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Derby County secured safe passage to the next round of the FA Cup with a 1-0 win over Accrington Stanley on Saturday afternoon.

Both sides were reduced to ten men before the final whistle, but despite a spirited performance from the League One home side, Martyn Waghorn pounced in the 78th minute to poke the Rams ahead from close range.

Frank Lampard’s side just about deserved the win on the balance of play, and Waghorn will surely now have put himself in contention for more regular starts in the Championship.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

The 29-year-old striker arrived at Pride Park from Ipswich Town in the summer (BBC), but he has been in and out of the Derby team so far this season. According to Transfermarkt’s statistics, the forward has made nineteen league appearances for Lampard’s side so far, though only twelve have come as a starter. He has only managed two goals and two assists in the league as well.

Lampard may have hoped to see a more prolific return on his summer investment by now, but he’ll be hoping that this contribution against Accrington Stanley sparks Waghorn into a run of good form.

After the win over Accrington Stanley, plenty of Derby fans took to Twitter to react to Waghorn’s heroics…

Everton could be set to repeat their Thierry Small disaster after reportedly making no progress in their attempts to tie Lewis Dobbin down to a new contract.

What’s the story?

According to The Athletic’s Patrick Boyland, the 18-year-old could depart Goodison Park next summer, with his current deal set to expire at the end of July and fresh terms yet to be agreed.

The report states that: “He is set to be out of contract next July, with talks yet to resume since Everton’s initial offer made earlier this season.

“As things stand, the impasse means Dobbin would be free to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with clubs in continental Europe from January 1. Failing that, he would be able to move to a fellow English club when his deal expires this summer.”

Could repeat Thierry Small disaster

Unless Dobbin puts pen to paper soon, the growing fear that the teenager may follow in the footsteps of former teammate Small could become a reality.

Small was one of Everton’s brightest prospects in recent years, becoming the club’s youngest-ever player in an FA Cup fourth-round tie against Sheffield Wednesday, aged just 16 years and 176.

However, the full-back failed to return to Merseyside for pre-season training over the summer after making his intentions to leave clear, signing professional terms for Southampton after exiting his academy scholarship 12 months early.

And now, the Everton hierarchy could be about to make the same mistake all over again.

Dobbin has been one of the Toffees’ U23s standout performers this season and put in a stellar display against Brighton and Hove Albion last time out, bagging his second goal of the campaign in a 2-1 victory.

Preventing Everton’s top young stars from seeking pastures new needs to become a priority for director of football Marcel Brands, and the Dutchman will be desperate to start that process with Dobbin.

It remains to be seen if Brands can convince the versatile forward to commit his future to the club, but the fanbase will be hoping Small’s exit doesn’t pave the way for a mass exodus.

And, in other news…Imagine him and Godfrey: EFC must swoop for £45m-rated “monster” who fans would love

Jamal Lewis could make his first start of the season when Newcastle United face Norwich City tonight, according to The Athletic’s Chris Waugh. 

The lowdown

The 23-year-old has only seen six minutes of Premier League action this season, having come on as a substitute in the 4-1 defeat against Manchester United. His solitary start in 2021/22 thus far came in the Carabao Cup defeat against Burnley back in August.

He may have hoped that Steve Bruce’s sacking would improve his prospects of game-time, but he didn’t feature under Graeme Jones’ caretakership and hasn’t been given a chance by Eddie Howe as of yet.

However, that could change when his former club visit St James’ Park tonight. Matt Ritchie, who started at left-back against Arsenal last time out, is suspended after picking up five yellow cards since the start of the campaign.

The latest

During a Q&A for The Athletic on Monday ahead of the match, one Newcastle supporter voiced concerns over Howe apparently being ‘uninterested’ in Lewis, but Waugh swiftly moved to allay those fears, even claiming that the Northern Ireland defender could come into the team against the Canaries.

The journalist stated: “As for Lewis, again, he was on international duty when Howe first arrived, but also his lack of game-time (and confidence) has been counting against him. But Howe is keen to improve Lewis, a young player he sees great potential in, and so in the medium term he the left-back could see more action – and could even start tomorrow night, with Ritchie being suspended.”

Waugh then added: “In time, I do think he will get more opportunities and I actually think he might start tomorrow night. It’s against his former club and Ritchie is suspended, so I do hope Lewis is given an opportunity.”

The verdict

Newcastle forked out £15m to sign Lewis in 2020 and they are paying him roughly £38.5k per week. It was a big investment, and expectations were perhaps heightened by the fact that Liverpool pursued him earlier in that transfer window.

