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West Brom are thought to be one of the teams eyeing a move for out-of-contract Crystal Palace ace James McCarthy.

According to the Daily Mail last week, the 42-time Republic of Ireland international is a target for the Baggies with the south Londoners yet to begin talks over a new deal.

The Athletic added further weight to the story just a few days ago, claiming that unpaid fees surrounding Nathan Ferguson’s move from the Hawthorns to Selhurst Park could aid Albion’s pursuit of McCarthy.

They claim that ‘experience in the centre of midfield is attractive to [Sam] Allardyce’ but the prospect of a relegation battle may not swing the cause in their favour, meaning he could assess his options in the summer.

This is where West Brom need to step in and tempt him into a move, even if short-term as his qualities are vastly needed right now.

And on just £50k-per-week at the Eagles, he could fit in their wage bracket quite handsomely as Kamil Grosicki has been linked with cancelling his £50k-per-week contract early while Charlie Austin and his £55k-per-week deal has been shipped onto QPR for the time being.

The 30-year-old veteran has played 263 times in the Premier League, a figure that eclipses Albion’s whole midfield in one, so he’d be a welcome addition.

On Tuesday night, we once again witnessed a calamitous display from Romaine Sawyers – the 29-year-old ranks as the Baggies’ worst regular starter (seven or more appearances) with an average WhoScored rating of 6.13.

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Against Pep Guardiola’s men he was so out of his depth, recording a squad-low 5.5 ratings as he looked lightweight in his battles, winning only two of eight duels (25%), while he was also dribbled past three times by the class Ilkay Gundogan and Phil Foden and he committed an error leading to a goal, per SofaScore.

In the Premier League, this has become a frequent occurrence as seen by his abysmal average rating. There are no easy games in the top-flight, so by bringing in McCarthy, Allardyce could finally be handed a reason to finally axe Sawyers from his starting XI.

He’s simply only playing there due to the lack of options at his disposal.

McCarthy’s experience in the big time would also aid their survival bid massively as he’s played against the very best consistently every season.

Former Albion boss, now in charge of Palace, Roy Hodgson dubbed the Irish brute a “class act” and a “class player” just last season, a campaign which saw him manage 2.5 tackles and a 77.8% passing success rate, per WhoScored.

Enough is enough.

Allardyce must push to sign McCarthy before Monday’s transfer deadline. The Baggies cannot head into the coming months without addition midfield options.

If they do, then they may as well prepare for the Championship. At least Sawyers would feel back at home at a level where he’ll have the time and space needed to play his best.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Pundit claims forgotten 28 y/o could help big West Brom issue… 

Marcel Brands could deliver a solid deadline day for Everton by sealing a deal to sign LOSC Lille full-back Zeki Celik.

The Toffees have been heavily credited with interest in Celik throughout the winter market, with Fabrizio Romano claiming at the start of January that contact had been made with the defender’s representatives.

But a deal to sign the 23-year-old was thrown askew by reports he favoured a move to rival suitors AS Roma, after the Serie A outfit allegedly began formal negotiations with Lille as the Stade Pierre Mauroy natives only value the Turkey international at €15m (£13m).

Celik is yet to finalise a move to the Stadio Olimpico and featured for 70 minutes as Les Dogues beat Dijon FCO 1-0 on Sunday, marking his 14th start in 15 Ligue 1 appearances so far this season.

Everton should not allow Deadline Day to end without Celik’s signature secured, as the Blues are preparing to part with academy graduate Jonjoe Kenny.

The right-back is nearing a loan deal to join Celtic for the rest of the season, which the Hoops may later look to turn permanent with Neil Lennon said to be a keen admirer.

Kenny’s exit will leave Seamus Coleman as the sole recognised senior right-back at Goodison Park, though Carlo Ancelotti has enjoyed frequent success with centre-half Mason Holgate fielded in a wide role.

But Holgate is unlikely to be the Italian’s long-term preference, following claims Ancelotti had sought to use the winter market to find Everton’s future Coleman successor.

Coleman’s time as the first-choice may also have an end point in sight, having appeared vastly off the pace during a challenging afternoon in defeat to Newcastle United on Saturday.

