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Danny Mills has been discussing Illan Meslier following his agent speaking quite openly on a Leeds United podcast recently.

Mills fumes at agent

The goalkeeper’s agent insisted there are some “top clubs” taking an interest in the young player. Speaking to Football Insider, Mills said: “His agent is just stirring things up saying ‘I want a better deal because there are other people sniffing around.’ You know what? Agents should just pipe down.

“We’ve all been there, we’ve all done it. I’ve done it myself. All of sudden a story emerges in one of the newspapers saying ‘such and such are going to offer this amount a week and another club is interested.’

“He’s got a lot of potential but he’s still a young goalkeeper. He’s still in his first season in the Premier League. He’s been good but he’s not been off the scale.”

Agents showing their ugly side again

Meslier has been inconsistent this season, making two errors leading to goals in his first campaign in the top flight, but showing superb form at other times.

In the 25 appearances he has made in the Premier League, he has helped the club pick up 11 wins as he has made 99 saves, and kept eight clean sheets (Premier League), hardly a poor start for such a young player.

He is only 21 years-old, and this is quite a young age for a goalkeeper, but Marcelo Bielsa clearly has complete faith in him.

Mills is right to be disappointed in the agent as well – the £10.80m-rated ace is in a great position playing consistently in a great division, and so his agent should be a bit more careful with what he says next time.

In other news, the club have been linked to this Championship player!

David Moyes will not find his Youssef En-Nesyri alternative in Anthony Lozano amid claims West Ham United are considering a move to sign the Cadiz CF striker.

What’s the word?

According to Goal, the Irons have turned their attention to Lozano’s potential availability after Sevilla forward En-Nesyri declared he had no intentions of leaving his La Liga side this month.

Lozano is one of a number of options the Hammers have since turned to in search of a replacement for Sebastien Haller, with talks also said to have taken place with FC Girondins de Bordeaux over Sunderland product Josh Maja.

Cadiz are reluctant to part ways with Lozano mid-way through the season but will grant the 27-year-old a move should they receive offers worth at least €10m (£9m), as the sum would simply be too good for the Nuevo Estadio Ramon de Carranza natives to turn down.

Lozano, who only boasts a TransferMarkt valuation of £2.25m, has started 11 of Cadiz’s La Liga fixtures this term and made five appearances from the bench, while scoring two of his mere three goals for the season following the turn of the year.

The Royal Spanish Football Federation communicating that Lozano now has federal approval for Spanish nationality is thought to have acted as encouragement for those tracking the Honduras forward this month, including West Ham.

It has previously been speculated in the Spanish media that the Irons could offer as much as €15m (£13.5m) for Lozano, as Moyes strives to add depth behind Michail Antonio in his attacking ranks following Haller’s move to AFC Ajax.

Should West Ham sign Lozano?

Haller’s departure certainly left a hole in Moyes’ squad that the West Ham boss needs to fill before the winter market slams shut on February 1, as he can ill-afford to not replace the Ivory Coast international and see Antonio again be sidelined after two hamstring injuries.

But whether Lozano is the answer to Moyes’ problems remains to be seen, as it is very much unlikely that the 27-year-old would be anything more than an underwhelming addition doomed to fail in the Premier League.

The £7,500-per-week attacker has only scored three goals in 16 La Liga games this season, and is even underperforming with FBref data showing an expected goals of 3.8. Part of the problem for Lozano has been the timid nature of his attempts, with an expected goals per game of only 0.39 thanks to directing just 13 shots on target to date.

It is taking close to ten shots for Lozano to score in the Spanish top-flight this term due to his wayward efforts and the low frequency of his firing, while needing close to five shots to find the mark before one beats an opposition’s goalkeeper.

Lozano bringing an attacking presence beyond goals would be doubted, too, with only 0.1 assists per game – above his expected assists of 0.07. He has further made only 28 progressive carries to bring Cadiz further up the pitch, with 134 of his dribbles failing to see the Honduras international move play more than five yards with the ball at his feet.

