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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Sebastien Haller has often cut an isolated figure for West Ham United this season, meaning it can be difficult for him to perform at his best.

Tony Cottee bemoaned the lack of support the Frenchman has received, while speaking to Football FanCast: “I think at times he’s been a little bit isolated up front, so he could do with a little bit of help, but I’ve been impressed.”

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Despite this, the striker has 4 goals and an assist from 10 Premier League starts, as per WhoScored, but having spent a club-record fee on the 25-year-old, the Hammers need to ensure they get the most out of him.

On the chalkboard

Manuel Pellegrini made a tactical switch to a 4-4-2 against Newcastle and it was one that seemed to have the desired effect as the Hammers got two goals to make the scoreline respectable.

There is perhaps a sign that this helped the 6ft 3 attacker, as he ended up taking four shots, his joint-highest tally of the campaign, while there are also previous signs of how he could benefit from this.

His time with Eintracht Frankfurt last season can’t be overlooked, as he established a formidable partnership with Luke Jovic, getting 20 goals and 12 assists in 32 starts and 7 substitute appearances across the Bundesliga and Europa League.

Regarding his time in England, there is also evidence that he could excel alongside a partner, as he has averaged 1.1 key passes and won 6.7 aerial duels per game.

This indicates that he has the attributes to help bring a partner into the game and provide them with plenty of opportunities.

The main question will be whether he can do this effectively enough to make it worth sacrificing someone in another position, with Albian Ajeti currently the most likely option to come in upfront despite the fact he failed to score in 2 starts and 3 substitute appearances for the Hammers.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Let’s not paper over the cracks with all this talk.

Former Leeds United defender Ben Parker believes that Leeds United goalkeeper Kiko Casilla has finally got used to playing in English football.

What’s he said?

Speaking to Yorkshire Evening Post, he mentioned how there isn’t as much panic when he wanders outside his box as there was last season:

“Any keeper you see outside his area, everyone has a little panic. Even as a player, you’re thinking he has to get there. Kiko’s starting positions this season have been so much better than last year.

“At times he’s been a touch deeper, he’s reading the game better, he’s adjusted to the speed of the Championship and when he has to come out.

“He hasn’t done it every game and that decision making has been crucial. That says to me he’s adjusted to the league, he looks a more solid all-round goalkeeper.”

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That’s not strictly true though, is it?

Whilst Parker talks about what he brings to the table in terms of his style of play when he comes off his line, there is still one thing that should concern Leeds when it comes to the Spaniard, and it concerns what he does on it.

Casilla was no stranger to the odd gaffe last season, with his errors in games against Sheffield United and Derby County, the latter in the play-off semi-final being chief amongst them.

Whilst he may be among one of the better goalkeepers this season in terms of clean sheets, leading the way with five, the fact of the matter is that he still hasn’t eradicated all mistakes from his game and they have the potential to cost Leeds throughout the season.

His ‘flap’ at the first goal during their Carabao Cup defeat to Stoke City and his half-hearted punch for Charlton Athletic’s winner show that there is still a disaster waiting to happen at any moment.

Do Leeds need to invest in a new goalkeeper? No, not just yet.

However, if these errors aren’t eradicated quickly, the decision to go with him over Bailey Peacock-Farrell in the summer could end up haunting them.

In our Transfers that shook the club feature, Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at deals that had many may not have seen coming and the impact that they had during their time by using statistical data and pundit remarks.

When Andriy Shevchenko signed for AC Milan from Dynamo Kyiv in 1999, he may not have played for a club outside of Ukraine, but he had scored a hat-trick against Barcelona, as well as braces against Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in the Champions League, as per Transfermarkt.

So when the Italian club paid £21.52m for him, it will have seemed justified to many, though if there were some who doubted the reasoning behind it, Shevchenko would go on to prove he was worth that and more.

Over two spells in Milan, the Ukrainian would go on to play a total of 332 games, scoring 175 goals and getting 27 assists, playing an integral part in the club winning a Champions League, Serie A, Copa Italia, Supercoppa Italiana, and a UEFA Super Cup.

It is undoubted that he made his impact on the club during his time there as a player, as is also signified by the fact he was awarded Best Player in Europe in 2004.

