Charlton’s Lee Bowyer wants new striker to take pressure off Josh Davison

Lee Bowyer has stated that he wants another striker to be signed by Charlton Athletic during the January transfer window, as reported by News Shopper.

What did he say?

The Addicks have already brought in Andre Green, whom they are relying on to get off to a quick start in their attack.

However, Bowyer is seemingly not satisfied with that alone, feeling that another out-and-out striker is needed, as Lyle Taylor and Macauley Bonne are both unavailable through injury.

He has cited the level of pressure this currently puts on Josh Davison as a reason why the signing needs to be made:

“It’s obvious, I want a striker, Josh is the only fit striker we have. I don’t think it’s fair to say to him you’re going to be our main striker against a team pushing for promotion.

“Is that fair? Probably not, but I know if we don’t bring in a striker he’ll give me everything but I’d rather have a bit more experience.”

In need of recruits

The 20-year-old has only played five Championship games for Charlton, three of which were cameos that lasted under ten minutes, while his start against Swansea City was his first for the club.

Considering this, Bowyer is right in suggesting that Charlton could use someone with more experience at Championship level, especially when the considerable number of youngsters being used elsewhere is added into the mix.

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The need for experience has been indicated by one of their transfer targets, Leon Clarke, who has played a total of 285 Championship games throughout his career, scoring 60 goals and adding a further 21 assists.

He also offered a reminder of his goalscoring prowess by notching against AFC Fylde in the FA Cup on Sunday.

Charlton could definitely use somebody of that ilk within their ranks, as they look to maintain the status in the league past the current campaign.

In other news, Charlton will be looking to one man for inspiration.

Man Utd fans hail Greenwood display after goal v Norwich

Manchester United fans have hailed Mason Greenwood after the young striker scored in the Red Devils’ 4-0 win over Norwich City on Saturday.

The 18-year-old was introduced in the 71st minute and scored just five minutes later, sending a composed finish past Tim Krul from the edge of the area to wrap up a comfortable victory for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men.

It marked the teenager’s ninth senior goal in all competitions this term and supporters were delighted with the skill involved in the strike, taking to Twitter to hail the youngster.

Solskjaer began the game with Anthony Martial as the lone striker, with Marcus Rashford, Andreas Pereira and Juan Mata forming the attacking midfield trio behind him.

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Rashford netted a brace while Martial was also on the scoresheet, but some United fans are desperate for Greenwood to be starting games in the coming weeks.

United face Wolves in their FA Cup third-round replay in midweek before a daunting trip to Anfield to take on league leaders Liverpool.

United’s win on Saturday kept up the pressure on fourth-placed Chelsea, leaving them five points behind Frank Lampard’s men, who beat Burnley at Stamford Bridge.

Meanwhile, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has issued a worrying verdict on United’s January plans. 

West Brom boss Slaven Bilic taking a big risk in signing free agent Martin Olsson

According to Swedish newspaper Expressen, West Bromwich Albion are set to sign free agent Martin Olsson once finer details have been agreed.

What’s the word?

It’s claimed that the 31-year-old is in talks with the Baggies after he confirmed to press that there were offers on the table from England. He has been allowed to leave Sweden’s camp in Doha to sort out the move.

Olsson has been without a club since he was released by Swansea City at the end of last season.

Albion boss Slaven Bilic will be looking to strengthen key areas this month, and if these reports are correct, then he views the left-back area as a cause for concern – as we have also previously highlighted at Football FanCast.

First-choice Kieran Gibbs faces another lengthy spell on the sidelines while Nathan Ferguson has also been absent through injury.

Risky business

Despite the obvious need to bolster the left side of the defence, a move for Olsson could prove to be a very risky piece of business.

The Swede hasn’t played in over a year. A rather worrying sign.

His last match was a 3-2 victory over Brentford back at the start of December 2018 – he lasted just 14 minutes and wasn’t seen again that season, per Transfermarkt.

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That’s an almighty throw of the dice from Bilic, signing a player that can’t be anywhere near match fit and by the time he gets up to speed, Gibbs will be back and even if he suffers another injury, there’s Ferguson and Conor Townsend.

He may have played three games shy of 200 times in the top-flight, but that’s well in the past.

A wiser decision may have been to opt for the loan market; draft in a young player from one of the Premier League academies, even if it were on a short-term deal. That would make more sense.

