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Newcastle United may lose up to six players in the January transfer window, including Dwight Gayle, according to The Chronicle.

As per the news outlet, Jacob Murphy, Christian Atsu, Henri Saivet, Achraf Lazaar and Rolando Aarons could also be let out through the door at St. James’ Park in order to recoup some cash for some possible new arrivals.

Aarons may well be on his way to Huddersfield Town in the EFL Championship, while Rangers have apparently retained their willingness from the summer to strike a loan deal with Murphy, while Gayle only has a few months left on his current deal in the North East and he has not yet signed a new one.

Gayle and Murphy would be biggest losses to Newcastle

Given that both players have played their part for the Tyneside club so far in the 2020/21 term, both Gayle and Murphy could be the biggest losses to Steve Bruce’s team.

The latter has played in nine games in total in all competitions, scoring two goals and making a further two assists (‘magnificent’ by Toon legend Alan Shearer, he also praised the ‘great cross’ put in by Murphy.

It is clear that both of these aces would be a miss to NUFC should they be allowed to leave next month.

In other news, find out who was ‘out of his depth’ against WBA here!

With 2020 approaching, Goal has decided to pick out the best players to have lined up for Los Blancos over the past 10 years

• GK: Iker Casillas

  A Real Madrid icon, Iker Casillas gave the club incredible consistency between the sticks for nearly two decades. 

  His final five years at Real at the beginning of the decade may have been interrupted by injury and a spat with Jose Mourinho, but the Spaniard's skill still managed to shine through. 

  Casillas was crowned La Liga's best goalkeeper in 2012 and is considered one of Los Blancos' greatest ever servants.

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  RB: Dani Carvajal

  A Real Madrid youth product, Dani Carvajal was allowed to leave in 2012 for Bayer Leverkusen.

  Less than a year later and he was back at the Bernabeu, with the Blancos exercising their buy-back option after realising he was too good to let go.

  Since returning, Carvajal has become a key part of the Madrid side and has been twice named in the Champions League team of the season.

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  CB: Sergio Ramos

  Over the past decade, if Real Madrid have ever needed rescuing, more often than not it's been Sergio Ramos that's stepped up.

  The veteran defender is not only ruthless at the back, but surprisingly clinical in attack.

  Ramos' ability in front of goal has regularly proven crucial for Los Blancos, with his injury-time equaliser against Atletico Madrid in the 2014 Champions League final one of his most memorable strikes. 

  In defence, he has become infamous for poor discipline and is the most carded player in La Liga history, but those 'dark arts' have also often been decisive for his side.

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  CB: Raphael Varane

  Described as the best defender in the world by Jose Mourinho in 2014, Raphael Varane has become a rock at the back for Real Madrid.

  Showing maturity well beyond his years since signing for the club in 2011, the Frenchman boasts the speed and strength few centre-backs can match. 

  When fit, Varane is one of the first names on Real's team sheet and rarely puts in a bad performance. 

Southampton have been linked with a move for Sporting Lisbon winger Jovane Cabral in recent weeks and if the Saints can sign him, he could be the man to replace Nathan Redmond in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s squad.

According to Portuguese news outlet A Bola (via Sport Witness), both Southampton and West Ham remain interested in the 22-year-old, with the Hammers having fallen short with a bid during the summer transfer window.

So far this season, the Cape Verde international has made six appearances in the Liga NOS for Sporting, in which he has contributed two goals and one assist, resulting in a solid average rating of 6.76 (per WhoScored).

The youngster performed superbly in the Portuguese top-flight last season, as he scored six goals and contributed two assists in just 16 appearances. He also earned four man-of-the-match awards in that time, which led to him averaging a superb 7.17 rating, so it was no surprise to see the likes of Southampton and West Ham credited with an interest in him.

Cabral’s former teammate, and current Manchester United star, Bruno Fernandes, certainly seems to be a big fan of the young winger, as he revealed in an interview with Canal 11 (via Inside Futbol) that:

“I didn’t teach him anything. What he did in the game is down to his quality, his ability.

“What I did was simply text Jovane before the game, talked to him a little.

“I had already told him after the game in Guimaraes that I wanted to talk to him.

“Jovane in the past has had his ups and downs, many ups and downs, and I think it was always due to the fact that he stayed a little moonstruck when things went well and very low when things went wrong.

“So I tried to have a conversation with him in such a way that he kept his focus, that he did not get carried away by the fact that in Guimaraes he had a good game.

“In my opinion, he did not have a great game because I know Jovane’s quality and I think he can give more.”

If Southampton were to sign the £9 million-rated Cabral and if he were to have anywhere near the impact that Fernandes has had since joining Manchester United, then he would surely prove to be a very good signing indeed.

