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Cristiano Ronaldo has joined Juventus for €100 million, so where does the forward rank on the list of the biggest deals of all time?

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  101David Beckham | €37.5m

  Given David Beckham was one of the most marketable sporting stars on the planet, Real Madrid could not believe their luck when Manchester United told them they could have the England captain in 2003 for €37.5m.

  Of course, former Red Devils boss Alex Ferguson wanted rid of Beckham, feeling that the midfielder had become more of a celebrity than a footballer, but it still proved a shrewd move by Los Blancos, who made a fortune in sponsorhip and shirt sales off, as well as winning La Liga in the style icon's final season at the Santiago Bernabeu, in 2006-07.

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  100Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain | €38m

  Many Liverpool fans wondered why manager Jurgen Klopp elected to spend €38m on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain ahead of the 207-18 season when it was clear that there was a great need to strengthen the Reds' defence.

  However, whereas it was initially thought that the versatile winger would prove little more than a valuable squad player, Oxlade-Chamberlain now looks set to become a key man at Anfield thanks to his impressive performances, both on the wing and in midfield, and the departure of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona.

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  99Andre Silva | €38m

  It is easy to understand why AC Milan felt compelled to sign Andre Silva for €38m as part of their 2017 summer spending spree. The young striker had impressed in the Champions League for Porto, while Cristiano Ronaldo had labelled him the heir to his throne within the Portuguse national team.

  However, while Silva has had no issues scoring in the Europa League, he has thus far struggled horribly in Serie A and there is even talk that Ronaldo now wants Real Madrid to sign his compatriot, so that he can take the No.9 under his wing at the Santiago Bernabeu.

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  98Mats Hummels | €38m

  Having come through the youth-team ranks at Bayern Munich only to fail to force his way into the first team, Mats Hummels departed for Borussia Dortmund in 2009, after a successful loan season at Signal Iduna Park.

  However, the Bavarians rectified their mistake seven years later by returning to their favourite super-market with €38m in the wallet to re-sign the defender, who, in spite of some fitness and form issues, remains one of the game's top centre-halves.

Former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has exclusively told Football FanCast that he’s baffled as to why Ezri Konsa wasn’t named in Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad.

Konsa, whose won seven caps for the Under-21s, has been one of the Premier League’s most consistent defenders since lockdown, but wasn’t included in Southgate’s 26-man party for World Cup qualifiers against San Marino, Albania and Poland.

His Villa teammate Tyrone Mings was selected, along with Harry Maguire, John Stones, Conor Coady and Tottenham’s Eric Dier as England centre-backs.

Konsa has started all but three of Aston Villa’s 28 Premier League matches this season, and Hendrie, who was capped once against Czech Republic in 1998, cannot believe that the 23-year-old was overlooked.

Hendrie told Football FanCast: “Konsa has been excellent. The times that Mings hasn’t performed, Konsa has been an outstanding defender.

“Do I feel like he was due to get an England call-up? I feel like the squad that was selected, I totally do. He’s the kind of defender that puts his body on the line.

“And I feel why he wasn’t in the current England squad, I am a bit baffled. He has been possibly one of the top performers over recent weeks, so why shouldn’t he be granted a chance of being involved with the England set-up.

“If you’re comparing him to [Eric] Dier, I think Konsa has been far better.”

This does feel like a case of big team favouritism. Konsa has been outstanding this term, whilst Dier has struggled for consistency throughout the campaign, making a host of errors, which has led to him being dropped by Jose Mourinho.

If Konsa keeps performing at his current level, surely Southgate won’t continue to ignore him ahead of the Euro’s.

Barry Fry has told Football FanCast that West Ham United will keep getting better after their magnificent season this term.

David Moyes’ side are currently fifth in the Premier League table, just two points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.

The Hammers have a relatively soft run-in too, as they play only two clubs who are currently above them in the league, in Leicester City and Chelsea.

There is a very real opportunity, then, for the club to gatecrash the top four and potentially gain qualification for the Champions League.

Even if they don’t, qualification for the Europa League would also be a remarkable achievement, given that the club finished 16th last season, just five points clear of the relegation zone.

Fry thinks they have done brilliant work this season but he has also backed Moyes to keep improving, and keep taking West Ham within touching distance of the Champions League, much like he did during his time at Everton.

