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Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Carlton Palmer suggested his former club West Brom did all they could in the January transfer window.

During it, manager Sam Allardyce and technical director Luke Dowling were able to bring in the likes of Robert Snodgrass, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Mbaye Diagne, giving the Baggies a boost in their fight for survival.

With West Brom struggling at both ends of the pitch this season, though, the Baggies could have perhaps done with further strengthening. They are one of the lowest scorers in the Premier League, registering just 20 goals in the current campaign, and have the worst record when it comes to goals conceded.

However, Palmer believes the club did what was realistically possible in the transfer market, noting the need to be financially cautious. In an exclusive interview with FFC, the former England international said:

“Well, the problem is in the position that they’re in, it’s always dangerous, isn’t it? Do you overspend to try and stay in the Premier League? Because, you know, if you go down, you’re left with a big wage bill.

“And it’s not that easy, as we’ve seen, to get automatic promotion from the Championship, so I think it’s a balancing act. And I think they would have taken that with a view when they brought Sam in.

“At the time they brought him in, obviously the wage they’ll be paying Sam and the recruitment they’ve done, I think they would have taken a calculated gamble in what they were doing. So, you know, I think they’ve done as much as what they can.”

Whatever the case, West Brom will believe that they can stay up. The Midlands club are currently nine points adrift of safety; however, they play 17th-placed Newcastle United on Sunday in a relegation clash that could completely change the dynamic down at the bottom.

The players can also draw confidence from having a very experienced manager in charge in Allardyce, with the ex-England boss boasting zero relegations from the Premier League on his CV, leading previous sides Crystal Palace and Sunderland to top-flight safety.

Tottenham Hotspur take on Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League on Thursday night, and it could be the ideal opportunity for Jose Mourinho to unleash Steven Bergwijn.

The Dutch winger has found himself on the fringes of Spurs’ squad in recent months, with Gareth Bale’s recent form meaning that he has been rarely seen in the Premier League.

The 23-year-old impressed in his first few performances for Spurs last season after signing from PSV, scoring on his debut in a 2-0 win against Manchester City.

However, he has struggled to impress this season and has endured a torrid time in front of goal, having failed to find the back of the net in 24 appearances for Spurs in all competitions.

He has shown his worth at times as a more defensive-minded winger but considering he has had a number of opportunities to score this season, with his effort at Anfield which hit the post one that will stick in the memory of a lot of Spurs fans, it is disappointing that he hasn’t scored at all.

His last appearance came in the 4-0 win against Wolfsberger in the Europa League and he impressed, earning a solid 7.37 rating from WhoScored for his performance, so he deserves another chance to show what he can do when Spurs take on Dinamo Zagreb.

Unfortunately for the Dutch international, this could well be now or never for the winger, as the impressive form of Bale, combined with Heung-Min Son being virtually undroppable under Jose Mourinho, means that Bergwijn must impress on his rare opportunities, otherwise he is going to struggle to force his way into the Portuguese manager’s Premier League plans.

The £25.2 million-rated winger has also arguably found himself behind the likes of Lucas Moura and Erik Lamela in the pecking order at Spurs, with his last start in the Premier League coming more than a month ago.

Therefore, he deserves another chance to show Mourinho what he can do against Zagreb and hopefully, he can break his goalscoring duck against the Croatian side, but if he struggles to perform once again, you worry that he may never be able to establish himself as a Premier League regular under Mourinho.

And, in other news… Mourinho masterclass: £110k-p/w gem has been revitalised with one simple change at Spurs

رفض المدرب الألماني يورجن كلوب الانخراط في مستقبل أليكس أوكسليد تشامبرلين وديفوك أوريجي في ليفربول.

وسينتهي العقد الحالي للاعب الإنجليزي بعد 18 شهرًا، بينما ستنتهي الصفقة الحالية للمهاجم البلجيكي في الصيف المقبل، ولكن على الرغم من عدم التأكد من مستقبلهما على المدى الطويل في الأنفيلد، فقد كان للثنائي تأثير على الريدز في الأسابيع الأخيرة.

