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Throughout the summer, Louis van Gaal has put a number of Bundesliga stars at the top of his transfer wishlist and could once again plan a few more January signings in the upcoming window.

Primary Manchester United are in need of a centre-back, a right-back, and possibly another holding midfield as their manager could even consider keeping a close eye on another potential striker as well.

So, here are five mega Bundesliga stars United should sign in January if they are to maintain their goal of finishing in the top four, if not aiming to win the entire league.

Ilkay Gundogan

Name: Ilkay Gundogan

Age: 23

Position: Centre Midfield

Nationality: Germany

Club: Borussia Dortmund

Price: £20 – £25 million

Ilkay Gundogan has been a target for Manchester United over the course of the summer and since returning from injury, he isn’t guaranteed a starting spot, opening up a chance that Borussia Dortmund may let him leave. Despite already signing a number of midfielders in the summer, Louis van Gaal will still be keen to add more quality players into his squad as he accomplish a top four finish.

He only made four league starts this season scoring one goal, but if United want to sign him, they may need to cash in on him now or risk his price rising if he manages to pick up form later in the campaign.

Arjen Robben

Name: Arjen Robben

Age: 30

Position: Right Wing

Nationality: Netherlands

Club: Bayern Munich

Price: £30 – £35 million

Another summer target Louis van Gaal was considering is the likes of Bayern Munich’s Arjen Robben, a player he is already familiar with during his time as the Netherlands manager. The Dutch star earlier rejected a move to Manchester United, but with his club naming Marco Reus as a transfer target, he may have to make way.

It was revealed that Van Gaal has been in constant contact with Robben as he tries to convince his fellow countryman to make the switch to Old Trafford. Despite his age, the 30-year-old has been getting better and better as he gets older and would be a great addition to United’s struggling attack force.

Roberto Firmino

Name: Roberto Firmino

Age: 23

Position: Attacking Midfield

Nationality: Brazil

Club: Hoffenheim

Price: £20 – £25 million

Dubbed the ‘new Kaka’ Roberto Firmini is another attacking prospect Manchester United have been monitoring as a number of other Premier League clubs are also chasing his services. Arsenal, Liverpool, and Chelsea are believed to all be interested in signing the attacking midfielder to add to their ranks.

He started all his Bundesliga matches for Hoffenheim, scoring three and also assisting three in 14 appearances. His dribbling and passing ability in the final third of the field could be just what Louis van Gaal needs as his current crop of midfielders are mostly being deployed in a holding role.

Atsuto Uchida

Name: Atsuto Uchida

Age: 26

Position: Right Back

Nationality: Japan

Club: Schalke 04

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Price: £5 – £10 million

Manchester United were previously interested in signing Atsuto Uchida to provide Rafael with some competition as well as add some cover in right side of Louis van Gaal’s defence. He recently signed a contract extension at Schalke 04, but that shouldn’t stop the club from trying to sign him.

Rafael has been in and out of the squad through injury with Antonio Valencia often being deployed in his place. Uchida is a regular face in the Bundesliga, starting 10 out of 14 league matches and appearing in five Champions League matches for his side. His very reasonable price tag along with his experience in Europe could be seen as a very good addition into the United back line.

Mats Hummels

Name: Mats Hummels

Age: 25

Position: Centre Back

Nationality: Germany

Club: Borussia Dortmund

Price: £25 – £30 million

Mats Hummels very well tops Manchester United’s shopping list as they have been in heavy pursuit of the Borussia Dortmund centre-back. Louis van Gaal seems to be unhappy with his current group of defensive players and along with the large number of injuries to his back line, the German World Cup winner will be a huge asset if the club can finally confirm his signing.

If he does join the Red Devils, he will easily be the first choice defender and is surely be someone who can sure up Van Gaal’s struggling defence. His exploits in Brazil shows that he is well on his way to becoming one of the best players in role and due to Dortmund’s decline in form, he could finally agree to a transfer.

As Tottenham Hotspur have looked to take their season into a higher gear during the festive period, for Emmanuel Adebayor, it’s felt much more like a chance to take the handbrake off, rather than increasing on any momentum gained.

Since making his superb loan spell from Manchester City permanent during the summer, the big Togolese striker has of course endured something of a difficult start to life as a fully-fledged player at White Hart Lane.

After joining up with Andre Villas-Boas’ squad without a proper pre-season under his belt, Adebayor has struggled for both form and fitness as he’s endeavoured to try and recapture the form that saw him net 17 Premier League goals for Harry Redknapp’s side last term. The superb goalscoring exploits of Jermain Defoe has offered the ex-Arsenal man only another obstacle to overcome in a set-up which has tended to only accommodate one striker for much of the season.

