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

Tottenham Hotspur could offer Fernando Llorente a fresh contract this summer, per The Guardian.

What’s the word?

The Spanish World Cup winner played an integral role in Spurs’ run to the Champions League final, scoring the winning goal in the quarter-final second leg against Manchester City, and proved an adept back-up to Harry Kane throughout the 2018/19 season.

However, his contract at the club has expired and, while there has been no communication from the club, he is no longer a part of their squad.

However, The Guardian claims that Spurs would be open to keeping him if he is unable to find himself a new club, having entered into free agency.

Llorente, the report states, earned £100,000-per-week in north London but he would have to accept a pay cut to be kept on for next season.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

A no-brainer

Spurs should be keeping him around.

Llorente was an excellent deputy to Kane throughout the campaign and Spurs would never have reached the final without him.

He has rarely complained about a lack of playing time when the England captain is fit and he offers a completely different threat from the bench. Add to that the fact that the only possible alternative to Kane at this point is Vincent Janssen, and the case is only strengthened; Janssen made just three Premier League appearances last season.

A barrel-chested forward who is a genuine nuisance in the air, there are few strikers like him in England and he always gives opposition defences a headache.

His goal against City should have sealed the deal but he was then excellent in the semi-final second leg versus Ajax, as Spurs overturned a 2-0 deficit to book a final showdown with Liverpool.

Even if he only plays five games next season, keeping him around makes all the sense in the world, particularly if he is willing to take a hit on his old wages.

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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…

In terms of new arrivals, West Brom’s summer has been extremely quiet.

Only Filip Krovinovic has walked through the doors of the Hawthorns as plenty of names have fled the nest.

Yet, another body who could be brought in to bolster their squad is Arsenal’s Krystian Bielik.

Recently, the Pole was the subject of a report from The Telegraph claiming that the Baggies were interested in bringing him to the Midlands.

However, it may not be a straightforward pursuit. After all, this is a player who shone in League One for Charlton last term before starring at the European U21 Championships.

It’ll come as no surprise to see that he’s in demand, therefore.

Also in the race for the versatile individual, per the report, are Derby, Brentford and Middlesbrough so a fierce battle could be about to commence.

The word is that Arsenal are wanting him to sign new terms, but if he fails to do that, they could be willing to let him leave permanently.

Bielik is someone who has never made the cut at Arsenal, being subjected to various loans away from the club including a spell with Birmingham in the past.

But what can the 21-year-old bring to the Baggies if he does indeed sign?

Last term he featured as a holding midfielder and as a centre back for Charlton and they were two roles he exceeded tremendously well in at the U21 Euros this summer.

In three games, he thrived for Poland, proving to be one of their best performers.

Despite being a defensive player, he netted twice and also completed two dribbles per game. Not only is he no-nonsense, completing 7.7 clearances every 90 minutes, but his ability to dribble demonstrates the wonderful technical ability and dynamism he has.

By definition, he truly is useful in more ways than one.

Against Belgium in Poland’s opening game, he completed three dribbles and won four aerial duels whilst playing in defence, as well as finding the net.

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

He then scored again versus Italy. Playing in the middle of the park, he made three tackles, completed nine clearances and also made two interceptions.

The sheer discipline of the youngster whilst continuing to prove a threat at the opposite end of the pitch was remarkable.

And if he continues to produce all-action performances like that he could well take to the Championship like a duck to water.

It’s now down to West Brom to win the race to sign him.

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A host of Leeds fans have responded negatively to a transfer claim made by Phil Hay on Twitter.

The journalist took to the social media channel to respond to questions from certain segments of the fanbase, and he laid hints that Leeds were done in the window when it came to defenders.

Leeds’ defending against Manchester United in their first pre-season friendly of their tour of Australia left a lot to be desired as they lost 4-0, whilst their only new arrival in that area of the pitch has been Ben White.

With Pontus Jansson also leaving, this update has left many fuming with the club for the direction they’ve taken.

One fan suggested that they should now wave goodbye to promotion as a result, whilst a further supporter was so gobsmacked all they could reply with was the word ‘wow’.

Another individual said it was mental considering the lack of depth in defence as one fan was concerned that White wouldn’t have a good enough partner.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Director of Football Victor Orta already claimed this week that he thinks Leeds are 90% done in terms of the plan they had this summer.

Here’s the best of the reaction.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Amidst all the doom and gloom of last season, one thing Manchester United will rightly point to as a sign of progress is the emergence of some of its young stars.

The likes of Mason Greenwood and Tahith Chong featured in some shape or form for the United first-team under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and it’s fair to say that the future is certainly bright with some of the Red Devils’ promising academy players.

