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For a long time now, star QPR midfielder Luke Freeman has been linked with a move away from Loftus Road, with Middlesbrough being the most likely destination. 

This would have troubled many fans, as the 26-year-old has been one of, if not the best QPR player over the past two seasons. However, with QPR in such a dire position at the beginning of the season, few would have blamed the player for wanting to move away.

But QPR’s fortunes have drastically changed in the past few weeks, and may have helped in changing the player’s opinion. The Hoops now sit in 10th place in the Championship, only five points behind Middlesbrough in second place. This seemed unimaginable to fans in September, after the club had lost their opening four matches of the season and were rock bottom of the table. Likewise, it would have seemed inconceivable to Freeman himself, hence why the club were resigned to him moving away at some point.

QPR have now won five of their last seven matches in the Championship since the beginning of October, and few would disagree that they are one of the form teams in the league. With less than half the season elapsed so far, The Rs can quite easily continue to climb the table, with sixth place Derby only two points ahead of them.

Surely Steve McClaren’s side have done enough to keep Freeman interested in staying, at least until the end of the season. If QPR continue this trajectory though, it would seem strange if he ever wanted to leave.

Jurgen Klopp has shaped a Liverpool team that are worthy challengers for the Premier League title.

As it stands, the Merseyside outfit are two points behind leaders Manchester City and are yet to lose a game in the top flight this season.

Every member of the Reds’ team has played a part in the club getting to this point, but is is fair to say that three individuals have stood out.

Since Mohamed Salah’s arrival at Anfield from Roma last season, the Egyptian international has been part of a scintillating trio in the final third.

Last season, Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane tore defences apart with their flair, pace and accuracy in front of goal.

In the current campaign, the group have started slightly slower and are yet to replicate the form that earned them so many plaudits.

Playmaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

However, there is no doubt that all three remain hugely important to Liverpool, but who tops the order?

We asked you out of the trio who is the most important to Klopp, and interestingly, Mane has only received a small number of votes.

The majority of fans believe that Salah is the most valuable, with Firmino just behind him.

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At the beginning of the season, not many would have expected Garry Monk’s Birmingham side to sitting as high as 12th in the Championship some 17 games in to the campaign.

The Blues suffered a torrid summer, as they fell foul of the EFL’s Financial Fair Play regulations and were placed under a transfer embargo.

Eventually, after working with the EFL, a deal was struck where Birmingham could sign up to five players but none for a fee, and they were reluctantly allowed to register Danish left-back Kristian Pedersen.

The Playmaker FC squad decided to wind-up some unsuspecting Brazil fans at the Emirates on Saturday night. Watch the hilarious results in the video below…

Since then, Pedersen has been a revelation in the defence, and Lukas Jutkiewicz and Che Adams have been on fire up front.

Here at Football FanCast though, we think the position Monk should be focusing on (if he is allowed to make a signing in January) should be his goalkeeper. 34-year-old Lee Camp has made a number of errors recently and youngster Connal Trueman struggled when given a chance at the start of the season, so if the Blues are aiming for a play-off spot then they will need to add to the squad here in the winter transfer window.

However, Birmingham fans, we want you to tell us where Monk should be strengthening in January. Have your say by voting in the poll below.

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According to a recent report from The Sun, Marcelo Bielsa is hoping to secure a bargain deal for Tottenham outcast Fernando Llorente in the January transfer window, and Leeds fans on Twitter have already been buzzing at the prospect.

The Sun reports that Spurs are keen to offload the 33-year-old in January before his contract expires in the summer, and that he could be available for as little as £4m after failing to get his Tottenham career off the ground since his £12.1m move from Swansea in 2017.

Bielsa managed the Spaniard at Athletic Bilbao before the striker’s move to Juventus five years ago, but the pair could now be in line for a winter reunion at Elland Road.

Leeds are currently sitting in third place in the Championship and will hope to be pushing for promotion come the end of the season. Bielsa’s first-choice striker so far during this campaign has been the impressive Kemar Roofe, but with summer signing Patrick Bamford ruled out with a long-term knee injury the only backup has been youngster Tyler Roberts.

Fans of the Whites are clearly keen to see Llorente arrive in January though. Check out the best reaction below.

So, Leeds fans, would you like to see Llorente at Elland Road come January or are there better options? Have your say by voting in the poll below.

