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This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…

If a midfield player hits seven goals in one season, you could say that they had a fairly successful campaign.

And if those goals come from a young player you may expect them to develop even further and become pivotal for their side in the following campaign, but that is not true of Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse.

The academy graduate scored seven goals in 26 appearances in the 2018/19 campaign, where he looked a good bet to kick on and carry his impressive form into the 2019/20 season.

However, the 24-year-old has struggled in the early parts of the season, especially in his new right attacking-midfield role in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s 4-2-2-2 system.

The midfielder lacks pace, so he is unable to burn down the flank on the outside of defenders, whereas his chance creation and goalscoring instincts have recently been non-existent.

He didn’t have a single shot or dribble in the games against Brighton and Manchester United – as we previously outlined when tipping him to be a causality of the 4-2-2-2 formation – while his only goal contribution so far this season has been from the penalty spot against Bournemouth.

Additionally, a lot of Southampton fans on Twitter took aim at him for his performance in the 4-1 defeat to Chelsea at St Mary’s recently.

In the 1-1 draw against Wolves last time out however, the England U21 international showed signs of promise.

Having previously struggled on the right, Ward-Prowse lined up in the same role, albeit this time in a 3-4-2-1 formation.

In this instance, the 5 foot 8 man was effective. He had two shots at goal, both of which were on target, whilst Ward-Prowse also made three key passes against Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.

Having previously recorded a grand total of zero contributions in both of those departments against the Seagulls and the Red Devils – as aforesaid – his performance in the Midlands served to suggest that Ward-Prowse is slowly adapting to the role and can be an influential figure there.

Hasenhuttl has stuck by him, and he may be about to get his reward for doing so – if Ward-Prowse’s showing at Molineux was anything to go by, that is.

Loads of Tottenham Hotspur supporters have been reacting on social media by sharing their sheer joy in news that Moussa Sissoko has penned a two-year contract extension with the North London outfit.

The France midfielder has put pen to paper on a deal that will keep him at Spurs until the summer of 2023, at which point he will be 34-years-old.

Sissoko joined Tottenham from Newcastle United in 2016 on a five-year, £80,000-a-week contract (Spotrac) as part of a £30million (BBC) deal, which saw the North Londoners beat interest from Everton to seal his transfer on Deadline Day alongside Georges-Kevin Nkoudou.

Le Blanc-Mesnil-born Sissoko struggled to establish himself at White Hart Lane upon his arrival, starting just eight Premier League fixtures in a campaign where the midfielder featured 34 times across all competitions – playing 1,307 minutes (TransferMarkt).

It was not until last season when Sissoko would nail down a regular place in the starting line-up under Mauricio Pochettino, as he played 44 times across all competitions for a total of 3,403 minutes – including a run between October 6, 2018 and April 13, 2019 where he missed one top-flight encounter, which came through a groin strain.

Sissoko also featured in each of Spurs’ Carabao Cup clashes last term, and in each Champions League fixture following Tottenham’s 2-1 win at home to PSV Eindhoven in the group stage as they went on to reach the final in Madrid.

Pochettino has continued to rely on the 56-cap international in the current campaign, too, with the 30-year-old named in every Premier League starting XI to date.

Many Spurs supporters have been quick to note the turnaround Sissoko has enjoyed in his career when their side announced his two-year contract extension on Twitter, in a post featuring a video paying homage to the song sung by Tottenham’s fanbase.

Here are a selection of the messages shared in response…

Some Charlton fans on Twitter are torn over their views on academy graduate Scott Parker, as they react to his comments ahead of Fulham’s game against the Addicks.Parker, now manager of the Cottagers, came through the Charlton academy before leaving for another London side Chelsea in a deal worth £10m back in 2004.

The Charlton boss at the time, Alan Curbishley, expressed his disappointment with Parker’s decision, saying: “The bottom line is that Scott, from the moment he heard Chelsea were interested, has not wanted to play for us and has been totally not focused on what he has been doing.”

A few Charlton fans still hold that ill-feeling towards Parker, with one supporter below saying that the Fulham boss deserves all the stick he gets – it will be interesting to see what reception the former England international gets on Saturday.

Ahead of Saturday’s game, Parker said: “This is a club that was a large part of my life. I hold Charlton in nothing but high regard.”

While a few fans don’t seem to have forgiven Parker, a few others have expressed their love for him below – the 38-year-old really does seem to be a divisive figure amongst the fanbase.

Let’s take a look at some of the Twitter reaction…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Samuel Umtiti’s Barcelona career has unfortunately taken a swift tumble. Ever since his career was disrupted by serious knee problems, the great Frenchman’s game time has diminished greatly.

And with the news that he has once again been sidelined, maybe the time has finally arrived for Jean-Clair Todibo to assume a bigger role within the Blaugrana squad.

But Umtiti hasn’t always plagued by these fitness problems. It all started in 2018 with his first serious knee injury and since then the Frenchman has refused to have surgery to fix the issue, instead opting for alternative treatments.

And it seems that that decision has come back to haunt him as he hasn’t been able to completely shake the injury ever since.

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To make things even worse, Umtiti has also been struck by the infamous “FIFA virus” and suffered another setback during his outing with France just recently. This time, though, it’s his foot that’s proven problematic rather than his knee.

With all those injury problems, Barcelona might have a real conundrum to face but, luckily, there is still someone who can take over from Umtiti and finally make a big step up.

And it wouldn’t be the first time they tampered with the pecking order in their defence. Ever since Umtiti’s injuries have come to light, Barcelona have reshuffled the cards at centre-back. At first, Umtiti and Gerard Pique were the two designated starters but soon Clement Lenglet took over from Umtiti as the 25-year-old started experiencing issues with his knee.

But even with that being said, Umtiti was still the third-choice centre-back and, as such, he played 14 games last season in La Liga and started a total of 13 of those. Todibo, on the other hand, only played two in 2018/19 – the only two games in his Barcelona career so far.

His lack of opportunities made it clear that he would be limited to the role of fourth choice centre-back. It was a rather weird move by Barcelona, who were betting on an injury-prone player rather than putting some trust into the young 19-year-old talent.

Back then there still may have been some lingering optimism regarding Umtiti’s issues but now, with yet another injury coming his way, it is time to start investing into Todibo instead.

Having such a talented player rotting on the bench because of Umtiti should not be acceptable. If the former Lyon enforcer was fit and firing on all cylinders, then there would be no dispute at all.

But with the situation being as it currently is and Umtiti unfortunately spending more time in the stands than on the pitch, Blaugrana might want to reshuffle the deck once again.

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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…

This Tuesday night Barcelona travel to Signal Iduna Park for their Champions League opener against Borussia Dortmund.

And by the looks of it, the clash is shaping up to be a pulsating one that very well may be decided by either of the team’s respective forwards: Antoine Griezmann for the Blaugrana and Jadon Sancho for the German hosts.

On the chalkboard

When Barcelona meet Dortmund this Tuesday, it’s likely to rain goals. If we can learn anything from both team’s opening four fixtures in their respective leagues, then it’s the fact that they are capable of hitting the back of the net on a consistent basis.

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Barcelona have scored a total of 12 goals thus far and Borussia Dortmund have one more in the bank, having scored 13 in four matches. Suffice to say, so far, they both have their shooting boots on. For that reason, it’s very likely that the club’s respective forwards will decide the game.

Both Griezmann and Sancho have been pretty clinical in front of goal as of late, and they will have to be again later this week if they want to get off on the right foot in Europe’s premier club competition.

Griezmann vs Sancho

On paper, both of these stars have been shining for their teams in La Liga and the Bundesliga respectively.

Griezmann has scored two goals and assisted a further two in four games so far, and Sancho has an even better record. The 19-year-old has bagged two, just like the Frenchman, but has also added four assists.

Sancho also has two key passes on average per game, while Griezmann has 1.3. The Frenchman, however, edges the young Englishman out in shots per game with 3.3 vs 1.5. Sancho, though, has 3.5 dribbles per game as opposed to Griezmann’s 1.3.

Either way, this battle could be key to deciding which team will come out on top in Germany.

Ernesto Valverde will, therefore, be hoping that Griezmann arrives at his brilliant best and shows just what he can on the biggest stage of them all; Lucien Favre will be expecting the same of his England international.

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[ad_pod ]Newcastle fans have taken to Twitter excitedly after The Chronicle broke the news that Atlanta playmaker Miguel Almiron’s move to Tyneside is back on and looks close to completion, after talks stalled on a deal earlier in the month.The 24-year-old helped Atlanta become Major League Soccer champions last season, scoring 12 goals and recording 14 assists in 32 league startsÂ(via ESPN) as he truly put his name up in lights.Magpies boss Rafa Benitez has been crying out for Mike Ashley to put his hand in his pocket and sign some players, and have even plunged his future at St James’ Park into doubt if he does not get his wish, according to The Telegraph.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…However, it now appears as if the former Liverpool and Chelsea manager has got his wish, with a reported club-record £20.5m deal close to being signed off as reported by The Guardian’s Ed Aarons on his official Twitter account.

Naturally, Magpies’ supporters are ecstatic after their transfer record looks to finally be broken after several years, if their reactions on Twitter are anything to go by…

Hugo Lloris has admitted that he feels Tottenham Hotspur do not quite have what the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool have in terms of competing for the Premier League title.

It would seem the France World Cup winner suggested that consistency was a problem and was an area that needed working on if they were to challenge the two aforementioned clubs in the race for England’s top-flight.

Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “Liverpool and Man City have the experience and they are really competitive.

“I think, at the moment, there’s something missing from us. We will see later in the season because things turn very quickly in football.

“The most important thing is we focus on ourselves, to get points, to get consistency in the league. And we will see where we are in the table in April, in March.”

Consistency appears to have been somewhat a bit of a problem for Tottenham as Mauricio Pochettino’s side appear to have struggled at times to get the results they will have wanted.

Indeed, consistency has been an issue for them already this season as well, having already suffered a defeat to Newcastle United, although they did take points from their games against Arsenal and the defending Premier League champions already.

According to a report by 90min.com prior to the north London derby draw with Arsenal, Spurs had managed to take just 15 points from their previous 15 matches in the Premier League, with just Watford and Brighton and Hove Albion with poorer form.

That record is evidently not good enough for where Tottenham want to be, or are even supposed to be in the Premier League and hardly seems to be something that can be associated with a club that reached the Champions League final last season.

To put Manchester City and Liverpool in the same comparison, they almost tripled their total in the same time period, having amassed 43 and 41 points respectively.

Lloris is right in suggesting that consistency is an area that Tottenham need to work on and is something that needs to be improved if they are to have any chance of catching the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool and staying with them in the race for the Premier League title.

Indeed, there could be an argument that the two aforementioned sides have more depth and quality available to them, however it takes a sheer amount of quality to get to the Champions League final, so there may not be as much of an argument as many might want to make.

Tottenham fans, do you agree with Lloris’ remarks? Let us know your thoughts by sharing them in the comments section below!

West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Sam Johnstone has dropped an update on his future at The Hawthorns amid his links with a move away from the club in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

In recent comments cited by the Express & Star, the 28-year-old revealed that he is desperate to make a return to the Premier League, with West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton and Newcastle United having all been linked with a move for the England international this winter.

Speaking about his future, Johnstone said: “There was a lot of talk in the summer. It [a transfer] just didn’t happen and we are focused on doing our best to get promoted back up this year. I see the speculation and there’s nothing I can do about it. It’s out of my control but I want to be back playing in the Premier League.”

Fans will be sweating

Considering just how impressive Johnstone has been for West Brom in recent seasons, the goalkeeper coming out and openly admitting that he is desperate to be playing Premier League football again – during a transfer window, no less – will undoubtedly have left Baggies fans sweating.

Indeed, since his £6.5m move to The Hawthorns back in 2018, Johnstone has been a rock between the Albion sticks, earning seasonal SofaScore match ratings of 6.87, 6.84 and 7.03 in 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21 respectively, as well as averaging a SofaScore match rating of 6.82 over his 24 Championship appearances in the current campaign.

Furthermore, the £32.5k-per-week ‘keeper has also kept a whopping 41 clean sheets over his 155 appearances for the Baggies, not far off averaging a shut out once in every three fixtures he has played for the club.

As such, it is clear to see just how important the 28-year-old is to Valerien Ismael’s West Brom side, as well as how devastating it would be for the Baggies’ automatic promotion hopes were the England international to leave the club this month.

In other news: West Brom handed double fitness boost ahead of QPR clash, Ismael will be buzzing

Leeds United will not target a new striker this month…

What’s the word?

That’s according to the ever-reliable Graham Smyth of the Yorkshire Evening Post, who delivered a fresh update on the Whites’ plans heading into the final week of the transfer window.

‘Bielsa did welcome both Joe Gelhardt and Tyler Roberts back from the treatment room at the weekend to bolster his attacking options, although neither started as Daniel James occupied the lone striker role.

‘Their return, along with that of Rodrigo who on Saturday played his first 90 minutes since September, mean Bielsa will not be asking for a new striker in the remainder of the January transfer window,’ he revealed in a recent column for the website.

Risky plan

This is a very risky decision from Bielsa and the club.

Of course, it would be hugely surprising to see the bring in many additions – if any at all – during the mid-season window because it’s not something that they have ever really done.

For instance, a midfielder is high on the agenda but they have not signed one since January 2018, some four years ago.

However, as we’ve seen regularly this season, injuries have persisted to rip through the playing squad, particularly upfront, where Bielsa has been without his star man Patrick Bamford for much of the year.

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Indeed, the England international has missed 17 of their last 18 matches with a string of problems, ranging from ankle and hamstring injuries to his latest, a foot issue.

He has now missed as many games as goals scored in the Premier League last season and his absence in the final third has been evident – not at least because he’s the only senior centre-forward.

Raphinha (eight) is the only player to have found the net more than four times, whilst it’s been on academy gem Gelhardt and wingers Jack Harrison and James to fill the void, to not much of an effect.

If Bamford does return in due course and goes and picks up another injury, it’ll leave Bielsa back at square one in dealing with this problem, whereas any signed backup could fill in again.

The Yorkshiremen are by no means out of the relegation dogfight just yet, so this news should leave much of the Elland Road faithful worried, if not furious, heading into the final five days of the window.

United badly need additions and it doesn’t seem like that is going to happen.

AND in other news, Leeds could secure Bielsa a bargain Aaronson alternative in £22.5m-rated “phenomenon”…

A major update has emerged on Rangers defender Calvin Bassey’s availability for the Ibrox giants over the next two months…

What’s the latest?

The Gers beast could have missed a number of games after the winter break due to the African Cup of Nations, but the Glasgow Times reports that he has been left out of the Nigeria squad for the competition.

Joe Aribo and Leon Balogun are both set to jet off to play for their country and will miss, among other games, an Old Firm clash with Celtic at the start of February. Bassey, meanwhile, will now be able to feature in that derby matchup.

Fans will love it

Fans will surely love this news as it could be a major boost to the Gers heading into the Premiership schedule after the break ends. Depending on how far Nigeria go in the competition, Aribo and Balogun look set to miss a few games, but Bassey will now be available for selection barring suspension or injury.

This will delight the supporters as he has been in fine form in recent weeks since moving to centre-back from his more natural left-back role. He has played nine games times Gio van Bronckhorst took over at the club and the Gers have kept seven clean sheets in those matches.

Bassey has recorded one SofaScore rating lower than 6.9 in the last nine outings, which came against Lyon in a 1-1 draw in the Europa League. This shows that he has been consistently delivering excellent performances, as eight of his nine appearances have ended with him putting in an impressive showing.

The Dutch head coach praised the defender towards the start of his reign, saying:

“I’ve been really impressed. Calvin’s a really talented defender. Normally he plays in the left-back position but doesn’t have much experience in the centre back area. So I’m really happy with his performances so far. I think he has the physical ability to play there.

“We will help him a lot in that position, when he has to pass, when he has to dribble, the positioning he has to take when the other defender has got the ball.

“He’s a player who is very open to learning, and he gives a lot of energy to the team.”

These quotes from the retired left-back and Bassey’s statistics in recent weeks show why his availability will be a big boost for the club.

Fans will love to see him in action again after the break as he has been showing that he can be a top player for the side at centre-back and, hopefully, he can continue his form throughout the rest of the season and in the future.

AND in other news, “I’m sure”: Reporter drops exciting Rangers transfer claim that’ll leave fans buzzing…