Sitting mid-table and already 12 points adrift of the Premier League's top four, to say that Chelsea's transfer tactic is yet to pay off would be an incredible understatement. Mauricio Pochettino's side just can't seem to gain any consistency, with three wins and two losses in their last five league games summing things up. And now that the January transfer window is open, the Blues could be set to shake things up even further, for better or for worse.

That said, reports suggest that Chelsea have opened talks to sign one particular Bundesliga gem ahead of Championship promotion contenders Leicester City to continue their trend of signing young players.

Chelsea transfer news

After welcoming Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo, Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku and many others in a major summer overhaul, Chelsea would have been hoping to make their return to the Premier League's top six. For all the money they've spent, however, Chelsea have had very little to show for it, with Palmer the only real standout arrival so far.

Nonetheless, Todd Boehly is seemingly sticking to his guns when it comes to his transfer policy and could now land another young player who could become a future star.

Chelsea make transfer plan to land dream Boehly move for "complete" star

The Blues could solve their striker problem once and for all…

By
Tom Cunningham

Jan 2, 2024

According to Florian Plettenberg, Chelsea have opened talks to sign Wolfsburg centre-back David Odogu, who is ready for a new challenge and open to leaving the Bundesliga club this month, amid interest from the Blues and Leicester City.

As the weeks go on, the young defender could certainly be one to keep an eye on, especially if Chelsea advance their interest even further.

Chelsea move could be too soon for Odogu

Yet to make a Bundesliga appearance this season, Odogu must take care in choosing his next move, especially with Chelsea interested. The London giants have signed a number of young, talented players in the last year or so, before watching on as they struggle to make an impact. One example of that is Romeo Lavia, who has had his injury problems but has also featured just once in league action. Now, the former Southampton midfielder is at risk of becoming a forgotten man.

That's a fate that Odogu will be desperate to avoid, meaning that Leicester could be a far more suitable option this month. A young side gunning for silverware in the Championship should make for a far better environment for a young defender than that of a falling giant in the Premier League. As the weeks go on, the U17 World Cup star could be thrown into the centre of transfer news with a big decision to make. The 17-year-old is certainly one to keep an eye on, no matter where he ends up.

It's never quite seamless down at N17, but Tottenham Hotspur supporters will be delighted with the progress made this season under Ange Postecoglou, who was appointed in the summer after an abject end to the 2022/23 campaign.

Multiple transfers had given Spurs a new look but big blows to influential summer signings James Maddison and Micky van de Ven had stifled the success of the first few months of the campaign, Postecoglou picking up the Premier League Manager of the Month award three times on the trot.

The decline in form now firmly left in 2023, Tottenham are pushing for top four and will seek to wade deep into the FA Cup campaign to end an interminable wait for silverware, with the club active in the January transfer window already to counter the lack of depth.

Central defender Radu Dragusin was signed from Genoa for £27m while former Chelsea forward Timo Werner has arrived on loan with an option to buy for around £15m in the summer.

Postecoglou wants more, and while deals have already been struck, here is how the Lilywhites could look at the end of the month, in the dream scenario, of course…

1 GK – Guglielmo Vicario

Signed from Italian side Empoli for an initial £17m in July, Guglielmo Vicario looks to be more of a bargain with each passing matchweek, with Spurs captain Heung-min Son praising his "unbelievable" shot-stopping ability.

The 27-year-old has been an undisputed success so far and will be in with a claim for the top-flight's goalkeeper of the season accolade.

2 RB – Pedro Porro

Pedro Porro has a credible claim to Tottenham's Player of the Season so far, placing seven assists across 20 Premier League matches, creating ten big chances, averaging 2.0 key passes, 3.1 tackles and 5.3 ball recoveries per match, as per Sofascore.

The Spaniard is untouchable at right-back and chairman Daniel Levy is sure to be grumbling at rumoured interest from Manchester City.

3 CB – Cristian Romero

Not featuring as much as he (and his manager) would like due to suspension and injury this season, Cristian Romero remains one of the Premier League's finest centre-halves and has been utterly imperious in the rearguard when fit and firing.

