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West Bromwich Albion will use this international break as time to regroup and refocus, after only picking up one win from nine in all competitions recently.

That rare victory did come about last match away at Hull City in the Championship, as a quickfire double from Karlan Grant and Josh Maja sealed a 2-1 win for Carlos Corberan’s visitors.

Whilst Maja and Grant obviously impressed, academy product Tom Fellows failed to ever get going against Tim Walter’s men, leading to an early second half subsitution that saw Lewis Dobbin replace the out-of-sorts winger.

Still, with five assists next to his name this season in league action, the Baggies won’t want to lose their homegrown gem anytime soon – with Everton previously interested – knowing all too well what it feels like when a former prodigy goes on to reach dizzy new heights away from the Hawthorns.

Morgan Rogers is one of the most notable examples…

What Morgan Rogers has done since leaving

Rogers briefly called West Brom his home as a promising prodigy, before going on to star for near neighbours Aston Villa.

West Brom were ultimately powerless to losing Rogers when he did exit in 2019 – as the allure of Manchester City proved to be understandably strong – with the 22-year-old now a top performer for Villa many years down the line.

Off the back of helping himself to an impressive three goals and three assists this season in all competitions for Unai Emery’s outfit, Rogers has even won himself a senior England call-up, as the young attacking midfielder continues to go from strength to strength at Villa Park.

West Brom will curse even more now that Man City swooped in and stole Rogers before he could come good at the Hawthorns, with this unbelievably not the only time a one-time Baggies academy player has gone on to make a name for himself in the senior game after waving goodbye to the club.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast's Where Are They Now series.

Tim Iroegbunam's career since leaving West Brom

Tim Iroegbunam’s departure from the Championship club would have hurt equally as much as Rogers upping and leaving, with the central midfielder on the books of his boyhood employers for a substantial amount of time, having joined the academy structure after playing locally in Sutton Coldfield.

Like Rogers, however, Iroegbunam would fail to make a senior appearance at West Brom, leading to the 6-foot ace seeking out pastures new, with Villa once more laughing in the face of their near neighbours when snapping up the 21-year-old in 2022.

Looking at the table above, the Birmingham-born midfielder did make somewhat of an impression on the Villa masses after this move, with Iroegbunam making 19 first-team appearances for the Villans during his time there.

He would truly come into his own in the men’s game when on loan away from the Premier League club, with a spell at Queens Park Rangers seeing him bag two goals in the Championship, leading to the Hoops boss at the time Gareth Ainsworth heralding the youngster as “top class.”

Everton clearly saw lots of potential in the 21-year-old’s performances, forking out £9m to win his services this summer, with Iroegbunam exciting in flashes at Goodison Park today.

Still worth £8m according to Transfermarkt, with the ex-Baggies prodigy helping himself to one assist from eight Toffees clashes, West Brom must wonder now if they could have done anything differently in attempting to keep the midfielder around for longer.

He could be of use to Corberan right now, considering the Baggies squad is somewhat threadbare and Iroegbunam showed he can handle the fast-paced division at QPR, but West Brom are just left with what could have been much like Rogers.

West Brom once let academy star leave for £0, now he’s outperforming Mowatt

West Bromwich Albion must now regret letting this youngster leave.

By
Kelan Sarson

Nov 10, 2024

Italian top flight experiences unprecedented growth in American market, sees growing appetite for international soccer in U.S.

• 50 percent surge in live TV viewership for Serie A matches
• USMNT stars drive increased interest in the league
• Strategic broadcast partnerships have boosted accessibility

• AFP
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Serie A says it has has experienced a 50 percent increase in live TV viewership in the United States during the 2024-25 season, marking an unprecedented surge in popularity for Italian soccer in the country. The growth has been attributed to strategic broadcast partnerships and the presence of high-profile American players in the league.

  The reason, the league said, was because every match was aired on CBS with three matches per gameweek also airing on FOX Deportes. The rise came as no shock to Serie A Ambassador Andrea Pirlo, who spent time in the MLS with New York City FC.