En-Nesyri, for comparison, has struck home 12 goals in 19 La Liga games for Sevilla this season as the 23-year-old finds the net with one in every three shots taken, to see that he significantly outscores his expected goals of 6.9, per FBref.

With Moyes also playing with one centre-forward and favouring Antonio due to his high work-rate, it would be a wonder if Lozano even gets on the pitch when West Ham boast a fully-fit squad. This makes it ever more pressing that David Sullivan and Moyes walk away from any deal with Cadiz.

AND in other news, West Ham are working on a deal to sign a £13.5m-rated striker on loan…

Amid all the controversy surrounding how Jack Grealish’s injury was leaked before Aston Villa’s Premier League clash against Leicester at the weekend, it’s easy to forget that the club’s talisman may be set to miss a significant period of time.

While Villa boss Dean Smith was quick to reveal that he is hopeful the England international could be back for the game against Leeds, according to BBC Sport, “it is understood he could be out for a month”.

Whether Grealish is out for just one game or more, Smith has a big decision to make about how he goes about replacing his main man – after all, the 25-year-old has scored seven goals and provided a further 12 assists in all competitions this season.

One Villa player who could be set to benefit from Grealish’s potential absence is Jacob Ramsey.

The 19-year-old has firmly established himself as part of Smith’s first-team squad this campaign, making nine appearances in the Premier League, albeit most of them being cameo appearances off the bench.

But perhaps now is the perfect time for him to get a real chance to impress from the off, and given what people have said about him, it’s clear he’s got the talent to be an able replacement for Grealish.

Villa’s former academy manager has previously gone on record to say about Ramsey: “If he continues to match his undoubted technical ability and eye for a goal with the desire and energy to reach the next level, he will have a bright future in the game.”

In fact, Smith himself has gone on record to say that he has an “awful lot of potential”, while former Villa ace Alan Hutton has dubbed him as a “class player”.

There is no questioning that with Grealish out injured, Villa have got a major hole in their side that is difficult to fill.

But if he’s given an opportunity, Ramsey could well step up to the plate and prove to be the club’s next academy breakout, ready to be a part of this side for the next few years to come – after all, it’s only because Grealish was given a chance once upon a time that Villa are blessed with one of the Premier League’s elite talents.

Ramsey could well be Smith’s saviour.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Carlton Palmer has claimed that he thinks Owls skipper Barry Bannan will stay at Hillsborough past his current deal.

The 31-year-old is currently out-of-contract at the end of the season after what will be his sixth season in the blue and white stripes, though new manager Tony Pulis did confirm that he had offered the midfielder an extension.

He told reporters last week:

“Barry, Leesy and Reachy have all been offered new contracts. That’s something that the chairman is dealing with.”

However, it is thought that the former Palace maestro will only agree on a new two-year deal if Pulis gets backed in the January transfer window with the Owls staring down the barrel at the prospect of relegation from the Championship, as per the Mirror.

Earlier in the summer, Wednesday knocked back a ‘number of bids’ from promotion hopefuls Brentford, according to Football Insider, so Bannan may well not be short of options should he want to leave.

Although Palmer believes the Yorkshiremen have enough power to keep hold of the veteran – between the fans’ admiration for him and the £24k-per-week wages that he’s currently on…

He told FFC:

“It’s always difficult when you say ‘stay or go?’ Barry Bannan has been one of the best players there for the last few seasons.

“With all due respect, Sheffield Wednesday pays, so it’s a case of where Barry is going to go. He came from the Premier League and if I’m being honest, I think he’s just short of the Premier League.

“I think he’s a good Championship player, so where is he going to go in the Championship that’s going to pay him any more money than Sheffield Wednesday? I thought maybe Neil Warnock might have come in for him at Middlesbrough or something like that because they could pay the salary. I’m sure there will be takers in the Championship for those teams at the top.

