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Many Manchester United fans heavily scrutinised forward Anthony Martial after his side’s 0-0 draw against Arsenal on Saturday evening.

The 25-year-old emerged as a second-half substitute in what was a quiet afternoon for both teams on the attacking front, as both defensive lines came out on top during a chilly affair in North London.

Despite being one of the club’s top earners on £250k-per-week (Spotrac), Martial was not deemed worthy enough to start this game and failed to make an impact on the tie as a whole, proving his manager right.

Sofascore recorded that the France international failed to win any duels, did not get any shots on target and made no successful dribbles.

With this in mind, supporters were incensed by another showing where Martial didn’t turn up, with some saying that he should be performing better, considering his weekly salary.

Martial slated by MUFC fans

“Anthony Martial is stealing a living. #MUFC”

Credit: @Rob_loder

“Martial doesn’t have a clue what he’s doing”

Credit: @peterEmcewan

“Martial body language is absolutely shocking. Notice it every game huffing and puffing”

Credit: @AJLawlesss

“Rashford really suffers being on the right. And- frankly- Martial isn’t worth accommodating for that.”

Credit: @andyyax

“I’d rather Telles play LW than Martial, he offers nothing.”

Credit: @Opryce92

“Rashford & Bruno look absolutely knackered. Martial is off the mark, Cavani getting no service at all.”

Credit: @TheOpinion_MUFC

In other news, Manchester United fans singled out one player after the Red Devils’ 2-1 defeat to Sheffield United.

Leeds United will be reeling off the back of their latest Premier League performance.

Despite banking important results like their 3-1 win over Leicester, their trip to Arsenal put a stop to their solid run of form. The Gunners put in a convincing display with their 4-2 winning scoreline, leapfrogging the Whites in the league table.

Whilst they’re in no imminent danger where they are, Leeds will want to improve on their current 11th place position. Focus now shifts to Wolves, who will host the Championship winners at Molineux on the weekend.

There’s a lot to be positive about at Elland Road right now, though.

Leeds could very well push for a spot in the Europa League next season after wasting no time in reasserting their dominance at the top level. Familiar club faces and recent signings have worked in harmony together, with the likes of Raphinha and Patrick Bamford especially impressing.

However, one man who doesn’t seem to be as happy as the rest of the camp is Pablo Hernandez.

The Spaniard hasn’t started a match since Leeds were ejected from the FA Cup at the hands of Crawley Town last month. Summer signing Rodrigo has seemingly usurped the veteran’s position in midfield and frustrations could be mounting.

Hernandez, who has just 18 months left on his £19k-per-week contract, recently took to Instagram to post a cryptic message following the Arsenal defeat.

As quoted by Graham Smyth, the 35-year-old wrote on his Instagram story: “Although it was impossible for you, never claim anything in life, swallow the poison of hatred and accept injustices, rest assured that everything is balanced in the end.”

This isn’t the first time tension has built and has driven a wedge between Hernandez and Bielsa. La Vanguardia claimed that the Argentinian was furious with the playmaker after he threw down an Armistice Day armband in anger back in November.

This is reportedly why Bielsa decided to drop the Whites veteran, who has just 11 senior appearances for Leeds under his belt this season, as per Transfermarkt.

If Hernandez feels he isn’t being treated fairly, then it’s not unforeseeable that another spat between him and the manager could be on the cards.

In other news, Ezgjan Alioski’s performance vs Arsenal may have sealed his fate…

In what has been an abysmal season all round for West Brom, there has been one shining light in goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.

However, with his impressive exploits comes an interest in his services ahead of the summer transfer window, especially with the Baggies staring down the barrel at an instant return to the Championship.

According to The Sun, the 27-year-old is a target for Spurs should Hugo Lloris leave the club, which may become an increasing possibility as he’ll be in the final year of his contract come to the end of the current campaign.

Despite holding the worst defensive record in the division, Johnstone has performed immensely – no goalkeeper has faced more shots on target and none have matched his impressive 96 saves, as per FBRef.

Former PL veteran Paul Robinson has also backed him to remain in the big time, he told Football Insider:

“He has had a fantastic season. He is knocking on the door of an international call-up. I genuinely think he will stay in the Premier League if West Brom go down.”

And now The Athletic’s Steve Madeley believes academy product Alex Palmer would be the ‘obvious’ choice to step-up, even despite having the vastly-experienced David Button on their books, adding that he’d be a ‘perfect’ understudy to the U23 shot-stopper.

The ever-reliable journalist claims that the Baggies have always had a long-term plan for the 24-year-old and that it would be a natural move to play in the Championship next season, for Albion or for somebody else.

Indeed, the Midlands club, who have battled with poor finances all season, could save themselves millions this summer if they were to follow that exact path.

Palmer is a natural and cheap heir to Johnstone’s throne.

As outlined by Madeley, the young glovesman has done everything asked of him across loan spells in League One and League Two, the latter of which saw him gain a glowing endorsement from Plymouth boss Ryan Lowe.

