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Many Sunderland supporters were critical of Elliot Embleton following Saturday’s come-from-behind win at Gillingham, during which the midfielder was sent off.

Lee Johnson’s side trailed 1-0 before Aiden O’Brien equalised on the stroke of half-time and Tom Flanagan scored what proved to be the winner early in the second half, a result which ensured that the Black Cats remained just one point adrift of League One pace-setters Plymouth Argyle.

Embleton received his marching orders midway through the second half for a poor challenge on Jack Tucker, leaving his team-mates to dig deep in order to secure all three points at the Priestfield Stadium.

Even aside from the red card, it was an afternoon to forget for the 22-year-old. As per SofaScore, he lost five of his seven duels (71%) against Gillingham and found a team-mate with only two of his eight crosses. He also gave the ball away 17 times during his 67 minutes on the pitch, the highest figure of anyone in a Sunderland shirt.

Sunderland fans slam Embleton

A number of Black Cats supporters took to Twitter to vent their frustration at Embleton on Saturday, with one describing the midfielder as “overrated”.

“Tin hat on but Embleton is very overrated, apart from his decent start this season he’s done absolutely nowt. Wouldn’t bat an eyelid if he left”

Credit: @rosstitute73

“That was so poor by Embleton. We had complete control”

Credit: @Sunlunfan

“Pathetic tackle from Embleton.. red all the way for me. We would scream for it if it was the other way round”

Credit: @davey_lad

“Reckless challenge, didn’t need to make it, pure stupidity from Embleton, now missed 3 matches”

Credit: @44stu

“Stupid challenge by Embleton whether it was a red or not it was stupid, riddled with injuries already we can’t afford to lose another player”

Credit: @stephsherry92

“Really poor from Embleton. Poor tackle and a needless one. A red probably the right call. Puts us under pressure when we should have been able to see this game out and look for a 3rd”

Credit: @tongey93

“Embleton hasn’t touched the ball for about a month anyway”

Credit: @jakeyholyoak

“Embleton why? Stupid challenge.”

Credit: @DRiley_06

In other news: One of Embleton’s team-mates also came under fire from some Sunderland fans yesterday

Michael Ball insists that Harry Kane will end up at Manchester City before the end of the transfer window.

The Tottenham Hotspur striker has been at the centre of a transfer saga throughout the summer.

City are reported to be heavily interested in a deal to bring him to the Etihad Stadium and noted transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has claimed that a new bid worth €150m (£127.3m) is being prepared by the Premier League champions.

The Times, by comparison, has reported that there is no direct dialogue between the two clubs over a deal to sign Kane this summer, and that he may well end up remaining at Spurs for another season.

Still, Ball believes that a deal will get done, with City having the money required to sign him, even after signing Jack Grealish for a British-record £100m.

Kane was left out of the Spurs squad to face City on Sunday but Nuno Espirito Santo’s side managed to win the game 1-0, thanks to a goal from Son Heung-Min.

Asked if he expected Kane to join City, Ball told Football FanCast: “I think so.

“To be honest, in the summer, I didn’t think they’d be able to afford Jack and Kane this summer but with Pep coming out strongly about the deal for Jack Grealish, probably means that they have got the money in the pot to bring Harry Kane to the football club.”

Tottenham Hotspur youth prospect Tobi Omole is in advanced negotiations over a new contract at the north London outfit, according to allnigeriasoccer.com.

The 21-year-old defender joined Spurs from arch-rivals Arsenal in October 2020 following a successful trial and it appears as if he’s already caught the eye of first-team boss Antonio Conte, who recently called the academy starlet up to training.

It was Nuno Santo who first handed Omole a call-up to the first-team squad, naming him amongst the substitutes in games against Stade Rennes, NS Mura and Crystal Palace.

He was even registered as a senior option in their Premier League and Europa Conference League squads, which only goes to show just how highly thought of he is at Hotspur Way.

But who is he?

The young dynamo is a versatile starlet capable of playing at full-back, centre-back and as a defensive midfielder, and for the U23s this campaign, he has bagged two goals from 14 appearances across the Premier League 2 and the EFL Trophy.

