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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…

Former Southampton centre-back Jose Fonte has been speaking to talkSPORT about the Saints’ turbulent campaign so far, and has also shared a pretty damning verdict on manager Ralph Hasenhuttl’s credentials.

Fonte – a 40-cap Portugal international and European Championship winner – spent seven years at St Mary’s before leaving for West Ham in a deal worth £8m, having previously handed in a transfer request.

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The 35-year-old – who made a huge 286 appearances for the south coast side – has been discussing his former side’s tough campaign so far, in which they currently sit one point off the bottom of the table having also conceded the most goals in the Premier League with 29.

What did he say?

Fonte told talkSPORT: “It’s difficult to watch this struggle. This was a team and a club that was in such great shape a few years ago. We were consistently achieving top-six, top-ten finishes.

“I think they’re in a bad way, it’s easy to see for everyone. The manager, he doesn’t look like he’s capable of turning things around. I’m not really sure if he can do the job to be honest.”

Good to see some brutal honesty

For too long, those associated with Southampton have been treading on eggshells in regards to the sticky situation the Saints find themselves in.

Hasenhuttl keeps playing players out of position, having deployed midfielders Stuart Armstrong and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg at right and left wing-backs respectively so far this season – maybe he is to blame, a shout that hasn’t been heard too much this season.

Fonte states that the Saints are “in a bad way”. That much is obvious. The team can’t stop conceding goals – Southampton ship 2.4 goals per game on average in the Premier League this term – and they also can’t seem to score them either. For context, they are the third-lowest scorers in the division with 11.

If Fonte, who hasn’t been at the club in years, can see the glaring issues going on, why can’t those at St Mary’s see them too and do something about them?

It’s time to stop tiptoeing around the real issues at the club.

In other news, Hasenhuttl has identified one key thing his Southampton team need to get back to doing.

This article forms part of our The Ones That Got Away feature series, which is where Football Transfer Tavern take a look back at players linked with moves in the past, and see how they would have made an impact had they signed for the interested side.

For obvious reasons, it is hard to predict just what would be different at a club if they had made a signing the best part of 15 years ago. However, with Dominic Fifield writing in the Athletic this week about how Crystal Palace need to invest in the January transfer window, he provided a timely reminder of how the Eagles once thought they had the signing of Michael Carrick in the bag.

Rollback 15-and-a-half-years to the summer of 2004 and the Eagles had just shocked much of English football by winning promotion to the Premier League, despite then-manager Iain Dowie joining in late December of 2003 with Palace sat in 19th in the league.

Going up via the play-off method, Neil Shipperley managed to score the only goal of the game – a close-range shot after a saved Andy Johnson shot – to push Palace back into the big time for the first time since 1997. Indeed, the Eagles faced Alan Pardew’s West Ham that day, with a 23-year-old Michael Carrick playing in the opposite 11.

With Palace promoted and in the Premier League, Fifield reports that Simon Jordan and Iain Dowie were confident that a deal could be forced through for the midfielder – who went to win every domestic competition available to him in England – but it turned out he had other ideas.

A bid of £3.5m was reportedly accepted, however, as the report states, “Carrick had no interest in the move and merely ignored Dowie’s calls”. While perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise that such a sought after player (Independent) did not fancy Selhurst Park, the biggest damage done was that the Palace had not identified any other targets, per the report.

In the end, Carrick went onto join Tottenham and kickstarted a career which would struggle to be matched by many other Englishmen as he won five Premier League titles, the FA Cup, both the Champions League and Europa League as well as 2 EFL Cups.Palace, on the other hand, got relegated on the final day of the season by a single point and then didn’t manage to reach the Premier League again until their latest promotion in 2013.

With Palace playing mainly a variation of Aki Rihilatti, Ben Watson, Tom Soares and Michael Hughes in central midfield, there’s no doubt they could have done with someone of the quality of Carrick. And while you can never successfully predict what would have happened if he was to join, the margins were so fine for relegation that season that any sort of improvement could have made the difference.

What could Carrick have brought to Palace? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

Sunderland suffered a disappointing loss to Leicester U21s in midweek, but with their first-team players back and playing with a bit more freedom, they should return to winning ways on Sunday.

