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West Bromwich Albion may have enjoyed a pretty successful transfer window but it’s hard to argue against them dropping a massive clanger over one reported target…

What was the story?

The Athletic’s reliable Baggies correspondent Steve Madeley claimed earlier in the summer that Celtic defender Kristoffer Ajer was a name that the Midlands outfit were taking a look at.

He was seen as a viable alternative to Shane Duffy, who would actually go onto join the Scottish champions on loan, and this move should have then opened the door for Albion to strike.

The 22-year-old was also wanted by Serie A giants AC Milan, according to The Sun, whilst close friend of the defender Vidar Riseth believed he’d have been worth £20m to £30m in the current market.

Major upgrade

It’s quite astounding that West Brom have failed to properly bolster their leaky backline. It was a problem in the Championship last season, and it’s been increased tenfold now they’re back in the big time.

The Baggies have the joint-worst defensive record across England’s top four divisions, which is a rather damning statistic and only raises further questions to why someone like Ajer wasn’t prioritised.

Kyle Bartley and Semi Ajayi as a pairing just isn’t good enough and that much has been evident in their 13 goals conceded in just four outings.

Ajer’s red-hot form spilt onto the international stage this week as he kept a second consecutive clean sheet for Norway against Northern Ireland where he also won 80% of his duels, recorded two clearances and made 95% of his passes, per SofaScore.

The 6 foot 6 colossus has averaged 3.1 aerials won, 2.8 clearances, 1.6 tackles and one key pass per game in the Scottish Premiership this season, via WhoScored.

His Bhoys teammate Christopher Jullien believes he’s a “unique talent” who’s “on the rise” whilst assistant manager John Kennedy once dubbed him a “warrior”.

It is this sort of frightening presence at the back that Albion lack severely – neither Bartley nor Ajayi have averaged above a 6.25 rating on WhoScored – there are nine players with better averages this season.

That clearly shows a problem and it’s one that Dowling, Bilic and the Baggies have failed to resolve at the Hawthorns.

They can only have themselves to blame if that’s what takes them down come the end of the season.

AND in other news, West Brom could be dealt huge blow for Burnley clash…

Darren Bent has insisted handball rules need to change after Tottenham had a goal controversially ruled out by VAR in the 3-1 defeat at Sheffield United. 

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former Spurs striker believes it was an “embarrassing” decision and officials need to rely on common sense more often.

Blades boss Chris Wilder admitted the technology is a farce as Harry Kane’s equaliser was disallowed because Lucas Moura’s arm appeared to touch the ball in the build-up.

The player-turned-pundit believes that the rules need to change to ensure this kind of scenario doesn’t happen again.

Bent told assistant editor Russell Edge “it’s embarrassing. First and foremost, in that situation, common sense has got to be used. Where, in honestly, can Lucas Moura put his hands?

“Either he lands on his neck or he puts his hands out and I think that’s where common sense has got to prevail. In that situation there, the rules have to be changed.

“In certain situations, I can understand and VAR, on rare occasions, it has been correct but as far as that one, Lucas Moura has no idea where the ball is and he’s got nowhere else to put his hands.

“To give a handball for that – his hands were in a natural position, when you’re falling that’s where your hands would go.”

It is hard to argue with Bent on this one, as Moura arguably couldn’t put his hands anywhere else.

Under the current rules, a goal cannot be given if the ball touches an attacking player’s hand or arm if it immediately results in a goal or an obvious goalscoring opportunity.

Last week, Jermaine Jenas said “the players and the managers this year have been unbelievable in mentally getting over these kinds of hurdles that VAR is throwing at them.”

Although the Lilywhites went on to lose 3-1 at Bramall Lane, it raises the question over whether or not the result would have stayed the same if Kane’s equalising strike had been awarded.

Moreover, some may argue that Spurs should have been given a free kick for the foul on Moura that led to him touching the ball.

As a result, the Blades leapfrogged the Lilywhites into seventh in the Premier League. Jose Mourinho’s side are now tenth in the table, twelve points behind fourth-placed Chelsea, with their chances of qualifying for the Champions League looking ever more remote, although they have a game in hand.

VAR has been subjected to intense scrutiny ever since it was first introduced, as the Blades seemed to have equalised moments after Son Heung-min’s opener in the reverse fixture.

However, Spurs have gotten away with more than most this season, as Dele Alli levelled against Watford despite appearing to control the ball with his upper arm.

With that being said, they can’t expect to receive the rub of the green all of the time, although it is highly likely the debate will continue to rage on for a number of weeks.

Tottenham fans, do you think the VAR decision was the biggest mistake of the season? Let us know down below!

Former Sunderland striker Kevin Phillips has revealed his excitement over the club’s new signing Aiden O’Brien.

