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Spezia Calcio’s Technical Director Mauro Meluso dealt Newcastle United a huge blow in relation to their rumoured interest in M’Bala Nzola over the weekend, when he told Citta Della Spezia what it would take to sign the Angola international.

Steve Bruce can forget any hopes of acquiring the Serie A star after the Toon reportedly agreed to hand Dwight Gayle a new three-year contract, to avoid the 31-year-old leaving St. James’ Park as a free agent this summer.

Gayle’s current £40,000-per-week deal was due to expire in June and the forward had been linked with Galatasaray as well as clubs in the Middle East, Europe and Major League Soccer, though is now expected to pen new terms with a lesser salary.

Newcastle opting to keep the £4.5m-rated attacker on Tyneside for another three seasons is likely a sign to the club’s financial outlook ahead of the summer market, with funds expected to be tight.

Yet United’s decision to tie Gayle down through to the summer of 2024 has been questioned, with former Leeds striker Noel Whelan left stunned.

“I’m shocked to hear he’s been given a new deal, because I do not think Steve Bruce will be there until the end of the year,” he told Football Insider. “Newcastle are deep in a relegation battle so to hand out contracts now, when everything is up in the air, I find that pretty bewildering.

“It is not as if he has been given much game time. How can you hand out a three-year contract to a player who has barely played, under a manager who might not be there? They might need that money to sign better players in the summer. It is really strange.”

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/the-latest-newcastle-news%2c-gossip-and-views” title=”The latest Newcastle news, gossip and views!”]

Gayle has scored once in 11 Premier League appearances after a delayed start to his season due to a medial collateral ligament injury, with the London-born frontman’s only strike to date coming in his first outing against West Bromwich Albion in December.

Bruce has also only fielded Gayle in the starting line-up on two occasions, and – as Whelan notes – retaining the 31-year-old could now impact Newcastle’s activity in the transfer market when better options may be available.

Nzola emerged as a potential option for Newcastle to target during the winter market, with reports by Club Dorla 46 and Calciomercato citing the Magpies and West Ham as leading candidates for the AC Milan and SSC Napoli target.

Spezia were reluctant to part with the Angola international at the time and managed to fend off all approaches, and have since seen the 24-year-old take his tally for the term to nine goals in 18 Serie A appearances.

Newcastle could potentially look to revive their interest at the end of the season, but any hopes of getting a deal done now appear dead in the water with Gayle in line for a new contract and with Spezia chief Meluso setting a high asking price.

“His market value? I have a number in my head, but it is difficult to say today,” he told Citta Della Spezia. “The price makes the question. But what I have in my head is very high.

“But the salvation of this season is of great importance on everything, the club’s assets depend on this. If we were to save ourselves, the players would have a greater value and they know it, they are aware of it.”

Spezia sit 15th in the Serie A table and seven points clear of the relegation zone coming out of the international break, thanks heavily to Nzola’s team-high return of goals. His strikes have directly influenced results against Cagliari Calcio, Bologna FC 1909, Napoli and UC Sampdoria.

Newcastle could yet revive their interest in the forward, described by his former coach Nicola Antonio Calabro as “very strong”, but the chances of getting would appear slim, especially given the financial commintent they look set to make to Gayle.

AND in other news, a “more than fantastic” 46-year-old is keen to replace Steve Bruce at Newcastle…

Lots of Everton fans have been left very pleased by an official announcement from the Goodison Park faithful on Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

As per the official website of the Merseyside club, the 24-year-old has been called up to the latest England squad for their upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against San Marino, Albania and Poland.

Calvert-Lewin has been enjoying a very good season for Carlo Ancelotti’s team so far, scoring no fewer than 19 goals and making a further four assists in 30 games in total over all competitions (Transfermarkt).

His form for the Toffees has yielded another call-up to the Three Lions by Gareth Southgate, as he will be hoping to help his country get off to the best start possible in the next set of games.

Everton fan reaction to Calvert-Lewin call-up

These Blues showed their appreciation for Calvert-Lewin’s call-up on Twitter after the club shared the news, with one EFC supporter saying that he was ‘pleased’ for the English striker:

“Well deserved, my man please go and come back to us injury free”

Credit: @PROSPER29011663

“My striker @CalvertLewin14”

Credit: @everton_now

“Let’s goooo DCL much deserved.”

