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Manchester City brought in Pep Guardiola to make them part of Europe’s elite, and if he fails to win the Champions League during his time in Manchester he’ll be seen as a failure.

When he joined the club in 2016 City’s chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak told the club’s official website: “I have no doubt that he will transform our team to a new level.” It’s clear he’s done this within the style of play you see at the Etihad, but what Al Mubarak really meant, was to dominate Europe.

City had won the Premier League title twice before Guardiola, they’d also played some brilliant football, scoring over 100 Premier League goals during Manuel Pellegrini’s title-winning season of 2013/14, but the Champions League had eluded them.

Even when they got to the semi-final against Real Madrid in 2014/15 it felt the occasion got too much for the players and the manager, and they chose to play more conservatively, only having one shot on target in each leg, eventually losing 1-0 on aggregate. The mentality for European domination seemed worlds away.

With Guardiola comes confidence, and the players have felt it. After a disastrous first season, the club have looked capable of going all the way last year and this year too. Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp were the stumbling blocks last season but their meeting at Anfield this season, despite it being a 0-0 draw, showed he’s now capable of outsmarting Klopp.

The domestic plan ran smoothly last season with only a hiccup at Wigan knocking them out of the FA Cup, but the Champions League requires a touch of fortune and experience. City’s squad are still lacking in European experience, but that’s the hill Guardiola must climb to make the club’s unprecedented heights become the norm. It’s not going to be easy, but he has to succeed.

People are still quick to point the finger at Lionel Messi as being the reason he won the two Champions Leagues he did at Barcelona, but it’s clear his management played a huge part. If he wins the European cup with City, he will have taken the club to the next level Al Mubarak speaks of.

If he doesn’t, then City will still feel as if they’re yet to arrive on the European stage.

Would Guardiola be a failure if he doesn’t win the Champions League at Manchester City?

Everton are in interested in signing versatile Hoffenheim ace Florian Grillitsch according to The Daily Mail’s Simon Jones.

The lowdown: Plenty of suitors

The 26-year-old is set to become a free agent at the end of the season when a contract in Germany expires and there would appear to be a host of clubs keen on acquiring the Austrian’s services.

Formerly of Werder Bremen, Grillitsch has plied his trade in the Bundesliga since 2015, racking up 178 German top-flight appearances to date.

Following an initial report from The Telegraph citing major interest from Leeds United and Arsenal, it would now appear that the Toffees are also in the mix…

The latest: Everton interest emerges

As per the report, Jones writes that there is interest from Everton in signing the 33-cap Austria international.

It’s claimed that there is also admiration from West Ham United and Newcastle United, whilst both Leeds are Arsenal are once again mentioned.

The report states that the man once dubbed as ‘extraordinary’ by Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann, ‘appeals’ to Everton as Frank Lampard prepares to oversee a squad overhaul at Goodison Park.

The verdict: No-brainer

As a potential free agent capture, this truly is a no-brainer for the Merseyside club, particularly with the future of Allan uncertain beyond the upcoming summer window.

Still holding a market value of £14.4m despite the dwindling contract (Transfermarkt), adding Grillitsch – who can play as a central defender or in a variety of midfield positions – to the Blues’ ranks would be a shrewd move.

As a defensive midfielder, the Austrian’s numbers suggest that he is in the same mould as Liverpool star Fabinho and Barcelona’s Sergio Busquets, according to FBRef, making the potential capture ahead of other Premier League suitors all the more impressive.

In other news, financial expert makes exciting Bramley Moore claim!

Pundit Alan Hutton believes that Leeds United forward Joe Gelhardt could miss up to eight weeks of action should his injury scare prove to be a thigh problem, as per Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Elland Road withdrawal

Gelhardt was handed a start for the under-23s on Monday, looking to build up his fitness levels after missing parts of the international break with a fake positive virus test.

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Unfortunately, the 19-year-old was forced off at Elland Road against Crystal Palace with an issue with his left leg as Crysencio Summerville stole the show with a hat-trick in a 4-0 win.

Leeds were set to assess Gelhardt on Tuesday but initially believed it was a dead leg, although Hutton has made a worrying claim.

The Latest: Hutton’s comments on Gelhardt

Hutton, who contributes as a pundit for the BBC, described Leeds’ injury woes this season to Football Insider as a ‘nightmare’.