Gillingham are the visitors, and since it is a cup game there will be less pressure on the players, from the fans at least, and that could allow some to play their best stuff.

Phil Parkinson, like Jack Ross, has failed to establish consistency from his players, but the Black Cats’ home form has been mostly good since his appointment, with two wins from three at the Stadium of Light.

One victory was the 5-0 thumping of Tranmere, and Parkinson may be able to get a similar level of performance out of his players if he alters his system a little.

Like his predecessor, he has operated with a 4-2-3-1 formation since coming in, and that has led to little improvement in the attack, with one goal in three league games excluding the visit of Tranmere.

Sunderland have the players to make a success of 4-4-2, and it would likely bring the best out of Will Grigg, who could be massive in Sunderland’s success if they can get him firing.

It could also allow them to go back to basics, something Sol Campbell advised earlier this week, and with that in mind here is how they should line-up against the Gills – with the likes of Alim Ozturk, Tom Flanagan, Laurens De Bock and Marc McNulty dropping out.

Only three of the 11 started in midweek, and with Benji Kiompioka, Grant Leadbitter, Dylan McGeouch and Duncan Watmore missing out there should be a revamp to the midfield, with a chance for Luke O’Nien to build on the positive performances he showed throughout October.

That led him to be named Sunderland’s Player of the Month and if he can add a bit more quality in terms of his key passing and crossing, then Parkinson’s side could start to improve on the goal front.

The biggest factor which will influence that is partnering Grigg with Chris Maguire. The latter has played well this season with five goals scored but in a role behind the striker, which means that Grigg can often be left isolated.

Against Southend and Shrewsbury he had the least amount of touches of any Sunderland outfield player, and therefore any change which seeks to get him more involved should be beneficial.

That is what will get him scoring and the Black Cats winning, with a bit of consistency that they desperately need.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has stated that the club have the option to sign Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz in the summer, per the Manchester Evening News.

What’s the word?

Luiz joined City in 2017 but never played a game for the club due to work permit issues.

He was loaned to Girona for two seasons, playing 46 times, prior to his move to Villa, which cost the newly-promoted club a total of £15m.

Guardiola, though, says that City, who beat Villa 3-0 on Saturday, have inserted an option to bring the Brazilian back to the Etihad should they so wish next summer.

He said: “He would be here if a work permit were possible if the Premier League said it would be possible but now he is at Aston Villa.

“We have an option to get him back but sometimes life is like this. We wanted him because last season we had problems in that position because we didn’t buy a holding midfielder.

“We wanted him before so we thought about it but the rules with the work permit meant it was not possible. I thought he would be here with the pre-season he played last year in the States, he was really good. I think he had the quality to play with us but he could not do it.

“The talent is always there, we’ll see at the end of the season what his level is but the quality is always there.”

Fernandinho replacement

Luiz could potentially be something of a replacement to the ageing Fernandinho at City and one feels that Guardiola will know that.

The 21-year-old is at the start of his Premier League career while his compatriot, 34, is approaching the end of his. Ironically enough, the latter was sent off against Dean Smith’s men at The Etihad Stadium.

Statistically, Fernandinho averages 0.2 key passes per game in the top-flight, a pass success rate of 91.6%, 1.4 tackles, 1.4 interceptions and 3.2 clearances, per WhoScored.

Luiz, by comparison, averages 0.4 key passes, a completion rate of 87.3%, 0.9 tackles, 0.4 interceptions and 1.3 clearances. He also has two league goals this season.

One feels that, with the correct coaching and by being surrounded by better players, Luiz’s stats would only rise.

The deal could be revisited in the future and it may well be wise for City to do so; if Luiz impresses for a team that have looked steady and organised since their promotion, he could well find himself back in Manchester sooner or later.

Loads of Southampton fans were left feeling excited for what the future could have in store now that Moussa Djenepo has returned from injury.

The 21-year-old forward marked his comeback in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Manchester City, coming on as an 84th-minute replacement for Danny Ings after the ex-Liverpool striker failed to score at the Etihad Stadium.

Djenepo last featured for the Saints in their 1-0 victory over Sheffield United in September, when he scored the winning goal for his second strike in the Premier League.

