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A huge Newcastle United transfer claim has been made regarding their pursuit of Diego Carlos…

What’s the talk?

Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has revealed that the Magpies will make another move to land the Brazil defender this week as they attempt to bolster Eddie Howe’s squad. Sevilla are said to be working hard to avoid cashing by rejecting the Toon’s interest so far.

Romano tweeted: “Newcastle will push again in the next hours for Diego Carlos. Sevilla are trying to resist in every way as they did for Koundé/Chelsea deal last summer – but Newcastle are willing to insist. Key hours ahead. #NUFC Diego already agreed personal terms days ago. He’s waiting.”

Fans will be delighted

Newcastle fans will be delighted with this update for several reasons. Firstly, the claim that Carlos is ‘waiting’ after agreeing personal terms with the club shows that there is a willingness from the defender to make the switch to St James’ Park.

This shows that he is eager to join the club and is passionate about a transfer to Newcastle, which fans will surely love in comparison to a player who needs to be convinced. The 28-year-old wants the move and the Magpies now need to find an agreement with the Spanish outfit to get it done.

The supporters will also be buzzing with Romano’s tweet as it shows that Nick Hammond, Eddie Howe and PIF are not willing to give up easily. They could have admitted defeat and moved further down their list of targets, potentially lowering the ceiling on the quality of player they can bring to the club, but instead are doing their best to land the man who could be their top target.

Fans will love this as it shows ambition and a desire to sign the best possible players to bolster the squad in the January transfer window. With Newcastle currently sat 19th in the Premier League and on just one win after 20 matches, reinforcements are needed to aid their bid to avoid relegation from the top flight, and this is why working hard to sign a player like Carlos could delight the Toon Army.

The centre-back has averaged a superb SofaScore rating of 7.16 in La Liga this season, showing that he can perform to a high level on a consistent basis in a top European league. The newly-signed Kieran Trippier is the only Newcastle player (7.30) who has averaged a higher rating than Carlos this term, and that is based on a small sample size, which highlights how big of a potential signing the Sevilla defender could be.

AND in other news, “He is set to join Newcastle”: Insider’s early morning update will leave fans buzzing…

Flocking to Twitter, many West Ham United fans have been left excited by an update involving defender Angelo Ogbonna.

The Italian, currently sidelined due to an ACL injury, as confirmed by the club, will be a sore miss for manager David Moyes as he aims to maintain his side’s impressive start to 2021/2022.

Having just beaten Liverpool 3-2 at the London Stadium, West Ham are also top of their Europa League group and into the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup.

Losing Ogbonna will come as a bitter blow to their fight on all fronts but some positive news has now emerged on the 33-year-old and his contract situation in east London.

Currently set to expire in 2022, West Ham risk losing Italian on a free deal next summer as things stand, but Calciomercato say this won’t be the case for long.

According to their sources, Ogbonna is in fact ‘close to renewing his contract’ with Moyes potentially set for a major boost in that regard.

Flocking to this claim, it’s little wonder West Ham supporters have become excited on Twitter given how crucial of a first team player he has been for Moyes over the past year.

Only ex-Hammer Fabian Balbuena averaged a higher rate of clearances per 90 in the Premier League last term and Ogbonna is one of just eight West Ham untouchables to start every English top-flight match this season (WhoScored).

Find all of their best verdicts on this new contract development down below.

West Ham fans flock to Ogbonna news…

“We just can’t miss atm”

Credit: @issacwt2004

“OH?!?”

Credit: @JrTheSaviour87

“Inject it”

Credit: @MarshyBoy26

“Siuuuuuu”

Credit: @Tom_coyi

“As if this week could get any better for us hammers”

Credit: @leggy_lp

“Well deserved”

Credit: @WillRobo1990

“Oh wow great news if it’s true where did you hear that? He is out of contract in the summer 2022 I believe so right? So how long is this new contract for? One year? Or two years? Bearing in mind he is now 32 years old but is so important to us in the system we play under Moyes?”

Credit: @Michael28183223

“Need a keep hold of him..he’s a gem”

Credit: @Martin_COYI

In other news: Journalist hints West Ham move for ‘world class’ 32-goal striker could now be on the cards, find out more here.

Many Everton fans have been loving what Anthony Gordon has said in a recent interview.

Speaking to The Athletic earlier in the week, which has since been shared by Toffee TV on their Twitter profile, the youngster talked about his recent run of form but claimed that he is ‘nowhere near’ the level that he wants to be.

The 20-year-old said: “I see myself as a game-changer and a matchwinner for Everton.

“At the minute, I’m playing really well but I’m not winning games for us. I am still nowhere near where I want to be.”

Gordon has started in first call-up to the England under-21 team a few days ago.

He scored two goals on his debut for the Young Lions under former Toffees player Lee Carsley, and at 20 years of age, he will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham in getting a senior call-up by Gareth Southgate despite being so young.

