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If you’re a Newcastle fan who’s been sitting through games this season without giving into the urge of falling asleep or tearing your hair out, then fair play.

Make no mistake about it, the Magpies have been a bore to watch, almost too afraid to launch attacks in fear of getting a nosebleed. It’s no surprise that they rank bottom for both shots on goal and shots on target in the Premier League. That’s not to mention the fact they seem allergic to wanting to hold possession too, ranking third-worst in that.

Steve Bruce’s side are desperate for some excitement and energy to lift spirits, and even without fans being able to make their voices heard inside St James’ Park, the discontentment is growing immeasurably with each passing on-pitch disappointment.

The Newcastle boss however, could change the mood with a bold selection call. Namely, the introduction of summer signing Rodrigo Vilca.

The Peruvian arrived from Deportivo Municipal, and has been featuring for the Magpies’ U23s side, playing fives times. Speaking back when the club had confirmed his arrival, Chris Hogg, Newcastle United’s lead player development coach for the U23s​, said: “We’re delighted to have Rodrigo here. He’s an exciting attacking player, and we’ll be hoping to see that attacking ability. We’ll be looking to give him the opportunity to improve with us and be a part of Newcastle United’s future.”

It might be very early to bring him in, especially given that he has only played a handful of times for the reserves. But the first-team are absolutely crying out for someone to bring something new to the side, an unpredictability that gets fans off their sofas.

Capable of playing off the right or just behind the striker, Vilca can just help Bruce change things up a bit. The Magpies are aimlessly drifting at the moment, and the manager’s reluctance to freshen things up both in terms of personnel and tactics is holding them back. Unleashing their 21-year-old summer arrival could hold the key to fixing that.

Southampton are looking to improve on their 11th place finish from last season as they throw themselves into a new Premier League campaign. As it stands, the table is delivering a lot of surprises, with Everton and Aston Villa fighting for the top spot and Manchester United just three points above the relegation zone. In another dramatic twist, the Saints are currently level on points with Manchester City.

With a fiery Danny Ings leading the attacking line and new signings such as Theo Walcott ready to make waves, the south coasters look strong already. Fellow forward Che Adams recently gave insight to what might just be the key ingredient to their promising start.

“He [Hasenhuttl] is mad on stats. If we have done enough running, then the session will end, but obviously if we haven’t hit those targets, then we keep training until we do,” he told Hampshire Live. Whilst he admitted he isn’t too fussed on stat-based training himself, Adams has realised the importance of these kind of sessions.

Southampton looking to break the mould

With a top ten finish in mind, or maybe even a spot in Europe, Southampton will be looking to utilise every single member of the senior squad. Last season, the Saints conceded 60 goals – the fifth most in the Premier League. Hasenhuttl will be focusing on tightening up his defence whilst ensuring the midfield are striking the right balance between dropping back and getting forward.

The Austrian has also been experimenting with his squad this season, constantly moving his chess pieces to find the best combination. Jannik Vestergaard recently sprung into action after being benched in favour of Jack Stephens for the opening two matches of the term. Similarly, Nathan Redmond’s spot looks to be under severe threat, with Hasenhuttl sometimes preferring to opt for Moussa Djenepo on the left.

If he drives the Saints to meet their required targets in each training session, they will have more chance of performing to that standard on the pitch. With two wins, two losses and one draw so far, Southampton are certainly off to a solid start and will push to continue in this manner.

In other news, Ralph Hasenhuttl comments could mean new fate for Jannik Vestergaard…

Leeds United have been linked to many a Serie A midfielder during this transfer window but it appears there is only one name that the club are now focusing on…

What’s the word?

According to La Nazione (via Sport Witness), the Yorkshire giants are monitoring Fiorentina powerhouse Erick Pulgar, who they have already submitted a bid for once this window.

It’s claimed that Leeds offered €12m (£11m) for his services, which was rejected with the Serie A outfit looking at around €15m (£13.5m) to sell.

Pulgar is supposed to be an “unsellable” player in Florence yet evidently the right finances would change things considerably.

De Paul alternative?

At one stage this window, Marcelo Bielsa seemed set on nabbing Udinese’s Rodrigo De Paul but disagreements over the fee there have stopped that deal from happening.

Instead, a move for Pulgar would make more sense especially as he’s available for half the price.

The 26-year-old provided seven goals and six assists, averaging 2.2 key passes, two tackles and 0.9 shots per game, via WhoScored, which suggests he’s an ideal box-to-box type who can fit right in under Bielsa’s system.

This is reinforced by the fact that throughout his career, the Chilean has drawn comparisons to his fellow countryman Arturo Vidal whilst Wyscout describe him like this: “The main stand-out feature of Pulgar’s style is the effectiveness of his long passes. He has an excellent perception to anticipate moves in defensive transitions, which is another point where he stood out in this Copa America.”

The 24-time international also created more chances (81) last season than former Whites target Emi Buendia (80) as well as James Maddison (78), Joao Moutinho (76) and Joshua Kimmich (75).

Very impressive indeed.

For just £13.5m, Victor Orta could land an absolute bargain at Elland Road.

AND in other news, Leeds could land No.1 target before the transfer deadline but only on one condition

Sheffield Wednesday were given a twelve point deduction for the 2020/21 campaign by the EFL for breaking spending rules, however it seems like the Owls are not taking this decision lightly and many fans of the club are reacting as the club have released a statement on the matter.

In their statement, Wednesday revealed that they will appeal the decision made by the EFL following them publishing written reasons why they received the deduction.

They also believe that the hearing of the appeal will be taking place in ‘Autumn 2020’. The rules they breached were around their sale of the Hillsborough stadium to owner Dejphon Chansiri and their decision to include it in the financial year covering the 2017-18 campaign.

In the statement following the written reasons being published, Wednesday said: ‘The Club was disappointed with some of the decisions of the Disciplinary Commission and respectfully disagrees with both the finding that it was in breach of the P&S rules for the 2017/18 season and the sanction of a 12-point deduction to be applied in the 2020/21 season.”

It now leaves fans of the club again unsure as to how they will start next season and whether they will still have the point deduction or not.

Here is what fans said following the news:

Owls fans, what are your thoughts on this news? Let us know down below!

After going more than a week without a game following their 2-0 victory over West Ham, Tottenham were brought back to reality with a shuddering halt against Sheffield United on Thursday night.

Jose Mourinho’s side were brushed aside 3-1 by the Blades at Bramall Lane, and there was certainly an air of controversy over how the result came about. The Lilywhites saw Harry Kane’s first-half equaliser ruled out by VAR due to a handball infringement spotted by VAR, and it is safe to say the Spurs boss was not happy after the match.

But whilst the north Londoners are right to have their gripes with VAR and the officiating, it doesn’t take away from the fact they produced a pretty toothless performance – over the course of the 90 minutes, they managed just two shots on target, and that despite averaging a whopping 68% possession.

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And one man who badly let down both Mourinho and his teammates, was Lucas Moura.

The Brazil international was given the nod to start, in what looked like on paper to be a rather exciting front three behind Harry Kane. The likes of Heung-min Son and Steven Bergwijn joined him in attack, and the pace and directness of the trio surely made for an enticing prospect.

Instead, Lucas went completely missing, and his biggest contribution in the game was when he got inadvertently involved in the chalked-off Kane goal.

As per Sofascore, he registered just one shot (and even that was off target), made no dribble attempts, no accurate crosses or long balls, and just one key pass.

And perhaps most worryingly for Mourinho, was that Lucas just didn’t seem to get to grips with the Blades’ physicality. Chris Wilder’s side won more total duels (both on the ground and in the air), and made more tackles, interceptions and clearances as a side as whole – and that was clearly reflected in the way in which they bullied Spurs’ Brazilian winger.

He won just four of his 13 ground duels, and lost possession a staggering 24 times whilst he was on the pitch – both stats comfortably being the highest of any Spurs player.

The £80k-a-week star simply wasn’t at the races, and in a game when they needed him to be fully firing on all cylinders, he simply disappeared.

Harry Kane has announced through a gender reveal video on Instagram (via

/CC3VuGtBxcW/?utm_source=ig_embed”>@harrykane) that he and his wife Katie are expecting a baby boy.

The Spurs icon shared footage from their reveal party where he aptly fires a ball from the penalty spot towards a piñata in the net, which rains blue smoke.

The proud parents will wait to welcome their son and third child into the world, who will become a brother to Ivy and Vivienne.

Loads of Tottenham fans have flooded to wish Kane and his wife all the best. A few fans are evening tipping ‘Harry Kane Jr’ to be a future Spurs star, as per the comments on the striker’s Instagram post.

The 26-year-old is rounding off his seventh senior season with his boyhood club and is set to finish as Spurs’ top scorer. Despite suffering a thigh injury which saw him sidelined for 14 games, Kane has still tallied an impressive 23 goals across all competitions this season, with 17 coming in the Premier League (via Transfermarkt).

The England and Spurs captain will look ahead to next season and hope his side can finish in a stronger position. With just one league game left, Jose Mourinho’s men have no chance to fight for a top four spot but are on course to compete in the Europa League.

