a chance to stamp down his authority.

Not only does he have Bamford and Nketiah to get past but the striking options within the U23s is hotly contested.

Temenuzhkov is battling Edmondson and new signing Liam McCarron which has seen him reduced to substitute appearances more than anything else.

Having recently been rewarded with a new contract Leeds clearly rate the prospect highly but they must now prove there is a route to the first team.

This deal is a huge display of faith but his lack of opportunities so far this term isn’t too promising.

After scoring 30 goals in as many games for Barcelona’s Juvenil B team once upon a time, it seems foolish not to try and unearth more of his talents.

So far, it’s proving an uphill battle for the youngster and it’s unlikely to get any easier in the immediate future.

Loads of Liverpool fans have been reacting to the performance of Takumi Minamino, who grabbed a goal and an assist at Anfield on Wednesday.

And breathe Liverpool fans! The Reds surrendered a 3-0 lead against Red Bull Salzburg, but Mohamed Salah did what he does best and popped up with a crucial goal to win the game 4-3.

That hasn’t stopped the Anfield faithful from gushing over one of their opponents though, and surprisingly it isn’t wonderkid Erling Haaland.

The teenage striker started the match on the bench, and although he scored within minutes of coming on, it is the man who set him up that Reds fans are stunned by.

Minamino scored a wonderfully controlled volley to make the score 3-2, and then skipped in behind the Liverpool defence to set up Haaland for a tap-in.

Jurgen Klopp of course has plenty of attacking talent at his disposal, but fans are heaping praise on the Japan international, with some even suggesting they sign him in the future.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

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In-form Southampton attacker Nathan Redmond has opened up to The Daily Echo on his one-to-one meeting with manager Ralph Hasenhuttl during the squad’s training camp in Tenerife earlier this month, saying that the Austrian told him to stop ‘standing still’.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the 51-year-old boss had a discussion with and provided feedback on every player in the squad that was present for the trip to the Canary Island, which included Redmond.

The 24-year-old has been in scintillating form since Hasenhuttl was appointed as Mark Hughes’ successor back in December, scoring six goals and providing a further two assists in all competitions.

However, despite being arguably the south coast outfit’s best player in the last couple of months, the former Norwich City man revealed to The Daily Echo that he wasn’t exempt from having things to work on and improve.

Redmond said: “In terms of the negatives, he told me to not stand still as much. He noticed at the start when he first came in that I stood still and that I was waiting for things to happen.

“He said I was still standing still a little bit, but not as much as before.

“There are a lot of things like decision making and stuff, but at the end of the day if I want to keep developing and performing in this team, then I have to take it on board.”

Is Hasenhuttl right?

He probably is, yes.

While Redmond has clearly stepped it up in terms of being a big threat in the final third for Southampton in recent times, there are still obviously more ways in which he can affect matches for his side.

Hasenhuttl clearly wants the one-cap England international to be more aware and on his toes, providing that movement to help his teammates out when they are looking for forward passes.

It is the sort of contructive criticism that can make the 24-year-old an even better player than the one he is showing he is right now, and that can only benefit Saints in their battle against relegation.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Off the Bench series, which places in-game managerial decisions and squad selections under FFC’s microscope.

Everton were left frustrated in their match against Sheffield United on Saturday, but Marco Silva made things worse for his side by making the wrong substitution early in the second half.

Decision-making

The Portuguese manager is yet to name the same starting XI in consecutive matches in the league as yet, and though that is partly due to injuries, it is not helping the squad to get used to one style of play nor allowing new signings to gel, hence why they have conceded nine and scored just five in six league matches.

For much of the game the Toffees had control of possession but failed to create any openings against a very narrow and compact opposition, as evidenced by their three shots on target.

Bernard and Moise Kean had been recalled to the starting line-up and aside from some nice touches they were mostly ineffectual, although the latter did create a great chance for Richarlison to score after crossing from the right.

As a result, Silva was right to haul of Bernard when he did, with the removal of Morgan Schneiderlin at the same time indicating a more direct approach, which was needed.

However, the fatal mistake came in bringing on Cenk Tosun, rather than Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Off the bench

It was a change which, at the time, may have appeased some of the fans who have been calling for the Turk to get more game time, but he was the wrong man for the situation, as underlined by his six touches in 36 minutes.

By contrast, Calvert-Lewin would likely have had a much more significant impact as he offers an alternative to the Everton attack due to his ability in the air.

In a tight and compact area he may have been able to provide a knockdown or score himself, and at the very least provide a challenge to the Blades defenders who found life all too easy.

Watch Everton Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

His average of 4.6 aerial duels won per game this season shows he is capable of that, whilst seven of his 18 Everton goals have come via his head, and therefore he could have made a difference in the aerial battle which was dominated by Sheffield Untied, with 24 aerial duels won compared to the Toffees’ 19.

More to the point, Silva’s side attempted 40 crosses throughout the match, only seven of which were successful, but if they had a more dominant striker like Calvert-Lewin to get on the end of them, then they would likely have had more luck in front of goal.

Everton owner Farhad Moshiri is sleepwalking into another Rafa Benitez-esque howler amid reports linking the club with Steve Hitchen.

What’s the story?

Following Hitchen’s exit from his scouting and recruitment role at Spurs, The Guardian have claimed that the Toffees are interested in giving him a similar position at Goodison Park.

The report claims that the Premier League club are embarking on this new restructure along with Frank Lampard as their new manager, with Everton having been working “without a director of football, head of recruitment and manager of scouting after the respective departures of Marcel Brands, Grétar Steinsson and Dan Purdy were announced in early December.”

