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Sheffield Wednesday moved to third in the Championship with a 1-0 victory over Stoke City at Hillsborough on Tuesday night.Garry Monk has now picked up 14 points from a possible 21 since taking over in south Yorkshire at the start of September with just one defeat on his record, and even that was in the absence of top goalscorer Steven Fletcher.The only goal of the game came from Massimo Luongo, who bagged his second in three matches, as he latched onto Morgan Fox’s accurate long ball before he capitalised on a Liam Lindsay mistake to curl one around the visiting goalkeeper.It is also the third clean sheet achieved in seven matches under the 40-year-old, which has quite rightfully led to several supporters praising those in defence in recent weeks.Watch Sheffield Wednesday Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Now the versatile Dominic Iorfa is next in line for a glowing review after his performance against the Potters.

One member of the Wednesday crowd claimed the 24-year-old was the ‘new Des Walker,’ who graced the Hillsborough turf for eight years.

You’ll never beat Des Walker!

‘Comfortable,’ ‘classy’ and ‘quality’ were just three other superlatives used to describe the towering centre-back, almost reminiscent of how one would portray the former England legend.

Another supporter went as far as saying that Iorfa was ‘like a tank’ in defence.

Here’s the best of the reaction:

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Southampton were rocked by an injury blow prior to their clash with Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday as Cedric was ruled out of the encounter.

What’s the word?

The Portugal international pulled out of the starting XI prior to kick-off, with midfielder James Ward-Prowse playing at right wing-back.

Manager Ralph Hasenhuttl was disappointed with the injury, insisting that it adversely affected his side’s preparation for the game.

He said, per journalist Ben Dinnery: “It wasn’t the perfect start. You prepare for the game and then half an hour before he says he can’t play.

“I don’t know what happened. It wasn’t the best preparation for the game.”

The reason

Spurs were there for the taking on Saturday.

Serge Aurier was sent off in the first-half and Southampton pulled level through Danny Ings after falling behind to Tanguy Ndombele’s early goal.

However, Harry Kane scored before half-time and the Saints were unable to find a way through in the second half, despite tallying nearly 60% of possession, per WhoScored.

Ward-Prowse struggled to have an impact on the right flank, laying on just one key pass, compared to Ryan Bertrand’s three on the other side.

Hasenhuttl, of course, was forced into a late change prior to kick-off and, thus, a central midfielder was played out of position.

While he did make three tackles, he was largely unable to make inroads in the opposition half.

Cedric, who scored against Portsmouth in the week, could have; maybe he would have been the man to provide the spark his side were lacking.

Some Manchester City fans have taken to Twitter to react after they heard the news that Benjamin Mendy has picked up yet another injury.

The France international has endured a tough time fitness wise since rupturing his cruciate ligament back in 2017 – he has suffered six other issues since that serious knee injury, not including the injury in which some fans have now reacted to.

Mendy – signed from Monaco in a £52m deal – only managed to make 10 Premier League appearances last season due to injury problems, and could only feature seven times in the league campaign before last.

Pep Guardiola has Angelino and Oleksandr Zinchenko to call on as back-up, but Mendy’s price-tag, coupled with his obvious quality, makes his frequent absence hard to take.

To emphasise just how good the former Monaco man can be, he grabbed five assists in just 10 Premier League appearances last season.

Let’s see how some Man City fans on Twitter reacted to the news…

[ad_pod ]Some Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter to reveal that they think James McArthur’s absence from the starting XI played a part in the humiliating 4-0 loss to Tottenham on Saturday.The Scotland international had started every single one of the Eagles’ Premier League fixtures before the visit to Spurs, which he missed due to an injury, and his teammates didn’t have the best of times without him.

Roy Hodgson’s men found themselves 4-0 down before the end of the first half after goals from Heung-min Son and Erik Lamela, as well as an own goal for Patrick van Aanholt.

Whilst it is easy to say that McArthur was missed due to the result, his tireless running and energy in the middle of the park does often go unnoticed – any side would miss a player who does so much work for the team.

Let’s see what the Palace fans on Twitter have been saying about his absence…

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Loads of Tottenham Hotspur fans on Twitter believe a Mauricio Pochettino move to Real Madrid is on the cards, following a tough week for both clubs in the Champions League.

While the Argentine manager watched on as his team surrendered a two-goal lead away from home for the second time in September to draw 2-2, Real were comprehensively beaten 3-0 by Paris Saint-Germain in the French capital.

Having been knocked out at the round of 16 stage by Ajax and having finished 19 points behind Barcelona in La Liga last term, the pressure is surely on Zinedine Zidane to deliver, and that result coupled with two draws from their four Spanish top flight matches in 2019/20 is hardly ideal.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Meanwhile, Spurs looked back to their best against Crystal Palace last weekend but their display against Olympiacos in midweek left plenty to be desired, with Pochettino accusing his players of not respecting the game-plan post-match.

