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After promising Manchester City striker Liam Delap bagged a screamer for the Elite Development Squad on Saturday in a 4-1 win at home to Arsenal, many Sky Blues have implored manager Pep Guardiola to restore him to the first team squad. 

Delap, who got on the scoresheet with a stunning finish as the EDS ran riot against Arsenal, scoring in the 84th minute with a sumptuous curling shot from just outside the area, wasn’t included in the first team squad for City’s away trip to West Ham.

The youngster had been turning Guardiola’s head for his performances in the academy setup, prompting a few squad inclusions and even a start in the Carabao Cup against Bournemouth last month.

Delap scored the opener in that game with a brilliant effort past Cherries keeper Mark Travers and many Citizens now want him back in Guardiola’s squad to make up for another injury to star striker Sergio Aguero.

These Man City fans have backed the youngster, with one even saying that he is “better than Sterling”, who has nonetheless scored four goals in eight games so far this term.

Man City fans plead for Delap to get senior call-up

In other news: City fans are desperate for another Sky Blue figure to return, find out who here and don’t forget to comment below. 

Liverpool are in desperate need of defensive reinforcements as they juggle the seemingly endless injury woes dealt to them this season. Whilst Virgil van Dijk may not play another game this term, Joel Matip and stand-in defender Fabinho are also out of action.

The Reds’ Champions League clash against Midtjylland saw teenager Rhys Williams step up to the plate. Whilst he did a solid job and was lauded by Trent Alexander-Arnold for his efforts, Jurgen Klopp can’t rely on him for the long-term.

The German would also be foolish to place all his trust in Fabinho, who is primarily a midfielder. After already suffering an injury, Klopp’s tensions will be high over a second occurrence. Signing a new centre-back in January is an absolute must for the Premier League champions, who could see their chances this season slip if they don’t take action.

Liverpool interested in Antonio Rudiger

Amid Chelsea’s lavish summer spending spree, Roman Abramovich stressed the importance of balancing the books by offloading some senior personnel. Antonio Rudiger was named amongst the players being lined up for the chop and Liverpool are reportedly monitoring the situation, according to Mundo Deportivo.

Despite falling down the pecking order, Frank Lampard opted to start the Germany international in Chelsea’s match against FC Krasnodar on Wednesday. The Blues breezed to a 4-0 win, with Rudiger registering the highest passing percentage out of anyone else on the pitch with 97% (via Sofascore).

He misplaced just three passes during the full 90 minutes and whilst his defensive contributions weren’t groundbreaking, he would suit playing alongside Joe Gomez. The England international does well to get stuck into the action by putting in interceptions, tackles and clearances each game. Rudiger’s calm passing and contribution to the attack would balance Gomez’s more defensive game well.

A replacement for Lovren

Despite Lampard’s disinterest in the defender, the 27-year-old has earned a lot of praise from others. Garth Crooks recently lauded Rudiger’s abilities, naming him in his BBC Sport Team of the Season for 2019/20.

“His performances have been outstanding during a difficult period for the Blues,” the ex-striker wrote. “Every time I watch this lad play I am bowled over by his enthusiasm and competitive nature. A man for a crisis.”

Liverpool are certainly in a crisis. They will need a tried-and-tested centre-back come January and Rudiger could be the answer as a quick fix until van Dijk returns from his lengthy injury. Even after the Dutchman recovers from his ACL damage, Rudiger will serve as a strong back-up, after the Reds failed to replace Dejan Lovren in the summer.

According to ESPN, the west Londoners would be looking to get £20million for the sale of the German, which is a friendly amount to fill a position desperately in need.

In other news, Champions League display doesn’t mean Liverpool can rely on Rhys Williams…

Southampton were linked with signing Manchester United left-back Brandon Williams on loan before the summer transfer window shut and following the injury to Ryan Bertrand recently, it could be argued that the Saints made a mistake in not bringing him to St Mary’s.

Sky Sports suggested that Southampton made an enquiry for the 20-year-old towards the end of the transfer window, but a deal could not be concluded.

Ralph Hasenhuttl has subsequently lost regular left-back Ryan Bertrand to injury after he went off in the 4-3 win against Aston Villa recently with natural centre-back Jack Stephens filling in there in the recent 2-0 win against Newcastle United.

Williams has made just two appearances for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side this season, both of which came in the League Cup, which suggests that his progress at United is being stifled and a loan to Southampton would have benefitted both parties.

The defender was praised heavily by his manager following United’s 3-1 defeat to Chelsea in the FA Cup last season, with him saying:

“You saw Brandon [Williams] and the character he showed. He played a square pass into Mount [which led to their second goal] and he probably felt a bit responsible, but for the rest of the half, he was absolutely outstanding. The kid has been out for a while and not played, and had the eye injury, but his character and personality out there was great, he kept going and kept going,” (per Manchester United).

