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A journalist has revealed that Newcastle United are now in talks to sign Ludovic Blas in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Standout season

The 24-year-old is enjoying a standout season at Nantes at the moment, scoring seven goals and supplying one assist in 19 games in Ligue 1 from midfield and currently ranking as the club’s fourth-best player (WhoScored).

He is averaging more shots and dribbles per match than any of his teammates, and he could be one for France national team coach Didier Deschamps to consider ahead of the World Cup in Qatar next winter.

The Latest: Newcastle talks

As per The Daily Star journalist Jacque Talbot on Friday evening, Newcastle and Watford are both in talks to sign Blas this month, while there is also interest in the player from Lille and from abroad. He revealed on Twitter:

“Understand Newcastle and Watford are in discussions to sign Ligue 1 star Ludovic Blas.

“The 24-year-old is talking to the Premier League relegation rivals who are set to play tomorrow, while there is also interest from Lille and in the Bundesliga.”

Of course, the two English clubs vying for Blas played out a 1-1 draw in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, so talks may now intensify in the coming days.

Intriguingly, the Nantes maestro is represented by the same agency as Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood, both of whom have signed for the Magpies since the start of the month.

The Verdict: Get it done

Newcastle are severely lacking in goals from the middle of the park, and Blas could certainly provide that given his record this season.

Nantes teammate and former Liverpool player Pedro Chirivella has previously described the 24-year-old as a ‘pure talent’, as well as an ‘incredible’ and ‘spectacular’ player. The Spaniard has even compared him to former Anfield teammates Mo Salah, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho (So Foot), which is very high praise indeed.

At 24 years of age, Blas still has such a high ceiling, and he could provide that extra bit of quality that the Tynesiders need in order to avoid relegation to the Championship.

In other news, find out who else is now ‘keen’ on signing for NUFC

Newcastle’s winless start to the 2021/22 Premier League season continued as they held Brighton to a 1-1 draw at The AMEX on Saturday.

Graeme Jones led the team for the third match in a row, with Eddie Howe watching on from the stands, and failed to pick up the club’s first win of the campaign.

Leandro Trossard scored from the spot to hand Brighton the lead after Ciaran Clark was penalised, before Isaac Hayden rescued a point with a goal in the second half.

Whilst the former Arsenal man scored the goal to earn the Magpies a point, another player was Jones’ real hero against the Seagulls – Jacob Murphy.

The Englishman was brought in at right wing-back ahead of Javier Manquillo and put in an excellent performance to prove that he was deserving of his place in the side. Jones will surely have been left delighted by the ex-Norwich player’s display, as he was able to get up and down the right flank for Newcastle.

Defensively, he was excellent. Per SofaScore, he won nine of his 14 ground duels throughout the match. He also made an eye-catching five tackles and three interceptions, whilst he did not allow a single Brighton player to dribble past him down the right.

Hayden, meanwhile, won six ground duels in the middle of the park, as he made five tackles and one interception for the side. This shows how Murphy made more of an impact defensively than the holding midfielder and was able to impose himself physically on the Brighton players, keeping Marc Cucurella under wraps. The Spanish Brighton left-back ended the match with two attempted dribbles and a success rate of 0%, showing how well Murphy defended.

On the ball, there was room for improvement. Per SofaScore, he only completed 67% of his passes, but he did win three fouls and complete one dribble. The defender also attempted four crosses, although none of his teammates were able to get on the end of them. This shows that he still offered a useful outlet, despite his passing leaving a bit to be desired.

Therefore, overall he was the real hero for Jones as he was given a huge opportunity to come in and perform and he grasped his opportunity with both hands. He may have also caught the attention of Howe watching on from the stands, who no doubt would have been delighted with his imapct.

AND in other news, Fewer touches than Darlow: “Unbelievable” £74k-p/w NUFC flop failed Jones vs Brighton…

According to a report by Fichajes, West Ham United are now eyeing another defender for David Moyes as news emerges on Athletic Bilbao ace Dani Vivian.

The Lowdown: West Ham in summer defence chase…

West Ham were linked with a plethora of centre-backs over the latest summer before they eventually managed to capture France international Kurt Zouma.

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Indeed, the likes of Nayef Aguerd and Duje Caleta-Car were also being eyed by GSB and the Irons but it appears that, despite signing Zouma, the club could still add another defender to Moyes’ ranks.

This comes amid question marks surrounding the future of Angelo Ogbonna with the Italian still yet to put pen to paper on an extension at the London Stadium.

The Latest: West Ham now eyeing Vivian…

As per Fichajes, the Irons are now eyeing promising Bilbao defender Vivian – with some work being done behind the scenes.

It is claimed that West Ham are ‘compiling statistical reports’ on the player and have been following him very recently alongside the likes of Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The report claims that Vivian is ‘on the agenda’ of West Ham and they also lift the lid on his €40 million (£34m) release clause.

The Verdict: Bigger priorities?

While Fichajes make it clear that the 22-year-old is a top talent with ‘tremendous physical power’ and £34m could be a bargain considering his potential, West Ham arguably have bigger priorities for the moment.

New head of recruitment Rob Newman needs to prioritise the signing of a new back up striker for Michail Antonio after the club’s failure to bring one in over 2021.

The Jamaica international has been in sublime form under Moyes but his injury history always proves to be a concern.

Indeed, an alternative goal scorer is arguably imperative over the signing of Vivian.

In other news: ‘Yessss’, ‘Beautiful’, ‘This is massive’…Many West Ham fans erupt as ‘actually brilliant news’ confirmed, find out more here.

According to a report in the print edition of Record, via Sport Witness, West Ham United have now joined the race to sign Benfica star striker Darwin Nunez.

The Lowdown: Nunez wanted across Europe…

The 22-year-old is a wanted man across the continent amid his eye-catching performances for Benfica in the Primeira Liga and at Champions League level.

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Often linked with the likes of Manchester City and Manchester United from the Premier League, he has also been attracting interest from Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, AC Milan and even Newcastle United (Sport Witness).

There are no shortage of suitors for the Uruguay sensation as he becomes the latest South American in an ever-growing line to now be linked with West Ham as well.

Indeed, the club’s head of recruitment Rob Newman, who is said to have his eyes on two Brazilian strikers in Gabriel Barbosa and Arthur Cabral, is now also in the race to sign Nunez.

The Latest: West Ham join Nunez race…

As per Record (via Sport Witness), West Ham have been dragged into the battle for his signature alongside the plethora of other interested clubs.

Their apparent involvement is considered all the more shocking given that Nunez has a marquee release clause of €150m (£127.5m) if any club wish to sign him in January. As a result, the Irons would have to nearly triple their current transfer record to get a deal done.

The Verdict: Pinch of salt…

Given that other prolific strikers like Andrea Belotti, Barbosa and Cabral could be available for much less, we advise to take this claim with a pinch of salt.

West Ham don’t have the means to invest that heavily in a star forward, as highlighted by new shareholder Daniel Kretinsky, who played down mega spending in the winter transfer window. However, it is reliably believed that Moyes will be backed to bring in a new striker and top centre-back, as well as the possibility of England international Jesse Lingard (The Evening Standard).

Nunez, who has been tipped to become ‘the best in the world’ by Benfica boss Jorge Jesus, is most likely out of West Ham’s reach, unfortunately.

In other news: ‘Abysmal’, ‘Most frustrating player’ – Many West Ham fans slam ‘invisible’ ace who lost the ball 18x vs Brighton, find out more here.

Tottenham Hotspur take on Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League on Thursday night, and it could be the ideal opportunity for Jose Mourinho to unleash Steven Bergwijn.

The Dutch winger has found himself on the fringes of Spurs’ squad in recent months, with Gareth Bale’s recent form meaning that he has been rarely seen in the Premier League.

The 23-year-old impressed in his first few performances for Spurs last season after signing from PSV, scoring on his debut in a 2-0 win against Manchester City.

However, he has struggled to impress this season and has endured a torrid time in front of goal, having failed to find the back of the net in 24 appearances for Spurs in all competitions.

He has shown his worth at times as a more defensive-minded winger but considering he has had a number of opportunities to score this season, with his effort at Anfield which hit the post one that will stick in the memory of a lot of Spurs fans, it is disappointing that he hasn’t scored at all.

His last appearance came in the 4-0 win against Wolfsberger in the Europa League and he impressed, earning a solid 7.37 rating from WhoScored for his performance, so he deserves another chance to show what he can do when Spurs take on Dinamo Zagreb.

Unfortunately for the Dutch international, this could well be now or never for the winger, as the impressive form of Bale, combined with Heung-Min Son being virtually undroppable under Jose Mourinho, means that Bergwijn must impress on his rare opportunities, otherwise he is going to struggle to force his way into the Portuguese manager’s Premier League plans.

The £25.2 million-rated winger has also arguably found himself behind the likes of Lucas Moura and Erik Lamela in the pecking order at Spurs, with his last start in the Premier League coming more than a month ago.

Therefore, he deserves another chance to show Mourinho what he can do against Zagreb and hopefully, he can break his goalscoring duck against the Croatian side, but if he struggles to perform once again, you worry that he may never be able to establish himself as a Premier League regular under Mourinho.

