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Nigel Martyn has praised Allan and even compared the Everton star to Goodison Park legend Lee Carsley.

In an exclusive interview with HITC, the former Toffees goalkeeper was full of praise for the Brazil international, saying:

“I like Allan. Goes under the radar but breaks up a lot of play, doing a bit of the Lee Carsley role from my time there!

“They’re the players other players appreciate a heck of a lot, they do a lot of the running, tackling, the nastier side of the game, the selfless running.

“He’s been really good; his passing is decent as well. He’s impressed me quite a lot. Midfield-wise, they look a stronger outfit than they were last year.”

Allan plays a similar role to Carsley

Indeed, Allan is playing in a similar role to what Carsley used to play for the Toffees, racking up 197 games in all competitions over seven years, mainly operating in the defensive midfield position (Transfermarkt).

To be compared to the Irishman is already a big compliment to the 29-year old, given that he only joined Carlo Ancelotti’s team from Napoli in the summer transfer window.

Allan has been great in the Premier League

Indeed, Allan has been nothing short of great so far in the Premier League this season.

The midfielder has won a rather impressive 6.2 of his duels per game in the top flight so far, as well as averaging four tackles, 1.2 interception and 1.2 clearances per match (Sofascore).

Can Allan help Everton reach European football?

Indeed, the question will now be whether Allan can help Everton qualify for European football in 2021.

The Toffees are currently sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League, and while there are still more than 30 games left to play in the division, it is certainly a great start to what may well turn out to be a fruitful term for the club, providing that they can keep their good form going for the rest of the season.

In other news, find out which Everton transfer target has been tipped to leave by his teammate here!

Some Manchester United fans have been lauding their interest in signing Dayot Upamecano as SportBild (via Sport Witness) have reported that the Red Devils, Liverpool and Manchester City are considering a move for the RB Leipzig central defender.

Liverpool are of course in desperate need of defensive reinforcements due to injuries to Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk, while Bayern Munich also want to sign him, so Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team may face some tough competition indeed to secure his services.

However, the publication also states that the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League winners are running out of time to sign him and that the Premier League clubs, including the Old Trafford faithful, could fix a deal in the January transfer window.

Upamecano has a €45m (£40.2m) release clause that will come into effect from next summer, and that is certainly a price worth considering for the Red Devils.

The France international has won no fewer than 3.7 of his duels per game in the Bundesliga so far in the 2020/21 term and has also averaged 1.8 clearances and 1.2 tackles per match (Sofascore).

Manchester United fan reaction to Upamecano interest

These Man United supporters lauded the reported interest in Upamecano on Twitter, with one fan highlighting that the 22 year-old is ‘quick’ and therefore could be a good partner for Harry Maguire:

In other news, find out which Man Utd star has had fans jumping out of their seats here!

It goes without saying that Bruno Fernandes is Manchester United’s best player by a mile.

The Portuguese magnifico, who joined the Red Devils on a five-and-a-half year deal from Sporting Lisbon in January, has been a total revelation at Old Trafford.

Heading into the Champions League clash with Istanbul Basaksehir, Fernandes had scored three goals and supplied an assist in his past three games in all competitions, including a brace against Everton at Goodison Park.

But whilst the Portugal international received most of the plaudits, it was Fred who stole the show on Tuesday night with an underrated display.

Solskjaer can be thrilled with his team as they won most of their one-on-one battles all over the pitch but perhaps none more so than in the midfield.

Preferred to Paul Pogba once again, the former Brazil international, who is currently valued at €30m (£26m) via CIES, cruised the midfield battle and it allowed Solskjaer’s side to build on Fernandes’ double to make it an easy win to ensure that they stayed top of Group H on nine points from four games, with Paris Saint-Germain in second place.

As per SofaScore, the 27-year-old made five tackles, one interception and won seven out of 12 duels overall (58%). His 90 touches in total were the highest out of any United player, whilst he was fouled once, and provided 65 out of 74 passes and three accurate long balls, which shows that he was the most vital cog as they avenged their defeat to Istanbul earlier this month.

The Manchester Evening News gave him a high grade of 7/10 for his efforts, with Samuel Luckhurst noting ‘the Brazilian’s selection reinforced his importance and United are simply a better side with Fred as one of the midfield two.’

Confident on the ball and comfortable in possession, Fred picked the right moments to keep it short and simple or burst into advanced areas with his ball-carrying ability.

Fernandes may have been the talk of the town for his brace, but the Brazilian was back to his very best against Istanbul.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Carlton Palmer makes stunning prediction about Paul Pogba’s future at Manchester United…

Manchester United travel to RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Tuesday night knowing they need just a draw to qualify for the last 16.

