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Newcastle United are back in talks with Bayer Leverkusen over signing Mitchel Bakker in this January transfer window.

What’s the story?

While the Magpies continue to work on a deal to sign Lyon midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, it appears they still have their irons in several fires, with Bakker now well and truly back in the equation.

Writing on Twitter, journalist Ryan Taylor said: “Newcastle have revived talks with Bayer Leverkusen for Mitchel Bakker. Deal looked dead in water. Personal terms have already been discussed. #NUFC”

Fans will be buzzing

After clinching deals for Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood earlier this month, Newcastle’s recruitment team are ramping into overdrive heading into this final week of the January transfer window.

They seem to have pipped Arsenal in the race to sign Bruno, and have now come back to the table for Bakker.

The latter has had extensive experience of playing for some big clubs in Europe, with stints at Ajax, PSG and Leverkusen to his name.

Able to play at left-back, but also further forward or even in central defence as he has done in his career before, Bakker looks like the perfect versatile player who Newcastle could really do with in the second-half of this campaign.

With injuries and the virus wreaking havoc across the Premier League, having players like Bakker who can fill multiple positions when required gives managers a welcome option if and when things begin to get tough with their squad.

The £9m-rated star would be another fine signing for the Magpies, and have fans buzzing.

Meanwhile, Craig Hope has dropped an exciting Newcastle United transfer update on Bruno Guimaraes…

Leeds United could form a formidable duo after being linked with a move for Reading midfielder John Swift ahead of the January transfer window.

What’s the story?

According to The Star, Marcelo Bielsa’s charges are one of a number of Premier League sides interested in securing the highly-rated 26-year-old’s services.

Swift is set to become a free agent next summer, and with no sign of an extension being signed at the Madejski Stadium, an imminent exit could be on the cards.

Imagine him and Raphinha

After rising through the ranks of boyhood club Chelsea, Swift soon became frustrated with a lack of first-team opportunities after he made just one senior appearance for the senior side.

A string of loan spells at Rotherham United, Swindon Town and Brentford led to the Stamford Bridge outfit offering the academy graduate a new contract back in 2016, but he rejected it in order to get regular game time at Reading.

Since arriving at the Madejski Stadium, Swift has become one of the Championship’s star performers, bagging 31 goals and laying on a further 32 assists in 181 appearances for the Royals.

But he’s elevated his game to new heights this term. In 17 outings for Veljko Paunovic’s charges, the 6-foot dynamo has notched eight goals and provided a further seven assists, highlighting his top-class potential.

Earlier this week, One Leeds Fan YouTuber Conor McGilligan urged the Leeds hierarchy to sign the former England Under-21 international after his eye-catching displays in the second tier.

“[He’s] an absolute grafter, someone who’s worked his way up the football pyramid, someone who, for me, has the technical ability that would sort of replicate a Pablo Hernandez, a Samuel Saiz in tight pockets.

“Someone who is not afraid to drive at the defence; someone who is happy to pick the ball up in uncomfortable situations; someone who, when there’s a throw-in on the left, a throw-in on the right, will go and collect the ball, and then he’ll recover the ball, he’ll rotate – and I think that cycle is what Leeds are missing.”

With Swift famed for his ability to play defence-splitting passes, skilful dribbling and set-piece delivery, he has the potential to strike up a deadly partnership with current Leeds ace Raphinha at Elland Road.

The Brazilian has been phenomenal himself over the last few years, beating the goalkeeper on 11 occasions and supplying nine assists.

Thus, the duo have the technical ability to hurt any Premier League defence, and Swift’s arrival in west Yorkshire will add another exciting weapon to Bielsa’s arsenal.

And, in other news…“I don’t think”: Journo drops big update on £38k-p/w gem, it could be fatal for Leeds

Crystal Palace could retain an interest in Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah after their efforts to secure his signature over the summer were rebuffed, according to journalist Tom Barclay.

What’s the story?

The Eagles were first linked with the 22-year-old in the previous transfer window when The Athletic claimed that Palace were willing to pay £10m for the youngster, but a deal couldn’t be agreed between the two clubs as the Gunners were holding out for a £20m fee.

Now though, with the January window fast approaching, Barclay believes the south London outfit could try their luck again as new manager Patrick Vieira looks to add further reinforcements to his forward line.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “There was big interest in Nketiah in the summer, he’s out of contract next summer.

