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Newcastle United want to sign both Sven Botman and Diego Carlos during the January transfer window, according to The Athletic’s Chris Waugh. 

The lowdown

Waugh’s colleague David Ornstein has written that Newcastle have as much as £100m available to spend this month, and they’ve only used £12m of that so far to sign Kieran Trippier from Atletico Madrid.

A double swoop for Lille’s Botman and Sevilla’s Carlos could end up consuming the vast majority of that budget, though, with The Daily Mail’s Simon Jones claiming that the duo could cost up to £70m.

The latest

In The Athletic’s matchday discussion on Saturday, a supporter asked Waugh if it was ‘likely to be one or the other’ of Botman or Carlos to be signed.

The journalist replied: “The plan seems to be both, Ben – which surprised me. I thought it would be one of the other, but they’d ideally like two signings.”

The verdict

How surprising is it that Newcastle are willing to plough so much money into their defence? Not very.

As per Understat, they have the joint-worst record in the Premier League in terms of goals conceded and the outright worst in terms of expected goals against. They are currently on course to concede a whopping 84, which would be only five short of the all-time record for a 20-team season in the league’s 30-year history.

The hope would be that Botman, who has been eyed by ‘an array of top clubs’, and Carlos, himself a former target of Liverpool and Manchester United, could turn a porous backline into a solid foundation. Waugh’s comments suggest that the Magpies mean business in trying to get at least one of them to Tyneside by the end of the month

In other news, Luke Edwards reveals Newcastle’s interest in this attacking talent

Many Everton fans have been left flocking to some manager news on Kasper Hjulmand.

As per Danish news outlet B.T., the Goodison Park faithful have now enquired about the Denmark national team coach, and are doing ‘concrete research’ on him in the view of him potentially succeeding Rafa Benitez.

The Spaniard is under pressure following their 4-1 loss at home to bitter rivals Liverpool in midweek, which has now seen them without a win eight games in the Premier League ahead of their visit of Arsenal on Monday night.

The poor run of form will reportedly see some supporters of the Merseyside club walk out during the 27th minute of the match in protest, due to it being 27 years now without a major trophy to their name.

Nonetheless, Hjulmand is one name on the shortlist due to his success with Denmark, in where he guided them to the semi-final of Euro 2020, as his team also became the third side to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

He also guided them to ninth spot in the official World Rankings in the process.

However, his record as a club manager is nowhere near as impressive, as he lasted just 21 games in his mist high-profile job at Mainz, and has no other experience of managing in any other major European league (Transfermarkt).

Of course, managing at club level is a lot different to the international stage, and so Toffees supporters seem split on his potential appointment.

Everton fans on Hjulmand news

These Blues flocked to the news as it was shared on Twitter:

“Don’t know much about him but he’s taken an about average Denmark team and put them in a good position. International footy is different, look at Southgate, but think it’s a decent shout.”

Credit: @1878_Shirts

“This would be amazing. Gets the best out of average players. We have a lot of average players”

Credit: @adam_drage

“Please”

Credit: @Shot_Stopper24

“Doesn’t look great on paper….. Biggest club gig was Mainz where he didn’t even last a season, started ok in the league then 1 win in 13. Lampard for me”

Credit: @keepitreal_82

“Another disaster”

Credit: @iamawayrightnow

“His record as a domestic manager is awful”

Credit: @AlmightyLard

In other news, find out what Marcel Brands news has Evertonians erupting here!

West Bromwich Albion have been had a number of concerns to attend to over the last week with a virus outbreak in the camp, and now an unexpected guest has made an appearance at The Hawthorns.

What’s the word?

West Brom journalist, Joseph Masi, dropped a bombshell yesterday afternoon on Twitter after revealing that the club’s controlling shareholder, Lai Guochuan, has made his first visit to the club for three years.

