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In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Premier League striker Dean Windass has backed Manchester City defender John Stones to start at the European Championship’s for England this summer.

Stones hasn’t played for the Three Lions since a qualifying victory over Montenegro in November 2019, meaning he was overlooked for the entire Nations League campaign, missing the last eight internationals altogether.

But having worked his way back into Pep Guardiola’s team after forming an outstanding partnership with Ruben Dias, the former Everton centre-back would appear on the verge of being recalled Gareth Southgate’s squad for England’s World Cup qualifiers later this month, and then the European Championships in June.

Stones has featured 17 times in the Premier League this season, with his first defeat coming in Saturday’s Manchester derby, and Windass has praised the centre-back for becoming first choice once again at the Etihad Stadium.

He told Football Fan Cast: “It’s testament to the kid, and it’s testament to the manager. His attitude must have been spot on because we were all talking about ‘is John Stones finished’? Testament to the kid, but testament to the manager because he’s changed his mindset and said ‘go on then, go and prove me wrong that you can still play’.”

Asked whether Stones should go to the Euros, Windass admitted: “You’d take him all day. You play for England on the form for your football club.

“John Terry was always the centre-half, then it’s who plays alongside him? Is Gareth Southgate’s centre-half Harry Maguire? Who’s going to play alongside him? It’s got to be John Stones for me.”

West Brom have finally started to put up a fight, even if it seems a little too late.

Sam Allardyce’s men look like a new side thanks to the late January arrivals of Celta Vigo powerhouse Okay Yokuslu, Arsenal utility man Ainsley Maitland-Niles and prolific talisman Mbaye Diagne.

The Baggies notched back-to-back draws in the Premier League last week. However, it could have been six points from six on another day, including a scalp of Manchester United, who they deserved more from after notching two more missed big chances than the title-chasing outfit.

Then against Burnley, Albion were left playing with ten men for around an hour, and they still had more attempts on goal.

However, the biggest thing to take from those two results was their impressive defence, which only leaked one goal and considering the Midlands side have conceded 12 more times than any other top-flight team, that’s a positive step.

Now, it’s on Big Sam to improve their fortunes in front of goal…

On the Chalkboard

And he can do that by unleashing Grady Diangana, who has coincidentally just returned from injury at the perfect time.

A front three involving the £10.8m-rated dynamo, the creative exploits of Matheus Pereira and now a proven scorer in Diagne could see the Baggies actually put up a solid battle at remaining in the top flight.

It’ll be a tough ask, considering they remain 11 points adrift of safety, but with 13 games remaining, it is not yet an impossible feat.

Allardyce believes they need eight clean sheets in those matches to survive, which to some extent is true, but eight draws and then five defeats isn’t going to be enough, for example.

Only two teams have scored fewer than Albion (19), which is why it’s time to unshackle their £18m club-record signing, starting with the game against relegation rivals Brighton this weekend.

Matty Phillips isn’t good enough for the cause, averaging a rating of just 6.59 with one goal to his name all campaign, via SofaScore, whilst Diangana was one of the Baggies’ most influential players last term as he contributed to 15 goals in just 30 appearances.

When he was paired with Pereira, the Hawthorns-based side won 16 of 29 Championship games, losing on only four occasions and the duo combined for 15 goals and 25 assists – this is something Big Sam must replicate, and he has the tools to do now he has Diagne in the mix – via Transfermarkt.

Indeed, the Galatasaray loanee has already contributed to two goals in four starts and he is averaging plenty of aerial duels won (4.8) per game, so he’ll be able to get onto the chances created by Pereira (1.7 key passes per game) and now Diangana, too.

The former Hammers gem has been dubbed an “explosive” player who can be a “total nightmare” on his day by Sky Sports pundits Keith Andrews and Lee Hendrie, so it’s time to bring him back into the fray to complete a dream attack.

If the defence can remain sorted, then this may be the final piece of the jigsaw in Albion’s survival bid.

AND in other news, “Tenacious” £9m-rated beast has become West Brom’s new Claudio Yacob…

David Moyes may be able to allow Fabian Balbuena to leave West Ham United at the end of the season by beating competition from Besiktas for Vorskla Poltava defender Pape-Alioune Ndiaye.

What’s the word?

According to Foot Mercato, Besiktas are tracking Ndiaye’s situation with his Vorskla contract due to expire in June.

