West Brom can’t have too many complaints about many of their players this season.

The Baggies have been one of the Championship’s dominant forces this term, losing just five games, and one man who deserves a lot of credit for that is Sam Johnstone.

A bad goalkeeper can cost you at any level, just look at Kiko Casilla’s numerous high-profile mistakes at Leeds, but Johnstone has been safe as houses between the sticks at West Brom.

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One would think that his spot is secure for the foreseeable future, but the fact of the matter is that one loanee is staking a claim to challenge for the right to be number one.

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Alex Palmer is having an incredibly impressive loan spell at Plymouth Argyle.

You can make the argument that it’s only League Two level, but you’ll be surprised at how many stoppers cut their teeth in the lower leagues before going on to bigger and better things.

Just look at England’s current crop of goalkeepers, Jordan Pickford spent time at Bradford City, Carlisle United and Burton Albion, Dean Henderson played for both Grimsby and Shrewsbury, while Nick Pope had to learn his trade with Bury and York.

That would suggest that lower-league football is a great way to prepare goalkeepers for a big step up, and Palmer is showing that he may be worth a shot next season.

You can only save what is being thrown at you as a goalkeeper, and Palmer not only has a higher save percentage than Johnstone, but he is busier than him, making more saves throughout the course of the season.

Despite playing for a Plymouth side that have lost four more games than the Baggies, Palmer has actually kept more clean sheets than Slaven Bilic’s ever-present first-choice.

The 22-year-old has certainly given the Baggies something to think about next term, and if he can keep up this level when he returns to the Hawthorns, Johnstone’s spot could be under fire.

In other news, this major update has come at the worst possible time for one WBA star.

With football across the world being put on hold due to recent developments, a lot of the regular content and events that are scheduled to take place are still under a huge question mark.

Of course, the leagues themselves are still frozen and even though we still hope to see the ongoing 2019/20 campaign completed, nothing is really set in stone at this point.

Another point of concern is the upcoming summer transfer market – will teams be able to buy or sell players as they normally would? How will players’ contracts work? There’s a lot of questions that still need a definite answer.

But according to some new reports that originated from The Mirror, some clubs, like Liverpool, are fearing a financial consequence due to the current circumstances taking a toll on their income and that may also result in cutting down their ambitions for the summer transfer window.

And Dave O’Connell believes that makes complete sense for Liverpool and co., and he delivered his verdict on Twitter.

Liverpool fans, do you think teams in general should be more sensible about their spending this summer? Let us know down in the comments below!

Loads of Aston Villa fans have been reacting on Twitter after former hero Martin Laursen had some constructive criticism for current Villa centre-back Tyrone Mings.

Speaking on the latest episode of the 1874 podcast from The Athletic, he said (30:40): “Sometimes I think he does too many mistakes. It looks like he’s not focused all the time. For me it’s always been very important that the centre-half is very focused and concentrated.

“I was so impressed with him when I came to Aston Villa and watched him. I didn’t know him before I came, I’d never seen him play. I was just seeing this big guy with this left foot, strong, quick, good with the ball. I think he has everything to be a great centre-half.

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“But then I’ve seen some games this season, he’s been injured a bit as well, but I think he can do better. He should be aware that he has all this potential, but he should be able to do better. I think he can if he is more focused on his game. He should do better because he’s got everything to do better.”

The giant central defender has been one of the Midlands outfit’s best players during the 2019/20 campaign, which probably says a lot about where they are given he hasn’t been perfect, as per Laursen’s observations.

Indeed, Dean Smith’s men have conceded more goals (56) than any other Premier League club this term, as they currently lie 19th in the top-flight standings with the season currently paused because of what is going on in the world.

Mings has probably been guilty of trying to do much at times to cover for his teammates, which has ultimately cost the England international when it comes to mistakes in his own position.

There are certainly those who agree with what Laursen has said about his fellow centre-back, with one saying they “agree 100%”.

However, there was also those supporters who showed some empathy for Mings and the situation he has found himself in this season.

Given he hasn’t been surrounded by the strongest and best defenders, the following fans certainly have a point when they say they “feel sorry for him”.

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Indeed, he has received praise from the likes of Gareth Southgate and Alex Bruce this season, showing he has been impressive, too.

Meanwhile, other Villans are impressed that Laursen can see what is happening, which one individual has accused Smith and assistant manager John Terry of missing.

Two others even said they would like to see the 42-year-old come in as assistant instead.

>Red Herring or Real Hero: Only hardcore Villa fans will get all of them right….

