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When West Bromwich Albion signed Conor Townsend for £750k back in 2018, it would have been safe to assume that the left-back was brought to The Hawthorns as back up to the England international, Kieran Gibbs.

At the time of his arrival, the 28-year-old had just enjoyed a fantastic season with Scunthorpe United, scoring four goals and registering five assists over his 32 appearances in League One, while Gibbs – who had joined Albion from Arsenal in a £6.75m deal a year earlier – was the club’s undisputed number one in the position, having featured 33 times for the Baggies in the Premier League in 2017/18.

This remained the case throughout Townsend’s debut season in West Bromwich, with Gibbs highly impressing over his 38 Championship appearances, scoring four goals and registering four assists, while the newcomer had to make do with just 12 second-tier fixtures.

However, the tide began to turn in the following campaign, with the £14k-per-week Townsend featuring in 27 Championship fixtures, over which he provided one assist and averaged a SofaScore match rating of 6.89. In comparison, the £30k-per-week Gibbs was awarded just 14 league appearances, over which he averaged a SofaScore match rating of 6.76.

Townsend’s usurping of the 32-year-old was complete last season, when, despite the Baggies’ ultimate relegation from the top flight, the 28-year-old highly impressed over his 25 Premier League appearances – helping his side keep five clean sheets, registering two assists and earning a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.86. Meanwhile, Gibbs averaged an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.53 over his ten top-flight fixtures – before being released on a free transfer at the end of the season.

This term, the former Scunthorpe man has ensured that his reputation as a first-class left-back has continued to grow, having already helped his side keep five clean sheets, registered two assists and created three big chances over his 12 Championship appearances – with these returns seeing the defender average a SofaScore match rating of 7.01.

Furthermore, the player who Thierry Henry once dubbed “amazing” has also seen his Transfermarkt value rocket from £180k at the time of his signing to £1.8m today – a 10x increase – which, coupled with his ever-improving level of performance, proves that West Brom struck gold when signing the 28-year-old.

In other news: “Confident” West Brom dynamo who lost possession 32x stole the show vs Birmingham

Lots of Manchester United fans were blasting Harry Maguire for his role in the goal for Burnley in the Red Devils’ 3-1 win in the Premier League on Thursday night.

The defender did not engage with Aaron Lennon as he made his way to the edge of the penalty box and then did not put in much of an effort to block the shot, which eventually trickled into the bottom corner past David de Gea.

It was not Maguire’s best game at Old Trafford in general, as he lost out on four of his duels and also failed to record any tackles. Also, he lost possession of the ball 12 times, the seventh-most out of any of his teammates on the pitch (SofaScore).

Man Utd fans blast Maguire

These United fans blasted Maguire on Twitter after the goal conceded by Ralf Rangnick’s men, with one supporter even going as far as to claim that the 28-year-old is the ‘meme’ of the club, having often been deemed culpable of defensive errors in a red shirt:

“Bin Maguire ASAP”

Credit: @KhashanDalia

“Maguire really is the meme of the club, get that man out”

Credit: @WonkaWonka195

“Tell Maguire to get off the pitch”

Credit: @Donny_DaSilva

“Sell Maguire”

Credit: @alexsears97

“SELL MAGUIRE ASAP”

Credit: @imSoenda

“Maguire is the first defender that is allergic to defending”

Credit: @SamuelNOVNTY

In other news, find out whose display against Burnley was also slammed by lots of United fans

Newcastle United are now targeting Brighton winger Leandro Trossard, according to The Daily Mail’s Simon Jones. 

The lowdown

The Belgium international, who joined Brighton from Genk in the summer of 2019 for £15m, is five games short of a century of appearances in the Premier League.

In his 95 top-flight outings to date, he has scored 15 goals and provide nine assists. He is a regular for Graham Potter’s side, starting 27 of their 31 Premier League matches so far in 2021/22.

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Valued at £15.3m by Transfermarkt, the 27-year-old is out of contract in just over 14 months’ time.

The latest

Jones wrote in The Daily Mail that Newcastle are expected to sell Allan Saint-Maximin this summer and reinvest the funds in a replacement winger.

Trossard is one of the players they have identified as a potential successor to the Frenchman, with extensive scouting reports currently being compiled.

Encouragingly for Newcastle, the Belgian is apparently keen to leave the Amex Stadium come the end of the season.

The verdict

Trossard would be a good successor to Saint-Maximin at Newcastle.

