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In an exclusive with Football FanCast, Kevin Phillips, who made 513 career appearances, believes Sunderland star Luke O’Nien is similar to James Milner and will be a dream for Lee Johnson to have in his squad.

O’Nien has featured predominantly at centre back since Bailey Wright’s injury, and Phillips believes having a player that can fill in at a number of different positions is a manager’s dream.

The 26-year old has played centre back, right back, right wing-back, right midfield and centre midfield for Sunderland this season, highlighting his versatility which has been a big advantage for the Black Cats when they’ve suffered injuries in key areas.

Speaking on what O’Nien is like as a player and person, Phillips also told FFC exclusively about how the natural wing-back has adapted his game this season:

“He’s one of those players, a bit like James Milner that can just play anywhere.

“Yeah, he’s a good honest lad and pro from what I hear, and he’s a lovely kid who takes on board whatever the manager is saying.

“With the players that Sunderland have missed through injury, like the influential Bailey Wright, of course, he’s had to step up and do a job, and he’s done it while adapting very well at the same time.

“I think he’s a huge player for them. He’s every manager’s dream to have one of those players that you can just rely on to play anywhere.”

O’Nien was out of the squad in December and January which saw Sunderland win just two out of seven games in the league, such as the 26-year olds influence on the team.

Playing alongside Dion Sanderson, who has also impressed this season, will have helped O’Nien adapt to his new surroundings at centre back.

Steve Bruce shouldn’t rue Crystal Palace holding preliminary talks to sign Newcastle United target Radu Dragusin of Juventus.

What’s the word?

According to the Evening Standard, Eagles chiefs have held preliminary discussions with Dragusin to sound out the defender’s interest in a pre-contract agreement.

The 19-year-old is set to leave the Allianz Stadium as a free-agent this summer and thus is able to begin negotiating potential deals with would-be suitors, of which the Selhurst Park natives are not alone.

Corriere dello Sport, via Sport Witness, reported earlier this month that Newcastle and Bundesliga side RB Leipzig are also keen on the centre-half, who has earned Andrea Pirlo’s backing at Juventus despite his low ranking in the Turin pecking order.

The Old Lady are also said to be confident that a potential new contract can be thrashed out, and that an agreement to stay with the Serie A giants can be achieved quickly.

However, the Evening Standard add that Dragusin is keen to play more regularly having only made four first-team outings for the Bianconeri this term, of which his mere two starts each came in the Coppa Italia before being benched for both Semi-Final legs against Inter Milan.

Pirlo handed Dragusin his senior debut against Dynamo Kyiv during a Champions League Group Stage tie in December, before awarding the Romania U19 international a one-minute cameo at Genoa CFC for his only taste of Italian top-flight action to date.

Should Newcastle sign Dragusin?

Pirlo played with some of the best centre-backs in modern football history in Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Nesta, Thiago Silva and Giorgio Chiellini, so he knows a good defender when he sees one, thus Dragusin must at least have some potential to catch the Italian’s eye.

However, there can be no guarantees that Dragusin is either ready to make the step-up to first-team football or if he will make the step up successfully, having only played 231 minutes of senior action to date in his, albeit brief, career.

The teenager’s appearances in the Coppa Italia were also heavily focused on the right-hand side of the pitch rather than through the centre, and saw Dragusin offer little consistency to merit a place in either Semi-Final encounter with Inter Milan.

Against Genoa, Dragusin impressed over the full 120 minutes as the tie went to extra-time, with a 100% duel success rate thanks to winning all five ground contests and each of his three aerial challenges, per SofaScore. He also took a mammoth 111 touches, completed 89% of his 92 passes, made four successful tackles and four interceptions, while never committing a foul.

Yet against SPAL, as Juve won 4-0, Dragusin could only win one of his six ground duels and was beaten in the air during his only contest, while completing just 38 of 45 passes. He further made just one successful tackle and was dribbled past three times, committed a foul and offered two interceptions.

Among Newcastle’s current crop of defenders, only Jamaal Lascelles (0.79), Fabian Schar (0.75) and Paul Dummett (0.67) offer less than one successful tackle per game in the Premier League, while Dragusin would rank first for interceptions and second for fouls committed. Federico Fernandez (2.25), Schar (2.13) and Ciaran Clark (1.71) offer the highest number of ground duels won by Toon centre-backs.

