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An update has emerged on Newcastle United’s pursuit of Monaco monster Benoit Badiashile…

What’s the talk?

According to the Daily Mail, the Magpies are plotting a swoop for the defender and are currently in talks with the Ligue 1 club over a deal for him this month.

The report claims that he is valued at £35m by the French side and it remains to be seen whether or not Newcastle are willing to meet their demands.

Buzzing

Eddie Howe will surely be buzzing with this news for several reasons. For starters, he will be delighted that the club are actively making moves to strengthen the defence, with talks having already been opened over a transfer for Badiashile.

It shows that they are not willing to waste time and wait until the end of the window to make signings. They want to strengthen the team as quickly as possible and this will please the ex-Bournemouth boss as his team is in dire need of reinforcements.

The Magpies are 19th in the Premier League and have only won one game all season. This shows that the current crop of players have not been good enough for a team that wants to avoid relegation, which is why PIF must splash the cash to improve Howe’s options ahead of the second half of the season.

One of Newcastle’s biggest issues has been their defence. They have conceded the most goals in the division (42) and the signing of Badiashile could improve their backline. The 20-year-old has averaged a solid SofaScore rating of 6.79 in Ligue 1 for Monaco this term, after managing a score of 6.91 in 32 starts last season.

He helped the French side to keep nine clean sheets in the 2020/21 campaign as he won 63% of his duels and made 2.4 tackles and interceptions per game. This shows that he can consistently provide strong defensive performances at the top level, winning the majority of his duels and helping his team to keep shutouts – something Newcastle have struggled with this season as they sit on one clean sheet after 19 matches.

Therefore, Howe will be buzzing with the prospect of Badiashile arriving at St. James’ Park. Not only is he a player with immense potential, given his performances in Ligue 1 at the age of 20, but he has also proven that he can perform in the here and now and the Magpies need the defensive monster in their bid to avoid relegation down to the second tier.

AND in other news, “They are…” – Chris Waugh drops key NUFC transfer update that’ll delight fans…

Celtic have reached an agreement regarding a deal to bring Reo Hatate to Parkhead this January.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Japanese media outlet Hochi, who claim that the Bhoys have found an agreement with Kawasaki Frontale regarding the transfer of the midfielder, who now looks set to complete a switch to Glasgow in the coming weeks.

Earlier reports suggested that Celtic and the 24-year-old had already come to an agreement concerning personal terms of his contract with the Premiership side, with the transfer looking as if it is all but officially confirmed by Ange Postecoglou’s transfer team.

Ange will be buzzing

With Hatate having been one of the stars of the J League season this year, the news that Celtic have all but landed the signing of the midfielder is sure to have left the 56-year-old Bhoys boss buzzing.

Indeed, Postecoglou has openly stated that he would be returning to the Japanese top flight in the January transfer window following the success Kyogo Furuhashi has had since his £4.6m move from Vissel Kobe this summer.

And, considering how impressive Hatate was for Frontale this time out, it is easy to see why the Celtic manager is so keen to bring the 24-year-old to Parkhead.

Over his over 30 J League appearances this term, the £720k-rated central midfielder scored five goals, provided two assists and created three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of two shots and making 1.1 key passes per game.

These returns saw the £625-per-week man earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.16, ranking him as his club’s fifth-best player in the league – while his impressive performances also saw him take a spot in the J League team of the season.

As such, it would appear that Hatate will make a very useful addition to Postecoglou’s current Celtic squad, with the latest news from Japan very much looking to give Bhoys fans the green light to get excited about the 24-year-old’s arrival this January.

In other news: Postecoglou drops 12-word Kyogo update ahead of cup final, Celtic fans will be furious

While West Brom may not have had a perfect start to their Championship campaign with 17 games played, the Baggies are still very much in the mix to secure a promotion place by the end of the season, currently sat in third place in the league table with 32 points from nine wins, five draws and three defeats under their belt.

One player that has played a big part in West Brom’s season so far is defender Conor Townsend, who has started all 17 of their league games and ultimately played more minutes than any other Baggies player, showing just how important he is for Valerien Ismael.

In addition to this, the 28-year-old has also highlighted his versatility on the pitch by playing as a centre-back, left-back and left-midfielder at times this season, which is a big sign as to why Ismael has picked him to start so many times.

Regarding his performances, from a defensive point of view, Townsend has racked up an average of 2.8 aerials won (47 in total), 1.8 tackles, 1.5 clearances and 1.4 interceptions per game in the Championship, proving himself as a vital part of West Brom’s back line.

As well as his defensive contributions, Townsend has also proven himself to be a useful attacking outlet for the team, contributing an average of 1.5 key passes per match, with the Englishman securing two assists for the team which came during their 2-2 draw against AFC Bournemouth on the opening day of the season followed by their 1-1 draw against Millwall back in September.

