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In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Rob Lee, who appeared 332 times for Newcastle United, believes the best option the Magpies have going forward is to get more crosses into the box.

Newcastle’s last two goals have both come from Jamaal Lascelles getting on the end of a cross and with players like Ryan Fraser and Jacob Murphy on the wings, there should be no shortage of balls being fired into the area.

Lee was impressed with Murphy’s cameo against Aston Villa as he set up his captain for a last-second equaliser, however, he’s never been impressed by the former Norwich City winger when he has started a game for Newcastle.

Speaking on whether or not Murphy should start for Newcastle, Lee told FFC exclusively:

“Jacob Murphy seems to have all the ability in the world, he’s quick and can get crosses into the box. However, it seems that whenever he starts he doesn’t play well from what I’ve seen of him.

“I think the one thing Newcastle have got to do is get crosses in. You saw at the end against Villa we were desperate, but we were getting crosses into the box and then Lascelles got on the end of one and scored, so that’s what I think we have to do.”

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Newcastle have attempted just 305 crosses in the Premier League which is the fifth-lowest, however with their previous two goals coming from balls whipped into the box it could be an avenue Steve Bruce wishes to exploit more.

Murphy once again had to settle for coming on as a substitute in the defeat to Brighton on Friday, but will be hopeful of a start when they host Tottenham Hotspur at St James’ Park after the international break.

KV Mechelen are in talks with Celtic over a summer deal for winger Marian Shved.

That’s according to a report in the Daily Record [print edition 20/3/21, p.60], cited by 67 Hail Hail.

The 23-year-old has impressed on loan with the Belgian side, especially since the turn of the New Year, making 16 appearances in all competitions, scoring four times and registering three assists.

Shved, who is on the same wages as David Turnbull (£7,500 per week), is under contract with the Hoops until 2023.

He has only made three appearances for the club since his £1.8m move to Glasgow in 2019, and it seems as if he could be leaving Parkhead for good over the coming months.

Transfer Tavern take

Shved may not be the only Celtic player to complete a permanent move to Belgium this summer. Hoops defender Jack Hendry has also starred in the Jupiler Pro League with Oostende, who appear to be keen on activating an option-to-buy clause at the end of the current campaign.

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It seems as if there will be a major Parkhead rebuild both on and off the pitch over the coming months, and moving on the likes of Shved and Hendry could be just the beginning.

In other news: Pundit claims available manager has met with the Celtic board, find out more here. 

Glasgow Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has suffered a fresh blow ahead of their crucial Europa League tie this evening…

What’s the latest?

Speaking ahead of kick-off, Gerrard confirmed that midfield favourite Ryan Jack would not be involved as the Scottish Premiership champions host Slavia Prague, even though he is seemingly close to a return to action. Jack missed the first-leg tie, but Gerrard said at the time that he could have played but that the Rangers staff chose not to risk him.

Scotland were keen to have Jack as part of their squad, which Steven Gerrard has spoken to Steve Clarke about, which suggests he is close to a return, but tonight’s game, unfortunately, comes too soon for Jack to feature in, suggesting he’s had a bit of a setback, given that he was seemingly fit to play last week.

Gerrard said, via the Daily Record:

“I had a chat with Steve Clarke and obviously that will remain private.

“We’ve been in touch over Ryan and a few other players for some time now but I’m not going to divulge what gets said in the conversation. I don’t think that’s fair or respectful.

“We will make a decision on the weekend when we need to but he is ruled out for tomorrow’s game.”

The 29-year-old missed last week’s 1-1 draw in the Czech Republic and is now a major doubt for the Old Firm derby this weekend.

Bad news for Gerrard

Even though they’ve secured their first title in ten years, this update will come as a major setback for Gerrard and Rangers.

Jack has emerged as a regular starter when fit, with 16 of his 19 league appearances coming from the off, whilst he also started the big group games against Standard Liege and Benfica.

In terms of central midfield options this season, the Scottish powerhouse tops the charts for average WhoScored rating (7.03) ahead of veteran Steven Davis (7.01), Glen Kamara (6.93), Scott Arfield (6.67) and Bongani Zungu (6.26), so evidently, he’s Gerrard’s best man when available.

Speaking about the situation last week, the 40-year-old revealed he was “upset” by the injury and reinforced Jack’s influence to the side. He added: “He’s so important to us.”

Admittedly, he’s vital to Rangers’ fortunes – for creativity in the middle, there’s no one better as he’s managed one key pass per game, which is more than the aforementioned quartet of alternative options, whilst 1.1 tackles and 1.1 interceptions per match suggest he’s just as prominent defensively – only Davis betters such returns, via WhoScored.

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It is this ability to read the game and snuff out any danger which could prove to be a big miss on the night, especially in such a huge fixture.

