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Sunderland may have sacked Jack Ross, but they don’t have anyone lined up to replace him, as reported by The Sunderland Echo.

Stewart Donald has been quoted as saying: “This is the reality of it: Jack has left the football club because I’ve made the judgement call that promotion this season has the best chance this season, potentially, with someone else.

“I’m gutted to say that and I’m sure Jack will come back from this stronger. Nothing has been pre-done, it hasn’t been done because of news on a takeover, we’re now starting fresh and we’ve got to find our new man and we’ve got to get it right.”While there is no concrete interest in one specific man, Daniel Stendel has emerged as an early option for the job, having got Barnsley promoted, with Donald admitting he could be someone the club looks at.

Ross came in following Sunderland’s second consecutive relegation and managed to stabilise the club, losing out in the play-offs to a 94th-minute goal from Patrick Bauer, as per Transfermarkt.

However, just having the club stabilised is no longer deemed enough, as indicated by Donald’s aforementioned comments, meaning that having the club sitting sixth in the League One table, having lost twice and failed to keep a single league clean sheet was not good enough.

Ross had lost the backing of many fans, as was indicated by the response he got following the Black Cats’ 2-0 loss against Lincoln City, the game that would prove to be his last as Sunderland manager.

The fact this decision has been made without a replacement being lined up indicates how much the Sunderland bosses felt Ross was underperforming.

Sunderland will need to move quickly to appoint someone, though the postponement of the Fleetwood Town match will give extra time for the new man to begin implementing their ideas once appointed.

Sunderland fans, was this the correct decision? Join the discussion by commenting below…

Jeremy Corbyn has hit back at Newcastle after the club responded to his comments criticising Mike Ashley, and Magpies fans are loving his stance.

The Labour leader spoke about protecting football clubs as they are “an institution at the heart of communities”, and targeted Ashley as an example of a billionaire owner who was “ruining our national game”.

Newcastle have defended themselves, pointing to their strong financial record and sustainable method of running the club, stating that other clubs are more guilty of improper practice.

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However, Corbyn took to Twitter to thank the club for sharing his quotes about Ashley ruining football, and many of the Newcastle faithful are pleased with the development.

Some are happy to see the 70-year-old show support to a fanbase which has opposed their owner for years, whilst one fan is happy that his message has helped to shine a spotlight on what some Magpies feel is insufficient ownership.

Here is some of the reaction from Newcastle fans, with many backing what Corbyn has said.

Football fans around the UK will have been very concerned when Daniel James went down with a head injury for Wales on Sunday.The Manchester United winger has been exceptional for the Red Devils this season, and it made for uncomfortable viewing as he went down while playing for his country.Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The 21-year-old was seemingly knocked unconscious after being poleaxed by two Croatia defenders, but after a quick examination, he was sent back onto the pitch.

Of course, concern was shown on social media after he was re-introduced to the match, and one man who knows all about head injuries seemed particularly worried.

Ryan Mason seemed very critical of the Wales medical team’s treatment of James, tweeting a shrug emoji to imply bemusement at how quickly he re-entered the fray. The former Spurs and Hull City ace was forced to retire due to a serious head injury.

Ever wondered how modern day skills would cope with the world’s oldest football? Find out in the video below…

With other sports such as American football and rugby taking serious precautions against concussion issues, this sort of incident highlights that football may need to take a look at its rulings around head injuries and player wellbeing.

Hugo Lloris will not feature for Tottenham Hotspur again in 2019, after dislocating his elbow against Brighton & Hove Albion, as has been reported by talkSPORT.

However, the Spurs captain seems to have remained in high spirits, with the club posting a video of the Frenchman greeting his teammates while he continues his rehabilitation:

The spirits of some Spurs fans are not as high as those of the 32-year-old though, with concerns around the team’s performances and the goalkeeper himself being aired in the replies.

Lloris has played 9 games across the Champions League and Premier League this campaign, conceding 17 goals and keeping just 1 clean sheet, as per Transfermarkt.

To make things worse, this comes in a season where Spurs have only won 3 games from 11 in all competitions so far.

Some fans are suggesting the club needs to buy a new goalkeeper to fix their problems, while there have been other suggestions that the Frenchman should be stripped of his captaincy.

A selection of Twitter reaction to the video, including posts from downhearted Spurs fans, can be seen below:

Spurs fans, do you still trust Lloris? Join the discussion by commenting 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…

Jamie Carragher believes Arsenal have gone backwards under Unai Emery, per Sky Sports via Football 365.

What’s he said?

The Gunners fell to a disappointing 1-0 loss to Sheffield United on Monday evening.

A first-half goal from Lys Mousset proved decisive as Emery’s side squandered the chance to move third in the Premier League table.

