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Newcastle United have reportedly now ‘agreed’ to sign Didier Ndong on June 30th, according to reports in the player’s homeland.

The Lowdown: Sacked by Sunderland

Ndong’s career took a turn for the worse when he was signed by Sunderland back in the 2016/17 season for what is still a club-record fee for the Black Cats (£18m).

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After relegated from the Championship the campaign after, and they eventually decided to sack Ndong after breaching his contract by going AWOL.

Now, he is playing his football with Dijon in the French Ligue 2.

The Latest: Transfer ‘agreed’

As per Gabonese news outlet L’Union, (translated by Sport Witness) a ‘reliable source’ from Dijon has revealed that the St. James’ Park faithful have now ‘agreed’ to sign Ndong for a fee of €2m (£1.7m) in two separate instalments.

The Gabon international will reportedly sign for the Tyneside outfit on June 30th on a three-year deal, and will earn €100,000-per-week (£84,000).

The Verdict: Strange

It seems very strange that the Magpies would make this kind of signing, especially with the kind of riches that they now possess, added to what happened to Ndong at North East rivals Sunderland.

They already have plenty of options in the centre of midfield, and with the likes of Bruno Guimaraes and Jonjo Shelvey still there, it is hard to see where Ndong would get his game time.

Nonetheless, at least he has the experience of playing in the top flight before, and at 27 years of age, he will still hold a sell-on value should it not work out on Tyneside.

In other news, find out what exciting Harry Kane to NUFC update this transfer insider has now revealed here!

Rangers boss Gio van Bronckhorst could be on his way to having a very busy summer at Ibrox if he fails to win the title.

Failure to secure the league title would suggest that the squad is not in the right place to dominate Scottish football, and this could lead to off-season surgery being performed by the Dutch head coach and Ross Wilson.

We published an article explaining why Borna Barisic is one player who should be sold in the summer. The Croatia international has attracted interest from the Premier League and is said to be worth £5m, which suggests that Wilson may be able to rake in a respectable amount of money for him at the end of the season.

This would add £5m to the club coffers and save £18k-per-week in wages, but it would leave Van Bronckhorst without any left-back competition for Calvin Bassey.

However, instead of forcing Wilson to enter the transfer market to sign a defender to bolster the squad, the Dutchman can save millions by unleashing one of the players in the academy – Kevin Ciubotaru.

The 18-year-old Romanian joined the club earlier this year and has already played for his country at multiple youth levels.

Speaking about himself, Ciubotaru said: “I think my qualities are speed, dribbling and stamina. I style myself like Theo Hernandez from Milan, although I have a lot of work to do with my right foot. I still have a lot to learn of course.”

This is some comparison from the youngster, as Hernandez has been in phenomenal form in Serie A this season for the Rossoneri. He has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.22 and produced 10 goal contributions in 25 appearances, which shows that he has been consistently delivering top-class performances.

If Ciubotaru can get even close to that level, he will be a fantastic player for Rangers in the future, whilst he will also be exciting to watch for the supporters as he attempts to burst forward in attack to create goals.

The full-back previously described himself as a “robot” in the way he focuses solely on football to improve himself as a player. This suggests that he has the mentality required to make it at the top level, as he is not allowing himself to be distracted by anything else and is driven to achieve his goals.

Therefore, Van Bronckhorst must offer him a chance to show that he can make the step up to the senior team. If the 18-year-old can make that leap, he will save Wilson millions in the transfer market with any money they can make from the sale of Barisic.

AND in other news, Was £2.7m, went to £162m: Rangers fumbled deal for “alien” who’s the “god of football”…

Anthony Joseph has dropped a teasing update regarding Celtic’s business on transfer deadline day.

What’s the talk?

In a recent post on Twitter, the Sky Sports journalist revealed that, while a host of incoming signings aren’t expected on the final day of the January transfer window, Ange Postecoglou will be keeping a very close eye on the market in case a player becomes available who is too good for the Bhoys to pass up.

In his tweet, Joseph said: “In terms of Celtic, I’ve been told not to expect incomings, unless someone becomes available who’s too good to miss out on. Could see some fringe/younger players heading out – more likely on loan.”

Fans will be excited

While Celtic have already been one of the busier clubs in the January window, having already sealed the arrivals of Matt O’Riley, Reo Hatate, Yosuke Ideguchi, Daizen Maeda and Johnny Kenny, the news that the Hoops could still be active on deadline day is sure to have left the Parkhead faithful excited.

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Indeed, there are a number of areas within Postecoglou’s first-team squad which could still do with greater strength in depth, particularly at left-back, attacking midfield and on the wings.

The Bhoys have been linked with the likes of Lee Buchanan, Callum Styles, Danny Mandriou and Albert Gudmundsson this month. Should any of those become available during the closing stages of the January market, it would indeed seem advisable for the Celtic manager to sanction a late swoop in the window, as each player would very much appear to improve the club’s chances of reclaiming their Premiership crown this season.

In other news: Ange must seal Celtic deal for £4m gem dubbed “one of the best”, he’s a big upgrade

Aston Villa have been very busy in the transfer market over the past few years, with many players arriving at the Midlands club and several moving away from Villa Park either on loan or permanent deals.

With the upcoming summer transfer window set to open for business once the season comes to an end, it seems as though the Villans may be involved in a tug-of-war over securing a deal for one particular player.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from Spanish media outlet Sport, fellow Premier League side Newcastle United have set their eyes on striking a summer deal for Philippe Coutinho.

The Brazilian, who is currently valued at £18m by Transfermarkt, made a return to England in January after Villa secured a loan deal for him from Barcelona until the end of the campaign.

Labelled an “instrumental” player by Steven Gerrard when he was at Liverpool before joining Barcelona in January 2018 for a massive fee of £142m, this is exactly what he has been for Villa since his arrival in the Midlands.

With 10 league appearances under his belt for Gerrard’s side, the 29-year-old has netted four goals and provided three assists along the way, showing that it didn’t take him long to get back into the swing of things in the Premier League.

In addition to his useful goal contributions, Coutinho’s overall performances have given the Villa fans a lot to savour, with WhoScored listing him as the club’s highest-rated player with a rating of 7.28/10.

To highlight the former Liverpool star’s attacking prowess for his new team, he has racked up a higher match average of shots (2.5), key passes (1.5) and dribbles (1.6) than any other Villa player, showing just how important a player he is for the Midlands club.

Taking all this into account, it would be a disaster for Johan Lange and Villa if they weren’t able to secure their loan star on a permanent basis in the summer.

Also, given how crucial the Brazilian has been for the team, it would surely leave Gerrard fuming if the 29-year-old were to join a Premier League rival in the summer rather than stay at Villa and help to push the club forward.

In other news: Gerrard can finally axe £46k-p/w dud as Villa plot bid for “tenacious” £65m “predator”

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Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder has reiterated how vital it is that he and his squad focus on themselves in the run-in of the Championship campaign.

The Blades are currently in the thick of the Championship title race, along with Norwich City and Leeds United. Wilder believes that his side must concentrate on what they have to do themselves, without getting distracted by what’s going on around them.

What he said

As quoted by The Star, the Bramall Lane boss said “I’m not interested in what Leeds do or what Norwich City do…All I want to do is focus on ourselves and make sure we get results because that’s something we can influence. We can’t influence what other clubs do so it’s a waste of time worrying about that.”

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

Wilder will know that these external issues, if they’re allowed to distract his squad, could see his own side’s title ambitions crumble as the Blades take their eye off the ball.

Wilder’s words will reassure fans that the team are focused, but the manager’s comments should also be taken heed of by his players.

What he meant

Wilder’s address was likely aimed at his own squad as much as anyone else. By publicly stating the importance of keeping their concentration, he adds extra weight to his message. 

The Blades are in for a nervy couple of months, as the title fight is likely to go down to the wire. Wilder must do all he can to keep his squad calm and attentive to their own jobs. Relaying this message via the media is a smart way of reinforcing its importance.

Leeds United are nine points clear of the bottom three and can now start to plan for life in the top-flight for another season, barring a late collapse.

Jesse Marsch will be making key decisions over what he wants to do in the transfer market and will surely be looking at the current weak points in his side.

One player who may find himself on his way out of the team is central midfielder Mateusz Klich as he has struggled in the middle of the park.

The Poland international has averaged an underwhelming SofaScore rating of 6.69 across 22 starts, losing 59% of his duels and making 1.9 tackles and interceptions per game. These statistics show that he has been below par this term as he has been unable to perform to a high level on a consistent basis.

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Marsch will have the opportunity to finally replace him in the summer and he can do just that by securing a deal to sign Josh Cullen.

Leeds are reportedly interested in a swoop for the ex-West Ham battler and he has the potential to be an excellent replacement for Klich.

His former manager Lee Bowyer previously lauded his performances, saying: “Every single game he’s outstanding, very rarely does he do anything wrong.

“Again he protected the back four so well in the middle of the park. Josh doesn’t really give the ball away. He tidies things up, he breaks things up well. He was outstanding.”

Although he was speaking about his displays for Charlton, these comments are also an apt way to describe his form for Anderlecht. In the Belgian Pro League, he has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.22 as he has won 60% of his duels and made 3.5 tackles and interceptions per game.

This shows that he can be an improvement on Klich in the midfield as he is stronger in his individual battles and has been able to perform to a higher level on a consistent basis.

Although, it is impossible to say whether or not he will be able to adapt to playing in the Premier League, which is one question mark that can be put on the move.

Cullen has, however, shown that he can perform at an international level, with his former Ireland boss Mick McCarthy commenting: 

“He’s technically very good and a tough little sod. He puts his foot in and stands his ground. You wouldn’t think he’s a little fella that gets knocked around. He handles the ball particularly well. He’s got good legs and gets around the pitch.”

It is now down to Victor Orta and Marsch to work together to bring Cullen to Elland Road in the summer to see if he can replicate his dominant midfield displays for Anderlecht in the English top-flight next term.

AND in other news, “Really significant”: Insider drops huge Leeds claim that’ll get supporters bouncing… 

Crystal Palace host Leeds United this evening as they look to climb the Premier League table with just six matches to go whilst can all but secure their safety with a victory.

The Eagles followed up their Wembley heartbreak in the FA Cup semi-final with a 1-0 defeat at Newcastle United last Wednesday night, with manager Patrick Vieira making changes to his team.

Now though, after a five-day break, the Frenchman must resort back to his best possible lineup, with striker Jean-Philippe Mateta leading the line.

On the chalkboard

Mateta was rested in the North East on Wednesday, with out-of-favour Odsonne Edouard getting the nod to start up front against the Magpies.

The Frenchman struggled to make an impact at St.James’ Park and hasn’t found the back of the net for Palace since late January.

As for his fellow countryman, Mateta has been the Eagles’ best striker since the turn of the year, scoring five goals and assisting one in 2022.

The 24-year-old’s form has ironically correlated with his loan move from Bundesliga outfit FC Mainz being made permanent in the January transfer window.

Vieira has chopped and changed his strikers this season, with no centre forward finding consistent form in front of goal that rivals that of top scorer Wilfried Zaha, as well as the impressive Chelsea loanee Conor Gallagher.

The long-term Palace servant has enjoyed his best-ever season in front of goal for the Eagles this term, scoring 12 times across all competitions whilst Gallagher is the south London outfit’s second-top-scorer with eight strikes.

With Zaha in support, Mateta can find his best form, with the forward finally starting to find comfort in the red and blue of Crystal Palace after a shaky start to life in England.

The £30k-per-week striker was signed on a season-and-a-half loan from Mainz in January 2021, with former Palace boss Roy Hodgson handing the Frenchman just seven league appearances.

Although, the 24-year-old did instantly boost his popularity amongst the Selhurst Park faithful, netting the first goal in a dramatic 2-1 win against arch-rivals Brighton.

This season, the forward was shut out almost completely, playing just 61 minutes of the Eagles’ first 17 league matches and sometimes failed to even make a matchday squad.

However, once handed his chance at the back end of December, Mateta, who was labelled as “brilliant” by teammate Will Hughes earlier this term, grabbed it with both hands and is now the south London side’s most in form striker and thus must be unleashed against Leeds.

AND in other news: Cost £0, now worth £15.3m: Parish struck gold with “fantastic” £25k-p/w Palace dynamo

Everton and their supporters have not had much to shout about this season having spent a lot of their Premier League campaign in the bottom half of the table and even towards the relegation zone.

In addition to winning just seven league games out of a possible 27, the Merseyside club were also knocked out of the Carabao Cup back in September after losing to QPR on penalties as well as more recently getting kicked out of the FA Cup earlier this month thanks to a 4-0 battering against Crystal Palace.

However, it seems as though the Toffees fans can breathe a sigh of relief over the immediate future of one of their star figures.

What’s the news?

A recent Twitter post from journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano relayed comments originally shared by the agent of Dominic Calvert-Lewin to an Everton insider saying that the striker “has not agreed any deal, with any club,” despite being recently linked with a move away from the club in the summer.

They also added that the England international “is currently working very hard in training and is fully focused on finishing the season strong with Everton.”

Big boost for Everton

Since joining the Merseyside club back in the 2016 summer transfer window from Sheffield United, the 25-year-old has racked up 56 goals in 184 appearances across all competitions.

Having scored 16 league goals in 33 appearances last season, it’s safe to say that having missed a large chunk of this campaign through injury, Everton have badly missed his presence and goalscoring abilities.

As well as his goals, only Harry Kane (47) had more shots on target than the Everton star in the league in the previous campaign, showing how deadly he can be in front of goal among some of England’s top attacking talents.

