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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Last weekend was quite remarkable for Real Madrid but in so many ways, it was also much more than just a single win for a team that’s largely used to doing exactly that most of the time.

Zinedine Zidane hasn’t enjoyed the best of times in his grand return to the Spanish capital and granted, the opening stages of the ongoing 2019/20 season have been quite rocky for the French manager.

Slowly but surely, however, Real Madrid have been picking up the pace and silently getting better and better with each passing game.

Previously, the team struggled to string together good results, following a maximum of two scrappy wins with an obligatory defeat or a disappointing draw but suddenly, the sky seems much clearer above the Santiago Bernabeu.

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After all, we’re talking about a team that is undefeated in their last five outings, tallying only one goalless draw in the process and not conceding a single one along the way as well.

If that wasn’t impressive enough then the fact that Zidane’s men have scored a total of 16 goals in those five games definitely should be.

And especially if we compare it to the start of their ongoing campaign.

At the very beginning, it took Real Madrid a total of ten games to get to that exact tally and they also needed six games to record their first clean sheet of the season.

By all means, a clear improvement in all aspects can be seen in the last couple of weeks already.

There are, however, a couple of factors that have to be taken into consideration.

Of course, the emergence of Federico Valverde, the 21-year-old midfield gem that has rejuvenated Real Madrid’s middle of the park, as well as the arrival of Rodrygo Goes, their young prodigy, to the scene.

But when everything is said and done, we shouldn’t look past Zidane who has obviously managed to get the team to dance to his tune.

And not a moment too soon.

Let’s see if Real Madrid can continue this winning trend moving forward.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…

Northern Ireland put in a valiant performance during their Euro 2020 qualifier against the Netherlands, drawing 0-0, but this was not enough to stand a chance of going through the group.

Despite the disappointment, the players should be applauded for the performance they put in, as if Steven Davis’ penalty had gone in it could have been different for them.

There was plenty of grit in their performance, something that Leicester City centre-back Jonny Evans epitomised.

The 31-year-old has been part of the Premier League’s tightest defence, conceding just eight goals, something he translated to the international stage.

He made 4 clearances, 2 tackles and blocked 1 shot, while also winning a total of 4 duels throughout the match.

His on-the-ball performance also gave an indication of the nature of Northern Ireland’s showing.

In the Premier League, he averages a pass success rate of 87.2%, but completed just 58% of his balls during this game, highlighting the fact Evans can play in scrappy games, as well as helping to execute Brendan Rodgers’ slick style of play.

Leicester look to move the ball around to work the space and create opportunities, as signified by the fact that 86% of their passes are short, while only 7% of their goals have come from counter-attacks.

Excelling in that style, then going into a side that managed just 30% possession against the Dutch, and being just as solid, indicates his adaptability as a defender.

Despite the level of performance, Evans and his Northern Ireland teammates will ultimately leave this one disappointed, without a place at the landmark tournament in 2020.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Leeds United have made some rather questionable signings over the years, and many of those have plagued the club’s wage bill for lengthy periods.

Fortunately, United did a great job of shifting a lot of deadwood this past summer as the likes of Vurnon Anita, Yosuke Ideguchi and Caleb Ekuban all departed the club.

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However, there are still a few remnants of Leeds’ poor business of previous transfer windows still on the books, and this week we’ve received an update on one of their contracts and their current position at the club.

What’s been said then?

A curious supporter asked Phil Hay on Twitter about Ouasim Buoy’s current status and his contract details.

Worrying

This isn’t only a damning indictment of the club’s previous mistakes in the transfer market, but it’s also a worrying sign of Leeds’ current financial situation.

We know money is tight at Elland Road as Angus Kinnear has made it very clear that United are working tightly within the constraints of FFP, but Leeds certainly can’t afford to be paying huge wages to a man who’s simply never going to get a first-team chance.

So the question remains if Leeds would happily kybosh this deal, why haven’t they already?

The only explanation is that United simply don’t want to spend the money to pay the Dutchman off and if the purse strings are that tight at Elland Road that is rather concerning.

Leeds are about to head into a January transfer window that could be quiet if Victor Orta is to believed. With meaningful sums being handed out to players who aren’t going to feature it is hardly surprising that is the case.