With WhoScored suggesting that Cabral has a lot of attractive strengths for a winger, including his ability to finish and play key passes, it would perhaps not be a surprise to see him replace Redmond in Hasenhuttl’s squad, considering the Englishman has failed to contribute a single goal or an assist so far this season.

It will be interesting to see whether Southampton are able to see off interest from West Ham to bring Cabral to the club in the January transfer window.

Luke Ayling recently admitted that he was close to signing for Celtic before his move to Leeds back in 2016. Speaking on the GIANT podcast, the right-back said: “The week before [I signed for Leeds] I had a sniff of going to Celtic, but a few things didn’t happen. When Leeds came in I was like happy days.”

So whilst it’s safe to say that the 29-year-old is happy with his decision, the Hoops must also see the silver lining over losing out on a top quality defender.

Indeed, Ayling has rapidly become one of Marcelo Bielsa’s key players, he was even labelled as Leeds’ “standout” performer by Stephen Warnock after they beat Aston Villa, but signing him would have heavily impacted the growth of youngster Jeremie Frimpong.

Celtic were right to snub Ayling

At the time, it may have come as a blow that the club missed out on such a big talent. Ayling has made a total of 162 appearances for Leeds so far and has contributed six goals and 16 assists, as well as helping to guide the Whites to their historic Championship title last season.

With Celtic struggling season, they would have benefited from having such a strong workhorse in their defence. However, signing Ayling would have set rising Hoops star Jeremie Frimpong back in his admirable progression.

Since the 2020/21 season started, the 19-year-old has featured in every game under Neil Lennon except their opening Champions League qualifying match against KR Reykjavik. He has contributed one goal and three assists so far this term (via Transfermarkt).

Frimpong has really stepped into his big boy boots and has edged fellow right-back Anthony Ralston out of favour. Whilst both are exciting young talents, there’s no doubt that Lennon has come to rely heavily on the Dutch youth international, who has impressed with his versatility to play across the backline as well as in midfield.

Had the Hoops bought Ayling, Frimpong may be stuck in the Celtic reserves or maybe not even at the club. Nick Hammond snapped up the 19-year-old last September coming through Manchester City’s youth system. In hindsight, it turned out to be a stroke of good luck that their interest in Ayling didn’t come to fruition.

In other news, Celtic dropped the ball by not pushing to sign Ivan Toney…

The Germany goalkeeper will travel to the tournament without playing a competitive match this year, but he's not the first injured star to travel

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  Paolo Rossi – 1982

  Before going to the World Cup in 1982, Juventus forward Paolo Rossi had played just three games in two seasons thanks to a lengthy suspension for alleged match-fixing while at Perugia. He was a shock inclusion in the Italy squad, with major doubts over his fitness proven correct during the group stages where he made little impact. By the time the knockout stage arrived, he was much sharper, scoring three times against Brazil and the opening goal in the final to help the Azzurri to a shock win over West Germany.

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  Kevin Keegan – 1982

  England forward Kevin Keegan scored 21 times in 63 appearances for his country, but only played in one World Cup game. The Three Lions missed out in both 1974 and 1978, but when they qualified in 1982, their captain was suffering from a serious back injury. The problem kept him out of all their first-round games as well as their first two matches in the second round. He came on for the last half hour against Spain, but wasted his best scoring chance to see England knocked out of the tournament.

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  Bryan Robson – 1986

  Bryan Robson travelled to the 1986 World Cup with a shoulder problem, but started England's first two games before suffering a re-occurrence of the same injury which kept him out of the rest of the tournament and forced the Three Lions to change their formation in the absence of 'Captain Marvel'. Four years later, he was fit enough to start at the World Cup, but was injured early in the tournament after dropping a bed on his toe while having a weight-lifting competition with team-mate Paul Gascoigne.

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  Ronaldo – 2002

  Brazil superstar Ronaldo played in the 1998 World Cup final just hours after having a seizure and as a result played poorly as France took the trophy. Four years later, his appearance at the tournament looked to be in jeopardy having played just 16 times in two seasons due to a cruciate ligament injury. However, he made a remarkable return, guiding Brazil to a fifth world title with eight goals along the way.

The Hoops were unable to make amends for their Old Firm loss on Saturday as AC Milan handed them another defeat at Celtic Park. Neil Lennon opted for a weakened side to face off against the frighteningly in-form Italians, who cruised to their tenth win in a row.

It took 14 minutes for Milan to open up the scoring after Rade Krunic beat a struggling Varsilis Barkas for an early lead. After netting a second just before half-time, substitute Mohamed Elyounoussi’s strike looked to put Celtic back in the game, but another Milan goal sealed the result.