There is an indication that he could now be given the opportunity to impress in Milan once again, having made his mark against Europe’s best from within Ukraine, but this time from the dugout.

This comes after suggestions that he is a backup option for the club if they are unable to get Pep Guardiola to join in 2021.

He has already shown that he can be effective, having led his nation to Euro 2020 qualification with a 2-1 victory over Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal.

The 43-year-old has proven himself to be influential in getting Milan trophies as a player, with the club not having won a league title since 2010/11, they may look for him to do so again as manager.

Milan fans, would you like to see Shevchenko come in as your manager? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

The Sun reported earlier this week that Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy is ready to stand by Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino despite some worrying performances and results on the pitch, but he may have an ulterior motive for choosing that stance.

It’s fair to say that it’s been a bit of an up and down 2019 for the north London outfit, with their form in the Premier League in the second half of 2018/19 not particularly good – they are also without an away win in the top flight since they beat Fulham at Craven Cottage back in January.

On the other hand, they made a momentous step forward to reach the Champions League final, and once again qualified for Europe’s elite club competition this season with a top-four finish last term.

Any concerns have certainly been brought to the fore in recent weeks however, with a home defeat against Newcastle United being followed by poor displays and results against Olympiacos, Leicester City and an embarrassing cup exit to League Two Colchester United.

It’s clear that something isn’t right, and Pochettino has suggested some squad members having “different agendas” is having an effect.

Nevertheless, the report in The Sun says that Levy is ready to stick with the coach he appointed in 2014, and handed a lucrative new long-term contract to in 2018.

Let’s be cynical for one moment.

Considering the 47-year-old manager’s deal is reportedly worth a reported £8.5m per year, it would be a significant outlay of compensation money for the 57-year-old chairman if he was to wield the axe on the South American.

Furthermore, maybe Levy has realised that he’s actually got it pretty good with Pochettino.

There may be friction between the two at times – as shown by the need for clear-the-air talks between the duo following the closure of the summer transfer window – but in general they seem to have a steady relationship.

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Pochettino even accepted going two whole transfer windows without signing a player, which is something that a frugal Levy would have no doubt been delighted about.

Some Tottenham fans have called for the appointment of Jose Mourinho following recent poor results, but that would potentially be a nightmare for the club supremo.

The Portuguese would likely arrive with big ambitions and a list of new players to turn Spurs into serious trophy contenders, rather than largely continuing to live within their means like they are now.

From the outside looking in anyway, Pochettino doesn’t appear to have really stamped his foot down at Tottenham, and that has made Levy’s life a whole lot easier.

Arsenal will be hoping to build on their impressive start to their Europa League campaign against Standard Liege at the Emirates Stadium tonight.The Gunners triumphed in their first game of the European competition against Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0 in what was an impressive away performance.Watch Arsenal Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

For that match, outcast Shkodran Mustafi was included in the starting XI despite Unai Emery telling him he could leave in the summer. The fact that he kept a clean sheet will have boosted his confidence.

The Germany international is not exactly popular in north London, and he has often been criticised by the club’s supporters for his lacklustre displays in the past.

However, it seems that the Emirates Stadium faithful would now like to see him from the beginning again against the Belgian side.

They have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

Liverpool will have their sights set on the Merseyside derby on Sunday at Goodison Park, with Everton looking to get revenge after Divock Origi’s last-minute winner at Anfield. 

Jurgen Klopp has managed to turn a number of quality players into stars during his time at Liverpool, which has been one of the main reasons behind the Merseyside club’s success in recent times.

Interestingly, it appears as if FSG may have the opportunity to secure a special talent for a bargain price in the summer transfer window, as according to Bild and kicker (via This is Anfield), Julian Brandt could be available for just €25 million or £21.6 million as he negotiated a release clause when signing his extension at Bayern Leverkusen that can be activated at the end of this campaign.

The Reds were linked (as per Calcioinsider) with a move for Brandt back in the summer transfer window but nothing materialised, so the Reds should go in for him in the summer after catching wind of his release clause.

Indeed, the German has been hugely impressive in the current campaign, having produced seven goals and 10 assists in all competitions. He predominantly features out wide but has previous experience through the middle and Jurgen Klopp could definitely transform him into more of an attacking midfielder, with Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane already working wonders out wide. So, he could finally be the answer to Liverpool’s search for Philippe Coutinho’s replacement.

