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West Brom’s lively second-half showing at the AMEX Stadium saw Slaven Bilic’s side snag a point late on thanks to a strike from summer signing Karlan Grant.

The battle of the two Albion’s ended in a 1-1 stalemate after the recent £15m arrival cancelled out an own goal from Jake Livermore just seven minutes from time.

It was perhaps a fair result with the Baggies slightly edging it on paper having recorded more possession (51%) and more shots (nine) than Brighton on the night.

Whilst Grant will quite rightly take the plaudits, scoring his first goal for the club in just his second appearance for the club, another West Brom player shone immensely.

He didn’t go into the campaign as a first-choice option nor was he one last season, but Conor Townsend is seriously starting to cement his name down as Bilic’s number one left-back option.

The 27-year-old hadn’t played in the Premier League until his start against Chelsea but going by this latest display, you wouldn’t know that.

Per SofaScore, Townsend recorded three tackles, two clearances and one interception. He also won seven duels, both aerially and on the ground, had 97 touches and made one key pass.

Prior to kick-off, he was dealt the hard task of keeping young wing-back Tariq Lamptey at bay and given the former Chelsea prospect recorded the Seagulls’ lowest rating (6.3), he evidently did his job to a tee.

Lamptey lost possession 21 times, won just 42% of his duels and failed to record a single accurate cross or even a successful dribble despite five attempts.

Townsend was tough and industrious, thus making it seem like Kieran Gibbs has an impossible test to break back into Bilic’s plans, especially as he’s not featured since his sending off against Everton.

In the past, the Baggies faithful have been fully against Townsend featuring in the starting XI, once dubbing him a “huge liability” during a game last season.

The former Hull City man is fully vindicating the faith put in him by his manager.

AND in other news, Dowling must not make an inexcusable mistake over £7m weak link…

Glasgow Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson has built an impressive reputation as one of the best in the business and is highly respected for his negotiating skills.

He is widely credited with bringing Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl to St Mary’s – and look at where they have ended up, as the Saints moved to the top of the Premier League for the first time in the club’s history. The 36-year-old was the key figure in the club’s recruitment strategy and was responsible for signing Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg from Bayern Munich, Nathan Redmond, Jan Bednarek and Yan Valery.

Now it seems Wilson has outdone himself once again, only this time with the Light Blues. Rangers decided to send Kai Kennedy out on loan this season to gain some more first team experience.

The 18-year-old is highly rated at Ibrox, with Gerrard describing him as a “fabulous little player.” However, he has found his chances hard to come by, and joined Inverness Caledonian Thistle on loan until January after a disagreement with Gerrard over his playing time, where he has already made an immediate impact.

Wilson masterclass

After making his debut for Inverness against Ayr United in the Scottish Championship, Kennedy marked his first start for the Caley Thistles with an assist in the 3-1 win over Arbroath at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium, before starting the next game against Heart of Midlothian on Saturday afternoon.

It looks like the teenager is quickly making up for lost time, as he has already made three appearances this season so far. The uncapped Scottish U21 international has been earmarked as one to watch for the future, as Rangers academy boss Craig Mulholland raved about his progress last term, saying he was “excited” to see him on the fringes of the senior squad.

Earlier this year he came off the bench to score the matchwinner as Scotland U19s cruised to a comprehensive 1-0 win over their Czech counterparts.

When Kennedy returns to Rangers, Jordan Jones may have already left the club, if recent reports are to be believed, which will create a space in the squad for another option out wide. The teen dynamo, who has predominantly played as a left winger, can also double up as a forward if required.

Regardless of what position he plays in, it’s clear that the Gers have an obvious talent at their disposal. He just needs to be given the time to shine. However, if for whatever reason Kennedy can’t work out his differences with Gerrard, Wilson should still be able to sell him for a decent profit.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers will regret not signing Brentford striker Ivan Toney from Peterborough…

Gary Mabbutt, while speaking exclusively with Football FanCast, has suggested Tottenham Hotspur no longer need to sign Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish two years on from Daniel Levy chasing his signature.

Grealish was the subject of a £25million bid by the north London club in 2018 as Levy moved to complete his side’s long-running pursuit, after negotiations with the then-22-year-old dragged on throughout the summer.

Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens ultimately blocked the deal shortly into their tenure as majority owners of the Birmingham-based outfit, much to the midfielder’s disappointment.

