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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…

It was a small change, but it could prove to be something really significant further down the line.

A quick glance at the Birmingham City team sheet from Saturday might just give an indicator that plans for the future are already in place.

David Stockdale lost his usual place on the bench, with that role instead being given to academy graduate Connal Trueman.

With no news to suggest that Stockdale lost his place due to an injury, that can only mean that Trueman has beaten him out in training.

As previously discussed on FFC, with Stockdale now seemingly being pushed out of St Andrew’s with the move to third-choice goalkeeper, that gives the 23-year-old an excellent foundation to continue making his way up the ladder under Pep Clotet.

With Lee Camp’s contract expiring at the end of the season (via Transfermarkt), the club showed some faith in him when they gave Trueman a new two-year contract during the summer.

Add all that to Real Madrid loanee Moha Ramos now getting more time with the U23 squad instead of him and you can clearly see that the plans are in place for him to eventually succeed Camp at some stage.

Watch Birmingham City Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The question is though, just when do you make the move to push him to the top of the ladder?

There isn’t going to be a cup game for the Blues to ‘experiment’ with until the FA Cup third round in early January, and even then they might face a tricky tie that Clotet doesn’t want to risk making too severe a change to the starting line-up. Therefore, any change is going to have to come during the league campaign.

The fact of the matter is, there is going to have to come a time this season where Trueman is given the opportunity to prove himself in a competitive game rather than just in training, but Clotet looks keen to keep Camp in his place.

He backed him up after his terrible error against Wigan Athletic a few weeks ago, so it’s going to have to take something major for him to change his mind on the matter.

Find out what happened when a world-record-holding freestyler attempting skills with the worst pair of boots available on eBay in the video below…

If all signs are falling into place to make Trueman Camp’s successor and the goalkeeper for the future, they have to be implemented as soon as possible to see if the idea is a feasible one.

If you play him and things don’t work out, then you can still go back to Camp whilst you reassess the options, but waiting until next season and leaving him on the bench isn’t going to help his development.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Loan Watch series, which takes a closer look at those players who are aiming to galvanise their careers away from the spotlight of their parent club.

Sheffield Wednesday manager Garry Monk has enjoyed a decent start to life up in south Yorkshire, he’s guided the club to ten points from a possible 15, and their exit in the Carabao Cup was certainly no mark on his ability as the Owls managed to register more shots at goal than their Premier League opposition Everton.

The 40-year-old has had to work with a squad that has been built by others too – Steve Bruce originally in the summer had signed most of these players and when he acrimoniously departed for Newcastle United, caretaker boss Lee Bullen then added to it.

Watch Sheffield Wednesday Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Monk would probably have liked to sign a player or two of his own so that only goes to show the sort of job he has been doing so far.

Another thing that faces the former Swansea City man is the fact that he has several players out on loan that he may not get to watch as much as he’d have liked, so it is crucial they perform well in order to spark his interest as they could well play a part in his long-term plans upon their return.

Connor Kirby is currently at Macclesfield Town, the first loan club of his career, and he will have to do an awful lot more to attract Monk’s attention.

Being a midfielder at any club is particularly tricky as this is where you can often find the most technically gifted and higher quality players – this is no different at Wednesday with the case of Massimo Luongo proving testament to that.

The summer signing only made his first start of the season at the weekend as regular Sam Hutchinson was suspended. He’s also got to compete with Barry Bannan, who has the most assists in the squad with three.

Luongo is a top player in his own right as Football FanCast have outlined in the past.

While Kirby has to play well enough on loan to be considered amongst those players at least unless Monk brings anyone else in during the January transfer window.

In 11 League Two appearances, the 21-year-old has managed a poor passing success rate of 72.3% while he also concedes 1.1 fouls per game.

You also have to consider the other promising talents in his position at the club, such as Conor Grant, who appears to be one of the more highly-rated youngsters at the club.

