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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.”

According to Football Insider, Everton are eager to complete the permanent signing of Josh King this summer.

Toffees want King

King moved to Goodison Park on loan from Bournemouth during the January transfer window and has so far made five appearances in the Premier League under Carlo Ancelotti (Transfermarkt).

This report suggests that the Toffees are already eager to sign the 29-year-old permanently, with the Merseyside outfit already parting with £2m to sign him on a temporary basis.

Solid back-up

Although he has yet to score for his new club, King should provide solid back-up to Dominic Calvert-Lewin. With the Cherries, he managed 48 goals in the Premier League, and has picked up 65 goals during his professional career.

However, he is unlikely to ever be a regular starter – if Everton  want to reach the Champions League, they will need more quality than what King has to offer. As such, Marcel Brands must make sure he negotiates a price which matches the status the Norway international will have in the squad. If he does that, King could be a very valuable player for Everton for a good few years to come.

In other news, some Everton fans were far from happy with the performance of one man during their 1-0 victory over Southampton on Monday.

قال أنطونيو كونتي مدرب توتنهام إن تقييمه لفريقه قد اكتمل، وأنه ينتظر لقاء مع مسؤولي النادي قبل فترة الانتقالات في يناير.

ولم يخسر توتنهام في سبع مباريات بالدوري الممتاز، منذ أن حل كونتي محل نونو إسبيريتو سانتو في نوفمبر الماضي.

وقال الإيطالي إنه متأكد “بعد أسبوعين فقط” من دوره في أن جودة الفريق بحاجة إلى التحسين.

وأضاف كونتي في تصريحات نشرها الموقع الرسمي لشبكة قنوات “بي بي سي”: “لقد أجريت تقييمات لمعرفة اللاعبين الذين يمكنني الاعتماد عليهم”.

وأضاف: “أنا متأكد بنسبة 100٪، لقد أجريت التقييم بعد شهرين من العمل مع لاعبي فريقي، بالتأكيد أصبح الوضع الآن أكثر وضوحًا من ذي قبل”.

وتابع مدرب توتنهام: “أنا في انتظار لقاء مع مسؤولي النادي ومن ثم أعطي رأيي حول الفريق وما أفكر به بشأن وضعنا”.

كونتي واثق من أن حارس مرمى فرنسا وقائد النادي هوجو لوريس سيبقى في النادي بعد الصيف المقبل.

ينتهي عقد اللاعب البالغ من العمر 35 عامًا في نهاية الموسم، وسيُسمح له بالتحدث إلى الأندية الخارجية اعتبارًا من بداية يناير.

اقرأ أيضًا.. مبابي يوضح موقفه من الانتقال إلى توتنهام 

وأفاد كونتي: “هوجو لاعب توتنهام، إنه قائد الفريق بالتأكيد سيتحدث مع النادي لمحاولة إيجاد حل، أعتقد أن هوجو يريد البقاء في ناديه، إنه يحب النادي، ويبقى جيدًا في توتنهام”.

وعن لاعب خط الوسط هاري وينكس، استطرد كونتي: “وينكس يلعب بشكل جيد حقًا، لهذا السبب سيبقى هنا، أنا أكتشف اللاعبين الموثوق بهم ويمكنني الاعتماد عليهم، ولقد أظهر وينكس أنه يمكنني الاعتماد عليه”.

وسئل كونتي أيضًا عن دور تانجوي ندومبيلي في الفريق، ورد كونتي: “إنه لاعب وسط، أكرر لا أريد الحديث عن سوق الانتقالات، وهذا الموضوع أعتقد أنه من الأفضل لي وللنادي أن نتحدث سويًا، وعندها سيكون الوضع أوضح من الآن”.

وأتم كونتي تصريحاته: “الآن الحديث عن اللاعبين الذين يأتون ويذهبون ليس من الصواب”.

Leeds United were unable to keep their positive streak alive as they were handed a slim defeat on home soil last night. Aston Villa snatched all three points from their former Championship rivals with an early strike from Anwar El Ghazi. Despite dominating possession, the Whites were unable to get back into the game.

This is their 13th loss of the season and whilst they’re by no means in any trouble, Marcelo Bielsa will be frustrated with the small margins by which his side keeps losing. They’ve also conceded the second highest amount of goals this season (44), with only West Brom shipping more so far (55).

Defence is certainly an issue for Leeds, but not much can be done when the team has been hammered with injuries. Bielsa has been without both Diego Llorente and Robin Koch for a large chunk of the season, with the latter still currently sidelined with a knee injury. However, Koch’s latest Instagram post will come as a very welcome update for his fans and teammates, especially now the end of the season is just months away.

Robin Koch injury update

The centre-back has posted a photo on his Instagram at Elland Road, with the caption “Can’t wait to be back at this place”. Just seeing him walking around the stadium will be a huge boost for anyone disappointed with Leeds’ recent result.

