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Paul Scholes is one of those rare elite talents that any club would inevitably struggle to replace. Sir Alex Ferguson identified this problem just half a season after the Manchester United maestro’s first retirement, bringing him back to Old Trafford for another 18 months that would end in a final Premier League title.

In the time since, Manchester United have spent frankly embarrassing sums trying to fill Scholes’ void in deep-lying midfield, a void that only expanded during Michael Carrick’s transition from engine room lynchpin to Carrington backroom man.

Indeed, when we look at the players Ed Woodward has brought to United specifically to line up in the double pivot Scholes and Carrick once made their own, the list is truly quite astounding, starting with Marouane Fellaini’s arrival in summer 2013.

The details of that transfer were humbling enough for Woodward: United bizarrely allowed Fellaini’s release clause at Everton to expire, before paying more for him around a month later. Fast forward to April and The Telegraph had already dubbed him one of the Premier League’s top ten worst signings of the season.

Following on from Fellaini, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin would go on to make a mere 82 appearances combined for United before being moved on, while Fred might well be emerging as one of United’s better players this season – he’s eighth amongst the squad for average Whoscored ranking – but the scrappy Brazilian is still yet to prove he’s worth anything near the £52m plus bonuses the Red Devils handed to Shakhtar Donetsk.

Admittedly, there is one exception to the rule in Ander Herrera. He won United’s Player of the Year award in 2016/17 and ultimately left Old Trafford because he’d obtained an incredibly lucrative admirer in PSG.

But the Spaniard is exactly that: an anomaly contrasting with a list of deep midfield flops that in total have cost United upwards of £160m based on figures provided by Transfermarkt, when we also add Nemanja Matic to the mix – a two-time title-winner with Chelsea who aged just 31 has become a shadow of his former self since moving to Old Trafford.

Is life under the Glazers really that bad? Maybe this quiz will change your minds, Man United fans…

And what’s most concerning is that United record in this department – which, perhaps unfairly, inevitably gets pinned to the lapel of Woodward’s jacket – only looks set to continue, based on recent speculation.

As if the long-standing interest in Sean Longstaff wasn’t bad enough considering he has only ever made 27 Premier League appearances and isn’t even a guaranteed starter for Newcastle, the Red Devils are also reportedly weighing up a move for Eric Dier.

That’s Eric Dier, a player who has become nothing more than a bit-part defensive utility man for Tottenham – largely because he lacks all the attributes to make any particular position his own -potentially filling a position that was once occupied at Old Trafford by two of England’s greatest midfield technicians in Scholes and Carrick.

The report states Ole Gunnar Solskjaer likes the fact Dier can also play in defence, suggesting he would be recruited as a more holistic member of the squad rather than simply a defensive midfielder. But have the standards at Old Trafford really fallen so low that they’re targeting a player who has made just 25 Premier League starts in 18 months, who doesn’t get into the Tottenham team and who hasn’t even made the last few England squads?

Talk about dropping levels. Dier already looks like the perfect candidate to add to Woodward’s ever-expanding record of deep midfield signings that just aren’t good enough.

The January transfer window only closed a few weeks ago, but the rumour mill has already started up once again.

Leeds United are no exception to the rule and this week reports in Turkey have linked them to a new striker.

What’s the story?

Turkish outlet Milliyet are reporting that Leeds are eying up a £5m swoop for Canadian striker Cyle Larin.

The 24-year-old is currently out on loan in Belgium playing for Zulte-Waregem, but his parent club is Besiktas.

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Larin has been in red hot form this term, scoring seven and assisting ten in 27 league appearances.

A striker who can set up goals just as well as he can score them sounds perfect for a Marcelo Bielsa side, but Leeds may want to reconsider their stance on this transfer depending on what happens in the Championship between now and the end of May.

May want to avoid

Larin’s stats may show that he’s a decent player, but Leeds might want to reconsider their interest if they are promoted this season.

For a start, these impressive stats are coming in the Belgian Pro League, and the standard in Belgium doesn’t come close to matching what United would be up against in the Premier League, where even newly-promoted sides can spend £100m.

On top of that, there may not be room for another striker in the squad.

Patrick Bamford is the current first-choice, but Leeds will also have to sign Jean-Kevin Augustin on a permanent deal if they go up due to a transfer clause that would see their option to buy become an obligation upon promotion.

Bielsa struggles to rotate two strikers, Eddie Nketiah was recalled due to a lack of game time, and Augustin is yet to start a match for the Whites, so if Larin came in as a third-choice it’d be tough to see him ever really getting a look in.

United should only go for this deal if they aren’t promoted this time around.

