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Stoke City supporters have been pretty quiet in the Transfer Tavern in the last week or so after seeing their side make a slow start to the 2018/19 Championship season.

There was much optimism around the bet365 Stadium over the summer that the Potters would be challenging for an immediate return to the Premier League, not least following the appointment of the highly-rated Gary Rowett. And with some shrewd additions brought into the club, that positivity only increased, although defeat to Leeds United on the opening day followed by a draw at home to Brentford has somewhat stemmed that momentum, with the Staffordshire-based outfit currently third-bottom in the table.

Thus, there have been some disappointed Stoke fans up and down the country in recent times, several of whom are hoping their side can get their season up and running in the near future, although they may need a signing or two to aid with that quest.

And one man who could surely help with that is £4.05 million-rated Premier League outcast Nahki Wells (as per Transfermarkt).

Ultimately, the 28-year-old has struggled for regular football at Burnley since making the move there from Huddersfield Town 12 months ago, earning just ten appearances in all competitions for Sean Dyche’s side, none of which were starts.

And with no appearances so far this term in their run to the play-off round of Europa League qualifying, the writing appears to be on the wall for the ex-Huddersfield and Bradford City striker, and thus he could well be available for loan in the last knockings of the transfer window – Stoke must seek to ask the question.

Clearly, while Wells hasn’t quite been able to make the grade in the Premier League, there is little doubting his credentials at Championship level in netting 45 goals in just 144 appearances, equating to a goal every 235 minutes of action.

Add in the fact that he has reached at least ten goals in three of his four seasons at second tier level, and the 28-year-old would surely be a huge asset to Rowett’s side this term, both in terms of giving them the lift needed to get their season going, and indeed for the long term as the campaign goes on.

It hasn’t quite happened for Stoke yet since their return to the Championship, but having signed plenty of proven players at that level over the summer, it’s surely just a matter of time before it does.

Yet the arrival of Burnley’s Wells would certainly accelerate that process and help the Potters get their season going in the coming weeks.

Stoke fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Leeds United are interested in making a loan move for Lille midfielder Fares Bahlouli according to Yahoo Sport journalist Manu Lonjon.

What’s the story?

The 23-year-old only signed for Lille from Monaco in January 2017 and the attacking midfielder has made just 14 appearances for the club in Ligue 1, with 11 of them coming via the bench.

Bahlouli, who is valued at £675,000 on Transfermarkt, worked under Marcelo Bielsa during his ill-fated reign at the French club.

Now it appears a reunion could be on the cards as Bielsa is reportedly keen on bringing the Frenchman to Elland Road as he looks to strengthen the squad despite their good start to the season.

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Worth a punt?

Although Leeds have started the season very impressively, a big squad is always key to success in the Championship where a long season can take its toll on the players.

Bielsa knows the player and must clearly rate him if he wants him back, although Leeds are looking strong in attacking midfield at the moment.

He could provide good cover and if it’s a loan deal, it’s very low risk for Leeds.

Manchester United will back Jose Mourinho in the transfer market in January and the Red Devils will revive their interest in Toby Alderweireld, The Sun reports.

What’s the word?

After a turbulent start to the new Premier League season and numerous occasions of Jose Mourinho throwing his toys out of the pram, Manchester United fans finally have some positive news – and it could provide a huge impact to Tottenham Hotspur.

Ahead of Monday’s crunch meeting between the two top-four hopefuls, The Sun has reported that the Red Devils will back Mourinho in the market come January as the Portuguese boss continues his quest to land defensive reinforcements.

As such, a move for Belgium international Toby Alderweireld is back on and Spurs could be tempted to cash in ahead of a clause in the defender’s contract next summer which makes the 29-year-old available for just £25m.

Should Spurs cash in?

At this stage, it looks extremely unlikely that Toby Alderweireld will sign a new deal with Mauricio Pochettino’s side as he will demand huge sums of money, which Spurs may not be able to afford, and he is not as crucial as he once was.

