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Newcastle United have reportedly now ‘started discussion’ over the potential signing of Issa Diop in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Centre-back wanted

The window is certainly heating up despite being just a week in, and the St. James’ Park faithful have already made their first signing in Kieran Trippier.

Now, the focus from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium seems to be on a new central defender, with links to Sven Botman and Diego Carlos intensifying.

Nonetheless, with 42 goals conceded in the Premier League so far this season, the defence certainly needs reinforcements, and the new owners will surely have a lot of potential targets mapped out in case moves for the likes of Botman and Carlos fall through.

The Latest: Diop talks

As per L’Equipe (via Sport Witness), the North East club have now ‘started discussion’ over the possibility of signing Diop this month, and the ‘door is open’ for him to make the switch.

His value is estimated at between €10-12m (£8.4-10m), and so they could ‘very quickly’ make an offer.

The Verdict: Bargain

If the Tyneside outfit can get Diop at that kind of price, then it would certainly represent a bargain.

Transfermarkt currently rate him at £10.8m, and being just 24 years of age and already possessing plenty of experience in the top flight, his value will only increase.

Once called a ‘monster‘ by Jose Mourinho back in 2018 after dominating the duels against his Manchester United side, Diop’s six-foot-four frame is a real asset to have in both boxes, and his experience in the division will no doubt be vital in a relegation battle, with six goals in 89 Premier League showings.

Nonetheless, this is a deal that the Magpies should do straight away considering the kind of price being quoted.

In other news, find out who NUFC are now ‘having contacts’ over signing here!

Steven Gerrard only left Rangers for Aston Villa less than a month ago but has already been nominated for the Premier League’s Manager of the Month award for November.

As to be expected, a number of Villa fans have been giving their thoughts to the news on social media – although some weren’t overly enthused to hear of it.

The 41-year-old began his tenure in charge at Villa Park with a 2-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion and made it back-to-back victories with a 2-1 win at Selhurst Park against Crystal Palace.

Those six points helped Villa move clear of flirting with the bottom three, although Gerrard has since suffered his first defeat at the Midlands club, losing 2-1 against champions Manchester City on Wednesday night.

The defeat against Pep Guardiola’s side was on the first day of December, so Gerrard had a 100% record in November. He has been shortlisted for the award alongside Guardiola and Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp, with the winner to be announced on December 10.

Villa fans react

Villa shared the news regarding Gerrard on their official Twitter channel on Friday. Here is what these fans had to say in reply, with many fearing “bad luck” in regards to a possible manager of the month jinx – as has afflicted previous winners of the prize – should Gerrard win the November award.

“Oh god.”

Credit: @LukeKing_

“Uh oh”

Credit: @JustTheVilla

“Nooooooooooooooooooooooo He doesn’t deserve it in all honesty. Don’t jinx him and us please”

Credit: @TipsCurtis

“Bad luck incoming”

Credit: @JackUTFV

“DO NOT VOTE, DO NOT VOTE, DO NOT VOTE, DO NOT VOTE”

Credit: @VillaBot1874

“don’t jinx him”

Credit: @avfc_kel

In other news: ‘Do it’ – Many Villa fans react as ‘brilliant’ transfer news emerges

As per Football Insider journalist Wayne Veysey, some news has emerged on West Ham United’s transfer plans for January with a new forward on the agenda in Rubin Kazan forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

The Lowdown: Moyes eyeing January…

The Irons are still competing on all fronts with manager David Moyes aiming to bolster his squad in the January transfer window and cope with the increasingly congested fixture calendar.

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Injuries to Angelo Ogbonna and Kurt Zouma have prompted them to also hunt for an emergency centre-half but that hasn’t stopped them being linked to forward options.

Jesse Lingard is thought to be on the agenda, for example, while Moyes and recruitment chief Rob Newman also seek out a centre-forward as back up for Michail Antonio.

Now, some news has emerged on another attacker West Ham are now eyeing.

The Latest: West Ham ‘plotting’ Kvaratskhelia move…

As per Football Insider’s Veysey, West Ham and Everton are ‘plotting moves’ for Russian Premier League winger Kvaratskhelia as the Irons cast their net far and wide.

