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The last few months have been a tale of woe in terms of injury issues for Sunderland.

On a repeated basis, the Mackems are dealt with some sort of injury problem, but with seven wins from their last nine matches, they have managed to brush the distraction aside.

They did receive some good news this week that Denver Hume is edging closer to a return. He played 45 minutes against Gateshead a few days ago and has trained well.

However, the majority of the news that Lee Johnson shared in his pre-match press conference was negative. He revealed that Jordan Jones only had a 30% chance of being fit for Saturday before announcing that their clash with Bristol Rovers would come too soon for Bailey Wright.

Johnson commented: “Bailey is feeling really good but he is not immediately close to a return.”

Wright has been out with a calf tear since the middle of February and has now missed eight straight games in the league. Coincidentally, the Mackems have kept six clean sheets without him.

However, with the Australian set to miss out again this weekend, it gives Johnson a dilemma. Does the manager finally remove Luke O’Nien from the centre of defence and replace him with Conor McLaughlin or Ollie Younger?

O’Nien has been influential at centre-back for a number of weeks and has been one of the main reasons for those half-a-dozen clean sheets.

That being said, he was out of sorts against Lincoln a week ago. The former Wycombe man made an error in the first half and should have done better for the Imps’ equaliser.

Although O’Nien has filled in admirably, it wouldn’t be a great surprise if he is back in midfield before too long. With Wright and Tom Flanagan moving closer to returns, their comebacks will be crucial in the race for promotion.

At the moment, Sunderland sit in third place but they are just two points behind Peterborough, who make up the final automatic place.

AND in other news, Sunderland must swoop for £1.2k-p/w “danger in the box”, he’s shades of Bergkamp…

According to recent reports, Norwich City have made a new approach for Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Oliver Skipp.

The report by Football Insider claims that a source close to Tottenham has revealed that Championship table-toppers Norwich City, where Skipp is currently on loan, have enquired about the possibility of taking the £6.48m-rated 20-year-old on a temporary basis once again next season.

Football Insider reported that the England under-21 international is viewed as a key figure at Carrow Road, with Daniel Farke’s side keen to retain the services of the Spurs youngster for their likely Premier League campaign next term, should the Canaries go on to secure promotion from the second tier.

Transfer Tavern Take

Skipp has certainly impressed during his time spent in Norfolk so far, with the midfielder playing every minute of the Canaries’ 35 Championship fixtures. In that spell, the defensive midfielder has averaged two tackles, 1.1 interceptions, 0.5 blocks and 0.6 key passes per game, culminating in an average WhoScored match rating of 6.88 – ranking him as the club’s joint ninth-best player in the second tier.

However, with Jose Mourinho referring to Skipp’s displays at Norwich as “phenomenal” earlier this season, as well as suggesting he believes the 20-year-old could be the “future captain” of Spurs, it remains unclear as to whether the 58-year-old would be open to letting the midfielder leave north London once again next season, even on a temporary basis.

In other news: Tottenham are also monitoring this attacker, find out more here.

David Moyes should urge West Ham United to launch a bargain summer swoop to sign Hatayspor striker Aaron Boupendza.

What’s the word?

According to 90min, the Irons are in an eight-way Premier League tussle for the services of Boupendza as top European sides begin to take note of his sensational form in the Super Lig.

The 24-year-old has struck 18 goals in 26 Turkish top-flight fixtures this term, despite only starting 16 of his appearances and averaging 67 minutes on the field per game.

Boupendza joined Hatayspor last August after being allowed to join the Star of the South on a free transfer from FC Girondins de Bordeaux, where he had never played a single match despite being on the Ligue 1 side’s books for four years.

Hatayspor are now seemingly striving to secure a quick payday and cash in on his services as interest continues to grow, having recently accepted a £7m offer from Russian side FC Krasnodar only to see the deal fall through as Boupendza snubbed the move.

The 15-cap Gabon international would favour testing his skills in the Premier League if he is to leave the Hatay New Stadium, and would not be short of suitors by following in the footsteps of compatriot Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – who is said to have spoken to Arsenal about him.

