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Sunderland fans were delighted with Leon Dajaku’s comments after the Black Cats’ 4-0 victory over Crewe Alexandra on Tuesday evening.

Lee Johnson’s side are currently flying this term as they aim to earn promotion to the Championship. As it stands, they are second in the League One table, one point behind Plymouth Argyle with two games in hand (BBC). They are also still in the League Cup after they progressed to the fourth round of the competition.

Dajaku was on the scoresheet as the north-east side eased to victory, and he spoke to the club’s media team after the clash. He looked delighted to be at the Stadium of Light, and he shared his pleasure with how both he and the side are performing.

The interview was shared on Sunderland’s official Twitter account, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters as the 20 year-old hailed the goal, clean sheet and result. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Dajaku below

“Love this guy, class player has the tools to do damage, he loves the club the fans, get that man tied down ASAP”

Credit: @mark_j_cummins

“Man I love the enthusiasm and confidence of these kids, it is just so refreshing.”

Credit: @PeterBeuster

“How likeable is this kid, the smile on his face tells it all, cracking signing”

Credit: @44stu

“It’s honestly class how he’s enjoying it so much “yes we will play Charlton and em win””

Credit: @safcreportt

“This is what it’s all about. Was if he was talking to us all individually. What a smashing charismatic lad who is already rightly a fan favourite. And that strike tonight with his left foot was awesome. Can’t wait to see more.”

Credit: @ColdwellAnn

“It’s mad how genuinely chuffed Dajaku and Hoffman come across. It’s like they feel lucky to be playing for us it’s mental. Over time a bet that feeling becomes infectious for other players at the club.”

Credit: @matt723289

In other news, Sunderland fans applauded this man against Crewe.

Liverpool remain interested in sealing a summer move for PSV Eindhoven winger Cody Gakpo, according to a fresh transfer rumour that has emerged.

The Lowdown: Gakpo linked with Reds move

The 22-year-old is enjoying a superb season for the Eredivisie giants, registering 13 assists and scoring nine goals in just 18 league starts in 2021/22 to date.

Gakpo has been linked with a move to Liverpool in recent months, with Jurgen Klopp potentially seeing him as part of his front-three of the future, perhaps alongside Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz.

While Gakpo only extended his current PSV deal back in January, signing on until 2026, it looks as though a summer move to the Premier League could still be in the offing.

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The Latest: Contact made

According to Voetbal International [via Sport Witness], Gakpo’s entourage ‘have already spoken’ with Liverpool regarding a summer transfer coming to fruition.

It is stated that the player himself feels he is ‘ready for a step towards a European top competition’ but PSV believe another year at the club could benefit him moving forward.

The Verdict: Is he needed?

Gakpo looks like a supremely gifted talent who is already making waves in his homeland – former FC Twente midfielder Theo Janssen claims he ‘has everything’ as a player – so the idea of seeing him in a Reds shirt one day is exciting.

That being said, Klopp already has five magnificent attacking options to choose from, and unless Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane or Roberto Firmino leave this summer, that will continue to be the case next season.

For that reason, it is hard to see Gakpo enjoying too much playing time if he moved to Anfield now, so remaining at PSV for another 12 months makes more sense, potentially then joining Liverpool in 2023 when one of that trio may move on.

In other news, another Premier League club could snap up a Liverpool transfer target. Read more here.

With their 2-1 win over Ross County in the Premiership now behind them, Celtic have the Scottish League Cup final against Hibernian to deal with before continuing their push for the top-flight title.

In terms of which players Ange Postecoglou could pick to start against Hibs, one player who featured in the win in Dingwall and should be in the starting XI this afternoon is Liam Scales, who is currently earning £5k-per-week according to Salary Sport.

Why Scales must start

Playing at left-back against Ross County, the 23-year-old central defender showed Postecoglou just how capable he is in that position on his first league start of the season after coming on as a substitute in the second half of their 3-0 win over Dundee United, when he got himself on the scoresheet.

During his 90 minutes on the pitch in midweek, the Irishman made himself a real nuisance for Ross County in an attacking sense by completing two key passes, two crosses and two long balls, as well as having one shot whilst completing one successful dribble and setting up Liel Abada’s goal.

From a defensive point of view, Scales made two tackles and one interception and won eight of his 12 duels, proving why he was previously described as an “aggressive” player by one-time St Johnstone man Graham Gartland and why he could potentially bully Hibernian’s players today.

This display ultimately earned the 23-year-old a solid overall match rating of 7.5/10, making him Celtic’s third-highest rated player on the night according to SofaScore.

