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Sam Allardyce will surely be overjoyed after he picked up his first three points as West Brom boss with a come-from-behind victory over arch-rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday afternoon.

However, once he and his side come down from the euphoria, he’ll be hit by the fact that he still has it all to do if he’s to turn around the Baggies’ fortunes.

After all, Albion remain three points from safety after picking up just their second win all season, and they certainly had the rub of the green with two penalty decisions – the first of which looked to be outside the box.

The home side dominated possession (68%) and recorded 11 more attempts at goal than West Brom, per SofaScore, so they can count their lucky stars that decisions went in their favour.

Big Sam’s side were rather ineffective in attack once again, only further exposing the need for a new striker this January transfer window.

Unlike last weekend, the 66-year-old turned to a player who has played the role before in Callum Robinson, but that only proved to be another failed experiment having deployed Matheus Pereira as a false nine last weekend.

This whole situation will have Allardyce fuming as there’s very little he can do – Karlan Grant is absent for the foreseeable future with a broken foot whilst Charlie Austin has been sent to QPR on loan.

Their attempts in the market thus far have fallen short, as per Sky Sports, their bid to sign Hoffenheim striker Ishak Belfodil stalled earlier in the week.

He needs a new striker this month.

Robinson had fewer touches (26) than nine of the Baggies’ starting XI, including the goalkeeper David Button (43) which only goes to show just how little he was involved throughout the 90 minutes he was on the pitch.

The 25-year-old, who is valued at £9m, was also rather weak against Wolves’ suspect backline, meaning the particularly error-prone Willy Boly and Conor Coady had the better of the forward despite the pair conceding the two dubious penalties.

He won just three of his nine duels (33%), including zero aerially, per SofaScore. He was simply dominated by the Old Gold duo.

Indeed, in Joseph Chapman’s post-match ratings for BirminghamLive, he claimed that the 15-time Ireland international ‘had a tough time of it’ upfront on his own.

With Grant expected out for another five weeks at least, the need to bring in a new forward is only going to get more and more desperate as the month goes on.

At the end of the day, Albion may have put three past Wolves, but none of those goals came from open play and that still ranks them as the third-worst in the division for such a metric, per WhoScored.

Robinson, a natural winger given he’s played 42% of Transfermarkt recorded matches in the role, isn’t the long-term striking solution and that showed tenfold at Molineux.

AND in other news, Dowling heading for an unforgivable West Brom disaster over £30k-p/w monster…

Celtic will be thrilled to have finally bagged themselves a win after they beat Lille 3-2 in last night’s Europa League match. Unfortunately for the Hoops, they were already set to crash out of the competition, but the win will boost morale and put them in good stead to face Kilmarnock at the weekend.

Players like David Turnbull and Ismaila Soro were given their chance to shine and they did not disappoint. But for one man, his time at Celtic looks bleak after he didn’t even make it off the bench against the French outfit.

A cruel fate for Griffiths

Leigh Griffiths was named amongst the match day personnel, but was an unused substitute as Neil Lennon breathed a sigh of relief at full-time. With the Bhoys already out of the tournament, the manager could have deployed a weaker squad to rest key players ahead of Sunday. Indeed, this was the perfect chance for Griffiths to get some minutes in the tank after being left to gather dust in recent weeks.

But the Scotland international was overlooked once again and if Lennon stays in Glasgow, this could be the end of the devoted striker.

It will be a tough pill to swallow if this is where his path leads, especially since he recently specified his desire to make it into the top 20 highest scorers at the club. Griffiths joined the Hoops six years ago from Wolves and has scored 118 goals in 242 appearances, chalking himself down as a Celtic icon.

Should Lennon turn this season around and keep his job, it’s likely that the club will start looking to cash in on Griffiths, who is only expected to fall further and further down the pecking order.

In other news, Hammond must bring Gyrano Kerk to Parkhead to fill the puzzle…

With no new contract agreed, it is looking increasingly likely that Georginio Wijnaldum will leave Liverpool in the summer, with foreign clubs able to negotiate with the Dutch international from January. Fortunately for the Merseyside club, they look to have a ready-made replacement for the former Newcastle man in Curtis Jones.

The academy graduate has established himself as a regular in Jurgen Klopp’s side so far this season, having made 10 appearances in the Premier League, averaging a solid 6.68 rating. He has also appeared four times in the Champions League for the Merseyside club, in which he has averaged a superb 7.33 rating.

