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As Jamie Carragher so eloquently exclaimed on an edition of Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, “no-one wants to grow up and be a Gary Neville”. The former Liverpool man’s comical dig at his fellow pundit struck a chord – it may have been a bit of banter, but it provided a searingly honest insight into how we perceive the full-back position.

Scoring long-range screamers or making a crunching last-ditch tackle is the stuff of dreams. Not hurtling yourself forwards for 70 yards to overlap the winger, only for them cut inside and smash it into Row Z. It’s certainly not, traditionally speaking, the most glamorous of roles football has to offer.

But in recent years in the Premier League, it has become an increasingly important position, and some of the top-flight’s biggest sides have really exploited its growing potential. Manchester City and Liverpool have been the key pioneers in shining a new light on full-backs, and that has undoubtedly been shown by the manner of their spending in the transfer market, and their influence on the pitch.

As more and more teams opt for this more modern approach of having wingers operate as inside forwards – think Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane at Anfield, or Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva at the Etihad – having full-backs who can help maintain the width is invaluable. In attacking phases of play, they can hug the by-line in the final third of the pitch, and either offer a crossing opportunity from deep, or a dangerous run in behind the defence.

Last year, Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold showed the world just how effective they can be going forward despite being classed as ‘defenders’. The former racked up 13 assists across all competitions (11 of them coming just in the Premier League), and the latter went that little bit further with 16 assists in total (12 of them in the top-flight).

After one particularly impressive outing last season against Waftord, in which Alexander-Arnold registered a hat-trick of assists in a 5-0 win, Jurgen Klopp remarked: “It’s important. That’s modern football. If you ask a young boy ‘What’s your favourite position?’ I don’t think a lot of boys will say ‘I want to be a full-back!’ But football has changed. They became much more important.”

But whilst Liverpool have built their attacking charge with full-backs, Pep Guardiola at City has had a different use for them – namely as players with more central positions. The likes of Kyle Walker and Fabian Delph in previous campaigns have been seen to occupy spaces just in front of their two centre-backs, before firing the ball out wide to the wingers hugging the touch-line.

The Etihad side’s boss has always been keen to dominate the ball, and overloading the midfield areas with another of couple of players from more unorthodox positions really boggles the mind of the opposition.

Such is their importance to his team, that it is no surprise to see the Manchester outfit feature prominently in the list of most expensive full-backs in Premier League history. For all of the talk about City’s emphasis on scoring goals and having world-class attackers, they’ve spent serious sums on bolstering their options at full back.

The purchase of Joao Cancelo earlier in the summer really underlined how valuable Guardiola sees the unfancied position. Despite having Kyle Walker as a bona-fide first-team star, the Spaniard felt compelled to bring in a £60m man to compete for the one spot. Having technically proficient full-backs who can slot into central midfield gives the City manager another string to his tactical bow.

Gone are the days of a Nigel Winterburn or a Denis Irwin, intent on protecting the back-four and keeping clean sheets. Now they’re as much a part of the attacking game-plan as the number nines. So when this new generation of kids grow up, they may not be dreaming of becoming the next Neville. But there will be some dreaming of becoming the new Alexander-Arnold or Benjamin Mendy.

And doesn’t that just say it all?

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

Manchester United remain interested in Jadon Sancho, according to the Manchester Evening News, but they should take careful consideration before submitting a concrete offer.

What’s the latest?

Sancho is hot property due to his form for Borussia Dortmund, but he hasn’t translated that onto the international stage as of yet, and that should be a warning sign to the Red Devils.

It is reported that the winger will cost upwards of £100m, a hefty price for a player with only 66 senior appearances for the German club, and though he has displayed his talent frequently with 18 goals and 30 assists, the standard of the Bundesliga is not quite on the level of the Premier League.

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As a result, he may take some time to re-adjust to playing in England, and he may not be afforded such a period at United, where immediate success may be needed after their worst start to a season in 30 years.

Sancho’s failure to deliver against the Czech Republic on Friday highlights the possible problem of the move and raises questions over whether he would be a good fit at United.

Not the solution

England underwhelmed as they lost 2-1 on Friday and that was partly due to a lack of inspiration in attack, with only three shots on target from open play.

As a player who should be providing a creative spark, Sancho failed in that aspect, whilst his pass accuracy of 72% underlined that his display didn’t meet the standard required.

