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With Valerien Ismael’s West Bromwich Albion side having bounced back from their first defeat of the Championship season with a 1-0 win in their last outing, the Frenchman will have undoubtedly been hoping for yet another positive result from the trip to Swansea City on Wednesday evening in order to keep the Baggies’ hopes of a top-two finish moving in the right direction.

However, despite taking an incredibly early lead through Karlan Grant’s first-minute strike, Albion failed to capitalise on their first-half dominance, with second-half goals from Joel Piroe and Jamie Paterson turning the game on its head, and seeing Swansea take all three points at the Liberty Stadium with a 2-1 win.

As is to be expected after such a result, a number of the West Brom players did not enjoy the finest game of their respective careers, with eight of the Baggies starting XI – including the likes of Darnell Furlong, Kyle Bartley and Semi Ajayi – receiving a SofaScore match rating of 6.9 or below.

However, rather than any of the initial lineup, it will undoubtedly be second-half substitute Jordan Hugill who most disappointed with his display against the Swans, as the centre-forward was once again abject upon his introduction to the game.

Completed four passes

Since his arrival at The Hawthorns on a season-long loan deal this summer, it is clear for all to see that the Norwich City striker has not been in the best form of his life in a West Brom shirt, having failed to score a single goal, provide an assist or create a big chance over his eight Championship appearances prior to the Swansea game.

These are statistics that did not change on Wednesday evening, with the 29-year-old failing to even have a shot – either on or off-target – over his 34 minutes on the pitch, let alone find the back of the net.

Furthermore, the £1.8m-rated man also had just nine touches of the ball, completed a mere four passes, failed with his one attempted dribble and lost 75% of his duels against Russell Martin’s side.

These returns saw the £36k-per-week forward receive a predictably disappointing SofaScore match rating of just 6.5, ranking him as the Baggies’ joint third-worst performer on the night.

As such, with the player who Daniel Farke dubbed a “leader” still yet to have any real impact on West Brom’s season, Ismael’s patience with the striker must surely be starting to run out – as the 29-year-old once again failed the 46-year-old against Swansea.

In other news: Forget Hugill: Ismael could save WBA millions by placing trust in 20 y/o “star boy”

After joining West Bromwich Albion in a £6.75m deal back in the summer of 2017, Baggies fans may well have believed Kieran Gibbs would go on to become their club’s first-choice left-back for a fair few seasons.

This proved to be the case initially, with the 32-year-old going on to make 33 Premier League appearances in his debut season at The Hawthorns, helping his side keep seven clean sheets but earning a rather disappointing seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.78 on the way to Albion’s relegation from the top flight.

The former England international’s level of performance picked up somewhat over his 36 Championship appearances in the following campaign, helping the Baggies keep five clean sheets, scoring four goals and registering four assists, in addition to averaging an improved SofaScore match rating of 6.84 – ranking him as the club’s joint 12th-best performer in the second tier.

However, with West Brom having signed fellow left-back Conor Townsend in the summer of 2018, the younger man clearly started to impress at Palm Training Ground, as he limited Gibbs to just 14 Championship appearances in 2019/20 – over which the £30k-per-week defender once again disappointed, receiving a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.76.

Townsend’s usurping of the man who Slaven Bilic once dubbed a “stupid” player came full circle last season, with Gibbs featuring in just ten Premier League fixtures, before being released on a free transfer this summer.

As such, considering the fact that Albion paid a rather hefty fee for the left-back, in addition to him costing the club a whopping £6.24m in wages over his four-year contract at The Hawthorns, the Baggies’ investment in Gibbs looks to have been something of a nightmare for the West Brom board.

Indeed, it would be a difficult argument to make that the former Arsenal defender’s contributions during his time in West Bromwich warranted even half of the club’s total outlay on the defender, let alone the near-£13m he actually cost the Championship side.

In other news: Ismael could save West Brom millions with exciting 20 y/o prodigy with a “big future”

Sky Sports journalist Michael Bridge believes there is still a possibility that Tottenham Hotspur are interested in Bologna defender Takehiro Tomiyasu. 

Tomiyasu has been linked with a move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer with Sky Sports reporting that Bologna had rejected a £12.9m plus an extra £2.6m in add-ons bid from Spurs.

