It’s been a few weeks of pure progress at Old Trafford. Things couldn’t have gone much better since the departure of Jose Mourinho, with the Red Devils winning every game so far under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. It’s clear that the manager still has a lot of work to do as he looks to move Man Utd into a new era, but so far, it’s been brilliant for the boss.

There’s a sense that Man Utd are slowly moving away from the chaos that has dominated everything at Old Trafford since the departure of Sir Alx Ferguson. Under the likes of David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, and even Jose Mourinho, it’s been relative chaos at the club, and only now has calmness been restored, with the club now speeding away from that period.

Yet, there are still some relics of the past at Old Trafford, though Man Utd are apparently closing in the removal of one of them. According to the Guardian, Man Utd are in advanced talks with Juventus regarding the sale of Matteo Damian, with the defender seemingly closing in on a return to Italy.

It’s fair to say that Darmian’s run at Man Utd has been a bit of a disappointment. He’s struggled to make a name for himself at Old Trafford, and he’s never really held down a regular starting berth at the club. He’s clearly got talent, but a lack of overall quality and consistency – combined with a bit of bad luck – has proven to be his downfall.

Man Utd are moving on, and with players like Diogo Dalot now in the side, a new era is dawning.

Thoughts?

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Tottenham Hotspur yet again refused to make a single signing in the January transfer window.

Spurs went through the month without adding a player, having also opted against adding personnel in the summer, with mooted interest in Michy Batshuayi, per Sky, proving fruitless.

On the chalkboard

Football FanCast reported on Thursday that Batshuayi was pushing for a move to Tottenham amid interest from West Ham United.

His wage demands – worth £170,000-per-week – proved prohibitive for both clubs, despite his desire to join Mauricio Pochettino’s squad. Chelsea were also far less willing to send the striker to a major rival, unsurprisingly.

Instead, he has moved to Crystal Palace, his third loan move in as many years.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

He has spent time with Valencia and Borussia Dortmund in recent seasons, despite joining the Blues with major billing in 2016 after some impressive displays at the European Championships that summer.

The BBC report that the deal was worth £33million, with the striker going on to score just 19 goals for the club in 53 appearances, per Transfermarkt.

His spell at Valencia – three goals in 23 appearances – hinted at stalled development, though he did score nine goals in 14 outings at Dortmund.

Just not good enough

At the end of the day, the deal just didn’t make sense for Spurs.

They have Fernando Llorente as a perfectly serviceable deputy to Harry Kane and it seems as though Mauricio Pochettino eventually opted against any deals.

The Spurs boss said on Friday, per BBC (13:43): “Yesterday there were reports and rumours. The media got more info than us.

“I cannot talk about that rumour but we were open to adding quality to help us achieve but we couldn’t add that quality. I was open to it.”

Batshuayi has yet to prove his worth in the Premier League and if Spurs are in the market for short-term reinforcements, they need players with genuine top-flight pedigree.

Batshuayi, quite simply, does not have that, and although chairman Daniel Levy has taken plenty of stick for the lack of signings, this was undoubtedly the correct decision.

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Gary Neville does not believe that Tottenham Hotspur are title contenders this season.

Spurs are currently third in the Premier League, two points behind second-placed Manchester City.

Neville, though, does not think that Mauricio Pochettino’s side have the stomach for the fight against City and Liverpool.

What’s he said?

Writing in his Sky Sports column regarding the state of the title race, Neville assessed the challenges of the Reds and the Blues, but he has written off the challenge of Spurs.

He said: “I woke up this morning to people saying Tottenham are title contenders again and I don’t think they are. I think if City had played yesterday, Liverpool had played today and Tottenham were on Monday Night Football, I don’t think we would even be talking about Tottenham as title contenders because Liverpool and City would be many points in front.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

“I always think with Tottenham, they’ll keep getting close and then dropping back again – I don’t think they’ve quite got it. They’ve not got quite as good a team as City and Liverpool and there is no one who would like to see them win the league more than me this season… It would represent an incredible job done by Pochettino over the last three or four years [if they won the Premier League], it would be amazing because he almost deserves it in some ways, but I just feel like they’re not going to win it and they’re going to fall short.

