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Craig Hope has revealed that Newcastle United are now eyeing up a move for Gleison Bremer in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Third signing pending…

With both Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood already through the door at St. James’ Park, it looks as if the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium are now working on their third signing of the month.

Interestingly, Bremer shares the same agent as both players, and so there could be an easier route to signing him.

Nonetheless, with bringing in a new central defender the ‘priority’ for the new owners, this is certainly a deal to keep an eye on as the days progress – the Magpies have the second-worst defensive record in the league.

The Latest: Bremer eyed

As per Hope, the North East club are now eyeing Bremer as their potential new centre-back, but The Daily Mail journalist has warned that he may be ‘expensive’:

“Another name to add to list of centre-back options… Torino’s Gleison Bremer.

“Seems like another expensive one but I’m told NUFC have taken a look at 24-yr-old Brazilian.”

The Verdict: No-brainer

Bringing in Bremer would be a no-brainer, as he would immediately be an upgrade on their current options.

He is currently averaging more tackles and interceptions and completed passes at a higher success rate than Ciaran Clark, Fabian Schar and Jamaal Lascelles in their respective domestic leagues so far this season (WhoScored), and so would instantly slot into Eddie Howe’s side.

Described as ‘powerful’ by Serie A expert Conor Clancy, the six-foot-two Brazilian is a beast, and at 24 years of age, he will only get better.

Nonetheless, the Magpies should look no further if they want to sign a solid centre-back for the second half of the campaign.

In other news, find out what transfer claim Pete Graves has dropped from the new owners here!

The Athletic’s Phil Hay has delivered a worrying claim about Leeds United and the San Francisco 49ers.

What’s the story?

As revealed in recent days, the investment arm of the 49ers have the ability to buy the Yorkshire club for more than £400m by January 2024, making a full takeover very much on the cards.

Hay said: “This takeover isn’t going to happen as quickly as next month (unless something changes drastically) so any signings done in January would have to be done/funded within the existing 56-44 share split.

“As for the Championship, that would change the club’s valuation, without a doubt. Leeds wouldn’t be worth £475m at that level. But all bets are off if a club gets relegated from the EPL. The ramifications can be huge.”

Premier League safety is key

As Hay has suggested, relegation to the Championship is almost unthinkable when you consider the kind of consequences that could have not just in terms of being without Premier League football, but also the potential impact it could have on a potential takeover too.

The Whites only have to look to Tyneside and Newcastle and the looming spectre of relegation with which they’ve had to contend over these past couple of years before their takeover eventually went through.

If the 49ers do end up going through with a full takeover, that could spell exciting times at Leeds in terms of potential new signings and the ability to compete with teams far higher up in the table than they are right now.

Premier League safety will be absolutely paramount, though, and it’s exactly why Hay’s claim that “all bets are off if a club gets relegated from the EPL” might just worry fans, with the Whites still hovering a bit too close to the bottom three.

Meanwhile, Adam Pope has dropped an early morning Leeds United update…

Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte has been dealt a gutting injury blow ahead of their Carabao Cup quarter-final clash with West Ham United this evening…

What’s the latest?

As revealed in the Italian’s pre-game press conference, Spurs will be without left wing-back Ryan Sessegnon after he picked up a muscular injury during the weekend’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool on Sunday.

“A little bad news that Ryan Sessegnon had a problem at the end of the game against Liverpool. He’s the only player, with Romero, is injured,” Conte claimed (via football.london).

He then added a time frame to the problem.

“Ten days to two weeks. He had a muscular problem at the end of the game against Liverpool. For sure, we have to find a good solution with Sess because I have seen in the past he has suffered a bit from this type of injury. So we have to find the right solution with the medical department. And also with the player.”

Huge blow

This will come as a huge setback to Conte and the squad as Sessegnon was more than holding his own in the absence of Sergio Reguilon, who was not fit to feature from the off against the Reds.

It once again leaves the 52-year-old head coach light on options as if the Spaniard is still not 100%, he may have to move Ben Davies out from his left central defensive role, meaning another switch would be needed to the backline – perhaps Japhet Tanganga or Joe Rodon, both of whom are struggling for game time under the new boss.

Sessegnon is also at risk of missing the Boxing Day clash with Crystal Palace and then the trip to Southampton, dealing Conte with a further blow.

Furthermore, as the manager mentioned, the England U21 international has regularly suffered from these sorts of injury niggles and that has restricted him to only 18 appearances since his £25m move from Fulham over two years ago.

This latest setback would take his total games missed (18) to the same number of his games played for the north London outfit – a very frustrating record that will undoubtedly leave Conte even more fuming.

So the Spurs boss is now without one of his first-team stars once again, ahead of what is a crucial encounter, with a place in the final four and a genuine shot at silverware on the line.

