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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Speaking to London News Online, Lee Bowyer revealed that Tom Lockyer turned down Swansea in favour of a move to Charlton back in the summer.

The 24-year-old departed Bristol Rovers at the end of last season, where he made a huge 284 appearances for The Gas over the course of a seven-year stay at the club.

Already a full Wales international before his move to The Valley, the centre-back has vast experience under his belt despite his fairly youthful age, and Bowyer’s revelation speaks volumes.

What did he say?

Bowyer said: “He has been one of our most steady players – up there with Josh Cullen. You know what you are getting – steady, solid and he won’t let you down.

“Swansea wanted him but it was about selling this club to him. I told him: ‘Come here and improve, everyone who comes to this club has improved. Trust in what we’re telling you, take it on board and you’ll get better’.”

Speaks volumes about Bowyer’s project

For Lockyer to turn down a club like Swansea in favour of Charlton speaks volumes, especially given the circumstances.

Firstly, the difference in the two sides before the start of the season was there for all to see. The south Londoners had just come up from League One via the playoffs, with the ill-feeling generated by Roland Duchatelet seeping down from above still very much present and something that continues to linger.

In contrast, Swansea had only recently been relegated from the Premier League – it’s fair to say that the Swans, in that respect, probably had a better chance at returning to the top-flight than newly-promoted Charlton did.

To only further emphasise the boldness of Lockyer’s decision and the lure of Bowyer’s project as well, Lockyer is Welsh and would’ve had the chance to move back home and play his football close to his family – the defender was born in Cardiff.

So, to ignore the glaring benefits of a move to the Liberty Stadium in favour of teaming up with Bowyer really says a lot about the ongoing project that is being overseen by the 42-year-old.

It’s always good to see a bit of passion from the higher-ups at a football club.

Leeds fans loved seeing Victor Orta’s passion in their Amazon Prime documentary and Jeff Mostyn’s celebrations after Bournemouth’s promotion will live long in the memory.

Remember the ‘golden goal’ rule? Find out why some fans want it back in the video below…

However, sometimes passion for your team can be a bit misplaced, and that seems to have been the case for Birmingham City director Edward Cheng over the weekend.

A tweet from a fan sparked a reaction from Cheng, and it’s fair to say he wasn’t willing to back down from a fight.

After Football FanCast shared an incredible video of Roda JC fans kicking their chairman out of their ground, a Birmingham City fan jokingly stated that the St Andrew’s faithful should do the same to Xuandong Ren and Cheng.

Birmingham is a club where the drama never stops, but seeing a club director offer a fan a fight on Twitter is a new one.

Some Arsenal fans have taken to Twitter to criticise Nicolas Pepe, following the 1-0 win over Bournemouth.

The Ivory Coast international actually set up the game’s only goal with an impressive delivery from a corner, allowing David Luiz to head the ball home.

Pepe – a £72m signing from Lille – was also involved in an incident with Diego Rico that could have seen a penalty awarded to the Gunners, with Martin Atkinson’s refusal to hand the north Londoners a spot-kick not going down too well with some fans on Twitter.

Aside from that, the 24-year-old failed to have a shot on target, and was also dispossessed three times while also having four unsuccessful touches.

Pepe is also yet to score a goal for the Gunners from open play – his penalty against Aston Villa is his only goal for the club so far.

Let’s take a look at what the Arsenal fans on Twitter have been saying about their club-record signing…

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Bournemouth’s Ryan Fraser is yet to hit the heights he reached last season but he still poses a great danger to Everton this weekend.

Marco Silva’s defence has struggled in recent games as they have conceded four in their last two league matches.

One man in particular who is looking to kickstart his season is Ryan Fraser. The Scotland international raised a lot of eyebrows last season by scoring seven and assisting 14 in 38 league appearances, leading Tim Sherwood to suggest on Sky Sports’ The Debate (via HITC) that Everton should try to sign him.

“The next move for him, and no disrespect to Bournemouth, is one just underneath [the top six]. Like a Leicester or an Everton. And then he’s still young enough to make that next step.” – Tim Sherwood on Ryan Fraser

The winger has always used his pace to his advantage, but in the last campaign, he added an end product to devastating effect.

The fact Fraser has won, on average, 2.3 fouls per game – according to Whoscored – from his four league appearances shows he is capable of buying free-kicks, and it is certainly an aspect of his game Seamus Coleman will have to be wary of when coming up against him on Bournemouth’s left-flank.

Although he is yet to get on the scoresheet in 2019/20, he has still been a handful in the final third and Everton would do well to cut out the service to him.

His record of one assist and 1.5 key passes shows he has the potential to unlock a defence, and he can’t be afforded time and space around the Everton box.

Watch Everton Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

His average number of key passes is likely to increase at some point, too. He has averaged 1.1, 1.6 and 2.4 in his previous three seasons, so Everton will need to be on high alert to ensure he doesn’t get the ball rolling against them.