Even though Greg Taylor has often played at left-back for Celtic this season, Scales has shown that he is more than capable of delivering a top performance in that position.

Therefore, we reckon Postecoglou should stick with the Irishman on the left-hand side of defence, as he could bully Hibs and help the 56-year-old to lift his first trophy as Hoops manager.

In other news: Celtic handed potential injury boost ahead of Hibs which will surely leave fans thrilled

David Moyes has dropped an update on West Ham United’s business in the January transfer window.

What’s been said?

In recent comments cited by the Evening Standard, the 58-year-old Hammers boss revealed that he is hopeful he can pull off a number of deals for new signings this month, as well as claiming that he and his transfer team at the London Stadium have already submitted some offers for targets in the current market.

Speaking about the Irons’ January transfer plans, Moyes said: “I think sometimes you need things to come, [they] take a bit of time to come to fruition. We’re asking about players and other clubs that are trying to get them are asking about players and it is taking a bit of time for things, the domino effect to really happen.

“We’ve made some offers behind the scenes for players, we’ve tried to look at situations so it’s not as if we’re not doing it at the moment. You just need to look around football and see that there’s not a lot of deals happening at the moment. The general feeling is that it is a bit tougher for whatever reason that may be. I’m hopeful we can pull something off.”

Fans will be buzzing

While West Ham have been linked with a whole host of players this month, the east London outfit are still yet to get a deal over the line for an incoming first-teamer 15 days into the transfer window. That may well worry some of the London Stadium faithful, particularly with the club only having one out-and-out centre-forward in Michail Antonio and seeing first-choice centre-back Angelo Ogbonna being ruled out for the season as a result of injury.

However, following the 58-year-old’s latest update, it would very much seem as if the Hammers are working on a number of deals to bring fresh faces to the club this month, something which will undoubtedly have left fans buzzing.

West Ham currently sit fourth in the Premier League, but if Moyes wishes to give his side the best possible chance of securing qualification for the Champions League next season, it would seem essential that he brings in backup to and competition for the injury-prone Antonio, as well as greater depth in the heart of his defence, before the transfer window slams shut at the end of the month.

As such, the 58-year-old’s suggestion that there are a number of players West Ham are currently monitoring ahead of a potential swoop this month is sure to come as music to the ears of Irons fans, as qualifying for the Champions League would undoubtedly be an astonishing achievement for the club.

In other news: GSB must seal West Ham swoop for 19 y/o gem who wants to be “competing for the Ballon d’Or”

Aston Villa could still lose midfielder Douglas Luiz this transfer window ahead of Monday’s transfer deadline day with Tottenham Hotspur reportedly planning a bid for the Brazilian.

What’s the latest?

According to The Daily Mail, Villa’s Premier League rivals Tottenham are preparing a £32m bid for the 23-year-old with the north London club reportedly panicking ahead of the transfer window closing on Monday.

Antonio Conte’s side are still yet to make a signing having missed out on Wolves’ Adama Traore and Porto’s Luis Diaz, but are also looking to add Juventus attacker Dejan Kulusevski to their ranks as well as Luiz.

With 18 months left on his contract, the Aston Villa midfielder will have to make a decision as to whether or not his long-term future still lies in the West Midlands soon, however, Villa boss Steven Gerrard wants to ensure that he will have the services of one of his star players until the end of the season at least.

Villa must keep Luiz

Since the arrival of Gerrard, the Villans’ season has significantly turned around for the better. The Birmingham outfit are 11th in the Premier League and have at least one game in hand on numerous teams near them.

Qualifying for European football this term looks to be a tall task, however, it’s certainly not impossible. If the Englishman and co. are serious about a push to finish the season amongst the top-flight’s elite, then keeping Luiz will certainly be vital.

The Brazilian has made 17 league appearances this term and is an essential cog for Gerrard’s setup. The 41-year-old has often deployed a 4-3-3 formation with Luiz in the heart of midfield alongside John McGinn and the likes of Marvelous Nakamba or Jacob Ramsey.

Nakamba is set to stay on the sidelines until April and therefore the Villa boss cannot afford to lose a midfielder this transfer window, particularly to a Premier League rival. It’s safe to say that doing so would be something of a disaster, especially with the club yet to bid for Rodrigo Bentancur.

They’d ultimately have very few options in midfield, something that could have dire ramifications for their campaign.

Averaging 1.2 interceptions and 1.9 tackles as well as an 84% passing accuracy per game in the top-flight, Luiz’s physicality in midfield is a significant asset, with the 23-year-old often entrusted to be Villa’s engine.