He added that a thigh problem could rule Gelhardt out for ‘six to eight weeks’, which could keep him out of the Whites’ final seven league games, should that be the case.

The ex-Scotland defender lamented:

“I just think in general, the injury situation at Leeds has been a nightmare.

“When you really think about it, every week we’re talking about somebody being out.

“Let’s just hope that it is a dead leg because if you’re talking a thigh injury, he could be out for six to eight weeks. Fingers crossed it’s not.

“Playing against teams like Watford and teams round about you, they are six-pointers. You need your full squad fit and raring to go.

“That’s whether it be starting XI or off the bench to make an impact, like Gelhardt has done this season. Hopefully, it’s not too serious.”

The Verdict: Gelhardt’s rise

It’s crazy to think that Leeds would be sweating this much on an injury to Gelhardt, but that just shows his improvement in 2021/22, along with highlighting the severity of the club’s injury crisis.

He has contributed to five Premier League goals in just 486 minutes of action, helping the Whites to pick up four points by winning a penalty against Wolves in October and netting a last-gasp winner against Norwich last month.

Patrick Bamford and Tyler Roberts are both sidelined through injury, which makes Gelhardt’s availability even more important at this stage of the season. Hopefully the youngster will be able to make the trip to Watford on Saturday, providing strong competition to the likes of Dan James and Rodrigo.

In other news: Mega-rich club may now offer Leeds star 380% pay increase after he makes demand to Radrizzani

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has offered an update on the fitness of defender Andreas Christensen, following Wednesday’s shambolic 4-2 defeat to Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League.

What’s the word?

Speaking in his post-match press conference, Tuchel revealed that the Denmark international had been withdrawn at half-time against the Gunners due to injury, despite suggestion that the change had been a tactical substitution.

The 26-year-old centre-back set the wheels in motion for what was to be a bruising night for the Blues, with his tame backpass allowing Eddie Nketiah to net his first Premier League goal of the season.

Having not resurfaced for the second half, it was believed that the £31.5m-rated man had been dragged off by his manager for that error, although the former Paris Saint-Germain moved to quash that speculation, while also blaming the pitch for the player’s early error: “He said he cannot continue, so I think he had some problems. I don’t take a player out because he makes one mistake.

“To say the pitch is difficult to play here it maybe sounds like an excuse, but it is a very, very difficult pitch that we have here. It’s not in our favour.

“The ball bounces very awkwardly in front of Andreas when he wants to play this ball. But still, we had the same mistake against Real Madrid that cost us the next round of the Champions League, and this one cost us the next match. I can’t remember when we got two goals like this.”

A Blessing in Disguise

While his manager may be attempting to dig him out of a hole by targeting the home turf, there is no denying that it was a costly error from the 55-cap international, with that early blunder setting the tone for what would be a dismal defensive display all-around.

Although Christensen has since come out and taken responsibility for his high profile mistake, it will do little to appease his doubters, namely talkSPORT pundit Dean Saunders, who suggested that the £80k-per-week man is “not good enough” in the wake of the defeat.

That view was echoed by club legend Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who admitted that both the Dane and a handful of his teammates, simply weren’t up to scratch: “Lukaku, Christensen, Sarr and Alonso were just not good enough for a Chelsea team who should be challenging for the Champions League or Premier League.”

That may appear a rather brutal assessment, although in truth, should his injury complaint cause him to miss this weekend’s game against West Ham United, it could well prove to be something of a blessing in disguise, with the more experienced Thiago Silva likely to be a welcome addition to the side in his absence.

While not the worst performer among Tuchel’s squad this season – he currently ranks 15th for average match rating – the 6 foot 2 giant has not set the world alight either, with the player ranking in just the top 70% for tackles made among central defenders in Europe’s top five leagues over the past year, as well as ranking in just the top 44% for clearances made, as per FBref.

There are also those of a Chelsea persuasion who are simply keen to see the back of the one-time Borussia Monchengladbach loanee, amid reports that he has agreed a deal to join Barcelona this summer on a free transfer.

While the fact that the west London outfit are currently unable to offer new deals may have been a factor in that decision, supporters will no doubt be angered by the player seemingly jumping ship, particularly after he suggested last year that he was in it for the “long-run” at the club.