With Odsonne Edouard currently ruled out, it looked likely that Lennon would opt for the same strike force he deployed against Rangers. However, he instead dropped both Elyounoussi and Patryk Klimala to the bench and put faith in elusive striker Leigh Griffiths.

Leigh Griffiths stats vs AC Milan

It was certainly an odd decision to start a player who has featured just twice this season, but it’s arguably one of the biggest places Lennon went wrong last night.

Whilst the defence could have been tighter to stop the Milan forwards, the starting Celtic attack was extremely disappointing.

According to Sofascore, Griffiths made just eight successful passes and attempted no shots towards goal. The 30-year-old also struggled to create chances for his teammates, with no successful crosses, long balls or dribbles registered. Needless to say, he was hauled off at half-time and replaced by Ryan Christie, who had a much stronger game.

The midfielder came on and set Elyounoussi up for Celtic’s only goal of the game. He also made a total of three key passes in the second half and created an additional big chance for the Hoops to score.

Griffiths has recently returned from a calf injury, which saw him sidelined for 11 matches. He may still have some fitness to catch up on and will more than likely be left on the bench in Celtic’s next match against Aberdeen on Sunday.

In other news, Celtic will be wishing they had Fraser Forster to fend off AC Milan…

David Moyes can solve West Ham’s defensive woes by reviving efforts to sign Fiorentina’s “fearless” enforcer Nikola Milenkovic in January.

What’s the word?

According to Irons insider ExWHUemployee, while speaking on the West Ham Way Podcast, the east London outfit could strive to make another approach to sign Milenkovic in the New Year after falling short in efforts this summer.

Moyes scoured the market for defensive upgrades following the conclusion of the extended 2019/20 campaign, ultimately signing Watford’s Craig Dawson on loan in a deal club figures were reluctant to commit to as they see the 30-year-old as a stop-gap solution.

Milenkovic would likely have been a long-term option to fix a backline that allowed 62 goals in 38 Premier League games last season, with reports by the Daily Mail claiming a £20million offer was tabled in September for the towering 6 ft 5 enforcer previously tracked by Manchester United.

The offer fell short of Fiorentina’s rumoured €35m (£31.6m) valuation, as the Serie A side held firm amid rival interest from Juventus, knowing Milenkovic would warrant a lofty fee through his technical ability and versatility to also play at right-back.

ExWHUemployee does not believe the Hammers’ interest in Milenkovic has ended, noting that his ongoing contract standoff could open the door for a renewed approach.

“A centre-back who we looked at in the summer window was Nikola Milenkovic at Fiorentina,” he said. “He’s refusing to sign a new contract at the moment. And it could be the case that we could go back in for him in January. This is not confirmed at the moment though.”

Characteristics of a beast

West Ham stepping back into the ring in order to fight for Milenkovic’s services in January would certainly offer Moyes the top-draw defensive talent the London Stadium natives sought this summer, providing they can reach a compromise with Fiorentina.

The Serie A side are not yet under intense pressure to sell the 23-year-old as Milenkovic is under contract until 2022, though the 23-cap Serbia international is not currently considering penning new terms at the Artemio Franchi Stadium as he dreams of a move to one of Italy’s elite sides or of a move abroad, per Calciomercato.it.

Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Atletico Madrid are each claimed to have come forward with determination and conviction to sign Milenkovic in the summer, too, which has sparked Fiorentina to consider lowering their asking price to avoid the defender walking away for free.

West Ham stepping in before a rival suitor can emerge in January would see the London Stadium natives snap up someone who former FK Partizan manager Ivan Tomic hailed during his time in charge of the Belgrade outfit, and ensured Milenkovic penned his first professional contract in 2015.

“Milenkovic has [the] physical characteristics of a beast,” Tomic said, via quotes by Mozzart Sport. “He reads the game well, plays the ball and should have a great career ahead of him.”

Mozzart journalist Dejan Stankovic also once told ESPN of how Milenkovic’s nature has seen him compared with Manchester United great Nemanja Vidic, but is in some regards better than the five-time Premier League winner.

“Milenkovic is better than Vidic with the ball at his feet, and he is much calmer on the field,” he said.

It remains to be seen how willing Fiorentina are in lowering Milenkovic’s valuation, and whether or not West Ham return with renewed interest in the towering enforcer who has started all six of his Serie A appearances this term.

AND in other news, David Moyes has been backed to bring the “perfect” £10m bonus to West Ham in January.

There’s now an air of optimism brewing in Merseyside after Everton bolstered their squad with no fewer than three new signings and now they’re back in action as the Premier League returns this afternoon.

The Toffees face a trip south to north London to face Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

But what sort of lineup will Carlo Ancelotti select as he faces another former Real Madrid boss in the form of Jose Mourinho?

