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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Is this the biggest indicator yet that his future lies away from St Andrew’s?

Whilst the Blues were in the final preparations for their game against Luton Town last weekend, the club released the team sheet an hour before kick-off, as is now traditional on social media.

There was one name missing from the matchday eighteen, although given that he was predominantly a substitute this season, fans might be forgiven for not noticing that he was absent at all.

David Stockdale found himself out of the squad, with his place as the backup to Lee Camp given to U23 regular Connal Trueman.

During early September, Stockdale spoke about how hard he was trying to fight and get his place back in the starting eleven at Birmingham, and there were a number of fans who were incredibly supportive of him in his cause to make that breakthrough.

However, it looks as if those efforts have fallen short, and with no news coming out regarding an injury, it’s safe to assume that he has been dropped because of his displays in training rather than for practical reasons.

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With David Stockdale’s contract up this summer (via Transfermarkt), it looks as if the 34-year-old may have played his last game for the club.

So if he isn’t going to be utilised, it only makes sense for the Blues to start making plans for him to be shipped out in January.

Find out how to perform one of Ronaldinho’s most insane skills in the video below…

He currently holds a value of £450k (according to Transfermarkt), and although that might not be the biggest haul in terms of cash, it would still give them a little bit of leeway when it comes to making a push for another player in the window – that’s if any fee could be commanded given how short his remaining deal is.

It might also make sense to just let the 6 foot 3 stopper see out his contract on loan, and use the money freed up from his wages to bring someone in on loan.

Either way, if Stockdale isn’t going to offer anything to the squad, better to bring in something for him than let him leave for free.

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

Sheffield Wednesday got back to winning ways last weekend as they defeated Wigan Athletic 1-0 at Hillsborough.

Summer arrival Massimo Luongo scored the only goal of the game in what was his first league start for the club since joining from Queens Park Rangers.

The 27-year-old accurately slotted home from an Adam Reach cut-back in the 57th minute to hand the Owls all three points, but aside from that one moment, the game was rather drab.

Watch Sheffield Wednesday Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Neither side could muster up more than three shots on target as Garry Monk reverted away from the 4-4-2 that had proven to be successful against Middlesbrough just over a week ago.

As highlighted here, that’s a system that the 40-year-old needs to continually deploy, and Fernando Forestieri’s return could aid that substantially.

On the Chalkboard

The 29-year-old has missed their last six matches through suspension, but after the international break, he will be available for selection again.

According to reports, he is set to feature in a behind-closed-doors friendly with Rochdale this week, which will only bolster his match fitness ahead of a possible comeback.

His teammate Sam Hutchinson, who was on commentary duty while serving a suspension of his own on Saturday, claimed the forward was a ‘special talent’ that the team needs.

Forestieri is undoubtedly one of the most talented players amongst the Wednesday ranks, but over the last few seasons, he hasn’t managed to hit the heights he displayed early on in his Hillsborough career.

The south Yorkshire club reached the playoffs in his first two seasons where he netted 27 goals in 76 appearances, but since then, he hasn’t hit more than six in any one season, per Transfermarkt.

To some extent, injuries and disciplinary issues have hindered that.

But now under Monk, he has a fresh chance to dazzle once again – even more so if he opts for that 4-4-2 formation as Steven Fletcher needs a partner.

Despite playing the bulk of his career in the number ten role as shown by Transfermarkt’s recorded matches, his best performances have come when playing as a centre forward.

Since the 2016/17 season, Forestieri has averaged 3.2 shots or better when playing as a direct striker in a Wednesday shirt, which would go to great lengths to resolve one problem from the Wigan game.

He also recorded a minimum of 1.8 dribbles per game in a similar timeframe while the lowest average rating scored in any one year playing as a forward is 7.22 compared to the 6.78 overall rating he managed in 25 appearances last season, via WhoScored.

This demonstrates where his best role might be suited, it’s now up to Monk to take advantage of this.

Arsenal will look to pick up where they left off before the international break as they make the trip north to face Sheffield United on Monday night in the Premier League.

The Gunners edged past a keen Bournemouth side in their last game and won 1-0 at the Emirates, with David Luiz getting the only goal of the game.

