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West Bromwich Albion managed to pick up a draw in the Premier League against Brighton and Hove Albion last night. Summer signing Karlan Grant equalised for the Baggies in the 83rd minute, but one player who fans were less than impressed by was midfielder Jake Livermore.

The Englishman picked up the second-lowest rating (6.3) on the pitch out of the West Brom starting eleven.. He lost possession ten times in only 63 minutes, and scored an own goal, (SofaScore).

It clearly wasn’t the best night for him, but the 30 year-old midfielder comes with an abundance of experience following spells at Tottenham Hotspur and Hull in the past.

Manager Slaven Bilic will have to find a way to get him back to his best, and it will be very interesting to see whether Livermore starts against Fulham at the weekend, given his struggles at the Amex.

Livermore was replaced in the Brighton match by Callum Robinson, and he picked up a 7.0 rating, as the substitute’s introduction adding a lot more attacking verve to the side.

Here is how West Brom fans reacted to Livermore’s performance:

In other news, find out which Baggies player Bilic has publicly backed recently here!

Newcastle United are reportedly interested in signing Weston McKennie, according to Kristian Dyer.

As per the journalist, a source has told him that the Tyneside club are one to watch in the pursuit of the FC Schalke 04 ace, but the German team ideally do not want to sell him in this summer transfer window.

However, they may be forced to due to financial constraints, as several other Premier League sides other than the Magpies as well as various clubs from the Bundesliga also hold strong interest in securing his signature.

Schalke apparently value him at $30 million, which is the equivalent of around £23.1 million.

Indeed, McKennie could be a shrewd addition at St. James’ Park, as he can play in a variety of different roles on the pitch, and is also an established international player with the United States of America, according to Transfermarkt.

It is also apparently the 21-year old’s ‘dream’ to play in the English top flight, which could help the chances of the Toon in signing him.

Comparing the stats of the central midfield player in the 2019/20 Bundesliga season to the likes of Isaac Hayden, Jonjo Shelvey and Sean Longstaff in England’s highest division in the last campaign, McKennie averaged the most interceptions, blocks and dribbles per league game, while also achieving the highest pass accuracy (via Whoscored).

Yes, the leagues are different, but his stats show that he could have all of the necessary qualities to succeed in England.

However, NUFC will have to match the valuation of Schalke to stand any chance of signing him.

Geordies, would McKennie be a good signing? Comment below!

2019/20 hasn’t exactly been easy for West Ham United but now that they have successfully survived that particular battle, it’s time for David Moyes and co. to look ahead to the next campaign. Obviously, improving the squad is their priority and with that come purchases in the summer transfer window.

However, the Hammers don’t have a warchest just lying around so in order to buy, they will have to sell first. And according to Sky Sports’ new update, Moyes is ready to part with Issa Diop in an attempt to further raise funds.

Of course, this is not the first time we hear about the young defender attracting a lot of interest from various different teams. Just last summer, as the same outlet reminds, Diop was valued at £75m when Manchester United were knocking on West Ham’s door. Now, however, the Hammers will likely have to sell for around £45m instead.

The financial situation at the club is not brilliant, not in the slightest, and even though every club in the country was hit during the outbreak of the pandemic, the London outfit seem to be struggling more than most.

SkySports mention Diop actually earns less than half what some of his other teammates do and this could be a chance for him to finally start earning more than his £50,000 a week wages somewhere else.

West Ham, on the other hand, are just looking to cash in wherever they can and the same report states at least two Premier League clubs are currently interested.

Verdict

Diop will surely be missed if he ends up leaving the club in the ongoing summer transfer window. However, big changes are needed and this is the only way Moyes actually gets the chance to invest in his squad.

Sacrifices often have to be made and the young defender is looking likely to be the Hammers’ first one of the summer.

Brighton and Hove Albion have released young midfielder Jordan Davies after a spell in the club’s U23 side.

Davies, who is capable of playing in a variety of positions, signed for Brighton from Welsh side Wrexham in January 2017 after impressing during a loan spell with Welsh Premier League side Bangor City.

