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While Valerien Ismael’s West Bromwich Albion side have far from struggled to find the back of the net in their opening two Championship fixtures, the Frenchman nevertheless appears to believe that his Albion side are lacking a classic number nine.

Indeed, the 45-year-old recently revealed that he is still actively pursuing targets in the summer transfer window, with it being reported that both Orlando City centre-forward Daryl Dike and Manchester City starlet Liam Delap are two players the manager is keeping a very close eye on ahead of a potential move.

However, while the 18-year-old Delap is undeniably a player who boasts the potential to go on and have a fantastic career in the game, it is perhaps Dike who would appear to be a better fit for Ismael this season.

Get it done

The 21-year-old is a player Ismael is extremely familiar with, having signed the USA international on a fourth-month loan deal for Barnsley back in February, during which Dike highly impressed for the Tykes.

Indeed, over his 19 Championship appearances for the Frenchman’s former side last season, the £9m-rated striker scored a whopping nine goals – at a rate of 0.5 per game – as well as taking an average of 1.7 shots and making 0.7 key passes per fixture.

These returns saw the man Ismael himself dubbed an “unbelievable” player earn an average SofaScore match rating of 7.02, ranking him as Barnsley’s third-best player in the second tier of English football.

Furthermore, while Dike failed to provide an assist or create a big chance for his teammates during his stint at Oakwell last term, this could actually be viewed as something of a positive for Ismael, as the likes of Callum Robinson, Karlan Grant, Grady Diangana and Matt Phillips are all more than capable of creating opportunities, it is a greedy out-and-out goalscorer that the Frenchman is after.

And, with only Kenneth Zohore in his West Brom squad who could really be described as a classic number nine – a player who was loaned out to Millwall last season, where he scored just two goals over 17 Championship appearances – it is fairly obvious that, if Albion are indeed to go on and secure an immediate return to the top flight this season, they will need a more clinical option up top.

As such, it would appear highly advisable for Ismael to do all he can to seal a deal for Dike before the summer transfer window closes at the end of the month, as the American could well make all the difference in the club’s promotion push come next May.

In other news: “For sure”: Ismael issues exciting West Brom transfer claim, fans surely buzzing

Burnley are reportedly closing in on the £14million signing of Lyon winger Maxwel Cornet this summer, acting as a blow to Leeds United.

The Lowdown: Leeds looking for late signings?

The summer transfer window is slowly edging towards its conclusion, with Marcelo Bielsa potentially still needing a few fresh faces.

While Leeds’ squad is already filled with quality, there are certain areas where additions could be needed, in order to strengthen the depth.

They have been linked with a move for Cornet, with the 24-year-old scoring 51 goals in 252 appearances for Lyon, proving exactly the type of quality that could provide back-up behind the likes of Raphinha and Jack Harrison.

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The Latest: Cornet closes in on Burnley move

According to a recruitment source at Football Insider, Burnley are in ‘advanced talks’ to sign Cornet this summer, however, acting as a blow for Leeds.

Sean Dyche’s side are confident of beating Hertha Berlin to the Frenchman’s signature, with the Whites thought to have ‘baulked’ at the asking price.

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The Verdict: Blow for Bielsa

In many ways, Cornet would have been an ideal addition to Leeds’ squad – he has 22 caps to his name for the Ivory Coast, outlining his pedigree – so it is a blow to potentially see him join another Premier League club.

He could have provided competition for Raphinha and Harrison out wide, allowing Bielsa to keep his wingers fresh throughout the campaign and avoid any risk of burnout towards the end of the year.

Attention should now turn to signing another player in the same mould between now and deadline day, while perhaps a central midfielder will also be on the agenda, with concerns over the amount of football Kalvin Phillips will play in 2021.

In other news, Leeds have reportedly made contact with a Premier League player over a move. Find out who it is here.

West Ham United have joined the race for Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard as Irons manager David Moyes looks to bolster his depleted forward line.

