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The January window of 2019 was a torrid affair for Stewart Donald and Sunderland.

The Mackems approached the New Year period in desperate need of finding a striker to lift the burden from Josh Maja’s shoulders.

However, after Maja’s agent convinced him to move to Bordeaux, the Black Cats were quickly left without a goal scorer. It took a considerable period of time for Donald to find the right man but as things moved closer and closer to the deadline, Sunderland were in limbo.

Clubs they negotiated with knew they needed to sign a forward and thus, they could ramp the price up.

With Maja no longer at the Stadium of Light, they now needed two forwards but they ultimately signed just the one; Will Grigg.

As Tony Coton and Donald squared off in the Sunderland board room, the latter eventually ended up paying £4m for Grigg’s services. That was after having a number of bids knocked back.

He is now on loan at MK Dons after scoring only eight goals in 61 outings for the north-east outfit. It’s fair to say he was a colossal waste of money.

At the same time, Sunderland happened to miss out on John Marquis. A phone call from Coton led to Doncaster telling the Mackems their valuation of the forward was at around £10m.

Completely stunned by the news, they submitted a much lower bid that was ultimately rejected.

Paying such money for a player like that in League One would have been madness, but had they not spent such a seismic sum on Grigg, they could have afforded him a few months down the line.

That’s because Portsmouth paid £2m for his services in the summer of 2019. That came after a season where Marquis had netted 26 times in all competitions. He has subsequently found the net on 28 occasions since moving to Pompey.

Their inability to identify the correct target, therefore, has clearly wreaked havoc with Sunderland. Had they signed a striker of Marquis’ ability and he’d hit the ground running, the Mackems may well already be in the Championship.

Dubbed a “proven striker” by Kenny Jacket, this was precisely the type of player that Donald should have brought to the club.

Of course, they now have 26-goal Charlie Wyke in their possession, but if Sunderland fail to go up again, new owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus may just rue the day that Donald spent £4m on Grigg.

At the moment, it feels like now or never in terms of reaching the second tier for Sunderland. Fall short of promotion again, and they may just be thinking about 2019 again as a period of ‘what if?’.

AND in other news, Phillips would “love” to see 21 y/o at SAFC next season, Speakman must make it happen…

Joelinton’s late miss at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday night proved costly as Newcastle United failed to secure all three points for the 19th time this season.

The Toon are now on the cusp of the Premier League relegation zone in 17th-place after three-straight winless affairs, having let a rare victory slip away after failing to bounce back again after Ruben Neves’ equaliser.

Newcastle had started the brighter of the two sides but they lost their way following injuries for Miguel Almiron and Allan Saint-Maximin, who join top-scorer Callum Wilson and defenders Fabian Schar and Javier Manquillo in the treatment room.

United still had chances to seal only a third win in their last 15 top-flight games but were punished by Joelinton producing a costly miss in the dying stages.

The Brazilian had the better of Wolves goalkeeper Rui Patricio from 12-yards out after being found in an open pocket of space in the heart of the visitors’ box by Jacob Murphy, only for Romain Saiss to block his effort on the line and see the ball loop over the crossbar.

Joelinton’s strike marked one of three efforts taken on Saturday night, no Newcastle player took more, but failed to turn either home despite finding the target each time to remain on a single goal for the Premier League season, per WhoScored.

Bruce could only rue United’s number of missed chances to score against the Molineux natives, having seen the Magpies take 19 shots as a team but only find the net with one of seven on-target attempts.

“It’s the same story, if you create chances but don’t take them, in the Premier League you’ll get punished,” Bruce said, via quotes by Chronicle Live, following the 1-1 draw. “We’ve had three wonderful chances and then one with Joelinton with 10 minutes to go.”

Newcastle cannot afford to see chances like Joelinton’s go to waste given their peril at the bottom end of the Premier League table, with the Brazilian’s timid finishing only serving to hold United back in their quest for safety.

It was a much more productive performance from the £18m-rated flop, signed for a club-record £40m in 2018, who offered three shots and direct each on target, compared to his average 0.6 from 1.3 efforts per game in the top-flight this term, per WhoScored.

But with Wilson still out for the next three to four weeks, Bruce had to see Joelinton take up the burden and instead only witnessed the 24-year-old miss a huge chance to seal a much-needed win. His miss could have cost the Toon all three points too, had Martin Dubravka not been positioned well to deny Fabio Silva in stoppage-time.

