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Alex Iwobi is already donning the blue kit after officially completing his move from Arsenal to Everton, swapping London for the Merseyside in the process.

The young 23-year-old forward will be staying with the Toffees for the next five years after penning his contract and so far, it seems like he’s enjoying his stay with the Blues.

Iwobi has already taken to

/B1E7PirAXQ3/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link” data-lasso->Instagram to share his delight over the transfer and has now provided the fans with a video of his first day at his new club.

The footage shows him arriving at the club, undergoing a medical examination and then donning and posing with his new kit.

This will no doubt be a big change for the young Nigerian who has spent his youth clawing his way through the Arsenal academy and all the way to their senior team.

That makes this transfer even more special as it’s his first real contact with a different team altogether.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Leeds’ deadline day saw them bring in young goalkeeper Illan Meslier from Lorient.

The 19-year-old arrives on a loan deal, one which has the potential to be turned into a permanent transfer next summer if he does enough to impress.

Linked with Chelsea and Monaco in the past, this is a coup for Leeds who will be hoping he can be a valuable understudy to Kiko Casilla.

The Frenchman takes the place of Bailey Peacock-Farrell who was sold to Burnley after becoming Marcelo Bielsa’s number two in the second half of 2018/19.

However, despite Meslier’s potential, playing 28 times in Ligue 2 last term, he still has something to work on.

On the chalkboard

Whether Meslier can dislodge Casilla after arriving remains to be seen but after Leeds’ outing against Salford, it wouldn’t be a surprise if it happened sooner rather than later.

The Spaniard was good with his shot-stopping but it was once again in terms of his positioning that caught him out.

He came rushing out of his goal to get rid of a free-kick but instead missed the ball, meaning Gaetano Berardi had to scramble it away before the hosts scored.

And it’s positioning where Meslier also struggles. Speaking to Goal in 2018, Lionel Rouxel, his coach for France at U17 level said:

“He still has details to improve on his positioning and his communication, but he’s doing well.”

On paper, this could seem like an issue but with the help of Marcos Abad, Leeds’ current goalkeeper coach, he could soon outmuscle Casilla.

The fact of the matter is that at 32 it’ll be incredibly hard for someone of that age to undo an old habit.

The former Real Madrid man has a tendency to rush out of his goal and that was seen in the playoffs against Derby when he clashed with Liam Cooper.

Yet, if Abad can drill a sense of positioning into Meslier from a young age, it could be crucial not only to his own development but also for Leeds, especially if he signs permanently in a year.

It doesn’t appear as though Abad has been able to improve Casilla in the short space of time he’s been at the club but Meslier, who is still learning, could develop quickly if he has the right platform.

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Leeds fans have seemingly turned the corner with Adam Forshaw since the start of the season.

Going into the new term he was criticised by certain segments of the Elland Road faithful but it appears as though he’s earned back the faith of their support following his performances in 2019/20.

The Whites won 2-0 against Wigan at the weekend and Forshaw caught the eye, finding himself unlucky not to score after firing just wide in the second half, as well as hitting the woodwork.

His performance impressed some fans so much that they were left wondering why they ever questioned Marcelo Bielsa, suggesting he should have previously been ousted for Helder Costa.

One individual was delighted with his ability to press the ball whilst another lauded his ability going forward. A further supporter was delighted with how settled he now looked in his position.

The 27-year-old has started the term playing next to Mateusz Klich behind Patrick Bamford in midfield and has clearly pleased those who watch him on a weekly basis.

Forshaw appeared calm in midfield, completing 89% of his passes during their victory over the Latics.

Here’s the best of the discussion.

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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…

Adrian Durham has continued his assault against Tyrone Mings this week after the Aston Villa centre-back was announced in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for their upcoming qualifiers, having his say on the matter on talkSPORT, via Birmingham Mail.

What’s he said?

It appears that the former Bournemouth defender has been rewarded for his excellent form over the past eight months with a call-up to the England squad.

Mings was an instrumental figure in getting Villa promoted last season as his arrival on loan practically kick-started a historic ten game-winning run, which catapulted them into the playoffs.

The towering 6 foot 5 centre-back is now a fan-favourite at Villa Park.

Watch Aston Villa Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Earlier this month, the talkSPORT presenter claimed Mings was brilliant against Tottenham on the opening weekend, but there were signs that he would contribute towards a potential instant relegation.

Now Durham has given his verdict on the 26-year-old’s call-up by questioning whether he has done enough to warrant it, he said:

“He’s left-footed, which I think is a massive plus in his favour, but there are other centre-backs who have been overlooked.