Whilst United have always notoriously been strong when it comes to giving youth an opportunity, the announcement of Nicky Butt’s new position at the club will certainly raise hopes and expectations that the club will be in even better hands.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

It was confirmed that the United legend has been promoted to the position of Head of First Team Development, and he will “continue the strong bond between the Academy and the first team, to create a seamless journey for young players stepping up to the next level”.

Indeed, speaking after the news, Butt said: “Manchester United is in my DNA and this is a very proud moment for me as I take on this new role. I am passionate about nurturing, developing and coaching the talent we have here to become top players at this club.

“Under Ole’s leadership, our vision will ensure that we continue to provide the right environment for our young players to thrive in.”

As United continue to struggle to get deals over the line for the likes of Harry Maguire and Sean Longstaff, and face a year of Europa League football next season, the need for the club’s academy to really step up has perhaps never been greater.

Greenwood has already stolen the show on the club’s pre-season tour this summer, but it remains to be seen how big of a role he will play next year at just 17, despite Solskjaer’s comments about him.

The modern footballing world of instant success is demanding and often unforgiving, but Butt’s appointment in the new role should ease the transition from the academy into the first-team. The talent is already there, now it’s up to Butt to help make the most of it.

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Rangers fans are pleased their side will face either Legia Warsaw or Atrimtos in the final qualifying tie for the Europa League, should they get past FC Midtjylland.

Steven Gerrard’s men will face one of the Polish or Greek sides if they can get past the Danish Cup winners Midtjylland over the next ten days.

The Gers will host the Danish side on Thursday before travelling to Jutland for the second leg next week.

The Light Blues will have to successfully navigate the next four games if they want to at least replicate last season’s feat of reaching the group stages of the European competition.

The draw has been favourable to Gerrard’s men in the eyes of the supporters, leading to cries of optimism. The Gers could’ve faced PSV Eindhoven or Wolves, so some feel they have come away from the draw lightly.

And this favourable draw, coupled with the fact that the side have yet to concede in Europe this season, has got the Ibrox faithful very excited indeed.

Take a look at some of the best reactions down below…

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Crystal Palace kick off their 2019/20 Premier League season by welcoming Everton to Selhurst Park, on the back of an interesting transfer window.

Talisman Wilfried Zaha was once again heavily linked with a move away and even handed in a transfer request this week, but he ended up reluctantly remaining with the Eagles, according to The Sun.

Meanwhile, plenty of new faces arrived in the form of Stephen Henderson, the returning Jordan Ayew, Gary Cahill, James McCarthy and Victor Camarasa, although there were no additions for the right-back and centre-forward positions – much to the anger of Palace fans on Twitter.

So how will they line up against Marco Silva’s side? We take a look below.

Well, the south London outfit lined up in a 4-4-2 system in their final pre-season friendly against Hertha Berlin last weekend, and we expect Roy Hodgson to select the same formation for the visit of the Toffees.

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Victor Guaita will start between the sticks, with Patrick van Aanholt and Joel Ward in the full-back positions.

Hodgson used Scott Dann and Martin Kelly at the heart of the backline against Hertha, but we think he might bring leader and new boy Cahill straight into the XI in the absence of the injured Mamadou Sakho and James Tomkins.

Ahead of them, Max Meyer has impressed on the left during pre-season and gets a start, with Andros Townsend on the opposite flank.

Hodgson has plenty of central midfield options to choose from in James McArthur, Luka Milivojevic, Cheikhou Kouyate, McCarthy and Camarasa, but we are tipping the former two to get the nod from the former England boss.

The 72-year-old then has a huge decision as to whether he plays Zaha after what has happened this week, or leaves him on the substitutes’ bench with Christian Benteke and Jordan Ayew up top.

We think Hodgson will roll the dice on the Ivorian given he is their talisman and such an important player – 10 goals and 10 assists in the Premier League last term is testament to that – and is available for selection as per the manager’s press conference on Friday.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Leeds started the Championship season in brilliant fashion as they beat Bristol City 3-1 on the opening weekend.

However, their second game didn’t go according to plan. It appeared to be a tale of misfortunate as a host of things went wrong for the Whites.

Patrick Bamford hit the bar whilst missing a number of opportunities, placing three of his shots off target and being caught offside twice.

They were then denied a penalty in the second half before conceding a sloppy goal from Lewis Grabban as the ball bounced around the box and then headed over the line.

It was a game which Leeds should have won, especially after enjoying 68.2% of possession and playing 13 key passes to Nottingham Forest’s four.

