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In what was an incredibly poor team display, Sheffield Wednesday fell to a dismal 3-1 defeat at home to Derby on Saturday afternoon.

Garry Monk’s side could only muster up four shots on target in the entire game, and found themselves three goals down after just 30 minutes of the game.

A late Josh Windass strike provided some consolation for the Owls, but in truth, it didn’t distract from the rest of the game or the result. And Barry Bannan’s display in the middle of the park certainly left a lot to be desired.

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As per Sofascore, he lost all of his seven duels, made no tackles, and lost possession 24 times.

After seeing his performance, Wednesday fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the central midfielder.

A couple of fans called for Bannan to be taken out of the squad, with one supporter saying that if you got rid of him and Tom Lees, they would look “10x better”.

One Owls fan meanwhile took aim at how Bannan appeared to be “frightened to death of (Wayne) Rooney from minute 1”.

Make no mistake about it, Bannan has certainly got to raise his game for the Owls over these coming weeks and months.

The Scot has provided just one goal contribution in his last 11 games in the Championship, and that simply isn’t enough.

Where is he from?! Can you name which obscure countries these famous players have represented?

It will be interesting to see whether Monk takes the brave decision to drop Bannan from the team, and offer someone else an opportunity in that engine room.

Meanwhile, Sheffield Wednesday must tread carefully with this ace.

There isn’t too much wrong with Celtic at the moment. The Hoops are 13 points clear of their fiercest rivals in the race for the title while they defeated St Mirren 5-0 last weekend.

On top of that, Neil Lennon’s men are in the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup. It’s a happy time if you’re part of the green and white army, but one player shouldn’t be completely content.

On the chalkboard

On the end of a tough tackle from Kilmarnock’s Alan Power back in January, defender Jeremie Frimpong returned from injury towards the end of February.

A talented teenager, the former Manchester City player has earned huge praise from Lennon since walking through the doors of Celtic Park.

In December, the Bhoys boss said he was one of the best young talents he’d ever worked with. He also added: “He’s an outstanding talent who looks after himself. Just watching him makes me tired, he wears people down.”

It’s perhaps surprising that he hasn’t played so much since returning, especially when you consider the displays of Greg Taylor at left wing-back.

Being accused of being too weak physically by supporters, he’s failed to offer much in the final third and only managed 0.5 key passes per game during Celtic’s Europa League run.

The solution

In short, Frimpong should be banging on Lennon’s door and demanding to play more. He might be young, but he is clearly a more promising option than the 22-year-old Taylor.

The youngster has only played at left-back on one occasion since signing for Celtic but he could slot in there if needed. Failing that, Lennon could move James Forrest to the left and have his rising young starlet on the right.

After all, Frimpong has shown to be a valuable asset going forward this term. Considering the manager is now fielding wing-backs, his qualities in that area of the pitch would be highly beneficial.

He’s scored twice this campaign and earned plaudits for his end product from Lennon. In comparison, Taylor hasn’t managed to find the back of the net at all. However, one of the biggest indications came in the 2-2 draw against Livingston a few weeks ago.

Per FB Ref, Taylor managed only two crosses in 62 minutes. Coincidentally, Frimpong replaced him and went onto put four successful balls into the box during just 28 minutes on the field.

From Jay-Z to Tom Hanks: Do you know which clubs these famous celebrities support?

With the left-sided player proving to be the only weak point and cause for concern from a 5-0 victory, it is clear there should be some minor fears growing.

However, they can disappear in quick fashion if Lennon selects Frimpong. He deserves another starting berth now he’s fully fit again.

In other Hoops news, Lawwell was spot on to avoid a record-equalling investment in January…

With just two months of the campaign left, transfer season is about to gather pace.

This summer will be an important one for West Ham. The Irons spent heavily last summer, breaking their transfer record to sign Sebastien Haller, for example, but it has not pushed them up the table as they would have liked – they are currently in 16th place.

This campaign has already had one managerial casualty – Manuel Pellegrini was sacked last December – and, with just two wins in 10 Premier League appearances since returning to the London Stadium, David Moyes may not last too much longer either.

According to Torino Granata, the Hammers are interested in signing Nicolas N’Koulou from the Serie A outfit. With Angelo Ogbonna turning 32 in May, and Winston Reid’s future remaining uncertain – he is currently out on loan – a new centre-back would not go amiss. With a Transfermarkt value of £12.6m, he would not break the bank either.

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However, there is one problem with this pursuit – it directly contradicts what ExWHUemployee believes West Ham’s transfer policy will be in the future. Talking to the West Ham Way podcast on Wednesday, he said: “We are definitely adopting a policy of signing younger players, that’s 100 per cent going to happen.”

N’Koulou may be a very good and experienced centre-back – after all, he has 72 caps for Cameroon and has played in both Serie A and Ligue 1. However, he is already 29 years old, and will be turning 30 in May himself. That, quite obviously, is not what a younger player looks like.

There is youthful positivity at the London Stadium at the moment. Declan Rice and Issa Diop are regulars for Moyes and are 21 and 23 respectively, whilst Jeremy Ngakia already has four Premier League appearances to his name even though he is just 19 years old.