Taking all of this into account, it’s safe to say that Townsend, who has been described as a “confident” player on the ball by Baggies journalist Steve Madeley, has been a real hero for Ismael this season given his versatility, reliability and all-round ability up and down the pitch.

Moving forward, with Dara O’Shea still out injured for the next few months and the fact that Kean Bryan has now been ruled out for the remainder of the season through injury, Ismael will undoubtedly be hoping that Townsend will be able to keep fit for the rest of the campaign.

He’ll need to keep delivering the sort of performances that he has been doing, as he could give the Baggies a great chance of securing a place back in the Premier League.

In other news: WBA must secure deal for “wonderful” 6ft4 beast, it may be season-defining for Ismael – opinion

Tottenham Hotspur could look to offload struggling midfield star Dele Alli in the January transfer window, according to Daily Star journalist Paul Brown…

What’s the word?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT this week, the reporter said:

“I think the club as a whole, if they get the right offer for Dele Alli, they probably would take it.”

During the last winter window, the 25-year-old was linked with a move away from north London but that failed to materialise, though other reports suggested that chairman Daniel Levy was against such a decision.

He appears to have changed his tune since, with Football Insider suggesting that he is available for a transfer due to him being ‘difficult to manage’ behind the scenes.

Time’s up?

It has certainly been a fall from grace for the 37-time England international, who has not been called up to Gareth Southgate’s squad since June 2019.

Back in 2016/17, the former MK Dons starlet emerged as one of the Premier League’s biggest and brightest young talents, off the back of 22 goals and 13 assists across all competitions, earning some comparisons to top-flight greats Steven Gerrard and Paul Scholes.

But in recent years, Alli has struggled to replicate such exploits and has been on a downward spiral ever since ex-manager Jose Mourinho was seen lambasting him as “lazy” in more colourful language in the club’s ‘All or Nothing’ docuseries that was broadcast on Amazon.

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Since the start of the 2019/20 campaign, nearly two-and-a-half years ago, the £27m-rated playmaker has provided 12 goals and ten assists across major competitions, via WhoScored. A fraction of what he managed in that one season.

His latest appearance in a Lilywhites shirt drew some scathing reviews, including one from former midfielder Jamie O’Hara, who unleashed on Alli after their humiliating 2-1 defeat to NS Mura last week.

“Some of the players – and I’ll name them as well – Doherty, Ndombele, Dele Alli, Davinson Sanchez were absolutely shocking. They should be ashamed of their performances tonight. I don’t think you’ll see a few of these in a Spurs shirt ever again.”

Indeed, these are thoughts echoed by much of the Spurs faithful. When asked by Football FanCast recently, some 86% of nearly 300 supporters believe the long-serving star has no future under Antonio Conte.

If the north Londoners can garner some sort of fee for him in the upcoming transfer windows, then it could seriously bolster the Italian’s playing squad and as such, they must surely be buzzing by the news that he could be sold in the near future.

AND in other news, Spurs set for game-changing boost amid behind-scenes insider claim…

West Ham manager David Moyes has provided an update on the fitness of Aaron Cresswell, Ben Johnson and Ryan Fredericks as the east Londoners face a full-back crisis.

What’s the story?

Following the Hammers’ 2-0 defeat to Arsenal and ahead of their subsequently postponed fixture against Norwich City over the weekend, Moyes addressed the media and provided an update on the absent trio.

“I am hoping that maybe Ryan or Ben or Cressie [Cresswell] can get themselves available for us,” the Irons manager said. “It would help us in a period where we have some injuries and it looks like all the full-backs in the main are the ones getting injured or sent off.”

Right-back Vladimir Coufal has been included in the squad for West Ham’s Carabao Cup quarter-final against Tottenham but will miss the next Premier League match through suspension after being sent off at Arsenal on Wednesday night.

This leaves 28-year-old Arthur Masuaku as the Irons’ only available senior full-back. However, 20-year-old right-back Harrison Ashby came off the bench against Arsenal and impressed on his debut against Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League, which could form a pathway into the side for the youngster.

West Ham need full-back options

With a hectic festive schedule still set to be played, Moyes will need as many available options as possible, particularly in the full-back areas.

Should the likes of Cresswell, Johnson and Fredericks return in the near future, it will get West Ham fans buzzing again after their team’s recent dip in form.

Fredericks hasn’t featured for David Moyes’ side since their 2-0 win at Rapid Vienna in the Europa League last month and has only managed two minutes in the Premier League all season. However, both Cresswell and Johnson are regular fixtures in the side, with the latter working hard to maintain his place in the starting XI.

The 21-year-old right-back has been impressive this season, managing a run of eight consecutive starts in the Premier League before missing the trips to Burnley and Arsenal, and he will hope that a brief spell on the sidelines won’t halt his progress.

Moyes’ hopeful comments about having some, or possibly all, of his injured full-backs available for upcoming fixtures will at least give West Ham supporters a shot in the arm after a testing couple of weeks.

In other news: West Ham could spark top-four push with move for £16.2m-rated beast likened to Ribery

Tottenham Hotspur are open to out-of-form midfielder Dele Alli departing the club during the upcoming January transfer window.

What’s the story?

According to The Athletic, Spurs would be willing to accept an appropriate offer for the 25-year-old’s services over the winter after falling down the pecking order in north London.

The report states that: “The Athletic understands that Spurs would be more open to allowing the player to move on. Certainly, for the moment he doesn’t appear to be in Nuno’s plans.”

Spurs fans will be buzzing

It seemed as though Dele was going to conquer the world in the early stages of his career.

The former England international scored 46 goals and provided a further 41 assists in 146 appearances for Spurs between 2015/16 and 2017/18, cementing his status as one of the most exciting prospects in European football.

However, he’s failed to replicate that sort of form since playing his part in England reaching the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup.

A mini-renaissance under former manager Jose Mourinho saw Dele bag four goals in his first four games under the Portuguese coach, leading to hope that the creative talent was set to return to his best.

“(Alli’s) too good to not be one of the best players in the world and not playing with the national team,” said Mourinho after a steller Dele performance against West Ham United back in 2019.

“I’m happy with him, I spent a few minutes with him in training and outside the pitch. And we were saying that the best Dele Alli has to be back.”

Unfortunately, though, it proved to be a false dawn. The engine room operator tailed off after his fast start under Mourinho and endured one of the worst campaigns of his career last term.

Dele started just seven Premier League games throughout 2020/21 and ended up with a meagre eight goal contributions from his 29 outings, indicating just how far he’s fallen in recent years.

And now, under new boss Nuno Espirito Santo, he’s been reduced to a fringe player only called upon for UEFA Conference League duty after his initial spell in central midfielder proved unsuccessful.

The reasons behind Dele’s dramatic decline remain shrouded in mystery, but a large section of the Tottenham supporters will surely be buzzing that closure over the whole sorry ordeal appears to be just around the corner.

In reaction to this report, it certainly appears to be the case – as relayed by This is Futbol, many fans were delighted by the news with the word “finally” prominent amongst much of the reaction.

That only goes to show that a large majority around N17 are excited by this claim.

And, in other news…13 clearances, 85 touches: £18m-rated Spurs beast has just handed Nuno one big dilemma 

Marcelo Bielsa is weighing up the idea of using Raphinha in a number 10 role for Leeds United moving forward, according to journalist Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Raphinha shines for Leeds

The Brazilian has been a superb signing for the Whites, joining from Rennes last year and scoring nine goals in 38 appearances to date.

Raphinha has generally shone as a right winger, cutting inside onto his deadly left foot and wreaking havoc with his dribbling quality.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375277″]

The Latest: Number 10 role mooted

It could be that Bielsa looks into using the 24-year-old in a more central number 10 position, however. Speaking in a Q&A for The Athletic on Saturday following Leeds’ 1-0 win at home to Watford, Hay outlined the possibility of Raphinha’s role changing.

When asked by a supporter if Bielsa would try Raphinha in a role behind the centre-forward, the journalist replied:

“I’m told that they have been discussing the possibility of Raphinha as a 10 but it’s not something Bielsa wants to rush into without working on. I can see aspects of Raphinha which would suit 10 although a Bielsa 10 needs to do a lot of defensive work too.”

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The Verdict: Interesting move by Bielsa

It would be an ultra-attacking move to play Raphinha as a number 10, allowing both Jack Harrison and Dan James to start out wide, forming a speedy three-pronged attack behind Patrick Bamford or Rodrigo.

As Hay hinted, though, the Brazil international would need to produce a strong work ethic to thrive in that position, with Bielsa simply not accepting a luxury player there.

It still feels like Raphinha is best out wide – he has registered nine assists for Leeds – but it would be intriguing to see how he fares more centrally if the manager considers redeploying him.

In other news, one Leeds transfer target has a £10million release clause in his contract. Read more here.

Aston Villa right-back Matty Cash should be available for selection against Arsenal after sustaining a minor injury at the weekend, Ashley Preece says. 

The lowdown

Cash started against Wolves on Saturday and played 79 minutes before he was substituted, with Ashley Young coming on in his place.

Manager Dean Smith revealed after the game that he’d been forced off with a dead leg.

Cash is a mainstay of the Villa side, with his Wolves injury threatening to disrupt a 100% Premier League starting record.

Going by WhoScored metrics, the 24-year-old has been his side’s third best player so far this season.  Nobody in the squad has made more tackles per 90 minutes.

Cash, incidentally, ranks in Villa’s top-six earners with a reported weekly salary of £65,000.

