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Conor McLaughlin stole the show as Sunderland were held to a one-all draw at Doncaster Rovers, having produced a Man of the Match-worthy display from centre-half on Saturday.

Black Cats boss Phil Parkinson had been without McLaughlin for the Stadium of Light natives’ 2-1 defeat to MK Dons last week through international duty, with the 29-year-old away with Northern Ireland for their UEFA Nations League Play-Off Final tie with Slovakia.

McLaughlin did not feature in the Group B clash that saw Slovakia score a winner deep into extra time at Windsor Park, but returned to the North East after playing the full 90 minutes in defeat to Austria and an 11-minute run-out at home to Romania to earn his 41st-cap.

Parkinson will have been delighted with the performance McLaughlin was able to produce on his return to League One action, offering a key presence on the right of Sunderland’s three-man defensive line and venturing forward to produce a number of dangerous crosses.

It was a display Sunderland fans will have come to expect from Jack Ross’ £6,400-per-week signing, who has now racked up 29 appearances in red and white since signing on the dotted line in 2019.

Ross was over the moon to welcome McLaughlin to the Stadium of Light from Millwall in a deal he felt would bring competition for places in a key position.

“I am delighted to be able to bring Conor to the club,” Ross said, via quotes by the Chronicle. “He brings quality and experience to a position that was of high priority for us to have options in. I look forward to working with him over the course of the season.”

Ross’ capture once again proved his worth to Sunderland against Doncaster as McLaughlin pulled the strings from centre-back with a game-high 92 touches and 64 accurate passes, per WhoScored.

No player for either side could match or better McLaughlin’s seven per cent share of the possession, while only Doncaster ace Benjamin Whiteman could match the 29-year-old’s 73 attempted passes.

McLaughlin further completed his only attempted dribble of the game, was only dribbled past once, won four of five aerial duels, completed one of two tackles and made three clearances.

He would only commit one foul before the full-time whistle rang around The Keepmoat Stadium, too, while winning three of his five ground duels, being fouled once and connecting with one of four attempted crosses, per SofaScore.

McLaughlin’s performance more than deserved a fifth League One clean sheet of the season to match, but would be left without another shut out on his record thanks to Fejiri Okenabirhie’s 93rd-minute equaliser to leave Sunderland eighth in the table.

AND in other news, Phil Parkinson risks the wrath of a £2k-p/w monster amid his recent Sunderland claim.

Noel Whelan has said that Ryan Kent’s future at Glasgow Rangers may be taken out of manager Steven Gerrard’s hands.

Leeds United have been heavily linked with the 23-year-old winger, with them even having a £10m bid rejected by the Ibrox outfit. Kent has had a fantastic start to the new campaign, scoring three goals and creating two in his first six games of the season, but when asked about his future with the 54-time Scottish champions, he failed to fully quash any rumours of a departure.

Talking to Football Insider, Whelan believes that Gerrard may have no say in the £3.15m-valued man’s future (as per Transfermarkt). He said:

“It was not a definite no from Ryan and every player is for sale at a certain price.

“I am sure that Steven Gerrard would love to keep him there because he knows him from his Liverpool times, that is why he bought him in the first place but sometimes it is out of a managers hands. If a decent offer comes in from a Premier League club they may have to let him go.

“Rangers need to have a player on standby to come in and fill that void.”

Gerrard, of course, will do all he can to keep one of his star players at the club, but as Whelan says, if a bid matches the 54-time Scottish champions’ demands, it will be hard to keep hold of Kent – after all, the Premier League is a significant step up in quality.

At some point, Kent will leave, but keeping him this term is vital. The Gers have a real chance of winning the Premiership this season – they currently top the table and have not yet conceded a goal. To do so, they will need to keep their best players at the club, and Kent definitely falls into that category.

Let us know what you think below!

Tottenham Hotspur’s quest for success in Europe begins later this evening having travelled to Bulgaria to face Lokomotiv Plovdiv in the Europa League second qualifying round.

Jose Mourinho has left as many as eight first-team starters at home as he looks to rotate his side with games coming thick and fast this month.

Dele Alli and Toby Alderweireld are the only known absentees alongside the injured Japhet Tanganga.

So, what sort of XI will the Spurs boss put out – here’s what we are predicting…

It could be possible that Mourinho makes as many as seven changes, starting in goal where Joe Hart could make his Spurs debut with skipper Hugo Lloris being rested.

