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Peterborough Director of Football Barry Fry has exclusively told Football FanCast that Ralph Hasenhuttl is fortunate to have avoided getting the sack at Southampton.

The Austrian appeared on the verge of losing his job following Southampton’s forgettable 9-0 defeat to Leicester back in October 2019, but ended up turning things around and led the St Mary’s outfit to an impressive 11th-place finish.

Hasenhuttl’s Saints side then started this Premier League season in outstanding form, and topped the table in November after beating Newcastle.

But Southampton have endured a wretched run of form since mid-December, beating only rock-bottom Sheffield United, and although his side are in the FA Cup semi-finals, they’re just seven points above the relegation-zone and suffered another 9-0 defeat at Manchester United back in January, part of a six-match winless run.

And Fry told Football FanCast that Hasenhuttl losing his job still isn’t ruled out.

“In the present day of football I would say yeah, nobody survives that [two 9-0s]. There’s been a lot of talk about him going, but then he had a magnificent run and Southampton are playing superb football.

“He’s had one or two key injuries, but they’re a club Southampton in the Premier League that have got a good team if they pick their best XI. But they haven’t got a big squad and haven’t got strength in depth.

“Can I see them getting rid of him? Possibly.”

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former England star Rob Lee said that it’s ‘easy’ to say that links to Real Madrid links have turned Mohamed Salah’s head and as such, have impacted his recent performances.

Salah is still the top scorer in the Premier League, however, he hasn’t scored in his last four games and he has, perhaps, not been playing with the same energy and intensity that people have become accustomed to seeing.

Lee believes there are a lot of contributing factors to Salah’s form including injuries, other players not performing, a lack of fans and the pandemic but he has also questioned if the Egyptian is unhappy at the club.

Since signing for the Premier League champions, Salah has been adored by the Liverpool fans and has had their full backing but with no fans inside the stadium, it seems his willingness to go that extra yard may have disappeared.

Lee told FFC that he does not believe this dip is solely down to Salah being linked with a move to Real Madrid and that Salah is still totally loved by the fans, despite Robbie Fowler saying the club should let him go.

“I think it’s an easy thing to say about players when they get linked away, and they start playing badly. I do agree it is sometimes the case though.

“Is he unhappy at Liverpool? I would say the club loves him and the Liverpool fans love him.

“I just think it’s an accumulation of a lot of things. Injuries, the pandemic and the fact that their front three haven’t scored the goals they usually do. I just think a lot of things have gone against them this season.”

The Egyptian is still a world-class player and he may fancy the chance to play for Real Madrid, but as it stands, his focus needs to be on Liverpool and getting them out of this current slump.

Whether he has lost a bit of focus amidst transfer rumours, or if, as Lee suggests, that other factors have contributed to Salah’s mini goal drought, Jurgen Klopp will need his talisman to start scoring in the very near future as The Reds look to get out of this terrible slump.

Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Joey Pelupessy was one of many Owls stars to let Darren Moore down this week.

The Yorkshire giants ended a run of seven straight defeats with a 1-1 draw over their local rivals at Hillsborough Stadium, but it still leaves them a whopping nine points adrift of safety with only ten games left to play.

Callum Paterson was brought on as one of three changes on the hour mark, though his only involvement saw him put the ball past his own goalkeeper for Huddersfield’s crucial equaliser.

He knew nothing about it, but ultimately, it cost the Owls dearly. The Scotsman shouldn’t be blamed, however.

Pelupessy was arguably the worst player on the pitch, drawing a 6.6 rating from SofaScore – the second-worst of any home starter.

It’s been quite a surprise to see the Dutchman remain in the starting XI under Moore with departing starlet Liam Shaw sat on the bench but perhaps the 46-year-old is keeping an eye on next season, and we know the Celtic-bound ace will not be here irrespective of what division the Owls find themselves in.

Therefore, it’s important for Pelupessy to deliver. He’s out of contract at the end of the current campaign, so he’s pretty much playing for his future at Wednesday.

The £12.5k-per-week midfield enforcer struggled to have any influence against the Terriers.

Per SofaScore, Pelupessy managed only 40 touches of the ball throughout his 90 minutes on the pitch. This was considerably worse than his midfield partner Barry Bannan (62) and not too far behind shot-stopper Keiren Westwood (45).

As someone who is supposed to dictate the play, he should certainly be more involved than the goalkeeper.

