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West Bromwich Albion are back in the big time after a two-year absence, but if they are to remain, then Slaven Bilic must bolster his backline…

What’s the word?

According to The Athletic’s Steve Madeley, the Baggies have held discussions over a potential move Celtic centre-back Kristoffer Ajer.

It’s claimed that the 22-year-old is of interest to Bilic as an alternative to Brighton’s Shane Duffy but he may only be available at an eight-figure fee, so it remains to be seen if West Brom could afford the move.

The Scottish champions are also keen on the Seagulls’ man, meaning the door could perhaps open for the Norwegian colossus.

Colossal solution

It’s no secret that Albion’s biggest problem was defensively – Bilic’s men leaked nearly a goal a game in Championship with a total of 45 conceded.

Many of which were from set-pieces, where the Baggies ranked fourth-worst for goals conceded via a dead ball situation, so it’s no wonder that the boss is interested in adding a 6 foot 6 giant to his back four.

Semi Ajayi, Kyle Bartley and Ahmed Hegazi probably isn’t going to put much doubt into the minds of the opposition strikers this season.

In Ajer, they’d be getting an absolute animal whose also capable of playing in defensive midfield and at right-back, a position he was once described as “Cafu-like”.

The 22-year-old man-mountain has also been praised by Mark Wilson as the best centre-back in the SPFL as “he’s aggressive” whilst teammate Christopher Jullien echoed ex-Bhoys boss Brendan Rodgers’ comments and said: “Kris has a bright future and a good present. He’s a young player and everyone here knows his quality. He has good leadership skills.”

It’s believed, per Calciomercato, that Celtic’s asking price is around €25m (£22.5m) so if those at the Hawthorns can fork out the funds, then they’d bolster their chances of remaining in the top-flight.

Forget Duffy, this is the central defender Bilic needs to end his defensive nightmare.

AND in other news,ÂWest Brom should look to £15m sensation to replace Kenneth Zohore…

For quite some time now, transfer rumours have been circulating the media about Tottenham Hotspur’s reported interest in Southampton’s Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

And now, according to Sky Sports, Spurs and the Saints have agreed deals in principle that would see the 25-year-old Dane move to London and Kyle Walker-Peters go the other way.

The midfielder would reportedly arrive for a fee in the region of £15m while the young full-back would garner a £12 price tag. Of course, the 23-year-old had already spent the second part of the 2019/20 campaign with the Saints and this would effectively make that loan permanent.

But even though the deals seem to be quite close, Sky Sports state all the bonuses and payment structures are yet to be fully negotiated so there’s still more work to be done.

The biggest hurdles, however, are already out of the way as both players are keen to move to their respective new clubs. Everything indicates towards Jose Mourinho getting his man sooner rather than later and this is despite some reported interest from rivals Everton.

It’s also interesting to note that Spurs have been on Hojbjerg’s tail ever since January so this scoop could represent a major victory on the market for the London side.

Hojbjerg is perfect for Mourinho

Hojbjerg is a player that has a rather interesting profile. A forward in his younger days, now he acts as a defensive midfielder, sitting just in front of the back four. Mourinho certainly likes his defensive contribution as the Dane is a prolific ball-winner in that middle third of the pitch.

There is certainly quality in there and seeing how he can also be deployed as a defender, virtually all across the backline, Hojbjerg could indeed be a big transfer for Spurs and their road towards redemption in 2020/21.

Speaking to Football Insider, Danny Mills has tipped Xherdan Shaqiri to “excite” Newcastle fans if he joins the club this summer.

What did he say?

With the Magpies on the verge of being taken over, attentions already seem to be turning towards who their potential transfer targets could be. And according to The Daily Mail, Steve Bruce’s side have identified Liverpool winger Xherdan Shaqiri as someone to bring to St James’ Park.

Now, Mills has talked up the prospect of the Switzerland international plying his trade on Tyneside, and insisted that a “quality player” like him could thrive in a situation where he’s given more licence to create.

