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Southampton were one of several Premier League sides linked with Stade Reims centre-back Axel Disasi during the summer transfer window but the French defender ended up joining Ligue 1 side AS Monaco instead.

Saints would sign Mohamed Salisu from Real Valladolid, in a deal worth £10.9 million, and when you consider that the Ghanaian is yet to make an appearance for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side this season, it could be argued that the South Coast club should have pushed harder for their other target.

Disasi was available for just a fraction more than that, with Monaco eventually agreeing an £11.7 million deal with Reims for the centre-back and he has established himself as a regular in Niko Kovac’s side so far this season, having made 10 appearances in Ligue 1, in which he has contributed two goals and averaged a solid 6.74 rating (per WhoScored).

The 22-year-old attracted interest after helping Reims to an impressive sixth-placed finish in the 2019/20 season, with the Frenchman no doubt an important part of the Reims defence that had conceded just 21 goals in 28 games before the season was curtailed (per Birmingham Mail).

Hasenhuttl’s side have enjoyed a fairly solid start to the season, especially from a defensive perspective, with Alex McCarthy boasting four clean sheets from the opening 10 games.

However, last weekend’s collapse in the 3-2 defeat against Manchester United emphasises the Saints’ defensive vulnerabilities, suggesting that they could have done with a centre-back such as Disasi in their side.

The Frenchman was heavily praised by former coach Jean-Luc Vasseur in an interview with Get Football News France, where he said:

“I realised quickly that he had great potential. I have rarely seen such serenity in such a young player. In addition to his athleticism, his great quality is his intelligence. He quickly understands.”

Therefore, when you consider the lack of appearances Salisu has made for the Saints thus far, compared to the impact Disasi seems to be having at Monaco, it could definitely be argued that the club made an error in not signing him last summer.

And, in other news… Southampton ace badly let Hasenhuttl down with his performance vs Manchester United

Morale at the Leeds United camp will be deflated following their narrow loss to West Ham in the Premier League last night.

Despite taking an early grip of the game through a Mateusz Klich penalty, the Irons were able to snatch all three points thanks to a Tomas Soucek equaliser and a late Angelo Ogbonna winner.

Sure enough, it was Patrick Bamford who won the penalty for the Whites after Lukasz Fabianski struggled to deal with him in the box. As usual, the 27-year-old was Marcelo Bielsa’s only real attacking threat, which only further highlights their troublesome situation.

It will surely become increasingly harder for Leeds to stay afloat in the league if they can’t find goals from anyone but Bamford. Indeed, the attacking support was close to silent last night, with Jack Harrison in particular struggling to make an impact.

Jack Harrison’s stats vs West Ham

Whilst the Manchester City loanee does have a goal and three assists to his name this season, these numbers aren’t competing with other wingers in the league. Leeds finally secured promotion from the Championship and rejoined England’s top flight after a 16-year absence and they would kick themselves if they threw the chance away by lacking in attack.

According to Sofascore, Harrison failed to register a single shot on target and he lost 80% of his attempted duels. He also managed just 14 passes, which is not only an alarmingly low amount for a winger, but it was in fact less than goalkeeper Illan Meslier with 29.

The £6.3million-rated playmaker and his attacking teammates must buck up ahead of Newcastle or they risk yet another disappointing defeat. They simply cannot leave all the goalscoring creation to Bamford alone.

In other news, Exclusive: Leeds tipped to make January move amid Patrick Bamford worry…

Former Aberdeen striker Noel Whelan believes that Celtic captain Scott Brown will lose his place in the side to Ismaila Soro.

Brown on the sidelines?

The experienced 35-year-old has been a regular for the Bhoys over the last 13 years, scoring 45 goals and providing 61 assists in 592 games (TransferMarkt).

Described as “absolutely excellent” by teammate Callum McGregor, Brown has not featured for Neil Lennon’s side since their Scottish Cup triumph over Hearts – and after picking up an injury, he was replaced by Soro in the starting line-up his team’s 2-0 victory against Ross County and their 3-0 win over Hamilton.

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan believes that Celtic are turning a new corner without Brown as a mainstay in the team.

“Scott Brown is Mr Celtic. He’s been there so long, he’s been their leader,” he said.

“But sometimes when you get to an age that Scott Brown is, I’m not saying he hasn’t got anything to offer because he does throughout the whole club from the training ground to the field.

