All posts by h716a5.icu

West Brom could well have a star of the future waiting in the wings right now.

Callum Morton broke onto the scene last season, clinching promotion from League Two with Northampton Town, and he’s continued his impressive form in another loan spell, this time with Michael Appleton’s Lincoln City.

The young Baggies prospect models his game on two players, one of which has deep ties to the Hawthorns. He told BirminghamLive: “I base my game on the likes of Jamie Vardy and Shane Long.”

If he can become half the player of Vardy, or another Long in the Midlands, then Albion are going to be onto a major winner.

In his first month at Northampton, the 21-year-old striker bagged five goals in seven appearances to clinch the fourth tier’s ‘Player of the Month’ award. He then went onto fire the Cobblers into the playoff final by scoring a crucial brace.

Morton would go onto score at Wembley too, sealing promotion to League One.

That season, the West Brom prodigy notched the best conversion rate of anyone in the division, scoring a total of eight goals from 24 shots (33%), whilst he also led the lead for prolificacy, as 83% of his goals scored were on target, as per FBRef (via Scouted Football).

He has since gone on to impress under the former Baggies U23 boss. At the weekend, he fired home a crucial equaliser in the League One promotion race to help the Imps deny their rivals, Sunderland, at the Stadium of Light.

Morton was graded a 7.5/10 by the local press, who claimed he “didn’t see much of the ball at times but made lots of good runs and show great strength and footwork for his goal.” Further going back to those Vardy and Long comparisons.

That was his second goal since returning from a serious and long-term injury – the young gem is certainly getting picking up where he left off.

Despite never featuring for the senior side, Morton’s work ethic was duly noted by Slaven Bilic during his time in charge. And after offering the emerging starlet a new contract, the Croatian waxed lyrical to the Express & Star:

“I spoke with him a lot of times, he wasn’t training with the group, but I had a lot of chats with him. I didn’t know him as a player but to see that character – he has got something special. He is made of steel.”

Now under contract for another three-and-a-half years, Morton could well emerge as their future in the striking position. You can forget Rayhaan Tulloch, Owen Windsor and Jamie Soule for now, it’s the 21-year-old who looks best equipped for a shot in the big time.

AND in other news, Better than Grant: Dowling made big West Brom error over £12.6m-rated “special player”…

It might not have been the announcement that everyone was hoping and praying for on Wednesday, but it’s been revealed that Conor Hazard will be a Celtic player for a few more years.

Of course, the Green Brigade are currently eagerly awaiting news of who their new manager could be. They are also hoping for promising updates on the futures of Odsonne Edouard and Kristoffer Ajer.

They are yet to sign new contracts with the Hoops and are regularly being linked with a move away to the Premier League and other shores across Europe.

However, one man who will be staying put beyond the summer is Hazard. The goalkeeper has penned new terms until 2023 putting to bed speculation surrounding his future.

Earlier this term it looked as though the 22-year-old wouldn’t sign a new contract and thus, leave on a free transfer. The stopper had a loan move to Dundee United blocked and was waiting to be given more consistent game time before deciding to agree to new terms.

Clearly, the Northern Irishman is now happy with his place in the team and is excited about the future. It might be a mere coincidence that he’s signed on now Neil Lennon has left, but either way, he could play a major part in the club’s plans going forward.

Nick Hammond has been rather poor with his recruitment lately and nothing typifies that more than the £4.5m they forked out for the error-prone Vasilis Barkas last summer. Scott Bain has also made mistakes but after becoming the hero of Celtic’s Scottish Cup final win, Hazard is surely set for a brighter future.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-celtic-manager-hunt-stories-wagner-marsch-martinez-lennon-news” title=”The last stories on Celtic’s hunt for a new manager!”]

He may have been at fault in normal time during their win over Hearts back in December but the youngster stood up when it mattered in the shoot-out, saving a succession of penalties.

The 22-year-old is still vastly inexperienced but with the number one spot so uncertain, signing on talent with potential like Hazard’s is incredibly promising news. It’s especially positive when you consider both Cameron Harper and Karomoko Dembele could leave in the summer on free transfers.

