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West Brom were relegated back into the Championship last season as they were unable to retain their Premier League status. It was a disappointing year which saw them finish 19th, 13 points off safety.

The Baggies were second in the Championship in the 2019/20 campaign. It is a division they know very well. This time the club will be hoping they can claim the title as well as promotion back into the lucrative land of the Premier League.

The Midlands club have made a positive start to their season. They have won seven of their opening 13 matches, which leaves them second in the standings, behind only Bournemouth. West Brom have English Championship betting odds of 17/10 for the title. They are odds-on at 2/5 in the promotion betting, such is the confidence behind them.

Valerien Ismael’s side have lost just two games so far through the opening three months of the Championship season. They lost 0-1 to Stoke in a tight Midlands derby, while more recently they were defeated by Swansea City.

Summer Signings Have Bolstered The Squad

West Brom did some smart business during the summer and they have added players who have not only strengthened the squad, they have also added depth in all areas. Alex Mowatt was one of their new additions. He arrived on a free transfer from Barnsley to hook up with his former head coach again.

Mowatt has been impressive for the Baggies, scoring three goals in the league. He has scored two fantastic goals, both of which could be contenders for the goal of the season. Those strikes came from outside the box and have been on the volley. They are a great example of how technically gifted the midfielder is.

Another notable signing for the Baggies came through the loan market. They signed Norwich’s Jordan Hugill until the end of the season. The forward played an instrumental role in helping Norwich win the Championship title last year. He played 31 games for the Canaries during their promotion campaign.

Goals Spread Amongst Team

Unlike some of their promotion rivals, West Brom have shared the goals amongst their squad so far this season. This means they are not reliant on one player. Karlan Grant leads the way with six Championship goals. He is a striker who is proven in this division as the last time he played in the second tier, he scored 19 goals for Huddersfield.

Callum Robinson and Matt Phillips have both had good starts to the season. They have supported Grant well, operating as a front three in many games. Both players have lots of experience of playing in the Premier League so should find this level much easier.

At the other end of the pitch, West Brom did well to retain goalkeeper Sam Johnstone over the summer. He was their Player of the Year last season. If they can make a quick return to the Premier League, he will get to prove himself again as one of the best ‘keepers in England.

Promotion is the minimum aim for West Brom this season but if they can do it as the champions this time, it will be the cherry on the cake at the end of the campaign.

Wolves have enjoyed a consistent and comfortable first half to their Premier League season, with the side sitting 8th in the table right now, but climbing as high as fifth and sixth over the past four months thanks to seven wins and four draws from their last 18 fixtures.

A lot of credit must be given to the defensive attributes that Wolves have displayed over the season, conceding only 14 goals, with an interesting statistic that proves just how strong Wolves have been out of possession – Bruno Lage’s side are the only Premier League team to not concede a goal from a set piece so far this season.

Although we could credit the whole team and Lage for the performances we have seen over the last four months, there is one player in particular that has been given high praise for Wolves and rightly so.

Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher recently did a ‘half season awards’ on Sky Sport’s Monday Night Football, with Neville naming Wolves goalkeeper, Jose Sa, as the best Premier League summer signing praising his “massive impact” on the side.

“The signing of the season properly is Ronaldo for what he has brought to the Premier League, but the kid at Wolves, I was flipping between the pair earlier, but he’s only conceded 14 goals from 18 games.

“The Wolves goalkeeper has had a massive impact on their season and at this moment in time Manchester United are struggling.”

According to OneVersusOne, Jose Sa has made 71 interceptions this season so far putting him in third place amongst his goalkeeper peers in the Premier League and in the top ten (sixth) when it comes to shots saved (62)

The 28 year old keeper also has the highest rating of any other player in the Wolves team on SofaScore, with a 7.15 average.

Neville isn’t the only one to recognise and credit Sa on his phenomenal form, his manager at Molineux has also praised his player;

“He is very important for us. He came with lots of ambition to replace a top goalkeeper in Rui Patricio, and he is doing very well.

“We are very happy with him and we hope he can continue with what he is doing for us.”

The £12.5m-rated beast will be hoping to keep up the impact he is making on his side as Wolves charge on into the second half of the season in the hopes of snatching a finish that could secure the club European football next season.

Given that he was only signed for just £6.25m, it’s fair to say Jeff Shi pulled off a transfer masterclass with the6 foot 4 goalkeeper.

In other news: Ruben Neves squashes rumours of a move away

A fresh Rangers injury claim has been made ahead of their UEFA Europa League trip away from Ibrox today…

What’s the latest?

Gers boss Gio van Bronckhorst has allayed any fears that his team have been hit with new blows ahead of their semi-final clash.