His tally of five goals this season may not be spectacular, but it’s worth stressing that Brighton are a low-scoring team. Indeed, only Burnley and Norwich City have netted fewer goals the Seagulls in the Premier League this term.

Furthermore, it matches the tally of Saint-Maximin at St James’ Park.

Newcastle know first-hand how good the 27-year-old can be after his man-of-the-match display in the 1-1 draw between the two teams at the Amex Stadium in November.

In addition to converting a penalty (which he won himself), Trossard created three chances, completed four out of five long passes and drew four fouls, earning him a SofaScore rating of 8.2/10.

He’s also won praise from Newcastle great Alan Shearer, who said that the ‘magnificent’ Albion winger boasts an ‘excellent’ all-round game.

If he’s good enough for Shearer, that’s a fairly strong endorsement in our book.

In other news, Newcastle are also looking at a move for this former Liverpool gem 

Liverpool have made an “approach” to sign Porto winger Luis Diaz as Jurgen Klopp looks to strengthen his side in this January transfer window.

What’s the story?

The Reds of course have seen both Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah make their way to AFCON this month, and could be without them for several games depending on their progress at the competition.

Perhaps with that in mind, the Merseyside club have targeted a new winger, and journalist Pedro Almeida has now revealed that Diaz has emerged as a potential target.

Writing on Twitter, he said: “First approach of Liverpool by Luis #Diaz from Porto. Portuguese club want €70M (£59m) by the player. Let’s see what happen.”

Fans surely excited

While Luis Diaz may not have exactly set the world alight during Porto’s two Champions League group stage games against Liverpool earlier this season – he failed to score in either fixture – he has enjoyed a very impressive league campaign overall.

The Colombia international has scored 12 goals in just 15 Portuguese top-flight games, as well as providing four assists too, showcasing a real ability to be a goal-scoring threat from out wide.

His Porto teammate Sergio Oliveira waxed lyrical about him after his goal-scoring display in the Champions League against Milan, saying: “I don’t have to answer, we know his qualities, apart from the human level he is also extraordinary on a technical level. The best for him will also be the best for us as a team.”

And, those sentiments were echoed by Marino Peixoto, a Portuguese football expert, who declared: “The rate at which Luís Diaz is churning out otherworldly performances coupled with his ability to score screamers like this on a consistent basis is genuinely frightening. Only a matter of time before somebody pays an astronomical fee for him.”

With Mane and Salah both out of contention, and quality wide options lacking outside of them too, Diaz’s arrival could give Klopp’s side a genuinely impressive winger who could fit into the duo’s roles with ease.

The Reds of course have seen some big success with South American signings, with the likes of Roberto Firmino, Fabinho, Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho among others all stamping their authority at Anfield in some shape or form.

Diaz could be the next in line to do so now that Liverpool have made their first approach for him.

Meanwhile, this Liverpool target is shades of Steven Gerrard…

Many Wolves fans have been left buzzing over some transfer news that has emerged on Joao Palhinha.

As per Record (via Sport Witness), the midfield player now has ‘one foot out’ of Sporting Lisbon with less than a week of the January transfer window to go, and the Midlands club have been named as one of his next potential destinations.

Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla are also interested in his signature, and ‘many approaches’ from agents have been made in the past few days.

Sporting are also asking for a reduced price from what they wanted in the summer, now €30m (£25m), and it is Palhinha’s ‘dream’ to play in the Premier League, suggesting that the Molineux faithful have a good chance of signing him.

The Portugal international would give Bruno Lage a headache in terms of midfield selection, as he is currently averaging more tackles, shots and dribbles per game in Liga NOS than Leander Dendoncker, Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves are in the Premier League, and he has also contributed with three goals (WhoScored).

Wolves fans on Palhinha transfer news

These WWFC supporters buzzed as the transfer news was shared on Twitter, with one supporter hailing it as the ‘perfect’ deal for Fosun…

“Huge yes”

Credit: @ethanlilley1877

“Just imagine him and Neves in midfield. Get it done Wolves use the money for Traore deal”

Credit: @leighwolf007

“I NEED HIM, forget Renato Sanches.”

Credit: @__Grav

“Him or Mendes and we keep Adama Europe is on”

Credit: @DaneWWFC

“Fosun open to right players/deals and this is literally a perfect example of this, c’mon Jeff”

Credit: @calwwfc_

“Jeff please just give Sporting the €30m they want for him, then hope he wants to move”

Credit: @djgreen27

In other news, find out who Tim Spiers has now backed the Wanderers to sign here!

