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West Bromwich Albion have been dealt a big injury blow on their midfield star Alex Mowatt.

What’s the latest?

That is according to the latest reports via the West Brom website, stating that the 27-year-old midfielder has undergone surgery to address the groin injury sustained against Nottingham Forest last Monday.

The Englishman will now commence a period of rehabilitation and is expected to be ready to “conduct a full pre-season alongside his teammates” this summer.

Big blow for Bruce

Mowatt’s spell on the sidelines represents a big blow for Steve Bruce, with the 27-year-old having played in 13 of the 14 league games that Bruce has been in charge.

He was a regular under former manager Valerien Ismael too, starting 79% of the Baggies’ games in total this season.

Considering the lack of consistency this season at the Hawthorns this season, Mowatt has somewhat maintained the esteem that we saw in his performances for Barnsley the season prior.

Among the West Brom squad, Mowatt ranks first for key passes per match with 1.4 per game, and has earned a FotMob rating that makes him the best rated Baggies player this season with an overall rating of 7.37 – with the 27-year-old justifying former Albion player Jonathan Greening’s claim that he was “one of the best signings of the season.”

His average of 30 accurate passes per match earn him a rank of second place in the squad, just behind Matthew Clarke – who has 31.

Mowatt will be a big miss for the Baggies, though it will be interesting to see who comes in for the former Leeds United man with Jayson Molumby surely looking to prove a point in these remaining three games.

Molumby replaced Mowatt in the 54th minute against Nottingham Forest and will be looking to get a run of games under Steve Bruce in a bid to end the season strong, before of course returning to parent club Brighton and Hove Albion.

AND in other news: West Brom now plot bid for “superb” £2.3k-p/w sensation, he “gets you off your seat”

A number of West Brom supporters have urged youngster Reyes Cleary to sign a new deal, following his latest impressive performance.

The Baggies returned to winning ways in their last outing, picking up a dramatic late 2-1 victory at home to QPR, thanks to Karlan Grant’s winner.

Valerien Ismael’s side are back in Championship action on Tuesday evening, making the trip to Cardiff City for what could be a testing clash.

Away from the first team, Cleary continues to impress for West Brom’s Under-23s, scoring twice in his side’s 5-2 win over Norwich City U23s on Monday.

The 17-year-old striker is being watched by a number of clubs – he has been described as ‘excellent’ by Under-18s manager Peter Gilbert – but the hope is of course that he commits his future to the Baggies, for the time being at least.

West Brom fans want Cleary to sign new contract

These West Brom fans took to Twitter to call for Cleary to extend his stay at the Hawthorns.

“Offer Cleary everything”

Credit: @its_bilzz

“Offer Cleary a contract please lads + promote him to 1st team”

Credit: @Jayden_WBA

“Give Cleary that contract right now can’t lose another talent for free”

Credit: @Woodall_2004

“Get Cleary a contract Albion”

Credit: @WbaOllie

“Sign the contract Cleary”

Credit: @Aaron2wba

“Castrooooo + Get cleary on a six-year deal”

Credit: @WbaOllie

In other news, Steve Madeley has praised the impact of one West Brom player. Find out who it is here.

A major update has emerged on the future of Ainsley Maitland-Niles at Arsenal…

What’s the word?

The versatile 24-year-old midfielder had been in talks over a move to Premier League rivals Everton on loan with an option to buy, per The Athletic’s David Ornstein early on Monday morning.

However, the Gunners have performed a U-turn on their stance since then, according to The Mirror’s chief football writer John Cross, who delivered the fresh claim to Twitter later this afternoon.

Maitland-Niles has barely been given a chance under Mikel Arteta in recent times, having to go to relegated West Brom on loan in January, whilst he played only 48 minutes of competitive action since his return this summer.

Arteta mistake?

The England international has already vented his frustrations at a lack of game time amid the seemingly failed move to Goodison Park, taking to Instagram to say (via football.london’s Chris Wheatley): “All I wanna do is go where I’m wanted and where I’m gonna play @arsenal”

As a result, plenty of the Emirates Stadium have vented their frustrations and anger over the situation.

Arteta was lambasted as a “clown” by one supporter, another urged the club to “let him go” to Everton, whilst a further fan suggested that the saga reflected how poorly the club was being run, as relayed by Caught Offside.

