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Charlie Austin was once a quality striker in the Premier League, with the forward enjoying impressive spells at QPR and Southampton in particular but based on his lack of appearances in the top-flight so far this season with West Brom, it seems as if his time at the top-level may well be over.

Therefore, it could be argued that the Saints did well to cash in on the 31-year-old when they did in the summer of 2019, with Austin joining the Baggies in a deal worth £3.87 million (per Transfermarkt).

The striker, who contributed 20 goals and four assists in 81 appearances for the South Coast club, enjoyed a fairly fruitful campaign with the Baggies last season, as he scored 11 goals in 40 appearances in all competitions.

However, his contributions, which helped Slaven Bilic’s side earn promotion to the top-flight, were seemingly not enough to convince the Croatian manager that he is worthy of a starting spot in the top-flight.

The 31-year-old was on the bench for West Brom’s opening game against Leicester City but hasn’t been in the Premier League squad for any other fixture so far this term, whilst he has made two appearances in the EFL Cup (per Transfermarkt).

Austin’s time at Southampton was not short of controversy, as he was told to train with the U’23s in the summer of 2019 before his departure. However, he did impress in spells for the Saints, with Matt Le Tissier and Jamie Redknapp both full of praise for the Englishman back in 2016.

The forward also made his feelings about Southampton and their fans clear in a foul-mouthed Twitter rant earlier this year, suggesting that the club did very well to be rid of him.

Considering that he seems to be something of a trouble-maker and clearly isn’t having an impact in the Premier League this season, you can definitely argue that Semmens did well to receive a fee for him in 2019, as well as getting his reported £70k per week wages off Southampton’s books.

Southampton’s strike force has certainly blossomed since his departure too, with Danny Ings and Che Adams having both impressed over the past year, so they are definitely not missing having Austin around the club.

Michael Keane will be key to Carlo Ancelotti’s plans of beating Southampton this Sunday, with the Everton colossus vital to preventing Danny Ings from maintaining his stellar form.

Everton travel to St. Mary’s this weekend looking to extend their unbeaten start to the Premier League season, after VAR drama helped the Goodison Park outfit avoid defeat at home to Liverpool in the Merseyside Derby last time out.

The result kept the Toffees atop the league standings by a point to Aston Villa heading into the weekend, while a 3-3 draw at Chelsea saw Southampton slip to 12th place with two wins in five following victories over Burnley and West Bromwich Albion.

Ings struck the first of the Saints’ goals at Stamford Bridge to keep Ralph Hasenhuttl’s hopes of a result alive, while Jannik Vestergaard’s stoppage-time equaliser will ensure the south coast side are brimming with confidence when they host Everton on Sunday.

Ings’ 43rd-minute goal against Chelsea marked the 28-year-old’s fourth of the season, as he continues to impress for the Saints since his initial arrival on loan from Liverpool now with 37 strikes in 73 games across all competitions to his name.

The forward – who Southampton signed permanently for £20million in 2019 – accounts for 50% of the Saints’ total eight goals in the Premier League this season, a contribution rate only bettered by Wilfried Zaha (67% of Crystal Palace’s six goals) and Callum Wilson (57% of Newcastle’s seven goals).

Ancelotti will be aware that neutralising the threat Ings presents will be crucial to taking a result on the south coast this weekend, and will be buoyed by Keane’s dominant record against the three-time England international.

Keane has faced Ings in five Premier League fixtures throughout their respective careers, with Everton’s £30m centre-half coming out on top in two of those meetings and holding his compatriot to two draws.

Ings has provided three goals across those five meetings but has never beaten Everton when he has scored, with the Winchester-born ace unable to break the goal line in Southampton’s 2-1 win in January 2019.

The Saints won on that occasion through a second-half strike from James Ward-Prowse and an own goal from Lucas Digne, which Gylfi Sigurdsson’s 91st-minute hit could not prevent from proving crucial.

Keane, alongside Chelsea loanee Kurt Zouma, restricted Ings to just two shots although both were on target and saved by Jordan Pickford, while forcing the 28-year-old into failing two of his four dribbles and misplacing eight of his 25 passes, per WhoScored.

Ings was even less influential to proceedings when Everton held Liverpool to a goalless draw in April 2018, when the forward – fielded at right-wing by Jurgen Klopp – failed to register any shots, misplaced 11 of his 46 passes, made no successful dribbles and was disposed twice before being hauled off in the 89th-minute. Keane, meanwhile, recorded two tackles, won six aerial duels and registered nine clearances.

Ancelotti will be hopeful that Keane can replicate his performance against Liverpool in 2018 and force a timid display from Ings when Everton travel to Southampton this Sunday.

