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Fabrizio Romano has revealed the latest on Newcastle United’s search for a new manager, including the latest on Paulo Fonseca.

What’s the story?

Having finally come to terms with the removal of Steve Bruce, the Magpies can now firmly turn their attentions towards hiring a new boss, and Romano has indicated that the race is still very much open at the moment.

Writing on Twitter on Wednesday lunch-time, he initially said: “Paulo Fonseca and Lucien Favre are still among ‘options’ on Newcastle list for manager role. No talks with Antonio Conte as things stand now. Fonseca, open to discuss. #NUFC Talks opened few days ago with Fonseca, Favre is waiting too. Nothing agreed yet. Race still open.”

Then, on early Thursday morning, he added: “Newcastle decision on new manager will take some days. Paulo Fonseca would be open to accept and excited for this opportunity after Spurs job chance collapsed at final stages last summer – but Newcastle are in talks with many candidates. #NUFC Race still open for Magpies job.”

A new era at Newcastle United

Perhaps the most exciting thing for Newcastle United fans – aside from the obvious of Bruce being out – is the sheer calibre of managers being linked with the top job at St James’ Park.

Both Fonseca and Lucien Favre have won big trophies at their previous clubs, while Antonio Conte is arguably the biggest of the lot.

He led Inter to the Serie A title last season, and has already of course won the Premier League and FA Cup in his previous stint as manager at Chelsea. His experience of the English game could also be a major drawing point for PIF.

While Amanda Staveley and co will be looking for a rebuild, targeting proven European managers with considerable experience managing in the top leagues and competing in the Champions League too, is something that will surely delight Magpies supporters.

Meanwhile, Craig Hope has delivered his own Newcastle United manager update…

Many Everton fans have been left fuming at some comments that have been made by Cenk Tosun.

In an interview shared by Fanatik earlier this week, which has since been shared by Everton Blue Army on their Twitter page, the striker has admitted that he has ‘no intention’ of returning to Besiktas in the January transfer window, despite reports linking him with a move.

He also claimed that he wants to finish the season at Goodison Park, in other words ruling himself out of a move this month.

Tosun has not exactly lit up the stadium when he has played, scoring a mere 11 goals in 59 matches in total over all competitions for the Merseyside club (Transfermarkt), and earning £60,000-per-week in wages, it seems as if he needs to go so that they can use the money spent on him elsewhere.

Nonetheless, a lot of Toffees supporters were far from happy with his comments.

Everton fans on Tosun comments

These Blues fumed as the comments were shared on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that Tosun is a ‘wage thief’:

“Absolutely stealing a living for years”

Credit: @peterlarlewis

“Terminate his contract.”

Credit: @chankin87

“Definition of wage thief.”

Credit: @SilentBlueGiant

“ANOTHER FAILURE”

Credit: @Harj_Badwal

“1 of our many wage thieves we’ve invested in. Absolute garbage.”

Credit: @PaulJac79893601

“Horrible him”

Credit: @bluetom_tom

In other news, find out what ‘quality’ footage has Evertonians stunned here!

Speaking to GiveMeSport, journalist Michael Bridge of Sky Sports has been praising the recruitment of Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou. 

The lowdown: Shrewd spender

Since being appointed at Celtic Park in June 2021, the 56-year-old has set about scouting world football for high-quality options to bolster the Hoops’ squad.

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Signings such as Liel Abada from Maccabi Petah Tikva, Carl Starfelt from Rubin Kazan and Kyogo Furuhashi from Japanese outfit Vissel Kobe all arrived as relative unknowns before becoming almost instant successes in Glasgow.

As the Bhoys stand on the brink of winning the Scottish Premiership title, much of the credit is being placed at the door of Postecoglou…

The latest: Bridge hails transfer nous

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Bridge, who works for Sky Sports, has lauded the Greek-Australian’s impact in the market.

“You’ve got to give credit to Celtic and their manager Ange Postecoglou. He’s just come in and steamrollered it. If you look at Rangers in the table, they’re not actually doing that bad, they’ve not lost a lot. They’ve just drawn too many games, and they’ve lost to Celtic a couple of times.