4 CB – Micky van de Ven

Van de Ven completed a £43m transfer to Tottenham from Bundesliga competitors VFL Wolfsburg in the summer and has showcased his prowess to near perfection.

The only negative is that he has only just returned from a two-month layoff after injuring his hamstring against Chelsea, thus beginning a shadowed period of poor form. Emphasises his importance, to be honest…

5 LB – Destiny Udogie

Destiny Udogie joined Spurs from Udinese for £15m in 2022 but spent the following season back on loan with the Serie A side, though he is now flourishing as one of the Premier League's brightest new stars.

Destiny Udogie: Key Characteristics

Strengths

Weaknesses

Dribbling

Ball retention

Passing

Crossing

Tackling

Intercepting

*Sourced via WhoScored

As per FBref, the £75k-per-week whiz ranks among the top 11% of full-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for successful take-ons, the top 12% for progressive carries, the top 15% for pass completion, the top 16% for interceptions and the top 18% for tackles per 90.

6 CM – Yves Bissouma

A bit like Romero, Yves Bissouma has been in and out of the team this season and clearly has some disciplinary issues that will need to be ironed out if he wants a long-term future under Postecoglou's wing.

Regardless, the tough-tackling Malian is a fierce presence in the engine room and played an instrumental role in Spurs' stunning start to the season.

7 CM – Conor Gallagher

One of the most discussed transfer rumours of the month, Tottenham were recently dealt a blow in their pursuit of Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher with the Blues reluctant to let the all-action star leave this month, having placed a price tag of £50m in an attempt to dissuade suitors.

Nonetheless, Postecoglou desperately wants the 23-year-old in his squad and signing him over the next ten days really would be a momentous moment for the ambitious Lilywhites.

8 RW – Dejan Kulusevski

Dejan Kulusevski has been ever so important for Tottenham this term and is indispensable on the right of central attacking midfield, completing 84% of his passes and averaging 2.3 key passes and 4.4 ball recoveries per game.

Recently discussing the Swede's talents, Sky Sports' Jamie Weir said: "Dejan Kulusevski really is a special special player. Works so hard, covers every blade of grass. Hell of an engine on him, and just so much heart."

9 AM – James Maddison

Maddison has been out injured since November and his absence has been felt in north London, having racked up eight goal contributions across his 11 league contests for the club.

Related Spurs eyeing £10m Maddison partner who's "Champions League level"

Ange Postecoglou would possibly even threaten Pape Sarr’s place in the team with this signing.

Posts ByAngus Sinclair Jan 20, 2024

Having joined from Leicester City for £40m in the summer, the England international is regarded as one of the finest playmakers in the business and ranks among the top 5% of positional peers for assists and progressive passes and the top 2% for shot-creating actions per 90.

10 LW – Heung-min Son

Captain fantastic. Handed the armband in the summer, Son has been exceptional this season and has led by talismanic example with 12 goals and five assists across 20 league fixtures. He's truly one of European football's finest.

Aston Villa are on course to sign Unai Emery’s top target, Morgan Rogers, before the deadline, but it looks as if talks are now open for another attacking addition.

Aston Villa's January signings

It emerged on Tuesday that Villa have finally reached an agreement with Middlesbrough to sign Rogers following three offers. A medical looks set to take place today, and all being well, the winger will be a Villa player before tomorrow evening’s deadline.

Rogers is on course to become Villa’s second winter window signing after right-back Kosta Nedeljkovic, who joined from Red Star Belgrade before heading back to the club on loan for the remainder of the season.

There have also been rumours about a new goalkeeper arriving to serve as back up to Emiliano Martinez, that man being Adelaide United’s Joe Gauci, with an agreement reached.

All confirmed Premier League done deals: January transfer window 2024

With the January transfer window coming towards its conclusion, FFC has all the info for tracking your club’s winter transfer activity.

