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When Slavisa Jokanovic took over the reins at Sheffield United earlier this summer, it was clear that the Blades board had appointed the 53-year-old with the sole aim of securing an immediate return to the Premier League.

However, after three games in charge of the club, the Serbian manager finds his United side in the Championship relegation zone, with the club’s most recent defeat, a 4-0 hammering by Valerien Ismael’s West Bromwich Albion side, being an extremely worrying result for everyone involved with the club.

Indeed, over the course of the 90 minutes, it never truly looked as if the Blades were going to get something out of the game, with Jack Robinson’s 26th-minute own goal giving the hosts the lead, which Albion stretched further with three quickfire second-half strikes from Dara O’Shea, Alex Mowatt and former Sheffield United forward Callum Robinson.

In terms of individual performances, perhaps unsurprisingly, none of the Blades players had what could be deemed as a good game, with only Chris Basham and Ben Osborn receiving a SofaScore match rating of 7.00.

On the other hand, there were a number of disastrous displays, with stand-in goalkeeper Michael Verrips earning a 5.1 SofaScore rating and Jack Robinson receiving a 5.8, however, it was arguably David McGoldrick’s performance that was the most disappointing of the evening.

Indeed, over the 33-year-old’s 57 minutes on the pitch, the £1.35m-rated centre-forward missed both of United’s two big chances, mustered no shots on target, completed a grand total of five passes and touched the ball just 19 times.

The £27k-per-week man also won just two of his 12 duels – a win rate of 16% – lost possession of the ball eight times and conceded one foul – for which he received a yellow card.

These returns saw McGoldrick earn an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of 5.5, which, if it were not for Verrips shipping four goals, would have seen the striker rank as Jokanovic’s worst player in the fixture.

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As such, it would be a difficult argument to make that the veteran forward did not let his manager and teammates down on Wednesday evening, with the 33-year-old certainly having to up his level of performance going forwards if he and his side are to have any hope of securing promotion this season.

In other news: Bye Ramsdale: Jokanovic must sanction Sheff Utd swoop for “incredible” £14k-p/w beast

Danny Mills believes Glasgow Rangers are not the best loan destination for former Ibrox starlet Billy Gilmour.

The Lowdown: Gilmour could make loan switch

Gilmour, who is a product of Rangers’ youth academy, made the move to Chelsea as a 15-year-old from Ibrox in 2017.

Now 19, he made 11 appearances for Champions League winners Chelsea last term (Transfermarkt), but he is set to go out on loan for the next campaign to gain much-needed playing experience (The Daily Mail).

Football Insider sources say the Gers will be interested in the teenager.

The Latest: Better off at Brentford

Speaking to Football Insider, Mills has suggested Gilmour would be better off with Brentford rather than with the Gers. He said:

“I think there’ll be a lot of clubs queueing up for his signature.

“He’s a very talented boy. Brentford might be looking at him, he could come in and do a very good job and is a very good player. He wouldn’t have to move either, he could stay where he is. I think that helps a young player, a bit of stability.

“He’ll have several options to where he could go. He has to make the right decision for him. Be picky, be choosy and say ‘Right Ok, I’m going to go here for the good of me and for the development of my career.’

“I think he’ll have several options because he’s a very talented player.

“If he’s going to go to a Premier League club and play regularly then it’s definitely a better option than Rangers.

“He’ll learn a lot more there than by going to the Scottish league.”

The Verdict: Premier League stay

It would be fantastic for Steven Gerrard to be able to add £9m-valued Gilmour (Transfermarkt) to his squad for the 2021/22 campaign. The Blues midfielder is clearly talented, and was even called “world-class” by Roy Keane in 2019 (via talkSPORT). At Ibrox, he could easily become a fan favourite due to his roots at the club.

Unfortunately, the Premiership lacks the quality of the Premier League. Gilmour could do with playing regularly against top-quality players to hone his talents, something which just isn’t on offer in Scotland week in week out.

