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Steve Bruce will hope he can guide Newcastle United back to winning ways and forget the dismal defeat to Brighton when Tottenham Hotspur visit St James’ Park on Sunday.

However, the Toon are set to be without Callum Wilson as their 10-goal top scorer continues his recovery from a hamstring injury, but Allan Saint-Maximin could be available after a three-game lay-off with a groin issue.

Newcastle have failed to win any of the six games that Wilson has missed since being forced off during the 3-2 win over Southampton in February to now sit just two points above the drop zone.

With that in mind, here’s a potential line-up that Bruce may field against Jose Mourinho’s Spurs, who will be striving to make ground in the race for Champions League qualification, and we anticipate two changes from the team which was thumped 3-0 at Brighton last time out.

Bruce entered the weekend with a number of minor injury concerns following the international break, but was dealt a huge blow before the pause in domestic fixtures with Isaac Hayden ruled out for the rest of the season with a significant knee injury.

Jeff Hendrick will hope he can capitalise on the Englishman’s misfortune, having replaced Hayden against Brighton to make his 19th league appearance of the campaign, but should be overlooked in favour of a recall for Matty Longstaff.

The academy graduate was omitted from the matchday squad at the Amex Stadium for the sixth time in Newcastle’s last seven games and has not played since January’s 3-0 defeat to Arsenal.

Bruce’s decision to overlook Longstaff has caught some of his Newcastle teammates by surprise given that the 21-year-old is fully fit, and he should look to change perceptions with a recall as the midfielder can hold his own against the best and rarely shies away from a challenge.

Bruce will be expected to recall Saint-Maximin to the starting line-up for the first time since drawing 1-1 with Wolverhampton Wanderers in February, at the likely expense of Ryan Fraser despite the Scotland winger earning his nation a vital point against Israel recently with a neat finish.

“He [Saint-Maximin] could be, yeah,” Bruce said on Friday. “We’ve still got two days to train, today and tomorrow, but he came through a big training session 48 hours ago, so we hope he’s a bit more advanced than Callum is. We hope he can play some part.”

Bruce has previously lauded Saint-Maximin for what he brings to the United line-up, as the Toon “looked a threat” when playing on the counter-attack thanks to the Frenchman’s “blistering pace”.

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Newcastle being without Wilson will likely see Joelinton retain his place alongside Saint-Maximin in the split-striker system Bruce currently favours, given the manager’s glowing endorsement of the Brazilian’s recent efforts.

“I thought Joelinton, arguably, had his best game in a Newcastle shirt. I thought he was terrific on the night,” Bruce said, via quotes by Chronicle Live, in relation to the striker’s performance against Aston Villa last month.

“But, of course, a striker has to top it off by scoring a goal. He understands that, but his overall performance was very, very good. I thought he led the line very, very well.”

Newcastle also have concerns in goal with Martin Dubravka returning from international duty having missed two of Slovakia’s three World Cup qualifiers through illness, although Bruce doubts that the 32-year-old will miss Sunday’s clash with Spurs.

“Martin hasn’t been very well, but we expect him to be OK,” Bruce noted on Friday. “We expect him in for training today and we’ll have a chat with him to see how he feels, but we think he’ll be OK.”

Bruce will be expected to name an unchanged defence of Paul Dummett, Ciaran Clark, Jamaal Lascelles and Javier Manquillo against Mourinho’s north London natives, with Jonjo Shelvey, Joe Willock and Miguel Almiron joining whoever replaces Hayden in midfield.

AND in other news, Newcastle could save at least £8.5m by unleashing a £38k-p/w “life-saver” next season…

A lot of noise amongst Tottenham Hotspur’s youth set-up has been about Dane Scarlett, and quite rightly too.

The 17-year-old has been touted for big things in north London and is now in line to do so after clinching his first professional contract earlier this week.

But Spurs are blessed with more than one potential star of the future in the forward position, and that’s even excluding the out-on-loan Troy Parrott.

Sitting amongst the Premier League 2’s most prolific goalscorers this season is Kion Etete, who has scored eight goals in his last 13 outings in the competition – the most for Spurs’ U23 side.

