West Brom fans react to traffic update

Many West Bromwich Albion supporters have flocked to Twitter to discuss an issue at the Hawthorns.

The Athletic’s West Brom correspondent, Steve Madeley, produced a story about the current traffic problem which has occurred at the home of the Baggies this season.

In the report, Madeley states how some fans have missed games due to being stuck in traffic or are even turning around and heading home after being delayed.

According to West Midlands Police, traffic management around the stadium is not within their jurisdiction and the club also have no authority over the road network.

It is said that the issue is Junction 1 of the M5, which is close to the ground, with both sets of fans using the roundabout when travelling to games.

West Brom fans flock to Madeley tweet

These West Brom fans have taken to Twitter to react to Madeley’s tweet and have told their own stories and frustrations about the current problem at the ground.

“I am close to giving up after 4 decades of going and it is all to do with the parking and a bit of Sky fixture lottery”

Credit: @shrew69

“Junction 1 island is horrific. Said it before, and ill say it again, nobody will do NOTHING til someone is killed on that island. Easiest football stadium to get to (from a motorway)… The most unorganised, chaotic nightmare of a stadium to get to!”

Credit: @WBAFC_TOM

“It’s not just about the ‘routes’, there needs to be affordable and accessible parking. The club need to step in. I had a ticket for the Derby game but couldn’t face the challenge of getting there after the Millwall game so I didn’t go.”Credit: @blueandwhite78″Never known it as bad as this season, leaving Sutton 2 hours before kick off just to guarantee making kick off now”Credit: @b_smith82″The problem on the motorway island is everyone’s so selfish and just want to get on to the island that they block the exits. So the other cars can’t leave the island and it all just sits there not moving.”Credit: @JonW1995″Takes me 2 hours, I live 10 mile from ground.”Credit: @8en1990In other news, some West Brom fans have expressed their unhappiness with this player. Find out more here.

Conte re-joins Milenkovic race

As per Calciomercato, a Tottenham Hotspur transfer update has emerged involving Fiorentina star Nikola Milenkovic.

The Lowdown: Spurs enter summer talks…

The Lilywhites and Fabio Paratici where heavily interested in bringing the Serbia defender to north London at one point in the summer as they competed with bitter rivals West Ham for his services.

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As per Sky Sports, Tottenham had entered talks to sign Milenkovic after his proposed move to the Irons broke down, coming amid their previous search for a right-back and centre-half.

Despite eventually snapping up both Emerson Royal and Cristian Romero for those positions in the squad, it appears manager Antonio Conte has reignited interest.

The Latest: Conte re-joins race…

According to Calciomercato, Tottenham, and by extension Conte, have re-joined the race for Milenkovic and linger in the background as they eye a January move.

The 24-year-old is now apparently a target for Spurs again as his future with La Viola becomes one of the Serie A side’s biggest talking points of the winter window.

The Verdict: Get it done…

Milenkovic’s deal expires in 2023, putting Fiorentina under some pressure to potentially recoup a large fee while they can, with any figure around his £22.5 million Transfermarkt estimation coming as arguably good business.

The 6 foot 4 powerhouse, still a fairly young age, would come to Spurs with a degree of sell-on value whilst providing Conte with a needed reinforcement defensively.

According to WhoScored, only the in-form Eric Dier has averaged more clearances per 90 than Milenkovic out of Tottenham’s entire centre-back roster – while the Serb towers over every Spurs player in terms of aerial duels won.

Lauded as ‘extraordinary’ by Spanish defender Pol Lirola, these numbers and tags could point to shrewd January signing.

In other news: Conte wants player gone in January with final decision made, Spurs chiefs already told to sell…find out more here.

Everton set for disaster with Michael Keane

Everton have found themselves in a Premier League relegation battle this season with Frank Lampard desperately trying to save them from a drop into the Championship next season, but he could be heading for disaster if reports are to be believed on Michael Keane’s future at the club.

What’s the word?

According to journalist Paul Brown, Everton will keep hold of Keane this summer due to a potential lack of interest in the player and a contract that runs until 2025.

Brown told GIVEMESPORT;

“Michael Keane and Ben Godfrey are both under contract until 2025, so I can’t see that either of those two will be moved.

“There probably wouldn’t be much of a market for Keane anyway; he’s not playing well this season.”

