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According to Phil Hay of The Athletic, the FA are investigating an “issue of discrimination” following last Saturday’s game between Leeds and Charlton.

The unsavoury incident, said to be involving Kiko Casilla, has since been detailed by the Addicks themselves, although they fail to mention who it is that’s been accused in their statement.

Charlton state that the allegation was reported to referee John Brooks during the encounter.

If Casilla is indeed involved then it’s impossible to defend him for his actions and a host of Leeds supporters feel the same way.

They berated the Spaniard on social media as a result, with one saying he needed to get out of the door if he had been racist.

A fellow supporter claimed they didn’t think he could have any more mistakes left in him. The 32-year-old was also branded a pure liability. How he might have played against West Brom last night was also referenced.

Casilla has started every single one of Leeds’ matches this season but this report might well have a large impact on how his season now pans out.

Here’s what Leeds fans have been saying about him on Twitter.

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…

Aston Villa romped to their second win of the Premier League season over the weekend as they devoured Norwich City 5-1 at Carrow Road.

Their club-record summer signing Wesley doubled his tally to move to four for the season while a trio of midfielders also managed to bag goals in Jack Grealish, Conor Hourihane, and Douglas Luiz.

The victory moved Villa out of the relegation zone and into 15th, which will offer some encouragement going into the international break.

John McGinn has been one of their influential players so far this campaign, only continuing on from the excellent form which helped them towards promotion last season.

Before Saturday’s game, the Scotsman was their top goalscorer, but he does still rate out as their best player per WhoScored’s average ratings with 7.59.

On their way to winning the playoff final, McGinn scored seven goals and laid on an assist nine times, so he could well be on track for improvements in at least the goalscoring column.

It is this sort of form that saw him mooted with a move to Manchester United over the summer, especially after his fellow countryman Sir Alex Ferguson got involved, but nothing came to fruition as he signed a five-year contract extension at Villa Park.

Watch Aston Villa Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Recent reports have even suggested that the Premier League strugglers will try to sign him in January, that’s according to Noel Whelan anyway – just one point separates Villa to United, who sit 12th.

However, it’s not all been about McGinn, there’s one player who has become an integral part of Dean Smith’s midfield.

Marvelous Nakamba has been exactly what it says on the tin. He’s been a marvellous revelation.

Defensive midfield can be quite a specialist position, but the Zimbabwe international has given Smith vital stability and strength in the lower-third portion of the pitch, quickly becoming one of their most important players.

His anchorman role has allowed the likes of McGinn and Grealish freedom further up the pitch, meaning they have been able to contribute more in the attacking phase and thus, create more chances and goals – as the Norwich victory perfectly portrayed with Villa netting five times from their 22 attempts.

Nakamba has been busy yet industrious in the heart of midfield, recording at least two tackles in every game this season, while more recently, his passing abilities have been displayed as he’s registered four key passes in his last two outings.

This level of form puts him right up there with McGinn, if not slightly ahead of him. That means that if the Scot left the club in January, whoever takes his place can naturally slide in without having to worry about what’s behind him.

In some senses, Nakamba has become the vital cog in Villa’s system and his four tackles per game are fine evidence of the pillar of solidity he offers.

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

Could it be a case of the best is yet to come in regards to Birmingham City’s Ivan Sunjic?

Whilst he has clearly impressed a number of Birmingham City fans so far with his efforts, there is still the potential for his talents, and as a result the team, to flourish even further.

With an average of 2.3 tackles a game and 1.3 interceptions a game, he’s not afraid to put in a defensive shift when he needs to. Combine that with a pass completion percentage of 79.8% and you can see he’s got an ability to dictate play.

Alright, he’s not quite Andrea Pirlo in his prime, but it’s enough to keep the team ticking along.

If you have that one man in front of the defensive line taking care of the ‘dirty work’ and acting as the man to get moves started, then it allows your attacking players that little more freedom.

This is why the Blues should consider changing to a 4-3-3.

On the chalkboard

If you have Sunjic in front of that backline, you can insert two other central midfielders to control the middle of the park like Jude Bellingham and, whenever he finally breaks into the first team having spent what seemed like an eternity on trial, Josh McEachran.

