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Flocking to Twitter, many Sunderland fans voiced their criticism for Lynden Gooch following his display in their penalty shoot out loss to Bradford City on Tuesday night.

The Black Cats did just enough to reach the knockout rounds of the EFL trophy, topping Group F, after drawing 1-1 in normal time to Bradford – but the game went to penalties anyway to decide an overall victor.

Lee Johnson’s side have secured a home tie for the next round by topping their group, with Nathan Broadhead’s strike earning the solitary point needed after Bradford’s Theo Robinson opened the scoring.

Even though they got the job done, Sunderland have also extended their winless run of games to six on the trot with their last victory coming away to Crewe Alexandra in mid-October.

Both Alex Pritchard and Gooch saw their penalties saved by the travelling side after normal time as Bradford clinched the shoot-out win – with many supporters taking aim at the latter man in particular.

While squandering his penalty in the shoot-out, Gooch was also ranked among Sunderland’s lowest performers on the night according to SofaScore – coming in as the joint-fifth worst starter with a 6.9 rating.

His overall evening also proved a sloppy one with the 25-year-old completing just 2/7 crosses, 4/11 long balls and losing possession a seismic 32 times – as well as getting booked (SofaScore).

Taking these numbers into account, and the fact Gooch saw his spot-kick saved, it’s little wonder supporters weren’t impressed.

Find all of their verdicts from Twitter down below.

Sunderland fans slam Gooch…

“And, surprise, surprise, he got himself booked. Again. I can’t remember the last game he played when he wasn’t booked. His quality of play is awful and his decision-making is worse. Johnson’s blue-eyed boy though. Unlike Embleton.”

Credit: @Boshanko

“No qualms with him missing a pen, especially in the most pointless shootout ever, but his performance even out of position was shocking, simple things. His attitude to storm off the pitch while everyone else remained to clap, disgusting.

Credit: @davis0688

“Truly is a frustrating footballer. The way he’s regressed in recent years is mind blowing. Went from being arguably one of the best in the league to one of the most unreliable in the squad.”

Credit: @SpeakSAFC

“Should never pull the shirt on ever again. Absolute waste of space”

Credit: @1879SAFC

“The WORST player on the pitch…”

Credit: @Casual7Observer

“How gooch gets a game is beyond me”

Credit: @fonz1971

“How’s he still here”

Credit: @RobsonEll

Paul Pogba is ‘heading’ for the exit door at Manchester United, The Athletic’s Laurie Whitwell says. 

The lowdown

Pogba’s £290,000-per-week Old Trafford contract is due to expire at the end of June.

United bought him back from Juventus in 2016 for a fee of £94.5million, the biggest transfer in Premier League history before Romelu Lukaku (£101.7million) and Jack Grealish (£105.75million) moved to Chelsea and Manchester City respectively last summer.

Pogba has made 232 appearances for the Red Devils in total, winning the Europa League and EFL Cup in 2016/17 before earning a place in the PFA Team of the Year in 2018/19.

On Saturday, as Manchester United scraped past bottom-of-the-table Norwich City at home, United supporters booed Pogba, who responded by cupping his ear.

The Frenchman isn’t the only player poised to walk on a free transfer come the summer, with Jesse Lingard, Edinson Cavani and Juan Mata all out of contract too.

The latest

Speaking live on Sky Sports News on Sunday afternoon, Whitwell indicated that the ship had sailed.

He says Pogba has shown little interest in signing a lucrative contract, and feels that his reception on Saturday has confirmed the inevitability of his exit.

“It’s heading that way [Pogba leaving at the end of the season],” he said.

“United offered him a very big contract last summer – £400,000 per week – and he’s left that sitting there because they didn’t offer him a contract the year before when he felt like maybe he wanted one.

He later added: “There was some doubt before this [the booing] that he would definitely leave, but I think that puts the underlining score in that situation really.”

The verdict

Will prospective manager Erik ten Hag have played in any role this decision?

Fabrizio Romano reported earlier this month that Ten Hag had asked for ‘100%’ involvement in ‘present and future transfers strategy’, including new contracts.

The Dutchman has since verbally agreed to become the new manager, potentially indicating that those demands have been met.

It’s possible that he’s greenlit Pogba’s exit, or it may be the case that United were already resigned to that outcome.

It now remains to be seen if he intervenes in an attempt to prevent Lingard, Cavani or Mata departing.

In other news, United have held a meeting with this superstar’s agent.

Mark Douglas has revealed that Kalvin Phillips is now on the ‘list’ of Newcastle United for a potential move in the summer.

The Lowdown: In demand

It has been reported that Manchester United are now ‘working’ on a deal to try and sign Phillips, but any move could be complicated by the rivalry between them and Leeds United.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/newcastle-news-5/” title=”Newcastle news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The defensive midfield player is reportedly willing to sign a new contract at Elland Road, but only if they can guarantee safety in the Premier League, with West Ham and Aston Villa also sniffing around.

