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New Nottingham Forest manager Martin O’Neill is reportedly on the verge of making Leicester City defender Yohan Benalouane his first signing, and he should looking to make Blackburn Rovers centre-back Darragh Lenihan his second Reds addition.

What’s the word, then?

It seems clear that the centre-back position is a particular weakness for the Championship play-off hopefuls right now, given he only really has Danny Fox, Michael Hefele, Michael Dawson, Tobias Figueiredo and potentially Benalouane as his specialist options with Joe Worrall out on loan at Rangers.

There is a strong case to suggest that none of the former quartet have excelled or are good enough to be regular starters for Forest, and with Fox and Dawson in particular getting no younger a new face at the heart of the backline looks to be much needed if Forest are to stay in the promotion race.

O’Neill will certainly be hoping that he is given significant funds if he feels he needs new bodies this month, and he might need them to bring Lenihan to The City Ground from league rivals Rovers.

Why sign the 24-year-old?

Well, O’Neill already knows him well given he handed the defender his Republic of Ireland debut in the 2-1 win over the USA in June of last year, and that means he knows the qualities that he has.

Is The Championship the most exciting league in the world? Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max discusses the recent run of crazy results with Sky Sports’ Michelle Owen in the video below…

He has proved time and time again for Blackburn in the Championship that he is a reliable and consistent performer that is committed and isn’t afraid to put his body on the line for his team.

He is aggressive and he showed signs that he could also make the step up to the Premier League with his performances for Rovers against Newcastle in the FA Cup this month.

In the replay against the Magpies at Ewood Park on Tuesday night not only did he find the net, but he did a good job at the other end as well by winning five aerial duels, as well as making three tackles, five interceptions and three clearances, as per WhoScored.

[ad_pod ]According to BBC journalist David Ornstein, Arsenal have made an approach to sign Inter Milan winger Ivan Perisic on a loan deal with a £35 million option to buy.

What’s the story?

A loan move is seemingly the only option for the Gunners at this stage, as Unai Emery recently admitted that the club are not in a position to make any permanent signings in this January transfer window (BBC).

Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin may be out for the season but it’s given him a chance to show off his new accesory. Check out the video below to see for yourself…

However, Emery’s squad certainly lacks depth on the wings, especially in light of Danny Welbeck’s long-term injury (Independent). Alex Iwobi is currently the only senior natural wide player available for selection.

A move for Perisic would be a smart one on the part of the north London club, in the short term at least.

An injection of experience

The 29-year-old has been in decent – but not spectacular – form so far this season. According to Transfermarkt’s stats at the time of writing, he has registered three goals and two assists in Serie A.

The 78-cap Croatia international would bring some much-needed quality depth to Arsenal’s ranks, but his experience could also be a key factor behind Emery’s pursuit of the forward.

The Gunners have made a habit of signing experienced players recently, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Sokratis and Stephan Lichtsteiner all having arrived in the last year. Perisic would bring yet more top level experience to the Emirates Stadium, which could help Arsenal become a more competitive, steely and combative unit under Emery.Â

However, £35 million is a huge price to pay for a player coming towards his latter years. A balance must be struck at Arsenal between buying in experience and building for the future.

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According to The Sun, Manchester United are set to step up their pursuit of PSV’s Steven Bergwijn amid interest from Premier League rivals Spurs – and that bodes well for Marcus Rashford.

What’s the word?

The Sun claim that after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer expressed his desire to add the attacker to his ranks, United will be contesting a number of clubs for the Dutchman’s signature.

The 21-year-old has been in sensational form for PSV this season having chalked up nine goals and eight assists as per Transfermarkt, totalling 17 goal contributions in as many appearances.

Capable of playing all across the front-line but predominantly a pacy left winger, Bergwijn has a bright future ahead of him and has already broken onto the international scene by wining three caps for the Netherlands.

Meanwhile, a similarly versatile Rashford has been tearing it up through the centre under Solskjaer and signing Bergwijn would only ensure he will be allowed to continue doing so.