Masi put out a string of tweets, letting fans know what was happening;

“It is understood this is the first step towards Lai reintegrating himself back into the club. He had positive talks today with Ismael about the future and the upcoming January transfer window… #wba”

He then added;

“It’s believed Lai still wants to sell Albion. But he accepts a sale is unlikely in the foreseeable future. Therefore he wants to give his investment some TLC to help them back to the Premier League… #wba”

The 47-year-old businessman, who bought the club in 2016 for £200m, has gone to extreme lengths to make this visit, spending ten days in quarantine after flying to England, and when he does make the flight home to Guangzhou he will undergo a strict 28-day quarantine process, so the visit was clearly monumental for Lai.

Fans elated

Fans of West Bromwich Albion have always been vocal about their disappointment and anger towards Lai and his handling of the club, with many of them responding to Masi’s tweets about the visit to express their opinion;

One fan tweeted in response to Masi; “C’mon Joe this is absolute garbage… he’s doing all these fake meet & greets to smoke screen fans into believing he cares about our club. Attendances & interest is down currently. He’s a desperate man.”

Another fumed; “We want him gone too, to be honest. To sell we need to be in Premier League but he’s hoping we can go up without spending anything. Not happening. Cough up.”

Evidently, Baggies fans will be elated if Lai does eventually sell up so this update from Masi should provide them with some encouragement.

Supporters will definitely be expecting Lai to put his hands in his wallet this January as a lack of proper investment has, as a result, seen the club yo-yo-ing between the Championship and Premier League, with the side finding themselves unable to establish themselves in the top flight, facing constant relegation battles.

As a result, it’s clear to see that his time in the Midlands has not really been a success.

It will be intriguing to see what Lai’s next moves are for the club and whether he has a genuine interest in fixing the issues that West Brom currently face in a tight battle for automatic promotion.

The shareholder can make a real positive impact by signing players in January to help with goal-scoring, where the side is lacking compared to their two title rivals, Fulham and Bournemouth, and managing this problem could substantially increase the chances of promotion for the Baggies.

If he doesn’t do that, the discontent towards Lai will only grow deeper while the thought of him finally taking his leave will leave fans beaming with excitement.

In other news: Joseph Masi drops exciting behind the scenes claim

While things have started to look on the up for Wolverhampton Wanderers in recent weeks, having picked up 13 points from a possible 18 over their last six fixtures, Bruno Lage will nevertheless be hoping that his side turn in a much better performance than their last outing against West Ham United this weekend.

Indeed, prior to the international break, Wolves were comfortably brushed aside by Crystal Palace, with the 45-year-old’s men managing a mere two shots on target, as well as failing to create a single big chance, in the 2-0 defeat at Selhurst Park.

As such, considering their lack of cutting edge in the final third, it would seem highly advisable for the Portuguese boss to shake things up in his attacking lineup this weekend, with one player in particular looking to be an excellent candidate to step into the starting XI against the Hammers – in the shape of Daniel Podence.

Lage must unleash Podence

Despite having been handed only one Premier League start by Lage so far this season, Podence has nevertheless proven on a number of occasions that he would be more than deserving of a starting spot this weekend.

Indeed, over his 84 minutes on the pitch against a very strong Tottenham Hotspur side in the League Cup, the £22.5m-rated man was arguably Wolves’ star performer, scoring his side’s only goal of the game and earning a SofaScore match rating of 7.3 – the second-highest score of any Wolves player.

Furthermore, the 26-year-old’s introduction in the comeback victory against Aston Villa last month proved crucial to Wolves sealing all three points against their Midland rivals, with the £60k-per-week forward registering one assist, making one key pass and receiving a SofaScore match rating of 7.3 – despite only featuring for 16 minutes of the match.

As such, with Lage’s side having lacked any real attacking impetus against Palace, the 45-year-old simply must unleash the man Conor Coady dubbed “absolutely fantastic” this weekend, as Podence has already shown he is something of a game-changer.