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He said: “Obviously he is a quality player. If you can get him fit… we saw what he did for Liverpool last season. He has a lot to offer. If the price is right and the wages are not too high it could be a quality player for them.

“They would maybe play him in a more central role, an eight or a ten role – give him a bit of license and do not ask him to track back. He is a player that could excite the Newcastle fans.”

Opportunity

As was to be expected, Shaqiri has only been used sparingly by Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool. But that hasn’t stopped the ace from still delivering whenever he’s been on the pitch at Anfield.

In 40 games for the club, he has managed seven goals and five assists, and has played a huge role in some key games for the Merseyside club. He notched a brace in a 3-1 victory over Manchester United last season, and also set up one of the goals in the Reds’ famous comeback over Barcelona at home in the Champions League.

If given a key role in a team, as he was for Stoke, then Shaqiri could turn into a real game-changer for any side. As Mills suggests, giving him the freedom to simply create and score for the team is the key to getting the best out of him.

Harry Kane has enjoyed a glistening career at Tottenham Hotspur and is arguably one of the finest products to come through the youth system in the club’s entire history.

181 goals in 278 appearances is a phenomenal return for a striker, and below you can delve into his top five long-range screamers.

From his outrageous attempt against Arsenal in 2016 to that goal against Juventus…

The 26-year-old has won plenty of awards, including a World Cup Golden Boot, multiple PFA Team of the Year entries as well as clinching an MBE from the Queen.

Although, that elusive trophy in north London still escapes him…

Stuck in isolation? Our mega footy quiz will cure any boredom…

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AND in other news, Alasdair Gold suggests TWO Spurs transfer targets if Harry Kane leaves…

Tottenham Hotspur supporters have been discussing their Harry Winks on social media this week after one Twitter account asked fans for their opinions on the midfielder and his future at the club.

And many in north London took the opportunity to take fire at the Englishman with them believing he’s simply not good enough for Spurs.

The 24-year-old came through the academy system at the club and made his first-team debut back in 2014, coming on as a substitute in the Europa League against FK Partizan.

Winks has since gone on to make 134 further appearances and has also picked up six national team caps.

This season, he has been a regular presence in Jose Mourinho’s starting XI, featuring 33 times without a goal or assist.

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The young playmaker was once likened to Iniesta and Xavi by former boss Mauricio Pochettino whilst he has seen his value increase to £28.8m as per Transfermarkt.

However, much of the Spurs faithful aren’t impressed by his performances in recent times as evident below.

Here’s how they have been reacting…

AND in other news, Spurs fans react to “dream” 7-goal transfer target…

In this instalment of our TT Roundup, Football Transfer Tavern have gathered three of the biggest stories to have involved Celtic recently and have provided our thoughts on the reports published.

St Mirren hoping to sign Lewis Morgan

St Mirren are hoping to bring Celtic winger Lewis Morgan back to Paisley in January, with manager Jim Goodwin telling STV that the 23-year-old is a player he would “love to get”.

According to STV, the Buddies are hopeful of striking a loan deal for Morgan, who joined the Hoops from St Mirren in 2018 but was loaned out to Sunderland for some of last season.

Goodwin told STV: “Of course Lewis would be a player we’d love to get, he’s obviously been here before and been very successful. He’s a quality footballer but at this minute in time he’s not available. We haven’t been told by Celtic that he is and he remains part of their squad.”

Verdict

With Mohamed Elyounoussi, Scott Sinclair and Mikey Johnston all vying for the role of left winger at Celtic, Morgan has been limited to five starts in all competitions this season.

Elyounoussi has made a huge impact with seven goals since arriving three months ago but both he and Johnston have been injured recently, while Sinclair has barely featured and has reportedly told friends that he wants to leave the club, as per Football Insider.

At present, the Hoops might not be able to afford letting Morgan leave, but if the other left wingers were to bounce back strongly from injury, then it probably would make sense to loan him out if he can’t forge his way into Neil Lennon’s first XI.