Perhaps more of a concern, from a United perspective, was his failure to take up good attacking positions, with zero shots attempted throughout the match.

Although he has three league goals for Dortmund this term, it is sometimes a similar story at club level, with an average 1.4 shots taken per league game, and therefore he may be unable to address a key area of weakness for the Old Trafford outfit.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team scored only two league goals in September, yet Daniel James’ rate of two shots per league game and Marcus Rashford’s 2.6 are better than Sancho, which suggests he may not improve the team’s threat in the final third.

The 19-year-old is often recognised for his dribbling ability too, and the ease at which he takes the ball past opponents is likely one area of his game which appeals to the United hierarchy, but the fact that he had just one successful dribble against the Czech Republic raises doubts over his ability to perform against higher quality players in the Premier League.

Darren Bent has suggested that Arsenal could try to sign Tottenham Hotspur defender Jan Vertonghen in the summer, per Football Insider.

What’s he said?

The Belgium international’s current contract expires at the end of the season.

Thus, he could be available on a free transfer if he fails to agree new terms with Mauricio Pochettino’s men.

And Bent, who played for Spurs between 2007 and 2009, is concerned that the Gunners could swoop, as they famously did for Sol Campbell in 2001, when the ex-England defender moved across north London on a free.

He said: “Jan Vertonghen, playing at the centre of the defence, are there too many more that are going to be better than him? If you’re going to take him on a free, Arsenal could do with him.

“If he’s on a free don’t be surprised if they’re in the mix for him as well. I think it’s a situation they need to address but at the same time I wouldn’t want to see these players walk away for nothing.

“It’s a difficult one, they’re down to a free, they’re obviously not going to sign new contracts so what do you do?”

Arsenal could do a lot worse

This makes some sense bearing in mind Vertonghen’s contract situation.

Arsenal currently have the likes of Shkodran Mustafi and David Luiz in their defence and one has to believe that Vertonghen would be a major upgrade on that.

After all, this is a player who has twice made it into the Premier League Team of the Year and made last term’s Champions League squad of the season.

He may be 32 – and Spurs may have started the season poorly with 13 goals conceded already – but he’s nearing 300 appearances for the club and remains perhaps their most assured centre-back, someone who can defend resolutely but also play out of the backline.

The Gunners could certainly use his experience and reliability at the heart of their defence, acquiring it while directly weakening their local and key divisional rivals, but it remains to be seen whether or not Vertonghen would be willing to become a pariah for Spurs fans.

If he is, Arsenal could grab themselves a massive bargain. They should at least ask the question.

And as we are slowly counting the hours until the first Madrid derby of the ongoing 2019/20 campaign, Zinedine Zidane is definitely gearing up and getting his tactics in place as well.

It may be still pretty early in the season, seeing how we’re only six games in, but these are the kind of clashes that have the power to define a whole campaign on their own.

In Spain, alongside El Clasico of course, the huge clash between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid are definitely on that list. And seeing how, as it currently stands, it will be a bout between the first and the third-placed team in the league table, it suddenly becomes even more interesting and more importantly, it adds additional weight to it.

And while Zidane has actually urged his players to stay calm and collected ahead of a clash of this magnitude, he could actually use a bit of flair and sheer unpredictability if he wants to successfully turn the tides in his favour.

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After all, his troops are facing a team that is yet to be defeated at their home ground of Wanda Metropolitano stadium and seeing how, despite their recent rise in form, Los Blancos have been mostly inconsistent this season.

So far, they have already dropped points on two occasions in La Liga and have lost their opening clash in the Champions League. Still, they are top of the table at the moment of writing so not everything is gloomy and sad.

In fact, the Galacticos have kept a clean sheet in the last two games they’ve played and are seemingly on a turning point in the ongoing season. It will be extremely important for Zidane to keep this great momentum going and for that very reason, he should consider giving both Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes a role to play in this Madrid derby.

Yes, it does sound risky throwing your teenagers into the fire of the Wanda Metropolitano but seeing how neither of them have been really played on a consistent basis throughout their stay at the club, Real Madrid can actually use them as a secret weapon Atletico Madrid will not be expecting to see.

