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Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce has thrown down the gauntlet to members of the Magpies’ squad, including Andy Carroll, who are set to see their contracts run out at the end of the season.

The Magpies have been busy trying to ensure the long-term futures of some of their most influential performers. Allan Saint-Maximin has joined the likes of Karl Darlow and Isaac Hayden in penning new contracts recently. However, there are still some players whose futures are uncertain.

Bruce lays down challenge to Andy Carroll and others

Bruce has already revealed that the Magpies are working on a new deal for Sean Longstaff, to add to Saint-Maximin’s recent six-year deal. It has now emerged that the Newcastle manager has challenged some players with one year left on their deals to earn a new contract with their performances, as per Chronicle Live.

The likes of Carroll, Dwight Gayle, Federico Fernandez and Ciaran Clark have all entered the final year of their current deals. Neither Clark nor Gayle have featured yet for the Magpies in the Premier League this season as the pair have both been suffered problems with injuries at the start of the campaign.

Carroll is entering the final year of his £75,000-a-week deal, as per Spotrac, and the forward has featured in three of Newcastle’s opening four matches, showing glimpses of his ability during the 2-0 opening day win at West Ham, while Bruce is fully aware of the qualities of Gayle, Fernandez and Clark.

Some players better placed to meet challenge than others

Bruce is right to challenge the four players to earn new deals rather than just handing them out. However, for Gayle in particular, it could be difficult to meet that challenge, given he is out injured at the moment and behind the in-form Callum Wilson in the pecking order. Carroll, who was once labelled as ‘devastating’ by Alan Shearer, has shown his worth at times, but questions remain over his fitness.

Clark also has questions to answer over his fitness, but he is a dependable defender when fully fit. Meanwhile, Fernandez has shown he has a lot to offer the Magpies, so probably is deserving of that new deal. It will be a very difficult decision to determine who should be given fresh terms.

Geordies, should Newcastle tie down these four players? Let us know your thoughts by commenting below!

Wolves have made an approach to AC Milan for star talent Rafael Leao, according to reports in Italy.

Leao likened to Ronaldo

The 21-year-old has started strongly during the 2020/21 campaign, scoring three goals and providing three assists for the Rossoneri so far (TransferMarkt).

Leao, a young Portuguese striker, was hailed by his former coach Tiago Fernandes and was compared with Ronaldo due to his pace, technique and the quality of his finishing (cited by All Football).

According to Calciomercato, Wolves made an attempt to sign Leao during the last transfer window and he is seen as a replacement for Diogo Jota, who left Molineux to join Liverpool for £41m.

The report added that they did not come close to getting their man, with Milan believing that they have a “diamond” on their hands, so they did not even want to listen to the offer.

Transfer Tavern take

It is an achievement to be compared to such an iconic player at such a short space of time in Serie A, but he is a player that Nuno Espirito Santo evidently likes.

With the Jorge Mendes connection, Leao could well be a player that Wolves can attract to Molineux and he could even compete with Raul Jimenez for a place in the starting eleven.

With the January transfer window still quite a while away, time will tell what Nuno decides to do and whether he feels the need to strengthen during the mid-season.

In other news, Wolves join race to sign player with potential to be ‘as good as Trent Alexander-Arnold’.

It remains to be seen just how long Slaven Bilic will get as West Bromwich boss amid reports that his future is under intense scrutiny whilst one name has emerged as a potential successor during the past week…

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Mirror, the Baggies hierarchy will eye Charlton Athletic manager Lee Bowyer as their next man if the Croatian is axed at the Hawthorns.

It’s claimed that the relationship between Bilic and the Albion board has been rocky in recent months and that the Addicks’ chief would be among their top choices to succeed him.

The 43-year-old, who used to play in midfield for Newcastle and Leeds United, has spoken about the speculation too, he said: “It’s nice to be recognised. It happened a few times last season and the season before. If you do well then people recognise you do well.”