“Alex is a terrific goalkeeper. He has got ambitions of playing at the highest level. He has come here to help us but he has also come here ultimately to get into West Brom’s team,” he told the Argyle Chat podcast (via the Plymouth Herald), before adding: “He’s an outstanding talent.”

Palmer is now impressing for Michael Appleton’s league-leading Lincoln City side, where the Baggies loanee ranks fourth in the division for save percentage (76.7%) whilst no other ‘keeper has managed as many as his 13 clean sheets, as per FBRef.

He only has one more clean sheet to make to match his tally for Argyle the season before.

If Sam Allardyce is still in charge this summer, then he could save the club millions – should Johnstone depart – by promoting Palmer into the first-team fold, evidently, he’s in a similar mould to the Albion no.1 and has been groomed with this very moment in mind.

That time will come if the former Man U man keeps up his impressive form.

AND in other news, U23 gem could be the perfect Matheus Pereira heir

As Rangers near their 55th SPFL title after a comfortable 3-0 win over St Mirren at Ibrox, many Gers fans were wowed by the performance of defender Connor Goldson – taking to social media and applauding the Englishman for a fine display. 

The 28-year-old, who partnered centre-back Filip Helander this afternoon, stunned many supporters with his showing at points – with Steven Gerrard’s men now closing in on 55 and only needing arch rivals Celtic to drop points tomorrow against Dundee United.

Goldson helped the Gers to a crucial three points in their quest to clinch a first league triumph since 2010/2011, with their long ten-year wait for a title likely to come to a close soon – if not this weekend depending on how their rivals perform on Sunday.

Flocking to the praise the centre-back for his performance, it’s safe to say the Ibrox faithful were impressed – dropping all of their verdicts on him through social media.

Rangers fans blown away by Goldson

“That was another Connor Goldson masterclass”

Credit: @Pena_Cartel

“Goldson turned into Messi”

Credit: @Stephen32789781

“Goldson unleashing his inner Bougherra”

Credit: @revanite72

“Connor Goldson is spectacular.”

Credit: @RakoTuke

“Connor Goldson. Player of the year.”

Credit: @Seanboy1872

“Conor Goldson, Rangers Legend. Can’t be anything less surely???”

Credit: @DylxnHxwarth

Goldson has been magnificent today

Credit: @macdonald1872

Connor goldson player of the year, won’t hear any different.

Credit: @RhysS98

In other news: Gers fans also loved these Gerrard comments, find out more here.

Cedric Kipre has suggested West Bromwich Albion dawdled when signing him last summer.

Kipre discusses Baggies move

The £1.08m-valued defender made the move to The Hawthorns in September from Wigan Athletic, but he made just three appearances in all competitions during the first half of the season (Transfermarkt) before moving on loan to RSC Charleroi in Belgium.

Talking to Walfoot.be, Kipre suggested he was left waiting by Luke Dowling and co. He explained:

“It was quite intense. I didn’t know what West Brom wanted and I had to make up my mind at the last minute.”

Worrying

This does not make good reading for Dowling. He is far from a popular figure at the club, with some even calling for former player Paul Scharner to replace him as Technical Director.

During the transfer window, the Baggies left a fair amount of their business until the last day, signing Okay Yokuslu and Ainsley Maitland-Niles during the final 24 hours. Considering they knew they needed a number of players early on in January, it is surprising they took so long to get deals over the line. These latest comments from Kipre suggest that it is something of a problem at West Brom, which is no doubt worrying.

In other news, some West Brom fans slammed this man against Newcastle United.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Aston Villa striker Marlon Harewood has heaped praise on Emiliano Martinez, claiming every team needs a goalkeeper like the Argentinian.

Martinez joined the Midlands club from Arsenal in the last summer transfer window and has firmly established himself as the first-choice No.1 at Villa Park.

Despite a good spell in between the sticks last season, which included a successful FA Cup final appearance against Chelsea, the 28-year-old was unable to dethrone Bernd Leno as Arsenal’s main shot-stopper, prompting him to make that switch.

Speaking on his move to Villa Park and the impact he has made in the current campaign, Harewood told FFC:

“He has been a really good signing for them. They’ve needed it, every good team needs a good ‘keeper, a steady goalkeeper, and he’s shown it. All the top teams, whoever wins the league, you know your ‘keepers and clean sheets and how he’s saved goals throughout the season [makes a difference].

“You need that as a back four, as a team, that when you’re going forward to know that your ‘keeper’s a solid ‘keeper. He’s helped them this year.”

Based on current form, finding a goalkeeper better than Martinez in the country is a difficult challenge.

The Aston Villa man has kept 14 clean sheets in 26 Premier League appearances, one less than Manchester City’s Ederson, who currently leads in that category. The Villans’ defence as a whole, though, has been solid this season.

Dean Smith’s side have conceded just 27 goals in the 26 games they have played so far, showing an overall improvement to the backline. By the end of the 2019/20 Premier League campaign, Villa’s defence had been breached 67 times — the second-worst record in the division.