Grealish expected to be sold by former Villans chief Dr Tony Xia in 2018, and revealed to The Telegraph following the end of the window: “Of course there’s going to be disappointment.

“At the start of the season my head was swivelled, it was all over the place. Even after the transfer window closed, until the end of August, I wasn’t right. I thought I was leaving. Before the new owners, Villa needed the money so I kind of accepted that me going would save the club.”

Villa have seen Grealish’s stock skyrocket in the years to follow, with reports this summer claiming Sawiris and Edens now demanded at least £80m amid interest from Manchester United after helping Dean Smith’s side to stave off relegation on the final day of last season.

But Mabbutt believes Tottenham no longer need to sign Grealish, with Jose Mourinho guiding the north London side to a potential Premier League title challenge with Heung-Min Son and Harry Kane firing on all cylinders.

“Yes, I’m not saying he’s someone we should be going after now,” the former Spurs man told FFC.

Grealish has been a talismanic force for Aston Villa since the West Midlands outfit’s return to the Premier League, sparking Sawiris and Edens to more than triple the valuation Xia slapped on the 25-year-old in 2018.

Only Manchester City star Kevin de Bruyne (137) registered a higher number of key passes than Grealish (91) in the Premier League last term, while ranking fourth for accurate final third passes (558) and eighth for successful dribbles (73), per SofaScore.

Wilfried Zaha (325) and Adama Traore (293) were also the only top-flight players to win a greater amount of ground duels than Grealish (267), who ended the campaign as the most fouled player (167) with 47 more decisions given than anyone else.

Grealish’s efforts further saw the boyhood Villans fan earn his England debut under Gareth Southgate this September. He was rewarded with a new, five-year contract worth £120,000-per-week at Villa Park.

The midfield maestro has already begun to justify Aston Villa’s lucrative offer, too, with the 5 ft 10 wizard among the top-flight’s best for successful dribbles (21), key passes (22), big chances created (7) and times fouled (36) this season while boasting four goals and six assists in eight appearances.

AND in other news, Gary Mabbutt has exclusively told Football FanCast what Jose Mourinho did “a lot of” at Tottenham.

Former England international Rob Lee, while speaking exclusively with Football FanCast editor James Beavis, has claimed David Gold and David Sullivan are open to selling West Ham United.

The Irons currently sit eighth in the Premier League standings after a fine start to the season under David Moyes, who has orchestrated five wins and taken two draws in the opening 11 fixtures.

West Ham have held their own against Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Liverpool and beat Leicester City, while a win at Leeds United on Friday night can take the London Stadium natives up to fifth.

Reports by The Athletic have suggested West Ham’s co-owners Gold and Sullivan are actively open to offers for the east London side, no matter how much the pair strive to play down the speculation with talkSPORT claiming a senior figure was denying any real interest.

Lee, who spent a year at Upton Park between 2003 and 2004, feels that if the right price comes along, Gold and Sullivan would grab the chance to offload the Irons having realised what it will take to compete in the Premier League.

“If they get the right offer, they get the right money coming, I think they would leave, without a doubt,” Lee told Football FanCast.

“They’ve been there quite a few years, they have realised that in order for a club in the Premier League to stay with other clubs, you have to spend a lot of money.

“Whether they’ve got that money or whether they want to spend that money, I’m not sure. So, if somebody came in for the right price, I think they would sell.”

It has been claimed by The Sun that West Ham were braced for a £350million offer to sell the club to an elusive American consortium in September, who vowed to keep battling for sole control of the London Stadium outfit.

The financiers are said to have experience of large-scale operations across the pond and sought to reshape the Hammers for the future, and based their offer on the £300m Mike Ashley is thought to value Newcastle United at.

Interest first came to the surface days after Moyes secured West Ham’s Premier League survival in the summer, before Gold and Sullivan sanctioned the permanent signings of Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal plus loan deals for Said Benrahma and Craig Dawson.

Benrahma is yet to start a game for West Ham, who hold a £20m obligation to buy the Algerian at the end of the season, while Dawson is yet to feature in any of Moyes’ matchday squads across all competitions.

AND in other news, David Moyes would throw an “outstanding” £30m West Ham star under the boss with his brave plan to beat Leeds United.

What happens to Sunderland in the next few weeks will be fascinating.

Stewart Donald is currently on the lookout for a sporting director, a new manager and they are also finalising the last few details of a takeover attempt.