Brandt would be the perfect man to fill the Brazilian’s void as he’s shown that he can score goals and provide assists in the final third, as well as being able to cause havoc with his skill, dribbling ability and pace. And, the 22-year-old can use both feet and would take Liverpool’s attack up another level with the ability to pick the final pass and create more space for the Reds’ dangerous front three.

What do you think Liverpool fans?

In today’s Tottenham Hotspur roundup, we take a look at what news has been making the headlines for the Lilywhites. Harry Kane believes the players are not learning from their mistakes after the draw in Greece, Pochettino insists the team are conceding too many goals early on in the new season, and former England international Matthew Upson states there are “no signs of Spurs taking the next step”.

Kane rues same old mistakes

Report: Kane expressed his frustration to reporters following Spurs’ 2-2 draw against Olympiakos, after his side let a 2-0 lead disappear. The striker said: “You can see why the manager is frustrated, he has been here for five years now and we are still making similar mistakes as we were the first year.

“We are not young anymore, we are not inexperienced. We have played in big games for club and country. We have to try to find a way to get around it and improve and get better. That is all we can try to do.”

Verdict: It is clear to see where Kane is coming from. Just three weeks ago, Spurs conceded a 2-0 lead in the north London derby, just a week after they lost 1-0 at home to Newcastle in a game they were expected to win and indeed dominated possession in with over 80% of it. Now they’ve surrendered a two-goal lead in a Champions League opener.

Indeed, a team that has been together and worked under the same manager for this long should have a natural organisation and consistency about them, but it feels like Spurs have regressed in 2019 despite reaching the Champions League final. In fact, since late February Spurs have won just five Premier League games.

Upson questions Spurs’ progress

Report: Former England defender Upson has questioned the club’s progress after telling the BBC: “I was looking for some signs against Olympiakos that Tottenham have progressed as a team since reaching last season’s Champions League final, but I did not really see any.

“Their remarkable run in this competition last year relied on last-minute goals and drama, right from the very start when they dragged themselves out of despair after it looked like they would be going out in the group stage.”

Verdict: Similar to the quotes from Kane, Upson spoke a lot of truth post-match in Greece. Spurs struggled to play at their own tempo all night and seemingly succumbed to the hostile environment around them against Olympiakos. Indeed, as Upson alluded to, it seems the same old issues are causing Pochettino’s side the same problems.

Then again, Spurs did turn around their results in the group stages last year after losing their first two games, then taking eight points from four, so perhaps they shouldn’t hit the panic button just yet.

‘We are conceding a lot of chances’, says Poch

Report: The Spurs boss is unhappy with the way his team have defended during the early stages of this season. He said after the Champions League draw: “We are conceding a lot of chances and we are conceding a lot of goals from the beginning of the season. We need to be more focused and more aggressive like we were against Palace. The moment we drop, the team starts to drop.

“It’s very disappointing because we are not talking about quality, we are talking about intensity, will, aggressiveness and that’s what’s disappointing to us most.”

Verdict: The Argentine has a right to question the mentality of his men, just as a lot of fans have over the last few years. Spurs have world-class quality at their disposal, but whilst Kane, Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, and Son Heung-min are amongst the best around in their respective positions, as a collective unit, the team seems to crumble under pressure too many times and certainly lack that killer edge.

Aston Villa have not been reluctant in bringing new players to the Midlands during the January transfer window, with Lucas Digne, Robin Olsen, Calum Chambers and Philippe Coutinho all making their way to Villa Park in the past few weeks.

However, it appears as though the Villans have put an end to the possibility of one particular deal being struck before the 11pm deadline arrives.

What’s the latest?

According to a recent report from the Daily Mail, Villa have “decided against pursuing a deal” for Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma this month.

Having been linked with the Mali international earlier this month, with a reported bid of £25m rejected by the Seagulls for their midfielder, it seems as though the Midlands club will not be making any further attempts to try and lure him to Villa Park before the end of the transfer window.

Furthermore, with Brighton reportedly wanting a fee in the region of £50m for Bissouma, this could be a factor as to why Villa have seemingly given up their attempts to sign the 25-year-old after already splashing out £25m to bring in Digne from Everton.

