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Ciaran Clark has confessed that Newcastle simply ‘weren’t up for it’ on Saturday as they fell to a dreadful 3-0 defeat at Brighton.

Steve Bruce’s side recorded a mere three shots (one on target) over the course of 90 minutes as they were dealt a punishing beating in the relegation six-pointer (BBC Sport).

The result saw Brighton move six points clear of the drop zone, while Fulham remain within a win of leapfrogging Newcastle.

Clark, speaking ahead of Ireland’s World Cup qualifiers, with his nation missing out on Euro 2020 and therefore not threatening the EM odds, admitted that Newcastle’s application belied the magnitude of the fixture, when speaking to Press Association [via Chronicle Live].

“On Saturday night, we weren’t up for it as a group of players,” he said. “For some reason, it didn’t work for us.

“That was the most disappointing thing, the way we were playing the weeks beforehand, we didn’t take into the game, such a big game as well.”

Break ‘comes at good time’ as Wilson & Saint-Maximin recover

However, Clark did find reason for optimism ahead of a run-in which will see Newcastle face five of the top seven.

Top scorer Callum Wilson is expected to return after the international break – the Englishman’s 10 goals are twice that of his nearest challenger in the Toon ranks. Allan Saint-Maximin, who ranks fourth in the squad for goal involvements with two goals and three assists, is also set to be back.

That double boost will be marred by the injury Isacc Hayden picked up at the Amex Stadium, one which could sideline him for the remainder of the campaign, according to The Athletic’s Chris Waugh.

“The international break has probably come at a good time for us now,” Clark told the press. “We’ve got time to get some injured players back.

“Hopefully, we can see out remaining games with a fully-fit squad, probably bar Isaac Hayden, who picked up a nasty injury.”

Transfer Tavern verdict

Clark’s confession is undoubtedly damning for both the players and the manager, but perhaps it won’t come as a surprise for Newcastle fans after what they witnessed.

Can their returnees save them? Maybe, but no amount of Wilson heroics could compensate for failings in attitude.

Newcastle’s next Premier League match is at home to Tottenham Hotspur and fans will be hoping that the Easter break does them some good.

In other news, some Newcastle players reportedly considered this course of action on Sunday. 

When then-Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood brought Jordan Veretout to the club back in the summer of 2015, he made it clear just how “delighted” he was at getting a deal done.

The ex-Blackburn midfielder said: “He has played over 140 games in Ligue 1 and is a really exciting young player. I know Veretout is very highly rated over in France, so we are delighted to get this deal over the line.”

Fast forward a year, however, and things hadn’t turned out the way either the player or the club would have wanted at Villa Park, with the team going through a roller-coaster period of managerial changes and relegation from the Premier League as well.

In the end, the Frenchman was sent out on loan, before sealing a more permanent move away from the club when he joined Serie A outfit Fiorentina for around £6m in 2017. Since then, he has been nothing short of incredible, enjoying an impressive rise which is now seeing him shine for one of Italian football’s biggest clubs in AS Roma.

This season has seen him develop into an elite goal-scoring midfielder, netting ten times in 24 games in the league alone, including a match-saving brace against Juventus in a 2-2 draw. It’s no surprise, then, that his market value has shot up considerably, with Transfermarkt now rating him at £31.5m – more than five times the amount for which Villa actually sold him.

However, there were some behind the scenes at Villa Park who did see his potential, with caretaker manager Kevin McDonald in particular saying: “Jordan is a wonderful passer of the ball. He will get better. And he is looking to impose himself in training games. Now he has to do that over a period of time. If he does that, he will be a very, very good player.

“Glenn Hoddle didn’t have to run up and down the pitch. But he was the most wonderful passer this country had in a long, long time. It’s not about being a holding midfielder or an attacking midfielder – Jordan needs to be a midfielder who gets on the ball more than anybody else in the team.”

Niggling injuries didn’t help his cause, but he didn’t even take to the pitch for any of Villa’s last seven Premier League games of the 2015/2016 season, not even making the matchday squad in four of them.

When you see the way he is shining now, though, there must surely be a sense of regret that they couldn’t keep hold of Veretout or ever get to see the best of him at Villa Park.

Meanwhile, Villa must unleash this academy talent after his FA Youth Cup display; it’s not Aaron Ramsey…

Moise Kean has ‘no intention’ of returning to Everton after his loan spell at Paris Saint Germain ends, according to Tuttosport (via Sport Witness).

As per the news outlet, the Italy international is the ‘hottest name’ at his former club Juventus as they are looking to strengthen their forward line in the summer transfer window.