Dubravka was done no favours by Isaac Hayden in the lead-up to Wolves’ equalising effort, as he failed to track Neves as he moved to meet Pedro Neto’s cross.

Yet the midfielder can be somewhat pardoned, given he was shifted to right-back following Emil Krafth’s injury but without receiving the instructions soon enough – much to the frustration of captain Jamaal Lascelles.

AND in other news, Newcastle have joined the race for a sought-after “real talent” capable of “outstanding” displays…

As 242 goals in 313 matches will tell you, Henrik Larsson is a Celtic legend. The striker was nothing short of sensational in Glasgow, winning eight major honours.

He took home five Golden Boots and won the SPFL Players’ Player of the Year on two occasions. Respected by his peers and pundits alike, Larsson is a cult hero, someone who was capable of dominating defences in a ruthless fashion.

It’s not often a player moves directly from Scottish shores to Barcelona but that’s exactly what Larsson achieved. Coincidentally, he is now back in Catalonia, where he is playing second fiddle to Ronald Koeman as one of the Dutchman’s staff at Camp Nou.

With the Bhoys on the hunt for a new manager, he is a name who has naturally been talked about as someone who could come to the club. Frank McAvennie isn’t too keen on the idea but Simon Donnelly certainly is.

He said earlier this month: “I’ve gone on on record before Lenny got the job the last time, and last week, saying why would that not excite Celtic fans? Why would it not? I got thrown lack of experience. The guy has had a top career, he has worked under some of the best managers, he is at one of the biggest clubs in the world as a first-team coach.”

Donnelly continued: “People are worrying that his legacy being ruined, but look at it on the flip side if he came here and he was a success they would be building a statue outside of Henrik.”

Of course, the 49-year-old’s lack of experience as a number one should be a cause for concern. He has only ever taken the reins in Sweden and hasn’t achieved anything at a top-level club as a coach or manager.

That being said, if there is anywhere he can feel at home and start to engineer his managerial career for the better, it’s at the club where he became a legend.

The Hoops offer an appealing package to Larsson and, in this instance, both parties need to forget about his legacy. He would have to do a pretty torrid job in order for that to be tarnished. After all, they have already lost their grasp on the Premiership; it can’t get much worse than that.

In the words of his former manager Martin O’Neill, Larsson was “absolutely world-class” at times. He is yet to really prove that as a coach but there’s no reason he cannot do it in Glasgow.

Not many of Celtic’s candidates will know the club inside and out, nor will they know what is required to beat Rangers with such frequency. At the moment, they are lacking identity.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-celtic-manager-hunt-stories-wagner-marsch-martinez-lennon-news” title=”The last stories on Celtic’s hunt for a new manager!”]

Larsson could help bring that back, though. He has to at least be considered for the position. Having worked under the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and Frank Rijkaard, the Swede must have picked up a number of tactical and man-management ideas.

That may well prove invaluable if he is discussed by the Celtic hierarchy.

AND in other news, 57 y/o must be at the top of Celtic’s shopping list, he’s an “exceptional man-manager”…

As Leeds were being swept aside by Crawley Town last Sunday, there was one chief suspect at fault.

The Whites conceded three unanswered goals in the FA Cup and as usual, Kiko Casilla was a complete disaster.

On the chalkboard

Casilla’s time at Elland Road has been nothing short of shambolic. Considering he was signed from Real Madrid, you’d expect him to have some pedigree but he has shown anything but that in Yorkshire.

A multiple Champions League winner, Casilla is one of the most error-prone stoppers in the Premier League and his form in the Championship for Leeds was questionable.

Whether it was a calamitous error in the play-offs against Derby, a moment of madness versus Brentford or his eye-catching succession of blunders vs Crawley, mistakes seem to follow him like a bad rash.

The Spaniard is fortunate that he’s still playing for them, though. He was charged with racially abusing Jonathan Leko last term but the Whites have rather bizarrely kept the faith.

In short, he should have been out the door at the first possible opportunity.

The solution

Well, the simple resolution here is to sell him and sign a new goalkeeper. Leeds have been linked with Sam Johnstone this month but considering how important he is to West Brom, they’re better off looking for other ‘keepers.

One suitor is Seny Dieng at QPR. It’s reported that both Arsenal and the Whites are chasing his signature and judging by his performances this term, he’d be ideal at replacing the error-prone Casilla in Leeds’ squad.

