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Huddersfield Town and chairman Dean Hoyle by extension are set to announce the appointment of Mark Fotheringham as their new manager, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Schofield’s sacking

Former boss Carlos Corberan handed in his resignation back in July to take charge at Olympiacos, with Danny Schofield having since taken over the reins.

However, after a disappointing start to the new Championship season, the 42-year-old was relieved of his duties, and following a fresh update, it sounds like a new arrival in the dugout at the John Smith’s Stadium could be imminent.

The Latest: Fotheringham set to join

Taking to Twitter, O’Rourke claimed that Huddersfield are all set to confirm the appointment of Fotheringham, with an official announcement expected any minute now. He wrote:

“Huddersfield Town are poised to make Mark Fotheringham their new manager and a deal could be done inside the next 24 hours.”

The Verdict: Risk worth taking

Fotheringham being appointed would be a huge risk given he’s never held a managerial position before, but it could well be one worth taking.

David Wagner also never held a prominent first-team role before taking on the challenge at Huddersfield, but his spell in charge more than paid off and there’s no reason as to why the Scotsman couldn’t have the same level of success.

Having been assistant boss at Hertha Berlin, the 38-year-old will have backroom experience and will know what it takes to become manager, and Dean Hoyle is clearly ready to take a chance on his man.

Everton have been nothing short of rock solid this season, with the summer additions of Conor Coady and James Tarkowski paramount to transforming a defence that last season conceded 66 into statistically the best in the league.

At the start of the summer that would have seemed an impossible task without Yerry Mina available, as he was widely recognised as their best centre-back.

Last season the Colombian boasted a 59.1% win percentage when he played, the best at the club, and the Toffees averaged one clean sheet in three with him starting.

When he was signed in 2018 off the back of an impressive World Cup, snatching him from Barcelona for £28.5m seemed like solid business to bring in a domineering defender who would act as an instant leader.

However, six years later and the 28-year-old, despite his importance last term, has been somewhat of a disastrous signing as he has managed just 92 appearances for the club due to various injuries.

When he went down with his most recent injury in their opening day defeat to Chelsea, there was a collective groan let out around Goodison Park, but almost a depressed chuckle shared by Evertonians who were so used to the sight of him being dragged off early.

However, the defensive reinforcements brought in this summer have led to the 6 foot 5 goliath becoming almost obsolete on Merseyside; many wonder where he might fit in when, or if he ever gets fit.

For a player brought in for such big money, who is currently sitting on a mammoth £120k-per-week, to not be the first name on the team sheet is criminal.

Due to his various elongated spells on the treatment table, his CIES Football Observatory value has unsurprisingly plummeted to just €5m (£4.3m).

Other than Jean-Philippe Gbamin, few of Farhad Moshiri’s numerous transfer blunders have been quite as financially draining as Mina with regards to the return the club have received.

When fit, he could certainly be a dependable option to fight amongst the two England stoppers they currently have and Ben Godfrey. The issue remains, however, that he is never fit.

Having cost the club a total fee of around £59.5m including his wages, he must go down as one of Moshiri’s biggest disasters. A classic case of what could have been if injuries had not ravaged his career at Goodison Park.

Manchester United scouts have been watching Rangers defender Leon King ahead of a potential move, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: King profiled

King is primarily a centre-back who can also play as a right-back or as a holding midfielder.

The 18-year-old interestingly shares the same agent as United defender Raphael Varane and has made 17 senior appearances for the Scottish giants – ten of which have come during the current campaign.

He made his first Champions League start against Liverpool last week, and it looks as if the youngster is catching the eye of Red Devils chiefs.

The Latest: United keen

Romano took to Twitter on Tuesday afternoon to provide an update on King.

He revealed that ‘many clubs are monitoring’ the centre-back, name-checking United as a side who have ‘already sent their scouts to follow King’.

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The Verdict: One to watch

King appears to be enjoying a breakthrough campaign at Ibrox but will be looking to get the nod from the off under Giovanni van Bronckhorst on a more regular basis.

As Romano mentions, King’s current contract runs until 2024, so should his situation remain the same heading into the New Year, United may look to pounce.

His stock may continue to rise as the season goes on, and with a number of clubs already aware of King’s talent, it could be a wise move for United to make their move sooner rather than later.