After an inconsistent start to the season, failure is not an option for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who embarked on a spending spree in the summer, bringing in the likes of Alex Telles from FC Porto, Donny van de Beek from Ajax, and wide options Amad Diallo and Facundo Pellistri, as well as former Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani as a free agent.

The United boss confirmed Cavani and Anthony Martial will miss the Champions League clash, which means Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford are expected to lead the line, whilst Luke Shaw is available again after recovering from a hamstring injury.

Here at Football Fancast, we’ve worked on a predicted starting line-up, which sees Solskjaer make four changes to the team that beat West Ham at the London Stadium.

Dean Henderson may push for a recall, but United’s No. 1 goalkeeper David de Gea has been so strong in Europe that we reckon Solskjaer will stick with his trusted first-choice stopper after he missed the 3-1 win over West Ham on Saturday.

It’s unlikely he will make many changes to the back four, with Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Telles likely to start, although he has flirted with a three-man defence before, so Axel Tuanzebe could be in contention to start alongside the club captain.

Scott McTominay and Van de Beek struggled at times against West Ham, so switching Paul Pogba back to a deep-lying position and bringing Nemanja Matic to the left of the circle could be a tempting option, but Fred misses out in midfield as he is suspended for their final group stage tie.

The Red Devils are level on points with Leipzig and Paris Saint-Germain and can qualify for the last 16 with a draw at the Red Bull Arena.

United’s team to face the Bundesliga challengers will most likely contain no real surprises upfront, with Greenwood and Rashford given the green light to start after the forward pair picked up injuries at the weekend, whilst Bruno Fernandes returns to the starting line-up, having started from the bench against the Hammers.

AND in other news, Manchester United must unleash Bruno Fernandes against RB Leizpig in the Champions League…

When it comes to Sunderland, it’s clear what the issue is – they don’t score enough goals.

Danny Graham and Will Grigg are yet to find the back of the net at all this term and last season’s top scorer – Chris Maguire – only scored ten in League One.

Things have improved slightly with the rejuvenation of Charlie Wyke. The tall striker has been superb this campaign and already has two goals under Lee Johnson, taking his tally for the season to ten.

Yet, Johnson isn’t completely satisfied yet. That’s because he admits that Sunderland lack pace and directness in attack, something he wants to address in January with the addition of someone who can stretch the play.

Of course, the introduction of Jack Diamond has helped proceedings. The talented youngster has amassed 1.6 dribbles per game – the highest of any player at the Stadium of Light.

That being said, they clearly need at least one addition in the final third. Could that be Barnsley’s Luke Thomas? It was reported a few days ago that Sunderland and Oxford United were considering a move for the Tykes attacker.

The forward, who earns £6k-per-week, hasn’t found a goal in 2020/21 but it’s important to consider that he contributed to nine strikes for Coventry at this level in 2018/19. Possessed with “lots of pace” according to his manager at the time Mark Robins, he’s a player that could add plenty to Johnson’s side.

The key word there is could. All you need to do is look at the spell Antoine Semenyo had from last January onwards. Signed on loan from a Championship club in the winter market, the winger arrived with pace to burn and dangerous energy.

That’s alarmingly similar to Thomas, so Sunderland will need to hope his spell doesn’t end up going the same way.

After Semenyo signed temporary terms with the Black Cats, he started just once and failed to score. Phil Parkinson had high hopes for the 20-year-old but he wasn’t given a fair enough chance to show what he was capable of.

If Kristjaan Speakman secures a deal for Thomas he will need assurances that Johnson will play him. Any such move will be rendered pointless otherwise. Last January tells you all you need to know.

AND in other news, Storey can secure IMMEDIATE success in Jan with genius Sunderland strategy…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former West Brom and England midfielder Carlton Palmer has dropped an interesting takeover claim amid the club’s change of manager.

Slaven Bilic was sacked on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after earning a well-fought point at Manchester City and he was quickly replaced by veteran boss Sam Allardyce before the day was out.

The 66-year-old has signed an 18-month contract at the Hawthorns, one that is thought to include a break clause should the Baggies be relegated from the Premier League.

And Palmer believes it has something to do with their prospective new owners.

According to the ever-reliable Telegraph reporter John Percy, current Albion chairman Guochuan Lai has held talks with an unnamed American consortium over purchasing the club for £150m.

He claims that negotiations are still ongoing over either a potential full takeover of the club or a minority stake of up to 15 per cent.

The Baggies great told FFC:

“So whether there’s a takeover happening, and the new owners have already been in conversations with Sam, and that’s the person they want to bring in.