اقرأ أيضًا.. روبرتسون: محمد صلاح أدى دور ثلاثي ليفربول ولم يحصل على التقدير المستحق

وعندما سُئل عن مستقبل تشامبرلين وأوريجي، أصر كلوب على أن الوقت الحالي ليس هو الوقت المناسب للحديث عما إذا كان سيتم منحهما عقودًا جديدة، مشيرًا إلى أن ذلك لا يخطر بباله عند اختيار فريقه كل أسبوع.

وقال كلوب في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “ليفربول إيكو” الإنجليزية: “ليس فقط اللاعبان اللذان ذكرتهما ولكننا لن نبقى معًا إلى الأبد، هذا هو الحال، إذا أراد شخص ما الذهاب إلى مكان آخر، فعلينا إيجاد حل لذلك، إذا أردنا أن يكون لدينا شخص من ناد آخر، علينا إيجاد حل لذلك”.

وأضاف: “هذا وضع طبيعي تمامًا، لا نفكر فيه، ليس علينا التحدث عن بدلاء هؤلاء الأولاد أو أي شيء آخر، الأمر كله يتعلق بما هو منطقي لكلا الجانبين في 6 أو 18 شهرًا أو أي شيء آخر، مثل هذا النوع من الأشياء”.

وواصل: “لكن هذا ليس مهمًا في الوقت الحالي على الإطلاق، الآن من المهم للغاية كيف يمكنك المساهمة في اللحظة التي تلعب فيها، الباقي لا علاقة به حاليًا”.

وأردف: “أنا لا أخطط مع لاعبين بالمشاركة بينما لا يستطيع الآخرون اللعب، يتعلق الأمر بكيفية اللعب في الوقت الحالي وبعد ذلك تكون في التشكيلة الأساسية، إذا كان عقدك سينتهي في غضون شهرين، في غضون أربعة أيام أو خمس سنوات، فإن ذلك لن يحدث أي فرق على الإطلاق”.

اختتم: “إنهم مهمون لأنهم يستطيعون حقًا المساهمة في اللحظة التي يبدأون فيها أو عندما يأتون من الدكة وهذا هو سبب كونهم لاعبين في ليفربول”.

واصل يورجن كلوب مدرب فريق ليفربول تصريحاته عن النجم المصري محمد صلاح بعد تسجيله هدفًا من ركلة جزاء في مباراة اليوم ضد أستون فيلا.

وتلاقى الفريقان في إطار منافسات الجولة السادسة عشر من الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز على ملعب الأنفيلد، حيث فاز ليفربول بهدف دون رد.

وجاء هدف ليفربول الوحيد في مباراة اليوم عن طريق محمد صلاح من ركلة جزاء، حصل عليها في الدقيقة 75 وسددها بنجاح. هدف محمد صلاح أمام أستون فيلا

وقال كلوب في تصريحات نشرها الموقع الرسمي للنادي: “في اللحظة التي تحصل فيها على ركلة جزاء، أكره عندما يبدأ الناس الاحتفال في تلك اللحظة لأنه لا يزال عليك تنفيذها، ويمكن لحارس مرمى أن يتصدى لها”.

وأضاف الألماني: “أنا سعيد حقًا، سعيد للغاية، أعتقد أن التسجيل من ركلة جزاء بنفس صعوبة وأهمية تسجيل أي هدف آخر”.

وواصل: “هناك أهداف خلال الموسم تكون أسهل بكثير من ركلة جزاء، عندما تسدد الكرة من على بعد ياردتين أو أي شيء آخر، إذا قال أحدهم أن ركلات الجزاء لا تُحسب نفس الشيء (من حيث الصعوبة) فأنا لا أتفهم ذلك، أعتقد أنها تحسب نفس الشيء تمامًا، ويجب أن تتعامل معها هكذا دائمًا”.

MatériaMais Notícias

O volante Júnior Urso confirmou que está de malas prontas para desembarcar em Belo Horizonte no meio da semana. O jogador do Shandong Luneng deixará a China nesta segunda-feira e pisará em solo mineiro na quarta para assinar seu contrato de empréstimo com o Atlético.