Southampton have regularly sent scouts to track Boupendza’s progress in Turkey as they see the CF Mounana product as a potential replacement for Danny Ings, while West Ham, Crystal Palace, Tottenham Hotspur, Leicester City, Newcastle United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brighton & Hove Albion are also keen, per 90min.

Scottish powerhouses Rangers and Celtic are also thought to be monitoring his situation, with Hatayspor raising their asking price to the region of £8.5m after club President Lutfu Savas told Radyospor that there is no agreement in place with Fenerbahce.

Should West Ham sign Boupendza?

Boupendza certainly represents a promising option for West Ham to target in the summer transfer window when Moyes strives to discover his Sebastien Haller heir, having opted against bringing in a centre-forward to support Michail Antonio in the winter market.

At an alleged £8.5m, Boupendza would also represent a relative bargain, given the Irons were quoted and refused to pay Stade de Reims’ €15m (£13m) asking price for Boulaye Dia in January, or the €40m (£34.5m) it would have taken to sign Sevilla ace Youssef En-Nesyri.

Beating out their seven Premier League rivals and interest from Scotland, Russia and Turkey to land Boupendza could also see the Hammers repeat their success from Carlos Tevez’s move to east London in search of a new striking star.

Tevez moved to Upton Park from Brazilian side Corinthians in 2006 after emerging as one of Argentina’s World Cup stars and was considered to be one the most highly-rated young strikers in the world at 22 years of age.

The former Boca Juniors forward would go on to net seven goals in 26 Premier Leagues for West Ham, before enjoying successful spells with both Manchester clubs having struck 34 times in 99 games with United and 73 in 148 appearances for City across all competitions.

His goal for West Ham at Old Trafford on the final day of the 2006/07 season ultimately proved crucial to the Irons’ bid for Premier League survival as it sealed Sheffield United’s relegation, and Moyes could now look to land a new striker of such significant importance in Boupendza as he strives to make West Ham a club competing in Europe.

AND in other news, West Ham in four-way Premier League battle for 13-goal striker who is “annoying to the defender”…

With Jeremie Frimpong closing in on a move to Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, Celtic boss Neil Lennon has been left with a major headache.

The Hoops aren’t blessed with real strength in depth in that right-back spot, and Lennon even went with Kristoffer Ajer in that position in the disappointing 2-2 draw against Livingston in the Scottish Premiership at the weekend.

But one man who the Bhoys should really turn back to, is Anthony Ralston.

The 22-year-old has played just one game all season, and that came just a couple of weeks ago when he helped keep a clean sheet in a 0-0 draw against Livingston.

Other than that, he has not been seen at Celtic Park, but with Frimpong’s imminent exit, it’s surely time for Ralston to be given the chance to impress once more and see if he can finally deliver on his early promise.

Back when Brendan Rodgers was in charge, the then Celtic boss raved about the youngster’s ability, even after the Hoops were dismantled by PSG in the Champions League.

He said: “That is why I played him. You can’t have shrinking violets in that arena and one thing he isn’t is a shrinking violet. He is an 18-year-old, he is a young guy, but he doesn’t play young.

“He is strong, he’s aggressive and I think with players, when I put them in when they are young, they need to have certain personality traits. When you put a young player in a Champions League game you have to know they are not going to sink. He never did that. He was competitive, aggressive, strong. He’ll take a huge lift from that.”

The £5.5k-a-week earning ace hasn’t quite progressed as well as Celtic fans may have hoped for, making just 20 senior appearances in total since that PSG game a few seasons ago.

But with Frimpong heading for the exit door, Ralston may finally be offered an opportunity to stake his claim and really lay a marker down. Tonight’s Scottish Premiership clash against Hamilton may tempt Lennon into throwing the 22-year-old straight in.

