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Sheffield Wednesday are still looking for their fifth permanent manager in three years following the sacking of Tony Pulis nearly a month ago.

The 63-year-old was given his marching orders by Owls owner Dejphon Chansiri after a run of games which saw the Yorkshiremen win just once in ten outings.

Pulis was soon thrown under the bus by the Thai businessman for a variety of reasons, but what stuck out most was how unhappy he was with the style of football on offer.

Chansiri told reporters in a virtual press conference, via talkSPORT: “I was not convinced about his style of play so it was not the right choice,” before adding: “I told him I don’t like the old English style but he told me he wouldn’t play like that, his tactics would depend on the opponents.”

This is something he’ll have to get right with his next appointment and he ought to look no further than Slavisa Jokanovic, who has been linked with the vacant managerial role in the past week.

The 52-year-old has twice won promotion from the Championship, taking both Watford and then Fulham up to the Premier League, which ultimately will be the Owls’ long-term goal should they stave off relegation this campaign.

It’s been over 20 years since top-flight football was played at Hillsborough Stadium.

Aside from his obvious ability to improve teams drastically, Jokanovic has always been lauded for his exciting and attacking brand of football. Indeed, his Cottagers were once dubbed the ‘Man City of the Championship’ by the Guardian’s Paul MacInnes.

In addition to that, the Premier League’s official website wrote this about that very side: “They play attractive football based on movement and domination of the ball.”

Former Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe once lauded the Serbian as an “outstanding coach” to Sky Sports, and added: “The style of play is one that draws a lot of praise, a lot of plaudits last year for the way they did it.”

While Jordi Cruyff, who appointed him at Maccabi Tel Aviv, also praised his coaching ability, he said: “He played various systems. He does like to play from behind but he also likes to adapt himself to moments that he might not have control of. I think his reading of the game was very good.”

The Owls have endured many a playing style over the years, but this type of football is most comparable to that of the Ron Atkinson era, the very man to guide Wednesday to League Cup glory in 1991.

ExaminerLive described his side as “attractive” and “entertaining,” claiming that they had a “swashbuckling style of play,” so it’s easy to see why so many would be keen to see Jokanovic appointed.

Time is running out this January for any new hire, so Chansiri ought to act sooner rather than later and there isn’t a better candidate than the two-time promotion winner out there right now.

He could bring shades of Atkinson back to south Yorkshire.

AND in other news, Forget Murphy: Owls must secure future for £20k-p/w ace who Pulis dubbed a “top player”…

Pablo Fornals is under severe pressure to impress David Moyes against Liverpool on Sunday after West Ham United completed the signing of Manchester United’s Jesse Lingard on loan.

The Irons announced the capture of Lingard on a half-season deal on Friday, but will not be able to hand the England international his debut this weekend having failed to complete the paperwork and formalities in time.

Lingard had needed to finalise his move to the London Stadium by midday on Friday to be registered to face the Premier League champions, who West Ham will move above into fourth in the table with a win with two points all that currently separates the two sides.

West Ham have paid Manchester United £1.5m to sign Lingard and will cover his salary until the end of the season, with the intentions of utilising the £75,000-per-week maestro across the midfield line.

His arrival will threaten Fornals’ place in Moyes’ starting line-up, with the Spaniard – who Trevor Francis claims is “turning into a top player” – having already seen his importance start to waver with the heighted use of Said Benrahma and Manuel Lanzini.

Fornals had started West Ham’s opening 14 fixtures of the Premier League season but has since been benched twice and is without a goal or an assist since October, with his high-energy performances not always providing the desired results at the top of the pitch.

The Spaniard’s importance to the overall performance of Moyes’ side has arguably never been higher with his grit and determination, much like his passes, able to pull opposing sides apart.

Crystal Palace found that out the hard way on Tuesday night, when Fornals’ ball through to Michail Antonio left the Eagles at sixes and sevens before Tomas Soucek scored the Irons’ equaliser.

Yet Benrahma still emerged the brighter of the two West Ham stars at Selhurst Park, with the Algerian often looking like the Hammers’ most creative option whenever he dropped into the ever-increasing pockets of space between the Palace defenders and midfield.

Benrahma’s drive when on the ball was also on another level to that of Fornals and will now be expected to start week in, week out alongside Jarrod Bowen, even though the 25-year-old is still yet to score in claret and blue.

Bowen’s place is almost as secure as it can be with the 23-year-old the Iron’s second-best scorer with five goals from the most shots (37) taken in the side to date and with the second-most assists (3) to Aaron Cresswell (5).

