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Kevin Phillips has claimed that Sunderland were hard done by for the second goal scored by Wycombe Wanderers in their League One clash on Saturday lunchtime.

The Lowdown: Incident packed

Wycombe against Sunderland was certainly a game that lived up to its expectation as both teams fight for automatic promotion up to the Championship.

It was a match full of goals and incidents, as Ross Stewart was not adjudged to have committed a foul as he headed home the Black Cats’ opening goal very early on, which has since been ruled as own goal for Wycombe goalkeeper David Stockdale.

Nonetheless, the first half produced four goals in total in what was a fast start by both sides. The match eventually ended 3-3, with both Stewart and Joe Jacobson scoring in second-half stoppage time.

The Latest: Phillips on Vokes goal

Speaking on Sky Sports (13:24-13:25pm) in his first-half analysis, former SAFC striker Phillips has claimed that the goal scored by Sam Vokes to put Wycombe 2-1 in front should not have stood, as he feels Brandon Hanlan was obstructing goalkeeper Anthony Patterson, and was in an offside position:

“First and foremost, is it a foul on the goalkeeper? If there’s VAR, the goal doesn’t get given because he’s obstructing the goalkeeper.

“Could the goalkeeper be stronger? I think when Vokes heads it, it looks like it’s possibly offside.

“As soon as Hanlan’s arm goes over the top of the goalkeeper, for me it’s a foul.

“I think with VAR, it’s not given for me.”

The Verdict: No goal

As Phillips rightfully points out, Hanlan was obstructing Patterson as he attempted to try and claim the ball before Vokes headed it, and was in an offside position, so the goal should not have counted.

If VAR was available, it probably would have been ruled out, and so Lee Johnson’s team could feel very hard done by that the decision went against them.

Stewart thought he had come to the rescue for the Stadium of Light faithful and ensured the controversial incident against Patterson didn’t matter, but Jacobsen levelled things with seconds to spare, leaving a bitter taste in Sunderland mouths.

In other news, find out what Johnson update has Black Cats buzzing here!

Aston Villa are considering making a move for Rangers defender Leon King, according to Birmingham Live, and a number of Villa fans have been giving their thoughts on the news via social media.

The 17-year-old centre-back was promoted to first team training when Steven Gerrard was in charge at Ibrox and will be out of contract at the end of the season.

Leicester City, Manchester United and Newcastle United are all tracking King, but Birmingham Live suggested that Villa could swoop in a deal worth just £200,000.

King has made two senior appearances for Rangers and is highly regarded in Scotland, with the Gers in talks with the teenager over a new contract. Should those discussions prove unsuccessful, a winter move to the Midlands could well be on the cards.

Villa fans react

@villareport shared the links to King on Twitter on Wednesday. Here is what these Villa fans had to say in reply, with one labelling his movie-esque name as ‘brilliant’.

“Surely not. He wouldn’t leave a massive club for a tiny tinpot club like Villa. No way.”

Credit: @Aston_JTT_Villa

“yes please”

Credit: @DanAV___

“I mean, this is a drop in the ocean for us, just do it.”

Credit: @DaleAC93

“The name is brilliant, heard he’s a baller and anything to enjoy Rangers so get it done Villa”

Credit: @MasonUTFV

“bargain”

Credit: @catrinavfc

“he absolutely destroys the name test”

Credit: @DOUGLASLUlZ

In other news: ‘Shocking’ – Many Villa fans slam ace who lost 80% of duels v Man City

Leeds United could target a new central midfielder this January transfer window, according to the ever-reliable Phil Hay of The Athletic…

What’s the word?

In a recent transfer Q&A with supporters, the trusty reporter claimed that we could see the Yorkshire giants finally sign the midfielder they have been desperate for in recent times.

“We could all see that recruitment in central midfield was necessary in the last window and Leeds would have taken someone there had Conor Gallagher agreed to come from [Chelsea] or Lewis O’Brien not been priced as he was,” he said.

“To my mind, failing to add a midfielder was a mistake and it looks like the priority the club need to focus on in the coming window. You can go back to the interest in Michael Cuisance to see how long they’ve actually been after a player in that area.”

Bucking the trend

This should come as huge excitement for many supporters around Elland Road – and not just because they could bring in some fresh faces to bolster their chances of staying in the Premier League.

Indeed, the Whites find themselves just five points above the relegation zone, having played several more games than those sides below them.

