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Sheffield Wednesday appear to be on the lookout for some additions this month, but don’t expect them to be major signings.

Owls boss Garry Monk revealed in an interview with The Star that they would be primarily looking in the loan market, which puts a limit on who they could bring in this month.

Most interestingly of all, pretty much every reported target in the press has been in an attacking position with an emphasis on the striking department.

A bold call given that the squad has as many as five options to call upon.

One player that won’t be joining on loan is Rhian Brewster after he linked up with Championship rivals Swansea City. There has also been speculation over Eddie Nketiah, Jonson Clarke-Harris and Lyle Taylor.

The Arsenal frontman is reportedly close to joining Bristol City, and the other two are far from inspiring signings, so maybe it would be wise for Monk to push for another apparent target in Crystal Palace striker Connor Wickham.

According to the Daily Mail, the 26-year-old is on the radar of the Owls boss this month, but there are doubts over the potential finances in any temporary switch.

Last month, the Telegraph claimed Wickham would be allowed to leave Selhurst Park in January in order to gain regular football and to free up a place in Roy Hodgson’s squad.

Wednesday must do all they can to make a reunion happen here.

The 6 foot 3 forward joined the south Yorkshire on loan back in 2013 from Sunderland when Dave Jones was in charge and later returned for a second spell later in the year.

He bagged nine goals and provided three assists across 17 appearances, per Transfermarkt.

Wickham has been blighted by injuries throughout his Eagles career, being limited to just 48 appearances in four years, but that shouldn’t put off Monk as the striker will have a huge point to prove with any loan move.

It’s the dawn of a new decade in the Premier League, but how much do you know about the last ten years?

Celtic and Wigan have both been linked to Jordan Rhodes this month with the Owls club-record man struggling to add to his three goals, all of which in one game; his time at Hillsborough could be coming to an end.

And in Wickham, they have an ideal replacement as the 26-year-old has a far better goalscoring record in the second tier than he does in the top-flight, scoring 22 times in 87 appearances.

He just needs a healthy run of games, and that’s what Wednesday can give him – even more so if Steven Fletcher’s injury is serious.

While in other news, time could be running out for this Steve Bruce signing already…

Crystal Palace endured a terrible afternoon against Derby in the FA Cup on Sunday afternoon, succumbing to a 1-0 defeat at Selhurst Park and in disastrous circumstances.Max Meyer was forced off the field with an injury midway through the first half, while Luka Milivojevic will also miss the next three games after the Serbia international picked up a straight red card in the second half.However, one moment seemed to sum up Roy Hodgson’s attitude towards this FA Cup third round tie.

Snapshot

With Derby leading 1-0 after former Palace striker Chris Martin’s goal, it was a case of either going for the game or being cautious – Hodgson definitely seemed to opt for the latter.

Milivojevic’s red card in the 63rd minute saw the south Londoners go down to ten men, and left a gaping hole in the midfield.

18-year-old attacker Brandon Pierrick had caused Derby some problems and started the game off brightly with an early shot that tested Kelle Roos, while he and Max Meyer won some fouls in dangerous areas.

However, ten minutes after Milivojevic’s red card, Hodgson’s attitude towards the game became clear.

Threw in the towel?

Given his early brightness, you’d feel as if Pierrick would be the man to get Palace back into the game.

With that in mind, it was telling that Hodgson withdrew the teenager for James Tomkins in the 73rd minute.

While his bench was lacking options to say the least – academy graduates James Daly, Sam Woods, Gio McGregor and Nya Kirby sat alongside Tomkins – if the former England manager really wanted to get back into the game, he could’ve subbed Daly, who is a forward, or Kirby, a midfielder, onto the field instead of a centre-back.

How much do you remember about football in 2019? Our quiz will test your knowledge…

By introducing a defender for an attacker with just 17 minutes of the game left, it did feel like damage limitation from Hodgson and also appeared to sum his attitude towards this FA Cup third round tie up.

In other news, these Crystal Palace fans did not hold back with their criticism of this player after losing to Derby…

Ousmane Dembele joined Barcelona with much promise.

