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Sunderland made it back-to-back home stalemates on Tuesday night as they were held to a disappointing 0-0 draw against Blackpool.

The Black Cats couldn’t find a way past the Tangerines despite a dominant first half, with the result leaving Tony Mowbray’s side in seventh position in the Championship.

One man who disappointed in the draw at the Stadium of Light was Manchester United loanee Amad Diallo, who started alongside Alex Pritchard in attack in the absence of Ellis Simms and Ross Stewart.

As per SofaScore, the Ivory Coast international would earn a shocking 6.4/10 rating for his performance, which was the joint-worst of any player to feature in the game.

Sunderland seriously missed the physicality and aerial presence offered by both Stewart and Simms, as Diallo would win just one of his five duels during the game, meaning that 80% of the time, he was bettered by a Blackpool player.

Diallo usually excels with the ball at his feet but he simply failed to get involved on Tuesday night, as his one dribble attempt was unsuccessful, while he failed to register a single shot on target during his time on the pitch.

By comparison, even with all of his previous appearances in the Championship coming from the bench this season, Diallo has averaged 0.4 shots, 0.8 key passes and 0.2 dribbles per game, which emphasises just how poor he was when given the opportunity to start on Tuesday.

He would also have just 30 touches of the ball, which was the lowest of any Sunderland player to start the game, including goalkeeper Anthony Patterson, who would have 36.

Therefore, it was no surprise to see him replaced by Jewison Bennette on 58 minutes, with the Costa Rican managing more key passes, successful dribbles and successful duels than his teammate despite being on the pitch for nearly half an hour less.

[freshpress-quiz id=“659394″]

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This again goes to show just how poor the Manchester United loanee was against Blackpool, and when Mowbray needed him to step up with some goals due to Simms and Stewart being injured, he sadly failed to perform.

Indeed, he even ignored his manager’s instructions by refusing to shoot, something that will do little to help his cause in the future.

This was the attacker’s first start for the club and on this evidence, another one shouldn’t be forthcoming anytime soon.

Liverpool have been linked with a move for Matheus Nunes this summer, and there has been a new update on the club’s pursuit of the player.

What’s the latest?

According to Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manha (via Paisley Gates), there is a strong possibility that the 23-year-old will make the move to England, with the Reds remaining interested.

As per the report, Sporting Lisbon are now only interested in doing business in the transfer market to sell players at this point, and the midfielder seems one of the most likely outgoings for the Portuguese club.

Big Keita upgrade

The Reds are reportedly prioritising the midfield as key area to improve and strengthen after completing the club-record signing of Darwin Nunez this summer, and Nunes could be the perfect Naby Keita upgrade if FSG can secure a deal for the 23-year-old in the coming weeks.

The Guinea international will be out of contract in less than 12 months’ time, and although Liverpool are speculated to be in talks to negotiate a new deal for the midfielder, they may not need to if they can sign the Sporting star this summer.

According to FBRef, both Nunes and Keita matched up for goal contributions, scoring three goals and delivering one assist each, although there are many attributes where Nunes outperforms his positional peer on Merseyside.

The 23-year-old has a better shot on target accuracy (27.3%), created more big chances (six), made more tackles (two) and won more duels (6.5) on average per game, while also being more successful in completing his dribble attempts (70%) compared to Keita (63%).

The £42.2m-valued dynamo has been the recipient of high praise, with his former team-mate Goncalo Santos hailing him previously (via Liverpool Echo).

Santos said of Nunes: “It’s unbelievable when he has the ball at his feet. Nobody can catch him; it’s impossible because he’s too fast.

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“If you are in the defensive phase and he gets the ball, he can run with it and fire the team 30 yards up the pitch because he is so good in possession.”

With that in mind, the powerbrokers at Anfield should carefully consider whether they ought to offer a new contract to Keita or sign an upgrade in Nunes this summer to replace the Guinea midfielder.

AND in other news: Fabrizio Romano drops Liverpool transfer update that’ll frustrate supporters

An update has emerged on Newcastle United’s pursuit of AC Milan forward Rafael Leao…

What’s the talk?

Italian journalist Giovanni Capuano has relayed a report from Repubblica that names the Magpies as one of the teams plotting a bid to sign the Portuguese international, with PIF looking to snap him up.

Ligue 1 giants PSG are also said to be keen on the attacker, who is said to be being courted by ‘half of Europe’ heading into the summer window.

Eddie Howe needs him badly

Milan reportedly want €70m (£59m) for the 22-year-old this summer and the Toon must pay it as the Magpies’ head coach needs him badly.

The gem is a versatile, quality, young player who would solve a big problem for Howe next season. Newcastle lack players with the ability to put the ball in the back of the net on a consistent basis and Leao has proven that he can do exactly that.

