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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

As confirmed by Arsenal’s official club website, promising right-back Jordi Osei-Tutu has been sent out on a season-long loan to 2.Bundesliga side VfL Bochum.

What’s the word?

After seeing the success former Manchester City youngster Jadan Sancho has enjoyed in his time with Borussia Dortmund, German football has become a virtual hotbed for youngsters to grow and develop.

The Gunners saw Reiss Nelson shine on a season-long loan to Hoffenheim last year whilst Emile Smith Rowe’s time at RB Leipzig was unfortunately disrupted by injury.

Are Man City better than Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’? Fans discuss in the video below…

Emery’s side will hope Osei-Tutu gains more from playing first-team football on a regular basis rather than continuing to feature with the club’s academy sides.

The Alexander-Arnold inspiration

The Gunners were caught considerably short at right-back after Hector Bellerin suffered a long-term injury at the start of the year, leaving Unai Emery to field midfielder-by-trade Ainsley Maitland-Niles in a wholly unfamiliar position.

The youngster coped admirably but it was telling that the Gunners boss chose him over out-and-out full-backs like Carl Jenkinson and Stephan Lichtsteiner.

Bellerin’s injury is likely to keep him out for at least the first few weeks of the season too, which makes Osei-Tutu’s departure all the more confusing.

Emery’s side only have to look to reigning Champions League winners Liverpool to see the rich rewards of actually blooding a right-back from the academy.

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s rise has been nothing short of incredible and he has quickly developed into one of the most productive full-backs going forward, notching up 16 assists last season. Similarly to Arsenal’s current situation at right-back, the Liverpool star was afforded a chance by an injury to Nathaniel Clyne and never looked back.

Watch Arsenal Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Osei-Tutu may not be anywhere near that level yet but it must be galling for him that he evidently wasn’t trusted by the Gunners hierarchy even when there was a injury crisis in his position.

As the right-back’s former teammate Cohen Bramall said: “Jordi not getting a chance last season didn’t make sense to any of us. We were gutted for Jordi because we were expecting him to be with the first team a lot more and we didn’t really understand why he wasn’t.”

A season out on loan in Germany could be the beginning of the future for Osei-Tutu, but it could also very well mean the beginning of the end for his time at Arsenal too.

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The biggest news at Newcastle at the moment is of the course that Rafa Benitez is to leave his role as manager. The focus now moves on to who could replace him. Today’s Toon transfer roundup looks at the potential early candidates to succeed the Spaniard, as well as the continued interest in a Bundesliga star.

Blanc and Moyes interest in manager’s job

According to the Northern Echo, Laurent Blanc has expressed his early interest in the vacant manager’s job at St. James Park. The Frenchman has not managed since 2016, however. David Moyes is reportedly also interested.

Ranieri and van Bronckhorst also looking at the role

Other reports, though, mention different names. According to Sky Sports, both Claudio Ranieri and Giovanni van Bronckhorst have registered an interested in the position left by Benitez. Ranieri left AS Roma at the end of the last campaign, whilst the Dutchman left Feyenoord at the same time.

Joelinton still on radar

The North East club will still be looking to bring in new players this summer according to the Mirror. Benitez was not keen on Joelinton, but the Newcastle chiefs are still interested in the Hoffenheim forward, who would reportedly cost over £30m.

Rangers should be strong over what Alfredo Morelos is worth.

Obviously, the former Helsinki striker has been at the centre of transfer speculation for the majority of this transfer window, with a handful of clubs from both England and across Europe reported by Goal to be interested in Steven Gerrard’s star asset, and the latest piece of information regarding Morelos is sure to rile up some supporters.

According to Football Insider, the club are open to selling Morelos this summer but only for bids that go over Rangers’ valuation of £10 million for the striker, and for anyone who has seen the Colombian play over the past two seasons, it’s not hard to argue that he should be worth move.

Although the striker has a Transfermarkt valuation of £2.7 million, Morelos’ goal record at Rangers not only shows how impressive the Colombian has been but that he is worth more than both this valuation as well as the £10 million the club reportedly want for him.

48 goals and 19 assists in 91 games in all competitions is a strong record, averaging out to a goal contribution every 1.3 games, and although you can argue that this can be down to playing in Scotland, it doesn’t take away the fact that Morelos is highly prolific at both scoring and setting up teammates.