AND in other news, Everton are yet to open talks with a key club figure who’s set to be out of contract next summer.

Blackburn Rovers have leapfrogged Watford in the race to sign Leeds United defender Barry Douglas and are confident of a deal before Friday’s deadline.

With the domestic transfer window set to close at 5pm on Friday (16/10), we can expect plenty of movement in the Championship.

Leeds have been extremely active in terms of bringing players in over the summer but one player who now looks set to depart in Douglas, with plenty of interest from the second tier.

A whole host of clubs have eyes on the Scottish left-back, though Blackburn and Watford appear the most keen.

Blackburn take over Watford for Douglas move

With speculation mounting ahead of Friday’s deadline, it had been reported that Watford were front runners in the race to sign the defender.

However, that claim seems to have now been countered with Football Insider claiming officials from Ewood Park have held fresh talks with Leeds on Thursday morning over a deal.

This advance from the former Premier League winners could tempt Watford to make a final push for the defender, who has made 44 appearances for the Whites thus far.

From ‘integral’ to out the door

Douglas is unlikely to gain sufficient playing time at Elland Road this season with Stuart Dallas producing consistently good form over the last 12 months at left-back.

Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa has often praised Douglas, calling the defender an ‘integral’ part of his squad just under one month ago, but that now seems to have changed with an exit on the cards.

Who Douglas would be better suited to join is up for debate but you have to feel Watford would be better equipped to mount a promotion challenge if the Scot wants to embark on a similar campaign to that which he experienced with Leeds last season.

Do you think Douglas should join Blackburn or Watford? Let us know in the comments section below…

If at first you fail, try and try again. This is probably the motto Dean Smith is currently preaching at Aston Villa as they struggle to finally seal the deal for Emiliano Martinez.

Arsenal have already rejected two offers from the Villains, the last one said to be within the £15m mark, and are adamant on holding out for their initial £20m evaluation of the goalie.

Of course, the Argentine shot-stopper is looking for regular minutes ahead of the 2020/21 Premier League season so he is keen to move on from the Emirates. However, Mikel Arteta won’t just part ways with him for any price whatsoever.

According to the latest report from the Daily Mail, Aston Villa are preparing their third attempt to finally snatch the goalkeeper up and bring him to the club. But one thing is for sure, that bid will simply have to be at least much closer to Arsenal’s asking price if they are to be more successful this time around.

Martinez has already rejected a contract renewal with the London side so there is certainly hope for Villa that he will indeed leave for greener pastures in the immediate future.

Smith wants to add more depth to his defence and the 28-year-old could indeed be the answer to his prayers. The only thing in the way is money and it remains to be seen whether the Villains have the financial power to get the deal over the line.

Only time will tell.

Verdict

Since Martinez is looking for steady football and Villa need a new goalie, this does seem like the perfect match on paper. Of course, the Villains’ goalkeepers have been a sore spot for the team for a while now and the Argentine could help fix that for the upcoming campaign.

Nothing is set in stone just yet, however, and there’s still a lot of work left before they can celebrate a new signing.

Rangers are surely loving the new campaign as they sit top of the Scottish Premiership after the first three rounds of fixtures.

Steven Gerrard’s men have been thoroughly impressive, picking up a 100% win record and are even yet to concede a goal – could this be the year the club truly contends for the title?

Being five points clear of their arch-rivals Celtic at this early stage is certainly a testament to the possibilities.

On Wednesday evening, the Gers ran riot at Ibrox to defeat St Johnstone 3-0 thanks to goals from Borna Barisic, Ryan Kent and Joe Aribo, who all had the game wrapped up by the 50th-minute mark.

Indeed it was the Croatian defender that was the standout performer on the night – aside from his goal, he provided the assist for their second and also recorded four tackles, four accurate crosses and two successful dribbles, via SofaScore.

The 27-year-old was pivotal to Gerrard’s men picking up the three points as he was heavily involved in the proceedings – 82 touches and two key passes only emphasise that.

Perhaps, it’s no surprise to see him linked with a move elsewhere. Roma, Spurs and Leeds have all been touted with interest this summer, although luckily for those in Glasgow, no bids have come forward… yet.

If Ross Wilson has any sense after witnessing last night’s display, then he simply must reject any advances should they fall at his door.

There’s only really one other player suited to the role and that’s new signing Calvin Bassey, who can also play centrally.

Signed by Mark Allen in 2018, Barisic has been a fantastic servant to the Rs and it’s nights like Wednesday that show just how integral he is to the club and their chances of winning their first championship since the 2010/11 campaign.

