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Nottingham Forest midfielder Ben Watson made his first start since October in his side’s 3-1 win against Wigan Athletic at The City Ground last weekend, and his future prospects are certainly looking much brighter under Martin O’Neill than they were just few weeks ago.

On the chalkboard

Well, despite finishing the 2017/18 campaign in fine form and often captaining the Reds in the early stages of the current Championship season, the 33-year-old fell out of favour under previous manager Aitor Karanka following the 2-1 home defeat by Norwich City on October 20.

The midfielder suddenly found himself behind the likes of Adlene Guedioura, Claudio Yacob and Jack Colback in the central midfield pecking order, and on nine occasions between October and January he didn’t even make the substitutes’ bench for Forest in the league.

That changed following the arrival of O’Neill as Karanka’s successor however, and while he was an unused member of the 18-man squad against Bristol City he was reinstated to the starting XI and even named as skipper against the Latics last time out.

Does he have a big role to play now?

He does, but only one condition.

In the 4-4-2 system that O’Neill employed in his first match at The City Ground there should be no spot for the 33-year-old, as he no longer has the legs and box-to-box ambitions to only have one teammate alongside him.

It is no coincidence that Watson impressed as part of a midfield trio in a 4-3-3 against his former club last Saturday however, and while he did his job defensively well he could also advance forward too, knowing that he potentially had two players that would cover him if needed.

Watson looked destined for the exit door either this month or in the summer had Karanka remained with the east Midlands outfit, but with a contract not due to expire until the summer of 2020 he now must grasp the new opportunity he has been handed.

Thogden has ranked his top 5 sets of Championship away fans for Pl>ymaker FC. Did your club make the list? Find out in the video below…

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According to The Telegraph, Everton have agreed a £4m compensation fee with Watford for Marco Silva, whom the Toffees appointed as their manager in the summer.

Hertfordshire outfit Watford were furious with their fellow Premier League club after attempts were made to bring the Portuguese north in November 2017 following the sacking of then-boss Ronald Koeman, although, now that an agreement has been reached, this is surely the end of the matter.

The former Hornets boss filled the vacant role left by Sam Allardyce at the Goodison Park helm prior to the start of the 18/19 season but has had far from an enjoyable time on Merseyside so far.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

Silva’s side have largely underperformed and, despite their respectable position in the standings, will surely feel that they should be doing better. They have lost five of their last six games in all competitions and are in desperate need of a result against Cardiff, who they face on Tuesday.

Here’s how the Evertonians reacted on Twitter…

The Southampton revival under Ralph Hasenhuttl continues with the south coast club managing to gain a point from their 1-1 draw with Burnley at Turf Moor last Saturday in a game where they came extremely close to winning. 

A stoppage-time penalty converted by Ashley Barnes ensured the points were shared after Nathan Redmond, who is at the top of his game right now, had given the visitors the lead.

And the 24-year-old has since come in for praise from one of his team-mates as he continues to impress under his new boss.

The Breakdown

Speaking about the form of Redmond, midfielder Stuart Armstrong told the Daily Echo: “I think everyone can see how talented a player he is in training and in games of late. His goal [against Burnley] was fantastic.

“The way he moved the ball and then a quick shot into the corner of the net with so much power, with so little back-lift. He is a very good player to have in our team.”

As mentioned by Armstrong, Redmond is undoubtedly a talented individual, something which has been clear since his days in the Championship with Birmingham City.

However, for whatever reason, it has not quite worked out for the England international at St. Mary’s despite a strong start to life in a Southampton shirt.

At 24, though, there is still plenty of time for Redmond to get things right, which he has been doing in recent weeks, and evolve that talent into something further.

Watching the way Redmond can take the ball past a defender with his pace and dribbling skill, he really should be on course to becoming a serious winger in the Premier League, yet without the numbers to go with it, that did not look like the path the former Norwich City man was heading down.

Rejuvenated under Hasenhuttl, though, Redmond now appears to be going in the right direction again.

أكد طه إسماعيل، نجم النادي الأهلي السابق والمحلل الكروي الحالي، أن محمد يوسف، المدير الفني الأسبق للقلعة الحمراء، سيكون أفضل من السويسري رينيه فايلر، المدير الفني الحالي للأحمر، في حال تولي قيادة الفريق.

كشف مصدر داخل الأهلي، عن اقتراب رحيل المدرب السويسري رينيه فايلر المدير الفني للمارد الأحمر عن الفريق خلال الفترة المقبلة.

أقرأ ايضًا.. هل يرحل قبل دوري أبطال إفريقيا؟.. فايلر يرفض حسم مصيره مع الأهلي

أضاف طه إسماعيل، خلال لقاء عبر قناة “أون تايم سبورت”: “محمد يوسف إذا تولى تدريب الأهلي في هذه الفترة سيكون أفضل من فايلر، المرحلة المقبلة لا تستدعي تأليف فايلر”.

