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

According to The Sun, West Brom are the latest club to be linked with a move for their former loan ace Dwight Gayle.

It is a transfer that potentially suggests that Slaven Bilic is starting to regret one of his major summer decisions.

What’s the word?

The reports claim that the Baggies chief in command is keen on adding Newcastle United’s frontman to his league-leading squad.

Gayle enjoyed a fruitful loan spell at the Hawthorns last season under ex-boss Darren Moore as he bagged 24 goals in 41 appearances before returning in the summer.

Last weekend he finally played his first match back at his parent club after coming on as a substitute against Chelsea for four minutes.

Albion currently have Charlie Austin, Kenneth Zohore and Hal Robson-Kanu in the striking department with two of them being signed this summer.

Bilic’s blunder?

However, these links may tell a more damning story up in the west Midlands as, despite all of the goal-laden matches West Brom have been involved in, their strikers haven’t yet lived up to expectations.

The Baggies have netted 24 goals in 13 Championship matches this term, but just four of those have come from the three aforementioned strikers, which is quite a worrying return.

Austin was signed on deadline day for £4m from Southampton and has scored just the one goal in nine appearances.

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Now that the club are reportedly chasing Gayle again, it could suggest that Bilic is starting to regret his decision to force through a deal for the 30-year-old at the last hour.

Had the club spent a bit more money in the summer, they could quite easily have tempted Magpies boss Steve Bruce into making a decision in regards to selling the 29-year-old forward.

If the club do indeed pursue a striker in January, it will only reinforce the belief that he may have lost some faith in Austin at this early stage of the campaign.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Having signed Joelinton from Hoffenheim, Newcastle’s deadline day signing of Andy Carroll certainly raised a few eyebrows.

Yes, he had been a hero during his first spell on Tyneside, scoring 33 goals in 91 outings, but his miserable luck with injuries underlined his status as a major gamble; he missed 24 games in total in 2018/19. There is also the question of whether the Englishman can play second-fiddle to the club’s record signing.

But, after catching a brief glimpse of the pair playing together towards the end of the Premier League clash against Brighton last weekend, Steve Bruce may find it worthwhile to get the duo into the starting line-up at the same time.

The Premier League has often shied away from the old-school 4-4-2 combination in favour of a more continental, possession-based approach.

What Newcastle have on their hands, however, is a pair of centre-forwards who are unlike anything in the division. And that could be the secret to their success this season.

On the chalkboard

Both standing at over six feet tall, Joelinton and Carroll could provide a real throwback to the strike partnerships of yesteryear.

The latter’s bread and butter throughout his storied career has been throwing himself into battle with the opposition’s centre-backs, physically bullying them and dominating them in the air – look no further than the fact he has won 6.2 aerial duels per game as a career average.

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The man he could partner, Joelinton? Well, the Brazilian has won 4.2 aerial duels per game this season, and playing the two of them up top would give Newcastle a platform to build from. The Magpies aren’t blessed with an abundance of nimble, tricky players who want to engage in intricate passing.

What they do have, however, is some wide-men who have a real penchant for getting deliveries into the box.

The likes of Allan Saint-Maximin, Christian Atsu and Matt Ritchie could provide incredible service from the flanks – the latter two, in particular, have both averaged more than a cross per game this campaign. Atsu has 1.3 and Ritchie has 1.7. Saint-Maximin has played just 57 minutes but has yet to have his crossing statistics recorded by WhoScored.

So what could a potential line-up with both Joelinton and Carroll in it look like?

More than anything, having such a physically dominant duo up top would give opposition teams something else to think about.

Going more direct, winning headers and second-balls in and around the box would cause havoc, and it would give Bruce’s side a far greater attacking threat.

It may be old-school, but it could be exactly the new approach Newcastle need.

The mini-crisis that ensued after Leeds lost to Charlton last weekend is over. That’s all now been forgotten about.