In other news, Leeds may end up spending big without actually improving their squad.

This article forms part of our Valuation Evaluation feature series, which is where Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at the increase or decrease of a player’s Transfermarkt valuation and whether it is justified or not.

Son Heung-min has had quite the rise at Tottenham following his move from Bayer Leverkusen back in 2015.

After netting just four Premier League goals in his debut season, the 27-year-old went on to score 14 the following campaign and has only gone from strength to strength since then. The two Premier League campaigns that followed, Son reached double figures again, a feat he could also replicate this term if he can recover from that serious arm injury before things wrap up in May.

According to Transfermarkt, having enjoyed such prolific spells in front of goal, the South Korean now has a market valuation of £72m, a £27m increase from his December 2018 valuation. Such an increase is hardly a surprise, though, with Son showing he can do it on the European stage as well.

He scored four goals in the Champions League last season — netting twice in that incredible encounter at the Etihad against Manchester City — and has since added another five to his name. It is easy to see why Mauricio Pochettino rated the South Korea international so highly during his time in north London.

“He’s a player that provides the team with a lot of very good things,” the former Tottenham boss was quoted as saying by Goal last year.

A lot of good things, indeed, with Son also proving in the current campaign that he can be an effective dribbler and creator for the team. His 2.3 dribbles per game in the Premier League are the highest in the Tottenham squad, while he also ranks second for key passes with 1.4 (via WhoScored).

Without a doubt, Son is now one of the Premier League’s most valuable assets.

Tottenham fans, how much do you think Son is worth in today’s market? Let us know in the comment section below!

Callum O’Hare showed similar traits to Aston Villa talisman Jack Grealish during Coventry City’s 1-0 win over Sunderland.

On the chalkboard

On Sunday, most people associated with Aston Villa will have had their eyes firmly set on Wembley, as they focused on the club’s Carabao Cup final.

However, had their gaze drifted to the day’s League One action, they will have had plenty of reason for encouragement, as O’Hare put in a good performance during Coventry’s win over fellow promotion-chasers Sunderland.

The youngster has excelled during his loan spell at St. Andrew’s so far this campaign, with some of his play feeling Jack Grealish-esque.

Considering how talismanic the current club captain has become, there are certainly worse signs for the 21-year-old’s potential.

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Following Jack Grealish

The Villa loanee was playing on the left of a front three, where Grealish has often operated for Villa this campaign, though he wasn’t necessarily sticking to that role, as has been the case with the captain.

One part of Grealish’s game that he replicated against Sunderland was an ability to draw fouls. Villa’s 24-year-old is fouled an average of 4.9 times per game in the Premier League, due to how intelligent he is in protecting the ball.

O’Hare showed a similar ability, as he was fouled three times, the most of any Coventry player in the game.

Did he really play for us?! No Villa fan has managed to name all of these obscure Villans….

There was an intelligence in the way he drew them as well, which was most obvious when he was under pressure late in the game with no support. Rather than blindly trying to make something happen, he kept possession and eventually won the foul.

The grit that can also be seen in Grealish’s play was there as well, as the 21-year-old put in plenty of running, going on to make two tackles, while he mimicked his Villa team-mate in testing the goalkeeper as well with two shots on target and three efforts at goal in total.

He may not have directly contributed to a goal, but O’Hare was a real bright spark, and his performance should be an encouraging sign for Villa fans.

Meanwhile, Villa fans were left underwhelmed by their transfer link.

West Brom were knocked off the top of the Championship table following their goalless draw with Swansea, as Leeds’ 2-0 win over Huddersfield gave them a point advantage over the Baggies.

There are signs that Slaven Bilic’s side are beginning to falter slightly as they are now without a win in three games, though they still possess a healthy six-point buffer to third-place Fulham, who also drew.

However, if concerns were rising then Kamil Grosicki’s message on

/B9eXXqPpckU/” data-lasso->Instagram may help to ease them, as he has looked to offer encouragement to both supporters and teammates in light of the negative result.

The Poland international was named on the bench at the Liberty Stadium but he did have an opportunity to impress and try turning the game in the visitors’ favour.

In fact, the Baggies lacked a player of his skill in the final third, as for all of their 65% possession they could only muster a single shot on target. Having also failed to score against Wigan in their previous league game Bilic may be worried about his attack as we approach the business end of the season.

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Grosicki could provide the solution if he is able to recapture the early season form he showed at Hull, where he managed eight goals and four assists in 30 games.

In other West Brom news, fans have been delivering the same verdict about a certain performance on Saturday…

Kevin Phillips has urged Leeds United to sign Ben White permanently this summer, per Football Insider.

