Newcastle United now reportedly have the go-ahead to sign a Premier League star, who Alan Shearer previously called “excellent”.

Eddie Howe salutes "special" Bruno Guimaraes

It’s a new year, but it’s the same Bruno Guimaraes as far as Eddie Howe is concerned. The Newcastle boss watched on with the rest of St James’ Park as the Brazilian stole the show against Crystal Palace and scored his seventh Premier League goal of the season.

Howe told reporters: “Bruno is a very special player, a special person, a special character.

“He’s very positive, he’s got great energy and today he played a captain’s role because that game was always going to be decided by very key moments in the game and he’s come up with a big one for us, and he’s done it countless times.

“Your big players normally decide big games, and today was a big game for us decided by a huge player in our recent history.”

It’s the perfect start for Newcastle, who will be hoping to enjoy a positive month on and off the pitch. Away from the action, the January transfer window represents an ideal opportunity for PIF to end some unfinished business from the summer.

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Whether that means moves for the likes of Kees Smit is now the big question. The promising midfield star is firmly on the Magpies’ radar, but they may have to wait until the summer to make a deal happen.

Instead, their focus could turn back towards their frontline. According to TeamTalk, Newcastle have now received the go-ahead to sign Jorgen Strand Larsen at a cut-price close to the £40m-mark this month, having been told that he’d cost as much as £60m in the summer.

Newcastle receive go-ahead to sign Strand Larsen

Wolverhampton Wanderers are now reportedly prepared to sell their forward at a cut-price before his value drops even further with what currently looks like inevitable relegation to the Championship.

As a result, Newcastle are now back in the race to secure his signature and finish what they started in the summer. It’s an open secret that those at St James’ Park were scrambling to secure Strand Larsen just months ago and even though he’s struggled ever since in the Midlands, they now have an ideal opportunity.

There’s no hiding that the Norwegian has struggled this season after netting 14 goals in his debut campaign, but the context of Wolves’ situation must be considered.

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If the praise of Alan Shearer is anything to go by from last season, then Strand Larsen is certainly still worth pursuing. The Newcastle legend said following Wolves’ victory over Ipswich last season: “He was a nuisance. His hold-up play was excellent and I thought his touch and his control were superb.”

Praise doesn’t get much higher than that in Tyneside and Newcastle should take note as they attempt to complete their frontline at long last.

After seven long months of writing about potential takeovers, Ken Bates, disappointing performances, a lack of players, Ken Bates, the negativity around the club, the divided fan base, the dwindling attendances, Ken Bates etc, it’s nice to finally be able to throw off the shackles and be positive.

And positive we are.

Last week will be remembered ‘til the end of time by all of us long suffering fans, ‘TOMA’ can at long last be confined to the history books. What fans of other clubs wont realise is just how important a change of ownership is for us.

Originally, a takeover was just a straight forward way of getting ‘Bates out’, and seemingly the only way of getting him out too.

As time and transfer windows passed we started to suspect that there was more than just Bates’ personal greed behind our lack of activity. In the summer our finances were studied and alarm bells started to ring, we weren’t quite in the rose garden Ken had been claiming. People started to question how sustainable we were, some even believed we would struggle to make the end of the season.

We needed something to happen, fast. Early takeover talk led to new hope, but that quickly turned sour as we watched our season derail game after game.

‘Keep the faith’ has always been a motto held close to many a Leeds fans’ heart, but our faith was being pushed to its limit. In my last article I wrote about how GFH Capital and Ken Bates had ended our season early. As I wrote that I’d had enough, we were going nowhere and to me, the amount of time negotiations had taken had stifled our chances of progress, the emergency loan window was a day away from closing, I could see no way out. It was over.

That article was published at 9:43am. 47 minutes later, our season got thrown a lifeline.

It couldn’t have been scripted better, from despair to elation in less than an hour. All of a sudden our season flipped on its head, it was far from over.

The following day saw Leeds fans feel what every other fan feels on deadline day. It was a refreshing change, we were linked with good players and good players joined the club.

Confidence shot up, Leeds were back.

The atmosphere on Saturday was electric, even with our new found optimism we still couldn’t expect much against a Palace team that had seriously hit form over the last few months, cue an inspired Leeds performance.