Kean would also ‘gladly return’ to the Old Lady, even if they do not qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the 2021/22 term.

Andrea Pirlo’s team could also offer Merih Demiral and Adrien Rabiot in exchange for the 21-year-old, with the latter a player that Carlo Ancelotti is a big admirer of.

Everton could benefit from Kean sale

The Goodison Park faithful could well turn the potential sale of Kean in their favour, and use the money that they would receive to invest in another striker.

He is currently valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt, and may demand a tasty fee given his form for PSG so this season.

There is no doubt that Kean can be a great player on his day, with former PSG striker Pauleta was describing him as ‘very talented’ back in February, but it did not really work out at the Merseyside club, and so the Toffees should look to gain the benefit of a potentially large sum of money from his sale.

In other news, find out whose display was slammed versus Spurs here!

Many fans of Crystal Palace have been reacting to a post on Twitter which relayed a report discussing the presence of an AC Milan scout at Selhurst Park last weekend.

According to the report by Sempre Milan, a source has revealed that the Rossoneri sent a scout to watch the Eagles’ 1-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, with all three of Wilfried Zaha, Patrick van Aanholt and Luka Milivojevic mentioned as potential subjects of the scout’s gaze.

Indeed, The Sun reported back in December that Milan were “chasing” Zaha in the January transfer window, as the Serie A side reportedly believe that the 28-year-old would be a “great addition” to their squad, while Van Aanholt’s contract at Palace expires at the end of the season.

After Palace Xtra relayed the report on Twitter, many fans of the Eagles flocked to have their say on the matter, with plenty – rather surprisingly – appearing delighted at the prospect of Zaha joining Milan this summer, feeling he would have earned such a move given his vast contribution at Selhurst Park.

So, what exactly did these Crystal Palace fans have to say in reaction to the report?

“Would be a great move for him. Deserves it. So happy if he didn’t go to another English club.”

@collind6

“Zaha to Milanoooo.”

@CPFC_GH

“OMG WZ11 at Milan.”

@CiaranCPFC

“Zaha to Milan OMG I beg.”

@PalaceMattt

“Milan is the perfect move. If he’s going to go I’d love it to be there.”

@Sumo08112

“Milan have good money to stump up. We’d never have to play against him. He’d finally (maybe) win his trophies. Good move all around”

@cpfc_WH

“If Wilf leaves I’d love to see him at Milan.”

@SigmondCPFC

“If Zaha joins Milan I will do literally anything to watch him play at the San Siro in person.”

@JoshuaCPFC

In other news: A Palace star has been linked with a move elsewhere in the Premier League, find out more here!

It’s becoming more obvious by the day that Glasgow Rangers simply must tie Leon Balogun down to a new contract after his emergence under Steven Gerrard this season.

What’s the word?

The 32-year-old centre-back has become a mainstay in Gerrard’s first team so far this season, with Rangers having signed the free agent following his exit from Wigan Athletic.

He has gone on to make 15 top-flight appearances in the Scottish Premiership this season, with his average match rating of 7.01 as per Whoscored ranking him ninth among all of his Rangers teammates.

His impressive performances have led Gerrard to urge the board to tie his future to the club as his contract is set to expire in the summer.

The Rangers manager revealed he is eager to keep the Nigeria international at Rangers for next season after confirming he is close to triggering a clause in his contract which will extend his stay at Ibrox for a further year.

“We have six centre backs at the moment but that won’t be the case in the summer,” said Gerrard. “Leon has something in his contract that might trigger on its own in the coming weeks. But we don’t have to wait for that because we are really happy with the player and I want him around for next season anyway.”

Get it done

Gerrard has a wealth of defensive options at his disposal but with some facing an uncertain future in the summer, Balogun has been a big player on a domestic level and showed against Standard Liege he has the experience to take his efforts onto the European stage too.

He is currently averaging 1.4 interceptions per game in the Premiership, which is more than any other Rangers player, and an indication of how well he reads the game, while he is very much comfortable on the ball like a modern-day centre-half, boasting the fourth-best passing accuracy in the entire squad with 90.6%.

The Nigerian currently earns £12,500-per-week with the 54-time Scottish champions and considering he is a fully-fledged international with 31 caps for his country, his experience could prove invaluable as they chase both domestic and European success.

Gerrard has made no attempts to hide his admiration for Balogun, as he was recently quoted as saying by The Herald: “He is an international player, he is very quick, he has got a fantastic profile, a profile that we like in that area, and he has come in and settled in really quickly and put in some real consistent performances.”