Their only defeat of the season so far has been against Liverpool at Anfield which ended in a 3-1 loss.

However, it won’t be an easy task to get past Chris Wilder’s Blades after his side almost caused an upset against the European Champions themselves, a Georginio Wijnaldum strike being the only difference at Bramall Lane back in September.

In the video below, we look at where it all went wrong for Arsenal’s former ‘saviour’, Mesut Ozil…

So what starting XI should Unai Emery select on Monday evening? Here is what we think the Spaniard should do to deliver another three points on the road and continue the Gunners’ good run…

Bernd Leno should keep his place in between the sticks as Emery’s clear No.1, starting all of Arsenal’s games so far this season.

But we recommend significant changes amongst the defence – Kieran Tierney should line up at left-back and make his Premier League debut with the returning Hector Bellerin on the right, after both recently completed a full ninety minutes for the Gunners in the Europa League.

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Arsenal fans deserve to get their wish and see Callum Chambers play in his natural position as a centre back alongside David Luiz. While the England international has brought two clean sheets in his last three starts, regular Sokratis – who started Arsenal’s last game – has a Whoscored rating of just 6.66 this term.

Ahead of them in the midfield, we propose Granit Xhaka as the anchor between Matteo Guendouzi and Dani Ceballos. The 23-year-old Spaniard will be critical in this game as his creativity could decide the outcome of the match against what looks almost certain to be a water-tight Sheffield United backline.

Alexandre Lacazette could be available again after injury but we want to see 18-year-old Bukayo Saka fill in once more on the left of the front three. The youngster had a superb game at Old Trafford earlier in the season and Lacazette probably isn’t ready to start from the off anyway. Nicolas Pepe should feature on the right and will be expected to provide more output after assisting against Bournemouth.

Of course, we’re giving talisman Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang the nod up top. He’s scored seven goals in eight Premier League games this term.

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Leeds have been busy tying down players to new contracts at the club over the past couple of weeks.

Senior members Kalvin Phillips, Stuart Dallas and Liam Cooper all penned extended stays at Elland Road before Stuart McKinstry and Charlie Cresswell agreed to updated terms.

However, a further trio have now been handed new deals. The names in question are Bryce Hosannah, Pascal Struijk and Kun Temenuzhkov – three rising stars of the academy.

Leeds’ U23 side have been in great form this term and have only lost one game so far this season. They even thrashed Watford 6-0.

New contracts for the aforementioned trio provoked different reactions from Leeds fans as one described it as great news.

A further individual said they couldn’t wait to see Struijk get unleashed while another noted the difference between Andrea Radrizzani and Massimo Cellino, claiming the latter would have had them washing his car.

Temenuzhkov, meanwhile, earned a comparison to Sergio Aguero.

He and Struijk were signed from Barcelona and Ajax respectively. Hosannah joined from Crystal Palace in 2017.

Here’s the best of the reaction from Twitter.

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Loads of Tottenham Hotspur fans on Twitter have been left fuming after The Daily Star reported that Daniel Levy is lining up England manager Gareth Southgate to replace Mauricio Pochettino whenever he leaves the club.

The Daily Star says that the 49-year-old is the north London outfit’s first choice to succeed the Argentine, whose team haven’t got off to the best of starts this season.

That said, they showed some fight to beat Southampton with 10 men on Saturday, which took any pressure that might have been building off a little ahead of hosting Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

The report says though that this is likely to be the former Southampton man’s final campaign in charge of Spurs, meaning Levy needs to starting sniffing out potential replacements.

While Southgate led the Three Lions to a World Cup semi-final last summer, his only experience at club level was a spell with Middlesbrough in which he was sacked just under 10 years ago having suffered relegation from the Premier League a few months earlier.

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Tottenham supporters certainly aren’t impressed by the Southgate report, and while one labelled him as “the perfect yes man for Levy”, another said “I’d take David Pleat ahead of him”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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Birmingham City forward Che Adams continued his incredible season with a brace in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Blackburn Rovers.

Adams netted in the 16th and 85th minute respectively to ensure that his team would take a share of the spoils against Blackburn.