The 27-year-old also struggled in his battles, winning just one of five duels (20%), whilst he was also dribbled past on two occasions which means the opposition – namely Lewis O’Brien and Jonathan Hogg – absolutely dominated him.

His passenger-like presence would have, somewhat, contributed towards the visitors remaining in the game and he certainly failed to offer much going forward either as the long-serving Owls passenger made only 28 passes, none of which were converted into key opportunities.

Pelupessy massively let Moore and Wednesday down last night.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Palmer adamant Liam Shaw shouldn’t be playing for Sheffield Wednesday…

Mark Noble lit up the stage as West Ham United beat Doncaster Rovers 4-0 to book their place in the FA Cup fifth round and secure a trip to either Liverpool or Manchester United.

Strikes from Pablo Fornals and Andriy Yarmolenko gifted David Moyes’ side a controlling lead in the first-half, before an unfortunate own goal from Andy Butler and a late hit from Oladapo Afolayan ensured the London Stadium natives would avoid an upset at home to their League One opposition.

The Hammers rarely looked likely to stumble in their Saturday afternoon showdown, as they extended their fine run of form to five-straight wins across all competitions. It is also the first time since winning six-in-a-row back in 2012 that the Premier League outfit have won five on the bounce.

Moyes recalled Noble to his midfield for the FA Cup tie as he sought to afford Declan Rice a rare break, with the England international having started all but two of West Ham’s previous fixtures this season and each since September’s Carabao Cup victory over Hull City.

Noble has rarely featured in any competition this term, with the £4m-rated veteran’s starting role only his sixth inclusion in an opening line-up over 12 appearances to date, in what is likely to be his final season in professional football.

Moyes’ decision never seemed questionable with Noble offering a calm head in possession to help dictate the flow of play, and often dropping between centre-halves Fabian Balbuena and Issa Diop to allow full-backs Ben Johnson and Ryan Fredericks to push forward.

Noble’s vision frequently carved Doncaster apart, too, with the £50,000-per-week maestro providing an array of delicate and precise passes to either play his Irons teammates through or stretch the visiting Donny side.

It was additionally Noble’s right-wing corner that led to Butler inadvertently sending the ball over Ellery Balcombe’s line, while causing problems with his dangerous play in the closing stages as West Ham never let their foot off the throttle.

Noble ultimately ended the fourth round win over Doncaster Rovers having taken a colossal game-high 162 touches – 62 more than the next-best efforts of Johnson, per WhoScored.

He also played significantly more passes than any other player for either side, with a match-high 154 total attempts – Manuel Lanzini ranked second with 82. Of his passes, Noble completed 148 for a 96% success rate, including playing one of West Ham’s 14 key balls after feeding Lanzini to shoot on the stroke of half-time.

Noble has previously been criticised for taking “too many” touches by Irons icon Frank McAvennie, who suggested the 33-year-old had begun to hold Rice back with his time spent in possession.

That was never the case beside Tomas Soucek in the FA Cup, with Noble playing with his head up to carry play forward from the back and ensure West Ham remained on the front foot on a day they rarely had to get out of first gear.

Doncaster found Noble a tough object to avoid when in possession, though, as he attempted a joint-game-high three tackles and registered two interceptions, for the same total defensive output as Moyes witnessed Balbuena produce.

Noble’s efforts may not see that he earns a start when West Ham visit London rivals Crystal Palace on Tuesday, but his performance proved there’s more than just a little bit of life left in the old dog yet.

AND in other news – Exclusive: Pundit drops verdict on West Ham’s interest in a lethal striker adored by a Moyes favourite.

Many Everton fans were left to slam the display of Andre Gomes despite their 2-0 away win over Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday evening.

The Goodison Park club earned their first win over their bitter rivals at Anfield in the division for over two decades with a goal from Richarlison and a Gylfi Sigurdsson penalty to inflict Jurgen Klopp’s fourth loss at home in a row.

While there were some very good performances for Carlo Ancelotti’s team, Gomes’ flattered to deceive, picking up a booking fairly late on in the first half and making some needless fouls that could well have accumulated to get himself a second bookable offence and thus a red card.

The central midfield player lost out on around 92% of his duels and also failed to record a single shot, successful dribble, interception, key pass or accurate cross in the game, earning him a very measly 5.7 overall rating on Sofascore as he was substituted off just short of the hour mark.

