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Alan Nixon has revealed what he has now heard about Newcastle United’s January transfer plans.

The Lowdown: Tarkowski signing?

James Tarkowski has been linked with a move to St James’ Park after the takeover was completed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium. The Daily Telegraph’s Luke Edwards revealed last month that the Magpies hierarchy are expected to make the Burnley defender one of their first signings, with the 29-year-old understood to be keen on a move to the northeast.

However, Nixon has now revealed the latest on Newcastle’s winter plans, including their hope to sign players in the Premier League.

The Latest: Premier League difficulties

Replying to a fan on Twitter asking if the Magpies will try and sign Tarkowski, Nixon has revealed that it is ‘going to be hard’ for them to sign players from the top flight.

The Sun journalist has also heard that the new owners at St James’ Park are ‘very busy abroad’ when it comes to potential new signings in January.

The Verdict: Annoying

It will certainly be annoying for the Toon Army if they cannot sign Tarkowski or any players from the Premier League when the winter window opens.

Players who know the league well are so valuable as they know what to expect, as opposed to someone coming in from abroad who has never experienced the intensity of the division.

However, Newcastle could still sign some absolute gems from outside the English top flight, with the likes of Ronald Araujo and Ousmane Dembele recently being linked from Barcelona.

Nonetheless, it will certainly be interesting to see what calibre of player they can attract in a relegation battle.

In other news, these were Newcastle’s three worst players against Arsenal

West Ham United centre-back Craig Dawson has been playing through the pain of injury for a number of weeks.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a claim made by Claret & Hugh, with the West Ham insider stating in a recent post that, despite suffering from an injury in recent weeks, the 31-year-old has continually made himself available for selection as a result of the Hammers’ issues at centre-back – with a source claiming that the defender will once again be playing with a knock against Leicester City this weekend.

In their update, Claret & Hugh said: “The hugely professional central defender is again ready to defy the pain and appear against Leicester City on Sunday. A Hammers source told Claret & Hugh the man had been playing through injury for weeks without a word of complaint.”

Fans will love it

With Angelo Ogbonna having been ruled out for the remainder of the season with an ACL injury, in addition to Issa Diop having been in a dreadful run of form in recent months and Kurt Zouma’s ongoing off-field issues, the news that Dawson is once again willing to put himself through the pain barrier to feature against Leicester this weekend is an update the London Stadium faithful will love.

Indeed, over his 21 Premier League appearances this season, the £2.7m-rated centre-back has impressed in the absence of Ogbonna, helping his side keep four clean sheets, registering one assist and creating one big chance for his teammates, as well as making an average of one interception, 0.9 tackles, 3.4 clearances and winning 4.5 duels – at a success rate of 57% – per game.

These returns have seen the £52k-per-week defender average a SofaScore match rating of 6.92, ranking him as Moyes’ joint ninth-best performer in the top flight of English football so far this term.

As such, not only will Dawson’s availability come as a huge boost to West Ham’s chances of securing a positive result against the Foxes this weekend, the 31-year-old’s commitment to the Irons cause will undoubtedly be something that delights the Hammers fanbase.

In other news: Moyes must unleash “fearless” 20 y/o who’s “like a giant” after latest WHU injury blow

Liverpool have received no bids for unwanted Reds pair Loris Karius and Sheyi Ojo, according to reliable journalist Neil Jones.

The Lowdown: No future for duo

Jurgen Klopp has had a quiet summer window overall, only bringing in Ibrahima Konate and selling the likes of Gini Wijnaldum and Xherdan Shaqiri.

Two players with no future at Liverpool are Karius and Ojo, with the former fourth in the goalkeeping pecking order and the latter not playing for the Reds’ first-team since the 2016/17 season.

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The Latest: Jones provides key update

Taking to Twitter on deadline day, Goal‘s Jones claimed that there have been ‘no developments’ regarding Karius and Ojo moving on.

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The Verdict: Sell them on, Reds

Neither Karius or Ojo have any kind of future at Anfield, so it is for their own good that they find a new club before the transfer window closes.

If not, they risk stagnating further at Liverpool and enjoying no first-team football, with Klopp highly unlikely to even play them in the domestic cups based on how little action they’ve seen in recent seasons.