ByLuke Randall Feb 1, 2024

Meanwhile, another attacking addition appears to be of interest, and this one could be the club’s biggest signing of the month, should Villa match the asking club's valuation.

Aston Villa in Broja talks

According to TEAMtalk, Aston Villa are in talks to sign Armando Broja from Chelsea. Fulham and Wolves are also in discussions, with the Blues valuing the striker at £35m.

The report adds that Villa ‘could use Chelsea’s interest in striker Jhon Duran to their advantage in negotiations’, with Mauricio Pochettino a fan of the Colombian, believing he could become a world-class forward. Chelsea could also sanction a loan deal for Broja, although they would want an obligation to buy included in the deal.

The 22-year-old, labelled an “animal” by reporter Jacob Tanswell, hasn’t exactly nailed down a starting spot at Stamford Bridge during the current campaign, featuring on just six occasions in Pochettino’s starting XI in the Premier League.

He’s also been missing with ligament and knee issues in the early stages of the campaign, and as the stats show, as per FBref, Broja has a similar record to Duran.

Jhon Duran

Armando Broja

Matches played

98

88

Minutes

4,287

4,594

Goals

19

18

Expected goals

9.8

16.1

Assists

7

2

Expected assists

1.9

3.4

Therefore, with Duran not exactly making a mark in the Midlands, leaving Ollie Watkins as the main man in attack, perhaps Villa wouldn’t be getting a huge upgrade on Druan in Broja, but it looks as if it is one to watch in the final hours of the window.

The midfielder has lagged behind his competitors and is in danger of wasting the best days of his career like Paul Gascoigne did

Jack Grealish must have thought he had done enough to get in England's Euro 2024 squad. Despite a frustrating, injury-interrupted season, he showed his ability to make the difference after coming off the bench against Bosnia & Herzegovina on Monday.

He set up Trent Alexander-Arnold's goal which effectively killed the game off, teasing a defender on the left wing while closely guarding the ball before quickly cutting inside and delivering a searching cross to his team-mate. Minutes later, he showcased his ability to suck defenders in, taking out two opponents before giving the ball back to James Maddison, leading to Harry Kane bundling in the third goal.

Grealish's cameo was a reminder of the value he brings as a highly-experienced player at a truly elite club and looked to have won him a seat on the plane to Germany. But, ultimately, it was too little, too late.

• Getty
  

  Southgate's latest victim

  Gareth Southgate's decision to leave Grealish out of his final 26-man squad for the tournament may have left the player devastated and shocked his team-mates, including Declan Rice. But including him was always a risk after the disappointing season he has had, which contrasts with the consistent form his fellow attacking midfielders had shown.

  Southgate has often been criticised for his perceived loyalty to the old guard and not always picking the most in-form players, but this year he has done no such thing. He showed no mercy to Marcus Rashford and Jordan Henderson after their miserable seasons when he banished them from the preliminary squad, having already cut Raheem Sterling and Kalvin Phillips loose.

  Grealish had been a big part of England's campaigns at the 2022 World Cup and previous European Championship, and Southgate said after the Bosnia game that he was "a player that we love having with the group.. a great character to work with".

Advertisement

• Getty
  

  Lagging behind

  But Grealish has been lagging behind his competitors this season. He started just 10 Premier League games for City, scoring three goals and providing one assist. That's only four goal contributions all season, as many as City defenders Nathan Ake and Kyle Walker, and fewer than Josko Gvardiol.

  Jarrod Bowen contributed to 22 goals for West Ham, who finished ninth in the league. Anthony Gordon got 21 for Newcastle to force his way into Southgate's plans, while Eberechi Eze, who played a massive part in Crystal Palace's resurgence, finished the campaign with 15 goal contributions.

  Phil Foden, who Grealish had usurped in the City line-up the previous term, got 27 goal contributions on his way to being named Premier League Player of the Season. Bukayo Saka, meanwhile, got 25, while Cole Palmer provided a colossal 33.

  Unlike in previous tournaments, where the likes of Phillips and Henderson kept their place due to a lack of competition, the bar to get into the England squad has been raised to skyscraper levels. Grealish has not been able to keep up, and he will have to take radical steps to get back into the national team.

