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It is clear to see – and is something that manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has openly mentioned he wants from his front players – that Southampton lack the pace they require in attacking areas, and the Austrian should move to recall Josh Sims from his disappointing loan spell with Reading.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the 21-year-old joined the Championship club on a season-long loan deal during the summer transfer window, but the move hasn’t really worked out for the player or the struggling Royals.

The wide man has featured for 597 minutes across 17 league appearances, but has failed to make the 18-man squad entirely for two of their previous three Championship fixtures, coming on a last-minute substitute in the other.

While he has contributed three assists in that time, it seems apparent that he isn’t a big part of the Berkshire outfit’s plans and isn’t get the required game time Saints would want, meaning they should look to recall him.

Would he fit in under Hasenhuttl?

He certainly would, who has already admitted that he has enjoyed the pace that youngster Michael Obafemi has provided.

Aside from Nathan Redmond and probably Stuart Armstrong, Southampton don’t have the required speed the 51-year-old wants on the flanks – as shown when Mo Elyounoussi struggled to make an impact against Man City on Sunday.

Sims is quick and while he may have struggled with Reading this term, he showed the ability he has by assisting Charlie Austin just a minute into his Premier League debut, while he also broke at pace and set up Shane Long against Liverpool to take the south coast outfit to the League Cup final in 2017.

American Soccer Fan is back! You should check out the video below but Southampton fans should look away now…

According to The Chronicle Live, Sunderland are planning on signing Burnley defender Jimmy Dunne for the rest of the season. 

The 21-year-old former Man United academy player will be brought in to provide cover for centre-backs Tom Flanagan and Jack Baldwin.

Baldwin has featured in every league game so far this season, while Flanagan has featured in 17. Manager Jack Ross has been heavily dependant on them and will be wanting a new face to keep The Black Cats fresh as they pursue promotion back to the Championship.

Dunne spent the first half of the season in the Scottish Premiership with Hearts, where he looked very impressive before an injury cut his stay at Tynecastle Park short. If he can replicate that form, he will be a huge asset in the northeast of England for the remainder of the season.

What is more beneficial is that Dunne was a member of the Accrington Stanley team that secured promotion from League Two last season. Ross will want players with that sort of experience in his squad if Sunderland are to bounce back up to the Championship.

Dunne could be the catalyst to ensure that Sunderland say goodbye to League One forever, and while it would only be a short-term solution, that is all Sunderland will need to make sure that they have a very bright future. Currently third in the league, The Black Cats are teetering on the automatic promotion places, Dunne may well be the man to tip them over the edge.

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According to results from our recent poll, the huge majority of Celtic fans would be in favour of Spurs’ Victor Wanyama moving back to Parkhead – the midfielder has fallen out of favour under Mauricio Pochettino this season and is expected to depart this month.

Having played just 146 minutes of Premier League football this term, the 27-year-old is becoming surplus to requirements at White Hart Lane and has lost his place in the starting XI as Moussa Sissoko and Harry Winks star at the base of midfield.

The Kenyan international is reportedly part of an exodus this January window as Daniel Levy and co. look to revamp the squad in order to give themselves their best chance of winning that long-awaited trophy, so he could be available for far less than his £22.5m Transfermarkt valuation.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”367465″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch Jordan Nobbs on Arsene Wenger and Unai Emery”]

Meanwhile, the Hoops are level with Rangers at the top of the table having lost the Old Firm Derby at the end of December – they were completely outclassed and outran in midfield with Scott Brown looking particularly poor.

The 33-year-old could be on his way soon as his contract expires in the summer and is reportedly considering an offer from Australian West Melbourne – Brendan Rodgers should be looking for an upgrade and we think that a sensational move to bring Wanyama back would be the perfect signing to give the Hoops midfield some much-needed bite.

It turns out that a whopping 93% of Bhoys and Ghirls agreed with us – you can check out the full results of our poll below…

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According to results from our recent poll, the overwhelming majority of Celtic fans would back a move for Olympiakos’ Omar Elabdellaoui after The Scottish Sun reported that Brendan Rodgers has turned his attention to the Norwegian after being price out of a move for top target Timothy Castagne.