Karius has never recovered from his 2018 Champions League final nightmare, while Oyo simply isn’t at the level required to be a handy squad player, spending time at Wigan Athletic, Wolves, Fulham, Reims, Rangers and Cardiff City in the past.

In other news, one Liverpool player could leave on deadline day – find out who it is here.

A journalist has now revealed the date that Mike Ashley is ‘confident’ that the potential takeover of Newcastle United will be completed by.

The Lowdown: Arbitration adjourned

The arbitration case between the St. James’ Park faithful and the Premier League over the stalled deal between Ashley and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium has experienced delay after delay over the past year or so, and has now been adjourned until early 2022.

There is also a separate anti-competition claim to deal with as Ashley looks to try and force through a bid.

The Latest: Ashley confident, agreement ‘closer than ever’

Writing in his latest piece for 90min, Graeme Bailey has now revealed that Ashley is ‘confident’ that the proposed takeover will go through in January.

The businessman and his legal team believe that the results of the arbitration hearing are ‘likely’ to go their way, and the consortium remain ‘ready’ to strike a deal with the North East club.

An agreement could be ‘closer than ever’, but the KSA’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) also hold interest in Inter Milan.

The Verdict: Promising

It certainly is promising to hear of Ashley’s confidence ahead of the arbitration proceedings, and suggests that the potential takeover is still very much alive.

The Toon Army have had to put up with so many delays during the saga, but it looks as if January could be a key month for them.

Nonetheless, it gives them some hope to cling on to of finally seeing Ashley sell up and new owners coming in to inject some life and ambition into a club completely devoid of either.

In other news, find out whose display against Leeds United was criticised by Lee Ryder here!

Rangers put their early Europa League group stage woes to bed as they ran out 2-0 winners at Ibrox against Brondby on Thursday night.

Steven Gerrard’s side were beaten 2-0 and 1-0 by Lyon and Sparta Prague respectively in their first two matches, but they finally got off the mark against the Danish outfit this week.

Kemar Roofe and Leon Balogun scored the all-important goals for the Gers as they put on a dominant display in front of their home fans at Ibrox.

However, it was not all sunshine and rainbows as one player in particular struggled to show off the best of his abilities on the night – John Lundstram.

The summer signing from Sheffield United endured a difficult night on a personal level as he struggled to make his mark on the game. He lined up alongside Steven Davis and Joe Aribo, taking up the central position in the midfield as he looked to dictate the flow of the game.

However, he offered next to nothing defensively. As per SofaScore, he lost 100% of his contested duels in the match. He ended the game with one interception and zero tackles, blocks or clearances as he failed to provide defensive steel in the middle of the park.

In comparison, his midfield companion Aribo won 10 of his 15 duels and made four tackles and one interception against the Danish side. This shows how slack Lundstram’s defending was as the Nigerian was able to stand out by imposing himself on the opposition and winning the ball back to keep Rangers on the front foot.

Offensively, the 27-year-old did not fare much better. As per SofaScore, he failed with 100% of his dribble attempts and did not manage a single effort on target. He did, however, complete 97% of his passes and create one chance in the match, showing that he was reliable on the ball, albeit unimaginative.

Lundstram showed that he has the quality to perform well at this level in the defeat to Lyon earlier this season. As per SofaScore, he won five of his eight duels, made three tackles, three interceptions and completed 100% of his attempted dribbles that night.

Therefore, he let Gerrard down with his performance as he was unable to stand out in midfield like he did in the clash with Lyon. His manager will surely want consistency from the player and the 27-year-old’s display against Brondby was far from his best.

In other news – Gerrard masterclass: Rangers dynamo has seen his value soar 420% since January…

Carlton Palmer has urged Sam Johnstone to get his head down as he continues to struggle to secure a move away from West Bromwich Albion.

Johnstone has been linked with an immediate return to the Premier League after he was unable to stop the Baggies from suffering relegation to the Championship last season.

Among the goalkeeper’s suitors were West Ham United, who saw a £10million bid turned down last month.

The Hammers have since moved on to other targets and signed Paris Saint-Germain shot-stopper Alphonse Areola on a season-long loan deal, which has the option of making the transfer permanent, instead.

As a result, a switch to London Stadium looks increasingly unlikely and the 28-year-old has made two appearances since West Brom’s new campaign got underway earlier this month.

Although Baggies head coach Valerien Ismael has admitted he expects Johnstone to depart the Hawthorns, it is now becoming more likely he will remain at West Brom beyond deadline day.