AND in other news, Massive boost as club makes big transfer decision on Gerrard’s prized asset

Tottenham Hotspur appear to be in the market for a new right-back this summer and a new name has emerged from the shadows.

What’s the word?

According to Calciomercato, Spurs are one of several clubs interested in Barcelona ace Emerson after a string of impressive displays whilst out on loan to La Liga rivals Real Betis.

It’s claimed that Newcastle United, AC Milan and Bayer Leverkusen are also keen on landing the 21-year-old ahead of next season.

The young Brazilian still has to complete another year at the Estadio Benito Villamarin and Barca will be faced with paying out €9m (£8m) if they are to cut that short to sell him on.

It’s believed that their asking price is around €30m (£27m) as a result of the situation.

Aarons or Emerson?

Spurs have been linked to several right-back targets, most notably Norwich City’s Max Aarons, who The Athletic have claimed is one of three players high on the list of priorities this summer.

However, a move for Emerson could be the smarter play here.

In the past, the one-time Brazil international has been compared to fellow compatriot Dani Alves and also cites the legendary Cafu as a player he idolises.

When comparing the two, Emerson is streets ahead of Aarons – per WhoScored, he’s averaged more tackles (2.2), aerial duels won (2) and key passes (0.9) than the Canaries’ prospect.

In addition, from an attacking viewpoint, the 21-year-old has provided three goals and six assists this campaign.

Aarons has certainly been one of the bright sparks in a gloomy season in Norfolk, but there has to be doubts on whether he’s ready for the step-up to a club like Spurs just yet.

Mourinho has plenty to worry about at right-back too with Kyle Walker-Peters hugely out of favour. He could soon be used as a pawn to clinch Saints midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

Whilst Serge Aurier’s form has regularly brought criticism from the Spurs faithful.

And in other news, Mourinho may have found his next Frank Lampard…

West Ham United left-back Aaron Cresswell argued that the players have not been consulted about project restart, in a Twitter post on Friday.

What did he say?

The Premier League clubs are set to vote today on whether players can return to training in small groups, ahead of a potential return to action in June.

Fourteen of the 20 clubs are needed to approve the proposal which if agreed on, could see players back in training from Tuesday.

However, Cresswell has argued that the players’ opinions have not been properly taken into account.

“I think it’s been made pretty clear players opinions don’t count for much along with the head medical officer of fifa,” he wrote on Twitter.

“It’s been 10 weeks since we last played to try get a poll to see where players stand?”

The 30-year-old was responding to a tweet from Talksport quoting former England boss Sam Allardyce who had argued that the players had not been properly consulted.

Communication breakdown

It is becoming increasingly clear that there is a level of discontent among some of the players with regards to the level of consultation that has taken place.

In such an unprecedented scenario it is the players who are taking the biggest risk by taking the field and in the desperation to see a return, it appears they have not had their opinions properly heard.

Whether or not this will change as the plans are ramped up remains to be seen, but at this stage it feels like there has been a breakdown in communication.

This article forms part of our Total Duds feature series, which is where Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at how a player has fared since being signed or sold, using statistical figures and statements from pundits to prove how bad a deal the club got.

When Newcastle United decided to fork out £22.5 million to sign Michael Owen from Real Madrid back in 2005, it perhaps raised a good few eyebrows for a number of reasons.

On the positive side, the former Liverpool ace was arguably still a quality player then, and received heaps of praises from people associated with the Tyneside club. Manager at the time Graeme Souness said that the capture would represent the biggest transfer of his managerial career, whilst chairman Freddy Shepherd said that bringing him to St. James’ Park ranked alongside the signing of Alan Shearer as his proudest moment at the Magpies, as per The Guardian.

Indeed, the Premier League’s all-time record goal scorer and undisputed Toon legend was entering his final season wearing the famous black and white stripes, so Owen had some huge boots to fill.

His debut campaign in the North East was perhaps an underwhelming one to say the least, as he only managed 11 appearances in the top flight, scoring seven goals, according to Transfermarkt.

Scuppered by injury problems, the 40-year old would miss a staggering 54 games in the following term with a ruptured cruciate ligament, as per the website.

He would go on to miss another 17 matches through injury over the next two seasons, before leaving on a free transfer to Manchester United, representing a huge financial loss.

The ex-striker was arguably a loss on the pitch as well, making just 79 appearances over four campaigns, with 2007/08 being the only term where he racked up double figures in the goal scoring department (via Transfermarkt).

Owen did not even want to play for Newcastle in the first place. His heart was set on a return to Liverpool, and perhaps this is a reason as to why he failed to impress at United.

Nevertheless, the Englishman was still a waste of money and time.