It is believed the Georgia international, a very highly rated prospect, now has concrete interest from West Ham as Newman and Moyes eye a swoop.

Kvaratskhelia has apparently caught the eye of Hammers scouts after a stellar performance for the Georgians in their 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Sweden last month.

The Verdict: Exciting option?

Targeted by the likes of Tottenham before, it is clear that the 20-year-old certainly has bags of ability – with journalist Fabrizio Romano taking to his Twitch stream earlier this year and explaining that he is ‘incredible’ (via HITC).

He had many suitors in the summer window also, including Borussia Dortmund, with Sky Sports reporter Max Bielefeld saying that Kvaratskhelia is considered a ‘very interesting, but expensive’ player with a price tag that could reach €20 million (£16.9m).

The Kazan ace has also been dubbed ‘The Georgian Messi’, such is his stellar reputation, but we believe West Ham are better placed prioritising an out-and-out striker right now given Antonio’s poor run of form.

Their central defensive crisis also takes precedent, but a swoop for Kvaratskhelia certainly shouldn’t be ruled out for the future.

In other news: ‘We are back’, ‘What I wanted to hear’…ExWHUemployee’s ‘best news’ has many West Ham fans buzzing, find out more here.

West Brom have now gone three games without a win, which will be extremely frustrating for manager, Valerien Ismael, who has been tasked with the job to get the side promoted this season back into the Premier League.

The Baggies went to the Seasiders with the need for three points to try to close the gap on both Fulham and Bournemouth who are out ahead by a stretch in the automatic promotion places, with Fulham now eight points ahead at the top of the table and a game in hand to play.

Ismael’s side have now not won away from home for two months, and there will need to be questions raised as to what issues need ironing out, or where quality needs to be added to give the Baggies the confidence they clearly need to inject to start winning on away days.

Despite dominating in the early stages of the game, where it looked like West Brom could pressure enough to put a goal past Blackpool, after a string of chances over the course of the game, the side couldn’t break down Blackpool enough to finish them.

The Tangerines had an outstanding defensive performance as they struggled to find a lot of attacking opportunities, which held West Brom to a 0-0 draw in the end.

Speaking after the game Ismael reflected on the performance;

“We need to take what we can get at the minute and getting a clean sheet is a positive. We created a lot of chances, but compared to last Saturday, this time there were more real chances to score. At the minute it’s the final ball, and we need to work on that.”

One player who struggled to offer the presence and confidence needed to get a three-pointer over the line away from home for Ismael’s side, was Cedric Kipre, with the defender having fewer touches (39) than Baggies goalkeeper, Sam Johnstone (40).

The 6 foot 3 defender lacked positional discipline on many occasions, losing the ball a whopping 13 times which led to an awful pass success rate of 59%. The centre-back also gave away a number of fouls (3) throughout the game, which really disrupted the rhythm and flow of the game to get West Brom in a position to build attacking play. This is reflected in a dismal SofaScore rating of just 6.5.

This clear lack of discipline could’ve cost the side goals against a team offering more clinical finishing than Blackpool did last night. Thus, Ismael has work to do to make sure that these kinds of sloppy mistakes don’t cost them later in the week.

West Brom have another challenging game on Friday at home against Nottingham Forest and will be hoping to pick up maximum points by finishing their chances to climb their way back into a title challenge.

In other news: Lawrence could replace struggling Jordan Hugill

Steven Gerrard’s career as Aston Villa manager could not have got off to a much better start, with the 41-year-old’s side securing all three points, scoring two goals and keeping a clean sheet in front of a packed Villa Park last weekend.

Not only did Villa pick up the win, but they also played some incredibly attacking football, looked deadly on the break and bettered a highly impressive Brighton & Hove Albion side in metrics such as total shots, shots on target, counter attacks and interceptions.

There were also a number of impressive individual performances, with perhaps the most surprising of these being turned in by second-half substitute Ashley Young, with the 36-year-old playing a key role in his side’s victory.

