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West Bromwich Albion have been dealt a major injury blow ahead of their upcoming Championship fixture.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by the West Brom website, Valerien Ismael confirmed that Grady Diangana will not be available for selection for the trip to Swansea City on Wednesday evening, as the winger is yet to recover from a hamstring injury which saw him ruled out of the 1-0 win over Birmingham City last Friday.

Speaking about the current condition of the 23-year-old, Ismael said: “Grady won’t be available for the game because he only had his first session with the group on Tuesday. It’s too close for him to be able to play. If everything goes correctly then hopefully him being available for Saturday won’t be a problem.”

Meanwhile, the Frenchman also revealed that Alex Mowatt, who was brought off midway through the second half of the Birmingham victory due to a toe injury, will be assessed prior to Wednesday’s fixture.

On the central midfielder’s fitness, the 46-year-old said: “We’ll assess Alex before the game at Swansea. We’re going to keep a close eye on things and how he is before we make a decision on him.”

Ismael will be gutted

While it is undeniable that Diangana has not been in the best form of his career this season, having scored no goals and registered just one assist over his 11 Championship appearances, the absence of the winger for the trip to Swansea will nevertheless have left Ismael gutted. The 23-year-old proved in the Baggies’ promotion-winning campaign back in 2019/20 that he undoubtedly possesses the ability to help fire the club back to the Premier League.

Indeed, over his 30 Championship appearances that season, the £9m-rated forward bagged eight goals, provided six assists and created eight big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.6 shots and making 1.4 key passes per game.

These metrics saw the £36k-per-week man earn a highly impressive seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.06, ranking him as Albion’s third-best performer throughout the campaign in question.

As such, while, as previously mentioned, the former West Ham United winger is yet to hit these heights so far this season, it is abundantly clear that Diangana can win a game in an instant for West Brom, a talent that Ismael will sorely miss on Wednesday night.

In other news: Forget Hugill: Ismael could save WBA millions by placing trust in 20 y/o “star boy”

Wolves are interested in signing young Monaco centre-back Benoit Badiashile in the January transfer window, according to a new report.

The Lowdown: Badiashile an exciting prospect

The 20-year-old has emerged as an exciting player in Ligue 1, making nine starts in the league and enjoying a pass completion rate of 88.5%. He has also averaged 4.3 aerial duel wins per game in the Europa League this season, which is more than any Wolves player has managed in the Premier League.

Badiashile appears to be a man in demand, and Molineux could potentially be his next destination.

The Latest: Wolves linked with move

According to Sky Sports News [via Talking Wolves on Twitter], Wolves are interested in making a move for the Frenchman, as Bruno Lage looks for centre-back reinforcements.

The £25.2m-rated defender’s current Monaco deal expires in the summer of 2024.

The Verdict: Ideal centre-back alternative

Central defence does look like one area where an addition would be welcome at Wolves this month, with too much reliance on the availability of Max Kilman, Conor Coady and Romain Saiss. Indeed, the latter is currently away at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Willy Boly would invariably be a strong backup for the trio but he continues to be plagued by medical issues, highlighting the need for a new signing at centre-back.

At 20, Badiashile would be considered a long-term acquisition who could fill in when required this season before hopefully growing into a key figure at Molineux over the next few years.

In other news, Wolves have been handed a potential transfer blow. Read more here.

Newcastle United have held talks with the agent of Rangers teenager Alex Lowry, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Lowry profiled

Lowry is 18 years of age and is primarily an attacking midfielder who can also play as a right-winger or even in a deeper midfield role.

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The Scot has already made four senior appearances for Rangers, scoring once and providing one assist. Former Ibrox boss Graeme Murty labelled Lowry’s self-confidence as ‘remarkable’, with reports back in February suggesting the teenager has turned down a three-and-a-half-year deal at Ibrox.

His current contract expires in 2023, and it looks as if Newcastle are now leading the race for his services.

The Latest: Hotel meeting

Football Insider shared an update regarding Lowry and Newcastle on Monday morning after being informed by a recruitment source.

They claimed that head of recruitment Steve Nickson met Lowry’s agent in a hotel prior to Newcastle’s Premier League win over Wolves earlier this month.

