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West Bromwich Albion have been handed a double injury boost ahead of their Championship fixture on Saturday.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by the club’s official website, Valerien Ismael confirmed that both Grady Diangana and Matt Clarke look set to feature against Luton Town on Saturday, with each player having recovered from their respective injuries.

Diangana managed 64 minutes in Albion’s 2-2 draw with Bournemouth last weekend before being withdrawn due to a knock, while Clarke missed the fixture after picking up a hip injury on the morning of the game.

However, both players now look ready to return to action, with the Frenchman stating: “Grady is ok. He’s recovered well and we’ve had a long week to prepare him for Saturday’s game.

“We managed him quite well at the start of the week and then he trained the last three days with the full squad. We’re happy he’s available for the game.

“Matt Clarke is also back after he suffered a very small injury before the game against Bournemouth last weekend. It’s great for me to have the choice and the players need to make it difficult for me to pick the team and the squad.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how impressive Diangana was for Albion in their most recent Championship campaign, and that Clarke would very much appear to be an upgrade on his replacement last week (Cedric Kipre), West Brom fans must be buzzing that both players look set to play a part against Luton this weekend.

Diangana’s availability is a particularly big boost, with the winger having scored eight goals, registered six assists and created eight big chances over his 30 Championship appearances for the Baggies back in 2019/20.

These returns saw the £9m-rated man earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.06, ranking him as the club’s third-best performer in the second tier that season.

Meanwhile, over Clarke’s 42 Championship appearances while on loan at Derby County last season, the £2.7m-rated man helped his side to keep 12 clean sheets, as well as averaging 1.4 interceptions, 1.4 tackles and 4.3 clearances and winning a whopping 8.1 duels per game.

These metrics saw the £21k-per-week centre-back earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.05, ranking him as the Rams’ third-best player in the league.

As such, both players very much seem to have the ability to make a real difference in Ismael’s promotion push this season, with the manager undoubtedly hoping that Diangana and Clarke can help him secure his first Championship win with West Brom against Luton on Saturday.

In other news: West Brom in the running for “phenomenal” £5k-p/w goal-machine, he’d be a huge coup

An update has emerged on RC Lens fullback Jonathan Clauss, regarding Everton’s interest in his services.

What’s the talk?

According to French outlet HommeDuMatch, Everton and West Ham have both made enquiries over a potential deal for RC Lens right-back Jonathan Clauss this month.

The report claims that the Ligue 1 club, however, is not interested in parting ways with the defender at this moment in time.

Coleman 2.0

Whilst it is stated that Lens are not looking to sell Claus, that does not mean that a transfer is impossible for Everton. If Marcel Brands is able to offer the French club an attractive financial package then that could potentially change their mind and convince them to sell.

Why should Everton be looking to do this? Rafa Benitez has a glaring problem in his squad and that is the right-back situation. Seamus Coleman turns 33 in October and Carlo Ancelotti was forced to play the likes of Mason Holgate and Ben Godfrey at right-back at times in the Premier League last term.

This shows that the Toffees are in dire need of a succession plan in that area of the pitch. Coleman was limited to 18 league starts in the 2020/21 campaign, which means that bringing in a new first-choice right-back could allow him to play a reserve role and come in when needed at the back.

Clauss, 28, has a fair few years on the Irishman and could come in to be Benitez’s right-back for the next four or five years if all goes well. His form in France was impressive last season, with three goals and six assists for RC Lens in Ligue 1. Coleman’s highest assist tally in a Premier League campaign is five as it stands, which suggests that Clauss could add a similar level of creative threat down the right if he finds his feet in England.

The Everton stalwart has a career average of 2.7 tackles and interceptions and 0.8 key passes per game. Clauss’ career average, meanwhile, is 2.5 tackles and interceptions and 1.3 key passes per game. This suggests that they are fairly similar in quality defensively and offensively, although it is difficult to say for sure with the difference in quality between England and France/Germany.

Rafa Benitez would love for the club to essentially bring in a younger version of Coleman for him to work with. That would then mean that he has two, potentially, quality options at right-back for the 2021/22 campaign and would stop him from needing to worry about life after the former Sligo Rovers man.

AND in other news, Everton ready bid for versatile £27m-rated “revelation”, Benitez needs him at Goodison…

Newcastle United journalist Chris Waugh says he can’t see Steve Bruce’s position coming under threat ‘any time soon’. 

The lowdown

Newcastle find themselves in 18th place after following up a 4-2 defeat against West Ham United on the opening weekend with a 2-0 loss at Aston Villa on Saturday.