Gerrard must unleash Young

Despite featuring for just 16 minutes of Gerrard’s inaugural victory at Villa, the versatile left-back highly impressed when replacing Emiliano Buendia in his side’s three-man attack during the closing stages of Saturday’s fixture.

Indeed, £900k-rated man almost immediately set up Ollie Watkins with some “fantastic” play to bag the game’s opening goal, as well as completing 11 of his 12 passes, blocking one shot, winning both of his two duels and making one key pass – with these returns seeing the £50k-per-week veteran receive a SofaScore match rating of 7.2.

Furthermore, Gregg Evans recently claimed in an article of his for The Athletic that Gerrard was so impressed with the performances of Young in training that he considered starting the 36-year-old as Villa’s No 10 last Saturday.

And, considering the 41-year-old’s comments concerning his former England teammate following the fixture, Evans’ claim is easily believable, with Gerrard stating: “I know Ashley extremely well and I must say he has been absolutely outstanding since we’ve walked through the door. Not just on the training pitch – his leadership and the standards he sets.

“We see players like him as an outer layer of the staff if you like – he really helps. We need to lean on him. He was ready today.

“The big thing about Ash is he can play right-back, he can play left-back, he can play as an eight, he can play as a 10, he can play wide. That’s what these players allow you to do as a manager, they allow you to use them in different ways so credit to Ashley.”

As such, considering the game-changing impact Young had on the Brighton match, in addition to his incredible application in training, it would appear highly advisable for Gerrard to unleash the left-back from the off against Crystal Palace this weekend.

In other news: Lange must seal AVFC deal for £25m “weapon” likened to Beckham, Gerrard would love him

Even though Liverpool have in the past signed some of their current players for substantial transfer fees such as Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker, Naby Keita, Diogo Jota and Fabinho among others, we feel there is one player at the club currently residing in Jurgen Klopp’s squad who may have gone under the radar in recent years that we feel FSG should get a lot of praise for securing – Joel Matip.

The Cameroonian joined Liverpool in the summer of 2016 on a free transfer from German side Schalke 04 after the Merseyside club secured a deal for him the previous February.

Since then, the 30-year-old has made 133 appearances for the Reds across all competitions, scoring six goals and providing three assists along the way.

So far this season, Matip has played the full 90 minutes in all but one of Liverpool’s Premier League games and has been ever-present in their three Champions League games, cementing himself as a vital figure for Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

Shortly after arriving at Anfield in the summer of 2016, Transfermarkt had his market value listed as £16.2m, before shooting up to £36m in December 2019, highlighting a significant impact since his arrival.

At this moment in time, Matip’s market value has fallen back to £16.2m, but we feel this has more to do with him reaching the age of 30 rather than anything to do with his playing time or his quality on the pitch, especially with Klopp calling him an “unbelievable” player in terms of what he can do.

Despite this drop in market value, we feel that it should not take away from how great a signing the defender has been for the Reds considering that FSG managed to get him on a free transfer and what he has since delivered for them on the pitch.

Moving forward, while his market value may not be likely to go back up towards where it was back in 2019, we think Matip has what it takes to continue impressing for the Reds this season and beyond if injuries don’t impact his playing time as they have done in the past.

In other news – Imagine him & Salah: FSG must seal Liverpool move for “incredible” £45m-rated machine

Injury expert Ben Dinnery has been talking to Football Insider regarding an update on Celtic defender Christopher Jullien.

The Lowdown: Jullien back in training

Jullien, who was labelled as ‘excellent’ by Neil Lennon, is yet to feature in 2021 after suffering a serious injury in the final game of 2020.

The Hoops brought in four centre-backs over the summer, possibly due to Jullien’s injury, with Ange Postecoglou still yet to see the French centre-back in action.

He has returned to training at Lennoxtown earlier this month, however, it seems as if the towering defender won’t be ready for competitive action for the next three games.

The Latest: Dinnery reacts to recent update

Postecoglou recently confirmed, as cited by Football Insider, that Jullien won’t be available until after the next international break.

That means he’ll miss games against Livingston, Ferencvaros and Dundee, with the earliest possible chance of a return seemingly against St Johnstone on November 20.

Dinnery was giving his thoughts to Football Insider regarding the update, to which he said:

“It’s always going to be difficult when you’re in the gym and training on a one-to-one basis.

“You’re missing out with the banter and if the team is doing well, you want to be a part of it.

“The initial timeline with his injury was in and around four months, and now we are approaching 10 months.

“The important thing with any long-term injury is to yourself small goals. Rather than looking to the end, it’s all about small motivating factors.

“It will be dispiriting, but it needs to be contextualised. It’s a risk and reward strategy.

“You would rather have an extra month out than risk returning too early and putting yourself out of action for even longer.

“At this moment in time, learning that you’re not going to be ready until late November is massively upsetting.

“But there is another six months left of the season and a lot of football to be played.”

The Verdict: Frustrating, but the right decision

The last thing Celtic would want is to rush Jullien back too quickly, as Dinnery mentions. The Hoops don’t exactly need to, either, with Carl Starfelt and Cameron Carter-Vickers becoming regulars in a solid backline recently – the latter in particular was praised by Celtic legend Kenny Dalglish earlier this season.

Celtic have conceded just twice in their five October fixtures, a record that should keep Postecoglou calm about not bringing back Jullien too soon.

It’ll be interesting to see if Jullien will be a regular when he is fully fit, especially as he is the club’s sixth most expensive signing of all time, but if Starfelt and Carter-Vickers continue to impress, he could remain on the sidelines despite being ready to play.

In other news: ‘That has been alleged’ – Devlin’s worrying answer on ‘quick’ Celtic signing and Dermot Desmond. 

Celtic appear to have found their replacement for Odsonne Edouard in the form of Japan international Kyogo Furuhasi.

The summer signing has scored four times in four starts in the Scottish Premiership and eight goals in 11 appearances overall this season. He has been able to showcase his quality in the final third and looks set for a sublime campaign for the Hoops.

His form will surely come as a welcome relief to Ange Postecoglou, who inherited a misfiring striker upon his arrival at the club – Albian Ajeti.

Following the sale of Edouard to Crystal Palace, Ajeti was left to fill his boots and has scored three goals in 12 games in all competitions in the 2021/22 campaign.

How did Ajeti get to this point though?

The forward enjoyed a terrific season with Basel in his home country during the 2018/19 campaign. He scored 21 goals and provided 11 assists in all competitions, earning himself a £10.17m transfer to Premier League side West Ham.

This is where the struggles began for Ajeti as he never adjusted to life in England. He failed to score in 12 games for the Hammers the following season, including nine appearances in the Premier League, as he averaged a SofaScore rating of just 6.46.

Following his horrific debut campaign for West Ham, Ajeti was sold to Celtic in the summer of 2020 for a fee of £4.95m. Transfermarkt valued him at £4.32m at the time of the transfer, which was already £5.85m less than West Ham paid for him a year prior.

In his first year at Celtic, Ajeti scored six goals in 20 Scottish Premiership appearances. He averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.85 and lost 65% of his duels on the pitch throughout the campaign, suggesting that he was too weak to compete physically in the division.

At the time of writing (04/10/21), Ajeti is valued at £2.88m by Transfermarkt. This means that his value has dropped dramatically by £7.29m in just two years of football, with one of those being at West Ham and the other at Celtic Park in Scotland.

He needs to turn his form around soon or his career could be at risk. At the age of 24, he is exiting the potential stage and beginning to move towards his prime years where he should be expected to be at his best.

If he fails to deliver consistent end product sooner rather than later, it could put other clubs off wanting to go near him – leaving Ajeti to waste away at Celtic or be forced to drop down to a lower standard of football to play regularly.

His value continuing to drop since leaving Switzerland is proof of his faltering career and highlights the downwards trend that he’s on. Hopefully, the attacker will be able to find his feet in Scotland and start to show why he was bought for £10.17m only two years ago.

AND in other news, Postecoglou provides fresh injury update that should excite Celtic supporters…

Crystal Palace have been linked with a move for Rangers midfielder Joe Aribo as Patrick Vieira looks to add further reinforcements to his first team squad at Selhurst Park.

What’s the story?

