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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to Goal, Wolves are keeping tabs on Wigan Athletic’s young forward Joe Gelhardt, but they face stiff competition from a whole host of Premier League clubs, including Liverpool.

What’s the word?

The striker is viewed as one of the Championship’s most promising talents and this week he will feature at international level after he was called up to England’s U18 squad.

Gelhardt has been at Wigan for seven years but has made just two senior Championship appearances for the club, most recently last weekend coming on for the final 27 minutes as they drew 0-0 with Barnsley.

The 17-year-old drew high praise from his Latics boss Paul Cook, who said he was ‘so comfortable at this level’ during a pre-season fixture against Premier League outfit Burnley.

Youth project

Wolves’ commitment to improving their youth ranks has been clear to see over the past two years or so.

Evidence of that was seen as recently as this summer when signed Bruno Jordao, Flavio Cristovao, and Renat Dadashov.

The club have also got Rob Edwards, the Under-23 manager, playing the same brand of football that Nuno Santo tries to deploy so that any step up a player makes will be all the more comfortable.

The potential move for Gelhardt only continues the Fosun trend of strengthening from the bottom up over at Molineux.

Their dedication to this philosophy has only been emphasised by head of recruitment John Marshall being specifically told to find the best young players across Europe.

Jeff Shi has also made comments in the past about how Wolves want to strengthen the academy. Signing Gelhardt, therefore, would help this significantly.

Morgan Gibbs-White and Ruben Vinagre continue to make waves in the first-team this season – both starting a Premier League game each, which only takes further measures in proving that a move for a highly-rated teenager like the one Wigan have in their hands would be the correct thing to do.

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

Over the weekend, Sheffield Wednesday finally appointed Steve Bruce’s successor with Garry Monk taking the reins at Hillsborough.

Bruce departed for Newcastle United back in the middle of July with Lee Bullen being named caretaker boss for the third time.

The Owls started the season well but have since slipped to three defeats in four games and could use the wealth of experience that Monk possesses at Championship level after managing Leeds United, Middlesborough and most recently Birmingham City.

His system and way of playing could bring an opportunity for several players that have struggled to make an impact in south Yorkshire, none more so than Sam Winnall.

Watch Sheffield Wednesday Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

On the Chalkboard

Monk’s preferred formation is 4-4-2, per Transfermarkt, and it is one he frequently played at Birmingham last season, which means there’s potentially a spot available to partner Steven Fletcher in the attack.

Maybe it is Winnall’s time to shine at long last.

At 5 foot 9, he offers a differing presence to Fletcher, who stands two inches taller and is likely to be the target man under Monk.

Che Adams is the same height as the 28-year-old, and he partnered Lukas Jutkiewicz upfront at Birmingham so that certainly can be mirrored here – that duo garnered 36 goals in this very league last season.

Winnall joined Wednesday in January 2017 but has scored just four times in 28 appearances, per Transfermarkt.

In the following season he was loaned out to Derby County and ever since then he has struggled to cement a spot in the starting lineup, playing just eight matches last campaign.

His record in the division is actually pretty good, scoring one in every three games, having netted 21 goals in 63 career appearances.

Winnall just needs a run in the side with a manager that can give him some confidence – Monk’s previous case studies, namely Adams and Chris Wood, show signs of that.

The latter frontman had a career year in the 40-year-old’s first and only season in charge at Leeds, scoring 30 goals in 48 appearances while Adams contributed 22 goals to Birmingham’s campaign last season.

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Tottenham Hotspur youngster Troy Parrott scored the winner as Republic of Ireland Under-21s recorded a 1-0 victory over Armenia Under-21s on Friday night.

It was actually Parrott’s debut for ROI at that level of football, and the 17-year-old found the back of the net with a cool finish from close range.

The teenager is yet to make a first-team appearance for Spurs this season, but he was heavily involved in their preparations for the 2019/20 campaign.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

What’s more, Parrott has netted twice in one Premier League 2 appearance for the club’s Under-23 outfit this term, which is another indication of his talent.

As expected, a number of Tottenham fans took to social media to comment on the forward’s goal, and many have called for head coach Mauricio Pochettino to hand him some first-team action after the international break.

A selection of the Twitter reaction to Parrott’s international strike is available to view below:

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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…

The international break is finally behind us and the clubs are once again gearing up for the weekend’s action. Real Madrid will be hosting a tricky opponent in the form of Levante at the Santiago Bernabeu this Saturday, and it will be extremely important that Zinedine Zidane doesn’t fall for the “trap game” that lies ahead of them.

