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Nottingham Forest defender Loic Bade is set to leave the Premier League club in January, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Zero minutes played

The Frenchman put pen to paper on a season-long loan from Rennes over the summer, but has failed to make any kind of impact since his arrival at the City Ground.

The centre-back hasn’t yet played a single minute of football under Steve Cooper in any competition, and a fresh but rather strange update has now emerged detailing the reason why that is.

The Latest: Bade set for exit

According to French outlet Le Telegramme (via Sport Witness), Rennes are ‘cutting short’ Bade’s loan spell and will be ‘bringing him back’ in the New Year.

The Reds are believed to have had an agreement in place with the Ligue 1 outfit ‘since October’ that the 22-year-old could only play for one club this season, as this would enable him to ‘find a new destination’ in the winter.

Bade featured for Rennes before making the move, meaning that he’s been ‘stopped’ from having a chance in the Midlands so the Ligue 1 outfit can sell him elsewhere in January.

His parent club have already been working for ‘several weeks’ to find him another home.

The Verdict: Bizarre

Whilst Bade has previously been labelled an ‘elite talent’ by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the decision for him to leave Forest is undoubtedly the right one.

The 6 foot 2 colossus won’t be getting any game time between now and the upcoming transfer window so it’s better to get him off the books considering his lack of contribution.

Evangelos Marinakis signing Bade when he seemingly knew he wasn’t able to play is certainly unusual, but at least what seems like a boardroom mistake shouldn’t impact matters on the pitch given Cooper hasn’t been able to use the player anyway.

Newcastle United could well be set for a timely boost heading into the second half of the season, following an update on the fitness of striker, Alexander Isak.

What’s the word?

As per the Chronicle, the 23-year-old is currently stepping up his return from injury, with the Sweden international having been included as part of the Magpies’ travelling party for the warm weather training camp in Saudi Arabia.

The report suggests that manager Eddie Howe is hopeful of having the former Real Sociedad man ready for action when club action resumes at the end of the month, with the Englishman set to assess whether the 37-cap marksman will be able to feature against Al Hilal later this week.

The 6 foot 4 superstar has not featured since the draw with Bournemouth at St James’ Park back in mid-September due to a thigh injury, having joined the northeast side for a club-record fee of around £59m over the summer.

Boost Howe’s Champions League hopes

It is no doubt encouraging news to learn that the one-time Borussia Dortmund man could even be in contention to take to the field later this week, with it having been a real “nightmare” scenario – in the words of pundit Alan Hutton – for all parties in recent months.

While fellow striker Callum Wilson has held the fort impressively in his teammate’s absence, scoring six goals in just 11 Premier League outings, it will certainly be a real boost to provide further competition to the Englishman’s striking berth by bringing Isak back into the fold.

The latter man had initially made a strong start to life in his new surroundings prior to his stint on the treatment table, with the Solna-born ace scoring twice in his three top-flight outings to date, including on debut in the narrow defeat to Liverpool at Anfield.

That clash on Merseyside showcased the youngster’s undoubted finishing prowess as he lashed on from the angle to initially put the visitors ahead, while also showing great composure to fire in after the break, albeit with that second effort subsequently ruled out for offside.

Having only seen flashes of that talent thus far, it will surely be a welcome boost as far as Howe and co are concerned to have their marquee addition fit and firing again, with that impending return likely to only bolster the Tynesiders’ hopes of securing Champions League football.

For all the talk of potential new acquisitions to strengthen the forward line – including the likes of Marcus Thuram and Mykhaylo Mudryk – the return of Isak could well prove to be like a cliched new signing.

Newcastle have already been thriving in his absence – losing just once so far this season – hence the excitement at the potential improvement that the Swede could make over the festive period and beyond.

Liverpool’s form this season has been very Jekyll and Hyde.

They are currently struggling in the Premier League, winning just four matches from 12 as they languish in a lowly ninth spot in the table.

Their Champions League form, on the other hand, has been excellent.

Jurgen Klopp’s men have won five matches out of six and scored 17 goals. It’s clear that Klopp’s men haven’t quite been at the races this season, despite their solid form on the continent and the German urgently needs to rejuvenate his team.

Amid this poor form, the Anfield side are eyeing up a swoop for Georgian sensation Khvicha Kvaratskhelia as his price tag has been revealed, although they face competition from top-flight rivals Chelsea.