“There’s something happening behind the scenes and obviously, it’ll all be revealed in the next few weeks.

“There’s something going on, I think a takeover is imminent, and the new owners wanted Big Sam.”

West Brom are only one victory away from moving out of the drop zone, so the decision to sack Bilic – especially after their disappointment in the transfer window – appears to be a little harsh.

The Croatian also had a player sold behind his back, so tensions understandably grew off the pitch alongside their poor results on it.

Whether Big Sam’s hiring has anything to do with a change in the boardroom still very much remains to be seen, but Palmer’s claim isn’t out of the realms of possibility.

The Baggies will need serious investment in January if they are to remain a top-flight team going forward.

AND in other news, How West Brom’s starting XI may look under Sam Allardyce…

After finally getting their man earlier in the summer, Leeds United have opted to take the patient approach with Cody Drameh.

The 19-year-old arrived from Championship side Fulham, and has spent his time in Yorkshire with the U23s, where he’s only missed one game at Premier League 2 level.

He’s yet to be seen with the senior side however, and that’s something Marcelo Bielsa may look to change heading into 2020.

According to The Athletic’s Phil Hay, when Leeds scouted Drameh whilst he was at Craven Cottage, they saw shades of Luke Ayling in him. It was also suggested that the teenager saw a “clearer” route to the senior set-up at Elland Road than he did at Fulham.

Hay wrote: “Leeds are understood to have paid in the region of £300,000 for Drameh, a fee which could rise to £1 million with add-ons, last week.

“Fulham are fresh from promotion themselves and will play in the Premier League with Leeds this season but sources close to Drameh say the England Under-18 international saw a clearer first-team pathway in West Yorkshire than in west London. The deal was done despite Fulham’s reluctance to sell and after Manchester City showed some late interest.”

Drameh’s potential is there for all to see, with Eredivisie scout Xander Wilkinson going on record to hail his abilities. He said: “Defensively so impressive! His mind works quicker than most right backs I’ve seen in a naturally defensive mindset. Tactically very aware of what is being asked of him, times his engagements well, needs to add a little more unpredictability going forward.”

The starlet may not be ready to start in the Premier League right now, but he could learn a lot by potentially being given opportunities in the FA Cup and then some minutes here and there in the top-flight.

Exposing him to first-team football will be the real test of whether Drameh will sink or swim, and the young right-back could surprise everybody and take to it like a duck to water. Only time will tell.

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested in signing Real Madrid centre-back Eder Militao and the Brazilian could perhaps be the long-term replacement for Toby Alderweireld at the North London club.

What’s the word?

According to Spanish news outlet AS, Jose Mourinho is keen on signing the 22-year-old before the end of the transfer window.

The former Porto man has struggled for game time under Zinedine Zidane since joining Los Blancos and Mourinho could offer him an out-option.

The heir to Alderweireld’s throne?

Toby Alderweireld has been a mainstay in Spurs’ first-team since joining from Atletico Madrid in 2015, having made 216 appearances for the Lilywhites, contributing nine goals and five assists.

The Belgian international was rewarded with a new contract until 2023 last season, despite him seemingly being keen to leave the club on a free transfer under Mauricio Pochettino.

However, the former Southampton man will turn 32 in March and perhaps only has a couple of seasons left at the top of his game, suggesting that Spurs will soon have to look for his replacement.

Davinson Sanchez is out of favour under Mourinho and Eric Dier, whilst impressive at times this season, is perhaps unlikely to ever be able to replicate Alderweireld’s quality on the ball, with the centre-back’s impressive long passing a key element of his game.

The North London club do have the likes of Japhet Tanganga and Joe Rodon currently on the fringes of the first-team squad but signing someone with Champions League experience such as Militao could do Mourinho’s side the world of good.

The young defender has managed just 23 first-team appearances for Madrid since joining from Porto and it seems that he will never be able to establish himself as a regular whilst Zidane is in charge.

Militao showed in his performances with Porto in the 2018/19 season that he can be a quality defender when given regular opportunities, as he averaged a superb 7.63 rating across 29 appearances in the Liga NOS.

When he signed for Madrid, Liverpool ‘keeper and international teammate Alisson dubbed the youngster as a star of the future, saying:

“He’s a player with great potential.”

WhoScored also suggests that his strengths include aerial duels, passing and tackling, so it seems as if he could be an excellent long-term replacement for Alderweireld at Spurs.

Therefore, Daniel Levy should definitely make a move for the £27 million rated defender this month, as he could definitely improve Spurs’ options in defence.

