Steve Bruce has dropped a double injury blow for Newcastle United before their away trip to Liverpool in the Premier League at Saturday lunchtime.
Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match against Jurgen Klopp’s men at Anfield , the former Aston Villa and Sunderland boss has confirmed that Karl Darlow will be ‘out for a few weeks’ after having to have a small operation on his knee, while the game ‘might come a bit too early’ for Fabian Schar.
Double Newcastle injury blow
While Darlow has ‘awesome’ in back January when he had to fill in for the then-injured Slovakia international.
In the rare case that Dubravka were to find himself injured once again or even potentially sent off against the Reds, the North East club have now lost the opportunity to be able to call on Darlow from the bench, or of course give Bruce the choice of selecting the Englishman from the off.
Schar is a very important player for the Tyneside club, having averaged more interceptions (1.6) than any other central defender for the Magpies so far in the top flight in the 2020/21 term, as well as a highly respectable 3.1 clearances per match (Whoscored).
Nonetheless, the Toon will have to try and find a way to get something out of the game without the pair, with Schar’s continued absence perhaps more likely to have a big impact.
In other news, find out what big EPL claim Ben Jacobs has dropped on arbitration and the potential takeover here!
Many Everton fans have been criticising the performance of Mason Holgate in their 2-0 home loss to Manchester City in the FA Cup on Saturday evening.
The Merseyside club did very well to keep out Pep Guardiola’s team for 84 minutes at Goodison Park before Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne struck late blows as Carlo Ancelotti’s side crashed out of the competition at the quarter-final stage.
Holgate did not have the best of games, losing out on four of his duels and failing to block any shots on his goal, while also recording fewer touches (36) than his own goalkeeper in Joao Virginia and losing possession of the ball no fewer than 11 times in total in the game, earning him a measly 6.2 overall rating on Sofascore, the third-lowest out of any Everton player to have set foot on the pitch.
Everton fan reaction to Holgate display
These Toffees supporters slammed Holgate’s performance on Twitter, with one Blues fan even going as far to say that he is a ‘major issue’:
“Used to rate Holgate highly. His decision making these past few months have been awful and have cost us. Must invest in a RB in the summer”
Credit: @CamoEFC1878
“Holgate is another what’s not good enough”
Credit: @stevie89940908
“Holgate out of his depth. Gomes is far to slow in midfield and get Iwobi out gives the ball away to cheaply.”
Credit: @AshleyElliott00
“Can’t fault the effort there! Best we have played against City for a long time, however, that kind of performance needs to be replicated against Fulham, Newcastle etc! I see progress but we need to be better with the ball! RB Holgate is a major issue! @EvertonBlueArmy #EVEMCI”
Credit: @RyanD1588
“We will have Sigurdsson, Iwobi and Holgate sacked please @Everton”
Credit: @BT_1878
“Holgate gets dragged out to easily”
Credit: @adamcarney01
In other news, find out which Everton player was slammed by some fans after comments emerged!
Rangers can take a step closer to the Scottish Premiership title on Wednesday night and manager Steven Gerrard can give his side a boost by unleashing 19-year-old right-back Nathan Patterson from the start.
In the absence of captain James Tavernier, who is currently sidelined through injury, the former Liverpool midfielder opted to deploy centre-back Leon Balogun at right-back for the Europa League game against Royal Antwerp in midweek.
However, the Nigerian international looked uncomfortable at times at Hampden Park, with Antwerp’s left wing-back Jordan Lukaku causing a lot of problems down his side, which would lead to the Belgian side’s equaliser, as Lukaku nutmegged him before crossing for Lior Refaelov to score.
The former Brighton man was then forced off at half-time after picking up a knock, with Patterson sent on as his replacement.
The academy graduate made an instant impact, taking just 17 seconds to restore Rangers’ lead after racing on to a through ball from Alfredo Morelos before finishing superbly.
It was something of a redemption for the young defender, who was one of five Gers’ players found guilty of breaking the current lockdown guidelines by attending a party, earning a club fine in the process.
Patterson is young and will learn from his mistakes, and after scoring his first goal for the club on his seventh appearance, he deserves another chance to show what he can do when Rangers take on Livingston at the Ibrox on Wednesday.