AND in other news, Conte must unleash Spurs’ £22.5m-rated “nightmare” tonight, he could terrify West Ham…

The future of Rangers centre-back Connor Goldson remains up in the air, with his deal set to expire at the end of the season.

Former Premier League goalkeeper Paddy Kenny has suggested that the club are happy for him to leave as they have not resolved his contract situation, telling Football Insider: “I find it strange that Rangers haven’t sorted this.

“The fact that they have let it run down this far is a concern. They must know he can agree a pre-contract in January. Maybe Rangers are happy for him to move on, otherwise it makes no sense why they haven’t offered him a deal.”

Gio must axe Goldson

New manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst could win Rangers fans over instantly by brutally axing Goldson in the January transfer window. If the 28-year-old does not want to be at Ibrox in the long-term, he should be shipped out of the club as quickly as possible, which is why the Dutchman should look to sell him in the winter to make some money before he leaves on a free transfer.

The £27k-per-week defender came out after the 3-1 defeat to Hibernian on Sunday and admitted that the team has lost ‘a bit of hunger’.

He said: “We need something to change. We need a spark. I don’t want to say this, but we’ve lost a bit of hunger. We are champions and some think they don’t need to work as hard. That’s crept in all season.”

Former Scotland international Kris Commons labelled his comments as embarrassing and accused him of a defeatist attitude.

Football Scotland quote him as saying: “Connor Goldson’s comments after the game yesterday were an absolute embarrassment. He’s supposed to be one of the leaders in this Rangers squad.

“He claimed the match was as good as over at half-time, with Rangers trailing 3-1. Two goals down at half-time and he’s waving the white flags to surrender? Seriously?”

It is difficult to argue with his assessment of Goldson’s quotes. The centre-back is one of the senior players in the squad and he is coming out with worrying comments like those, whilst his contract is running down and nothing is being done to resolve the issues around his future.

Supporters will surely want players who are 100% committed to playing for Rangers and giving their very best out on the pitch. Goldson’s contractual situation and his recent comments both appear to suggest that he does not fit into either of those descriptions, and that is why Van Bronckhorst could appease plenty of the fanbase by cashing in on the 28-year-old in January.

AND in other news, “I’m told”: Journo drops inside claim on Gio which will leave Rangers fans fuming…

Newcastle United finally managed to secure their much-needed first win of the season in the Premier League by beating fellow strugglers Burnley 1-0 at St. James’ Park.

A goal from striker Callum Wilson was enough to see off Sean Dyche’s side and grab all three points for the Toon after drawing 1-1 against Norwich City in midweek.

Despite the positive result, one Newcastle player that didn’t hit the heights that he may have been expected to hit on this occasion is Allan Saint-Maximin.

Even though the winger has three goals and three assists under his belt in the league and is currently listed as Newcastle’s highest-rated player with an overall rating of 7.16/10 according to WhoScored, he didn’t cover himself in glory on this occasion against Burnley.

In the 89 minutes he was on the pitch, Saint-Maximin had a total of 42 touches of the ball but could only complete 13 passes, misplacing one cross and one long ball in the process, losing possession of the ball 18 times in total.

The Frenchman, who has been described as being a “breathtaking” player in the past by pundit Gary Neville, also failed to test Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope on that many occasions as well by having just one clear shot at goal.

Additionally, Saint-Maximin, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £93k-per-week according to Salary Sport, only managed to win two of the 11 duels he was involved in.

This latest performance for the Toon ultimately earned Saint-Maximin an underwhelming overall match rating of 6.1/10 from SofaScore, making him the lowest-rated Newcastle player, showing that it just wasn’t his day on this occasion.

However, given how well Saint-Maximin has done for them prior to this game, a lot of Newcastle fans could be inclined to forgive and forget this performance, especially since Howe’s side managed to win the game.

Moving forward, with Newcastle having a very tough run of fixtures headed their way with the likes of Leicester City, Liverpool and the two Manchester clubs on the horizon, it’s safe to say that Saint-Maximin will have to make sure he’s in top form by the time these games come around to give Newcastle the best chance of getting some more points on the board and away from the relegation zone.

In other news: Forget Wilson: “Important” NUFC ace who made 3 key passes proved fans wrong vs Burnley – opinion

Paul Scholes compared West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice to Steven Gerrard after the Hammers’ 1-0 win over Tottenham on Sunday.

The Lowdown: Irons beat Spurs

The Irons hosted Spurs at the London Stadium at the weekend in an all-capital clash off the back of maintainig their 100% Europa League group stage record last Thursday.

The home side prevailed 1-0 thanks to a solitary goal from Michail Antonio, with David Moyes’ side now up to fourth in the Premier League table as a result.

