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According to Asist Analiz (via Sussex Live), West Bromwich Albion are interested in signing Trabzonspor goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir.

Baggies eye Cakir

Cakir is currently on international duty with Turkey and has played an important part in his nation’s early 2022 World Cup qualifying success – they have won their first two matches and the 24-year-old saved a Memphis Depay penalty to help Turkey defeat Netherlands 4-2 earlier this week.

The report from Asist Analiz claimed that The Hawthorns outfit are interested in the shot-stopper, as are Brighton and Liverpool.

Too ambitious

It is at least a positive from West Brom’s perspective that they are linked with an in-demand, up-and-coming talent. Cakir was called “one of the best goalkeepers I have seen” by Leicester City’s head of recruitment Lee Congerton last year (Karadeniz Gazete) and he has been in impressive form for Trabzonspor this term – only Fernando Muslera (81%) has a higher save percentage rate than Cakir’s 79.5% in the Super Lig (fbref.com).

With Sam Johnstone being heavily linked with a move to Tottenham (Football Insider), West Brom could well need a new goalkeeper next term. Unfortunately, £14.4m-valued Cakir is likely to be out of their reach – the Baggies are currently 10 points from safety in the Premier League and look like they will be playing in the Championship next season.

Given the Turkey international’s ability, it is hard to see him making a move to the English second tier, so the Midlands side’s move for him could well depend on their ability to stave off relegation.

In other news, many West Brom fans were delighted with this club update.

Ben Jacobs has dropped an inside claim on the potential takeover of Newcastle United by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group.

Writing in a Twitter thread on Friday’s High Court ruling (via NUFC) and its relevance to the takeover attempt, the journalist has claimed: “PIF sources tell me legal separation evidence was facilitated by royal decree. Unclear what validity this holds in the UK if (as EPL believe) gov. can control courts & Supreme Judicial Council of Saudi Arabia has members appointed by King Salman. It’s complicated.”

What does this mean for the potential Newcastle takeover?

One of the main arguments in the Premier League’s Owners’ and Directors’ Test (ODT) is whether or not the KSA’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) are a separate entity from the Gulf country’s own government, which could significantly influence whether or not their original deal with Mike Ashley can be revived.

As Jacobs has explained, PIF believe that they have given evidence to show that they are a separate entity, but this was facilitated by royal decree, thus questioning the influence that the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) may have had in this.

MBS and PIF are part of the consortium along with Amanda Staveley and the Reuben brothers looking to buy the St. James’ Park faithful, and so the case of legal separation is certainly a complicated one as Jacobs points out.

Nonetheless, PIF are not back on the table as of yet following the dragging on of the saga over the summer, and it looks as if matters may only become more clear toward the end of the 2020/21 term, with Steve Bruce’s team at serious risk of seeing themselves relegated from the top flight down to the EFL Championship.

In other news, find out what Mike Ashley claim Keith Downie has dropped on the potential takeover here!

Many Arsenal fans have been left to slam the display of Nicolas Pepe in their 1-0 home loss to Olympiacos in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday evening.

Youssef El Arabi, who scored in the first leg, got the only goal of the game at the Emirates Stadium with a deflected effort off of Gabriel that flew past Bernd Leno, but Mikel Arteta’s team still went through into the quarter-final stage of the competition with an overall 3-2 aggregate win.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was guilty of missing a handful of glorious opportunities to score, but it was the performance of Pepe that flattered to deceive several supporters of the North London club.

The former Lille man lost out on 10 of his duels, the most out of any of his teammates, and also failed to make a single key pass or cross in the game (Sofascore).

He also lost possession of the ball no fewer than on 16 different occasions in the match, the joint-second most out of any Gunners player, as he earned a pretty poor 5.8 overall rating on Sofascore, only worsened by Aubameyang.

Arsenal fan reaction to Pepe display

These Gooners slammed his performance on Twitter, with one AFC fan even going as far as to claim that the Ivory Coast international is a ‘massive fraud’:

“Pepe playing nonsense because Saka is not available.”

Credit: @adio40

“David Luiz makes mistakes, but he is a solid centre half. Pepe I’m done with, just hasn’t got enough quality to do the basics of the game right in my opinion”

Credit: @wynnemic

“Pepe is so frustrating to watch, but that miss by Aubameyang sums up why Arsenal are better off without him – No desire, no thought process, nothing. Disgusting effort. 3 more years of this? God help us. #AFC”

Credit: @H1ghbury4orever

“Awful shot Pepe…. Our shooting has been awful all game. #AFC”

Credit: @CarlBovis_AFC

“Every time you think that Pepe’s cracked it in this team he has a game like this where he’s just sloppy beyond belief and struggles with the basics of controlling and passing a football! #AFC”

Credit: @DJ_CTex23

“Pepe is a massive fraud simply not good enough #afc”

Credit: @420ghost90

In other news, find out whose display was slammed in the first leg here!