Hazard hasn’t featured since the 0-0 draw with Livingston in January but has kept three clean sheets in his six outings between the sticks this term. Considering how ropey Celtic’s defence has been of late, that’s a decent record.

He needs to work on being more commanding but at just 22, the ‘keeper has a big part to play in their rebuild going forward.

AND in other news, Hammond could end Christie’s Celtic stay by landing 27-goal ace that Strachan rates…

Queens Park Rangers will be looking to bounce back from their first defeat in six matches when they welcome Barnsley to the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium this evening.

Hoops boss Mark Warburton rung the changes for their trip to Birmingham City and ultimately, it cost them as they were beaten 2-1 on their travels.

Though, the west London side have the chance to make it four straight home wins for the first time since September 2017 with three points tonight.

The Tykes are flying high in eighth place and could do with a result to bolster their surprise playoff chances, so what sort of QPR side could we see?

Here’s our predicted XI…

There could be as many as four changes from the weekend.

After being rested for the trip to the Midlands, West London Sport are expecting Ilias Chair and Lee Wallace to come straight back into the lineup – the former had to settle for a place on the bench, while the latter did not even travel.

It means Chris Willock and 23-year-old Niko Hamalainen are axed.

Aside from the alteration at left wing-back, the rest of the defence remains the same with the trio of Yohann Barbet, Geoff Cameron and Rob Dickie continuing in front of Seny Dieng, with Todd Kane remaining on the other flank.

In midfield, we’re expecting Dom Ball to keep his place, though he could be joined by West Brom loanee Sam Field for what would be his first start since joining in January, this move would see Fulham man Stefan Johansen earn a rest.

The fourth and final change is likely to be upfront with Lyndon Dykes coming back in for Macauley Bonne, both have struggled for goals lately, but it is the Scotsman who has often been given the nod under Warburton.

Dykes has scored five goals in 26 starts, via Transfermarkt, but has not found the net since a defeat to Brentford at the end of November, while the 25-year-old former Charlton talisman has bagged three times, though has only started eight matches.

Charlie Austin should continue his role upfront.

AND in other news, This player badly let QPR down against Preston…

Many West Bromwich Albion fans have flocked to a tweet from Joseph Masi that recently emerged on social media.

Masi relayed a tweet which carried a transfer update for the Baggies. He said that West Brom have now agreed a deal with Galatasaray to sign striker Mbaye Diagne on a loan deal.

Sky Sports have reported that the deal does have an option to buy the player permanently and the club are now making their arrangements to fly Diagne to the UK as soon as they can. They now also have permission to speak to the player.

The report states that signing a striker this month has been a top priority for Sam Allardyce and while he had an interest in Christian Benteke, the Belgian is set to stay at Crystal Palace. Sky Sports also stated that the Baggies have made a loan offer for Jesse Lingard, but the loan fee and wages could become a problem for them.

The Senegalese Diagne has played 15 times in the league for Galatasaray this season, scoring nine times so far. He also scored twice for them in three Europa League qualifying games earlier in the campaign (as per Transfermarkt).

Masi’s tweet caught the attention of many West Brom fans, who gave their opinion about the potential signature of Diagne.

What did West Brom fans make of this news about Diagne?

“No idea if he’s any good but if he’s mobile, that will do.”

Credit: @_the_a_bis

“No idea how good he is but has to be better than the current incumbents.”

Credit: @Alan4NewportSal

“At this point, I’d rather just save the money and start planning for the Championship.”

Credit: @turner14guvnor

“As long as he has a pair of boots, I don’t care, something has to change personnel-wise.”

Credit: @CHawthorns

“That’s a good bit of business that. Need a few more mind, but it’s a good start.”

Credit: @RobPaddock16

“Couple of defenders and a couple of midfielders then we may have a chance. As long as they’re of Premier League quality that is !!”

Credit: @BAGGIEBAIL

“It’s a start.”

Credit: @Aaron2wbaIn other news, West Brom have been linked with a lower league star – read more here.

It wasn’t the prettiest of affairs, but that will hardly matter to Steven Gerrard after Glasgow Rangers got back on track in their quest to reclaim the title by beating Kilmarnock at Ibrox.

Rangers extended their unbeaten streak to 12 games in all competitions without one of their best players, the club’s star striker, first-choice midfielder Plus Filip Helander of course.

