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According to Football Insider, Newcastle United are set to recall Matty Longstaff back into the first team squad soon.

The 20-year-old was linked with a move away from the Magpies in the summer transfer window, as Udinese were interested in him. The midfielder ended up signing a new contract with the Tyneside club and he could now be set for a first team recall.

Frozen out Longstaff set for return

Football Insider recently reported about the younger Longstaff, saying that the midfielder was playing for Newcastle’s youth team to build up his fitness, and Bruce is now set to give him another chance in the first team amidst their poor run of form in the Premier League.

He recently started in a Premier League 2 game against Sunderland and hasn’t featured for the first team since playing against Arsenal two months ago.

In the Premier League, he has made only five appearances this term and he has now played thrice for the club’s under-23s side. He had sustained an injury early in the season, which partially explains his dearth of senior game-time.

The 20-year-old had scored on his Premier League debut against Manchester United last season, which left Bruce saying that he had “never witnessed” a better top-flight bow in his managerial career. The Newcastle boss also said of the young midfielder: “He trains every day with a big beaming smile. He is so refreshing. He wants to play and is a great kid.”

Longstaff will add midfield depth

Currently valued at £4.5m by Transfermarkt, Longstaff can play in central or defensive midfield. The Magpies have just one out-and-out option in the defensive midfield area and the 20-year-old will add numbers in that role as well as the central midfield berth, where Bruce is well-stocked.

Considering that the younger Longstaff scored twice last season in a limited number of appearances, Newcastle could do with some of his goals from the middle of the park. If anything, his return to the first team fold should add considerable strength to the side.

In other news, Liam Kennedy has discussed one factor which could affect the possibility of a Newcastle takeover – read more here.

Lee Ryder has claimed that Newcastle United are not seeing the best of Ryan Fraser after they drew 0-0 away at West Brom in the Premier League.

Writing in his latest player ratings piece for The Chronicle, the journalist was particularly critical of the former Bournemouth man’s delivery from crosses and gave him a mere 5/10 overall rating, the joint-lowest out of any Magpies player to have set foot on the pitch.

Fraser must do more for Newcastle

With the injuries to Allan Saint-Maximin, Callum Wilson and Miguel Almiron, Fraser really needs to step up for the St James’ Park faithful from now until the end of the 2020/21 term.

However, the Scotland international was far from impressive against Sam Allardyce’s men at The Hawthorns. He failed to record a single shot on goal or successful dribble, and lost possession of the ball no fewer than 20 times, the third most out of any of his teammates (Sofascore).

Fraser was largely ineffective throughout the match, registering ten fewer touches than his own goalkeeper Martin Dubravka (Sofascore), and he really needs to have more of an influence in attacking areas if Steve Bruce’s team are to score the goals that they need to stay up in the top flight. Ryder’s constructive criticism is very much on point here.

In other news, find out why some Toon players are angry at Bruce!

After brushing aside Southampton last time out in the Premier League, Leeds delivered a disappointing display on Saturday as they fell to a 1-0 home defeat to Aston Villa.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side just looked completely flat at Elland Road, managing just three shots on target in the entire 90 minutes. The Leeds boss did make a couple of changes to his starting line-up, with Tyler Roberts one of those players coming in after some encouraging cameos in recent weeks.

But the Wales international failed to take his opportunity, with the 22-year-old struggling to make the most out of the good positions that he found himself in.

As per Sofascore, he found the target with just one of his attempts on goal, while he attempted no dribbles whatsoever. Roberts lost the ball in good areas so often, with Villa’s defenders outmuscling him far too easily on occasion – he lost eight out of the ten duels that he contested.

He also seemed to lose his head and gave away some cheap free-kicks, with his three fouls committed being the joint-highest of any Leeds player on the pitch.

And, writing in his post-match player ratings for Leeds Live, Beren Cross noted: “Not the type of performance which is going to keep him in the main thoughts of Marcelo Bielsa and co when it comes to the summer reshuffle. Had one decent effort sting the goalkeeper’s hand, but not at it at all apart from that. Wasted chances when they came his way. Had little control in the middle and gave away fouls.”

His lacklustre performance even prompted many Leeds fans to take to Twitter to urge the club to sell him when the transfer window opens up again in the summer.

Bielsa placed his trust in the £5k-a-week earning Roberts by promoting him to the starting line-up, and the forward massively let his manager down with his display. With reports even linking him with a move away back in January, perhaps this summer is the perfect time for both parties to go their separate ways.

Leeds United have been linked to several new defensive options this month. However, an update from Phil Hay clarified that they are not expecting any new signings before the window shuts.