A win over previously unbeaten West Brom was enough to cure the doubts as they returned to the top of the table.

It wasn’t a convincing win but it was a victory nonetheless as Gjanni Alioski found the back of the net during the first half.

Patrick Bamford was again unable to score himself, extending his run without a goal to five games but he worked tirelessly throughout.

His hold up play was praised by supporters on Twitter as they took to the social media platform to rave over how he played.

In the past Bamford has been slated but as the Whites took home all three points, they seemingly changed their minds on the attacker.

One claimed it was a Mark Viduka-esque display from the 26-year-old while another described him as outstanding.

A further individual even labelled it close to a 10/10 performance.

Bamford has netted four times this season with all strikes coming in his opening five matches.

Here’s the best of the reaction from his outing on Tuesday night.

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Grady Diangana has been an inspired signing for West Bromwich Albion thus far.

The Baggies secured the attacker on a loan deal from West Ham United during the summer window.

And the 21-year-old has managed three goals in four Championship appearances for Slaven Bilic’s side.

Diangana is due to spend the entire 2019-20 campaign with West Brom, although West Ham might well consider a recall if his excellent form continues. Football FanCast recently revealed that they have the option to do so.

A mid-season return to the London Stadium is certainly a fear for the Baggies supporters, with many taking to social media to express their concern.

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Indeed, the Championship club’s fans responded to a tweet from West Ham’s official website by begging the Premier League club not to recall him in January.

West Brom are going well in the second tier this season – collecting 12 points from their six matches to occupy fourth spot in the table.

A selection of the Twitter reaction is available to view below:

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Liverpool transfer target Kai Havertz picked up an assist for Germany against Northern Ireland, but several fans were unsatisfied with the pass he made to create the chance.

The 20-year-old has gone from strength to strength for club and country since breaking into the Bayer Leverkusen first-team in 2016, sparking interest from clubs such as Barcelona and Bayern Munich, as well as the Reds.

Despite a short career he has already broken records for the youngest player to feature for Leverkusen, and the youngest player to make 50 Bundesliga appearances, as well as having five caps for Germany to boast of.

He scored a very impressive 17 league goals last season – a considerable amount for a midfielder – and despite setting up Serge Gnabry for Germany’s second goal against Northern Ireland he drew criticism from some sections of the Anfield faithful.

There are of course high expectations at the European champions now, and they will need their midfielders to hit top form if they are to compete with Manchester City for the Premier League title.

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As a result, fans will want potential transfer targets to be an improvement on those already at the clubs, and the following reactions suggest Havertz has to do more to impress the fans.

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قرر الاتحاد الدولي لكرة اليد برئاسة حسن مصطفى، رسميًا، إلغاء بطولتي العالم للشباب تحت 21 سنة، والناشئين تحت 19 سنة.

وقرر الاتحاد الدولي إلغاء البطولتين، والتي كان مقررًا إقامتهما الصيف المقبل، بسبب تفشي فيروس كورونا.

خاص.. إيقاف رئيس اتحاد اليد لمدة عام

يُذكر أن بطولتي كرة اليد لم يكن قد تم الاستقرار على مكان إقامتيهما حتى الآن.

تجدر الإشارة إلى أن مصر قد نجحت قبل أسابيع قليلة في استضافة بطولة كأس العالم لكرة اليد رجال، والتي فاز بها منتخب الدنمارك.

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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… 

Record Newcastle signing Joelinton is settling in on Tyneside, making his second and third pre-season appearances this past week, so what exactly is he going to give the Magpies this season?

After both earning and giving away a penalty in his pre-season debut against Preston, the 22 year-old has been strutting his stuff in the last two games, scoring against both Hibernian and St Etienne last week.

And yet, his meagre Bundesliga tally of seven strikes last season could certainly be enough to convince some fans that he is not the out-and-out number nine they need, or not a natural goalscorer at least.

