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Jarrod Bowen proved to be West Ham United’s weakest link in the east London outfit’s one-all draw with Manchester City on Saturday.

Hammers boss David Moyes trusted the winger to begin the Premier League affair for his 17th straight top-flight start, with Bowen not missing a kick-off since the Iron’s 3-2 loss at Liverpool in February whilst he adapted to the club following a January transfer worth in excess of £20million.

But Moyes will have been left underwhelmed with what Bowen was capable of delivering against Pep Guardiola’s Sky Blues this weekend, as the attacker struggled to make an impact upon moving centrally to cover for Michail Antonio once the goalscorer was forced off.

Bowen had started with early signs of promise in the midday kick-off by relentlessly harrying Joao Cancelo, though could not turn the hustle into anything worthwhile to go a second game without influencing the scoreline after strikes in wins over Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester City.

His efforts brought Moyes’ comments from September back into full focus, having urged the former Hull City attacker to offer more than just an enthusiastic presence.

“[Taking] Jarrod Bowen out of the Championship was always a gamble,” Moyes noted, via quotes by West Ham’s official website. “Most boys take a little bit of time to settle, but Jarrod hit the ground running.

“His goalscoring record at Hull was always around 15 a season, so we want him to add to his count in the Premier League, but his enthusiasm, his speed, his energy – he’s been great round the club, and he’s been a really terrific signing for us.

“I hope I can get more out of him, and for many reasons I really enjoy working with him.”

The 23-year-old could only display enthusiasm against Manchester City, however, as he failed to register a single key pass or shot on goal, while only winning two duels, per SofaScore.

The Leominster-born forward won each of his duels on the ground but only attempted four, while losing each of his two aerial contests, losing possession 11 times, misplacing seven of his 13 attempted passes (meaning a meagre 46.1% pass success rate), failing to connect with a teammate with his only cross and misplacing four of his five attempted long balls.

Right-back Vladimir Coufal was also given no defensive support from the right-sided forward, with Bowen offering just one clearance to zero interceptions or tackles.

Bowen further turned over possession by losing out in two of his three attempted dribbles, as the 23-year-old recorded SofaScore’s lowest match rating by any player for either side at 6.3 out of 10, with Man City ‘keeper Ederson (6.4) the worst-performing member of the visiting team.

Moyes will likely need to bend Bowen’s ear ahead of visiting Liverpool next weekend, but his prior comments calling for the winger to add to his goal output inspired the forward to impress with a brace at home to Wolves and net in the away win over Leicester.

AND in other news, David Moyes must hit the reset button as £27.2m target puts West Ham’s interest in the past.

If there was one word to describe West Brom’s latest result, it would be cruel.

Slaven Bilic and his side gave one hell of an account of themselves at the Hawthorns against Spurs this afternoon, but ultimately, they fell to another defeat.

Harry Kane popped up with a header in the 88th minute to condemn the Baggies to an eighth game without a victory. You could argue that the home side were by far the better of the two teams, winning more duels and being quicker to the second balls.

But it wasn’t enough.

The Croatian boss was without two key stars too with Branislav Ivanovic and Matheus Pereira missing out, though they didn’t really miss the latter as another member of the squad stepped up to the plate.

Instead of it being the Heung-min Son and Kane show, it was rather Filip Krovinovic’s game as he pulled the strings for Albion.

The 25-year-old Benfica loanee made 39 passes, three of which were key attempts, won 12 of 13 duels (92%), and even contributed defensively, managing three tackles and two interceptions, via SofaScore.

At half-time, The Athletic’s Steve Madeley lauded him as “influential,” which is no surprise at all. He had more touches than any other West Brom player (78), pulling the strings from the no.8 role with two dribbles and even won four free-kicks as the Spurs engine room couldn’t cope with his tricky feet.

Only Kane managed a higher rating (8.0) than the Croatian playmaker (7.9), and that’s only because he scored the crucial match-winner, though that only goes to show just how key he was to Albion on the day.