“But he’s 22, which means he’s under 24 so Arsenal would be due some compensation, so it wouldn’t be a free transfer. I wouldn’t be surprised if they retained interest in Nketiah, though.”

Crystal Palace need him

A recent report by TransferMarketWeb claimed the former England U21 international could be available for as little as €12m (£10m) this winter due to his contract situation, a fee that could prove to be an absolute bargain in years to come.

He was dubbed “so incredibly prolific” by football scout Jacek Kulig after a string of impressive performances for Arsenal that has seen him rack up a combined haul of 16 goals and assists. Sadly, Nketiah has found opportunities hard to come by in recent months.

After receiving just 173 minutes of first-team action this term – all coming in the Carabao Cup – Nketiah has made his desire to depart north London known to Mikel Arteta, meaning an imminent exit could be on the cards.

With Christian Beneteke set to turn 31 next month, and loanee Jean-Philippe Mateta expected to return to his parent club early, Vieira and Palace will need extra attacker options over the coming months, and Nketiah could be the ideal solution.

And, in other news…Journo drops big claim over Palace “warrior” who Vieira loves, fans will be delighted 

With Joe Gelhardt beginning to make an impression on Leeds United’s first-team in recent weeks, Marcelo Bielsa will no doubt be keeping a close eye on some of the club’s brightest young academy prospects.

If he had his sights on the Yorkshire club’s FA Youth Cup contest against Coventry City in midweek, then he would have been left suitably impressed by one teenager in particular – Max Dean.

The 17-year-old netted twice as the Whites ran out 4-1 winners away from home, with both of his finishes distinctly different in nature: one a well-timed effort from a cut-back, and another latching onto a through ball over the top over the Coventry defence.

Aside from his impressive FA Youth Cup display, he has also been shining at under-23 level too, scoring three goals in eight games in Premier League 2 and also netting once in the EFL Trophy away to Salford.

It’s been no surprise that Leeds’ under-23 boss Mark Jackson has waxed lyrical about the forward and his character, saying: “You don’t have to prepare it with Deano. Deano’s a fiery character, I don’t like to quash that in him. He’s got an edge to him and how he plays – and I like that in his personality.

“Yes he gets frustrated at times and we have to curtail it but his hunger to press and work hard and his hunger to score goals is really apparent.”

In late October, despite a 4-2 defeat to Arsenal, Jackson showered Dean with more praise, saying: “I spoke to Max before the game. When he first came to the club, he had a real intensity about his play, really aggressive style in how he pressed and how he competed – we have chats with the players all the time and there’s been stages where we think that’s sort of dipped off a little bit in recent games.

“We’ve had a few chats recently with Max, and particularly before the game, I said ‘listen, you need to try and get back to those moments when you were playing in the 23s last year’. I thought he took that conversation well and he took it on board today and he had a much more positive performance.”

The 17-year-old could well be the next big thing at Elland Road if he continues to improve with the under-23s.

Meanwhile, Adam Pope dropped an early morning setback for Leeds United…

Newcastle United midfielder Jonjo Shelvey was Steve Bruce’s unsung hero in Sunday’s goalless draw with West Bromwich Albion, despite Arsenal loanee Joe Willock receiving lavish praise for his performance at The Hawthorns.

Shelvey anchored the Magpies’ engine room against their relegation-rivals as the two sides played out a drab affair, which extended the Toon’s sorry run of form to just two wins in their last 18 games across all competitions.

The result did neither side any real favours with Newcastle now just a point clear of the drop zone, albeit with a game in hand over 18th-placed Fulham while moving above Brighton and Hove Albion after the south coast side lost 2-1 at home to Leicester City on Saturday night.

Neither West Brom nor Newcastle could claim they deserved more than they took from the weekend’s result, in an encounter featuring some intent from both sides but little to no quality from either the hosts or visitors when it mattered.

The Baggies had arguably the better chances to snatch what would have been just the West Midlands outfit’s fourth win of the Premier League season, but could not make their pressure count with Mbaye Diagne only able to direct one of his four shots on target.

West Brom also delivered 36 crosses as a team as they were forced to play wide, but found their efforts thwarted by Jamaal Lascelles and Ciaran Clark in the Toon backline as they restricted Diagne to winning just five of his 15 aerial duels, per SofaScore.

Lascelles won two of his aerial contests while Clark won four, along with seven of nine ground challenges to hold Diagne to two from seven, for Sky Sports to name the centre-back duo as the stars of the visiting side.