Sky Sports also reported that Tomiyasu is said to prefer a move to north London, after claiming that Wolves had inquired about him and Nikola Milenkovic.

Spurs have already completed the signing of one defender this summer, with Cristian Romero joining the club on loan from Atalanta, but Bridge believes there is still interest in the defender from Spurs telling Transfer Tavern: “Are Spurs still keen on Tomiyasu, I don’t know, is that still going to go ahead? I mean, there is interest there still, but they’ve been negotiating with Bologna for about two months now.”

The 22-year-old can play as both a centre-back and a right-back and featured for Bologna in 33 matches last season, scoring two goals, and he played for Japan at the Olympic Games, where he featured on three occasions.

It was reported by football.london that Tottenham wanted to bring in two centre-backs this summer, but with the August 31 transfer window deadline looming, time is running out fast.

West Ham United ended their Europa League group stage campaign with defeat as they were beaten 1-0 by Dinamo Zagreb on Thursday night.

Irons boss David Moyes rang the changes at the London Stadium as he opted for a fully-rotated starting XI, in which a mixture of youngsters and fringe players featured.

One of the academy starlets to be handed a start was Manny Longelo, who was deployed at left-back in the absence of the injured Aaron Creswell and Ben Johnson, whilst he was chosen over Arthur Masuaku.

The Scot’s gamble paid off, even if their unbeaten European record came to an unfortunate end.

Ultimately, the Barking-born 20-year-old wasn’t at fault for the Croatian champions’ only goal of the game – a wonderstrike from Mislav Orsic – after an uninterested Andriy Yarmolenko gave the opposition winger time and space to fire a rocket past Alphonse Areola on the other side of the penalty area.

Longelo was actually one of the Hammers’ rare positives from the night as he was frequently involved for the team. Indeed, he registered the second-highest number of touches (87) in the whole game, just as Moyes’ wing-backs often do, so he was clearly adept on the ball and wasn’t fazed by the occasion of making his senior bow.

Only the skipper, central midfielder Mark Noble, had more (93).

He always tried to be productive up and down that left flank, also recording 37 accurate passes, and whilst none of his four crossing attempts found a player in claret and blue, it still suggests that he was trying to create things in the final third. He did compete 100% of his dribbles, by contrast.

Elsewhere, he put in important defensive work, managing two clearances (second-most for West Ham) and two tackles, as well as one interception (second-most), per SofaScore.

The young Hammers sensation left a lasting impression on many observers at the game, including Evening Standard reporter Jack Rosser, who waxed lyrical in his post-match ratings column, where Longelo was graded as Moyes’ joint-best player.

‘Encouraging first start for the 20-year-old full-back. Confident going forward with a number of driving runs down the left. One to keep an eye on,’ he said.

Similarly, The Athletic’s Roshane Thomas believed he “caught the eye” throughout the 90 minutes.

With Cresswell and Johnson likely to still be on the treatment table heading into a busy and hectic festive fixture list, Longelo could well provide Moyes with a solid option in the left-back role going forward.

Even going into the future when the 31-year-old moves on, the youngster has done himself the world of good, potentially handing Moyes a selection dilemma heading into this weekend’s tricky trip to Turf Moor, even despite the midweek defeat.

AND in other news, Newman could end West Ham’s striker nightmare with £10.35m-rated “absolute predator”…

Speaking to Football Insider, a ‘source with knowledge’ of Harry Kane’s situation has dropped a damning three-word claim on just how far he will go to secure a move away from Tottenham Hotspur.

The Lowdown: Kane in training hiatus…

Over the last two days, the superstar striker has failed to report for training in a statement move, with Sky Sports (via Football Daily) believing that he has showcased his frustration at not being allowed to leave this summer.

Fabrizio Romano says that the 28-year-old will return to training ‘later this week’ but his future is still unresolved as Spurs fans can expect discussions (Twitter).

The Latest: Kane source drops three-word claim…

In a possible blow for Spurs, a source with knowledge of Kane’s situation has come out with a three-word claim on just how far the England captain will go to secure an exit away from north London this summer.

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As per Football Insider, it is believed that the forward will do “whatever it takes” to seal his move and has told international colleague Jack Grealish that nothing will stop him leaving by August 31.