Celik could be just who Everton and Ancelotti are looking for if Brands can work his magic and convince the 23-year-old of a move to Merseyside, with the clock fast ticking down toward Monday night’s 23:00 deadline.

Negotiations may not be too laboursome with a route to Roma yet to be finalised, and Celik telling SoFoot back in November of his desires to one day play in the Premier League after proving himself to be one of the most respected full-backs in Ligue 1.

The 18-cap international would additionally offer Ancelotti a threat at both ends of the field, with Celik involved in three goals (one scored, two assisted) and four clean sheets in his French top-flight outings this term.

Celik has helped to his side’s shut outs having won possession with 21 tackles and 13 interceptions, and hit on the break to deliver 15 crosses into the opposition’s box and completed 510 of his passes, per FBref, showing he is safe and wise on the ball after winning it back.

Holgate, for comparison, has completed 372 passes in the Premier League this season, including 10 crosses, while taking back possession with 17 tackles and 16 interceptions, per FBref, over his nine games played to date.

If Celik is still on the market for just £13m, Brands will regret not testing Lille’s resolve on Deadline Day to hand Ancelotti a potential ready-made first-choice at right-back.

AND in other news, an Everton gem with “unbelievable pace” must step up as £13.5m-rated flop nears exit…

Roy Hodgson has refused to put a date on Wilfried Zaha’s comeback from a hamstring injury for Crystal Palace and has therefore ruled him out of the Premier League clash with Brighton on Monday.

What’s the word?

Zaha is Palace’s top scorer this season, as he has scored nine goals and recorded two assists in 19 top-flight appearances. In his absence, however, the Eagles have lost their last two league outings against Leeds United and Burnley, having failed to find the back of the net on both occasions.

Hodgson had previously been cautiously optimistic about his recovery but it has now been over two weeks since he last made an appearance for the club.

“[Wilf Zaha] is still suffering from the injury, there’s no question of that,” Hodgson said in his pre-match press conference ahead of tonight’s game against Brighton.

“The doctors, in particular, and physios are very anxious to not put dates on people so they’d be very angry with me if I suggested dates he could return.

“He’s working very hard to get back as soon as he can. I’m rather hoping the prognosis will be different to the actual timescale.”

Mammoth blow for Roy Hodgson

Zaha’s absence over the past couple of games has seen Jordan Ayew, Christian Benteke, Michy Batshuayi and Jean-Philippe Mateta all start with a varying degree of success, but they have all done little to make up for the fact that Palace have lost a player who tops the charts for shots taken per game in the Premier League, and who is second for dribbles and third for key passes per match out of the entire Palace squad.

As we mentioned previously, Mateta may be someone who could potentially come in and score goals, but he has been restricted to just one start in his two top-flight appearances since his arrival at Selhurst Park.

And even then, his stats still pale into insignificance next to those of Zaha’s. Mateta has currently only managed 0.5 shots and 0.5 key passes per 90 during his time in the Premier League this season thus far.

Palace have dropped points in their past two Premier League games which has seen them drop to 14th in the table as a result.

Hodgson, therefore, will be rather worried that it doesn’t look like Zaha will be returning anytime soon as they have looked rather devoid of inspiration without him.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace fear losing Wilfried Zaha in the summer…

David Moyes must address Jarrod Bowen’s concerning rate of regression with the West Ham United forward on a persistent decline this season.

Bowen has proven to be a crucial cog in the Irons system all term, with the former Hull City winger featuring in all 26 Premier League fixtures and starting 23 of his outings to date.

Only Tomas Soucek (8) and Michail Antonio (7) have also scored more often in the top-flight for the Irons than Bowen (5), who is without a goal in his last seven appearances and is bordering on his longest drought all campaign – eight games.

And, off the ball, Bowen is beginning to flounder and he was benched for Pablo Fornals to take his place on the right-flank against Manchester City on Saturday. The energetic Spaniard shone at the Etihad Stadium to emerge as the Hammer’s silver lining in the 2-1 defeat.