The 21-year-old immediately came into the Premier League side’s U23 side, netting his first goal for the club against Middlesbrough in the Premier League 2 at the Amex Stadium.

After helping the Seagulls gain promotion to the top flight of U23 football, Davies further went on to play a part in the Football League Trophy.

Featuring 13 times this season in youth league action, Davies had impressed with five assists, but his future will now be away from the club.

Davies, who was once compared to Gareth Bale by former Bangor City manager Andy Legg, will now look for a new club to pursue his professional career.

The youngster’s impressions have been good this season, gaining those previously mentioned five assists, but it seems that has not been enough to warrant a contract extension.

Interest should emerge from some clubs in the Championship or League One, and the Welshman could be in a good position to find a new club, with financial issues from the pandemic set to see clubs make cut-price moves.

The U23 system is a very debatable one and it does seem that sometimes, clubs fill their squads to fulfil fixtures, rather than look at bringing such quality through to the first team.

Do you think Brighton will remain in the Premier League? Let us know in the comments section below…

Liverpool return to Anfield once again this weekend to face Burnley, as Jurgen Klopp hunts down Manchester City’s record for the most Premier League points in a season.

The Reds are on course to total 104 points should they win their remaining four games.

Burnley arrive on Merseyside buoyed by their last away day outing, which saw Sean Dyche’s side pick up a fortuitous 1-0 victory against West Ham United on Wednesday night.

The Clarets have an outside chance of claiming one of the Europa League spots, so they really have nothing to lose against the newly crowned Premier League champions.

Form

Klopp’s charges have found their imperious form once again since the restart of the Premier League. Mohamed Salah is desperate to get his hands on the Golden Boot this season as he hunts down Jamier Vardy and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for the prestigious award.

Burnley, on the other hand, have become the kings of 1-0 victories, with three of the last four games ending in that scoreline, ensuring Sean Dyche’s team take a giant leap away from the relegation places and a step forward toward challenging for European qualification.

Team news

Jordan Henderson picked up an unfortunate injury earlier this week and is likely to join Joel Matip in being sidelined for the remainder of the season.

The Clarets have no new injuries to report following their recent match at London Stadium, with Matthew Lowton, Jack Cork, Ben Mee and Ashley Barnes still out injured for Dyche’s men.

How to watch

Liverpool v Burnley kicks off at 15:00 UTC at Anfield and will be broadcast live on BT Sport, while fans can also live stream football online.

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…

Leeds United were incredibly impressive against Middlesbrough on Saturday.

Indeed, the Whites won 4-0 against Jonathan Woodgate’s side, and while the team will be buzzing with the three points, this performance may mean so much more than that.

The huge win came courtesy of a brace from Mateusz Klich, and goals from Helder Costa and Patrick Bamford. However, the fact that Klich and Costa both netted should be music to the ears of every United supporter.

Both men are proven goalscorers having netted double figures in the Championship in the past, but for one reason or another, it wasn’t happening for them this term.

The duo had looked rather bereft of confidence in front of goal,  netting just one goal between them before Saturday’s clash.

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However, finding the net can be a huge confidence booster for both of these men, and this may be the first step towards the pair rediscovering their goalscoring touches.

The Whites have struggled for goals this season up until this point as they’re underperforming their xG by over eight goals, but if the £10.8m-rated Costa and £2.25m-valued Klich start finding the net more often there’s no reason why the Yorkshire club can’t be scoring three or four every week.

The manner in which these strikes went in will also be a boost as well. Klich was seemingly back to his best when scoring from distance, while Costa was composed enough to find the net inside the area.

If this is the beginning of a great goalscoring run for the £13m-rated duo then Leeds’ promotion push will have just found an extra gear.

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After starting the campaign on fire with a brace against Chelsea in Manchester United’s opening Premier League game of the season, Marcus Rashford went through a barren period that saw him net just once in his next seven top-flight games.

Recent weeks has seen him pick up his form considerably, with seven in his last eight heading into Sunday afternoon’s clash against Everton. But after inspiring the Red Devils to impressive victories over both Tottenham and Manchester City in their previous two league matches, Rashford could not do the same against the Toffees.