Kane also feels he has to ‘pull out all the stops’ if he wishes to potentially join the Aston Villa playmaker at the Etihad Stadium, with the 25-year-old reliably believed to be signing for Manchester City in a sensational £100m move barring any late twists (Fabrizio Romano).

The Verdict: Blow for Spurs?

New Spurs manager Nuno Espirito Santo, who is tasked with picking the club back up after a regretful spell under Jose Mourinho, would surely find life at Spurs unbelievably difficult in his first full season in charge without Kane.

While chairman Daniel Levy arguably holds all the cards as things stand, there have been suggestions that the forward could even lodge an official transfer request to get his wish to leave (The Independent).

This three-word claim that Kane will do ‘whatever it takes’ to secure a move away only backs claims of that nature and it could be a nervy few weeks ahead for Spurs before the transfer window’s closure.

In other news: ‘Excited’, ‘Huge coup’…Sky Sports pundit in awe of announcement at Tottenham, find out more here.

Nuno Espirito Santo ‘could become one of the candidates’ for the managerial vacancy at Tottenham Hotspur, according to football.london journalist Alasdair Gold.

The lowdown

Spurs have been without a permanent manager since sacking Jose Mourinho before the Carabao Cup final in April.

Paulo Fonseca was expecting to become the club’s new boss before they pulled the plug on talks with the 48-year-old (via BBC Sport). A move for Gennaro Gattuso following the swift end to his tenure at Fiorentina was also abandoned amid a backlash from numerous supporters.

Nuno is lining up his next challenge after leaving Wolverhampton Wanderers at the end of the season. The 47-year-old led them back into to the Premier League in 2018, since when they have secured back-to-back seventh-place finishes before slipping to 13th this year (Transfermarkt).

The latest

Gold said: “I keep getting told, and again today, from those in Italy that know Paratici, that he likes Nuno Espirito Santo and not to rule out that he could become one of the candidates.”

However, the ‘Jorge Mendes factor’ could prove to be a problem. Paratici is said to have ‘a good relationship with Nuno’s agent’, but Spurs may be reluctant to be saddled with a number of Mendes’ clients.

Gold added: “I understand that he [Mendes] and Paratici have a good relationship but there is always going to be that fear that Spurs will end up having to take on a number of his players. Italian media claimed Fiorentina and Gattuso parted ways because of exactly that.”

The verdict

Guiding Wolves to consecutive top-seven finishes on the back of promotion was some achievement from Nuno, and we shouldn’t be too quick to forget it. Yes, last season was tricky as they slumped to 13th, but in many ways it underlined the importance of injured striker Raul Jimenez to the functioning of the team, who badly missed the influence of their top scorer from the previous two campaigns.

However, Nuno wouldn’t seem a particularly exciting appointment for Tottenham. He deployed a counter-attacking system to great effect at Molineux, but adopting that style at a club like Spurs with loftier ambitions can frustrate the fanbase all too easily. Also, Levy is on record as saying that he wants a manager who will play expansive football, which may conflict with Nuno’s usual style.

In other news, Gold also dropped this intriguing claim about another candidate. 

Liverpool could be set for a sizeable payday thanks to a clause inserted into the deal which took Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona.

What’s the story?

According to Spanish outlet Sport, Barca will be forced to pay Liverpool a €20m (£17.1m) bonus if the 29-year-old makes more than 100 appearances for the Catalan giants.

The Brazil international has played 90 games for the Camp Nou outfit since joining them from the Reds back in January 2018, meaning that Jurgen Klopp’s charges could receive a substantial windfall later in the season.

Jurgen Klopp will be absolutely delighted

During his time at Anfield, Coutinho bagged 54 goals and provided 45 assists in 201 appearances for the Reds after being brought to Merseyside by former Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers.

Things haven’t worked out for the South American at Barcelona, though. Following an underwhelming 18 months, the Blaugrana hierarchy shipped him out on loan to Bayern Munich for the 2019/20 season.

The Bundesliga champions saw improved performances from the technically gifted talent, with Coutinho bagging 11 goals and providing nine assists in 38 appearances for the club, helping them to secure the treble along the way.