They were good creatively but aside from Ben White’s defensive display, winning five tackles and making three interceptions, they looked shaky.

That was particularly from set-piece scenarios. If they weren’t already ruining the sale of Pontus Jansson then they could well be now.

Sold for a measly £5.5m, it can be seen as somewhat of a blunder that they didn’t get more for him. After all, this is someone who was named in the PFA Team of the Year in 2018/19 but left for £14.5m less than Adam Webster did.

There were clearly issues with Jansson’s attitude but they could have done with him this weekend, especially in aerial situations.

Forest looked a threat from dead balls and it wasn’t just the goal where Leeds looked at sixes and sevens.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Last term, Jansson won 4.9 aerial duels and even though the Whites had problems defending set-pieces with him in the team, something Marcelo Bielsa admitted after a 4-2 defeat against the same opposition in January, he could have been beneficial.

Someone with the Swede’s authority and ability in the air may have been able to see out the situation in a more efficient manner, therefore ensuring the pressure was relieved before an attempt on goal was had.

As it happens, they were left staring at a situation where he wasn’t there to save them.

A partnership of White and Liam Cooper is sure to improve, but for the time being, they’re staring their mistake right in the face.

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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…

In his Premier League predictions for this weekend’s round of fixtures, BBC pundit Mark Lawrenson had some interesting words to say on Crystal Palace when previewing the Eagles’ game against Manchester United.

Roy Hodgson’s side have started the season slowly, recording just a single point from games against Everton and Sheffield United whilst failing to score a goal in either match.

Their next game against the Red Devils presumably won’t be what the south Londoners were hoping for after suffering defeat to the Blades, seeing as United have already run riot over Chelsea this season.

What did he say?

Lawrenson said: “Roy Hodgson’s team are in danger of becoming known as ‘Crystal Palace nil’. It is a real worry for them – where are their goals going to come from? Until the January transfer window comes round, I think they will really struggle.”

Extremely hard to disagree

The Eagles are pretty toothless up top and it is becoming increasingly confusing as to why they didn’t sign a new striker in the summer window.

Their current options – Christian Benteke, Jordan Ayew and Connor Wickham – netted just one, one and zero goals respectively in the Premier League last season, whilst Alexander Sorloth also failed to score in the league and has since been loaned out to Trabzonspor.

The trio’s terrible goalscoring form shouldn’t come as a shock to Palace – even the season before last, they amassed just 10 league goals between each other.

That’s 12 goals in total, across two entire league campaigns, for three different professional strikers – to put it lightly, that isn’t good enough for a Premier League side.

With a real defensive gem in Aaron Wan-Bissaka now also missing, more goals may go in at the other end which further increases the need for Palace to net some themselves, but that doesn’t look like happening anytime soon.

It’s extremely hard to disagree with Lawrenson’s comments and it’s looking like a tough season for Palace.

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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… 

West Brom have started the season unbeaten, so on the face of it there shouldn’t be many concerns.

They are eighth in the table, tied on points with Fulham in fifth and only four points off Leeds United at the top – though, it is still very early days.

Underneath their three draws and two victories, there is a concerning problem beginning to simmer.

The Baggies have been rather toothless in front of the opposition goal, having scored just seven goals in five matches.

Watch West Bromwich Albion Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Though Slaven Bilic’s men rank fourth for shots per game, averaging 15.6, only 3.6 of those are on target (13th best in the league).

Just 0.6 of those shots come from inside the six-yard box, which is in the bottom five in the league, whilst Leeds are second in that statistic at 1.8 per game (per WhoScored), showing the top teams in the division are creating more chances closer to goal.

On the chalkboard

One possible solution to Bilic’s side’s woes in front of goal could be to change the system up and play with two strikers.

This is something that the Croatian has hinted at recently, saying: “It’s an option definitely, depending on the opponent, depending on our form, depending on the game.

“You don’t have to start with it, you can finish like that.

“The players we’ve got here gives us an option to play various systems.”

On the face of it, a partnership of Kenneth Zohore and Charlie Austin doesn’t seem like the perfect balance, but it might just work.

The former Cardiff striker performs better with his back to goal, recording pass success rates of 94.1%, 100% and 72.2% in his last three matches, while Austin has always been a predator in the box, as this xG diagram below shows, dating back to the 2014/15 season (per Understat).

Just two of his 34 goals since that time have come from outside the penalty area, with a big concentration coming from inside the six-yard box.

Bilic has been unable to test two up front since Austin still isn’t up to match fitness having not had much of a pre-season at all, Zohore has been dealing with a calf strain and Hal Robson-Kanu has been out through injury.

