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Despite Valerien Ismael’s West Bromwich Albion side still boasting an unbeaten record after seven Championship fixtures played this season, the Baggies’ last two results have highlighted a clear flaw in the Frenchman’s setup at The Hawthorns.

Indeed, despite dominating possession of the ball against both Millwall and Derby County, Albion picked up just two points from the two fixtures, labouring to 1-1 and 0-0 draws against the Lions and the Rams respectively.

This led to Express & Star journalist Joseph Masi stating his belief that Ismael’s side need to be able to adapt to in-game situations more efficiently, as well it being clear that teams have figured out West Brom’s initial setup and plan under the 45-year-old.

As such, heading into what is sure to be another challenging fixture against Preston North End this Saturday, with Frankie McAvoy’s side currently on a run of four games without defeat in the league, it would appear wise for Ismael to shake things up with his starting XI for the clash with the Lilywhites.

Hugill must start

Ismael himself stated upon Hugill’s signing that the centre-forward has the ability to make his side more adaptable, in addition to Adam Reach claiming that the 29-year-old gives Albion a “presence” in the opponent’s penalty area and dubbing the Norwich City loanee a “quality” player. Therefore, there already seems to be a view at The Hawthorns that Hugill is a player who has the talent to change up the Baggies’ style of play.

Indeed, the £1.8m-rated man has demonstrated previously that he has what it takes to find the back of the net on a consistent basis in the Championship, scoring 12 goals over 44 appearances for Preston in 2016/17 and 13 goals over 39 fixtures for Queens Park Rangers in 2019/20.

While he is yet to bag his first goal for West Brom, the £36k-per-week forward has nevertheless impressed over his three substitute appearances in the second tier, taking three shots and making 0.3 key passes per game, as well as winning an impressive 4.7 duels per fixture.

As such, it would certainly appear a wise move for Ismael to award the striker his first Championship start for the Baggies against Preston on Saturday. The 29-year-old’s physicality and eye for goal would likely terrify the Lilywhite’s centre-backs, as well as helping to make the Frenchman’s West Brom setup a little less one-dimensional.

In other news: Ismael drops fresh West Brom injury update which will have the Frenchman buzzing

Football Insider pundit Kevin Phillips has been reacting to Celtic and Rangers’ reported interest in Millwall star Jed Wallace.

The Lowdown: Wallace links

Football League World shared a report regarding Wallace just a day after Dominic McKay left his position as Celtic CEO.

They claimed that a number of English clubs, as well as Celtic and Rangers, were all interested in securing Wallace’s services.

The 27-year-old is out of contract next summer and has already been involved in six Championship goals in eight appearances this season.

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The Latest: Phillips reacts

Phillips was asked by Football Insider if right-midfielder Wallace would be a good signing for either Celtic or Rangers.

The former forward labelled Wallace as a ‘top’ player and backed him to ‘shine’ if he moved to Scotland.

“Wallace has been a top player for Millwall over the past few years. He has proved to be a good signing for them.

“I think he would shine if he went up there. He has all of the attributes to move up to Scotland, settle in quickly and do really well.”

However, the 48-year-old then went on to name-check Rangers ahead of Celtic, labelling a possible free transfer as a no-brainer.

“We know he possesses a lot of quality so if he goes up to Rangers, which I can see happening, Steven Gerrard will be getting a player who can slot into that squad quickly.

“On a free it really would be a no-brainer.”

The Verdict: January battle?

Both Glasgow sides could hold an advantage over interested English clubs due to cross border rules.

Should Wallace’s situation remain the same, both the Hoops and the Gers would be able to discuss pre-contract terms with the Englishman in the New Year, something clubs down south wouldn’t be able to do.

On that basis, a winter window battle between Celtic and Rangers could be on the cards.

In other news: 12 games out – Ange handed more Celtic injury problems as update emerges.

Sunderland return to competitive action on Wednesday night as they host Manchester United’s under-23 side at the Stadium of Light in the EFL Trophy.

The Black Cats won their opening match in the group last time out, beating fellow League One outfit Lincoln 2-1 away from home last week. Meanwhile, United have won one and lost one of their two matches in the competition, with Sunderland able to move above the Red Devils in their group with a win on Wednesday.

One player who Lee Johnson must unleash against the under-23 Premier League side is young forward Stephen Wearne.

The 20-year-old whizz kid made his senior bow against Lincoln as he came off the bench and scored the crucial second goal for the Black Cats. He came on for Ellis Taylor and played out wide on the right, marking his debut with a special goal which will surely live in his memory for a long time.

