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Fans of Aston Villa have been reacting to a post on Twitter, in which Gregg Evans relayed recent comments made by Dean Smith regarding Morgan Sanson’s progression at the club.

Since joining Villa from Olympique Marseille in what was a £14.22 million deal back in January, Sanson is yet to be awarded a start in the Premier League, with the midfielder’s four appearances for the club all coming as a substitute.

However, speaking prior to the club’s clash with Sheffield United on Wednesday evening, the 49-year-old Villa manager provided a rather positive update on the development of the £18 million-rated 26-year-old, suggesting that the Frenchman could be in line to start a fixture in the near future.

He said: “He’s starting to show what he’s about in games when he’s been coming on. But he’s an ambitious young man who wants to start games and I’m confident enough now that he can start games for us and I have no doubts putting him in.”

And, after Evans relayed Smith’s comments on Twitter, fans of Villa flocked to have their say on the matter, with many urging their manager to play Sanson from the off against the Blades.

So, what exactly did these Aston Villa fans have to say in reaction to Dean Smith’s comments regarding Morgan Sanson?

“Then start him, Dean.”

@WatkinsOffside2

“That comment suggests it’s Nakamba – McGinn – Sanson tomorrow then, I’m fine with that.”

@WWE__History

“It’s fantastic that we have the opportunity to do that this season. Whereas last season we had to chuck all new signings straight in without a slow introduction. It really showed what a difference it made, after last seasons lockdown, how important it is to have a steady introduction.”

@stegzy80

“I think we are easing him into premier league life perfectly tbh. He will become more of a major player for us as time goes by. He looks decent.”

@coleman83avfc

“I can see Sanson / Barkley starting as a 10 tomorrow in place of Ramsay. Maybe he will save Sanson for Wolves on Saturday though.”

@avfcsarco

“Get in! SANSON STARTING CONFIRMED?!”

@trickytargett

“I like this talk.”

@GaryBolton91

In other news, these Villa fans are loving this crazy statistic – find out more here!

Some fans of Manchester City have been reacting to a post on Twitter which relayed a report regarding the club’s reported interest in a move for Robin Gosens this summer.

According to the report by TuttoMercatoWeb, Pep Guardiola is ‘trying to bring’ the £25.2m-rated Atalanta left-back to the Etihad Stadium this summer as a potential replacement for Oleksandr Zinchenko, for whom the club are said to be open to offers.

So far this season, Gosens – who can also play further up along the left flank, as well as in central midfield – has been in remarkable form over his 20 Serie A appearances for Gian Piero Gasperini’s side, scoring eight goals and providing four assists, as well as averaging a WhoScored match rating of 7.47 – ranking the 26-year-old as the fourth-best performer across all of the Italian top flight.

However, despite his impressive displays this term, after City Xtra relayed the report regarding Guardiola’s interest in Gosens on Twitter, many fans of the club appeared to be less than convinced at the prospect of their side making a move to sign the left-back this summer.

So, what exactly did these Manchester City fans have to say in reaction to the report regarding Pep Guardiola’s interest in Robin Gosens?

“Would prefer Theo Hernandez.”

@skye_jack

“As much as I’m all in favour of strengthening the squad, surely the focus should be on a new striker? I’ve read a few articles linking us with defenders but just look how well the defence is doing versus how the goals have dropped off. Strikers, not more defenders please Pep.”

@AtBloke

“He’s not really a LB, more of a LM. Would be a good second option on the wing but we don’t really need him.”

@xjuanxmartinezx

“I don’t know about this.”

@mancitymj14

“Nah.”

@SilkyCyrus_74

“Absolute trash. With got Zina & Mendy. Stop that nonsense.”

@skrealand

In other news: some Man City fans were baffled by one ’embarrassing’ comment – find out more here!

As the clock ticks closer to transfer deadline day, concerns from a recruitment point of view will surely start to grow for West Ham United.

The Irons haven’t been very active at all this month with the most eye-catching piece of business being the one to sell striker Sebastien Haller to Ajax.

The club’s record buy is no longer a Hammers player and as a result, they need to severely invest in their attacking line. Michail Antonio has been a good remedy in recent weeks with two goals in two games but they need someone else to bolster their ranks.

A plethora of forwards have been linked with the club and in recent days, Edin Dzeko and Andre Silva top their agenda. However, there is a far more striking individual catching their eye.

That happens to be Celtic forward Odsonne Edouard. According to The Daily Star, David Moyes’ side are interested in recruiting the Frenchman.

Edouard is currently valued at £35m so it would take a hefty amount of money for him to move from Glasgow to east London. Though, if they can pull off a deal it would be incredible business.

