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Southampton confirmed earlier this week that Josh Sims has rejoined League One side Doncaster Rovers on loan until the end of the season, in what was a baffling transfer decision for a number of reasons.

The 24-year-old spent time with Darren Moore’s side earlier in the season and impressed, contributing three goals and seven assists in just 14 appearances for the club, before returning to Southampton in January.

As a result of his excellent performances, QPR were reportedly interested in signing the 23-year-old on a permanent deal earlier this month, but instead he has been sent back on loan to the League One club.

Sims’ contract with Southampton is set to expire at the end of the season, which makes it surprising that he was loaned out, as you would now expect him to depart the South Coast club on a free transfer at the end of the season when they perhaps could have collected some sort of fee for the £1.44 million-rated winger this month.

It is even more surprising that Sims was allowed to depart on loan when you consider the injury problems that have beset Ralph Hasenhuttl this season, especially on the wing.

Nathan Redmond has only just returned to the first-team after spending time on the sidelines, whilst Moussa Djenepo has been out injured, meaning that the Austrian manager has been extremely short of wing options.

Youngster Will Smallbone featured there against Leicester City before picking up a long-term injury of his own, so it was confusing why Sims didn’t even feature on the bench for Southampton in recent fixtures when we have seen a plethora of much less-experienced academy talents.

Considering his strong form with Doncaster this season, he surely would’ve been a useful option for Hasenhuttl to have, at least while Djenepo and Redmond get back to full fitness.

Therefore it could definitely be considered something of a disaster by Martin Semmens to allow Sims to leave on loan, from both a footballing and financial perspective.

And, in other news, Southampton must make £9.9m-rated beast January priority after Arsenal disaster…

Jake Vokins made his first Premier League appearance of the season against Arsenal on Tuesday night but was far from good enough defensively during his time on the pitch.

The Southampton academy ace was selected at left-back in the absence of Ryan Bertrand, who was suspended for the game against the Gunners.

Unfortunately for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side, Stuart Armstrong’s early goal was as good as it got against their North London opposition as they fell to a 3-1 defeat at St Mary’s, with the Austrian criticising his team’s defending post-match.

Vokins was one of Southampton’s poorer performances on the night statistically, and was substituted just after the hour mark with Ibrahima Diallo moving to left-back to replace him.

As per SofaScore, the 20-year-old would earn a disappointing 6.1 match rating for his display, which was the joint-worst rating, with Yan Valery, of any outfield player on the pitch.

During his time on the pitch, the left-back would contribute no tackles or interceptions, and lost all three of his ground duels during the game, suggesting that the Saints really missed Bertrand against the Gunners – especially in defensive areas.

Vokins was very rarely involved, as he had just 23 touches, which was far fewer than the 43 touches goalkeeper Alex McCarthy had during the game.

Unfortunately for the academy ace, he would manage just 11 passes during the game, whereas opposition left-back and former Saints man Cedric would have 81 touches, and contributed 24 passes, showing his influence on proceedings.

The Saints defender struggled against Bukayo Saka, as he got past him for Arsenal’s second goal, with the Gunners ace picking up a 7.8 match rating, suggesting that he had the better of Vokins throughout his time on the pitch.

Fortunately for Hasenhuttl, Bertrand has now served his one-match ban, so will most likely be back for the game against Aston Villa at the weekend. However for Vokins this was perhaps evidence that he is not ready to be a starter in the Premier League just yet, as he clearly struggled against Mikel Arteta’s side on Tuesday night.

And, in other news… “What a player” – Exclusive: Pundit “surprised” that Hasenhuttl fave is still at Southampton

Cenk Tosun was Carlo Ancelotti’s only saving grace as Everton muddled through to beat Rotherham United in the FA Cup third round on Saturday afternoon.

An extra-time hit from Abdoulaye Doucoure proved enough for the Toffees to edge past Paul Warne’s Championship strugglers, after seeing Matthew Olosunde strike out Tosun’s first goal of the season.

Olosunde tore Everton to shreds during his time on the field and would have delighted the hosts when his number was shown on the board at the start of second-half stoppage-time, having very much deserved his goal.

Tosun had opened the scoring in the early stages of the third round affair when found perfectly by Anthony Gordon, breaking free between the Rotherham centre-halves and chipping home over Jamal Blackman.

A moment of quality with half-time approaching saw Tosun come close to adding a second to his account, but the in-demand Turkey international could only poke wide.

He would put the ball in the back of Blackman’s net again come the second-half after meeting James Rodriguez’s free-kick for the would-be winner, yet would not be given the goal after a VAR review adjudged the £60,000-per-week hitman to have been marginally offside.

Tosun did not let the incident affect his confidence as he kept pushing for a second goal despite often being without much service, though should have done better late in extra time when he favoured an extra touch over shooting and let the chance go to waste.