What’s the story?

According to Eurosport, the Hammers are interested in signing the highly-rated 23-year-old this summer, although they’re set to face fierce competition for his signature.

Fellow Premier League clubs Brighton & Hove Albion and Crystal Palace have also been credited with an interest in Edouard in recent weeks, so Moyes may have to move quickly to secure his transfer target.

West Ham fans will be buzzing

Since arriving at Celtic Park back in August 2017, the £15.3m-rated gem has established himself as one of Europe’s most promising young forwards, bagging 85 goals and providing 39 assists in 176 appearances for the Hoops.

The former France under-21 international’s standout displays have earned numerous plaudits, with former Celtic manager Neil Lennon labelling him “magnificent” after a match-winning performance.

However, with just under a year remaining on his current contract with the Glasgow giants, Edouard is desperate for a new challenge, and Eurosport claimed that he is ‘keen to prove’ he can score regularly in the Premier League.

They added that, due to his contract situation, Celtic will sell the striker ‘if an acceptable formal offer arrives’, so a move to the London Stadium could be on the cards.

News of Edouard’s potential arrival in east London will surely have West Ham supporters buzzing with excitement.

The arrival of Europa League football is set to be a serious strain on Moyes’ already stretched squad, and the addition of a supremely talented marksman who has fired Celtic to nine major trophies throughout his time at the Glasgow club would be warmly welcomed.

Michail Antonio is the only recognised striker in the Irons’ squad following Sebastien Haller’s move to Ajax back in January, so a belated alternative is high up on Moyes’ wish list for the current window.

It’s been a quiet summer so far for West Ham, but snatching Edouard away from under the noses of their domestic rivals would certainly make it a far more successful transfer window.

In other news… GSB must sanction West Ham swoop for £9m-rated beast, he’s an “eternal hero” 

Newcastle United have now been backed to bring in more players before the summer transfer window ends, on one condition.

The Lowdown: Hayden going?

According to Football Insider, Watford have now ‘set their sights’ on signing Hayden, and it is understood that the central midfield player is ‘keen’ on a move to Vicarage Road before the window closes.

A source from the Hornets has claimed that they are now interested in signing him, and a potential move down south appears to have turned his head.

The Latest: Campbell claim

Speaking to Football Insider, Campbell, who is now a pundit after playing as a striker for the likes of Everton and Arsenal, has now claimed that he can see the St. James’ Park faithful bringing more players in, so long as they sell Hayden first of all:

“Newcastle need to move and shake and freshen things up and if he leaves I think they could bring in one or two more.

“I think they need that. A couple of fresh faces could revitalise that team. They’ve been stagnant for a little while now.

“If he wants to go down back down south you don’t stand in his way if the money is right.

“Let him leave and get somebody else in. I’m sure Newcastle will have targets.”

The Verdict: Keep and add more!

If the North East club are to avoid a potential relegation battle this season, then they need to keep hold of Hayden and add more players in the squad around him.

Dubbed an ‘outstanding’ player by Magpies legend Alan Shearer after impressing in their 3-2 home win against Southampton in the Premier League back in February, Hayden was a key player on Tyneside in the last term, winning no fewer than 5.5 of his duels per game, as well as averaging 2.2 tackles, 1.9 clearances and 1.8 interceptions per match (Sofascore).

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With just Joe Willock signed so far, who was part of the squad anyway from January onwards in a loan spell from Arsenal, the Toon need to bring in some more bodies as soon as possible, given that the deadline is ticking.

In other news, find out which ‘talented’ ace NUFC could lose in the next few days here!

Watford striker Andre Gray looks set to join QPR on a season-long loan, with The Athletic reporting that he has undergone a medical with the Championship club.

What’s the word?

Adam Leventhal confirmed on Twitter that the 30-year-old will join Mark Warburton’s side for the rest of the season, with first-team chances at Watford always likely to be hard to come by for Gray this season.

