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In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Premier League striker Dean Windass has tipped new West Brom boss Sam Allardyce to swoop for one of his former players in the upcoming January transfer window.

The 66-year-old replaced Slaven Bilic last week on an 18-month contract and suffered an embarrassing 3-0 defeat to arch-rivals Aston Villa in his first game in charge on Sunday evening.

He told reporters that he will be backed next month, and Windass has suggested that Everton outcast Yannick Bolasie could be one to make the switch to the Hawthorns.

The 31-year-old originally joined the Toffees in a £25m deal from Crystal Palace in 2016 under Ronald Koeman but would go onto play more times for Allardyce than the Dutchman.

He scored just once in 17 appearances, whilst 53% of his matches at Everton have come under Big Sam, per Transfermarkt.

The DR Congo winger wasn’t registered for their Premier League squad this season and is expected to leave the club in January as Carlo Ancelotti revealed in October.

And the ex-Hull marksman believes he could end up in the Midlands…

He told FFC:

“Yeah, pace in the wide areas.

“He’s been Everton’s forgotten man but yeah [I’d take him].

“Listen, Sam will know, Sam will have it in his mind who he needs.”

The wide areas have been a problematic issue at the Baggies this season.

Grady Diangana hasn’t been able to continue the form that helped spearhead them to Championship promotion last term, whilst Bilic often went to a back five to mask his lack of trust in a true right-winger – neither Matty Phillips, Kamil Grosicki or Kyle Edwards could nail down that spot.

Bolasie could somewhat solve the issue short-term as he’s vastly experienced in the Premier League having made 119 appearances in his top-flight career.

Although, the £70k-per-week Toffees misfit would arrive with plenty of fitness concerns given he’s not played a competitive fixture this season.

Bolasie’s last senior appearance came in Sporting Lisbon’s 4-1 thrashing by Istanbul in the Europa League back in February.

AND in other news, West Brom exclusive: Pundit drops scathing Luke Dowling claim after Slaven Bilic sacking…

Leeds United have a number of talented young players on their books, but with the club now battling it out in the Premier League, some of these players have had to be loaned out in order to earn some first-team experience.

Robbie Gotts is tipped to join Huddersfield or Hull in the coming days, while Alfie McCalmont and Jordan Stevens have already departed on a temporary basis.

Stevens made his first start for Swindon Town on Saturday, and his career for the Robins got off to the best possible start.

Seven minutes into his first game Stevens scored an absolute cracker that would have certainly caught Marcelo Bielsa’s eye.

In a very Bielsa-esque phase of play, Stevens showed exactly what he’s about sliding in to win the ball back high up the pitch before playing a one-two that saw him free on the edge of the Burton box.

The winger then took aim, firing the ball low towards the far post, with the ball nestling in the bottom corner to put his new side 1-0 up.

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The move had Bielsa’s fingerprints all over it with Stevens’ pressing intensity and work-rate directly leading to the goal.

Unfortunately, things quietened down after that goal, with the 20-year-old not having another shot for the rest of the game.

However, his defensive stats throughout the whole match do stand out, especially when you consider he was playing on the wing.

The youngster made two tackles and one interception during the match, and with Bielsa emphasising pressing and defensive output from his attackers, it’s good to see that his influence has seemingly rubbed off on Stevens.

It’s a long season, but if the Leeds loanee can keep this form up throughout the campaign he could be one to watch.

Newcastle United have officially confirmed the signing of Callum Wilson from Championship club Bournemouth.

According to the official website of the Tyneside club, the 28-year old has joined up at St. James’ Park for an undisclosed fee and has signed a deal that will keep him in the northeast until the summer of 2024.

Speaking on the capture of Wilson, Steve Bruce has said: “I’m grateful the club has made it happen. Lee Charnley and those behind the scenes deserve a lot of credit.”

Indeed, the managing director of the Magpies was one of several people apparently instrumental in the signing of Wilson, who was not short of suitors as Dean Smith’s Aston Villa reportedly had a bid of their own rejected for the English international just a few days ago.

Nonetheless, this is a good bit of business from all of the parties involved in the deal. Wilson is somewhat of a goal-machine when glancing upon his statistics from his career thus far.

In 250 games across club level and England’s under-21 and senior teams, the striker has scored a relatively impressive 92 goals, as per Transfermarkt, meaning that he finds the back of the net every two to three matches on average.