After the game, pundit Chris Sutton was full of praise for the youngster, saying:
“What an impact. He’s a young lad, he’s made a mistake, but he is a fine, fine talent. He’s going to have a big future.”
His only start this season came in the 2-0 win against Lech Poznan in the Europa League, where he would earn an excellent 7.2 rating, but he has still been limited to just two substitute appearances in the SPFL, perhaps due to the excellent form of Tavernier.
However, whilst the captain recovers from injury, and with Balogun potentially unfit too, it could be the perfect chance for Patterson to enjoy a run of games in Gerrard’s side, starting with Wednesday’s game against David Martindale’s side.
And, in other news… Gerrard must hand new Rangers deal to £18k-p/w beast
Former Liverpool player Stan Collymore has said that Jack Grealish could be part of a summer ‘overhaul’ at Anfield.
Collymore told Birmingham Live that Grealish, Erling Haaland, Ansu Fati and 20-year-old AZ Alkmaar forward Myron Boadu were all ‘on a list’ of potential signings.
He seems to be putting his links with the club to good use. Amid Liverpool’s desperate struggles in the Premier League this season, there have been calls for the team to evolve, and there may well be a changing of the guard in the Reds’ frontline.
Why Grealish is in demand
Grealish is one of the most coveted players in the country given his heroic exploits for Aston Villa. The Englishman has racked up 10 assists so far this season, putting him third in the league rankings (via Premier League). He’s level with Bruno Fernandes for 2020/21 and only one shy of Kevin de Bruyne, one of the most prolific creators in the league’s history.
Grealish has another four years left on his deal at Villa Park and is valued at £45m, so he wouldn’t come cheap (via Transfermarkt). However, that didn’t stop many Liverpool fans from begging for the club to have a go at signing him.
These Liverpool fans are desperate for Grealish
“I’d sell my soul for Grealish”
Credit: @qaisarrrr
“What I would do for us to sign Grealish. He is exactly what we need”
Credit: @lfc_futbol
“Grealish-Jota-Elliott front 3 for the future? Why not”
Credit: @Barentra
“Jack would be a wonderful signing for us. I’m down for that, Jota up top and Jack/Harvey on the wings.”
Credit: @AddybYNWA
“I’m on my knees”
Credit: @beamerrrrrr
“GET. IT. DONE.”
Credit: @CeeDeeLambTime
“I swear I would do anything, anything to get this guy at our club”
Credit: @ttmokgaotsane
In other news, Liverpool’s interest in one player is seemingly over.
Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey has been discussing David Coote’s decision to rule out Luke Ayling’s goal in Leeds United’s victory over Fulham.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side picked up a 2-1 win at Craven Cottage last Friday in what represented an impressive result against a team who have improved in recent months.
Patrick Bamford and Raphinha got the goals for Leeds prior to this week’s international break taking place and a number of players being afforded a rest.
As seems to be the case far too often, however, the Whites’ victory couldn’t be completed without controversy, with VAR again taking centre stage at one point.
[freshpress-quiz id=“347980″]
Halsey discusses VAR decision
Ayling thought he had given his side the lead in the first half, only for Coote to rule it out on advise from VAR.
Speaking to This Is Futbol, Halsey gave his take on the incident, claiming that the rule needs to be changed outright:
“The one thing is with VAR, it’s back to you’re off, or you’re on. The new handball law has made this offside law; they now measure the line with the armpit and the t-shirt line so that now comes into play because you can score now with that part of the arm.
“So for me, it’s got to be looked at; the whole of the arm has got to be included in handball, not just down to the t-shirt line. That’s why [we see] a lot of these goals ruled out, and we don’t want to be seeing them ruled out because ultimately, fans are important to the game want to be entertained and see goals.
“Now, we put these lines down, and they put them across, and for me, if you cannot tell with a naked eye on the first replay that it’s offside and it takes 2/3/4/5/6 looks, then we’ve got to be [giving the goal].
“Take away the lines, use the naked eye, you can tell straight away whether he’s off or on and obviously, we need to change the handball law to the whole of the arm, and that nullifies the t-shirt line and the armpit for judging offsides.”
Transfer Tavern take
It was the latest in an endless stream of baffling decisions this season, with the offside rule proving to be particularly head-scratching.
The hope is that it is ironed out moving forward in order to stop VAR being discussed negatively on such a regular basis.
In other news, one Premier League manager has paid Leeds a huge compliment – find out who it is and what he said here.
Celtic have been linked to several new names this transfer window as the deadline looms closer. The Hoops are yet to recruit any new personnel but Nick Hammond will undoubtedly be scouring the market for the club’s next big talent.
But along with any potential new signings, the Hoops are also looking at shifting some of the players already on their books. According to the Daily Mail, via the Daily Record, forgotten defender Jack Hendry is set to leave Parkhead as loan side KV Oostende prepare to make his stay in Belgium permanent.
This is somewhat of a questionable move given the fact that Neil Lennon is currently struggling with his defence. The Bhoys continue to have issues plugging their leaky backline as they continue to let goals in. Their short-lived Europa League run saw them concede the joint highest amount of goals with a mammoth 19, as per UEFA.
Only Ludogorets and Dundalk shipped this many goals, which is very out of character for the usually dominant Glaswegians.
However, Hendry has fallen down the pecking order and is no longer considered a viable option for Lennon. With just over a year left on his current Celtic contract, Hammond has wasted no time in striking a deal to ensure he leaves the club in exchange for a bit of pocket money for the transfer window.
Despite not featuring for the reigning Premiership champions since 2019, Hammond has managed to bank an expected £1.75million for the sale of Hendry. This will see the Hoops collect a tidy profit of £250,000, improving on the fee they paid for the centre-back in 2018 after signing him from Dundee.
Given the fact that Hendry has been out on loan since 2019 and has just 27 total appearances under his belt for Celtic, this deal is very impressive. Lining Peter Lawwell’s pockets with a slight profit will seriously impress the Scotsman. This puts them in good stead to tackle the transfer window head on and hopefully bring in some new faces to make 2021/22 a better season.
In other news, Celtic must avoid making any further moves to sign Tom Ince…
According to Voetbal24, Club Brugge are interested in Crystal Palace striker Christian Benteke.
What’s the word?
Benteke has become a first-team regular starter under Roy Hodgson in recent years, having scored 25 goals and supplied 10 assists in 122 games in all competitions, via Transfermarkt.
But the Belgium international endured a difficult start to the season as he had to settle for a place on the bench, with just one start to his name in the Premier League, whilst he was left as an unused substitute on the bench against London derby rivals Chelsea and Fulham.
It’s perhaps hardly surprising other clubs have caught wind of his situation, and the Belgian publication Voetbal24 claims Brugge are interested in signing the centre-forward in the summer.
The 30-year-old’s current contract will run out in 2021, so Steve Parish must reach an agreement with his representatives before the winter transfer market opens in just under a month, otherwise the club risk losing him on a free transfer, as interested parties will be able to begin negotiations with him in January to sort out a pre-contract deal.
Keep Benteke at all costs
We said just this last month that Palace should consider cutting their losses once and for all. But maybe we were just a little bit too hasty.
Whilst Wilfried Zaha continues to be linked with a move away from Selhurst Park, the potential loss of Benteke would also be a big blow.
After all, the “colossal” Belgian is one of four strikers in the Palace squad.
Jordan Ayew and Michy Batshuayi are the only others available for selection after Alexander Sorloth left south London in the summer and Connor Wickham remains sidelined due to injury.
It wasn’t all that long ago that he bagged 15 times and 2 assists in the 2016/17 Premier League season, whilst he has scored two goals in seven games so far this season, averaging 1.4 shots per game, via WhoScored. By comparison, on-loan Chelsea striker Batshuayi has been unable to find the back of the net since his arrival from Stamford Bridge.
Hodgson is clearly a big fan of Benteke too, as he suggested his hard work has started to pay off after he netted twice against West Bromwich Albion.
“He has been patient and never stopped working,” the Eagles boss said. “He showed the type of player he was when Palace bought him from Liverpool and has now got to keep that going.”
It’s exactly why Parish simply cannot afford to lose the £8m-rated tank as his hard-working attitude and contributions cannot go unnoticed.