The towering 6 ft 7 centre-half is highly-regarded in Turkey and has previously been scouted by SC Braga and West Ham, plus Ligue 1 outfits including LOSC Lille.

Reports by Goal France in December claimed that Moyes had personally received reports on the 23-year-old, having started to monitor the Frenchman last summer after he begun establishing himself in Ukraine.

Ndiaye moved to the Premier Liga outfit in 2019 and started 15 of his 17 appearances during the defender’s debut campaign at the Butovsky Vorskla Stadium, and has missed just one of 15 possible fixtures across all competitions this term as a key aspect of the Zeleno-Bili side.

Vorskla boss Yuriy Maksymov is noted to have compared Ndiaye to Neymar, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo recently in saying, with his tongue firmly in cheek, that he is worth at least €100m (£88m) such is the level the FC Valenciennes product has been playing at.

Should West Ham sign Ndiaye?

Ndiaye is a very much unproven product among Europe’s top-five leagues, but is seemingly continually on the up in Ukraine after being named in the country’s team of the best up-and-coming talents last season.

It naturally remains to be seen if he is able to replicate his Premier Liga exploits in the Premier League, Ligue 1, Super Lig or the Liga NOS, yet that should not stop Moyes from exploring luring the 22-year-old to West Ham.

Few would have known who Tomas Soucek was before the midfielder arrived at the London Stadium from Slavia Prague last January, yet few will now struggle to not sing the Czech Republic international’s praises. Or those of his compatriot Vladimir Coufal.

Obviously, Ndiaye plays in a different position to Soucek and Coufal, but the path for coming to the Premier League from a lesser eastern European country and making a success of things under Moyes is clear as day.

Ndiaye being the next in line may even allow the Hammers to part with Fabian Balbuena at the end of the season, with reports surfacing on Deadline Day that the Paraguayan had been made available for a transfer with his £40,000-per-week contract up this summer.

Balbuena has clearly fallen down Moyes’ pecking order in recent months, with the 29-year-old brute overlooked at Manchester United despite Angelo Ogbonna and Issa Diop both being forced off through injuries during the FA Cup defeat on Tuesday night.

Moyes has now only called on Balbuena to feature once in the Hammers’ last 11 games across all competitions, after starting the season with 12 outings in 15 Premier League matches.

West Ham will be expected to look for alternatives to the £7m-rated centre-back over the coming months if Balbuena does not put pen to paper on new terms, and the heightening interest in Ndiaye would suggest the soon-to-be free-agent would be a smart replacement.

AND in other news, West Ham will have to pay in excess of £26.5m to land a prolific 18 goal striker in the summer…

Steve Bruce risks making a huge blunder in the January transfer window by signing rumoured Newcastle United target Djed Spence from Middlesbrough.

What’s the word?

According to Chronicle Live, despite the fact there is interest the Magpies are unlikely to make a move for Spence in the winter market as the north-east club looks to prioritise loan options.

Prior reports by TEAMtalk had claimed United are among a clutch of Premier League sides eyeing the up-and-coming defender this month, with Toon scouts and their counterparts at Everton, Wolves and Crystal Palace all regularly monitoring Spence’s development.

Newcastle looking elsewhere in the January sales would appear a wise decision, with the Chronicle adding that figures at the Riverside Stadium have doubts over Spence’s defensive capabilities and believe that his shortfalls often let the 20-year-old down.

Spence is said to be well-liked by Boro boss Neil Warnock but added that he does not rate the London-born full-back highly, with the defender only considered to be at a good enough level to serve as a back-up option for his Championship side rather than as a key man.

The £2m-rated youngster, who joined Middlesbrough from Fulham in 2018, has only opened 12 of his 22 Championship appearances so far this season, after his cameo appearance in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at home to Birmingham City made it six games since last starting a second-tier fixture.

Wise to walk away

Newcastle walking away from signing Spence in the January market would certainly appear a wise decision right now, as the 20-year-old has hardly hit the ground running in what is only his sophomore year as a first-team player at Middlesbrough.

Spence was given his Boro debut by Tony Pulis at the start of the 2018/19 season but failed to break through into the senior fold until the arrival of Johnathan Woodgate last term, who called on the £4,500-per-week full-back to start 11 of his 15 Championship games at the helm.

Warnock has kept Spence in and around the first-team, even if he is yet to consider the 20-year-old as his preferred option and suggesting the defender’s potential is so uncertain that he could either progress to play for a top Premier League side or fall out of the football league entirely in the next five years.

