English Championship
Henderson and Robertson react as Liverpool centre-back seals move
Liverpool centre-back Ben Davies has joined Championship club Sheffield United on loan for the 2021-22 campaign. The 26-year-old joined the Reds from Preston North End for £1.5 million during the winter transfer window. However, he only played during the summer pre-season having been injured for most of the campaign, featuring twice. Davies will now look to help the Blades seal an immediate return to the Premier League after their relegation at the end of last term, and he is looking forward to competitive action again. The centre-back has posted about his move on Instagram, and Liverpool duo Jordan Henderson and Andy Robertson have reacted. Sportslens View Davies knows the Championship well having made over 120 league appearances for North End in the division, and Sheffield Utd are gettin...
Sheffield United want to loan £37m winger who is on Crystal Palace’s radar – report
Sheffield United are interested in landing Manchester United winger Amad Diallo on a season-long loan, talkSPORT’s Josh Fordham reports. The Ivorian arrived at the Red Devils from Atalanta for £37 million in January, and he made a good impression in his limited appearances. Amad played just 263 minutes across eight games, bagging one goal and one assist. The former came against AC Milan in the Europa League. There is plenty of potential in the teenager, but it appears that United are willing to loan him out to gain sufficient first-team experience. The Blades have been interested in Amad for a while, and they are now lining up an ambition loan move for the three-cap international. Sportslens view: With United’s big-money signing of Jadon Sancho, it is highly unlikely that Amad wi...
QPR boss dismisses reports of £6m sale of Arsenal and Sheffield United target
Queens Park Rangers manager Mark Warburton has played down reports that goalkeeper Seny Dieng is set to depart for £6 million. Dieng first came to QPR back in 2016. He has spent most of the last five seasons out on loan, having spells at Whitehawk, Hampton and Richmond Borough, Stevenage, Dundee, and Doncaster Rovers. After a string of errors from goalkeepers Joe Lumley and Liam Kelly, the former Grasshoppers man got his chance at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium in the 2020/21 campaign. He has gone on to impress with the west Londoners, winning the Players’ Player of the Year award last season along with centre-back Rob Dickie. Dieng claims a cross on the opening day of the season vs Millwall His form has attracted some attention, with several Premier League clubs being linked. Leeds U...
Alan Shearer’s instant reaction as reported Newcastle target joins another EPL club
Adam Armstrong has joined Southampton after leaving Championship club Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer has provided an instant reaction to the move on Twitter. The English striker was linked with a return to St James’ Park before the Saints completed a move for him, but the Magpies have a 40 percent sell-on agreement and are due a windfall following the deal. Newcastle have missed out on a quality hitman, but Shearer has wished him well on his return to the English top-flight. Good luck @AdamArma9 at a brilliant football club. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 https://t.co/CFsS7uxEBX — Alan Shearer (@alanshearer) August 10, 2021 Sportslens View Armstrong ended last season with 29 goals across all competitions and has been task...
Report: ‘World-class’ midfielder linked with Everton & Villa wants to leave London club
Fulham midfielder Andre-Frank Anguissa wants to leave the club and was excluded from the matchday squad against Middlesbrough on Sunday as a result, according to The Athletic. The Cameroon international is subject to interest from clubs in the Premier League, and has been linked with Aston Villa and Everton, with the Daily Mail claiming suitors would have to part with £20 million to have a chance of signing him. Anguissa has made it clear he does not want to play in the Championship, and Fulham are expected to part ways with him if a suitable offer is brought forward. Sportslens View The Cottagers co-owner Tony Khan called the 25-year-old a world-class talent after he joined Fulham in the summer of 2018, and he has proven his quality despite ending the two campaigns he has spent with them ...
Brentford interested in signing Manchester-born midfielder, eyeing cut-price deal – report
Brentford are lining up a move for Blackburn Rovers midfielder Joe Rothwell, Football Insider reports. The Bees have bolstered their squad this summer with defender Kristoffer Ajer and midfielder Frank Onyeka, but they are eyeing more reinforcements. It is now reported that the club have their sights on landing Rothwell, who could be available on a cut-price deal with his contract expiring next summer. Rothwell, who was recently the man of the match against Swansea City, could be the second high-profile star leaving Rovers this month after Adam Armstrong. Armstrong looks set to join Southampton. The Saints have agreed a package of around £15 million to sign the former Newcastle United man. Sportslens view: Brentford have done limited business since their promotion to the top-flight, a...
