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Newcastle battled hard with Manchester City and were able to secure a point thanks to a fine goal from Jonjo Shelvey, but to ensure a repeat performance against Sheffield United they may need to recall some more reliable figures to the side.

Steve Bruce’s organisation limited the visitors to few chances on Saturday despite their 76% share of possession, but there were signs that the defence could still be improved upon.

Raheem Sterling’s goal was an example of that, with the ball bouncing to the forward as a result of the Magpies’ failure to take charge of the situation and get the ball clear.

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A player like Fabian Schar would have been able to provide that decisive action, and that means he should come in for Paul Dummett.

The Switzerland international can show great technical ability, but he covers the basics of defending remarkably well too, with his average of 5.1 clearances per game highlighting his no-nonsense attitude.

Having control of their own box will be key against a Blades side which likes to overload the penalty area with midfield runners, and it is vital they prevent John Fleck and John Lundstram adding to their respective two and three league goals.

With that in mind, here is how Bruce should line-up when Sheffield United visit. We’re tipping him to make two changes.

The game promises to be another fiercely fought encounter, with Newcastle unbeaten at home since the first game of the season, and Chris Wilder’s side still yet to lose an away game in the Premier League.

Like the Magpies, they can be very tough to breakdown, with 13 goals conceded in 17 league games, and that means the home side may have to show more ambition and adventure this evening.

DeAndre Yedlin should, therefore, be recalled to the side after missing out last time through a hip injury.

Javier Manquillo started against the Citizens but showed why he has only made five league appearances this season, as his forward threat was non-existent and was more of a hindrance than a help to the team.

He managed zero key passes, whereas Yedlin has averaged 0.4 key passes per game, while his pass accuracy of 71% also trumps Manquillo’s 58% against City.

The USA international can also use his pace to get up and down the right flank with great efficiency, and that could improve particularly useful on the counter-attack, where his ability to overcome Enda Stevens could prove the difference in winning the match.

Well, it would be fair to say that the West Ham United fans had mixed opinions on the performance of Pablo Fornals in Monday’s Premier League clash with Arsenal.

Indeed, when a fan account on Twitter claimed that the Spaniard had been their ‘best player’ against the Gunners, it sparked an interesting debate.

Whilst some agreed with the comment, others rejected it outright.

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An indication of the positive comments surrounding the summer arrival’s outing at the London Stadium can be seen below.

Others, though, were very surprised by the claim.

According to WhoScored, the 23-year-old had two shots, made three tackles and indeed provided the assist for Angelo Ogbonna to score.

However, the same website shows that he made just one key pass – the assist – and therefore struggled to seriously contribute in the final third throughout the contest.

Meanwhile, according to a couple of the fans, Declan Rice was actually the team’s star performer on what was a disappointing night.

Everything looked rosy at the break with Ogbonna sending Manuel Pellegrini’s side ahead, but Arsenal scored three times in the space of nine second-half minutes to secure an important three points in the London derby.

Meanwhile, a number of the club’s fans have been reacting to an update surrounding the future of head coach Pellegrini.

Sheffield Wednesday could be set for a busy January, according to The Sun journalist Alan Nixon, even despite the club facing rising uncertainty over how their season could actually pan out.

What’s he said?

The Owls are in a rich vein of form currently, going five unbeaten to move into playoff contention. However, all of manager Garry Monk’s plans could be put to bed after the club were charged by the English Football League for financial misconduct.

A resulting punishment is yet to be concluded but there are reports suggesting that owner Dejphon Chansiri could be banned from the sport entirely while on the pitch, Wednesday could be slapped with a huge 21-point deduction.

For now, though, it’s business as usual and that certainly appears to be the case with the transfer window reopening in less than a month.

Nixon believes Monk wants to target cover for three key areas with a busy 2020 schedule ahead, he said:

Cover and depth

The Owls have quite a large first-team squad, so far in the Championship this season, 22 of their 26 members have featured. That’s two whole starting XIs.

Monk appears to be rich in numbers in several areas, although, the entire side was assembled by his preceding managers. For strikers, he has Steven Fletcher, Jordan Rhodes, Atdhe Nuhiu, Sam Winnall and even Fernando Forestieri – all for just two places.

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At centre-back, there’s Julian Borner, skipper Tom Lees, Dominic Iorfa and David Bates – even Sam Hutchinson and Jordan Thorniley can play the role.

