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According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, West Brom have now entered pole position on deadline day to sign Arsenal’s Ainsley Maitland-Niles on loan in this transfer window.

What’s the story?

With the England international struggling to get consistent starts under Mikel Arteta this season in the Premier League – he’s started just once in the Gunners’ last seven top-flight games – it’s no surprise that recent reports have indicated he is generating a lot of interest from sides keen on signing him on loan.

It was suggested early on deadline day that Southampton were leading the race to take Maitland-Niles, but Ornstein has delivered a fresh twist in this developing saga.

The journalist claims that West Brom have reignited talks to sign him, and that a deal should get done, with Arsenal reluctant to send him to a rival and Maitland-Niles himself not wanting Southampton.

Edu must intervene

Whilst the allure of consistent first-team football makes this a pretty good move on the face of it for both Maitland-Niles and Arsenal, for the Gunners in particular, it’s a very dangerous move.

The north London side have already been burned before when it’s come to sending young talent to the wrong clubs on loan, with Serge Gnabry of course the most high-profile example when he played just three times under Tony Pulis at the Hawthorns.

Whilst Maitland-Niles may play more regularly than the German did in his time with the Baggies, the styles of football are so distinctly different between Arsenal and West Brom that it just doesn’t make sense from the north London side’s point of view.

Is letting the 23-year-old go to a club who rank bottom for possession (40.8%), bottom for shots per game (7.9), 19th for dribbles per match (6.5), and fifth-highest for long balls per game (63) the wisest decision? Maitland-Niles wouldn’t be playing his football in the kind of environment that Arsenal have developed over the years, and it could set his progress back considerably, as it did for Gnabry.

The Baggies’ style of play isn’t what’s best for the £16.2m-rated ace’s development. Edu should intervene and either keep him at the Emirates and let him fight for his place, or find another suitor for him. Letting him join West Brom would be a grave mistake on the technical director’s part.

Meanwhile, this Arsenal transfer target showed he could be Thomas Partey’s perfect midfield partner…

Since Andrea Radrizzani walked into Elland Road, he has transformed the face of Leeds United.

They have gone from a mid-table Championship side to a team now playing some of the most eye-catching and high-intensity football in the Premier League.

He has also made some high-brow transfers. Rodrigo walked through the door last summer for a club-record fee of £30m but their spending could get even greater in the years to come after new investment from the San Francisco 49ers.

However, for all of the money they’ve spent in recent years, it was one of the Italian’s very first signings that has stolen the headlines in Yorkshire. That happens to be Pablo Hernandez.

The Spaniard has won the club’s Player of the Season award on multiple occasions, proving to be a creative and goal-scoring genius for the Whites. He epitomises class and despite his age of 35, has matured like a fine wine.

Hernandez has scored 36 times in the white of Leeds, laying on 41 assists in the process. Clearly, he has been a huge influence for Leeds and his 18 goal involvements last year helped significantly in their bid to be promoted.

Since the former Swansea man signed for the club, Radrizzani and Victor Orta have made some brilliant additions. Rodrigo’s arrival last summer was the peak of them but Patrick Bamford has also been a steady acquisition. He is the club’s top goalscorer this term but hasn’t found the net in his last four outings.

Bamford has a great deal to offer to Leeds but he isn’t the most prolific. After all, Marcelo Bielsa’s men had the fifth-worst conversion rate in the Championship last season (12.5%), despite finishing top of the league.

It wasn’t the best of seasons in front of goal with Bamford finding the net 16 times. Now, that isn’t bad but when you consider his expected goals tally was 34.77, it proves how wasteful he was.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-this-weeks-latest-leeds-news” title=”Read this week’s latest Leeds news!”]

Thus, the addition of a new forward, particularly a clinical one could prove incredibly beneficial for the Whites. It’s hard to knock the fact that Bamford hasn’t been a good signing in terms of his performances this term, but if they can lure Andy Delort to England, it could well be their best investment since the aforementioned Hernandez.