If he can’t get a chance to impress now, so soon after a change of manager and with a positional rival suspended, then it mightn’t be long before he begins to consider his future.

On the other hand, if he does get picked, the challenge for the 23-year-old is producing a performance good enough to give Howe a selection headache when he’s had so few minutes under his belt and may be lacking sharpness as a result. Opportunity does seem to knock for Lewis tonight in the enforced absence of Ritchie.

In other news, Newcastle have enquired about this midfielder

A report from 90min at the beginning of the month claimed Everton had joined the race for Zenit St.Petersburg forward Sardar Azmoun, with the 26-year-old set to be available for free next summer.

However, with the January window now just days away, it would be a good idea for the Toffees to further their interest next month.

Dubbed previously as ‘the Iranian Messi’, the £22.5m-rated forward has scored ten goals in 21 appearances across all competitions for Zenit so far this campaign, including a goal against Chelsea in the Champions League recently.

Furthermore, having joined Zenit from Rubin Kazan three years ago, Azmoun has a prolific record of 62 goals and 23 assists in 104 appearances for the Russian giants. A goal contribution every 1.2 games.

The Iranian has reportedly attracted interest from Everton owner Farhad Moshiri, who is of Iranian decent, and, according to a previous coach of Azmoun, Moshiri previously contacted him and “tried to negotiate a transfer.”

The Russian Premier League side may have no choice but to sell the 26-year-old next month in order to receive a fee, with his contract set to expire in just seven months time.

The Toffees have appeared stuck all season, sitting in an underwhelming 14th place in the Premier League and are in desperate need of some extra firepower to propel them up the table in order to avoid any nervy moments in the second half of the campaign.

Luckily, signings that initially received a mixed reaction from fans in the summer have exceeded expectations with Demarai Gray (five goals) and Andros Townsend (three goals) helping to fill the void left by star striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Moreover, with the lack of goals from Rondon who has netted only once, Rafa Benitez’s side’s attacking output could’ve been much worse.

Alas, extra options in that department will be welcomed with open arms by the Everton faithful, and a possible deal for Azmoun would be shrewd business given his goals record for Zenit.

The only doubt would be the fact that the Iranian hasn’t played professional football outside of Russia, and therefore the jump up to the Premier League may prove a tricky one…at least initially.

AND in other news, Time to go: Benitez should axe EFC’s “reckless” £18m-rated dud, he’s not good enough…

ExWHUemployee has dropped an update on the situation surrounding West Ham United goalkeeper Darren Randolph.

What’s the talk?

In a recent post on The West Ham Way, the club insider revealed that, while talks between the 34-year-old shot-stopper and Aston Villa regarding a transfer were taking place on Monday, the negotiations between the two parties subsequently broke down at an advanced stage – with the deal now appearing to be on hold.

ExWHUemployee went on to state that David Moyes’ side are actively looking to move the Republic of Ireland international on in the January transfer window, as his wages are extremely high for a third-choice goalkeeper, however, it no longer seems likely that the former Middlesbrough man will be making a move to Villa Park this month.

In his post, Ex said: “We can confirm that Darren Randolph was in talks with Aston Villa over a move [on Monday] although talks seem to have broken down at the advanced stage. The move is currently on hold and it is unclear whether Villa will look to resurrect the deal. West Ham are keen to move Randolph on, as he is on a large wage for a third choice keeper and his wages saved could be spent elsewhere.”

Moyes will be gutted

Considering just how little Randolph has featured for West Ham since his £4m return to East London in January of 2020, in addition to the fact the goalkeeper is reported to be earning a whopping £42k-per-week at the London Stadium, the news that the 34-year-old’s move to Aston Villa looks to have fallen through will undoubtedly have left Moyes gutted.

Indeed, in the last two years, the £900k-rated man has made just nine appearances for the Hammers, with only five of these fixtures coming in the Premier League.

As such, when taking into account the fact that the shot-stopper has cost the club around £4.3m in wages, in addition to his £4m transfer fee – meaning each league fixture Randolph has featured in has set West Ham back around £1.7m – it is clear for all to see that the veteran ‘keeper is not worth keeping on the books.

In fact, it would appear highly advisable for Moyes to simply offer the 34-year-old out for free this month, as, at present, Randolph has another year-and-a-half left to run on his contract – something that will only set the club back around a further £3.25m.

In other news: Jacob Steinberg reveals big January transfer twist that’ll leave West Ham fans fuming

Liverpool are unlikely to sign anyone during the January transfer window “as things stand”, according to James Pearce.

What’s the talk?

There had been suggestions from Fabrizio Romano that Liverpool had made a move for Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Denis Zakaria about a potential transfer.

