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West Brom may have dodged an almighty bullet this summer.

It’s no secret that one of their weakest positions is on the right flank, it’s why Slaven Bilic has recently reverted back to a wing-back system. And that paid off on Saturday night as the Baggies clinched their first win of the season.

Matheus Pereira thrived centrally in the no.10 role, at last, running the show for Albion completely.

Last season, Bilic often deployed Matty Phillips as his right-sided midfielder but it’s clear to see that he just doesn’t fancy him in the Premier League, so it was no surprise to see them linked with potential additions in the role throughout the transfer window.

Crystal Palace winger Andros Townsend emerged as a late target for the Midlands outfit – according to The Sun’s Alan Nixon, West Brom were keen admirers of the former England international but did not have the funds to follow-up their interest.

And that is now looking like a masterstroke of a decision as the 29-year-old has failed to continue his spout of early-season form. It is now seven straight games without a single goal or an assist, whilst he has been dispossessed most by some of the division’s flailing sides – Fulham (four times) and Burnley (twice).

Reports suggest that Townsend is earning around £80k-per-week at Selhurst Park, which puts him among their highest earners, so it would have been one expensive gamble to try and secure his signature as no Albion player is on anywhere near that amount right now.

The £8.55m-rated wide man was once lauded by former Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas as a “fearless player” but when he’s on the opposition’s team sheet, he doesn’t quite have the spine-chilling effect that a Wilfried Zaha has.

With the Eagles star averaging just 1.6 dribbles, 1.5 key passes and 1.1 shots per game this season, via WhoScored, sporting director Luke Dowling and the Baggies have certainly had one lucky escape.

They mustn’t revisit him in January, even if his contract is due to expire in the summer.

AND in other news, West Brom’s “huge talent” has just given Slaven Bilic one big selection headache…

Liverpool suffered a surprise 2-0 defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League on Wednesday night to bring an end to their perfect start to the 2020/21 European campaign.

The Reds had won all three of their opening games in Group D, including a 5-0 win against the Serie A side away from home.

However, Gian Piero Gasperini’s side were clearly out for revenge on Wednesday night and produced a superb display to take all three points, after goals from Josep Ilicic and Robin Gosens.

One man’s performance that will have concerned Jurgen Klopp was that of Neco Williams, with the Welsh international struggling throughout the game.

As per SofaScore, the 19-year-old picked up a 6.5 rating for his display, with only Sadio Mane, Divock Origi and Konstantinos Tsimikas rated lower of the Liverpool players who started the game.

The right-back lost possession a remarkable 27 times during the game, which was the most of any Reds player on the pitch.

Williams has established himself as a trusted member of Klopp’s side in recent seasons, having made 16 appearances (ahead of Wednesday’s game) for the first-team now, in which he has contributed no goals and two assists (per Transfermarkt).

Considering Trent Alexander-Arnold is currently sidelined through injury, Williams is likely to have a lot more game time in the coming weeks, but he will need to improve on this performance if he wants to keep his spot in the starting 11.

The Welshman saw a lot of the ball against the Italian side but was unable to have much impact going forward, as none of his three crosses on the evening found their mark, whilst only two of his 11 attempted long balls found a Liverpool shirt.

54 of Williams’ 70 attempted passes found their target, resulting in a pass accuracy rate of 74%, suggesting that his passing could have been a lot better on the night too.

The right-back wasn’t too bad defensively, however, as he won five out of nine of his ground duels, whilst he also made five interceptions during the 90 minutes.

Alexander-Arnold was full of praise for the academy talent earlier this year, saying:

“Neco is an amazing talent, he is someone who we all look to as being someone who can play for the club for a long amount of time and will have a bright future no matter what.”

“I think he is on the right path, for sure. Mentally, he’s ahead of people his age, he’s getting the right experience in training; playing against the best players in the world can only improve you.” (per Liverpool FC)

However, he did little to repay the England international’s faith in him on Wednesday night and it will perhaps not be a surprise if Klopp opts to start James Milner at right-back in the Reds’ next game, after his impressive performance in the win against Leicester City last weekend.

Everton loanee Moise Kean suffered a step back in his start to life with Paris Saint-Germain against FC Nantes on Saturday, with Thomas Tuchel forced to haul the Italian off at half-time.

Kean joined PSG on a one-year loan this summer that features an agreed €20million (£18m) option to buy at the end of the season, after struggling to establish himself at Goodison Park following Carlo Ancelotti’s appointment.

The striker started just five of his 21 Everton appearances under Ancelotti, with Kean’s compatriot often reluctant to favour the 20-year-old signed from Juventus by Marco Silva in 2019 for £25.1m rising to £27.5m.

