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Newcastle entered into the current two-week international break in 11th position in the Premier League, and considering they were promoted last season that can certainly be seen as a satisfactory start to the campaign.

However, while they are just one outside of the top half and five points above the relegation zone, manager Rafa Benitez does have same major concerns with 11 top flight games to come before he can strengthen his squad in January  – perhaps significantly if a proposed takeover goes through.

While his side look reasonably comfortable at the back having let in 10 goals so far this term, they have also found the net themselves on the same number of occasions, and that perhaps isn’t a good enough record to ensure they stay out of trouble unless they continue to concede so few goals.

Considering seven of ones they scored came in just three fixtures, it means they have netted just three times in the other eight.

The latest match they failed to score in was the 1-0 home defeat by Bournemouth at St James’ Park last weekend, where Benitez decided to go with a more traditional 4-4-2 formation with Ayoze Perez dropped to the substitutes’ bench and Dwight Gayle partnering Joselu up top.

The former Liverpool and Real Madrid manager probably opted to go with that change as Perez had scored one goal and provided one assist in 10 starts beforehand, while the other regular starters in the frontline – Joselu, Matt Ritchie and Christian Atsu – had found the net just three more times between them.

We are starting to get towards the busy festive period now and Newcastle’s lack of goals will certainly be a concern for Benitez and the supporters – even if their rearguard is looking sturdy.

While Joselu is a good centre-forward option he doesn’t look as though he will ever be a prolific goalscorer, while Gayle doesn’t seem to be suited to the lone role in the Premier League either and ideally needs to be partnered alongside someone else.

The name we failed to mention at all in all of this is Aleksandar Mitrovic, and he may just be the answer to Benitez’s headache – at least over the course of the next couple of months.

The Serbia international arrived at St James’ Park in 2015 full of promise and looking as though he had a big part to play for the Magpies, but his poor temperament has often let him down and meant that he can’t be trusted to start matches.

A prime example was when he was sent off twice in his first season with the Tyneside outfit as they suffered relegation to the Championship, while he received a retrospective three-match ban after being found guilty of elbowing West Ham United’s Manuel Lanzini in his team’s 3-1 win back in August.

Even though the 23-year-old was only on the pitch for 18 minutes – and got himself on the score-sheet – he also couldn’t keep himself out of trouble and therefore you can’t really blame Benitez for being unwilling to use him too often.

Mitrovic has played just 12 minutes in the Premier League since he returned from his suspension, while he didn’t even make the substitutes’ bench for the games against Liverpool, Southampton and Burnley last month.

Considering he also scored in Newcastle’s Carabao Cup defeat against Nottingham Forest, it is clear to see that the Serbian has that knack of finding the net – 44 goals in 90 appearances in all competitions for Anderlecht previously proves that.

He also has a not too shabby record of 10 in 36 for the Magpies in the Premier League, while he showed that he hasn’t lost his confidence on the international stage either by scoring his 11th goal on his 33rd cap for his country as they beat China in a friendly on Friday.

The 6ft 2in striker is decent in the air and often seems to find himself in the right place at the right time, and that is a crucial attribute for a player that would be a more mobile option up top than Joselu.

The fact that he is a fans’ favourite and cult hero among the St James’ Park faithful means they are desperate for him to get an opportunity, and it might be a risk that Benitez should take in the coming weeks in order for the club to boost their goal threat and avoid being sucked into a relegation battle over the course of the next 11 games.

Tottenham have developed a reputation of being a club prepared to invest in youth over the last few years, particularly under the management of Mauricio Pochettino.

So if you think you have what it takes to continue Pochettino’s fantastic job at Spurs on Football Manager 2018 then you’ll need to prove to Daniel Levy and the club’s fans that you’re willing to bring players through from the academy.

The likes of Danny Rose, Harry Winks and, of course, Harry Kane are stand out names who have been developed in to top class players by Tottenham, while Dele Alli has used his move to White Hart Lane from MK Dons to develop in to one of the world’s best midfielders.

So who’s next on the Spurs conveyor belt? We’ve identified five youth players who have the potential to become world class with the right training and development on FM18.

Use these lads to your full advantage and you’ll have no trouble appeasing the board and the fans…

Cameron Carter Vickers

Age: 19

Position: D(C)

Nation: USA

Value: £3.8m

Asking Price: £30m

Oliver Skipp

Age: 16

Position: M (C), DM

Nation: England

Value: £21.5k

Asking Price: £4.4m

Marcus Edwards

Age: 18

Position: AM (RLC)

Nation: England

Value: £1m

Asking Price: £70m

Tashan Oakley-Boothe

Age: 17

Position: M (C)

Nation: England

Value: £425k

Asking Price: £1.5m

Kazaiah Sterling

Age: 18

Position: ST (C), AM (RL)

Nation: England

Value: £650k

Asking Price: £26m

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino suggested last season that Marcus Edwards had a bright future ahead of him.

