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Leeds: Marsch must turn to Summerville

Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch would be foolish to not turn to Crysencio Summerville over the closing stages of the Premier League season as he continues to impress for the U23s.

On Monday evening, the Dutch U21 international bagged a hat-trick in their rout over Crystal Palace, taking his total for the campaign to six goals from ten starts in the Premier League 2 Division One, a feat only bettered by first-team duo Sam Greenwood and Joe Gelhardt, as per FBRef.

The Whites’ academy boss Andrew Taylor waxed lyrical about the 5 foot 5 winger following the display, he told LUTV:

“For me, Cry is a pleasure to work with. He works hard defensively and then, his ability going forward is sensational. He just needs to keep doing that, keep performing.

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“He’ll get his opportunities in our first team I’m sure. As you’ve seen tonight, he’s such a danger, such a threat, an outlet for us. But he doesn’t stop there. He gets back, he gets into position. He took on board a lot.”

Marsch’s current options in the senior squad all have question marks for differing reasons – both Raphinha and Jack Harrison have been linked with moves away ahead of the summer transfer window, for example, whilst the form of £30m club-record signing Daniel James has been poor, to say the least.

Now valued at just £16.2m by Transfermarkt, the Wales international has delivered only four goals across 32 appearances, and he is currently in a nine-game run without a goal.

The Yorkshiremen are among the lowest scorers in the Premier League and that is in part to Patrick Bamford’s continued injury problems, but with Summerville in such fine form, it surely wouldn’t hurt to give him a go?

LeedsLive reporter Beren Cross claimed the 20-year-old gem was “unplayable at times” in the U23’s rout of Palace on Monday night, with Marsch in attendance.

With Summerville only playing 225 minutes for the first team and barely any in the Premier League, he could well emerge as something of a secret weapon for the American in the final months of the season.

He’s well worth a look heading into an important summer off the pitch for Leeds.

AND in other news, Marsch could unearth Leeds’ next Dallas in 18 y/o prodigy who’s “a dream to coach”…

West Ham fans change their tunes about Ogbonna

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Loads of West Ham fans have been running the rule over the week’s action, and they’re very happy with the resurgence of Angelo Ogbonna.

West Ham were beaten 1-0 by Manchester City on Wednesday, but the Hammers did themselves justice with a stern defensive performance.

The hosts at the Etihad had 76 per cent of the possession and 20 shots to just two for their visitors, so the Hammers’ defence had to be at their very best to keep the score down.

Ogbonna was certainly at his best, dominating physically with seven interceptions and four clearances, while his partner Issa Diop also pitched in with three interceptions and five clearances.

Diop though has had the backing of the fans in East London since the day he arrived, while Ogbonna has been the subject of loads of criticism this season.

The 30 year-old had a nightmare in the FA Cup defeat to Wimbledon, and fans were crucifying him after a shocking display in a 3-0 defeat to Wolves.

The support has now done a complete U-turn though, heaping praise on the ex-Juve man for his impressive turnaround in form.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Lampard can finally axe Iwobi from Everton

Everton have appointed Frank Lampard as their new manager, and he wasted no time using his only opportunity of the transfer window on Deadline Day to bring in two players to work with him in his efforts to save the side’s season.

Donny van de Beek and Dele Alli joined the Toffees in the final hours of the January transfer window, becoming the fourth and fifth signings of the month, suggesting that the ex-Chelsea boss has plans to overhaul the midfield and attacking threat of the team which has currently failed to make a significant impact, scoring 11 fewer goals than the side has conceded in the Premier League this season.

With that being said, the first player that Lampard can ruthlessly axe from his team is Alex Iwobi, who has been with the club since 2019, scoring just six goals in 80 appearances from his forward position.

That’s one more goal than he has had managers, with Lampard remarkably becoming the fifth permanent manager that the 25-year-old has worked under in his time at Goodison Park.

The left-winger was branded “embarrassing” by Everton journalist, David Prentice, back in 2020 and things haven’t improved for the Nigeria international, with his most recent indiscretion at AFCON where he was brought on to save his nation from crashing out of the competition in the last 16 knock out clash against Tunisia.

Iwobi was sent off within five minutes of coming off the bench after a red card decision went against him when he made a tackle with his studs up on his marker who went straight to the floor. That eventually led to Nigeria crashing out of the competition.

If the Premier League midfielder turned manager deploys his most favoured formation of 4-2-3-1, it would push Iwobi out of the team completely as Richarlison would presumably go out onto the left side of the three to accommodate the new addition Alli, who could play in one of his favourite positions behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and as a result, would see Iwobi unlikely to start for the Toffees in the future.