Former Liverpool defender Carragher, analysing the game for Sky Sports, was disappointed with the performance of the north Londoners.

Indeed, he insisted afterwards that the side have not noticeably improved since Arsene Wenger’s exit in 2018.

He said: “I don’t see anything different from when Arsene Wenger was there at the end. I don’t see it.

“In fact, at times it actually looks worse. I think Sheffield United played better football in the first half than Arsenal and I don’t think you would have seen that under Wenger.

“It’s still early in his second season, but I think we’re getting to that stage near Christmas where you think ‘is Unai Emery the right man to take Arsenal into his third season?’

“I think that’s how it is with Arsenal supporters and within the club. I just expected something different.

“It’s just like seeing the same stuff. A lot of the time a manager is brought in because the manager before is not getting X, Y or Z right. But they are still getting rolled over every time they play a big game.

“Their away record is two clean sheets in 24 games, eight wins in 24. What’s changed? Nothing has changed.”

Creativity void

Arsenal simply aren’t making enough chances under Emery.

Against the Blades, they had three shots on target. That’s with Nicolas Pepe, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and, at the end of the game, Alexandre Lacazette on the pitch.

Mesut Ozil, of course, was left out of the squad but Carragher is right; they simply didn’t play well enough and it’s difficult to know exactly what the former PSG boss is trying to achieve.

This was a version of Arsenal that was ultimately toothless in the face of a raucous Bramall Lane atmosphere.

Wenger, of course, had a similar problem when it came to motivating his side in the big games but the problem here is evident: Emery isn’t picking his best team or his most creative players.

One has to wonder why and how long he will be able to keep it up.

If Monday’s evidence is anything to go by, it won’t be long.

Leeds United fans on Twitter have been naming their price for Kalvin Phillips after rumours emerged that Manchester United were interested in the midfielder.

Of course, there were some ridiculous valuations from some supporters who quite clearly don’t want to see the Yorkshire Pirlo depart the club anytime soon.

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One Twitter user said that he’s worth at least £300m, while another quoted a price of over £600m with an extra £29,000.83 tacked onto the end for good measure.

Away from the ridiculous claims, we saw some more realistic valuations of what United fans would want for the midfielder.

One fan stated that he’d want at least £45m for Phillips, which isn’t too outrageous when you consider there were reports in the summer that the Red Devils were willing to pay £50m for John McGinn.

Others were more reserved in their valuations, stating that they’d be willing to let him go for around £15-£20m.

Whether or not Phillips leaves the Elland Road outfit remains to be seen, but if he does the Whites will certainly want a hefty fee for him.

Here’s what the Elland Road faithful have been saying on Twitter…

Arsenal fans want Gabriel Martinelli to start in the Premier League.

The Gunners faced Vitoria in the Europa League on Thursday and the Brazilian youngster netted in the 32nd minute, cancelling out Marcus Edwards’ opener.

Unai Emery’s men went on to win 3-2, with Nicolas Pepe scoring two late free-kicks, and supporters have called on the manager to give Martinelli a chance in the league.

The 18-year-old has made a total of three appearances in the top-flight but those appearances come to a mere 45 minutes of action, against Newcastle United, AFC Bournemouth and Sheffield United.

He has played 90 minutes against both Standard Liege and Vitoria, netting three goals, while he also scored twice in the 5-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup.

Arsenal face Crystal Palace this weekend before taking on Liverpool in the Carabao Cup – whether Emery will listen to the fans’ wishes grant him a first start in the top flight, however, remains to be seen.

Take a look at the best of the reaction 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…

Speaking to Norwegian publication Nettavisen, former Tottenham ace Erik Thorstvedt has labelled Christian Eriksen’s current situation at the club as a “disaster”.

What did he say?

The Denmark international has been the subject of intense transfer speculation in recent months, with reports earlier in the summer suggesting he was of interest to the likes of Manchester United and Real Madrid.

However, a move to either club failed to materialise before the end of the deadline, although his current contract with Spurs is still set to expire at the end of the season.

Now, Thorstvedt has slammed the north London side’s handling of the entire saga, and delivered an ominous warning as to how things may finally end.

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He said (as translated by Football.London): “There has been a lot of talk that it was good that they got to keep Eriksen – yeah right. It is a disaster for Tottenham to be left with the beard in the mailbox as they now do. A player with that value they must sell if he does not want to be in the club.

“He might have hoped that one of the big clubs in Spain would pick him up, but that didn’t happen. I think Tottenham had an offer for Eriksen, but he refused to go to the clubs that would bid on him and which Tottenham would sell to. What has been a fantastic Tottenham chapter for Christian Eriksen ends in a sour way. I don’t think there will be any doubt about that.”