So maybe the 40-year-old doesn’t believe he has much strength and quality in his depth options, but you’d imagine a few players will have to be shifted out in order to accompany any incomings due to the squad being so big.

The mounting worry off the pitch may also dissuade any potential targets to come to Hillsborough.

And in other news, might one area be in the attack? Wednesday could miss out on a key target if so…

Plenty of Everton fans have been reacting to a recent report from Area Napoli, which confirmed the Merseyside club’s interest in Lille man Gabriel from as early as April.

However, Carlo Ancelotti has potentially been dealt a major blow if he is to pursue the central defender in the upcoming summer transfer window, as his agent Fernando Garcia has spoken out about his client and said that he likes Napoli as a team and Gennaro Gattuso as a manager.

This means that if the Italian side and the Toffees were to battle it out for him, Gabriel may well choose Napoli over them based on the latest comments from his agent.

Indeed, this piece of news has rather caused a stir on Twitter, as one EFC supporter even claimed that he would ‘rather Kurt Zouma came back’.

Comparing the Chelsea ace’s time at Goodsion Park in the 2018/19 season to that of Gabriel in this campaign, the French centre-back achieved more interceptions and clearances per domestic league game, according to Whoscored.

Perhaps the fan is right to want Zouma back instead, as these other Blues reacted to the report:

Evertonians, would Gabriel be a good signing? Comment below!

What must Jurgen Klopp be thinking watching the news that Timo Werner looks set to join Chelsea this summer, instead of Liverpool?

Reports in recent weeks had suggested that the Reds manager had informed the club’s board that the RB Leipzig striker “would be perfect for his team”, and the fact Werner himself has spoken publicly about his admiration for the Merseysiders surely put Liverpool in the driving seat for his signature.

Instead, the Germany international is on his way to Stamford Bridge, and Klopp looks set to face another summer transfer window in which the club may not splash out on big-money signings.

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Last year saw them only bring in Sepp van den Berg for a fee, and whilst the Reds are closing in on the Premier League title this season, Klopp would surely be keen on strengthening his squad to ensure they don’t just stand still.

But now, The Athletic have revealed that the Liverpool manager was overruled by FSG in his quest to land Werner this summer. The report claims that Klopp spoke to the owners to discuss whether the deal would happen, and was promptly told that they simply didn’t have the money to do so.

That then saw Klopp phone his German compatriot to inform him of the club’s decision, paving the way for Chelsea to steal a march.

After everything Klopp has done in rebuilding Liverpool into the reigning Champions League holders, and current Premier League winners-elect, surely the least FSG could have done is find a way to signing Werner.

If that was the German’s one big wish this summer, then it was up to the owners to work their magic to make sure they granted it. However, despite reportedly making it clear to them that he was a player that he very much wanted, he has been oh-so badly let down.

Make no mistake about it, whilst the likes of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Alisson have played their roles in Liverpool’s triumphs over the past couple of seasons, it has been Klopp who has been the ultimate figurehead.

Can you name every one of Liverpool’s top goalscorers in the PL era?

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The economic success that FSG probably look at with pride when they see the accounts sheet every year, has a lot to do with Klopp and the extraordinary job he has done in turning Liverpool’s fortunes around since permanently replacing Brendan Rodgers.

For the owners to deny Klopp a request is nigh-on unforgivable, and raises some serious questions at Anfield. Will the Liverpool manager simply brush aside the matter, or will it have hit him more personally?

How will his relationship with the club’s board have been affected, and how does missing out on Werner affect the Reds’ performances on the pitch next season? Only time will tell, but if things turn sour, then Klopp would be perfectly within his rights to point the finger of blame at FSG.

Former Sunderland striker Stephen Elliott has commented on the pending sale of Bali Mumba to Norwich City, questioning the low transfer fee reportedly agreed by both clubs.

Premier League side Norwich are currently fighting for their top-flight status as they sit bottom of the division at present, but that has not stopped the Canaries from already agreeing a summer transfer.

Football Insider were among the first to claim that Norwich were interested in making a move for Mumba, who has been impressing for Sunderland’s youth sides.

The 18-year-old is thought to be one of the top talents at the Academy of Light, having made a step up to the first team on 10 occasions.

Initial reports from Football Insider were followed byÂthe Sunderland Echo, who claimed that an initial transfer fee of £500,000 had been agreed, but it is now claimed that the figure has dropped to £350k.

Touching on the reduction, former Black Cats striker Elliott seemed baffled by the club’s decision to allow the young talent to leave for a lesser amount.