Here’s what we are predicting…

There are no doubts over Jordan Pickford going into the new campaign as the first-choice shot-stopper. He’s got no viable backup or real competition.

His back four will most likely include Lucas Digne and Seamus Coleman on either flank with Michael Keane partnering Yerry Mina through the middle. The young Mason Holgate is expected to be out through injury for several weeks.

Ancelotti could hand a debut to his Napoli lynchpin Allan as he looks to fortify their weak midfield from last season. However, Andre Gomes remains in the starting XI over fellow summer arrival Abdoulaye Doucoure.

Out wide, Richarlison drops back to take up a spot on the left with the £22.95m-rated Alex Iwobi occupying the other side whilst there’s another debut through the middle as James Rodriguez is given a start in the number ten role.

It means there’s no place on offer for Tom Davies or Gylfi Sigurdsson – much to the delight of many back in Merseyside, you’d imagine.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin will surely lead the line as a result with his Italian boss opting for a 4-3-3 rather than a 4-4-2.

With promotion to the Premier League secured, Leeds can look forward to an exciting post-season of being linked to players across Europe.

And one man who they will surely be excited at being touted with, is Brentford winger Said Benrahma.

The Algerian of course will be familiar to Marcelo Bielsa’s side having scored against them in a Championship fixture this season, and according to the latest reports, is now being eyed up by the Whites this summer.

The report claims that Bielsa wants the 24-year-old at Elland Road at all costs, and has made him his priority in terms of summer transfer targets. It’s further added that the Whites are readying an offer in the region of €26m (£23.6m) to lure him away from London.

Is it Haaland Snr or David Hopkins? Your Leeds knowledge will be put to the test with this quiz…

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And when you look at the kind of season he had, it’s easy to see why Benrahma is a man in demand. With 17 goals and nine assists, the attacker has been one of the main reasons behind Brentford’s charge for an automatic promotion place – they narrowly missed out on the final day.

As per Whoscored, he has averaged a very impressive 3.9 shots, 2.1 key passes and 3.1 dribbles per game in the Championship, and that level of creativity and goal threat is something that could really elevate Leeds’ attack.

His ability to take players on is second-to-none, and it’s no surprise that several people who have worked closely with him have raved about his technique and skills – including Brentford manager Thomas Frank.

He said: “For me he’s a quality player with top skills but also finishing skills. We actually worked very hard with him to arrive in the box at the right situations. In there when he’s turning and running at people – oof, I don’t want to defend against him!”.

His teammate Henrik Dalsgaard further underlined just how much of a difficult customer he can be for the opposition, saying: “He’s such a tricky player, you think you’ve got him locked in the corner and then, all of a sudden, he’s out”.

And if you needed to sum it all up, then look no further than Sam Saunders, Brentford B’s assistant coach, who claimed Benrahma “could nutmeg a mermaid”.

Benrahma may be plying his trade in the Championship, but all signs point to him being a Premier League quality player in the future. Victor Orta and co would be foolish not to snap him up ahead of the competition.

According to a Foot Mercato journalist, Tottenham are working on the signing of Southampton midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg this summer, with discussions between the club and the midfielder’s representatives having already started.

What’s the word?

The Denmark international has been the subject of intense speculation over these past few weeks, with reports that he had made it clear to the Saints that he has no interest in signing a new deal with them.

Can you name every one of Spurs’ top goalscorers from the past 15 seasons? It’s a tricky one…

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That prompted Ralph Hasenhuttl to strip the 24-year-old of the captaincy at St Mary’s, and as per Foot Mercato’s Santi’ FM on Twitter, talks between Hojbjerg and Spurs are well under way ahead of a potential move come the end of the season.

Upgrade on Ndombele

Whilst Hojbjerg is having his issues with Southampton, Tanguy Ndombele has been going through some difficult at Tottenham too.

The Frenchman has had a nightmare debut season in north London, with form and fitness seeing him make just 27 appearances across all competitions. His most high-profile moment in a Spurs shirt was no doubt when Jose Mourinho delivered a stinging criticism of his performance after the clash against Burnley earlier this year.

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher questioned his desire and work ethic, even going so as far to say “his performance was nothing short of a disgrace”. But whilst the former Lyon man isn’t one to get stuck in, Hojbjerg absolutely is, and just the kind of player Mourinho can rely upon.

As per Sofascore, he wins 6.8 total duels per game, and makes 2.6 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per match in the Premier League this season. And speaking earlier this month, former Spurs midfielder Michael Brown insisted that Hojbjerg is a “top-class player”, and judging by his defensive stats, is the kind of powerhouse that would provide everything that Ndombele has failed to bring.

It’s exactly why Daniel Levy shouldn’t hesitate to bring him in this summer.