Alderweireld has made just 15 appearances for Tottenham since the start of last season after missing just eight matches in the two Premier League campaigns prior to that, which means the 29-year-old now appears to be expendable.

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With Davinson Sanchez and Jan Vertonghen firmly established as first-choice options, Spurs also have young duo Juan Foyth and Cameron Carter-Vickers developing nicely behind the scenes and can also call upon Eric Dier is needed.

Pochettino may feel a more experienced defender is required in January if Alderweireld is to leave, but Spurs are in the driving seat and should jump at the chance to try and eke out even more money from United, who look set to be desperate to get a new centre-back.

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A massive 80 per cent of Aston Villa fans polled want Steve Bruce to re-sign 37-year-old centre-back John Terry after he left the club amid the financial problems earlier in the summer.

After losing 1-0 to Fulham in the Championship Playoff Final and missing out on promotion to the Premier League, Villa plunged into huge financial difficulties and faced a winding-up order from HMRC over unpaid taxes. However, a deal was finally struck with the authorities to keep the club from administration and Villa were eventually saved by billionaires Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris, who took a controlling stake in the Birmingham club from Dr Tony Xia.

Former Chelsea legend Terry had already departed though and is still a free agent this summer. His age did not hold him back last season as he made 36 appearances in all competitions for Villa and ended the season in the EFL’s Team of the Year.

The majority of Villa fans are now keen to see Terry back at Villa Park and just 20 per cent who voted in our poll were against his return. Check out the full results below.

The EFL Cup is not usually high on the list of objectives for elite Premier League clubs.

In the past, the likes of Arsenal and their competitors have opted to play their younger squad in the early rounds.

It has always been easier for them to take a risk as the EFL Cup tends to take a backseat to the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.

Things are slightly different at Arsenal this time around as they failed to qualify for the Champions League last season, and they have a new manager in charge.

With Unai Emery now at the helm, some fans believe that winning any sort of silverware will give the coach and the team a boost of confidence.

On Thursday, the North London outfit were drawn against Brentford in the third round.

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Arsenal will be favourites heading into the clash against the Championship outfit at the Emirates.

After the draw was made on Thursday, groups of supporters posted their thoughts on Reddit.

Comment from discussion Arsenal will play Brentford in the 3rd round of the EFL Cup.Comment from discussion Arsenal will play Brentford in the 3rd round of the EFL Cup.Comment from discussion Arsenal will play Brentford in the 3rd round of the EFL Cup.Comment from discussion Arsenal will play Brentford in the 3rd round of the EFL Cup.Comment from discussion Arsenal will play Brentford in the 3rd round of the EFL Cup.Comment from discussion Arsenal will play Brentford in the 3rd round of the EFL Cup.Comment from discussion Arsenal will play Brentford in the 3rd round of the EFL Cup.

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Loads of Sunderland fans have been discussing their goalkeeper situation, after Robbin Ruiter impressed in Tuesday’s Checkatrade Trophy win.

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It’s been a long time since Sunderland fans were happy with their goalkeeper choices, and last season was an absolute disaster between the sticks.

Jason Steele had a poor season before leaving for Premier League Brighton, and Lee Camp was the target of plenty of abuse after his horror shows towards the end of the season.

The Black Cats completely overhauled the squad this summer under Stewart Donald and Jack Ross, and one of the first signings to come in was Scotland international Jon McLaughlin.

The 30 year-old racked up over 250 league appearances in England for Bradford and Burton Albion, but after a solid start he has looked a little shaky in recent weeks.

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Ruiter joined the club in 2017, but made just five Championship appearances last season as he struggled with injuries.

While McLaughlin is still undoubtedly the first choice, Ruiter’s two penalty saves in Tuesday’s win over Stoke’s U21 side have prompted the discussion of a switch, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Loads of Liverpool fans have been reacting to some huge news, as Dejan Lovren is one of four Reds shortlisted for the FIFA FIFPro World XI.