Tuchel has been vastly more forthcoming with minutes since Kean’s move to the Parc des Princes, with the German coach starting the Everton outcast in four of his five outings to date.

Kean opened his account for PSG with a brace at home to Dijon FCO last week before netting a double in the Champions League Group Stage away to Istanbul Basaksehir FK, and would have hoped to continue his record at Nantes on Saturday.

Unfortunately, that was not to be the case, as Kean endured a step back in form just a day after Tuchel had called for the eight-cap international to deliver consistent performances, with his up and down displays appearing to be a major flaw in his game.

“The best thing to integrate at a new club and a group for a striker is to score,” Tuchel told PSG’s official website. “The most important thing is that he continues to show the same desire and to put the same intensity on the pitch.

“He has a great physical capacity, [but] he must absolutely continue like this. It’s weighing on the defences, and that’s what we need.”

Tuchel will need Kean to rediscover his form ever more so now, having lost star forward Neymar until after the November internationals to an adductor injury sustained in the Champions League.

Kean endured a torrid evening away to Nantes on Saturday before Tuchel ultimately sought changes at the break, with the 20-year-old failing to register a single shot – on target or otherwise – failed with 50% of his dribbles, misplaced 43% of his mere seven passes, took just 13 touches, lost three of his five duels, turned over possession six times and was caught offside once, per SofaScore.

Tuchel opted to replace Kean with 18-year-old prospect Kays Ruiz-Atil in the hopes it would change PSG’s fortunes at the Stade de la Beaujoire, and while the teenager did not score, the Ligue 1 behemoths eventually secured a 3-0 win thanks to goals from Ander Herrera, Kylian Mbappe and Pablo Sarabia.

AND in other news, an “intelligent” maestro may have played his final game for Everton already after his recent comments.

Speaking exclusively to FootballFanCast, Steve Howey has claimed his former side Newcastle should have signed Southampton star Danny Ings.

The England international enjoyed a sparkling campaign last year for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side, netting 22 Premier League goals and finishing joint-second in the race for the Golden Boot, with Leicester’s Jamie Vardy taking the crown with 23.

When asked by FFC’s James Beavis about which summer signing from another club Newcastle should have made themselves, Howey said: “I don’t think it was this summer in fairness, but I know for a while, a long while, I was singling out Danny Ings. I thought Newcastle could have benefitted from somebody like him. I think Steve McClaren was the manager, and having a quick conversation with Steve, I think the fee was something like £12m and they were quite happy to pay that. Then it went up to £15m, and it was a case of we’re not paying that fee for him.

“For me it would have been him. Having said that, I was really pleased with Callum Wilson. I’ve always liked Callum Wilson, and I like Josh King. But as I said, I think Danny Ings would have been the one.”

Wilson’s start to life on Tyneside has been a very encouraging one, with the former Bournemouth man bagging four goals in six games – the exactly same amount as Ings.

The latter however, appears to have moved up the pecking order at international level, with England manager Gareth Southgate calling him up for the recent friendlies and Nations League clashes.

Valued at £18m by Transfermarkt, Ings could have been a real marquee signing for the Magpies. But as Howey himself points out, Newcastle have still got a very good striker in the shape of Wilson.

Southampton centre-back Jannik Vestergaard has shed light on his transfer situation over the last 12 months. The Denmark international admitted that a move was on his mind earlier this year, but he ultimately decided to stay at the request of Ralph Hasenhuttl and the club.

Speaking to Goal.com, Vestergaard mentioned the fact that even in the summer, clubs had come knocking for his services. However, since being convinced to stay, his focus is only on Southampton and he has not received any information on interested parties from his agent.

Whilst his loyalty to the club is admirable, the Saints should look to reevaluate their decision. Is the 28-year-old a player Southampton are reliant on?

Hasenhuttl made a mistake with Verstergaard talks

It’s certainly an odd decision to keep Vestergaard at the club following his quiet 2019/20 season. The Dane was dropped for 17 Premier League matches and missed a further two due to picking up a knock (via Transfermarkt). This hints that Hasenhuttl had no real desire to deploy the defender, especially having four players in the same position fighting for their role in the squad.

When Vestergaard has been on the pitch, he’s been subject to a lot of criticism. Lots of Southampton fans have ridiculed his performances and even club icon Matt Le Tissier has given him both barrels. Speaking to Sky Sports (via HITC), the pundit slammed the Saints man for not doing enough to mark his man.

“It’s a really odd habit to get into,” Le Tissier said following Southampton’s loss to West Ham last year.