Alfredo Morelos and Kemar Roofe, who were absent at the weekend, remain out and the former is set to miss the rest of the season with a thigh injury.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, van Bronckhorst said: “We have no fresh injuries, we have the squad available from Motherwell.

“Morelos & Roofe are not available and I have made my plans after watching the opponent playing. I will choose the right game plan and we need the players to perform well.

“Fashion Jr is travelling. We have a big plane.”

Supporters will be relieved

Rangers supporters will be buzzing by this update as it comes as a huge boost to van Bronckhorst and his squad heading into the first leg against RB Leipzig.

The Gers are one round away from a major European final and will need as many of their key players available as possible in order to have the best chance of getting past the Bundesliga side. Rangers will not want to suffer any blows that weaken their team and that is why the fans will be relieved that no one sustained any knocks in the win over Motherwell.

An own goal from Liam Kelly and strikes from Scott Wright and James Tavernier sealed the three points at the weekend and having the same squad available means that they can carry their winning momentum over into this game. This will be particularly crucial for Fashion Sakala as he appears likely to be given the number nine role with Roofe and Morelos out.

The Zambia international was electric against Motherwell as he recorded a SofaScore rating of 7.6. He provided the assist for Wright’s goal with a superb burst down the middle of the pitch and then won the penalty from which Tavernier made it 3-1, whilst completing all five of his attempted dribbles and winning nine of his 12 duels in the match.

This highlights the level of impact he can have at his best and that is why him being fit, along with the rest of the team, is a huge boost for the Gers.

It is now down to those players to take their confidence into this clash with Leipzig and ensure that they have something to play for at Ibrox next week to create another special memory under the lights in Glasgow.

AND in other news, “I do think..”: Insider deals crushing transfer blow to Rangers, it’ll leave GVB irate…

Everton could create a formidable attacking partnership by partnering Dele Alli with Dominic Calvert-Lewin…

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days have suggested that the Toffees have got their sights set on the Spurs star, and that Rafa Benitez’s side could well make a move for the England international later on in the January transfer window.

Imagine him and Calvert-Lewin

While Alli hasn’t enjoyed the greatest of times at Spurs in the past couple of seasons, his partnership with Harry Kane when the duo were in full flight was something to behold.

In fact, as per Transfermarkt, the duo have combined for a whopping 33 goals between them ie. directly setting each other up for goal – which is by far the highest of any teammate Alli has had in his career thus far.

His ability to break into the box and get on the end of things is what led former Spurs man Darren Anderton to previously suggest that Alli was comparable to the likes of Steven Gerrard and Paul Scholes in terms of his talent.

He said: “I’ve got to say that I loved Stevie G as a player and Scholesy but Dele Alli for his age is just a freak of a talent. I love his arrogance on the pitch, how clever he is in finding the positions that he does and his willingness to try everything. He is a real joy to watch.”

And, more recently, former Scotland boss Alex McLeish tipped him to enjoy a renaissance, saying: “In those days he was looking like an absolute wonderkid then all of a sudden it plateaued and then dipped. Hopefully, he’s coming back up the hill again. Back in the day, I thought he was a kid of enormous talent and was going to be an absolute superstar.

“That’s not quite happened yet but there’s still a chance for him to resurrect his career and be that superstar. His recent form with Tottenham has been excellent.”

With another leading England striker in the ranks on Merseyside in Calvert-Lewin, Alli could thrive in that support striker role that saw him flourish alongside Kane.

Calvert-Lewin and Alli could work off each other both with their ability in the air, and their movement inside the box – the kind of double act that could fire Everton up the table.

The £100k-a-week earning star could well replicate his old partnership with Kane at Spurs, by teaming up with Calvert-Lewin at Goodison Park.

Meanwhile, Everton are considering a swoop for this Premier League outcast…

Crystal Palace have not made any signings to improve their squad over the January transfer window, but they could still be in a position to do some business this month with just under a week to go.

It has now been revealed that they could make a last attempt to sign a player they have been strongly linked to.

What’s the word?

Journalist, Sami Mokbel, believes that there is still a chance that Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah could become a Crystal Palace player.

Mokbel told GIVEMESPORT:

“Yes, they’re keen on signing Eddie Nketiah, for sure. It’s a deal Palace are definitely interested in.”

Crystal Palace have been linked to the Gunners star for months, with rumours circulating that the move could happen this month, but nothing yet has materialised, especially since Mikel Arteta spoke out to quash the chances by claiming that Nketiah would stay at the club.

However, his contract ends at the North London club this summer.

A perfect fit

The 22-year-old striker was named as a player the club has been interested in “for a number of years let alone months” by Roy Hodgson earlier this month, and it’s not hard to see why he continues to be touted with a move across London.

That’s thanks to Patrick Vieira’s progress in developing younger players, something we have already seen this season with the likes of Conor Gallagher and Odsonne Edouard thriving under the Frenchman.