Having finished the 2019/20 season eighth in League One, Black Cats manager Phil Parkinson is working on strengthening his squad ahead of the upcoming campaign.

One particular area that Parkinson may be keen to enhance is in attack, having seen the likes of Will Grigg and Charlie Wyke fail to find consistent form, and the signing of O’Brien should add extra quality to Sunderland’s forward line.

O’Brien arrived at Sunderland as a free agent after featuring for Championship side Millwall last season, making a total of 21 appearances in all competitions and netting four goals.

Phillips, who speaks regularly with Football Insider about developments at the Stadium of Light, said: “I have made some enquiries because I know the people down at Millwall and they have given me some very good feedback about him.

“I am excited to see this kid perform in League One.

“He has a bit of everything about him. He can play as a nine, a ten and he can play out wide. A player that gets himself in the box and can score a goal. I am very excited to see this lad play.”

Aside from having plenty of experience in the Football League, with 226 appearances in total for Millwall, O’Brien has also featured at international level for Republic of Ireland, winning five caps for his country.

O’Brien looks like a tremendous signing for Sunderland and one that could hand them an experienced forward option of international quality.

Phillips is obviously excited to see him play and that could whet the appetite of Black Cats supporters to see the Irishman in action at the Stadium of Light.

How do you think O’Brien will get on for Sunderland? Let us know in the comments section below…

Tottenham talisman Harry Kane has kept Spurs fans in the loop after he posted a video of Eric Dier, Lucas Moura and Son Heung-min training together at Hotspur Way. 

Kane has recovered from a hamstring injury and will be looking to make an immediate impact when football returns next month.

The 26-year-old uploaded footage of the Spurs quartet taking part in a game of teqball.

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Kane’s teammate Eric Dier didn’t like being on the losing side and demanded a rematch in the comments section.

The England international is the club’s leading goalscorer this season and he has netted 11 goals and created 2 assists in just 20 Premier League games for Jose Mourinho’s side so far.

Mourinho’s men are currently eighth in the table, seven points behind Frank Lampard’s Chelsea, and the Englishman will no doubt be hoping he can rediscover his goalscoring form and lift the Lilywhites into the Champions League qualification places.

It is worth pointing out Spurs only won won three games in the league whilst he recovered from injury.

His strikeforce partner Son is the club’s second-highest goalscorer this season, scoring nine goals and creating seven assists in the English top flight, taking three shots per game, averaging more than one key pass and making at least two dribbles per match on average (via WhoScored).

Spurs fans will surely be excited to see the duo returning to duty, as the Premier League moves nearer to a return behind closed doors in June.Tottenham fans, are you excited to see Harry Kane and Son Heung-min back on the pitch in a matter of weeks? Let us know down below!

As Jose Mourinho heads into his first summer transfer window in charge, all eyes will be on how the Portuguese man chooses to strengthen his Tottenham squad.

One of the main areas of concern will surely be on how he can better add some firepower to the north Londoners, with Spurs having been out-scored by all of the top five in the Premier League this season.

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And according to Telefoot’s Julian Maynard, the Lilywhites have their eyes set on Lille attacker Jonathan Ikone, with the 22-year-old potentially leaving the French side should a significant offer come in.

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

A couple of supporters pointed towards QPR starlet Eberechi Eze as a better option than Ikone, with one fan even calling him the “better prospect”.

Some Spurs fans revealed their frustrations at potentially signing another player from Ligue 1, and pointed to how it’s not really been a successful hunting ground for them – the likes of Clinton N’Jie and Tanguy Ndombele in particular perhaps bringing up some bad memories.

Able to play all across the front-line and just behind the striker too, Ikone could add some versatility to Spurs’ attacking options.

Whilst four goals and seven assists in 36 games for Lille doesn’t sound like a great return, at just 22, Ikone still has plenty of time to grow into a star at Tottenham.

But judging by the reaction of some of these Spurs fans, it’s not a signing that would get a lot of people excited.

At the start of the season, Mason Greenwood was no doubt the talk of the town when it to came to Manchester United’s academy products.

After all, the teenage sensation had enjoyed a very fruitful pre-season with the club, scoring against the likes of Inter and Leeds, and even seeing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer claim that he would have no hesitation in throwing him against Chelsea on the opening day of the Premier League season.

But whilst Greenwood may have been the name on everybody’s lips last summer, Brandon Williams has arguably enjoyed just as much as a breakthrough campaign as his fellow academy graduate.

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The defender has had to battle with the likes of Luke Shaw and Ashley Young (until his departure to Inter), but has been a consistent part of the first-team squad at Old Trafford.

All in all, as per Transfermarkt, he has made 26 appearances for the senior side this season, and he has shown his versatility by playing as both an orthodox left-back, and also as a more adventurous wing-back too.

