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[ad_pod ]Figuring out if a quality player could be shoehorned into another top tier side – it’s something pundits just seem to love doing, isn’t it?Manchester City and Liverpool are the two top sides in England. Therefore, it’s only natural that the best players from their respective sides receive the aforementioned treatment.Watch Manchester City Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Today, it was Raheem Sterling’s turn. Lucky him.

The England forward has been enjoying himself again this year with Premier League champions City, having already helped himself to five goals in four top flight games. That’s more than Mohamed Salah, who’s on three, and Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, who have both netted just twice.Â

So, which of these stars would concede their position? TalkSPORT’s Darren Gough discusses…

We can already hear Liverpool’s band of loyal supporters breaking down on social media as they spontaneously combust over the sheer prospect that another player is being considered better than one of their own.

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West Ham United are looking to record a fourth successive win in all competitions when they face Aston Villa at Villa Park on Monday night.

With everyone else already playing, the Irons know that they will jump into third position should they bring the three points back to east London, and would subsequently only sit behind Manchester City on goal difference.

Manager Manuel Pellegrini could name an unchanged side for the third Premier League match running, but he would be wise to make at least one change.

Here’s the starting XI we think the Chilean should select against Dean Smith’s men…

When it comes to his back five and with no new injury problems to report, it makes sense for Pellegrini to continue with the players that are serving him so well right now – Lukasz Fabianski between the sticks, Ryan Fredericks and Arthur Masuaku at full-back, and Angelo Ogbonna partnering Issa Diop at the heart of the defence.

The latter duo will be looking to stop the physical threat of Wesley, who has made a decent enough start to his Villa career with one goal in four outings.

One of the Midlands outfit’s main strengths appears to be in the centre of the park where they have the likes of John McGinn, Douglas Luiz and Jack Grealish, and it is an area which already looks as though it could be an interesting one when you bring Declan Rice and Mark Noble into the equation, too.

Pellegrini should bring in another battling player in Carlos Sanchez into the middle for his first Premier League start since September 2018, in order to win that important battle.

That means that Manuel Lanzini moves into a wide position in attack with Felipe Anderson and Sebastien Haller, with Andriy Yarmolenko the man to drop out.

That may seem harsh given the Ukraine international scored against Norwich last time out, but having only recently returned from a serious injury it is also sensible not to push him too hard at this early stage of the campaign.

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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…

John McGinn has joked to The Times that he is worth just £5.

What did he say?

The Scotland international had an impressive campaign in the Championship last season, scoring seven goals and providing ten assists as he helped Aston Villa to promotion to the Premier League.

Such was the quality of his displays, Manchester United were reported to be interested in the former Hibernian man in the summer, with a staggering price of £50m mentioned.

Clearly not one for taking life too seriously, the 24-year-old had a rather different valuation of himself in mind. When asked by The Times what he thought his worth was, he jokingly responded: “£5”.

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Just a little bit off…

The McGinn to United link was one of the more bizarre rumours from silly season. Yet to play in England’s top tier at the time, it would be hard to imagine him commanding the Red Devils’ midfield, despite impressing in the second rung of the country’s football pyramid last time out.

However, his performances this season indicate that any team wishing to purchase him may have to get closer to the £50m mark than you might think. Although the Villans have taken a little bit of time to adapt to the top flight, McGinn can not be criticised for his displays.

He has arguably been their best player up until now. In the six appearances he has made, he has two goals and one assist, but his overall contribution has been much more than that. He is an all-action central midfielder, and he has been just as reliable in defence as he has been threatening in attack.

Only Jack Grealish has bettered his 1.3 chances created per match, and no-one more than his 1.8 dribbles per game. In terms of tackles, Marvelous Nakamba is the only Villa man to have more than his 3.7 per match. In fact, that number puts him in the top ten in the league.

Of the five games he missed whilst at the club in the Championship last season, Dean Smith’s team only won two. His importance cannot be understated. Whilst £50m may make the eyes water on first viewing, the qualities McGinn possesses, as well as his relatively young age, means that a substantial offer should be needed to convince Villa to sell.

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Loads of fans of Tottenham Hotspur’s top four rivals in the Premier League say they would be happy to take Mauricio Pochettino off of their hands, following a disappointing run of results for the north London outfit.

A Carabao Cup exit at the hands of League Two side Colchester United came on the back of them losing leads against Olympiacos and Leicester City, with the latter a defeat that has left them 10 points adrift of leaders Liverpool in the Premier League table – and it’s only September.

The shock result has led to a #PochOut campaign trending on Twitter, with many seemingly running out of patience with the former Southampton man.

Spurs weren’t the only big club to struggle during midweek as Manchester United were also taken to penalties by Rochdale at  Old Trafford, although unlike Tottenham they did prevail on spot-kicks.

