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Charlton fans have taken to Twitter to criticise Naby Sarr’s 45-minute display against Preston on Sunday.

The 26-year-old centre-back – who was recently called up to the Senegal squad for the first time – was substituted at half time by Lee Bowyer after a torrid 45 minutes in which he seemed to do very little right.

Sarr committed one foul and also had one successful touch, both of which came in the same passage of play – a loose touch allowed Daniel Johnson to nip in, where the Senegalese defender was forced to foul the 8-goal forward before he could capitalise.

Charlton’s No.23 also failed to make a single tackle, interception, clearance or block throughout his 45 minutes on the pitch, and completed just 63% of his 27 passes before being hauled off for Jonathan Leko.

One fan said that his every touch was a “nightmare”, while another supporter said that the ball was like a hot potato whenever it went near Sarr’s feet.

Let’s take a look at some more of the Twitter reaction from the displeased Charlton fans…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

A number of Leeds supporters’ worst nightmares would likely be one step closer to coming true as reports over the weekend linked Kalvin Phillips with a move to Old Trafford.

It’s no secret that Leeds fans love Phillips just as much as they hate Manchester United, and as a lifelong Whites fan you’d expect the midfielder to share the same sentiment towards the Red Devils.

However, we’ve been here before haven’t we?

What’s the story?

After the reports were published one Leeds fan quickly wrote them off due to their belief that Phillips is a lifelong Leeds fan and he’d never cross that divide as he’s previously spoken about his disdain towards the Red Devils.

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Yes, Phillips is a lifelong Whites supporter, and if anyone has seen the Amazon Prime documentary about the 2018/19 season it’s clear that the midfielder loves the Yorkshire club.

Hating Manchester United comes with the territory of supporting Leeds, but once the Red Devils come calling it’s hard to turn them down.

Been here before

As mentioned previously, we’ve been here before.

Alan Smith once stated that the one club he would never ever play for was Man United due to his affiliation towards Leeds.

Indeed, back when Soccer AM was actually a good show, Smith was asked if there was one club he would never play for, and he infamously said it was the club he then moved to.

The former footballer would eventually line up for the Premier League giants, signing for them almost as soon as Leeds were relegated.

Of course, the Whites are in a different place right now than in 2004, but so is the whole landscape of football.

Why being the away goalkeeper at Leeds is the toughest job in football in the video below…

The money on offer in the Premier League is only growing, and if Leeds don’t go up this season it’s going to be tough for Phillips to turn down the pay packet that Man Utd could potentially offer him.

This isn’t to say the midfielder will be joining United, but after he signed a new deal, Leeds perhaps would feel confident about keeping him.

However, that shouldn’t be the case – plainly because they’ve been stung like this before.

They mustn’t get complacent.

Despite Newcastle’s many defensive frailties evident in their big losses to the likes of Norwich and Leicester City this season, Fabian Schar seemingly retains the support of supporters online.

The Swiss defender has been a mainstay in the Newcastle side for the past two seasons, even being linked to an array of top-flight clubs including Arsenal and Tottenham according to the Mirror.

Schar’s defensive ability is only complimented by his contribution going forward, with WhoScored.com outlining his five goals in two seasons for the Magpies – including being awarded an impressive seven Man of the Match awards in that time.

Although Steve Bruce’s men have leaked 13 goals already this season, Schar leads the way in terms of interceptions per game this season, so is clearly making an impact on Tyneside.

The 27-year-old, who is valued at £10.8 million (as per Transfermarkt), is also performing on the international front for his country, helping to spearhead a Euro 2020 qualification race where Switzerland are only four points off a top-two spot with a game in hand.

Understandably, some Newcastle fans have been praising the defender whilst debating over the best assets of the squad.

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…

Barcelona have seen some better days in their incredibly rich history – the days of Pep Guardiola picking up Champions League honours particularly coming to mind.

And precisely because of that history, it’s unusual to see them have a bad or a slow start to the season. Sure, even the biggest of clubs fluff their lines here and there and even the champions can fall in an upset or two.

But seven games into the new domestic campaign and one into the Champions League group stage, and we’re still waiting for Barcelona to fully announce themselves to the world. Only four wins, two defeats, and a mere one game in which Barca have scored more than twice.

With Lionel Messi’s ongoing injury problems, it’s not really a surprise that we haven’t seen the Catalans’ full power and their final form just yet. But what’s even more concerning is that one of their best performers has been their goalkeeper.

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Marc-Andre ter Stegen is very much Blaugrana’s first-choice goalie and has his place set in stone. But he has warranted that status within the squad by saving his team on numerous occasions so far.

If you look at Barcelona’s record in 2019/20, you might question that statement. After all, the lads from the Catalan capital had conceded a goal in every single league game until their latest bout with Getafe. It’s not really a defensive record of champions and it doesn’t really say anything hugely positive about their goalkeeper.

But had it not been for Ter Stegen, who knows how many more would have rattled their net.

So far, the German has averaged two saves per game in La Liga and four saves in the Champions League, alongside a penalty save.

This does put these words into perspective a bit more but it was actually the game against Getafe that’s somehow the crown jewel of his contribution.

Barcelona were struggling to break down the organised defence of their hosts and then Ter Stegen announced himself properly.

The German first ran out of his box to intercept a pass, only to chest it down and after a brief glance at his forwards, he lofted a pinpoint long ball into the feet of Luis Suarez who finished it with a chip over the goalkeeper.

With that, he became the first goalkeeper in the 21st century to tally an assist for Barcelona.

Right now, he just might be their most important player, especially with a certain Argentine wizard still being sidelined by injuries.

And if he continues performing on that level, it will be just a matter of time before the world recognises him as such too.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

With star man Lyle Taylor set to miss two months of the campaign through injury, Charlton must adapt to life without their five-goal striker.

As of now, Lee Bowyer has overseen back-to-back defeats without the Montserrat international in his team, with Tomer Hemed struggling up top alongside Jonathan Leko – the pair have started both games against Birmingham and Wigan, and haven’t had a single shot on target combined.

How does Bowyer currently set up?

So far this term, the 42-year-old has been using a 4-3-1-2 formation with Taylor and Leko together up top, which has since changed to Hemed and Leko after the former was injured while on international duty.

That system merited four wins and two draws from their opening six Championship games, but seeing as the same formation has resulted in two consecutive defeats without Taylor, the 29-year-old’s presence can definitely be seen as a pivotal factor in the success of the tactical approach.

As a result, something probably needs to change.

What can Bowyer do?

The former Newcastle United midfielder recently came out and said that Chuks Aneke – a centre-forward who scored 17 League Two goals last term – was not impressing him as a striker, and he thought he would be better as a No.10 in behind the main forward.

“At the moment Chuks hasn’t really done anything to persuade me he can play up top.

“We tried to put him up there the other day [as a substitute against Birmingham] and he didn’t do so well.”

As a result, Bowyer should opt for Hemed as a lone striker with Aneke in behind him, alongside one of Jonny Williams or Erhun Oztumer, or even the latter pair together.

Some fans were recently unhappy with Leko – one supporter even called for him to be dropped – and he’s managed just one goal this season, so there is no point in sticking with two misfiring centre-forwards.

Indeed, a system with two attacking midfielders supporting one frontman could be a better option – especially if Bowyer commits to using Aneke as a No.10.

The youngster captioned the photo ‘Back healthy’, and that will certainly be music to the ears of many Whites fans.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Roberts has been out of action since late April with a knee issue, and before his injury, he was on his way to becoming a key man in Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

He’d stepped into the attacking midfield role after Samu Saiz’s departure in January, and fans were quite impressed with how he was getting on in his new position.

Whether or not he comes back to play a key part this season remains to be seen, but even if he doesn’t, having some extra depth in a problematic position will undoubtedly aid Leeds in their promotion push.

With Southampton having scored just six goals in their opening eight Premier League games of the season, it’s safe to say Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have not been in the best attacking form so far in this campaign.

One attacking player that is making a difference away from Southampton is 20-year-old left-midfielder Will Ferry, who is currently on a loan deal from the Saints with League Two club Crawley Town.