However, Liverpool Echo journalist James Pearce has refuted these claims, stating: “As things stand I’d be surprised if LFC sign anyone in January.”

Lessons never learnt

Liverpool have been brilliant this season, suffering just one defeat in all competitions up to now against West Ham last month in the Premier League. They currently sit second in the Premier League, just one point behind leaders Manchester City and became the first English team to have a 100% record in the Champions League group stages.

But injuries have been a problem for the squad over the last 18 months and fans are worried that it could become the case again.

Last season the Reds lost all of their senior central defenders to injury, with Jordan Henderson and Fabinho filling in for periods of the season as they struggled to a third-place finish.

This season Klopp has had to deal with long-term injuries to both Harvey Elliott and Roberto Firmino, while Joe Gomez, Andrew Robertson, Naby Keita, Curtis Jones, Thiago and Henderson have all suffered with injuries at different points of the campaign too.

Fans were hopeful that after a quiet summer transfer window, in which only Ibrahima Konate was brought in, that the winter could be a bit busier with the club fighting on all fronts for silverware still and last season’s struggles fresh in the memory.

The news from Pearce seemingly has Liverpool content with their current squad, which understandably, has certain fans fuming ahead of the second half of the season and a busy schedule.

One fan commented, “Does this club ever learn? 09, 14, 19. Top at Xmas with no January signings followed by draws or defeats. Go and find a surprise package. Old or New. Take a chance. It doesn’t work not taking a chance. History has proved that. Add to that our weak bench & afcon!!”

The club are set to lose Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane during January for the African Cup of Nations tournament, which will further weaken their squad. Thus the potential for no new faces arriving over the winter is a pretty rejecting statement to read for the Anfield faithful.

AND in other news, Liverpool must secure new deal for Joe Gomez.

Aston Villa are interested in a deal to bring Borna Barisic to Villa Park in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by 90min, who claim that the Glasgow Rangers left-back is one of a number of players on Steven Gerrard’s shortlist of transfer targets ahead of the winter window.

The report goes on to state that, while the 41-year-old Aston Villa manager does not want to ruin his relationship with the Scottish Premiership side, he believes the defender has the ability to make the step up to Premier League football and could look to pursue a deal for the 29-year-old in January.

Purslow must move

Considering the poor form of Aston Villa’s current first-choice left-back, Matt Targett, so far this season, the position would indeed appear as if it could do with strengthening in the January transfer window.

Indeed, over Targett’s 10 Premier League appearances this term, the £15.3m-rated man has helped his side keep just one clean sheet, registered one assist and created two big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.4 interceptions, one tackle, 1.2 clearances and winning a mere 3.9 duels per game.

These returns have seen the 26-year-old average an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.58, ranking him as Villa’s 10th-worst performer in the league.

In comparison, while the Scottish Premiership is undoubtedly a lower standard of football than the English top-flight, Barisic has nevertheless looked much more impressive than the £34k-per-week Villa defender.

Indeed, over his six league appearances, the £5.4m-rated Croatia international has helped his side keep one clean sheet, registered two assists and created one big chance for his teammates, in addition to making an average of 0.5 interceptions, 1.5 tackles, three clearances and winning 4.3 duels per fixture.

These metrics have seen the player who Gerrard himself dubbed an “outstanding” talent average a SofaScore match rating of 7.18, ranking the 29-year-old as Gers’ third-best player in the division.

As such, considering the stark contrast between the respective returns of each player, it would indeed seem highly advisable for Christian Purslow to sanction a swoop for the £18k-per-week Barisic in January, as he is most certainly a player Gerrard would love to once again have in his squad, as well as appearing to be an immediate upgrade on Targett.

In other news: Lange can solve Gerrard’s biggest AVFC problem with £5m swoop for “unpleasant” 23 y/o

Everton have now made contact with AS Monaco over signing midfielder Aleksandr Golovin…

What’s the story?

The Toffees have made a couple of acquisitions already in this January transfer window, and it now appears that the Merseyside club have got their sights set on a play-maker.

According to a source who spoke to Sport Witness, both Everton and fellow Premier League side West Ham are “interested” in signing Golovin, and that they have already been in contact with the midfielder’s agent about a potential move.

Fans will love it

While the Toffees may be enduring a difficult campaign on the pitch under Rafa Benitez this season, a move for Golovin would certainly be a good victory off it.

During his work as a television pundit for broadcaster RT, Jose Mourinho revealed himself to be a big fan of the Russian saying: “Golovin is a playmaker, he’s a player that gives the dynamic of the team.”

