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Michael Obafemi is the latest talent to roll off the Southampton production line.

The 18-year-old has already made his breakthrough into the first-team, playing five times in the Premier League this season.

His top-flight bow came in the harshest of circumstances – he was introduced in the second half of a 6-1 battering by Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium – but he went on to play one minute against Watford, nine against Fulham and, perhaps most impressively, 64 against Manchester United.

He laid on an assist in that game, as Saints earned a 2-2 draw, and scored against Huddersfield Town next time out.

Those games, however, were just a thrilling introduction to Obafemi’s talents for the Saints fans, as he has been injured since the game against the Terriers, after sustaining a hamstring problem.

He has already been talked of in the highest terms by former striker Rickie Lambert, who spent five years at St Mary’s.

“It’s good to see they’re getting back to bringing in youngsters as that’s what Southampton’s renowned for,” said Lamber, per the Daily Echo.

“I know they’ve got a young lad, Obafemi, who can terrify a few defenders from the little glimpses I’ve seen.”

Terrifying defenders is Obafemi’s stock and trade, but he is more than just an identikit pacey winger. Obafemi has a technical precision to his dribbling and is an excellent crosser of the ball. He can, as he has shown, also hit the back of the net.

Indeed, he has scored 12 goals in 32 games for the Under-18s, also laying on two assists, and has netted eight times for the Under-23s, with four assists.

He has been fast-tracked to the first-team and it is of little surprise, such is his exhilarating potential.

After all, not many 18-year-olds in the Premier League can claim to have made their international bow, but Obafemi has a full Republic of Ireland cap to his name after playing 10 minutes in a UEFA Nations League draw with Denmark.

Obafemi could have played for England and Nigeria too, but chose to play for the country of his birth – he was born in Dublin.

Once he is back to full fitness at Saints, more international caps will surely follow, as will the goals in the Premier League.

Both Southampton and Ireland fans have every right to be excited.

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Loads of Rangers fans have been reacting to a fitness update form Steven Gerrard, who confirmed Connor Goldson will not play against St Mirren.

After the emphatic win over Celtic, Rangers’ recent defeat to Kilmarnock was a real punch in the gut, and their arch-rivals have now opened up six-point gap at the summit of the table.

While the Gers did get things back on track with a 3-0 win over Livingston before a relatively easy cup victory over Cowdenbeath, fans are fearing the worst with Goldson still out.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

It’s no coincidence that the defeat at Kilmarnock came in the defender’s absence, as he is the one individual in Gerrard’s young core of defenders that really leads and organises the group.

The boss confirmed he will miss out against St Mirren, though he did not give an indication about his status for the Aberdeen match next week.

Fans are fearing the worst about a Goldson-less future after Joe Worrall’s catastrophic mistake at Kilmarnock, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Celtic came away from their Europa League clash with a respectable 1-1 draw on Thursday night following a game of two halves in the Danish capital.

Odsonne Edouard’s goal deservedly had the Hoops ahead at half-time, but a second half fightback saw the hosts draw level and almost clinch a winner from the penalty spot as Fraser Forster was forced to pull off an excellent save.

While Neil Lennon will naturally be pleased with the result, both Edouard and James Forrest had chances to score a second away goal in the second half.

Forrest failed to add to his tally of 16 goals for the season, and he came in for stark criticism on social media in the aftermath of proceedings.

One fan suggested that he is no longer the same potent threat he was two years ago, while another claimed he is relying on his speed to keep his place in the starting XI.

Meanwhile, one supporter suggested that the 28-year-old never turns up in high magnitude fixtures.

While he may be overdue a big game performance at club level, his hat-trick for Scotland in the UEFA Nations League clash against Israel back in November 2018 proves that he is capable of stepping up to the grand occasion.

Perhaps he can silence this criticism at Paradise next week.

Finally, one fan claimed that Forrest is the laziest footballer they’ve ever seen.

They clearly haven’t had the privilege of watching Dimitar Berbatov…

In other news, Hoops supporters have hurled criticism at “the most overrated player in Celtic’s modern history” following his display against Copenhagen…

[ad_pod ]The early departure of Yannick Bolasie back to his parent club Everton, as per avfc.co.uk,Âhas left a hole in Aston Villa’s squad.Dean Smith must seek to find a solution to this issue ahead of his side’s clash with Ipswich Town at Villa Park this weekend.

On the chalkboard

Whilst Bolasie wasn’t able to produce his best form consistently in his time with the Villans this season, the 29-year-old’s pace, trickery and directness would have been the ideal weapon to target former manager Paul Lambert’s full-backs with on Saturday.

Thogden has ranked his top 5 sets of Championship away fans for Pl>ymaker FC. Did your club make the list? Find out in the video below…

In Bolasie’s stead, Smith ought to give Andre Green a rare chance in the starting XI, as the 20-year-old has the required attributes to replicate the Everton winger’s effect on the Tractor Boys. The youngster’s pace and confidence when running at opponents with the ball at his feet should make him a dynamic and dangerous presence for the Ipswich defence to have to contend with.

