Wednesday need to revisit successful policy

It’s fair to say that Sheffield Wednesday’s season hasn’t exactly gone to plan.

Where do you start when attempting to dissect such a car crash campaign? Perhaps the appointment of Garry Monk was where it all started to go wrong, or maybe it was Steven Fletcher’s injury that derailed the Owls’ season.

Unsurprisingly, one thing that has negatively affected the club’s season is their failure in the summer transfer window.

To be fair to the Yorkshire club, the FFP sanctions hanging over their heads affected their ability to spend big, but that still doesn’t excuse how badly they got things wrong.

The Owls heavily relied on the free-agent market, picking up no fewer than five out of contract players, but it’s hard to say that any of them have worked out.

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Kadeem Harris has contributed to just six goals all season, Moses Odubajo has only played 15 games, and while Julian Borner’s start to life at Hillsborough saw him receive a lot of praise from the fans, his form as of late has waned, being a part of a defence that has conceded nine goals in his previous four appearances.

While they were focusing all their attention on the free agents, they near-enough completely neglected the loan market with Jacob Murphy being the only first-teamer acquired on such a deal in the summer.

The Owls should know better than any other team the value of bringing in quality loanees from the Premier League as they’ve done it so successfully in the past. Michael Hector was their Player of the Season last year, while Josh Onomah was often a starter when injuries weren’t plaguing him.

Wednesday did get involved with the loan market in January, but by that point, most of the talent available had already been picked up in the summer, leaving Wednesday feeding off scraps. They landed the likes of Connor Wickham and Alessio Da Cruz, two players who have had very little impact thus far, contributing to zero goals between them.

Fingers crossed the Yorkshire club don’t repeat the same mistake next season and go back to what worked so well in 2018.

In other news, Chansiri simply has to go over Monk’s head on this issue.

Leeds fans rave over Jack Harrison footage

Leeds United fans have been raving over one of their loan stars as footage emerged on social media earlier this week.

Jack Harrison is currently at the Whites’ services from Manchester City, and they may be able to make the switch permanent for £8m, which is something they could be inclined to do going by the following reactions.

LUFCHD posted a mini highlights reel to Twitter and it has left supporters going nuts over the 23-year-old maestro.

Here’s what has been said…

Many at Elland Road referenced his amazing first touch ability, nicknaming him “pillow feet” whilst others labelled him everything from being “ridiculous” to being an “absolute baller.”

Per WhoScored, Harrison averages 2.6 unsuccessful touches a game – the most in Marcelo Bielsa’s squad – but does manage to record 2.1 key passes, 1.9 dribbles and 1.7 shots per match, too.

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Some supporters referenced the potential £8m fee they may be entitled to pay at the end of the season, claiming it would be a “bargain” as well as an “absolute steal.”

Considering Helder Costa is going to set them back £15m, it’s hard to disagree.

There were even bold suggestions, such as Harrison “looking more and more” like French legend Zinedine Zidane whilst his first touch is apparently on par with Ronaldinho.

One fan even believes there isn’t a better player in the entire division than the City loan star.

A true test for any Leeds fan: Can you match these iconic images with the right results?

Hopefully, those of a United persuasion will get to see the wide man in action once again before the season’s end with football not set to return for another month at the very earliest.

AND in other news, Leeds fans react to Phil Hay tweet on 40-goal sensation…

Gary Lineker issues verdict as Harry Kane questions Spurs future

Speaking on talkSPORT on Monday morning, former Tottenham Hotspur striker Gary Lineker has issued his verdict after Spurs star Harry Kane raised question marks over his long-term future with them on Sunday.

What did he say?

Well, in an Instagram Q&A with Jamie Redknapp on Sunday evening, the 26-year-old said, via The Guardian: “I love Spurs, I’ll always love Spurs but I’ve always said if I don’t feel we’re progressing as a team or going in the right direction, I’m not someone to stay there for the sake of it.

“I’m an ambitious player, I want to improve, get better and become one of the top, top players. It all depends on what happens as a team and how we progress as a team. So it’s not a definite I’m going to stay there forever, but it’s not a no either.”

In reponse to those quotes, Lineker told talkSPORT: “It’s understandable. He’s a top class player and one of the great strikers in world football. There’s bound to be a degree of frustration with the recent progress of Spurs.

