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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…

Birmingham Live reporter Ashley Preece has given his review on Jonathan Kodjia after the 30-year-old made a comeback from injury for Aston Villa’s U23 squad on Monday evening.

What’s he said?

Kodjia has been out of action since a freak training ground incident involving summer arrival Marvelous Nakamba as the pair clashed heads, resulting in the Ivory Coast international fracturing his cheekbone.

For several weeks now, manager Dean Smith has only had two fit options in the striking department with club-record signing Wesley being preferred over the youthful Keinan Davis – he’s rather lucky that neither has picked up an injury of their own.

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The U23s defeated Fulham 1-0 in the Premier League 2 tie, but it was Kodjia’s replacement, Indiana Vassilev, that scored the winning goal after glancing a header home just minutes after coming on.

Preece graded those that featured and provided his thoughts on their performances with Kodjia coming in for the lowest rating, he said:

“Huffed and puffed as Villa’s lone striker. Was in his fitted mask after breaking his cheekbone a couple of weeks ago during training.

“Needs to work on his match sharpness, had a few loose touches of the football and will need to be more immaculate.

“Looked sluggish in front of watching Dean Smith and replaced on 79 minutes before heading straight down the tunnel.

“It wasn’t good, in truth. 5.”

Telling signs

Much of the talk during the 30-year-old’s absence has been about his future at the club.

At one stage he was subject to a bid from Qatar, but Smith rejected it due to the lack of options available at his disposal while other reports suggest that he will be let go in January so they can gain some sort of fee for him.

It certainly coincides with the apparent £20m war chest made available to sign a striker in the next transfer window too.

Based on this performance, Kodjia is going to struggle to make his mark in the side especially as Wesley has started to find his feet with four goals in seven matches, per WhoScored.

It feels like the £6.3m-rated forward is only still at the club in case an injury crisis strikes down in the west Midlands.

Some supporters clearly aren’t best pleased with his latest showing either…

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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.

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…

Sheffield Wednesday have gone through their ups and downs already this season as they sit ninth in the Championship table.

Steve Bruce ditched them for Newcastle United on the eve of pre-season before caretaker boss Lee Bullen steered them to back-to-back victories in their opening two matches.

However, things soon went out the window as they lost three of their next four games – which ultimately led to the appointment of Garry Monk.

The 40-year-old managed to guide the Owls to a total of seven points from a possible nine before losing his first league game in charge on Tuesday evening.

One problem that defeat highlighted was a potential overreliance on Steven Fletcher as they suffered in his absence against Hull City, failing to score in the 1-0 loss.

He’s scored five goals this season, whereas the rest of their frontline has just two between them.

That’s just an immediate issue and one that could be solved in January – but there’s also a more prominent concern simmering amongst the Wednesday ranks, especially if the hierarchy views Garry Monk as their long-term manager.

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He’s been left with a team that Bruce was constructing before his exit with Bullen then adding to it when temporarily in control.

Whether it was intentional or not, the south Yorkshire club possesses the oldest squad in the division with an average age of 28.2, per Transfermarkt.

Five of their squad are over the age of 30, which includes the likes of Keiren Westwood (34) and Sam Hutchinson (30).

Furthermore, six members of the side are within two years of their 30th birthday, so Wednesday could field an entire XI that’s ageing considerably.

Now this isn’t a short-term concern, but heading into the summer it will be something that Monk will need to figure out, especially if he has a long-term project in mind.

It’s good to have experience and age on your side, but too much of it may leave you worse off as that’s when players tend to enter the twilight of their careers.

Rangers legend Ian Durrant has claimed that Rangers have completed a shrewd bit of business by signing Ryan Kent for £7m and that they could make a profit when he moves on according to The Evening Times – via Football Daft Podcast.

What did he say?

Ryan Kent’s signature was secured on the last day of the transfer window for £7.5m and became Rangers second highest transfer behind the £12m paid for Tore Andre Flo. It was a transfer saga that endured the summer with Steven Gerrard making it clear from an early stage that Kent was a target and that he wanted him to return to the ibrox club.

Initially Kent’s move looked to be over as Jurgen Klopp vetoed any more loan moves and it looked as though Rangers had been priced out of a permanent move with some reports suggesting Liverpool were wanting between £8-10m.

Rangers finally got their man though and it has delighted fan’s favourite Durrant and when he was asked if his boyhood club had delivered a good value deal, he replied:

“You’re getting a young kid who’s come from a great background at Liverpool, great upbringing who just wants to play football now. He’s been part of Liverpool’s squad in pre-season but he’s wanting to come up and he’s struck up a great relationship with Steven Gerrard who I think had him in the youths.

“He wants to play for Rangers, he had opportunities to go to Leeds, Brugge. His main aim was to go play for Rangers and Steven Gerrard who has a big pull to bring players in. Rangers and Celtic are now selling clubs and if there’s an opportunity comes up players will be sold for top dollar.”