At the moment, it is just unlikely that Kirby will be able to return amongst the senior fold at Sheffield Wednesday.

A very impressive clip of Leeds United pressing Birmingham City Bielsa-style has emerged and it’s hard not to respect the grind and effort put in as the players chug on in their quest to reach Premier League promotion.Marcelo Bielsa doesn’t do half measures, that much is obvious. Should you be fortunate enough to fall under his command, you can bet your bottom dollar that within months of working under his gruelling regime, you’d be the fittest you’ve ever been, and likely will ever be.Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Indeed, there’s a reason why the Argentinian carries with him a reputation of overworking his squad before the end of the season. Some might even argue that last term’s collapse, which saw Leeds fall against Derby County before reaching Wembley, was a consequence of so-called ‘Bielsa Burnout’. He would suggest otherwise.

A clip that summarises everything about the grit and determination of a Bielsa squad recently made its way on to social media, and it’s impressive, to say the least.

It’s worth noting that Patrick Bamford’s heroic efforts demonstrate why he’s still a regular on the starting sheet, despite failing to score in his previous seven Championship appearances.

Eddie Nketiah, Leeds’ other attacking option, remained firmly on the bench, even after his international hat trick for England U21s.

Bielsa must have his players on a diet of porridge and petrol – it’s the only rational explanation.

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We’re almost nine years on from one of the most amazing and shocking transfer stories of all time, but seeing as Liverpool face off against Chelsea this weekend it’s time to once again talk about Fernando Torres’ £50m switch back in 2011.

One man who will know more about that transfer than most is Jamie Carragher, and seeing as he’ll be covering the fixture for Sky Sports this weekend, they wanted to get a few of his thoughts on the record-breaking deal ahead of the match.

Sky uploaded a fantastic interview with Carragher on their YouTube channel where he talked with Gary Neville about some classic Liverpool vs Chelsea clashes from over the years.

One of the most controversial things he said was regarding Torres’ move to Chelsea in 2011, and his subsequent debut against his former club.

Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The former England international wasn’t too kind when talking about his old teammate as he said that he was more than happy to see him go for £50m, due to the form he had shown over the past 18 months.

It’s certainly interesting to hear the views from a key member of the Liverpool camp at that time, and it’s surprising to hear Carragher say that he was happy to see the Spaniard leave Anfield.

Some Arsenal fans have taken to Twitter to criticise Nicolas Pepe, following the 1-0 win over Bournemouth.

The Ivory Coast international actually set up the game’s only goal with an impressive delivery from a corner, allowing David Luiz to head the ball home.

Pepe – a £72m signing from Lille – was also involved in an incident with Diego Rico that could have seen a penalty awarded to the Gunners, with Martin Atkinson’s refusal to hand the north Londoners a spot-kick not going down too well with some fans on Twitter.

Aside from that, the 24-year-old failed to have a shot on target, and was also dispossessed three times while also having four unsuccessful touches.

Pepe is also yet to score a goal for the Gunners from open play – his penalty against Aston Villa is his only goal for the club so far.

Let’s take a look at what the Arsenal fans on Twitter have been saying about their club-record signing…

Everton boss Marco Silva told the Liverpool Echo he is hoping to keep Chelsea loanee Kurt Zouma next season, and it seems that’d be the best move get his career back on track.

The Frenchman has played 23 of Everton’s 27 games this season in what’s been a very hit-and-miss campaign for the Toffees. However, Silva appears happy with the 24-year-old’s progression, saying: “I’m really happy with him, let’s see what we can do or not in the future.”

When playing for his parent club Chelsea against Manchester United in February 2016, Zouma suffered a ruptured cruciate ligament. Up until then, he played 23 games for the club that season and looked to be the best young defender in the Premier League, but he’s understandably struggled to reach those heights since returning from injury nearly 300 days later.