Lampard has always been a big fan of the £22.5m-rated former Spurs star claiming he is “ahead of the game” in a complimentary analysis of the player back in 2017, so there is no doubt that he will want to integrate the attacking midfielder in his starting line up as soon as he can to get the very best out of him to pull Everton away from a relegation battle.

Combine that with the fact that Darren Anderton once called him a “freak of a talent” and it’s evident there is plenty more that Dele could offer than the former Arsenal forward.

Everton will return to action this weekend at Goodison Park in the FA Cup, where the 43-year-old Toffees manager will lead out his first squad selection in front of the home fans and it will be interesting to see what direction he goes in to secure progression in the domestic competition for the side.

In other news: Lampard already enduring major dilemma at Finch Farm

Predicted West Brom XI to face Birmingham

West Bromwich Albion travel to face Midlands rivals Birmingham City on Sunday afternoon in what could make for a fierce clash.

On Friday, Steve Bruce revealed that the Baggies had just 11 fit players over the international break, whilst the rest of the squad were representing their respective nations.

According to the 61-year-old, notable injuries include “exciting” 21-year-old striker Daryl Dike, Kenneth Zohore, Kean Bryan and Matty Phillips, who are all at different stages of the rehabilitation process after suffering injury setbacks.

Apart from the injury to Dike, the squad is in the same shape as before the international break, which is a big positive for Baggies fans. However, Bruce still has a lot to consider, as Albion will be looking to add to Birmingham’s disappointing pattern of failing to score in any of the last three games.

Andy Carroll will be hoping to start, having not played a full 90 minutes since late February, but that may be a tough ask, with the partnership between Karlan Grant and Callum Robinson starting to blossom over the last few weeks, with five goals in the last three games for the pair.

In terms of system, it’s expected that West Brom will continue to deploy their defensive three formation, and it would not be a surprise if we saw both teams shaping up in a 3-5-2 system and going man-for-man.

Here is our predicted Albion XI ahead of the clash with Birmingham on Sunday:

Johnstone; Ajayi, Bartley, Clarke; Furlong, Gardner-Hickman, Livermore, Mowatt, Townsend; Robinson, Grant

It could be the case that Steve Bruce will stick rather than twist, despite a relatively disappointing performance last time out against Bristol City.

In terms of form coming into this game, West Brom hold the advantage, having bagged two wins and two draws across the last five fixtures; including an impressive 1-0 defeat of Championship leaders Fulham.

Meanwhile, Lee Bowyer’s Birmingham side come into Sunday’s clash having picked up just five points from a possible 15, not the sort of form you’d want to be in during the business end of the season.

Despite failing to score in four out of their last five games, it is certain that the Blues will feel the pressure from their home support coming into this tie and will look to disrupt Steve Bruce’s side as the Baggies look to add to their ascending momentum.

In other news – Sold for £2.5m, now worth 180% more: West Brom had a howler on gem who scared Luis Enrique

Rangers summer transfer news

Transfer insider Dean Jones has now dropped some big news with regards to summer plans at Glasgow Rangers.

The Lowdown: Targets lined up

The Ibrox faithful are reportedly now considering moves for both Ross Stewart and Gareth Bale in the summer, so they are clearly already eyeing up ways to strengthen with the current season drawing closer to an end.

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They find themselves six points behind leaders Celtic in the Scottish Premiership, but are in the UEFA Europa League semi-final after they knocked out Braga over two legs – if they can win the competition and secure Champions League football, new quality and depth in the market will be a necessity.

The Latest: Planning already

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones has shared that the hierarchy at the Teddy Bears have ‘already been speaking’ about possible transfer targets for the summer, while other clubs have not got that far yet:

“I know they’ve already been speaking about potential targets for the window, which is quite interesting given we’re still only halfway through April.

“A lot of clubs aren’t that far down the road in terms of defining where they want to head.”

The Verdict: Big

The fact that the Light Blues are planning ahead already is big for their ambitions for next season.

It looks as if they are going to miss out on the SPFL title, but should they end up winning the Europa League, then they would automatically qualify for the Champions League group stages.

Thus, they could potentially attract big names like Bale to the football club, and so deals will need to be in place in order to fight off the likely competition.

Nonetheless, it is always better to get your business done early in the window, so that everything is prepared in time for the start of the new campaign.

In other news, find out who Gers’ three worst performers were against Braga here!

Man City UCL injury news: Stones & Walker missing in training

Sky Sports News journalist Ben Ransom has shared some worrying footage of Manchester City training ahead of their Champions League semi-final clash against Real Madrid.

The Lowdown: City’s UCL run

An ill-tempered draw in the second-leg of the Sky Blues’ quarter-final tie against Atletico Madrid sent Pep Guardiola’s side through to the last four of the Champions League.

Kevin De Bruyne’s second half goal in the first-leg was enough to secure the win for City, who now face Real Madrid in the semi-finals later on tonight at the Etihad.