In the Premier League this season, Callum Wilson (six) and Allan Saint-Maximin (five) are the only players with more than four goals to their name. This shows that the club need more goalscorers to bolster their attack in order to push up the table next term.

Meanwhile, Leao, who can play out wide on the left and through the middle, has scored ten goals and provided four assists in the Serie A for Milan. This comes after he produced 12 strikes and assists in 22 starts in 2020/21, showing that he can deliver quality in the final third on a regular basis at the top level.

The attacker’s former coach at Sporting, Tiago Fernandes, previously showered him with praise as he compared him to a former Brazil star. He said:

“Rafael is a No 9, he’s almost always played as one. I’d say that he reminds me of ‘Fenomeno’ Ronaldo for his pace, technique and the quality of his finishing.

“Perhaps he still has to improve in the air, but I want to tell the Rossoneri fans that Leao is a champion who can decide a game by himself.

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“He certainly has the talent to play for Real Madrid, Barcelona and all the best clubs in Europe.”

These quotes highlight his potential as a player and this means that Howe can work with him on the training pitch to develop him into an even better performer for Newcastle. His statistics for Milan suggest that he would already be an upgrade on what the Toon currently have in the final third, with his scope for development adding another reason why the ex-Cherries coach needs him at St. James’ Park.

AND in other news, Insider: PIF “aiming” to make major Newcastle signing that’ll leave supporters elated…

According to talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook, Southampton did not make any attempt to sign Dele Alli this month, despite previous reports linking him with the club.

The Lowdown: Dele Alli’s recent struggles

Alli has faced a tough period in his career over the last year, having lost his place in Tottenham’s starting XI. The 25-year-old has made just two Premier League starts under current Spurs manager Antonio Conte, totalling a meagre six appearances during the Italian’s reign so far.

As a result, the playmaker has been linked with a move away from N17, and it seems that a breakthrough has been made regarding his exit from north London.

Fabrizio Romano took to Twitter to report the news, saying: ‘Dele Alli to Everton, done deal and here we go! Full agreement reached with Tottenham, permanent move subject to medical in the next few hours. It’s done.’

The Latest: Saints fail to move for Alli

According to talkSPORT journalist Crook on Twitter, Southampton made no effort to sign Alli from Tottenham during the January transfer window, stating: “Also reliably informed #SaintsFC did not make any attempt to sign Dele Alli this window”.

This is despite previous reports linking the 25-year-old with the south coast club, with Ralph Hasenhuttl an admirer of the England international.

The Verdict: Missed opportunity

Despite his poor form, Alli could have been a fantastic option for Southampton, who have now missed the opportunity to pull off a late transfer in January. This could have been similar to the Takumi Minamino loan move from this time last year, which proved to be relatively successful.

Once hailed as ‘good enough for Real Madrid’, it seems ridiculous that Southampton would not have gone in for the Spurs ace, particularly when he seems set to be leaving on a free, with a £10m fee following clauses being met. Having totalled 91 career goals, Alli could have been of real use to Hasenhuttl, as he would’ve bolstered the Saints’ attacking options with proven top-flight quality.

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If Southampton want to push higher up the league table, they will need to meet £100,000-per-week demands. Otherwise, they won’t be able to secure many players of significant quality in today’s inflated market.

In other news: Southampton are till in talks over this striker

Paulo Fonseca would reportedly like to sign three players if he is to be named as the new manager at Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Talks

As per Craig Hope, talks are ‘ongoing’ between Fonseca and the St. James’ Park faithful over the vacant manager role in the North East, following the departure of Steve Bruce.

Sources have said that he is ‘interested’ in taking over, but The Daily Mail journalist has stressed that it is ‘not a done deal’ as of yet.

The Latest: Fonseca signings

Perhaps jumping the gun, but Forzaroma.info have now claimed that Fonscea would like to sign Amadou Diawara, Chris Smalling and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, all from AS Roma, should he become the next Magpies coach.

It is suggested that Jose Mourinho may be willing to sell both Diawara and Smalling, although Mkhitaryan has found some form at the Serie A club.

The Verdict: Aim higher

With the abundance of riches that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium have, they should be aiming higher than the three players mentioned above.

Although Fonseca would likely be able to get the best out of them having worked with them before at Roma, with Smalling himself claiming that Fonseca is a ‘very intelligent’ manager, all three come with their own individual problems.

The Englishman is very injury prone, while Mkhitaryan is 32 years of age now, and largely struggled in the Premier League while at both Manchester United and Arsenal.

Diawara meanwhile has barely played any football so far this season, and so may take some time to adapt to the fast pace of the top flight, by which point the Toon Army could be locked deep in relegation trouble.

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Nonetheless, while Fonseca may be an inspired appointment in himself, the board should be aiming for better targets.

