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Sunderland’s busy period of football is showing no signs of letting up with another fixture to prepare for on Saturday afternoon.

The Mackems have tasted defeat in just two of their last 17 league outings, a brilliant run that has been engineered by the methods of Lee Johnson.

He has been game-changing for the Mackems’ attack with Charlie Wyke becoming the league’s second top scorer and Aiden McGeady becoming League One’s most prolific creator.

They have swatted aside fellow promotion hopefuls Lincoln and Doncaster in recent months but Crewe could represent another tough encounter on Saturday.

Therefore, what formation and starting XI could Johnson field?

We’re predicting the Mackems boss to make two changes from the team that beat Fleetwood in midweek.

There is a change of formation with the manager reverting back to a four-man defence. That means that Lynden Gooch is axed from the XI with the £8.1k-per-week Josh Scowen returning from injury in the middle of the park.

There is a solitary change in defence where Jake Vokins comes in for Callum McFadzean. The pair have been poor in recent weeks but with a four-man defence in operation, we feel it would be too risky to bring the more attacking Jordan Jones into the fray.

Bailey Wright is still out while Tom Flanagan is a week away from returning according to the boss.

The effervescent trio of Wyke, McGeady and O’Brien all continue in forward areas. The latter scored against Fleetwood and appears to be in good form, quickly becoming one of Johnson’s go-to men.

Under Phil Parkinson, he struggled for much game time. The same can be said for McGeady, a player who is now among the most dangerous in the third tier.

AND in other news, Imagine him & McGeady: Sunderland missed dream signing in “extremely talented” 27 y/o…

Jairo Riedewald has signed a new three-year contract with Crystal Palace which will keep him at Selhurst Park until 2024.

While it’s a welcome boost for Roy Hodgson, the same can’t be said for James McCarthy, who faces an uncertain future in south London.

Riedewald scored a worldie of a goal after his 20-yard screamer took a deflection off Ciaran Clark to ensure the Eagles recorded back-to-back-wins in the Premier League for the first time since September as they overcame a spirited Newcastle United on their own home turf at St James’ Park.

He then marked the special occasion by putting pen to paper to a new deal to commit his future to the club.

McCarthy, on the other hand, has struggled for game time under Hodgson this season, with Luka Milivojevic and James McArthur often preferred in his place, having made ten appearances across all competitions, earning a rather disappointing WhoScored match rating of 6.36 overall for his efforts.

By comparison, the 24-year-old has been in superb form for Hodgson’s side since the start of the season, averaging a solid 6.44 for the Eagles in all competitions.

In fact, it’s fair to say that Hodgson’s midfield is pretty well-stocked at present. He’s got Milivojevic, McArthur, McCarthy and Riedewald at his disposal, with the first two making at least 37 appearances between them this season thus far.

And the Eagles also have Cheikhou Kouyate on their books, albeit the 31-year-old has shifted to more of a defensive role as of late.

With Riedewald now penning a new deal, you do worry that McCarthy could soon be deemed surplus to requirements by the south London club.

Hodgson previously praised McCarthy for his role in Palace’s 2-2 draw with Manchester City last season, saying: “He’s been excellent and he’s getting better and better. We knew it would take a little time. He was training with Everton, so when he came to us he was technically fit and there was nothing wrong with him but of course he was not that close to the first-team for periods of time, not knocking on the door if you like.

“I knew the more he did with us, the chances he would get, he would get stronger and stronger. The action he performed for our equalising goal was quite incredible. That amount of running at that point in the game and to produce that pass was a class act. My faith in him and his faith in himself and determination to get back to that level of football has been rewarded. When you get these serious injuries which take you out of football for a long period of time it’s not easy.”

Unfortunately for McCarthy, since those promising comments, he has still been forced to settle for a spot on the bench more often than not so far this season and with Riedewald seemingly here to stay, the Irishman may have to get used to a place on saidthe aforementioned bench.

If he can’t re-establish himself in the first team between now and the end of the season, then it wouldn’t be a a surprise at all to see him leave Selhurst Park in the summer.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace will rue not signing Bayer Leverkusen winger Demarai Gray…

Liverpool are interested in bringing Udinese midfielder Rodrigo De Paul to Anfield, according to reports.

Rodrigo De Paul to Anfield?

The 26-year-old is a highly respected captain over in Serie A and Italy, having been described as a player who “can play under any conditions” by Argentina legend Juan Pablo Sorin, via Mundo Albiceleste.