Journalist Sam Dean has expressed his concern about the long-term future of Arsenal star Emile Smith Rowe, as the Englishman has fallen down the pecking order at the club.

What's going on with Smith Rowe?

The England international was sidelined for most of the season with a long-term injury but has made his return to the Arsenal matchday squad in recent weeks as Mikel Arteta's side challenge for the Premier League title.

However, he is yet to start a Premier League game this campaign, and was an unused substitute in Arsenal's last two matches, with Fabio Vieira and Leandro Trossard now ahead of him in the pecking order.

Speaking on The Arsenal Beat Podcast, Dean claimed that this lack of playing time for the 22-year-old may cause some worry about where he sees his long-term future.

He said: "I think the future seems quite uncertain for Emile Smith Rowe right now. Not tactically, but more generally.

"He's not really getting a look-in at the moment. Even when Arsenal were 3-0 up against Fulham and cruising, he didn't get on the pitch. [Against Sporting CP], they were chasing a winner, needed fresh legs and a bit more creativity, and again, he didn't come on the pitch.

"Obviously, he's had fitness issues as we know this season and there have been niggles on his return, which has kind of stopped him really building that trajectory and building up momentum that a player needs physically.

"But I do think it's concerning that he's clearly fallen behind Fabio Vieira in the pecking order attacking midfielder-wise, and he's very much behind Martinelli and probably Trossard too, on the left, which does raise questions about his long-term future – which sounds ridiculous given how important he was to the team last season."

Could Smith Rowe leave Arsenal?

Given the length of his injury, it was always the case that Smith Rowe would be eased back into the side slowly, despite his previous importance to the team.

Smith Rowe has scored 18 goals for Arsenal since graduating from the academy, and was instrumental in helping Arteta turn his side's form around in the 2021/22 season.

He scored 11 times last term, and his versatility means he can play in midfield as well as the front three. Once he eventually finds his fitness, he could prove to be like a new signing in Arsenal's tough run-in towards the end of the season.

Although the arrivals of Trossard and Vieira have made minutes harder to come by for Smith Rowe, he could be the ideal successor to Granit Xhaka as an advanced central midfielder alongside Martin Odegaard in the long term, and if he can stay fit, it is probably just a matter of time before he is playing a more regular role again.

Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke had some big decisions to make during the summer transfer window after he lost centre-forward Georginio Rutter to Brighton & Hove Albion.

The France U21 international produced six goals and 15 assists in the Championship during the 2023/24 campaign, but the manager opted against dipping into the market to sign another striker.

Instead, Mateo Joseph and Joel Piroe, with Patrick Bamford in reserve as the third-choice number nine, have been entrusted with the number nine jersey this season.

That decision from the former Norwich City tactician has turned out to be a masterstroke, as Piroe and Joseph have both enjoyed strong starts to the campaign.

Piroe and Joseph's strong start to the season

The Leeds academy graduate started the first eight games of the Championship season and has been a substitute in each of the last five matches.

Joseph has scored two goals, created four ‘big chances’, and provided three assists in those 13 outings in total, which means that he has been directly involved in five goals in eight starts.

As you can see in the table above, Piroe has been the most prolific of the three strikers in the squad and has offered a reliable source of goals for Farke in the final third.

Hopefully, the 21-year-old Joseph will continue to develop throughout the season and eventually emerge as another consistent goalscorer for the Whites.

Leeds did once have one of the most consistent scorers in Championship history when they had Billy Sharp on their books for the 2014/15 campaign, and he went on to thrive after his exit from Elland Road.

How many goals Billy Sharp has scored after leaving Leeds

After a return of just five goals in 33 Championship games, following his move from Southampton, the Whites immediately cashed in on the English forward, selling him to Sheffield United for a fee of just £500k.

Given his disappointing return in a Leeds shirt, there may not have been much of a fuss made over the small fee that they sold him for, but it was one that the club surely went on to regret.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast's Where Are They Now series.

Sharp, who was once hailed as “brilliant” by boss Chris Wilder, has since scored a whopping 127 goals at club level for the Blades, LA Galaxy, and Doncaster Rovers combined in the nine years since his move away from West Yorkshire.