“Up to a point, but I think there’s so much more he could do,” Warnock said, via quotes by Teesside Live last November, when asked if he was pleased with what Spence had offered. “There are not many players where you can say it’s all up to them, personally, how far they go – it’s what’s between the ears.

“He could be playing at a top club in England or in non-league in five years, I don’t know. Application, dedication, all these things come into it. He’s got the tools, there’s no doubt about that.”

Spence has done little to ease the concerns over his potential since Warnock offered his alarming remark, as the former Fulham trainee’s performances in the Championship so far this season have only been good enough to return 0.8 successful tackles, 0.5 interceptions, 0.5 clearances, 0.3 crosses blocked and be dribbled past 0.3 times a game, per WhoScored.

The best right-back in the Championship, among those who have played over 10 matches, in terms of successful tackles is Watford’s 20-year-old Jeremy Ngakia who offers 3.2 successful attempts a game, while Spence’s Boro teammate Anfernee Dijksteel tops the charts for interceptions (1.9) and QPR’s Todd Kane is first for clearances (3.1), per WhoScored.

Bruce would no doubt want Spence to take his performances to a much higher level if given a move to a Premier League side, as his current output would only see the Boro back-up rank last for successful tackles, interceptions, clearances, times dribbled past and third for crosses blocked among his positional rivals already on Tyneside.

AND in other news, Newcastle have enquired over a January loan deal for a £4.5m-rated outcast criticised for his lack of effort…

Marcel Brands will rue failing to offload Muhamed Besic to Reading on Deadline Day after they declared their late interest in the Everton midfielder.

What’s the word?

According to the Liverpool Echo, the Madejski Stadium natives eyed a late swoop for Besic after turning attentions to Goodison Park in the final hours of the winter transfer window.

Royals coach Veljko Paunovic is said to be a fan of the 28-year-old, while Besic would have been keen to secure a move to the Championship side.

Reading’s interest emerged with less than four hours remaining of the mid-season market but it led to another failed exit for the Bosnia and Herzegovina international, after a move to Rangers in October failed to materialise.

Besic has played no part in Everton’s 2020/21 campaign after being omitted from Carlo Ancelotti’s 25-man Premier League squad.

And while he spent parts of pre-season training with the Toffees first-team, he has since been working with the Under 23s to maintain his fitness.

The £2m-rated enforcer only has six-months remaining on his £30,000-per-week contract and he is likely to now leave Everton as a free agent at the end of the season.

A missed opportunity

Reading’s interest in Besic will represent a missed opportunity for Everton, and specifically, their Director of Football Brands, who would no doubt have wanted to get the Roberto Martinez signing’s salary off the wage bill.

Everton are currently paying Besic to not play, with the 28-year-old not even turning out for David Unsworth’s junior side, having been omitted from each of the U23s’ Premier League 2 fixtures this term.

The Blues managed to offload Cenk Tosun and Jonjoe Kenny’s wages for the time being with the duo departing on temporary deals with Besiktas and Celtic, respectively, while Yannick Bolasie sealed a loan move to Middlesbrough that will run until his Everton contract expires in the summer.

Despite Reading’s interest coming so late, Brands should have moved heaven and earth to see that Besic moved to the Madejski Stadium.

Yet Besic remains on Merseyside to train, stay fit and look ahead to pastures new, knowing he can now reach pre-contract agreements all the while offering nothing to Ancelotti or Everton, despite picking up £30,000-a-week.

AND in other news, the exit of a £28k-p/w dud is great news for a “gifted” Everton outcast…

Many Wolves fans showered praise on Pedro Neto following last night’s 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur at Molineux.

The 20-year-old featured in Nuno Espirito Santo’s starting lineup for the fourth-straight match in December as the Black Country club continue to adjust to life without star man Raul Jimenez.

But Neto stepped up to the plate and illustrated why he has the potential to go a long way in football.

Per Sofascore, Neto completed three successful dribbles, made three key passes and won four ground duels.

With this in mind, supporters were delighted with the Portuguese attacker and it seems like many of them are very excited to see what is to come from him in the future.