Major Everton nightmare

It is no secret that the Everton centre-back has had an abysmal season, with a number of serious blunders in his performances that have ultimately cost the team crucial points in their pursuit for safety in top flight football.

Keane tops the list for Premier League own goals this season with two instances where the defender has opened up the scoring for his opponents, with one goal scored against Norwich City at Carrow Road in a 2-1 defeat, and then scoring the first goal again a few weeks later for Tottenham Hotspur in the 5-0 thrashing.

The £65k-p/w centre-back, who was dubbed a “liability” by Trevor Sinclair, then proceeded to get red carded against West Ham United which saw Everton concede another defeat, proving that the player has let his team down time and time again this season with extremely poor decision making in the last few months during the most vulnerable time for the club.

If Lampard manages to secure safety for Everton this season there is no doubt that he will need to strengthen his team to ensure that they don’t find themselves in a similar position next season, and with Keane’s aforementioned mistakes hindering the team’s progress, the manager could be sleepwalking into a major nightmare by not encouraging the club to move him on this summer.

With that being said, the former Chelsea boss must do everything he can to either demote the defender to a squad player by signing a replacement or put Keane on the transfer market in an effort to sell ahead of next season as improving the squad should be the top priority this summer.

In other news: Lampard can unearth the new Terry as Everton plot bid for 19 y/o heading for “the top”

Man Utd could sign Maguire upgrade in Rudiger

Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick could sign a major upgrade on Harry Maguire with Chelsea star Antonio Rudiger.

What’s the story?

According to reports from Sky Deutschland (via Sport Witness), United are one of a number of top European sides who are chasing the Germany international.

It’s claimed that the likes of PSG and Bayern Munich have joined Real Madrid in the race to sign the central defender, and that Rangnick’s side have now emerged as an additional contender for his signature.

Better than Maguire

While Maguire may be established as a cornerstone of this United defence, Rudiger’s arrival would see the club land a genuine upgrade on the England international.

As per Whoscored, the £100k-per-week German has averaged an impressive 7.00 match rating over the course of the Premier League this season, which far betters Maguire’s measly 6.56.

And, when you look at the key underlying numbers, it’s easy to see why.

Rudiger averages almost double the number of interceptions that Maguire does, while he also boasts a far higher average number of passes and key passes per game – the kind of ball-playing centre-back that could thrive under Rangnick.

The Chelsea man also wins more offsides per game too, a pointer of how his pace and reading of the game is slightly superior to that of Maguire.

Rudiger’s performances for the Blues has earned rave reviews from a number of people, not least former United man Rio Ferdinand, who waxed lyrical about just how good he has been in the top-flight.

He said (via the Metro): “Look at Rudiger, he’s arguably, since Tuchel has been there (at Chelsea), been the best defender in the Premier League. Him or (Ruben) Dias in that time. He’s been unbelievable, he’s like an animal.”

And, speaking to BILD, Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel was similarly effusive in his praise, saying: “Toni has established himself exceptionally since the first day we arrived. He is an absolute leader and plays at an incredibly high level.”

The £31.5m-rated star could bring some proven Premier League experience and quality to this United back-line, and a real upgrade on Maguire.

Meanwhile, Man Utd must move for this Serie A midfielder…

Aston Villa must complete Gomez transfer

With a loan move for Philippe Coutinho and a permanent deal for Lucas Digne already secured this month, Aston Villa and Steven Gerrard have been making no qualms in terms of flexing their finances and ability to attract players.

Looking ahead to the remainder of the window, one player that the Villans have been linked with in recent weeks that would certainly be an attractive prospect for Gerrard to have in his team and improve them is Liverpool centre-back Joe Gomez.

Gomez joined Liverpool back in the 2015 summer transfer window from Charlton Athletic in a deal worth a reported fee of £3.5m.

Since then, the Englishman has made a total of 131 appearances across all competitions for the Merseyside club, winning the Premier League and Champions League along the way.

Labelled as an “unbelievable” player by fellow Reds defender Trent Alexander-Arnold, Gomez has found regular game time hard to come by this season, particularly in the Premier League with just three substitute appearances under his belt.

This suggests that should Villa make an approach to Gomez and his representatives this month over a potential deal, perhaps the promise of regular playing time under Gerrard’s guidance would be tempting for the defender.

