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West Bromwich Albion defender Semi Ajayi was singled out by Lewis Cox following their 3-3 FA Cup draw against Chesterfield.

The Lowdown: Disappointing day

Championship outfit West Brom were forced to rescue a replay late on against National League side Chesterfield with a stoppage-time equaliser from Brandon Thomas-Asante sparing their blushes.

Carlos Corberan filled a mixed side with a blend of first-team players, fringe players and youngsters all selected to start against the side three divisions below.

It was a tough afternoon for Semi Ajayi in particular who completed his first 90 minutes since August after missing four months through injury.

The Latest: Cox’s criticism

Speaking at full time of the FA Cup clash, Cox singled out the 29-year-old in his post-match analysis on the Express & Star’s YouTube channel, saying:

(6:02) “There’s a lot to pick out about players who haven’t played in a long time, we haven’t really named names, but players who played for the first time in a long time, players who’ve been on the fringes, played the odd game in the Championship and it was a struggle for some of them.”

“It’s hard when you haven’t played for so long, when you’ve had a bad injury to come in and play, Ajayi looked rusty at best today, he was really off the pace but he hasn’t played for four months.”

The Verdict: Needs time

In what would’ve been a pleasing sight for Baggies fans to see Ajayi back on the pitch, he wasn’t at his best in the eyes of Cox. However, his stats weren’t bad as he won three duels, had a 90% passing accuracy, 76 touches and made seven clearances, though he did lose the ball 7 times (Sofascore).

It’s the first time he’s featured from the start since August and only made a cameo return against Reading last week following his reemergence from ligament damage.

A key figure in the Baggies backline at the beginning of the season where he started all seven of the opening Championship games under Steve Bruce, the Nigerian now has to win over new boss Corberan which will be difficult after that performance.

With a centre-back partnership of Erik Pieters and Dara O’Shea conceding just once in their last five league outings, Ajayi needed to grab a chance like this with him at risk of being shut out by the pair.

West Ham United goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski should be dropped after his performance against Arsenal on Monday night, according to journalist Tommy Wathen.

The Lowdown: West Ham outplayed

The Irons succumbed to a 3-1 defeat at Premier League leaders Arsenal, despite Said Benrahma opening the scoring with a penalty in the first half.

Their opponents’ attacking prowess proved to be too much for the Hammers to handle in the second half, with Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Eddie Nketiah scoring to secure the three points.

With 67% possession, more shots on target and more big chances created, the Gunners deserved their victory, but it still will have been disappointing for David Moyes to see Fabianski far too easily beaten at his near post for the home side’s second goal.

The Latest: Wathen calls for goalkeeping change

Taking to Twitter after witnessing that error from the 37-year-old, Wathen called for the Polish goalkeeper to be dropped in place of current backup option Alphonse Areola.

The reporter admitted: “Also, as much as I love him as a GK, it’s time for Fabianski and Areola to swap in the pecking order.”

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The Verdict: Must do better

Arsenal have proven themselves as real contenders for the Premier League title this season, so you cannot afford to make mistakes like the one from the 57-cap Poland international if you expect to get anything against Mikel Arteta’s side.

Fabianski gave the ball away 16 times in the match, more than any other West Ham player and 12 times more than his opposite number Aaron Ramsdale, a sign that the veteran was also wasteful in possession alongside his costly error for Martinelli’s goal.

The Irons stopper did have some good moments, winning four of the five duels that he contested while also making a save from inside the box, but he will need to cut out the silly mistakes when West Ham take on Brentford this Friday.

Indeed, with Areola conceding only nine goals from his 11 appearances this term and keeping five clean sheets, he has shown that he’d be more than capable of stepping in for Fabianski.

Tottenham Hotspur could be hit by a ‘PR fallout’ involving managing director Fabio Paratici, as a result of his actions during his time with Juventus.

The Lowdown: Scandal at Juventus

Paratici is one of 13 people set to be indicted by prosecutors in Turin as a consequence of the ongoings at the Serie A club, with the entire board suddenly stepping down amid allegations of artificially inflating transfer fees as part of a capital gains scheme.

