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West Ham have enquired into the available of Bristol City’s defensive colossus Aden Flint, according to West Ham fansite Knees Up Mother Brown.

What’s the story?

Aden Flint has become something of a hero at Ashton Gate since signing from Swindon Town in 2013, and the goal-scoring defender has been ever-present for the Robins ever since.

The imposing came to particular prominence last season as he helped Bristol City reach the semi finals of the Carabao Cup, seeing off Manchester United on their way to the last four.

The 28-year-old is as handy up top as he is at the back and is a great threat at set-plays, notching up eight goals and two assists this season, and he is also known for his social media antics.

According to the report, Bristol City want £9million for their star player which is above what West Ham are willing to pay, but they could yet return with a formal bid.

Is he worth it?

£9million does appear steep for a 28-year-old player who has never set foot in the Premier League, but Flint is definitely one of the finest defenders in the football league.

He is an old-fashioned hard-as-nails enforcer who towers over forwards and regularly pops up with a goal.

It is quite amazing that Flint scored 15 goals from centre back in the 2014-15 season from centre-back, and West Ham are right to be looking at the player.

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If they could knock a few million off the asking price, West Ham could have a serious player that would terrify Premier League attackers and defenders alike.

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According to reports in the Daily Mail, Southampton are confident that they will sign Spartak Moscow forward Quincy Promes in the summer after failing with a move to bring him to St Mary’s on deadline day.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Daily Mail says that Saints had several bids for the 26-year-old rejected during the January transfer window, but they are convinced that the player wants to join them and are ready to make another bid to bring him to the south coast at the end of the season.

The offers on the table would have made the Dutchman Southampton’s club-record buy had a deal gone through before the 11pm deadline, but the Daily Mail says that Spartak turned them down as they didn’t have enough time to find a replacement for one of their best players.

Did they not have a Plan B on deadline day?

It seems unlikely as they still had time to do a deal when it became clear early on Wednesday that a deal for Promes wasn’t going to happen.

However, the Daily Mail suggests that the club didn’t rush to sign an alternative as they believe the Dutchman is the right player for them, although not having fresh blood in their attack for the remaining months of the campaign when they currently lie in the relegation zone could be a worry.

Will they sign him in the summer?

It’s difficult to say, but you can’t help but feel that Southampton have missed the boat on this one.

Firstly, they will need to stay in the Premier League to convince the attacker to come to St Mary’s in the summer, and that is something that is far from guaranteed right now considering Mauricio Pellegrino’s men have only won four of their 25 top flight matches this season, and none of their previous 12.

Additionally, the fact that Promes has scored 58 goals in 115 matches for Spartak and could potentially add to that tally in the coming months could mean that he is wanted by bigger clubs in the Premier League – and elsewhere in Europe – by the summer, and Saints would be likely to miss out on the Dutchman as a result.

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If the player really does want to join then they do have hope, but there are several factors that could go against them before they have the opportunity to do that.

There should always be a reasonable helping of caution when dealing with outside names to make a late run for a place in the England squad. The impact of Theo Walcott’s injury in January stretched well beyond the boundaries of club football; Roy Hodgson had lost a regular a valued member of his England team.

There’s a danger of placing hopes and too much expectation on those who aren’t ready to deliver. The early part of the season was centred on Andros Townsend and what he could do for England at the upcoming World Cup, with little attention paid to how ineffective he was in the final third. At this point of the season, he is well out of the public eye and seemingly out of the running to replace Walcott.

Adam Johnson, too, has recently been talked up due to the Sunderland winger’s form in front of goal. And yet you’re forced to hold fire on committing to him, primarily because of his inconsistencies, which if ironed out could see him as a very good option for England.

But the player who is clearly heading the race to be a key member of Hodgson’s squad this summer for Walcott’s place is Raheem Sterling, who has been named the best winger in England by club manager Brendan Rodgers.

The Liverpool manager is well within right to offer up such high praise to the teenager, firstly because high-class, traditional wingers are in such short supply in England, but also because of the impact he’s made at Liverpool over the past two months.

And that’s the important factor in all this: two months. Prior to becoming a regular feature of Liverpool’s starting XI, Sterling was on the outside looking in, making sporadic yet unconvincing performances this season and last.

He burst onto the scene in a match against Manchester United in 2012 and rode that wave for a short time before falling away into the background, and Hodgson should be mindful of something like that occurring once again.

It is of course difficult to see Sterling dropping off in such a way again. An enormous amount of credit should be owed to Rodgers for getting this level of performances out of him, but also there should be some faith that the youngster can sustain this under a coach who has turned Daniel Sturridge into one of the most effective and consistent strikers in the league this season.

