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Newcastle United could now hire Erik ten Hag as their next manager, if Marc Overmars is appointed the new Director of Football (DoF) at St. James’ Park.

The Lowdown: Manager search

The North East club have been linked with the likes of Roberto Martinez, Steven Gerrard and Matias Almeyda in recent days, as their manager search continues following the departure of Steve Bruce.

Graeme Jones will be taking temporary charge of the next couple of games until the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium find the person that they want.

The Latest: ten Hag and Overmars combo

As per De Telegraaf (via Sport Witness), Overmars, who is currently the DoF at Ajax, would be ‘comfortable’ taking the same role on Tyneside, and ‘will poll’ ten Hag if he is appointed.

It will be interesting to see which role the new owners of the Magpies fill in first, as one could well dictate who is hired for the other.

The Verdict: Get both in

There is no doubt that a lot of the recent success Ajax have had is down to Overmars and ten Hag.

Off of the pitch, the former has been responsible for selling players for big profits and then helping rebuild with quality replacements, while ten Hag has won five major trophies during his time at the club, and famously guided them to the UEFA Champions League semi-final in the 2018/19 season.

Jurgen Klopp dubbed him as an ‘exciting’ manager back in December, which is high praise indeed, and getting both in would prove to be a real coup from the Toon.

In other news, find out which ‘extraordinary’ ace NUFC are ‘preparing’ a £67.7m bid for here!

Star Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves could return from injury sooner than expected, with the Portugual international absent from action for the last month.

What’s the latest?

Wolves manager Bruno Lage told the media earlier this month that Neves’ injury ‘was not as serious’ as previously expected.

Moreover, injury expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries website, is ‘hopeful’ that the 25-year-old could be back playing earlier than planned – speaking to Football Insider, he said:

“My understanding initially hasn’t changed a great deal even with this new info.

“We’re talking about an MCL here. The indication that it was a grade two.

“I was working on the premise that we could maybe see a return around early to mid-May. I am still fairly hopeful that is the case.

“It happened against Leeds. He tried to continue but he couldn’t. He then went out to Portugal for some rehab and recovery.

“The target was always going to be around game week 35. I think there is a strong possibility that he’ll play again this season somewhere around there.”

The midfielder hasn’t featured for Wolves since the 3-2 defeat against Leeds last month and there was certainly concern amongst the Molineux faithful that they wouldn’t see the 25-year-old play for the Golden Boys again amid speculation of a summer transfer.Supporters will be delightedWith securing European football next season still possible for Lage’s men, the Portuguese manager will be desperate to have as many players fit for the run-in, particularly key men like Neves.The midfielder has been excellent this term, averaging a 7.2/10 match rating in the Premier League, according to SofaScore.Moreover, with Wolves eighth in the league and two points behind West Ham in seventh with six games to go, the 25-year-old’s return will be very welcome.Granted, it’s incredibly unlikely that Neves will be fit in time for the West Midlands outfit’s trip to Burnley on the 24th of April, however, Brighton at home on the 30th could be a potential return date.With plenty of speculation surrounding the Portuguese, who is very popular with Wolves fans, we may be experiencing the start of the end for Neves’ tenure with the Black Country club.The 25-year-old remarkably joined from FC Porto in 2017 with Wanderers still in the Championship for a record fee in the second-tier, having become the youngest ever captain for a Champions League game back in 2015.Five seasons later and the midfielder has overseen promotion to the Premier League, two seventh-placed finishes, an FA Cup semi-final and a run to the quarter-final of the Europa League whilst making 207 appearances for the west Midlands club.If Neves is to depart this summer, then Wolves supporters will be incredibly keen to see him in action again whilst also hoping the midfielder can contribute to a late push for European qualification, with the side just a handful of points outside a place in the top seven.AND in other news: Was worth £4.5m, now valued at £21.6m: Wolves had a shocker on “special” 22 y/o dynamo

Celtic are close to completing the Parkhead arrivals of three players in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Japanese publication The Mainichi, who claim that Celtic are nearing deals for all three of Daizen Maeda, Yosuke Ideguchi and Reo Hatate ahead of the winter market.

The report goes on to state that the club are progressing well in discussions with Yokohama F Marinos and Gamba Osaka, the respective clubs of Maeda and Ideguchi, regarding deals, as both sides are happy to sanction the sale of their respective stars.

However, it is also said the Bhoys talks with Kawasaki Frontale, the club of Hatate, are at a less advanced stage, as the J League side are currently demanding much more for the 24-year-old than Celtic are prepared to offer.

