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Sunderland journalist James Copley was left bemoaning the injury picked up by Ellis Simms in the 3-0 win at Reading in the Championship on Wednesday.

The Lowdown: Comfortable win

It was a comfortable win in the end for the Stadium of Light outfit, despite Simms having to go off with an injury in the first half.

A Patrick Roberts brace and a Jack Clarke goal were enough to give Tony Mowbray’s team all three points, but there will now be some concern over Simms’ fitness as they head to Watford over the weekend.

The Latest: Copley reacts

Taking to Twitter during the game, Copley bemoaned the injury picked up by injury, calling it a ‘massive blow if it is serious’.

And speaking to the media post-match, Mowbray admitted that he does not know if Simms needs a scan, adding that the Wearside club need to assess the extent of his injury.

The Verdict: Worrying

The fact that Simms had to go off in the first half, and that he may need a scan, is certainly worrying for Mowbray and his team.

The Black Cats already have enough injury concerns already, including fellow striker Ross Stewart, and so a long-term injury for Simms would leave them very light up top.

They managed to make-do without a natural number nine when Simms came off against Reading, but eventually the goals could dry up until either him or Stewart return.

Everton winger Anthony Gordon is already on an ‘unbelievable’ salary for his age group, but will need a pay-hike to reflect his position in the first-team, says transfer insider Dean Jones.

The lowdown

Having come through the youth ranks at Everton, Gordon has now established himself in the first team, starting all seven of their Premier League matches so far this season (via Transfermarkt).

After he attracted strong interest and a whopping £60million bid from Chelsea during the summer transfer window, Everton are now working behind the scenes to tie him down to a new contract.

His current deal runs until the end of the 2024/25 season, but new terms could ward off potential suitors for the time being.

The latest

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones says that Gordon is already in a great position but is about to receive a salary hike that reflects his true value to this Everton side.

He said: “It will reward him for the time being and would reflect his value to this team. He’s earning £10,000 a week which is unbelievable compared to most 21-year-olds but it’s not a lot at all for one who is starting every week in the Premier League.”

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The verdict

It’s hard to argue that Gordon won’t deserve a substantial pay rise.

Last season, he was named the club’s Young Player and Player’s Player of the Season, underlining his key contribution to their successful survival bid.

And beyond that, this would also be a savvy, forward-thinking piece of business from Farhad Moshiri.

If Chelsea believed he was worth £60million last summer, then how much could he fetch in future windows with a longer contract and another year of development under his belt?

Glasgow Rangers appointed Giovanni van Bronckhorst to take over in the dugout at Ibrox in November of 2021 after they lost Steven Gerrard to a club south of the border.

Ross Wilson backed the Dutch head coach in his first window in charge of the Gers by snapping up Aaron Ramsey, Amad Diallo, and James Sands on loan, whilst also signing Mateusz Zukowski on a permanent basis and John Souttar on a pre-contract agreement.

The Rangers sporting director was also able to dodge an error in January as he did not follow up on interest in Scottish winger Siriki Dembele.

It was reported that the Light Blues, along with their Old Firm rivals Celtic, were monitoring the attacker’s situation as his contract at Peterborough was set to expire at the end of the season.

Wilson opted to avoid a deal for the winger and English Championship side Bournemouth ended up signing him on deadline day for an undisclosed fee, although it had been claimed that Birmingham were readying an offer of £1.5m – offering an insight into the kind of money that may have been involved.

On paper, it looked like a promising signing for the Cherries as he had caught the eye whilst playing in East Anglia in the 18 months prior to that. He had scored five goals and provided one assist in 22 second-tier outings for the Posh, after racking up an outstanding 11 goals and ten assists in 38 League One starts in 2020/21.

Peterborough chief Barry Fry previously lauded the winger’s ability, telling Football FanCast: “Siriki can get the ball in his own half and with dazzling dribbling ability, he can beat four or five players and score a wonder goal or cross it for somebody else to score.

“He’s very, very exciting. He’s got the best stats outside the [English] Premier League, I think. We’ll try to keep hold of him if we go up, and we’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse! So watch this space.”

However, he struggled to make a significant impact as he scored two goals and provided one assist in 13 Championship appearances for Scott Parker’s side.

His lack of form for Bournemouth in their promotion-winning campaign has led to him being an outcast in their current Premier League battles. He is yet to make a single appearance for the club in any competition this term, despite not dealing with any injury issues.

The 26-year-old has been cast aside at the Vitality Stadium and his disappointing spell with the south coast club suggests that Wilson played a blinder by deciding not to bring him to Ibrox back in January.

Dembele’s lack of end product in the final third after stepping up to the Championship in England suggests that he is not cut out to play at a higher level, with Bournemouth seemingly feeling that he is not Premier League quality.

Therefore, the Gers chief dodged a bullet by avoiding a swoop for the attacker as his statistics indicate that he would not have added a great deal to the Light Blues squad, judging by his lack of goals and assists.

Scottish champions Celtic are currently smarting following their recent Champions League defeat away in Germany on Wednesday evening, with the Parkhead outfit having once again come up short in what’s been a somewhat frustrating start to the group stage.

One sub-plot from that 3-1 loss to Bundesliga side RB Leipzig was the first meaningful appearance in a Hoops shirt for summer signing Oliver Abildgaard, with the defensive-minded midfielder entering the fray just before the break as a result of Callum McGregor’s injury.

The Danish giant had previously made just a solitary appearance since his deadline day arrival from Russian outfit Rubin Kazan on a season-long loan deal, with that outing having come as a late substitute in the final minute of Saturday’s triumph over Motherwell.

With little game time under his belt in recent months amid his fight to get up to speed fitness-wise, it was no doubt something of a risk for manager Ange Postecoglou to thrust the 26-year-old into the action in Saxony.

In truth, it was a gamble that the former Yokohama boss simply had to make as the aforementioned McGregor pulled up with a knee issue after making a rare error in the build-up to Christopher Nkunku’s opener, with alternatives having been limited amid Aaron Mooy’s injury woes.

While it represented a “big challenge” for Abildgaard – in the words of journalist Josh Bunting – to try and replace the Bhoys’ stricken skipper, the imposing menace seemingly rose to that challenge, putting in an assured display despite the eventual loss.

Although seemingly a different type of player to that of the Scotland international as a result of his towering, 6 foot 4 frame, the £6.3m-rated machine offers a potentially more defensive-minded option at the base of the midfield, as he notably won 100% of his aerial duels on the night.

That solid display also saw the one-cap colossus win four of his seven ground duels and record an impressive four tackles, with only Leipzig hero, Nkunku having matched that tally for either side.

While it is yet to be seen just how long McGregor will be out for, it seemingly “doesn’t look good” for the 29-year-old at present, according to Postecoglou, with a place in the side potentially up for grabs amid his expected absence.

The Celtic academy graduate will definitely be unavailable for this weekend’s trip to St Johnstone due to suspension, with that seemingly providing the perfect opportunity for Abildgaard to showcase his talent with a first start for the club, having no doubt earned a full debut following that encouraging showing in midweek.

Newcastle United were in trouble in the Premier League when PIF completed their takeover of the club from Mike Ashley in October 2021.

The new owners opted to sack Steve Bruce and appointed Eddie Howe as his successor in November with the Magpies sitting 19th in the table and five points adrift of safety.

PIF decided to back their first appointment by splashing the cash in the transfer market during their first window in January 2022; bringing in Kieran Trippier, Bruno Guimaraes, Dan Burn, Matt Targett, and Chris Wood.

These signings and Howe’s management fired the side up the table and to safety as Newcastle ended the season in 11th place, well clear of the bottom three.

Guimaraes, in particular, has been a phenomenal signing for the Magpies so far as he has taken to Premier League football like a duck to water.

The Brazilian joined the club from Ligue 1 side Lyon and Transfermarkt valued him at £27m at the time of the move, after he had scored three goals in 71 appearances for the French outfit.

It did not take him long to settle into life in England as he quickly became a key player for Howe in the middle of the park during Newcastle’s resurgence up the table.

He played 17 times in the second half of the season and chipped in with five goals and one assist, whilst averaging a SofaScore rating of 7.25 – the highest of any Toon player with at least ten appearances.

This term, he has taken his game to the next level and is currently averaging a SofaScore rating of 7.57 in the top flight, a score that only Kieran Trippier (7.58) is ahead of. The exciting dynamo has scored two goals and provided one assist in six outings and has made a big impact at the other end of the pitch, making 4.3 tackles and interceptions per game.

No player in the Newcastle squad has made more defensive actions per match than Guimaraes and this, along with his consistently brilliant ratings, shows how important he is to Howe’s team.

At the time of writing, Transfermarkt value the Brazilian at a whopping £45m. This means that his value has rocketed by £18m (67%) in just ten months at the club, with his price soaring in line with his superb performances on the pitch.

Statman Dave described him as a “sensational” signing for Newcastle and the statistics, both in terms of what he has produced in the Premier League and how his value has soared, back that up.

PIF struck gold by signing him from Lyon back in January and, at the age of 24, he still has plenty left to give. He could grow and improve as he gains more experience in the Premier League and, hopefully, he will be a special player for the Magpies for many more years to come.

Sunderland have been through a tough few years, and despite their numerous relegations, there were some shining lights amongst the dismal years.

Their drop down the divisions naturally led to financial implications, which likely forced them to avoid expensive transfers and instead look to the academy for talent.

Whilst he did not manage to half their slump, Josh Maja still impressed after breaking into the senior squad.