The former Burnley marksman is arguably behind the likes of Emmanuel Dennis, Ashley Fletcher, Josh King and Joao Pedro in the pecking order at Vicarage Road, and hopefully this loan spell can increase Gray’s value ahead of a potential permanent exit in the future.

Will Watford fans be glad to see Gray leave?

Since signing from Burnley in a club-record fee of around £18.5m back in 2017, Gray has made 121 appearances for the Hornets, contributing a disappointing 21 goals and eight assists.

Last season saw the Jamaica international manage just five goals in 30 Championship appearances, so it was perhaps always likely that he would be moved on this summer when new attacking signings were made.

Whilst Watford fans may have preferred a permanent move for the striker, sending him to the Championship on loan is the first step towards him leaving Vicarage Road for good; and with his contract set to expire at the end of this season, it seems as if Hornets fans have seen the last of him in a Watford shirt.

However, it does likely mean that the club will be able to free up some of the reported £70k that Gray earns every week, which could potentially be put towards a new signing before the transfer deadline this evening.

Either way, after his disappointing performances last term and lack of appearances this season, Watford fans will surely be relieved to see the £3.6m-rated Gray leaving the club this summer.

In other news… Watford might be heading for transfer disaster with this “winner”

West Bromwich Albion have been dealt a major injury blow ahead of their upcoming Championship fixture.

What’s the latest?

According to a report by Football Insider, West Brom centre-back Dara O’Shea is facing up to four months on the sidelines as a result of a knee injury sustained in the Republic of Ireland’s recent 2-1 defeat to Portugal.

The report continued to state an Albion source has revealed that, upon returning to the club in order to fully assess the centre-back’s injury, a scan has revealed that the 22-year-old looks set to be sidelined until around January.

Ismael will be devastated

Considering just how impressive O’Shea has been for West Brom so far this season, in addition to on-loan Brighton & Hove Albion defender Matt Clarke also currently being on the treatment table at The Hawthorns, the fact that Valerien Ismael looks set to be without the Irishman for a considerable portion of the season is sure to have left the 45-year-old Baggies boss devastated.

Indeed, over his five Championship appearances so far this term, the £2.7m-rated centre-back has helped his side keep two clean sheets, as well as making an average of 2.2 interceptions, 2.4 tackles, 3.6 clearances and winning 10.2 duels per game.

The man Slaven Billic dubbed a “brilliant” player has also impressed in an attacking capacity, scoring two goals, in addition to taking an average of 1.2 shots and making 0.2 key passes per match.

These returns have seen £4.4k-per-week defender earn an average SofaScore match rating of 7.26, ranking him as Albion’s third-best player in the second tier of English football.

As such, the loss of the 22-year-old will undoubtedly come as a major blow to Ismael, who will now have to make do without two of his first-choice centre-backs for the visit of Millwall on Saturday, and for a great many fixtures after.

In other news: Forget Robinson: Ismael’s “special” £6.5k-p/w ace stole the West Brom show in August

Liverpool have been linked with a swap deal for AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie, a transfer which would see Thiago move in the opposite direction.

What’s the story?

Kessie has entered the final year of his current contract in Milan, and according to Italian outlet Tuttosport, the 24-year-old has rejected the club’s latest offer worth €6.5m (£5.55m) per year.

As a result, the Rossoneri could be forced into a January sale or else risk losing the Ivory Coast international for nothing next summer, leading to several clubs being credited with an interest in the box-to-box dynamo’s services.

A report from Il Milanista claims that Liverpool are among those keeping a close eye on Kessie’s situation, suggesting that a possible part-exchange involving Thiago could be on the cards.

Liverpool fans may be concerned

Kessie has established himself as one of Serie A’s most dominant midfielders since arriving at San Siro back in 2017 and would be a welcome addition in Liverpool following the departure of Gini Wijnaldum over the summer.