Ready to rise to the challenge

Green spent a chunk of the first half of the campaign on loan with League One high flyers Portsmouth. He is yet to start for Villa after he was recalled, as per the club’s official Twitter account, from Fratton Park though, and has only made two starts so far this season for the Midlands outfit in all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.

However, he replaced Bolasie from the bench against Hull City last time out and impressed in his cameo. What’s more, the Villa faithful are sure to get behind Green and give him a chance to grow into a greater role in the team due to the fact he is a product of their club’s academy.

He isn’t the finished article yet, but the potential is clear and he’s ready for this next big test in his career.

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Liverpool produced one of their finest performances of the Premier League season so far on Saturday afternoon to dispatch newly-promoted Cardiff City by a 4-1 scoreline at Anfield. Both Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane were on top form, whilst summer signing Fabinho impressed on his first league start for the Reds.

Less impressive, however, was Alberto Moreno, who Jurgen Klopp brought in to allow Andrew Robertson to take a break from first team action. His replacement, though, could not produce a performance good enough to put him in contention for further starts.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”310054″ player=”12034″ title=”Rafa’s Pub Facts Fake Madrid & Ross Barkley Emulates… David Ngog”]

The 26-year-old Spaniard contributed to the defensive confusion that allowed the Bluebirds to pull a goal back. On top of that, he noticeably lacked the creativity and incision in an attacking sense that Klopp’s side are usually given by Robertson on the left-flank.

Despite the otherwise impressive victory, after the match, many Liverpool fans took to Twitter to questions the wisdom behind Moreno’s inclusion…

Crystal Palace fans will be hopeful of keeping Wilfried Zaha at Selhurst Park past Thursday’s deadline.

The Ivorian was a key player as the Eagles avoided relegation against all the odds. Roy Hodgson replaced Frank de Boer with Palace rooted to the Premier League table but the former England manager managed to turn things around, and Zaha’s form was crucial. The ex-Manchester United winger reportedly wants to leave and has attracted interest from Chelsea, such was the impressive nature of his performances last year.

Palace have been busy in the transfer window so far, signing Cheikou Kouyate from West Ham as well as Vincente Guaita from Getafe. The Eagles also captured the signature of German playmaker Max Meyer on a free transfer, quite the coup. Hodgson wants a new forward and had targeted Liverpool’s Danny Ings, who would cost the club upwards of £20m.

Instead, a wise move to make would be for Red Bull Salzburg forward – Munas Dabbur. Valued at £11.25m by Transfermarkt, the Israeli forward was a key player during Salzburg’s title win last season. He netted an incredible 29 goals and picked up 11 assists in all competitions. He has already netted three times in two Austrian Bundesliga appearances this campaign, so would come in a fairly rich vein of form.

Adding goals to the side will be key if Palace are to avoid another relegation battle. Dabbur has shown he is capable of scoring goals at the highest level with five strikes in the Europa League last season. With Christian Benteke misfiring, Dabbur needs to be signed as soon as possible.

Still only 26-years-old, landing his services could be a masterstroke by Hodgson.

Crystal Palace fans, thoughts?

Arsenal kick off their Europa League campaign with a home match against Bundesliga outfit Cologne at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday night, and Gunners manager Arsene Wenger may see it as the perfect opportunity to rotate his strong squad.

There is no doubt that Wenger will want the north London outfit to try and win the competition – as Manchester United did last season – in order to guarantee that they will return to the Champions League next season, but he will also view the fixture as a chance to give some of his fringe players playing time and an opportunity to impress.

While Cologne must have something about them to qualify for this competition, the German outfit have started the new league campaign in disastrous form by losing all three of their opening Bundesliga fixtures, conceding seven and scoring just once.

Meanwhile, the Gunners recovered from successive defeats to Stoke City and Liverpool by beating Bournemouth 3-0 at home on Saturday, but Wenger is likely to make a number of alterations to his starting line-up on Thursday with a tough-looking trip to Chelsea on the horizon.

Here are three changes Arsenal must make to give the squad players a chance but still seal a win against Cologne…

Reiss Nelson for Hector Bellerin

Following the departure of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to Liverpool at the end of the summer transfer window, Hector Bellerin is now the undoubted first-choice in the right wing-back position.

It means that the Spaniard will certainly have his fair share of football across the course of the campaign, and Arsene Wenger may see the clash against Cologne as the chance to give Bellerin a rest – especially with a big Premier League clash against Chelsea to come on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Nelson was one of Arsenal’s most impressive young performers during pre-season and featured as a late substitute against Chelsea in the Community Shield.

The 17-year-old looks to be getting closer to another first-team call after scoring a stunning free-kick for the Under-23 side against Manchester United last week, and it could come at right wing-back against Cologne.

Jack Wilshere for Granit Xhaka

Wilshere hasn’t made an appearance for Arsenal since he featured as a substitute against Watford in the Premier League in August 2016, but that drought could finally come to an end against Cologne on Thursday.

Following a relatively successful season-long loan spell with Bournemouth and having recovered from a fractured leg, the 25-year-old is back in training with the Gunners and looking to salvage his career with the north London outfit.

