Aston Villa will head to Griffin Park and face Brentford on Wednesday night as they look to keep their playoff hopes alive.

It will be the first time that Dean Smith has returned to his previous club following his departure in October.

He will want to ensure his side pick up the three points on what could be an emotional night, however, he will has been handed a double blow ahead of the trip to the capital.

According to a match preview by BBC Sport, The Villans will be without both Tom Carroll and James Chester.

Carroll, who arrived at Villa Park on Deadline Day in a loan switch from Swansea City, is set to miss the game with a strain he picked up on his debut against Reading.

Chester will miss his third match in a row on Wednesday night as he looks to recover from a knee injury that he has been dealing with.

The Verdict:

The match between Aston Villa and Brentford is likely to be an emotional contest for Smith, however, he will want to ensure that his current side come away with the three points.

However, Chester and Carroll’s absences could prove to be a huge blow to their chances, especially with how well the former has played this season.

The Wales international has been key for The Villans throughout the campaign so far and with their current defensive woes, the 30-year-old could be seriously missed.

Aston Villa fans – thoughts?

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Andy Carroll was poor as Newcastle United lost 1-0 to Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday.

On the chalkboard

Signed on a free transfer in the summer, the 30-year-old had made just one start prior to the encounter with the Clarets.

Manager Steve Bruce started Carroll at Turf Moor at the weekend and he failed to really have any sort of impact in the final third.

Per WhoScored, he had two shots on goal, with neither on target, despite having a total of 36 touches throughout the game.

He notched a pass completion rate of a mere 63% – the joint-lowest of any Newcastle player to start the game – and did not complete a single dribble.

The former West Ham United striker, despite his 6 foot 4 height, also won just 37% of the aerial duels he attempted, meaning of the 18 he contested, he won seven.

Carroll was also dispossessed once, while was dribbled past on two separate occasions.

Not the answer

Newcastle have a number of strikers to choose from.

They also have Dwight Gayle, Joelinton and Yoshinori Muto but they have all struggled to hit the back of the net, scoring once in the Premier League between them.

Carroll is another to have failed to have scored in the top-flight and this performance proves that he is not the answer Bruce is looking for.

Naturally, he needs strikers who can score goals and, at the moment, it isn’t just Carroll who is struggling to do that.

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But here he outlined his deficiencies, his inability to create proper chances and his fallibility in the air.

As Newcastle’s season progresses, Bruce needs to drop Carroll.

Meanwhile, another Newcastle ace simply must improve.

Wolverhampton Wanderers’ unbeaten run finally came to an end on Sunday afternoon as they were agonisingly defeated by Tottenham Hotspur at Molineux.

The west Midlanders looked set for completing a 12th game without defeat until Jan Vertonghen popped up with a last-minute header to clinch all three points for Spurs.

Following the match, Wolves boss Nuno Santo urged referees to monitor Adama Traore closely to ensure that he doesn’t suffer a serious injury, and the picture below could show exactly why he has a point…

Tim Spiers revealed on Twitter that in 26 appearances this season, 24 opposition players have been booked as a result of trying to stop the Spanish winger.

That’s quite an alarming statistic, and it could suggest that he’s been quite lucky to avoid injury to date this season.

Traore has proven to be a crucial part of Wolves’ plans this season, scoring four goals and assisting six more in all competitions, forming a formidable partnership with Matt Doherty along the right flank.

To be fair to the 23-year-old, he just dusts himself off and continues without any frustration, which is a credit to his character, but for the sake of their season, he must remain fit and healthy.

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In other news, our writers assess whether Hwang Hee-Chan would be a good move for Nuno Santo and Wolves…

Sheffield Wednesday could have just received a monumental boost in their quest for Charlton Athletic striker Lyle Taylor, that’s according to South London Press this week.

What’s the word?

Sky Sports previously reported that the Owls were one of several Championship sides taking a keen interest in signing the 29-year-old in January.

