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Ralph Hasenhuttl is facing a headache at Southampton following the international break, with Nathan Redmond’s superb performance against Bournemouth at the weekend highlighting his potential as a striker in the Austrian’s 4-2-2-2 system.

The former Norwich City man, who reportedly earns £60k per week at Southampton, has endured a poor campaign that has seen him manage just one goal and one assist in 20 Premier League appearances, resulting in a less than impressive 6.45 average rating.

However, despite having not found the net in any competition since the 3-0 win against Sheffield United in December, the 27-year-old looked full of confidence at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday and contributed two goals and one assist in the 3-0 win.

This could give Hasenhuttl a very difficult decision to make following the international break, with Southampton set to face Burnley at St Mary’s in their first game back on April 4th.

Danny Ings is currently sidelined through injury but it is expected that he could make his return against his old side following the international break, so it will be interesting to see whether or not Hasenhuttl throws him straight back in.

There is also the added competition of young Nathan Tella, who has impressed in recent weeks in a striker role, particularly in the 2-0 win against Sheffield United recently.

Che Adams has also found his feet again after a poor run of form that saw him fail to find the net in January and February, before breaking his duck with a screamer at Bramall Lane, which he then followed up with goals against Manchester City and Brighton.

He was also unfortunate not to make it four goals in four in the 3-0 win at Bournemouth, as his fierce strike from 25 yards was ruled out for a tight offside.

Redmond was undoubtedly the star of the show though, as he played in Moussa Djenepo for the opening goal with a perfectly-timed pass and then making it 2-0 before half-time with a superb run and finish, before completing his brace by finding the bottom corner after Stuart Armstrong’s effort came back off the post.

Therefore, Hasenhuttl arguably has three in-form strikers to choose from right now, whilst Ings will surely demand a place in the starting eleven when he returns from injury, which gives the Austrian a huge decision to make following the international break.

And, in other news… Southampton could sign their next Mane with £8.5m swoop for 18-goal beast

Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has urged Everton fans to ‘keep an eye on Max Aarons’, the Norwich City right-back.

Sky Sports reported last month that the Blues were considering making a move for Aarons, claiming that Norwich are looking for a fee in the region of £30m-35m regardless of whether or not they secure promotion.

However, Manchester United and Bayern Munich are also apparently in the race to sign him.

Everton keeping a close eye on Norwich talent again

Aarons is currently on international duty with England under-21s, having been called up for the group stages of the European Championships in that age category.

The 21-year-old has played every minute in the Championship for the Canaries so far this season, averaging 1.3 key passes, 1.4 dribbles and 0.7 shots per game (via WhoScored).

Everton captured Ben Godfrey from Carrow Road last summer for a fee of £25m and he has enjoyed a successful first season on Merseyside, hailed as a ‘revelation’ by BBC Sport’s Phil McNulty in February after the 2-0 win at Anfield against Liverpool.

The hope is that Aarons can follow in his footsteps, and these Toffees fans on Twitter are certainly excited about that prospect after reading Romano’s cryptic tweet:

Everton fans express excitement after Romano’s Aarons teaser

“I like it a lot”

Credit: @SJM1878

“Love you”

Credit: @DirtyDigne

“Inject it”

Credit: @kian04301982

“AGH”

Credit: @chloemcnulty31

“You don’t have to ask me twice”

Credit: @PolariChat

“Oh my days”

Credit: @smythy2

“Max Aarons should be our priority this window. Hopefully talks are progressing well and he can come play with Godfrey again”

Credit: @taylor_davies77

In other news, many Everton fans were also pleased with this update. 

West Ham visit Manchester United on Sunday looking to stake their claim to Champions League qualification, but David Moyes has revealed there are a number of injury concerns.

The Irons are six points behind the Red Devils, albeit with a game in hand, and can put the pressure on fourth-placed Chelsea with a win after the Blues’ goalless draw with Leeds United on Saturday.

Manchester United have beaten West Ham in each of their previous two meetings this season, but required extra time to eliminate the Irons from the FA Cup last month. However, their Premier League form has been underwhelming, with five draws in their last eight fixtures.

Moyes will be without Jesse Lingard at Old Trafford, with the on-loan midfielder ineligible to face his parent club. With that in mind, here’s a potential line-up the Hammers may field…

Moyes confirmed on Friday that West Ham are facing a number of injury concerns ahead of travelling to Manchester United this weekend, but hopes that those facing late fitness tests will be able to feature.

“We’ve got a couple of slight doubts behind the scenes on a couple of players, who have just picked up slight injuries which I’m hoping will be okay,” he said. “I won’t know until tomorrow [Saturday] to see how a couple of them are going.

