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Swansea earned a hard-fought three points in their push for promotion on Saturday, as they defeated Luton Town 1-0 in the early kick-off in the Championship.

Connor Hourihane’s early goal was enough to see off the Hatters, who had a number of chances to equalise but couldn’t find a way past Freddie Woodman in the Swans goal.

The result briefly put Steve Cooper’s side in the top-two of the Championship, before Watford’s 2-1 win at Cardiff saw them jump back above the Swans into the automatic spots.

Although it was an important result, some of the performances from Swansea players were below par on Saturday, with Andre Ayew, in particular, disappointing.

As per SofaScore, the experienced striker would earn a 6.4 rating for his display, which was the joint-lowest rating, with Korey Smith, of any Swansea player who started the game.

During his 90 minutes on the pitch, the former Marseille man would have 41 touches of the ball and would complete just 18 passes, which suggests that he was rarely involved, as he has averaged 27.3 passes per game in the Championship so far this season.

Perhaps most disappointingly, the Ghana international struggled to hold the ball up for Swansea in his role as a lone striker, with the Luton defenders, particularly Kai Naismith, having the better of him during the game.

Ayew would win just 4/14 ground duels and just 3/11 of his aerial duels during the game, resulting in an overall tally of 7/25 – which saw him register a disappointing success rate of just 28%.

Naismith meanwhile, would win 15/17 of his duels during the game and earned an impressive 8.3 rating for his display, which definitely suggests that he won the battle between himself and Ayew.

Despite being rarely involved, the 31-year-old striker would also lose possession on 16 occasions, suggesting that his link-up play was nowhere near his usual standards at Kenilworth Road.

The £3.6 million-rated forward was also successful with just 2/7 of his dribbles against Nathan Jones’ side, whilst he failed to register a single shot on target, so he is perhaps fortunate that Swansea were able to come away with a win, as it is clear that he was nowhere near his best against the Hatters as he let Cooper down with an anonymous display.

Many Everton fans have been left to fume at an update from Paul Joyce on Gylfi Sigurdsson.

As per a tweet from The Times journalist, the Goodison Park faithful are going to offer the former Tottenham Hotspur and Swansea City man a new deal in the summer, with Carlo Ancelotti saying that they are “happy to keep him”.

Given that he is 31 years of age now, and he already earns £100,000 per week at the Merseyside club, it may not be the wisest of ideas for the Toffees to offer Sigurdsson a new contract.

Although some of his displays for the Blues have been better of late, the attacking midfield player has not always performed well for EFC, most notably in the 2019/20 term when he only managed a mere three goals and three assists in 38 games in total over all competitions (Transfermarkt).

Everton fan reaction to Joyce update on Sigurdsson

These Everton supporters fumed upon reading the update from Joyce on Twitter, with one fan even going as far as to claim that it was ‘absolutely ridiculous’:

“Ah well, another couple of seasons already down the drain if this is our ambition.”

Credit: @melbourne1973

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO”

Credit: @kevdev9

“Never ever learn”

Credit: @sayantan_01

“Love Ancelotti, but if there was any player a bigger symbol of the poor recruitment still at the club, it’s Sigurdsson. Overpaid, under performing (apart from 5 games as season), lacks drive and accountability. Got to be better ways of spending that amount of money.”

Credit: @carlw79

“Absolutely ridiculous decision.”
Credit: @ryanxdevlin

“Brands out”Credit: @paul1878___In other news, find out what early team news before Burnley has been slammed by Everton fans here!

Leeds United managed to acquire exciting prospect Joe Gelhardt in the summer and Phil Hay has revealed the crucial role Marcelo Bielsa has had in his development.

What Hay had to say about Gelhardt

Phil Hay has reported via The Athletic: “Leicester City had the same idea and made enquiries of their own but according to sources close to Gelhardt, he was “blown away” by the way in which Leeds’ director of football Victor Orta presented the offer from Elland Road to him.

“As Leeds like to do with senior recruits, they put together video packages comparing and contrasting his performances for Wigan with the way Leeds set up under Marcelo Bielsa. By then, the 18-year-old had made 18 appearances in the Championship, 16 as a substitute. Bielsa is understood to have taken part in one of the Zoom calls to Gelhardt’s agency and Gelhardt has lost significant amounts of weight since moving to Yorkshire, working towards a place in Bielsa’s match-day squad for the first time against Crystal Palace last week.”

Bielsa’s impact at Leeds is huge

The fact that the player looked to completely change his fitness regime following the Zoom calls Bielsa had with him and his agency shows the great impact the manager has in football and the crucial role he had in getting this deal over the line.

