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Kyle Bartley would have been a ‘top’ signing for Newcastle United, Kevin Phillips has told Football Insider.

The lowdown

The Telegraph reported last week that the Magpies had decided against a move for the West Bromwich Albion defender, who was apparently valued at just £3m by the Championship club.

Newcastle are keen to sign a ‘ball-playing’ centre-back this summer, with Celtic’s Kristoffer Ajer, former Liverpool loanee Ozan Kabak and Tottenham Hotspur’s Cameron Carter-Vickers among the other options they have considered (via The Athletic).

Bartley made 30 league appearances for West Brom last season as they unsuccessfully tried to stay in the top flight. He averaged 3.6 successful aerial duels and 5.3 clearances per game, along with a passing accuracy of 77.1% (via WhoScored).

The latest

Phillips feels that, even if he wasn’t ever-present in the Newcastle team, Bartley would have brought key traits such as experience and leadership to St James’ Park.

The former England striker told Football Insider: “He’s a solid defender and you could have seen him and Lascelles forming a good partnership. I think for £3m plus his wages it’s not going to kill you.

“He possibly wouldn’t have played week in, week out. But he’s also got that experience which could be vital for Newcastle next season.

“He was definitely one of the best players at West Brom after Allardyce came in last season. He’s a leader on and off the pitch as well, which helps. It could be a top deal.”

The verdict

Despite Phillips’ endorsement, Bartley would have been a somewhat underwhelming signing in comparison to targets like Ajer and Kabak, imposing young defenders with plenty of potential and experience of major European competitions.

Perhaps they were simply priced out of moves for those targets, leading them to briefly consider a fairly cheap swoop for Bartley. The deal would have felt like short-term thinking, with the club currently in limbo as it waits to see whether the prospective Saudi-led takeover will go through.

Ultimately, it’s doubtful whether Bartley would have represented any improvement on the options already at Bruce’s disposal, considering that the 30-year-old was a regular in a Baggies team which had the worst defensive record in last season’s Premier League.

In other news, Newcastle are said to ‘admire’ this midfielder. 

So far in the current January transfer window, Villa have been rather active in the market in terms of bringing new players in such as Lucas Digne and Philippe Coutinho to help strengthen Steven Gerrard’s side, as well as moving players out of the club on loan deals such as Wesley and Keinan Davis.

One other player that has moved on from Villa Park this month is winger Anwar El Ghazi, who recently joined fellow Premier League club, Everton, on a loan deal until the end of the current season.

Despite it being a loan deal, the Dutchman’s future as a Villa player beyond that has recently been called into question.

What’s the latest?

Speaking to Football Insider, former Villa player Kevin Phillips had this to say about El Ghazi and his future at the Midlands club.

He said: “This is the start of the end for El Ghazi at Villa. He has been a great servant for the club over the years but the club are now moving in a different direction.

“I think it’s a great move for the player. He’s going to another big club. Everton are struggling though so the pressure is on him. It was clear that he wasn’t going to be playing every week at Villa. If he plays well at Everton he’ll be able to secure a permanent deal there in the summer.

“Will we see him in a Villa shirt again? No, we won’t.”

Lange masterclass

During his time at Villa, the 26-year-old managed to rack up 26 goals and 16 assists in 119 appearances across all competitions.

Given how he had only made three substitute appearances for Villa after Gerrard was appointed back in mid-November, it made sense for him to move elsewhere in the search for regular game time.

If Villa were to decide that El Ghazi doesn’t have a future at the club by the time his loan deal at Everton runs out, it could be another transfer masterclass from Johan Lange if they were able to pick up a suitable fee for him that they could use to strengthen their squad in the summer.

Moving forward, Villa will have to hope that the £9m-rated winger can make the most of his time at the Merseyside club and convince the club’s hierarchy that they should sign him on a permanent deal and bring an end to his Villa career.

With the Midlands club already seeing Coutinho have more of an impact on the team with his debut goal against Manchester United at the weekend than El Ghazi had done in his appearances under Gerrard, it would seem likely for them to want to secure the Brazilian on a permanent deal rather than have El Ghazi back.

