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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Seeing as it’s the international break, and talk has already begun about transfers at the City Ground, it would be a shame to miss out on the fun.

The goalkeeping position certainly has been one of much debate so far this season. As Paul Taylor put it in his latest column for The Athletic, ‘when the prospect of Nottingham Forest signing another goalkeeper cropped up in early August, there was borderline outrage among some fans… the question on many lips was Why?’’.

Whilst the club started off the season with Kosovan Aro Muric as the undisputed number one, with Sabri Lamouchi vehemently stating that Brice Samba was ‘for the future’, it took a while for him to be convinced to change his mind.

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But having been appointed as the number one during the Fulham game in late August, Samba has never looked back and has become a real fan favourite along the way, and when you have as many clean sheets as you do goals conceded, it’s not hard to see why.

So with Samba now the undisputed number one at the City Ground, barring a catastrophic run of mistakes in the future, it begs the question of what exactly is going to happen with the rest of the goalkeeping hierarchy.

Having spoken so highly of him last season, Pep Guardiola might not be too happy to see Muric sat on the bench, and with Preston North End reportedly looking at him over the summer, it wouldn’t be out of the realms of possibility to see him return to City sooner rather than later.

The possibility of departing also goes for Costel Pantilimon who was reportedly a target for Olympiacos in the summer having been the number one last season.

Thogden ranks all 24 Championship away kits in the video below…

Meanwhile, Jordan Smith at the age of 24 is at a ‘now or never’ stage when it comes to making a breakthrough for first-team action, so he may look to make a loan or permanent move elsewhere if he doesn’t feel his future is best suited in the Midlands.

It seems as though there could be either a lot of movement or no movement at all in January. Whilst Forest may know what their Plan A is, it seems as though Plan B might not be so straight forward – they must address this before January.

For a team with several options in their goalkeeping department, everything feels a bit uncertain.

“Now we are talking.”

Traore seems to be happy with fact that he’s been upgraded to a rating of 80 rather than his original 74.

There’s a lot for the winger to be happy about with his stats as well. The pace rating of 97 makes him the fastest player in the game.

It seems as if this upgrade will spur the Spaniard on to improve even further, as he says that he will keep working hard to be the best that he can be.

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…

Noel Whelan has heaped praise on Liverpool forward Sadio Mane, but suggested the winger could leave the Reds for one of the La Liga giants.

What’s he said?

The BBC pundit spoke to Football Insider about the Senegal international, who was on the score-sheet again on Wednesday night against Red Bull Salzburg.

“What a player, he’s incredible. He is so dangerous, the worst nightmare for any defender. Everyone talks about Mohamed Salah but Mane looks the man and the biggest threat of all.

“He’s so quick and elusive, and unpredictable, too. He scores goals from inside and outside the box, sets them up, takes players on. He can do everything. He would walk into every team in the world – Man City, Real Madrid. Anyone.

“He is worth £150million now. His commodity is massive at the moment.

“Would Liverpool cash in? Well, they sold Coutinho and Suarez, so there’s always that possibility of a Spanish move. He’s such a unique talent, he’s the one you think they will sell if anyone.”

Hard to disagree

Pretty much everything the former Coventry City and Leeds United striker said is spot on.

It would hurt Liverpool fans to lose Mane. His down-to-earth personality combined with his world-class talent and killer instinct on the pitch have forged a bit of a cult hero, and he fully deserved that Champions League medal last season.

That said, when the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona come calling, even while both are in much worse condition than Liverpool at the moment, it is hard to turn down due to the sheer amount of money on offer.

Cesc Fabrgeas showed just how highly Mane is thought of on the continent earlier this week, anointing him one of the three best players in the world, and if the Spaniard’s former club agree with that verdict, then a fee of around £150m, as Whelan suggests, seems reasonable.

For all of Mane’s qualities, he will be 28 by the end of this campaign, and Liverpool have shown before with Philippe Coutinho that under the guidance of Michael Edwards and Jurgen Klopp they know full well how to reinvest a big transfer fee into the right areas.

If either of the La Liga titans were to stump up £150m, the Reds may well be tempted to take it and replace their superstar with a younger model like Jadon Sancho.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Injury News series, which considers the impact of the latest updates on players’ fitness

Charlton could well be without their star man Lyle Taylor for the game against Birmingham this weekend, after the forward suffered an injury while on international duty with Montserrat.

Taylor, the Addicks’ top scorer so far this term with five goals, played in his nation’s CONCACAF Nations League win over the Dominican Republic on Saturday but missed Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Saint Lucia.