In other news, find out which ‘exceptional’ manager NUFC are ‘ready to go crazy’ for here!

An update has emerged regarding Everton’s pursuit of Burnley winger Dwight McNeil.

What’s the talk?

According to the Liverpool Echo, the Toffees remain interested in a deal for the 21-year-old and could battle it out with Aston Villa for his signature this summer.

The report claims that Burnley do not want to sell the winger but realise that he will leave to join a bigger club in the near future. Earlier in the window, a fee of £25m was touted for the England under-21 international.

Bernard’s replacement?

Everton are in the market for a left winger with Bernard leaving the club earlier this month, and McNeil could be the perfect addition to the squad. He is proven in the Premier League and still has plenty of scope to develop further, whilst he would also suit the style of play Benitez wants to employ.

Earlier this summer, the Spaniard outlined his aim for the transfer window by pointing out that Dominic Calvert-Lewin – a scorer of seven headed goals last season – requires quality crosses from out wide. The manager said: “We have to be ambitious and we have to manage the situation. It is very easy to see that we have a great centre-forward. He’s very good in the air, he can score goals. But we have to provide him with good crosses, good passes.

“So the objective is to add the players to improve. We can improve in these areas and, from the wide areas, the crosses will come. When we can do that, the team will be better.”

Farhad Moshiri could therefore land a coup for the Toffees if he is able to secure a deal for McNeil, who is adept at crossing. WhoScored lists it as his biggest strength and he has provided 16 Premier League assists in the past three seasons for Sean Dyche’s side. This means that he could be able to routinely put balls into the box like Benitez wants, which is why he could be a terrific signing for the Blues.

His current Burnley teammate Ashley Westwood hailed him as a special talent and highlighted his progression since coming into the first team. He said: “He’s really mature. I think the world of him; he’s a special talent. It’s been good to see him grow up because when he first came training with us, he was really quiet.

“He’s already racked up more than 50 games in the Premier League now, which at his age is phenomenal. He’s producing as well, so if he keeps doing that and we all keep doing what we’re doing then there will be teams circulating.”

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Therefore, he could be a superb addition to Everton’s squad and he might be exactly what Benitez needs to fulfil his ambitions of providing Calvert-Lewin with the service he requires to keep scoring goals in the Premier League. It is now down to Moshiri to get on the phone to Burnley in order to reach an agreement for the 21-year-old.

AND in other news, Imagine him and Godfrey: Benitez must seal dream Everton deal for £124k-p/w “monster”…

Sheffield Wednesday need to be open to the idea of selling key midfielder Barry Bannan this summer, according to journalist Dom Howson.

The Lowdown: Superb servant for the Owls

The Scotland international has been one of the Owls’ best players in their recent history, making 258 appearances and also scoring 13 goals and registering 39 assists for good measure, gaining a reputation as a fans’ favourite at Hillsborough.

Wednesday’s relegation to League One could make it tough for the club to keep hold of the 31-year-old, however, with some Championship sides surely considering a move for him.

The Latest: Howson says Bannan should move on

Speaking in a Q&A for Yorkshire Live, Howson claimed that it was time for Bannan to end his stay at Hillsborough, assuming a bid comes in for him, with Josh Windass in the same boat. The journalist said:

“If offers come in for Barry Bannan, Josh Windass or anybody else this summer, it would be foolish in Wednesday’s financial position not to consider cashing in.

“Part of the reason the club have got themselves in this situation is because they haven’t sold players and then reinvested that money back into the team. They stockpiled players and knocked back a number of bids.”

The Verdict: Beneficial for all partiesIn an ideal world, Wednesday would be in a healthy financial situation and Bannan would be happy to stay put, but sadly that isn’t the case.The Scot is one of the club’s most prized assets, and as Howson alluded to, it would be reckless for the Owls not to accept a bid for him, especially given his age.It will be sad to see Bannan leaving Hillsborough, considering the contributions he has provided in the middle of the park for the last six years, but a fresh challenge makes sense for everyone concerned, and Howson is right to advocate taking the money for him this summer if an adequate offer is made.In other news, Sheff Wed have received a positive piece of news regarding the future of one player. Find out who it is here.

Manchester United have been handed positive injury news with Marcus Rashford having avoided a serious problem.

According to Sky Sports, the England forward has only sustained slight bruising and swelling on his ankle so should only be out for a maximum of one match.

There was a slight worry that the Red Devils star may have been out longer having been forced off following a tackle in Manchester United’s 2-0 victory against Manchester City last weekend.

Despite the concern, United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer praised Rashford as “he sacrificed himself” for the result at the Etihad Stadium. The news will, of course, be welcome for the Norwegian as the season enters a critical stage as he will be able to rely on one of his star performers.

