According to The Northern Echo, Newcastle have made Eintracht Frankfurt’s Sebastian Haller their number one transfer target in January as they look to stave off the threat of relegation – fellow strugglers Crystal Palace must deny the Magpies the opportunity to smash their transfer record by offering the German side Christian Benteke in a genius player-plus-cash deal.

What’s the word?

Well, The Northern Echo have reported that Rafa Benitez and co. are hopeful of bringing the big Frenchman to St James’ Park when the transfer window opens in a bid to bolster their attacking options but, according to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, it will set them back up to £26m – Mike Ashley’s minimal backing surely won’t allow for such a fee, leaving the door open for Palace.

Having picked up a shock win over champions Manchester City after edging out Leicester in a gritty clash the week before, Palace have had an impressive December and, should they get a result against Chelsea, will surely be deemed unlikely candidates for relegation but only if they can fix one huge problem.

Benteke’s dire performances since an impactful debut season in red and blue has seen him notch just three goals in 35 appearances and the Eagles should sure look to offload a player who is fast becoming an expensive mistake – they can sign a much needed goalscorer and get one of their most costly payees off the books all at once by including the former Liverpool man in a deal for Haller.

Hitman Haller

The towering striker has been sensational this season – he has struck a formidable partnership with Luka Jovic and bagged 12 goals and 11 assists in 25 appearances for Die Adler (or the Eagles, funnily enough) in all competitions.

Frankfurt are clearly reluctant to let him go and will demand a fee similar to that which Palace signed Benteke for in 2016, but by sending the misfiring target man the other way, Roy Hodgson and co. will surely lessen the resolve as both are of a similar mould – this could also be the fresh start Benteke needs to reignite his career.

The Croydon outfit have no difficulty creating chances as they took a massive 31 shots against Cardiff but none of these attempts found the net and, thus, the score ended 0-0 – a disappointing result after the Etihad heroics.

Haller could be the difference between relegation and survival for the Eagles and they must make the 24-year-old their priority in the new year.

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According to the results of a recent Football FanCast poll, a large majority of Charlton fans would support manager Lee Bowyer if he made a move for Exeter City striker Jayden Stockley to replace Nicky Ajose in January.

Lyle Taylor and Karlan Grant have been on fire so far this season for the Addicks. However, when one of the lethal pair is unavailable, as has often been the case, Ajose fails to provide an adequate replacement.

The 27-year-old has been much criticised by Charlton fans this season, often for his lack of end product, and it’s clear from our poll that many would like to see him replaced in the winter transfer window.

In fact, 80 per cent of those who responded said that they would like to see the club make a move for Stockley.

The 25-year-old is in prolific form this season and is now surely ready to make the step up to League One after his move from Aberdeen in the summer of 2017.

Check out the full results of our poll below.

According to a recent report from The Sun, Oumar Niasse could be set for a move away from Everton in the January transfer window. The striker made the move to Goodison Park back in January 2016 after impressing greatly at Lokomotiv Moscow, although a lack of regular game time under new Toffees manager Marco Silva this season has plunged his future at the club into doubt.

And reports suggest that fellow Premier League outfit Crystal Palace have made a £6.5 million bid for the 28-year-old, a fee the Merseysiders must take and indeed run with in a bid to finally cut their losses on the underperforming forward, who has proven to be a transfer shocker.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, the Senegal international was brought to Goodison Park in the winter window of 2016 as Roberto Martinez sought further improvements to his striking ranks, what with Romelu Lukaku the main man at the club but no real accomplished options besides him.

And with the Belgium international eventually leaving for Manchester United back in the summer of 2017, Everton fans would have been hoping that Niasse was the man to fill the void left by the striker’s departure, only for the opposite to happen with the club still on the lookout for a replacement for Lukaku 18 months on from his exit.

And that’s because Niasse simply hasn’t been able to produce the goods on a consistent enough basis for the Toffees – there have been glimpses of promise, including the eight goals he scored in 22 Premier League appearances last term, but on the whole he has completely flattered to deceive.

And the fact that he has mustered just five Premier League appearances under new boss Silva this season, despite the Toffees’ obvious need for an out-and-out number nine to lead the line, emphasises just how lowly he is rated by the 41-year-old – Niasse’s time at the club appears all but over.

Yes, they may have spent big money luring him away from Lokomotiv Moscow back in 2016, with his arrival costing the Toffees £16.11 million (as per Transfermarkt), and as such they look set to incur a hefty loss on the 28-year-old, but with Palace themselves in need of a striker to lead their line, Everton may not get a better chance to recoup some of that price-tag back.

Roy Hodgson’s Eagles have seriously struggled in front of goal this term in netting on only 19 occasions in the league so far, with the injury to Christian Benteke leaving them very short up top, and thus without that much-needed focal point which has often made a telling difference to Palace in recent times.

Niasse might be able to provide that hence the reported move for the striker – for £6.5 million, it’s a move that is in the best interests of Palace, Everton, and indeed Niasse, which is why the Toffees must take the money and run in a bid to finally get rid of the 28-year-old.