Everton fans on Gordon comments

These Everton supporters showed their appreciation for Gordon’s comments as they were shared on Twitter, with a few claiming that they ‘love’ his attitude, while another described him as a ‘real talent’:

“Boss attitude, what we need and want at Everton”

Credit: @damian_wyatt

“Love this attitude. Not happy with just being in the team and recognises what he needs to do to improve. Encouraging signs!”

Credit: @RyanOHanlon1

“Nice to see some grit & determination”

Credit: @IanRobEfc1878

“This lad”

Credit: @jamie_byrom

“Love it. Go Ed Anthony lad! #efc Coyb”

Credit: @tedsdad63

“Love this attitude, starts adding goals and assists to his game and we have a real talent on our hands”

Credit: @GMB1878

In other news, find out what FFP news has left these Everton fans fuming

Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa could be set for a shock January exit from Elland Road, according to a report from the continent.

The Lowdown: Bielsa a Leeds icon

The Argentine are arguably been the most influential figure at Leeds in the past decade or so, bringing the good days back to the club.

Bielsa has of course guided the Whites back into the Premier League, finishing ninth in their first season back in the division and playing some superb football along the way, endearing himself to those in Yorkshire with his enigmatic personality and obvious passion for the beautiful game, even showing up to coach football-loving local kids out of the blue.

The 66-year-old’s current Leeds deal expires at the end of this season, however, and it remains unknown if he will extend his stay beyond that point.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375277″]

The Latest: Shock exit rumour emerges

According to Jeunes Footeux [via Leeds All Over], Bielsa could actually leave Leeds in January, in what Leeds All Over describe as a ‘significant twist’ and ‘big shock’.

A board meeting is rumoured to be taking place next month and his future will be discussed there.

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The Verdict: Surely not?

The thought of Bielsa leaving at any point is a sad one but it seems unfathomable that he would either leave or be sacked in January.

The Leeds hero is a man of his word and has committed his future until at least the summer, so it would be an almighty shock if that suddenly wasn’t the case. It would also feel incredibly harsh for the club to take decisive action even despite the poor form to kick off this campaign, given his role in their promotion back to the big time.

It may be that Bielsa decides he has taken Leeds far enough come the end of the season, but with key men like Patrick Bamford back fit again, the hope is that the Whites rise up the Premier League in the coming months, increasing Bielsa’s chances of staying put even beyond this season, let alone through the winter.

In other news, Leeds are reportedly keen on a January move for one player. Find out who it is here.

Wolves could capitalise on Schalke 04’s woes to sign midfielder Omar Mascarell for a knockdown fee, CaughtOffside have reported. 

The report claimed that the Bundesliga club’s ‘struggling finances’ and their likely relegation from the German top flight could force them to accept an offer of as little as £4m.

Schalke are 11 points from safety with 10 games to go and have managed just win one all season (Transfermarkt).

Who is Omar Mascarell?

The Spaniard began his senior career at Real Madrid at 2013. He has experienced English football before, having gone on loan to Derby County during the 2014/15 season. He made 28 appearances for a Rams side who missed out on the play-offs by a single point.

Mascarell left Madrid permanently in 2016 to join Eintracht Frankfurt before making the switch to Schalke two years later.

According to WhoScored, he is a well-rounded midfielder who passes the ball well but can also break up play and win headers.

Another key asset is his versatility – while predominantly a defensive midfielder, he can also be deployed as a central midfielder or centre-back.

Transfer Tavern verdict

This looks like it would be a shrewd deal for Nuno Espirito’s men.

Mascarell is apparently available for a very small fee and could be a very solid squad player. You would imagine he would be a rotation option if Ruben Neves or Leander Dendoncker needed a rest.

The 28-year-old’s reputation has seemingly survived Schalke’s bruising season, and that is no mean feat.

In other news, this devastating striker is apparently on Wolves’ list of targets.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have been handed a late injury setback ahead of their upcoming Premier League meeting with Burnley.

What’s the latest?

In Friday’s press conference, Bruno Lage disclosed Wolves’ injury status heading into Sunday’s affair at Turf Moor.

On the injuries in the camp, Lage told the media: “Ruben’s still out for this game and Daniel and Max – two days ago, the injury in the stadium, and he came out with a little pain so will not be available for the next game.”

Lage will be gutted

Lage began Friday’s press conference by stating his hopes for the Old Gold are to “fight for the right to play European football at Molineux” and wanted to achieve this by continuing to “play the way we play.”

Though, they may struggle at the back without the presence of 24-year-old star Max Kilman, who has been ruled out of the clash at Turf Moor after picking up a knock in Wolves’ last game against Newcastle United.