The 19-year-old has three goals to his name this season, which takes his tally to six goals in 30 first-team appearances for the club.

Klopp is certainly a fan of the academy graduate too, having been full of praise for the youngster earlier this season after his two goals against Lincoln City in the League Cup, saying:

“There is still space for improvement but everyone knows my opinion of Curtis Jones, he is an exceptional talent and we will have some fun with him I am pretty sure in the future.

Whilst Wijnaldum has been a hugely important part of Liverpool’s success in recent seasons, he has never been a prolific goalscorer with the Reds, with just 20 goals to his name in the 208 appearances he has made for the club thus far.

Therefore, from a goalscoring perspective, it certainly seems as if Jones can replace, and even surpass, the numbers Wijnaldum has contributed if the 30-year-old does end up departing when his contract expires at the end of the season.

Of course, playing in midfield is not just about the ability to score goals, as Wijnaldum is also an excellent passer of the ball, whilst his defensive contribution has also been impressive since joining, with the Dutchman having completed an impressive 1045 recoveries during his time in the Premier League with the Reds.

This season has seen the Dutch midfielder average 48.8 passes in each game in the top-flight, resulting in a pass success rate of 92.3%.

Jones, meanwhile, has averaged 58.1 passes per game in the Premier League, with a success rate of 92.9%, which again gives him the edge, and suggests that he is more than capable of stepping up to replace Wijnaldum.

Whilst the 19-year-old is perhaps seen as more of a creative attacking midfielder, he has impressed with his tackling at times this season, averaging 1.1 tackles and 0.6 interceptions per game, whilst the 30-year-old has averaged 0.8 tackles and 0.9 interceptions.

Therefore, it can definitely be argued that Jones can be Klopp’s replacement for Wijnaldum in midfield, and if he continues to improve, there seems no reason why he can’t surpass the Dutch international’s legacy with the Merseyside club.

And, in other news… Jurgen Klopp must unleash £120k-p/w beast vs Newcastle; he can provide the missing spark

Carlo Ancelotti has been handed a huge boost ahead of Everton’s trip to Newcastle United on Sunday, with the Liverpool Echo reporting that several first-team players are nearing contention to make their returns from injuries.

Mason Holgate has been sidelined over the Blues’ opening nine games of the season as a result of a toe injury sustained during the warm-up for their final pre-season match, but the 23-year-old is back training at Finch Farm and could soon make his eagerly-awaited return.

Jarrad Branthwaite has likewise taken to the grass pitches again as he strives to overcome an ankle problem, while midfielder Jean-Phillipe Gbamin could soon join the Everton squad, too.

But with Seamus Coleman still an ongoing doubt due to the hamstring issue that prevented his inclusion in the Southampton loss, news that Jonjoe Kenny may be fit enough to contend for a place in the 18-man squad this weekend will come as a welcome relief for Ancelotti.

Kenny has been ruled out of Everton’s last three Premier League matches due to twisting his ankle in a 4-1 Carabao Cup victory over West Ham United last month, but is hopeful that he has now overcome the issue and can make his first top-flight start since March 2019.

The 23-year-old spent last season on loan in Germany with Bundesliga outfit FC Schalke 04 and proved a regular at the Veltins Arena with 34 appearances across all competitions, leading to vivid praise from then-manager David Wagner.

“It is a very competitive division, with a high standard, a high quality. You have very good facilities and stadiums as well which are more or less always sold out, so you have a great platform [to perform],” he told The i.

“I think it’s one of the best moves a young British player can make in Europe if he is not able to break through in his own team in the Premiership. To go to the Bundesliga, you have to be – and luckily Jonjoe is – very brave, because when you leave your home country and you leave your comfort zone you have to have a very strong character.”

Ancelotti has only trusted Kenny in the Carabao Cup since the right-back’s return to Goodison Park, but noted his belief in the defender last month via quotes by The Boot Room: “Jonjoe is different, he knows the club, he’s a player I have a lot of confidence in.”

The Italian tactician now has the perfect chance to demonstrate his belief in Kenny by fielding the full-back against Newcastle on Sunday, after summer signing Ben Godfrey struggled to contain Nathan Redmond during last weekend’s 2-0 loss to Southampton.