A total of 30 goals and 15 assists in 184 appearances for Milan is testament to the quality of the Ivorian dynamo, and his outstanding passing range and work rate would make him an ideal fit for Klopp’s gegenpressing system.

However, Liverpool fans may be concerned at the prospect of losing Thiago. The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich maestro has enjoyed a fabulous career at the highest level, winning 23 major trophies to date.

Although a serious knee injury limited the Spaniard to just 20 Premier League starts in his maiden campaign on English shores, his quality in a struggling Liverpool side was there for all to see.

As per SofaScore, Thiago averaged 1.3 key passes per league game and achieved a passing accuracy of 90% while also making a significant defensive contribution, averaging 2.5 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per match.

His outstanding displays caught the eye of several impressed onlookers, including teammate Nat Philips, who heaped praise on Thiago for his technical and tactical ability.

“(Thiago is) unbelievable. His technical ability and knowledge of the game. His head is always on a pivot,” he told the Blood Red Podcast (as relayed by Rousing the Kop).

“You haven’t seen anything yet. There were some moments he’d produce in matches later on that he had produced in training.

“In those moments, you know this guy is a serious player, so yeah, just to have shared a pitch with him is something I can look back on and be proud of because he is an unbelievable footballer.”

Therefore, while signing Kessie would be a big positive for Liverpool, losing Thiago at the same time could be disastrous, and as such, Klopp should steer clear of any potential swap deal which would see the Spaniard sacrificed.

In other news… Huge blow: Liverpool suffer setback ahead of Leeds clash, Klopp will be fuming 

Sheffield Wednesday manager Darren Moore has provided an injury update on Dennis Adeniran following Saturday’s 3-0 loss at Plymouth Argyle.

The Lowdown: Mid-table start

The Owls’ start to the League One campaign has seen them accumulate three wins from six matches, but after winning three of their opening four games, Moore’s side have now lost their last two.

Morecambe defeated them 1-0 before the international break before Plymouth romped to a 3-0 on Saturday afternoon thanks to goals from Joe Edwards, Dan Scarr and Ryan Law. The defeat leaves Wednesday 12th in the table, albeit only five points off Sunderland at the top of the league.

The Latest: Adeniran injury

Speaking to Yorkshire Live, Moore provided an update on 22-year-old Adeniran, who missed the game through injury.

The Owls manager said: “It’s nothing serious; he had a bit of a muscle strain that we thought would keep him out for seven to 10 days – so we didn’t risk him here today.

“But we’re very hopeful that he’ll be fit again for next week.”

The midfielder has one goal to his name this season, scoring in the 2-0 home win over Doncaster Rovers in August, and had played in all of Wednesday’s matches before yesterday [Transfermarkt].

The Verdict: Quiet September

After playing seven games in August, Wednesday have just three more fixtures this month as they face Shrewsbury, Ipswich Town and Wigan, before a tough schedule in October with a further seven matches.

Adeniran’s performances so far this season have been a telling part of the Owls’ good start to the campaign and the result would suggest that he was badly missed yesterday. His power, pace and athleticism alongside Barry Bannan and George Byers in the middle of the park has stood out in the opening five games, while according to WhoScored figures, he is the second most-fouled player in the squad and has the fourth-best tackling average at Hillsborough.

With Wednesday’s next two games against teams beneath them in the table, resting Adeniran until they host second-placed Wigan may be on Moore’s mind. At least the manager’s comments offer reassurance that the 22-year-old should be back before long.

In other news, details of Owls’ summer signing contract have emerged. Find out more here.

Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side may not be in action until this evening in European football but we got a taste of a former Parkhead gem shining in continental action against some of the best players in the world.

On Wednesday evening one of the greatest frontlines ever forged in club football took to the field but rather surprisingly, it didn’t include Hoops gem Kyogo Furuhashi.

Nor did it include Hoops winger Liel Abada or Parkhead’s new loan star Jota. There may be an element of sarcasm to our tone but once those three are paired together in the same attack, Paradise will play host to some immaculate football.

