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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

West Ham’s Felipe Anderson is enduring a difficult run of form but there could be a quick solution to get him firing once again.

On the chalkboard

The Brazilian has suffered from inconsistency since arriving in east London last year, occasionally acting as the stand-out performer for his side as he helped himself to ten goals and nine assists in 2018/19.

This time around, however, he has zero goals and only three league assists to show for his efforts, and his display against Everton drew the ire of several West Ham supporters.

Watch West Ham United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

His pass accuracy of 67% and a failure to produce a single key pass or cross demonstrates his drop in standard, but if Manuel Pellegrini can get him more involved in the Hammers’ play, particularly higher up the pitch, then his fortunes should change.

There could be a simple change which allows that to happen, too, and it lies in a change in formation.

System which suits the players

It would be a bold call for the Chilean to change to a 5-2-3, given his history of operating primarily with a 4-2-3-1 style since arriving at the London Stadium, but it is a change which could suit both Anderson and the rest of the team.

To get the best out of the 26-year-old West Ham need to implement a more attacking philosophy, and reduce the defensive responsibilities that currently burden the winger.

Pellegrini may wish to avoid doing that due to his side’s defensive vulnerabilities, having conceded ten goals in the last four games, but adding a third centre-back to the starting line-up would negate that concern.

It would also allow Ryan Fredericks and Arthur Masuaku to operate as wing-backs, which suits their attacking intent – with the pair achieving one and 2.3 successful dribbles per game throughout their respective careers – as well as allowing for the inclusion of important players such as Declan Rice, Mark Noble and Andriy Yarmolenko.

Most importantly, Anderson could be given a free role, allowing him to play closer to Sebastien Haller and thus link play more effectively, with his 16 passes against Everton underlining his lack of involvement.

In such a role he would be able to escape the attention of defenders and find the empty space vacated by the absence of Manuel Lanzini, and in doing so should be able to provide better support for Haller, and also score more himself.

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Talk about things going to script. On a wet and miserable-looking afternoon, Liverpool made it an impressive seven wins from seven in the Premier League after squeezing past Sheffield United 1-0.

Jurgen Klopp’s side were hardly at their best over the course of the game, with their much-vaunted attacking trio of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino firing a blank from their combined eight attempts on goal.

In the end, it took a howler from Blades goalkeeper Dean Henderson to give the Reds all three points, and eagle-eyed Liverpool fans were quick to point out something.

The 22-year-old’s parent club is Manchester United, and after seeing the shot-stopper’s mistake, they flooded to Twitter to revel in their arch-rivals’ misery.

Many Reds supporters sarcastically thanked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side for indirectly helping them to another win, and revealed the three points tasted all the more sweeter.

Some fans of the Anfield club further mocked United for Henderson’s gaffe, and urged their fellow supporters to let it “sink in”.

Check out some of the savage reaction of Liverpool fans 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…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Leicester man Steve Walsh has tipped James Maddison to snub the advances of Manchester United.

What did he say?

Reports in recent weeks and months have claimed the £80m-rated Maddison will be one of the Red Devils’ main targets for the summer transfer window next year.

However, Walsh has now revealed he could see the 22-year-old turning down the chance to move to Old Trafford, and said that he appears to be happy in his current surroundings.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

He said: “I think he’d stay. He’s a grounded lad who understands the loyalties in the game. I think he’s one of those that will definitely stay at Leicester for a few seasons. There’s always rumours that a team is interested in James Maddison but I believe that he’s happy here and he’s showing that in games.”

Bitter blow

If the current Premier League season continues in the direction it is going, then Maddison will have no legitimate footballing reason to join United. The Red Devils have looked well off the pace, and find themselves with just nine points to their name. At this rate, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side may not even make the Europa League places, let alone finish in the top four.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

United could well be left heavily relying on the lure of their name to entice players to join. But the longer this period of decline goes on, the more difficult it becomes for the club to remain an attractive proposition. And, on the pitch, their lack of creativity means missing out on Maddison would be a major blow.