Gallagher has already been involved in ten Premier League goals this term while Edouard has nine involvements himself.

Thus, Nketiah is the perfect fit for Vieira’s youth revolution that he began in the summer transfer window by bringing in a number of younger players to fill positions in the team, and the additions have proven to make a positive impact on the side.

However, when you look at Palace’s season so far they have gained over almost as many draws as they have wins, so adding a striker with potential who can add goals to inspire more victories for the side could make a real difference in their pursuit of another top half finish this season.

The £9m-rated forward, Nketiah, who has scored five goals in 11 appearances, could be the answer.

The Eagles have lost three of their last five Premier League games, and Vieira will surely be hoping that the club can come back after the winter break and get back to consistent form by securing more points and climbing the table during the last few months of the season.

In other news: Vieira could be close to signing Aaron Ramsey

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Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter in excited fashion after it was revealed that the Eagles would take on lower league opposition in Doncaster Rovers away from home in the FA Cup fifth round, as per cpfc.co.uk.

Roy Hodgson’s side booked their place in the draw with an excellent 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur at Selhurst Park on Sunday, and will be pleased to have avoided the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea as their chances of progressing further in the competition look very good.

The League One side cannot be underestimated and have done extremely well to get this far, but Palace supporters are desperate for a successful cup run to put to bed their lingering demons having lost in the final to Manchester United as recently as 2016.

Which player with “no potential” has just been named Crystal Palace’s worst ever January signing? Find out in the video below…

As many of the club’s supporters would tell you Palace are more than good enough to stay in the Premier League, and they saw what was almost a second string side including the likes of Connor Wickham, Joel Ward, Julian Speroni, Martin Kelly and Scott Dann dispatch Spurs with ease.

Let’s take a look at how the fans reacted on Twitter following the draw…

According to The Mirror, the probable appointment of Antonio Conte as Tottenham manager is against Daniel Levy’s wishes, who has instead been ‘keen’ for Paulo Fonseca to take over.

The Lowdown: Conte’s arrival imminent

Nuno Espirito Santo was relieved of his duties at Spurs after Sunday’s 3-0 loss to Manchester United, the club’s fifth loss in seven Premier League matches (Sky Sports).

Conte is set to become the club’s next boss, expected to put pen to paper on an 18-month deal (via The Express).

The Italian maverick has of course already enjoyed major success in England with Chelsea and has a rather stunning list of accomplishments across his career, racking up five domestic league titles on the back of his famous three-at-the-back counter-attacking style.

The Latest: Levy keen on Fonseca

However, it seems Conte is not Levy’s favourite for the job.

The Mirror say that the Lilywhites chairman was ‘keen’ on a return for Fonseca, who almost made the move to north London in the summer, and it was only because of Fabio Paratici’s insistence that Conte became the priority. Scott Parker was also a name in the conversation.

The report does say that Spurs are still ‘poised’ to appoint the Italian however, so it doesn’t appear as though Levy’s wishes will obstruct what is an exciting move for the former Juventus gaffer.

The Verdict: Conte the obvious choice

With nine career trophies to his name, Fonseca impressed at Shakhtar Donetsk in particular, drawing massive praise out of Pep Guardiola when the Ukrainian outfit bested Manchester City in a Champions League group stage game back in 2018.

He then made the move to AS Roma and was even hailed as ‘similar to (Thomas) Tuchel’ by Henrikh Mkhitaryan, but was eventually replaced by Jose Mourinho.

However, the Portuguese does not have Conte’s pedigree. The Italian has won league titles with three different sides in major European leagues – Juventus, Inter Milan and Chelsea – and also managed the Italy national team.

He has therefore proven his ability at the highest level – as soon as it became clear he was available, he was surely the only man for the job if Spurs truly have any ambition of challenging for trophies.

In other news, Spurs make their move for this man.

Sam Johnstone is arguably one of West Bromwich Albion’s best players on their books, and the subject of his contract, which ends in the Summer of 2022, has been a hot topic.

What’s the story?

Head Coach Valerien Ismael has delivered a promising update on the immediate future of Baggies goalkeeper, Sam Johnstone, as rumours of a cut-price move in January to a number of clubs have circulated non-stop since the beginning of the season.

Ismael hailed Johnstone as the “best player” when discussing the plans for January;

“Yes, we are planning for that,” Ismael responded when asked if he expects Johnstone to still be at the club after the transfer window.

“We definitely don’t want to lose the best player in the squad.