The Hoops surely see the 27-year-old as a replacement for Mikael Lustig, who is both out of contract in the summer and rapidly declining, and he could set them back as little as £4m this month.

An international teammate of Kristoffer Ajer, the full-back has chalked up two goals and four assists in the Greek Super League this season and would add some extra athleticism to the Parkhead outfit’s right flank.

We suggested that a move for Elabdellaoui would perhaps get the best out of the aforementioned Ajer, who is currently lacking confidence and on the fringe of the squad, as he would be able to play alongside someone he knows well.

A whopping 85% of Bhoys and Ghirls agreed with that stance – you can check out the full results of our poll below…

According to a recent report from The Daily Telegraph, Charlie Austin’s future is far from certain heading into the final few days of the January transfer window. The 29-year-old currently plays his football at Premier League side Southampton and has done so since leaving Queens Park Rangers back in 2016, although struggles for regular game time under new Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has called his future at St Mary’s into question.

And a recent report from The Daily Telegraph suggests that the striker could be set for a move away this month, with Aston Villa and Wolves reportedly interested in the hotshot, as should QPR boss Steve McClaren as luring the Englishman back to Loftus Road could hugely enhance his side’s promotion hopes in the second half of the season.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, the Hoops have bounced back admirably from a shocking start to the Championship season to sit 14th in the second tier after 28 games of the campaign – there may be a fair few teams between them and the top six, but the gap to sixth place Derby County currently stands at just six points.

As such, promotion is still very much a possibility for the Londoners this term if they can improve their recent run of form, with McClaren’s men having failed to win any of their last four league matches, in which time they have managed to pick up just two points.

Thus, things have somewhat stagnated at Loftus Road to suggest that reinforcements in the last knockings of the transfer window could hugely benefit QPR in their quest to get out of the rut and mount a promotion charge – and with just 34 goals scored so far this term, only two teams above them in the league have bagged fewer, striking improvements appear to be the order of the day.

And former attacker Austin could well be the ideal man to spearhead a promotion charge.

The 29-year-old may well have struggled for regular football at Southampton following the appointment of Hasenhuttl last month, starting just twice under the Austrian in the Premier League, but one mustn’t forget the excellent goal-scoring form he produced during his two-and-a-half year spell at Loftus Road.

The Englishman, who bagged 44 goals in just 90 games for Burnley to thus earn a move to the West London club, scored 47 times in only 89 appearances for the Hoops to help them win promotion to the Premier League in 2013/14, before doing his utmost to keep them there with 18 top-flight goals the season after as they eventually lost their top-tier status.

Yet the striker remained at Loftus Road in the first half of the 2015/16 season to help QPR regroup and solidify after a tough Premier League adventure, bagging ten times in 16 games before Southampton sealed a deal for his services in the January – clearly though, Austin produced some of the best football of his career during his time in the capital.

And a return to QPR may well be of interest to the 29-year-old given just how much of a struggle things have been at Southampton recently – he has shown glimpses of promise throughout his spell at St Mary’s, but he has rarely been able to nail down a regular starting place, with injuries a big reason for his difficulties.

But with the Hoops still very much in position to launch a promotion challenge in the second half of the campaign, plenty of teams over the years have been in worse positions than McClaren’s men and gone on to make the top six, adding the prolific ace would surely aid those hopes.

QPR fans… what do you think? Let us know!

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Filip Benkovic has spoken out for the first time since suffering a serious ankle injury in the 3-0 win over Hamilton Accies last month, as reported by The Scottish Sun.

What’s the word?

The defender has missed Celtic’s last three matches and isn’t expected to play again until March.

Jozo Simunovic has been partnered by Dedryck Boyata or Kris Ajer in those matches with Celtic’s defensive options being stretched to the limit.

Benkovic has been Celtic’s best defender by some distance since joining on loan from Leicester, instantly making an improvement at the back and helping steer the club through to the last 32 of the Europa League.