Sitting in the relegation zone having taken just nine points from 14 Premier League games, it is fair to say Southampton have been poor this season.

As a result, Mark Hughes has since lost his job despite the Saints managing to pick up a point against Manchester United in what proved to be his final game in charge as manager.

In the end, though, it was the correct call given how the team have performed with the Welshman having been unable to get the best out of a squad that does boast some good players including Nathan Redmond.

The 24-year-old has gone through some tough spells at St. Mary’s, something that he recently spoke about in an interview with Southampton’s official club website.

In recent weeks, however, his form has certainly improved and there is no reason why he cannot go up another gear as the campaign progresses.

You can have a look at what Southampton supporters are saying on the former Norwich City man below…

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With Liverpool reportedly eyeing up a move for £15m-rated Brighton star Pascal Gross in the January transfer window, according to The Mirror, let’s take a look at where the German could fit into Jurgen Klopp’s system at Anfield.

What’s the word, then?

After signing for the Seagulls from Ingolstadt for just £3m, Gross won the club’s Player of the Season award in his debut campaign at the Amex after scoring seven goals and assisting eight for his teammates as Chris Hughton’s side survived their first Premier League campaign with ease.

Klopp is a big admirer of the playmaker, having become familiar with his talents whilst manager of Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund whilst Gross was playing with Ingolstadt in the same division.

With the Reds currently leading the way at the top of the table, a title charge is most definitely on, although they have an extremely fearsome opponent to keep an eye on in Manchester City, who are closely behind them.

The Citizens have unfathomable depth within their squad, so Klopp should probably take a dip into the transfer market next month to ensure his side keep within touching distance of Pep Guardiola’s men.

Where would he fit in?

27-year-old Gross is a very intelligent, forward-thinking player who can make things happen on a regular basis, but also put in his fair share of graft – a trait that Klopp will swoon to the most above all.

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Additionally, given the fact that the Merseyside-based club have sometimes switched from a 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1 formation this season, with Mohamed Salah leading the line and Roberto Firmino in behind him, there is a place for Gross in his natural centre-attacking midfield role.

Signing the Brighton hero would see that number 10 position in behind Salah strengthened significantly, but would perhaps be bad news for Xherdan Shaqiri. The Swiss summer signing from Stoke has started a lot more games in recent weeks than he did at the start of the season, and is a capable performer in the 10 role or out on the right-wing.

However, the fact that Klopp is still keeping an eye out for another player to play back-up to Firmino could be seen as an indictment on Shaqiri, who is just starting to find his groove at Anfield.

It could also be viewed as Gross arriving as merely a squad player, who will not play too much other than when the team needs rotating to cope with the amount of competitions Liverpool have to deal with – will Gross end up as another Adam Lallana type, full of quality but with no real concrete position at Anfield?

Would Gross succeed at Anfield? Have your say down below…

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According to the Daily Star, Newcastle’s move for transfer target Miguel Almiron could be off as Atlanta United will refuse to accept any offers below £30m for their star man – a deal that tight-pocketed NUFC owner Mike Ashley would never sanction.

What’s the word?

Well, the Daily Star reports that, while speculation of a takeover at St James Park is rife, a move for Almiron is unlikely to go through as Atlanta president Darren Eales is demanding at least £30m for the speedster.

Speaking to Sky Sports on Thursday, the 46-year-old stated:

“Unless it is something that is a really serious offer, we will not consider it.”

“The offer has to start with a 3 for me to consider it.”

Worrying words indeed for Magpies fans as they are all too familiar with the owner’s haste in splashing the cash, so this deal may depend on whether Ashley is still in control come January.

Kenyon holds the key

The Toon Army have made their dislike of their owner evident this season, in particular, as they create anti-Ashley chants when the 54-year-old has made a rare appearance at one of their games and voice their frustrations at the direction their club is perceived to be going on numerous occasions.

The Northern Echo claims that Peter Kenyon’s consortium is the favourite to take the reins from Ashley, with the current owner keen to get a deal over the line in the coming weeks.

Former Chelsea and Manchester United chief executive Kenyon is apparently desperate to get back into the game and is believed to have agreed a deal in principle which would see Ashley scoop a cool £300m in exchange for ownership of the Tyneside club.