However, upon his return to Barcelona, his poor luck returned. A serious knee injury ended his season in December after just 14 uninspiring appearances under Ronald Koeman, resulting in speculation that Coutinho could join the likes of Lionel Messi and Miralem Pjanic in walking out the exit door.

A departure didn’t materialise, though, so the former Liverpool ace is part of Koeman’s first-team squad for the current campaign and was on the bench for Barca’s 2-1 victory over Getafe last time out.

With the Anfield outfit known to be restricted in their attempts to sign another forward player and possibly an additional midfielder due to their limited budget over the summer, the addition of £17.1m would leave Klopp feeling delighted.

It would allow the German far more room to manoeuvre in the transfer market come January or next summer, and if he is able to secure a top target, then it would surely go down as another masterclass from director of football Michael Edwards.

In other news… Huge blow: Liverpool suffer setback ahead of Leeds clash, Klopp will be fuming 

Sunderland are sitting pretty at the top of the League One table during the first international break of the season after winning four of their five matches in August.

Lee Johnson’s side came out winners against MK Dons, AFC Wimbledon, Blackpool and Wycombe, whilst their one defeat came in a 1-0 loss at Burton Albion. The Black Cats conceded four goals and scored eight on their way to the top of the table, with plenty of positivity to come from their excellent start to the campaign.

However, there are also areas where Sunderland can improve to make sure that they keep this run going and are ultimately successful at the end of the season. One player who let Lee Johnson down with his performances in August was wide midfielder Lynden Gooch.

The American started all five of Sunderland’s matches in League One and averaged a disappointing SofaScore rating of 6.66, placing him 12th in the squad. This suggests that the overall quality of his displays on the pitch was not high enough to make him one of their key players during August, as he struggled with his all-round game.

As per SofaScore, Gooch lost possession of the ball a whopping 89 times in August. He lost the ball 17.8 times per match, whilst averaging a passing completion rate of just 69%. The winger struggled to retain the ball for his side and gave it away on a regular basis, allowing the opposition more chances to attack Sunderland’s goal, although thankfully it did not have a major impact on the results in the grand scheme of things.

In terms of his end product when he did get into the final third, Gooch also struggled to provide high-end quality for Johnson’s side. To his credit, he did create one big chance and register one assist, but that was his only direct goal involvement over the course of the month. He missed two big chances and managed to fire off 10 shots in five games, failing to score.

Defensively, Gooch did little to make up for his flaws in possession. He won the ball back just 0.4 times per game and lost 59% of his duels on the pitch, whilst making 1.4 tackles and interceptions per game. This shows that he struggled all-round, letting Johnson down with his sub-par performances in League One throughout August.

AND in other news, Sunderland gem has seen value plummet £1.66m since leaving, Black Cats struck gold…

Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher is reportedly being lined up for a loan move to Ipswich Town, as reported by TWTD.

Largely an understudy to Alisson Becker and Adrian with the Merseyside giants, the Irishman featured five times for Liverpool in the 2020/21 season [Transfermarkt].

Of course, his most notable appearance for the Reds came against Ajax in the Champions League last December.

Producing some vital stops during the fixture, Kelleher was able to retain a clean sheet, helping to send Liverpool through to the knockout phase of the competition following a 1-0 victory [BBC].

However, the Republic of Ireland international is now rumoured to be on a list of potential Ipswich goalkeeping summer recruits [TWTD].

Citing his need for regular first-team opportunities, the Reds are set to offer out his services on loan which could see multiple English Championship sides also monitor his situation.

Loads of Liverpool diehards took to Twitter to talk about the news, with many unhappy that the prospective move is down two tiers, to League One, while others worry about the prospect of relying on Adrian as number two.

Liverpool fans react:

Replying to popular Reds fan outlet Anfield Watch, here is what some of the Liverpool fans had to say about these recent developments:

“Uh, no thanks, we need Caoimhín as a backup gk”Credit: @lucy44321“Surely not? He has to be our no 2″Credit: @Jurgen_Party”That’s a disgrace to his development, you cant play UCL games and find yourself in league one or whatsoever, disgusting to hear.”Credit: @monyditachien”He can do way better than league one”Credit: @johhn_9″League 1 really”Credit: @sean3648In other news, Liverpool fans fume at their reported summer transfer funding.