But Vestergaard hasn’t just been disappointing for his club, his international displays have also left a lot to be desired. Denmark’s most recent match against England saw him play just 16 minutes, with the previous fixture leaving him reduced to the bench (via Sofascore).

Leicester were reported to be linked to Southampton’s controversial man, but a move didn’t materialise. Hasenhuttl should look to strike up talks against once the January window comes round, in hopes to cash in on the man slowly being phased out of the team.

In other news, Southampton cashed in on Morgan Schneiderlin at the exact right time…

He may not have spent too long at Leeds United, but it’s fair to say Ian Rush fondly remembers his time with the club.The Liverpool icon played 39 times for the Whites, scoring three times, and after seeing them clinch their return to the Premier League, took to Twitter to pass on his congratulations.

It speaks volumes of the kind of affinity players build up with Leeds, that even someone who played less than 40 games for them is still absolutely buzzing to see them do well.

Can you name every one of the Leeds’ top goalscorers from the past 15 seasons? It’s a tricky one…

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

Two of Rush’s former sides in Liverpool and Leeds have both enjoyed historic seasons this year, and the prospect of seeing those two giants of English football face off once more in the Premier League is a mouth-watering prospect.

Despite still having a couple of games to play in the Championship, you can forgive anyone of a Leeds persuasion from looking past that and already eyeing up their first game back in the promised land.

Who’s excited?

The Premier League have had more pressure piled onto them to give answers on the failed takeover of Newcastle United as thousands of letters have been sent to local MP’s urging them to write to the top flight and its chief executive Richard Masters.

Indeed, this adds to the pressure that he has been put under this week, including a petition signed by over 70,000 members of the Toon Army demanding for the CEO of England’s highest division to come out and give an explanation as to why the EPL was taking so long to make their final decision.

A link has been created by the Newcastle United Supporters Trust (NUST) and shared on social media to show how supporters of the Tyneside club can write to their own local MP asking for transparency from the Premier League, which has now generated thousands of letters.

Some MP’s have already replied to these fans, and others like Labour MP Emma Lewell-Buck for South Shields have also acknowledged requests from several members of the Toon Army.

Indeed, the pressure is building and building on the top flight and its chief executive Masters to come out and give an explanation for the lengthily process, which essentially caused the Kingdom of Saudi Arabian (KSA) group to cut the wire on their own £300 million deal with Mike Ashley.

With the new 2020/21 season fast approaching, coupled up with the added fact that the summer transfer window has officially opened, perhaps this was an unsurprising move.

Nevertheless, England’s highest division are now under more pressure than ever before to give answers, as the Magpies continue to demand for them to be given.

Geordies, does the EPL need to give answers on the takeover? Comment below!

Just what must Allan Saint-Maximin be thinking as he watches his Newcastle teammates struggle to match his level?

The Frenchman has been an absolute revelation for the Magpies ever since he arrived from Nice last summer, as Geordies are eagerly awaiting being able to visit SeatPick.com and get tickets at SJP once again, with the Frenchman scoring four times and providing seven assists across all competitions.

But too often, Saint-Maximin has just been tasked with doing far too much for Steve Bruce’s side, and it has perhaps never been clearer than his display against Tottenham in the Premier League on Wednesday night.

Think you’re a big Magpies fan? Can you name these former players by looking at their careers? Go on, give it a go…

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

The 23-year-old single-handedly tried to drag his team on, constantly demanding the ball wherever he was on the pitch, and looking to create something either for himself or his teammates.

As per Sofascore, his 8.4 match rating was only bettered by Tottenham star Harry Kane, and that is despite not scoring or providing an assist himself.

All of his work went unrewarded, and the winger himself must surely have been feeling frustrated that the rest of his team couldn’t quite match his standards.

Saint-Maximin has proven himself to be a prolific dribbler this season in the top-flight – he currently ranks second behind Adama Traore with 4.8 dribbles per game – but on Wednesday, he took that to a completely another level.

He completed a whopping 11 out of the 12 dribbles he attempted, and despite providing three key passes for his teammates, and firing off six shots on goal himself, couldn’t really find a way past Hugo Lloris.

It felt like a game of Spurs vs Saint-Maximin and the rest. And that’s never a good sign.

As much as he huffed and puffed – he won a ridiculous 16 total duels out of the 22 that he contested – his teammates couldn’t share some of the workload.

And that’s exactly why the Saudi consortium interested in taking over at St James’ Park, must splash the cash in the summer transfer window if everything gets confirmed.

Already there has been talk of rival clubs showing a liking towards Saint-Maxmin, so it’s absolutely imperative the Magpies start bringing in quality players to take the pressure off the Frenchman’s shoulders and give him teammates who can match his quality and ambition.

