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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…

Much like Brexit, this story seems like it’s never going to end.

Eddie Nketiah and his lack of minutes has been talked about ad infinitum and will probably stay that way until he either becomes a regular starter, or gets recalled by Arsenal.

However, with all the talk for what it means to Leeds, it’s his parent club that should be concerned according to one former Premier League man.

What’s he said?

Speaking to Talksport, Darren Bent spoke about how Nketiah’s future could be at risk if he doesn’t start getting some minutes under his belt.

He said:

“At the minute, he’s got an impossible task trying to move Aubameyang and Lacazette. That’s virtually impossible. But he’s never going to get the opportunity to do that if he’s not playing games. Maybe in January he has to look at going somewhere else.

“He just needs to be playing games. We’ve seen it over the years. Look at Saido Berahino, look at his England Under-21 record. It’s as good as anyone’s, but he couldn’t nail it down in the league.”

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Is this really Leeds’ concern though?

The question that comes out of Bent’s comments, is it really Leeds’ responsibility to worry about his career at Arsenal or whatever club he finds himself at in the future?

Unless they have an idea to bring him in on a permanent basis next season, surely their only worry is what he can offer Leeds this season.

Almost like a rental car – if you mess up the clutch or gearbox so that it can’t be used by the next customer, so long as you have got what you wanted out of it, it’s not really your problem once you’ve sent it back. Not that you should necessarily do that just for the fun of it, but the point stands.

But if this season-long loan is going to be just that, and once the summer rolls around Nketiah is never seen at Elland Road again, apart from perhaps as an opponent, then do Leeds really have a responsibility to give him the minutes to help his future career?

The concern, however, is that the fact he isn’t starting is not benefitting his loan side. Bamford hasn’t scored in six matches and since then, Nketiah has netted eight times for club and country.

They don’t just need to start playing him for his own benefit, but also for Leeds’. If not, as Bent says, he could end up going somewhere else in January.

He’s already been linked with Bristol City so Marcelo Bielsa and co have to be careful.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets… 

Harvey Elliott had a debut to remember against MK Dons and he has received plaudits from Jurgen Klopp for his performance.

He is still only 16 years of age but played with the composure and intelligence of a player ten years his senior, and the ease at which he slotted into the first-team could mean he has earned a place in the matchday squad on a more regular basis.

Liverpool brought him to the club over the summer for a compensation fee which could reportedly cost up to £7m, and given his display it is already looking like a bargain signing.

Although he should be proud with how he played, Elliott will likely be kicking himself for failing to open the scoring for his side, striking the bar from a matter of yards out with the goalkeeper not in a position to make a save.

Opening his account against the League One side would have made him the club’s youngest ever goalscorer, eclipsing Ben Woodburn who found the target when he was 17 years and 45 days old.

Nevertheless, there were many positive aspects of his performance, and the early signs suggest he could have a successful career with the Reds.

He was involved in play throughout and operated in a similar style to Mo Salah, often cutting inside in order to use his stronger left-foot whilst beating players in the process.

Elliott was able to use his pace and close control to great advantage, though his crossing let him down on occasion. However, of the one cross which did find a man – James Milner – the ball should’ve hit the back of the net, so he can consider himself unlucky not to have had an assist.

The former Fulham man used the ball effectively in a variety of ways, as shown through his stats on WhoScored, with four successful dribbles proving he is a tricky player who opponents find difficult to manage, and he has an eye for a pass too.

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That will be important in persuading Jurgen Klopp to give him a chance, as he will need to link up with Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino in the same fashion Mo Salah does, as the Egyptian’s goal against Newcastle epitomised.

The youngster proved he was capable of doing that on Wednesday, finishing the match with a pass success accuracy of 87%, with three key passes also showing that he can create chances for his teammates.

Young players are often raw and can let themselves down with their decision-making, but Elliott was calm throughout whilst not being afraid to express his talent.

Such temperament will be key to earning Klopp’s trust and if he can make improvements to his game over the coming months, particularly in regard to his crossing and shooting, then he could soon become a first-team player.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…Â

One goal, 0.6 shots per game and 69% pass accuracy. Those don’t sound like the statistics of a game-changing super-sub, but for Liverpool, Divock Origi is everything they need him to be.

Jurgen Klopp’s side were not at their best on Saturday at Bramall Lane. The midfield created very little – the starting trio combined for just one key pass – and the front three were quiet, disjointed and at times wasteful (looking at you Sadio Mane).

After Origi’s introduction in the 63rd minute however, the Reds suddenly looked more threatening. The Belgian’s directness, skill and athleticism caused problems for the Sheffield United back five that the usual clever interplay from the front three simply wasn’t managing.

Despite only playing for half an hour, including extra time, the 24 year-old did a little bit of everything, including one particularly jaw-dropping piece of skill, which left some fans baffled.

