Mohamed Salah has been voted the first PFA Bristol Street Motors Fans’ Player of the Month of 2019 by football fans across the country.

In a vote run by fan engagement experts Snack Media, the Egyptian winger won by a huge landslide, polling ahead of Manchester United trio Paul Pogba, David De Gea and Marcus Rashford, as well as Manchester City’s Leroy Sane and Watford’s Troy Deeney.

In the first of four divisional votes carried out over seven days via Snack’s digital and social networks, which was supported by top flight football clubs and the press, it was clear that Salah’s performances last month – which saw him bag three goals in four January appearances – caught the attention of Premier League fans the most.

That is despite some very strong displays from some of the other candidates nominated for January’s award, including Rashford and Pogba who either scored or assisted six Premier League goals between them last month, while Sane grabbed two goals and one assist.

The Championship vote opens at 11 am on Monday 7th January. To vote go to:

www.footballfancast.com/pfa-awards

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West Ham will reject a loan bid from FC Schalke for striker Lucas Perez before the transfer deadline, Football FanCast can confirm.

The Irons have thus far adopted a stance that they will not loan out any first-team players in this transfer window.

A BBC report claimed on Wednesday that the German club had lodged a loan offer for Perez, who has struggled for minutes thus far this season in east London.

However, the Irons would prefer to receive a transfer fee for Perez and value him at around £4million.

Perez has played 10 times in the Premier League, per Transfermarkt, but has yet to complete 90 minutes under Manuel Pellegrini in the top flight.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

Nevertheless, Football FanCast understands the club intends to retain Perez as cover for Marko Arnautovic, who recently signed a new contract at the London Stadium, and Javier Hernandez.

Andy Carroll is injury-prone and as we exclusively revealed earlier this month, would likely be allowed to leave if a deadline day bid is tabled. However that appears unlikely, given his patchy fitness record and poor form when he has played.

Football FanCast also understand that Reece Oxford has been told that he can leave on loan, having failed to play a single minute for the first-team thus far this season.

It remains to be seen if an offer will be forthcoming that suits his needs, however.

Wolves have taken to life in the Premier League very well, and continue to look a threat to most teams in the top flight.

Nuno Santo’s men have made their system work after romping home in the Championship last time out, and they are looking like being ready to make a fist at being a regular Premier League outfit for years to come.

Of course with becoming a top team comes expense, and Wolves will need to make sure they keep adding to their squad over time to continually improve the squad and show the fans they do indeed mean business when it comes to competing at the top level.

And one man we here in the Tavern feel would be a superb addition is Belgian midfielder Thorgan Hazard, who has quietly gone about his business over in Germany while brother Eden takes the main spotlight.

Hazard has been superb this term, knocking in 12 goals in all competitions while also adding some seven assists, and the £38m-rated star could fit in nicely at Wolves.

An attacking midfielder by trade, Hazard has developed his career well, and the time could be right to see him move back to England and prove himself at the highest level possible.

Wolves are a good fit, where expectation would not be too high, and he would no doubt be given the freedom to play under manager Santo, who is keen to encourage his players to do what they do best and express themselves.

While he will cost a fair amount, he still has his prime years ahead of him, and for Wolves, the signing of Hazard would send a big statement to the rest of the league.

Wolves fans, what do you think? Good signing? Let us know in the comments!

[ad_pod ]Southampton legend Matthew Le Tissier has reacted on Twitter after former Saints player Virgil van Dijk claimed in an interview published on the BBC that he “gave everything” prior to his £75m move to Liverpool in January 2018.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Dutchman quickly established himself as one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League during his time at St Mary’s, and it was no surprise when he started to attract admiring glances from some of the bigger clubs in the division, such as Liverpool.

The Merseyside outfit attempted to bring the centre-back to Anfield during the summer of 2017 but Saints reacted by reporting them for an illegal approach, with the defender later handing in a transfer request and reportedly refusing to play for the team.

The summer transfer window ended with the Netherland international remaining on the south coast, and he featured 12 times before finally moving on.

Speaking to BBC about his exit, Van Dijk said: “After the end of August [and the transfer window] I put my head down, played for Southampton and gave everything. I was happy to play because I came back from an eight-month injury.

“When everything happened over the summer, people doubt you. For me, I really didn’t care as I gave everything in games and training.”

How has Le Tissier reacted?

The Sky Sports pundit reacted with two emojis of a thinking face and a surprised face, before going into more detail when replying to another user about Van Dijk’s claim.

Has he got a point?

He certainly has, because you clearly aren’t giving everything if you aren’t helping your team on the pitch.

Despite the fact the former Celtic man was recovering from months out through injury, it also seemed apparent that he wasn’t putting in the maximum effort, with his final appearance in the 4-1 home defeat by Leicester City a prime example of that.