Corriere Dello Sport (print edition, page 25, 15/01/2021) revealed that Jurgen Klopp is ready to take on Leeds United in competition for his signature, coming after other reports (via TeamTalk) claimed that the Reds see him as a replacement for Georginio Wijnaldum.

The future of Wijnaldum remains unsolved. With six months left on his current deal, he has the right to negotiate a pre-contractual agreement with another club.

During the current campaign, De Paul has scored three goals and provided two assists from 16 Serie A appearances, and is valued at £31.5m (TransferMarkt), with Udinese just four points outside of the relegation zone before the weekend’s action.

Transfer Tavern Verdict

It appears that Liverpool are putting measures in place in case Wijnaldum decides to leave at the end of the season, which is a sensible decision from Klopp.

At the same time, it is an even better call to bring another leader into the dressing room. Because of this, he could be quick to adapt to his new teammates and the German tactician’s playing style.

Realistically, De Paul is just a backup plan. If Wijnaldum stays, we imagine that Liverpool will withdraw from the pursuit.

In other news, Jurgen Klopp confirmed £120k-p/w star will miss Manchester United table-topping clash.

Some Southampton fans were left fuming at the display of Danny Ings in his side’s 0-0 draw against West Ham United in the Premier League.

So often the talisman for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s team, the England international did not have the best of games at St. Mary’s Stadium, as he recorded a very measly 6.1 overall rating on Sofascore, the lowest out of any player to have set foot on the pitch.

The 28-year-old failed to win any of his eight duels in the entire game, and also never managed to record a single shot on goal or a single successful dribble (Sofascore).

He also had fewer touches than his own goalkeeper in Alex McCarthy in the match, and also failed to register a single key pass, all while losing possession of the ball no fewer than 13 times (Sofascore).

The striker did not escape criticism from some SFC supporters on Twitter after his quite dismal performance.

Southampton fan reaction to Ings display

These Southampton fans slammed his performance, with one even claiming that he was ‘invisible’ in the clash:

“Quite literally, the worst game Ings has had in a #saintsfc shirt. Why play him when he’s not fit?”

Credit: @Jimwhite72

“#SaintsFC lethargic tonight. Ings and more off the pace. Would have liked to have seen Armstrong on 10 minutes earlier. Still, another point and another clean sheet in a difficult period of congested games. Onwards.”

Credit: @JamesConverge

“What a tired, dreary #SaintsFC performance that was. Starting to become a habit at the moment. West Ham came for a point and defended well but just like Fulham and Man City we just played it about with no belief we could score. Ings looks a shadow at the moment.”

Credit: @jonokli

“Another poor performance. The left hand side is pretty much redundant. We an equivalent to KWP ASAP, Bertrand finished IMO. Ings well short too and never looked like scoring again. Only positive is a clean sheet #SaintsFC”

Credit: @jamesalexwhite7

“Ings has been fairly invisible, not fully fit #saintsfc”

Credit: @sfcpaul100

“What’s happened to our goals and Danny Ings. Getting worrying #SaintsFC”

Credit: @SputhamptonFC

In other news, find out why Saints are raving about one particular stat here!

West Ham United may be about to pay the price for Manuel Pellegrini’s calamitous decision to sign Sebastien Haller in a club-record deal, with David Moyes potentially open to selling the striker in January.

What’s the word?

According to ExWHUemployee, while speaking on the West Ham Way Podcast, there is a chance Moyes will listen to offers for Haller in the upcoming transfer market as the Scottish coach “isn’t convinced” by his potential.

Moyes may be forced into handing the 26-year-old his fourth start of the Premier League season when the Scot welcomes his former employer Manchester United to the London Stadium on Saturday, with Michail Antonio questionable after being replaced 45-minutes into his return from a hamstring injury.

But Moyes does not rate Haller highly, and may inform the Irons hierarchy that he would be comfortable with the east London side entertaining offers for the attacker Pellegrini brought to the club for £45million in 2019.

Haller struck his second goal of the league campaign in fine fashion to seal all three points for the Hammers at Sheffield United last month before falling to the bench against Aston Villa, while netting seven in 32 top-flight appearances during his maiden campaign.

Previous speculation has suggested Moyes favours Antonio over Haller purely through the English centre-forward’s relentless desire and high work rate to occupy the sole centre-forward position, while the former Everton head coach has also called for the Ivory Coast international to offer more.