“Celtic have brought in this manager from Japan, people scoffed at it. Let’s not forget, that’s where Wenger came from. He’s bought four Japanese players who’ve absolutely ripped the league to shreds. He’s bought other good players as well.”

The verdict: Unequivocal success

It’s hard to argue with Bridge’s view as the Hoops march on towards a potential league and cup double in Postecoglou’s first season at Parkhead.

Having walked into a squad devoid of confidence, the former Australian national team coach has galvanised those existing players whilst also unearthing a host of diamonds in the transfer market.

Kyogo, Abada and Starfelt have all settled into life at Celtic seamlessly, whilst the likes of loan arrivals Jota and Cameron Carter-Vickers have been nothing short of a revelation this season.

January signings Daizen Maeda, Matt O’Riley and Reo Hatate have all made bright beginnings in their own Bhoys careers too and it would appear inevitable that Postecoglou would be back once again in the upcoming summer market.

In other news, former Celtic striker Chris Sutton has been left fuming. Read more here.

Crystal Palace have been enjoying a promising season so far, and Patrick Vieira is now in a position to lead his side to a top-half finish if they can find a good run of form in the last few months of the season.

The club enjoyed a busy transfer window in the summer and have been linked with a few players this month, but emulating the previous transfer window could be off the cards.

What’s the word?

Sky Sports journalist Michael Bridge has made a fresh claim on the likely scenario for the rest of the winter transfer window in terms of the Eagles adding players to their squad during January.

He told GiveMeSport: “Things are going pretty well under Patrick Vieira at the moment. He would like to add maybe one or two, but from what I’m told, they’re happy. And it would have to take a bit of a crisis injury wise to change that at the moment.”

Palace have been strongly linked with two players over the last few weeks, with both Eddie Nketiah and Bamba Dieng having their names put forward as potential targets for the south London club. However, nothing has materialised as of yet, and no bids have been made for either player.

Fans will be fuming

With nine draws in the Premier League this season, there have been plenty of missed opportunities to rack up a few more wins and push even higher up the table. The loss of two points late on against Brighton on Friday night, and the concession of a last-gasp equaliser in the reverse fixture in September, illustrates as such.

Being linked with attacking players such as Nketiah and Dieng could well have strengthened Vieira’s options when it comes to maximising output in the final third of the pitch.

Some Palace fans have been outlining the positions where they feel the squad need strengthening this month, but Bridge’s update suggests that supporters waiting on new arrivals in January will be left fuming.

Although the Eagles are lodged in a comfortable mid-table position, all it takes is a handful of injuries to key players for their squad to suddenly appear threadbare. Therefore, it could be a source of frustration that the club seem content not to bolster their playing ranks this month while they are getting the opportunity to do so.

In other news: Journalist drops huge update on Eagles target Eddie Nketiah

Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side threw down a huge gauntlet in the Premiership title race with a devastating performance in tonight’s Old Firm clash, with the Bhoys running out comfortable 3-0 winners at Parkhead.

In a whirlwind first half, Reo Hatate continued the breathtaking start to his Celtic career with two stunning long-range strikes that saw Celtic race into a two-goal lead, before the Japan international put Liel Abada on a plate with a pinpoint cross to make it 3-0 shortly before the interval.

The second half was much less dramatic, with the Hoops appearing happy to drop further back and allow the visitors more time on the ball – something that Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side failed to capitalise on, with the scoreline remaining 3-0 when the final whistle blew.

However, while Hatate will undoubtedly steal tomorrow morning’s headlines, it will perhaps be the performance of Josip Juranovic that will have most pleased Postecoglou on Wednesday night – as the right-back played a crucial role in a victory that Chris Sutton dubbed an “absolute pumping” of the former league leaders.

“Absolutely outstanding”

Over the course of his 90 minutes on the pitch, the Croatia international turned in a performance of the highest quality – both in a defensive and offensive capacity.

At the back, the £3.6m-rated defender made five tackles, one interception, two clearances, blocked two shots and won six of his nine duels – a success rate of 67%.

Going forwards, the 26-year-old completed one cross, three long balls, made one key pass and enjoyed 63 touches of the ball – the seventh-most of any player to feature in the match.

These returns saw the £16k-per-week dynamo earn a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.7, ranking him as the joint third-best player to feature in the derby – with Sutton dubbing his display as “absolutely outstanding.”

