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After slipping to an agonising, and rather undeserved, 1-0 defeat to Everton in midweek, West Brom are back in Premier League action on Sunday when they take on Newcastle United.

Sam Allardyce’s team were more than a match for the Toffees, having the same number of shots and shots on target as the away side, but fell to a Richarlison goal midway through the second-half.

With Newcastle up next, and the Magpies in the midst of some difficulties too – you only have to look at the apparent bust-up between Matt Ritchie and Steve Bruce to see that – there’s a real chance for West Brom to come away with all three points from the clash at The Hawthorns.

One man who Allardyce should seriously consider bringing back into the side is Callum Robinson.

The £7.2m-rated ace has been left on the bench for the past five games in the Premier League, and the time on the sidelines might have just given him the kick up the proverbial backside to come back firing.

After Matheus Pereira’s performance in midweek – one which arguably merits him being dropped for Sunday’s game – surely it’s time for Allardyce to bring someone new into the fold like Robinson.

Speaking earlier last year, former Baggies boss Slaven Bilic raved about Robinson’s abilities, saying: “He is present, he is dangerous and he fits in with the other players. He can also go by himself either with the ball or when he is linking up with other players on the pitch. He’s exactly the type of player that we wanted.”

Robinson’s natural instincts as a striker could ease the burden on Mbaye Diagne, who has been leading the line on his own. Having someone else in the team who can make runs in behind him, and fire away on goal, could be key to exploiting a Newcastle back-line which has conceded 44 goals this season in the Premier League – the joint-second worst in the division.

As Bilic says, Robinson can link up and do things by himself, and his brace against Chelsea earlier in the season is a perfect example of that.

When West Brom take to the field on Sunday against Newcastle, Robinson should be one of the names on the team-sheet when Allardyce makes his decision about who to start.

Meanwhile, this West Brom man should be dropped against Newcastle…

According to The Mirror, Manchester United remain interested in Sevilla hotshot Jules Kounde as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer seeks to bolster his defensive options in the summer.

What’s the word?

Despite finding themselves second in the table, the Red Devils have conceded 27 goals in 21 Premier League games this season.

And now, The Mirror claim that Solskjaer is prepared to wait until the summer before bolstering his defence, with Kounde now his prime target.

It is understood that Solskjaer views the £60m-rated 22-year-old Frenchman as his ideal centre-back partner for Harry Maguire, who arrived at Old Trafford in an £80m move from Leicester City in 2019.

Rio Ferdinand 2.0?

The Norwegian has Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Eric Bailly and youngster Axel Tuanzebe available at his disposal, with the latter three jostling for position to bag the spot beside the club captain at the back, each with varying degrees of success.

Bailly has battled various injuries over the years, whilst it’s fair to say that Lindelof has looked defensively shaky this season, and Tuanzebe is still relatively inexperienced, despite impressing in the Champions League.

Despite being shorter than Rio Ferdinand, Kounde shares a lot of similarities with the club legend and former England international.

Just like Ferdinand, while some centre-backs will soley focus on the defensive aspect of the game, the French national has shown no hesitation in attempting to carry the ball forward or play out from the back, having scored one goal in 17 top-flight appearances in La Liga this season, as evidenced by his 0.9 dribbles per 90 minutes during his time with Sevilla.

But that doesn’t mean that his defensive contributions should go unnoticed, either, as he is prepared to get stuck in to deny clear-cut chances for the opposition.

Per WhoScored, Kounde is currently averaging more interceptions (1.3) and clearances per match than Tuanzebe and he commits fewer fouls than Lindelof’s 1.1.

In his last season with Bordeaux, he averaged 1.3 tackles, 1.4 interceptions and 5.4 clearances per game, via WhoScored.

It’s these kind of performances that led Sevilla sporting director Monchi describing the defender as “one of the sensations of French football.”

Kounde could add a touch of class in the heart of the United defence, considering his experience in the Champions League, and he still has room to improve at the age of 22, which is precisely why Ed Woodward should sanction such a move.

AND in other news, Manchester United’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka was Solskjaer’s only silver lining in Arsenal draw…

Carlo Ancelotti can say goodbye to the linked-away Yerry Mina at the end of the season if Everton are able to win the emerging race to sign Torino FC defender Gleison Bremer.

What’s the word?

According to Toro News, several Premier League clubs have made a note of Bremer’s ever-improving performances in the Serie A and could look to make a move this summer.