And, in other news… Mourinho masterclass: £110k-p/w gem has been revitalised with one simple change at Spurs

Harry Kane’s performance against Crystal Palace on Sunday evening was a testament to the world-class player that he’s become at Tottenham Hotspur, but it also serves as a reminder that without a trophy to his name, we could well see him depart the North London club at the end of this season.

The England international has spoken in the past about his desire to win trophies with Spurs but he is yet to make that personal breakthrough, despite contributing 212 goals and 46 assists for the club in just 323 appearances.

The Lilywhites’ last trophy came in the shape of a League Cup all the way back in 2008 under Juande Ramos, and they have an opportunity to replicate that success when they take on Manchester City in the League Cup final in April.

Jose Mourinho’s side are also still going strong in the Europa League too, so are in the running for two possible trophies this season.

Certainly, the Portuguese manager was brought in to bring success on the trophy front, and perhaps if he can win one of those two trophies this season, then it will be enough to convince the “world-class” Kane to stay.

However, with the likes of ManCity reportedly having a long-standing interest in him, it may really be make-or-break time for Spurs this season, as they need to begin to deliver success if they want to ensure that the 27-year-old finishes his career as a one-club man.

Sunday’s performance against Crystal Palace emphasises that Kane will not be short of suitors if he does decide to call quits on his time at Spurs, as he contributed two goals and two assists against Roy Hodgson’s side, including a stunning goal from outside the box, with SofaScore awarding him a 10/10 for his performance.

Therefore, with Kane now at the peak of his powers, you certainly wouldn’t blame him if he wanted to leave Spurs in search of regular trophies and Champions League football, which puts a huge amount of pressure on Mourinho to deliver some success at the North London club this season.

And, in other news… Spurs handed big transfer blow in hopes of signing “very confident” beast who could’ve replaced Dier

Journalist Pete O’Rourke has urged Celtic to offer a new deal to keep first-team coach Gavin Strachan at Parkhead. 

The lowdown: Strachan a favourite of Celtic’s board

The 43-year-old survived a coaching staff overhaul and has since continued to impress in the role of first-team coach following the departure of Neil Lennon in February 2021 and the subsequent arrival of Ange Postecoglou.

A recent report from Football Insider claimed that the Parkhead hierarchy were keen to secure Strachan’s long-term future at the club and have duly opened contract talks with him, given his status as as a highly-regarded figure in Glasgow.

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As the Bhoys set their sights on a 52nd Premiership crown to add to their Scottish League Cup success from earlier in the campaign, there could also be positive off-field developments in the near future…

The latest: O’Rourke endorses Strachan extension

Speaking to GiveMeSport, O’Rourke has implored Celtic to persuade Strachan to stay on.

The reporter outlined: “I think it would be a positive move for Celtic. It would just keep that continuity within the coaching group right now.

“If they can agree a new contract, it will just keep things ticking over nicely for everybody involved there.”

The verdict: He’s right

As the summer fast approaches and the managerial merry-go-round begins to fire up, the Hoops should be acting fast to appease the former Doncaster Rovers man after he turned down the opportunity to manage English League Two outfit Hartlepool United back in November.

Postecoglou is clearly onto something with the current setup at Lennoxtown, and retaining the status quo within the coaching ranks is equally as important as keeping hold of key players.

Having endured a torrid 2020/21 campaign, Celtic have been crying out for stability, and as such the club should be doing everything to keep the likes of Strachan, assistant manager John Kennedy and coach Stephen McManus in place at Parkhead.

In other news, an expert has made a key claim regarding the ownership of Celtic. Read more here.

Newcastle United hope to have defender Jamaal Lascelles back available to face Arsenal in the FA Cup, leaving Steve Bruce with a mammoth task against Leicester City on Sunday.

The Toon have been without Lascelles for their past six Premier League fixtures, after the 27-year-old returned a positive test for coronavirus alongside Allan Saint-Maximin following an outbreak at the club after the November international break.

Lascelles has suffered badly from the virus but was welcomed back to training late last month for light solo sessions away from the squad, but is finally starting to show signs of progress and stepped up his fitness regime early this week, according to The Northern Echo.

Newcastle staff had to closely monitor Lascelles’ rehabilitation despite the Magpies captain returning a string of negative tests, and will continue to take a cautious approach given the length of time the Derby-born defender has now been sidelined for.

Lascelles will not be involved in Sunday’s matchday squad to face Leicester at St. James’ Park, with the preference being to wait a further week as there is a chance he can feature at the Emirates during Newcastle’s FA Cup third round meeting with Arsenal.

Ciaran Clark has filled in for Lascelles over the Christmas period, while Bruce has been able to welcome Fabian Schar and Federico Fernandez back into the fold after also losing the pair due to the Covid outbreak.

