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West Bromwich Albion have been handed a boost in their bid to bring Marcus Forss to The Hawthorns in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Sky Sports News (via Football League World), who claim that Brentford manager Thomas Frank has given the centre-forward the green light to leave the Premier League side on a temporary basis this month.

Football League World then go on to claim that a host of Championship clubs, including Valerien Ismael’s West Brom side, were keeping a very close eye on the situation of the Finland international ahead of the January transfer window – with the latest update regarding the 22-year-old’s availability now looking to have opened the door for a move.

Ismael can axe Hugill with Forss

While it is true that, following the £7m January signing of Daryl Dike, Ismael now has two out and out centre-forwards in his first-team squad, with the Frenchman recently suggesting that season-long loanee Jordan Hugill could be set to return to Norwich City this month, a move for Forss could still very much be on the cards for the Baggies.

Indeed, Hugill has failed to impress over his 20 Championship appearances for Albion in the current campaign, with the £1.62m-rated man scoring just one goal, failing to provide his teammates with a single assist and missing nine big chances for his side.

These returns have seen the £36k-per-week striker average a SofaScore match rating of 6.56, ranking him as Ismael’s fifth-worst performer in the second tier.

In comparison, over Forss’ 39 Championship outings for Brentford last season – only nine of which came as starts – the £4.05m-rated centre-forward scored seven goals, registered one assist and created three big chances for his teammates – with the 22-year-old finding the back of the net once every 162 minutes of second-tier football played.

Furthermore, Forss undoubtedly has a much higher ceiling than the 29-year-old Hugill, with Frank stating of the striker upon his signing of a new deal with the Bees: “He is a very talented striker who has added extra levels to his game in the last year. He can link up play, is good at arriving in the box, and has made big strides in terms of leading our press. He is also one of the best finishers I have seen. He has a bright future ahead of him.”

As such, with the Finn now looking to be available this month, it would appear highly advisable for Ismael to finally call time on Hugill’s temporary stay at Albion, and subsequently reinvest the significant outlay on the Englishman’s hefty wages into a loan move for the much cheaper £4.9k-per-week Brentford striker.

In other news: Val has just repeated a worrying 3-year transfer mistake at WBA, fans surely fuming

Aston Villa want to sign Joe Gomez in January, and that could spark the end of Tyrone Mings’ time in the starting lineup under Steven Gerrard.

The new manager has started his tenure in a great way, winning three of his four fixtures with the only defeat coming to league leaders Manchester City at Villa Park. After a clean sheet in his first game though, Villa have conceded four goals in the following three games to add to their woeful defensive record this season.

So far in the current campaign the Midlands side have conceded 24 goals in 15 games, with only five teams conceding more than they have. Of those five teams, Norwich and Newcastle are both in the relegation zone – which shows the size of the problem that Gerrard has in front of him.

Reports suggest he is keen to bring the £27m-rated England international Gomez into the fold on a temporary basis to help bolster the defence, with the 24-year-old currently fourth choice centre-back at Anfield behind Virgil Van Dijk, Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate.

He has made just three starts this season in all competitions, with only two appearances off the substitutes bench to his name in the Premier League. His total of 13 minutes of action in the league means his chances of getting back into the England squad are very slim and with a World Cup coming up next year, he will be keen to get more regular game time.

But should he arrive then Gerrard will have a decision to make over whose place in the team he will take between captain Mings and Ezri Konsa. But after his brace in the win over Leicester at the weekend, Konsa has made his claim to keep his place.

This season Konsa has averaged 0.7 tackles per game, 0.7 interceptions per game and 0.4 fouls per game in comparison to Mings’ 0.4 tackles per game, 0.9 interceptions per game and 0.9 fouls per game per WhoScored.

There is next to nothing between them, but it should be remembered that Mings was dropped by Dean Smith before he was sacked due to his poor form. With that in mind, there is strong evidence to suggest that an additional defender arriving would be the end of his days as a regular in the starting XI.

