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With the likes of Sam Hutchinson, Dominic Iorfa and Lewis Gibson out injured, it seems as though this has forced Sheffield Wednesday into bringing in a new face to the club that could help boost their defensive strength and ease their injury crisis.

What’s the news?

It has recently been reported by Examiner Live that Wednesday have “offered a deal” to former Watford defender Adrian Mariappa, who is currently a free agent after leaving Bristol City during the previous summer transfer window.

As a product of Watford’s youth academy, the 35-year-old centre-back made a total of 340 appearances for the Hornets across all competitions which includes 100 Premier League appearances and 197 Championship appearances, highlighting how experienced he is and why Owls manager Darren Moore would seemingly want to add him to his squad.

Can he save their season?

During his time in the Championship with Bristol City last season, the defender managed to rack up an average of 3.6 clearances per game, 1.1 interceptions per game and one tackle per game which showed how capable he is at the back and why he could be a solid figure for Wednesday in League One for the rest of the season.

Given how former Watford manager Javi Gracia has praised Mariappa in the past for always being an “example for the rest of the players,” this demonstrates what a positive impact and influence he could have on the players at Wednesday if he joins them in the coming days.

In addition to this, Mariappa has been labelled as a “fantastic communicator” on the pitch by Dean Holden during his time at Bristol, which could make him a very useful figure for the Owls between now and the climax of the campaign.

If Wednesday have offered the defender, who is currently valued at £270k according to Transfermarkt, a deal, this could be an excellent piece of business from the Yorkshire club if he manages to improve the side from a defensive point of view. With Hutchinson, Iorfa and Gibson currently out injured, bringing in another body could potentially save their season.

However, it is crucial to keep in mind that Mariappa hasn’t played any football since he left Bristol City, meaning it could take him a while to get up to speed with the Owls if he does join them.

In other news: Big blow: Moore dealt injury setback at SWFC that’ll surely leave fans worried – opinion

Alan Hutton has been left slamming Salomon Rondon as he has failed to make a real impact since signing for Everton.

The Lowdown: Rondon struggling

Rondon has not really hit the ground running at Goodison Park so far, failing to score in any of his three appearances in total over all competitions (Transfermarkt).

He was criticised by some Merseyside club fans for his performance in the 3-0 loss away at Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday evening, as he had to fill in up top for the injured Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

The Latest: Hutton on Rondon

Speaking to Football Insider, former Aston Villa and Rangers right-back Hutton has not been impressed by Rondon’s start to life under Rafa Benitez, and suggested that he does not look fit:

“It’s a huge ask. He doesn’t quite look up to speed, yet, for me.

“For Everton, as any team, if you take out Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison, Pickford, you’re going to be a lot worse off.

“Taking your top players out, it’s going to be difficult. Rondon, I think, is a decent replacement if Calvert-Lewin is injured. I don’t think he’s playing at the level where he wants to be.

“He looks a yard off the pace. It’s difficult for him. They’ll be desperate to get Calvert-Lewin back, he’s a huge player for them.

“Rondon’s going to have to work harder to get to a level where he needs to be.”

The Verdict: More time needed

Of course, it is very early in his Toffees career, and so Rondon needs to be given more time.

If he can improve on his fitness and match sharpness, then he could certainly turn out to be a useful weapon, whether he is starting in the absence of Calvert-Lewin or coming on as an impact substitute.

Nonetheless, the Venezuela international has proven that he can score goals in the Premier League, and his time will surely come with a little bit of patience.

In other news, find out what transfer news has Blues raging here!

Sunderland have been handed a potential boost in their pursuit of Nottingham Forest’s Jordan Gabriel.

What’s the talk?

Nottingham Forest have officially completed the signing of right-back Jordi Osei-Tutu on a season-long loan from Arsenal, potentially opening up the door for Sunderland to land Jordan Gabriel before the end of the window.

The Sun on Sunday (8th August, page 67), reported earlier this month that the Championship side would be willing to cash in on the right-back if they are able to bring in a replacement. Football Insider reported Sunderland’s interest in his services, with Lee Johnson looking to improve his squad before the end of the month.

Fans will be buzzing

Now that Forest have sourced a potential replacement for Gabriel, in Osei-Tutu, Sunderland could now be clear to steam on ahead of and secure a deal for the defender. The second-tier outfit are now able to cash in on the right-back knowing that they have another body in the door, which means that Kristjaan Speakman should be ready to strike to swoop him up.