In other news: Wolves dealt big setback on £51k-p/w gem who “players bounce off”, Shi surely fuming

Newcastle United are reportedly ‘in the running’ with clubs currently competing in the Champions League to sign Darwin Nunez.

The Lowdown: Interest there

Record (via Sport Witness) reported earlier in the month that the St James’ Park club were ‘tightening the siege’ for Nunez, implying that interest is well and truly there to bring him to Tyneside.

He is certainly catching the eye this season, with eight goals and two assists in 15 matches across all competitions with Benfica, including three goals in five Champions League matches (Transfermarkt).

His agent Edgardo Lasalvia claims that the striker is ‘destined for great things’, and at 22 years of age, the Uruguay international should only get better.

The Latest: Nunez update

According to Record (via Sport Witness), Newcastle are ‘in the running’ along with Champions League quartet Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Manchester City and Atletico Madrid for his signature.

Benfica are reluctant to sell him in the January transfer window, and it would require a club to pay his astronomical release clause, currently standing at €150m (£126.2m).

Therefore, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium at St James’ Park may need to wait until the summer if they wish to bring Nunez in.

The Verdict: Wait until summer

Nunez is certainly a player with a lot of promise, but paying £126.2m for him, even for the new mega-rich owners, is simply far too much.

The Magpies must wait until the summer before they make their move, as their fate will also become clear as to whether they have avoided relegation from the Premier League.

However, if they are still in the top flight, and if they can get him for a reasonable price, then Nunez is someone they should pursue.

With a 6 foot 2 frame, the forward has both the physical and aerial attributes to thrive in the Premier League, and his agent has even claimed that he has ‘a lot of things in common’ with Manchester United beast and fellow Uruguayan Edinson Cavani, a man who has scored an abundance of goals wherever he has played.

If he goes on to score as many goals and be as ruthless as Cavani has been over the next few years, then Newcastle would have a real player on their hands.

In other news, NUFC are eyeing up a move for this ‘exciting’ midfielder with a Kante-like engine

Keith Jackson says it’s ‘hard to see’ Connor Goldson remaining at Rangers as his contract ticks down. 

The lowdown

The contract Goldson signed on his arrival in Glasgow back in 2018 is due to expire at the end of May.

According to Football Insider, fellow Europa League outfit West Ham United are monitoring the situation with a view to a potential move in 2022.

Goldson has made 179 appearances for Rangers and won his first silverware at the club last season as Steven Gerrard’s side broke Celtic’s SPFL stranglehold.

He was named in the league’s official team of the season in recognition of his performances.

The latest

As part of The Daily Record’s Monday Jury, Jackson was asked whether Rangers should ‘push the boat out’ to keep Goldson or start looking for his replacement.

The prospects of Goldson remaining at Ibrox are growing increasingly slim, he said, and suitors will be queuing up.

“It’s getting hard to see this one being resolved,” he wrote. “Goldson has been a rock for Rangers but the longer the contractual stand-off continues the more likely it seems he’ll be on his way.

“He won’t be short of offers from elsewhere.”

The verdict

Just like Jackson’s colleague Andy Newport says, if he was going to sign, surely he would have done so already? It certainly looks like he’s approaching the final months of his stint at Rangers.

The club will have a dilemma in January – cash in while they still can, or avoid disruption to their defensive ranks in the midst of a crucial title charge.

The latter is probably the more sensible course of action, and then they can line-up a replacement for the summer window, but with Gerrard already seemingly unhappy with the funds available to him, this one could get interesting when the winter window opens.

In other news, Neil McCann expressed his frustration with this Rangers star.

When Bruno Lage took the decision to send Wolverhampton Wanderers central midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White out on loan this summer, it would be fair to say that the majority of the club’s fanbase were not best pleased with the 21-year-old’s departure.

It is easy to see why Wolves fans felt this way, as the England U21 international’s switch to Sheffield United left Lage rather short in the middle of the park, with the Portuguese manager only having the options of Ruben Neves, Leander Dendoncker, Joao Moutinho and the injured Bruno Jordao in central midfield – none of whom are exactly attack-minded players.

