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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

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…

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…

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”.

It speaks volumes of just how highly rate Steven Gerrard rates Alfredo Morelos, that the Rangers striker who has been linked with a move away all summer, has started in each and every single Scottish Premiership game of the new season.

The Colombia international has struck two goals and provided a further two assists in his opening four league games, but whilst that return is more than respectable, the simple fact is that Gerrard must surely be planning for life without the 24-year-old.

Lille, one of the clubs who are reported to be interested in him, are said to have bid £16m for him, whilst Football Insider have recently claimed that Morelos’ exit this summer is “almost inevitable”.

Are you a massive Rangers fan? Know everything about the club? Well do you know your Gary Stevens from your Michael Ball? This quiz will separate the loyal from the fake…

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It’s exactly why Gerrard must not waste any time, and unleash of the forwards he brought into Ibrox in the off-season: Kemar Roofe.

The former Leeds man enjoyed a fine year whilst at Belgian side Anderlecht in the 2019/2020 campaign, scoring seven goals in 16 games before a calf injury ended his season short.

His former manager at Elland Road, Thomas Christiansen, waxed lyrical about his abilities, saying: “Kemar is able to push forward, defend with it and still turn up in the sixteen. His height seems a disadvantage, but that is it is not. Kemar is strong and jumps high. He will score with his head. He is a goal-getter. He will score at least twenty. Kemar is cold-blooded for the goal. And he can also finish with his left and right.”

That ability to score off either foot makes him a dangerous striker for defenders to stop, not knowing which way to force him. And plus, being the journey man player he has been – Roofe has already played for eight different clubs all across Europe – he will inevitably be motivated to make sure he can be a success at a massive club like Rangers.

And motivation is something Morelos just seems to be lacking at the moment with all the speculation linking him away with a move, with Alan Hutton claiming after the goalless Livingston draw: “He just looked back to his previous self if you want. Even the way he came off the pitch, it’s been well highlighted that he looked angry, he didn’t look interested, it just didn’t go down well for everybody looking on.”

Roofe may not be similar in playing style to Morelos, but he could similarly rip defences to shreds. His best season at Leeds, in which he netted 15 goals in the Championship, saw him average an impressive 3.1 shots and 0.8 key passes per game. The 27-year-old comes alive in the final third, and with that chip on his shoulder, could see him wreak havoc in Scottish football.

Liverpool fans who were watching Bayern Munich’s Champions League quarter-final clash against Barcelona on Friday night, were no doubt keeping a close eye on transfer target Thiago.

Fabrizio Romano has claimed in recent days that Jurgen Klopp’s side have made contact with their German counterparts over the midfield maestro, and that the 29-year-old himself would love to join the Reds this summer.

Can you spot your Xabi Alonso from your Bruno Cheyrou? This Liverpool quiz will have you questioning your knowledge…

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And after a superb display in Bayern’s unbelievable 8-2 thrashing of Barcelona, it’s little wonder Liverpool are so keen to bring him to Merseyside.

As per Sofascore, he completed all three of his attempted dribbles, had game-highs of 84 touches and 71 successful passes (at an accuracy of 96%), and also earned four free-kicks too.

After seeing him run the show against his former side, Liverpool fans flooded to Twitter to share their reactions to their summer target’s display.

Some Reds fans urged the club’s owners to “stop being stingy” and release the money in order to sign Thiago.

One Liverpool supporter meanwhile paid the Bayern star a huge compliment by saying he “reminds me of Xabi Alonso”.

Make no mistake about it, if Liverpool can lure Thiago to Anfield this summer, then they would have added a genuinely world-class operator to their ranks.

The Spaniard is perhaps unlike any other midfielder in the Reds’ squad, able to dictate the play and control the tempo.

His creativity would give them an added edge to their more workman-like engine room, and undoubtedly lift their chances of retaining their Premier League crown next season.

Liverpool were left frustrated in the second Merseyside derby of the campaign, but the goalless draw at Goodison Park moved Jurgen Klopp’s men one point closer to claiming their maiden Premier League title.

Despite enjoying almost 70 per cent possession, the Reds were unable to turn their domination into clear-cut chances – with Roberto Firmino’s tame left-footed effort and Fabinho’s last-gasp free-kick the closest that the league leaders came to beating Jordan Pickford in the Toffees net.

The draw means that if Manchester City beat Burnley on Monday, then Liverpool won’t be able to win the title against Crystal Palace on Wednesday, but could remarkably seal their first league crown since 1989-1990 at the home of the current champions on Thursday week.

But, had it not been for some late heroics from the ever-impressive Alisson Becker in the Reds net, then Klopp’s side could have suffered their first defeat to their neighbours in 22 matches in all competitions.