A report back in December revealed that Leeds had the highest sprint output of any club in Europe this season, and that’s directly as a result of the kind of conditioning work Bielsa surely does and the intensity to which they train and play.

Getting Gelhardt to buy into that and seeing him lose ‘significant amounts of weight’ is testament to the teenager’s work ethic, and the Leeds boss’ crucial hand in his development.

The young forward looks an exciting prospect and the fact that the 18 year-old has seven goals in 13 appearances for the U23 side (Transfermarkt), and has recently worked himself into Bielsa’s match day squad emphasises that Leeds could have a star in their ranks. Phil Hay spoke about the forward in the past on his podcast, calling him ‘massively talented’.

With Leeds comfortably in a mid-table position, it could be possible that fans will see Gelhardt feature in the Premier League before the end of the season.

In other Leeds news, the club have managed to tie down an exciting prospect. Have a read here!

Former Scotland manager Alex McLeish was left confused by comments made by Celtic manager Neil Lennon.

McLeish reacts

The 2020/21 campaign will be a season that won’t be glorified by the Bhoys like the past nine. They find themselves 15 points adrift of arch-rivals Rangers before Sunday’s trip to Victoria Park to face Ross County.

Both Lennon and chief executive Peter Lawwell have found themselves under the Green Brigade’s magnifying glass – with calls made for both to be sacked. Lawwell announced he would be stepping down at the end of the season.

But Lennon told the Daily Record that “mitigating circumstances” have played their part in how things have played out this season, which he added that he cannot publically reveal.

Speaking to Football Insider, McLeish was mystified by what Lennon said and speculated whether there could be some sort of announcement made at some stage.

“When you make a statement like that then it does raise eyebrows,” he said.

“Whether we’ll hear something at a later time, you would probably imagine that something would come out. Maybe now’s not the right time for them to release it.

“That is their prerogative, you can’t force Celtic to give answers, it’s possibly not the time to announce anything.”

Transfer Tavern Verdict

These comments by Lennon may open a new can of worms which, most likely, will not help the club in any shape or form.

After previously undermining his chief executive, it now appears that the supporters are set to be put through further misery, rather than the team focusing on the task at hand on the pitch.

We are not sure how this season could get much worse for Celtic. But if those details are revealed, it may do exactly that.

In other news, Uncertainty creeping in regarding Celtic future of ‘metronome.’

Many Liverpool fans went wild as transfer expert Fabrizio Romano dropped a subtle hint regarding the Reds’ pursuit for Sporting Braga defender David Carmo.

Anfield Watch shared the news that Jurgen Klopp’s side were showing late interest in the 21-year-old, which was initially provided by Romano earlier on Monday, to which he responded with a cheeky winking emoji.

Carmo has made 36 appearances for the Liga NOS side since breaking into the first-team and picked up seven caps for Portugal at U20-level.

It is no secret that Liverpool have been hunting for fresh faces at the back after their injury crisis which has ruled out all four of their defensive options.

Unsurprisingly, supporters went crazy on social media following Romano’s subtle hint and made their feelings clear on social media, even despite a reported deal to sign Ozan Kabak from Schalke.

Fans go wild over Carmo links

“HE’S DONE IT AGAIN”

Credit: @WacobEdition1

“WE ARE A SERIOUS CLUB FOR ONCE”

Credit: @Origilist

“ROMANO WHAT A BEAUTY”

Credit: @lfcaxchie

“What is going on. Michael Edwards is doing something special.”

Credit: @ColossusofA

“CORNER TAKEN QUICKLY….”

Credit: @Blaen_17

“Seeeriously!!!!”

Credit: @bostameb

In other news, James Pearce says Liverpool move for centre-back is completely off.

Robin Koch has just handed Leeds United fans a huge boost with his latest social media post. The Germany international posted a photo of himself on his Instagram along with the caption “Comeback sessions” which has sparked a lot of excitement in the comments.

Koch picked up a knee injury back in December and the club confirmed it would see him sidelined for up to three months, as per BBC Sport.

The news came as a huge blow to the Whites, who have since seriously struggled with their defending. Since the centre-back picked up his injury, Leeds have won just three of their eight games played across all competitions. In that time, they have conceded an alarming 17 goals, which averages out at 2.1 goals per match, via Sofascore.

With fellow summer recruit Diego Llorente also out of action, Marcelo Bielsa has been forced to deploy Luke Ayling at centre-back to make up the numbers. The constant re-jigging of his backline has taken a toll on Leeds and they are struggling to find positive results.

Llorente has made just one appearance for his new side since he joined during the summer window. Pascal Struijk has also fallen down the pecking order – despite being a natural centre-back, Bielsa has overlooked him on several occasions. He featured as a defensive midfielder last time out, taking his amount of appearances to nine in the Premier League.

