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Charlie Austin was once a quality striker in the Premier League, with the forward enjoying impressive spells at QPR and Southampton in particular but based on his lack of appearances in the top-flight so far this season with West Brom, it seems as if his time at the top-level may well be over.

Therefore, it could be argued that the Saints did well to cash in on the 31-year-old when they did in the summer of 2019, with Austin joining the Baggies in a deal worth £3.87 million (per Transfermarkt).

The striker, who contributed 20 goals and four assists in 81 appearances for the South Coast club, enjoyed a fairly fruitful campaign with the Baggies last season, as he scored 11 goals in 40 appearances in all competitions.

However, his contributions, which helped Slaven Bilic’s side earn promotion to the top-flight, were seemingly not enough to convince the Croatian manager that he is worthy of a starting spot in the top-flight.

The 31-year-old was on the bench for West Brom’s opening game against Leicester City but hasn’t been in the Premier League squad for any other fixture so far this term, whilst he has made two appearances in the EFL Cup (per Transfermarkt).

Austin’s time at Southampton was not short of controversy, as he was told to train with the U’23s in the summer of 2019 before his departure. However, he did impress in spells for the Saints, with Matt Le Tissier and Jamie Redknapp both full of praise for the Englishman back in 2016.

The forward also made his feelings about Southampton and their fans clear in a foul-mouthed Twitter rant earlier this year, suggesting that the club did very well to be rid of him.

Considering that he seems to be something of a trouble-maker and clearly isn’t having an impact in the Premier League this season, you can definitely argue that Semmens did well to receive a fee for him in 2019, as well as getting his reported £70k per week wages off Southampton’s books.

Southampton’s strike force has certainly blossomed since his departure too, with Danny Ings and Che Adams having both impressed over the past year, so they are definitely not missing having Austin around the club.

Sheffield United are still on the look out for talent in the Championship, and the latest reports suggest that they will continue to see if they can agree a deal with Nottingham Forest for Matty Cash.

According to Yorkshire Live, the Blades had an offer of around £10 million rejected for the player, but they still remain very interested in the Forest full-back.

They will have to up their offer though, with the Championship outfit wanting nearer £15m for the player. It is unknown if and when the Blades will do this, but they are the only club to have made an offer so there is no rush to make another bid yet.

The 22-year-old has had a good season at Forest at both ends of the pitch as he made 42 appearances in the league and scored three goals whilst supplying five assists. He also made 1.1 key passes per match and averaged 2.6 tackles, 1.4 interceptions and three clearances per game, via WhoScored.

This is something that is crucial for a full-back at the Blades as Chris Wilder favours a formation which uses three centre-backs and two wing-backs so he needs players in the full-back positions like Cash who can not only defend well and break up opposition attacks but also can be a threat at the other end of the pitch.

£15m is a decent amount to have to pay for the player, but he is still very young so has a lot of time left in his career to play at a top level and become an even better player. They may have to bite the bullet and pay extra.

Blades fans, what are your thoughts on this news? Comment below!

Newcastle United have officially confirmed the signing of Callum Wilson from Championship club Bournemouth.

According to the official website of the Tyneside club, the 28-year old has joined up at St. James’ Park for an undisclosed fee and has signed a deal that will keep him in the northeast until the summer of 2024.

Speaking on the capture of Wilson, Steve Bruce has said: “I’m grateful the club has made it happen. Lee Charnley and those behind the scenes deserve a lot of credit.”

Indeed, the managing director of the Magpies was one of several people apparently instrumental in the signing of Wilson, who was not short of suitors as Dean Smith’s Aston Villa reportedly had a bid of their own rejected for the English international just a few days ago.

Nonetheless, this is a good bit of business from all of the parties involved in the deal. Wilson is somewhat of a goal-machine when glancing upon his statistics from his career thus far.

In 250 games across club level and England’s under-21 and senior teams, the striker has scored a relatively impressive 92 goals, as per Transfermarkt, meaning that he finds the back of the net every two to three matches on average.

The goal threat that Wilson carries may be vital for the Magpies going into the new season, as Newcastle fans will be hoping that the centre-forward can hit the ground running straight away.

Supporters may be able to see the Englishman for the first time in the famous black-and-white stripes at 3pm on Saturday as they kick off the new Premier League season away at David Moyes’ West Ham United at the London Stadium.

Geordies, are you happy with Wilson’s signing? Comment below with your views!

Sunderland are yet to hear back from defender Tom Flanagan after offering him a new contract after his current deal expired on June 30.

The Black Cats could need to make wholesale changes this summer after what proved to be another promotion-less season, failing to gain a route back to the Championship from League One for the second consecutive season.

Manager Phil Parkinson is expected to be extremely busy over the next few weeks as a number of first team regulars have now left the club.

