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After receiving a call-up to Aidy Boothroyd’s England U21 side and playing his first 31 minutes for the Young Lions, Charlton midfielder Conor Gallagher has clearly been buoyed by his recent international achievements with yet another sensational performance for the Addicks.

Gallagher, 19, is on loan at the club from Chelsea and has excelled so far in the current campaign, scoring five goals and registering one assist in 11 Championship appearances.

Lee Bowyer’s side were yet again in superb form on Saturday, dispatching Derby County 3-0 at The Valley, and Gallagher’s strike from 25 yards capped an impressive all-round performance.

The win lifts Charlton to seventh place, only outside the play-off places by goal difference, and the Chelsea loanee is playing a significant role in his side’s bid to achieve promotion to the Premier League.

Given the quality of the 19-year-old’s performance, it’s far from surprising to see some Charlton fans singing his praises. Here are some of the best reactions to Gallagher’s latest goalscoring display below.

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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…

Charlton boss Lee Bowyer has been discussing his side’s fortunes without the talismanic Lyle Taylor.

The Montserrat international – who is one of the Championship’s top scorers with five goals to his name – looks set to be missing for around two months after picking up an injury on international duty recently.

In his absence, the Addicks have lost games against Birmingham and Wigan while also failing to find the back of the net even once – the south Londoners are definitely struggling without their No.9 up front.

What did he say?

Bowyer told The News Shopper: “He’s a big part of us, but he’s not everything.

“We have good players. Tomer (Hemed), he’s looking sharper, fitter and stronger, but we have to give him game time, he’s getting better.

“Macauley (Bonne), he’s working hard and improving, his movement’s better, his hold up play and general play, his finishing, it’s all getting better.

“We’re moving in the right direction regarding Lyle’s replacement. We miss him, but we’ll be OK I’m sure.”

Motivating words won’t paper over the cracks

It’s pretty simple – Charlton were excellent with Taylor in the side, and they’ve been fruitless without him.

The aforementioned record with the 29-year-old in the team and the one without him in the side is pretty damning, and while Bowyer is an excellent man-manager and a great motivator, he can’t rely on what he’s done in the past with improving players in the time Taylor is out.

His comments sound as if he is trying to instil belief and faith into his other players, but the Addicks boss has to find a solution beyond those means.

Whether that means changing to a 4-3-2-1 instead of a 4-3-1-2 formation, or handing summer signing Macauley Bonne a chance – he’s been given just two substitute appearances so far – Bowyer must look for a solution other than to heap praise on players and pray they improve.

That seemed to work in League One, when he took over a side sitting 9th with one win in their last eight games, but the Championship is a different animal.

Losing a striker with five goals in six games would hurt any side, let alone a newly-promoted one, so Bowyer simply needs to step up beyond praising his other players and find someone or something that can cover Taylor whilst he is out injured, whether that be a player who hasn’t featured much thus far or a totally new system.

Olivier Dacourt revealed he had turned down an offer from Newcastle United to join them and opted for a move to Leeds United, which has sent a number of the Whites’ fans on Twitter into overdrive with the news.

Speaking in an interview with The Athletic’s Phil Hay (subscription required; via the Shields Gazette), the former midfielder admitted that he had a choice that he could make when moving to England, but it appeared to be a rather simple reason (or two) as to why he chose the switch to Yorkshire.

“I was sure they would become what Manchester United had become,” he said.

“It was a record signing and that meant something to me. It told me how much they wanted me. But more than that, it was the players. So many crazy players. No one says too much about him but the best player I saw? Stephen McPhail. His left foot… it was so good. You ask me who I want to play with most, it’s him.”

Indeed, Dacourt became something of a cult hero for everybody at Elland Road (Yorkshire Evening Post) and rightly etched his name into the history books as he played a significant role for the club during his time in Yorkshire.

According to data collected by TransferMarkt, the former France international went on to make 81 appearances for the Peacocks, scoring three goals and providing his teammates with two assists. Although his goal contribution was not something for which he was exactly famed, his tough-tackling manner was what got fans out of their seats (per Yorkshire Evening Post).

Fans loved hearing that he turned down Newcastle for them and took to Twitter to share their instant reactions to the news, with many singing his praises and remembering his time at Elland Road fondly.

Here are just some of those reactions…

Leeds fans, do you share the same views as your fellow supporters? Let us know your thoughts by sharing them in the comments section below!

We could be wrong but the use of the facepalm emoji makes it look an awful lot like he’s insulting him – probably not a wise idea Denis.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Off the Bench series, which places in-game managerial decisions and squad selections under FFC’s microscope.

Aston Villa’s poor run in the Premier League continued on Monday night as they were held to a goalless draw by a ten-man West Ham United.

