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According to the Telegraph, Ander Herrera has reportedly demanded a contract in excess of £200,000-a-week to stay at Manchester United, amid interest from Paris Saint-Germain – the midfielder’s current deal expires in the summer.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Spaniard will be available on a free transfer unless the Red Devils can agree terms with him over a new deal, although they will reportedly not be held to ransom by the 29-year-old after he requested such a huge wage.

Herrera has enjoyed somewhat of a renaissance at Old Trafford since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer replaced Jose Mourinho in the dugout, emerging as one of United’s key players since the start of 2019.

Which “global superstar” has just been named Man Utd’s worst ever January signing? Find out in the video above…

However, whilst United want the former Athletic Bilbao man to stay and are said to have offered him a substantial increase on his current earnings of £80,000-a-week, Herrera has demanded a salary that would catapult him amongst the club’s top earners.

Alexis Sanchez’s wages cause more issues

It has previously been reported that Sanchez’s alleged earnings of £500,000-a-week have completely shattered the wage structure at Old Trafford, with the Chileans’s salary making it extremely difficult to negotiate a new deal with David de Gea – the Spanish keeper is said to be demanding double his current deal of £240,000-a-week.

Whilst that will worry United – the 28-year-old is one of the most important players at the club – the fact that Herrera is now demanding such a huge salary to stay at the club proves that Sanchez’s ludicrous earnings are having a detrimental effect on the squad.

Solskjaer will obviously have a number of issues to clean up in the summer having recently been appointed on a permanent basis, most notably finding a right-winger and potentially another centre-back.

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However, the situation involving Sanchez and the evident knock-on effect this is having on other members of the squad, who feel they should be earning closer to the former Arsenal man’s earnings, may well be the determining factor on whether or not the Norwegian will be a success in Manchester.

As we can see, players are requesting salaries that do not befit their quality or importance to the team, as, whilst Herrera and De Gea are key players, they definitely should not be earning, nor are they worth, figures in excess of £200,000-a-week and £480,000-a-week.

The sooner the peripheral figure of Sanchez leaves the better, or the highest earning player at the club will continue to plague morale around the place and cause players to request absurd sums.

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Aston Villa have put any potential contract discussions with Albert Adomah to one side, according to Birmingham Live. But should fans have concerns about the news?

What’s the word?

Villa have yet to open contract discussions with Adomah which means he could be set to become a free agent in the summer. It appears as though the wide player would like to stay but after contacting the club various times about his situation, things haven’t come along any further.

This could be good news for Leeds who may look to revive previous interest in the 31-year-old. Last summer a return to Middlesbrough for Adomah collapsed whilst Villa approached Leeds about a potential move for their player. It’s also understood by Birmingham Live that the latter had two bids rejected in January.

Adomah’s saga has dragged on for a while now but it could be about to come to an end if he isn’t offered a new deal.

Let Green flourish

Coming off the back of a 14 goal season during a run to the play-off final, Adomah’s form in 2018/19 has been largely inconsistent. At 31, his best days look behind him and as a result, Villa should focus on the future.

In 20-year-old Andre Green, the Villans have a hugely talented youngster on their books and after returning from a short loan spell with Portsmouth, he’s begun to feature more often in Dean Smith’s plans.

With the pair of them both wingers, Adomah’s possible departure can pave the way for a more permanent spot in the team for the arguably more exciting Green. Fortunately for Villa, they haven’t had trouble scoring goals this season but the latter’s dribbling ability could give them an added dimension in the final third, especially now he’s receiving more first-team experience.

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Aston Villa may finally lose Jack Grealish in the summer too. By bringing through another one of their own talents and using Green more, it would help soften the blow.

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Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa will have his fingers firmly crossed after reports that the Poland national team have been struck down by a flu outbreak that has affected eight players, with midfielder Mateusz Klich of course currently with the squad.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the 28-year-old who has been such a favourite under the Argentine boss at Elland Road has been away representing his country during the international break, but head coach Jerzy Brzeczek admitted prior to the game against Latvia on Sunday that his side were struggling with illness.

In quotes as reported by Leeds Live, he said: “We have an epidemic in the team and the first to have problems ahead of the game with Austria was Arkadiusz Milik.

“Our medical staff are working quickly to ensure the virus doesn’t spread further. Jan Bednarek and Bartosz Bereszynski did not take part in today’s training session.