Red Devils supporters are just some of those saying they would take the Argentine manager should he end up leaving north London, with some fans of arch-rivals Arsenal and another London neighbour in Chelsea also keen on the 47-year-old.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

One United individual said “I’d take him in a heartbeat”, while a Gunner said “we’ll take him at Arsenal, no problem”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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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…

Wolves’ start to the current Premier League campaign has been nothing short of abysmal as the west Midlands club sit second bottom after six matches.

This weekend they will face Watford, who are the only team below them in the table so come five o’clock on Saturday they could well be the side holding up the rest of the league.

That’s quite the contrast to last season where the club recorded their best-ever finish in the Premier League era with seventh place.

Part of their problems could be attributed to them competing in the Europa League this season after having to play six qualification games before they had even reached that number domestically.

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But there’s only so far that excuse will carry as it has the potential to leave the club in a precarious situation even though we are just entering October.

Another one of their troubles has been further up the pitch in attack as Nuno’s men have only managed to net seven goals which rank them as the fourth-worst in the Premier League.

It is becoming increasingly clear that they lack real depth despite adding Patrick Cutrone for £16m in the summer, but they did also let two attack-minded players depart the club on loan, which is looking more and more baffling each week.

Raul Jimenez has played over 40 times this calendar year so quite rightly he looks exhausted while Diogo Jota only got off the mark on Sunday with his first of the season.

Therefore, letting Ivan Cavaleiro and Helder Costa leave Molineux this summer could result in the manager becoming a victim of his own downfall.

Are Wolves set to become the new Man City? Find out why in the video below…

There are a few times this season they could have used a different threat up top, like against Crystal Palace – they may have salvaged a point in the end, but the game was there for the taking in the first half as Wolves recorded seven shots to the home side’s one.

Cavaleiro has been one of Fulham’s key players this season having scored three and assisted three in eight league matches, per WhoScored, while Costa’s loan spell at Leeds United just hasn’t been worth it, coming off the bench in all of his eight appearances, also per WhoScored.

He may well have been better off staying in the west Midlands.

Between them both last season they racked up just 22 starts, though, they managed four goals and three assists.

Ultimately, the Portuguese boss could have done with the extra options as they face the added burden of Europa League and Carabao Cup matches on top of the Premier League every single week.

Former Premier League footballer Alan Shearer believes that Sadio Mane dived to win Liverpool the penalty which eventually secured all three points against Leicester City on Saturday afternoon.

Leicester had been set to become the first side to take points off Liverpool in the league this season, before Marc Albrighton’s challenge on Mane in the box gifted James Milner the opportunity to snatch victory – and did so by sending Kasper Schmeichel the wrong way from the spot.

However, Shearer questioned the awarding of the penalty, accusing Mane of going down unnecessarily – and conning referee Chris Kavanagh into giving the all-important spot-kick at the death.

He said on BBC’s Match of the Day (via Daily Express): “I don’t think it’s a penalty, I think it’s a dive.

“It’s a contact sport.

“Mane takes a touch against Albrighton and then decides to go down.”

The call was not overturned by VAR as the referee’s decision was upheld, though Shearer’s thoughts were echoed by Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers after the game, following a cruel end to his return to Anfield thanks to Milner’s last-gasp penalty.

It was clearly a debatable call given the split opinion – with Jurgen Klopp backing the referee’s decision along with the video assistants – and the subjective nature of the call means that no definitive conclusion can be drawn from Albrighton’s challenge.

But to accuse Mane of diving – and effectively cheating – is a step further from Shearer.

Of course, if Mane was considered to have dived, he could be subject to a retrospective ban – so Shearer would be vindicated if any decision was to come in the days ahead.

Whether that is likely in the days of VAR and added assistance to refereeing decisions in the first place remains to be seen – but there’s no doubt that the incident was crucial with regards to the outcome of the game as well as Liverpool’s perfect start to the season.

And with the points in the bag, it seems there will be little for Liverpool to worry about as they go in search of a record-equalling Premier League win next week at Old Trafford.

Liverpool fans, did you think it was a penalty? Are Shearer’s comments unfair? Let us know what you think in the comments below!

Jamie O’Hara’s public image isn’t the best nowadays ever since his appearance on Celebrity Big Brother and his ill-fated move to Billericay Town.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

However, it’s easy to forget that the midfielder has played for some top teams in his day.

Indeed, O’Hara has turned out for Tottenham, Fulham, Portsmouth and Wolves in his career, and he’s played with some supremely talented players.

Based on the midfielder’s Instagram story, he’s set to appear on Sky Sports to name his best XI made up of players he’s played with throughout his career, and he gave a sneak peak at what to expect.

Unsurprisingly, no Billericay Town players make O’Hara’s team.

Instead, it’s heavily made up with Tottenham stars, and when you look at the calibre of talent he played with at White Hart Lane it’s easy to understand why.