Looking ahead, if the centre-forward can get some regular minutes under his belt from now until the end of the campaign and score enough goals to help his side avoid the drop, this will only further enhance the club’s need to keep hold of him for as long as they can.

Taking into account what his agent has come out and said, this will be a massive weight off the shoulders of Toffees boss Frank Lampard who may be worried about the striker’s future at Finch Farm.

If Everton are then able to stay in the top flight and keep hold of Calvert-Lewin over the summer, this would surely be a massive positive for Lampard as well as the supporters, providing them with a lot of confidence that they can go on to have a solid 2022/23.

In other news: Lampard may have found Everton’s new Rooney in “top quality” £7.2m-rated “boy wonder”

After tasting his first defeat as Everton manager on Tuesday night, Frank Lampard will know full well the task ahead at Goodison Park this season.

The Toffees slumped to a hugely disappointing 3-1 defeat to Newcastle United at St James’ Park, and saw the Magpies close the gap on them to just one point, albeit with a game in hand.

Given their performances this campaign, it’s no real stretch to say that the Merseyside club do now find themselves in a real battle to avoid relegation this year – something surely unthinkable just a year ago when Carlo Ancelotti was in the dugout.

Lampard will be looking to make his mark on this Everton side as soon as possible, and one call he must surely make sooner rather than later, is axing club captain Seamus Coleman from the starting line-up.

The Everton ace hasn’t been at his best this campaign, with the veteran full-back actually committing nine errors that have directly led to goals – that’s the 16th worst in the entire division.

The Republic of Ireland international turned 33 last October, but continues to be a permanent fixture in this Everton team – he’s played 16 times in the Premier League, and only once in those appearances has he not completed the full 90 minutes.

The biggest criticism however, is not directly levelled at Coleman.

Given his age, it would be unfair to expect him deliver peak performances week-in and week-out, and the most frustrating thing for Toffees fans is surely just how long it has taken for the club to finally sign a new quality right-back to actually provide him with a bit of support.

The club did manage to do so in the transfer window just gone by, adding young defender Nathan Patterson to the ranks from Rangers.

He found himself an unused substitute in the 3-1 defeat to the Magpies on Tuesday, but will certainly fancy his chances of breaking into this starting line-up sooner rather than later.

With Patterson’s arrival in January finally adding some much-needed competition and cover at right-back, it’s now the perfect time for Lampard to axe the £70k-a-week earning Irishman from the starting line-up at Goodison Park.

Given Coleman’s below-par displays and increasing number of errors, his time as a regular starter is surely up.

Meanwhile, Moshiri must learn this key Everton transfer lesson…

Manchester United suffered their second defeat on Merseyside in less than two weeks, after losing to Everton earlier this month and last night they were torn apart by Liverpool at Anfield in a 4-0 defeat.

Ralf Rangnick’s side looked completely deflated throughout the game, and this was reflected in their overwhelming lack of quality in the clash when you consider their overall statistics.

The Red Devils only managed to have an abysmal 28% of possession, only one shot on target, zero big chances created and less than half the completed passes of their fierce rivals.

It was a shocking performance that led to a scathing post-match report from the interim Man United boss.

Rangnick told the press: “It’s embarrassing, it’s completely disappointing and also humiliating.

“The team needs to be rebuilt — it’s clear. I think a game like the one today showed that in a very drastic way that this rebuild is necessary.”

Liverpool put four past their lacklustre opponents on Tuesday evening, with Mo Salah returning to form putting two past David de Gea alongside Luis Diaz and Sadio Mane who also got their names on the scoresheet.

The appointment of Erik ten Hag is reportedly imminent, so when it comes to taking a look at the much-needed changes in the team one player who must be considered for the chop is Marcus Rashford, who yet again completely let down his team-mates throughout the game.

According to SofaScore, the winger who was labelled “terrible” by Chris Waddle, barely turned up for the game making just 11 accurate passes over 90 minutes, as well as losing the ball every 2.1 touches.

He didn’t register a single shot on or off target and lost seven out of his eight duels at Anfield, proving that ten Hag has a decision to make on the player’s future.

It was reported by Fabrizio Romano earlier this year that Rashford was considering his future at the club due to lack of game-time and may look for a new challenge away from his boyhood club with Rangnick making it clear that if the reports are true then he will be free to leave the club this summer, but ultimately the decision will fall to the new manager.

With that being said, following this awful performance and season for the 24-year-old, it could be the perfect opportunity for both the player and club to mutually part ways at the end of the term.

AND in other news: Ten Hag must ruthlessly axe “difficult” £31.5m-rated Man Utd star, he won’t fit in