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A report from The Times has explored the extent of financial damage relegation can cause for Newcastle United.

The Magpies find themselves 16th in the Premier League and only a single point ahead of 18th-placed Fulham, who have played a game more. They are also one point ahead of Brighton and find themselves in the middle of a relegation scrap, but failure to avoid the drop could have disastrous financial consequences.

NUFC players don’t have relegation clauses

A report from Martin Hardy in The Times has talked about the finances which can be affected by Newcastle’s potential relegation. It stated that the Magpies could witness ‘devastating’ financial consequences, as the club’s players don’t have relegation clauses in their contracts.

The Tynesiders have previously done that to avoid signings from being deterred from joining and, as a result of this clause, the club would have to take their Premier League wage bill to the Championship. The report added that their wage bill stood at £96.8m in June 2019, but since then they have roped in Joelinton, Callum Wilson, Ryan Fraser and Jamal Lewis.

Clubs use relegation clauses to ensure that they manage the revenue drop in the absence of Premier League money, but the Magpies don’t have that in place.

Relegation could be disastarous for NUFC

While financial issues would likely crop up in case of relegation, it has been stated by journalist Liam Kennedy that dropping out of the Premier League could dramatically reduce chances of a potential takeover for the Magpies.

This clearly shows that they can’t afford to get relegated and could have severely damaging consequences, so Steve Bruce’s side need to turn their form around soon to avoid this unenviable scenario.

In other news, one Newcastle man could be set to return to the first team soon – read more here.

West Brom have edged closer to signing Okay Yokuslu, according to emerging reports…

What’s the word?

The Telegraph’s John Percy revealed that the Baggies were in talks with Celta Vigo over a move for the Turkey international before Saturday’s crunch match with relegation rivals Fulham.

He claims that a defensive midfield addition has been among Sam Allardyce’s priorities this transfer window, alongside a new forward too.

An initial loan deal for Yokuslu is expected to go through before the deadline on Monday. He has been cherry-picked over Leicester City youth product Hamza Choudhury.

Biggest need filled

Big Sam’s side are the leakiest defence in the Premier League, conceding a whopping 12 more goals than any other side but given he has plenty of options at the back, it’s on him to find the best partnership.

Although, an anchorman presence would certainly help as their midfield gets bypassed far too easily. Aside from rarely-seen academy graduate Sam Field, Albion do not have anyone else in the role.

When asked about the potential of defensive reinforcements, Allardyce told reporters, via BirminghamLive: “Unless I get rid of any of the six centre-halves I already have, no. I can’t bring another centre-half in when I already have six.”

But in Yokuslu, he’ll be getting a solution to this ongoing nightmare.

He also added: “If we can get a good defensive midfield player who can pass the ball as well as intercept and keep the pressure off the back four then we will try to get him.”

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-this-weeks-latest-west-brom-news-and-transfer-rumours” title=”Read this week’s latest West Brom news, transfer rumours and more…”]

Indeed, this is what the 26-year-old would bring to the Hawthorns.

Currently, Allardyce has often turned to a partnership of Romaine Sawyers and Jake Livermore, neither of which are defensively-minded enforcers.

In fact, the former has been the Baggies’ worst player this season with an average WhoScored rating of 6.13 – no other regular starter has managed worse.

Livermore isn’t too far behind with an average rating of 6.17.

But Sawyers has been left wanting in multiple matches this season – it’s as if he’s not adapted to the rise in opposition quality and game intensity from the Championship to the Premier League.

Per FBRef, he is dribbled past 1.53 times every 90 minutes and is only able to successfully tackle his opposite number 29.4% of the time, which is again, the worst between him and Livermore.

The 29-year-old also ranks 11th in this squad for tackles and interceptions combined per 90 (3.18).

By comparison, the €10m-rated (£9m) Celta Vigo powerhouse is managing 4.51 tackles and interceptions and is only dribbled past 1.18 times per 90, via FBRef.

That makes him the more industrious and imperious option, so no wonder Allardyce has given the nod over this move.

Yokuslu has been described as a ‘fine physical specimen’ because of his 6 foot 3 frame and is said to be a ‘swashbuckling midfielder who likes to get stuck in,’ which would be right up Big Sam’s street going by his aforementioned remarks.

To make this move even better, the imposing colossus is equally adept at playing in central defence too, so that should aid their leaky backline.

As the Yokuslu is initially coming in on loan, it’s pretty much a risk-free deal as he’s only thought to be on £29k-per-week in Spain. If they stay up, they’ll only have to pay £4.4m for him permanently too, and that could be a bargain.