“I’d expect them to beat Watford and Newcastle because they’re a good side, but they’re not going to have the squad depth or the quality to be able to compete with City and Liverpool. That is not a criticism and I know Tottenham fans have been disappointed in the last few weeks and I’ve dismissed them for the title because they are so close. I hope they win it, but I don’t think they will.”

Write them off at your peril

Spurs have more than enough in their squad to win the Premier League.

They will, of course, need a slip from either City or Liverpool but the impending returns of Harry Kane and Dele Alli mark them out as potential champions.

If they can hit top gear with Kane, Alli and Son Heung-Min in the team, there are few sides who would be able to stop them.

Writing Spurs off at this stage is foolish at best – without two of their best players they have won three Premier League games in a row in gritty fashion.

Wins over Fulham, Watford and Newcastle United were all recorded with late goals and are the mark of a very good title-challenging team.

Neville may well be proved wrong between now and the end of the season.

Leeds may look unstoppable currently, particularly in defence, but that hasn’t prevented fans from worrying about the threat posed by Jarrod Bowen when Hull City visit Elland Road.

The forward has been in excellent form this season with 14 goals in 20 league games, continuing on from where he left off last term.

In 2018/19 he proved a thorn in the side of the Whites with two goals against Marcelo Bielsa’s team, but Leeds have improved defensively and should be able to keep him quiet, especially since Kalvin Phillips will be back from suspension.

A true test for any Leeds fan: Can you match these iconic images with the right results?

They did the same to another in-form striker, Karlan Grant, at the weekend. However, Bowen has attracted Premier League interest because of his quality and that has led supporters to discuss whether he can be stopped.

He has a great goal return and when one considers that he is still only 22-years-old there is no doubt that he has a great future in the game, and is likely destined for the Premier League sooner or later.

If Leeds do indeed get promoted he’d be a useful addition to make, but their priority first and foremost will be keeping him quiet, and considering the Whites’ defence has conceded an average of once every two games this season, they certainly have a good chance of doing exactly that.

As one fan alluded to, keeping hold of the ball and operating with a style of attack being the best form of defence could be the most effective way too shut him out, otherwise they risk losing three points and their winning streak.

However, fans’ concern should be reduced significantly due to the form of Kiko Casilla, who has improved significantly since the last campaign and could deal with Bowen because of that.

Billy Sharp had an almighty brief spell with Leeds United back in the 2014-15 Championship campaign, but he could come back to haunt the Elland Road outfit.

The forward joined The Whites in the summer of 2014 from Southampton following numerous loan spells away from the Premier League club.

Brought to the club by Dave Hockaday for a fee thought to be around £270,000, per Transfermarkt, things could not have been any better for the native Yorkshireman.

Sharp found the back of the net on his debut in front of a home crowd when he scored the only goal of the game against Middlesbrough in a 1-0 win.

However, the goals did not come too often for him, with the journeyman forward having netted just four more times in his 35 appearances for the club over the course of the season.

Leeds then decided to sell him to Sheffield United, the club where everything started for Sharp, for a fee thought to be in the region of £635,000, per Transfermarkt.

And, four season’s later, that move could end up costing The Whites dearly as they continue their chase for promotion to the Premier League.

Although Sharp originally joined The Blades in League One, he quickly rediscovered his goalscoring ability and has not looked back since.

In his first campaign with his boyhood club, he hit 21 goals in his 48 appearances, before netting 30 in 49 matches the following season to win promotion to the Championship.

In their first year back in England’s second tier, Sharp hit 14 goals in his 37 appearances, however, this season has seen him go from strength-to-strength.

The 33-year-old, who is the club’s captain and is valued at £900,000, per Transfermarkt, has smashed that total with 23 for the campaign already and has been a huge reason as to why Chris Wilder’s side are challenging for promotion to the Premier League.