During Gomez’s last full campaign, where he was labelled “exceptional” by Jurgen Klopp, he averaged 0.8 tackles per game, 1.4 interceptions per game and 0.8 fouls per game, demonstrating that his reading of the game is considerably better than what the Villans already have at their disposal.

Mings isn’t the quickest and with Gerrard preferring to play a possession-based game with a higher defensive line, Gomez could slot in alongside Konsa for a better partnership to help the system. The 28-year-old captain will be competing with Gomez for an England and Villa place should the move happen, so expect the former Charlton man to be gunning for his place.

AND in other news, Joe Gomez could move to Aston Villa in January for sake of England place.

Following on from their 2-1 win over Plymouth Argyle at the weekend, Sunderland have been dealt yet another injury blow that could be a setback for their promotion charge.

What’s the news?

Speaking after the Plymouth game, Black Cats manager Lee Johnson said that Lynden Gooch picked up a groin strain in the match that forced him off the pitch and that “he will probably be fit for training on Tuesday or out for three or four weeks.”

Given the current lack of clarity around the severity of Gooch’s injury, it’s easy to see why the Northern Echo have said that Sunderland are still sweating over his fitness.

In addition to this, given the significant number of other Sunderland players currently out injured such as Luke O’Nien, Denver Hume, Dennis Cirkin, Aiden McGeady, Jordan Willis and Niall Huggins, it’s safe to say that it would be a big blow for Sunderland if Gooch’s injury is a serious one and isn’t able to play for the next few weeks, which would surely leave a lot of fans fuming.

Since joining the Wearside club’s U18 side back in the 2012 summer transfer window from Santa Cruz Breakers Academy, Gooch has gone on to make a total of 185 appearances for Sunderland across all competitions in which he has managed to score 23 goals and provide 33 assists along the way.

This season has seen the winger earn himself an overall rating of 6.86/10 for his performances in the 16 League One appearances he’s made, putting him in the top ten of Sunderland’s highest-rated players according to WhoScored.

Prior to the Plymouth game, Gooch had managed to provide three assists in his previous three league games, showing the good run of form he was on and why it’s so unfortunate for him to have picked up this groin issue.

Moving forward, even though Sunderland don’t have a midweek league game this week, Johnson and everyone else at the club will have their fingers crossed and be hoping that Gooch’s injury issue isn’t a serious one and that he will be available for their next game against Ipswich Town at the weekend, so their promotion hopes aren’t knocked.

In other news: KLD can spark SAFC’s promotion charge with big winter decision, fans would be thrilled – opinion

While Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side endured a rather shaky start to their 2021/22 Scottish Premiership campaign, things have undoubtedly started to click under the leadership of the 56-year-old Hoops boss in recent months.

Indeed, a number of the Greek-Australian manager’s summer signings have hit a run of excellent form, with Kyogo Furuhashi having scored 13 goals and registered three assists over his 18 appearances for the club, Benfica loanee Jota having bagged six goals and six assists over his 14 fixtures in green and white and Liel Abada having netted seven goals and provided five assists over 22 appearances for the Hoops.

However, while the argument could be made that any one of these three players have been Celtic’s signing of the season, there is perhaps one summer addition who could be classified as something of an unsung hero at Parkhead – in the shape of Joe Hart.

Indeed, having arrived at Parkhead following two seasons in which the 34-year-old had played just 13 games of football, Hart has slotted into the role of Postecoglou’s number one seamlessly, with the former England international’s experience in the game bringing with it a sense of calmness and stability between the Celtic sticks that was desperately lacking last season.

This is an opinion that Chris Sutton clearly agrees with, as the former Bhoys centre-forward recently said of the shot-stopper: “I think he’s done really really well. What he had strongly in his favour was [Vasilis] Barkas and [Scott] Bain have just been so poor in the Celtic goal and it was a low bar. But he’s come in and it’s been a massive boost.

“I think that he’s brought a calmness and an authority at the back. You watched Celtic [last season], and with the greatest of respect to Barkas and Bain, every time they were in goal you thought Celtic are going to concede the goal. I don’t feel the same with Joe Hart and I think that’s an enormous deal. I think his experience has been important. I think he’s been an enormous signing and a massive plus for Celtic.”

