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Following on from their 2-0 victory over Ipswich Town at the weekend, Sunderland are back in League One action this evening with an away clash against Shrewsbury Town, who only have 15 points on the board from 17 games.

After the Ipswich win, Sunderland manager Lee Johnson revealed that defender Dennis Cirkin will be out of action for the next few weeks with a hernia injury, with fellow full-backs Denver Hume and Niall Huggins out injured for the Shrewsbury match as well.

Taking this into account, here’s how we feel Sunderland could line up for their game against Shrewsbury. 

In goal, with Ron-Thorben Hoffmann having played in the majority of Sunderland’s league games so far this season, we can see him taking his place once again on this occasion.

For the defence, we think Johnson will stick with the same back four that started against the Tractor Boys with Luke O’Nien, who scored their goal of the game at the weekend, staying at left-back with Carl Winchester on the right and the duo of Callum Doyle and Bailey Wright in the middle after managing to keep a clean sheet at the weekend.

In midfield, we think Johnson will keep Dan Neil and Corry Evans in the central roles but replace Nathan Broadhead, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £2.9k-per-week according to Salary Sport, and Lynden Gooch with Aiden McGeady and Leon Dajaku coming in to freshen the team up alongside Elliot Embleton.

Then for the attack, with Ross Stewart having scored ten goals in 19 League One games for Sunderland this season, it would seem likely that Johnson will keep him in the team on this occasion to see if he can continue his good run of goalscoring form and secure another win for his team in the process.

Whether Johnson goes with this exact starting XI or not, this is still a good opportunity for Sunderland to get another win on the board and keep them towards the top of the league table considering how Shrewsbury have lost more games (10) in the league this season than any other team alongside Doncaster Rovers and Crewe Alexandra.

In other news: Johnson must ruthlessly axe “versatile” £5k-p/w SAFC dud, he’s becoming a liability – opinion

Leeds United may not have had the start to their second season back in the Premier League as they would have hoped based on their early results.

Injuries have also dampened their campaign so far with the likes of Patrick Bamford, Luke Ayling and Robin Koch being out of action for significant periods.

With this in mind and the fact that the January transfer window is approaching, the Yorkshire club could be forced into bringing some new players in to help strengthen Marcelo Bielsa’s squad and get them away from the relegation zone.

One player that Leeds could secure the signing of in January that they were linked with over the summer is Cagliari right-midfielder Nahitan Nandez.

Recent reports from Calcio Mercato (via Leeds Live) have claimed that the Italian club would be prepared to sell Nandez for lower than his €36m (£30.5m) release clause.

If these claims are true, this could provide Victor Orta with a great opportunity to deliver Bielsa his dream transfer that they missed out on in the summer without having to pay as much as they originally thought they had to.

Since joining the Serie A club from Boca Juniors back in the 2019 summer transfer window, the 25-year-old, who is currently valued at £18m according to Transfermarkt, has made 85 appearances across all competitions, scoring four goals and providing nine assists in the process.

As well as showing how much of a versatile player he is by playing in a number of positions across the midfield and attack for Cagliari in Serie A this season, Nandez has also managed to highlight how much of a well-rounded player he is by racking up an average of 1.1 key passes per game as well as 2.1 tackles per game.

This backs up why Serie A expert Conor Clancy previously described Nandez as a “powerful” player that has “really good ball control.”

Taking all of this into account, if Leeds see an opportunity to work out a financially viable deal with the Italian club to bring Nandez to Elland Road in January, then they should be all over it, as the Uruguayan has shown he could be a solid addition to their squad and suited to the physical nature of the Premier League.

In other news: Leeds plot January swoop for “very gifted” £9m-rated “beast”, Bielsa would be buzzing…

An update has emerged on Newcastle United’s attempts to sign Manchester City centre-back Nathan Ake…

What’s the talk?

According to Football Insider, Pep Guardiola’s side will block any bids for the Netherlands international in the January transfer window.

The report claims that City want to keep hold of Ake in order to maintain their squad depth for the second half of the season and will reject the Magpies’ interest in the defender.

Howe will be raging

Eddie Howe will surely be raging with this big blow to his January transfer plans. He worked with Ake at Bournemouth earlier in his career and could have been excited at the prospect of a reunion with the Dutchman, who was a star performer for him in the Premier League at the Vitality Stadium.