Baggies boost?

There is only one downside to Bowyer and that is his lack of experience managing in the Premier League, especially with a side battling relegation but you only have to look at Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United side last season – or Nuno Santo at Wolves the last two years – to see that it is not the be-all and end-all.

He’s worked under tough conditions before, though, having had the pleasure of dealing with controversial Charlton owner Ronald Duchatelet.

Bowyer guided Charlton to the Championship, via the play-offs in 2019, and were only relegated last term on the final day without their wantaway striker Lyle Taylor, who refused to play after the restart.

The Addicks are now at the top of the League One standings once more, sitting in third place, three points behind the league leaders with a game in hand too.

What is most interesting about his potential candidacy is the fact that he’s worked with both Chelsea loanee Conor Gallagher and summer arrival Karlan Grant before.

Bowyer once claimed that the £15m signing “causes problems and scores goals,” and you’d have to believe him considering the 23-year-old bagged 14 goals in just 29 appearances under him at The Valley.

Whilst Gallagher was lauded as an impossible-to-replace “jewel” who also has “unreal” work rate.

Sacking Bilic would be a mistake in itself, as outlined here, but if that were to happen, then the Baggies must consider Bowyer a genuine and serious candidate for the short-term.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Chris Kirkland tips Lai to make an imminent call…

Dean Smith could lose his beloved Douglas Luiz after reports emerged Serie A heavyweights Juventus have been offered the chance to sign the Aston Villa midfielder.

What’s the word?

According to TuttoMercatoWEB, Juve are keen to improve the core of Andrea Pirlo’s side at the Allianz Stadium, feeling the Italy icon has neglected the engine room this year.

Juventus parted ways with Miralem Pjanic and Blaise Matuidi in the summer and are expected to listen to offers for Sami Khedira in January, but without replacing the outcast trio with players who can provide personality, experience or charisma.

Top of Sporting Director Fabio Paratici’s shopping list is Sassuolo’s 22-year-old leader Manuel Locatelli, but a €40million (£36m) asking price has been deemed too extravagant after negotiations in the summer.

Arsenal’s Lucas Torreira, currently on loan with Atletico Madrid, has also been considered but without any enthusiasm, while intermediaries have proposed Luiz as a potential option after impressing with Aston Villa since joining Dean Smith’s side in 2019.

Though a €25m (£22.5m) valuation and Manchester City holding a buy-back clause appears to have resulted in little interest from the Turin outfit, who sit six points behind Serie A leaders AC Milan after nine games.

Exit signals

With it unspecified who put forward Luiz as a potential option to improve Pirlo’s midfield, rumours of the player being touted around to Europe’s elite should spark concern at Villa Park that Smith may soon lose a beloved member of his plans.

Luiz has started all nine of the Villans’ Premier League fixtures thus far this season and opened 28 of 36 appearances last term following a £15m move from Man City, where the five-time Brazil international had never featured in a competitive fixture.

Pep Guardiola’s Sky Blues hold a buy-back clause valued at £30m and could look fondly on the 22-year-old’s form in Birmingham in the future, though Smith noted recently that he does not fear an approach any time soon as he waxed lyrical over the midfielder’s talent.

“He’s done really well for Brazil,” Smith said, via quotes by BirminghamLive. “There’s been talk about a buy-back option. I’m not aware of it, I don’t deal with contracts. I deal with the players.

“What I know is Douglas Luiz is loving his time at Aston Villa and getting better and better. He’s performing very well for Brazil, as well. Long may that continue. Next summer’s a long way off for me, we’ve got 31 games in the Premier League left still so I’m concentrating on that.”

Luiz has averaged 4.3 duels won per Premier League game this season, plus 1.2 interceptions, 0.9 successful tackles, 0.9 clearances, 36.3 accurate passes and been credited with one assist, per SofaScore.

AND in other news: “It’s the perfect fit” – Exclusive: Pundit urges Wes Edens to sign 26-y/o superstar for Aston Villa.