The Blaugrana spent £135.5m on his services in 2018 and, although that represented a rather huge outlay, it still seemed like it could end up being good business. After all, the France international was coming off the back of a season with Borussia Dortmund during which he had scored eight goals and provided 21 assists in all competitions.

The big fat Liverpool quiz of 2019 – how much do you remember about the last year at Anfield?

However, during his time at the Camp Nou, he has managed just 19 goals and 17 assists in 74 matches. Not awful, but not good enough considering his price tag. He has also been in trouble off the pitch, with him turning up late to training and having worrying addictions to video games and junk food.

It seems he could be on his way out of the door, though, and Liverpool is being touted as a potential destination. According to El Desmarque, the Reds are interested, and Barca would be willing to let him leave for a fee of €100m (£84.9m).

Would he be a good signing for the Anfield outfit? We ask four Football FanCast writers for their verdicts.

James Beavis

“He may still be young and learning at the age of 22, but Ousmane Dembele simply doesn’t strike me as the type of player Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp would like to have in his tight-knit squad, especially for €100m. The German likes players that are willing to work hard for the team and are efficient in what they do in attack, and the Frenchman simply doesn’t fit the bill right now.

“His record of 19 goals and 17 assists in 74 appearances for Barcelona is hardly that impressive given the calibre of players he is playing with and the fact that he could end up costing £135.5m. In addition, he has been struck down with a hamstring issue this season that has limited him to just nine outings in all competitions, scoring one goal.

“The fact he missed training and was suspended by Borussia Dortmund prior to his move to Barcelona is hardly a glowing endorsement of his character either. Klopp doesn’t need a player like him, and Liverpool would be wise to spend their money elsewhere.”

Charles Jones

“Liverpool signing Ousmane Dembele would ultimately cement their spot as being the best side in Europe. The Reds have sometimes been overly reliant on their current front-three and there have been questions around how they would cope if injuries affected any of their star players, but signing a two-footed winger from Barcelona would solve a number of issues.

“Dembele could replace Mane or Salah if either man was unavailable, so that’d be a brilliant bonus. However, €100m is a lot to throw away on someone who would really only be a backup player. However, Liverpool didn’t spend all that much last summer so they may have a big window in store. He’d be a brilliant signing, but Liverpool must look at their finances before making the move.”

Jack Saville

“Despite his suitability to Klopp’s system, a move for Dembele would be a major gamble for Liverpool. His chequered history away from the field has raised plenty of doubts about his commitment to Barcelona, and Klopp could do without a potentially toxic influence upsetting the dynamic of a settled dressing room. The attacker has been late for training on more than one occasion, missed a medical to assess the extent of his own injury and been accused of having an unhealthy obsession with video games. Regardless of his outstanding talent, these issues make any deal simply too much of a risk for the club.”

Matt Dawson

“This would be a real statement of intent from the European and World champions. Ousmane Dembele is a player who possesses a wealth of talent and snatching one of Barcelona’s most promising players away would say a lot about the lure Liverpool now have. €100m (£84.8m) would be a considerable amount of money but when you consider that another target with far less quality in Adama Traore has been touted at £70m, it would be a snip.

“Dembele is certainly better than Traore, something his eight goals and five assists last season would attest to. In comparison, the Spaniard registered a solitary goal. “If there is a choice between the two, Dembele is definitely the man they should pursue. The 22-year-old is a rampant winger who’s completed 2.7 dribbles per game throughout his career, while offering a regular creative threat of 1.6 key passes. He’d be a terrific signing and would add greater strength in numbers to Liverpool but the question has to be asked. Do they need to spend so much money on a forward when they already have Salah, Mane and Firmino? I think not.”

In other news, Liverpool eye this youngster “worth €300m”.

A number of Queens Park Rangers fans jumped to the defence of Luke Amos after the midfielder took to Twitter to suggest that he was far from his best.

The Tottenham Hotspur loanee played the whole game against Leeds United in Saturday’s early kick-off and played his role in ensuring Mark Warburton’s side picked up all three points and help ease the pressure on the club in regards to the relegation places.

According to the data collected by WhoScored, the 22-year-old did not have a bad game at all and appeared to be one of the better players on the pitch for the hosts prior to his substitution. Whilst being scored a match rating of 7.24, Amos managed to achieve two tackles, two interceptions and six clearances in a defensive capacity whilst also having one shot on target when going forward.

