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Steve Bruce could consider dropping David Button for West Brom’s crucial Championship clash with Preston, according to journalist Joe Chapman.

The Lowdown: West Brom face massive game

The Baggies head to Deepdale for a vital match on Wednesday evening, with Bruce very much under the spotlight after a dreadful run of performances and results.

Saturday’s 3-2 loss at home to Swansea City has left West Brom languishing just above the relegation zone and defeat at Preston is likely to spell the end for the manager.

It could be that Bruce opts to make changes and one key starter has been tipped to face the axe from the starting lineup.

The Latest: Button backed to be dropped

Writing on Twitter, The Birmingham Mail‘s Chapman talked up the idea of goalkeeper Button losing his place between the sticks, having made 11 league starts to date this season:

“Think there’s a genuine GK decision to make at PNE. Button struggled on Saturday. Defence hasn’t helped, admittedly. 17 goals conceded in 11 is alarming – so many of them avoidable.”

The Verdict: Can’t do any harm

While West Brom’s struggles at the back certainly haven’t been solely down to Button, he hasn’t looked a commanding figure of late, so a change could make sense.

At this point, it feels as though Bruce has got nothing to lose, in terms of his selection, and freshening things up in key areas could ultimately make a difference.

Alex Palmer could be handed the opportunity to shine, having been reduced to two EFL Cup appearances to date in 2022/23, and a big performance may end up revitalising West Brom defensively, even though that is far from guaranteed.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reports that Manchester United were offered the chance to sign Napoli forward Hirving Lozano.

The Lowdown: Lozano profiled

Lozano, described as a ‘unique’ player by Luciano Spalletti, has scored 126 goals during his career for both club and country. He is primarily a right-winger who can also play on the left or as a second striker, and has been with Napoli since 2019.

The 27-year-old is sponsored by Nike and is under contract until 2024, and it looks as if he could have been a United player over the summer.

The Latest: Romano’s comments

Talking to CaughtOffside, Romano revealed that he’s been ‘told’ United were offered Lozano’s services but didn’t make an offer, citing a €20m-€25m price tag.

“I’m told Hirving Lozano was offered to Manchester United, nothing else. They never made any bid to Napoli.

“The situation is really quiet, he’s happy at Napoli now; I think his price tag could be around €20m-€25m.”

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The Verdict: Antony flying

Although Lozano has plenty of experience at the highest level for club and country, United eventually bolstered their right-wing ranks with a big-money move for Antony and are starting to reap the rewards.

The Brazilian has already netted three Premier League goals in as many games and appears to have settled in Manchester extremely quickly.

Therefore, not moving for Lozano doesn’t appear to be a disaster at this moment in time, but it will be interesting to see if the club are still monitoring the Mexican heading into the New Year.

Glasgow Rangers have been handed an injury boost before their game in the Premier Sports Cup at Ibrox tonight.

The Lowdown: Tavernier concerns

As reported by The Scottish Daily Express, some eagle-eyed Gers supporters had noticed James Tavernier looking uncomfortable in a clip posted on social media while training just prior to Sunday lunchtime’s 2-1 win away at Motherwell.

He was forced off during the 4-0 loss away at Ajax in the UEFA Champions League in September, and was pictured on the bench with an ice pack, but has featured in every game since.

The Latest: Tavernier ‘fit’

Speaking to the media in his pre-game press conference ahead of their match against Dundee tonight, Giovanni van Bronckhorst has quashed rumours of Tavernier’s lack of fitness, claiming that he is ‘fit’ to play:

“Tavernier is fit, he is fine. We will rotate the squad tomorrow; we need to find a balance in the load for the players with a small squad at the moment with injuries. We need to be smart.”

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The Verdict: Rest him

Even if he is fit, tonight gives Van Bronckhorst a good opportunity to rest his captain ahead of their Scottish Premiership clash against Livingston over the weekend.

Tavernier has played in every SPFL and Champions League game so far this season, and has completed the full 90 minutes on all but two occasions, including when he was taken off against Ajax (Transfermarkt).

The Premier Sports Cup could provide an opportunity for young right-back Adam Devine, who has only made one senior appearance so far this term, and Tavernier could perhaps be left on the bench to come on if the match needs to be rescued.