The 22-year-old has now registered 21 Championship goals this season, which has led to a host of attention.

Indeed, a number of Premier League clubs have been credited with an interest in the striker, who will not be short of offers at the end of the campaign.

Who are the best away fans in the Championship? Pl>ymaker FC’s Thogden gives his top 10 in the video below…

As expected, the Birmingham fans were absolutely delighted with what they saw from the 5ft 9in ace on Saturday afternoon.

And many took to social media during and indeed after the clash with Blackburn to lavish praise on the club’s leading scorer.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the Birmingham supporters is available to view below, with one fan insisting that Adams is better than on-loan Chelsea forward Tammy Abraham:

Barnsley could be boosted by the possible returns of Alex Mowatt and Jacob Brown for today’s Yorkshire derby against Leeds at Oakwell.

The Yorkshire Post reported that Reds manager Daniel Stendel has confirmed the potential availability of the pair for the fixture, with both experiencing recent injury problems.

Mowatt missed Barnsley’s last match against Wigan with a neck injury, while a hamstring problem has prevented Brown from featuring so far this season, as noted by The Yorkshire Post.

Stendel added that the club will assess the fitness of Cauley Woodrow and Cameron McGeehan prior to tomorrow’s clash, according to The Yorkshire Post.

Former Leeds player Mowatt has had a stop-start to the season, having already experienced two brief injury spells since the beginning of the campaign.

He missed two games in mid-August against Carlisle and Charlton resulting from a side strain, as reported by The Yorkshire Post, in addition to the aforementioned neck injury that ruled him out against Wigan.

The 24-year-old midfielder has otherwise started every game for Barnsley in 2019/20 and has been one of only two players in the squad to have registered an assist this season, along with Luke Thomas.

Mowatt has been key to the Reds’ passing game, with his 80% success rate from an average 46.3 passes per game the third highest in the squad for both metrics, while only Thomas can equal his match average of 1.8 key passes. [via WhoScored.com]

He will hope to improve upon defensive statistics of just one successful tackle and 0.8 interceptions per game so far in 2019/20. By comparison, fellow defensive midfielder McGeehan has averaged 2.8 tackles per game, while Toby Sibbick won five tackles against Wigan when moved into midfield from his usual right-back role.

Winger Brown scored eight goals in 38 matches last season for Barnsley, a strike rate of one goal per 4.75 games, and could provide some much-needed attacking impetus for a Reds team with only four goals from seven matches so far this term.

Only Woodrow and Kieffer Moore scored more for Stendel’s side in 2018/19, while just four players provided more assists than the 21-year-old’s six from last season. [via TransferMarkt.co.uk]

With Barnsley fielding an unfamiliar defensive midfield duo of Sibbick and Mike Bahre against Wigan last time out, Mowatt’s possible return would strengthen Stendel’s options in that area of the pitch and allow Sibbick to revert to right-back, especially if McGeehan doesn’t make it.

The fine form of Thomas, who was voted the club’s Player of the Month for August, will likely see him keep his place on the right wing, which may result in Brown being deployed at centre-forward if Woodrow is unavailable for the visit of Leeds to Oakwell.

Barnsley fans, do you think Mowatt and Brown should go straight into the starting line-up if they are fit for tomorrow’s clash against Leeds? Comment below with your views!

A major update has emerged on Newcastle United’s efforts to seal a deal to sign Bruno Guimaraes from Lyon in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

Daily Mail journalist Craig Hope has issued a fresh claim on their attempts to close the transfer, as Eddie Howe seeks to complete his third signing of the transfer window after Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood.

Hope tweeted late on Thursday night: “Newcastle hoping to complete Bruno Guimaraes medical tomorrow.”

Howe will be salivating

This news will surely leave Howe salivating as his mouth waters over the prospect of Guimaraes holding up a Newcastle shirt alongside him in an official announcement photoshoot sooner rather than later.

Completing a medical will represent a huge step in their journey to completing the signing, as it will alleviate any worries over his physical condition, with the Brazilian – hopefully – not carrying any issues which will affect him in the long-term.