And with West Ham now having signed Lingard on loan, no doubt without the intentions of the midfielder simply sitting on the bench, it leaves £67k-p/w Fornals the most at risk if he cannot come out shining at home to Liverpool on Sunday.

AND in other news, West Ham eye late loan for teen gem who “makes the game look easy”…

According to a report from the Daily Telegraph and reliable journalist Mike McGrath, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is set to receive significant backing this summer with the club willing to spend £200 million on the right players to bolster his squad – with many Citizens buzzing as this ‘great news’ emerges.

The Sky Blues are ticking back into full gear following a slow start to the Premier League campaign, with Guardiola’s side now reigning victorious in seven of their last nine league encounters.

Investment in their backline over 2020 appears to have paid dividends as summer signing Ruben Dias continues to form a stellar partnership with the rejuvenated John Stones, backed up by the pair keeping seven clean sheets in City’s last nine in all competitions among the plethora of victories.

Now, as per the Telegraph, City are willing to spend a further £200m in the summer to further reinforce the squad if primed targets are made available – coming as the Sky Blues are heavily linked with the likes of Erling Haaland. 

In reaction to this development, as relayed on social media by Man City Xtra and Man City Report, it’s safe to say plenty of fans are overjoyed – find all of their best verdicts down below.

Man City fans buzz as £200m transfer kitty touted

“Rival tears incoming”

Credit: @mcfcadam_

“I love this club”

Credit: @trendz_football

“Great news”

Credit: @AdamKDB123

“I CANNOT WAIT”

Credit: @mxnciteh

“OIL MONEY BUYING THE LEAGUE AGAIN!!!

I LOVE IT!!!!!”

Credit: @bruynedekevin17

“The fume this is gonna cause, it’s beautiful”

Credit: @olicoulsxn

“Music to my ears”

Credit: @tristangwade

In other news: Man City fans didn’t like this alleged decision from Txiki Begiristain, find out more here.

West Bromwich Albion may have to use the transfer window well if they want to stay in the top flight and former Albion forward Kevin Phillips believes that Andy Carroll could be a good option for his former club.

What Phillips had to say about Andy Carroll

Speaking to West Brom news, Phillips said:

“If you could guarantee he was going to stay fit for the rest of the season, I would certainly consider it because he gives you a different style.

There might be a lot of people who say ‘oh this is going to be route-one football’ but it’s about winning a football match and if that means bringing in a 6ft 5 or 6ft 6 centre-forward and you play a different style of play, we know Andy Carroll on his day can be unplayable.

It’s just whether you can guarantee keeping him fit and for me, it’s a gamble. If you put all your eggs in one basket in getting him in and he gets injured in the first few weeks, you’re back to square one.

Ultimately, it might be a gamble worth having a little nibble at because they need to do something. It hasn’t quite worked for Karlan Grant. I know you’ve got Charlie Austin and Hal Robson-Kanu but someone like Andy Carroll – who obviously Big Sam knows – could be a good option. But I’m not sure that if he stays fit, Steve Bruce would let him go with the situation they’re in as well.”

Would this be a good signing for West Brom?

The forward has played 336 times in his career, scoring 79 goals and picking up 50 assists (Transfermarkt). He can be a target man, but this isn’t the best goalscoring record for a striker. The 31-year-old constantly struggles to play regularly and the Baggies should be looking for a forward who is performing well right now.

Carroll is also very injury-prone, so it would seem like a very risky signing, one that would just seem like the club are wasting money on wages, something they cannot afford to do in their situation.

In other news, West Brom fans hammered this man against Palace.

Steve Bruce has suggested that Newcastle have already begun the process of scouting potential targets ahead of the January transfer window, but he also revealed that scouts not being able to view targets live is an issue.

The Magpies invested around £35M in the squad over the summer, and it is thought that Mike Ashley will make funds available for Bruce again in January irrespective of what happens surrounding the takeover saga, per Chronicle Live. That assurance comes after Newcastle opted not to invest in the squad during last season’s winter window.

Scouting challenges for Newcastle revealed

It has been reported that Newcastle have been preparing to operate ‘business as usual’ behind the scenes in January, with the likes of Ashley, Bruce and head of recruitment Steve Nickson drawing up plans for potential targets, per Chronicle Live. However, those plans would be subject to change were any developments over the takeover to emerge.