The Argentine even compared the teenager to Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi.

However, this season, the midfielder has made just one appearance for the senior team – in the Carabao Cup – and Pochettino seems to have changed his tune.

Ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League final group game against APOEL at Wembley, the manager confirmed his intention to make changes to the team.

Numerous fringe players are expected to feature, but Edwards has not been called into the fray.

Pochettino told reporters in a pre-match press conference that his comparison between the youngster and Messi last season was wrong.

It appears that Edwards has so far failed to impress the manager this season and will have to wait to get another chance in the senior side.

Many Tottenham fans have been left disappointed by Pochettino’s snub.

According to reports in The Sun, on-loan Stoke City forward Jese Rodriguez was involved in a bust-up with manager Mark Hughes on Saturday that may have thrown his future with the Potters into doubt.

The Sun says that the 24-year-old was so furious when he realised that he wasn’t going to be brought on as a substitute in the win against Swansea City at the Bet365 Stadium at the weekend that he stormed down the tunnel before the final whistle.

The fall-out with Hughes and the fact that he has found first-team starts hard to come by in recent weeks may result in his season-long loan spell being cut short in January, and that could mean the Paris Saint-Germian attacker is available for another temporary spell away or even on a permanent basis.

Meanwhile, Newcastle United have picked up just one point from the last 18 available after making a decent start to the campaign on their return to the Premier League, and boss Rafa Benitez will already be looking at potential new signings to strengthen his struggling squad in the New Year.

If Jese is sent back to PSG, Benitez may well be making a really shrewd moveby bringing the Spaniard to St James’ Park.

Here are three reasons Newcastle should move for the unhappy Jese if his Stoke loan is cut short…

They need a new attacker or two

Newcastle have scored just 14 goals in 15 Premier League matches so far this season and Rafa Benitez will know that if the Magpies are to stay away from the relegation zone, that is a record that must improve.

The club’s three main strikers Joselu, Dwight Gayle and Aleksandar Mitrovic have scored just five of those 14, while the usual attacking midfield trio of Ayoze Perez, Matt Ritchie and Christian Atsu have two between them.

If Benitez is looking for a new attacker in January and Jese becomes available, he could be tempted to make a move for the 24-year-old.

His qualities

You don’t play nearly 100 first-team games for Real Madrid and earn a move to Paris Saint-Germain unless you have something about you, and with a regular run in a team like Newcastle you get the feeling that Jese could finally showcase his abilities on a consistent basis.

The versatile forward showed a glimpse of the talent he has with a brilliant goal in the win against Arsenal earlier in the season, while he has also created eight chances and provided one assist for his teammates in nine Premier League appearances.

The 24-year-old is a good dribbler – according to Squawka he has successfully completed 10 of the 15 take-ons he has attempted in the top flight this term – while his record of 18 goals in 94 matches for Real shows he does have the ability to find the net, too.

Potential loan deal

While his wages could be a potential problem for Newcastle given that The Mirror says that Rafa Benitez has asked for £20m to spend on three players during the January transfer window, the fact that the Magpies may be able to sign Jese on loan for the second-half of the season may make him a more attractive option.

With Benitez and the 24-year-old both being Spanish the former Real Madrid boss may feel that he can get the best out of the attacker, and his performances could help the Tyneside outfit stay away from the bottom three.

Do you agree, Magpies fans? Let us know below.

According to a recent report from The Scottish Sun, Rangers goalkeeper Wes Foderingham is available for transfer this summer. The arrival of Allan McGregor on a free transfer back in May appears to have pushed the former Swindon Town shot-stopper down the pecking order at Ibrox, which is news that should be of interest to Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United, as they seek to solve a key problem in their goalkeeping ranks.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, the shot-stopping department at Elland Road was far from convincing for the vast majority of last season, with neither Felix Wiedwald nor Andy Lonergan doing enough to warrant the number one jersey for the duration of the campaign.

Both men were given opportunities by Thomas Christiansen and Paul Heckingbottom, but it was 21-year-old Bailey Peacock-Farrell who finished the season as the club’s number one with some fine displays in the final few matches of the campaign.