AND in other news, Crystal Palace target Jordan Amavi is the perfect Patrick van Aanholt replacement…
Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho is chasing a new central defender this transfer window, according to reports…
What’s the word?
And Sky Sports Germany have linked the north London outfit with a move for Schalke 04 colossus Ozan Kabak as the Bundesliga side are in a sticky situation financially.
It is claimed that the 20-year-old has a release clause of €40m (£36m), but they are unlikely to receive such a fee due to the financial implications from the pandemic.
AC Milan have previously submitted an offer, though it’s thought that the Turkish centre-back would welcome a move to the Premier League with defending champions Liverpool also keen amid their defensive injury troubles.
Van Dijk 2.0?
He may well be inclined to make the move to Merseyside over London due to his admiration for Reds monster Virgil Van Dijk, a player that Kabak idolises and models his game on.
This should only be more reason for Daniel Levy to make the move before anyone else – he is averaging 4.3 aerials won, 3.6 clearances, 1.4 dribbles and one tackle per game this term, via WhoScored.
It is in his imposing presence driving out from the back that bears the best similarities to the Dutch game-changer.
Perhaps it’s no surprise to see the Turkey international likened to Sergio Ramos in that sense. Bundesliga.com wrote: ‘Kabak has a sound in-game radar and a deceptively quick turn of pace. Powerful in the air and with a great sense of timing.’
Whilst former Villa midfielder, now Stuttgart sporting director, Thomas Hitzlsperger dubbed Kabak a “role-model,” he said:
“It’s incredible how worldy-wise he is for his age. It’s astonishing. I see him every day and am amazed at how he mature he is. He wants to know everything; he wants to learn German right away and understand everything. That’s the kind of attitude we need. He’s already a role model, despite his age.”
Mourinho can force Davinson Sanchez closer to an exit with this move too. The 24-year-old has failed to make nine of their last 11 squads in the Premier League and is heavily out-of-favour.
The Athletic believe he would be open to leaving N17 this month, so it could well be the case of Sanchez out and Kabak in, and that would be quite the impressive switch.
Just maybe the leader-like Schalke sensation can have a similar impact to that of Van Dijk at Anfield.
AND in other news, Special £62m-rated enigma has become Mourinho’s sacrificial lamb…
Crystal Palace could be in danger of losing Wilfried Zaha in the near future.
What’s the word?
The Ivory Coast international is enjoying a prolific campaign at Selhurst Park this season, having made 19 Premier League appearances with nine goals and two assists to show for his 19 starts.
The 28-year-old has been linked with moves in the past but as things stand, he has not bee able to secure a move away.
However, Roy Hodgson believes he still harbours ambitions of playing in the Champions League and that he will face a fight to keep the club’s top goalscorer in the summer.
When asked whether he believes Zaha will stay at Palace for the rest of his career, Hodgson said: “No, I would think he still has a lot of ambitions. I think this was a very unusual transfer window, there wasn’t much going on if we’re to be honest, and there certainly weren’t many big money moves. A lot of the transfers involved loans or loans with a view to buy.
“I think when the market opens up again, Wilf Zaha will once again be a name on many managers’ and sporting directors’ lips.
“I think Wilf will retain his ambition to play Champions League football and do things that we’ve not been able to give him while he’s been playing here. But I’m hoping and believing also that the club will still be trying to persuade him that what you need to get out of football you can get here. How that will pan out, I really couldn’t say, it’s pure speculation.”
Hold firm
Whilst Christian Benteke has been linked with a move away from the Eagles in recent months – reports had even suggested West Brom tried to prise him away from Selhurst Park in the January transfer window – the potential loss of Zaha, who earns wages worth £130,000-per-week, would be more significant.
He has for so often been instrumental for The Eagles. Hodgson’s side, in fact, have yet to win a game without him this season.
Since re-joining the club after an ill-fated stint at Old Trafford, their talismanic attacker has come on leaps and bounds under Hodgson, having scored 32 goals in 132 appearances across all competitions, per Transfermarkt.
For context, Benteke has only managed to score 26 times in 131 games since arriving at Selhurst Park from Liverpool for £27m in 2016.