And, in other news… Forget Son and Kane: Levy must secure future of £100k-p/w gem before it’s too late

Sheffield Wednesday are still manager-less as the hunt for the next Owls boss rumbles into a new month, but one name has emerged as a potential candidate in recent days…

What’s been said?

According to the Daily Mail, Darren Moore has emerged as a contender for the vacant managerial role at Hillsborough Stadium as he has impressed in his spells in charge of West Brom and now Doncaster Rovers.

And his current experience in League One bodes well if the Yorkshire outfit are potentially relegated from the Championship this term.

The 46-year-old has refused to rule out the speculation too, he told reporters:

“Honestly, I know a lot of people are speaking about it, but tonight, my focus is on the game and Doncaster Rovers – and that’s what it’ll remain until the next one.”

Forget Thompson

Wednesday are in a good run of form under interim boss Neil Thompson after they advanced into the FA Cup fourth round last time out, making it four games unbeaten in all competitions.

However, that shouldn’t stop chairman Dejphon Chansiri from appointing a long-term and permanent successor to Tony Pulis as they still remain deep in the relegation mire.

Indeed, the Owls are still six points from safety at the half-way stage of the season, so there’s ton of work still to be done to keep them up this season.

Moore makes for a very intriguing option – as mentioned above, he’s done a pretty respectable job thus far in his managerial career.

The one-time Premier League Manager of the Month was surprisingly sacked from the Baggies after leading them to fourth place in the Championship following a fatal relegation from the top-flight.

Even in the big time, he steered Albion to an unbeaten April, which included a 1-0 win over Manchester United, though ultimately the damage was already done under Pulis and then Alan Pardew.

Now down the road at the Keepmoat Stadium, Moore has continued to thrive in the face of disappointment, steering Rovers to fourth-place and according to the Mail’s report, he has managed 1.84 points-per-game in the past calendar year, which isn’t too far behind Liverpool’s 2.2 or Man City’s 2.06.

Upon his arrival, Sheffield Star reporter Liam Holden claimed the League One outfit had hired a “manager with an unbelievable amount of genuine passion.”

However, most interestingly, Moore’s appointment would provide something that Hillsborough has very rarely ever seen, if at all, and that would be a manager used to giving youngsters a chance to succeed in the first-team set-up.

At West Brom, he was a respected youth coach and has continued that trend for Doncaster – their latest XI had an average age of just 24.5 years compared to Wednesday’s 27.3 years in their last league outing.

Moore has helped Premier League youngsters like Cameron John, Josh Sims and Tyreece John-Jules get valuable minutes, so the likes of Liam Shaw and Alex Hunt would surely benefit as they are the two young players currently starting for the Owls.

Over the years, we’ve seen very few names, if any, make it from the Wednesday academy to first-team stardom and that’s something the former Albion man could help rectify.

So forget Thompson, Chansiri must hire Moore as soon as possible to bring a breath of fresh air to Wednesday.

AND in other news, two-time promotion winner could be Sheffield Wednesday’s dream appointment…

Southampton look to have suffered another transfer blow in their hopes of signing some defensive cover before the transfer window shuts, as Japhet Tanganga is now set to stay with Tottenham Hotspur, according to Evening Standard journalist Dan Kilpatrick.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have already missed out on Arsenal’s Ainsley Maitland-Niles after unsuccessful negotiations with the 23-year-old and turned their attention to the Spurs defender instead.

The 21-year-old established himself in Jose Mourinho’s first-team squad last season, making seven appearances in all competitions, including six in the Premier League.

However, he has failed to make a single appearance in the top-flight so far this season, so it was no surprise to him touted with a move away, and he could’ve been an excellent addition to the Saints squad, considering their current lack of defensive options.

Young left-back Jake Vokins left for Sunderland on loan earlier in the window, whilst Yan Valery looks to be out-of-favour under Hasenhuttl, despite the recent injury to fellow right-back Kyle Walker-Peters.

Therefore, signing someone such as Tanganga, who has featured across the defence during his time with Spurs, could have been an excellent solution for Southampton, as their Premier League form has suffered as a result of their injury problems in recent weeks.

Saints were heavily linked earlier today but a deal for the Spurs centre-back now looks to be off, as, according to Evening Standard journalist Dan Kilpatrick, Jose Mourinho reportedly wants to keep the defender, who reportedly earns £23k per week, at the North London club.

This is undoubtedly a huge blow for Hasenhuttl, as the Austrian is clearly desperate to add some defenders to his squad before the transfer deadline, and he is now running out of time to bring reinforcements in before the 11 pm deadline.

And, in other news… Southampton transfer call on 23 y/o is baffling for two key reasons; he could’ve helped Ralph