His agent, Christian Emile, was speaking to Fabrizio Romano and he discussed the winger’s price tag, saying:

“You know what’s crazy, he’s done what he’s been doing in Russia and Europe for the past couple of years.

“He’s come to Napoli, he’s been brilliant, and people are talking about €100million (£87m).

“For me, if he continues to perform like this till the end of the season and next season, because there’s a 0% chance they sell him [in January]. He will reach €100million (£86.7million) for sure.”

It looks like the summer might be the time to make a move for the player, although there is no doubt he can improve Klopp’s side and according to FBref’s player comparison model, Kvaratskhelia is very similar to Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr.

In terms of goal contributions, both have scored six league goals this season, while the Georgian has five assists compared to the Brazilian’s three.

The Napoli star tends to have more shots on target per match (1.35 to 1.20), while they both average over four shot-creating actions per game (6.01 to 4.38) proving that they are always on the search for another goal or assist.

With Vinicius Jr finally realising his potential in Spain, Klopp would be delighted to land a forward who is just like him, and the 21-year-old Kvaratskhelia is the perfect fit.

Football writer Rory Smith lavished praise on the Serie A star recently, saying: “He’s instinctive, untamed, anarchic and, most of all, he’s really, really good fun.” And it’s hard to argue with him.

The youngster is going places, that’s for sure, the onus for Klopp will be to make sure he chooses Liverpool over other European heavyweights when the time to move on from Italy inevitably comes.

Saudi Arabian consortium PIF officially completed their takeover of Newcastle United in October of last year and some supporters celebrated the news outside of St. James’ Park at the time.

They replaced Mike Ashley as owners of the club and have enjoyed a fantastic year on Tyneside as they have taken the Magpies from facing relegation midway through 2021/22 to currently sitting sixth in the Premier League table.

PIF were not afraid to shake things up as they replaced Steve Bruce with Eddie Howe and then backed their new manager in the transfer window.

Bruno Guimaraes, Dan Burn, Matt Targett, Chris Wood, and Kieran Trippier all arrived through the door in January to bolster the team for the second half of the campaign.

One player they attempted to sign in that window was Manchester United attacking midfielder Jesse Lingard. The club were keen on a deal for the England international before Ralf Rangnick decided, on deadline day, that he wanted to keep hold of him.

It was then reported in May that Newcastle were “desperate” to sign him on a free transfer as his contract with the Red Devils was not renewed.

However, Dan Ashworth arrived as the club’s sporting director shortly after that and speculation over a move for the midfielder soon dried up, with Nottingham Forest eventually signing Lingard on a free towards the end of July.

His form since making the move to the City Ground suggests that the Magpies chief dodged a bullet by avoiding the Englishman in the summer.

The attacking midfielder had scored nine goals and provided five assists in 16 Premier League outings on loan at West Ham in the second half of the 2020/21 campaign but has failed to replicate that in Nottingham, as shown by the statistics above.

Lingard has not made any significant contributions for his team at the top end of the pitch and has been a liability off the ball, losing 64% of his individual duels.

Earlier this month, Darren Bent criticised the flop’s performances for Steve Cooper’s side this season whilst speaking on talkSPORT: 

“Jesse Lingard, I know they got him on a free but they’re giving him an awful lot of money.

“With his experience and what he’s done in the Premier League and what he did on his last loan spell at West Ham. There’s got to be more from Jesse Lingard, he’s playing like a shell of himself.”

He is currently 19th in the Forest squad in terms of average SofaScore ratings and his score of 6.56 would place him 20th at Newcastle, only ahead of Jamal Lewis (6.30).

Therefore, Ashworth dodged a bullet with the 29-year-old as the flop, who is reportedly on £200k-per-week, has not been good enough in the Premier League so far this season and could have been a shocking signing for the Magpies with his lack of end product on the pitch.

West Bromwich Albion slumped to yet another defeat last night, marking their third loss in their last four games.

This has left them just inside the relegation zone, and left Steve Bruce’s job seeming more unstable by the week.

It also marked another game without scoring, as Karlan Grant put in another abysmal display up front. He recorded a rating of 6.3, the worst on his team.

It will leave fans dreaming of a time when they had someone who would perfectly lead the line for this current toothless side, with Jay Rodriguez being one man who could do just that, and in the Championship too.

