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West Brom’s summer has had a slow start in terms of incomings. Slaven Bilic has been appointed as manager whilst Filip Krovinovic has walked through the door on loan.

Yet, it’s been a frustrating time with Craig Dawson and Jay Rodriguez packing their bags and leaving alongside 16-year-old prodigy Louie Barry.

Mark Jenkins confirmed that Albion would have a competitive budget during the window yet after a 3-0 defeat in a pre-season friendly against Villarreal, Bilic has urged the club to finally put their money where their mouth is, saying it’s crucial they bring in new faces.

It appears the Croatian is already somewhat fed up with a lack of activity and as such, it’s also led to West Brom supporters revealing their anger.

Reacting to what Bilic had to say, one fan said it would be surprising if he saw out the season whilst others decided to attack Jenkins and Luke Dowling.

A further fan labelled them as frauds whilst another specifically took fire at the latter, calling him a joke. Another individual said that worrying times were ahead for the Baggies.

West Brom’s squad looks so thin at the moment that they resorted to playing Oliver Burke up front over the weekend whilst academy graduate Dara O’Shea had to play the full 90 minutes in defence.

Here’s the best of the reaction.

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

The ultimate conundrum. Just how do you get the best out of Mesut Ozil? A man who has won the World Cup with Germany and been at the pinnacle of the game at both club and international level, and yet he still feels like an outsider under Unai Emery.

His resume should speak for itself, but the fact it doesn’t is a damning indictment of the frustrations surrounding the midfield maverick.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

Last season, Emery’s arrival at the Emirates certainly seemed like a crossroads moment for the German. Gone were the days of him being mollycoddled by Arsene Wenger and being allowed to express himself. Now he was going to have to run and work for the team and do his defensive work. Whilst there were flashes of his old self, last year was a major step back in terms of his production on the pitch.

Comparing his numbers to the one truly stellar season he had at the Emirates makes for startling reading. Numbers in all the key categories and metrics for a number ten were significantly down. In fact, not even registering the fact that his assists total dropped by a ridiculous 17, his declines in key passes and average passes per game are just as baffling.

Indeed, with Emery eventually settling on the 3-4-2-1 or 3-4-1-2 formation, Ozil was the man who lost out the most. The Arsenal manager removed the defensive shackles on Sead Kolasinac, while somehow fitting in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette as two orthodox centre-forwards. The reasoning was logical, but it was Ozil who suffered.

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But reports this summer have suggested that Emery is seemingly keen on reverting back to his favoured four-at-the-back setup, and the players being linked with the club certainly suggest that is the case. To get Ozil back to his best, Emery must build his new-look team around the German playmaker.

In the line-up above, Ozil would be surrounded by pace out wide, a striker who is as clinical and efficient as they come, and a midfield duo whose combination of characteristics could allow the German to thrive. The former Real Madrid star loves speed and movement off the ball, and it was no surprise to see that his best performance last season came in that thrilling victory against Leicester at the Emirates.

The 30-year-old had one goal, one assist and one pre-assist to his name following the 3-1 win. That display was the benchmark not only for Ozil, but for Emery too. Getting this summer’s business done right and setting the team up for him next season will no doubt be the key to unlocking the German’s elite qualities once more.

Our suggested lineup features potentially prime target Wilfried Zaha, who would provide the natural speed and goal threat to take advantage of Ozil’s through balls, as well as linked Celtic defender Kieran Tierney – as an attacking full-back, he can be something of an outlet for the German playmaker as well.

Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira, meanwhile, provide the defensive protection Ozil needs to get on with the more creative duties in midfield, whereas Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are two potent forwards who should benefit from the 30-year-old’s delivery, notching up 35 Premier League goals combined last term.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…

So, it looks as if Idrissa Gueye has finally got his wish as a move to Paris Saint-Germain nears completion.

The Everton No.17 submitted a transfer request back in January after the Parisians’ opening offer of £21.5m was rejected, although both clubs now seem to have agreed on a sum of £28.7m.

The Senegal international will now have a medical with the French champions.

As a result, the Toffees’ search for a replacement must move up a gear.

If various reports are to be believed, Everton have identified Mainz 05’s Jean-Philippe Gbamin and Toulouse midfielder Ibrahim Sangare as potential replacements – another name you may know in Chelsea’s Tiemoue Bakayoko has also been linked.

Whilst you may wonder how good the Frenchman actually is after being shipped out on loan by the Blues last term, he would definitely offer the Toffees something a little different to Gueye.

As you can see from the stats above, Gueye is the better ball winner by a considerable margin in terms of winning it with his feet. He averages 4.3 tackles per game compared to Bakayoko’s 2.3, and also completes 0.6 more interceptions on average.