The end is near

As the months continue to whittle down on the last embers of the Dane’s contract, Spurs should really already be planning for life without their instrumental play-maker. The 27-year-old has scored 67 times and provided a further 87 assists in 289 appearances across all competitions for the club, and he has been worth every penny of his £11.5m transfer fee for Pochettino’s side.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

But if they knew that the former Ajax man had no real intent on signing a long-term deal with the club, then they really should have acted upon it earlier on in the summer. Instead, they have been paying the price for their indecision, and risk letting one of they key performers in recent years join another club on a free transfer.

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… 

When Harry Maguire made his £80m arrival at Manchester United – a world-record fee for a defender – the club were no doubt hoping that he could help transform a back-line that had conceded 54 goals in the Premier League last season.

Speaking at the announcement of his signing, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer declared the Red Devils have snared one of the elite defenders in football.

“Harry is one of the best centre-backs in the game today. He is a great reader of the game and has a strong presence on the pitch, with the ability to remain calm under pressure. He will fit well into this group both on and off the pitch.”

Despite only arriving in the summer, the 26-year-old has already captained the club on occasion this season, most notably forgetting the pre-match coin toss when he had the armband on for the Europa League clash against Partizan Belgrade. It was a truly comical moment, but one that perhaps perfectly symbolises his early struggles at Old Trafford on-the-pitch. If United thought all their defensive worries would disappear with his arrival, then they have sorely been proven otherwise.

In his time at former club Leicester, he was an authoritative presence, taking charge of situations, as evidenced by his one tackle and 4.9 clearances per game. At United however, both those key defensive numbers have taken a sharp drop, with his tackling stat halving. Against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup, Michy Batshuayi’s equaliser provided a snapshot of Maguire’s indecisiveness. He looked to challenge the Belgian for the ball, and when he lost out, he failed to bring his man down and simply watched him power his way through for the equaliser.

Speaking back in the summer, the England international’s ex-teammate at Hull, Michael Dawson, remarked: “What makes him an £80m player is his distribution. He can bring the ball out from the back, he is comfortable in tight areas, he gets out of trouble. That is what makes him an elite player.”

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Unfortunately at Old Trafford, that has very much been a rarity. Maguire has completed 0.4 dribbles less than he did last season in the Premier League, and that perhaps comes down to a confidence issue. He simply hasn’t been his natural self, and in fact, one of the main assets of the 6 foot 4 man’s game is his prowess in the opposition box.

He struck three times for the Foxes the previous year, but this campaign has been littered with missed opportunities from set-pieces – most notably against Arsenal and Newcastle, when finding the back of the net could have been the difference between securing a win or avoiding a defeat respectively.

How much money could you make busking for a week as a freestyle footballer? Find out in the video below…

All in all, Maguire hasn’t enjoyed the impact many would have initially hoped for him at Old Trafford. Though it may be early stages yet in his United career, the 26-year-old has to dramatically improve his form to make the club’s £80m investment in him seem worthwhile.

TalkSPORT pundit Adrian Durham has blasted Pep Guardiola for not giving Phil Foden a fair enough crack at breaking into the Manchester City first team.

Foden has been used sporadically since making his debut in November 2017, with 45 appearances and eight goals across the last two years.

Durham seemed furious as Foden was an unused substitute in the weekend defeat to Liverpool, directing his ire at his Spanish manager for leaving such a talent on the bench so often.

He said on TalkSPORT: “Phil Foden is talked up – and I’m not saying he’s the saviour of City’s title challenge – but we’ll never know.

“He’s got three defeats under his belt, Pep Guardiola, in the Premier League – that’s probably going to mean they have no chance of winning the title this season.

“And Phil Foden’s been nowhere to be seen. He hasn’t been given a chance. That lack of chance given to Phil Foden is totally unacceptable. Why is Pep Guardiola so against giving Phil Foden a chance?”

Foden is well-known to Guardiola. He handed him his debut in the Champions League nearly two years ago, and even recently apologised to the teenager after impressing in one of many cameos in a City shirt to date.

Durham may not need to make Guardiola aware of the option Foden offers, but with an average of little over 39 minutes per appearance (as per Transfermarkt) you can see where the pundit’s anger stems from.

And for the City boss to afford such little time to a player he once labelled as ‘the most talented player he has ever seen’, his continued bit-part role at the club seems even more confusing.

Perhaps Guardiola has struggled to integrate the youngster into a team full to the brim with stars, but for a player who scored more than the likes of Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne last season, it seems the youngster has been hard done by despite his promising performances for City so far.

City fans, should Foden be playing more often? Let us know your thoughts below!