However, he could help his team score more goals without actually scoring them himself, just like another versatile Brazilian forward who came to England from Hoffenheim.

Last season, Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino averaged 0.35 goals per game, a slightly better average than Joelinton, who came in at 0.25.

Their other stats are remarkably similar though, as the newest member of the Toon Army matched the Champions League winner exactly for assists per game, while coming out on top in key passes, dribbles and tackles, per Whoscored.

Of course, Firmino’s impact on the pitch cannot be measured fairly by numbers alone, as Jurgen Klopp’s ‘false nine’ does so much to allow Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane to shine, and Joelinton could do the exact same for Newcastle’s new winger duo.

Last season, Miguel Almiron showed glimpses of brilliance, but didn’t muster a single goal in ten top-flight appearances, because he needs a versatile, constantly moving menace up front to open up spaces in behind, where the former MLS star can use his exhilarating pace.

At Atlanta United he had Josef Martinez bursting into every unoccupied space on the pitch, and he racked up 41 goal contributions in just two seasons.

Allan Saint-Maximin suffered a similar fate, recording some wonderful dribbling and creative numbers but finding the back of the net just six times for OGC Nice.

Just like Firmino, Joelinton loves to drop deep, having played five different attacking positions so far in his career, including the role of ‘second striker’, which could be seen as a false nine, as well as featuring very briefly as an attacking midfielder.

Joelinton is doing so much more than just popping up with the odd goal; beating players one-on-one with the ball, creating chances, tracking back and harassing opposition defenders. In fact, if we assume his numbers could drop slightly with a move to a tougher league, they could be virtually identical to Firmino’s.

And given the impact the Liverpool cult hero has had on the wingers at Anfield, who shared the golden boot last term, could we see breakout seasons for Almiron and Saint-Maximin with the help of their new partner in crime?

Whether the pair can take their chances when they come remains to be seen, but Almiron’s MLS record in particular suggests that if Joelinton can even slightly replicate what his fellow Hoffenheim graduate does at Liverpool, then Newcastle’s new wing duo could serve up their greatest goalscoring seasons yet.

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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…

Former Arsenal midfielder and talkSPORT pundit Ray Parlour has savaged Marko Arnautovic for his behaviour throughout the summer transfer window.

What’s he said?

Arnautovic is again agitating for a move away from the Hammers, having requested that a bid from a Chinese club worth around £19.7m be accepted earlier this week, per Football FanCast sources.

Football FanCast understands that the club is Shanghai SIPG and a transfer is likely to be completed in the coming days, with an offer of £22.5m being submitted.

But Parlour has been flabbergasted by the Austria international’s conduct, insisting that he will simply disappear from the public consciousness when he moves to China while maintaining that West Ham should sell him as soon as possible.

He said: “I think he’s been a disgrace to be fair, I really do. You look at the situation, last year (January), he wanted to leave, his brother’s coming out with ‘we want to try a new challenge’, it’s all about money.

“He got a new contract, he was happy to sign that to stay at the club, why did he sign the new contract if he wants to leave? Got to the summer, and this stage of the season, and now he wants to leave again. It’s not right, it’s not how to act as a footballer, it really isn’t.”

He added: “If I was in the dressing room, we’d be saying, with other players, ‘get rid of him, we don’t need him, we can get other players in with the money and let’s replace him’ because West Ham is bigger than any player.

“He’ll go to China and you’ll probably never hear of him again. Look at the players who’ve gone to China, Oscar, what’s happened to his career, from Chelsea?”

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Parlour nails it

This is bang on from Parlour.

FFC sources have said that the Hammers regard Arnautovic as a troublemaker behind the scenes, and the club would be better off moving him on.

Indeed, FFC understands that the club are willing to accept a reduced fee for his services, such is their desperation to shift him.

And that speaks appallingly to the conduct of the former Stoke City forward, who does appear to be out to line his and his brother’s pockets.