The forward line we’re actually talking about was put together by Mauricio Pochettino at PSG.

Lionel Messi signed on the dotted line this summer on a free transfer and after Kylian Mbappe failed to get his move to Real Madrid, they linked up with Brazilian superstar, Neymar, against Club Brugge.

As soon as Brugge saw the team sheet, fear must have been running through their veins.

However, the Belgian side relished the challenge with former Celtic player Jack Hendry at the beating heart of a remarkable 1-1 draw.

Hendry made just 27 appearances for the Bhoys but it’s only in the last year that his career has begun to flourish.

He played for Oostende last season and was described as a “weapon” by his manager Alexander Blessin.

The Scot was also named the Belgium Pro League’s top player at one stage and now he’s become a regular in the national team as well.

How Celtic managed to let him slip through the net will come as a huge disappointment. After all, with the Glaswegian outfit losing Kristoffer Ajer this summer, there was a vacancy at centre-back for someone like Hendry to fill.

Instead, he joined Oostende on a permanent transfer due to a clause in his loan contract and they then made an instant profit by selling him to their league rivals.

Hendry has continued his rich vein of form at his new club and in silencing Mbappe, Messi and Neymar on Wednesday, it will have crowned one of his best club performances.

Midfielder Ander Herrera was the man who scored PSG’s goal but Mbappe and Neymar, in particular, caused little threat to Hendry and his side.

During the course of the game, the centre-back lost just one of his six defensive duels, meaning he prevailed in 83.3%.

Most impressive, however, was the solitary foul he made. When it comes to facing such elite opponents, defenders will occasionally look to make as many fouls as possible in order to stem the tide.

Yet, the former Celtic defender was more intelligent than that and was near impeccable in the Brugge backline.

Furthermore, the 6 foot 4 central defender completed 90% of his passes in what was a masterclass of a display from the 26-year-old.

Hendry never quite made it at Celtic but performances like this when the Hoops are still struggling defensively must mean they feel an ounce of regret over his departure.

AND in other news, Desmond could land dream McKay successor at Celtic in “respected” 58 y/o CEO…

Some Everton fans have been left blasting the display of Alex Iwobi as they went out of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night.

The Goodison Park faithful dropped out of the third round to Queens Park Rangers after a penalty shootout in which Tom Davies missed a decisive spot kick.

Lucas Digne and Andros Townsend had cancelled out two goals from Charlie Austin, but it was not enough as the Merseyside club crashed out of the competition.

Iwobi failed to take his chance to impress Rafa Benitez, as he lost out on seven of his duels, the joint-most out of his teammates, and also lost possession of the ball on no fewer than on 13 different occasions (Sofascore).

Given that he only had a mere 41 touches of the ball in total, the second-fewest out of any outfield Toffee to have started the game behind Andre Gomes (Sofascore), the former Arsenal man lost it roughly every 3.1 touches on average.

Everton fans on Iwobi display

These Blues blasted his performance on Twitter, with one EFC supporter even going as far as to claim that he is a ‘fraud’:

“Fair play that’s a tidy goal. Think VAR could’ve been interested in the offside call. Right what was needed. Iwobi dreadful finishing a few mins before”

Credit: @nickjones314

“Iwobi really is pretty average. Clear through 1 on 1, bottled it! Bang average player. Left-back showing him how to do it”

Credit: @andyb3303

“How has Iwobi not scored that? He’s dire”

Credit: @Paul_M__H

“The most baffling thing I’ve encountered in my life is people who can defend Alex Iwobi with a straight face, he’s absolutely useless.”

Credit: @NathanWoolley9

“Shocking performance mate, that miss by Iwobi was embarrassing”

Credit: @dazsimpson1

“Iwobi is an absolute fraud of a footballer. Needs binning off ASAP”

Credit: @KStaff1878

In other news, find out what Fabrizio Romano update has Evertonians talking here!