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Derby County have quite the reputation for giving their young starlets an opportunity to impress on the first-team stage, with a number of their star performers this season once just emerging academy prospects.

Both Max Bird and Eiran Cashin came through the youth ranks in Derbyshire, with the duo now some of the first names on Paul Warne's teamsheet at Pride Park this season and for good reason.

Bird in particular has impressed this campaign in League One – picking up five goals and seven assists in the third tier – which has seen the promising central midfielder win a move up to the Championship in the summer with Bristol City.

Derby will be planning for the long-term now knowing Bird will pack his bag for pastures new in Bristol soon, with one exciting Rams prospect nearing more senior minutes potentially when the 23-year-old star does inevitably up and leave.

Adebayo Fapetu's statistics at youth level

Adebayo Fapetu – who was previously on the books at Arsenal as a youngster – has excelled in the youth set-up at Derby ever since leaving north London behind in 2021.

For the Derby U18s before being bumped up to the U21 fold, the teenage starlet managed to amass six goals and six assists from 43 appearances.

Nine of those goal contributions would come in one single season for the youthful Rams, Fapetu taking the U18 Premier League by storm during the 2022/23 campaign with five goals and four assists notched up.

Able to play in an attacking midfield spot and further back in a holding role on top of gliding around the pitch in a conventional middle-of-the-park role, Fapetu has gone on to make three senior Rams appearances.

Highly thought of in Pride Park quarters, it could be argued that the exciting 19-year-old has shades of Will Hughes' game in his locker who has gone on to have an established career in the Premier League after making a name for himself in Derbyshire as a homegrown talent.

Derby could have their next Will Hughes

Current Crystal Palace midfielder Hughes would fill in wherever necessary for Derby in midfield during his celebrated time with the club, even playing down the right and left channels on occasion to plug gaps.

Fapetu has given the Derby U21s this season a similarly adaptable presence to rely upon, even featuring as a second striker in one Premier League 2 encounter against Nottingham Forest U21s.

The teenager has also worn the captain's armband at U21 level this campaign twice, with Hughes going on to be a leader in the middle of the park for Derby without ever having that honour at 187 first-team appearances.

With Bird off in the summer, Warne could do a lot worse than to try and start bedding Fapetu into more games to see what he's made of in the hustle and bustle of League One.

The Rams boss would hope that Fapetu could spark a formidable partnership with new fan's favourite Ebou Adams in midfield, with the Pride Park faithful already wanting the Cardiff City loanee to stick around permanently after impressing early into his Derby loan spell.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast's In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

Winning an impressive 12 duels in Derby's 1-0 win against Stevenage last time out, the battling presence of Adams could see the promotion-seeking Rams grind out more wins.

If that was the case and Fapetu did begin to blossom alongside Adams, the decision to offload Bird could be stomached more easily by Warne and Co.

With Derby's conveyer belt for producing top young talents showing no signs of slowing down, and as fears begin to grow that Cashin could follow Bird out of the building, there will at least still be some positivity that emerging starlets such as Fapetu are being produced who could go on to become Hughes 2.0.

Kylian Mbappe is already proving his ‘Galactico’ status at Real Madrid, with the Blancos struggling to deal with demand for his new No.9 shirt.

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• French superstar heading to Spanish capital
• New shirt met with unprecedented demand
• Fans excited by arrival of World Cup winner

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The World Cup winner is heading to Santiago Bernabeu as a free agent, having reached the end of his contract at Paris Saint-Germain. He is severing ties with the Ligue 1 giants as the club’s all-time leading scorer, but with Champions League glory having proved elusive.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Shop Real Madrid 2024-25 kits at adidasBuy now

  Mbappe will be hoping to break that trophy duck after linking up with the current kings of Europe, with the 25-year-old ready to embrace a new challenge while still approaching his peak. His arrival in Spain is generating unprecedented excitement, with supporters around the world clamouring to get a Madrid jersey.

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  On the opening day of sales, with it confirmed that Mbappe will be taking on No.9 for Real as Vinicius Junior already fills his favoured No.7 spot, the Blancos had to contend with an overwhelming surge – with sales far exceeding expectations.

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• WHAT REAL MADRID SAID

  Real were forced to put out the following statement, with Mbappe’s instant popularity suggesting that he will quickly become a fan favourite: “Due to current high demand, items in this collection may experience a delay in delivery of up to 4-6 additional weeks, regardless of the shipping method selected. This delay will affect both orders exclusive to the Mbappe collection and those that combine products from the Mbappe collection with other products from the online store.”

