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Steve Bruce has revealed that Newcastle United will boast a near fully fit squad for their trip to Everton on Saturday, as he strives to get the Magpies back to winning ways.

The Toon were without defenders Paul Dummett, Ciaran Clark, Federico Fernandez and DeAndre Yedlin for their 2-1 loss at home to Leeds United on Tuesday night, in which defeat made it 11-straight winless games for the Tyneside outfit across all competitions.

United have also lost their last six-in-a-row but saw Allan Saint-Maximin make an instant impact from the bench against Marcelo Bielsa’s Whites, and could opt to start the winger at Goodison Park following his recovery from coronavirus.

So, with changes on the cards, here’s a potential line-up Bruce could name when Newcastle visit Everton this Saturday lunchtime…

Karl Darlow was on hand to produce a couple of crucial stops in defeat to Leeds but was beaten by the visitors’ only two shots on target, yet will be expected to retain his place in goal having opened all 20 of Newcastle’s Premier League fixtures this term.

Bruce may also name a mostly unchanged backline at Goodison Park, despite Clark and Dummett’s returns to training, with Yedlin replacing Isaac Hayden at full-back now that the United States international’s visa issues are believed to have been resolved.

“Fede Fernandez won’t make it, unfortunately. Ciaran Clark and Paul Dummett trained yesterday [Thursday] for the first time, so we’ll see how they are. It’s maybe a bit early for the two of them, but we’ll see how they are this morning,” Bruce said.

Hayden returning to midfield with Yedlin recalled will likely see the Arsenal product partner Jonjo Shelvey in the engine room, with Jeff Hendrick again not proving to be Bruce’s answer in the role after questionably being retained for the Leeds defeat after an anonymous showing at Aston Villa.

Jacob Murphy struggled at first against the Whites on Tuesday night and lost the ball in the lead up to the visitors’ opening goal, but rallied in the second period with a couple of inviting crosses before making way for Saint-Maximin.

Murphy may now be given a reprieve, as Ryan Fraser ghosted from wing to wing against Leeds whilst Bruce shifted the Scotland international across the pitch trying to find a role that would see the summer arrival prove the biggest threat.

Miguel Almiron looked his most dangerous after moving in centrally against Leeds and will hope to start in the role against Everton, with Saint-Maximin opening the action on the left. The £29m-rated French maestro has not started a league game since November after suffering with the long-term effects of Covid-19.

Callum Wilson will be expected to start as the sole centre-forward in the Newcastle line-up at Everton after a hard-working performance against Leeds, which failed to return the 28-year-old his first goal of 2021 after six consecutive fruitless outings.

AND in other news, Newcastle could part with a £30k-p/w dynamo before the end of the month…

For Wolves, it looks as though spending any money this window will be incredibly tough. Considering they are in dire need of improving their forward line, that isn’t news that supporters will want to hear.

What’s the word?

Reports early this week suggested that Wolves had been told to forget about signing the likes of Divock Origi and Olivier Giroud because of a lack of finances.

Despite that, there are still rumours swirling around about possible incomings. One player reportedly on their radar is Montpellier striker Andy Delort.

According to Le Buteur (via Sport Witness), Wolves have made a serious offer for the striker and want to sign him at ‘any price.’

Unfortunately, they are facing competition from Newcastle for his signature. It’s claimed that the Magpies have made him a priority this month.

Ideal for Wolves

Delort has come a long way in his football career and is the definition of a late bloomer. The Algerian has risen through the ranks of both English and French football and was coincidentally wanted by Kenny Jackett when he was at Wolves back in 2014.

The forward was at Tours in Ligue 2 at the time and before a move to Wigan materialised, Jackett said the following: “We put a bid in for Andy Delort but we haven’t been able to close that deal. Nothing has been agreed. But we did put a considerable bid in. I don’t know where it is but no deal has been done.”

It’s probably quite fortunate that happened because Delort ended up scoring a tally of zero goals during his time in the north of England.

However, since then, he has become a fearsome striker, one to be reckoned with at the top level. For Montpellier this season, the 29-year-old has netted eight goals – more than anyone in the Wolves side – and also has more assists than anyone at Molineux – six.

With that kind of record, he’d be a valuable asset for Nuno Santo to have. That being said, the £27k-per-week forward isn’t all about scoring goals.

Like the injured Raul Jimenez, he is adept in physical situations and has won a colossal 4.5 aerial duels per game. For context, that’s more than even Willy Boly has amassed (3.2) at the heart of Wolves’ defence.

Considering that, he’d be an important player in both penalty boxes. Jackett may have failed to sign Delort seven years ago but Wolves cannot afford to make the same mistak, especially with Jimenez out injured with a fractured skull.