With just over a day left of the window, it would certainly deal Aston Villa a hefty blow if the 23-year-old departed for north London, particularly mid-season with there still so much to play for at Villa Park.

With Tottenham not able to play any games in their long-awaited new stadium until at least April, surely it’d now be preferable to leave the opening until next season.

It’s been causing fixture rearrangement headaches since August and it’s the butt of everyone’s jokes since then too. The whole situation has been shambolic, but somehow Spurs have still managed to get used to their new surroundings at Wembley, a place where they’re not that used to playing nowadays.

They’re still very much involved in a title race and will be just two points behind current leaders Manchester City if they win their game in hand at Burnley on Saturday. It doesn’t seem like the move from White Hart Lane in 2017 affected them and fair play for that, but imagine what another move could do their rhythm.

After one and three quarter seasons at Wembley, they’re now used to the dressing room, pre-match routine and of course the pitch, so it would seem strange if the club were to interrupt this two months before the end of the campaign and even perhaps reopen it for a Champions League quarter-final 1stleg on April 9 or 10. Footballers are creatures of habit and it’d be interesting to hear what the players would make of the move at this late stage.

Yes, it would save more months of embarrassment, but the stadium looks amazing and when it’s finally open it’ll be the envy of every team in England, so Spurs fans will have their chance to gloat then. An opening at the start of next season would give the crowd fresh optimism too because mentally it’ll feel like a new chapter, whereas if it was to open this season and Liverpool and City are further ahead in the title race than they are now, it’ll seem like ‘same old Spurs’.

They may be pressured into opening the stadium anyway given the events coming up at Wembley, not least the FA Cup semi-final and final, but if the club were to have the option, it seems it would be more sensible to save it until the excitement of a season opener. They should prefer to let the team continue with how they’re playing this season rather than shake up the pack.

Do you think opening Tottenham’s new stadium will have a positive or negative impact on performance?

Everton believe it is too soon to start Tyler Onyango in the Premier League, according to The Athletic’s Greg O’Keeffe.

The lowdown

O’Keeffe’s colleague Patrick Boyland considered the possibility that first team opportunities would arise for the young midfielder in the wake of Abdoulaye Doucoure’s injury. He is said to boast a similar profile to the Frenchman and has been described as a ‘machine’ by his former under-18 coach Paul Tait.

He has only previously made one senior appearance for the Blues, and that came as a late substitute in the FA Cup fourth round meeting with Sheffield Wednesday last season.

Toffees assistant manager Duncan Ferguson is thought to be an advocate of Onyango, but Rafael Benitez has overlooked him for each matchday squad since the 18-year-old returned from his own injury lay-off.

The latest

Ahead of Everton’s clash with Tottenham on Sunday, a Toffees supporter suggested in a Q&A for The Athletic that Benitez should try a midfield three of Onyango, Fabian Delph and Allan.

However, O’Keeffe responded to that claim by saying: “The feeling is that Onyango isn’t ready yet.”

The verdict

It may not simply be a question of ability. Indeed, the 18-year-old’s comeback performance against Leeds United under-23s on 18 October was adjudged to be of a Premier League standard.

Onyango’s recent injury sidelined him for six months, so perhaps there are lingering physical concerns less a month on from his return. Also, as explained above, he has just one senior appearance to his name, so it could be risky to throw him in at the deep end of top-flight football, especially with Everton taking just two points from their last five matches.

Benitez instead looked to Delph against Spurs, handing him a first league start of the season. The former Aston Villa player justified his manager’s faith, winning the club’s man of the match award.

In other news, some Everton fans slammed this man’s performance against Spurs

Frank Lampard will ‘get at least the start of next season’ to impress if he manages to keep Everton in the Premier League, journalist Pete O’Rourke told Give Me Sport. 

The lowdown

Lampard took charge of Everton on the last day of January with The Toffees 16th in the table and four points above the drop zone.

Fast forward just over two months, and their situation hasn’t improved. In fact, they’re now one place and one point closer to the bottom three.

Lampard has overseen two victories and six defeats in his first eight matches in charge.

And according to insider Dean Jones, Everton possess a unilateral option to terminate the contract and part ways with Lampard at the end of the campaign.

The latest

Speaking to Give Me Sport, O’Rourke said he expects Lampard to remain in the Goodison Park dugout into 2022/23 if they avoid relegation.

“I think if he manages to keep them up, I’m sure he’ll get at least the start of next season to see what impact it can have at Goodison Park,” he said.

