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West Brom broke their club-record transfer fee this summer, bringing loan sensation Grady Diangana back to the Hawthorns after an impressive temporary stint last season.

But the Baggies haven’t always had great success with their big-money signings – £13m signing Nacer Chadli failed to back up his price tag before being quickly moved on whilst Oliver Burke’s arrival was arguably the worst piece of business they have ever done.

Although, it’s now Albion who are having the last laugh on the matter.

At the time, he became the most expensive Scottish player in history as Tony Pulis brought him to the Hawthorns from RB Leipzig for a whopping £15m.

The 23-year-old winger would go onto play just 24 times for the Midlands outfit, contributing only one goal and three assists, via Transfermarkt.

During the past two seasons alone, he was sent out on loan to both Celtic and La Liga strugglers Alaves, though neither side wanted to take a punt in signing him permanently.

Instead, it was top-flight rivals Sheffield United who took that on that burden this summer, paying an “undisclosed fee” as well as sending versatile forward Callum Robinson, who also enjoyed a successful spell at the Baggies during their promotion-winning campaign, the other way.

However, The Star claim that Albion paid £3m plus Burke to secure the Irishman.

And so far, it’s turned out to be a masterstroke from Luke Dowling and co as Burke has failed to prove his credentials for the Blades this campaign.

Per WhoScored, the 6 foot 2 Scotsman has averaged just one key pass, 0.7 shots and 0.3 dribbles per game. He’s even managed a shocking 57.6% pass success rate, which ranks him third-worst in the entire league for any outfield player to start three or more matches.

In contrast, Robinson has already delivered two goals for Slaven Bilic – against Chelsea too – and is averaging more shots and dribbles than the former Pulis flop.

Considering Burke was raking in £30k-per-week at the club, Albion have done wonders in getting him off the wage bill and have delivered an outrageous coup in getting Robinson too.

The Baggies may have lost over £20m on him through fees, swaps and wages, but he’s now United’s problem meaning Bilic and Dowling have had the last laugh here.

AND in other news, West Brom may have uncovered their next Harvey Barnes, even if it’s a BAD sign…

Tottenham Hotspur have been busy ahead of the 2020/21 Premier League season by tying down Eric Dier and Oliver Skipp to new deals. 

Just days after Skipp signed a new four-year deal, Dier swiftly followed suit, keeping him at the club until 2024.

After months of speculation, it seems that Japhet Tanganga is also close to signing a new deal. According to The Evening Standard, as per @Daily_Hotspur, the 21-year-old is expected to become the latest Tottenham player to commit his future to the club.

Recent reports had suggested that his future in north London was in doubt, but this no longer seems to be the case. The Athletic claimed that talks between the two sides had stalled, as his representatives were unimpressed by the board’s offer.

However, he is now close to reaching an agreement with Spurs, which will extend his stay until 2024 and significantly increase his current £1,000-a-week wages.

Tanganga, who is currently valued at £6m by Transfermarkt, has won 2.8 tackles and averaged 1.8 interceptions per game, and completed a staggering 4.8 clearances per match on average so far (stats provided by WhoScored).

Despite his young age, he has already played six games in the Premier League so far before succumbing to a back injury. While he has been absent since the restart, he has made a full recovery and has spent the past two games on the Spurs bench.

The centre-back has actually earned a higher WhoScored rating than his fellow Tottenham defenders Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen, among others.

Tanganga has been one of the few positives in a challenging campaign for Tottenham, who have failed to build on the momentum gained by Mauricio Pochettino as the Lilywhites staged a remarkable comeback to book their place in the Champions League final last year.

He has shown a maturity beyond his years and impressed Jose Mourinho after making his debut in the defeat to Premier League champions Liverpool back in January.

Mourinho rates him very highly and he should save Spurs several million pounds in the future.

Tottenham fans, has Tanganga made the right decision? Let us know your views in the comments section below!

It has been thought that Liverpool aren’t going to be making any blockbuster transfers this summer, but one story that won’t go away is the Reds’ interest in Thiago Alcantara.

There have been plenty of reports about this possible transfer, and it seems as though the main sticking point is the price that Jurgen Klopp’s side would have to pay for the Spaniard, with Bayern demanding somewhere around €30m (£27m) for the 29-year-old.

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Kicker are now reporting that Liverpool need to sell players to raise the funds for Thiago, claiming that Naby Keita could be one player that makes way for him, but perhaps the Reds don’t need to ship out the Guinea international to bring in the Champions League winner.

The Liverpool Echo stated earlier this week that the Merseyside club are looking to shift both Harry Wilson and Marco Grujic on a permanent basis, adding that they aren’t willing to consider any bids lower than £20m.

If the Reds can raise £40m from the sale of two players that haven’t played a first-team game for the past two seasons it will be an absolute masterstroke from Michael Edwards, and if those funds are then spent on bringing Thiago in, their squad will be much stronger than it would be with Wilson and Grujic just lulling at Anfield as backup options.

Liverpool’s strategy of loaning out these fringe players has worked a treat. Ok, they’ve not gone on to become first-team stars as many would have hoped, but their market value has increased during their time away from the club, and that’s allowed the Reds to cash in on them and potentially use that money to sign an elite midfielder.