And in more ways than one, Adebayor’s goal in the 3-1 win over Reading yesterday couldn’t have come at a better time for both club and player. Because while it set the Lilywhites on their way to third in the Premier League table, it also saw Adebayor finally alleviate some of the mounting pressure that had begun to build amongst supporters in recent weeks.

Yet while some of the critique aimed at Adebayor has been both fair and due, especially so in the wake of his disastrous sending off against Arsenal back in November, there has been a growing sense of malaise developing from a small section of supporters towards the Togolese international. While Adebayor isn’t without his faults, fans must remain patient with him as we set off out into 2013.

Given his chequered history, it’s fair to say that supporters are well within their rights to dabble in an element of cynicism when it comes to evaluating their No10’s current run of patchy form. While Adebayor has scored goals wherever he’s gone in his career, he’s also tended to serve up large spells of inconsistency, too.

[post_link url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/tottenham/tottenham-maintain-interest-in-attacking-duo,https://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/tottenham/avb-celebrates-lennon-performance,https://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/tottenham/why-andre-villas-boas-is-showing-redknapp-the-way” target=”_blank” type=”tower”]

Since he first arrived at Spurs in 2011, supporters have yet to really be treated to the darker side of Emmanuel Adebayor, but come the North London derby back in November, they were given a timely reminder of the other side of the one time Real Madrid man’s game. His 18th minute lunge on Santi Cazorla saw him correctly sent off during Spurs’ disastrous 5-2 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates, in a game which coincidentally saw him notch his only other league goal of the season.

It was a moment of stupidity and an exhibition of the fiery blood that has always pumped through the body of Adebayor, but nothing more. Yet judging by some of the views emanating out of White Hart Lane in recent weeks, the negativity heaped upon him suggests that not all may have necessarily got over the mauling caused that day by Adebayor’s moment of madness.

Yes, he’s not hit anywhere near the heights of last season, but first of all, let’s not forget quite what an outstanding contribution Adebayor produced for the Lilywhites last term. A tally of 17 league goals and 11 assists is outstanding whichever way you look at it and while he may not come close to matching it this time round, don’t underestimate the work he’s been performing for the side since his return to first team affairs.

Patience appears to have been running thin for Adebayor for a while now, but given the disruption he’s faced to his season so far, is it really that much of a surprise that he only may just now be coming into form?

Even though we’re now already half way through the Premier League season, Adebayor simply hasn’t had the solid, consistent run of starts in the league until the start of last month. Given his abject lack of fitness via an absent pre-season, early season cameos against Norwich and West Brom are reduced to little more than token statistics and following a niggling hamstring injury, he had to wait until November 11th to make his first start of the season against Manchester City.

The subsequent three-game suspension that awaited him following his next game against Arsenal is no one else’s fault bar his own, but consequently, his next start in the league didn’t come till the 2-1 defeat against Everton at Goodison Park. That was only his third Premier League start of the entire season.

And for a player that’s been described as everything from a passenger to a mercenary in recent weeks, his side haven’t half done bad with him in the team. Since that defeat to David Moyes’ side, Tottenham have been unbeaten in five, picking up 13 points along the way. Adebayor has started all five of those games.

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Playing in Villas-Boas’ altered 4-4-2 like set-up, the hard work Adebayor’s been doing off the ball, striving to win it back and linking up play from far deeper than what we’ve seen before, will never win as many plaudits as the goals Jermain Defoe’s recently been scoring. But don’t underestimate his value to the team.

Only in the past four weeks has Adebayor really got that run of games he’s needed to try and find both form and fitness. There’s been some knocks along the way, a few unconvincing performances and a touch in front of goal that certainly won’t return overnight. Yet slowly but surely, we’re finally starting to see Villas-Boas’ faith pay dividends.

Emmanuel Adebayor can’t stop here and for all his hard work, he must do more to start putting the ball in the back of the net. Although wheeling out tired clichés about him giving up the ghost now he’s got a permanent contract is both as uninformed as it is missing the point. He’s doing his bit to try and recapture the form of last season. It’s time the small section of naysayers started doing their bit to help him, too.

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Leeds United’s season went from bad to worse on Saturday after they suffered a last-minute 2-1 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday at Elland Road in the English Championship.

Going behind in the 71st minute, Paul Heckingbottom’s side looked like they may rescue a point with an equaliser five minutes from time, however, Atdhe Nuhiu broke Leeds hearts with an injury time winner.