He told FFC in an exclusive interview: “I think wherever West Ham finish this season, it will be there highest finish for a long, long, long time.

“And I think if you look at the team now, and you look at what Moyes has done in a year, I think he will be knocking on the door to get in the top four over the next two or three years, even if he doesn’t do it this year.

“But wherever they finish this year, it’s magnificent progress. Because, in the last couple of years, they’ve really been biting their nails to the last minute about whether they’ll survive in the Premier League or not.

“They’ve done more than survive this year. They’ve really impressed a lot of people in football and David will make them better.”

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Keith Gillespie has hailed Sergio Aguero as one of the Premier League’s greatest ever strikers.

Aguero, whose currently fourth on the all-time goalscoring list with 181 goals, recently confirmed that he’ll be leaving City at the end of the season following a decade at the Etihad Stadium.

Aguero is also City’s all-time top goalscorer in the club’s history – with his most famous strike coming in stoppage-time against QPR in 2012 which saw City claim their first league title for almost half a century.

The former Atletico Madrid frontman has missed large spells of this season with different injuries and COVID-19 issues, scoring just three times in 15 outings, but remains on course to add to his 10 major trophies during his decade with City.

But how does the Argentine rank in terms of previous greats such as Thierry Henry and Alan Shearer? Gillespie told Football FanCast that he’s right up there.

“Without a doubt. He’s in the list with those other ones. Everyone will have those opinions about whose the best.

“You look at Alan Shearer, the amount of goals that he scored, then you look at Thierry Henry, different type of player but scored a lot of goals, Rooney as well.

“It’s so difficult because we’ve seen so many different strikers in the Premier League.”

Despite all of his records and achievements, Aguero was remarkably never named as PFA Players’ Player of the Year, but will be remembered as one of the best strikers to ever grace the Premier League.

Many Everton fans have been left to speculate on the future of Alex Iwobi as Carlo Ancelotti commented on his recent controversial Instagram post.

The former Arsenal man posted a subtle dig at the Italian boss on one of his latest stories: “Always an honour to get a call up for my national team, hopefully I get to play in my preferred position”.

Ancelotti was asked about this post in his pre-game press conference ahead of their home game against Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday evening, to which he said (via The Toffee Blues): “I read the post that he did. I would like to know his preferred position because usually I want to put players on the pitch where they are comfortable to play. If he has an idea of where he prefers to play, I have to know. I want to know.”

The Nigeria international suggested that Ancelotti is not playing him where he wants to play, and several members of the Goodison Park faithful took his response as having a dark undertone to it.

As such, some speculation arose on Twitter over whether this means the end for Iwobi at the Merseyside club under Ancelotti, given the subtle dig and the manager’s reply.

Everton fan reaction to Ancelotti comments

These Toffees supporters speculated on Twitter after reading the comments that were made by Ancelotti:

“Well, Alex? You may have just put the last nail in your own coffin. Well done, sir.”

Credit: @joshwilbert1

“Taxi for Iwobi”

Credit: @Stevewalmo1

“If a manager of Ancelotti’s standing doesn’t know your best position then you’re in trouble…”

Credit: @SK21878

“There’s something to this.”

Credit: @Wayno____

“Time to start packing your baked beans, and head to the bus stop.”

Credit: @blackfoot231

“Well he’s off in the summer then isn’t he”

Credit: @shaunbrennan82

In other news, find out what injury update relayed by Paul Joyce has left EFC fans fuming here!

Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to right their midweek wrongs when they return to Premier League action this evening.

Jose Mourinho’s side head to the Midlands to face an Aston Villa side who are just one place behind them in the standings ahead of kickoff.

The north London giants embarrassingly crashed out of the Europa League on Thursday night, so now a desperate push for the top four is required if Spurs are to get back into the Champions League.

But tonight’s encounter is no mean feat, and Mourinho has plenty to ponder…

On the Chalkboard

Individual defensive mistakes were once again the root cause of much of Spurs’ woes, so the Portuguese boss ought to make some changes to his backline, especially as Villa now have a prolific option in Ollie Watkins.

Mourinho was reportedly interested in signing the 25-year-old as a back-up to Harry Kane during the summer window, but he was always playing a losing game – firstly, no one wants to be a second choice, and secondly, he cost a whopping £33m with add-ons.