“That’s just something I’m nursing behind the scenes a little bit. It might be that they’re all okay, it might be that they’re not okay – that’s where it is.”

Lingard will be one who cannot feature against the Red Devils due to the terms of West Ham’s loan agreement, depriving Moyes of a four-goal, two-assist option who has been involved in more goals than any Hammers player since his arrival at the London Stadium.

“He’ll be a big loss because he’s had a big impact on the team and how we’ve played. He’s been a positive signing for us, coming in in January, so it is a loss to us, but we’ve got other people,” Moyes added.

Lingard is likely to be the only player who started Monday’s 2-0 win over Leeds to be withdrawn from the West Ham line-up against Manchester United, barring a tactical shift from the east London outfit or a late injury.

Jarrod Bowen will be expected to take over the England international’s place in the team and replace Pablo Fornals on the right wing, with the Spaniard changing sides and Said Benrahma moving centrally.

Bowen has not started either of West Ham’s last two Premier League games after falling out of the team which beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 last month, although the £25m-rated maestro has won plaudits this season, with Dean Windass telling Football FanCast that “he’s proved me wrong”.

Sunday’s trip to Old Trafford will be a big test for Benrahma after Moyes vocalised his desires to see a better end product from the Algerian after beating Leeds.

Benrahma is yet to score in claret and blue since his initial arrival on loan from Brentford last summer, while providing five assists in 22 appearances, of which he has started 12, across all competitions.

Moyes could look to reduce his forward options in Lingard’s absence, which may open the door for Ben Johnson to feature at left-back in a return to a five-man defence, or Mark Noble to start in a more congested engine room to try and thwart the dangerous Bruno Fernandes.

In other news, West Ham are keen to sign a “special talent” who his manager feels “privileged” to have in his squad…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Dean Windass praised former Hull City winger Jarrod Bowen for his performances in the Premier League.

Bowen has been an ever-present when fit for West Ham United and is a crucial cog in David Moyes’ well-oiled machine.

During his final season and a half for Hull, Bowen registered 38 goals and 10 assists in 75 games which was making a lot of Premier League clubs interested.

After a deadline day fight, Moyes got his man and is proving his worth both on and off the ball registering five goals and three assists in the league so far.

The winger has carried the ball the second furthest out of anyone at West ham (40892 yards) only behind Declan Rice with 6549 yards.

Bowen’s willingness to run himself into the ground for the side is extremely valuable to how Moyes has got the Hammers playing this season.

Windass admits he was wrong to question Bowen’s ability after he departed Hull.

He told Football FanCast: “I’ve questioned Jarrod Bowen before. I questioned Jarrod when he left Hull. Was he good enough to play in the Premier League?

“He’s proved me wrong and he’s probably proved himself wrong the kid. He’s a lovely kid.”

Bowen’s form has also forced Moyes into some tough choices into who misses out in the starting line-up which has often been Said Benrahma, which Windass spoke about.

“You bring in Benrahma who’s been in and out. I think if they wouldn’t have gotten Jesse Lingard, Benrahma would have played a lot more games.”

The 24-year old is improving every game and thriving in a team that is full of energy and confidence and looking to breach the top four.

If West Ham are to earn a spot in the Champions League, Bowen’s energy and willingness to sacrifice personal achievements for the team will have to remain at the highest level.

Ex-referee Mark Halsey was not impressed by Celtic striker Albian Ajeti for diving during his side’s 4-0 win against Kilmarnock on Tuesday night.

Halsey not impressed

It was a much-needed win for the Bhoys in what has been a largely forgettable season for the reigning Scottish champions, inspired by Scott Brown returning to the side following his recent suspension.

The skipper got the opening goal before the interval, which was followed by a second-half brace from Odsonne Edouard and Ajeti found the net with four minutes of normal time to play.

However, the 23-year-old has attracted some controversy in the build-up to the second goal as he won the penalty for Celtic. As the challenge came in from Killie goalkeeper Colin Doyle, Ajeti appeared to go down without any contact, putting his feet together to simulate contact from the challenge.

When asked whether he thought it was a dive from Ajeti, Halsey told The Transfer Tavern: “Oh absolutely, absolutely it was.

“When I saw it I didn’t think the goalkeeper touched him. He’s deceived the referee – there’s no qualms about that. It’ll be interesting to see if the Scottish FA take retrospective action.

“I didn’t think it was a penalty, you could tell from the goalkeeper straight away, he probably knew he was never touched and he just went down.”