Bilic may be under pressure, according to reports, but performances like that from his team and especially Krovinovic should provide some encouragement going forward.

To play so well without the influence of their nine-goal 22-assist maestro, Pereira, also proves that they aren’t merely a one-man band. Bilic should look to his fellow countryman more often after he stole the show this afternoon.

AND in other news, West Brom may have found their own Jadon Sancho in “explosive” teen…

Several of Tottenham Hotspur’s stars have been in action during this international break and one of their summer signings has continued his impressive start to life as a Spurs player.

On Saturday night, Euro 2012 winners Spain were held to a 1-1 draw with Switzerland in the UEFA Nations League with £27m arrival Sergio Reguilon putting in a Man of the Match display.

No other player on the pitch recorded a higher rating than the 23-year-old’s 7.8, as per SofaScore.

Only Sergio Ramos (112 touches) was more involved than Reguilon (111), the right-back recorded two clearances, one tackle and made 94% of his 80 passing attempts. He even won 75% of his ground duels and provided three key passes, which included one big chance created.

Spanish outlet AS lauded his performance, claiming his assist for the goal was like a “dagger from the left wing” whilst Marca have tipped him to become the first-choice option at left-back, lauding his pace.

This was merely continuing the fine form he’s been in for the Premier League side so far this season.

Amongst Jose Mourinho’s side, the £80k-per-week Reguilon is only second to the rampant duo of Harry Kane and Heung-min Son, where he has averaged 1.8 key passes, 0.8 crosses and 1.8 tackles per game from his four starts, via WhoScored.

He is looking every bit like an absolute masterstroke signing from Daniel Levy and chief scout Steve Hitchen, and they both should be lauded for not just unearthing him, but also risking a massive fee too. Reguilon is already valued at €50m (£45m) by CIES.

Levy is hardly known for his brash spending, so Mourinho ought to be rather thankful.

Reguilon’s impact goes far beyond his role on the pitch too – according to Football.London’s Alasdair Gold, he’s a player that “everyone loves” on the training pitch.

Props to Levy, the young Spaniard has arguably been their best signing this summer, if not one of.

AND in other news, Mourinho has completely transformed this Pochettino underperformer…

Many Wolverhampton Wanderers fans have been reacting in anger to the changes that have been made to their side’s fixtures.

The Premier League announced the changes on Thursday afternoon to accommodate television listings, while some games will continue to play behind closed doors after the Government’s announcement.

The Athletic’s Tim Spiers highlighted that the schedule for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side replicates what happened last year.

He revealed that Wolves had just under two days to prepare for a home tie against Manchester City and a trip to Anfield with 66 hours of recovery in 2019. While this year, the West Midlands outfit only have five extra hours in between their home tie against Tottenham and their trip to Manchester United.

As a result, supporters were not impressed with the decision made by the Premier League and broadcasters, with some claiming there is a bias towards the big clubs.

Fans fume at fixture pile-up

And in other news, Agent of Wolves loanee claims his client has ‘gone into oblivion’ after slow start.

Sheffield Wednesday are still looking for their first win under Tony Pulis.

At the weekend, the Owls suffered their fourth defeat in seven matches under the 62-year-old stalwart and things aren’t looking any easier as they head to Nottingham Forest later this evening.

This is usually an encounter that sees both sides in and around the playoffs, though this year, it’s the rock-bottom Yorkshiremen versus fourth-from-bottom Reds.

Pulis really ought to do himself some favours by dropping some of his underperforming stars, none more so than Josh Windass, who has struggled to make much – if any – of an impact in front of goal.

It is true that the former Rangers and Wigan Athletic star is currently the Owls’ top goalscorer on three goals, but he’s managing to find the net just once every five games.

That’s hugely disappointing for someone trusted to lead the line week in, week out.

The 26-year-old is also only averaging 1.9 shots, 0.7 key passes and 0.4 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

You could even argue that he’s doing a fine job considering he’s not an out-and-out striker having played the bulk of his career (43% of 241 appearances) as an attacking midfielder.