According to Football Insider, the Eagles are interested in securing the 25-year-old’s signature over the coming months after impressing during his time in Scottish football.

The report stated: “An industry source has told Football Insider that Aribo is on Palace’s radar going into next year and his situation at Ibrox will be closely monitored.”

Aribo’s current contract at Ibrox expires in the summer of 2023, so the upcoming January window may be the last opportunity for Rangers to secure a high price for the versatile forward.

Crystal Palace fans will be buzzing

After joining the Glasgow giants on a free transfer following his departure from Charlton Athletic back in 2019, Aribo has established himself as one of the Scottish Premiership’s most exciting attacking talents.

In 106 appearances for Rangers, the Nigeria international has scored 19 goals and provided a further 17 assists for his teammates, playing a pivotal part in the club’s league triumph last season.

His exploits at club level have also earned him seven caps for his national side and have led to several impressed onlookers lauding his ability on the pitch, with former Rangers player Steven Thomson hailing him as “phenomenal”.

Therefore, Palace fans will surely be buzzing to learn that the club’s hierarchy are reportedly tracking the £5.85m-rated gem ahead of a potential move.

Vieira brought in Conor Gallagher and Will Hughes to begin the overhaul of his engine room over the summer, and the former has already made a big impression in south London.

However, Gallagher is only on a season-long loan from Premier League rivals Chelsea, so the French tactician is already sensibly planning ahead for the 21-year-old’s inevitable exit.

During his time north of the border, Aribo has become renowned for his dribbling skills and ability to pick out a pass, as well as being comfortable sticking a foot in and dispossessing opponents, all traits in which Gallagher excels.

It remains to be seen whether the Eagles make a formal offer for Aribo, but chairman Steve Parish must sanction a swoop for the African, duly providing Vieira with the tools he needs to keep making progress at the Selhurst Park helm.

In other news… “He was raving about..” – Tom Barclay drops CPFC claim which should delight fans 

Noel Whelan has offered his thoughts on what the future holds for Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara… 

What’s the talk?

Former Leeds forward Noel Whelan has suggested that Rangers will refuse to cash in on Glen Kamara in the January transfer window.

He has claimed that the Gers would sell him next summer, with his contract expiring in 2023, and that a contract extension would need to be sorted before the winter market opens.

Whelan told Football Insider:

“Contract talks are never easy, especially when you’re trying to keep big players at the club.

“It’s especially hard when there’s a real possibility of selling him at the end of the season.

“It will be the end of the season if he is sold.

“There’s no way Rangers would sell in January when they’ll still be fighting for Europe and fighting to retain the title.

“If the deal is to be signed, you would expect that all parties would have agreed to it by January.”

Fans will be delighted

Rangers fans will be delighted with these comments from Whelan as it could be a huge boost to the club if his prediction comes to fruition. Having Kamara at Ibrox for the entire campaign could improve their chances of being successful, as he is a crucial member of Steven Gerrard’s squad.

The central midfielder played in 33 of Rangers’ Scottish Premiership matches last season as they won the league title ahead of Celtic. He averaged a superb SofaScore rating of 6.99, winning 59% of his midfield battles against the opposition over the course of the campaign.

Neil McCann, his former manager at Dundee United, claimed that the Finland international was ‘perfect’ for him. He said of Kamara: “He isn’t a big, physical lad but he’s made of iron and really strong. I knew immediately that he could handle the ball under pressure and not give it away, so he was perfect.

McCann added: “He’s a special talent. He’s lightning-quick but he doesn’t show it. He’s a player who takes instruction well.”

His statistics from last season and these quotes from McCann highlight Kamara’s quality and why he is an important player for Rangers. Therefore, fans will be buzzing if he does not depart in January, as it would mean they are able to enjoy his talents for at least five more months than they would otherwise.

Arsenal reportedly made a move for the £6.2k-per-week beast during the last transfer window, which shows the level of club currently looking at Kamara. Rangers may not be able to hold off Premier League interest forever, but ensuring that he remains at their club for the entire season, to help retain the title, would delight supporters.

AND in other news, Gerrard issues update on £27k-p/w “mountain” that’ll leave Rangers fans concerned…