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Brentford would probably make more sense for Thomas Tuchel and co, in what could be a blow for Gerrard and the Gers.

In other news, Rangers fans laud this man’s performance at Euro 2020.

Many Everton fans have been left to laud a transfer update by Paul Joyce on Max Aarons.

Writing in his latest piece for The Times, the football journalist has claimed that the Goodison Park faithful have ‘identified’ the Norwich City ace as a potential option at right-back in the summer window and will look to ‘haggle down’ his £30m asking price.

Aarons is reportedly ‘keen’ on moving to Merseyside, but the Canaries are not budging on their valuation for a player who still has three years left on his current deal at Carrow Road remaining.

With Seamus Coleman at 32 years of age now, Carlo Ancelotti’s team certainly need to think about finding a long-term replacement for the Republic of Ireland international, and at 21 years old and clearly with a lot of potential, Aarons could well fit the bill for the Toffees.

Everton fans on Joyce’s Aarons transfer update

These Blues lauded the transfer update on Aarons on Twitter, with one EFC supporter even going as far as to claim that the England U21 international would be a ‘perfect’ replacement for Coleman:

“Fans “identified” Max Aarons more than a year ago. Get it done @Everton”

Credit: @toffeejones

“Yippeeeee”

Credit: @EkoRifky

“Yes please”

Credit: @Reservoirfrogs_

“Be a boss signing that”

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Credit: @joshuanorman97

“Perfect Coleman replacement and it seems that Aarons is interested in coming”

Credit: @taylor_davies77

“This is very much needed”Credit: @jacnnorIn other news, find out what Fabrizio Romano transfer update Toffees have flocked to here!

You can somewhat forgive Sunderland for not being at the races right now.

After having four games postponed and a squad ravaged by the ongoing pandemic, it will take Lee Johnson’s men a few weeks to get back up to speed.

However, what will be so frustrating is a second consecutive draw. Equally annoying, is the 1-1 result against Hull on Saturday evening. Time and time again the Mackems achieve that result and it’s now becoming a tiresome affair for supporters.

In front of the Sky television cameras on Saturday, Johnson’s men were quite poor, something that was typified by an error from goalkeeper Lee Burge. The former Coventry man spilt the ball from a free-kick and as a result, Reece Burke had a tap in.

A ‘keeper’s mistake is always elevated because it normally leads to a goal, but one man in the middle of the park made even more errors; Max Power.

The skipper has been inconsistent this season and this display demonstrated exactly why. In simple terms, he let Johnson down and the manager will have expected a much better performance from someone who should be leading by example.

Power was abject in midfield and was desperately poor in possession of the ball. The 27-year-old lost it on 23 occasions which for someone playing in a central role, is particularly abject.

On top of that, he made just two tackles and to add to Power’s woes, he completed only 69% of the passes he attempted.

In a normal situation, you’d assume that Johnson would take a long hard look at his position in the side. However, because he’s captain, Power has to be one of the first names on the team sheet.

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It’s hard to neglect that he cost his team considerably on Saturday, though. If he played with more tempo and energy, taking greater care in control of the ball, it may have led to improved impetus in the final third. As such, there was no real link between defence and attack.

This was not the skipper’s finest 90 minutes. He has to improve.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Grigg: Speakman can boost SAFC promotion bid by signing “terrific” 12-goal gem…

According to the latest reports, Leeds are keen on bringing in Tottenham defender Danny Rose this summer as they look forward to their first season in the Premier League after more than a decade.

The Daily Star claim that Marcelo Bielsa’s side are keen on bringing some top-flight experience ahead of the new campaign, and has been handed a significant transfer kitty by Andrea Radrizzani to spend.

As well as targeting a move for Everton midfielder Fabian Delph – who could well strike up a great partnership with Kalvin Phillips – the Whites are interested in bringing Rose back to Elland Road as well.