However, the 24-year-old Chelsea midfielder is far better in the air – winning more than twice the amount of aerial duels as the Everton man he could end up replacing.

Check out some amazing tekkers in the video below…

Bakayoko endured a torrid debut season at Chelsea following his £40m move from Monaco, before spending last term on loan with AC Milan where he enjoyed somewhat of a mini-resurgence.

Marco Silva opted to play with Andre Gomes and Gueye in a midfield two for most of last term, so any replacement for the former Aston Villa man is likely to play alongside the Portugal international.

If that is to be the case, the 6 foot 2 France international would provide the Toffees with some real steely physical presence next to the more slender Gomes, but would help Silva’s side perform better against teams who look to use their aerial presence and play off knock downs.

As good as Gueye is, he can never help out in this way against huge opponents as a result of his 5 foot 9 frame.

And that difference in both players could become most prevalent at set pieces. Everton conceded the most goals of any Premier League club in such situations last season, 16, but Bakayoko can provide that extra layer of protection to reduce what became a fundamental weakness for Silva’s side.

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The former Manchester United star Patrice Evra has now officially retired from the beautiful game.

He confirmed as much in his latest Instagram video, one that details certain highlights from his rich career. As a player, he enjoyed a stellar stint at Old Trafford and accumulated a total of 379 appearances for the Red Devils.

But even though his career as a player is rather impressive, he’s also quite the showman, especially on social media where he constantly drops hilarious snaps and video.

The latest victim of such a prank was another ex-Red Devil, Rio Ferdinand.

It seems that Ferdinand commented on Evra’s site and the now 38-year-old did not like that at all.

In response he posted a revenge snap on Instagram.

The snap was a comparison between Ferdinand and an ostrich and it had plenty of stars in tears of both laughter and disbelief.

Didier Drogba, for example, couldn’t believe Evra would post such a thing and he prompted Ferdinand to retaliate as soon as possible.

Some others, like Adebayo Akinfenwa, were just there to enjoy the show and laugh.

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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…

Jackie McNamara has told Football Insider that he thinks Jozo Simunovic might want to leave Celtic this summer, and he could well be right.

What’s he said?

The former Celts star McNamara has spoken of Simunovic’s Parkhead future, with the defender being heavily linked to Ligue 1 side Lille.

Simunovic has been a key part of the Parkhead side since Neil Lennon came back to the club in February but has had to deal with added competition for places.

The arrival of Christopher Jullien, as well as Nir Bitton performing well as a makeshift centre-back, has meant that the 25-year-old has a serious fight on his hands.

This is the main reason as to why McNamara thinks that he may be interested in a move away from Celtic Park this summer, as he stated: “They’ve got options, they’ve brought in Jullien and there are others still in the squad who will probably want off and maybe one or two out on loan.

“It’s hard to keep everyone happy, like Simunovic, you’ve got Jack Hendry there as well.

“(In the starting XI) You’ve got Ajer, Jullien – they’ve got a lot of options there. In some sense there will be players there who want to move out, that maybe aren’t going to feature so they’ll want to go out and play and they’ll (Celtic) use that to strengthen other areas.”

Is he right?

Simunovic has seen his chances of getting a regular starting berth under Lennon dented, with Jullien’s arrival likely forcing him down to the pecking order, as the Frenchman and Ajer look to form a partnership. In moving club, the defender might see his chances of becoming a key player increase.

Financially it would make sense too, with Football Insider previously reporting that the French side would double his Celtic wages. The money factor, coupled with the prospect of playing in the Champions League group stage (something that isn’t yet guaranteed for the Celts) could turn his head.

It probably isn’t the best time from a Celtic standpoint for someone who played 30 times last term to be considering a transfer. Despite it being early August, their season could be defined by the next month or so.

Qualification to the Champions League would be important and could go some way in convincing potential targets to sign and the likes of Simunovic to stay. And with a Glasgow derby and a League Cup tie to be played before the window closes, Lennon won’t want to be dealing with transfer confusion at such a crucial time.

If McNamara is right, which he very well may be, then it’s going to be a worrying wait for the Celtic supporters between now and the French transfer window closing on September 2.

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It seemed like a done deal halfway through last season. Barcelona and Ajax are two clubs with comparable values and their respect for one another has even prompted discussion that a collaboration agreement could be struck to benefit both parties in the transfer market.

For that reason, the signings of both Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt seemed more like a formality than a soap opera in the making. And sure enough, after some initial hiccups, concerns and paper talk, De Jong was officially announced in January, with the move officially materialising at the beginning of the summer.

Now, he already dons the Blaugrana and it didn’t take long for him to capture the fans’ hearts.

And for the majority of last season, it was widely expected that his partner in crime and best friend would follow sooner rather than later. Fast forward a couple of months and the coveted youngster is in Turin playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo as opposed to Lionel Messi.

