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Newcastle United are reportedly plotting a move for Mallik Wilks in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Wilks on fire this season

Wilks has been on fire for Hull City in the 2020/21 term, with no fewer than 31 goal contributions in 50 games in total over all competitions (Transfermarkt).

A player that is capable of playing anywhere across the front line, he would certainly add some welcome squad depth at St. James’ Park.

The Latest: Newcastle plot Wilks move

As per Football Insider, the Tyneside club are plotting a move to bring Wilks to the North East once the summer transfer window officially opens.

However, Crystal Palace also hold a strong interest in the former Leeds United product, as a recruitment source has told the news outlet that his form has caught the eye of many teams at the top of the English game.

The Verdict: Newcastle should sign Wilks

Even though Wilks has been playing in League One, two divisions below the Premier League, 31 goals and assists combined is not something to be sniffed at.

At just 22 years of age, the six-foot ace still has a lot of potential as well, and will be hungry to climb up the footballing pyramid as he continues his development.

Nonetheless, the Magpies could do a lot worse than sign up Wilks, whose proven end product would ease the attacking burden off of the likes of Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin.

In other news, find out what promising insight Lee Ryder has shared from takeover observers on arbitration here!

West Bromwich Albion manager Valerien Ismael has dropped an update on the future of on-loan centre-forward Jordan Hugill.

What’s the talk?

In recent comments cited by Birmingham Live, the 46-year-old Baggies boss refused to rule out the possibility of Hugill making a return to Norwich City before the end of the month, with the Frenchman revealing that he held talks with the 29-year-old forward regarding his future at The Hawthorns following the club’s recent £7m signing of Daryl Dike.

Speaking about Hugill, Ismael said: “We had a chat with Jordan earlier this week. It’s clear. I told him my opinion, my vision, he got clarity. It’s not only about Jordan. I’ve been here now – with my staff – for six months and we gave a chance to everyone. We have an overview of all the players, we know what we want to see and at some point you have to make a decision.

“Sometimes when you make a decision it could be painful for people but it’s important to make that decision to move forward and to make sure we do the right thing for the club. We want to see West Brom having success short term and long-term so at some point you have to make a decision for the club. I think anything can happen until January 31. My expectation now is more that something happens with outgoings.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how poor Hugill has been since his arrival in West Bromwich on a season-long loan deal last summer, Ismael’s suggestion that the centre-forward could be in line to make an early departure from The Hawthorns is sure to have left the club’s fanbase buzzing.

Indeed, over his 20 Championship appearances so far this season, the £1.62m-rated man has scored just one goal, has failed to register a single assist and has missed a whopping nine big chances for his side, in addition to hitting the target with just 0.4 shots and making a mere 0.3 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the £36k-per-week forward average an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.56, ranking him as Albion’s fifth-worst performer in the second tier of English football.

As such, it is evident that Hugill is simply not up to the standard required for a side who are pushing for automatic promotion back to the Premier League this season, leading us to believe that Ismael should indeed send the 29-year-old back to Norwich this month.

In other news: Fewer touches than Button: £14k-p/w flop must surely have played his last game for WBA

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…

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

Manchester United have been handed a considerable double injury boost ahead of their crunch clash with AC Milan.

According to the Red Devils’ official Twitter account, midfield pair of Donny van de Beek and Paul Pogba have returned to training ahead of the game at the San Siro.

The Dutchman has been out for the last eight games with a muscular injury. Meanwhile, Pogba has been restricted to the sidelines since early February.

Their respective returns give Red Devils’ boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer plenty of options as the team travel to Italy.

The Norwegian now has the choice to either rotate in Milan and bring the duo straight back in, or indeed slowly reintroduce them with substitute appearances ahead of what is set to be a hectic conclusion to the campaign.

However, with the likes of Scott McTominay, Fred and Nemanja Matic all stepping up to great effect recently, the United boss may not feel all too rushed in bringing either Pogba or van de Beek back too quickly.

Despite that excellent news, there was a negative piece of news from Solskjaer, with Edinson Cavani not travelling to Milan despite also returning to training.

The Uruguayan has missed the last three games and was thought to be ready to return against Milan to alleviate United’s current attacking injury crisis, with Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial have each suffered their own problems.

However, having not travelled to Italy, the former Napoli man will not be able to have a telling impact on the clash against the Rossoneri.

United continue to challenge on three fronts in the Premier League, UEFA Europa League and FA Cup so the fact that Solskjaer can welcome back his midfield duo for the closing months, and for the game against Milan, will be a huge boost.

AND in more news, read how a battle between a former Red Devils hero and Harry Maguire could be key in deciding the victors at the San Siro…

Juan Foyth arrived at Tottenham Hotspur with a lot of potential.

After an impressive debut season at senior level for Estudiantes, former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino swooped for the then 19-year-old for just £8m in the summer of 2017.

He was certainly earmarked as one for the future upon arrival, Pochettino told the official website:

“Juan is so young, he’s 19, but he’s started to show his potential. There were a lot of teams interested in him but he wanted to sign for us and that’s fantastic because he’s a big talent with big potential.