Standing at 6 foot 1, Omole could be the next youngster to break into the senior set-up, perhaps following in the footsteps of Oliver Skipp, who has become a key starter under Conte this term.

Omole, who has been described as a “top young talent” by Lilywhites insider John Wenham to Football Insider, could provide the Italian with valuable cover in defence, where he has been without Cristian Romero since the November international break.

He is not expected back until January, maybe February, at the earliest, so a player like Omole could be of huge value to Conte in the coming weeks and months, especially with the fixture list piling up this festive period.

It is certainly encouraging to see that Spurs are trying to tie him down to an extension as he is close to entering the final six months of his current deal.

Given his recent involvement in training alongside some of the club’s biggest stars, it could well be Omole who emerges as the ‘next Skipp’ and the latest success story from the academy.

AND in other news, Antonio Conte set for Spurs boost amid fresh contract claims…

With six defeats in their previous seven Premier League games, it’s safe to say that Everton are in a dreadful run of form at the moment.

Their latest match saw them lose 4-1 against their Merseyside rivals Liverpool at Goodison Park, which ended with one particularly disgruntled fan expressing his frustrations at Everton’s director of football Marcel Brands.

With the January transfer window on the horizon, one way that the Dutchman could help to get some of the more dismayed Everton fans back on his side and add some positivity around the club again would be to get rid of Cenk Tosun.

So far this season, the Turkish striker, who is currently picking up £69k-per-week according to Salary Sport, has made just one appearance. That came during the recent defeat against Liverpool, where he played a mere six minutes off the substitutes’ bench.

In fairness to the attacker, he had been suffering with a patella rupture and only made his first league bench appearance in their 2-1 defeat against Wolves.

Everton signed Tosun back in the 2018 January transfer window from Turkish club Besiktas in a deal worth a reported fee of £27m. Since then, the 30-year-old has had loan spells at fellow Premier League club Crystal Palace and a temporary return to Besiktas last season.

Overall, Tosun has made 59 appearances for the Toffees, scoring 11 goals and providing six assists in the process, which probably isn’t the return that the club would have been hoping for when they splashed out so much cash on him.

Moving forward, with recent reports claiming that Besiktas are looking to free up their wage bill so that they can make a move to sign Tosun in January, perhaps this would be the right time for Brands to call time on the striker’s spell at Everton and get his wages off their books.

Also, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin hopefully returning to action soon after being out injured since August with a fractured toe, his return and the presence of Richarlison and Salomon Rondon would seemingly serve to merely push Tosun further down the pecking order and make his chances of getting regular minutes incredibly slim.

In other news: Report reveals latest update on Benitez’s future, Everton fans could be excited

Former Nottingham Forest defender Michael Dawson has announced his retirement from professional football. 

The 37-year-old was most recently with Chris Hughton’s side, but departed when his contract reached a conclusion at the end of the 2020/21 season.

But he didn’t make a single appearance for the Reds in the 2020/21 league campaign, as Forest finished 17th in the Championship table, in what was a disappointing season for the City Ground faithful.

In the campaign prior to that, Forest finished seventh in the second-tier standings, with Dawson making 19 appearances in total for the Reds in that campaign.

Dawson signed for Nottingham Forest in his second spell back in 2018, and made 121 appearances in total for the Reds over two separate spells with the club.

Speaking after his departure from the City Ground was confirmed this summer, Nottingham Forest Chairman, Nicholas Randall issued high-praise for Dawson, and labelled him as the ‘model professional’.

Now, plenty of Nottingham Forest supporters have taken to social media to react to the news of Dawson’s retirement, with many wishing him well for the future.

Take a look at the best of the reaction from Twitter, via the Nottingham Forest social media account, below….

Forest fans hail Dawson

“Need to find a space for him on the sidelines, the passion he shows is infectious.”

Credit: @PearceWh97

“Glad that he finished his career where it all began. All the best for whatever the future holds.”

