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Sunderland’s fortunes show no signs of improving anytime soon, and that has led some fans to direct their concerns at Stewart Donald and the ownership of the club.

The club’s hierarchy would have been hoping for a new manager bounce when replacing Jack Ross with Phil Parkinson, but the former Bolton boss has won just two of his opening seven games.

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That has left a few supporters feeling desperate about the situation of the team, which seems to be in need of January additions in order to strengthen key areas and mount a promotion challenge.

However, it is feared that Donald and Co don’t have the required funds to provide Parkinson with a chance to do that, and the relationship between the board and the fans is growing increasingly more fractured.

Results and performances aren’t helping matters and a drab home draw with Gillingham in the FA Cup has sparked the latest outpouring of criticism, with some fans responding in the messages below.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Southampton striker Danny Ings has been speaking to The Daily Echo about his fellow forward Che Adams, and the 23-year-old’s difficult start to life at St Mary’s.

Adams arrived on the south coast after Southampton agreed a £15m deal with Birmingham for his services, after a stunning 2018/19 campaign in which he scored 22 Championship goals.

However, since arriving at Southampton, Adams is yet to find the back of the net in nine Premier League appearances – he also hasn’t found the back of the net in two Carabao Cup outings either.

However, Ings has hinted at one positive thing that Adams has supplied.

What did he say?

Ings said:  “If any club didn’t have any competition with the strikers, it wouldn’t be healthy – you would be more worried. Any player that comes to a club wants to play. Che is very hungry to play. You can see it. He is strong, powerful and quick.

“We are different types of strikers that can also play a factor and I saw myself on the bench for a few games at the start of the season which was frustrating.

“You want to put the shirt on, do well and score goals but you have to respect the manager’s decision.”

Despite not scoring, Adams has helped

Before Adams’ arrival, who did Ings have to give him a kick up the backside and motivate him?

Well, there was Manolo Gabbiadini, who scored just one Premier League goal last season before being shipped off to Sampdoria in January.

There was also Charlie Austin, who scored two league goals but ended up being frozen out by Ralph Hasenhuttl and was eventually sold the West Brom for £4m back in the summer.

Perhaps not solely because of the aforementioned pair’s poor form – although it could be a factor – Ings netted just seven league goals in 24 appearances.

To put that into context, the former Liverpool man already has five goals in 12 league appearances – on that note, it could definitely be argued that Adams has motivated Ings, something that the England international somewhat alludes to when he says that it was “frustrating” to be on the bench whilst Adams was starting.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Anthony Gordon has spoken about his dedicated plan to make an impression on Marco Silva more than two years after he made his first-team debut.

What did he say?

The 18-year-old has been on the fans’ minds for a long time and many have called for him to get into the senior squad.

So far, Gordon has just one first-team appearance, which came in a Europa League game against Apollon Limassol.

This season, the youngster was involved on the bench for the trip to Southampton, but still has to wait for his first start. Now, he has spoken of how he has stayed grounded and is still working towards a place with Marco Silva’s men.

Gordon told evertonfc.com: “I just try to enjoy myself and get better every day.

“You never sit down and think, ‘I have a chance’. That is for other people to say. I am just trying to keep getting better and progressing.

“I haven’t played one game competitively for the first team [bar those two minutes in Cyprus].

“To be around it shows I am progressing well. But I am not there yet. I am not starting for the first team and I still have so much to do.

“I saw how hard it was with David Unsworth in La Manga and thought, ‘I am not going back unprepared [this season]’.

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“I went on one holiday, then came back and trained every day. That set me up perfectly for the season.

“I have been mentally preparing for this [involvement with the first team] since last pre-season. I am starting to show I can cope with that level.

“I have the ability and believe in myself.”

Making the right noises

Gordon now has six goals and three assists in ten appearances for the U23s this season and once again showed his worth as he rocketed home a fine strike for England last week.

Now, not only is he making the right impression on the pitch, it seems he is doing the right thing off it as well.

Gordon is showing all the attributes to suggest he has the potential to become a top player and an important part of the first-team set up on Merseyside.

If the attacker keeps applying himself in this manner, it surely won’t be long until we see him with the senior squad.

According to le10sport, Wolves are interested in signing Morgan Sanson from Marseille, while West Ham are also still keen on acquiring him having seen a bid rejected in the past.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the French outlet state that Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are interested in signing the 25-year-old, who has enjoyed a fine campaign so far under ex-Chelsea and Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas.

Sanson has scored five goals while also registering four assists from a centre-midfield position, whereas he also records 2.2 tackles per game – proving to be an excellent box-to-box operator who excels in multiple areas of the game.

