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Jack Grealish has excelled on the left-wing, but it will be interesting to see whether he is put centrally again after John McGinn’s injury.

On the chalkboard

Dean Smith took the decision to move Grealish to the left-wing against Burnley and he has not departed that position since.

However, that could change after it was confirmed that McGinn will be out of action for an extended period with an ankle fracture.

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This also comes with many Villa fans calling for the talismanic figure to be played centrally, feeling that he is not of as much use while out wide.

With this in mind, we have taken a look at how Grealish has compared on the wing and in midfield this campaign.

Showing adaptability

The 24-year-old has played 10 games on the left this campaign, compared to six in the central areas.

While operating on the wing, Grealish has managed to get a goal every other game, and averaged 2.1 successful dribbles, 3 key passes, 1 tackle and 0.7 interceptions per game, though he hasn’t managed any assists in that time.

During his six appearances from a central position, he has failed to get any goals, while he has provided his teammates with two assists, as well as averaging 1.5 successful dribbles, 2.3 key passes, 2 tackles and 0.3 interceptions per game.

These stats indicate that Grealish is actually able to have more of an impact on games when he is deployed out wide, though the added time given to adapt to the Premier League may have also played a part in this.

Having the academy product out wide may have been experimental at first, but it has been shown that this can work for both Grealish and Villa, while Smith will also be aware that he can be relied upon in central areas.

Can you score at least 80% on this Ultimate Premier League Quiz? Test your knowledge now…

That means that Grealish’s position could be determined by where he is deemed to be needed the most, rather than where it is thought he can perform best.

In other news, Villa fans reacted to their midfielder’s accolade win.

In the immediate aftermath of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s appointment as caretaker manager of Manchester United, everything appeared to be all rosy in the Old Trafford garden once more. The Red Devils were reeling off wins, left, right and centre, and they seemed to have found their groove again.

But following that exceptional start which included an impressive nine game winning streak away from home, the tides have somewhat turned. Solskjaer has faced renewed speculation over his long-term future at Old Trafford in recent weeks and months, with suggestions that he was even fighting for his job late last year.

But positive results against the likes of Tottenham and Manchester City appeared to quieten down that talk. Despite their defeat to Arsenal on New Year’s Day, the Red Devils remain well and truly in the race to finish in the top four and thus secure qualification to the Champions League next season.

But one image that Solskjaer continues to struggle to shake off, is this idea that he is a puppet for Ed Woodward and the Glazers. A mouthpiece for the regime that has led to United’s barren years since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure back in the summer of 2013. A ‘yes-man’ who goes along with whatever his employers have to say, and does nothing to shake the boat or upset the apple cart.

Several United fans have been very public with that opinion of their club legend on social media this season.

But with the January transfer window now open, Solskjaer has the perfect opportunity to start shedding that image. The Red Devils have an injury crisis in midfield with both Scott McTominay and Paul Pogba out injured, whilst they are relying on an 18-year-old in Mason Greenwood to be their third-choice striker this season.

United could desperately do with some reinforcements in both those areas this month, and rather than simply standing aside and insisting that they will only do business if it’s right for them, Solskjaer should be more forceful. He must refuse to toe the party line and state clearly what needs to be done in terms of recruitment to take the team forward.

Quickfire Quiz: How much do you know about Man Utd’s history in the January transfer window?

It would help the United fans to put aside their perception of the Norwegian as a ‘yes man’ and a ‘puppet’, and also help him asset his authority to both Woodward and the Glazers. It’s Solskjaer’s time to take charge once and for all.

Meanwhile, Manchester United fans were left unimpressed by this ace’s shocking display against Arsenal.

Leeds United could see some transfer activity this week after The Athletic’s Phil Hay provided a key update on three players who could join this club.

What’s he said?

Marcelo Bielsa’s side were defeated 2-0 by Sheffield Wednesday at Elland Road on Saturday afternoon, which has resulted in some supporters demanding that Victor Orta pulls his finger out sometime soon.

Their calls could soon come to fruition as Hay revealed that one deal is close, while the club also pursues two others.

