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Newcastle United have been dealt a major injury setback after their 1-1 draw with Manchester United in the Premier League…

What’s the latest?

Daily Mail journalist Craig Hope has dropped a devastating update on the Magpies’ injury situation following a number of knocks against on Monday night.

He tweeted: “Understand Callum Wilson’s injury is torn calf muscle & fears are period of months sidelined. Allan Saint-Maximin injury is also calf related, while Ryan Fraser has picked up a hamstring problem.”

Fans will be fuming

Newcastle fans will surely be fuming with this update, which comes as a major body blow to Eddie Howe’s side ahead of the January transfer window.

These knocks could also place an added emphasis on the need for quality recruitment to be completed next month, as the Magpies appear set to lose their main goal threat for a considerable portion of the campaign. Wilson has scored six goals in 14 Premier League starts, having netted 12 times in the division last term whilst also providing five assists for his teammates.

The English centre-forward is Newcastle’s top scorer, so Howe will be losing a significant goal threat from his side in the battle against relegation. Fans will be fuming as it could drastically weaken their chances of avoiding the drop this season.

There is also no guarantee that anyone who is signed in January will be able to come in and make an instant impact, whereas Wilson has already proven that he can score on a consistent basis for the Magpies at this level. This means that their top-flight survival could depend on a gamble in the market next month, which may concern supporters.

The update does not provide further details on the injuries to Saint-Maximin or Fraser, but they do not appear to be as worrying as the setback to Wilson. This could be seen as a glimmer of good news, but losing either of them as well for any period of time is a blow, particularly given the Frenchman’s goal against Manchester United on Monday, which highlighted the impact he can have in the final third and why fans will be gutted with his potential absence for a sustained period of time.

AND in other news, Forget Saint-Maximin: Newcastle’s “unplayable” beast who won 8 duels stole the show v Man Utd…

Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa is now eyeing a move for Barcelona star Junior Firpo in the summer transfer window.

What’s the story?

According to Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo, the Whites are named among a number of clubs interested in signing the Spanish full-back this summer, with fellow Premier League sides West Ham and Southampton also said to be in contention.

The report added that Barcelona have made Firpo aware of Leeds’ interest in him, with the defender not averse to the idea of joining them from the Catalan giants.

Tipped for big things

While Firpo may not have had much game-time at Barcelona last season – he played just 18 times in all competitions – there’s no questioning that he remains a fine talent at only 24 years of age.

He was once tipped for big things by French defender Eric Abidal, who told Diario Sport (via Tribuna): “He’s a player with a lot of potential. He could be one of the best left-backs in the world. I always tell him that he must work hard and be aware of the (style of) play. He’s going to get better, for sure. It’s always difficult to get started at Barca.”

A profile done by Sky Sports in December 2018 revealed: “Standing six feet tall, Firpo has a rangy stride that he uses to power himself down the flank and make infield incursions. He is also no stranger to yellow cards, having picked up four in 13 matches this season.

“Spanish publication Marca describes him as ‘effervescent’, and he perfectly fits Betis coach Quique Setien’s attacking philosophy. He also possesses the versatility to step into a back three on the left.”

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Playing week-in and week-out could be the key to unlocking the potential that Abidal mentioned, and Firpo could do exactly that at Leeds under Bielsa. The Whites could strike gold with a move for the £17m-rated beast.

Meanwhile, Bielsa can wave goodbye to this flop…

Mark Warburton’s Queens Park Rangers side are interested in summer a deal to bring Ryan Porteous to the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Scotsman, who claim that QPR are the latest club to declare their interest in the 22-year-old after Millwall had a £1 million bid rejected for the centre-back in the January transfer window, while several other English sides are thought to be keeping tabs on the defender ahead of the summer market.

However, Hibernian manager Jack Ross recently stated his belief that the player – who he claims has “brilliant” leadership qualities – is in no rush to leave the Scottish Premiership side, casting doubt on a potential QPR move for the £630,000-rated man.

As cited by The Scotsman, Ross said: “I think because of his association with this club and his affection for it I don’t ever think he is in a rush to leave… never for one second in the conversations I have had with him, formally or informally, have I ever got the sense that he is in any desperate rush to leave Hibs.”

Bhatia must swoop

So far this season, Porteous has been one of the stars of a highly impressive Hibernian outfit, with the defender helping his side in keeping 10 clean sheets over his 33 Scottish Premiership appearances, as well as making an average of 1.5 interceptions, 1.5 tackles and 4.9 clearances per game, culminating in an average SofaScore match rating of 6.99 – ranking him as the club’s seventh-best performer in the Scottish top flight.

And, with Warburton currently only having Rob Dickie, Yoann Barbet and Jordy de Wijs as out and out centre-backs in his QPR squad, it would indeed appear as if the position is one in need of greater depth ahead of the club’s 2021/22 Championship campaign – especially if the 58-year-old intends to keep playing five at the back next season.

As such, a QPR move for the impressive Porteous should be something that is extremely high on the list of Amit Bhatia’s list of priorities for the west London side this summer, should the Rs wish to make a push for the play-offs following their impressive form in the second half of this season.

In other news: Warburton must seal QPR swoop for £1.8m-rated ace who “works his socks off” – opinion

Everton are in a vulnerable position this season and have now found themselves in the relegation zone following their defeat in the Merseyside Derby, however, despite the struggles the club are still linked with transfer interests this summer.

What’s the latest

According to La Gazzetta Dello Sport (via Calciomercato), there are several Premier League clubs interested in signing Torino player Wilfried Singo, including Everton.

The report suggests that the club could make an offer for Singo, competing with Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham and Leicester to secure his signature this summer.

Better than Iwobi

The 21-year-old has been performing at a high level for his Italian club, and has been deployed in predominantly a right midfield position this season but can also play right-back.

Singo, who was hailed a “revelation” by journalist Matteo Bonetti, has become more of an attacking threat for his Serie A team this season scoring three goals and contributing four assists, winning the majority of his duels (58%), making 1.6 tackles and 1.4 clearances on average per game, proving he can impose an attacking threat as well as providing defensive qualities.

With that being said, the Ivorian national could be the perfect upgrade for Alex Iwobi this summer following a disappointing stint at Goodison Park over the last three years.

Iwobi has only scored seven goals in 91 appearances for Everton, and despite playing on the left compared to Singo on the right, the impact in comparison that the latter could provide for the club would be huge if he can emulate his performances for Torino on Merseyside next season.

Frank Lampard has been giving Iwobi his second chance in the team since arriving in January, becoming a consistent player in the team and despite scoring the winner against Newcastle United last month has otherwise not positively impacted the team to secure safety from relegation this season so far.

Everton may have competition to sign the in-demand £13.5m-rated star, and it could be much harder to add Singo into the team if they drop into the Championship this season and Premier League clubs make a move for him. Therefore, the Toffees boss will need to work hard to make sure that he can secure top-flight football in the remaining games.

AND in other news: Frank set for disaster on “fabulous” £5.1k-p/w gem, EFC supporters may not forgive him

Mark Douglas has dropped a claim explaining what this week’s developments on beIN mean for the potential takeover of Newcastle United by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group.

As per a report from the Associated Press earlier this week, the Serie A is set to lose a lot of money due to the ongoing disputes between beIN and the KSA, as they gained a lot of revenue from the Qatari broadcaster.

Given that beIN is still banned in Saudi Arabia with the tensions still firmly high, added to the strong relationship that the Serie A has with the KSA, the Qatari broadcaster have ostracised the Italian top flight, even telling other countries not to bid for their TV rights.

Douglas has made a connection between this report and the potential takeover of the St. James’ Park faithful, given the previous issues that the Premier League have held with the KSA about streaming live fixtures from the division illegally, with beIN currently their sole provider in the Gulf region.

Writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, the football journalist has claimed that any issues with beIN ‘may well become a priority’ for the KSA’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) if the pending arbitration case is a success for the Magpies.

Newcastle need beIN on their side

As Douglas suggests, assuming that PIF will come back to the table, the North East club will need to try and get beIN on their side in order to have the best chance of a takeover being completed by the Saudi consortium.

The unblocking of the Qatari broadcaster in the Kingdom may well go a long way in doing this, but that is not a formality given that there are clearly still tensions between the two Gulf countries.

In other news, find out which Toon-linked manager has been claimed could replace Steve Bruce at NUFC here!

Leicester City have been dealt a blow in their bid to bring Joao Palhinha to the King Power Stadium this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Portuguese media outlet A Bola (via Sport Witness), who claimed that, despite Sporting Lisbon previously being willing to consider an offer of €30m (£26m) for the defensive midfielder, they will now be demanding a figure closer to the player’s €60m (£51m) release clause in order to part with him this summer as a result of the 25-year-old’s performances with Portugal at Euro 2020.

The report added that, along with Leicester, a number of top-level clubs are also believed to be considering a move for the £16.2m-rated man in the summer transfer window, including the likes of Atalanta, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Tottenham Hotspur, Sevilla, Atletico Madrid and Napoli.

Rodgers will be fuming

Considering just how impressive Palhinha was for Sporting last season, as well as playing a key role in the Portugal team this summer, reports that a deal to sign the 25-year-old now looks set to be twice as costly as at the beginning of the transfer window is sure to leave Brendan Rodgers fuming.

Indeed, over his 32 Liga NOS appearances for Ruben Amorim’s side last term, Palhinha averaged 1.5 interceptions, 3.3 tackles and 1.2 clearances and won an incredible 9.1 duels per game. The £9,100-per-week man also impressed in an attacking capacity for Sporting, scoring one goal, creating two big chances and averaging 0.4 key passes per league fixture.

These metrics saw the man Amorim dubbed a “special” player earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.12, ranking him as the Portuguese champions’ sixth-best performer in the league.

Palhinha continued this fine form in Euro 2020 with Portugal, winning nine tackles and eight duels over his two appearances in the competition – against France and Belgium, no less – with his average SofaScore match rating of 7.35 ranking him as his country’s second-best performer in the tournament, behind only Cristiano Ronaldo.

As such, it would very much appear as if the 25-year-old would have made a fantastic addition to the Leicester midfield this summer, but with an astronomical fee now being required to release the player from Sporting’s grip, a move to the King Power Stadium would not appear to be a likely scenario. That is bound to leave Rodgers rather frustrated.

In other news: Leicester handed major boost over “outstanding” £53k-p/w beast, fans should be buzzing

An exciting update has emerged in Tottenham Hotspur’s hunt for defensive reinforcements in this transfer window…

What’s the word?

It’s believed that the north London outfit will look to add two new centre-backs to their armoury before next season and it seems like they are closing in on their first addition in that regard.

Spurs are thought to be leading the race to sign Takehiro Tomiyasu from Bologna this summer, according to The Athletic, and the player is keen on joining the Premier League outfit.

The ever-reliable Alasdair Gold at football.london has now delivered a fresh update on their search in a recent YouTube video, in which he said: “I think Tottenham are certainly making moves to get Bologna’s Japanese centre-back Takehiro Tomiyasu. He’s only 22 and he ticks a lot of boxes. He’s not going to be very expensive, probably under £20m.

“From what I am told, the logic behind going for him – and this may ring a bell – [is that] he can play centre-back but he’s essentially a defensive right-back, so think Japhet Tanganga, Juan Foyth. That kind of mould.

“The logic, I understand, in going for Tomiyasu is that he will tuck in to allow [Nuno] Espirito Santo’s system to quickly flip from a back four to a back three, and allow Sergio Reguilon to bomb on like an attacking left wing-back, which we know will get the best out of him.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a done deal but from the sounds of it, it’s certainly a move that Tottenham could make happen.”