He is unlikely to be missed by many at the club; they’d rather have a forward who didn’t ask to leave twice a season.

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Rangers assistant manager Gary McAllister has given fans an insight into why the club have signed defender George Edmundson from Oldham Athletic, as reported by The Daily Record.

What’s he said?

Edmundson has become Steven Gerrard’s sixth signing of the summer so far after a reported £700,000 move from the League Two side.

He’ll now be directly competing with first choice defenders Nikola Katic and Connor Goldson this summer, making a massive step up to play in front of 50,000 crowds on a regular basis.

McAllister is delighted with the deal and has revealed what he sees the player providing next season.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

As quoted by The Daily Record, Gerrard’s assistant said:

“We’re very glad to get the deal for George over the line. It’s an area of the team where we feel we need to get some numbers in and he’s a young player that we’ve watched for a while now.

He’s got a bit of composure and he likes to defend his goal. And he’s got experience because he’s played games at Oldham.

He’s chosen Rangers over a number of English clubs so a big positive for us.

George will give us competition which we need because we’re just three weeks away from a Europa League campaign. People have to come in and hit the ground running.”

What opportunities will Edmundson have?

If Rangers again make it to the group stages of the UEFA Europa League and manage to make it through multiple rounds in both domestic cup competitions then Gerrard’s first-team can expect to play almost 60 games next season.

Such a heavy schedule could give Edmundson a great chance to get regular games under his belt, even if he does not usurp Goldson or Katic as the manager’s preferred option in the centre of defence.

Still just 21 years of age, there should be no rush in expecting too much from him too soon, but given McAllister has pointed out he was extensively scouted, the club clearly feel he is already good enough to do a job and that will likely be reward with plenty of minutes on the pitch.

أعلن مدرب فريق مانشستر يونايتد أولي جونار سولشاير غياب الثنائي إدينسون كافاني وأنطوني مارسيال عن مباراة الغد أمام لايبزيج في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ويلتقي الفريقان في إطار منافسات الجولة السادسة من دور مجموعات دوري الأبطال.

ويتصدر مانشستر يونايتد المجموعة الثامنة بـ9 نقاط، بالتساوي مع باريس سان جيرمان ولايبزيج، ولكن متفوقًا بالأهداف.

وقال سولشاير، في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “manchestereveningnews” الإنجليزية: “دي خيا سيكون معنا، لوك شاو سيسافر كذلك”.

وأضاف النرويجي: “كافاني ومارسيال لديهما إصابات طفيفة، لكنهما لن يشاركان معنا في المباراة”.

وواصل: “مباريات خروج المغلوب أو مثل تلك المباريات تُعد لقاءات كبيرة، اللاعبون لدينا هم متواجدون في مانشستر يونايتد لإنهم يمتلكون الصفات التي نبحث عنها، هذه هي المباريات التي نتطلع إليها”.

واستكمل: “فوزنا 5-0 على لايبزيج في مباراتنا الأولى؟ حسنًا، لا يمكنك تجاهل ذلك، نحن نتذكره باعتزاز، لأننا قمنا بالعديد من الأشياء بشكل صحيح، لقد نجحنا في الاستعداد جيدًا ونعرف لايبزيج جيدًا بما يكفي لنعرف إنه فريق غير متوقع”.

وأردف: “إنه شيء نريده، مباريات مثل هذه تقليد لـ مانشستر يونايتد، نحن لا نجعل الأمر سهلًا على أنفسنا أبدًا، بالطبع نتذكر مبارياتنا السابقة، خاصة مباراة الذهاب أمام باشاك شهير حيث خسرنا، كان في إمكاننا الحصول على ثلاث نقاط، لكن هذه هي الطريقة التي سارت بها الأمور”.

واختتم: “نحن نجعل الأمر صعبًا على أنفسنا، ذلك منذ أن لعبت مع الفريق، منذ وقت طويل جدًا”.