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Speaking in his post-match press conference, Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti has lauded Dominic Calvert-Lewin after his goal-scoring performance against Newcastle.

What did he say?

The striker has been in fine fettle since the departure of Marco Silva, and his brace against the Magpies on Saturday afternoon took his tally to five goals in his previous five Premier League games.

And speaking after the game, the recently-appointed Ancelotti lauded his number nine for his overall display, and delivered a hugely exciting verdict on the sheer potential the 22-year-old has.

Watch Everton Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

He said (as quoted by The Liverpool Echo): “He is a fantastic striker in my opinion. He is fantastic with the head, he has clever movement in the box, sharp, but he is young and for this reason he has to improve. He is a humble guy, he doesn’t talk a lot but I think he is going to be a top (striker) in England and Europe. He has all the qualities.”

Resurgence

Having netted his tenth goal across all competitions against Newcastle, Calvert-Lewin has already gone past his entire tally for the previous campaign. And rather promisingly for the striker himself, he is now working under an elite manager who has worked with some of the game’s finest centre-forwards: the likes of Filippo Inzaghi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Didier Drogba et al.

Did he play for Everton? Simple question but a lot tougher than you think…

At only 22, Calvert-Lewin has plenty of room for growth, and being guided by a manager who has seen it and done it all in the European game is only of benefit to his development over the coming years. His goal-scoring record at Everton so far is less than stellar, with just 27 in 115 games in total. But under Ancelotti’s stewardship, he will back himself to really stamp his mark as a number nine at Goodison Park.

Meanwhile, Carlo Ancelotti’s verdict on potential January plans means he could be set to make his first mistake as Everton manager.

Sheffield Wednesday boss Garry Monk has made his first decision of the January transfer window, according to latest reports emerging out of south Yorkshire.

The Star claim defender Moses Odubajo has been told that he has no future at Hillsborough, which comes less than a week after his surprise absence from their FA Cup matchday squad.

Odubajo hasn’t featured since he received his marching orders against Derby County early in December.

The 26-year-old was signed by Steve Bruce in the summer, but after just 14 appearances, it seems as if his future at the club under Monk is wearing thin.

Fans have taken to social media to discuss the latest news, many appear to be thrilled…

A couple of supporters lauded Monk’s decision as ‘good’ and ‘correct’ while others used it as an opportunity to take a swipe at Odubajo’s ability.

One member of the Owls faithful said he was worse than former defender Ian Hendon, labelling him the ‘single most worst full-back’ to play for the club.

‘Shocking,’ ‘appalling,’ and ‘calamity’ were three words used to describe him.

Some were left baffled over why it hadn’t turned out as well as first planned…

Plenty of others at Hillsborough then suggested that Monk ships out more of the Wednesday squad with Joey Pelupessy, Atdhe Nuhiu and Jacob Murphy frequently mentioned.

It appears as if Osaze Urhoghide’s breakthrough against Brighton last weekend was enough to convince the 40-year-old that he has more than enough cover at the right-back position, even despite Liam Palmer being out through injury.

Call yourself a Premier League expert? How much did each of these big-money January signings cost?

And in other Owls news, this former Dave Jones signing could be the man to boost Wednesday’s season…

This Liverpool team is arguably the best in the world right now.

Their Club World Cup win gives them the right to say that officially anyway, but their performances over the past 12 to 18 months have cemented that. They are the current European champions, of course, whilst they currently lead the Premier League table by no less than 13 points with a game in hand. They have not lost a league match for over a year – let that sink in for a second.

Should Jurgen Klopp’s men lift the title for the first time in 30 years this term, they will go down in history. Beyond May, though, changes will need to be made to this squad if they wish to stay at the top of the pile for the foreseeable future.

That could mean some of their star players leaving as well, and there have already been some rumours as to who could be off during the summer. According to fichajes.net (via calciomercato.com), Real Madrid are looking to sign centre-forward Roberto Firmino as a replacement for Karim Benzema.

Call yourself a Liverpool expert? How much did each of these big-money January signings cost?

The Brazil international has been a fantastic player for the Reds. His work-rate and teamwork have often been commended, and he has also been able to chip in with a regular stream of goals – he has at least 10 strikes in each Premier League season he has participated in.