Pundits think international retirement has helped Scott Brown at Celtic

Chris Sutton and Ally McCoist have both commended the displays of Scott Brown for Celtic in recent months since his retirement from the Scotland national team and have advised him not to return to the Tartan Army, with the 34-year-old not ruling out an international comeback (as per The Scottish Sun).

Sutton told BT Sport [via HITC]: “I don’t think that would necessarily benefit him. He has been phenomenal this season, the fact that he has had that rest, and what have you.”

McCoist echoed Sutton’s sentiments, saying on BT Sport [via HITC]: “I think clearly Scott Brown has benefitted from the fact that he has not been involved in international football, the rest that he has got, and I think that should continue.”

Verdict

Brown’s goal against Livingston on Saturday was his third in 27 appearances this season, matching his goal tally from 51 games in 2018/19.

He announced his international retirement during the 2017/18 campaign, in which he didn’t score once for Celtic in 56 games.

Those figures would support the views of Sutton and McCoist that the midfielder’s club form has benefitted from stepping away from Scotland duty.

Tsoanelo Letsosa catches the eye of European scouts

Celtic midfielder Tsoanelo Letsosa has reportedly been attracting plenty of attention among scouts from multiple European clubs.

According to Football Insider, the 16-year-old has caught the eye of elite clubs from the Premier League and mainland Europe with his performances for Scotland in the underage Victory Shield tournament.

Football Insider added that the teenager has impressed observers with his technical qualities, speed and athleticism.

Verdict

With Letsosa apparently attracting widespread interest from European clubs, and having set numerous records in athletics in Glasgow underage competitions (as per Football Insider), Celtic seem to have a very promising prospect on their hands.

They could find it difficult to keep him at the club, though, if one of the continent’s top names comes forward with an enticing proposal.

It was only three months ago that Bayern Munich signed 16-year-old defender Liam Morrison from Celtic, who could be facing into a similar situation with Letsosa judging by the reports on his development.

Celtic fans, what do you make of these stories concerning the club? Give us your thoughts in the comments section below!

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

As the Championship embarks on a third international break of the season, it hands us a good opportunity to see where things currently are ahead of a hectic Christmas period.

West Bromwich Albion head into the two-week hiatus sitting on the league’s throne in first position.

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The west Midlands club have lost just one of their 16 matches, picking up nine victories on their way to 33 points, which is averaging over two per game.

If they keep this up, then they will hit at least 92 points, and that has been enough for automatic promotion in four of the last five seasons, although that metric only accounts for one variable.

FiveThirtyEight, a statistical analysis website, has provided their own predicted table, which looks something like this:

They suggest that one of the chasing pack, Leeds United, will catch up and then eclipse the Baggies to the title this season.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side currently sit just two points behind Albion, and they are the only team to have conquered them this season.

FiveThirtyEight have constructed this through the use of multiple factors, from a club’s value to projected results to the strength of the league. This is all explained in more detail here.

As of right now, West Brom have a less than 50% chance to gain promotion this season despite sitting atop the Championship table while Leeds have a much stronger outlook at 69%.

This would suggest that manager Slaven Bilic still has plenty of work to do, even despite the table offering up the strong possibility that they will still indeed gain a return back to the promised land of the top-flight.

It just cannot be taken as gospel, and given that it took the side nine matches to even pick up their first clean sheet against a ten-man Queens Park Rangers side, and the fact that Matty Phillips has the same number of goals as all of their strikers combined, per WhoScored, there’s still so much room for improvement.

Ultimately, they want to be the team sitting at the top of that predicted table as it would show there are fewer weaknesses to be unearthed at this stage of the season.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets… 

The performance of Fabian Balbuena against Sheffield United will have give Manuel Pellegrini food for thought, but it will be a positive selection dilemma that he has for once.

West Ham lack depth in a number of key areas, with Albian Ajeti’s four appearances suggesting he is not good enough to rival Sebastien Haller’s spot, while Mark Noble and Declan Rice also lack a competitive understudy.