If there was a game which summed up West Brom’s Premier League season, the 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon was the perfect snapshot.

Sam Allardyce’s side were in desperate need of a victory to keep their slim survival hopes alive, but proceeded to shoot themselves in the foot by conceding a penalty and then limply try to cause Palace problems down the end – the visitors managed just one shots on target in the entire game.

One man who really let his manager down was Conor Gallagher.

The £9m-rated man on loan from Chelsea just couldn’t seem to get his foot on the ball and control things for the Baggies in the middle of the park, and he was far too sloppy with his passing – in fact, he lost possession 18 times over the course of the game, the third-most of any West Brom player on the day.

He was also overpowered by the likes of Luka Milivojevic and Jairo Riedewald in the engine room, losing eight out of his ten total duels, which was the worst of any Baggies player.

Given that Crystal Palace came into the game as the team boasting the fourth-lowest average possession figure of any Premier League side, it was the perfect opportunity for Gallagher to run the game.

Instead, he just looked off the pace, and it was no surprise that he came in for some criticism after the match for his performance.

In his post-match player ratings for the Birmingham Mail, Joseph Chapman wrote: “Tried his hardest, even when things weren’t coming off. Had a couple of openings that either found the stand or a blue and red shirt in their way. Willing as ever but the quality of his passing let him down on too many occasions.”

In a game where West Brom needed their players to step up, Gallagher – among others – just couldn’t rise to the occasion and he let his manager and fans down big time.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Premier League midfielder Lee Hendrie has tipped Manchester City to go on and dominate if they can manage to acquire Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland.

Haaland has quickly become one of the best centre-forwards in world football, managing to score over 40 goals for Dortmund and RB Salzburg last season.

His levels have not dropped, with the 20-year-old already past the 30-goal mark in all competitions this term, and he is now being linked with a whole host of top European clubs, including Manchester City.

Premier League rivals Chelsea and Spanish giants Real Madrid are also said to be chasing Haaland’s signature but, according to the MailOnline, it is Pep Guardiola’s side who are leading the race for the Norway International.

If the Citizens manage to get this deal over the line, for Hendrie, it could be game-changing. He told FFC:

“I think he’d be absolutely outrageous at Man City because he plays between the lines of the box, he scores goals and he’s literally ruthless when he’s got a chance. His work ethic is second to none, it really is, and I feel playing in a team of that calibre, with the likes of [Phil] Foden and [Raheem Sterling], the list goes on, I just feel he’ll get so many chances.”

“I feel he’ll do a similar job to what [Sergio] Aguero does if not better because he’s a completely different player to Aguero. But he’s in the box and he likes to score goals and we’ve seen how consistent he’s been. I just feel that he’d certainly fit the bill for Man City for me. I think he’d be an unreal addition to that football squad and I feel they would go on and dominate.”

With Aguero’s contract up in the summer, Manchester City’s interest in Haaland comes as no surprise.

Guardiola may want a replacement and the former Salzburg No.9 would fit the bill perfectly when you look at his goal record. Competition will be fierce but, with their finances and position in European football right now, the Premier League favourites will surely fancy their chances.

Fans of Glasgow Rangers have been reacting to a post on Twitter, which relayed a report regarding interest in Gers attacking midfielder, Ianis Hagi.

According to the report by Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport, Serie A side Lazio are looking to address their lack of attacking edge this season by adding more firepower in the summer transfer window, with one of the club’s reported targets being Hagi, for whom Rangers are thought to be demanding a fee of around €10million.

So far this season, the £5.4 million-rated 22-year-old has scored six goals and provided nine assists over his 28 Scottish Premiership appearances for Steven Gerrard’s side, in addition to bagging a further goal and assist over his six Europa League fixtures.

And, after news of Lazio’s interest was relayed by several Rangers accounts on Twitter, fans of the club flocked to have their say on the matter, with many stating their belief that Gers would be stupid to turn down an offer of the amount quoted by Gazzetta.

So, what exactly did these Rangers fans have to say in reaction to the report regarding Ianis Hagi?

“Would take £10m personally. Great little player and great stats to match it. Just feel we could use the money to reinvest in better.”

@54timeskings72

“I like the kid and has genuine quality but still not convinced he fits into the way Gerrard wants to play. He doesn’t have the pace for RW/10 role.”

@petera1872

“Take it.”

@officialdeekot

“We’d be silly to turn that down, can’t see it being true though, I do rate him but that’d be too good an offer to refuse.”

@garryhood1872

“Would take that even though he will go for bigger money than that.”

@matalihan123

“Timing is everything for us now. They kept Rogic, Ntcham, Edouard and probably even Christie, McGregor and Forrest too long. The first 3 could’ve gone for £30m now they’ll be lucky to see half that. We need to be smart and move players at their peak.”

@DerickSnake

In other news: these Rangers fans were left baffled after this “insane” footage emerged – find out more here!