As well as completing that extremely aesthetically pleasing dribble, he also mustered one key pass, one shot and won two aerial duels, per WhoScored.

He did his part to help maintain the lead too, making one tackle and one clearance, which shows a maturity that he perhaps didn’t possess earlier in his fledgling career.

Put simply, the Belgium international touched the ball a mere 19 times, but was able to impact every facet of the game.

His capricious style throws a spanner in the works when defences have figured out how to stifle the Reds’ front three, which is all you really need when the rest of the XI has so much quality. He is far more individualistic than the usual starters, but he mixes things up and puts a few question marks in the back of defenders’ minds.

Is he a winger? Is he a centre forward? Is he an aerial threat? Is he going to run in behind? It’s hard to know what he’s going to do next because quite frankly we’re not even sure he knows.

If any Liverpool fans were concerned that Origi isn’t good enough to back up their electric star trio, then Saturday’s performance surely quashed those fears. The Belgian isn’t perfect, but his enigmatic mixture of raw talent and unpredictability leaves opposing teams baffled – just ask Barcelona.

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Arsenal are amongst a number of clubs who are ready to scrap the early end of the Premier League transfer window, according to The Sun.

What’s the story?

The Premier League took the decision to end the transfer window before the start of the season in 2017, with the summer of 2018 being the first to see the effects of the change.

Whilst this has forced English clubs to have their houses in order before the beginning of the campaign, it has given an advantage to the rest of the sides in Europe.

As such, it is being reported that there are several outfits who want to see the idea scrapped. Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham are all said to be in agreement, although Chelsea believe that the new regulations should stay in place.

“They have the bigger mentality” – Spurs fans come to blows after the North London Derby in the video below…

Surprising after a successful window

On the face it, having more time to bring in new faces should be a no-brainer. It eliminates competition for the top European forces in regards to players also targeted by the Premier League.

However, it is surprising that Arsenal would back a return to the old system after a strong transfer window. The Gunners have addressed some key areas by bringing in David Luiz at centre-back and Kieran Tierney at left-back, whilst Dani Ceballos and Nicolas Pepe are big-name, quality players who should bring a lot to Unai Emery’s squad.

In the past, they have made a habit of signing players at the last-minute that have not worked out. Danny Welbeck, Lucas Perez and Andre Santos are three key examples. This time around though, they did good business early and, although Tierney was signed on the final day, he had been on the radar of the north London team for the whole summer. Luiz was a little last-minute, and it remains to be seen how he gets on, but he does bring a wealth of experience.

The Gunners were also able to get rid of a lot of deadwood, with 15 players departing – in short, it is hard to remember the last time Arsenal had such a good window, using both the period in which they could buy players and the remaining European window to good effect.

Bringing back the old deadline could see the return of some old habits, such as feeling confident in having so much time to get things done and dragging deals out over the first few weeks of the season. For Arsenal, the change has been a blessing in disguise, but it seems the club doesn’t wholly appreciate that as they seek a return to former regulations.

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Lots of Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter to react after it was revealed by The Times that Wilfried Zaha has sacked his agent, Will Salthouse.

The Ivory Coast international made his intentions to leave Selhurst Park clear in the summer, handing in a transfer request amid interest from Arsenal and Everton, although the Eagles managed to keep hold of their talisman.

Now, however, the 26-year-old forward has parted ways with his agent, reportedly due to his failure to seal a move away from Selhurst Park.

Salthouse, who has invested in the same businesses as club chairman Steve Parish, maintains a good relationship with the Palace supremo – The Times reports that Zaha cited that relationship as the reason for his decision to cut ties with the agent.

Exit talk had died down somewhat after Zaha had made three starts and one appearance off the bench in Palace’s first four Premier League games this term, although the Ivorian’s latest decision had sparked life into the discussion once again.

Let’s see how the Palace fans on Twitter reacted to the news…

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The Premier League has ushered in the new year in typically scintillating fashion. Alongside an intriguing if not exactly jaw-dropping transfer window, the games came thick and fast in the first month of 2019 – starting off with a thrilling top-of-the-table clash between Liverpool and Manchester City.

Elsewhere, the race for seventh has really hotted up, while the Champions League qualification battle continues to rumble on. Away from the teams and onto the individuals though, here’s a look at the six players who impressed enough throughout January to earn nominations for the PFA Bristol Street Motors Fans’ Player of the Month award…

David De Gea

David De Gea’s form has come into question at times this season but the Spaniard has performed much closer to his usual impeccably high standards since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took the helm. January saw Manchester United go undefeated and their No.1 played an important part in that with two clean sheets, one of which hinged on him making a season-record eleven saves against Tottenham at Wembley.