Credit: @SirThaddeus

“YES DCL!!!!”

Credit: @BazTastic77

“Pleased for young Dom. No Keane is incredible if you look at who he’s picked.”

Credit: @CoachSteveRich

“So happy for DCL, shocked how neither Godfrey or Keane haven’t made it – yes I know Godfrey is in the U21”

Credit: @KPrxdiigyy

In other news, find out what potential injury boost Everton have received before Manchester City here!

Many Leeds United supporters will surely be buzzing to see that Kalvin Phillips looks set to be involved for their match against West Ham on Monday night.

The latest on Phillips

Phillips hasn’t featured since he made his 200th appearance for the club on 8 February due to injury (Transfermarkt). A photo emerged on Twitter from @AllLeedsTV showing the English international travelling to the fixture with the squad, supporting this picture with the caption ‘You love to see it’.

This is a huge boost for Leeds

Marcelo Bielsa’s side face an in-form West Ham who are surprisingly battling for a Champions League spot (SofaScore). They have also been scoring plenty, with 40 goals in the division this term. Therefore, the possibility of Phillips being back in the side is a huge boost for Leeds.

The 25-year-old defensive midfielder loves to get stuck in and break up opposition attacks, as evidenced by his match averages of 2.7 tackles, 1.6 interceptions and 1.8 clearances this season (WhoScored) – his tackling average is the second-highest in the squad. It’s no surprise, then, that former Whites striker Noel Whelan has said that Phillips is an “integral” player to Marcelo Bielsa’s plans.

To have the £24.3m-rated ace fit again will not just be boost for the game against the Hammers, but for the rest of the campaign as Leeds look to aim for a top-half finish in their first season back in the Premier League.

In other news, Phil Hay has hinted at a potential return date for another Leeds star!

Ahead of the double Gameweeks 24 and 25, and with just under half of the Fantasy Premier League season to go, it’s make or break time for many FPL managers. We take a look back at the first half of the season and pick 22 players that you’ll want to consider picking up when making your next transfers.

FPL Goalkeepers 

Our top goalkeeper choice is Burnley number one Nick Pope. Pope has played 90 minutes in all but one of the Clarets 22 matches this season recording 7 clean sheets and 85 saves for a total of 102 points – making him the second best performing shot stopper in the FPL this season. 

His £5.5 price tag may put some managers off but with a double gameweek against Crystal Palace and Fulham in week 24 he’s got a good chance of recording double-digits points.

FPL Defenders 

Defenders who score goals, get assists and keep clean sheets are always highly sought after by FPL managers and sports betting punters alike and many managers make sure they have defenders from the teams that are most likely to win the Premier League in their squad.

With this in mind, Man United Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£5.6 – 2 goals, 3 assists, 8 clean sheets) and Liverpool’s Andrew Robertson (£7.3 – 1 goal, 5 assists, 6 clean sheets) are two high scoring players who fit the bill. 

Then there’s also City’s men Rúben Dias (£6.1 – 1 assist, 13 clean sheets) and João Cancelo (£6.0 – 1 goal, 2 assists, 10 clean sheets) who are among the top 10 best performing defenders thus far and are staring down the barrel of their upcoming double gameweek.

If you’re looking for bargain defenders then West Ham’s Aaron Cresswell (£5.7 – 8 assists, 8 clean sheets), Leeds’ Stuart Dallas (£4.8 – 4 goals, 2 assists, 6 clean sheets) and Southampton’s recently returned Jannik Vestergaard (£4.7 – 3 goals, 5 clean sheets) are all worth a shout with the last two being especially valuable right now considering Leeds and Southampton’s double fixtures in week 25.

FPL Midfielders 

Midfielders are the money players in most FPL teams because they gather points for clean sheets, assists and goals and because they generally get the biggest bonuses.

The best performing midfielders so far are Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes (£11.5 – 169 points), Liverpool’s Mohammed Salah (£12.7 – 155 points) and Tottenham’s Heung-Min Son (£9.7 – 155 points) all of whom are consistently favored to score on online betting websites around the world as well.

Filling the fourth (or fifth) spot in your midfield can be tough so some value for money midfielders to go for include City’s Ilkay Gündogan (£5.9 – 104 points), Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse (£6.0 – 98 points), Fulham’s Ademola Lookman (£5.0 – 65 points), and Leeds’ Jack Harrsion (£5.4 – 86 points) and Mateusz Klich (£5.3 – 73 points) who are all great buys ahead of the double Gameweeks 24 and 25.