He said:

“Caprile is basically done and Poveda is on the cards. That should happen this week. With Adams (the crucial one), Southampton as a club seem open to a deal. But Hasenhuttl appears insistent on keeping him. The key factor might be that Adams, up until now, has been wanting to leave. That could tip the balance.”

One, two, three…

According to TuttomercatoWeb, Leeds were set to have Italian goalkeeper Elia Caprile in for a medical over the weekend, and that is now something Hay claims is ‘basically done.’

Whether or not he makes an impact remains to be seen given Kiko Casilla’s standing in the starting line up and Illan Meslier’s impressive debut against Arsenal in the FA Cup.

The next player said to be ‘on the cards’ is another youngster, winger Ivan Poveda of Manchester City. Beren Cross says a permanent deal either this month or in the summer seems likely and he would be part of Bielsa’s core group.

And then there is striker Che Adams, the one position that the Whites could really do with right now as they only have one senior option in Patrick Bamford following Eddie Nketiah’s recent recall to Arsenal.

Although, that deal is proving to be somewhat doubtful after the 23-year-old came on as a substitute to provide an assist for Southampton’s winner at Leicester City on Saturday.

Call yourself a Leeds expert? How much did each of these January signings cost?

Hay also revealed that Bielsa still wants a striker, so this one could go down to the wire this month.

In other news, ex-Whites man Danny Pugh discusses the future of Leeds’ biggest star amid constant transfer interest…

West Bromwich Albion’s season has hit a stumbling block.

The Baggies may well be sitting pretty at the top of the Championship table but their form in recent weeks has been a worrying concern.

It is epitomised most by Brentford’s recent rise to third place.

Both Albion and Leeds United held a substantial gap in the automatic promotion places, which at one stage was as many as 12 points. That is down to just seven with the Bees hot on their heels. Fulham are closely behind too.

Slaven Bilic’s side have won just one league game in their last seven, stretching back until the middle of October, and that was heading towards a defeat at one point until Charlie Austin’s super-sub cameo.

Four draws in their last five matches also highlights just how big that gap at the top could have been – that’s eight points gone, add that to their current total and they are ten clear of Leeds in second place having played them on New Year’s Day.

The west Midlands outfit need a spark this month and the January transfer window presents that very opportunity.

It’s the dawn of a new decade in the Premier League, but how much do you know about the last 10 years?

One player linked to the club that holds the keys to all that is Jarrod Bowen.

The Hull City hotshot has been in impressive form once again this season. He’s netted 17 times while providing five assists, per Transfermarkt.

Bowen has the ability to play anywhere across the front three, which opens up the scope to many possibilities with Matheus Pereira and Grady Diangana exciting options in attacking midfield.

Although, his best position is out on the right flank, where he is proving to be a more lethal option than Matty Phillips.

In addition to scoring nine more goals than the 28-year-old, Bowen has proven to be a bigger threat, regularly popping off more shots at the opposition, as seen in the graph above.

West Brom’s conversion rate in the Championship this term has been poor, scoring just 51.5% of their total shots at goal – 50 of 97 in fact, via Transfermarkt.

The Baggies have also only scored five times in their last six matches which is below the rate they have been scoring all season as they rank best in the division currently.

Bowen can add that spark to reignite Bilic’s frontline and their title hopes – if there’s any way the club can thrash out a deal, then they must do it. The Athletic believe he could be available for £20m, but his contract does expire in the summer.

Meanwhile, an update over the future of Nathan Ferguson has been provided this week…

After selling Romelu Lukaku to Serie A giants Inter last summer, Manchester United took the rather surprising decision not to replace the Belgium international. Instead, they placed their trust and faith in the likes of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood to share the goal-scoring burden.

Whilst the trio have performed relatively well on an individual basis – they have scored 19, 11 and nine times respectively this season – United as a whole have been misfiring. The Red Devils find themselves five points off the top four in the Premier League, written of by coral 2020 in the title race and could do potentially do with some proven reinforcements up front.