Bremer has started all 19 of his Italian top-flight appearances this term and added a fourth goal for the campaign, when the centre-half headed home a late winner away to relegation-rivals Cagliari Calcio last Friday.

His efforts have Everton, West Ham United and Fulham on alert, while Liverpool are also keen on the Brazilian’s situation as one of several options who could feature in Jurgen Klopp’s backline next season.

Fulham are only expected to pursue the 23-year-old should Scott Parker secure the Craven Cottage outfit’s Premier League status for another year, after previous efforts to sign the £18,000-per-week beast failed to materialise.

Torino are aware of the heightening interest in Bremer’s services and will look to hedge the risk of losing him by awarding the centre-back a new contract, with President Urbano Cairo and Sporting Director Davide Vagnati already in contact with the player’s agent.

But the priority remains Serie A safety, with the side of newly-appointed head coach Davide Nicola just five points clear of the bottom three after beating 18th-placed Cagliari for a first win in eight league games.

Hello Bremer, goodbye Mina?

Reports of Everton’s interest in Bremer follow claims by the Daily Mail that Ancelotti could look to move Mina on in the summer, with the Italian still facing question marks over his best defensive partnership.

Mina has made 19 appearances in the Premier League this term, starting each, having bounced back from a blunt early-season assessment from Ancelotti when the £18m-rated titan delivered a shaky first-half performance at home to West Bromwich Albion.

“Yerry had an average game, I think he could be more aggressive and do more with the ball,” Ancelotti said in September, via quotes by the Liverpool Echo.

“The only aspect we have to look at is him being more aggressive when he can press the opening. But he did really well against Tottenham [in the season-opener].”

Yet as doubt still appears to linger over Mina’s future, Everton could look to move on from the £120,000-per-week defender – notably their joint-highest earner – by pursuing Bremer.

The Torino ace is seen as a defence-first type with a great read of the game and an aggressive approach to breaking up opposition play, helping toward an average 2.1 interceptions per game in the Serie A this term, per SofaScore.

He also offers 1.4 successful tackles and 4.3 clearances on average to help his side claim five clean sheets – roughly one in every four appearances. Mina, meanwhile, has averaged 1.1 interceptions, 1.0 tackles and 4.5 clearances to help Everton claim four clean sheets in the Premier League – close to a one in every five games.

Mina and Bremer are also comparable for duels won with the Colombian successful in 1.6 ground contests (55%) and 3.1 aerial challenges (68%) a game, while the Brazilian wins 1.9 (55%) on the ground and 2.9 (63%) in the air.

So, if Everton are looking to move Mina on and are open to signing Bremer, the Toffees would seemingly not be taking a step back by signing a player consistently improving in Italy, and potentially one that ticks more of Ancelotti’s boxes than the Italian’s current option.

AND in other news, Everton eye free transfer of £113k-p/w maestro who “always gives everything”…

Abdoulaye Doucoure stole the show against Leicester City on Wednesday night with an “absolutely magnificent” display as Everton claimed a 2-0 win at the King Power Stadium.

The ex-Watford enforcer earned his 13th-straight start of the Premier League season since leaving Vicarage Road for £20million to become one of Carlo Ancelotti’s most-favoured Toffees figures.

Everton took the lead in the East Midlands through Richarlison when the Brazilian penned his fifth across all competitions by cutting in from the left and slotting the ball home with a low strike past Kasper Schmeichel.

Mason Holgate doubled the visitor’s lead midway through the second half when the centre-back turned poacher to prod the ball home on the rebound after a sublime double save from Schmeichel at a corner.

Doucoure’s workload in the core of the engine room was sent into overtime shortly before Holgate rippled the back of the net, having seen midfield partner Allan limp off with what appeared to be a hamstring injury just before the break.

The Brazilian’s absence was felt but managed well by Doucoure, who earned rave reviews from former Tottenham Hotspur and Hull City defender Michael Dawson.

“They [Everton] have worked their socks off. Doucoure, in front of Everton’s back-four, has been absolutely magnificent,” the 2008 EFL Cup winner said, while speaking on Sky Sports’ Soccer Special [16/12, 19:48].

Dawson was certainly right, with Doucoure stealing the show at the King Power Stadium to send Everton above Chelsea and into fifth place in the Premier League table, sitting just a point behind Leicester for fourth.

Doucoure was anywhere and everywhere as he strove to thwart Brendan Rodgers’ Foxes with composure on the ball and a brute force off it, while proving to be a particular thorn in Jamie Vardy’s side when the former England international broke with a chance to level the score.

