Charlton fans react as Lyle Taylor goes pink for Cancer Research once again

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Some Charlton fans have taken to Twitter to react after they discovered that Lyle Taylor would be dying his hair pink for Cancer Research once again, to raise awareness and money for the cause.

The Addicks striker – who has five goals in six games this season – went pink last year and raised more than £16,000 for Cancer Research – a highly commendable achievement, to say the very least.

The Montserrat international – who looks set to be out injured for around two months – inspired young Charlton fans to also dye their hair pink last season, and The Valley will also be getting involved in the cause by creating a pink matchday programme when Derby come to visit on October 19th.

One supporter below said that it’s nice to see the other side of footballers who can sometimes be deemed as “overpaid prima-donnas”, while another simply labelled Taylor as a “class act”.

Let’s take a look at some more of the Twitter reaction…

AC Milan: Italian giants interested in striker Dani Olmo

AC Milan are eyeing up Dinamo Zagreb star Dani Olmo with a report from Spanish outlet Fichajes claiming the Italian giants could seal the deal in the January window.

The youngster played a huge part in winning the U21 European Championship with Spain in the summer, scoring three goals and bagging one assist along the way.

Olmo has been linked with Rossoneri ever since and has continued that magnificent form into this season, slotting away three goals and three assists in Zagreb’s Champions League qualification campaign and then registering a goal and an assist in the club’s opening game in the Croatian top-flight (statistics as per Transfermarkt).

Indeed, this report comes almost a year after Olmo’s agent Marko Naletilic announced Milan were interested in signing the Spaniard, with Liverpool and Dortmund also keen on the striker back in December.

However, Fichajes explain that once again it is not just Milan who are seeking his signature, with many European giants from around the continent also keeping tabs on the 21-year-old, such as Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid.

Ultimately, based on the above, it does seem that whoever acquires the services of Olmo will no doubt add a young, promising striker to their squad, who could cost around €40m (roughly £35m).

Would Olmo be a hit in Italy? Join the discussion by commenting below!

Aston Villa: Fans react to Ollie Watkins rumours

Arsenal are reportedly interested in Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins, according to The Sun.

And, as to be expected, a number of Villa fans have been reacting to the rumours on social media.

Watkins admitted himself last year that he is an Arsenal fan after starring in a victory at the Emirates Stadium.

The 24-year-old netted his first goal of the season in a 2-1 defeat to Tottenham on Sunday, and according to The Sun, is on a list of targets to possibly replace Alexandre Lacazette.

Watkins and Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin have been touted as possible options, with Lacazette’s contract up at the end of the season.

Arsenal’s technical director Edu is on the search for a young Premier League goalscorer for the club’s long-term plan, with Watkins and Everton’s number nine both fitting the bill.

Villa fans react

Sky Sports shared The Sun’s claim regarding Watkins on Twitter, with @Total_Villa relaying the rumour.

This is what these Villa supporters had to say in reply…

“He’s off. There’s no loyalty. Just ask £80m”

Credit: @bbqguy21

“Surely not! In the same vein isn’t Jack Grealish a Villa fan? Are we not going places?”

Credit: @villa_dean0

“Head turned? Maybe if Barca or Real come in for him…”

Credit: @robbcorin

“Couldn’t afford him. If they paid £50m for Ben White imagine what it would take ”

Credit: @a_rankin1

“Grealish supports Villa. Look who he’s playing for now. Doesn’t mean anything. Arsenal can’t give him anything he isn’t getting at Villa already. No incentive, no point.”

Credit: @DothrakiVillan

“No chance”

Credit: @bazzam1957

In other news: ‘Wow’ – Many Aston Villa fans react as ‘crazy’ news is confirmed. 

Sky Sports reveal Newcastle eyeing Luis Campos

Sky Sports journalist Pete Graves has relayed news that Newcastle United are eyeing up Luis Campos as the club’s new sporting director.

What’s the story?

Writing on Twitter, he said: “My colleague @gary_cotterill tells me on @SkySportsNews that world renowned Sporting Director Luis Campos would be interested in a role at #nufc and that he expects him to be under consideration by the clubs new owners. Campos helped Lille and Monaco beat PSG to the French title.”