Flanagan, who is one of those players, has been offered a new deal by the Wearsiders, but the versatile defender is yet to respond to that offer.

With Flanagan’s future now hanging in the balance at the Stadium of Light, it is also understood that Birmingham City and Coventry City are among a group of interested teams in for the defender.

One of those interested sides, Coventry, who gained automatic promotion from League One are seemingly keen to sign the defender with a latest report by Coventry LIVE looking into how Flanagan would fit in Mark Robins’ side if a deal was completed.

The report also goes on to add that the Sky Blues have told Flanagan’s agency Red6 Sports Management their intentions to make a move for the £225,000-valued man.

It does look likely that Flanagan will not be returning to Sunderland now, especially with reported interest from clubs in the Championship.

His spell at the Stadium of Light is now best in the past and he would be foolish not to take a step up to England’s second tier, but of course, he could want to attempt a promotion push with the club next term.

The guarantee of achieving promotion, however, is simply non-existent…

Where do you think Tom Flanagan will play his football next season? Let us know in the comments section below…

According to Transfer20, Tottenham are in the race to sign Real Betis midfielder William Carvalho this summer.

What’s the word?

Despite their reported interest in Southampton ace Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, it appears Spurs are casting their net far and wide, with Carvalho the latest man to be linked with a switch to north London.

Transfer20 claim that along with the likes of Leeds United and Leicester, Jose Mourinho’s side are keeping tabs on the Portugal international’s long-term future at Betis.

Is it Mido or Pedro Mendes? This Spurs quiz will separate the loyal from the fake…



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The report adds that whilst Carvalho is unlikely to force a move this summer, he does remain an asset that could bring in some much-needed cash to the Spanish side.

Cristiano Ronaldo wanted him at Real Madrid

Carvalho’s name is one that has dominated the transfer headlines for a number of years now, particularly since his time at Sporting CP.

Such was the early promise that he showed that reports back in 2017 claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo had urged Real Madrid president Florentino Perez to bring his Portuguese compatriot to the Santiago Bernabeu as he was impressed with his versatility and deemed him to be a good fit.

His former Portugal teammate Tiago raved about Carvalho’s abilities as an anchor man, saying: “He’s an amazing player with fantastic passing ability for such a strong holding midfielder.” And after watching his performance in a EURO 2016 clash against Austria, Rio Ferdinand lauded him as a “giant” with a “calmness” on the ball.

If Spurs feel like they are getting priced out of a move for Hojbjerg by Southampton, then they can do a lot worse than going after the 6 foot 2 Carvalho this summer.

Southampton welcome West Ham to St Mary’s this Saturday, where the Saints will be hoping to make it three wins in a row at home.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men have taken six points from their last two fixtures on the south coast, coming against Watford and Norwich, and while they may have suffered late heartbreak in the defeat to Newcastle last time out, they will presumably be encouraged by their back-to-back home successes.

In West Ham’s case, things are looking very bleak. The Hammers have just one win from their last ten Premier League outings, and The Guardian have reported that Manuel Pellegrini could face the sack if Southampton take three points this weekend.

Let’s take a look at the starting XI that we think Hasenhuttl should deploy in this bottom-half clash…

As you can see, we think that Hasenhuttl should make just one change from the side that suffered defeat against Newcastle.

The one change in question can be found down the left, where we have dropped Nathan Redmond from the team due to his ineffective performances.

Supporters on Twitter were left fuming with the former Norwich and Birmingham forward’s performance against Newcastle, in which he missed a number of chances on a day where he also summed up the Saints’ overall struggles.

Redmond has scored just one league goal this term, and maybe it is time for Che Adams to be handed another chance in the side after it appeared as if Hasenhuttl turned his back on him recently – albeit this time in a role that he hasn’t played in this term.

Transfermarkt states that Adams – who scored 22 goals for Birmingham last season – can play on the left, and with Sofiane Boufal a doubt for the game, we think that the Englishman deserves a chance to take Redmond’s place in the team.

In other news, this pundit is right to say that Southampton are being unfair on their valuation of this man…

When Odsonne Edouard arrived at Celtic on loan, he set the Scottish league alight. That meant that the Hoops did everything they could to sign him on a permanent deal, and in the end he joined for £9.27 million, per Transfermarkt.

He has quickly become a fan favourite at Paradise, and this campaign he was the top goal scorer in the division, finishing nine goals ahead of Jermain Defoe in second place, via BBC Sport.

Becoming such a vital player for the Hoops and helping them achieve a lot of success has not gone unnoticed, with clubs across Europe interested in signing the forward. However with news this week from Sky Sports suggesting that the Celts are currently trying to tie down the attacker on a new contract, it looks like they will definitely have him for next seasons historic title push as they try to achieve something never done in Scottish history and win the league ten times in a row, per talkSPORT.