Fabrizio Romano has reported that the Magpies have agreed a fee which could rise to €48m (£40m) with Lyon and that he will sign a contract until 2026. This suggests that the medical could be the last piece of the puzzle before the Magpies are able to announce his arrival on Tyneside.

This is why Howe’s mouth will be watering over this latest update, as the midfielder is poised to link-up with the rest of the Newcastle squad ahead of their next Premier League match. It could also mean that the move is in place prior to deadline day, which will relieve the head coach as he will have no need to worry about scrambling to get the deal over the line in the final few hours. However, it remains to be seen whether or not that will be the case with other potential signings.

The ex-Bournemouth boss will also be excited by this news because of the quality of player the club are on the verge of bringing in. Guimaraes has averaged a sublime SofaScore rating of 7.3 in Ligue 1, making 3.6 tackles and interceptions along with 1.8 key passes per game.

This highlights how much of an impact he can have at both ends of the pitch at the top level. The Brazilian can break up the play and win the ball back for his team whilst also having the quality to step forward and play brilliant passes to create chances for his teammates, which is why Howe will be buzzing to have him as part of his squad moving forward.

AND in other news, Newcastle plotting late swoop for £54m-rated “winner”, he’s far better than Wilson…

Leeds United youngster Leif Davis looks almost certain to join Bournemouth on a permanent deal this summer, according to journalist Beren Cross.

The Lowdown: Davis enjoying loan spell

The 22-year-old moved to the south coast last summer in order to enjoy regular playing time, with Marcelo Bielsa failing to promise him that at Elland Road.

Davis has admittedly been limited to just 12 Championship appearances for Bournemouth this season as they chase promotion back to the Premier League, but he has still played his part in their success, chipping in with one assist.

The left-back has been described as an ‘animal’ by Cherries manager Scott Parker, suggesting he likes the look of him.

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The Latest: Cross expects permanent move

Speaking in a Q&A for Leeds Live, Cross claims that Davis’ loan move is expected to become permanent in the summer:

“From what was said at the time, it sounds like Davis will almost certainly be staying at Bournemouth. It read as though the loan was effectively going to be the first year of a permanent deal at the back end of it.”

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The Verdict: Makes perfect sense

While Davis is a talented young player, it makes complete sense for all parties to join Bournemouth, settling there and enjoying the next chapter in his career.

He has a better chance of earning more minutes for the Cherries, even if Junior Firpo has disappointed for Leeds this season and Stuart Dallas has had to fill in there, with Jesse Marsch reportedly already eyeing a new left-back signing.

It would be heartwarming to see Bournemouth promoted this season, which looks likely, subsequently allowing Davis the chance to prove himself in the Premier League.

In other news, Leeds are confident over a new deal for one player. Find out who it is here.

Many Everton fans have been left buzzing over some manager news involving Duncan Ferguson.

As per the official website of the Merseyside club, he has now been appointed as the caretaker manager for the upcoming matches, after Rafa Benitez left his post following the 2-1 loss away at Norwich City in the Premier League.

Ferguson took charge of training at USM Finch Farm on Tuesday morning, as they prepare to face Aston Villa at Goodison Park at Saturday lunchtime, and he will be supported by John Ebbrell, Leighton Baines and Alan Kelly.

Of course, the Scotsman is a Toffees legend after so many years as both a player and coach, scoring 72 goals in 273 games in total. In his first stint as an interim manager, he was impressive, winning his opening fixture 3-1 at home to Chelsea back in 2019, while also picking up draws against both Manchester United and Arsenal (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, he seemingly looks to be a very popular appointment among the Blues supporters.

Everton fans on Ferguson manager news

These Evertonians buzzed as the manager news was shared on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that they are ‘delighted’:

“DUNCCC SIUUUUUUUUUUUUU”

Credit: @jayefc_

“Superb. I’m a big fan of this decision.”

Credit: @HeidiInteriors

“Brilliant news @Everton sensible decision”

Credit: @RichieRowlands

“The news I have been waiting for all week”

Credit: @Babby008

“Delighted.”

Credit: @stugriff31

“Yesssss”

Credit: @_Rob1878_

In other news, find out what interesting EFC claim Benitez has now made here!