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In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Newcastle United defender Steve Howey has backed Steve bruce to keep the Magpies in the Premier League.

Howey admits he can’t see Bruce walking away from the job nor does he believe Mike Ashley is going sack him due to the compensation fee he would have to fork out.

Bruce has been adamant that he won’t walk away from the challenge of keeping his hometown club in the Premier League, despite being just one point above the relegation zone.

With all the criticism that Ashley gets, Howey claims he is loyal to his managers which leads him to believe the Sports Direct tycoon won’t part ways with the manager he prised away from Sheffield Wednesday for four million.

Howey exclusively told FFC that he backs Bruce to be the man at Newcastle during their fight against relegation with 11 games left to play.

“He’s the only man. There’s going to be no change. Steve’s been adamant all the way through that he isn’t walking away.

“Since Mike Ashley’s been in charge of the club he’s only sacked three managers. If there’s one thing about Mike Ashley he’s kind of loyal because he will stick with the managers.

“The fans are saying he’s sticking with Steve Bruce because he’d have to pay him the six-figure fee to get rid of him.”

The Magpies find themselves one point and two places above the bottom three with Brighton & Hove Albion set to host Newcastle in two weeks’ time – that might be make or break time on Tyneside.

It was reported after the draw against West Bromwich Albion that the club were not ready to pull the plug on Bruce’s tenure as manager and had no plans to do so in the near future, which backs up Howey’s confidence in there being no change imminent.

Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan has criticised the team’s defending in their win over Fulham, claiming it has “not been good enough” for a while.

The Whites picked up a welcome 2-1 victory at Craven Cottage last Friday, with goals from Patrick Bamford and Raphinha getting them over the line.

The win saw Marcelo Bielsa’s side jump to 11th place in the Premier League, as their impressive first season back in the top flight continues.

There was some shaky defending on show at times against Fulham, however, with Illan Meslier needing to be in inspired form in the Leeds goal.

[freshpress-quiz id=“347980″]

Whelan tears into Leeds’ defending

While some perhaps ignored the Whites’ issues at the back because of the positive result, someone who wasn’t impressed is Whelan.

Speaking to Football Insider, the ex-Leeds man highlighted where Bielsa’s men need to improve, giving an honest assessment of their shortcomings:

“It’s the art of defending. You’ve got to be up for the fight. You can’t let men get around you and you’ve got to rise to that competition.

“We’ve got to get the match-ups right. We recognised they weren’t and changed it at half-time.

“But they’ve got to be right from the off. You can’t keep getting them wrong and then changing them halfway through. We did that in the previous game as well.

“It’s not been good enough for the past few games. It’s one of those where that is just as important as the marking itself, if not more important.

“Bielsa’s got to get the match-ups right. If you get Llorente up against Andersen then he probably doesn’t score that goal.”

Transfer Tavern take

Leeds’ defending is certainly an area that needs to be improved upon next season, with 47 goals conceded in 29 league matches not a flattering tally.

For all their attacking flair and intensity off the ball, being solid at the back is still arguably the key to finding consistency and Bielsa will hopefully know that.

In other news, one Leeds player has hinted at a move elsewhere this summer – find out who it is here.

Pep Guardiola and Manchester City look to have been handed a potential boost in their hopes of signing Tottenham Hotspur forward Harry Kane this summer, after it was revealed that the England captain will look to leave the North London club should they fail to qualify for the Champions League next season.

According to The Athletic, Kane is running out of patience at Spurs and will push for a move away this summer if they fail to secure a top-four finish in the Premier League.

It claims that the 27-year-old striker has become frustrated by a lack of trophies with the Lilywhites and is concerned by the prospect of a second successive season without Champions League football.

Jose Mourinho’s side have slipped down the Premier League table after a promising start to the season and blew their chances of winning the Europa League after a capitulation in the second leg against Dinamo Zagreb recently.

Manchester City are one of the sides who have been touted as a potential destination for Kane in the future and this summer could represent their best opportunity to bring him to the Etihad, although Spurs chairman Daniel Levy will undoubtedly still demand a huge fee for the Englishman.

The Spurs academy graduate has enjoyed a phenomenal season so far, contributing 19 goals and 13 assists in 29 Premier League appearances and averaging an incredible 7.82 rating for his performances, which comfortably ranks him as the best player in the top-flight this season according to WhoScored.

City’s vulnerabilities in attack were exposed on Saturday as they struggled to break down a Leeds United side who were down to 10 men for the entire second half, with Guardiola’s side regularly sending crosses into the box despite the lack of physicality and aerial presence offered by the front three.

Therefore, it seems clear that Guardiola needs to add a powerful striker such as Kane to his side ahead of next season to avoid losing games such as the one against Marcelo Bielsa’s side, and the “unbelievable” Spurs man would undoubtedly score a hatful of goals should he make the switch to the Etihad, so sporting director Txiki Begiristain should do everything in his power to sign him.

And, in other news… Forget Mendes: Txiki should seal City swoop for 25 y/o beast dubbed “one of the best” 

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, ex-Bradford City man Dean Windass has played down West Ham’s chances of finishing in the top four.

Despite losing narrowly at Manchester City on Saturday, David Moyes’ still find themselves sitting 4th, one point clear of Chelsea and a further point ahead of Liverpool, who beat Windass’ former side Sheffield United on Sunday evening.

The Hammers face the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Leicester City in the coming weeks, but David Moyes’ team have continued to defy the odds in recent matches – with their defeat at the Etihad Stadium just their second in the Premier League since Christmas.

Only the top-three have won more Premier League matches than West Ham this season, but Windass doesn’t believe the East Londoners can keep churning out results.

Asked whether the Hammers can sustain their current form, Windass told FFC exclusively:

“No. West Ham, another football club, you know, the new stadium. It was a great place to play at Upton Park and a great atmosphere. I’ve never been to the new stadium, but obviously played at the old one and you know, some atmosphere.

“The problem you’ve got is obviously if you don’t get the Champions League, then how do you enhance Champions League footballers to go to West Ham? They’ve had a remarkable season, and anything they get now, even if they don’t get in the Champions League, they’re pulling up trees. Can they sustain this? I’m not sure.”

There’s no two ways about it, West Ham have been outstanding this season, but Windass might well be right with his prediction.

With Chelsea having turned a corner under Thomas Tuchel and the likes of Spurs, Everton and Liverpool still in the mix for the top four, it would be some achievement if Moyes’ side were to maintain their current place in the table.

Celtic are set to face Livingston this evening for the second consecutive match as they hope to redeem some of their Premiership disappointment. The Hoops remain second in the table, trailing to runaway leaders and arch rivals Rangers.

The Gers have an enormous 21-point advantage thanks to their unstoppable form and some major dips in the road for Celtic. Neil Lennon and his men will return from their recent 10-day self-isolation period and look to hopefully get three points on the board.

Last time out, the Bhoys couldn’t find a way past Livingston’s defence, with the match ending in a 0-0 draw. They are now without a win in their last three outings and are in desperate need of boosting morale around camp.

Whilst the manager and 14 of his senior players were in quarantine, Gavin Strachan stepped in and was forced to field a skeleton crew squad. Youth players like Cameron Harper and Karamoko Dembele enjoyed some first team action, but it was some of the more senior players who weren’t up to scratch.

Diego Laxalt for example was particularly disappointing against Livingston at the weekend. According to Sofascore, the AC Milan loanee lost possession 26 times, with only Shane Duffy losing the ball more (28).

The left-back was also dribbled past twice and committed three fouls, showing how uncomfortable he appeared against the Livingston attack. Lennon will not want any mistakes hindering his chances of banking a win tonight and should maybe look at swapping Laxalt out of the squad.

Greg Taylor is waiting in the wings for his chance to re-assert himself at the club. He has made only sporadic appearances so far this season and has failed to make it off the bench for the last four matches, according to Transfermarkt.

The 23-year-old will relish the chance to show he can deliver the goods, especially with the uncertainty over whether Laxalt’s loan move will become permanent or not. If the £22,000 per week Uruguayan returns to Milan, Taylor has a golden opportunity to become Lennon’s first choice left-back. This could start with a solid performance against Livingston this evening.

In other news, signing Benjamin Siegrist would be the end of Scott Bain…

Everton have been gifted a huge boost ahead of Sunday’s Premier League meeting with Fulham as Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that James Rodriguez will be fit to feature.

The Colombian maestro was forced to sit out his side’s FA Cup fifth round win over Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night due to a tight calf.

Rodriguez sustained the issue during last weekend’s 3-3 draw with Manchester United, where the 29-year-old had scored Everton’s second for his fifth goal of the season.

Ancelotti withdrew Rodriguez from the action at Old Trafford midway through the second half as a precaution, having seen the midfielder fail to shake the issue following the break.

Everton had hoped to see the former Real Madrid playmaker feature in midweek, but will now be able to call on Rodriguez when Scott Parker’s Fulham visit Goodison Park.

But the injury picture at Goodison Park is not ideal, with Ancelotti adding that Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Jordan Pickford will be missing.

“Both [Calvert-Lewin and Pickford] will not be available for the game on Sunday. We are looking for the next game on Wednesday where we think both of them will be available,” Ancelotti said on Friday.

“We have back Andre Gomes, James, Josh King, and in the next week we think Allan will be back, so the squad is ready for the next games.

“James is fine. He trained yesterday and today and is available for the game on Sunday. No problem.”

Having Rodriguez back available for selection on Sunday will come as a huge boost for Ancelotti, as only top-scorer Calvert-Lewin (18) and Richarlison (8) have scored more often for Everton than the Colombian (5) has across all competitions this season.

Only Gylfi Sigurdsson (7) has provided as many or more assists than Rodriguez (7), too, but may now find himself undeservingly axed from the starting line-up to make way for the 29-year-old’s return.

Sigurdsson more than held his own in the role against Tottenham in midweek, with the £16m-rated Iceland international directly involved in four of the Blues’ five goals.

The ex-Swansea City creator provided the assist for Calvert-Lewin’s initial equaliser before scoring to put Everton 3-1 ahead, and later playing the pass through for Richarlison and Bernard to strike go ahead goals after Spurs mustered a comeback.

But Ancelotti may not feel there is room in the side for both Sigurdsson and Rodriguez, who has only failed to start one of his last eight Premier League appearances in a central role.

AND in other news, Everton are monitoring an “exciting” teen prospect Carlo Ancelotti could sign for free…

Fans of West Ham United have been reacting to a post on Twitter, in which the club shared a post concerning the Hammers centre-back, Craig Dawson.

Having joined West Ham on a season-long loan deal last October, Dawson’s life in east London got off to a rather slow start, with the 30-year-old making just one league appearance for the Hammers in 2020.

However, since then, the £3.6 million-rated defender has become a stalwart in David Moyes’ starting XI, having not missed a minute of Premier League action since his league debut in December, with one supporter calling him an ‘unreal’ find by the manager.

And, following yet another impressive performance in West Ham’s 2-0 victory over Leeds United – in which Dawson scored one goal, made one interception and three clearances – on Monday evening, the West Ham Twitter account singled out the centre-back for praise, simply posting “CRAIG DAWSON” accompanied by two praying hands emojis.

In reaction, fans of West Ham flocked to have their say on the man who has gone from a seemingly pointless singing into an absolute bargain, with many taking the opportunity to call for the club to make Dawson’s loan deal a permanent move this summer.

So, what exactly did these West Ham United fans have to say in reaction to the club’s post regarding Craig Dawson?

“Better than Ramos.”

@JOHNSMITHH66

“Craig Dawson superb yet again against Leeds tonight – very solid as always. Seems to be improving and proves the initial doubters wrong every game he plays. He’s the kind of player West Ham fans love – old school CB who plays for shirt every time wears it. Needs to be permanent.”

@WestHamJoshV

“£3 million in the summer! That’s criminal!”

@Nobby_1977

“What a find from Moyes, he looks unreal.”

@conko97

“VIRGIL VAN DAWSON.”

@joelitt78828048

“Sign him up and be done with it.”

@bianchibully

“Get him on the plane.”

@Westhamfan987

“Break the bank for this man! He is massive!”

@TCootie

“Please just please buy him.”

@stoffer_charlie

“Absolute rock at the back!”

@Josephsimon007

“Sign him now pls.”

@mike_deas

In other news: Many West Ham fans responded to this club update, find out more here!

Many Manchester United fans have been talking about the latest update involving Brandon Williams, which emerged on social media on Tuesday.

Liam Kennedy from the Shields Gazette has reported that Newcastle United are understood to have agreed the framework for a deal to sign the Man Utd defender on loan in the January transfer window. The report claims that Williams has been told that he can leave Old Trafford on a loan deal this month and Steve Bruce’s men are now leading the race to sign the Englishman.

The report also states that Newcastle are just one of the clubs after Williams, as Ralph Hasenhuttl also has a liking for the defender. Williams is thought to be one of the potential loan deals that Bruce could be looking at. Apart from the Man Utd man, the Magpies are also looking to bring Jetro Willems back to the club.

Williams, currently 20, has fallen down the pecking order at left-back behind Luke Shaw and Alex Telles and as a result, he has struggled for minutes. The Englishman has made just one appearance in the Premier League, playing twice in the UEFA Champions League and twice in the League Cup (as per Transfermarkt).

In the 2019/20 season, Williams had played more often for the Red Devils, playing 17 league games and contributing to a couple of goals. He also played eight times in the UEFA Europa League for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men (as per Transfermarkt).

Solskjaer praised Williams last season and said: “He played a square pass into Mount [which led to their second goal] and he probably felt a bit responsible, but for the rest of the half he was absolutely outstanding. The kid has been out for a while and not played, and had the eye injury, but his character and personality out there was great, he kept going and kept going.”

This update about Williams caught the attention of many Man Utd fans, who made their opinion clear about the news.

What did Man Utd fans make of this update about Brandon Williams?

“He needs minutes for his development. I rate this loan move if it’s true. Steve Bruce could take care of him.”

Credit: @agustiraindras

“Shouldn’t be sending him there, toxic football club and he won’t get enough game time.”

Credit: @Jonny45964835

“United should better sign a Rb this month, won’t make sense if they don’t, there is nobody backing up Bissaka.”

Credit: @YoungKingFavou2

“Nooooooo, not that defensive team, go to Southampton or Leverkusen or whoever else was linked.”

Credit: @BradNel225

“This will be a great move for Williams if he can get some playing time!”

Credit: @mufc_shah

“Means we are getting arons”Credit: @mohamma20452765″We should just sell”Credit: @NaslaUtd”Should loan him for 18 months!”Credit: @Zlabhishek31″Max Aarons incoming to #mufc then hopefully”Credit: @UtdDonni”Him going on loan and tofu possibly exiting too could mean there is a possibility for max aarons………….”Credit: @KN_8iiIn other news, Man Utd fans have hailed an update about the club’s links with Max Aarons – read more about it here.

Glasgow Rangers academy product Charlie Lindsay is the latest in a long line of Northern Irishmen to make the trip from Belfast to Glasgow, following in the footsteps of his idol Steven Davis, who is an integral part of Steven Gerrard’s side.

Whilst the teenage starlet still has quite some way to go, he could soon be challenging Glen Kamara, Ryan Jack, Scott Arfield, Joe Aribo, Bongani Zungu and Davis for a place in the starting line-up in the not too distant future.

Lindsay became the youngest ever Glentoran first team player when he made his debut as a substitute at the Oval in the County Antrim Shield victory over Ballyclare Comrades last year, leaving David Lowry to describe him as a “powerful” player who “ticks so many boxes.”

The Glentoran academy coach has tipped the teenager for the very top. He told Belfast Live: “He is a box-to-box midfielder who covers every blade of grass.

“He is powerful and quick, and his range of passing is first class. He also knows when to pick a pass, and then he delivers it with precision. He ticks so many boxes as a footballer.

“It is a great success story for the Academy and one we are very proud of,” Lowry added.

“All the young lads are very grounded and have the right attitude. That can take you a long way in football.

“Charlie epitomises all that, and that’s why he is rated so highly by Glentoran and Rangers. He has the potential to go very far, and he has a good family behind him.”

The fact that the 16-year-old has made it clear he wants to play for the club should excite every Rangers fan, especially when you consider the fact that he wants to emulate the achievements of his countryman, as he told the BBC: “I had a few other clubs showing interest, but I knew right from the first time I went over to Rangers that they were the team for me.

“Signing for them is a dream come true – I grew up as a Rangers fan. I never once felt like a trialist over there and just knew I would join them if they ever made an offer.

It’s hard to pick holes in Gerrard’s side but scoring goals from midfield is perhaps something he is lacking right now – as only Arfield and Aribo have scored more than once in all competitions so far.

Lindsay won the MVP award at the Alkass tournament in Doha earlier this year, having scored more goals than players in the same age group from the likes of European giants Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain.

Just like Aribo, Gerrard can deploy the young beast as an attacking midfielder who can also play on the wing, which is also a tactic he has used with Arfield as well at times this season.

If Lindsay can continue to impress like this, it may not be too long before he finds himself training with the first team.

AND in other news, Bassey & Balogun start, no Helander: Glasgow Rangers Predicted XI vs Hamilton…

Granit Xhaka has always been an enigma at Arsenal. Signed for £35m by Arsene Wenger in 2016, it has been an acquisition that has caused endless debates within the Gunners fan base.

On his day, he can ping a 35-yard diagonal pass and dictate the tempo beautifully. Those days, however, are few and far between.

That being said, the Swiss has done incredibly well to come back from where he was. Booed off the pitch before he cupped his ears to the crowd in 2019, it looked like his days at the Emirates were done and dusted.

He was stripped of the captaincy but Mikel Arteta sparked rejuvenation in the midfield player. He bounced back and became a key part of the Spaniard’s rebuild.

However, against Tottenham on Sunday evening, he showed exactly why so many Arsenal supporters dislike him.

In truth, it’s hard to see what Xhaka offers besides his passing, but even that has become negative in recent weeks. Instead of turning and being positive with the ball, he plays it back towards the defence. It’s infuriating to watch, especially when you see a number of players in his position throughout the Premier League being more incisive with their play.

Unfortunately, we saw the very worst of Xhaka this weekend. He managed to complete 92% of his passes but in all honesty, not very many were positive attempts at kicking the football.

He made four fouls and lost possession an eye-brow raising ten times. He struggled with the relentless pace in Tottenham’s attack and looked completely out of the picture on the counter. With that in mind, it was unsurprising that he failed to make a single interception.

Xhaka’s game has always been a simple one but after reviving himself in north London, he is now producing performances that made fans boo him in the first place.

Are we back at square one with Xhaka? It certainly feels like it.

Once Thomas Partey is fit and up to speed again, he simply has to play alongside Dani Ceballos. Xhaka needs to be dropped and reserved for the Europa League. He has now failed under three separate managers.

Arteta should be angry – the midfielder isn’t good enough.

In other news, one Arsenal player was EVEN WORSE than Xhaka on Sunday…