Allardyce can finally stop persisting with Sawyers upon this imminent arrival, as evident above, he’s the solution to this defensive nightmare.

AND in other news, West Brom urged to sign “quality” 24-cap international…

David Moyes is hopeful that Michail Antonio will be able to make his return to the West Ham United starting line-up for Sunday’s London derby with Tottenham Hotspur.

The striker sat out the Hammers’ last Premier League fixture and his side’s FA Cup fifth-round defeat to Manchester United through fatigue, after being withdrawn from the goalless draw with Fulham earlier this month.

Antonio looked extremely jaded at Craven Cottage as he played two games in the space of three days, having started and featured for the full 90 minutes of the Irons’ 3-1 win away to Aston Villa earlier that week.

Antonio had only played the full 90 three times before visiting Fulham on February 6 following his second hamstring injury of the campaign, coming against Burnley and in an FA Cup third-round win at League Two side Stockport County in mid-January.

Moyes now hopes that an extended break between appearances will have given Antonio the refresh he needed, after showing good signs of progress in training.

“Michail has a good chance of being available for Sunday because he’s had three days training,” the West Ham boss said during his pre-match press conference on Friday.

“We’ve always been careful with Mich in trying to get him right, but he was close for the last game [against Sheffield United]. We didn’t quite think it was worth the risk.

“He’s not been training with the group every day, but he’s been doing some individual work and hopefully we’ll know a bit more tomorrow [Saturday].”

West Ham host Tottenham on Sunday looking to record a first home victory over the north London side since 2017, having lost each of Spurs’ last four visits to the London Stadium in all competitions.

Having Antonio back available for such a match would come as a huge boost for Moyes, with the 30-year-old not only the Hammers sole recognised senior striker after Sebastien Haller’s winter departure but also a player who gives his all to the cause.

“Antonio leaves everything on the pitch when he plays, he’s that sort of player,” former Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor said of the £11m-rated star to Football Insider when it was revealed he would miss the FA Cup clash with Manchester United.

The centre-forward’s five goals in 15 Premier League appearances – only Tomas Soucek (8) has scored more for West Ham this season – also account for seven of the Irons’ 42 points in the top-flight this term, which without would leave the Hammers 10th in the table.

Instead, a win over Spurs on Sunday could be enough to move the east London side above Chelsea and into fourth in the standings, depending on their result against Southampton on Saturday afternoon.

AND in other news, West Ham face a Premier League tug-of-war to retain a £60k-p/w David Moyes favourite this summer…

Sheffield Wednesday are still looking for their first win under Tony Pulis.

At the weekend, the Owls suffered their fourth defeat in seven matches under the 62-year-old stalwart and things aren’t looking any easier as they head to Nottingham Forest later this evening.

This is usually an encounter that sees both sides in and around the playoffs, though this year, it’s the rock-bottom Yorkshiremen versus fourth-from-bottom Reds.

Pulis really ought to do himself some favours by dropping some of his underperforming stars, none more so than Josh Windass, who has struggled to make much – if any – of an impact in front of goal.

It is true that the former Rangers and Wigan Athletic star is currently the Owls’ top goalscorer on three goals, but he’s managing to find the net just once every five games.

That’s hugely disappointing for someone trusted to lead the line week in, week out.

The 26-year-old is also only averaging 1.9 shots, 0.7 key passes and 0.4 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

You could even argue that he’s doing a fine job considering he’s not an out-and-out striker having played the bulk of his career (43% of 241 appearances) as an attacking midfielder.

Windass, who is valued at £1.44m and earns around £15k-per-week at Hillsborough, must either be played in his natural position or left on the bench later this evening.

Pulis can wield his axe on the forward in favour of handing the reins to either Callum Paterson or Jordan Rhodes with Jack Marriott still on the treatment table.

Once lauded a “constant threat” and a “real menace” by his former Accrington boss John Coleman, Windass was signed by Garry Monk after a short loan spell earlier in the year, so Pulis could be forgiven for wanting to try out alternatives in this evening’s crunch match.

A win really would bolster the Owls’ in their dogfight to stay up and making a big call on the versatile midfielder could prove to be the difference.

AND in other news, Anonymous Sheff Weds calamity who made only 4 passes all game let Pulis down abysmally…

Liverpool are set to face Aston Villa in the FA Cup on Friday evening, with Jurgen Klopp’s side no doubt seeking revenge on the 7-2 hammering that was handed to them at Villa Park earlier in the season.