If not, then more Bruce will just have to see more of the same of his winger trying to win games on his own, and seeing things fall apart around him.

Loads of Tottenham fans have been drooling over an iconic goal from Gareth Bale, as Tuesday marked seven years since his final strike in the Premier League at White Hart Lane. 

Bale has scored plenty of incredible screamers throughout his career so far, including an acrobatic finish in the Champions League final, and it is fair to say this stunning goal is certainly no exception to the rule.

Fan accounts @LastWordOnSpurs and @thespursweb shared footage of the Welshman’s long-range effort against Sunderland in 2013, a match-winning strike that put the game beyond the Black Cats and propelled Spurs to 72 points, which was a record for the club. Taking a pass in the final minute of the game, he cut inside from 25 yards out, and curled the ball into the top corner.

The £28.8m-valued winger scored 56 goals and created 58 assists in 203 appearances for the Lilywhites, before leaving for La Liga giants Real Madrid, but it seems a large section of the THFC faithful still have plenty of fond memories about the “Welsh wizard.” One supporter tweeted the video is “stunning,” while another added his “technique is unbelievable.”

Scroll through some of the glowing reactions down below…

Tottenham fans, do you want the board to bring Gareth Bale back to the club in the future? Let us know in the comments section!

For Wolves, this season has been a very promising one as they currently sit sixth in the Premier League table, three points from a potential place in the Champions League. For their latest target however, it’s been rather the opposite.

According to reports from Turkey (via Daily Mail), the Midlands side could be bringing Liverpool’s rejected goalkeeper to Molineux in the summer on loan.

The Turkish outlet Fanatik has reported that the Reds have been in talks with Wolves over a potential move for the German, who would join the ranks as back-up to Rui Patricio. However, a move in any capacity for Karius would be like trying to fit a round peg in a square hole. The 26-year-old certainly has Premier League experience on his side, but no success to show for it and of course, his costly errors in Europe cannot be easily forgotten.

Football FanCast has taken a look at the reasons why Karius may not be the right match for Wolverhampton.

Errors and Old Habits

The German shot-stopper arrived at Anfield with a lot of promise to become a cult hero and help plug Liverpool’s leaky defence. After a shaky start to his debut season – keeping just three clean sheets and making two costly errors – Klopp remained sold on Karius’ ability between the sticks.

However, into his second term with the Merseyside outfit, the new No.1 single-handedly knocked Liverpool out of the Champions League final. His blunders gifted Real Madrid two goals, which was the final nail in the coffin for the majority of fans.

After his calamitous performance in Kyiv, a beIN Sports panel analysed his mistakes, with one pundit claiming Karius would ‘never recover’ from those woeful 90 minutes.

This prediction has proved accurate so far. A two-year spell with Besiktas hasn’t had the desired effect to bring some positive form back to Karius. Following a match against Konyaspor in 2019, Besiktas manager Senol Gunes hit out at his goalkeeper for his error and stated his performances had ‘gone stagnant’.

Additionally, according to WhoScored, the German’s weaknesses have been identified as long passing and saving long shots, something which most goalkeepers should be able to comfortably do.

Joining a side that could potentially be playing in four competitions next season will see Karius with a lot of game time. But professionals and fans alike know he has some very fateful errors in him, and he would be a ticking time bomb at Wolves.

Lack of Confidence

The arrival of a record new signing brought in to replace you is not a welcome thought by any player. But it must particularly sting when you’ve just played out the worst game of your career and now the team are phasing you out.

According to the Telegraph, following the arrival of Alisson in 2018, Karius was said to be ‘bitterly disappointed’ in Jurgen Klopp for bringing in his replacement. Reportedly, Liverpool’s new arrival made the former first-choice ‘keeper question his future with the Reds. Not long after, Karius was shipped out to Turkey on loan with Besiktas.

During his spell in the Super Lig, the 26-year-old has endured some truly testing times. Not only did he struggle to adapt at first, but reports claimed he was owed a backlog of wages from the club. The Turkish side had withheld four months of payment from Karius last year and now a new complaint has been raised by the goalkeeper who has not been paid since the season was suspended last month (via the Guardian).

Arriving at a new club with an exciting project unfolding would be too much for Karius to take on at this moment in his career. His first return to the Premier League since the 2018 Champions League final will be a very unnerving situation for him. Shouldering that whilst trying to be at his best for a new team will only knock his confidence even more.

Plus, with the pressure of helping Wolves achieve all they can next season, the likelihood of more errors will be even higher. Karius will not want a repeat of his past nightmares, and to decrease the chances of that happening, the German must consider looking for a less-demanding club.