Yet, for Chronicle Live, Willock was the Magpies’ Man of the Match having looked like the only Newcastle player capable of winning the game, and would have had it not been for Sam Johnstone denying the Arsenal loanee at his near post on the hour mark.

However, it was not Willock, Lascelles or Clark who was Bruce’s real hero but rather Shelvey, having provided a key defensive presence in the midfield battle. The former Liverpool and Swansea City star also kept Newcastle on the ball far better than United’s winter signing.

Shelvey recorded four successful tackles on Sunday, double the tally registered by Willock and from one fewer attempts, with the Gunners product dribbled past in five of his seven lunges for possession, per WhoScored.

Willock also offered half as many clearances as Shelvey (4) and made no interceptions, while the 29-year-old broke up West Brom’s play a game-high six times – three-times as often as any of his teammates, with Paul Dummett second with two.

Newcastle’s midfield play also flowed through Shelvey, with the £13m-rated beast taking 62 touches and completing 70% of his 44 attempted passes – only Clark (49) attempted a higher amount while Willock misplaced 48% of his 23 passes.

Despite being more defensive-minded in his approach, Shelvey additionally matched Willock for key passes with one goalscoring opportunity created each and shots taken (1).

Shelvey’s efforts even eclipsed the former England international’s average 1.4 successful tackles, 0.9 interceptions and 1.3 clearances per game in the Premier League this season by a considerable margin.

Bruce will have been delighted to see Shelvey thrive at such a level, given some of his performances in February were lazy and disinterested, while putting Willock in his shadow.

AND in other news, some Newcastle players want a “very good organiser” lauded by those he’s worked with to replace Steve Bruce…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, ex-Sunderland frontman Kevin Phillips has praised Lee Johnson for getting the best out of striker Charlie Wyke ahead of the Papa John’s Trophy final on Sunday.  

Prior to Johnson’s arrival in December, the former Bradford City man had been struggling in front of goal, netting just 14 League One goals in two-and-a-half seasons since his move from Valley Parade.

However, the appointment of Johnson has seen Wyke spark into life – with his opener in Wednesday’s victory at Pompey his 16th league goal in 17 matches under the previous Bristol City boss, taking him level with Peterborough’s Jonson Clarke-Harris in the race for the Golden Boot.

Wyke has scored 25 goals in all competitions – including five in the Papa John’s Trophy – and will be looking to improve his tally when Sunderland take on Tranmere Rovers in the final on Sunday.

Phillips told Football FanCast:

“Before Lee came in, he would start a few games and get left out for a couple. I think Lee has come in and gone ‘bang!, you’re my main man’.  

“It helps when a manager will put your arm around you. I heard Lee speaking the other night saying how are you getting the best out of Charlie.

“He said ‘I’ve just been talking to him, pulling him to one side for a chat, it might not be about football, it might be about his life’. It gives you a boost as a player, it makes you relax on the pitch. For this league he’s ideal – he’s big and powerful, he gets inbetween defenders. At times his hold-up could be better, but that’s probably the league he’s playing in.”

But Phillips also believes that the role of winger Aiden McGeady has helped Wyke’s goalscoring form. McGeady has already registered 11 assists since returning to the side, four of which all came for Wyke in the same game when Sunderland thrashed Fleetwood last month.

He added: “It does help when you’ve got someone like McGeady whipping crosses in, sometimes you can’t not score, but credit to Charlie for getting the amount goals. Not matter what league you’re in, when you’re scoring that amount of goals, you’re doing something right.”

Kevin Phillips will be a studio guest for Quest’s highlights of the Papa John’s Trophy Final on Sunday. Stream on discovery+

Phil Hay has dropped an update on the future of Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips.

What’s the talk?

In a recent report for The Athletic, the journalist claimed that, according to his sources, Manchester United have begun to explore the possibility of a £50m move for the 26-year-old England international this summer, via intermediaries.

Hay went on to state that, while there is yet to be contact made with either Leeds United or Phillips himself, both interim United manager Ralf Rangnick and assistant manager Mike Phelan are thought to be big fans of the Whites academy graduate.

The journalist also revealed that, despite the midfielder looking set to leave his current agency firm for Stellar Group – the company responsible for negotiating Jack Grealish’s £100m switch from Aston Villa to Manchester City last summer – sources claim that this should not be taken as an indication that Phillips will be on the move at the end of the season.