  “Having lived and played in New York, I’ve seen first-hand the passion for Italian football here. It’s incredible to see how much it’s grown, with broadcasts and events like this bringing fans even closer to the game," Pirlo said.

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• WHAT EZIO MARIA SIMONELLI SAID

  “This season marks a historic milestone for Serie A in the United States,” said Ezio Maria Simonelli, President of Lega Serie A. “Never before has Italian football been so widely accessible across the country. The upcoming CBS main network broadcast of Juventus vs. Genoa on March 29 is yet another key moment in our mission to bring Serie A to as many fans as possible.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The rise in Serie A's American viewership reflects a growing appetite for international soccer in the U.S. market. The likes of Christian Pulisic Yunus Musah and Weston McKennie, amongst others, doing well this season for AC Milan and Juventus respectively plays a part in that.

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  WHAT’S NEXT?

  The Serie A is among Europe’s top leagues and with three teams currently competing for the league title. Going into Gameweek 28, Inter have only a one point lead over second place Napoli who sit only two points above third place Atalanta BC. Timothy Weah’s Juventus and Lazio are also in the running but are a distant fourth and fifth place respectively.

Fulham defender shares insights on world's best defensive talents with the list including PSG star Achraf Hakimi.

• Robinson highlights three standout fullbacks globally
• Provides an analysis of why he picked the trio
• Defender has been called up by USMNT for the CONCACAF Nations League finals

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT HAPPENED

  Antonee Robinson, the Fulham and USMNT left back, shared his take on the world’s top three fullbacks in a recent interview.

  Rather than relying on simple stats, Robinson highlighted the nuanced qualities that define modern defensive excellence. The American international named AC Milan’s Theo Hernandez, Bayer Leverkusen’s Alejandro Grimaldo, and Paris Saint-Germain’s Achraf Hakimi, pointing to their standout performances last season as the reason for his picks.

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• WHAT ANTONEE ROBINSON SAID

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Robinson has been a standout performer for Fulham this season, playing a crucial role in the team's Premier League campaign. His attacking contributions from left-back have been particularly noteworthy and he sits second for most assists (10) in the league behind only Mohamed Salah. Not only that, he’s also seventh on the list for most tackles made this season, joint with Alexis Mac Allister at 77.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT’S NEXT?

  The American international has been called up by Mauricio Pochettino for the upcoming March international break where the USMNT will take on Panama in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals on March 21. Robinson then returns to Fulham to face Crystal Palace in the FA Cup quarter-finals on March 29 before their Premier League fixture against Arsenal on April 2.

Everton had an extra-man advantage for almost an hour on Saturday. Brentford had been reduced to ten after Christian Nørgaard was dismissed for a high challenge on Jordan Pickford.

Three Premier League games have come and gone since Everton last scored a goal, albeit Sean Dyche’s side have kept clean sheets across their past two matches too.

Things need to change, and with The Friedkin Group looking to take over the Merseyside outfit, change is certainly going to be afoot. What, though, needs to happen for positive growth?

The things TFG need to change at Everton

While Everton’s defence is largely up to scratch, the frontline has flattered to deceive all season. Dwight McNeil is the shining light in terms of potency, and the electric Iliman Ndiaye has proved to be a promising signing, but still, the Toffees fail to bring it all together.

The tactics and attacking intent (or lack thereof) have led to an incensed fanbase that demand change. The board will point toward a steelier recent record that has bred just one defeat from eight matches, but the discerning supporters will reject any notion of tangible progress, and rightly so.

The manager, then. Dyche is losing more of Goodison Park each match, and you have to wonder how much more bland football needs to be played out before the bullet is bitten and the wheel is turned.

The goals are not coming, and while Dyche must take the responsibility, he’s being let down by his star centre-forward. Indeed, Dominic Calvert-Lewin is struggling, and though he’s out of contract next summer, perhaps it would be wise to get rid of him this winter.