Another afternoon in which Gerrard’s side coasted to victory, with the majority spent in second gear, but a victory nonetheless thanks to Ryan Jack’s sensational screamer. Gerrard told Rangers TV afterwards that Jack is already laying claim to the club’s goal of the season after he fired home from the edge of the box.

Yet for Jack’s incredible effort, it was perhaps the performance of James Tavernier that deserves a special mention. As per SofaScore, the right-back received a high 7.4 rating for his display, that being the best of almost every player from either side and bettered only by none other than Jack himself.

Tavernier looked every inch the club captain as he delivered on all fronts, putting in a tremendous shift at the back as Killie tried to upset the odds.

The 29-year-old was on top form in terms of his defending, as he made three clearances and three tackles in the entire game, the latter of which was more than the likes of Jack and Steven Davis, whilst he was only dribbled past once – showing that attackers found it incredibly difficult to get the better of Tavernier during the full 90′ minutes.

The Rangers full-back would also win an impressive nine out of 13 duels in total, whereas his opposite number Brandon Haunstrup would only manage to win seven during the entire game, suggesting that Tavernier came out on top in his individual battles for the most part on the day.

Once again, however, it was his attacking contributions that should not go unnoticed, as he endeavoured to set his side on the front foot right from the start, taking as many as 109 touches throughout the game – more than any other player on the pitch and more than Jack and Allan McGregor managed between them, as per SofaScore.

Indeed, in the Scottish Premiership this season, Tavernier is currently averaging 98.4 touches per 90, which just goes to show that he managed to find another level against Tommy Wright’s side.

There’s no doubting the fact that Gerrard will be delighted with his skipper’s latest display and will be hoping his fine form will continue when they take on Antwerp later next week.

AND in other news, Bongani Zungu is starting to run out of time to impress at Glasgow Rangers…

Tottenham Hotspur are back in Premier League action this lunchtime as they look to bounce back from midweek heartache with a trip to rock-bottom Sheffield United.

And Jose Mourinho heads to Bramall Lane with an encouraging and timely injury boost…

What’s the latest?

Speaking ahead of the encounter in his pre-match press conference, the 57-year-old revealed that he has Steven Bergwijn available for selection, having missed their last two outings in all competitions.

When asked if the Dutch winger was good to go against the Blades, he told reporters, via football.london:

“Yeah, he was ill. He was ill the week before, the week of Marine, and then he trained with the team only one day, which was the day before we played Fulham.”

Selection nightmare

Whilst this serves as hugely positive news, it does, however, hand Mourinho a fresh selection headache for that right-wing spot in his starting XI.

Against Marine, he turned to Lucas Moura, who had a pretty good game by all accounts, which was topped off by a sublime free-kick goal, but in the Fulham draw this week, Mourinho elected for a surprise pick in Moussa Sissoko on the flank.

That decision didn’t work out, as we’ve explained here, so it’ll give the Spurs boss a huge question – Moura? Erik Lamela? Gareth Bale? or Bergwijn?

Indeed, he could turn back to the Brazilian as he did not feature at all against the Cottagers, though Lamela’s return in midweek also poses an interesting option as he looked bright in a short 15-minute cameo.

Whilst Bale can’t be too far away from finally making an impact in the top-flight having started just one Premier League match since his sensational return to north London.

Meanwhile, Bergwijn is by no means guaranteed an instant return despite seemingly being the first-choice in the role.

Yes, he has started seven of his 11 appearances in the competition, but Mourinho revealed earlier in the month that he had “physical problems,” so he may not be risked from the off.

The 23-year-old has failed to score this term but has provided four assists, and as we outlined in this article, the wide man does so much more than what his statistics show.

After the win over arch-rivals Arsenal, Mourinho dubbed Bergwijn “incredible” despite failing to contribute to either of their two goals, which tells you all you need to know about the manager’s faith in him and whether or not he’s doing what’s asked of him.

It speaks volumes that Sissoko was played in the role just a few days ago even though both Lamela and Moura were available for selection, which is why Bergwijn’s return is a big boost for Mourinho and Spurs alike.

