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According to the Daily Star, Manchester United are preparing to hand Chris Smalling a new contract with the club, as the defender’s current deal expires at the end of this season.

What’s the story?

Since joining the Red Devils from Fulham in 2010, Smalling has gone on to make nearly 300 appearances for the Manchester club and has bagged two Premier League titles and one FA Cup winners’ medal in his time at Old Trafford.

However, the 28-year-old’s performances have often come in for criticism and it is likely that had subsequent signings such as Marcos Rojo, Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly had the kind of impact that they’d have hoped for then Smalling would no longer be a regular feature of United’s starting XI.

As it is, Smalling has started four of United’s six Premier League games so far this season and could now be set to extend his stay with the club even further.

A new way forward 

This is not evidence of a sudden upsurge in Smalling’s form, but rather a symptom of the failure of United’s other defenders to live up to expectations in the Premier League.

The fact that Smalling has lost his place in the England set up should be all the proof needed that he shouldn’t be one of Mourinho’s first choice centre-backs, and extending his stay at Old Trafford should surely place Ed Woodward’s position under threat.

Before offering the 6’4” defender a new contract, the Red Devils ought to first reassess their recruitment in this position and ask – before giving him the chance to commit his future to the side – whether Smalling remains the way forward for this club.

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According to TEAMtalk, Tottenham Hotspur are lining up a double swoop on PSV Eindhoven for winger Steven Bergwijn and defensive midfielder Jorrit Hendrix.

What’s the word, then?

Well, TEAMtalk report that despite the fact that Spurs have often done business with Ajax in the past and the Amsterdam-based outfit surely having plenty of younger players – such as Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie de Jong that they could be interested in now – the north London outfit are targeting their Eredivisie rivals PSV instead.

The Dutch giants are competing in the Champions League after winning the league title last term, and Hendrix has established himself as a key component for Mark van Bommel’s men.

TEAMtalk report that despite the fact PSV won’t want to lose two of their key players, Tottenham are ready to do battle for their signatures obviously believing that they could be slightly more realistically priced than if they were to buy from the club where they got Christian Eriksen, Jan Vertonghen and Davinson Sanchez previously.

Would Hendrix be a good signing?

While the 23-year-old has clearly done well for PSV, there would surely have to be some question marks over Hendrix as he seems to be remarkably similar to Davy Klaassen, who flopped at their Premier League rivals Everton before joining Werder Bremen this summer , before he came to England.

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Like the PSV star, Klaassen was hugely impressive while playing in the Eredivisie and established himself as one of the division’s best players, and while he perhaps wasn’t given a fair chance at Goodison Park, the fact that four managers seemingly didn’t fancy him suggests he simply wasn’t good enough and couldn’t adapt to the pace of the English game.

If he is available for a reasonable fee then he could be worth the risk, but if Tottenham really do have sky-high ambitions over the course of the next few years then they should be getting someone of a higher calibre.

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Loads of Newcastle fans have been reacting to Saturday’s defeat, and they’re unsurprisingly fuming with the second half collapse.

Newcastle looked certain to secure their first win of the season on Saturday evening, as the Magpies could have scored about five goals in the first half alone.

Kenedy put the visitors in front at Old Trafford with a brilliant low finish, and Yoshinori Muto slammed home his first Magpies’ goal just a few moments later.

David De Gea was forced into two brilliant saves before the interval, and referee Anthony Taylor bizarrely ignore a handball in the box by Ashley Young.

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The second half was a different story though, as excluding the odd counter attack Benitez’s side suffered through a barrage of chances for the hosts.

Mo Diame’s silly foul allowed Juan Mata to stroke home a free kick, before Anthony Martial levelled things up with a wonderful goal.

Alexis Sanchez’s late header completed the comeback, and Benitez’s substitutes in the second half were completely ineffectual.

Fans are fuming at the players, manager and of course owner Mike Ashley, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

According to a recent report from Mundo Deportivo, Alberto Moreno could be set for a move away from Liverpool in the near future. The left back made the move to Anfield back in 2014 after beginning his senior career at Spanish side Sevilla, yet he has struggled to consistently produce the goods for the Reds during his four-year stint on Merseyside.

And reports suggest that European giants Barcelona are keen on the 26-year-old given the reports surrounding the future of Catalans defender Jordi Alba, and were Ernesto Valverde’s team to indeed make a move for the Liverpool star, Jurgen Klopp’s side must take the money and run in what would be an absolute no-brainer of a deal.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, things simply haven’t worked out for Moreno since his move to the red half of Merseyside back in 2014, with the left back earning just 137 appearances for the club in that time, 88 of which coming in the Premier League.