He played three full seasons in the top flight under Howe, keeping them in the division in two of those, and averaged a WhoScored rating of at least 6.75 in each one. This shows that he was a reliable option for the 43-year-old and was able to consistently put in good performances, which is why this update is a big blow and a setback for the ex-Cherries coach.

Meanwhile, no Newcastle centre-back has managed a rating of more than 6.48 this season in the Premier League, with the Magpies rooted to the bottom of the table. They are 20th in the league and without a single win to their name, with just six points on the board.

Newcastle are yet to keep a clean sheet in the Premier League this season and this highlights the club’s need to bolster their defence in the January window. Therefore, Ake may have been a key target for Howe, especially given his pre-existing relationship with the player, and City’s decision to block a transfer will leave him fuming, coming as a big blow to his plans.

He will be living that he’ll now need to identify other players to come in and improve his squad. Ake may have been able to come in and hit the ground running due to his knowledge of how the Magpies boss wants to play and his Premier League experience, whereas a player coming in from abroad may need a settling-in period which could limit their impact in the first few weeks.

AND in other news, Howe could save NUFC’s season with move for “beautiful” 27-goal beast, he loves St James’ Park…

West Bromwich Albion have been heavily speculated to utilise strongly the upcoming winter transfer window, however, Valerien Ismael could make the most of a young player they already have developing in their youth system currently.

Reyes Cleary has been playing for the West Brom U23s in the Premier League 2, and has been putting in performances that should be catching the eye of first-team manager, Ismael, who until last weekend has been struggling to inspire his side to score in the Championship.

The 17-year-old sent a clear message to the senior management at West Brom, when he scored twice in the first 11 minutes of the U23’s fixture against Middlesbrough last weekend leading onto a hat trick by full time, with the youngster scoring a phenomenal 16 goals in just 14 appearances so far this season.

Cleary has been doubling up on his duties for West Brom, by also playing in the U18’s Premier League side too, with coach Peter Gilbery hailing the young player as “powerful” recently.

“Reyes is a powerful forward player with an eye for goal and is an excellent finisher.”

The young goal scorer is yet to secure a professional contract with the club but has reportedly already caught the eye of many big clubs who are poised to offer him his next challenge, including Newcastle United and Bayern Munich.

With the possibility of the teenager being snapped up by another club, West Brom need to act fast in offering him a contract as he continues to develop and become more attractive to clubs in positions of power to offer him the opportunity to play European football.

The Baggies are crying out for a creative goal scorer who will put them in a position to be promoted back into the Premier League next season, and Cleary could be their golden ticket right under their nose to succeeding that.

It would save Ismael not only the headache of finding a goal scorer in the upcoming transfer window but would also save the club millions in transfer fees as he strives to do so.

West Brom fans have already taken to social media to express their desire to see the youngster in the first team, with one fan tweeting;

“Can’t ignore him anymore Val. He needs to be on the bench at least!”

The Baggies have a long way to go in their Championship campaign and will be hoping to close the gap on Bournemouth and Fulham who are currently sitting the automatic promotion spots in first and second place in the league.

In other news: Jordan Hugill set for January exit

Dermot Desmond may believe he has achieved all that he can at Celtic and is now looking to hand increasing responsibility to his son. 

That’s according to journalist Stuart Hodge, who was speaking to Give Me Sport.

The lowdown

Irish businessman Desmond is the largest individual shareholder at the Glasgow club, but back in March this year, he was compelled to deny any suggestion that his shares were up for sale.

He also insisted in that interview that he was ‘as passionate about Celtic as any other supporter’, and that any accusation to the contrary was ‘contemptible’.

Since Desmond first invested in the Hoops in 1995, they have bagged 16 Premiership titles, 11 Scottish Cups and 10 Scottish League Cups. Under Martin O’Neill, they also reached the final of the UEFA Cup in 2003.

The latest

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Hodge pointed to the 2016/17 season, when Brendan Rodgers led Celtic to one of four domestic trebles without losing a single Premiership game, as the inevitable peak of the Desmond era. He added that the businessman may be looking to pass on his involvement in the club to his offspring.

Hodge said: “In terms of domestically, Brendan Rodgers swept house. It means he has basically achieved everything that he wanted to. He has done an unbeaten domestic season where they won a treble and you don’t get better than that.

“Is his love for it there and is his ambition what it was? I think there are question marks over that. I know for a fact that he’s looking to pass more of the responsibility onto his son.”

Wolves have received a huge boost with the news that Romain Saiss will be available for the upcoming clash against Manchester United.