Could be game-changing for Newcastle

While PIF may be the wealthiest owners in the business, that shouldn’t just mean throwing big money at new players for the sake of it.

Bringing someone like Campos into the fold would give Newcastle the kind of respected presence behind-the-scenes who has proven in his time around Europe that he is among the best around when it comes to talent spotting.

For those who aren’t aware of the kind of genius that the Portuguese man possesses, then look no further than his work at AS Monaco and Lille.

The likes of Fabinho, Bernardo Silva, Anthony Martial, Nicolas Pepe and Victor Osimhen all arrived under his watch, with everyone barring the latter leaving for the Premier League for big sums of money.

The 57-year-old has clearly got a nose for identifying talent before they’ve really established themselves on the world scene, and getting that extra edge in the transfer market could be crucial to Newcastle in these early years of PIF’s revolution.

Campos has got the pedigree and profile to be a real game-changing appointment for the Magpies, and ensure they sign the best up-and-coming players around.

Newcastle fans will surely be excited about their links to Campos.

Meanwhile, George Caulkin has dropped a Newcastle manager update…

Sam Johnstone interest intensifies

West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Sam Johnstone is attracting a significant amount of interest ahead of the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claim that sources have revealed that Tottenham Hotspur sent scouts to watch the 28-year-old in action for West Brom against Preston North End earlier this month.

The report continues to state that Spurs are compiling a dossier on the England international ahead of a potential move for the shot-stopper, as the Premier League side are beginning to up their search to replace Hugo Lloris, who is out of contract at the end of the season.

Ismael will be gutted

Considering just how important a part of Valerien Ismael’s side Johnstone is, in addition to the fact that Albion are currently attempting to convince the goalkeeper to extend his stay at The Hawthorns beyond the end of his current deal – which expires next summer – the news of Tottenham’s interest is sure to have left the Frenchman gutted.

Indeed, while the £7.2m-rated man has not exactly been in the best form of his career over his nine Championship appearances so far this season, the ‘keeper has nevertheless been a steady hand between the Baggies sticks, keeping four clean sheets, as well as conceding just 0.7 goals and making 1.3 saves per game.

These returns have seen the ‘keeper who Ismael claimed is “committed” to the West Brom cause earn an average SofaScore match rating of 6.80, ranking him as the club’s joint 12th-best performer in the second tier this term.

As such, losing the £28k-per-week goalkeeper, either in January or next summer, would undoubtedly come as a major blow to Valerien Ismael and his side, as Johnstone clearly has the ability to play a huge role in Albion’s promotion push this season, as well as helping them retain their place in the Premier League next season – should the club indeed go on to secure a return to the top flight in the current campaign.

In other news: Ismael may be set for disaster over “powerful” West Brom beast, fans would be fuming

Ex-Newcastle star calls for Saint-Maximin and Almiron to step up

Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron need to step up, says former Newcastle United defender Steve Howey.

Last season, the £42.7m-rated attacking duo scored seven league goals combined, which was five less than what top scorer Callum Wilson managed on his own (as per WhoScored).

The Englishman is Newcastle’s talisman but has struggled with injury during his time at St James’ Park.

Considering that, Howey feels Wilson is not a player you can afford to solely rely on and is now calling for the likes of Saint-Maximin and Almiron to do better in front of goal so that Newcastle do not suffer in the absence of their first-choice striker.

“The two of them can show flashes,” the ex-Newcastle player told TT. “I think sometimes it’s the final end product with both players.

“Saint-Maximin is one of those players where he does get you off your seat and fans love watching him live. Almiron is so quick and defenders hate that. He got a couple of goals last season, but he still had a lot of chances where he missed those chances.

“It is a worry if Wilson gets injured, but then you need other players to step up.”

Saint-Maximin already has one Premier League goal to his name for the season, so from a Newcastle perspective, hopefully he can build on that. Almiron, however, is yet to register, while Wilson once again tops the list with his two strikes.