Hailed by James Rodriguez as the potential future of Colombian football and a player, who at just 23, has a lot of his career ahead of him, £10m does seem rather cheap.

With the likes of Kieran Tierney of Celtic being touted for a reported £25 million by the Times as the Scottish left-back nears a move to Arsenal, it’s easy to see why Morelos going for just £10 million can be seen as a poor sale. After all, Odsonne Edouard commanded a £9m transfer fee when moving to the Bhoys and Morelos outscored the Frenchman last season.

Frankly, if a bid does come in for the striker, Rangers should be going for as high a fee as they can for a player who has been one of the best in Scotland for some time.

Rangers fans, how much do you think Morelos is worth? Let us know!

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Sir Alex Ferguson believes Manchester United should do a deal for Leicester City defender Harry Maguire this summer, as reported by Manchester Evening News.

What’s the story?

Although not carrying direct quotes from the Old Trafford managerial legend, the paper cites sources claiming that Ferguson believes the club should be doing all they can to land the England international, and he is shocked that they didn’t make a move for the player earlier.

The report states that the Red Devils icon reckons Maguire “would be an ideal signing”.

It was reported last week that United had a £70m bid for the player kicked into touch by the Foxes, although, it is claimed they value the player at around £75m.

Should the club take Sir Alex Ferguson’s recommendation to heart and up their initial bid?

Expensive choice

Maguire is a competent defender at the top level and has extensive experience behind him that suggests he is comfortable in the English Premier League, but at the reported £75m he would be an expensive choice.

When you consider that United signed Victor Lindelof for £31m and Eric Bailly for £30m in recent years, then it becomes a fee that borders on the absurd given Maguire is not necessarily a huge upgrade on either.

He also lacks any UEFA Champions League experience, with performances in that competition a key indicator of whether a player can step up to the elite level that United need to reach next season. Both Lindelof and Bailly have that under their belts.

Ferguson’s endorsement doesn’t make a huge money move for him more sensible or justifiable.

Leicester value the player highly because of his importance to them, not his potential at United, and with many years left on his contract they are rightly protecting a key asset.

From the Red Devils’ perspective though, Maguire should be avoided until the asking price is reduced.

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Rangers have confirmed the signing of Swedish international defender Filip Helander.

The centre-back has joined on a four-year deal from Serie A side Bologna, becoming Steven Gerrard’s eighth signing of the summer transfer window so far.

The Scottish Sun have reported he has joined for a £3.5m fee, making him an expensive signing for the Scottish Premiership side.

You won’t believe which of Liverpool’s Champions League winning side of 2005 is still playing in the video below…

He has a strong profile though having gained experience in Swedish and Italian football, winning titles with Malmo before playing regularly with Hellas Verona and Bologna.

He’s also a recent regular with the Swedish national team, starting their last four matches in Euro 2020 qualifying.

He joins to compete for a spot in the heart of the Gers defensive line, with the club already boasting Connor Goldson, Nikola Katic and George Edmundson in the position.

Fans are absolutely delighted with the ambition shown with the signing, with many taking to Twitter to share their thoughts after the news was made official…

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Last summer at Leicester seemed to be all about Harry Maguire.

The defender was in supreme form at the World Cup, popping up with a goal against Sweden en route to winning a colossal 5.9 aerial duels across the tournament.

This year, there was no men’s World Cup, but somehow Maguire is still finding a way for things to be made all about him.

That’s not on purpose, but when the likes of Manchester United and Manchester City come calling the lure is nigh on impossible to resist.

United are a team rich in history whilst City’s record in recent years speaks for itself, surely you’d be a fool to turn them down?

Indeed you would in terms of City, for they are a team who cannot seem to stop winning trophies under Pep Guardiola.

But with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Red Devils, they are still seemingly a team in free fall.

Last weekend, it was reported that they had agreed an £80m fee for Maguire. It’s a price that, if the deal goes through, will make him the most expensive defender of all time, beating the record set by Virgil van Dijk.

What makes it even more incredible, is that Matthijs de Ligt cost Juventus £67.5m. This is a defender who has quickly become one of the best young players in Europe, captaining Ajax as a teenager to the Champions League semi-finals.

Maguire hasn’t captained his side, nor has he reached the latter stages of a continental competition. What he has reached, though, is the World Cup semi-final and it’s in Russia where he truly made his name.