The fans were quick to suggest it was actually the Portuguese who sealed the deal with a mysterious handshake and a devious whisper in the ear when the duo met in the Nations League final. The same final De Ligt ended up losing shortly before his move to the Old Lady was made official.

A reported £67.5m was allegedly what it took to secure the signing of one of the most promising centre-backs on the planet. Barcelona were beaten and not even their relationship with Ajax nor the prospect of playing with Messi and his best friend could make the necessary difference. The deal was done, the contract penned and the 20-year-old was flying over to Italy.

Sure enough, this was perceived as a huge loss for the Catalan giant. But while it’s difficult to deny that missing out on a generational talent, the youngest captain Ajax have ever had was a tough pill to swallow, it just may not have been such a gruesome scenario after all.

From the financial side, a deal of £67.5m doesn’t look like a huge hit on Barcelona’s bill. After all, the Catalans have spent more than double those amounts on several players in the last couple of transfer windows and are looking likely to continue the trend going forward. But the wage bill was apparently the problem. The Dutchman’s notorious agent, Mino Raiola, was reportedly demanding extraordinary wages and Barcelona just couldn’t keep up with the rest of the big boys in football. Not after their recent purchases left them dry.

And while sacrificing some of the wage bill for a generational talent doesn’t seem like a crime, especially if you’re putting in enough effort to sell and free up some of that money in the not so distant future, buying him just so others won’t kind of is.

Had he arrived at the Camp Nou, Barcelona would’ve had a total of five centre-backs competing for two spots in the team: Samuel Umtiti, Gerard Pique, Clement Lenglet, Jean-Clair Todibo and finally De Ligt.

More importantly, three of those four are still young, in their early twenties and with big careers ahead of them. Todibo is only 19 and, with the Dutchman arriving, he would no doubt have to be shipped out, loaned or just chained to the stands. Either way, that’s far from ideal for a talented youngster with a dream to chase.

So yes, it was a great loss to miss out on De Ligt but it was hardly a necessity. The centre-back position is a spot well covered in Catalonia and further investment would have been frivolous.

Finally, we have that famous Barcelona motto to round things off. “The one who has doubts about playing at Barcelona is no longer needed by us”, stated Johan Cruyff in the days now gone by and this is something the Catalans have been living by for a long time.

Of course, the appointment of Antoine Griezmann and the alleged chase of Neymar contradict that since both have either rejected or abandoned Barcelona in the last couple of years.

But this is very much still something the fans regularly dig out when it fits their agenda and their cause. Regardless of how true on untrue that may be, maybe it is a sign of integrity after all. A statement that reads quite well with a message that they will survive and prosper, with or without De Ligt at their side.

So this choice might have been a difficult one to make for Barcelona but not entirely career-deciding. In fact, once he develops and grows up to be a player who could slot into the Catalans’ gala 11 with no effort, that transfer could make even more sense.

Was this transfer the right choice for the youngster in question, however? His words might say so but the alleged release clause in his contract might not agree with that and it hints that Turin was not his preferred destination after all.

Who knows, maybe there’s still a chance “De Twins” will one day be reunited under the lights of the Camp Nou.

Only time will tell.

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Nottingham Forest perhaps pulled off the shock of the weekend in the Championship by earning all three points away from home at Craven Cottage, defeating Fulham 2-1.

Scott Parker’s side had demolished Millwall 4-0 in midweek to show their intent this season as Forest luckily salvaged a point at Charlton Athletic thanks to Albert Adomah’s late equaliser.

Veteran striker Lewis Grabban netted a brace with strikes in either half whilst Aleksandar Mitrovic managed to poke home a late consolation goal as Sabri Lamouchi’s men moved to ninth in the table.

It was the 31-year-old’s first effort which drew major praise from many Reds supporters on social media.

One fan claimed it was just like the Forest of old which was backed up by another who said that Sir Brian Clough would have been proud of that goal, labelling it fabulous.

Forest’s entire starting XI was involved in the stunning fourth-minute opener. Starting with Aro Muric between the sticks, the ball eventually found its way to Grabban who tapped in at the back post following Jack Robinson’s cross.

Another supporter said if the goal had been scored by Manchester City then everyone would be going on and on about it whilst one believed there wouldn’t be many goals better than that.

You can read the best of the reaction below:

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Spicy, eh? It’s just a shame the hardman facade was ruined by a friendly message from Arsenal’s Lacazette in the comments section – you know, the guy who helped fell your side…

Call us old fashioned but isn’t it a bit weird when players from sworn rivals communicate publicly straight after a game? At least pretend like you want to two-foot each other into oblivion.

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

Fernando Llorente is set to join Napoli following his exit from Tottenham Hotspur, per ESPN.

What’s the word?