Rashford has been in brilliant form throughout the 2020/21 campaign -he’s currently in the midst of one his most productive seasons at Old Trafford to date.

In 43 appearances in all competitions, he has hit 18 goals whilst providing a further 12 assists.

He has also been one of Solskjaer stalwarts having appeared in every single match in all competitions so far this season.

Whilst the ankle problem could keep him out of Thursday’s UEFA Europa League last-16 first-leg against AC Milan at Old Trafford, the fact that he should be available for a number of key matches will thrill his manager.

Before the end of the season, the Red Devils are set to face West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Leicester City – all surely pivotal clashes in the race for the top four.

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They also continue their challenge on multiple fronts with both the UEFA Europa League second-leg against Milan and an FA Cup quarter-final face-off with Leicester City still set to come.

With Rashford having avoided a long lay-off, Solskjaer will surely be overjoyed.

AND in more news, read why a big-money move for Tottenham’s Harry Kane has to be Manchester United’s priority this summer…

Celtic will be hoping that tonight’s match against Lille will see them bounce back to winning ways. The Hoops have now gone three games without a victory, rocked by the defeat Rangers handed them at Celtic Park.

Neil Lennon has come under fire for the recent run of form and this evening will be his chance to prove his critics wrong. He has been chopping and changing his lineups throughout this season and could field yet another surprise XI in France.

Football FanCast has predicted how Lennon might opt to set up this time…

Despite shipping three goals against Aberdeen, the boss is likely to stick with his decision to replace Vasilis Barkas with Scott Bain. The Greece international has been disappointing this season and will need to work hard to regain his place in the starting lineup.

Back-up option Bain will be protected by usual duo Kristoffer Ajer and Shane Duffy and Lennon should consider fielding Nir Bitton, after a surprise back four option against the Dons didn’t work out.

Bitton has been confirmed to be in contention for tonight’s clash after returning from a positive coronavirus case.

The Celtic attack is an area that seems to be constantly under review by Lennon. Since the Rangers clash, a double strike force, lone striker, and front four has been deployed in order to search for a winning method. However, these worries could be put at rest today as Odsonne Edouard also rejoins training alongside Bitton.

The Frenchman has five goal contributions in seven Premiership appearances so far and has been a huge miss for the Hoops. The £13.5million-rated forward’s return to the action today could be the boost Lennon has been longing for and could be the difference between a win and a draw against Lille.

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Ryan Christie has been impressing recently and could earn another start to support to two strikers, with Tom Rogic axed despite the fact he assisted twice against Aberdeen. Christie’s penalty against Aberdeen ensured Celtic came away with a point and could be crucial in their European battle.

In other news, Celtic foolish not to sign Scott McTominay amid Neil Lennon crisis…

Celtic have one important task ahead of them this summer, to keep ahold of Odsonne Edouard, but former Scotland international Alan Hutton thinks that is a difficult task.

What did he say?

A lot has been made about the Frenchman’s performances this season. Celtic fans have been numerous in their praise of the striker, which is perfectly understandable.

He has scored 27 goals and even assisted 19 in 45 games this term, taking his total amount of career assists to 31, despite being a 22-year-old striker who is arguably most adept at finishing.

His presence in the side has been key to a return of 89 goals in 30 league games, and he has been vital to the Bhoys’ success in every domestic competition, just as he was in 2017/18 and 2018/19.

Form like that doesn’t go unnoticed, however, and just last week rumours sprouted up once more that hinted at a move elsewhere, with Arsenal the interested party.

Touching on the subject of his future, Alan Hutton admitted that there would likely be multiple clubs interested in his signature, and gave a little prediction of what could happen.

Speaking to Football Insider, he said:

“Edouard is technically gifted and I think Celtic will have to do as much as they can to hold onto him because I’m sure there’ll be teams looking at him, whether it be the Premier League or foreign clubs.

“It’s going to be a tough ask to keep hold of him.”

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Could be worth selling?

The prospect of allowing Edouard to leave would likely fill a lot of fans with dread, but there could be positives to come out of such a situation.

Should the Bhoys remain stubborn this summer and rule out a move to a bigger club, it is very possible that the France youth international could grow fed up and disillusioned in Glasgow.

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If such an eventuality occurs, his performances could decline, and that would not only harm Celtic on the pitch, but possibly off it too as his potential transfer fee could decline, particularly as he will have less time left on his contract.

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Likewise, it is possible that Edouard’s stock will never be as high as it is currently, and if several clubs register an interest the Glasgow outfit could pit them against each other to attract the highest fee.

Life after football: Do you know what all of these former players did next?

That could reach astronomical amounts given what he has produced at a young age, and those funds could then be reinvested in order to maintain Celtic’s dominance.

In other news, Celtic could regret missing out on one 2018 transfer target…