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After a patchy run of form in the Premier League, West Ham could be about to get a much-needed boost.

Manuel Pellegrini has been without a host of players due to injury, but two of those absentees now look close to making a first-team return.

The Breakdown

Football.London reports both Manuel Lanzini and summer signing Fabian Balbuena are likely to be part of the West Ham squad set to travel to Spain this week for a training camp in a development that could be massive for the club’s season.

Lanzini has yet to feature under Pellegrini after he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament while on international duty with the Argentina national team just before last year’s World Cup, but remains an ideal fit for the sort of football the Chilean is trying to deliver at the London Stadium.

The 25-year-old is a very technical player, capable of dribbling past opposition defenders and keeping the ball under control, making him the sort of No.10 Pellegrini loves to build his team around.

Meanwhile, Balbuena has been solid at the back this campaign, forming a strong central defensive partnership with Issa Diop before his injury.

If Pellegrini can get the duo up and running again, West Ham should be on course for a bright finish to the season.

Manchester City’s Phil Foden scored twice as his team beat Newport County 4-1 in the FA Cup on Saturday and he shouldn’t be worried that he’s yet to make a Premier League start for the champions.

The Stockport-born City fan has made eight appearances in the league so far this season totalling 106 minutes, and most would say that’s simply not good enough for a youngster hoping to become one of Europe’s greatest players. However, last season he played less than 50 minutes of first-team league football, so there’s clearly a progression.

He’s still 18-years-old and for a player to be playing any Premier League minutes at that age is impressive and difficult to achieve. Now apply that thinking to Manchester City, who have one the most gifted squads in world football and it puts the difficulty of the task facing him into perspective.

Would he good enough to play first-team minutes for another Premier League club like David Brooks has done at Bournemouth? Yes. But that doesn’t mean he should leave City in search of instant game time. Foden wants to play at the highest level, and to learn how to get there, he needs to be surrounded by the highest quality players.

Game time is important and it’s a valid point that two of England’s top players Dele Alli and Harry Kane learned their trade in lower divisions, but at City if you get sent out on loan, you very rarely return. The gulf in quality is so much that playing in another team may not even reach the levels of City’s training ground sessions.

Pep Guardiola is arguably the best coach in the world and he’s repeatedly said he wants him to stay at the club. If you’re Phil Foden it’d be hard to turn around and request a move away from your boyhood club and a manager, particularly this manager, who has a plan for your future. If Guardiola didn’t believe in him, he’d have been sent out on loan, but he does and so Foden is right to trust his coach.

At the moment Foden’s doing the right thing. Taking his opportunities when they come and learning from some of the world’s best players while doing so. If he continues to trust Guardiola and perform to the ability the club believe he can, he will become a regular within the next few seasons.

Do you think Phil Foden should seek a loan move to get more game time?

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Southampton produced a battling, aggressive display against Manchester United on Saturday but ultimately fell to a 3-2 defeat at Old Trafford. Young full-back Yan Valery put the Saints ahead, whilst a stunning James Ward-Prowse free kick made the score 2-2 later in the game. However, a late Romelu Lukaku strike sealed the points for the Red Devils.

Despite the defeat, Ralph Hasenhuttl can be very proud of his side’s performance and the Austrian coach will be especially pleased to see Ward-Prowse’s fine form continue. The 24-year-old midfielder’s goal took his Premier League tally for the season to five – all of which have come in the last eight games. 

How much money could you make busking for a week as a freestyle footballer? Find out in the video below…

If the once-capped England international can keep this performance level up for the rest of the campaign then he could play a key role in ensuring the south coast club’s top flight survival.

After the match, plenty of Southampton fans took to Twitter to praise Ward-Prowse’s performance and congratulate him on his wonderful goal…

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Celtic are waiting on scan results to determine the extent of Callum McGregor’s calf injury.

The midfielder missed his first match of the season through injury as the Hoops beat Motherwell 4-1 on Sunday to restore their eight point advantage at the top of the SPFL table.

With Scott Brown suspended it meant a brand new midfield, with Nir Bitton returning to the side alongside Ewan Henderson who was starting his first ever top team match.

“He’s picked up an injury from the midweek,” Rodgers said, as quoted by The Daily Record, when explaining McGregor’s injury.

“We would’ve taken him off but we were down to 10 men and he didn’t feel it too bad. But then the last few days its stiffened up so we’ll see what the result of the X-ray is on that.”

Rodgers will be hoping to have McGregor available to face Hearts on Wednesday but surely won’t take any chances with a Scottish Cup quarter-final against Hibs following three days later.

McGregor has been a crucial member of Rodgers’ plans this season – his appearance against Valencia was his 54th match for club and country this season.

With Ryan Christie picking up a hamstring knock in the win over Motherwell, Bitton or Henderson could retain their place in the side to face Hearts if McGregor fails to prove his fitness.

