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Sheffield Wednesday’s season hangs in the balance despite passing their first test with flying colours.

The Owls will be without the services of their top goalscorer Steven Fletcher for the foreseeable future after a knee injury has ruled him out for the next eight to ten weeks.

His 12 goals this campaign will be a miss as no one else in the squad has bagged more than three, per WhoScored.

A striker is sure to be high on his priorities this month and speculation in the press to date certainly reflects that as the club have been mooted with moves for Arsenal teenager Eddie Nketiah and also Crystal Palace’s Connor Wickham.

However earlier this week, a new name has entered the frame and it’s a familiar one. Southampton’s Che Adams.

The Athletic’s Phil Hay claims Leeds face competition from their weekend victors should the Saints decide to let him go this month.

Monk’s men defeated their local rivals 2-0 at Elland Road to hint that they could cope without Fletcher, so should they push for a striker like Adams? The 40-year-old was in charge last season when the 23-year-old hit 22 goals for a struggling Birmingham City side.

Our writers run the mill over the potential move…

Matt Dawson

“This would soften an almighty blow at Sheffield Wednesday. The fact that top scorer Steven Fletcher is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines was never going to be good news but bringing in a fox-in-the-box like Che Adams would be shrewd business, particularly if they steal him from under Leeds’ noses.

“Garry Monk has worked wonders with the forward before and a reunion could be exactly what the Owls need. Adams is a  proven predator in this division, scoring 22 goals last term for Birmingham and if there was one way of making a playoff spot easier to secure, this would be it. Wednesday lack goals besides Fletcher with no one else scoring more than three times in the entire squad.

“More goals are needed at Hillsborough and Adams could be their man.”

James Beavis “Given his struggles this season following his summer move from Birmingham City with no goals in 19 games, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Che Adams jumped at the chance of working under Garry Monk again for the remainder of the campaign in order to get some confidence back should he be allowed to go.“That said, when you look at Ralph Hasenhuttl’s comments about Adams last week about him not leaving, as well as the fact he came on and proved his worth by assisting Danny Ings’ winner against Leicester City on Saturday, he probably isn’t going anywhere this month anyway.“If Saints lose Ings to injury anytime soon they will be in real trouble, and they can’t afford to let Adams go because of that. His through-ball for Southampton’s top goalscorer at the weekend hinted at a potential link-up between the two, and perhaps that could develop in the coming weeks now they have moved away from the relegation zone and are generally under less pressure.“This is a no-go move.”

It’s the dawn of a new decade in the Premier League, but how much do you know about the last 10 years?

Viji Jeevathayalan

“Having seen first-hand what Che Adams can bring to the table when the pair were both at Birmingham, a reunion with Garry Monk at Sheffield Wednesday seems like a match made in heaven. The 23-year-old enjoyed a very fruitful spell under the current Owls boss when they were at St Andrew’s together, scoring 25 goals in just 56 games across all competitions. Having struggled to adjust to life in the Premier League – he has yet to hit the back of the net for Southampton this season in the top-flight – Adams would surely leap at the chance to work with Monk once again. He could revive his career at Hillsborough, and be the catalyst for Wednesday’s promotion chances this year. And with Steven Fletcher ruled out for the foreseeable future, it’s surely a no-brainer for the Owls to swoop for Adams.”

Lewis Blain

“Even if this move seems the most unlikely of the lot, Monk should use his familiarity with the striker to try and clinch him this month. There is simply no denying that the options behind Fletcher are abysmal. None have taken their chances when offered and with the majority out of contract in the summer, they can be shipped aside for the greater good. Adams’ goalscoring exploits are still fresh in the memory, it was only last season after all. Wednesday could be the perfect spot to reignite that form, which would only be a win-win for all parties involved, even Southampton.”

Meanwhile, in other news, Garry Monk has provided clues into his plans for this transfer window…

According to a recent report from the printed version of Corriere dello Sport (via SempreInter), Everton have made a bid for Inter Milan’s centre-midfielder Matias Vecino in an attempt to secure his signing in the January transfer window.

However, despite the same source dubbing the offer as “important”, it seems that the Nerazzurri won’t accept anything until a replacement player is first brought into the club.

Call yourself an Everton expert? How much did each of these January signings cost?

But looking at the reported deal from the Toffees’ point of view, it’s difficult not to notice that Vecino, for all his qualities, wouldn’t really represent that much of an upgrade on Tom Davies.

When we compare Vecino’s stats to Davies, who has started three of Carlo Ancelotti’s first four Premier League games at the helm, we see that the addition of the 28-year-old Uruguayan wouldn’t really bring about a massive change in midfield.