“But as I say, Barry does love Sheffield Wednesday, the supporters have taken him to heart, and he’s earning good money there. It’ll be an interesting one. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him stay because of the options that’ll be available to him.

“I don’t think a Premier League club would come knocking for him. He’s just short of that but he’s a very good Championship player.”

This season, the Scotsman has proven to be one of Pulis’ most influential players, scoring two goals and assisting two more in 19 starts, whilst also managing to average 1.4 key passes and 1.3 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

It remains to be seen if Bannan will indeed sign on the dotted line, whilst he may well want to wait and see what division the club are in before making such a decision.

If the Bees wanted him in the summer, then he would surely not be short of options in the upper echelons of the English second-flight should the Owls go down to League One.

AND in other news, Tony Pulis must make U-turn over Sheff Weds liability not fit to wear the shirt…

In recent comments relayed by Record Sport, reported Rangers target Fashion Sakala dropped a hint about where he would like his next transfer to take him, and it appears that a move to join Steven Gerrard at Ibrox would not be his preference, which may come as a bit of a blow to the Gers.

According to Record Sport, Gerrard’s side are ‘keen to sign’ the 23-year-old KV Oostende centre-forward on a pre-contract deal, which would see him make a move to Glasgow upon the expiry of his current deal in Belgium at the end of this season.

However, the £1.08 million-rated Zambia international recently spoke out about the interest in his services and revealed that a move to the Premier League or La Liga would be his preference.

As relayed by Record Sport, he said: “Yes, there is interest from other teams. At the same time, talks are ongoing with KV Oostende about a new contract and we will see where we end up.

“If I decided to go to a new club, it would need to be somewhere I got to play every week and was content. But honestly, I am in no hurry to leave because I am happy here. Of course, if I could choose which league I would want to play in, I would pick La Liga or the English Premier League.”

Transfer Tavern Take

The comments of Sakala – who has bagged six goals and provided two assists over his 16 appearances in the Jupiler Pro League so far this season – could be seen as a blow to Rangers’ chances of landing the 23-year-old, as West Ham United and Newcastle United have also been linked with a move for the striker.

As such, it would appear that Gerrard may well have his work cut out in convincing Sakala that his club are the best option for the next move of his career, however, it would seem like the promise of regular first-team football could be used as a way to sweeten any deal.

In other Rangers news, fans were disgusted by these Hugh Keevins comments, find out more here!

According to Fabrizio Romano, free agent Mario Mandzukic turned down a move to Aston Villa recently.

What’s the story?

Having seen his time at Qatari side Al-Duhail come to an end, the Croatian striker has been on the look-out for a new club, and it’s now been suggested that Villa had actually offered him a route back into football.

Speaking on his Here We Go podcast, Romano said: “Mandzukic, in my opinion, is an amazing player and look at players like Mandzukic, like (Alexandre) Pato, like (Mario) Balotelli – they are free agents – it was crazy some years ago to see these kinds of players as free agents. He was so close to joining Manchester United one year ago, Mario Mandzukic.

“He had a bid from (the) Premier League, it was like three or four weeks ago, it was from Aston Villa. They were trying to sign him as a free agent and Mario Mandzukic said no. He also turned down an opportunity to join Bologna here in Italy, so it’s up to him. He wants an important project. He will have a lot of bids, but at the moment, with Aston Villa, he said no.”

Huge Champions League experience

At 34, Mandzukic may be in the twilight years of his career, but there’s no doubting that he would’ve brought a kind of experience and winning mentality that the current Villa squad just don’t have.

The Croatian has featured in World Cup and Champions League finals, and won trophies wherever he’s been at club level, and certainly has the kind of play that would have offered Dean Smith’s side a completely different option.

The 6 foot 3 powerhouse is a battering ram in the air, but also equally adept with his feet. It was no wonder that his former manager at Juventus, Massimiliano Allegri, said: “Mario is a key player. His combination of technical and physical attributes make him an extraordinary player.”

