The majority of Celtic fans that answered our recent poll said that they would not support a loan move for Everton youngster Kieran Dowell in January.

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has a large squad at his disposal already, but players such as Jonny Hayes and Lewis Morgan could be considered surplus to requirements and thus moved on in the winter transfer window.

Dowell though has started just two games for the Everton first team so far this season, both of which were in the League Cup against Rotherham and Southampton, but with the Toffees knocked out in a penalty shootout against their fellow Premier League side it looks as though the midfielder will have to return to the U23 side.

He could then be available for his second loan move away from Goodison Park, after spending last season in the Championship with Nottingham Forest.

Dowell quickly set about becoming a regular fixture in the first team, scoring 10 goals in the first half of the season. Unfortunately for him, when Aitor Karanka was brought in as manager he lost his place in the side.

The Everton youngster, who joined the club’s academy at age seven, did manage 38 Championship appearances for Forest though so has good first-team experience, but Celtic fans clearly don’t think he has the quality to improve their side in January.

Check out the full results of our poll below.

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The Manchester Derby is the chief rivalry at the forefront of English football, or at least it should be.

Manchester United enter this clash against their noisy neighbours on the back of an incredibly underwhelming start to the season and although their recent comebacks, which pay tribute to their last meeting with Manchester City, have demonstrated a mental resilience and passion many accused them of lacking, they’re certainly the underdogs for this one. Even a win wouldn’t get them back into the Premier League title race.

With James Jones still frolicking in foreign lands, Christy Malyan once again takes up hosting duties for this week’s episode and he’s joined by perfect company. Fixture In Focus regular Chris McMullan is an avid Manchester City fan, while previous guest Stel from Shoot The Defence has returned to represent Manchester United in our heated debate.

On the agenda is a quick look back at last week’s Fixture In Focus and Liverpool’s over-reliance on an underpeforming forward line, Manchester United’s great striker debate, the club’s seeming prioritisation of finance over football, Manchester City’s potential weaknesses and of course, our score predictions.

Don’t forget to subscribe to make sure you keep up to date with all the latest episodes.

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Arsenal’s incredible unbeaten run reached 16 games as Henrikh Mkhitaryan rescued a point for the Gunners in the dying minutes with a curling cross-shot, but all the plaudits are going to Bernd Leno for keeping the hosts in the game on multiple occasions.

The German has had to wait a while to consolidate himself in the starting line-up as he has been frequently rotated with Petr Cech, but looks set to hold the gloves for the next few games at least after fending off a bloodthirsty Wolves side on Sunday.

Saving from Helder Costa twice in the first half and putting his body on the line to foil Raul Jimenez, the former Bayer Leverkusen man did his utmost to keep his side in the game after they went 1-0 down early on and, after Mkhitaryan had levelled, smothered Adama Traore’s attempt as Nuno Espirito Santo’s side looked to snatch all three points at the death.

Receiving man of the match for his exploits, the 26-year-old was applauded on Twitter by the Arsenal faithful as some even compared him to an all-time great.

Read the best of the reaction below.

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Loads of Everton fans have been giving their verdict on the interest in Andrija Zivkovic, and a whopping 81 per cent of fans want to sign the Serbian wonderkid.

According to Dominic King, Everton are chasing Zivkovic, who would cost the Toffees upwards of £20m.

King claims Marco Silva is a long-term admirer of the young Serbian, who was tipped to be an international superstar when he was a teenager at Partizan Belgrade.

He has since moved to Benfica, where he has struggled to make an impact managing just three league goals in 41 appearances.

The Playmaker FC squad decided to wind-up some unsuspecting Brazil fans at the Emirates on Saturday night. Watch the hilarious results in the video below…

The versatile youngster certainly has potential though, and fans were all boasting about signing him on Football Manager when the links emerged last week.

Silva is clearly keen to add as many skilful, creative attackers as possible, and the 22 year-old has spent most of this season on the right wing, which could be bad news for Theo Walcott.

