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Journalist George Caulkin has dropped a major update, regarding Newcastle’s pursuit of a new manager.

What’s the talk?

The Athletic reporter has claimed that PIF will not be appointing Portuguese head coach Paulo Fonseca to replace Steve Bruce at St. James’ Park.

A recent report stated that Newcastle were set to offer him a contract after he impressed in an interview with the club, but Caulkin has made it clear that he will not be in the dugout on Tyneside anytime soon.

He told the Pod on the Tyne podcast for The Athletic:

“I have been told that it won’t be Fonseca; I’ve been told that now, a couple of times, but I’m not saying that as a definitive thing.”

Buzzing

Newcastle fans could leave fans buzzing as it appears to increase the chances of the club sealing a deal for Ajax manager Erik ten Hag. The previous report made it seem as though Fonseca was the favourite for the role, with the club willing to offer him a deal.

However, Caulkin’s claim leaves the rumour pretty much dead in the water.

It does not get much clearer than ‘it won’t be Fonseca’ and this leaves Newcastle fans to get excited about who it could be instead.

The Portuguese head coach has an impressive C.V and PIF ultimately opting against a swoop for his services could hint at the standard of manager they believe they can attract.

Fonseca won 1.77 points per game with Roma in the Serie A during a two-year spell with the Italian giants and won three league titles in three years at Shakhtar Donetsk prior to his spell in Italy.

This suggests that he can handle the pressure of expectation at tops clubs, with impressive results on the whole for Shakhtar and Roma.

The club have been linked with a move for Ajax manager ten Hag and this update on Fonseca could play into the reports that the Magpies are keen on the Dutchman, which fans will be delighted with.

He has won two Eredivisie titles with Ajax and reached the Champions League quarter-final and semi-final, despite selling the likes of Frenkie de Jong, Hakim Ziyech and Donny van de Beek along the way.

Ten Hag has won 2.15 points per game across 204 Eredivisie matches in charge of Utrecht and Ajax and his proven track record of success under difficult circumstances shows that he could be a great appointment. This is why Newcastle fans could be buzzing with this update from Caulkin, as it leaves the door ajar for the Dutchman to walk through.

AND in other news, Bruce’s legacy: “Immense” NUFC dynamo has seen his value plummet £9.9m in two years…

A number of Aston Villa supporters have criticised Ollie Watkins’ ineffective performance against Arsenal in his side’s 3-1 defeat on Friday night.

Dean Smith’s side produced a lifeless showing at the Emirates, as they were deservedly beaten by the Gunners.

Thomas Partey gave Mikel Arteta’s men the lead and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s penalty on the stroke of half-time doubled the hosts’ advantage.

The game was effectively ended as a contest when Emile Smith Rowe added a third in the second half, and while Jacob Ramsey scored a wonderful consolation, there was very little to celebrate from a Villa perspective.

One player who really struggled all evening was Watkins, with the striker failing to complete a dribble or play a single key pass during the game, making 14 fewer successful passes than his own goalkeeper, Emi Martinez.

Villa fans lambast Watkins display

The 25-year-old’s performance didn’t go unnoticed by these Villa fans on Twitter, who took to the social media platform to lay into him.

“Watkins is doing nothing. AGAIN!”

Credit: @razorrudd

“Tyrone is slow, sloppy and arrogant. The same system doesn’t work against every opponent. Our midfield looks tired and out of ideas. Watkins is bang out of form. We have a very good squad but absolutely no identity”

Credit: @JosephBrimson

“Wouldn’t mind seeing the back of Watkins for the right price tbh”

Credit: @avfcdvd

“Watkins’ work rate has dropped off massively and you take that from his game you are left with a distinctly average player”

Credit: @dicktonksy

“Watkins looks defeated this season. Buendia must be better than what we’ve seen, right? With the personnel in the squad it’s blindingly obvious that there is only space for 1 striker in Villa’s best team. Worrying how Villa now ship goals like 19/20 when 20/21 they were “

Credit: @BannisterMonty

“Watkins. Where is our Ollie? Totally lost this season. Bailey. Changes the game for us. Ramsey. Energy. Buendia. Struggled this evening. Axel. Doesn’t work in a back 3. Targett. Poor & left flanks empty. Smith. Caught out and stubborn. Needs to improve. Quick.”