Villa of course saw arguably the best version of Christian Benteke in his time at Villa Park; a big man with an incredible leap but capable of some silky touches and flicks too.

Mandzukic is in a similar mould, but would have added a touch of proven quality and match-winning experience. They won’t shed tears of seeing him turn them down, but boy would it have been a great signing on a free transfer.

Daniel Levy may be open to a loan move away for Spurs ace Dele Alli in the January transfer window, according to Football Insider.

However, as per the news outlet, the chairman of Tottenham Hotspur is keen to resist offers from teams to buy the £46.8m-valued star outright, but that is not to say that he could leave the North London club on a potential loan deal for the rest of the 2020/21 term.

A recruitment source has apparently told the publication that Levy believes that Alli still has a future with the Lilywhites in the long-term, as he is reportedly likely to request a temporary move away from THFC in order to try and get some more game time under his belt, with the potential aim of making England’s Euros squad for next summer under Gareth Southgate.

The attacking midfield player is contracted until 2024 but may not be in the long-term plans of Jose Mourinho based on his lack of time on the pitch.

Alli loan move makes sense

A loan move away for Alli makes sense, given that he has not yet completed a full 90 minutes so far this season, and so moving to another side who could offer him more matches would be a wise idea in order for him to regain some confidence and form ahead of the next campaign.

One thing for sure is that the 24 year-old is a ‘fighter’, and so he will be looking to prove to himself and others just how good of a player he can be.

In other news, find out who missed his chance to impress Mourinho in the Europa League here!

Leeds United have had some transfer shockers throughout their history.

The Jean-Kevin Augustin saga could eventually prove to be one of Leeds’ worst transfers, while we’ve already spoken about why Seth Johnson is amongst Leeds’ worst buys ever, but when you’re talking about the worst sale the club have ever made, there are a fair few candidates.

A lot of these came during the time period that saw United hampered by a number of financial issues, future England international Aaron Lennon was sold for just £1m, Harry Kewell’s questionable transfer to Liverpool saw United sold short on the fee, while getting less than £1m for a prime Lee Bowyer was nothing short of criminal.

However, in the past decade, there is one sale that stands out above the rest, and Wednesday night again proved what an error Leeds made.

Of course, we’re talking about Kasper Schmeichel.

The Dane was once again in fine form for his country against England, keeping the Three Lions at bay with a clean sheet, despite facing a front three with a combined transfermarkt value of £328.5m, but what else do you expect from a Premier League-winning goalkeeper?

Schmeichel will undoubtedly go down as one of the great Premier League goalkeepers of the 2010s, being a key component in Leicester City’s unbelievable title win, while continuing to be a consistent performer as the Foxes cemented themselves as a top-half force in the league.

The 33-year-old’s one season at Leeds is easy to forget, but it shouldn’t be forgotten that he was sold against his will.

Indeed, the goalkeeper spoke of his disappointment when he found out that Leeds had accepted an offer from Leicester, but in hindsight, it was the best move of Schmeichel’s career and one of the worst sales that Leeds ever sanctioned.

United sold him in order to strengthen their goalkeeper position, with their original press release even name-dropping colossal flop Paul Rachubka as a potential replacement, but here we are a decade later and United have only recently stopped faffing around with dodgy goalies such as Felix Weidwald, Bailey Peacock-Farrell and Kiko Casilla.

Schmeichel again proved his quality last night by keeping England at bay, but that’s nothing that we haven’t already seen over the past five years of his career.

The Premier League’s most in-form striker this season, Newcastle will have to be at the top of their game on Sunday to stop Everton star Dominic Calvert-Lewin from running riot.

The England international has bagged an incredible seven goals in just six league games, but did draw a blank in the Toffees’ last fixture against Southampton, and will now doubt be raring to get back on the goal trail.

After watching him net a towering header in the Merseyside derby against Liverpool, Newcastle legend Alan Shearer couldn’t help but admit that he was left in awe of the striker’s display.