Just a couple of days later, in mid-week, Los Blancos have much bigger fish to fry as they travel to the City of Light to face Paris Saint-Germain. Naturally, the Champions League usually takes precedence in such situations and many would be quick to throw the seemingly insignificant league game under the bus just to make sure the big European night goes well.

But looking back the league table and especially at Real Madrid’s upcoming schedule, can Zidane actually afford to sacrifice the Levante game for an off-chance he gets a more favourable result in the Champions League?

Following that, they also have a trip to Sevilla, a place at which they haven’t been able to claim victory, or even a point for that matter, since the 2014/15 season.

Taking all of that into consideration and judging by the results we’ve seen from them so far in the season, it’s probably pretty safe to say that they really can’t afford to slip now against Levante.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Currently, the Galacticos are sitting in fifth with a tally of five points after three games played.

And yes, it’s only the start of the campaign and the season is long. Other teams will drop points too and the league table will chop and change. But, they also have to keep in mind that Atletico Madrid have three wins in three games and are on course to completely run away with it if Barcelona and Real Madrid do not get their acts together.

This becomes an even bigger problem when we take into account that the last game of this month will be a Madrid derby at the Wanda Metropolitano, and whoever wins that one just might gain a significant advantage.

But if Zidane slips significantly before then, it could mean that his team are playing catch-up from the get-go and even before they get a chance to directly put pressure on their city rivals.

Levante might be the first step towards clawing their way back to the top, or at the very least, close enough to it so they represent some danger for whoever lies top of the pile. And now that he actually might get some of his injured troops back into the squad, there will be no more excuses moving forward.

Yes, the transfer window could’ve been better and yes, there are still issues Real Madrid have to resolve in the not so distant future, but the goal is to focus on what they’ve got right here and right now and start winning once again. Zidane has a big enough squad full of talent, experience and world-class players to compete on all fronts.

The rather poor ending to the 2018/19 season should definitely be a warning sign, and now that an equally frustrating summer is behind them and their squad is finally getting back together, maybe we once again see a dominant at the Bernabeu.

But it all has to start somewhere, and for Real Madrid, that first step may very well be this weekend against Levante.

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Although it is not exactly where he wants to be, Unai Emery will be hoping his Arsenal side have a good run in the Europa League this term.

The Gunners will kick off their European campaign against Eintracht Frankfurt at the Commerzbank Arena in what should be an interesting match-up, what with the German giants having reached the semi-finals of last year’s tournament, and the north Londoners finishing as runners-up.

The former Sevilla boss is likely to rotate his squad, regardless, so here we look at how the Gunners could line up against the Bundesliga outfit.

Emery has a history of swapping his goalkeepers between the league and the cup competitions.

Last season, Petr Cech started in 16 of the 20 cup matches the Gunners played in, whilst Bernd Leno was selected more often than not in the English top flight. With the 124-time Czech Republic international having retired at the end of the past campaign, Emiliano Martinez is now Arsenal’s number two. Thus, the chances are high that he will be chosen between the sticks.

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Although Hector Bellerin and Kieran Tierney are back in full training, it is still surely too early to start them. As such, Sead Kolasinac and Ainsley Maitland-Niles should keep their places at full-back.

Rob Holding is also close to full fitness but, once again, it would be a big risk to select him. Sokratis and David Luiz have both struggled this term, averaging 6.55 and 6.37 respectively in their WhoScored ratings, and the former, having played a game more, could be dropped to the bench. Calum Chambers is the only other centre-back who is fully fit, and could, therefore, enter the fray.

Joe Willock and Lucas Torreira should be named in midfield, having sat out the draw with Watford, with Dani Ceballos the only one of the previous midfield trio to keep his place.

In a 4-3-3 formation, Nicolas Pepe and Reiss Nelson should start on the flanks. The latter has not played from the beginning since August 17th, making him one of the fresher bodies in the squad, and a lack of realistic alternatives – only Maitland-Niles can really play there apart from Pepe and he is starting at right-back – should give the former another chance to prove himself.

Alexandre Lacazette’s injury, which will keep him out of the side until October, leaves Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as the only striker currently at his manager’s disposal. Whether Emery would like to rest him or not, he has little choice but to give him the nod on Thursday.

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When it rains, it pours. Manchester United’s first-team didn’t enjoy the greatest of days on Sunday after slipping to a 2-0 defeat to West Ham in the Premier League.

Now, it appears the curse has hit their U-23 side too, after they received a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Aston Villa on Monday night.

The Red Devils’ youth side had previously not lost a game in the Premier League 2, but fell to their first defeat of the season to the Villans.