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Now six points above the drop line, it feels as though Newcastle have done just enough to ensure survival for another season – and with time to spare – so it’s time for some early reflection on what has been another turbulent campaign on Tyneside.

With that in mind, our writers debate who has been Newcastle’s most improved player this season below…

James Beavis – Isaac Hayden

“Given he has openly admitted that he would like to leave Newcastle, the fact that he is currently so important and one of the first names on the team-sheet is unbelievable. The 23-year-old had struggled to get a spot in the starting XI since the Magpies’ return to the Premier League in 2017, and he has been helped by injury issues for Jonjo Shelvey, Ki Sung-Yueng and Mo Diame this term. However, alongside Sean Longstaff he has created a formidable partnership in the centre that is unbreakable, but whether that will be enough to convince him to stay is another matter.” 

Jack Saville – Sean Longstaff

“It’s difficult to see past Longstaff. The 21-year-old midfielder has made the step up from League One to Premier League football in some style. He is has already established himself as a vital cog in Rafa Benitez’s machine and the fact Newcastle have won 4 from their last 7 games with him in midfield is absolutely no coincidence. This could be the start of something special.”

Christy Malyan – Matt Ritchie

“He’s by no means been a burden in previous campaigns, and the stats suggest this will be far from a special season for the former Bournemouth man. But perhaps because he’s willingly taken the role of wing-back at times, perhaps because Jamaal Lascelles has been in and out of the team, it certainly feels as though Matt Ritchie has taken on more responsibility this season and become a real leader amongst Benitez’s ranks.” 

Billy Meyers – Sean Longstaff

“Newcastle had a slow start to the season, but have picked up of late to surge up the table and into 14th – six points clear of the drop zone. It has been a team effort, but the introduction of Longstaff, who impressed out on loan at Blackpool last season, has been instrumental. The 21-year-old has slotted seamlessly into the Magpies lineup, and looks like he won’t be dropping out of the team for some time.”

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The BBC reported on Monday that West Bromwich Albion are due to hold further talks with Slavisa Jokanovic about becoming their new manager after they sacked Darren Moore at the weekend, but they should be concerned about something he did in January.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Baggies decided to dismiss their 44-year-old former player following the 1-1 draw with bottom-of-the-table Ipswich Town at The Hawthorns on Saturday, which left the west Midlands outfit nine points adrift of the automatic promotion spots in the Championship with 10 fixtures remaining.

The BBC report that Albion have made former Fulham boss Jokanovic one of their prime targets to take the hot-seat, having guided the Cottagers and Watford to the Premier League previously during his managerial career.

The Nottingham Post reported back in January after Aitor Karanka had left the club that the Serbian was their “primary target” but that he had “one or two reservations” about taking over, and The Sun, via HITC, later reported that the 50-year-old had rejected the Reds.

According to Sky Sports, he also didn’t feel the then vacant Stoke City post was right for him at around the same time after initial discussions.

Could the same thing happen?

Having led Fulham to the top flight against all the odds and then done no worse than Claudio Ranieri in the Premier League, Jokanovic obviously feels he is in a strong position when it comes to taking on his next role.

There was clearly something he didn’t fancy at The City Ground if the report that he turned down wanting to manage them is true, and West Brom certainly need to be wary of that.

You would think that having sacked Moore that they would be sure that Jokanovic was almost certain to take the job, but Forest may well have thought the same thing before they eventually appointed Martin O’Neill.

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Aston Villa attacker Keinan Davis made his first Championship appearance of the season in his team’s 3-0 win over Middlesbrough on Saturday afternoon.

Ahead of the weekend, Davis’ only first-team football this season arrived when he was handed 18 minutes against Swansea City in the third round of the FA Cup back in January.

It has been a frustrating campaign due to injury, but the 21-year-old now seems ready to play his part for Dean Smith’s side between now and the end of the season.

Davis has played on 38 occasions for Villa’s first team – scoring three times – and is not exactly a newbie, but the team have been unable to call upon his services for the majority of this campaign.

The Villa fans are certainly excited to have the attacker back in action, however, with many taking to social media to reveal their views on the former England Under-20 international.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

What a turnaround it has been for Sheffield Wednesday in 2019! Steve Bruce has certainly brought a fresh approach to the club during his time with the Owls and has seen his side turn into a club that are within contention of reaching the playoffs, despite having had to look over their shoulders earlier in the campaign with the threat of relegation.

However, something that has not changed at Hillsborough is the Financial Fair Play situation that the Yorkshire outfit find themselves in and it appears the club may already be suffering a fallout from it.

What’s the News?

According to Kieran Maguire, who is a football finance expert, he believes that Sheffield Wednesday could already be under a soft transfer embargo – something that they had undergone last summer.

However, it would appear that things are not as bad as Birmingham City – who could face a 12 point deduction – and Wednesday could just receive a telling off and will need to show they are taking action to improve the situation.