Why Everton need to get rid of Calvert-Lewin

Everton have enjoyed Calvert-Lewin’s talents for many years, joining as he did from Sheffield United for just £1.5m in 2016. The 27-year-old striker has had his share of injury troubles but has spent most of the past two seasons fit, albeit lacking a clinical edge.

This season, his inefficacy at number nine has been emblematic of Everton’s struggle, of Dyche’s rust-spreading system. He’s started each of the Blues’ 12 Premier League fixtures but has now blanked across eight games, failing to assist too, having missed seven big chances and completed a rather shocking 59% of his passes, as per Sofascore.

It would appear his head is elsewhere.

It’s time for Everton to get rid. As per Football Insider, Everton are getting ready to peruse the market for a striker this January, and this might mean that the England international needs to be sold for a small sum before he can leave on a free.

AS Roma and Juventus are interested in a potential January deal, according to sources relayed by Sport Witness, and he’s clearly not going to hit his erstwhile heights again at Everton this season.

First Impressions

What did pundits and fans alike think about their new star signing when they arrived? Football FanCast's 'First Impressions' series has everything you need.

It was once so different. Talent scout Jacek Kulig had hailed Calvert-Lewin as an “absolute monster” during his free-scoring exploits of the past, with his former teammate, Richarlison, even heralding him with the loftiest of praise.

Having been called up to the Three Lions squad in 2020, Calvert-Lewin’s efforts led Richarlison to make quite the declaration: “He must be a nightmare to play against and he has an incredible leap on him like Cristiano Ronaldo.”

Transfermarkt record that Ronaldo has scored 120 headed goals at club level, which makes up about 15% of his career total (excluding Portugal). Calvert-Lewin, conversely, has only scored 22 headed goals at club level but then has bagged far less than one of the greatest forwards of all time, with his own headed strike rate equating to a rate of 0.25.

Oh, look at that. Stay in line, Cristiano.

Just kidding. But it does show why Richarlison made that remark once. Unfortunately, Calvert-Lewin has lost his way on Merseyside, and must be sold promptly to help TFG rewrite the narrative at Everton.

Their own Palmer: Everton have struck gold with a special £20m signing

Everton’s key man is producing performances that have likened him to Cole Palmer this season.

By
Angus Sinclair

Nov 25, 2024

Bayern Munich are ready to battle with Barcelona to secure the signature of Athletic Club star Nico Williams in the summer, per a new report.

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• Bayern eyeing move for Williams
• Ready to battle with Barcelona in the summer
• Williams' current contract runs until 2027

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Barcelona tried and failed to sign Nico Williams last summer after the young attacker displayed stellar form for Spain at the 2024 European Championships. Despite the Catalan giants' efforts, Williams decided to stay at Athletic Club, as he wanted to win trophies with them.

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• Getty Images
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Per , Bayern Munich have now joined the race to secure the signature of the 22-year-old winger in the upcoming transfer window as they look to bolster their attack. Williams has a €58million (£48m/$62m) release clause in his existing deal which runs until 2027. After extending the contracts of stars like Alphonso Davies, Jamal Musiala, and Joshua Kimmich, the Bundesliga giants will wait for further sales before they invest any money in fresh transfers.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  In an interview with , Williams reiterated his commitment to Athletic Club, saying, "This relationship we have at the heart of the club is incredible. Everyone respects everyone else, which is incredible. This atmosphere, I’ll never have it anywhere else. I decided to stay because of that. I took the decision I thought was the right one. I’m happy, and I’m trying to do my best."

• AFP
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR NICO WILLIAMS?

  The young attacker will be back in action on Sunday in La Liga as Athletic Club take on Sevilla away from home.

A “quality” Leeds United player has been ruled out of his side’s Championship clash with Swansea City this weekend through injury, according to a new claim.

Leeds preparing for Swansea clash

The last international break of the year is done and dusted, much to the delight of the vast majority of football fans, and the Whites return to action on Sunday afternoon.

Daniel Farke’s Leeds side make the trip to Swansea knowing only victory could give them a chance of being in the automatic promotion places come the end of the weekend. That will depend on how Sunderland and Sheffield United fare, with both sides two points clear currently.