The 27-year-old titan ended the game with a team-high 60 touches of the ball as Everton struggled for possession with Leicester commanding 60.7% of the game, per WhoScored.

Doucoure further topped the Toffees’ charts for total passes (49) and accurate passes (43), as well as recording one shot, two successful tackles from two attempts and two interceptions.

Only Alex Iwobi in a stellar night for the former Arsenal attacker registered more successful dribbles (4) than Doucoure (1), with the pair plus Holgate the only Everton players who started to boast a 100% dribble success rate.

Of Doucoure’s total passes, he further found teammates with each of his three long balls, per SofaScore, and left the field having won four of five ground duels and never committing a foul.

It was the perfect performance from the titan-like Doucoure on a night his responsibilities went up a gear with Allan forced off through injury, and showing every reason why Everton sought a deal with Watford this summer.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti would tarnish his Everton record by luring one of his former stars to Goodison Park in January…

If reports are to be believed, Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho is on the hunt for a new central defender this January transfer window.

And one mooted winter target has just delivered a masterclass for all to see.

Back in late November, 90min claimed that Spurs were scouring Europe for potential defensive additions with Sassuolo powerhouse Gian Marco Ferrari among the options being considered ahead of 2021.

On Wednesday evening, the 28-year-old Italian was in action for the Serie A outfit as they defeated Genoa 2-1 at the Mapei Stadium.

Ferrari was arguably the star of the show for the Neroverdi.

The 6 foot 2 colossus was involved in the game more than any other player on the pitch, recording a whopping 110 touches, whilst he also held firm at the back despite leaking one goal as he recorded three interceptions, one tackle and one clearance, per SofaScore.

He was even on point with his passing, making 93 of 101 attempts (92%), which is everything Mourinho will want to see in one of his centre-backs – that ability to play out from the back.

Danny Mills once told Football Insider: “We know what Mourinho likes, he wants defenders to defend, to be consistent and just do the simple things.”

That was in reference to Davinson Sanchez, who is thought to be open to leaving the club this window as he’s often been snubbed from their Premier League squad, as per The Athletic.

Valued at just £9m by Transfermarkt, Ferrari could be an absolute bargain especially when fees in excess of £40m are being bandied about for Milan Skriniar and Merih Demiral.

The Italian has started all 15 of Sassuolo’s matches this term, where he has averaged 2.5 clearances, 1.5 interceptions, 1.2 tackles and a mighty impressive 91.8% passing accuracy from 76.1 attempts per game, via WhoScored.

In comparison this is way better than the numbers that Eric Dier has been recording since his transition from midfield – indeed, the England international has averaged a disappointing 0.5 tackles, 0.9 interceptions and an 81.5% passing success rate, also per WhoScored.

He is even outshining Skriniar who has only mustered up an average of 2.1 clearances and 1.1 interceptions per game in the very same league.

Daniel Levy has just seen why he must secure this bargain upgrade this month.

AND in other news, Spurs have ready-made Gareth Bale replacement in £25m “huge talent”…

After an impressive display from the bench in Fulham’s 3-2 defeat against Everton last weekend, Scott Parker must trust Chelsea loanee Ruben Loftus-Cheek with a start in the Cottagers’ next game against Leicester City.

The West London club travel to the King Power Stadium on Monday in the hope of picking up their first away win of the 2020/21 Premier League season.

Parker’s side produced a promising second-half display against the Toffees in their last fixture but despite pushing hard for an equaliser in the late stages of the game, they fell to a 3-2 defeat.

One man who impressed with his display against Carlo Ancelotti’s side was Loftus-Cheek, as he came off the bench to score Fulham’s second goal, which earned him a 7.71 rating from WhoScored.

The England international was far better than teammate Mario Lemina, with the Gabonese midfielder earning a shocking 6.23 rating for his performance in the same game, so surely Parker won’t opt to start the Southampton loanee again on Monday night.

Following the game, the Fulham manager was full of praise for Loftus-Cheek, saying:

“I thought he was brilliant. Ruben came in and we’ve worked really hard together, in terms of the information I’m trying to give him and how he can have a big impact on the pitch.

“Sometimes I feel as if Ruben has a tendency for games to drift by him, and today was everything that we spoke about with him.

“He came on and made a real difference. He looked every bit of a top, top player.