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According to The Manchester Evening News, whilst Edinson Cavani won’t leave French giants PSG this month, he is likely to make his exit in the summer. The report claims that United will be offered the chance to sign him on a free transfer, as his contract will have expired, and that a move is a “possibility”.

Quickfire Quiz: How much do you know about Man Utd’s history in the January transfer window?

After hearing about the situation surrounding Cavani, United fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the matter, with some urging the club to sign him up.

Some fans insisted that Cavani could bring them vital experience and depth to the centre-forward role, with one supporter in particular describing it as “invaluable”.

A couple of supporters of the Manchester side introduced another striker into the conversation, suggesting RB Leipzig’s Timo Werner to be the man they should go for instead.

Turning 33 next month, Cavani is certainly not entering the peak years of his footballing career. A swoop for the Uruguayan would largely revolve around him benefiting United in the here and now, as he will have very little sell-on value in the future.

But the striker has proven himself as a lethal goal-scorer in his time in Italy and France with both Napoli and PSG, scoring 104 and 198 times respectively. If the Red Devils could land him in the summer, they would instantly be adding a proven number nine to their ranks, and that could make all the difference when it matters most.

Meanwhile, Manchester United fans slam this ace after his shocking display against Wolves.

Tottenham Hotspur secured a vital three points in the Premier League on Wednesday night, beating basement club Norwich City 2-1 at home (BBC Sport).

It was a big win for Jose Mourinho’s side who closed the gap between themselves and fourth place Chelsea to just six points (BBC Sport). However, perhaps the biggest positive that came from the game was the return to first-team action of goalkeeper and club captain Hugo Lloris.

The French international had been out with an elbow injury since their 3-0 defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion in October, missing a total of 15 Premier League games in a row (Transfermarkt). Paulo Gazzaniga had deputised for him in that time, but managed to keep just two clean sheets in the league in his 15 appearances (Transfermarkt) so having their experienced number one back was certainly positive news for Spurs.

Injuries have been a major problem for Mourinho this season. As well as Lloris being out for a period, Harry Kane has also been ruled out until at least April recently with a hamstring problem (tottenhamhotspur.com) whilst record signing Tanguy Ndombele has managed just 10 league starts due to various issues (Transfermarkt). It is, therefore, a major boost for the Portuguese to have one of those now back and fully fit, as any manager would suffer without their record signing, captain and talisman.

Loads of Tottenham fans were absolutely delighted to see Lloris back in goal after such a long absence, with many taking to Twitter express their happiness that the World Cup winner was making his return to the team. Here is what some had to say…

Spurs fans, how happy were you to see Hugo Lloris back against Norwich? Let us know below…

If ever there were a game that encapsulated Leeds United as a football club, Tuesday night’s clash with Millwall was it.

The Whites put their supporters through an absolute rollercoaster of emotions at Elland Road as they came from 2-0 down to win 3-2 to return to the top of the Championship.

There was so much to talk about and so much to unpack from that game, but there was one man that the fanbase wanted to praise.

Indeed, the Elland Road faithful were waxing lyrical about Ezgjan Alioski for the role he played in the fightback.

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The wide player drew praise from Graham Smyth for his performance in the second half, and it wasn’t only the journalist who noticed his incredible showing as the fanbase were quick to give him credit for his impressive effort.

Leeds didn’t give up despite going two goals down, and perhaps nobody on the pitch encapsulated that more than the Macedonian.

Alioski didn’t stop running as he desperately tried to grab the game by the scruff of the neck to get his team back in the fixture.

Other supporters gave him some of the highest praise imaginable as they put him in the same bracket as some of world football’s biggest stars.

Indeed, he was likened to two Barcelona aces as supporters compared him to both Jordi Alba and Lionel Messi.

In other news, Leeds may have one Premier League star to thank for their latest addition.

Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has hailed January signing Steven Bergwijn, per the club’s official website.

What’s the word?

The Netherlands international scored on his debut on Sunday, helping his new club to a 2-0 win over Manchester City.