Both of the games the 20-year-old full-back played in have resulted in 3-0 wins for the Red Devils, with the academy graduate earning impressive 7.37 and 7.22 ratings for his performances against Luton Town and Brighton respectively.

This shows that when the Englishman has played, he has impressed, so perhaps he would have been an excellent option for Hasenhuttl to have in his Saints side, especially when you consider the lack of options available to the Austrian manager in that position.

Sam McQueen is currently out injured with a cruciate ligament rupture, whilst 20-year-old Jake Vokins has just three senior Saints appearances to his name, so is perhaps not ready for a starting role in the Premier League.

Therefore, it would have been sensible for Hasenhuttl to recruit another left-back with slightly more experience, such as Williams, and it could be argued that Southampton chief executive Martin Semmens may have let his manager down by not securing a loan deal for the Manchester United man.

However, with United having recruited fellow left-back Alex Telles during the summer transfer window, you would imagine that Williams’ game time won’t be increasing any time soon, so perhaps we will see the Saints return for the 20-year-old in the upcoming January transfer window.

Leeds United make the trip south later this evening as they look to build on their encouraging recent form.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side were unlucky to only draw 0-0 with ten-man Arsenal before dispatching Everton for three points last weekend, and across both matches, the Whites totalled a whopping 48 shots.

Now they head to west London to face third-placed Chelsea, who have a plethora of attacking talent at their disposal.

But this is what you get with the Premier League – some of the very best players to currently grace the game, and Bielsa will need to be at his best tactically to find a way past the division’s best attack. No team has scored more goals than the Blues.

It gives the Argentine plenty to ponder, especially in terms of defensive selection as he will need his men at their very best to compete with the likes of Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech, Kai Havertz and even both Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount.

Indeed, this encounter could be one or lost out wide and if you were Frank Lampard, you’d surely be targeting Gjanni Alioski despite his impressive form as of late.

Only two teams have conceded more goals than the Yorkshiremen this term, so it would be wise to consider an actual left-back instead of the attack-minded 28-year-old.

In the past, Alioski has often been dubbed a “liability” and a “weak link” by the Elland Road faithful, as seen here, which is a train of thought backed up by former Leeds striker Noel Whelan, who told Football Insider last season:

“His defending at time is very lacking in quality, he can be a liability. Alioski is a 100 per center who will run all day but when it comes to defending, he goes to ground and sells himself too often.”

Ziyech has already contributed to four goals in four starts in the English top-flight this season, building on his 48 goals and 82 assists across four seasons at Ajax.

Across his career, the North Macedonian international has averaged 1.2 fouls per game and has picked up more yellow cards at Leeds (25) than goals (20), so if he’s not careful the Chelsea sensation could devour him clean tonight.

Bielsa is better off trusting Stuart Dallas over the £55k-per-week livewire in the role. A ruthless but necessary call.

AND in other news, Leeds dodged a massive bullet in mooted Bielsa £20m target once dubbed “unplayable”…

Member of staff Deborah Scott has spoken on behalf of Ian Lavery MP with regards to replying to constituents over questions to do with the proposed takeover of Newcastle United by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium.

As per The Chronicle, Lavery is awaiting a response from Boris Johnson after the Wansbeck MP, and former season ticket holder in the North East, urged the government to ‘commit to their proposal for a fan-led review of football’.

He is one of a number of MPs who have been contacted by fans of the Tyneside club after the Newcastle Consortium Supporters Limited (NCSL) put together a draft of a letter for the Toon Army to email to their local leaders.

In a reply to one of the letters sent to Lavery, Scott said: ‘Ian is convinced that through the handling of the takeover and the Project Big Picture plans, it has become abundantly clear that the PL, EFL and football across the pyramid is not capable of governing itself in the interests of football and supporters as a whole.’

Does the EPL have the fans’ interests in terms of the Newcastle takeover?

Scott has alleged that the Premier League, as well as the English Football League and football across the pyramid, do not have the best interests of fans at heart, and that included fans of the Magpies who want more information and clarity about the prospective £300m deal between Mike Ashley and the KSA group.

There is no doubt that the majority of fans of NUFC would like to see their beloved club be taken over, as the abundance of riches that comes with it could well lead to success.

Lavery is clearly aggrieved as to the handling of the whole takeover situation and wants a push for transparency as much as the supporters that have taken their time to write to him.

In other news, find out which Middle East development may excite fans here!

Derby County’s season has been a difficult one to say the least.