Ange will be buzzing

With Ange Postecoglou openly stating that he is willing to raid the Japanese top flight of its most impressive players in January, the fact that Celtic appear close to signing three of Japan’s brightest talents is sure to have left the 56-year-old buzzing.

Indeed, over his 36 J League appearances this season, centre-forward Maeda scored a whopping 23 goals, registered three assists and created four big chances for his teammates, with these returns seeing the £990k-rated man average a SofaScore match rating of 7.09 – ranking him as his club’s joint sixth-best performer in the top flight of Japanese football.

Meanwhile, over Hatate’s 30 league fixtures, the versatile midfielder scored five goals, provided two assists and created three big chances, with these metrics seeing him average a SofaScore match rating of 7.16, while central midfielder Ideguchi averaged a SofaScore match rating of 6.76 over his own 29 J League appearances.

As such, should Celtic indeed go on to land all three of these players in January, not only would they continue Postecoglou’s Japanese revolution at Parkhead – following the summer signing of Kyogo Furuhashi – they would also represent a huge step in the 56-year-old’s revolution of the Bhoys first-team squad – something that would only appear to bode well for the club’s title chances this season.

In other news: Major blow: Ange confirms injury update that will surely devastate Celtic fans

West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Lloyd Kelly to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Telegraph, who claim that as a result of the long-term injuries picked up by both Angelo Ogbonna and Kurt Zouma, David Moyes is hoping to bring a new centre-back to East London next month.

The report goes on to state that one of the 58-year-old’s targets is AFC Bournemouth defender Kelly, who the Hammers boss is thought to be a fan of due to his positional versatility and his leadership qualities.

However, a further report by The Sun also claimed that Scott Parker’s side will not want to lose one of their most influential players halfway through the Championship season, meaning a deal for the 23-year-old will not likely be an easy one for West Ham to get over the line this winter.

The next Ferdinand

Considering just how much potential Kelly quite clearly possesses, should West Ham manage to get a deal over the line for the defender next month, it would undoubtedly be something of a coup for the club – particularly when taking into account the Hammers’ current problems in the heart of defence.

Indeed, over his 19 Championship appearances this season the £9m-rated ball-playing centre-back has been in phenomenal form, helping his side keep ten clean sheets and scoring one goal, as well as making an average of one interception, 0.5 tackles, 59.3 passes, 4.9 clearances and winning 63% of his duels per game.

These returns have seen the £21k-per-week defender average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.09, ranking him as the Cherries’ third-best performer in the second tier of English football.

Furthermore, the 23-year-old’s former manager, Jonathan Woodgate, clearly believes that Kelly is capable of making the step up to the Premier League, stating of the centre-back: “He’s got talent. He’s got a lot of attributes that Premier League teams look at.

“He’s played well against [Watford’s Ismaila] Sarr and played well again against Bristol City. I don’t see him being at Bournemouth long if he keeps on playing like that. He was brilliant. He’s got some strings to his bow now.

“At the minute he just looks like a bit of a Rolls-Royce, doesn’t he? He looked very, very good [against Bristol City]. I was impressed to be honest with you, especially when [Antoine] Semenyo tried to run him down the line and Semenyo gave him two yards and Lloydy overtook him.

“It’s eye-catching when things like that happen, especially as a fellow defender. When you see things like that, it’s like ‘you’ve got a bit’.”

Thus, it is clear for all to see that the England U21 international has an extremely bright future in the game, with his passing ability appearing to mirror that of a young Rio Ferdinand – who Harry Redknapp often deployed in midfield due to his ability with the ball at his feet.

As such, it would appear a very wise move for Moyes and his West Ham transfer team to do all they can to sign the Bournemouth defender this winter, as they could well unearth a future England international in the 23-year-old Kelly.

In other news: Forget Ogbonna: GSB must seal Moyes’ dream WHU deal with £12.6m gem who “will explode”

Journalist Phil Hay has confirmed that Leeds United midfielder Adam Forshaw has only picked up a minor injury, hailing the update as ‘good news’.

The Lowdown: Forshaw limps off at West Ham

The Whites secured a brilliant 3-2 win away to West Ham on Sunday afternoon, in what was arguably one of their best results of the season.

Forshaw limped off in the first half at the London Stadium with a hamstring injury, however, and it was feared that he would be missing for a chunk of action given his previous woes.

With Kalvin Phillips already sidelined, as well as numerous others, it was a blow that Marcelo Bielsa could do without.