Everton’s overall performance was shambolic at times, capitalised by the Liverpool Echo’s Adam Jones voicing on Twitter that goalkeeper Robin Olsen had been Ancelotti’s best player during regular time.

But it was Tosun who proved to be Ancelotti’s only saving grace, by turning in an influential performance when it mattered despite being starved of service as the sole centre-forward.

Tosun ended the day having played close to three times the number of minutes he had featured for over his previous six outings combined, to score only his 11th career Everton goal and first since November 2019.

The £6.5m-rated titan also took four shots with two on target, played one key ball from 21 accurate passes and was successful with one of two attempted dribbles, per SofaScore.

He registered 43 touches, as well, while winning half of his eight ground duels, contested six aerial contests, was fouled three times and spread play frequently with four long balls.

Ancelotti will have hoped to see Tosun fare better in some regards having been caught offside twice and being dribbled past once, but there were plenty of positives to take from his efforts in what was his first start of the season so far.

AND in other news, Marcel Brands must sign “quick” Everton target who “makes football look easy”…

Some West Ham United fans were left blasting the display of Aaron Cresswell despite their 1-0 win over Burnley in the Premier League yesterday afternoon.

Although there were certainly some standout performances for David Moyes’ team, including Michail Antonio who scored the winning goal inside the opening 10 minutes on the day, the performance of Cresswell flattered to deceive some members of the London Stadium faithful.The 31-year-old did put the ball in his own net only for VAR to rule the goal out for an offside in the build-up, and he was also guilty of losing possession of the ball no fewer than 17 times in the game, the joint-third most out of any of his teammates (Sofascore).He also lost out on three of his duels, and failed to record a single dribble, tackle, key pass or accurate cross (Sofascore).

West Ham fan reaction to Cresswell display

These Hammers blasted his performance on Twitter, with one Iron even going as far as to claim that the Englishman is ‘awful’:

“Everyone other than Cresswell playing well”

Credit: @RiceSZN_
“Cresswell just looks uncomfortable completely going forward and defending”

Credit: @Callumfitzer_
“Cresswell having a typically Cresswell game. Not at the races”

Credit: @Mdp_coyi66

“Cresswell is unbelievably bad”
Credit: @Zayd__Beitar

“It comes with a heavy heart that I have to announce Aaron Cresswell has used up all his ability for this season, look forward to seeing him back to his best in August”
Credit: @chanceig

“Cresswell having a shocker”

Credit: @riley_holt_
In other news, find out who else was slammed for his display against the Clarets here!

Leeds United have let go of many top talents over the years but one player who will have Victor Orta kicking himself is Kemar Roofe.The striker left the club in 2019 after three years in Yorkshire to join Anderlecht before making a £20,000 per week move back to the UK for his current chapter at Rangers. Since being snapped up by the Glasgow outfit, he has seriously impressed with his clinical performances in front of goal.This season, he has scored six goals and provided one assist in ten Scottish Premiership appearances. He has suffered a small setback though as his niggling calf problems continue to cause an issue (via Transfermarkt). But despite his injury, he is still in fiery form under Steven Gerrard, who looks set to lift the league trophy at the end of the campaign.Roofe is the Gers’ second highest scorer of the season across all competitions, behind only James Tavernier (via BBC Sport).Whilst Leeds have one of the strongest strikers in the Premier League in Patrick Bamford, they lack threat in other areas of the pitch. The Englishman cannot be expected to carry the attack on his own and this is where Marcelo Bielsa will wish he still had someone like Roofe at his disposal.Kevin Phillips recently lauded the 27-year-old as being a “smart signing” for Rangers, which is already proving to be a true statement. Indeed, Roofe scored a wonder-goal in the Europa League back in October against Standard Liege, lobbing a stunning 55-yard shot into the back of the net.

Whilst it was not eligible for this year’s Puskas Award, it is a piece of art that had many professionals and fans talking.

It’s moments like this that would hugely benefit Leeds this season. The Whites are in need of a fresh approach when it comes to scoring goals and having a player who makes easy work of scoring from distance would make them an even bigger threat.

In other news,ÂRaphinha could cause Alex Telles a lot of problems on Sunday…

Liverpool were heavily linked with a move for Sevilla centre-back Diego Carlos during the summer and the Reds will definitely regret not signing the Brazilian considering their defensive injuries this season so far.

Both Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez have been ruled out with long-term injuries, whilst Joel Matip has struggled with injuries in the past and has missed sporadic games throughout the season through injury problems.

This has meant that Fabinho has been forced to fill in at centre-back for most of the season, usually alongside youngsters Nathaniel Phillips and Rhys Williams.