Given how well he is clearly respected by the Villa Park faithful as you can see by these comments, that could be a good shout if and when Terry does depart.

In other Aston Villa news, Martin Laursen believes it was the right decision to sell one of his teammates in 2008, saying “he wasn’t very good when he played for us”…

Despite the uncertainty about what will happen to the Championship season, Victor Orta and co will no doubt be drawing up plans for the summer transfer window at Leeds.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side currently occupy top spot in the league, so promotion to the Premier League is very much on the cards. But whilst big-money signings and high-profile names may be a major statement of intent from the Whites, they would do very well to turn their attentions to one of the hottest properties in European football: Adil Aouchiche.

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According to 90min, PSG are facing a battle to persuade Aouchiche to stay at the club, with his contract coming to an end this summer. However, it’s suggested that the European giants remain hopeful they can convince him to put pen to paper on a new deal, and that they are exploring the option of potentially sending him out on loan to get first-team football – and Leeds have been name-checked as one possible destination for the youngster.

The 17-year-old has already shown flashes of greatness, with his performances at the 2019 U17 European Championships the real highlight of his fledgling career. His incredible tally of nine goals in the tournament only matched that of France icon Michel Platini back in EURO 1984.

Predominantly a number ten, the teenager could provide some goals from that attacking midfield position, with French journalist Loic Tanzi saying: “Aouchiche is better when he plays behind the striker. He’s not very tall, but very quick, he understands the game and has the right timing when it comes to playing the final pass.”

Such has been his impressive performances, that The Athletic writer Jack Lang waxed lyrical about his talents, even claiming that he has “echoes of Zinedine Zidane”. Leeds have had their fair share of inspirational figures, not least in Eric Cantona all those years ago. Those kinds of players get fans on the edge of their seats, and exude a sense of brilliance.

Having someone like Aouchiche who can provide a touch of magic in the Premier League could be the difference to securing priceless wins when opposition defences look like they’re on top. It may only be on loan, but Orta must surely make this one of his summer priorities.

Former Leeds United and Coventry City forward Noel Whelan has said that West Ham United should look to sell Felipe Anderson this summer, in an interview with Football Insider.

What did he say?

The Hammers signed Anderson from Lazio in the summer of 2018 for £36m and made a good impression in his first season, scoring nine goals and proving four assists in 36 Premier League appearances.

However, he has been restricted to just 19 league starts this term, managing just one goal and four assists in the process.

New West Ham boss David Moyes has left him on the bench for the club’s last three fixtures and Whelan said that Anderson often leaves his side playing with 10 men when he is not on form.

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“Felipe Anderson is a great player,” he told Football Insider.

“On his day he is a game-winner but you have to trust players. You have to be able to trust a player throughout the course of a season. You cannot be carrying flair players.

“They have to do the other side of the games as well – it is required. If you cannot do that you are playing with ten men at times.

“He is alright when he is on the ball but it is whether you can do the work off the ball. It looks to me like David Moyes does not think he can do that.

“We know what he can do on the ball and there is brilliance in that kid but can he track back and defend? If you cannot do it there is a default in a player that needs to be worked on or sold.”