According to French outlet Le10Sport, the Whites were named alongside Southampton in the battle for Romain Perraud’s signature. The report claims that despite the Frenchman still having four years on his current deal, interest is mounting for his services.

Should Leeds have signed Perraud?

Marcelo Bielsa has been faced with several injury concerns this season, with summer signings Robin Koch and Diego Llorente both out of action. Not only has the Argentinian been plagued with fitness issues, but the idea of Ezgjan Alioski leaving the club is looking more and more likely.

Fotomac reports that the left-back has been linked to a move to Galatasaray, with the Turkish outfit are looking to replace Marcelo Saracchi and eyeing Alioski with his contract being up at the end of the season.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-this-weeks-latest-leeds-transfer-news” title=”Read this week’s latest Leeds news!”]

If the North Macedonian leaves Elland Road, Bielsa will be left with only youngster Leif Davis as his option on the left flank. Whilst he can rely on Luke Ayling and Stuart Dallas and their versatility, it’s simply not a feasible option to deploy his players out of position for the foreseeable future.

Leeds should have moved for Perraud, as they would have been signing a ready-made replacement for Alioski. According to WhoScored, the Brest defender already has more goalscoring contributions than the Leeds ace, as well as a higher average of interceptions and clearances per match.

Perraud also has similar stats to Alioski when it comes to passing accuracy and aerial duels won as well as tackles. With the former also being younger than the Leeds left-back, he has a lot more in his tank to give to the cause and would have been a very smart option to bring in, in case Alioski’s future lies beyond Elland Road.

With a Transfermarkt value of £7.2million, Perraud likely wouldn’t break the bank if Andrea Radrizzani decided to loosen the purse strings. He could’ve be the ideal addition to the squad ahead of tonight’s deadline.

In other news, Leeds must revisit transfer swoop for Divock Origi…

According to Corriere Adriatico, via Sport Witness, Crystal Palace are one of several sides interested in signing former Brighton & Hove Albion right-back Ezequiel Schelotto in the January transfer window.

What’s the word?

It is believed that Schelotto, who has been without a club since being released by Brighton in the summer, is wanted by Serie C side US Sambenedettese, but ‘there might be some obstacle’ in the form of the Eagles.

The 31-year-old free agent fell out of favour at the AMEX Stadium but has also attracted interest from the likes of Championship club Watford and Italian side SPAL

However, Sambenedettese president Domenico Serafino has been in constant communication with his agent to try and engineer a move for Schelotto, which has given Steve Parish the golden opportunity to pull the plug on any potential transfer.

Must avoid Edgar Davids 2.0

Not that he’d like to admit it, but Roy Hodgson has a bit of a problem at right-back. Nathaniel Clyne hasn’t quite cut the mustard, which has led Football FanCast to call for the club to cut ties with Clyne, and new summer recruit Nathan Ferguson is sidelined due to injury, whilst Joel Ward isn’t getting any younger. Yet it’s fair to say that Schelotto isn’t the answer to all their problems – we can’t understand their reported interest at all.

Back in the summer of 2010, former Netherlands international midfielder Edgar Davids arrived at Selhurst Park on a pay-as-you-play deal, despite the fact the 37-year-old had been without a club for almost two years. What could possibly go wrong? Well, as it turns out, just about everything, as he struggled to get to grips with Championship football and made just seven appearances in all competitions before leaving the club by mutual consent.

While Schelotto may be a good fit for Watford – he has a decent amount of experience in the European leagues – it’s fair to say that he simply wouldn’t be the right man for Palace.

Would the one-time Italy international be any better than Clyne? Not at all if you take a closer look at the statistics.

Clyne 29, is two years his junior, and the differences don’t stop there, either. Last season, the Italian produced low numbers for tackles (0.4) and interceptions (0.8) per game, of which Clyne tops with 1.3 and 1.7 respectively, and he failed to offer much in the final third, attempting just 0.6 dribbles per game in the Premier League, via WhoScored.

With that in mind, coupled with the fact he earned around £32,000-per-week in wages at the AMEX Stadium, Parish must simply avoid signing Schelotto at all costs, as he could turn out to be yet another expensive mistake.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace striker Christian Benteke was Roy Hodgson’s unsung hero against Arsenal…

Many Liverpool fans believe that Taiwo Awoniyi is not the right man to replace Divock Origi if the Belgian decides to leave.

The 23-year-old is currently on loan from at FC Union Berlin over in Germany, where he is certainly catching the eye.