It means that Leeds have still won just one match since Heckingbottom took charge and fans are questioning the direction the team is heading in, already looking forward to the season ending.

They were particularly unhappy with the performance of midfielder Eunan O’Kane, whose continued selection is perplexing supporters.

He’s under-performed in the Leeds engine room for a couple of months now and there’s pressure on the manager to drop him for the remaining league games.

Is it time to give some youth players a chance?

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Fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts…

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Despite only leaving England to return to his homeland earlier this year, Yohan Cabaye is already being linked with a stunning Premier League comeback. The former Newcastle pass-master has not enjoyed the most fruitful of spells in Paris, and talk in the media – on both sides of the Channel – suggests that January could provide a turn in the 28-year-old’s career.

Manchester United are one of a few teams sniffing around, and we here at FFC Towers think that Cabaye could be a massive player for Louis van Gaal. Not convinced? Here are FIVE reasons why he could be…

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CLICK ON THE MAN HIMSELF TO REVEAL THE FIVE

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Premier League experience

Whatever way you look at it, Cabaye was a success at Newcastle. Signed for a bargain rate, the Frenchman was excellent in the North East, playing a vital role in the Magpies’ impressive run to fifth place in 2011/12.

Upon his exit earlier this year there was an alarming drop off in Newcastle’s performances, illustrating just how important he was…

Wants to leave PSG

Despite only moving to PSG in January, Cabaye is understood to be ready to end his adventure in Paris. The silky 28-year-old has struggled for game time, with the majority of his performances having been from the bench.

United cannot offer Champions League football right now, so targeting players keen to move – as they did with Radamel Falcao – is a wise strategy.

Mix of creativity and solidity

While his renowned for his attacking flair, Cabaye is actually a remarkably solid player in a deeper midfield role. The French ace provides a good screen in front of his backline, and, although not a fierce tackler, is decent at winning the ball back to build attacks.

United currently lack such a player, with Daley Blind very much an unorthodox option, so snapping up Cabaye could solve a pressing concern for Louis van Gaal.

Keep him away from rivals

United are not the only side chasing Cabaye, with Arsenal and Liverpool also in the hunt. The 28-year-old is a wanted man thanks to his Premier League track record, and is likely to be the subject of multiple bids.

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Letting Cabaye head to the Gunners or the Reds is likely to put United on the back foot again, so snapping him up just to keep him away from a foe may be wise…

In his peak

Central midfielders, typically, enjoy their peak years between 27 and 31. Cabaye is slap bang in the middle of that range now, and is likely to be at the very top of his powers for the coming few seasons. It’s all well and good looking into the distance with younger players, but the Red Devils need to get results right now.

For a team as rich in history as Liverpool F.C, there hasn’t half been some tosh pull on the famous red shirt and walk past the ‘This is Anfield’ sign. Although the Reds might have picked up seven domestic trophies and three European ones since the inception of the Premier League, they have never quite managed to pull off the big one, indeed their last league title came under Kenny Dalglish in 1990.

Although there have been some great players turning out for the club in the Premier League era, think Steven Gerrard, Sami Hyypia or Robbie Fowler, some of their other signings have been simply miserable. Old boss Rafa Benitez had a reputation for loading his squad with unheard-of, and often useless players, while more recently, Kenny Dalglish went the other way, paying big fees for overrated talent.

There are a lot of contenders for such a team, but we’ve selected the worst XI signings to play for Liverpool in the Premier League era. See if you agree:

Click on Paul Konchesky to unveil the XI

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Arsenal were heavily defeated by Manchester City for the second time in five days on Thursday night, succumbing to another 3-0 scoreline, this time in front of their own supporters at the Emirates.

It’s the seventh time the Gunners have been defeated in 2018 and a result that has piled the pressure on Arsene Wenger again, with many fans questioning the short-term and long-term direction of the club under his management.

The players haven’t escaped criticism either, with many first team stars slammed for failing to offer Man City much of a battle at all for the second successive match.

Much of that criticism was aimed at Shkodran Mustafi, who fared badly up against the attacking talents that City have to offer.

Having made 24 appearances this season, he’s clearly trusted by Wenger but gans are rapidly losing patience with the German international, with some calling for him to be dropped and others wanting him out of the club completely this summer.

They took to Twitter to share their thoughts…

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Reports suggest that Louis van Gaal was set to offload as much as seven Manchester United players before the start of the new season. Amongst them are the likes of Javier Hernandez, Marouane Fellaini, Rafael, Nani, Anderson, Wilfred Zaha, and Will Keane.