Not to mention that both players seem to be rising in form as they’ve both rattled the net of Osasuna in their mid-week fixture at the Santiago Bernabeu. And both strikes were absolute peaches, to say the least.

A big part also lies in that mentality.

Both young players must be feeling rather confident and fired up at the moment so this is a perfect opportunity to aim that extra energy towards a good target, and what better target than your big city rivals?

Besides, that can also play a big role in their overall development as players. Big games are where the real talents are separated from the one-season wonders and such, and sometimes, players like Vinicius and Rodrygo just need a little push to fully emerge from their cocoons.

That is not to say, however, that they absolutely have to start the game at the Wanda Metropolitano but it would be wise of Zidane to use them at one point in the game.

With the attacking trident of Eden Hazard, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale in his squad, it’s definitely difficult to see anyone usurp their places just yet. Maybe in the future but at the moment, their status as first-team players in the gala XI is practically set in stone as long as they’re healthy and fit to play.

But wouldn’t it be glorious for Real Madrid to unleash their super-subs on their city rivals and watch them wreak havoc in their midsts?

It’s a pretty bold move for Zidane to consider but you know what they say about fortune and those who are bold.

Be bold, Zidane, and it just might pay off.

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… 

Leeds suffered a huge blow on Wednesday as it was confirmed that club captain Liam Cooper would be out for six weeks.

Cooper has been a huge figure at the back under Marcelo Bielsa and was named in the PFA Team of the Year last season.

Since then, he’s been handed a new deal and been part of a backline alongside Ben White that’s only conceded five times in 2019/20.

He’s only missed one league outing this season and without him, there could be concerns over the defence.

After all, during pre-season, supporters were worried by the prospect of Gaetano Berardi featuring. They’ve begun to change their minds on the Swiss defender but even so, he’s still an incredibly unreliable figure.

Since joining the west Yorkshire club he’s been handed six red cards. It seems like an unfathomable amount so whether or not he can be trusted is up for debate.

20-year-old Pascal Struijk is someone that could prosper in his place while Luke Ayling is also a viable option.

The 28-year-old was handed a new four-year deal this week despite only returning from injury.

However, he might have to be fast-tracked back into a central role, rather than the more familiar right-back position he’s occupied previously.

Ayling hasn’t played at centre-half for ten months. The last time he featured there was in the FA Cup third round all the way back at the beginning of January.

He’s featured just four times for Leeds in that role in the Championship but overall it’s a position that he’s taken up 27 times in the second tier, according to Transfermarkt.

During that time he’s kept just six clean sheets and conceded a whopping 45 goals – something that might be an issue.

Just one of those clean sheets have come in a Leeds shirt but he’s still been solid individually.

Why are Leeds fans the best in the country? Find out in the video below…

According to WhoScored, Ayling has managed 1.7 tackles per game and 1.8 interceptions each outing. That final statistic equates to more than he made at right-back in 2018/19.

He’s meanwhile won an average of 2.8 aerial duels per game as a central defender.

It could be that this position drives the best out of his reading of the game and with Stuart Dallas unlikely to be moved from the right, it’s in the middle where the former Arsenal man’s imminent future might lie.

Whether Bielsa opts for the Lambeth-born man at centre-back remains to be seen, but he’s certainly someone to consider.

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Loads of West Ham fans have been running the rule over the week’s action, and they’re very happy with the resurgence of Angelo Ogbonna.

West Ham were beaten 1-0 by Manchester City on Wednesday, but the Hammers did themselves justice with a stern defensive performance.

The hosts at the Etihad had 76 per cent of the possession and 20 shots to just two for their visitors, so the Hammers’ defence had to be at their very best to keep the score down.

Ogbonna was certainly at his best, dominating physically with seven interceptions and four clearances, while his partner Issa Diop also pitched in with three interceptions and five clearances.

Diop though has had the backing of the fans in East London since the day he arrived, while Ogbonna has been the subject of loads of criticism this season.

The 30 year-old had a nightmare in the FA Cup defeat to Wimbledon, and fans were crucifying him after a shocking display in a 3-0 defeat to Wolves.

The support has now done a complete U-turn though, heaping praise on the ex-Juve man for his impressive turnaround in form.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

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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…

Leeds’ fell to a heartbreaking 1-1 draw with Derby at the weekend in a game where they should have easily been out of sight following Mateusz Klich’s penalty.