After seeing the U-23s’ result, United fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on how things appear to be going horribly wrong for the club as a whole.

Many supporters of the Manchester side delivered a worrying assessment of things, suggesting that the whole club is “falling apart”.

Some Red Devils fans insisted a “virus is spreading” and that it is all a “mess”.

Check out some of the reaction of United fans below:

It must be an awful time to be a Manchester United fan.

Not only are the Red Devils in a bad place at the moment, sitting tenth in the Premier League table, but to make matters worse, their two biggest rivals are currently on top of the world.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Man City won a domestic treble last term, and Liverpool picked up the only trophy City didn’t win as they lifted the Champions League.

It once again looks like one of those two sides will win the league title this term, and while that will infuriate a number of Man United fans, one of their biggest legends doesn’t seem to mind.

Roy Keane was asked on Sky Sports whether he’d rather see City or Liverpool win the league this term, and he gave a very mature response.

He says that despite his affiliation with Manchester United he wouldn’t mind seeing either team winning the title as they would have deserved it.

Considering some of the intense encounters the Irishman played in against those two teams, his answer is somewhat surprising, but certainly refreshing.

Who is to blame for Spurs’ 7-2 defeat against Bayern Munich?

There’s certainly an inquest to be had after the London club suffered one of the most embarrassing defeats in Champions League history.

Do you point the finger at Pochettino? The shoddy midfield? Or the incompetent back line?

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

If we’re being honest it’s probably a mixture of all of the above. However, ESPN’s Craig Burley has highlighted two players that he thinks were at fault on Tuesday evening.

The pundit gave a scathing review of Serge Aurier and Danny Rose’s performances against the German champions.

Burley points to their inability to adapt throughout the game to Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry’s movement and pace, saying that they should have worked out that they couldn’t push tight on the wingers throughout the game.

Unfortunately, it didn’t work out like that for Spurs and Gnabry was allowed to score four goals on Tuesday evening.

Tammy Abraham was a revelation at Aston Villa last season.

The Chelsea striker spent the 2018/19 campaign out on loan at the Midlands club, and he netted 26 league goals as Villa earned promotion to the Premier League.

Watch Aston Villa Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Of course, he’s gone on to bigger things since then as he’s the current top-scorer in the Premier League with one of Europe’s biggest clubs.

However, despite the success that he’s had since returning to Stamford Bridge, he seemingly still misses some things at Villa Park, namely Tyrone Mings.

Indeed, Abraham has been reunited with Mings while the pair have been on England duty, and it seems as if he’s been missing him more than most since he left the Villans.

The feeling was mutual too, as the defender posted a very similar snap on his Instagram story.

Hopefully, their relationship with one another off the pitch helps their performances improve on the pitch and they can both enjoy some success with Gareth Southgate’s side.

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…

Even though West Brom aren’t competing in the top-flight of English football, several of the players amongst the squad are still called up for international duty – even more so after the start they’ve had to this campaign.

The Baggies occupy top spot after 11 matches as their 4-2 victory over Cardiff City saw them regain possession of the Championship lead.

Just days earlier, Slaven Bilic’s men had seen their unbeaten record halted at the hands of Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United, but they responded perfectly to put that behind them.

Watch West Bromwich Albion Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Semi Ajayi has appeared to continue his rich vein of form onto the international stage after featuring for Nigeria on Sunday afternoon.

The 25-year-old centre-back has cemented his name as one of the bargains of the summer in the Championship so far this season, proving to be an influential member of Bilic’s backline.

And even though the side have kept just one clean sheet, he’s still been a significant presence at either end of the pitch after scoring two goals and averaging 4.2 clearances per game, via WhoScored.

The Super Eagles were faced with a tough friendly against Brazil in Singapore as Ajayi featured for the full 90 minutes.

During the game, he had to defend against the likes of PSG star Neymar, Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino, Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus and Bayern Munich’s temporary man Philippe Coutinho.

Considering 31 places separate Brazil (third) to Nigeria (34th) in the world rankings, only conceding the one goal is quite some feat, and in doing so, the West Brom defender played his part in defending a wave of attacks.

AllNigeriaSoccer handed Ajayi a 7.5 out of ten and said: “Did admirably well in the rear and carried the ball with poise and confidence. Arguably his team’s best defender.”

This is a glowing review and bodes particularly well if he can perform against some of the most threatening attackers in world football.

This level of performance is a good sign for Albion’s Premier League hopes as the 6 foot 4 centre-back has made a huge stride in showing his credentials against elite opposition.

If the Baggies can indeed gain promotion this season, they’ll know they can call upon Ajayi in defence.