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

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Connor Goldson believes Rangers can launch a major assault on the Scottish Premiership table after the double signing of Jermain Defoe and Steven Davis. The club are currently level on points with Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic at the top of the table.

What’s the word?

Rangers made a major double signing this month, acquiring two experienced campaigners to bolster their title charge.

Defoe is a brilliant striker who still holds the ability to score at the highest level, despite falling behind the likes of Callum Wilson and Joshua King in the Bournemouth pecking order.

He was prolific in MLS, and could also start hitting the back of the net with regularity north of the border.

Davis, meanwhile, knows Rangers inside out and is a proven winner, having picked up three SPL titles during his two previous spells with the club, as well as two Scottish Cups and three Scottish League Cups.

Gerrard has pulled off something of a masterstroke, according to Goldson, who told the Evening Times:  “It’s a lift. It just adds to the squad. It brings a good amount of experience.

“It brings people who have been at the highest level and done it and aren’t going to get afraid if we are up there in a title race.

“The good teams always improve and so far the gaffer has gone about doing that in the transfer window.

“The one thing I will say is that the size of this club deserves to have players like that playing for them. We deserve to attract those kind of players because the club is huge.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

“You don’t understand it when you are in England, but this club deserves to have the best available players to help them try and win things because it’s been a long time since we have. That’s something that we need to aim for.

“We need to go as far as we can in the league, try and win as many games as possible. We have got the cup coming up, and we need to go as far as we can in that.”

Rangers still a massive club

Rangers have suffered a fair bit in recent years, obviously falling down the leagues and having to claw their way back to the top table of Scottish football.

With Gerrard at the helm, they have shown that they hold the ability to still mix it with Celtic, having previously traded titles with their bitter rivals.

And Defoe and Davis bring experience, know-how and genuine footballing ability, and Goldson is right; Rangers need to be fighting on more than one front.

Should they lift the title come the end of the season, it would see Rangers restored to a level that was previously thought beyond them, and Defoe and Davis could play a massive part in that.

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Tottenham Hotspur confirmed on Tuesday that talismanic striker Harry Kane won’t be back in training until the start of March following the ankle injury he picked up at the end of 1-0 defeat to Manchester United at Wembley on Sunday, which leaves Mauricio Pochettino with a predicament.

On the chalkboard

It is the injury issue in his team that the Argentine manager will always be dreading not only because of the quality Kane has, but also because of the lack of depth in the centre-forward position for the north London outfit.

With the 46-year-old ruling out any chance of forgotten striker Vincent Janssen coming in from the wilderness to be in first-team contention again, he has been left with Fernando Llorente as his only out-and-out senior striker option.

While a move to bring a new player to Spurs could easily happen with a couple of weeks of the transfer window still remaining before it closes, Pochettino could easily choose to pick from within if he can find the right combination.

What do we expect him to do?

Well, we are expecting him to stick with the 4-4-2 diamond/4-3-1-2 formation that has been his preference in recent weeks, but without Kane and Son he has to make two changes up top.

Llorente simply doesn’t have the speed or mobility to play successfully as a lone striker for a club still competing in four competitions, and he needs support up alongside him if Tottenham are to continue on the goal trail in the next couple of months.

Lucas Moura, who could be a doubt for the Premier League clash against Fulham at the weekend following a blow to the knee he suffered in the FA Cup against Tranmere Rovers, has already played in a striker role for Spurs this term, and would be the most effective partner alongside Llorente because of the sheer pace that he has.

As well as the Brazilian, we would expect highly-rated teenager Troy Parrott to become a common face on the substitutes’ bench, and while the exciting 16-year-old may be too young to start in these fixtures right now, there’s no reason why he can’t make a difference coming on later in matches.

Which Man Utd star got fed by Salt Bae this week? Check out the video below to find out…

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Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to share their feelings on the news that Daniel Sturridge is set to leave the club in the summer, as Jurgen Klopp opts not to renew the England international’s contract which is set to expire.

According to a report from Paul Joyce of The Times, the 29-year-old will be free to find a new club at the end of the season having made just six starts so far this season, scoring four goals.

Sturridge has understandably failed to dislodge 17-goal Mohamed Salah from the Reds’ starting lineup, and looks to be the second victim in Klopp’s fire sale after the departure of another forward in Dominic Solanke – Divock Origi is another striker who has been made available for transfer.

The former Manchester City and Chelsea man has scored 67 goals in just over 150 appearances at Anfield, and could’ve been a much bigger success on Merseyside were it not for his injury problems…

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Everton were comfortably beaten by Wolves on Saturday, and the post-game comments from Marco Silva were those of a man who is out for the count.

What’s the word?

After the terrific run of form before the Merseyside derby heartbreak, many around Goodison were starting to believe they may finally have the man to lead them into their new era.

With a new stadium on the horizon and the arrival of both Silva and famed director of football Marcel Brands, the Toffees looked like a team brimming with youthful exuberance, confidence and swagger.

Just a few months later though, Silva’s troops look devoid of all those things, and what will annoy fans more than anything is that the players were quite simply outfought in the 3-1 defeat to Wolves.

