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Lucas Digne was guilty of making a ‘ridiculous’ challenge on his Aston Villa debut, according to Sky Sports pundit Andy Hinchcliffe. 

The lowdown

Digne only joined Villa from Everton on Thursday for a fee of £23million plus add-ons.

But Steven Gerrard dropped him straight into the starting line-up for the clash with The Red Devils, meaning Matt Targett made way.

It was his first Premier League appearance since Everton’s 4-1 defeat against Liverpool at the start of December.

27 minutes into the game, the Frenchman was shown a yellow card for a foul on Diogo Dalot just outside Aston Villa’s penalty area.

The latest

During Sky Sports’ coverage of the match, Hinchcliffe fumed at Digne for what he felt was a careless tackle.

And he took it as further evidence that, for all Digne’s attacking threat, the other side of his game may be lacking.

“I did mention it before kick off – I do have worries about Lucas Digne’s defensive ability,” he said.

“This is a ridiculous challenge. He’s nowhere near the ball, he flies off his feet.

“You just need to stay on your feet and force Dalot backwards.

“He’s brilliant going forward, getting over the halfway line, delivering crosses.

“But defensively, time and again, he does make errors.”

The verdict

Does Hinchcliffe have a point? Well, the France star’s offensive strengths were on show at Villa Park as he created a ‘big chance’ for Emiliano Buendia from a corner.

But it was a struggle for the 28-year-old off the ball. He won only two of his eight ground duels, a success rate of just 25% (via SofaScore).

Digne will know that any lapses could be costly with £15.3million-rated Targett waiting in the wings, ready to take his place back.

In other news, talks are underway over this Aston Villa transfer. 

On the pitch, Newcastle haven’t had the best start to the season after just winning one of their 15 games of the campaign so far.

Off the pitch, however, it seems as though Newcastle’s new owners are working behind the scenes to appoint a director of football ahead of the upcoming January transfer window.

That said, it seems as though the club could be heading in a direction on the matter that would not have a lot of Newcastle fans happy.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from the Daily Mail by journalist Craig Hope, Nick Hammond, the former head of football operations at Celtic, has been spoken to by the Newcastle hierarchy about potentially becoming their new director.

Forget about him

With a report from The Scottish Sun evaluating the 20 players that Hammond helped Celtic sign during his time at the Parkhead club for a total fee of £35m and coming away with an overall negative summary, perhaps it wouldn’t be in Newcastle’s best interest if they hire him as their new director given his track record of poor recruitment at Celtic.

He signed former West Ham striker Albian Ajeti for £4.5m but he has only found the net on nine occasions in 47 outings for the Hoops while adding Polish forward Patrky Klimala to their ranks for £3.5m. The end result of his move was even worse with just three strikes in 28 appearances.

There was also the addition of goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas at £5m in the summer of 2020 but just a year and a half on, he looks set to be heading to pastures new after only 23 games for Celtic.

Thus, taking into account how Newcastle are still in the relegation zone of the Premier League table despite winning their previous league game against Burnley, the Tyneside club will have to make sure they sign find right person to help them sign the correct players in January.

On the evidence provided, it doesn’t look like Hammond possesses the tools to be able to turn their season around and avoid the drop down to the Championship by the end of the campaign.

With the same report from Hope claiming that Newcastle have hired an external recruitment firm to help in their search for a director of football, this should give the fans some confidence that the hierarchy are doing their best at making sure they get the right person for the job in and push the club forward.

Looking ahead to the rest of this month and January, it’s safe to say that this will be an important period for Newcastle on and off the pitch for the right people to come in behind the scenes and for Eddie Howe and his players to keep getting points on the board and escape the relegation zone.

Yet, if they opt for Hammond, it would surely leave a number of the Toon Army fuming with the decision. His track record of signing players, especially in recent times, is not desirable whatsoever.

In other news: NUFC could land the next Xavi with £31.5m-rated gem who “always finds the best escape” – opinion

With 2021 coming to an end, it’s a good time to reflect on the year that Wolves have had a fairly eventful year, firstly under the guidance of Nuno Espirito Santo before Bruno Lage came in during the summer to take charge of the Old Gold.

After ending the 2020/21 season in 13th place in the league table with just 45 points, Wolves made the managerial change after Espirito Santo took on the role as Tottenham Hotspur manager.

Prior to Wolves’ upcoming Premier League away clash against Arsenal, Lage has managed to deliver a very mixed bag of results with seven wins, four draws and seven defeats.

After a disappointing campaign last time out, it would be a great boost for everyone at Wolves if Lage and the players were able to finish in a European place this time around, which they are well in the running for.

How well do you remember Wolves’ 2021? Test your knowledge with our Big Fat Wolves quiz of the year to find out!