The forward was signed in 2019 following a successful trial from Notts County, where he made his senior debut aged just 16. His manager at the time, Harry Kewell, spoke glowingly after the game, he said (via the Nottingham Post):

“Kion was excellent. He held the ball up well, gave us an outlet and made life difficult for their defenders.”

Now 19, Etete is surely in line to make the step-up into Jose Mourinho’s first-team fold, especially considering that the likes of Scarlett, Alfie Devine and Marcel Lavinier have all been given a run-out this campaign.

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At 6 foot 6 inches in height, the young Spurs prodigy could offer them something vastly different – the sort of towering aerial presence they’ve not had since Peter Crouch, or perhaps Fernando Llorente.

Of course, Etete still has plenty of developing to do before he can be truly considered for a promotion to the first-team, but he’s clearly doing everything asked of him in the U23 squad right now.

Spurs fansite Superhotspur has drawn on those Crouch comparisons further, and based on watching him in matches, claims the teenage gem is ‘tall’ and ‘physical’ but also has ‘skilful’ abilities on the ball and a ‘venomous right foot.’

And just like Crouch, Etete was poached from another youth system before finally making his mark at the north London outfit.

We know that Mourinho has always loved having a target man within his ranks, and according to football.london’s Alasdair Gold, Etete has “got the potential to be a good target man with his close control, strength and a bit of pace as well.”

For all of the clamour surrounding Scarlett, Spurs cannot forget that they have another in-form powerhouse chomping at the bit in the youth set-up.

Who knows, perhaps Etete could become the Lilywhite’s next Crouch, or even make a name for himself as their next unique sensation.

AND in other news, Spurs passenger is holding Spurs back, Levy must brutally cash in this summer…

Plenty of Aston Villa supporters have been reacting on social media to Lee Hendrie’s latest transfer comments.

The former Villa midfielder, talking to Football FanCast – cited by Birmingham Live – urged the club to go after Norwich City’s Emi Buendia this summer, saying:

“Buendia from Norwich, he’s one that I would certainly have a big push on.

“He’s creative and scores goals, he’s a player that I feel would be a fabulous addition to Villa.”

The 24-year-old was linked with Arsenal during the January transfer window, but with the Canaries slapping a £40m price tag on the creative midfielder, a return to the Premier League never materialised.

Buendia has starred at Carrow Road back in the Championship this season, scoring 10 times and registering 13 assists in 31 games in the second tier.

The right winger has made more than 100 appearances for the club, but if Hendrie had his way, Johan Lange would be looking to lure the Argentine to the Midlands ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

Villa fans react

Birmingham Live shared Hendrie’s comments on Twitter, asking fans if they think the club should make a move for the 24-year-old.

Here’s what some supporters had to say, with one describing Buendia as ‘quality’.

“please”

Credit: @joegodwin_

“Finally a wise move proposed.”

Credit: @Oles_Mario

“Absolutely too quality player”

Credit: @cbricknall1

“I would sign him in a heartbeat”

Credit: @kapitalkeyz1

“Yes please. And one more quality winger. You’d then have to ship out 2 of either AEG, Trez or Bert”

Credit: @EllisDennantAV

“Would love him at Villa”

Credit: @ciaranmurphy999

In other news: Villa hierarchy have concerns over recent signing who is difficult to manage, find out more here. 

Steve Bruce is setting Newcastle United up to fail long-term as Dwight Gayle will be forced to reconsider his future amid rumoured interest from Galatasaray.

What’s the word?

According to the Sunday Mirror (14/3, p. 68), the Super Lig giants, who signed DeAndre Yedlin on Deadline Day last month, are now keen on a move to snap up Gayle this summer.

Yedlin sealed a free transfer to the Turk Telekom Stadium having otherwise been a free agent at the end of the season, and could be reunited with Gayle who similarly is in the final months of his United contract.

Galatasaray are interested in bolstering their offence with a move for Gayle, but may face strong competition from Turkey’s other elite clubs with a host of Super Lig outfits also thought to be monitoring the 31-year-old’s situation.

Gayle also has admirers in Qatar and Saudi Arabia with his £40,000-per-week contract set to expire in June, while The Athletic claimed earlier this month that the forward is unlikely to be offered a long-term deal to remain at St. James’ Park.