The Addicks forward has now turned down the offer of a new contract with his current deal set to expire at the end of the season.

Lee Bowyer confirmed this to South London Press, he said: “Lyle has been offered a contract, and he declined it. It’s his choice if he wants to sign it or not. We’ve offered him a good contract. Roland [Duchatelet] offered him what we think is a good contract.”

It comes less than 24 hours after Taylor made claims on social media that he hadn’t been offered any form of a contract extension.

January move?

This saga seems set to rumble on, but it will only help his suitors with the conflicting words coming out of The Valley.

If the 6 foot 2 striker continues to reject any offer thrown his way, then it will make an exit seem all that more likely, whether that’s for a cut-price next month or later in the summer remains to be seen.

Wednesday currently have a vast array of striking options with top goalscorer Steven Fletcher leading the line with the seemingly forgotten Jordan Rhodes in recent matches. There’s also Fernando Forestieri, Atdhe Nuhiu and Sam Winnall to call upon.

Who is that?!?! Can you name all of these obscure Charlton players?

Bowyer once described Taylor as a “twenty goal a season striker no matter what division” before going on to add: “The way we play suits him because it ain’t just his goals. His physicality, he holds the ball up. He’s got everything.”

At the start of this season, he bagged five goals in their opening six matches before suffering from a knee injury, which he’s only recently returned from.

While in other Owls news, this is how manager Garry Monk is dispelling his haters this season…

Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter to rave over Brandon Pierrick, after the forward made his Premier League debut in the 1-1 draw against Norwich.

The 18-year-old only recently signed his first professional contract with the Eagles at the beginning of December, and made his first senior appearance for the first-team on New Year’s Day with an eye-catching cameo against the Canaries.

As well as playing a part in the build-up to Connor Wickham’s equaliser with an incisive dribble and pass to Wilfried Zaha, Pierrick made two key passes against Daniel Farke’s men – no other Palace player managed to make more – despite playing just eight minutes of the match at Carrow Road.

The Brixton-born attacker attempted two crosses and also made an interception on his first Premier League appearance, doing enough in just eight minutes to make a name for himself and also have these Palace fans on Twitter drooling over his brief cameo in Norfolk on Wednesday evening.

Tom Samuel said that he thinks the south Londoners have “a future star in the making” and added that the teenager also didn’t look out of place – it’s hard to disagree given how brave and comfortable Pierrick looked on the ball.

Elsewhere, this supporter said that the Palace No.40 was immediately effective against Norwich, and stated that the youngster is “clearly a baller” – the fan also went on to say that Pierrick has surely earned himself 90 minutes against Derby in the FA Cup on Sunday.

Elsewhere, this fan named Chris said the Pierrick did so well in the minutes that he played, showcasing “great control and passing” before mentioning that the forward didn’t seem phased by the occasion.

Furthermore, this fan was pretty bold in their appraisal of Pierrick by demanding that he start next week “no questions asked”, when Palace will be welcoming Arsenal to Selhurst Park in Premier League action.

Lastly, these two supporters also contributed to the love-in for Pierrick.

One fan named Harry said that the academy graduate is “our young Wilf” while another said that the teenager took his chance to show what he’s all about in what was a “really decent cameo” appearance.

In other news, the Eagles would be entering unprecedented grounds under Hodgson if this transfer report is accurate…

Sunderland’s midfield has been somewhat topsy-turvy this season, but against Lincoln last weekend we caught a glimpse of the huge potential it possesses.

Max Power played alongside George Dobson in the middle of the park and the pair had two of their most convincing displays of the campaign.

Power rattled an effort against the woodwork on his way to winning three tackles while his partner in crime won as many as six challenges. He also secured a pass accuracy of 92%.

However, what if Sunderland’s midfield could get even better without spending any money?

On the chalkboard

Signings may be imperative at Sunderland this month given a record of just four wins under Phil Parkinson but a man already among their ranks could hold the key to adding greater depth.