Why’s that? Well, he has everything you need in a striker, particularly for one who may arrive in England. Delort, who was linked with Leeds last week, admitted in 2020 that he is “crazy about scoring” and in his nine strikes this term, that’s certainly evident. It’s a tally that falls below Bamford but he has also contributed six assists and has blistering pace.

In fact, the Montpellier forward has been clocked at speeds that surpass both Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. Furthermore, he’s a mighty figure in the air. The Frenchman has won 4.4 aerial duels this term for instance.

His influence in Ligue 1 has been incredible, netting 35 for his current team, and in terms of providing goals and assists in equal measure, he could replicate the sort of performances we’ve seen from Hernandez at Elland Road.

They play in different positions but as we’ve seen, they’re both capable of producing magic moments. You only need to look at his display against Strasbourg earlier this term. He scored twice, claimed an assist and won six aerial duels.

Delort is the complete striker and if we’re looking at players who can grab the bull by the horns, he certainly falls into that category.

He has dug Montpellier out of numerous holes, something Hernandez has done on a regular basis for Leeds since signing.

This would be a stellar addition from Orta if they can conclude a deal in the remaining days of the window.

AND in other news, Bench him: £15k-p/w Leeds liability who lost possession 12x let Bielsa down on Tuesday…

Ross Wilson could give Steven Gerrard the perfect Alfredo Morelos replacement by signing Piast Gliwice striker Jakub Swierczok from his parent club PFK Ludogorets Razgrad.

What’s the word?

According to Polish publication Newonce Sport, Rangers are keeping tabs on Swierczok’s transfer situation ahead of the winter transfer market, as Morelos has once again attracted attention from a whole host of clubs across Europe.

Swierczok is widely regarded as one of the best players in the Ekstraklasa after he established himself as a first-team regular starter at Ludogorets Razgrad following his arrival from Zaglebie Lubin in 2018.

The 27-year-old spent two years with Ludogorets, during which time he scored 36 goals and supplied 10 assists in 83 games for the Eagles in all competitions, before leaving on loan for Piast Gliwice in the summer, where the in-form striker has continued his red-hot streak.

Swierczok is currently under contract until June 2021 and is expected to leave in the upcoming winter transfer market or in the summer.

Perfect Morelos replacement

If Rangers decide to sell Morelos in January, they will need a sure-fire replacement, and Gerrard, Wilson and the rest of the club’s hierarchy will be hard pressed to find a striker better suited to Scottish conditions than the former Poland international.

Despite their spending spree in the summer, it’s inevitable the Light Blues will need to find players to replace aging veterans Jermain Defoe and Greg Stewart at some point in the not too distant future, and Swierczok has the potential to become Gerrard’s new Morelos, which seems a little strange as he is three years older than the Colombian star striker.

Valued at £2.16m via Transfermarkt, the right-footed forward is considered to be one of the best players in the Polish top flight and he’s shown that he can be a force to be reckoned with, with four goals in his past ten games in the league, via WhoScored.

Standing at 5 ft 8 in tall, the diminutive striker isn’t the tallest of centre-forwards, but he makes up for his lack of height with guile and cunning, and he could be a real bargain, as he will be available for a free transfer in the summer.

Per SofaScore, Swierczok won two ground duels, created one big chance and was fouled at least once on average per game during the 2018/19 Europa League season, which suggests that he was a real menace throughout the campaign.

This kind of combative nature is exactly what Gerrard will need to replace if and when the time comes for Morelos to leave the 54-time Scottish champions, as the Colombia international is fouled at least once per game in the Europa League this season so far, as per SofaScore.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers chief Ross Wilson must deliver Billy Gilmour or face consequences…

Southampton will be hoping to put last week’s disappointing result against Manchester City behind them, as they face Scott Parker’s Fulham on Boxing Day.

The Saints travel to Craven Cottage on Saturday hoping to pick up three points against the relegation candidates but will be without some key players due to injury and suspension.

Danny Ings, Jannik Vestergaard and Nathan Redmond all look likely to miss the trip to West London through injury, whilst key midfielder Oriol Romeu is suspended for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects the Austrian manager to line his side up against Fulham, with four changes from the side that started against Man City…

There’s one change in the Southampton defence, with Mohammed Salisu looking likely to make his debut against the Cottagers, following the injury to Vestergaard, which is undoubtedly a blow for Hasenhuttl’s side.