Jesse Marsch’s team are currently six points clear of the drop zone, but Burnley crucially have two games in hand, meaning that they can catch the Yorkshire club with two wins.

The Latest: Listed

Taking to Twitter, iNews journalist Douglas has revealed that Phillips is now on the St. James’ Park faithful’s ‘list’ for the summer.

However, the Whites ‘hope’ that they can keep him beyond this season.

The Verdict: Sign

Currently rated at £45m by Transfermarkt, Phillips would likely be a club-record transfer should the North East club be able to sign him.

Nonetheless, he could form a mouth-watering partnership with Bruno Guimaraes in midfield that would take them to the next level.

Hailed for a ‘phenomenal’ performance on England duty in Euro 2020 by Ian Wright, Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate has also sung his praises at international level.

For the Peacocks, Phillips has unfortunately been ninth place in the top flight.

He would not be easy to lure away, but the 26-year-old would certainly be a coup for the Tynesiders.

In other news, find out what ‘huge’ club-record deal NUFC are now eyeing here!

Hopes for Boli Bolingoli will have been high at Celtic upon his £3m arrival at Parkhead back in 2019, with the Hoops subsequently selling first-choice left-back Kieran Tierney in the same transfer window.

Indeed, the defender had impressed over his 25 Bundesliga appearances for Rapid Vienna in the season prior, scoring two goals, registering two assists and helping his side keep eight clean sheets in the league, as well as making an average of two interceptions, 1.4 tackles, 1.2 clearances and winning 4.4 duels per game.

However, after making a mere 14 Scottish Premiership appearances in his debut campaign, things took a further turn for the worst for Bolingoli last season, when the left-back travelled to Spain without informing Celtic, as well as breaking quarantine restrictions on his return to Scotland.

This led to the left-back receiving a three-match ban from the Scottish FA, while Neil Lennon also took the decision to bomb the former Belgian U16 international out of his squad, with the club labelling his actions as “irresponsible” and the Northern Irishman sending him on loan to Istanbul Basaksehir for the duration of 2020/21.

In Turkey, the £12.5k-per-week man also failed to impress over his 12 Super Lig appearances, helping his side keep just two clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.5 interceptions, 1.8 tackles, 0.9 clearances and winning 3.6 duels per fixture.

These returns saw the 26-year-old average a disappointing seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.74, ranking him as Basaksehir’s 17th-worst performer in the Turkish top flight.

And, while Bolingoli has featured once for Celtic under the new leadership of Ange Postecoglou, the defender has been left out of the Celtic squad for the majority of their games this season, suggesting that the future does not look overly bright for the left-back at Parkhead.

Further still, as a result of this lack of game time over the past two seasons, Bolingoli’s value has plummeted from £3.15m at the time of his move to Scotland to just £1.98m today – meaning that, should Postecoglou wish to move the Belgian on any time soon, he will almost certainly have to take a loss in the transaction.

As such, with the benefit of hindsight, it would have to be said that Celtic’s former chief executive Peter Lawwell had something of a nightmare when signing Bolingoli back in 2019.

In other news: Forget Rogic: Ange could save Celtic millions by unleashing “fantastic” teen prodigy

Writing on Twitter, reliable club insider ExWHUemployee has shed a degree of light on West Ham United’s incoming new head of recruitment Rob Newman and how his arrival will affect transfer activity.

The Lowdown: West Ham set for board appointment…

Newman, who is currently still on gardening leave from Manchester City, will apparently begin his new role as West Ham’s new head of recruitment in late September – if reliable sources are to be believed (The Athletic).

The 57-year-old worked as an international scouting and recruitment manager for the Sky Blues after joining them in 2008.

He was even involved in some major first team signings for Pep Guardiola’s side, apparently playing a role in bringing Spain international Aymeric Laporte to the Etihad Stadium.

The Latest: ExWHUemployee sheds light on Newman appointment…

Taking to Twitter, reliable club insider ExWHUemployee has shed light on just how much control Newman will have over transfer activity alongside Irons boss David Moyes.

West Ham co-chairman David Sullivan apparently oversaw the club’s striker search during the last window and Ex, while hinting Newman could have a similar task in January, says the incoming new board member will have the ‘majority of control’ over incomings alongside Moyes.

“Because of the head of recruitment role that Rob Newman is taking over,” explained the insider.

“He is apparently going to have the majority of control alongside Moyes.”

The Verdict: Good news for West Ham?

Bringing in an experienced figurehead to potentially assist West Ham in their hunt for future signings, which may include a forward, can only come as good news.

