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David Moyes can solve his Sebastien Haller dilemma after Gabby Agbonlahor stated the West Ham striker will be “frustrated” to not have successfully replaced the injured Michail Antonio.

What’s he said?

Speaking with Football Insider, Aston Villa hero Agbonlahor has claimed Haller will be growing increasingly irritated to have not staked his claim for a starting role at the London Stadium whilst Moyes has been without star striker Antonio.

The £10.8m-rated dynamo has missed his side’s last two Premier League fixtures as a result of the hamstring injury sustained at home to Manchester City last month, which was expected to sideline Antonio for six weeks, yet he remains the Irons’ joint-top scorer with three goals.

Haller failed to strike a single effort against either Liverpool or Fulham when handed his first starts of the top-flight campaign, leaving the club-record £45m signing with just one goal in his last 13 Premier League outings.

Agbonlahor feels the Cottagers’ defensive-minded tactics played a great role in Haller’s plight continuing last time out, noting: “It’s not as if Fulham played a 4-4-2 or 4-3-3, Fulham played a very defensive formation. It would have been tough for even Antonio to break them down.

“West Ham get their most joy when they play against teams on the counter-attack. The game against Fulham was tough to create chances. So, it’s not something that I’d worry about.

“I think with Haller, if you get the right balls into the box for him then he will score goals, but West Ham didn’t manage to do that. I’m sure he’ll be frustrated because he wants to be scoring goals.”

Moyes has the answers

Agbonlahor’s comments come in line with Moyes’ remarks following the Fulham clash, having told the West Ham website: “Our crossing quality was really poor and we didn’t deliver good enough quality into the box when we were in positions to do so. We were hoping to get something aerial for Haller to score from.”

Moyes now has the chance to afford Haller another shot at proving his worth in claret and blue when league action resumes against Sheffield United later this month, with ExWHUemployee – while speaking on the West Ham Way podcast – claiming the Scottish coach has already decided he will not risk Antonio aggravating his injury by starting him at Bramall Lane.

Instead, Antonio is due to be listed among the substitutes with Moyes keen to see if Haller can fare any better against a side who has allowed the second-most shots (15) and fourth-most crosses (21) a game in the top-flight thus far this term, per WhoScored.

Haller could only win six of his 10 aerial duels against Fulham last time out while striking just one of three shots on target, which Moyes will no doubt hope he can improve after netting on his Ivory Coast debut.

AND in other news, West Ham have been given the ideal chance to sign a “phenomenal” £20m David Moyes target.

He might not be able to play on Thursday night, but Tottenham Hotspur’s summer arrival, Joe Rodon, has to be the man to replace Toby Alderweireld going forward.

Spurs boss Jose Mourinho was dealt one hell of a blow that put a massive dampener on their 2-0 win over Manchester City at the weekend as the Belgian centre-back went off injured in the second-half without coming into contact with an opposition player.

Alderweireld has played a big part in the north Londoners keeping three clean sheets in four matches.

Following the match, the Special One claimed: “It’s bad, it’s bad. It’s a muscular injury,” which may have to be taken with a pinch of salt but it would not be a shock considering he had played three international matches in just over a week beforehand.

There will be a temptation to bring Davinson Sanchez back into the fold having not made the matchday squad in any of their last four Premier League outings whilst he only made the bench last time out in the Europa League.

The one-time club-record £42m arrival, who is now worth €50m (£45m) will undoubtedly feature against Ludogorets this week and that’s a risk they can afford to make given the level in competition, but regardless of his performance, he can’t be trusted for their trip to Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

A frontline involving Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech and Kai Havertz is a scary prospect as it is, it’ll only be made worse by putting a player dubbed a “liability” by many supporters next to Eric Dier, who is not a centre-back by trade himself.

An argument can easily be made against Rodon, considering his only top-flight experience has been a total of ten minutes across substitute appearances against Burnley and City, but he’s far more worth the gamble than an already-known calamity.

The Welshman’s ceiling is high having drawn comparisons to Rio Ferdinand and John Terry whilst journalist Dominic Booth added: “Rodon is a leader given his age, a bit of an old head on young shoulders. He’s good in the air despite not being a huge presence, and looks destined for bigger things.”

In his four appearances for Swansea before the switch, he averaged a whopping 7.8 clearances, 5.3 aerials won and 2.3 interceptions per game, via WhoScored.