Credit: @Willh1985

“Love the man. Get in the coaching staff!”

Credit: @NFFCRY

“Forest legend.”

Credit: @Hughtxn

“Legend. Great career and right time to bow out.”

Credit: @Trickyred1

“Absolute legend.”

Credit: @rbikysx

“Hero x.”

Credit: @mattnffc_

“My Captain.”

Credit: @carpo_yeah

Dean Windass thinks that Aaron Ramsey would walk into West Ham’s team.

The Welsh midfielder, who has 40 Premier League goals to his name, is currently playing his football with Juventus in Italy but has struggled to make an impact since leaving Arsenal two years ago.

Ramsey has managed just six goals and as many assists in 65 appearances for the Old Lady and is being strongly linked with a stunning return to the Premier League this summer.

However, whilst the 30-year-old could be back in London after the European Championships, a move to east rather than north of the capital might be on the cards.

That’s because reports believe that the former Gunners midfielder’s agent has received offers from both Everton and West Ham as he looks to get his career back on track following his tricky two-year spell in Italy.

But Ramsey is currently giving a timely reminder of his capabilities having scored Wales’ opener in their key victory over Turkey in the Euro’s which helped them secure second place.

Windass said his goals make him a rare breed in modern day football. Asked whether he walk into the current West Ham team, he exclusively told Football FanCast:

“Yeah. If he has a good Euros because he’s on trial now. He will know he’s on trial, and Premier League teams will be watching him.

“Has he gone to Italy because it’s easy and a slow pace? I would sign Aaron Ramsey because you don’t get many midfield players that get you goals, and he gives you that.”

Steve Bruce won’t walk away from Newcastle United even if he’s ‘annoyed’ by the club’s lack of transfer activity this summer. 

That’s according to Celtic great Frank McAvennie, who was speaking to Football Insider.

The lowdown

Newcastle made only one first-team signing during the summer transfer window and because £26.46million man Joe Willock was on loan at St James’ Park for the second half of last season, it could be said that they didn’t actually improve their squad.

The Magpies ranked 17th in the Premier League for total expenditure, above only Wolverhampton Wanderers, Watford and Everton (via Transfermarkt).

The club felt compelled to put out a statement addressing any criticisms of their predominant inactivity.

Bruce was asked for his reaction to that statement ahead of his side’s visit to Manchester United on Saturday, and he gave a response that the Daily Mail’s Craig Hope described as ‘prickly’.

Bruce made clear that he ‘wanted to bring in a couple of players, but it wasn’t possible’.

The latest

McAvennie doesn’t think the Newcastle boss will be tempted to tender his resignation despite a lack of backing. In fact, he made Bruce out to be fairly acquiescent.

“Bruce won’t walk, no chance, he hasn’t got it in him,” the pundit said.

“What makes you think he would walk away now after all the other stuff?

“Him not getting what he wants at Newcastle isn’t a new thing. He’s there until he gets sacked.

“There are few managers who would walk away on principle and Steve Bruce is not one of them.

“He can be annoyed, that’s fine. But he’s not going to do anything about it. He never does.”

The verdict

If there’s anything that could make Bruce contemplate an exit, perhaps it could be the hostility to which he is subject from the Newcastle faithful.

With much of the 2020/21 campaign played behind closed doors, he was largely shielded from any angst, but there were chants of ‘we want Bruce out’ and booes during the draw with Southampton prior to the international break (via The Guardian).

Perhaps he will eventually decide it’s an environment that neither he nor his players can thrive in.

In other news, could Newcastle pull off three deals in January?

Liverpool will likely find Michael Edwards’ replacement from within the club, according to football finance expert Kieran Maguire.

The Lowdown: Edwards set to leave Liverpool

While Jurgen Klopp has undoubtedly been the key reason for the Reds’ great success in recent years, Edwards has been hugely influential in his own right.

Liverpool’s sporting director has masterminded numerous top signings at the club, not to mention selling on surplus players for big fees.

It has been reported that Edwards is likely to leave his role at the end of the season, though, leaving a gaping void behind the scenes at the club.