So, when two of his three strikers are fit at the same time, he should give a tweak to the system a try.

The formation would sacrifice one of their three key midfield men – Romaine Sawyers, Jake Livermore, and Filip Krovinovic, who have all impressed this season by registering passing success rates of 91.8%, 86.1% and 87.5%, per WhoScored.

While the Croatian may not want to risk the loss of midfield control just yet with his side still unbeaten, he simply must consider switching things up if the goalscoring woes continue.

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Nowadays, gambling is a big business in the UK. Online casinos started to surpass land-based locations in popularity and that is because these can be accessed from the comfort of your home. On these websites, you can enjoy various casino games and more and more platforms provide its users with a sports betting feature.

According to the latest UKGC data available, just gambling on football was worth £1.4 billion in one year, while bookmakers made £333.4 million profits from 2015 to 2016. That sounds like a lot, but when reading about these figures, you can’t help wondering if your regular betting bloke also has something to gain from this industry. That’s why we decided to write about a handful of gambling success stories, to show you that yes, you can hit the jackpot big time if you play your cards right or if the good old Fortune chooses to smile on you.

The man that betted on his grandson and won

In 2000, Peter Edwards, a 49 years old Welsh man, went to the nearest William Hill shop and placed a bet of £50 that one day that his toddler grandson, Harry, will make the Wales National Football team. 13 years later, against all odds, Peter’s prediction proved to be right: Harry Wilson, aged 16 at the time, made his debut for Wales. This achievement got his gramps a £125,000 win, while Harry still plays at the highest level of British football, as a winger in the Premier League and also continues to be a reliable member of the Welsh national team.

The 61-year-old engineer that became a millionaire by betting £2

Winning large sums of money by betting on horse racing is no easy job, even for the most seasoned and lucky gamblers out there. One fateful day of 2011, Steve Whitley, a 61-year-old heating engineer, landed the big Jackpot at a horse racing competition. His presence there was a rare stroke of luck: he benefited from a promotion that won him and his friends some free tickets to the racecourse. One of his mates told him to get into the race towards the Jackpot, and so he did, betting £2 on six horses, one in each race. At the end of the day, his £2 bet on Lupita, the last horse standing, got him £1,445,671.20. Previously, Lupita had been beaten in all her 28 races, so imagine what sort of gods you need on your side to strike gold in such a manner.

How 50 pence can turn into one million pounds

In Britain, there’s something special about turning 60 years old. That’s when the pagan gods of Luck seem to operate. I imagine Tyche, the ancient Greek goddess of fortune, sitting in her penthouse on Mount Olympus, looking down on us mortals and saying something like: “oh, look, good old Fred over there in Yorkshire just reached his sixties, better throw some blind luck his way!” Because this is exactly what happened to Fred Crags, from Northern England, who placed an accumulator bet of 50 pence on horse races all over the country and, when he returned to his local William Hill agency to place another bet, he found out that his previous attempt got him the £1 million jackpot. One of the eight winning horses picked by him was “A Dream Come True”, who competed against odds of 2 million to one.

Roofer turned professional gambler

If you skim through dozens of news articles about amazing betting wins, you will inevitably see Mick Gibbs’ name mentioned. A roofer by day, skilled punter by night, he started his successful betting career back in 1999, when he earned over £150,000 by correctly predicting the final results for nine football games all over Europe. Not too shabby, isn’t it? Wait, there’s more. Throughout the years, he continued gambling and, in 2001, he staked 30 pence to forecast the victories in 15 games across the old continent. All of them went exactly as he predicted, including the 2001 UEFA Champions League Final, when Bayern Munich beat Valencia on penalty kicks. This made Gibbs £500,000 wealthier. He should consider changing his name to Lucky Gibbs.

The anonymous Maltese that beat 683,738/1 odds and became rich

8 years ago, a Maltese citizen who declined to make his identity public, won over 585,000 quid. How did he manage that, you ask? Quite easy: he placed a 19-match accumulator bet for the gargantuan sum of 80 pence. All his 19 predictions proved to be correct, including a Liverpool win over Chelsea, so now he’s pretty well off. He just had to beat 683,738/1 odds, a piece of cake!

Now, these tales are truly inspiring but it’s better to stay realistic and know that everything is possible – that includes losing. The Football FanCast team advises all its readers to always be gamble aware. But, these true stories are worth remembering because they offer a glimmer of hope to all sports and gambling fans out there. They also show that you don’t need to place some ludicrously high bets and waste all your savings to hit the big Jackpot.