– Segunda eu estou indo ao Brasil, graças a Deus tudo certo. Terça-feira desembarco no Brasil e chego na quarta-feira bem cedo a Belo Horizonte – comentou o jogador, em entrevista ao canal ESPN.

Júnior Urso já foi confirmado pela assessoria de comunicação do Atlético, mas ainda não foi oficializado pelo clube. Após realizar os exames médicos, o jogador irá assinar um contrato de empréstimo até dezembro deste ano.

Phil Parkinson has been met with an injury crisis ahead of facing MK Dons at the Stadium of Light on Saturday as several Sunderland players nurse issues.

The Black Cats will also be without Northern Irish duo Conor McLaughlin and Tom Flanagan, with the pair away on international duty as Sunderland aim to maintain their Play-Off position and reduce the four-point margin to League One leaders Peterborough.

MK Dons are facing their own injury blows, too, as boss Russell Martin has confirmed two further names have joined George Williams, Joe Mason and Kieran Agard on the sidelines while Regan Poole and Daniel Harvie are away on international duty.

Sunderland won their last League One meeting with a 2-1 victory at home to Ipswich Town thanks to goals from Charlie Wyke and Grant Leadbitter, while the Dons were held to a goalless draw with Northampton Town to sit just a point above the relegation zone.

Parkinson will be eager to see his men emerge triumphant this weekend but with injuries across the field, here’s a predicted XI the Black Cats could favour to avoid only a second loss of the league campaign…

Goalkeeper Lee Burge has now opened all 10 of Sunderland’s League One fixtures this term and will be expected to maintain his 100% record at home to MK Dons, having registered the second-most clean sheets (six) in the third-tier thanks to 16 saves, two punches, five high claims and two successful runs out, per SofaScore.

The first of Parkinson’s selection dilemmas comes in defence, though, with McLaughlin and Flanagan both unavailable.

Parkinson has been full of praise for Flanagan this year, having lauded the 7-cap international for taking his game to another level.

“Tommy in the last month or so has taken his game to another level,” Parkinson said, via quotes by the Chronicle in February. “That is by identifying what he needs to do to have a good game, and training properly.

“His standard of training has gone up and he is reaping the benefits of that on a match day. He is desperate to do well, he is a good professional and I am pleased with his performances.”

Jordan Willis is expected to make his return to the starting line-up before receiving an injection to help control his ongoing knee problem, while Bailey Wright is the sole defensive starter of the Ipswich win set to be on hand.

Dion Sanderson could start alongside Willis and Wright in place of McLaughlin and Flanagan, with Olivier Younger also at risk of being unavailable after being withdrawn from the Fleetwood game.

Midfielders Denver Hume and Luke O’Nien both sustained minor knocks last week that prevented their involvement in Tuesday’s EFL Trophy tie, and will see their respective knee and medial ligament issues continue to be monitored ahead of facing MK Dons.

Parkinson has been impressed with Hume’s efforts since returning from lockdown earlier in the year, noting via quotes by the Chronicle: “Denver is an improving player and I think there is still more to come from him, but he knows that himself.

“To be a top player, you have to be able to do everything. There were elements of Denver’s game that he needed to improve on, but I feel that after the lockdown he came back like a man and he has shown that with his performances.”

Should neither be passed fit to start, Parkinson will be left in a mix with Callum McFadzean a major doubt with a hamstring injury, while Lynden Gooch and youth winger Cieran Dunne are also questionable to feature.

With a lack of viable options, Parkinson could be forced into handing Aiden O’Brien only his fifth start of the League One campaign and returning Chris Maguire to a wide-right role after playing centrally at home to Ipswich.

Josh Scowen could make his return in the centre of midfield to partner Leadbitter, having sat out the Black Cats’ EFL Trophy and FA Cup ties over the past week after sustaining a concussion in the Ipswich win.

Gooch’s questionable status may also open the door for Max Power to make his first league start since October’s 2-2 draw with Rochdale, having been benched against Gillingham and Ipswich before replacing Scowen following his concussion.