The Scottish Sun reports the 21-year-old as saying:

“Up until the injury, everything was super. I was so happy. I have to do all the examinations, then we will know the diagnosis and recovery time.

“I enjoy being at Celtic, the coach trusts me and I have played a lot of big games. Hopefully I won’t be out for a long time.”

Celtic’s best option

A fully fit Benkovic is by far Celtic’s best central defender. He’ll be back to Leicester City in May so they have to make the most of every match before then.

February is a write-off for the Croatian but hopefully he is fit and ready by March with the third Glasgow derby clash at the end of that month.

Whoever plays alongside Benkovic seems to raise their game. Not many 21-year-olds have that impact or maturity. Hopefully his absence isn’t too costly.

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Lyon captain Nabil Fekir was on the scoresheet in his team’s 2-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 on Sunday night.

The result ended PSG’s unbeaten league campaign and the Liverpool fans were again closely watching the performance of Fekir. The 25-year-old was strongly linked with a move to Liverpool in last summer’s transfer window, but ultimately remained at Lyon.

The 5 foot 8 attacker has put up some strong numbers once again this season, managing 10 goals in 24 appearances for his French club in all competitions.

The Mirror claimed that Fekir’s expected move to Liverpool last summer fell through due to the English club having concerns over the attacker’s knees.

However, some Liverpool fans have once again called for the club to secure a deal for the France international, while others have simply been raving about his performance against the Ligue 1 giants.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from Liverpool supporters can be seen below:

Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

The January window passed with minimal fuss for Manchester United, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer opted to stay with his already trusted troops for the remainder of the campaign.

The Norwegian has been superb for United since taking over from Jose Mourinho and is rightly in the frame to be the full-time manager come the summer.

However, this week’s loss to PSG highlighted the need for the Red Devils to ensure that the summer months do not pass them by in terms of making a splash in the transfer market.

We here in the Tavern feel that the club need to wade in with the big money and make a real impression this time round.

With that, we’ve taken a look at TWO players who Man United and Solskjaer need to have on their radar heading into the summer…

Mauro Icardi

In the news this week after being stripped of the Inter captaincy, the enigmatic forward could be just the world class talent United need.

Full of goals and despite some off-field issues still a massive talent, Icardi would complement an already superb looking United attack.

One to consider for sure, and one that would leave a lasting impression on the rest of the market.

Raphael Varane

What better way to make some noise in the market than by going out and bringing in one of the world’s best in their position?

Varane has developed at Madrid and with France into one of the finest central defenders around.

It is clear United need something at centre half if they are to really compete with the best, and Varane certainly fits the mould of world class defenders.

According to an exclusive report from GHANAsoccernet, Leeds are planning an ‘audacious’ swoop for Swansea forward Andre Ayew.

The Ghanian has been plying his trade in England for a while now and according to the source, Whites manager Marcelo Bielsa is determined to be reunited with Ayew.

The duo worked together while at Marseille back in 2014/15 and it looks as though the experienced head coach is looking towards the 30-year-old to improve Leeds’ fortunes in attack.

Patrick Bamford went ten games without a goal before witnessing a period of rejuvenation in recent weeks but Leeds are still 7.5 strikes behind their xG, according to Experimental361.

Sources close to Ayew suggest that he is happy in Wales but the Swans could be forced to sell if a big bid comes in.

Victor Orta has previously stated that it’ll be a quiet window for the club but Angus Kinnear has followed that up by saying they could be active if an exceptional opportunity presents itself.

But would that exceptional player be Ayew? Football FanCast’s writers have given their verdicts on whether it would be a good move for Leeds.

Lewis Blain:

“Leeds United signing Andre Ayew would be a mark of their ambition. The veteran winger has bags of experience at the top of the game and that’s where the club wants to be, right? He’s played over 180 times in Ligue 1 and is just shy of 90 appearances in the Premier League, per Transfermarkt.

“This season in the Championship he has displayed why he’s far better than the division, bagging seven goals and four assists for Swansea City. So, the Whites could even effectively weaken a promotion rival by improving their own squad too. Ayew is able to play anywhere across the frontline which should suit Marcelo Bielsa’s system and he can offer valuable advice to the likes of Jack Harrison and Helder Costa, who lack playing time at the very top.