Tottenham Hotspur could launch a surprise move for Eric Bailly in the January transfer window…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Sunday Times journalist Duncan Castles. who delivered the stunning claim on this week’s edition of ‘The Transfer Window’ podcast, where he said:

“Conte, one of the things he’s asking for in January is not one, but two starting centre-backs, this isn’t a big surprise when you look at what the two previous managers thought of the centre-backs. [Mauricio] Pochettino and [Jose] Mourinho wanted significant upgrades there, while [Nuno] Espirito Santo also wanted further upgrades on top of Cristian Romero.

“Look at what [Antonio] Conte has been doing, this weekend he started with Ben Davies and Japhet Tanganga alongside Eric Dier who was picked ahead of Davinson Sanchez, who should be a starter given the significant amount spent on him.

“Conte feels it’s fundamental to improve at centre-back to get his back-five system working properly.

“Options, one of the individuals they’re in discussions about, although as I understand it, there’s been no offer made at this point, is a Manchester United player, Eric Bailly, he’s someone Conte likes and he looked at him as a possible recruit at Inter.”

Big mistake

This could be a disastrous decision from the Spurs boss and Fabio Paratici’s recruitment team this winter, as the Manchester United defender is an injury-prone and inconsistent defender who probably wouldn’t solve their defensive problems.

It is true that the north Londoners need further additions, even more so with Conte electing for a back-three, but with Romero facing a serious stint on the sidelines, the Italian is left with several players that he may not be able to trust.

He was already having to play a left-back in the middle and now he has to choose between the three centre-backs who played their part in Thursday’s embarrassing defeat to NS Mura to feature alongside Dier and Davies.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/tottenham-hotspur-latest-team-injury-team-news-updates-transfers-gossip-rumours-antonio-conte-thfc” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

An injury-prone Bailly is far from the solution, with the Lilywhites in need of reliable quality to improve their terrible goal difference – they have the worst such record of any Premier League side ranked 16th or above.

“My only issue with Eric Bailly has always been his fitness, he can never stay fit. He’s always injured or a game away from an injury, and that’s a problem,” once claimed Red Devils legend Rio Ferdinand. “You don’t get that consistency of performance or get to know each other.”

Valued at just £9m and thought to be earning wages of around £80k-per-week at Old Trafford, the Ivory Coast colossus has missed a total of 99 matches since arriving in Manchester in £30m move from Villarreal back in June 2016.

When he has been on the pitch, he has very rarely delivered.

“He’s a rash defender and he seems like he’s always got a mistake in him,” suggested Trevor Sinclair on talkSPORT in recent weeks. “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks and the ship has sailed for Bailly. He’ll never be the composed defender Man United need.”

The Hotspur Way faithful should be hugely worried by the prospect of wasting money on the 27-year-old flop at the turn of the year.

Therefore, a move for Bailly in January would seem like a disaster waiting to happen for Conte and co. They must steer clear of him at all costs, as there are much better and more suitable options out there.

AND in other news, Antonio Conte could repeat Cesc Fabregas trick with “unplayable” Spurs star…

Flocking to Twitter, many Liverpool fans have absolutely erupted over a fresh transfer update involving Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Denis Zakaria.

Jurgen Klopp’s men are currently flying high near the top of the Premier League, well and truly in the title race alongside Manchester City and Chelsea.

Their latest win, a 4-1 derby triumph over Everton at Goodison Park, sums up the momentum gained under Klopp this season after Liverpool fell short in their title defence last time around.

The Reds had to cope with a plethora of injury issues throughout 2020/2021, bringing their strength in depth into question as the club seek to maintain their current heights at the top level. As such, fans will be eager for Fenway Sports Group (FSG) and Liverpool’s transfer chiefs to take significant steps to bolster Klopp’s options.

Bringing the latest, La Gazzetta dello Sport have shared some promising news involving Switzerland international and Reds transfer target Zakara. The 25-year-old’s current deal at Monchengladbach expires in 2022, meaning that he can leave for free at the end of this season, putting the Bundesliga giants under some pressure to sell in January.

As per La Gazzetta dello Sport, Liverpool are apparently leading the race for Zakaria, who would personally ‘love’ to work under Klopp. Also, if FSG decide to make an early move in the winter, it is believed they could secure him for as little as £7m-£8.5m.

Liverpool fans erupt…

Given his ability and the fact that he could leave for such a meagre fee, it’s little wonder so many Liverpool fans are raving as their club eye an ‘absolute bargain’ swoop. According to WhoScored, Zakaria has averaged a higher pass accuracy domestically (89.1%) this season than any Reds midfielder with more than four league starts.

The maestro has also made more interceptions in the centre of the park (1.8) than Liverpool’s entire midfield roster, supporting the theory that he would come as a solid alternative to Fabinho, especially for a maximum £8.5m fee or as a free agent next summer.