“The flu has hit eight players, including Piatek.”

Klich started and played 62 minutes of the 2-0 win against Latvia, before being replaced by Jakub Blaszczykowski.

The last thing Bielsa needs

This is a potential issue the 63-year-old could do without.

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Already missing the likes of Kiko Casilla, Pontus Jansson and Kemar Roofe for the weekend visit of Millwall, he won’t want to lose anymore key players to illness as the Yorkshire club look to force their way back into the automatic promotion spots in the Championship.

Firstly, Bielsa must hope that Klich doesn’t contract the flu which has reportedly struck down so many of his international teammates, and if he does he will then have to pray that it doesn’t get passed on to any of the other Leeds players.

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Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to surprisingly reveal that they would be eager to see Philippe Coutinho return to Anfield, just over a year after watching him battle hard to leave the club and join Barcelona.

The Brazilian international effectively forced his way out of the door at Liverpool, handing in a transfer request after the Reds rejected three bids from the Spanish giants for Coutinho’s signature – both parties finally agreed on sum of £142m.

Has Alisson been Liverpool’s most important signing of the season? Check out the video below to find out why Jurgen Klopp thinks so…

After the move, many Liverpool fans – like the one above – turned their back on the former Inter Milan playmaker, and did not take kindly to the manner in which Coutinho left the club.

Now, however, in a surprising development, some of the Reds supporters on Twitter have called for the Premier League title hopefuls to re-sign their former No.10, citing the current lack of midfield creativity as reason enough to bury the hatchet…

Despite losing to Cardiff City, it was not an entirely disastrous weekend for West Ham, who have Eden Hazard to thank.

The Belgian’s stunning stoppage-time equaliser denied Wolves of all three points in their 1-1 draw against Chelsea, leaving the gap between Nuno Espirito Santo’s side and the Hammers at five points.

And that five-point gap is one that can easily be overturned, though West Ham will have to improve their away form if that is to happen, something which Manuel Pellegrini has recently been talking about.

The Breakdown

“We need to talk with them [the players] during the week. It is not normal to lose four away games and not score one goal,” Pellegrini told the Evening Standard.

“We must review what we are doing when we play away. We need to improve. We need to see what we are doing wrong playing away.”

With finishing in that spot just outside of the Premier League top six still a possibility, overall, it has been a good season for West Ham.

They have picked up some big results against the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United, while the football they have been playing under Pellegrini is exactly what supporters have been asking for for years.

Signings Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko before the Ukrainian picked up an Achilles injury, have helped the team do that and have been great acquisitions to a West Ham squad that was not blessed with technical quality.

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But for some, including Pellegrini, all of the above may feel a little wasted if things do not improve on the road and the east London club end up totally capitulating in the race for seventh place.

West Ham fans, are you still pleased with how this season is going despite the team’s away form? Join the discussion by commenting below.

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Newcastle put in a phenomenal second half performance to beat Everton on Saturday, and it was thanks in no small part to the half-time introduction of Paul Dummett.

The Magpies looked somewhat shell-shocked when Everton raced out of the gates at St. James’ Park on Saturday, as the likes of Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin effortlessly glided into the spaces between Newcastle’s centre backs and wing-backs.

The aforementioned pair both got themselves a first half goal, but Rafael Benitez switched things up at the interval, bringing on Dummett and switching to a back four.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals why Tyne-Wear is a more intense derby than anything London can offer – check out the video below….

Not only was this a stroke of genius from Rafa, but it was also redemption for Dummett, who had previously fallen out of favour with the boss, making just 14 league starts this campaign.

The four-cap Welsh international is perhaps not as technically gifted as some of the other options in defence, but his introduction made a huge difference on Saturday.

The 27 year-old managed to earn a 7.18 rating on Whoscored.com, which is extremely uncommon for a player introduced from the bench, especially one who is not likely to get on the scoresheet.

He deserved that rating though, winning three aerial duels, two tackles and making four clearances.

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The versatile ace was calm in possession too, completing 80 per cent of his passes. To put that in perspective, none of DeAndre Yedlin, Fabian Schar or Florian Lejeune completed more than 65 per cent of their passes.

Dummett’s toughness in the tackle and composure on the ball helped the Magpies turn the game on its head, and the second half performance from both him and the team was so dominant that it may just tempt the gaffer into veering away from his usual five-at-the-back system.