Tentative talks have taken place over new terms, but Gayle’s age and record of injuries that have sidelined the striker for a third of the past two seasons combined have brought hesitancy from the Toon hierarchy.

Gayle, for his part, is open to staying on Tyneside and is aware that any new deal is likely to be his last at the club, despite attracting interest from the Middle East, Turkey, Europe and Major League Soccer franchises recently.

Championship sides are also likely to look fondly on the skill of a forward, whom Bruce lauds as a “natural finisher”, should Gayle hit the market as a free agent at the end of the season, but the £7m-rated attacker would favour a fresh start if another Premier League spell is off the table.

Should Newcastle let Gayle leave?

Gayle has often left a lot to the imagination with his performances this season and has struggled to find any real form due to Bruce rarely playing the striker and when he does, it is often not in his favoured position.

Gayle has only made five of his 13 outings in all competitions this season as an out-and-out striker and of those appearances, only two have come in the starting line-up with opening calls against Chelsea and Aston Villa in the absence of Callum Wilson through injury.

Bruce’s decision to start Gayle on the left-wing before a move into a false nine role for the second half against Aston Villa last Friday particularly backfired, as the London-born forward cut an invisible and frustrated figure often too far out to pose any attacking threat.

The Toon boss argued following the 1-1 draw that the decision to play Gayle out of position was so Newcastle could continue with the system developed around Allan Saint-Maximin, Wilson and Miguel Almiron. And showed no signs that he intends to change that.

“We’ve played a certain way now for the past six, seven weeks. I spoke briefly on it last week, of not trying to change the shape of us, the way we’ve gone about how we’re trying to play,” Bruce said, via quotes by Chronicle Live.

“I’ll be a bit more technical and say we’re playing with split strikers if you like, but that’s the way we’ve gone about our work and I changed him and Ryan just after half-time. That’s the way we’ve set up and that’s the way we’re going to continue.”

But sticking with square pegs for round holes is not working for Newcastle, and Gayle will surely start to reconsider his willingness to stay at a club where chances to feature are slim if Bruce is not open to playing the man who Noel Whelan calls a “weapon” where he performs best.

Bruce allowing Gayle – who has more goals over the past two Premier League seasons (5) than Andy Carroll (1) and Joelinton (3) combined – to leave will also set Newcastle up to fail long-term, as the club are expected to be light on funds to sign replacements and have plenty of other starts set to be out of contract in the off-season.

AND in other news, Steve Bruce must unleash a “fantastic” Newcastle gem who delivered a statement performance vs Aston Villa…

Many Everton fans have been welcoming the news that the South American FIFA World Cup qualifiers due to take place in March have been cancelled.

As per Sky Sports, the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) has decided to suspend March’s double header of qualifiers for Qatar 2022 amid concern over the impact of the global pandemic and quarantine restrictions.

The tightening lockdown and quarantine regulations mean that numerous European-based players will be unable to travel, which may come as a benefit for the Goodison Park club.

The likes of Allan, James Rodriguez, Richarlison and Yerry Mina would have all joined up with Brazil and Colombia if not for the restrictions, which now means that they will all get two weeks’ worth of rest instead.

It means that the Merseyside club will be able to have all of their players fresh and ready for the end of the 2020/21 campaign as Carlo Ancelotti’s men look to chase automatic qualification for the Champions League for next season.

Everton fan reaction to South America news

These Toffees supporters lauded the news on Twitter, with one Blues supporter even going as far as to excitedly claim that it was the ‘best news ever’:

“Yaaaas.”

Credit: @JohnDiazTheOne

“Perfect”

Credit: @cjohno1001

“Huge. Absolutely huge, for our season.”

Credit: @GrantyBoy78

“Wonderful! They could all use a rest and get fully fit!”

Credit: @MrSherminator8

“This is a blessing”

Credit: @ComedianConn

“Best news ever!”

Credit: @Eric_Howell

In other news, find out which two Champions League aces Ancelotti wants to sign!

During Everton versus Newcastle United in the Premier League this afternoon, many Toffees supporters weren’t happy with opposition midfielder Jonjo Shelvey for his tough tackling – resulting in plenty of fans making their feelings known on Twitter.

Shelvey committed a few fouls in the first half on the likes of James Rodriguez and Alex Iwobi, with the Englishman attracting criticism from these supporters for his antics against Everton at Goodison Park.