That isn’t Grant Leadbitter or moving Luke O’Nien into a central role. Instead, the man in question is Ethan Robson.

Parkinson confirmed after Sunderland’s 3-1 win over the Imps that he would return from a successful loan spell with Grimsby this week.

A dilemma is on the manager’s hands after his recall. If he plays for the Black Cats then FIFA rulings state that he won’t be able to play for another club if he moves on loan.

Although their regulations claim you can be registered to three teams within a separate season, you cannot play for a trio of clubs in the same period.

But the north-east outfit need to forget about this rule and simply give him a chance in the first-team. Parkinson has stated that other clubs are interested in taking him on a temporary basis again but that shouldn’t even be of consideration.

The 23-year-old is a dynamic player and he’s proved as much this season, showing attributes that can benefit the senior side at the Stadium of Light.

Robson has only featured on one occasion for Sunderland in the past but now is the time to blood him properly.

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The midfielder may have been plying his trade in League 2 in the early exchanges of the campaign but he has more goal involvements, four, than any other out and out midfield man in the Black Cats’ squad.

But the main argument for including him is the fact that he’s better than the central player who appeared from the bench on Saturday.

So far this season, Robson has performed more tackles and key passes per game than the 33-year-old Leadbitter, who has looked distinctly average in 2019/20. Given those facts and his undoubted potential, keeping Robson around the squad would be a wise idea.

Meanwhile, Sunderland are in the transfer market for someone with five assists already this season…

The Athletic’s Crystal Palace correspondent Matt Woosnam has revealed just how much the Cenk Tosun deal is costing the Eagles.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the south Londoners managed to complete a deal to take the 42-cap Turkey international on loan for the rest of the campaign from Everton.

The former Besiktas striker made his debut for the club in the recent 1-1 draw against Arsenal, coming off the bench to play the final 22 minutes of the match.

Tosun had just 11 touches of the ball and made four passes, although he only signed on the Friday before the game against Mikel Arteta’s side, so his lack of influence can be excused on this occasion.

How much is he costing?

In a nutshell, the 28-year-old forward’s £100k-a-week wages will be covered in full by Crystal Palace, while the Eagles also paid a loan fee of £1m to Everton for the striker’s services.

“The club will pay Tosun’s £100,000-a-week wages, as well as a £1m loan fee. There is also set to be an option included to make the move permanent for a fee of £20m.”

That is quite hefty for a player with just one goal to his name this season, and immediately places him amongst the club’s top earners – only £130k-a-week Wilfried Zaha, £125k-a-week Max Meyer and £120k-a-week Christian Benteke earn more than Tosun, while Mamadou Sakho also earns £100k-a-week.

The finer financial details of the Turk’s move to Selhurst Park were yet to be reported anywhere else, so it is interesting to discover that the Toffees will not be covering any of the forward’s wages, while they also asked for the same loan fee as Chelsea did for Michy Batshuayi – The Guardian reported at the time that the Belgian cost ‘around’ £1m to take on loan.

Call yourself a Premier League expert? How much did each of these big-money January signings cost?

A six-month loan deal for Tosun – approximately a 24-week stay – means that he will roughly cost the south Londoners £2.4m in wages at £100k-a-week, so the pressure is on Palace’s new No.20 to deliver in the second half of the campaign seeing as he will have cost the club a total of around £3.4m when he departs Selhurst Park in the summer when the loan fee is also taken into account.

In other news, these Crystal Palace fans were left drooling over “most important player” after this “amazing” moment against Arsenal…

According to The Daily Mirror, Arsenal are considering making a loan swoop for Milan midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu in this January transfer window.

What’s the word?

As the Gunners fall further behind the chasing pack in the race for the top four – they now find themselves 11 points behind Chelsea who are in that final Champions League qualification spot – reinforcements would no doubt be welcome this month.