As many of his international teammates settle into Sri Lanka ahead of the World Twenty20, Australia’s Test captain Michael Clarke is making doubly sure the Champions League that follows it will impinge as little as possible on preparations for a series with top-ranked South Africa.Not required for either the World T20 or the Champions League, Clarke will instead lead New South Wales for the early start of the domestic season, which has itself been pushed forward by the presence of the T20 club competition in October.The timing of the event, and its demands on players, has long been a sore point among Test match representatives. This was never more evident than after Michael Hussey and Doug Bollinger had their preparations for a series in India hopelessly compromised by needing to remain in South Africa for the Champions League until only three days before the Tests began.Then Ricky Ponting’s vice-captain, Clarke said lessons had been learned. He is now working with the national team’s coaching staff and the team performance manager Pat Howard to ensure the likes of Brad Haddin, Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson, Ben Hilfenhaus, David Warner and Hussey can come back from the event ready and able to push South Africa for five days rather than 40 overs.”I think we can certainly learn from that, that’s for sure, and I think we are,” Clarke said of 2010. “Pat Howard’s been exceptional in regards to our planning, he’s made no bones about prioritising Test cricket, he wants us to have success in Test cricket, he wants us to be the No. 1 Test team in the world. We’ve got to prepare well and the preparation starts as soon as the boys get back from the T20 World Cup.”The advantage is that all countries are affected the same way, it’s not just the Australian players, we play against South Africa in November and there’s a lot of their players involved as well. It’s fair for everybody. It’s important that everybody who’s there for Champions League plays well there, has some success, but in the back of their mind thinking about the Test series against South Africa.”The young bowlers over there will be monitored, we’ll have Ali de Winter over there working on their bowling workloads, and bowling through that period with a red ball. I wish the boys all the best over there, hopefully they come back full of confidence and ready to go for that first Test.”De Winter’s presence as Australia’s bowling coach will be a significant help to the preparations of the fast bowlers, and a major improvement on the problems of 2010. Back then, Bollinger was given a program to work on while still playing for Chennai, but the presence of de Winter in the country will go a long way towards ensuring such plans are rigorously followed this time.The former coach Tim Nielsen has previously recalled the episode as an instance when Cricket Australia’s board and management did not support the performance objectives of the team, a scenario that hastened Howard’s appointment following the Argus review to ensure such objectives were not compromised.”I understand CA’s decision, but Doug Bollinger was playing four-over cricket right as the tour started, then broke down in the first Test,” Nielsen said last year. “I’ve no doubt if [he was] fit and right and bowling full-time we’d have won that Test match in Mohali.”I can’t imagine an AFL team would let their bloke go and do something like that [before a big game]. They look after their players as best they can for what’s important; they don’t compromise. That was one thing in my career as a coach I was a little bit upset about – that we didn’t get 100% support from CA, and our team was compromised by that.”Clarke is also grateful for the chance to spend time playing for NSW, in addition to leading them for the first time. His retirement from T20Is has afforded the odd window for rest and first-class cricket, granting Clarke a better chance of prospering when the South Africa Tests come around.”It’s an advantage for me to get back into some red ball cricket, that was a reason for me retiring from international T20 cricket a couple of years ago,” Clarke said, “to allow me to work hard on my one-day game and my Test game, and there’s no better preparation than to get back and play for NSW.”I think it’s great for first-class teams to have their international players back playing. I think the game needs it, I think the international players need to get back to play with their state or play for their grade club, I think it’s really important for the game.”I remember fondly having the chance to play with Steve Waugh when he captained Australia and what the feeling was like when he was around training. It gives you that little extra boost, I wanted to spend time in the middle with him, I wanted to score some runs with him, I wanted to show him I could play.”

It’s been over 50 days since Tottenham Hotspur were last seen competing on the pitch, and with no timeframe on a return, it appears as if manager Jose Mourinho is already preparing ahead for next season.

Over the past month or so, the north Londoners have been linked to just about every defender imaginable and that’s continued yet again this week, leaving supporters discussing another possibility.

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According to Guillem Balague, Spurs are keen on Barcelona right-back Nelson Semedo but are yet to put in an official offer for him. Speaking in a recent Q&A on YouTube, the Spanish expert said: “What Spurs want is a right-back. They asked for Semedo, again somebody that is for sale at Barcelona but no offer has been received.”

Sport, however, claim the Portuguese international could be joining Premier League rivals Manchester City with Joao Cancelo possibly going the other way. They also believe the La Liga giants would like €45m (£39m) for his services.

Semedo is a player that has divided opinion amongst the Spurs faithful, here’s what people have been saying about the fresh reports…

AND in other news, Spurs can finally replace Mousa Dembele with this summer addition…

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsShane Watson’s 46 laid the foundation for a strong total•Associated Press