Two players from Sunday’s defeat remain in the backline though with Eric Dier and Matt Doherty keeping their places. In comes Davinson Sanchez to replace his Belgian teammate and Ryan Sessegnon.

The 20-year-old could be chanced over Dennis Cirkin and Sergio Reguilon’s imminent arrival means he’ll certainly need to impress.

Summer signing Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg keeps his spot in midfield as Moussa Sissoko joins him from the off this time whilst £36m-rated playmaker Giovani Lo Celso may surely make his first start of the new season having missed the Everton defeat through injury.

On the wings, there are changes too.

Heung-min Son and Lucas Moura are dropped and are replaced by Steven Bergwijn and Erik Lamela.

Leading the team out in attack and as captain for the night will be Harry Kane. His workload this campaign could be monumental if Daniel Levy doesn’t clinch his manager a back-up striker.

It means there are no places for Serge Aurier, Harry Winks, Ben Davies or Gedson Fernandes.

AND in other news, Spurs can make a major statement by clinching “special” £50m target after Gareth Bale…

Borussia Dortmund are ready to sell Jadon Sancho to Manchester United “for the right price.” 

The Red Devils have received a huge boost in the race to sign Sancho this summer, as Dortmund are willing to let him leave on one condition.

According to The Independent’s Miguel Delaney, the Germans will sell for the right price and Man United are expected to start negotiations with a basic fee of £55m, including a series of clauses and conditions that could take it to somewhere in the region of £80m.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has identified Sancho as the signing he needs to rebuild the Red Devils and take them to the next level.

Recent reports revealed Dortmund are stepping up contingency plans to prepare for his exit in the summer, which Delaney has now confirmed.

The Bundesliga challengers are sizing up a move for Werder Bremen’s Milot Rashica as a suitable replacement.

As it stands, everything seems to point towards Sancho ending up at Old Trafford sooner rather than later, but as is often the case with United, there is an added catch.

Although all parties involved are confident a deal can be completed, the decision ultimately hinges on whether or not the Red Devils will qualify for the Champions League.

While that may be a bit extreme, Sancho’s camp have insisted that Champions League qualification could make-or-break the deal, which is one reason why it hasn’t happened yet.

Suddenly, the stakes seem even higher when Solskjaer’s side travel to Leicester City on Sunday. United now need a point not only to reach Europe’s premier competition, but also to bring Sancho back to England in the summer.

United fans, do you think Ed Woodward will sign Sancho this summer? Let us know down below!

West Ham boss David Moyes could be sleepwalking into a transfer disaster this summer if fresh reports are to be believed…

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, the Hammers have pulled a U-turn on their young winger Grady Diangana and are now prepared to sell him if they receive an offer of £25m.

They claim that Moyes had been reluctant to let the 22-year-old leave the London Stadium before next season after his impressive loan spell at promotion-winning West Brom.

Now the club would like to move him on in order to garner some extra funds to use in the transfer market.

Moyes mistake

With the likes of Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko also on the chopping block this summer, it would be a strange move to get rid of Diangana too.

This really could be one of Moyes’ biggest mistakes at the Irons.

The enigmatic winger provided eight goals and six assists as the Baggies clinched the runner-up spot in the Championship this term – he only started 23 matches, which makes it all that more spectacular. Diangana also averaged 2.4 dribbles, 1.6 shots and 1.4 key passes per game, via WhoScored.

Only one Hammers star (Michail Antonio) scored more goals than the 22-year-old whilst no other player managed to match his assists for the season.

Diangana’s performances at the Hawthorns haven’t gone unnoticed either, Lee Hendrie believes he has set himself up “to be an absolutely fabulous player” and a “total nightmare” for defenders whilst EFL pundit Keith Andrews has described the wide man as “explosive”.

West Ham are better off having him around next season. He’s hungry to be a success and will be on less than half the money that the majority of the squad – flops included – are on.

It’s no wonder SPFL giants Celtic and Rangers are hot on his tail. They’d both make Moyes rue this blunder.

AND in other news, Hammers hope to use Moyes flop as makeweight for £20m star…

Newcastle are reportedly interested in Everton’s Mason Holgate, but they face a battle with Sheffield United and Bournemouth, according to The Sun.

The defender has returned to the Toffees’ team in recent weeks and helped them to victory over Chelsea before drawing at Old Trafford, and he could be available for a relatively small fee of £14m.

By Newcastle’s standards that would present a reasonable outlay, but spending large amounts on Joelinton and Allan Saint-Maximin indicates that Mike Ashley may be prepared to trust Steve Bruce with more funds in January.