His pass accuracy is one area of his game that has impressed this season, and if he is able to link play effectively with players like Joshua King and Callum Wilson – who bagged 26 Premier League goals combined last term – then it could be a long afternoon for the Toffees.

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A number of Aston Villa fans are concerned that their team could struggle in the Premier League this season due to a lack of cutting edge in the final third of the field.

Villa’s goalless draw with West Ham United on Monday night means that the team have now only netted four times in their five Premier League games this term.

Wesley, Douglas Luiz, Anwar El Ghazi and John McGinn have scored for Dean Smith’s side in the top flight during the 2019/20 campaign.

There has not been much threat from elsewhere, though, and Villa are currently 17th in the Premier League table – level on points with 18th-placed Newcastle United.

It is a long, long season with plenty of points still up for grabs.

Watch Aston Villa Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

However, following Monday’s 0-0 with West Ham, a number of Villa supporters admitted that they were concerned by a perceived lack of options and quality in attack.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Arsenal made just one signing on deadline day – bringing in Denis Suarez on loan from Barcelona.

The cash-strapped Gunners were forced to look for temporary deals given the lack of funds at Unai Emery’s disposal. Having managed to secure Suarez’s services, Arsenal also targeted Belgian winger Yannick Carrasco and Inter Milan’s Ivan Perisic; Arsenal also attempted to sign Christopher Nkunku from Paris St Germain. However, the London club were unable to get the deals across the line in time.

Instead, their attention will now turn to the summer window where a larger budget should be available for new recruits. Finishing the season in a Champions League place would make their summer recruitment drive a lot easier. Given their recent injury problems, adding defensive reinforcements should be a priority for Emery.

One man he could target is Borussia Monchengladbach starlet – Nico Elvedi. Valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt, the Switzerland international has blossomed into a key player for the Bundesliga side since joining from FC Zurich back in 2015. Elvedi has made 17 appearances in all competitions this season and has been one of the club’s most impressive performers.

The 22-year-old primarily operates as a centre-back but his versatility means he is also comfortable at both right and left back making him the ideal summer recruit. Elvedi is excellent on the ball and displays a wonderful range of passing, completing 92% of his passes in the Bundesliga this season. The youngster is also a dominant force in the air, winning 2.4 aerial duels per game this season, meaning he will have no issues adapting to the physicality of the Premier League (WhoScored).

Still developing and improving, this would be an astute piece of business from the Gunners.

Arsenal fans, thoughts?

[ad_pod ]It’s inherently British to be polite.We automatically apologise when we’re barged into, when someone stands in our way, or when someone spills something on us. We feverously thank people for the most trivial of things like opening a door or standing to one side to let us past in the hallway; ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ are two of our most common phrases, or they should be, anyway.Watch Arsenal Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

It almost feels like an attack on our person when someone isn’t equally as civil. For me, not being thanked by fellow motorists after waiting patiently for them to pass incites a fit of expletive-filled rage unmatched by anything else in this world. Time to wash my mouth out with soap and all that.

So with all that being said, we understand why Ray Parlour and his Arsenal cronies at the time felt slightly aggrieved when midfield rock Emmanuel Petit didn’t pay them the courtesy of a simple ‘good morning’ in response to their own well wishes…

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Leeds United appear to be very active this week after a reliable journalist issued an exciting transfer claim…

What’s the word?

Reports emerged suggesting that the Yorkshire outfit had a £15m offer knocked back for RB Salzburg midfielder Brenden Aaronson, though the club are said to remain keen on signing him this month.

However, it’s not the only player that they have submitted a bid for.

“Victor Orta is being busy and Leeds have also tabled a bid for a second as of yet unidentified player,” revealed the Daily Mirror’s David Anderson to Twitter on Tuesday night.

It remains to be seen who the second player could be as United have been linked to many names in many different positions throughout the last two to three weeks.

Signings soon?

Whilst we may not know who Orta and co are targeting now, the point that they are now looking to conduct business is hugely exciting and encouraging news for the Elland Road faithful.

This window was quickly heading down the same path – a bleak one with no signings, nothing to help manager Marcelo Bielsa and the problems within his squad.

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Often, his side have been decimated by injuries and that was epitomised by the fact that he could only name one senior professional on the bench during Sunday’s 3-2 win over West Ham United. That being Rodrigo, who has only just returned from injury himself.

Leeds have long been on the lookout for a midfielder, with the last signing in the role being Adam Forshaw nearly four years ago. It has left the head coach awfully short on options.

With Kalvin Phillips on the treatment table, it is only Forshaw and Mateusz Klich available as clear-cut central midfielders. The likes of Stuart Dallas and Jamie Shackleton, who often play anywhere they are asked to, can fill in but they have largely been utilised at full-back.

