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Southampton have struggled for goals in recent weeks, with Danny Ings’ winner against Liverpool their only goal in the top-flight in their last four fixtures. Part of the problem could be due to Che Adams’ drop in form.

However, with Ings set to return to action against Arsenal this weekend after a brief period out with the current viral outbreak, his partnership with the former Birmingham City man in attack could be the catalyst for an upturn in form.

Adams started the season in an excellent fashion for the Saints, managing four goals and four assists in his opening 14 fixtures which led Ralph Hasenhuttl to suggest that:

“He’s a role model for the time we went through – from zero to hero at the moment,” following his goal in the 2-0 win against Newcastle United earlier this season that sent Southampton to the top of the Premier League.

However, he has struggled in each of his last five appearances for the South Coast club, failing to score or assist and producing disappointing all-round displays.

Whilst this is already an improvement of his goals and assist tally from last season, the young striker will be hoping that he doesn’t slip into his habits from last season, where he struggled to find the back of the net for so long.

Although he only featured as a substitute against Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup last time out, his lack of confidence in front of goal was evident when he rounded the ‘keeper late on, before switching the ball to his right foot instead of shooting into the open net, which allowed the Shrews defender to get back and block his shot.

He has looked at his most dangerous when paired with a fully-fit Ings, so with the England international expected to feature against Arsenal on Saturday, Hasenhuttl will be hoping that the 24-year-old can rediscover his best form.

£15m man Adams has already assisted Ings twice in the Premier League this season, so it is clear that the two have a connection when starting together in Hasenhuttl’s attack.

Therefore, whilst the majority of Southampton fans will be excited for Ings’ return to action, it could be the impact he has on Adams’ performances that will be the most crucial improvement in Hasenhuttl’s side.

After some disappointing results in recent weeks, the Austrian manager will be hoping that now he has both of his first-choice strikers back available, the Saints will start to pick up better results, starting with the FA Cup fourth-round tie against Arsenal on Saturday.

And, in other news… Forren 2.0: Hasenhuttl delivers worrying injury update on Southampton’s “big talent”

Aston Villa defender Frederic Guilbert had been linked with an exit from Villa Park for most of the January transfer window and the Frenchman finally made his move on Sunday.

Guilbert moves on

The club announced that they have finally made the decision to allow Guilbert to join Ligue 1 side Strasbourg on loan for the remainder of the season. They tweeted: “Wishing @FredGuilbert24 all the best for the rest of the season!”. They also wrote how the player has moved on as he seeks regular game time.

Should the club have allowed Guilbert to leave?

The £4.5m-valued ace has struggled for game time at the Villa. He hasn’t featured in the Premier League this season and the last match he played in the division came back in July (Transfermarkt).

When Dean Smith signed Guilbert, he said: ‘He’s one who’s got an awful lot of potential’. However, it’s fair to say that he has struggled to show that potential whilst at Aston Villa.

Therefore, it was for the probably best that the club let the 26-year-old depart, even if it is just on loan.

He can now play some more regular first-team football and the spell away might help him grow as a player. If Villa still feel that he is not to the level they need by the end of the loan, they can then always look to sell him in the summer.

In other news, these Villa fans loved a photo which emerged on Twitter following the win against Southampton. Have a look at what it showed here!

Newcastle United’s FA Cup third round exit at Arsenal exposed Steve Bruce for shamefully wasting Andy Carroll in the absence of Callum Wilson on Saturday.

Bruce took the precautionary decision to omit Wilson and Jonjo Shelvey from his matchday squad in order to prevent either sustaining an injury at the Emirates Stadium, but he expects both to be involved in Tuesday night’s Premier League trip to Sheffield United.

Carroll was given only his fourth start of the season as he was picked to lead the line in north London, and he came close to sending the Toon through to the next round too, but he squandered two glorious chances in closing stages as the tie went to extra time.

Arsenal would have had little time to recover had Carroll sent Newcastle into the lead inside the final minute of the second-half, yet the former England international saw Bernd Leno react quickly to smother his shot.