The 13-cap Mali international joined Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side from Standard Liege in a deal that could reach £15million. He scored 12 times in 61 senior games across all competitions with the Belgian outfit.

Watch Southampton Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

He had missed Southampton’s last five league games and their Carabao Cup Third and Fourth Round ties having sustained a hip problem, and faced an uncertain wait to make his comeback as the 5 ft 9 forward’s gripe was a high-risk issue.

But Djenepo returned to the field at the Etihad Stadium, and impressed many Southampton fans in his brief cameo against Man City.

Bamako-born Djenepo was only on the field for 11 minutes including stoppage-time, in which he completed each of his three attempted dribbles, and made two of his four passes in the final third, per WhoScored data.

Southampton face Everton next weekend before a trip to Arsenal after the international break, and some Saints fans are now far more confident ahead of facing the Toffees than before Djenepo returned.

Here are some of the messages shared…

Matheus Pereira came up with an 81st-minute leveller as West Bromwich Albion recovered from two goals behind to draw 2-2 with Barnsley on Tuesday night.

Cauley Woodrow’s first-half double had put the Baggies in all sorts of bother in the Championship affair, but the home side impressively responded to pick up a point.

Slaven Bilic’s side are top of the Championship with 26 points to show from their 13 matches, and it will be very, very interesting to see whether the club can secure a return to the Premier League for the 2020/21 campaign.

Bilic has Pereira to thank for snatching a point on Tuesday night, and it will not come as a surprise to learn that the club’s fans were delighted with the attacker.

The 23-year-old – on loan at the club from Sporting Lisbon – has now managed three goals and seven assists in 11 Championship outings this season.

Watch West Bromwich Albion Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

And he is becoming a real favourite with the WBA supporters:

Dean Henderson is in the England camp for the first time ever.

The Blades goalkeeper has a real chance to impress the Three Lions hierarchy in training this week, and a video uploaded to England’s YouTube page shows him doing just that.

Watch Sheffield United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Henderson has to work hard in order to earn his first cap, and this clip shows him outperforming his peers in a three-ball challenge.

The clip shows Henderson, Jordan Pickford and Nick Pope all taking part in a training drill, and it’s hard to say that the 22-year-old wasn’t the most impressive of the bunch.

While Pope and Pickford had to parry a couple of the incoming balls behind for corners, Henderson managed to keep them under control.

Of course, there is more to being a keeper than just shot-stopping, and this clip isn’t a full representation of all three stoppers’ abilities, but it’s good to see the Manchester United loanee performing so well with the Three Lions, clearly not fazed by his first call-up.

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 leaves have only just started falling from the trees but talk of Marcelo Bielsa’s future at Elland Road is back.

Leeds have sat in fifth place over the international break and the Argentine has come under fire from supporters recently over his team selection.

Just one win from their previous four matches tells a sorry story, as does their inability to find the back of the net on a regular basis.

Steven Gerrard was touted as a possible replacement last week. The Rangers boss was thought of as someone that might be able to replace Bielsa if he’d left over the summer.

As it happens, the 64-year-old signed a new deal but that hasn’t stopped the Leeds hierarchy from supposedly keeping tabs on Gerrard.

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However, what if the Whites already had their successor right in front of them.

Bielsa has a vast array of staff available to him and his bench is often flooded with coaches and backroom members ready and willing to offer him advice.

It’s his right-hand man, Carlos Corberan, that may be best placed to take over if and when he departs.

The assistant to Bielsa and the club’s U23 manager, he’s very much the understudy, a figure being moulded as a future successor if Leeds want him to be.

He has done a sterling job with the youth side and took them through an initial five-game unbeaten run at the start of the season.

Corberan has helped to bridge the gap quite brilliantly between academy football and the senior team with various individuals making the step up.

Why are Leeds fans the best in the country? Find out in the video below…

Last term saw Jack Clarke make a big impact, so much so that he earned a £10m move to Tottenham, while chances have been handed to an array of youngsters since he and Bielsa took charge.

Jamie Shackleton, Leif Davis, Alfie McCalmont and Mateusz Bogusz have all been handed opportunities and last season the same could be said for the likes of Aapo Halme, Clarke Oduor, Jordan Stevens and Kun Temenuzhkov.

