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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

It’s like we’re playing a big game of Cluedo.

Everyone is trying to work out exactly what is going wrong at Nottingham Forest as they came crashing down to earth from their ten-game unbeaten run to now losing two matches in a row.

Former Forest man Kenny Burns has had his say on the matter and he thinks that it’s down to the absence of one man.

What’s he said?

Speaking to Nottinghamshire Live, Burns believes that it’s in fact captain Michael Dawson that the cub have been missing the most, and that his partnership with Joe Worrall was one of the bedrocks of the club’s unbeaten run:

“Michael Dawson has been a big miss for Nottingham Forest. If he does come back from injury this week, it will be a huge boost for us. Dawson and Joe Worrall had been really good together as a partnership.

“They’d developed a strong relationship in the centre of the defence. I think we’d looked more solid when those two were playing together – and keeping more clean-sheets is something we need to do. I think we’ve missed Dawson’s leadership as well. He’s a proper captain.”

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Time for someone else to step up?

There have been many factors that you can blame on Nottingham Forest’s recent slump, and the injuries that have hit the squad are certainly one of them.

But it’s the point about captaincy that raises a bit of a concern.

If they really are missing his captaincy and leadership skills on the pitch, isn’t that a little bit of an indictment on the rest of the players in the squad?

Does it suggest there is nobody there who is up to marshalling the troops? Isn’t one of the clichés in football that you want ‘eleven captains on the pitch’?

Indeed Burns himself said last month that he saw Dawson’s centre-back partner Worrall as a future captain of the club, but if he hasn’t managed to step up in the central defender’s absence, what sort of standard is he setting if he wants to get the job on a permanent basis in the future?

Check out Matchday with Max’s latest Nottingham Forest vlog in the video below…

So whilst the armband might be with 34-year-old Ben Watson when Dawson is missing, perhaps it’s time Worrall stepped forward and showed us what he’s made of because it’s not just the results that are on the line, but also his candidacy for the job next season.

Arsenal fans on Twitter have been discussing the prospect of signing Joe Gomez.

The Liverpool centre-back is reportedly unhappy with his lack of gametime at the Merseyside club, and Arsenal are apparently monitoring that situation.

Arsenal’s defence has been quite leaky this season – keeping only one away clean sheet all term.

Gomez would certainly help their defensive concerns as Liverpool kept 11 clean sheets in the 16 league matches he appeared in last term.

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Despite Gomez’s obvious quality, some Arsenal supporters wouldn’t want the club to sign him.

Indeed, one fan stated that he’s overrated while a couple said that they’d rather go for Nathan Ake or Tyrone Mings.

Of course, there were other supporters who are hoping that the Gunners can get this deal done.

Whether or not Gomez signs for the London club remains to be seen, but if he does sign it will certainly divide supporters.

Here’s what Arsenal fans have been saying on Twitter…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

A fresh start.

That is what Nottingham Forest defender Yohan Benalouane will be hoping to get from boss Sabri Lamouchi when he eventually comes back from injury.

Speaking to Nottinghamshire Live, Lamouchi explained that although he has yet to play under him at the City Ground, he’s very aware of what the Tunisian can bring to the table.

He stated that he knows him from his time in Italy as well as during his stay at Leicester and that he “can be important” for the side. The manager also gave an update on his current injury, suggesting that the defender is nearly approaching full fitness.

So based on those words, it looks as if Benalouane is going to be given the chance to show what he can do under Lamouchi, as opposed to being allowed to leave like Alex Milosevic.

But just where does he stand in comparison to the rest of his Forest teammates and does he have a realistic chance of breaking into the first team?

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On the chalkboard

If you take a look at his statistics and compare them to his teammates (all from WhoScored), he certainly makes a case that he should be a regular starter.

He comes out on top in regards to tackles completed per game, with an average of 1.7 whilst his closest competitor is club captain Michael Dawson with 1.3.

He also beats them all out when it comes to interceptions, averaging 2.4 per game with Tobias Figueiredo coming the closest at 2.2.

So when it comes to players and the ball in and around the box, you can rely on Benalouane to stop either of them getting near the goal, at least in comparison to the rest of his teammates.

However, those are the only areas that he leads the team in, as the 6 foot 1 centre back falls flat in comparison to the rest of the team in other areas.

He ranks second last when it comes to aerial duels won with 1.8 per game and also ranks dead last when it comes to pass completion percentage with an average of 73.9%, which in the modern game when you want players passing out from the back is a bit of a worry.

So it’s clear to see that he does offer some benefit, but isn’t quite the complete package.