Journalist Graeme Bailey was left criticising the performance of Vitaliy Mykolenko as Everton lost 1-0 away at Newcastle United on Wednesday night.

The Lowdown: Concerning form

The Goodison Park outfit’s defeat means that they have now lost their last three games in the Premier League, in what is some concerning form for Frank Lampard going into their next match at home to Crystal Palace over the weekend.

Miguel Almiron’s sweet strike was enough to give the home side all three points at St. James’ Park, which has left Lampard a lot to ponder over the next few days.

The Latest: Mykolenko criticised

Writing in his latest player ratings piece for 90min, Bailey was particularly critical of Mykolenko’s performance, giving him a measly 4/10 overall rating, the lowest of any of his team-mates.

The journalist described his distribution as ‘poor’, and claimed that he ‘struggled all night’ up against goalscorer Almiron.

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The Verdict: Run ragged

Unfortunately for Mykolenko, he came up against a fierce and firing competitor in Almiron, and in truth was run ragged by the Paraguay international.

Aside from his goal, Almiron won four individual duels compared to Mykolenko’s one, and managed three shots on goal in total, while Mykolenko failed to record a single tackle in the match (SofaScore).

Going forward, the Ukraine international managed no key passes, accurate crosses or long balls, and gave possession away 17 times, the most of any outfield Toffees player (SofaScore).

Nonetheless, it was a tough night for Mykolenko, who will have to dust himself down ahead of another big game against Palace this weekend.

Tottenham Hotspur have been urged to secure a new in-house deal for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. 

The Lowdown: New deal on the cards?

Earlier this week, it was reported by The Times that the north London club are indeed looking to offer the midfielder a new deal as a result of his impressive start to the season.

And it appears as though one pundit is fully behind the idea of Spurs offering Hojbjerg a new contract, despite the side’s recent dip in form with the Dane in the middle.

Speaking to Football Insider, Noel Whelan, former top flight striker and BBC pundit, urged the Lilywhites to get an internal agreement over the line.

The Latest: Heavy praise for Hojbjerg

“He does (deserve a new deal). I was a little bit bemused when he came in from Southampton, but he’s really proved everyone wrong,” Whelan said.

“He’s a very good central midfield player. He’s got better and better, and he is now one of the first names on the team-sheet.

“This news doesn’t surprise me because if you let him run down his contract and leave, with the performances he’s put in – you’re probably talking about £60million to bring in a similar player.

“It makes a lot of sense to keep him around and hope he can keep improving as he enters his prime.”

The Verdict: A smart move from Paratici

Across the 12 Premier League games the 27-year-old has played for Antonio Conte’s side this season, he has found the net three times and delivered two assists.

In addition to that, no other Spurs player has made more passes into the final third of the pitch than Hojbjerg (69 before Bournemouth), who also has the second-highest combined total of tackles and interceptions (31 before Bournemouth).

His displays in the league this season have earned him the club’s second highest performance rating from WhoScored, leaving only Harry Kane with a higher rating at the club.

This makes it easy to see why the club are keen to offer him a new deal and why Whelan thinks this would be a good move from Fabio Paratici.

Glasgow Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst has provided an update regarding the fitness of defender Leon King, following Wednesday’s Champions League clash.

What’s the word?

Speaking after last night’s defeat away to Napoli – as per the Glasgow Times – the Dutchman revealed that the teenage centre-back had only been suffering from cramp, after the 18-year-old was forced off in the closing stages against Luciano Spalletti’s side.

The former Feyenoord coach as such suggested that the youngster should well be in line to feature against Aberdeen this weekend, stating:

“No, he got cramp. He’s 18 years old, he’s played almost every game at the highest level. We’re really proud of the way he’s performing at that age. But it’s only cramp, so after a good rest between now and Saturday, I think he will be available.”

Just what Van Bronckhorst needs

News that the young Scotsman has not sustained a serious injury will seemingly be music to the ears of Gers supporters, with Van Bronckhorst unable to afford another injury blow amid the club’s current defensive crisis.