From 13 Bundesliga appearances, Awoniyi has scored five goals and provided two assists, getting regular first-team football under his belt in a competitive league (TransferMarkt).

The Nigerian centre-forward has had an array of loan spells since arriving at the club in 2015, spending time at the likes of FSV Frankfurt, NEC Nijmegen, Mouscron, KAA Gent, and Mainz last season. In total, he has scored 38 times from over 100 outings combined.

Awoniyi has never made a first-team appearance for Liverpool. With speculation surrounding Divock Origi’s future still unclear, Anfield Edition presented the facts for supporters to stick their teeth into.

Despite this, supporters were convinced that Awoniyi is not good enough to play for the club, and that his Belgian teammate is a better player.

Fans not convinced by Awoniyi

“I’ve watched him and can say with confidence that he’s not good enough. Not even close to Origi. The best that could happen is we get a nice offer for him”

Credit: @SilverDeGeneral

“He won’t ever be a Liverpool player due to being one for 5 years now and never getting a permit. I give up on him”

Credit: @LfcRedLady

“Has done nothing for years now so would be the perfect time to sell him while his stocks are up”

Credit: @bugyutari

“No, we need to sign someone with world-class potential.”

Credit: @Subindra99

“He is not good enough for Liverpool, I think Liverpool should sell him for good price”

Credit: @Elflew59

“No will be sold”

Credit: @pete_pizza2020

“Sell him Edwards!”

Credit: @noma

In other news, Fabrizio Romano provided an intriguing update on Georginio Wijnaldum’s Anfield future.

Sheffield Wednesday will need to act during the upcoming transfer window if they are to salvage their season in the Championship, and there’s one name that could help them tenfold…

What’s the word?

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast over the weekend, Owls legend Carlton Palmer tipped his former club to make a move for prolific goalscorer Dwight Gayle.

He believes the 30-year-old would be a “good fit” for the Yorkshire outfit whilst reliable reporter Dom Howson revealed last month that the Newcastle United forward was someone the club had looked at previously.

The £7.2m-rated talisman is yet to feature this campaign due to injury but is set to return in the New Year, and he could well face a battle for minutes at St James’ Park with Callum Wilson looking the obvious first-choice for Steve Bruce.

Striking solution?

Gayle is also out of contract in the summer, so his future as a Magpie is by no means certain, so Hillsborough chief Dejphon Chansiri ought to strike next month.

It’s no surprise that Wednesday are rock bottom of the Championship given they started the season with a points deduction but the signs would still be there regardless.

They are among the lowest scorers in the division, managing just nine goals in 17 appearances – that’s barely a goal every other game. That right now is Pulis’ biggest headache.

Garry Monk never truly replaced the goalscoring exploits of Steven Fletcher, his 13 from last term will take some doing to match this time around.

Currently, there are three players on two goals as the Owls’ top scorers – Barry Bannan, Callum Paterson and Josh Windass – whilst Jordan Rhodes only has one goal and summer signings Izzy Brown and Elias Kachunga are yet to score, per WhoScored.

In Gayle, the Yorkshiremen would be getting a proven striker at this level as he’s bagged 59 goals in 100 appearances in the Championship, most recently notching a whopping 23 in 39 matches whilst on loan to West Brom in 2018/19.

Former PL shot-stopper Paul Robinson praise Gayle to Football Insider earlier this year, he said: “He is a great striker. His movement, he brings something different to Joelinton. He needs players around him but Gayle brings other players into it. He brings the team together.”

Whilst Kyle Bartley once hailed him as “immense” and “dangerous,” also claiming that he’s a “proven goalscorer.”

This is exactly who the Owls need to target in January, so it’ll be on Chansiri to get a deal done for the £40k-per-week monster.

AND in other news, Sheff Wed passenger who had fewer touches than Wildsmith let Pulis down vs Huddersfield…

Liverpool return from the international break with an injury-ravaged squad and Jurgen Klopp’s side couldn’t have asked for a much tougher game in their return fixture, as they face top-of-the-table Leicester City at Anfield on Sunday evening.

The German manager will be without first-team regulars Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Jordan Henderson and Trent Alexander-Arnold for the visit of the Foxes, meaning he will have to make some serious changes to his defence.

Fortunately for the Reds, it was confirmed earlier this week that both Fabinho and Thiago could be fit to play on Sunday evening, so it is perhaps likely that the Brazilian will return to the side as a starting centre-back, alongside Joel Matip.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Klopp to line his side up against Leicester City on Sunday, with the German manager forced into four changes from the side that faced Manchester City before the international break…

Even if Fabinho isn’t completely match fit, it would be a surprise if Klopp didn’t start the Brazilian against Leicester City, as the inexperienced Rhys Williams and Nathaniel Phillips may both struggle to deal with the threat of Jamie Vardy in the Foxes attack.