In other news: Lange must avoid big AVFC disaster as insider update emerges, Gerrard would be livid – opinion

West Ham United have a number of attacking players in their squad that have all contributed to getting the side to where they are at this moment in time.

The trio of Jarrod Bowen, Said Benrahma and Pablo Fornals have scored 21 goals between them in the Premier League and provided 16 assists along the way.

The Hammers also have Michail Antonio, who has found the back of the net eight times and delivered seven assists for his teammates in 31 league appearances.

While there is still some time left until the season ends, it seems as though the east London club may have already got their eye on adding another attacking figure to their squad.

What’s the talk?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist and transfer insider Pete O’Rourke had this to say about Union Berlin striker Taiwo Awoniyi and the potential interest that West Ham have in signing him.

“I’m sure West Ham scouts have been alerted to him. He’s a big, strong, pacey forward who could definitely come into that team and improve the West Ham options as well, and I think he’s got all the tools to be a success in the Premier League.

“So, I think West Ham, as well as several other Premier League clubs, will be keeping tabs on him this summer.”

Deadly duo inbound?

After originally joining his current club on loan from Liverpool back in September 2020, the 24-year-old signed on a permanent deal last summer.

In 59 appearances for the German side, the striker has managed to score an impressive 22 goals and provide eight assists along the way.

With 26 league appearances under his belt this campaign, the former Liverpool youngster has found the back of the net 12 times, showing why Mergim Vojvoda called him “an excellent player with great qualities.”

In those appearances, the centre-forward has created three big chances and racked up an average of 2.1 shots and 0.8 key passes per game.

This also backs up why Steffen Baumgart labelled the attacker as a “dangerous” player on the pitch.

In comparison to Antonio, the Jamaica international has racked up 2.3 shots and 1.4 key passes per game, showing just how dangerous he can be in terms of scoring and creating goals for his side.

With all of this in mind, if West Ham were to strike a deal to bring Awoniyi back to England in the summer, this could undoubtedly give Moyes the chance to form a deadly attacking duo at the London Stadium to potentially push the team even further.

In other news: Huge blow: West Ham dealt fresh injury setback ahead of Lyon, Moyes will be sweating

Just how Newcastle United decide to approach the January transfer market will be fascinating and compelling.

Gone are the days of Mike Ashley’s laborious approach to recruitment as a new era under PIF’s guidance promises plenty in terms of new signings.

What’s the word?

The Saudi’s have very nearly completed their backroom puzzle at St James’ Park with a new manager in Eddie Howe now contracted to the club.

They still need to address the vacant director of football position but conversations are set to take place with Michael Emenalo who appears to be the favourite.

If he does arrive in the northeast, then he is set to have a very strict brief according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.

Speaking on Rio Ferdinand Presents FIVE on Wednesday, he delivered an update on the areas Newcastle would be targeting over the winter.

He said: “I’m told for January they want a centre-back, and they want a creative midfield and a striker. This is the list for Newcastle in January.”

Delight for supporters

Although Romano doesn’t go into detail over who might be on their shortlist in January, the Toon Army should be delighted by what they’re reading.

After all, those three areas are absolutely imperative if they are to survive relegation and stay in the Premier League.

A central defender is of utmost importance, especially when you consider their quite frankly woeful record at the back in 2021/22.

That is one of the biggest problems that Howe will need to address in the coming months with a grand total of 24 goals conceded this term, the second-highest in the entire top-flight. Thus, the addition of a new centre-back will be welcomed at St James’ and it’s that area that should elate supporters the most if they can convince a top talent to join them.

A midfielder is greatly needed too. After all, only Javi Manquillo and Allan Saint-Maximin, neither of whom are central creative individuals, have picked up more than one assist in league action this season.

Thus, the addition of a playmaker in the middle of the park is sure to go down well with fans, particularly if they swoop for someone of the calibre of Donny van de Beek, a name regularly linked with the Toon.