The Lowdown: Saiss superb for Wolves

Wanderers have thrived with Bruno Lage adopting a three-man defence this season, conceding just 14 times in 18 Premier League matches to date.

Saiss has been a key part of that success, forming a strong partnership with Max Kilman and Conor Coady, not to mention being hailed by his manager as “Maldini from Morocco”.

The 31-year-old is set to represent his country at the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), however, and his involvement in the trip to Old Trafford on January 3 has been in doubt.

The Latest: Saiss available for Man United clash

Thankfully, Saiss will be available for the United clash, with The Express & Star’s Liam Keen confirming as much on Monday morning.

In his report, he stated that Europe-based players taking part in AFCON were expected to leave their clubs this week, but after the Confederation of African Football received requests to change that, they will now depart after the first set of fixtures in January.

The Verdict: Big boost for Lage

Saiss has been such a strong performer for Wolves this season, not only starting all 18 league games but also scoring twice, so this is a big boost for Lage. He tops the squad for aerial duels won (2.6) and interceptions (1.9) per game in the league during 2021/22 so far.

His experience at the back will be crucial against a United side who have found their feet under interim manager Ralf Rangnick, with a busy evening potentially on the cards for Wanderers’ defence.

Saiss will be a big loss when he heads off on AFCON duty, but the hope is that Wolves will battle on without him for a few matches in January before welcoming him back with open arms.

While Wanderers fans wouldn’t begrudge seeing their player doing well in the tournament, they surely won’t be too upset if Morocco end up being eliminated early and Saiss is back at Molineux before long.

In other news, Luke Hatfield has made a key Wolves transfer claim. Read more here.

Marcelo Bielsa could finally axe one of his biggest liabilities at Leeds United…

What’s the word?

According to TNT Sports, the Yorkshire giants have submitted a £20m offer to sign Atletico Mineiro left-back Guilherme Arana, who is also of interest to some of their Premier League rivals.

Both Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers have been linked with a move for the Brazil international in recent months.

The 24-year-old has caught the eye of many teams since excelling at the Tokyo Olympics in the summer.

Firpo upgrade

You’d imagine that any move for a new full-back would see the end of Junior Firpo’s time as Bielsa’s first choice.

The Spaniard, signed from Barcelona in a £12.8m deal in the summer, has been quite a liability at Elland Road thus far. His error-prone performances have already seen him suspended due to racking up five yellow cards in the Premier League.

One particular display against Brighton and Hove Albion saw him labelled as an “absolute disaster” by Match of the Day and Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards.

As such, director of football Victor Orta should look to rectify their summer blunder by signing Arana.

SofaScore ranked the 5 foot 9 dynamo as Brazil’s fourth-best performer on their way to the Olympic Gold medal in the summer. His coach at the Olympics, Andre Jardine, waxed lyrical about his ability at the tournament.

“He is going through a spectacular phase, he was the best full-back at the last Brazilian Championship, with a great resourcefulness, defensively and offensively,” he said. “His big message at the last Championship was that he scored goals, gave assists, he even scored a goal on our last call. I talk to Franco a lot. With his approval on the left-back, he really meets the Brazilian National Team. Arana fills our eyes with us at the club and here.”

Meanwhile, domestically, Arana helped steer Mineiro to the Serie A title, where he delivered five goals and seven assists across 48 appearances, via Transfermarkt.

On that evidence, he could be a much more reliable option than Firpo, so Orta and co must look to seal Bielsa an ideal upgrade at left-back in Arana this January.

AND in other news, Bielsa could unearth Leeds’ next Stuart Dallas in “unbelievable” 20 y/o gem “with no ego”…

A number of Manchester United fans have flocked to claims regarding a possible swap deal involving Anthony Martial and Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele.

According to journalist Xavi Hernandez Navarro, relayed by @utdreport the Catalan giants are exploring the possibility of a six-month loan swap deal which would see Dembele move to Old Trafford and Martial going to the Nou Camp for the second half of the season.

The 26-year-old is yet to feature under Ralf Rangnick and informed the interim boss of his wish to leave in the January transfer window. Meanwhile, Dembele – who has missed more than 100 games through injury as a Barcelona player – has made just four starts in all competitions in the current campaign.

It seems as if the French duo could both do with a change of scenery, but a number of United fans aren’t exactly keen over this reported swap deal.

United fans react

Here is what these United fans had to say in reply, with one describing Dembele as another Phil Jones due to their respective injury issues.