The report also reveals that West Ham saw a €30m offer rejected by Marseille, which gives you some sort of indication as to how highly the Ligue 1 side value their No.8 – according to Transfermarkt, he is rated at £25.2m.

What kind of player is he?

Well, The Birmingham Mail described Sanson as: “like Ruben Neves but with an edge – if maybe not quite the same level of genius.”

That should tell you a lot about the type of player the ex-France U21 international is.

Sanson takes 1.4 shots per game, completes 1.4 dribbles per game and also records 1.1 key passes per game – he appears to be a jack of all trades.

He is traditionally a centre-midfielder, but his WhoScored page states that he can also play in an attacking-midfield position, which would give Nuno a nice option of whether to play him alongside Neves and Joao Moutinho in a midfield three, or slightly ahead of them where he can trouble the goal more often.

At 25 years of age, Sanson has plenty of time on his side and is clearly a valued asset – Villas-Boas has handed him 26 starts in Ligue 1 this term.

From non-League to the Premier League: Where did these top-flight stars begin their careers?

If he is anything like Neves, Nuno could have another gem on his hands if Wolves can sign the Frenchman.

In other news, this Mick McCarthy signing was a complete and utter disaster for Wolves…

According to The Telegraph, Inter Milan are set to reject the chance to sign Alexis Sanchez on a permanent basis.

The Manchester United outcast moved on loan to the San Siro last summer but an injury in October has limited his impact, resulting in him making just 15 appearances so far this season.

The Greatest Bargains in Premier League history – How much did they cost?

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Sanchez is on a £500k per-week deal at United and should he return to Old Trafford at the end of the season as now expected, the club will have to decide whether to accept the cost or move Sanchez on elsewhere – either on loan or permanently.

@Utdreport relayed the information on Twitter and it’s safe to say that it’s struck a chord with United fans. While some believe the former Arsenal forward deserves another chance at Old Trafford, others are reluctant to see him return.

Here’s a look at what United fans have been saying on social media…

Meanwhile, one Man United fan would prefer Kleberson to a current Red Devils midfielder…

Hands up if you had forgotten about Timothy Fosu-Mensah.

The Dutchman has been on the books at Manchester United for a long time now but has failed to really establish himself as a key part of the first-team since making a real breakthrough when Louis van Gaal was still in charge.

Speaking after a clash against Everton back in 2016 in which Fosu-Mensah replaced Marcos Rojo and delivered the cross for Anthony Martial’s winner, Van Gaal lauded the defender for seizing his opportunity.

The Greatest Bargains in Premier League history – How much did they cost?

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He said: “I think Rojo has a problem with his jet-leg. I said also to Timothy that you have to take profit of it, and when a player is doing that then that is also a little bit of luck for the manager. But I think every credit is with the player, for Timothy, and not for the manager.”

Under the former United boss, Fosu-Mensah played ten times, and then when Jose Mourinho came into the Old Trafford dugout, he also featured sporadically too, getting onto the pitch on 11 occasions.

But the £6.3m-rated ace has seen his progress hindered by injuries, not least by the cruciate ligament problem he suffered whilst on loan at Fulham last season – according to Transfermarkt, after making his return to action only in January 2020, he had missed 271 days of action, or 60 total games to be precise.

Defence is arguably the one area in which the Red Devils are seemingly well-stocked, with centre-back seeing a whole host of options being available for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the likes of Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Eric Bailly, Axel Tuanzebe and Phil Jones, amongst others. And then, if you consider Fosu-Mensah’s ability to play at full-back too, he has Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Diogo Dalot, Brandon Williams and Luke Shaw all ahead of him in the pecking order.

The path simply isn’t there for the Dutchman to really genuinely stake his claim in the first-team, and it’s exactly why United should cut their losses on the versatile ace. He may have promised big things after bursting onto the scene a few years ago, but he hasn’t shown why he is worthy of a place in the squad for next season.

Meanwhile, Man Utd are set to battle their Premier League rivals over this star.

As the football world tries to adapt to the current global crisis, we can take a more detailed look into how clubs are handling their finances and looking towards the transfer window.

In a recent report by transfermarkt.com, it was declared that as a result of current events, Transfermarkt values on the majority of worldwide players has dropped significantly. For those born after 1998, the decrease has been capped at 10%, but others have seen their value drop by up to 20% in other cases.

English clubs have suffered an overall €2billion (£871.5m) deficit, with Manchester City and Liverpool being hit the hardest worldwide. But what do these price drops mean for clubs further down the table? Could we see summer deals altered or even funds exhausted?