Rodriguez in particular was on the receiving end of plenty of challenges, and was later booked himself in what was a clear show of frustration.

Reacting to that aspect of Shelvey’s performance during their encounter with Newcastle, plenty of Toffees voiced their discontent with the 28-year-old – taking to Twitter and blasting the Toon midfield player.

Find all of their verdicts down below.

Everton fans blast Shelvey

“Shelvey again. He will be sent off soon. The freak.”

Credit: toffeeman1971

“Shelvey trying to end James’s career here. Shocking”

Credit: @CaitWilliams10

“Shelvey is a red card waiting to happen.”

Credit: @charles_stevo

“Horrible is Jonjoe Shelvey”

Credit: @efc_bible

“Wow…Shelvey is playing like a thug! I guess he went to the Diego Costa school of football!”

Credit: @c_zsoldos

“Shelvey is the absolute worst. Should be off already. Hope Siggy and James continue running at him every chance they get.”

Credit: @jstroud3

“I hate literally everything about Jonjo Shelvey…”

Credit: @MrLeesRamblings

In other news: Everton fans were left hailing a transfer update, find out more here.

Ilkay Gundogan has been voted the GMS Fans’ Premier League Player of the Month for January. In a poll run by fan engagement experts Snack Media, the midfielder took 24% of the vote after scoring five goals and making 10 dribbles. Burnley’s Nick Pope was in second place with 20%. 

In the first of five votes carried out over seven days via Snack’s digital and social networks, the 5 foot 11 German’s performances clearly struck a chord with Premier League fans up and down the country. 

The full list of contenders from the final shortlist polled as follows: 

• Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City) – 24% 
• Nick Pope (Burnley) – 20% 
• Paul Pogba (Manchester United) – 18% 
• Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) – 15% 
• Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) – 13% 
• Craig Dawson (West Ham) – 11% 

The Championship vote opens at 11 am on Monday 8th February. To vote go to: 

http://bit.ly/36EBNZ6   

When Sunderland travel away from the northeast under Lee Johnson, they appear to be a formidable force.

Their 1-0 win over Ipswich means that Lee Johnson is yet to taste defeat on the road since taking over The Mackems.

Although they need to improve at the Stadium of Light, it will bring them enormous confidence that they can go away and defeat fellow promotion hopefuls. Their 4-0 win over Lincoln was eye-catching but their ability to grind out a 1-0 victory at Ipswich should also be applauded.

Of course, they were helped by the red card to Ipswich’s Kayden Jackson who was given his marching orders after an appalling challenge on Bailey Wright, but they were good value for their win despite that.

Charlie Wyke was once again in the right place at the right time as he took his League One tally for the campaign to 12 strikes as he got the only goal of the game. The tall striker has been indomitable in recent weeks and is finding the net with superb regularity.

Though, it was arguably his supplier that was Johnson’s true hero on Tuesday night. Max Power delivered an inch-perfect cross that Wyke was able to get on the end of to prod the ball home.

Since moving to right-back, Power has defined his own surname. He is a force on the flanks and uses tremendous energy to get up and down. He linked well with Aiden O’Brien, particularly for the goal.

The winger beat his man and then put the ball into the path of the rampaging Power who provided the cross.

Coincidentally, that was just one of four balls into the area – two of which were successful. For context, his completion rate was better than anyone in the entire Mackems squad.

He was also keen to get on the ball and the very fact he touched it on 122 occasions goes to show what a threat the right-back was. Power had 66 more touches than the highest haul registered by an Ipswich player and managed 31 more touches than the next best for the Black Cats.

His influence was mighty, winning more aerial duels (3) than anyone besides Bailey Wright and Jordan Willis for Sunderland. Josh Scowen, meanwhile, was the only person to win more ground duels (4) than Power (3).

This was an all-action display but we shouldn’t be surprised. After all, he delivered a similar showing against Port Vale in the Papa John’s Trophy a few weeks ago.

This, however, was a far more important game with promotion aspirations on the line and Power delivered the goods.