Surplus of wingers

Say Bergwijn does indeed complete a switch to Old Trafford, Solskjaer would have three attackers of a similar ilk to choose from in Amsterdam-born Bergwijn, Rashford and Anthony Martial – all are explosive in wide areas with a lethal finishing touch.

There’s also Alexis Sanchez, although his long-term role at Old Trafford currently seems unclear.

Academy graduate Rashford has excelled as a centre-forward in recent weeks as he has been preferred to Romelu Lukaku up front, and reports that another winger is on the radar should be fantastic news for the Englishman.

He so clearly loves playing down the middle – indeed, he came through the ranks as a striker – but was shuffled out wide by Jose Mourinho when the Portuguese took the helm. Solskjaer, though, seems to view him for what he is.

Bergwijn would surely compete with Martial for a spot on the wing, leaving Rashford to his own devices up front – a dream for the 21-year-old.

It would, however, leave Lukaku and Sanchez’s futures in red somewhat uncertain.

Why is Man Utd’s appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer such a clever one? Ed Tarlton explains all in the above video for Pl>ymaker FC…

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Leicester have completed the signing of Youri Tielemans from Monaco, with the midfielder joining on a loan deal until the end of the season as reported by the club’s official Twitter account.

What’s the word, then?

The Belgian international arrives at the King Power Stadium, with the out-of-favour Adrien Silva moving to Ligue 1 as part of the deal. Tielemans has scored five goals in 20 Ligue 1 appearances for 19th-placed Monaco this season, proving to be one of the few bright lights in what has been an otherwise uninspiring season for the French club.

The 21-year-old was very highly-rated at Anderlecht, so his arrival at the King Power Stadium could be viewed as somewhat of a coup for Claude Puel and Leicester, and he should offer a lot more than Silva ever did for the club.

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…

Tielemans was also linked with Arsenal, Newcastle and West Ham, so the Midlands-based club have done well to fight off the competition to get him into a Blue shirt.

Who could be under threat from his arrival?

Well, the young Belgian can play in a centre-attacking midfield role, or slightly deeper as a centre-midfielder, so he could realistically threaten any of the Foxes’ current midfield options.

James Maddison and Demarai Gray have started the last couple of games on the wing,  with Marc Albrighton also in the attacking trio behind Jamie Vardy. One would assume that Albrighton would be the one to drop out, given the significance of having Maddison and Gray in the side behind Vardy.

Tielemans has an impressive long-shot and a fantastic eye for goal, so it would be wise of Puel to drop the slightly limited Albrighton in favour of a more exciting option that would keep defenders on their toes.

The Belgian international, sat behind Vardy, with the aforementioned duo of Maddison and Gray either side of them would arguably be one of the best quartets outside the top six.

Unai Emery tried his best to give Arsenal the defensive stability they need when he named his team to face Manchester City on Sunday.

And, although, the Gunners played well under the circumstances, they were always going to struggle to keep City out with a vulnerable defence like that.

The manager’s decision to play Sead Kolasinac as a left-midfielder, though, backfired completely and the 25-year-old’s poor backtracking and efforts to get in-front of the City attackers caused Arsenal major problems on the left-flank.

Initially it looked as if Emery had opted for a back-three formation, which was expected given the amount of injuries they have at the back, but instead he went with back-four formation with Nacho Monreal at left-back and Laurent Koscielny and Shkodran Mustafi as centre-backs.

But, Kolasinac, who has played most of the season as a left-wing-back or left-back, ultimately struggled to execute his role as a defensive midfielder and that put the rest of the Arsenal team under pressure.

Most notably, Matteo Guendouzi slotted in as an extra centre-back on a couple of occasions due to Kolasinac not helping Monreal in defence.

This presented the likes of Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne with loads of space to work with and put balls into the box where Sergio Aguero was looming.

Emery might have expected from Kolasinac to play a similar role to a wing-back but he was too high up the pitch than normal, while Monreal was left to his mercy at the back.

The gaps that Kolasinac created for City to use almost made it looked as if Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira weren’t doing their defensive job and it let to Arsenal being exploited on a number of occasions.

The North London club would’ve been much better off if they had just used a plain back-three formation or a back-four without Kolasinac as a midfielder.