As you can see in the image above, Sharp has a terrific record in his career at League One and Championship level but was unable to showcase the best of his ability at Leeds.

He is currently the fifth-top scorer in League One history and, has smashed the record for the most goals in the Championship, with 130 – seven more than Jordan Rhodes in second place.

Sharp also became Sheffield United’s all-time top scorer with 129 strikes in all competitions for the Blades, with spells either side of his time with Leeds.

This means that the veteran centre-forward has broken multiple goalscoring records and racked up 127 goals in total since his £500k exit from Elland Road, which is a sale the club may have regretted in the years since that move was completed.

A dream for Tanaka: Leeds enquire about signing "very special" £7m star

Leeds United may find it difficult to secure a deal for the central midfielder.

By
Dan Emery

Nov 4, 2024

Arsenal head into Thursday evening’s Europa League meeting with PSV Eindhoven knowing that a win against the Dutch side will ensure passage to the knockout stages of the competition – with the Gunners currently topping the Group A table after winning their first three games in the tournament.

However, barring a disastrous collapse over the two legs against the Eredivisie outfit, as well as in the reverse fixture against FC Zurich, Mikel Arteta’s side should comfortably make it through to the next round, meaning it would appear likely that the Spaniard will once again pick a rotated side tonight.

And, with 19-year-old central midfielder Catalin Cirjan spotted in training with the Gunners’ first team squad on Wednesday afternoon, the visit of PSV could present the 40-year-old manager with the chance to finally hand one of Arsenal’s most promising talents his senior debut.

Indeed, the Romanian sensation has highly impressed in the north London side’s academy set-up, scoring three goals and registering three assists over 25 appearances for the U18s, in addition to bagging a further two goals and one assist over 18 fixtures for the U21s.

These metrics have seen the playmaker earn a considerable amount of praise, with journalist Emanuel Rosu dubbing the youngster both a “wizard” and an “amazing talent”, while one Morning Star journalist labelled the teenager “creative” and claimed he looks “eager to impress”.

And, considering the fact that Cirjan’s progress has been seriously curtailed by two ACL injuries – with Arsenal offering the youngster a new deal earlier this year despite him being ruled out of action for 15 months – the fact that the 19-year-old is now pushing for a spot in Arteta’s first team will undoubtedly come as fantastic news for all involved with the club.

Indeed, while his game time has been severely hampered by injury, in the few games he has featured, the Romania youth international has very much demonstrated that he is incredibly skilful on the ball, boasts an eye for a defence-splitting pass and possesses a fierce shot of his own – traits which are all visible in a compilation of the teenager on YouTube.

As such, considering just how talented a prospect Cirjan quite clearly is, it would not be surprising to see Arteta unleash the youngster against PSV this evening – something that could mark the start of an incredible career in the heart of the Gunners midfield.

Everton will head to Craven Cottage this weekend for their Premier League clash against Fulham following their fantastic 3-0 victory over Crystal Palace, and now some early team news has emerged which will delight the Goodison Park faithful.

What’s the latest?

According to Premier League injury expert Ben Dinnery, Nathan Patterson has a 50% chance of featuring against the Cottagers this weekend after recovering from an ankle/foot injury during the international break last month.

Dinnery has updated the Scottish full-back’s injury status on his Premier League Injuries website to reflect the increased likelihood that the 21-year-old could return as early as Saturday evening.

Lampard should be delighted

There is no doubt that Frank Lampard should be delighted that Patterson could be potentially ready to reprise his role in the Everton team this weekend, as the manager will be hoping for the team’s improvement to continue with his key players available to perform.

The young right-back spoke out on his potential return to action on the Everton Live pre-match show ahead of the Crystal Palace game last Saturday, saying: “Yeah, I am doing well. I am nearly back, next week hopefully. I am recovering well.”

Patterson was a standout performer for the Toffees prior to his injury problems and has proven how crucial his inclusion in the line-up has been when you consider some of Everton’s most recent results.

The Merseysiders went five games unbeaten whenever the talented ace featured across 90 minutes in the lead-up to the international break in September, but have since gone on to lose three out of the five games that he has missed during his recovery.