Overall, the Irons enjoyed a rather productive summer transfer window but left it very late to conclude the majority of their business.

Kurt Zouma, Alex Kral and Nikola Vlasic all arrived at the last gap while West Ham only completed the signing of Alphonse Areola in efficient time.

Newman could potentially provide the Hammers with more transfer market expertise with the club seemingly having one eye fixed on January already and a striker surely first up on the agenda.

In other news: ‘Really stupid’, ‘Terrible from us’…West Ham fans rage at ‘ridiculous’ club decision, find out more here.

Everton could discover their new Wayne Rooney in the upcoming January transfer window after they were linked with a move for Derby County midfielder Jason Knight.

What’s the story?

According to Football League World, the Toffees are set to target the 20-year-old over the coming months as new manager Rafa Benitez looks to bolster his engine room options.

However, Everton will have extensive competition for Knight’s signature, with up to seven Premier League sides believed to be interested in his services.

The report states that: “Knight has emerged as a target for a host of Premier League clubs, with FLW sources indicating that Everton, Wolves, Crystal Palace, Leicester, Leeds, Burnley, and Newcastle are all keen.

“ExWHUemployee has now revealed that West Ham are also in the race for the Republic of Ireland international, who has one and a half years left on his current deal at Pride Park.”

Everton could discover their new Wayne Rooney

Despite his tender years, Knight has already made 94 appearances for the Rams in all competitions and made an instant impression on current boss Rooney.

After the Everton academy graduate joined Derby on an initial player-coach deal, he showered the Republic of Ireland international in praise, even comparing him to a younger version of himself.

“I’ve been really impressed with the way they’ve trained, particularly Knighty,” revealed Rooney. “His energy, his attitude. He almost reminds me of myself when I was younger in terms of no fear.

“And he’s got an aggression about him, not in terms of how he’s tackling, but in terms of how he runs, how he gets about the pitch. I’m looking forward to seeing how they do as I feel he can give us a lot of energy and a lot of creativity.”

His current teammate Graeme Shinnie has also been impressed with the form of his youthful colleague as the pair continue to strike up a healthy partnership in the Derby County engine room.

“He has a massive expectation of himself and he demands a lot which is really good as a young player, and his attitude is first class, so it shows a lot about him,” said Shinnie. “He works very hard, as well, which is extremely good, especially for a young player.”

With the Midlands outfit in need of a cash injection following their ongoing financial woes, Knight could be available in a cut-price deal during January, and Everton may well be able to pick up their next talisman for a bargain fee.

He might not quite represent the impeccable offensive threat that Rooney was during his time in Merseyside – bagging 28 strikes – but he’s certainly a young man with swagger, aggression and exuberance to his game; three areas the now Rams manager typified at times.

And, in other news…”Understand” – Patrick Boyland delivers Digne update that’ll leave Everton fans fuming

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have slammed the performance of Ryan Kent in their 1-0 win at Hibernian in the Premiership on Wednesday night.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team managed to nick all three points at Easter Road in the end thanks to a late penalty from Keemar Roofe, which puts them firmly in pole position at the top of the table.

However, while some players impressed in a Light Blue shirt, Kent did not have his best game, as he lost out on nine of his duels and was unsuccessful with all three of his shots on goal (SofaScore).

The 25-year-old was also guilty of giving the ball away on 17 different occasions in the match, the joint-second most out of his teammates (SofaScore), in what was a frustrating night for him individually.

Rangers fans slam Kent

These Rangers fans slammed Kent’s performance on Twitter, with one Gers supporter going as far as to claim that he was a ‘passenger’ last night:

“Ryan Kent is an absolute passenger so far.”

Credit: @FarvaRangers

“Ryan Kent has been awful for a number of games now – others deserve a chance to prove themselves”

Credit: @RobertsonGreig

“What is the point of Ryan Kent?”

Credit: @mullanmcm

“Ryan Kent having an absolute stinker”

Credit: @BigMoLoyal1872

“Why is Ryan Kent still on this pitch?”

Credit: @StephenMcGarry3

“Ryan Kent still being on the pitch is mind boggling, worst game he’s ever played.”

Credit: @dylanblack23

In other news, find out whose display against Hibs was also slammed by many Gers fans

Celtic winger Liel Abada is already attracting interest ahead of the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Scottish Sun, who claim that, after a sensational start to his Parkhead career, the 20-year-old is already being closely monitored by Premier League outfit Crystal Palace – with Eagles scouts believed to have visited Celtic Park in order to watch the Israel international in action for the Bhoys.

However, the report goes on to state that Ange Postecoglou views the forward as a key player within his Hoops side, both currently and in the future, while the Celtic hierarchy are not believed to be willing to cash in on the youngster so soon after his £3m signing last summer.