Speaking after the game, Wearne explained how much the goal meant to him. He said: “I was delighted to make my debut, it was a good team performance and obviously I’m happy to get the goal and with my family being here as well – my mum, my dad, my sister, and girlfriend – it was a special moment. I was delighted to score in front of the fans and it was a great feeling.

“I found out I was going to be in the squad the other day. The U23s had a game on Monday and I was told I was only going to play 45 minutes and then be on the bench on Tuesday. There was a possibility I might come on so I was just raring to go and excited to play and even more happy to get the goal.”

Taylor, who Wearne replaced, endured a difficult night against Lincoln as he lost half of his duels and gave away possession of the ball 11 times from just 28 touches. He also failed with both of his attempted crosses and did not attempt a single dribble, which is why Johnson must now unleash Wearne from the start against Manchester United’s under-23s.

In just 28 minutes, Wearne completed 10 of his 12 attempted passes and scored a goal to showcase his quality in the final third. This shows that he has the quality to be a game-changer for Sunderland, as he was able to find the back of the net at senior level, which means that he could score important goals to help Johnson’s side secure valuable points in the league and the EFL Trophy.

Therefore, the Black Cats boss should select him from the start on Wednesday night to see if he can replicate his Lincoln performance over the course of 90 minutes.

Celtic have agreed on terms with VVV-Venlo for striker Georgios Giakoumakis, according to journalist Giannis Chorianopoulos.

The Lowdown: No Henry move

Celtic have been linked with two strikers abroad in recent weeks, the first of which was Thomas Henry.

The Hoops were thought to be on the brink of winning the race for the French forward, however, he signed for Italian side Venezia on Tuesday.

Giakoumakis, described as ‘special’ in the Netherlands, was the second striker Celtic showed an interest in, and after Werder Bremen struggled to finance a deal for the Greece international, it appears as if a move to Parkhead is gathering pace.

The Latest: Chorianopoulos post

Chorianopoulos, who reports for Sportime.gr, took to Twitter on Tuesday lunchtime to share an update on Giakoumakis.

He revealed that a deal has seemingly been struck with the Dutch side for the forward, however, personal terms are yet to be reached.

“Giakoumakis transfer as we speak: Celtic have agreed terms in principle with Venlo but not with the player. Werder’s offer is more close to Giakoumakis demands but German club have not agreed terms with Venlo.”

Chorianopoulos doesn’t specify how much an agreement is worth, however, Anthony Joseph previously stated that VVV-Venlo wanted £3m.

The Verdict: Final hurdle

It seems as if Dominic McKay has taken a big step in bringing a new forward to Celtic Park.

Hopefully personal terms can be struck soon, especially as the 26-year-old is on just £2,200-a-week – less than Conor Hazard and Ewan Henderson.

On that basis, you’d like to think Celtic would be willing to increase the forward’s wage considerably after just coming off the back of his best season in front of goal.

With six days to go, Celtic should look to tie up a deal for Giakoumakis as soon as possible and then possibly look at cashing in on Odsonne Edouard.

In other news: ‘Great chance’ – 34 y/o feels £988k-p/y ace will be a Celtic player on Sep 1 after Romano claim. 

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Leeds United midfielder Carlton Palmer believes it was always going to be difficult for his old club to sign Chelsea youngster Conor Gallagher.

As per TEAMtalk, Marcelo Bielsa was keen on bringing Gallagher to Elland Road on loan but ended up missing out on him to Crystal Palace.

Leeds were able to acquire another midfielder with Chelsea connections in Lewis Bate, signing the 18-year-old on a three-year deal, but the Whites will still be disappointed that they lost the race for Gallagher’s signature.

From Palmer’s perspective, though, it was always going to be tough to lure the England U21 international to the Yorkshire club.

“It’s a difficult one, isn’t it?” the ex-Leeds player said. “You’ve got to remember, he’s a London boy. His parent club is Chelsea, so if a club comes in for him and he hasn’t got to leave, he can stay in London, then obviously that’s going to be his first choice.

“I think he’s likely to get more first-team football at Crystal Palace because Leeds have a very, very good side. And then obviously with the opportunity to work with Patrick Vieira, who’s a legend of the game, I think it was always going to be difficult for Leeds.”

Since officially joining Palace, Gallagher has spoken about Vieira being influential in his decision to spend the season at Selhurst Park.

