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West Brom trio Jake Livermore, Karlan Grant and Jordan Hugill all struggled for the Baggies in their 0-0 draw away to Barnsley on Friday evening.

Valerien Ismael returned to his former club but failed to pick up all three points, on a forgettable night at Oakwell.

The draw leaves West Brom two points adrift of second-placed Bournemouth in the Championship, having played one game more than their promotion rivals before their lunch-time clash with Middlesbrough .

Using statistical experts Sofascore, here’s a look at the three players who struggled most for the Baggies, of those who were on the pitch for at least 45 minutes.

Jake Livermore – 6.4

Livermore is now a hugely experienced footballer but he didn’t enjoy a good night against Barnsley, struggling to impose himself in midfield and deservedly drawing criticism from fans.

The 32-year-old managed no key passes at Oakwell, playing a part in the visitors failing to break down their stubborn opponents.

Not only that but Livermore won zero per cent of his four aerial and ground duels and was guilty of losing possession a total of nine times.

Karlan Grant  6.4

Grant was another who was far from his best against the Tykes.

The forward was almost twice as wasteful at Livermore, giving the ball away a sizeable 17 times, and only one out of six crosses were deemed to be accurate.

Grant missed one big chance, too, proving costly as West Brom failed to find the net, while he also won just three of eight total duels.

Jordan Hugill – 6.5

Hugill was the third player who struggled most on Friday night, leading the line unsuccessfully for Ismael’s men while losing the ball six times.

Like Grant, the 29-year-old was guilty of missing a big chance during the game and only enjoyed 29 touches in the entire match – 12 fewer than his own goalkeeper, Sam Johnstone.

Hugill also played no key passes and won only 7 of his 18 duels, taking the disappointing average of the trio’s contests with opposing players to a 33 per cent success rate (10/30).

None of the three players mentioned even managed to make a single tackle between them, summing up a below-par evening for West Brom.

In other news, some West Brom fans have hailed one exciting young player. Find out who it is here.

An update has emerged on Sunderland target Todd Kane, regarding QPR’s plans for him in this transfer window.

What’s the talk?

According to West London Sport, Sunderland target Todd Kane is set to be axed by Championship side QPR this summer. QPR are looking to land Sheffield Wednesday fullback Moses Odubajo as a replacement for Kane, as it would then allow the London-based club to cash in on the right-back.

The report claims that clubs are aware of Kane’s availability, although no offers have been made to QPR at the time of writing. Last month, London Football News reported that Sunderland were keen on a deal to land Kane, whilst their League One rivals Portsmouth and Charlton were also said to be interested.

QPR manager Mark Warburton was forced to remind Kane that he needs to respect his teammates after the defender claimed that he was better than Osman Kakay in an interview earlier this year. Warburton told West London Sport:

“I’m very aware of what was said. But what we speak about as a squad stays private. We’ll never disclose that.

“For me personally, amongst the squad and amongst the staff, respect is paramount.

“We’re in a very competitive business but it’s important to me that we all speak with respect.

Johnson won’t want him

Kristjaan Speakman must avoid making a grave error by ensuring that he does not make a move for Kane this summer, as Lee Johnson will not want him at the club. Kane is seemingly a disruptive influence behind the scenes and that could affect the harmony of Johnson’s squad, which could then impact the results on the pitch if it leads to tension and animosity between the players. As Warburton hinted, Kane did not respect his teammate, Kakay, and Sunderland can not allow that to happen at the Stadium of Light.

If Sunderland are going to mount a promotion push in League One next season they will need positive momentum to help take them over the line. Kane outing teammates in public does not suggest that he will bring a positive energy to the club and that is one reason as to why Speakman should be avoiding the former Chelsea man. Johnson will not want a player who could cause issues in the dressing room.

The £7k-per-week flop has also not done enough on the pitch to warrant a transfer. Kane averaged a disappointing WhoScored rating of 6.51 in the Championship across 28 appearances for QPR. This suggests that he is in bad form and would arrive at Sunderland on a low, rather than joining the club high on confidence and ready to hit the ground running. Therefore, for on and off the pitch reasons, Speakman must not make a move for Kane ahead of next season.

AND in other news, Major update emerges on ace with “special quality”, Sunderland fans will be ecstatic…

Peterborough United Director of Football Barry Fry has savaged Liverpool’s owners in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, insisting that they are “unforgivable” after their attempt to join a European Super League.