However, the Magpies have a plethora of options at centre-back, and have coped well in recent weeks despite injuries to Jamaal Lascelles and Fabian Schar – winning two of their last three.

With that in mind, we asked our team of Football FanCast writers for their views on the possible transfer, and whether Bruce should look to make him a Newcastle player by the end of the window.

Here is what they had to say.

Lewis Blain

“If Steve Bruce can raid Everton for Mason Holgate, then they’ll be onto a winner.

“Newcastle are doing better than expected this season with them sitting in 11th in the table – Rafa who? But defensively, they still remain a little suspect having conceded 24 times in 17 matches, only keeping a clean sheet in 24% of their matches.

“Injuries to their backline are always a problem as Bruce likes to use a three-at-the-back formation, so an addition such as Holgate must be welcomed.

“His versatility to play in midfield and full-back only further displays why he’d be such a shrewd signing for the Magpies, in addition to the fact he’s still young enough to further improve.”

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Danny Lewis

“Holgate definitely has the potential to be an effective signing for Newcastle, with his versatility in the defensive areas being a very useful trait that Bruce would likely make use of. The Magpies would be better off spending their money at the other end of the pitch.

“Only Crystal Palace and Watford have scored fewer Premier League goals this campaign, so they should be looking for someone who can improve that side of their game, whether that is a striker or winger.

“For example, Jarrod Bowen, who has 15 goals and four contributions, would arguably have a far greater impact on Newcastle’s fortunes than Holgate.”

Who the heck is that?! Can you name all 25 of these obscure Liverpool signings…

Viji Jeevathayalan

“If Newcastle can convince Mason Holgate to leave Goodison Park, then they should be all over it. The Magpies have conceded 24 goals this season, and have been reliant on the likes of Jamaal Lascelles and Fabian Schar to provide genuine quality to their back-line.

“A move for Holgate would give them a player who could quite comfortably play at centre-back or right-back, or even in central midfield, which in theory makes him perfect for a back three – requiring the ability to defend one-on-one, move out wide and push into midfield.

“More simply, having someone like the 23-year-old who appears to be a jack of all trades gives Steve Bruce a valuable option. Injuries are part and parcel of the game, and are always the ultimate test of a squad’s strength in depth. The Toffees’ versatile ace could save Newcastle a lot of money from having to sign specialist players in each position.“

Kealan Hughes

“While Holgate has impressed of late, there is still some doubt about his ability to perform at the top level at a consistent basis, as he has often found himself in and out of the Everton team – as evidenced by his loan spell at West Brom last season.

“He is young and seems to be making progress this term, but that still doesn’t mean he’d necessarily be an improvement on the Magpies’ current options, and therefore he may not even get into the side.

“As a result, he would represent quite a big outlay for little short-term value and wouldn’t help to address Newcastle’s biggest problem, which is scoring goals – Joelinton and Yoshinori Muto have one goal each, and they are the only strikers in the squad to score this campaign.”

Meanwhile, Bruce also has a big decision to make in regard to who he picks to counter the threat of Wilfried Zaha this weekend, and the options in his squad underline the strength in depth in defence.

Many Wolves supporters were purring over Pedro Neto’s superb strike in their team’s 2-0 win against West Ham this evening.

The 20-year-old came off the bench in the 64th minute at London Stadium and rounded off his team’s victory with a goal to remember. With six minutes remaining, he latched on to a deep cross from Matt Doherty and crashed an unstoppable volley past Lukasz Fabianski.

That was the Portuguese forward’s third goal of his debut Premier League season, having also netted against Watford and Southampton over the winter, and his fifth in all competitions for the club he joined last summer. [via TransferMarkt]

Wolves’ 11th win of the league campaign has brought them level on points with fifth-placed Manchester United and leaves them only two points behind Chelsea in the Champions League positions, with Frank Lampard’s team travelling to Aston Villa tomorrow. [via Sky Sports]

These Wolves fans on Twitter were left awestruck by Neto’s volleyed goal against the Hammers, with one supporter hailing the youngster as the Molineux outfit’s “next star”:

Wolves fans, what did you make of Neto’s goal and overall performance this evening? Comment below with your views!

Lots of Liverpool fans have been discussing the future of Marko Grujic, who is enjoying an exceptional loan spell with Hertha Berlin.

Jurgen Klopp’s first signing has revealed it his ‘dream’ to play for the first-team at Anfield, and judging by the way fans have reacted to his comments, that may well be possible in the not-so-distant future.