Fast forward a year and the speculation that initially claimed he could move to United is still there. However, it now looks like materialising further.

Maguire hasn’t handed in an official transfer request, but the word is that he’s told his club he wishes to leave.

But, in United’s current state, why on earth should he leave Leicester?

The Foxes are a team on the up and the amount of ambition they’ve shown recently should have the likes of Arsenal and United themselves looking over their shoulders.

If they keep Maguire, there’s no reason why they can’t be pushing for European football.

The sky is the limit at the King Power and you only need to look at their remarkable title victory to realise what’s possible.

But the reality of Leicester’s transfer window so far, and indeed that of the clubs close to them, is that no one has shown the level of ambition they’re displaying.

In bringing Youri Tielemans to the Midlands for £40m, it was a huge statement and on that evidence alone, you can see the clear intent and vision they have for the future.

Brendan Rodgers is building an exciting project, one which was added to in the form of Ayoze Perez too.

Having scored 12 goals last term, he’s a player who could prove the difference for a side who lacked goals other than James Maddison and Jamie Vardy last term.

Their ability to bring in Tielemans, though, is perhaps a wide-scale sign that the gap between those in fifth and sixth to those who finish behind is actually closing.

At the end of the day, United’s hopes of winning a league title next season or even beating Liverpool and their Manchester rivals to a domestic cup seems slim.

So why, when you don’t have the guarantee of winning a trophy as you did in the past with United, would you want to switch Leicester for Old Trafford?

The history and the sheer awe of playing in a stadium like that is bound to be attractive whilst the pay rise he’ll likely get from moving will be huge. In that case, it’s easy to see why he’d be drawn in.

But beyond that, is there anything United can offer that the Foxes won’t? Arguably not.

That is both a sad indictment of where the Red Devils are at the moment, but it’s also symbolic of how competitive the Premier League can become behind the two top teams, something that should fill even the most disillusioned of football fans with excitement.

In terms of starting XI quality, the gap between the bottom half of the big six and the cabal of clubs below them only seems to be getting smaller, and the coming season feels like the most likely opportunity yet for the Premier League’s elite group to be broken up by the chasing pack.

Get the latest on Harry Maguire’s potential move to Man Utd in the video below…

For Maguire, this is a big moment in his career.

As a young footballer you dream of playing for the big teams and the 26-year-old could be about to realise that this summer.

Yet, at Leicester there is a clear vision and excitement, there is no negativity, and neither are they are a team filled with some of the biggest egos in football.

At the Midlands club, there is a project that has undoubted amounts of potential and at the centre of it could be Maguire.

Hopes of replicating the success they had in 2015/16 seems far-fetched, but at this precise moment in time, they arguably have as much chance of winning a trophy as United do, and probably a similar chance of qualifying for the Europa League next season.

With all this in mind, aside from historic prestige, what would Maguire really gain from leaving Leicester for United?

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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…

According to The Mirror, via The Daily Star, Leeds United are lining up a £7.5m move for Aston Villa centre-back James Chester as they look to replace Pontus Jansson following his exit earlier this month, but stats suggest they would be making a big mistake.

Despite being a key player for the Whites in recent seasons, the Sweden international completed a surprise move to their Championship rivals at the beginning of July, for a fee that was reported to only be worth an initial £4m.

It has left manager Marcelo Bielsa with something of a lack of options at the heart of his defence – they didn’t have a great deal of depth even with Jansson last term – with Gaetano Berardi and Liam Cooper the only senior options.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Ben White has arrived on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion and could have a part to play, but the recent link to Chester suggests that the Argentine boss may want a more experienced head in his backline.

The 30-year-old would certainly be that seeing as he has made 231 appearances at this level, as well as winning 35 caps for his country, Wales.

Watch fans explain why the Football League is better than the Premier League in the video below…

However, a comparison of how he and Jansson performed in the division in 2018/19 suggest that the Yorkshire outfit would be getting a downgrade on a player who was hugely popular among the Elland Road faithful.

The Welshman did have his fair share of injury issues last term, missing the final three months of the campaign with a knee issue, but was a regular in the starting XI prior to that.

While he did have an impressive pass completion rate of 87%, according to WhoScored, from his 28 Championship outings, which suggests he would be a ball-playing centre-back Bielsa likes, some of his other defensive contributions compared to Jansson are slightly more worrying.