Arsenal travel to Huddersfield Town this coming weekend and will be hoping to play a bit more attacking than at the Etihad, which could see Kolasinac operate as a wing-back again.

Leeds United fans believe that Oliver McBurnie will start for Swansea City on Wednesday night despite recent comments from the Welsh club’s boss Graham Potter.

On Monday, Potter claimed that McBurnie was a doubt for Wednesday’s clash at Elland Road as he continues to battle illness.

However, the Leeds fans are not buying it.

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McBurnie, who came off the bench in Swansea’s win over Millwall at the weekend, has been in fine form for the Swans this term.

Indeed, the 22-year-old has netted 15 times in 30 appearances in all competitions and there is no question that Leeds will fear the in-form forward.

Swansea will bring some good form into the clash at Elland Road, but Leeds have only won one of their last four in the Championship.

It really is a huge game at Elland Road on Wednesday night and the Leeds supporters are fully expecting to see McBurnie named in the Swansea XI.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Former Sunderland player Kieron Brady has revealed a past e-mail that he has sent to the Sunderland board on several different occasions, outlining a strategy which aimed to seek solutions to ongoing problems.

The original message published by Roker Report dates back to March 2015 but the former winger explains that it had subsequently been sent to former Chief Executive Martin Bain and then on to the current set of directors, including Stewart Donald.

Fans have welcomed the initiative he has shown and appreciate that some former players do care about the club and the predicament it has fallen into, with Brady having outlined his methods to bring about change.

Watch Sunderland Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

His main idea is to contact former managers and players so they can share their thoughts on the underlying issues at the club, and some supporters have applauded his idea.

Brady’s main feeling is that the issues that have plagued Sunderland over the years don’t relate to the personnel at the club, either players or managers.

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The huge decline in performance since arriving at the club from Phil Parkinson, Will Grigg and Aiden McGeady, just to name a few, is evidence that he is view is likely correct, and that means other problems must be identified and ironed out.

After all, the Black Cats have been embroiled in relegation fights for the majority of this decade, last season being the only relative success yet they still failed to gain promotion from the third tier.

Brady’s idea of a questionnaire for former employees of the club – coaches and players – could be the right step to understanding motives behind joining, as well as their overall thoughts and impression of Sunderland. That could bring in much-needed knowledge and allow the current directors to make changes as a result, changes which could benefit the club long-term.

Meanwhile, Simon Grayson has shared his thoughts on Phil Parkinson and they may not sit well with Sunderland fans.

Steve Bruce has put smiles back on faces at Newcastle, stringing a run of good results together after a poor start to the season. A win over Manchester United as well as a spirited draw with Manchester City are two highlights of his reign thus far after taking over the reins from Rafael Benitez in the summer.

Despite the positives, there are still problems for Bruce to solve at St. James’ Park before the Magpies head into 2020, hoping to ensure their Premier League survival. With that in mind, here are three of his biggest issues:

Get Joelinton firing

Since his big-money move from Hoffenheim, Joelinton has failed to deliver on his promise thus far. The Brazilian has just one goal and one assist from 16 appearances, 15 of which have been starts. His only goal came in the win over Tottenham back in August, but Bruce retains trust in his number nine, not yet giving that spot to the likes of Andy Carroll or Dwight Gayle. The Magpies need his output to improve, as only bottom-placed Watford and Crystal Palace have a poorer attacking record than Newcastle’s 17 goals in the league this season.

 Right-back selection headache

Bruce has settled on a five-at-the-back system to get the best out of his defensive players (as shown on WhoScored), while utilising pace on the counter-attack by deploying Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron.

On the right side of the back five, DeAndre Yedlin, Javier Manquillo and Emil Krafth have all had opportunities and have all made a similar number of appearances. One of those three making a statement and nailing down that spot could be key to their defensive stability heading into the new year.

Injury crisis

As the fixtures pile up, Bruce is having to utilise all of his squad to cope with injuries. Captain Jamaal Lascelles is expected to be missing until the new year, while both Yedlin and forward Saint-Maximin have both suffered injuries of late. Centre-backs Fabian Schar and Florian Lejeune are just returning to the fold after lay-offs as well, so keeping them fit could be key to their progress in 2020. The injury to Saint-Maximin comes at a particularly frustrating time, just one game after he found the net for the first time in Newcastle colours.