“You need fresh legs in there at times though.

“Look at what Pablo Hernandez does (at Leeds), when you get to a certain age you share that load out and become an impact player when you need to win a game.

“Now, when you look at Scott Brown that’s the role that he’s playing. You need fresh legs.

“So far this season everyone still needs to prove a point so there’s a lot of pressure on performances.

“It looks like they’ve turned a corner now. They’ve got a bit of confidence, they’re picking up clean sheets.

“Hopefully they’re starting to get that belief back and that consistency that’s needed at a club like Celtic because all the way through this season now players and manager are going to be under pressure and the spotlight.”

Transfer Tavern Verdict

Whelan is right, not only about the emergence of Soro, but also David Turnbull as the duo have both been putting in some impressive performances recently.

After the Bhoys poor start to the season, both domestically and in Europe, Lennon made the right call by giving youth a chance and it’s gone well for him.

Time will tell whether this move with help Celtic can close the gap to Rangers at the top, having been knocked out of Europe with a whimper, but Soro and Turnbull deserve the chance to prove themselves.

In other news, Celtic manager Neil Lennon issues challenge to ‘tremendous’ star after recent complaints.

Glasgow Rangers must do everything in their power to prevent Allan McGregor from walking away for free at the end of the season as his performances between the sticks have surely warranted him a new deal.

The veteran goalkeeper’s contract with the club will run out at the end of this season and it’s becoming clearer and clearer that Ross Wilson simply must tie him down to a new contract after his recent run of form.

McGregor has been a big part of the Gers’ resurgence in form since the start of the season, with a strong showing against Celtic in the first Old Firm derby of the season before he kept his third consecutive clean sheet in the league against St. Mirren at Ibrox.

And his latest display against the Saints in his 400th appearance for the club is further proof to justify such a deal, as he continues to be a ballast at the back for Steven Gerrard’s side.

Against Saints, he had a far more comfortable afternoon than his previous trip to Paisley, after he recovered from an early spill to erase the memory of the humiliating defeat at the hands of Jim Goodwin’s side in the Betfred Cup.

Per SofaScore, the 38-year-old received a high rating of 7.5 out of ten for his efforts – the third-highest rating behind Connor Goldson and Alfredo Morelos – he made three saves, including two saves inside the box, one clearance, won 100% of his duels overall, and was fouled twice.

Former Rangers fullback Alan Hutton has heaped praise on his former teammate, saying: “He’s genuinely been unbelievable.

“He’s up there for player of the year in my opinion. Some of the games he’s saved Rangers in, it’s been frightening.”

Despite his age, McGregor has continued to show that he can be a big game player for the Gers, which will no doubt prove to be useful as Gerrard juggles the challenges of managing both domestic and European campaigns.

It would be a surprise to see him leave as a free agent at the ned of this season, considering the lack of genuine options Gerrard has at his disposal, with Jon McLaughlin heavily linked with the Ibrox exit, and if he can help the Gers regain the title for the first time since the 2010-11 season, he may have written his name in the club’s history books forever.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers defender Filip Helander badly let Gerrard down vs St. Mirren…

There has been a lot of speculation about the future of Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum in recent months, with the Dutch international’s contract talks with Liverpool seemingly at a standstill.

His contract with the Reds is set to expire at the end of this season, meaning foreign clubs are now free to negotiate with the former Newcastle man with the view to signing him on a Bosman transfer in the summer.

Barcelona look to be amongst the favourites to sign the 30-year-old, who has established himself as a key player in Jurgen Klopp’s side in recent seasons, having made 211 appearances for the club, contributing 21 goals and 16 assists.

Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano has recently provided an update on the midfielder’s situation at Liverpool.

Speaking to Give Me Sport, he said:

“Talking with people around Gini, I’ve been told that he has been respectful to Liverpool. Before Christmas, he spoke with the club, he received a new bid from Liverpool, like in the first week of December, to try to extend his contract and it was not an amazing bid in Gini’s idea.

“He was expecting something different but he said ‘okay, let’s take some time. I want to speak with my family. I want to decide in the next week, so give me some time to decide and I won’t talk with any other clubs’.

“If he will refuse Liverpool, for sure, Barcelona will be one of the options because as you said, like last summer, they were pushing and pushing to get him.”