The Leicester play-maker has averaged 1.6 key passes and 3.3 dribbles per game in the Premier League. Compare that to the numbers being produced by Jesse Lingard (0.7 and 0.7), and you can see why failing to sign Maddison would rob United of a decisive attacking weapon.

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It is that point of the season when the international break takes centre stage, meaning the Premier League and Championship aren’t in action for over a week.

Many clubs in these two leagues temporarily lose their players to their respective national teams and West Brom are no different.

No more than five of their squad depart the club this week having enjoyed an unbeaten start to life in the current 2019/20 league campaign.

One of those players is West Ham loanee Grady Diangana, who has been called up to the England U21 squad for the very first time – though he has had a taste of international football before with the Young Lions’ U20 team.

The 21-year-old has shined since arriving on deadline day, scoring three goals in four league matches and some Baggies supporters have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts on his call-up.

One fan hopes their star winger doesn’t get injured whilst on international duty whilst others said it was fully deserved with another even claiming he has been on fire this season.

Diangana will join Aidy Boothroyd’s side for two European U21 Championship qualifiers against Turkey and Kosovo as they look to put this summer’s disappointment behind them.

You can read more of the reaction below:

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Off the Bench series, which places in-game managerial decisions and squad selections under FFC’s microscope.

Charlton suffered their first defeat of the Championship season last time out against Birmingham, with Lee Bowyer’s side slipping to a 1-0 loss in front of their own supporters.

The Addicks boss was forced into making a change up top, with top-scorer Lyle Taylor dropping out for summer signing Tomer Hemed due to injury.

However, it was another change – this time unforced – that may have been a mistake from Bowyer.

Snapshot

In Jonny Williams, Bowyer has a player at his disposal who has enjoyed an excellent season so far, recording four assists in his seven Championship appearances.

Keeping the 19-cap Wales international on the bench and choosing summer signing Erhun Oztumer instead of him in a central attacking-midfield was a bold move by Bowyer – especially considering the 28-year-old had just 64 minutes of game time under his belt – and it was one which can be deemed a mistake.

Why was it a mistake?

Looking at things before the game, you could have argued that any player in the central attacking-midfielder role for Charlton would have an important job given the fact that Birmingham lined up in a 4-4-2 system, meaning that there would be space in between the lines for a No.10-type figure.

Unfortunately for Oztumer – on just his second Championship start of the season – he couldn’t make an impact, registering zero shots on target, no dribbles and just one key pass.

In hindsight – which is a wonderful thing, of course – Williams perhaps should have started the game given his impact off the bench.

The former Crystal Palace man matched Oztumer’s number of key passes, and also embarked on three dribbles while winning two free-kicks – his introduction allowed the south Londoners to move up the pitch and put pressure on their opponents through set-pieces and direct in-game play.

Of course, getting Oztumer up to speed and allowing him to build on his 64 minutes of game time prior to Saturday was important, but one can’t help but think it was a mistake to leave the Championship’s joint-top assist-maker on the bench.

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The Mirror reported on Sunday that Southampton are looking to sign Birmingham City attacker Che Adams before Thursday’s transfer deadline, as backed up by The Daily Echo on Monday, and Saints fans have been quick to react to the rumour.

Despite sending out the likes of Steven Davis, Manolo Gabbiadini, Wesley Hoedt and Cedric Soares already this month, Ralph Hasehuttl is yet to sign a player for the south coast outfit, although it appears as though Adams is a target.

The Daily Echo report that the prolific 22-year-old, who has scored 14 goals in 30 appearances in all competitions for the Championship club this season, as per Transfermarkt, is valued at around £10m, and his arrival would potentially see Charlie Austin leave before the window slams shut.