Whilst all three have done a superb job when relied upon by Jurgen Klopp, the Reds will surely want to avoid having to play the rest of the season with their current centre-back options, as any more injuries could seriously harm their chances of retaining the Premier League table.

The Merseyside club returned to the top of the table with a dramatic 2-1 win against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night, but with just three clean sheets to their name in the top-flight so far this season, their defensive vulnerabilities could be exploited later in the season.

Therefore, it could be argued that the Reds made a mistake in not securing the signing of Carlos during the summer, with it suggested that they were unwilling to match the defender’s release clause of £67.6 million.

Whilst this would have been an expensive deal for the club, the 27-year-old has been solid for the La Liga side since joining from Nantes, averaging a 6.90 rating for his performances last season, whilst also helping Julen Lopetegui’s side win the Europa League, as his overhead kick led to the Spanish side’s extra-time winner.

He has averaged a strong 6.81 rating for his performances this season and with WhoScored suggesting that the Brazilian’s main strength is passing, whilst he has no significant weaknesses, implying that he could’ve been a superb replacement for Van Dijk while he recovers from injury.

Perhaps we will see the Reds reignite their interest in Carlos in next month’s transfer window, with his release clause perhaps not seeming so bad now that Klopp is so short on senior defensive options.

And, in other news… Klopp must sanction January exit for LFC liability with “a taste for the big games” 

Leeds United have been linked to a move for Reading midfielder Michael Olise but they face fierce competition from new favourites Crystal Palace, according to the print edition Sunday Mirror (via HITC). The Eagles are now reportedly leading the race to sign the rising French talent after the Whites initially had a bid rejected in the summer.

Olise has had an impressive season in the Championship so far, notching four goals and seven assists in 20 appearances, as per Transfermarkt. These are the types of numbers that Leeds are crying out for in their engine room, after their return to the Premier League has somewhat exposed their lack of creativity.

Olise would be an ideal fit for Leeds

Even with their successful summer transfer window, Leeds are still relying mainly on Patrick Bamford to find the back of the net. Raphinha and Rodrigo have been stepping up a lot more recently, but Marcelo Bielsa still has a rather weak attacking set up.

If the club reignites their interest in Olise, he could be the ideal January recruit to support Bamford going forward. The French youth international would take the place of forgotten midfielder Adam Forshaw, who last appeared for the Whites back in 2019. He has been out of action with a hip injury and in fact, has just two assists to his name for his entire Leeds career.

Forshaw’s contract runs out in 2022 and it looks unlikely that the club will offer him a new deal given his poor match fitness. Plus, he is 29-years-old and Leeds would likely benefit from signing someone much younger. Indeed, teenage sensation Olise has shown how he could be a great asset for Bielsa after seriously impressing his Championship peers.

Earlier this year, Reading striker Sam Baldock lauded his attacking teammate as a “real talent” after he started to really make a name for himself at the Madejski.

Victor Orta must consider placing another bid for the £40m-rated midfielder before he, inevitably, is snapped up by another Premier League side.

In other news, Kemar Roofe form will have Victor Orta kicking himself…

Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano revealed on his ‘Here We Go’ podcast recently that Manchester City were extremely close to signing Isco in 2018 but they could not find an agreement with Real Madrid.

As per Man City Xtra on Twitter, the Spanish playmaker had agreed terms with the Citizens but they couldn’t negotiate a fee with Los Blancos, who were demanding €90 million (£80.3 million) for the midfielder.

Considering the 28-year-old’s downturn in form in recent seasons, Guardiola will surely be delighted that the club didn’t shell out what would have been an enormous fee plus hefty wages for the Spanish international, as he currently earns £210k per week at Madrid.

So far this season, the former Malaga man has been extremely disappointing, having averaged a 6.32 rating across his seven appearances in La Liga, with no goals or assists to his name (per WhoScored).

Isco’s market valuation has truly plummeted in recent years, with Transfermarkt currently valuing him at £18 million, whilst he was valued at £81 million just two years ago, suggesting that Real Madrid weren’t far off with their valuation but that City were right not to pay it.

When he was linked with a move to Barcelona back in 2017, his international teammate at the time, Andres Iniesta, was full of praise for the attacking-midfielder, saying:

“He is a fantastic player, with an incredible talent.

“For many years he has been doing things very well and he is playing for one of the best teams in the world.

“He is an important player not just in the national team but in his club. He is young and has many years to grow and improve.” (per FotMob)

To be so highly-rated by one of the best midfielders to ever play the game certainly suggests that Isco was an extremely talented player, so it is surprising that his career seems to have fallen off a cliff somewhat in recent seasons.

He has also endured his fair share of injury problems in recent seasons with the La Liga giants, suggesting that he would’ve struggled with the physicality of the Premier League had he joined back in 2018.