تابع: “رينيه فايلر مُصر على طرق معينة بلا جدوى، نحن مقبلون على مباريات إفريقيا ولا نتحمل هذه التجارب، فايلر غير مستقر على الطريقة، دائمًا يصنع عقدة في الشوط الأول ويحلها في الشوط الثاني”.

وواصل: “هذا سار في الدوري وعدت على خير وكان أحيانا الأهلي يفوز وهو ليس جيدًا، فايلر على المستوى النفسي غير مستقر، وفي ذات الوقت هو يطلب إجازات كثيرة وهذا صعب في الوقت الحالي”.

اختتم: “هو لا يركز بعد كورونا في طرق التشكيل واللعب، ولذلك أنا أقول إن الفترة المقبلة ضبابية بالنسبة للأهلي إلا في حالة وجود بديل يضع خطة واستقرار للفريق”.

من المقرر، أن يخوض الأهلي مباراته أمام الوداد البيضاوي المغربي، في نصف نهائي إفريقيا في شهر أكتوبر المقبل.

يستعد الأهلي لمواجهة نادي مصر في الجولة التاسعة والعشرون من مسابقة الدوري المصري الممتاز، في الثامنة من مساء اليوم الأربعاء.

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According to an interview with evertonfc.com, winger Ademola Lookman says the trust shown in him by manager Marco Silva has allowed him to be more confident when he has been on the pitch this season.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the 21-year-old looked set to instantly become a key player for the Merseyside outfit having scored on his debut against Manchester City following his move from Charlton Athletic back in 2017, but he has largely failed to kick on since then.

The England U21 international struggled for first-team opportunities under Silva’s predecessor Sam Allardyce before spending the second-half of last season on loan at RB Leipzig in Germany, where he impressed.

While there may have been some doubts over his future, Lookman has been involved again under the Portuguese boss at Goodison Park this term, and has revealed to evertonfc.com how the 41-year-old has helped him.

The attacker said: “It is always important to feel you have the manager’s trust. Once you go out there it enables you to play free.

“I have always thought about football in terms of enjoying myself. I still play football for fun and that is what I want to do my whole career, God willing.

“I enjoy expressing myself and I enjoy the pressure of football.”

How has he fared this season?

It’s certainly not been easy for him considering he faces competition from the likes of Theo Walcott, Richarlison and Bernard for a spot in the starting XI.

While he failed to make the squad against Manchester City earlier this month due to a “technical decision”, he has still made 17 appearances in all competitions, scoring one goal and providing two assists.

With Everton not looking like they will have too much to play for in the closing 12 Premier League fixtures, Lookman will be hoping that Silva places his trust in him again in the coming weeks so he can continue to express himself on the field.

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Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter to react after Andros Townsend won the ‘Goal of the Year’ award at the London Football Awards on Thursday evening.

The England international picked up the accolade as a result of his stunning strike against Manchester City at the Etihad earlier this season, in which he rifled a dropping ball into the top right corner from well outside the box.

His goal also meant more than just pure aesthetics. Townsend’s strike helped the Eagles beat the champions 3-2 on their own turf, becoming the only side to do so in the current campaign – the former Tottenham man has become the first player to win the ‘Goal of the Year’ award at the London Football Awards.

Impressively, the 27-year-old was also nominated for the ‘Player of the Year’ award after an impressive season in which he has already hit seven goals – a personal best – although he lost out to Tottenham’s Son Heung-Min.

Understandably, Palace fans are beaming with pride at Townsend’s achievement, and have taken to Twitter to react…

Many people believe that it will take Arsenal a good few transfer windows to get a team that can start competing for the Premier League.

No one was expecting Unai Emery to instantly revolutionise the Arsenal team as it was clear that he needed time and funding to do so.

This January, therefore, was a great opportunity for him to start building his team for the future, however, things may not have gone to plan for many Arsenal fans. With that in mind here are the two biggest mistakes of their transfer window:

Losing Sven Mislintat

Sven Mislintat was at Arsenal for just over a year and no one fully knows the reason why he left this month, but it could well have been down to the fact that he was never going to be more than a glorified chief scout at Arsenal.

However, the German was one of the greatest assets the club had as he has a proven track record for unearthing some of the world’s best footballing talent. The likes of Robert Lewandowski are an example of this.

Mislintat recruited Arsenal players like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Bernd Leno to The Emirates. Things were starting to happen with the German at Arsenal and his departure may prove very costly, particularly given the fact that The Gunners are renowned for making some fairly poor transfer decisions.

Failing to sign Ivan Perišić

One player that Arsenal were heavily linked with over the transfer window was Inter Milan’s Ivan Perišić. Other than Denis Suárez who they did indeed buy, the Croatian was probably the second biggest target.

The World Cup finalist would have added some serious quality to the Arsenal attack and his versatility would have come in handy as he can play as both an attacking midfielder and a winger.

The fact that they did not sign him has not only prevented their team of a high quality player which could have improved their chances of Champions League qualification as the season goes on, but it also sends a bad message to the rest of the Premier League that they are struggling to land new signings and that they may not have the power in the transfer window that they used to have.