The Gunners’ season couldn’t have got off to a worse start as Arteta and his squad have lost all three of their opening Premier League matches, including a recent 5-0 drubbing by Manchester City.

Maitland-Niles cannot even get into the squad despite all of their defensive struggles and his desire to play at right-back, so it’s no wonder that he wants to leave.

The £14.4m-rated academy graduate started only five league games before being shipped out to the Baggies last season and whilst this move would be another temporary spell away from north London, he could garner some funds next summer.

Arteta also has plenty of options at right-back, including Hector Bellerin, Cedric and Calum Chambers, which is another reason for Maitland-Niles’ recent exclusion.

Therefore, it really is a perplexing move to not sanction his exit before Tuesday’s 11pm deadline and it is why so many are fuming at the club.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Steve Howey says Arsenal are in huge trouble…

Aston Villa make the trip back down to Chelsea on Wednesday night looking to make it into the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.

Dean Smith’s side’s last visit to Stamford Bridge ended in a 3-0 defeat, and the Villa boss will no doubt be tempted to shake things up in terms of his team selection, especially when you consider Manchester United loom on the horizon at the weekend.

With that in mind, below is a look at how Villa might line up when they face Chelsea tonight.

In goal, Jed Steer could play his second game in as many weeks, with Emi Martinez being given the chance to have a proper rest following his late arrival at the weekend in order to play the game against Everton.

In front of him, Tyrone Mings may be axed from the starting line-up to give Kortney Hause an opportunity, with the 28-year-old having had a day to forget when the two sides met in the Premier League a couple of weeks ago.

Ashley Young come could into the team in place of Matt Targett, while with Axel Tuanzebe ineligible to face his parent side United at the weekend, he is a shoo-in to start tonight.

The midfield could see Morgan Sanson make a rare appearance in the starting line-up – something we’ve called on Smith to do here on FFC – while he could be joined in the engine room by one of Villa’s brightest academy prospects in Carney Chukwuemeka.

Further forward, Jaden Philogene-Bidace should feature out wide with Bertrand Traore on the opposite flank, while Emi Buendia will be hoping to start just behind Ollie Watkins after only making the bench for the game against the Toffees at the weekend.

Predicted XI: Steer; Cash, Tuanzebe, Hause, Young; Sanson, Chukwuemeka; Traore, Buendia, Philogene-Bidace; Watkins.

Meanwhile, Dean Smith must start this Villa “warrior” vs Chelsea…

The Athletic’s Phil Hay has delivered his verdict on Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa and the side’s struggles this season in the Premier League.

What’s the story?

The Whites fell to yet another disappointing defeat in the top-flight at the weekend, this time slipping to a 1-0 loss against Southampton, and Hay has now commented on some of the key issues facing the club.

He said: “The bench is incredibly young. With the exception of Forshaw, one Premier League start between them. I can understand why, despite the past three years, that still worries people. You’re looking for proven options and there are very few.

“We’ve asked him about squad depth or written about it so many times. He always has the same answer which is to say that it’s how he wants it and it’s how it’s going to be. It’s worked for him up until now but looking at that bench today, you just couldn’t see where the impact was going to come from. Fully fit there are decent options but it has to be said that this squad is rarely fully fit.

“I don’t think they’re confused. I think people can just see that it hasn’t worked in the same way so far. And because Leeds are so drilled and have such a defined way of playing, when it doesn’t work it’s going to cause concern. Because you know Bielsa will stick to his plan.”

Worrying times for Leeds

Just as much as the result, the performance is what really would have caused Leeds fans to worry about their team going forward over these next few weeks in the Premier League.

The Whites could only muster three shots on goal in the entire game against Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side, while they also made significantly less tackles and won fewer duels too – an all-round abject display.

As Hay touched upon, strength in depth has been a glaring problem at Elland Road under Bielsa, with the Leeds boss preferring a tight-knit squad with little room for manoeuvre if things go wrong.

The big problem for him, is that anything that could go wrong, has gone wrong for him in these early weeks of the Premier League campaign.

Whether it be injuries, illnesses or the dreaded consequences of the international break, Leeds have been without a number of key first-team players for a good period of time, including the likes of Kalvin Phillips, Raphinha and Patrick Bamford.