“He got the ball, was brave, scored a goal, got in the box, and was dynamic in between the lines.

“He’s got a real ability and he’ll be big for us this year. He needs to keep working on it and keep listening to what we’re saying.

“No doubt he’ll keep improving like we’ve seen today.” (per West London Sport)

You could also argue that Loftus-Cheek has a lot to prove during his time with Fulham, as he will no doubt be pushing for a spot in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the Euros next summer, so will be desperate to impress.

The injury-prone 24-year-old must also ensure that he performs with Fulham, otherwise, he may well be axed by Chelsea boss Frank Lampard next summer, considering the number of top-quality players the Blues brought in over the summer.

Therefore, Parker should reward his impressive display against Everton with a start against Leicester City on Monday in the hope that he can inspire the Cottagers to just their second Premier League win of the season.

AND in other news, Scott Parker must consider giving”brilliant” academy talent a chance in his first-team

Sunderland AFC feels like a circus at the moment.

It’s a mood that supporters have become accustomed to in the last four to five years but things have arguably never been as unclear as they are now.

Not only is Stewart Donald locked in negotiations to sell the club, but he’s now having to find a new manager for Sunderland too.

Earlier this week they sacked Phil Parkinson after a run of three straight league games without winning. Given the Black Cats are just six points off top spot you can consider it pretty harsh. Though, truth be told, the football was stale and the performances were unlikely to improve.

A host of replacements have been touted from Danny Cowley and Gus Poyet but the one candidate we’re going to focus on is Paul Cook, someone described as “charismatic” by Chelsea boss Frank Lampard.

The former Wigan manager got the Latics out of League One and did so working under a pretty strict budget. Already that should be an impressive quality for Donald to get excited about when assessing his CV.

After all, this Sunderland side are right on the verge of the EFL’s salary cap so Cook won’t exactly have too much to spend.

And, providing he can get the most out his players, he won’t need to. Specifically, we’re talking about Will Grigg, someone whose transfer to the Stadium of Light has been nothing short of shambolic.

Sunderland needed a striker on deadline day in the winter window in 2019 but Donald couldn’t secure one – that was until he decided to pay a fee of £4m for Grigg.

Since walking through the doors he has scored just eight times, so it’s safe to say that Grigg, in this instance, is definitely not on fire.

However, under someone like Cook, he could rediscover himself and fire the Mackems to promotion. Why? Because they already have a superb understanding of each other.

In the 2017/18 season, Grigg played under Cook at Wigan and racked up a tally of 26 goals in 54 outings – 19 of which came in League One.

Since heading to the north-east, the striker has looked dejected and demoralised. That’s something that could change if Cook comes to the club.

Speaking after he sold Grigg to Sunderland in 2019, he said: “This football club will be here forever, and Will Grigg will forever be a part of its history.

“He’s an absolute diamond of a bloke and he’ll always be welcomed back here.”

It would be great to see their relationship reunited if Cook was appointed at the Stadium of Light.

If he can get Grigg firing in the goals again, that £4m will look like peanuts.

Meanwhile, Sunderland would be playing with fire by hiring this man as their sporting director…

West Bromwich Albion have a wealth of riches when it comes to their youth team and they certainly know a promising striker when they see one.

Whilst first-team regulars Dara O’Shea and Nathan Ferguson were breaking the trend being defenders making it at the Baggies, the club have undoubtedly produced more attackers.

Sadio Berahino, Izzy Brown, Chris Wood, Kemar Roofe, Morgan Rogers, Louie Barry are some that have come through the system and gone onto play professionally elsewhere.

Whilst the likes of Rayhaan Tulloch, Jovane Malcolm and Jamie Soule look like a trio of players that could be on the fringes of the senior squad come next year.

But now there’s a new name making a lot of noise right now, and that’s Owen Windsor, who is quietly impressing during a loan spell at League Two outfit Grimsby Town.

The 19-year-old has scored and assisted one goal apiece from two starts whilst also averaging one dribble, shot and key pass per appearance, via WhoScored.

His latest outing at the weekend was particularly eye-catching as he played an instrumental role in the Mariners’ 3-2 victory over Leyton Orient – per SofaScore, Windsor won 50% of his ground duels, won three free-kicks, won a penalty and also recorded one dribble, one shot and one key pass.

Such a display earned him a 7.4 rating, which was the third-highest of any player that featured on the day.

