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Newcastle United are less than two weeks away from entering their first transfer window under the ownership of PIF and fans may be excited about what could be to come under the Saudi-Arabian consortium.

We have seen plenty of transfer speculation in recent weeks building up to January, with the Magpies reportedly looking at players to come in and bolster their squad ahead of the second half of the season.

However, the players currently at the club must also be taken into account as any new signing will need to take up a previously occupied spot in the XI and squad.

Finally axe Ritchie

One player who could finally be axed from the team is left-back Matt Ritchie. Newcastle are, according to the Daily Mail, interested in a deal to sign Lucas Digne from Everton and the Frenchman’s arrival would allow Eddie Howe to jettison the Scot by either leaving him on the bench or selling him.

Ritchie has been in poor form this season and signing a new player in his position could solve a problem area for the Magpies. He has averaged a dismal WhoScored rating of 6.43 in 16 Premier League outings this season, which shows that he has struggled to maintain a high standard throughout the campaign.

In the 2020/21 term, he averaged a higher – albeit uninspiring – score of 6.64. This suggests that he has not been performing well over the past 18 months and fans would surely love to see Howe finally axe him from the team by bringing Digne in.

The Blues defender averaged a WhoScored rating of 7.08 in the top-flight last season, after averaging scores of 7.38 and 7.16 in the two previous years. This shows that he can consistently churn out excellent displays at this level, making him a sizeable upgrade on Ritchie.

Chelsea and England midfielder Ross Barkley Tweeted earlier this year: “Lucas Digne, wand of a left foot,” seemingly in awe of the defender’s talents.

The £110k-per-week gem’s statistics back up this claim from the former Toffees man, with 18 assists in his first three Premier League campaigns for Everton. He has also set up three goals in his last six starts for France, highlighting the creative threat he can provide from left-back.

Therefore, Howe must now ensure that he can complete a deal for Digne so that he can axe Ritchie from the XI whilst upgrading in his position with a top-class performer who is proven in this division.

AND in other news, Move over Ashworth: NUFC must consider “irate” DoF whose “behaviour’s been a disgrace”…

West Ham are said to be among the clubs interested in signing Martin Braithwaite this summer…

What’s the word?

According to Spanish outlet Sport, the Irons are one of four Premier League teams to have enquired to La Liga giants Barcelona over a potential move for the Denmark striker in this transfer window. Brighton, Burnley and newly-promoted Norwich City are the other teams mentioned by the report.

After the signings of Sergio Aguero and Memphis Depay, it seems likely that the Danish international will leave the Nou Camp and they want to recoup as much as they can of the €18m (£15m) they paid for him back in February 2020.

Avoid at all costs

It’s no secret that West Ham manager David Moyes is keen to bolster his frontline ahead of next season.

The Irons will be competing in the Europa League, which means there’s a serious potential of a 50-plus game season, and right now they aren’t well-equipped to deal with it in terms of squad depth, especially upfront.

Moyes was left with only one senior centre-forward following the departure of Sebastian Haller in January in the form of the injury-prone Michail Antonio, who is yet to start more than 24 Premier League games in a season for the club.

However, Braithwaite is far from the ideal candidate to help the Hammers next season. After all, he has struggled in England before and that wasn’t even in the top flight.

The £26m-rated forward endured a disastrous and controversial spell under Tony Pulis at Middlesbrough in the Championship, where he only bagged nine goals before he expressed his desire to leave the club.

Speaking about the incident at the time, the stern Welshman blasted the Dane’s “disrespect” for the club, claiming that he was “the highest-paid player I’ve ever worked with” and that he was an “ungrateful person,” as per Gazzette Live.

Somehow, Braithwaite has found himself at Barcelona, where he has continued to show that he’s just not good enough in front of goal, even when the likes of Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann are providing him support.

In 29 league appearances for the Catalan giants last season, the 5 foot 10 striker has found the net just twice, taking his career total to 93 in 401 appearances – that’s one goal every 4.3 matches.

He must be avoided at all costs by West Ham.

AND in other news, Moyes could sign West Ham’s next Ferdinand in “tremendous” £7.2m-rated “great leader”…

Speaking to BILD (via Sport Witness), journalist Christian Falk has dropped a major claim on a possible new manager for Tottenham Hotspur involving Ralph Rangnick – with the reporter stating that Rangnick has been ‘offered’ the role and talks ‘will come’ given he is on the shortlist.

The 62-year-old, who recently emerged as a candidate for Spurs, is now climbing up the managerial shortlist in north London after blows involving previous targets Julian Nagelsmann and Erik Ten Hag.