As they prepare for the visit of the Hammers on Sunday, his name not being mentioned on the teamsheet may prove something of a boost rather than a notable blow.

In other news, Forget Christensen: Chelsea “shambles” who lost ball 22x was real villain vs Arsenal – opinion…

Leeds United goalkeeper Kiko Casilla is set for an Elland Road exit this summer according to journalist Graham Smyth…

What’s the story?

The Yorkshire Evening Post journalist said: “The future of goalkeeper Kiko Casilla, who has not started a La Liga game for loan club Elche since October, will also be up in the air.

“Marsch has been impressed with both Illan Meslier and his current back-up Kristoffer Klaesson since taking over in the wake of Bielsa’s sacking and a return to Elland Road for 35-year-old Casilla feels unlikely. With a year left to run on his contract another loan move or a settlement with Leeds is almost inevitable.”

Marsch must finally sell him

The Spaniard had been on the fringes of things for Jesse Marsch’s side last season, with Illan Meslier firmly established as the club’s first-choice goalkeeper.

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In fact, he only had the one Premier League outing to his name during the 2020/2021 campaign, with his appearance in a 1-0 defeat to Brighton back in mid-January being the only time Whites fans saw him in action in the top-flight.

And, speaking after Leeds’ FA Cup loss to Crawley Town earlier that campaign, journalist Daniel Storey even questioned whether’s he good enough to play for the club, slamming: “I think Kiko Casilla was the other game-changer in a negative sense because I don’t think he should be playing for Leeds for non-football reasons, but he probably shouldn’t be playing for Leeds for football reasons after today.”

Leeds TV podcaster, Oscar Mario, meanwhile, simply labelled him a “complete liability”.

Of course, since then, he has made the move to Spanish side Elche on a season-long loan, but things haven’t panned out for him there either.

The shot-stopper had initially started the first 12 games of the campaign in La Liga, but following a run of just two wins in that frame, was promptly dropped from the line-up against Mallorca back in early November.

Casilla has since failed to play single minute of football in the top-flight for Elche, and when you look at some of his underlying stats, it’s clear to see why he’s been shunted to the sidelines.

As per FBREF, he is the 13th-worst performing goalkeeper in La Liga when it comes to post-shot expected goals minus goals allowed, a stat that works out how likely a goalkeeper is to save a shot.

He is also the 7th-worst goalkeeper when it comes to stopping a cross into the penalty area, while he is the sixth-worst for passes completed – all in all, the Leeds man has simply been a poor performer in a poor performing side.

Marsch must surely offload the £40k-a-week earning Spaniard this summer.

AND in other news – Leeds facing major nightmare as worrying news emerges, Elland Road would be devastated

An exciting Newcastle United transfer claim has been made, regarding Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno…

What’s the talk?

Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie has revealed that the Magpies could target the German international at the end of the season.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “I could foreseeably see them, if they stay up, looking to bring in a new goalkeeper in the summer and changing things up in the goalkeeping department.

“I think Bernd Leno is someone they would be interested in given his experience in the Premier League already.”

Buzzing

Newcastle fans will surely be buzzing with this claim as Leno could be an excellent addition to the squad ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

He is a proven top-flight performer who could come in and improve the team, as he has shown over the years that he can make some excellent saves. The German has a career average WhoScored rating of 6.71, compared to Dubravka’s 6.66, and has played for teams with high expectations in Bayer Leverkusen and Arsenal, showing that he can handle pressure.

Only Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang stopped him from being the Gunners’ Player of the Season in the 2019/20 campaign, which proves that he was able to produce consistently impressive displays in the Premier League.

Eddie Howe may want a goalkeeper who is able to play out from the back in order to build a progressive style of play and that is what the 29-year-old could offer him. He averaged a pass completion rate of 64.1% or higher in all of his top-flight seasons for Arsenal, averaging 72.3% or higher in each of the two leading up to the current one.

The current Magpies shot-stopper, meanwhile, has averaged a pass completion rate of less than 60% throughout his time at St. James’ Park. This suggests that he is not as accomplished on the ball and may not have the ability to effectively play out with his feet.

Leno could also be more effective in controlling his area. He ranks in the top six percent of goalkeepers in Europe’s top five leagues in the last year, whilst Dubravka is in the top 38 percent. This means that the German could alleviate pressure from his defence by coming out to claim the ball, rather than being hesitant and causing confusion at the back.