And while he was a reasonably regular feature under former manager Brendan Rodgers, playing 28 times in the league in his first season before mustering 32 appearances the campaign after, he has fallen down the pecking order under new boss Klopp, failing to appear in the Premier League at all this season.

In fact, the Spaniard made such a woeful start to the 2016/17 campaign that midfielder James Milner was regularly preferred to him at left back, which was probably the most damning indication that Moreno’s future was away from Liverpool.

Yes, he did well in forcing his way back into Klopp’s plans with 16 appearances last season in the Premier League, but Andrew Robertson has since usurped him in the left back pecking order and is currently streets ahead of the 26-year-old – thus, he simply isn’t going to command regular football at Anfield anytime soon.

As such, were Barcelona to indeed come in for the left back, it would be an absolute no-brainer for Liverpool to sanction his departure, as he simply isn’t good enough for the Reds at present, and isn’t likely to dispose Robertson from the number one left back role anytime soon, if at all.

To his credit, Moreno can often offer a decent outlet going forward when in advanced positions, but he is far too vulnerable and simply not good enough defensively to partake in a backline seeking to challenge for the Premier League title.

Subsequently, while it may come as a surprise to many to know that Barca are interested in the left back, the Reds simply must take the money and run were the Catalans to launch a bid for Moreno – sanctioning his exit is an absolute no-brainer.

Liverpool fans… what do you think? Let us know!

A large majority of the Swansea fans that answered our recent poll were keen for the club to make a loan move for Chelsea youngster Callum Hudson-Odoi in January.

Swansea are sitting in 11th place in the Championship after their relegation from the Premier League, and although they have only conceded nine goals in that time they could do with adding more of an attacking threat in the next transfer window.

New boss Graham Potter could then make a move for 17-year-old Hudson-Odoi. During pre-season it looked as though the youngster would break into the Chelsea side, but his only competitive first-team appearance so far during this campaign was in the Community Shield loss to Manchester City.

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With five appearances under his belt at such a young age it’s clear that Chelsea think Hudson-Odoi could go on to great things but his current path into the XI is blocked by a huge amount of expensive talent, and he must leave on loan in January in order to improve.

With the impressive football played by Potter’s side the Liberty Stadium could be a great move for all parties involved. Check out the full results of our poll below.

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Whilst new Arsenal boss Unai Emery has shown himself to be willing to offer game time to the club’s young talents this season – Emile Smith Rowe and Matteo Guendouzi have both made a number of appearances – Eddie Nketiah is yet to feature for the Gunners this time around.

The 19-year-old striker announced himself last season when he scored a match-winning brace at the Emirates Stadium on just his second outing for the club. He went on to make a total of ten appearances in all competitions for the North London outfit over the course of the campaign. 

However, if the England under-21 international’s rapid progress is to continue, he has to be playing regular football at a high level. With the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and Danny Welbeck ahead of him in the pecking order at Arsenal, Nketiah would be well served by going out on loan on January.

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A temporary stint away from Emery’s squad ought to give him a chance to gain the valuable experience he’ll need if he is to force his way into the first team picture next season.

When we asked Arsenal fans whether or not they thought loaning out the young hitman in January would be a wise idea, 74% voted in favour of the switch. See the full results below.

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Aston Villa midfielder Aaron Tshibola has vowed to fight for his place in the squad under new boss Dean Smith and wants to terminate his loan at Kilmarnock in January, according to the Sun.

The 23-year-old told SunSport that he wants to look at his options in January as he is fed up of being loaned and wants a decision to be made over whether his future lies at Villa or elsewhere.

The former Reading man signed for the Villans in the summer of 2016 for a fee of £5.3m (Transfermarkt) but has only made eight league appearances for the Midlands club, having fallen out of favour under Steve Bruce and subsequently spent time out on loan at Nottingham Forest, MK Dons and now high-flying Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership.

The Congolese midfielder had failed to impress, particularly during his 17/18 spell with League One outfit MK Dons, where he received one of the fastest red cards of the season (4 minutes 35 seconds), but has been in good form for Kilmarnock this season as they sit third in the standings.

Aston Villa fans react below to the prospect of his return.

Leeds United returned to the top of the Championship table on Sunday afternoon after they claimed a 2-1 victory over Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium on an afternoon when David Whelan waved goodbye to the Latics. 