The Spaniard has not been kept on at Spurs despite his Champions League heroics in 2018/19.

Llorente scored the winning goal as Mauricio Pochettino’s men beat Manchester City in the quarter-finals, before playing a key part in Lucas Moura’s winning goal against Ajax in the last four.

However, he is now set to move to Serie A by penning a two-year deal with Napoli.

ESPN claims that Spurs had an option to extend his deal but opted against triggering it, and he is now poised to return to Italy, where he won Serie A twice with Juventus.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

A mistake from Spurs

Spurs should be bringing Llorente back.

It has been evident thus far this season that they have struggled to create chances for Harry Kane, who has often looked isolated up front.

Having the option to bring Llorente on from the bench was a major weapon in Pochettino’s armoury last season but he has now been shorn of that and has not named a striker on the bench for the first three games of the season.

Llorente, because he is a free agent, could still have returned to the club; instead, he is heading off to the continent.

This is a mistake from Tottenham, as they are seeing their Plan B slip through their fingers.

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As Patrick Bamford popped up with two of the easiest goals he’ll score in his career against Wigan last month, a player still trying to make his name in the game was nowhere to be seen.

That individual was Jack Clarke, a young performer who has taken an opposite career path to the 25-year-old.

Bamford played much of his youth football at Premier League Chelsea before dropping down the leagues to the likes of Middlesbrough and now Leeds.

Clarke, however, started in the second division and has now worked his way onto top-flight Tottenham at an older age.

But despite now being Spurs’ property, concerns may lie southward regarding his lack of action in the 2019/20 season.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men snapped up the 18-year-old for a fee of £10m this summer, a considerable price for someone who only started four Championship games last season.

And indeed, he is yet to start a league game in this campaign.

He has, however, started two Carabao Cup outings versus Salford and Stoke City, though he was hauled off for Jack Harrison at half-time after failing to make his mark against the Potters.

The fact he failed to inspire in either cup match rather sums up what Clarke is to Leeds at this stage.

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Marcelo Bielsa hasn’t named the teenager on the bench for any of Leeds’ last four Premier League fixtures, and that’s perhaps a damning indictment of what the Argentine thinks about him.

But there is an awkward aspect to the situation that is clearly influencing the selection policy. The teenager has become a victim of only being able to include five loan players in a matchday squad, something that could halt his progress this term.

The majority of Leeds’ transfer business in the summer was of a temporary nature, as they welcomed Ben White, Helder Costa, Jack Harrison, Illan Meslier and Eddie Nketiah through the doors of Elland Road on loan deals.

Harrison, in particular, has made a big impact since returning from Manchester City, scoring on the opening weekend and playing nine key passes in his first six appearances.

And his form has been key in keeping Costa out of the side, a player who has a fine record in the Championship, scoring 15 goals across two terms.

If the Portuguese is struggling to get in the side, Clarke doesn’t really stand a chance.

Whether or not Leeds wanted the player back on loan after selling him, they’ve now been lumped with what feels like a rather pointless individual.

The academy man is a winger by trade and that makes it all the more tricky to see where he fits in this season.

That’s the one area of the pitch the Whites have players in abundance. Pablo Hernandez and Harrison have already scored whilst Costa has looked threatening in sporadic bursts, most notable against Salford when he created two goals and also against Brentford when he burst free of the defence and set the ball on a silver platter for Eddie Nketiah to notch a late winner.

Clarke’s solitary outing this term was out of position per Wyscout, and he also failed to muster much end product.

The youngster played at right-wing back in the League Cup clash against Salford, a position unfamiliar to him, yet it paints a concerning picture of what could be about to come for Clarke in 2019/20.

Playing in that position is unlikely to help and the fact he only registered four touches in the opposition’s penalty area says a lot.

Throughout the time he was on the field he created just one chance. That’s akin to the 0.4 accurate crosses he played per 90 minutes in the Championship last season, according to WhoScored.

If Clarke is to push for a first-team place, then creating more has to be at the top of his agenda.

Thogden ranks all 24 Championship home kits in the video below…

After all, Hernandez laid on 12 assists last season whilst Costa has 14 across the two he spent in the league with Wolves.

On that evidence, Clarke will again struggle for minutes this season and after being left out of four match day squads there’s no doubt the immediate future looks bleak.

For both parties, Spurs and Leeds, this has been an awkward waste of everyone’s time.

After all, why would Bielsa hand opportunities to someone like Clarke when they know they’re losing him permanently? The Leeds manager has handed matchday experience to Mateusz Bogusz this season whilst Jamie Shackleton continues to be trusted.

Another teenager in Alfie McCalmont has also been handed a chance.

Yet, when it comes to league action, there is a distinct lack of Clarke in the side.

The heroic golden boy of last season has suddenly morphed into a disposable and alarmingly peripheral figure.

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