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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…

Top of the table, but does he deserve to be there?

That’s the situation Jamie Vardy finds himself in right now as Leicester continue their fine start to the season. In fact, his position at the top of the table has got former Premier League forward Darren Bent well on board the Vardy hype train.

What’s he said?

Speaking on talkSPORT Drive on Monday, Bent said that Vardy is performing at such a high level that he should be considered up there as one of the most impressive forwards in the division.

This is what happens when you sing about Jamie Vardy’s wife…

He’s technically right

On a technical level, Bent has a point. As top scorer in the league, it’s easy to point to that and go ‘most goals, best player’, but being the greatest marksman in the league goes far beyond that.

Vardy has got to the top of the goal-scoring charts by scoring against teams that you wouldn’t consider the biggest of opponents, like the hat trick against Southampton, or goals against Sheffield United, Crystal Palace and Newcastle United.

In their games against traditional ‘top six’ sides, Chelsea, Manchester United, Spurs and Liverpool he has failed to score so far this season.

This isn’t to say that Vardy is a ‘flat-track bully’, someone who only scores against the weaker sides, indeed far from it. He’s shown in the past that he’s more than capable of causing a stir against the bigger teams in the division, netting 23 in 43 against the top six as of February 2018.

However, we’re not talking about the past, we’re talking about the present and this season in particular.

That is what should be setting Vardy apart from the rest of the strikers in the division, his record against the perceived best the league has to offer, and so far he’s failed to deliver in those games.

The 32-year-old has plenty of time to make up for it though, so he’ll have the chance to prove that people like Bent are right, but if he can’t, then he might force people to re-evaluate just how useful he is.

Marcus Rashford is one of the most polarising figures in football at the moment.

In the eyes of many Manchester United fans the striker is a terrible player who belongs nowhere near a big club, yet, if recent reports are to be believed the 21-year-old is being targeted by Barcelona as a potential option to replace Luis Suarez.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

It’s rather baffling to see Barcelona targeting such an out-of-form striker to replace one of the best goalscorers of the past decade, and ESPN’s pundits believe that the Spanish champions would be better off looking at Roberto Firimino, who they apparently aren’t interested in.

Shaka Hislop believes that the Brazillian would be the much better option, as he says that Barcelona’s choice should be a simple one.

It’s really hard to disagree with Hislop on this one too, as Firmino has outscored the Man Utd forward for the past three seasons.

It remains to be seen whether or not Barcelona move for either of the strikers, but we have to question the Catalan scouts if they truly believe the England youngster is a better option than the Liverpool man.

Manchester City fans have taken to Twitter to state that they do not want to see Mikel Oyarzabal join the club after Leroy Sane was linked with a move to Bayern Munich.

According to TEAMtalk, City are prepared to let Sane leave the club to join the German giants, with Pep Guardiola lining up Oyarzabal as his replacement.

The report claims that club scouts see him as the perfect alternative, with his release clause just shy of £70m.

It seems that fans are massively against this move and it’s difficult to blame them given the standard of Sane’s performances since he joined the club from Schalke.

On the other hand, fans have called for the club to targets players such as Jadon Sancho instead, who was at the club’s youth academy before he moved to Borussia Dortmund.

Sane is currently sidelined with an anterior cruciate ligament injury which he sustained in the Community Shield and will miss the majority of the season.

His potential replacement, Oyarzabel, has had a sensational start to this campaign, scoring four times and providing three assists.

However, this does not seem to be enough for the fans…

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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…

When Alisson was substituted in the 37th minute in Liverpool’s opening Premier League fixture against Norwich fans would have rightly felt concerned, but Adrian’s presence means the Brazilian isn’t missed.

For many teams, losing a player who was named the FIFA Best Goalkeeper of the Year would have been a severe setback.

Alisson helped to transform the Liverpool defence last season and it was little surprise that he kept the most clean sheets in the division with 21, as well as achieving a shut-out in the Champions League final.

Despite the blow, Jurgen Klopp’s side have lost just once since in seven games, but crucially have got off to a 100% start in the Premier League with six wins from six, and Adrian has played his part in that.

The Spaniard quickly became an Anfield favourite with his penalty shoot-out heroics in the Super Cup against Chelsea, but barring an error which allowed Danny Ings to score in the following game he hasn’t put a foot wrong.

In fact, he has done quite the opposite in his performances with eye-catching saves against Napoli and Chelsea, and for that reason he deserves to keep his place in the side.

It would be a bold call from Klopp. The Brazil international, who has 42 caps, is a fans’ favourite and his shot-stopping has been of a high standard since he arrived at the club, with an average of 1.8 saves per league game last year.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Equally as impressive is his ability with the ball at his feet, as his short pass success of 98% suggests, but despite that, it would be unfair on Adrian to lose his place, and his morale could take a knock as a result.

