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Sunderland managed to rescue a point late on at home to Rotherham United as they drew 1-1 in League One on Tuesday night.

An own goal from Michael Ihiekwe spared their blushes after the central defender scored at the right end for the visitors in the first half, in a game that saw Alex Neil’s team dominate possession, but create very few chances (SofaScore).

As such, The Transfer Tavern have used statistical experts SofaScore to analyse who the three worst performers (to have played at least 45 minutes) were for the hosts on the night, as this trio lost the ball a combined 37 times from 123 touches, or roughly every three touches.

With such a crucial final game of the season coming up this weekend, could any of these men be fearing for their place in the XI?

Nathan Broadhead

Admittedly tied with second in terms of overall rating (6.4/10), Broadhead ranks in third here as he did not complete the full 90 minutes.

The Everton loanee lost out on four of his duels in total, and also failed to record a single shot, dribble or key pass, managing a mere 19 touches of the ball and giving it away with nine of those.

Callum Doyle

Also given a 6.4 rating, Doyle ranked as the Stadium of Light faithful’s second-worst player.

The central defender lost eight duels, more than any of his teammates, and also made no clearances, interceptions or key passes, while he was dribbled past once and lost the ball 13 times from 62 touches.

Jay Matete

Matete ranked as the Wearside club’s worst performer with a 6.2 rating.

The centre midfielder got off to a bad start with a booking inside the opening eight minutes, and struggled to really recover from that, as he was unsuccessful in five of his duels, and recorded no shots, dribbles, clearances, interceptions or key passes, making two fouls and giving possession away a total of 15 times from 42 touches.

In other news, find out what Black Cats update has Roker Report buzzing here!

Former Leeds United defender Danny Mills has admitted that he is confused by Ian Poveda’s lack of playing time for the Whites so far this season.

The Lowdown: A tough season for Poveda

Marcelo Bielsa’s side won 3-1 at home to Tottenham on Saturday afternoon as they took yet more points of a ‘big six’ Premier League team. It was another impressive top-flight performance by Leeds, but someone who played no part in proceedings was Poveda.

The 21-year-old is yet to make a single league start this season, with his last full 90 minutes coming in the Carabao Cup against Hull City back in September.

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The Latest: Mills confused by lack of playing time

Speaking to Football Insider, Mills struggled to put his finger on why Poveda has featured so little, suggesting that he may not be impressing Bielsa on the training ground. The former Whites defender said:

“It’s a strange one. Bielsa bought him and not really used him in any way, shape or form and he’s been fit.

“You start to think ‘What’s the reason? What are you not seeing in training? What’s he not doing that Bielsa wants him to do?’

“Bielsa clearly likes him because he bought him and you’ve got to be a certain type of player for Bielsa to like you in the first place.

“It’s a strange one. Is it a young player who thought it was going to be a lot easier than it is? Has he not pushed on as hard as he needed to to get into the first team.”

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The Verdict: Patience required

While it has been frustrating not to see Poveda shine this season, it is easy to forget that he is still only 21 and very much learning his trade.

The youngster may have to accept that he is only going to have a squad role at Leeds for the time being, but he seems to have the potential to become a regular in Bielsa’s first team, with some supporters hailing his performance at home to Manchester City earlier in the season.

It would be a knee-jerk reaction to write Poveda off at this early stage in his career, with patience required both from the player and from Whites supporters.

In other news, Leeds are reportedly confident of sealing the signing of one player this summer. Find out who it is here.

After impressing from the bench in Charlton Athletic’s recent fixtures, Nigel Adkins must include Chuks Aneke in his starting XI this Sunday.

Having joined Charlton on a free transfer back in 2019, Aneke is yet to cement a regular place in the Addicks’ first team, with the £5,400-per-week forward starting just 11 times in League One this season, while making a further 26 appearances from the bench.

However, despite only featuring for an average of 41 minutes per game, the 27-year-old has impressed for the Addicks, bagging 15 goals and registering two assists in the league.

Aneke once again put in a show-stopping performance from the bench against Lincoln City last time out, scoring a goal and providing an assist in the 3-1 win – with his SofaScore match rating of 8.4 ranking him as the best player from either side on the day, despite only being on the pitch for 44 minutes.