With their man striker still absent, Wolves desperately need someone who can firstly score goals, and secondly, offer similar qualities to the Mexican. Delort, therefore, is their man. If Jeff Shi can find the finances to fund the deal, they must complete this move as soon as possible.

AND in other news, Worse than Silva: Wolves “liability” who lost possession 13x will have Nuno fuming…

Unlike previous reigns elsewhere, it appears youth may genuinely get a chance under Jose Mourinho at Tottenham Hotspur.

In the Europa League last month, the ‘Special One’ granted 16-year-old striker Dane Scarlett some game time off the bench and as a result, he became Spurs’ youngest-ever player to feature in a competitive fixture.

So, who else might be in line for first-team stardom one day?

Given the dubious future of Serge Aurier in north London – we’ve previously claimed that he’s still worth selling despite an upturn in form, as you can read here – though, he could be in line for a new contract.

Perhaps it’s better off knowing that the club are well-equipped to section that exit as Jubril Okedina continues to impress for the U23s.

Earlier this week, the 20-year-old defender opened the scoring against Chelsea’s academy in a fiery affair in which Wayne Burnett’s side eventually lost 3-2.

The club’s official website describes the versatile sensation as a “strong and technical centre-half” capable of producing strong displays on the right flank.

Whilst fansite SuperHotspur claim: “Okedina’s best defensive attributes include being good in the air, possessing good pace, remaining defensively disciplined and also steady, with him usually making well-timed challenges and rarely making rash decisions.”

This sounds an awful lot like Kyle Walker, who as we’ve seen at Manchester City has the ability to play centrally in a back three, but as this isn’t often the formation that Mourinho turns to, his future may well lie on the right.

In one game against Leicester’s U23 side, Okedina managed to get on the scoresheet and displayed that wing-back ability when overlapping Maurizio Pochettino to really cause havoc to the young Foxes defence.

He should be an instant hit with supporters too as he once confessed to his Instagram page that Harry Kane was the “best striker in the world.”

As a player that has captained the U23 within a year of being promoted to the side, he ought to be given a crack in the senior set-up.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Hojbjerg? Levy must land £25m livewire who POCH once wanted…

Aston Villa have been heavily linked to Odsonne Edouard this season, but they could now be priced out of a January move for the French starlet.

The latest on Edouard

According to The Athletic, although the Premier League side rate Edouard highly, they will not be pursuing him in the January transfer window. This is due to the fact that they believe Celtic will place a large valuation on the forward that will be too much for Villa.

Edouard looks to be a star striker

Celtic manager Neil Lennon was discussing the Frenchman last month, saying: “What we have with Odsonne is an outstanding, talented player.”

He is only 22, but ‘French Eddy’ already has 74 goals and 35 assists in 174 appearances during his career so far (Transfermarkt). This shows that he is very prolific and that he has the potential to be a star striker.

It is understandable to see Villa not make a move in January however. This transfer window in the middle of a season sees many prices inflated as sides are desperate to add quality to save their seasons.

With summer signing Ollie Watkins off to a great start for Villa, scoring six goals and picking up one assist in eleven Premier League games (Transfermarkt), the club are not desperate for another top forward. Therefore they can reassess the possible signing of Edouard at the end of the season.

In other Villa news, fans have been piling praise on one star at the club following his latest comments. Have a read who it is here!

Jordan Pickford proved his doubters wrong against Burnley on Saturday with an immense display to help Everton take a point from Turf Moor.

The England international has missed just one Premier League fixture since joining the Goodison Park natives from boyhood side Sunderland in 2017 in a deal that could reach £30million, coming in last month’s 2-1 loss at Newcastle United.

Carlo Ancelotti explained ahead of taking to the field at St. James’ Park that he had merely opted to rest Pickford, despite the 26-year-old facing increasing criticism from all angles after his challenge on Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk during the Merseyside Derby.

A host of players and pundits threw the book at Pickford for his collision with Van Dijk, which Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl suggested should have seen the shot-stopper shown a straight red card.

“I think yes. I also had a discussion about this. It was a horrible tackle, to be honest,” he said, via quotes by Goal. “We have more often the situation now that the game goes on, although it is offside, and then some duels happen that don’t have to happen normally, this is an issue.

“You cannot go like this into a duel. This is an absolutely disastrous tackle, to be honest. I think sure, it can be a red card in the end. When you only see the tackle, [it] was horrible.”

England boss Gareth Southgate later came out in support of Pickford, stating that he will remain the Three Lions’ first-choice ‘keeper, while Neville Southall went as far as suggesting there is a “concerted effort” to force him out of the national team.