Windass, who is valued at £1.44m and earns around £15k-per-week at Hillsborough, must either be played in his natural position or left on the bench later this evening.

Pulis can wield his axe on the forward in favour of handing the reins to either Callum Paterson or Jordan Rhodes with Jack Marriott still on the treatment table.

Once lauded a “constant threat” and a “real menace” by his former Accrington boss John Coleman, Windass was signed by Garry Monk after a short loan spell earlier in the year, so Pulis could be forgiven for wanting to try out alternatives in this evening’s crunch match.

A win really would bolster the Owls’ in their dogfight to stay up and making a big call on the versatile midfielder could prove to be the difference.

AND in other news, Anonymous Sheff Weds calamity who made only 4 passes all game let Pulis down abysmally…

Southampton will be hoping to continue their impressive start to the 2020/21 Premier League season by picking up all three points against Sheffield United on Sunday.

The Saints secured an impressive 2-1 win against Brighton last time out, so will be confident when they face Chris Wilder’s side at St Mary’s, with the Blades having picked up just one point in the Premier League so far this season.

Following his winning goal from the bench last time out, it seems likely that Danny Ings will return to Southampton’s starting line up but considering the Saints’ strong recent form, it would be a surprise to see too many other changes.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Hasenhuttl to line his side up against Sheffield United…

Unsurprisingly, Hasenhuttl keeps faith in Alex McCarthy, with the shot-stopper no doubt hoping to pick up his fifth clean sheet of the season in Sunday’s game.

Jannik Vestergaard could be a threat with his height from corners, whilst Jan Bednarek continues to partner the Dane in defence, although it surely won’t be long until we see Mohammed Salisu make his first appearance in a Saints shirt.

Kyle Walker-Peters and Ryan Bertrand continue to start at full-back, with both having been mainstays in Hasenhuttl’s side so far this season.

There’s one change in midfield, as Nathan Redmond is restored to the starting XI after an arguably disappointing display from Moussa Djenepo in the win against Brighton – his 6.4 rating as per Sofascore was the joint-lowest of any Southampton player.

James Ward-Prowse and Oriol Romeu can continue their impressive partnership in midfield, with the duo having been two of Hasenhuttl’s standout performers in the Premier League this year – the duo are both in the top five for average match rating for the Saints as per Whoscored.

Finally, Ings is given the nod to start up front, ahead of Theo Walcott, who drops out after a poor performance against Brighton last time out.

Back in 2016, Lee Dixon was full of praise for the former Arsenal man, saying:

“His speed and quality on the ball is unquestionable.

“Now all of a sudden he is unplayable. He is thinking about the game. It seems like he has turned into a different player.”

However, Ings’ connection with Che Adams up front has been a key part of Southampton’s impressive run of form – the duo have 14 goal contributions combined –  and if those two can perform well, the Saints will surely have a good chance of picking up all three points against Sheffield United.

And, in other news… Southampton can exploit key SHU weakness by unleashing colossus “role model”

Crystal Palace look set to repeat their Alexander Sorloth mistake with Danish striker Kasper Junker, who has been heavily linked with a move to Selhurst Park.

What’s the word?

According to TEAMtalk, Palace are eyeing a move for the 26-year-old centre-forward in January, amid interest from Premier League rivals West Bromwich Albion.

It’s claimed that a host of Championship clubs including Swansea, Middlesbrough and Bristol City are also keeping tabs on his situation.

Junker has certainly been in prolific form for FK Bodo/Glimt, providing 27 goals and 11 assists in 28 games across all competitions, via Transfermarkt but this move might just be too good to be true.

Sorloth 2.0

After all, it feels like we’ve been here before, doesn’t it? Palace chairman Steve Parish splashed the cash on the relatively unknown Sorloth, only for the forward to turn out to be a total and utter flop.

Fast forward a few months later and Sorloth is no longer at Selhurst Park, as the 25-year-old is currently plying his trade with Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig.

Whether or not the same can be said for Junker remains to be seen, but he only managed six goals during an injury-interrupted campaign at the Norwegian club last season, which should give Palace fans some cause for concern. In fact, he failed to reach double digits in any of his previous campaigns.