He’s unlikely to break up the tried and trusted partnership that has been developed since the start of the season between Joe Worrall and Dawson, but he could slot himself into that third centre-back slot on the bench as cover for either of them should an injury occur. However, as far as his chances of starting are concerned, they might be dead in the water.

With Figueiredo and Chema both fighting it out for that spot as well, he’s going to have to put in some effort in training to get ahead of them, especially because Lamouchi has seen what they can do in his system and what they can offer.

Newcastle picked up their form in October and Matty Longstaff’s contribution has earned him his first call-up to the England U20s squad.

He struck the winning goal on his debut against Manchester United and has impressed with his performances, so is deserving of inclusion.

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Some fans are delighted to see the youngster recognised in such a way, and have issued congratulatory messages of their own, with one particularly impressed by his achievement.

Longstaff is only 20 years of age but he has now averaged the highest number of passes per game in the Newcastle squad, with 40.

The midfielder has spoken of his desire to play as much as he can, stating that is his full focus rather than swapping shirts at the end of matches and picking up memorabilia – an attitude which should serve him well at club and international level.

Here are some of the messages from supporters following the announcement.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to Football Insider, West Bromwich Albion youth prospect Jovan Malcolm is wanted by Premier League leaders Liverpool.

But it appears as if a pattern is emerging at the Hawthorns, which probably spells more bad things than good in terms of their long-term future.

What’s the word?

The Baggies’ U18 striker netted four past the Champions League finalists last week as they won 6-3, a game in which Rico Richards featured in before also being linked with a move to the top-flight, per The Sun.

It appears that Liverpool were impressed with what they saw while the same report suggests that other Premier League clubs hold some interest.

Football Insider also claim that Malcolm’s future in the west Midlands is now in doubt despite only being 16 years of age.

Trend emerging

Albion have an impressive reputation for producing emerging talents, but rarely have they been able to keep hold of them.

In the summer, promising striker Louie Barry rejected a contract to sign for La Liga giants Barcelona, and West Brom were powerless in stopping Morgan Rogers join Manchester City for £4m.

They did manage to keep hold of Rekeem Harper despite interest from Juventus and Liverpool, but that decision appears to be a mistake considering he has only managed six minutes in the league all season.

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As mentioned above, they risk losing Richards and even Nathan Ferguson, who broke into first-team stardom this campaign.

His performances under Slaven Bilic have warranted interest from some elite names in Europe, and with his contract set to expire at the end of the season, they’ll be sweating over whether or not they can keep hold of the versatile defender.

Luke Dowling has claimed in the past that the club’s academy is ‘enviable’ and he isn’t far off being wrong, but over the past year, it’s quickly become a talent conveyor belt for other teams to pluck from rather than an opportunity to build from within.

If it continues at this rate, the Baggies are likely flirting with their future ability to develop their own.

Southampton fans have taken to Twitter to react after Moussa Djenepo scored for Mali in their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier win over Chad, opening the scoring in what turned out to be a 2-0 win – Wolves’ Adama Traore netted the second.The 21-year-old has now scored three goals this season for club and country, following a £15m move to Southampton from Standard Liege back in the summer – Belgian legend Michel Preud’homme stated that Djenepo has a “good mentality” while he was playing in the Pro League.

Djenepo’s strikes have come in just three starts, having made just two Premier League starts for the Saints this season as well as one for Mali – the forward now has nine caps for his country.

Given the fact that Djenepo is arguably one of the Saints’ most dangerous players, his efforts while on international duty have attracted some interest from Southampton fans on Twitter.

A few supporters saw a chance to make a jibe towards Ralph Hasenhuttl’s use of the Malian, as the former RB Leipzig boss has deployed his £15m at left wing-back on one occasion against Sheffield United – a particularly baffling move given his attacking talents.

One fan sarcastically said that they were “buzzing” to see Djenepo play in defensive-midfield and then right-back in the second half next week.

Let’s take a look at some more of the Twitter reaction…

The anticipation is already building for West Ham United’s match against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.

Both teams have been struggling this season, with the Hammers 16th and Spurs sitting 14th in the Premier League table.

The Hammers dropped a hint prior to the game that Michail Antonio may be available, after working his way back from the injury sustained in the Carabao Cup against Newport County:

The 29-year-old has missed nine games due to the injury, though this would be a great time for him to make a return to the lineup, particularly when the London rivalry and opportunity to end a 7 game winless run in all competitions is considered.

He is also the perfect man to make an impact in this specific fixture, having scored the winner in the final matchup at Upton Park and first at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

A selection of Twitter reaction to the picture, including posts from hopeful West Ham fans, can be seen below:

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Charlton Athletic manager Lee Bowyer has claimed he may struggle to field an 11 against Luton Town, as reported by the club’s official website.