Not only is he Charlton’s top league goalscorer, the timing of his strikes have often been game-changing – as was seen with his last-minute equaliser against Accrington Stanley, a result which kept Charlton’s play-off hopes alive.

As such, considering that Adkins’ side must get a win against Hull City today if they are to have any hope of securing a place in the play-offs, it would seem most advisable to allow Aneke as much time on the pitch as possible, considering just how influential he has been for the club this season.

With Ian Maatsen having been struggling for form of late, it would seem the logical move to replace the 19-year-old with Aneke for Sunday’s clash, as the player Lee Bowyer dubbed “immense” has proven so many times this season that he is the man for the big occasion.

In other news: Lost possession 15x: Charlton passenger who committed six fouls let Adkins down against Lincoln – opinion

According to a report by 90min, Tottenham Hotspur have now made an enquiry to sign Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Pedro Neto alongside the likes of Liverpool and Juventus.

The Lowdown: Molineux raid?

Since Nuno Espirito Santo’s arrival and appointment as new Spurs boss, the Lilywhites have been linked to a few Wolves stars as the Portuguese sets sights on raiding his old club.

As per talkSPORT, both Daniel Podence and Willy Boly are names who Nuno could swoop for and try to sign for Spurs this summer.

Elsewhere in the team, they have also been linked with defender Conor Coady, with 90min now namedropping Tottenham alongside another star at Molineux.

The Latest: Spurs make Neto enquiry…

Indeed, according to the outlet, Spurs have now made an enquiry to sign Neto alongside the likes of Liverpool and Juventus.

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As well as Tottenham making an approach, it is also claimed that Wolves are tempted to sell him this summer amid all the interest in his services.

Wolves owners are indeed ‘open’ to letting any of their star men leave, though it would take a bigger offer to seal Neto’s signing.

They hadn’t previously been listening to offers for the exciting 21-year-old, but interest from top clubs all over Europe, including Spurs, is apparently now making them contemplate.

The Verdict: Most exciting one yet…

Amid the plethora of Wolves players linked with a move to Spurs, we believe Neto comes as the most exciting one yet.

As per WhoScored, the young starlet was Wolves’ joint-top goalscorer in the Premier League last season and also notched the most assists.

He also averaged more shots per 90 (2) than any other member of their squad with over 10 league starts – all while completing the most key passes per 90 (2) for Wolves (WhoScored).

Lauded as a ‘phenomenal talent’ by Gabriel Agbonlahor, who raved over him to Football Insider, it’s safe to say the £31.5 million-valued ace would be quite a coup.

In other news: ‘Massive’, ‘Exactly what Levy wants’…Sky pundit in awe of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium news, find out more here.

Jon Newsome doubts that Leeds United will be able to pull off a move to sign goalkeeper Sam Johnstone from West Bromwich Albion this summer.

The Whites have been linked with a move to snap up the Baggies goalkeeper, who enjoyed an excellent season despite their relegation.

Johnstone made more saves than any other goalkeeper in the Premier League and appears almost certain to remain in the top-flight, with West Ham United also linked with an interest.

Leeds may need to sign a new goalkeeper this summer amid uncertainty over the future of Kiko Casilla, who has fallen out of favour under Marcelo Bielsa after being found guilty of using racist language while playing for the club in the Championship.

Newsome insists that Johnstone would not come into Elland Road and instantly become a starter, because of the excellent form of Illan Meslier, and believes that could place any potential transfer in doubt.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, he said: “Sam Johnstone, I don’t think he’d want to come in and fight for his place. I think he’d want to come in, you want to come in and not be guaranteed the No.1 shirt but you’re being bought and brought into a club where you’re going to be playing every week unless something else happens.

“I can’t see that happening because Meslier’s had such a great season.”

Ben Godfrey and Ben White could be the future of Everton, the club’s former defender Michael Ball told The Transfer Tavern in an exclusive interview.

Arsenal were thought to be close to signing the English centre-back. However, according to the Daily Mail, Everton are looking to gazump their Premier League rivals and are in talks with Brighton over a £50m deal.