However, this term, the goals have dried up a little. A good second half of December took his tally up to nine for the season in all competitions, but before that he managed just four in 25 matches. Whilst Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah have taken up the goalscoring mantle – they have 27 between this term to date – the centre-forward should be contributing more than the former Hoffenheim man currently is.

Currently valued at £81m by Transfermarkt, he would still bring in a hefty fee. At 28 years of age, though, that price will only decrease as he approaches his thirties. Liverpool are not bankrolled like the likes of Manchester City – in this year’s Premier League, 13 teams have a bigger net-spend over the last five years than the Reds, a table which the Citizens top – and therefore they need to move players on to sign replacements. It is not as though there are not attractive options out there: Timo Werner, a reported Liverpool target – and with a release clause of under £30m – has one more assist than Firmino this season as well as 15 more goals.

All of this is not to undervalue what Firmino has contributed at Anfield. But the time is now right to say thank you and goodbye. If Los Merengues are willing to take him to the Santiago Bernabeu, Klopp and Co should take their potential offer into deep consideration.

Elsewhere, Liverpool should sell this £25m man in the summer.

According to De Telegraaf’s chief football correspondent, Valentijn Driessen, via Spanish media outlet Marca, Real Madrid are all but set to win the race for Ajax’s Donny van de Beek, who has also been linked with a move to Manchester United in recent weeks.

What’s the word, then?

Ever since last summe the young Ajax player has been extremely close to joining the Spanish giants, as Marca explain in their report.

Now, it seems very likely a deal will be done and dusted by the time the upcoming 2020/21 season begins.

There has been some interest coming from Man United, but Los Blancos have seemingly always been in firm control of the 22-year-old midfielder’s fate.

The big fat United quiz of 2019 – how much do you remember about the last year at Man Utd?

A bid around €55m (£47m) will be needed to get the transfer over the line but provided that there are no drastic changes from now until the summer, the deal should be announced come June of this year.

And Real Madrid truly are getting one gem of a player.

Verdict

It seems that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is set to face disappointment as the Red Devils are not looking likely to be able to rival the Galacticos for van de Beek’s signature.

But looking at the 22-year-old’s figures in more detail, it’s easy to see why he’s become such a coveted young star.

Van de Beek has already netted eight goals and eight assists in the ongoing 2019/20 campaign and has both international and European experience to his name.

Not to mention that he proved to be a big-game player for Ajax last season as well, helping them reach the Champions League semi-final with outstanding performances against Real Madrid and Juventus.

It will be interesting to see whether Zinedine Zidane will find a spot for him in his squad but as Marca explain, his arrival might force a couple of departures in the process as well.

In other news, Manchester United are reportedly in the race to sign a wanted Barcelona man…

Alan Nixon has suggested that Newcastle United have a decision to make regarding which winger they make a move for.

What did he say?

The Magpies have been touted with moves for Internazionale’s Valentino Lazaro and Jarrod Bowen of Hull City, as reported by The Chronicle and The Telegraph respectively.

This move comes with Steve Bruce’s side having scored 22 goals in the Premier League, a number that was only lessened by Watford and AFC Bournemouth.

Nixon has suggested that the fee needed to buy either winger would be similar, adding that the club’s decision-makers now have some thinking to do.

The two options

It is surprising that there has not been more concrete interest in Bowen from the Premier League, as written about by The Athletic.

Before Hull’s game against Derby County, the 23-year-old had amassed an impressive 16 goals and six assists from 27 Championship starts.

He has also managed to make an impact in general play, averaging 1.3 key passes, 1.8 dribbles and 1.2 tackles per game.

Alternatively, Lazaro has been a fairly sporadic figure for Inter, making a total of three starts and seven substitute appearances across Serie A and the Champions League, getting two assists in that time.

Who the heck is that?! Can you name all 25 of these obscure Newcastle signings…

In the league, the Austrian has averaged 1.5 key passes, 0.8 dribbles and 1 tackle per game.

This indicates that the decision may come down to whether Newcastle are drawn in by the prospect of recruiting somebody who has played in the Champions League this season, or go for the player who has been prolific at a lower level, trusting him to deal with the step up.

Meanwhile, FFC has suggested what one Newcastle man must do in order to make sure he is not replaced.