The former has agreed to become the new manager of German giants Bayern Munich while the latter has signed a new deal at Ajax, dealing two big hits as Spurs hunt for their Jose Mourinho successor.

Falk drops major Tottenham claim

However, in a positive twist, Falk now believes that Rangnick has been ‘offered’ the role – dropping the latest from what he has heard in regards to the manager chase.

“We have already talked about how Rangnick and Tottenham could become hot, and I have now heard quite specifically that he was offered the job,” he told BILD (via Sport Witness).

“In any case, he is on the shortlist, and that means talks will come.

“From the club, he still hears a bit of scepticism, but he’s already held talks with Manchester United and Everton in the UK in the past that never quite worked out.

“There must have been reasons for that, we don’t know them all, but it’s nice that he’s now being discussed.

“They need a new Tuchel, and in the UK, they believe the German coaches have done a lot of groundwork, which could be a big ace in the hole for Rangnick to Tottenham.”

Transfer Tavern take

After the big announcements involving Nagelsmann and Ten Hag, we believe that Spurs are quite right to offer Rangnick the job as he appears to be the next best option.

Described as a ‘perfectionist’ by RB Leipzig striker Yussuf Poulsen, he has also been credited with influencing Premier League bosses Thomas Tuchel, Jurgen Klopp and Ralph Hasenhuttl (The Telegraph).

Spurs are also on the hunt for an attack-minded boss who can reinstall that exciting brand of football, and Rangnick’s label as the ‘father of gegenpressing’ certainly throws him into this category of manager.

In other news: This boss is also eyeing the Spurs job, find out more here.

John Beaton has been confirmed as the referee for Sunday’s crucial Scottish Premiership clash between Celtic and Rangers at Parkhead.

The Lowdown: Massive game at Parkhead

Ange Postecoglou’s side kept up their six-point lead over their rivals on Sunday afternoon, picking up a precious 2-0 victory away to Ross County.

Next up for the Hoops is this weekend’s critical Old Firm derby meeting at Parkhead, with a win for the hosts all but securing title glory after missing out last year.

It is a game that can sometimes be defined by the refereeing performance – Bobby Madden’s display drew plenty of conversation in the cup semi-final – and the man in the middle has now been confirmed for Sunday’s meeting.

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The Latest: Beaton takes charge

It is Beaton who will take charge of proceedings at Parkhead, reports The Scotsman, and based on his own judgement, Hoops fans may not be particularly pleased to see him with the whistle.

Back in 2020, Beaton himself admitted that Celtic supporters would ‘absolutely love’ to get rid of Scottish referees for this fixture, claiming ‘everybody’ except the officials themselves want them replaced.

The Verdict: Unpopular choice

The appointment of Beaton will not go down well with Postecoglou and his players, or the fans for that matter – he has even hinted at preferring refereeing behind closed doors, saying in those comments back in 2020 life was easier without the intensity from the fans.

That said, Celtic need to focus on the task at hand and ignore any controversy – if the Hoops allow the referee to get to them, the only people it is going to affect is themselves, on what is a potentially defining afternoon in the title race.

Essentially, all the pressure is on Rangers, who really have to win the match – the only hope is that Beaton doesn’t end up having a negative say on matters.

In other news, an ex-Celtic hero has taken a dig at Rangers ahead of Sunday’s game. Read more here.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, ex-Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has urged Bertrand Traore to step up, especially in the absence of Jack Grealish.

Following Villa’s recent 2-0 defeat to Tottenham, another former player of the Midlands club, Alan Hutton, criticised Dean Smith’s attack. Traore, Trezeguet, Anwar El Ghazi and Ross Barkley were all namechecked by the Scotsman for not doing enough, something that Hendrie agrees with.

Overall, Traore has arguably had a good season. Since joining from Lyon in the last summer transfer window, the 25-year-old has managed to score five goals and provide three assists in the Premier League.

He has scored one league goal less than Grealish, putting things into perspective, but the Burkina Faso international’s failure to provide much in his team-mate’s absence has become a concern for the likes of Hendrie and Hutton.

Reacting to what Hutton had to say, Hendrie told FFC:

“I think what Hutts is talking about is that with Jack not being in the frame, you need standout players, you need exciting players that are going to step up to the plate and fulfil Jack’s role, because otherwise you’re going to get branded as almost a one-man team.

“So, yes, I’m totally, totally with Hutts on that because when you’ve got someone of his [Traore] ability, that’s where he needs to come on and be that player.”

The ex-Villa player concluded by saying:

“Hutton is dead right. When he’s [Grealish] not in there, who’s going to be that man? Who’s going to be that focal point that’s going to be the next best thing? Traore should be, he should be.”