With the Dutchman knowing that a move to Liverpool was on the cards he was never going to be as committed as he once was as a further injury could have prevented a move, no matter what he might be saying about it now.

تحدث عماد النجاس المدير الفني لفريق الكرة الأول بنادي المقاولون العرب، عن مباراته أمام نظيره الاتحاد السكندري، مبديًا اعتذاره للجهاز الفني لزعيم الثغر بقيادة طلعت يوسف عن مناوشات ما بعد اللقاء.

وكانت مباراة المقاولون والاتحاد التي أقيمت على ملعب الأول باستاد عثمان أحمد عثمان في خضم منافسات الجولة 28 من عمر الدوري المصري الممتاز قد انتهت بالتعادل الإيجابي بهدف لكل فريق.

وقال النحاس في تصريحات تلفزيونية بفضائية “أون تايم سبورت”: “أريد أن أعتذر للجهاز الفني لفريق الاتحاد عن أحداث الشد التي وقعت عقب المباراة، كما أنني أكدت له اعتذاري في غرفة خلع الملابس وأكرر ذلك”.

وأضاف: “ظروف المباراة من تقنية الفار وقرارات تحكيمية، كل هذه عوامل ضغط، كما أن مواجهة اليوم كانت بـ6 نقاط لأننا ننافس على المركز الرابع مع الاتحاد، الحمد لله نقطة جيدة وكنت أتمنى أن نصل للنقطة 50 لنضمن البقاء في المربع”.

وأردف: “من بداية الموسم ونضع نصب أعيننا المربع الذهبي، وظهر إصرار اللاعبين وروحهم خاصة بعد التعادل في الدقيقة 93، وبهذا الإصرار سنصل لما نهدف إليه هذا الموسم وهو المشاركة في إفريقيا”.

وتابع: “هذه المباراة كانت نقطة تحول بالنسبة لنا، وكانت لها حسابات لو فزنا كنا سنبدأ في المنافسة على المركز الثالث مع بيراميدز، وانا أخبرت اللاعبين بضرورة الفوز لضمان المركز الرابع”.

واختتم: “لن يسعفنا الوقت في فترة الانتقالات المقبلة، ولكن الميزانية ستتوفر بوعد من مجلس الإدارة لتدعيم الفريق”.

Fulham currently find themselves in a spot of bother in the relegation zone, with Claudio Ranieri’s recent sacking only adding to the disappointment at Craven Cottage. 

Claudio Ranieri won only three of his 17 games as manager after taking over from Slavisa Jokanovic, and he’s now left them 10 points from safety with 10 games left.

The Cottagers have appointed Scott Parker as caretaker manager with former first-team coach Stuart Gray joining as his assistant. But, fans will be more focused on who Shahid Khan will decide to appoint at the end of the season, with relegation to the Championship looking a certainty at this moment in time.

Indeed, the manager who Khan simply has to go all out to secure is former Huddersfield Town boss David Wagner.

Of course, relegation hasn’t officially been confirmed, but Fulham will find themselves back in the Premier League by 2020 if Khan appoints David Wagner at the end of the season following potential relegation. He performed miracles last season to first take Huddersfield into the Premier League and then keep them there against all odds.

He also managed to create an extremely tight bond with the players in the Championship, despite bringing in 13 new faces prior to the start of the 2016-17 season. Indeed, the Cottagers have failed to get the best out of a number of their summer signings after spending big prior to the start of this season, so he could definitely sort out that mess.

Wagner promotes an attractive, attacking style that could definitely bring excitement back to Craven Cottage, and his experience from securing promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs during his time at Huddersfield could prove invaluable as the Championship is arguably one of the most competitive leagues in Europe.

Fulham fans – Thoughts?

Southampton’s transformation under Ralph Hasenhuttl has seen a clear shift towards a high-press philosophy with Shane Long and Nathan Redmond preferred to press from the front, leaving Charlie Austin surplus to requirements and edging towards the January exit door. 

There was a point when Austin was regarded as the club’s most potent goal scoring threat, but Hasenhuttl seemingly prefers the presence of a quick and diligent centre-forward rather than a natural goal scorer.

The arrival of Danny Ings in the summer had already placed Austin’s place in the team under serious threat, and developments in recent weeks suggest he would be wise to leave before the deadline passes on Thursday.

But Austin’s exit may not leave Hasenhuttl short of an extra option in attack, as Sky Sports journalist Pete Hall has suggested Southampton are hoping to sign Birmingham City’s Che Adams this week.

Recent reports have linked the Saints with a move for Adams and Hall’s comments while speaking on Sky Sports’ Transfer Talk podcast added a further weight of legitimacy to those reports.

“Southampton are in talks with Birmingham’s Che Adams, who’s scored 14 goals this season, a number of Premier League clubs are interested, so they’re lining up a replacement.