Sheffield Wednesday progressed through to the next round of the FA Cup with victory over QPR on Friday, and a number of fans were gushing over Morgan Fox after the match.

The left-back has been first-choice for the Owls this season, starting 17 consecutive matches in the Championship, and seems to be enjoying playing under Garry Monk.

He has scored two goals in that time and has mostly helped his side to keep a solid defensive record, conceding 22 times in those 17 games, with five coming at home to Blackburn last week.

Watch Sheffield Wednesday Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Supporters were very impressed with his showing against QPR, as he handled the pacy Jack Clarke very well, leading some to suggest he was the Man of the Match.

It has been a change in fortunes for the 26-year-old in this campaign, as he started just 21 league games last season and 26 the year before that.

He seems to have the trust and confidence of Monk, and he is repaying his manager in abundance, though keeping up his consistency until the end of the season will be key.

Some fans have already praised his turnaround in fortune, with one or two pointing out the fact that they were wrong to judge him harshly previously, as he has now proved himself to be a good player and an important member of the squad.

Others believe the defender is deserving of reward for his displays, with talk of a new contract on the agenda from some supporters.

Someone’s got to own them: Who do these incredibly unwanted PL records belong to?

Meanwhile, Garry Monk has spoken about another Wednesday player and provided an update which reveals something about his future.

According to Sky Sports, Manchester United are in talks to sign former Watford striker Odion Ighalo before the end of the deadline.

What’s the word?

The Red Devils have been on the look-out for a new striker since the beginning of deadline day, with reports earlier suggesting they were very much interested in bringing Bournemouth’s Josh King to Old Trafford, despite having a first bid rejected.

However, according to BBC journalist Kris Temple, United informed their fellow Premier League side that their chase of their striker had ended.

Watch Manchester United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Now, Sky Sports claim the Red Devils are interested in bringing Ighalo on a six-month loan from Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua, and that the chances of a deal being completed is currently at 50/50.

Desperation

Make no mistake about it, United are beginning to get desperate. As the clock ticks down, the Red Devils simply cannot afford to be picky about the minute details of things, and simply be as efficient as possible in their dealings.

What could’ve been… Can you name the clubs these football legends almost joined?

If Ighalo now is their main focus and priority, then it’s absolutely imperative that the Manchester side do not dwell too much on things like how much of the wages they may cover. That would obviously be a much more prudent thing when there is a lot of time left, but unfortunately, that is a commodity they currently do not have.

Now it’s all about getting the deal over the line in any which way possible, and it really has become a case of needs must.

Meanwhile, Manchester United fans are fuming despite confirmation of this youngster’s signing.

During the summer, it will have seemed almost unfathomable to many that West Ham United would get relegated.

They had attractive signings such as Sebastien Haller and Pablo Fornals, mixing with the talents of Declan Rice, Felipe Anderson and more, all brought together by a Premier League-winning manager in Manuel Pellegrini.

All of this meant that they were an outside chance for a European push, with The Guardian predicting them to finish 10th.

However, as things stand, the only realistic trips outside of England for next season are away days at Cardiff City and Swansea City.

Watch West Ham United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

It is quite unbelievable that the club have managed to reach the point where they sit within the confines of the relegation zone, but via Lukasz Fabianski’s injuries, Roberto’s calamity, Sebastien Haller’s isolation, Pellegrini’s sacking, David Moyes’ reappointment and Mark Noble’s frustrations, here we are.

Despite all of this, there will likely be lingering claims from some that the Hammers are simply too good to go down.

Of course, it is far from set in stone that London Stadium will be hosting Championship football – alongside its concerts and baseball matches – next year.

However, it would be foolish to believe that West Ham are immune from candidacy to suffer the drop.

Is life under Gold and Sullivan really that bad? Maybe this quiz will change your minds, West Ham fans…

If there is any fan base that should know this, it is the claret and blue army, with the 2002/03 campaign acting as proof.

The squad used that year was brimming with quality, but it wasn’t enough, as Nigel Winterburn told The Guardian in 2007:

“We had an absolutely fantastic team at the time – Paolo Di Canio, Fredi Kanouté, Joe Cole, Michael Carrick – and I still can’t believe a team with players like those was relegated. Early in the season we were thinking, ‘well, there are still 20 or 30 games to go.’ You get past Christmas and say, ‘We’re still only halfway through the season.’ But then reality set in.”