Consequently, this news does not reflect well on Tottenham, and it has already caused a strained relationship between the two clubs, with CalcioMercato indicating that the north London club could miss out on Weston McKennie as a result.

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The Latest: Tottenham’s PR fallout

According to information shared by Football Insider, Federico Cherubini, Juventus’ new sporting director, has accused his predecessor of wasting £600m of shareholder cash due to his poor decision making, in what is a damning verdict of his performance in his previous role.

Finance expert Doctor Dan Plumley said there’s a ‘worry’ it could hit Spurs:

“There is always a worry that people will make links in terms of where people have worked in the past.

“The club will be mindful of that. You are always worried about any potential PR damage.

“The emphasis is on the individual and not the club, so there is no suggestion of any wrongdoing on Tottenham’s behalf.

“It’s something that is linked to developments that have happened in times gone by. But it is still something they will have to be mindful of internally.

“People will make those links and you have to be ready to deal with the PR fallout from that.”

The Verdict: Blow for Tottenham

Even though the club are not implicated themselves, it is not ideal for Tottenham to potentially be facing a backlash due to the actions of their managing director, particularly ahead of the January transfer window, when they will want to focus on strengthening the squad, rather than dealing with an issue off the pitch.

The fact that the transfer for Weston McKennie has already been hampered by the recent developments is also a blow, as he has impressed at the World Cup with the USA, displaying his creative side in the 3-1 defeat to the Netherlands, creating one big chance and registering two key passes in his 67-minute stint on the field.

Paratici and Conte have shown already during their time together at N17 that the Serie A is their primary market, so hopefully any backlash towards the transfer guru won’t impact their plans in January.

Nottingham Forest have not had the fairytale start to their Premier League campaign so far and Steve Cooper will be desperate to reignite the momentum he inspired at the club during their performances in the Championship last season.

The Tricky Trees have spent the vast majority of their current top-flight experience in the relegation zone, but ahead of the World Cup break showed glimpses of good form losing just one of their last five outings and are now only one point away from climbing out of the bottom three.

Indeed, Cooper has a completely newly-built squad with 22 signings made in the summer transfer window so there was no doubt that the Welsh manager would need time to get his team connecting and building relationships on the pitch over the first few weeks and months of the season.

Although the City Ground faithful will be hoping the team can pick up where they left off when they return to action against Manchester United at Old Trafford after Christmas, Cooper will be given another opportunity to fine-tune his squad in the January transfer window.

One player who was linked with a Nottingham Forest move in the summer and could become available when the market reopens in the new year is £20m Tottenham Hotspur outcast Djed Spence.

The former Nottingham Forest loanee played a key role in their promotion success in the Championship last season and despite snubbing a permanent move to Trentside for North London, Cooper may now get a second chance to snap up the star.

It has been reported that Antonio Conte could send Spence back out on loan for the remainder of the season to build up his Premier League experience whilst he is out of favour in the Spurs team, and a move back to Forest could be hugely advantageous for both Cooper and the player.

As mentioned, it has taken a lot of time investment to get all the newly signed players to understand their roles and Cooper’s philosophy but if the club could secure Spence as a short-term solution, the right-back would surely have no trouble fitting back into his former role.

Over 42 Championship appearances in 2021/22, the 22-year-old – who was hailed as the “real deal” by Trevor Sinclair – scored two goals, registered four assists and created six big chances, as well as averaging one key pass, 1.5 interceptions, 1.4 tackles, 1.1 clearances and winning 5.8 duels per game, proving that he thrived in Cooper’s tactics.

Spence has further been described as a “swashbuckling” player by Ian Wright but has made just three league appearances all season where he has averaged a mere three minutes. Therefore, the promise of more first-team football would be extremely tempting for the talented right-back and something Forest may be willing to provide.