Football FanCast has taken a look at what this current situation could mean for West Ham’s business…

Declan Rice (-£5m)

Starlet Declan Rice has been making waves over the last couple of seasons, particularly after showing his versatility to adapt from a centre-back to a defensive midfielder. London rivals Chelsea – who are reportedly on the market for their next young talent – have been eyeing up Rice’s services, according to Sky Sports.

It has been clarified that the 21-year-old will not come cheap to any potential buyers after an £80m price tag was stamped on him (via Daily Star). However, as the world of football continues to be rocked, clubs further down in the Premier League table will naturally be hit harder than the more wealthier ones.

Could West Ham be forced into selling some of their most prized players just to balance the books this summer? It will certainly hit hard if Rice is one of this season’s departures, particularly after his £49m+ growth between 2017 and 2019.

Felipe Anderson (-£11.7m)

According to The Mirror, the Hammers could be open to listening to offers for Felipe Anderson, whose Transfermarkt value has dropped from £40.5m to £28.8m since December.

The Brazilian could used as part of a money-saving scheme as West Ham face the financial backlash from the current global crisis. As such, the London outfit will likely join the many others who have returned to the drawing board to rethink this summer’s transfer tactics.

Napoli are reportedly interested in Anderson and have monitored him since his time with Lazio prior to his Premier League move. After failing to recreate even a fraction of his form last season (10 goals, five assists), the Irons may find themselves with their hands tied when it comes to the 27-year-old’s future. Additionally, Anderson is reportedly the third highest paid player at the club, earning £4.4m a year in wages (£85k-a-week – according to Spotrac).

A move away from London or indeed, England could be one of the only viable options available for the midfielder.

Sébastien Haller (-£8.1m)

With a debut season that has made more of a ripple than a splash, some West Ham fans are already calling for the sale of their new striker.

Sébastien Haller broke the club’s record fee for an incoming transfer back in July last year and has tallied just seven goals, which has left the Hammers with their heads barely above water in the league table.

According to the Daily Star, the Frenchman currently earns £70,000-per-week, which puts him in the same wage bracket as Michail Antonio, Manuel Lanzini and Angelo Ogbonna (via Spotrac).

There are no major reported talks of other clubs showing interest in Haller, but West Ham must be smart with their business this window or they may not be able to bolster their squad at all.

It’s uncertain when the summer transfer window will open or how clubs will go about their business but it’s a very worrying time for all involved. If the Irons must sell up in order to balance the books but can’t poach any new signings, 2020/21 will be a very tough season for them to stay afloat in the Premier League.

In our Transfers that shook the club feature, Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at deals that had many may not have seen coming and the impact that they had during their time by using statistical data and pundit remarks.

For a long time, the summer of 2008 didn’t seem an especially exciting one for Manchester City supporters. The previous season ended with an 8-1 humbling by Middlesbrough as their crosstown rivals United claimed a Premier League and Champions League double. By the third week of August, their only summer signings had been Jo and Tal Ben Haim, until another defender arrived in the form of a young Belgian named Vincent Kompany.

Then 22, he arrived only a few days before the course of the club’s history changed as the Abu Dhabi United Group bought out the club and set in motion more than a decade of enormous investment.

Kompany, a £7.65m signing (as per TransferMarkt) from Hamburg, certainly hadn’t come to Manchester City for the glory – in his first season, they were knocked out of the UEFA Cup by his former club and finished a lowly 10th in the Premier League. Indeed, there was no indication that he would become a centre-back lynchpin at the Etihad Stadium as he started out life in Manchester as a defensive midfielder.

He impressed sufficiently in his first three years at the club to be named as captain in 2011, the year in which they achieved a first Champions League qualification. Having joined a mid-table outfit, the Belgian would see a very different side to Manchester City in 2011/12. His three Premier League goals that season included a decisive header against neighbours United as the Manchester duo vied for the title, with City eventually winning it at the death on the final day of the season to pip their rivals on goal difference. It was Kompany who would have the honour of holding the trophy aloft as the club celebrated their first league title since 1968.

There were two more trophies for him to lift in 2014 as City regained their Premier League crown and also won the League Cup. On the final day of the league season, with Manuel Pellegrini’s team still needing a result to ensure they would be champions, Kompany netted in the 2-0 win over West Ham. Not for the first time, their captain came good with a goal in a crucial fixture.

Unfortunately for the Belgian, the mid-2010s would be rife with frustration as numerous injuries plagued the defender. Calf problems decimated his 2015/16 season and a knee injury affected him the following campaign, with Kompany restricted to just 25 Premier League appearances across those two seasons.