The forward had already been made to rue his wasteful shooting moments earlier, with Carroll timing his run to perfection to stay onside only to side-foot wide an effort that Alan Shearer would later claim “can only be defined as an absolute sitter”.

Despite his shooting proving costly for Newcastle, who failed to match last season’s FA Cup campaign that saw the Magpies reach the quarter-final, Bruce was pleased with Carroll’s overall performance at Arsenal.

“I thought Andy did fantastically well. If he had topped it off by scoring a goal, it would have been good for him. There were a lot of pleasing things,” Bruce said, via quotes by The Shields Gazette.

In truth, however, Bruce wasted Carroll at Arsenal and the Newcastle United boss’ defensive tactics proved costly against a Mikel Arteta side that is often unable to present any forward threat.

Too often throughout the north London affair, Carroll was forced to drop deeper and deeper in search of possession or to help United defend, capped off by a first-half charge that saw the 32-year-old target man aid Emil Krafth at right-back.

Bruce and Newcastle eventually saw the best of what Carroll can bring to the table in the closing stages of the second period when he was presented with chances to seal a rare win over Arsenal, who have now beaten the Toon in 15 of their last 16 meetings.

If United are to retain Carroll against interest from West Bromwich Albion in the January transfer window, Bruce must act now and deliver a drastic change to his system by pairing the £75,000-per-week gem, who Kevin Phillips feels “can be unplayable”, with another striker.

Bruce often favours a one-striker system but he will struggle to see the best of Carroll over a full 90 minutes if he continues to focus on defensive stability over an attacking threat, and he must pair the 6 ft 4 target man with Wilson to lay claim to a better forward balance that may finally see Newcastle snap their seven-game winless streak across all competitions.

Bruce is setting the Magpies up defensively, but the fact is, they aren’t winning games in this set-up, so a change is needed.

AND in other news, a Newcastle gem embarrassed his teammates as Steve Bruce’s only positive at Arsenal.

Manchester United beat Everton in a 2-0 win at Goodison Park to set up a semi-final with Manchester City in the Carabao Cup.

Edinson Cavani opened the scoring in the 88th minute shortly before Anthony Martial doubled their advantage with just seconds to spare, with the two strikers working in tandem to break the deadlock.

Cavani will take the plaudits for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side and rightly so but it was Martial who proved to be the difference between the two sides as he finished the game with a tally of one goal and an assist.

However, not everyone in the famous Red Devils jersey were at the races against the Toffees, in particular Donny van de Beek, who badly let Solskjaer down during his 67′ minutes before he was replaced by Martial.

His substitution was likely a reflection of his poor performance overall rather than a tactical decision ahead of the Premier League clash with Leicester City on Boxing Day.

The 23-year-old Dutch international, who earns around £108,000-per-week at Old Trafford, was a complete passenger playing out-of-position on the left wing, as he won just three out of his six duels overall (50%), and was dribbled past twice, as per SofaScore.

It’s fair to say that he struggled to get a foothold in the game, only completing a meagre 23 passes out of 29, which is a rather dismal total, especially when you consider the fact that Paul Pogba himself provided 46 out of his 57 passes at Goodison Park.

This was backed up by The Manchester Evening News’ Dominic Booth, who claimed he was ‘much quieter after the break and replaced.’

Van de Beek, who cost United £35m in the summer, failed to record a single shot on target or register a single assist, via SofaScore.

Having not started in any of United’s past three Premier League fixtures, the stage was arguably set for the Dutchman to make his mark, but now he’s going to find it even harder to break into the starting XI after he let the manager down immensely with his lacklustre display last night.

It’s no wonder Van de Beek was hauled off after half-time and he ought to be wary with both Pogba and Bruno Fernandes impressing in recent weeks whilst Martial and Marcus Rashford featured off the bench.