Aston Villa striker Wesley Moraes is reportedly eying a return from his anterior cruciate ligament injury in the New Year but faces a mammoth struggle to prove himself all over again.

Supporters have not seen Wesley step foot on the pitch since New Year’s Day when carted off on a stretcher against Burnley, having appeared to twist his ankle in the follow-through of a robust challenge from Ben Mee.

Wesley had just begun to establish himself at Villa Park following a £22million transfer that summer, with the former Club Brugge hitman netting his fifth goal of the Premier League campaign at Turf Moor to open the scoring.

Aston Villa went on to win 2-1 against Burnley but were soon dealt the news that Wesley’s season was over alongside goalkeeper Tom Heaton, who similarly sustained a serious knee injury at Turf Moor.

But while 34-year-old shot-stopper Heaton returned to feature for the Villa Park natives’ Under 23s last month, Wesley continues his wait and is targeting his first taste of action in March – more than a year on from being carried off the field – according to BirminghamLive.

Barring any changes to Smith’s squad in the January window, Wesley’s return will be a huge boost to the Villans boss who has relied on summer signing Ollie Watkins to carry the burden in attack this season.

Watkins moved to the Birmingham-based outfit from Brentford for a club-record £33m in the off-season and has lit up the top-flight since with six goals in nine games, including a hat-trick over Liverpool and a brace at Arsenal in Man of the Match displays.

Smith is yet to hand starts to any other player at centre-forward this term, but will expect Wesley to challenge the 24-year-old once fit and prove himself to be worth the £35,000-per-week contract Villa are not currently benefiting from.

Though Wesley has a mountain to climb if he is to dethrone Watkins as all of his credit is spent, and he will return in March as if he is a new signing who must prove himself all over again.

Smith is already benefiting more from Watkins than he could with Wesley and in fewer games, too, as the Villans’ star of the season so far is averaging more shots (2.1) than the Brazilian achieved in 2019/20 (1.3), contributing more key passes (1.3 to 0.5), winning more aerial duels (4.1 to 3.3), taking more touches (37.9 to 29.5), winning more ground duels (3.4 to 2.0) and playing a higher number of accurate passes (15.1 to 12.5) per game in the Premier League, per SofaScore.

It will be up to Wesley to take the challenge to Watkins, but it will be Smith who decides if the Brazilian has a future at Villa Park beyond the season.

AND in other news, Dean Smith must demand more from his “erratic” £75,000-per-week Aston Villa favourite.

Following Man City’s 1-1 draw at home to West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday night, a result which means more dropped points in the Premier League, many Sky Blues ripped into one man after they couldn’t squeeze a last-gasp winner past Slaven Bilic’s side – with Benjamin Mendy at the centre of criticism from these supporters. 

Mendy, who started last night in place of usual makeshift left-back Joao Cancelo as the Portuguese was placed on the right, had been putting in some noteworthy performances recently – with the Frenchman scoring his first Premier League goal during a 5-0 romp at home to Burnley at the end of November.

The defender also played against Fulham as manager Pep Guardiola seems to call upon him regularly – appearing above fellow full-back option Oleksandr Zinchenko in the pecking order.

However, with the absence of his usual overlaps and powerful left-footed balls into the box on Tuesday evening, Mendy cut a largely ineffective figure – with Guardiola swapping him for Kyle Walker late on.

Criticising his performance, here’s what Sky Blues had to say on social media – find all of their verdicts down below.

Man City fans hammer Mendy

In other news: Man City fans buzzed over this ‘great news’, find out more here.

When Celtic took on Hearts on Sunday in the Scottish Cup final, it was an ideal opportunity for Neil Lennon to silence the doubters for a while.

Indeed, after the Hoops went 2-0 up it looked like positivity was finally going to be reached at Parkhead.