The fixture was in doubt after an outbreak of the virus at Bodymoor Heath, the Villa training ground, but it seems as if the Villans are planning to play their U23 side.

Therefore, this represents an opportunity for Klopp to make plenty of changes to his Liverpool side, although he will surely be keen to progress, with the Reds having last won the FA Cup in 2006 under Rafa Benitez.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects the German manager to line his side up against Villa this evening, with five changes from the side that started against Southampton last time out…

Alisson keeps his place in between the sticks for this one as it could still prove to be a tough game against the young Villans.

There are three changes in defence as Trent Alexander-Arnold is rested after a disastrous performance against Southampton, with Neco Williams coming in as his replacement.

James Milner replaces Andrew Robertson at left-back, with the Scottish international getting a well-earned rest.

Jordan Henderson moves back into midfield to accommodate Rhys Williams, who returns at centre-back alongside Fabinho.

Thiago builds his match fitness by starting his second successive game in defensive-midfield, with Henderson and Curtis Jones ahead of him, with the youngster perhaps the key to providing some creativity from midfield.

The Reds have been goal-shy recently so Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino start up front and will be hoping to grab a few goals against this young Villa side, whilst Mohamed Salah drops to the bench, with Takumi Minamino replacing him.

Earlier in the season, Klopp described the Japanese international as a “machine” and after scoring on his last start against Crystal Palace, the £75k per week forward deserves a chance to start in this fixture.

And, in other news… Klopp can solve key issue by promoting teen sensation likened to Fernando Torrres

Serge Aurier was Jose Mourinho’s hero on the Tottenham Hotspur manager’s latest return to Stamford Bridge after vastly impressing in Sunday’s goalless draw with Chelsea.

Mourinho has rarely enjoyed success on his encounters with the south west London outfit since being fired by Roman Abramovich in 2015, with Manchester United winning just twice in seven clashes under the Portuguese who had only won once in three with Spurs ahead of this weekend.

But while Mourinho continues in his search for a first win at Stamford Bridge as the head coach of an opposing side since a 1-0 victory with Inter Milan in March 2010, the 57-year-old will count Sunday’s affair as a positive result having shut out Frank Lampard’s Blues with an impressive defensive showing.

Aurier was key to Tottenham keeping Chelsea at bay throughout the 90-minutes at Stamford Bridge on Sunday with the Ivory Coast full-back producing a vastly impressive display, capitalised by his late intervention to deny Christian Pulisic a winning goal.

Tottenham have not always seen the best from Aurier since his arrival from Paris Saint-Germain for £23million in 2017, as the 27-year-old has formerly been blasted for being arrogant by Alan Pardew and slammed by Spurs icon Teddy Sheringham.

“Maybe he’s been told a little too much,” Sheringham claimed on Sky Sports, via quotes by the Daily Mail, after being sent off during a 3-2 win over West Ham in 2017. “He was erratic today. But it’s not about being erratic, it’s about being strong and controlled and getting against people.”

Aurier was far from erratic during the battle at the Bridge on Sunday as he earned his fourth start of the Premier League season, with the £14.4m-rated man standing up to the task of keeping Chelsea’s €50m (£45m) striker Timo Werner quiet.

Mourinho could have opted to bench Aurier following Matt Doherty’s return from coronavirus, having confirmed the Republic of Ireland right-back was in contention after featuring in the midweek Europa League clash with Ludogorets after sitting out Spurs’ 2-0 win over Manchester City.

Mourinho’s summer signing Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has received rave reviews for his performance at Chelsea on Sunday, with the Evening Standard lauding the Denmark international for serving as the Portuguese tactician’s on-field general.

Aurier, however, was Mourinho’s hero at Stamford Bridge, with the 5 ft 9 full-back enjoying the second-most touches (66) by a Spurs player and registering the joint-most tackles attempted (3) and successful efforts (2), per WhoScored.

He further stood out with two clearances and a joint-team high two interceptions and three aerial duels won, while being dribbled past just once and never being dispossessed.

Of the £120,000-per-week defender’s 37 passes, 30 were accurate. Aurier also accounted for two of Tottenham’s total five shots and sole on-target attempt, while winning seven of 10 duels, via SofaScore.

While Doherty is back in training and featured against Ludogorets, Mourinho will find it hard to bench Aurier following his performance at Stamford Bridge.

AND in other news, Gary Mabbutt has exclusively told Football FanCast what Jose Mourinho did “a lot of” at Tottenham.

Former Newcastle United midfielder Rob Lee has exclusively told Football FanCast that he is “very cynical” of speculation suggesting Sean Longstaff may look for a move away from St. James’ Park.