Speaking on Haller and Felipe Anderson following West Ham’s Carabao Cup win over Charlton Athletic in September, via quotes by the Evening Standard, Moyes said: “I’ve got to say the two of them are great to work with, the two of them are really good lads – I like them a lot. Felipe is a terrific lad, so is Seb. But what I want them to be is terrific players every time they play, and I want them to make a difference.

“I think Seb, a 6 ft 4 centre-forward and you’re leading the line, I think you are expecting much more of that. Maybe Seb isn’t completely that type. We are still finding out exactly what Seb’s attributes are in that case.”

A costly blunder by Sullivan and Pellegrini

Should West Ham indeed listen to offers for Haller in January like ExWHUemployee has suggested could be the case, the decision would mark one mighty and expensive blunder by co-owner and Chairman David Sullivan, along with Pellegrini.

Since signing Haller from Eintracht Frankfurt for a club-record £45m in July 2019, the Irons have seen the striker’s TransferMarkt valuation drop to just £27m.

Add in the forward’s £115,385-per-week contract over the 72 weeks since his arrival, and West Ham would stand to lose £26.3m should they only receive offers matching Haller’s current TransferMarkt valuation.

West Ham’s decision to sign Haller can be deemed a failure in other ways, too, with the two-time Ivory Coast international so far costing the club £1.15m per appearance after 46 games or £4.1m per goal after 13 strikes in claret and blue across all competitions.

With his output reflecting those figures, Sullivan will surely urge Moyes to persist with handing Haller opportunities to impress rather than cashing in at one almighty loss come January.

AND in other news, David Sullivan is heading for another blunder in West Ham’s chase of an underwhelming £18m target.

Former Everton defender Luke Garbutt has officially signed for Blackpool on a one-year deal.

The 27-year-old joins the Seasiders after being released from his boyhood club in the summer. He will be managed by former Liverpool under-23 coach Neil Critchley in their bid to improve on last season’s 13th-placed finish in League One.

Blackpool announced their new signing by using an inside joke that a lot of Everton fans have appreciated. Their screenshot of Carlo Ancelotti during a recent press conference comes from his reaction when asked about Garbutt.

The left-back departed the Merseyside outfit earlier this year after 11 years and the Blues boss was asked about his decision to release him. However, Ancelotti was none the wiser of the situation and simply replied by saying: “Who?”

Many Toffees fans are loving Blackpool’s tongue-in-cheek tweet and have flocked to the comments to applaud the joke. One fan has said the announcement is ‘brilliant’, whilst another thinks that the Seasiders’ media team is ‘class’.

Read more replies from the Goodison faithful below:

Everton fans, what do you think of Blackpool’s announcement? Join the conversation in the comments below!

According to Spanish outlet La Grada Online, Aston Villa are interested in signing Espanyol midfielder Marc Roca.

What’s the word?

Following Espanyol’s relegation to the second tier of Spanish football last season, it looks as though they are willing to let Roca go before the transfer window deadline on Monday.

La Grada Online claims that Roca has been granted permission to miss training in order to avoid any potential injuries, and that his club are hoping to get around £10m for his sale.

Villa’s own Xabi Alonso

Whilst Espanyol may have gone down last season, Roca, a Spain U21 international, was one of the shining lights of their campaign. A tough-tackling holding midfielder, the 23-year-old blends his physical style with a touch of class whilst on the ball.

As per Whoscored, he averaged an impressive 2.3 tackles per game in La Liga – a stat that ranked him 11th among all players in the division – and boasted an average of 47.7 passes per match.

Spanish football expert and pundit, Guillem Balague, raved about his abilities a couple of seasons ago, saying: “He is very good, his braveness, he’s not scared, he goes box to box but can also play positional football. He’s got quality as not too much a holding midfielder, but in front of the holding midfielder. He’s a big Espanyol fan, so I hope he remains at the club.”

With Espanyol seemingly keen on letting him go, Roca’s stay at the club may not be for much longer. And when you look at the kind of player he could develop into at Villa, then Dean Smith may be onto the club’s own Xabi Alonso.

The former Liverpool man was a typical Spanish play-maker, dictating things from deeper in midfield, and being capable of pinging 60-yard diagonal balls. Roca himself has previously admitted to idolising Alonso, saying: “From a very young age, I wanted to be like him. He’s an amazing player, and I hope one day to get close to what he did because I think he’s one of the best midfielders in history.”