The Whites had an ideal opportunity to cement themselves at the top of the table but Chris Martin’s late equaliser ensured the points were shared.

It was a bizarre game given Leeds’ sheer dominance, but three specific pieces of commentary sum up how their day went from almost perfection to disbelief, as commentator Daniel Mann provided his thoughts throughout Sky Sports’ coverage (21/09).

What’s he said?

As the game was reaching the end of the first half, Mann took some time to wax lyrical over the performance from Leeds, essentially saying they were in a league of their own compared to the Rams.

He said: “There looks about five leagues between them. A lot of these Derby players were involved in that playoff semi-final which remember they won in the second leg 4-2. What a different occasion this is so far.”

A lot of the narrative heading into the match was surrounding spygate and the hammering Derby dished out to Leeds in the playoffs.

They were at their fluent best on that day but certainly for the first half of this clash, Leeds were showing signs of getting their own back.

Via WhoScored, they managed nine shots as opposed to Derby’s one in the opening 45, while also playing 132 passes in the opposition half. Phillip Cocu’s men registered as few as 33 in the final third before the break.

As the game was about to end, Mann was then quoted as saying:

“It will feel like ten points dropped for Leeds. They played like a team who should win the Championship title but they’ve not got the job done. They’ve paid the price.”

And how they did pay the price. Marcelo Bielsa’s side were all over Derby at Elland Road. Patrick Bamford hit the post and then Klich side-footed a penalty wide which surely would have seen them go onto win the game.

In total, Leeds had 63% of the possession while the visitors only had four shots in the entire match. That paints a sorry picture for the west Yorkshire side, but so did one of Mann’s final commentary lines:

“A day of Robbery for Phillip Cocu’s side. Leeds fans will go home in total disbelief.”

Everton have appointed Frank Lampard as their new manager, and he wasted no time using his only opportunity of the transfer window on Deadline Day to bring in two players to work with him in his efforts to save the side’s season.

Donny van de Beek and Dele Alli joined the Toffees in the final hours of the January transfer window, becoming the fourth and fifth signings of the month, suggesting that the ex-Chelsea boss has plans to overhaul the midfield and attacking threat of the team which has currently failed to make a significant impact, scoring 11 fewer goals than the side has conceded in the Premier League this season.

With that being said, the first player that Lampard can ruthlessly axe from his team is Alex Iwobi, who has been with the club since 2019, scoring just six goals in 80 appearances from his forward position.

That’s one more goal than he has had managers, with Lampard remarkably becoming the fifth permanent manager that the 25-year-old has worked under in his time at Goodison Park.

The left-winger was branded “embarrassing” by Everton journalist, David Prentice, back in 2020 and things haven’t improved for the Nigeria international, with his most recent indiscretion at AFCON where he was brought on to save his nation from crashing out of the competition in the last 16 knock out clash against Tunisia.

Iwobi was sent off within five minutes of coming off the bench after a red card decision went against him when he made a tackle with his studs up on his marker who went straight to the floor. That eventually led to Nigeria crashing out of the competition.

If the Premier League midfielder turned manager deploys his most favoured formation of 4-2-3-1, it would push Iwobi out of the team completely as Richarlison would presumably go out onto the left side of the three to accommodate the new addition Alli, who could play in one of his favourite positions behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and as a result, would see Iwobi unlikely to start for the Toffees in the future.

Lampard has always been a big fan of the £22.5m-rated former Spurs star claiming he is “ahead of the game” in a complimentary analysis of the player back in 2017, so there is no doubt that he will want to integrate the attacking midfielder in his starting line up as soon as he can to get the very best out of him to pull Everton away from a relegation battle.

Combine that with the fact that Darren Anderton once called him a “freak of a talent” and it’s evident there is plenty more that Dele could offer than the former Arsenal forward.

Everton will return to action this weekend at Goodison Park in the FA Cup, where the 43-year-old Toffees manager will lead out his first squad selection in front of the home fans and it will be interesting to see what direction he goes in to secure progression in the domestic competition for the side.

In other news: Lampard already enduring major dilemma at Finch Farm

Wolverhampton Wanderers have gone under the radar when it comes to astute signings in recent times.