As you can see, the ‘Special One’ has plenty to mull over ahead of kick-off this afternoon.

We think the £25m Dutch winger will end up getting the nod, but don’t be surprised to see either Moura or the Argentinian start given Bergwijn’s fitness concerns.

AND in other news, £30m “disgrace” must be axed from starting XI vs Sheffield United…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast this week, pundit Carlton Palmer has delivered his verdict on the future of Neil Lennon at Celtic.

The Hoops boss has been under considerable pressure at Parkhead in recent months, embarking on a run that saw Celtic win just two matches in 12 games.

However, the Bhoys bounced back and won six games on the trot, sealing victory in the Scottish Cup final along with it.

Unfortunately, they fell 19 points behind their fierce rivals after they tasted a 1-0 defeat against Rangers in their first game of the New Year. Thus, the pressure has been ramped up on Lennon once again.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, the pundit revealed the only thing that he thinks would keep him in the job, suggesting that things could get even tougher. He said:

“Listen, football is very fickle, and it’s very difficult. Once the tide turns against you – either as a manager or as a player – at a club, it’s very difficult to turn that. You saw that with Arsene Wenger. Once the tide turned against Arsene Wenger – and look at him, he is an Arsenal legend and club legend –  but once the tide turns on you, it’s very very difficult to turn it back.

“So we’ll have to see what happens. I think Lenny’s going to find it difficult because the only way he can stay in work now is win every game.”

Of course, winning every game would be supremely difficult but it’s certainly not out of the question for this Celtic side.

They have achieved some meteoric things in the last few years and if any team in Scotland can defy the critics, it is the Hoops.

Their six-game winning streak proved they do have it in them to go on long runs, but if they can’t crawl back at least a slither of points, Lennon could well be out of the door.

Names including Mark Hughes and Eddie Howe had previously been tipped with succeeding the current manager at Parkhead.

AND in other news, 83 aerials: Celtic can sign big Bitton upgrade in 7-cap tank, he’s a “complete player”…

AfterÂthatÂincident against Brighton at the back end of last season, it was no surprise to see Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta read the riot act to Matteo Guendouzi.The Frenchman had allegedly taunted the Seagulls about his superior wages, and was then caught grabbing Neal Maupay by the throat after the game had ended.For some, it may have been seen as the kind of fighting spirit and edge that the Gunners have lacked for a number of years. For others, and perhaps most importantly, for Arteta himself, he saw it as indiscipline that needed stamping out.Reports suggested that Guendouzi wasn’t in the mood to start apologising, and the former Lorient starlet eventually found himself out of his manager’s plans both for the short and long-term, with it being confirmed that he would be spending the new season out on loan at Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin.And whilst he is only just beginning to find his feet with his new club, his performance a couple of days ago in France U21’s 3-1 win over Switzerland proved that Arteta may have made a really hasty call on the Gunners’ 21-year-old.Get French Football News described his performance as a “masterclass” and pointed to the way he kept trying to hunt the ball down even in the dying moments of the game despite his team being down to ten men – his efforts were rewarded as he pinched the ball back and set up the third goal.

Described as a “pure talent” by one of his former teammates, Guendouzi made an error with his actions over the summer, but that is to be expected from someone of his age and with the kind of meteoric rise he has enjoyed since joining from a side in France’s second division.

What he desperately needed was for a manager to be strong, but fair, on him, instead of being ruthless and cold. Guendouzi is showing just what he can do if given a chance.

David Moyes must wield the axe on Sebastien Haller and strive to sign a replacement in January after the West Ham striker’s struggles against Manchester United on Saturday.

The Frenchman once again led the line at the London Stadium after Michail Antonio developed a second hamstring injury of the season, opening the door for Haller to well and truly establish himself.

Moyes had been reluctant to trust Haller before losing Antonio during October’s draw with Manchester City, with the Ivory Coast international playing just 29 minutes over the opening five games of the league campaign.

The moment Moyes felt he had Antonio at his services again, he started the English centre-forward but he was made to regret the decision when forced to introduce Haller at half-time in Monday night’s 2-1 win over Aston Villa.