If you’re interested in what else has been going on with Leeds recently, check out Hay’s view on what will happen to Bielsa if QSI invest

Loads of Rangers fans have been responding to a question posed by The Daily Record, as they asked who is Scottish football’s best player over the last 25 years.

While players like Rangers icon Paul Gascoigne may feel hard done by to be left out, it seems the choice has been whittled down to two, with fans deciding between Henrik Larsson and Ibrox legend Brian Laudrup.

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Of course, the reactions online have adhered pretty strictly to club allegiances, with Light Blues fans all opting for their former hero while their arch-rivas argue for their Swedish star.

Laudrup spent four years in Glasgow, winning three league titles, one of each domestic cup and racking up a fantastic 33 league goals, per Soccerbase. He also had immense international success, winning the European Championship in 1992 and cruising into the team of the tournament.

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One supporter clearly felt it was no contest between Laudrup and Larsson as he stated it is like comparing Lionel Messi to Troy Deeney, while another simply said the mercurial Dane was “a true world class player”. You can check out some of the best reactions down below…

Bournemouth winger Ryan Fraser has told friends that he is keen to join Tottenham Hotspur this summer, according to Football Insider.

What does the report say?

Fraser has impressed on the South coast since arriving in 2013, managing 24 goals and 33 assists in 208 appearances for the Cherries.

The 26-year-old is out of contract this summer and is said to have attracted interest from a number of Premier League clubs.

According to Football Insider, the winger has told friends that he is keen on a move to Spurs, with the Scot hoping to test himself in the Champions League.

The North London club currently have a number of talented wingers including Lucas Moura, Heung-Min Son and Steven Bergwijn, but it is understood that Erik Lamela could be sold.

Wrong move

Fraser is a talented player that has impressed at Bournemouth in recent seasons and could provide value this summer on a free transfer.

However, Spurs are already well-stocked on the wings and should be focusing their attention elsewhere.

The Scot has only registered one goal and four assists this season and would likely find himself behind Moura, Son and Bergwijn if he made the switch.

Celtic have posted highlights from April 2003 which show the clubs victory over Old Firm rivals Rangers, and features a sweet strike from John Hartson.

The match played at Ibrox has been famously dubbed ‘Beachball Sunday’ due to the large amount of beachballs Hoops fans chucked onto the pitch.

The Celts won the game thanks to a penalty from Alan Thompson and a John Hartson strike before half-time, via BBC Sport. Rangers did manage to pull one back through Ronald de Boer, but it was not enough. However the Bhoys were more focused on the UEFA Cup as they had just secured a place in the final days before the derby.

Fans mocked Rangers by singing, “You’ll be watching The Bill while we’re in Seville!”, via thecelticwiki. To then get the three points capped off an amazing week in Celtic history.

The Hoops have had a lot to brag about as of late, as they look to win their ninth title in a row. They are currently in first place and 13 points ahead of their rivals, via BBC Sport.

Many fans loved these highlights and gave massive praise to Henrik Larsson for his contributions in the match.

Here is what they had to say following the tweet:

Celtic fans, who was your favourite player from this squad? Comment below!

Newcastle United fans don’t particularly like former Sky Sports presenter Richard Keys, and his latest comments have only riled them up even more.

Last month, the BeIN Sports anchor revealed that he wished it were a different Premier League outfit getting taken over by a wealthy Saudi Arabian consortium, which in itself caused anger.

And now Keys has claimed that he expects the takeover to get the ‘nod of approval’ this week before wishing the northeast side ‘good luck’.

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He also joked that Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of the Public Investment Fund thought to be behind the deal bears a canny resemblance to himself.

Crazily, he’s not wrong.

It appears as if Newcastle’s takeover will edge closer this week with the Saudi-backed consortium, fronted by Amanda Staveley, agreeing to a deal worth approximately £300m, according to the BBC.

Keys’ comments were relayed by popular Twitter account @NUFC360 and the Magpies faithful have been reacting in their droves.

Many slammed him for being a “hypocrite” as well as being “bitter.”