The goal threat that Wilson carries may be vital for the Magpies going into the new season, as Newcastle fans will be hoping that the centre-forward can hit the ground running straight away.

Supporters may be able to see the Englishman for the first time in the famous black-and-white stripes at 3pm on Saturday as they kick off the new Premier League season away at David Moyes’ West Ham United at the London Stadium.

Geordies, are you happy with Wilson’s signing? Comment below with your views!

Bristol City have made a decision on the future of Sammie Szmodics, with the Championship side agreeing a deal with Peterborough United.

Sunderland suffered a second consecutive failure to gain promotion this year and manager Phil Parkinson has gradually been adding to his squad ahead of the 2020/21 season.

With further transfer activity expected at the Stadium of Light, interest in Szmodics had emerged with the 24-year-old falling out of favour with Bristol City.

Szmodics made a handful of appearances last term whilst spending time during the 2019/20 season on loan with League One side Peterborough, scoring four goals and providing four assists in 10 games (as per Transfermarkt).

It now appears that Sunderland are set to miss out to Darren Ferguson’s side, with a bid in the region of £1m from Posh believed to have been accepted by Bristol City.

Valued at £135,000 by Transfermarkt, Szmodics’ reported transfer fee is a big outlay for Peterborough, especially given the tight salary cap rules introduced in the English Football League this season.

Whether or not Sunderland’s interest in Szmodics was as genuine as reports claimed is only clear to those directly involved in the transfer.

Parkinson will be fully focused on the new season with the Black Cats, who begin their League One campaign against Bristol Rovers on Saturday, and he will need to quickly move on from the unsuccessful pursuit of the 24-year-old.

Do you think Sunderland should have done more to try and sign Szmodics? Let us know your views in the comments section below…

According to The Daily Mirror, Newcastle are one of a number of Premier League clubs interested in signing Burnley midfielder Jack Cork.

What’s the story?

The 31-year-old’s contract expires at the end of this current season, and with the Clarets involved in rumours of a potential takeover, his long-term future at Turf Moor is up in the air.

The Daily Mirror claim that along with Newcastle, the likes of Brighton and Sheffield United are also keeping an eye on developments, with a view to potentially landing him on a free transfer.

He’d be an Isaac Hayden upgrade

Having missed Burnley’s clash against the Magpies earlier this season, the last time Cork took to the field against the Tyneside club was back in February, when the two sides played out a rather drab 0-0 draw at St James’ Park.

One man who stood out was the Clarets’ 6 foot 1 machine, who dominated the midfield battle against Jonjo Shelvey. Playing that screening role against Ashley Westwood, Cork was a constant menace in shutting down the Newcastle engine room, and he finished the game with eight duels won and having made seven defensive contributions.

He completely bullied Shelvey in the middle of the park, who was one of the Magpies’ poorest performers – according to Sofascore, his 6.6 match rating was only better than that of Joelinton. He lost possession 19 times and averaged a shocking 61% pass accuracy, thanks in part to the way in which Cork pressed him non-stop.

Newcastle already have an anchor man in Isaac Hayden, but Cork could be a real upgrade on the 25-year-old. Whilst both averaged similar numbers for the key defensive areas last season in the Premier League, the Burnley man outshone him in possession. He boasted more touches per match, had a far greater accuracy when it comes to forward passes into the opposition’s half, and had a significantly better dribble success rate.

Cork would give Newcastle a solid shield to their back-line, but also offer them a little more in way of moving the ball forwards and starting attacks.

Key Information about Caledonian Stadium

Caledonian Stadium has been the home of Scottish Championship side Inverness Caledonian Thistle since it opened in 1996, two years after the club was formed.

Caledonian Stadium was redeveloped in 2004-05 which included the construction of two new stands as well as converting the ground into an all-seater with a capacity of over 7,500.

A history of Caledonian Stadium

When Caledonian and Inverness Thistly proposed to merge and join the Scottish Football League in 1994, it gave them more of a chance to build a brand new state of the art stadium. After two years of negotiating, work on the Caledonian Stadium finally commenced in October 1995 with Provost William Fraser cutting the first ceremonial turf. The first competitive league match played at the new ground was on 9 November 1996 when almost 4,000 fans witnessed a 1-1 draw with Albion Rovers.