Traore will have the chance to add to his goal tally when Villa take on Fulham at home in the Premier League after the international break.

Peterborough United Director of Football Barry Fry insists Bournemouth underachieved in the Championship in the 2020/21 season.

The Cherries are reportedly closing in on the appointment of Scott Parker as their new manager, with the Fulham boss currently finalising the termination of his contract at Craven Cottage.

Bournemouth struggled to make the most of their talented squad throughout the campaign and ended up with a sixth-placed finish, sneaking into the play-offs through the back door.

They ended the campaign with 77 points, 20 points behind Norwich City, who won the title at a canter, and were ultimately beaten by Brentford in the play-off semi-finals.

Current manager Jonathan Woodgate could well be disposed of by owner Maxim Demin to make way for Parker and Fry, whose Peterborough side will take on the Cherries this season after their promotion from League One, believes that Bournemouth actually had the best squad in the league in 2020/21.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “Bournemouth got rid of a lot of players last year, but they still had a hell of a squad Bournemouth. To be fair, they had arguably the best squad of players in the Championship and they underachieved, in my opinion, for whatever reason.

“They won seven on the trot, you don’t win seven on the trot if you’re not a good side, but something wasn’t right there for whatever reason. It depends what the owner at Bournemouth does again, whether he gets rid of all the people, he’ll be very disappointed that he never got up again, so whether they even keep the manager again, I don’t know.”

Celtic’s head of sports science Jack Nayler has left for Bundesliga side RB Leipzig, according to The Scottish Sun.

The Lowdown: Rodgers recruit

Nayler was brought to the club by Brendan Rodgers in November 2016.

He previously worked under Carlo Ancelotti at the likes of Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid and actually remained at Celtic Park following Rodgers’ move to Leicester City in 2019.

He has now moved on though, opting for the Bundesliga and Champions League with Die Rotten Bullen.

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The Latest: Leipzig move

The Scottish Sun claim that Nayler has indeed swapped Glasgow for Leipzig.

Jesse Marsch, who was linked with the vacant Celtic managerial role prior to Ange Postecoglou’s arrival, is the manager there, and he’s brought in the Hoops man as part of his backroom staff.

Celtic haven’t actually let fans know regarding Nayler’s exit, with no social media posts or statement on the club website.

The Verdict: Will Postecoglou act?

Postecoglou admitted in his first press conference as Celtic boss that he is yet to decide on his backroom staff and would make decisions as he goes.

The Scottish Sun claim that Nayler left Celtic weeks before Postecoglou arrived at Parkhead, so it’ll be interesting to see if he brings in a new man as the club’s head of sports science.

He may well be more concerned about getting his assistant managers and coaching staff in place before looking at the sports science side of things, with John Kennedy and Gavin Strachan’s futures still seemingly up in the air.

In other news: Postecoglou now wants Celtic to halt advanced talks with ‘class’ ace as transfer news emerges, find out more here. 

Many Manchester United fans have been left to fume as utdreport relayed the news that Jonathan Moss has been appointed as the referee versus Burnley.

Moss was the official when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team lost 2-0 at home to the Clarets in the 2019/20 term and has also sent Marcus Rashford off before in a game against Sean Dyche’s men (World Football), so there is certainly some bad blood between the supporters and the official going into the match on Sunday afternoon.

Nonetheless, the Red Devils will be looking to grab all three points and thus cement their place in the top four of the table in the Premier League, coming off the back of a very impressive comeback away at Tottenham Hotspur.

If Solskjaer’s men can grab another impressive result this time around, finishing in the top two could start to look like something of a formality.

Manchester United fans on Moss appointment

These MUFC fans fumed upon reading that Moss has officially been appointed on Twitter, with one fan claiming that it is ‘frustrating’:

“Oh why”

Credit: @Helle66221114

“Advantage Burnley”

Credit: @the_WISH_utd

“Why does the worst PL ref constantly officiate our games?”

Credit: @sani_atk

“That’s a game spoiled then. Absolutely useless, the worse ref I’ve ever seen in the top flight.”

Credit: @YendoleCharlie

“They’ve planned a frustrating weekend for United”

Credit: @its_wilsy

“We are done”

Credit: @ManUtdVIPer

In other news, find out whose display versus Granada was slammed here!

Tottenham Hotspur remain keen on Ajax boss Erik ten Hag, according to reports…

What’s the word?

The Atheltic’s Jack Pitt-Brooke claims that the 51-year-old coach is still a popular choice within the Spurs hierarchy, even despite him recently signing a contract extension with the Eredivisie champions.