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In summary, Hay compares the midfielder’s current situation to that of Alan Smith 18 years ago – the Leeds centre-forward who ended up joining United in a £7m deal – before suggesting that the 26-year-old’s saga may well have a different outcome.

Supporters will be buzzing

While it is clear that even a journalist with the access of Hay remains uncertain as to whether Phillips will end up making a move to Old Trafford this summer, his suggestion that United have not yet contacted Leeds regarding a deal for the midfielder – despite previous reports claiming that the Red Devils were making progress in a deal for the 19-time capped international – is sure to have left the Elland Road faithful buzzing.

Indeed, over his 29 Premier League appearances last season, the £45m-rated midfielder proved just how crucial a part of the Leeds side he is, making an average of 1.6 interceptions, 2.6 tackles, 1.7 clearances and winning 5.3 duels – at a success rate of 52% – per game.

The £38k-per-week talent also impressed in a creative capacity, bagging one goal, providing two assists and creating five big chances for his teammates, as well as completing an average of 1.2 key passes, 4.7 long balls and 41 passes per fixture.

These returns saw the 26-year-old average a quite remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.21, not only ranking him as the Whites’ best performer in the league but also as the ninth-best midfielder in the division as a whole.

As such, while Phillips has only started 13 Premier League fixtures as a result of injury this season – something that has undoubtedly contributed to the club’s lowly league standing – it is clear for all to see that losing the services of the England international this summer would come as a massive blow to Jesse Marsch and his side – meaning Hay’s latest update is sure to come as music to the ears of Leeds supporters.

AND in other news: Orta now plotting £20m Leeds bid for “unbelievable” talent, he’s better than Aaronson

Tottenham Hotspur star Heung-min Son endured an uncharacteristically underwhelming game as the north London outfit drew to relegation-threatened Fulham last night.

Jose Mourinho’s men were punished for their complacency once again, just like in games against Crystal Palace and Wolves, they let the opposition snatch something late on.

Harry Kane had opened the scoring for Spurs by rounding off a sublime piece of play which saw Sergio Reguilon serve the ball on a plate for him before Cottagers winger Ivan Cavaleiro beat Eric Dier in the air to head home the equaliser in the 74th minute.

Fingers may well be pointed in the direction of his central defensive partner, though, as Davinson Sanchez was beaten all ends up by substitute Ademola Lookman, who delivered the all-important cross for the former Wolves man to score.

However, do not be quick to judge as the Colombian colossus ranked fourth-best in terms of SofaScore ratings having been graded a 7.2, which was higher than the goalscoring Kane.

Indeed, Sanchez was a rock defensively aside from that one moment – he made five clearances and four tackles, which exceeded his average per game for the season so far, meaning he was playing better than usual from a defensive standpoint.

He also successfully made 91% of his 64 passing attempts, so it was not as if he was gifting the ball back to the visiting team.

Instead, the fault must lie at the feet of the South Korean, even if he can be forgiven considering his impact this term.

Yes, he has contributed towards 17 goals in as many games in the top-flight, but on Wednesday evening, he was hugely wasteful to the point of it costing them dearly.

Son recorded four big chances missed and had four shooting attempts, via SofaScore, so perhaps it’s a complete surprise to see him come away without a goal. He also delivered just 20% of his crosses successfully, which only goes to show how little Kane had to feed off.

Another of those opportunities came at 1-0 with Spurs in dire need of killing Fulham off, but Son found himself offside as he played in Reguilon to score.

No other Spurs player recorded a worse rating than his 6.0, and quite rightly as he summed up Spurs’ profligacy to a tee.

Dan Kilpatrick of the Evening Standard was less than impressed in his post-match ratings, claiming Son was ‘not his usual self in front of goal’ and that ‘it proved costly.’

The £81m-rated winger, who earns a reported £140k-per-week in N17, only had 44 touches of the ball, which was his lowest in over a month in the top-flight.

That only adds further fuel to why he was so ineffective against a side that sits third-from-bottom. It wasn’t too long ago that Spurs were sitting pretty atop the Premier League standings.

Recently dubbed a “revelation” by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher, the impotent attacker should have done far better with his chances and had he done so, then the result may have been very different on the night.

AND in other news, Daniel Levy can seal Spurs’ BEST signing since Son in “remarkable” £30m beast…

When Moise Kean signed for Everton, Marcel Brands told his family that the club would look after him.

“We will take of your son,” the Toffees figure said to his mother on the day he signed his contract.