Kilman has thoroughly asserted himself as a Premier League mainstay under Bruno Lage this season. The England-Ukraine star has featured in 94% of Wolves’ Premier League campaign, building on from what was a breakout the season prior under former boss Nuno Espirito Santo.

The former Maidenhead United player has taken to Premier League football like a duck to water, with his 3.5 clearances per match matching Old Gold captain Conor Coady, ranking him second out of the Wolves squad in this metric.

His fitness status comes as a late blow for Wolves, as well as being something that will leave Lage gutted, with the £14.4m-rated talent playing a big part in Wolves’ watertight defence that has seen only Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City concede fewer goals than the Molineux outfit this season.

Supporters will be hoping for the return of Kilman in their fixture against Brighton on the 30th of April, with his importance valued highly under Bruno Lage.

AND in other news: “Willing to make proposal”: Source drops huge update that Wolves supporters will love

Tottenham Hotspur finally return to Premier League action this afternoon after having their midweek fixture against Fulham postponed.

Jose Mourinho’s men welcome a rampant Leeds United side to north London on the back of their 5-0 drubbing of West Brom.

Last time Spurs played, they were pegged back late on by Wolves, who cancelled out their first-minute opener in the dying stages of the game thanks to Romain Saiss heading home.

The Portuguese tinkered with his formation that night, so there could be a few changes afoot given the Whites’ relentless work rate and style of play.

Here is the XI we’re predicting this lunchtime…

Mourinho may make three changes as he reverts back to a 4-3-3 of sorts.

Having dropped Toby Alderweireld and deployed a three-at-the-back formation to counter Wolves, we could see the £18m-rated Belgian return to partner Eric Dier in the middle with Sergio Reguilon and Matt Doherty continuing on each flank.

Which means Davinson Sanchez and Ben Davies return to the bench having both played either side of the England colossus.

Whilst in midfield, Harry Winks is axed for Moussa Sissoko – both Tanguy Ndombele, who bagged the opener last week, and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg remain.

The third and final switch could be out wide with Steven Bergwijn coming back into the mix, pairing Heung-min Son and Harry Kane in the attack.

There are fitness concerns over Brazilian winger Lucas Moura, so he’s unlikely to start from the off and the same goes for Carlos Vinicius too, though he isn’t going to take the place of Kane in the Premier League anytime soon.

Giovani Lo Celso is expected to still be out injured too, he may be a few weeks away from a return, whilst Gareth Bale has been ruled out with a calf problem.

Wantaway outcast Dele Alli may feature on the bench alongside the likes of Erik Lamela and Serge Aurier.

AND in other news, Levy could land a bargain in 24-cap TITAN who Mourinho once lauded an “ANIMAL”…

On Sunday’s evidence, Leeds are clearly in need of more depth.

Marcelo Bielsa picked a range of youth and experience when the Whites met Crawley but the stand-in players hardly did a good job.

The Yorkshire side fell to a 3-0 defeat and in the process, completely embarrassed themselves in the FA Cup.

Leeds chose to go with a three-man backline but Jamie Shackleton was given a torrid time alongside Kalvin Phillips at right-wing back. He was dominated by Nick Tsaroulla down the left who opened the scoring and completed 100% of his dribbles.

Of course, the usual nominees for that third of the pitch – Stuart Dallas and Luke Ayling – both weren’t playing. The latter has been playing as a makeshift centre-back in recent weeks but what Shackleton’s display demonstrated was that they need an extra body capable of filling in on the right.

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Fortunately, that could be forthcoming. Last week it was reported by The Daily Mail that Leeds had held discussions among their recruitment team about signing Real Madrid’s Lucas Vazquez.

The nine cap Spain international is capable of playing on the right wing and at right-back, and he shone in that defensive position against Osasuna, keeping a clean-sheet and showing the type of attributes we’ve become accustomed to seeing from Dallas in recent years.

Real boss Zinedine Zidane said at the beginning of the year: “What he’s doing right now doesn’t surprise us. Not only do I like him, we all like him because he is always on the job and reliable. He always gives everything on the pitch and we appreciate that.”

Those attributes typify Dallas and we saw it all when Real drew 0-0 at the weekend. Vazquez made an eye-catching six tackles and also completed 91% of his passes.

He was stern in the tackle but was also calm and composed in possession of the ball. Vazquez was well-disciplined, not committing a single foul and winning eight of the duels he contested.

This was a performance that went under the radar but like Dallas, he deserves special praise for doing things safely and securely.

If Leeds have a chance to sign the 29-year-old this month, they must do so.

AND in other news, 0 passes all game: Leeds set for more misery over £30k-p/w flop, Orta surely fuming…

Photo by Unsplash

Crystal Palace could land a dream partner for Wilfried Zaha in RB Leipzig’s Hwang Hee-chan.

What’s the story?