Fans thrilled with Neto performance

“Enjoyed Fabio tonight. As ever my absolute boy is Neto. The performances just need to find a bit of consistency moving forward. I’m sure it’ll come in time #wwfc”

Credit: @OllieRichings

“Neto is a rarity in the modern game, someone that has pace, desire and a brain. Carrying our main attacking threat at just 20…some achievement #wwfc”

Credit: @Dwarfio

“With the risk of sounding like a big head… my tweet about Pedro Neto – 25th August 2019, The lad is very special. #wwfc #neto”

Credit: @FabianPorter

“Neto… what a player he is, world at his feet #wwfc”

Credit: @DannyPowers82

“Neto is going to be world-class also #wwfc #WOLTOT”

Credit: @stan_neto

“Fabio Silva getting better every game. He’s an 18-year-old kid and it’ll come with experience. Outplayed a spurs team who do nothing but cheat with their captain the biggest culprit two years in a row at home now. Oh, and Pedro Neto is unreal. #wwfc”

Credit: @drawlings27

Pedro Neto, what a player! #wwfc

Credit: @LynseyLonghurst

In other news, Wolves fans reacted in delighted over Tim Spiers’ transfer update regarding possible Raul Jimenez replacement.

Crystal Palace return to Premier League action for the second time in three days when they take on Leicester City at Selhurst Park on Monday afternoon.

Fresh off the back of their disappointing defeat at Villa Park, the Eagles are getting ready to greet Brendan Rodgers’ side in their final game of the year.

Roy Hodgson has never been one to tinker with his side too much, but with games coming thick and fast over the next few weeks and months, he may have very little choice but to make a number of changes to keep some of his key players fully fit and fresh for the second half of the season.

Here is Football FanCast’s predicted starting XI, which sees Hodgson make three changes from their previous game against Aston Villa.

Vicente Guiata will keep the gloves with a back four of Scott Dann, Cheikhou Kouyate, Tyrick Mitchell and Joel Ward in front of him.

At centre-back, Kouyate is all but nailed on to start, while Gary Cahill’s recurring hamstring problem could pave the way for Dann to keep his place in the starting line-up for the foreseeable future.

Alongside them, Mitchell will be expected to fill in for Patrick van Aanholt, with the Dutchman due a break having started every game in the Premier League since he made a full recovery from a dislocated shoulder.

Moving further afield, there’s bound to be changes made to the midfield, with James McArthur expected to replace Jairo Riedewald after he was rested for the trip to Villa Park.

Similarly, Andros Townsend could come in for Jeffrey Schlupp, with Eberechi Eze lining up on the left wing.

Upfront, Zaha has been in sensational form since the start of the season and scored a crucial double against his former club Manchester United at Old Trafford, so is likely to start.

There may be some rotation at the top of the pitch after Christian Benteke drew a blank against Aston Villa which means Hodgson could hand Michy Batshuayi a surprise start for the first time since the 1-0 defeat to Burnley back in November.

AND in other news, Steve Parish must look to cash in on Crystal Palace defender James Tomkins in January…

Aston Villa may rue the fact they weren’t able to tempt Omar Elabdellaoui to join them in the summer transfer window.

What was the story?

Reports suggested that Dean Smith’s side were very much interested in signing the 29-year-old right-back, who had left Greek outfit Olympiakos on a free transfer.

However, it was suggested that despite being one of a number of clubs keen on him, Elabdellaoui turned down a potential move to Villa Park, instead opting to join Turkish giants Galatasaray.

Villa of course ended up signing Matty Cash from Championship side Nottingham Forest in a deal worth a reported £16m.

Better than Cash

At just 23, Cash has got all the potentially develop into one of the Premier League’s best right-backs, and may even surpass Elabdellaoui.

But for the here and now, there is no question that the former Olympiacos man would have been the best bet to ensuring Villa landed a top quality full-back that could have given them a couple of years of fantastic service, especially given that Cash has only played in the lower levels of English football.

Elabdellaoui on the other hand has built up considerable experience playing in the big European competitions, and was a key part of an Olympiacos side that dumped Arsenal out of the Europa League last season – Villa of course will be taking on the Gunners this coming Sunday.

The Greatest Bargains in Premier League history – How much did they cost?

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As per SofaScore, in the second leg that the Greek side ultimately triumphed in, Elabdellaoui played the full 120 minutes, making five clearances, recording 71 touches, and sending in two crosses.

The biggest work he did on the night however was nullifying Arsenal star Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang down the flank, with the Gabon international proving to be the culprit as he missed a gilt-edged chance in the dying seconds of the match to save the game for the Gunners.

The fact that Villa could have got him on a free transfer this summer just makes it all the more painful that they couldn’t convince him to move to England.