• Getty
  

  Ravaged by injuries

  Grealish's season was hindered by an untimely clash with Sheffield United player Ollie McBurnie in August, which the player called "the worst injury I've ever had". The dead leg he suffered sidelined him for six games, and he succumbed to two muscular injuries later in the campaign, against Copenhagen and Luton Town, which further disrupted his flow.

  He also fell ill in November, and in December had to deal with a traumatic break-in at his house while he was playing away at Everton. It would be tempting to view the last season as a write-off, an anomaly that won't be repeated.

  But merely staying injury-free next term is unlikely to be enough to reclaim his place in the City team, and by extension the England side.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty
  

  Afterthought

  Even when he had put his injury issues behind him, Grealish was a mere afterthought for Guardiola at the business end of the season, playing just 10 minutes in City's final five games. He missed the trip to Fulham altogether and was an unused substitute in the last two games against Tottenham and West Ham, as well as in the FA Cup final defeat by Manchester United.

  In some of those games, Guardiola dispensed with traditional wingers altogether, using Gvardiol as an inverted full-back and pushing Foden inside. On other occasions when he did want a probing left-winger, he turned to Jeremy Doku.

  The Belgian appeared in all of the final five games, starting and providing an assist against West Ham while making a real difference when he was brought on against United at Wembley, scoring and almost dragging City level.

  Guardiola treaded carefully when asked after the FA Cup final why he used Grealish so little. The City manager said: "He will be back. He’s struggled this season and Jeremy [Doku] has made an incredible step forward as everyone has seen in the last games. But Jack will be back at the level of last season, I'm pretty sure."

MatériaMais Notícias

A morte do jornalista Paulo Stein, aos 73 anos, por complicações de Covid-19, causou comoção também no Botafogo. Em nota oficial divulgada neste sábado, o Alvinegro deixou sua nota de pesar recordando que Stein narrou o gol do título do Campeonato Carioca de 1989.

“O título carioca de 89 é especial para todos os botafoguenses e foi eternizado no campo e também na voz. Quando Mauricio empurrou a bola para o fundo da rede do Flamengo a voz que marcou o grito de todo torcedor foi a de Paulo Stein, narrador da então Rede Manchete, que faleceu neste sábado, aos 73 anos, em decorrência de complicações pela Covid-19”.

Em seguida, o Alvinegro prestou condolências aos familiares.

“Paulo Stein será cremado na tarde deste domingo, no Cemitério do Caju. O Botafogo lamenta a perda e presta solidariedade à família”.

RelacionadasBotafogoApós chegada de CEO, Botafogo envia para conselheiros proposta de redução de vice-presidênciasBotafogo27/03/2021BotafogoNúcleo de Saúde e Performance faz avaliações de medida de pressão nos pés no elenco do BotafogoBotafogo27/03/2021