A blistering stand of 75 between Moises Henriques and Steve Smith towards the end of the innings was the difference, as Sydney Sixers’ 185 was enough to keep out Chennai Super Kings in a high-scoring contest at the Wanderers. Henriques made telling blows on the field as well, as his three middle-order wickets derailed Super Kings’ chase just as the asking rate started reducing. Suresh Raina threatened with an attacking half-century, but the lack of support at the other end hurt Super Kings’ chances.Shane Watson gave the Sixers a rousing start after they were put in to bat, and Chennai’s spinners hit back with wickets, but none of the bowlers were spared once the Smith-Henriques pair came together.Watson was harsh on anything short, and he made R Ashwin and Jadeja pay by cracking sixes over the on side. Only a run-out could have ended Watson’s stay and he fell in that manner four short of a fifty. He attempted a risky second run but wasn’t quick enough for Ben Hilfenhaus’ fiery throw from deep cover, which hit the stumps on the half volley.The spinners pulled things back for Chennai after Watson’s departure. R Ashwin struck twice in an over, removing Brad Haddin and Nic Maddinson as they tried to push the scoring. It wasn’t the worst thing to happen to the Sixers, though, as it brought Smith and Henriques together. The pair began by bashing two boundaries down the ground off the part-time leg spin of Faf du Plessis and from that point on, an above-par score looked possible. The bowlers hemorrhaged 61 off the last four overs, which included eight fours and three sixes. Bollinger and Hilfenhaus, who were held back for the final overs, came in for some stick as the pair of Smith and Hilfenhaus muscled boundaries and played some cheeky ramp shots to exploit the infield.Super Kings got off to a circumspect start, limping to 7 for 1 after three overs. Du Plessis gave the chase a push with a flurry of boundaries through the off side, charging the fast bowlers to unsettle their rhythm, in particular Pat Cummins. Cummins had the last laugh, though, when du Plessis advanced down the track to launch a straight six but couldn’t clear long-on.Sixers captain Brad Haddin risked introducing his spinners when Suresh Raina walked in. Raina targeted his favourite cow-corner region against the left-arm spin of Steve O’Keefe and was also alert to put away the length offerings from the seamers. The bowlers didn’t exploit Raina’s weakness against the short ball and with every Raina boundary, the game was Sixers’ to lose.Like they had done with the bat, the Henriques-Smith pairing proved decisive, this time in the field. Raina aimed for the long-on boundary off Henriques’ medium pace, but Smith took a well-judged catch at the edge of the rope. Henriques struck two balls later with MS Dhoni’s wicket and that had all but sealed the game for Sixers, with 44 needed off the last three overs.

Manchester United may broker a swap deal with Juventus to see Romelu Lukaku and Paolo Dybala switch teams according to the Mirror, and the move would suit United down to the ground.

Since joining United from Everton in 2017 for £84m Lukaku’s form has been hit and miss to say the least. He finished last season on 16 goals in 34 appearances and this season he’s scored just eight goals in 23. His habit of going missing in big games and poor technical ability have been picked up on by United fans consistently.

On paper, he’s the perfect Jose Mourinho striker and appears a carbon copy of Chelsea legend Didier Drogba, but the lack of defensive stability stunted Mourinho’s ability to attack and that was reflected in Lukaku’s up-front isolation. The opportunity to fix that has gone, so with Ole Gunnar Soslkjaer now in charge, the new and dynamic style of play renders him surplus to requirements.

Juventus’ Paolo Dybala couldn’t be more different to the Belgian. He’s fast, can play as an attacking midfielder and right across the front line and makes intelligent runs deep as a well as forward – things Lukaku just doesn’t do.

That isn’t as much of a criticism of United’s striker as it sounds because that’s just not the type of forward he is, but the problem for him is that’s the type of forward United now need.

The 25-year-old has only scored three times and assisted eight in 21 appearances for Juventus this season, but his contribution lies deeper than just his basic statistics. Whoever the manager of Man United will be next season, it’s clear a return to an attacking style with fast-paced, fluid link-up between the striker and wingers is desired.

Transfermarkt value the Argentinian at £96m and Lukaku at £74m, so the deal seems financially sensible too. On the pitch, Juventus may need someone of Lukaku’s stature and one-versus-one presence, but United don’t anymore. It’s just a sign of the times.

Do you think United should swap Lukaku for Dybala?

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Dedryck Boyata could give Celtic a welcome injury boost by returning to face Hibs on Wednesday night after missing the Scottish champions’ last four matches.

Sunday’s win at St. Johnstone was a costly one for Brendan Rodgers with Mikael Lustig, James Forrest, Ryan Christie and Odsonne Edouard joining the list of the walking wounded.

Lustig’s Achilles injury made it a clean sweep of the first-choice back four with Boyata, Filip Benkovic and Kieran Tierney already sidelined.

Benkovic has been ruled out for at least another month but Chris Davies was able to deliver some good news on the fitness of his defensive partner.

“Boyata trained today having been out for a couple of weeks,” the Celtic assistant said, as quoted by The Evening Times. “We’ll see how he reacts to that and then see what his availability is like for Wednesday night.

“As he’s been injured for a couple of weeks we’ll have to see. He’d a slight groin issue so we’d [need] to get that right.”

Celtic fans will have to wait until 6.30pm to find out if Boyata is fit to make his second appearance since the turn of the year, teaming up with Jozo Simunovic in the centre of defence.

Jack Hendry or Nir Bitton are the other options available for the visit of Hibs, with either likely to be capable of keeping the Edinburgh side at bay.

Next week’s Europa League tie with Valencia is a different matter. The return of Boyata and any of the injured stars is desperately needed if the Hoops are to stand a chance of reaching the last 16 of the competition.