FPL Forwards

Strikers Harry Kane (£11.0 – 151 points) of Tottenham and Jamie Vardy (£10.0 – 117 points) of Leicester are back from injury and remain a centrepiece in most fantasy squads but finding the right men to go alongside them can be tough.

Leeds’ Patrick Bamford (£6.7 – 124 points) and Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£7.6 – 120 points) are two of the cheapest and most valuable strikers on the market and when you include Southampton’s Che Adams (£5.8 – 82 points) you’ve got a great trio of attackers that won’t break the bank and that all have 3 games coming up in the next two FPL gameweeks.

If you’re willing to gamble a little, Burnley’s Chris Wood (£5.8 – 63 points) is set to return from injury soon to join his team for their double gameweek against Fulham and Crystal Palace. 

Although the New Zealander hasn’t produced the goods this year his ten goals in each of his last three seasons has made him one of the top buys in recent FPL history. Wood is also one the most bet-on FPL strikers to score at all of the sports betting sites in New Zealand.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that defender Ozan Kabak picked up an injury during his side’s 1-0 defeat against Chelsea on Thursday night.

Doubts about Kabak

The 20-year-old started at the heart of the Reds’ defence alongside makeshift centre-back Fabinho as they were inflicted with a fifth-straight defeat at Anfield – something which has never happened in the club’s history.

Praised as a ‘talent’ with ‘quality’ for showing his ‘really good’ form recently by Jurgen Klopp (besoccer.com), Kabak was brought in to nurse the devastating injury crisis, with Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip all out with season-ending injuries.

Unfortunately, it appears that Kabak could join them in the already overcrowded Kirkby treatment room. Speaking in his pre-match press conference (via James Pearce), Klopp said that the 6 foot 1 centre half picked up “a little problem”, but did not specify what kind of injury he had suffered.

Kabak is now a doubt for Fulham, so Liverpool will have to prepare themselves to field their 20th centre-back partnership of the season, with the likes of Ben Davies and Nathaniel Phillips available for the German tactician to choose from.

Transfer Tavern Verdict

While Kabak has not set the world on fire with the appearances he’s put in so far, it will still be a big blow to the reigning Premier League champions.

It appears that the news does not get any better for the Liverpool supporters, who have had to endure what has been a miserable 2020/21 campaign from start to finish.

That being said, the club simply have to finish in the top four. With Jordan Henderson also out, they have even fewer options to choose from to play at the back. Fulham could be another tricky test for the understrength Reds.

In other news, Emile Heskey believes Jurgen Klopp mainstay needs to be dropped from Liverpool squad.

Jurgen Klopp looks to have been handed another injury blow ahead of his side’s trip to Old Trafford in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday, with Jordan Henderson reportedly unlikely to feature through injury.

The Liverpool captain was ruled out of the game in midweek against Burnley with a muscle strain and was certainly missed, as the Reds saw their long unbeaten home run come to an end at the hands of Sean Dyche’s side.

Goal have now reported that the 30-year-old is unlikely to feature against Manchester United this weekend, which is undoubtedly a huge blow for Klopp’s side.

The Reds lacked any sort of real fight or leadership against Burnley on Thursday, something you surely feel that Henderson would have provided himself, and would have demanded from his teammates if he were on the pitch.

In the absence of Virgil van Dijk, it could certainly be argued that the Reds are lacking any leaders on the pitch when the former Sunderland man doesn’t play, so not having either at Old Trafford could be a recipe for disaster.

The England international played as a centre-back for the visit of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side earlier this month and impressed against the dangerous front three, but it appears the Reds will be without his experience in midfield for the FA Cup tie.

Fortunately for Klopp, he does now have Joel Matip back fit, so he can partner Fabinho in defence, but the Reds will certainly miss Henderson’s experience in midfield if he cannot feature on Sunday.

The German manager has emphasised the importance of his captain in the past, saying:

If anybody who is with us still doesn’t see the quality of Jordan Henderson, then I cannot help them.

“Is Hendo the perfect football player? No. Do I know anybody who is? No. But is he unbelievably important to us? Yes.”

Therefore, it comes as a huge blow for Liverpool that he is unlikely to feature at Old Trafford on Sunday, as he could have been the catalyst for the Reds turning their disappointing form around with a morale-boosting FA Cup win against their old rivals.