So, if Palace are moving to beat Newcastle to the punch and sign Dragusin, there’s no guarantee that he would be able to make the move a successful one. Instead, he could be just another Achraf Lazaar.

Newcastle released Lazaar at the close of the recent winter transfer market, having made just 10 first-team appearances in four-and-a-half-years at St. James’ Park following a £2m move from Serie A side Palermo.

AND in other news, Newcastle eye free-transfer of electric live-wire chased by several Premier League sides…

According to a report by Football League World, GSB and West Ham United remain interested in signing Blackburn Rovers star Adam Armstrong this summer – with the Englishman on a shortlist alongside three other options for David Moyes. 

GSB and West Ham eyeing Armstrong

Indeed, sources have told FLW that the Irons are still eyeing a swoop for Armstrong – and Blackburn will apparently accept a fee of around £20 million for his services.

The 24-year-old, who has scored an impressive 19 goals whilst notching three assists in 32 Championship appearances this season (Transfermarkt), before today’s action, is reportedly being watched as well as a trio of other forwards.

West Ham have been told by this report the price they will need to pay to sign him this summer, but face stiff competition from Steve Bruce and Newcastle United.

Transfer Tavern take

This comes after an ExWHUemployee claim made back in January, with the club insider revealing that West Ham ‘especially rate’ Armstrong (Patreon).

Speaking to Football Insider, pundit Gabriel Agbonlahor also branded the attacker as a potentially ‘perfect signing’ for the east Londoners.

Time will tell whether West Ham’s interest heats up in the summer or if a more formal approach will be made, but he certainly appears on the radar.

In other news: West Ham fans flocked to ‘excellent news’, find out more here.

When Arsenal take on Crystal Palace at the Emirates this evening, Mikel Arteta will have to make a big selection call.

Thomas Partey has returned to first-team training and Gunners fans will no doubt be keen to see their summer signing get back on the pitch but rather than the Ghana international, it’s Granit Xhaka who is arguably more important and thus, he needs to start.

Xhaka’s influence on this Arsenal side was so clear to see in the Gunners’ FA Cup third round triumph over Newcastle last time out. The Switzerland international started the game on the bench, and they toiled away, failing to create an opening.

And then, when the midfielder was brought on, Arsenal began stitching things together in the middle of the park. As per Sofascore, he completed 22 more passes than the man he replaced in the second-half Joe Willock, despite playing ten fewer minutes.

Xhaka came on and gave control of the game to Arsenal, whilst he proved that he is also getting more defensively disciplined by winning six duels – Willock won the same amount, but he contested three more duels than the Swiss ace (15 to 12).

Arsenal improved when he came on and the Gunners ran out 2-0 winners, with the 28-year-old playing a pivotal role in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s goal when he slipped through Kieran Tierney for the eventual assist.

Described as a “natural leader” by Arteta, the Gunners boss also hailed the £35m man’s attitude, saying: “(The other players) need to have the personality and work rate that he has. The courage to face their problems and slowly knock down that wall and start to enjoy this profession the way he deserves.”

And that’s something Arsenal’s former scout, Francis Cagigao, further raved about to the The Athletic, declaring: “First and foremost, you saw his passing ability. Then his character. When I say ‘character’, it’s the fact that he always wants the ball. He’s extremely brave, he never hides. Even in moments when his team are under the cosh and a lot of players won’t accept responsibility, he always will.”

Against Palace tonight, with the Gunners searching for a fourth successive win in the Premier League, they will need every bit of that character.

The north London side have already been hurt by the Eagles before at the Emirates when things were going well – who can ever forget when Wilfried Zaha embarrassed them and saw the Gunners spiral out of top four contention under Unai Emery a couple of years ago? In fact, Arsenal haven’t beaten Palace in their last four meetings between the two sides, so they’ve become a bit of a bogey team as well in recent times.

The Gunners can’t risk something like that again, especially when they’ve just hit a good run of form. It’s exactly why more than the returning Partey, Arteta must start his “natural leader” so that the north London side have a better chance of taking home all three points.

