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With David Brooks set to miss the next four weeks having suffered an injury against Chelsea, Eddie Howe must make the most of the attacking talent at his disposal to cover for the influential Welshman.

In the 2-0 loss to Cardiff, new £19m signing Dominic Solanke started up front with Josh King just behind, but struggled to make an impact throughout as he dropped too deep and appeared to try a little too hard to get involved.

Where should he be used?

The 21-year-old is a far better footballer than people give him credit for, and is surprisingly good in a No.10 position behind the striker.

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…

Against the Bluebirds, however, he was deployed as a central striker in front of King with the intention of him being a like-for-like replacement for Callum Wilson, but the system didn’t work as the two are vastly different players.

Upon Wilson’s return, and in Brooks’ absence, the England international should be used by Howe as a No.10, where he can drop deep and look to make things happen.

Perfect skill set for the role

You would think that Solanke is the perfect build to be a centre forward, but he is arguably more suited to a central attacking midfielder role. He completed four dribbles against Neil Warnock’s men and provided one key pass, but failed to have a single shot – this, if anything, suggests he is more focused on creating than actually scoring.

The former Chelsea and Liverpool forward is a physically capable at 6 foot 1, combining strength with impressive dribbling skills to great effect, but he has never really seemed intent on throwing his weight around in the penalty area in order to score a scrappy goal or stretching opposition defences by running off the shoulder of the last man.

Howe must ensure that he doesn’t place pressure on Solanke to be a player that he isn’t.

Just as the January transfer window was beginning to draw to a predictably flat and uninspiring conclusion, Newcastle United have suddenly sparked into life both on and off the field.Â

The Magpies faithful had to rub their eyes a little and check various news outlets before starting to believe the reports but it appears that their long-standing transfer record will be broken before Thursday’s deadline.

This is not a drill; the BBC and plenty of respectable outlets have claimed that Newcastle have reached an agreement with Atlanta United over a deal worth £20 million for Miguel Almiron, with the 24-year-old due on Tyneside imminently to undergo a medical and finalise personal terms.

It’s a deal which will naturally have the supporters in dreamland, breathing a sight of relief while simultaneously watching highlight reels of Almiron’s best moments in the MLS.

But a recent report from Sky SportsÂon Tuesday claimed that Newcastle were also in the race for Youri Tielemans alongside West Ham, Arsenal and Leicester City, however, a Twitter update from John Percy, midlands reporter for the Daily Telegraph, seems to confirm that the Foxes have won the race for his signature.

The 21-year-old midfielder has emerged as a coveted talent amongst a handful of Premier League clubs for very good reason: he is technically gifted, devastating when shooting from long-range, an incisive passer, a keen dribbler and already has 19 caps for the Belgium national side.

That Monaco paid £21.63 million to sign him from Anderlecht speaks volumes about how highly rated the midfield technician is. During his time in Belgium he scored 35 goals and provided 31 assists from 185 appearances for Anderlecht – a record which vindicates his reputation as one of the most promising creative midfielders in Europe.

If Newcastle had managed to fend off competition to secure his signature there is no doubt it would have represented a massive coup for the club. His presence on the field would have stimulated improvement in those around him who have struggled without a creative outlet this season.

It is no surprise that Newcastle have missed out on Tielemans considering Mike Ashley looks set to part with £20 million for Almiron, but a successful loan bid for the Belgium prodigy could have been a game-changer in the context of their survival bid.

Newcastle fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

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Loads of Liverpool fans have been giving their verdict on Saturday’s comfortable 3-0 win, and there’s plenty of praise for the often-unheralded Georginio Wijnaldum.

After making his name for Newcastle as a goalscoring midfield who loved to drive into the box with Frank Lampard-esque timing, Wijnaldum’s transformation at Liverpool has been remarkable.

Jurgen Klopp has turned the Dutch international into one of the most well-rounded box-to-box midfielders in the world, a role which is perfectly suited to the composed, mature and ridiculously athletic 28 year-old.

Roberto Firmino has thrown a party themed around the colour of his teeth! Watch the video below to find out what we’re talking about…

Perhaps the one mark against his overall game is a lack of goals – he had scored just once in the league before Saturday – but it was him who put the game to bed with a delightful goal.

Sadio Mane opened the scoring with a header, but Wijnaldum stole the show when he latched onto an Andy Robertson pass, controlled the ball beautifully with his first touch and then gently lobbed it over the helpless Artur Boruc.