Ahead of the January transfer window, reports in Germany have tipped Tottenham Hotspur with interest in one of Bundesliga’s emerging stars..

What’s the word?

According to Sport Bild, RB Leipzig maestro Marcel Sabitzer is on Spurs’ wishlist, though the €30m-valued (£26.5m) midfielder is under contract until 2022.

Back in March, the same source claimed that Jose Mourinho had a keen eye on the 26-year-old playmaker along with La Liga giants Barcelona following his destruction of the north Londoners in the Champions League.

His valuation then was in the region of €50m (£45m).

Creative void fulfilled

As mentioned, Spurs already have a nightmarish recollection of Sabitzer after he tore them apart across two legs to knock them out of the UCL earlier this year.

In the second encounter, the Austrian netted an 11-minute first-half brace and also recorded 45 passes, made three interceptions and won 100% of his aerial battles. He absolutely dominated Harry Winks in the middle of the park.

Sabitzer finished the season with 16 goals and 11 assists, primarily playing in a no.10 role as well as on the right flank.

That form has already continued into this campaign where the dynamo has found the net twice in two Bundesliga starts. In each of his last four league campaigns, Sabitzer has averaged at least 1.2 key passes per game, perhaps he can become the attacking midfielder that Mourinho is lacking.

Giovani Lo Celso is yet to truly step-up into the void that Christian Eriksen left behind, having assisted only two Premier League goals since joining last summer.

The Leipzig talisman has been likened to David Beckham due to his ability on set-pieces whilst national team boss, Franco Foda, claims: “Marcel is a player who gives everything for 90 minutes, does a lot for the team and works a lot defensively.  He runs a lot, has some good technical moments, and is now scoring goals.”

That couldn’t be more in the profile of a typical Mourinho player if he tried, not to mention that he’s now captain of the Bundesliga side too.

He has even been lauded as a “joy to watch” by journalist and author Karan Tejwani.

Perhaps the midfield “goal threat” is one of the final pieces of the puzzle in the Special One’s lofty revolution in N17. Daniel Levy must deliver one more masterclass this winter.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Sanchez: Levy must sanction cut-price Spurs swoop for “astonishing” £40m titan…

West Ham United must use Josh Cullen’s pre-season statement against him and force the central midfielder to accept a late offer to join RSC Anderlecht before Deadline Day.

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Mail’s Adrian Kajumba, Belgian giants Anderlecht are interested in forging a late effort to sign Cullen and are hopeful of sealing a deal before the window slams shut on Monday.

Cullen, who has two caps for the Republic of Ireland, has struggled to establish himself in manager David Moyes’ plans since returning from a loan spell with Charlton Athletic in the Championship last season, with the Scottish coach only awarding him a Carabao Cup outing against his former loan side in the Second Round.

Bar those 90 minutes at the London Stadium, Cullen’s name has not yet featured on any first-team team sheet with the 24-year-old instead left at home to watch the action unfold.

The Westcliff-on-Sea-born midfielder had been keen to establish himself in the West Ham senior squad after starting all 34 of his second-tier outings either side of an ankle ligament injury last term, stating that this season is his time to make it happen.

“I’ve always said all along, through all the loans, the end goal is to be at West Ham,” the Hammers academy graduate told West Ham TV. “I’m 24 now so it’s time to make it happen.

“It’s been a different pre-season, a shorter one than normal, but I’ve loved every minute of it under the gaffer. Having worked under him and his staff during his first spell here, to come back and work under him again, I’ve loved it.”

Time to force the move

As much as Cullen is eager to forge a successful senior career at the club he’s been with since 2010, his time is now surely over and it is the responsibility of the Hammers to force a move if the offer is there.

Anderlecht’s interest comes at a point in Cullen’s career when he has just the one year remaining on his contract and is failing to the earn opportunities to impress Moyes and convince the ownership that he deserves an extension put before him.

Moving to Belgium, however, would see Cullen land the chance of competing at one of the top club’s in the country as they look to right the failings of last season, having ended the campaign down in eighth place and 27-points behind champions Club Brugge.

Vincent Kompany’s side would certainly appear to need reinforcements, too, as the former Manchester City centre-back has only overseen three wins from his side’s first seven league games to already be trailing the leaders by six points.

If the chance to play is not there under Moyes, West Ham must use Cullen’s “make it happen” comment against him and ensure the player does not waste another year of his career.

AND in other news, West Ham have been dealt a setback in the club’s efforts to land the missing spark of David Moyes’ midfield.