What did he say?

The Addicks didn’t even fill their bench for the 2-2 draw against Cardiff City due to the injury crisis they are enduring, as they only had six.

With that considered, the last thing Bowyer needed was for another of his players to pick up an injury during the game, that was to be the case though, as Josh Cullen was stretchered off in the 56th minute.

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When asked about the Republic of Ireland international’s injury, Bowyer was quoted on Charlton’s official website as saying: “Not good, especially with Tuesday coming up. I was just saying to the staff that we’re going to struggle to put 11 out. We’re just running out of numbers.

“You see the kids we had to bring on and they did great by the way, but to bring them on is asking a lot from them because they haven’t played games before.

“Especially Alfie, Alfie’s come on and he’s never played a game for us, not even when we were in League One. So to then just throw him in against a good Cardiff side… but we have no choice. That’s the situation we’re in, but like I said before, we’re in every game and it shows how well we’re doing and what a good group I have.”

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Growing concerns

The amount of injuries that Charlton are picking up is becoming a real concern, as Bowyer’s selection options are becoming seriously limited.

He will be boosted by the return of Darren Pratley, who was suspended for the Cardiff match, but that doesn’t change the fact that various players will still be unavailable.

Lyle Taylor had been deemed “touch and go” for Saturday’s match, so there will be hope that the striker can make it for the Luton match despite having previously missed out.

Four of the players on the bench for the Cardiff clash were aged 20 years old or younger, but if this lack of luck continues that number could grow further.

In other news, Charlton have identified a January transfer target to help ease the burden.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…

FC Inter News reported last week that Crystal Palace are ready to launch a £20m January bid for striker Gabriel Barbosa, so it was certainly interesting to see him in action for loan club Flamengo in the Copa Libertadores final on Saturday.

It seems certain that the south London outfit will look to bring a new centre-forward to Selhurst Park in the New Year given the links with the Brazilian as well as Scottish Premiership duo Odsonne Edouard and Alfredo Morelos, and ‘Gabigol’ certainly didn’t let any potential watching scouts done with a prolific display.

The 23-year-old took his tally to 31 goals in 38 matches in all competitions with a match-winning brace against River Plate, with the goals coming in the 89th and 90th minute in the dramatic 2-1 victory.

The five-cap international showed his quality in the final third by beating the goalkeeper twice, while according to WhoScored all four of his attempted shots during the encounter were on target – even more impressive given he only had 26 touches of the ball.

He did left himself down in one regard though, and that was his behaviour at the end of the match. Firstly, he was shown a yellow card for taking his shirt off having netted the decisive goal.

Barbosa still had time to sarcastically applaud the referee though, and was given a red card.

It wasn’t an isolated incident either, with the dismissal the second straight red he has received in the Copa Libertadores competition this year, also now collecting 12 yellow cards in his 38 games.

He may well be a goalscorer, but he has also shown his indiscipline too – much like another striker the Eagles are reportedly looking at in Morelos.

The Colombian picked up five red cards in 48 games for Rangers in 2018/19, although he does appear to have calmed down a little for Steven Gerrard’s men this time around, with no reds and five yellows.

It will be interesting to see what Palace decide to do in January, but the indications are after the weekend that signing ‘Gabigol’ would be a risk in some ways.

In other news, some Crystal Palace fans noted one man’s absence from their U23 fixture on Monday…

Alex Bruce has told Football Insider that Leeds should make a move for Rhian Brewster in the summer.

The 20-year-old is on the books of Liverpool, but was loaned out to Swansea in January after making just three appearances during the first half of the season for the Reds – the Yorkshire club were also linked. Since making the temporary switch to Wales, though, he has impressed, scoring four goals in 11 matches so far.

Bruce believes that the Whites should return for the youngster, saying: “He’s definitely someone I would be looking at because they need goals.

“Signing someone like him is definitely something that would tickle any club in my opinion. He’s young, he’s hungry, he’s done alright at Swansea, he’s got big potential.

“Those are the sort of players they should be looking at.”

Despite leading the way in the Championship, three sides have scored more than their 56 goals to date, and only one Leeds player has managed more than 10 goals – Patrick Bamford has 13. In all fairness, the goalscoring responsibilities have been spread around quite a bit – seven others have managed four or more – but if they do manage to get up to the Premier League, they will need someone who they can rely on to put the ball into the back of the net.

Whilst Brewster is inexperienced, he has already shown in the small amount of time at Swansea, a side who are in mid-table, that he can be clinical in front of goal. Leeds could do a lot worse than taking him to Elland Road.

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