Ryan Christie sunk a stupendous opener when he curled the ball in from distance and then Odsonne Edouard cheekily found the back of the net from the penalty spot with a panenka.

It left Craig Gordon fuming but he was the more jubilant of the two goalkeepers as the clash went on.

In typical Celtic fashion, they were brushed aside in the second half and conceded two soft goals. Liam Boyce got behind Shane Duffy who was caught out of position to head home and then Stephen Kingsley equalised with just over 20 minutes to go.

Hearts were in the ascendency at this point and should have won the game before it went to extra-time. Josh Ginnelly had two brilliant opportunities but fired both high and wide.

Celtic’s defence were rather comical again and on a day when Lennon needed his senior figures to lead by example, they failed to help out an understandably nervous Conor Hazard.

The young stopper was making just his third appearance for the Hoops and after keeping the club’s first clean sheet since early November against Kilmarnock, he probably warranted his place.

However, his performance during normal time and then in extra-time proved why he still has work to do to be guaranteed a starting position. He lacked confidence, was clumsy and didn’t look up to the task.

Taking to Twitter, Edinburgh Sport writer Joel Sked said: “Conor Hazard. Three times he’s looked dodgy. The three times the ball has been within 40 yards of the Celtic goal.”

Indeed, the 22-year-old set the tone for a nervy performance after just 14 minutes. Hazard raced out to clear a through ball but completely missed it and allowed Steven Naismith to receive possession.

Fortunately for Hazard, he spurned the opportunity. The ‘keeper struggled all afternoon and his turgid day was summed up for the second and third Hearts goals

He was too weak as he allowed Naismith to bully him to one side which effectively led to a tap in for Kingsley. For the third, he came rushing out and failed to punch the ball before Christophe Berra could get to it. What followed was a tap in for Ginnelly who atoned for his earlier misses.

Celtic have had numerous problems with their goalkeepers this season. Vasilis Barkas made some howlers against AC Milan, while Scott Bain was no better when the Bhoys travelled to Prague in Europe.

This is a situation that should leave Lennon deeply concerned about who plays between the posts.

Forget the fact he saved two penalties from the spot in the shoot-out, Hazard’s contribution in normal time was not good enough. Had those errors not been made, Celtic wouldn’t have even needed penalties to win.

The Hoops now have a huge dilemma to sort out.

AND in other news, Lawwell MUST SELL “outstanding” Celtic ace with “dangerous episodes”…

After thrashing West Brom 5-0 away from home in the Premier League last time out, confidence will be through the roof at Leeds United.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side were imperious at the Hawthorns, dismantling the Baggies in a scintillating first-half display that saw them race to a 4-0 lead before the break.

So, with Tottenham coming up on Saturday, the Leeds boss may be reluctant to make any significant changes, but he might be tempted to unleash Jamie Shackleton.

The 21-year-old has yet to complete a full 90 minutes this season in the top-flight, but has been involved in the past five games, playing in a number of different roles, including right-back and central midfield.

And that versatility is something people have talked up. Speaking last year when Shackleton was just coming back injury, Noel Whelan raved about his ability, saying: “He is a favourite of the fans and a really lovely young man. He is so valuable to Marcelo Bielsa because he can play so many positions so well – right-back, central midfielder, number 10, wing-back.

“He is very quick, tenacious, really energetic, good on the ball, a real athlete, so his return at such a key point in the season is very welcome. Jamie has so much to offer and I’m sure he will have a big role to play in the second half of the season.”

Bielsa himself has gone on record to say how big of a fan he is of the versatile ace, saying: “Jamie has a maturity which does not correspond to his age. He plays like a veteran but he’s only 19.

“He can attack by surprise, he defends well and when he moves he has explosive movements. With these kind of movements he can surprise his opponent and he looks for space at the right time.”With Klich having a tough time as of late, Bielsa could throw Jose Mourinho off the scent by making a bold call to start Shackleton from the off.The 21-year-old’s energy and dynamism could be a real game-changer and add some fresh legs in the engine room.