Here’s what fans have been saying…

AND in other news, Newcastle fans left stunned by links with PL loanee…

It appears that exciting times are just around the corner at Goodison Park, with the club making a major statement in December by appointing former AC Milan, Chelsea and Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti as manager.

Since Farhad Moshiri became involved with the club, the investment has clearly increased and while the likes of Richarlison, Andre Gomes and Gylfi Sigurdsson have arrived for big money fees, they are yet to experience too much success.

With nine matches to play the Toffees still have something to play for, with six points between them and Sheffield United in the last of the European places.

Ancelotti’s team are set to return to the rather intimidating prospect of a Merseyside derby against Liverpool, who need just two wins to secure their first ever Premier League title.

As we get closer to the return of Premier League action, we have created a quiz testing the knowledge of even the most ardent of Everton fans, with the challenge to name each of their top goalscorers from the last 15 seasons.

Tottenham Hotspur are monitoring West Brom defender Nathan Ferguson after a move to Crystal Palace failed to materialise, according to Football Insider. 

Palace were on the brink of signing him in January, but the deal fell through, and Tottenham are now ready to make a move for Ferguson this summer.

The 19-year-old is widely expected to leave the Hawthorns when his contract expires in July.

Ferguson will become a free agent next month, which will appeal to Spurs the most. Although he started the season as a centre-half, the 19-year-old can play on either flank.

While Palace are also likely to try to sign him again, a move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is surely more attractive, amid interest from a number of European clubs including AC Milan and Schalke.

Despite their troubles, the Lilywhites still have the financial power to out-muscle the Eagles in a transfer battle.

Football Insider notes relations between the teenager and West Bromwich Albion have hit an all-time low, which is an opening Daniel Levy could exploit.

Following months of stagnant negotiations, Levy jumped on a plane to Croatia to convince Luka Modric, who was 22-years-old at the time, to move to White Hart Lane (The Independent).

The right-back position has proven to be particularly problematic, as Spurs have arguably struggled to fill the role since Kyle Walker left for Manchester City.

While Ferguson is yet to play at the same level as the England international, he has impressed for Albion over the course of the season so far.

Coupled with the fact he is currently available for £4m in compensation, he would certainly be a shrewd signing to make.

Tottenham fans, should Levy sign Nathan Ferguson this summer? Let us know down below!

Darren Bent insists that Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho is being too harsh on Erik Lamela as he has impressed in recent weeks.

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Bent believes that Lamela has been one of the Lilywhites’ best players since the Premier League restarted last month. He started the opening post-lockdown game against Manchester United, before being dropped to the bench for the last two matches.

Spurs began the match against the Red Devils well after Steven Bergwijn opened the scoring but Bruno Fernandes levelled with a penalty in the closing stages of the game (BBC).

Bent told Football Insider’s Russell Edge: “Listen, every time he comes in he always seems to give a very, very good account of himself.

“I thought he played very, very well against Manchester United in the first game, he was one of their best players and then for the next game he found himself on the bench, which I thought was a little bit harsh. He’s done really well but it’s difficult for Spurs and their fans at the moment.”

It is difficult to disagree with Bent on this one, as it looked like Lamela had a point to prove during the 1-1 draw with the Red Devils.

He stepped up in Dele Alli’s absence by taking 37 touches of the ball, registering 17 out of 27 passes with a passing accuracy rate of 74%, completing three out of four dribble attempts and making two interceptions (via SofaScore).

However, he was promptly relegated to the bench, despite helping to set the tempo that unsettled United in the first half.

While Lamela played fewer minutes than Alli against Sheffield United, he actually earned a higher SofaScore rating than his teammate for his performance as Spurs struggled to break down the Blades’ defence.

Mourinho’s side are currently 10th in the Premier League, 12 points behind fourth-placed Chelsea, although they have a game in hand over their London rivals.

For whatever reason, Mourinho doesn’t seem to trust Lamela, but he may have to put his faith in the Argentine sooner rather than later. Now that Alli has returned from suspension, Lamela will have to settle for a backup role and he will have to grasp every opportunity that he gets to prove himself.

Tottenham fans, do you think Mourinho should give Lamela more of a chance? Let us know in the comments below!