Indeed, this is something that is reflected in the £1.8m-rated man’s statistics, as, over his 12 Scottish Premiership appearances, Hart has kept six clean sheets, won 85% of his duels and made an average of 1.8 saves per game – with these returns seeing the 34-year-old average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.91.

As such, while Kyogo, Jota and Abada may well steal the headlines for Celtic, the veteran goalkeeper has undoubtedly been just as important for the Bhoys this season, as the £15k-per-week shot-stopper has been the rock which Postecoglou is building his side upon.

In other news: Major boost: Ange drops key update on Celtic duo which should leave Bhoys fans buzzing

Key Leeds United duo Luke Ayling and Patrick Bamford will feature for the club’s under-23s on Monday evening, according to Marcelo Bielsa, whose press conference comments were relayed on Twitter by journalist Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Leeds miss key duo

The Whites have had a season to forget so far, sitting 17th in the Premier League after securing a ninth-place finish last time around.

Part of their struggles have been down to injuries, with both Ayling and Bamford long-term absentees having not featured since September.

The duo were vital figures last season, starting 75 out of 76 league games between them, and their absences have hurt the team badly in the early weeks of 2021/22.

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The Latest: Bielsa provides positive update

It looks as though Ayling and Bamford could be back in the fold in the near future, though, following an update from Bielsa.

Hay took to Twitter during the Leeds manager’s press conference as the Argentine claimed that the pair will feature for the u23s away to Manchester City on Monday night.

The journalist tweeted: “Bielsa talking pre Palace – Ayling and Bamford will play with the 23s this evening.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-25/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

The Verdict: Huge boost for Whites

This is an enormous boost for Bielsa, just as Leeds are about to embark on a busy December with six league fixtures in the month.

Granted, it may take a little time for Ayling and Bamford to find their feet again after two-and-a-half months out, but their mere presence on the pitch may lift those around them, and their mooted return to under-23 action comes as a big step in their respective recoveries.

The Whites are in danger of getting into a genuine relegation scrap, but Ayling’s leadership and Bamford’s end product – he scored 17 league goals in 2020/21 –  have the potential to turn their season around.

In other news, three Leeds players struggled in the draw with Brighton. Find out who they are here.

After joining Liverpool back in the previous January transfer window from Championship club Preston North End on a long-term deal, the defender didn’t make an appearance for the Merseyside club at any point last season.

Unsurprisingly, given how Liverpool now currently have five senior centre-backs in their squad in the shape of Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip, Ibrahima Konate, Joe Gomez and Nat Phillips, the Reds sent Davies out on loan during the previous summer transfer window.

The defender is currently back in the Championship, this time with Sheffield United until the end of the campaign.

Since joining the Yorkshire club, Davies has played in seven of Sheffield United’s Championship games, completing 90 minutes in all but one of them.

In those games, Davies has managed to rack up 2.4 clearances per game and win 80% of his ground duels, showing just how important he has been for the Blades from a defensive point of view since joining them after a severe lack of game time at the Merseyside club last season.

The £60k-per-week earner’s latest appearance for the Blades in their 2-1 win over Stoke City saw him earn an overall match rating of 7.2/10, making him their third-highest rated player on the day according to SofaScore after blocking two shots, making two interceptions, winning two aerial duels and racking up a passing accuracy percentage of 86%. That type of performance must have left Klopp beaming from ear to ear.

Given how many minutes he’s played for the Blades this season, this should surely be pleasing news for the Liverpool fans and the management team at Anfield who didn’t see him play even one minute for the Reds after joining last season. That was despite appraisals from his manager at Southport, Paul Carden, who called him “different class” upon his arrival in Merseyside.

Moving forward, we feel that the best thing Davies can do now is focus on his time at Sheffield United and make the most out of his spell there before heading back to Anfield.