Everton fan reaction to Gomes display

These Toffees supporters slammed his performance on Twitter, with one Blue even going as far as to call the former FC Barcelona man a ‘liability’:

“Get Gomes out… too timid defensively #LIVEVE”

Credit: @mmcguriman

“Cannot sit back for 90 minutes and hang on. Gomes off, just giving the ball away and offers no protection at all #LIVEVE”

Credit: @taylor_rich1978

“Is Ancelotti not seeing the same game as the rest of us? This ain’t working lad #LIVEVE get some grafters on. Doucoure garbage. Gomes garbage. No tackles going in. Garbage”

Credit: @DjAnt1B

“Glad he’s been subbed, had a poor game all round and was a red card in waiting #Gomes #EFC”

Credit: @Trev_EFC1878

“Gomes off and also sold #efc”

Credit: @MaisOuiMaisOui_

“Gomes becoming a liability out there #EFC”

Credit: @SchneiderErnie

In other news, find out why a Merseyside derby preview left fans fuming here!

Newcastle United must learn from West Ham United’s decision to sell Sebastien Haller to AFC Ajax for a £25m loss and consider the consequences of keeping Joelinton in January.

What’s the word?

West Ham agreed a £20m deal with Ajax on Friday to end Haller’s miserable 18-month stay at the London Stadium, having decided that now is the best time to cut ties with their £45m record signing.

Haller offered just 14 goals in 53 games for the east London outfit across all competitions, but his biggest failing was through his inability to lead the line as David Moyes’ solo centre-forward.

Moyes has admitted the Irons were not planning on selling Haller this month but felt obliged to accept Ajax’s surprise offer, as retaining the Ivory Coast international would have risked his side losing even more in the future on the £115,000-per-week dud.

“The Seb Haller situation was simply that we got an offer, we didn’t expect it, we weren’t planning to lose Seb this window,” Moyes said, via quotes by the Daily Mail. “He’s done great for us, he’s won a few games recently with his goals, so we wish him well.

“I think it’s a really good move for him to go to Ajax and it was something which, maybe if we didn’t take this offer now, maybe we would not have got it at a later stage. So, we just felt it was the right thing to do. But it certainly wasn’t planned.”

Newcastle chiefs must take note of Moyes’ comments and consider the similarities West Ham faced in Haller’s situation with that of Joelinton, who arrived at St. James’ Park for a club-record £40m just six days after the Irons finalised their club-record deal.

Newcastle must take note

The Magpies’ decision to break the bank for Joelinton has been questioned ever since the Brazilian’s capture in the summer of 2019, having flopped like a lead balloon with seven goals and seven assists in 65 appearances (3 goals in 53 Premier League games) to date.

Steve Bruce has even taken to fielding Joelinton at left-midfield in the search of a way to get the best from the £87,000-per-week forward, notably Newcastle’s top-earner, yet a miserable 45 minutes at Arsenal in the FA Cup on Saturday saw Alan Shearer unleash a scathing attack on the 24-year-old.

“A lot of money he cost, and he finds it really difficult. His touch is really poor, and he hasn’t posed a threat,” the Toon icon said during BBC Sport’s half-time coverage of the game (9/1, 18:15). “It’s been really frustrating watching him. I actually feel sorry for him because when the ball goes to him, it’s bouncing off him and he’s offering nothing going the other way, also.”

Bruce eventually hauled Joelinton off in the 81st-minute having seen enough from the Brazilian, with the forward offering no shots, just one dribble, one key ball from 14 accurate passes, one cross, and losing nine of his 16 combined duels, per SofaScore.

Mike Ashley is likely to be loath to parting ways with Joelinton anytime soon through fears of the financial hit his exit would bring, but retaining the attacker for much longer could risk Newcastle being met with the eventual circumstances that Moyes jumped at the chance of avoiding with Haller.

Newcastle may even struggle to find suitors willing to sign Joelinton after his Tyneside horrors, which have seen his TransferMarkt value plummet to just £18m.

His value will only continue to fall the longer his struggles persist, leaving the Toon paying out excessive wages on a player who brings little – or nothing – to the table, and it could push the Magpies to a point where they will need to jump at whatever bid will end their nightmare.

West Ham learned that the hard way with Haller, whose market value dropped from a career-high £40.5m in 2019 to £27m before leaving this month for £20m, even having moved to the Premier League boasting a superior track record to Joelinton.

Haller struck 33 goals in 77 games with Eintracht Frankfurt to catch the Hammers’ attention, while Joelinton offered just 11 goals in 36 appearances for Hoffenheim to warrant a £40m move to England.