West Ham’s focus is on one thing this January – finding a new striker.

Sebastien Haller departed the club for £20.25m last week as he swapped London for Amsterdam, joining European giants Ajax. Thus, a replacement is needed.

What’s the word?

The Hammers have been linked with a plethora of new strikers over the last few days from Patson Daka to Mariano Diaz.

However, in fresher news, it’s another Real Madrid attacker that’s on their radar. According to Caught Offside, West Ham have made an enquiry to sign Serbia striker Luka Jovic.

The report states that the Irons want to sign Jovic on an initial loan deal with an option to buy the forward in the summer.

He cost Madrid £52.4m just 18 months ago so they could be set to lose an almighty profit on the Serb.

The east Londoners were interested in Jovic during the summer months but a deal failed to materialise.

Their new Tevez

It would be typical of West Ham to sign the 23-year-old just as Haller has left. The duo were sensational together for Frankfurt in the 2018/19 campaign, bagging a combined 47 goals.

Landing Jovic, though, would certainly not be a bad thing. Although he’s scored just twice since penning terms with Real, he is a breathtaking striker capable of changing a game.

He scored 27 in one season for Frankfurt only two seasons ago and he’s held in remarkably high esteem by one of the greatest ever; Lionel Messi.

Speaking about the attacker, Messi once stated: “[He’s a] magical player who makes the impossible possible.”

That is a glistening review for a player who could well be West Ham’s new Carlos Tevez. The bullish striker was an instinctive predator and found the net on seven occasions in just 29 games for the Irons. That was before he went onto have a sparkling career with Manchester City and Manchester United, eventually ending with 84 Premier League strikes in just 202 outings.

Tevez was a ruthless poacher who more often than not, found the back of the net from close range. This is nearly the spitting image of Jovic, a forward who enjoys bullying defenders inside the area.

In an analysis from Football Whispers, they defined the youngster like so: “Ultimately, Jovic is a striker’s striker. Quick and instinctive with an excellent appreciation of space and inert knowledge of where the goal is.”

That could very well describe Tevez too, someone who was very much as dynamic as Jovic is.

Of course, the Serb is yet to live up to the Argentine’s dizzy heights but he’s still a very young player. With time on his side, he’d be a superb addition from David Sullivan and West Ham’s hierarchy.

AND in other news, Sullivan masterclass: WHU can seal best signing since Payet with “skilful” £25m star…

In his exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Carlton Palmer has criticised Manchester United defender Luke Shaw for his decision-making during the 2-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side laboured to a 1-0 victory over Watford at Old Trafford on Saturday night, although there were a few positives as Alex Telles shone in Shaw’s absence.

Shaw is something of a divisive figure amongst United supporters, as he was slammed by some fans for his poor performance against Pep Guardiola’s side.

He was subject to constant stinging criticism from Jose Mourinho during his ill-fated time at Old Trafford.

And Palmer was left unimpressed with Shaw’s display as he looked out of sorts on the left-hand side of the defence in the middle of last week.

He told FFC:

“I’ve constantly had a beef with Luke Shaw because he never looks fit to me and he always looks like he’s carrying weight.

“If you look at him as a defender, some of the decisions he makes – he’ll cut across somebody and block somebody, rather than challenge them.

“I can point out numerous times he’s done that in games. He’s a talented boy but I can see why managers like Mourinho would criticise him.”

Telles has shaken off a slow start for Solskjaer’s side with two goal contributions in seven appearances across all competitions.

Shaw’s time at Old Trafford has been a little more questionable, although he has shown signs of improvement this season. He was caught napping by Raheem Sterling and John Stones and failed to register a single tackle in the entire game.

With Brandon Williams itching to leave on loan, it remains to be seen who will stake their claim in the coming weeks and months.

AND in other news, Manchester United’s Alex Telles stole the show in FA Cup victory over Watford…