He was signed for a reported £27m fee from PSV Eindhoven and Lloris was delighted with the impact of the 22-year-old.

He said: “What a goal. What a start.

“It’s not easy to come from a different league into the Premier League in terms of intensity, and to start against Manchester City… he did well, and he was decisive.

“It’s going to help him to get into the team, to get into the club, even the relationship with the fans here is going to be even greater in the future.

“But he couldn’t start in a better way.”

Mourinho’s produced some incredible footballing stars – how much do you know about them?

The best start

Bergwijn was in superb form against City.

Football FanCast has previously outlined just how good the Dutchman was against Pep Guardiola’s men.

He was even told by manager Jose Mourinho to play through the pain barrier throughout the encounter and his goal was a genuinely superb finish, as he chested down a clipped ball into the box and fired a volley into the bottom corner.

Lloris, of course, is the club captain and knows all too well that first impressions matter; he has seen plenty of debutants come and go since joining the club in 2012.

Bergwijn has perhaps enjoyed one of the finest starts of any new acquisition.

Meanwhile, one Spurs ace is poised to return to the delight of fans!

Leeds United face off against fourth-placed Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

For the first time in a while, Nottingham Forest are genuine promotion contenders in the Championship, and they owe a lot of their success to a terrific partnership that has formed this term.

Indeed, the Reds’ biggest threat often comes down the right side.

Right flank a danger

Joe Lolley is often the man making things happen for the Reds.

Last season the winger won the club’s Player of the Year award, and he’s in with a shout for it again this year, but he will face stiff competition from one of his teammates.

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Matty Cash is the only Forest player with a higher WhoScored average rating than Lolley this term, and the two men have formed a deadly double-act down the right flank.

Between them they have contributed to 18 goals this term, and with 38% of Forest’s attacks being targeted down that area of the pitch, it’s an area Leeds need to be wary of.

Unfortunately, their left-back spot has been described as their problem position by Phil Hay, and they will find it hard to use one effective tactic there this weekend.

Can’t move Dallas

In the past when Leeds have come up against a troublesome right-winger they’ve been able to deal with it by moving Stuart Dallas to left-back.

Indeed, the Northern Irishman was incredible when dealing with 16-goal Jarrod Bowen earlier this season, completing six tackles, but Leeds will find it hard to move Dallas there this time.

The 28-year-old has often been deployed in midfield this season, and it seems as though Leeds won’t be able to dislodge him from that role due to their lack of depth in the middle of the park.

Adam Forshaw is still injured, and Kalvin Phillips will be sitting out the final game of his suspension, so Leeds don’t really have many other options than to start Dallas in the midfield.

Unfortunately, this domino effect means that Gjanni Alioski will presumably have to start on the left, and that could spell trouble for the Whites on Saturday.

In other news, Leeds fans have been buzzing after one club tweet.

Manchester United’s Tahith Chong was a subject of much discussion during the January transfer window, though rumours of a move to Everton were non-existent.

The young prodigy is soon going to become a free agent, with his current contract due to run out in the summer, and there were reports linking him with the exit door in the winter window.

Juventus and Inter Milan were two clubs cited as interested parties but no deal was reached back then.

Still, that doesn’t mean that the 20-year-old youngster won’t leave Old Trafford in a couple of months.

Did he really play for us?! No Everton fan has managed to name all of these obscure Toffees players….

And just recently, he posted an

/B8Zp4BmFz5T/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link” data-lasso->Instagram snap that attracted the attention of Everton youngster Nathan Markelo, who posted an interesting reply.

Markelo commented on Chong’s post by urging the 20-year-old talent to join the Toffees.

At the very moment, there’s still no reply from the United youngster so we’ll have to wait and see what he has to say – if anything at all.

Of course, we can’t know for sure whether this was a serious plea or just friendly social media media, as is usually the case with various footballing stars.

One way or the other, however, Chong’s future will have to be resolved sooner rather than later as his contract edges closer to expiry.

In other news, Everton’s Lucas Digne responded to Idrissa Gueye’s recent snap with Edinson Cavani…