Despite his absence, the 21-year-old remains the fourth highest-rated player in Lampard’s squad according to SofaScore, and it’s not hard to see why he has had such a positive response to his performances.

Across seven appearances this term, Patterson has made 1.3 interceptions, four tackles and 2.7 clearances per game, along with winning the majority of his duels (63%) and creating one big chance to show that he is a noticeable presence in the team, especially in terms of his defensive output.

If Patterson is available to feature against Fulham, it seems likely that Lampard will gives him some minutes or may even start him, and the Everton manager will be hopeful that the full-back can pick up where he left off by producing another fantastic performance upon his return to action.

Glasgow Rangers delivered their most impressive performance of the domestic campaign on Saturday, thrashing Aberdeen 4-1, although the scoreline should have been more impressive for Giovanni van Brockhorst’s side.

Rangers had a total of 36 shots during the match, and with a bit more composure, they may have scored a lot more.

Kemar Roofe, the Light Blues perennially injured forward, would have had a field day with the chances the club squandered, however, he was ruled out by van Bronckhorst after just making his first appearance against Dundee on October 19.

This fresh injury concern will give the Dutchman a headache as to what he does with the player going forward, as he is no use on the treatment table while earning a luscious £26k-per-week.

Van Bronckhorst must ditch Roofe

The 29-year-old signed for the club under former manager Steven Gerrard and he even dubbed his wonder goal against Standard Liege, where he scored from his own half in monsoon conditions, as “unbelievable”.

That first season, Roofe was certainly unbelievable as he scored 18 goals while the Ibrox side claimed their first Premiership crown in a decade. He was arguably one of Gerrard’s most important signings that season, with the player adding an extra dimension to the club’s attack as the former boss compared him to a “Duracell bunny” for his relentless energy.

Another 16 goals followed last season, which ended with Rangers winning the Scottish Cup and reaching the Europa League final, however, his injury niggles began to take their toll.

Over the course of his stint in Glasgow, Roofe has missed a grand total of 56 matches and with the signs looking good for a comeback with his cameos in the last two matches, it was another blow that he is set to miss the next few weeks.

It was perhaps inevitable, especially with his record, but the club’s Dutch coach must be getting fed up with the constant issues that are threatening his spell at Rangers.

His contract doesn’t expire until 2024, but it’s looking increasingly likely that he will depart long before then.

There is no doubting his ability, and when he came off the bench against both Dundee and Livingston recently, he showed glimpses of just what he can offer. But these are too few and far between, unfortunately.

The Dutchman can free up some space on the wage bill by ruthlessly getting rid of Roofe, and while it might not be the most popular decision, it feels like the correct one.

The Athletic’s Wolverhampton Wanderers correspondent Steve Madeley has delivered his verdict on a potential January return to Molineux for Fabio Silva.

The Lowdown: Fosun weighing up options

The Premier League club sent the 20-year-old out on loan to Anderlecht over the summer to increase his game-time and gain some valuable experience where he’s enjoyed an impressive start to the season.

However, The Athletic have recently reported that the Old Gold are considering entering negotiations with the Belgian giants to terminate the second half of the agreement, with new manager Julen Lopetegui being the one set to make the final decision on the player’s immediate future.

The Latest: Madeley’s verdict

Taking to Twitter, Madeley responded to a supporter who suggested that Wolves keeping Silva where he is right now would be the best option.

The journalist replied: “I think leaving him at Anderlecht is by far the likeliest outcome. Wolves sent him out for a year for good reasons.

“But if they can’t get the player they want for the price they want from elsewhere and can do a deal with Anderlecht, who knows?”

The Verdict: Don’t bring him back

Wolves have definitely been lacking for goals and for available centre-forward options, hence why they are second from bottom of the Premier League.

However, Silva’s needs are being met perfectly right now, so his parent club shouldn’t stop his development in Brussels.

Labelled ‘sharp’ by Josh Bunting, the Portuguese gem already has nine goals and three assists to his name in 26 outings for Anderlecht across all competitions and is averaging 2.7 shots per league game, level with Diego Costa, who is Wolves’ best performer in this regard.

The Midlands club should instead dip into the transfer market and await Silva’s return to Molineux next summer, when he will likely be ready to truly challenge for a place in Lopetegui’s starting XI.