Ex-Albion midfielder Palmer is adamant Johnstone should not be disheartened by a lack of transfer activity as he will win promotion back to the Premier League by sticking with his current employers.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Palmer said: “Sam’s got to be professional, get his head down and keep playing.

“What he doesn’t want to do is be out of the side and then be out of the England set-up. He signed a contract at the football club and the club decides whether they want to sell you or not and what price they want for you. If none of that works, then you get your head down and play your football.

“At the end of the day, he is a fantastic goalkeeper and I think West Brom will be back in the Premier League come the end of the season, so he will be back where he wants to be.”

A major update has emerged regarding Newcastle United’s pursuit of Sevilla defender Diego Carlos…

What’s the talk?

Sky Sports reporter Pete Graves has revealed that a bid has been placed by the Magpies, with Eddie Howe looking to improve his defensive options this month.

The journalist tweeted: “On #nufc centre back search… Diego Carlos firmly in clubs sights. Substantial offer made – remains on table – player (very) intrigued. Definitely one to watch.”

Fans will be delighted

Newcastle fans will be delighted with this claim from Graves as it shows that the club are making serious moves for players. They are not going into the market and making offers which aren’t worthwhile for other clubs to even consider purely to make it look like they are trying to do something, instead submitting sizeable bids which will test the resolve of clubs being targeted.

PIF are offering substantial amounts of money for players in order to bolster Eddie Howe’s squad, and the supporters will love that as it could give Newcastle the best possible chance of avoiding relegation to the Championship. The current group of players have proven themselves to not be good enough for where the Magpies want to be.

They are 19th in the Premier League table and have the second-worst defensive record, with bottom club Norwich – who have played a game more – the only team to concede more goals than Howe’s side so far this season. This highlights the huge issues the Magpies have in the defensive third of the pitch and highlights why fans will be particularly delighted with this news, as Carlos could solve some of their problems in that regard.

The Brazilian enforcer has been in fine form for Sevilla in La Liga this season and has been able to perform consistently to a high level, with an average SofaScore rating of 7.14. Although it is impossible to guarantee that he will be able to do the same in the Premier League, it shows that there’s a strong chance of him joining and discernibly improving Howe’s team.

Newcastle fans will also be buzzing to read that the player is keen on the move. It shows that the 28-year-old is willing to come in and help the team scrap for survival, rather than being put off by their precarious position and potentially needing to be convinced to complete the transfer.

AND in other news, “Pushing behind the scenes”: Keith Downie drops on-air NUFC update which will excite fans…

Tottenham must swoop for Roma winger Nicolo Zaniolo this summer as manager Antonio Conte looks to bolster his squad in his first summer transfer window in charge of the north London club.

What’s the talk?

Reports from Italy have suggested that Spurs are following the 22-year-old closely, with Corriere della Sella (via Sport Witness) suggesting that the Italian knows that ‘decision time is approaching.’

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The Roma star’s contract expires in 2024 and is yet to renew, meaning that the Serie A outfit may have to sell this summer, with a fee being quoted at around €80m (£66m).

Manager Antonio Conte is believed to be a big fan of the 22-year-old, having assessed the winger during his time as Inter Milan manager, as is Spurs managing director Fabio Paratici.

Tottenham must sign Zaniolo

Despite a season that has seen a managerial change, an early exit from the Europa Conference League and yet another campaign without silverware, Tottenham’s season could end with success with the Lilywhites still firmly in contention for a top-four spot.

Conte’s side are fourth with six games to go in the Premier League and will undoubtedly be a more attractive proposition for Zaniolo and other potential targets if they can offer Champions League football.

The 22-year-old has netted seven goals and assisted another eight in 35 appearances across all competitions this term whilst averaging a 7.31 match rating in the Europa Conference League.

In Serie A, the Italian’s rating is lower at 6.7, with the winger averaging a 78% passing accuracy whilst completing just under half of his dribbles at 49%. Moreover, Zaniolo likes to get forward, producing 2.6 shots a game.

Moreover, the 22-year-old has been integrated into the senior Italy set-up, earning nine caps and scoring two goals for the Azzuri.

There is plenty of excitement in Italy regarding the Roma starlet, with club legend Francesco Totti praising the winger back in 2018 by saying: “Zaniolo is explosive and he plays with an unusual ease. If he continues this way he could become a great player.”