Therefore, it seems as if Wijnaldum was not happy with Liverpool’s opening contract offer and unless we see an improved offer from Michael Edwards, it seems as if he could well depart the club on a free transfer this summer.

Wijnaldum will turn 31 this year and perhaps Liverpool are keen to ensure that they don’t offer too much money to a player that may soon be past his best, especially when they have young talent such as Curtis Jones coming through as his potential replacement.

However, the Dutch international has been a key player at Liverpool for so long and has appeared in all of the Reds’ Premier League fixtures so far this season, so he is clearly valued by Jurgen Klopp.

Whilst there has been reports of Mohamed Salah being offered a new deal with the club in recent times, his deal is set to expire in 2023, so Wijnaldum should be the club’s priority.

Back in 2019, the German manager was full of praise for Wijnaldum, saying:

“It is just so obvious his importance. It is both directions, small spaces, big spaces, it is hard challenges, fine football, pretty much all of that.

“Is he the perfect midfielder? From the skillset 100 per cent.”

Therefore, despite Wijnaldum’s advancing age and contract demands, Edwards must do all he can to ensure that the midfielder is still with Liverpool next season.

Click here to see the full 30 minute video of Fabrizio Romano’s interview with Give Me Sport

And, in other news, Lost possession 22x: Klopp favourite endured a bittersweet night against Aston Villa…

Dean Windass has exclusively shared with Football FanCast the one condition he expects will see West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice join Chelsea.

The England international has been heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge since breaking through at the London Stadium, with Frank Lampard believing Rice was the ideal man to help the Blues get back into the Premier League title race last summer.

But Chelsea gave up their efforts to sign Rice without lodging a bid as West Ham demanded at least £80m after making it clear that the 21-year-old is their prized asset, and they were tipped to present the £60,000-per-week talent with a double-your-money new contract as a reward for his commitment.

Yet, speculation of Rice leaving east London for the south west region of the capital has remained strong since the summer market closed, and Chelsea could now face competition from Manchester United in their pursuit of the midfield anchor.

However, Rice is not believed to be interested in a move to Old Trafford, and Windass has exclusively told FFC that he can see why Frank Lampard would like to sign Rice and that he believes  the 13-cap star would leave West Ham and re-join his former academy side Chelsea if given the chance.

“I think the way that Frank wants to play [is with] a [Claude] Makelele sort of type, with that three in midfield with him sitting there,” he said.

“[Rice is a] young kid, [he] could probably go on and captain the club. He’s a potential captain if he doesn’t leave West Ham when Noble will step aside as he’s coming to the end of his career now,.Declan will probably be captain of West Ham if he doesn’t leave.

“But Frank, I see [him as] that type of player that Frank would like. Get the ball and we always say, it’s not being rude to players, but get the ball and give it to people who can play, break up the counter-attack and then give it to players who can play. So, Declan would fit Frank’s [system], I get that. Would he go in a heartbeat? Yes.”

Rice has started all 17 of West Ham’s Premier League fixtures so far this season, as one of only three players to have featured for all 1,530 available top-flight minutes under David Moyes to date.

His performances over those outings have been enough for the 21-year-old to rank among the division’s most-productive players for interceptions with 35 to his name, just four fewer than Chelsea’s best offering from N’Golo Kante (39) and one more than Manchester United’s Harry Maguire (34), per WhoScored.

Rice would only rank fifth at Stamford Bridge for total passes (820) with Kurt Zouma, Kante, Thiago Silva and Ben Chilwell all seeing more of the ball.

Lampard would further stand to benefit from Rice’s aerial threat with his 23 duels won enough to rank him fourth when compared to the current squad in south west London, while his 14 key passes are enough to rank fourth in blue.

Yet it remains to be seen if Chelsea do match West Ham’s demands and sign Rice, or if the prospect of captaincy at The Hammers will be enough for David Gold, David Sullivan and Karren Brady to retain their star man.

AND in other news, GSB must back Moyes with WHU move for “devastating” 17-goal star with “explosive pace”.

When Leeds are in trouble, Marcelo Bielsa is never going to let you get away with it if you’re a player.

Last week, he put his side through the ultimate test – double murderball.

His unrelenting training methods have been a focus of attention throughout his entire stay at Elland Road, but it looked as though their fierce coping methods have paid dividends.

Before their clash with Newcastle, Leeds hadn’t won in 2021. Amazingly, they hadn’t scored either. Therefore, the way in which they beat a demoralised Magpies team on Tuesday evening will settle them down considerably.