From Villa’s point of view, they have a space in their squad for a player like the England international given how they recently said goodbye to Axel Tuanzebe after his loan deal was cut short by Manchester United.

Someone of Gomez’s calibre could well rival the likes of Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings and Kortney Hause for a place in the starting XI, thus sealing Gerrard a dream deal. He has already sealed one player who used to be at his former employers and bringing in another individual well known to him would surely be ideal, especially when it comes to building a working relationship.

Speaking of Mings, in a recent poll ran by Football FanCast, 66% of Villa fans think the England international is a liability for the team after his shaky performance in their 3-1 defeat against Chelsea, where he was at fault for Romelu Lukaku’s goal, further highlighting the need for a new defender to come in this month.

As for Gerrard, someone with obvious connections at Liverpool, it would undoubtedly be a dream move for him to have someone like Gomez in his side that has experience of playing at the top level under a manager such as Jurgen Klopp to potentially improve him even further.

Before the window closes, Villa should definitely test the waters to see if Gomez would be willing to make the move to the Midlands and if the Anfield outfit would be willing to let their £22.5m-rated centre-half go halfway through the season.

In other news: Imagine him & Coutinho: Gerrard can form scary AVFC duo with “clever” £43k-p/w gem – opinion

Sheffield United fans react as Hogan joins on loan

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Loads of Sheffield United fans have been reacting to their big deadline day signing, as Scott Hogan has joined the club on loan.

Hogan has joined the Blades on a temporary deal until the end of the season, the club confirmed on Thursday.

The 26 year-old has made just seven appearances in all competitions for Aston Villa this season, per Transfermarkt, due partly to the incredible goalscoring form of Tammy Abraham.

Who are the best away fans in the Championship? Pl>ymaker FC’s Thogden gives his top 10 in the video below…

While he hasn’t found the net in his limited playing time this season, Hogan’s work rate and versatility will be a huge boost for Chris Wilder.

The three-cap Irish international is of course primarily a centre forward, but he can play on the wings as well, and his tireless running down the channels and constant harrying of the opposition defenders will add another element to Wilder’s arsenal.

He will be an brilliantly shrewd signing if he can rediscover his Brentford form, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions to the signing down below…

West Ham fans buzz over Lacazette claim

Flocking to Twitter, many West Ham United fans have been left buzzing after a transfer development as they target Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette.

Amid new head of recruitment Rob Newman’s search for a back-up option to Michail Antonio, there have been no shortage of names linked.

One of the more recent ones is Lacazette, who could even leave for free in 2022 with his Gunners contract expiring at the end of the season, prompting West Ham to take notice.

90min first lifted the lid on their interest in the Frenchman who scored 17 goals in all competitions last season, with Jeunesfooteux.com now claiming that contact has already been made.

Indeed, they also claim West Ham have ‘already positioned themselves’ to sign Lacazette – who has been described as a ‘big’ player by managar Mikel Arteta.

Flocking to his news, many Irons fans are certainly eager to see their club sign him and end their year-long search for a centre-forward signing.

Find all of their best Twitter verdicts on the development down below.

West Ham fans erupt as contact made for Lacazette…

“This would be crackin’ for the right price”

Credit: @EllYouSeeAyeEss

“what”

Credit: @whujoe

“Happily take that”

Credit: @whuNotorious

“Been saying for months he’d be ideal in January”

Credit: @Rob__75

“Yes please”

Credit: @Hstikkyt0kky

“No brainer for me”

Credit: @DOWHU_1995

“Goalscorer, works hard, I’m all in on Laca”

Credit: @connorahumpage

“Yes yes yes”

Credit: @leebrown22

In other news: West Ham favourites to sign 6 ft 3 powerhouse who already has a foot and a half out the exit door, find out more here.

Leeds’ 3 worst players v Brighton

Leeds United managed to come away from Brighton with a point despite a sloppy performance on Saturday evening.

Marcelo Bielsa’s men struggled at the Amex Stadium, with the hosts missing two big chances and hitting the woodwork on three occasions in a 0-0 draw.

Here at The Transfer Tavern, we look into the three worst-rated Leeds starters as per statistical specialists SofaScore, with players required to feature for at least 45 minutes for ranking.

Raphinha – 6.3/10

Raphinha was brought back into the side but had an evening to forget. The influential winger was the Whites’ worst-rated performer with a rating of 6.3/10.