But it still is only February and England need a player who can prove that he is not only a step up from where he was before, but also a cut above the rest. As a natural winger, Sterling is that player now. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain may come into the discussion, but the Arsenal midfielder is a versatile option for Hodgson who was in the England squad with Walcott in the past, not in place of him.

Sterling looks like a player who can frighten and cause legitimate damage to the best defenders in the league, as he has done when Liverpool travelled to Manchester City and hosted Arsenal.

There’s still some way to go in this season and Sterling’s form has given England something to be genuinely hopeful of. More than anything, his performances deserve serious consideration for him to be a starter for England and not just a squad addition.

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But until the season finishes, there should be a degree of reservation. Being hopeful is one thing, but the inconsistencies of others so far during this campaign means we and England should hold off until the appropriate time before naming the replacement for Walcott in the World Cup squad.

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Charles Green, the chief executive of Rangers has made an apology to Aston Villa after saying they were “completely useless.”

The Scottish club’s chief made remarks last week about how a European league might have to be created saying that “big teams can’t keep subsidising small teams for the next 10 years because they will go stale”.

When making these comments he asked: “How can Manchester United’s revenues be £320m and Aston Villa, who are completely useless, get £250m?”

However, Green has now backtracked, apologising for potentially offending the club. He released a statement saying: “Rangers chief executive Charles Green has apologised to Aston Villa following a press briefing last week in which he referred to the Midlands club. Mr Green has sent an apology to Aston Villa saying there had been no intention to cause offence.”

Green, whose team play currently in Scottish Football League Division Three, was promoting the benefits of a new regional European League. It is thought that UEFA are interested in looking at the idea with concerns about polarisation between top clubs and the top leagues.

Green said: “Arsenal don’t want to play Southampton or Swansea, but ask them if they want to play Celtic or Rangers. It’s what the fans want to see. Fans across the world want to see Manchester United play Barcelona, not just once every few years, but every season.” He also believes Ranger could be a part of such a league.

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The consortium belonging to Green were responsible for the relaunch of Rangers after the club went into liquidation.

During this time in the off-season, all football fans are interested in is which new players their club will sign.

This summer, the World Cup in Russia will take some of the focus away, but for the most part, the fanbases of Nottingham Forest and co will regular check online to see if an announcement has been made.

On Monday, the Championship outfit did make an announcement, but it was not what the supporters were hoping for.

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Forest confirmed on their official website that the club will take on Premier League side Bournemouth at the City Ground in a pre-season friendly on July 28.

While that is positive news with regards to the campaign ahead, it was not enough to excite the fans, who are eager for some fresh faces to come through the welcome gates.

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According to BBC Radio Nottingham, Forest are in advanced talks to sign Benfica midfielder Joao Carvalho, while his teammate Diogo Goncalves is also believed to be wanted by the Championship outfit.

When the club confirmed the pre-season encounter with Bournemouth, most fans were frustrated that it was not an announcement regarding the Portuguese pair.

Once again, the rumour mill has churned out a story linking Real Madrid star Gareth Bale to Manchester United.

Any time the idea of the Wales international returning to the Premier League is mentioned, United tend to be the first club being touted as a potential suitor.

On this occasion, Don Balon report that the English giants have made contact with Bale’s agent regarding a summer transfer.

Jose Mourinho has not hidden the fact that he has huge admiration for the 28-year-old attacker.

So, it would not be hugely shocking if the North-West outfit made a play for Bale at the end of the season.

Whether they would be successful in their attempts is another story, but it appears that the player’s injury record is a concern for supporters.

The former Tottenham Hotspur star has been restricted to just nine starts in all competitions this season due to calf and hamstring problems.

A few years ago, Bale, who moved to the Bernabeu from Spurs for £85m in 2013, the majority of United fans would be desperate to snap up the attacker.

Now, though, large sections of the supporters are worried that he is too injury prone.

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Others have no desire to see him at Old Trafford due to his alleged previous snub.

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With Sunderland’s dispatching of Manchester United in the Semi-Finals, it’s easy to forget that there was actually a story of similar magnitude occurring just miles across the city at the Etihad Stadium. Manchester City’s 9-0 aggregate demolition of West Ham – who although in bad form at the time, are far from being a poor side – may well go down as the finest performances of the season.