His seventh start of the season could be his last for some time after that showing, with a tough trip to Leicester City next on the agenda.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Former Hull City striker Dean Smith says Jadon Sancho shouldn’t join Manchester United…

James Tavernier once again underlined his importance to Glasgow Rangers as Steven Gerrard’s side routed Ross County to extend their lead over Celtic in the Scottish Premiership.

A goal from Kemar Roofe gave the Gers the lead before the club captain finished from close range, Callum Morris diverted the ball into the back of the net, and Jermain Defoe added the icing with a lovely finish on the turn to mark his 800th senior appearance in his professional career with a goal.

Whilst Roofe opened the floodgates, Tavernier was the real standout, as the Bradford-born right-back has defied the critics to establish himself as an integral part of Gerrard’s side, which has coincided with their resurgence in form since the start of the season.

Once again, the club captain produced another near-perfect performance, having scored his ninth penalty of the season against Standard Liege in the Europa League at Ibrox on Thursday night.

As per SofaScore, the 29-year-old was given a high grade of nine out of ten for his efforts against Stuart Kettlewell’s side, as Rangers largely dominated proceedings from start to finish.

Tavernier’s penchant for scoring goals from right-back has led to some, including legendary Ibrox gaffer Walter Smith, describing him as one of the most impactful full-backs in the world, as he has bagged 10 times and 7 assists in 16 games in the Scottish Premiership so far this season.

But it is his defensive contribution that cannot be ignored as the Gers restricted the Staggies to just one shot on target in the entire game, as Harry Paton’s powerful strike was comfortably saved by wily goalkeeper Allan McGregor.

Tavernier, who currently earns wages worth £14,000-per-week, played the full 90′ minutes and he did not disappoint, as he won three out of his six ground duels, won both of his aerial duels, and made one tackle, whilst he wasn’t dribbled past at all, which implies that he put in a defensive shift.

The free-scoring full-back looked comfortable in possession and confident on the ball, as he took 96 touches in total, made one key pass, produced 47 out of 62 passes (76%), created one big chance and took one shot on target, two shots off target and had one attempt blocked.

As is often the case, the Rangers skipper found himself on the scoresheet once again, as he took advantage of a deflection to register his 16th goal of the season. The monster defender then had a cross deflected in by Callum Morris to cap off an impressive performance.

It’s fair to say that if he can continue his current run of form, it’s hard to see his understudy Nathan Patterson getting a chance in the starting line-up anytime soon, as the captain has started every single game in the Premiership so far this season.

With both Borna Barisic and Tavernier bombing up and down the flanks, Gerrard’s side are looking like a force to be reckoned with at this moment in time.

AND in other news, Rangers midfielder Scott Arfield can fulfil the role Gerrard has wanted for so long…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Chris Kirkland has suggested that Liverpool should target Burnley centre-back James Tarkowski as a potential replacement for Virgil van Dijk.

The Dutch international was ruled out for a significant period after suffering an injury in the Merseyside derby draw against Everton earlier in the season, which has left the Reds a little short of centre-back options.

Dejan Lovren departed for Zenit St Petersburg during the summer and Fabinho, who filled in at centre-back in the first few games following Van Dijk’s injury, recently picked up a hamstring injury of his own.

This has led to youngsters such as Nathaniel Phillips and Rhys Williams featuring at centre-back in recent fixtures, as Jurgen Klopp is often forced to do without the injury-prone Joel Matip.

In the exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Kirkland suggested that the Reds should try and sign Tarkowski to add to their centre-back options, saying:

“Obviously there was a lot of talk about Tarkowski at Burnley. I like him, I think he’s decent. You can’t go, ‘well will he do what Van Dijk does?’ Because that’s impossible, nobody does that.”

Kirkland suggests that there was ‘a lot of talk’ about Liverpool potentially signing the England international, perhaps referencing Liverpool’s reported interest in the defender in January of last year.