Everton icon Tim Cahill felt Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl set his south coast side up to exploit the £20million Godfrey, too, telling Match of the Day (25/10, 23:09): “He’s a centre-back, amazing defender, but Hasenhuttl, the way he approached this game will think he’s not going to overlap like Seamus Coleman.

“Bertrand’s position was very high, they always found themselves getting out on the right-hand side of Everton. How many times now? Too much space, too much time. Tactically, they soaked up the pressure and they always found themselves hitting Everton on transition.

“Godfrey will learn from this.”

Steve Bruce would be wise to look into exploiting Godfrey if Ancelotti maintains the defender’s place at right-back against Newcastle, with Toon star Allan Saint-Maximin currently averaging 3.6 successful dribbles (72%), 8.6 ground duels won (68%), 1.2 key balls and 0.8 shots from the left-flank per Premier League game this season, per SofaScore.

Kenny, meanwhile, has been dribbled past just 0.3 times per game in the EFL Cup this term, and won 2.2 ground duels, delivered 0.5 accurate crosses (24%), made 2.4 clearances, 1.6 tackles and played 0.5 key balls a game in the Bundesliga last season.

AND in other news, Everton must secure a January loan move for a talented ace in the “mould of Makelele”.

Manchester United “missed the boat” by not signing Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund in the summer, according to Carlton Palmer.

The former England international, speaking exclusively to Football FanCast correspondent Tom Ward, has praised the 20-year-old’s performances for club and country since he first arrived at Borussia Dortmund.

As revealed by The Athletic back in October, the Red Devils were embroiled in a hopeless pursuit of Sancho over the summer, as Dortmund refused to budge on their £108m valuation.

The London-born right winger has become an integral part of the Bundesliga giants since his move to Germany, whilst he was also selected as part of the front three for England to face the Republic of Ireland during an international friendly last month.

Palmer was effusive in his praise for Sancho and suggested United could have done with signing a speed demon like him in the summer. However, he also added a note of caution, as he questioned whether he would have been given enough game time to merit such a move.

He told FFC:

“They’ve missed the boat with Sancho, he’s a top player.

“But I mean, where were they going to play him? They’ve signed Donny van de Beek and he’s only played a handful of games since they signed him for big money – what was it, £40m, £50m?

“You don’t want to just sign players for the sake of signing players. You’ve got to sign the right players.”

As Palmer rightly pointed out, it’s worth remembering that although summer signing Donny van de Beek has played eight games in the Premier League so far this season; the majority of these appearances have come as a substitute from the bench.

Whether or not Sancho would have suffered the same fate is certainly up for debate, as Mason Greenwood sent Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a timely reminder of his obvious talents with a fine finish during the 3-1 win over West Ham at the London Stadium last night.

Sancho has bagged 30 goals and 41 assists in 86 Bundesliga games with Dortmund, whilst he has netted three times in 18 caps for his country, which is an impressive return.

Valued at €150m (£135m) via the CIES Football Observatory, in four appearances in the Champions League this season, the versatile midfielder has scored twice and supplied an assist, whilst he is averaging 1.5 shots, 2.8 key passes and 2.5 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

Whilst some may point towards the emergence of Greenwood on the right wing over the past year or so as he found himself on the scoresheet against West Ham, there’s no doubt that Sancho would have been welcomed with open arms by Solskjaer at Old Trafford, who made him his top priority in the summer, but to no avail.

AND in other news, Forget Rashford: Paul Pogba steals the show as Manchester United fight back to beat West Ham…

Southampton will be hoping to cause Chelsea an upset at Stamford Bridge this afternoon as Ralph Hasenhuttl looks to guide his side to their third win of the season. The Blues are just one point ahead of the travelling side and will not want to be humiliated on home soil.

But for the Saints, they will be looking to utilise some of their new signings after enjoying a fruitful transfer window. Football FanCast has predicted how they might set up to take on Chelsea…

With no real need to change up his defence, Hasenhuttl will more than likely leave things as they were against West Brom. Southampton were able to secure a 2-0 win after an all-round solid performance. Particularly with the boss’ recent comments on Jannik Vestergaard’s role at the club, there’s not much chance of him dropping the Danish centre-back.