81 per cent of fans said they would back a move in excess of £20m, and you can view the full poll results down below…

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According to a report by Wales Online, out-of-favour Liverpool right-back Nathaniel Clyne is a January transfer target for Premier League strugglers Cardiff City, and Celtic should hijack any potential move for the 27-year-old.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Wales Online report that Bluebirds boss Neil Warnock is keen to sign a new right-back in the New Year, and Clyne is a player on his radar as he considers a loan approach for the former Southampton and Crystal Palace defender.

Wales Online report that both the player and Reds manager Jurgen Klopp are open to a January exit for the England international, who has fallen behind Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez in the pecking order for the right-sided full-back role.

Clyne has only played 90 minutes of first-team football – in the EFL Cup –  for the Merseyside outfit so far this season, and has only made the 18-man squad once – on the opening day against West Ham United – in 12 occasions in the Premier League.

Why should Celtic sign him?

Bhoys boss Brendan Rodgers confirmed in his pre-match Hamilton press conference on Thursday that he is already monitoring potential signings ahead of the January window, and one of the positions he will surely be looking to strengthen is at right-back.

Check out the video below to see how Brazil fans reacted to being asked how Cristiano Ronaldo would peform for them in a hilarious prank by Playmaker FC…

While the Northern Irishman has Mikael Lustig and Cristian Gamboa competing for that spot, both have often flattered to deceive when they have been on the pitch and the duo also see their contracts expire at the end of the season.

Rodgers actually brought Clyne to Anfield from Southampton in the summer of 2015 and will be well aware of his qualities, and he should look to save the pacy 27-year-old from his current Liverpool nightmare with a loan swoop, before making him his first-choice right-back for the rest of the campaign given he is 10x better than current first-choice Lustig.

Rafa Benitez took a tactical risk on Monday evening by switching from a conventional four at the back system to a three man central defence with two wing-backs, and it was a risk which paid dividends for Newcastle United. 

Burnley had their chances at Turf Moor yesterday evening but, generally speaking, Newcastle’s defensive unit kept clear cut chances at a premium.

Against a typically physical Burnley attack, spearheaded by Chris Wood, Newcastle held firm and demonstrated a comfort within the new system which suggests Benitez will be seriously contemplating a long-term shift in philosophy.

Burnley’s lack of pace upfront enabled Newcastle to enjoy time in possession of the ball inside their own half, and Fabian Schar exploited this to eye-catching effect at times, particularly in the first-half.

With the freedom of Turf Moor to pick a long-range pass, Schar delivered a handful of incisive long-range passes deep into Burnley’s territory, regularly exploiting the space which Matt Ritchie enjoyed on the left touchline.

Schar was signed by Rafa Benitez for a fee of just £3.6 million in the summer transfer window and, although he was brought in to bolster the defensive unit, his performance last night proved that he can also provide Newcastle with an extra dynamic going forward.

During tightly contested fixtures, in which a killer long ball over the top could prove to be the difference, Schar’s vision for a perfectly weighted pass will prove invaluable.

And when you take his forward-thinking quality into consideration alongside his obvious defensive prowess, it’s clear to see that Benitez made a very wise decision to bring a new secret weapon to the club.

Newcastle fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

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Everton are crying out for another natural goalscorer to take some of the pressure off Richarlison, and Atlanta United’s Josef Martinez could be perfect for Marco Silva’s high-tempo system.

What’s the word?

Everton were heavily criticised for splashing out a potential £50m on Richarlison this summer, but there’s no question the Brazilian international is going to be worth every penny.

However, the 21 year-old is bound to go through some dry patches, just like he did at Watford last season, and the Toffees need another goalscorer to help him out.

Martinez has just broken the record for goals in a single MLS season, and the electric Venezuelan international is ready for the big step up to one of Europe’s top leagues.

Fans will always have reservations about signing a player from MLS, but Martinez’s record for Atlanta United is quite simply breathtaking.

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A goalscoring machine

The 25 year-old has scored 50 league goals in 54 appearances for the new franchise in Atlanta, who will play in the MLS Cup final at the beginning of December.

The 46-cap Venezuelan international has 34 goals and five assists in 38 games this season, an incredible conversion rate considering he is only taking an average of 2.7 shots per game.

Martinez is just 5 ft 7 in tall, but his low centre of gravity, agility and strength actually makes him almost impossible to tackle.