The England international has less than a year remaining on his contract at the Emirates and Arsene Wenger may feel that the Europa League is the perfect platform for him to give Wilshere an opportunity to impress – starting against the Bundesliga outfit at the Emirates.

Olivier Giroud for Alexandre Lacazette

Giroud has found himself behind Lacazette and Danny Welbeck in the pecking order so far this season, with the Frenchman being restricted to five substitute appearances.

Despite scoring a late winning goal in the 4-3 victory against Leicester City on the opening day of the campaign, the 30-year-old hasn’t worked his way into Arsene Wenger’s side and the Europa League could be the ideal opportunity for him to impress and get some goals.

Having scored 16 goals and provided a further seven assists in 40 appearances in all competitions for the north London outfit last term, the France international has proven that he can be an important player for Arsenal and Wenger can rely on him to lead the line in Europe.

Do you agree, Arsenal fans? Let us know below.

With Luke Ayling absent following the birth of his baby daughter, Gaetano Berardi filled in at right-back for Leeds United as they travelled to face fellow promotion hopefuls Fulham at Craven Cottage on Tuesday night.

The Italian defender had found first team minutes hard to come under Garry Monk earlier in this season, but since the festive period he has become something of a regular fixture in the side – mainly because of his versatility.

After playing at left-back in the 3-1 win against Birmingham City at St Andrew’s on Saturday, Berardi switched to the opposite flank in west London in midweek, and he did it with ease.

In fact, Leeds looked to be further strengthening their grip on a play-off spot when Tim Ream’s early own goal gave them the lead, but a dramatic 95th-minute leveller from the hosts’ Tom Cairney meant they only returned to Yorkshire with a point.

It was cruel on the Whites’ defence and especially Berardi, who had performed so well in order to help the side keep a clean sheet.

As the stats show, the 28-year-old made an impressive 12 clearances and four interceptions, while he also showed his strength in the air and on the ground by winning two aerial duels and two tackles respectively.

It is those sort of committed defensive showings that will be needed as we reach the climax of the Championship campaign, and Berardi could just be a key player for Leeds in the coming months as they bid to make their long-awaited return to the Premier League.

Swansea City have revealed plans which will see their current shareholders make millions by selling their shares to American Investors, according to The Guardian.

US sports team investors Stephen Kaplan and Jason Levien head the proposed venture, with the agreement proposing that the club’s eight shareholders sell the majority of their share’s to the US consortium.

The deal will exclude the Swansea City Supporter’s Trust, who currently own a 21.1% share in the club. The trust’s relationship with the club – which arose during Swansea’s 2001 financial crisis – has been hailed across England as a model for British football clubs.

Trust director, Huw Cooze, told the trust forum he was ‘hurt’ by the secrecy of the negotiations and is now looking to maintain the trust’s position if the alleged takeover were the go ahead.

Due to suggestions that the remaining shareholders may not sell all their current shares – including chairman Huw Jenkins who intends to stay at the helm despite the deal – Kaplan and Levien may only purchase a 60% stake.

The 60% is a lower share than originally proposed by Kaplan, who’s first proposition of 75.1% was met with hostility from the supporters and trust alike.

According to the Guardian, club is now valued at £100m, one hundred times the £1m paid for the club by the the nine shareholders, including the trust, in 2002.

Selling would see shareholders make a vast profit, but Huw Jenkins has stated the investment will “help the club progress on and off the field” in an official statement on the club’s website.

Despite Jenkins statement, Levien has not made firm promises that the consortium will invest new money of their own for signing players nor expanding the stadium.

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Phil Parkinson admits that Wrexham have lost their “killer instinct”, with it imperative that quality is rediscovered during another promotion bid.

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• Red Dragons struggling for consistency
• Slipped out of top three in League Two
• Confident winning formula can be found

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Red Dragons were able to hold their nerve in the 2022-23 season when surging to a record-breaking National League title triumph. More of the same was expected 12 months on, with the support of Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney allowing a star-studded squad to be pieced together.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Parkinson has endured the first wobbles of his Wrexham reign in 2024, with the Red Dragons losing five of their last eight fixtures in all competitions – picking up just two wins along the way. They have slipped out of the top three in League Two once again, with the Welsh outfit unable to maintain the dominance that they have grown accustomed to enjoying.

• WHAT PARKINSON SAID

  Parkinson has told where his side is lacking at present, with a 1-0 defeat suffered at Gillingham last time out: “We did a lot of very good things but lacked that clinical edge in their box. We’ve got to rediscover that killer instinct. There were a couple of breakaways in the first half and other moments, but it’s the ruthless edge and the clinical nature of our game that was missing. You won’t get to dominate a game for 90 minutes. But when you have those periods, it’s important to get a goal and recently we haven’t done that as well as we previously have. We are passing when we should shoot and shooting when we should pass and I think we are maybe just a little bit desperate to find those key moments, but we will address that for our next game. Football is about taking those big moments, but we will stick together. Everyone must step up a little bit more.”

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  WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

  Wrexham’s away form has been holding them back, with only five wins collected from 17 games on the road. In contrast, they boast the best home record in the division and will be looking forward to getting back to SToK Racecourse next weekend following another midweek trip to struggling Forest Green Rovers.