Villa could land a major coup by signing him before Monday.

Wolves have been big spenders over the past few seasons, but now they’ve been the beneficiaries of a hefty sale with Diogo Jota joining Liverpool for £45m.

The Portuguese winger’s departure has seen Jeff Shi handed a big windfall, which he now has a few weeks to spend if he wants to.

However, unlike the usual scenario of a team scrambling for a replacement for a departing first-teamer, the Midlands club are in an incredibly strong position after selling Jota, as his replacement is already at the club.

Watch Wolverhampton Wanderers Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

The fact that Jota started just two of Wolves’ last six games shows that he was becoming something of an afterthought in Nuno’s plans towards the end of his time at Molineux with Daniel Podence emerging as the preferred option down the left-wing.

Add into this the fact that Pedro Neto is already at the club as the depth option, and it goes to show that the club don’t need to rush to grab a replacement and that they can actually use this money to become a stronger side than they were when Jota was at the club.

There is £45m waiting to be spent, and if they do a full audit of the squad and highlight the spots that are most in need of strengthening they could land a top-class player for such a fee.

Wolves have been smart in the transfer market for years at this point, and we don’t expect them to start panic buying anytime soon, but the worst thing they could do right now is to get overly-excited after a sale and start spending immediately when a more concerted effort would get them better players for better prices.

Nuno and his team can afford to be patient after Jota’s sale, because the squad hasn’t actually gotten significantly weaker after his departure.

Jadon Sancho is unconvinced by the prospect of moving to Manchester United.

Sancho has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford for a number of years now, but Man United seem to be no further forward.

According to Bild, as per @utdreport, Sancho wants to wait and see if United can qualify for the Champions League, before making his final decision.

The 20-year-old, who is the Borussia Dortmund’s top scorer this season, moved to the Signal Iduna Park in 2017 after rejecting a contract at the Etihad.

Although Sancho has told Dortmund he wants to return to England, the Red Devils must reach the top four if they are to secure his services for next season.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are fifth in the Premier League, and are currently enjoying an unbeaten run stemming all the way back to a 2-0 defeat to Burnley back in January. At the moment they are only two points behind fourth-placed Chelsea with everything left to play for in the five games remaining.

Missing out on Sancho would be a big blow for Solskjaer, as he has made it clear he remains his top priority, while he lost out to Dortmund in a battle for his teammate Erling Braut Haaland last year.

With that being said, the Red Devils romped to a 5-2 victory over Bournemouth, thanks to the heroics of Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood. The trio have formed a formidable front three in recent weeks and whether or not Solskjaer actually needs Sancho is another matter altogether.

Naturally, many United fans slammed Sancho’s decision, with one supporter branding his verdict “nonsense,” while another added “Greenwood is better.”

Scroll through some of the scathing reactions so far…

United fans, should the board sign Jadon Sancho this summer? Let us know down below!

Sunderland Ladies could face competition from rivals Newcastle United as they hope to sign Middlesbrough duo Olivia Watt and Emily Scarr.

With the coronavirus pandemic bringing a premature end to the 2019/20 Women’s National League North season, Sunderland will now look to next term to see if they secure the league title.

Having been 11 points clear at the top of the table when the league was abandoned, the Black Cats’ ladies’ side were unfortunate not to secure the title and it looks as though plans are now being put in to place to ensure that they seal it in the 2020/21 season.

Sunderland Echo have reported that 23-year-old right-back Watt, who began her career at the club, is ‘almost certain’ to seal a return, having played for ‘Boro over the last few seasons.

Meanwhile, Emily Scarr is also said to be on the radar of Sunderland, having impressed for Middlesbrough on 16 occasions this term in which she scored six times. A potential move for the 20-year-old, however, could be halted as rivals Newcastle have now been linked with interest.

It looks likely that former Wearsiders player Watt will return to the club this summer, but Scarr’s potential arrival could be a slightly more complicated deal,which may involve a heated transfer battle between Sunderland and Newcastle.

The unfortunate turn of events this season saw Sunderland miss out on the title and the potential additions of Watt and Scarr would seemingly make them favourites to ensure that the league is unequivocally won next term.

Do you think Sunderland can sign the ‘Boro duo? Let us know in the comments section below…