With the Italian a right-sided winger, Zaniolo could complement the left-sided Heung-Min Son perfectly.

The South Korean has netted a whopping 17 Premier League goals this term as well as registering seven assists in the top-flight, numbers that Spurs will hope the 22-year-old can one day reach should he swap Rome for London.

Granted, £66m will be a significant fee for Spurs to pay to secure Zaniolo’s services, however, with Conte a big fan, the deal could prove to be well worth it in the long run.

AND in other news: Lost the ball every 2.6 touches: “Quiet” 9-pass THFC passenger let Conte down vs BHAFC

Rafael Benitez has rejected criticism of Everton’s ‘shape’ in their 2-1 loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday night. 

Instead, the Spaniard told Sky Sports (footage via Football Daily) ‘it was a question of character’ as the Toffees fell to their third straight Premier League defeat.

Everton’s second-half improvement not enough

Everton went down the tunnel losing 2-0 after goals from Max Kilman and Raul Jimenez in a four-minute spell either side of the half-hour mark. The visitors were only able to muster three shots during the first half.

They did improve after the break, with Alex Iwobi reducing the arrears on 66 minutes and Jose Sa facing a further 11 attempts, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a loss that sees them slip to 10th in the table.

Sports journalist Josh Bunting says Benitez ‘needs to be questioned’ in the wake of the result, having apparently failed to learn from the Watford game.

Fan feed Toffee TV relayed the footage from his Sky Sports interview, and here’s what supporters made of it.

These Everton fans critical of Benitez

“The more he talks like this the more I’m worried. Again this says I’m stubborn and I’m right and it wasn’t anything to do with me. Poor”

Credit: @michaelhilditc5

“two things, in his role as a Manager, he has the responsibility for …”

Credit: @jeffwbee

“Not my fault it was the players then basically, he needs to take responsibility for the set pieces I’m afraid”

Credit: @burrowes6joey

“Nonsense. Look at the stats. Are we winning ‘one on one’ tackles more than 50%. If not acknowledge, work & improve it!”

Credit: @stergio1878

“Deflecting blame”

Credit: @EFCOliver7

“What a joke of a manager. He took the job to fire James and we get this after.”

Credit: @ManyDarin

In other news, fans ripped into this man against Wolves. 

Speaking to Give Me Sport, journalist and transfer insider Dean Jones of Eurosport has dropped an encouraging update on West Ham United’s links to Aston Villa defender Kortney Hause.

The Lowdown: West Ham talks held…

According to Football Insider, sharing news in the past week, there has been a development in manager David Moyes’ hunt for a centre-half as the Irons and transfer chief Rob Newman target Villa’s defender.

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As per their information, preliminary talks have been held over signing the 6 foot 3 powerhouse before January 31 with a reunion in east London now ‘on the cards’ if both the Villans and West Ham can reach an agreement.

In another update, FI state that Hause himself is ‘keen’ to link up with Moyes at the London Stadium with insider Jones now sharing what he knows on the situation.

The Latest: Insider makes encouraging claim…

According to Eurosport’s reporter, in an interview with GMS, a West Ham move to sign the 26-year-old is ‘definitely possible’ as he backs that the club hold an interest.

“It’s definitely possible,” he explained.

“It’s one that West Ham are looking at, I think in the last week it’s one that’s become clearer.”

The Verdict: Get it done?

The towering homegrown defender is also able to fill various roles across the backline, including at left-back (WhoScored), potentially strengthening Moyes’ options in an array of positions.

Still fairly young, Hause may also be an astute option to have at West Ham for years to come and it’s little wonder both Newman and the club are apparently weighing up a bid.

Valued at around £4.5 million by Transfermarkt, the left-footed ace has proven dependable and reliable when slotting in as a back up option for Villa this season – winning the second-most aerial duels per 90 on average out of their squad (WhoScored).

He’s also received praised for his cameos in the Premier League over 2021/2022 with Villa journalist Ashley Preece calling Hause ‘incredible’ (Claret & Blue podcast via This is Futbol).

We believe he could certainly come as a shrewd option for Moyes this transfer window.

In other news: ‘Please please please’, ‘Baller’, ‘Perfect’…West Ham fans rave as GSB eye ‘fantastic signing’, find out more here.