Sunderland fans will be buzzing as Gabriel could be a fantastic addition to the squad. He played 29 games for Blackpool as they won promotion to the Championship in the 2020/21 campaign, starting 18 of those matches. This shows that he played an important role in a team capable of getting out of the division, which should be Sunderland’s goal this term.

In those games, he averaged a solid SofaScore rating of 6.75. The 22-year-old made 1.7 tackles and interceptions per game, whilst committing zero errors leading to goals or shots in the entire campaign – suggesting that he is a reliable defender at League One level.

Former Liverpool coach Neil Critchley hailed Gabriel as talented upon signing him for Blackpool last season. He said:

“Jordan is a talented modern day full-back, and is someone I have been aware of from his early years at Arsenal and Nottingham Forest.

“He will bring athleticism to the right-hand side of the team, and he is very good defensively in one v one situations. He’s very highly thought of at Nottingham Forest and we’re thankful to them for allowing us to sign Jordan for the season.”

Therefore, the £2.1k-per-week dynamo could be a fine addition to Johnson’s squad. He has shown that he can be a good option in the third tier and that he knows what it takes to get promoted to the Championship.

Hopefully, Sunderland can strike a deal for him and he can taste back-to-back promotions in his career.

AND in other news, Forget Pritchard: Sunderland dynamo with 85% pass accuracy stole the show for Johnson…

An injury expert has now dropped a ‘hopeful’ Wolves claim involving Ruben Neves.

The Lowdown: Not as serious

Speaking to the media, Bruno Lage revealed that Neves’ injury setback was ‘not as serious’ as they initially expected.

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The Portugal international has been missing since March, but will now be hoping to make a swift recovery in time to play the final few games of the season.

The Latest: Dinnery reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in both medicine and data analysis, has claimed that he is still ‘hopeful’ that Neves will return in ‘early to mid-May’, despite this ‘new info’ from Lage:

“My understanding initially hasn’t changed a great deal even with this new info.

“We’re talking about an MCL here. The indication that it was a grade two.

“I was working on the premise that we could maybe see a return around early to mid-May. I am still fairly hopeful that is the case.

“It happened against Leeds. He tried to continue but he couldn’t. He then went out to Portugal for some rehab and recovery.

“The target was always going to be around game week 35. I think there is a strong possibility that he’ll play again this season somewhere around there.”

The Verdict: Big boost

The fact that Neves’ injury is not as serious as previously expected, and that he could return for the last few matches of the campaign, is certainly a big boost for the Midlands club.

He currently ranks as their fourth-best performer in the Premier League so far, scoring four goals and making two assists, while also picking up two man-of-the-match awards (WhoScored).

The 25-year-old also ranks highly among his teammates in terms of average tackles, interceptions, shots, passes, long and through balls per game (WhoScored), and will clearly be an important player for them if they are to finish the season strongly, and potentially challenge for a European place.

In other news, find out which ‘electric’ star the Wanderers now ‘want’ to sign here!

West Ham have made Sam Johnstone their number one target in this transfer window, according to reports…

What’s the word?

Football Insider claim that the West Brom shot-stopper is now David Moyes’ first-choice to bring to the London Stadium before next month’s deadline.

It’s believed that the Irons have submitted an £11m bid for the England international but have also held talks with Paris Saint-Germain over a potential deal for Alphonse Areola, who impressed on loan at relegated Fulham last term.

The Baggies are looking for £20m for Johnstone, although the report claims he could be available for considerably less, with Moyes in the market for a proven Premier League option.

Salthouse bargain

With current number one Lukasz Fabianski, now 36, entering the twilight years of his career, it would certainly make sense for the Scotsman to desire a long-term successor.

Despite suffering relegation at The Hawthorns, the 28-year-old was a standout player, which culminated in him taking a place in Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2020 squad, along with Declan Rice.

As per FBRef, no goalkeeper made more saves (161) than Johnstone las term, having faced an average of 6.16 attempts on target per 90 minutes. By comparison, the Polish veteran made just 96 saves and had a lower success rate, too.

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“He’s one of the best,” claimed former Irons boss Sam Allardyce to talkSPORT. “He’s right up there at the right level and he’d already saved more shots than anybody before yesterday.”

Similarly, current Newcastle United boss Steve Bruce waxed lyrical about his attitude off the pitch, dubbing him a “diamond” to work with.

The Hammers have a very strong chance of sealing Johnstone thanks to his agent Will Salthouse, who Football Insider have previously suggested is a preferred agent for David Sullivan and David Gold.

Indeed, several of his other clients are currently under contract at the London Stadium, including Said Benrahma, Michail Antonio, Aaron Cresswell, Ryan Fredericks and Darren Randolph.

You can argue that the majority of these names have been a success, so the Baggies star could be the next Salthouse bargain to come to East London.

Johnstone is currently valued at £7.2m and is reportedly earning just £32.5k-per-week, which presents incredible value for money for an England international.

Especially considering reports linking Premier League rivals Arsenal with a £32m move for Aaron Ramsdale. Johnstone would make that fee a mockery.

AND in other news, Moyes risks ruining his West Ham project by signing shocking £100k-p/w “liability”…

Croatia manager Zlatko Dalic has revealed that Glasgow Rangers left-back Borna Barisic has been struggling with injury while on international duty.

The Lowdown: Barisic away with Croatia

Barisic was selected by Dalic to be a part of the Croatia squad for Euro 2020, and the Balkan nation kicked off their campaign against England at Wembley on Sunday.

The Gers’ £5.4m-valued 28-year-old (Transfermarkt) had been expected to start the match, which Croatia lost 1-0, but he was left out of the matchday squad.

The Latest: Dalic reveals Barisic injury

Prior to the clash at Wembley, Dalic explained Barisic’s absence. He said (via The Scotsman):

“I think this is the best possible option for this match.

“Gvardiol has come in at left-back as Barišić has had some problems in the last ten days.”

The Verdict: Blow to CroatiaComing into the tournament, Barisic was Dalic’s clear number-one choice on the left side of the back four. He appeared in both of his country’s warm-up games against Armenia and Belgium, while he has just enjoyed arguably the best season of his career with the Gers.In the end, though, Dalic was forced to play Gvardiol in his place. While the 19-year-old will be joining up with RB Leipzig next term, this was just his second cap and also his first-ever start for his country (Transfermarkt) – a Euro 2020 opener is not the best time to throw him into the deep end. The boss will be hoping Barisic will be able to feature as the tournament progresses, as will Rangers fans, who’ll be keen to see their man do well on the big stage. However, those fans might also be worried that the defender could play through an injury, which is never ideal as it could lead to further complications.In other news, Rangers fans were livid at this SPFL development.

Celtic have been linked with a move for Sligo Rovers forward Johnny Kenny, as reported by The Irish Independent.

The Lowdown: Kenny profiled

Kenny is 18 years of age and is a right-footed centre-froward. The teenager, described as a ‘really important’ signing by Rovers boss Liam Buckley earlier this year, has scored six times in 23 appearances for his current employers.

His contract with Sligo expires at the end of next season, but it seems as if the Hoops are eyeing up another Irish addition after landing Liam Scales from Shamrock Rovers in the summer.

The Latest: Celtic’s interest

According to The Irish Independent, Celtic are keeping tabs on Kenny and plan to watch him in action on Friday evening against Drogheda United.

The Hoops have been monitoring Kenny throughout the year and could firm up their interest in January, should he continue to impress.

The Verdict: First January target

It appears as if Ange Postecoglou and Dominic McKay may have their first January target on their radar, and it’s good to see that the club are looking at the long term picture.

Just two of Celtic’s 12 summer signings were over the age of 26, with Celtic seemingly having a long-term plan in mind and the interest in Kenny shows that they are invested in this plan.

Young forward Joey Dawson was also brought in from Scunthorpe United, and should Kenny catch the eye over the next four months, he could join Dawson in the club’s young attacking ranks.

In other news: Celtic source shares transfer news different to Sky Sports claim; good news for McKay and Ange.

Crystal Palace have been dealt a major injury blow ahead of their upcoming Premier League clash this weekend.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by Football.London, Patrick Vieira revealed that Luka Milivojevic will not be available for the trip to West Ham United on Saturday afternoon, claiming that the 30-year-old club captain still remains some way short of match fitness following his absence from first-team action so far this season.

When asked whether Milivojevic would be involved at the London Stadium, the Frenchman said: “No, he’s not going to be involved. He needs more training is not physically fit to play the game. We’re going to use the international break for him to catch up and to be ready for our next home game.”

Vieira will be gutted

Having picked up just one point over their opening two Premier League fixtures of the season, as well as having yet to score a goal in the league, the continued absence of Milivojevic will undoubtedly have left Vieira gutted.

