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Sunderland fell to a 5-1 defeat to Rotherham United on Saturday afternoon, and a number of Black Cats supporters hit out at captain Aidan McGeady, who was shown a red card at the New York Stadium.

Lee Johnson made two changes from the previous league match against Charlton Atheltic, with Elliot  Embleton and Leon Dajaku coming in for Alex Pritchard and Aiden O’Brien. That meant McGeady kept his place on the wing for his 12th League One appearance of the campaign, but it was one to forget for the Irish veteran.

The 35-year-old received two yellow cards shortly after the interval to leave his team with a mountain to climb, with the hosts 3-1 up at the time.

McGeady was Sunderland’s worst-outfield starter, as per SofaScore, with a match rating of 5.5/10. He failed to have a shot on goal, complete a dribble or make a key pass during his time on the pitch. He also lost possession on six occasions and was beaten in six of his eight duels (75%).

Sunderland fans react

Here is what these Sunderland fans had to say about the Irishman on Twitter, with one labelling him as ‘appalling’ yesterday.

“What an absolute horror show this is, absolutely lost our heads. What is McGeady thinking?! Shocking”

Credit: @xhannahanderson

“McGeady just needs to retire. Been awful this season.”

Credit: @OfficialDPope

“Appalling from McGeady. As an experienced player on a yellow card it is unprofessional and negligent to be flying into challenges like that. Game over now.”

Credit: @StuzMate

“Disgrace from McGeady! Think he wanted sent off there.”

Credit: @mksavage73

“That was brainless from McGeady. He’s a senior pro. He should know better. He’s becoming a bigger issue every week. His role in the team HAS to be refined now.”

Credit: @Philip_RJ89

“McGeady & O’Nien please never play for us again thank you”

Credit: @mattsmith2707

“McGeady…. Finished in my opinion”

Credit: @wdt0_0

In other news: ‘Made my day’ – Lots of Sunderland fans go wild as ‘excellent news’ is confirmed. 

Paddy Kenny has claimed that Amanda Staveley will now be ‘furious’ with the new owners over a development at Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Staveley to be snubbed

As per the The Daily Mail, Staveley is set to be snubbed by the new owners in their hunt for someone to take the new chief executive role.

It is claimed that the businesswoman was expected to be handed the position as a reward for her role as the public face of the takeover by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium.

The Latest: Kenny reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, former Premier League goalkeeper Kenny, 43, has claimed that Staveley would be ‘furious’ if she is not given the role:

“Personally, I’d be absolutely livid.

“Obviously, we don’t know all the ins and outs and what’s been promised to her when they made the deal.

“But if she’s been told she’d get the job and now this has happened, she’ll be furious. She has done all the hard work in sorting this takeover out.

“We know how long that took so it could be a proper kick in the teeth if this does end up happening.”

The Verdict: Can still contribute

Even if Staveley is not made the new chief executive at St. James’ Park, she can still contribute to the North East club in other ways.

It was a pleasure for the Toon Army to see her in attendance during their 3-2 loss at home to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League last time out, and the way that she has communicated to the fans during the whole takeover process is already more than what Mike Ashley managed to do during his tenure.

Nonetheless, Staveley will no doubt be a key figure in the new era, and making her the new chief executive would only be a bonus.

In other news, find out what the immediate reaction was from players to Steve Bruce’s sacking here!

Sky Sports journalist Michael Bridge would have liked to have seen Cristian Romero and Toby Alderweireld play together for Tottenham.

Alderweireld departed the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer after six years with Spurs.

The 32-year-old made 236 appearances during his time in north London, scoring nine goals and assisting a further five, before joining Qatari side Al-Duhail for a fee reported to be £13m this summer [The Guardian].

Cristian Romero joined Spurs from Atalanta this summer on a loan with the option to buy for £42.5m [Alasdair Gold]. The defender was named Best Defender in Serie A last season after making 42 appearances for Atalanta, scoring three goals and providing five assists, and he helped the club to a third-place finish Serie A.

But Bridge wanted to see Alderweireld and Romero play together in Spurs shirts, feeling the latter could have done with the former’s experience.

He told Football FanCast: “Romero, top-class centre-half, but he might need a bit of experience in the Premier League and if he’s got Toby with him, that’s what I wanted to see but I suppose it was a pretty good fee and good wage for Toby.”

Spurs got their Premier League campaign off to a brilliant start and kept a clean sheet, beating Manchester City 1-0 last weekend.