Looking ahead even further into the future, even though his contract at Liverpool isn’t set to expire until 2025, we feel that it could be the best option for all parties if he were to leave the club on a permanent deal and join a side he would be playing regularly at rather than wasting any more time with the Reds if they aren’t going to play him.

In other news: Liverpool could be set for major blow as transfer claim emerges, fans would be gutted – opinion

Manchester United have been meandering of late, lacking clear instructions from their manager and drive from the players on the pitch.

Moments of individual brilliance have continued to hold Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s sinking ship together so far this season, but things will have to rapidly improve if it’s to stay afloat in the long term.

And while the Norwegian has rightly been apportioned a large amount of blame for the Red Devils’ current struggles, his apparent lack of tactical nouse is not the only factor at play.

It’s believed that Solskjaer made his demands for a new holding midfielder clear to the club’s hierarchy over the summer, only for a centre-back and right-winger to be prioritised instead.

The pragmatic double pivot of Fred and Scott McTominay that proved so effective in previous years for the 20-time English champions no longer has the same effect, exposing United’s underperforming defenders with alarming regularity.

However, football director John Murtough may not have too cast his net too far in search of the much-needed solution to United’s engine room woes.

It was reported by the Manchester Evening News back in September that United’s hierarchy had identified West Ham United’s Declan Rice as a priority signing after missing out during the summer.

The England international had just enjoyed the best season of his career after playing a pivotal part in the Hammers finishing in sixth position in the top-flight table before being called up the Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions squad for Euro 2020.And the youngster carried his eye-catching form onto the international stage throughout the tournament, earning praise from several pundits, including Teddy Sheringham.“(He’s a player I see at a club like Manchester United) without a doubt. I thought Declan Rice was our outstanding player at Euro 2020,” he said.“I was very disappointed when he got brought off in the final, it was the wrong decision. We couldn’t retain possession when it was tough against the Italians — and he was one player who did retain possession.“He moved like a Rolls-Royce with the ball out of a problem and then found a pass after that. It’s invaluable to be able to do that and he showed what a top player he is. He’s a top player so he will be going somewhere quite soon.”The ex-United and England striker then lavished more praise on Rice and continued to link him with a potential move to Old Trafford, even comparing him to two former midfield greats of the club.“He’ll definitely be on Manchester United’s radar. He’s in the mould of Roy Keane and Michael Carrick, who were two top, top players, which you’ve got to have in midfield for Manchester United. So he’d easily fit in there,” Sheringham concluded.

Since then, Rice has taken his game to another level under the tutelage of David Moyes, bagging three goals and providing three assists in 13 appearances as West Ham currently sit in a Champions League qualification spot.

It’s arguable that United have never replaced Keane in the middle of the park since his controversial departure in 2006, with Carrick more of a successor to Scholes than the Irishman.

But Rice certainly has the drive and tenacity that Keane had in abundance and that Solskjaer’s charges are desperately in need of.

Only time will tell if the £62,000-per-week titan, who Gary Lineker dubbed “magnificent”, makes the move to Manchester, but he’s certainly a player that Murtough should be closely monitoring if he wants to catch up with his domestic and European rivals.

And, in other news…Forget Pogba: Man Utd lightweight who lost 60% of his duels was “exposed” vs Atalanta

A number of Manchester United fans have been criticising the performance of Diogo Dalot in their 2-1 Champions League win at home to Villarreal on Wednesday night.

Cristiano Ronaldo spared Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s blushes with a last-minute goal after Alex Telles had cancelled out Paco Alcacer’s opener with a well-taken volley from outside the penalty box.

In spite of the win, Dalot endured a torrid time up against Arnaut Danjuma at right-back in place of the suspended Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Villarreal’s goal came down his flank.

The Portugal international lost out on four of his duels and also failed to block any shots or make any key passes or accurate crosses in the game, losing possession of the ball on 11 different occasions (Sofascore).

Man Utd fans on Dalot’s performance

These United supporters on Twitter blasted the 22-year-old’s performance, with one Red Devils supporter even going as far as to claim that Dalot was a ‘liability’ last night:

“Dalot was never good enough but Trippier was too expensive for what #MUFC wanted to pay.”