Here’s how some Liverpool fans reacted to the prospect of signing him at such a low cost:

“Ain’t no way. Edwards’ last dance”

Credit: @LFCHLEB

“wow”

Credit: @Abdriano

“Please”

Credit: @_JS98

“No brainer that!”

Credit: @LukeJones_10

“Buy him in Jan, what a bargain”

Credit: @Footbal22104495

“Would be a class backup for Fabinho, exactly the sort of depth that’s needed”

Credit: @6timesladd

“absolute pocket change, don’t really think we should wait, just splash it man”

Credit: @TobiasP88223924

“Similar to Fabinho in the way he plays but he has more pace. (Top speed of 35.07km) 7m for him is an absolute bargain, definitely would be a 25-30m player if it wasn’t for his contract.”

Credit: @umxr168

‘Sell’, ‘Another poor game’ – Many Liverpool fans slam ‘anonymous’ ace for ‘horrendous’ derby display, find out more here.

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been left buzzing as some early team news ahead of their game at Brondby in the UEFA Europa League has emerged.

Speaking in his pre game press conference ahead of the match, Steven Gerrard has now revealed that Ryan Kent will travel with the squad after training with them, while Ryan Jack has also been training and has an ‘outside chance’ of being involved on the weekend, although Glen Kamara is currently rated at ’50/50′ to be able to play after receiving a knock on his ankle.

Nonetheless, the Ibrox faithful we’re particularly pleased to hear the news of Kent’s return, given how long he has been out injured now.

The Light Blues have only managed to win four of the seven matches in the Scottish Premiership without him (Transfermarkt), with the 6-1 demolition away at Motherwell on the weekend the only real convincing performance.

With them currently lingering in third place in their group, the winger’s return will no doubt boost their chances of qualifying for the knockout stages – he has bagged five times and provided 11 assists in his Europa League career.

Rangers fans on Kent news

These Light Blues paused as the news on Kent was shared on Twitter:

“We are back baby”

Credit: @Aidan72_

“Tweets you love to see”

Credit: @gibbo89

“Things we love to see”

Credit: @Chloetimpany

“He’s back”

Credit: @Ross_Herkes1

“KENTTTT KENT WILL TEAR YOU APART, AGAIN!”

Credit: @JaffaGer

“The news we’ve all been waiting for!”

Credit: @Kennyw_11

In other news, find out what club update has Gers fuming here!

Flocking to Twitter, many Sunderland fans voiced their criticism for Lynden Gooch following his display in their penalty shoot out loss to Bradford City on Tuesday night.

The Black Cats did just enough to reach the knockout rounds of the EFL trophy, topping Group F, after drawing 1-1 in normal time to Bradford – but the game went to penalties anyway to decide an overall victor.

Lee Johnson’s side have secured a home tie for the next round by topping their group, with Nathan Broadhead’s strike earning the solitary point needed after Bradford’s Theo Robinson opened the scoring.

Even though they got the job done, Sunderland have also extended their winless run of games to six on the trot with their last victory coming away to Crewe Alexandra in mid-October.

Both Alex Pritchard and Gooch saw their penalties saved by the travelling side after normal time as Bradford clinched the shoot-out win – with many supporters taking aim at the latter man in particular.

While squandering his penalty in the shoot-out, Gooch was also ranked among Sunderland’s lowest performers on the night according to SofaScore – coming in as the joint-fifth worst starter with a 6.9 rating.

His overall evening also proved a sloppy one with the 25-year-old completing just 2/7 crosses, 4/11 long balls and losing possession a seismic 32 times – as well as getting booked (SofaScore).

Taking these numbers into account, and the fact Gooch saw his spot-kick saved, it’s little wonder supporters weren’t impressed.

Find all of their verdicts from Twitter down below.

Sunderland fans slam Gooch…

“And, surprise, surprise, he got himself booked. Again. I can’t remember the last game he played when he wasn’t booked. His quality of play is awful and his decision-making is worse. Johnson’s blue-eyed boy though. Unlike Embleton.”

Credit: @Boshanko

“No qualms with him missing a pen, especially in the most pointless shootout ever, but his performance even out of position was shocking, simple things. His attitude to storm off the pitch while everyone else remained to clap, disgusting.

Credit: @davis0688

“Truly is a frustrating footballer. The way he’s regressed in recent years is mind blowing. Went from being arguably one of the best in the league to one of the most unreliable in the squad.”

Credit: @SpeakSAFC

“Should never pull the shirt on ever again. Absolute waste of space”

Credit: @1879SAFC

“The WORST player on the pitch…”

Credit: @Casual7Observer

“How gooch gets a game is beyond me”

Credit: @fonz1971

“How’s he still here”

Credit: @RobsonEll

Keith Downie has now revealed what Newcastle United’s January transfer plans are as the club’s takeover was confirmed on Thursday evening.