His loan spell at Everton has been his first major run of games since that injury and it’s been required to get that full match fitness back. Although Everton haven’t shone as some expected them to do this season, for Zouma personally, the season has been a success so far and it’s important he continues to play consistently.

This season was about getting back to regular football and next term he can really push on and show the league that his injury hasn’t had too much of a lasting impact on his career. It’s at that point he can earn his move back to a top-six club and no earlier, otherwise, he might find himself back to step one.

A return to Chelsea next year, or even a move to another club who already have established centre-backs will mean more time on the sideline and cameo appearances that won’t allow him the opportunity to regain his pre-injury stride. There’s also more chance of another injury if he isn’t playing regularly, and something similar to 2016 would put big clubs off in the future.

Zouma should stay at Everton next season and continue to build his career back up because, after all, he’s still 24-years-old and should be in no rush to the top.

Where do you think Kurt Zouma should play next season?

Perez acknowledged that the game at Old Trafford was rather disappointing, but he immediately said that the team are now looking forward to the next game at home.

Watch Leicester City Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Unfortunately, things don’t get much easier for Brendan Rodgers’ team as they have to host Tottenham Hotspur this weekend.

It’ll be a tough game against Spurs, but it seems that Perez has the right attitude heading into the game.

Tottenham Hotspur are closing in on their first signing of the January transfer window…

What’s the word?

They have left it late but with just a few days remaining, it appears as if Spurs are finally about to land a new player for manager Antonio Conte.

According to Italian newspaper Corriere Fiorentino (via Sport Witness), an agreement has been reached with Fiorentina over a move for midfielder Sofyan Amrabat, who is currently away on Africa Cup of Nations duty.

The Lilywhites are expected to pay a €1.5m (£1.25m) loan fee with a €15m (£13.5m) option to buy in the summer. It’s thought that the Moroccan international is happy to join the north London outfit with Conte waiting for him to be confirmed in the coming days.

Conte wants him

Earlier this month, football.london reported that Conte wanted signings in three key roles – wing-back, striker and in central midfield – and Amrabat has recently emerged as a key target for the Italian as a result.

Matt Law of the Telegraph believes that Conte is a big fan of the Viola star and has even requested sporting director Fabio Paratici to sign him before the end of the month.

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He will be absolutely delighted to see this one edge closer to completion and whilst some supporters around N17 will be underwhelmed by this arrival, there’s plenty of factors pointing towards this being pretty decent business.

The 25-year-old has been restricted to only 211 minutes in the Serie A this season but has featured in three full 90-minute games for his country in Group C and the round of 16 as they make the quarter-finals of AFCON.

Conte has lacked a presence in engine room that can link defence to the attack, one that can drive the ball forward and he’ll get that in Amrabat.

Of the 39 players to have attempted 150 or more dribbles since the start of the 2019/20 Serie A campaign,  only one player (Ismael Bennacer, 79.6%) has managed a better dribble success rate than the Viola enforcer (70.3%), per WhoScored.

That is also above every single one of Spurs’ current central options as Oliver Skipp leads the way on 66.7% and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg isn’t too far behind on 62.2%. Tanguy Ndombele sits down at 55%, which is rather telling.

The Frenchman has been linked with an exit to Paris Saint-Germain, so it could be a case of one-in, one-out.

If Conte wants him, then he should be backed. The 52-year-old must be very excited as the club close in on their first January arrival.

AND in other news, “Tottenham are..”: Fabrizio Romano delivers huge transfer update, fans will be buzzing…

Wolves’ midfield could look completely different next season, with both Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho possibly leaving the club at the end of the season.

Youngster Luke Cundle is expected to feature more for the first team next season after impressing in the limited appearances he has made so far, while fans will be hoping Morgan Gibbs-White is given a chance next campaign after impressing on-loan at Sheffield United in the Championship.

Meanwhile, Leander Dendoncker could be the club’s most senior midfielder – having been a regular at the club since 2018, when he initially joined on-loan from Anderlecht, before signing permanently for £12.42m the summer afterwards.