Gold then went onto confirm that Spurs are also interested in Sevilla’s Jules Kounde, whilst Joachim Andersen, who enjoyed a successful loan spell at Fulham last term, and Fiorentina colossus Nikola Milenkovic also remain as other targets.

Fixing a problem

This should come as hugely exciting news for the Spurs faithful as it’s evident that new sporting director Fabio Paratici has already highlighted key areas of weakness and will look to source a solution to give Nuno the best chance of success next season.

Indeed, defensive problems were the Lilywhites’ Achilles heel last term as a combination of individual mistakes and a lack of cohesion saw them finish with the worst goal concession record of any of the traditional ‘big six’.

Toby Alderweireld is entering the final stages of his top-flight career at 32, while Davinson Sanchez and Eric Dier both struggled for consistency and were often culprits for those defensive errors, leading to them regularly being in and out of the starting XI.

Tangana has been more utilised as a right-back but still lacks experience, whilst Joe Rodon has rarely seen the pitch since his move from Swansea.

It’s ever so clear that Nuno desperately needs a centre-back or two, so it has to be hugely positive news to see the club linked with so many names, and even more so as it appears that they are close to sealing Tomiyasu.

The Japan international can also play at right-back, where Serge Aurier and Matt Doherty have also struggled to impress, so he effectively solves two problems in one.

That said, the club still need to add another man to that backline but, as outlined above, it’s something they are working on. Perhaps the fans around north London can start to get a little more excited for the new season now.

AND in other news, Paratici can find Spurs’ ideal Bale successor in “special” £22.5m-rated Mendes client…

Many fans of West Ham United have been reacting to a post on Twitter, which relayed Jason Burt’s report regarding David Gold, David Sullivan and Karren Brady.

According to Burt’s report for The Telegraph, the club’s owners will “deserve credit” if West Ham go on to secure Champions League qualification via a top four Premier League finish this season.

Burt went on to reference Gold’s claim back in 2016 when, upon moving to the London Stadium, the 84-year-old stated: “There’s absolutely no reason why we can’t be playing in the Champions League in the next five years.”

However, in reaction to The Telegraph sharing the report on Twitter, numerous fans of West Ham flocked to have their say on the matter. Many appeared to strongly disagree with Burt’s opinion, stating their belief that the only reason the club are in such a good position in the league is because of the management of David Moyes and his players’ performances, and that the Irons have been successful despite GSB’s running of the club, not because of it.

So, what exactly did these West Ham United fans have to say in reaction to Jason Burt’s report?

“If West Ham qualify for Europe, it will be DESPITE the owners’ amateurish football operation.”

@AndyPlaytonic

“Give them credit? Oh behave, Jason. Let’s wait for the summer and Moyes needs a £30m striker and is told he only has £5m and has to sell to buy to get anyone else in. It’s what they do best. #GSBOUT.”

@darrell210474

“Not an OUNCE of credit, not a smidgen, not a single atom.”

@CostiaAHN

“We have no strikers and put 2 GKs on the bench to make up our numbers! Get in the sea!!”

@P111DOY

“What a truly woeful take this is.”

@WestHamShirts

“Do me a favour.”

@geoffl65

“When journalists don’t have a clue.”

@kiwiwhu

“What drivel!!! Building a squad that can compete is needed before you start buttering up the owners. The team is strong from players hard work but the squad isn’t due to the owners.”

@MisterMattF

“If this isn’t the wildest statement I’ve ever read.”

@charlie_orwell

“For what?”

@_ghzst

In other news: ‘Scenes’, ‘Finally’, ‘Yessssss’ – Loads of West Ham fans ecstatic as transfer news emerges – find out more here!

The Athletic’s Gregg Evans has confirmed that Aston Villa are eyeing a move for Burnley winger Dwight McNeil this summer.

What’s the story?

A report from Football Insider previously claimed that Dean Smith’s side have their eye on the Clarets talent, with the 21-year-old “one of the top targets of their recruitment team” and the Premier League club “lining up a huge bid for him”.

Evans has now said: “Villa already recognise the need for another wide player, and The Athletic understands Burnley’s Dwight McNeil is of serious interest, as is Emi Buendia of Championship winners Norwich. Extensive groundwork has already been done on both of them.

“The scouting department has closely scrutinised his in-game contributions, and McNeil is recognised as a player who brings additional options to open up a game.

“Ideally, Burnley do not wish to part with any of their top performers and are under no pressure to sell, but every player at the club has their price — though McNeil will not come cheap. He’s contracted to the club for another three years, with an option to extend that by a further year. It is also understood that at least three other clubs are interested in him, besides Villa.”

Imagine him and Grealish

With his ability to beat players one-on-one – his average of 1.8 dribbles per game in the Premier League is the highest of any Burnley player and double that of Charlie Taylor in second – McNeil could create an exciting tandem with Jack Grealish.

The £50m-rated winger has arguably been one of the few standout performers going forward for the Clarets, and it’s something which has led to Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp raving about him.

He said: “Dwight McNeil is such a good player, lovely left foot, doesn’t stop running. Every time I watch him he gets better and better, he’s got real quality and certainly a player that the top six to eight clubs will be looking at, and that’s no disrespect to Burnley because I don’t like saying that sometimes, but he is that good.”

McNeil’s composure on the ball, something very much akin to Grealish, has led to Burnley manager Sean Dyche hailing the composure that he has when he gets into the final third of the pitch.

He said: “He’s a real talent. He’s a really good player, he’s improving, his calmness at the end – I’m saying get it in the corner – but he cuts in, and his calmness to cross it into a dangerous area, and then gets his reward.

“Before then, his calmness to dribble out of trouble – he’s a really good player, really good, and he can only mature.”

There are a lot of similarities between the way McNeil and Grealish play, and a move for the Burnley winger could help to build a supremely entertaining attacking duo at Villa Park.

Meanwhile, Gregg Evans has dropped a major Aston Villa transfer update…

Speaking in a football.london Q&A, reliable reporter Alasdair Gold has shared a new deal update involving superstar Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane.

The Lowdown: Spurs tying Kane down?

Despite his heavy links to an exit from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer, Fabio Paratici and co have been touted to offer Kane a new contract and keep him out of Manchester City’s clutches (The Sun).

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Journalist Ian McGarry, speaking on The Transfer Window Podcast, also claimed last week that Kane’s representative, his brother Charlie, wants Spurs to insert a release clause in any new and improved terms.

Now, Gold has come out with his update on the situation.

The Latest: Gold makes Kane contract claim…

Speaking in a Q&A, the journalist has shared what he knows ‘from those around’ Kane at Spurs.

Gold explains, in the aftermath of Kane’s summer statement, that Spurs sources believe a new contract is a question for the future.

Indeed, it appears the prospect of fresh terms for the 28-year-old isn’t entirely ruled out.

“I’d be stunned if both sides don’t look at a new contract for Kane soon,” Gold said (via football.london).

“In the aftermath of his statement about staying this season, the word I had back from those around him was that a new contract was a question for the future rather than in that moment.

“Ultimately though Spurs still have the power as next summer Kane will still have two years left on his current deal.

“As for a release clause, that’s not really Spurs’ thing. Toby Alderweireld’s one is the only example I can think of and there was some talk that that one came about because it was carried across from a previous deal.”

The Verdict: Best option for Kane?

Negotiating new and improved terms seems like Kane’s best option after his failed move to City in the summer.

At 29 next year, the odds of clubs splashing huge money for his services decreases season-by-season and chairman Daniel Levy will certainly not let his talisman leave easily.

Short of a transfer request or something equally drastic, it appears the striker has a decision to make on whether to make the most of his surroundings or bide his time and patiently wait for that potential move – if it ever comes.

In other news…Spurs source: Rising starlet could now be out for at least nine months after big injury blow, find out more here.