With Marcelo Bielsa and Leeds currently fighting it out for a promotion spot with the likes of Norwich City, a recent run of indifferent form could see Sharp and Sheffield United turn their current season into a nightmare finish.

Leeds fans – thoughts?

Jonathan Kodjia scored twice as Aston Villa booked their spot in the semi-finals of the EFL Cup with a 5-0 win over Liverpool on Tuesday night.

Liverpool’s involvement in the Club World Cup means that it was pretty much an Under-23 team that took to the field against Villa.

But Dean Smith’s side still had to get the job done.

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Kodjia certainly made the most of his opportunity in the final third, and a number of Villa fans lavished praise on the 24-time Ivory Coast international for his contribution to the cause.

Meanwhile, a number of the fans have called for Smith to select Kodjia ahead of Wesley for Saturday’s Premier League clash with Southampton.

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Wesley, who has faced criticism from the club’s fans this season, has only managed four goals in 17 Premier League appearances for Villa this term but he did net in the latter stages of the clash with Liverpool.

Kodjia had not scored in his four appearances ahead of the tie with the Reds, although the Villa fans believe that the 30-year-old should get the nod this weekend.

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Wesley’s late goal against the Champions League holders will have done his confidence no harm at all, but it will be interesting to see who gets the nod this weekend.

Meanwhile, one player in particular found it difficult to make his mark during Villa’s Premier League clash with Sheffield United at the weekend.

Jack Clarke is set to meet Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho for the first time this weekend, per Football Insider.

What’s the word?

The winger was signed from Leeds United in the summer before he was loaned back to the Elland Road club.

He has struggled for game time with the Championship side, however, and has made just three first-team appearances. He has played a mere 19 minutes in the Championship.

And Football Insider reports that he is poised to discuss his future with the ex-Chelsea boss, ahead of a possible recall.

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Spurs are said to have included a clause that allows them to recall Clarke in January and he could then be loaned out again; the report states that Fulham, Middlesbrough and Derby County are all interested.

A mistake to correct

Sources suggested to Football FanCast in the summer that Mauricio Pochettino wasn’t keen on the signing of Clarke.

Indeed, chairman Daniel Levy was forced to restructure the deal at the last minute, sending him back to Leeds, after Pochettino made it clear he did not see a place for the 19-year-old in the first-team.

Mourinho, though, could well give the teenager some agency over his future and allow him to make a decision.

After all, Spurs were essentially forced to send the England youth international back to Elland Road but, here, Mourinho can ensure that all parties get what they want.

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One has to assume that is Clarke playing regular football; he will be hoping that he can pick a club that is going to utilise him properly, unlike Leeds have done.

Then, if he impresses in the second half of the season, he could well return to Spurs with the intention of breaking into the first-team.

Meanwhile, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has lifted the lid on Mauricio Pochettino’s sacking.

Sunderland are going backwards and their poor form shows no signs of ending with Phil Parkinson in charge, as the Black Cats boss oversaw a 0-0 draw against bottom side Bolton on Boxing Day.

Parkinson has failed to turn the tide in Sunderland’s favour, winning two of 14 games and the same problems in defence and attack that have plagued the team for much of their time in League One seem to have continued.

He has attempted to mix up personnel and systems but without any luck, and there are now a great number of fans who are keen to see him depart.

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Whether or not that will see a solution found is a different question, but the fact that Stewart Donald is staying loyal to his man is adding to increased frustrations, and there are now some sections of the fanbase discussing whether staging a protest is the next step to take.

Some fans, in particular, have devised different ways of doing so.

Many of the suggestions are for fans to stop going, as that method could have the biggest direct impact on Donald himself, by disrupting the cash flow into the club.

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The £10m investment from an America consortium in November indicates that the owner isn’t blessed with a wealth of money, and that means he could struggle with the costs of the club if its income declined over the coming months.

Empty seats would also highlight the disillusion that exists amongst the fanbase and the yearning for things to change, which could make Donald more likely to depart with Parkinson.