Pep Guardiola even called him out on his unenviable injury record in 2017 but the Spaniard’s second season in charge would be redemptive for both Kompany and Manchester City. In a team which won the Premier League with a record points total of 100, the centre-back turned in a man of the match display in the Carabao Cup final, scoring in the 3-0 thrashing of Arsenal. Yet again he had made his presence felt on a big occasion in a City shirt.

Having reached the 10-year mark at the Etihad in 2018, some very familar themes emerged from the Belgian’s 11th season at the club. Again it ended with him lifting the Premier League trophy, his fourth time doing so as Manchester City captain, and again he came up with a pivotal goal in a closely-fought title race. So stunning and important was his long-range screamer against Leicester in a 1-0 home win in the final week of the season that Sky Sports co-commentator Gary Neville exclaimed: “Where do you want your statue, Vincent Kompany?”

A year ago last Monday, the 34-year-old helped City to complete a domestic treble as they humbled Watford 6-0 in the FA Cup final. The following day, the club confirmed that Kompany was leaving on the highest of highs, capping an illustrious Etihad career by winning his 12th trophy in his time in Manchester.

The tributes quickly poured in for the defender, with Premier League all-time scorer Alan Shearer tweeting “What a captain and player”, Franny Lee CBE describing him as “a captain, a leader, a legend, a true gent and a great great player” and legendary England marksman Gary Lineker calling him “one of the greatest players, leaders and role models to have played on the green carpets of this country” – not to mention the emotional eulogies from many of his Manchester City team-mates. [via mancity.com]

With 20 goals in 360 games for the club, several of those impeccably timed, it took only four months after Neville’s aforementioned commentary for City to commission a statue of Kompany to be placed outside the Etihad Stadium. The Belgian came to the club in lean times and left it having done more than his fair share to make Manchester City a dominant force in English football – not a bad way to pay back the £7.65m spent on him 12 years ago.

Man City fans, was Kompany the greatest signing in the club’s history? Comment below with your views! 

Newcastle United fans were handed a fresh takeover update from ChronicleLive reporter Lee Ryder on Friday but it hasn’t gone down very well.

The journalist claims that the Magpies’ prospective owners – namely the Saudi Arabian consortium made up of crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, PCP Partners’ Amanda Staveley and the Reuben brothers – are hoping that the path has been cleared for the Premier League to conclude it’s owners and directors test following the confirmation on a return to action.

Some responded to this news rather sarcastically whilst others took a swipe at Ryder himself…

Supporters at St James’ Park have been eager for some sort of announcement for nearly two months now, so many are growing tired of the delays and hitches that keep being reported in the media.

However, some members of the Magpies faithful offered up more subtle responses to Ryder’s claim.

On Friday afternoon, Premier League CEO Richard Masters was quizzed about the takeover by Sky Sports’ Bryan Swanson but he remained coy on the deal due to confidentiality.

Stuck in lockdown? Our mega footy quiz will cure any boredom…

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It seems like this whole process is set to rumble on into June as the PL continue with the owners and directors test amid fears the Saudi state are behind illegal streaming service beoutQ.

WHILE in other news, Keith Downie delivers Newcastle takeover claim following PL interview…

Glasgow Rangers’ Alfredo Morelos has returned to training as the ‘Gers prepare for the upcoming campaign.

The Colombia international has had a busy few weeks, despite no football being played. He has been in his homeland, helping to feed and look after those less fortunate than himself, whilst he has also welcomed a child into the world.

Morelos was not present at the start of the club’s return to training but it has now been confirmed that he is back as photos have emerged of him being put through his paces.

The striker is a hugely important member of Steven Gerrard’s starting XI, having scored 29 goals in the 2019/20 campaign – 12 more than Jermain Defoe, who was the club’s second highest goalscorer. Since he was signed for £1.08m in 2017, he has scored 77 times in 137 matches. His clinical touch is there for all to see.

There has been plenty of speculation surrounding Morelos’ future – the ‘Gers are reportedly expecting him to leave, whilst the likes of Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund are believed to be interested in signing him.

At some point, you would expect him to move on from Scotland – it is rare nowadays that top players will stay for too long in the SPFL – but these early signs are positive. If the ‘Gers want to stop their fierce rivals Celtic from winning 10 Premiership titles in a row, keeping Morelos at the club and in top shape will be vital.

‘Gers fans, were you encouraged to see Morelos back in training? Do you think he will still be at Ibrox next season? Let us know what you think by commenting below!