Joe Clarke and Tom Kohler-Cadmore are to face an ECB Cricket Disciplinary Commission (CDC) hearing after being charged with bringing the game into disrepute.Clarke and Kohler-Cadmore were named during the trial of Worcestershire allrounder Alex Hepburn as members of a WhatsApp group that exchanged disrespectful messages about women in what the judge described as a “pathetic sexist game to collect as many sexual encounters as possible”. Hepburn was jailed for five years in April having been found guilty of rape.The pair were dropped from the Lions squad that toured India in January while the outcome of the trial was unknown. Since its conclusion, the ECB has been reviewing the evidence and deciding whether to bring charges. ESPNcricinfo understands they have now decided to proceed and the case will be heard by the CDC, which describes itself as an independent body responsible for discipline across the professional game in England and Wales.The players have been charged with breaching ECB Directive 3.3. The directive states: “No Participant may conduct themself in a manner or do any act or omission at any time which may be prejudicial to the interests of cricket or which may bring the ECB, the game of cricket or any Cricketer or group of Cricketers into disrepute.”The CDC has the power to impose suspensions, heavy fines and the termination of registration. The ECB has previously confirmed that neither man will be considered for representative selection – either England or England Lions – until the investigation and any subsequent hearing is concluded.Clarke’s form has dipped sharply since it became apparent he could be facing a CDC case. He has been dismissed for a duck three times in his last seven innings and has not made a first-class 50 since the first week of April; a run that includes nine innings of 12 or fewer in 11 visits to the crease.He remains a highly rated young player, however, and may well have won a maiden England call-up in recent weeks had this case not arisen. With England resting those players who had been involved in the IPL and without Alex Hales (deselected) and Jason Roy (injured), they were without several first choice top-order batsmen at the start of the international season. Ben Duckett won a recall for the T20I against India in Cardiff in May, while Phil Salt was called up as batting cover. In normal circumstances, Clarke and, perhaps, Kohler-Cadmore might have expected to be ahead of them.The CDC hearing sustains a concerted effort from the ECB to improve the image of the game since the incident in Bristol in September 2017 that led to the trial – and acquittal – of Ben Stokes. The months since have seen much soul-searching within the game – not least around the England teams – and a greater acceptance of players’ roles in inspiring and appealing to a new generation of supporters. The message – that higher standards of behaviour are expected of modern players – is clear.

‘You can’t, on the day before the announcement and a team that’s been working for something for year and even longer than a year, come and say, ‘I want to make a comeback now.”

Firdose Moonda14-Jun-20192:03

Morkel: Management’s decision to not include de Villiers is right

South African middle-order batsman Rassie van der Dussen was “not surprised” to hear AB de Villiers wanted to play in the 2019 World Cup but believes it would have set a “difficult precedent” if the former captain was included. It would also likely have meant van der Dussen himself would not be at the tournament.ALSO READ: AB de Villiers revelations could bring South Africa World Cup squad closer – Faf du Plessis”It’s not necessarily the best question to ask to me because I am involved in it but had he not retired it definitely would have influenced me directly,” he said. “But you can’t, on the day before the announcement and a team that’s been working for something for year and even longer than a year, come and say, ‘I want to make a comeback now’. I am not saying he was wrong or he was right; so don’t misquote me. But it would have set a difficult precedent – not necessarily a wrong one, because it’s still AB, he is still one of the best players in the world – I just think it was handled maybe not in the correct way from his side.”Rassie van der Dussen celebrates his fifty•AFP

South Africa’s squad was informed of de Villiers’ desire to come out of retirement at their pre-tournament team camp, which included scaling the Table Mountain and training at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria. Though some, like Kagiso Rabada, have given little away about their opinion on the matter, van der Dussen explained de Villiers had been given options to make a comeback, which he refused.”As I believe it, Ottis [Gibson, the head coach] and Faf [du Plessis, the captain] gave him opportunities to, say, ‘Let’s manage your workload going into the World Cup because we want you to play a World Cup’. He had a fair chance to manage that and he said no and that he is happy to retire and that’s fair enough. And Faf accepted it, Ottis accepted it and they stood by it,” van der Dussen said.ALSO READ: Did de Villiers want to have his cake and eat it too?Zondi, Gibson and du Plessis have all confirmed they told de Villiers he could have time off but would need to play some part in the series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka which took place earlier this year to stay in contention. Van der Dussen made his ODI debut in the series against Pakistan and impressed. Van der Dussen scored five half-centuries in his first nine ODI innings to earn his place in the World Cup squad and, at the tournament, has so far been South Africa’s most convincing performer with the bat.Van der Dussen is South Africa’s second-highest run-scorer with 113 runs from his three innings, one run behind Quinton de Kock. He has labelled the tournament the ultimate test of a player’s ability, which is why he understood de Villiers’ interest in coming back.”I wasn’t surprised [that he wanted to come back],” van der Dussen said. “The media and the press reports quite a lot on AB and the things he’s said and how his last year has gone. I wasn’t surprised that he would want to make a comeback on the world’s biggest stage. That’s the thing all the biggest players in sport have in common. They want to perform when the pressure is on and when the stage is at its biggest.”Despite knowing he may have missed out if de Villiers had been accommodated, van der Dussen does not think the situation has put extra pressure on him to put in de Villiers-esque performances but hinted that if the situation demands it, maybe he could do just that.”In terms of did it affect me? No. I am quite happy to be mentioned in the same sentence as AB. He is obviously one of the best there has ever been,” van der Dussen said. “So do I have to replace him? I don’t feel I have to. Can I play match-winning innings for my country? I believe I can. Is that what he did? Yes, he did. It didn’t have as big an effect as I think people would like to believe it had.”