The Irons have given Newcastle the case study to consider with Haller’s costly departure, which can only be seen as a panicked response much more than a masterclass, it is simply now up to the St. James’ Park natives to learn from it.

AND in other news, a Newcastle gem embarrassed his teammates as Steve Bruce’s only positive at Arsenal.

Sam Allardyce has been doing West Brom a disservice in recent matches.

The Baggies are crying out for a defensive midfielder and one is sat there on the bench every week.

It’s easy to forget that Sam Field is one of only two teenagers to score for the Midlands outfit in the Premier League – the other being Romelu Lukaku.

The 22-year-old youth product has missed games through coronavirus and a string of injuries, but is now available for selection and it’s time for him to start against the Cottagers.

Here’s why…

On the Chalkboard

Neither Romaine Sawyers nor Jake Livermore can provide an anchorman-like presence. It’s no wonder that Allardyce’s side have leaked 12 more goals than any other team in the Premier League.

And their recent home record under the 66-year-old makes for scary reading. It’s 0 goals scored, 17 conceded. Plenty of fingers can be pointed at the backline, but in reality, they have no protection whatsoever.

The pair rank as Albion’s two worst starters per WhoScored ratings, grading at 6.13 and 6.17, respectively.

When breaking down their individual performances, you’ll soon learn where the problems lie.

Sawyers is dribbled past 1.53 times per 90, which is more than his midfield partner and Field, whilst Livermore concedes more fouls (2.19 per 90) than any member of the Baggies squad, via FBRef.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-this-weeks-latest-west-brom-news-and-transfer-rumours” title=”Read this week’s latest West Brom news, transfer rumours and more…”]

Both of the duo also struggle to tackle the opposition in the middle of the pitch, successfully stopping a dribbler no more than 38.5% of the time. That compared to Field’s 66.7% is a stark contrast.

Indeed, Field displayed his attributes in the Championship last term.

Even though he was on loan to league rivals Charlton, he outranked every other West Brom midfielder for tackles won (2.06 per 90), blocks (0.46 per 90) and clearances (2.41), per The Athletic.

Despite not featuring for the club in the top-flight since October, the Hawthorns graduate has actually played at this level four more times than Sawyers, and that says a lot considering he’s started 80% of their matches.

It’s baffling that the young defensive midfielder hasn’t started any games under Allardyce so far. It’s even more perplexing when he’s said the following:

“If we can get a good defensive midfield player who can pass the ball as well as intercept and keep the pressure off the back four then we will try to get him.”

Field is a player who was dubbed “the future” and one day a “captain” by ex-Baggies coach Darren Moore. It’s not the only time he’s praised him either, also calling him a “real student of the game” because he’s an “intelligent player.”

Whilst Tony Pulis said similar, once claiming: “Technically, he’s as good and as gifted as any footballer I’ve seen at that age.”

Going into this afternoon’s game, the Baggies are already seven points adrift of safety and a win for the visitors would move them closer to pulling free and Albion much much further away.

Which is why Field’s presence is needed in the engine room. Big Sam cannot afford to witness his midfield get easily bypassed once again. Enough is enough.

This decision could be an immediate game-changer.

AND in other news, Exclusive: West Brom urged to sign Premier League outcast

Aston Villa must surely consider going back in for Reading midfielder John Swift, after rivals Sheffield United appeared to drop out of the race to sign him.

What’s the story?

The former England U21 international was the subject of intense speculation over the course of the summer transfer window, with reports even going so far as to claim that Villa were ready to make a bid for him.

That however failed to materialise before the end of the deadline, but Villa could be tempted to go back in for Swift given what Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder had to say about possible incomings for the Blades.

He said: “There are conversations. There won’t be permanent transfers. There will be loans. There’s been discussions through agents who represent players and through clubs as well. It’s a fluid situation, as you can imagine. I’d like to use both loans and I’ll be putting my recommendations to the board.”

Potential McGinn upgrade

With John McGinn woefully out of form this season for Villa – he’s managed no goals or assists in the Premier League since mid October – Smith must surely be looking at Swift as someone who could add a bit of dynamism and spark to the centre of midfield.

The Reading ace hasn’t featured much for the Royals this season due to injury, but he does have a track record of being someone who can offer a goal-scoring threat, managing 45 goal contributions in 152 games for the club.