Taylor returned to south London after cutting his international commitments short due to the injury.

How bad is it?

Not too bad it seems, although Bowyer could not give confirmation on whether or not the 29-year-old would be available for this weekend’s game.

The 42-year-old said: “It’s just a precaution.

“We are going to try and get him out training tomorrow and see how he responds to that.”

While that doesn’t sound like the worst update in the world, it doesn’t appear as if the 29-year-old is a surefire bet to appear against Birmingham.

Chance for Tomer Hemed to shine

Former Brighton striker Tomer Hemed joined the south Londoners this summer after the Seagulls agreed to terminate his contract at the Amex Stadium, due to the 32-year-old’s desire to play regular football.

Two substitute appearances for the Addicks – 45 minutes on his debut against Brentford and nine minutes against Reading – is all that the Israel international has managed so far, with Bowyer saying towards the end of August that Hemed needs to get a bit more match fitness under his belt before he can start games.

However, having had a full international break to work on his fitness, one would assume that Hemed is ready for a start in Taylor’s absence.

There is no doubting Hemed’s pedigree at this level. He notched 17 goals for Brighton in the 2015/16 season, and also netted 11 goals as the Seagulls won promotion back in the 2016/17 campaign.

He has netted 93 goals across his career and has an impressive 17 goals in 38 appearances for his country – he certainly knows where the back of the net is. Last season, while on loan at QPR, he scored seven goals in the Championship.

With star man Taylor potentially out injured, this could be Hemed’s chance to shine from the first whistle.

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Norwich City fans have taken to Twitter to show their love for inform striker Teemu Pukki.

Norwich striker Teemu Pukki unsurprisingly claimed the Player of the Month for the Canaries after the 29-year-old netted five goals in the four Premier League of August. [WhoScored]

The award comes two days after Pukki also bagged the EA Sports Player of the Month and became just the 10th player in Premier League history to score in his first three appearances in the competition, whilst also becoming the first Finnish player to win the award since Mikael Forssell in March 2004.

Indeed, Pukki has continued his breathtaking form from last season and has established himself as one of the league’s top scorers during the early stages, as Sergio Aguero and Tammy Abraham oneÂahead of him on seven goals each.

Most recently, although not in August, Pukki scored the third and decisive goal in the historic victory over Manchester City, and fans just can’t get enough of their main man right now.

Here’s how they reacted to his POTM award…

Developing young players before selling them on for a healthy profit and reinvesting the funds is an extremely viable way for middling clubs to compete with football’s elite – just ask Leicester City.

It’s a tactic that Crystal Palace haven’t employed enough throughout their recent history, but one homegrown talent has bucked the trend in dramatic fashion.

During the summer of 2019, Aaron Wan-Bissaka made the switch from his boyhood club to English giants Manchester United in a £49.5m deal.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling and an honour to call myself a Manchester United player and something I know that only a small number of players have the privilege to say,” the now 23-year-old said following his unveiling.

It was also a move which left his former club grinning from ear to ear. Wan-Bissaka had joined the Eagles for free as a youngster and rose through the academy ranks of the south London club before making his first team debut back in 2018.

After making just 46 senior appearances for Palace, chairman Steve Parish was able to secure the biggest transfer fee that the Eagles have ever received for a player – and by a considerable distance.

However, it’s what the club’s chief did with the proceeds afterwards which makes Wan-Bissaka’s exit such a worthwhile one.

One the next two years, Parish brought in Eberechi Eze, Odsonne Edouard and Joachim Andersen all within the fee that Palace’s most profitable academy graduate fetched.

His departure left room in the budget for Marc Guehi, Will Hughes and Michael Olise to further enhance new manager Patrick Vieira’s squad, allowing Palace to progress and dream of punching above their weight in a similar vein to Leicester.

Letting go of the £90,000-per-week Wan-Bissaka when he did meant that Parish struck gold over the right-back’s sale, securing a better future for the Selhurst Park outfit as a result.

In other news… 75% duels won, 96 touches: Palace monster shines on the international stage

Southampton have only managed to score five goals in their opening seven Premier League games of the season and have yet to secure their first win of the campaign.

This says to us that not only have Southampton had some difficulty putting the ball in the back of the net so far this season, but it also says that they could do with as many attacking options as possible at their disposal.

One attacker they won’t have in their squad this season is 22-year-old striker Dan N’Lundulu who is currently on a loan spell with League One side Lincoln City.

However, the fact that Southampton don’t have N’Lundulu in their squad this season doesn’t seem much of a disadvantage for the Saints.