But boy, has that transfer paid off for Dean Smith. Watkins has bagged 12 times in all competitions this season, including a hat-trick against Liverpool and a brace against arch-rivals, Arsenal. Clearly, the “lethal” talisman likes to turn up for the big occasion.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-spurs-news-mourinho-levy-gossip” title=”Read this week’s latest Spurs news, rumours and more!”]

Given the number of issues Spurs have had at the back, it seems like a recipe for disaster if Mourinho were to start both Davinson Sanchez and Eric Dier – the pair were dubbed the worst partnership in the league by ex-Spurs midfielder and talkSPORT pundit Jamie O’Hara.

On the latter, he added: “As a centre-half, he just looks lost around the box. In my opinion, he needs to be dropped.”

And we’re inclined to agree. As we outlined after the Europa League game, the long-serving star badly let down the fanbase. Evening Standard reporter Dan Kilpatrick claimed the 27-year-old endured a ‘wretched’ night, claiming: ‘Defensively all over the shop and passing was poor. Gave away silly fouls.’

Watkins averages 2.8 shots per game and is fouled an average of 1.3 times per outing too, via WhoScored. So based on his midweek display, £85k-per-week Dier has no place to be starting as he’ll get torn apart, especially as he has only managed 0.8 tackles per match, too.

Another key ability of Watkins is his pace and acceleration, something that isn’t on Dier’s side either – speaking to Football Insider this week, pundit Alan Hutton claimed the Spurs centre-back “gets exposed at times with a lack of pace.”

Often lambasted as a “liability” amongst the fanbase, the £26m-rated calamity should be axed from Mourinho’s starting XI tonight. If he starts, he could well be haunted by Watkins all night, and then the pressure will only mount on the likes of Harry Kane and Gareth Bale to deliver.

AND in other news, Levy’s genius: Spurs struck dream deal over £45m-rated gem dubbed “phenomenal” by Gold…

BeIN Sports presenters Richard Keys and Andy Gray have tipped West Ham United to complete the permanent signing of Craig Dawson.

Hammers should sign Dawson permanently

Dawson made the move to the London Stadium on loan from Watford during the summer transfer window. So far this term, he has made eight appearances in the Premier League, scoring two goals (Transfermarkt).

Despite not being a regular starter, both Keys and Gray believe that David Moyes will want to keep him at the club. Keys said (via HITC):

“They bought Benrahma. They haven’t yet turned Dawson into a full-time signing but I’m sure they will.”

Gray added:

“He’s a centre-back. He looks a fit kid so would you give him another 12 months after this? You bet you would. He’s the right sort as well.”

Makes sense

While Dawson has not been one of the first names on the teamsheet throughout the campaign, he has grown into an important player in recent weeks. He has started each of the last eight matches in the top flight – during that run, West Ham have won five matches and lost just one.

Currently valued at £3.6m (Transfermarkt), it should not be too hard for the Hammers to prise him away permanently from Vicarage Road. Whether the board and the directors will be looking at more glamorous options come the end of the term remains to be seen.

In other news, West Ham fans are delighted by this Jesse Lingard update.

Southampton have been dealt a huge blow ahead of their game against Leicester City on Saturday, as Danny Ings has been ruled out after testing positive for the current viral outbreak.

Ralph Hasenhuttl confirmed in his pre-match conference on Thursday that the England international would be forced to sit out the game against the Foxes after a positive test, as he will now have to self-isolate due to the government’s guidelines.

This comes as a big blow for the Austrian as he saw his side fail to score in three games over the Christmas period that Ings missed through injury before the former Liverpool man returned to score the winner against his old side in the Saints’ last Premier League fixture.

It is an important game against Brendan Rodgers’ side on Saturday evening, with both sides having enjoyed an impressive start to the season which sees them challenging for a top-four spot, so to have your top scorer missing is obviously a huge blow for the South Coast club.

So far this season, the 28-year-old has managed seven goals and three assists in just 13 top-flight appearances for Southampton, averaging a superb 7.17 rating.

The Englishman is picking up where he left off last season, where he finished as the second joint-top scorer in the Premier League, despite a disjointed season so far where injuries, and now the current viral outbreak, have ruled him out of matches.