Andy Robertson did have a slight injury concern during the international break but played the full 90 minutes against Israel on Wednesday, so should be fit to keep his place at left-back.

Meanwhile, with the injury to Alexander-Arnold, Neco Williams could make his first Premier League appearance of the season at right-back, having been described as a “machine” by Klopp in the summer.

If Thiago is fit to play, the Spanish midfielder should come in for the injured Jordan Henderson, whilst Georginio Wijnaldum keeps his place and Curtis Jones should start ahead of Naby Keita after the Guinean’s poor start to the season.

Mohamed Salah misses out after testing positive for the current viral outbreak, so Diogo Jota takes his place on the wing, making up an attacking trio that also includes Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane.

Although Liverpool are seriously blighted by injuries at the moment, they cannot let the chances of a second-successive title slip away from them early in the season, so this will be a hugely important game against Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester side.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former England midfielder Carlton Palmer has made a stunning claim about Tottenham Hotspur misfit Dele Alli.

The 24-year-old has been restricted to just 66 minutes in the Premier League all season and hasn’t even been named in the matchday squad for eight of the ten top-flight fixtures, as per Transfermarkt.

Throughout the summer transfer window, there was speculation over his future amid links to Ligue 1 giants and Champions League finalists Paris Saint-Germain.

It has since been reported that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is expected to reject any advances for him next month despite Mourinho’s lack of trust in the two-time Young PFA Player of the Year.

When asked about why Alli hasn’t been involved as much this season under the ‘Special One,’ Palmer revealed that it has been down to his application on the training pitch.

The ex-West Brom and Leeds United star told FFC:

“Now, you’ve got to train the way you play. If you don’t train well, you’re not going to play well.

“So from what I’m hearing, that’s part of the problem, right?

“And then he’s got to do the other side of the job in the team, the way Mourinho’s teams work. They’re functional teams, they’ve got jobs to do.”

When Mourinho first took over from Mauricio Pochettino last season, the £46.8m-rated playmaker initially looked to have benefitted from the change in manager, contributing four goals and three assists in his first five matches at the helm.

Although just one start in the Premier League since June tells a completely different story.

The world also witnessed the Spurs boss lambast the out-of-favour England international in front of the whole team during their Amazon docuseries ‘All or Nothing,’ calling him “lazy” but with a bit more colourful language.

If Alli hasn’t improved his behaviour on the training pitch, then perhaps it is hardly a surprise that he’s struggled for game time during the 2020/21 campaign thus far.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Pundit BACKS Harry Kane to keep up SHOCK record amid “worries”…

Despite the fact Neil Lennon is struggling for reliable personnel in his attack, it doesn’t look like Leigh Griffiths is going to get his chance to shine. Whilst he has been putting in solid performances off the bench, it’s looking more and more likely that this is all he will be able to contribute this season and perhaps beyond.

After stating he wants to cement himself in the top 20 all-time goal-scorers for the club, he still hasn’t started a game under Lennon this campaign. He currently has three goals for the season, all scored during a substitute appearance. Even during Odsonne Edouard’s absence, the manager opted to play Mohamed Elyounoussi out of position than rely on Griffiths.

A huge blow for Griffiths

The striker take part in Scotland’s all-important clash against Serbia on Thursday, but former Celtic icon Miodrag Krivokapic has tipped him for a fringe role for his country too.

“His physical condition is an eternal problem and at the start of the season he had to train separately at Celtic because of his fitness issue,” the ex-Hoops manager told the Daily Record. “I am convinced Scotland will use him from the bench because their manager Steve Clarke will prefer Lyndon Dykes instead.”

Indeed, Griffiths was slammed by Lennon for his fitness problems and he was furious that the 30-year-old returned to training “overweight”. It’s clear the forward is trying to make amends and help the Bhoys out of a rut, but it appears that Lennon’s mind is made up, for now at least.

“Griffiths has neither speed nor height, but he just has that something about him. He knows how to play,” Krivokapic continued. “And most importantly of all, he has an incredible sense of where the goal is.”

This is indeed the case with the £15,000 per-week ace, who has fallen out of favour after injuries hit him hard over the last year. Despite his love for the club and his willingness to cement himself in the rich Celtic history, it’s becoming more and more clear that he doesn’t cut the mustard for Lennon and co.

In other news, Celtic could turn it all around following the return of key player Christopher Jullien…