Ibrahim Diallo seems the natural replacement for the suspended Oriol Romeu in midfield, and he looks likely to make his first Premier League start at Craven Cottage, after Hasenhuttl spoke about the summer signing ahead of this weekend’s game.

Stuart Armstrong comes in on the left-hand side for Moussa Djenepo, as he was missed against Manchester City.

During his time with Celtic, the Scottish international was lauded by Brendan Rodgers, with the manager saying:

“Technically he has everything. He’s strong. I wasn’t sure tactically how he was but he looked like he had an idea. Physically he has everything: he’s fast, he’s strong, he’s powerful. Mentally, I had to find out, because playing for Celtic you have to be mentally strong to cope.”

Walcott starts on the right-hand side, although he could easily interchange with Armstrong throughout the game, or even move up front if Hasenhuttl desires.

With Ings absent, Hasenhuttl may choose to start young Nathan Tella up front. The 21-year-old replaced the striker against Manchester City, and a recent academy display where he scored four goals as a striker certainly suggests that he could be dangerous if played there. This would be his full Premier League debut.

And, in other news… Exclusive: Carlton Palmer makes Danny Ings contract claim…

West Brom need results and fast, but nothing is easy in the Premier League.

Sam Allardyce is yet to pick up his first win in charge of the Baggies having been thrashed 3-0 by arch-rivals Aston Villa and 5-0 by Leeds United, either side of an actually impressive point up at Anfield.

Now they welcome a faltering Arsenal side to the Hawthorns tonight. It’s almost a six-pointer for the Gunners as a victory would pull them back closer to the top seven, whilst a defeat would certainly condemn them to a likely battle at the wrong end of the table.

And the 66-year-old ‘firefighter’ can do himself a world of good with some alterations to his starting XI. Evidently, things are not working out.

Albion have leaked eight goals and scored just once in those three matches. Not much can be done defensively with the likes of Kyle Bartley, Conor Townsend and Kieran Gibbs on the treatment table, so perhaps it would be wise to make a change in attack.

One goal in 12 starts.

No that isn’t Charlie Austin or Kenneth Zohore, it’s the Baggies’ big-money summer signing Karlan Grant.

After a £12m move from Huddersfield before the domestic deadline, the 23-year-old has simply failed to provide the goals required to lead the line.

Indeed, Grant is only averaging 1.3 shots per game, which is marginally worse than midfield duo Conor Gallagher and Matheus Pereira, per WhoScored.

That’s not encouraging for a striker playing up top on his own, even more so considering the praise he arrived with.

At the Terriers, his boss, Danny Cowley, called him “ruthless in front of goal” whilst Lee Bowyer, who was linked to the Baggies job at one stage, once claimed that Grant “causes problems and scores goals.”

We’re yet to see either nor have we even seen a glimpse of that, so it’s time for Allardyce to show no mercy. After all, he didn’t bring him in. It was Slaven Bilic and Luke Dowling.

With Hal Robson-Kanu also still on the sidelines, there can be no harm in giving Austin a proper run-out. His record at this level is far better having contributed to 44 goals in 110 appearances, via Transfermarkt.

A six-year deal on £20k-per-week isn’t looking like the smartest piece of business from Albion, but if they do go down, then they may be well-equipped to mount an instant comeback charge.

But for now, Grant must be axed until he finds those goalscoring boots from the bench. He’s not fit to start in the Premier League.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Sam Allardyce tipped to bring Premier League striker to West Brom in January…

Peter Lawwell can solve Celtic’s woes by hiring former Hoops star Shaun Maloney to replace under-fire head coach Neil Lennon at Parkhead.

What’s the word?

According to The Times, Maloney is among a list of potential candidates being considered for the Parkhead hot seat should Lawwell and majority owner Dermot Desmond call time on Lennon’s tenure and fire the Northern Irishman.

Celtic’s hopes of claiming ten Scottish Premiership titles in succession have been dealt a drastic blow by a dire start to the campaign, with Lennon’s stewardship so far returning 11 fewer points than bitter rivals Rangers ahead of Sunday’s fixtures.