“For our purpose and what we want to achieve, Sammy is a massive part of our project regardless of his contract situation and is a big part of my thoughts.”The England goalkeeper has been linked with Tottenham, West Ham and Southampton to name a few of the Premier League clubs reportedly desperate to secure the star’s signature either in January or in the summer when he will be available on a free.Make or break for West BromWest Bromwich Albion are in a vulnerable position right now despite sitting third in the table, with a shaky run of form over the last few months where goals were not being scored.They have scored fewest out of the top three, however luckily for Ismael, goals conceded have been few for the side, with the least strikes conceded out of the top three teams.This statistic only puts further emphasis on the importance of keeping Johnstone until the summer for West Brom, and it could really be a make or break situation for the side, being the difference between Premier League football or staying for another season in the Championship next season. Thus, fans should be delighted that Albion are planning to keep him at the Hawthorns heading past the winter.West Brom will be hoping to be in a position to prove to Johnstone that is worth staying for the second half of the season by the time the transfer window opens in a few weeks, with the Baggies currently working hard to close the gap with top of the table, currently only five points shy of Fulham.Ismael should be doing everything he can to keep the stopper sweet until the inevitable in the summer when the 28-year-old will be available to go on a free to wherever he pleases, hopefully with the Baggies back in the Premier League as a result of his dedication.In other news: Ismael must axe Hugill from the team

An update on Tottenham Hotspur’s links to former star and Brentford playmaker Christian Eriksen has now come to light in the last 24 hours.

The Lowdown: Lilywhites links emerge…

In the last few weeks, manager Antonio Conte has been tipped to potentially make a move for his former Inter Milan star this summer as his Bees contract winds down.

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A host of clubs across the Premier League, at least according to 90min, are also said to be showing interest in Eriksen with the Dane having impressed under Thomas Frank.

As per iNews, Brentford have described him as the ‘perfect’ signing, but Football Insider claim the 30-year-old has his eyes on a ‘sensational’ return to north London.

Indeed, according to their sources, Eriksen ‘would be keen’ on signing for Spurs again with The Times now sharing an update from the Lilywhites’ side.

The Latest: The Times share big Eriksen claim…

As per the big name outlet, the feeling is mutual from Spurs, with the club and transfer chief Fabio Paratici now ‘considering a move’ to re-sign Eriksen.

Now backing recent claims, it appears Tottenham do indeed hold a firm interest in the Denmark international legend.

The Verdict: Get it done?

Eriksen would undoubtedly inject some creativity going forward, having made more key passes per 90 on average this season than every Spurs player bar Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski (WhoScored).

The fact Paratici and co snap him up for free is another incentive to move, especially considering chairman Daniel Levy himself once valued the player at a staggering £130 million, according to reliable reporter Tom Hopkinson of The Mirror.

In other news: Conte personally approves ‘monster’ player move as Tottenham take pre-summer action, find out more here.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp must ruthlessly axe £16m-rated Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from his squad and look for a replacement in the summer.

Whilst the 28-year-old midfielder has been a sound squad player during his time at the Reds, the club should try to get rid of him and save on his £125k-per-week wages.

Recent reports have suggested that Klopp is looking to bring in a ‘top-class’ midfielder in the summer and this may remove the need for Oxlade-Chamberlain altogether.

He has appeared 17 times this season for Liverpool but that’s likely due to injuries to players who would usually start ahead of him such as Thiago who has missed 23 games this campaign due to various problems.

End of the road

The English midfielder averages 1.95 passes that lead to a shot attempt per 90 minutes which isn’t awful, but when you’re playing for a team who’s fighting for the title you need to produce higher numbers.

When you compare his performances to the midfielders he is competing for a spot with, he comes out worst.

His pass completion percentage for this season is 78.9% which falls behind Henderson, Fabinho, Keita and Jones. As do his numbers for progressive carries which stands at 65, joint worst with Jones.

Earlier in his career he didn’t play as a midfielder, so he can be versatile. Indeed he was dubbed the “next James Milner” by reporter Raj Chohan and recently Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher suggested that the club should move him into the right-back position to cover for the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold.

If he’s to reignite his career on Merseyside he may just have to settle for that, or he could find more game time elsewhere.

Although he doesn’t look like someone who’s going to give up soon as recent reports said that he was offered the chance to leave Liverpool in January but that he decided to stay.

If that’s the case then it’s hard to see why, he’s still got some of his best years left so surely you would want to spend that at a club where you are playing week in and week out.

It appears Oxlade-Chamberlain feels he is good enough to be playing regularly for the Reds, his reaction was one of frustration when he was recently substituted during Liverpool’s FA quarter-final win against Nottingham Forest.

Even if he doesn’t move this summer, his contract expires in 2023, and as things stand he hasn’t done enough to merit a new one. Having cost FSG the best part of £60m when you combine his transfer fee and salary, it’s time for him to be axed from the squad.

IN other news: Liverpool eye record-breaking bid for £77m “special talent”, just imagine him & Jota…