The report stated that the Magpies are at the front of the queue for the Rangers youngster, who also has interest elsewhere.

The Verdict: Shrewd move

It looks as if Lowry could be a future star with a number of top-tier sides keen on his services, so Newcastle’s decision to meet with his agent and outline their plans could turn out to be a shrewd move.

It would be interesting to see what Newcastle would do with Lowry, should a move to St. James’ Park go through. He already has senior experience in Scotland, and with Eddie Howe having just two attacking midfielders on the books, it could present an opportunity for Lowry to flirt between the club’s Under-23 ranks and first-team squad.

A clear pathway through to first-team football should be outlined by the Magpies, so it looks as if this could be a transfer to watch closely.

In other news: Newcastle now want to sign ’emerging superstar’ for Howe; Staveley has already spoken with agent. 

Crystal Palace recovered from an early setback to draw 1-1 with Norwich City on Wednesday evening.

Patrick Vieira is still waiting for a first Premier League victory in 2022, with the Eagles now winless in their last four top-flight fixtures.

Wilfried Zaha equalised with a brilliant strike in the second half to cancel out Teemu Pukki’s opener after 38 seconds, however, he then failed to convert from the penalty spot to put the visitors in front.

We’ve used statistical experts SofaScore to analyse who the three worst Palace outfield performers (to have played at least 45 minutes) were.

In total, these three players lost the ball a whopping 35 times, were second best in 60% of their aerial and ground duels and made just three tackles all evening… could these players be worried about their place in the XI ahead of the trip to Brentford?

Joachim Andersen – 6.7/10

First up is centre-back Andersen, who lost the ball 15 times. He also lost four of his five duels and was unsuccessful in nine of his 14 long passes.

Andersen was the only Palace defender who didn’t record a rating of more than 7/10, with the 25-year-old making just one tackle all evening. It was a night to forget for the promising defensive stalwart.

Jean-Philippe Mateta – 6.7/10

Next up is Mateta, who also recorded a rating of 6.7/10 in what was his first league start after making his loan move at Selhurst Park permanent last month.

The striker didn’t celebrate his move in the best fashion, though, having just 23 touches of the ball in his 80 minutes on the pitch. Mateta lost five of his eight duels, gave the ball away eight times and registered just one shot all night.

Jeffrey Schlupp – 6.9/10

Last up is Schlupp, who was one of a number of players to end with a score of 6.9/10.

Playing alongside Will Hughes and Conor Gallagher in a three-man midfield, Schlupp lost the ball on 12 occasions and was second-best in six of his 12 duels.

He was brought off by Vieira with 10 minutes remaining having made more fouls than he did tackles (3-2).

In other news: Palace handed more injury woes as Matt Woosnam shares news on ‘very good’ player. 

Crystal Palace have been enjoying a great start to their season so far, with the side signing a number of young players who have been important to their good form in the Premier League, and the good business could continue into the January transfer window if Patrick Vieira can make an important decision.

What’s the word?

According to MailOnline, Burnley are interested in signing Christian Benteke from Crystal Palace to replace Chris Wood, who left the club this week to join Newcastle United, leaving Sean Dyche’s side in a weak position whilst battling relegation this season.

The report suggests that Burnley have made an enquiry for the Palace striker and the South London club are open to selling Benteke during January, but are only interested in a fee of between £10m-£12m.

Vieira must axe Benteke to sign Nketiah

The Eagles have been strongly linked to signing Eddie Nketiah from Arsenal this month, but with Mikel Arteta trying to squash the rumours by insisting he will stay with him at the Emirates, the move could be set back until the summer when the 22-year-old will be out of contract unless Palace are in a position to offer a high bid for the striker.

They could discover the money to do exactly that by axing Benteke before the window closes.

The £120k-per-week Palace forward has been subject to his fair share of criticism over his time at the club with former Eagles midfielder, John Salako, claiming Benteke “can’t do anything” back in 2019:

“I really feel for the lad to a point because he just can’t do it. It’s like he’s got his boots on the wrong feet. He just can’t do anything right; it’s amazing.”