Credit: @amc89avfc

In other news, another Villa player’s performance against Arsenal was also criticised. Find out who it is here.

Glen Kamara has refused to commit his future to Glasgow Rangers while on international duty with Finland, saying he will wait and see what happens in regards to a new deal.

The Lowdown: Kamara future unsure

£5.4m-valued Kamara (Transfermarkt) was the subject of plenty of interest from the Premier League during the summer transfer window, including from former club Arsenal (Football Insider).

However, he remained at Ibrox in the end, although he has now provided an insight into his thinking.

The Latest: Kamara refuses to commit future

Speaking while away with Finland, Kamara did not close any doors in regards to what could happen. He said (via Ibrox News):

“From what I know, there has been some interest from different teams in different leagues.

“If something had happened, then it would have happened. But it didn’t happen, and the focus is on Rangers, which is something I look forward to.

“There have been, talks and they have been ongoing. We will see what happens. I can’t really tell you much, and I can’t really say more about that.

“Let’s see what happens.”

The Verdict: Worrying for Gers

We are approaching an important moment in the career of Kamara at Rangers. At the end of this campaign, he will have just one year left on his contract with the 55-time Scottish champions (Transfermarkt) – it is time to decide whether to sign a new deal or seek pastures new.

After impressing both with the Gers last term as they won the Premiership for the first time in ten years and with Finland during Euro 2020, Kamara has made himself an attractive proposition for a number of clubs. There is only so much he can achieve north of the border, and he may well be weighing his options as he deliberates a new deal.

In other news, Rangers fans reacted to this latest Heart and Hand twist.

Craig Hope has now revealed five players that Newcastle United are targeting ahead of the opening of the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Bodies needed

As the St. James’ Park faithful are currently lurking in the relegation zone, it is clear that reinforcements are needed next month in order to give them the best possible chance of surviving.

Survival means everything to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium, as they can then kickstart their long-term project in the summer, and thus be able to attract bigger names to the North East given that they would still be playing in the top flight.

The Latest: Five targets

As per Hope, Lloyd Kelly, a player Eddie Howe signed back in 2019, as well as central defenders Matthias Ginter, Joe Rodon and Sven Botman, are among the Tyneside outfit’s January targets.

The Daily Mail journalist is ‘also told’ that Mohamed Elneny is an option in the middle of the park for the new owners.

The Verdict: Kelly, Elneny plus one centre-back

Kelly is of course a player that Howe knows well – in a 2019/20 season plagued by injuries, he started eight out of the nine games that he was available under the manager (Transfermarkt).

A player that Howe has a lot of admiration for, he would certainly know how to get the best out of Kelly, providing that he can stay free of injury.

Elneny offers a lot of Premier League 30 goals so far in the top flight, the second-most out of any team.

Rodon offers that Premier League Botman have played at the highest level in the UEFA Champions League.

Nonetheless, bringing at least three of those players in would certainly help bolster up the squad, and give them the best possible chance of avoiding the drop.

In other news, find out which former Magpies NUFC are eyeing in a shock transfer here!

Leicester City have received a potentially significant boost ahead of the upcoming campaign, with key midfielder James Maddison appearing more likely to remain at the club.

What’s the story?

The highly-rated 24-year-old has been linked with a move to fellow Premier League side Arsenal over the summer, but a recent report from The Telegraph’s Mike McGrath claims that the capital club are more likely to sign Real Madrid’s Martin Odegaard.

“They are also still interested in Martin Odegaard, who excelled on loan from Real Madrid last season, and their pursuit of the Norwegian could go into the final days of the window,” McGrath wrote.

“Odegaard is a more likely option than Leicester City’s James Maddison, who has also been of interest.”

Leicester City fans will be buzzing

News that the Gunners have reportedly turned their attention to Odegaard will leave Leicester supporters buzzing.

Maddison has established himself as a key figure for the Foxes since arriving at the King Power Stadium back in 2018, scoring 27 goals and providing 20 assists in 119 appearances for Brendan Rodgers’ charges, winning the FA Cup and Community Shield along the way.

It is a measure of his importance to the team that he was their highest-ranked player on WhoScored for their Europa League run last season, as well as their second-highest during the 2019/20 Premier League.

His impressive performances for the Midlands club over the last three years attracted the attention of the Arsenal hierarchy, who offered an ambitious player-plus-cash deal for his services.

The capital club made Eddie Nketiah, Joe Willock, Reiss Nelson and Ainsley Maitland-Niles available for Leicester after baulking at their £60m asking price for Maddison, but Rodgers and director of football Jon Rudkin weren’t interested.

With Leicester in an extremely healthy position due to Maddison’s current contract not expiring until the summer of 2024, Arsenal appear to have moved on to a cheaper alternative to the Englishman, allowing Foxes fans to breathe a sigh of relief.

Rodgers will now be hoping that the 24-year-old can return to top form and fire the club to a top-four finish next May, something which has cruelly evaded them since the Northern Irishman’s arrival from Celtic two-and-a-half years ago.

In other news… Leicester agree deal for “outstanding” £60k-p/w beast, Rodgers will be over the moon 

Valerien Ismael is unfazed about Matheus Pereira’s impending exit from The Hawthorns.

What’s been said?

In a recent interview with BBC West Midlands, the Albion manager, whose recent comments regarding the winger’s apparent lack of commitment to the club drew an angry response from the 25-year-old on Twitter, suggested he is not concerned about Pereira’s deapture, and would rather focus his enegry on the players who will be in and around the Baggies squad next season.

In his latest comments, the 45-year-old said: “Everything has been said. It is not a new situation. My focus now is on the game and on the squad. I don’t want lost energy.

“For us, it is important to have the right direction. Every summer, every winter, some player at some club wants to leave. But the club is always bigger than the player.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering the fact that Ismael was only appointed as the West Brom manager earlier this summer, with the Frenchman having only spent a single season in England prior to his rather high profile move to The Hawthorns, the fact that the former Barnsley manager appears to be completely in control of the situation surrounding Pereira’s exit from the club is sure to have left fans buzzing.

Indeed, the cool, calm and collected approach is an incredibly important characteristic for a manager to master, as, not only has the 45-year-old appeased the Albion fans by claiming that no one player – no matter how talented – is bigger than their club, his words will have also inspired the West Brom players, who will undoubtedly be hoping that Pereira’s transfer is resolved as quickly as possible in order for them to completely focus on their football.

Indeed, Ismael is right not to give attention to the situation during his side’s preparation for their Championship opener against Bournemouth on Friday, as a win against a likely promotion rival in the first game of the season would be a magnificent start to the Frenchman’s reign in West Bromwich.

In other news: Ismael could solve big West Brom issue by signing £8.9k-p/w gem, he won’t cost a penny

The fight to become the new manager of Everton looks as though it’s boiling down to two candidates; Nuno Santo and Rafa Benitez.

However, the latter has become the front runner over the last week with talks stalling between the Toffees and Nuno.

What’s the word?

In a bid to perhaps win over the Everton hierarchy, it looks as though the former Wolves boss is ensuring he already has a list of targets drawn up for them to sign.

They’ve already been linked with moves for Pedro Neto and Conor Coady but according to Football Insider, one of those players on the shortlist could be Tottenham full-back Matt Doherty.

The outlet suggests that Nuno has told the Merseyside outfit he can bring the Irishman to Goodison Park if he’s appointed the new boss.

A deal could be done quickly as well with the Portuguese keen to lure him to Goodison ‘straight away.’

A magic duo

Doherty moved to Spurs for a fee of £14.7m almost a year ago but his opening year in the capital has not gone according to plan.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-everton-manager-transfer-nuno-conte-wood-marcelo” title= “Read the latest Everton manager and transfer news!”]

He didn’t suit a four-man defensive system and was quickly usurped by Ivorian defender Serge Aurier in the pecking order.

The Republic of Ireland international only started 13 times in the Premier League this term and has already been linked with the exit door.

That doesn’t exactly paint a radiant picture for Everton supporters but it’s crucial to remember just how well Doherty performed under Nuno at Wolves.

The 29-year-old enjoyed ten years in the Midlands and featured 120 times under the Toffees’ managerial candidate.

During that time frame, Doherty scored 19 goals and registered 20 assists, proving to be a stellar threat from wing-back.

During the 2018/19 campaign, there were even calls for him to be included in the PFA Team of the Year after a term where he contributed to 11 goals in the Premier League.

The duo clearly have a good understanding between each other and with Seamus Coleman growing older, his arrival would be timely.

After all, he’s a proven Premier League talent. Speaking about him during his excellent run of form, Danny Mills called him “outstanding.”

Doherty’s fellow Irishman is the captain at Goodison Park but has just a year remaining on his current terms in Merseyside. As a result, they should think about finding an alternative or someone to provide competition.

AND in other news, Big twist emerges in Everton manager hunt, fans will be buzzing…

Ian Doyle of The Liverpool Echo has claimed that Andy Robertson could be left out of Jurgen Klopp’s side against Leeds on Sunday.

The Lowdown: Brazil stars to be missing

Both clubs look set to be impacted by Brazil’s decision to ask FIFA to invoke a five-day ban on players who were not released for World Cup qualifiers by Premier League clubs.

Leeds may well be without Raphinha, whereas Liverpool could be missing Alisson, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino.

All three have been regulars under Klopp in recent years, and another key member of the Reds’ squad may also miss out against Marcelo Bielsa’s side this weekend.

The Latest: Doyle’s claim

Reliable reporter Doyle shared a story on Wednesday looking at how Liverpool could line up without their Brazilian trio on Sunday.

Within his report, he admitted that Kostas Tsimikas could come in for Robertson at left-back, with the Scot featuring four times in 11 days since being ruled out with a minor ankle ligament issue in August.

The Verdict: Another boost for Bielsa?

Robertson missed just two top-flight games in the 2019/20 campaign and started every league fixture last season, becoming one of the most influential full-backs in the top flight in that time, so Klopp leaving him out for Tsimikas could work in the Whites’ favour.

The Greece left-back has just five Premier League games under his belt, so Leeds could look to exploit that side of the pitch in preference to targeting Reds right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Raphinha would’ve operated from the right, so perhaps Bielsa will hand Dan James a Leeds debut looking to exploit Tsimikas with his sheer pace.

In other news: Leeds source now reveals nine-figure issue facing Radrizzani after ‘big money’ news. 

Serie A expert Conor Clancy believes Rodrigo De Paul would instantly become Leeds United’s best player if he joined the club this summer.

The Udinese attacking midfielder has been repeatedly linked with a potential switch to Elland Road.

Leeds are said to have tabled a bid for the Argentina international last summer, but the Serie A club held firm and kept him in Italy.

Since then, he scored nine goals and laid on 11 assists in all competitions for the club he captains.

Leeds’ interest is not understood to have dissipated, with Marcelo Bielsa’s side again reportedly considering a move to snaffle away the 27-year-old.

They face competition, though, as Liverpool have also been linked with a potential swoop.

Clancy, though, feels Leeds ought to do all they can to secure his signature, given that he is better than every current player at Elland Road.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Clancy, who is the editor-in-chief at Forza Italian Football, gave him a glowing reference.

He said: “I think he’s probably better than any player Leeds have on their books at the moment, particularly in an attacking sense.

“I know they’ve got a lot of good players but De Paul, for me, is just on another level to the rest of them.”

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