Credit: @JohnMozMolloy

“Telles passed the test. Dalot needs to improve massively.”

Credit: @ant4177

“A superb win to overshadowed many errors. Dalot was extremely poor throughout. Midfield lacking ball providers. A simple crossing might lead to a goal but we didn’t do that till end of the game. Sancho not at his best. Greenwood should do better. Again late substitution.”

Credit: @RRajen81

“Dalot is one of the worst defenders I’ve ever seen. Don’t know why we kept him this summer. Rather give Laird a chance.”

Credit: @BallRaffles

“Dalot was so poor today. Watching his defending the goal. If he went down he would have blocked that cross”

Credit: @StanChurchill

“Great excitement, drama and a win in the end but why did it take 60 minutes for United to start playing with any urgency and attacking verve? I’ve got nothing personal against Dalot but he is an absolute defensive liability”

Credit: @philgoldsmith

In other news, Dalot wasn’t the only player to come in for criticism from some Man Utd fans last night

According to Het Belang van Limburg (via Sport Witness), West Ham United, and by extension new transfer chief Rob Newman, are still eyeing a move for Genk striker Paul Onuachu.

The Lowdown: Newman era in full swing…

Since West Ham appointed Newman as their new head of recruitment, links have emerged to a variety of players both past and present.

New names like USA international Weston McKennie and Torino striker Andrea Belotti have been mentioned in recent weeks, as well as familiar targets such as Sam Johnstone and Onuachu.

In an update, HBVL (via Sport Witness) has shared the latest on the Nigerian marksman and his links to West Ham.

The Latest: Newman eyeing Onuachu swoop…

According to their information, West Ham and Newman are still very much interested in the 27-year-old powerhouse after they were linked repeatedly in the summer.

Onuachu recently signed a new deal at the Belgian giants, possibly giving some security to his current club in terms of a possible future transfer fee.

The player himself, despite this announcement, does want to move on to pastures new and it is believed he has ‘not yet put away his dream’ of playing in England.

The Verdict: Make a move…

Onuachu, scoring a prolific 135 goals over his senior career, certainly knows where the back of the net is and he could be an outstanding alternative to Michail Antonio.

West Ham need to sign a capable back-up in case the Jamaica international suffers a reoccurrence of his physical issues – with Genk’s star man coming as an arguable bargain given his goal record and £19.8 million valuation by Transfermarkt.

In other news: Talks ongoing – West Ham have already positioned themselves to sign 17-goal ‘real handful’ for Moyes, find out more here.

Crystal Palace fans have expressed their frustration with Cheikhou Kouyate’s performance in the first half of their clash with Tottenham Hotspur. 

Palace came into the game with two points from their first three matches of the new season, having followed up an opening day defeat at Chelsea with draws against Brentford and West Ham United.

Visitors Spurs travelled to Selhurst Park with the only remaining perfect record in the division.

Patrick Vieira selected Kouyate at the centre of a midfield three, with captain James McArthur and Chelsea loanee Conor Gallagher either side of him.

It was the same trio he fielded in the 2-2 draw at the London Stadium at the end of last month.

The Senegal international earned a SofaScore rating of 6.7 for his first-half display, the third-lowest outfield player in the Palace side. Only Tyrick Mitchell and James McArthur were rated lower.

Kouyate contested six ground duels in the first period and only managed to win three of them.

Here’s what Eagles fans had to say about his first-half display.

Palace fans slam Kouyate

“Kouyate and Ayew off please. I’ve seen enough.”

Credit: @palacecarlton

“Never seen a football player as bad as Kouyate”

Credit: @Hunchodini

“Kouyate just shouldn’t be playing”

Credit: @J_CPFC565

“Kouyate is NOT and I repeat NOT a ball playing midfielder”

Credit: @callum90CPFC

“STOP PLAYING KOUYATE”

Credit: @hollaatmefelix

“Kouyate can you just play good for once”

Credit: @SakyiSZN

In other news, fans loved this development.