The Swans are sitting 11th in the table, so it won’t be an easy game for the Whites, but these are the kind of matches they need to win, in order to outline their promotion credentials and show why many believe they will return to the Premier League this season.

Ahead of the game, Leeds aren’t without injury problems, not least with Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev long-term absentees in midfield, and another player has now been ruled out of the weekend action.

"Quality" Leeds player out of Swansea game

Speaking to the media on Friday, Farke confirmed that Isaac Schmidt will miss Leeds’ clash with Swansea, with a return to training expected “next week”:

Meanwhile, journalist Nancy Froston added more on the situation, confirming that the £10,000-a-week left-back “had surgery on a hernia at the start of the international break.”

Admittedly, there could be more important players for Lees to be without this weekend than Schmidt, considering he has only made four appearances since sealing a move from St. Gallen in the summer transfer window. All of those came as a substitute, too, totalling just ten minutes.

It is still a setback for the Whites, however, with Farke wanting as many options as possible available, and the Swiss has been praised by Oscar Marrio in the past, who has said of him:

“I won’t pretend to know anything about Schmidt but he’s a really interesting profile and his versatility means at the very least he’s good depth if we do sign him. And adding another quality ball striker would be nice as well to help break down the teams who sit in vs us.”

The original Solomon: Leeds loan ace was compared to Henry, then he flopped

The former Leeds United attacker did not enjoy the best time at Elland Road.

By
Dan Emery

Nov 23, 2024

The fact that Schmidt is only a short-term absentee is good news, however, with his return to training in the coming days meaning Swansea could be the only game he misses, along with potentially the visit of Luton Town in the Championship on Wednesday evening.

The supremely talented Barcelona teenager helped La Roja see off a spirited Oranje team to book their place in the semi-finals

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• Spain go through to Nations League semi-finals
• Beat Netherlands on penalties after 5-5 aggregate draw
• Oyarzabal sparkles in normal time as Pedri wins shootout

• Getty Images Sport
  

  TELL ME MORE

  Spain and Netherlands drew 2-2 in the first leg of their quarter-final tie at De Kuip after Mikel Merino scored in injury time to rescue the defending Nations League champions.

  La Roja started the second leg off in a strong fashion as they dominated possession before Mikel Oyarzabal was fouled in the box by Jan Paul van Hecke. The Real Sociedad star slotted the penalty past Bart Verbruggen to put Spain ahead on aggregate. Nico Williams then had two gilt-edge chances to double Spain's lead but Verbruggen's sublime saves kept the game 1-0 at half-time.

  It was the Netherlands who started all guns blazing in the second half as Unai Simon was called into action from a Justin Kluivert shot, keeping it out brilliantly. Memphis Depay then emulated Oyarzabal to win a penalty and score it to bring Ronald Koeman's side level on aggregate.

  However, Spain regained control soon after Depay's equaliser and a sensational run from Williams resulted in an assist for Oyarzabal's second goal. However, La Roja were caught on their heels just 10 minutes later as Xavi Simon found debutant Ian Maatsen, who smashed the ball home to take the game to extra-time with the scoreline locked at 4-4 on aggregate.

  The first half of extra time saw a very cagey yet cautious approach from both sides. However, Spain took the lead yet again thanks to a moment of magic from Lamine Yamal, who curled the ball into the far corner after a delightful touch to bring down Dean Huijsen's long ball in behind. The Netherlands kept fighting, though, and got their reward when Xavi Simons won a penalty and converted it to force a shootout.