Speaking about the 26-year-old in November, Rs boss Mark Warburton said: “He did really well, Seny. He went out on loan to Doncaster and had the best stats out of 92 league clubs. He has come back and been outstanding.”

Indeed, so far this term the Swiss has produced 62 saves – the fourth-highest in the English second tier. Last term, he had the third-highest save percentage in the whole of League One when he was on loan at Doncaster.

Dieng’s save success rate this campaign is 73% whereas Casilla’s was just 67% during his first season in the Championship. That goes to show just how much of an upgrade they’d land here.

Crucially, the QPR man is an assured shot-stopper and rarely makes a mistake. Leeds’ current number two, on the other hand, is littered with individual errors.

Thus, Victor Orta simply has to secure the services of Dieng this month. Illan Meslier needs a more reliable number two to offer him competition and cover. This signing would achieve exactly that.

It would also surely be the final nail in the coffin for Casilla’s time in Yorkshire. This would be utterly game-changing for Leeds. No longer would they be scared of having to replace Meslier.

AND in other news, Better than Struijk: Orta must seal Leeds swoop for “dominant” £5.4m-rated colossus…

If anything summed up Wolves’ chaotic season so far, it would be their 2-1 win over Arsenal in midweek.

The Old Gold tasted victory for only the fourth time in their last 14 outings and it came in the strangest of ways.

A penalty and two red cards told a sorry story for the Gunners but Nuno Santo won’t care; he has finally ended the diabolical rut his team were on.

On the chalkboard

Most pleasing for Nuno last Tuesday was not just the win but the performance of Joao Moutinho. The Portugal international hadn’t scored all term before that victory but fired home a rasping drive from long-range that ultimately won the game for the Old Gold.

Going forward they were a threat but it was the same old story defensively. Wolves have kept a solitary clean sheet in the league since October and they were given a torrid time once again by Nicolas Pepe.

That was largely down to the performance of Nelson Semedo. The right-back was abject at the back and let Arsenal players surpass him all too easily.

Semedo set the tone when Cedric got past him in the opening exchanges. His fellow Portuguese full-back danced a merry jig past the former Barcelona defender but it only got worse.

Pepe flew down the left-hand side in a similar fashion to Cedric and then with a lovely piece of tricky advanced past Semedo with absolute ease. The Ivorian was then able to find the net in unerring fashion.

The summer signing was absolutely bullied down the right-hand side, losing 67% of his duels, but this is hardly surprising judging by previous performances in recent weeks.

He has been letting his side down for weeks, being branded a “liability” by journalist Tim Spiers for his mediocre performances in defence.

The 27-year-old put in a similar performance when Everton came to Molineux in January. He was caught out of position for Alex Iwobi’s opener and failed to get tight enough to Lucas Digne. The Toffees full-back was able to deliver a large haul of six crosses that day, something that only demonstrates Semedo’s ineptness in recent months.

Nightmare inbound?

With that in mind, he could be given a torrid time by Leicester on Sunday. Jamie Vardy is in contention to return while Harvey Barnes has been a rampant force down the left-hand side for the Foxes this term.

He’s scored seven Premier League goals while registering three assists in the process. With that in mind, perhaps Nuno could benefit from picking Ki-Jana Hoever?

The youngster established a valuable connection alongside Conor Coady when Wolves suffered a 1-0 defeat at Manchester United in December. The skipper was barking orders at Hoever and it very nearly worked.

The Molineux outfit held on until injury time in a game where Hoever stood out on his first Premier League start.

Having dealt comfortably with the likes of Marcus Rashford you sense he could do a similar job against Barnes. After all, Birmingham Live reporter Alex Dicken said after that United game that Hoever “didn’t put a foot wrong.”

It’s time to axe the £73k-per-week Semedo and bring in Hoever.

AND in other news, Wolves could finally axe Moutinho by signing “intelligent” £13m gem Keogh once bullied…

Fans of West Ham United have been reacting to a post on Twitter, in which former West Ham defender Danny Gabbidon called for the club to back David Moyes in January.

In his post, Gabbidon, who made 113 appearances for West Ham over a six-year spell at the club, stated his belief that ‘Moyes needs to be able to bring in a few players’ who will allow him to play in a 3-4-3 formation even with injuries, as the former defender feels that is when the Hammers have ‘looked the most balanced/impressive’.