Indeed, it is easy to see why the former Celtic centre-forward felt this way, as Juranovic’s calmness in possession of the ball, solidity when defending and ability to set his side off on counter-attacks was clear for all to see on Wednesday, with the defender playing a crucial role in what is arguably the Bhoys’ biggest result of the season.

In other news: Maeda & Kyogo in, “outstanding” 20 G/A beast axed: Celtic’s strongest XI after January

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Tottenham fans have taken to Twitter to react after their former player Nabil Bentaleb hit a double against Manchester City in the Champions League.

The Spurs academy graduate left the club to sign for Bundesliga side Schalke back in 2017 after spending a season on loan with the German team, and has gone from strength to strength at the Veltins Arena.

On Wednesday night, the Algerian international got fans talking after scoring a brace from the penalty spot against Pep Guardiola’s reigning Premier League champions, which looked like it would give them an unlikely win but for Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling’s late heroics.

The 24-year-old has now scored eight goals this season in what has been an eye-catching campaign for him personally – impressively, he has also scored all 14 of his penalties for the club.

It must’ve been a proud moment for Spurs fans to see their academy graduate make an impact in the Champions League, so let’s see how they reacted on Twitter to Bentaleb’s performance…

Leeds United have confirmed that goalkeeping coach Marcos Abad has signed a new deal at Elland Road, which will surely come as a big boost for the club.

The Lowdown: Abad has contributed to record-breaking feats

The 36-year-old has been with the Whites since 2017, having enjoyed spells at Elche and Middlesbrough beforehand. Since then, Abad has played a key role in Leeds’ success under Marcelo Bielsa, helping to get the best out of the likes of Illan Meslier and Kiko Casilla.

Indeed, the French shot-stopper broke the record for being the youngest Premier League ‘keeper to keep 10 clean sheets earlier this year at the age of just 21 years and 54 days, two months after he became the first ‘keeper in Premier League to record eight clean sheets in a single season prior to the age of 21. Those record-breaking feats highlighting Abad’s impact and contribution at Leeds, his coaching skills clearly paying off for Meslier.

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The Latest: Abad signs new deal

On Tuesday, Leeds confirmed on their official website that Abad has extended his stay at Elland Road until 2025.

His previous deal had been due to expire next summer, but he has now been rewarded for his fine work in Yorkshire with this contract extension.

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The Verdict: Big boost for Leeds

Abad has clearly made a positive impact during his time at Leeds, as seen by Meslier’s heroics, so this is a significant boost for the Whites, keeping hold of somebody who the club described as an integral figure.

He is clearly his own man, but there could perhaps an argument to say that this could hint towards Bielsa potentially staying put beyond the end of this season. The Argentine could arguably have planned to take Abad with him if he were planning to leave but the Spaniard has now committed his long-term future to the club.

It is not only a big boost in itself given his impact at Elland Road, but might just be a significant step towards Bielsa following suit in the coming months.

In other news, Phil Hay has provided an update on Marcelo Bielsa’s future. Read more here.

West Ham have turned down the advances of several Premier League clubs with regards to interest in Hammers midfielder Manuel Lanzini.

The Lowdown: Lanzini a fringe player

For much of this season, West Ham’s strongest team has been able to pick itself, with the likes of Declan Rice, Tomas Soucek and Pablo Fornals the clear key figures in midfield.

Lanzini hasn’t featured in the starting lineup regularly in 2021/22 to date, only making three appearances from the off in the Premier League, with another eight coming from the substitutes’ bench.

It has led to speculation surrounding the 28-year-old’s future, with a move away potentially affording him the chance to play more minutes.

The Latest: West Ham reject interest

According to TEAMtalk, however, Lanzini is happy at the London Stadium and doesn’t intend on leaving the club any time soon, and the Irons have rebuffed all approaches thus far.

There’s apparently interest from numerous top-flight clubs, with Leeds United, Newcastle United, Everton, Aston Villa and Southampton all mentioned in the report.

The Verdict: Still an important figure

Squad depth at West Ham is vital if they are to push for a top-four finish and Lanzini remains a hugely important player, in that respect.

Granted, he may be not be considered one of the first names on the team sheet but he has provided moments of real quality down the years and he remains at peak age.