Ferry joined Southampton’s U18 side from Bury’s U18s back in the 2017 summer transfer window for an undisclosed fee.

Since then, Ferry has featured in 23 matches for Southampton U18s where he has managed to score seven goals and provide nine assists along the way.

The player has also managed to make 33 appearances for Southampton’s B team, netting five and assisting on seven occasions but has yet to make his senior debut for the Saints.

During his time with Crawley, Ferry has managed to score one goal and provide three assists in ten outings for the club so far this season across all competitions, getting plenty of minutes under his belt which should be very pleasing for Hasenhuttl and the supporters.

In addition to this, Ferry has racked up an average of 1.4 shots per game in League Two as well as 1.3 key passes per game, showing just how much of an attacking threat he has been for the club since his arrival at Crawley.

He’s certainly delivering on the immense promise that made Crawley pounce on his temporary signature with their CEO, Erdem Konyar, saying in August: “Will is an exciting young player.”

Moving forward, if Ferry can keep playing regularly for Crawley until the end of his loan spell and keep adding some more goals and assists to his tally, we feel he could definitely be in contention to eventually make his senior debut for the Saints when he returns at some point.

Given the age of some of Southampton’s current wingers such as Theo Walcott (32) and Nathan Redmond (27), there’s every possibility that Ferry could well be a regular first-team player for the Saints in the future alongside the likes of Nathan Tella and Moussa Djenepo. With that many options on the flanks, however, the boss would have an undoubted dilemma as to who to select.

The Irishman is some way off being Premier League ready but his potential and star qualities lower down the leagues is standing him in good stead.

In other news: Forget JWP: Saints must unleash “aggressive” 22 y/o on Sat, he could terrify Burnley – opinion

Tottenham Hotspur are planning to bolster Nuno Santo’s midfield in the coming transfer windows…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, who delivered a fresh update on Spurs’ plans to his ‘Here We Go’ podcast this week.

“They are always planning for the long term with Fabio Paratici,” he said.

“Let me say this, they will focus on the midfield. I don’t know if it will be in January or the summer, but the next position they want to improve is the midfield.

“Let’s see what happens with [Tanguy] Ndombele, if they find a solution, but they need to improve the midfield, so let’s see if January brings on an opportunity. Paratici and [Steve] Hitchen will work on this in the coming months.”

Forward-thinking

Paratici has done some great work since arriving in north London in June.

He has successfully moved on some of the deadwood, overseeing the departures of players like Serge Aurier, Moussa Sissoko and Erik Lamela, whilst also bolstering the playing squad in key positions.

Cristian Romero and Emerson Royal are impressive additions in defence, while youngsters like Bryan Gil and Pape Matar Sarr will be earmarked for the long-term future.

And as Romano explains on the podcast, it’s how Spurs will now operate with the Italian supremo in charge, which is hugely exciting – especially as it’s something that had faltered in recent years.

Prior to Nuno’s appointment, the only academy success stories were really only the two Harrys, Kane and Winks.

It’s also encouraging to see that Paratici and co know where the big weakness is now as Spurs have struggled with creativity in the engine room all campaign.

As per The Athletic, the Lilywhites have the lowest expected goals (xG) of any Premier League team, with a total of 4.42. They also have recorded the second-fewest shots at goal and have only created two big chances across their opening five matches.

Evidently, there needs to be a Christian Eriksen-like presence in the squad and that’ll only happen through the transfer market.

Ndombele’s future is still in doubt, as Romano hints at, whilst Giovani Lo Celso is yet to truly hit the ground running since joining in the summer of 2019. Oliver Skipp is an exciting prospect that will only improve with time. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is more defensively-minded and then there’s Dele Alli, who is some way off hitting his previous heights.

On that basis, the fact that Spurs are targeting a new midfield addition should have many supporters around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium absolutely buzzing.

January is only 100 days away.

AND in other news, Spurs “really like” £22.5m-rated beast who’s “aggressive”, he could be their next Dier…

From a defensive point of view, Celtic haven’t had much luck with injuries throughout 2021.