It has to be noted, however, that the figures don’t take Everton’s clash with West Ham or Inter’s trip to Lecce into consideration.

With that being said, Davies has managed to tally 1098 minutes in the 2019/20 campaign while Vecino has 899 under his belt so far.

But there’s really not that much to separate the two central midfielders as both seem to offer a similar skill set to their respective clubs.

For instance, Vecino has averaged 1.9 tackles and one interception per game in Serie A for Inter while Davies is slightly weaker in the tackles department with 1.3, but makes it up with 1.5 interceptions per game.

A similar situation can be seen in their offensive statistics.

Davies is a somewhat better dribbler with 0.8 per game as opposed to his counterpart’s 0.2 but the Uruguayan edges him out with 0.8 key passes compared to the Englishman’s 0.2 per game.

Finally, their passing accuracy is also rather close – 75.9% for Inter’s ace and 76.7% for Everton’s.

All in all, it doesn’t really seem like chasing Vecino would add much to Ancelotti’s side and maybe he should think twice before proceeding with the mooted deal.

Newcastle fans have taken to Twitter to react after The Sun revealed that Steve Bruce is attempting to beat Valencia to the signing of Borussia Dortmund striker Paco Alcacer.

The 26-year-old has been pushed down the pecking order at the Signal Iduna Park after the arrival of Norwegian wonderkid Erling Braut Håland, who has netted five goals in his first two appearances for the Bundesliga side.

The Sun states that the Magpies are keen to secure an initial loan deal with the option of a £25m permanent move in the summer, although they face competition from Alcacer’s former side Valencia.

So far this season, the Borussia Dortmund has made 15 appearances for Lucian Favre, recording a decent return of seven goals and two assists.

Additionally, he has a superb record of 12 goals in 19 outings for the Spanish national team – in total, the former Barcelona man, who cost Dortmund £22.7m, has netted 26 goals in 47 appearances for the German side.

Bruce could do with another forward in his ranks, as £40m man Joelinton has scored just one Premier League goal this season.

Let’s see how the Newcastle fans on Twitter reacted to the news…

To kick off the reaction, Brad said that the Tynesiders should “get him at all costs” before adding that the Spaniard “can’t be worse than Joelinton” – ouch.

Elsewhere, these two supporters were seemingly excited by this rumour.

‘LM’ said that it would be an “absolute world class signing for us” before adding that, along with the captures of Nabil Bentaleb and Valentino Lazaro, Alcacer’s arrival would signal the “best January transfer window we’ve ever had” under Mike Ashley.

Also, Ben added that the capture of Alcacer alone would be “the best signing under Ashley” – bold statements indeed.

Meanwhile, Adam said that the former Getafe striker is a “wonderful finisher” but mentioned that the Magpies don’t create much, and is therefore unsure of how much impact the forward would have at St James’ Park.

Lastly, these two fans both felt that this would be a great signing, although expressed doubt over Newcastle’s chances of landing his signature.

Call yourself a Premier League expert? How much did each of these big-money January signings cost?

Competing with Valencia, a side in the last 16 of the Champions League, will surely be tough.

In other news, Allan Saint-Maximin showed his class with a brilliant response to a supporter on Twitter…

Sunderland look likely to be one of the most active teams in England on transfer deadline day.Indeed, plenty of reports are circling around Wearside, and they’ve already got a bit of business done as Aiden McGeady has been loaned out to Charlton.The Stadium of Light outfit have been linked to the likes of Declan John and Antoine Semenyo, but one man who won’t be joining the north-east based side is Bobby Duncan.

James Pearce has confirmed that Sunderland have pulled out of the deal to sign the former Liverpool man, despite the fact that he had been due to sign today.

The youngster reportedly has plenty of other interest from Football League clubs, but he won’t be joining Sunderland as they’ve had a late change of heart.

Whether or not this indicates that Phil Parkinson’s side have another target in mind remains to be seen, but it could be one to keep an eye on.

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Dean Henderson says he is desperate to prove his worth to Manchester United once his loan spell at Sheffield United is completed, per Football Focus via The Manchester Evening News.

What’s the word?

The goalkeeper has spent the season at Bramall Lane with Chris Wilder’s impressive Blades.

The promoted club are currently sixth in the Premier League, only five points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.

So impressive have they been, they have conceded just 23 goals in the top-flight, a tally only bettered by leaders Liverpool.

Henderson has kept nine clean sheets across their 25 matches, the joint-highest along with Nick Pope and Alisson Becker; United’s current No.1, David De Gea, has kept five.

Quickfire Questions on Man United: How many can you get right in under 3 minutes?

But Henderson insists he still has a point to prove.