Leeds United are plotting to add to Marcelo Bielsa’s squad in the January transfer window, according to a report from Eurosport.

The Lowdown: Takeover news

News emerged earlier in the week that the San Francisco 49ers have an option until January 2024 to purchase the club in a deal worth more than £400m.

49ers Enterprises currently have a 44% stake at Elland Road after first investing back in 2018, with Andrea Radrizzani still holding the majority share.

Ahead of the January window and reported injury blows to Kalvin Phillips and Liam Cooper, it seems as if the NFL franchise and Radrizzani will look to make some signings in the New Year.

The Latest: Insiders claim

Eurosport shared a story on Tuesday lunchtime regarding Leeds’ January plans.

‘Insiders’ have suggested that although a January budget may not be huge, and therefore options could be limited, the club will look to invest with hopes of not being dragged into a relegation battle for the second half of the season.

The Verdict: Wise move

Bielsa likes to run with a small squad at the best of times, but Leeds’ ongoing injury woes have had an impact in Yorkshire. It seems as if Phillips and Cooper could be the latest absentees at Elland Road, so you’d like to think the club would look to bring in a central midfielder in January.

Leeds have just four out-and-out senior central midfielders on the books, with Phillips being one, so bringing in another option in that role could now be a priority.

It’s good to see that Radrizzani and the 49ers are willing to invest, though, leaving Bielsa and Victor Orta to draw up a list over the coming weeks as they look to add quality to the squad in the New Year.

In other news: Leeds receive boost in quest to sign 13-cap beast who’s been hailed as a “young star”

Sharing the latest on attacking midfield target Jesse Lingard, Sky Sports have lifted the lid on a transfer belief that West Ham United have involving the player.

The Lowdown: West Ham eye Lingard…

The Manchester United ace has been heavily linked with a move to east London since the summer transfer window first opened, with club insider Claret & Hugh once claiming that it was among David Moyes’ top priorities.

However, in recent weeks, the likelihood of securing Lingard on a permanent deal after his impressive 2020/21 loan stint has looked increasingly unlikely.

The Latest: Sky Sports lift lid on West Ham belief…

As per Sky Sports, sharing the latest on Lingard and West Ham, this doesn’t look like changing any time soon.

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They say that West Ham themselves now ‘believe’ they only have a ’10 per cent chance’ of re-signing the £100,000-per-week England international for 2021/22.

Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has stated that Lingard is in his plans and the 28-year-old is current rated at around £30m, leaving Moyes and West Ham with little hope of bringing him back to east London.

The Verdict: Move on…

It is no secret that the 28-year-old enjoyed a fantastic half-season loan spell at the London Stadium, and a permanent deal would have been a brilliant piece of business for the Irons.

Lauded as a ‘phenomenal’ player by talkSPORT pundit Adrian Durham, the midfield maestro bagged an impressive nine goals and four assists in 16 Premier League starts in east London (WhoScored).

However, with the transfer window deadline now fast approaching, West Ham cannot afford to dither and must simply move on, ideally to try and secure West Bromwich Albion star Matheus Pereira as a sound alternative.

In other news: ‘As of now’…Journalist says ‘really exciting’ 54-goal player close to signing for West Ham, find out more here.

Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa is eyeing a move for Celtic starlet Leo Hjelde this summer.

What’s the story?

The 17-year-old joined fellow Scottish side Ross County on loan, and the club’s boss, John Hughes, has admitted that he could have linked up with Marcelo Bielsa in the Premier League instead.

He said: “Leo is going to be the next Van Dijk – trust me on that. The quality he has shown, the physical challenge, playing real men’s football and standing up to it – it’s been a wonderful experience for Leo.

“Before he came, Leeds United were after him. I think he had to sign an extension to his contract for the loan to go through.”

Recently, The Yorkshire Evening Post’s Graham Smyth revealed that the club are “monitoring” the centre-back and that Hjelde is “is one of several youngsters on the domestic scene and abroad who are on Leeds’ radar, with three or four signings anticipated.

“Leeds are keen to add a centre-half to the Under 23 side this summer, with Oliver Casey likely to depart the club for a permanent move to Blackpool.”

And now, Football Insider claim that Leeds have opened talks with Celtic over signing the defender, and that “a Leeds source has told Football Insider the club are now negotiating a deal for Hjelde as they step up plans to recruit top-quality youngsters.”

