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Juan Mata’s time at Manchester United could soon be coming to an end.

The Spaniard, signed by David Moyes from Chelsea in 2014, is out of contract the end of the season. Despite there reportedly being an option in his deal for the Red Devils to extend his stay at Old Trafford, that is something that they should avoid and thus, they should bring his seven-year stint at the club to an end.

Mata, a reliable servant for the Red Devils in that time, is now not the player he once was.

Now at the age of 32, he has fallen down the pecking order considerably for a midfield berth. The likes of Bruno Fernandes, Donny van de Beek and Paul Pogba are all likely to be picked ahead of the former Valencia man – and this is indicated in Mata’s opportunities this season, with him having only made eight starts in 2020/21, just four of those coming in the Premier League.

As a matter of fact, the midfielder has only completed 90 minutes on three occasions, highlighting how somewhat obsolete in the squad he has become.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-man-united-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=” Latest Man United transfer rumours and news!”]

In his time on the pitch, Mata’s numbers are actually the lowest that they have ever been. He only has two goals and three assists in all competitions this season, making 2020/21 the least productive season of his career.

The 41-cap Spanish international is now only averaging 0.8 shots and just over one key pass per game according to WhoScored which again are amongst some of the lowest numbers of his career.

Despite being previously hailed as “class” by fellow United midfielder Scott McTominay, the fact that Mata is no longer contributing is certainly a problem considering that he is earning £160k per week at Old Trafford.

With there no longer appearing to be a space in the squad for him, it is now time to bring Mata’s chapter at Manchester United to a close.

AND in more news, take a look at which United star has picked up a gutting injury whilst on international duty…

Carlo Ancelotti should urge Everton to swoop for SK Slavia Prague forward Abdallah Sima in the summer transfer window, to land his Theo Walcott heir.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, the Goodison Park natives have begun monitoring Sima’s situation following his remarkable rise at the Czech Republic outfit.

The Senegalese forward was awarded his senior debut by manager Jindrich Trpisovsky last September after quickly progressing from the Cervenobili’s Under 23s, having initially been signed for the youth ranks at the Sinobo Stadium from FC MAS Taborsko in August.

Sima struck four goals in six games under academy coach Marek Jarolim, and has gone on to net 15 in 22 first-team outings across all competitions. The 19-year-old bagged his latest effort away to Leicester City on Thursday to eliminate the Foxes from the Europa League.

West Ham, Arsenal and Manchester United have previously been linked with interest in the 6 ft 2 forward, but they are now claimed to have been joined by Everton.

Slavia are expected to listen to offers for Sima at the end of the season, with club President Jaroslav Tvrdik telling iSport in December that his Fortuna Liga outfit were opposed to a winter sale after turning down a €10m (£8.5m) approach.

The Toffees are in the process of building their shortlist of options to target during the next summer market, after majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri made it clear to Ancelotti that he and Director of Football Marcel Brands will have a £100m-plus budget to work with.

Should Everton sign Sima?

It remains to be seen how highly Tvrdik will value Sima in the off-season, having rejected the chance to part with the teenager in January, confident that the forward will continue to develop under Trpisovsky so long as he stays healthy and on-form.

Sima has certainly done that, having only been rested in one MOL Cup tie and omitted from one Fortuna Liga squad since earning his debut, while netting five goals and providing three of his five assists for the season during his last seven outings across all competitions.

Sima is also blessed with blistering pace, able to operate through the centre as well as on the other wing, and has been described by West Ham star Tomas Soucek as a “typical winger”.

Soucek joined the Irons from Slavia Prague but departed the Sinobo Stadium before Sima’s arrival, yet he is aware of his Premier League side’s interest in the forward and is “excited” by his potential.

Everton moving to beat the Hammers to the punch could see Ancelotti land his Walcott heir, having yet signed a player to replace the ex-Arsenal dynamo at Goodison Park.

Walcott is due to be out of contract in the summer and is unlikely to return to Merseyside following his season on loan with Southampton, where boss Ralph Hasenhuttl has previously admitted to being keen on agreeing a longer-term contract for the former England international.