The football world was in shock last week as six English clubs, along with various sides from the continent, attempted to form a breakaway league.

Liverpool were one of the clubs at the front of the queue, and were joined by Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur from the Premier League.

All six clubs were forced into a humiliating climbdown as they all withdrew just 48 hours after attempting to set the league up, but not before Jurgen Klopp was forced into an excruciating interview with Sky Sports.

Speaking prior to his side’s 1-1 draw with Leeds United, Klopp seemed blindsided by the plans and was unhappy with the club’s desire to enter what was essentially a closed shop.

And Fry thinks that FSG’s conduct was beyond the pale, especially as Klopp was not informed of the plans.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, Fry let rip, as he said: “Well you could clearly see when he was being questioned that he was uncomfortable for the mere fact that he didn’t know anything about it.

“For what that man has done for Liverpool Football club and for the city of Liverpool, is absolutely incredible and it’s unforgivable to not keep your manager in the loop of what you intend to do.”

Gio van Bronckhorst had the opportunity to bring in his own players to Rangers for the first time in January and made a number of signings.

Aaron Ramsey, Amad Diallo, Mateusz Zukowski and James Sands all came in, whilst John Souttar has been snapped up on a pre-contract ahead of the summer.

It will now be interesting to see what the Dutch coach does with a full pre-season to prepare his squad as he works with Ross Wilson to shape the team to his desire.

One player who has been touted with a switch to Ibrox this summer is Real Madrid attacker Gareth Bale, with Spanish outlet Sport naming them as a potential destination for him at the end of his contract with Carlo Ancelotti’s side.

The new Gazza

By signing the Wales international ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, van Bronckhorst can find his own Paul Gascoigne for Rangers.

After playing in the Premier League for Tottenham and Newcastle, Gascoigne made his way to Ibrox in 1995 and caught the eye for the Scottish giants as he scored 30 goals in 64 league starts for the club during his time in Glasgow.

Bale could be the next ex-Spurs and English top-flight star to shine for the Light Blues as he has enjoyed a sensational career as a forward for multiple clubs and at international level.

He has racked up 221 senior goals for club and country throughout his career for Southampton, Tottenham, Real Madrid and Wales. The winger has found the back of the net 106 times for Real in 258 outings to date, winning the Champions League on four occasions and the La Liga title twice.

Dean Saunders dubbed him a “freak of nature” and his incredible statistics for Spurs last season back up that praise. Whilst on loan with the English side in 2020/21, he scored 11 goals and provided two assists in ten league starts as he proved that he still – at the age of 32 – has the quality to deliver at the top end of the pitch on a consistent basis.

Therefore, signing him would be a big deal for Rangers as they would be bringing in a player with a recent track record of exceptional performances in a top European league and a history of winning major trophies. He has proven himself at the very top level over the years as van Bronckhorst must now make him the new Gascoigne at Ibrox by bringing him to Scotland this summer.

AND in other news, Sources: Shock Rangers transfer claim emerges that will leave Wilson excited…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Premier League midfielder Lee Hendrie has tipped Manchester City to go on and dominate if they can manage to acquire Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland.

Haaland has quickly become one of the best centre-forwards in world football, managing to score over 40 goals for Dortmund and RB Salzburg last season.

His levels have not dropped, with the 20-year-old already past the 30-goal mark in all competitions this term, and he is now being linked with a whole host of top European clubs, including Manchester City.

Premier League rivals Chelsea and Spanish giants Real Madrid are also said to be chasing Haaland’s signature but, according to the MailOnline, it is Pep Guardiola’s side who are leading the race for the Norway International.

If the Citizens manage to get this deal over the line, for Hendrie, it could be game-changing. He told FFC:

“I think he’d be absolutely outrageous at Man City because he plays between the lines of the box, he scores goals and he’s literally ruthless when he’s got a chance. His work ethic is second to none, it really is, and I feel playing in a team of that calibre, with the likes of [Phil] Foden and [Raheem Sterling], the list goes on, I just feel he’ll get so many chances.”

“I feel he’ll do a similar job to what [Sergio] Aguero does if not better because he’s a completely different player to Aguero. But he’s in the box and he likes to score goals and we’ve seen how consistent he’s been. I just feel that he’d certainly fit the bill for Man City for me. I think he’d be an unreal addition to that football squad and I feel they would go on and dominate.”