Ex-Gers star Thomas Buffel recently compared him to Barry Ferguson, which is high praise indeed. He told The Sun: “His consistency levels are incredible and he is the one player the manager can always rely on. He really reminds me of Barry — and that is the highest compliment I can pay him.”

If Gerrard’s side loses tonight, then their European dream is over for another season and their chances of finding a way past the Czech champions will be all that more harder without the industrious Jack pulling the strings in the engine room.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Kent: Rangers must swoop for magical 18-goal gem, he’s made 109 dribbles…

Manchester United have been handed positive injury news with Marcus Rashford having avoided a serious problem.

According to Sky Sports, the England forward has only sustained slight bruising and swelling on his ankle so should only be out for a maximum of one match.

There was a slight worry that the Red Devils star may have been out longer having been forced off following a tackle in Manchester United’s 2-0 victory against Manchester City last weekend.

Despite the concern, United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer praised Rashford as “he sacrificed himself” for the result at the Etihad Stadium. The news will, of course, be welcome for the Norwegian as the season enters a critical stage as he will be able to rely on one of his star performers.

Rashford has been in brilliant form throughout the 2020/21 campaign -he’s currently in the midst of one his most productive seasons at Old Trafford to date.

In 43 appearances in all competitions, he has hit 18 goals whilst providing a further 12 assists.

He has also been one of Solskjaer stalwarts having appeared in every single match in all competitions so far this season.

Whilst the ankle problem could keep him out of Thursday’s UEFA Europa League last-16 first-leg against AC Milan at Old Trafford, the fact that he should be available for a number of key matches will thrill his manager.

Before the end of the season, the Red Devils are set to face West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Leicester City – all surely pivotal clashes in the race for the top four.

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They also continue their challenge on multiple fronts with both the UEFA Europa League second-leg against Milan and an FA Cup quarter-final face-off with Leicester City still set to come.

With Rashford having avoided a long lay-off, Solskjaer will surely be overjoyed.

AND in more news, read why a big-money move for Tottenham’s Harry Kane has to be Manchester United’s priority this summer…

Brendan Rodgers’ comments over Youri Tielemans have caused confusion as the season moves into its twilight.

Due to the Foxes’ hectic schedule, having been involved in the UEFA Europa League this season, the Foxes’ boss has said that he would have ‘wanted’ to rest Youri Tielemans more than he has so far this campaign.

This makes sense considering that the Belgian is Leicester’s most used player this campaign having made 37 appearances in all competitions.

As a matter of fact, the £45m-rated midfielder has played 400 more minutes than anyone else in the Leicester City squad.

In that time, he has been in sparkling form, hitting seven goals and providing four assists in all competitions this season.

Due to Tielemans’ commitment so far this season, Rodgers has even gone as far as to say that he would ‘love to take him out’ of the starting XI, but with injuries to Dennis Praet, James Maddison and Ayoze Perez, that has simply not been possible.

The decision has almost been taken out of the Foxes’ boss’ hands but these recent comments are particularly jarring though when looking at Rodgers’ opinion of the 23-year-old just a little under four months ago.

Following a win against Leeds United against Elland Road, the Northern-Irishman said that Tielemans was better when in ‘rhythm’ and did not want to give him a rest.

Of course, Rodgers is entitled to change his mind on his squad as they got to grips with the UEFA Europa League and injuries started to hit but it’s a confusing change in opinion.

With the number of players missing, it almost became a necessity to keep playing Tielemans – as per Rodgers’ recent comments concerning a rest.

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It now looks hugely unlikely that the former AS Monaco will finally be afforded time to rotate having once again been included from the off in Wednesday’s clash against Burnley at Turf Moor.

It will be interesting to see as the Foxes’ injury crisis abates later on in the season whether Tielemans is afforded a well-earned rest or whether Rodgers allows him to keep his “rhythm” and play through the fatigue.

AND in other news, take a look at our Leicester City predicted XI to take on Burnley…

According to Football Insider, Glasgow Rangers star Alfredo Morelos is likely to be sold this summer, with Steven Gerrard’s side banking at least £15m from the striker’s potential sale.

What’s the word?

Morelos has been nothing short of a revelation for Rangers since joining the club from HJK Helsinki on a three-year deal in 2017.

Since his debut, he has scored 90 goals, recording a further 42 assists, in 171 appearances across all competitions during his time in Scotland and has already broken Ally McCoist’s European goalscoring record this season.

The 24-year-old had apparently made up his mind to leave Rangers last year and his desire to leave the Light Blues was no secret in the summer.

However, Rangers refused to sell their prized asset, and the centre-forward has continued his fine form in the Europa League, racking up three goals and six assists in eight appearances in the competition this season.