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Celtic fans have taken to Twitter to react after Scott Sinclair bagged a hat-trick against St Johnstone in the Scottish Cup to send the Bhoys into the quarter-finals.

The former Manchester City forward displayed ice-cool composure in front of goal to bag a treble, with James Forrest and an unlikely scorer in Scott Brown – whose wonder goal was his first in two years – rounding off a dominant victory.

Sinclair’s hat-trick helped Brendan Rodgers’ men to what was their 24th consecutive domestic cup win as they aim to complete another treble, and signals a remarkable turnaround in form after being slated by Celtic fans earlier in the season.

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…

The former Swansea star has now hit 16 goals across all competitions so far this season, displaying an unerring composure to his finishing which is to be vital if Celtic are to beat Rangers to the Scottish Premiership title.

Fans of the Scottish giants on Twitter were in awe at Brown’s screamer, but also took time to commend Sinclair on his match-winning performance and potency in front of goal…

كشف مهاجم الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي برشلونة السابق، لويس سواريز، سبب انتقاله إلى أتلتيكو مدريد أحد المنافسين المباشرين للعملاق الكتالوني في الميركاتو الصيفي الحالي.

وانتقل سواريز إلى أتلتيكو مدريد رسميًا يوم أمس، الأربعاء، بدون مقابل فقط 6 ملايين يورو كمتغيرات في حالة تحقيق بعض الألقاب والإنجازات مع النادي المدريدي.

اقرأ أيضًا | سواريز “باكيًا”: رحيلي عن برشلونة صعب.. وفخور بصداقتي مع ميسي رغم التحذيرات

وعلق سواريز على الأمر في مؤتمر وداعه في برشلونة وقال: “أشعر بأنني ما زلت قادرًا على تقديم المزيد في الدوري الإسباني ولدي الرغبة في تسجيل المزيد من الأهداف في تلك البطولة، لقد تحدثت مع سيميوني وأنطوان جريزمان ودييجو جودين عن النادي ولدي الرغبة في مساعدة الفريق للمنافسة على الدوري خاصة وأنني أرحل إلى فريق طموح”.

وكشف سواريز عن رأيه في المدرب كومان ورغبته في رحيله عن برشلونة: “اللاعبون يرحلون والنادي باقٍ، المدرب يقرر عدم الاعتماد علي، وكنت أتوقع ما أبلغني به لذلك تدربت مع الفريق لأنهم يحترمونني حتى أجد نادٍ جديد للرحيل إليه، ولم يكن لدي أي مشكلة مع رونالد”.

وعن مواجهة برشلونة في المستقبل: “سبق لي وواجهت فرقي السابقة، أعرف هذا الشعور، لكن علي الدفاع عن شعار النادي الذي أحمل اسمه”.

ومواجهة صديقك ميسي: “لقد واجهت ليو من قبل مع أوروجواي، وهذا لن يغير علاقتنا، لن تكون هناك أي أزمة في ذلك”.

ورد سواريز مازحًا على سؤال “من تحمله رحيلك عن برشلونة؟”: “لي أنا أم لـ.. (في إشارة إلى بارتوميو الذي يجلس بجانبه في المؤتمر)، لكن ما أركز فيه الآن هو مؤتمر رحيلي عن الفريق ولن أتحدث عن أي شيء لقد كان قرار المدرب وتقبلته بالفعل”.

واختتم الأوروجوياني مؤتمره بالحديث عن مباراة 8-2 أمام بايرن ميونخ، وقال: “لقد حاولت طوال مسيرتي أن أعطي كل ما لدي للنادي الذي أتواجد به، بذلت قصارى جهدي وفي النهاية كانت 6 سنوات رائعة مع برشلونة ولن أنساها أبدًا”.

West Bromwich Albion managed to get the better of Aston Villa earlier on today in the Midlands derby, which has boosted their automatic promotion hopes massively. 

The Baggies have arguably one of the strongest squads in the Championship, so they should have no trouble in going all the way in the current campaign.

Interestingly, it appears as if the Baggies are thinking about a possible swoop, as according to the Daily Record, West Bromwich Albion sent representatives to watch Motherwell’s Jake Hastie this month.

One of the biggest selling points is the fact that the youngster could be up for grabs for a cut price development fee at the end of the current campaign.

Indeed, the Scottish wonderkid has established himself as one of the most promising players in Scotland in the current campaign, with a very respectable three goals and one assist to his name in the Scottish Premiership. He spent the first half of the season on loan at Alloa Athletic, and he’s made a name for himself since returning.

Of course, the Baggies secured the services of Oliver Burke for a hefty fee and he never quite managed to live up to expectations, which has resulted in him moving on loan to Celtic.

So, supporters would soon forget Burke if Darren Moore manages to seal a potential bargain deal for Hastie as he has all the ingredients to become a future star. His pace, skill and dribbling ability makes him very dangerous and he’d slot right into Moore’s attacking style, with the ability to make an immediate impact at the Hawthorns.

West Bromwich Albion fans – thoughts?