Injuries and fatigue are likely to arrive as the season progresses and that could allow Lanzini a way back into the team, at which point he needs to seize his chance.

Lanzini has an incredible pass completion rate of 93.7% in the league this season, highlighting his technical ability – nobody has a higher average out of Hammers players who have started at least one game, while he is 2nd in the league overall, the only non-Manchester City player in the top four in that category.

In other news, an update has emerged regarding one rumoured West Ham target. Find out who it is here.

Leeds are thought to be watching Nottingham Forest star Brennan Johnson, however, he had an afternoon to forget against Luton Town on Friday.

This forms part of our Transfer Watch series, where we react to a performance from a current transfer target.

The Lowdown: Leeds watching

Victor Orta confirmed last month that he tried to sign the Forest star for Leeds when he was just 16 years of age.

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Johnson is now catching the eye in the Championship in what has been a breakthrough campaign at the City Ground, contributing to 22 goals in all competitions.

Journalist Pete O’Rourke revealed in the week that the Whites are watching the 20-year-old closely, however, Johnson struggled at Kenilworth Road in his latest performance.

The Latest: 100% duels lost

Forest fell to a rare defeat on Friday but still occupy a play-off place with six games to go.

As per SofaScore, Johnson played in an attacking midfield role behind two strikers but struggled to make an impact, failing to complete a successful dribble and having just 26 touches all afternoon. Johnson also lost 100% of his duels, gave possession away 10 times and committed two fouls.

The Verdict: Sign if Forest remain in the Championship?

Even though Johnson failed to impress on Friday, he appears to be a shrewd target for the Whites, should Forest fail to earn promotion to the Premier League.

O’Rourke believes he could be a smart replacement for Raphinha, who is heavily linked with a move to Barcelona, and Johnson’s latest display appears to show he isn’t suited to an attacking midfield role.

The Wales international has had success on both wings and as a centre-forward in 2021/22 but has contributed to just one goal in five games as an attacking midfielder.

Therefore, although Orta may not have been impressed with Johnson on Friday, it could give him extra knowledge of where Johnson’s strengths lie and a move should still be pursued if the Reds remain in the second tier.

In other news: Leeds and Orta want ‘extraordinary’ ace in Bosman move; same agent as Bamford. 

Leeds ambassador Noel Whelan believes Jesse Marsch has a new ‘problem’ with Dan James in a central attacking role, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: James’ Elland Road career

James finally made the move to Yorkshire last summer in a deal worth over £26m. Since then, the Wales international has made 30 appearances for the Whites, scoring four goals and registering four assists.

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He has been used as a centre-forward more than a winger at Elland Road due to Patrick Bamford’s injury struggles, once again occupying a central role in the 1-1 draw with Southampton on Saturday.

The 24-year-old was withdrawn on the hour mark for Joe Gelhardt, and Whelan thinks he may drop out of the starting line up for the trip to Watford on Saturday.

The Latest: Whelan’s comments

Whelan, now a Leeds employee, described ‘the problem’ to FI with James and said he may ‘have to make way’ for Rodrigo or Gelhardt.

“The problem with Dan James in that striker position is that he’s playing like a winger.

“His runs are always the same – in behind and using his pace. But part of a striker’s job is playing with your back to goal, holding the ball up and trying to bring others into play.

“That’s where Gelhardt or Rodrigo would be a more natural choice. I think if James is going to play going forward, it will have to be on that wing.

“With Jack Harrison getting the goal and Raphinha on the other wing, it could be that he’ll have to make way.

“I like to see these jigsaw pieces playing in the correct positions.”

The Verdict: Options limited

Gelhardt would be the natural replacement to lead the line, with Rodrigo just in behind, but he too has suffered a problem, hobbling off for the Under-23s on Monday.

The initial diagnosis was a dead leg, however, the teenager could be in a race against time to play a key role at Vicarage Road, which could result in James once again occupying a centre-forward role.

He has shown at times how much of a threat he can be there, scoring twice against Aston Villa in February, but since then, he hasn’t found the net, so if Gelhadt is ready from the off, it could be a wise move to make a change.

In other news: Elland Road source: Marsch and Orta now ready to axe ‘horrible’ Leeds ace after woeful season.