In the absence of any such developments, Newcastle will continue to identify and scout the targets that Bruce is seeking in January. In the summer the Magpies boss was insistent on ensuring that players brought in would arrive with prior Premier League experience, in order to avoid having to wait for players to settle into English football, per Chronicle Live. He may opt for the same approach this coming window.

Speaking in his press conference ahead of Newcastle’s meeting with Everton, Bruce revealed that the lack of access scouts have into grounds at the moment makes signing players more challenging. He also admitted signing players without having viewed them is not something he wants to do.

He said: “The scouting team have set themselves up at St James’ Park. They’re there for three days a week.

“The difficulty is, of course, it’s never quite the same so it’s very difficult just to watch a video and I think I’ve seen something like 10, 12 games this week. We’ve got to be careful we don’t over saturate that but that’s a different story.

“On the scouting ones, they are doing a lot by video and a lot with the technology we’ve got where we can watch any game in the world.

“The technology today is quite remarkable but it’s not quite the same as seeing people live so we’re identifying the targets that we would look at and hopefully get the chance to see them live because buying someone without seeing them live is certainly not my cup of tea and it’s certainly not Steve Nickson’s, either.”

Steve Bruce might have take transfer gambles to strengthen his squad

Newcastle were looking to add further to their squad before the summer window closed, but they missed out on both Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Ross Barkley. The need to add more bodies in midfield has only been heightened by the recent hernia injury for Jonjo Shelvey, while there are also other areas of the squad which need addressing during the winter window.

Whilst the current situation of scouts not being able to view players firsthand is challenging, the Magpies could negate that somewhat by looking for readymade Premier League players as they had done in the summer. That would enable the Magpies to have more faith in the players being signed, but what they cannot do is use it as an excuse not to add to their squad at all.

In other news, find out what this club’s stance is over a £23m-rated rising star is amid Newcastle’s interested here.

Celtic missed out on signing £25million Tottenham Hotspur acquisition Ryan Sessegnon, who is currently on loan with Hoffenheim until the end of the season. His admirable versatility and strong presence in front of goal during his Fulham days attracted a lot of attention, but he has fallen down the pecking order at Spurs.

Whilst Jose Mourinho is a fan of his and has labelled him a “fantastic” player, the 20-year-old still has a lot to learn. This loan spell could be the making of him under the Portuguese icon, or it could attract interest from other clubs.

Celtic must revisit Sessegnon talks

The Hoops registered their desire to sign the England youth international just before the summer transfer deadline. Sky Sports reported that the Premiership outfit were very keen on Sessegnon, but finances proved to be a problem in getting a deal over the line.

Indeed, the current climate has hit many clubs hard and sacrifices have been made. But with plenty of clubs interested in Odsonne Edouard, Neil Lennon could be looking to cut his cloth there and use the funds to invest in a player like Sessegnon.

His final season with Fulham saw him take on a multitude of roles, including right-back, left-back, left-wing and centre-forward (via Transfermarkt). As it stands, this kind of versatility would be hugely beneficial to Celtic, who have seen an ongoing change in their starting lineup.

It’s been a tough 2020/21 season for the Hoops so far, who have fallen out of favour in the league and are having a torrid time in Europe. Lennon appears to be jamming square pegs into round holes as he juggles an injury-ridden squad. The recent controversy with Mohamed Elyounoussi could also see him lose the clinical striker, who has made a big impact on the club this term.

This is exactly where the manager would have benefited from Sessegnon, who has shown his confidence in slotting into almost any position on the pitch and performing to the highest standard.

In other news, Shane Duffy was biggest Celtic disappointment against Sparta Prague…

As confirmed by the club’s official website, Newcastle star Allan Saint-Maximin has penned a new six-year contract to stay at the club.

What’s the word?

The Frenchman has been a revelation at St James’ Park since arriving from Nice in the summer of 2019, lighting up the Premier League with some virtuoso individual performances – no Newcastle fan will forget his incredible hat-trick of assists away at Bournemouth at the back end of last season for example.

Now, the club have confirmed that Steve Bruce’s side have taken a major step in ensuring Saint-Maximin’s best days are on Tyneside, with a bumper new contract all signed.

The Daily Mail had earlier revealed that there had been interest in the winger, but Bruce himself knows that keeping the 23-year-old happy on and off the pitch at St James’ Park is crucial to the side.

Some redemption for Mike Ashley

Mike Ashley will never be a fan favourite at Newcastle, and rightly so given the way the club has stagnated over the years – no European football has been seen at St James’ Park since the 2012/2013 campaign. But his part in helping to strengthen the first-team squad over the course of the summer transfer window have been important in ensuring Bruce can help the Magpies kick on.