“Ben Mee for example, [James] Tarkowski – both at Burnley. Conor Coady for a long time at Wolves has looked really good.

“I’ve no problem with Mings being in the squad, but if I was one of those three I’d be thinking what have I got to do to get into the England squad?

“He’s just waltzed in from the Championship, and after three games he’s just walked in. If I was one of them I’d feel a little bit aggrieved.”

Understandable points

Mings has been excellent alongside Bjorn Engels and we’ve previously covered how the imposing centre-back has been proving that he’s been worth every bit of that initial £20m price tag.

But the three names Durham mentions, and you could even throw Lewis Dunk in there too, will all feel a bit disheartened – especially as they have been playing regularly in the Premier League for the past year, if not longer.

Mings has featured in all three games this season, and if he continues at this rate, he’ll smash his previous season total in any one season for Bournemouth – he’s only played as little as seven total games in a given Premier League campaign.

As can be seen from the image above, courtesy of WhoScored’s comparison metric, all of the four other alternatives featured in 35 Premier League games or more last season, something Mings is yet to achieve in his career despite being of similar age at 26.

Questions over his call-up in relation to the others, therefore, are understandable from Durham.

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[ad_pod ]Harry Maguire arriving at Old Trafford has ushered in a new era of Manchester United defenders – one where Chris Smalling, Marcos Rojo, Eric Bailly, and Phil Jones will unlikely feature.We think it’s fair to say that United are currently experiencing a sticky patch in defence. Their only clean sheet so far this season came against Chelsea in the opening match, which was a dubious one in itself, and they’ve since conceded four times in three matches – once against Wolverhampton Wanderers, twice against Crystal Palace, and another against Southampton at weekend. Good enough? Not even close.Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

It’s times like these that make us all look back and admire the guardians that once stood at the heart of United’s success: Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.

Often considered one of the greatest partnerships to ever grace the English game, the pair have set a benchmark from which every future unit will be feverously compared. As it stands, we’re yet to see any electorates come close (not that we’re surprised).

Maguire and Victor Lindelof appear to be Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s chosen ones, having featured in every one of the Norwegian’s line-ups this term, and currently find themselves in a global vetting process. Are they the ones to restore glory back to Old Trafford, to replicate Ferdinand and Vidic, and create a defensive dynasty for years to come? Only time will tell.

…time, and a bit of harmless predicting from Ferdinand:

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Joining a new team can be a daunting task for any footballer.

It’s so important to work well with your new teammates, and having a good relationship off the pitch is sometimes just as important as having one on the pitch.

Fortunately for Leeds United, it looks as if Ben White has already settled into his new surroundings as he has bonded with his teammates quickly after joining on loan this summer.

One player in particular has seemingly struck up a good relationship with White.

Kalvin Phillips posted an image on his Instagram story as the two Leeds players spent a day together alongside their partners at Alton Towers.

White and Phillips have been two of Leeds’ most important players this season as they have both started every game for the Yorkshire club in the league so far.

It’s great to see White fitting into the squad so well, and the fact that he and Phillips have become so close in such a short period of time bodes well for the team spirit at Elland Road.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Loan Watch series, which takes a closer look at those players who are aiming to galvanise their careers away from the spotlight of their parent club.

You could be forgiven for not knowing all of the players that Wolves have out on loan – there’s no fewer than 13 of them stretched across the senior side and academy setup.

There’s Ivan Cavaleiro lighting up the Championship with three goals and two assists for Fulham whilst Helder Costa and Rafa Mir are also in England’s second tier.

But sticking with the English pyramid, Niall Ennis has impressed at League One outfit Doncaster Rovers so far this season as they sit on the cusp of the playoffs following a win over local rivals Rotherham United on Saturday.

Watch Wolverhampton Wanderers Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Ennis played 45 minutes in the match, picking up an assist and a rating of 7.86 – and that’s not even his highest for Rovers this season, per WhoScored.

The 20-year-old was introduced after the break and created the 66th-minute equaliser as his cross met James Coppinger, who slotted past the visiting goalkeeper.

Wolves’ man then could have scored himself before winning the penalty that secured all three points at the Keepmoat Stadium.

So far this season, Ennis has started just two of his five matches in the Championship for a total of 248 minutes, an average of nearly 50 per game.

The striker has managed to score and assist one goal apiece as well as registering 1.2 shots per game, via WhoScored.

He also picked up the Man of the Match award against Lincoln City with a WhoScored rating of 7.98, a game in which he played the full 90.