And the concern of the club’s fanbase regarding a lack of creativity and attacking impetus from midfield has largely been proven right so far this season, with Neves being the only midfielder to find the back of the net in the Premier League, while goalkeeper Jose Sa has created the same amount of big chances as Wolves’ most creative midfielder Joao Moutinho.

Meanwhile, it has been a rather contrasting story for Gibbs-White at Sheffield United, as the 21-year-old has proven himself to be one of the most threatening midfielders not only in the Blades squad but in the entirety of the second tier.

Indeed, over his 10 Championship appearances for Slavisa Jokanovic’s side, the £6.3m-rated man has already bagged four goals, registered two assists and created four big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.7 shots and making 1.5 key passes per game.

These metrics have seen the £30k-per-week midfielder average a SofaScore match rating of 7.05, ranking him as the Blades’ joint second-best performer in the league, while his return of four goals also ranks him as the joint fifth-highest scoring midfielder in the division.

It is no wonder, then, that the youngster has been lavished with considerable praise, none more so than from Sheffield United centre-forward Billy Sharp, who said of Gibbs-White: “Morgan’s come in and been instrumental. Scoring goals, creating goals. He really gets the crowd off their feet. He’s brilliant to have in the team. He’s always looking for the killer pass which is obviously brilliant for me.”

However, while it is abundantly clear for all to see that Wolves are desperately in need of a player in the mould of the 21-year-old, there nevertheless appears to be some level of uncertainty surrounding his future at Molineux.

Indeed, Bruno Lage revealed he made the decision to loan the midfielder out following Wolves’ own loan signing of Hee-chan Hwang this summer, and, with it being recently reported that the club are looking to make the South Korea international’s temporary move a permeant switch in January, Gibbs-White’s route back into the 45-year-old manager’s first-team looks as if it could be blocked.

This is something that will undoubtedly cause Lage a rather significant headache come next summer, as the Portuguese boss will have to make a call as to whether or not he believes the midfielder is good enough for a place in his first-team squad – and if not, whether it may be better to cash in on one of his club’s most promising young talents.

In other news: John Percy issues exciting Wolves claim that should leave fans buzzing

Having been without Diego Llorente for the past couple of games in the Premier League, Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa must surely call upon him when his side take on Watford this afternoon.

The Whites have seen the Spaniard only briefly in action this season, playing more than an hour in the 1-1 draw against Burnley, before being forced off with injury early on in the game against Liverpool three weeks ago.

However, having confirmed that he is now fit and available for selection, Bielsa must throw him straight into the deep end when they take on the promoted Hornets at Elland Road.

The “imperious” Spaniard, as hailed by Adam Pope, became a regular Leeds’ defence in the final few weeks of 2020/21, starting 13 of the last 14 games in that top-flight season and coming up with some impressive performances, not least netting a late equaliser against Liverpool.

He earned a WhoScored match rating of 6.90, which marked him out as the Whites’ second-best centre-back after Cooper, who was also the only player at the club to win more headers per game than Llorente’s 2.2.

Former Leeds striker Noel Whelan raved: “He looked every bit that leader and that quality centre-half that we were all expecting when he signed for the football club. There was great excitement about him it took a long time to get to see him consistently.

“But when we did, we saw him grow and grow and grow. We saw him get stronger and better as the games went on. If you ask any Leeds United fan who watched him in that second part of the season and ask them who would be the first centre-half on the team sheet, they would say Llorente.”

Given the poor start Leeds have made to the new Premier League campaign, a bit of quality at the back and bringing in someone as composed Llorente could ease some of the concerns regarding the team’s defending.

The £18m-rated ace could well be the game-changing return at the back which swings things back in Leeds’ favour heading into today’s clash with Watford.