Unfortunately, that statement was far from the truth. Kean only started six Premier League games last season before he was remarkably taken on loan by PSG this campaign.

The 21-year-old’s time in Merseyside has not gone according to plan. Once a wonderkid at Juventus, he has only bagged four goals for Everton and has even been substituted on and off in the same game.

As he slowly trudged down the Old Trafford sideline after being hauled off by Duncan Ferguson last term, it painted a desperately sad image.

This was not the promise Brands had made when Kean first signed.

However, after a stellar campaign in France, Everton really need to consider handing him a proper opportunity. Alongside the likes of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, the youngster hasn’t looked out of place.

He has been ruthless in front of goal, showing an extraordinary amount of confidence for someone who appeared to be so shy at Goodison Park.

From an Everton point of view, the focus has always been on bringing through Anthony Gordon; the jewel in the crown of their academy.

He might be homegrown but Everton would be foolish to waste a player like Kean. After all, he’s shown mesmeric form at the highest level throughout 2020/21.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-celtic-manager-and-transfer-news-howe-favre-mcgregor-mccann-tierney” title=”Read the latest Celtic manager and transfer news!”]

The youngster has scored 17 goals in 40 outings for PSG this term, scoring three Champions League goals on their run to the semi-finals.

Kean’s early form was impeccable. After his first 13 games in the French top-flight, he’d found the back of the net on nine occasions. He even scored against Barcelona in the last 16 of Europe.

The striker shone under Thomas Tuchel before he was given the boot by Paris chiefs but he was clearly a player the German loved.

Tuchel described him as “fearless” earlier in the campaign, a word you wouldn’t have associated with his opening year in English football.

His confidence levels are flowing and if he is willing to have a second opportunity at Everton, they must take it with open arms.

PSG don’t have an option to buy Kean in the terms of his loan deal but he surely won’t be short of many suitors.

Everton are reportedly seeking a bid of £40m to sell the attacker but they must avoid losing him at all costs; he is one of the best young talents in European football.

AND in other news, Worse than Holgate: Ancelotti surely enraged by Everton gem who made just 15 passes…

One of West Brom’s out-of-contract stars is being eyed up ahead of the summer transfer window…

What’s the word?

According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Baggies stalwart Kieran Gibbs is attracting interest from David Beckham’s Inter Miami side as well as other MLS teams, rivals from the Premier League and clubs in Turkey too.

It’s claimed that the Midlands outfit were willing to let the 31-year-old leave the Hawthorns last month as he’s among their highest earners and has recently been usurped by Conor Townsend.

But an initial offer from Miami did not suit Albion or Gibbs himself. As he’s out of contract at the end of the season, this is something that may well be revisited.

Let him go, let him go

Indeed, West Brom shouldn’t think twice about allowing the former Arsenal man leave as he’s been a complete waste of money since arriving for £7m under Tony Pulis in 2017.

In that time, he’s racked up 100 appearances in a Baggies shirt, but the fact that Townsend, who had never played above League One before joining the Baggies, has taken control at left-back speaks volumes.

Earlier this season, his disappointing time on the pitch was epitomised in a silly sending off against Everton, a game where Albion embarrassingly went onto lose 5-2. The majority of goals came in the second half with ten men.

Then-boss Slaven Bilic slammed him as “stupid” while Danny Mills told Football Insider that it was a “daft decision” and claimed it was “idiotic.”

Unfortunately for Gibbs, he’s not been in Sam Allardyce’s good books either, and that’s outside of the obvious point that he’s now the back-up option.

The Athletic’s Steve Madeley revealed at the start of January that the club were looking to seal an exit for him as an injury withdrawal prior to their game against Leeds ‘is understood to have angered Allardyce.’

Not that he’s been performing well either. In terms of average WhoScored rating for the season, he ranks 15th, but when factoring in nine or more league starts, that makes him fourth-worst.

With Charlie Austin out on loan, it’s thought that Gibbs is Albion’s top earner on £55k-per-week as per Spotrac, meaning he has cost the club around a total of £16.9m since arriving from the Gunners when factoring in fees and wages.

That would certainly put him among the most expensive flops the Hawthorns has ever seen, especially when you consider the fact that Oliver Burke cost £15m and Nacer Chadli around £13m too.

The Baggies must let Gibbs loose in the summer, even if they are to lose out on a fee. He simply has no future at the club.

AND in other news, West Brom could unearth a perfect Pereira heir in 20 y/o prodigy who’s a “real talent”…