In the 13 starts he managed for Swansea, Olsson averaged a poor average rating of 6.50, where he conceded 0.9 fouls per game, via WhoScored.

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This isn’t the sort of signing that a side chasing the title should be making, it neglects the future as their end goal is the Premier League and the veteran full-back clearly isn’t up to that standard now.

He was barely before with four relegations to his name.

Meanwhile, there has been an update provided in the pursuit of long-time target Dwight Gayle…

Crystal Palace: Marc Edworthy shares accurate views on Kyle Walker-Peters deal

Former Crystal Palace defender Marc Edworthy has shared his views on Kyle Walker-Peters and what he thinks of the Tottenham man’s prospective move to Selhurst Park.

Roy Hodgson confirmed that discussions were underway between the Eagles’ Sporting Director Dougie Freedman and Spurs over a deal for the England U21 international.

Additionally, The Telegraph wrote that Walker-Peters was ‘hoping’ to join Crystal Palace, so this move could well have some legs.

Edworthy – who made 38 appearances for the south Londoners during his playing career – has told Love Sport Radio what he thinks of the potential transfer.

What did he say?

Speaking on Love Sport Radio, the 47-year-old said: “I think it is a good signing, it is a difficult position to play in. The modern day full-back has to provide goals and assists as well. Roy Hodgson will know exactly what he’s looking for, you are not going to get every signing right but the personnel is something the football club will always look to improve.”

Edworthy is right – it would be a good signing

Despite Walker-Peters’ struggles for game time under Mauricio Pochettino and Jose Mourinho this season – he has just three Premier League starts to his name – the 22-year-old would be a good signing for the Eagles.

He would provide a much-needed injection of youth to what is an ageing squad – only four players are under the age of 27 – while the Tottenham academy graduate already has some valuable experience under his belt despite his young age.

The Spurs No.16 has played 90 minutes at the Allianz Arena this term, and also played 90 minutes against Manchester City at the Etihad earlier this season as Tottenham grabbed a 2-2 draw.

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Additionally, Walker-Peters also started a crucial Champions League Group Stage game against Barcelona last season, while spending time on the bench in the memorable semi-final tie against Ajax as well as the final against Liverpool – while he may not have got off the sidelines, that experience for such a young player will surely have been beneficial.

He also boasts 11 caps for England’s U21 side.

Edworthy is right – it would be a good signing for a Crystal Palace side in need of a reinvigorated feeling.

In other news, Crystal Palace would be making a mockery of their own ‘acceptance’ if they completed this transfer deal…

One winner and one loser if Spurs sign Jack O’Connell

According to a recent report from The Daily Star, Tottenham Hotspur could be lining up a raid on high-flying Sheffield United for their defender, Jack O’Connell.

The 6 foot 3 man has impressed at the heart of the Blades’ defence, making 4.7 clearances per game and 1.4 interceptions. Bearing in mind the fact he’s just 25, he could be a long-term solution for Spurs.

But this deal could potentially yield a clear winner and a clear loser from Spurs’ team…

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Winner: Jose Mourinho

We all know about Mourinho and the way he likes his teams to play – highly defensive, low risk and with an aim to keep those clean sheets coming at all times. We’ve seen that at numerous clubs, specifically Manchester United, but it’s been quite a tall task for the Special One at Tottenham.

In his first 16 games as Spurs’ new coach, Mourinho has averaged 1.69 points per match and has conceded a total of 22 goals, only managing two clean sheets in the process.

Quite clearly, his current squad is missing some defensive stability and bringing in O’Connell just might tip the scales back in their favour. Sheffield United have already amassed eight clean sheets in the ongoing campaign and their 25-year-old centre-back has had a hefty hand in that feat.

Maybe he could help Spurs replicate that with his possible arrival.

Loser: Jan Vertonghen

Needless to say, the potential arrival of another young and prolific centre-back would surely put the older ones under a lot of additional pressure, and this is especially true for Vertonghen himself.

The 32-year-old centre-back is yet to decide his future with his current deal due to run out in the coming summer and it remains to be seen how exactly O’Connell’s introduction would affect his status in the team.

If Spurs suddenly managed to scoop up a solid replacement for the Belgian international, maybe there would no longer be a need for Mourinho to worry about his future, which could, in theory, also see him sold in the end.

Only time will tell and we’ll have to wait and see what happens.