As Chronicle Live journalist Lee Ryder notes, the Magpies have now lost 13 games over the course of the calendar year, and only Southampton and Burnley have suffered more top-flight defeats since New Year’s Day.

Back in March, Bruce was able to survive after a 3-0 defeat to relegation rivals Brighton and Hove Albion left his side teetering just two points above the drop zone. He subsequently steered them to a 12th-place finish.

The latest

After the defeat at Villa Park, Waugh was asked by a supporter in a Q&A for The Athletic if Bruce’s job is ‘really ever going to be under threat’.

The journalist replied that he expects the hierarchy to maintain their policy of keeping faith in the manager, even to the point where it may not seem ‘wise’ to do so, saying: “The hierarchy stuck by him last season and have done with previous managers, perhaps beyond when was wise. I think they’ll do likewise this season as well.”

The verdict

There may come a point – perhaps if the long-mooted takeover goes through – that Newcastle need to dispense with Bruce to realise their lofty ambitions.

Realistically, he’ll probably guide them to a steady lower mid-table finish this season, and those in situ might simply be happy with that.

It’s also worth acknowledging that we are only two games into the new season, and there’s a week of the transfer window still to go, so the activity on that front over the coming days could alter the picture somewhat.

In other news, Lee Ryder was critical of this man’s performance against Villa. 

While Leeds United may not have had the greatest starts to the Premier League season, they will be hopeful of tasting their first victory of the new campaign when they take on Crewe Alexandra in the second round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side come into the game off the back of a 2-2 draw against Everton on Saturday, and the Whites boss will surely be ringing the changes to give a few youngsters and fringe players the chance to shine.

One starlet who Bielsa should be looking to unleash tonight is Crysencio Summerville.

Described as a “bag of tricks” by Chris Powell – his former coach when he was a teenager at Dutch side ADO Den Haag – the 19-year-old scored a hat-trick against Burnley on just his second start for the under-23s last season.

In total, he bagged an impressive six goals and provided a further six assists in just 12 Premier League 2 games, netting in the final game of the campaign.

Against Guiseley during pre-season, it was Summerville who put in the kind of performance which will have given Bielsa some food for thought.

After watching his goal-scoring display, Leeds Live’s Joe Donnohue said on Twitter: “Cody Drameh and Crysencio Summerville were great together down the right flank for Leeds’ U23s last season. Seems like more of the same this year. Drameh an excellent carrier, weightless going forward. Summerville a wriggler, impossible to handle.”

The 19-year-old is an exciting winger who can play on either flank, and while he might be diminutive in stature at just 5 foot 9, he more than makes up for it with his quick feet and agility, much like Leeds talisman Raphinha.

Summerville himself said earlier this year: “I often hear that there are doubts because of my physical condition, but when you are on the field, you are not concerned with that. There are often big defenders in front of me, I have to be smart about that. I know I’m agile and try to play with my mind.”

The fact that the young Dutchman was named on the bench against the Toffees on Saturday, and was only brought on at half-time in the under-23s’ 4-2 defeat to Spurs, could well be an indication that he will feature tonight against Crewe.

Given how his directness and willingness to make things happen is so similar to Raphinha, Leeds fans will surely be in for a treat if he starts tonight.

Meanwhile, Phil Hay has dropped a Leeds United transfer update…

Nottingham Forest have confirmed the arrival of Xande Silva at the City Ground.

What’s the latest?

In a statement posted on the Nottingham Forest website, the Reds officially announced the permanent signing of the West Ham United winger for an undisclosed fee, with the 24-year-old putting pen to paper on a two-year deal with the Championship side.

The club went on to mention the fact that the former Portugal U21 international joined the Hammers from Vitoria Guimaraes in a £3m deal back in 2018, as well as stating that the forward has become the club’s eighth signing of the summer transfer window.

Hughton will be buzzing

While Chris Hughton was not exactly short of options in the wide attacking areas of his squad prior to the signing of Xande Silva, with the 62-year-old having Philip Zinckernagel, Joe Lolley and Alex Mighten as options on either the left or right-wing, the arrival of the 24-year-old will nevertheless have left the manager buzzing.

Indeed, while Xande Silva struggled to break into the West Ham first team during his time in east London, making just two senior appearances for the Premier League club, the forward demonstrated his potential while out on loan at Greek side Aris Thessaloniki last season.

Over his 28 Super League appearances – only 11 of which came as starts, the £720k-rated man scored four goals and provided his teammates with three assists, playing a key role in his side securing a highly impressive second-place finish in the top flight of Greek football.

As such, should the Portugal youth international be able to refind this form in Nottingham Forest colours this season, his signing will undoubtedly provide Hughton with a considerable boost at a time when the 62-year-old desperately needs one – with his side currently sitting at the bottom of the Championship standings.