Becker did well to keep out both Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison in the closing stages – but it was the introduction of Dejan Lovren that allowed Everton to create chances and gain a foothold.

From the moment the Croatian replaced the injured Joel Matip in the 73rd minute, Liverpool looked vulnerable and the Lovren would have no doubt been thankful to his goalkeeper for bailing him out after some questionable defending.

Lovren is on the verge of becoming the first Croatian to win the Premier League, but it’s safe to say that plenty of Reds fans want him sold in the summer.

Take a look at some of their best reactions on Twitter.

Newcastle United’s prospective £300m takeover has taken a new hitch this week although the Daily Mail’s Craig Hope has shed some light into why it may not be as big a problem as it’s being made out to be.The Guardian reported on Tuesday that the World Trade Organisation had ruled that the Saudi government was behind the illegal streaming of sports in the Middle Eastern country, thus putting the whole deal in doubt due to a potential breach of international laws.Hope relayed a similar story before adding that his “sources maintain” that those involved in the Magpies’ takeover – namely crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and governor of the public investment fund Yasir Al-Rumayyan – have “no ability to influence of fix” the issue of piracy in the country.He tweeted:

This is an interesting claim to make and one that is slightly more positive as, if it is true, those involved should pass the Premier League’s owners and directors test and not create any contradictions.

Spot the fact from the fib: Are these Premier League records true or false?

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Pirate streaming service beoutQ is said to have illegally streamed PL matches in Saudi Arabia, thus leaving the English top-flight in a rather difficult situation, which is why this whole process has taken much longer than it should have.

AND in other news,ÂReport: Pochettino close to Newcastle job, wants Spurs star to come with him…

Newcastle United’s prospective takeover could soon be complete, that’s according to The Sun’s Neil Custis, and fans have been reacting via NUFC360.

He claims that it could go through this week, which will come as a major relief to many at St James’ Park. Some supporters were beginning to get nervous after Jason Burt claimed that BeIN Sport were the cause for the delay last week.

Has life under Ashley really that bad? Maybe this quiz will change your minds, Newcastle fans…

It’s now been about a month since the first reports emerged about Mike Ashley selling the club to Amanda Staveley’s Saudi-backed consortium in a deal thought to be around £300m.

You’d struggle to find someone in Newcastle that doesn’t want the Sports Direct mogul’s 13-year stewardship over as soon as possible, and for once, this appears to be a very serious offer.

Fans have been reacting to this latest update on Twitter – some find the news boring whilst others are now gaining further excitement.

Therefore, this is the first major update ahead of a potentially historic moment for the club.

Here’s what has bee said…

AND in other news, Newcastle fans react to update on Steve Bruce’s future

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 situation over at Borussia Dortmund is currently pretty bleak.

The Germans are struggling to keep up in the Bundesliga table and recorded a three-game winless streak leading up to the weekend, losing twice and drawing once in the process, though they returned to winning ways with a 2-1 win at Hertha Berlin on Saturday.

To add to their woes, their latest defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League has also put them on the edge in Europe and they will now have to fight until the last game to secure a place in the knockout stages.

Needless to say, this is a huge fall from grace for a team that was dominating Germany last season and came this close to snatching the crown away from Bayern Munich.

Still, one way to get out of the slump is to add fresh blood into the system and according to some recent reports coming from Sport Bild (via the Sun), they are looking to do exactly that.

The same report suggests they are planning to snatch Emre Can, a Manchester United target, away from Juventus as the midfielder is currently out of favour and could be an attainable player in the market.

His current value according to Transfermarkt sits at £29.7m but since he can only boast with 170 minutes across five games for the Bianconeri in the ongoing campaign, his value might be dropping along the way.

Still, this doesn’t mean that he wouldn’t be a good addition for Borussia Dortmund, who could definitely use his presence and strength in midfield.

Can managed to bag four goals and one assist in 2018/19 Serie A campaign when he was getting more regular game time and also averaged 1.1 shots and 0.7 key passes per game.

But it’s actually his defensive work combined with the attacking prowess that make him such a commanding persona in the middle of the pitch.

In 2018/19, he averaged 2.2 tackles and one interception per game while also maintaining 87.1% passing accuracy, confirming that he’s a well-rounded and safe option on the pitch.

Borussia could definitely use someone of his calibre in their ranks and the same goes for Manchester United, who are in a rather similar, but possibly even worse, situation.

The Red Devils are currently occupying the middle of the Premier League table and with one win in their last three games, could very well use some reinforcements themselves.

Can looks like someone eager to prove himself since he hasn’t been getting any real game time as of late and Old Trafford might also be a tempting challenge for him.

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