Although the tie was effectively over after the Citizens rammed six past the travelling side in the first clash, their 3-0 win at Upton Park was, arguably, even more impressive given that it was spearheaded by Marcos Lopes. Fans outside of City’s loyal following could have been forgiven for having no idea who the midfielder was when they saw the team-sheet, but by the end of the 90 minutes it was common knowledge that he is a talent.

After playing a role in all of the goals on the night in East London, the 18-year-old – who only officially became an adult just days after Christmas – was named man of the match for his display, prompting talk of him being ‘the next big thing’.

City have not been famed for their youth development in recent years. After being a club that traditionally gave young players a chance, the now Middle Eastern-backed side have adopted a changed philosophy in which the world’s best talent is parachuted down onto the turf to compete at the top end of English football. The Portuguese passer has been nurtured at the club’s much-hyped academy set-up for a period of time, where his abundant talents have been nurtured.

The silky playmaker – who is not dissimilar to David Silva – was snapped up from Benfica’s production line of talent in 2011, where he was being tipped to be a future star. With Financial Fair Play looming, it could be a sign of the times that City turned to a more cost effective method of securing a top creative player, or maybe the club were buying him for now.

His performance against West Ham certainly proved that he has the talent to compete at the moment, and has led to quiet calls for his inclusion in the Capital One Cup Final. There is no doubt that Lopes has earned these whispers, after all his display is up there as one of the very best in this year’s tournament, but will he really be trusted on the biggest stage?

The odds are slim, but Manuel Pellegrini may see Wembley as the ideal stage to give his teenage ace a few minutes of playing time. In a team where David Silva, Samir Nasri, Jesus Navas and Yaya Toure strut their stuff every week, Lopes was always going to be kicking into the wind this season for game time, but he has shown on one of his only opportunities that the potential is there.

“It’s not just his quality on the ball, it’s his desire off the ball as well. You can see how hard he works. We’ve known about him for a while, and is nicknamed ‘Figo’ and ‘Ronaldo’ around the club. He’s got a very bright future.”

Those are the words of Joleon Lescott, a man who knows a thing or two about playing against some of the very best players in the world having won the Premier League and represented his nation at top tournaments. Luis Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo have proven they can do it on the biggest stage, and it really would be a welcome tonic to see Lopes given such a chance early in his promising career.

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Liverpool will look to make the loan signing of Nuri Sahin from Real Madrid permanent in the summer, according to Spanish newspaper Marca.

The Turkish international has begun to make an impact at Anfield since his signing in August, scoring three goals in his last two matches.

He was on target twice in the Capital One Cup last week, as Liverpool beat West Brom 2-1 to progress to round four, before he grabbed his first Premier League goal in the 5-2 rout of Norwich on Saturday.

Liverpool are believed to have an option to make Sahin’s loan deal permanent at the end of the season, and remain confident of getting their man despite him being contracted to Real Madrid until 2017.

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The Reds paid a £5 million fee in order to secure his loan signing and beat off stiff competition from Premier League rivals Arsenal. Sahin is thought to want to prove himself in Spain, but the final decision will lie with Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho on whether the former Dortmund man will return or remain with Liverpool.

A majority of Manchester United supporters are eager to stay well clear of a move for Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart this summer.

The Red Devils were reported to be interested in a move for the struggling goalkeeper earlier this week, eyeing him as a potential number two to the ever reliable David de Gea.

Hart has spent the last two seasons out on loan at Torino and West Ham United, but his form has suffered and he has now lost his place in the England set-up, failing to make the World Cup squad.

Given he has failed to make an impression at either of these sides, with a number of high profile errors piling criticism on his shoulders, giving him games at a much bigger club like Man United doesn’t seem like the wisest choice.

United supporters appear to agree with 64% of respondents to a poll we published earlier this week preferring that the Red Devils don’t make a move for him this summer.

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You can see the full results of our poll below…

Manchester United fans will be demanding both a good performance and all three points when they watch their side face an impressive Burnley side on Boxing Day afternoon.

Man United failed to react positivvely from their stoppage time defeat to Championship club Bristol City in the Carabao Cup quarter-final by conceding a 94th Harry Maguire equaliser on Saturday as Leicester bounced back to claim a 2-2 draw at the King Power Stadium.

Two points dropped meant Mourinho’s side now trail leaders Man City by 13 points and a number of United players have faced some huge criticism for their performances in recent games.

In reaction, Mourinho has decided to stick with Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford in attack but has decided to hand Zlatan Ibrahimovic his Premier League start of the season.

Juan Mata’s brace v Leicester is enough for him to keep his starting place while Paul Pogba is handed the captain’s armband.

Here’s how Man United fans reacted to the team news…

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