Summer signings Rodrigo and Raphinha combined nicely for goal number one and although Miguel Almiron gave United a scare, Jack Harrison’s looping volley in the second half won them the game 2-1.

There were a number of convincing performances and it will have pleased Bielsa that even without Mateusz Klich, they played well. This was just the second time under the Argentine manager that the Poland international didn’t start a league game. It was a big message and one the boss must use now to axe Gjanni Alioski, who reportedly earns £15,000-a-week.

In the build-up to Tuesday’s encounter, FFC discussed the need to drop the North Macedonia defender to the bench. True to form, he disappointed again and was hauled off without having a positive impact on proceedings.

Alioski has always had immense energy going forward but defensively, he has been suspect. The very fact that Bielsa substituted him as soon as he received a yellow card speaks volumes.

The left-back was robbed in a dangerous area towards the start of the second half and thus, was forced to stop a counter-attack. He received a caution for his troubles and then just moments later, was replaced by the aforementioned Klich.

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If anything summed up Alioski, it was that. He suffers lapse moments in possession of the ball and surrendered it to the opposition on no fewer than 12 occasions in just 56 minutes at St James’ Park. It was a torrid evening for the full-back who was run ragged by Jacob Murphy.

The Newcastle winger succeeded with 100% of the dribbles he attempted and was also able to fire in five crosses towards the penalty box. Had Alioski been stronger then perhaps Leeds could have negotiated parts of the game in a more efficient manner.

Previously described as a “liability” by Noel Whelan, this performance will have done himself no favours. Although Stuart Dallas offered plenty in midfield during the win, it would be wise if he was moved to left-back instead.

Alioski is continuing to let Bielsa down even when they win.

AND in other news, 3 new signings, Bielsa favourite axed: How Leeds’ XI could look after deadline day…

After missing out on several domestic targets, West Brom’s attentions have turned to a new home-grown star ahead of Monday’s deadline…

What’s the word?

According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, the Baggies are ‘pushing hard’ to sign Arsenal midfielder Ainsley Maitland-Niles on loan for the remainder of the season.

It’s claimed that the 23-year-old is in need of regular minutes if he’s to remain in Gareth Southgate’s England plans ahead of the summer’s European Championships.

Albion face competition from an unnamed ‘top-four side’ and they will need to convince the Gunners as they have reservations over him joining a relegation candidate as well as Sam Allardyce’s style of football.

Massive coup

This would be quite the move from West Brom as Maitland-Niles offers vast versatility which could benefit Big Sam tenfold.

Primarily a central midfielder, the 3-cap England international has featured on both flanks as a winger as well as a full-back this season alone. Over the course of 223 career appearances, the Hale End youth product has played in seven different positions.

As BT Sport and Daily Mail pundit Chris Sutton once said, ‘the young man’s versatility is a weapon’ before adding: ‘He is such a versatile talent – a diamond.’

[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…”]

The Baggies are sitting in a perilous position right now and could do with bodies across the pitch and that’s what Maitland-Niles would evidently bring.

It’s no wonder local Express & Star journalist Joseph Masi believes it would be “a major coup” to seal his signature. It really would be.

64 of those aforementioned appearances have come in the Premier League with another 30 games coming from the Europa League, via Transfermarkt.

That’s just experience that Big Sam does not have right now in any of his players, and that’s remarkable considering he’s still only 23.

“He’s got all the attributes to become a top player,” explained former Gunners striker Jeremie Aliadiere only 18 months ago.

The Arsenal man appears to be very defensively-sound, averaging 1.7 tackles per game throughout the course of his career, whilst an average of one dribble per game suggests he likes to get forward and is a hard man to get the ball off, per WhoScored.

Those tackling figures merely highlight his impressive work-rate too.

Football Insider pundit Kevin Campbell said: “He has a great engine on him,” whilst only last month Peter Crouch told BT Sport (via the Metro): “I think he’s tremendous, I really like him. He’s got energy and he’s calm on the ball. He was full of confidence.”

“You can tell he’s got the gears,” added Martin Keown. “He’s a Rolls-Royce of a player at times.”

By comparison, Romaine Sawyers has struggled as a deep-lying playmaker, averaging only 0.4 dribbles per game as Albion’s worst-rated regular starter, via WhoScored.