Silva is failing to motivate his players, and the boos around Goodison at full time on Saturday were well and truly deserved. What should concern fans even more though, are the manager’s post-game comments.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

“When we lose one game like we lost this afternoon, playing home and giving some easy things for our opponents, it is a tough afternoon and a disappointing result for us,” he said, as reported by The Liverpool Echo.

“I am the first one, if the opponents do something special and are really better, I am the first one to give them the congratulations but when I can see how we lost the game, giving everything too easy, it is really tough for me, for us as a team.

“We scored a good goal but again 44, 45 minutes, something we plan for is where Jimenez attacks that ball but we didn’t even put 50 per cent of what we have to put in that moment.

“It is not part of our plan and what we want to do.”

What does it mean?

In fairness to the former Watford boss, he is absolutely correct in his analysis of the game, as Wolves really didn’t have to play that well to win.

What is really concerning though, is that he is basically admitting the players are not carrying out his instructions, indicating a complete lack of motivation from the boss.

Getting the players to buy in to your philosophy is absolutely crucial in order to succeed as a manager, and Silva’s admittance that he is failing to do so may just be the nail in his Everton coffin.

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Andrew Gutman has walked out on Celtic, sources have told Football FanCast.

The 22-year-old American played as a trialist against St Mirren and Arbroath, and was expected in training last week, but hasn’t been seen since the 4-3 defeat to the latter club.

Gutman is a free agent after impressing with Indiana University and being offered a pro contract by Chicago Fire.

Initially he trained with Rangers at the Hummel Training Centre and although he was offered terms, he decided to take up an offer from Celtic.

After training for a week he played for 45 minutes in a friendly against St Mirren while an application was made for a work permit.

Following a further week of training with the reserve squad he was listed as a trialist for a friendly against Arbroath. After that match, which Celtic lost 4-3, he hasn’t been seen at the club’s Lennoxtown Training Centre.

It now seems highly unlikely that Celtic will continue their interest in the 22-year-old with Daniel Church and Calvin Miller available for the reserves, while Emilio Izaguirre and Jonny Hayes deputise for Kieran Tierney.

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According to Sky Sports, former West Ham midfielder Ravel Morrison is nearing a loan move from Lazio to Swedish outfit Ostersunds FK and has joined up with the club at their Marbella training camp.

Morrison made just 24 appearances in all competitions for the Hammers between 2012 and 2015 after joining from Manchester United and was sent out on loan three times.

Once billed as one of England’s upcoming talents, the 26-year-old, according to Phil Neville, even outshone a young Paul Pogba, while Red Devils legend Paddy Crerand said he was the best talent he’d seen since George Best. High praise, indeed.

Who is West Ham’s worst ever signing? Check out the video below for a pretty strong candidate for the dubious honour…

United sold him to the Irons though as his attitude proved problematic and little changed with his new surroundings. Offloaded to Lazio in 2015, the story has very much stayed the same since as he makes just eight appearances for the Italian outfit since.

West Ham fans have had young talents to get behind since, of which Declan Rice is the latest – the defensive midfielder shone against Liverpool on Monday night and has surely garnered interest from the big clubs.

The 20-year-old looks set to only get better, while Morrison’s potential seemed to waste away the longer his attitude persisted to hold him back, however that hasn’t stopped Irons fans on Twitter from dreaming of a reunion. Could Manuel Pellegrini be the man to get the best out of him, finally?

Here’s the best of the reaction to Morrison’s near-completed switch to Ostersunds, who are set to become his eighth club…

The Mesut Ozil show at Arsenal might be coming to a bitter end.

Even after signing a bumper contract with the Gunners, the German hasn’t been able to blend into Unai Emery’s system. Ozil’s lack of improvement forced Emery to bench him for the large part of the season, triggering the German to want to leave.

While Ozil’s departure from the Gunners seems inevitable, they need to work hard to find a suitable replacement. Despite his “lazy” demeanour, the German is still a magician with the ball and can create chances out of nothing, so he’d certainly leave a creative void should he eventually leave the Emirates.

Still, according to reports (via Tuttomercato), Emery is looking to replace him with AC Milan’s creative lynchpin Suso.

The former Liverpool winger is having a prolific season with the Italian giants, having scored five goals and assisted 8 for them this season. Suso’s leading Milan’s resurgence in Serie A, becoming their main attacking component due to his influential ability, so a deal would make an awful lot of sense.

He’s averaged almost 3 key passes per game (stats from Transfermarkt) and floating in from the right wing, can create exceptional goal-scoring chances at will. Suso’s style is somewhat similar to Ozil, but the Spaniard’s much more mobile, which is a trait utterly crucial to Emery’s embryonic system at the Emirates.

He can run with the ball, while often loving to dribble past defenders and score goals.

He’s suited to Arsenal’s fluid style and can become Arsenal’s main source of creation in the final third. It’ll take the Gunnars some doing to bring him to North London, but if they pull it off, Arsenal are getting a new and improved left-footed wizard to replace their German star.