By not really strengthening the squad of the summer, and instead choosing to stick to his guns, Bielsa decided to play with fire. And everything that has come since has hardly been surprising. It’s sure to worry Leeds fans.

Meanwhile, Leeds are eyeing this La Liga starlet…

Crystal Palace could finally replace instrumental midfielder Yohan Cabaye this summer, three years after he departed the club.

What’s the story?

According to French outlet Homme du Match, the Eagles are preparing a £7m offer for the Scotland international Callum McGregor as new manager Patrick Vieira looks to add some class to his engine room options.

The Celtic captain has cultivated an enviable reputation for himself after winning 14 major trophies in his homeland, and he could be the perfect complement to Palace’s current options in the middle of the pitch.

Patrick Vieira would love him

After arriving at Selhurst Park in July 2015, Cabaye quickly became the heartbeat of a successful Palace side, dictating the tempo of their play with his quick thinking and precise passes, attributes which McGregor also possesses.

At the peak of his powers in south London during his first season with the capital club, the Frenchman averaged an impressive two shots per league game, 1.5 key passes and 0.4 dribbles, recording a passing accuracy of 82.6%, as per WhoScored.

McGregor’s comparative figures for last term outline the obvious similarities between the pair, with the 28-year-old managing 1.6 shots per game, 1.6 key passes and 0.8 dribbles.

While the likes of James McArthur, Luka Milivojevic and Cheikhou Kouyate have done an admirable job in the Palace midfielder since Cabaye’s departure, the trio are more industrious and pragmatic than their elegant predecessor.

Applying a touch of finesse to proceedings is something McGregor has been doing in Glasgow for a number of years now, and his impressive displays have earned many plaudits down the years, including former Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers.

“He controls the tempo of the game,” said Rodgers. “He is a boy that takes the ball, so clever in his movements, and we ask him to go into certain area of the pitch to offer support. He has a dream of a touch that allows him to go forward.

“His feet are nice and soft, he doesn’t play backwards so much, and he has a great range of passes, and he has the personality now to play those passes, not just one that is secure to keep the ball, he can break a line with a pass and open up and split up the game for us.

“He has been absolutely exceptional in that role, but I say that everywhere he plays.”

Therefore, Vieira would surely love to sign McGregor this summer, taking another significant step in his mission to overhaul the decaying squad Roy Hodgson left behind.

And, in other news…Fabrizio Romano drops exciting Palace transfer update that’ll leave fans buzzing 

Newcastle United are reportedly now ‘trying’ to sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Out of favour

Ever since Aubameyang was stripped of the captaincy by Mikel Arteta last month, he has not featured at all for Arsenal in the Premier League.

In that time, the Gunners have picked up a few convincing wins and scored a lot of goals – 15 in five games to be exact (Transfermarkt) – suggesting that the Gabon international would not be missed all that much if he left and perhaps paving the way for an immediate exit.

He is now at the African Cup of Nations (AFCON), although has recently tested positive for COVID-19, and it seems he may not be a Gooner on his return if the latest reports are anything to go by.

The Latest: In contact

As per Italian football journalist Rudy Galetti, the St. James’ Park faithful are now ‘trying’ to sign Aubameyang, and are already ‘in contact’ with the Emirates Stadium faithful about a potential loan move.

The striker ‘would like’ a switch to the North East, and so this is a saga to keep an eye on throughout the window.

The Verdict: Avoid

There is no doubt that ‘Auba’ has been a top player throughout his career, scoring over 300 goals at both club and international level combined.

However, he has Whoscored).

Coupled up with his mammoth £250,000-per-week wages and less than spotless injury record, he is a player that the Tyneside outfit should be avoiding, as they look to build the project for the future.

In other news, find out which 154-goal title-winner NUFC are now eyeing here!

Aston Villa are considering a cut-price move for Brentford midfielder Christian Eriksen, according to 90min.

The Lowdown: Eriksen’s record against Villa

The Danish playmaker made a return to English football in the New Year, signing for the Bees until the end of the season. He has helped Thomas Frank’s side to pull away from the relegation zone, with Brentford winning all four games in which Eriksen has played 90 minutes.