Even despite being right-footed and playing on the left a la Denis Irwin, Williams has seemingly convinced Solskjaer that he is the future for United in that position.

According to a report from The Sun, the Manchester side have called off their search for a new left-back because of what Williams has done this campaign, and that is a real testament to the hard work the young starlet has put in.

Had Solskjaer not shown the 19-year-old any faith, and even stuck with Young, then United may well have been staring at the prospect of spending big-money this summer and ignoring a future prospect.

As it is, the Old Trafford side’s boss stuck to his guns, and seen his gamble on the £10.8m-rated ace pay off big-time.

Meanwhile, Man Utd fans react to the potential fee involved to sign Jack Grealish.

It’s safe to say that the arrival of Carlo Ancelotti has really helped hoist Everton out of a hole this season.

The Toffees have gone from battling relegation to being just six points away from a spot in Europe, but the work isn’t done yet. If the Toffees want to find themselves taking on some of Europe’s best teams, they need to nurture the young talent they have and most importantly, offload the deadwood players that are slowing the side down.

Everton’s midfield this season has been a real cause for concern. Red flags have been popping up everywhere after some questionable displays from the likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson and Tom Davies.

Thanks to Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison, the Merseyside outfit have managed to return to scoring ways, but their engine room needs to be vastly improved. Between Davies, Sigurdsson and Morgan Schneiderlin, Everton have tallied just two goals and two assists in this Premier League campaign – that’s simply not good enough from the middle of the park.

With local lad Davies, there’s still plenty of time for him to play in the U23s and build himself into the Premier League player Everton fans know he can be. Perhaps he was integrated into the senior squad too soon? However, Sigurdsson – who now sports the armband – may have outstayed his welcome at Goodison Park.

The 30-year-old has seriously regressed since last season. His performance against Chelsea was arguably his worst in an Everton shirt, after he attempted no shots, no dribbles, won no duels and made just 26 passes.

With Calvert-Lewin and Mason Holgate both signing new five-year contracts, Ancelotti must look to completely refurbish Everton’s midfield and keep in tone with this youthful, talented side. With better service coming from the middle three, the Toffees’ chances of success will rapidly improve, but not until stagnant players are shown the door.

Southampton fans have taken to Twitter to express their anger and frustration at a recent Twitter post from the club’s official account.

The tweet takes supporters to a ‘Monday Briefing’ article, in which the club attempts to sell tickets to the Christmas event and home fixtures against Watford and Norwich – fans will also see an image with scarves reading ‘We March On’ as the first thing that appears on the page.

While this is merely just a standard club update that many football teams do, the timing is all wrong from Southampton.

After watching their side recently lose 9-0 at St Mary’s, and slip to within just a point of 20th-place Norwich, the south coast side should probably avoid trying to ram more purchasable goods and empty motivational shouts such as ‘We March On’ down the fans’ throats.

One supporter said that perhaps the fans could instead go and watch the Board of Directors be shown a PowerPoint presentation on “management responsibility and collective working”.

Another fan said that they’re not sure if this is what supporters want to be seeing right now.

Let’s take a look at some more of the Twitter reaction…

It has been a difficult start to the season for Everton so far this campaign.

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After 12 games, they sit 15th in the table, with just four wins from those matches. Not only that, they have scored just 13 goals, which is lower than all but five other teams in the division.

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Considering they are languishing towards the foot of the table, it must be hard for the Toffees to see how well their city rivals Liverpool are getting on. The Reds currently top the Premier League table by eight points from Leicester City and Chelsea, with current champions Manchester City a further point behind in fourth place. On top of that, they are the current European champions as well.

On December 4, the two teams will meet at Anfield. The Goodison Park outfit have announced that they will be holding a screening for the game, but it seems that many of the club’s supporters don’t plan on attending.

They have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

Meanwhile, many Everton fans want to see one man join the Toffees.

Tottenham Hotspur fans have been left confused by Mauricio Pochettino’s quotes on midfielder Tanguy Ndombele following the club’s 2-1 defeat to Liverpool.

The Frenchman, signed from Lyon in the summer, was left out of the starting XI at Anfield but came on as a substitute in the second half.

Ndombele impressed during his time on the pitch, registering two key passes, per WhoScored, and attempting to move Spurs forward throughout the game.

He also had one shot on goal, though he was unable to save his side from a disappointing defeat.

Asked about Ndombele’s impact on the game later on, Pochettino replied: “A big difference? Doing what?”

And a number of supporters have expressed their disbelief at the comments after they were posted on social media.

Indeed, some believe that he was one of the club’s best players despite his short time on the pitch.

Take a look at the best of the reaction on Twitter below!