Therefore, fans would surely love to see the shot-stopper arrive in the summer and will be buzzing with the club’s big plan to bolster their goalkeeping department at the end of the season.

AND in other news,  Imagine him & Burn: Howe must now unleash “big” NUFC gem who’s massively “underrated”…

Ralf Rangnick is interested in a deal to bring Kalvin Phillips to Manchester United in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Fabrizio Romano, with the Italian journalist and transfer insider revealing during a recent appearance on The United Stand that, with David Moyes appearing adamant that Declan Rice will not be sold for anything under £150m this summer, Rangnick could instead pursue a deal for the Leeds United midfielder.

Regarding United’s potential interest in the 26-year-old, Romano said: “Phillips would be the solution for a normal fee, not a crazy fee. He’s a player who is appreciated by the Man United board, so he could be a possibility.

“But, he’s still not been discussed with Erik ten Hag. So, he’s on Manchester United’s list, he’s appreciated by Ralf Rangnick – I’m told – but, still not approved by Erik ten Hag.”

Supporters will love it

Despite Romano’s claim that Rangnick and the Manchester United board are yet to discuss a potential move for Phillips with Ten Hag, the suggestion that the club are interested in a deal to sign the England international is sure to be an update the Old Trafford faithful will love.

While it is true that Phillips’ 2021/22 campaign has been largely hampered by injury, the 26-year-old undoubtedly proved his ability at the very highest level of the English professional game last season.

Indeed, over his 29 Premier League appearances last term, the £45m-rated talent was in sensational form for the Whites, making an average of 1.6 interceptions, 2.6 tackles, 1.7 clearances and winning 5.3 duels – at a success rate of 52% – per game.

The £38k-per-week defensive midfielder also impressed going forwards, scoring one goal, registering two assists and creating five big chances for his teammates, as well as completing an average of 1.2 key passes, 4.7 long balls, 41 passes and 0.7 dribbles per fixture.

These returns saw the player who Leeds fans have dubbed the Yorkshire Pirlo average a quite breathtaking SofaScore match rating of 7.21, not only ranking him as Leeds’ best performer in the league but also as the ninth-best midfielder in the division as a whole.

As such, it is clear for all to see that, should Manchester United not be able to afford a move for Rice this summer, Phillips would undoubtedly be a fantastic alternative to the West Ham talisman – not to mention a signing who would be a dramatic improvement upon Ten Hag’s current options in the middle of the Old Trafford pitch.

AND in other news: Man Utd plot bid to sign “amazing” £164k-p/w “genius”, he’s a huge McTominay upgrade

Rangers marksman Alfredo Morelos has picked up an injury on international duty, coming as a potentially monumental blow for the Light Blues ahead of a massive Premiership clash.

The Lowdown: Gers face massive game

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side are in the middle of a two-week international break, with many of their players off representing their respective countries around the world.

Upon their return to league action next Sunday, they face a potentially season-defining Old Firm clash as they host bitter rivals Celtic at Ibrox. The Gers currently trail the league leaders by three points.

To their dismay, a significant injury update has now emerged which could have a big bearing on the outcome next week.

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The Latest: Morelos could miss out

As relayed by The Glasgow Times, Morelos is a genuine injury doubt for the crucial visit of the Gers’ arch-rivals, having picked up a thigh problem with Colombia in recent days.

A statement from the country’s FA read:

“The technical and medical staff of the Colombia Men’s Senior National Team reports that, after performing medical tests on player Alfredo Morelos, a muscle injury in the left thigh was confirmed, which prevented him from participating in the previous match against Bolivia and likewise does not allow him to participate in the next match of the Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

“For this reason, the striker is called off to start his recovery work. We wish the player a good return to his club.”

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The Verdict: Fingers crossed

Morelos is arguably one of the first names on Rangers’ team sheet, so this is a massive blow for Van Bronckhorst ahead of the biggest game of their season so far.

The Colombian has scored 11 goals and registered seven assists in 25 league starts this season, and his big-game mentality could be crucial in a match of such magnitude.

Morelos has been hailed as ‘fantastic’ by former Gers manager Steven Gerrard and his overall record of 113 goals in 224 matches for the club outlines why the Ibrox faithful will be sweating on the 25-year-old injury status between now and next Sunday. Fingers crossed he can recover in time.