GrimsbyLive claimed the Albion starlet shined and named him as their Man of the Match: “Outstanding performance. For 19 years old, his strength in holding off defenders was incredible, the through ball for Williams was delectable, and of course he created the decisive moment with superb run at the death. Looks a perfect fit in professional football.”

Upon his arrival, Ian Holloway lauded Windsor as a “bull of a number nine” and added: “He’s full of running, absolutely fresh as a daisy and he is going to complement what we already have here.”

That sort of emphatic work-rate surely draws some similarities to former Baggies forward Shane Long, so just maybe, the Midlands outfit have found a gem.

In Charlie Austin and Kenneth Zohore, Albion have lacked an energetic presence in attack and that’s evidently what Windsor is already bringing so early on in his professional career.

He will be well worth a look after this valuable season-long loan in the EFL.

AND in other news, Controversial EXIT now looking a masterstroke from Dowling…

Liverpool will face the next task in their Champions League run as they travel to Italy to take on Atalanta in another group stage match.

As it stands, the Reds top their group having won 100% of their games played so far. Atalanta are their direct competition, sitting two points behind on four. It will be an exciting clash this evening as the six-time winners look to partake in another title run.

Fortunately for them, Jurgen Klopp confirmed that Naby Keita and Joel Matip have both returned to training and could be available for selection today. With that being said, Football FanCast has predicted how Liverpool might line up, including three changes from their 11 against West Ham…

Despite being a potential doubt for this evening, Klopp could choose to deploy Matip alongside Joe Gomez at centre-back tonight. In his latest presser, the manager said: “A lot of players will be on the plane hopefully, and so decisions will be made late, late, late.”

This could indicate that the £28.8million-rated defender is in the running to start but it will all boil down to last minute decisions.

However, one thing he may not do is risk Keita in midfield. After an impressive performance against West Ham, Xherdan Shaqiri may earn himself a start against Atalanta. The elusive Swiss international picked out the exquisite pass to Diogo Jota to net the winner at Anfield on Sunday.

Similarly, the man who bagged the winning goal also deserves to start against the Italians. His form since making his debut has been electric and he has contributed three goals in five appearances. Two of those were crucial in securing a win and proved the difference between one and three points (via Transfermarkt).

Roberto Firmino had a quiet game against the Hammers and was substituted off in the 70th minute. Klopp may use this as the perfect chance to rest the Brazilian and start Mohamed Salah in the No.9 position instead. The last time he did this was against Sheffield United, which paved the way for Jota to dominate the right flank and bag himself a goal.

It can be expected for the Portuguese ace to continue his run of form as the Reds take a higher grip on the Champions League.

In other news, Liverpool could have transformed Dele Alli had they snapped him up before Spurs…

Brighton are hoping to hijack West Brom’s proposed £20m move for West Ham winger Grady Diangana.

That is according to a report from the Daily Mail, which claimed that Fulham and Aston Villa are also considering 11th-hour action to try and divert the 22-year-old away from joining the Baggies, who have been given permission by the Hammers to discuss personal terms with the player.

The report added that West Brom are hoping to complete the deal as quickly as possible so as to prevent the Seagulls and other clubs from a last-ditch swoop.

Diangana, who cites Ronaldinho as an influence and childhood idol, spent time on loan at West Brom last season and helped them to gain promotion back to the Premier League, scoring eight goals and setting up another seven in 30 Championship appearances (as per TransferMarkt).

Those figures would likely have been even higher were it not for an injury-enforced spell out of the team during the winter months.

The 22-year-old was primarily deployed on the left wing by Slaven Bilic at The Hawthorns but has plenty of experience on either flank during his career so far. Indeed, his ability to play on the right wing could be highly appreciated by Brighton manager Graham Potter.

That is because the Seagulls are somewhat lacking in right-sided options at present, with Alireza Jahanbakhsh their only natural winger on that flank. The Iranian has not exactly been a roaring success in his time at the Amex Stadium, with only two goals in 36 appearances for the club.

It still seems most likely that Diangana will rejoin West Brom, this time on a permanent basis, seeing as the proposed transfer is at the personal terms stage.

However, if reports of Brighton’s maintained interest are accurate, that still offers slight hope of the Seagulls being able to swipe him from under the Baggies’ noses; and given the 22-year-old’s effectiveness and ability to thrive in a role where Potter isn’t blessed with options, it could end up being quite a coup if the Sussex club can pull off a last-ditch raid.

Brighton fans, can you see your club striking an 11th-hour deal for Diangana? Comment below with your views!