“He’s just being very honest, isn’t he really. He’s just basically saying if they don’t go on to win things, because every player wants to win things in their career.

“You can’t really criticise him too much for having that view. He’s been there a long time at the club now, and he’s been brilliant.”

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Is Lineker right?

He certainly is.

Kane turns 27 in July and he will know that he is at a stage of his career now – approaching his prime – where he will want to start winning trophies.

The Three Lions skipper should be confident that when fit, he could go to pretty much any team in the world and score goals, and compete for silverware.

If he doesn’t feel like he can do at Tottenham – he is yet to win anything so far – then he clearly isn’t ready to hang around.

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A poor 2019/20 campaign certainly won’t have helped matters in his own thoughts, with Spurs way off the pace in the Premier League and being knocked out of the Champions League at the last 16 stage too, as well as being beaten 7-2 by Bayern Munich on their own turf back in October.

The one positive is that they do have a serial winner in Jose Mourinho at the helm now, and with the right backing from chairman Daniel Levy and ENIC, they could perhaps be contenders across all of the competitions.

It remains to be seen whether that happens in the next transfer window.

In other Tottenham news, Jose Mourinho can kill two birds with one stone by signing reported 28-year-old Spurs transfer target…

Liverpool fans react to Simon Mignolet news

Liverpool and the rest of the Premier League are eagerly waiting to find out if the season will eventually be concluded.

The global pandemic has induced uncertainty across society and the footballing world is no exception to the rule.

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As it stands, the Reds are agonisingly close to clinching the title but a return to action does not appear to be looming on the imminent horizon.

For now all supporters can do is wait for an official announcement from the authorities, but the situation is looking altogether different in Belgium.

Indeed, the Belgian Premier League has been cancelled and Club Brugge, who Simon Mignolet joined last summer, have been crowned champions, though there was only one regular fixture remaining before the playoffs.

In what could prove to be the first domino to fall on the continent, the news is bound to prompt plenty of speculation concerning whether other leagues will soon follow suit.

And following reports emerging from Belgium, plenty of Liverpool fans offered their thoughts.

Some suggested that the Premier League should follow suit while another claimed a similar arrangement would be “the worst outcome for the Prem”.

Here’s what the Liverpool fans had to say in response to reports…

Manchester United: James Maddison lauds Marcus Rashford and Harry Maguire, prompting fan reactions

Lots of Manchester United fans have responded to Leicester City star James Maddison’s comments on Marcus Rashford and Harry Maguire. 

As the summer transfer window approaches, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have been linked with some of the biggest stars on the planet, and the England international is reportedly at the top of the list.

Answering a fan Q&A via his Instagram story, Maddison hailed United duo Marcus Rashford and Harry Maguire as two of the best he’s ever played with.

Having moved to the King Power Stadium from Norwich City for £22.5m in 2018, the 23-year-old has scored 6 goals and provided 3 assists in the Premier League this season, and the attacking midfielder has been tipped to make the switch to Old Trafford before the start of next season.

While Maddison’s opinion may be a cause for concern amongst the Foxes fan base, it is well worth remembering Maguire is a former teammate. Regardless, his post has fuelled the rumour mill, and it will be interesting to see whether or not he will move to the Theatre of Dreams.

Naturally, a large section of United supporters shared their views on his thoughts via Twitter, after a couple of fan sites uploaded his reply. One Red Devil admitted they would “take him over Grealish” while another simply commented “what a joker.”

Check out some of the different reactions down below…

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Pujara ton in vain in high-scoring thriller