As long as he gets game time, it should be a good move, though it would have been interesting to see how he would have developed under a brilliant coach in Bielsa.

A number of Liverpool fans want Ben Woodburn to be sold permanently after he was linked with a loan move to Scottish Premiership side Hearts.

The 21-year-old has had a curious Reds career to date, initially becoming the youngest goalscorer in the club’s history after netting against Leeds United in 2016, aged just 17 years and 45 days.

Woodburn struggled to kick on from that point, however, and he has found himself loaned out to the likes of Sheffield United, Oxford United and Blackpool.

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The Welshman has had a good pre-season back at Liverpool, though, and he was even on the substitutes’ bench for Saturday’s 3-0 win at Norwich City.

According to Goal‘s Neil Jones [via the journalist’s Twitter account], Hearts want to sign Woodburn on loan, eyeing him up as a shrewd addition this season.

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Liverpool fans want Woodburn to be sold

These Liverpool fans provided their thoughts on Twitter, with many saying it is time for a permanent exit to be sealed.

“Isn’t he in the final year of his contract? What’s the point of a loan?”

Credit: @Homes19LFC

“My mind wants Mbappe money”

Credit: @JUSTLFC2

“Sell him. You can’t go on loan every season”

Credit: @alfonso67953001

“No more pointless loans, just take whatever you can get for him and ship him off permanently”

Credit: @6timesladdd

“He’s into his final year of contract why don’t we sell him?”

Credit: @lemboi11

“They can have him”

Credit: @royhans11426004

In other news, some Liverpool fans have raved about one piece of footage that has emerged. Read more here.

West Ham United face fresh competition over one of their latest striker targets…

What’s the word?

Over the weekend, the Irons were linked with a move for former Premier League frontman Salomon Rondon, formerly of Newcastle United and West Bromwich Albion.

The Daily Mail believe the east Londoners are one of several teams eyeing up a return for the Venezuelan international.

And now, according to Sky Sports’ Transfer Centre (29th August, 18:19), Rondon’s former manager Rafa Benitez is thought to be lining up a swoop for his old striker in a bid to add some depth to his attack.

The 31-year-old is currently on-loan to Russian side CSKA Moscow but talks are said to be ‘ongoing’ with the Toffees.

Sullivan must act

If the Hammers are to end David Moyes’ striker nightmare, then it’s time for the club’s majority shareholder, David Sullivan, to take matters into his own hands to provide his boss with the tools he requires.

It’s no secret that the Scotsman is absolutely desperate for a new forward. He may well have remained coy about the prospects in recent interviews but you have to imagine he’s a little nervous heading into a potential 50-plus game campaign with only one senior option – Michail Antonio.

And whilst the 31-year-old talisman has started the season like a house on fire, with four goals and three assists to lead the goalscoring charts in the Premier League, many will be expecting his injury problems to come to the surface at some point.

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Since the 2017/18 campaign, Antonio has failed to surpass 24 league starts, per WhoScored, and that’s all down to persistent niggles and knocks.

Last season, for example, he missed ten matches through injury yet still finished at Moyes’ joint-top goalscorer on ten goals. His presence is certainly needed in this squad but a solid backup option would be very beneficial.

Rondon isn’t a name that’s going to have fans at the London Stadium super excited but at the very least, it should allow Moyes to rotate his line-up in competitions such as the Carabao Cup, FA Cup and Europa League in a bid to improve on last season’s incredible sixth-place finish.

The 83-cap international has a respectable record in the English top-flight, where he has delivered 35 goals across four straight seasons for the Magpies.

His form up north earned the tag of him being a “swashbuckling” centre-forward with qualities similar to that of Les Ferdinand by Lee Clark, via ChronicleLive in 2019.

At 6 foot 1 with target man qualities – he has an average of 2.8 aerial duels won per game throughout his career – the towering colossus would also offer Moyes something different in attack, so he too could change matches in the Premier League.

Valued at just £4.5m by Transfermarkt, Rondon could be the perfect, easy and cheap stop-gap solution to the Irons’ ongoing striker situation. But given interest from his former boss Benitez, GSB will have to act fast.

AND in other news, West Ham “unlikely” to move for this mooted target, fans won’t be happy…

Carlton Palmer insists that Declan Rice is not worth over £100m despite reports linking him with a huge move away from West Ham United this summer.

Rice is reported to have rejected two contract offers from the Hammers as he waits to see if bids are tabled for him.

Manchester United and Chelsea have both been linked with a swoop for Rice, who is said to be valued at over £100m in this transfer market.