“It certainly makes sense for Austin to go and, while his stock is still high, there are clubs who could do with a striker like Charlie Austin.”

Birmingham signed Adams from Sheffield United for a measly fee of just £2 million in 2016 and he has blossomed into a fine goal scoring talent in the Championship ever since.

Now 22-years-old, Adams has already bagged 15 times and provided three assists in the Championship this season from 29 appearances.

With his prolific record in mind and his scope for potential at just 22, it is absolutely no surprise that Southampton are in talks over a potential deal.

It’s unlikely that Birmingham will be anything other than incredibly reluctant to let him leave midway through the season, especially while they sit just six points behind Derby in the final playoff position.

But if Southampton are able to pull off a deal which would allow them to replace Austin with Adams it would represent another fantastic progressive step forward under Hasenhuttl,

Southampton fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

Harry Redknapp has claimed that Tottenham Hotspur ‘have a chance’ of winning the Champions League this season.

Tottenham recorded a 3-0 win over Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of their round of 16 match last week, suggesting that the capital outfit are on the cusp of the quarter-finals.

Barcelona will be desperate for their first Champions League title since 2015, whilst Real Madrid simply cannot be written off due to their incredible history in the competition.

Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain are also regarded by many as strong challengers for the title, but Redknapp, who managed Tottenham between 2008 and 2012, has insisted that his former club are in with a strong shout.

As quoted by HITC, Redknapp told talkSPORT:

“The Champions League is wide open. I don’t think there is one team outside of the British teams who you would look at [they are certain favourites].

“Normally, you would have a Barcelona or Real Madrid. This year is wide open. Juventus have a chance. It could be one of seven or eight teams you would look at. You wouldn’t be surprised if they won it at Tottenham. They have a chance.”

Tottenham’s lack of experience in the competition means that it would be some story if they did manage to land the trophy ahead of the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus and PSG.

The Spurs fans have been on social media offering their views on Redknapp’s words and not many are too delighted with his comments.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Newcastle fans will be encouraged by their side’s performance despite losing to Tottenham at the weekend.

Spurs pinched a narrow 1-0 victory at Wembley after a Martin Dubravka error in the 83rd minute allowed Son Heung-Min to score the only goal of the game. Despite being unable to build on the win against Manchester City, there was plenty of reason to be optimistic after a decent display against Mauricio Pochettino’s men.

Benitez has his January signings to welcome into the starting eleven with Antonio Barreca making his debut from the bench. The £20m addition of Miguel Almiron will prove to be the difference maker for the Magpies. If the Paraguay international can display his magic, staying in the Premier League shouldn’t be a problem.

Turning his attention to the summer transfer window, Benitez should be keeping tabs on Huddersfield star – Philip Billing. Valued at £6.3m by Transfermarkt, the Dane joined the club in 2013 and progressed through the youth ranks to become an important member of the first-team. Huddersfield’s time in England’s top division looks to be coming to an end after registering just 11 points so far this season and Biling is likely to be snapped up.

The 22-year-old is a giant on the pitch and his presence in the engine room would give the Magpies some much-needed grit. Despite his size, Biling is also quality in possession and would thrive alongside Jonjo Shelvey. Still improving and developing, the Denmark international has massive potential and with his contract set to expire in 2020, he could be available for a great price.

Biling has already proven himself in the Premier League and could be the man to unlock Almiron in the Magpies attack.

Newcastle fans, thoughts?

For the second successive transfer window, Tottenham Hotspur opted to keep their chequebook closed, making no signings.

Mauricio Pochettino made history in the summer as Spurs became the first side to not sign a single player during the summer transfer window’s history. The Argentine once again admitted that signings were unlikely in January despite a host of players leaving the club. Even with many key players currently sidelined with an injury, there were no new arrivals at Wembley.

Indeed, with their new stadium completed, the summer transfer window should be a completely different story. With more funds available, there could be a massive revamp at the club with many players linked with an exit. With Toby Alderweireld expected to leave and Jan Vertonghen approaching the end of his career, defensive upgrades should be a priority.

One man Pochettino could target is Benfica rock – Ruben Dias. Valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt, the 21-year-old is a product of the club’s youth academy and has blossomed into a key player for his side. Despite his young age, Dias is a natural leader in the back four and has captained his side on multiple occasions.

His leadership qualities would add some much-needed stability into the Spurs back four and Dias’ professionalism means he would thrive under Pochettino’s leadership. The Portugal international is also a dominant force in the air, winning 3.6 aerial duels per game in Liga NOS, meaning he should have no problem dealing with the Premier League’s physicality. As well as his defensive prowess, the youngster also excels with the ball at his feet.

Improving with every game, Dias could prove to be a mainstay in the Spurs back four.

Tottenham fans, thoughts?