United boss Marcelo Bielsa has been dealing with an injury crisis for the bulk of the season but in recent times that has got excruciatingly worse, with as many as 11 players, including nine first-team stars, absent from their recent 4-1 defeat to Arsenal.

It suggests that reinforcements will certainly be needed in the window.

But typically, Leeds never spend in January, so they would need to buck the trend if they are to resolve this ongoing nightmare.

Hay also believes that is something they could do.

“Victor Orta and Bielsa don’t like to be overly active in January but you’ll have noticed Bielsa saying a couple of weeks ago that signings would be good if Leeds can find a way to make them happen — provided they are fit enough to step straight in,” he said in response to another question.

If that’s the case, then those around west Yorkshire should be hugely encouraged heading into January. Their fortunes could well be boosted heading into the remainder of the season.

AND in other news, Bielsa dealt another cruel Leeds United setback this week…

Leeds Live’s Beren Cross has delivered an update on Leeds United’s pursuit of John Swift ahead of the January transfer window.

What’s the story?

According to recent reports in The Sheffield Star, Marcelo Bielsa’s side have their eye on the attacking midfielder, along with the likes of Newcastle United and Brentford.

Cross has now delivered an update on where things currently stand with a potential move for Swift.

He said: “Swift will certainly be a player Orta and Bielsa are aware of. An English talent at 26 with an expiring contract is hard to ignore. After a few injury issues across the past few seasons, he has continued to play well this season and led from the front with Reading. Evidently, he will leave there in January for a smaller fee or wait to go for nothing next summer.

“It is fair to say he has outgrown the Berkshire club. I am not aware Leeds have ever shown strong interest in taking Swift to Elland Road, and that includes the Championship days. Now, in the Premier League, Swift is unproven and could be considered a risk. The finances would not be an issue, but is he that much better than what Leeds already have and does he have that box-to-box profile Leeds need alongside a Rodrigo in the middle?”

Would be an exciting addition for Leeds

Swift has a track record of offering a goal-scoring threat from attacking midfield, managing an impressive 63 goal contributions in 181 games. in fact, his start to the current campaign for Reading has been quite incredible, netting eight goals in 17 matches in the Championship as well as chipping in with seven assists.

Speaking back in August after a 2-1 win over Preston, Royals manager Veljko Paunovic said of the 26-year-old: “Now he’s back, it is important we keep him healthy and motivated as he is now because that will help us a lot.

“He is super talented and he showed an urgency that he wanted to decide the game. The first couple of passes to Azeez and Joao were fantastic vision and execution of the final pass – something we’ve missed in the past. We missed those slick combinations through the middle when we progress forward so that’s something we have to keep up.”

That ability to come from deep and find the back of the net – he has scored 40 senior goals in his professional career thus far – would add a different dimension to Leeds’ side.

The fact that Bielsa and Orta will be “aware” of Swift and his progress at Reading could be crucial to potentially making a move for him in January when the transfer window opens again.

He’d certainly be an exciting addition for Leeds fans.

Meanwhile, Leeds are facing a transfer battle for this Brazilian ace…

Stuart Dallas stole the show at Elland Road on Tuesday night as Leeds United picked up a long-awaited victory in the Premier League.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side narrowly defeated Crystal Palace thanks to a last-minute penalty from Brazilian winger Raphinha but it wasn’t the exciting dynamo who excelled most up in west Yorkshire.

It was the £12.5m-rated Northern Irish utility man – dubbed the Cookstown Cafu – who looked ever so impressive filling in at right-back in the continued absence of vice-captain Luke Ayling, contributing at either end of the pitch and having a major impact under the Argentine.

The £53k-per-week gem has played no fewer than six different roles for the Whites this campaign and this midweek display was another reminder of just how vital he is to have around.

As per SofaScore, Dallas registered a match-high six tackles and also contributed in abundance defensively, with a team-most three interceptions and two blocks, whilst he even won a total of seven duels.

This level of performance meant that Wilfried Zaha and Odsonne Edouard had very little to say on his side and as such, they could not affect the game for Patrick Vieira’s visiting cast.

His influence wasn’t just in their own half, however, as the 30-year-old got up and down the wing to great effect, managing to deliver two accurate crosses, on top of creating one key chance and having 62 touches of the ball – the fourth-most of any Leeds player.

Dallas’ display earned high praise from those that witnessed him in action – for instance, TEAMtalk editor James Marshment claimed he “led the fight from the back” and was “immense”, whilst LeedsLive reporter Beren Cross graded him amongst United’s star performers.