Wolverhampton Wanderers will be focused on their game against Manchester United tonight.

However, Gary O'Neil will also keep an eye on the development of any transfers for his side throughout Deadline Day.

A striker is at the top of his list, with the Wanderers keen to reinforce the attack.

Wolves' search for a striker

David Ornstein of the The Athletic has just revealed that Chelsea are now willing to let Armando Broja leave on a straight loan – with the Old Gold among the sides said to be showing an interest.

Wolves have already made a loan offer for the Albanian international, but it was rejected, and journalist Ben Jacobs has revealed the Blues want £5m for the loan deal.

The Midlands side are still interested in the attacker and could move again now that Chelsea's stance has changed, albeit with it yet to be seen whether the loan fee could now hinder the move.

Related All confirmed Premier League done deals: January transfer window 2024

With the January transfer window coming towards its conclusion, FFC has all the info for tracking your club’s winter transfer activity.

Posts ByLuke Randall Feb 1, 2024 How Broja would fit into the Wolves starting XI

Matheus Cunha has become a fan favourite since his £44m move to the club, and this season he has taken his performance to another level. The Brazilian is loving life in the Premier League, and after 21 games, he's scored six goals and provided five assists.

The 24-year-old is on fire as of late, and he has contributed to 11 goals in his last 13 matches, including the winner in the FA Cup, Black Country Derby last weekend. Cunha features in the left-second striker role, where he can create and score, and the potential signing of Broja could be his perfect strike partner.

Broja has struggled for minutes this season at Chelsea, with Mauricio Pochettino even fielding Cole Palmer as a false nine over him at times. The 22-year-old averages just 36 minutes per game, and he was an unused substitute last night against Liverpool.

Nonetheless, he is a player with great potential and an "animal" in attack, as per Villa writer Jacob Tanswell, and the table below shows a handful of stats that prove he would be a great signing for Wolves, while also comparing him to his positional peers across Europe's top five leagues.

Broja's 2023/24 PL Stats

Stats (per 90)

Broja

PL Percentile

Goals

0.20

Bottom 89%

xG

0.48

Top 35%

Touches (Att pen)

6.94

Top 13%

Successful take-ons

2.58

Top 1%

Progressive passes received

7.33

Top 16%

Stats via FBref

Goals have not come easy for the young striker this season, with his confidence clearly lacking. The £40k-per-week star's finishing has been suspect at times, and he's often rushing in front of goal, as displayed by his underperformance on xG. Although that can be looked at negatively, it should be highlighted as a positive as it indicates that he knows how to get himself in positions to score, which is a sign that his movement and goal-scoring instincts are superb.

Having a true number nine who likes to operate in the box, as per his high touches in the penalty area, would boost Cunha's creativity, which is frightening considering he already ranks in the top 18% for assists in the league.

The fact that Wolves often play on the counter also lends itself perfectly to Broja's game, as he is an excellent dribbler – as shown by his successful take-ons ranking – and can comfortably play with his back to goal, which would bring the Brazilian into the play much more often.

Even if it's just a loan deal, Wolves must look to sign Broja before another rival snaps him up.

Sunderland are finally in contention for a return to the Premier League, after years in the footballing wilderness had seen the Black Cats slip all the way down to League One.

The wheels fell off in Wearside at a rapid speed, back-to-back relegations down to the third tier making the Stadium of Light outfit the butt of many people’s jokes at the time.