The Lowdown: It’s happening…

The proposed takeover of the St. James’ Park faithful by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium is finally happening, after a breakthrough on Wednesday led to confirmation of the deal on Thursday evening.

It will finally bring an end to the reign of Mike Ashley, while a likely restructuring of the board brings the futures of the likes of Steve Bruce, Graeme Jones and Lee Charnley under question.

The Latest: Transfer plans

Downie has now told Sky Sports that ‘I do expect’ the North East club to spend money on the playing squad in the upcoming winter window, although he did not specify how much.

The journalist also claimed that spending on infrastructure will be the priority for the new owners first of all, and the stadium and academy will need improving as well.

The Verdict: Intriguing

It will certainly be intriguing to see how much money the Tyneside outfit will have to spend in January, assuming that the new owners are settled in and prepared to splash the cash immediately.

It will also be interesting to note the calibre of player that they will be able to attract, which could help them survive relegation from the Premier League, given their position in the table at the moment.

Nonetheless, it is only a matter of time before we can see just how much financial muscle they can flex now that the deal is through.

In other news, find out what big arbitration update Craig Hope has dropped here!

Loads of Everton fans have been left reacting to some transfer news on Jesse Lingard.

As per Football Insider, the Goodison Park faithful have now set their sights on a move for the Manchester United midfield player once the January transfer window opens.

A source from the Merseyside club has told the news outlet that he is on the shortlist, and that Rafa Benitez is a ‘big admirer’ of his.

They will explore a potential loan deal with an option to buy him at the end of the season.

Of course, Lingard has shown everyone what he is capable of when he was on loan at West Ham United last term, recording 14 goal contributions in 16 games in the Premier League (Transfermarkt).

However, his £75,000-per-week wages could prove to be a bit of a stumbling block, while he has barely featured at all for the Old Trafford faithful so far this campaign, and so may struggle to get up to speed.

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Everton fans on Lingard transfer news

These Toffees supporters gave some fairly mixed reactions as the transfer news was shared across Twitter:

“No brainer. Would bring energy and eye for goal from midfield and great on the counter. Perfectly suited to the way we are set up under Rafa”

Credit: @jmh17161618

“Great news”

Credit: @pazzmundo

“Good player imo”

Credit: @paul17godfrey

“Please no.”

Credit: @northreillylad

“If this is true then has the club even learned from its previous mistakes?!”

Credit: @YnyrGWilliams

“Would his approach to us be as superb as it was at West Ham, or would he simply think to himself: “Oh, I’m at [such-and-such-a-club-now], meaning I’ve made it once more and therefore no longer have to try to justify my salary, or my professional integrity, any further…?”

Credit: @empresstouch

In other news, find out what injury news has Blues raging here!

Journalist Alan Myers shared an update on James Rodriguez’s Everton future on Monday morning, and a number of Toffees fans have been sharing their thoughts on the news via social media.

Reports emerged on Monday that the Colombian has jetted out to Qatar for talks with an unnamed club over a possible Goodison Park exit.

The 30-year-old is yet to feature under Rafa Benitez and was free to leave in the summer. He could have returned to his former club FC Porto in a mooted transfer which would have seen Luis Diaz move to Merseyside, but he failed to agree on terms with the Portuguese side.

According to reliable reporter Myers, Rodriguez’s discussions with a Qatari club are ongoing but nothing has been agreed upon as of Monday morning.

Everton fans react

Here is what these Everton supporters had to say in reply to Myers’ update on Twitter, with one labelling the situation with Rodriguez as ‘disgusting’ and others taking aim at Benitez and director of football Marcel Brands over the sparsity of the Toffees’ squad in the Colombian’s playmaking position.

“Need to sack Brands and Rafa for this mess”

Credit: @MarkBirch1988

“Criminal allowing him to leave at this point without being able to replace him. We can’t even name a full bench”

Credit: @JoeHaskell9

“Disgusting allowing this to happen when our squad is this thin & we’ve barely any creative midfielders available”

Credit: @TheApexHound

“The player has to make himself available. Saturday it was a muscle problem. How can RB, the club or anyone else be responsible for someone who says they’re not fit? Whole situation is a nightmare I can’t wait to wake up from.”

Credit: @JonDamage

“Al knows.”

Credit: @JimGurney4

“The fume on here is a joke. Can’t we just all accept that we don’t know what is happening behind the scenes and there will be good reason why the club or the player wants out, or even mutually agree? You’re all ruining your own mental health 2nd guessing and making assumptions”

Credit: @DidcotSkelly

In other news: ‘We’re going down’ – Lots of Everton fans fume as injury update emerges