Parkinson will be glad to have leading goalscorer Wyke available for Saturday’s meeting with MK Dons, having struck each of his four goals in Sunderland’s last six League One fixtures.

But the Black Cats boss will have a decision to make over who to partner Wyke with, having called on Maguire to start against Ipswich and O’Brien against Gillingham but requiring both to play wide roles against the Dons.

Parkinson has two options to call on in Will Grigg and Danny Graham, though Grigg has failed to score in any of his five appearances across all competitions this term while Graham has netted once in 11 outings and started two of his eight League One appearances.

AND in other news, Phil Parkinson must unleash a “tremendous” Sunderland gem who’s played just 136 mins all season.

Following Ralph Hasenhuttl’s most recent comments on the future of striker Danny Ings, some Southampton fans may be beginning to worry that the 28-year-old’s future lies elsewhere.

During an interview with Sky Sports, the Austrian manager urged the Englishman to sign a new deal with the club, saying:

“It’s normal that you get a situation like he has in a football club, and this is something special I think.” I don’t want him to throw this away for a few more monies.

“I speak to him once or twice a month about this topic. We must concentrate on our job here. I don’t speak to him every week about his contract. It’s not my job.

“It’s his responsibility. He has to take the decision. Nobody else. He has to take the decision then live with the fact that he did this or that.”

The 28-year-old has been a vital part of the Southampton side since joining from Liverpool in the summer of 2019, with him having contributed an impressive 38 goals and eight assists in 75 appearances for the Saints (per Transfermarkt).

His performances last season, which earned him an excellent 7.12 average rating in the Premier League, attracted the interest of Tottenham Hotspur during the summer, which may well be in the back of Ings’ mind as he considers whether or not to sign a new deal.

Southampton must be careful not to have a repeat of the situation that saw Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg join the Lilywhites this summer, as the Danish international’s contract situation at the time allowed Spurs to seal a cut-price deal for the defensive midfielder.

Unfortunately for Saints fans, Hasenhuttl’s comments on Ings seem rather similar to the ones he made about Hojbjerg before he left, as he said:

“What can I say? I can say that we have a player here that has one more year contract and he’s our player, we’d like him to stay as long as he has a contract.

“If somebody else wants to get him, then they must make a good offer.

“And even then, we have to decide, we as a club, the player has to decide, so we have to find a win-win situation and then everybody is happy.

“As long as we don’t have this, he is our player and he will stay with us.

“He wants to give everything as long as he is with us. This is what I expect because he is our player, he gets money from us, he’s paid by us. This is what he should do.” (per Sky Sports)

Therefore, Martin Semmens and the other members of the Southampton board must make a brave call and break the bank, and the club’s wage structure if necessary, if they want to keep Ings at the club. His importance cannot be underestimated in this Saints side.

And, in other news… Sold for £16 million, now he can’t get a game: Southampton sold flop at the perfect time

أكد سيرجي بارجوان المدير الفني المؤقت لبرشلونة، أن لاعبي الفريق جيدون للغاية وعليهم الإيمان بأنفسهم، ولفت النظر للإصابات المتعددة التي تضرب صفوف البلوجرانا، متحدثًا عن جيرارد بيكيه وسيرجيو أجويرو.

وفي المباراة الأولى لبارجوان كمدير فني خلفًا لرونالد كومان، تعادل برشلونة أمام ديبورتيفو ألافيس بهدف لمثله.

شهدت المباراة إصابة سيرجيو إجويرو ونقله للمستشفي، كما تعرض جيرارد بيكيه أيضًا للإصابة ولم يكمل اللقاء.

ونشرت صحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية تصريحات بارجوان وقال: “لقد كان لدي القليل من الوقت للعمل، حاولت أن أطالبهم بالعمل على المستوى الدفاعي والهجومي، قمنا بتصحيح شيء ما، عندما تكون هناك نتيجة سلبية، يصعب استيعابها”.