Meanwhile, Celtic can clinch a bargain deal with this League One sensation…

After tasting back-to-back defeats in the Premier League, Leeds United got back to winning ways with a superb 3-0 win over Southampton on Tuesday night.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side sealed all three points thanks to goals from Patrick Bamford, Raphinha and Stuart Dallas, and it was arguably the latter who stole the show for the Argentine.

While Raphinha may take most of the headlines for his wonderful free-kick, Dallas’ energetic contributions set the tone for the contest, and once again reaffirmed why Bielsa seems to be such a massive fan of his – he’s played the full 90 minutes in every single Premier League this season, bar one, and even in that he only came off with ten minutes to go.

As per Sofascore, Dallas completed both of his attempted dribbles – the best success rate of any Leeds player versus the Saints – while he was one of only two players to provide at least one key pass and create one official big chance.

His fine attacking work was eventually rewarded when he scored (toe-poked) with just less than 15 minutes to go, arriving on the scene to take a touch from a Helder Costa cross and then firing into the bottom corner.

But it wasn’t just offensively that the 29-year-old really caused problems for Southampton. Defensively, he was a beast too. He made a game-high five tackles (more than double his season average of 2.3 in the top-flight), while he also won seven of his nine total duels (again, far more than his season average of 4.7).

In their post-match player ratings, Leeds Live gave Dallas the joint-highest of eight, writing: “Yet another goal to add to his tally. Was one of the best outlets United had in the first half with his link-ups with Raphinha down the left. So dependable in every position and always an option arriving on the edge of the box from deep.”

And, after the game, The Athletic’s Phil Hay delivered his verdict on Leeds’ Mr Reliable, saying: “Had Dallas down as player of the year last season (granted, Hernandez ambushed proceedings at the death). I’d say Dallas has been even better this season. It’s like constant evolution for so many in this squad.”

Though Leeds’ sparkling Brazilian, Raphinha, may be the name on everybody’s lips after another goal-scoring display, it was Dallas who really proved himself to be Bielsa’s key man on the night.

Manchester United completed a remarkable turnaround to their tricky start to the season with a 2-1 win over Aston Villa, a win which saw them move level on points with Premier League leaders Liverpool.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer deserves immense credit for the way he has transformed the team’s fortunes The hosts prevailed at Old Trafford, earning them their tenth win in the top flight this season thus far, which extended the Red Devils’ unbeaten run to seven consecutive games in a row across both domestic competitions.

Despite their good run, Solskjaer will no doubt be looking to strengthen in January to try to keep them in the title race.

Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho is one transfer target who has become synonymous with Solskjaer’s time in charge.  The winger was heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford in the summer, but the Red Devils refused to meet Dortmund’s demands, and a move failed to materialise.

United are reportedly still eyeing up a move for Sancho and it’s claimed that the club are confident that their gamble may pay off.

The 20-year-old has provided 39 goals and 52 assists in 118 appearances across all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

Goals have not been easy to come by this season thus far for the ex-Manchester City youngster however, as Sancho had scored four goals in 18 games prior to the Bundesliga clash with Wolfsburg at the weekend.

However, as the old adage goes, when the going gets tough, the tough get going.

Questions had been asked of Sancho as he’d failed to score in his previous 11 top-flight appearances but he passed the test with flying colours.

Dortmund have enjoyed the talents of a number of a number of exceptional players over the years, including now-Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski, but one that has remained steadfast in recent years especially is Sancho, who earns around £190,000-per-week at the Signal Iduna Park.

Described as a “fantastic” footballer by his teammate Erling Braut Haaland, he delivered a masterful performance against Wolfsburg.

He proved to be a constant threat and completed a staggering six dribbles successfully from eleven attempts. By comparison, Daniel James has only managed one dribble per game, as per SofaScore.

Sancho didn’t stop there, either, as he scored his first Bundesliga goal of the season and set up another to start his New Year with a bang with a 2-0 victory over Wolfsburg. He also made four key passes and created one big chance as he tried to dictate play and bring others into the game.