Sima would be expected to offer Ancelotti the same pace and runs in behind defenders that Walcott initially brought to Goodison Park, and with a clear eye for goals and assists that often avoided the 31-year-old.

Walcott was involved in just 20 efforts (11 scored, nine created) in 85 appearances with the Toffees before moving to St. Mary’s Stadium.

Sima, though, has shown promise in the Czech Republic and in the Europa League that he could better that output if signed.

AND in other news, a £16m-rated enforcer is open to a summer transfer following Everton’s interest…

Crystal Palace’s on-loan forward Michy Batshuayi has certainly not had the best of times since joining Chelsea from Marseille.

The Belgian has been farmed out on four separate loan deals away from Stamford Bridge, making a total of just 77 appearances for the Londoners since his arrival nearly five years ago.

Now, he has been encouraged to depart the club permanently by former Belgium hero and compatriot Erwin Vandenbergh.

However, having twice signed the 27-year-old on temporary deals twice in the past, Steve Parish and the Eagles should avoid making a permanent move.

It is fair to say that Batshuayi’s second loan spell at Selhurst Park has not gone as positively as the first. Having scored six goals in 13 appearances during the second-half of 2018/19, he has scored just once in 18 showings this time around.

This run of poor form is not entirely surprising considering that he has not managed to score double figures in a single season since the 2017/18 campaign, the second-half of which he spent with German giants Borussia Dortmund.

Batshuayi’s confidence in front of goal appears to have totally evaporated due to that barren run of form. He is now only averaging 0.7 shots per game in the Premier League this season according to WhoScored, a hugely disappointing record for a striker.

At the age of 27, Batshuayi is certainly not a young forward and he should be in his peak but this new low appears to have plunged his future in the Premier League into doubt.

Rated at £10.8m and out of contract at Stamford Bridge next summer, a move for the Belgian may not actually be too costly in the near future.

However, with a recent record as poor as his, Palace’s funds really should not be spent on securing a permanent deal for Batshuayi.

AND in more news, the Eagles should also avoid signing Sheffied United man John Lundstram…

Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho is thought to be interested in bringing Eder Militao to north London, according to Mundo Deportivo.

The ‘Special One’ wants central defensive reinforcements during the January transfer window, which is hardly a surprise given his lack of faith in Davinson Sanchez, who has been snubbed from his Premier League starting XI 11 times, and Joe Rodon, who was signed as one for the future.

Over at Real Madrid, the Brazillian centre-back just isn’t getting regular game time under Zinedine Zidane having featured for only 224 minutes this term.

Despite costing the La Liga giants €50m (£45m) from Porto, Militao is still fourth-choice, so a switch to Spurs could prove to be beneficial for all involved.

And we’ve already seen first-hand how successful that can be when Daniel Levy clinched the signing of Sergio Reguilon out of nowhere.

In September, the 23-year-old flew into north London on the chairman’s private jet alongside Gareth Bale, who himself sealed a sensational return to the club.

He cost a total of £32m, as per Sky Sports, and has arguably been one of Spurs’ players of the season alongside Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

The Spaniard is the only player not named Harry Kane or Heung-min Son to record more than one assist, and is averaging 1.8 tackles per game in the Premier League, which shows he’s doing his defensive duties just as well too, via WhoScored.

In reality, Mourinho didn’t really need Reguilon as they had Ben Davies, Ryan Sessegnon and Danny Rose under contract and in some ways, it’s a similar situation in the middle as he isn’t really light on options.

But when a player of Militao’s quality is reportedly available, then you cannot turn your nose up at him so if Levy was to move, he’d be repeating this exact masterstroke.

Barcelona superstar and Madrid arch-rival Lionel Messi dubbed the £104k-per-week beast a “phenomenal talent and a fierce competitor” to Give Me Sport.

That’s as glowing of an endorsement as you’ll ever get.

The 22-year-old defender is averaging more tackles (2.2) and interceptions (1.9) per game throughout his career than either of Mourinho’s first-choice pairing, Eric Dier and Toby Alderweireld, this season – so clearly he’d be a welcome alternative in the role.