But more than the amount of money he could put into the club to help bring new signings, getting Saint-Maximin to commit his future to the club and shelve interest from elsewhere may go down as the best piece of business Newcastle could do this year.

The Frenchman has made himself a talismanic figure for the Magpies, and that’s clearly shown in how they perform when he’s on the pitch, as opposed to when he’s not. In the 15 Premier League games they have played without Saint-Maximin in the starting line-up, they have won just one match. In contrast, in the 26 games he has been, they’ve won almost half, with 12.

So for all the positives in signing Callum Wilson, Ryan Fraser and Jamal Lewis, among others, getting Saint-Maximin to stay tops the lot.

In other news, Newcastle dodged a bullet by not signing this Premier League ace.

After taking the lead through a wonder strike from Grady Diangana, West Brom came away from their clash against Everton on Saturday afternoon with nothing to show at the end of it.Slaven Bilic’s side hit the self-destruct button right on the stroke of half-time when former Arsenal man Kieran Gibbs retaliated and stuck out a hand in James Rodriguez’s face, earning himself a straight red card from referee Mike Dean.

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The Baggies battled back to make it 2-2 thanks to a free-kick from Matheus Pereira, but the Toffees eased to a victory in the end against ten men.

And after watching him lose his cool and get himself sent off, West Brom fans took to Twitter to voice their frustrations with Gibbs.

A couple of fans suggested that the Baggies desperately need a new left-back before the end of the transfer window, with one supporter even insisting that Gibbs should never play for the club again.

Make no mistake about it, up until that sending off, West Brom looked in control of the game, registering the same number of shots on target in the first-half (3) and being unfortunate with the nature of Everton’s equaliser through Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

But Gibbs’ sending off completely changed the complexion of the game, and it was no surprise to see the Toffees run away with it after the break.

When Bilic heads back on to the training field, he’ll have to have a serious think about Gibbs going forward.

Chelsea will hope that their 6-0 win over Barnsley will be enough of a boost to put them back into winning ways in the Premier League.

Frank Lampard has not held back in this transfer window in terms of splashing the cash, and his new recruits could bring him the success for which he is striving. However, reigning champions Liverpool have already put daylight between potentially one of their biggest challengers this campaign.

Chelsea’s loss to the Reds has set them back early on, but they will be hoping to rectify this with a convincing win over West Brom tomorrow evening.

One man who could be among Lampard’s key players is Timo Werner, who joined the Blues for £45m back in June. He has already opened up his Chelsea goal contributions record by bagging an assist in their opening league match against Brighton.

However, the 24-year-old was left out of the squad that ran riot against Barnsley in midweek. Tammy Abraham started in his absence and wasted no time in showcasing his prolific ability by assisting two goals and scoring one of his own.

Olivier Giroud also came on and contributed with a goal, potentially causing Lampard a dilemma over his attacking options (via Sofascore).

Werner’s outstanding return from last season of 34 goals in 45 appearances doesn’t give him a free pass into the starting lineup. With Giroud and Abraham clearly fighting for contention, the Germany international must do the same.

If Werner is selected as part of the starting XI, he will be hungry to find the back of the net – not just to help his side win three points, but to show Lampard that he is the man for the job this season.

The striker will not want to spend many matches on the bench and so he must prove to the manager why he is currently regarded as one of the best attackers out there.

What do you think the West Brom vs Chelsea score will be? Let us know your predictions in the comments below!

Many Everton fans have slammed Lucas Digne after the France international got himself sent off with a straight red card against Southampton this afternoon.

Digne was sent off in the 72nd minute for a foul on Kyle Walker-Peters, with the Merseysiders already 2-0 down in the match.

The 27-year-old did not have a good game in general, failing to make a single tackle, interception, key pass or accurate cross, earning him a rather poor 5.1 overall rating, the worst score out of anyone on the pitch (Sofascore).

The Toffees ended up losing the match 2-0 thanks to first half goals from James Ward-Prowse and Che Adams in what was a pretty disappointing display overall from Carlo Ancelotti’s team.

Everton fan reaction to Digne performance

These Everton supporters blasted Digne for getting himself a red card as well as the left-back’s overall poor performance, with a couple of Blues even branding him as ‘stupid’:

Evertonians, find out why some fans were unhappy with the starting line-up here and don’t forget to comment below with your views!