Securing Balogun’s future for next season would be another added boost to the Gers in what has been an incredible season as they close in on the title.

AND in other news, What Rangers fans can expect to see from Steven Gerrard’s new recruit Nnamdi Ofoborh…

West Bromwich Albion fans were far from happy with the performance of Darnell Furlong during their 1-0 defeat to Everton in the Premier League on Thursday.

Sam Allardyce will no doubt be gutted his team were unable to get anything from the game against the Toffees. Both sides had three shots on target (SofaScore), and the Baggies even had the ball in the back of the net before the goal was disallowed. The loss now leaves the Midlands outfit nine points adrift of safety with 11 games left to play (Sky Sports).

Furlong was far from his best in this match. He won just four of his 11 duels and lost the ball a worrying 24 times. As the Baggies aim for survival, the £2.88m-valued 25-year-old (Transfermarkt) must do better.

The fans took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Furlong below

“Awful defending, been a headless chicken for last 20 mins”

Credit: @MattW1lkes

“Dreadful Furlong second half.”

Credit: @CHawthorns

“Furlong is a liability”

Credit: @paulgsmith_48

“Furlong is absolutely terrible, get rid”

Credit: @8ub_wba

“Phillips neat and tidy first half, but offered little. Furlong suspect defensively. Ultimately Everton were off the pace today and in tight games at home, you simply have to get something to stay up. #wba”

Credit: @mggriffiths84

“Furlong was worst player on the pitch, can literally not defend to save his life”

Credit: @JoshAtWba

In other news, West Brom fans love this news on one of their defenders.

Aston Villa could be facing a huge nightmare over Emiliano Martinez, with Manchester United said to be interested in making a move in this summer’s transfer window.

What’s the story?

The Argentine has been an absolute revelation for Dean Smith since joining from fellow Premier League side Arsenal last summer, keeping the second most clean sheets in the division with 14.

According to Football Insider, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have set their sights on Martinez after having been impressed with his performances in his first season at Villa.

The report claims that the 28-year-old is at the top of their target list as they look to strengthen the goalkeeping department, with the futures of David de Gea and Sergio Romero uncertain at this moment.

Dean Smith will be fuming

Described as a “phenomenon” and someone who “guarantees ten points per season” by Argentinian World Cup winner Daniel Bertoni, Martinez has been nothing short of outstanding for Villa since arriving from the Emirates in the summer.

It’s no surprise then that rival clubs have sat up and taken notice of his performances, and United’s interest is a massive compliment to just how well he has done.

While Villa have enjoyed a remarkable season thus far – they currently lie in the top half of the table – qualification into the Europa League or Champions League still isn’t a guarantee.

United meanwhile find themselves in second, and are into the quarter-finals of the Europa League, and look set to clinch Champions League football one way or the other, and that will no doubt be very appealing to Martinez.

The Argentine would fancy his chances of keeping out Dean Henderson as United’s number one goalkeeper, and the lure of competing for trophies and in European competition year in and year out may be too good to turn down.

It’s exactly why Smith will be very worried if United launch an official bid for the £22.5m-rated Martinez come the summer.

Meanwhile, Villa heading for unforgivable mistake over this £18m-rated flop…

This has been a horrendous season for Celtic.

Over 20 points behind their fierce rivals and out of Europe, Neil Lennon is under the microscope and quite possibly facing the sack.

The Hoops have won just seven of their last 21 games in all competitions and fans have already taken to Parkhead to protest against the manager and the club’s hierarchy. Thus, change should be in the air.

They haven’t won in 2021 and with that in mind, Dermot Desmond needs to move sooner rather than later in terms of bringing a new head coach to Celtic.

Lennon isn’t good enough and by the Bhoys’ high standards, they have been woeful this term.

One manager linked with the hot seat is Eddie Howe. Though, a new name was brought to the forefront of our attentions this week when former midfielder Stiliyan Petrov discussed none other than Roy Keane.

Speaking on the Celtic Huddle podcast, the Bulgarian began: “I mean what a name to come up for the job. I think Roy’s name was mentioned a couple of years ago if I’m not wrong. To be honest it’s something that’s needed.”

Petrov continued: “Does Roy Keane go and compete with Steven Gerrard and compete with the same intensity, with the same desire? Yes he does. Is he going to be somebody the Celtic fans would like to see in charge? I think so. Would I look forward to it? Yes. Would that fire get back to Celtic players again? I think it would.”

This is an interesting shout and it’s hard to say that Keane wouldn’t go in there and shake the players up. Though, whether supporters would entertain the idea of seeing him back in Glasgow is uncertain.