His 6 foot 4 presence will be much-needed in the absence of Alderweireld. It’s on Mourinho to take that punt for the foreseeable future.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Winks: Jose must unleash “phenomenal” Spurs monster tipped as “future captain”…

According to German publication BILD, Aston Villa’s rumoured transfer target Milot Rashica is heading to Bayer Leverkusen in the January transfer window.

What’s the word?

Reports over the summer had suggested the Kosovo international was closing in on a switch to Villa Park, and that Dean Smith’s side had agreed to meet the release clause of £20.5m in his contract.

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However, talks broke down after Villa revealed they wouldn’t be signing Rashica after all due to his wage demands. Now, BILD claim that the winger has agreed a five-year deal to join Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, and that the deal will become official in January.

Shades of Alexis Sanchez

With 11 goals in 31 games for Werder Bremen last season, Rashica was a real live-wire from out wide for the Bundesliga outfit, and was a key reason behind why they survived relegation via the play-offs.

His manager at Bremen, Florian Kohfeldt, hailed: “Milot’s taken a massive leap in the last year or so. He’s got more confidence in himself and makes scoring look so easy.”

With his ability to play anywhere across the front-line, and a real touch for finishing, it’s no surprise to see that the Bundesliga’s official website has drawn comparisons between him and former Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez.

It said: “A one-man attacking force with pace to burn, the Bremen talisman has that self-same stocky build and low centre of gravity that made Sanchez such an overwhelming prospect for opposition defenders back in his Barcelona and Arsenal days. He loves a set-piece goal, too.”

But with Rashica set to move to Leverkusen, Villa look set to miss out on yet another winger following Said Benrahma’s move to West Ham.

And in other news, Aston Villa dodged a bullet by not signing this Premier League ace.

Harry Wilson may have made his situation at Liverpool worse after putting in a disappointing performance on the international stage. The Welshman had very little impact on his country’s UEFA Nations League match against Ireland and was subbed off after 67 minutes.

He is currently in somewhat of a grey area with his club after being linked to a move away in the summer. He looks set to join another Championship side on loan this season, but it appears his Liverpool career could be coming to an end.

Wilson could leave Liverpool

The Wales international is squandering his chances of staying in the Anfield set-up. After parting ways with Rhian Brewster, and Xherdan Shaqiri also linked to an exit, Wilson’s time to step up could be now. He was given the chance to impress during Liverpool’s Carabao Cup clash against Arsenal, but the versatile winger went completely under the radar.

Despite his impressive loan spells with the likes of Derby and Bournemouth, Wilson has struggled to impress Jurgen Klopp. The 23-year-old has made just two senior appearances for the Merseyside outfit and has not yet been trusted to feature in the Premier League. However, he certainly has the capability. During his time with the Cherries, he scored seven top flight goals with one even coming against Manchester City (via Transfermarkt).

But completing just 17 passes and only 1/2 dribbles against Ireland is not a notable performance for the playmaker. Wilson also  lost possession 11 times and made an error that led to an opposition shot (via Sofascore). Despite boasting the ability to play on either wing and in midfield, his recent stats certainly aren’t doing him any favours and he could be headed for the door soon.

Especially in comparison to rising stars Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott, the 18-cap Wales performer’s progress seems to have stagnated at Liverpool and a move may be best for all parties involved.

In other news, Solid England display from Jordan Henderson is much-needed boost for Liverpool ahead of Everton clash…

This article forms part of our Total Duds feature series, which is where Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at how a player has fared since being signed or sold, using statistical figures and statements from pundits to prove how bad a deal the club got.

Back in the January transfer window in 2018, West Ham signed Jordan Hugill from Preston on deadline day. They acquired the forward for around £9.18m, per Transfermarkt and he had a decent season at the Championship side whilst he was there in the 2017/18 campaign as he scored eight goals and supplied two assists in 27 appearances.

There was hope that he could replicate this at the Hammers and the Englishman was joining at a good time as the East London side sat 11th in the Premier League.

However, it did not start well for the forward as he featured for only 22 minutes in the 2017/18 season for the Irons and failed to score, per Transfermarkt. This clearly highlighted that he was not rated at the club, which was further proven when they loaned him out to Middlesbrough for the 2018/19 season.

At the Championship side he managed to make 41 appearances, scoring seven times and providing two assists, but clearly this was not enough as the Hammers then loaned him out last season to Queens Park Rangers, where he scored 15 goals in 41 appearances.