Aston Villa have confirmed that Jack Grealish is ready to face Burnley in the Premier League on Tuesday night.

The club captain was taken off with a few minutes to go in the victory over Newcastle United at the weekend, and there appeared to be some doubts over whether Dean Smith would be able to call upon his star man for the trip to Turf Moor.

But speaking in his pre-match press conference, Smith revealed: “He didn’t do an awful lot in training (on January 22) and he wasn’t happy I brought him off with a little over five minutes to go (vs Newcastle). I thought it was game over and he’s on four yellows as well plus there’s that risk of getting him kicked so that was the right time (to take him off).

“He didn’t look fatigued but the last couple of days he’s had a tight hamstring. When you feel the game is done you can take a player like Jack off. He is fine. He is available for selection (for Burnley).”

Described as a “phenomenal talent” by former Villa man Kieran Richardson, he has been in scintillating form again this season, leading his side’s charge up the Premier League table and in their hunt for an incredible European place.

In 17 top-flight games this campaign, the England international has bagged five goals and provided ten assists, and would have been a massive miss against Burnley tonight.

His Whoscored average match rating of 7.85 is comfortably the highest of any Villa player in the Premier League this season, whilst his averages of 3.6 key passes and 2.9 dribbles per match also rank him first among his teammates.

He is Villa’s creative lynch-pin, and against a team like Sean Dyche’s men, that bit of class and vision is especially needed. It’s exactly why Smith will be absolutely buzzing with the fact that his captain is all raring to go on Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, Villa can land a major Ross Barkley upgrade in this Brazilian…

Liverpool lost against Everton at Anfield for the first time since 1999 at the weekend, but there was controversy, which was, in part, caused by VAR. Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey has given his view on the incident.

Halsey speaks out on VAR in Merseyside derby

During the second half, referee Chris Kavanagh awarded a penalty to Everton as he deemed that Trent Alexander-Arnold had fouled Dominic Calvert-Lewi. However, Kavanagh was instructed by VAR Andre Marriner to go to the monitor to check his decision. However, after going over to the monitor for literally a few seconds, he moved away and stuck with the penalty.

A lot of questions have been asked about the time Kavanagh spent at the screen and speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, Halsey discussed that incident:

“We need to hear the conversation between the referee and Stockley Park, we need to know what is going on, because we don’t know, nobody knows, we are just second guessing.

“I think Chris was adamant that he wasn’t going to change his mind, you can tell by his body language and the way he’s got over to that monitor. You can tell he’s thinking “what is this for? This is not a clear and obvious error”. You can tell by his body language as he gets to the screen and as he came away that quickly, you just knew that he was going to stick with his original decision. Full respect to him. We can’t criticise him (for sticking to his guns).”

Halsey identifies a clear issue with VAR

The only people who know how Kavanagh came to his final decision so quickly are himself and the VAR and this leaves fans confused and unsure, which can be very frustrating.

Therefore, as Halsey says, it would be great if we could hear the conversations that the officials have as it would, perhaps, help the clear confusion caused by such incidents.

Liverpool have already felt quite hard done by on many occasions this campaign, and this latest issue will not help them feel any better at all.

When performances are not at their best, which is proven by the fact they have lost their last four games in the division, then it can feel like everything is going against you and it seems like this is happening for The Reds at the moment.

In other news, Klopp and Pep Lijnders are reportedly very impressed with this centre-back.

Former Celtic target Mark McKenzie has revealed why he ended up snubbing the Bhoys to join Belgian club Genk, and his reasoning may baffle Hoops supporters.

Celtic were looking to sign McKenzie this month and the defender had even said that he was open to signing for the Bhoys. But the American has now joined Belgian side Genk some days ago.

McKenzie reveals bizarre Celtic snub

McKenzie has recently talked about his move to Belgium and while he does admit that other clubs were interested, he also said that when Genk came calling for him, he was ‘enthusiastic’ about the move. That is because of Genk’s identity of being a club that offers the chance for young players to develop and move to bigger teams.