وأضاف: “بيكيه يخضع للفحص الآن، وأجويرو أخبرني أنه كان مصابًا بدوار قليل، الآن عرفت أنه في المستشفى ولا أعرف أي شيء آخر، أعرف أنهم يجرون اختبارات وفحوصات”.

وتابع: “اليوم لعبنا بشكل صحيح، الاستحواذ، التوازن بين الخطوط، إذا وصلت إلى كييف يوم الثلاثاء، سنفعل نفس الشيء، سنحاول إحياء الفريق، حتى يعرفوا أنهم جيدون جدًا وأن عليهم أن يؤمنوا بأنفسهم”.

وواصل: “في الشوط الأول واجهنا صعوبة في اللعب بين الخطوط، قمنا بالتحرك، أعتقد أننا حركنا الكرة بسرعة في النهاية”.

وعن نتيجة التعادل، أفاد: “الشعور مرير، لمحاولة القيام بما عملنا من أجله أعتقد أننا فعلنا ذلك، لكن عندما تتعادل بغض النظر عن مدى حسن تفسيرك لذلك، لا أحد يصدقك، عليك أن تستعيد اللاعبين جسديًا وذهنيًا دعهم يرون إننا نسير على الطريق الصحيح”.

وأكد: “معرفة متى سيأتي المدرب الجديد لا تعيقني على الإطلاق، سنخطط للمباريات القادمة وسنحاول إحياء اللاعبين، فهم جيدون للغاية وعليهم أن يؤمنوا بأنفسهم”.

وواصل المدير الفني لـ برشلونة: “لا يزال هناك الكثير في الليجا، ولكن أول شيء عليك فعله هو الفوز”.

وحول الإصابات، علّق: “هذا ما هو عليه الوضع، لا يمكنني فعل أي شيء آخر، لقد وجده رونالد كومان بالفعل وضعا معقدا، وعلينا أن نجد الحل لتعويض الإصابات التي نتعرض لها، لا يوجد خيار سوى الاستمرار في التطلع إلى الأمام، سننتظر للغد، لنقرر بشأن المباراة المقبلة”.

وأتم: “علينا أولًا أن نخلق الفرص ونسجلها، للفوز، علينا أن نسجل أكثر من منافسينا، علينا أن نكون أكثر عدوانية، ونوقف الخصوم، حتى وإن استدعى الأمر تلقينا بطاقة، هذا ما أنا هنا من أجله علينا إيقاف الخصم بطريقة ما”.

According to The Times, Newcastle are closing in on the signing of Ryan Fraser on a free transfer.

What’s the word?

The Scotland international left Bournemouth earlier in the summer following the expiration of his contract, and has been linked with a whole host of clubs.

Think you’re a big Magpies fan? Can you name these former players by looking at their careers? Go on, give it a go…



World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

But The Times now claim that it’s the Magpies who are set to win the race for his services, with the winger holding talks with the Tyneside club about potentially staying in the Premier League for next season.

Mike Ashley’s perfect signing

As a free transfer, this has all the hallmarks of being Mike Ashley’s perfect signing.

The Newcastle owner has had to watch the Saudi consortium’s proposed takeover plans fall through, and just when he thought he would no longer have to worry about spending money at St James’ Park, it all went south.

In Fraser, Ashley won’t have to splash out a ridiculous amount to bring someone in, instead just having to concern himself with drawing up a contract.

Hailed as a “natural talent” by his former boss at Bournemouth, Eddie Howe, Fraser has got a lot of similarities with ex-Newcastle hero, Nolberto Solano.

The two were both predominantly wingers, but were able to play more infield, and just like the Peruvian, Fraser has got both an eye for a goal and assist. Back in his stellar 2018/2019 campaign, the Scot racked up eight goals and an impressive 15 assists across all competitions – Solano’s best season on Tyneside saw him net 12 times and set up eight others (2001/2002).

Landing Fraser would be a sizeable coup for the Magpies.

This article forms part of our Profit Players feature series, which is where Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at how well a player has fared since being signed or sold, using statistical figures and statements from pundits to prove how good of a deal the club managed to achieve.