With the 28-year-old now returning to the club as his loan has expired, it seems that West Ham want to get rid of him permanently, with Norwich and QPR interested in permanent deals. However, the Canaries only want to pay £2m upfront, potentially rising to £4m.

So far he has still only managed 22 minutes of football at West Ham and the fact he could leave for less than half of his initial transfer fee highlights that he has been a total dud for the Irons.

Hammers fans, what are your thoughts on Hugill? Comment below with your views!

Ex-Glasgow Rangers man and cult hero Andy Halliday has urged the Ibrox outfit to sign Dundee United striker Lawrence Shankland.

The 24-year-old was in stunning form in the Scottish Championship last term, scoring 24 goals in 26 games as his side earned promotion to the top flight – that was no flash in the pan either, with him having scored 128 times in 253 games across his career. He has been linked with a move to Glasgow, but as of yet there appears to have been no formal approach from the Gers.

Halliday, who left the club on a free transfer following the premature end to the Scottish campaign, believes Steven Gerrard should look to add him to his squad. He told Open Goal:

“I would [take him at Rangers]. He’s done it wherever he’s been and he looks like the type of boy that, if he gets chances, he’s going to score. If you’re at a bigger club you’re going to get more chances.

“He’s just got the knack for scoring goals and that’s something that’s hard to find.”

There could well be a changing of the guard up-front at Ibrox this coming campaign as the future of Alfredo Morelos remains up in the air – Everton are said to be focused on taking him to Goodison Park, whilst it has previously been reported that the Gers expect to lose their star man this summer.

Currently valued at £428,000 by Transfermarkt, it remains to be seen what kind of transfer fee he would demand if the Gers were to make a move, but it would likely be an awful lot less than the £15m the Gers want for Morelos – that would make Shankland a bargain.

Let us know what you think below!

Cesc Fabregas has praised Frank Lampard’s progress with Chelsea this season but admits that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has a tougher job on his hands.

The ex-Chelsea ace has spoken to The Guardian about the current Premier League season, including his former side’s performances under new management.

“Chelsea took a gamble with Frank because it was only his second year as a main coach and he’s done very well,” the Spaniard said. He went on to laud Arteta’s job at the hilt of Arsenal so far but acknowledges that he has a big task on his hands.

As it stands, the Gunners are ninth in the table and will need to rein in an eight-point gap if they want to challenge in the Champions League next season. It is certainly not an impossible task but Arsenal’s record this campaign hasn’t been up to scratch. They have lost six games, fewer than the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea, but have been hampered by a seismic 13 draws.

“I think he’s done well [so far] and I’m sure he’s brought back some values to the club that was needed,” Fabregas continued on Arteta. “Obviously it’s a much harder job than Chelsea in terms of rebuilding the squad, and they are very young, and they had problems because [Arteta] started much further down the line than Chelsea, but I’m positive that they will pick up very soon and that next season could be the one for them.”

The Blues will be competing in the Champions League next season if they can hang onto fourth place, undoubtedly a great achievement after a sluggish start under Lampard. Chelsea have registered 14 league wins with Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount shining in front of goal, tallying a combined 19 Premier League goals this term (via Transfermarkt).

Arsenal certainly have an uphill battle to fight but nothing should take away from what the Blues have achieved and Fabregas is right to praise the work of Lampard so far in the job.

Where do you think Chelsea will finish this season? Join the conversation in the comments below…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Sheffield Wednesday are already back in Championship action tonight, just a few days after succumbing to a fourth straight game without victory.

The Owls were defeated 2-1 by league leaders West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns, but this evening’s game against Birmingham City gives them a chance to put it all right to get back on track with their promotion aim.

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Garry Monk’s side were only downed by an 88th-minute penalty so there are further encouragements to be had, although, the 40-year-old can improve their chances by making one major call in midfield.

On the Chalkboard

It was quite baffling to see Massimo Luongo excluded against the Baggies on Saturday afternoon as the Australian only came on for the final 20 minutes.

The 27-year-old had been out for the best part of a month through injury, but in the week leading up the match, Monk revealed that he had a fully fit squad to choose from, which makes his omission all that stranger.

Luongo had started to prove to be one of the Owls’ major threats in attack as he notched two goals in three matches, both of which were the winners in 1-0 victories.

His goal involvement had turned out to be crucial, not only because they handed Wednesday three points, but because it means someone other than top goalscorer Steven Fletcher was chipping in, which has long been a problem this season.