With Aguero’s contract up in the summer, Manchester City’s interest in Haaland comes as no surprise.

Guardiola may want a replacement and the former Salzburg No.9 would fit the bill perfectly when you look at his goal record. Competition will be fierce but, with their finances and position in European football right now, the Premier League favourites will surely fancy their chances.

A number of Crystal Palace fans have been reacting to more details on Lucien Favre’s proposed move to Selhurst Park provided by Michael Bridge.

It emerged on Wednesday evening that Favre has agreed to take over at Palace and become Roy Hodgson’s long-term successor.

Favre is now waiting to be awarded a work permit to manage in England, a complicated process that is already underway.

Sky Sports reporter Bridge reiterated on Twitter that talks between Favre and the Eagles went ‘very well’, adding that discussions regarding the players from the academy have also gone well.

The likes of Jesurun Rak-Sakyi and David Omilabu were two standout players from the club’s academy to sign professional deals last season, and it seems as if Favre likes what he sees in the club’s youth ranks.

Palace fans react

Bridge’s social media post received plenty of interaction from Palace supporters, with the majority excited about the pending appointment and mention of academy talks.

“We love you Bridgey and you know it!!”Credit: @kevintasteph”Inject it”Credit: @NAL_UK”Hello.”Credit: @ohjoewalker”Lucien Favre is excited to work at palace and likes our academy If we pull this off I won’t doubt anything again”Credit: @ReeceJMT”Okay, now might be the time to start to get slightly excited.”Credit: @palacecarlton”Let’s goooo”Credit: @Adam_Palace

In other news: ‘Please admin’ – Many CPFC fans think £67k-p/w ace may stay after club tweet, find out more here.

Lee Ryder has dropped some potential timeframes on both Newcastle United takeover cases against the Premier League.

The Lowdown: Ashley vs Premier League

Mike Ashley has launched two separate claims against the English top flight over the failed deal between him and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium.

One is the arbitration case, which is set to take place over the coming months, and there is also the Competition Appeals Tribunal (CAT) claim over the Premier League’s decision-making process regarding the failed takeover bid.

The Latest: Potential timeframes

Writing in a Q&A session for The Chronicle, football journalist and takeover follower Ryder has shared that the arbitration hearing, which is set to take place in July, could take three weeks to yield a result.

He also outlined that the separate anti-competition claim could take up to nine months for an outcome.

The Verdict: Arbitration key

Newcastle will certainly not want to come out of the arbitration proceedings with a negative result, as it means that they may have to rely upon the CAT claim, which would take much longer to find an outcome.

The timing of arbitration is not ideal either, given that the summer transfer window has already begun and the new 2021/22 season is set to start in August.

Nonetheless, a positive result could speed up the takeover process, which would be the best outcome for the Tyneside club as they look to go into the new campaign as best prepared as possible.

In other news, find out what FFP claim has been dropped on the potential takeover

Speaking exclusively to Transfer Tavern, former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has urged his old side to move for Allan Saint-Maximin this summer if Newcastle United end up getting relegated.

Firmly caught up in a relegation battle this season, the Magpies could find themselves playing in the Championship next term. Such a scenario could easily see some of their star players push for a move, with Saint-Maximin falling into that category.

The 24-year-old French winger is the best dribbler at the club, averaging the most dribbles per league game (3.2, per WhoScored), and Hendrie believes that sort of flair out wide is something Villa severely lack.

“He is one that I would certainly take,” the ex-Villa player told TT when discussing Saint-Maximin in an exclusive interview. “He’s got that Premier League credibility. We’ve seen what he can do.”

Hendrie later went on to add:

“He’s got that attack rate, he’s got flair, you know, all sorts. He could be a key addition to a Villa side that I feel… that’s where they’ve really lacked, in wide areas.

“Touched on Trezeguet before, I think he’d certainly come into the side, he reminds me in certain elements of [Bertrand] Traore, but he’s possibly got that little bit more element of pace going forward and he’s very direct, so he’d be someone I’d certainly be looking at.”

Trezeguet and Traore both looked sharp in Villa’s recent 3-1 win over Fulham. The former managed to grab two goals on the day, while the latter was able to muster up an assist.

Next up for the attacking duo is the visit of Liverpool, while Saint-Maximin and Newcastle take on Burnley.