When it comes to that centre-back position, the Toffees currently have the likes of Yerry Mina, Michael Keane and Godfrey. And alongside the latter, Ball believes White could help give the club a centre-half partnership for years.

Speaking exclusively to TT about Everton’s interest in the 23-year-old, the retired full-back said:

“You can obviously see Ben White and Ben Godfrey playing together and as the future of the club.

“Yeah, 50 million does seem a lot of money, but it’s the way football’s gone nowadays.”

White was one of Brighton’s standout defenders last term. He averaged more tackles per league game (1.4) than fellow centre-backs Adam Webster (one) and Lewis Dunk (0.9, via WhoScored).

The England international also averaged 1.7 interceptions, again more than the team’s other central defenders.

Ultimately, the defensive quality is certainly there, though the £50m fee he is commanding is questionable after just one season in the Premier League.

An update has emerged on Tottenham target Jannik Vestergaard, regarding how much Southampton want for him if they do sell this summer.

What’s the talk?

According to Italian journalist Rudy Galetti, Southampton value Tottenham target Jannik Vestergaard at £17m (€20m), with the Dane heading into the final season of his contract with the club.

Galetti claims that Spurs are in negotiations with Southampton over a potential deal for the centre-back, whilst Jose Mourinho’s Roma are also in the mix.

Imagine him and Rodon

Daniel Levy could land a dream deal by bringing Vestergaard to the club following this update. £17m is an excellent price for a player of his quality, especially given that Southampton paid around £22m for him in 2019 from Borussia Monchengladbach.

The Sun have claimed that Toby Alderweireld, Davinson Sanchez and Eric Dier could all leave Spurs this summer, with the Belgian wanting to depart and Fabio Paratici being open to offers for the other two. This means that any new arrivals could end up playing alongside young defender Joe Rodon at the back.

Rodon averaged an impressive WhoScored rating of 7.01 in 22 starts as a centre-back for club and country last season, including four games in the Championship for Swansea, which suggests that he could have the ability to thrive if handed a greater role in the side by Nuno Santo next term.

Vestergaard, meanwhile, has also proven himself for club and country. Domestically, he has caught the eye of pundits, with Arsenal legend Martin Keown saying earlier this year that the towering defender has shades of Virgil van Dijk about his game, comparing how the pair pass the ball out from the back for Southampton and Liverpool respectively.

He told TalkSport:

“It’s his passing. It reminds me of Van Dijk.

“I call it a stationary platform. When you don’t run with the ball you stop and when you look at those two, the way they ping balls, the way he threads things into midfield, the challenges, he’s a big man.”

The 28-year-old gave a timely reminder of his quality in England’s semi-final victory over Denmark in the European Championships on Wednesday.

He recorded a superb WhoScored rating of 7.04 as he won four aerial battles, five tackles and one interception, whilst also making seven clearances and two blocks. This shows that he has the defensive nous to be a nuisance at the top level, as he helped the Danes force the likes of Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling and Mason Mount into extra-time.

He could be a brilliant addition to Santo’s squad and be a dream partner for the up-and-coming Rodon to learn from. They could form a strong partnership at the back.

AND in other news, Levy agrees personal terms with £17.2m-rated “warrior”, Tottenham fans will be buzzing…

Celtic winger James Forrest has been pictured back in training ahead of the Hoops’ trip to Hibernian on Wednesday evening.

The Lowdown: Forrest’s absence

Forrest, who missed a large portion of the previous campaign through injury, has been absent under Ange Postecoglou since August.

His last appearance and goal came in a 2-0 win over AZ Alkmaar, with the 30-year-old, labelled as ‘priceless’ by Neil Lennon, missing the last 13 games as a result.

However, it appears as if he could be closing in on a return.

The Latest: Hoops’ under-the-radar post

Celtic posted a training gallery on their official website on Tuesday, however, they didn’t share the images on their Twitter page.

Forrest was pictured in the gallery for preparations against Hibs alongside his Hoops teammates, so it appears as if he could be involved at Easter Road.

The Verdict: Place on the bench?

Postecoglou has relied on summer signings Jota, Liel Abada and even Kyogo Furuhashi out wide with Forrest sidelined, so it would be a big boost if he could be involved in some capacity this evening.