The latest

Addressing supporters in a Birmingham Live fan Q&A, Preece wrote: “[I] expect Matty Cash to shake off a dead leg for Arsenal on Friday.”

Meanwhile, an update on the fitness of winger Leon Bailey is expected in Dean Smith’s press conference on Thursday.

The verdict

This will surely come as a relief to Villa supporters. Young would have been able to deputise, but it’s clear that Cash is one of Smith’s most trusted lieutenants.

And they need to muster a response on Friday night against a 12th-placed Arsenal side, having conceded three times in 15 minutes in a dramatic late collapse after Cash’s withdrawal on Saturday.

If Bailey is available for selection too, they’ll probably fancy their chances.

In other news, this Villa starlet is being monitored. 

Despite being an unused substitute in their recent 2-0 win over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson has been a crucial figure for the Reds over recent years.

Since joining the Merseyside club back in the 2017 summer transfer window from Hull City in a deal worth a reported fee of £10m, the left-back has gone on to make a total of 188 appearances for the Reds across all competitions, scoring five goals and providing 39 assists in the process, showing just how important he is to the team.

Additionally, the fact that Robertson played more minutes in the Premier League last season than any other Liverpool player shows how vital he was for Jurgen Klopp in that time.

With the defender’s contract at Anfield not set to expire until 2026, it doesn’t seem likely that he will be leaving the club anytime soon.

However, we feel as though Liverpool could already have their next version of the Scotland international in their youth ranks with 19-year-old Owen Beck, someone who could potentially save the club millions in future transfer fees.

As a product of Liverpool’s youth system, Beck has made 15 appearances for their U18 team and 31 appearances for their U23 side, scoring two goals and providing five assists in the process, showing that he has some attacking capabilities within him in a similar way Robertson has shown during his time at the club.

In an interview with Wales Online, reporter David Lynch directly compared the two players, saying: “Since nailing down a starting place at under-23 level, Owen’s engine and ability going forward have inevitably seen him compared with Andy Robertson.”

The Welshman also has one senior appearance under his belt for the Reds which came during their recent 2-0 win over Preston North End in the Carabao Cup where he had a very short cameo off the substitutes bench.

Back during the club’s pre-season period, Beck caught the attention of Klopp who labelled him as a “super talent” who he is “really excited about”, which should be very enjoyable for the teenage prodigy to hear.

So far this season, Beck has played in the majority of the Liverpool U23s league games as well as the full 90 minutes in all four of the club’s UEFA Youth League fixtures. He’d predominantly played as a left-back but has also featured as a centre-back and left-winger on occasion. That should be pleasing for Klopp considering he has a large number of players in his senior squad that can play in numerous positions on the pitch.

We see no reason why Beck couldn’t go on to become a regular senior player for the Reds in the coming years. First, however, he must manage a successful season with the U23s and make the most out of any opportunities he gets to play in the first team moving forward. Should he continue to impress, he may well be Robertson’s potential heir.

In other news: Forget Mane: “Outstanding” LFC dynamo who made 4 key passes stole the show vs Atletico – opinion

Selling key players at the right time for the right price is a fundamental part of life as a mid-table Premier League club aspiring to climb up the standings.

The likes of Leicester City have continually punched above their weight after becoming masters at doing just that, but others have only been able to do so on a handful of occasions.

Crystal Palace are one of those. The Eagles have offloaded a few gems during their nine-season stay in England’s top-flight, with the club receiving a record fee for academy graduate Aaron Wan-Bissaka when he joined Manchester United for £50m back in 2019.

However, it’s another high-profile departure who has really helped to earn Selhurst Park chairman Steve Parish a reputation as a smooth operator in the transfer market.

Five years ago, Palace received a whopping £26m fee from Premier League rivals Everton for skillful winger Yannick Bolasie.

Although the Democratic Republic of Congo international showed flashes of brilliance – especially during 2014/15 as he provided 11 Premier League assists – and had the potential to become a more efficient forward, he had only scored 13 goals in 144 appearances for Palace prior to his sale.

The now 32-year-old made a fast start to life on Merseyside, scoring one goal and laying on four assists for his teammates in his first 15 outings for the Toffees in all competitions.

However, he then suffered a devastating cruciate ligament injury which heavily impacted the future fortunes of his career. Bolasie only scored once more for Everton before embarking on a series of loan spells with varying degrees of success.

Short-term stints at the likes of Sporting Lisbon, Middlesbrough and Anderlecht failed to reignite his career, and he’s now plying his trade with Turkish outfit Caykur Rizespor.

Bolasie’s dramatic drop-off in form and fitness struggles have seen his market value plummet to just £1.35m, proving that Parish was right to cash in on the attacker when he did.

In other news… Parish made big Palace mistake over £6.3m-rated wizard, he’s excelling this season