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As per Sofascore, he completed just two of his five attempted dribbles, made just 18 passes over the course of the 90 minutes, lost possession 19 times and lost 11 duels in total too. All in all, it was a display that made a mockery of his recent revival, and United fans flooded to Twitter to voice their frustrations at his performance.

A couple of fans were critical of Rashford’s desire to shoot instead of looking to pass, with one supporter in particular claiming that he was “too greedy”.

After enjoying an impressive hot streak in recent weeks, it was little surprise to see Rashford finally draw a blank. The England international is allowed an off night, and it will be up to him to prove that his display against Everton was simply that rather than anything far more concerning.

Meanwhile, Manchester United fans have hailed this starlet after his appearance against AZ Alkmaar. 

Leeds United face Luton Town this weekend in what looks like it should be a routine win for the Whites.

However, the Yorkshire outfit won’t be able to field their strongest team this weekend due to a number of injuries to first-team players.

Marcelo Bielsa has a bit of a job on his hands when selecting his starting XI this weekend, but here’s how we think his side should lineup against the Hatters. Three changes are involved.

The first thing to note is that Leeds are likely to play a three at the back formation in order to counteract Luton’s two strikers.

Kiko Casilla retains his place in net as he awaits news on his potential ban.

However, with Liam Cooper out injured Leeds are short one defender, and Stuart Dallas’ hamstring issue means that Luke Ayling can’t fill in as the third centre-back, so Kalvin Phillips has to drop into the defence.

Interestingly, Barry Douglas gets the nod over Leif Davis in our team, but that will be one huge selection headache for Bielsa.

A few weeks back we touted Mateusz Klich to drop back into a deeper role, and with Phillips slotting in at the back it may be time for the Pole to play a more defensive style.

Tyler Roberts plays in midfield as he’s the only fit first-team midfielder we haven’t already mentioned, while Pablo Hernandez returns to the starting XI after a midweek display for the U23s.

Jack Harrison has to start after his incredible run of goals and assists, contributing to six strikes in as many games. Eddie Nketiah’s injury means that Patrick Bamford is the only viable candidate up front.

Jack Clarke burst onto the scene at Leeds last year and his direct attacking style meant he became a useful option for Marcelo Bielsa, but this season he has been unable to build on it.

A summer move to Tottenham before being loaned back to Elland Road may partly be the cause of that, though with other options in the squad such as Helder Costa it seems Clarke may have fallen down the pecking order based on merit.

Despite that, it is believed that he has impressed Bielsa through his actions over the international break – according to the Yorkshire Evening Post’s Graham Smyth.

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That earned him a recall to the matchday squad against Luton and his first minutes of the Championship season, which has sparked discussion amongst the Leeds fanbase.

There are a lot of positives being said about him, with some viewing him as a player who could make a real difference for the Whites this term, and could see his importance grow with more game time.

Here are some of the reactions to Smyth suggesting he is part of Bielsa’s plans once again.

In other Leeds news, the club is looking to strengthen the attack with the addition of Liverpool’s Rhian Brewster, but would he be a good signing?

A number of West Bromwich Albion fans have taken to social media to praise the performance of Filip Krovinovic in Monday’s clash with Stoke City.

The 24-year-old, who is on loan to the Baggies from Benfica, entered the field as a 62nd-minute substitute in the Championship match, taking the place of Matheus Pereira.

According to WhoScored, the attacker had a pass success rate of 92%, completing 24 of his 26 passes as the visitors secured a 2-0 win.

It remains to be seen what happens with the former Croatia Under-21 international at the end of the 2019/20 campaign.

He has been a regular this term, though, featuring in 14 of West Brom’s 15 Championship matches, which is an indication of his importance.

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Matt Phillips and Hal Robson-Kanu scored the goals against Stoke on Monday night, but the West Brom fans were keen to pay tribute to the performance of Krovinovic, who certainly played his part in the two-goal success.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below: