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Newcastle United have seen their efforts to sign West Ham United defender Issa Diop shut down, with the Frenchman now set to remain at the London Stadium.

What’s the story?

Reports earlier on transfer deadline day had suggested that the Magpies had put in a first bid for the centre-back, but it now appears that any January deal is dead in the water.

According to RMC Sport (via Sport Witness), that offer from Eddie Howe’s side’s for the defender has been flatly rejected, and they have been told that the Irons will not be entertaining any more offers for the 25-year-old as they simply don’t want to sell him in the January transfer window.

Howe will be gutted

While the signings of Bruno Guimaraes and Hugo Ekitike (if it gets confirmed later) are likely to be the most eye-catching for Newcastle fans given the prices involved, it’s the signing of someone like Diop which would have really reassured Howe heading into the second half of the Premier League season.

Defence has been a key area of concern for the Magpies with a total of 43 goals conceded already, and bringing in someone who is still relatively young at 25 but with ample Premier League experience to his name in Diop would have been the perfect antidote for that.

Indeed, while the Tyneside club press on with the signings of a striker in Ekitike, and have even been linked with a money-spinning move for a winger in Atletico Madrid’s Yannick Carrasco, it’s Diop who they really needed.

Speaking earlier this month when reports emerged linking the Magpies to another defender in AS Monaco’s Benoit Badiashille, Noel Whelan said: “Going back to that Watford game, what they’re desperately in need of is centre-halves and Badiashile could fit the bill. They’re making far too many mistakes. The marking is all over the place, there’s no concentration – even in the last minute of the game.

“They’ve got to look at these crucial minutes and think about how many points they’ve dropped just through bad defending. Centre half has got to be the priority for Newcastle, fixing the spine of that team.

“It’s all very well serving Chris Wood with these wing-backs, but he will have to score three or four goals every game for Newcastle to have a chance of picking up three points.”

As Whelan says, while it’s all well and good that the Magpies might have signed a new striker in Wood – and now potentially another one in Ekitike – it will all be for nothing if they don’t bring in reinforcements at the other end of the pitch.

Newcastle need to become much more stronger at the back, and Diop’s arrival would certainly have helped in that regard.

It’s why Howe will surely be gutted at the news that the West Ham defender will now be staying put, and another setback for a Magpies side who have been desperately searching to sign a new centre-back all month with so many names being linked.

Meanwhile, Newcastle United have had a BID ACCEPTED for this man..

According to a report by AS, translated and relayed by Sport Witness, an update has emerged on the future of Atletico Madrid defender Kieran Trippier and it involves Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Magpies keen…

As per numerous sources, the Magpies have been heavily linked with a move for the England international recently as the January transfer window fast approaches.

Mundo Deportivo reported (via Sport Witness) that PIF and Eddie Howe are willing to table an eight-figure bid of €30m (£25.3m) to get a deal done next month. Meanwhile, reliable reporter Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Trippier is indeed a target for the Tyneside club.

Sharing the latest, AS (via Sport Witness) have come out with an intriguing update.

The Latest: Trippier handling Newcastle offer…

According to their information, Trippier is handling an ‘important offer’ from the Magpies, prompting Atletico to sweat over his future and meet with the player to express his importance to the La Liga champions.

After the summit, Diego Simeone’s side now hope that the 31-year-old will be focused on the task at hand and ‘forget about’ offers from England.

The Verdict: Crunch time?

These next few weeks of the looming transfer window could prove crucial to Newcastle’s Premier League survival, and it’s safe to say that Trippier’s signing would boost Howe in this regard.

Described as a ‘world class’ right-back by former Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell (Football Insider), the 31-year-old has a wealth of experience on the biggest stages in football at both international and club level.

Part of the Three Lions’ 2018 World Cup semi-final squad, he has also won a La Liga title with Atletico and has featured three times in the Champions League this season. Players of this calibre could be needed at St James’ Park if Howe is to maintain Newcastle’s Premier League status.

In other news: Newcastle now willing to table eight-figure bid to sign ‘sensational’ ace for Howe, he wants to move…find out more here.

A major update has emerged on a Rangers transfer target, with a decision set to be made on a potential move to Ibrox under Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

What’s the talk?

According to STV journalist Raman Bhardwaj, Hearts defender John Souttar is on the verge of deciding his future, with his contact at the Premiership side up at the end of the season.

He Tweeted: “John Souttar has narrowed down his choice to Rangers and two English Championship clubs as to who he’ll sign a pre-contract with. He’s set to make a decision this week. A host of clubs are interested in the Hearts defender.”

Excitement

This news will surely leave Rangers fans feeling excited as it appears as though they will know sooner rather than later whether or not he will be playing for the club next season. A decision is not far away and the Gers are in the final three-team shortlist, which gives them a great chance of landing him.

Supporters will be particularly excited by this as Souttar could be a fantastic signing for Van Bronckhorst and solve a major issue in the summer. Connor Goldson’s contract expires this year and he could depart for nothing ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, leaving a huge hole in the middle of the club’s defence.

This is where Souttar could come in and plug that gap as he has proven that he has the quality to be a top performer at Premiership level.

Former Hearts boss Craig Levein was previously effusive in his praise of the enforcer, saying:

“I’ve known him since he was 12 years old and he’s just got better and better. When he came here from Dundee Utd, we just needed to give him time. He’s grown into the player that I hoped he would be and for me he’s the best centre back in Scotland.

“Just for the fact that he can do wonderful things. His passing of the ball Saturday was fantastic, but he is also now capable physically of competing with any centre forward. His pace is very, very good and he’s strong, focused and aggressive.”

In the Premiership this season, he has averaged a phenomenal SofaScore rating of 7.43. Souttar has won 71% of his duels and made 4.4 clearances per game, in comparison to Goldson’s 7.18 rating and 66% duels won.

This suggests that he could come in and prove to be an upgrade on the Englishman, which is why this latest update will excite supporters.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Morelos: Rangers can seal ideal replacement in gem who scores every 1.7 games…

Eddie Howe is reportedly lining up Tyrese Campbell as his first signing for Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Up and running again

After a serious knee injury which kept him out at the start of the season, the 21-year-old is now up and running again for Stoke City, with his latest goal in their 2-0 win at QPR in midweek adding to his other strike against Peterborough United last month (Transfermarkt).

After his cameo against the Posh, his manager Michael O’Neill praised the youngster’s ‘brilliant’ work in the build-up and claimed that it was the first time that the Potters saw the ‘Tyrese of old’ (VAVEL).

Indeed, O’Neill cited how Campbell was ‘flying, scoring and assisting goals and terrorising defences’ last season before his injury, as he netted seven goals and provided a further eight assists in 19 games across all competitions (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, it looks as if the Stoke centre-forward is now a player in demand as the January transfer window draws nearer.

The Latest: Campbell lined up

As per The Sun, Howe is now lining up Campbell to be his and Newcastle’s first signing of the new Saudi era.

The former Burnley and Bournemouth manager is ‘ready’ to offer a fee of £20m to secure his signature in January, and has tracked him ever since his time with the Cherries.

Campbell, who is the son of former Everton and Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell, caught the eye of Howe because of his ‘pace and eye for goal’, and it looks as if the 44-year-old can finally get his man if the price is right.

The Verdict: Worth the risk?

Of course, with very little lengthy injury, it would certainly be a risk bringing Campbell to St. James’ Park. However, he has already shown that he can frighten defenders, and at just 21 years of age, he should only get better.

Given Howe’s long-term admiration for him, the Newcastle boss would also enjoy working with the striker and trying to get the best out of him, and Campbell have the added benefit of learning from Callum Wilson, the Magpies’ top scorer so far this season with six goals.

Nonetheless, given that they are in a relegation battle, they need to take risks, and Campbell is a calculated one which could well pay off.

In other news, NUFC have been dealt a ‘massive blow’ off the pitch

Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst has enjoyed a seamless transition to life in Glasgow and is thriving at Ibrox as the club’s new head coach.

He has won five of his first six matches – starting with Sparta Prague – in all competitions, including all four of his Premiership games, and has carried on where Steven Gerrard left off.

However, one issue he has faced has been the fitness of midfielder Ryan Jack. The 29-year-old recently returned after nine months out of action and has now suffered a fresh setback, which is a shame as he has the potential to be a key player for the Dutchman.

Transfer dream

The Gers signed Jack on a free transfer from Aberdeen in the summer of 2017 and he has been a fine servant for the club over the years. At the time of the move, Transfermarkt valued him at just £630k, having played 250 times for the fellow Scottish side.

Since arriving at Ibrox, Jack has made 133 appearances for the club and been directly involved in 23 goals, with 11 for himself and 12 assists. He has also been capped 10 times by Scotland since joining the Gers, making his debut in November 2017.

Back in 2019, then-Gers boss Steven Gerrard claimed that the 29-year-old ‘drives the team on’ with how he demands more from his teammates, saying: “Ryan is an example for the rest of the squad because he never drops his standards, whether it’s a training session or a game.

“He knits everything together, he drives the team on, he demands from everyone else around him.”

The £12k-per-week beast played an important part in Rangers’ title success last season. He averaged a sublime SofaScore rating of 7.14 as he managed 2.2 tackles and interceptions per game, whilst completing 90% of his passes overall.

At the time of writing, Transfermarkt value him at £3.15m and, at the age of 29, he still has the opportunity to improve on that valuation if he is able to return to fitness and play a leading role for the club in the second half of the campaign.

Therefore, Rangers pulled off a transfer blinder by landing Jack on a free in 2017. He has surpassed 100 appearances for the club, heavily increasing his value and turning in impressive performances on a consistent basis in a title-winning season. Hopefully this will not be the end of his Gers career and he will continue to prove his worth under Van Bronckhorst when he returns from injury.

AND in other news, Forget Tavernier: “Terrific” Rangers beast with 51 duels won is already GVB’s key man…

Everton’s season under new manager Rafa Benitez has already been a tale of two halves, and we’re only 11 Premier League games in.

The Toffees began 2021/22 with a five-game unbeaten run in all competitions, with their 3-0 loss to Aston Villa being followed up by a victory over Norwich City and a draw away from home against Manchester United.

However, injuries to several key players have contributed to the Goodison Park outfit picking up just one point from a possible 12 in recent weeks, and Sunday’s draw with Tottenham Hotspur ended a three-game losing streak.

While the tactics and style of play implemented by Benitez can be questioned, the experienced 61-year-old has had one hand tied behind his back due to the personnel currently available.

The likes of Richarlison, Yerry Mina and Abdoulaye Doucure have all been sidelined for significant lengths of time throughout 2021/22, but Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s enforced absence has arguably hit them the hardest.

In the opening three league games of the campaign, the England international bagged a goal on each outing, heavily contributing to Everton’s fast start.

A quadricep problem has seen Calvert-Lewin consigned to the treatment table ever since, though, meaning backup striker Salomon Rondon has been leading the line more often than not.

The 32-year-old arrived from Chinese outfit Dalian Professional in the summer after a previous spell on English shores and was excited to make his Premier League return.

“Defending the colours of a club with a history as rich as Everton’s fills me with pride,” said Rondon after his unveiling as a new Everton player. 

“I can’t wait to pull on the shirt and be reunited with Rafa Benítez, a coach who has changed the way I understand the game. I’m really grateful for the faith he’s shown in me.”

The Venezuela international, who had a spell on loan at CSKA Moscow last season, had bags of Premier League experience prior to his arrival on Merseyside, scoring 28 goals in 120 appearances for West Bromwich Albion between 2015 and 2018.

Rondon then linked up with Benitez for the first time in his career, bagging 12 goals in 33 games under the Spanish tactician while on loan at Newcastle United from Albion during the 2018/19 season.

But things have not gone to plan for the South American during his time in an Everton shirt.

As per WhoScored, Rondon has had just eight shots during his 432 minutes of top-flight action and via SofaScore, he’s only made three key passes, failed to create a single big chance and won just 32 of his 89 duels (a loss rate of 64%).

He’s also yet to score or assist in his eight Everton appearances as his shocking start to the season continues.

Benitez will, therefore, be desperate for Calvert-Lewin to return to full fitness as soon as possible, providing him with the firepower needed to achieve success, something Rondon appears incapable of doing.

And, in other news…Brands plots EFC move for “very talented” £22.5m-rated wizard, fans will be buzzing 

West Ham could finally end their nightmare of a striker search after an exciting claim emerged this week…

What’s the word?

According to ExWHUemployee on a recent episode of ‘The West Ham Way’ podcast, the Irons hold an interest in out-of-contract Torino star Andrea Belotti.

It’s not the first time that the east London outfit have been linked to the Italy international, with some reports in Italy claiming back in May that the Hammers were the ‘front-runners’ to seal his signature.

Meanwhile, there seems little chance of him signing an extention at his current club, so West Ham could sign a pre-contract agreement with him from January.

“Andrea Belotti has chances to leave Torino as [a] free agent next summer, as things stand now,” revealed transfer expert Fabrizio Romano. “He’s out of contract in June 2022 and he has not accepted yet last Torino proposal to extend [his] current deal.”

Bargain solution

It’s fast approaching the two-year mark since club-record flop Sebastien Haller departed the London Stadium for Eredivisie champions Ajax and perhaps quite shockingly, he has never been replaced.

That’s a troubling prospect considering Michail Antonio, 31, has been dealt with several injury problems over the course of his Irons career, having failed to start more than 24 league games in any of the last four seasons.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-west-ham-news-transfer-updates-gsb-kretinsky-moyes” title=”Read the latest West Ham news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

Belotti, who will cost GSB absolutely nothing, seems like a worthwhile solution.

The Euro 2020 champion has proven to be a very prolific marksman in the Serie A over several years, hitting double figures in every campaign since 2015/16, with a career-best of 28 goals coming in 2016/17, as per Transfermarkt.

It’s no wonder former Hammer, Joe Hart, gave a glowing endorsement of the Italian striker to journalist Gianluca Di Marzio.

“Andrea is similar to all the great strikers, English and not. It’s hard to compare him to someone else because he’s special. He’s Belotti and that’s it. He has [an] instinct for goals, personality and he’s a team player: he’s always focused on his team and plays hard to help it.”

The 41-time international is currently valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt, so Newman and co would certainly be landing themselves a complete bargain, on the above evidence.

Ex is one of the most reliable in the business when it comes to West Ham, so if he claims there is interest in the forward, then he should be believed. Therefore, many around east London should be excited by this news.

AND in other news, West Ham receive huge fitness boost ahead of Wolves clash…

West Ham United return to Europa League action as they welcome Genk to the London Stadium this evening.

David Moyes and his side will be looking to keep up their 100% win record in Group H and they will be buoyed with confidence from the weekend’s narrow but convincing 1-0 victory over Everton.

The Scotsman will surely be tempted to rotate his starting XI, as he often has done in this competition, especially with the small matter of Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

One player who is surely in line to start is Craig Dawson, who has a pretty remarkable record when playing for the club, notching a 63.5% win rate. He played from the off in the 2-0 win over Rapid Wien but not against Dinamo Zagreb.

His involvement could hand a rest to either Angelo Ogbonna or Kurt Zouma ahead of this weekend’s London derby, and as evident above, he can definitely be relied upon.

In fact, the Hammers’ only two losses this season have come when he has not played any involvement whatsoever.

The 6 foot 2 colossus has been described as a “leader” by former Hammer defender Anton Ferdinand, so the presence of the Italian beast will not be completely missed and whoever partners him, likely to be Issa Diop, will be in safe hands too.

Furthermore, Genk’s major weakness is from set-pieces, where they have already leaked a whopping ten goals, so the presence of Dawson could terrify them in east London tonight.

“In Belgium, they dominated the games that they lost. But they missed too many chances and conceded too many easy goals. Already ten from set pieces, especially against West Ham that can become a big problem,” explained journalist Marnik Geukens to football.london.

Dawson is a massive threat from set-pieces, so it would be wise for Moyes to start him tonight.

“I enjoyed working with Dawson and he’s the best attacker of set pieces that I’ve ever come across in my managerial career,” once claimed former Irons boss Alan Pardew.

The £42.5k-per-week star must be unleashed at the London Stadium this evening.

AND in other news, Get rid: Moyes must now axe shocking West Ham disaster, he has cost GSB £3.9m per goal…

So far this season in the Premier League, Liverpool have managed to win six and draw four of their opening ten league games of the campaign, meaning they are yet to lose a game after conceding just eight goals in the process.

One player that has played a significant part in Liverpool’s current campaign is Alisson Becker, who has played in all but one of their Premier League games so far this season.

Since joining Liverpool back in the 2018 summer transfer window from Italian club AS Roma for a reported fee of £66.8m, the Reds goalkeeper has made a total of 142 appearances for the Merseyside club across all competitions. In that time, he has managed to keep 64 clean sheets in the process, firmly cementing himself as their first-choice shot-stopper.

Even though the 29-year-old, who is currently valued at £54m according to Transfermarkt, has a contract at Liverpool that isn’t set to expire until 2027, we feel that the club could already have their ideal heir for Alisson in their youth ranks with 18-year-old Marcelo Pitaluga.

Liverpool signed Pitaluga, who has been described as “excellent” in the past by U23 manager Barry Lewtas, back in October 2020 from Brazilian club Fluminense.

Since then, the Brazilian teenager, who is currently valued at only £90k according to Transfermarkt, has made four appearances for the club’s U18 side, conceding two goals as well as making ten appearances for their U23 side.

With current Reds senior goalkeepers Adrian and Loris Karius’ contracts set to expire in the summer, their potential exits at that point could see Pitaluga join up with Alisson and Caoimhin Kelleher in Jurgen Klopp’s senior squad if the German believes Pitaluga is ready to mix in with those two.

If Pitaluga can keep playing regularly for Liverpool’s U23 side on a consistent basis, we feel he has a good chance of breaking into their senior squad before becoming Alisson’s heir further down the line. Not only do they hail from the same country but they also stand at similar heights (6 foot 3), suggesting their reach is one of their strongest facets.

In other news: Klopp must unleash “incredible” £100k-p/w beast vs Atletico, he’s what Liverpool need – opinion

Lee Johnson’s Sunderland side head into their upcoming League One fixture on Tuesday evening in fantastic form, with the Black Cats remaining unbeaten over their last seven fixtures in all competitions, as well as currently sitting second in the third tier standings.

However, while the visit of 14th-placed Cheltenham Town should not cause Sunderland too many problems on paper, the Mackems boss has a number of fitness concerns in his first-team squad at present, something which could well pose the 40-year-old with something of a selection headache against the Robins.

So, will Johnson make any changes to the team that started last time out against Bolton Wanderers? Here’s how we think Sunderland could line up against Cheltenham, along with the latest team and injury news…

With both Callum Doyle and Dennis Cirkin appearing to be doubts for the Cheltenham fixture due to injury, Johnson may well be forced into at least two changes from the side that defeated Bolton last weekend, however, we predict the 40-year-old will make one further adjustment to his starting XI on Tuesday.

Regarding Doyle and Cirkin, the two players who replaced the stricken duo against the Trotters, Bailey Wright and Niall Huggins, come into the side to face the Robins, with the 20-year-old Leeds United loanee playing on the opposite flank to his natural position at right-back.

Elsewhere, the duo of Luke O’Nien and Dan Neil retain their spots in the middle of the park, while Elliot Embleton, who started on the left-wing in place of the sidelined Lynden Gooch last time out, moves into central attacking midfield.

As such, the £2.25m-rated Alex Pritchard could be set for a return to the Sunderland bench, with 20-year-old Bayern Munich loanee Leon Dajaku staring on the left-hand side of the Black Cats’ attack, while Ross Stewart retains his place up top ahead of Nathan Broadhead.

In other news: Johnson must unleash “fantastic” £180k-rated SAFC ace vs CTFC, could be a game-changer