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Steven Gerrard only left Rangers for Aston Villa less than a month ago but has already been nominated for the Premier League’s Manager of the Month award for November.

As to be expected, a number of Villa fans have been giving their thoughts to the news on social media – although some weren’t overly enthused to hear of it.

The 41-year-old began his tenure in charge at Villa Park with a 2-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion and made it back-to-back victories with a 2-1 win at Selhurst Park against Crystal Palace.

Those six points helped Villa move clear of flirting with the bottom three, although Gerrard has since suffered his first defeat at the Midlands club, losing 2-1 against champions Manchester City on Wednesday night.

The defeat against Pep Guardiola’s side was on the first day of December, so Gerrard had a 100% record in November. He has been shortlisted for the award alongside Guardiola and Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp, with the winner to be announced on December 10.

Villa fans react

Villa shared the news regarding Gerrard on their official Twitter channel on Friday. Here is what these fans had to say in reply, with many fearing “bad luck” in regards to a possible manager of the month jinx – as has afflicted previous winners of the prize – should Gerrard win the November award.

“Oh god.”

Credit: @LukeKing_

“Uh oh”

Credit: @JustTheVilla

“Nooooooooooooooooooooooo He doesn’t deserve it in all honesty. Don’t jinx him and us please”

Credit: @TipsCurtis

“Bad luck incoming”

Credit: @JackUTFV

“DO NOT VOTE, DO NOT VOTE, DO NOT VOTE, DO NOT VOTE”

Credit: @VillaBot1874

“don’t jinx him”

Credit: @avfc_kel

In other news: ‘Do it’ – Many Villa fans react as ‘brilliant’ transfer news emerges

Sky Sports journalist Dharmesh Sheth has dropped a major update on West Ham United’s plans for the rest of the January transfer window.

What’s the story?

Speaking on The Transfer Show on Sky Sports, Sheth revealed that the Hammers are “still” keen on bringing in a new centre-forward as they look to provide Michail Antonio with some vital striking competition.

He said: “David Moyes is still looking for a striker to strengthen his West Ham United squad this month, but he won’t take any risks in the market.”

Fans will be buzzing

While Antonio has certainly led the line well for the Hammers this season – he’s scored eight goals and provided another six assists in just 21 Premier League games – he could certainly do with being given some help up front.

That’s something which former Leeds man Noel Whelan has suggested Moyes’ side should be targeting this month. He said: “You can’t have enough strikers. When you look at the top sides and where where you want to be year in, year out in the Premier League, you’ve got to have cover.

“You’ve got to have options. It’s no different to Chelsea, Man City, Liverpool. You’ve got to have options in these positions. I think it will benefit, Michail Antonio. Yes, I know he’s going to be up for the fight to keep his place but it becomes healthy competition. Sometimes you’re not going to be able to play the same as you did the week before when you’re on a good run.”

Those sentiments were echoed by Paddy Kenny, who insisted: “You can’t rely on one man to score all of your goals. Antonio is great but he’s not going to score every week. Sometimes that pressure of scoring goals can almost be a burden. It wouldn’t surprise me if West Ham went and got a player to come in and support him.”

If the Hammers are intent on making a push for a Champions League place for next season, then bringing in someone who can share that goal-scoring burden with Antonio could prove to be crucial, and be the real difference-maker.

The news that Moyes is “still” looking for a new centre-forward is sure to have West Ham fans buzzing.

Meanwhile, West Ham are pushing hard for this attacker…

Many Everton fans have been left to slam the display of Alex Iwobi in their 2-2 home draw with Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Friday night.

Two goals from Gylfi Sigurdsson were not enough in the end as two defensive errors meant that Harry Kane was able to pounce and earn Jose Mourinho’s team a point at Goodison Park.

Nonetheless, Iwobi did not have the best of games for the Merseyside club and was subsequently hauled off just after the hour mark for Seamus Coleman, who immediately made an impact with an assist.

The former Arsenal man lost out on seven out of eight of his duels (87.5%), and also failed to record a single shot on target, successful dribble, key pass or accurate cross, all while losing possession of the ball on no fewer than on 12 separate occasions in the game (Sofascore).