What’s the word?

The 22-year-old is currently on loan at the club from Brighton & Hove Albion.

He has been ever-present in the Championship, playing 90 minutes in every game, and has registered two assists throughout the campaign.

White signed a new contract with Brighton before moving on loan to Elland Road but he has played just twice for the Seagulls’ senior side, and Phillips believes Leeds should try to bring him in permanently.

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

He said: “He’s showed he’s very versatile, stepping into that Kalvin Phillips role when he’s been out.

“He’s obviously got a good football brain on him because he can play positions without a lot of time to work on them in the training ground.

“Week in and week out he seems to be getting better and better. I’ve been really impressed with his composure, coming out from the back, he looks very comfortable on the ball. He can run and he can defend when he needs too.

“Ben White seems to enjoy playing at Leeds, he seems very settled, and he’s been outstanding.”

Continuity

It is vitally important that Leeds continue with their team selection next season.

White has formed an excellent partnership with Liam Cooper at centre-back and Marcelo Bielsa’s men have the best defensive record in the second-tier.

Across 37 games, they have conceded just 30 goals, and much of that is down to their first-choice pairing in defence.

Thus, whether Leeds are promoted to the Premier League or not, keeping White around is vital.

Phillips has nailed this, but it remains to be seen if they will be able to prise him away from Brighton.

Meanwhile, one Leeds ace’s international hopes have taken a major hit! 

Former Everton star Romelu Lukaku was not exactly a popular figure after he left the club for Manchester United in a massive summer deal.

The Belgium international was often lambasted by supporters despite his solid record at the club – he scored 42 goals in 96 games for the Red Devils.

It could very well be that they expected more from the £75m they spent on the 26-year-old.

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Now at Internazionale, he seems to be loving life – he already has 23 goals in 35 matches for the Italian side, and it seems he is thriving under Antonio Conte.

He was prolific during his time at Everton, as well. Following his £28m signing from Chelsea – and one loan season prior to the permanent switch – he scored 87 goals in 166 games. That works out at more than one in two, proving himself to be one of the top marksmen in England in the process.

His goals per minute ratio is rather eye-catching. Those 87 strikes came in 14037 minutes for the Toffees, meaning he scored once every 161 minutes. His assist tally may not be quite as impressive – he averaged one every 484 minutes – but considering he was a forward who generally concentrated on scoring goals, it is not to be totally dismissed.

His departure left a gaping hole in attack, but the Goodison Park outfit did go out and spend the cash they received. Cenk Tosun was brought in during the January transfer window of 2018 for £27m, whilst Richarlison joined in the summer for £40m.

The latter, now, is arguably the best player Everton currently have – Sam Allardyce even said he is turning into one of the best in the Premier League (BT Sport via The Daily Mail) – yet he is still no match for Lukaku.

Since the start of last season, he is the club’s top scorer with 26 strikes, but they have come at a rate of just one every 215 minutes, whilst his six assists have come at a rate of one every 931 minutes.

In other departments, too, Lukaku provided just as much. He often averaged over one key pass per game, in a similar region to the 1.2 Richarlison has managed this term, whilst the 22-year-old has been unable to match the 70% average pass accuracy the former Anderlecht man managed.

Even in terms of dribbles per game, there is little difference – Lukaku managed 1.7 per game in his last season at Goodison Park, whilst Richarlison – who earns £90,000 a week – has managed 1.8 this term.

All of this is not to say that Richarlison has been anything less than a top signing.

After all, there is a reason why Barcelona reportedly made a €100m (£85m) offer for his services.

But it does go to show just how big Lukaku’s shoes were, and how difficult they are to fill.

Very few strikers manage to score 100 goals in the Premier League, and the Belgian did just that during his time in the division – if the current number seven manages to get close to that, he will have done rather well.

Liverpool have come a long way.

It only really feels like yesterday that Luis Suarez departed Anfield for Barcelona and they were left with one solitary star in Philippe Coutinho.

For some time, the Brazilian was the beacon of hope in the team. Signed in January 2013 from Inter Milan, he developed into a brilliant playmaker, a dazzling dribbler who could score world-class goals from range and incisively cut open defences.

Suarez left in 2014 and Coutinho stepped up; between 14/15 and the end of the 16/17 campaign, he scored 26 goals and registered 17 assists.

He was the go-to man, the player through which everything flowed.

His form was such that he earned a move to Barcelona, with a £142m transfer fee that boggles the mind to this day.

It hasn’t really worked out. He was not the main man in Catalunya and that brought problems; 76 games yielded 21 goals and 11 assists and resulted in a loan spell to Bayern Munich, which hasn’t gone all that better.