Valued at a whopping £100m by Dortmund, it remains to be seen if Ed Woodward will be able to drive down their colossal asking price at the second time of asking. However, he simply cannot afford to let Sancho slip through his fingers again. The board must go back to the drawing board and try to get a deal over the line in the coming weeks.

AND in other news, Manchester United may forever regret not signing Aston Villa star man Jack Grealish…

Newcastle United may make a late move to try and sign Ibrahima Sissoko before this month’s transfer window shuts.

That is according to L’Equipe (via The Chronicle), who claim that the St. James’ Park faithful are continuing to monitor the Strasbourg ace, who has a deal until 2024 at the French club.

However, they are reportedly looking for a big transfer fee which may reduce the chances of the Tyneside club signing him before the window closes.

Newcastle should sign Sissoko

Depending on what kind of transfer fee Strasbourg are looking for, the Magpies should be looking to sign Sissoko, at least in the summer window if a deal cannot be done in January.

The defensive midfield player has a six-foot-three frame, and so should be able to cope with the physical demands of the Premier League.

He has also performed well in Ligue 1 so far in the 2020/21 term, winning no fewer than 4.7 of his duels a game and also averaging two tackles, 1.5 interceptions and 1.4 clearances per match (Sofascore).

Given that he is performing in a top European league already, the potential switch to the English top flight should not faze the 23-year-old, and so bringing him through the door in the North East should seriously be considered by Steve Bruce’s side.

In other news, find out what takeover claim has been dropped by Ben Jacobs here!

With the wretched form that Nottingham Forest find themselves in, Chris Hughton is no doubt desperately searching for some source of inspiration to try and change their fortunes around.Their run over the past few weeks in the Championship has been wretched to say the least, losing four times and picking up just one point from their last five matches.That stretch of games has also seen them fail to hit the back of the net even once, and that surely is the most pressing concern for Hughton and his staff.

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And whilst that may be a lot of pressure to thrust on a young man’s shoulders, Forest must surely consider unleash one of the brightest prospects on their books: Alex Mighten.

The 18-year-old featured in the first four games of the new Championship season, but hasn’t been since, which is a crying shame.

Speaking after he signed a new contract earlier in the summer, Forest’s academy manager Gary Brazil waxed lyrical about the teenager’s abilities.

Former Forest boss Sabri Lamouchi was equally fulsome in his praise of the young winger, saying: “With Alex, he’s a future talent. To sign a future talent is just to send the right message to the players. If we know he’s a talented player, the opponents, the whole team, they know that.

“So, we are lucky to work with him, and the trip is long for him – but step-by-step, last season, we gave him small time and small chances. The idea is to give him more chances and more time to play.”

Since Hughton has come in however, that simply hasn’t been the case. But with Forest up against it at the moment, and Anthony Knockaert really struggling himself, he could find a real spark in one of the club’s brightest young talents.

Meanwhile, this Forest ace let Chris Hughton down just as much as Ryan Yates against Reading.

While Alfredo Morelos’ future at Ibrox remains up in the air, Glasgow Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson must do everything in his power to stop Glen Kamara from leaving the club when the transfer market opens in January.

The 27-cap Finland international’s current contract with the 54-time Scottish champions is set to expire in 2023, having signed a four-year pre-contract deal when he first arrived at Ibrox last year.

However, this hasn’t stopped Leeds United from retaining an interest in the defensive-minded midfielder, with top European clubs including Monaco, Lille and Borussia Dortmund also interested in signing him in the winter transfer window.

Ever since he first arrived at the Govan-based Glaswegian giants, Kamara has established himself as an integral part of Steven Gerrard’s side, having made 80 appearances for the Gers, providing three goals and three assists across all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

Morelos may be Gerrard’s trusted man for the big occasion, but he finds himself in a spot of bother after his latest charge for violent conduct, while the 25-year-old has become an important piece of the jigsaw puzzle to form the engine room in the midfield.