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The Latest: Maguire makes key claim

Speaking to Football Insider, Maguire said he thinks Liverpool will find Edwards’ replacement from within Anfield, hailing the options at the club’s disposal. He said:

“Michael Edwards has been the invisible guiding hand under FSG’s stewardship.

“He’s done a brilliant job. He understands the business side of things and he understands the importance of identifying and keeping talent at the club.

“Somebody of his skill base is a rare gem to find. Liverpool have benefited significantly from his stewardship at the club.

“They are huge shoes to fill, but they’ve got phenomenal people there. If you are a good operator, you tend to surround yourself with good people.”

“You’d imagine they’d recruit from within because they have some very talented people at the club.”

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The Verdict: Liverpool must nail Edwards’ replacement

Given the brilliant job Edwards has done at Anfield, it is vital that the Reds take their time in picking his replacement in order to make the transition as seamless as possible.

The hope is that he will decide to stay put despite recent speculation, but failure to find a sufficient replacement if he does move on could end up being a fateful decision.

It may be that Edwards’ influence is only fully appreciated when he is gone, depending on how Liverpool deal with the situation.

In other news, some Liverpool fans are excited after a possible hint from Jurgen Klopp. Read more here.

Former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that Crystal Palace or any other club currently in need of a manager should be looking at Eddie Howe.

Howe was on course to succeed Neil Lennon at Celtic; however, talks to take him to Glasgow broke down at the end of last month.

It leaves the 43-year-old still without a job following his departure from Bournemouth last year, though that could easily change, with so many Premier League opportunities currently available.

That includes Palace, who have parted ways with Roy Hodgson, and when asked by FFC if Howe is someone they should now be looking at, Palmer replied:

“Yeah. I’d take him anywhere, me. I’d take him at any club, anywhere. I like him. He’s innovative, he’s forward thinking, he’s always learning and he’s done a fantastic job at Bournemouth over the years.

“Any of the clubs that have been mentioned that manager jobs are available, I’d take Eddie Howe, all day long.”

Howe had actually been linked with Crystal Palace amid all of that Celtic talk, so perhaps that is something the south London club could visit now that joining the former Scottish Premiership champions is definitely off the table.

Insider ExWHUemployee has revealed that West Ham United goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski should be fit to play in the club's next game despite his recent injury.

What’s the latest on Lukasz Fabianski's West Ham injury?

The Polish shot-stopper has been out for the past two Premier League games after having to come off early against Nottingham Forest after taking a knock to the head.

In fact, it was such a bad injury that he ended up suffering a fractured cheekbone and eye socket and so was expected to potentially be on the sidelines for some time.

And while he has been out for a little while, it does sound as though he could be ready to start against Southampton if required, when West Ham are next in action after the international break.

In an update on The West Ham Way podcast, Ex outlined the situation, saying: “Fabianski is back in training with his face mask on now and should be fit for the Southampton game.”

What has David Moyes said on Lukasz Fabianski's injury?

David Moyes recently spoke to the press about the player's possible return, noting that Fabianski was "desperate to come back" as soon as possible.

However, the club manager explained that he and the medical team remain a bit "unsure" and "worried" about him starting as he could suffer pretty badly if he was to get hit in the face by a ball.

In full, he said: “He is desperate to come back. He feels like he is ready. Medically we are a little bit unsure as they are worried about him getting a ball in the face.”

He also noted some concerns about how his performance could be impacted by wearing a mask, saying: “I have got no problem with that, but I haven’t got a strong enough opinion on it.

“Sometimes anything on your face means you don’t see other things, if you wear a hat or glasses, so a mask like that may not be great for a goalkeeper.”

By the sounds of it, though, the time off for the international break should hopefully allow Fabianski sufficient time to heal and so when Southampton come to visit at the start of next month, it's likely the 37-year-old will be there to face them.

If not, though, Alphonse Areola will be expected to come in instead, having started the last two league games – albeit failing to win any and shipping five goals in that period.