Tottenham supporters on the popular social media platform are predicting that if Zidane does get the boot, it will be their man who leaves for Madrid to replace him.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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Crystal Palace knocked London neighbours Spurs out of the FA Cup on Sunday and, in doing so, progressed to the fifth round; the game could have been very different had the visitors not been hit with a string of injuries to a number of key players, but Spurs fans were more concerned with one of Palace’s players rather than their own.

Andros Townsend netted his seventh goal of the season in all competitions via the penalty spot and could have had a second but failed to fire either side of Paulo Gazzaniga, instead hitting the cutback straight at the Argentine.

The Eagles winger has played for an incredible twelve English clubs, including Newcastle and Championship leaders Leeds, but seems to have found a home at Selhurst Park after spending much 0f his Spurs career out on loan and is currently enjoying what is surely his best season in the Prem.

Naturally an energetic wide-man, the 27-year-old has been converted into an unorthodox striker this season by Roy Hodgson and is becoming quite good at arriving in the box – meanwhile, Spurs’ Fernando Llorente struggled to get any breathing room and took just 38 touches in ninety minutes as he failed to threaten Palace’s stand-in backline.

After netting from the spot, Townsend’s celebrations were muted, the reasoning for which was explained by the man himself on Twitter, leading to many Spurs fans applauding the number 10 for his class; others took it a step further by stating that they wish he was still in white.

Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin may be out for the season but it’s given him a chance to show off his new accessory. Check out the video above to see for yourself…

You can check out the best of the reaction below…

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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…

Manchester United legend Roy Keane has criticised Harry Maguire’s ability to defend, and has said that there are still a few question marks surrounding the England international despite his undoubted quality on the ball.

Maguire moved to Old Trafford this summer in a deal worth £85m, but has kept just one clean sheet in four Premier League games as United suffered a defeat to Crystal Palace and also drew with Wolves and Southampton.

Keane was speaking on ITV as England thrashed Bulgaria by four goals to nil, and certainly didn’t hold back on his appraisal of the former Leicester man’s defensive qualities.

What did he say?

Keane told ITV (via The Mirror): “We’re talking about how good he is on the ball but defensively I still have one or two question marks over him. I worry about his pace on the turn.

“I remember the first goal against Crystal Palace and he wasn’t doing his best covering his other centre-half. Listen, he’s 26 years of age now. You’re worried if you’re pointing these things out to him.”

Harsh from Keane

What Keane hasn’t taken into account is the fact that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer doesn’t really have a reliable, natural defensive midfielder to screen the back four and protect Maguire and co.

In terms of Jordan Ayew’s goal at Old Trafford – the one in which Keane makes reference to – the four-man backline was far too high up the pitch when Vicente Guaita launched the ball long, which may be a result of a Fabinho-type player not being present in Solskjaer’s side.

You can argue that if United did have a player of that ilk in their side, they would be more comfortable with starting deeper as a back-four, rather than put themselves at risk by trying to win everything on the halfway line.

Keane’s comments on Maguire are harsh in that respect, and you can very easily argue that Maguire wouldn’t need to have his lack of pace exposed if a few more things were in order at United, such as a recognised defensive midfielder.

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According to former West Ham defender Glen Johnson (as shared by football.london), if Jesse Lingard wanted to join the Hammers in the January transfer window, it would already have happened.

The Lowdown: Lingard’s transfer saga with the Hammers

Ever since Lingard’s loan move at West Ham came to an end last summer, the Manchester United midfielder has regularly been linked with a permanent transfer to David Moyes’ side.

From a Hammers perspective, it is easy to see why. During his six-month stint with the club, the 29-year-old played 16 times for the Irons and stunned the footballing world by producing nine goals and five assists in an unbelievable run.

However, life has not been as simple for the midfielder since returning to Old Trafford. Lingard has played just 88 minutes of Premier League football this season, having failed to make the Red Devils’ starting XI once.

With his contract expiring in the summer, the former England international is currently set to leave Man United on a free transfer at the end of the season, with West Ham reportedly interested in securing the player’s signature.

The Latest: Johnson makes Lingard claim

According to former Hammers full-back Glen Johnson (as relayed by football.london), though, Lingard would already be a West Ham player this month if he were truly interested in leaving Man United for good.

The 37-year-old said: “I think if Jesse Lingard really wanted the move himself then it would have happened already. If he genuinely wanted it, then it would have been done.

“He’s not playing at Manchester United. Everyone loved him at West Ham. So if the player wanted to do it, it doesn’t sound like a very difficult deal to do. You can only imagine that he’s trying to stay at Manchester United for whatever reason. I would guess that it’s Jesse that didn’t want to do it and go to anybody else.