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Speaking on Match of the Day, he said: “Wow. Put it in the box he’s going to get on the end of it, get off it (Andrew) Robertson, I’m going to get in front of the defender. Get up first, nobody is going to stop him.

“To get the direction, to get the power, the accuracy, all of that, absolutely magnificent. What a start. England cap, England goal, top-scorer in the Premier League. Wow. Impressive.”

Given how Big Al used to thump headers into the back of the net, it was no surprise to see him hail Calvert-Lewin for doing exactly that.

And with the Magpies’ defence raising serious question marks, Steve Bruce’s side could be onto a thumping themselves unless they do some serious work on the training pitch.

The £36m-rated star thrives off crosses into the box, especially those looping ones sent in from much deeper – you’ve only got to look at how he met Lucas Digne’s free-kick against Tottenham to see that.

The Magpies will of course need to be strong in the air, and potentially even doubling him and denying him space whenever the ball gets out wide.

The fact that captain Jamaal Lascelles has been ruled as a major doubt for the game against Everton further throws a spanner into the works.

Going in with a five-at-the-back, and potentially even starting Joelinton out wide so he can offer his height and presence at set-pieces, could be the key to stopping Everton and Calvert-Lewin walking away with all three points on Sunday.

Key information about Cappielow Park

Cappielow Park was opened in 1879 and now houses the Scottish Championship side Greenock Morton FC. The ground is located across East Hamilton Street from the River Clyde in Greenock and supposedly has a Scandinavian origin.

Its current maximum capacity is 11,589, 5,741 of which are seated, and it has a pitch that measures 100m by 64m. The surface of the field is covered with grass and it has no running pitch surrounding it.

The record attendance at Cappielow Park was set in 1922 when 23,500 supporters witnessed a league-deciding game against Celtic.

A history of Cappielow Park

Cappielow Park has been the home of Greenock Morton FC ever since it was opened way back in 1879. The Scottish team has redeveloped it in recent years and although it’s not a huge ground nor the most modern one, it is one of the bigger stadiums in its respective league.

But, even with that being said and despite the obvious traditional spirit and the overall character it presents, Cappielow Park is slowly but surely beginning to show its age. Being their residents’ home for more than 140 years, that doesn’t exactly come as a huge surprise either.

In its early years, not much was done to refurbish it and it wouldn’t be until 1931 that the main stand was built. Originally, it had wooden benches installed which were actually present at the stadium until as late as the 1990s when the club decided to replace them with plastic bucket seating.

But still, that is not to say that Cappielow Park has not seen any exciting fixtures or big events take place there. In fact, the ground hosted an international clash between Scotland and Wales in the 1902 British Home Championship and early in its history, it was also used for public lectures, track cycling and athletics.

In 1922, Cappielow Park would record its highest ever attendance when 23,500 fans came to watch a league-deciding game against Celtic, ultimately leading to Celtic clinching the title. But interestingly enough, Greenock Morton FC are not the only residents at the stadium.

In recent years, both Clydebank and Ayr United have played their respective home matches at Cappielow Park. The former team after Boghead was closed and the latter while their Somerset Park was having new floodlights installed. Clydebank ended up staying from 1999 until 2002.

And since 2013, Celtic U20 also call it home and it hosts regular youth international fixtures as well. On 12 December 2008, the club announced they bought a stand from eternal rivals St Mirren, who were vacating their Love Street stadium to move to St Mirren Park, and would re-erect it at the Wee Dublin end of their ground.

They also bought two floodlights from them as well.

Tickets to watch Greenock Morton FC at Cappielow Park

All tickets to watch Greenock Morton FC play at Cappielow Park can be found and purchased on the club’s official website. The adult ticket costs £20 while children and concessions get a discounted cost.

Season tickets for full 18 matches for adults can be bought for £295, regardless of whether you choose a standing or a seated area of the stadium.

Related links

https://gmfc.net/ – Official website of Greenock Morton FC