Spurs could find themselves another Reguilon with a swoop for the £27m-rated gem.

AND in other news, 16% duels won: Spurs must think twice on pathetic £30m star, Mourinho surely fuming…

Callum Wilson has revealed how long he will be out of action for as Newcastle United suffered a fresh injury blow that will impact them for most of, if not the rest of, the 2020/21 term.

Writing on his official Twitter page, the former AFC Bournemouth ace has confirmed that he will ‘miss the next few months’ due to an injury to his hamstring to which he said that he is ‘disappointed’ by.

Wilson injury a big blow to Newcastle

The latest injury setback for Wilson will come as a big blow to Steve Bruce and the St. James’ Park faithful.

The England international was the Tyneside club’s main source of goals, with 10 strikes and a further five assists from just 21 games in the Premier League so far in the 2020/21 term (Transfermarkt).

However, it looks likely that he may well miss the rest of the season, meaning that the Magpies will now have to look elsewhere for goals, which will be a worry at they have not been able to find many throughout the campaign.

The next highest goalscorer for the Toon is Miguel Almiron with five, and no other member of the squad has more than three so far (Transfermarkt), meaning that Newcastle’s players will all need to step up their game in front of goal.

The likes of Dwight Gayle and Andy Carroll may get extended runs in the team now, as the onus is now very much on the other strikers at Newcastle to try and find the back of the net as often as Wilson was able to do. If they can’t, the Magpies could well find themselves getting dragged into a relegation battle.

In other news, find out what Liam Kennedy has been told may accelerate the potential takeover here!

Tottenham Hotspur got back to winning ways in the Premier League earlier this afternoon by defeating Leeds United at home, though what should have been a perfect display was somewhat marred by one player’s performance.

Matt Doherty.

The £15m summer signing hasn’t lived up to expectations thus far in the capital, and after that display, he has it all to do to convince anyone that he should be starting over Serge Aurier.

His shocking match was epitomised by his clumsy and needless injury-time dismissal, his second booking in the space of half an hour.

Harry Kane opened the scoring for Spurs from the spot before becoming their provider for the second, feeding Heung-min Son with a deft low-cross before half-time before Toby Alderweireld’s near-post header sealed all three points.

Per SofaScore, no other player playing in white colours recorded a worse rating than the 6.4 brought in by Doherty – even seven of United’s stars managed better.

The £18m-rated Irishman committed a game-high five fouls, so the writing was really on the wall in terms of bookings, whilst he also lost possession 19 times and won only 38.9% of his duels both on the ground and in the air.

Doherty was wasteful with the ball too, making just 71% of his 35 passing attempts, of which he completed none of his three long balls and didn’t even record a single cross all game.

Alasdair Gold backed this up in his post-match ratings for football.london. He handed the 28-year-old a 5/10 and claimed he was “sloppy.”

Similarly, Dan Kilpatrick at the Evening Standard put his abysmal outing down to a “lack of confidence.”

The £65k-per-week arrival from Wolves was someone that Jose Mourinho was “so happy” to sign in the summer window as he “hates to play against him,” as per an interview with Spurs TV.

But the fact that Aurier has usurped him for much of the season shows that maybe his view has changed, and after that absolute betrayal in getting sent off, we could well see the Ivorian come back in as first-choice in the coming fixtures.

AND in other news, Spurs could finally replace Eriksen with £22.5m-rated “machine” who has the “devil” inside him…

No matter who seems to be placed in charge of Sunderland Football Club, it would appear that they are destined for mediocrity.

The Mackems haven’t won at home since November and they are yet to pick up three points at the Stadium of Light under Lee Johnson.

There have been signs of improvement – a 4-0 win over promotion hopefuls Lincoln proved as much. However, when they’ve played in the north-east, things haven’t gone well.

It’s a squad ravaged by injuries and it showed on Monday evening when they slipped to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Plymouth.

Defensively, it was a horrendous night for Johnson’s men, a team that showed few signs of the solidity they demonstrated in their 3-0 win over Wimbledon.