The end of an era at Wigan which has allowed the club to triumph in ways supporters could never have dreamed of before Whelan took charge reached its conclusion yesterday with a telling reminder of how change should both be welcomed and embraced.

Leeds are a case in point; the sum of their parts may not be totally different to the one which Thomas Christiansen and Paul Heckingbottom had at their disposal last season, but Marcelo Bielsa’s influence has served to prove how progressive fundamental changes in leadership can be.

El Loco’s credentials to take Leeds to the top-flight are both legitimate and realistic with one third of the season already completed. Much of Leeds’ success has been attributed to Bielsa’s ability to bring the best out of players who struggled to excel under his successors, with the likes of Kemar Roofe, Mateusz Klich and Pablo Hernandez receiving esteemed praise throughout the media.

But it was the return of one of Bielsa’s most integral summer signings, Barry Douglas – a player whose influence has been sorely missed in the four Championship fixtures he recently missed through injury – who caught the eye of the YEP reporter Phil Hay in his post-match analysis.

‘Douglas’ availability was a bonus, restoring balance to the left side of Leeds’ defence,’ and Hay later went on to add: ‘Douglas’ presence gave Leeds width and gave Wigan a headache, down their right and from set-pieces.’

Without Douglas in the side Leeds have been missing a crucial cog in the machine, and his influence in Greater Manchester yesterday was a timely reminder of his excellence at this level.

Signed for a measly fee of just £3.06 million in the summer after playing a starring role in Wolves’ title victory last season, Douglas is already looking like Victor Orta’s shrewdest pieces of business to date.

His natural tendency to utilise his crossing prowess in the final-third by marauding forward at every opportunity not only provides Leeds with a player who guarantees regular assists, but also a tactical pawn who drags defenders out of position and facilitates the success of Biesla’s free-flowing system.

While Hernandez and Roofe will continue to dominate the headlines for their glowing performances on Sunday, it’s important that Hay’s recognition of the enormity of Douglas’ impact is noted and valued with equal measure.

Leeds fans – thoughts on Douglas? Let us know!

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Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has hinted with his team selection that Umar Sadiq does not figure in his long-term plans.

What’s the word?

After the former Liverpool captain was appointed as the new Rangers boss, he moved quickly in the transfer window.

The inexperienced coach brought in 15 new players and one of them was Sadiq, who signed from Roma on a season-long loan.

Since then the forward has struggled to break into the team and has been restricted to just four appearances in all competitions.

In fact, in 11 Premiership outings Sadiq has only been in the matchday squad four times.

What happened at the weekend?

Gerrard has not said outright that he has no intention of holding on to Sadiq, but his team selection said plenty.

Kyle Lafferty was ruled out of Saturday’s game against St Mirren, which would have left a vacancy for another attacker.

Gerrard opted not to give Sadiq a chance, though, despite playing him in the League Cup semi-final against Aberdeen.

The 2-0 victory over St Mirren would have given the 21-year-old Nigerian a decent opportunity to prove what he can do.

However, it looks as though Sadiq will be considering his options once more when the season comes to an end.

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Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Mousa Dembele was substituted off in the seventh minute of his side’s 3-2 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux on Saturday after suffering an ankle injury, and subsequently missed the Champions League tie against PSV Eindhoven at Wembley on Tuesday night.

What’s the latest?

The absence of the Belgian, along with Eric Dier and Victor Wanyama, meant that Christian Eriksen moved back into a deeper central midfield role alongside Harry Winks, with Son Heung-Min, Dele Alli and Lucas Moura ahead of them.

Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino said on Monday that the club needed to wait for a scan before seeing the extent of the damage to Dembele’s ankle, but his absence from the squad against the Dutch club was probably telling.

Ligament damage is a potential diagnosis, and this could prove to be a big opportunity for Wanyama – especially if the 6ft 1in tall Belgium international misses this weekend’s Premier League trip to Crystal Palace.

Why’s that?

Well, The Mirror reported last week that the north London outfit are ready to sell the Kenya international and sign Watford’s Abdoulaye Doucoure as his replacement, with the 27-year-old failing to live up to the performances he produced in his first couple of seasons with Spurs.

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If Dembele and Dier are out for the foreseeable future, Wanyama has one final chance to ensure that he isn’t sold in January, with Pochettino already saying on Monday that he hopes the Kenyan will be available for selection against the Eagles.

If he can shine in protecting the defence, use his strength and impress in possession, he could easily come back into his manager’s plans and at least give himself until the summer to show why he should be kept on and why he can still be a key player for Tottenham in the future.