However, it would appear the midfielder expected a little more of himself going by the Twitter message he posted for fans to see, although it would seem many of them disagreed with his stance. In fact, a plethora of supporters had stated that the Spurs man had sold himself short in his assessment of his performance, whilst others had mentioned that he had played well and, perhaps, had his best game in a QPR shirt.

Here are just some of their reactions…

QPR fans, what did you make of Amos’ performance? Let us know below!

Liverpool travel to Shrewsbury on Sunday to play their fourth round FA Cup match.

The Reds are still in three competitions, and with the Premier League looking like a done deal – they are currently 16 points clear at the top of the table with a game in hand – they can now slightly turn their attentions to other tournaments.

The big fat Liverpool quiz of 2019 – how much do you remember about the last year at Anfield?

With this being against a League One side, though, Jurgen Klopp is likely to ring the changes. Here, we try to predict his starting XI.

In goal, Adrian should replace Alisson. The former West Ham shot-stopper started the last FA Cup match against Merseyside rivals Everton, so we’re anticipating exactly the same here.

In defence, expect Yasser Larouci and Neco Williams to come in to replace Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold respectively. With a Premier League match against West Ham to come on Wednesday, Klopp will no doubt want to rest some of his key players and the full-backs are arguably the only members of the squad who don’t have obvious, proven understudies.

To accompany those two, Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren could provide experience at the heart of the defence. Both have struggled with injuries so far this campaign, but are now back in training, with the former even appearing on the bench against Manchester United and Wolves.

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In midfield, there should once again be wholesale changes. Adam Lallana could take up a more defensive position having operated as a deeper-lying midfielder recently, whilst Pedro Chirivella could start his third game of the campaign. Next to him, expect Curtis Jones to feature once again after his stunning winner against Everton in the previous round.

The forward line could also have a fresh look. Harvey Elliott should be given a run-out on the right wing, with Divock Origi on the opposite flank. At centre-forward we’re tipping Takumi Minamino to get the nod.

The Japan international, who signed from RB Salzburg earlier in the transfer window, is by no means an out-and-out centre-forward, but this game represents an opportunity to gauge whether he’s someone who could deputise for Roberto Firmino by operating in a similar style.

Elsewhere, this Liverpool ace gets off the mark on loan.

According to a new report from Sport BILD, Thomas Muller is open to leaving Bayern Munich in the not too distant future regardless of  the fact his contract runs out in 2021.

What’s the word, then?

It seems that there’s trouble in paradise over in Bavaria as Muller could potentially be leave the club in the summer after 20 years of service.

Bild explain that his importance at the club has diminished in recent times, especially under former coach Niko Kovac, and the 30-year-old veteran had a crisis meeting back in October.

He won’t be allowed to leave this month but the prospect of a summer exit remains a realistic possibility, with clubs from England and Italy interested in signing him.

Needless to say, losing him would not be ideal for the Bavarians.

Verdict

Muller has already played a total of 512 games for Bayern Munich, scoring an incredible tally of 192 goals and assisting a further 181, illustrating his prowess in the final third.

And now, 20 years after his emergence in Germany, he could be on his way out of the club.

But with seven goals and 14 assists across all competitions in 2019/20, Muller still feels like a big part of their jigsaw and, if they are to challenge for the Bundesliga crown and consolidate their dominance, they may need their talisman to stay put.

With that in mind, maybe it wouldn’t be the worst idea to make sure he’s happy and doing what he does best – scoring goals.

The sheer experience he possesses – both at club and international level, where he has made 100 caps for Germany – is something that’s difficult to replicate.

There’s no doubt he would be a huge loss for Bayern.

In other news, Bayern Munich are reportedly considering a move for one of Arsenal’s big transfer targets…

Emiliano Buendia couldn’t have hoped for a better introduction to English football.

On signing for Norwich City in the summer of 2018 from Getafe for what now seems like a negligent £1.5m the technically gifted midfielder tore into the Championship with creative relish. The 22-year-old Argentine looked on so many occasions like a world-beater; a whole level above his peers and by the season’s end the Canaries were crowned champions while Buendia boasted eight goals and 12 assists.