Should Adams arrive at St Mary’s he would likely be competing with the likes of Danny Ings, Nathan Redmond and Stuart Armstrong for an attacking spot in Hasenhuttl’s preferred 3-4-2-1 system to date, although he could also play up top with Ings in the 4-2-2-2 formation that the Austrian has preferred to use with his previous clubs in the past, according to Transfermarkt.

Southampton supporters have taken to social media to give their thoughts on the link with the former Sheffield United forward, and while one said “this would be a massive steal”, another simply said “love it”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Check out the video below for Emma Conybeare’s rundown of which clubs need what in the January transfer window…

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Frank Lampard was “annoyed” by David Luiz’s refusal to follow his philisophy by excessively using the long ball during Chelsea’s pre-season game against RB Salzburg. It is something that could also be an issue for Arsenal manager Unai Emery at Arsenal.

On the chalkboard

Luiz was a big part of the Blues’ pre-season and started the match against the Austrian side. Chelsea eventually ran out 5-3 winners, but Lampard was annoyed by his centre-back persistently spraying long balls instead of playing out from the back as he wanted, according to the Athletic.

The former PSG man has since moved on to Arsenal, who he joined on the final day of the summer transfer window. But for Unai Emery, Luiz’s style of play could be a similar issue moving forward.

“They have the bigger mentality” – Spurs fans come to blows after the North London Derby in the video below…

Too many long balls

The defender has always been a good passer of the ball. Last season under Maurizio Sarri, he registered a pass accuracy of 88%, and in his two full seasons with Paris-Saint Germain in Ligue 1, he averaged over 89% on both occasions.

However, his tendency to look for a more direct pass is clear for all to see. Last term, he averaged 10.5 attempted long balls a game in the Premier League, which was more than any Chelsea player other than Willy Caballero,who only started two matches. Whilst he did manage to complete six a game, he failed to land 4.5, which, bar Caballero once again, was far more than any of his teammates. At Arsenal last season, only the goalkeepers averaged more unsuccessful long balls every match.

Emery’s style is also based around being on the ball and playing from the back. His side averaged 56% possession last term, and all five of his main centre-backs were in the top six of the most passes per game completed for the Gunners. With none of them averaging more than eight attempted long balls per match, it was clearly something that they were instructed to largely avoid by their boss.

Luiz’s erratic desire to play more directly was a problem for Lampard, and it could be for Emery too. Whilst he can attempt to take this out of his game, it is hard to teach old dogs new tricks.

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West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Ludovic Ajorque to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by French media outlet Foot Mercato, who claimed that David Moyes and his Hammers transfer team are closely monitoring the Strasbourg centre-forward ahead of a potential swoop this month.

However, the report added that the Ligue 1 side will unlikely want to part with the 27-year-old in the current transfer window, although they could be tempted with an offer for the Frenchman at the end of the season.

Haller replacement

Since the £20m sale of Sebastien Haller last January, West Ham have been operating with only Michail Antonio as an out-and-out centre-forward, so it is clear to see that Moyes is in desperate need of a replacement for the Ivory Coast international this month.

When taking into account just how impressive Ajorque has been in France this season, in addition to the 6 foot 6 striker’s physical similarities to that of the 6 foot 3 Haller, the 27-year-old would very much appear to be a fantastic heir to the Ajax forward in the Irons’ squad.

Indeed, over his 18 Ligue 1 appearances in the current campaign, the £13.5m-rated marksman has been in exceptional form for Strasbourg, having already bagged 10 goals – with only Lille’s Jonathan David having scored more in the division – registered six assists and created seven big chances for his teammates, as well as taking 1.9 shots and making 1.3 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the £14k-per-week forward average an astonishing SofaScore match rating of 7.30, not only ranking him as his club’s best performer in the league, but also as the joint 10th-best player in the whole of Ligue 1.

As such, it is clear for all to see that the player who Strasbourg boss Julien Stephan dubbed a “complete” striker would make a brilliant addition to West Ham’s current attacking options, leading us to believe that Moyes and the Hammers board must do all they can to get a deal over the line for the 27-year-old this month.