Everton: Tosun’s market value plummeting

When Rafa Benitez first became the manager of Everton, it looked as though the Toffees hierarchy would arm him with more finances than he received during his last venture in English football.

Sadly, the Merseyside outfit would go on to spend a measly £1.7m on five new players. It was a strange transfer window for a club which has spent so much money in recent years.

Last season they spent around £67m, and in the campaign prior to that, Everton saw a mighty £108m come out of their bank accounts.

There have been some strange investments, particularly in the last five years. Alex Iwobi was signed for £34m from Arsenal and he has since scored just five times in two years.

However, one of the poorest pieces of recruitment has to be the £27m they spent on Turkey’s Cenk Tosun, who arrived back in January 2018 after scoring 41 times in 96 Turkish Super Lig games.

Sadly, the striker hasn’t been able to replicate that form after heading to England. In fact, he’s been nothing short of a shambles since stepping foot in Merseyside.

Tosun has found the net just 11 times in 58 appearances, meaning that he has cost Bill Kenwright and Farhad Moshiri £2.4m per goal in terms of his transfer fee. Loan spells with Crystal Palace and Besiktas have followed but he netted just one league goal for the south Londoners.

He did find form back in Turkey last season with three strikes in four appearances but he has not been able to impress Rafa Benitez since returning to Finch Farm.

Tosun has been injured and is now back in training but has fallen even further down the pecking order after Salomon Rondon signed for Everton.

It feels like only a matter of time before the Turk decides to pack his bags and leave Everton for good.

After all, he simply isn’t good enough for the Premier League. Speaking amid the attacker’s poor form, Andy Gray commented: “He’s not shown anything right now, certainly in the time he’s been at Goodison, where he suggests to me that he could command the centre forward or the striker position at Goodison – I don’t think he could. I think he’d be a squad player.”

His ability has deteriorated so much that he is now worth just £4.5m by Transfermarkt. That’s a massive plummet of £22.5m in transfer value over the course of the last three years.

That is probably the least surprising eventuality about Tosun’s time in England.

AND in other news, 38% pass success: Everton dud who lost the ball every 1.6 touches let Rafa down v AVFC…

Why Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's success story at Wrexham will be difficult to replicate as football finance expert sounds 'deep pockets' warning to prospective celebrity owners

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's efforts at Wrexham will be hard to replicate for other investors without "deep pockets", says a finance guru.

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  • Reynolds and McElhenney a hit at Wrexham
  • Salford's Class of '92 owners seeking new investment
  • Finance guru issues warning to prospective owners
  • Getty Images

    WHAT HAPPENED?

    While the Red Dragons have gone from strength to strength under their Hollywood owners, League Two rivals Salford City announced on Monday they were on the lookout for new investment "opportunities". The club co-owned by the famed Manchester United Class of '92 side, including David Beckham, Gary Neville and others, announced on Monday their desire to bring in "strategic partners" going forward. Financial expert Dr Rob Wilson claims this move may serve as a warning to future investors in the game, particularly regarding the difficulties in generating funds.

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  • WHAT WILSON SAID

    The finance guru, who is also a professor of economics at Sheffield Business school, told : "I think it [Salford's move] really shows the challenges in the financial landscape of owning a professional sport enterprise and particularly one that operates in the UK football system. It demonstrates that some deep pockets are still required, notwithstanding the financial regulations that are in place by the EFL or indeed the EPL, that those external investments are important for infrastructure and really for building solid foundations for the teams to progress. It also demonstrates that you don’t do quick fixes very often in football.

    "And while the Wrexham story, the Salford City story, and one or two others showcase what can be achieved at times, in order to generate long-term sustainable sporting organisations it needs lots of careful and incremental progression to make sure that you don’t rise too high too quickly and then fall quite hard. I think this is perhaps eye-opening for any investor that looks to associate themselves with professional team sports generally, and football more specifically. And showcases the importance of having a decent amount of liquidity to put in with your investment so that you can have a significant impact on the sporting success of the organisations you choose to be involved in."