“Would be a terrible signing. He’s literally another Phil Jones”

Credit: @LeeHolden91

“Wow”

Credit: @bpsxxx1000

“I’d rather keep Martial than have Dembele.”

Credit: @Charlanardo

“Nah we can’t get conned like this”

Credit: @CanPlayAs6or8

“Like I’ve been saying, I don’t want Dembele anywhere near Old Trafford. Bring back Bebe on loan instead.”

Credit: @Iam_mc_harry

“Dembele is that car you buy that ends up costing more to keep fixing”

Credit: @joshleland

In other news: ‘Excellent’ – Lots of Man United fans loved this Fabrizio Romano update

Celtic are edging closer to securing a deal that would see Jota make a permanent move to Parkhead in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Daily Record, who claim that Ange Postecoglou’s side are on the brink of securing a deal worth around £6m to convert the 22-year-old’s current season-long loan into a permanent switch to the Bhoys.

The report goes on to state that Celtic have been in talks with Benfica regarding a move for the Portugal U21 international for a considerable length of time, and that these negotiations have progressed in recent days, before suggesting that the deal now looks to be close to completion.

Fans will love it

Considering just how important a part of the Celtic side Jota has become since his temporary switch to the club last summer, the news that the 22-year-old looks set to become Postecoglou’s fifth signing in the January transfer window – following the arrivals of Reo Hatate, Yosuke Ideguchi, Daizen Maeda and Johnny Kenny – is sure to be an update Celtic fans will love.

Indeed, over his 11 Premiership appearances so far this season, the £4.95m-rated winger has been in remarkable form, scoring five goals, registering four assists and creating two big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of three shots and making 1.5 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the £7.1k-per-week forward average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.38, ranking him not only as Celtic’s fourth-best performer in the current campaign – of those who remain at the club – but also as the sixth-best player in the entirety of the Scottish top flight.

Furthermore, Jota has also bagged a further two goals and two assists over his five Europa League fixtures, in addition to one goal over two League Cup appearances, taking his total to eight goals and six assists over just 18 games for Celtic.

As such, it would indeed appear an extremely wise move for Postecoglou to do all he can to tie up the transfer of Jota this month, as, at just 22 years of age, the winger is undoubtedly a player who boasts an incredible amount of potential – something which could see him become an extremely valuable asset for the Bhoys both on and off the pitch.

In other news: “Advanced stage..”: Joseph drops huge transfer update that’ll have Celtic fans buzzing

West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Aleksandr Golovin to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Sport Witness, who claim that a source close to the AS Monaco attacking midfielder has revealed that both West Ham and Everton are interested in a move for the 25-year-old this month.

The report goes on to state that David Moyes’ side have made contact with the Ligue 1 side regarding a deal for the Russia international, however, it is also claimed that Monaco are unlikely to want to part with Golovin in the current transfer window – with Russian media outlet Championat suggesting the French side would demand a fee of around €50m (£41m) in order to sanction his sale.

Moyes’ next Lingard

Considering just how impressive Golovin has been for Monaco since his £27m move from CSKA Moscow back in 2018, it is easy to see why West Ham would be interested in a move for the attacking midfielder this month.

Indeed, over his 114 appearances for the Ligue 1 side, the £22.5m-rated man has scored 16 goals and registered 22 assists, with arguably his best season for the Monegasques coming over his 21 league outings last season.

In this campaign, the £78k-per-week forward scored five goals, provided nine assists and created nine big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.8 key passes and taking 1.3 shots per game.

These returns saw the player who Jose Mourinho dubbed a “playmaker” earn a rather astonishing seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.31, not only ranking him as Monaco’s best performer in the league, but also as the sixth-best player in the division as a whole.

Indeed, Golovin’s form in this campaign was not dissimilar from that of Jesse Lingard last season, who, over his 16 Premier League appearances while on loan at West Ham, scored nine goals, registered four assists and created three big chances for his teammates, seeing the 29-year-old earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.19.

Furthermore, both the AS Monaco attacking midfielder and the Manchester United man possess impressive positional versatility, with each player more than capable of operating from either flank or in the number 10 role.

As such, should Moyes be able to get a deal over the line for Golovin this winter, the 58-year-old Hammers manager could very much have the club’s next Lingard on his hands for the second half of the season – something that is undoubtedly an extremely exciting prospect for everyone involved with the club.

In other news: West Ham submit Jan offer for “outstanding” £70k-p/w tank, Moyes desperately needs him