That’s because he hasn’t managed to score a goal or provide an assist for Michael Appleton’s side so far this season, despite having seven appearances and a total 406 minutes of playing time under his belt.

N’Lundulu joined Southampton’s academy back in 2013 from Chelsea’s youth side for an undisclosed fee. After working his way through Southampton’s youth system, the striker eventually made his senior debut for the Saints in October 2020 in a 2-0 Premier League victory against Everton.

Overall, the striker, who is currently valued at £1.35m according to Transfermarkt, has made 16 appearances across all competitions in which he has managed to score just one goal.

Clearly blessed with enormous promise, he needs to improve in order to live up to that potential. At the moment, he will be doing little to catch the eye of coaches at St Mary’s, let alone Hasenhuttl who will no doubt be frustrated.

The Austrian clearly rates him highly, however, praising the youngster’s qualities last term:

“He’s a type of striker we don’t have in our side so far. He gives us physical options, can keep the ball very well,” he said.

“They [other U23 players] are more and more adapted to what we are doing here in the first team and it is nice to see when they are coming out, they are now on a different level.”

While N’Lundulu may not have had the ideal start to his loan deal with Lincoln, the fact that he has played through the majority of their three previous league games shows that he is getting the opportunity to play.

Consequently, it may just be a matter of time before he opens his goal tally for the club, which would be great for all parties involved.

Moving forward, if N’Lundulu can turn his fortunes around and end his loan spell with Lincoln on a high note with a significant number of goals and assists to his name before returning to Southampton, this could potentially put him in the frame to be given more opportunities to play in their first team if Hasenhuttl believes he is capable of doing so.

In other news: Ralph masterclass: Southampton beast has seen his value increase by 125% since signing – opinion

Wolverhampton Wanderers will definitely ‘look into the possibility’ of signing summer target Renato Sanches in January, according to Alex Dicken. 

The lowdown

Wolves had hoped to sign Sanches on a season-long loan on Deadline Day, but walked away from the deal when the extent of the player’s current injury emerged.

The midfielder has missed Lille’s last five matches with a knee problem.

Having pulled out of the move, Wolves failed to add a senior central midfielder to their ranks during the summer.

Sanches has earned rave review, with former Everton and Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell calling him a ‘powerhouse’.

The latest

The report states that Sanches was Lage’s top target, viewed as ‘the missing ingredient’ in the middle of the park.

Lille were willing to part with the player with financial reasons.

He’s ‘certain’ to remain on Wolves’ radar come January, but there’s also likely to be greater competition for his signature once he is fully fit.

The verdict

Sanches would be a real coup for Wolves, even if his lengthy injury history makes the move risky.

You would expect there to be rival offers from some European heavyweights off the back of his mightily impressive performances for Ligue 1 champions Lille and of course Portugal.

There’s an exciting project building at Molineux though, with Wolves playing some captivating football in the early matches of Lage’s tenure, despite the points not quite flying in yet.

In other news, Tim Spiers reveals the changes Lage has made.

Real Madrid ace Vinicius Junior sent a strong message to Valencia fans after scoring at the Mestalla, having been racially abused there last season.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Vinicius subjected to racist abuse last season
• Raised his fist to Valencia fans
• Real aiming to stay at top of La Liga

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Vinicius scored for Real Madrid on the stroke of half-time against Valencia, as he bundled in at the back post to make it 2-1 at the Mestalla. He grabbed the ball to go in search of an equaliser but first, he raised his fist towards the home fans, in an already-iconic celebration that carries plenty of meaning.

  Last season, the Brazil superstar was racially abused at the stadium, and his black power celebration is one of both solidarity and strength.

  In the second half, Vinicius levelled proceedings and again gesticulated towards the home supporters, with his strike given after a lengthy VAR check.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  La Liga punished Valencia after their fans racially abused Vinicius, fining them £45,000 and demanding that one stand was closed for five games. An appeal, though, saw that altered to a fine of £25,000, with the stand instead closed for three games. One has to wonder if Vinicius' celebration was also aimed at La Liga, who have taken a frankly pathetic stance on racist abuse suffered by black players under their watch.

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  Vinicius has been in excellent form for Real this season and has scored 12 goals in all competitions, while also laying on seven assists. Real's only defeat in La Liga this season – against Atletico Madrid – came when the star was absent due to a hamstring injury.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Real play RB Leipzig in the Champions League in midweek as they aim to reach the quarter-finals. They lead 1-0 from the first leg in Germany.