Supporters will be hoping that once each nuance is completed, they can finally look forward to having some success.

On the chalkboard

Sunderland have struggled this season and their last four league games have failed to garner a single win.

They are now six points off the pace in League One and with no manager appointed yet, they will continue to find life difficult.

So, who is in the running? Well, Danny Cowley has been touted while it’s even been reported that Sol Campbell has been interviewed.

However, one of the stand-out names linked is young coach Lee Johnson.

A man known for being a progressive thinker, someone who tinkers with his tactics often, it would be a completely different appointment to the one they made in Parkinson.

Johnson’s own father, Gary, once described him as an “information sponge” for his meticulous attention to detail.

The philosophy

Speaking of the small details, we’ve picked out one very specific player within the Sunderland ranks that we think could struggle under Johnson.

That happens to be their current top scorer Charlie Wyke.

The towering forward has been superb this season and is one of very few positives from a testing campaign so far. He has scored eight goals, suiting Parkinson’s style of football perfectly.

The former Black Cats boss used him as the focal point, ensuring that defenders played long balls forward to him on a regular basis. In 2020/21, he has won as many 5.1 aerial duels per match.

Unfortunately, Wyke’s career at the Stadium of Light could be damaged by Johnson. Why? Because he favours a more nimble striker.

Speaking to Sky Sports earlier this year, Johnson revealed how he likes football to be played: “Ideally you would play with the high press and take the ball like Liverpool and Manchester City,” he began.

“Inevitably at your own level you’ve got to try to recruit and then adapt to the players you have got, and to play that high-pressing game you need agile forwards, who are good tactically and can run and repeatedly sprint,” Johnson concluded.

Wyke is the definition of a target man and is one of the least agile players in the Sunderland squad. Thus, it seems difficult to envisage how Johnson could develop his philosophy with Wyke in the team.

Looking at the 39-year-old’s style, perhaps it’s the more technical Will Grigg who could profit most from his appointment.

Only time will tell.

In other news, check out how Sunderland’s squad could look if they appoint Danny Cowley…

Leeds United made easy work of brushing aside Premier League rivals Newcastle on Wednesday night in a thrilling 5-2 victory. All five goals were scored from different players, with the likes of Jack Harrison and Ezgjan Alioski impressing.

The Whites may have shipped two goals but Marcelo Bielsa won’t be focusing on that. He will hope that his side can carry their attacking masterclass forward into the weekend when they take on Manchester United.

However, one Leeds player who had perhaps a disappointing day out was the usually solid Kalvin Phillips.

Kalvin Phillips stats vs Newcastle

In a match like this, it’s difficult to say anybody had a poor game. And whilst Phillips didn’t necessarily make any errors, he was uncharacteristically off his usual defensive input.

According to Sofascore, the midfielder committed three fouls and failed to win a single aerial duel. Indeed, he lost a total of 65% of his attempted duels throughout the 90 minutes he played. Phillips was also dispossessed on eight occasions and was dribbled past three times.

Usually, the opposition finds it different to get past the £50,000 per week Whites machine. He is known for his strength in front of the defence and was recently labelled a “destroyer” by Steve McClaren.

Whilst the 25-year-old did have a better game than most defensive midfielders this week, Bielsa will be looking to tighten any loose bolts in his squad. This emphatic win should set the tone for the rest of the fixtures this year and hopefully see them finish within the top ten.

They have been a little hit and miss in their returning Premier League season, suffering back-to-back defeats recently to Leicester and Crystal Palace. But Leeds have also been capable of punishing the likes of Manchester City and they opened up their campaign by firing three goals past the reigning champions.

The Whites certainly have the firepower in their squad to build on their season, it’s just a case of fine-tuning the smaller errors that more dangerous sides can easily exploit.

In other news, Raphinha was Bielsa’s unsung hero against Newcastle…

Opening up over his contract situation at the City Ground, Nottingham Forest midfielder Samba Sow has declared he is keen to stay – prompting Forest fans to go wild and beg the club to secure a new deal for the injury-prone star. 

Sow, who has started just a third of the club’s Championship encounters this season, often succumbing to fitness issues, is still a favourite among these Forest supporters – and when presented with his candid quotes over a new deal, these supporters seemed keen for the club to extend his stay in Nottingham.

Some supporters claimed it would be ‘perfect’ for the club, and despite his mixed injury record, Sow has proven reliable during the times he has been available to feature.