“I suspect that Wednesday are already under an embargo,” Maguire told the BBC Sheffield Radio show Football Heaven on Wednesday. “And what they will have to do is to demonstrate to the EFL that they have taken some steps to reduce those losses.

“So if they can say, well, we’ve got three players who are on big contracts, they’re going to be out of contract at the end of 2019, we’re not going to renew those contracts and they’re on, say, £30,000-a-week each, that’s £5million saved for next season.”

However, it would appear they could also extend some of their star’s contracts in the summer, providing they remain the same and offload other players for a transfer fee.

“If they sell players who are in contract, and they sell them for a transfer fee, that can have a significant impact on results,” he continued. “So your profits from player sales you’re allowed to offset against your trading losses.

“My understanding is that the soft embargo only applies to recruiting new players. So if you want to offer an existing player and contract on existing terms then that’s perfectly acceptable.”

The Verdict:

Although the Maguire’s assumption is unlikely to have come as a surprise, it would appear that Sheffield Wednesday could be able to be in an encouraging position to solve their issues in regards to the Financial Fair Play regulations.

With the likes of Keiren Westwood set to become a free agent in the summer, it would appear that the Owls could be in a position to be able to renew his current deal and not be affected by the restrictions that could be posed upon them.

With the transfer window coming up, it would not be surprising to see Bruce make a number of changes to the squad, although the possibility of playing Premier League football next season could significantly change his plans for the following campaign.

However, if they remain in the Championship next year, that could see a number of their key players leave the club as they may have no choice but to try and raise funds from any potential sale, with the likes of Barry Bannan, Adam Reach and Fernando Forestieri all potentially receiving offers in the summer.

Sheffield Wednesday fans, what do you make of Maguire’s assumption that the club are already under a soft transfer embargo? Does it come as a surprise or was it to be expected? Join in with the discussion below by sharing your thoughts with us.

It has been a shambles of a season at Bradford City this year.

Despite fans flocking to Valley Parade to support their side in League One, they have witnessed defeat after defeat which has led the club to slump to the bottom of the division.

Saturday’s dismal 4-1 loss to Blackpool saw the club fall further adrift from survival with Southend in 20th position now six points ahead of Gary Bowyer’s side.

Although relegation is now looking almost inevitable barring a miraculous turn around in form, it could bring about some positives for the Yorkshire-based side. The prospect of a fresh start in League Two next season could see a major change in the club’s squad with players leaving Bradford in the summer who have simply not performed to the necessary level. In turn, this will open up the possibility of new players to prosper without having the shadow of a relegation looming over them.

Furthermore, after a season of doom and gloom, the club’s supporters may welcome a drop down in level if it means that they can simply go to a game with the feeling that they may be able to see a side who play on the front foot, going for the win.

With Gary Bowyer in charge, they have a manager who has previous experience of securing promotion at the first time of asking from League Two.

During his two year stint with Blackpool, the 47-year-old took the club up via the playoffs, playing an attractive style of football in the process. If given the chance to build his own squad in the summer, there should be no reason why Bowyer cannot achieve the same thing at Bradford.

Despite relegation being the last thing that any club wants to experience, the Bantams need to think of their future and how they can make the best out of an awful situation.

What do you think Bradford fans? Would an overhaul of your squad in the summer lead to more positivity at Valley Parade? Or are there simply no positives to take from relegation no matter the situation a club finds themselves in? Let us know below.

After Marko Arnautovic’s unnecessary antics threatened to derail West Ham United’s season in January, it’s no surprise Manuel Pellegrini’s seemingly sidelined him from his plans as of late.

The controversial striker may indeed have his move granted in the summer and, in fact, he probably should do. Yes, there was the new contract but – seriously – this coming summer needs to be where the Hammers can replace him with someone better.

They’ll be looking to get a lethal goal-scorer for the influential Arnautovic and according to reports (via Daily Star), the Hammers are aiming to sign La Liga star Maximiliano Gomez from Celta Vigo. The Uruguayan international’s earned a stellar reputation over the years, taking the Spanish top-flight by storm with his excellent work in the final third.

The 22-year-old is quite a complete striker who has a big influence in his team’s attack.  He’s scored 9 goals and assisted 5 so far this season, becoming a vibrant figure in attack. Not only is Maxi a real predator in the ball, latching onto balls with the utmost vigour, he also possesses a knack for creating chances.

While he’s probably not as skilfull as Arnautovic on the ball, he can definitely get the job done with his finishing ability. West Ham are packed with creative talent in midfield and a deadly goal-scorer like Gomez is exactly what Manuel Pellegrini needs to unlock his side’s utmost potential.

David Gold and David Sullivan will have to pay big to goad him out from Celta Vigo. However, if they want to replace the brilliant Arnautovic, the young Uruguayan is perfect to make sure that the sparks and goals in attack don’t wither away.

Hammers fans, would you mind replacing Arnautovic with Gomez in the summer? Join the discussion by commenting below.