The all-action midfielder, who Klopp claimswas badly ill before the match, completed 91 per cent of his passes, made three key passes and one tackle, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

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Former Southampton forward Rickie Lambert has tipped Saints youngster Michael Obafemi to enjoy a successful career at St Mary’s.

Obafemi only turned 18 over the summer, but is now a part of the first team at Southampton.

The Republic of Ireland international has scored once in five Premier League appearances for the Saints this term, impressing many with his performances.

A hamstring injury means that Obafemi has missed the club’s last six league matches, but he looks set to play a key role in their fight against relegation in the latter stages of the campaign.

Lambert knows a thing or two about scoring goals for Southampton having netted 115 times for the club, and the 36-year-old has said that Obafemi is capable of making a huge impact.

Lambert told the Daily Echo:

“It’s good to see they’re getting back to bringing in youngsters as that’s what Southampton’s renowned for.

“I know they’ve got a young lad, Obafemi, who can terrify a few defenders from the little glimpses I’ve seen.”

Southampton suffered a 2-1 home defeat to Cardiff City last time out to drop into 18th position in the Premier League table.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side will return to action with a trip to Arsenal on February 24, before facing Fulham and Manchester United in their next two.

Arsenal haven’t done themselves any favours recently letting players leave on a free. Alexis Sanchez, albeit a flop now, almost left for nothing; Ozil, who’s also now coming to the end of his Arsenal career, the same; and Aaron Ramsey has recently agreed a mega-deal with Juventus which sees him join at the end of the season.

Indeed, it’s a bad sign for a “big” club.

Former Manchester United man Danny Welbeck is the next man reportedly (as reported by Sky Sports back in December) set to depart the Emirates when his contract concludes at the end of the season.

The Englishman managed 32 goals and 15 assists in 126 appearances which isn’t great, but not the worst considering he was often being played out of position on the left-hand side of the pitch.

In fact, just before suffering an injury late last year, Welbeck scored a very respectable 5 goals in 14 games for his club. So, we ask ourselves: why exactly are Arsenal so willing to let him go?

Yes, there are some glaring technical holes in his game, but he provides some much-needed experience and guile in a team who are relatively starved of it. He’s clearly willing to own a role on the periphery of the team as well, having seen his minutes reduced significantly in recent years, which spares manager Unai Emery a major headache.

Arsenal haven’t exactly been spoilt for choice either with their team selections. The need to pick eternally absent Mesut Ozil in almost every squad is testament to that struggle.

By renewing Welbeck’s contract they’d have an option both on the wing and in the striker position; a chance to freshen things up, create competition and add another string to Arsenal’s bow.

What do you think Arsenal fans?

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Loads of Liverpool fans have been reflecting on the week’s action, and they’re fuming at the lack of reaction to Manchester City’s rather fortunate penalty decision on Wednesday.

Liverpool and Manchester City peeled further away from Tottenham on Wednesday, as the latter took their eighth league defeat of the season at Stamford Bridge.

Liverpool swept Watford aside at Anfield, while Manchester City faced a slightly more difficult task – a West Ham side that took points off Liverpool just three weeks ago.

The Cityzens struggled against the Hammers too, but they broke the deadlock on the hour mark through a Sergio Aguero penalty.

Bernardo Silva had won the spot kick, tumbling after some very slight contact from Felipe Anderson.

Liverpool’s own Mohamed Salah has taken some stick this season for winning soft penalties, and loads of Reds are fuming at Stuart Attwell’s decision to award Silva a penalty on Wednesday, while also bemoaning the lack of criticism for what they perceive to be a dive.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

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West Ham United fought back from having conceded an early goal to emerge as 3-1 winners over struggling Fulham at the London Stadium on Friday. 

Goals from Javier Hernandez, Issa Diop and Michail Antonio cancelled out Ryan Babel’s opening strike. Whilst the Hammers generally performed well and deserved all three points, Manuel Pellegrini will be concerned by how poorly his side defended in the opening exchanges. Plenty of poor marking led to Babel’s goal, but centre-back Angelo Ogbonna was particularly culpable for failing to track his man.

However, after this early error, the 30-year-old proceeded to produce an assured, disciplined performance. With Fabian Balbuena still out with injury, the 13-cap Italy international has been handed a run in the starting XI in east London and is generally impressing. When Balbuena returns to full fitness he may even find it a struggle to get straight back into the team.