Crystal Palace in talks to sign Southampton target with 34 goal contributions last term – report
Crystal Palace are in advanced negotiations with Blackburn Rovers to land the signature of Adam Armstrong, Sky Sports reports. The 24-year-old had a fine campaign for Rovers last term, bagging 29 goals and five assists from 43 appearances in all competitions. His form has attracted plenty of Premier League interest. Rovers have yet to receive a suitable offer, but he could leave before the transfer deadline. Palace recently entered the pursuit of the striker, and it is now reported that they have lodged an opening bid that has been rejected by Rovers. Southampton are also keen on signing Armstrong despite multiple failed approaches, but they are now looking at alternative transfer targets. Blackburn owners Venky’s want around £20 million for the striker. Armstrong was bought from Newc...
Report: West Ham miss out on attacker involved in 17 EPL goals last term due to wages
West Ham United were keen on signing West Bromwich Albion attacker Matheus Pereira this summer. However, they could not match the wages Al Hilal have offered him, according to Standard Sport’s Jack Rosser. West Ham were keen but couldn’t match the wages on offer in Saudi Arabia. #WHUFC https://t.co/LKP72yydPy — Jack Rosser (@JackRosser_) August 4, 2021 Sky Sports journalist Fabrizio Romano has claimed that the Saudi Arabia club are in advanced talks with the Baggies to sign the 25-year-old having agreed personal terms. Al Hilal are in advanced talks to sign Matheus Pereira from WBA. Final details to be fixed between Al Hilal and WBA on final fee – personal terms now agreed. It’s up to the two clubs. 🇧🇷🔵 #AlHilal Leeds are not interested – Matheus pushing to co...
QPR and Birmingham amongst the dark horses in the Championship
There are usually six teams expected to challenge for promotion at the beginning of the Championship season – the three teams who have just been relegated from the Premier League, and the three who missed out on promotion through the play-offs. Of course, it’s not always the relegated sides and play-off teams who contest for promotion. Every season, there are usually a few sides who climb from mid-table obscurity and get themselves in the frame for the top spots. Dark Horses Queens Park Rangers are one of the sides gaining some attention. They finished in ninth place last campaign, but that doesn’t tell the full story. Their first half of the season was a bit of a nightmare, and they found themselves in a relegation battle. But this all changed with the arrivals of Charlie Austin, Sam Fiel...
Derby in trouble, Blackburn & Bristol City could struggle
Where there are winners, there must be losers. And, in the Championship, there are three big losers – the three who get relegated. The three coming up from League One are often predicted to struggle, given that they have to adjust to a higher standard of football. Of course, this isn’t always the case, but two of the three relegated sides from last season were newly promoted. Hull City won the League One title last term, so in theory should be the best placed to survive. One thing Hull have in abundance is goalscorers – last season, Josh Magennis, Mallik Wilks, and Keane Lewis-Potter scored 50 league goals between them. If they can translate this form into the second tier, they will give themselves a massive boost in their bid for safety. Can Magennis step up to the Championship? But that ...
Fulham and West Brom stars tipped to shine in the Championship
While the ultimate goal of the Championship season is promotion to the Premier League, the Golden Boot race is always an interesting sub-plot. Expect this season to be no different, with a number of proven goalscorers looking to make their mark once again. The current leading candidate appears to be Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic, and it’s not particularly difficult to see why. He is the only player in the second tier who already has a Championship Golden Boot to his name, having hit 26 back in the 2019/20 season. Mitrovic has a fantastic record in the Championship Last season wasn’t an easy one for the Serbian, scoring just three league goals in 27 outings. However, his record in the Championship with Fulham is nothing short of excellent, bagging 36 in 57 for the Whites. The most likely to ...
West Ham close to completing £22m signing of 11-goal attacking midfielder
West Ham United are closing in on a deal for West Bromwich Albion attacking midfielder Matheus Pereira, reports journalist Ekrem Konur on Twitter. Pereira first joined West Brom at the beginning of the 2019/20 season, initially on a loan deal from Sporting Lisbon. After firing the Baggies to promotion with eight goals and 16 assists, the Brazilian signed permanently for an estimated £8 million. Pereira was West Brom’s standout in their promotion campaign The Midlands club were unable to avoid the drop last season, finishing in 19th place – 13 points adrift from safety. However, Pereira was impressive, scoring 11 goals and assisting a further six. Understandably, West Brom have a tough task keeping the 25-year-old on their books. Saudi club Al Hilal have been linked with his signature, whil...