The Nigerian striker had been at the club since 2015, having previously been educated at the likes of Crystal Palace, Fulham and Manchester City.

He was a well-travelled youngster, and although he struggled during their Championship season where they were relegated, he started the League One season impressively.

Scoring four in his first four during the 2018/19 season, he would go on to bag 15 league goals in just 24 games.

The 23-year-old was quoted as possessing a “natural ability” – in the words of Jack Ross – that made him such a success during his short time at the Stadium of Light.

It therefore would make his contract dispute all the more frustrating, as he was due to leave on a free at the end of that season.

Desperate to leave but clearly feeling like he owed the club at least something, he opted to depart in January instead of seeing out the campaign.

Having come through the ranks and cost nothing, to sell him on for £3.5m marks sensational value for a club that was, at the time, languishing in League One.

He featured just 49 times in total for the Black Cats before moving on to Bordeaux, where he would once again face relegation with the Ligue 1 side due to financial issues.

Despite his age, Maja seems to once again be showing his character in the lower division, as this season he already has seven goals and three assists in 11 outings.

During a period of abject misery for Sunderland, Maja stood as the sole glimmer of hope for fans on Wearside.

Blessed with pace, skill and the ability to finish, it was clear that whilst the club was in such disrepute, he would always be angling for a move away. Luckily, they still managed to make a handsome profit from the youngster.

Celtic’s recent triumph over Hibernian at Parkhead on Saturday saw long-serving winger, James Forrest, hit the headlines, with the Bhoys academy graduate having netted a stunning hat-trick to bring up a century of goals in his Hoops career.

The 31-year-old has been on the periphery in recent times during Ange Postecoglou’s tenure – with that win over Lee Johnson’s side having been just his first start of the season – although took what was a rare chance with both hands, proving once again just what a reliable figure the Scotland international has been over the past decade or so.

The £4.5m-rated ace has been a truly “underrated” figure for both club and country over the years, in the words of Stefan Bienkowski, having notably claimed a remarkable haul of ten Scottish Premiership titles to date.

The 38-cap speedster – who made his debut for the Glasgow side back in 2010 – doesn’t appear to be a force on the decline if this recent showing is anything to go by, having begun to justify the new three-year extension that he received at the end of last term.

The diminutive ace remains one of the club’s most notable academy success stories of the modern era – alongside current skipper Callum McGregor – having shown that there is a clear pathway from youth level to the senior ranks at Celtic Park.

The focus now should well be on finding the next promising talent who can emulate the £19k-per-week wide man’s success, with the Prestwick-born sensation a shining example of the benefits of promoting from within, rather than solely prioritising potential incomings.

One youngster whom Postecoglou could well turn to sooner rather than later is 17-year-old, Ben Quinn, with the exciting teenager potentially an ideal fit to fill Forrest’s shoes later down the line, as he also typically lines up in a right-wing berth.

The highly-rated forward – who is the nephew of former Republic of Ireland international Stephen Quinn – has been with the Hoops since joining back in 2019, with the Scottish giants reportedly edging out the likes of Manchester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers for his signature.

That intense interest from the Premier League is a marker of the Irishman’s obvious talent, while he has also scored once and laid on one assist in all competitions so far this term, with the Dublin-born starlet still having plenty of time to develop even further.

Part of the side which claimed victory over RB Leipzig in the UEFA Youth League a few weeks ago – which left coach Stephen McManus to tip his players for a “bright future” – Quinn is already making steps towards becoming the next youth star to force his way into the first-team.

Arsenal enjoyed something of a clearout at The Emirates in the summer transfer window, with Edu moving a number of the Gunners’ deadwood onto pastures new, including Hector Bellerin, Alexandre Lacazette, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Bernd Leno, Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi.

However, while the latter of this sextet never looked to be a favourite of Mikel Arteta’s – starting just eight games under the Spaniard in 2019/20, before being shipped out on loan to Hertha BSC in 2020/21 and Olympique de Marseille in 2021/22 – Edu’s decision to include a £9m purchase clause in his loan to France appears to have been a big mistake by the technical director.

Indeed, after joining Les Phoceens on a temporary basis in the summer of 2021, Guendouzi highly impressed over his 38 Ligue 1 appearances last season, scoring four goals, providing six assists and creating six big chances, as well as making an average of 0.9 key passes, 1.2 tackles and winning 4.3 duels – at a success rate of 52% – per game.

These returns saw the 23-year-old average a fantastic SofaScore match rating of 7.00, ranking him as Jorge Sampaoli’s sixth-best performer in the top flight of French football last season – playing a key role in Marseille’s extremely impressive second-place finish in the league last time out.

And, after the French club activated the midfielder’s purchase clause this summer, the £43m-rated talent has once again caught the eye over his ten Ligue 1 fixtures in the current campaign, having already scored one goal, registered two assists and created one big chance for his teammates – with these metrics seeing the 23-year-old average a SofaScore match rating of 6.95.