Thus The Daily Mirror reports that he could be on the move this summer, with four Premier League clubs interested: Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, and Tottenham Hotspur. Jurgen Klopp isn’t keen.

And that speaks to the terrific job he has done during his time at Anfield.

Appointed in 2015, he managed Coutinho for the best part of three seasons but since his exit, he has brought out the genuine brilliance of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, and Sadio Mane.

Liverpool’s midfield, meanwhile, may lack Coutinho’s eye for the spectacular but its functionality through the likes of Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Georginio Wijnaldum sums up the mechanical nature of this Liverpool side.

More pertinently, in Coutinho’s absence Klopp has taken the club to Champions League glory and within an inch of the Premier League title. They have lost just two league games across the past two seasons.

Where Coutinho was once Liverpool’s star, it is now difficult to see exactly where he would fit in Klopp’s system.

Can you name the result these iconic Liverpool images belong to? Give it a go now…

Coutinho certainly wouldn’t dislodge the front three, he no longer suits the nature of the midfield and well, he can’t play in defence.

At Bayern, he has scored nine goals this season but clearly, his ex-boss isn’t very impressed.

It is no surprise; Liverpool have outgrown Coutinho since he left and that, really, is down to Klopp’s brilliance.

Meanwhile, a Liverpool flop is set to leave!

Everton have very lofty ambitions as a club, which was just as evident when appointing a manager that has enjoyed a rather trophy-laden career in Carlo Ancelotti.

And the Italian has made it abundantly clear himself, proclaiming that the squad has to push for a place in Europe next season, speaking after their win over Crystal Palace, he said:

“The work everyone has done was really good, players, club, staff everyone and now our table is good and we can dream to fight for the Europa League in the next games. It is not enough to fight for the Europa League but I think we have the quality to fight.”

Such a target could well be achieved if the Merseyside outfit clinches Espanyol lynchpin, Marc Roca, this summer.

According to La Razon, the Toffees are eyeing up a cut-price move for the midfielder with the La Liga strugglers flirting with relegation – it’s claimed that Espanyol would accept a lower bid than his release clause of €40m (£36m) as a result.

Ancelotti has been working his magic at Everton already, largely deploying a 4-4-2 system, but the balance of Andre Gomes and Tom Davies in central midfield isn’t one that’ll reap the rewards long-term.

Which is why Roca makes for an interesting case as a defensive-minded option, he’s averaging a massive 2.4 tackles and 1.5 clearances per game as well as 4.4 long balls a match, via WhoScored.

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The 60-year-old has had world-class talent wherever he’s been – when winning the Champions League with AC Milan, he had Andrea Pirlo at his disposal and likewise at Real Madrid where Xabi Alonso protected his backline on their way to four trophies.

And while Davies and Gomes are decent options in their own right, neither are in the same category as the above two names.

Roca can be Ancelotti’s Alonso at Goodison Park and he comes primed to breed the very success that the boss is demanding – he’s been playing in a 4-4-2 at Espanyol, and his tackling and superb passing vision has been pinpointed in just one scout report about the 23-year-old.

Call yourself an Everton expert? How much did each of these January signings cost?

His best performance of the season came in a 2-2 draw against big dogs Barcelona where he recorded seven tackles, two key passes and six long balls.

That in itself hints at the sort of potential he’s got hiding in his locker, and just as he did with Pirlo, Alonso and many more, Ancelotti can transform him onto a new level and at the same time, it’ll help Everton get into European contention.

AND in other news, Ex-Everton player Tim Cahill makes joke about Phil Neville…

Everton playmaker Bernard has had a stop-start time at Goodison Park and a recent report suggests that he may not be at the club for too much longer.

The diminutive technician, who has been capped by the Brazilian national side on 14 occasions, has made 58 appearances for the Toffees since he arrived on a free transfer in 2018 after his contract with Shakhtar Donetsk expired.

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During that time he has contributed five goals and six assists while offering guile and creativity in a handful of midfield roles.

However, according to LaRoma24.it (via Sport Witness), Bernard has been offered to AS Roma amid suggestions that Henrikh Mkhitaryan is more likely to return to Arsenal than stay at the Stadio Olimpico when his loan spell in the Italian capital comes to an end.

It is assumed that the 27-year-old’s agents have offered his services to Roma rather than the club themselves.

In response to the emerging report, the Toffees faithful were relatively mixed in their reaction.

Some fans seem to be open to the possibility of profiting on a player they signed for free just under two years ago, while others would be distraught to see him depart.

Here’s what the fans had to say about the news concerning Bernard…