Averaging more tackles per 90 than the likes of Cyrus Christie and Ryan Yates (WhoScored), Sow could prove to be a formidable option when called upon – with these Forest fans appearing desperate to see a new offer for the Malian.

Find some of their verdicts down below.

Forest fans beg for Sow new deal

“Love to see our win percentage when Sow starts compared to when he doesn’t. Massive player for us IMO when he’s up to speed we win our midfield battles. Needs managing though injuries etc….”

Credit: @champ81gb 

“Would be mad not to extend a player of his quality even with a mixed injury record. Just look at our record when he plays.”

Credit: @NickBrookz

“100%. When he’s fit, our midfield is totally different level. I can get past the standard yellow card with the impact he has on the team.”

Credit: @CallumChivers91

“Pay as you play would be perfect that was he keeps his fitness up when he can”

Credit: @ben_smithynffc

“All this nonsense in the comments about injuries and his fitness. Have you not seen our record with and without Samba Sow? Arguably one of our most important players, definitely deserves another 1-2 year contract #nffc”

Credit: @fox_alfie 

“Yes. Absolutely. 1 year with an option for a second. I don’t care how injury prone he is. Every single time he’s on the pitch we look a better team and I feel a million times more confident of getting something out the game. We have missed him when he hasn’t played.”

Credit: @NFFC_Harvey 

In other news: Many Forest supporters fumed at this ‘awful’ ace, find out more here.

Former Premier League player Dean Windass, while speaking exclusively with Football FanCast, has urged West Ham United to sign Diego Costa after he was released by Atletico Madrid.

The 32-year-old was due to reach the end of his £265,000-per-week contract in the summer but struck an agreement with the La Liga side to tear up his deal, having been a fringe player for much of the campaign.

Costa cited personal reasons behind his decision to walk away from the Spanish top-flight leaders, and has since been linked with a return to the Premier League three years after leaving Chelsea in a deal worth close to £57m.

Costa would love to move back to England after spending four years at Stamford Bridge and snubbed offers from clubs in Brazil and Turkey the day of his Atleti exit, as he enjoys the atmosphere of playing in the Premier League.

Windass would urge West Ham to show an interest in Costa’s situation whilst he weighs up potential offers, as the £9m-rated hitman may be the prolific centre-forward David Moyes has been without this season.

“Moyes has done a fantastic job this season but not had a prolific goalscorer, a number nine, so he could be a good fit for West Ham,” Windass told Football FanCast.

“He’s a top player and I enjoyed watching, and I was very surprised when he left Chelsea.”

Midfield star Tomas Soucek is currently West Ham’s top-scorer with five goals in 17 Premier League games, edging Jarrod Bowen’s four and Michail Antonio and Sebastien Haller on three.

Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers are believed to be interested in a deal to sign Costa, who had scored just twice in seven appearances during an injury-ravished campaign that saw the 32-year-old sidelined with muscle and leg injuries prior to his release.

Juventus are also thought to be among the clutch of clubs monitoring Costa’s situation, with the 24-cap former Spain international not allowed to join FC Barcelona or Real Madrid due to a clause inserted in his Atletico exit settlement.

Diego Simeone expects Costa to be able to secure a move to a top side this month, noting via quotes by Goal: “We love Diego, we have spent a lot of time together in the best way, we gave each other a lot and we have talked with him.

“He also has the need to find new challenges because he is well, strong and I cannot imagine another scenario other than him going on to do good things, because he is a fighter.”

Costa scored 58 goals in 120 games for Chelsea, including 52 in 89 Premier League games that helped the Stamford Bridge natives clinch the title in 2014/15 and 2016/17.

AND in other news: “Problem in the dressing room” – Exclusive: Pundit issues stark warning on £9m-rated West Ham target.

Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed Everton will be without Alex Iwobi against Sheffield Wednesday after ruling a string of players out of the FA Cup fourth round tie.

The Toffees welcome Neil Thompson’s Championship strugglers to Goodison Park on Sunday night looking to reach the fifth round of the competition for the first time in five seasons.

The Owls are 23rd in the second-tier and only four points above basement boys Wycombe Wanderers, though are enjoying their best run of form since September with four wins and a draw across all competitions.

Top-scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin missed Everton’s third round win over Rotherham United with a hamstring injury but is likely to start against Sheffield Wednesday, after a 12-day break between fixtures gifted the England international a prolonged period of rest.