But news of Lascelles facing another week out of action will be a huge blow for Bruce ahead of facing the Foxes on Sunday, having already expressed concern on over-exerting Schar and Fernandez having been forced to withdraw the Argentine against Fulham through chronic fatigue.

Fernandez was taken off at half-time during last month’s 1-1 draw at home to the Cottagers before returning to play the full 90 minutes against Manchester City and Liverpool alongside Schar, who is yet to miss a second since his comeback at the Etihad.

It is likely that their run in the side will now have to continue at home to Leicester City on Sunday, even if Bruce would prefer to afford at least one of his centre-halves a welcome break to start the New Year.

AND in other news, an “unplayable” £75k-p/w Newcastle United player is in-demand ahead of the January transfer window…

Former Leeds United midfielder Carlton Palmer has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that moving to Elland Road and linking up with Marceloa Bielsa in the Premier League is the place to be amid interest in Ryan Kent.

The Sun are reporting that Bielsa is keen on signing the 24-year-old for the Whites this summer, and bringing him back to England in a potential £15m deal.

Rangers, of course, were just crowned Scottish Premiership champions and will have the chance to compete in the Champions League next season, perhaps giving Kent, who was described as a “wonderful player” by Jurgen Klopp back in 2018, a reason to stay at Ibrox.

Palmer, however, believes the chance to play in the Premier League is an opportunity that is too good to turn down.

When asked by FFC whether Leeds would be able to lure Kent away from Rangers, the ex-Leeds player said:

“Listen, Champions League or no Champions League, the place to play is in the Premier League. If he got the opportunity to go and play in the Premier League, I’m sure he’ll go and play in the Premier League.

“He’s got maybe an opportunity to play in the Premier League. For me, as a manager, as a player, the place to be now or the place to play is in the English Premier League.”

With Kent being a player rated highly by his manager Steven Gerrard, Rangers will be desperate to retain his services.

Earlier this season, the Gers boss tipped the English winger to reach new heights after starting the 2020/21 campaign strongly.

Celtic’s break of over a week since they last played has been a welcome one.

Following a 4-1 drubbing against their biggest rivals, the last thing the Hoops will have wanted was another humiliation during a catastrophic season.

This will have been a chance for the Bhoys to reflect and evaluate what went wrong last time out, while it will also have done the playing staff some good to get away from the limelight for a while.

On the chalkboard

Celtic now have two games left before their season climaxes but they will be without Callum McGregor when they face St Johnstone on Wednesday evening.

Tipped to become the Celtic captain when Scott Brown departs Paradise, the midfielder was particularly poor in the hammering against Rangers.

He did his side no favours with a succession of poor tackles that eventually led to a red card being shown.

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Already cautioned and in the referee’s notebook, McGregor went sliding in on Glen Kamara and caught him late. The result of which was an early bath and a premature end to his Old Firm derby.

The 27-year-old won’t be available for selection this week but there is a simple solution to John Kennedy’s problems.

Sublime Soro

Ismaila Soro has had a topsy-turvy campaign at Parkhead but it’s hard to deny he doesn’t deserve more opportunities in the middle of the park.

He may well earn more minutes when Brown heads to Aberdeen but this should represent the ideal time to audition for a permanent role in the starting XI.

A little bit rash and naive at times, he needs to discover more maturity in the near future.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast in April, Frank McAvennie said; “He reminds me of Kante when he was at Leicester and also so much of Scott Brown when he came in the team and caused a lot of fouls and got booked a lot, before the maturity came through.

“I think Soro could be a little tenacious player in there, I think he could do a job.”

Soro has certainly shown promising moments in a Celtic shirt.

In the build-up to the Christmas period, the 5 foot 8 midfielder was nothing short of exceptional. The Hoops endured a horrendous European experience this season but when they surprisingly beat Lille, Soro was the beating heart of the performance.

He completed a mighty ten tackles and also won two interceptions during an impressive win for Neil Lennon’s side.

Dominant in the tackle and capable of bursting forward, it’s surely only a matter of time before he becomes a real star in this team.

Linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur last week, he is a player full of energy. Speaking after his initial transfer to Celtic, his former coach Ori Guttman said he possessed “explosive power.”

It’s not easy to find an individual with that in their locker but that’s why the £11k-per-week earner could become so pivotal to the Bhoys in the coming years.

During the 2020/21 campaign, the Ivorian has won 1.9 tackles per match, the highest number of anyone to play more than once for Celtic this season.

With McGregor’s suspension in mind, Kennedy must hand Soro his first start since February. He may well hold the keys to victory on Wednesday evening.

AND in other news, McKay must wield the axe on 5ft9 Celtic dud, Sutton dubbed him the “new Ryan Christie”…