Though, the chief suspect in the defeat was Callum McFadzean. The left-back combined nicely to set up Aiden O’Brien’s strike but in defence, he was particularly abject, arguably at fault for both goals.

Plymouth’s first goal – scored by Adam Lewis after 11 minutes – came following some eye-catching interlinking play on their right-hand side. Passes were exchanged just inside the area but McFadzean didn’t get close enough to his man and didn’t attempt to make a tackle. As a result, Sunderland conceded.

It was a similar story for Joe Edwards’ winner. The ball was worked down the Mackems’ left-hand side again where McFadzean completely let go of his marker. Had he picked the runner or tucked in more, he could have prevented a goal.

It was an awful night for the defender who was standing in for the injured Denver Hume. He suffered a setback in his bid to return to fitness and with potentially two months before he returns to action again, this performance was concerning.

He lost possession 17 times – the third most of anyone on the pitch – while the 27-year-old failed to make a single tackle. Given the focus of Plymouth’s attacks were down McFadzean’s channel, this is incredibly damning.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time the full-back has disappointed in recent months. He gave away a penalty against Wimbledon last month and on too many occasions since he came into the side, Johnson has been let down.

You can make a case for him to be dropped. After all, Dion Sanderson helped to keep a clean sheet while playing at left-back during the Black Cats’ draw with Northampton. He played at right-back on Monday evening, but Max Power can easily play there.

He was a big threat from that position on the pitch when Sunderland beat Port Vale in the Papa John’s trophy.

With McFadzean offering very little from a defensive point of view, Johnson must consider this tactical change going forward.

After all, he should be seething with his left-back’s performance on Monday. He cost Sunderland considerably with his inability to defend.

AND in other news, Speakman can end Johnson’s big SAFC dilemma with swoop for “clever and skilful” 20 y/o…

Stewart Donald must deliver Sunderland supporters a parting gift and rebuff Premier League interest in teen sensation Adam Richardson, amid rumoured interest from Wolves and Manchester United.

What’s the word?

According to The Sun (15/11, p65), Wolverhampton Wanderers are leading the race to sign Richardson and are confident of a deal with the January window fast approaching.

The 17-year-old’s efforts in the Black Cats academy have also sparked club chiefs to pay attention at Old Trafford, having already raided the Stadium of Light for teenage left-back Logan Pye this year.

Manchester United poached Joe Hugill for a measly £300,000, too, and have seen the 6 ft 2 centre-forward with a wand for a left foot impress from the off with a brace in his U18 Premier League debut before striking three in five PL2 appearances.

But Hugill and Pye are not seemingly set to be reunited with Richardson, as the young goalkeeper is said to be on course for a deal with Wolves that the Molineux outfit hope to wrap up early in the New Year.

Richardson only penned his first professional Sunderland contract this February, committing his future to the Black Cats ahead of a move into the U18s after eight years at the club.

Sunderland fought off top-flight and Championship interest to keep the exciting 17-year-old and will be hopeful of doing so again as Wolves and Manchester United circle the North East.

Donald’s parting gift

With Donald in talks with a consortium led by minority shareholder Juan Sartori and Kyril Louis-Dreyfus to sell Sunderland, the Oxfordshire-based businessman can end his spell as majority owner by handing Black Cats supporters a parting gift and retain Richardson.

The 17-year-old shot-stopper is yet to make his first-team debut but was included in the matchday squad by manager Phil Parkinson for last week’s EFL Trophy clash with Fleetwood Town.

His efforts in the youth grades also made it pivotal for the Stadium of Light natives to agree a first professional contract with Richardson following efforts with England’s U17s, who noted at the time of his deal just how proud being a Black Cats player was to him.

“I’m incredibly proud to have signed this contract and I can’t quite believe it,” he told the official Black Cats website. “I have been at Sunderland since I was eight, so it means a lot to me to have committed my future to the club.”

Academy goalkeeping coach Mark Prudhoe added how highly Sunderland staff rate Richardson, too, noting: “I am delighted that Adam has signed a contract with the club. He is a great young goalkeeper coming through our system and we are all excited by his potential.