Sourcing a striker isn’t of great concern given the form of two-goal Saint-Maximin and four-goal Callum Wilson, but a shiny new forward is something that is always received well, no matter the team.

With players like Dusan Vlahovic and Timo Werner linked from an offensive persuasion, this could be a particularly compelling few months for Newcastle. The St James’ faithful should definitely be delighted at how things are playing out.

AND in other news, Howe could find his new Ake if Newcastle swoop for “very intelligent” £26.8m beast…

Nottingham Forest boosted their Championship promotion hopes on Monday night, with an impressive 4-0 drubbing over rivals West Bromwich Albion.

Steve Bruce’s side found themselves at an immediate disadvantage, when Darnell Furlong was shown a second yellow in the 17th minute of play.

Though, Forest – who were out to respond to their loss against Luton Town last time out – made the most of their extra man advantage to secure a massively important three points.

The game featured some brilliantly taken goals from the likes of Brennan Johnson, Ryan Yates and Sam Surridge – with Jack Colback’s screamer from out wide being the pick of the bunch.

Forest boss Steve Cooper had his say on his side’s 4-0 demolition job:

“To win a game 4-0, you have to do a lot of things well – and we did. We took real control.

“It was a job well done. We just played really well.”

The Reds were superb in Monday’s game at The City Ground, though there were two players that really stood out.

Academy graduate, Brennan Johnson was excellent, slotting a cool penalty home and bagging an assist for Colback’s contender for goal of the season.

Though, it was Manchester United loanee James Garner who impressed the most, with a metronomic performance that saw him make 63-passes with an 89% accuracy. 

The £20k-per-week talent has been one of Forest’s main creative outlets in a season that has seen him chip in with ten goal contributions (four goals and six assists) in 36 appearances, in what is his second campaign with the Reds.

Consistency has been a big part of Garner’s game this season and Monday night’s game against Bruce’s Baggies side saw him deliver on his average of around two key passes per match.

Though it was from a set-piece in which Garner got his assist, with a pin-point corner kick that met the head of Ryan Yates who took his goal well.

The 21-year-old was active in front of goal himself with his three shot attempts threatening to add to David Button’s misery between the West Brom sticks. This, despite the young Englishman occupying a position that requires defensive responsibility – with his positional acumen a positive indication of both his “football brain” and his composure in progressing the ball.

According to SofaScore, Garner received a rating of 7.4, making him the joint-third best player on the pitch for what was an all-round impressive performance for the young Manchester United loanee.

In other news: Cooper set for Forest disaster on “sensational” £25k-p/w star who’s like “Collymore” – opinion

Following on from their dramatic 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, Liverpool will now be turning their attention back to the Premier League with a big clash against Manchester United at Old Trafford on the horizon for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

The Manchester club were also in Champions League action in midweek for their 3-2 victory over Atalanta after finding themselves 2-0 down at half time.

On the chalkboard

Looking ahead to the match at Old Trafford on Sunday, one Liverpool player that Klopp included in his starting XI in midweek that we feel should not be in the team to face United is Naby Keita.

Even though the midfielder managed to open the scoring for the Reds against Diego Simeone’s side, Keita was actually incredibly disappointing in the middle of the park.

Per SofaScore, he failed to make any key passes, crosses or accurate long balls and lost possession on nine occasions during what was a sloppy evening on the ball. That meant he actually surrendered the play once every five minutes in a very sloppy showing.

Furthermore, he only won one of the nine duels he was involved in and got dribbled past three times, ultimately earning himself a rather poor overall match rating of 6.5/10, making him the joint-lowest rated Liverpool player that started the match according to SofaScore after being subbed off at the break.

In addition to this, Keita’s performance also caught the attention of former Liverpool player Dietmar Hamann who described the midfielder’s latest outing for the Reds as “hugely disappointing” and that he is “simply not good enough.”