Benteke has been a loyal player to Palace with 37 goals and 12 assists in 168 appearances, but at 32-years-old, it could be the perfect opportunity for Vieira to move him on and inject further youth into the squad, developing the future of the team by giving more opportunity to the likes of Michael Olise and using the money made on the sale to Burnley to purchase a young striker in Nketiah.

The Clarets will surely be keen to sign a striker as soon as possible to boost their chances of survival after losing Wood, so the French manager must make an important decision quickly on whether he cashes in on Benteke or not.

In other news: Aaron Ramsey to Crystal Palace is feasible

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Manchester United will be desperate to put a dent in Liverpool’s Premier League title challenge when the two teams meet at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.

And United will need a big performance from left-back Luke Shaw if they are to overcome a team that has only lost once in the league during the 2018-19 campaign.

The Chalkboard

Shaw has been around for so long that it is easy to forget he is still so young.

Indeed, the full-back will not turn 24 until July, but saw the early stages of his United career harmed by a number of injuries.

Shaw is comfortably enjoying his most productive campaign for the Red Devils, already making 28 appearances in all competitions, which is nine more than he managed in the entirety of last season.

The defender scored his first ever Premier League goal earlier this season, but has contributed just one assist in all competitions, whilst it would be fair to say that he still needs to offer more in an attacking sense.

The eight-time England international is certain to start at left-back against Liverpool and will need to put in a strong performance if United are to triumph.

What is required from Shaw on Sunday?

Well, the number one priority is to be solid defensively, but there is no getting away from the fact that is an area of weakness for the Red Devils.

Shaw will be directly up against Mohamed Salah, who has 20 goals to his name in all competitions this season.

Quite how the defender deals with the Egyptian could have a huge say on the outcome, but Shaw also needs to contribute down the other end.

Roberto Firmino has thrown a party themed around the colour of his teeth! Watch the video below to find out what we’re talking about…

The full-back has not been afraid to break forward this season, but too often his crossing has been wayward.

Anthony Martial could well return from injury to start and the fact that the Frenchman loves to come inside will leave so much space for Shaw when United are on the attack.

And the former Southampton youngster must put in a strong performance at both ends of the field if his team are to collect a huge three points.

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been left buzzing as managerial news emerged on Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Derek McInnes.

As per The Athletic, the former is now a ‘strong contender’ to replace Steven Gerrard at Ibrox and has ‘expressed his desire’ to rejoin his former club. On the other hand, McInnes – who ‘turned down’ the vacancy at the Light Blues in 2017 – is ‘not understood to be in the running’.

Van Bronckhorst has an impressive managerial CV, having guided Feyenoord to their first Eredivisie title in 18 years back in the 2016/17 season (BBC), while he also won four other major trophies with the Rotterdam club. Of course, he is also a two-time Premiership winner as a player with the Light Blues.

Meanwhile, McInnes’ CV is less convincing, with just two trophies to his name, and he has only managed St Johnstone, Bristol City and Aberdeen before.

Therefore, it is not a surprise to see so many Gers fans leaning towards the appointment of Van Bronckhorst over McInnes.

Rangers fans on Van Bronckhorst and McInnes manager news

These Rangers supporters were left buzzing as the managerial news was shared on Twitter:

“McInnes not in the frame was all I needed to hear”

Credit: @IK_1987

“Your last sentence has made me very happy”

Credit: @woods_al

“I hope you’re right”

Credit: @MintyRod

“This is better than Gerrard, bring him home”

Credit: @Lisa____xx

“Love to see it”

Credit: @cameron56689617

“DRINKS ON ME”

Credit: @heyitsk_stew

In other news, find out which two other managerial candidates have emerged

Leeds United have had an extremely tricky season under the stewardship of Marcelo Bielsa.

They are near the foot of the Premier League table and have won just once in their last eight fixtures.

With that in mind, the January transfer window appears to be coming round in the nick of time.

What’s the word?

Leeds head into the winter market in a spot of bother and with the potential of losing their star man Raphinha.

The Brazilian has been electrifying again this term and as a result, has fielded interest from some of Europe’s top clubs.

Indeed, rumours in the build-up to Christmas suggested that he was close to joining Bayern Munich.