At the time, Burnley manager Sean Dyche suggested that the rumours linking his centre-back, who earns £50,000-a-week according to Spotrac, with a move to Anfield were “bizarre” but considering the 27-year-old was described as ‘Burnley’s Virgil van Dijk’ in an article for The Athletic – perhaps he would be the ideal replacement for the former Southampton man while he recovers from injury.

Despite the Turf Moor outfit’s disappointing start to the 2020/21 Premier League season, the Englishman has still averaged an impressive 6.95 rating for his performances in the top-flight so far, so perhaps Liverpool should target the £25.2 million-rated centre-back in January.

According to reports, Newcastle are very interested in landing Nigeria international Ahmed Musa on a free transfer.

What’s the story?

The striker is no stranger to English football, having previously been Leicester’s club-record signing back in the summer of 2016, when he arrived in a £16m deal.

But having left former side Al Nassr last month, he is on the hunt for a new club, and TEAMtalk have claimed that Musa is keen on having another shot at making his mark in the Premier League.

The report adds that at 28, he believes he still has a lot to offer, and that his representatives have already spoken to a few clubs in the top-flight, including Newcastle.

Bargain signing for Steve Bruce

Whilst Musa didn’t exactly set the world alight in his time with the Foxes – he managed just five goals in 33 total games for the club – on a free transfer, Steve Bruce surely can’t turn that down.

With 87 caps for Nigeria, the 5 foot 7 flier is as experienced as they come, and would offer the Magpies a much-needed, experienced back-up option to summer signing Callum Wilson.

Musa wouldn’t have to be relied upon to start week-in and week-out for the Tyneside club, but with the Premier League schedule the way that it is, having someone like him who can fill in when necessary or even play together with Wilson, would be a huge weight off Bruce’s shoulders.

And when you compare him to arguably the most similar type of player in the current Newcastle squad, Dwight Gayle, Musa is comfortably better than him. As per Whoscored, he averages more shots (1.9 to 1.8), more key passes (0.9 to 0.6) and far more dribbles (1.1 to 0.2) per game too.

It’s a no-brainer to snap him up on a free.

West Ham United endured a calamity in the transfer market this summer by failing to sign Duje Caleta-Car after being offered the defender in an easy deal by Olympique de Marseille.

What’s the word?

According to L’Equipe, via Sport Witness, Marseille’s Director of Football Pablo Longoria had sought to offload Caleta-Car late in the market after being ordered to sell a string of the Ligue 1 side’s players.

West Ham are believed to have been contacted to sound out interest in the 24-year-old centre-half but were unable to put together a convincing offer in time, as Caleta-Car favoured continuing at the Stade Velodrome to live out his dream of competing in the Champions League.

That dream has quickly turned into a nightmare with Andre Villas-Boas’ Marseille side winless after three Group Stage ties, featuring a 1-0 loss at Olympiacos, a 3-0 drubbing at home to Manchester City and a 3-0 thrashing away to FC Porto.

Marseille have only begun to turn around their league form in recent weeks, too, with OM sitting fifth in the Ligue 1 table having allowed the fourth-most shots a game in the French top-flight at 14.6.

Caleta-Car could have signed a vastly lucrative deal had he agreed to join West Ham this summer, with The Sun reporting in October that the Irons were willing to pay Marseille £25million and award the Croatia international a £150,000-per-week contract.

The 8-cap enforcer later confirmed he had received a well-paid offer this summer, noting via quotes by TransferMarkt: “Yes, I had offers from Premier League clubs. It was a good offer for the club and me.

“I decided to stay in the Champions League because it was always the biggest dream of my life.”

Worth a second attempt?

With Marseille’s Champions League campaign quickly crumbling into pieces, and a Europa League berth reliant on Villas-Boas bettering Olympiacos’ points haul over their next three fixtures, Caleta-Car could reconsider his future at the Stade Velodrome in the New Year.

Reports by Buzz Sport have suggested the OM hierarchy remain open to cashing-in on the Croatian, too, with Longoria already considering Nikola Maksimovic as a potential replacement with his SSC Napoli contract expiring in the summer.