And while some of our resident Leeds fans reckon he is good enough to don the gloves, many are concerned regarding his suitability for the duration of a Championship campaign, which is why a move for available Foderingham makes complete sense this summer.

Yes, the 27-year-old has never played in English football’s second tier, and was actually at third tier side Swindon before making the move to Ibrox back in 2015, but the Englishman has done a decent job between the sticks at the Scottish giants in keeping 49 clean sheets in 130 games for the club.

And with just 138 goals conceded in that time, Foderingham can reflect on a solid time at the Gers if it does indeed come to an end this summer, but being able to produce the goods at a big club and under pressure at Rangers will stand him in good stead for his next career move.

And with Leeds seemingly in need of a goalkeeper to solve a key problem in their squad, his experiences of playing in front of a packed stadium and passionate supporters week in week out should be of interest to Bielsa and the Leeds hierarchy.

Who do you think will win the World Cup? Let us know here

Ultimately, expectations will be high at Elland Road this season following Bielsa’s appointment, which means that those on the pitch will have to deal with a huge amount of pressure and sense of expectation – Foderingham has done that throughout his time at Rangers.

And with over 300 club appearances in his career to date, he could also be an excellent mentor for 21-year-old Peacock-Farrell at Elland Road – another reason why Bielsa must seek to solve a key problem at Leeds with the signing of the available £630,000-rated star (as per Transfermarkt).

Leeds fans… what do you think? Let us know!

There’s always been something about England and grave misfortune at World Cups. Even with our inevitably biased sympathy for the Three Lions is taken into account, it’s hard to think of a nation that has endured more instances of poor luck at major international tournaments.

Diego Maradona’s Hand of God, David Beckham’s questionable sending off against Argentina before Sol Campbell even more questionably had a late winner chalked off, Frank Lampard’s in-off-the-bar piledriver against Germany that obliged FIFA to adopt goal-line technology, and the not-so-small matter of a penalty shootout hoodoo that plagued England throughout the 1990s and 2000s.

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Of course, Gareth Southgate’s England team finally lifted the curse against Colombia, during a World Cup in which the order of the knockout tree has been more than kind to the former defender’s young and expansive side. But the overdue dose of luck that’s served the Three Lions so well at this tournament could be about to run out against Croatia, for one crucial reason – referee Cuneyt Cakir.

Manchester United fans will already know only too well how devastating a blow Cakir could prove to be for England, because he clearly has a problem with the way the English game is played.

Sir Alex Ferguson was so livid with the Turkish official’s decision to send off Nani for a ‘high boot’ in his final Champions League game that the Red Devils gaffer refused to do his post-match interview, instead muttering to reporters that it was “hard to keep faith” following that kind of call.

Ferguson also quite rightly pointed out that, despite refereeing the vast majority of his games in the Turkish Super Lig – which is hardly a bastion of fair play – Cakir has somehow managed to send off seven players from English clubs throughout his career, compared to none for the teams England clubs have faced, including three England internationals – John Terry, Steven Gerrard and Gary Cahill.

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That’s a pretty strong indication of how Cakir views English football, and his World Cup performances haven’t given much cause to expect anything else on Wednesday night.

He’s handed out nine yellow cards in two games, averaged the most fouls per game of any referee to officiate more than one match so far at this World Cup and he’s awarded almost exactly one foul per tackle. To say he’s a bit whistle-friendly would be a massive underestimation.

Perhaps though, there is a silver lining here – provided Cakir isn’t once again letting nationality take precedent over what’s actually taking place in front of him. Croatia have actually committed the seventh-most fouls per match of any team at this World Cup, while England have scored the most goals from set pieces of any team with five in as many games.

Bearing that in mind then, Cakir’s strict approach should actually work in English football’s favour for once.

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Manchester United are hoping to reel in rivals City next season after seeing Pep Guardiola’s men run away with the Premier League title last term.

The Red Devils, led my manager Jose Mourinho, will be keen to bridge the gap, and their summer signings have already showed an aspect of that desire, with the likes of Fred and full back Diogo Dalot already through the door.

Old Trafford still is and will remain one of the biggest draws in world football to play your football, and there’s a sense that even though City dominated on the field, it is United who remain the big global force and bigger draw.

Here at the Tavern, we think a few more names could well be on their way, and one player who we think has seen his stock rise this summer is Spurs defender Kieran Trippier.

The £18m-rated right back was superb over in Russia, and was equally as good for Spurs, where he battles Serge Aurier for a regular spot in the starting line up.