Yet, in a seven-word update on the situation on Boxing Day, Phil Hay provided news that will no doubt delight Leeds supporters.

He took to Twitter to say: “Leeds have had no contact from Bayern.”

Fans buzzing

The fact that Raphinha doesn’t appear to be on the verge of heading to Germany is likely to come as music to the ears of the Elland Road faithful.

After all, with Patrick Bamford having played just once since September due to injury, the Brazil international has become Leeds’ chief goal scorer and creator.

He has been nothing short of outstanding since signing for a bargain £17m in the summer of 2020, bagging 14 goals and registering ten assists.

Nine of those involvements have come this term with Raphinha now the Premier League’s joint-fourth top scorer this season with eight.

He is the only player in the squad to beat the goalkeeper on more than two occasions this term so to lose him next month would be a devastating blow to their chances of staying up.

Of course, a team may still come in for the 25-year-old but at the moment, an exit looks more unlikely according to Hay.

Considering Leeds are so up against it right now, keeping him at least until the end of the campaign will be a huge boost for Bielsa whose job is under increasing pressure in Yorkshire.

AND in other news, Orta must sign Leeds’ new Alioski in £59.2m-rated “jewel” who “often scores goals”…

A key update has emerged on Rangers and their attempts bring John Souttar to Ibrox during the January transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Daily Record reporter Andy Newport has revealed that the Gers have had an offer turned down for the centre-back on deadline day.

He tweeted: “Hearts knock back a bid of around £400k from Rangers for John Souttar.”

Devastated

Rangers fans will be devastated by this news for several reasons.

Firstly, it has come far too late into the window. They will be frustrated by the club’s lack of speed in trying to secure a deal for him this month, having secured the pre-contract agreement on January 14. Ross Wilson has had just over half of the month to snap him up before the summer and has now waited until deadline day to make an offer which still is not good enough to be accepted.

Therefore, the supporters will be devastated with the club’s weak attempts to sign him to bolster Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s squad immediately. If Wilson was serious about landing him in January, then the offers should have been made as soon as a pre-contract was in the bag, rather than in the final days of the window, leaving Hearts with no time to replace him.

The fans will also be devastated as it means that they will not be able to watch him boss the defence in Glasgow for the Light Blues before next season. He is a top-quality Premiership player and could have improved the club’s backline in the weeks and months had he joined on a permanent deal this month.

Souttar has averaged a brilliant SofaScore rating of 7.40 so far this season, showing off his ability and consistency at this level as he has been able to turn in superb performances week-in-week-out in the Scottish top-flight. This is why the Ibrox faithful will be far from pleased that they will need to wait until later in the year to see him play.

AND in other news, Wilson heading for last-gasp Rangers blunder as Jordan Campbell drops big D-Day update…

Leeds United correspondent Phil Hay has been reacting to the club’s latest fixture change.

The Lowdown: Palace details

Jesse Marsch’s side have picked up seven points from their last three games to increase the gap to the relegation zone to eight points.

They now have just seven games remaining, one of which is a trip to Selhurst Park to take on Patrick Vieira’s Crystal Palace later this month.

Initially scheduled to take place on Saturday, April 23, the meeting has been put back two days to Monday, April 25 and will be shown live on Sky Sports.

The Latest: Hay reacts

Hay took to Twitter to react to the news of the changes following Leeds’ official post. He described it as an ‘awkward kick-off time’ for Marsch and co. and added that there isn’t enough notice for travelling supporters.

“An awkward kick-off time anyway but for supporters travelling to the game, this is nowhere near enough notice.”

The Verdict: Not a surprise

Plenty of Leeds fans may already have made plans for the trip to London later this month, with the fixture being rearranged just over three weeks before.

It isn’t ideal news for the Whites faithful, but it shouldn’t exactly come as a shock, with the Premier League and broadcast giants regularly changing games at late notice, consistently proving that fans are at the bottom of their agenda when making these calls.

Hopefully, fans will be making the trip south later this month with the club in a healthy position in the table, with Saturday’s trip to Watford key as Marsch looks to guide Leeds to safety.

In other news: Leeds may now lose another star alongside Raphinha and Phillips; he stunned a club employee.