According to recent reports from The Telegraph, Roy Hodgson’s side have their sights set on signing the South Korea forward this summer, but are set to face significant competition from the likes of fellow Premier League outfit West Ham.

Imagine him and Zaha

An article on Bundesliga.com raved about his Roberto Firmino-esque ability to be the sole striker or having players alongside him, and that should be music to the ears of Zaha.

It said: “Hwang is not dissimilar to Liverpool’s former Hoffenheim striker Firmino. Happy leading the line as part of either a duo or a front three, Leipzig’s first summer signing likes to get on the ball and has a trick or two up his sleeve to shake off a defender.

“Comfortable with both feet, with the strength to hold off an opponent and the pace to exploit space, he could cause problems for many a Bundesliga defence – just like Brazil international Firmino did before him.”

Meanwhile, former Salzburg boss Peter Zeidler added: “He’s exceptional, has a brutal dynamism. I’ve rarely seen anything like it.”

With 63 goals and 41 assists over his career thus far, Hwang has proven before that he can be effective at both finding the net himself and setting up his teammates to score.

What Zaha desperately needs at Selhurst Park is someone who can really ease both the goal-scoring and creative burden on his shoulders – once again, he tops the charts for the Eagles in terms of most goal contributions this season.

Having Hwang in the team alongside him would give him someone to both feed and combine with, and that could prove to be the kind of lethal strike duo which gives Palace a much-needed cutting edge outside of just relying on Zaha to conjure a bit of magic.

Hwang is everything that Palace need, and he is someone Steve Parish should be looking to land this summer.

In other news, read more on the latest twist in the reported search for Hodgson’s successor at Selhurst Park.

David Moyes must push West Ham United to sign Burnley midfielder Josh Brownhill as he prepares to lose captain Mark Noble this summer.

What’s the word?

According to TEAMtalk, the Clarets are facing a fight to retain Brownhill at the end of the season as interest continues to build in the highly-impressive 25-year-old.

Brownhill has established himself as a key player under Sean Dyche after a slow start to life at Turf Moor, with the central midfielder not starting a Premier League game until five months after a £9m winter transfer from Championship side Bristol City last year.

The Warrington-born talent has been a regular fixture of the Burnley unit this term with 22 starts in 23 top-flight appearances, only sitting out five games to date of which three came as a result of an ankle injury.

Premier League rivals are now taking a keen interest in the dynamic maestro’s efforts in Lancashire ahead of the next transfer window, with several carrying out scouting checks in recent months.

Along with West Ham, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Southampton, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa are each said to be monitoring the £35k-per-week Preston North End product’s situation.

Brownhill scored his sole goal for Burnley to date during the Clarets’ Carabao Cup third round win over Millwall in September, but is yet to register a single assist over 36 outings across all competitions.

Should West Ham sign Brownhill?

Burnley will no doubt be loath to lose a player so pivotal to Dyche’s plans should the Turf Moor outfit remain in the Premier League next season, but Moyes should urge West Ham to test the Clarets’ resolve as Brownhill could prove to be a solid replacement for Noble.

Mr West Ham, Noble, is nearing the end of his £50,000-per-week deal with his terms set to expire in June and he has featured extremely infrequently in the Irons line-up this season, outside of the FA Cup.

Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan has also voiced that this season could be the £4m-rated veteran’s final at the London Stadium, as Noble will still have the fire in his belly to go out and secure a regular playing role elsewhere as he enters the twilight years of his career.

Should Noble go, it would leave Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek as Moyes’ only recognised senior central midfielders, and the Irons boss can ill-afford to not bring in cover having relied on Rice and Soucek to feature more than all bar Aaron Cresswell across all competitions this season.

Brownhill may be a solid pick-up for the back-up role in the Irons engine room, having been lauded by Dyche for his “boundless energy, will and desire”.

The 5 ft 10 Burnley star has also provided a similar impact to Rice and Soucek in the Premier League this season, with Brownhill seeing the ball for an average 48.7 touches a game and playing 29 accurate passes with an 80% success rate, per SofaScore.

He further wins the ball back frequently with 2.4 interceptions, 1.4 successful tackles and dominates in the duel by winning 4.9 of his total contests (2.7 ground, 2.2 aerial) per game.

Brownhill’s success in the duel is marginally superior to Rice overall but he’s better than the England international in the air, while offering comparable numbers for successful tackles and interceptions albeit seeing less of the ball than the Hammers’ engine room conductor.

Soucek also averages a similar defensive impact at the London Stadium and volume of accurate passes, but would not be expected to fall to the side to make way for Brownhill having emerged as one of Moyes’ most important goalscoring options this term.

So, while Brownhill would not be likely to emerge as the first or second-choice midfielder at West Ham next season, he could easily fill the void that Noble is expected to create in a few months’ time.

AND in other news, West Ham are monitoring a nine-goal 21-year-old but face a huge hurdle to strike a deal…