“He’s a player for the future who will need to adapt his game now to the Premier League and Tottenham. He’s young and needs to improve and learn. He will be great for us.”

Now, nearly four years later, there is a decision to make on the Argentinian defender – is he good enough to be part of Spurs’ future? You’d have to suggest that he’s not.

Despite Spurs losing veteran defender Jan Vertonghen in the summer, Foyth was still considered surplus to requirements by Jose Mourinho as he shipped him out on loan to Villarreal.

Reports have since emerged suggesting that the La Liga outfit would be keen to keep hold of his services permanently, but may not be able to afford the €15m (£13m) option in the current deal.

Considering Transfermarkt value the 23-year-old centre-back around £9m, the north Londoners – and chairman Daniel Levy, in particular – should take what they can for him.

Spurs’ defensive issues have been well-documented this season. Mourinho cannot decide which is his best partnership between Eric Dier, Davinson Sanchez and Toby Alderweireld, and all three have been at fault for numerous individual errors at times throughout the current campaign.

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And on Sunday, Joe Rodon delivered a major statement to stake a claim at keeping his place in the starting XI. We’ve since gone onto explain the merits of his ability, and how he could be the solution Mourinho desperately needs in this article.

You’ve also got speculation suggesting that the Spurs boss is keen to sign a new centre-back in the transfer window – one that could create a similar impact to that of Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool or Ruben Dias at Man City, according to the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick.

So any way back for Foyth in N17 seems rather unlikely.

Injuries have largely hampered his stint in Spain, having been restricted to only ten league starts and 1,466 minutes in all competitions, via WhoScored.

When you dig deeper, you’ll find that Foyth appears to be undergoing an identity crisis. Villarreal boss Unai Emery has utilised him at centre-back, right-back, defensive and central midfield in his last seven starts alone.

That’s doing Mourinho no favours in his ability to see whether or not he could come straight back into Spurs’ first-team set-up. At this point, he’s probably better off leaving.

If Foyth had anything special about him, then we’d have seen him more than just 32 times in three-and-a-half years. Levy must move him on in the summer, for the good of both the player and the club.

He’d be merely stealing a living sitting on Spurs’ bench or playing for the U23 squad. Just look at Danny Rose.

AND in other news, Valued at £90m in 2019, now worth £26m: Spurs “animal” continues to crash under Jose…

Everton are interested in signing £27m-rated Atalanta defender Merih Demiral this summer and he could be the perfect replacement for Michael Keane.

What’s the story?

According to journalist Yakup Cinar (via Goodison News) Everton are among several sides who are “interested” in signing the 24-year-old who’s is currently on loan at Atalanta from Juventus.

They have the option to make the move permanent in the summer for £23.5m, but could potentially sell Demiral on for a profit like they did with Cristian Romero. When interviewed by TuttoJuve.com Cinar said that the interest in the player is high.

He’s miles better than Keane

Everton are battling for survival at the moment and are currently in the relegation zone. Whether or not they stay in the Premier League this summer doesn’t change the fact that they need a squad overhaul.

Many of their current players have underperformed massively this season, and one of those is defender Michael Keane, who Demiral could replace if he is brought to Goodison Park.

Keane has featured several times for the Toffees this season and has been a key part of their troubled defence. They have only managed to keep six clean sheets in the league all campaign, and it has led to Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher rightly calling their back four “Championship level”.

Demiral has been described by outlet Goal as a “brick wall” and at 6 foot 2, he is a strong presence in the box. He impressed when facing English side Manchester United in the group stage of the Champions League earlier this season, scoring versus the Red Devils and winning 100% of his duels in a 3-2 defeat, so he has proven himself against Premier League opposition already.

The Turkey international is a force in the air, being ranked in the top 2% when it comes to aerial duals won compared with other centre backs in Europe’s top five leagues over the last year.

When you compare him directly to Keane he’s also better on the ball with a higher pass completion percentage of 87.5% compared to 77.3%. He’s also tackled a higher percentage of dribblers than the Englishman.

If Demiral is available at a decent price in the summer then Frank Lampard should look no further than him to solve their issues at the back. At 24 he can also be a figurehead at the club for years to come.

IN other news: More misery: Alan Myers drops four-word Everton claim that’ll leave supporters fuming…

West Brom boss Sam Allardyce is eyeing a reunion with one of his former players, according to reports…

What’s the word?

French outlet L’Equipe (via GFFN), claim the Baggies have been in contact with Ligue 1 side Bordeaux over the possibility of signing 22-year-old forward Josh Maja before Monday’s transfer deadline.

The former Sunderland youth product has slipped down the pecking order at Les Girondins, and Allardyce knows the player from his time in charge of the Black Cats.

Maja is valued at €7m (£6m) by CIES Football Observatory and is thought to be on around £57k-per-week.

Big Sam’s next Defoe?

Another player that Allardyce had during one of his ‘great escapes’ was Jermain Defoe, coincidentally also at the Stadium of Light. The former Spurs and England marksman was a catalyst in the 2015/16 campaign.

He bagged 13 of his 15 league goals under Big Sam, which included a late winner in a 3-2 win over Chelsea, a goal against eventually relegated Norwich and a last-minute equaliser against Liverpool.