Would be an expensive nightmare for Everton

While this previous summer might have seen Everton keep the purse-strings shut at Goodison Park, that has been the major exception to the rule since Moshiri’s arrival at the club.

The Toffees have been very big spenders in the transfer market, but have had very little to show for it, and it’s no surprise that journalist Alan Myers delivered this verdict on the club’s recruitment strategy.

He said: “Wow. I heard in the radio earlier, only Man City, Man Utd, Barcelona, PSG and Inter Milan had a bigger net spend than Everton across Europe over previous 10 windows (before this summer).

“Even the richest owner of any football club must surely look at the return for that investment and ask the question, why has this happened? Can it be just a string of failed managerial appointments or is it far more than that?”

In Hitchen, Moshiri would be making another Benitez-esque mistake, with his track record at his most recent club very unconvincing, if not down-right woeful.

After being appointed as Spurs’ chief scout back in February 2017, only Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Lucas Moura remain with the north London side’s first-team under Antonio Conte as regular fixtures, while a far bigger number are either on the peripheries of the squad, or have already left.

In fact, the 2019 summer arrivals of Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso – both for a combined fee of around £115m – have actually both just left the Lilywhites in the January transfer window just gone by, a real indication of the kind of shocking misses that Hitchen has made at Spurs.

The last thing Everton need now is for another appointment from Moshiri that leads to yet more years of suffering in the transfer market.

Hitchen’s record at Spurs in recent seasons has been underwhelming to say the least, and would just be an expensive nightmare at Goodison Park.

Meanwhile, Lampard could bring the best out of this man…

Over the last three seasons, Crystal Palace have spent £30.24m on strikers who haven’t yet put together a string of form that justifies their transfer fees.

Odsonne Edouard has fallen out of favour since his £14.67m transfer this summer from Celtic, and manager Patrick Vieira is believed to prefer 6 foot 4 striker Jean-Philippe Mateta – who signed permanently in January for £9.9m.

With Edouard, Mateta, Christian Benteke and Jordan Ayew all scoring just 14 goals this season between them in the Premier League, Vieira will be hoping that any one of them steps up in the last couple months of the season and cements their place as the first-choice striker for the start of next.

They could have found their star striker in West Ham fan-favourite Michail Antonio though, with the club having been linked by The Sun with a move for the versatile forward back in 2018, worth about £15m.

Having made 218 appearances for the East London club, the Jamaica international won over the London Stadium fans with his athleticism, physicality and impressive work-rate for the team, but he is also beginning to add more goals to his game.

Out of Palace’s players, only Wilfried Zaha has bettered Antonio’s tally of eight Premier League goals this season, with nine, but in terms of average match rating, only Conor Gallagher has bettered Antonio’s average of 7.04, with a rating of 7.24.

It isn’t just fans though that have been in awe of the 31-year-old, who turns 32 tomorrow, as former manager and occasional pundit Harry Redknapp has heaped praise on the striker in the past.

What a good player he’s turned out to be,” said Redknapp. “What a handful he is, oh my God. He is frightening. Ability, skill, he scores goals. What a threat to any defence.”

Among Premier League strikers this season, Antonio ranks in the top 10% for goal-creating actions per 90 (0.51), top 5% for crosses into the penalty area per 90 (0.40), and top 12% for key passes per 90 (1.49) – proving that he is more than just a goalscorer, with the ability to create for his teammates too.

Vieira would have loved to have a striker like Antonio at his disposal, and should they have invested the £15m four years ago, they would have likely saved over £30m they have spent since on players in his position.

In other news: Forget Mitchell: Vieira can save CPFC millions with 18y/o who “takes your breath away”

Taking to Twitter, reliable club insider ExWHUemployee has backed a development in West Ham United’s pursuit of Manchester United star and top target Jesse Lingard.

The Lowdown: West Ham ready to pay fee…

It is no secret that the 29-year-old is on manager David Moyes’ radar as he seeks to bolster his side’s options and give them a fighting chance of qualifying for the Champions League next season.

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After his sensational spell on loan in east London over the second half of 2020/2021, West Ham, Moyes and recruitment chief Rob Newman have been targeting Lingard as his current deal at Old Trafford looks set to expire at the end of this season.

The England international, as a result, can either wait until the summer and leave for free or opt to join a new club in January if any suitors table a bid before deadline day.

Recent reports say West Ham are indeed willing to do just that with the Irons now apparently ready to pay a £3million fee to seal Lingard’s signing.

The Latest: ExWHUemployee backs Lingard development…

Taking to social media, reliable Hammers source Ex backed this development in the Lingard transfer saga.

Whilst stating ‘yes’ in reply to a supporter who asked if there is any truth to the £3m bid rumours, the insider did also provide a degree of caution – going on to claim West Ham’s willingness to pay doesn’t necessarily mean the player wants to make the move.

The Verdict: Get it done…

While the £75,000-per-week ace’s current stance on a move to West Ham remains the last major hurdle, if his mind is swayed, signing him would be a big boost for Moyes.

Scoring nine goals and assisting four others in 16 Premier League starts last season on a temporary spell, Lingard is a proven player under the Irons boss and could gift the club a different dimension going forward.

Taking into account his 2021 numbers at West Ham, with talkSPORT pundit Adrian Durham calling him ‘absolutely phenomenal’, £3m seems like a real bargain.

Hammers supporters may be hoping that there is a development on Lingard’s side that favours him joining West Ham permanently before January 31.

In other news: ‘Please please please’, ‘Baller’, ‘Perfect’ – Many West Ham fans rave as GSB eye ‘fantastic signing’…find out more here.