His link-up play isn’t bad either, boasting an 80 per cent pass completion rate and averaging 1.1 key passes per game.

It will be a gamble buying a player who has struggled in Europe before (seven goals in 58 Serie A games for Torino), but every transfer is a gamble, and Martinez is statistically the hottest striker on the planet right now.

So, Everton fans, would you back a move for Martinez? Could he form a devastating partnership with Richarlison? Let us know your thought by voting in the poll below…

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Bournemouth are having perhaps the best season to date in the club’s history right now, with arguably the best team in their history, but a serious injury to star midfielder Lewis Cook is threatening to derail their campaign.

The first game they played without the England international, in which Andrew Surman replaced him in the starting line-up, the Cherries lost 4-0 to Liverpool and were overrun in midfield, a position that Cook and £25m man Jefferson Lerma have bossed so far this season.

As a result of Surman’s inability to replicate the 21-year-old’s impact, and with only Dan Gosling to come in other than him, Eddie Howe must look to the transfer window for answers.

One man that is definitely Premier League quality but has been playing in the Championship for almost six months now is Stoke midfielder Joe Allen. The Welshman is used to the high intensity football that Bournemouth play thanks to his time at Swansea and Liverpool, so he should fit right in.

We asked fans of the South Coast club if they’d like to see Allen at the Vitality Stadium, and a convincing 67% of voters said they’d like to see the 28-year-old sign as shown by the results below…

Southampton take on Arsenal on Sunday in a game that not many will expect the Saints to take anything from. 

The Gunners are currently on a 22-game unbeaten run and are looking to pick up another win in order to keep up their hunt for the top four. Southampton, however, have only picked up two points over their last six games.

Ralph Hasenhuttl has a lot of work to do if he wants to change the fortunes of Southampton but in fairness, there’s the basis of a good squad. Contrary to BBC pundit, Mark Lawrenson’s comments, Southampton might not need to spend £50-60 million next month.

The Breakdown

Southampton have a terrible fixture list up ahead as they face West Ham, Man City and Chelsea over the next few weeks. Moreover, after losing to Cardiff City, there’s even more pressure on the club to pick up the win against Huddersfield.

Against Cardiff, we got an insight into how Hasenhuttl will play going forward and on paper, it looks like a side that could definitely stay up. Stuart Armstrong has been a superb signing, Oriol Romeu is a very solid midfielder while Yan Valery looks like he could turn out to be a potential star. Furthermore, with Danny Ings back fit, they have a striker that can score them the goals they need to stay up if they can keep him healthy.

Saints may need to dip into the transfer window next month but they certainly don’t need to spend big money.

Thoughts Southampton fans? 

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West Ham should be looking to replace Pablo Zabaleta as the Argentine nears the end of his career, and should target a move for Strasbourg’s impressively versatile Kenny Lala to be the heir to his throne at right-back.

What’s the word, then?

The 27-year-old can play anywhere along the right flank, and to great effect. In Ligue 1 this season, Lala has played at right-back six times, on the right-wing five times, and as a wing-back six times, impressing massively and even notching goals against the likes of PSG and Monaco.

In those 17 appearances, Lala has hit three goals and recorded six assists, and appears to be a phenomenally well rounded player who can almost do it all.

Lala’s main attributes are his crossing ability, defensive contribution and ability to play key, defence splitting passes, whilst he is also a surprisingly good shooter from distance. The Frenchman is in the form of his life and deserves a big move as a result of his fine performances.

Why would West Ham want him?

Zabaleta has been a good servant to the Hammers since arriving at the club in the summer of 2017, but at 33 years of age, is perhaps nearing the end of his time as a Premier League player. Manuel Pellegrini did look to sign an heir back in the summer in Ryan Fredericks, but the 26-year-old has suffered a few injuries and has struggled for game time.

The east London side had great success buying from Ligue 1 in the summer when they bought Issa Diop to the London Stadium, and they should definitely return to France again in January or in the summer to bring Lala to the club.

He is still a relatively unknown name in football, which means that West Ham could have a free run at his signature whilst he may not cost an earth-shattering amount either.