The Spaniard has helped to develop their games hugely and his knowledge and expertise of how Bielsa likes to play has been handed down to those in the U23s.

Working alongside someone as experienced as Bielsa and then getting to put it into practise almost immediately is something that’s bound to help – especially when he was regularly in charge of some senior figures in the early stages of the campaign too.

He worked alongside Helder Costa and Eddie Nketiah, as well as providing minutes to Barry Douglas and Gaetano Berardi.

On that evidence, it certainly isn’t beyond the realms of fantasy to suggest the 36-year-old could be a successor.

He’s worked under Manuel Pellegrini and Ernesto Valverde in the past at Villarreal as well and has even received a recommendation from Pep Guardiola before moving to Saudi Arabia.

Speaking about his time in Spain previously, Corberan noted: “There was a link between Guardiola and the Spanish national team and the style of Villarreal was in the same direction.

“It gave me new ideas about how you can train teams and what the best methodology is to have one style of play. It’s something that goes inside of you. It changes your mind and changes your feelings towards football.”

That tells you all you need to know about his abilities and the style that comes with him.

Even at a young age, Leeds could have their next manager right under their nose. The pedigree is certainly there and he already knows the club and the players inside out.

It would be a smart move to promote him if needed.

Oleksandr Zinchenko’s reactions after Ukraine games have been making headlines for some time now.Watch Manchester City Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The Man City man caused a bit of controversy earlier this year when he kissed a reporter after an international match, although it was later reported that the pair are in fact dating.

Now, his crazy and quite hilarious actions after his country confirmed their qualification for Euro 2020 have gone viral, getting over 3.5million views on Twitter.

The 23-year-old reacted like a mad man after Ukraine booked their place at next summer’s tournament, and understandably, he caught some flack on social media from one of his teammates.

Kyle Walker completely mugged off the left-back with a classic dig, as he stated that his behaviour was due to his inexperience with alcohol.

We can’t be sure whether or not Zinchenko’s antics are down to what he’s been drinking, but his reaction and more so his dance moves would make an awful lot more sense if they were all thanks to some special Ukrainian beverage.

Liverpool will face Porto on Wednesday evening in a clash that has really no impact on the side’s qualification, as they secured their passage to the last sixteen in the Champions League a few weeks back, after going unbeaten.

Jurgen Klopp’s side will have the opportunity though to remain unbeaten in Europe alongside Ajax and Bayern Munich, and if they do beat Porto tonight it will keep Atletico Madrid in with a chance of qualification.

One player that is predicted to play for Liverpool tonight is Divock Origi, who is currently out of favour in Klopp’s super starting eleven but has made a few outings this season so far with seven appearances, three goals and two assists across all competitions so far.

Although Origi is not a starter for the side, he has proven this term that he has something to offer, whether that be with Liverpool or another club in a move that has been highly speculated over the last six months.

According to The Northern Echo, Newcastle United are interested in the 26-year-old striker, who was reportedly valued at £12-£15 million by the club in the summer transfer window, however, nobody could meet Liverpool’s valuation and the player remained at the club for the season ahead.

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Liverpool have a strict sell to buy framework at the club and will need to offload a player to bring another in, and Klopp could capitalise on these last two Champions League games to showcase Origi’s talents and attributes to drum up interest of notable value that would be more appealing and financially beneficial for the club going into the transfer window.

The Belgian is available on a free in the summer, so if the club is looking to make a quick buck on the striker, time is ticking, and starting him in the next two Champions League games will give the striker the opportunity to put on great performances that could potentially make FSG millions.

The £10.8m-rated beast is likely to start in tonight’s game having had many moments of magic in the Champions League in his time at Liverpool and has been hailed a “monster” by former Belgium teammate, Vincent Kompany;

“He is very gifted and talented,” said Kompany. “Technically, he’s a monster.

“More importantly, he is an outstanding worker in training. I see him working like crazy.”

Liverpool take on Porto at Anfield tonight and despite the likelihood of a weaker starting eleven, Klopp will expect his team to put in a performance to continue their unbeaten run in Europe.

In other news: Liverpool must complete transfer swoop for Renato Sanches