His comments come following Monday’s 3-0 loss to Chelsea, when Moyes set the team up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, something which diverted from his favoured 5-4-1 (3-4-3) setup so far this season as they were without a couple of key players for that system like Arthur Masuaku.

And it would seem that many West Ham fans are in support of Gabbidon’s call for the board to back Moyes in the transfer market, as a great number of them took to Twitter to back up the 41-year-old’s call.

So, what exactly did these West Ham United fans have to say in reaction to Danny Gabbidon’s tweet?

In other West Ham news, fans of the club have been begging GSB to land this ‘perfect’ January signing, find out more here!

When Patrick Cutrone was brought back to Wolves this month, it wasn’t thought that he’d be the man to replace the injured Raul Jimenez.

However, the longer the window goes on, the more it feels like Jeff Shi won’t invest in the first-team set-up.

What’s the word?

The Old Gold have been linked with a number of forwards this month. Stephane Bahoken has been on the club’s radar again while Andy Delort and Diego Costa have also been named as possible targets.

Yet, it doesn’t look as though any striker will arrive if a fee is involved. That’s because according to The Mirror, Wolves don’t have the finances.

They report that Nuno Santo has aborted interest in both Divock Origi and Olivier Giroud this month after being told to forget about spending big money in January.

This should come as a considerable setback for Wolves given their lack of promising options in that third of the pitch.

Disaster on the cards

If Wolves don’t sign a striker this month they can wave goodbye to securing European football again.

Their front line has been far from productive since Jimenez fractured his skull and after being withdrawn against Arsenal, they have won just two of the nine matches their star striker has missed.

That’s a shambolic record for a squad that on paper has enormous potential. Deputy Fabio Silva has netted just the solitary goal since his £35.6m move and the very fact they’ve recalled Cutrone says a lot.

On loan at Fiorentina in the first half of the season, he hasn’t scored all term.

Therefore, signing someone like Giroud would have been of enormous benefit. The Frenchman is one of the most pedigreed target men around and like Jimenez, would offer goals and the ability to bring others into play.

The Chelsea striker has scored nine goals in 16 outings this season, four of which came in one Champions League outing against Sevilla. It was a display that Glenn Hoddle described as “out of this world” as the 105 cap international demonstrated his enormous qualities.

Giroud hasn’t always been the best finisher but when he does find the net it’s always in emphatic fashion. With Shi and Nuno hunting for short-term options, they wouldn’t find much better than the 34-year-old.

Eden Hazard once labelled him the best target man in world football and if that doesn’t fill the Molineux faithful with confidence not much will. Like Jimenez, he is similarly adept in the air.

This term, the Wolves target has won 1.7 aerial duels per match. The Mexican, on the other hand, has won 1.5 battles a game.

Unlike a host of other players on Wolves’ radar this month, Giroud is proven in the Premier League, a ticked box that is hugely underestimated.

With Jimenez out injured and Nuno needing a proven first-class striker to deputise for him until he returns, signing Giroud is a necessity, not a luxury. Shi must find the money from somewhere or be staring at a huge mistake.

Wolves cannot afford to miss out on European football for a successive season with the players they have.

AND in other news, Wolves must swoop for £27k-p/w beast, Jackett made “considerable” bid for him in 2014…

Jose Mourinho and Daniel Levy could be headed for the mother of all fallouts as Dele Alli’s current situation continues to be a conundrum.

The England international has been frozen out of the action at Tottenham Hotspur, with Mourinho preferring other options over the 24-year-old. But Alli still has four years left on his current contract and won’t be willing to sit on the sidelines until then. Currently valued at £46million, Spurs could bank an insane profit on the midfielder if they were to cash in next summer.

However, things aren’t as simple as that for the Spurs board. Levy has made it clear that he is an admirer of Alli’s and does not want to see him leave the club any time soon.

Dele Dilemma

Mourinho is a well-respected and established Premier League manager who boasts three titles from his success at Chelsea. However, he is known for being quite a prickly character when it comes to the game. The Portuguese boss has applauded Alli’s attitude towards his recent decisions, but his generous comments could turn sour towards the club’s chairman if they continue to disagree.

Ultimately, Levy gets the final say, but he cannot change what goes on, on the pitch. With Alli only featuring twice in the Premier League this season, it doesn’t look like Mourinho is willing to budge on his decision.