As Daniel Farke’s men prepared for what was widely expected to be a long and challenging campaign among the big boys, those attuned to the little magician’s charms tipped him to become a stand-out star while those previously unaware of his talents Googled and YouTubed and were impressed with what they saw.

Amongst all of this anticipation, however, a very pertinent question lurked: could Buendia replicate his output in an infinitely tougher league, against infinitely better players, and in a side destined to struggle?

Someone’s got to own them: Who do these incredibly unwanted PL records belong to?

It took just the opening five games to get an answer and it was definitive. As Norwich embarked on a rollercoaster of results that included two raucous five-goal thrillers Buendia continued where he left off. He passed. He schemed. He dribbled and delighted. In those five games he carved out four assists, becoming the first Premier League newbie to do so since Eden Hazard in 2012.

You can find more on this and other stories via the Norwich City News page.

A few months later as his team went down to Wolves he was matching the Belgian’s lofty standards again, creating nine chances and nine take-ons; the only player to post such numbers in a single Premier League game since Hazard achieved the feat in 2003/04.

In that same month of December, Buendia was responsible for 29 chances conjured up for a team fighting relegation. It is the most inside of a month since Opta started recording such data.

All told, to this point a player bought for relative peanuts, who was on loan at Cultural Leonesa in the Spanish third tier as recently as 2018, has provided seven assists in 23 league games; is second only to Kevin De Bruyne for key passes per game, and has accrued an overall 81.7% pass success rate. If last season was a highly satisfactory introduction this time out has been one hell of a second act and on a much larger stage.

Yet for all of the former Real Madrid trainee’s brilliance, Norwich remain rooted to the bottom of the Premier League with the possibility of dragging themselves from danger looking more remote with every passing weekend. Might this mean one of the league’s most extravagant and consistent performers will be lost again to the Championship? We have only just fallen in love with him.

Watch Norwich City Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

There is thankfully hope yet, though it will be of very little consolation to his club because according to The Athletic, Liverpool have a long-standing interest in the star with an imminent move feasible.

This presents a manner of exciting scenarios not least Buendia becoming a Philippe Coutinho replacement the Reds have coveted even with all their recent success. Under Klopp too, it is conceivable the Argentine’s ceiling might be nudged up that little bit higher still. For Liverpool, the prospect of the top flight’s assist prince feeding Mane and co; dancing and dribbling and delighting is a truly invigorating one.

It is hoped that Norwich stay up this term as they offer so much joy, entertainment and creativity. And whether it’s in East Anglia or on Merseyside the same can certainly be said also of Buendia.

Leeds have been poor throughout 2020, winning just one league game since the turn of the year.

However, they have put in one mightily impressive performance that drew praise from pundits and ex-players alike.

Indeed, the Yorkshire club were brilliant against Arsenal in the FA Cup in early January as they had more shots and more possession than the Premier League giants.

Watch Leeds United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

However, we’ve not seen Leeds perform that well ever since, and perhaps it’s time for Marcelo Bielsa to revisit one tactic he used that day.

Versus Arsenal

With the league taking precedent, Marcelo Bielsa chose to rotate a little bit against the Gunners in January.

Robbie Gotts and Illan Meslier made their debuts, while Helder Costa also started on the bench.

The winger dropping out of the side saw Jack Harrison move over to the right while Ezgjan Alioski played just in front of Barry Douglas on the left, and that lineup worked a treat as they held the Gunners until the 55th minute.

Alioski and Douglas are both attacking threats, The former Wolves man assisted 14 goals in the 2017/18 season and his teammate has netted 11 goals over the past season and a half, but they can also both play at left-back.

That meant that they could interchange freely down the left providing both attacking threat and defensive rigidity, while Harrison was effective down the right, completing one key pass and having three shots on target.

We haven’t seen that tactic used since, but perhaps it’s time for it to be used once again.

Bring it back

It’s not nice to single out one player, but Costa has been poor in recent weeks, fans slated him after the Wigan game on Saturday, and he’s not contributed to a goal in over a month.

