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After suffering a disappointing 2-0 defeat away at Southampton just before the start of the international break, Newcastle will be itching to put things right when they take on Chelsea this Saturday.

The Magpies currently lie in 13th place in the Premier League, and face a Chelsea side whose uptick in form has seen them move just three points behind league leaders Leicester.

And whilst the chances of the Tyneside club picking up a result may be slim, they have been handed a major potential boost ahead of the clash at St James’ Park.

After limping off in England’s UEFA Nations League defeat to Belgium on Sunday, there is a huge concern over whether Ben Chilwell will be fit enough to play for Chelsea on Saturday lunch-time.

The Blues’ summer signing has been in fine form over the past few weeks at club level, bagging two goals and two assists in his last five Premier League games.

If he does miss out, then Chelsea will be without one of their first names on the team-sheet, and give Frank Lampard a major headache.

It could leave him having to use regular centre-back Cesar Azpilicueta out of position, or turn back to Marcos Alonso, whose last game in a Blues shirt was his horror showing in a 3-3 draw away to newly-promoted West Brom – a match in which he was hauled off at half-time when his team were trailing 3-0.

Either way, Allan Saint-Maximin will surely be licking his lips at the prospect of going up against one of the two. Newcastle’s wing wizard has yet to really spark into life this season aside from the game against Burnley, in which he picked up his only goal and assist of the season.

Described as looking “lazy” by Alan Shearer earlier this year, Saturday could give Saint-Maximin the perfect opportunity to find his form and run riot against either an out-of-position centre-back, or a slow and defensively suspect left-back.

The Magpies’ star winger will fancy his chances.

Glasgow Rangers have made a fantastic start to the new campaign.

The Gers are currently top of the Premiership, having won five of their first six league matches, whilst they have not yet even conceded a goal. Not only that, they have also managed to open up a six-point advantage over Celtic, who are likely to be their closest challengers for the title this term.

Unfortunately, none of the Gers supporters have been able to attend the games either at Ibrox or anywhere else due to the current pandemic. However, despite that, the Gers have announced that they have sold out their season tickets for this term – even though it remains unclear as to when the fans will be able to return to the stadium.

This news has attracted plenty of attention from the club’s supporters, and it is fair to say they are delighted by the fantastic commitment from the fanbase. They have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

Let us know what you think!

Sunday wasn’t a great day to be a West Ham fan.

The Hammers lost their second game of the season at the Emirates as Arsenal overcame them 2-1, and to make matters worse, the issue that many fans have been complaining about was brought to light that very morning.

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Indeed, while West Brom may have lost 5-2 to Everton over the weekend, the one bright spark in their team was Grady Diangana, who immediately showed that he was of Premier League standard, and more painfully, showed West Ham exactly what he can provide at this level.

The winger had an excellent game getting two shots off, with both of those being on target and one ending up in the back of the net.

Playing out wide against Everton is no easy feat either, with the Toffees possessing two fantastic full-backs in the shape of Seamus Coleman and Lucas Digne, but Diangana made a mockery of his man, completing three dribbles and being fouled a further three times.

Clarets fans were fuming when Diangana was sold to the Baggies, with club captain Mark Noble hitting out at the club for allowing him to leave, and unfortunately for the higher-ups at the London Stadium, this one has come back to bite them while it’s still fresh in everyone’s memory.

Luckily, the transfer window is still open for a few more weeks, so the Hammers do have time to put this right if they can find a winger as talented as Diangana for a price they can afford, but if it were that easy then there wouldn’t have been so much uproar when the London club allowed the 22-year-old to leave.

Manchester United are still interested in signing Sporting Lisbon sensation Nuno Mendes, reports say. 

The Red Devils are braced for a transfer battle for the wonderkid, amid interest from Liverpool and Juventus – to name but a few.

According to Calciomercato, Man United have maintained their interest in Mendes, who has attracted attention from a number of leading European clubs.

The Italian outlet claims United will face stiff competition from Liverpool, as Jurgen Klopp is ‘bewitched’ by the youngster, while Juventus could call upon Cristiano Ronaldo to swing the situation in their favour. Juve view Mendes as a long-term successor to Alex Sandro.

Mendes, 18, shares an agent with Bruno Fernandes, who moved to Old Trafford from Sporting on a five-and-a-half year deal in January.

The teenager has emerged as one of Europe’s hottest prospects after earning his first senior start in June and he has featured in every game ever since.

His contract, which will run out in 2025, includes a £40m release clause. However, it is likely the Lions will accept a fraction of their asking price for the academy graduate in the summer.

The versatile player has predominantly played on the left of the midfield, although he can also be deployed in the defence.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is closely monitoring the situation, as the club legend received a glowing reference from Nani, who has tipped his teammate to achieve bigger and better things.

It is hardly surprising he has received so much attention, considering his young age, but he could be too expensive for the Red Devils.

United are hardly short of options in his preferred position, as Luke Shaw and Brandon Williams are pushing each other for a place in the starting lineup, and Solskjaer may decide to turn his attentions elsewhere.

United fans, do you think Ed Woodward will sign Mendes in the summer? Let us know down below!

Coventry City goalkeeper Marko Marosi has heaped praise on the club’s new summer signing Gustavo Hamer.

The 23-year-old became Coventry boss Mark Robins’ first signing ahead of their much anticipated return to the Championship after gaining promotion as League One champions this year.

The Dutch youth international arrived at the Sky Blues for a fee of £1.5m and has a good amount of experience in Dutch football, having made his professional first team debut for Feyenoord against Ajax back in 2017.

Following a short loan spell with Dordrecht in the Eerste Divisie, Hamer joined PEC Zwolle and it was his performances there which gained a move to the Midlands based side.

Shot-stopper Marosi has now handed fans some optimism over Hamer’s signing by touching on his impact and character since joining the Sky Blues.

“Gustavo is unbelievable,” he told Sky Blues Extra podcast as quoted by Coventry Telegraph. “He is a funny guy as well and a great character.

“All of them have been great to be fair, it is nice to have Callum [O’Hare] and [Ryan] Giles back. They’re nice, old faces.”

Joining Hamer at Coventry this summer is Julien Dacosta, who joined from Chamois Niortais on a free transfer and they have since been joined by three more players.

Callum O’Hare was next to be announced as a Coventry signings, agreeing a permanent move from Aston Villa, whilst Marcel Hilssner and Ryan Giles then came on board.

Gustavo Hamer has made quite the impression since joining Coventry behind the scenes it seems, and fans will be excited to see him play his first league game at for the club.

Mark Robins has made some excellent signings this summer and more could follow as the new Championship season gets closer and closer.

How much of an impact do you think Hamer will make at Coventry? Let us know in the comments section below…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In The Pipeline series, which takes a look at some of the most promising young talent either linked with clubs or emerging from their academies…

Leeds United’s U23 side could prove to be an absolute goldmine of untapped potential.

Indeed, the Whites’ youth side have shown themselves to be one of the best young outfits in the country by winning the PDL National title last season, but we’ve not seen too many stars from that side make the transition to the first-team.

However, last weekend we saw one young academy prospect make his senior debut as Oliver Casey came on as a late substitute against Huddersfield Town.

Ahead of Leeds’ next game against Hull, Marcelo Bielsa revealed that there are a few other players in a similar boat to Casey, including two previously unseen youngsters.

“He’s a young player looking for space like Davis, Struijk, Hosannah. They are players working with the team for a while, as Clarke, Shackleton were before. They achieve to add to the group.” Bielsa said.

We’re all now aware of Leif Davis after his lightning performances this season saw him compared to Gareth Bale, but we’re yet to see Bryce Hosannah play a senior match.

Hosannah is naturally a right-back, so he could have a tough time getting an opportunity ahead of the likes of Luke Ayling and Stuart Dallas, but he’s immensely talented, and this ability was apparent from a very young age.

His former football coach from his school days said: “Bryce is a very talented footballer, you could see his potential whilst he was working his way through the year groups and often playing for the year above.”

Those types of comments certainly bode well for the 20-year-old as he seems to have the talent necessary to be a decent player, and if the physicality and footballing IQ can be coached into him, United may have a real player on their hands.

Struijk is another defensive option for Leeds, and it seems as if he’s even closer to becoming a first-team regular after making his debut against Hull.

Noel Whelan has stated that Marcelo Bielsa has big plans for the youngster.

“With the inevitable injuries and suspensions over the winter months, I would expect to see Struijk getting a go at some point. It seems Bielsa has big plans for him,” Whelan said.

It seems inevitable that both of these men will be getting a chance in the coming months, and with people in football speaking so highly of them they could be the next emerging stars coming out of Elland Road.

Meanwhile, one Leeds man has openly criticised a Championship referee on social media.

Key information about Pirelli Stadium

Pirelli Stadium was built in 2005 and is now the home of Burton Albion. The stadium is located on Princess Way in Burton upon Trent in Staffordshire, which is also quite near where the club’s old Eton Park home was before it got demolished and replaced with new housing.

It has a capacity of 6,912 but only 2,034 of those are currently seated. The pitch measures 110 by 72 yards and is not surrounded by a running track while the surface is covered with natural grass.

The ground’s record attendance of 6,746 was set during an EFL Championship clash when the nearby Derby County came to visit.

A history of Pirelli Stadium

Despite serious investment of nearly £1m to bring their old ground, Eton Park, up to standards to match their ambition and rise both on and off the pitch, Burton Albion decided it was time to abandon the stadium and construct a new one worthy of their new image. For that reason, in 2003, the plans for the development of Pirelli Stadium were first announced and the proposal included an increase in capacity, a new training pitch to be available for community use and also the relocation of the Eton Park Bowling Club and Football Tavern.

In that proposal, it was also outlined that the old ground of Eton Park would be demolished and turned into new residential properties, which would also help them fund the new stadium along the way. Construction started in December 2003 by Burton firm Bison – who were also the club’s shirt sponsors at the time – and would finish in time for the 2004/05 campaign.

The first match to be played at the new ground was held on 16 July 2005 with a pre-season friendly against Chester City, a game the hosts ended up losing 1-0 in front of a crowd of 1,341. The first competitive clash arrived with a Football Conference fixture against Grays Athletic on 13 August 2005, ending in a 1-1 draw.

Still, it wouldn’t be until 14 November that same year that Pirelli Stadium would officially be opened – the cutting of the red ribbon included – once again with a friendly clash, this time against Manchester United in front of 6,065 people who witnessed the home side beat a young Red Devils team 2-1.

In 2006, the stadium’s capacity increased to 6,200 and a new electronic scoreboard, placed in the Eastern side of the South Stand, was installed, albeit for only that special occasion, not to be used again. Following some acts of vandalism in the following year, CCTV was installed around the perimeter of the ground and they also got a new electronic board prior to the 2008/09 season.

Some years later, in June 2009 and prior to the promotion to the Football League, they got the permission boost the capacity of the stadium by an additional 712 places and following that, they also funded a toucan pedestrian crossing on the adjacent Princess Way which was acknowledged with a renewal of the stadium’s safety certificate on 12 July 2010.

There were multiple proposals and plans to modernise the ground ever since but no major works have been done on the Pirelli Stadium in recent years. But that hasn’t stopped it from hosting various high-profile events such as the 2007 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship elite qualification clash between the Czech Republic and the Netherlands and an England C European Challenge Trophy game against Netherlands C.

Tickets to watch Burton Albion at Pirelli Stadium

All tickets to watch Burton Albion at Pirelli Stadium can be purchased on the club’s official website. The cost of an adult ticket in the seated area is £24 but if you buy the ‘Earlybird’ one, you get a £4 discount.

Season tickets are also available for purchase on the aforementioned website.

Related links

https://www.burtonalbionfc.co.uk/ – Official website of Burton Albion

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Leeds United were linked with Matej Vydra last week (The Mirror, 22/11, page 74), and while signing the former Championship Golden Boot winner would certainly bolster the Whites’ frontline it doesn’t seem as if that deal is going to happen.

In fact, it doesn’t seem as if many January deals are going to happen as Phil Hay has delivered a triple transfer update, and it’s not good news for the Yorkshire club

What’s been said then?

The Scottish journalist was hosting a post-match Q&A session on The Athletic after United beat Reading 1-0 on Tuesday evening.

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Inevitably, the reporter was asked about Leeds’ January transfer window plans as names such as Jarrod Bowen, Dwight Gayle and Matej Vydra were thrown at him.

“Bowen would be great but I don’t see the numbers adding up. Leeds don’t have much cash to spend. Vydra’s a no-no on the basis of the way it went last time they tried to sign him. They like Dwight Gayle but he’ll be too pricey and will probably go to Forest. If Nketiah stays, I’m not sure I see the club doing anything next month.”

Terrible news

It must be sickening for United fans to read this update.

It seems that every January Leeds are linked with these names that would give them the edge in terms of pushing for promotion, but they never seem to come to fruition. One of the biggest examples this year was Dan James, a player who was even through the doors at Elland Road before the deal was pulled.

Gayle, Vydra or Bowen would all add some much-needed goals to United’s squad, but it doesn’t seem that any of these players will be coming in.

Bowen has netted 11 times in 2019/20 while Gayle bagged 24 in the Championship last season. As for Vydra, he’s got 65 goals at the same level.

We’ve known United have been cutting it fine with FFP, but it’s still not nice to hear that they won’t be landing any of these three big-name signings.

In other news, many Leeds fans were left frustrated by one man after their win over Reading on Tuesday

Celtic’s hopes of landing transfer target Niklas Dorsch now appear to be over after the German midfielder said that he would prefer to remain in his homeland.

Last month, The Telegraph reported that the 21-year-old central midfielder from FC Heidenheim was on the Hoops’ radar as a potential target.

However, as reported by The Scottish Sun on Tuesday, he has said that his desire is to play in the Bundesliga, with his current club sitting just outside a promotion play-off place in the second tier in Germany.

Dorsch said: “At the moment, I just want to be successful with Heidenheim. We do outstanding work there, have a great environment and are strong in the league. We are realistic, but we have a good chance of promotion.” [via The Scottish Sun]

He added: “I’ve read about interest from other clubs, but for me, playing in the Bundesliga should always be the goal of an ambitious young player like myself.” [via The Scottish Sun]

Dorsch’s passing ability is probably one of the main reasons why Celtic identified him as a transfer target – he has a 90.4% accuracy rate from an average of 55.8 passes per game this season (as per WhoScored).

Among Celtic’s squad, only Callum McGregor has had a better accuracy rate (90.9%) from their first team regulars, while only McGregor and Greg Taylor have recorded more passes per game. [via WhoScored]

The 21-year-old defensive midfielder has also demonstrated an aptitude for breaking up play in 2. Bundesliga this term, with an average of 2.5 successful tackles per game (as per WhoScored).

Only four Celtic players have a higher average, with two of those (Ryan Christie and Scott Brown) posting a marginally superior rate of 2.6 tackles won per game. [via WhoScored]

Dorsch is not a regular scorer, with just one in 17 appearances in 2019/20, although he has set up three goals this season in 1,482 minutes, an average of one every 494 minutes. [via WhoScored]

Brown, who plays in a similar position for Celtic, has enjoyed a prosperous scoring run of late with four goals since the start of November, including a stoppage-time winner against Hamilton last week.

Dorsch’s tremendous passing ability and his penchant for halting opposition attacks would likely have made him an astute addition to Celtic’s squad if they had brought him to Parkhead, so his public desire to remain in Germany is disappointing from a Hoops perspective.

However, with Brown proving even more adept at winning tackles and popping up with his fair share of goals, the captain’s form has lessened the blow of being unable to attract Dorsch to Glasgow.

In fact, the failure to land the tackling machine may even turn out to be a blessing in disguise, with the skipper seemingly getting better with age like a fine wine.

Celtic fans, are you disappointed that Dorsch now looks highly unlikely to come to the club or is there a need for him with Brown enjoying such a good season? Join in the discussion by commenting below!

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to Sky Sports, Hull City forward Jarrod Bowen is ‘mulling’ over a three-year contract offer from the Tigers, with Southampton said to be tracking the attacker along with Newcastle and Crystal Palace.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Championship side are keen to tie down Bowen, Kamil Grosicki and Jordy de Wijs as they look to push for a top-six finish this season.

The 22-year-old has already scored nine league goals while also recording two assists in 15 Championship appearances this term – Bowen has also scored once in the Carabao Cup.

The 5 foot 7 forward’s current terms expire at the end of the campaign, although they do include an option for Hull to extend the contract by a further 12 months.

Southampton can’t afford another Che Adams-like mistake

We have already seen how a player who was smashing it in the Championship can quickly find themselves potentially out of their depth in the top-flight.

Southampton parted with £15m back in the summer to bring Che Adams to the south coast, after the forward hit 22 league goals last season.

However, the Englishman is yet to score for the Saints in eight Premier League appearances since arriving at St Mary’s, and he is so far proving to be a costly mistake for the south coast side.

Southampton have made a number of expensive additions in recent years, splashing out £18m on Jannik Vestergaard, £18.1m on Mario Lemina, £19m on Guido Carrillo and £16m on Mohamed Elyounoussi, all of whom haven’t set the world alight at the club.

As a result, the Saints simply can’t afford to spend big – Sky Sports suggest he is valued at between £15m-£20m – on Bowen if he could potentially end up flopping after making the step up to the Premier League.

Furthermore, does Ralph Hasenhuttl even need the Hull star? The Austrian currently has Adams, Danny Ings, Nathan Redmond, Sofiane Boufal, Moussa Djenepo and Shane Long at his disposal.

If they do take the plunge on Bowen, they can’t afford for him to turn out like Adams.