Since joining the Merseyside club back in the 2018 summer transfer window after Liverpool secured a deal with German club RB Leipzig in 2017 worth a reported fee of £52.75m, the 26-year-old, who is currently valued at £28.8m according to Transfermarkt, has made 84 appearances for the Reds across all competitions in which he has managed to score nine goals and provide four assists along the way.

The midfielder has suffered his fair share of injury issues since becoming a Liverpool player which has significantly impacted his playing time at the club.

Looking ahead to the United match, we feel that Klopp must take Keita out of the starting XI to give his side the best chance of beating the Red Devils at the weekend.

However, with Thiago Alcantara, Harvey Elliott and possibly Curtis Jones all out injured, Klopp’s hand may well be forced on the Guinea international on this occasion.

In other news: Imagine him & Thiago: Klopp must secure LFC move for “incredible” £36m-rated machine – opinion

Southampton made light work of a potentially tricky trip to Newport County on Wednesday night as they thrashed the League Two side 8-0 to earn a record cup win.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side were in complete control from the word go, with goals from Armando Broja, Nathan Tella and Kyle Walker-Peters giving them a 3-0 lead at half-time.

The Saints showed no signs of slowing down after the break and it was 6-0 before the hour mark, with Broja scoring his second after a quickfire double from Mohammed Elyounoussi – his first goals for the club.

Nathan Redmond then got the goal his performance deserved, before Elyounoussi made it a hattrick late on to consign the Exiles to a heavy defeat, whilst Southampton matched their record win against Sunderland from the 2014/15 Premier League campaign.

Although Elyounoussi deserves a lot of credit for his hattrick, especially considering he had failed to score in 19 appearances before Wednesday night, it was arguably Redmond who was the star of the show against the League Two outfit.

As per SofaScore, the former Norwich City man would earn a 9/10 rating for his display, with only Elyounoussi (10/10) rated higher from both sides.

Redmond was instrumental in the first half and was unfortunate not to give Hasenhuttl’s side the lead when his thunderous effort was tipped onto the bar by Joe Day, only for Broja to tuck away the rebound.

He would then provide the assist for Walker-Peters’ goal to seal the win before half-time, before smashing past Day from the edge of the box for Southampton’s seventh of the night.

During the 90 minutes, the 27-year-old winger would contribute four key passes, which was the most of any player on the pitch, whilst he also came close to scoring on a number of occasions, with Day denying the £16.2m-rated Englishman with a super save in the first half.

Hampshire Live journalist Tom Leach was certainly impressed with Redmond’s display, rating him a 9/10 and writing:

“He was central to both of Southampton’s early goals, setting one up and providing the pre-assist for the other. He should have scored himself during the first ten minutes but dragged his shot horribly wide. He got his goal late one, thundering into the net from 20 yards.”

[freshpress-quiz id=“594431”]

Therefore, whilst Elyounoussi’s performance was great in terms of his hattrick and two assists, Redmond was heavily involved in Southampton’s build-up play throughout the night and deserves a lot of credit for his display.

And, in other news… Semmens should seal Southampton swoop for 21 y/o gem with “enormous ability”

Lots of Wolves fans were left blasting the performance of Fernando Marcal in their 1-0 win away at Brighton and Hove Albion on Wednesday night.

Romain Saiss grabbed the only goal of the game for the visitors after a neat finish set up by a delightful pass rom Ruben Neves, but some members of the Molineux faithful were not too impressed with Marcal’s contribution to the win.

WWFC supporters were particularly critical of him going down far too easily on a number of occasions, emphasised as he lost out on five of his individual duels, while he also failed to block any shots or provide any accurate crosses from left wing-back (SofaScore).

Marcal also gave possession away 16 times, the joint-second most out of his teammates (SofaScore), in what was a disappointing night for him individually.

Wolves fans blast Marcal

These Wanderers blasted his display on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that he is a ‘liability’:

“Marcal and Trincao on man this is 11 vs 9”

Credit: @GeorgeTheStud

“Marcal is awful, recall Ryan Giles ASAP please”

Credit: @StephenPotts96_

“Marcal is so brittle for a strong looking man!”