However, Bruno Lage might be nervous about deploying the Belgian in place of Ruben Neves, given he has averaged just a 6.79 match rating this season, compared to the 7.20 match rating that the Portuguese star has averaged in the Premier League this season.

If the West Midlands club went down an alternate route back in 2018, they could have had Cameroon international Andre-Franck Zambo-Anguissa already in place to step up and replace Neves – and have had him to start alongside the Barcelona target.

According to French news outlet Espoirs du Foot, via Get French Football News, Wolves were interested in bringing  Zambo-Anguissa to Molineux for their first season back in the Premier League, back in 2018. However, he joined Fulham instead for £22.3m.

The Cottagers star, currently on-loan with Serie A giants Napoli, was labelled “first-class” by former manager Scott Parker during the club’s Premier League campaign back in the 2018/19 season, and he has gone from strength-to-strength in Italy – with his value increasing to £27m according to Transfermarkt.

His manager in Italy, Luciano Spalletti, has admitted he is a huge fan of the former Stade Reims and Marseille youngster, saying earlier in the season: “He always comes into the locker room and talks about what happened in the first half, what was going on around his position, paying close attention to the movements that the opposition do. He is very tactically intelligent.”

The 26-year-old has proven himself as not just a physical brute in the defensive third to get past, but also a progressive midfielder like Neves, ranking among players in his position across Europe’s top five leagues and continental competitions in the top 3% for both dribbles completed per 90 (1.77) and tackles in the attacking third per 90 (0.56), as well as ranking in the top 8% for carries into the final third per 90 (2.42).

Described as a “machine” by Joachim Andersen, his development since first arriving in England four years ago has been significant, having spent time on loan at La Liga giants Villarreal too – and he is now proving Wolves wrong for not taking a chance on him.

Chairman Jeff Shi will likely rue that decision in the summer if they do lose Moutinho and Neves.

In other news: Lage can find Wolves’ next Traore in rarely-seen teen who does “things out of nothing”

An update has emerged on Newcastle United’s pursuit of German international Robin Gosens…

What’s the talk?

According to Sky Italy, the Magpies have agreed personal terms with the full-back and are now hoping to strike a deal with Atalanta for his services.

The report claims that the Toon are set to triple his current wages by handing him a €3m-per-season contract (£2.5m) at St. James’ Park.

Elation

This news will surely leave Howe feeling elated for several reasons. Firstly, it suggests that Newcastle are closing in on their third signing of the window with almost half of the month left to go.

PIF are working hard behind the scenes to improve the head coach’s squad and three signings with half of the window gone would be an impressive effort, considering Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood have both arrived on permanent deals.

There is no hiding away from the club’s need to strengthen their team further as the lack of quality in the group was exposed again on Saturday. They let a lead slip in a crucial relegation six-pointer against Watford as they were held to a 1-1 draw after Allan Saint-Maximin handed them the lead, with Joao Pedro equalising for the away side to leave the hosts 19th in the table.

Therefore, Howe will be buzzing for further additions to his team, particularly if one of them comes in the form of Gosens. The German international has been sensational in the Serie A in recent seasons, showing off his quality and versatility in Italy – playing at left-back, left-wing and in central midfield.

In the 2020/21 campaign, he produced an outstanding 11 goals and six assists in 30 starts, averaging a WhoScored rating of 7.19. Whilst contributing in the final third, he almost made 2.7 tackles and interceptions per game, showing that he can make an impact at both ends of the pitch.

This suggests that he could come in and improve Newcastle both in attack and in defence, with his ability to defend his own goal and cause problems for defenders in attack. Therefore, he could be a superb signing for the Toon and that is why Howe will be elated with the club agreeing terms with him and now pushing to make him their third signing of the window.

AND in other news, PIF plotting Newcastle offer for “perfect” £22.5m dynamo, he’d be a major upgrade…