It has been reported by the Daily Mail that Longstaff has signed a 12-month deal with super-agent Pini Zahavi after failing to agree on a new contract with the Magpies, after talks stalled in 2019 following the midfielder’s serious knee injury.

Zahavi is dubbed ‘Mr Fix It’ for his ability to broker deals for unsettled players, and is now expected to work his magic on Longstaff’s situation with Tottenham Hotspur suggested as a potential destination, two years after the 23-year-old first broke into the first-team of his hometown side.

The Toon hierarchy are said to have baulked at the wage Longstaff’s former representatives Beswicks Sports were demanding following heavy links with a potential move to Manchester United, while feeling the speculation surrounding his future had negatively impacted the development of their academy graduate.

Longstaff was expected to have reached a higher level than Magpies supporters are currently seeing under Steve Bruce, who has called on the once £50million-valued midfielder to start just five of eight Premier League outings thus far this season.

Lee, who made 267 top-flight appearances for Newcastle, believes there is still the potential for Longstaff to become a top-class player, but is hesitant over the speculation regarding his future.

“I’m very cynical when it comes to these sorts of things. I’m sure Longstaff, in my opinion, is potentially a top-class player. He’s come in and done very, very well,” Lee told FFC.

“Don’t listen to people saying [they can] get you here. Get your head down and play football, you’re playing for the club you love. You’re young. All those things will come to you.

“I think players have to realise, actually, it’s not the agent that gets them the move, it’s the player that gets the move. If he plays badly, I don’t care who your agent is, if he plays terrible and he starts playing badly, then no one’s getting him a move.

“So, it’s up to him who is agent is, it’s up to him who he wants to go with but, for me, at the moment, for Sean Longstaff, he should stay, play for Newcastle. And if he wants to move later in his career when he’s done really, really well, then [fine].

“It just seems to me that young players break into a team, and all of a sudden somebody wants to move on and cash-in. I don’t mean the clubs, and I don’t mean the player, I mean agents. So, I don’t know [if he will leave], I’m very sceptical of these sorts of things.”

The Daily Mail note that Longstaff would like to stay at St. James’ Park and that Newcastle also wishes to retain his services, with negotiations over a new deal expected to kick on nearer the New Year.

Longstaff’s current deal sees the 23-year-old earn £25,000-per-week as one of the lowest earners in the Toon first-team, and was thought to have been in talks over an £80k-p/w deal following links with a move to Manchester United.

AND in other news, Mike Ashley’s January transfer stance could see Newcastle miss out on a £30m gem compared to Alan Shearer.

Newcastle United striker Callum Wilson has suggested that his ambitions to make the England squad for next summer’s European Championships were key to his decision to move to St James’ Park.

Wilson had attracted plenty of interest throughout the transfer window after Bournemouth’s relegation from the top-flight. The 28-year-old had been the subject of interest from Aston Villa, who placed a bid of £21 million for him. However, the forward instead chose to move to Newcastle, as per the Express and Star.

England ambitions outlined

Aston Villa might have made a better start to the campaign in terms of points that Newcastle, but Wilson has been heavily instrumental for the Magpies. The striker has already registered four goals in his opening four Premier League matches, as per Sofascore.

Wilson’s impressive start to life at St James’ Park has already seen him attract praise from Newcastle legend Alan Shearer. The former number nine labelled the 28-year-old as ‘horrible to play against’ following his performance in the Magpies’ opening day win at West Ham.

Speaking to his former club Coventry City, Wilson outlined that he decided to choose Newcastle over Aston Villa due to his ambitions to lead the line at a club and impress Gareth Southgate enough to make the squad for the Euros.

He said: “For me the long-term goal is to try and get into the European Championship squad which is why I wanted to take this opportunity that arose to come back into the Premier League.

“I’ve left a lot of friends behind in the Bournemouth squad but with the Euro’s coming up I definitely feel that I need to hit the ground running and ultimately that will hopefully lead to me getting back into the England squad.”

Wilson being rewarded for transfer choice

Whilst Wilson has been left out of England’s squad for the current international break, the 28-year-old will have placed himself firmly back onto Southgate’s radar with his performances so far this term. The forward has averaged 2.3 shots and one goal per game so far in his opening four matches, as per Sofascore.

However, it is not just his goal scoring work that has been impressive. The forward has also shown his work rate with 0.8 interceptions per match so far this term, as well as his ability to retain possession in the last third having averaged a 71% passing accuracy (via Sofascore) despite often being isolated up front for the Magpies. If he continues in this vein it will be hard for Southgate to ignore him.