Having been signed in 2017 for a whopping £12m, his stint at the Hawthorns was one of few where he managed to actually avoid injuries.

He managed to feature 90 times for the Baggies, scoring 33 times and assisting eight more.

Seven goals in his debut season for a team that would get relegated marked a solid return, however, it was his 22-goal haul in the Championship the following campaign that outlined him as someone who would be of great use to them now.

Even during Grant’s best goal-scoring season for West Brom, which was last season, his 18 goals did not come close to Rodriguez’s best tally.

Not only that but standing at just over 6 foot would make him enough of a physical presence to occupy the hulking defence the second-tier often throws up.

Having signed for Tony Pulis, he was full of praise for him after finalising the move: “He was exceptional for Southampton, he’s got these different qualities to play anywhere along the front line.”

With the ability to play poacher or score screamers, his dependability and flexibility would make him a fine asset to any team.

Even today, at 33 years old, he has five goals and one assist in Burnley’s opening ten Championship games.

If he can do it now, in his prime he would certainly prove a fine asset to this current Baggies outfit.

They are crying out for a striker like Rodriguez, and the fact that they don’t have one seems like it might end up costing Bruce his job.

TalkSPORT punditTalkSPORT pundit Gabriel Agbonlahor has slammed a lacklustre West Ham United trio as he calls for manager David Moyes to drop them.

The Lowdown: Crucial few months…

The Hammers well and truly backed Moyes in the summer transfer market, possibly enjoying their most eventful and best ever window since the Premier League’s inception.

Alphonse Areola, Nayef Aguerd, Flynn Downes, Gianluca Scamacca, Maxwel Cornet, Thilo Kehrer, Emerson and club record signing Lucas Paqueta have all arrived at the London Stadium as West Ham aim to keep pace with England’s most elite sides.

A consequence of their signings could be the removal of certain players from the starting eleven over these crucial next few months and pundit Agbonlahor certainly knows who he wants out of Moyes’ starting eleven.

The Latest: Agbonlahor slams West Ham trio…

Speaking to Football Insider, the former Aston Villa striker claims Manuel Lanzini, Pablo Fornals and Said Benrahma aren’t good enough to be given the nod.

He explained:

“Fornals and Lanzini are not good enough. Fornals, Lanzini and Benrahma I’d put them all on the bench, not good enough.

“I’d play Paqueta, Soucek and Rice with Bowen, Antonio and Scammaca up front. That would be my team, you’ve got pace then.

“Paqueta looks like he can do a lot more than Fornals, Lanzini and Benrahma. I’m sure West Ham fans would agree.”

The Verdict: Right call?

The likes of Lanzini and Benrahma are hardly untouchables on West Ham’s team sheet but we believe Agbonlahor’s verdict on Fornals is perhaps a harsh one.

The Spaniard has started every single top flight match under Moyes so far this term whilst ranking in as the Irons’ third-best performing player by average match rating (WhoScored).

Fornals is also famed for his desire and work rate, an undoubtedly attractive trait for both the supporters and Moyes.

The 26-year-old has earned his place as a regular West Ham starter and the club’s new signings should have to work to de-throne him.

Newcastle United have entered the final week of the summer transfer window and time is running out for them to finish their business.

Dan Ashworth recently smashed the club’s transfer record to bring in Swedish striker Alexander Isak from Real Sociedad, making him the fourth arrival on Tyneside.

Nick Pope, Sven Botman, and Matt Targett have also joined the Magpies on permanent deals from Burnley, Lille, and Aston Villa respectively.

The ex-Brighton chief now has until Thursday to make any further additions to Eddie Howe’s squad and one area in which they may look to strengthen in is the middle of the park.

ESPN recently reported that the club are one of the teams interested in signing midfielder Matt O’Riley from Scottish giants Celtic, who could be available if a bid of up to £20m is lodged.

Newcastle must now push to sign the Denmark U21 international before the deadline passes as he could form an exciting pairing with Bruno Guimaraes in midfield.

First and foremost, would the 21-year-old suit the way Howe wants his team to play? It has been noted that being able to counter-press by reading the game is one of his skills and this suggests that he would fit in with the manager’s aggressive pressing system.

This shows that O’Riley is capable of pushing on from midfield to engage in a high press and this could help the Magpies to force mistakes in the opposition third.