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Mohamed Diame is seemingly edging ever closer to a contract extension at Newcastle United, but the midfielder reportedly wants a longer deal with the club.

What’s the story, then?

According to The Chronicle, Diame is just three Premier League appearances short of earning a new one-year extension at Newcastle.

Indeed, the midfielder has made 22 league appearances for the Magpies this term and another three will earn him an extension to his current deal.

However, according to The Chronicle, Diame would like a contract until the end of the 2020-21 campaign to reflect his importance to the team.

Diame has actually only played four minutes of Premier League football since the 2-0 home defeat to Manchester United at the start of the year due to injury.

However, with the 31-year-old now fit and available, it seems almost impossible that he will not make another three league appearances before the end of the season.

Does Diame deserve a new contract?

Undoubtedly. And Newcastle should be offering a new deal until the summer of 2021 rather than being happy with the activation of an extension.

Diame is not the most talented of footballers in the Premier League, but he can certainly cope with Rafael Benitez’s physical demands.

He is also incredibly experienced, having made 96 appearances in all competitions for Newcastle since arriving in 2016, whilst he has made 232 appearances in the Premier League during spells with Wigan Athletic, West Ham United, Hull City and Newcastle.

Diame will be 32 heading into the 2019-2020 campaign, but he certainly has a couple more seasons of Premier League football in his legs.

Sean Longstaff has earned the plaudits in recent weeks, but Diame is another important figure in the Benitez machine.

With Valerien Ismael’s West Bromwich Albion side heading into Wednesday evening’s Championship clash on the back of a resounding 3-0 defeat last weekend, the 46-year-old Baggies boss will undoubtedly be hoping for a much better result when Hull City visit The Hawthorns.

And, considering the fact that the Tigers have picked up just two wins all season and currently occupy one of the spots in the Championship relegation zone, the Frenchman will know that his side have a fantastic opportunity to get back to winning ways against Grant McCann’s men.

So, will Ismael make any changes to the team which started the 3-0 loss against Fulham on Saturday? Here’s how we think West Brom could line up against Hull, along with the latest team and injury news…

With Ismael recently confirming that Alex Mowatt will once again miss out due to injury, while Darnell Furlong is unavailable as a result of his red card against Fulham, we predict that the Frenchman will make four changes to the side which lined up against the Cottagers.

The first of these alterations is a forced one in the West Brom back five, with the aforementioned Furlong watching from the sidelines, highly-rated 19-year-old Taylor Gardner-Hickman is handed his league debut for the Baggies at right wing-back.

In the middle of the park, the £24k-per-week Robert Snodgrass drops out of the XI after a disappointing showing against Fulham, being replaced by Brighton & Hove Albion loanee Jayson Molumby.

The final two changes come in Ismael’s front three, with Jordan Hugill – who has scored just one goal over 11 Championship appearances for the Baggies – making way for Callum Robinson, while Matt Phillips – who has not contributed towards a goal over his last five league fixtures – is left out in order for Grady Diangana to make his first Championship start since September.

In other news: Journo drops fresh West Brom January transfer claim that will devastate Albion fans

Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick could sign a major upgrade on Harry Maguire with Chelsea star Antonio Rudiger.

What’s the story?

According to reports from Sky Deutschland (via Sport Witness), United are one of a number of top European sides who are chasing the Germany international.

It’s claimed that the likes of PSG and Bayern Munich have joined Real Madrid in the race to sign the central defender, and that Rangnick’s side have now emerged as an additional contender for his signature.

Better than Maguire

While Maguire may be established as a cornerstone of this United defence, Rudiger’s arrival would see the club land a genuine upgrade on the England international.

As per Whoscored, the £100k-per-week German has averaged an impressive 7.00 match rating over the course of the Premier League this season, which far betters Maguire’s measly 6.56.

And, when you look at the key underlying numbers, it’s easy to see why.

Rudiger averages almost double the number of interceptions that Maguire does, while he also boasts a far higher average number of passes and key passes per game – the kind of ball-playing centre-back that could thrive under Rangnick.

The Chelsea man also wins more offsides per game too, a pointer of how his pace and reading of the game is slightly superior to that of Maguire.

Rudiger’s performances for the Blues has earned rave reviews from a number of people, not least former United man Rio Ferdinand, who waxed lyrical about just how good he has been in the top-flight.