In midfield however, Hasenhuttl’s hand has been forced due to injuries. Nathan Redmond could slot into the far left role due to the absence of Moussa Djenepo, who will be a big loss after scoring against the Baggies last time out. The former’s previous Premier League start was against Crystal Palace last month in a rather quiet display, which he will be hoping to improve on. Despite playing the full 90 minutes, Redmond only managed 73% accurate passes and failed to make a single successful cross (via Sofascore).

Loan signing Theo Walcott could start on the opposite flank to support regular strike partners Danny Ings and Che Adams. The 31-year-old is yet to feature for his new side and could make a full debut this afternoon against Chelsea, a side he will know well from his regular playing time with Arsenal. Similarly, Ibrahima Diallo may replace Oriol Romeu alongside James Ward-Prowse in order to freshen up the Saints midfield and potentially catch Chelsea off-guard.

A win at Stamford Bridge will put Southampton two points ahead of the Blues, who haven’t started the season in the spectacular fashion many expected. Hasenhuttl will hope this rare tactic of throwing new signings straight into the action – something he hasn’t done with the likes of Mohamed Salisu and Moussa Djenepo previously – will pay off.

In other news, Jannik Vestergaard prioritised Southampton amid West Ham interest…

Brazil made easy work of grabbing a win in their most recent World Cup qualifier, delivering a 5-0 thrashing to a helpless Bolivia.

Roberto Firmino was on song for his country, showcasing his clinical ability in front of goal that has perhaps been forgotten as of late. The Liverpool No.9 netted a brace, tallying his 13th senior goal in 44 appearances (via Transfermarkt). Jurgen Klopp will likely havebeen watchong along, stroking his chin and wondering whether he can see this type of dangerous goalscorer more often in the Premier League.

Firmino’s role at Liverpool

The Reds boast one of the most threatening attacking trios in the world right now, but at times, even they can look short ofthat extra bit of electricity in the final third. As previously highlighted by Football FanCast, the reigning league champions could benefit from a typical goal-poacher style player lurking up top.

Whilst Firmino’s work ethic is invaluable to the team, his goal return isn’t near the likes of Jamie Vardy and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The club have been without a constant target man playing at centre-forward arguably since Daniel Sturridge’s decline.

In fact, Firmino scored just nine goals for Liverpool in the league last season, which despite being a solid return, is way behind his competition. The Reds operate by relying mainly on Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah to find the back of the net, which is a strategy that certainly worked last campaign. The duo scored a combined 37 goals and both finished ahead of Sergio Aguero and Marcus Rashford in the scoring charts (via Premier League).

However, Brazil’s tactics have shown that Firmino has a lot of talent in his locker that often isn’t being utilised at Liverpool. Changing up his role to mirror his position in the Brazil side could unleash a whole new attacking dynamic for the holding champions. The £64.8million-valued forward’s performance against Bolivia included a 100% conversion rate, 100% successful dribbles and one key pass (via Sofascore).

A goalscoring frontman has clearly been a priority on Liverpool’s transfer list after they entered serious talks with Timo Werner, who was keen on the move prior to joining Chelsea, as per The Athletic. But despite missing out, Firmino’s recent performance shows that they don’t need to spend big to fill this criteria.

With Thiago Alcantara bringing more creativity to the Anfield engine room, the Brazilian favourite may have more chances to show off his sweet right foot by staying further up front.

In other news, Phil Thompson is right on the money with Liverpool transfer criticism…

Tottenham Hotspur could land themselves a huge upgrade to their defence if fresh reports are to be believed.

What’s the word?

According to El Desmarque, Spurs boss Jose Mourinho is interested in signing Sevilla colossus Diego Carlos this summer, although the La Liga side have warned suitors that he won’t be sold on the cheap.

Both Manchester City and Premier League champions Liverpool are also in the hunt.

It’s claimed that the centre-back wants to take a further step forward in his career by acquiring a better contract and to raise his chances of making Brazil’s squad for the World Cup in 2022.

A brutal defender

With Jan Vertonghen now out the door in north London, Mourinho could ideally do with a replacement for the Belgian and he may have found the perfect candidate in Carlos.

The 27-year-old is a no-nonsense, agressive-type that could send shivers down the spines of many top-flight attackers.

Per WhoScored, he’s averaged 4.8 clearances, 1.3 fouls, 1 tackle and 1 interception per game across both domestic and European competitions.