When questioned in yesterday’s lunchtime press conference about the availability of Kyle Walker and John Stones following, Guardiola responded:

“They are doubts, they didn’t train for the last week to ten days and John since Brighton. We’ll see how they feel, we’ll speak to them tomorrow and then make the decision.”

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The Latest: Footage emerges

Taking to Twitter just 24 hours before kick-off, Sky Sports News reporter Ben Ransom has shared footage of Man City’s training session.

Captioning the video, he claimed: “No Walker nor Stones on the training pitch for Man City ahead of the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid.”

The Verdict: Huge blow

This injury news will come as a huge blow for Guardiola’s selection, if indeed both players have not miraculously recovered in the hours since the footage was leaked.

With Joao Cancelo already suspended, City now do not have a player available who has been utilised at right-back before.

This suggests that one of Oleksandr Zinchenko or Nathan Ake will have to step up in Walker’s absence.

This will see to a makeshift back-line which Guardiola will hope can keep a strong Madrid side out, before his squad can recuperate for the second-leg.

In other news: Manchester City: Daily Mail makes Declan Rice claim

Bruno gave everything for Newcastle vs City

Newcastle United sealed their fourth consecutive Premier League win on Saturday afternoon, beating Norwich City 3-0 at Carrow Road in a fantastic performance – with the result seeing the Magpies break into the top half of the table.

Eddie Howe’s team have performed miracles since he joined the club – guiding a side who were rock bottom in the Premier League to being 15 points above the relegation zone, sitting ninth after their latest victory.

Newcastle dominated throughout the game away from home, enjoying 55% possession, hitting the target with seven shots and making more accurate passes than their opponents, which led to the side taking their chances to sail to a comfortable victory.

The scoring was opened in the 35th minute when Allan Saint-Maximin swapped positions with Joelinton only minutes before he assisted the Brazilian to make it 1-0, and the tactical tweak continued to pay off when Joelinton found the back of the net to double the lead just before half-time.

In the second half, Newcastle remained confident and dominant with Bruno Guimaraes killing the game by bagging the third in the 49th minute, and from that moment onwards, Norwich were unable to get back into the match.

And, while goalscorer Joelinton did highly impress in Norfolk, it was undoubtedly Guimaraes who stole the show at Carrow Road – with the Brazilian turning in a complete performance that will be giving the Norwich players and supporters nightmares.

Newcastle’s £120k-per-week midfield maestro – who was recently hailed as “magnificent” by Howe – enjoyed a whopping 72 touches of the ball, completed two key passes and, as previously mentioned, got himself on the scoresheet.

The January signing also made four interceptions and two tackles, in addition to boasting an impressive pass accuracy of 95% in the heart of the Newcastle midfield.

Since joining the club, the 24-year-old has featured in 13 Premier League fixtures, winning nine of those games and drawing one – something which clearly indicates that his arrival has had a massive impact on a side who were looking extremely likely to be relegated just a matter of months ago.

There is no doubt that the Newcastle manager, players, supporters and owners will be absolutely thrilled with the progress the team has made in the second half of the season, and there is definitely credit due to the club for identifying such an impactful player like Guimaraes back in January.

AND in other news: Huge boost: Newcastle handed fresh injury lift that will have Eddie Howe buzzing

Martinez: Wolves’ biggest transfer regret

Wolverhampton Wanderers have gone under the radar when it comes to astute signings in recent times.

It’s easy to overlook the fact that their last five arrivals, including loans, have all been signed for under £10m. It’s even more impressive that four of those are consistent first-team players, with Yerson Mosquera the only exception, although he has made one appearance for Bruno Lage’s first-team and would surely have more were it not for a long-term hamstring injury.

Nevertheless, their business over the past year has been nothing short of sensational, especially in today’s market, which is why it comes as even more of a shock that Wolves once failed to acquire the permanent signing of Emiliano Martinez, who is now a Premier League regular elsewhere in the Midlands at Aston Villa.

Back in the 2015/16 season, the Argentine played for the Old Gold amid a loop of loan moves and fringe appearances, although his initial opening months at Wolverhampton Wanderers sought to end that pattern.

In 2015, Martinez made 13 appearances for Wolves in the Championship and despite only keeping four clean sheets, he conjured up a rather impressive 71% save percentage. For context, in his breakout season for Aston Villa in 2020/21, his save percentage was 77%, so for that time in his career it was a very impressive metric.

Ultimately it was the thigh injury that kept him out of contention for several months which cost both Martinez and Wolves the chance to work together long-term.

On one hand, you can understand the caution that Wolves expressed, as the ‘keeper was unable to regain his starting place after the injury. However, with the underlying stats that he displayed throughout those 13 appearances for the Old Gold, it remains a mystery as to why Martinez was never given the chance to win back his place between the sticks.