This was an anomaly in English football, as their 42 point haul was the highest any Premier League team has been relegated with in a 38-game season – a record that still stands.

However, this should still be enough to end any delusions of grandeur that may be felt by any, as West Ham are in the middle of a relegation fight that they are currently losing, making relegation a very real possibility.

Meanwhile, West Ham’s foolish transfer move has been completely undermined.

Sheffield Wednesday endured an afternoon of mixed fortunes in the south Yorkshire derby as the Owls drew 1-1 with their local rivals at Oakwell on Saturday afternoon.

Garry Monk’s side took an early lead through debutant Josh Windass as he drilled home an attempt in the 16th minute, but that lead would only last another eight minutes as Cauley Woodrow capitalised on Cameron Dawson’s poor clearance to equalise into an open net.

The stalemate keeps Wednesday some six points off the playoff positions and extends their dire run of form to a fourth game without a victory having won just once in their last eight in the Championship.

Owls oversaw a rejig of their defence when Monk named his starting XI – there was no Moses Odubajo or Morgan Fox so Liam Palmer played at left-back, meaning Dominic Iorfa was shifted to the right.

And it was skipper Tom Lees in the centre that drew major criticism from some members of the travelling support.

Here’s what they have said…

“Terrible,” “shocking,” and “shambolic” were just three words used to describe the 29-year-old’s performance over the course of the 90 minutes he was on the pitch.

One supporter went as far as brandishing him as a “fraud” which is quite a damning review on someone that has played 224 times in the blue and white stripes.

Another claimed he was the worst player he had ever seen play for the club and he had even witnessed Jon Beswetherick in the past.

His responsibility in possessing the captain’s armband was also questioned by others…

Lees was called an “absolute clown” as well as the worst captain and leader the Owls could ever have.

Per SofaScore, the centre-back put up pretty decent numbers, recording seven clearances, three interceptions and two tackles, but he also managed to lose possession 18 times and had a dismal passing accuracy of just 51%.

It has led to further fans asking for Lees to never feature ever again…

One member of the Owls faithful even went as far as asking the club to terminate his contract. It remains to be seen if his place amongst the starting XI is at risk, but Monk does have plenty of defensive options to call upon if need be.

Call yourself a Championship expert? Name all the top-scorers from each of these Championship seasons…

And in other news, Sheffield Wednesday powerhouse is now even further away from breaking into the first-team…

West Bromwich Albion have soared four points clear in the Championship following back-to-back victories and successive clean sheets as they face a double-header this week.

The Baggies ended a run of seven straight league games without a win by defeating basement boys Luton Town 2-0 before going on to repeat that exact scoreline on Sunday afternoon.

However, one member of the squad has been causing a debate between fans on social media, as he often does.

Shot-stopper Sam Johnstone.

The club’s official Twitter account and the player himself have tweeted since the weekend, causing a divide amongst some supporters.

Here’s what has been said…

Plenty of the Albion faithful threw their weight behind the 26-year-old as a range of superlatives were used to describe him, including “top drawer,” “solid” and “vastly underrated.”

While one supporter was rather honest in his assessment of the goalkeeper as he had changed his views from last season, claiming Johnstone now bosses it 100% each and every week.

It has led to other fans backing him to continue proving his doubters wrong…

It’s clear to see that Slaven Bilic’s first choice between the sticks divides opinion as one fan said that despite two clean sheets on the bounce, the moaners are continuing to moan, before telling Johnstone to keep up the good work.

Another member of the Hawthorns crowd told the number one to take no notice of the haters.

But for some, it wasn’t enough as the debate over whether or not backup option Jonathan Bond should be granted a chance came to the foray once again.

“Bond in” was a simple suggestion from one supporter while another was somewhat sarcastic in suggesting similar.

Life after football: Do you know what all of these former players did next?

Johnstone has played every single minute of every single league game, 31 appearances and 2,790 minutes to be precise, and that doesn’t look like changing any time soon unless he picks up an injury.

And in other news, West Brom have no option in loan star’s deal, claims Steve Madeley…