Everton fans on Iwobi display

These Toffees supporters slammed his performance on Twitter, with one Blues fan even going as far as to claim that the Nigeria international is ‘awful’:

“How have we given Arsenal nearly £50 million for Walcott and Iwobi if you put them together you still wouldn’t have half a player. #EFC”

Credit: @Tezza_c1878

“Iwobi is stealing a living with us #EFC”

Credit: @Toffeeman2010

“Coleman doing more in 2 minutes than Iwobi done in 60. He offers us nothing #EFC”

Credit: @Ball86T

“Iwobi really doesn’t have a future at the club. Add him to the list #EFC”

Credit: @nickjones314

“A truly woeful signing gone off. Brands will do well to recover from Iwobi #efc”

Credit: @BlueDanEFC

“Iwobi must be like Ronaldo in training because he’s consistently awful on a match day! What’s he done to start?!!! #EFC #EVETOT”

Credit: @ridroberts

In other news, find out what transfer plans have left EFC fans fuming here!

Alessandro Bastoni could be a realistic signing for Tottenham Hotspur this summer transfer window…

What’s the word?

That’s according to reliable journalist Pete O’Rourke, who delivered a fresh verdict surrounding Spurs’ interest in the Inter Milan centre-back to GIVEMESPORT this week.

“Bastoni could be a more realistic option for Tottenham right now,” he said.

“[Antonio] Conte and Fabio Paratici will know all about him from their time in Italy and he might be a more achievable target.

“That could be the one Spurs push for as they look to bring in a new centre-back in the summer.”

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-levy-conte-paratici-thfc” title= “Read the latest Spurs news!”]

Perfect Conte reunion

It is no secret that the north Londoners are targeting a major central defensive addition this off-season.

The Athletic recently claimed that a left-sided option will be a priority, naming the likes of Bastoni, Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol, Lille’s Sven Botman and Nico Schlotterbeck of Freiburg as potential signings.

Given Conte’s history and experience with the Italian, he could well be the best candidate and just as O’Rourke suggests, he is surely a viable and practical signing that Spurs could make.

Prior to the 52-year-old’s arrival at the San Siro, Bastoni was a young and unknown talent that had not featured for the first team. He is now a Serie A winner and valued in the region of £60m.

He started 33 of their 38 games on their way to Inter’s first Scudetto in 11 years and he continues to be an integral part under Conte’s successor, Simone Inzaghi.

Compared to Leonardo Bonucci and Alessandro Nesta, Bastoni offers sublime ball-playing abilities, ranking in the top five in the whole Italian top-flight by attempting 70.9 passes per 90. His ball retention is just as effective, grading at the 86th percentile out of 99 – perfect for Conte.

And whilst he’s not too effective in the air, he is very active and aggressive defensively, ranking in the 94th percentile for intensity.

It’s no wonder the 23-year-old gem has been lauded as a “Rolls-Royce” of a centre-back, as well as being “complete” and “dominant” – this is exactly the sort of profile that Conte adores, so you can only imagine him in a back-three involving Cristian Romero.

The fact that Bastoni is viewed as a realistic signing, despite his £60m valuation, is certainly fantastic news for the Italian head coach heading into the summer.

AND in other news, 75% duels won: £36m-rated Spurs “animal” was Conte’s only shining light at Brentford…

Manchester United will take on West Ham on Sunday evening in a game that could be key for their hopes of a top four finish.

At the time of writing, the Red Devils sit second in the table, eight points clear of the Hammers, albeit having played a game more.

With Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s troops having only taken to the pitch on Thursday in the 1-1 draw with AC Milan in the UEFA Europa League, how many alterations are we expecting him to make to his team at the weekend?

There could be as many as four changes to the United lineup, with an injury crisis having hit Old Trafford.

Despite David de Gea being back in contention, the Red Devils should stick with Dean Henderson in goal. The former Sheffield United loan star has impressed in recent weeks so is deserving of his place.

A couple of alterations should occur in the backline, however. Both Luke Shaw and Victor Lindelof were rested against Milan so should be restored to the starting lineup. This would mean that both £31.5m-rated defender Alex Telles and Eric Bailly would drop out.

Another man who is likely to return is Brazilian midfielder Fred. The former Shakhtar Donetsk man was replaced by Nemanja Matic in midweek but will once again return to the middle of the park. Bruno Fernandes will take his place, as always, just in front of the midfield duo of Fred and Scott McTominay.

One headache that Solskjaer does have, however, is in attack. Edinson Cavani is ruled out, whilst Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial are both major doubts.

Given these injury worries, Daniel James and Mason Greenwood should continue in the starting line-up, and they are likely to be joined by Amad Diallo. The Ivorian scored his first Manchester United goal against Milan with a clever header so could well have justified earning a maiden Premier League start against West Ham.

AND in more news, have a look at why Solskjaer needs to stick with Henderson despite the return of de Gea…

Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa is eyeing a move for Lyon star Maxwel Cornet, a player who impressed Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.

What’s the story?

With the Premier League fixtures released earlier on Wednesday morning, anticipation is no doubt already growing at Elland Road about the Whites’ second season back in the top-flight.