That will hardly give fans the confidence that he can provide cover and competition for the likes of Jordan Ayew and Christian Benteke while the last thing Roy Hodgson needs right now is another expensive flop off the back of the humiliating defeat at the hands of Liverpool.

It might seem a little harsh but in all likelihood, his recent heroics are just a glaring anomaly, as none of the other figures across the rest of his career stand out either. Let’s face it, 13 goals in 69 games for Aarhus is hardly the stuff of legend.

The former Denmark U21 international has been in scintillating form since the start of the season but is yet to really prove himself at a decent level of the game on a regular basis, with just one goal in the Europa League qualifying rounds to his name.

Until then, Parish must avoid repeating the same inexcusable mistake he made with Sorloth unless he wants to walk headfirst into an unmitigated disaster.

AND in other news, Forget Sarr: Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish must secure Michael Olise as a Townsend alternative…

Liverpool are continuing to be linked with a summer move for Bayern Munich centre-back David Alaba, with the Austrian available on a free transfer at the end of this season.

Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano has now confirmed that the Reds are very interested in signing the 28-year-old but will face fierce competition from Real Madrid for his signature.

When speaking to Give Me Sport, Romano said:

“For sure, they are trying for David Alaba as a free agent. As I say they are trying also with an important bid, they are in contact with his agent. They are among the five clubs trying for David Alaba but Real Madrid are leading the race so it’s difficult at this moment, but Liverpool are trying.

“So he’s an amazing player and it’s normal that his manager Pini Zahavi is working, talking with many clubs from Premier League, with Liverpool as we say, from La Liga with Real Madrid, from Bayern Munich because Bayern Munich has old people around the club saying they are trying really to keep him, they made an important bid.

“What Alaba is asking for is €12m per season as salary, with add-ons. So it’s a big salary and you have to pay commissions, huge commissions, to the agent when you sign these kinds of free agents so it’s not so easy to find the agreement. But at the moment, Madrid are leading the race.”

Jurgen Klopp confirmed recently that despite Liverpool’s current defensive crisis, they are ‘unlikely’ to sign a centre-back during this month’s transfer window emphasising that they are not keen to find a short-term solution.

Perhaps this is with the view of trying to sign Alaba, who has 73 caps for Austria, on a free transfer this summer, as he is 28-years-old and could potentially be a first-team regular with Liverpool for the next five or six years.

Alaba’s versatility could be hugely important for Klopp’s side next season, as we have already seen them struggle in defensive areas this season as a result of injuries, and the Austrian could easily fill in at centre-back, left-back or defensive-midfield if required and would be a much more reliable option than the injury-prone Joel Matip.

His performances in recent seasons emphasise that he has become a world-class centre-back with Die Roten, as he helped Hans Dieter-Flick’s side win the Champions League last season.

Sporting Director Michael Edwards must therefore do everything he can to convince the Bayern Munich man to follow Thiago’s suit and make the move to Anfield this summer.

Click here to see the full 30-minute video of Fabrizio Romano’s interview with Give Me Sport.

Manchester City are reportedly interested in signing Sassuolo midfielder Manuel Locatelli next summer and the Italian could the long-term successor to Ilkay Gundogan.

It was suggested by the Daily Mail earlier this week that City are interested in signing the Italian international, who is likely to cost around £30 million. However, a later report suggested that the Serie A side won’t consider any bids during this month’s transfer window, so the Citizens may have to wait until the summer to bring him to the Etihad.

The 23-year-old has also been attracting interest from Juventus after impressing in recent seasons with Neroverdi, having joined on a permanent deal from AC Milan in the summer of 2019.

So far this season, the Italian midfielder has averaged a superb 7.11 rating for his performances in Serie A, having contributed two goals and one assist in 16 appearances.

WhoScored describes some of his strengths as passing, dribbling and through balls, which could mark him out as a potential long-term replacement for Gundogan in this Manchester City side.