He said: “Plenty of people walk around and say ‘I play for Man United’ and have never kicked a ball in the first team before. I am not one of those people. “I always feel like I’ve got a point to prove and one day that is my aim, to play for Man United.

“Until that happens I have got to earn the right, I have got to keep working hard day in and day out.

“When the day comes it will be even sweeter because it has been such a tough journey for myself. Only people around me know it has been hard at times. Hopefully, fingers crossed, in the near future it will happen.”

Got to be given a chance

United have got to give Henderson the chance to become their No.1.

De Gea, of course, has become something of a legend at Old Trafford, making 390 appearances for the club and emerging as one of the best goalkeepers in world football throughout that time.

But this season, Henderson has usurped him statistically.

He is playing at the peak of his powers and deserves the chance to play at Old Trafford next season.

Otherwise, he is sure to search for another club, for an outfit where he is valued as he should be.

United cannot allow that to happen.

Meanwhile, loads of Man Utd fans love this Mason Greenwood update!

Tottenham Hotspur fans have hailed assistant manager Joao Sacramento after he praised the club’s togetherness following their 2-0 win over Manchester City.

Spurs recorded a vital win over Pep Guardiola’s men as they attempt to secure a top-four finish in the Premier League this season.

Steven Bergwijn scored the opener on his debut before Son Heung-Min netted a second, leading to wild celebrations including players that were both on the bench and in the stands.

And 31-year-old Sacramento believes that such scenes are evidence of the club showing genuine togetherness under manager Jose Mourinho.

He said: “For sure, it was a great win. I believe that was the kind of win that this team, and especially the fans, they were deserving for a while.

No clues whatsoever: Which seasons do these iconic Spurs images belong to?

“These guys, only the people that work with us every day, knows how hard these guys work and how united they are.

“If you look, the way they celebrated the goal, and you see a sub player and a non-squad player celebrating with them, I think it is a sign that this group is united and they deserve the win.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, a number of fans have taken to Twitter to hail his message.

And some other supporters believe that Sacramento could well be a future Spurs manager.

He is the current assistant manager at the club, having previously been a scout at Ligue 1 club AS Monaco and assistant manager at Lille, from whom he was lured by Tottenham.

The win over City took Spurs to fifth in the Premier League table, just four points behind Frank Lampard’s Chelsea in fourth.

Meanwhile, Spurs fans are thrilled at the prospect of one man’s return to fitness!

West Brom went six points clear at the top of the Championship table on Wednesday evening after they racked up a third straight victory.

The Baggies came from behind to defeat Reading 2-1 in Berkshire to capitalise on Leeds’ poor form.

Slaven Bilic’s men went on a worrying run of form over the festive period, failing to pick up a win in seven successive matches but that’s hardly affected their title push.

The Croatian has also had to deal with a whole host of injuries to key members of his squad, such as Grady Diangana and Kieran Gibbs.

At the Madejski Stadium, Conor Townsend continued to show why the loss of the former England international isn’t as severe as first thought.

The 26-year-old has been Bilic’s go-to in the absence of Gibbs, featuring 16 times in the Championship this campaign and has started seven of their last eight, per Transfermarkt.

Against Luton, Townsend recorded three key passes, two tackles and even provided two accurate crosses from three attempts, via SofaScore, so he clearly had a big influence at either end of the pitch.

Watch West Bromwich Albion Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Given Gibbs’ injury record this campaign – he has been completely absent for 19 matches – it would make sense for Bilic to continue to trust the 5 foot 6 full-back as he’s clearly a more reliable option.

Although, he could soon return after featuring for the U23 squad last week.

Nathan Ferguson’s ongoing situation has taken a turn for the worst so the Baggies only really have two options on the left-hand side of defence, so stability in the form of Townsend is only going to continue to benefit the side as seen in their recent form.

He rejected his former club, Hull City, to join the Midlands side when Darren Moore was in charge during the summer of 2018, but it is only this season that he has managed to be a frequent figure.

Obscure football facts: Most readers aren’t getting more than 40%…

It will be a big call to make from Bilic’s point of view as he started the season with Gibbs as first-choice but the saying ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ comes to mind here.

Albion’s three wins have seen Townsend record match ratings of 8.01, 7.02 and 7.45 from WhoScored, which only reinforces his claim to keep his place.

And in other news, West Brom have no option in LOAN STAR’s deal, claims Steve Madeley…

Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter to react after Steve Parish sat down to give an interview.

The Eagles supremo was talking for the first time since the end of the January transfer window, and discusses all things related to the redevelopment of Selhurst Park, the construction of a new academy site and also what happened in the window last month.

Parish speaks about how Sainsbury’s – who have a shop attached to Selhurst Park – are haggling over their piece of land which is proving to be problematic in plans to develop the Main Stand.