Sheffield Wednesday face a trip to Stoke City on Boxing Day as they look to continue their rich vein of form.The Owls are now unbeaten in six matches with two wins in as many games and this form has seen them rise into third place in the Championship.Although they still remain a considerable margin off Leeds United and West Bromwich Albion, the south Yorkshiremen need to pick up as many points as possible in case they are clamped down with a hefty points deduction as a result of the EFL’s misconduct charge.Watch Sheffield Wednesday Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Garry Monk’s men head to Staffordshire with a huge boost as first-choice left-back Morgan Fox is expected to be fit to feature.

The 26-year-old left-back has become an integral part of the Owls’ backline since the 40-year-old took charge in September, starting their last 12 league games.

Monk revealed in his pre-match press conference that the Welshman ‘was fine’ following a blow to the eye during the Bristol City victory.

Wednesday have the third-best defensive record in the division so to have Fox available is a big boost to their hopes of picking up a result at Stoke City.

Whose Line Is It Anyway: Roy Keane, Graeme Souness or Adrian Durham?

Meanwhile, this Carlos Carvalhal signing may need to force a loan exit in January in order to revive his Owls career…

Journeyman. A set-piece specialist. A big-game player. These are largely endearing terms to denote a certain type of footballer that when used via short-hand precisely describes them to those who may not be overly familiar with their qualities.

Yet there remains a certain calibre of player out there who still doesn’t have a name despite being wholly deserving. And Sheffield United’s David McGoldrick is not only one of them but is unquestionably presently the best example around.

The trait is as follows: they are signed to principally do a job but they don’t do that job at all. Instead they do all of the other functions required from an elite performer and they do every single one of them better than anyone else.

In McGoldrick’s case that function was and is to score goals, what with being a striker and an international one to boot, and on signing for the Blades on a free from Ipswich in the summer of 2018 he fulfilled his duties admirably. In Sheffield United’s promotion campaign last season the 32-year-old scored 15 times in 45 appearances, chipping in with some crucial finishes. He was a constant threat up front. A goal-scoring threat.

Only then the goals dried up. In fact ever since a brace away to Hull back in April his touch inside the six yard box has turned positively arid, meaning the forward has gone 18 games without finding the back of the net with numerous gilt-edged chances being spurned along the way.

A drought then. All strikers endure them, and when they’re fortunate enough to be popular the fans stay with them and when they’re not the fans turn. There is nothing remarkable in this.

What is remarkable however is that the Bramall Lane faithful don’t particularly seem to care if McGoldrick continues to misfire – or more accurately they would absolutely love him to score but only for his own contentment – just so long as the player nicknamed Didzy persists in doing what he does for the team.

Which is an awful lot. Since August, United have delighted with their fearless approach and terrific football, making them the surprise high-flying package of the year, and so much of this is down to McGoldrick’s honest endeavour and brilliant link-up play.

He makes things happen. He makes them tick. He averages 3.5 successful aerial duels and perhaps most tellingly of all, 2 tackles per game.

Watch Sheffield United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

And the regard doesn’t begin and end in the Steel City either. “He is similar to Roberto Firmino at Liverpool,” pundit Tony Cascarino said earlier this year. “Not in terms of his ability but in terms of his value to the team as a whole. The likes of Aubameyang could learn a lot from watching him play.” That value incidentally can be further illustrated by the fact that United have won only one of the five games he has missed through injury since August.

As for his manager Chris Wilder, he clearly adores his pivotal star as much as the paying public. “We don’t play like that if David’s not in the team,” he stated after a recent 2-0 win at the expense of Aston Villa, detailed in a glowing local write-up that sits beneath a headline describing the forward as ‘indispensable’. It’s a word that sums up his input to a tee.

Journeyman. A set-piece specialist. A big-game player. An indispensable. Does your team have a player such as the latter? United do, and his name is David McGoldrick.