Whilst Partey’s time will come, dropping him straight back in at this point in time would be a big risk, so Arteta should go with his hot hand and select Xhaka from the off.

Meanwhile, Arsenal could find another Gabriel Martinelli in this teenager…

With the transfer window due to close on Monday evening, Sunderland have been busy in the last few days.

They welcomed Jake Vokins from Southampton on loan, while they also brought Jordan Jones to the Stadium of Light for a temporary stint from Rangers. Though, it looks like they aren’t done there.

What’s the word?

It’s been well documented this month that Sunderland would love to sign a new striker. Their hopes of doing so were dealt a blow on Friday when it was claimed they had a bid rejected for Ross County’s Ross Stewart.

However, they made a second bid and on Saturday, that was reported to have been accepted.

It’s thought that a deal for the 24-year-old will cost in the region of £300,000 with personal terms now being discussed between the player and the football club.

This will be a big relief to Kristjaan Speakman and co.

The new Fletcher

Before anything else this month, the Mackems needed a centre-forward. Will Grigg and Danny Graham have scored just once between them this season and the brunt of the workload has been done by Charlie Wyke.

The former Bradford striker has been sensational this term, scoring 12 strikes in League One. He also offers plenty in transitional phases, winning 4.2 aerial duels per match.

By signing Stewart from Ross County, they will be getting a very similar player, coincidentally, one that also has shades of Steven Fletcher.

The Scottish striker scored 23 times in 108 outings for the Black Cats and like Wyke and Stewart, was prolific in the air. In his first season in the northeast, Fletcher won an average of five aerial duels per game and in his final campaign at the club, he won four.

Sunderland’s current target is also Scottish and knows how to win a battle when the ball is off the ground. In fact, he’s even better than Fletcher and Wyke in that regard, winning an average of 5.5 duels per match this season.

The Ross County striker hasn’t been too prolific this term, scoring six goals, but he does provide a game-changing trait. His former manager Stuart Kettlewell once said: “He’s an intelligent guy, which is rare in football and he takes on messages well because he has a burning desire to reach the next level.”

With the creativity Sunderland possesses in the likes of Aiden McGeady and Aiden O’Brien, there’s no reason why Stewart can’t reach the next level in England.

He is still young, he’s hungry and importantly, he suits the club’s style of play.

Target men like Wyke and Fletcher have already succeeded in the red and white – now it’s time for Stewart to do the same.

AND in other news, Speakman could find Sunderland’s new Wyke with swoop for “fantastic” 27 y/o…

Newly-appointed West Brom boss Sam Allardyce has been thrown straight into the deep end for his first game in charge of the Baggies as they welcome an arch-rival to the Hawthorns this evening.

The 66-year-old has it all to do if he’s to salvage something from Albion’s woeful start in the Premier League, and it begins with an encounter against Dean Smith’s high-flying Aston Villa.

He replaced the axed Slaven Bilic earlier in the week despite the Croatian steering his side to an impressive 1-1 draw at Manchester City.

It’ll be interesting to see what sort of lineup Big Sam selects as his next survival bid takes shape – here’s the XI we’re predicting tonight…

Allardyce is known for his direct style so there may well be a change in system, though he’s expected to be without a quintet of Baggies stars.

The influential Matheus Pereira is serving the third and final match of his suspension while defensive duo Kyle Bartley and Conor Townsend are still on the treatment table, as is Sam Field and Hal Robson-Kanu.

We’re likely to see no change between the sticks, so Sam Johnstone keeps his place but there could be a recall for Premier League veteran Branislav Ivanovic to partner Semi Ajayi at centre-back. Kieran Gibbs and Darnell Furlong should continue at full-back.

In midfield, we’re expecting Jake Livermore to take up a place alongside Conor Gallagher as a two-man engine room. The pair are the perfect box-to-box types to play Big Sam’s 4-4-2 formation.

It means Grady Diangana also keeps his place on the left, though there may be a shock return for 32-year-old outcast Kamil Grosicki as he comes in for Matty Phillips on the right.