Further to the news of an agreed deal, it was also reported by Sky Sports that Mumba had agreed a three-year deal with Norwich.

Elliott has hit the nail on the head with just a short statement. Sunderland do not seem to care about the club’s young players anymore and Mumba’s exit is just another in a long line of talented youngsters to leave.

If Mumba goes on to become a top player in English football, Sunderland will only have themselves to blame and if, like Elliott alluded to, no clause has been added, then more fool the Black Cats.

Do you think Sunderland should have asked for more for Mumba? Let us know in the comments section below…

After edging past Everton, Tottenham Hotspur limped to a drab draw at Bournemouth. 

Tottenham must quickly turn this form around as they head into the north London derby at the weekend. Spurs were spared any further blushes after Callum Wilson’s late winner was ruled out by VAR.

The Cherries thought he had scored a screamer until it was disallowed by the video assistant referee.

Tottenham now face Arsenal for the first time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in front of absolutely no one.

Spurs seemed destined for greatness after the Champions League final, although Jose Mourinho hasn’t offered anything remotely close to Mauricio Pochettino’s heydays so far.

Mourinho will be well aware his side face an uphill struggle to reach the top four, as the Lilywhites lie ninth in the Premier League table, a point behind their arch-rivals, with everything left to play for when the two sides collide on Sunday.

Transfer Tavern have put together a predicted starting lineup, which sees the Portuguese pick arguably his strongest side available, as Son Heung-min, Lucas Moura and Tanguy Ndombele return.

Dele Alli missed the past two games against Everton and Bournemouth after sustaining a hamstring injury, and questions still remain over whether or not he will be ready to return.

Working on the proviso that he won’t have recovered in time, it seems logical to assume Mourinho will stick with the 4-3-3 attacking formation, which he has used ever since Alli has been unavailable for selection.

Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld made a surprise start together for the first time in ages. While Vertonghen would have been expected to make way for Eric Dier, who has made the position his own in recent weeks, the England man has been banned for four games by the FA and will miss the derby as a result.

The Lilywhites have leaked goals for fun throughout the season, as they have conceded more goals than Manchester United, Sheffield United and Premier League champions Liverpool so far.

Although Vertonghen and Alderweireld haven’t been at their best this season, their experience could prove vital as they try to fend off waves of attacks from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Nicolas Pepe.

The change in formation clearly worked as it allowed Giovani Lo Celso to cause all sorts of problems for Bournemouth in the final third.

However, Spurs were desperate for someone to inspire the team to victory, and Tanguy Ndombele’s introduction seemed to make a difference, even if they didn’t come away with the vital three points.

Steven Bergwijn struggled to make much of an impression and he was eventually replaced by Son Heung-min. Lucas Moura seems to score in big games, as many still fondly remember his Champions League heroics last year. Both Lucas and Son could come back into the XI here at the expense of the Dutchman and Erik Lamela.

There is surely no better time for Mourinho to fully unleash Ndombele against Arsenal, as the Frenchman gave the boss a glimpse of what he has to offer in the draw with the Cherries.

The pair are in the middle of a public spat but they arguably need each other to save their careers.

He changed the tempo almost immediately and could provide Harry Kane with the service he desperately needs. Spurs have only scored two goals in the past three games, which should be giving Mourinho cause for concern.

At this stage, even scoring a goal would be a great start, and keeping a clean sheet would be an added bonus.

Tottenham fans, do you think this is how Mourinho will start against Arsenal? Let us know down below!

West Ham United may finally get the chance to fill the void left behind by Marko Arnautovic this summer amid emerging links to a hugely prolific and exciting talisman.

What’s the word?

According to Corierre dello Sport, via Sport Witness, the Irons have begun putting the wheels in motion to try and secure Atalanta striker Duvan Zapata.

It is claimed that the Serie A outfit have so far rejected all advances for the 29-year-old following a €30m (£27m) plus Mattia Perin bid from Juventus alongside the Hammers’ approach.

They go on to suggest that a move for Zapata could prove too difficult whilst it remains unknown what sort of fee might tempt them into a sale.

Aranutovic successor?

Arnautovic left the London Stadium last summer, joining Chinese Super League side Shanghai SIPG for £22.4m, and no player is yet to step up into his mould having departed after an impressive 15-goal contribution season.