Just last month, the Brazillian brute was part of the Sevilla squad that earned a respectable 0-0 draw against Barcelona – to keep Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez quiet for 90 minutes is no mean feat – he recorded five clearances as well as three interceptions whilst notching a cool 89.2% passing accuracy.

Messi was left absolutely rattled by one challenge from Carlos, which resulted in the Argentinian superstar shoving him to the floor.

Spanish football expert Domagoj Kostanjsak has likened him to Kalidou Koulibaly, claiming that Carlos is a “really physical player” who’s built “like a tank” before adding that he isn’t called the “beast” for no reason.

If Mourinho wants to quickly replace Vertonghen, then the Sevilla man would certainly be the right way to go about business but then, it all comes down to Daniel Levy’s willingness to fork out a substantial fee.

Carlos will reportedly cost over £35m according to the Telegraph, which could deter the Spurs chairman but he could well prove to be fully worth that fee.

AND in other news, Spurs must beat Chelsea to ideal upgrade on Lloris

Former Tottenham defender Ramon Vega believes that the club could be tempted to sell Harry Kane if an eye-watering transfer offer for him is submitted.

The former Switzerland international, who now works in asset management, feels that the England captain may be looking towards an exit from north London if Spurs fail to challenge for major silverware or return to the Champions League in the near future.

Speaking to Stats Perform News [via The World Game] about Kane’s future at Tottenham, Vega said: “Temptation is always there. When a guy is in demand and someone is prepared to pay that top dollar, then to be frank, it’s business.

“Then with that kind of money you might have three or four players you can buy. I think Harry Kane would command top dollars and with that money you can bring in maybe a few top players. It’s also a question of does Harry Kane want to go or not? From my point of view, he’s a Spurs boy, he came through the ranks.

“But at the same time he wants to win some trophies, you don’t want to go for 20 years playing for Spurs and not winning anything. You come to a stage where you think ‘I need to go and win some trophies and I can always come back afterwards’.

“A lack of Champions League football will also undoubtedly be a factor for Kane. I think this will be one of the crucial parts of next season; if he sees the club are not challenging for the title or even top four, he might think he’ll have to leave, possibly halfway through the season if he thinks they are not going anywhere.”

Kane, who is valued at £108m by TransferMarkt, has been linked with the likes of Manchester United and Manchester City, having again proven his importance to Tottenham as their top scorer last season with 24 goals in all competitions, taking him to 188 in total for the club.

Son Heung-min was the only other Spurs player to hit double figures in 2019/20, with no other out-and-out centre-forward managing to get on the scoresheet (as per TransferMarkt), so the 27-year-old’s departure would leave an enormous goal-scoring burden to fill for any prospective successors, even if the windfall from his sale should enable Jose Mourinho to sign at least one high-level replacement.

Vega’s point about Kane’s lack of tangible success is a pertinent one, though. While his scoring return is indisputably excellent, the England captain is now 27 and has yet to win a trophy of any kind in his career. He will also be without Champions League football for the first time since 2015 after Tottenham could only finish sixth in last season’s Premier League, a whopping 40 points behind champions Liverpool.

The Kane situation is a delicate one for Spurs. He would surely earn the club a huge transfer windfall which could be reinvested in one or more quality centre-forwards, while the temptation to cash in may increase if the striker pines for a move elsewhere.

However, with Mourinho so heavily reliant on him for goals, selling him at any price would be a risk, even if an immediate successor was primed to come in.

Tottenham fans, do you agree with Vega’s assessment of Kane’s situation? Comment below with your views!

The stage is set for Liverpool to finally be tangibly rewarded for their runaway 2019/20 Premier League season.

Following their match against Chelsea this evening, the Reds will get the chance to lay their hands on the league trophy. James Pearce has reported that the Liverpool squad have had their say on the selection of songs that will be played during the post-match celebrations.

The players have opted for ‘All of the Lights’ by Kanye West and Coldplay’s ‘A Sky Full of Stars’, which was played at full-time when the Reds won their sixth Champions League trophy last season. However, a lot of fans aren’t keen on these choices and have flocked to Pearce’s tweet to share their thoughts.

One supporter has tweeted ‘God help us’ whilst another has commented saying ‘words fail me’. It seems that many Anfield faithful aren’t impressed at all with the playlist to mark the club’s first Premier League title.

Read more replies from Liverpool fans here:

How do you feel about the music choices, Reds fans? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…