He also has the quality to be a creator for his team. Former Hoops boss Paul Lambert previously heaped praise on the midfielder’s ability in possession, saying:

“The space he can generate for himself is really good, and he makes the game look easy by doing the simple things well. That’s not always an easy thing to say to footballers, to just keep it simple, they want to do the flashy side of the game. But he does the simple side of the game really well.”

In the Premiership this season, the ex-MK Dons machine has created three chances per game and assisted three across five appearances. This comes after he provided 2.2 key passes per outing in the Scottish top-flight last term and ended the campaign with four goals and three assists in 16 matches, whereas no Toon player managed more than 1.6 key passes per game in 2021/22.

The young talent has the potential to be a creative force in the Magpies midfield and Brazilian dynamo Bruno Guimaraes could benefit from that.

In the 2021/22 Premier League campaign, the Brazil international scored five goals in 11 starts and having a player alongside him who is capable of consistently creating opportunities could allow him to add to his Toon goal tally.

The ex-Lyon man has also shown that he can be a creator. In the last 365 days, Guimaraes ranks in the 96th percentile out of players in his position in Europe’s top five leagues for expected goals assisted at 0.19 per 90, which suggests that he is one of the best midfielders around when it comes to creating high-quality chances.

Now, imagine him and O’Riley playing alongside each other in the English top-flight and ripping teams open with their terrific ability on the ball.

Nottingham Forest’s preparations for the new season have been dealt a blow following a fresh injury setback to midfielder Ryan Yates.

What’s the word?

As per Nottinghamshire Post, manager Steve Cooper has confirmed that the 24-year-old will be out of action for the next few weeks, having been absent from the recent 1-1 draw with Valencia in what was the newly-promoted side’s final pre-season game of the summer.

The Englishman had only made his comeback from a knee issue in the meeting with Notts County on Tuesday evening, although Cooper has now revealed that he has sustained another injury problem:

“Ryan played 45 minutes against Notts County the other day. He’s picked up another knock on his knee, so he’s going to be out for a couple of weeks,

“You can imagine what he’s been like! It’s been a challenge for him to get back and get some minutes. It would have been great to have involved him today, but he’s just had a little bit of a few setbacks in pre-season. You know Yatesy, what hurts him will make him stronger. They are only minor things, and we will see him sooner rather than later.”

The former Swansea City boss did also insist that summer signing Wayne Hennessey will be available for selection ahead of next week’s season opener against Newcastle United, despite the 34-year-old having also missed the clash with the La Liga side due to a “quad problem”.

Cooper will be gutted

That setback to Yates will come as a real blow to Forest’s promotion-winning coach with less than a week to go until the new Premier League campaign gets underway, with Cooper set to be gutted at not having his midfield general to call upon.

The academy graduate had been instrumental in securing a long-awaited return to the top-flight last term, scoring nine goals in all competitions – including eight in the league – to help fire the City Ground outfit out of the second tier.

That was by far his best goalscoring return in his club career thus far, with the £3.6m-rated man – who previously endured four loan stints away from the Midlands side – seemingly having been reborn under his current boss.

Not just a threat in the final third, however, the Lincoln-born gem also offers real strength defensively, having averaged 1.9 clearances, 1.9 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game from his 43 Championship outings, while also winning a solid 61% of his aerial duels.

Having seen promising youngster James Garner return to parent club Manchester United after his impressive loan spell last season, the playoff final winners are distinctly short of options in the centre of the park, albeit with Belgian brute Orel Mangala seemingly set to sign as a matter of when and not if.

Losing Yates to another setback will only pose a further selection issue for the upcoming trip to St James’ Park, as the two-time European champions look to earn a positive start in what will be their first season in the top tier since 1999.

Once dubbed a “diamond” by former Barrow boss Paul Cox, the £7.7k-per-week titan was a key cog in Cooper’s relentless machine last term, with it set to be a major headache for the 42-year-old not to have the reliable figure in tow.

AND in other news: Contact made: Forest in talks for “superb” £10m signing, just imagine him & Mangala

CBS reporter Ben Jacobs has offered an update regarding Arsenal’s reported interest in Bayern Munich winger, Leroy Sane…

What’s the word?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the respected source revealed that while it may prove a “challenge” to prise the 26-year-old away from the Allianz Arena, he is seemingly a player of interest to the Gunners.