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsA low-scoring one-sided game on Saturday was followed by a high-scoring thriller in the Challenger Trophy in Rajkot. An unbeaten 158 by Cheteshwar Pujara, who kept India B in the hunt for their target of 336 through planned batting, went in vain as they lost by four runs. Racing to reach the target at the death, the duo of Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja needed 23 runs off 12 deliveries to pull off a win, but an economical seven-run penultimate over, including Jadeja’s wicket, by the left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdulla pegged them back. The next over saw four singles off the first four deliveries, followed by a spilled chance by Ajinkya Rahane at deep midwicket that fell over the boundary for a six. But that didn’t matter as Pujara could only drive the last delivery towards long-off for a single.India B had started the chase well with the openers S Anirudha and Murali Vijay starting positively by going at nearly six per-over. After Vijay got out in the eighth over, Anirudha put on 80 runs with No. 3 Pujara, and ended up with seven boundaries and two sixes in his knock of 63. Pujara was guiding the chase well, combining with the middle order to effect crucial partnerships. Robin Bist, fresh from a century in the Irani Cup, scored 38, and Baba Aparajith and Ravindra Jadeja also gave him support to help India B get closer to the target. Towards the death, Pujara and Jadeja accelerated the scoring, adding 76 in seven overs but it wasn’t enough to see them through. This knock was Pujara’s second big score in two games – he had scored 78 in the Irani Cup.Another player registered two big scores in two games. Shikhar Dhawan followed up his unbeaten 99 against Bengal with 152 to guide his team to 335 for 4. The opening stand with Robin Uthappa, who scored 67, laid the foundation for a tall score as the duo were separated when India A had scored 146 in the 27th over. Smartly, the batsmen utilized the platform by scoring heavily at the death, courtesy Dhawan, and Dinesh Karthik, who scored 66 off 40 deliveries. The two added 94 runs in nine overs to push India A way past the 300-run mark.Parvinder Awana was the highest wicket-taker across both teams with three wickets, including two of India B’s openers. Umesh Yadav and Abhimanyu Mithun bowled 11 overs each from either team, as per the new rules in domestic one-day matches which allow one bowler to bowl a maximum of 12 overs.India B would have to come back fresh from the defeat to take on Bengal, who were comprehensively beaten by India A earlier, on Monday.

Spurs fans hammer Declan Rice links

Tottenham Hotspur fans have been left fuming this week after one transfer report mooted them with a move for a rival player.

According to 90min, Spurs are eyeing a raid for West Ham defensive midfielder Declan Rice and they could even offer Eric Dier as a part-exchange to entice the Hammers into a sale.

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The 21-year-old has stepped up in recent seasons to become a regular option in Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions squad as well as a key cog to David Moyes’ system as the side’s lynchpin.

Rice has made 29 appearances in the Premier League this term, averaging three tackles, 2.1 interceptions and 1.2 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

It remains to be seen what sort of fee the east Londoners would command for their star player. Transfermarkt currently value him at £44.6m while The Sun claim he could be available for a whopping £70m.

However, he’s not really a player that many at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium would like to see arrive this summer.

Here’s what has been said…

AND in other news, Spurs fans react to links with RB Leipzig star – and it’s not Timo Werner…

Dilshan misses out, Dimuth Karunaratne to debut

Tillakaratne Dilshan will miss the first Test against New Zealand due a back niggle and, in his place, 24-year-old Dimuth Karunaratne will debut.Dilshan’s bad back had kept him out of the final two New Zealand ODIs as well. He had picked up the injury before the third ODI in Pallekele, where he made a century, and the team management left him out of the squad for the last two ODIs as a precaution.Sri Lanka are hoping he will be fit for the second Test, Mahela Jayawardene said. “Dilshan has not come good with his back problem. We had a scan done. Batting he can probably manage, but on-the-field movements are still giving him problems,” Jayawardene said on the eve of the Test. “We assessed him on Wednesday and he wasn’t 100%, so we gave him this Test off and a week to see whether he could be fit for the next Test.” The second match of the two-Test series begins on November 25 in Colombo.Karunaratne, who had played two one-day internationals against England and Scotland last year, will partner Tharanga Paranavitana at the top of the order in Galle. “Dimuth has been consistent last season and had a good A-team tour to South Africa as well,” Jayawardene said. “Opportunities need to be given when he is doing well.”We have to see the bigger picture and that’s why the selectors made the call on Dimuth. He has been very consistent for us and everyone is quite happy that he is going to make his debut tomorrow and looking forward to see him open the batting with Tharanga.”With the tour of Australia coming up, the selectors are looking to have several options for the openers’ slot, Jayawardene said. “We might take an extra opening batsman. A tour of Australia doesn’t come that often. If we can, we’ll use that as a stepping stone for our youngsters to get to know what to expect in the future.”

Wolves: Conor Coady wanted by Everton

According to TEAMtalk, Everton are eyeing a summer transfer move for Wolves defender Conor Coady. 