Edouard 2.0

While part of Celtic’s business model will undoubtedly be signing lesser-known talents for minimal prices, before selling these players on for a huge profit after their development in Scotland, losing a player with a future as bright as Abada just a year after his arrival in Glasgow would nevertheless come as a major blow to Postecoglou and his side.

Indeed, over his 23 Premiership appearances since joining the club from Maccabi Petah Tikva last summer, the £4.05m-rated winger has been in remarkable form for the Hoops, having already scored eight goals, registered four assists and created a whopping 12 big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.6 shots and making 1.8 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the £15k-per-week forward who Yossi Benayoun dubbed a “star” average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.10, ranking him as the Bhoys’ 12th-best performer in the top flight of Scottish football – a quite astonishing feat for a player who only turned 20 years of age last October.

As such, should Michael Nicholson go on to repeat Dominic McKay’s £14m sale of Odsonne Edouard to the South London side, it is clear for all to see that, should the club wish to challenge for the Premiership title, as well as get back to playing Champions League football in the seasons to come, selling a player with the ability of Abada would be a repeat of the Edouard blunder for the league leaders.

In other news: Lifeline: Ange’s £8.2k-p/w Celtic passenger a big winner from January transfer window

Aston Villa midfielder Conor Hourihane is attracting interest from both Sheffield United and West Bromwich Albion as he enters the final 12 months of his contract in the Midlands, according to The Athletic.

Spending the second half of the 2020/21 campaign on loan at Swansea City, the Republic of Ireland international registered seven goal contributions in 24 appearances, with five goals and two assists for Steve Cooper’s side [Transfermarkt].

He could now be set for a further loan spell at either Bramall Lane or The Hawthorns, with The Athletic claiming that the relegated duo have taken an interest in him.

Villa have not yet made their demands known for the 30-year-old, with many Championship clubs struggling for funds this summer, but he is seen as an attractive proposition for the Blades and the Baggies due to his previous promotion experience with Villa in 2018/19 [The Athletic].

In light of this news, plenty of Aston Villa diehards took to Twitter to express their opinion on these latest developments surrounding Hourihane, who struggled for Premier League game-time in the opening months of last season.

Aston Villa fans react:

Replying to popular Aston Villa fan outlet @villareport, here is how some fans summarised their opinions on a potential exit for the Irish midfielder. Many were clamouring for him to be included in a potential swap deal with either Sander Berge or Matheus Pereira, both of whom have been strongly linked with Premier League clubs this summer:

“Would be a good move for him tbh, can’t see him getting much game time with us this season”

Credit: @GW_94″Conor+money for either Berge or Pereira”Credit: @tom_avfc1″If he’s leaving to them, include a swap deal for Berge or Pereira. Conor has provided special moments for us, he’ll leave highly regarded. One of my favourite players of the previous few years”Credit: @AdamLeen4″If West Brom gives us Pereira for Hourihane or similar with Sheff Utd for Berge, then good deal”Credit: @MilanRnic1″Swap deal for Berge or Pereira? Yes please”Credit: @ViIlaI_”Get him gaaaarrnnnnn”Credit: @OllyAVFC_In other news, many Aston Villa fans react to comments on this transfer target.

Aston Villa will consider loaning out exciting 18-year-old Aaron Ramsey in January, according to The Athletic’s Gregg Evans. 

The lowdown

Two developments this week underlined Ramsey’s potential. First, he was nominated for the Premier League 2 Player of the Month award for August, having netted two goals in their first three matches (via avfc.co.uk).

He has now been directly involved in 18 goals (scoring 12 and setting up six) in just 24 appearances for Mark Delaney’s youth side (via Transfermarkt).

He then earned a call-up to the England under-21 squad, jumping up from the under-19s following injuries to Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott and Tottenham Hotspur’s Ryan Sessegnon.

The latest

According to Evans for The Athletic, Villa thought about loaning Ramsey out during the summer window, but with some ‘key senior players’ either injured or ill, they decided against such a move. However, the possibility is expected to be revisited during the next transfer window.

Villa are ‘carefully mapping out a pathway’ to the first team for the attacking midfielder, who has been ‘highly thought of for years’.

The verdict

Ramsey is a serious talent, and his record at under-23 level suggests that he’s more than ready to make the step-up to the men’s game.

You’d imagine that he’ll be sent to the Championship, but it’s about finding the right team, the right manager and the right style of play to ensure that it’s a productive loan spell.

Look at Elliott, whose injury led to Ramsey’s England promotion. He has now made his breakthrough at Liverpool after a move to Blackburn Rovers last season proved to be a perfect fit, making 18 goal contributions in 42 appearances at Ewood Park. His is an obvious case study for the Villa starlet to try and emulate if he is loaned out in the winter.

In other news, many Villa fans were left fuming by this news.