“If you were Manchester United you would sell him. And if you were West Ham you would sign him. I think he would be in the West Ham starting XI. I don’t think it would be guaranteed. If he gets there and plays like he did previously he’d nail down a place but I do think they’ve got some good players in that position. I don’t think he would be a guaranteed starter but if he hits the form that he was in before then yes he will be.”

The Verdict: Lingard must not be keen on West Ham return

As suggested by Johnson, it seems that Lingard is not keen on a return to West Ham. Moyes’ previous attempts to lure him back to east London proved unsuccessful, with the English midfielder preferring to stay and fight for his place in the team at Old Trafford.

This is a shame for the 29-year-old’s career, as without regular game-time he will surely not be able to secure a place in the England team ahead of the World Cup later this year. Lingard has made 32 appearances for his country and still has plenty of years left to add to this tally.

With Tottenham also interested in the player, it could become even harder for Moyes to secure Lingard’s signature this month.

In other news – ‘Keeping an eye on’: Journalist drops West Ham transfer news about youngster likened to Gareth Bale

A number of Liverpool supporters are delighted for Caoimhin Kelleher after Jurgen Klopp confirmed he would start next month’s Carabao Cup final.

The Reds outplayed Arsenal at the Emirates on Thursday night, completing a 2-0 win to book their place in the final.

Jurgen Klopp’s men will come up against Chelsea at Wembley on February 27th, as two of the biggest teams in the country lock horns in a huge game.

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Kelleher has played for the majority of Liverpool’s Carabao Cup run, making three appearances and starting at Arsenal, but plenty would have expected a switch to clear number one Alisson for the final.

It looks as though Klopp will show great faith in the 23-year-old, however, confirming on Friday [via Paul Joyce on Twitter] that he will keep his place at Wembley.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-18/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Liverpool fans delighted for Kelleher

These Liverpool fans took to Twitter to show their happiness at the news.

“As he should! Absolutely thrilled for him!”

Credit: @jaimaitai

“Rightly so”

Credit: @JayD_deOne

“Good man-management once again. Any manager would have easily got Alisson to play in the final. This is why Klopp is the best”

Credit: @Benthereds

“Let’s go, next NO.1”

Credit: @LewisLFCtweets

“Deservedly so. Never looks out of place, always looks assured”

Credit: @CassiusBurke

“Fully deserved! He’s also good enough to play!”

Credit: @aaronjacko

In other news, some Liverpool fans are happy with an injury update on one player. Find out who it is here.

The feud between Rafael Benitez and Lucas Digne has been a hot topic of conversation in the football world over the last few weeks, and it seems that the transfer window will confirm whether the Everton manager feels that there is room to repair the fractured relationship with the left-back, or whether he will let him go to another club in the coming days and weeks.

What’s the word?

Former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer has weighed in with his thoughts about rumours of a training ground rift and the future of Digne at Goodison Park, claiming in an interview with GIVEMESPORT that the Frenchman will probably depart for pastures new in the near future.

The 56-year-old declared: “Something has gone on with him and the manager, without a shadow, because he’s been an outstanding performer for Everton. publicly, Benitez has said nothing, apart from the fact that he’s not available. I think he will leave the club because there’s an issue between him and the manager.”

The 28-year-old has been linked with a number of clubs ahead of January, with a possible loan deal to Chelsea looking like one of the most likely scenarios after Ben Chilwell sustained a season-ending injury.

Whilst the Toffees manager has not commented on the rumoured clash between himself and the player, Digne has not featured in the team since the Merseyside derby almost a month ago.

Fans will be fuming

Some Everton fans have been vocal on social media reacting to the speculated fallout between the pair, and the subsequent reports linking the defender away from the club, all during a period of poor performances and form for the Toffees.

One Toffees fan tweeted in reaction to the alleged fallout: “Would much rather boot Rafa out than Digne. Rafa just boots anyone that challenges his awful management, or has an ounce of flair and skill. Digne has shown more commitment to the club over his time with us than Rafa ever will.”

It might not prove a popular decision with some Everton supporters, such as the one quoted above, but a loan deal could be the ideal situation for both Digne and Benitez to cool off their differences, allowing the £110k-p/w gem to come back and have a fresh start in pre-season with the Toffees in the summer.

That certainly seems preferable to the club simply getting rid of him now because of an apparent feud which could be smoothed over and then living to regret the haste with which they showed him the door.

If Palmer’s prediction of a permanent exit for Digne comes to light, that could leave many of the Goodison Park faithful fuming, particularly when he is one of the best tacklers in Benitez’s squad, winning 2.5 per game (second only to Allan with 2.9).

In other news: Signing this transfer target could solve one big issue for Benitez