In short, this move could take West Ham to a new level. The forward is a genuine goal scorer and has been running riot over the last few years.

The 23-year-old netted 28 strikes last season, also contributing 19 assists for his teammates. This term, meanwhile, he has beaten the goalkeeper on 11 occasions.

With a record like that, it’s bound to get you excited, especially when his potential new team have struggled for goals.

In years gone by, finding the net has been an arduous task for many players in the West Ham squad. Not since Teddy Sheringham in 2004/05 have they had a striker capable of scoring over 20 goals in one season, and depressingly, not since Carlton Cole in 2011/12 has their top scorer netted 15 or more.

That speaks volumes about the Hammers, a team who have generally underperformed. Therefore, by signing a player like Edouard, it could finally help take them to the next level.

Described as a player with “magic in his feet” by Frank McGarvey, he is a fearsome individual and judging by his goal record, West Ham could finally find someone capable of scoring over 15 or 20 in one campaign.

Moyes’ men are currently seventh in the league and just two points off the Champions League places. Therefore, with the addition of Edouard, they could potentially make a late dart towards the top four. Failing that, a Europa League spot could well be on the cards.

This would undoubtedly be a different level for West Ham. They have struggled for a consistent period of time now. It’s time for them to sign a proven scorer and really establish themselves in the top half of the Premier League.

AND in other news, WHU sealed dream deal over “top quality” £27m-rated gem “playing out of his skin”…

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, former Premier League referee Mark Halsey discussed the penalty incident involving Reece James and Kieran Tierney in Arsenal’s win over Chelsea on Saturday.

In the fixture, Arsenal secured their first Premier League win since November 1st, as goals from Alexandre Lacazette, Granit Xhaka and Bukayo Saka were enough to see off Frank Lampard’s side, despite Tammy Abraham pulling a late goal back for the visitors and Jorginho’s even later penalty miss.

However, there was significant controversy surrounding Arsenal’s first goal in the match, when Michael Oliver pointed to the spot after Tierney found himself goalside of James in the Chelsea penalty area, before hitting the deck under very little contact.

“Had the referee not given it, I think it would have stayed not given,” Halsey told Transfer Tavern. “Now, James is the wrong side of him, so whenever when a forward player gets in front of a defender like that, going into the box, as a defender, you can’t get close to him, you’ve got to keep your distance.”

He continued: “So, any sort of contact then he’s going to go down, and you can’t blame him for going down because if he doesn’t go down then there’s no decision to make for the referee and we’ve seen players being fouled, staying on their feet and nothing [being] given.”

Whilst VAR did check the incident to determine whether or not the contact made by James on the Arsenal left-back was indeed enough for him to go down, it was eventually decided that the referee had not made a clear and obvious error in awarding the spot-kick.

And, Sky Sports duo Gary Neville and Alex Scott both appeared to feel that the Chelsea defender was in the wrong, despite agreeing that there was minimal contact, with Neville claiming that James should “should never have made the challenge,” while Scott stated that “once you get skipped by as a full-back like that, you almost have to let your ego go.”

So, all in all, it would appear that the general consensus is that James did indeed foul Tierney, however, this is not something that Mikel Arteta will likely be spending his time worrying about, as he can now concentrate on putting together a decent run of results at the Emirates Stadium, and moving Arsenal away from the bottom half of the Premier League table.

Sunderland players will have a rare opportunity to spend their Christmas at home.

Unfortunately, it’s not exactly come about in ideal circumstances. Over ten players have tested positive for the dreaded pandemic and thus, the Academy of Light is closed and three games have been postponed.

Yet, Lee Johnson and Kristjaan Speakman still need to be switched on.

On the chalkboard

Sunderland’s main problem this season, specifically under Phil Parkinson, was having players capable of going beyond a defender.

Charlie Wyke has been among the goals but he’s not someone that will get in behind and race away. With Chris Maguire out of form and Aiden McGeady alienated until Johnson arrived, you can see why there has been some attacking pedigree lacking.

Consequently, the new manager wants players capable of stretching the play in January.

Of course, the emergence of Jack Diamond has given Johnson another option to consider but he is still an incredibly raw talent.

Perhaps the help of a Premier League youngster could do the trick?

The solution

Potential buyer William Storey admitted last weekend that he has plans to bring in young academy players from Premier League U23 sides if he seals a takeover. Thus, The Sunderland Echo pieced together a list of possible targets.

One name to emerge was Manchester United hotshot Anthony Elanga. Aged 18, they don’t come much younger than that at senior level, but he’d be an astute capture for a Mackems side in dire need of a pace injection.