His previous Instagram post was made back in January, so an update has been long overdue and will be extremely welcomed.

According to Transfermarkt, Koch has missed a total of 85 days and 17 fixtures in total due to his current injury. This has been a huge blow for Bielsa, who has been forced to deploy Luke Ayling at centre-back on several occasions in his absence.

Prior to his injury, the £46,000 per week summer signing started every single Premier League match for the Whites. He arrived at Elland Road and made an immediate impact, cementing his place as first choice partner to Liam Cooper.

Getting him back would take a huge weight of Bielsa’s shoulders and it would hopefully be exactly what he needs to help tighten up his defence and stop leaking unnecessary goals.

In other news, Leeds must act fast as Ezgjan Alioski looks for a new club…

Isaac Hayden was Steve Bruce’s only positive against Brentford in Newcastle United’s Carabao Cup loss on Tuesday night as the midfielder shone in defence, despite the 1-0 scoreline.

The 25-year-old earned his 12th appearance of the campaign across all competitions against Thomas Frank’s Bees while partnering Ciaran Clark in the heart of Bruce’s back four, with the Toon short on numbers at centre-half.

Hayden was unable to help the Magpies avoid defeat on a night where they chased their first EFL Cup semi-final since 1976, but he was the only starting member to leave Greater London with any credit in the bank.

Hayden, who Bruce believes has “his best years ahead of him”, should have left the Brentford Community Stadium with his head held high having shone in an unfamiliar role with the second-most touches (67) and total passes (54) by a Newcastle player and with the best pass completion rate (91%) among those who started for the visitors, per WhoScored.

He additionally won possession with two successful tackles, he made four clearances, three interceptions and was never dribbled past, while boasting a team-high 75% aerial duel success after winning three of four contests spread evenly between both ends of the field.

According to SofaScore data, the £9m-rated gem also won all three of his ground duels, never committed a foul, found teammates with six of nine long balls and saw his sole shot of the game blocked, having rarely ventured beyond the half-way line.

Bruce would have preferred to have named Hayden in his natural midfield role at the Brentford Community Stadium, rather than at centre-half, but he was left with no alternative as the Newcastle first-team continue to recover form and fitness following injuries and an outbreak of coronavirus.

“It is what is,” Bruce said, via quotes by The Northern Echo. “I’m never going to flannel it up, but we hope we can get a few back, that would certainly help. It would have helped if I’d had another centre-half, then maybe I could have put Isaac into midfield.”

Among those absent against Brentford was Jamaal Lascelles, after it was confirmed the centre-back and Allan Saint-Maximin are struggling with the long-term effects of the virus.

Neither are expected to be passed fit to face Manchester City on Boxing Day, though Lascelles may return to training this week, making it likely that Hayden will again start in the back-four at the Etihad Stadium.

Bruce will be able to take comfort with naming Hayden at centre-half against Pep Guardiola’s Citizens, having lauded the impact the Arsenal product recently brought to the role against West Bromwich Albion on his return after he too had tested positive.

“I didn’t think I would have him until last Monday, so for him to get out of bed and produce a performance like that was great to see,” Bruce told BBC Radio 5 Live following the 2-1 win.

AND in other news: “No point him going to…” – Exclusive: Rob Lee drops huge claim on Newcastle star’s future.

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

It is no secret that Leeds United were very keen on signing Serie A midfielder Rodrigo De Paul in the summer. The move never came to fruition but the club still maintains an interest in the player. The latest update regarding his future, however, suggests that a move might never happen.

The latest update on Rodrigo De Paul

Speaking to Tutti Convocati on Radio24 via Football Italia, the Technical Director of Udinese, Pierpaolo Marino, said: “We are not selling De Paul in January. You don’t sell important players like him in January.

“We have a great relationship with him and have no problems keeping him here with us. I said for two years, he would have stayed but nobody believed me.”

This is a big blow for Leeds

The 26-year-old looked to have shown that he wanted to move to Leeds in the summer following some of his social media activity.

De Paul, who is valued at £27 million, scored seven goals and picked up six assists in 33 appearances (WhoScored) last season. He was a great attacking threat as he managed, on average, 2.5 shots, 2.3 key passes and 1.8 successful dribbles a game. De Paul also showed that he could help the team out defensively as he managed 1.8 tackles a game.

Argentina football legend Riquelme praised the player massively as he said: “I like a lot but first is the personality of De Paul and Lautaro (Martinez). Argentina needs those types of players that can play under any conditions or circumstances when they haven’t played 50 games for the national team… playing with the Argentina national team just like your club, it’s complicated. They’ve done that.”

It could be a big blow for Leeds to hear that Udinese are saying they will not sell him in January. He could have brought a lot of quality to the Leeds midfield and added a bit of class that could be needed to make sure the club push for a mid-table finish.

In other Leeds United news, Phil Hay has discussed why Premier League survival is more important than ever. Have a read why here!