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Kurt Zouma was one of Everton’s most impressive performers as the Toffees held Liverpool to a goalless draw in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

It was a huge game for the Reds as they looked to return to the top of the table, but a strong display by the hosts meant that the points were shared at Goodison Park.

It would be fair to say that Jurgen Klopp’s side had some excellent chances to take all three points, but Marco Silva’s men certainly had to defend well to secure a point.

And Zouma put in a strong performance in central defence.

The 24-year-old, who is on loan from Chelsea, won two aerials and had a pass success rate of 65% on Sunday afternoon, according to WhoScored.

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There were players easier on the eye, but Zouma performed a very important job for his team alongside the equally impressive Michael Keane.

The Everton fans were very pleased with what they saw from the Frenchman in the Merseyside derby and a selection of their Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Rangers moved into the transfer market to sign Glen Kamara from Dundee at the end of the January window, and it’s fair to say the new acquisition has made an instant impact at the club.

The 9-cap Finland international’s reputation has been snowballing since the moment he set foot in Glasgow, but his reputation culminated last night when he notched his first goal for the club.

Kamara was an outstanding performer at Ibrox in a domineering 4-0 win over his former club. He set the tone for a fine evening by bagging the opener after just four minutes with a well cushioned volley.

In the aftermath of proceedings, Kamara took to Twitter to galvanise the supporters during this rich vein of form and cited his delight at scoring his first goal for the club.

The supporters responded to the post with gushing admiration, with suggestions that he could become a future captain or club legend firmly a part of the discussion.

It may well be early days in his career but it appears that the 23-year-old is well on his way to establishing himself as a firm fan-favourite.

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Here’s what the Gers faithful had to say in response to Kamara’s Twitter post…

Sunderland were busy on both the incoming and outgoing fronts in January, with numerous players brought in and a couple leaving.

The likes of Will Grigg, Lewis Morgan, Grant Leadbitter and Kazaiah Sterling are all impressive signings on paper to strengthen the Black Cats’ promotion chase.

They were brought in to replace Ethan Robson and Josh Maja, who have moved to Scotland and France respectively.

Those two names will not have been the only ones who wanted a move away, so here are two players who must surely be frustrated they did not get a transfer…

Max Stryjek

Stryjek returned to Sunderland just before the January transfer window from his loan at Eastleigh. His boss there, Ben Strevens, said that the 22-year-old had been suffering from homesickness and he was given permission by Sunderland to go and see his family in Poland over Christmas.

He had been in fine form for the non-league outfit, playing 13 times, but he does not look set to get any first-team action for Sunderland before the end of the season.

A loan to a side in the North or to a team in Poland may have been good options so he can continue to play regular football and hopefully, not suffer from homesickness again. As that was not the case, that could be a potential move for Stryjek in the summer.

Bryan Oviedo

In the latter stages of the transfer window, Sky Sports News reported that Sunderland are open to a potential departure for Oviedo, but it was never to materialise.

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Oviedo remains in the North East, having not played in over a month and he has not been involved in the matchday squad for the past four games.

With a number of foreign clubs reportedly interested in the Costa Rican’s services, as well as a Championship club, he will be frustrated at not having got a move away last month.

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West Bromwich Albion drew 2-2 with Nottingham Forest on Tuesday evening in controversial circumstances as Dwight Gayle’s dive provided Jay Rodriguez with the opportunity to equalise from the penalty spot in the 89th minute.

The supporters were feeling rather fortunate to come away with a positive result after a relatively underwhelming display, but there was one bright spark worth noting: the performance of Rekeem Harper.

The 18-year-old played the full 90 minutes in the league for the fourth time in the last five games, showcasing a level of maturity and confidence in his own ability which supporters are naturally drawn towards.

Players of his age seldom slip under the radar of expectant supporters, and Harper has been no exception in the Championship in recent times.

The Baggies faithful are monitoring his development with a keen eye and they were delighted with what they saw from the teenager on Tuesday.

Harper’s stunning long-range effort which crashed off the post in the build up to Jacob Murphy’s equaliser represented a moment of technical genius worth salivating over, but it was the overall quality of his performance which particularly delighted supporters.

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Indeed, the academy graduate put in a fantastic all-round display in central midfield and earned gushing praise on Twitter for his efforts.

Here’s what the West Brom fans had to say about Harper’s performance against Nottingham Forest: