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Sheffield Wednesday confirmed on Thursday evening that teenage goalkeeper Jack Hall has signed professional terms at the club.

And, as to be expected, a number of Wednesday fans have been reacting to the news on social media.

Hall, who turned 17 earlier this month, has progressed through Wednesday’s academy and has been a regular in training in Darren Moore’s first-team squad.

He’s also featured for the club’s Under-23’s and made his England Under-18 debut during the current international break. The shot-stopper played on Monday in a 3-0 win over Russia, featuring for 45 minutes.

Hall described penning pro terms at Hillsborough as a ‘dream’, although Wednesday didn’t confirm the length of his first contract on their official website.

Wednesday fans react

Sheffield Wednesday posted the update regarding Hall on their official Twitter page, with one fan labelling it as ‘brilliant news’. This is what these supporters had to add, with many sharing their positive thoughts.

“Heard this lad got a big big future”

Credit: @Fletch19852

“Watched him for a few years when my lad was at the academy, brilliant keeper and destined for the top.”

Credit: @TonyCle13466821

“Excellent, congratulations Jack”

Credit: @nicolarowlinson

“Boom”

Credit: @NickOfTheBrown

“Brilliant news. Well done to Jack and the family. Dedicated and deserved.”

Credit: @LeeNobl60846790

“Learning from mistakes finally”

Credit: @RamblersAnonym1

While Valerien Ismael’s West Bromwich Albion side currently find themselves sitting in second place in the Championship standings, having picked up 15 points over their opening seven fixtures of the season, the Baggies’ recent form will be a cause for concern for the Frenchman.

Indeed, after labouring to a 1-1 draw against Millwall last weekend, West Brom once again struggled to break down lower-league opposition in the shape of Derby County in mid-week, with Albion failing to score at The Hawthorns for the first time this season in a 0-0 draw with Wayne Rooney’s side.

As such, the 45-year-old Baggies boss will undoubtedly be hoping for a return to winning ways on Saturday, with a trip to 14th placed Preston North End on the cards for the promotion hopefuls.

So, will Ismael make any changes to the side who started last time out against the Rams? Here’s how we think West Brom could line up against the Lilywhites, along with the latest team and injury news…

With Matt Clarke and Dara O’Shea remaining sidelined due to injury, and Kean Bryan looking as if he is not ready for first-team action just yet – with the defender having played 45 minutes for West Brom U23s on Friday evening – we expect Ismael to stick with the back five that started the 0-0 draw with Derby on Tuesday.

This means that Conor Townsend retains his place as part of the Frenchman’s back three, while Adam Reach also keeps his spot in the starting XI at left wing-back.

In midfield, the established first-choice duo of Alex Mowatt and Jake Livermore look set to once again start, while Darnell Furlong retains his place on the right.

However, considering the availability of certain players, and the fact that defence has not particularly been an issue for a side who have conceded just once in their last three league fixtures, perhaps it was to be expected that there would be no changes to Ismael’s back eight for the trip to Deepdale.

Indeed, it is in attack where we think the 45-year-old will tinker, with the Frenchman making two changes – the first of which is the £30k-per-week Karlan Grant – who is without a goal since the 3-2 win over Luton Town back in August and missed a penalty against Millwall – and the second Callum Robinson – who was largely ineffective following his return from illness and being withdrawn at half-time against Derby.

In their place, the two players who replaced the duo against the Rams come in to start against Preston, with Matt Phillips taking the spot of Grant on the right-wing, while the 29-year-old Jordan Hugill is awarded his first Championship start since joining the club on a season-long loan from Norwich City earlier this summer.

In other news: Ismael must unleash “quality” £36k-p/w West Brom beast today, he’d terrify Preston

Manchester United were dumped out of the Carabao Cup in the third round after West Ham gained revenge for Sunday’s last-minute Premier League defeat.

Manuel Lanzini’s early strike, his first in almost 12 months, was enough to see off a lacklustre Red Devils side who made a full 11 changes from the weekend’s victory.

Not even the second-half introductions of Bruno Fernandes and Mason Greenwood could swing the game in the host’s favour, but one player struggled more than most on a disappointing night at Old Trafford.

Anthony Martial was tasked with leading the line for United; his first start since an underwhelming performance in the second game of the season saw him substituted after an hour against Southampton.

But the 25-year-old failed to grasp his opportunity to impress. As per SofaScore, he received a match rating of just 6.9 out of 10, highlighting his ineffectiveness in front of goal.

The France international won just three of his nine duels during the 90 minutes as he constantly struggled to hold the ball up against the physically imposing Issa Diop and Craig Dawson.

As a result, Martial only had 36 touches, one shot on target and failed to make any key passes, illustrating his lack of productivity in the final third and how the visitors kept him at bay with ease.

He failed to make his mark on proceedings in midweek and will now have to wait patiently on the sideline for another chance at redemption.

The result will come as a bitter blow for Manchester United and Solskjaer, as it ends their hopes of securing the first available silverware of the season and ending the wait for a major trophy that stretches back to 2017.

And, in other news…Murtough must seal MUFC move for “phenomenal” £49.5m-rated maestro, Ole would love him 

Aston Villa are said to be interested in signing Sheffield United starlet Daniel Jebbison in this summer transfer window.

What’s the story?

According to TEAMtalk, Dean Smith’s side are one of a number of teams who are interested in landing the 18-year-old from the Blades this summer.

The report adds that fellow Premier League side Everton have already seen a bid rejected for the teenage centre-forward and that they are ready to make another offer to sign him.

If Johan Lange could pull off a deal for Jebbison, then it could well be the end for this man…

Bye-bye Wesley

With Wesley on his way back to his native Belgium to play for Club Bruges on a season-long loan, the writing could be on the wall for the big Brazilian.

The 6 foot 3 Jebbison is equally a powerhouse of a striker, and at just 18, has all the time in the world to become better than Wesley and overtake him in the pecking order were he to come back to Villa.

Hailed as a “shining light” by former Manchester City star Micah Richards following his breakthrough last season, Jebbison really found the headlines after he scored against Everton – in fact, his goal meant he became the youngest player in Premier League history to score on his first start in the top-flight.

Quite crucially, his attitude appears to be spot-on as well, and that should be music to the ears of Smith and co.

His former manager at Chorley, Jamie Vermiglio, said: “Jebbo was on loan with us but missed the train before his debut against Chester. It meant he had to get a taxi all the way across.

“Cost him an absolute bomb. About £180, all out of his own pocket. But the main thing is he wasn’t late. To me, that showed what the lad is all about. Some lads in his position at a Premier League academy might have just sacked it off.

“Players do turn their nose up all the time at travelling to Chorley and dropping down four or five leagues to play. But not him. That’s why he made such a good impression here, despite not being with us for very long.”

Given his height, age and potential, Jebbison arrival, if this deal goes through, could be the final nail in the coffin for Wesley’s long-term career at Villa Park.

Meanwhile, Villa must sign this EURO 2020 star…

According to Sky Sports, Celtic are still in ongoing talks to sign Royal Antwerp defender Aurelio Buta but are now ‘preparing’ a fresh £4.5m bid for his services.

The Lowdown: Hoops in Buta discussions…

After agreeing a deal to sign Carl Starfelt from Rubin Kazan, Celtic have since been in talks over a move for Buta as Fabrizio Romano first reported last month (Twitter).

The 24-year-old speedster has been the subject of heavy interest from Ange Postecoglou’s side for nearly a month with even more new signings being confirmed since they first entered negotiations.

Indeed, Joe Hart and James McCarthy have come through the Parkhead door in that time, but Sky have now brought news of Celtic’s unwavering determination to land Buta.

The Latest: Celtic plot fresh £4.5m offer…

As per the reliable broadcast giant, Celtic are believed to be preparing a new bid of around £4.5m to finally secure his services this summer.

However, as explained, Antwerp may value him at an even higher price and that could force The Bhoys to turn to alternative full-back targets.

Talks remain ongoing over Buta with new boss Postecoglou fully expecting more arrivals through the door.

Sky reiterate that, if these discussions end unsuccessfully, Celtic hold an interest in Croatian right-back Josip Juranovic but could face stiff competition from abroad.

The Verdict: Move on?

Buta can play a variety of roles out wide, having been deployed at both right-back and right-midfield in his career, but Antwerp’s stubbornness in talks could mean Celtic should consider moving on – especially if they don’t accept a possible £4.5m offer.

The Portugal youth international, on a reported £234,000-per-year salary at the Bosuilstadion (Salary Sport), made 19 Jupiler Pro League appearances last campaign and bagged three assists from out wide (Transfermarkt).

While his versatility and attacking threat could prove a useful asset for Postecoglou, he arguably isn’t worth breaking the bank for either.

In other news: Celtic in talks to sign yet another defender, this time from the Premier League…find out more here.

Manchester City’s Premier League title defence got off to a nightmare start as they were beaten 1-0 by Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Pep Guardiola was forced to play a number of fringe players in North London due to a large proportion of his first-team only recently returning from holidays after international duty, and other than a bright opening 15 minutes, the Citizens were very much second best on Sunday afternoon.

Heung-Min Son’s second-half goal, a left-footed strike from outside of the box that perhaps would have been saved by Ederson if not for a poor attempt at a block from Ruben Dias, was enough to separate the two sides and ensure that City endured another defeat without a goal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Although there were a number of poor performances from those in sky blue, Benjamin Mendy’s display at left-back once again emphasised that he should not be starting for Manchester City anymore.

As per SofaScore, the former Monaco man would earn a poor 6.5 rating for his display against Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, which was the joint-worst of any outfield City player on Sunday afternoon.

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During his time on the pitch, the French defender would be dribbled past on four occasions, which was the most of any defender on the pitch, and more than every other City defender combined.

For comparison, Joao Cancelo on the right-hand side would earn an impressive 7.7 rating despite the defeat, and wasn’t dribbled past once, which again emphasises just how poor Mendy is at defending.

Lucas Moura gave the 27-year-old a torrid time and ensured that he couldn’t get forward nearly as much as he normally does, whilst his crosses were also nowhere near their usual standard, as just one out of the eight he attempted during the game was accurate.

The Frenchman would also win just four out 14 duels during the game, resulting in a less than impressive 29% success rate, so it was no surprise to see him replaced by Oleksandr Zinchenko with just over 10 minutes left.

[freshpress-quiz id=“577936”]

If City have title aspirations this season then they cannot risk playing Mendy in these sorts of fixtures, as he is clearly a defensive liability.

And, in other news… Man City dealt decisive transfer blow with “world-class” beast, Pep surely fuming

JustJoe Football ShowJustJoe Football Show presenter Joe Wainman would go along with Illan Meslier and Patrick Bamford signing new contracts being the best bits of business for Leeds this summer, when speaking prior to Dan James’ last-minute move.

21-year-old goalkeeper Meslier put pen to paper on a five-year-deal, keeping with the Elland Rad outfit until the summer of 2026.

The Leeds United shot-stopper was in inspired form last season for the Whites, keeping eleven clean sheets in 35 matches and helping his side finish ninth in the Premier League table.

It wasn’t just clean sheets which helped Leeds have a superb campaign last season, striker Patrick Bamford was the club’s leading goalscorer in the Premier League with 17 goals and this made him the fourth top goalscorer in the top flight also.

The 27-year-old also penned a five-year deal at Elland Road alongside Meslier and when asked if this was the best business of the transfer window for Leeds, Wainman told Football FanCast: “You could say that yeah, definitely. I’d go along with that.”

Leeds got their first point of the season on the board last weekend against Everton after a 2-2 draw and they will be hoping that they can put a good run of form together and replicate last season with a top ten finish.

Michael Ball has urged Rangers to add experience to their defence by signing free agent Gary Cahill.

The former England international is currently without a club having left Crystal Palace when his contract expired at the end of last month.

Although Palace were reportedly keen to hand Cahill a new deal, Tom Barclay – a reporter at the Sun – alleged the 35-year-old turned down the offer and the Eagles were unable to meet his wage demands.

Champions Rangers, who will begin their title defence when the new Scottish Premiership season gets underway this weekend, are looking to pounce on the uncertainty and take Cahill to Ibrox by offering a £35,000-per-week contract.

Gers boss Steven Gerrard played with Cahill at international level and has not shied away from signing former team-mates, including Jermain Defoe, in the past.

Ex-Rangers left-back Ball has backed Gerrard to sign Cahill as long as the move makes financial sense.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, he said: “Gary Cahill’s Premier League experience is second to none.

“What he would bring to Rangers, in terms of his experience, would be fantastic.

“It’s just a case of whether the financial package will be suitable for both parties.”

Newcastle United have not held any talks over potentially re-signing Valentino Lazaro, Shields Gazette journalist Liam Kennedy insists.

The lowdown

It was reported by Gazzetta Dello Sport (via Sport Witness) on Monday that negotiations over a potential comeback were underway.

Inter Milan’s Lazaro spent the latter half of the 2019/20 campaign on loan at St James’ Park, earning four Premier League starts and nine substitute appearances.

He remains on the Serie A champions’ books but was sent to Bundesliga outfit Borussia Monchengladbach last term.

Lazaro, who played one game for Austria at the European Championships, still has three years left on his Inter contract and is valued at £9million by Transfermarkt.

The latest

Kennedy reports that Newcastle are yet to open talks with Inter over a deal, nor have they made contact with the player and his representatives ‘so far this summer’.

He does, though, corroborate the claim that Lazaro would be open to returning to Tyneside.

Still, there ought to be ‘scepticism’ over whether Newcastle’s stance has changed 12 months on from deciding against a permanent move.

The verdict

Interestingly, Gazzetta’s report mentioned that Lazaro had ‘admirers’ in Germany on the back of his stint at Monchengladbach. Perhaps these believable rumours have been spun by his agent in an attempt to draw a better offer from the speedster’s Bundesliga suitors.

But what if Newcastle are genuinely considering it? Well, a report from The Mirror (via The Mag) suggested that Matt Ritchie was keen to leave this summer, and Lazaro could be viewed as both a sensible and familiar replacement.

Like Ritchie, he is valuably versatile, capable of operating up and down the flank, so perhaps we could yet see a move if Ritchie does depart.

In other news, Steve Howey has placed a value on Joe Willock.  

We always knew that the summer of 2021 had the potential to witness a mass exodus for Celtic.

However, for the time being, the Hoops have managed to keep some of their star men at Parkhead.

What’s the word?

Kristoffer Ajer continues to be at war with the club over his future at Paradise but his future looks as though it could be sorted soon.

He was angry with the Bhoys for backing down on promises and not allowing him to leave this summer but they’ve finally caved in and accepted an offer of £13.5m from Brentford.

Odsonne Edouard has also been tipped to head for the exit door but one player that we thought was never in danger of leaving was Callum McGregor.

However, according to Mark Guidi, there is a chance he could head south of the border.

The reporter was speaking on Go Radio and shared the following news about McGregor’s future:

“Some people have told me that Callum McGregor still has an itch to go down south and try the English Premier League, which is totally understandable.

“Now, and if that’s the case, then there needs to be an honest conversation with him and with his representatives. An approximate transfer fee would need to be established, but maybe the captaincy will swing it, maybe it won’t.

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“Maybe he’ll just think if ever there was a time to leave the club, in terms of everything happening, then it will be now.

“He did fancy it, a couple years ago, Brendan Rodgers would have taken them in a heartbeat but Celtic sold Kieran Tierney. I think if he became available, then Brendan Rodgers would certainly have a tickle. I’m just giving out information that I’m aware of.”

Big blow

After the departure of Scott Brown to Aberdeen it would be an almighty blow to lose McGregor as well.

The central midfielder has been tipped to be the new club captain and within just a few days of being at the club, Ange Postecoglou hailed the Scot as an “outstanding” footballer.

With that in mind, the new head coach clearly rates him. His performances have also been solid in pre-season as well.

That comes after McGregor impressed for Scotland at Euro 2020, scoring the nation’s only goal in a defeat to Croatia.

The 28-year-old was relatively inconsistent last season, something his mindless red card against Rangers back in May told us. Already on a booking, the Scot dove in on Glen Kamara after just 26 minutes and was given his marching orders.

That said, he is a leader of men and someone the young players coming through can look up to.

If McGregor does head for the departure lounge, it would surely come as a frustration to fans as well.

They’ve been speaking highly of him in pre-season with a number of supporters hailing the midfielder for his performances. After the 0-0 draw with Bristol City, one fan said he looked sharp and should be back to his best next term.

Another individual claimed he was superb against the Robins while others praised his captaincy material.

Consequently, the Hoops would be foolish to sanction an exit. They must keep him in Glasgow for at least another season.

AND in other news, Celtic begin talks to sign “talented” £2.2m-rated machine, Ange really needs him…