The lowdown: Wolves stalwart

Signed from Huddersfield Town in 2015 for just £2m (BBC), the 29-year-old has established himself as a crucial part of the setup at Molineux.

An integral part of Nuno Espirito Santo’s side which earned promotion back to the Premier League in 2017/18, the Liverpudlian ace played every minute in two consecutive top-flight campaigns under the Portuguese manager.

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Since the arrival of Bruno Lage, the talismanic leader has seen no decline in importance in the Midlands, as the 45-year-old recently admitted to being ‘proud’ to call Coady his captain.

The latest: Everton eye ambitious swoop for Coady

As per the report from TEAMtalk, relegation-threatened Everton are believed to be considering a move for the England international.

It’s claimed that the Merseyside club could ‘make a move’ for the boyhood Liverpool fan in the summer, albeit that the switch is said to be ‘laced with difficulties’ such as Coady’s allegiances.

However, the report suggests that the recent appointment of ex-Wolves recruitment chief Kevin Thelwell as sporting director at Goodison Park may persuade the nine-cap defender to head to Everton.

The verdict: Wolves must say no

Put frankly, this is not a move that Wolves should even entertain.

With Coady valued at £22.5m and under contract until 2025 (Transfermarkt), there is certainly no immediate requirement for the Old Gold to resolve the ever-reliable defender’s future.

So far this season, the man once hailed as ‘outstanding’ by Garth Crooks has earned an impressive 7.03 Sofascore rating from 31 Premier League outings, keeping 11 clean sheets, making 3.5 clearances per game and winning 56% of his aerial duels in the process.

That is further evidence of Coady’s importance at Molineux and explains why they must be firm in telling Everton to look elsewhere if they want to strengthen their defensive ranks.

In other news, Wolves plot raid for Portuguese duo. Find out more here.

Anything less than promotion a failure for West Brom after brilliant Deadline Day

As per the club’s official website, Championship side West Brom sealed deals for Jacob Murphy, Jefferson Montero, and Stefan Johansen on the final day of the January transfer window. Messrs Murphy and Johansen have dropped down a division from Premier League duo Newcastle United and Fulham respectively in a bid for first team football, while winger Montero made the move from fellow second tier side Swansea City to link up with Darren Moore’s men.

And with the three deals officially completed on Deadline Day, it’s fair to say that the Baggies did some brilliant business on the final day of the window, to the point that anything less than promotion this term would surely be a failure.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, Moore’s side are very well-placed to sustain a promotion challenge between now and the end of the season given they are currently sat fourth in the Championship table after 28 games of the season, trailing second place Norwich City by just four points.

And with the sheer amount of goals they have scored, having bagged a league-high 57 times already this term, the Midlanders are going to take some stopping in the final third of the field, even more so now following the arrival of wide men Murphy and Montero.

Newcastle’s Murphy has struggled to make a meaningful impact at St James’ Park following his move from Norwich City back in 2016, although eight goals and eight assists for the Canaries in the second tier in 2015/16 underlines his quality in the Championship – he appears to be the ideal man to take over from Harvey Barnes at West Brom following his recall by parent club Leicester City.

And 29-year-old Montero is another who will add even greater strength to the Baggies’ attacking ranks, what with the Ecuador international having only appeared 12 times for the Swans in the Championship this season, yet in that time managing to lay on three assists.

Clearly then, Moore is well catered-for down the flanks heading into the second half of the campaign, while the arrival of Fulham’s Johansen will add even more ability to the club’s midfield ranks.

The 28-year-old may have only mustered 12 Premier League appearances for relegation-threatened Fulham this time round, but one mustn’t forget the role he played in helping them win promotion from the Championship last term, bagging eight goals and laying on eight assists as the Cottagers won the play-offs.

Add that to the 11 goals and eight assists he contributed the season before as they also reached the top six, only to lose to Reading in the semi-finals of the play-offs, and it’s clear the pedigree he, and indeed the other two additions, have at Championship level – combine that with what West Brom already have, and it’s a frightening prospect for the rest of the division.

And such is the quality of the Deadline Day signings, alongside the Baggies’ position of fourth already this term, promotion could very much be on for the Midlanders after their excellent business on the final day of the January window – in fact, anything less than a return to the promised land would surely be a failure.

West Brom fans… what do you think? Let us know!

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