The performances shown by the Wolves starlet in south Yorkshire are just small measures towards the attitude shown by the Premier League club’s owners to invest in their future through the promotion of its youth talent.

Jeff Shi has spoken about wanting to make the academy better and by having young players impress out on loan in preparation for first-team minutes upon their return, it most certainly bodes well.

If the youngster continues to impress then he will surely soon reappear on the radar of Nuno Santo who played him in the FA Cup last term. The Portuguese has previously given an opportunity to the likes of Max Kilman and Pedro Neto this season and Ruben Vinagre and Morgan Gibbs-White in the past.

Ennis starring whilst on loan is merely a glimpse into the potential Fosun believes is at the club.

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Real Madrid beat Levante 3-2 at the Bernabeu on Saturday.

Everything started off in a rather straightforward manner as the Galacticos took a 3-0 lead into half-time.

However, they almost threw the game away, with Levante netting twice in the second-half as they threatened a miraculous comeback.

Some of that might’ve been due to Casemiro being substituted on the hour, with the scores at 3-1.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

But if the reports coming from AS are true, Zidane wanted to play it safe with the Brazilian since he’s the only defensive midfielder in the squad.

Of course, Real sold Marcos Llorente in the summer and a number of fans have expressed their disbelief and anger at the report, with many left gobsmacked that they did not invest in the position during the transfer window.

One fan has even demanded a new defensive midfielder is bought in January.

You can see some of their reactions in the tweets down below.

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Ainsley Maitland-Niles has challenged his critics ahead of Hector Bellerin’s return from injury.

Arsenal began the Premier League campaign with two wins but have crumbled since their defeat against Liverpool with two consecutive 2-2 draws – Maitland-Niles has appeared in all five games so far.

While Maitland-Niles isn’t entirely at fault for his side’s defensive capitulation – David Luiz and Sokratis certainly aren’t blameless – he’s most definitely complicit in the collective shoddiness Arsenal fans have the misfortune of viewing on nearly every away trip.

Watch Arsenal Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

With Bellerin set to return to action following a serious injury picked up against Chelsea in January, Maitland-Niles now faces a very real threat to his starting role in the squad.

The 22 year-old hopes to retrain his place and has asked supporters to be patient as he adapts to his defensive role.

Per Sky Sports, he said: “If I was a defender as a kid, and my defending was poor, I would understand where the criticism is coming from, but I’m trying my best for the team.”

It’s safe to say the reactions to his comments from Arsenal fans were fairly negative…

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Despite being out of action for virtually two seasons in a row with various injury problems, Benjamin Mendy has never found himself out of the spot-light. The maverick defender has kept his name front and centre of conversations, largely thanks to his comical activities on social media.

But now he could be set to make headlines on the pitch. The left-back made his return from injury in the Champions League victory over Shakhtar Donetsk, before featuring in the Premier League for the first time since the end of last season against Watford.

Watch Manchester City Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Having signed from Ligue 1 side AS Monaco for £52m in the summer of 2017, Mendy has hardly had the opportunity to show City why they splashed the cash to sign him. But with a busy period ahead, his return to fitness has come at the perfect time for Pep Guardiola.

On the chalkboard

In Mendy’s absence, the City boss has had to turn to Oleksandr Zinchenko to cover a gap at left-back. Whilst the Ukrainian has performed admirably in an unfamiliar role, he just doesn’t possess the physical attributes Mendy has. The Frenchman’s raw pace and athleticism allows him to cover the ground superbly, and his superb vision in the final third leads to loads of chances.

In his final campaign before his move to the Etihad, the 25-year-old picked up 11 assists from left-back in just 39 appearances. One of those set-ups came against City themselves when the two sides met in the last 16 of the Champions League. In that year, Mendy averaged 1.5 dribbles and 1 key pass per game in Ligue 1. In contrast, Zinchenko managed just 0.4 dribbles and o.9 key passes per game in the Premier League last season.

Such is the hype surrounding Mendy’s return, Guardiola himself out-lined exactly how the France international will transform his side’s attacking structure.

“He will be an incredibly important player for us. With him, we can attack more constantly and in a different way – he has a special quality that only he has in our team. With Oleks Zinchenko, we cannot attack wide or deep. His quality is completely different. With Mendy, we can do it so hopefully, he can be fit and healthy, and play.”

How much money could you make busking for a week as a freestyle footballer? Find out in the video below…

Whilst the Citizens may be ruing the absence of Aymeric Laporte, they do have some significantly positive news on the injury front in Mendy’s comeback. He may not be a centre-forward or play-maker, but he has proven he can be just as important in terms of chance creation, and Guardiola clearly knows it too.