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The Latest: Hay confirms positive news

Thankfully, Forshaw took to Instagram on Monday to confirm that the issue is only a minor one, with Hay reacting to it on Twitter:

“Good news from Forshaw on the hamstring front. Looks to have avoided a bad one.”

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The Verdict: Big boost for Leeds

This is a rare positive in the injury department for Leeds this season, with Forshaw claiming in his post he could potentially even be back for Saturday’s visit of Newcastle United in the Premier League.

The 30-year-old has been a revelation since returning from an extremely lengthy injury absence, starting ten league games and averaging 2.3 tackles per game, a tenaciousness in midfield they would be desperately lacking without him and Phillips.

Forshaw will remain a crucial figure in the middle of the park until the England star returns, as his hugely pleasing comeback from a career-threatening situation continues.

In other news, Hay has also given another positive Leeds injury update. Read more here.

[ad_pod ]According to West Ham insider ExWHUemployee on Twitter, the Hammers have a couple of loan deals in the pipeline, but these are only likely to go through if they can shift either Lucas Perez or Javier Hernandez – Manuel Pellegrini will surely regret making one other signing in particular last summer that is taking up a crucial squad place if he cannot get rid of either.

What’s the word?

Well, ExWHUemployee understands that there are at least two loan deals agreed in principle; these could, however, fall through if the Irons cannot free up a squad place by offloading one of fringe strike duo Hernandez and Perez.

The London Stadium outfit have had a busy window with star hitman Marko Arnautovic nearly finding a move away and free agent Samir Nasri joining on the first day, however the real business seems to be going on in the final 24 hours.

Neither Perez or Hernandez have been particularly impressive this season but have not exactly been woeful either; perhaps West Ham would not be so desperate to be rid of either if they hadn’t have signed Carlos Sanchez in the summer. The Colombian has been a costly mistake and is taking up a valuable space on the wage bill.

Sick note Sanchez

The 32-year-old has made just five league appearances and could easily be out for the remainder of the season having sustained a nasty knee injury which required surgery back in September.

A typical midfield enforcer, the former Fiorentina man was expected to bring steel to the ranks but was average at best until he was sidelined.

With a lengthy list of wounded, West Ham are in dire need of some reinforcements but Pellegrini may be forced to cancel these crucial deals due to the size of his squad – signing Sanchez will surely be his biggest regret at the helm so far, particularly if missing out on these mystery players sees the East London outfit fail to secure the strong finish to the campaign they will want.

Who is West Ham’s worst ever signing? Check out the video above for a pretty strong candidate for the dubious honour…

Ally McCoist has laughed off Sir Kenny Dalglish’s claims that Rangers are under more pressure than Celtic going into this weekend’s Scottish Cup semi-final.

The Lowdown: Dalglish ranks up mind games

The Hoops take on their biggest adversaries at Hampden Park on Sunday afternoon, in what promises to be another nerve-wracking encounter.

Ange Postecoglou’s side picked up a massive 2-1 win at Ibrox in the Scottish Premiership earlier this month, pulling six points clear at the top in the process.

That prompted Celtic legend Dalglish to claim that Rangers are under more pressure to get the win this weekend, as he cranked up the mind games.

The Latest: McCoist responds

Speaking on talkSPORT [via The Daily Record], McCoist laughed off his former Scotland colleague’s comments, refusing to agree with his opinion:

“I was at the last league game at Ibrox when Celtic won 2-1. Celtic defended really, really well to be honest with you and probably looked more dangerous.

“Rangers have got everything to play for – and so have Celtic! I love the fact we say there’s more pressure on Rangers, these games are unbelievable, they really are.

“I can let Kenny off, because he’s the best, because he’s Kenny!”

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The Verdict: King Kenny is right

In typical Dalglish fashion, he is correct here, without Rangers undoubtedly under more pressure because of the current state of the league table.

If Celtic lose, they will still be the overriding favourites to clinch the title, which would act as a far better achievement than cup glory next month.

On the flip side, defeat for Rangers would hugely increase the chance of them going the entire season without a trophy, giving Hoops fans even more bragging rights after the recent result, especially with a treble still on offer.

In other news, Ange Postecoglou wants a Celtic signing done as soon as possible. Read more here.

Rangers failed to add another win to their tally in the Europa League as they drew 1-1 against Brondby on Thursday night.

They are now on four points after four matches in the group, having lost to Lyon and Sparta Prague in their first two games before beating the Danish side 2-0 at Ibrox.

The Gers were able to find an equaliser in the second half in Denmark after Steven Gerrard made a bold call before the hour mark as he brought Ianis Hagi, Kemar Roofe and Ryan Kent on at the same time. Kent and Hagi later combined to make it 1-1, securing a point for the Scottish giants.