One for Leeds’ future

While he may only be 17, Hjelde is clearly someone with a lot of potential, and Hughes has placed a lot of faith in him by using him in multiple positions, including at left-back and further forward in left-midfield.

And, after seeing him score his first professional goal against Kilmarnock earlier last season, the manager was quick to shower him with praise.

He said: “He found himself out of the team a little bit, then came on there and got his goal. He’s destined for big, big, big things. He won’t be far away from the Celtic first-team when he goes back, but this is what he needs to be doing.”

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Given that Bielsa has wanted him before, news that the club are continuing to follow his progress and that he is again on their radar ahead of a potential summer move, will be music to the ears of the Leeds boss, especially if they can pull it off.

Buying players for the here and now is all well and good, but signings like this are the ones that can set up the club’s future, and Hjelde could certainly be that. It’s exactly why Bielsa will be buzzing at the latest transfer update on the 6 foot 2 powerhouse.

Meanwhile, this star could be incredible alongside Raphinha…

An update has emerged on West Bromwich Albion centre-back Dara O’Shea’s injury.

What’s the latest?

According to a report by the Express & Star, O’Shea has been ruled out of action for around six months, after it was revealed the defender had fractured his ankle, as well as sustaining ligament damage, during the Republic of Ireland’s 2-1 defeat to Portugal last week.

Initial reports had claimed that it was actually the 22-year-old’s knee that had sustained injury, while also suggesting the knock would keep O’Shea out for four months, however, these reports now appear to be wide of the mark.

Ismael will be devastated

Considering just how impressive O’Shea has been for West Brom so far this season, the fact that the centre-back looks set to miss up to half a year of first-team action, rather than the four months previously reported, is sure to have left Ismael devastated.

Indeed, over his five Championship appearances, the £2.7m-rated defender has helped his side keep two clean sheets, as well as making an average of 2.2 interceptions, 2.4 tackles, 3.6 clearances and winning 10.2 duels per game.

The man Dan Watts dubbed a “fantastic” player has also impressed going forwards, bagging two goals and taking an average of 1.2 shots per match.

These metrics have seen the Irishman earn an average SofaScore match rating of 7.26, ranking him as the club’s third-best player in the second tier so far this term.

As such, it would certainly appear as if the sooner O’Shea recovers the better for West Brom, however, with Ismael recently sealing the signing of free agent Kean Bryan, at least the club have made attempts to replace the 22-year-old in the Frenchman’s squad.

In other news: Ismael drops hint on “exceptional” £7.2m-rated ace, West Brom fans will be buzzing

An update has emerged on Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Massimo Luongo, regarding interest in his services from abroad.

What’s the talk?

According to the Sheffield Star, Perth Glory are interested in signing Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Massimo Luongo before the end of the transfer window in Australia.

The report claims that the ex-QPR man’s current injury could prevent him from making the switch, although Perth are yet to make an official offer for his services.

Nightmare

Dejphon Chansiri must avoid a Sheffield Wednesday nightmare by refusing to part ways with Luongo in the coming weeks. The Owls chief must reject all offers for the Australian midfielder as he could play a key role for the club in League One this season.

Luongo is expected to return from injury in the next few weeks and hopefully, he can return to the side and continue to make an impact on the pitch for Darren Moore. He has already given supporters a glimpse of what he is capable of doing in the third tier, putting in a sublime performance against Rotherham last month.

The 28-year-old recorded a WhoScored rating of 8.33 as Wednesday beat Rotherham 2-0 away from home. He won two aerial battles, seven tackles, and one interception, whilst also making three clearances and a block. Going forward, he completed three dribbles and created one chance, whilst also being fouled twice.

This highlights the standard he is capable of reaching in League One and why keeping him at Hillsborough should be a priority for Chansiri in the coming weeks. Moore would surely be fuming if the owner decided to sell a player of Luongo’s quality with the season already well underway.

Ex-Owls boss Garry Monk lauded Luongo last year as one of the team’s top players in the Championship.

He said:

“I think he has been one of our best performing players in terms of consistency across all the games that he has played so far. He is a great lad. He is a quiet leader.

“I have asked more of him vocally to come out of his shell. I think you have seen in some of the games that he is no afraid to say what he wants to say. We need that and I have tried to encourage that.”

This goes further to shows how highly rated the £14k-per-week enforcer is, with Monk even praising him at Championship level. Luongo is a player who has the ability to help Wednesday get promoted and someone who could make the step up to the second tier should they achieve that aim.