While United have signed Dalot, and have the experienced Antonio Valencia, Trippier has proven to be vital for club and county, and the thought of Trippier getting down the right and whipping in dangerous balls for the likes of Romelu Lukaku to attack is something which will appeal greatly to United fans.

Spurs won’t want to sell, but United remain top dogs, and Trippier would be hard pushed to ignore a potential move to Old Trafford.

United fans, what do you think? Good signing? Let us know in the comments!

Riyad Mahrez could be Manchester City’s only signing this summer with manager Pep Guardiola refusing to rule out the possibility of not bringing in a new midfielder. 

Midfield had been one of the areas of Manchester City’s squad that Guardiola was desperate to improve, but his plans to do so were interrupted when Chelsea hijacked the Premier League champions’ deal for Jorginho.

As a result, Guardiola could now go into the new season without Manchester City’s midfield being strengthened.

The Breakdown

Since missing out on Jorginho, Manchester City have been linked with Juventus’ Miralem Pjanic.

However, Guardiola has told reporters that while he is a huge admirer of Pjanic, a move for the playmaker is unlikely at this moment of time (via Sky News).

With Pjanic set to stay at the Allianz Stadium and no other midfielders currently lined up, Ilkay Gundogan could be the one the fulfil the defensive midfield role at Manchester City this season.

“Gundogan can play there,” Guardiola was quoted saying on Sky News. And the Germany international has already shown what he can offer the side from that position.

£36m-rated (via Transfermarkt) Gundogan may not possess the same engine or be as good at tackling as Fernandinho, but the 27-year-old passes the ball extremely well and was a goal threat for his side last season.

The former Borussia Dortmund man scored in some of Manchester City’s biggest games including matches against Tottenham, Liverpool and rivals Manchester United.

He may not be the long-term solution for Guardiola, but Gundogan is still capable of deputising for Fernandinho in the defensive midfield position and will get more opportunities to do so with Juventus expected to keep Pjanic.

According to Italian newspaper Corriere Dello Sport, Juventus are looking to offload midfielder Miralem Pjanic and re-sign Paul Pogba from Manchester United.

What’s the story?

Pjanic joined Juventus in the summer of 2016 for £24.5m from fellow Italian side Roma and has since played 91 times in all competitions for the Old Lady. During this time he has registered 15 goals and 28 assists and is now valued at £58.5m by Transfermarkt.

Now though, Juve want to sell the Bosnian international and Calcio Mercato report that Barcelona, Chelsea, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain are all interested in signing him.

Having already signed Cristiano Ronaldo in a £105m deal this summer, the Italian champions are now looking to replace Pjanic with the man who he himself replaced in 2016.

Pogba previously spent four years at Juventus after joining the Turin club on a free transfer from United, before returning to Manchester in an £89m deal in 2016, the same summer that Pjanic arrived from Roma.

Swap deal

In this situation, United boss Jose Mourinho should make a bold move and offer Juventus Pogba in return for Pjanic and an extra fee.

According to Sky Sports, the Portuguese manager warned Pogba last season that his performances must be more consistent. Sky also reported that, after the 25-year-old won the World Cup with France this summer, Mourinho claimed the tournament format suited Pogba better as there were less distractions.

With this breakdown between manager and player alongside Pogba failing to find his best form having rejoined United, it may be the perfect time for Mourinho to cash-in on the Frenchman after his impressive summer performances.

It would be a deal that would certainly shock United fans, but having swapped Henrikh Mkhitaryan for Alexis Sanchez in January this year it is clearly a type of deal that Ed Woodward and Mourinho are comfortable with. Securing a top midfield replacement and an extra chunk of cash would certainly make the blow of losing Pogba easier.

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Leeds United have missed out on transfer target Jack Marriott after he completed his move to Derby County, but it could prove to be a positive outcome for Marcelo Bielsa.

What’s the story?

Peterborough United striker Marriott was a revelation last year, scoring 27 goals for the League One club and claiming the league’s Golden Boot.

The 23-year-old has been linked with a number of Championship clubs and Leeds were rumoured to be interested in Marriott but now Frank Lampard has managed to convince the prolific striker to join his project at Derby.

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Another missed opportunity

Leeds haven’t had the best of transfer windows so far this summer and Andrea Radrizzani has missed another target that would have helped the club push on this season.

However, it’s not all bad news for Leeds fans, as Derby’s signing could free up Matej Vydra who has been linked with the Whites all summer.

Vydra’s wage demands appeared to put any chances of a deal in jeopardy, but with Derby signing a new striker it could push Vydra closer to the exit door at Pride Park, and he could lower his demands to force a move.