  • Getty Images

    THE BIGGER PICTURE

    At Salford, Neville stepped down from his role as CEO back in 2022, with ex-Red Devils midfielder Nicky Butt taking over the reigns. Under the Class of '92 ownership Salford have achieved four promotions in nine years, while also expanding their stadium by almost double its capacity.

    Wrexham's is arguably even more of a success story, though. Reynolds and McElhenney secured promotion to the Football League after two-and-a-half seasons and continue to make significant efforts in the community as well as for the club. They too recently expanded their stadium capacity by the introduction of a new Kop stand.

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  • WHAT NEXT FOR SALFORD & WREXHAM?

    The League Two duo are both in action on Tuesday evening. Salford host Colchester as they look to lift themselves off 19th spot, while Wrexham travel to Forest Green in an attempt to shake off their terrible form of late and cement a promotion charge for the second time in as many seasons. Phil Parkinson's side have slipped to fourth after 34 games, four points behind leaders Mansfield.

VIDEO: Josh Sargent is leading Norwich City's promotion fight! USMNT striker nets brilliant brace – with goals in four-straight matches

USMNT striker Josh Sargent net a brilliant brace for Norwich City on Saturday, marking his ninth and 10th goals of the campaign.

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  • Josh Sargent scores for fourth-straight game
  • USMNT striker has 10 goals in 13 appearances
  • 23-year-old spearheading promotion fight
  • WHAT HAPPENED?

    To open the scoring, the 23-year-old leaned back as he fell over, whipping a right-footed effort into the bottom corner of the net for his ninth goal of the campaign. He added a second in the 54th minute by pouncing on a rebound in the box off his own shot.

    The two strikes marked four-straight games with a goal for the 23-year-old, who is experiencing the best form of his life – while also spearheading Norwich's promotion fight.

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  • THE BIGGER PICTURE

    Sargent made just his 13th appearance of the season on Saturday, after missing nearly the entire first half of the campaign due to injury. However, since his return at the flip of the calendar year, he's been nothing but incredible for the Canaries.

    His form might be exactly what the USMNT needs right now, too, with three major competitions on the horizon. All three of the CONCACAF Nations League, Copa America and Paris Olympics are on the horizon for the USA and they are going to need their best players to be in-form ahead of each tournament. If Sargent can stay healthy and continue to score, there's no doubting him being chosen in Berhalter's XI.

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    WHAT NEXT FOR SARGENT, NORWICH AND THE USMNT?

    The 23-year-old striker will look to continue his hot form into their next match against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday, February 23. The USMNT, meanwhile, will gather this March for their Nations League semifinal against Jamaica.

LFC fans fume at Marcel Sabitzer rumour

A number of Liverpool supporters have shown their frustration at the Reds reportedly missing out on the signing of midfielder Marcel Sabitzer.

It’s fair to say that it was a disappointing summer at Anfield, with very little transfer business being done.

Ibrahima Konate arrived from RB Leipzig early in the transfer window, but he ended up being the only addition to Jurgen Klopp’s squad.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359326”]

Many were left frustrated with the lack of business, especially with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Romelu Lukaku and Jack Grealish joining their biggest Premier League title rivals.

It has now emerged that Liverpool missed out on signing Sabitzer, with the Austrian instead moving from Leipzig to Bayern Munich.

According to Goal‘s Neil Jones [via LFC Transfer Room on Twitter], the Reds looked into the idea of bringing the midfielder to Anfield, but it never materialised.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-2/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

Liverpool fans unhappy at Sabitzer rumour

These Liverpool fans took to Twitter to show their frustration.

“Just give us a break”

Credit: @Oteng_18

“‘Had a look’ oh that’s cool

Credit: @MattyLewis01

“Interested fc…not surprised anymore”

Credit: @MarkAnthonyOloo

“A joke. We still don’t know how serious Firmino’s injury is”

Credit: @DavidBomehin

“We are a joke”

Credit: @bjorge_erik

“Would have been a great signing FSG are a joke”

Credit: @jasonbehan1

In other news, some Liverpool fans have been reacting to rumoured interest in one player. Find out who it is here.

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