Liverpool fans discuss who should replace Sadio Mane against West Ham

Sadio Mane will not be involved in Liverpool’s Premier League clash with West Ham United on Wednesday night due to “a small muscle tear”.

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp revealed that the Senegal international would be absent when speaking during his pre-match press conference on Tuesday.

And now the Merseyside club’s fans have been on social media debating who should start alongside Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah in the final third of the field.

There are, of course, no guarantees that Firmino and Salah will be in the XI on Wednesday night, but the pair have once again formed a potent front three with Mane during the 2019/20 campaign.

Some fans have claimed that Divock Origi, who has scored three Premier League goals this season, should be given the chance to feature.

Others, though, have put forward a case for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to feature in the final third.

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There are also some shouts for January arrival Takumi Minamino despite the fact that some of the fans criticised his performance against Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup on Sunday.

Meanwhile, a number of the Liverpool fans slammed the performance of another of their attackers in Sunday’s clash with Shrewsbury.

Southampton’s reaction to Arsenal’s interest in Cedric speaks volumes about him

According to David Ornstein in his ‘Ornstein on Monday’ segment, Southampton could hardly believe that Arsenal’s interest in Cedric was true and saw no logic in the approach.

The 33-cap Portugal international was set to be out of contract at St Mary’s in the summer, and after suffering knee ligament damage away to Crystal Palace, the Saints were said to have felt that losing him on a free at the end of the campaign was the most likely outcome.

However, the Gunners came in with a late approach to sign the full-back on loan in a package worth around £5m to Southampton – Mikel Arteta’s side feel that, once Cedric gets fit, they will be getting exactly what they wanted from the market.

What was said?

Ornstein wrote in his weekly segment: “When the extent of the injury he suffered away to Crystal Palace on January 21 emerged, it was accepted that leaving for free in the summer may now be the most likely outcome.

“As deadline week drew closer, news of Arsenal’s interest surfaced and Southampton could hardly believe it was true. They saw barely any logic in the approach and put it down to certain relationships between Arsenal and Soares’s people, yet there were no complaints from the south coast. A deal was done that suited all sides — the package is worth around £5m to Saints and Arsenal feel that, once fit, in Soares they will get exactly what they were seeking from the market.”

Shows how far he had fallen at St Mary’s 

Southampton’s shocked reaction to another club actually being interested in the former Sporting Lisbon man shows just how far his star has fallen at St Mary’s.

The 28-year-old really hasn’t been held in high regards by a section of Southampton fans this season, with a portion of them slamming his performance against Norwich despite watching their side record a crucial 2-1 win, while they were then disappointed to see him named in the starting XI to take on Newcastle the following week after such a dreadful display.

Also, Kyle Walker-Peters had been brought in shortly before Cedric’s exit, suggesting that Ralph Hasenhuttl didn’t really believe the right-back position was one of his strongest given how he opted to bolster it – that specific capture was the only signing made by the Austrian in January.

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If that wasn’t enough to suggest Cedric’s reputation on the south coast had dipped, their reaction of disbelief to another side wanting to take him off their hands surely shows how far he has fallen at St Mary’s.

In other news, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg may have provided a hint about his future on Instagram…

Liverpool fans want Leroy Sane at Anfield

Leroy Sane has been a loss for Manchester City so far this season.

Last campaign, he managed 14 goals and 17 assists in all competitions, including 10 and 11 respectively in the Premier League as the Citizens won the Premier League title. Unfortunately, he ruptured his cruciate ligament in the Community Shield at the start of this campaign, and he has not kicked a ball in anger ever since.

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With 39 goals and 45 assists in 134 matches in all competitions for the Etihad Stadium outfit, he is clearly a talented player. And according to Simon Mullock of The Daily Mirror, Pep Guardiola and co are set to cash in on the 24-year-old at the end of the season as he refuses to sign a new contract.

The Empire of the Kop Twitter page has shared the news, and it seems that many Liverpool fans would love to have him at the club based on the fact that he is such a special player.

As his record shows, he is a talented footballer who can both score and provide. That is worth its weight in gold to any football club, even one that has Mohamed Salah, Robert Firmino and Sadio Mane on their books.

Other fans, meanwhile, believe that he would improve under Jurgen Klopp.

Given the way that the 52-year-old has improved the likes of Mane and Firmino since they moved from Southampton and Hoffenheim respectively – they have both become Ballon d’Or nominees under his tutelage – it is not hard to see him push Sane on to the next level.