Transfer Tavern Verdict

We have to agree with Halsey here. While it was great for Celtic to react in the right way after their defeat to St Mirren at the end of January, Ajeti’s simulation definitely had an impact on the game.

Both sides had the same amount of shots on goal in the end, and while Celtic were of course much more clinical, Killie would not have been out of the match at 1-0.

But Neil Lennon will certainly not be phased by it and will just be relieved to get three point, as the Hoops now move on to face Motherwell on Saturday.

In other news, Pundit slams Celtic following Dominic McKay’s appointment as CEO for key reason.

Ozan Kabak made his Liverpool debut on Saturday afternoon against Leicester City and unfortunately for the Reds, he struggled to make much of a positive impact for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

The 20-year-old joined Liverpool on loan from Schalke in the January transfer window as a result of the Reds’ injury issues at the back, and was handed a start against the Foxes following an injury to Fabinho earlier this week.

Whilst the Turkish international coped well in the opening 70 minutes, when Liverpool were well on top, he was, unfortunately, a big reason why the Merseyside club capitulated in the final 20 minutes, as they shipped three avoidable goals and fell to another defeat, which all but confirms that they won’t be retaining the Premier League title this season.

The first goal was no fault of Kabak’s but the second was a disaster for Klopp’s side, as there was no communication between the young centre-back and Alisson, with the keeper flying out of his goal only to collide with his new teammate and pass the ball straight to Jamie Vardy, who was presented with an open net.

Kabak was then caught way out of position for Leicester’s third goal shortly afterwards and looked very sluggish as he attempted to catch up with Harvey Barnes, who was afforded far too much time and space to glide forwards and finish underneath Alisson.

As per SofaScore, the Turkish defender would earn a 5.9 rating for his display on Saturday, which was the joint-worst of any player on the pitch.

Although he was fairly consistent with his passing, registering a 92% accuracy, it was his slip in concentration in the final 20 minutes that let him down on his debut.

Whilst Alisson was able to redeem himself somewhat with an unbelievable double save to deny Barnes and then Vardy, Kabak was unable to have any real positive moments during the 90 minutes.

The youngster, rated at up to €30m (£26m) by Football Observatory, had endured a nightmare time with Schalke earlier in the season, with the once fearsome side bottom of the Bundesliga with just one win, and perhaps there is a case of the youngster having a losing mentality at the moment, something he will quickly have to alter if he is to be a success with the Reds.

He will no doubt get better as he adapts to the Premier League, but this debut display will perhaps be a cause for concern for Klopp and Liverpool fans.

And, in other news… Liverpool gem lost possession 45 times vs Leicester; his performance wasn’t good enough

Celtic look to have missed out on a potentially brilliant signing, as Philip Zinckernagel, who signed for Watford earlier this week, has confirmed that the Hoops were one of the sides who were showing an interest in him.

After he joined the Hornets on a free transfer, he revealed that:

“I could have chosen to go to clubs where I would have earned more money. I preferred the sporting challenge to money. Not that it’s a bad package I’ve got at Watford and it’s a five-and-a-half-year contract.

“I had offers from clubs in Turkey, the Netherlands, Schalke in Germany, France, Saudi Arabia and a lot in Eastern Europe. And additionally, Celtic were also involved.”

It is no surprise to hear that the 26-year-old was attracting so much interest, as he enjoyed an incredible campaign for Norwegian side FK Bodø/Glimt in 2020.

The winger contributed a remarkable 19 goals and 24 assists in 30 appearances in the Eliteserien last year, resulting in a total of 43 goal contributions.

Considering Mohamed Elyounoussi is Celtic’s current top scorer with just 11 goals, it definitely could be argued that Zinckernagel would have been an excellent addition to Neil Lennon’s squad.

The Bhoys may also be without the Southampton loanee’s goals next season if he stays with the Saints, so it seems likely that the club will have to bring in a replacement on the wing. The Danish international could have been a perfect choice, especially as he was available on a free transfer.

Therefore, it could definitely be considered a huge error by Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell in not signing him, as any potential offer made by the Bhoys was clearly not enough to convince him to make the move to Scotland, with him instead choosing to join Watford in the Championship.

Zinckernagel’s form last year certainly proves that he has an eye for goal and had Lawwell managed to seal his transfer, perhaps he could have been the difference in the rest of the season, with Lennon’s side facing an uphill battle to overtake their rivals in their hopes of securing a tenth successive Scottish Premiership title.

And, in other news… Lennon handed huge injury blow with 27 y/o beast

Opening up over his contract situation at the City Ground, Nottingham Forest midfielder Samba Sow has declared he is keen to stay – prompting Forest fans to go wild and beg the club to secure a new deal for the injury-prone star. 