With that being said, it would be a no-brainer for Evangelos Marinakis and Cooper to snap up Spence’s services for the second half of the season should he be given the opportunity to do so, as the player’s experience in the team could prove highly valuable in Forest’s attempts to retain their Premier League status.

Leeds United U21 centre-forward Sonny Perkins could be set to link up with Jesse Marsch’s senior side ahead of their Carabao Cup meeting with Wolverhampton Wanderers this evening.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to Joe Donnohue, with the journalist revealing in a recent article for the Yorkshire Evening Post that, after being limited to a ten-minute substitute appearance in the young Whites’ 4-2 victory over Newcastle United U21s on Monday, the centre-forward now appears to be in with a chance of travelling to Molineux with the senior squad this evening.

Regarding the potential inclusion of a number of the club’s promising talents, Donnohue said: “[Leo] Hjelde and [Wilfried] Gnonto have both made first-team appearances this season, while [Darko] Gyabi and [Mateo] Joseph have been named on the substitutes’ bench by Marsch but are yet to earn their senior debuts.

“Perkins, on the other hand, has not made a matchday squad yet, but may travel with the group on Wednesday.”

Bamford heir

With Phil Hay recently revealing that Patrick Bamford looks set to be ruled out of first-team action until the return of club football after the World Cup, Marsch could well unearth the injury-prone centre-forward’s long-term heir at Leeds by unleashing Perkins against Wolves this evening.

Indeed, since making a move to Thorp Arch on a free transfer this summer, the 18-year-old sensation has been in astonishing goalscoring form over his nine Premier League 2 outings for the U21s, hitting the back of the net on seven different occasions, in addition to bagging one in three Papa John’s Trophy fixtures.

The teenage hitman has also been in fine form for England’s U19s in the current campaign, scoring five goals and providing one assist in three outings for Ian Foster’s side – meaning the youngster has averaged a direct goal contribution every 82 minutes of football played in 2022/23.

As such, with the goalless Bamford now looking to be out of action for a considerable amount of time, it would very much appear as if the £1m-rated Perkins has more than earned his chance to fill the boots of the England international until his likely return to first-team football in December.

Having said that, should the “dangerous” striker impress against Wolves this evening, perhaps the 18-year-old could even end up taking Bamford’s starting spot away from him on a much more regular basis, especially considering just how much of a struggle the Leeds’ number nine is finding it to get up to full fitness this season.

Sheffield Wednesday’s signing of Ben Heneghan during the summer has proven to be a masterclass, with the centre-back likely to be a big part of any automatic promotion push for the Owls.

The 29-year-old joined on a free transfer from Wimbledon, with Wednesday fans no doubt sceptical after Heneghan made 41 appearances in League One for the Dons last season as they were relegated from the third tier.

However, the defender has quickly proven himself to be an inspired piece of business for Darren Moore’s side, as he has been superb in the vast majority of his performances so far this season.

In nine appearances in League One, the centre-back has averaged a superb 7.23 rating from WhoScored for his performances, which ranks him as the second-best performer in the Owls’ squad so far this season, with only Barry Bannan rated higher.

In Heneghan’s 11 appearances in all competitions, Wednesday have kept eight clean sheets, which emphasises how important he has been to their good form.

After he was instrumental in a recent 1-0 away win over Port Vale, Sheffield Star reporter Joe Crann was full of praise for Heneghan, writing:

“Didn’t dare say anything while the game was still going, but Heneghan, Ihiekwe and James were tremendous for SWFC today. Monumental defensive performance.”

No player in the Owls’ squad has averaged more interceptions (1.6) or clearances (5.4) per game than Heneghan this season, which again emphasises just how good he has been in the heart of a Sheffield Wednesday defence that has kept the most clean sheets in the league.

He has also averaged a phenomenal 6.6 aerials won per game in the third tier, which is the joint-fourth best in the league, which shows how dominant he has been in the air this term.

Considering he was signed on a free transfer and has been so impressive, Moore deserves a lot of credit for bringing him in this summer, as he will surely be imperative to Wednesday’s hopes of earning promotion back to the second tier.