With the transfer window now closed in England, Wednesday would only be able to dip into the free agent market between now and January, which is another reason why Moore will be fuming if Chansiri sells Luongo now.

AND in other news, 64% duels lost: Sheffield Wednesday dud with 0 key passes let Moore down in August…

A major update has emerged on Southampton’s pursuit of a Serie A midfielder, it could lead to an unforgivable blunder by Martin Semmens.

What’s the talk?

According to Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, Southampton have submitted an offer to Serie A side Sassuolo for midfielder Filip Djuricic as they attempt to re-sign the Serbian international six years on from his loan spell at St. Mary’s in 2015.

The report claims Southampton’s Premier League rivals West Ham have joined them in their pursuit of Djuricic, who has one year left on his contract at Sassuolo. However, it does not state how much has been offered or whether or not Sassuolo are open to cashing in on Djuricic in the coming months.

Earlier this year, Sassuolo coach Roberto De Zerbi voiced his frustration at Djuricic’s “wrong attitude” prior to a Serie A match with Sampdoria. He told Sport Mob:

“He had a wrong attitude with me before the Sampdoria game. He trained well after what happened, but it was fair to leave him out today. Rules must be respected. He is the player I’ve coached the most during my career.“Not only he did apologise, but he also wanted to join us. He is a regular starter, but when a player commits a mistake, a coach must intervene like he would do with his own son.” Semmens blunder

Southampton CEO Martin Semmens could be heading for an unforgivable blunder with this prospective deal for Djuricic. This could be a major error by the club as Djuricic has not proven that he is good enough to improve Southampton’s team in the years since he left from his loan stint in 2015. Semmens should, instead, be looking to avoid this deal and he should stop himself from making a mistake in the summer window.

Djuricic played nine games for Southampton in the Premier League in the 2014/15 campaign and failed to provide a single goal or assist, averaging a dismal WhoScored rating of 6.40. This proved that he was not good enough to make an impact in England at that point in his career and his statistics for Sassuolo do not suggest that there has been a major improvement. In the last six Serie A seasons, he has racked up 12 goals and 13 assists whilst playing for various clubs and he has never averaged a WhoScored rating higher than 6.75.

The £8.1m-rated flop is also at a tricky age for a signing. He is at the age, 29, where he has little resale value and he would not be a player Southampton could develop and then sell on for a profit at a later date. This means that he needs to be of the requisite quality to come in and make an immediate, big, impact in the Premier League. Given the aforementioned statistics, he does not have that quality and Semmens should pull out of any deal to avoid making a massive blunder.

AND in other news, Semmens could land Southampton’s dream Danny Ings heir in £2k-p/w dynamo…

Finance expert Kieran Maguire, featured on Sky Sports, believes the decision to operate a Celtic B team in the Lowland League has been a worthwhile venture. 

The lowdown: Here to stay

Having originally been trialled as a pilot scheme to develop Scottish youngsters, clubs recently voted for the participation of the young Hoops and Rangers sides to continue for the 2022/23 campaign.

Neither side can be promoted or earn relegation but the lure of competitive action has been preferred over the original academy style setup.

Following a report from the Daily Record confirming that the Lowland League had received a financial boost in the wake of the Old Firm’s inclusion, Maguire has given his view.

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The verdict: Good deal for all parties

Speaking to Football Insider, the regular contributor for Sky Sports suggested that the decision has proven to be a hit.

“It was a successful experiment, at the end of the day,” Maguire said.

“The fact the Lowlands League wants it to continue shows that the benefits outweigh any detriment.

“They will have also benefited from higher attendances because people will come to see the Colts teams when they are in town.

“It hasn’t held back the Lowlands League teams themselves.

“They have probably upped their game because it is a feather in the cap to beat Rangers or Celtic, even if it is the Colts teams.”

The verdict: Positive early signs

Whilst it’s difficult to quantify the fruits of the B team’s labour just yet, Celtic certainly appear to have a very promising collection of youngsters on the books at present.

The likes of Mikey Johnston, Dane Murray and Karamoko Dembele have all emerged as options for Ange Postecoglou’s side at various points this season whilst supremely talented teenager Ben Doak recently earned a high profile switch to Premier League giants Liverpool.

Continuing to blood the Lennoxtown youngsters in a competitive environment can only be a positive for the future at Parkhead and it would appear to also be a huge financial boost to the lower reaches of the Scottish football pyramid – win-win.

In other news, a journalist has provided a worrying Celtic transfer update. Read more here.