He said (live blog, 10:46): “There was interest elsewhere, but when I heard that Genk was interested, I was immediately enthusiastic. It’s a club that makes players better and then sells them to larger clubs. I looked at their history and they develop and sell players. They take them on to the next level.

“That was exciting for me. I have to be honest, there are still gaps in my game and at Genk they know what can be improved and where I can teach the team something.

“They have the resources and the ability to help me in my development. I’m really excited to get started soon. They have followed me for a long time and, in the end, the choice was easy.”

McKenzie was a regular for Philadelphia Union last season, as he made 26 appearances in all competitions for the club. He scored two goals and even picked up one assist (as per Transfermarkt).

The defender was included in the MLS Team of the Year last season and was even named a finalist for MLS Defender of the Year. He was a finalist for Rookie of the Year in 2018 (as per MLSSoccer).

Baffling for Celtic

Celtic have already missed out on Filip Benkovic, who has joined Belgian club Leuven on loan from Leicester City. Christopher Jullien is injured and the Frenchman has been ruled out for around four months now. It has also been stated that if Brighton get the chance to find another club, they could end Shane Duffy’s loan spell at Celtic.

This suggests that Celtic would need another centre-back. Considering how McKenzie was part of MLS Team of the Year last season, it shows his qualities as a player, so they will regret missing out on him.

The young defender’s reasoning is quite simply baffling though – if there is one club known for developing star players and selling for profit to elite teams, it is Celtic, so it will certainly be interesting to see how McKenzie’s move pans out considering his entire reasoning for his move is based on developing before jumping to another club.

It’s fair to say Diego Llorente hasn’t enjoyed the happiest of starts to life at Leeds United.The Spain international has been out of action for the majority of this Premier League season with injury, with his only appearance for Marcelo Bielsa’s side coming against Chelsea back in early December.But having recently returned to training, an opportunity may be on the horizon, especially after his performance for the club’s U23s side on Monday night.Llorente got a crucial 45 minutes under his belt against Stoke City, and put some icing on the cake by seeing his first-half header prove to be the winner.In their post-match ratings, Leeds Live gave the 6 foot 1 gem a nine out of ten, saying: “Hardly put a foot wrong on his return from injury,ÂLlorenteÂwas everything a centre-back should be. Composed in possession, he attempted plenty of passes into the channels as well as reading opposition play excellently.”The Spaniard made a number of interceptions and never looked troubled by Stoke’s pressure. He capped his 45-minute display with a well-taken header, nodding in from Kalvin Phillips’ floated delivery.”Before the U23s’ clash, The Athletic journalist Phil Hay took to Twitter to declare that especially with Robin Koch missing for the Whites, Llorente has “got to be in the reckoning”.

And after seeing him score the winner and help the U23s keep a clean sheet, Bielsa will surely be tempted to throw Llorente into his starting line-up in the Premier League very soon.

Next week’s clash against Newcastle presents the perfect opportunity for him to do just that. It may be a long time coming but Llorente may finally get his chance to prove why Leeds spent big money to bring him to Elland Road in the summer transfer window.

Meanwhile, Leeds should give this future Klich successor a chance…

Leeds United have been linked to forgotten Manchester United winger Daniel James as the January transfer window approaches. The Wales international has made just three Premier League appearances this season as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer opts for the likes of Mason Greenwood instead.

Despite his current £80,000 per week contract at Old Trafford running until 2024, it’s likely that James will start to be considering his future and whether it lies away from Manchester. Carlton Palmer certainly believes so – he spoke with Football FanCast’s Tom Ward about the idea of him joining a side like Leeds.

“I’d go for James, I think he fits into the style and the model that Leeds have,” the pundit said. “I think he’d be a good fit and he needs to play football.”

A player of James’ age and calibre certainly shouldn’t be reduced to life on the bench. He would benefit massively from joining the newly-promoted Whites and the club would equally revel in signing him.

As it stands, Jack Harrison is Marcelo Bielsa’s only recognised senior left-winger and he is due to return to Manchester City following the end of his loan spell next summer. Losing the 24-year-old will put Leeds in a difficult position and will mean that the Argentinian boss will struggle to operate his usual 4-1-4-1 staple lineup.

With James struggling for minutes at Man United, it could be easier than expected to prise him away from Solskjaer. The Welshman is currently valued at £14million, which isn’t an amount that would break the bank if Andrea Radrizzani was to pursue a move.

Palmer believes that the transaction would be a win-win for both parties, with the United boss apparently still figuring out his best system and lineup.