If he is forced to reinstate the 24-year-old in the team against his will, Mourinho will rapidly lose his patience. But on the flip side, if the former Man United man stands firm on casting Alli aside, he could really get on the bad side of Levy. This is a situation that must be handled with care or it could turn dangerously explosive.

In other news, Harry Winks England performance sends Mourinho a clear message…

Crystal Palace must make a cut-throat decision on Mamadou Sakho’s future at Selhurst Park amid links abroad.

What’s the word?

The 30-year-old defender has struggled with injuries so far this season, and has yet to feature since the 2-1 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage in October, where he made a brief cameo from the bench, and it now appears the end is nigh for the former France international.

Sakho had been heavily linked with a move away from Selhurst Park in the summer, with L’Equipe reporting that Ligue 1 side Lyon were interested in the centre-back, but that deal failed to materialise.

However, he has been handed another lifeline, if recent reports are to be believed. According to Estadio Deportivo, Real Betis are interested in securing his services as they are targeting players who are out of contract next summer.

The clock is ticking

Having returned to Palace on a permanent basis from Liverpool for £26m in 2017, things haven’t exactly gone to plan for Sakho at Selhurst Park. The veteran defender has had his fair share of injury problems during his time at Palace, having played just 74 games for the club since his move was made permanent.

As a result, he has often found it difficult to establish himself in Roy Hodgson’s side, with Gary Cahill and James Tomkins the preferred defensive pairing last season.

Hodgson has been frustrated by his injury problems in the past, saying: “He feels, in his own words, scared that something’s going to happen if he plays and he’s unwilling to take the risk.

“We thought he was going to be back, but he is still feeling his calf injury. At the moment he is making it clear he doesn’t feel confident enough to play.

“I’m disappointed in that as I thought we would have got him back after the Newcastle second half when he played so well, but it hasn’t turned out that way. We will just have to wait and see but it’s really when he lets us know he’s ready. We’ll have to wait and see, and we are waiting for him to let us know when he’s ready.”

As much as we hate to admit it, it’s fair to say that he has simply been more trouble than what he is worth, which is precisely why the Eagles must get rid of him at all costs by any means necessary in January.

With his contract coming to a close in a matter of months, coupled with the fact that the £8.5m-rated outcast has been left on the bench for the past four Premier League games in a row, Palace chairman Steve Parish must make the ruthless call to cash in on him when the winter transfer market opens in just under a month’s time.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace must swoop for Reading defender Omar Richards in January…

Tottenham Hotspur have been blessed with many exciting attacking midfielders since the turn of the century, none more so than Rafael van der Vaart and Christian Eriksen.

But they have also had a few shocking signings – do you remember Gylfi Sigurdsson? Well the decision to sell him has now proven to be a masterstroke by Daniel Levy.

The Iceland international joined Spurs for just £8m from Hoffenheim following a successful loan spell at Swansea City but failed to deliver under the man who signed him, Andre Villas-Boas and then caretaker boss Tim Sherwood.

He provided only 13 goals and nine assists in 83 appearances, via Transfermarkt, so it’s no wonder that one of Mauricio Pochettino’s first decisions was to sell him on.

Spurs’ call to move him on has certainly been vindicated.

Where is Sigurdsson now?

Sigurdsson has since joined Everton in a then club-record £45m deal, which Spurs received ten per cent of.

The 31-year-old has fallen down the pecking order at Goodison Park with Carlo Ancelotti signing an entirely new engine room this summer – he and Marcel Brands secured deals for Allan, James Rodriguez and Abdoulaye Doucoure, meaning he’s now pretty much fourth or fifth choice.

According to The Athletic, the Toffees outcast was even in talks with a move to the MLS throughout the summer, a spot he could well land sooner rather than later.

Now valued at just £16.2m by Transfermarkt, Sigurdsson has often been a target for Everton fans with many dubbing him a “fraud” and asking him to leave the club in the past few months.

Last season, the attacking maestro contributed to just five goals in 35 top-flight appearances, averaging 1.5 shots and 1.3 key passes per game, via WhoScored.

So although it wasn’t Spurs raking in the whopping £45m for him a few years ago, they were still right to move the AVB flop on at the time, thus proving to be a genius move from Levy and even Pochettino.

AND in other news, Spurs could’ve saved millions in recent windows with steady Premier League operator…