Newcastle fans, what are your thoughts on Michael Owen? Let us know below…

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…

Leeds United are apparently interested in signing Rhian Brewster on loan this January.

Landing the Liverpool man could be a good piece of business as Leeds currently only have two senior strikers in their squad, and Brewster has a brilliant record at youth level, contributing to 23 goals in 28 appearances for the Reds’ U23 side.

It seems as if Brewster could be a good signing for Leeds, but his arrival would give Marcelo Bielsa something of a selection headache, and perhaps not the one you’d immediately think of.

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Of course, it leaves the Argentine having to pick between Brewster, Patrick Bamford and Nketiah on a weekly basis, but it also may have repercussions on other players in the squad.

Leeds currently have six loan players on the books, and with the EFL limiting the number of loanees a Championship team can have in the matchday squad to five, one man misses out each week.

If Brewster arrives that means that two players would have to miss out in each game.

It may seem like a simple solution to just drop Jack Clarke and Illan Meslier as they have just one league appearance between them this season, but Kiko Casilla’s impending potential ban may make that rather tricky.

It’d be very tough for Bielsa to rotate his squad in a way to keep seven loanees happy when he has to leave two of them out of the matchday squad each week.

Whether or not Brewster joins the Elland Road outfit remains to be seen, but if he does then Bielsa will have a tough job on his hands in order to ensure all of his players’ needs are catered for.

In other news, Leeds fans are worried about one Championship team creeping up on them.

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…

Of course, they would never say so publicly but it is hard to believe that Manchester City are not presently ruing their decision this summer to abstain in replacing their departed leader Vincent Kompany.

An early chasing of Harry Maguire eventually led to the Premier League champions baulking at the firmly-set price tag and while many observers expected subsequent targets to follow none were forthcoming. Instead City seemed content – or at least amenable – to going into the new season with what they already had.

There was Aymeric Laporte, a magnificent Rolls Royce of a defender. There was Nicolas Otamendi, an erratic loose cannon who only applied himself well when tethered to the calming presence of either Kompany or Laporte. There was John Stones, injury-prone and infuriatingly either imperious or a complete liability. And, for a fourth option, Fernandinho could be converted from a midfield 6 to centre-back in the same manner that Mascherano was reimagined under Guardiola at Barcelona.

A seismic long-term lay off for Laporte endured against Brighton in September changed everything, and since the loss of their most effective stopper City have been all at sea.

A calamitous defensive showing at Norwich resulted in a costly defeat while Otamendi’s shortcomings were ruthlessly exposed by Wolves at home. So far this term City have conceded 13 league goals, eight more than at this stage last year and the word is out that the formerly formidable Blues are decidedly shaky at the back.

It is not a crisis – not yet – but it’s certainly in the same postcode and a feeling persists that unless something is done about it City could very well slip from contention in the Premier League.

Here are three possible solutions to the growing crisis…

Sign Nathan Ake

A further complication to add to Pep Guardiola’s woes lies in the fact that the construct of his squad means that unless a ‘home-grown’ defender is sought it would require the selling of a ‘foreign’ player from his present contingent.

Having come through the Chelsea ranks, Nathan Ake qualifies as home-grown despite being a Holland international and with the club having already recently taken a keen interest in the Bournemouth star he is clearly someone who Guardiola admires.

The 24-year-old who boasts several years of top flight experience ticks every box but he comes at a price – a whopping £75m is what Bournemouth value him at, per Sky Sports.

Develop Eric Garcia

An alternative to a January transfer lies in the emergence of City’s teenage prodigy Eric Garcia. The accomplished La Masia graduate may only be 18 but his accomplished trio of first team performances have had City fans drooling over what is to come.

His innate reading of danger and excellent use of the ball has seen him compared to Gerard Pique and though his age unquestionably makes any fast-tracking a significant risk, would he be any less of a gamble than playing the unpredictable Otamendi?

Back three with Kyle Walker

Given the ease at which City cruised past Crystal Palace without fielding a single recognised central defender during a 2-0 win at Selhurst Park last month, it’s unlikely that Guardiola will be feeling compelled to make any drastic changes to his lineup. Fernandinho and Rodri marshalled the defensive unit with genuine authority while simultaneously allowing City to exert a frightening territorial advantage over the hosts.

But Palace’s meek resistance is not what City have to worry about and their most recent fixture against Liverpool laid bare some of their defensive frailties. Perhaps the solution, at least in away fixtures against some of the best sides in the division, is to revert to a system that incorporates three central defenders, with Kyle Walker dropping in to offer his physical prowess and previous experience.

The full-back thrived in a similar role during England’s route to the semi-final of the 2018 World Cup, and his familiarity with what’s required could help Guardiola implement a new system.