It’s thought that he is still within reach of the North London outfit, whilst other contenders on the shortlist include Belgium boss Roberto Martinez, ex-Leipzig guru Ralf Rangnick, and Brighton’s Graham Potter.

Football Insider even believe that the former Everton and Wigan boss has held three rounds of talks with the club, too.

Better than Martinez

The 47-year-old is someone Levy should avoid like a barge pole.

As outlined by Football FanCast in this article, it could seriously hinder their chances of keeping hold of Harry Kane as he is said to have “systemic” tactical problems and has won just 30% of matches in the Premier League.

Instead, Spurs should be making a huge plot to land ten Hag, who is cut from the same cloth as Pep Guardiola.

It’s widely thought that Levy is seeking an attack-minded head coach that has a proven record in developing young players, so there cannot be a better candidate out there than the Dutchman.

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Ten Hag is committed to a high-pressing, quick-passing and possession-based style of football, so it’s no surprise to see him favour the sort of 4-2-3-1 or  4-3-3 that we’ve seen under Mauricio Pochettino and many other modern managers.

Furthermore, he has overseen the progress of some big-money exits, ranging from Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona) to Matthijs de Ligt (Juventus), and continues to nurture Ajax’s next crop of talented stars with mega potential.

David Neres, Ryan Gravenberch and Lisandro Martinez are just three names to keep an eye on in the coming windows.

Since his arrival at the Johan Cruyff ArenA, he has steered the Dutch giants to two league titles and has also registered a phenomenal 74% win rate. For comparison, this far exceeds that of Jose Mourinho (52%) and Mauricio Pochettino (55%) during their respective spells in charge of Spurs.

Ten Hag has earned plenty of glowing endorsements throughout his managerial career, too.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp dubbed him “one of the most exciting coaching talents in world football,” whilst the aforementioned de Jong praised his “positive energy” and “great football vision” to the Guardian.

Also lauded as “remarkable,” ten Hag clearly has all the necessary tools to fit exactly what Levy is after in his next appointment.

If anyone is going to transform Spurs into an elite side once again, then it is surely the Ajax man from that list. Evidently, he plays attractive football and can develop just about any promising youngster into the next best thing.

The Spurs chairman must put all his eggs into the 51-year-old’s basket. He’s surely his dream manager.

AND in other news, Daniel Levy could transform Spurs with landmark double swoop…

Crystal Palace must be regretting the decision to allow Andros Townsend to depart the club this summer as he has begun life at Premier League rivals Everton in scintillating fashion.

The 30-year-old was allowed to leave Selhurst Park on a free transfer as new manager Patrick Vieira overhauled his first team squad, but he has already gone on to prove his worth on Merseyside.

What was the word?

Townsend was one of many ageing players to be released by Palace following the conclusion of 2020/21, but he revealed back in June that negotiations over a new deal were taking place with the capital club.

“We’re still having brief discussions,” Townsend told talkSPORT (as reported by Football.London).”The club have told all of us that there’s no decisions being made until a manager has been appointed.

“Since then, Christian Benteke has signed a new deal, so… (laughs). So I don’t know. I want to be somewhere on July 1st.

“My agent is in the background now getting as much interest put into an offer, and then I’ll sit down with my agent, and around July 1st (we’ll) see which one is the best for me at this time in my career.”

However, just a month later, the Evening Standard reported that a change in circumstances meant that the former England international would not be returning to Palace, leaving the door open for Everton to swoop.

One that got away?

Although Townsend didn’t accumulate an abundance of goal contributions during his five-year stay in south London, bagging 16 goals and providing 28 assists in 185 appearances for the Eagles, he played a pivotal part in their success under Roy Hodgson.

Last season, as per WhoScored, the former England international’s respectable haul of five Premier League assists was bettered only by Eberechi Eze, while the pair’s 1.1 shots per league game were the joint-third highest totals amongst their Palace teammates.

Townsend’s tally of 1.2 key passes per league game was second only to Eze, while his match average of 1.3 dribbles was the fourth-highest total when compared to his former Eagles colleagues [WhoScored].

Constantly supplying the likes of Benteke and Wilfried Zaha with a stream of quality crosses is where the speed demon really excelled. He recorded 1.6 crosses per league match throughout 2020/21, the highest tally amongst the Palace squad.

There were question marks over whether Townsend could make the step up to Everton, but so far he has done so with ease, bagging two goals and laying on two assists in just five outings in all competitions.

His outrageous long-range strike against Burnley on Monday night was a reminder of just how good he can be on his day and may leave a large section of Palace fans ruing Steve Parish’s decision not to renew the £6.3m-rated wizard’s contract.

In other news… Imagine him and Zaha: Vieira must unleash “magnificent” Palace gem against Liverpool