He lost the ball a whopping 21 times, was second-best in eight of his 15 duels and completed just one of his five attempted dribbles.

The Brazil winger also failed to register a shot on goal or complete a key pass, with nothing clicking for Leeds on the south coast.

Junior Firpo – 6.6/10

Firpo was another man who was brought back in by Bielsa, but he had a torrid evening and was replaced at the interval.

Booked early on, the Spaniard failed to cope with Tariq Lamptey, losing six of his 12 duels and committing four fouls.

The left-back gave the ball away eight times in 45 minutes and failed to make a key pass going forward prior to his early withdrawal.

Jack Harrison – 6.6/10

In front of Firpo was Harrison, who kept his place in the side following the defeat to Tottenham last time out but struggled against the Seagulls.

He lost eight of his 11 duels, gave the ball away on 19 occasions and made just one key pass all evening.

Harrison also failed to complete any of his crosses and didn’t register a shot on goal, making it an evening to forget for the left-hand side.

In other news: Big Leeds transfer rumour emerges regarding ‘magnificent’ player; two Premier League giants mentioned

Aston Villa set to land Rory Wilson

Aston Villa look set to pip Liverpool to the signing of Rangers forward Rory Wilson, according to The Scottish Sun.

The Lowdown: Academy additions at Villa

Despite winning a first FA Youth Cup since 2002 last year, Villa have continued to bolster their academy ranks with a number of signings.

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Kerr Smith, Finley Thorndike, Finn Azaz, Caleb Chukwuemeka, Declan Frith and Tim Iroegbunam have all made the move to Bodymoor Heath in the last 12 months.

Iroegbunam has been the standout youngster to catch Steven Gerrard’s eye, with the midfielder now regarded as a first-team player after signing a new deal.

The Latest: Wilson next for Villa?

The Scottish Sun shared a story on Monday morning, revealing that Villa look set to pip Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United in the race for Wilson’s services.

The 16-year-old has been labelled a goal machine, with Villa needing to pay a compensation fee to Rangers, believed to be in the region of £300,000.

The Verdict: Exciting move

Wilson looks like he could be a star in the making, going by the widespread interest that he is receiving from elite clibs.

Therefore, he looks set to be another exciting addition for Villa’s academy, with Rangers now resigned to losing the youngster despite offering him professional terms and Gerrard set to cause frustration for his former club Liverpool.

Hopefully a deal will go through soon and Wilson will settle into life in the Midlands relatively quickly, and over the coming years, we could see him break into the first-team squad.

In other news: ‘Monster’ – Source reveals Villa now want to hijack major Tottenham move; same agent as Pogba

Villa could meet £33.4m Coutinho option

Spanish outlet Sport have provided an update regarding Aston Villa loanee Philippe Coutinho.

The Lowdown: Phillips and Saint-Maximin links

Steven Gerrard is gearing up for his first full season in charge at Villa Park, with a summer shake-up seemingly on the cards.

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Reports over recent days have claimed that Villa are set to offload both Morgan Sanson and Anwar El Ghazi in the summer, and there have also been plenty of rumours when it comes to incomings.

Villa are believed to be readying a £60m offer for Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips and also have their eye on Newcastle United forward Allan Saint-Maximin, who is valued at around £50m.

NSWE may well splash the cash over the coming months, including on Coutinho, who joined from Barcelona in January with an option to make the move permanently this summer.

The Latest: Coutinho update

Sport Witness relayed an update from Sport regarding the 29-year-old on Tuesday morning.

They claimed that Villa are ‘very satisfied’ when it comes to the Brazilian, and that financially the Midlands club will have no problems in meeting the €40m (£33.4m) option agreement.

The Verdict: Now for a salary agreement…

There had been talk that Newcastle were looking to land Coutinho, but it’s good to know that Villa chiefs are happy over paying a big-money fee.

All that needs to happen now is for there to be an agreement when it comes to a full-time Villa contract. The playmaker has proven his quality back in the Premier League with seven goal involvements in 11 Villa appearances, but the elephant in the room could be his salary.

Coutinho is currently on 65% of his £300,000-a-week contract, so you’d expect that he may need to take a pay cut in order to sign permanently in the Midlands.

In other news: Newcastle now keen on signing another Villa player as advanced update emerges

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