NSWE are taking a big risk

Even though it would take a club-record transfer fee from Villa to sign Bissouma this month, it would be a big risk in the short-term for the club owners Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris not to secure the Brighton maestro given how Marvelous Nakamba is out of action through injury, and after missing out on signing Rodrigo Bentancur this month as well.

Thinking on a long-term basis, with Bissouma being young but experienced in the Premier League and recent reports casting speculation over the futures of Douglas Luiz and Carney Chukwuemeka, adding the Brighton star to their ranks could be a great investment for the Villans for the foreseeable future.

With that in mind, depending on how Villa’s midfield situation looks at the end of the season, they should definitely try and make a move to bring Bissouma to the Midlands during the summer transfer window, if Brighton would be willing to negotiate a suitable deal for him.

In other news: Gregg Evans drops big AVFC deadline day update which will surely leave fans thrilled

Crystal Palace have been given a huge boost ahead of their match with Arsenal as £1.3m-rated midfielder James McArthur is expected to return from injury.

The Scotsman was out for 12 weeks earlier this season after he suffered a hamstring tear, before picking up another injury when returning in February.

He has been a key player for the Eagles since he joined from Wigan in 2014 for £7.9m. The 34-year old has made 242 appearances in a Palace shirt and is the vice-captain at Selhurst Park.

His return will be huge for the dressing room, especially considering Palace are without their star forwards Michael Olise and Wilfried Zaha who picked up injuries of their own whilst on international duty.

McArthur’s leadership qualities will be useful against a strong Arsenal side with Vieira describing him as “valuable” and “a warrior” when being interviewed earlier in the season.

The Eagles will be looking to better the result in the reverse fixtures at the Emirates Stadium where it finished 2-2. McArthur featured in that game but was lucky not to be shown a red card after ‘channelling his inner Vieira’ in a crunch tackle on Bukayo Saka.

His defensive attributes can be pivotal in stopping the Gunners, with the veteran midfielder ranking inside the top 10% in the past year across Europe’s top five league for blocks, clearances and recovering loose balls.

While Palace supporters are full of praise for McArthur’s impact, he is one of those players that go under the radar for those who aren’t followers of the club.

He may not be the most entertaining, but he fights and does the work that perhaps some other players are reluctant to.

Despite not featuring much this campaign, his impact has shown he is a player who picks up the ball a lot and has tallied 511 touches in the Palace midfield third, which is higher than Cheikhou Kouyaté who has featured a lot in his place.

Whether he will start in tonight’s game remains to be seen, he might only be partly fit, but as soon as Vieira can use him he should.

He could play a key part in making sure Palace finish as high as possible in the Premier League, meaning his manager will be delighted to have him back fit and firing.

IN other news: CPFC plot bid for “super talented” 34-goal gem, just imagine him & Olise…

Rangers could accept an offer for Brandon Barker in the remaining days of the January transfer window, according to The Daily Record’s Robbie Copeland. 

The lowdown

The Gers picked up the winger from Manchester City’s under-23s back in August 2019. He spent the end of last season on loan at EFL League One outfit Oxford United, and he has only made one appearance for the Light Blues so far in 2021/22, which came in the 4-0 Scottish Cup fourth round win over Stirling Albion last weekend.

His deal at Ibrox is due to expire at the end of May, and there seems to be no prospect of a renewal under Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

The latest

Copeland wrote for The Daily Record that there is ‘little hope’ of Barker resurrecting his Rangers career.

The Premiership champions are ‘likely’ to sanction ‘any deal’ which gets a portion of the 25-year-old’s wages off their books until the end of the campaign, as he is currently costing the Ibrox club more than £10,000 per week.

The verdict

It would be wise for Rangers to get Barker off their books. Ideally, they could offload him on a permanent deal and bank a six-figure fee, but failing that, they could save funds by splitting his salary with a loan club.

His former Rangers team-mate Andy Halliday believes that the 25-year-old is capable of hitting ‘unbelievable’ levels when he gets a run of games, but has Barker really earned that opportunity? In his 27 matches for the club, he has only been able to contribute three goals.

In fairness, his return of seven goals and assists for Oxford was reasonable, so maybe there will be more EFL interest before the transfer window closes next week.

In other news, read what some fans made of Barker’s performance in that recent cup tie.