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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…

Tottenham Hotspur could continue a worrying January trend amid reports linking them with a move for a Premier League outcast…

What’s the word?

According to ESPN journalist Rob Dawson, Spurs are among the teams that have registered an interest in signing Manchester United ace Jesse Lingard this month.

The 28-year-old has dropped down the pecking order at Old Trafford this season but Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is yet to make a decision over his immediate future, despite his contract expiring in 18 months time.

It’s claimed that Lingard is desperate for regular game time having only featured three times so far this campaign.

Lewis Holtby Mk. II

Daniel Levy’s record in the winter transfer window is hardly encouraging, to say the least. Prime examples ranging from the likes of Danny Murphy, Louis Saha and Ryan Nelsen of yesteryear to more recently, Gedson Fernandes.

And a move for Lingard would certainly fall into this bracket as he’s just not needed whatsoever.

In some ways, there are comparisons to be had to the £1.5m signing of Lewis Holtby in 2012/13. Despite Andre Villas-Boas having a wealth of attacking midfield options at his disposal, Levy still sanctioned a move for the German maestro.

In reality, he was never going to start matches over Christian Eriksen, Aaron Lennon, Nacer Chadli, Paulinho or Gylfi Sigurdsson. Indeed, in his first full season in N17, Holtby was restricted to only eight top-flight starts before being loaned out to Fulham.

Each of the aforementioned quintet all started at least 14 matches that year.

Lingard is quite versatile and is able to play both on the wing and in the middle, but these are two areas that Mourinho has a wealth of riches, particularly on the right flank where there are three players (Lucas Moura, Steven Bergwijn & Gareth Bale) vying for one starting place alone.

He’s unlikely to usurp either of Tanguy Ndombele, who bagged his third goal of the season on Sunday, or a fit Giovani Lo Celso, so it really would be a pointless move this January, thus adding to a long list of previous winter failings.

The 28-year-old only started nine times last campaign and managed a mediocre 0.9 key passes and 0.6 dribbles per game, via WhoScored, which would rank him behind Heung-min Son and Harry Kane for chances created, and behind eight other Spurs players in terms of being a threat from wide areas.

We know that Mourinho is a massive fan of Lingard from their time together at United. He once dubbed him “magic” whilst the 24-time England international enjoyed his best returns under the ‘Special One’ by providing 20 goals and 11 assists under his stewardship, more than any other Red Devils boss.

But despite all that, it would be a waste of money to swoop for the £90k-per-week misfit, he’d only go onto become another Holtby rather than the next Teddy Sheringham.

Levy must avoid this deal at all costs.

AND in other news, Forget Lingard: Mourinho should turn to teen prodigy with a “HUGE future”…

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…

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.

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…

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.

Darren Bent believes Tottenham ace Lucas Moura is at an all-time low following a drop in form since the nationwide lockdown. 

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former Spurs striker insists Jose Mourinho has not given Moura the chance to prove himself on a consistent basis.

The Brazilian was left out of the squad altogether for the opening game against Manchester United, although he started the next three games, before being dropped to the bench when Spurs travelled to the South Coast to face Bournemouth.

Moura was famously dropped for the Champions League final by Mauricio Pochettino, despite scoring a hat-trick in the semi-final to send Spurs to Madrid, and Bent is convinced nothing much has changed under Pochettino’s successor.

Bent told Football Insider “it’s probably his confidence because listen, Lucas Moura, he’s got to be the unluckiest footballer that’s out there.

“I’ve seen him play exceptionally well, fantastically well, brilliant – as we spoke about last year, the Champions League final where he scores a hat-trick in the semi-final to get his team to the final and then gets dropped.

“I remember other big games, he scores a couple goals and then gets dropped. For Lucas Moura, I don’t think he’s been allowed to build up any real consistency at Spurs.

“He hasn’t looked the same player since he came back from lockdown, that’s maybe a little bit of rust, maybe he’s not sure with how the team’s playing.

“First and foremost, he’s not sure if he’s going to be playing this week or that week.”

It is hard to argue with Bent here, as Moura hasn’t scored since the 2-0 victory over Manchester City in February.

He has been unable to maintain the momentum, as Mourinho has a wealth of wide options to choose from, including Son Heung-min, Steven Bergwijn and Erik Lamela.

Competition for spaces on the wings is arguably hotter than it ever has been before, as Son is the club’s second-highest goalscorer this season.