Sow, who has started just a third of the club’s Championship encounters this season, often succumbing to fitness issues, is still a favourite among these Forest supporters – and when presented with his candid quotes over a new deal, these supporters seemed keen for the club to extend his stay in Nottingham.

Some supporters claimed it would be ‘perfect’ for the club, and despite his mixed injury record, Sow has proven reliable during the times he has been available to feature.

Averaging more tackles per 90 than the likes of Cyrus Christie and Ryan Yates (WhoScored), Sow could prove to be a formidable option when called upon – with these Forest fans appearing desperate to see a new offer for the Malian.

Find some of their verdicts down below.

Forest fans beg for Sow new deal

“Love to see our win percentage when Sow starts compared to when he doesn’t. Massive player for us IMO when he’s up to speed we win our midfield battles. Needs managing though injuries etc….”

Credit: @champ81gb 

“Would be mad not to extend a player of his quality even with a mixed injury record. Just look at our record when he plays.”

Credit: @NickBrookz

“100%. When he’s fit, our midfield is totally different level. I can get past the standard yellow card with the impact he has on the team.”

Credit: @CallumChivers91

“Pay as you play would be perfect that was he keeps his fitness up when he can”

Credit: @ben_smithynffc

“All this nonsense in the comments about injuries and his fitness. Have you not seen our record with and without Samba Sow? Arguably one of our most important players, definitely deserves another 1-2 year contract #nffc”

Credit: @fox_alfie 

“Yes. Absolutely. 1 year with an option for a second. I don’t care how injury prone he is. Every single time he’s on the pitch we look a better team and I feel a million times more confident of getting something out the game. We have missed him when he hasn’t played.”

Credit: @NFFC_Harvey 

In other news: Many Forest supporters fumed at this ‘awful’ ace, find out more here.

Speaking exclusively to FootballFanCast, former Aston Villa ace Marlon Harewood has insisted he hasn’t been surprised by the form of summer signing Ollie Watkins.

The 24-year-old arrived from Championship side Brentford to reunite with Dean Smith at Villa Park, and has hit the ground running at his new club, bagging eight goals in just 11 games – that of course includes his memorable hat-trick in the 7-2 thrashing of Liverpool.

Now, Harewood has given his thoughts on the club’s new centre-forward, saying: “I’m not surprised. He’s a top-class player in the striker situation, and it’s good to see him doing what he’s doing. Obviously, the players around him they’ll want to do well as well. It compliments him in positions where he’s going to score goals.”

Watkins’ arrival and good form has been a welcome shot in the arm for Villa this season, with Smith’s side managing just 41 goals in 38 games last season in the Premier League.

Their campaign wasn’t helped by the fact Wesley suffered a knee injury at the start of the year and is only just working his way back up to full fitness, so having the man from Brentford just click as a new player straight away has been music to the ears of Smith.

Whether he can keep up his consistency over the course of his first season in the Premier League remains to be seen, but all the early signs point to him doing exactly that.

He’s come up with some big goals against the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal, and with Villa flying high and even seemingly up for a potential challenge for a European spot, Watkins could hold the key.

Liverpool’s transfer pursuit of Brighton and Hove Albion defender, Ben White, seemingly edged closer last night with reports that the Seagulls have identified three possible replacements for the 23-year-old.

Jurgen Klopp is in need of defensive reinforcements, following Virgil van Dijk season-ending injury, and has made White a transfer priority ahead of the January window although it will cost the Reds in the region of £50m to secure his services.

Despite being ever-present in Graham Potter side this season, sources close to Football FanCast have revealed that Brighton are already identifying contingencies should they sell Ben White and are keeping close tabs on Middlesbrough’s defensive duo, Dael Fry and Anfernee Dijksteel – as well as Blackburn Rovers’ Darragh Lenihan.

Dael Fry has come through the Middlesbrough Academy and has represented England at every level up to the U21s; however, is out of contract at the end of the season and therefore Boro may look to cash in. His defensive teammate, Anfernee Dijksteel, has been a mainstay in the side since his £2m move from Charlton back in 2019 and has impressed for Neil Warnock’s side this season in what has been a strong start to their Championship

campaign.

Darragh Lenihan, who has previously been linked with a move to Sheffield United is a Republic of Ireland international defender and vice-Captain at Blackburn Rovers. Currently sidelined with a knee injury, the 26-year-old is highly thought of at Ewood Park and Tony Mowbray wouldn’t want to lose a key cog in his pursuit to get Rovers back into the Premier League.

AND in other news, Liverpool handed major transfer boost in potential David Alaba deal…