Indeed, the England international enjoyed a superb European Championships, forming an exceptional partnership with Kalvin Phillips in midfield as the Three Lions reached the final.

But Palmer is not sure about Rice’s ability and believes that he is nowhere near the ability of either Roy Keane or Paul Ince, who both played for the Red Devils and are players he considers a benchmark when it comes to defensive midfielders.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, the ex-England international said: “I’ve watched Declan in the Euros and I think he’s a very good player but there’s something that’s just not right for me there. I know people are putting him at the level that they’re putting him at but it just doesn’t seem right for me.

“I look at a centre midfield player, I look at Roy Keane, I look at Incey, do I put him in the same category as those players? I don’t think so. I don’t think he’s even close to those two so they’re talking £100m and £150m.”

“Good Odsonne, good Odsonne!” screamed new Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou during his open mic training session last week.

The Australian must have been chomping at the bit to work with such a prolific finisher but it remains to be seen whether Edouard will actually stay at Parkhead for too much longer.

Celtic’s star man has been linked with the exit door for over a year now and a move very nearly went through last month.

Edouard had been touted with Leicester City but a deal fell through after they signed a different target instead.

It’s surprising to see the Frenchman back in Celtic colours again but it wouldn’t be a great shock if he departs before the transfer window is done and dusted.

If the striker does leave then the Hoops will have a massive void to fill.

The 23-year-old has been their top scorer for a number of years now and without his goals last term, they’d have fallen even further behind Rangers in the Premiership.

If the France youth international does seal an exit they should look no further than Clermont Foot attacker Mohamed Bayo.

The Hoops have only just waved farewell to another Bayo in Vakoun Issouf but the 23-year-old has the potential to be a wonderful signing.

The Daily Record suggested him as a potential signing last weekend, adding fuel to the fire of various debates to emerge on social media.

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Celtic analytics accounts have profiled Bayo on several occasions, encouraging a move to be made.

Bhoys Analytics shared a video of his play and raised the question of whether he should be Edouard’s replacement back in March. Everything Celtic have also urged the club to move on two occasions now, tweeting the following in May:

“Standing at 6ft 2 Bayo offers an aerial threat Celtic have been missing. He’s a powerful, pacey striker & sharpshooter in front of goal.”

You only need to look at the striker’s record for Clermont Foot last season to understand why he’s such a topic of debate. He scored 22 goals in all competitions, proving to be a dynamic threat in front of goal.

Celtic have had plenty of triumphs when recruiting from France down the years with Edouard, Moussa Dembele and Christopher Jullien just a few success stories.

The Glaswegian side should look to utilise their strong connections across the channel again this summer in a bid to give them an extra dose of firepower.

Albian Ajeti has looked impressive in pre-season and could be given greater freedom to perform by Postecoglou next season but if Edouard departs, they will need an out and out goal-scorer.

Supporters might be worried that Bayo would arrive from the second-tier of French football but look no further than N’Golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez to understand that their lower leagues are a breeding ground for some of the best talent around.

AND in other news, Ange can finally axe Christie at Celtic by unleashing “first-class” rarely-seen 19 y/o…

Carlton Palmer admits the contract situation hanging over Julian Borner and Sheffield Wednesday is “going to get messy”.

The German defender is attempting to force through a move to Hannover 96 following the Yorkshire club’s relegation into League One.

Financial difficulties had seen some members of Wednesday’s squad not paid, resulting in a number of senior players considering handing in their two-week period of written notice.

The PFA have also got involved as it has been reported that players have not been paid either in full or on time for the past three months.

Borner, who made 30 appearances for the Hillsborough club last season, believes he should be able to walk away from Wednesday on a free transfer and is supposedly opening arbitration proceedings as a result of unpaid wages.

Hannover have already agreed a contract with the 30-year-old but Wednesday are holding firm and insist he cannot rip up his deal, which still has a year to run.

Palmer, who had two spells with the Owls during his playing career, does not see how the situation can be resolved amicably.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “It’s going to get messy because it’s an interpretation. If the players haven’t been paid for a period of time then they are entitled to exercise the right to cancel their contracts.

“The problem is when they have been paid part of their salary. My understanding is that the players have been paid part of their wages. As long as they’ve been paid part of their wages, they’re in a situation where they’re owed money but they can’t cancel their contract.

“Obviously you’re going to get some agents who are going to try to be clever and say he hasn’t been in full so we’re entitled to cancel the contract. My understanding is they can’t do that.”