It certainly seems as if Orta is trying his best to find solutions, having submitted two offers for two different players this week, and that should leave many supporters buzzing heading into the rest of the window.

With less than two weeks to go, the Yorkshire giants must accelerate plans to get at least one deal over the line.

AND in other news, Enquiry made: Leeds now eye £10m gem with “enormous ability”, Bielsa badly needs him…

As per The Sun, Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte is set for major backing by chairman Daniel Levy as the Lilywhites eye a £50 million double swoop before January 31.

The Lowdown: Conte makes transfer demands…

According to reliable reports, Spurs’ head coach has his sights set on improving the squad and has earmarked a list of positions to prioritise – specifically four.

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Alasdair Gold claims that the Italian wants to reinforce Tottenham with a right-wing-back, left-sided central defender, midfielder and striker if he wishes to transform the club.

The question with Spurs is arguably whether they can afford to grant his wishes, especially since they recently announced total club debts of £706m, but The Sun have just shared some very encouraging news.

The Latest: Conte set for Levy backing…

As per their information, Levy is ‘ready to back’ Conte with a ‘£50 million’ double swoop for both Wolves star Adama Traore and Sevilla defender Diego Carlos.

The Lilywhites are ‘set’ to make an improved offer for the former, while they have also joined the chase for Carlos in what could be a blow to Newcastle United’s chances of signing him.

The Verdict: Exciting claim…

Bolstering Conte’s options with the duo would certainly come as a very exciting piece of business and transfer chief Fabio Paratici may have to pull out all the stops to make it happen.

Traore, lauded as the ‘perfect fit’ for Spurs and someone who could ‘really excite’ the fans by pundit Noel Whelan, simply must be followed by Carlos who is a proven La Liga defender.

According to WhoScored, out of Tottenham’s current crop of players, only top-performing Lilywhites centre-back Eric Dier has averaged more clearances per 90 (3.8) compared to the 28-year-old (3.6).

If Paratici, Levy and Conte can make this double move happen, it would surely boost Spurs’ chances of a top four finish.

In other news: Spurs allegedly ‘edging closer’ to signing ‘massive’ £15 million defender, find out more here.

An update has emerged on Lille gem Renato Sanches, regarding Wolves’ plans to sign him in 2022…

What’s the talk?

Midlands reporter Luke Hatfield has named the midfielder as a player the club are more likely to pursue ahead of Manchester United’s Donny van de Beek.

He told GIVEMESPORT when asked about a possible move for the Dutchman:

“I still think someone like Renato Sanches is going to be probably higher on the list for Wolves this winter or next summer.

“He offers a little bit more of an all-round game. But, I suppose, if they miss out on him or decide to look elsewhere then van de Beek could be a really good option for them.”

Neves 2.0

Bruno Lage must ensure that he can get a deal over the line for Sanches in January as he could land Ruben Neves 2.0 for the club.

Neves joined Wolves whilst they were in the Championship and immediately helped them to win promotion back to the top-flight, scoring six goals in 42 second-tier appearances. He has since gone on to play 126 times in the Premier League as the side have consolidated their place at the top table.

The Portugal international average a sublime WhoScored rating of 7.20 in the Championship, showing that he was consistently putting in quality performances at that level to push Wolves to the next stage. His ability, therefore, played a major role in the club taking the next step and achieving promotion.

In Sanches, Lage could be repeating that masterclass for Wolves in his own way by improving the midfield to help the team push on again, this time into Europe. The 24-year-old has averaged a WhoScored rating of 6.96 in Ligue 1 for Lille, whilst making 1.7 tackles and interceptions, along with 1.4 key passes and 2.6 dribbles, per game.

The £27m-rated destroyer was previously lauded for his physical strength by former Bayern Munich manager Niko Kovac, with the Croatian saying:

“Renato has an exceptionally good technique, very good speed and a great body. It’s true that people fly off him left and right – just like they used to do with Lothar Matthaus. I’m delighted for Renato – I said yesterday that he was excellent in pre-season and it wouldn’t be long before he plays.”

This shows that he has the defensive and physical attributes to adapt well to playing in the Premier League, whilst his dribbling and creative statistics for Lille suggest that he also has an attacking edge that could drive Wolves forward in games.

His 1.4 key passes per game rank him level with Raul Jimenez for the number one spot at Wolves, whilst he is only behind Adama Traore (4.7) in dribbles per match. Therefore, he would be the best midfield at the club in both statistics if he is able to translate his form over to the Molineux, which is why he could elevate the team’s attacking potential without taking away any defensive aspects.

This is why Lage could repeat a Neves masterstroke with the former Bayern man as he could be the signing, just as his compatriot was in 2017, that pushes Wolves on to the next level and gets them challenging for European football.

AND in other news, Lage may already be heading for a major January disaster at Wolves, fans would fume…