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And according to The Daily Mirror, recently-appointed head coach Mikel Arteta is ready to take Calhanoglu on loan, with the Turkey international potentially being offloaded by Milan as they look to revamp their own squad.

The report further claims that the midfielder is himself is keen for an exit this winter, particularly with this summer’s EUROs coming up.

Shrewd business

After enjoying a lavish spend in the summer transfer window that saw Nicolas Pepe arrive in a club-record deal from Lille, the Gunners are rather understandably looking to be a bit more frugal this January. No truly big-money signings, and more bargain moves.

And Calhanoglu certainly fits into that category. Despite not enjoying the greatest of times at Milan – he has managed just 14 goals in 109 games for the Italian club – his performances whilst at Leverkusen prove that there is certainly a player who could help the Arsenal cause. His spell in Germany saw him register 28 goals and 29 assists in 115 games, whilst he showed his versatility by operating in seven different positions as per Transfermarkt.

Can you get full marks on the Ultimate Arsenal Quiz? Test your knowledge below…

In times of inflated transfer fees, landing the 25-year-old on loan would simply be a Raul Sanllehi masterstroke. It would allow the Gunners to focus their money on signing players who are more necessary in other positions, like centre-back for example, where Calum Chambers has been ruled out for the rest of the season.

The north London side have to be savvy with their finances, particularly with Champions League football for next season not a guarantee. Spending big money on a player who may hurt their long-term prospects wouldn’t be shrewd business at all. It’s exactly why a loan move for Calhanoglu makes a lot of sense.

Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta must proved he has learned from this key mistake Arsene Wenger and Unai Emery both made.

The Evening Standard journalist James Robson has said that Marcus Rashford would get in to Liverpool’s starting XI.

What did he say?

The Reds face Manchester United on Sunday looking to add three more points to their tally as they edge closer to clinching the Premier League title.

According to Robson, United forward Rashford – who has 19 goals in 30 games in all competitions this term – could “add another dimension to Liverpool’s attack”, and suggested he could score far more if he played for the Reds.

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He said: “If any Manchester United player could break up Liverpool’s trio of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, it’s Marcus Rashford. His return of 19 goals in all competitions is only bettered in England by Raheem Sterling’s 20. But just imagine how many he’d score in an attack as rampant as Manchester City’s or Liverpool’s, rather than a struggling United.

“He’d add another dimension to Liverpool’s attack if playing on the left – and I’ll leave it up to Klopp to decide who makes way for him.”

Would he?

This is without a doubt the best season of Rashford’s career. Even with several appearances on the left, this is his highest-scoring term to date and the England international’s potential absence from this weekend’s clash will no doubt be a huge worry for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The 22-year-old has been the most threatening on the left wing – despite him previously stating that he would like to play through the middle. Roberto Firmino would usually be the first candidate to drop out of the side due to his inferior goal record (nine) compared to the likes of Mohamed Salah (14) and Sadio Mane (15). However, considering he plays as a centre-forward, his position would appear to be safe here, unless Jurgen Klopp intends to reinvent one of his wide men.

That would mean Rashford would be rivalling Mane for a place in the side – and it is unlikely to be a battle he would prevail in. Despite his own impressive performances, there have been few players who can claim to have been in better form than the Senegal international this season. He has 15 goals and 11 assists in all competitions so far this term, and he recently won the African Player of the Year award. Not only that, he finished fourth in the Ballon d’Or rankings too.

Mane, right now, is pretty much untouchable. And whilst Rashford is in terrific form, he has a long way to go to get on the same level as the former Southampton man.

Elsewhere, Liverpool fans react to Klopp’s February U-turn.

Wolves are in the market for attacking additions as the transfer window enters its final week, and the west Midlands outfit appear to be edging closer to making a striker splash, so our writers have been tasked with assessing its potential.