لم يستبعد أسطورة كرة القدم النيجيرية، جاي جاي أوكوشا، الضرر الذي سيلحق بالفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ليفربول من غياب الثلاثي الإفريقي، محمد صلاح وساديو ماني ونابي كيتا، خلال بطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا 2021.

وسيغيب محمد صلاح وساديو ماني ونابي كيتا عن ليفربول خلال شهر يناير وقد يمتد إلى فبراير بسبب التواجد مع منتخبات مصر والسنغال وغينيا في الكاميرون للمشاركة في تلك البطولة المهمة.

اقرأ أيضًا.. أكويلاني عن محمد صلاح: أحد أفضل لاعبي العالم وكان يريد العيش في منزلي

وتحدث أوكوشا عن الأمر خلال حواره مع شبكة “talkSPORT” البريطانية، وقال: “حسنًا، قد يكون هناك بعض التأثير الذي يلحق الضرر بنادي ليفربول، لكن أعتقد أن لديهم ما يكفي من لاعبين للتعامل مع هذا الموقف”.

وتابع: “يمتلك ليفربول فريقًا كبيرًا، وبالتأكيد، قد وضعوا في الاعتبار غياب هؤلاء النجوم من خلال وجود البدلاء المناسبين”.

وأضاف: “هناك كأس أمم إفريقيا وأيضًا كوبا أمريكا في الصيف مما يحرم بعض اللاعبين من إجازتهم”.

وعن المنافسة على لقب الدوري الإنجليزي ومن يتوقع للفوز باللقب، أجاب النيجيري: “أعتقد أن الأمر كله يتعلق بكيفية إدارتك لفريقك ومن يدعم نفسه في الميركاتو الشتوي لاستكمال الموسم، لذلك من ينجح في فعل ذلك ستكون لديه فرصة جيدة للتتويج بالبطولة”.

Nottingham Forest have been one of the most active teams in England in terms of transfers this summer.

The Reds have brought in no fewer than 12 first-team players this summer, and despite a flurry of activity, they’ve been one of the worst teams in the Championship.

The Midlands outfit have failed to pick up a single point so far this season, scoring just one goal and sacking Sabri Lamouchi after a torrid start.

Luckily, Forest wasted little time in getting a replacement in as Chris Hughton was appointed within minutes of Lamouchi’s departure being announced, and the former Brighton manager seems to have a job on his hands.

Fortunately, Hughton still has time to make some final signings, so we’re going to predict what Forest’s starting XI will look like after the domestic deadline.

The first thing to note is that we’ve backed Scott McKenna and Loic Mbe Soh to become Forest’s first-choice centre-back pairing ahead of Joe Worrall and Tobias Figueredo, but other than that it’s a similar backline to what you would expect.

The midfield sees a double pivot of Harry Arter and Jack Colback playing deeper, while on the wings there are big changes.

Anthony Knockaert looks likely to join Forest from Fulham and Hughton certainly knows how to get the best out of him with the Frenchman winning the Championship Player of the Year award under him back in 2017.

On the other wing, Kamil Grosicki joins from West Brom as Forest’s 14th signing of the window, meaning that there is no room for Joe Lolley in this XI. However, with Lolley being such a talented player that could all change.

Luke Freeman plays in the attacking midfield spot while Lewis Grabban beats Lyle Taylor to a starting berth up front.

Nottingham Forest were far from convincing as they got their first win of the season against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.

The Reds were bailed out by a last-minute winner via a deflected Joe Lolley shot, but three points are three points and Chris Hughton now has a platform to build upon.

Despite the East Midlands outfit not being at their very best against the Lancastrians there were a few impressive performances to rave about, and one man who was simply fantastic was Harry Arter.

The Irishman may have come off due to an injury after 49 minutes, but he was arguably the best player on the pitch for that period.

The former Bournemouth man was everywhere on Saturday, he made four tackles, a higher tally than any other player despite playing just 49 minutes, while two interceptions and one blocked shot made sure that Forest weren’t conceding a goal while he was on the pitch.

Going forward he didn’t do all that much, completing just one dribble, but he added some much-needed steel into a midfield that has been lacking in the opening weeks of the season.

Samba Sow was the man Forest looked towards for that type of performance last season as he averaged 3.4 tackles per game alongside 1.4 interceptions, but with the Malian consistently struggling with injury, Forest needed a replacement, and they look to have found that in Arter.

This is exactly what Forest expected from Arter when he joined this summer, Eddie Howe’s comments on him back in 2018 are certainly worth looking back on after this incredible midfield display.

“He’s a fighter, a winner and someone with incredible spirit and determination to go again,” Howe said.

That’s exactly the profile of player Forest need if they are to get into the playoff picture this season, and everyone at the City Ground has to pray that his injury isn’t too bad as he should now be the first name on Hughton’s teamsheet going forward.