Elanga is capable of playing through the middle as a striker or on the left-wing and he has the ability to cause havoc wherever he’s played. The teenager has scored six goals and registered three assists in all competitions at youth level this season and would arrive at the Stadium of Light with a glowing reputation.

Speaking during a Manchester United youth game, Leicester television commentators labelled him a “speedball” before Red Devils legend Gary Neville compared the technique of his finish to a certain Thierry Henry.

“He’s a nightmare to play against,” Neville added. If this doesn’t get you excited, nothing will. Elanga is a prestigious talent capable of ripping it up in League One if he’s given enough license.

He’d be an exceptional capture but like all signings, someone must lose out. On this occasion, it would probably be Danny Graham, a forward who hasn’t scored all season.

The experienced striker was signed for a second spell in the summer but hasn’t exactly done very well. Thus Elanga would simply have to take his place in the squad if he joins on loan.

AND in other news, Storey can secure IMMEDIATE success in Jan with genius Sunderland strategy…

Marcel Brands can solve a “concerning” Everton issue with a decisive January call on the immediate future of rarely-seen midfielder Jean-Philippe Gbamin.

What’s the word?

While speaking with Football Insider, former Sunderland and Aston Villa striker Darren Bent has claimed that Everton must seek to secure a mid-season loan move for Gbamin in order for the Ivory Coast international to get his career back in gear.

Gbamin has been plagued with injuries since moving to Goodison Park in 2019 for £25million, with the former 1.FSV Mainz 05 ace boasting a mere 135 minutes of action to his name after only two appearances across all competitions.

Carlo Ancelotti is yet to have the £54,441-per-week Marco Silva signing available since succeeding the Portuguese coach with Gbamin having developed a quadriceps injury in training just days after his full Everton debut in August last year and he was forced to have surgery this May after suffering a serious Achilles injury.

Sources close to the player told The Athletic that Silva’s mismanagement of Gbamin’s introduction was the reason behind his injuries, after he ushered the 25-year-old onto the pitch at Crystal Palace following just five training sessions, having given the midfield enforcer additional time off on the back of that year’s Africa Cup of Nations.

Gbamin is finally set to make his return to training at Finch Farm following the November international break, but Bent feels a loan move has to be in the 12-cap star’s immediate future with Everton chiefs said to be plotting such a transfer, per Football Insider.

“They need to somehow get him up to speed,” Bent said. “He was brought in to replace Idrissa Gueye and it just hasn’t worked for him because of injuries. Maybe sending him out on loan, getting him up to the level that they need might be the way forward.

“The problem with Everton this season is that their starting XI, when they’re all fit, is very, very good. The fact is when they haven’t all been there, they’ve really struggled and that’s why, when they started getting injuries, they couldn’t maintain their fantastic start.

“It’s something Carlo Ancelotti needs to address because at the minute, it’s a little bit concerning the way they’re losing games.”

Brands can solve “concerning” situation

With Everton chiefs alleged to be considering loaning Gbamin out in January so that the Ivorian can get back to playing regular football for the first time in 18-months, their Director of Football Brands has the ideal chance to solve Ancelotti’s “concerning” situation by finding a side willing to give the 25-year-old the chance to play week in, week out.

Only once Gbamin has a good run of minutes under his belt will he ever have the chance to push his way into Ancelotti’s plans, and offer the support in numbers that Bent is adamant the Italian is currently without.

It will be unlikely that, barring an injury for Allan, that Gbamin is able to establish himself at Goodison Park before the winter market opens, with Everton only hopeful that the former Bundesliga sensation will be in a position to play before the year is over.

Allan has been a thriving success since joining Everton in a £21m deal from SSC Napoli this summer, ranking first for ground duels won (51), successful tackles (32), second for blocked shots (4), third for successful dribbles (9) and is the fourth-most fouled player (10) among all at Goodison Park, per SofaScore.

Gbamin, meanwhile, impressed Everton with his efforts for Mainz in the 2018/19 season, when he averaged 57.9 touches, 34.6 accurate passes, 0.7 key balls, 0.9 shots, 1.6 tackles, 1.0 interceptions, 1.1 successful dribbles and 5.3 duels won (3.6 ground, 1.7 aerial) per German top-flight game.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti is urging Everton to sign a “magnificent player” this winter.

Nottingham Forest are still nowhere near where they want to be in the league table, but there was certainly improvement against Derby County on Friday night.

The Reds had a torrid first half, going 1-0 down via a Martyn Waghorn free-kick, but in the second half, the East Midlands outfit looked completely reinvigorated after half-time.