Football Insider claims this would in turn significantly increase his market value if he can continue to repeat his Europa League exploits for the remainder of the campaign.

His stats suggest he should be able to do this, given his excellent goal record for Rangers, having made 33 appearances this season with 13 goals and 12 assists to show for his 27 starts.

Good news for Ross Wilson?

Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson has developed a reputation as one of the most successful negotiators in the transfer market, and his handling of this ongoing transfer saga should only reinforce that view.

It seems Morelos is now worth at least £15m, showing Rangers have benefited from refusing to sell him in the summer, as this figure could rise between now and the end of this season.

Reports at the time revealed French Ligue 1 leaders Lille were apparently only willing to offer €15m (£13m) plus €2m (£1.8m) in add-ons for the Colombia international, which was swiftly rebuffed by the 54-time Scottish champions.

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With Rangers posting an annual loss of £15.9m in their most recent financial report, selling a top-class centre-forward for such a huge amount of money would make perfect business sense.

Wilson, therefore, should be praised for making the most of the situation and maximising the value of an unsettled player potentially set to depart Ibrox this summer.

AND in other news, Nathan Patterson earns shot at redemption amid James Tavernier injury blow…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, ex-Bradford City man Dean Windass has played down West Ham’s chances of finishing in the top four.

Despite losing narrowly at Manchester City on Saturday, David Moyes’ still find themselves sitting 4th, one point clear of Chelsea and a further point ahead of Liverpool, who beat Windass’ former side Sheffield United on Sunday evening.

The Hammers face the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Leicester City in the coming weeks, but David Moyes’ team have continued to defy the odds in recent matches – with their defeat at the Etihad Stadium just their second in the Premier League since Christmas.

Only the top-three have won more Premier League matches than West Ham this season, but Windass doesn’t believe the East Londoners can keep churning out results.

Asked whether the Hammers can sustain their current form, Windass told FFC exclusively:

“No. West Ham, another football club, you know, the new stadium. It was a great place to play at Upton Park and a great atmosphere. I’ve never been to the new stadium, but obviously played at the old one and you know, some atmosphere.

“The problem you’ve got is obviously if you don’t get the Champions League, then how do you enhance Champions League footballers to go to West Ham? They’ve had a remarkable season, and anything they get now, even if they don’t get in the Champions League, they’re pulling up trees. Can they sustain this? I’m not sure.”

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There’s no two ways about it, West Ham have been outstanding this season, but Windass might well be right with his prediction.

With Chelsea having turned a corner under Thomas Tuchel and the likes of Spurs, Everton and Liverpool still in the mix for the top four, it would be some achievement if Moyes’ side were to maintain their current place in the table.

After seeing Kalvin Phillips limp off in the dying minutes of Leeds’ 2-0 win over Crystal Palace, Marcelo Bielsa will no doubt be sweating over his talisman’s fitness during this week.

The Athletic’s Phil Hay revealed after the game that it was “too early to say” about the midfielder, but considering that he initially seemed to go down with a calf problem, he faces a real race against time to make the Premier League game against Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday.

But in Jamie Shackleton, Bielsa could find his saviour.

The 20-year-old has been on the fringes of Leeds’ long-awaited return to the Premier League, playing just 296 minutes of football in the top-flight.

And quite recently, Bielsa hasn’t even turned to him as an option off the bench – barring the two minutes that he came on to replace Phillips against Palace last time out, Shackleton remained an unused sub for the past four Premier League matches.

But with question marks over Phillips’ availability, Bielsa must unleash Shackleton on Sunday when they travel to north London to take on Arsenal.

Speaking after his cameo in that 5-0 win over West Brom earlier this season, the Leeds boss said: “Good organisation, energetic, he’s quick, he can surprise opponents, plays in a position which has many varieties as a box-to-box midfielder.”

Shackleton wouldn’t exactly be a like-for-like replacement for Phillips, but his extra energy and dynamism could counter Arsenal’s young guns well.

The likes of Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka have been two of Arsenal’s stand-out players in recent weeks, and Shackleton’s own youthful endeavour could be key to combating that – his average of 0.8 interceptions per game in the Premier League ranks him seventh among his Leeds teammates, while he actually gets dribbled past the least amount in the squad, just 0.5 times per match.

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And, after he produced a tigerish performance against Aston Villa, Leeds Live’s Beren Cross wrote: “Settled in so quickly and linked up the play between midfield and attack beautifully. So important for his confidence and visualising himself in this team going forward. Tireless running and helped Klich win that midfield battle with McGinn and Barkley.”

On Sunday, Leeds will need every bit of that tireless running as they try and find a unique way to replace Phillips. Shackleton’s introduction to the starting eleven could prove to be a masterstroke from Bielsa and one that helps the Whites boss forget all about his main midfield man.

Meanwhile, Bielsa can find his next Klich in this Leeds transfer target…

Tottenham Hotspur’s week from hell continued as they were defeated in a second successive Premier League match by Brighton on Sunday night.

First, it was an injury blow to Harry Kane, and then defeat to Liverpool, and now Jose Mourinho’s men have lost again, putting their quest to make the top four in jeopardy.

Spurs were lacklustre in the absence of their leading talisman, but once again, there were underperformers in defence, namely Moussa Sissoko, who massively let his manager down considering his vast experience.

The £90k-per-week star was deployed in an unfamiliar right wing-back role as he was preferred to Serge Aurier – snubbed completely from the matchday squad – and Matt Doherty, which speaks volumes.

Though, that said, Sissoko has still played at right midfield or right-back 139 times, as per Transfermarkt’s recorded matches.

But he endured a nightmare evening at The Amex, and it culminated in the game’s only goal of the game coming from a switch-off defensively.

Pascal Gross was given time and space along the right flank, but Sissoko allowed his man, Leandro Trossard, into the penalty box without following him.

And that’s only half the story…

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-this-weeks-latest-spurs-news-and-transfer-rumours” title= Read this week’s latest Spurs news, transfer rumours and more…”]

The 31-year-old was also the most wasteful player on the pitch, from either side, as he lost possession a whopping 23 times. It meant he handed the ball back to the Seagulls once every 3.9 minutes or once every 4.3 touches as he had the second-most touches (100) of anyone on the pitch, via SofaScore.

Given his vast influence in the game, he should have done better.

Sissoko managed to only make one of five crossing attempts (20%) and was rather lightweight in his battles as he won only 50% of his duels, both aerially and on the ground.

Sissoko’s teammate, Steven Bergwijn, has taken a lot of flak on social media since kick-off but the young winger was exposed in a solitary striker role, so he should be forgiven for not having the same sort of impact that Kane would’ve had.

And at the end of the day, he was the only player to have a shot on target for Spurs.

The Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick graded Sissoko a 5/10 in his post-match ratings column and wrote: “Completely ineffectual as a wing-back and effort was unusually lacking on occasion.”

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Sissoko was far worse than Bergwijn on the night.

Mourinho may want to think again before he axes Aurier or Doherty – he clearly needs one of them, however bad they may be, in their natural right-back role.

As evident above, the wasteful, inefficient and weak Sissoko massively let Mourinho down.

AND in other news, Levy have struck gold in dream deal for £45m-rated “born leader”…

Liverpool must bring in a centre-back this month, regardless of whether it’s a long-term signing or not to give the players confidence.

Centre-back required

Those were the words of former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer, who reacted to the Reds’ recent poor run in all competitions.

In 2021, Liverpool have won just once from five attempts and have scored six goals, with key defenders Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez ruled out with season-ending knee injuries.

On top of this, Joel Matip continues to struggle with his own personal fitness issues – leaving manager Jurgen Klopp with no established centre-halves at his disposal.

Speaking exclusively to Football Transfer Tavern, Palmer believes that Liverpool must prioritise bringing in a centre-back this month, regardless of the financial implications.

“Liverpool are not keeping clean sheets. They’re not out of the Premier League title race so they need to get a centre-back in until Van Dijk gets back. They need to do that because that gives (the team a) basis,” he said.

“People are looking at the front three and saying, ‘Oh, they’re not performing anymore’ but you see, if you remember last year when they won the league, they played at Southampton, I remember that game specifically because that was typical of their performances in the league that season where it was a strong first half defensive display by Liverpool to keep them in the game. Mane scores a goal out of nothing, just before half time, and then they go on to win the game comfortably.

“But it’s that basis that you need to keep clean sheets and Liverpool are not keeping clean sheets. So they need to do that now. They’ve either got to go for a loan or a short term signing and get somebody in so they can get a platform, then the rest of the players now can start believing that ‘yes, we’re going to keep clean sheets. Now. We’ve got the front three, we’re going to score goals.’”

Transfer Tavern Verdict

Palmer is spot on. While Klopp has dropped subtle hints to the club’s owners FSG about the possibility of signing a defender, it is something that the Reds desperately need.

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Liverpool are making the same mistake as Manchester City last season, with Aymeric Laporte’s injury, no Vincent Kompany replacement and Fernandinho having to step in. It seems all too familiar and it looks like lessons that haven’t been learned from that.

With the transfer deadline on Monday, Liverpool do not have long to make a move but Palmer thinks they need to if they want a chance at retaining their title.

In other news, James Pearce provides silver lining regarding Jordan Henderson’s latest setback.