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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.

The summer was a case of ‘same old Arsene’ at Arsenal, as the Frenchman opted once again to miss out on two problem areas in his squad: a prolific striker and a holding midfielder.

Danny Welbeck arrived on deadline day in a £16m deal, but the England international’s record in front of goal is not great, while an enforcer was sought for some of the window, but never found. Alexis Sanchez was signed in a big money swoop, while Mathieu Debuchy and Calum Chambers have addressed defensive issues, but Wenger’s squad is still short in key areas.

Here are FIVE players the Frenchman could turn to in January…

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CLICK ON EDINSON CAVANI TO REVEAL

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William Carvalho

Since the days of Patrick Vieira, Arsenal have not really had a driving force in midfield, giving them a reputation as ‘soft’, which has hurt them on trips away from the Emirates Stadium. Carvalho was a player mooted as an option to add some steel to the Gunners’ ranks over the summer, but talk of a swoop never truly materialised, despite suggestions of a late, late swap bid involving Joel Campbell.

Sporting Lisbon are thought to be ready to sell their Portuguese international for around £25m, which is money Arsenal could have spare in January if they make it through to the knockout stages of the Champions League.

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Sami Khedira

Another player rumoured to have been on the Gunners’ radar is Khedira. The German won the World Cup over the summer, but Real Madrid may lose him for a cut price fee in January with his contract due to expire at the end of the season.

Los Blancos may accept offers of below £10m, and Khedira is understood to have shown a willingness to join his international compatriots – Mesut Ozil, Per Mertesacker and Lukas Podolski – in north London. No-brainer, surely?

Sokratis Papastathopoulos

The man with the impossible name was a target for Arsenal late on in the window just gone, but a deal could not be done in time to meet the cut-off point. Sokratis has shone for the Greek national side in recent years, and his versatility – he can play on either flank at the back or as a holding midfielder as well as in his favoured centre-half role – has kept him in Dortmund’s XI for a while.

Wenger seems keen on the utility man, who could come in to replace departed captain Thomas Vermaelen, whose presence may well be missed by January.

Edinson Cavani

While Welbeck is a perfectly serviceable striker, Cavani is the sort of name to get pulses racing at the Emirates Stadium. The Uruguayan ace was the man fans called for as the clock ticked towards the transfer deadline on Monday, but a fabled swoop for him never became reality.

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With Zlatan Ibrahimvic the main man at PSG, Cavani may well be agitating for a move again in January, which could allow Arsenal to pounce with an offer of close to his £50m valuation.

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Marco Reus

Reus is likely to become Europe’s most sought after forward next year, with a £20m release clause in his Dortmund contract due to kick in. Reports suggest Arsenal are already plotting to trigger this, but a move in January may make more sense for the Londoners.

Although they will likely pay more than £30m, BVB may be keen to accept a greater sum if they are unable to tie Reus down to a new deal, which might allow Arsenal to avoid a war with the likes of Man City and Man United as well as Real Madrid – whom can all offer massive wages. The German star would fit Arsenal’s system well, and could allow Podolski to be shipped out.

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Everton striker Kevin Mirallas has revealed he wants to score at least 10 goals in his first season in English football.

The Belgian striker arrived at Goodison Park in a £5 million switch from Olympiakos in the summer and has become an instant hit, scoring three goals in 11 appearances in all competitions so far.

But only one of those has come in the Premier League, with the other two coming against Leyton Orient in the Capital One Cup, and he is eager to add to his single top-flight goal sooner rather than later.

He told the Liverpool Echo: “I think at the moment I have more assists than I have goals.

“I have provided one or two decent passes for my colleagues to score, but at the same time I am hoping to continue to improve in front of goal and i think 10 goals is a reasonable target for my first season.

“If I manage 10 goals that would be decent.”

The striker went on to admit his natural instinct to assist goals is helped by the fact he is playing with quality players at Everton.

“It is a part of the game I am not bad at and my delivery is quite good,” he continued.

“Sometimes it is easier to supply the pass for a goal than to add that finishing touch, especially when you have lads in the middle with the quality of Nikica Jelavic and Marouane [Fellaini].

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“It encourages you to put crosses in when you players like that in the middle.”

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Rangers confirmed on Thursday that they had completed the signing of Jon Flanagan on a free transfer, arriving at Ibrox after leaving Liverpool earlier this month.

The full-back joins on a two-year deal and is Steven Gerrard’s seventh signing of the summer. The club are wasting no time in strengthening their squad massively ahead of the new season and crucial European qualifiers next month.

The 25-year-old made 51 appearances for the Reds before departing, with spells on loan at Burnley and Bolton in recent seasons. His only appearance under Jurgen Klopp last term was a League Cup showing in September.

He arguably has the kind of quality that Rangers are looking for to add competition and depth to their defence, but not every supporter is happy with the decision to sign him.

Controversy has surrounded the player in recent months after he pleaded guilty to assaulting his girlfriend and was sentenced to 40 hours of unpaid community service, as reported by the BBC.

Fans have taken to Twitter to discuss his arrival in Glasgow.

Some are in favour of the move, believing he deserves a chance to show he can learn from his mistakes…

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Others though would prefer him not to be associated with Rangers…

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