With the title race in the Scottish Premiership looking the closest it has in years and Rangers still involved in domestic and European cup competitions, Philippe Clement has been handed some good news ahead of the run in.

Latest Rangers injury news

Perhaps a testament to the job Clement is doing in Glasgow is the success Rangers have enjoyed in spite of an ever-growing list of injuries.

Wow: “Magnificent” Rangers ace now “very keen” to pen new Ibrox deal

It could be done in March.

By
Henry Jackson

Mar 4, 2024

The big blow this week for the Ibrox faithful has been the news of Oscar Cortes' injury. The winger on loan from Lens limped off during last week's win over Kilmarnock and required surgery on what is thought to be a severe muscle issue. With the return date for the Colombian unknown, it is unlikely he will be on the pitch anytime soon.

Cortes' setback adds to a growing list of absentees at Ibrox. Todd Cantwell's hamstring injury saw him miss a number of games, although the Englishman now looks set to return this month. Cantwell currently occupies the treatment tables at Rangers along side a number of first team players including Kieran Dowell, Danilo, Rabbi Matondo and Ross McCausland.

Whilst it may appear all doom and gloom on the injury front at Ibrox, this week has seen some promising news in the recovery of Abdallah Sima, who last appeared for Rangers on the 2nd of January.

Edgar delivers positive Sima update

Speaking on the Heart & Hand podcast, host and ex-Rangers media partner David Edgar delivered some important news on Sima's injury. Edgar claimed that “Abdallah Sima’s recovery from his injury is going well,” adding that he "would expect to see him this season".

Whilst Edgar is optimistic that the Senegalese international will be back soon, he is not privy to exactly when the Ibrox faithful will see their man back on the pitch. Conceding that the precise timeline is unknown, Edgar says “I don’t think you can really put a time or a date on it at the moment because his recovery is going really well and they’re very pleased with it".

Sima had suffered the injury back in January while on international duty at this year's Africa Cup of Nations. Requiring surgery on his knee it was expected that the striker would be out of action for a minimum of two to three months.

With his recovery seemingly ahead of schedule, the 22-year-old will have a vital role to play as Rangers attempt to defend their narrow two-point lead over Celtic going into the business end of the season. Sima's stats for this season have seen the striker produce fifteen goals, a tally he will be desperate to increase when he returns.

With an Old Firm derby penciled in for the 7th April, Clement will be eager to have his striker back for the game that could play a major role in who lifts the title this year.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has warned Jack Grealish he can't afford another poor season with the Premier League champions.

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• Grealish struggled for Man City in 2023-24
• Left out of England squad for Euro 2024
• Hoping to bounce back after Guardiola warning

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Grealish has been able to enjoy a summer away from the spotlight after being left out of England's Euro 2024 squad following an underwhelming campaign with Manchester City. The winger's Three Lions snub has led Grealish to resist a boozy summer holiday and instead focus on training hard in a bid to regain his best form, according to . Grealish was also motivated after being sent a warning by Guardiola at the end of the season. The winger was told by his boss that City "cannot afford to carry passengers" in the 2024-25 campaign and the season he had just endured "cannot happen again".

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Grealish has been happy to share his fitness journey over the summer on social media. The 28-year-old has looked in peak physical condition on his return to pre-season training with Manchester City after sharing footage of sessions in facilities owned byowned by Serie A giants Juventus. That is a stark contrast to last summer, when Grealish was regularly pictured partying after Man City's treble success.

  City are currently gearing up for another big season where they will compete in an expanded Club World Cup and Champions League. This could also be Guardiola's final season at the club, with the manager having already admitted he is "closer to leaving than staying" at City.

• WHAT GUARDIOLA HAS SAID

  Guardiola has already backed Grealish to return to his best form in the 2024-25 campaign. He told reporters in May: "He will be back. He’s struggled this season and Jeremy has made an incredible step forward as everyone has seen in the last games. But Jack will be back at the level of last season, I'm pretty sure."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MAN CITY

  Grealish now has pre-season to try and win his place in Guardiola's starting XI back. The Cityzens are currently in the United States for fixtures against AC Milan, Barcelona and Chelsea.

Tom Heaton was a training goalkeeper for England at Euro 2024, and he has warned fans that they will regret their role in Gareth Southgate's exit.