Despite a successful opening of Caledonian Stadium, it was soon revealed that the ground did not meet the Scottish Premier League’s criteria of 10,000 seats and it looked as if the club’s hopes of playing in the top flight would be damaged. Somehow, Caley Thistle proposed a 100-mile ground share move at Pittodrie, Aberdeen so that they could play in the Scottish top flight for the first time.

Despite the odds, the SPL agreed that it would be possible for Caledonian Stadium to be upgraded before late January 2005. In addition to this good news for the club, the criteria had changed to 6,000 seats rather than 10,000 ahead of the next season. Redevelopment of Caledonian Stadium began shortly after, with the construction of two new stands at either end of the ground.

They were extraordinarily built in just 47 days by the Tulloch Construction Company who are also the club’s biggest shareholder. As part of the redevelopment cost, Tulloch’s name was added to it upon completion, though in February 2019, the stadium was renamed Caledonian Stadium after long-time sponsors Tulloch gifted the stadium to the club.

An initial club record was set at 7,045, during a league match against Celtic in 2005, and this was surpassed by Old Firm rivals Ranges who attracted a crowd of 7,512 at Caledonian Stadium a few months later. The West Stand was erected opposite the Main Stand in 2007, and it has a small capacity of just 400 – it was initially intended to be a singing section for the hardcore Calley fans. During 2018, Inverness CT replaced the original manned turnstiles with modern barcode scanning ones.

Tickets to Watch Inverness Caledonian Thistle at Caledonian Stadium

Adult season tickets are available from £20, senior citizens and 16-25 from £15, and under-16s from just £6. Adult season tickets are priced at around £246, seniors at £199, 16-25s at £179, juniors at £81, and under-12s for just £46.

Related Links

https://ictfc.com/ – Official Website of Inverness Caledonian Thistle

 https://ictfc.com/prices – Inverness Caledonian Thistle Ticket Office

According to The Express, West Ham are eyeing a potential deal for Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi this summer, if Sebastien Haller leaves the club.

What’s the word?

Despite arriving for a club-record fee last summer, reports have suggested that Haller could be on his way out of the London Stadium after a difficult debut campaign – the Frenchman has scored just once this calendar year.

Spot the fact from the fib: Are these Premier League records true or false?

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And as per The Express, if Haller does leave, then the Hammers are lining up Batshuayi and Real Madrid marksman Luka Jovic as potential replacements.

The report claims that Haller’s former manager at Eintracht Frankfurt, Niko Kovac, is keen on a reunion with the striker at his new club, AS Monaco.

A GSB disaster

Whilst the Hammers’ reported interest in Jovic is something to get excited about given his goal-scoring pedigree, the same cannot be said for Batshuayi.

The Belgian arrived at Stamford Bridge back in 2016 for a fee in the region of £33m, and there can be absolutely no question that he has not justified that price tag at all.

Despite being on a hefty £90k-a-week wage as well, the 26-year-old has been anything but clinical in front of goal since then. He has scored just 25 times in 77 games for West Ham’s London rivals, whilst the fact he has been shipped out on loan to the likes of Crystal Palace, Valencia and Borussia Dortmund shows just much of a turn his form has taken.

Aside from Paul Merson simply insisting that he is “not good enough”, the late Ray Wilkins even called him a “liability” after a particularly anonymous performance against against Palace. He added: “His movement is almost null and void and when you’re playing in a team like Chelsea, your movement has to be first-class up front.”

The Hammers could do without another well-paid centre-forward who actually contributes very little. And in actual fact, Haller has proven that he is a better striker than Batshuayi this season too. As per Sofascore, the West Ham man averaged 1.4 shots, 0.8 key passes and 0.8 dribbles per game whilst missing six big chances in 32 Premier League games.

On the other hand, Batshuayi played just 16 times in the top-flight, but missed four big chances, and averaged a dismal 0.7 shots, 0.2 key passes and 0.3 dribbles per match. The fact West Ham are supposedly interested in a striker like that just reeks of yet another GSB transfer disaster.

With the joint-worst defensive record in the Premier League’s top-ten, it’s no surprise to see Tottenham being linked with a whole host of centre-backs ahead of the summer transfer window.

The futures of the likes of Jan Vertonghen and Juan Foyth are also very much up in the air, so a new central defender is likely to be even more of a major priority for Jose Mourinho’s side.

And according to The Daily Telegraph, the Lilywhites are looking at Sevilla powerhouse Diego Carlos.