And now, reports claim that Leeds are interested in signing Ivory Coast international Cornet this summer, and that his “pace and skill is attractive to boss Marcelo Bielsa”.

He impressed Guardiola

The £26m-rated Cornet initially broke onto the scene as a winger, but last season under Rudi Garcia, transitioned into a flying left-back, and enjoyed a superb campaign because of it.

The 24-year-old managed four goals and six assists in 39 games across all competitions, and showed that he’s more than capable of sticking to the defensive side of the game – as per Sofascore, he made 1.9 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game in Ligue, and won 4.6 duels per match too (contrast that to Kalvin Phillips who averaged 2.6 tackles, 1.6 interceptions and 5.3 duels won per game).

But really, Cornet’s versatility – he’s played up and down the left-flank and also on the right – is reminiscent of Leeds’ very own jack of all trades star, Stuart Dallas.

The Northern Irishman was one of the stand-out performers for Bielsa’s side last season, filling in a number of different roles, including both full-back positions and in central midfield too.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/leeds-united-marcelo-bielsa-transfer-gossip-rumours-news-elland-road-rodrigo-de-paul” title=”Read the latest Leeds transfer rumours and news!”]

While Cornet hasn’t yet had a stint in the middle of the park, the fact his defensive numbers were so strong last season indicates he could well be an exciting box-to-box option for Bielsa in the Premier League, especially given his natural pace and attacking instincts from being a winger.

And, after seeing him shine against his Manchester City side in the Champions League, even Guardiola was left raving about the Ivorian.

He said: “We only talk about PSG but there are many good French teams, I was very impressed by the talent of Maxwel Cornet. There are many talents in France, I like to play the Champions League because there is a very high quality everywhere, players, coaches.”

With his versatility and his energy, Bielsa could sign Leeds’ new Dallas in Cornet this summer.

Meanwhile, Leeds United could sign a new Ian Harte in this star…

Motherwell defender Declan Gallagher has been linked with a move to Celtic Park in the summer.

TEAMtalk reported earlier this month that the Hoops were ready to make a move for the central defender, who has had his head turned by Celtic’s interest and will be available for free as he is out of contract this summer (Transfermarkt).

Fresh Gallagher link

Now, Give Me Sport are the latest to share news on Gallagher. They claim that the Scotland international is definitely of interest to the Hoops.

Rochdale’s Kwadwo Baah and Peterborough’s Siriki Dembele are two other players also being looked at by Celtic ahead of a summer potentially filled with cut-price moves.

All three could be available for next to nothing at the end of the current campaign when their respective contracts expire, allowing Dominic McKay to start his reign as the new Hoops chief with some bargain hunting.

Bye bye Duffy

Gallagher, a boyhood Celtic fan, is seemingly keen on a Parkhead switch, and would be a clever replacement for Shane Duffy as he has more experience in the league and would cost less.

Duffy is set to return to Brighton in the summer following his season-long loan in Glasgow, and financially, bringing in Gallagher to replace Duffy could be a shrewd move.

Gallagher is on just £1,400-a-week, whereas the Hoops have reportedly been paying £25,000 of Duffy’s £45,000-a-week wage.

The Motherwell man has over 100 Scottish Premiership appearances under his belt and could prove a solid addition to battle the likes of Kris Ajer, Christopher Jullien and Stephen Welsh.

In other news: One former Celtic man worried over Celtic’s possible move for Gallagher, find out more here. 

Football Insider pundit Danny Mills doesn’t believe that interim Celtic boss John Kennedy will land the manager’s role on a full-time basis.

The Lowdown: Kennedy in the dark

Reports last month hinted that Kennedy was still in the running to take over from Neil Lennon on a long-term basis. The 37-year-old has been in temporary charge following Lennon’s resignation back in February, however, a Celtic source has recently revealed that he is in the dark over his future in Glasgow.

Kennedy is unsure whether he’ll be at the club next season, with the Hoops hierarchy remaining tight-lipped when it comes to their managerial move.

The Latest: Mills makes manager claim

Talking to Football Insider regarding the development on Kennedy, Mills (43) said:

“That means Kennedy’s not getting the job.

“It depends on who comes in and what they want to do. Maybe if it’s a foreign manager they’ll want to keep him on to be that go-between.

“It might not be as a first-team coach but just keep him around to help integrate. We saw how much David Moyes struggled with that when he went to Manchester United even though he knew the league very, very well.

“A new manager may just say ‘I want all my own backroom staff, out you go.’

“It will all depend on who comes in and what they want to do and how much trust and faith that the hierarchy put in the new management team.”