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• Southgate booed by fans at Euro 2024
• Heaton thinks fans will regret behaviour
• Set to remain at Manchester United

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Euro 2024 saw Southgate receive a lot of flak from fans who went as far as throwing beer cups at the 53-year-old when he walked over to applaud their support. Heaton, who played a unique role for Southgate, believes that these moments played a part in creating a negative atmosphere in the camp and led to Southgate stepping down.

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• WHAT HEATON SAID

  When speaking to The Daily Mail, Heaton was asked if fans would regret their treatment of Southgate, he said: "I really do. If you think back to the track record, I think he's changed the feel and expectation of it. We were all sort of excited to watch the games. We were performing well. So I think now that the door has sort of shut on it in that way, I think we will come back to go 'incredible job'.

  "It's very rare in football you get a squad of players, the ones who aren't playing, every single person there wants to win it for the manager. He is a leader you want to follow. You want to go win it for him because of what he's done. I was involved from the start of that tenure when it changed over from Big Sam (Allardyce) to him in the first couple of years, and since that point, it always felt really, really positive. And I think that first game (against Serbia at the Euros), it felt different. It felt like the narrative had changed.

  "Getting booed in each half, pretty much every half all the way to the semi-final, it's not easy. I don't know, of course, but I imagine that probably took its toll on him. That sort of guy who would only be wanting the optimism to try and win it, giving everything he's got for it. So I didn't know.

  "I suppose I was caught a little bit by surprise (by Southgate's decision), but when I thought back and reflected, I could maybe see it from his point of view. He's his own man in terms of what he wants. The preparation in these tournaments, the level of detail that goes into it, it's intense. He probably needs a bit of a break. But I would imagine it would be on his mind to get back into it (club football)."

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  Heaton was a surprise call-up in Southgate's 26-man squad for Euro 2024. The 38-year-old has himself claimed that his inclusion was as 'a little bit of a mentor and senior player, a bit of a bridge between the coaching staff.'

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• WHAT NEXT FOR HEATON?

  Heaton is still under contract with Manchester United after signing a new one-year deal despite his lack of opportunities. It is unlikely that he will receive a lot of playing time under Erik ten Hag, however, he hopes to impress the team nonetheless. He said: "I had a couple of discussions with a few other people, but to be true to myself, it didn't feel right. The gut didn't feel right. I've still got a big hunger to play.

  "Admittedly I was a little frustrated last year at the lack of playing opportunities. Me and the manager had quite a few conversations about it, but that's football.

  "I also know I'm getting older but I still think I can deliver when I need to, and I'll be trying to show him that in the next few weeks."

Tottenham Hotspur have been fantastic this season under Ange Postecoglou, with the club now in a great position to secure Champions League football.

The Lilywhites' recent 4-0 battering of Aston Villa put them just two points behind the Villans with a game in hand.

In truth, the entire Spurs squad is filled with quality, which was only enhanced in the summer, with the midfield particularly strong.

However, there are a couple of players still in the squad who perhaps don't quite live up to that billing. Indeed, one midfielder is now worth even less than Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg having failed to meet his potential since being signed by Mauricio Pochettino.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s value in 2024

Danish star Hojbjerg has been a constant figure in the Tottenham midfield since his arrival from Southampton in 2020 for a bargain fee of £15m.

The midfielder has played all but five Premier League games in the past three seasons, racking up 174 appearances over his Spurs career so far, including 26 matches this campaign in the Premier League.

However, out of those 26 outings, the 28-year-old has only started six times, with Postecoglou opting for a more athletic and technical midfield.

Nonetheless, Hojbjerg is still estimated to be worth £26m by CIES Football Observatory after cementing himself as a reliable Premier League-quality player for a top side, unlike a certain Spurs ace who has struggled to showcase his talent.

Spurs have already sold a homegrown Hojbjerg upgrade who's pure "bliss"

This former £10m sale would perform very nicely within Ange’s set-up.

By
Angus Sinclair

Mar 1, 2024

Giovanni Lo Celso’s worth in 2024

In January 2020, Christian Eriksen left Spurs for a new challenge in Italy, joining Inter after playing at the club for seven seasons.

The Denmark international made over 300 appearances for the Lilywhites, scoring 69 goals and providing 90 assists across all competitions, firmly cementing himself as a club legend of the 2010s.

With the creative mastermind leaving, Pochettino turned Giovani Lo Celso’s £15m loan deal into a permanent signing for £27.3m, with the view that the Argentine would be the perfect replacement for Eriksen.