Bringing in the former Olympique de Marseille and Olympique Lyonnais man would totally contradict the claim that the Hammers will now concentrate on youth. In the long term, that is exactly what they need – N’Koulou doesn’t fit into that.

Meanwhile, West Ham cannot afford to let this ace leave.

Adama Traore has had an ongoing issue with his right shoulder this season, and according to The Athletic’s Tim Spiers Wolves could potentially take advantage of the latest situation to allow the player to undergo surgery.

What’s the latest?

The speedy winger may be well built but the joint in his shoulder has caused him persistent problems since he dislocated it while playing for Middlesbrough.

In 2019/20 alone he has had his right shoulder pop out of place on three occasions, most recently forcing him off the pitch in the 3-2 away win over Tottenham.

It is believed that the original plan was for the 24-year-old to continue playing until the end of the season, before having surgery in the summer, but the suspension of football could mean that now is the perfect opportunity to put an end to Traore’s pain.

Touching on the matter, Spiers wrote in The Athletic:

“As of a couple of days ago there were no plans to undergo surgery. Now that we know for certain Wolves won’t play for six weeks, that may change.

“As far as I’m aware, physiotherapy is only a temporary solution.”

Risky strategy

Things are currently up in the air and it may not even be possible for the Spaniard to undergo surgery at this point, but it is an option the club should take up if it is indeed available.

Traore has reportedly suffered a repeat dislocation which means he is never 100% fit, and that could be affecting his game as well as his mindset.

It risks creating doubt and hesitation in his mind that influences his decision-making in a negative way on the pitch, and for the sake of his own pain he needs to address the issue.

Otherwise, he could possibly make the situation worse long-term and given he has a few weeks to recover he could come back in time to finish the season off – especially as it could be extended further.

Call yourself a Wolves expert? How much did each of these January signings cost?

Time away from the pitch and physiotherapy will undoubtedly help but it appears the issue is not such a simple fix, and that means surgery should be moved forward.

Meanwhile, Daniel Podence has been keeping busy in a variety of ways in his own home…

Remember when Southampton sacked Nigel Adkins?

It was a decision that shocked ex-Saints boss Lawrie McMenemy and also Rafa Benitez at the time, and also a truly harsh call from Nicola Cortese seeing as the then 47-year-old had guided the club to the Premier League from League One with successive promotions.

In somewhat of a symbolic moment, Southampton also completed the £4.2m signing of Vegard Forren on the same day that Adkins was handed his P45 – it would prove to be a move tainted by the ruthless dismissal.

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The Norway international never actually make an impact for the club, despite snubbing a trial with Liverpool in order to make the move to St Mary’s – he clearly had some attraction at the time.

In fact, Southampton never even got an appearance from the ex-Brighton defender, despite parting with a substantial sum for his signature.

Forren managed to make just three appearances for Southampton’s U21 side before leaving St Mary’s in 2013, just months after he had made the switch to the south coast – what a truly baffling transfer this was.

To expand on the theme of the article, it feels like there is some sort of symbolic link between the brutal nature of Adkins’ dismissal, and the consequential failure of the Norwegian defender – almost as if Southampton were being punished for their treatment of the promotion specialist.

Forren is now enjoying his third spell at Molde, a club for whom he has made a whopping 369 appearances for.

In today’s money, the 32-year-old’s move to Southampton would be worth £4,849,559.14 using the Bank of England’s inflation calculator.

At the very least, if you spend £4.2m on a player, you would expect them to make a senior appearance.

Call yourself a Premier League expert? How much did each of these big-money January signings cost?

However, this was a complete and utter disaster of a move for the Saints – Cortese surely shudders at the thought of it.

In other news, Southampton signing this 27-year-old could finally end Ralph Hasenhuttl’s big dilemma…

Leeds United journalist for The Athletic, Phil Hay has said that he cannot see Marcelo Bielsa walking away from the club this summer, in response to a fan on Twitter.

What did he say?

Bielsa has had a dramatic impact at Elland Road since he arrived in the summer of 2018, guiding the club to third position in the Championship last season.

His side are now top of the table with nine matches to play, but the Argentine is set to see his current deal expire in the summer.

With there being plenty of uncertainty surrounding contracts due to the suspension of the football season, Hay said he cannot see Bielsa walking away from the club.

“I don’t see him walking away with things poised like this – but everyone is waiting for firm guidance from FIFA about how expiring contracts will be managed,” he wrote on Twitter.

Quiz: What year did Leeds sign these flops?

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One more year?

Bielsa has worked wonders at Leeds and his side are now arguably the best team to watch in the Championship, while also sitting on the brink of promotion.

If they do seal a place in the Premier League, the opportunity to manage the club in the top flight would surely be too good to resist for the Argentine, but it remains to be seen what will happen with contracts given the unprecedented circumstances.

If the season is cancelled and Leeds are made to try for promotion again next term, the big question is whether Bielsa will want to be a part of trying to do it all over again.

However, if the season is completed and he can guide them back to the Premier League, then surely he would want to test himself in England’s top-flight?