The German international will turn 31 this year and has impressed in Pep Guardiola’s side so far this season, averaging a 7.10 rating in the Premier League, but he lacks the tackling ability of Locatelli.

The Sassuolo man looks to be something of an all-rounder, as he has averaged 1.2 shots per game and 1.3 successful aerial duels, as well as registering an impressive 88.1% success rate, per WhoScored.

Gundogan meanwhile, has averaged 1.5 shots per game and a 90.7% pass success rate but struggles to win aerial duels, averaging just 0.5 per game in the Premier League, per WhoScored.

Locatelli’s agent has suggested that the 23-year-old “dreams of playing in the Champions League” but with Sassuolo currently seventh in Serie A, it seems as if he will have to move away to realise this dream, and Manchester City could be the perfect place for him.

Certainly, there seems no reason why the midfielder couldn’t be a success in Guardiola’s side and if sporting director Txiki Begiristain can seal a move for him, he could be the heir to Gundogan’s throne with the Citizens.

And, in other news… “95% he’ll end up at Manchester City” – Exclusive: Pundit makes bold claim on £108m-rated MCFC target

West Brom have been linked with a move for Jesse Lingard ahead of deadline day, according to reports…

What’s the word?

Sky Sports claim the Baggies have enquired to Manchester United over a potential loan move for the 28-year-old as Sam Allardyce is attracted by the quality he could bring to the Hawthorns.

It’s thought that a loan fee and Lingard’s wages (£75k-per-week) could be a problem unless the Red Devils are willing to subsidise the deal, though that may prove difficult with West Ham also keen on his services.

Shades of Greening

Albion have had some decent success when signing former United players, ranging from Ronnie Wallwork, who won the Player of the Year award for 2004/05, to Jonny Evans, who featured 96 times across three campaigns.

But given Lingard’s versatility and ability, he could become West Brom’s next Jonathan Greening.

The former Baggies attacking midfielder won a Champions League medal with United before enjoying five seasons as a key player across Premier League and Championship campaigns.

Greening was capable of operating anywhere behind the striker before eventually dropping deeper into midfield as he entered the twilight of his career, in which he was dubbed a “quarterback” by former teammate Dean Kiely as well as a player who was “technically unbelievable” by James Morrison.

Lingard is cut from the same cloth – primarily a right-winger, who is equally adept at playing the no.10 role. His past comparisons to Andres Iniesta only adds weight to the argument that he can be a creative presence in this current Baggies team.

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“The difference with Jesse is that he was always the English version of Iniesta. He can play in the pockets, he’s very mobile and very agile,” said former United coach Rene Meulensteen.

The 24-time England international hasn’t featured in the Premier League this term but proved his creative ability in 22 appearances last season, where he averaged 1.9 key passes per 90 minutes, via WhoScored.

By comparison, this is better than every single player in Allardyce’s squad apart from Matheus Pereira (2.2 key passes per 90). That means out wide, Lingard could be a massive upgrade – for example, £18m summer signing Grady Diangana is only managing 0.3 key passes per 90, which is quite frankly, not good enough.

The £9m-rated Lingard has a pretty decent record against the Baggies too. Indeed, he must’ve given Alan Pardew nightmares in 2017 when, as a no.10 he ran the show at the Hawthorns, managing an impressive 91% passing accuracy as well as a goal and a key pass, per SofaScore.

Not to mention, his work-rate would likely be something that pleases Big Sam. Ole Gunnar Solksjaer once claimed: “There’s no-one who runs as much as Jess, he’s a great trigger in the pressing.”

A “unique” player for sure, as Michael Carrick said in 2018, Lingard would be a mightily fine option to have at West Brom as they are among the league’s lowest scorers and given his ability, he could well fill that right-wing void whilst also having the ability to slot in anywhere else in attack.

Just like Greening, Lingard could be the fruit of another successful signing from their Manchester rivals. He must be signed as Albion’s final domestic loan option this month.

AND in other news, West Brom lightweight who lost 86% of his duels just betrayed Big Sam…