Lennon is determined to prove himself to Desmond and Lawwell over the festive fixtures and earn enough points ahead of facing Steven Gerrard’s Gers on January 2 to save his job, with the Hoops at home to St. Johnstone, Kilmarnock, Ross County and Dundee United while only travelling to basement boys Hamilton.

But should he fail, Lennon may find himself replaced by a man who won three league titles and two cups with Celtic in Maloney, who currently sits beside Roberto Martinez in the dugout of the Belgian national side.

The answer to Celtic’s woes?

While Maloney is yet to take charge of a side in his post-playing days, with spells as the assistant manager in Celtic’s Under 20s and reserves before joining the Belgium set-up, the 37-year-old could be the man to solve the Hoops’ woes.

Maloney played under Martinez at Wigan Athletic between his Celtic exit in 2011 and joining MLS outfit Chicago Fire in 2015, a period which saw the Latics shock English football to beat Manchester City in the FA Cup Final only to be relegated from the Premier League days later.

The 47-time Scotland international left an impression on Martinez, though, as Maloney displayed an “elite” coaching mentality that set him aside from the usual breed of British players he had worked with before.

“There are certain individuals who stand out because they are not normal players brought up in the British structure. Shaun wasn’t built in a system. He was built on an appreciation of space and his technical ability,” Martinez said, via quotes by The Scottish Sun in 2018.

“He caught my eye straight away when I was playing in Britain. He looked different to what was around him. When we started working together at Wigan, I realised he was a deep thinker. He had incredibly high standards and was someone who was ready to mature.

“Moving to Aston Villa opened up his mentality and from that point on you could see he had an elite brain. Shaun has a great mind for detail. He’s very natural on the training ground and has a kind feeling for all the players.”

Lawwell and Desmond may look fondly on Maloney’s ability to bring a fresh approach should they decide to fire Lennon at a time of crisis, while the former Motherwell midfielder’s ability to understand the players will help ease any tensions at Lennoxtown.

“Over the course of his career, he has developed an incredible understanding of how a footballer’s brain goes through different situations,” Martinez added. “He understands what it’s like to go away from your comfort zone and perform in international football. That was always a big enjoyment.

“Shaun’s coaching career will take him wherever he chooses to go and he could also one day be a manager in his own right.”

AND in other news, Celtic would be heading for disaster handing a raw coach his “dream job”.

If reports are to be believed, this could be a defining game for the future of Slaven Bilic at West Brom.

The Telegraph’s John Percy claims that his position as manager will be under scrutiny should his Baggies side fail to put in a good display at the Hawthorns this lunchtime.

Standing in their way is the small ask of Jose Mourinho’s rampant Spurs side, they could well take sole possession of top spot in the Premier League with a win themselves, so there is a lot at stake.

Last time out, Albion were embarrassingly defeated by relegation rivals Fulham, but will the Croatian tinker his side? Here’s the XI we’re predicting…

There could be as many as four changes from the side that was defeated last Monday in southwest London.

The back five remains very much the same barring a change at right-back as young academy graduate Dara O’Shea replaces Darnell Furlong.

This Baggies side had leaked more goals than any other top-flight side going into the weekend, so the versatile Irishman shores up the backline a little more with Heung-min Son in town.

Albion skipper Jake Livermore, who earns £46k-per-week, has been withdrawn early in back-to-back outings, so perhaps Bilic drops him from the starting XI entirely this time around.

It gives a chance to Romaine Sawyers, who has not started a match since the 2-0 defeat to Southampton. He could partner Conor Gallagher with Matheus Pereira finally coming back to the no.10 role.

£10.8m-rated winger Grady Diangana’s performances on the left flank have been questionable since his permanent switch to the Midlands, he faces the axe along with Filip Krovinovic too.

Instead, the Croatian could turn to £7.2m-rated Callum Robinson and Matty Phillips on the wings to spark some sort of reaction.

Karlan Grant will continue to lead the line.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Pundit tips 66 y/o to replace Slaven Bilic…

After looking so close to clinching a vital three points, Sunderland saw their hopes of a first win in four dashed in dramatic fashion by Doncaster on Saturday afternoon.