Troy Deeney

Watford are well in the mix for seventh place and after going goalless from mid-September to mid-December, captain Troy Deeney is really starting to pull his weight again – an incredible performance against Bournemouth seeing him bag two goals and one assist. Even when he’s not scoring or supplying though, the old-school front-man is always contributing; he was first for aerial duels won and second for key passes in the Premier League throughout January.

Paul Pogba

It’s Paul Pogba’s second nomination in consecutive months, but that hardly comes as a surprise. The Frenchman has been a player reborn under Solskjaer’s leadership, with an incredible six goals and four assists in the Premier League since the Norwegian was named United’s interim manager. Three of those goal contributions came in January as the Red Devils fell just two points short of a perfect start to 2019.

Marcus Rashford

Another beneficiary of United’s change of the managerial guard. Trusted to lead the line rather than simply support it, Marcus Rashford notched up three goals in four appearances throughout January, only failing to score in the 2-2 draw with Burnley. The 21-year-old is going from strength to strength under Solskjaer, seemingly growing in confidence by the game – which is great news for both the Red Devils and England.

Mohamed Salah

We’ve become almost desensitised to Mohamed Salah’s excellence, such has been the relentlessness of the Egyptian international’s demolitions of Premier League defences since he moved to Anfield. January was another potent month for Liverpool’s talismanic attacker, albeit ending with a blank drawn against Leicester City. Overall though, three goals in four outings is a typically formidable contribution to the Reds’ title bid.

Leroy Sane

No Premier League star played a direct hand in more top flight goals than Leroy Sane last month, who scored two and assisted two in four outings. In fact, City’s shock defeat to Newcastle in midweek was the only occasion throughout January in which the Germany international failed to contribute to a goal, having previously scored and assisted against Huddersfield, supplied versus Wolves and netted the all-important winner in City’s victory over title rivals Liverpool.

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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…

Jack Wilshere enjoyed an exceptional display as West Ham United beat Newport County in the League Cup on Tuesday evening.

On the chalkboard

The former Arsenal man ran the midfield against the League Two outfit and, really, it should be of little surprise, such is his pedigree as a former England international.

Yet this was a mightily impressive performance that should not go under the radar just because of the opposition.

Wilshere scored his side’s opening goal on the stroke of half-time and played with an air of authority throughout the 90 minutes.

He had 86 touches of the ball, per WhoScored and made 57 accurate passes from 67 attempted, at a success rate of 85%.

Wilshere also completed three dribbles, won one aerial duel and also made two successful tackles.

The 27-year-old was dispossessed on four occasions, but his display was one of attempting to make things happen.

Keep it up

The challenge for Wilshere now is to keep his performance levels up as the Premier League rolls around.

They face Norwich City this weekend prior to a trip to Aston Villa and those are the sorts of games in which he should be thriving.

Against Newport, it appeared that he had got back to his old self, demanding the ball and then looking to drive forward with it at his feet.

Watch West Ham United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

If he can continue to play in the same vein in the top-flight, West Ham will have a greater chance of climbing the table in the coming weeks.

His challenge is to ensure that this momentum isn’t wasted.

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Speaking to talkSPORT in a video message, reporter Alex Crook has dropped a teasing Tottenham Hotspur transfer update involving Wolves star Adama Traore.

The Lowdown: Spurs eye Traore move…

As reported by multiple sources, Tottenham are firmly in the mix to sign the Spain international with some reports suggesting they are in pole position.

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Matt Law of The Telegraph even believes Traore becoming manager Antonio Conte’s first signing since taking over is actually ‘pretty likely’.

90min, meanwhile, claim Wolves are set to greenlight his exit from Molineux after their boss Bruno Lage personally sanctioned the move – with a price tag set at around £20 million.

In an update, talkSPORT reporter Crook has shared what could be an exciting update.

The Latest: Crook drops update…

Speaking in a video message (via Twitter), the reporter claims that Tottenham are set to make a ‘formal’ bid to sign Traore ‘very soon’ with an offer expectedly imminent.

“Interest from Tottenham in Wolves’ enigmatic winger Adama Traore appears to be hotting up,” he explained.

“Antonio Conte has a cunning plan to use Traore’s pace to turn him into a wing-back.

“We know that Conte loves to play with a back three and now he has the backing of the Tottenham sporting director, Fabio Paratici, who has a long-term admiration for Traore.

“£20m should be enough to prise him away from Wolverhampton Wanderers, I’d expect a formal bid very soon.”

The Verdict: Get it done?

At £20m, the winger could be an absolute coup for Conte and Paratici as the Italians aim to solve Tottenham’s wing-back conundrum.

At 25-years-old, Traore already possesses years of English top flight experience without being too long in the tooth – all whilst proving to be a real threat on countless occasions.

According to WhoScored, the winger has averaged a very impressive 4.5 dribbles per 90 in the Premier League this season – almost double that of Lucas Moura, who is Spurs’ best in that bracket.