Bowen’s defensive decline also concerns Kevin Phillips, with Wyscout data (as cited by Football Insider) showing that only three players across Europe’s top-five leagues allow the opposition to make a higher number of progressive passes than the £25m-rated maestro.

In a side that Moyes prides on its defensive discipline, Phillips does not believe there is room for Bowen to be carried by the likes of right-back Vladimir Coufal and midfield star Declan Rice.

“Stats don’t lie,” the 1999/2000 European Golden Boot winner told Football Insider. “In possession, he’s great. But ultimately, out of possession, you’ve got to know your positions, you’ve got to know when to press, you’ve got to know where to show someone and where not to show them.

“If you don’t get it quite right at this level, you get punished. It’s no surprise because he’s more of an offensive player, defending is not his main duty. But we all know that nowadays you’ve got to be able to do both.

“So that will be an area they’ll want to improve. These coaches know that. They’ll look at the stats. It’s certainly an area that he needs to learn, the young kid. That will get better as time goes on, particularly under Moyes, who is a fantastic coach.”

It is not only in the volume of progressive passes that he allows that shows that Bowen has been struggling defensively, with the 24-year-old performing at a worse standard this term than during his first half-season at the London Stadium in an array of areas.

The £22m January 2020 signing is currently offering Moyes fewer successful (0.7) and attempted (1.2) tackles per game in the Premier League than he did following his winter arrival last season (1.5/2.5), as well as fewer interceptions (0.6 to 1.2), per WhoScored.

Bowen has further made just two successful tackles in his last six top-flight appearances – both coming against Tottenham Hotspur – and offered two interceptions in that period – each coming at home to Liverpool.

The £96,000-per-week star has been lacking offensively, too, with just three key passes, two shots and two successful dribbles during his last six league outings combined.

Those displays have also resulted in an average WhoScored match rating of 6.34 – including two 6 out of 10s – to bring his seasonal average down to 6.72, the 11th-best at the London Stadium and behind £45m flop Sebastien Haller (6.75) who was sold for £20m in January.

Moyes will need to address Bowen’s concerning rate of regression, both on and off the ball, if the forward is to re-establish his place in the West Ham starting line-up.

AND in other news, David Moyes is hopeful of West Ham landing an injury boost ahead of hosting Leeds United…

The Athletic’s Phil Hay has delivered a major transfer update on Leeds United’s Jack Harrison.

What’s the story?

The Whites initially signed the 24-year-old from Manchester City on a season-long loan in the summer of 2018, before doing so again for the past couple of campaigns too – only this latest time, with an option to buy included.

Hay has now revealed that a deal to sign Harrison permanently is “as good as done”.

Speaking on The Phil Hay Show, the journalist said: “Leeds have got the option to take Jack Harrison from Manchester City, and my understanding of that is that it will happen; it’s as good as done, and it will be an £11m deal.

“I feel, having watched Harrison this season, I still think that’s a really good deal; I think that’s worth doing and good value at that price.”

Bielsa surely buzzing

Given that Harrison is now in his third stint on loan at Leeds United, there’s no questioning that Marcelo Bielsa absolutely loves the winger and what he brings to the table.

Speaking just last month, Bielsa said: “Harrison is a very strong player mentally. He is a very dedicated professional. And on occasion, like with all players, I maintain a dialogue with him when I see fit.”

The 24-year-old has played 117 games for the Whites under Bielsa and has been a key performer in his side’s return to the Premier League this season – in 25 appearances in the division, he has bagged six goals and provided a further four assists.

Tying him down to a permanent deal and ensuring his long-term future remains at Elland Road will surely have Bielsa buzzing.

Meanwhile, this Leeds star has been Bielsa’s real hero…

Despite seeing Patrick Bamford lead the line superbly for Leeds United, there’s no questioning that Marcelo Bielsa’s side could do with some added competition up front.

Bamford leads the scoring charts for the Whites this season in the Premier League with 13 to his name, but there’s a real lack of options to challenge him for his starting spot – summer signing Rodrigo had been playing in a more withdrawn role before his injury.

However, in 18-year-old academy talent Joe Gelhardt, Leeds appear to have the kind of prospect who could really make his mark on their first team setup sooner rather than later.