So how much do Celtic fans know about Edouard’s career so far at the club? This quiz will test even the most dedicated supporters.

Manchester United fans have taken to Twitter to criticise Andreas Pereira for his performance against Aston Villa.

The Brazilian midfielder was making his 12th Premier League start of the season against the Villans on Sunday, but failed to deliver an inspiring performance as the Red Devils once again threw away a lead to draw – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side were also leading against Sheffield United before drawing 3-3.

Pereira in particular was dreadful. The 23-year-old was in extremely frustratingly form against Dean Smith’s side, failing to have a shot on target while also completing three out of seven attempted long balls and two out of seven crosses.

Amazingly, Solskjaer kept Pereira on the field for the entire 90 minutes, instead withdrawing Juan Mata and Anthony Martial while his side were drawing the game – that decision was equally as baffling as the Norwegian’s continued faith in the ineffective midfielder.

Let’s take a look at what the Manchester United fans on Twitter have been saying about Pereira’s showing…

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Newcastle put in one of their most convincing performances of the Steve Bruce era last Saturday afternoon.

They showed tremendous resilience and concentration to halt Manchester City in their tracks as they drew 2-2.

Twice they came from a goal down to level proceedings and it said an awful lot about the type of character the players have at St James’ Park.

However, going into their clash with Sheffield United on Thursday, Steve Bruce would be wise to replicate a bold decision he made last weekend.

On the chalkboard

Perhaps rather surprisingly, Bruce decided to keep Fabian Schar among the substitutes against the Citizens.

The Switzerland international has recently just returned from injury but has regularly been one of the Magpies’ most consistent and cultured defenders.

Last term, he scored four goals and claimed a solitary assist for his troubles while he’s played nine times in 2019/20, instilling himself as a regular under the new management.

However, the man who replaced him when he was sidelined, Federico Fernandez, was in superb form on Saturday to justify exactly why Bruce’s call was right.

The Argentine was a colossal figure at the back and made ten clearances along the way. Before the game, there may have been a debate between both him and the £10.8m-rated Schar but the latter wasn’t favoured.

Perhaps fearing the possibility of aggravating the knee issue he had before, it was a decision that more than paid off.

Fernandez was strong in the tackle, winning two challenges, while there was also room for an impressive five interceptions. The 30-year-old’s reading of the play was eye-catching and against a City side possessing the creative hubs of Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva, this was vital.

When Bruce’s men take on the Blades, it wouldn’t be a great surprise if Schar was again kept on the bench.

After all, his replacement in the side has done little wrong and deserves a bigger run in the side.

In other news, check out what Newcastle fans had to say about Alan Shearer’s TOTW…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Arsene Wenger has stated that Aymeric Laporte’s absence could be a “big handicap” for Manchester City as they head into the vital clash against Liverpool on Sunday.

What did he say?

The champions will travel to Anfield this weekend for what can be regarded as a must-win for Pep Guardiola’s men. Should the Reds snatch three points over City, they will open up a nine-point lead at the top of the table.

Plus, when you consider Liverpool’s breathtaking form, such a convincing lead early on could be trouble for the current champions. One of the reasons City have been left chasing Liverpool is the weakness they have in their backline in the absence of their most trusted central defender.

And Wenger believes the injury to the French enforcer could be a significant factor on Sunday.

The former Arsenal man told beIN Sports (as quoted by the Mirror): “Well we have seen in recent years that they are very tight games.

“We know Man City will take the game to Liverpool, and that Liverpool will be very dangerous on the counter-attack.

“I personally feel they could not afford to lose [Aymeric] Laporte, Manchester City.

“If you look at their results, they still play great football but they are a fractionally a bit more vulnerable defensively. And that could be a big handicap against Liverpool.”

City’s biggest loss

Laporte picked up the injury against Brighton & Hove Albion back in August and still faces many more months out after undergoing surgery.

The Frenchman’s absence has been heavily felt ever since and City came under pressure immediately after his injury. Within the weeks that followed, the champions would lose to Norwich City and Wolverhampton Wanderers, forcing the current six-point gap to open.

The likes of Fernandinho and Rodri have since had to step in at centre-back, but the main cause for concern has been Nicolas Otamendi. In the loss to Norwich, the Argentine committed a calamitous error which allowed Teemu Pukki to score and eventually snatch all three points.

Then, against Wolves, Adama Traore unlocked City’s defence twice late on with Otamendi at the back. Now, up against arguably Europe’s best front three at Anfield, Laporte’s absence is going to be felt more than ever.

The defender has been an almighty miss so far, and Guardiola needs him back as soon as possible.