“I think there’s been a concerted effort by the press to get him out the England team and I think it always happens when you become an England player,” Southall told the Gary Newborn Sports Show.

“There’s nobody better to play for England than Jordan Pickford. He’s had a couple of dodgy times, but I can’t think of a goalkeeper in the world who hasn’t. He’s come through it and he’s doing okay.”

Pickford was at the top of his game on Saturday to thwart Burnley in their efforts to move out of the Premier League relegation places, providing a display that more than proved his doubters wrong.

The £100,000-per-week ‘keeper could do little to deny Robbie Brady from opening the scoring in the third minute when the midfielder used Michael Keane to shield his strike, but he stood firm from there on out to stop Sean Dyche’s side doubling their advantage.

Pickford again came up trumps in the second period with a vital stop to deny Chris Wood another go-ahead goal for Burnley, as the Clarets piled on the pressure following Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s late first-half equaliser.

He would end the game with two saves, two punches, a high claim and three clearances beside his name, per SofaScore, under the alert eye of Southgate as the England boss watched on from the stands.

If Southgate was half as impressed with Pickford as former Three Lions forward Rodney Marsh was, the doubt over who England’s number one is was over.

Taking to Twitter, Marsh noted: “I’m always harsh on goalkeepers, but Pickford makes a terrific crucial save just before HT to avoid going two down. [He was] off his line like lightning. Well played young man.”

If Pickford can continue to keep his game at that level, his doubters will struggle to find a stick to beat him with again.

AND in other news, “If I’m the chairman…” – Exclusive: Pundit drops huge Everton January transfer window claim.

Crystal Palace’s inconsistent start to the season continued with a 2-0 defeat to Wolves in the Premier League, a result which will no doubt remind Roy Hodgson that he still has his work cut out at Selhurst Park.

It was the second time in as many matches that Palace failed to keep a clean sheet, only this time, the Eagles failed to find the back of the net.

You could pick several holes in Hodgson’s side, namely their inability to turn a slight advantage in possession into goals, as Michy Batshuayi had an early effort ruled out for offside. Without wanting to rub salt in the wound, Wolves debutant Rayan Ait-Nouri opened the scoring shortly afterwards, before Daniel Podence doubled the lead a few minutes later.

However, this doesn’t excuse the shocking display by some of the senior players like Luka Milivojevic, who was red-carded in the closing stages of the game, although arguably none more so than Palace left-back Patrick van Aanholt, who turned out to be a total liability. In fairness, the 9-cap Netherlands international has only recently returned from injury, but that doesn’t hide the fact that it was far from his best performance.

SofaScore graded the 30-year-old as the worst player on the pitch with a lowly 6.2 rating – he lost possession 11 times, won just one ground duel out of six attempts, was dribbled past once and failed to make a single tackle all game.

Van Aanholt, who earns £55,000-a-week according to Spotrac, received a similar score from football.london, who insisted he was “thrust into the starting line up, perhaps a week or two earlier than Hodgson would have hoped”, whilst 90Min were far more scathing in their assessment as they gave him a grade of 3/10, claiming “like Clyne, was completely overwhelmed by the overload”, although the outlet admitted he “had no help but didn’t do himself any favours with some sloppy positioning.”

Despite the disappointing display, the Dutchman, who is currently valued at £7.2m via Transfermarkt, still played the full 90 minutes to mark his first start for the club this season.

However, he hardly did himself any favours whatsoever as Palace academy product Tyrick Mitchell has impressed in recent weeks, so his place is by no means safe and secure, although the Eagles are still waiting to receive the results from a scan after the 21-year-old picked up a knock in training which ruled him out of the trip to Wolves.

Hodgson will be hoping the veteran will be able to quickly find his feet before they welcome Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United to Selhurst Park next weekend.

AND in other news, Steve Parish must convince Crystal Palace’s Tyrick Mitchell to sign new contract…

Aston Villa may have missed a trick by failing to land reported summer transfer target, Eberechi Eze.

What was the story?

Reports from The Guardian back in late July suggested that Dean Smith’s side were interested in signing the attacker from Championship side QPR, but that the club would face significant competition for his signature from fellow Premier League teams.

In the end, Eze completed a switch to Crystal Palace for a fee in the region of £20m, with Villa signing their own wide player in Lyon’s Bertrand Traore. Whilst the former has yet to score for his new team, there’s a real case to be made that Smith should have landed the man from Loftus Road.

Shades of Sterling

With 14 goals and eight assists in just 46 Championship games last season, Eze was a shining light for a QPR team that didn’t even make the play-offs.