In other news, Bielsa highlights three players who must shape up before next match…

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer must unleash Paul Pogba against Manchester City in a pivotal clash in the Premier League on Saturday evening.

Pep Guardiola’s side will go above the Red Devils if they win at Old Trafford, which is precisely why Solskjaer must put his faith in the Frenchman, irrespective of Mino Raiola’s latest outburst.

As soon as he came off the bench against RB Leipzig, the stage was set for Pogba to make an impact.

Pogba played a big part as he stepped onto the pitch as a second-half substitute for the eighth time this season, this time replacing Nemanja Matic in the midfield in the Champions League clash against the Bundesliga challengers.

He made an impact almost immediately as United tried to fight back from 3-nil down, with his header cannoning off Harry Maguire into the back of the net to put his side within touching distance of the knockout stages.

His efforts were ultimately in vain, as United were unceremoniously dumped out of the Champions League, thanks to goals from on-loan Manchester City full-back Angelino, Amadou Haidara and Justin Kluivert.

With Raiola’s comments triggering an outcry on social media, there are of course concerns about his future at the club, but Solskjaer has moved to dissuade those fears.

Speaking in the post-match press conference, he said: “You have to ask Paul if he is happy or not. I’m not going to speak for him. Paul is focused on doing his best for the team and when he’s here he’s working hard in training just needs to focus on his performances.”

Defeat is not an option for Solskjaer, who also finds himself facing questions about his own future at the club.

Whilst his strained relationship with Pogba and his representatives is well-documented, the club legend cannot allow personal grievances to cloud his judgement.

Beating their arch-rivals would be a big step in the right direction and may go some way towards getting the Red Devils back on track.

Despite his off-pitch issues at Old Trafford, it’s fair to say that Pogba has been one of the club’s best players in recent weeks, with one goal in his past two games in all competitions.

His former boss Jose Mourinho once heaped praise on his “monster” heroics after the 2-1 win over Leicester City in 2018 before things took a turn for the worse.

Valued at £72m via Transfermarkt, the French World Cup winner has scored 34 goals and supplied 35 assists in all competitions, including two goals and an assist against the Citizens. Therefore, he surely deserves the chance to play in what could turn out to be a season-defining game for both manager and player in the Premier League.

AND in other news, Ed Woodward must secure Juventus striker Paulo Dybala as an Anthony Martial alternative…

Manchester United welcome Chelsea to Old Trafford on Saturday when they return to Premier League action later on today.

United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has received a major boost as Harry Maguire is expected to return to the starting lineup after missing the Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain. The club captain scored as United bounced back from their humiliating 6-1 defeat at home to Spurs by beating Newcastle at St James’ Park last weekend.

Solskjaer has options at the back once more as Axel Tuanzebe impressed in a back three alongside Victor Lindelof and Luke Shaw. The United boss may switch back to his preferred 4-2-3-1 system after changing the formation for the midweek win.

The Red Devils did the double over Frank Lampard’s side in the top flight last term and they will be hoping they can do the same again on Saturday afternoon.

Here at Football FanCast, we’ve taken a look at how Solskjaer could set his side up for the contest, with a team which sees him make three changes to the starting XI that beat PSG at the Parc des Princes.

We’re backing David de Gea to keep his place in goal for the Red Devils after impressing in the midweek win over Thomas Tuchel’s side, as he made a great save to deny Kylian Mbappe, so Dean Henderson may be forced to wait a little while longer.

Solskjaer has a selection dilemma on his hands as Rio Ferdinand insists that Tuanzebe should start every week for the foreseeable future. In all honesty, we don’t envy him over that decision, that’s for sure. Alex Telles will most likely keep his place on the left, so Maguire may slot into place alongside Victor Lindelof.

It’s hard to imagine any changes to the holding midfielders, with Scott McTominay and Fred likely to start, which means Paul Pogba is set to miss out. Maybe Pogba could come back in, but the pair were so strong against PSG that we reckon Solskjaer will stick with them instead.

Mason Greenwood is also expected to return, which means he will revert to the right wing, with Marcus Rashford lining up on the left flank. Rashford started the first three fixtures on the left wing this season and has bagged four goals in the past three games against the Blues, including a brace at Old Trafford last term.

Moving further afield, Solskjaer could hand Edinson Cavani his first-team debut as his first-choice striker Anthony Martial is still suspended after being sent off against Spurs before the international break.

AND in other news, Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe steals the show in Champions League victory over PSG…