Initially, the former PSG ace performed well in a midfield three, starting the first seven games of the 2020/21 season and finding the net four times in the Europa League group stages and Europa League qualification phases. However, his Tottenham dream hasn’t exactly gone to plan since, with the midfielder spending the last year and a half prior to this campaign on loan at Villareal.

This campaign, Lo Celso has failed to work his way into the team other than when James Maddison picked up an injury, but despite his value dropping, he does have four goal contributions in four starts to his name.

Sadly, the 27-year-old is now among the lowest-valued first-team players in the Spurs squad, which is a relatively fair reflection of his influence on the side.

The fact that Lo Celso was an unused substitute in the victory over Villa at the weekend further supports that, and it seems that he will have to settle for a backup role to Maddison if he is to stay at Tottenham.

Overall, it’s quite clear that Lo Celso’s time at Spurs has been somewhat of a disaster, with the club set to take a huge loss on the Argentine if he does leave in the near future.

Market Movers

Football FanCast's Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club's star player or biggest flop worth today?

Whilst promotion is far from a sealed deal just yet, with just one point separating three sides at the top, Leeds United have at least got the ball rolling when it comes to their plan of action should they make their Premier League return, which could involve the arrival of a player who knows all about the big stage.

Leeds transfer news

The Whites will first hope to keep hold of key players this summer, before ensuring that Daniel Farke has the squad needed to ensure Premier League survival, should they secure promotion this season of course.

49ers in "very tough" negotiation to sell Leeds player in permanent deal

He only arrived at Elland Road last season.

By
Tom Coates

Mar 19, 2024

With that said, reports have already name-dropped the likes of Joe Rodon, who has enjoyed an incredibly successful loan spell at Elland Road this season. On paper and on the pitch, a permanent move from Tottenham Hotspur makes perfect sense this summer. According to reports, meanwhile, Leeds are plotting a move to sign Sean Longstaff if they earn Championship promotion this season.

The Newcastle United midfielder has been one of the most consistent features of Eddie Howe's side but has now attracted the interest of Leeds and the 49ers, who reportedly want to secure what would be a deal worth around £15m this summer.

Reacting to the news, Carlton Palmer was full of praise for Longstaff. Palmer told Football League World: "He’s only got a year left on his contract, so this would be a very, very good signing. The 26-year-old has played 135 Premier League games, and he would be a good addition for Leeds United.

“It has been reported that Newcastle would want a fee of around £15m and that would fall into Leeds’ budget. This is what you’ve got to do, and Daniel Farke is doing exactly what a manager should be doing now.

"I think Leeds have a great chance of going up, so you have to be looking at players. You don’t want to be doing business late, you want to get the players in because it’s already tough enough for Championship clubs to remain in the Premier League when they get promoted.

“This would be a terrific signing for Leeds, a really strong signing for the football club. It’s one thing getting to the Premier League, but it’s another thing staying there.”

"Terrific" Longstaff would make survival difference

A player who's enjoyed the joys of qualifying for the Champions League and the pain of relegation battles, Longstaff is an ideal option to turn to for any club on their way to the Premier League.

At 26-years-old, this is also a player in his prime, rather than a youngster still seeking experience. He is someone who the likes of Archie Gray can learn even more from and potentially even partner in midfield- Gray's natural role.

What's more, for just £15m, Leeds would be getting themselves a bargain. There are not many other players on the market who have played Champions League football and regular Premier League football worth just £15m, making Longstaff a must-buy this summer. When the window opens, Leeds would be wise to make their move if they earn promotion this season.

USMNT star Tyler Adams has issued a shocking “every team does it” response to the Canada spying scandal that rocked the 2024 Olympic Games.

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• Drones used to scout opponents
• Suspensions & points penalties handed out
• American star claims others bend rules

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Controversy was sparked in France when a drone was spotted flying over New Zealand’s training camp – the first opponents for Canada’s women’s team in defence of their Olympic crown. It has since been claimed that the men’s team took a similar approach to gaining inside knowledge on rivals at the 2024 Copa America.

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  Prominent members of Canada’s backroom team, including head coach Bev Priestman, have vacated or been removed from their posts. FIFA have subsequently handed out a six-point penalty to Canada’s women’s team, with an unfortunate saga casting a cloud over efforts to savour tangible success.

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  WHAT ADAMS SAID

  United States international Adams has offered his response to the spygate scandal, with the Bournemouth midfielder – who captained his country at the 2022 World Cup – telling : “I mean, listen, every team does it. I know for a fact. Every team does it in some capacity. I don't know about drones and sh*t like that seems, that seems a little bit crazy. But like, there's always people when you train in stadiums the day before games or whatever, someone will be acting like a worker and they're, like, really working for a different federation or something like it happens. It happens consistently. I'm positive of that.”