As for the front three, as has been pointed out previously on FFC, if you carry on with Dan Crowley out on the right-wing, then all you need to do is figure out who is going to be playing on the other side of Lukas Jutkiewicz up top.

Whilst he’s currently injured at the moment, Jefferson Montero could be a prime candidate for that role, but in the meantime, you could place Odin Bailey or Fran Villalba there. Both of them scored last Friday so have staked their claims well in recent times.

You could even make the argument they should switch to more of a 4-2-3-1 on some occasions if they want that extra bit of protection when they play the bigger teams and have him partnered with another defensive-minded player like Gary Gardner.

Whichever way you look at it, Sunjic is the kind of pillar that Birmingham should be building a team around.

Whilst they may have a lot of options, and other names to choose from, he must be one of the first on every team sheet.

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

According to Italian outlet Calcio Mercato, Manchester City are “evaluating” Inter forward Lautaro Martinez as a potential option to eventually replace Sergio Aguero.

What’s the word?

City star Aguero has been an incredible servant for the Etihad side since joining from La Liga giants Atletico Madrid, and has already racked up a mammoth 239 goals in just 347 appearances across all competitions for the club.

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

The 31-year-old has started off the current campaign on fire too, notching eight Premier League goals in as many games for Pep Guardiola’s men. Calcio Mercato now claim that with the Argentine turning 32 next summer, the Citizens are “evaluating” Inter’s Martinez as a potential successor to their superstar forward.

The report adds trying to lure the Nerazzurri man away from Italy will be difficult, due to a hefty release clause in his contract.

The heir to the throne

Make no mistake about it, whilst Aguero appears to be defying his age with consistently supreme performances, City will eventually have to commit to turning away from their Argentinian talisman. Replacing the sheer volume of goals will undoubtedly be difficult, but Martinez has proven in his fledgling career that he has other facets to his game too.

As per Whoscored, the 22-year-old has registered two goals and an assist in the early stages of Serie A this season, but his under-lying numbers give cause for optimism for Guardiola. The Spaniard previously had a reported discussion with Aguero over his work-rate and desire to press the ball, but that does not appear to be a problem for Martinez.

Watch Manchester City Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The South American forward averages 0.7 tackles per game in the Italian top-flight, whilst in the Copa America earlier this summer, he committed two fouls per match in four appearances – whilst fouls are generally seen as a negative thing, it really showed Martinez’s willingness to do the dirty work up front.

His massive potential saw former Chelsea striker Hernan Crespo remark: “In my opinion he is the present of Inter. My friend Juan Sebastian Veron spoke very well of him, he is someone who is a footballer and he rarely has wrong judgment. Again Seba was right: Lautaro is a potential champion.”

After all of City’s dominance domestically this decade, Martinez’s description as a “potential champion” makes him the perfect fit to join the Etihad side and fill Aguero’s boots.

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…

Aston Villa’s European Cup-winning legend Dennis Mortimer has defended Dean Smith’s summer spending ahead of the meeting between his two former teams.

What’s he said?

The midfielder made over 400 appearances in the claret and blue over a decade at the club and has praised the Villa boss for the business conducted over the summer.

The west Midlands side host Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday, the club Mortimer joined for a season upon leaving Villa Park in 1985.

Watch Aston Villa Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Smith spent approximately £144.5m on 12 new players while breaking the club-record fee for Wesley at £22m.

His other signings included the permanent move for Tyrone Mings, which has now surpassed the £21m mark, Matt Targett for £17m, and Douglas Luiz for £15m.

Speaking to the Seagulls’ official website before this weekend’s fixture, Mortimer said:

“Since winning the play-off final they have bought well. There was no way they could have stayed up with the team from the Championship.

“They spent a lot of money, and more than Brighton did, or have done since. But they have gone for it and brought in good players, which is testament to the manager and his scouting system.

“Well done to Dean Smith for getting the players he has. They have the firepower, a good defence and a decent squad.”

Too early to judge

Having spent such a vast amount of money over the summer, Villa were quite rightly going to be put under the microscope, especially after they were deemed to be replicating Fulham’s exploits last year.