And, his former boss at AS Monaco, Niko Kovac, simply said: “Golovin is a fantastic player. For his first start since August, he’s scored three goals. He’s a world-class player. He delivers delicious passes. I know the quality of his passing. That’s why I asked him to take the free-kick that led to the third goal.”

In fact, Toffees legend Tim Cahill has previously thrown his backing behind a potential swoop for the creative star, saying just last year: “He (Golovin) is a great footballer. After yesterday’s 4-1 defeat against Liverpool, it is clear that Everton needs good players. He could strengthen the team.”

As per Whoscored, he has averaged 1.5 key passes per game in Ligue 1 this season for Monaco, good enough to rank him inside the top 20 in the entire division – real evidence of the kind of creativity and guile that he possesses.

The £22.5m-rated midfielder could provide Everton with an extra spark in midfield, and have fans buzzing.

Meanwhile, Everton are considering a swoop for this Premier League outcast…

Manchester United are still firmly locked into their manager search as they set out to find Ralf Rangnick’s successor to take over at Old Trafford this summer, but there has been some worrying reports emerging from the dressing room that could be a huge setback for the club.

What’s the word?

According to Manchester Evening News, the Manchester United dressing room is split over the potential appointment of Erik Ten Hag, who is currently one of the favourites to become the new manager at the club this summer.

The report suggests that many of the United players are feeling positive and excited at the prospect of working with the Dutch coach, however, sources close to some of the players say Ten Hag is an ‘underwhelming’ choice for the role.

Supporters will be furious

There is no doubt that Ten Hag has become one of the favoured choices to take the wheel at Old Trafford this summer amongst supporters, and this latest reported dressing room leak will surely leave fans furious.

To say Man United have had an underwhelming season after finishing second the season before is an understatement, with the side crashing out of every competition and struggling to gain a position inside the top four to qualify for Champions League football next season, now three points adrift from Arsenal and Spurs in 7th.

The Red Devils will now go another season trophy-less leaving them in their longest trophy drought in four decades, and the appointment of a manager like the Dutchman, who has led Ajax to two league titles, winning five Dutch trophies in the last four years, is becoming desperate for Man United who have fallen far from their winning ways of the past.

This is not the first time that there have been reported leaks from the dressing room either, with numerous reports coming out that 17 players wanted to leave the club back in January, with Rio Ferdinand claiming there are “bad eggs” who “make it uncomfortable for everyone” when reflecting on the problems behind the scenes.

With that being said, the lack of harmony in the squad could be extremely off-putting for Ten Hag as he is speculated to have a number of choices amid interest from other clubs this summer, and this latest setback with the players split over his potential appointment will surely not be helpful in the Red Devils pursuit of the 52-year-old manager.

In other news: Rangnick must wield the axe on “embarrassing” £180k-p/w MUFC dud this summer

Newcastle United’s new owners showed during the January transfer window how keen they are on revitalising the squad at St James’ Park and strengthening where needed.

Looking ahead to the upcoming summer transfer window, it seems as though the Tyneside club could be set to say goodbye to at least one figure who was brought in during Mike Ashley’s tenure.

What’s the talk?

Speaking to Football FanCast, transfer insider Pete O’Rourke was discussing the future of Jeff Hendrick at Newcastle and what the upcoming summer transfer window could hold for him.

The journalist said: “Obviously, we saw Jeff Hendrick go out on loan in January, I’d expect him to leave on a permanent in the summer.” 

Newcastle signed the midfielder in 2020 on a free transfer from fellow Premier League side Burnley. Since then, the 30-year-old made just 27 appearances for the Toon across all competitions before being loaned out to Championship side Queens Park Rangers in January, as O’Rourke mentioned.

Having made 22 appearances for Newcastle during the previous Premier League campaign, the Irishman earned a rather disappointing overall performance rating of 6.33/10 from WhoScored, making him the lowest-rated player to start more than four league games for the Magpies.

Also, having only made 18 combined tackles and interceptions, fewer than the majority of players in Newcastle’s squad at the time, it’s safe to say that the Irish midfielder didn’t offer much in terms of breaking up opposition attacks.

Taking this into account, it would be safe to assume that many supporters at St James’ Park would be happy to see the back of Hendrick if he were to leave for good this summer.

However, having only earned an uninspiring overall performance rating of 6.42/10 from nine Championship appearances with QPR since his arrival in west London, Newcastle may have a challenge on their hands finding a club to take him.

Either way, as long as the midfielder isn’t on the books at St James’ Park heading into next season, it’s hard to see too many Magpies supporters being bothered about where he ends up.

In other news: Howe can now axe “shocking” £42k-p/w dud as NUFC plot move for £9m-rated “Rolls-Royce”