Some supporters, meanwhile, would rather pursue him over other targets.

Kylian Mbappe would likely cost well over £200m, whilst Jadon Sancho, Timo Werner and Kai Havertz would all represent significant outlays – Sancho and Havertz would cost over £100m, surely, and Werner has a release clause of (€60m) £51m. Sane would also not come too cheap, but given he will have just 12 months left on his contract this summer, he may be able to be signed for a cheaper price than normal.

First though, Liverpool would need to convince City to sell to them – that seems unlikely in itself.

Meanwhile, Liverpool fans react to news on Alisson and Virgil van Dijk.

Gary Megson’s Sheffield Wednesday comments still ring true to this day

Sheffield Wednesday are stuck in a huge rut – it’s now one win and six defeats from the Owls’ last nine league outings as the prospects of returning to the top-flight for the first time in two decades appear slimmer than ever.

Their slump has seen them sink to nine points from even being in the playoff picture with 13 games to go in the season.

Garry Monk’s recent comments lambasting his players; even launching a public warning about their futures seems all too familiar.

“The transition has been happening for a long time and needs to happen and in the meantime, every player is fighting for his future. I have felt that for quite a while. It has been a bit too comfortable. I have spoken with the players about fighting for the future and they understand that and it is also about the here and now.”

Monk following a 1-1 draw with Barnsley.

Last time the Owls were a presence at the top of English football, the likes of Mark Bright, Des Walker and Paulo Di Canio were lining up for them.

Since then, the south Yorkshiremen have only enjoyed two cracks at a possible return, in back-to-back seasons under Carlos Carvalhal – the only other ‘success’ was Dave Jones steering them back to the Championship following relegation to the third tier.

Stuart Gray, Jos Luhukay, Steve Bruce and now Monk have had to fight with midtable obscurity or worse.

Back in 2016, another ex-manager in Gary Megson spoke about the culture at the club during his stint in charge – just over an exact year from February 2011 to February 2012.

In a two-part interview with Alan Biggs on Sheffield Live TV (part 1 here, part 2 here), he said:

Megson on players signing for Wednesday

“When you sign for Wednesday, not because the ground is great, not because the training ground is great – because it ain’t, not because it’s in a great position – because it wasn’t. You sign there because of the support.”

Megson on the type of players he needed at Sheffield Wednesday

“I needed those who could handle Wednesday, but not handle Wednesday, handle Wednesday not doing very well. I needed players who were honest, who had a right good go. They might not be the most talented, but we needed to get that there.”

Megson on players at the club

“We had players who, they gave me the impression they were doing Wednesday a favour, rather than the other way round.”

If these comments were printed today, but by Monk instead, you wouldn’t notice the difference – although, going by fans reaction, he’d say anything and get criticised.

Which is probably the wrong way to go about things, as evident above, there has been a poor attitude amongst the playing squad for quite some time – at least from 2012 onwards.

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Monk needs players that can handle not doing well, an honest sort that can give fans at least the entertainment they deserve.

And that is why Megson’s comments are still ringing true today.

While in other news, Sheffield Wednesday legend Carlton Palmer slams current squad amidst poor form…

Crystal Palace: Bolasie sends one word message to Tosun on Instagram

Former Crystal Palace star Yannick Bolasie has sent a one word message to Cenk Tosun on Instagram.

The 35-cap DR Congo international – who joined the Eagles from Bristol City in 2012 – spent four years at Selhurst Park before departing for Everton in a deal worth £25m, where he later became a teammate of Tosun after ex-Palace boss Sam Allardyce signed the Turkish striker from Besiktas for £27m.

Bolasie helped the south Londoners win promotion to the Premier League, while also playing a key role in a number of Premier League survival campaigns and also helping the club reach the FA Cup final in 2016 – in total, he scored 13 goals and recorded 30 assists in 144 appearances for Crystal Palace.

After Tosun uploaded a shirtless post of himself alongside former Premier League winner Alvaro Negredo – the Spaniard won the title with Manchester City in 2014 – Bolasie responded with “Packzzz” in apparent reference to the striker’s six-pack.

You can see the Instagram post and the DR Congo forward’s reply below:

In other news, Michy Batshuayi has responded to Jeffrey Schlupp’s latest Instagram post…

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