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Virgil van Dijk, Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Lovren are all included on the shortlist for the award.

Over 25,000 players from 65 different countries cast their votes to create the list, and the final XI will be unveiled on September 24.

Fans may feel aggrieved to not see Roberto Firmino on the shortlist, but nonetheless it is a huge achievement to have four players included.

After Luis Suarez left the Reds arguably didn’t have a single world class player, and the inclusion of Lovren is particularly inspiring given the tough start the Croatian had at Anfield.

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The 29 year-old had a fabulous end to the season and World Cup, but appears to have lost his place with Joe Gomez emerging as the number one option to partner van Dijk.

Fans seem split on the 6 ft 2 in defender’s inclusion, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

The debate concerning Harry Kane’s long-term fitness has rumbled on this week as the striker was introduced off the bench during England’s rather meaningless friendly against Switzerland.

On the back of a gruelling World Cup campaign and ahead of a season where Spurs will be fighting on all fronts, the calls for Kane to be handed a rest have risen – and our poll showed fans want him to miss next weekend’s clash with Brighton.

A whopping 77% of polled supporters called for Kane to sit out the match against the Seagulls, a game that Spurs will be favourites for on paper, and not a single person believes the England captain should be rested for next week’s Champions League opener against Inter Milan.

Just 7% of people called for Kane to miss tomorrow’s crucial Premier League test against Liverpool, while the second-most popular answer showed 16% of fans believe that the Spurs icon should not miss any of the club’s next three matches.

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The majority of Celtic fans that responded to our poll want manager Brendan Rodgers to make a move for free-agent Giuseppe Rossi to solve their recent struggles in front of goal.

The Bhoys have now kept five clean sheets on the bounce after their 1-0 win over Rosenborg in the Europa League group stage. However, they have also only scored two in their last three games, with Leigh Griffiths striking late on Thursday to eventually break the deadlock at Parkhead.

Including Griffiths, Rodgers has just three strikers in his squad after Frenchman Mousa Dembele was allowed to leave for Lyon on deadline day in a £19.7m deal. The 22-year-old’s goals and impact on the team are proving difficult to replace though, after he netted 51 times in all competitions during his two year stay with the club.

Former loanee and fellow Frenchman Odsonne Edouard became the Bhoy’s record signing this summer and youngster Michael Johnston is also available, but 78 per cent of the Celtic fans that answered our poll still wanted the club to sign ex-Manchester United man Rossi.

Check out the full results below.

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Over the last few years, Southampton have shown that they have one of the best scouting networks in the Premier League as the Saints have signed future star after future star. 

Notably over the last few years, Southampton have signed superb players such as Virgil Van Dijk, Victor Wanyama, Sadio Mane and Toby Alderwiereld. All players have gone on to be sold for huge fees after spending a few years developing their respective games at the south coast club.

Over the last years or so, one of the Saints more consistent players and one who is seemingly starting to blossom is goalkeeper, Alex McCarthy.

Arriving for £4.23 million in 2016, McCarthy wasn’t the most heralded signing to arrive at Southampton after a fairly uneventful tenure at Reading. Playing second fiddle for most of his time at Reading, McCarthy did manage to break into the first XI for the 2013/14 season as he played 44 games for the club in the Championship.

In somewhat similar fashion, he then spent a season at Crystal Palace and Queens Park Rangers where he again barely featured for the club. The former Reading goalie was once again consigned to a second-choice role as he only played in two EFL Cup games in first season at Southampton. However, in his second year with the Saints, he got the starting job ahead of the out of form Fraser Forster and played 18 games in the league as Southampton managed to stay in the Premier League.

This year he has continued his form and has played six games in the league and such has been his form that he was called into the England squad for the games against Spain and Switzerland.

At 28, the journeyman goalkeeper is entering the prime of his career and after eight separate loan spells, it looks like he could well have found a club where he could be the number one for the foreseeable future. It looks as though Southampton may have struck gold yet again with a solid performer whom Angus Gunn could learn a great deal from.