But Ancelotti had sombre news to share on Iwobi and a crew of his Blues teammates while speaking ahead of Sunday night’s FA Cup showdown.

“We have Dominic available for the game,” the Italian tactician said. “Unfortunately, we have some players out like [Jean-Philippe] Gbamin, Allan, [Fabian] Delph, [Lucas] Digne, Iwobi and [Niels] Nkounkou.

“Iwobi and Digne will be unavailable for only this game – they will be available for the game against Leicester. The other players are in good condition and are ready to play this game and to compete. This competition is really important for us.”

Iwobi scored his second goal of the season in all competitions during Everton’s 2-1 Premier League win at Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out, ending the 24-year-old’s 499-day drought in the top-flight.

Ancelotti ruling Iwobi out of the FA Cup will likely now see the Italian forced to go for broke in hopes of beating Sheffield Wednesday, with the Italian having to rely on players he may have rather seen rested ahead of hosting Leicester City on Wednesday night.

The Foxes affair will be crucial for the Toffees’ hopes of qualifying for the Champions League by the end of the season, with Brendan Rodgers’ side currently third in the Premier League standings but having played two games more than the Goodison Park natives.

But if Ancelotti wishes to prove the FA Cup’s importance, he will now be expected to rely on either James Rodriguez or Richarlison to bring the width and creativity from the right-wing, which saw Iwobi prove to be the true hero of the Blues’ 2-1 win over Wolves earlier this month.

Richarlison was only deemed fit enough for a place on the bench at Molineux, while Rodriguez played 86 minutes in his first top-flight start since returning from a calf injury.

The £90,000-per-week Colombian also played 95 minutes in Everton’s third round win over Rotherham, of which Richarlison played no part after the £90k-p/w Brazilian was ruled unfit.

Ancelotti must now back one of the high-earning duo to guide Everton through to the fifth round, even if the former Chelsea boss would rather have kept them both fighting fit ready for the Foxes’ visit.

AND in other news, Everton are demanding no less than £9m to sell a Carlo Ancelotti outcast this month.

According to The Evening Standard, Arsenal are looking at Crystal Palace starlet Tyrick Mitchell.

What’s the story?

With Sead Kolasinac out on loan at Schalke for the rest of the season, and his long-term future at the Gunners uncertain, it’s no surprise that Mikel Arteta’s side are on the look-out for a new left-back.

And as per The Evening Standard, the north London side are scouting Palace’s Mitchell, and that they are one of several Premier League teams watching the 21-year-old.

The report adds that Arsenal are monitoring his situation at Selhurst Park, and whilst it was initially suggested his contract expired in the summer, it is thought to run longer than that.

Arsenal’s next Ashley Cole

Described as a “silent assassin”, Mitchell is perhaps atypical of the modern left-back, being really strong defensively.

One of his former coaches at Brentford, Gabriel Flores, raved about Mitchell’s work going back towards his own goal, saying: “When he is defending, we all see the film Rocky and think of Eye Of The Tiger (the theme song for the third movie in the series), and someone needs to have that. This kid has it.

“I always tell players if you want to see someone having that fire in his eyes, having the eye of the tiger, then watch him. Watch when he defends, when he tracks players down, when he goes to look, he has this look in his face and he still has it now. That’s just in him. He has a real hunger, passion and desire to not get beaten.”

And that was clearly seen in his impressive performance in Palace’s hard-earned 0-0 draw against Arsenal last week. Mitchell came up against the Gunners’ man of the moment, Bukayo Saka, and he completely nullified the England starlet.

As per Sofascore, he made three interceptions for Palace which was the second-most of any player for Roy Hodgson’s side, whilst he also made five clearances too, with only James Tomkins making more in that department.

Saka on the other hand could only complete one of his three attempted dribbles and lost possession 17 times, with Mitchell sticking touch tight to him and giving him little room to manouevre. It was a superb defensive performance against a player who had been in sparkling form for Arsenal.

As young and English, Mitchell is the closest thing Arsenal could have to the next Ashley Cole, who of course came through the Gunners’ academy and was part of the Invincibles.

If the 21-year-old enjoys half the success that Cole did at the Emirates, then he will have been a superb signing for the north Londoners.

Meanwhile, Arsenal can get Hector Bellerin’s successor in this starlet…