The ‘firefighter’ built his team around the diminutive 5 foot 7 forward, and it paid dividends and given that Maja was mentored by Defoe, the Baggies boss could be looking to repeat that here.

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Speaking about the veteran’s influence, Maja told Touchline Fracas (via Sunderland Echo):

“Jermain Defoe was probably one of my biggest admirers because I think he just liked the fact that I was good at finishing.“He liked me a lot and was able to give me advice on different tips, different ways of finishing, disguising keepers, disguising defenders, short back lift, different techniques and it was a good time because Sunderland were doing well, I was learning and I was getting experience and I was enjoying my time.”The 22-year-old would leave Sunderland for Bordeaux in a £1.5m deal in 2019 where he has had mixed success. Last term, he bagged eight times in all competitions despite only playing a total of 894 minutes, whilst he’s only added a further two goals this campaign, via Transfermarkt.It was Allardyce who first spotted his potential as a young teenager in the north-east, so perhaps he can be the man to get even more lucrative returns out of him. He wrote in the club programme: “The talent is there with Josh and the question is, can the player develop his talent so that he is knocking on the door of the first-team?”Whilst local journo Phil Smith dubbed Maja a “unique talent” and claimed that he was “gutted” to see him leave, a little over two years to the day.If the Albion hierarchy can strike a deal for the 5 foot 11 dynamo, it could see Big Sam unearth his next Defoe, and both the club and the manager will be hoping that he too can be their survival saviour – just like the 38-year-old in 2016.

AND in other news, Exclusive: West Brom urged to sign Premier League outcast…

A number of Aston Villa fans were unimpressed with winger Anwar El Ghazi in the 2-1 win over Tottenham on Wednesday evening.

Dean Smith recorded his 50th win as Villa boss, with a Sergio Reguilon own goal and an Ollie Watkins winner silencing 10,000 Tottenham fans.

However, it was El Ghazi’s display that had plenty of Villa supporters talking on social media, and not for the right reasons.

The 26-year-old made his 16th Premier League start of the season and 30th appearance in all competitions, playing the entirety of the game.

He was actually Villa’s worst-rated performer, as per SofaScore, with a match rating of 6.5/10. The Dutch international was coming up against Japhet Tanganga and lost 13 duels in total, while also losing possession 16 times.

El Ghazi also missed a great chance to put Villa 3-1 up after being set up by club captain Jack Grealish.

Villa fans react

This is what these Villa fans had to say about the wide man, with one describing his performance as ‘putrid’.

“El Ghazi having a bad game, Maybe time for a change”Credit: @helena_geary”El Ghazi been really poor again today.”Credit: @caguitar”El Ghazi has been putrid today. So lightweight.”Credit: @Holy_Trinity_AV”Absolutely shocking miss from El Ghazi”Credit: @Hodsie”El Ghazi an important part of the attacking quartet tonight, but my God he is frustrating”Credit: @AVFC_AndyC”El Ghazi isn’t having the best of games is he”Credit: @FloppyChicken92

In other news: ‘Wow’, ‘Exactly what we need’ – Many Aston Villa fans erupt as links to ‘unreal’ ace emerge, find out more here. 

Daniel Levy could be about to make a massive mistake at Tottenham Hotspur…

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, Spurs are planning to sell midfielder Dele Alli despite him featuring in the final five matches of the 2020/21 Premier League season.

A source told the website that the North London outfit will still listen to offers for the £26m-rated star this summer.

Ex-manager Jose Mourinho wanted to sell the 25-year-0ld in the last transfer window but a reunion with Mauricio Pochettino at Paris Saint-Germain was blocked by Levy – now he appears to have changed his stance.

Huge mistake

A lot is likely to happen at Spurs this summer, not at least because they need to find their next manager, first and foremost. He should then probably be the one to make the decision on Alli, not Levy or anyone else in the club’s hierarchy.

Alli showed glimpses of life in these final few matches and that should not result in him being put in the shop window.

Given the situation surrounding his teammate Harry Kane, he’s likely to be very much needed next season as Spurs cannot afford to lose all of their top talents.

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It’s thought that the 27-year-old is pushing to leave the club after another season ended without silverware, with both Manchester clubs – who are in each of the European finals – mooted with interest, as per Sky Sports.

Without their leading talisman, Spurs are a far weaker prospect and are less attractive to any new manager – take out Alli, who still is nowhere near reaching his peak, then there aren’t many pegs to build a team around.

He was once lauded as a “freak of a talent” having pocketed a second successive Young PFA Player of the Year award and scored a whopping 18 goals from midfield during the 2016/17 season.

And interim head coach Ryan Mason found a way to reintegrate him after Mourinho left him as an outcast for the majority of the season.

Alli started their last five games for the very first time this season and even provided an assist. He had only started twice before that, as per Transfermarkt.

You can’t help but feel that Kane’s future is out of Levy’s hands right now, so he really needs to be keeping around players like Alli for the new manager.

To sell a player before the new manager has had a chance to look at him and speak with him would be a disastrous decision by Levy and is one that he should not make.

AND in other news, Fresh twist emerges in Spurs manager hunt, Levy can right big mistake…