Geordies, do you think Wilson can make England’s squad for the Euros? Let us know your thoughts below!

It’s fair to say that Crystal Palace speedster Eberechi Eze has arrived at Selhurst Park with the weight of great expectations on his young shoulders. Roy Hodgson recently revealed he is keen to keep the pressure off the summer signing, but that hasn’t stopped him from being named in a five-man shortlist of players who are ready to play for England, which was compiled by The Sun pundit Danny Higginbotham.

Eze made everything look easy in the Championship, as the winger scored 14 goals and supplied 8 assists last season, whilst he averaged 2.2 shots, 1.8 key passes and 3 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

However, the 22-year-old has struggled for game time this season, as he has only made two Premier League starts since joining Palace from Queens Park Rangers in the summer. What better way for him to show what he can do against Wolves?

Once described as a “fantastic” player by QPR executive Lee Hoos, Eze received plenty of praise from Cheikhou Kouyate after he made his full debut in the defeat to Everton in the Premier League. Whilst the result didn’t go the way he wanted, Kouyate has tipped him for the very top. He told the club’s website: “This kid is so special.

“Now we need to give him a little bit of time.

“The Premier League are going to enjoy him because he has a good mentality, he plays well and we are happy to have this boy here.”

In essence, that’s exactly what Eze needs right now. He needs some minutes under his belt in order to continue his growth and development as a player.

Palace picked up all three points against Fulham at Craven Cottage in the Premier League last weekend. Whilst there were several standout performers, including Wilfried Zaha and Michy Batshuayi, a few struggled to make much of an impression, like Jeffrey Schlupp, who was actually replaced by Eze on the 76th minute.

Per SofaScore, the 27-year-old received an average rating of 6.5 for his performance – he lost possession ten times, won only four out of ten duels overall (40%), whilst he was dribbled past once and only took 31 touches of the ball.

By comparison, Eze was awarded a higher score of 6.7, whilst he won four out of his six duels (66%), wasn’t dribbled past at all and only lost possession of the ball five times in total, as per SofaScore.

If you look at his heatmap from the last game, you can see that he popped up all over the pitch, which seems to suggest that he was trying to make things happen in his brief cameo. Why not use his scintillating pace to attack an ageing Wolves defence? After all, he needs to be testing himself against some of the best in the league on a regular basis.

AND in other news, Eze and Ward start, Schlupp dropped: Crystal Palace Predicted XI vs Wolves…

Brighton striker Viktor Gyokeres is being targeted by Swansea for a potential loan move, according to The Argus.

The media outlet reported that German second tier outfit St Pauli, with whom he was on loan last season, are also interested in taking the 22-year-old back for another campaign.

Sweden international Gyokeres signed for Brighton in January 2018 and has a decent return of 14 goals in 31 appearances for the Seagulls’ under-23 side. However, he has played just five times for Albion’s first team and is still awaiting a Premier League debut.

His loan spell at St Pauli in 2019/20 was a promising one, as he recorded seven goals and four assists in 28 matches, although he did not feature in either of Brighton’s recent friendlies against Chelsea and West Brom.

While Graham Potter has the prolific Neal Maupay to call upon in attack, along with young prospect Aaron Connolly, the Seagulls are in the market for a new striker. They have been touted for a move for Rangers’ Alfredo Morelos in recent days and also embarked on an unsuccessful pursuit for Darwin Nunez, who joined Benfica last week.

That would suggest that Gyokeres is not considered first team material at the Amex Stadium, so another loan exit seems a distinct possibility – and Swansea may well be an ideal destination for him.

It was at the Liberty Stadium that Liverpool youngster Rhian Brewster flourished on loan earlier this year, scoring 11 goals in 22 Championship games for Steve Cooper’s side. The manager, who led England to Under-17 World Cup glory in 2017, seems to be well able to get a tune out of rough diamonds and may fancy his chances of doing likewise with Brighton’s Swedish centre-forward.

A move to Swansea would also enable Gyokeres to obtain valuable first-team experience in English football rather than going back to mainland Europe. Also, having finished in the play-offs last term, the Swans seem well placed to make a strong push for promotion to the Premier League this time around.

Therefore, the Welsh city could be the perfect place for the 22-year-old to try and follow in Brewster’s footsteps by having a prosperous loan spell which could hopefully see him then challenge for a fixed spot in Potter’s first team at the Amex.

Brighton fans, would you be in favour of a loan move for Gyokeres this season? Have your say by commenting below!