Bergwijn always seems to turn up for big occasions, as he netted on his home debut against the Citizens, before striking against top four rivals Wolves and Manchester United.

Understandably, his confidence seems to be shot to pieces, as his form has taken a downturn in recent weeks.

He actually excelled against the Hammers, which was his first game back since the Premier League restart, but his performances have tailed off ever since.

Moura was a part of the side that slumped to a disappointing defeat at Sheffield United, and he was one of the main culprits, as he only completed 76% of his passes and wasted three crosses completely. To make matters worse, his only effort all game wasn’t even on target.

The future had seemed bright for Moura, but he now finds himself marginalised under Mourinho, and he will want to quickly make sure he doesn’t become a fringe player in the future.

Tottenham fans, should Mourinho give Moura another chance? Let us know down below!

Portsmouth left-back Lee Brown has revealed he wants to repay the faith shown in him by the club after agreeing a new deal.

With the 2020/21 season fast approaching, Pompey manager Kenny Jackett will undoubtedly feel the pressure after missing out on promotion for a second consecutive season.

Looking to the transfer window to potentially improve his squad, he has already sealed a deal for Sean Raggett, who was on loan last season at Fratton Park from Norwich City.

Following on from that deal, Brown had his contract extended at the club, having made a total of 16 appearances in League One last season, scoring one goal in the process.

Left-back Brown, who is valued at £113,000, has now touched on his desire to pay back the club for the faith they have shown in him.

Quoted by The News, the 30-year-old said: ‘There was a bit of toing and froing and uncertainty about what I was doing and what the club was doing.

‘Look, it’s done now and that’s all behind us.

‘I’ve decided to stay and the club have decided to keep me, so I’m delighted to be here. Two years as well – there must’ve been a salary cap coming in!

‘I’m delighted and do I need to repay them for giving me a new deal? Of course I do.

‘I’ve been around long enough to know I’ve got to perform and produce some performances to give them something back. I’m fully aware of that.’
Portsmouth’s first official game of the 2020/21 season will come against Stevenage in the Carabao Cup on 5 September, which could offer Brown his first chance to justify the club’s faith in him.

Brown has been largely consistent for Pompey but Jackett may be eager to add more new faces to his squad.

After two near misses, the Portsmouth faithful will be eager to see them finally gain promotion this time around, and it’s encouraging that they have an experienced head in Brown (352 league appearances) who knows the club and is determined to see those wishes fulfilled.

Do you think Portsmouth can seal promotion to the Championship this time round? Let us know in the comments section below…

After seeing both Harry Kane and Heung-min Son go down with injuries in the early weeks of 2020, Jose Mourinho had to get creative with his options up front for Tottenham.

The Lilywhites’ lack of genuine back-up striker meant Lucas Moura and Dele Alli had to rise to the challenge of playing in largely unfamiliar roles, and it didn’t entirely pan out that way.

In the eight Premier League games that Kane missed through injury, Spurs won just three games, scoring just 11 goals in the process.

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Ahead of next season, it would be wholly surprising if Mourinho didn’t end up bringing in a new centre-forward, and if the north London side are looking to sniff out good value for money, then they should perhaps reignite their interest in Southampton ace Danny Ings.

It was claimed back in the January transfer window that Spurs were interested in the England international, and now, The Sunday Mirror (page 64, 24/05 edition), suggest that because of the current climate, Southampton may be forced to sell a number of their stars this summer, including Ings.

If that’s the case, then Spurs should really be all over it. The 27-year-old has been one of the best number nines in the Premier League this season, netting 15 times in the top-flight alone, and scoring a further three in cup competitions.

The fact that he is doing it in a Southampton side that have had a roller-coaster of a season that included that infamous 9-0 thrashing at the hands of Leicester, really says it all about how he’s carrying the Saints on his back.

His former teammate at Burnley, Ashley Barnes, waxed lyrical about him earlier this season too, saying: “I played with him, top, top striker. Great finisher and a magnificent player all-round. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out too well at Liverpool with his injury but he has found his form again now.”

Bringing someone in who is a proven Premier League striker would more than ease the goal-scoring burden on Kane, and also offer Mourinho the chance to even play two up top.

Daniel Levy could strike gold not just in terms of what Ings could offer on the pitch, but the value he would represent in the current market too given the Saints’ reported financial predicament.