Football Insider claimed that Gelhardt is seen as “electrifying” and “phenomenal” behind the scenes, while Leeds’ current main man up top Bamford has similarly waxed lyrical about the centre-forward.

He said: “He reminds me – I don’t want to say the same level as (Wayne) Rooney – but he is the same kind of build as Rooney was. A stocky lad, great finisher.

“It is just whether or not he kind of sticks with it, he is young, isn’t he, so he can look good at that age and not make anything of it. It is up to him to kind of push on.”

Bielsa himself is a big fan of the teenager, only recently remarking about his abilities.

Speaking last month, the Leeds boss said: “He’s a player that always creates danger in a game. He’s a player who’s more linked with the finalising of chances rather than the creation of them. He has resources to beat an opponent and he has a final shot, a finish that is very good.”

While the 18-year-old shouldn’t be thrown into the deep end of starting Premier League games week-in and week-out, Bielsa should now consider unleashing him in the top flight with some game-time here and there.

Gelhardt can only prove so much playing for the under-23s, and the comments and praise he has received from inside the club shows the kind of talent he possesses. Now it’s up to Bielsa to get the best out of him for the first team.

Meanwhile, Phil Hay has dropped a major transfer update on Leeds United…

Dean Windass has exclusively told Football FanCast that he wouldn’t be surprised to see Billy Sharp score 20 goals in the Championship for Sheffield United next season.

The Blades suffered their 22nd Premier League defeat of the campaign against Southampton on Saturday, leaving them 12 points from safety with just 10 games remaining, meaning the Bramall Lane outfit require a minor miracle in order to avoid relegation.

Chris Wilder’s team, who are the lowest scorers in England, have struggled for goals throughout the campaign, although they do have a number of proven Championship goalscorers in their ranks.

One of which is their captain, Sharp. Only Teemu Pukki, Tammy Abraham and Neal Maupay scored more than the Blades legend when United were last in the second-tier – with Sharp’s tally of 23 his best ever return at Championship level.

And despite Sharp scoring just three Premier League goals this term, Windass has backed the striker to find his best form next season, providing Wilder’s side do get relegated.

He told Football FanCast:

“He [Chris Wilder] will have a list of players that are going to leave the football club. You wouldn’t bet against Billy Sharp getting 20 goals in the Championship next season, even though he’s 35.”

Despite his lack of goals since Sheffield United were promoted two seasons back, Sharp has been an outstanding servant over the previous six years, and you really wouldn’t be shocked to see him find his goalscoring touch once more.

48 long years of hurt are finally over for Sunderland. It might not have been the long-awaited promotion or a competition as prestigious as the FA Cup, but their Wembley hoodoo is over.

The Mackems have regularly lost on their travels to this part of London but on Sunday, they laid their problems to rest with a 1-0 win over Tranmere.

Everything at the Stadium of Light feels a lot more positive now. The Black Cats look in a good place to be promoted and they’ve now won their first trophy since 1973.

With Lee Johnson and Kyril Louis-Dreyfus at the helm, they appear to have finally struck up a recipe for success. Under Phil Parkinson and Stewart Donald, that never looked like happening.

Key to their revival has been Aiden McGeady, a player who capped off a remarkable turnaround on Sunday afternoon.

McGeady was the scorer of two goals when they lost the 2019 final to Portsmouth and he came up trumps again this weekend. On this occasion, his influential performance inspired a memorable victory.

However, if it wasn’t for Johnson, he probably would not have been in the XI on Sunday. The Irishman was alienated from the entire senior squad when Parkinson was at the helm.

McGeady was snapped at McDonald’s with Chris Maguire after a defeat in December 2019 and as a result, was transfer-listed by the club. He moved to Charlton on loan and then after returning to the north-east in the summer, didn’t get any minutes.

The winger earned his first outing of the 2020/21 campaign during Johnson’s opening match in charge. Since then, the pair haven’t looked back.

Only George Honeyman (12) has more assists (11) than McGeady in League One this season and he was at his creative best during the EFL Trophy final win on Sunday. He supplied the game’s only goal with a mouth-watering assist.