AND in other news, Sunderland must swoop for 20 y/o gem who terrorised £44m worth of talent last month…

As the January transfer window draws nearer, huge international names continue to be linked with a move to the Premier League. One side looking to bolster their ranks in aid of keeping their place in England’s top flight is Leeds United.

The Whites have been connected with a move for Paris Saint Germain star Julian Draxler and would, given his contract situation, be able to agree pre-contract terms with the midfielder this month, whilst a loan move has not been ruled out either. Fabrizio Romano recently tipped the Whites to be “looking for this kind of player” as they potentially enter the transfer market once more.

Draxler would be ideal signing for Leeds

Draxler oozes creativity and flair. The German international has experience in abundance and a sharp eye for setting up a goal. For Leeds, he is the ideal addition to their recently promoted squad.

Marcelo Bielsa relies heavily on stalwart striker Patrick Bamford to score goals, which may cause a lot of problems against more defensively sound teams. The Whites seem to be in need of a bit of a mix up when it comes to their attacking options and it could be wise to add a creative spark from midfield.

The end of Hernandez

Whilst signing Draxler on loan, and perhaps even on a permanent deal down the line, is arguably a no-brainer for Andrea Radrizzani, it could lead to him letting go of 35-year-old Pablo Hernandez.

The Spaniard has been a loyal contributor to the Yorkshire outfit since his arrival in 2017, but his age and lack of contribution could spell the end of his time at Elland Road. So far this season, Hernandez has added just two assists to Leeds’ tally and has started on only two occasions, according to Transfermarkt.

He is the club’s only recognised attacking midfielder, which, in terms of squad depth, isn’t rally good enough for a side looking to stay and thrive in the Premier League. Leeds would benefit a whole lot from adding a player like Draxler, who has 22 goals and 33 assists for PSG, as well as 56 caps for his country, as per Transfermarkt.

According to WhoScored, the 27-year-old has averaged a higher passing percentage this season (89.5%) and more key passes (1.2) per match when compared to Hernandez’s totals of 78% and 0.6, respectively.

This highlights that Draxler’s capability to pick out important passes and build up play from the middle of the park is better than the veteran Leeds star. Quite simply, his creative flair is clearly more threatening than that of the Leeds man, whose days could be numbered at Elland Road.

Hernandez is contracted until 2022 with the Whites so by the time that expires, he will have turned 37. Now, is the time for Leeds to be brave and move out the old dogs in order to make way for younger, fresher legs.

If Leeds can do a deal to get Draxler to Elland Road, and get him playing to his best, it would be a huge coup for the Yorkshire-based club.

In other news, Leeds can land Alioski successor in Fredrik Andre Bjorkan…

Southampton’s January transfer plans look to have suffered a blow as Michael Obafemi’s loan move is off after the Irish striker suffered an injury ahead of the Saints’ fixture against Liverpool recently.

According to Daniel Sheldon, the Athletic’s Southampton correspondent, Obafemi sustained a significant muscle injury in training recently, meaning his prospective loan move to the Championship is now off.

The 20-year-old had been heavily linked with a move to the second division recently, with Swansea City amongst the suitors but unfortunately for the youngster, he now looks set for a long spell on the sidelines.

It is a big blow for the former Leyton Orient youngster, as he has managed just one substitute appearance for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side so far this season and was no doubt desperate to get some game time out on loan to prove that he is still capable of making it at the South Coast club.

Obafemi has seen the likes of Nathan Tella and Dan N’Lundulu move ahead of him in the pecking order this season, whilst the loan signing of Theo Walcott has also meant that the opportunities have been hard to come by.

Therefore, a loan move where the Republic of Ireland U21 international could get regular football and perhaps goals under his belt would’ve been ideal to build up his confidence, in the hope that he could return next season and challenge the likes of Danny Ings and Che Adams for a starting spot in the Southampton first-team.

The 20-year-old has 35 first-team appearances for Southampton to his name already, in which he has contributed five goals and four assists but Hasenhuttl has questioned his professionalism in the past, which certainly seems a factor in why he has barely featured so far this season.

Considering this season has been something of a write-off, and his contract is set to expire in June 2022, Obafemi will have to work hard to impress Hasenhuttl next season if he wants to have a long-term future with Southampton.

AND, in other news, Southampton signing “brave” gem will be the final nail in the coffin of forgotten Saints dud…