If Conte can successfully re-mould the former Barcelona man into a right-wing back, the potential could be limitless in terms of threat from out wide.

In other news: Spurs agree £33.4m option for ‘sensational player’ after loan spell with EPL rivals, find out more here.

An exciting update has emerged on Newcastle United’s pursuit of Sevilla defender Diego Carlos…

What’s the talk?

According to The Telegraph, the centre-back is keen on a move to St. James’ Park and talks are ongoing between the two clubs over a deal for the Brazilian.

The report claims that the Magpies are hoping to wrap up negotiations for the £40.5m-rated titan by the end of this week as they attempt to bolster Eddie Howe’s squad.

Delight

The ex-Bournemouth boss will surely be elated with this news as it is an exciting update on the club’s efforts to land Carlos. Their belief that they can have the deal done within the next seven days indicates that talks are going well and they are confident that he will be a Newcastle player sooner rather than later.

Carlos could be an exceptional addition to the squad and Howe will be buzzing with the prospect of being able to select him in his starting XI for the rest of the Premier League season. This latest update suggests that the head coach will be able to work with him on Tyneside this term, but what sort of player could he be getting?

Spanish football analyst Domagoj Kostanjšak previously outlined the defender’s key attributes and hailed his quality in La Liga, saying:

“He’s a really physical player – he’s built like a tank and they don’t call him ‘The Beast’ for no reason. He’s really good in the air and he’s decent on the ball as well – you have to be under Julen Lopetegui.

“He’s been in my top three or four centre-backs in Spain this season, along with Raphael Varane and Inigo Martinez – he’s been a bit of a revelation. He’s playing the best football of his career and he immediately settled in. I would say there is a shade of Kalidou Koulibaly about him – not the same quality, of course, but I would compare him to him.”

In the Spanish top-flight this season, Carlos has averaged an excellent SofaScore rating of 7.14 – winning 64% of his duels overall. Meanwhile, Federico Fernandez’s score of 6.77 is the highest of any Newcastle centre-back this term, suggesting that the Sevilla man would come in and be a major upgrade in that position.

Therefore, Howe will be delighted with the news that the Magpies are hopeful of securing a deal for the Brazilian by the end of this week as he could provide an extra level of quality to his Premier League side.

AND in other news, “They’d like to sign..”: Reporter delivers big NUFC transfer claim, it’ll excite Howe…

West Bromwich Albion have been in a ‘will they, won’t they?’ saga with the transfer rumours surrounding Dwight Gayle and there have now been further reports connecting the Championship goal machine back to the club yet again.

West Brom have been heavily linked to offer a return opportunity for Dwight Gayle to assist the side in gaining promotion back into the Premier League this season and now that the 32-year-old has reportedly been made available for loan, it’s time for Ismael to swoop in for the striker.

The last time the £40k-per-week player went on loan from Newcastle to West Bromwich Albion was the 2018/19 season in the Championship where he scored 24 goals and bagged eight assists for the Baggies, albeit not enough to get them promoted that term when they finished fourth, losing to Aston Villa in the playoffs.

Now the Magpies centre forward could be set for a return if Valerien Ismael can seal the deal to bring him back to the club in the winter transfer window, as it appears Newcastle have given the green light for him to depart for the rest of the season.

Gayle’s former teammate and West Brom defender, Kyle Bartley, was full of praise for the striker calling him a “proven goalscorer” when he was asked about him in an interview, hailing qualities that would make him a phenomenal addition at the Hawthorns.

“Dwight is a proven goalscorer and he is always going to get you goals and his work rate off the ball is also immense.”

Fans have been buzzing at the speculation of a return for the former Baggies player, with many taking to social media to express their desire to get him back in January.

One Albion fan tweeted; “Gayle HAS to be better than Hugill and Zahpoor so yes. Wages though…. Hmmmm.”

West Brom are desperate to add a prolific goal scorer to their side in January, as they attempt to climb the table into one of the two automatic promotion spots.

Gayle does have the experience and tenacity to handle the Championship, with a proven record of scoring important goals in the second tier for both the Baggies and Newcastle.

Ismael will be working closely with the board to ensure that the right players are brought into the club in January and West Brom can get a healthy run of form going with more goals being scored and better finishing in the side going forward into the second half of the season.

It’s evident that their former loan star would fit the bill. They’ve scored 21 goals fewer than league leaders Fulham this term so need all the additional help they can get if they want to seal promotion back to the promised land of the Premier League.

Although Gayle hasn’t exactly been on fire for the Toon, failing to score this campaign, his tally of 59 Championship goals is something for fans to get excited about.

They simply have to sign him, or a player of his proven calibre, in order to better their current league position.

In other news: Lai still wants to sell the Baggies