It remains to be seen what the Reds do in this window, but if they can raise the funds for Thiago by selling Wilson and Grujic they will be in a good position heading into next season.

Former Spurs star Paul Robinson believes Bournemouth ace Josh King could make a “huge” difference for Tottenham if he joins Spurs in the summer.

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Robinson insisted his old teammate has massively improved as a player since the two were at Blackburn Rovers together.

Last month, Sky Sports revealed four of the Premier League’s top six clubs want to sign the striker in the upcoming transfer window.

King’s contract is set to expire next year and Bournemouth may try to cash in on the Norwegian beforehand, as they face growing economic uncertainty as a result of the  pandemic.

The pundit feels the 28-year-old will be guaranteed game time in North London, given Harry Kane’s injury list over the course of the past few seasons.

Robinson told football writer Dylan Childs “I played with Josh King at Blackburn and he has developed hugely as a player.

“He came as a wide player after a very good academy upbringing. He was a talented player but he was not the finished article.

“I think he has got better and he now prefers to play down the middle. He has grown in stature and increased his physique. His speed used to be his real asset but now he has got end product as well.

“I can certainly see him fitting into one of the top four’s squads. If Harry Kane is fit, he plays, but he has not played a full season in years. He is guaranteed games even if he is not a starter.”

As it stands, it is hard to argue with Robinson here.

After arriving at the Vitality Stadium from Blackburn on a free transfer, King has excelled for Eddie Howe’s side over the years, bagging 48 goals and providing 15 assists in 163 appearances for the Cherries so far. He is currently valued at £14.4m via Transfermarkt.

The Norway international has scored 4 goals, created 2 assists, made 1.2 key passes per game, and successfully completed at least 2 dribbles on average in the Premier League this season. It is also worth remembering he netted 12 goals in the English top flight last season. (WhoScored).

While he has often been deployed as a second striker, he can also play in a variety of positions, as he has played across the midfield in this campaign.

His versatility is surely an added bonus for Jose Mourinho, as the Spurs boss has been hit by a string of injuries to a number of his forwards, including Kane, Son Heung-min and Steven Bergwijn.

King can provide solid cover for the attacking options and he would certainly be a useful asset to keep on the bench.

The Lilywhites have also been linked to his clubmate Ryan Fraser but whether or not the South Coast stars end up in North London remains to be seen.

Tottenham fans, should Daniel Levy sign Josh King in the summer? Let us know by commenting below! 

Liverpool march on towards a potential 100-point season following their 3-1 win over Brighton and Hove Albion.

The Reds were victorious once against on Wednesday with a win at the Amex Stadium putting them closer to another club milestone. Goals from Jordan Henderson and Mohamed Salah set the tone for the successful day on the south coast.

Although Liverpool have nothing to lose with already being Premier League champions, fans aren’t taking poor performances lightly. Trent Alexander-Arnold struggled against the Seagulls and has come in for some criticism for his performance. According to Sofascore, the right-back lost possession an alarming 34 times and failed to win any of his attempted duels.

Fans have taken to Twitter to air their frustration over his performance, with one supporter saying ‘Trent should’ve been benched’ instead of Andy Robertson so Neco Williams could play in his natural position. Another fan has slammed the Scouser for being a ‘liability’ in defence.

Read more replies from the Anfield faithful here:

How do you think Trent Alexander-Arnold played against Brighton? Have your say in the comments below…

Loads of Newcastle fans have been reacting to a report from The Chronicle, via @NUFC360, which claims that Amanda Staveley has already begun sounding out potential candidates for roles within the club.

According to the report, Staveley, who is believed to be fronting the attempt to buy the club, is already plotting a new regime at St. James’ Park.

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The Magpies are currently relying on the extremely unpopular Lee Charnley to head their transfer business, but this report claims the new set-up will include a more formal board and new executives on the football side of things, something plenty of fans were excited to hear as they lambasted Charnley on Twitter.

This comes after The Telegraph claimed earlier this week that paperwork had been filed to the Premier League over a potential £340m deal involving the Saudi Public Investment Fund, though no formal bid has been made yet.

Since then, various different reports have emerged, with Mark Douglas delivering some exciting news on Thursday while Craig Hope believes Mike Ashley is wiling to sell the club.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions to the latest report on Staveley down below…

Toon fans, did you see the exciting takeover update from Mark Douglas?

As Newcastle’s proposed takeover continues to drag on by the day, there appears to be fresh reports coming to light that seem question whether it will happen at all.Aside from the piracy suggestion that has dominated the headlines, The Daily Star have suggested that chiefs from Serie A giants AS Roma have reached out to the Saudi consortium to discuss a possible takeover attempt should their bid to buy Newcastle collapse.The report suggested that with the takeover of the Magpies facing continued delays, the Italian side have made “discreet inquiries” to the Saudis, and that they “want it known that if the Newcastle bid is rejected, they would be interested in holding talks with bin Salman’s representatives again”.But now, journalist Paul Smith has poured cold water over those suggestions on Twitter, delivering some reassuring news to fans of the Tyneside club.