  Spain eventually won the penalty shootout 5-4 after six takes each. The shootout went to sudden death after Noa Lang and Yamal missed their respective spot kicks before Donyell Malen missed for the Netherlands, which allowed Pedri to score the winner for La Roja.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE MVP

  Alvaro Morata missed the first leg against the Netherlands due to illness, and while the Spain captain was back in the squad, he was only fit enough to make the bench for Luis de la Fuente's side. As such, Oyarzabal was trusted yet again to start as a makeshift No.9. The Real Sociedad star delivered in an unnatural role as he scored a penalty and produced a poacher's finish to give La Roja the lead for the second time on the night before he was taken off for Ferran Torres.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE BIG LOSER

  De La Fuente's decision to bench Pedri for the second leg raised quite a few eyebrows as the Barcelona midfielder has been in sensational form. La Roja struggled to find the key ball at the end of their long spells of possession on multiple occasions. However, those issues seemed to mitigate themselves as soon as Pedri was brought on as a second-half substitute and began pulling the strings for Spain in attack.

• WHAT COMES NEXT?

  Spain have now set up a showdown against 2021 Nations League winners France, who beat Croatia on penalties to reach the semi-finals of this year's tournament. The two sides will face off on June 4 in either Turin or Munich.

After such a disastrous start to the season, Rangers have been back to their best in recent weeks, and could now get another boost in the form of a returning player for the first time in 15 games against Ross County.

Rangers injury news

Still 11 points behind Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic despite their recent resurgence, Rangers may be left with no choice but to set their focus on moving ahead of Aberdeen and at least into the top two once again. It’s a more realistic goal given that they sit just four points behind them with a game in hand, with the Gers having been boosted by seven games without defeat.

Sold for £500k: Rangers may regret losing star who's now outperforming Hagi

Rangers sold a player in the summer who is shining for his new club

By
Ross Kilvington

Dec 7, 2024

Among their improved results have been victories over Nice in the Europa League in thumping fashion and a recent 6-0 thrashing of Kilmarnock ahead of their clash against Ross County this weekend.

The good news, in what is a relief for the under-pressure Philippe Clement, looks set to continue for those at Ibrox, who are set to receive a welcome injury boost ahead of Sunday’s game.

As confirmed by Clement, Oscar Cortes could now make his long-awaited return against Ross County after missing the last 15 games in all competitions through injury. The winger may finally have the chance to get a run of games under his belt after suffering constant setbacks on the injury front.

Providing an update on the potential returns of Cortes and Rabbi Matondo, Clement told reporters (as relayed by Football Scotland): “Rabbi Matondo and Oscar Cortes were in full training today for the first time, so that is positive news.”

Of course, the Belgian won’t want to rush either player back, but there’s no doubt that Cortes’ return in particular should provide Rangers with another much-needed boost.

"Direct" Cortes can finally make his mark

After injury cut his loan spell short last season, it looked as though Cortes would make up for lost time when he arrived on a permanent deal during the summer transfer window, only for injury to strike the Rangers star once again.

Missing the last nine league games in what has been a mixed Rangers run, Cortes now finally has the chance to kickstart his Ibrox career.

Described as “direct” and someone who “has an eye for goal” as he was on his way to Rangers by South American football journalist Nathan Joyes, there’s clearly still a talented player in Cortes.

Whether the Ross County game comes too soon for a return remains to be seen, but forthcoming games against Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League and a must-win Old Firm derby against Celtic could see the return of Cortes at last.

West Bromwich Albion have become draw specialists in the Championship this season to the obvious frustration of their fans watching on.

After Sunday’s 2-2 draw with fellow promotion candidates Sheffield United, the Baggies are now up to a startling 11 draws in second tier action from 20 total games, as the West Midlands side begin to worry that these near-misses piling up could stunt their promotion chances.

These draws can be stomached easier when you also consider Carlos Corberan’s men have only lost two times all campaign long, alongside the fact top quality stars in attack such as Josh Maja and Karlan Grant are more than capable of firing in the goals needed for an ongoing promotion hunt.

West Brom's quality in attack

Both players in question had arguably been written off in a West Brom shirt before now coming into their own, with Maja injury-prone last season and Grant loaned out to Cardiff City having found his minutes to be infrequent at the Hawthorns.

Maja is up to double digits with ten strikes tallied up from 20 league contests, whilst his 27-year-old teammate boasts five strikes away from the ex-Sunderland man stealing the spotlight, with three of those coming in his side’s last six second-tier clashes.