The verdict

If Everton do go down, both parties will surely decide it’s best to move on. Indeed, Lampard was managing Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League as recently as the winter of 2020 and may not be particularly interested in taking on the Championship, while the club will feel let down by his lack of impact.

If they survive, though, he may feel that he can take Everton up the table with better luck on the injury front.

Yes, the performances have been poor, but the squad are dealing with a whopping ten absentees at this crucial stage of the campaign, though two of those are self-inflicted (suspensions for Allan and Michael Keane).

And Lampard might also be of the opinion that this simply isn’t his squad, and only when he gets a full transfer window can he truly implement his vision.

The early signs on that front aren’t particularly promising, however. Lampard reportedly sanctioned the January signing of Dele Alli from Tottenham Hotspur, but he’s yet to start a single game.

In other news, two of Everton’s January signings could leave in the summer.

West Ham United will not look to secure a deal to bring Alex Kral to the London Stadium on a permanent basis.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Claret & Hugh, with the club insider revealing that David Moyes will not look to take up the £12m option-to-buy clause for the defensive midfielder. Indeed, they may even look to terminate the 23-year-old’s loan deal before the end of the January transfer window.

In the update, Claret & Hugh said: “West Ham look likely to allow Alex Kral back to Spartak Moscow after the midfielder has been found himself unable to make any impact at the London Stadium so far this season.”

They later added: “The Hammers organised a loan with a permanent deal option at around £12m but given his shortage of any real action, one wonders why the boss agreed to such a move in the first place. Now it looks likely that he could even be back in Russia before the current season comes to an end.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering how little impact Kral has made at West Ham since making his temporary switch from Spartak Moscow last year, the news that Moyes is not planning to sign him on a permanent basis is sure to have left the London Stadium faithful buzzing.

Indeed, so far this season, the £7.2m-rated Czech international has made just one Premier League appearance – coming on for the final minute of the 4-1 win over Watford – in the current campaign, as well as making three appearances in the Europa League and one in the Carabao Cup.

It is not difficult to see why Moyes is so reluctant to afford the 23-year-old more regularly game-time, as, over his three European outings, the £24k-per-week midfielder has averaged a disappointing SofaScore match rating of just 6.63 – ranking him as the Hammers’ joint fifth-worst performer in the competition.

As such, it is clear to see that the player who Moyes claimed has “bags of energy” is simply not of the standard required to be a first-team regular at the London Stadium. That leads us to believe that the 58-year-old simply must send the Czech Republic midfielder back to his parent club this month.

In other news: Moyes could finally replace Haller as West Ham plot bid for “complete” £13.5m-rated machine

After an underwhelming 0-0 draw against Blackpool in midweek, West Brom are back in league action tonight with a showdown against Nottingham Forest at The Hawthorns.

With club captain Jake Livermore still serving a three-game ban after picking up a red card in their defeat against Huddersfield Town, he will be unavailable to play against the Reds. The Baggies also have the likes of Dara O’Shea and Kean Bryan still sidelined with serious injuries.

Taking this into account, here’s how we feel Valerien Ismael could set up his team tonight, with three changes envisaged from the line-up which started at Bloomfield Road.

Considering that he’s played in almost every league game so far this season, we can see Sam Johnstone keeping his place in the team on this occasion to see if he can keep another clean sheet.

In a back three, we think Ismael will stick with Kyle Bartley and Matt Clarke this time around but take Cedric Kipre out of the firing line after a shaky performance in midweek, with Semi Ajayi making his return to action to try and prove himself to the Baggies boss.

In midfield, with Livermore suspended, we reckon Albion will go with Alex Mowatt and Jason Molumby as a pairing in the middle after the duo played the full 90 minutes together in midweek.

At wing-back, we expect Connor Townsend to keep his place on the left-hand side, but with Taylor Gardner-Hickman, who has impressed in recent weeks, coming in on the right ahead of Darnell Furlong.

In attack, we think Ismael will go with Karlan Grant and Grady Diangana again but bring Callum Robinson, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £18k-per-week according to Salary Sport, back in at the expense of Matt Phillips to see if the Irishman can regain the goalscoring form with which he started the season, having scored three goals in West Brom’s opening three league games of the campaign.

Whatever team Ismael goes with tonight, this clash against Forest will definitely be a tough test for the Baggies considering that tonight’s opponents have only lost one of their 12 previous league games.

In other news: Ismael must ruthlessly axe WBA’s £14k-p/w “assassin”, he was a liability in midweek – opinion