But Caleta-Car could take some convincing of a move to east London with David Moyes’ Hammers far from challenging for the Champions League places this season, so may need to rely on a lucrative contract once more after presenting a deal that would have made the 23-year-old the best-paid player in claret and blue by some margin.

Caleta-Car’s performances in Ligue 1 this term as Marseille’s left-sided centre-half offer enough promise for West Ham that he can make a success of himself in the Premier League, having averaged 2.5 aerial duels won a game with a 74% success rate, per SofaScore, plus 4.4 clearances, 1.1 interceptions, 0.8 tackles and 34.3 accurate passes (82%).

AND in other news, David Moyes has been backed to bring the “perfect” £10m bonus to West Ham in January.

After missing out on Callum Wilson, Aston Villa are set to go back to Bournemouth to try and land one of their other attacking stars…

What’s the word?

According to the reliable John Percy at the Telegraph, Dean Smith’s side are set to make a £16m bid for Cherries forward Joshua King as he steps up his pursuit of a new striking option.

It’s claimed that Villa are keen to sign two strikers this summer and that they withdrew their offer for Wilson when it was made clear he was moving to Premier League rivals Newcastle United.

Brentford talisman Ollie Watkins is still a top priority but it appears King is another target for the club.

However, The Sun have previously suggested that the south coast side would want £25m to let him go.

Proven and versatile

If those reports are to be believed, then potentially adding someone like King alongside Watkins could be exactly what Villa need this summer.

Smith’s current striking duo of Wesley Moraes and Mbwana Samatta combined for a mere six goals last season, two fewer than Jack Grealish’s eight – they can’t rely on their skipper every single week.

This struggle for goals has been one of Smith’s biggest nightmares and one of the huge reasons why the club were embroiled in a relegation dogfight for most of the season.

The 28-year-old can play anywhere along the front three and has netted at least six goals in the last five Premier League campaigns with a career-best coming during the 2016/16 season where he bagged a whopping 16 times, via WhoScored.

He still did well in a struggling Cherries outfit, contributing directly to ten goals whilst averaging 2 dribbles and 1.2 key passes per game also.

It’s no wonder Eddie Howe once labelled him a “complete package” as he’s “outstanding physically, technically and mentally” and has also added that he’s “quite unique”.

If Villa are to avoid another relegation scrap, then adding proven PL players such as King is a smart way to go about business – though, they may have to increase that £16m bid if they are to secure him before next month.

AND in other news, £20m target  would be an instant upgrade on Douglas Luiz… 

Despite having to undergo knee surgery at the start of the calendar year, Moussa Sissoko proved himself to be one of the first names on the team-sheet under both Mauricio Pochettino and Jose Mourinho at Tottenham last season.

When fit, he played in every single game for the north London side barring the Carabao Cup defeat to Colchester United, eventually racking up a total of 35 appearances across all competitions.

Is it Mido or Pedro Mendes? This Spurs quiz will separate the loyal from the fake…

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

But with the arrival of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg from Southampton, Sissoko’s starting place is under threat, and after being given the opportunity to play from the off against Birmingham City in pre-season on Saturday, he didn’t seem to take his chance.

After seeing his performance, Spurs fans took to Twitter to criticise the midfielder for his display.

A couple of Spurs supporters suggested Sissoko isn’t good enough to be playing for the club, and that he should be sold, with one fan even saying that he should have gone a long time ago.

Another couple of fans even expressed their relief at seeing Sissoko being substituted for Hojbjerg during the game.

The versatile Sissoko is the kind of player arguably every team in the Premier League needs. He may not be the most flashy, or one to notch up plenty of goals and assists, but he can be relied upon to play anywhere where the manager needs him.

Last season even saw him fill in at right-back on occasion, and there is a lot of value to keeping him in the squad. He may not be the man to lead Spurs to a top-four finish, but he is the definition of a role player who can offer Jose Mourinho a lot of different uses.