After the match on Friday, plenty of Irons fans took to Twitter to discuss Ogbonna’s contribution…

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According to The Mirror, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will make his return from injury when Liverpool’s Under-23 side face their Derby County counterparts on Friday night.

What’s the latest?

Oxlade-Chamberlain has not played for Liverpool since suffering a severe knee injury in the Champions League clash with Roma last April.

The damage and subsequent surgery ruled the midfielder out of the Champions League final, whilst he also missed England’s run to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has stepped up his recovery over the last few weeks, though, and is expected to be available for the first team before the end of the campaign.

According to The Mirror, head coach Jurgen Klopp seriously considered allowing the Englishman to play some minutes against Everton Under-23s on Monday night.

However, the decision was taken to give the 25-year-old a little bit longer and as a result, he will play some part – potentially as long as an hour – against the Rams on Friday night.

When could he return for the first team?

A lot depends on how Oxlade-Chamberlain comes through his return match.

Klopp recently revealed that the 32-time England international was doing ‘70% of team training’, suggesting that he is not that close to featuring for the first team.

The fact that the former Southampton youngster was initially expected to miss the whole of this season means that Liverpool will, understandably, be very cautious.

The Reds have four more games this month, starting with Burnley in the league this weekend before visiting Bayern Munich in the Champions League next week.

Liverpool will then travel to Fulham and welcome Tottenham Hotspur either side of the international break.

The Merseyside giants will then open April away to Southampton, and it would be fitting if he made his return in that particular fixture.

It is becoming increasingly obvious that Maurizio Sarri just isn’t the man for Chelsea now, isn’t it? The Italian has had some brutal defeats whilst in charge at Stamford Bridge and failing to win against Wolves yesterday certainly didn’t help. After the game, though, Sarri made things worse as he claimed his side deserved to win the tie.

The former Napoli manager did a sublime job when he was in Italy, yet now it looks like his methods are being found out in the Premier League. Nuno Espirito Santo well and truly out-foxed the Italian at Stamford Bridge yesterday, and if wasn’t for an Eden Hazard special following a corner that never should have been, the Blues would have fallen to a 1-0 home defeat.

Drawing the game and increasing fan frustration is one thing, but then to come out and say that they deserved to win is ludicrous. Wolves were spot on with their game plan yesterday, frustrating their hosts before counter-attacking with deadly precision through Diogo Jota and Raul Jimenez, leaving Sarri and co shell-shocked and desperately chasing an equaliser, so to hear Sarri claiming his side deserved all three points is strange, to say the least.

You can read the Blues’ verdict on Sarri’s comments here:

The Blues cannot believe Sarri’s post-match comments and are now desperate to move onto their clash with Everton next Sunday.

According to Spanish outlet AS, Arsenal boss Unai Emery was in the Mestalla stands on Sunday to monitor Getafe defender Djené Dakonam, while they played to a goalless draw with Valencia.

Why? Well, the Gunners have had their fair share of defensive struggles this season and the club has made it no secret that they are looking to strengthen their squad at the back. Many were surprised when the Gunners didn’t make a defensive addition in the January transfer window but the manager is surely expected to receive the necessary financial backing the coming summer market to sign the best available defenders.

And, Emery might be heading in the right direction by keeping an eye on the 27-year-old Djené, who has been superb for Getafe this season.

The Azulones are currently fourth in the La Liga and have enjoyed a great deal of consistency this campaign due to their stability at the back.

Djené, who has captained Getafe on three occasions this season, would be the ideal replacement for Gunners centre-back Shkodran Mustafi, who has been far too vulnerable for the North London club this season and has cost Arsenal a few goals due to poor defending.

The Togolese’s pace and physicality would be a much-needed boost for Arsenal, where Mustafi was often bullied too easily, while his decision making has also been poor. Djené would be a major improvement in that aspect and would also offer great competition for club-captain Laurent Koscielny and former Borussia Dortmund man Sokratis Papastathopoulos.

The partnership of Koscielny and Sokratis have reaped good success for Arsenal lately and will be instrumental to their top four chances, but the Frenchman has been quite injury-prone this season and in the past, meaning a suitable replacement will be a big priority for Emery and the club in the summer.

Djené would bring the need structure and composure to the team, which Arsenal so dearly need on a more consistent basis.

Arsenal fans, would you back a move for Djené? Think he’s better than Mustafi? Join the discussion by commenting below…