Yet, under Michael Beale this season, the Black Cats could well finally rise from the ashes and return to the top flight – Beale’s youthful side just a point shy of breaking into the coveted top six at the time of writing after losing out in the playoffs last campaign.

Sunderland’s approach to transfers – if they were to return to the Premier League for the first time since dropping out back in the 2016-17 season – would differ to how they went about their business last time in the division with this record buy flopping big time when making a much-talked-about move to England.

How much Sunderland signed Didier Ndong for

Didier Ndong signed for Sunderland before this disastrous relegation season could get underway, entering as Sunderland’s most expensive player of all time with a £13.6m fee above his head.

That was always going to weigh Ndong down playing for the Black Cats, an expectation that the former Lorient man would take the Premier League by storm just based on his price-tag alone.

The move wouldn’t go to plan whatsoever for the Gabonese central midfielder however, scoring only one goal wearing the Sunderland strip from 54 appearances.

Towards the back end of his uninspiring spell with the club, Ndong would sour his relationship further with the Sunderland faithful by refusing to play when the team were relegated down to the third tier.

The now 29-year-old midfielder would see his contract eventually terminated as a result, ending an ill-fated association with the Black Cats that felt doomed from the beginning.

Ndong would opt to return back to France after this severing of ties was confirmed, with the 29-year-old becoming somewhat of a nomad since leaving Wearside behind.

What Ndong did after leaving Sunderland

The divisive ex-Sunderland man has been mixing it with Jordan Henderson out in Saudi Arabia of late, having played for the likes of Guingamp and Dijon in Ligue 1 directly after leaving the Stadium of Light.

Featuring for Al-Riyadh this season, Ndong has impressed in flashes by making 18 appearances in total for the Saudi Pro League side, even featuring in a game where he beat the aforementioned Henderson’s Al-Ettifaq 1-0.

His display in a back-and-forth encounter with Al-Shabab last year sticks out, helping himself to an assist in the entertaining 2-2 draw whilst also losing possession seven times from a holding role.

The former Sunderland flop will just look to keep plugging away in his new surroundings currently, with his time playing in both the Premier League and Championship for the Black Cats firmly at the back of his mind now.

Supporters at the Stadium of Light will most likely have forgotten about Ndong’s existence too, erasing those troubled times completely in pursuit of glory in the present with Beale’s young and hungry outfit eyeing up a playoff push.

West Bromwich Albion will look to further solidify their playoff spot with a win on their travels to Norwich City today, with Carlos Corberan's Baggies confident going into the trip to Norfolk after a 4-1 victory against Blackburn Rovers last match.

Still, the Spanish boss in the Hawthorns dug-out won't want his players to rest on their laurels and be content with what they have already – the West Midlands outfit in danger of slipping out of the top six if any complacency sets in.

With that in mind, Corberan could field this lineup for the game at Carrow Road today with two potential changes on the cards…

1 GK – Alex Palmer

Leading the way with 12 clean sheets in the Championship this season, Illan Meslier just behind with ten to his name, Alex Palmer is a shoo-in for a start away at Norwich today.

In the reverse fixture versus the Canaries on Boxing Day, Palmer made three crucial saves to shut out Norwich to help the hosts win 1-0.

2 RB – Darnell Furlong

Darnell Furlong was solid throughout the comprehensive 4-1 win over Blackburn last weekend, winning six of his eight duels in the emphatic victory.

The dependable West Brom number two registered four key passes from the back against the Riversiders, not content with just sitting back and fulfilling his typical defensive duties with a forward-thinking approach preferred.

3 CB – Kyle Bartley

Kyle Bartley was also strong against the Riversiders in the confident win, even notching up an assist for Tom Fellows to open the scoring at the Hawthorns.

The former Arsenal man was also aerially dominant in the victory, bullying the Blackburn attackers all game in an imposing display with 100% of his aerial duels successfully won.