The 21-year-old has also been demoted to the U23s on four difference occasions, seemingly not living up to Bielsa’s expectations, via Transfermarkt.

With Koch back in the gym and working hard on his recovery, Leeds fans will undoubtedly be counting down the days until their £50,000 per week defensive ace returns.

The German has already received praise in abundance for his performances in the heart of the defence. Noel Whelan recently waxed lyrical about the 24-year-old, labelling him a “magnificent” defender.

In other news, Leeds target Louie Sibley can put huge pressure on Jamie Shackleton…

Southampton have been linked with a move for Leicester City ace Demarai Gray recently and the winger could be the man to replace Nathan Redmond at the South Coast club.

What’s the word?

According to Portuguese news outlet Record (via Sport Witness), Southampton have ‘taken the first steps’ towards signing Gray on a free transfer next summer when his contract with the Foxes expires.

It suggests that although Benfica are interested in signing the 24-year-old, Southampton have contacted his entourage and would be able to offer better financial terms to the Englishman.

Redmond successor?

The former Birmingham City man is clearly surplus to requirements in Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester side, having made just one substitute appearance in the Premier League this season, featuring more prominently in the Premier League 2 with the Foxes’ U’23 side.

During his time with the club, he has made 169 appearances, contributing 13 goals and 17 assists, suggesting that he has never really been able to consistently score and create goals in the Leicester side.

However, he has shown glimpses of his ability, with Rodgers labelling his performance against Bournemouth last season as “excellent”, whilst also suggesting that, despite his lack of appearances, he is a “big talent”.

Gray’s best season in the Premier League perhaps came in the 2018/19 campaign, where he made 34 appearances and contributed four goals but he followed that up with just three starts in the top-flight last season.

However, he could still be an excellent signing for Southampton, if Ralph Hasenhuttl was able to unlock the winger’s obvious potential.

Considering he is valued at £10.8 million by Transfermarkt, it would make a lot of financial sense to sign him on a free transfer, as even if he wasn’t able to perform for the Saints, they would surely be able to make a profit on him in the future.

It could also be argued that Gray could prove to be the successor to Redmond at Southampton, with the former Norwich City man having struggled to perform at times this season, with one goal and no assists in nine appearances in the top-flight, resulting in a less than impressive 6.51 rating.

Gray has rarely enjoyed a strong run of starts in the Leicester team and if Hasenhuttl gave him the opportunity to impress as a regular in this Southampton side, there’s no reason why the former England U21 international couldn’t become a success in the Premier League, so this definitely looks like it could be a worthwhile signing for the Saints.

And, in other news… Southampton should axe 21 y/o once dubbed “fantastic”; he has no future under Hasenhuttl

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast correspondent Tom Ward, former footballer and current pundit Carlton Palmer has been discussing the latest injury blow at Liverpool.

The Reds have endured an injury-hit season thus far, with first-choice centre-backs Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez both currently sidelined, whilst the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alisson, Joel Matip and Fabinho have all missed a lot of games.

Despite this, Jurgen Klopp’s side are still challenging at the top of the table, and have the chance to go top if they can beat current leaders Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield on Wednesday night.

Unfortunately, the Merseyside club will be without Diogo Jota, after the Portuguese forward picked up an injury in the recent 1-1 draw against FC Midtjylland. Klopp confirmed on Sunday that the summer addition will be out for 6-8 weeks, which is undoubtedly a blow when you consider how impressive he has been since joining in the summer, with nine Liverpool goals to his name already.

Here’s what Palmer had to say about the latest injury setback when speaking exclusively to Football FanCast…

“It’s a massive blow. I mean, they’ve got six or seven key players out with long-term injuries and that’s a problem. You know you’re going to pick up injuries and you know players are going to be out for a certain amount of time but they’ve got key players out with long-term injuries which is a massive problem.

“They’ve spent heavily on Jota, they’ve spent £45 million on him, so that is a blow in itself for them.”

Palmer certainly seems to think that the injury to Jota is a big blow for Klopp’s side, especially when you consider the number of first-team players currently out injured.

Fortunately for the Reds, they still have a world-class attacking trio in Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, so they will definitely still be able to cause Jose Mourinho’s side problems on Wednesday, despite Jota being missing.

It has been suggested that the former Wolves man could be out until February, so considering the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri, Divock Origi and Takumi Minamino have struggled to perform at times this season, perhaps we will see the Merseyside club bring in a replacement for Jota during the upcoming January transfer window.