Meanwhile, a journalist has dropped a Leeds United transfer update…

With Dean Smith’s Aston Villa side heading into Saturday’s West Midlands derby in mixed form, having picked up six points from a possible 12 in their last four fixtures, the 50-year-old would have undoubtedly been hoping for a positive result against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Villa Park in order to get his side moving in the right direction once again.

After goals from Danny Ings and John McGinn gave Smith’s side the lead in the second half, the Villa manager would have been confident that his side would be going home with the local bragging rights.

However, an 80th-minute Romain Saiss strike ensured that it would be an uncomfortable end to the game for Villa, and it was made a great deal worse when Conor Coady poked home to level the match with just five minutes remaining.

With the wind firmly against Aston Villa’s sails heading into the four additional minutes of stoppage time, a deflected Ruben Neves free-kick secured a remarkable comeback for Wolves, and a devastating collapse for Smith and his team.

As is perhaps to be expected after such a loss, a number of the Villa back five did not leave the match with overly impressive SofaScore match ratings, but it will undoubtedly be Axel Tuanzebe who is most disappointed with his display this afternoon.

Just one duel won

After being handed his first start since the 3-0 win over Everton in September, the Manchester United loanee did not do much to convince Smith that he should retain his place in the back three for the trip to Arsenal next Friday.

Indeed, over his 90 minutes on the pitch, the 23-year-old failed to make a single tackle, interception or block, as well as being dribbled past by an opponent on one occasion and making one error which led to a shot.

The centre-back also won just one of his three duels and gave away possession of the ball seven times, with his returns seeing him earn a very disappointing SofaScore match rating of 5.9 – with no other player who started the match receiving a lower score than the £7.2m-rated defender.

As such, while everyone has a bad day in the office every once in a while, and the player who Ole Gunnar Solskjaer dubbed an “outstanding” talent is certainly better than his performance against Wolves would suggest, it must be said that the £50k-per-week defender badly failed Smith in the collapse against their Midlands rivals today.

In other news: Dean Smith could unleash Villa’s own Raheem Sterling in “special” 5 ft 9 sensation

While Leeds United did manage to secure the arrivals of players such as Daniel James, Junior Firpo and Kristoffer Klaesson in the recently closed transfer window, as well as making Jack Harrison’s loan deal a permanent move, there was plenty more outgoing activity than incoming business for the Whites this summer.

Indeed, all six of Barry Douglas, Ezgjan Alioski, Ouasim Bouy, Pablo Hernandez, Jordan Stevens and Robbie Gotts left Elland Road on free transfers, while Victor Orta also sanctioned the temporary departures of five players on loan deals.

One of the latter group was Helder Costa, with the 27-year-old winger being sent to Valencia following the deadline day arrival of Manchester United forward James.

And, with the Portugal international’s current contract with Leeds United set to expire at the end of the season, Costa should well have played his last game for the Premier League side.

Get rid

While it would be slightly harsh to say that Helder Costa did not contribute anything to Marcelo Bielsa’s side during his time at Elland Road, it is nevertheless clear that the winger is simply not of the standard required to be a part of the Argentine’s first-team squad.

While the £9m-rated man did score four goals, provide four assists and create five big chances over his 43 Championship appearances in the Whites’ promotion-winning campaign back in 2019/20, you would be hard-pressed to find a Leeds fan who now believes that the £15.93m fee their club paid to subsequently sign the forward was money well spent.

Indeed, over his 22 Premier League appearances for Bielsa’s side last season, only 13 of which came as starts, Costa earned a quite frankly diabolical seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.46, ranking him as Leeds’ second-worst performer in the top flight of English football – ahead of only young defender Leif Davis.

As such, it would seem highly advisable for United to allow the £36k-per-week forward to move onto pastures upon his return from Valencia at the end of the season, as Costa has very much been stealing a living at Leeds for the past year.

In other news: Marcelo Bielsa dealt major blow as development emerges, Leeds fans will be fuming