Of course, Raphinha will take plenty of the plaudits but overall, his display was way off his usual standard as he lost possession a whopping 31 times – nearly double any other Leeds player – and made just one cross from eight attempts, per SofaScore.

“Not quite at his sparkling best,” is how Cross described it after full-time.

So forget the 22-year-old, it was Dallas’ night at Elland Road.

AND in other news, Bielsa can unearth Leeds’ next Phillips in 18 y/o “big prospect”, fans must be excited…

Mateusz Klich, Jack Harrison and Dan James all struggled to make a big impact in Leeds United’s 1-1 draw at home to Wolves on Saturday.

The Whites were looking for a much-needed win in the Premier League but ended up earning what felt like a positive draw. Rodrigo’s last-gasp penalty ensured that Marcelo Bielsa’s side took home a point at Elland Road, with the celebrations after the goal showing how vital it felt.

That said, it was still two points dropped at home, and here are the three Leeds players who struggled on the day.

Mateusz Klich

Klich started in the middle of the park but he failed to fully impose himself on proceedings, with his 6.7 rating from Sofascore only better than Harrison (6.1).

The Polish midfielder didn’t make a single tackle or interception during the game and he was also dribbled past on one occasion, failed to fill the void left by the injured Kalvin Phillips.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375277″]

Jack Harrison

Harrison took up his usual left-sided role, with Raphinha more central and James on the right, but he was another Leeds player who didn’t make a significant impact.

The 24-year-old didn’t win any of his seven ground duels, also losing possession 13 times and only managing to complete 67% of his passes.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-21/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Dan James

James was another Whites player who didn’t have a great day at the office, as his Leeds career still waits to fully ignite.

The Welshman didn’t even attempt a dribble in the entire match and he also failed to have a single shot, summing up his lack of attacking spark for Bielsa’s side yesterday.

In other news, a key comment has emerged regarding Bielsa’s future at Leeds. Read more here.

Manchester United confirmed on Wednesday evening that centre-back Raphael Varane will be out for around a month with a hamstring issue.

And, as to be expected, a number of United fans have been reacting to the injury news on social media.

The 28-year-old only returned from a groin problem on the weekend in the 3-0 win over Tottenham and kept his place in the side against Atalanta on Tuesday.

However, the Frenchman had to be withdrawn in the first half with another muscle issue and was replaced by Mason Greenwood.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side went on to draw 2-2 in the Champions League, but they’ll now be without Varane once again for the foreseeable future. The first game Varane will miss will be against rivals Manchester City on Saturday lunchtime.

This is of course a huge blow for the Red Devils, with Harry Maguire out of form and no one else in the back line boasting the top level of experience of Varane, who has won a ridiculous four Champions League titles and ranks as the squad’s highest-rated centre-back this season, per Whoscored.

United fans react

Well-known page @utdreport shared the news regarding Varane on Twitter on Wednesday.

This is what these fans had to say in reply, with one labelling it as a ‘big blow’ while one believed ‘another’ key player was rushed back too soon following recent reports on Maguire.

“Another key player rushed back from injury when it wasn’t necessary”

Credit: @T4rum_

“We’re finished”

Credit: @ITB0YJUNGKOOK

“Big blow”

Credit: @RasBhullar

“This is all on Ole. Rushed Maguire and now rushed Varane as well.”

Credit: @thathalfcastboy

“Yeah the pain just keeps coming”

Credit: @Mordiajohnson5

“we are so finished i’m in tears”

Credit: @pastaccino

Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has confirmed that Leon Bailey will once again be missing from action ahead of their match against Spurs in the Premier League.

What’s the story?

The Jamaica international has had a mixed start to life at Villa Park following his summer move from Bayer Leverkusen, with injuries causing him to miss a couple of games in late August.

After making his recovery, Bailey showed exactly what he could bring to the table with an electric cameo against Everton, scoring one goal and setting up another as Villa ran out 3-0 winners.

However, after being forced off though injury just minutes after coming on against the Toffees, the 24-year-old looks set to be ruled out until after the international break; and speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of today’s fixture, Smith has delivered an update on the winger.

The manager said: “I’m hopeful that he will start training during the international break, and we will assess him then.”

Villa fans will be gutted

After initially seeing Bailey go down with injury, former Villa defender Alan Hutton responded by saying: “He’s a little bit different to some players because he’s so explosive. That’s kind of a red flag. You need to be careful, especially if you’re coming back from a hamstring injury or things like that. He’s that quick off the mark that he needs to be right.