4 CB – Caleb Taylor

Looking at how well Tom Fellows has done since coming into the team as an exuberant 20-year-old talent, Corberan could switch things up at the back with young centre-back Caleb Taylor potentially preferred over Cedric Kipre.

Kipre was poor during the Blackburn win – winning just one duel – with Taylor bettering that total with two won despite only being on the pitch for 13 minutes.

5 LB – Conor Townsend

Conor Townsend was way off the pace against Blackburn without being detrimental to his team, failing to win any of his ground duels which allowed attackers such as Jack Garrett for the visitors to shine in patches.

Yet, with Corberan faithful to the 30-year-old at left-back this season so far, the number three should be retained regardless of this off-day.

Playing versus Norwich last month, the defender was far more bright and lively with Corberan hoping this version of Townsend reappears for the trip to the Canaries – amassing two key passes in the 1-0 win from the back.

6 RM – Tom Fellows

With Grady Diangana still present at the African Cup of Nations and out of action for the Baggies as a result, Fellows has really stepped up to the mark in the Congolese winger's absence with some sterling displays from down the right-hand channel.

The 20-year-old homegrown West Brom product excelled against a leaky Blackburn defence, firing four shots on the Riversiders net with one of those efforts trickling in to open the scoring in the 4-1 win.

A livewire throughout for Corberan's promotion-chasers, the Baggies boss will want Fellows to be similarly electric against Norwich to catch a similarly susceptible Canaries defence off-guard.

7 CM – Okay Yokuşlu

Okay Yokuşlu will also be retained for the clash today against David Wagner's hosts, despite the 29-year-old central midfielder not exactly setting the world alight against Blackburn.

Yet, the Turkish number 35 has shone in other games this season away from this lacklustre individual display.

The 29-year-old notably impressed when West Brom got the better of Leeds United at the end of December 1-0, launching himself into duels and tackles aplenty with four tackles and six duels won.

Corberan will hope Yokuşlu just experienced a blip against Blackburn – passively winning just 50% of his duels – and can return back to his best at Carrow Road.

8 CM – Alex Mowatt

Whilst Yokuşlu is prone to sitting back and doing the dirty work in the central midfield duo, Alex Mowatt is far more comfortable venturing forward and setting up his teammates with countless chances to score.

Managing two key passes in the Blackburn win, the former Leeds United man was unplayable at points when the Baggies previously faced off against Norwich in December.

The number 27 dominated proceedings centrally with a staggering 127 touches managed, successfully completing 100 passes. Could the 5 foot 10 midfielder pick up an assist this swagger deserves today?

9 LM – Adam Reach

Starting three games in a row recently after being plagued with a horrific streak of injuries, Adam Reach has proven his worth to the West Brom cause playing at left wing in the absence of injury-stricken Matt Phillips.

The 30-year-old's most impactful display to date since coming into the first-team fold was against Blackburn, managing one key pass from the hour he featured on the Hawthorns turf.

Not quite ready for a full 90 minutes just yet, Reach's steady presence down the left flank could still help the Baggies when Norwich attack at will today – the ex-Sheffield Wednesday midfielder completing three interceptions last match when Blackburn infrequently forayed forward.

10 CAM – Jed Wallace

The second potential change to the West Brom starting lineup could see John Swift axed for Jed Wallace to come in at the number ten spot, the ex-Reading midfielder poor even despite the convincing three points his confident teammates managed to pick up.

Amassing just 34 touches in the contest before being hauled off the pitch by Corberan on the hour mark, with one off-target effort also notched up, the time could be right to reintroduce Jed Wallace to the first-team fold after an injury layover had limited his recent minutes.

Able to play anywhere across the forward positions behind Brandon Thomas-Asante, Wallace's three goals and three assists this season when played mean he could slot into this spot effortlessly and help the Baggies secure another big win in the process with his creative powers.

Labelled as having an "unbelievable" delivery by Sheffield United defender Jack O'Connell last season, Thomas-Asante will be chomping at the bit if Wallace is preferred over Swift knowing the former Millwall's man expertise on the ball can help him become even more prolific.