He who must not be named – Shane Duffy – was sent away from his loan spell with the Hoops early due to fitness-related issues while Christopher Jullien won’t return until the final few months of the year.

Greg Taylor has had several problems, particularly over the last few weeks but Anthony Ralston is the latest to hit the treatment table.

Josip Juranovic started Celtic’s game with Ross County at right-back over the Scot who was left out of the entire squad due to injury last Saturday.

It was a huge game for the new signing to stake his claim, something he did efficiently over the international break with three clean sheets in as many games for Croatia.

You sense that Juranovic will become the number one choice in that third of the pitch as the season goes on but a huge statement could be made on Thursday.

That’s because in a huge boost to Celtic, he is set to return from injury.

According to the Scottish Sun, Ralston should be available when the Bhoys begin their Europa League group stage campaign with Real Betis.

Although Juranovic is the most experienced option in a game of this magnitude, particularly with international know-how in his locker, Ralston has shown he’s more than capable already in Europe this term.

He has been ever-present throughout their qualification phase and has become a sudden fan favourite during what’s been a breakthrough season.

Consequently, they will be delighted to see him back in action.

The 22-year-old has been incredibly consistent, rampaging forward and scoring two goals from full-back. His defensive work has also been reliable; the complete opposite of how Jonjoe Kenny performed last term.

Ralston has made more tackles per game (3.5) than any other Celtic player this season while his two dribbles a match are also a team-high. As for chance creation, only Liel Abada in the current squad has achieved more key passes an outing.

Based on that, it will be a welcome sight for fans to see him return. That being said, Ange Postecoglou does now have a selection dilemma between him and Juranovic.

AND in other news, Ange could discover Celtic’s new Christie by signing £6.3m-rated “top player” in Jan…

Chelsea's under pressure striker Nicolas Jackson has revealed that he thinks that other strikers 'may not want to come' to Chelsea.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Jackson understands why strikers don't want Chelsea
• Club have had multiple high-profile strikers fail
• Compares his situation with Benzema and Real Madrid

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Senegalese striker was in conversation with talkSPORT when he revealed his thoughts about strikers being hesitant to join the club due to a history of strikers failing at the club since Didier Drogba's departure. He also revealed that despite the poor start to proceedings at the club, he was taking inspiration from Real Madrid legend Karim Benzema and how his career also had a rocky start with Los Blancos.

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• WHAT JACKSON SAID

  "It's not easy," Jackson told talkSPORT. "If you think of all the strikers that came here, you would not want to come here. If you think about the strikers that come here, and people say they're not good enough, you would think, 'There is no need for me to come here'.

  "But I was brought up to be challenged and not listen to other people and just do the thing that's the most important, that's playing for the team and making the team win, and being in a good relationship with the players and the coach and everybody. That's the most important for me. That's why I came. When I came, I understood why they were saying they're not good enough, because it's a big team and everything, but life is like this. We just have to continue working and believe in ourselves and try to improve every day.”

  Jackson continued: "Sometimes I go to sleep watching the same videos, always thinking I should've done better. But when I was young, I saw [Karim] Benzema playing for Real Madrid. I was supporting Madrid when I was young and Benzema was missing a lot of chances. But you know, later he won the Ballon d'Or. I'm not saying I'm at that level. I can't be at that level now. But I've seen it before so I'm not worried. I'm just trying to improve every day and be where I want to be."

• Getty Images
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Chelsea have had a long list of big names who have failed to make an impact at the club with strikers generally having a short life span at Stamford Bridge.

  The list of strikers includes names such as Andriy Shevchenko, Fernando Torres, Hernan Crespo, Gonzalo Higuain, Romelu Lukaku and Alvaro Morata.

  Jackson will be desperate to break Chelsea's striker curse and prove to be the solution for the club in the centre-forward position for many years to come.

  He will be hoping that his performances for the rest of the season will be good enough to see him climb up the pecking order.

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• WHAT NEXT FOR JACKSON?

  Jackson will be a crucial part of Mauricio Pochettino's team later this weekend when they take on Liverpool in the final of the Carabao Cup on Sunday, February 25. The Carabao Cup could be Chelsea's only realistic shot at silverware this season.