Champions League winners such as Luka Modric and Gareth Bale make the squad, while Premier League stalwarts such as Robbie Keane, Aaron Lennon and Ledley King also earn spots.

West Brom defender Ahmed Hegazi made his long-awaited return from injury on Monday afternoon as he played the full 90 minutes for his national side, Egypt.

The Pharaohs defeated Botswana 1-0, meaning the 28-year-old kept a clean sheet in his first start since the Africa Cup of Nations in the summer.

The Baggies have been without the centre-back all season after he underwent surgery on a lingering ankle injury, which he had been playing on for the majority of the 2018/19 campaign.

In his absence, Slaven Bilic has guided the west Midlands club to the top spot in the Championship, and at one stage, they were the only side still unbeaten in the division until Leeds United put paid to that.

Watch West Bromwich Albion Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

However, Albion have managed to keep just the one clean sheet in 11 matches, so his return from injury is welcome news.

That’s what many of the Hawthorns faithful believe anyway as they took to social media to share their excitement.

One supporter claimed that Hegazi would partner Semi Ajayi for the rest of the season now that he’s back, while another believed they would soon start seeing more clean sheets.

A further member of the Baggies’ fanbase hopes the 6 foot 4 man can play against Middlesbrough on Saturday, with one more stating that he can’t wait to see the Egyptian back in the blue and white stripes.

Here’s the best of the reaction:

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Injury News series, which considers the impact of the latest updates on players’ fitness.

Speaking to London News Online, Lee Bowyer confirmed that he will have three key players back fit for this weekend’s game against Derby.

Ben Purrington, Tomer Hemed and Beram Kayal have all seemingly recovered from their respective issues, and Bowyer is expecting them to be back available.

The 42-year-old specifically spoke about Purrington’s return, saying: “It’s really important that Ben is back because that left-back position is where we are short.”

His return might be even more important, as Derby have a real danger-man lining up on Purrington’s side…

Who is it?

Martyn Waghorn.

The Derby forward is the Rams’ top scorer in the Championship this season with four goals to his name in ten starts, and has lined up on the right flank five times already this season – his last league start came on the right wing against Barnsley.

Waghorn is hardly the quickest player in the Championship, but what Purrington must be aware of is his knack of arriving in the box and taking up good goalscoring positions – the 23-year-old must be aware of the No.9’s whereabouts at all times.

Significance of Purrington’s return

Behind Purrington, Bowyer has just one other option at left-back in Lewis Page.

Unfortunately for Charlton and Page himself, the 23-year-old is yet to make an appearance this season as he struggles to stay fit.

When Purrington was out against Fulham, Bowyer opted for midfielder Jake Forster-Caskey at left wing-back, where he allowed Ivan Cavaleiro to cut in from the right flank and rifle home to find a second-half equaliser for the Cottagers – the ease with which the on-loan Wolves forward waltzed inside his man was concerning.

As a result, it is key for Charlton to have Purrington back fit and ready to perform, as Waghorn will certainly be a man to keep an eye on if his form so far this season is anything to go by.

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…

The 2019 summer transfer window saw a number of Leeds United players linked with moves away from the club, such as Kalvin Phillips amidst interest from Aston Villa and Jack Clarke, who did eventually make the move to Tottenham Hotspur.

Yet the West Yorkshire side also managed to retain the services of Adam Forshaw and that has so far proven to be a very wise decision.

Leeds midfielder Adam Forshaw was linked with a potential move away from Elland Road in the summer window, with reports linking the 28-year-old with a move to Fulham.

According to Yorkshire Evening Post, the club rejected offers for Forshaw, Phillips, Luke Ayling and Pablo Hernandez in summer, though it’s unclear whether the Cottagers were the side behind the bid.

Forshaw’s importance to the side was quickly illuminated this season as started all of Leeds’ first six league games, with the Whites enjoying an unbeaten run – four wins and two draws – to amplify their promotion credentials.

Yet an injury to the former Middlesbrough man has seen him sideline and Leeds’ form has consequently and perhaps not so coincidentally dropped, leaving Bielsa’s side fifth in the Championship table.

The midfielder’s importance to Leeds’ overall play is best highlighted by his pinpoint passing accuracy of 89.7%, whilst he also completes an average of 2.3 dribbles per game.

Although Bielsa could have been tempted to cash in on Forshaw amidst summer interest, the decision to retain the midfielder’s services is currently proving to be a wise move from the Argentinian boss.

Bielsa will be hoping that the 28-year-old is able to return from injury and resume his place in the starting XI for the clash against Birmingham City, with Leeds Live suggesting he could be line for a start in the game at Elland Road.

If Forshaw is fit to start, his manager will be hoping he can breath fresh life back into the club’s performances and their promotion bid.

And if he manages to help the promotion-chasing outfit return to winning ways, the summer decision will only be vindicated further.