Amid reports linking the Premier League outfit to the 45-cap, Germany international,  Jacobs stated: “The Sane links were prior to Raphinha and I think that Arsenal gathered quite quickly, when they turned their attention to Raphinha, that it’s going to be tough to get Sane to move away from Bayern.

“I think Bayern’s preference is still to try and keep Sane, so that one is going to be a challenge, but it’s obvious they admire the player.”

The north London outfit are seemingly plotting an alternative to that of former Leeds United man Raphinha, having appeared keen to land the Brazilian prior to his recent move to Barcelona.

Edu’s next Jesus

A move for Sane could see Mikel Arteta attempt to utilise his Manchester City connections once again – where he was previously assistant to Pep Guardiola – having already seen sporting director Edu move to bring Gabriel Jesus to the club from the Etihad on a £45m deal.

Although yet to take to the field in a competitive game, the 25-year-old has quickly endeared himself to the Emirates faithful, having notably netted a hat-trick in the recent 6-0 thrashing of Sevilla in what was the final pre-season game of the summer.

With that move already looking like a masterstroke, the aforementioned Edu could strike gold again with the signing of his former City teammate, with Sane seemingly the man who can make those at Arsenal forget all about Raphinha.

The 6 foot wizard – who left Guardiola’s side on a £54.8m deal two years ago – is a simply devastating attacking force, combining his sheer relentless speed with an attacking ruthlessness which makes him a simply unique gem.

While struck down by injury towards the end of his previous stint in English football, the £54m-rated sensation still managed to record hugely impressive figures while in Manchester, notably providing 53 goal contributions in just 90 top-flight appearances, winning two league titles in the process.

Although it has proven an at times tricky spell since his return to the Bundesliga for the one-time Schalke man, the “frightening” forward – as described by pundit Micah Richards – still boasts an impressive record for the Bavarian giants, with 25 goals and 27 assists in 90 games across all competitions for the club.

The 2021/22 campaign was particularly fruitful for the £280k-per-week gem as he flourished under Julian Nagelsmann’s watch, scoring 14 goals and providing 15 assists across all fronts, showcasing just why he has been dubbed a “baller” in some quarters.

The new season may only be in its infancy, although the fleet-footed wideman has already got off to a positive start, netting in the German Super Cup triumph against RB Leipzig at the weekend, after entering the fray as a late substitute.

A player capable of producing something out of nothing, Sane would surely thrive under the tutelage of a familiar face in Arteta, with Edu needing to work his magic again – as he did with Jesus – to help add increased firepower to the Spaniard’s ‘arsenal’.

West Ham United have been handed a huge boost in their bid to bring Mohamed Bayo to the London Stadium this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by French media outlet Foot Mercato, who claim that, following a number of reports linking David Moyes with a move for the Clermont Foot centre-forward in recent weeks, the Ligue 1 side are now willing to green light a move for a figure in the region of €14m (£12m) in the summer transfer window.

However, the report goes on to state that the Hammers are not alone in their pursuit of the Guinea international’s signature, with LOSC Lille, Eintracht Frankfurt, Hertha Berlin, Valencia, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton also believed to be tracking the forward ahead of a potential move of their own.

Huge coup

Considering just how exciting a prospect Bayo quite clearly appears to be, should Moyes manage to beat the likes of Spurs, Everton, Eintracht and Valencia to a deal for the 24-year-old this summer, it would undoubtedly represent a huge coup for West Ham.

Indeed, over his 32 Ligue 1 appearances in 2021/22, the £10.8m-rated talent was in electric form for Clermont, scoring 14 goals, registering five assists and creating six big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.1 shots, making 1.0 key pass and completing 0.9 dribbles per game.

These returns saw the £10k-per-week forward who Jacek Kulig dubbed “indispensable” average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.94, ranking him as Pascal Gastien’s third-best performer in the league – a quite remarkable feat considering Clermont’s 17th place finish in the French top-flight last time out.

As such, with Moyes in desperate need of both backup to and competition for West Ham’s sole centre-forward, Michail Antonio, next season, it would very much appear as if Bayo could be something of a perfect fit for the 59-year-old Scot – especially considering the fact the Guinean now looks to be available for an extremely reasonable fee this summer.

AND in other news: ExWHUemployee drops huge one-word transfer update, West Ham supporters will be buzzing