The mentioned names are believed to not be able to fit into the plans of the Dutch boss and replacements are likely to be on their way into the clubs. Some players managed to avoid the so-called Van Gaal ‘AXE’ but that doesn’t mean their place in the squad is completely safe.

Here are FIVE Manchester United players that must prove themselves this season or risk losing the chance altogether…

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CLICK ON ANTONIO VALENCIA TO SEE THE FULL LIST [/ffc-gallery]

Ashley Young

Name: Ashley Young

Age: 29

Position: Winger

Nationality: England

Price: £12 – £14 million

Ashley Young was a step away from joining the list of players Louis van Gaal didn’t need at the club but, due to his impressive form during the USA tour, he could even be given a first team role. He excelled playing as a wing back in Van Gaal’s 3-5-2 formation and would be an ideal candidate to compete with Luke Shaw.

With Rafael likely looking at a club exit, Young could even play on the right side, either as a regular or serve as back-up to Antonio Valencia. However, any drop in form during the Premier League season could see him be replaced completely in the January window.

Danny Welbeck

Name: Danny Welbeck

Age: 23

Position: Striker

Nationality: England

Price: £13 – £16 million

Throughout the summer Danny Welbeck was being linked with a move away from Manchester United, with Tottenham Hotspur believed to be a possible destination. The biggest problem for him now is that Louis van Gaal doesn’t have any advance wingers, meaning he can play nowhere else except as a striker.

We have seen him on the wings in the past, but with two wing backs, Welbeck has little chance to excel in that role. Now, with Javier Hernandez likely to leave, he will be the first in line to replace either Wayne Rooney or Robin van Persie should anything happen to them.

He will have to prove himself to Van Gaal before his manager decides to bring in another striker, therefore his time to impress is now.

Adnan Januzaj

Name: Adnan Januzaj

Age: 19

Position: Winger / Centre Attacking Midfield

Nationality: Belgium

Price: £40 million (Rejected bid from Paris Saint-Germain)

Adnan Januzaj was one of the stand-out players in their chaotic previous season, but with the arrival of Louis van Gaal, he looks to have lost a first team place. Being hailed as a Manchester United wonderkid, it is unlikely that the club will sell him, but we could see him loaned out for more first team experiences.

His place in the squad is currently safe, but if he doesn’t take advantage of his chances, he could slowly drop further down the pecking order. With a wing role unlikely, he now needs to compete with Juan Mata and Shinji Kagawa for a place behind the two strikers.

Antonio Valencia

Name: Antonio Valencia

Age: 29

Position: Right Winger

Nationality: Ecuador

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Price: £10 – £15 million

From Manchester United’s best player of the year in the 2011-2012 campaign, Valencia has seen a huge drop in performance over the past two seasons. As of now his place is quite secured due to his ability to be deployed into the Louis van Gaal’s 3-5-2 formation at wing back. His experience as a right back during Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign may now come back to save his career.

However, if United can secure the signing of Juan Cuadrado, Valencia’s place in the squad will be under heavy threat. The Colombian star is tailor-made to play as a right wing back and could easily overtake the Ecuadorian to a place in Van Gaal’s starting 11.

Luke Shaw

Name: Luke Shaw

Age: 19

Position: Left Back

Nationality: England

Price: £30 million

Luke Shaw’s £30 million move to Manchester United doesn’t instantly mean that he will become a top class player as he still needs to prove himself despite his huge price tag. There were some fitness concerns early on as Louis van Gaal began putting the young star on extra workout routines.

With Ashley Young picking up form, if Shaw fails to make an immediate impact down the left flank, both in an attacking and defensive sense, he could easily see his role the squad being replaced. Many people have been questioning his price, his salary, and his abilities, so there is no better way to silence his critics than by proving his worth on the pitch.

With a third of the season already gone, it seems the perfect time to reflect on some of this year’s summer signings. Every transfer, whether it be stepping up a league, moving country or continent, or simply swapping clubs has an element of risk involved.

Some summer signings hit the ground running and enriched the Premier League, such as Eden Hazard and Santi Cazorla. Others however, like usual, have failed to prove they’re worth their transfer fee – and if they had no transfer fee, they’ve proved they aren’t worth their wages.

Some have performed below the the level their reputation might suggest, others are yet to reach the heights their fees would demand, and a few simply can’t break into the first-team at their new clubs.

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Either way, after just twelve games these  lads already appear to be a bad piece of business. Here is a list of this summer’s ten most disappointing signings with a brief explanation as to why they deserve a place on our list of newly-signed poor performers.