They started the campaign abysmally and were staring at potential relegation under Dutchman Phillip Cocu.

Heading into December the club had won just once from their 13 Championship matches.

However, step forward Wayne Rooney. He’s not someone we recognised as having the ability to turn a team around from a managerial perspective but that’s exactly what he’s done.

The Rams are now unbeaten in their last six matches and a 2-0 win over high-flying Swansea on Wednesday evening capped off their wonderful rejuvenation.

However, should we be surprised at the turnaround when you consider that Krystian Bielik is back in the side? Arguably not.

At last the former Arsenal man is proving exactly why they forked out a projected fee of £10m. For the second tier, this was big money but the colossal display he showed this week and indeed since he has returned from injury is justifying that price tag.

Since Bielik returned from a cruciate ligament injury in November, Derby have lost just once. Clearly, he has been a key player at Pride Park and on a night where the attack shone on Wednesday, he outperformed goal scorers Colin Kazim-Richards and Kamil Jozwiak.

The 22-year-old was a force to be reckoned with in the middle of the pitch, winning 69% of his duels throughout the contest. That means Bielik was victorious in three tackles and two interceptions.

Furthermore, the Pole was assured with the ball at his feet, completing 85% of his passes and registering a 100% dribble success rate.

This was a performance that had everything as he broke through the lines but also defended tremendously well, laying a strong platform from which Derby were able to win.

Swansea players found him difficult to deal with as he was fouled on two occasions and once all was said and done, he was surely Derby’s man of the match. Bielik had composure, energy and most importantly, control.

That hasn’t always been apparent at Derby this season.

Rob Lee has exclusively told Football FanCast that Sean Longstaff should forget about a potential move to Tottenham Hotspur and focus on enjoying his time with Newcastle United.

The former Magpies midfielder believes Longstaff has fallen from the heights supporters saw of the academy product following his graduation under Rafa Benitez in 2018, and must focus on regaining his form before even considering a route out of Tyneside.

Longstaff has been linked with a potential switch to Jose Mourinho’s Spurs by the Daily Mail after changing his agent to be represented by Pini Zahavi, who is said to have told those close to the 23-year-old that he can orchestrate a deal.

Zahavi is known as ‘Mr Fix It’ for his record of brokering deals for players, including current Spurs midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg who rejected interest from Everton to ensure he would join Mourinho’s squad from Southampton in the summer.

Alex Telles, who left FC Porto for Manchester United this summer, is another of Zahavi’s clients, alongside FIFA Men’s Player of the Year Robert Lewandowski.

Lee would urge Longstaff to be cautious over following Hojbjerg and Telles in allowing Zahavi to broker a deal, as the Toon talent would only be left on the bench at Tottenham.

“If you’ve got an agent like that, then sometimes maybe you get pushed into things, doing things that maybe you shouldn’t do. I don’t know who his agent was before. I don’t know why he left his agent, but it just seems, maybe you get carried away with who is Pini Zahavi and what players he’s got and how he’s moved them,” Lee told Football FanCast.

“It doesn’t always work for me. Yeah, he’s played 30-odd games, done well, [but] hasn’t hit the heights he hit when he first come in this year, maybe that’s because the teams not playing well. He’s had a couple of little knocks and I just think you have to sometimes forget about all that and just get on and enjoy playing football.

“It seems that kids have so much more on their mind now about moving and cars and houses and just enjoy playing football. It goes so quick. I tell my sons to enjoy it at whatever level you’re playing because it goes so quick. And you want to be playing regardless.

“There’s no point him going to Spurs or Man United and not playing, what’s the point? The idea you become a footballer is to play football, you enjoy football, you want to play football and for me, once he’s played 100 games and he’s played at a great level and scored goals and knocked on the England door, then if you want to move and you feel Newcastle isn’t the place for you then do it then.”

Longstaff has been linked with a switch to north London before after Spurs scouted the 23-year-old amid their search for depth in the engine room, with young up-and-comers seen as their best bet to solve an area that had needed attention for a few years.

Whether they decide to pursue a deal in the New Year remains to be seen, while Longstaff – who Manchester United were quoted £50million for last year – is believed to be keen on staying at St. James’ Park where discussions over a new contract are expected to begin soon.

AND in other news, Mike Ashley must block Steve Bruce from making a knee-jerk decision on an “instrumental” Newcastle gem.

Celtic must look to sell Olivier Ntcham in the January transfer window amid interest from Premier League side West Brom.

What’s the story?

The Frenchman has yet to complete the full 90 minutes in the Scottish Premiership this season for Neil Lennon’s side, and has scored just the one goal too.