As West Ham United wrapped up eight major deals during the summer window, one move that the Hammers opted against completing was a permanent swoop for midfielder Alex Kral, with the Czech Republic international moving on after a disappointing temporary spell at the London Stadium.

The defensive-minded gem had been signed from Spartak Moscow on a season-long loan deal last summer that included an option to buy, albeit with manager David Moyes ultimately opting against securing the player on a longer-term basis.

The former Everton boss had seemingly handled the 31-cap machine bizarrely during his time in east London, hardly giving the Slovakia-born gem a chance to impress after handing him just a solitary Premier League outing off the bench.

Even that rare taste of action came as a substitute in the final minute of the 4-1 thrashing of Watford back in December, with it having appeared somewhat odd that the Irons made the move in the first place, with Moyes clearly not valuing the 24-year-old highly.

The £4.95m-rated man was also restricted to just three appearances in the Europa League, despite the club’s lengthy run in the competition providing an opportune time for rotation, having hardly had a look-in, in truth.

The player himself must be wondering quite what he did to deserve such cold treatment from the Hammers boss, particularly when he had impressed early on with a solid display in the League Cup triumph over Manchester United back in September, having notably won the joint-most tackles of any player on the pitch for either side (five).

Quite why the 6 foot 2 brute wasn’t able to build on such a “superb” showing – as lauded by Premier League Panel – remains something of a headscratcher, with it having been no real surprise that Moyes and co had snubbed the chance of a permanent deal, such was their lack of trust in the player.

That decision has potentially backfired, however, with the club having since failed to truly bolster their defensive midfield ranks, with that proving a particular issue amid the current woes of regular starter Tomas Soucek, who faces an uncertain future at the club.

Keeping Kral could well have provided West Ham with the depth needed to take his compatriot out of the firing line, with the current Schalke man having notably showcased his quality while on international duty this week.

Amid defeat to Portugal on Saturday evening, the former Slavia Prague man was a rare shining light in the centre of the park, winning 100% of his ground duels and completing 100% of his total dribbles, while also recording two tackles and two interceptions on his way to earning a 7.3 match rating.

Soucek, by contrast, endured a far more difficult outing alongside his former club colleague, winning just 25% of ground duels and attempting no dribbles, while also making just one tackle and two interceptions, having been dribbled past on three occasions as he earned a 6.5 rating.

Equally, Kral has also showcased his ball-winning quality at club level in recent times as he ranks in the top 3% for interceptions made among those in his position across Europe’s top five leagues, while the current Hammers man ranks in just the top 37% in the same metric.

It may well appear that Moyes has made the wrong call in both failing to provide the former loanee with the chance to shine last term as well as in letting him depart at the end of last season, with the 59-year-old potentially set to be left to rue that decision should Soucek’s recent struggles continue.

Wolves have reportedly rejected a transfer bid from Premier League rivals Everton for Leander Dendoncker.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from The Sun, the Old Gold have rejected a bid of £8.5m for the Belgian from the Merseyside club as Frank Lampard looks to strengthen his midfield. The report also adds that “there is confidence a deal can be struck before Thursday’s deadline”.

Wolves originally signed the 27-year-old on loan from Anderlecht in summer 2018 before securing him on a permanent deal a year later.

During his time with the Midlands club, the midfielder has made 159 appearances across all competitions, scoring 12 goals and providing four assists along the way.

Last season saw only five other outfield players make more appearances in the league for Wolves than Dendoncker (30), which shows how important he is to Bruno Lage.

A potential howler

To highlight how useful he was for Wolves last term, only two team-mates ended the campaign with a higher percentage for shots on target than him (43.5%) and only three of his team-mates posted a higher pass completion percentage than the 27-year-old (87.3%).

This shows how capable the £90k-per-week figure is on the ball and how much of a goal threat he can offer when given the chance to test opposition goalkeepers.

Lage has previously shared his admiration for the Belgium international in the past, saying of him after seeing Wolves beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 last season: “He is there, understands the role I have for him. He can play in the first, second and third position. He is a top player and a top man with the right mentality.”