From a playing point of view, Steven Gerrard is an absolute Liverpool legend.

He made a huge 710 appearances for the Reds across 17 years at the club, scoring 186 goals and providing 114 assists along the way. Not only that, he captained the side to a Champions League win, also lifting two FA Cups, three League Cups and a UEFA Cup – there are few better players who have ever pulled on the jersey.

Whilst he is one of the greats of the game on the pitch, he is still relatively new to the management game – this is just his second season in the job, with both campaigns coming at Rangers in Scotland – as of yet, he is yet to win a trophy, and the Ibrox outfit are currently 13 points behind Celtic in the Premiership.

Jurgen Klopp is currently the man in the hot-seat at Anfield, but he won’t be around forever. According to Jamie Carragher, the man to next take the role should be none other than Gerrard, he said when asked about it in a Q&A on his Instagram page.

Despite his connections to the Merseyside outfit, the supporters have panned Carragher for his suggestion – one fan even said he has a “weak mentality”. They have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

Would you like Gerrard to be the next Liverpool manager? Let us know in the comments!

As Newcastle United’s prospective takeover edges closer and closer to completion, the number of audacious transfer rumours linking the club to an elite string of players increases.

This week has been no different with the Magpies being mooted with a move for Barcelona duo Philippe Coutinho and Carles Alena, according to Marca.

Cameo Clubs: Which obscure teams did these football legends play for?

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Both players are currently out on loan, the former Liverpool star is at Bayern Munich whilst the young Spaniard has been impressing at Real Betis.

Alena, a product of the La Masia academy, has played 13 times this term, including one appearance in the Champions League where he played the full 90 minutes against Inter Milan, recording four key passes, three dribbles and a 85.1% passing success rate, via WhoScored.

While Coutinho has found the net nine times and also provided eight assists in 32 appearances for the Bundesliga champions this season.

Although, many at St James’ Park only have one thing on their mind – the takeover being complete.

Here’s what has been said…

AND in other news, Newcastle swooping for this PL FLOP would be so foolish…

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According to TEAMtalk, Tottenham have joined the hunt for Birmingham’s in-form hotshot Che Adams, along with a number of other clubs who have taken a keen interest in signing the Championship marksman.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Adams is currently enjoying the season of his life right now, and his form has not gone unnoticed.

The 22-year-old has hit 19 goals in 29 Championship starts so far this season, as well as recording three assists, with his form a large reason for Birmingham’s unlikely push for the play-off positions – they are just seven points away right now, with plenty more games still left to play.

Spurs’ north London rivals Arsenal along with Manchester United have also been credited with an interest in signing the English forward, whilst Burnley and Southampton saw bids rebuffed for Adams in the January window and Celtic and Watford have scouted the goal machine recently (as per The Mirror).

Do Spurs really need Adams?

Given the fact that Mauricio Pochettino hasn’t made a single signing over the last two transfer windows, one would only assume that there isn’t too much money to spend at the club – the debts from the construction of the new White Hart Lane may also be a contributing factor.

In that respect, the aforementioned TEAMtalk article states that Birmingham want £20m for Adams, which could be a lot for Spurs right now. Is it really worth splashing that much on a player who will only be used as Harry Kane’s understudy?

You may argue that Pochettino needs another forward, but we have seen by Heung-min Son’s blistering form and Fernando Llorente’s resurgence in the absence of Kane that there are plenty of players at the club who can step up in a time of need.

Perhaps any money afforded to Pochettino by Daniel Levy should be spent on a new right-back, as all three of Kyle Walker-Peters, Kieran Trippier and Serge Aurier have failed to nail down a place in the team on a consistent basis.

فرض التعادل السلبي كلمته على مباراة فريقي أهلي دبي الإماراتي وباختاكور الأوزبكستاني التي أقيمت مساء اليوم في بطولة دوري أبطال اسيا.

وكان ملعب استاد الجنوب، بالوكرة-قطر، قد استضاف موقعة الجولة الخامسة من المجموعة الثانية، بالبطولة القارية.

طالع | رغم إصابة 15 لاعبا بكورونا.. الاتحاد الآسيوي يرفض طلب الهلال بتأجيل مواجهة شاهر خودرو

بتلك النتيجة يرتفع رصيد باختاكور إلى 8 نقاط محتلًا وصافة ترتيب المجموعة، ويتبقى له مباراة أمام شهر خودرو الإيراني.

وفي الوقت ذاته يرتفع رصيد الأهلي إلى 7 نقاط محتلًا المركز الثالث، وتنتظره مواجهة الجولة الأخيرة أمام الهلال السعودي.

ومن المقرر أن تحسم الجولة الأخيرة، صاحب المركز الثاني والمؤهل لدور الـ16 من البطولة القارية.

يذكر، أن فريق الهلال السعودي يعتلي ترتيب صدارة المجموعة الثانية برصيد 11 نقاط، ضامنًا مقعده في دور الـ16، فيما يتذيل شهر خودرو ترتيب المجموعة بنقطة واحدة فقط، حصدها من تعادل مع ياختاكور الأوزبكستاني.