So is Durrant right?

Originally Liverpool were looking for more than the £7m figure that has been quoted in the press. There is a premium on young English talent and money is no object in both the Premier League and Championship.

Last year was Kent’s break through season and he demonstrated in the two Old Firms fixtures at Ibrox just how good a player he has the potential to be – but for a late card ruining his copy book – his performance in the final Old Firm game at Parkhead was also a stand out. Two goals and an assist in four games against Celtic highlights his ability to handle the big occasion.

Ironically it has been a piece of Celtic transfer business that could benefit Rangers in the long run. The £25m singing of Kieran Tierney by Arsenal has inflated the value of the Scottish league’s top talent and Kent was rated Young Player of the Year by both his peers and the Writers Association.

Even if he has a similar season, Kent would be able to command a fee over what Rangers have paid for him and if he was to improve then his price tag rises. As Durrant claimed, Kent wanted the move to Rangers and perhaps managed to get him cheaper as a result. With Alfredo Morelos rated by Rangers in the same bracket as Moussa Dembele who went for £19.7m, Durrant is correct to think that Rangers have picked up a steal given Kent’s importance in key fixtures and to Rangers.

Wijnaldum is spot on in his summary of the result on Tuesday night.

Liverpool can’t do anything about the loss at Stadio San Paolo, but what they can do is stick together and work on making things right going forward.

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That starts with a tough game against Chelsea this weekend, but if Jurgen Klopp’s side win against the Blues, their loss to Napoli will be all but forgotten.

Luckily for Wijnaldum, his team have previously shown that they have the mental grit required to bounce back from these types of disappointments.

[ad_pod ]Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter in frustrated fashion after Wilfried Zaha received a charge from the Football Association for improper conduct, following his dismissal against Southampton on Wednesday night (as per the BBC).The Ivory Coast international received just a yellow card initially after a spat with James Ward-Prowse, before being given his marching orders just seconds later after sarcastically clapping referee Andre Marriner’s decision.Zaha opened the scoring on the night, before Ward-Prowse incidentally equalised late in the second half. The 26-year-old’s dismissal appeared to be a build up of frustration of a number of fouls against him that weren’t given, having been upended four times on the night (via Whoscored) – that figure is merely the amount that were awarded by Marriner.Who is your club’s worst ever January signing? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have picked theirs in the video below and they didn’t disappoint…Following the charge, the former Manchester United winger now has until 6pm on February 5 to respond, and Palace fans are understandably angry if their reactions on Twitter is anything to go by…

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Loan Watch series, which takes a closer look at those players who are aiming to galvanise their careers away from the spotlight of their parent club.

Leeds have a plethora of full-backs to choose from within their squad.

An injury to Luke Ayling has seen Stuart Dallas thrive as he earned praise from supporters despite the Whites’ defeat against Stoke.

They meanwhile have Robbie Gotts and Bryce Hosannah within their ranks.

Therefore, the fact Lewie Coyle was sent out on loan was perhaps rather damning of the direction his Leeds career was heading in.

His displays for Fleetwood so far have been rather inconsistent, averaging a rating of 6.77, per WhoScored.

However, in two of his last three league games he’s been particularly impressive, claiming two assists.

It’s that threat going forward that makes him a player to admire, especially for a modern full back where there seems to be more reliance on attacking attributes compared to defensive ones.

Those are particular traits that Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa appears to love too.

Already this season we’ve see Ezgjan Alioski and Stuart Dallas score from a wing back role. The former has been especially creative too.

The North-Macedonia international created three chances against Brentford a few weeks ago, the highest number of anyone in the Leeds side.

It’s similar traits that Coyle has demonstrated for Fleetwood.

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In his performance against Oxford last weekend, he helped keep a clean sheet but was particularly assured with his passing.

The 23-year-old managed four key passes, of which one was fired home. He also managed one cross and five long balls according to WhoScored.

Bielsa clearly loves players that demonstrate those types of qualities considering he’s fielded Dallas and Alioski at wing-back this season so it should certainly stand him in good stead if he continues at the same sort of level.

The challenge, however, will be whether he can dislodge those ahead of him in the pecking order at Elland Road if and when he returns.

Any chance of that happening is unlikely though considering his current spell at Fleetwood is his third.

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We are now over two weeks into the transfer window and rather unsurprisingly, it has been a chaotic one for Newcastle United.

The reasons are clear; they are desperate for players to ensure Premier League survival and they are now famously known as the richest football club on earth.

What’s the word?

The Magpies have bolstered their squad with two marquee additions in recent weeks with Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood arriving.

However, there is still a considerable amount of work to be done, namely in bringing a centre-back to St James’ Park.

The club have failed in their efforts for Sven Botman while a deal is seemingly on the table for Diego Carlos.

It’s thought another striker is wanted by the club’s new Saudi owners and Newcastle’s recruitment team but a name who definitely won’t be joining has been revealed by transfer insider Fabrizio Romano.