Having joined the club in the summer, Luongo had to wait until October to garner his first start before being handed a run in three straight matches – where he recorded four shots at goal, three key passes, and won 12 aerial duels, via WhoScored.

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By comparison, the midfielder that started ahead of him was Kieren Lee, who just isn’t a scratch on the one-time Ballon d’Or nominee – this season, the 31-year-old has only averaged 0.6 key passes, 0.2 shots and 0.3 dribbles per game from 11 appearances.

It is clear to see on that basis, Monk could seriously do with a maestro like Luongo starting in the middle. He has more than enough security to do so defensively with Sam Hutchinson holding down the anchorman role.

In other news, there’s only one choice to replace Liam Palmer over the next few games…

Wolverhampton Wanderers have enjoyed a very successful 18 months or so under the hair-raising stewardship of manager Nuno Santo, but he could be about to walk into a major mistake this summer – if reports are to be believed.

According to Fanatik, the west Midlanders retain an interest in Galatasaray centre-back Christian Luyindama, who stands at a colossal 6 foot 3 inches tall.

It’s claimed that Premier League rivals Everton are the front-runners to secure the 26-year-old and Wolves would be better off letting him flop at their fellow European contenders instead of causing disruption to their phenomenal journey.

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Either there or Aston Villa, that would certainly hand Nuno’s side the bragging rights next term.

The DR Congo international has been restricted to just 15 appearances this campaign are tearing a cruciate ligament against the Gambia back in November, and while an ACL injury is no longer a career-wrecker, it will undoubtedly have a considerable impact going forward.

An article from the Guardian claimed that above-average American football players regressed below the mean standard on their comeback from the injury while only the very best could top the middle ground.

In addition to this, Luyindama has hardly set the ground alight on the elite stage this term – playing against European heavyweights Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League group stages.

But this change-up in competition merely exploited the centre-back’s weaknesses.

On average, his fouls doubled from one per game to two whilst he was dribbled past three times as much, going from just 0.5 times each match in the Super Lig to 1.5 times in the UCL, via WhoScored.

He also dropped off aerially despite being a monstrous presence, managing to win only 1.3 duels in the air compared to 4.4 in his domestic league.

This only spells trouble for Wolves as they have lofty ambitions to become a regular feature in the big time with chairman Jeff Shi even touting them for the title in the future.

Nuno simply must swerve any advance for Luyindama this summer. It’s truly a no-go.

AND in other news, could this Serie A star be the next Adama Traore for the Wolves chief?

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

West Bromwich Albion may be heading into the international break sitting top of the Championship table, but recent developments suggest they have actually been overachieving.

Last time out, Slaven Bilic’s resilient side clinched a 1-0 victory at Hull City to open up a two-point gap to those tied in second and third position, namely Preston North End and Leeds United.

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The Baggies have lost just the one match so far this campaign, to the last team mentioned above, but there have been many occasions where they’ve needed some sort of comeback to salvage points.

And the latest Championship xG (expected goals) table from Experimental361 tells a similar story.

On the Chalkboard

After game week 16, West Brom should be sitting sixth in the division, some 18 points behind Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds, who should be running away with it by now.

In short, Albion should have won and drawn two fewer matches apiece, meaning they would have picked up four more defeats.

West Brom also should have conceded three more goals on top of the 17 they have let in so far this campaign – it did take Bilic’s men until the ninth week to keep a clean sheet, and since then, they’ve only added three more.

The side should have also scored nearly three fewer goals than the 29 they have netted, which undoubtedly contributes to why they are so low in the xG standings.

That is even despite the likes of Grady Diangana, Matty Phillips, and Matheus Pereira, contributing to 24 goals between them alone, per WhoScored.

Their result over Hull at the weekend further emphasises their poor figures.

Based on the graph above from Experimental361, the Baggies should have lost that game as the home side had done enough to warrant at least one goal, whereas the west Midlanders could only muster up half their xG total.

And that’s where their problem has been all season.

Charlie Austin has fired a dud so far with just one goal in 11 appearances while Kenneth Zohore only has two penalties to his name, and Hal Robson-Kanu failed to even register an attempt at goal on Saturday despite being rewarded with a start after three substitute goals in four games, via WhoScored.

Either way, based on xG alone, West Brom should be lower in the table, which must be a significant cause for concern for Bilic over the next two weeks.

But at the end of the day, they beat Hull and they do indeed sit top of the league. Make of that what you will.