More importantly, however, is the fact Adrian deserves his place in the team on merit. The Reds may have conceded a goal in five of their six league matches, but there was little the 30-year-old could do about all but one of those, and he has instead helped his side win points with key first-half saves against Arsenal and Chelsea.

Adrian has also performed better than Alisson in terms of distribution so far, with an average of 6.6 distributions per game as opposed to the Brazilian’s 5.3, and that aspect of his game could persuade Klopp to stick with him as Liverpool often look to break quickly through the pace of their forwards.

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…

Charlton talisman Lyle Taylor has delivered an update on his contract situation at The Valley.

Taylor scored 21 goals and registered 11 assists in League One last season to help the Addicks secure promotion to the Championship, and he has continued his fine form into the current campaign.

The Montserrat international – who is currently out injured – is Charlton’s top scorer with five goals in six Championship games, and will be crucial to their chances of having a successful season.

His contract is set to expire in June, but the 29-year-old has delivered an update on renewing his terms.

What did he say?

Taylor told London News Online: “From what I can gather there has been conversations had upstairs. If and when the club and my team can come to an agreement, I’ll stay.

“I don’t think there is a lot to say on it. If and when it happens everyone will know – I’m pretty sure I’ll start putting stuff on social media!”

Crucial for Charlton to get it done

The south Londoners absolutely have to get Taylor’s contract sorted.

They look a different side without him, proven by their results immediately after he picked up an injury on international duty.

Lee Bowyer’s men have lost three of the four games they’ve had to play without Taylor in the XI, starting by succumbing to defeat against Birmingham, before losing to Wigan and Swansea in the aftermath of the former AFC Wimbledon man’s injury.

Before he got injured, the Addicks had won four and drawn two of their first six Championship games this season – it is imperative that they get him back fit quickly, but more significantly, they have to get his contract sorted.

Replacing a player like Taylor is easier said than done, and will surely cost Charlton a fair bit of cash – something that doesn’t seem like an option given Roland Duchatelet’s tight stranglehold on his purse-strings.

If it comes down to the south Londoners being forced to sell in January to make a bit of money on him, that is bad enough, but losing him for nothing would be a disaster.

Chelsea may well be unable to sign players for the next two transfer windows after Fifa hit them with a transfer ban – though an appeal could help to delay proceedings somewhat.

The news comes as a massive blow to Maurizio Sarri and Roman Abramovich with the club falling way below expectations so far this season. Not being able to sign any players will hand a massive advantage to their Premier League rivals over the next two years. Luckily for the Blues, they have a huge amount of players on loan who could return to challenge for a spot in the starting eleven.

One man who could finally break into the first-team is wonderkid Mason Mount. Valued at £3.6m by Transfermarkt, the youngster is a product of the club’s youth academy but has sent out on loan to Vitesse and most recently Frank Lampard’s Derby County. Mount made an impressive start to life in the Championship and looks good enough to take his place in the Chelsea side in the near future.

The England man has found the back of the net six times as well as registering three assists for his team-mates in all competitions. Aged just 19, Mount is blessed with excellent technical ability and the vision to carve open defences. With both Mateo Kovacic and Ross Barkley struggling to make an impact, his arrival in the engine room could give Sarri the offensive option he has been lacking.

With the likes of Eden Hazard and Willian ahead of him, Mount could blossom into one of the league’s best playmakers. He’s not the complete package yet, but if Chelsea are to navigate the choppy seas ahead of them, the return of Mount could really help the cause.

Chelsea fans, thoughts?

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Where do Manchester United go from here?

The season started so well, with that 4-0 victory against Chelsea on the opening day of the campaign. Since then, though, the Red Devils have won just one Premier League game, and their latest fixture has seen them lose 2-0 against West Ham at the London Stadium.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

As you would expect, there was plenty of displeasure from the United fans, and that started even before the first ball had been kicked.

Nemanja Matic’s inclusion in the starting line-up, in particular, did not go down too well with the Old Trafford faithful. The Serbia international is clearly not too popular in Manchester at the moment, and the club’s supporters would have rather have seen him omitted from the side.

Judging by the 31 year-old’s passive performance, perhaps him being left out wouldn’t have hurt the side.

They took to Twitter in their droves to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

Everton have agreed to a ‘ridiculous’ deal for Dele Alli, says former West Ham and Celtic star Frank McAvennie. 

The lowdown

Frank Lampard’s arrival at Goodison Park was greeted with the signings of Dele from Tottenham Hotspur and Donny van de Beek from Manchester United.

According to a report from The Athletic, the possibility of recruiting Dele had been raised in Lampard’s interviews for the job.

The 43-year-old subsequently sanctioned the transfer, confident he could extract the best from his compatriot, and his endorsement was a ‘big factor’ in Everton’s willingness to meet Spurs’ demands.