Despite the spirited comeback to rescue a draw, one player who let Gerrard down badly in midfield for Rangers was Steven Davis.

The Northern Ireland international endured a rough night as he struggled to get to grips with the Brondby midfield, ultimately ending with him being hauled off the pitch in the 72nd minute – before Hagi’s equaliser. He struggled at both ends of the park and will surely have been disappointed with his own performance.

Defensively, he offered next to nothing for the Gers. As per SofaScore, he failed to win a single duel in his time on the pitch. He also made zero blocks, interceptions or tackles, with one clearance his only defensive contribution of the entire match. This suggests that he was unable to get close enough to the Brondby midfielders to win back the ball for the Gers, with his ageing legs being overrun in the middle of the park.

He did not fare much better on the ball, either. As per SofaScore, he failed with his only attempt at a dribble, whilst he also failed to create a single chance for a teammate with his passing. He did complete 88% of his passes but only executed one of his three long pass attempts, and his lack of creativity suggests that his pass selection was too bland to make an impact in the final third.

Therefore, Davis let Gerrard down badly as he was a liability at both ends of the pitch. He will need to improve offensively and defensively to warrant a regular starting spot in the team moving forward, and it will be interesting to see whether or not he keeps his place in the XI on Sunday at Ibrox against Ross County in the Premiership.

AND in other news, Forget Hagi: Rangers gem with 103 touches stole the show against Brondby…

Wolves forward Hwang Hee-chan is expected to make his loan move to Molineux a permanent one, according to reliable journalist Tim Spiers.

The Lowdown: Hwang impresses for Wolves

The South Korean left RB Leipzig for a temporary spell last summer as he looked for regular playing time elsewhere.

Hwang has enjoyed a productive spell at Wolves so far, scoring four goals in 11 Premier League starts and helping Bruno Lage’s side to sit ninth in the table.

Wolves have the option to sign the 25-year-old on a permanent deal but that may need to be sorted by the end of this month, or else they run the risk of another team swooping for the forward.

The Latest: Spiers makes positive claim

Taking to Twitter on Sunday, Spiers simply delivered a four-word verdict regarding Wolves’ move for Hwang, saying that it is expected to be completed:

In a tweet in which he shared an accompanying article from The Athletic, the journalist claimed: “Hwang likely to join.”

The Verdict: No-brainer for Wanderers

Hwang has made an immediate impression at Wolves so it makes complete sense to retain his services, given his age and the quality that he has shown.

The 43-cap South Korea international has already shown a good understanding with Raul Jimenez, and his versatility means that he could also be a long-term replacement for the Mexican in a central role.

Granted, Hwang’s form has dipped a little in recent weeks, with the goals drying up completely since netting against Leeds on October 23, but he has done enough to show that he is worth taking the plunge upon for a permanent transfer.

In other news, Wolves have been linked with a move for a central midfielder. Find out who it is here.

Many West Brom fans have been left slamming the display of Cedric Kipre in their 0-0 draw away at Blackpool in the Championship on Tuesday night.

It was a frustrating game for the visitors, who mustered nearly double the shots of the Tangerines, but had fewer on target, as Valerien Ismael’s team simply did not have their shooting boots on.

Down the other end of the pitch, they were perhaps fortunate not to concede at times, with Kipre particularly guilty of some poor play.

The 24-year-old lost out on eight of his duels, and failed to block any shots on his goal, while he was guilty of losing possession of the ball 13 times in the match (SofaScore).

He was the only Baggies starter to have recorded fewer touches than his own goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, and his yellow card right before half-time pretty much summed up his night (SofaScore).

West Brom fans on Kipre display

These members of the Hawthorns faithful slammed his performance on Twitter, with one Albion supporter even going as far as to claim that he is a ‘liability’:

“Kipre, Hugill and Grady I don’t wanna see near this team ever again.”

Credit: @wbaxingram

“Kipre can’t control a football”

Credit: @WBAHazzaFT

“Well Kipre would be a 1300L as he gets passed so easily.”

Credit: @EveRay1

“Cedric Kipre = complete liability”

Credit: @CJHall83

“Bartley leaving his post to have a go at the lad who dived is peak Bartley. Him and Kipre are in competition to see who can give a goal away first.”

Credit: @_ColinGriffiths

“With great respect to Blackpool, we are dire. chaotic, panicky and chronically poor in final third and don’t get me started on Grant and Kipre”

Credit: @iammorty

In other news, find out whose display against Huddersfield Town was slammed here!