A tactical change allowed the Reds right-back more licence going forward, and that helped change the game and secure a vital victory

Conor Bradley starred as goals from Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz and Harvey Elliott sealed a memorable comeback victory for Liverpool against Luton Town on Wednesday, and in turn moved Jurgen Klopp's side four points clear at the Premier League summit.

Klopp was forced into naming a nearly unrecognisable team at Anfield with 11 of his first-team players out injured, and Liverpool's new-look side made a stuttering start, allowing the hosts a rare sight of goal from a fairly basic throw-in routine. Chiedozie Ogbene turned home after Caoimhin Keller parried Tahith Chong's effort, and Liverpool struggled to bounce back in a first half so tense that Klopp felt the need to rally the home crowd.

Diaz's wayward efforts characterised a frontline that misfired in Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez's absence, and the Reds' frustration manifested in countless long-range efforts that, more often than not, flew wide of the goal.

That would all change, though, as whatever Klopp said to his players at half-time did the trick. Liverpool turned the game around in typical style, an ode to some of their famous midweek games at Anfield under the lights.

Two goals in three minutes from Van Dijk and Gakpo turned the game on its head – and eased the crowd off Liverpool's back. Diaz then got the goal that his countless efforts deserved, while Elliott rounded out the scoring in the last-minute to complete what, in the end, seemed a comfortable victory.

Three points, four goals scored and no injuries of note – not a bad way to prepare for Sunday's Carabao Cup showdown against Chelsea!

GOAL rates Liverpool's players from Anfield…

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  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Caoimhin Kelleher (6/10):

  His unorthodox save from Chong put the ball in the path for Ogbene's goal, but it would seem harsh to pin the blame solely on him. Rarely tested apart from that strike.

  Conor Bradley (8/10):

  Defensive work was generally solid but it was his ability going forward that changed the game. Picked up more progressive positions in the second half and Liverpool's attack looked far more threatening for it. Great quick thinking from the throw-in for Gakpo's goal, and left the field to a standing Anfield ovation.

  Jarell Quansah (6/10):

  Covered out wide when needed in a classy defensive display. Looked assured when bringing the ball out from the back, too.

  Virgil van Dijk (7/10):

  Went about his business fairly comfortably before popping up with the equaliser – a vital goal in this game before the eventual cruise. Could've had a second from an identical position, but for Kaminski's heroics.

  Joe Gomez (5/10):

  The weakest of Liverpool's backline. Slow to the rebound for Ogbene's opener and offered far less than Bradley going forward. Oblivious to runners in behind and incapable of dealing with Ogbene's pace at times.

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  Midfield

  Alexis Mac Allister (7/10):

  Was enjoying a quiet evening before his two assists in three minutes. Offered a delightful cross for Van Dijk's equaliser and was razor sharp for Gakpo's header. Two crucial contributions from the Argentine.

  Wataru Endo (6/10):

  Helped Liverpool turn over the ball successfully so often before being let down by poor finishing. Gakpo should have converted his delicate through-ball late on.

  Ryan Gravenberch (6/10):

  Won the ball well in the press and linked up play well, albeit in a midfield that was afforded plenty of space. Overall solid display.

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  Attack

  Harvey Elliott (7/10):

  Started the game with immense confidence but tailed off after the opening 20 minutes. More effective dropping back into midfield, and did eventually get his goal late on. What a way to mark your 100th Liverpool appearance.

  Cody Gakpo (7/10):

  Like many Liverpool players, was heading towards a subpar display before a crucial goal. Showed great alertness to latch onto Mac Allister's cross. Should've had a second late on, though.

  Luis Diaz (6/10):

  Forgot his shooting boots in the first half but was back to his typical dangerous self in the second. Stunning solo strike papered over several poor misses. Klopp will hope Diaz takes his second-half form, not his first, to Wembley on Sunday.

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  Subs & Manager

  Andrew Robertson (6/10):

  Brought on for Bradley midway through the second half. Got an assist for Diaz's goal barely three minutes after coming on.

  Bobby Clark (6/10):

  Substituted for Gravenberch with 15 minutes remaining. Rarely touched the ball as Liverpool saw out what ended up being a comfortable victory.

  James McConnell (N/A):

  Brought on for Mac Allister but too late to make an impact.

  Jayden Danns (N/A):

  Brought on for Diaz to make his Liverpool debut, albeit too late to make an impact.

  Jurgen Klopp (8/10):

  Asked the crowd to up the ante in a nervous 45 minutes and undoubtedly demanded the same from his players at the break. And whatever the German said worked, with a seriously depleted Liverpool squad picking up vital points – when at first it didn't look so comfortable.