“Hopefully he can eat that potential up, and if he does, I think we might have another graduate coming along sooner rather than later.”

Sunderland fans will no doubt be infuriated if the Black Cats allow Richardson to leave, having already lost emerging stars Pye and Hugill in the last year alone.

AND in other news, Phil Parkinson will be kicking himself for allowing a £5m Sunderland gem to leave for free.

David Moyes must find a solution for Tomas Soucek’s struggles after frequently being caught out of position as West Ham United beat Aston Villa on Monday night.

Moyes handed the Czech Republic international his 10th start of the Premier League season for the visit of Dean Smith’s Villans, who arrived in east London within three-points of the Champions League places following Leicester City’s surprise loss at relegation-threatened Fulham.

A win for West Ham saw the Irons move ahead of the Birmingham-based outfit and up to fifth place, and could now go third with a win over Manchester United on Saturday evening.

Moyes will need to see an improved performance from Soucek if the Scottish coach is to orchestrate a victory over his former employer, who he has only beat on four occasions in his managerial career despite facing them 28 times across all competitions.

Soucek had been one of Moyes’ standout stars of the season so far prior to the visit of Villa, but failed to deliver the same impact at either end of the field with no key passes and one shot that was off-target, plus just one touch (38) more and one fewer accurate passes (12) than goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, per WhoScored.

Former Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville was far from impressed with Soucek’s positioning, in particular, having felt the £19.1million summer signing was too rash in applying pressure that he exposed his defensive teammates.

“An old principle. If you think about central midfield play, coaches would always say that a central midfield player, in this case Soucek, furthest away from the ball, he should be able to see his mate’s back and read what’s on the back of his shirt,” Neville said during Sky Sports’ coverage of Monday night’s game (30/11, 20:55).

“You look at Soucek, he just gets drawn forward and leaves that space. That’s the place you’ve got to block. Every coach in football now stops that ball into the strikers and forwards.”

Moyes can ill-afford to see Soucek similarly be caught out of position when Manchester United visit the London Stadium this weekend, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Red Devils boasting the Premier League’s fifth-most active offence with 13.8 shots a game, and with the second-most coming from outside the penalty area (44%), per WhoScored.

The Old Trafford natives are far more inclined to try their luck from range than inside the six-yard box (2%, a league-low), while forward Anthony Martial registers a large per cent of his 37.8 touches per game on the edge of the opponents’ area – where Soucek was often not found against West Ham.

AND in other news, David Moyes dodged a £34m bullet in “incredible” rocket West Ham eyed this summer.

With over 100 games for the club now, Neil Taylor has proven himself to be a shrewd signing for Aston Villa over these past few years.

The Wales international joined from Swansea back in January 2017, in a deal that saw Jordan Ayew head in the opposite direction. Taylor played a major part in Villa earning promotion to the Premier League for last season, including playing every single minute during the Championship play-offs.

But the 31-year-old fell out of favour when Dean Smith’s side reached the top-flight, making just 14 appearances in the league, with Matt Targett being Villa’s first-choice at left-back.

Now, with his contract coming to an end following the culmination of this season, Villa will have to make a tough decision on whether to extend his £45k-a-week deal.

If Smith sees the full-back as a vital part of his squad due to his leadership or presence in the dressing room, then perhaps the club should consider giving him a shorter-term contract.

But if Villa are looking at it from a purely footballing perspective, and what he can offer on the pitch, then sadly, Taylor’s decline should make it a relatively simple choice to make.

As per Whoscored, when you compare his stats from last season and the one before, all of his numbers in the key categories for a full-back have gone down considerably – some sharper than others.

His tackles per game have gone down from 1.7 to 1.1, he’s been dribbled past twice as much (0.3 to 0.6), his key passes have dropped from 0.6 to 0.4, and his attempted cross have gone from 0.3 to 0.1.

It’s a far cry from the time Robbie Savage once lauded him as “one of the best in the Premier League” when he was at Swansea, and if Villa are to truly mean business, then they need to move on from under-performing players.