Using this tactic wouldn’t only get Costa out of the team, but it’d also sure up an area that Phil Hay has described as Leeds’ problem position.

Bielsa needs to change something in order to get the Whites out of this slump, and using the system that was so effective against Arsenal could fix a number of issues at once.

In other news, Marcelo Bielsa’s decision on this U23 star is helping nobody.

Jean-Kevin Augustin’s start to life at Leeds United hasn’t exactly gone to plan.

He was left out of the matchday squad for a couple of weeks before Bielsa finally gave him a spot on the bench last weekend.

The Frenchman made his league debut against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, and he was wholly ineffective, failing to have a single shot on target in the 20 minutes that he was on the pitch.

Augustin wasn’t all that impressive on his debut for the Whites, and one Sky Sports pundit thinks that it’s a sign of things to come.

Watch Leeds United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

What’s been said then?

Paul Merson was talking about the January transfers each club had made on Sky Sports’ The Debate on Monday night.

“What I like about West Brom is, they went out in the window and they went and got a player like Robinson who has been there and done it. He’ll come in and just fall into place,” Merson said (Sky Sports’ The Debate 10/2/20 10:35PM).

“We talk about this lad Augustin, is his name Augustin? He’s never kicked a ball in this league, it could take three months. Leeds don’t have three months, and it’s a shame because you look at them and they’re filling their ground out and you think ‘not again’.”

Three months

Bielsa is a bit particular when it comes to playing new players, and he has stated that Augustin’s fitness isn’t up to scratch just yet, but for Merson to say that it’ll take three months for the 22-year-old to adapt is simply ridiculous.

This isn’t a man who has never played a game before, this is a striker who has scored goals in the Champions League.

His debut wasn’t all that great, but Leeds as a whole were off the boil on Saturday, having just one shot on target, so you can forgive him for that.

You have to hope that Merson’s prediction is wrong, and when you think about it rationally you have to come to the conclusion that he will most likely be incorrect with this one.

In other news, Leeds have been missing an under-appreciated aspect of Kalvin Phillips’ game.

Not for the first time this season, Emmanuel Dennis has lit up the European stage.

Against Real Madrid last autumn, the 22-year-old ran riot in the Bernabeu as he put the Spanish giants to the sword.

During that encounter he had the beating of Sergio Ramos as he stuck two goals past the perennial European winners.

But on Thursday he was doing it again, showing Harry Maguire his number on countless occasions as he played a vital part in Club Brugge’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United.

What’s eye-catching about this is the fact he could be moving to Sheffield United in the summer. HLN claim the Nigerian forward is on the Blades’ wish list, a move that could cost as much as €25m (£20.9m).

Borussia Dortmund are another admirer, along with Monaco, Newcastle, Brighton and Watford.

This performance against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side proved exactly why.

Speaking during BT Sport’s coverage of the game, co-commentator Robbie Savage only had positive words: “He’s been a threat all night,” the Welshman exclaimed.

Main commentator Ian Darke responded: “Man of the Match display from him tonight.”

It was fine praise for a player who isn’t yet a household name in English football.

You can find more on this and other top stories via the Sheffield United News page.

What typified his performance, aside from the goal he scored, was the way he had the beating of Maguire. In the 78th minute he received the ball on the right flank before twisting and turning the world’s most expensive defender inside out. He got past the Englishman and then laid the ball on a plate for a teammate, only to see his assist spurned.

Idiots Abroad: Do you know where these famous Brits are playing now?

However, what will inspire Chris Wilder the most if he tuned in to watch Dennis on Thursday evening was his tireless work rate. He was a constant menace, performing two successful dribbles and also producing two key passes. Not only that, but the Brugge striker registered two tackles as well, via WhoScored.

His lightning speed was another impressive aspect as Dennis’ all-round game shone through on one of the biggest stages.

Such a performance against one of the major clubs in England bodes well if Sheffield United do end up making a move.

They are blessed with a number of strikers from Billy Sharp and Oliver McBurnie to Lys Mousset and David McGoldrick – yet, despite their array of options, they’d be foolish to ignore signing Dennis.

His display this week showed as much.

Meanwhile, Sheffield United could face a huge DILEMMA in the summer with their £7m star…