As is always the case when things don’t pan out smoothly, sensationalist stories begin to emerge, and a lot more pessimism begins to creep in.

But Smith’s update goes a long way to putting Newcastle supporters’ minds at ease, and it simply reaffirms the Saudi consortium’s commitment to buying the club.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Sheffield Wednesday will be looking to refresh and regroup over the next week or so before they embark on the tough test of facing a trip to the league leaders after the international break.

The Owls currently sit in eighth place, three points behind a playoff berth, and eight points behind West Bromwich Albion at the Championship’s summit.

Garry Monk has been faced with a rough patch of matches in recent weeks as his side have thrown away potential points in three of their last five games.

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Most recently, Swansea City pegged the south Yorkshiremen back in injury time despite the home side thinking they had won it with Morgan Fox’s strike just minutes earlier.

Blackburn Rovers were able to come from behind to defeat the Owls at Ewood Park in the game before, so game management is clearly something that needs to be worked on.

That process will be now made all that easier as Barry Bannan will be around at Hillsborough, rather than lining up for Scotland against Cyprus and Kazakhstan in their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign.

The 29-year-old was snubbed by national team manager Steve Clarke again, but Bannan doesn’t seem too fazed by it.

He said: “I shouldn’t be saying this, but I am probably quite happy not to be in, as I have a lot of niggles at the moment. I have never ruled it out and if I get picked, I get picked. If I don’t, I am happy playing for my club every week.”

Bannan recently was a shock omission from that Blackburn defeat, and his missing presence as vice-captain was clearly felt.

As such an influential member of the squad – he ranks joint-top for assists and top for key passes per game, via WhoScored – his presence on the training pitch over the next week will be a substantial help to Wednesday getting over their late blips in matches.

It also gives him a chance to fully recover from those little injuries he mentions, and a fully-fit Bannan is the best thing for Monk right now.

He has featured in 14 of their 16 matches in the second-tier this season.

The 27-time capped international hasn’t lined up in the blue kit of Scotland for two years now, so it remains to be seen if he will ever earn such a chance ever again.

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…

Lee Bowyer has been speaking about how big an impact Charlton Athletic’s injury crisis is having on his squad selection, as reported by London News Online.

What did he say?

The Addicks manager has indicated that he may not even be able to fill his bench when facing Cardiff City, due to the number of players who will be out.

One area of the pitch that has been especially stretched by this is central midfield, as Bowyer has disclosed that there are only three centre-midfielders available.

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Speaking ahead of the Cardiff game, Bowyer was quoted by London News Online as saying: “We’ve only got a 23 or 22-man squad and we’ve got 10 out, that is nearly half. If it carries on then we won’t be able to put out a starting 11.

“The only position we are strong is at the back. There are not many to choose from in midfield – three. The ones available are Conor Gallagher, Josh Cullen and Erhun Oztumer.

“I think we’ll maybe have to look at playing a different way. We’ll go through a couple of things this morning – some shape work – to see what looks good for the players we have. It’s tricky, definitely tricky.”

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A chance to prove himself

Oztumer has been in and out of the Charlton team after joining from Bolton Wanderers, having made four starts and one substitute appearance in red so far.

It is quite telling about the 28-year-old’s role in the team that he is still yet to start consecutive games for the Addicks.

While he doesn’t have a chance to change that against Cardiff, having been benched for the entirety of the loss against Millwall, he does have the opportunity to prove himself to Bowyer.

Bowyer has often opted to use three centre-midfielders at a time, so unless he changes this view, Oztumer looks set to start this weekend given the lack of alternative options.

He has shown glimpses of being a useful creative presence already this campaign, averaging 1.2 key passes and 0.8 dribbles per game, while maintaining a pass success rate of 83.2%.

Now is his chance to step up and show Bowyer that he deserves to be in the team on a more regular basis.

Manchester City fans do not want the club to sign Fabian Ruiz with the common belief that it could negatively affect Phil Foden’s development.

Ruiz has been linked with the club after reports from The Guardian stated that City sent out scouts to watch the playmaker in Napoli’s win over Red Bull Salzburg.

It is also reported that the Citizens could face stern competition from Barcelona and Real Madrid as they seek his signature, but the club’s president, Aurelio De Laurentiis, has suggested it would take a colossal offer to prise him away from Naples.

Last week Laurentiis said: “I paid €30m for Fabián and he’s a fantastic player. If some of the European top clubs were to offer €180m (£155m) we can start talking about selling him.”

No doubt Pep Guardiola will be keeping an eye out for a playmaker, as David Silva looks set to leave after 10 years of service.

As a result of the Spaniard’s inevitable departure, some fans are desperate to see Foden take his spot, with some supporters claiming he is their next “magician”.

Foden put in a memorable performance in the Champions League on Tuesday, registering an assist and making four big chances against Atalanta.

The 19-year-old got many City fans excited about the future, but the signing of the 23-year-old could change things should he replace Silva.

Here’s what some fans have had to say about the potential signing of Ruiz…