Therefore, City will surely be glad they didn’t splash the cash on Isco back in 2018 and they now have the immensely talented Phil Foden establishing himself as a key member of Guardiola’s squad, which may not have happened had Isco joined two years ago.

And, in other news… Manchester City may already have their next Kevin De Bruyne in “fabulous” academy talent

Brandon Taylor had proven himself ready for first-team football a year ago. Well, that was according to Sunderland boss Phil Parkinson after an FA Cup First Round replay against Gillingham.

The Black Cats gaffer had been forced to promote Taylor from the Under 23s for the biggest match of his budding career last November after injuries and an international break ravished the squad available at the Stadium of Light.

Parkinson believed Taylor stepped up to the task more than admirably, feeling the academy graduate was Sunderland’s Man of the Match despite a 1-0 loss after turning in an excellent display in a three-man defence.

Opportunities in the first-team have been thin and far between ever since, with the Gateshead-born centre-half starting just three EFL Trophy ties – the latest of which coming on Tuesday night, as the Black Cats suffered a 2-1 defeat at Fleetwood Town.

Taylor was unable to replicate his efforts from 12-months before as Sunderland lost at Highbury, with the young stalwart far from the visiting side’s Man of the Match as efforts from Barrie McKay and Mark Duffy overturned James Hill’s early own goal.

Parkinson was full of praise for Taylor after his performance against Gillingham in 2019, noting via quotes by the Chronicle: “I was very pleased with Brandon. I thought he was probably our best player on the night.

“He loved every minute of it, but it was a tough game to play in because Gillingham play a certain way where they get the ball forward very early, long throws coming into the box, a lot of set-plays, and that’s a totally different type of game to the ones he has experienced at U23 level.

“But I don’t think he could do a lot more to show that he can play. Brandon and Jack [Bainbridge] are in that category and all they can do is take their chance when they get it, and Brandon certainly did that over the full 120 minutes – he played like a man.”

Parkinson would have hoped to see Taylor fare far better at Fleetwood on Tuesday night knowing how infrequent opportunities in the first-team have been over the past 12-months but, unfortunately, did not see the Black Cats product make good use of Sunderland already securing their progression through to the EFL Trophy Round of 32.

Over his 90 minutes on the field, the 6ft centre-half managed just a single successful tackle and two clearances, while not registering any interceptions or blocked shots, per SofaScore.

He further lost two of his three ground duels, two of his five aerial duels, turned over possession 16 times, committed two fouls and found teammates with just 28 of his 41 attempted passes for a 68% completion rate.

Of Taylor’s incomplete passes, 10 were long balls having attempted 16 but only completed six. Centre-half partners Jordan Willis and Ollie Younger, meanwhile, completed three of four and one of two respectively, as they sought to play the ball out from the back.

Taylor will now return to the U23s feeling he needs to prove himself once more, with Sunderland out of the FA Cup and set to contend the EFL Trophy Round of 32 in a month’s time.

AND in other news, Phil Parkinson has confirmed a major blow for a Sunderland gem he begged to “let his football do the talking”.

Former Barcelona and Chelsea midfielder Deco has said that Leeds United’s summer signing Raphinha is one of a kind.

The Brazilian attacker arrived at Elland Road as a European deadline day signing, costing the Premier League club £16.72m from Ligue 1 side Rennes.

A move which took Leeds’ summer spending close to the £100m mark, it saw the 22-year-old added to the Whites’ attacking options, which include the likes of Helder Costa, Jack Harrison and emerging young talent Ian Poveda.

Having only played 15 minutes since his arrival in Yorkshire, Raphinha is already gaining praise from a number of key football men with two-time Champions League winner Deco now giving his thoughts on the winger’s potential.

What has Deco said about Raphinha?

“Raphinha is a warrior boy, with a difficult history, he won everything on the wrist and still wins, because he still has a long career ahead of him,” the ex-Portugal midfielder told UOL.

“It is not easy for a player to transfer practically four times in an interval of two years, all because of his quality. Although we have many extremes in Brazilian football, I do not believe that there is another southpaw with his characteristics.”

Prior to his Leeds move, Raphinha had moved from his native Brazil and had no fewer than three different clubs including Vitoria Guimaraes, Sporting Lisbon and Rennes.

Will Raphinha make an impact at Leeds?

Under the management and guidance of Marcelo Bielsa, the 23-year-old arguably has the best chance to make an impact in English football and Europe.

Leeds have started the Premier League season in fine form, and whilst Jack Harrison and Helder Costa continue to hold down the wide positions, chances are expected to come to allow Raphinha to potentially make an impact.

For now, the youngster has to be patient, but Deco’s comments hint at the scale of his potential.

READ MORE: One Leeds player was a ‘breath of fresh air’ after his display against Aston Villa