However, it has undoubtedly been the France international’s four appearances in the Champions League in which he has most impressed this term, bagging one goal, as well as taking an average of 1.5 shots, making 0.5 key passes and winning 2.0 duels – at a success rate of 62% – per game.

These returns have seen the £40k-per-week player who Jack Mendel once dubbed “unreal” average a simply sensational SofaScore match rating of 7.03, currently ranking him as Igor Tudor’s sixth-best player in Europe’s most prestigious club competition.

As such, considering his remarkable returns in France, the fact he now boasts a market valuation 338% higher than the figure Arsenal sold him for and Mohamed Elneny’s injury having left Arteta with only Thomas Partey as a senior option in defensive midfield, it is clear to see that selling Guendouzi for such a minimal fee this summer has proven something of a shocker for Edu.

West Bromwich Albion have denied that the club’s social media team helped Sheffield United in their 2-0 win at The Hawthorns on Saturday, Lewis Cox reports.

The Lowdown: Heckingbottom’s comments

Carlos Corberan endured the worst possible start to life as Baggies manager on Saturday, with defeat against the Blades leaving them bottom of the Championship.

Sheffield United boss Paul Heckingbottom admitted after the game that he was ‘pretty sure’ Corberan would go with a 3-4-3 system, adding that West Brom may have put a ‘little bit too much out on their social media channels’ ahead of the fixture. The Blades manager didn’t specify in regards to official posts, and Cox has shared a response from the Midlands club.

The Latest: Cox’s update

Cox, who labelled Heckingbottom’s comments as ‘interesting’, took to Twitter on Saturday evening to share West Brom’s response to the claim. He stated that all of the Baggies’ pre-match content was taken on Wednesday, prior to decisions from Corberan on selection and tactics.

Cox tweeted: “Albion say all pics/vids used online were taken on Wed prior to decisions on selection/tactics and that there is nothing in PH comments.”

The Verdict: Not good

Everyone at The Hawthorns would have been hoping for a new manager bounce, and even though the club are adamant that there is nothing in Heckingbottom’s claim, some posts may well have hindered Corberan and his side.

The Express and Star say that a picture on Thursday showed Corberan, ‘holding a piece of paper with scribbled writing on it, enough to make out some of its contents’, something that the Blades may have exploited to their advantage.

Corberan has a huge task on his hands to turn things around in the Midlands, with the Baggies now bottom of the second tier, and it wouldn’t come as a shock if he were to ask that social media training ground posts are toned down going forward.

Leeds United head into Saturday afternoon’s Premier League meeting against AFC Bournemouth in high spirits, with Jesse Marsch’s side having finally ended their eight-match winless streak with a shock 2-1 victory over Liverpool last time out.

However, with the Whites having lost a key player to injury in the week, coupled with a number of Marsch’s regular starters currently enduring something of a dip from their usual performance levels, the 48-year-old has a number of decisions to make regarding his starting XI for the visit of the Cherries this afternoon.

Will the American make any changes to the side which lined up in the win at Anfield last weekend?

Here’s how we at Football FanCast think Leeds’ starting XI could look against Bournemouth, along with the latest team and injury news…

Predicted Leeds XI – Meslier; Kristensen, Koch, Cooper, Struijk; Adams, Roca; Summerville, Aaronson, Gnonto; Bamford.

With Marsch revealing in his pre-match press conference that Luis Sinisterra is likely to be out of action until after the World Cup due to a foot injury, while also stating that both Stuart Dallas and Adam Forshaw remain sidelined with knocks, we predict that the 48-year-old will make two changes to the side which started the 2-1 victory over Liverpool last weekend.

The back five remains intact, with Illan Meslier – who enjoyed quite possibly his best performance in a Leeds shirt at Anfield – starting between the sticks, while right-back Rasmus Kristensen, centre-back pairing Robin Koch and Liam Cooper and left-back Pascal Struijk make up the Whites’ defensive unit.

In the middle of the park, Marsch’s tried-and-tested duo of Marc Roca and Tyler Adams once again get the nod, with the summer signings having highly impressed since their respective moves to Elland Road – currently ranking as the club’s second and fourth-best performers in the top flight respectively.

The first change comes in the three behind the striker, with the distinctly out-of-form Jack Harrison – who was linked with a £60m move to Newcastle United in the summer – dropping out of the XI. That switch sees Crysencio Summerville move over to his preferred right-wing role and 18-year-old “wonderkid” Wilfried Gnonto come in on the left flank.

This means that Brenden Aaronson is once again unleashed in the number 10 role just behind Patrick Bamford. Despite the 29-year-old striker being without a goal this season, he has looked quite lively in both the defeat to Arsenal and win at Liverpool win, and he replaces Rodrigo in leading the line for Leeds against the Cherries.