Allardyce could also make a huge call in attack, dropping the out-of-sorts Karlan Grant for Charlie Austin with Callum Robinson also returning to the XI in the fourth and final change to partner him up top.

Romaine Sawyers will therefore join the likes of Filip Krovinovic, Lee Peltier and Kyle Edwards on the bench.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Sam Allardyce tipped to bring Premier League striker to West Brom in January…

Glasgow Rangers must do everything in their power to prevent Allan McGregor from walking away for free at the end of the season as his performances between the sticks have surely warranted him a new deal.

The veteran goalkeeper’s contract with the club will run out at the end of this season and it’s becoming clearer and clearer that Ross Wilson simply must tie him down to a new contract after his recent run of form.

McGregor has been a big part of the Gers’ resurgence in form since the start of the season, with a strong showing against Celtic in the first Old Firm derby of the season before he kept his third consecutive clean sheet in the league against St. Mirren at Ibrox.

And his latest display against the Saints in his 400th appearance for the club is further proof to justify such a deal, as he continues to be a ballast at the back for Steven Gerrard’s side.

Against Saints, he had a far more comfortable afternoon than his previous trip to Paisley, after he recovered from an early spill to erase the memory of the humiliating defeat at the hands of Jim Goodwin’s side in the Betfred Cup.

Per SofaScore, the 38-year-old received a high rating of 7.5 out of ten for his efforts – the third-highest rating behind Connor Goldson and Alfredo Morelos – he made three saves, including two saves inside the box, one clearance, won 100% of his duels overall, and was fouled twice.

Former Rangers fullback Alan Hutton has heaped praise on his former teammate, saying: “He’s genuinely been unbelievable.

“He’s up there for player of the year in my opinion. Some of the games he’s saved Rangers in, it’s been frightening.”

Despite his age, McGregor has continued to show that he can be a big game player for the Gers, which will no doubt prove to be useful as Gerrard juggles the challenges of managing both domestic and European campaigns.

It would be a surprise to see him leave as a free agent at the ned of this season, considering the lack of genuine options Gerrard has at his disposal, with Jon McLaughlin heavily linked with the Ibrox exit, and if he can help the Gers regain the title for the first time since the 2010-11 season, he may have written his name in the club’s history books forever.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers defender Filip Helander badly let Gerrard down vs St. Mirren…

Celtic could be slipping into extremely hot water following recent comments from star player Odsonne Edouard. The French striker has been out of action recently due to a positive coronavirus test and it has definitely shown in their performances of late.

The Hoops have struggled since their defeat to Rangers in the Old Firm at Celtic Park and Neil Lennon has come under a lot of scrutiny.

Things could be about to go from bad to worse, with Edouard now discussing a potential move away from the Premiership champions.

Celtic could lose Edouard

Many clubs have been linked to a move for the 22-year-old, who has firmly said that he is currently focusing on this season with Celtic. However, that isn’t to say his future lies with the Scottish outfit.

“I’ve been here for three years, and for sure when the time comes I’ll think about leaving, look for a higher league,” Edouard told Telefoot (via Daily Record). He went on to say that “when the right time comes” he will consider his options regarding a move away from Celtic Park.

This will certainly be a worrying thought for Lennon, who already has a lot on his plate. If Edouard opts to leave the club after this season, the Hoops will need to put their back into scouting out a worthy replacement. The France international already has five goalscoring contributions in seven league appearances this season, continuing his fiery form from last time out.

Last campaign, Edouard notched an astonishing 21 goals and 12 assists in 27 Premiership games (via Transfermarkt). It’s no wonder he has turned heads with these numbers and if Celtic cannot rectify their form this term, the in-form forward may be too tempted to look elsewhere for success.

Whilst the Premiership is dominated by the Hoops, this time they could fall short to Steven Gerrard’s Rangers. Should they lose out on the title to their arch rivals, that could be the deal-breaker to send Edouard into the arms of another club.

If Lennon cannot improve the club’s form, a new deal must be considered. At the moment, the striker is earning £19,000 per week, according to salarysport.com. A bumper new contract with a pay rise could be enough to keep Edouard in the team, but Lennon and co must act fast before an elite side comes knocking.