His punditry style has been ruthless in recent years and possessing a win rate of just 34.5% at Ipswich, it may not bode particularly well. He also reportedly rejected the Hoops vacancy in 2014.

That being said, the 49-year-old’s personality, mannerisms and aura could be exactly what Celtic need.

He is a brutal and aggressive man, someone who never settles for second best. Keane won promotion with Sunderland and has learned from one of the best in the business in Martin O’Neill – someone who brought so much success and joy to Celtic previously.

Like O’Neill, Keane is a born winner and that sort of attitude would be ideal. You only need to look at the positive energy Steven Gerrard has had on the blue side of Glasgow to understand what an infectious personality like that can do for a team.

As Petrov says, he could re-install the fire in this Celtic side that has been missing throughout the whole of 2020/21. We saw glimpses of it in the Scottish Cup final but it’s clear a great deal of passion has been lost.

Keane, however, is a fierce competitor.

Darren O’Dea, the manager of Celtic’s U18’s once summed up his character with the following:

“He was very good. He was pragmatic, it shouldn’t really surprise me, but it did. He knew the players he was working with, he knew the league he was working in. He was realistic in what he expected from his players. He had high standards, of course, but no more so than any other manager. He was good to work under.

“I think if Roy Keane was managing at Man United, he would demand more than he did at Ipswich. What he demanded as a manager, and I only read what he was like as a player as I didn’t play with him, although I did see him at Celtic for a little while, he demands the simple things to be done right. Whether that is living right, training right, preparing right.”

Evidently, preparing right and training right is missing at Parkhead right now.

Although Keane doesn’t have the most glistening of managerial CVs, his mentality would be more than ideal. He has the potential to turn Celtic’s fortunes around.

AND in other news, Lennon could finally axe Celtic veteran by unleashing “sensational” rarely-seen gem…

According to Football Insider, Wolves are lining up a potential move for Stoke City starlet Tyrese Campbell.

What’s the story?

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side of course suffered a major blow after Raul Jimenez’s horrific clash of heads with Arsenal’s David Luiz left the Mexico international requiring surgery for a on a fractured skull.

Now, Football Insider claim that Wolves and Burnley are among the clubs considering a potential move for 20-year-old forward Campbell, who’s shown his versatility this season by playing all across the front-line.

Stuck in lockdown? Our mega footy quiz will cure any boredom…

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The report adds that Stoke are adamant that they won’t sell one of their star players in the January transfer window, but it remains to be seen whether he will still be with the Potters by the end of it.

Easing the pressure on Jimenez

When Jimenez is able to make his return back to the first-team, the most important thing Wolves can do for him is to make sure that he isn’t burdened with the task of having to fire in the goals straight away.

Easing him back into the side would be the best way to go, and bringing in an “explosive” player like Campbell would help with that massively.

His manager at Stoke, Michael O’Neill, said of him back in the summer: “Tyrese is a great finisher. If you are a good finisher you have to get in the positions and he did that today. He is a young player who is still developing. When he is in that mood, defenders are frightened at this level.”

With seven goals and six assists in 18 games this season, Campbell is showing signs of having a real breakout year, and if Wolves can snare him before he makes an even bigger name for himself, they could land another perfect project signing for Nuno,

Wolverhampton Wanderers are interested in signing Strasbourg defender Mohamed Simakan, according to reports.

Simakan on Molineux radar?

The 20-year-old is a highly-rated young centre-back in Ligue 1 and has been described as a “reliable defender” and “natural leader” after progressing through the ranks at Marseille (via BTL).

According to TuttoMercatoWeb, Nuno Espirito Santo is keen on bringing him to the West Midlands, while he is also attracting the interest of Everton and AC Milan.

The report added that the Rossoneri would be Simakan’s preferred choice and a fee around £18.2m would be expected to capture him.

From 16 appearances in Ligue 1 for Strasbourg, the Frenchman has averaged 1.8 tackles, which tops what Willy Boly has managed to accumulate, with just 1.6 from 12 outings.

Transfer Tavern Verdict

While Wolves’ problems are in the attacking department with the absence of Raul Jimenez, the likes of Romain Saiss and Boly are either 30 years old or on the brink of hitting that age.

Nuno is thinking long-term with this signing and it could be a clever one. That being said, the physicality of the Premier League could be a challenge for Simakan.

Time will tell whether Nuno decides to pay the fee for him, in the hope that he decides to turn down a move to the San Siro in favour of Molineux.

In other news, Wolves fans criticise Nuno Espirito Santo after ‘awful’ comment made following Burnley defeat.