The 30-year-old is yet to face Steven Gerrard’s men since his return to the Premier League, with the attacking midfielder previously playing six games against Villa for Tottenham, resulting in five wins.

The Latest: Villa interest in Eriksen

According to 90min, Villa are among a number of clubs who are looking into offering Eriksen a contract.

Crystal Palace, Everton, Newcastle United and West Ham are also considering moves, while Spurs are another side credited with an interest.

Eriksen wants to remain in the Premier League and isn’t thought to be demanding a six-figure wage.

The Verdict: Shrewd move?

Gerrard doesn’t have an out-and-out attacking midfielder on the books at Villa Park at this moment in time, with both Philippe Coutinho and Emiliano Buendia labelled as wingers by Transfermarkt.

On that basis, bringing in Eriksen – who has been labelled a ‘superstar’ by Graeme Bailey – could be a shrewd move on a free transfer.

He has bundles of Premier League experience, contributing to 120 goals in 231 games, so that could be most useful as Gerrard looks to take Villa to the next level in his first full season in charge in the Midlands.

In other news: Sky Sports journalist reveals that Villa ‘officials’ have now moved for new target who ‘Gerrard wants’

Crystal Palace shared images of defender Nathan Ferguson on their official Twitter page on Thursday.

And, as to be expected, a number of Eagles fans were quick to react to the update on social media.

Ferguson was brought to Selhurst Park back in July 2020 after his deal with West Brom expired.

It has since been revealed that Palace have to pay just £900,000 in compensation to the Baggies, however, the 21-year-old is still yet to turn out in red and blue.

The defender has suffered multiple injuries during his time with Palace, with the latest coming back in May when he tore his achilles, but it seems as if Ferguson may well be close to finally making his Eagles debut after being pictured on the training ground.

Unsurprisingly, fans are extremely excited to see what will certainly feel like a new signing finally donning the Palace shirt.

Palace fans react

This is what these CPFC supporters had to say in reply to the club’s official post regarding Ferguson, with many happy and one labelling it as ‘fantastic’.

“Oh I’m emotional”

Credit: @Kevbartleyy

“OMG Today is a good day”

Credit: @DrizzyCPFC

“Fantastic to see – keep going Nathan”

Credit: @LukeRemnant

“Omggggggggg barclays ain’t ready”

Credit: @CPFC_Ollie_

“Things you love to see”

Credit: @SWPalace

“This makes me so happy to see! What a journey!”

Credit: @Tolcheey17

“Comeback SZN!”

Credit: @DeePalace_

In other news: ‘Would be mad’ – Many CPFC fans stunned as ‘stupid’ transfer news emerges.

Flocking to Twitter, many West Ham United fans have been left delighted following an update on Adam Hlozek from reliable club insider ExWHUemployee.

The Czech Republic international has been on David Moyes’ radar since the summer transfer window and reports have suggested in recent weeks that they could make an offer to sign him in January (90min).

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-developments-2/” title=”West Ham developments” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky’s purchase of a 27% stake in the club has only heightened reports that West Ham could make a move, especially considering the magnate’s ties to Hlozek’s current club Sparta Prague.

The striker, who bagged 15 goals and 11 assists in just 19 Fortuna Liga appearances last term, has emerged as one of the most in-form young players in Europe as Ex drops an exciting transfer claim. According to his sources (via The West Ham Way), the Irons are set to make a ‘concrete offer’ for him in January, with interest ramping up significantly in recent weeks.

West Ham fans excited…

Taking into account the player’s prolific goalscoring record and young age, it’s little wonder so many Irons supporters are excited at the prospect of a concrete offer, with one fan calling this news ‘massive’.

Check out some of their best reactions below:

“YESSSSSS”

Credit: @morgzwhu

“Finally”

Credit: @adambrown93

“Massive”

Credit: @FPLFella

“Time for me to get excited at strikers we’re linked to again! Please let this one end up differently than all the disappointment my hopes have been met with in the past!”

Credit: @TheWestHamYank

“Definitely the one striker I want us to sign”

Credit: @robson261009

“Get him on board, coyi”

Credit: @Petercrowe12

“this bloke is elite”

Credit: @stephenlott

“Great news!”

Credit: @brdv2137

In other news: Newman also eyeing West Ham bid to sign 129-goal ‘big name’ striker in January, find out more here.