Sebastian Haller has struggled with the pace and the physicality of the Premier League – even despite scoring seven times this year, he doesn’t seem like the best fit for David Moyes.

Meanwhile, the likes of Manuel Lanzini, Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko have all failed to impress the Scottish boss, resulting in them reportedly being on the chopping block this transfer window.

It’s no wonder that Zapata is on the list of targets this summer as he can bring that brute force presence and pace that the Austrian provided to the Hammers.

The Colombian has provided 20 goals and six assists in all competitions for Atalanta, who have emerged as a rather exciting outfit, making the UCL knockout stages.

He’s also averaged 3.1 shots, 1.8 aerial duels won, 1.4 key passes and 0.8 dribbles per game whilst he’s even fouled 1.6 times each appearance too, via WhoScored.

Zapata’s skipper at the Nerazzurri, Papu Gomez, has described the prolific marksman as a “beast” and claimed that “when he is feeling good he’s like a train – you throw the ball forward and ‘ciao!”

Given his £32.4m valuation by Transfermarkt, it’ll take a lot for GSB to snatch him away from Italy, but if they can do so, then Moyes is going to get an Arnautovic-like weapon who could wreak havoc next season.

AND in other news, West Ham MUST sell this Slaven Bilic signing during the summer…

Tottenham Hotspur’s need for a new striker is evident, but there’s one name they simply must avoid at all costs…

What’s the word?

According to CliveTHBN, Stade Rennes forward M’Baye Niang is still of interest to the north Londoners and it’s not the first time he’s been linked with a move to Spurs.

Get French Football News cited a report from L’Equipe claiming that Jose Mourinho’s side had ‘positioned’ themselves to move for the 25-year-old, who has also held talks with former Lilywhite now Marseille boss Andre Villas-Boas.

Although they suggest that the playing time on offer is very limited, which could spell trouble if they were to try and land Niang.

Balotelli 2.0?

It appears as if Niang has finally found his feet at Rennes after bagging 15 goals from 36 appearances this season. However, that still shouldn’t entice Daniel Levy into a purchase.

Some in north London may recognise him from his time at Watford in 2016/17, though his performances for the Hornets were hardly inspiring having scored just twice throughout a season-long loan.

His off-the-pitch misdemeanours were the reason for him ending up in the English capital having originally been on the books at AC Milan.

The press labelled the £13.5m-rated man as Watford’s answer to Mario Balotelli after he received a suspended jail sentence for a car crash whilst on loan to Montpellier along with breaking curfew on international duty.

Whilst his playing style has also been likened to the former Liverpool striker too.

He may now appear to be on the straight and narrow in France, but the fact that Spurs can barely offer regular game time smells like a recipe for disaster.

They can’t afford to risk having someone upset the dressing room as there’s a lot of work to be done to turn the ship back on course.

Rennes reportedly want €20m (£18m) for his services, but that’s just too much of a gamble to take with such limited finances at Mourinho’s disposal.

AND in other news, Levy could end Spurs’ striker puzzle with £27m swoop

Manchester United are now prioritising Ajax’s Donny Van de Book ahead of Villa’s Jack Grealish this summer, according to the Mirror.

With the Red Devils already securing their spot in next seasons Champions League, they are looking to strengthen their squad with a new attacking midfielder. Grealish had previously been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford this summer; however, the Villa captain has been deemed as ‘too expensive’, having been valued at over £50m.

Van de Beek has impressed many top clubs around Europe over the past couple of seasons, and he first gained recognition on the big stage – reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League with Ajax.

The versatile midfielder has recently turned 23, and has already made 10 appearances for Netherlands senior national team. The Dutchman made 23 appearances in the Eredivisie last season, scoring eight and assisting six. In the Champions League, he also scored two and assisted one in just five games.

Van de Beek has been on the radar of Manchester United for over a year, and he was expected to complete a move to Real Madrid last summer which fell through. This summer he could follow the footsteps of his former teammate Hakim Ziyech, who departed Ajax for Chelsea last month.

Unless Villa lower their valuation of skipper Jack Grealish, United will surely turn their full attention to the Ajax star as he will be available to purchase for considerably less.

Verdict

If Manchester United can sure the transfer of Donny Van de Beek for under £50m, it will be a great bit of business for the club. The Dutchman will certainly bring a different dimension to their midfield, and will thrive playing alongside Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba.

Van de Beek would fit United’s system better than Grealish as he is more of an attacking midfielder, whereas Grealish is sometimes preferred out wide.