The Cottagers were relegated after signing a similar number of players for a fee of over £100m, though most of which came on deadline day.

Aston Villa’s summer signings’ performances so far this season are rated in the video below…

Villa started the season slowly winning just one of their seven league games, but right before the international break, they displayed the potential at which they could genuinely reach by thrashing Norwich City 5-1 – a team that beat them to the title last season.

How times change.

It should also serve as a reminder that there is still plenty of football to be played this season, so anything can happen between now and May.

Therefore, it is far too early to judge whether Smith was right or wrong to spend such vast amounts this summer.

We should reserve judgement until the Villans have proven their worth in the top-flight.

Barcelona barely got through the Champions League game against Slavia Prague.

Even though the Catalans tallied a narrow win, coming out 2-1 victors to move top of the group ahead of Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund, they struggled quite a bit against their Czech opposition away from home.

Their hosts were brave and relentless but they still fell to the Blaugrana who somehow managed to hold onto their 2-1 lead, courtesy of Lionel Messi and an own goal.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

But one player that didn’t have the best of games was their Uruguayan Pistolero, Luis Suarez.

The veteran had a big hand in causing Slavia Prague’s own goal but loads of Barca fans simply hated his overall performance in an important away game in Europe.

Many of them swarmed social media and Twitter with their comments, bashing Suarez along the way by calling him useless and wanting him benched for good in the future.

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

Check them out…

An issue that has plagued Manchester United all season, their lack of significant end product has cost them dearly already this season.

The Red Devils have scored just ten times from their opening nine Premier League games this season, and whilst much of the criticism has been placed on their misfiring forwards, the lack of creativity has also been a major issue.

The likes of Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata have combined for just one assist in the current campaign, and speaking on BT Sport on Thursday night, United legend Paul Scholes intimated that the club should be looking to sign Mesut Ozil from Arsenal.

Scholes suggested Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side could do with some of the German’s creativity, and ability to link the play between the midfield and strikers.

After hearing the former United midfielder’s transfer suggestion, Red Devils fans flooded to Twitter to voice their thoughts about the matter.

Many supporters of the Manchester side couldn’t believe what their ex-star had to say, and insisted Ozil simply isn’t of the required quality anymore.

Check out some of the stunned reaction of United fans below:

West Ham will look to end a run of five games without a win when they welcome Newcastle to the London Stadium on Saturday, and it is likely Manuel Pellegrini will look to improve on last week’s 1-1 draw rather than trying to reinvent the wheel.

That means his formation is unlikely to change and he will stick with the players who have served him well so far, so Robert Snodgrass should retain his place in the team after scoring last week.

The Hammers struggled to break down Sheffield United for large periods on Saturday – achieving only four shots on target – but they did have chances to win the match and should take confidence from that.

Find out why it’s not the football that has Newcastle fans dreading Saturday’s trip to the London Stadium in the video below…

While scoring has been somewhat of a problem for them with just 12 goals in 10 league games, they shouldn’t have to worry about the visitors’ attack – the Magpies have scored only six goals in the Premier League.

Regardless, Pellergini could still make changes to his backline by bringing in more regular names after adding Pablo Zabaleta, Fabian Balbuena and Aaron Cresswell to the occasion last time out, with Ryan Fredericks particularly important.

Here’s how West Ham will likely line-up against Steve Bruce’s side.

A settled back four is important for Roberto, but we are anticipating changes from last time out, with Angelo Ogbonna and Fredericks returning to the fold. In Fredericks and Aaron Cresswell, the Hammers have two full-backs who should be able to deal with the opposition’s threat, having averaged 2.8 and 1.8 tackles per game respectively this term.

Fredericks’ pace means he is better suited to dealing with Allan Saint-Maximin than Pablo Zabaleta, too, and if West Ham can keep him quiet then it boosts their chances of winning.

Speaking of the flanks, we are predicting Andriy Yarmolenko and Felipe Anderson will keep their places. The latter is out of form having failed to score or assist in October but remains West Ham’s best option from the left, while Yarmolenko provided the assist last time out.