He made far few tackles and interceptions than the Swede, while he wasn’t as strong in the air either – not surprising given his 5 foot 10 frame, but a concern in a division where certain teams aren’t afraid to go direct.

The 30-year-old did give away fewer fouls on average per match, but Leeds would surely want an upgrade on Jansson if they are to shell out £7.5m for a player who is two years his senior.

Chester just doesn’t fit the bill in that regard looking at his numbers in 2018/19, and Bielsa and Victor Orta would be better off looking elsewhere for what could prove to be their most important addition of the summer window.

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The 2019 summer pre-season is at its last leg and teams are slowly but surely entering the final phases of their preparations.

Liverpool’s squad is currently in France, gearing up for their next challenges training at their Evian base on the banks of Geneva.

Jurgen Klopp was finally reunited with his stars that had an extended holiday due to their national teams’ involvement in various international tournaments.

Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Alisson Becker were the latest to get back to training and they were immediately put to work.

But the Reds seem to be in good spirits ahead of a couple of their next games before the 2019/20 Premier League season kicks off.

Georginio Wijnaldum shared an

/B0jRYhSIvxK/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link” data-lasso->Instagram snap from the training grounds with some of his teammates and they were all hard at work.

One of the Reds on the snap was Fabinho, and the two were pictured in an intense duel. Wijnaldum captioned it as “Start of the season approaching, going full”, and then followed it up with some emojis.

But the Brazilian was seemingly in a more jestful mood so he took the opportunity to rinse his friend.

He just replied with laughter, stating how Wijnaldum was really, really strong in the duel.

Of course, this was just some friendly banter that shows the players are enjoying themselves with the big kick-off just over a week away.

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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…

Gavin Rae has exclusively told Football FanCast that he thinks Rangers have a “good chance” of ending their trophy drought in the coming campaign, thanks to Steven Gerrard’s transfer business.

What’s he said?

The former Ger thinks that the Rangers boss could bring some silverware to Ibrox this season after a strong summer window.

The Light Blues’ manager has made eight new signings in this window, bringing in the likes of Sheyi Ojo from Liverpool on loan, the exciting Joe Aribo from Charlton and splashing £3.5m on Filip Helander from Serie A side Bologna.

Also, and just as importantly, the club has managed to hold onto key players James Tavernier and Alfredo Morelos, despite the two being much sought after in this window.

This business has led Rae to be optimistic about the new season: “I do think they will challenge and have a good chance of a cup but it will be tough. I think they have done well by building a really competitive squad with lots of strength in depth.”

An exciting future

Rangers’ transfer activity this summer is definitely a cause for long-term optimism. Gerrard built the foundations to his current side in his debut season and would hope for an improvement on last year with his new recruits through the door.

A second-place finish in the Premiership, a group stage exit in the Europa League and reaching the latter rounds of the domestic trophies can be described as progress for the Gers after years of false starts and chaotic tendencies. Yet, this is a club that demands success and the boss will need to put some trophies in the cabinet soon.

After a strong summer off the pitch though, the club is well-positioned to win their first piece of silverware since returning to the top flight. As Rae suggests, it won’t be easy, but given the talent Gerrard has brought to the club he’s given the club a good chance.

Four wingers have come in to give the Gers boss more options out wide, so despite the loss of Ryan Kent the squad looks strong on the flanks.

Moreover, the arrival of Helander should be an improvement on Joe Worrall, a defender who was constantly crucified by fans for his performances during his loan spell at Ibrox last season.

This business from the club could be exactly what is needed to give them the ammunition to make a serious tilt towards to the top of Scottish football.

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Lots of Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to react after it was revealed on the club’s official website that Ovie Ejaria had joined Reading on a season-long loan deal.

The move will be made permanent next summer for a set sum of £3m which could potentially rise to £3.5m, as reported by The Athletic’s James Pearce.

Ejaria returns to the Madejski Stadium having made 16 appearances for the Royals in the second half of last season, after a loan spell at Rangers under Steven Gerrard was terminated following the first half of the campaign.

The 21-year-old was given his debut by Jürgen Klopp in a League Cup tie against Derby County in September 2016, and went on to make two Premier League appearances for the Reds before heading to Ibrox.

Let’s take a look at how the Liverpool fans on Twitter reacted to the news of the youngster’s departure…

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