Credit: @wwfc_fan

“Marcal a walking toothpick”

Credit: @David_gill14

“Marcal is basically Humpty Dumpty”

Credit: @mart_holliday

“Marcal is a liability”

Credit: @daveandwolves

In other news, find out whose performance at Brighton was also slammed here!

After losing their latest Premier League game 3-2 against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, Leeds United have won just three of their 16 league games so far this season, drawing seven and losing six along the way, leaving the Whites in 15th place in the league table with 16 points prior to Sunday’s league matches.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side have also only managed to score 17 goals this season, which is a big drop off from last season where they had managed to score 30 by this point.

With this in mind, it seems as though the Yorkshire club could be looking to the January transfer window to bring someone in that could revitalise their attacking power.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from The Sun by journalist Alan Nixon, Leeds are interested in signing Blackburn Rovers attacker Ben Brereton Diaz.

The report also claims that the Championship club would want a transfer fee of £25m for the Chile international, which could apparently put some clubs off that may want to sign him such as fellow Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion as well as La Liga side Sevilla.

Brereton Diaz originally joined Blackburn on a loan deal from Nottingham Forest in the 2018 summer transfer window before signing on a permanent deal in January 2019.

Overall, Brereton Diaz has made 111 appearances for the club across all competitions, scoring 26 goals and providing 10 assists along the way.

Keeping Bielsa at Elland Road

Labelled as an “extraordinary talent” by Rovers manager Tony Mowbray, the 22-year-old, who is currently valued at £9m according to Transfermarkt, has proved his manager right all throughout this season so far by racking up a total of 17 goals in 22 Championship appearances.

This shows just why the likes of Leeds, Brighton and Sevilla are interested in signing the attacker.

With Patrick Bamford having struggled with injuries this season and the fact that Rodrigo and Tyler Roberts have only managed to score three league goals between them suggests that Leeds could do with adding someone with Brereton Diaz’s goalscoring ability.

It’s been a huge problem for the Elland Road outfit with Bielsa coming under serious pressure that his job may not be as secure as it once was. The worst-case scenario would be relegation but in signing the Blackburn forward, he could help keep the Argentine in Yorkshire by securing their Premier League status courtesy of his immense strike rate in front of goal.

That said, given how important he has been for Blackburn this season and labelled as their “catalyst” for promotion by Colin Hendry, it would be likely that they would be reluctant to let him leave halfway through the season.

In other news – “Screams class”: £16.5k-p/w Leeds beast who won 100% duels proved Bielsa wrong v Chelsea

Many Wolves fans have been left reacting to some comments made by Patrick Cutrone.

Speaking to Sky Italy (via Talking Wolves), the striker commented on his imminent loan move to Empoli in the Serie A:

“Happy to be back in Italy. I chose Empoli because it’s a great club and a great place to play football. I tell the fans that I am really fired up: I can’t wait to get to know you all, get on the pitch & tear things up.”

Some members of the Molineux faithful were left confused by him claiming that he will ‘tear things up’, given his troubled time at the Midlands club, in which he has only managed to score just a mere three goals in 28 games in total over all competitions across the last two seasons (Transfermarkt), and he has been shipped out on loan to both Fiorentina and Valencia respectively.

Nonetheless, Cutrone does not seem too enthusiastic to stay at the Wanderers judging by his latest comments, and so it may be a wise idea for them to move him on permanently after his loan spell ends.

Wolves fans on Cutrone comments

These WWFC supporters gave their reactions as the comments were shared on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that Cutrone is a ‘joker’:

“For a starters mate. Tear up your Wolves contract and everything will be sweet”

Credit: @charliewwfc_

“Couldn’t tear a piece of paper dafty”

Credit: @wwfcrhys

“Who does this guy think he is?”

Credit: @kyewazza

“When has he ever torn things up?”

Credit: @danielcmila

“Tear things up … Behave”

Credit: @trev291

“How many years has this joker got left on his contract?”

Credit: @silentbob1957

In other news, find out what transfer update has Wanderers fuming here!