The England U21 international possesses a lot of the best characteristics a winger should have, with Sky Sports’ Lewis Jones claiming that he “is a devastating ball-carrier, possessing a glide with the ball that only a unique talent can boast.”

And that dribbling is what QPR’s former manager, Marc Bircham, has previously raved about, saying: “He goes past players easier than Raheem Sterling did. Sterling would beat players with pace or do a trick or a chop – it’s all dynamic movements, but Ebere Eze just glides past players.”

With Traore, Villa have someone who previously played in the Premier League with Chelsea and didn’t make the grade. In Eze, they would have signed a rising talent with real experience of English football, and the potential to develop into a fearsome star at Villa Park.

In terms of the first Premier League game of the season, things couldn’t have gone much better for Newcastle United on Saturday night.

The Magpies secured a superb 2-0 win against West Ham away from home, with debutantes Callum Wilson and Jeff Hendrick getting themselves on the score-sheet.

But whilst the duo will rightly take home some of the post-match plaudits, another new boy was equally brilliant: Jamal Lewis.

Think you’re a big Magpies fan? Can you name these former players by looking at their careers? Go on, give it a go…

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

The left-back, who joined from relegated Norwich recently, put in a fantastic display, showing exactly why he could be a real star for both now and the future.

As per Sofascore, the 22-year-old provided a team-high three key passes, delivered four crosses into the box, and finished the game with 52 touches – the third-most of any Newcastle player.

And after seeing his debut, Magpies fans flooded to Twitter to hail the young man.

A couple of Newcastle fans seemed excited at the prospect of Lewis developing a fine partnership with Allan Saint-Maximin down the left-hand side.

To think that instead of Danny Rose, Newcastle have ended up signing Jamal Lewis seems like a stroke of genius.

Lewis has got plenty of time to grow even further, and the fact he picked up a season’s worth of Premier League experience with Norwich means he should be able to hit the ground running at St James’ Park, just like he did on Saturday.

The Magpies have got themselves an absolute gem.

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has spoken out about his outburst against Liverpool during their Premier League clash at Anfield last season. 

The two English heavyweights locked horns in a thrilling eight-goal fiesta which saw the champions defeat Lampard’s side 5-3 in July on the night that the Reds lifted the league trophy.

The frustrations evidently got to the Chelsea legend, who launched an expletive-laden verbal attack on the Reds’ assistant coach Pep Lijnders. It sparked a lot of reaction on social media with many Liverpool fans backing Jurgen Klopp’s retaliation to Lampard’s outburst.

However, the former England international has addressed his behaviour head-on whilst speaking to the High Performance Podcast (via Caught Offside).

“Yeah, I did regret that [the outburst],” Lampard admitted. “When it broke the next day and a friend of mine sent it to me in the morning, I was a bit embarrassed by it.”

Despite a tough penultimate match, Chelsea went on to beat Wolves 2-0 in their final league game of the season and cement a top four finish. The Blues have since had a very impressive transfer window, welcoming the likes of Timo Werner, Thiago Silva and Kai Havertz to the club.

“Because I was in the moment, but in the moment, I felt we turned up and it was the easiest day for Liverpool ever,” the Blues boss continued. “They won the league, they went goals up early in the game. And a few things happened with the bench, I’m not going to go into detail, but my feeling was, ‘I want to protect my club’.”

Lampard will be looking to put the whole ordeal behind him and start afresh this season as he hopes to challenge Liverpool once more – only this time, he will hope he has done enough in the transfer window to bridge the gap between them and last season’s champions.

What do you think about Lampard’s comments, Blues fans? Join the conversation in the comments below…

Glasgow Rangers have had a positive start to the new Premiership campaign.

The Gers currently sit top of the table after winning three and drawing one of their first four matches. So far, they are yet to even concede a goal, and have impressed in 3-0 victories over both St. Johnstone and St. Mirren, whilst they are currently six points clear of their fierce city rivals Celtic.

However, the goalless draw against Livingston on Sunday was their first real hiccup of the campaign, and it seemed they missed Joe Aribo’s creativity in the middle of the park – it is no surprise that the one game he missed in the league was the one match they have so far failed to win.

A photo shared on Twitter of the Nigeria international by the club’s official account has given the Gers fans the opportunity to wax lyrical about the 24-year-old. Indeed, he is already averaging three key passes, 2.3 dribbles and two shots per game in the league this term.

Many took to Twitter to share their thoughts, one even described him as the “guy Messi wants to be”, perhaps tongue in cheek given his strong start to the season. You can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

Let us know what you think!