And after he put an impressive performance against Leeds United last season in the Championship, Marcelo Bielsa made it quickly just how much he likes him, saying: “Swift is a great player. I rate him a lot. He is a player who appears suddenly in attack and the same in transition. Especially when he passes from the defence to the attack.”

The £4.5m-rated man could give Villa an extra edge in the middle of the park.

Meanwhile, Villa could land a surprise bargain in this Premier League star.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Carlton Palmer has claimed that he thinks Owls skipper Barry Bannan will stay at Hillsborough past his current deal.

The 31-year-old is currently out-of-contract at the end of the season after what will be his sixth season in the blue and white stripes, though new manager Tony Pulis did confirm that he had offered the midfielder an extension.

He told reporters last week:

“Barry, Leesy and Reachy have all been offered new contracts. That’s something that the chairman is dealing with.”

However, it is thought that the former Palace maestro will only agree on a new two-year deal if Pulis gets backed in the January transfer window with the Owls staring down the barrel at the prospect of relegation from the Championship, as per the Mirror.

Earlier in the summer, Wednesday knocked back a ‘number of bids’ from promotion hopefuls Brentford, according to Football Insider, so Bannan may well not be short of options should he want to leave.

Although Palmer believes the Yorkshiremen have enough power to keep hold of the veteran – between the fans’ admiration for him and the £24k-per-week wages that he’s currently on…

He told FFC:

“It’s always difficult when you say ‘stay or go?’ Barry Bannan has been one of the best players there for the last few seasons.

“With all due respect, Sheffield Wednesday pays, so it’s a case of where Barry is going to go. He came from the Premier League and if I’m being honest, I think he’s just short of the Premier League.

“I think he’s a good Championship player, so where is he going to go in the Championship that’s going to pay him any more money than Sheffield Wednesday? I thought maybe Neil Warnock might have come in for him at Middlesbrough or something like that because they could pay the salary. I’m sure there will be takers in the Championship for those teams at the top.

“But as I say, Barry does love Sheffield Wednesday, the supporters have taken him to heart, and he’s earning good money there. It’ll be an interesting one. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him stay because of the options that’ll be available to him.

“I don’t think a Premier League club would come knocking for him. He’s just short of that but he’s a very good Championship player.”

This season, the Scotsman has proven to be one of Pulis’ most influential players, scoring two goals and assisting two more in 19 starts, whilst also managing to average 1.4 key passes and 1.3 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

It remains to be seen if Bannan will indeed sign on the dotted line, whilst he may well want to wait and see what division the club are in before making such a decision.

If the Bees wanted him in the summer, then he would surely not be short of options in the upper echelons of the English second-flight should the Owls go down to League One.

AND in other news, Tony Pulis must make U-turn over Sheff Weds liability not fit to wear the shirt…

Celtic will want to put the past few days behind them as they have suffered two defeats which could impact on their hopes domestically and in Europe.

After a chastening home defeat against Glasgow Rangers left them four points behind their rivals in the Premiership, the Hoops began their Europa League group stage campaign with a 1-3 home loss to AC Milan.

Manager Neil Lennon remains upbeat about the season despite those setbacks as he spoke following the Milan defeat.

What Neil Lennon had to say following the Milan defeat

Speaking via the Daily Record, the Celtic manager said: “We’re making too much of one result and one performance. We will come back stronger than ever and we’re looking forward to the challenge and the challenges that lie ahead. We’re not panicking, we’re staying calm.

“We have a great belief in the players and I have every right to believe in them because of what they have done and what they can do. I am past the stage of my career where criticising players probably works and I don’t think they deserve it.

“I think they should be cut a bit of slack. They will come again and they will be stronger than ever and looking at them they have got the bit between the teeth again.”

Lennon eager to move on from poor results

Despite the bad week, it is fair for the manager to remain upbeat, as Celtic still have a game in hand in the Premiership and five more games in their Europa League group. His mentality also shows that he is the right man to get them out of this rough patch, as he has guided them to four league titles and multiple domestic cups at the helm of the club.

Lennon has only lost 47 of his 308 games in charge, so his record at Parkhead across his two managerial stints commands respect.

The manager has had a lot of success in Glasgow and has the second best win percentage in the Bhoys’ history, just behind Martin O’Neill, so there is no reason for Celtic to panic despite consecutive home defeats.

Celtic fans, have a look at the fan base discussing Lennon after the Old Firm defeat here!