It could still be too soon for a start, however, easing him back into the matchday squad with a place on the bench and a possible cameo appearance may well be the smarter call.

In other news: ‘Ambitious’ Celtic beast wanted by Premier League clubs in the summer may now leave in January. 

Writing on Twitter, journalist Fabrizio Romano has backed Tottenham Hotspur’s deal to sign Cristian Romero and reassured supporters that the move is in fact ‘done’ with ‘no problem’.

The Lowdown: Spurs close in on third summer signing…

Over these last two weeks, new Spurs managing director Fabio Paratici has been quite the busy figure at N17 after being tasked with developing the club’s on-field sporting operations.

His first senior summer signing, Pierluigi Gollini, impressed on his Wednesday evening debut for the club in a 2-2 pre-season friendly draw against Chelsea.

Meanwhile, young winger Bryan Gil has been tipped for big things as he arrives at Spurs from Sevilla.

Now, Romano has reassured Spurs supporters that they can look forward to the announcement of a colossal third summer signing.

The Latest: Romano backs Romero deal…

Writing on Twitter, the Italian reporter has backed Romero’s move to Tottenham whilst telling supporters that there are no issues involved.

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He even says that the Argentine ‘will fly to London’ soon in what is a mighty boost for Spurs given their long, drawn out search for a star centre-half – which you could trace all the way back to last summer.

“To be clear. There’s no problem for Cristian Romero deal,” explained Romano on social media.

“Tottenham have reached an agreement with Atalanta since yesterday. It’s done.

“Once Demiral signs as new Atalanta centre-back (likely tomorrow), Romero will fly to London to complete his Spurs move for €55m.”

The Verdict: Good news…

New manager Nuno Espirito Santo is arguably set for his biggest boost of the summer so far with the signing of Romero from Atalanta.

He won the Serie A 2020/2021 MVP award for best defender and has been called ‘phenomenal’ by Italian football critics for his performances over this last year (Conor Clancy to This is Futbol).

Signing the 23-year-old for €55 million (£46.8m) comes as a very big coup, and the mere fact that Daniel Levy is willing to part with a huge sum to give Nuno a genuine chance at a successful rebuild should also delight fans.

In other news: ‘We’re now hearing’…Sky Sports reporter drops Harry Kane news from Tottenham training ground, find out more here.

Now in his third season in charge of Queens Park Rangers, Mark Warburton has seen his Rs side get off to a rather remarkable start to their 2021/22 Championship campaign, winning three and drawing two of their opening five fixtures of the season.

These results have left QPR sitting in an impressive third place in the second-tier standings, just two points behind the recently relegated duo of Fulham and West Bromwich Albion, who occupy first and second in the league respectively.

As such, it will perhaps come as no surprise that a number of Warburton’s players have highly impressed for the west London side so far this season, with Christopher Willock, Yoann Barbet and Jordy de Wijs all averaging a SofaScore match rating of 7.30 or above.

However, there is one player who has been the standout star of QPR’s Championship campaign thus far – Rob Dickie.

Forget Willock

While, as mentioned above, the headline-grabbing Christopher Willock has undoubtedly been in fantastic form for QPR this season, it is the industrious centre-half who has stolen the show for the club in 2021/22 so far.

Indeed, over his five Championship appearances for Warburton’s side, the £2.25m-rated Dickie has helped his side keep two clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.4 interceptions, one tackle, 2.8 clearances and winning a remarkable 10 duels per game.

The man Ryan Dilks dubbed an “unbelievable” player has also impressed in an attacking capacity, scoring two goals, as well as taking an average of 1.4 shots and making 0.2 key passes per league fixture.

These returns have seen the £8k-per-week centre-back average an astonishing SofaScore match rating of 7.50, not only ranking the defender as QPR’s best performer in the league, but also as the joint sixth-best player in the entirety of the division.

As such, should Dickie be able to maintain this level of form over the course of the season, the 25-year-old could well go on to play a starring role in what very much appears to be a campaign in which the Rs could well mount a push for promotion out of the league.

In other news: Alan Nixon drops QPR claim on “outstanding” £4k-p/w beast which will have fans buzzing