Rice played a big part in West Ham getting one over on their London rivals. Nobody could match his eight tackles or 11 duels won, while he misplaced only three of his 41 passes all afternoon in a hugely composed performance (SofaScore).

The Latest: Scholes praises Rice

Speaking to Premier League Productions (24/10/21, 1:55 pm, via HITC), Scholes showered Rice with praise and even compared him to former Liverpool star Gerrard. The ex-Manchester United midfielder said:

“I think he has been right up there for the last year or so. Again, he is a player who plays the position brilliantly. He reads play. He senses danger. You see him intercepting all the time.

“He’s not just got that to his game. He has also got this side to it (driving forward). He has got a bit of Steven Gerrard about him. He has really added that drive and that way of playing to create chances for his team.

“I did think, at one point, he would be a centre-back. But I think he is now turning into a complete midfield player.”

The Verdict: Different players

There is no doubt that Rice is developing into a quality midfielder. He is a star player for West Ham as they continue to ascend the table and impress in the Europa League, and he was a key member of Gareth Southgate’s squad as England reached the final of Euro 2020.

However, 114-cap Three Lions international Gerrard was a player who regularly averaged 10 goals a season (Transfermarkt) – in 157 games for the Hammers, Rice has found the back of the net just seven times. He is more defensive-minded than the current Rangers manager, so it wouldn’t be wholly accurate or fair to compare him to a midfielder who enjoyed playing further forward.

In other news, many West Ham fans react to this Jesse Lingard update

Keith Downie has revealed that talks between Newcastle United and Eddie Howe over the manager’s position are ‘close’ to completion on a two-and-a-half-year deal.

The Lowdown: Changes on Tyneside

In what is a perfect example of how fast things move in football, The Athletic reported just a couple of days ago that Unai Emery was the ‘leading contender’ to take over at St. James’ Park, with Howe named as the ‘alternative’ to the former Arsenal boss.

The Spaniard has since rejected the chance to manage in the North East in favour of staying at Villarreal, meaning that Howe is now the favourite for the role.

Names like Rafa Benitez and Steven Gerrard have also been thrown about by some reporters, but it certainly seems like the former Bournemouth boss is the next man up.

The Latest: Howe deal nearly complete

Taking to his official Twitter page, Sky Sports journalist Downie shared reports coming in on Thursday evening that a deal is close.

“Eddie Howe is close to taking over at Newcastle,” he relayed on his personal Twitter account from Sky colleague Mark McAdam.

Downie confirmed there is a 2.5-year deal “agreement in principle” before revealing the four coaches Howe is demanding arrive with him: “Howe wants to bring his backroom team of Jason Tindall (assistant), Simon Weatherstone & Stephen Purchess (coaches) and Dan Hodges (sports science) with him to Newcastle. Graeme Jones set to remain at the club.”

The Verdict: Get it done ASAP

With the Magpies currently locked in a relegation battle, they need to bring in a new coach, and fast.

Howe has the experience of fighting down at the bottom of the Premier League table, and although he did bring AFC Bournemouth back down to the Championship after five straight campaigns in the top flight (Transfermarkt), the route he took to get them up to the division in the first place should not be sniffed at.

Known for playing attractive football as well, he should get the Toon Army up off of their seats and, given the minimal resources available on the South coast, fans should certainly be excited about what he may be able to produce with the new owners’ riches.

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Howe has been labelled as ‘fantastic’ by Graham Potter in the build-up to this weekend’s clash with Brighton, and fans surely cannot wait to finally put an end to the chaos in the dugout.

In other news, find out which ‘amazing’ manager has not been ruled out for the NUFC job here!

Tottenham Hotspur are expected to revisit their interest in Nahitan Nandez this January…

What’s the word?

That’s according to CalcioNapoli24 (via Sport Witness), who claim Spurs are in the mix to sign the Cagliari midfielder but they are facing competition from Serie A rivals Napoli and Inter Milan.

It’s thought that the north Londoners are ready to complete a move for Nandez in the winter transfer window, though it remains to be seen how much he would command.

Transfermarkt currently value him the 44-time Uruguay international at £19.8m.

Imagine him and Hojbjerg

Nandez is a player that Spurs boss Nuno Santo would surely love to sign, he could well be the ideal partner to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg at the base of the engine room.

The diminutive 5 foot 7 dynamo can be a livewire in midfield, having the same sort of skill set as N’Golo Kante at Chelsea.

The 25-year-old enforcer has continued his fine form from last season and has proven his credentials in taking control of matches.

For example, he has averaged 2.6 aerial duels won, 1.6 tackles and 0.7 interceptions per league game this term, showing his defensive capabilities but he has also shown an ability to bring the ball forward to contribute in the opposition’s half, having also averaged two dribbles and one key pass each outing, as per WhoScored.