The Old Firm outfit are currently without long-term absentees John Souttar and Filip Helander – with the pair not expected to return until after the upcoming World Cup – while experienced asset Conor Goldson is currently sidelined after limping off in the thumping defeat to Liverpool a few weeks ago.

The 29-year-old’s absence has seen young King take on a more prominent role in the teammate of late, alongside summer signing Ben Davies, with the Glasgow side now praying that that pair can stay healthy over the next few weeks.

The promising academy graduate has already made his mark in his embryonic senior career thus far, having reportedly attracted the attention of the likes of Newcastle United, Manchester United and Leeds United who are all believed to be closely keeping tabs on his progress.

Such a highly-sought talent is one whom Van Bronckhorst and co will likely be keen to keep hold of in the coming years, with the current lack of options set to see the Scotland youth international handed a regular role in the side moving forward.

The hope will be to have the exciting asset available for this weekend’s meeting with the Dons at Ibrox, with the hosts looking to bounce back from their humbling loss in Naples, as well as the frustrating draw to Livingston in their most recent Scottish Premiership outing.

Amid a period of real doom and gloom for the Rangers boss – after seeing his side lose all five of their group stage games thus far and fall to four points behind rivals Celtic in the league table – it will be something of a blessing to have had some positive news regarding King’s injury.

Journalist Ed Aarons believes that Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira may have Monaco left-back Ismail Jakobs ‘on his radar’ ahead of a potential move.

The Lowdown: One left-back

The Eagles were active in the transfer market over the summer but failed to add to their left-back ranks. Tyrick Mitchell is the club’s only out-and-out left-back, with the versatile Jeffrey Schlupp also able to fill in when needed.

Attention is already turning to the winter window, though, and Aarons thinks that Jakobs, a Senegal international who can play anywhere on the left-hand side, could be a target.

The Latest: Aarons’ comments

Aarons, talking to GiveMeSport, believes that Vieira may be keeping an eye on Jakobs and his performances at the World Cup ahead of a potential move to rival Mitchell.

“Really top class left-backs are a bit of a premium, but I think Crystal Palace could do with somebody to give a bit of competition to Mitchell.

“Maybe he’s on their radar because the Senegalese link with Crystal Palace is quite strong.”

The Verdict: One to watch?

Jakobs, who is known for his pace, is just 23 years of age but appears to be at the peak of his powers with a career-high £6.3m Transfermarkt valuation.

Paul Mitchell dubbed Jakobs “quality” following his move to Monaco, where he has since gone on to make 53 appearances for the French side.

Therefore, a move to Selhurst Park for Jakobs could be one to keep an eye on following Aarons’ comments, so it may be worth seeing how he gets on in Qatar.

Sheffield Wednesday will fancy their chances of an upset as they travel to St Mary’s to take on Southampton in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening.

The Saints sacked manager Ralph Hasenhuttl after a 4-1 defeat against Newcastle United at the weekend and have won just one of their last nine games in all competitions, so will be low on confidence for the visit of the Owls.

There is also a strong possibility that the South Coast side could rest first-team players as they look to focus on their ongoing relegation battle, so there seems no reason why Sheffield Wednesday can’t progress against Premier League opposition.

Moore rang the changes for last week’s 2-0 win over Morecambe in the FA Cup and could bring back several first-team players for the game on Wednesday night.

Here is how Football FanCast expects the Owls to line up against Southampton, with seven changes from the team that started last time out.

Stockdale, Palmer, Ihiekwe, McGuinness, Johnson, Bannan, Byers, Dele-Bashiru, Windass, Gregory, Smith (4-3-1-2). 

While Cameron Dawson might have normally been expected to deputise in the cup, the shot-stopper picked up a concussion injury in training, so David Stockdale will keep his place in between the sticks.

After a rare start for Jack Hunt against Morecambe, Liam Palmer looks likely to come back in at right-back, while Marvin Johnson also returns in place of Reece James on the left.

Despite a promising display in the FA Cup, the “man mountain” – as dubbed by Barry Bannan – Dominic Iorfa drops out in favour of Michael Ihiekwe, as the former Rotherham man has been Moore’s preferred choice at centre-back this season, while Mark McGuinness keeps his place.