The Finnish midfielder has been in such fine form since the start of the season, as he has scored one goal in six games in the Europa League, while he is averaging 1.8 tackles, 1.5 interceptions and 1.2 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

It’s no surprise, then, that Gerrard made an impassioned plea to the club chiefs after Rangers beat Lech Poznan to reach the Europa League knockout stages as Group D winners, saying:

“I thought Glen Kamara again showed why everybody is talking about him and there’s a lot of fuss about him.

“I thought he was outstanding from start to finish and my advice to the club is to move that situation along as quickly as they can.”

Former Celtic and St Mirren striker Frankie McAvennie believes the board will heed Gerrard’s warning and offer Kamara a contract extension.

He told Football Insider:

“If Steven Gerrard wants him to get him tied down to a new deal then why would you not? I think the board will listen to him.”

“Kamara cost just £50,000 as well. The recruitment at Rangers has been great in recent years and he is an example of that.”

Kamara has become such an important part of the squad in recent months, and even if he does depart in a couple of weeks, he will always be fondly remembered for scoring against his former club Dundee at the start of the year.

But it’s fair to say that they would be foolish to let him go, which is precisely why Ross Wilson must wrap up a deal for the midfield dynamo, who earns around £6,200-per-week.

While Gerrard can call upon the services of Scott Arfield, Joe Aribo, Steven Davis, Ryan Jack and Bongani Zungu to form his midfield three, it would be a huge blunder by the board if they were to let him leave halfway through the season, especially with so much still at stake in the Premiership.

AND in other news, Ross Wilson must sanction Rangers swoop for Marijan Cabraja as a Barisic alternative…

Manchester United’s incredible demands for outcast defender Phil Jones to leave Old Trafford in January further highlights why a move to West Ham this summer would have been the wrong decision by David Moyes.

What’s the word?

According to The Sun, Manchester United are demanding £20million to sell Jones in the upcoming January market after boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer opted to omit the former England international from his 25-man Premier League squad.

The 28-year-old has not featured for the Red Devils in any competition this term and only managed to earn two Premier League appearances last season, the last of which came in January while scarcely being named in any of Solskjaer’s matchday squads.

A number of top-flight sides are said to have shown interest in potential deals to lure Jones away from Old Trafford in the past, but no move was ever secured for the £100,000-per-week centre-half who only penned new terms in February 2019 running to 2023.

Jones is also noted to love being at United, though would consider leaving the Red Devils to play regular first-team football again in the hopes of earning a recall to the England squad two years after his 27th and final cap.

Information collected by TodoFichajes suggests West Ham would be the main candidate to sign Jones, having held interest in the summer and feeling his exclusion from Solskjaer’s squad could aid efforts to finalise an agreement.

Wise to walk away

While reports are identifying West Ham as the main candidate to sign Jones, the east London outfit were right to walk away from negotiations in the summer when Moyes was first alleged to be keen on securing a reunion.

The Mirror noted back in March that Moyes was considering rivalling Newcastle United for Jones’ signature, which was thought to be available for £12m at the time.

Even at the lower figure, Football Insider cited three reasons why a deal would not occur even though Jones was seen to fit the profile Moyes was after, as the Irons boss questioned whether the 28-year-old had the desire to reignite his wavering career, refused to match his Red Devils salary, and was seen to be on the decline rather than on the up.

Claims that United will now demand £20m for Jones adds a fourth reason as to why West Ham were wise to walk away, while the defender’s comments from 2015 also add a fifth.

Following a 2-1 defeat to Norwich City that marked a third loss in a row for Louis van Gaal’s side, Jones noted that the mood in the Old Trafford dressing room was still not as bad as it once was during Moyes’ tenure.

“I wouldn’t say it’s the lowest moment,” said Jones, via quotes by BBC Sport. “I think it became pretty glum under David Moyes.”

Jones’ comments ought to have raised fierce concerns in the West Ham hierarchy this summer that a deal to bring the defender to the London Stadium would have been inane, but not as absurd as striking a deal in January despite the mounting reasons against a move.

AND in other news, West Ham won’t be missing a £22.5m-rated man after his summer transfer after a forlorn debut with his new side.