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• WHAT NEXT?

  Canada have taken that process to the extreme, but are far from being the first to face accusations of spying. Former Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa was caught up in a similar scandal during his time at Elland Road, with Derby asking questions of how the Whites went about their scouting missions.

In the very first game of the season, versus Wolverhampton Wanderers, Manchester United looked vulnerable and unconvincing.

Unfortunately for Erik ten Hag, that has continued to be the case all season, with only an FA Cup and an unlikely top four spot somewhat salvaging the campaign.

In fairness to the former Ajax boss, injuries have hit his squad hard, especially in the defensive department, with only Diogo Dalot evading the crisis.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at who Sir Jim Ratcliffe is looking to sign this summer in order to bolster the backline.

Man Utd's search for a centre-back is underway

According to a report from Italian outlet CalcioMercato, Man Utd are looking to sign a centre-back, with Gleison Bremer at the top of their list.

The story mentions that the Red Devils' new ownership group led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe have already made contact with the Brazilian defender, who currently commands the Juventus defence.

The former Torino ace is known to have a €58m (£50m) release clause in his contract, and Ratcliffe will have no issues meeting that figure.

Therefore, a move this summer seems likely, especially with the latest news of another setback to a United defender.

Man Utd struck gold by selling academy grad who's worth less than Maguire

The former Man United ace has struggled in the Premier League this season.

By
Tom Lever

Mar 25, 2024

Why Bremer would be the perfect replacement for Harry Maguire

There’s no doubt about it: when on the field, Harry Maguire’s performances have massively improved, with the fact that he won the November Premier League Player of the Month award supporting that.

However, the 31-year-old has had a rather troubled season due to a handful of injury setbacks, making him miss six games already, with another issue occurring this week on international duty with England.

Ten Hag needs reliability and availability from his players, which plenty haven’t been able to provide, including Maguire, and with the interest in Bremer, he could be replaced at the end of the season.

Unlike the United number five, Bremer has yet to pick up an injury this season, which means he has played 28 out of a possible 29 Serie A matches this campaign, picking up 12 clean sheets in the process.

Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig described the 27-year-old as the “complete package,” relating to his ability on the ball, his defensive dominance, and his athleticism, which were all on display in his most recent game for Juventus against Genoa.

As you can see, the former Torino man is a physical monster, winning nine of his 11 duels in the tie, but what’s most impressive about Bremer is his ability to be one step ahead and read the game.

Alongside his pace, this allows the centre-back to have a proactive approach to defending, as shown by his five interceptions and three tackles, which will be important when Ten Hag inevitably plays a high line next season.

The latter is also vital when playing alongside Lisandro Martinez, who isn’t the quickest himself, but that slight weakness could be harnessed by Bremer’s ability to cover ground easily and recover swiftly.

Overall, Maguire has certainly been a solid player for United this season, but his injuries and profile have held the team back at times, with reports last season indicating Ten Hag's concerns over the former skipper's 'sluggish pace'.

Whereas, the introduction of Bremer could just transform the team’s approach entirely.

Kylian Mbappe has responded to questions of whether he could be the first man since Cristiano Ronaldo to enjoy a 50-goal season for Real Madrid.

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• French star joined Blancos as free agent
• Opened goal account in Super Cup win
• Looking to emulate Portuguese legend

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Portuguese superstar Ronaldo achieved that feat across six successive campaigns during his time at Santiago Bernabeu – between 2010 and 2016. A personal-best of 61 efforts was posted in 2014-15, with nobody able to scale such heights since.

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  Real believe that they have somebody ready to follow in those illustrious footsteps, with World Cup winner Mbappe being acquired as a free agent. He has become the latest ‘Galactico’ in Madrid and opened his goal account for the Blancos in a 2-0 UEFA Super Cup win over Atalanta.

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  WHAT MBAPPE SAID

  Mbappe has told when asked if he can hit a half-century in his debut campaign: “We are at Real Madrid, we have no limit, if I can score 50, then 50, but the most important thing is winning and improving as a team, because we will win as a team.”

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  The Frenchman added on enjoying a dream debut for the Liga title holders: “It was a great night, I've been waiting for this moment for a long time. To play with this shirt, with this badge, for these fans, it's a gift for me. We won a trophy too, that's very important, we know that here we always have to win and I am very happy.”