By comparison, Issa Diop, Angelo Ogbonna and now Balbuena have all impressed this term, so the Chilean will have to give some consideration as to who should get the nod.

Last season his preferred option at centre-back was Diop, with Balbuena and Ogbonna often rotated.

But if the Italian is left out again it could soon begin to upset the fans who have lavished praise on him recently, particularly if West Ham don’t improve defensively, having not kept a clean sheet in their last five games.

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As a result, the Hammers boss would perhaps be best suited to sticking with Ogbonna and Diop, but the ability of Balbuena should fill him with confidence and reason for optimism.

The Blades didn’t create a great deal on Saturday but their strikers had few opportunities due to the organisation of West Ham’s defence, with Balbuena’s stats from WhoScored displaying the contribution he made.

He outperformed many of his teammates against Chris Wilder’s side, both with and without the ball.

Only Pablo Zabaleta managed more than his combined total of two tackles and two interceptions, which suggests that his positioning was effective, and if Balbuena can use that aspect of his game to negate the weakness of his lack of pace he could become a regular once again.

In terms of his passing, he showed he could be pivotal to starting attacks, too, and that could be crucial in a side which has scored just 12 goals in ten league games.

He managed as many accurate long balls as Noble, with four, and bettered that of Felipe Anderson, and West Ham could miss that aspect of his game if the 28-year-old was to be left out.

Pellegrini, therefore, has different advantages in his players which could serve him well, so he will likely appreciate the various effective options that are at his disposal.

Many Arsenal fans have lauded Joe Willock as being a regeneration of Gunners legend Patrick Vieira, after the midfielder struck from range against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup.

Willock must have thought he had scored his side’s winning goal in spectacular fashion in the 70th-minute, when the 20-year-old picked the ball up just inside the Liverpool half, glided past Adam Lallana and unleashed a fierce, whipped strike into the top-left corner.

Caoimhin Kelleher could get nowhere near to save his shot, but the Anfield outfit pulled themselves back level when Divock Origi secured his brace by pulling away from his marker to volley home a stoppage-time equaliser.

Find out who is each Premier League club’s biggest bargain in the video below…

Arsenal had overcome an early own goal by Shkodran Mustafi to hold a 3-1 lead over Liverpool approaching half-time, but found themselves initially pegged back minutes before the break when James Milner tucked home from the spot.

The Gunners rallied on with Ainsley Maitland-Niles restoring their two-goal lead, only for Jurgen Klopp’s Reds to fight back and snatch their first equaliser through Origi, following Alex Oxlade-Chamberlin lashing home an effort Mustafi ducked out the way of.

Willock’s goal, though, left a lasting impression on many Arsenal fans despite their side going on to lose on penalties, with supporters lauding the 5 ft 8 youngster as a regeneration of Vieira.

The French icon famously struck a similar strike against Newcastle United at Highbury in April 1998, as the North London side went on to win the Premier League title.

Vieira would win the World Cup that summer, and added a further two English top-flight crowns and four FA Cups to his trophy cabinet during his time with Arsenal.

Willock’s appearance vs Liverpool was his 30th first-team game for the Gunners, while his strike was his seventh in senior football.

Here are some of the messages shared…

Social media is, more often than not, a very good indicator of how a particular set of supporters feel about their team, or indeed an individual player.

It was Roberto’s turn to go under the microscope on Sunday when West Ham United’s official Twitter account posted an interview from the Spaniard following the 1-1 draw with Sheffield United on Saturday afternoon.

The 33-year-old, who arrived on a free transfer over the summer, has featured in West Ham’s last four Premier League matches with Lukasz Fabianski on the sidelines.

Roberto has conceded five times in his last three starts for the club, including a strike from Lys Mousset against Sheffield United at the weekend.

And whilst there are some supporters who have seemingly been pleased with the Spaniard’s form since stepping into the spot vacated by Fabianski, that is not an opinion shared by everyone.

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A selection of the Twitter reaction from the West Ham fans can be seen below: