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Ryan Taylor has now revealed that Newcastle United have ‘been offered’ the chance to sign Aaron Ramsey as the clock on Transfer Deadline Day ticks by.

The Lowdown: Out of favour

Ramsey has been largely out of favour at Juventus so far this season, with only five games played in total over all competitions, and so a move away from the Old Lady before the deadline should not be ruled out.

Whether that would be to St. James’ Park is another question, as they are reportedly working on deals for both Hugo Ekitike and Matt Targett, and with Dan Burn set to join as well, it promises to be a very busy day in the North East.

The Latest: Ramsey offered

As per The Daily Express journalist Taylor, Ramsey has ‘been offered’ to the Tyneside outfit, as well as other clubs in the Premier League:

“Juventus still trying to offload Aaron Ramsey before deadline.

“Been offered around to Newcastle, Crystal Palace & others this month. Burnley stepped forward earlier in window but player wasn’t keen. They’re still pushing but any move would involve serious pay-cut.”

The Verdict: Sign him up

With all other areas of the pitch looking to be covered in the market by the Magpies, they could do with another central midfielder after the signing of Bruno Guimaraes.

Given his experience in the Premier League with Arsenal, Ramsey knows the division well, and so will know how to get the vital points in order to come out of the relegation scrap.

He is admired in Wales in particular, as Welsh legend Ian Rush has claimed that Eddie Howe ‘would love’ Ramsey in his team and would ‘fit his style down to a tee’ (The Chronicle), while international teammate Joe Allen claims that he is ‘world-class’ on his day.

Nonetheless, the 31-year-old could be a crucial figure for the Toon both off of the pitch as well as on it, providing experience in the dressing room and true quality between those white lines.

In other news, find out who is ‘one to watch’ for NUFC on Deadline Day here!

Frank Lampard was joined by Duncan Ferguson and his new squad of players at Finch Farm on Monday, where he held his first training session ahead of the FA Cup clash this weekend against Brentford, but there were some notable absences.

A double injury blow was delivered last week in a club statement on the website when it was confirmed that Abdoulaye Doucoure would miss at least four weeks of football.

That came after sustaining an injury in the 65th minute of the game against Aston Villa earlier this month at Goodison Park, where he was immediately subbed off due to a groin problem.

The other injury blow is a further setback for Fabian Delph. The 32-year-old has been struggling to maintain fitness throughout the season with just six appearances in the Premier League so far, and will remain sidelined for a little longer as he sustained a thigh problem in training last week, so will join Doucoure in rehabilitation at the club.

The absence of experienced players in the side is already a huge blow for Lampard, who will be working on developing how he can put his best foot forward in building his team, implementing his new signings alongside Everton’s existing crop of players.

Doucoure, especially, will be a big miss for the side as he has been one of the more impactful players in his position this season, playing a key role in the midfield this season when he has been available to play.

Owen Hargreaves was even quoted as saying “He’s much like [N’golo] Kante” earlier this term after his outstanding performance vs Burnley.

The 29-year-old has provided versatility playing a number of roles in midfield, displaying both offensive and defensive attributes, with two goals and four assists from outside of the box already for the Toffees, as well as winning the majority of his duels and being successful in a large percentage of his dribbles in the Premier League this season so far according to SofaScore.

Of course, the club has since bolstered their ranks with the signings of Dele Alli and Donny van de Beek but Doucoure’s injury will still be frustrating for Lampard as he seeks to make an instant impact on Everton’s season by playing his strongest team. It also presents a major dilemma as to how he selects his team in the opening month of his tenure.

Evidently, without the combative midfielder they are a weaker team so sourcing a solution immediately will be of utmost importance to the Chelsea legend.

With an FA Cup challenge imminent and the return of the Premier League just after, the side will be desperate to pick up points to avoid a potential relegation battle towards the end of the campaign.

In other news: Frank Lampard’s predicted XI for new era

Steven Gerrard certainly had a busy first transfer window in charge at Villa Park, and he wasted no time in signing players, securing four first-team recruits over the last month including Philippe Coutinho and Lucas Digne, who have had an instant impact on the side, but the manager isn’t stopping there, as he already eyes up his summer window moves.

What’s the word?

Aston Villa journalist, Ashley Preece, held a Q&A with fans to discuss the transfer window and future prospects on BirminghamLive, revealing a huge update on the pursuit of Yves Bissouma.

When asked by a fan about the potential signing of the Brighton star in the summer, Preece replied:

“Bissouma is that little less likely, I get that, but Villa have made him aware of their interest.”

“A lot can change at ‘big clubs’ in the summer and it’s Villa who could well pounce, as Gerrard likes to call it.”

“Villa will give the Bissouma deal a right good go in the summer.”

It was reported that Brighton rejected a £25m bid for the midfielder earlier this month, and Villa decided against further pushing for a move on Deadline Day.

Fans will be buzzing

Aston Villa are already enjoying having the Liverpool legend, Gerrard, as their manager due to his success pulling the side from 16th, just two points off the relegation zone after the first 11 games, to 11th in the Premier League since his appointment in November last year.

Fans will be buzzing that a hot prospect like Bissouma is still on the radar, despite not being able to secure his signature in January, the fact that Gerrard maintains his ambition to improve the squad will excite fans about the future.

After all, this is a player who possesses a phenomenal amount of potential and would immediately improve the manager’s ranks. So far this term, the Mali international has recorded 3.6 successful tackles per match, a number that would top the tree at Villa Park with John McGinn their top performer in that area of the pitch on 2.9 per game.

The only problem Gerrard might have to face in signing the defensive midfielder is that many other Premier League clubs are reportedly interested in securing his signature in the summer, including Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal.

Aston Villa will return to action in the Premier League next Wednesday against Leeds United, and they will be hoping to take all three points from the midweek game at Villa Park to break into the top half of the table upon return from the winter break.

In other news: Gerrard could unearth next Villa hero with Ben Chrisene

Tottenham Hotspur’s Cristian Romero has made an early return from international duty, as per football.london journalist Alasdair Gold.

The lowdown

Argentina called up Romero for their World Cup qualifying matches against Venezuela and Ecuador even though he was suspended.

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Lionel Scaloni’s side were hoping that they would successfully get his two-game ban, which he incurred after an alleged breach of pandemic rules surrounding the abandoned clash against Brazil last September, reduced to one match on appeal.

However, they were unsuccessful in that mission, so Romero has returned to London before his country’s clash with Ecuador.

The latest

Gold took to Twitter to share a corresponding article from football.london regarding the 23-year-old’s return to England.

The journalist tweeted on Monday evening: “A little piece on Cristian Romero, who is expected to be back at Hotspur Way tomorrow and involved in training.”

The Argentine is set to train alongside the Tottenham players who weren’t called up by their countries ahead of their home clash against Newcastle United on Sunday.

The verdict

Some Spurs journalists have expressed anger and bewilderment over the situation.

The Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick called it a ‘shambles’ and suspects the club will be ‘frustrated’, while The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare dubbed it a ‘bizarre’ episode. However, the main thing for Antonio Conte and Spurs ahead of the run-in is having Romero back unscathed.

After recovering from a hamstring injury, the 23-year-old has enjoyed nine consecutive starts and won plaudits for his performances.

Perhaps most notably, his manager Conte has dubbed him ‘perfect for the Premier League’ because of  his physical attributes, his ‘personality’ and his ability to read the game, so the Italian will surely be pleased to have Romero back training at N17 earlier than perhaps anticipated, despite his ultimately unnecessary transatlantic trip.

In other news, there’s a frustrating injury update on this Spurs player

Sunderland have been handed a triple injury boost ahead of their League One clash with Gillingham today… 

What’s the latest?

Black Cats boss Alex Neil has revealed that Alex Pritchard and Nathan Broadhead have been back in training this week and might be available for selection.

He told The Sunderland Echo: “Alex and Nathan have been making really good progress this week and they’ve been out training on the grass. We’ll make a late call on them in terms of Saturday’s game.”The Sunderland Echo added to his comments by stating that central defender Danny Batth is also set to return after he featured for the under-23 side during the international break. Delight

These updates will surely delight the Stadium of Light faithful, as they provide Neil with a massive boost heading into the clash with Gillingham today.

All three players being fit are boosts in their own way. Firstly, having Batth as an option will add further depth to the head coach’s options at the back. Sunderland have kept an impressive four clean sheets in their last five games, which suggests that there is no need to throw him straight back into the starting line-up.

However, having him available to potentially play will delight the 40-year-old. Batth may not have had a dream start to his Sunderland career but he has shown that he can excel at Championship level, with an average SofaScore rating of 7.10 for Stoke earlier this season, and he still has time to show that form in the third tier on Wearside.

With Pritchard and Broadhead, meanwhile, Neil has two players who have proven themselves in Sunderland colours this season. The former has four goals and seven assists in League One this season, whilst the latter has found the net seven times in his last 10 outings for the Black Cats, with five goals in nine third-tier starts since joining on loan from Everton.

Sunderland failed to score in their last match against Lincoln, which suggests that they will benefit from having both players back fit and available. Pritchard and Broadhead are capable of delivering quality in the final third and they can be difference-makers for the club, potentially winning crucial points in the race to secure promotion to the Championship.

Therefore, Black Cats supporters will surely be buzzing with their progress and hoping that they are both fit enough to play a significant part in the match today.

AND in other news, Donald howler: Sunderland will have nightmares over “surprise” 18-year-old, he’s the new Harry Kane…

An exciting claim has emerged surrounding Tottenham Hotspur’s interest in Lautaro Martinez this summer…

What’s the word?

The Inter Milan forward came close to joining the north London outfit ahead of the 2021/22 campaign after a £60m fee was agreed between the two clubs, as per The Times.

Evidently, that move failed to come to fruition, though it’s clear that those at Hotspur Way still admire the Argentinian talisman, and Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio has now stoked the fire with fresh comments on the matter.

Speaking to Wettfreunde.net, he said:

“I think Tottenham will go after Lautaro because they wanted him last summer. They want another forward to play with [Harry] Kane or plan for the future without Kane. Lautaro Martinez is one of the players that Fabio Paratici loves.

“I think it could be Lautaro’s summer and Atletico Madrid or Tottenham could be the perfect destinations for him.”

Conte needs him

Just as the reliable transfer expert explains, Spurs are desperate for another forward to either help lower the burden on Harry Kane or replace him later down the line, and Martinez is a hugely exciting talent and one who fits the bill immensely.

The England skipper was part of a tumultuous transfer saga last summer involving Premier League champions Manchester City, and now it appears as if he could be involved in another one, this time with the red side of the city.

Conte knows Martinez well as he was part of his title-winning side last season and during that run, in which Inter ended an 11-year wait for the Scudetto, the 24-year-old delivered 19 goals and 11 assists alongside Romelu Lukaku.

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He has since built on that success and continued such fine form this campaign, bagging himself 16 goals from 40 appearances across all competitions, including the Champions League, where he netted against Liverpool in their round of 16 exit.

Now valued at £63m by Transfermarkt, Martinez’s ability has earned quite the praise indeed, including one glowing endorsement from international teammate and one of the game’s greatest-ever players, Lionel Messi, who told Mundo Deportivo:

“He’s spectacular. He has impressive qualities. You could tell he was going to be a great player, and he is showing that. He’s very strong, really good one on one, scores a lot of goals, and in the area he fights with anyone, holds it up, he can turn, scrap to win it all on his own. He has a lot of quality. He’s very complete.”

Also lauded as a “special talent” by verified journalist Joshua Jones, it’s clear that the Inter marksman would be an ideal signing for Spurs during the off-season.

His partnership with Lukaku under Conte at the San Siro makes him an intriguing candidate to play alongside Kane and at worst, his proven goalscoring record makes him a viable candidate to replace the 28-year-old, whenever that may be.

Either way, the Italian head coach badly needs a new striker and he could well find it in a player he knows better than anyone else, and the fact that Paratici also thinks highly of him will surely put Spurs in the driving seat when the transfer window reopens at the end of the season.

AND in other news, Paratici handed major boost on £21m Spurs-linked “monster”, he’s Conte’s dream signing…

Celtic are back in action tomorrow with another Old Firm clash, this time in the Scottish Cup semi-final as the Glasgow rivals face off for a place in the final.

Their last game saw the Bhoys pick up another three points thanks to a blistering 7-0 victory against St. Johnstone at Celtic Park.

As for Rangers, they were in action on Thursday as they took it to extra time to secure their place in the semi-finals of the Europa League, eventually defeating Sporting Braga 3-1 at Ibrox.

Looking ahead to this latest showdown, it seems as though the Hoops have been handed a big injury boost that could have a huge impact on whether or not they secure a win on this occasion.

What’s the news?

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s clash, Ange Postecoglou revealed in his latest press conference that Hoops midfielder David Turnbull is fit enough to play after picking up a knock in last weekend’s league game.

The midfielder had only just come back from a big injury last month before picking up this knock against Saints.

However, now that the Hoops boss has shared this news, it will be a huge weight off a lot of people’s shoulders at Parkhead.

Great news for Postecoglou

In terms of what the 22-year-old offers his side, having scored five goals and provided five assists in 21 league appearances this season, the midfielder is a creative and attacking threat from the middle of the pitch.

In those appearances, the former Motherwell star has earned himself an overall WhoScored performance rating of 7.56, making him the highest-rated player currently in the squad.

With Rangers in the way of seeing Celtic make it to the final, having a player who is able to unlock teams by creating goalscoring chances or scoring goals himself such as Turnbull could well be the difference between winning and losing.

To highlight how dangerous the Scottish international is, only Liel Abada (78) has made more shots at goal in the league than Turnbull (69), who has also completed the second-highest number of crosses (141) for the Hoops this season, behind only Jota (190).

Taking this into account, it’s safe to say that having the midfield maestro available this weekend is great news for Postecoglou and Celtic’s chances of getting to the final.

AND in other news: Hammond howler: Celtic had a nightmare on “bizarre” flop who cost £1.1m per goal

Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper must do all he can to keep on-loan ace Keinan Davis at the club for next season.

What’s the story?

The centre-forward has excelled on-loan from Aston Villa at Nottingham Forest since his move in January and journalist Ashley Preece has said his “Villa future is done” and that it’s likely he will move permanently in the summer.

This gives Forest and Steve Cooper every chance at signing the 24-year old but they’ll have to move quickly with other clubs in the Championship likely to be interested.

As for a fee, according to Preece, Villa will be looking for something in the region of £5m – £10m.

He’s been compared to Collymore

Although he’s not been at the club for a long time the striker has already been compared by broadcaster Darren Fletcher to Forest legend Stan Collymore.

When being asked to describe Davis’ time so far at the City Ground he picked out his goal against Barnsley and said the way he drove forward and finished so well had “a touch of Collymore” about it.

Despite only spending two seasons at the club Collymore is still regarded as a hero by many. He was vital to their promotion to the Premier League in 1994 and in his last season he scored 23 league goals firing Forest to third in the top flight.

Davis will be hoping he can be the one to fire Forest to the Premier League in a similar way to how Collymore did, and with Cooper’s men still pushing to secure a play-off place, his goals might make the difference.

Since January, Davis has made 14 appearances for Forest and contributed to seven goals in that time which has impressed many, including journalist Daniel Storey who labelled him “sensational”. Though, it doesn’t seem enough for Villa manager Steven Gerrard to want to keep hold of him.

Cooper will be in need of a new striker for next season with Lewis Grabban out of contract this summer. Davis has proved that he can be a reliable goalscorer in the Championship, and if Forest go up he’s proved he deserves a chance to lead the line for them in the Premier League.

Ultimately, whatever happens, the £25k-per-week earner won’t be short of suitors and Forest have to make sure he doesn’t go to one of their rivals or he could come back to haunt them.

IN other news: Nottingham Forest reignite interest in Blackpool winger Josh Bowler…

Wednesday night saw Crystal Palace suffer a 1-0 defeat away from home to Eddie Howe’s resurgent Newcastle United side.

The crunch affair between the Eagles and the Magpies was always going to be tight, with a win for either side granting them a ticket to safety in the form of the magic 40-points mark.

Whilst the possession rankings were even in the first half, Howe’s side were in complete control after accumulating a total of ten shots to Palace’s one.

Though the second half was a different story, with Vieira’s side maintaining 78% possession with nine shots to Newcastle’s three.

But this was not enough to test Martin Dubravka between the Newcastle sticks, with Patrick Vieira looking for his side to start games better, having said this in his post-match press conference:

“We responded well in the second half. We entered and wanted to compete and we need to it from the first half an hour, the first minute. We have to compete better. The way we entered the game gave them confidence and belief.”

Vieira’s side were certainly poor early on and although Michael Olise received negative ratings for his efforts, despite being withdrawn after 40 minutes, there was one player had a nightmare on the pitch, with Howe’s side completely sealing him out of the game.

With just five duels won from 14, resulting in a loss of 64% of duels, as well as two off-target shots with 0% shot accuracy – It’s fair to say that Wilfried Zaha “embarrassed” in Wednesday night’s fixture.

The 29-year-old Ivorian lost possession 17 times, and was often not afforded time or space to progress the ball, with just one dribble attempt at 0% success.

But when he was presented with a chance to beat his man, the £130k-per-week player wasted them, before firing off a wayward shot which was the exact scenario in the first half, when Edouard teed up the winger.

It was a game to forget for Zaha, and for Crystal Palace with Vieira surely looking to bounce back after what is now three consecutive losses in all competitions.

In other news: Vieira could terrify Newcastle by unleashing CPFC’s “special” £37k-p/w livewire…

Wolves could sign exciting attacker Rafa Silva in the summer window as ‘concrete’ news emerges.

The Lowdown: Silva shines in his homeland

The 28-year-old is enjoying a magnificent season for the Portuguese giants, proving to be a relentless source of end product in the Primeira Liga.

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Silva has eight goals and 15 assists in the competition in 2021/22, also notching one apiece in the Champions League, with Benfica eventually knocked out by Liverpool.

Grabbing 18 assists in total across all cups and leagues, he’s certainly impressing.

Although the winger’s contract doesn’t expire until 2024, it could be that a big-money offer turns Benfica’s head this summer, with Jeunesfooteux recently claiming he could cost as much as €50 million (£42m).

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The Latest: Wolves offer on the cards…

According to A Bola [via Sport Witness], Wolves are the ‘most concrete’ club when it comes to wanting to sign Silva, in what is an exciting update.

A ‘concrete proposal’ could even arrive in the near future, further suggesting that there is genuine interest in him from the Molineux outfit, and by extension their manager Bruno Lage.

The Verdict: Statement signing

Silva would feel like a significant signing by Wolves, at a time when Lage is looking to turn his team into both a domestic and European force.

The Benfica hero’s aforementioned numbers this season prove how relentless he is in the final third, while 25 caps for an extremely gifted Portugal squad is no mean feat either.

He’s also been described as one of Portugal’s array of ‘phenomenal attacking talent’ in the past (Alex Goncalves, Portuguese football journalist and founder of TugaScout) – a tag he’s still living up to now going by his electric form.

Wolves haven’t always been the Premier League’s most entertaining side this season, scoring just 33 goals in 32 matches, but Silva could provide the ammunition that makes them more of an attacking threat.

In other news, Wolves are keen on signing a player who shone at the last World Cup. Read more here.