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“My dream is to get the chance in Liverpool next season,” he told Berliner Kurier.

“If not, I would be very happy to come back and be part of this project. I’m a Hertha fan. Everything looks very professional and ambitious.”

Indeed, the towering Serbia international, who stands at 6 foot 3, has been extremely impressive in his extended loan spell in Berlin, enjoying last season and the start of this campaign in the Bundesliga.

Former manager Pal Dardai said he was the best midfielder to play for the club for 20 years, and the statistics look to back it up too.

Grujic has scored twice in the German top-flight this season, and averages 2.5 aerial wins, 1.3 tackles, 1.7 shots and 1.2 dribbles per game, developing into a very well-rounded player in his spell away from Merseyside.

Plenty of fans are eyeing up him as a future star at Liverpool, as you can see in the Twitter reactions down below…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

It was an assured display, in the end, from Liverpool against RB Salzburg on Tuesday.

The first half was a bit of a struggle for the Reds. The Austrian side took the game to their opponents and managed six shots on target. Fortunately, they couldn’t bury any of those many chances they had. After the break, Liverpool took control, and once Naby Keita had opened the scoring, there was only ever going to be one winner.

This was only the Senegal international’s sixth start of the season, and he has been given the chance to be included in the first XI in both of the last two fixtures. This has come about largely due to Fabinho’s injury, and it is an opportunity the 24-year-old has grabbed with both hands. By netting in each of those two clashes, whilst also providing an assist, Jurgen Klopp may have found an extra weapon to his arsenal: an attacking threat from the middle of the park.

He is not blessed with goals in midfield. Between them, James Milner, Jordan Henderson, Adam Lallana, Fabinho and Georginio Wijnaldum have nine goals between them this campaign, and they have played 70 times between them already. Keita, meanwhile, has two in six starts, which obviously represents a far better ratio than any of those previously mentioned.

Wijnaldum’s lack of attacking threat is particularly interesting. For his country, the Netherlands international is fantastic in front of goal – he was their top goalscorer in Euro 2020 qualifying with eight strikes – and some fans have begged Klopp to use him in a more offensive role. However, he has just three goals in all competitions this term to date, which is just one more than the former RB Leipzig man despite him having started 13 more matches.

Keita may just be the player people have been wanting the 29-year-old to be. Even in those few appearances, it is already clear the Reds’ number eight offers far more going forward. In the Champions League, for example, he has averaged 2.3 shots per game, one key pass and 2.8 dribbles. Wijnaldum’s stats in those areas read one, 0.5 and 1.3.

Can you name the result these iconic Liverpool images belong to? Give it a go now…

Fabinho’s return should give Klopp a decision to make. Who will drop out of the team to make way for the Brazil international? On current form, it would be impossible to remove Keita. Things can change very quickly in football, but £45m-valued Wijnaldum – as per Transfermarkt – may need to show he can offer the same threat as his midfield rival, or it could be his place that is in danger.

Meanwhile, Liverpool fans react to one impressive Mohamed Salah stat.

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…

Building for the long-term future, rather than just this season.

That appears to be the way that Brendan Rodgers is going to be handling the January transfer window according to journalist Jordan Blackwell.

What’s he said?

Speaking during a Q&A on Leicestershire Live, Blackwell gave an interesting insight into how the Foxes are going to be attacking the defence during the January window, and how it will affect those who are already part of the setup at the King Power Stadium:

“City will be looking for someone young with potential to improve, but who already has a decent level of experience. They will then compete with Benkovic to be City’s third-choice centre-half, behind Evans and Soyuncu, with Morgan likely to leave in the summer at the end of his contract.”

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Standing by the old guard, for now

It’s a pretty good indication that this Leicester project that Rodgers is currently overseeing at the King Power isn’t going to be coming to an end any time soon.

With all the talk in the media about whether or not he should be considered for a ‘bigger job’, it looks as if he’s set to try and make the job he already has a ‘big’ one.

It shows that rather than just focusing on this season, and bringing someone in who can usurp someone like Jonny Evans from the starting line-up as they make a push for Champions League football, that he’s looking long term.

It would be so easy to just simply gamble everything on this season and trying to achieve everything in one go. However, by the looks of it, Rodgers is looking to use this campaign as a platform to make sure that this sort of thing isn’t simply down to the ‘blip’ the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are having right now.

If they do fall short this season, then they are in a perfect position to try it all again next season. Although ideally, they’ll be able to do well across both of them rather than prioritising one over the other.