According to the Express & Star, former Norwich City striker Nelson Oliveira is of key interest to Nuno Santo following a goal-laden run in the Greek Superleague for AEK Athens this season.

The 28-year-old has scored 10 times in 20 appearances and will reportedly command around a £6m fee for his services.

He will be a familiar figure to most at Molineux as the Portuguese frontman has played in English football before, most notably for Norwich City. He scored when the two teams met in the Championship back in February 2018.

Oliveira is also a client of super-agent Jorge Mendes, but would he be a good option for Wolves this season? They still have a top-six and Europa League ambitions to contend for, with Raul Jimenez their only fit senior option upfront.

Here’s what some of Football FanCast’s finest think…

Matt Dawson

“Nelson Oliveira’s record may not have been great in the Championship, netting 31 in just 103 outings, but Wolves could do far worse than the 28-year-old. Raul Jimenez had a colossal 2019, barely missing a game for Wolves and also playing in the Gold Cup for Mexico. A similar year in 2020 would surely be detrimental so bringing in someone to play second fiddle makes sense. Oliveira has experience of English football and it was only at Reading last season that he truly flopped.

“He came close to double figures in three consecutive seasons with Nottingham Forest and Norwich – which is all Wolves would really need this month. Nuno likes to operate with a small squad so it seems far-fetched to suggest he’d spend big on a forward. However, bringing in someone like this begs the question, why did they sell Ivan Cavaleiro to Fulham? The forward has 12 goal contributions this season, more than Oliveira managed in a single season during his time in the second tier. Although he’d be a shrewd acquisition, he is no better than Cavaleiro.”

Danny Lewis

“There is no evidence that Oliveira is good enough to be playing in the Premier League, even if that is just as a backup option. In addition to his stats from previous seasons, while he has nine goals in 14 league starts for AEK Athens this campaign, there should be concerns that he has failed to score in any of his four appearances in the Europa League. At 28 years old, there is also not that much scope for the frontman to grow as a player. This would be a poor move from Wolves, who should be looking for somebody younger and on an upward trajectory, who can take the opportunity to learn from Jimenez, while also offering backup to the Mexico international.”

James Beavis

“Wolves are in a real catch-22 situation when it comes to signing a back-up to Raul Jimenez, and it is similar to the issue Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur face when trying to find an alternative to Harry Kane.

“Jimenez is going to be starting matches for Wolves pretty much as long as he’s with the club given how good he has been up top for them – he has scored 36 goals in 80 games for the club – and that means that any centre-forward arriving at Molineux will know the challenge they face to break into the starting XI and not to simply be a back-up.

“That instantly reduces the quality of striker the west Midlands-based outfit are able to target, meaning someone like Nelson Oliveira is a viable but underwhelming target given he has only scored 31 goals in 103 Championship appearances previously.

“Some may suggest that Nuno Santo looks for a player younger than the 28-year-old to compete with Jimenez, but to be fair should the Mexico international get injured, at least they would have someone relatively experienced to fill in for him.”

Billy Meyers

“I think this is the only type of player who could add depth behind Raul Jimenez. The Mexican is unquestionably the main man at Molineux and his place in Nuno’s starting XI is as good as set in stone, so anyone who comes in to provide depth needs to be happy with playing second fiddle – that means someone who isn’t an absolute world-beater. 

“In Nelson Oliviera’s case, he is far from being that, which is why this move might actually be a good one despite the striker’s struggles in the Championship with Norwich, Reading, Nottingham Forest and Swansea – the 28-year-old netted just 33 goals in 120 games for those four clubs combined.

“Additionally, with Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho, Diogo Jota and many more Portuguese players roaming around this part of the Midlands, Oliviera should have no trouble settling in under a manager who is also of Portuguese descent – this would be a shrewd move, without a doubt.”

Call yourself a Wolves expert? How much did each of these January signings cost?

And in other news, Wolves could find the next Luka Modric if they pursue this rising Spanish star…