Snapshot

The critical moment in the match came in the 67th minute when Hammers left-back Arthur Masuaku picked up his second yellow card of the game thus duly receiving his marching orders from referee Mike Dean.

Whether it was deserved or not is another story to tell, but after a couple of glances, it did look rather harsh on the 25-year-old.

At this stage, West Ham had been well on top without looking particularly threatening, recording 59.4% possession as well as just one shot on target.

With the visitors losing a man, you could say the game was there for the taking.

Off the Bench

Just a minute before the crucial incident, Dean Smith had brought on Ahmed Elmohamady in place of Jota, who had a particularly poor game all round, recording a rating of just 6.11 while also being dispossessed five times, per WhoScored.

The Egyptian was actually the man felled by Masuaku in what was his first contribution to the match.

But then the Villa boss made a huge blunder by not capitalising on their man advantage – his next substitution came some 14 minutes later – replacing defensive midfielder Marvelous Nakamba with a similar player in Douglas Luiz.

A truly bizarre move.

Watch Aston Villa Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

As soon as the Congo international headed down the tunnel, striker Keinan Davis should have been stripped and ready to go, but instead, he was brought on in a mark of desperation with just five minutes remaining – like he was ever going to have an impact in such a short space of time.

The burly forward would have added a new dimension to Villa’s attack as his mere 33 minutes of Premier League action this season has seen him win three aerial duels, which is more than the zero Wesley managed in this game.

By leaving it too late, Smith squandered the chance to take full advantage and ultimately his decision, or lack of, contributed towards the drab stalemate at Villa Park.

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Southampton striker Danny Ings lasted just 27 minutes before leaving the pitch with an injury during his side’s 1-1 draw with Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday, and his latest setback suggests the club has made a grave error with their distinct lack of January business.

On the chalkboard

There is no doubt that Saints took a risk by bringing the 26-year-old to St Mary’s on an initial loan deal that will lead to a permanent £20m move at the end of the season last summer, as per The Telegraph, and it has proved to be the case.

While the attacker has scored seven goals in 18 Premier League appearances for the south coast outfit this term, including three since Ralph Hasenhuttl took charge in December, he has also missed six top-flight matches because of injury problems.

That number could increase even more if the issue that saw Ings limp off with less than half-an-hour played is deemed serious enough to keep him out of the huge clash with Cardiff City at St Mary’s on Saturday.

Grave error by Southampton?

It would seem that way, yes.

Saints failed to bring in a single new player during the January transfer window despite seeing the likes of Manolo Gabbiadini, Steven Davis, Cedric Soares and Wesley Hoedt go, and failing to sign a new striker could prove to be a decision that comes back to haunt them.

Should Ings be out for the foreseeable future – something that could certainly be the case should he have suffered a hamstring or groin injury – then the south coast outfit are left with Shane Long, Charlie Austin and Sam Gallagher as their strikers, with Michael Obafemi also currently on the sidelines.

The former trio hardly scream goals given they have three in the Premier League between them this term, and Hasenhuttl could be left relying on Nathan Redmond to find the net – as he did against the Clarets – which would be a dangerous game given they are currently just two points above the drop.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

It has been announced that Samuel Eto’o has retired from professional football, as reported by Goal.

The Cameroon legend had a long and illustrious career, which included four Champions Leagues and four African Player of the Year awards, as per Transfermarkt.

It also featured half a season at Everton, in which he played a total of 20 games across all competitions, scoring four and assisting twice.

To mark his retirement, the club tweeted out a video of his brace against Burnley:

While there was an appreciation for what the former Barcelona man did at Goodison Park, it was Steven Naismith who got the most attention as a consequence of the video.

After Eto’o had emphatically finished his second goal of the game, the Scotsman came along and smashed the ball towards goal from close range, with it eventually rebounding off the crossbar and careering into Tom Heaton’s head.

It is safe to say that Everton fans have found this part of the video very amusing, though the current England international probably didn’t at the time.

A selection of Twitter reaction to the video, including posts from laughing Everton fans, can be seen below:

Everton fans, what were your thoughts on Naismith while he was at the club? Join the discussion by commenting below…

Blackburn Rovers are set to beat Celtic in the race to sign Tottenham Hotspur’s Dilan Markanday. 

The lowdown

The Evening Standard reported in December that Celtic were among the clubs chasing Markanday ahead of the January transfer window.

Arch-rivals Rangers were also said to be in the frame, along with ‘a number of the Championship’s leading clubs’.

And it seems that Blackburn, currently third in England’s second tier, have seen off the competition to sign the 20-year-old, whose contract was due to expire at the end of the season.

The latest

According to The Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick, Blackburn are now ‘close to agreeing’ a permanent deal for Markanday.