Southampton’s poor performance on the final day of the Premier League season cost them around £6m as they dropped to 15th position, which will surely frustrate manager Ralph Hasenhuttl.

According to the Daily Mirror, Southampton will be £11m after finishing the season in 15th place following their 3-0 defeat against West Ham at the London Stadium.

Had they won, the Saints would’ve finished 12th above Newcastle United, with Steve Bruce’s once relegation-threatened side finishing the season on 45 points after a strong end to their season, whereas the Saints could only muster 43 points after a shocking second half of the campaign.

The Toon were awarded £17m for finishing 12th, which means that Hasenhuttl’s side missed out on £6m by failing to beat the Hammers on Sunday.

The South Coast side certainly had opportunities to take the lead through Takumi Minamino and Kyle Walker-Peters but failed to take them, before capitulating in the space of a few minutes after Pablo Fornals’ quickfire double.

It has so often been the case this season where Southampton will dominate proceedings but fail to take their chances before being let down by their leaky defence, with Declan Rice’s goal late on an absolute horror show at the back.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-southampton-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Read the latest Southampton transfer rumours and news!”]

Considering the Austrian manager has suggested that Southampton will be in the market for players who will cost less than £10m this summer, the £6m they missed out on the final day could well be the difference between Southampton signing a player and not being able to afford him this summer.

The Saints’ form in the second half of the season was that of a relegation side, and they could’ve found themselves in seriously hot water if it wasn’t for the similarly awful form shown by Fulham, West Brom and Sheffield United, with only Southampton’s impressive start to the campaign saving them from relegation.

Therefore, it is clear that new signings are a must this summer if Southampton want to avoid a relegation battle, and Hasenhuttl will no doubt be fuming that his players arguably cost the club a potential new transfer with a shocking final day display.

And, in other news… Scapegoat: Saints fans were far too harsh on gem who made 7 key passes vs West Ham

When Rafa Benitez first stepped foot in Merseyside again, he wasn’t exactly greeted very nicely by some Everton supporters.

Banners were hung outside his home and there were considerable protests against his appointment.

Therefore, the Spaniard needed to start quickly and impress from the off. The club’s transfer window wasn’t exactly a fair indication of what Benitez can do but their form has been superb.

Everton have taken seven points from their opening three league games but they do now have a problem on the cards.

On the chalkboard

That issue happens to revolve around James Rodriguez.

The Colombian looked a dead certainty to leave Goodison Park behind this summer and his lack of action in the opening few weeks of the season indicated that he was heading for the exit door.

Rodriguez hasn’t played a single minute of competitive action under the new manager but a move unfortunately fell through on deadline day.

Everton were confident of agreeing a swap deal with Porto to bring Luis Diaz to the club in exchange but Rodriguez ultimately didn’t move. His agent Jorge Mendes tried to engineer a move to Italy but he ended up staying in Merseyside.

Benitez has a dilemma on his hands now. Rodriguez has made his feelings clear and doesn’t exactly want to play for the Toffees again. He wasn’t even aware of who their opponents were a few weeks ago, for instance.

That being said, he clearly possesses immense talent. The former Real Madrid star contributed to ten Premier League goals last term and provided more key passes per match than anybody else in the Toffees’ squad.

However, their new signings look ready and raring to go. Demarai Gray has opened up his Everton account with two goals and a Player of the Month nomination after signing from Bayer Leverkusen.

Alongside Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, the Everton attack looks vibrant.

Add Anthony Gordon into the equation and their forward line could become even more mouth-watering.

The 20-year-old has very rarely started for the Everton first team, featuring on just 21 occasions since breaking through. That being said, he’s clearly in Benitez’s plans, with the youngster earning minutes from the bench against Southampton on the opening day of the season.

Possessing the ability to play behind the striker and on the flanks, he feels like a player who is more deserving of game time in Rodriguez’s role. Although he’s not scored a senior goal yet, the future is bright for Gordon.

Greg Cunningham, his teammate on loan at Preston last season, said that the youngster was set for an “exciting” career, while David Unsworth was even more complimentary.

Speaking to The Athletic, he commented: “His balance sprinting with the ball and his balance going past people is something you don’t see every day. He’s got unbelievable pace and he’s a Scouser too, so he’s tough.”

With a rare set of traits in Gordon’s armoury, Benitez would be foolish not to unleash him.

AND in other news, “Being monitored”: Journo makes Celtic transfer claim, their next Ajer may arrive soon…