Last season, Eddie Howe was full of praise for the striker, saying:

“The most impressive thing about Danny is, of course, he’s an outstanding player.”

“Technically he’s very good, plays with real intelligence and the way he’s come back from his disappointments, the injury setbacks he’s had, the way he’s fought back and kept his mental strength has been hugely impressive.”

Hasenhuttl will surely be frustrated to have his top goalscorer missing for the game against Leicester and he now faces a dilemma on who to select up front alongside Che Adams, who should return after missing the game against Liverpool with a concussion.

And, in other news… Southampton signing England U21 gem would cast doubt over the future of Hasenhuttl favourite

Many Wolves fans reacted in their droves to a report that concerned defender Max Kilman.

Football Insider revealed on Tuesday that the Black County club are considering selling Kilman despite the fact he just signed a new five-year contract at Molineux in October, leading one fan to call it a ‘ludicrous decision’.

Kilman has been a bit-part figure in Nuno Espirito Santo’s side during the 2020/21 campaign, providing one assist, averaging 1.3 tackles and 2.2 clearances per game (Whoscored).

This tops any other Wolves player that has featured in a similar amount of games or less – including Romain Saiss who has been lauded by segments of the Molineux faithful this season. Indeed, the youngster had an impressive stint when he first broke into the side early in the season, showing the type of potential that earned him his bumper contract.

Because of this, supporters were against the idea of Kilman being offloaded with some suggesting that the Englishman has been their best defender so far.

Kilman report didn’t amuse these fans

“What message does this send to our academy..and players out on loan. Nuno always said He likes to improve players. Kilman is definitely a rough diamond”

Credit: @StPaul197173

“This better be a joke. Easily our best defender this season. What a ludicrous decision this would be.”

Credit: @TonyWilde99

“Madness.”

Credit: @IrishWolvesFans

“Would not like this at all definitely think he is first choice but Is unlucky right now he should be given more games to show his talent”

Credit: @AltonDills

“Hope this isn’t true, never felt like the right move when Bennett left, he’s developing and if not a starter each week a great back up option when we have injuries/suspensions”

Credit: @Ry4nH07

“Don’t think that’s a good idea great player Kilman”

Credit: @bashagas

In other news, Wolves star who is ‘hard to stop’ on brink of setback amid exit rumours – Report.

Former referee Mark Halsey has recently discussed a penalty incident for Southampton in their recent Premier League game.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men were recently held to a 0-0 draw by Fulham at Craven Cottage but after the game, the Saints boss made it clear that he thinks that his side should’ve had a penalty for a handball by Ola Aina. A cross had hit the Torino loanee’s arm but after a VAR check, play continued and no spot-kick was awarded.

When talking about the incident, Hasenhuttl said: “He goes with his hand to the ball and that it is a clear goal chance for us also so we were unlucky not to get a penalty there.”

Halsey gives his opinion about a potential Southampton penalty

Halsey was speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern and he talked about the possibility of whether Southampton should’ve had a penalty for Aina’s potential handball. The former referee believes that it was a subjective call and while Saints fans would want a penalty for that, the Fulham defender Aina had his arms in a natural position and he doesn’t think the call was a clear and obvious error.

He said:

“Looking at that, it’s subjective and if you’re a Southampton fan, you want it but his arms in a natural position in a running motion. I would agree (with the officials) that it wasn’t a penalty. In my own personal opinion, you don’t want to see penalties given for those sort of situations.”

The game saw Southampton have the ball in the back of the net on two occasions, but both goals were correctly ruled out for offside.

Penalty could’ve been a game-changer for Southampton

Hasenhuttl’s men currently find themselves in ninth place in the Premier League table and they have 25 points in the bag so far. Having said that though, they are only three points behind third-placed Leicester City (as per Whoscored).

If Southampton had won the game, they would’ve been in the third spot in the table but the draw means that they have dropped out of the top-four. It shows how important the handball call involving Aina was and it turned out to be vital when it came to determining Southampton’s position in the table.

However, the home side had generated an Expected Goals tally of 0.87 in the game – higher than Southampton’s tally of 0.12. So perhaps, getting a point from the tie wasn’t a bad result at all for the Saints, despite the frustration of Hasenhuttl.

In other news, Southampton fans have slammed Stuart Armstrong for his performance against Fulham – read more about it here.