In other news, Albian Ajeti was a disappointment for Celtic in another Neil Lennon switch up…

Glasgow Rangers manager Steven Gerrard must give Kai Kennedy the time to shine at Ibrox as he has impressed John Robertson ever since he arrived at Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

What’s the word?

Speaking to The Press and Journal, the ICT manager admits he is pleased with Kennedy’s progress at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium. Robertson said:

“I’ll show my age – I think he goes back to the tanner ball player we know in Scotland, such as Jimmy Johnstone, Willie Johnstone and Davie Cooper. He beats people for fun and gets out of tight situations – he’s a crowd-pleaser.”

“Even in training when we see him getting the ball, he excites us. He goes past players and we think he’s going to lose it, then the next minute he wriggles away and he has created something,” he added.

“Kai at times looks like a wee ragamuffin as he just bounces about, but he goes past people and excites people. That’s the type of player we wanted to come.”

Reports in recent times claimed that Kennedy could sign a new long-term contract after fresh talks with his boyhood club, having failed to reach an agreement over an extension in the summer, amid interest from clubs across the continent.

In a dramatic turn of events, Rangers chiefs have reopened talks with his representatives, and if the rumours turn out to be true, are expected to rebuff any attempts to sign him in the winter transfer window, despite his first-team chances being few and far between under Gerrard so far.

Time to shine

The Ibrox boss has afforded the teenager just 9 minutes of first-team action in total for the Gers with a brief cameo from the bench in the Scottish Cup in the 2-0 win over Stanraer last season, whilst he joined Inverness on loan last month in a deal which will end in January.

In only six appearances, the 18-year-old dynamo has already registered his first assist for Caley Thistle in all competitions so far this season.

Kennedy is believed to be relaxed about his situation as he is confident he can regain Gerrard’s trust, providing he impresses during his time on loan at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium.

Former Rangers manager Alex McLeish insisted he has only heard “really good things about him”, saying he is “really confident” in an interview with Ibrox News earlier this week.

If the backroom staff at the Govan stadium share the same view, surely Gerrard must realise that he has to start giving Kennedy chances to show what he can do in the senior side, rather than letting the talented teen slip through his fingers. He will want to avoid making the same mistake his predecessor Pedro Caixinha made with Billy Gilmour, that’s for sure.

The Liverpool legend has spoken admirably about his potential in the past, once describing him as a “fabulous little player” after impressing in training alongside the rest of the first team squad. He said: “He earned the right to be the 19th man. His training performances and his cameo against Leicester – I was thinking about putting him in the 18. All of our lads at the academy should take note of what he’s done this week. I think he’s been outstanding.”

“He’s been the most consistent and he’s a fabulous little player. It wasn’t just a token gesture because he’s a kid.

“It’s also to send a message to some of the players who are outside of the 18 that Kai was next from what I seen the majority of this week in training. He deserved to be out there.”

Despite these comments, Kennedy has still found his chances hard to come by at his boyhood club, which is why he was allowed to join the Championship side on loan until January. If the Gers reject bids for the winger, then Gerrard will simply have to start giving the highly-rated teenager more game time than he has currently been offered so far.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers suffer transfer setback as Newcastle may offer Jacob Murphy new deal…

Many Everton fans have been left buzzing as Dominic Calvert-Lewin was named the Premier League Player Of The Month (POTM) for September.

Indeed, it just keeps getting better and better for the 23-year old, who capped up his first call-up to the senior England national team with a debut goal versus Ryan Giggs’ Wales side on Thursday.

The call-up was a testament to just how well Calvert-Lewin has started the 2020/21 term, and last month the striker scored no fewer than five goals in just three games in the top flight, as per Transfermarkt.

This included a hat-trick against Slaven Bilic’s West Brom, as Calvert-Lewin also managed to bag himself another hat-trick when he played West Ham United in a 4-1 win at Goodison Park in the Carabao Cup fourth round stage.

Everton fan reaction to Calvert-Lewin award

These EFC supporters buzzed upon reading the news on Twitter, with one Toffee claiming that it was ‘brilliant’:

Evertonians, does Calvert-Lewin deserve the POTM award? Comment below!