The Black Cats took the lead just before half-time thanks to an absolute scorcher from Grant Leadbitter, but were pegged back by a late goal by Fejiri Okenabirhie. 

With boss Phil Parkinson already under intense pressure following a dismal defeat to MK Dons last weekend, a win would have done him the world of good. And one man who massively let him down when he really needed him the most, was Charlie Wyke.

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The striker had scored seven goals in 15 games this season, but was absolutely shocking in the League One clash on Saturday. As per Sofascore, he lost an incredible 13 of his 17 total duels and much of that was down to his inability to actually hold the ball up, particularly in the second-half.

Far often than not, his touch let him down or he was just bullied off it too easily, and it meant Sunderland just couldn’t keep a period of possession together to stop the Doncaster momentum.

And when his team needed an out ball, he was generally nowhere to be found, registering just 26 touches and only 14 passes in total. To put that into context, Sunderland goalkeeper Remi Matthews had far more touches and passes than him.

After seeing strike partner Will Grigg hooked for Saturday’s game after a shocking display against MK Dons last time out, Wyke may be fearing for his place after his own clanger.

Fulham’s defensive woes this season have been there for all to see, but perhaps they wouldn’t have been in this mess if they’d have gotten one thing right over a decade ago.

The Whites were on the trail of one of the best young goalkeepers on the planet back in 2009 as they had 16-year-old Jan Oblak on trial, but for one reason or another, the Slovenian rejected the chance to sign for the London club.

Oblak instead opted to head back to his home country to continue his development with Olimpija Ljubljana, and Fulham have to be kicking themselves whenever they see him performing at the very highest level with Atletico Madrid these days.

Oblak is now rated as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, he has been ranked as the number one stopper on the planet by FourFourTwo and transfermarkt have him down as the most valuable goalie in the game right now, rating him as an £81m player.

It’s hard to believe that Fulham faced an impossible task in trying to ply him away from Olimpija back in 2009, and if they’d have thrown bigger wages at him they would have landed one of the biggest bargains in the club’s history.

Fulham have a history of great goalkeepers at the club, Edwin van Der Sar ranks amongst the greatest of all-time, while Mark Schwarzer was one of the most consistent stoppers of the Premier League era.

Alphonse Areola is the Cottagers’ current number one, and despite having the pedigree of being PSG’s first choice a few years ago, it’s impossible to argue that Oblak wouldn’t be the better option.

11 years have passed since Oblak had a trial at Fulham, and it must be incredibly painful for anyone involved with the club to look back on that and not be absolutely gutted that they couldn’t secure his signature.

Oblak is certainly the one that got away in recent times at Fulham.

Fulham have a lot of work to do on deadline day.

The Whites’ Premier League campaign has got off to the worst possible start with four losses from their opening four games, and while incomings are absolutely vital for the Cottagers on Monday, one outgoing is equally as important.

Indeed, Jean-Michael Seri remains on Fulham’s books and with less than 24 hours remaining for the Whites to find him a new club, the clock is ticking.

To say that one of Fulham’s top priorities should be ditching a man who almost signed for Barcelona a few years ago sounds a bit strange on the surface, but if you’ve watched Seri since he came to Craven Cottage, you’d know exactly why he needs to go.

He’s reportedly on £65k-a-week, making him a huge financial drain, and he’s simply not good enough to forge a career in the Premier League, as shown by his shocking performance against Brentford in the Carabao Cup last week where he made a mistake leading to a goal and missed an absolute sitter against Championship opposition.

For £65k a week, you want a player who can make a huge impact, not a man who struggles against Championship players.

The Whites have had loan interest from both Galatasaray and Inter, but they’re prioritising a permanent sale rather than a loan move, but getting him off the books in any capacity is surely better than nothing at this point.

This could end up being more important than any centre-back deal that is concluded before the window closes, saving £65k-a-week on wages could give the Whites the financial power needed to bring their team up to the level needed to survive in this division.

Fingers crosses, Seri has at least one suitor lined up.