Ultimately, Corberan will hope more wins come his side’s way off the back of these entertaining attacking displays, as a victory has now eluded his men in their last four outings in the difficult division.

The Spaniard would love to call upon this other option up top if he wasn’t still sidelined with injury to help their search, which has proven to be a major problem for the £7m Baggies buy throughout his stay to date.

Why Daryl Dike must finally be sold

There was a notable buzz in the air when Daryl Dike swapped America for the Championship in January of 2022, having shone in the EFL for Barnsley previously, before making the switch to West Brom happen.

Dike would fire home a promising nine strikes from 22 games donning a Tykes strip before the Baggies swooped in, with then West Brom boss Valerien Ismael making him a statement buy after he had got the 6 foot 2 ace purring when the pair were together at Oakwell.

Ismael would even state at the time of his signing that Dike had “everything” you’d want in a top striker, with acrobatic efforts like this one managed for Barnsley understandably exciting those at his new club:

Unfortunately, whilst his spell in South Yorkshire was a dream, his time at West Brom has been nothing short of a nightmare, with the 24-year-old only fit for action 32 times across a gruelling three-season stay.

Looking at the table above, the eight goals next to Dike’s name make for some early positive reading, but the amount of games the former Orlando City man has missed due to recurring injury issues is alarming.

Missing a gigantic 121 games owing to injury – which adds up to 744 days and counting sidelined – a tough conversation will soon need to take place with Dike over his future at the club, with no real concrete update out in the open over when he will next be available for Corberan to select.

Earning a hefty £32.3k-per-week too whilst still being a permanent fixture in the treatment room, selling on Dike down the line when he’s fit enough to exit looks to be the most plausible ending for the American at the Hawthorns.

This would be a very disappointing end for the towering striker at the second-tier outfit, after he was once seen as a signing that could help the Baggies seal promotion back up to the Premier League.

West Brom must axe Albion dud who Bruce thought would be "a massive asset"

West Bromwich Albion could soon be faced with a decision to get rid of this high earner.

1

By
Kelan Sarson

Dec 3, 2024

Wayne Rooney was sacked just 25 games into his reign at Plymouth, but the Manchester United is still considered to have been a “great appointment”.

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• Appointed in the summer of 2024
• Left role before end of the year
• Previously flopped at Birmingham

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Ex-England captain Rooney agreed to a mutual parting of ways at Home Park late in 2024, with it becoming painfully clear that change in the dugout was required. He had overseen a forgettable slump to the foot of the Championship table.

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• Getty/GOAL
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Said failings came on the back of an 83-day tenure at Birmingham, with NFL legend Tom Brady and the rest of the Blues’ board getting a big coaching call wrong at St Andrew’s. Rooney now sees his coaching reputation left in tatters, with a return to punditry being made while mulling over what to do next.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Plymouth have stated that Rooney’s appointment was never intended to be a PR exercise, despite a documentary series being lined up at one stage, and maintain that he was the best man for the job after carrying out a wide-ranging search for their new boss.

• Getty
  

  WHAT EFL PUNDIT SAID

  EFL pundit Lee Hendrie can see why that decision was made, telling : “Plymouth’s CEO suggested that Wayne Rooney was the best candidate when he was appointed – does it surprise me? No, not really. I think, at the time, I felt that Wayne’s obviously wanted to continue in his managerial career, which he did under the Plymouth ownership.

  “And yes, you know, Wayne comes with a massive expectation as it's not and like you just turn up and you're playing against Plymouth, you've got the Rooney factor that's always been around his career and obviously his managerial career. But I do think it was, at the time, I think it was a great appointment for the football club.

  “Unfortunately, it just didn't work out for Wayne as has been that way at Birmingham City when he went in there. There's timing, and sometimes I think you have to look at what he did at Derby, which I thought was excellent. Maybe some people would have said it was a free hit, but he’s still got to manage them players, and that's the thing. I do feel that it was right time for him when he was going into Plymouth.”