Indeed, Chris Hughton’s side attacked with a lot more venom in the second 45, and their efforts were rewarded as Lyle Taylor found the back of the net to level the game at 1-1.

Taylor may have got the goal, but it was Anthony Knockaert’s introduction that saw Forest grab the game by the scruff of the neck.

The Frenchman was unstoppable against Derby, getting forward at every opportunity and putting an obscene amount of crosses into the box, delivering 10 crosses in just 45 minutes.

That sort of directness is what Forest need this season as they’ve lacked any sort of attacking prowess, scoring just three goals in six league games, but Knockaert also showed Hughton the solution to another of his big dilemmas.

There’s no doubting that the Fulham loanee could be a key man for Hughton this season, after all, he won the Championship Player of the Year award the last time he played under him, and if Hughton wants to utilise his abilities in the most effective way, he has to play Taylor alongside him rather than Lewis Grabban.

We saw on Friday what Knockaert can do when he’s at his best, 10 crosses in 45 minutes is obscene, but it’s no good to anyone if there’s nobody getting on the end of them and Grabban has never been a real aerial threat.

The former Sunderland man won just 0.7 aerial duels per game last season, while Taylor was winning 2.3 per 90 minutes, and when he has a two-inch height advantage over Grabban it’s easy to see why he’s the bigger aerial threat.

The Taylor vs Grabban war has been waged over a number of weeks now, but Hughton may have just had his hand forced by Knockaert’s incredible showing.

MatériaMais Notícias

Os brasileiros já sabem o caminho que terão em busca do título da Libertadores de 2016. Nesta terça-feira, em Luque (PAR), a Conmebol realizou o sorteio que definiu os confrontos da primeira fase e também a composição da dos grupos do torneio sul-americano. Grêmio e Palmeiras terão o caminho teoricamente mais complicado.

Atual campeão brasileiro, o Corinthians foi o cabeça de chave do Grupo 8 e não deve ter dificuldades para se classificar. A equipe, campeã em 2012, terá como adversários Cerro Porteño (PAR),Cobresal (CHI) e o vencedor do duelo entreOriente Petrolero (BOL) ou Santa Fe (COL). Outro paulista que saiu satisfeito foi o São Paulo. Único clube do Brasil na primeira fase (e por isso será o primeiro a estrear) terá pela frente o Cesar Vallejo (PER) e decide em casa. Se avançar, ficará no Grupo 1 ao lado do atual campeãoRiver Plate (ARG), além de The Strongest (BOL) e Trujillanos (VEN).

RelacionadasFutebol NacionalPresidente do Galo vê equilíbrio no sorteio da LibertadoresFutebol Nacional23/12/2015LibertadoresEditor do ‘Líbero’ (Peru) analisa rivais de São Paulo e Galo na LibertadoresLibertadores23/12/2015São PauloSão Paulo encara o Cesar Vallejo, do Peru, na primeira fase da LibertaSão Paulo22/12/2015

Já o Palmeiras não teve tanta sorte. O atual campeão da Copa do Brasil ficou o Grupo 2 ao lado dos tradicionais Nacional (URU) e Rosario Central (ARG). O quarto integrante da chave sairá do vencedor de River Plate (URU) e Universidad de Chile (CHI). O Grêmio também terá parada dura pela frente. O Tricolor gaúcho está no Grupo 6 com San Lorenzo (ARG), LDU (EQU) e Toluca (MEX).

O Atlético-MG, último brasileiro a levantar a Libertadores, também foi “bem”. Cabeça de chave do Grupo 5, o Galo terá como adversários Colo-Colo (CHI), Melgar (PER) e o vencedor do encontro entreIndependiente Del Valle (EQU) e Guaraní (PAR).

PRIMEIRA FASE(em negrito quem decide em casa):

Oriente Petrolero (BOL) x Santa Fe (COL)
Huracán (ARG) x Caracas (VEN)
Puebla (MEX) x Racing (ARG)
River Plate (URU) x Universidad de Chile (CHI)
Independiente Del Valle (EQU) x Guaraní (PAR)
Cesar Vallejo (PER) X São Paulo

FASE DE GRUPOS:
​
Grupo 1
River Plate (ARG)
The Strongest (BOL)
Trujillanos (VEN)
Cesar Vallejo (PER) ou São Paulo

Grupo 2
Nacional (URU)
Palmeiras
Rosario Central (ARG)
River Plate (URU) ou Universidad de Chile (CHI)

Grupo 3
Boca Juniors (ARG)
Bolívar (BOL)
Deportivo Cali (COL)
Puebla (MEX) ou Racing (ARG)

Grupo 4
Peñarol (URU)
Atlético Nacional (COL)
Sporting Cristal (PER)
Huracán (ARG) ou Caracas (VEN)