In other news: Reliable journo sheds light on failed NFFC deadline day swoop, Murphy will be fuming

Danny Cowley has provided an injury update on young defender Liam Vincent…

What’s the talk?

Portsmouth manager Danny Cowley has revealed that there has been ‘positive news’ regarding Liam Vincent’s shin injury, with the defender signed from Bromley this summer now set to see a specialist.

He told Hampshire Live:

“He has had some positive news with his scan, which showed the stress response had improved, and now we are just in the hands of the specialist as to whether we can push forward with his rehab.

“First and foremost, we need to get him back on the training pitch, and he is just a baby really.

“Full-time training with the young ones can be really demanding, going from age group football to training two to three times a week, to training every day, and that puts a different demand on your body.

“He has probably just felt that and his body needs a more gradual progression.”

Excitement

This update from the Pompey boss could get fans excited at the prospect of finally being able to see Vincent play a competitive game for the club.

Going off these comments from Cowley, a return to training may not be too far away for the defender, which is a promising sign ahead of a return to League One action for the club next weekend.

With the games set to amp up in the upcoming months, Cowley will need as many players at his disposal as possible to be able to rotate and rest his squad. Therefore, Vincent’s return could be a boost for the club as he could slot in at left-back when needed, gaining some valuable match action and providing cover for Lee Brown.

Given his lack of experience at senior level, at the age of 18, it is hard to say with any degree of certainty that Vincent will be a success at Fratton Park, but the club thought enough of him to bring him in.

This cloud of mystery could cause excitement, though, as he will come into the side as an unknown quantity and fans should be eager to see what he is capable of.

AND in other news, Possession lost 45x: Portsmouth disaster who lost 70% of his duels struggled in August…

Southampton forward Mo Elyounoussi produced a worrying display for Norway as his country beat Gilbraltar 5-1 in a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday night.

The Norweigan attacker has made a promising return to England after a two-year spell in Scotland with Celtic, scoring in his only Premier League appearance of the season to date. He also scored a hat-trick in a League Cup thrashing of League Two outfit Newport County, potentially leaving fans to wonder whether or not he will finally come good on the south coast.

Elyounoussi’s debut campaign with the Saints was disastrous. He failed to register a single goal or assist in 16 Premier League appearances and averaged a dismal WhoScored rating of 6.51, as he failed to show that he could score or assist goals on a regular basis in the top-flight of English football.

His performance for Norway against Gilbraltar was a throwback to those early displays for Southampton as he struggled with his end product. He had more touches of the ball than Kristian Thorstvedt, Erling Haaland and Alexander Sorloth, who were all directly involved in at least two goals whilst Elyounoussi managed neither a goal nor an assist.

Elyounoussi attempted four shots during the match, getting just one on target, the other three blocked by defenders. This suggests that the quality of his efforts in front of goal were well below the standard required to find the back of the net, or even reach the goal as the majority of them were cut out at source.

One of his shots went down as a ‘big chance missed’ on SofaScore. This means that he spurned an excellent opportunity to find the back of the net, which is worrying for Ralph Hasenhuttl heading into the rest of the campaign as he will want consistency from his forwards.

Elyounoussi also lost possession of the ball 11 times during his 81 minutes on the pitch. This included three of his four crossing attempts going straight back to the opposition rather than finding a teammate. His finishing was sub-par and these statistics suggest that his all-around play also left plenty to be desired.

Southampton fans, along with Hasenhuttl, could be concerned by this performance as it was a throwback to his early showings in red and white. They will be hoping that it is a blip and that he is able to return to Premier League action for the Saints at the weekend ready to put in a top-class performance in order to nail down his spot in the starting XI.

AND in other news, Saints missed out on potential £9m windfall, now they look set to lose dud for free…

Leeds United winger Raphinha could receive another call-up to the Brazil national squad in two weeks after rejecting the chance to represent his country in the latest international break.

The Lowdown: Refused

Raphinha, 24, received his first call-up to Tite’s squad in August for the September triple header against Chile, Argentina and Peru.

The winger was originally thought to have been refused the right to travel this month due to quarantine protocols, with Andrea Radrizzani since revealing the player himself rejected the opportunity in order to focus on his club.

The Latest: Further problems

According to reports in Brazil [Via MOT Leeds News], Tite is set to name his squad for the World Cup qualifying double-header with Venezuela and Uruguay on Friday 17th September.

South American outlet Ge Globo states that the Brazilian coach expects backing from FIFA this time around to avoid another circumstance where Premier League clubs can stop players participating.