Is it Haaland Snr or David Hopkins? Your Leeds knowledge will be put to the test with this quiz…

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But whilst Leeds could potentially sign Rose for a reasonable fee, he simply isn’t the kind of player he was in his prime at Spurs a few seasons ago.

Such has been his decline, that Jose Mourinho even allowed him to join fellow Premier League side Newcastle on loan. When Spurs were at their best under Mauricio Pochettino, the likes of Rose and Kyle Walker would be flying up and down the left and right-flanks and creating dangerous attacking situations.

But at 30-years-old, his form has dropped off considerably. As per Whoscored, he averaged just 0.3 key passes and 0.5 dribbles per game in his time on loan with Newcastle this season, and managed only 0.2 crosses per match too.

Compare that to Stuart Dallas, and it becomes clear that Victor Orta would be heading for a £60k-per-week nightmare with Rose.

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In Leeds’ Championship-winning season, Dallas averaged 1.7 shots, one key pass, 0.6 dribbles and 0.4 crosses per game, and proved his attacking instincts with five goals and three assists.

Simply put, Rose just isn’t the kind of upgrade that would make a move for the hometown man a necessity. Orta would just be wasting Leeds’ money and letting Bielsa down with a player who isn’t at the required level anymore.

The Athletic’s Gregg Evans has raised his concerns over Aston Villa’s defence and the team’s defensive record.

The Midlands club let three in last weekend in their 3-2 defeat to Tottenham, with the third coming from a defensive howler from Bjorn Engels. That loss took Villa’s tally for goals conceded in the Premier League this season to 50, which did not go unnoticed.

Speaking on the Villans’ frailties at the back on the 1874 podcast (20/02/2020), Evans said: “To concede 50 goals already this season is a really worrying stat because you know that, okay, it’s an average of two goals a game, isn’t it? So it’s meaning that they’re needing to score three goals to win the game – it’s just not sustainable.”

The above statistic also means that Villa have the leakiest defence in the division, with not even the bottom three conceding as many goals (per WhoScored). What they do have going for them is their offensive record.

With 34, Dean Smith’s side are actually in the top 10 for goals scored. But as Evans alluded to, how Villa are picking up their points is not sustainable. Furthermore, a balance between defensive solidity and offensive efficiency must be struck if the club are to remain in the top tier of English football.

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Aston Villa fans, do you agree with Evans’ assessment of things? Let us know in the comment section below!

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Injury News series, which considers the impact of the latest updates on players’ fitness.

Newcastle’s Matt Ritchie is facing an extended spell on the sidelines following surgery on his ankle.

What’s the latest?

The versatile player hasn’t played a minute since a bad tackle by Hamza Choudhury forced him off in the Magpies’ Carabao Cup clash with Leicester City back in August.

Since then he has had surgery on his ankle, but that wasn’t quite enough to get him back into action, and he has now undergone a second bout under the knife in a bid to fix the issue.

Such major work means he isn’t expected to be back until January 2020, as long as his period of rehabilitation goes well up until that point and no more problems with his ankle arise.

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Reinforcements needed

Ritchie has been ever-present for Newcastle since he signed for the club upon relegation to the Championship in 2016, and his ability to play in a variety of positions would have been useful for Steve Bruce.

The Magpies boss began the season playing the 30-year-old at left wingback, which allowed him to carry his usual threat going forward while keeping an eye on things defensively.

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It is a position he has played in his career previously and it worked to great effect in the 1-0 win over Tottenham, but his absence now means that Jetro Willems is the only natural left wingback in the squad – with Paul Dummett occupying a more central role in recent games.

Without Ritchie, Newcastle are also down to bare bones on the wings too, with Christian Atsu the only remaining replacement available should Allan Saint-Maximin or Miguel Almiron become unavailable.

That should be a big concern for Bruce and shows that he is in need of new bodies in order to improve the strength in depth of the squad.

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As a result, Mike Ashley has to back his manager accordingly in the January transfer window, as it is unlikely Ritchie will be back in the first-team by that point, considering it will take a few weeks to build up match fitness after missing what will be four months of action.