Grupo 5
Atlético-MG
Colo-Colo (CHI)
Melgar (PER)
Independiente Del Valle (EQU) ou Guaraní (PAR)

Grupo 6
San Lorenzo (ARG)
Grêmio
LDU (EQU)
Toluca (MEX)

Grupo 7
Olimpia (PAR)
Emelec (EQU)
Deportivo Táchira (VEN)
Pumas (MEX)

Grupo 8
Corinthians
Cerro Porteño (PAR)
Cobresal (CHI)
Oriente Petrolero (BOL) ou Santa Fe (COL)

Well, it was going to end at some point Aston Villa fans. Dean Smith’s side had enjoyed an incredible start to the Premier League season, racking up four wins from four and blowing teams away.

But a home clash against Leeds United on Friday night proved to be the end of the road for their winning run, with a hat-trick from Patrick Bamford consigning them to a 3-0 defeat at Villa Park.

In truth, it could have been more, had it not been for some pretty questionable finishing from Marcelo Bielsa’s side. Villa boss Smith will be keen to ensure that a bit of perspective is put on the defeat – after all, this was a team that had narrowly avoided relegation back to the Championship on the final day of last season.

However, he needs to make a ruthless call on one under-performing ace: Trezeguet. The Egypt international has watched Bertrand Traore arrive from Lyon in the summer transfer window, and that added competition appears to have just knocked him off his stride a little.

Despite starting every single Premier League game this campaign, he had yet to find the back of the net prior to Friday, and against Leeds, delivered unquestionably his worst performance of the season.

He struggled to get into the game whatsoever, and the tempo of Leeds’ pressing and intensity seemed to catch him off guard. As per Sofascore, he made just seven successful passes in the 66 minutes that he was on the pitch, whilst his tally of 25 total touches was the lowest of any player who started the game for either side.

He lost a whopping nine of his 14 total duels, and also committed a team-high of five fouls. He also failed to register a single shot on target, whilst he sent in no accurate crosses either.

With Traore waiting in the wings for his chance to start, Smith must make a tough call and drop Trezeguet.

MatériaMais Notícias

Os jogadores do Figueirense se reapresentaram nesta quinta (19), após a importante vitória sobre a Ponte Preta, fora de casa, que manteve o Alvinegro fora da zona de rebaixamento, mesmo com os triunfos dos adversários diretos na briga contra a queda. O placar de 1 a 0 foi construído com um pênalti convertido pelo atacante Clayton. Mas a marcação do árbitro Francisco Carlos do Nascimento ecoou até mesmo em São Januário.

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É que na jogada do pênalti, o cruzamento de Clayton bate na cabeça de Ferron, zagueiro da Ponte. Não na visão do árbitro que, auxiliado pelo assistente Márcio Eustáquio Santiago, assinalou toque de mão. Clayton não fugiu da responsabilidade de cobrar a penalidade. Da mesma forma, não se negou a comentar o lance. Ele admitiu que, desta vez, a arbitragem deu uma mãozinha ao Figueira.

-Na hora ele caiu com o braço levantado. Foi um lance rápido, eu não consegui ver. Diz ele que bateu no olho, na cabeça dele, e estava até um pouco vermelho. Mas ele caiu com o braço levantado, então pareceu que bateu na mão. Eu saí reclamando para o bandeira e ele acabou marcando. Os erros são difíceis, claro. Eu entendo o time deles. Mas o campeonato inteiro estão errando contra a gente, e agora que é a nosso favor tem que ser falado? A arbitragem realmente está fraca, errando bastante, mas vamos ver o que pode melhorar. Hoje, os beneficiados fomos nós – falou o atacante ainda no gramado do Moisés Lucarelli.

Na tarde desta quinta (19), já de volta a Florianópolis, apenas os jogadores que não foram utilizados pelo técnico Hudson Coutinho em Campinas fizeram um trabalho mais intenso no campo do Orlando Scarpelli. Os demais atletas fizeram trabalho regenerativo na academia. Apenas nesta sexta (20) a equipe começa, de fato, a se preparar para o confronto contra a Chapecoense. Para este jogo, Hudson Coutinho não poderá contar com o meia Carlos Alberto, suspenso após ter recebido o terceiro cartão amarelo.

O Figueira volta a jogar no próximo domingo (22), às 17h, contra a Chapecoense, pela 36ª rodada do Brasileirão. A partida será realizada no Orlando Scarpelli e a diretoria do Alvinegro já anunciou promoção. Torcedores que, no ato da compra, estiverem vestindo a camisa do Figueirense pagam 20 reais.