Is it Mido or Pedro Mendes? This Spurs quiz will separate the loyal from the fake…

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The report claims that whilst Spurs are involved in the race to sign Beijing Guoan defender Kim Min-jae, Carlos is another viable alternative for them. However, the one main sticking point behind doing a deal for the Brazilian, is his asking price, with Sevilla reportedly wanting in excess of £35m to part ways with the 6 foot ace.

After hearing about their links to Carlos, Spurs fans flooded to Twitter to share their reactions.

A few fans insisted that Daniel Levy simply wouldn’t be willing to shell out to sign someone like Carlos, and with that reported £35m asking price, it’s clear to see why.

Another Spurs fan in particular questioned why the club just didn’t go for a more proven and elite option like Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly.

Part of a Sevilla side currently lying in fourth place in La Liga and well in the fight for Champions League football next season, Carlos has been one of the standout performers.

The 27-year-old has featured in all but two of Sevilla’s league games this season, and boasts some pretty impressive defensive and passing stats when compared to someone like Toby Alderweireld.

As per Sofascore, he wins more total duels (4.1), averages a better passing accuracy (84%), and has committed no errors that have either led to a shot or goal this season, unlike Alderweireld who has made two.

Spurs have got plenty of options to decide over, but Carlos is playing in a side competing with the big boys in Spain, and seems to be more than holding his own.

Kevin De Bruyne, who has played a starring role in Manchester City’s side this season after coming back from an injury-ridden campaign, recently blasted the Euro 2020 format in a post-match interview after his native Belgium beat Cyprus 6-1. 

The Belgians qualified for Euro 2020 through finishing top of their qualifying group, beating the likes of Russia and Scotland to cement their place at the Championships next summer in a bid to take advantage of their golden generation and win a coveted international prize.

However, according to De Bruyne, the competition is already sucking the tension out of its group stage draw given the fact 12 cities throughout Europe will host games – with Wembley hosting the semi-final and final.

Judging by the format rules, Belgium already know who they are going to get – with Denmark and Russia looking like their Group B opponents due to the fact Ukraine and the Russians cannot play each other for geopolitical reasons.

Meanwhile, Belgium’s opponents will also have home advantage due to the fact they are both part of the 12 host nations.

De Bruyne, speaking to HLN Sport (via Daily Mail), labelled the competition a ‘disgrace’, stating:

“It’s a disgrace. For me this feels like competition distortion. Football has become more and more a business.”

As a result, City supporters had mixed reactions on social media, with a few confused about the format itself – and let’s face it, they aren’t the only ones:

City fans, do you agree with De Bruyne? Let us know in the comments below!

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…

Speaking on The Season So Far (as quoted by The Daily Mirror), Lee Dixon has slammed Arsenal boss Unai Emery’s tactics this season.

What did he say?

The Gunners have endured a disappointing start to the current campaign, currently finding themselves in sixth in the Premier League table and already eight points behind fourth-placed Manchester City.

The north Londoners have looked incredibly shaky at the back, conceding 17 goals in 12 games, and facing 16.4 shots per game on average – a record that is the third-worst in the entire division. Now, Dixon has urged Arsenal’s players to challenge Emery over his tactical set-up, but feared that the squad lacked any real leaders to do exactly that.

He said: “From (having) a shot at one end to conceding a penalty at the other end in the space of 20 seconds – that cannot happen, that has to stop. Now that game was Watford – I could have done (Aston) Villa at home, I could have done Liverpool away when he played a narrow midfield and let the Liverpool full-backs run the game.

“I could have picked any number of games and done the same analysis and just overlaid it onto the pitch. It’s happening every week – that has to stop and the players have got to go ‘We don’t know what you’re doing gaffer, can we change it? Can we change something?’.

“But there’s no leaders in that team, there’s no Patrick Vieira to go ‘boss can we change the system or something?’. Unai is banging the drum about how he wants to play and the players can’t do it.”

Lack of direction

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Arsenal this season, have been the absolute epitome of that. Repeating the same kind of mistakes and just watching themselves get punished time after time. They have been caught out in transition far too many times, losing the ball in the attacking third and simply not having players to cover back – case in point the clashes against both Villa and Liverpool.

As Dixon alludes to, the worrying issue for the Gunners is that there doesn’t appear to be someone with a strong enough personality to defy Emery and challenge him over his game-plan. Instead, it feels like players trying to blindly follow instructions without knowing what they’re actually supposed to be doing.