He issued the following update on Twitter: “Rumours linking Mario Balotelli with a move to Newcastle in January are wide of the mark. ‘Fake news’ – comment from sources.”

Fans will be delighted

Although the Toon Army will be desperately craving new acquisitions between now and January 31st, the idea of Balotelli penning terms is unlikely to have been welcomed well by the club’s fanbase.

Of course, he is a hugely experienced character and is also someone who would add plenty of humour and character to the dressing room.

However, with Howe’s men engulfed in a severe relegation battle, winning just one game all term, the last thing you’d want to do is sign someone as controversial as Balotelli.

After all, the Italian is not a regular goalscorer anymore and he’s also now aged 31, past the peak of his powers.

The former Manchester City forward currently plays his football in Turkey for Adana Demirspor where he has found the net on eight occasions this term.

That isn’t a bad tally at all, but the fiery striker has failed not once but twice in English football, enduring a controversy-hit spell at City and then bagging just four strikes in 28 outings for Liverpool.

Right now, Howe needs a player capable of hitting the ground running, either boasting successful Premier League experience or being a player with elite potential – like Sevilla centre-back, Carlos.

As a consequence, Newcastle are right to swerve a move for the ex-Italy international this month and as a result of doing so, the St James’ faithful should be rather delighted with the decision making of Nick Hammond and co.

AND in other news, “I’m told”: Craig Hope issues major NUFC transfer claim that’ll get fans excited…

Many Everton fans have been slamming the performance of Dominic Calvert-Lewin in their 1-0 loss at home to Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday.

It was another disappointing defeat for the Goodison Park faithful, with Duncan Ferguson this time in the dugout following the departure of Rafael Benitez, as Emi Buendia flicked on the only goal of the match from a corner kick on the stroke of half-time.

Calvert-Lewin struggled to make any sort of impact on the game for his side, as he failed to record a single shot on target and only had a mere 36 touches of the ball in total, fewer than his own goalkeeper Jordan Pickford (SofaScore).

Villa’s defence seemed to routinely get the better of him, as he also lost out on no fewer than 17 of his duels, by far the most out of any player on the pitch.

Everton fans slam Calvert-Lewin

These Everton supporters slammed the England striker’s performance on Twitter, with one Toffees fan going as far as to claim that the 24-year-old was a ‘passenger’ against Villa:

“Calvert-Lewin gave it the big one the other day – stunk the yard out”

Credit: @tomosefc

“Calvert-Lewin was awful today as well”

Credit: @Kizzaefc

“Calvert-Lewin was an absolute passenger today.”

Credit: @rowloefc

“Dominic Calvert-Lewin is and always has been an overrated footballer. Couldn’t lace Rom’s shoelaces if he tried!!”

Credit: @saucyscouser

“Calvert-Lewin offers absolutely nothing, it’s like playing with 10!”

Credit: @Wazza23666

“1/10 performance from Calvert-Lewin here”

Credit: @IlGalkEFC

In other news, find out what club update has left these Blues fans buzzing

Celtic look set to be frustrated in their reported transfer pursuit of Dundee United midfielder Jeando Fuchs, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Celtic know all about Fuchs

The 24-year-old told Foot Mercato earlier this month that the Hoops had shown an interest in him amid an impressive campaign with the Tangerines. He has also attracted interest from elsewhere in the Premiership, and such has been his impact that his manager Tam Courts has dubbed him a “top player”.

Indeed, Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou will be quite aware of the midfielder’s abilities. When Dundee United visited Parkhead in September, Fuchs gave a starring display for the away side in a 1-1 draw. He won four tackles and seven duels that afternoon along with completing 31 of his 37 passes, while SofaScore ranked just four Hoops players with a higher rating on the day.

The Latest: Dundee United not entertaining any bids for Fuchs

A recruitment source has told Football Insider that Dundee United are primed to reject any January offers for Fuchs.

The report stated that, despite the Cameroon international being out of contract next summer and the club unable to agree a new deal with him so far, they view him as being a crucial player in their hopes of securing a top-half Premiership finish this season.

The Verdict: Celtic will get over it

While Dundee United’s stern resistance to any transfer interest in Fuchs may come as a disappointment to Celtic, they ought not to wallow in self-pity for too long.

The 24-year-old is adept at breaking up play – his averages of 2.3 tackles and 1.9 interceptions per game are better than any Hoops midfielder so far this season – but whether that would be enough to parachute him straight into Postecoglou’s first team is doubtful.

His overall WhoScored seasonal rating of 6.66 would put him a lowly 18th in Celtic’s squad, while there is already an abundance of midfield room options at Parkhead. Therefore, Fuchs falls into the category of ‘nice to have’ rather than ‘must-have’ for Celtic, who can quickly put this development behind them in the pursuit of more attainable transfer targets.

In other news: Celtic set sights on move for ‘quality’ Scot who has the same agent as David Turnbull