In other news, a key Rangers transfer claim has emerged. Read more here.

According to reports from Spain, as translated and shared by TEAMtalk, it appears that a pretty big transfer claim has come to light involving Tottenham Hotspur and former hero Gareth Bale.

The Lowdown: Bale re-joins for 2020/2021…

The Wales international star, after leaving north London for Real Madrid in a then-world record £85.3 million deal (BBC), went on to enjoy a trophy-laden spell with the Galacticos before re-joining Tottenham on loan last season.

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Bale, under former boss Jose Mourinho and his eventual interim replacement Ryan Mason, finished the 2020/2021 Premier League campaign as Spurs’ third-most prolific player in terms of goals and assists combined (11G, 2A).

However, his stay was also marred somewhat by physical issues with Mourinho even calling out the 32-year-old for giving a false depiction of his fitness levels at one stage.

Despite a mixed return, a major claim has come out of Spain involving Bale and another reunion with Spurs under new boss Antonio Conte.

The Latest: Tottenham reach Bale agreement ‘months ago’…

As per sources on the continent, via TEAMtalk, ahead of leaving the Bernabeu this summer when his contract finally expires at the end of June, the forward has already reached an agreement to join Tottenham.

Bale and Spurs apparently had this in place ‘months ago’ – but the former Lilywhites man didn’t come in January as he wanted to run down his current deal at Madrid whilst continuing to collect his bumper pay packet.

The Verdict: Right move?

This is a pretty big claim going by his most recent spell at Tottenham, and despite some bright moments, it’s hard to see him fitting under Conte at N17.

Going by Bale’s recent fitness record, the Italian’s extreme, highly-demanding coaching methods physically could be too much and it’s hard to see him being a regular for that reason.

Scoring a club career total of 183 goals from out wide and further forward, he managed to impress at Euro 2020 for Wales in parts and there is no question he still has quality in abundance.

The point of contention is around application and whether he can be an asset under Conte in the rigorously competitive English top flight.

On a free deal, barring Bale’s potentially large salary, this is a fairly low risk move financially for Tottenham but an arguable gamble in terms of the player’s N17 legacy.

In other news: ‘100 per cent’, ‘Conte will’…Sky pundit says £150,000-per-week star could make ‘shock’ move to Spurs, find out more here.

Aston Villa may have had a busy January transfer window in terms of bringing new players into the club such as Calum Chambers, Lucas Digne, Philippe Coutinho and Robin Olsen.

However, it seems as though deadline day could see the Midlands club strike a deal that would see one of their current players leave Villa Park in the coming hours.

What’s the news?

According to a recent Twitter post from The Athletic’s Villa journalist Gregg Evans, Istanbul Basaksehir are hoping to sign Trezeguet on loan. 

Since joining the Villans back in the 2019 summer transfer window from Kasimpasa in a deal worth a reported fee of £8.75m, the winger has gone on to make 64 appearances for the Midlands club across all competitions but has only managed to score nine goals and provide five assists along the way.

After recovering from a serious knee injury back in December that he picked up back in April last year, the attacker has only played 10 minutes of action for Villa this season which came during their 2-1 away defeat against Brentford in the Premier League.

Fans will be thrilled

Taking into account the 27-year-old’s inconsistent goal contributions since becoming a Villa player and the fact that Steven Gerrard recently admitted that Trezeguet will find regular game time hard to come by this season, fans will surely be thrilled to see the Egyptian international leave the club, freeing up space on the wage bill of more recruits down the line.

After all, this is a player who has bagged just nine times in 64 outings.

With Villa having a number of players in their squad that can play on the wings such as Emi Buendia, Bertrand Traore, Philippe Coutinho and Leon Bailey, it’s not hard to see why Gerrard thinks Trezeguet may have a challenge on his hands to play regularly. Therefore, it makes a potential loan move away beneficial for the winger and the Villans.

Moving forward, if the £9m-rated attacker does end up leaving Villa on loan before the January transfer deadline and ends up having a successful time in Istanbul, perhaps this could be the first step towards the attacker eventually leaving the club on a permanent basis and putting an end to his spell in England with the Midlands side.

In other news: Lange must seal late AVFC swoop for “massive” £29k-p/w machine, Gerrard would love him – opinion