Despite finding a gem in former Olympiacos ‘keeper José Sá, the reluctance to sign a goalkeeper dubbed by Dan Rolinson as “unreal” and who would go on to earn the highest of plaudits from Lionel Messi must serve as one of the biggest transfer regrets at Molineux.

To rub salt in the wounds of the Wolves pack, the 29-year-old who has shone for club and country is now worth £28.8m in today’s market. Had the Old Gold pounced for a permanent deal six years ago, they may have got him for as little as £1.35m judging by his Transfermarkt valuation at the time, instead of leaving him return to his then-parent club Arsenal for nothing.

In other news – Lage could finally unearth Wolves’ new Diogo Jota in “unpredictable” £33m creator

Arsenal receive big boost in striker pursuit

Arsenal have received a huge boost in their striker search this weekend…

What’s the word?

According to The Sun’s Alan Nixon, Everton are prepared to cash in on mooted Gunners transfer target Dominic Calvert-Lewin this summer – and they are prepared to accept less than their £60m asking price.

The 25-year-old features amongst an extensive shortlist as manager Mikel Arteta could do with at least one – if not two – forwards ahead of next season.

West Ham United are also said to be keen on the Toffees talisman.

The deadline day departure of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang left the Spanish head coach with only 20 senior stars, in which only two are strikers and both remain out of contract in the summer.

The man Arteta needs?

Indeed, both Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah appear set on departing the Emirates Stadium in the summer as neither player has reached an agreement to extend their expiring deals yet.

It leaves Arteta without a senior frontman and if his side does qualify for Europe next term, that’s a major worry.

However, they have been handed an encouraging boost over Calvert-Lewin, who could be the man to put a stop to this ongoing nightmare in north London.

The England international’s season has largely been hampered by injuries and as such, the Merseyside outfit have struggled for goals and form in his absence.

He kickstarted the campaign with three goals from three appearances but hasn’t been able to find the net in his seven appearances since returning from injury, though in 2020/21, he delivered 21 goals in 39 appearances under the stewardship of a world-class boss in Carlo Ancelotti.

Growing up as a huge admirer of Thierry Henry, Calvert-Lewin could be right at home down in the capital and now the Toffees are prepared to accept less for the £40.5m-rated talisman, it would make sense for Edu Gaspar and co to swoop.

“He’s transformed into a complete striker. I remember when I got here he was nothing like the player he is today,” claimed teammate Richarlison. “He must be a nightmare to play against and he has an incredible leap on him like Cristiano Ronaldo.”

Whilst football analyst Statman Dave once described him as a “goal machine” to Twitter.

On the above evidence, the Gunners must now turn their full attention onto the Everton striker ahead of the transfer window reopening in the summer.

AND in other news, “Discussions have been held”: Reliable journo drops exciting Arsenal summer transfer claim…

Liverpool: New Mo Salah contract claim emerges

Liverpool are looking to achieve an unprecedented feat this year that would see them become the first English side to lift the quadruple.

Mohamed Salah is a major component for the Reds in their chase for glory and some interesting news has broken over the future of the Egyptian.

What’s the news?

Last week, an exclusive interview between FourFourTwo’s Chris Flanagan and Mo Salah was made public, with the Premier League’s top scorer offering words on the status of his contract talks with Liverpool.

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Chris Flanagan shared his verdict in the latest report via ThisisAnfield.com:

“He seemed very relaxed about everything, including his future.

“I got the sense that his number one aim is absolutely to stay at the club, but that he was prepared to wait a little longer to get the best deal possible if that’s what it takes.”

Fans on edge

Salah’s future at the club has been an overshadowing worry for Liverpool fans this season, with the Egyptian proving to be a talismanic figure for Klopp’s side since his transfer from Roma back in 2017.

The now 29-year-old has bagged 13 assists in 43 appearances for Klopp’s side this term, yet again proving his value to a side who are capitalising on his performances and setting their sights on an unprecedented quadruple trophy swoop.

Salah has remained composed throughout the contract debacle and has already equalled his goal tally of last season in six games less.

The £90m-rated sensation insisted his contract issues were not about monetary gain, as he told Flannagan: “I think the fans know what I want, but in the contract, it’s not everything about the money at all.”

Asked by ThisisAnfield, Flannagan gave his verdict on the quote from Salah: “His added quote that it wasn’t all about the money was interesting, as it was unprompted – I’d asked him how he saw his future, but my question hadn’t mentioned money.”

Either way, with the clock ticking on his deal, supporters will be on the edge of their seats about whether or not he’ll pen new terms in Merseyside. This claim certainly seems to suggest that he might, however.

In other news: Insider: Liverpool consider move for “world-class” £150m gem, imagine him & Fabinho…

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