The Verdict: Will the new boss have a say?

We feel that the new Celtic manager should have the final say on his backroom staff, but Mills’ fellow Football Insider pundit Gabby Agbonlahor recently declared that any new boss may have to keep Kennedy around.

The ex-Aston Villa striker has been informed that the club won’t give Lennon’s successor the choice on Kennedy’s future and won’t be able to change the entire coaching staff.

Should the new man in the Parkhead dugout turn out to be Eddie Howe, reports suggested last month that he would be happy to work with Kennedy and Gordon Strachan.

That could work for all parties involved, as long as Howe – who has reportedly agreed to become the club’s new manager – is also allowed to bring some members of staff from Bournemouth with him, as reports have suggested.

In other news: Celtic looking at two targets in possible big-money moves, find out more here. 

Derby County defender Scott Malone is set to join Millwall on a permanent deal this summer, bringing an end to his time at Pride Park.

The Lowdown: Derby stalwart before loan move

Malone signed for the Rams from Huddersfield Town back in the summer of 2018, becoming a key man during Frank Lampard’s time as manager.

He made 47 Championship appearances over the next two seasons, before joining Millwall on loan for the 2020/21 campaign, having fallen out of favour.

Left-back Malone has been a key figure for the South London club in 2020/21, appearing in 41 of their 46 league games, starting 37 of them, perhaps implying the Rams would have been better off with him in their own squad.

The Latest: Malone tipped for permanent exit

According to South London News, Millwall look set to snap up the 30-year-old on a permanent deal, once his Derby deal expires at the end of this month.

A move is already thought to be ‘locked down’, as Malone waves goodbye to the Rams, having been hailed as ‘excellent’ by Lions boss Gary Rowett.

The Verdict: Right time to move on

In truth, it makes perfect sense for all parties for Malone to move on, with Wayne Rooney seemingly seeing no future for him at the club.

It is pointless offering an unwanted player a new deal, and from the defender’s perspective, the thought of regular football is surely too good to turn down.

Malone will be remembered as a solid servant for Derby, however, at a time when they came so close to securing promotion to the Premier League.

In other news, some Derby fans have been reacting to news surrounding the proposed takeover of the club. Read more here.

A key update has emerged on the fitness of Sheffield Wednesday beast Massimo Luongo, regarding how long he is set to be out for.

What’s the latest?

Sheffield Wednesday boss Darren Moore has allayed fears that Massimo Luongo will be out until 2022, confirming that he should be out for weeks instead of months.

He told the Sheffield Star:

“Massimo is just going to be out for weeks… He won’t be out until the new year, he’ll be back with our medical team next week. And then he’ll start working and doing his rehabilitation. He’s got a hamstring string pull, which is unfortunate, he did it in the last kick of the game at Rotherham.

“We wanted to get him into a specialist to get another view, and that’s what he’s done. He’s been given a programme to follow, and we’ll have him back in weeks as opposed to the reports that said he’ll be out until the New Year. We expect him back before that.”

Fans will be buzzing

Wednesday fans will be buzzing with this news as it means that Luongo will not be out until 2022 with his injury, as was first feared. It would have been a major blow to Moore’s squad had the Australian international been out for a number of months, as he is a quality member of the team and a player capable of putting in excellent performances.

The 28-year-old was restricted to 12 games in the Championship last season, averaging a solid WhoScored rating of 6.65. He averaged an impressive 2.4 tackles and 1.3 interceptions in the second tier, showing that he was adept at winning the ball back off the opposition.

In his first league appearance of the current campaign, Luongo showed exactly what he is capable of doing at this level with a stunning display against Rotherham in a 2-0 win. He achieved a WhoScored rating of 8.33 as he won two aerial battles, seven tackles, one interception and made three clearances and a block.

Along with the defensive side of his game, the midfield beast also completed three dribbles and one key pass to push his team up the pitch in transition and help to create chances at the top end.

Ex-Owls boss Garry Monk hailed Luongo last year and claimed that he was one of the best players in the side.

He said:

“I think he has been one of our best performing players in terms of consistency across all the games that he has played so far. He is a great lad. He is a quiet leader.

“I have asked more of him vocally to come out of his shell. I think you have seen in some of the games that he is no afraid to say what he wants to say. We need that and I have tried to encourage that.”

This, along with his showing against Rotherham, highlights the impact that he can make on Moore’s side in League One.

Wednesday fans will be over the moon that his injury is not as serious as first thought and that he could be back fit and firing within a few weeks, rather than months.

Hopefully, he is able to get back as quickly as possible to contribute to the Owls’ promotion charge.