It’s all change in midfield as Bannan, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and George Byers all return to the side, with Josh Windass moved into a more advanced attacking role.

He starts behind the experienced duo of Lee Gregory and Michael Smith, as both Alex Mighten and Malik Wilks are cup-tied so cannot feature at St Mary’s.

Leeds United have ‘stopped functioning’ in defence of late and need to address the issue during the World Cup break, according to The Athletic journalist Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Leeds leaking goals

The Whites may have enjoyed some improved Premier League results in recent weeks but those have been achieved in dramatic circumstances with plenty of goals involved.

Leeds beat Bournemouth 4-3 at home and followed that up with a defeat by the same scoreline at Tottenham on Saturday, highlighting the chaotic nature of their recent matches.

It means that Jesse Marsch’s side have now conceded 26 goals in 14 league outings this season, the joint- fourth worst record in the top flight, highlighting how problematic their defence has been.

The Latest: Hay bemoans defensive issue

Taking to Twitter on Monday, Hay claimed that Marsch needs to focus on improving that Achilles heel in Leeds’ play during the World Cup break.

Sharing a corresponding article for The Athletic, the reporter stated:

“The striker issue hasn’t gone away, Jesse Marsch said last week, and he’s right, even though Rodrigo and Summerville are in the goals. But as big a concern as the break arrives is a defence which has stopped functioning – with 26 concessions in 14 games.”

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The Verdict: Perfect time to sort the problem

In truth, the World Cup has come at an ideal time for Leeds, in terms of allowing them to reset and give Marsch time to work on the training ground with those not participating at the tournament.

There have been positives in recent weeks, not the least the performance in the 2-1 win at Liverpool, but their defending continues to leave plenty to be desired.

Whether or not January reinforcements come in at the back remains to be seen, but if not, then individuals and the overall defensive unit need to improve if Leeds are to avoid another relegation battle in 2022/23 after last season’s final-day escape.

Victor Orta has boasted plenty of transfer successes over his tenure as Leeds United’s director of football, often using his connections within the game to lure high-quality assets to Elland Road.

Arguably the crowning jewel in his success was Raphinha, who they bought for just £17m and sold this summer, two years later, for £55m.

However, not every transfer can be seen as a win, and as is often the way there are some regrettable purchases to note.

One of his biggest failures to date is his inability to finally fix the club’s left-back situation, although it seemed like he might have stolen a coup when he secured a deal for Barcelona’s Junior Firpo for just £13m.

Billed as an all-action full-back, it was clear from the minute he began at the Yorkshire outfit that he was not the right fit.

With an erratic nature that often left him prone to defensive frailties, he has let down both Marcelo Bielsa and Jesse Marsch on numerous occasions now.

In his few appearances this season he has endured a 6.3 average SofaScore rating, and last year where they narrowly avoided the drop he maintained an abysmal 6.6 rating throughout.

This explains Orta’s persistence in finding his replacement, with Sport Witness relaying information from Radio Marca Valencia that details the Whites’ interest in Valencia defender Jesus Vazquez.

It is expected that the financial pull of the Premier League might give them the edge in this sage, with Inter Milan also battling for the youngster.

Not only this but should the Spaniard not be handed enough minutes, a clause in his contract can activate that will all but seal his exit from the Mestalla.

Although the 19-year-old has only made 22 senior appearances for the Spanish outfit, CIES Football Observatory already values him at €10m (£8.6m).

Noted as an “exciting prospect” by football talent Scout Jacek Kulig, his offensive and defensive characteristics both seem exemplary for someone so young.

Whilst ranking in the top 1% for dribbles completed per 90, he also averaged only 0.9 fouls per game last season, where he was handed his first real run of games in the senior side.

Those numbers are a stark contrast to Firpo, who has also been competing in one of Europe’s elite divisions as he ranks in the top 15% and managed far more fouls (1.6) per game.

Still clearly incredibly raw, there are vast amounts of untapped potential just waiting to be unleashed. Should Leeds sign him, there is little worry that he can perform at a level above what they have become accustomed to seeing.

So by signing the Valencia teen, Orta could finally help Leeds ditch Firpo for the greater good on the pitch.