If performance-related add-ons are triggered, Dele could wind up costing £40million (via Sky Sports).

The latest

McAvennie was left scratching his head at the price tag, telling Football Insider that Everton had taken a ‘risk’.

“That £40million though, how can Tottenham can ask for that,” he said. “Why did Everton sanction that?

“That’s ridiculous. He hasn’t kicked a ball for two years. I guess if he does well enough to hit those targets then the signing will be worth it.

“Obviously it’s a risk but I think we will see the best of Dele Alli again. He’s needed this move for a long time.”

The verdict

Perhaps Everton are paying for the player Dele once was. He made his name by winning landing back-to-back PFA Young Player of the Year awards in 2016 and 2017.

His end product has dried up almost completely in recent times, though. Since the start of last season, he’s managed just one goal and one assist.

In the five previous campaigns, he’d managed a total of 50 goals and 36 assists.

It’s not quite fair to say he hasn’t ‘kicked a ball’, but his involvement has dropped off rather dramatically. From his peak of 3,044 Premier League minutes in 2016/17, he fell to just 617 last term.

At least the add-ons are performance-related, meaning Everton would theoretically get some bang for their buck.

In other news, Greg O’Keeffe reacts to a ‘disappointing’ sight at Goodison.

Leeds United are interested in a deal to bring Oscar Mingueza to Elland Road in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Spanish media outlet Diario Sport (via Barca Universal), who claimed that Jesse Marsch has identified the Barcelona centre-back as one of his primary transfer targets this summer, with the American said to be hoping to beef up his defensive options ahead of 2022/23.

The report added that, with the Catalan club being very interested in getting a deal of their own over the line for Leeds winger Raphinha at the end of the current campaign, the 22-year-old defender could be used as something of a bargaining chip in the negotiations between the two clubs.

Marsch’s dream

Considering Leeds’ desperate need to address their defensive frailties ahead next season – the Whites have shipped a league-high 67 goals over their 30 Premier League games so far this term – it is not difficult to understand why Marsch would be interested in a move for Mingueza this summer.

Indeed, after making his Barcelona debut as a result of a defensive injury crisis at Camp Nou in 2020, the £25m-rated centre-back – who can also operate on the right – highly impressed over his 27 LaLiga appearances last season. He helped his side to keep seven clean sheets, scoring two goals and registering two assists, while also averaging 0.7 interceptions, 1.9 tackles, 1.6 clearances and 54.9 passes and winning 3.3 duels per game.

These returns saw the £19k-per-week Spain international earn a very respectable seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.96, ranking him as Barcelona’s 11th-best player in the Spanish top flight last term. That led to football talent scout Jacek Kulig dubbing the 22-year-old his “unexpected hero” of 2020/21.

Should Mingueza go on to replicate this level of form following a potential switch to Elland Road, he would certainly be an upgrade on a number of Marsch’s current options in the heart of his defence. That leads us to believe that Orta must do all he can to secure the signing of the Spaniard this summer.

AND in other news: Fabrizio Romano reveals huge Leeds United development, supporters will be devastated

Celtic are finally back in action tomorrow evening with an SPFL clash against Hibernian at home for their first league match of 2022.

Speaking to the media ahead of the match, Hoops manager Ange Postecoglou shared some injury news that will surely have a lot of Celtic fans pleased and excited to see their team playing again.

What’s the news?

Postecoglou revealed that Celtic winger Jota could make a return to action on Monday after being out injured since early December with a hamstring issue.

He is back in training and now very much ready to join up with the squad again. Whether he starts, however, is another matter.

Fans delighted

Since joining the Parkhead club on a loan deal from Benfica, the 22-year-old has managed to score eight goals and provide six assists in 18 appearances across all competitions, showing just how much of a useful attacking outlet he has been for the team this season and why the fans would be delighted to see him back in the side on Monday if he’s fit enough.

In addition to his goals and assists this term, Jota’s performances in the SPFL have been very impressive as well with WhoScored listing him as Celtic’s fourth-highest rated player with an overall rating of 7.48/10, highlighting just how well he has settled into the team and got to grips with the Scottish Premiership.

Taking all of this into account, it’s safe to say that Celtic would have a great chance of beating Hibs on Monday if they have Jota in their team.

However, given how long it’s been since he last played for the Hoops and how important he’s proved himself to be for the team, it may not be worth Postecoglou taking the risk of putting the Portuguese winger back in the team straight away unless he’s 100% fit and ready to play with no risk of further injury to his hamstring.

Although, with Celtic currently six points off the top spot in the SPFL table, it could be worth taking a gamble with the forward if that will give them the best chance of securing all three points and moving further up the table.

Either way, this match will be a great way for the Hoops to get back into the swing of things and start their year off positively.

In other news: Postecoglou must finally sanction Celtic swoop for “strong” £3.7m beast, he’s the next Fred