FIFA are discussing a new five-day quarantine rule to aid players in returning to their club duties, and Raphinha could get the call once again.

The Verdict: Headache for Leeds

With the news that FIFA want a shorter quarantine not yet confirmed, Leeds and Raphinha himself could be left with another headache if he is indeed called up once more in nine days time.

Another call-up for Raphinha in two weeks will disrupt the scene again if the situation hasn’t been sorted by then, and the winger could miss the trip to Southampton in the middle of October if he elects to give it a go with his national side.

Raphinha’s importance to Marcelo Bielsa’s side has drastically improved as he has settled in at Yorkshire. His 9.30 expected assists last term have seen him become one of the first names on the team sheet due to his trickery and creativity.

In other Leeds news, Bielsa has been blown away by striker’s performances. Find out more here.

Newcastle United have now been gifted a triple injury boost before their game at home against Leeds United in the Premier League on Friday night.

The Lowdown: Injury concerns

Speaking in his post-match press conference after his team lost 4-1 away at Manchester United on Saturday afternoon, Steve Bruce said that both Joe Willock and Ciaran Clark had picked up knocks.

Ryan Fraser limped out of Scotland’s team hotel with a large protective boot and crutches during the international break (talkSPORT), which certainly would have worried Bruce ahead of his side’s return.

The Latest: Training images

As per the official website of the St. James’ Park faithful, latest images from the training ground showed Willock, Clark and Fraser, with the former two ‘appearing to have overcome’ the knocks that they picked up at Old Trafford last weekend.

Bruce has also confirmed in his pre-game press conference that Fraser is ‘OK’ and has ‘put himself in contention’ to play against the Whites, while both Willock and Clark have also ‘come through’.

The Verdict: Boost

It is certainly a boost that all three players have returned to training, and Bruce will no doubt be desperate that they will be fit enough and available for selection.

With Callum Wilson now out injured, the Tyneside outfit may have to rely on players like Willock for goals, and the former Arsenal midfield player showed that he is more than capable of scoring during his loan spell last season (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, the Magpies will desperately want to get all three points on the board, and will hope that Willock, Clark and Fraser can help them get them.

In other news, find out what reassuring takeover insight Liam Kennedy has dropped here!

Nuno Santo must recall Tottenham Hotspur’s August ‘Fan Player of the Month’ to his starting XI tonight as he heads back to his old stomping ground in the Carabao Cup.

Japhet Tanganga is available for selection against Wolverhampton Wanderers after serving his one-game suspension at the weekend.

The versatile 22-year-old academy gem was sent off for his two bookings against Crystal Palace over a week ago but considering his form this campaign, it would be foolish to punish him further and as such, he must be in the line-up this evening.

These two sides met at Molineux just a month ago, with Spurs coming out on top in a 1-0 victory and Tanganga played a starring role in keeping Wolves’ tricky frontline quiet.

In fact, he had quite the afternoon against the explosive force that is Adama Traore, who could well feature again today.

The Spanish winger is one of the most feared in his role in the Premier League – indeed, his 8.02 WhoScored rating is the highest in the division right now and he’s averaged a whopping 9.8 dribbles per outing, more than double any other player in the top-flight.

He is clearly Bruno Lage’s biggest threat and after Tanganga silenced him last month, he should be given another go at repeating such a feat.

As per SofaScore, the 6-foot beast recorded a match-high seven clearances and was very solid in other defensive aspects as he managed two interceptions and two blocks, too.

Tanganga began the season at right-back, which led to Spurs recording three straight clean sheets and whilst he’s a centre-back by trade, it’s evident that his best performances have come out wide.

After the win over Manchester City on the opening day, Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville waxed lyrical about the Hotspur Way graduate.

“He handled Raheem Sterling and Jack Grealish in that channel, with Sanchez and Højbjerg, brilliantly. I couldn’t have done that on my own 20 years ago – and I was a good full-back, played for Manchester United, played for England. But what that kid did out there today was really special from a one-on-one defending point of view.

“So I’m going to give credit to Tanganga today because he did something out on that pitch that I thought was really special, which was play one-on-one against, sometimes, two players who are exceptional going against players, dribbling against players, and he stuck at it and that’s why he won Man of the Match. Moura could have had it, but it was Tanganga because of that.”

It’s that sort of performance that will be required to stop the brute that is Traore and having done it against the aforementioned City duo, as well as the Wolves star himself, it would make the world of sense to unleash Tanganga tonight.

The £13m-rated gem, who earns a reported £25k-per-week in N17, must be in that starting XI come kick-off.

AND in other news, Paratici could solve Nuno’s major Spurs issue with “extraordinary” £43m-rated maestro…