Click on Clint Dempsey to see the full list of transfer travesties

Everton fans have been debating a swoop for Croatia’s impressive defender Domagoj Vida, after reports claimed the Toffees have bid for the Besiktas man.According to Turkish outlet Fanatik, Everton have made a €13.2m (£11.5m) bid for Vida, as the defender continues to impress at the World Cup.The Toffees will certainly need to add to their defensive ranks this summer, with Leighton Baines and Ashley Williams both nearing exits and Phil Jagielka turning 36 at the start of the season.Plenty of defenders have been linked with moves to Goodison, and Vida seems just about the perfect budget signing.[brid autoplay=”true” video=”257647″ player=”12034″ title=”Three reasons we love to hate… Brazil and Argentina”]The 29 year-old has been extremely impressive during Croatia’s great start to the World Cup, and can play anywhere across the back four.The versatile defender only just joined Besiktas in January, but the Turkish giants could be tempted to cash in if he continues his fantastic form at the World Cup.Vida has done a little bit of everything since joining Besiktas, averaging one tackle, 1.3 interceptions and 1.8 clearances per game.[ad_pod ]Fans have been discussing a move for the experienced Croatian, and they like what they’ve seen of him this summer.You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Tottenham Hotspur will look to boost their chances of securing a third successive top-four finish in the Premier League when they face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday.

Spurs beat arch-rivals Arsenal 1-0 in the latest episode of the north London derby at Wembley in their previous top flight encounter to move up to third, but it was only on a temporary basis as wins for Liverpool and Chelsea on the Sunday and Monday respectively dropped them back down to fifth.

However, the race to qualify for the Champions League is still wide open, and defeat for second-place Manchester United against Newcastle United at St James’ Park last time out means they are now just four points ahead of Mauricio Pochettino’s men in the standings, and they host Chelsea at Old Trafford on Sunday.

It will certainly be no easy task to pick up three points against the Eagles in south London though, even if they were beaten 3-1 by Everton last time out and are currently plagued by a number of injury issues, including the absence of reported Spurs target Wilfried Zaha.

Pochettino has seen his side record two 2-2 draws against Juventus in the Champions League and Rochdale in the FA Cup since he made some big decisions when he named his starting XI for the visit of the Gunners – leaving out Toby Alderweireld and Victor Wanyama – and he could make some more against Roy Hodgson’s team.

Here is how Tottenham must line up when they face Crystal Palace on Sunday, ahead of Hugo Lloris in goal…

Defence

Kieran Trippier, Davinson Sanchez, Jan Vertonghen and Ben Davies have established themselves as the club’s first-choice back four in recent weeks when Toby Alderweireld was ruled out through injury, and the quartet must continue at Selhurst Park having started the previous Premier League clash against Arsenal.

While Davies did struggle at the start of the match against Juventus, he improved as the game went on and did assist Harry Kane for the winnget against the Gunners, while Serge Aurier is unlikely to come into consideration to replace Trippier after showing that he can be a liability by giving away a clumsy penalty against the Serie A leaders, which Gonzalo Higuain fortunately failed to convert.

Toby Alderweireld missed out on a place in the squad against Arsenal and Juve but did start against Rochdale, but the Belgian still looked a little rusty and he shouldn’t be thrown in just yet against Palace, especially as he could face a difficult afternoon against Belgian compatriot Christian Benteke.

Midfield

Mousa Dembele is arguably the best in his position in the Premier League on current form, and the Belgian has to be one of the first names on the team-sheet right now, even if it means Victor Wanyama is left on the substitutes’ bench.

Dembele started alongside Eric Dier in the middle of the park against Arsenal and seeing as they help the team keep a clean sheet, those two have to start against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, too.

Attack

Son Heung-Min, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen had little competition for their places when Mauricio Pochettino lined up with a 4-2-3-1 system earlier in the season, but has changed in the last couple of months.

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Erik Lamela has returned from a long-term hip injury and the north London outfit signed Lucas Moura from Paris Saint-Germain during the January transfer window, and both are pushing to start having found themselves on the bench against Arsenal, but with the former impressing against Juventus and the latter against Rochdale.

Lucas showed his quality with a fine run and finish – albeit against League One opposition on Sunday – and a trip to Crystal Palace could be the ideal opportunity to start the speedy winger to punish Palace on the break.

While it would perhaps be harsh on Son, the Brazilian looks as though he is ready to make an impact in the Premier League and he deserves his chance to make an impact against the Eagles.

Do you agree, Spurs fans? Let us know below.