And, in other news… LFC handed huge transfer blow in pursuit of 20 y/o “gem” likened to Kai Havertz…

David Moyes risks exposing West Ham United with a £5million January swoop for Leeds United and Torino target Frederik Alves, after Danish football expert Davor Milito stated how the Silkeborg IF defender could be caught out.

What’s the word?

While speaking with Torino Granata, Milito has likened Alves to former Manchester United and England defender Chris Smalling for the way the 21-year-old has fashioned his style of defending.

Alves has become a firm topic of discussion in recent weeks after Silkeborg confirmed to the Copenhagen Stock Exchange that he will be leaving JYSK Park in January, after receiving an offer that met the individual conditions requested.

West Ham were claimed to have been close to finalising a deal for Alves to move to east London in the New Year by BT, who noted the centre-half was pictured at the Stratford Hotel with his agent Christian Bysted ahead of a potential move.

But Leeds and Russian side Rostov are also keen on the young talent, per the Daily Mail, while reports by Calciomercato mention Torino as a potential rival suitor for the defender who can play at full-back as well.

And Milito believes the rising interest in Alves could see the Denmark U21 international’s value continue to rise, noting: “Young people in Denmark, if talented, are never very cheap, but I think that between €4m and €6million (£3.5m and £5.3m) can be closed, counting that this season is a fundamental element for the team.”

Alves’ 6 ft 2 frame, wise brain and penchant for carrying possession out from the back also saw Milito liken him to Smalling, adding: “He knows how to use the body, not very fast but intelligent in the position, skilled in sliding, quite polite right foot and a lover of game changes.

“He likes to carry the ball but not to Lucio, good at pressing and decisive in the marking, so it could be very suitable for Italian football. Of course, with the short lines he could get into trouble. He should work even more on his defensive positioning, which is already his strong point.”

Risk of exposure

Milito claiming that defensive positioning is already one of Alves’ strengths but also an area where the 21-year-old needs to improve should raise alarm bells at the London Stadium, as Moyes giving the Denmark U21 international a baptism of fire in the Premier League could easily expose flaws in the Hammers defence.

Alves also liking to carry the ball out from the back but to, seemingly, not good effect will also be worrisome in east London, as the young centre-half could become an easy target for opposing teams to try and exploit until the youngster proves he is no weak spot.

West Ham have shown a willingness to hold a high line in the Premier League this season, too, with the SofaScore heatmaps of Angelo Ogbonna, Fabian Balbuena and Aaron Cresswell each showing a strong amount of their respective average 45.6, 50.7 and 69.6 touches coming far beyond Lukasz Fabianski’s area.

Moyes would likely need to see a lot of progress from Alves in the Irons’ Under 23s before feeling fit to field the Danish prospect in the first-team, or to loan West Ham’s potential January signing out to a side competing at a higher level than the Nordic Bet LIGA – Denmark’s second-tier.

AND in other news, David Moyes is “worried” by a West Ham blow that a Manuel Pellegrini favourite can capitalise on.

Tottenham Hotspur saw no fewer than six new players walk through the front door during this summer’s hectic transfer window but might they reject one of their more substantial moves already?

It was pretty evident early doors that Spurs boss Jose Mourinho was pursuing a full-back – as if it wasn’t already clear by his comments to Serge Aurier during their ‘All or Nothing’ docuseries.

Eventually, the north London outfit signed Matt Doherty from league rivals Wolves in a £15m deal but he may well have been a lot further down the shortlist originally.

Reliable sources linked the club to other players prior to the move.

The Telegraph’s Matt Law claimed in August that Spurs were trying to offload Juan Foyth and Aurier to fund a move for Lille’s Zeki Celik whilst Max Aarons was once thought to be the top target to replace the Ivory Coast international after The Athletic made such claims in July.

But perhaps it was another mooted target that Daniel Levy should rue missing out on, and that’s Timothy Castagne, who instead joined one of Spurs’ likely competitors for a spot in Europe next year, Leicester City, despite personally requesting a conversation with Mourinho himself.

The Belgian, who featured versus England last week, cost only £22m and that additional £7m already looks to be the better end of the stick after the opening round of Premier League fixtures.

Not only is Castagne four years younger, but he has also contributed to three goals in just four matches whereas Doherty is yet to do so.

He’s also averaging more tackles (1.5), interceptions (1.5), key passes (one), dribbles (one) and crosses (0.5) per game than the Irishman, via WhoScored. Castagne even has a better passing success rate at 80% having managed more passes (56.3) each match too.

If those workhorse numbers aren’t enough, the 24-year-old is also able to play at left-back, which only makes him seem even more like the better option – at least from the first four matches we’ve seen this season.

Although the early signs are there that Castagne was the one that got away.

AND in other news, Spurs truly missed out on a perfect Eriksen successor in £55m magician…