It’s no wonder he has been called a “machine” by Serie A expert Conor Clancy, who told This is Futbol:

“I like him a lot. I think he’s only about five foot seven, but you wouldn’t know it if you just watched clips of him, he is a little bit of a machine. He’s so powerful but at the same time, has really, really good ball control.”

Hojbjerg is regarded as one of the more defensively sound options in the middle, so adding a player like Nandez could be really complimentary.

In some ways, there may be further comparisons to the influence of Joao Moutinho in Nuno’s Wolves system – a similar sort of short but quality presence in midfield.

Nuno would surely love a move for the Uruguay beast this winter, so Lilywhites sporting director Fabio Paratici must look to seal a swoop for him in the upcoming window.

AND in other news, Signed for £22m, now worth 248% more: Daniel Levy struck gold with Spurs’ “revelation”…

Crystal Palace will be aiming to extend their unbeaten run to three games when they take on Arsenal in the Premier League this evening.

The Eagles have secured consecutive draws in recent weeks after showing some promising signs under new manager Patrick Vieira, and the French tactician will be hoping to maintain their good form at the Emirates Stadium.

Vieira confirmed that all of his players had returned from the latest international break fully fit, with key midfielder Eberechi Eze also closing in on a return to first-team action following a lengthy layoff.

Despite the positive start to the season, though, Palace have still only won one of their opening seven games, and the need to get some extra points on the board is growing with every passing week.

With that in mind, here’s how Football FanCast expects the 45-year-old to line up against the Gunners, with only one change from the side that earned a point against Leicester City last time out…

The virtually ever-present Vicente Guaita will keep his place between the sticks for the short trip from south to north London, keeping former English international Jack Butland on the bench as a result.

Ahead of the Spanish shot-stopper is set to be a back four that has started to show signs of becoming a cohesive unit in recent weeks.

Full-backs Tyrick Mitchell and Joel Ward will line up either side of summer signings Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen, and the Danish international will be looking to put a disappointing display against the Foxes behind him.

In midfield, a hard-working trio of Luka Mililvojevic, Conor Gallagher and James McArthur are expected to provide the drive and energy Palace will need to get a result against their more affluent rivals, with all three in good form of late.

Vieira’s toughest decisions over the starting XI will come in attack. While talisman Wilfried Zaha is guaranteed to feature from the off, there’s some doubt over the striker’s position and right-wing role.

Former Celtic ace Odsonne Edouard will be hoping to retain his place up front ahead of Christian Benteke, while Michael Olise will hoping his first goal of the season last time out is enough to relegate the £7.2m-rated Jordan Ayew to the Palace bench.

And, in other news…Vieira must unleash “fearless” £13.5m-rated Palace wizard, he could have a huge impact 

Wolves earned some much-needed points and some gladly received confidence in front of goal last weekend.

Before the Old Gold’s clash with Watford, Bruno Lage’s side weren’t only pointless but had also failed to find the back of the net. An own goal ended their barren run before Hwang Hee-chan sealed all three points with a debut strike.

Lage’s men have played some eye-catching football this term without really reaping the rewards. However, with a swagger in their step and another promoted team to face, they could be in the goals again on Saturday.

They face Brentford in the lunchtime kickoff, and in an extremely rare set of events at Molineux, they will have a near fully-fit squad to choose from this weekend.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, their Portuguese coach said: “Nothing new, everything is OK. 18 players training hard every day to become better.”

Wolves have had to contend with some pretty difficult injuries over the last 12 months and indeed during the early parts of this season.

As the Premier League campaign kicked off, the Molineux outfit were without the services of Willy Boly and Yerson Mosquera, which made their options in the centre of defence extremely limited.

Boly also spent large parts of 2020/21 out injured but he wasn’t the only one. Raul Jimenez was out from November onwards while he recovered from a fractured skull, while Daniel Podence and Marcal also had multiple fitness issues.

However, all of those players are now back in what is a huge boost to Wolves’ chances this season, one which will no doubt delight their new manager.

Of course, they are still missing long-term absentees in Pedro Neto and Jonny, but considering the slim pickings available to the manager in the Midlands, it will be a welcome relief to have others back.

After all, Lage has already hinted at his squad being too small. The fact that he labelled how many players he had available to him on Friday afternoon said a lot, but this isn’t the first time he’s done so this term.

Speaking a few weeks ago, he revealed that just 15 senior players were in first-team training.

Wolves sent 20 players on loan over the summer so they can only have themselves to blame, especially after missing out on several targets late in the transfer window as well.

That said, a sense of positivity is beginning to engulf the club again now; they must capitalise on that this weekend.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Raul: Wolves have a future gem in 21y/o whose “delivery is unbelievable”…