It’s no surprise then that Zaha has won the Crystal Palace Player of the Year award three times, with his current teammate James McArthur once branding him “unplayable.”
This is precisely why Palace chairman Steve Parish simply can’t afford to lose the £45m-rated hitman. He just means too much to the club and the fanbase both on and off the pitch.
AND in other news, Sean Dyche could be an ideal heir to Roy Hodgson at Crystal Palace…
Tottenham Hotspur made up for their opening weekend blunder last Monday with an incredible display of attacking football against Everton at home on Saturday afternoon.
Ange Postecoglou's side were under plenty of pressure, but they rose to the occasion and reminded the rest of the league just how good they can be when at their free-flowing best.
What made it even more impressive was that they were without their new star striker, Dominic Solanke, who could be out until after the international break with an ankle injury.
It's not an ideal situation and highlights how light the club are in certain areas, although with the transfer window still open for another few days, Daniel Levy still has time to strengthen Postecoglou's attacking options.
The club wouldn't even have to look that hard, as they were linked with an ideal signing earlier this month, although the player in question would probably be bad news for Richarlison's game time.
Why Spurs signed Solanke
Now, for as wildly entertaining as Spurs were at points last season and as many goalscoring opportunities as they created through Postecoglou's attacking brand of football, they only scored the seventh most goals in the league.
Tottenham striker Dominic Solanke
Worse yet, according to Understat, they underperformed their open-play expected goals figure by a massive 5.55, a problem that needed attention if the team were going to take another step forward this season.
So, once the window opened a few months ago, Levy and Co went to work looking for a new number nine to help them make the most of the chances they create, eventually settling on Bournemouth's Solanke.
They eventually paid the Cherries a whopping £65m for the Englishman. While that is an enormous sum of money, it's probably justified, as in 42 appearances across all competitions last season, he found the back of the net on 21 occasions and provided four assists for good measure.
This would have made him the top goalscorer and the second most productive player overall in the Lilywhites squad last season, so it's easy to see why the North Londoners opted to break the bank to secure his services.
Appearances
42
36
31
34
Goals
21
17
12
5
Assists
4
10
4
10
Goal Involvements per Match
0.59
0.75
0.51
0.44
However, his minor ankle injury now means Postecoglou has to rely on his other attacking options, and that includes Richarlison; although, based on his performances for the club following his transfer two seasons ago, it could be time to move on from him, and the perfect upgrade has already been touted for a move to N17 this summer.
How David compares to Richarlison
Yes, the striker in question is LOSC Lille ace Jonathan David, who has been heavily linked with the Lilywhites all summer and was again linked in an article from football.london's Alasdair Gold late last week.
LOSC Lille striker Jonathan David
If Spurs did act on their interest in the Canadian international, it wouldn't require a huge sum of money either, as due to his contract expiring next summer, reports have claimed he could be available for as little as £20m.
With that said, how does he stack up to Richarlison? If he were to move to North London, it would likely be to replace the Brazilian as the backup striker, at least to start with anyway.
Unfortunately for the former Everton man, there isn't much competition at all when it comes to the pair's raw output.
For example, while the Nova Venécia-born forward was reasonably impressive last season, racking up 12 goals and four assists in 31 appearances, equating to a goal involvement every 1.93 games, he was outclassed by the Lille ace.
Appearances
47
31
Goals
26
12
Assists
9
4
Goal Involvements per Match
0.74
0.51
In his 47 appearances last season, the "mind-blowing" poacher, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, scored 26 goals and provided nine assists, meaning that despite playing more matches, he maintained a more impressive average of goal involvement every 1.34 games.
Moreover, like the former Watford ace, the Brooklyn-born goal machine can play in several positions from centre-forward to attacking midfield and even second-striker, suggesting that Postecoglou could supercharge his frontline by playing him alongside Solanke when he's fit again.
Canada's Jonathan David
Ultimately, Spurs undoubtedly improved their attack by signing the Bournemouth star this summer, but his recent injury has shed light on how thin the striker position is in the squad. Therefore, Levy and Co should go out and make one more signing before the window closes and bring David to North London.
Spurs could take Maddison to new heights with late move for £50m PL star
The incredible midfielder would perfectly balance Postecoglou’s team.