What do you think of Kane’s family news, Spurs fans? Join the conversation in the comments below!

A recent transfer claim from former striker Noel Whelan has caused a stir amongst the Leeds United faithful this week.

Speaking in an interview with Football Insider, he tipped the west Yorkshiremen to sign veteran goalkeeper Joe Hart from Burnley with him set to be out of contract in the summer.

Whelan said: “If he is available on a free transfer you are not going to be losing out on much. His wages will be big though, do not get me wrong but we could possibly get two years out of him.”

Before adding: “He has the experience and I am sure he’s the leader we need.”

And it hasn’t gone down well at Elland Road.

The 33-year-old has struggled ever since his departure from Manchester City in 2018, although the fruits of that labour started to come into effect in 2016.

He was shifted out on loan to Torino and West Ham before joining the Clarets permanently, where he has been behind Nick Pope in the pecking order for over a season.

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Hart has managed just 24 appearances in that time, keeping six clean sheets, via Transfermarkt.

It has led to calls from some supporters that the veteran shot-stopper isn’t needed as they should be signing Illan Meslier on a permanent basis.

There were also claims that Hart wouldn’t fit the system Bielsa tries to deploy – and they could well be right given he wasn’t able to cement his name down under Guardiola, who developed his tactics from the Argentine.

Many also believe the former England number one is ‘past his sell-by date’ too.

It remains to be seen whether or not Leeds would actually be in for Hart, especially with him being on £45k-per-week, via Spotrac.

But clearly those at Elland Road would rather he didn’t sign if presented the opportunity.

AND in other news, Leeds fans react as Phil Hay relays Premier League news…

Loads of Celtic fans have been reacting to a story from The Daily Record’s Keith Jackson, as he claims an SPFL summit could soon crown the Hoops champions

According to Jackson’s report, league bosses will hold conference calls next week after Belgium’s Jupiler League ended their season – the table in Belgium will stand, meaning Club Brugge will be declared champions. Brugge were 15 points clear of Gent, while Celtic are 13 points clear of Rangers.

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Jackson claims that the crisis talks will discuss whether or not to follow the Jupiler League’s example and end the season, and states that if they do opt to “pull the plug” on the campaign then results will stand, meaning Celtic will be champions “with immediate effect”.

The option of a null and void season is not on the table, says Jackson, despite calls from many at Ibrox.

Of course, ending the season now would cause quite the divide in Glasgow, and it’s fair to say the Parkhead faithful are enjoying this one on Twitter.

Loads of Bhoys have flocked to Jackson’s post to mock their rivals and jokingly celebrate being “Championes”, and you can find some of the best Twitter responses down below…

Fans have been stunned by something Virgil van Dijk admitted about Celtic this week…

A recent Twitter post has had many Sheffield United fans thinking about some of the poorer players to have represented the club in recent years.

The account @BladesPod said that they had put together their “worst Blades XI of the decade” ahead of their latest podcast.

Their post led to a barrage of replies from Sheffield United supporters who couldn’t wait to make their suggestions as to who should be included in the team.

Whilst the Blades are going great in the Premier League under Chris Wilder at the moment, the ‘teenies’ hasn’t been the best decade for the club as they spent six years playing in League One (Transfermarkt).

There are therefore plenty of contenders for players who should make the team, and some names seem to crop up in most of the fan made XIs.

The likes of Steve Simonsen, Dean Hammond and Martyn Woolford have the honour in being in most teams. Here are the players some Blades supporters selected in response to the post from @BladesPod on Twitter…

Sheffield United fans, who would make your worst XI since 2010? Let us know in the comments below…

Garry Monk is engaged in a dispute with former assistant manager Pep Clotet after the Spaniard took on the role of Birmingham City manager after Monk was sacked by the club last summer.

The former Leeds boss views Clotet’s actions as a betrayal and that led him to avoid contact with his opposite number ahead of the meeting between Blues and Sheffield Wednesday in mid-week.

However, Monk has little sympathy from Leeds fans. They know all about Monk from his time at Elland Road and many still haven’t forgiven him for the way he departed the club.

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He had a successful time in Yorkshire, guiding the Whites to a seventh-place finish in 2016/17 before deciding that the prospect of managing Middlesbrough was an opportunity that was too good to turn down.

Because of that departure he is viewed as a “snake” by some supporters, and in the debacle with Clotet they believe that it was Monk who acted like a child and was without class.

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Here is what fans have been saying in response to Monk’s actions on Wednesday evening.

In other Leeds news, Phil Hay has provided an interesting transfer update which may not be the news that fans want to hear.