It’s easy to overlook the fact that their last five arrivals, including loans, have all been signed for under £10m. It’s even more impressive that four of those are consistent first-team players, with Yerson Mosquera the only exception, although he has made one appearance for Bruno Lage’s first-team and would surely have more were it not for a long-term hamstring injury.

Nevertheless, their business over the past year has been nothing short of sensational, especially in today’s market, which is why it comes as even more of a shock that Wolves once failed to acquire the permanent signing of Emiliano Martinez, who is now a Premier League regular elsewhere in the Midlands at Aston Villa.

Back in the 2015/16 season, the Argentine played for the Old Gold amid a loop of loan moves and fringe appearances, although his initial opening months at Wolverhampton Wanderers sought to end that pattern.

In 2015, Martinez made 13 appearances for Wolves in the Championship and despite only keeping four clean sheets, he conjured up a rather impressive 71% save percentage. For context, in his breakout season for Aston Villa in 2020/21, his save percentage was 77%, so for that time in his career it was a very impressive metric.

Ultimately it was the thigh injury that kept him out of contention for several months which cost both Martinez and Wolves the chance to work together long-term.

On one hand, you can understand the caution that Wolves expressed, as the ‘keeper was unable to regain his starting place after the injury. However, with the underlying stats that he displayed throughout those 13 appearances for the Old Gold, it remains a mystery as to why Martinez was never given the chance to win back his place between the sticks.

Despite finding a gem in former Olympiacos ‘keeper José Sá, the reluctance to sign a goalkeeper dubbed by Dan Rolinson as “unreal” and who would go on to earn the highest of plaudits from Lionel Messi must serve as one of the biggest transfer regrets at Molineux.

To rub salt in the wounds of the Wolves pack, the 29-year-old who has shone for club and country is now worth £28.8m in today’s market. Had the Old Gold pounced for a permanent deal six years ago, they may have got him for as little as £1.35m judging by his Transfermarkt valuation at the time, instead of leaving him return to his then-parent club Arsenal for nothing.

In other news – Lage could finally unearth Wolves’ new Diogo Jota in “unpredictable” £33m creator

Tottenham Hotspur are the latest team to be linked with a move for Jonathan David…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Canadian outlet The Sports Network, who claim that Spurs are one of many teams to have enquired about the availability of the Lille talisman, though any move seems more likely to happen in the summer.

Premier League rivals Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool are mooted with interest, alongside LaLiga giants Real Madrid.

It’s thought that the 21-year-old is “open” to every possible destination after his agent, Nick Mavromaras, told TSN that David would “benefit from a summer move.”

Imagine him and Kane

Finding a new frontman is amongst Antonio Conte’s top two priorities in the transfer market, as revealed by the Evening Standard earlier this month.

That’s hardly a surprise considering the Italian head coach only has Harry Kane at his disposal and he’s been out of sorts this campaign, having found the net only five times in 18 league appearances.

But Conte may well want another striker for more than just cover, after all he won the Serie A with Inter Milan last season by utilising a two-man attack.

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Both Lautaro Martinez and Romelu Lukaku scored for fun at the San Siro, contributing towards a whopping 46% of their 89 goals scored on their way to the club’s first Scudetto in over a decade.

He could well look to recreate that perfect frontline with the addition of David to Spurs.

The Canada international has been in electric form this campaign, scoring 16 goals across 29 appearances in all competitions, which is one goal every 139 minutes, via Transfermarkt.

David also contributed towards glory as his goals last season helped steer Les Dogues to the Ligue 1 title over Mauricio Pochettino’s big-spending Paris Saint-Germain.

Once dubbed a “phenomenon” who is “the best player in the country” by his former Club Brugge boss Hein Vanhaezebrouck, the 5 foot 11 marksman is an absolute speedster who can attack the space with his rapid acceleration and close control on the ball.

We saw on Wednesday night that Kane still has his remarkable passing ability in his locker as he fed Steven Bergwijn through for a last-second winner at Leicester City, so just imagine seeing that every week but with an actual striker next to him in David.

Conte would surely be buzzing to sign the £45m-rated Lille star in 2022, so sporting director Fabio Paratici and co must look to get the deal done.

AND in other news, “Tottenham are..”: Reliable journo drops exciting transfer claim, fans will be buzzing…