The chairman also adds that the academy site plans are looking good, and that it is a matter of when rather than if that goes ahead.

The whole interview goes on for 16 minutes and 18 seconds, so there is plenty to unpack from it – if we told you everything that was in it, we’d be here all day!

However, what we can show you is how the Crystal Palace fans on Twitter reacted to Parish’s comments…

To kick off the reaction, there was a harsh comment.

George simply said that he really dislikes Parish after watching the interview, which is uncalled for to say the least.

Elsewhere, these two fans were left feeling short-changed after hearing what Parish had to say.

Luke and Mike complained that there was nothing new at all revealed by the chairman – in truth, there was plenty of new updates and it feels as if these supporters were hoping for a huge transfer exclusive or something, which would be unrealistic.

Meanwhile, these two fans were also unsatisfied with the interview.

Liam said that it “has the potential to age horribly” – it’s hard to disagree with this comment, as Parish speaks about a lot of exciting plans that may come back to bite him if he fails to deliver them.

@SantiHMaxi then branded the interview as the “same old PR move” by the Eagles chief.

Lastly, @DeeMitch97 simply called Parish’s comments “lies”.

Calling all Eagles fans: Can you get 90% on this quickfire Palace quiz?

It remains to be seen if he is telling the truth or not.

In other news, Patrick van Aanholt has sent a five word message to Christian Benteke on Instagram…

Celtic were dumped out of the Europa League at the round of 32 stage after succumbing to late defeat in Glasgow on Thursday night.

Neil Lennon’s side were defeated 3-1 by Copenhagen at Celtic Park, meaning the Bhoys were beaten 4-2 on aggregate, although they looked to be heading towards extra time when Odsonne Eduoard slotted home a penalty in the 83rd minute.

It’s their first defeat this calendar year.

Despite this, fans have been turning out in their droves to blast one of their players as in their eyes, winger James Forrest dropped an almighty clanger that contributed to their downfall substantially.

Here’s what fans have been saying…

One recurring comment was the fact that the 28-year-old was “ridiculously anonymous” thus making him a “passenger” in the game.

According to some supporters, Forrest regularly goes missing in big games whilst one claimed he was a squad player at best.

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Per SofaScore, the Scotland international lost possession 18 times, was found offside twice, had no shots and won just 33% of his duels, so there’s certainly an argument to be made here.

Others blasted him for being a “neckless fraud” and “overrated.”

The 5 foot 7 winger has made 391 appearances for the Hoops, where he has found the net 89 times and has also provided 91 assists – considering the quality of division they play in and the prolonged absence of one of their fierce rivals, these figures could arguably be much, much better.

Many more members of the Celtic Park faithful said it wasn’t the first time that they had been wanting more from their academy graduate with one supporter brandishing his display as a “shocker” and another claiming that he looks totally devoid of confidence.

Attention will turn to SPFL action where they are 12 points clear and look almost certain to achieve a ninth straight title.

Watch Celtic Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

And in other news, Celtic must be WARY of Kieran Tierney 2.0 with this situation…

The Athletic’s Rangers correspondent Jordan Campbell has leapt to the defence of Steven Gerrard in the aftermath of Wednesday evening’s 1-0 defeat to Hamilton.

The ex-Liverpool captain has been the centre of attention recently after questioning his players’ commitment to the cause following their Scottish Cup quarter-final defeat to Hearts, and things only got worse when he watched his side suffer a second successive defeat.

A defensive blunder from Connor Goldson, after James Tavernier had also left the ball, embarrassed Rangers at Ibrox, although Campbell has now jumped to the defence of Gerrard in his post-match Q&A session.

What did he say?

When a fan highlighted that neither the system or the manager should be at fault, Campbell wrote: “It’s hard to blame the manager when the players take 31 shots, 7 or 8 of which were big chances, and miss every one. Then you have the now usual defensive howler and it’s a recipe for disaster.”

Spot on

Rangers didn’t actually play too badly against Hamilton, and the things that went wrong were almost impossible to hold Gerrard accountable for.

No matter how much work the former England international does on the training ground, there is no way that he can plan for Goldson allowing players to rob him of possession inside his own area.

Nor can he account for his team missing a barrage of gilt-edged chances at the other end – there are some things that are simply down to the players.

Of course, Gerrard can be held accountable for the amount of confidence his players have at the back and in attack.

However, on this occasion, Campbell is right – it would be harsh to blame the manager given the encouraging manner of the performance and the sheer volume of chances created.

A football legend: Can you get over 80% on this Gazza quiz? Find out now…

In other news, this journalist has highlighted a Gerrard tactic which is yet to work…