Newcastle currently sit 15th in the standings, just three points above the drop and fans are surely desperate for Rafa Benitez to be appropriately backed in the January window – the Spaniard has thus far made do with the limited funds available to him as he makes shrewd signings such as Federico Fernandez.

A move for Almiron would be hugely beneficial as the 6-time FA Cup winners are in dire need of a creator to provide for Salomon Rondon but, if Ashley can’t agree on terms with Kenyon in time, there is no chance that the necessary figure to secure the Paraguayan’s services will be stumped up.

Kenyon holds the key on this one and whether he will provide more financial support, should he be successful in purchasing the club, remains unknown but, otherwise, Newcastle look set to miss out on their dream signing.

Middlesbrough are going through a mini-crisis at the moment in the Championship, as they have slipped down the table. 

Boro are now winless in their last four games, losing two of them in the process. However, what will worry manager Tony Pulis more is that fact that the club have failed to keep a clean sheet in their past five fixtures.

This may not seem an alarming stat to some teams, but when defence is the entire basis of Boro’s gameplan, it begins to look slightly worrying. For instance, only five teams in the Championship have scored fewer goals than Pulis’ men- they are clearly not a side that scores a huge amount of goals, rather they rely on their frugal defence to guide them through games. This was shown by the fact that the club were able to have seven clean sheets throughout August and September, while they have only managed to keep four since then.

Their defence papered over the cracks for a long time this season, and masked their substandard attack, but now that they are no longer as solid at the back, they seem to have lost that indomitable aura that they possessed at the beginning of the campaign.

Boro still have the meanest defence in the Championship, but the stats are no longer as formidable as they were. League leaders Leeds have only conceded two more goals than Boro, but have scored 12 more. Pulis must address this problem, be it himself or with transfers, to ensure Boro remain with a chance of promotion.

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Newcastle fans have reacted angrily after they learned that the owner of the club, Mike Ashley, has jetted off on holiday despite rumours of a takeover being discussed, as per Shields Gazette.

Supporters of the Magpies are growing increasingly frustrated at the man who owns their beloved club, as they feel that he spreads rumours of a takeover every season whilst nothing ever comes of it, and that he is simply doing it to get their hopes up.

He is obviously not going to be in key discussions to sell the club whilst he is off on holiday, despite the aforementioned report stating that he has left matters in the hands of his lawyers.

The St James’ Park faithful have been desperate to see a new figure in charge for many years now, as Ashley has never really backed any manager during his time at the club, nor do they feel he has the best interests of Newcastle at heart.

Let’s see how Magpies’ supporters reacted to the news…

With the FA Cup third round on the horizon, Crystal Palace will most likely be resting a number of their first-team stars following a hectic festive schedule which will surely have taken its toll on the players’ fitness.

As a result, we should see some fringe players take to the Selhurst Park pitch in a bid to prove themselves, with Jairo Riedewald perhaps having the most to do in order to save his career in south London.

Why does he need to prove himself?

The Holland international has made just three starts this season, with all of them coming in the Carabao Cup; he hasn’t even come off the bench in the Premier League. This comes after the 22-year-old made only seven starts across all competitions last season in what was his first venture away from Ajax, but he is looking more and more like a man facing the consequences of Frank de Boer’s botched tenure every week in SE25.

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It was de Boer who bought him to the club for around £7m, having coached Riedewald in Amsterdam during their time together with the Dutch giants, but after the current Atlanta United boss lost his job after just four league games, his successor Roy Hodgson has never really fancied the midfielder too much.

Palace even attempted to use him as a makeweight in a bid to sign Jordan Ayew on a permanent deal from Swansea back in the summer, only for Riedewald’s reluctance to move bringing that deal to a close – the fact that he prevented the Eagles from wasting a reported £11m on the Ghanaian is perhaps his biggest contribution during his time in south London.

He must take his chance

After reading the above, it’s obvious that Palace don’t view Riedewald as a player they need within their ranks. Having said that, in his few appearances for the club, he has looked disciplined, composed and a good passer who is always happy to receive the ball and look to play forward.

Perhaps he would be a better fit under a manager who values a possession-based game, rather than Hodgson’s more conservative style. If he had any pride about himself, however, he will want to prove everyone wrong – performing well against the visiting League Two side would be a good way to start.