Now, Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph has claimed that West Brom have made “initial contact” over Ntcham, and that a number of clubs in France are also keen on signing the midfielder.

Celtic must sell

Rumours of an Ntcham exit has been a long-running saga now, but it’s surely the perfect time for the Hoops to finally cut their losses on the £3.6m-rated ace.

His performances this season have shown nothing to suggest that the Bhoys will really miss him in a way they might have done a couple of seasons ago when he was really showcasing his potential – a record of just one goal and two assists in 23 games is testament to that.

It’s a far cry from August 2019 when Lennon said: “Olivier Ntcham is an excellent player and it’s really up to him to keep that consistency. When he is in the mood, he’s fantastic. If we can just get that consistent level from him, we’ll have one hell of a player on our hands – as we already do.”

Sadly for both Ntcham and Celtic, things just haven’t quite gone the way they would have hoped. It’s about time they move on from this saga and look to the future.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former West Ham striker Marlon Harewood backed his old club’s pursuit of Reims striker Boulaye Dia.

The Hammers are in the market to sign a centre-forward this month after Sebastien Haller’s exit and a number of attackers have been targeted.

However, one of the latest rumours surrounds Dia. According to Sport.fr, the Irons have submitted an offer to sign the 24-year-old in January.

That bid is supposedly around the €10m (£8.9m) mark, so it won’t set David’s Gold and Sullivan back too much.

The Frenchman has scored 12 goals in just 18 appearances in Ligue 1 this term which bodes well for any potential move to London.

It’s a swoop that’s been urged to happen by former West Ham striker Harewood. Speaking exclusively to FFC this week, he revealed that getting Dia would be a good piece of business.

“It seems like he’s got goals, and he’s got a good ratio at the moment. It’s just one of those things like when it comes to the Premier League, how quickly settled and how quickly he gets to grips of playing with West Ham and the way they play,” he began.

Harewood continued: “So hopefully he’s another Antonio because he’s been absolutely fantastic. And that’s the sort of player that West Ham need upfront, to help him out by playing both of them or when Antonio’s not playing, he’s the same type of player that West Ham need running the frontline.”

Dia’s form has rather come out of nowhere this season. Last term, the forward netted only eight times, so he’s already surpassed that tally in 2020/21 by some margin.

Whether West Ham’s initial bid proves successful is doubtful at this stage, with Reims looking for an increased fee of €15m (£13.3m) in order to let him go.

As Harewood alludes to, Dia is a willing runner and has completed as many as 1.3 dribbles per game this season. For context, Antonio has registered 1.6 a match.

This would certainly be an interesting acquisition if West Ham can get a deal done.

AND in other news, Dream Noble heir: Sullivan must seal WHU swoop for £25m box-to-box beast…

According to a report by Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport, via Sport Witness, West Ham United have been ‘offered’ the chance to sign AS Roma striker Edin Dzeko in January by an agent – coming as the former Premier League target man is currently at the centre of an alleged fall out with manager Paulo Fonseca.

Dzeko, who enjoyed a prolific spell with Manchester City in England, winning two league titles, one FA Cup, one League Cup and the Community Shield (Transfermarkt), has now apparently been offered out to the Irons as David Moyes continues his striker chase.

Dzeko ‘offered’ to West Ham

Entering the list of linked attacking stars West Ham could reportedly snap up this month, Dzeko is now claimed to be on the table for GSB due to an Italian agent presenting him as a new striking option.

Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness) claim that Bosnian has had a behind the scenes fall-out with Fonseca, with their relationship as player and first team coach though to be ‘beyond repair’.

As a result, Dzeko could leave this month, with this report saying an agent has now swooped in to try and take advantage of Dzeko’s reported unrest in the Italian capital.

Indeed, he has allegedly ‘offered’ the 34-year-old to West Ham in this potential bid to orchestrate a January deal, gifting the Irons a chance to land his signing.

Transfer Tavern take

Having plenty of experience in the Premier League and that very top level, Dzeko could be a viable option for Moyes and co – with West Ham cult hero Paolo Di Canio certainly rating him.

In an interview with Sky Sports recently (via Area Napoli.it), Di Canio lavished Roma’s forward with praise – branding him an ‘extraordinary player’.

This theory is supported by the fact, despite his age, Dzeko has still managed 7 goals in 14 Serie A starts this season – winning 3.1 aerial duels per 90 and attempting 2.7 shots a game on average (WhoScored).

Time will tell whether GSB take advantage of this apparent situation, but if they do, it could certainly be worth their efforts as the final stretch of this window nears.

In other news: West Ham fans weren’t impressed with this ‘weak’ ace versus Doncaster, find out more here.