With Newcastle’s wingers yet to get firing there is a stronger case for that position to be strengthened, though whatever Bruce decides should be reciprocated with more funds from the owner.

Elsewhere, Newcastle have been preparing their shopping list for January and reportedly have a multi-million-pound target already in mind.

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If you ever wanted a snapshot of how quickly football can change, look no further than Mauricio Pochettino’s career in the past six months or so.

The Argentine was lauded as a hero after guiding Tottenham to a Champions League final in breath-taking fashion, knocking out Premier League champions Manchester City in the quarter-finals, and sneaking past Ajax in the last four with one of the final kicks of the game.

Fast forward just a few months later, however, and Pochettino is no longer the Spurs messiah. The north London side have been overwhelmed by transfer sagas that have dominated some of their best players like Christian Eriksen.

And, against Leicester on Saturday lunch-time, the Lilywhites continued their stuttering start to the season by blowing a first-half lead to slip to a disappointing 2-1 defeat.

After seeing their side’s latest under-whelming result, Spurs fans flooded to Twitter to vent their fury at Pochettino.

Many supporters of the north London side criticised the Argentine’s role in the club’s relative decline, and called for Jose Mourinho to make his return to the dugout by replacing the current Spurs boss.

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Check out some of the reaction of Tottenham fans below:

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Tottenham Hotspur have completed the signing of Tanguy Ndombele from Lyon, the club have confirmed.

What’s the word?

The France international has signed a contract at the club until 2025 and becomes the club’s record signing.

Lyon also confirmed the midfielder’s departure on Tuesday and revealed the finances of the deal; Spurs have paid €60m (£53.7m) plus €10m (£8.9m) in add-ons.

The deal comfortably surpasses the £42m paid to Ajax to sign Davinson Sanchez in 2017.

Ndombele becomes Spurs’ second signing of the summer after they also confirmed a deal to sign Jack Clarke from Leeds United on Tuesday. He has been loaned back to the Championship club.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

A statement of major intent

Ndombele is a huge signing for the club.

Reports suggest that Mauricio Pochettino placed the France international at the top of his summer wishlist and chairman Daniel Levy has delivered.

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Paying over £50m for one player was unthinkable for Spurs just a couple of years ago and now they have a genuinely elite central midfielder.

He replaces Mousa Dembele at a stroke and also sends a message that this Spurs team, that reached the Champions League final last season, is here to stay.

Pochettino, surely, will be thrilled.

It is going to go right down to the wire, isn’t it Sheffield United fans?

The Blades’ draw against Birmingham City on Wednesday saw the club squander the chance to move above automatic promotion rivals Leeds United. Currently third in the Championship, Chris Wilder’s side have five games left to usurp the Whites and secure a return to the top tier of English football after 12 years away. If they cannot do this, they will have to instead settle for the play-offs, a competition which they do not have a good relationship with in recent years.

To ensure that they have the best possible chance of finishing in the top-two in May, the Blades simply cannot afford to slip up against Millwall on Saturday in what is expected to be an enthralling clash. Whereas United are experiencing a season to remember this year, the Lions are fighting for their lives at the bottom of the second tier.

Although they are currently three positions above the bottom three, Neil Harris’ side are nowhere near safe and are sure to give Wilder’s side a real challenge to overcome at the weekend.

In theory, giving the contrasting fortunes of the two sides this year, United should enter the game as clear favourites yet at this stage of a campaign, there are no certainties whatsoever, especially in the Championship. Despite the fact that they are storming towards the Premier League this season, leaders Norwich City drew 2-2 a Reading side who are in the exactly the same position as Millwall are.

Therefore, the Blades must be at full throttle at Bramall Lane to ensure that they claim all three points and put all the pressure back on Leeds United ahead of their match against Sheffield Wednesday.

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What do you think United fans? How important is it that your club bounce back against Millwall? Are you still confident that you can finish in the top-two this season? Get in touch below…