In other news: Exciting “behind the scenes” West Ham transfer update emerges; fans will be buzzing

Everton are reportedly now in a fight with as many as 11 other clubs to sign Tete this summer.

The Lowdown: Uncertainty

It has been reported that Brazilian players at Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk, including Tete, are now potentially looking to terminate their contracts at the club, after Russia’s invasion of the country.

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However, the Premier League are set to block the use of FIFA and UEFA’s approved window for foreign players in Russia and Ukraine to find new clubs mid-season, meaning that players like Tete would only be able to join a club in the English top flight in the summer.

The Latest: 12-way battle

As per 90min, the Goodison Park faithful are now among 11 other teams who are keen on signing Tete, including Southampton, Brentford, Brighton and Hove Albion, Leicester City and West Ham United from the Premier League.

AC Milan, Atalanta, Napoli, Porto, Benfica and Ajax are also interested in his signature, although the news outlet suggests that the Saints are the firm favourites.

The Verdict: Bargain

Given that Tete is currently rated at £18m, to potentially get him for free, should he end up terminating his contract at Shakhtar, would prove to be a real bargain.

The winger has scored ten goals and made a further two assists in total over all competitions so far this campaign, including a goal and an assist to help his side qualify for the UEFA Champions League (Transfermarkt), and so could be a really good squad option to have for Frank Lampard, should the Merseyside club manage to avoid relegation of course.

Tete is only 22 years of age as well, and so still has a lot of potential left to fulfil, and should things not quite work out with the Toffees, they could even sell him on for a profit.

Farhad Moshiri hasn’t done much right at Everton in recent years, but getting a valuable young talent for no transfer fee would certainly be a step in the right direction.

In other news, find out what ‘huge’ Blues injury boost has now emerged here!

An update has emerged regarding a transfer offer for Rangers full-back Borna Barisic.

What’s the talk?

According to The Athletic, the Gers have rejected a £2m bid from English Premier League side Watford for the Croatian left-back.

The report claims that the offer was knocked back two weeks ago and that it would take a ‘significantly’ higher bid to convince them to part ways with the 29-year-old.

Fans will be delighted

Giovanni van Bronckhorst has averted a big Rangers disaster by not selling Barisic to Watford, especially for a mere £2m. Allowing the defender to exit would have left the club in a desperate position in the full-back areas, particularly with Nathan Patterson’s exit this week.

With Calvin Bassey emerging as a strong centre-back option for the Gers, James Tavernier and Barisic are the Dutchman’s only natural full-back options as it stands. Patterson had been providing cover on both flanks of late and the club may be forced to dip into the market to replace him, which illustrates how much of a problem it would have been to sell Barisic as well as the Scotland international.

Not only would it have created issues in terms of recruitment this month, it would also have weakened the team significantly, as the Croatian has proven his quality in the Premiership for the club.

Former Gers midfielder Alex Rae previously lauded the defensive monster, saying: “He performs at good level week-in, week-out and has terrific quality in the final third of the park.”

Barisic has averaged a sublime SofaScore rating of 7.30 this season from left-back in the Premiership, providing two assists in the process. Last term, he averaged a score of 7.40 and racked up six assists as he created 2.2 chances per game for his teammates.

This shows that he has performed consistently over the past 18 months and is able to carry an attacking threat with his crossing from out wide. Therefore, Gers fans will be delighted that he appears set to remain at Ibrox after the club rejected Watford’s offer.

As we’ve outlined above, it would have been a disaster for Van Bronckhorst if Barisic had moved on from Glasgow this month, and the 46-year-old will surely be looking forward to having him in his team for the rest of the season, assuming there are no more twists in the transfer window. The Croatian is a key member of the champions’ line-up, and fans will surely be buzzing to keep him.

AND in other news, Jordan Campbell drops key Rangers transfer claim, Van Bronckhorst will be buzzing…