Breaking down the opposition will ultimately rely on the front four. Snodgrass twice got into good goalscoring positions last week, finishing one of them, and showed more determination in that area than Lanzini has this season, having averaged just 1.2 shots per game so far.

As a result, the Scot is likely to be trusted once again, and if he can support Sebastien Haller and supply him with crosses, then Pellegrini’s side should take all three points.

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…

Charlie Nicholas believes that the visit of Bournemouth is a game Newcastle could win quite easily, particularly given their current form.

What did he say?

Newcastle have performed well in spurts this season but one thing they lack is consistency, having failed to register back-to-back wins in the Premier League.

The Cherries have recorded two away wins so far, more than the Magpies have managed at St James’ Park, so they will be no pushovers, and should be feeling buoyant after ending a goal drought of nearly six hours against Manchester United last week.

Nicholas suggested that Bruce is an attack-minded manager who is doing the best he can with the players at his disposal, but he did point to three players who could provide the key going forward.

Writing in his Premier League predictions for Sky Sports, he said:

“I know Steve Bruce likes to play attacking football, but he cannot do so with this team. Miguel Almiron is like a little whippet who cannot slow down to finish.

“The fans love him as he is energetic, which I do like about him, but the other phases of his play need to come sharpish. Allan Saint-Maximin is skilful and unpredictable, while Jonjo Shelvey is back in the team. If Newcastle win, they are heading towards the top end of the table.”

The former striker also noted the Cherries’ prowess in attack, stating they “can cause any team problems”, which is a worry for the Magpies given Martin Dubravka has had to make 36 saves this year – the joint-third highest amount in the division.

Will counter-attack style work?

Newcastle have struggled at home in the main this term. From their five league games at St James’ Park they have scored just three goals and a lack of ambition and ideas going forward has let them down.

The front-three showed signs of potential in the win over West Ham last week, but they had space to run into and the counter-attack worked in Newcastle’s favour.

At home to Bournemouth it is likely that they won’t get such joy in behind the defence, and that could limit the influence of the wingers, particularly Almiron.

That being said, it is difficult to envisage Bruce moving away from his settled system of five-at-the-back, but with the Cherries’ front-three often prolific, scoring 35 goals between them last season, and Joshua King finding his scoring boots last week, that may be the best option to nullify the visitors’ attack.

If Newcastle manage that, they may only need one goal to win it in order to record their first back-to-back victories this term.

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…

Tottenham Hotspur attacker Son Heung-Min has confirmed that he did not celebrate his goals against Red Star Belgrade out of respect for Everton’s Andre Gomes, per BT Sport via The Evening Standard.

What’s the word?

The South Korea international was at the centre of his Portugal counterpart’s grisly injury during the clash between the two clubs at Goodison Park on Sunday.

Son fouled Gomes on the left wing and, as the latter fell, he subsequently sustained a fracture-dislocation of his ankle, leaving the Spurs star in tears prior to his sending off.

The red card has since been rescinded – meaning he will be available for Spurs’ upcoming Premier League games – and he scored twice as Mauricio Pochettino’s men thumped Red Star Belgrade 4-0 on Wednesday evening.

However, instead of celebrating, Son merely gestured apologetically towards the camera, and he has explained that he still feels sorry about the incident, having been in contact with Gomes since the issue.

He said: “Of course it has been a really tough few days but I have realised how lucky I am with all the support I have had from the fans and my team-mates.

“I can say I’m really sorry for the accident and the situation but I had to focus for the team and I had to keep going and it was the right response to all the people who have supported me. I didn’t want to celebrate because I just want to respect the situation.

“Of course, I still feel really sorry about this situation. It’s been a few tough days. I wish Andre Gomes gets well soon and best wishes.”

A measure of the man

This is just genuinely heart-warming stuff from Son.

Not only is he blossoming into a genuinely world-class forward for Spurs – he has scored seven goals in 14 outings this season – he appears to be a respectful and humble guy to boot.

His gestures on Wednesday were remarkably classy and prove that Gomes was at the forefront of Son’s mind.

That he managed to perform as he did on the night, even after the horrible events at Goodison Park, is a further testament to just how good Son is on the pitch.

Off the pitch, he appears to be a diamond too.