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The 34-year-old picked up the ball just inside Tranmere’s half before taking several defenders out of the game with a sensational pass. Gooch ran onto it and then fired home with immense composure.

McGeady was the beating heart of Sunderland’s win, as he supplied a considerable eight key passes at Wembley. For context, that’s substantially more than his season average of 2.1 key passes per match.

He was a constant thorn in the Tranmere defence as McGeady also recorded four dribbles, the joint-highest number of any player on the field.

Perhaps most impressive, though, was his desire and energy. For someone in the twilight of his career, it would have been easy for McGeady to fade as the game went on. He didn’t however, ensuring he ran himself into the ground to get Sunderland up the pitch in the dying embers.

McGeady was the outcast at the start of the season but he is now the undoubted star of this Sunderland team. His turn around, like Sunderland’s in recent months, has been superb.

AND in other news, Worse than McFadzean: SAFC liability who won just 14.2% of his duels let Johnson down…

According to recent reports, Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a summer move for Lille goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

So far this season, Maignan has highly impressed over his 30 Ligue 1 appearances for Christophe Galtier’s side, with the 25-year-old keeping 16 clean sheets and conceding just 19 goals, as well as averaging a SofaScore match rating of 7.03 – ranking him as the club’s sixth-best performer in the French top flight.

With Tottenham shot-stopper Hugo Lloris being heavily linked with a move away from north London this summer, L’Equipe (via Sport Witness) have recently claimed that Jose Mourinho could be keen on a move for Lloris’ French teammate, for whom Lille are reported to be asking for around €25m (£21.5m) to sell.

Transfer Tavern Take

While it would appear as if a move from Spurs for Maignan would depend on whether Lloris does indeed leave Tottenham this summer, the Lille ‘keeper would appear to already have admirers at Spurs in the shape of Joao Sacramento and Nuno Santos.

According to L’Equipe (via Sport Witness), Mourinho’s assistants – who both left Lille to join Spurs – believe that the £18m-rated Maignan has “enormous” potential. Sacramento is said to praise the ‘keeper often, while Santos is one of the 25-year-old’s “staunch supporters”, with both coaches reported to be encouraging Mourinho to move for the Frenchman this summer.

As a result, should Lloris depart Tottenham at the end of the season, it would not be a surprising turn of events to see Spurs make a more concrete approach for Maignan.

In other news: Sources have revealed that Daniel Levy will be “all over” one club targeting multiple Spurs transfers this summer – find out more here!

If reports are to be believed, Jean-Philippe Mateta could be lined up for a more prominent role at Crystal Palace next season.

The Frenchman has been somewhat starved of first-team football since joining the Eagles from Bundesliga outfit Mainz 05 in January on an 18-month loan deal, with the likes of Christian Benteke and Jordan Ayew preferred by manager Roy Hodgson.

However, with the Belgian striker out of contract at the end of the season and apparently interesting Turkish side Galatasaray according to Fanatik, Mateta could finally stake a claim for a more regular starting berth.

So far this season, Benteke has been one of the Eagles more reliable attackers.

Having started 13 Premier League games, the former Liverpool and Aston Villa frontman has scored five goals – with only the mercurial Wilfried Zaha netting more regularly.

For context, since Mateta arrived at Selhurst Park, he has been afforded just two starts in the league, with his action totalling approximately 170 minutes. He has been left on the bench as an unused substitute in five matches.

However, should Benteke leave, this would shoot the £13.5m-rated striker considerably up the pecking order, especially with Michy Batshuayi set to return to Chelsea and Connor Wickham’s contract also coming to an end.

With just Jordan Ayew then left to vie with for a starting-berth up-front, it is certainly a fantastic opportunity for Mateta to become Palace’s first-choice striker and display some of the form that saw him hit seven goals in the Bundesliga prior to his temporary switch to Selhurst Park.

Praised as an “athlete” by boss Hodgson following his arrival at Crystal Palace, Mateta could now be set to find a more prominent position on the Eagles’ podium once Benteke is eventually allowed to leave the club by Steve Parish.

AND in more news, take a look at what a former Crystal Palace flop is up to now…