“Bielsa knows him well from their time at Marseille which only strengthens the argument behind signing him. Leeds may need to get out the chequebook but he would be a more than worthy addition for a side with such lofty aims.”

Jon Radcliffe:

“Leeds appear to have been linked with a number of high-profile names recently, such as Erling Haaland. Whilst Andre Ayew may not be in the same stunning form as the Norway international, he is still impressing in the Championship with seven goals and four assists so far for Swansea City this term.

“The 30-year-old is a man with plenty of experience, having also played for Marseille, and his appearances and goals at various World Cups show he can perform at the highest level. Not only that, but he has already played under Marcelo Bielsa, meaning that he should already be used to El Loco’s ways.

“Quite frankly, there appears to be very few drawbacks to this potential deal. If Leeds want to get promoted and stay in the top flight, these are the kind of players they need to be looking at.”

Can you get full marks on the Ultimate Leeds Quiz? Test your knowledge below…

Vijievan Jeevathalyan: “A man who has been around the block in his professional career with six different clubs to his name, Andre Ayew appears to have settled down in Wales with Swansea. The Ghanaian has enjoyed a fine start to the campaign, banging in nine goals in 21 games across all competitions, and it is understandable why Marcelo Bielsa is keen on a reunion with him at Leeds. As well as knowing the Championship quite well now, the 30-year-old’s previous relationship with the current Whites boss at Marseille could unlock something more.“The duo would know what each other wants and is capable of, and it has all the ingredients of a recipe for success. Bielsa has already shown he knows how to get the best out of Ayew, with the forward notching ten times and providing a further six assists in Ligue 1 in the 2014/2015 campaign. Recreating that potent partnership at Leeds would be a match made in heaven.”

In other Leeds news, the Whites could sign the next Zlatan Ibrahimovic if they get promoted…

Leeds travel to Fulham on Saturday and they have received a big pre-match boost, with Marcelo Bielsa revealing that Liam Cooper will be involved in the matchday squad.

What’s the latest?

The Whites skipper has been as resolute as ever when he has appeared for Bielsa’s side this term, but too often he has spent time out on the treatment table, with the latest injury causing him to miss three matches.

However, he revealed he is feeling fit and is ready to challenge for a place in the side, and his manager has suggested he will have a role in the squad this weekend, though it remains to be seen if that means he will start.

He has missed out recently due to suffering a calf strain, and that should be a cause of worry considering he missed matches in October for the same reason.

Proceed with caution

With that in mind, Bielsa would be wise to ease him back into the matchday squad slowly, particularly with so many games coming up thick and fast.

To lose Cooper for any period of time would be a blow to the Whites. It doesn’t only reduce the quality of the players available, but it means there is less cover if another first-team defender gets injured or suspended.

Virtually impossible: Can you name the year all of these Leeds flops arrived at Elland Road?

With that in mind, even though Leeds face an accomplished side with a big goal threat in Fulham, Bielsa must be confident in the other players at his disposal and pick them ahead of the captain.

Cooper possesses valuable leadership qualities which make him a popular figure amongst fans, and though the lack of such attributes contributed to their implosion against Cardiff last time out which saw them squander a three-goal lead, the two defenders who started that match should retain their place in the side.

Ben White and Gaetano Berardi have barely put a foot wrong since the skipper was out and therefore neither deserves to be dropped, especially as they have kept two clean sheets in three games without him.

They should be rewarded for their recent form, while Cooper’s delicate injury situation clearly needs to be managed carefully. The worst-case scenario being that Leeds are without their captain for a large chunk of the season.

The last thing the Whites need is for Cooper to aggravate his injury further and there is a risk of that happening if he is drafted back in so soon. Bielsa needs to be brave and wait before introducing his skipper back into the team.

Meanwhile, fans have been reacting to the news that Adam Forshaw still isn’t fit enough to return, which has raised some disgruntled voices.