Rovers will pay £500,000 up front but the fee could rise beyond the £1million mark if add-ons are triggered, while Spurs have also insisted upon a ‘significant’ sell-on clause.

The ‘deal could be announced next week’, he says.

The verdict

Losing out on Markanday is a blow for Celtic. He’s only made one senior appearance for Spurs, featuring in a Europa Conference League group game against Vitesse, but he boasts an exceptional record at youth level.

In 14 Premier League 2 appearances this season, he’s been directly involved in 17 goals (scoring 12 and assisting five more).

European football journalist Alex Barker has also raved about his ‘really clever footwork and dribbling ability’.

All this points to a very bright future indeed, and Blackburn have only paid half a million for a potential star in the making.

In other news, Alan Hutton has dropped this intriguing claim on Stephen Welsh. 

Adam White has dropped a claim regarding Celtic’s interest in a deal to bring Zinedine Ferhat to Parkhead in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

In a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT, the journalist stated his belief that the Nimes winger – who has been heavily linked with a move to Parkhead this winter – would be an extremely impressive signing for Ange Postecoglou to get over the line, with White going as far to state that the 28-year-old would be one of the best players in the Premiership.

Speaking about the Celtic-linked forward, the journalist said: “He’d be a really good option. He can play as a number 10, can also play out wide and as an attacking midfielder, very graceful, creative, and I think he’d improve Celtic’s team and would be one of the better players in the SPFL.”

Bye-bye Johnston

While the likes of Jota, Liel Abada and Kyogo Furuhashi have been in deadly form for Celtic so far this season, with this trio having already scored 35 goals and registered 19 assists between them in the current campaign, Postecoglou’s backup options have been rather less impressive.

One such player is Mikey Johnston, the £10k-per-week 22-year-old who has so far failed to score a single goal over his 18 outings in all competitions this season, with Willie Miller going as far to describe the winger’s performance against Hibernian in the League Cup final as “pathetic.”

And, with the academy graduate being linked with a move to Aberdeen this January, it would seem a very wise move for Postecoglou to allow the winger to depart for Pittodrie, and subsequently make a move to bring Ferhat in as his replacement.

Indeed, over his 33 Ligue 1 appearances for Nimes’ last time out, the £4.05m-rated forward was in astonishing form, scoring six goals, providing ten assists and creating nine big chances for his teammates, as well as an average of taking 1.9 shots and making 1.6 key passes per game.

These returns saw the £13k-per-week Algeria international earn a sensational seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.07, ranking him by far and away as his side’s best performer in the top flight of French football.

As such, it would indeed appear as if the Nimes winger would be a huge upgrade on many of Postecoglou’s current options out wide – Johnston included – leading us to hold the belief that the 56-year-old must make a move for the player who has 82 career assists to his name before the end of the month.

In other news: Huge blow: Worrying behind the scenes Celtic update emerges, Postecoglou surely fuming

With just five goals scored in their previous seven Premier League games, the upcoming January transfer window could provide the Merseyside club with a good opportunity to add some attacking reinforcements to their squad and potentially put their poor run of form behind them.

Taking this into account, it seems as though the Toffees already have their eye on securing a new attacking talent next month.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from L’avenir.net, Everton are interested in signing RSC Anderlecht winger Francis Amuzu.

After joining Anderlecht’s youth system back in April 2015, the 22-year-old has gone on to make a total of 142 appearances for the Belgian club across their youth sides and senior team, scoring 15 goals and providing 15 assists along the way.

So far this season in the Belgian league, the winger has managed to score three goals and provide three assists.

In terms of a potential move to Everton in January, this could give Toffees owner Farhad Moshiri the chance to replicate the same transfer masterclass he and Rafa Benitez pulled off in the summer by signing Demarai Gray, another young winger from a foreign club who has managed to hit the ground running at Goodison Park by scoring five goals and providing two assists in 16 league appearances.

In addition to this, even though he only joined the club in the summer alongside Gray, the fact that Andros Townsend has hit the age of 30, Amuzu could be a suitable long-term replacement for the Englishman on the right-wing.

Moving forward, Everton should definitely explore the possibility of signing Amuzu in January to see if he can spark a bit of life back into Benitez’s squad.

However, with the report saying that Rangers and Wolfsburg are also reportedly interested in signing Amuzu, but that Anderlecht aren’t looking to sell the winger anytime soon, Everton may have a challenge on their hands to secure his signature.

Either way, if Everton don’t end up signing Amuzu in January, they should probably look to sign a defensive player given how they’ve managed to concede 29 goals in their 17 league games this season.

In other news: Forget Rondon: Moshiri can sign Everton’s new Lukaku in “powerful” 28-goal “rocket” – opinion