“The intensity of the Premier League is massive so it’s always going to put strain on your body. They’re going to have to be careful with him, he is playing catch up.”

Hutton concluded: “I’m sure over the coming weeks, depending on how bad he is, they’ll take their time with him and try bed him in really slowly.”

Bailey’s display against Everton showed just why he can be a real game-changer for Villa with his sheer pace and skill, and coming up against a struggling Spurs side, he surely would have relished today’s contest.

Villa fans will no doubt be gutted at seeing him miss out today.

Meanwhile, Gregg Evans has dropped an Aston Villa transfer update…

Tottenham Hotspur are expected to target a new forward during the January transfer window…

What’s the word?

That’s according to football.london reporter Alasdair Gold, who delivered a fresh claim to supporters during a recent Q&A.

When asked if an additional striker would be a priority in the upcoming window, he replied:

“Definitely.

“Dane Scarlett will get minutes here and there until then, and that will help the 17-year-old’s development, but it’s one area of the squad where too much pressure is being put on two players to share the load and in [Harry] Kane and [Heung-min] Son. They’re players who are too key to lose to injuries through overuse.

“Then it’s over to that age-old issue of finding a striker of the required quality in the January window who is willing to come and play back-up to Kane.”

Much needed addition

Indeed, another frontman is exactly what Nuno Santo needs heading into the second half of the season, especially considering the fact that he was reportedly keen to deploy a two-man attack upon arrival in north London.

Either way, it’s the one position Spurs lack serious depth in.

An injury to Kane could seriously curtail their campaign, which is the last thing they’ll want after clinching three straight victories in all competitions, in which the England international has found his scoring boots with four goals.

It’s a situation familiar to the club. In January 2020, he picked up a lengthy injury and Spurs soon crashed out of the FA Cup and the Champions League, and also slipped rapidly down the table.

Last season, former Lilywhites boss Jose Mourinho had a suitable and cost-effective backup in Benfica loanee Carlos Vinicius, who has since signed for PSV Eindhoven.

Whilst in previous years, the north Londoners have been stacked in the attacking department. At one point, Spurs had the services of Robbie Keane, Peter Crouch, Roman Pavlyuchenko and Emmanuel Adebayor in the very same squad.

Of course, it’s a more difficult task these days as you have to find someone willing to play second fiddle to Kane but opportunities wouldn’t be limited. Spurs are still in all domestic cup competitions and are among the favourites to secure the UEFA Europa Conference League, so there are plenty of fixtures ahead.

Therefore, this latest development should leave many around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium absolutely buzzing and excited ahead of January.

New sporting director Fabio Paratici has already shown his muscle in the transfer market, signing the likes of Emerson, Bryan Gil and Cristian Romero, so he could well deliver once again with the addition of a new forward.

Whether Spurs manage to secure that man remains to be seen but it’s certainly an encouraging prospect.

AND in other news, Forget Dier: £60m-rated Spurs star who lost possession 14x endured a nightmare at Newcastle…

Many Aston Villa fans have been fuming on Twitter, following comments from Wesley suggesting that he could leave the club upon return from his loan spell at Club Brugge [Nieuwsblad via Sport Witness].

Enjoying an injury-ridden spell at Aston Villa so far, the Brazilian has registered seven goal contributions in 26 appearances; six goals and one assist [Transfermarkt].

Now on loan at Club Brugge after finally returning to fitness, he has suggested he could be open to leaving the club at the end of his loan spell in a recent interview.

Speaking to Nieuwsblad, the 24-year-old stated: “After this year I will be under contract with Aston Villa for another 2 years. I may return, I may go to another club.” [Nieuwsblad via Sport Witness]

In light of this news, no wonder loads of Aston Villa diehards took to social media to vent their frustration at the comments from their player – while he is away temporarily, he is still a Villa Park employee, and really shouldn’t be so open about wanting to seek pastures new.

Aston Villa FC fans react:

Replying to popular Aston Villa FC fan outlet The AVFC Faithful on Twitter, here is what some fans had to say about the centre-forward:

“Bad attitude”

Credit: @pavlos1874

“Sounds like he’s had enough”

Credit: @Jelly31807434

“Bye”Credit: @Eli_techno”Get rid!!”Credit: @morley_kev”Sorry, you are…?”Credit: @keebo00″Unfortunate with the injury but wasted money same with Samatta”Credit: @ADAMVILLA1971In other news, a huge behind the scenes update has been revealed at Aston Villa. Find out more here.