However, there are some who are unwilling to engage in protest at this stage due to their neighbours Newcastle, as they feel their rival supporters have embarrassed themselves with their own opposition to Mike Ashley.

Some Sunderland fans are worried about having Phil Parkinson in charge during the January transfer window…

According to Calciomercato, Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Adama Traore is subject to interest from reigning Premier League champions Manchester City this month.

What’s the word?

The Italian news outlet claim that the 23-year-old has impressed Pep Guardiola ‘so much’ this season and as a result, the club are preparing to table an €80m (£68m) offer for him to try and tempt Wolves into a sale.

Traore has scored three goals and provided one assist against the Citizens in the top-flight, succumbing them to two successive defeats in their previous two meetings.

The Spaniard has been an integral part of Nuno Santo’s plans this campaign, in 30 matches in all competitions, he has scored five goals and assisted seven more, per Transfermarkt.

He even played at right wing-back early in the year to cover for Nuno regular Matt Doherty.

Should he be sold?

It would be quite the disaster if Wolves were to accept any bid for him during the current transfer window as he’s pivotal to the system that his Portuguese boss is utilising at the moment.

The 3-4-3 formation sees Traore take up a right-forward position alongside Raul Jimenez and one of Pedro Neto and Diogo Jota, so if he were to get injured or was handed an unlikely suspended (not been carded), then there would be no other player able to play his role.

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It would mean reverting back to the 3-5-2, which caused indifferent results early in the campaign or playing someone out of position there.

Nuno’s philosphy of keeping a small squad is going to hurt when a player of Traore’s quality departs as there are minimal options able to step up to fill such a void.

The same goes for Raul Jimenez and Ruben Neves, who too have been linked with exits this month.

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A Traore-shaped departure in the west Midlands would be devastating for their season and long-term goals. The side currently sit seventh in the Premier League and have every chance to break into the top six if they keep their form up.

The 23-year-old is clearly key to that given his goal involvements so far this term.

And in other news, plenty of Wolves fans were wrong to single out this emerging prospect for criticism against Manchester United…

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has provided an update on Manchester United’s transfer plans for this January transfer window.

What did he say?

The summer window saw the club sign just three players on permanent deals, Daniel James, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire. They also let go of numerous first-team stars, including the likes of Ander Herrera, Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez amongst others.

Now, the Red Devils have been linked with a whole host of players in recent weeks, with names like Donny van de Beek and James Maddison being mentioned amid speculation over a potential move to Old Trafford.

However, ahead of the club’s Premier League clash against Norwich, Solskjaer moved to downplay any rumours of major deals, instead admitting that people shouldn’t be expecting too much action from the Manchester side.

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He said (as quoted by The Evening Standard): “We’ve still got the same thoughts we had a month ago. We’ve got the players we have and are working with the ones we have. I can’t say yes or no, but I wouldn’t expect many ins and outs.”

Worrying times

Whilst United may be fifth in the table and still well in the race for the top four, the lack of urgency shown by Solskjaer in regards to potentially bringing new players in, is worrying to say the least. The Red Devils have numerous holes in their squad that need addressing, not least their issues up front.

The club are relying upon an 18-year-old in Mason Greenwood to be their third-choice striker, whilst they still haven’t bought a genuine replacement for Lukaku who left in the summer to join Serie A giants Inter.

Quickfire Quiz: How much do you know about Man Utd’s history in the January transfer window?

This is the exact time for Solskjaer to loosen the shackles, and be dominant with his voice. Publicly address how new signings are an absolute must for him, and put some much-needed pressure on the likes of Ed Woodward and the Glazers. Instead, the Norwegian has effectively chosen the coward’s way out by tiptoeing around the issue of the transfer market.

Being non-committal with his phrasing, saying “I can’t say yes or no”, and effectively implying he is happy with what he has currently got. A stronger voice is needed, or else United risk seeing this season petering out into nothing.

Meanwhile, this Man Utd target’s big-game mentality is exactly what they need.