He said (via the Metro): “Look at Rudiger, he’s arguably, since Tuchel has been there (at Chelsea), been the best defender in the Premier League. Him or (Ruben) Dias in that time. He’s been unbelievable, he’s like an animal.”

And, speaking to BILD, Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel was similarly effusive in his praise, saying: “Toni has established himself exceptionally since the first day we arrived. He is an absolute leader and plays at an incredibly high level.”

The £31.5m-rated star could bring some proven Premier League experience and quality to this United back-line, and a real upgrade on Maguire.

Meanwhile, Man Utd must move for this Serie A midfielder…

Aston Villa have shown over the past few years that they are not shy when it comes to spending significant amounts of money on new players.

The previous summer and winter transfer windows saw the Midlands club spend money on faces such as Emi Buendia, Leon Bailey, Danny Ings and Lucas Digne to help strengthen their squad and push forward in the Premier League.

Looking ahead to the upcoming summer transfer window, it seems as though the Villans could aim to bring in another familiar face to Villa Park for a substantial fee.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from the Daily Mirror, Villa manager Steven Gerrard will try and launch a summer move for Liverpool defender Joe Gomez.

The Villans were linked with the £85k-per-week Englishman during the previous winter window but ended up signing Calum Chambers from Arsenal on a free transfer instead.

Gomez is a rare talent

Since joining the Merseyside club back in the 2015 summer transfer window from Charlton Athletic in a deal worth a reported fee of £3.5m, the centre-back has made 138 appearances for the Reds across all competitions.

In those appearances, the 24-year-old has managed to provide five assists and pick up a Premier League and Champions League title along the way.

Praised for a “mesmerising” assist for Diogo Jota during Liverpool’s recent 2-0 win over Watford in the Premier League, Gomez has also been labelled as a “rare talent” by BBC pundit Garth Crooks.

Having only started two of the six league games he’s appeared in this season, a potential move away from Anfield to a club like Villa where he may get more regular football under the management of Gerrard could be rather tempting for the Liverpool figure.

With a combined total of 195 league minutes to his name in this current campaign, the centre-back has managed to rack up a total of three tackles, four clearances and eight interceptions.

Also, taking into account how Villa have conceded nine goals in their past four league games, perhaps adding a player like Gomez could be just what Gerrard needs to make his side stronger at the back.

With Liverpool reportedly placing a £23m price tag on the defender, making a summer swoop for him should definitely be in Villa’s mind once the season comes to an end.

In other news: Klopp can axe £180k-p/w Liverpool dud with move for “tenacious” £36m-rated “monster”

A frustrating behind-the-scenes Rangers claim has emerged on Ibrox striker Rory Wilson…

What’s the talk?

According to Football Insider, a source has revealed that the Gers teenager could leave before even playing a minute under Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

It’s understood that Brighton are in talks over a deal to sign the attacker as they look to swoop in ahead of their rivals to land him. They are said to be pushing hard to get this over the line after the striker turned down fresh terms in Glasgow.

The report claims that Rangers will only rake in £300k in development costs should he leave to join the Seagulls as he is out of contract at the end of the campaign.

Wilson is said to have met with his namesake Ross Wilson and Gio van Bronckhorst to discuss staying at Ibrox, but has decided that he wants to move on to pastures new.

Fume

This update will leave the Gers sporting director fuming as £300k is a paltry sum of money for a player with the 16-year-old’s potential.

The Scottish striker has scored 40 goals for the youth teams in Glasgow this season, whilst he has also netted seven times in six matches for his country at U17 level – scoring his latest against Georgia on Tuesday. He has been in phenomenal form for the academy and this suggests that he has the potential to make it in the first team if he is able to continue to progress.

Wilson has been showing that he is too good to be playing in the youth sides as he has been finding the net at a ridiculous rate, hence why Premier League sides are now trying to swoop him up.

The last time the Gers lost a hugely-talented prospect to an English side was when Billy Gilmour signed for Chelsea in 2017. He reportedly left for £500k with performance-related add-ons and is now valued at a whopping £10.8m by Transfermarkt – significantly more than the fee Rangers have seen for his talents.

If Wilson is able to follow in Gilmour’s footsteps and make his mark in England and at international level, then the £300k Brighton will need to pay this summer will look like a huge bargain.

This is why Rangers’ sporting director will be fuming that the Seagulls are now pushing to get a deal done and that they will only need to shell out less than half a million pounds for his signature.

AND in other news, Sold at £4m, then became a £22.5m hero: Rangers had a disaster on iconic “phenomenon”…