Moyes would have hoped to see Haller bounce back from his benching when he started him against Manchester United with West Ham enjoying by far the better start of the two sides, yet instead the 26-year-old was made to pay for a costly slip after rounding Dean Henderson.

Haller had the chance to double West Ham’s advantage after Tomas Soucek headed home to open the scoring, but failed to keep his balance and the chance to strike his third Premier League goal of the season went begging.

Moyes tried to hide his disappointment after the match, claiming Haller was offside before the slip. Though his frustration at West Ham’s overall slack shooting proved he can never trust the £45million club-record signing to deliver when it counts.

“I think the big thing, I think it was offside. Because the linesman didn’t flag you put it down as a chance and in my book, it was an offside decision so it never became a chance,” said Moyes, via quotes by football.london. “I haven’t looked back at it but the word I got was that it was offside anyway.

“I thought the biggest thing tonight was that we had a great chance to go two or three up, maybe even more. We played really well but we didn’t kill it off when we had the chance to do so, show a clinical edge to our finishing or our final pass which was needed. I think that was what cost us tonight.”

Haller had the perfect chance to prove himself to Moyes against Manchester United, yet now has an uphill fight to potentially save his London Stadium future amid claims the West Ham boss “isn’t convinced” by him and that the club may listen to offers this winter.

Moyes should not need to call on the £27m-rated striker to improve having done so already, claiming last month via quotes by the Evening Standard: “He’s got a very good capacity to run, he’s an incredibly fit athlete, a powerful man, 6tft 4in. So, he’s got an awful lot of good attributes, and let me tell you he can run.

“He’s got a very good reputation. He’s the one who has to maintain that, and that’s by showing what he can do.”

West Ham are continually being linked with potential attacking reinforcements ahead of the mid-season market, with Real Madrid duo Luka Jovic and Mariano Diaz plus Olympique Lyonnais’ Moussa Dembele and alleged top-target AFC Bournemouth’s Joshua King among the many to have been touted.

And Haller, after 27 games under Moyes, has been given plenty of opportunities to prove he can be trusted but Saturday showed he cannot.

AND in other news, David Sullivan has landed a huge boost in West Ham’s pursuit of a “very unique” gem.

Having managed to secure Ollie Watkins in a big-money deal from Brentford, it would have been no real surprise for Aston Villa fans to be completely fixated on their latest striking sensation.

And whilst the 24-year-old has delivered – he’s already bagged five goals in seven games this season – there’s one summer signing who has maybe gone slightly under the radar but who deserves just as much credit; Matty Cash.

Right-back was a position in which Dean Smith tried out different options last season, with the likes of Frederic Guilbert and Ezri Konsa given stints to see if they could hold down a regular starting spot.

Guilbert has now been frozen out, whilst Konsa has moved into the middle and it was clear that Villa desperately needed a new man for the job. Since arriving from Nottingham Forest in a reported £16m deal earlier in the summer, Cash has set about to establish himself as one of the first names on the team-sheet for Smith.

The 23-year-old has started every single Premier League game this season, and has been an important part of a back-line that has kept three clean sheets out of four in the top-flight.

Against Leicester on Sunday night, Cash showed why he’s already an undroppable member of the squad, and why he is an early contender for being Johan Lange’s best summer signing.

As per Sofascore, his 7.9 match rating was the joint-highest of any player on the pitch along with goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, and when you look at some of the underlying numbers behind his performance, it’s easy to see why he got such a high rating.

He made a game-high six interceptions, and a team-high of four tackles, whilst he also won eight of the 12 total duels that he contested. But apart from being a defensive stand-out, Cash also offered a threat going the other way too.

His total of 68 touches were the highest of any Villa player, and it really goes to show how Smith’s team are already leaning on him as an important part of the build-up play. He also sent in two crosses, and completed two out of his three attempted long balls.

When you think of the fact that he cost just £16m, and there are other Premier League clubs spending huge sums of money on young English full-backs (Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Ben Chilwell, anyone?), he really is one of the shrewdest signings of the summer. In fact, in terms of value for money, Cash is arguably as good as, if not, better than Watkins in that respect thus far.

If he continues on his current trajectory, then the sky really is the limit for the 23-year-old.

And in other news, this Villa star outshone Ross Barkley in the win over Leicester.