Indeed, the central midfielder has not only been one of the Eagles’ most consistent performers in the top flight since his arrival in south London back in 2017, the Serbia international has also been a steady source of goals for the club – having scored 28 times over his 150 Premier League appearances.

In terms of performance, the £7.2m-rated man’s displays last season illustrate his importance to the Palace side, with Milivojevic scoring one goal, providing one assist and creating three big chances over his 31 Premier League appearances, as well as making an average of 1.1 interceptions, 2.1 tackles and 1.5 clearances per game.

These returns saw the 30-year-old earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.83, ranking him as the club’s seventh-best player in the top flight of English football.

As such, it is clear to see that Milivojevic is a crucial part of the Crystal Palace side, with his unavailability for the West Ham clash undoubtedly making his side’s task of getting a positive result all the more difficult against an impressive Hammers team on Saturday afternoon.

In other news: Parish must sanction £7m CPFC deal for beast who is “like having two players”

Reliable reporter Alan Nixon has answered a question on Celtic’s possible announcement of Eddie Howe as their new manager.

The Lowdown: Bournemouth’s exit a boost for the Hoops?

Reports last month suggested that the Hoops’ chances of landing Howe could be dashed should Bournemouth win promotion to the Premier League through the Championship playoffs.

However, the Cherries threw away a two-goal lead in the tie on Saturday, losing to Brentford 3-2 on aggregate. That seems to have put a move to Parkhead for Howe back on track, with the 43-year-old seeking to bring multiple members of staff from the English south coast to Scotland.

The Latest: Nixon’s three-word answer

Nixon, who writes for The Sun, was asked by a Hoops fan hours after Bournemouth’s defeat if there will be an announcement on Howe anytime soon.

He replied by saying: “No excuses now”

The Verdict: He’s bang on

We’re with Nixon in saying that Celtic now have no excuses to get a deal for Howe over the line. He reportedly agreed on a move to become Neil Lennon’s successor last week, with one of the delays on an announcement due to Bournemouth’s involvement in the play-offs.

However, the Cherries’ season is now over, so we feel that Celtic should push through a deal as quickly as possible, especially with the club worried over Crystal Palace potentially scuppering a move for the 43-year-old.

The Hoops will only have themselves to blame should any deal collapse from here, with Howe’s desired staff members not receiving any pay rise following Bournemouth’s play-off elimination on Saturday.

In other news: 44 y/o feels ‘brilliant’ £7.5k-p/w Celtic ace could seal exit before June 11, find out more here. 

Tottenham Hotspur colossus Cristian Romero was the only shining light as the north London outfit were held by Brentford on Saturday evening.

Antonio Conte’s side were struck an almighty blow in the race for a top-four finish in the Premier League as they couldn’t find a way past Christian Eriksen and co, failing to even register a shot on target all game.

It now puts the Lilywhites two points behind their arch-rivals, Arsenal, with only five matches left to play – including the derby on May 12th – meaning it is now out of Spurs’ hands completely.

Despite dominating possession (56%), Tottenham failed to create anything of note, whilst their former playmaking Dane effectively ran the show for the Bees.

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Harry Kane and Heung-min Son were starved of service from the Italian’s wing-backs, the former even putting in a last-ditch goal-line clearance to save the clean sheet, at the very least.

Although it was the Argentine defender, who has been lauded as an “animal” in the past by his teammate Pierluigi Gollini, who ensured that Spurs walked away with a point rather than nothing whatsoever.

The £36m-rated warrior was an absolute rock defensively, often mopping up behind the error-prone Emerson on the right side of the defence.

As per SofaScore, the 23-year-old centre-back earned a ‘Man of the Match’ 8.1 rating, having made a game-high five interceptions, on top of three blocks, two clearances and one tackle.

Not only was he solid at the back, having won 75% of his ground and aerial battles but he was also influential with the ball at his feet, registering 74 touches, which included one key chance created – as many as Kane and Dejan Kulusevski combined – from 51 successful passes (93% total accuracy).

Romero’s performance earned quite the praise indeed, justifiably so.

Alasdair Gold of football.london graded him an 8/10 in his post-match ratings column and claimed that he ‘was by far Spurs’ best player on the day.’

There weren’t many players that could come away from such a display with their head held high but on the above evidence, the Argentina international was a cut above his teammates and without him, they may well have returned to N17 with an even worse result.

Romero was certainly Conte’s one and only positive from such a drab display.

AND in other news, Forget Emerson: “Really poor” Spurs lightweight who lost possession 19x failed Conte…