And, in other news… “Of course he would” – Exclusive: Pundit claims PL beast would love to join LFC

Leeds United have previously been named as one of the clubs interested in rising talent Louie Sibley in what could be an exciting end to the January transfer window.

According to Football Insider pundit Kevin Phillips, the Derby starlet would be tempted to make the switch and play under Marcelo Bielsa, who guided the Whites to a long-awaited return to the Premier League.

As it stands, Leeds are 12th in the Premier League on 23 points. Patrick Bamford is currently their leading scorer on ten goals, seven ahead of the next highest, as per BBC Sport. But this isn’t good enough for a side looking to reassert themselves in England’s top flight and stay there for seasons to come.

Would Sibley fit in at Leeds?

The 19-year-old has attracted a lot of attention thanks to his progress with the Rams. Last season saw Sibley contribute ten goals and nine assists across all competitions, which is a solid return for a midfielder. He was also recently lauded as an “outstanding” player following his youth level hat-trick for Derby.

Leeds would hugely benefit from signing a player who can conjure up some creative genius in the middle of the park. Bamford is currently out on his own trying to find his team the results they need to survive. He needs all the support he can get from any new addition that Victor Orta brings to the club this month.

However, should the Whites make a move for Sibley, who was rated at £15m by Derby in October, it would heap a lot of pressure on fellow young talent Jamie Shackleton. The 21-year-old was recently axed from Bielsa’s lineup after a string of disappointing performances.

As per Transfermarkt, Shackleton hasn’t started under Bielsa since their 4-1 loss to Leicester back in November. He has since been dropped from the squad, left on the bench or reduced to cameo appearances in a Leeds shirt.

He is already struggling to grab minutes and with an added competitor, he could be in serious trouble.

Either he is would potentially be cast aside, ir it could turn out to be the huge motivational boost he needs to impress the boss on the training pitch and re-establish himself as a regular starter.

In other news, Leeds will be kicking themselves over missed Jean-Philippe Mateta move…

Former England international Rob Lee, while speaking exclusively with FootballFanCast, has expressed his concerns over Everton signing rumoured January target Sami Khedira from Juventus.

The Toffees are believed to be one of several sides eying a winter move for the outcast midfielder, with Calciomercato citing Carlo Ancelotti’s Blues, plus Tottenham Hotspur and Championship promotion-chasing trio AFC Bournemouth, Norwich City and Watford as potential destinations.

Juventus are eager to offload Khedira in the mid-season market after the German was deemed surplus to requirements by head coach Andrea Pirlo, who is yet to call on the 2014 World Cup winner to play a single minute across all competitions so far this season.

Khedira has accepted the fact that his future will not reside in Turin beyond the end of January, but Lee – who made 267 Premier League appearances for Newcastle United – does not believe the £185,000-per-week veteran would be an improvement on Ancelotti’s current squad.

“Are you buying him for his name and what he’s done in the past? Do they need him? I’m not sure they do. I’m not sure he’s the sort of player they need,” Lee told Football FanCast.

“When they’ve got their 11 players out, their fit 11 players, they are a match for anybody, I mean anybody, in that league. They can play as well as anybody. But it’s strength in depth what they need.

“Is he going to come in and be a bit-part player? Probably not. Just hope they are not going to sign him just for the sake of his name. Is he the sort of player you need? I’m not sure. I think, get your full-backs back and they’ll be good.”

Khedira has endured a continual decline at Juventus over the past three seasons, with injuries seeing the 33-year-old go from a regular at the Serie A giants in 2017/18 to making just 10 league outings in 18/19 and 12 in 19/20.

The veteran German has not been seen on the field for an Italian top-flight fixture since last November, after surgery on a knee injury sidelined Khedira for several months before a tear in the abductor muscle ensured he played no part in Maurizio Sarri’s plans following the restart.

Pirlo now has no use for the one-time Champions League winner since succeeding Sarri at the Allianz Stadium, making a winter move a near certainty.

It remains to be seen if Everton do offer Khedira a first taste of Premier League football in the twilight years of the £3.6m-rated midfielder’s career, after he spoke fondly of his time working under Ancelotti at Real Madrid.

“There are many coaches, even in the Premier League that I respect a lot. Ancelotti is doing a great job at the moment and is a great personality. He is one of the coaches who impressed me,” Khedira told Sky Germany last month.