Maitland-Niles is everything Big Sam needs right now – versatility, experience and quality in abundance, and given he’s only earning around £35k-per-week in north London, he’d be a bargain and cheap loan deal for the second half of the season.

Dowling must convince Maitland-Niles and Arsenal into this move before Monday. It could be huge for their survival bid.

AND in other news, West Brom could find Sam Allardyce’s next Defoe in £6m-rated “unique talent”…

The Athletic’s Gregg Evans has revealed that Jaden Philogene-Bidace’s situation is “complicated” at Aston Villa.

What’s the story?

After the impressive performance that Villa’s youngsters delivered in the FA Cup third round defeat to Liverpool earlier this year, the spotlight has grown on the club’s blossoming academy.

But in the case of Philogene-Bidace, Evans has suggested that despite the 19-year-old wanting to stay at Villa Park, his contract situation has left things uncertain.

In a Q&A for The Athletic, he wrote: “It’s a little more complicated with Philogene-Bidace, who is 19 now and out of contract at the end of this season. It’s down to Villa to sort it out, but I understand he wants to stay despite the speculation linking him elsewhere.

“What I would also say is that in recent years, Villa have a good history of keeping the players they want. There was a lot of interest in Carney Chukwuemeka, for example, but Villa tied him down to a professional contract.”

Lange must act now

With rumours swirling in recent weeks that Bundesliga side RB Leipzig are interested in luring him to Germany, the onus is really on Johan Lange to ensure that Villa don’t lose one of their most promising starlets.

The 19-year-old is enjoying a stellar season with the club’s U23s, scoring five goals and providing another two assists in just 11 games at Premier League 2 level.

The left-winger is showing exactly why he’s one for the future, and it appears he’s got all the tools in his locker to become a really dangerous player for Villa’s senior side.

Speaking to The Birmingham Mail, one of his former coaches, Ahmed Abdulla, said: “He’s a right footer but he plays off the left. He can come inside or go on the outside. The model winger.

“He hugs the touchline and can beat his man. (He’s) Very confident and very light on his feet and skips past tackles, not one of them that gets hit and goes down. He bounces off tackles. He’s very strong and outstanding in one-v-ones.”

Evans’ update that things are “complicated” with the teenager is concerning, and it’s up to Lange to kick things into motion over a new contract.

Meanwhile, Villa are facing transfer disaster over yet another academy starlet…

According to The Daily Record, Rangers midfielder Jamie Barjonas’ proposed move to USL side Orange County is hanging by a thread.

What’s the word?

When it comes to those players who have emerged from the Rangers academy in recent years, there are a handful of names that will immediately spring to mind.

Billy Gilmour is one, Kai Kennedy is most definitely another, although his football has been somewhat limited under Steven Gerrard, but it can’t be any worse than Barjonas’.

The midfielder has made nine appearances for his boyhood club but unfortunately, he hasn’t played a single game for the Gers this season thus far as they push towards the Scottish Premiership title and that inactivity has cast doubts over his future at Ibrox.

According to The Daily Record, the 22-year-old is ready to leave his boyhood club on loan in search of regular game time, amid interest from several Scottish Championship clubs.

Get rid of him

Unfortunately for Barjonas, however, it seems his hopes have been dashed, as talks between Rangers and American club Orange County have reportedly stalled over a possible move.

The former Scotland U19 international came through the ranks at the 54-time Scottish champions but has failed to break into the first team at Ibrox and embarked upon a series of loan spells including time at Bury, Raith Rovers and Partick Thistle.

Barjonas has seen the likes of Bongani Zungu, Steven Davis and Ryan Jack picked ahead of him, while he couldn’t even earn a spot on the bench when Rangers travelled to take on Falkirk in the Betfred Cup. Instead, youngsters Ciaran Dickson and Leon King were named on the bench instead.

Considering he’s now 22, it’s hard to believe he is still on their books as his last appearance for the club came in 2019.

If Ross Wilson can’t find a solution in the meantime, maybe the next best thing would be to send him back to the reserves.

The Gers have already secured the signature of Nnamdi Ofoborh and must now start to think about clearing out the deadwood. It sounds incredibly harsh, but they may as well start with Barjonas. He just isn’t good enough for the Gers and Gerrard clearly has no intentions of using him anytime soon.

AND in other Rangers news, Ross Wilson must prioritise giving Glen Kamara a new contract…