Joao Moutinho’s current contract expires next summer, so if the 35-year-old were to leave Molineux at that time, the Wolves manager could then have to rely on the Belgian to take the mantle of midfield leader.

Talking all this into account, we feel that it would be a big howler from the Midlands club to allow Dendoncker to leave this summer, particularly to join another Premier League team.

With that in mind, if the Toffees do come back in with another bid for the player, Wolves should have no doubts over rejecting it and continuing their season with him in the squad.

Everton are competing with Manchester United for Cody Gakpo of PSV Eindhoven, according to The Daily Mail. 

The lowdown

Everton have brought in five new players this summer, headlined by £34.2million signing Amadou Onana.

James Tarkowski, Dwight McNeil have also joined permanently, while Conor Coady and Ruben Vinagre have arrived on loan.

Gakpo, now 23, has come through the youth ranks at PSV and is under contract until 2026 after penning an extension in January (via Transfermarkt).

The latest

United manager Erik ten Hag wants to sign both Gakpo and Ajax star Antony.

But they will seemingly face competition for the former, because he ‘also has interest from Everton, among others’.

The Dutchman would apparently cost around £38million, which would make him the second biggest signing in the Toffees’ history.

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The verdict

The fact that United are in for Gakpo, dubbed ‘outstanding’ by Football Oranje editor Michael Bell, almost says it all. This would be a real coup, and a show of ambition too, from Everton.

He’s had an excellent start to the new campaign, scoring three goals and providing four assists in his first six matches.

Gakpo is also a prolific dribbler, recording 130 in total over the course of 2021/22 and ranking second in the league for dribbles per game.

The reigning Dutch Footballer of the Year ‘has everything’, in the words of former Netherlands midfielder Theo Janssen.

Tottenham Hotspur have made an enquiry over Nicolo Zaniolo, according to transfer insider Dean Jones…

What’s the word?

Spurs have been linked with a move for the AS Roma attacking maestro for the past few weeks and now the Eurosport journalist has delivered a fresh update on their pursuit.

He told GIVEMESPORT:

“It is interesting because they are still making enquiries about Zaniolo.

“But it will be interesting to see if that right wing-back slot is actually what they have in mind because I’m not convinced it will be.”

Conte’s missing creative piece

Indeed, Zaniolo is unlikely to become a wing-back in north London, given manager Antonio Conte already has three options on the right and two on the left.

The Italian head coach must be desperate for a creative presence in the engine room because that’s his only missing piece of the puzzle from a busy summer of activity.

Truth be told, it has long been a problem at Hotspur Way.

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Ever since the departure of Christian Eriksen to Conte’s Inter Milan side back in January 2020, the north Londoners have suffered from a lack of creative juices in midfield, leaving Harry Kane and Heung-min Son to carry the workload.

The England striker often drops deep and acts as a no.10 at times with his immense passing ability but really, Conte will want his star forward inside the penalty box as much as possible.

Spurs’ big-money flops Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso have been nothing short of disastrous, providing only 15 assists between them in 175 appearances and after a sordid three years at the club, they are up for sale, according to some reports in the media.

Meanwhile, last season alone, Zaniolo delivered eight goals and nine assists under former Spurs boss Jose Mourinho, taking his total to 15 assists in 111 matches for the Giallorossi, as per Transfermarkt.

Once lauded as a “lethal playmaker” by journalist Zach Lowry and likened to both Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard – two players renowned for their ability to deliver in the final third from a deeper midfield role – it’s evident that the Italy international would be a worthwhile addition to this squad.

Roma’s asking price is thought to be around £50m and considering Spurs spent £10m more on attacking backup in Richarlison, he’d surely be worth every penny.

Zaniolo could be the dream end to a wonderful summer of business for Conte, it’s just on Paratici and his staff to get this one over the line following several enquires, as revealed by Jones.

AND in other news, Spurs struck gold with £110k-p/w “absolute monster”, he’s been “better than” Luis Diaz…