AND in other news, Marcel Brands has landed a huge break in his bid to final rid Everton of Steve Walsh’s £42m blunder.

After their incredible run of form was stopped by St Mirren in the Scottish League Cup, Glasgow Rangers will be desperate to get back to winning ways when they host Motherwell at Ibrox on Saturday.

Rangers beat Lech Poznan to win Group D to secure a seeded place in the Europa League last 32 draw, before beating Dundee United at Tannadice Park last weekend.

But the loss to the Saints stopped Steven Gerrard’s side in their tracks, and with the Premiership clash with Motherwell looming ever closer, the Ibrox boss faces some tough decisions as he looks to get things going again.

Gerrard has admitted some players may have to “step aside” for the time being against the Steelmen.

He said, as quoted by Glasgow Live: “You learn an awful lot about your players every game and I’ll be looking extremely close to see who will react in the right way and if anybody is feeling sorry for themselves and want to take this feeling into the weekend.

“Unfortunately, they might have to step aside because we need to bounce back and react in the right way and try and get three points against Motherwell.”

While we’re not exactly sure which players will lose their places in the starting line-up – though Joe Aribo may be nervously looking over his shoulder after he suffered a shocker at St Mirren – one man who should be in contention to start is Croatian left-back Borna Barisic. After starting and completing the full 90′ minutes in ten of the Glasgow giants’ past 17 games in the Scottish Premiership so far this season, Barisic was benched by Gerrard for the Betfred Cup exit, who may have regretted his decision almost immediately after Bassey gave away a penalty.

Bassey’s relative inexperience outweighed his youthful exuberance, and with an acid test against Motherwell on the horizon, the 28-year-old’s reliability could play a key part in preventing the cup disappointment from festering.

We said just this last month that Gerrard needs to starting giving the 20-year-old more opportunities to test himself on a regular basis, but the youngster was swamped on the left wing as he struggled to overlap with Joe Aribo and Ryan Kent, so starting Barisic in the back four could go a long way towards stopping the rot from seeping into their title ambitions.

After all, it’s the Croatia international and James Tavernier’s partnership that has played an instrumental part in the Gers’ surge to the summit of the Scottish Premiership, with Alex Rae hailing him as a “terrific” talent, while former Rangers manager Alex McLeish admitted he has “exceeded expectations.”

The pair are a sight to behold bombing up and down the flanks, and Barisic’s ability to ping crosses into the box – he averages 2.1 key passes per game in the league – sets him apart from his younger understudy.

Bringing Barisic back into the starting line-up should add that extra impetus going forwards.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers must start Steven Davis against Motherwell…

Jordan Henderson is the latest Liverpool man to suffer an injury setback and Jurgen Klopp will seemingly be without his captain when they face top-of-the-table Leicester City at Anfield on Sunday.

LFC journalist James Pearce confirmed on Twitter that the former Sunderland man won’t be available for selection this weekend, which adds to Klopp’s significant injury list.

The German manager is already without first-team regulars Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Fabinho as they prepare to face a Leicester City side who have made a superb start to the 2020/21 Premier League season.

As a result, Klopp is low on midfield and defensive options, and he may be best served by handing Curtis Jones a rare Premier League start.

The 19-year-old has made three appearances in the Premier League so far this season, as well as appearing in the Champions League, Carabao Cup and Community Shield (per Transfermarkt).

This takes his tally of Liverpool appearances to 21, in which he has managed to contribute five goals and two assists (per Transfermarkt).

The young midfielder also has a superb record with Liverpool’s academy sides and it is evident that he can provide a real goalscoring threat from midfield.

Earlier this year, Klopp heaped praise on the academy graduate after he scored twice in the Reds’ 7-2 win against Lincoln City, saying:

“There is still space for improvement but everyone knows my opinion of Curtis Jones, he is an exceptional talent and we will have some fun with him I am pretty sure in the future.

“Both goals were difficult, the second one the first touch was absolutely exceptional between two opponents and then he opens up and sees the opportunity and finishes it off.” (per Daily Mail)

Therefore, when you consider the injury problems Liverpool are currently facing, as well as the indifferent form of midfielders Georginio Wijnaldum and Naby Keita, perhaps Klopp should trust Jones with a start against the Foxes this weekend.