With every chant you could see the confidence grow, we were united again, marching on together at last. The Elland Road roar at full time had been long overdue. The table doesn’t look daunting anymore. The points gap between us and the playoffs feels altogether more achievable, and you can’t help but be quietly confident that we might actually be able to pull it off. I’ll never forget last week.

Of the ups and downs of the last few years, for me, it was the highest high. It may not result in promotion this season, but what it does mean is that for the first time in a long, long time, Leeds fans can look to the future and dream.

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We’re smiling again, and I’m sure there’s a certain number 11 up in the sky smiling back at us today.

Rest in peace Gary. On on on.

Twitter – @giddy_goose

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Celtic have made contact with Antoine Semenyo’s agent regarding a potential move to Parkhead in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

In recent comments made to Football Scotland, the Bristol City centre-forward’s agent, Tony Finnigan, revealed that the Celtic scout, Craig Strachan, called him to find out more information about the 22-year-old, before Strachan visited Ashton Gate to watch the striker in action.

Speaking about Celtic’s interest in his client, Finnigan said: “I had a conversation with Strachan who rang up to ask little bits of info on the player and a bit about how I found him and what he’s like as a lad.

“That was it. If it’s something they’re going to do in the summer window I’m not sure but it’s nice to know that his talents are going as far as Scotland to one of the great institutions in world football. There’s not really much more to say than that.”

Ange can axe Ajeti with Semenyo

Considering just how impressive Semenyo has been for Bristol City this season, it is not difficult to understand why Celtic appear to be taking an interest in the centre-forward.

Indeed, over his 21 Championship appearances in the current campaign, the £1.08m-rated forward has been in devastating form for the Robins, scoring six goals, providing eight assists and creating five big chances for his teammates.

These returns have seen the £3.5k-per-week hitman – who is also capable of operating from the wings as well as through the middle – average a quite remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.01, ranking him as his club’s third-best performer in the English second tier.

As such, it is clear for all to see that the player who Nigel Pearson claimed has both “pace & power” would make an excellent addition to the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi, Giorgos Giakoumakis, Daizen Maeda, Liel Abada and Jota in Ange Postecoglou’s attacking arsenal, while he would also appear to be a massive upgrade on Albian Ajeti.

Indeed, the £18k-per-week striker was heavily linked with a move away from Parkhead in the January transfer window, something that is not surprising considering the fact he has cost the club roughly £6.5m in transfer fees and wages since his arrival back in the summer of 2020, as well as finding the back of the net just nine times over his 48 appearances for the Hoops.

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So, it would indeed appear an extremely wise move for Postecoglou to finally cut his losses on the Switzerland international this summer, before reinvesting the money received from his sale, as well as his hefty weekly wage, into a move for the much more impressive Semenyo.

In other news: “I believe…”: Kieran Devlin drops worrying Celtic update, Ange will be sweating

Former Celtic midfielder Stiliyan Petrov hit out at Hoops captain Callum McGregor for his penalty miss against Livingston on Sunday lunchtime. 

The Lowdown: Disappointing display

The skipper was once again selected in midfield by Ange Postecoglou, making his 41st appearance of the season in all competitions.

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However, the 28-year-old had an afternoon to forget on a personal note as he was the Hoops’ worst-rated performer by some distance. As per SofaScore, the skipper recorded a match rating of 5.6/10 after he missed a penalty, failed to complete any of his attempted dribbles or crosses and was second-best in seven of his 11 duels.

The Latest: Petrov’s comments

With the score at 0-0 in the early stages at Almondvale, McGregor missed from the penalty spot after Jack Fitzwater handled Daizen Maeda’s effort, with his strike coming off the post.

Talking live on-air at half time on Sky Sports, Petrov labelled the midfielder’s penalty as “really poor”, with the Hoops one goal to the good at the break.

The Verdict: Phew

Celtic fans may have been fearing the worst after McGregor’s penalty miss, but it didn’t take long for Maeda to open the scoring.

An own goal and a James Forrest strike gave the Hoops a comfortable lead in the second half, with Postecoglou’s side regaining a three-point lead at the top of the Premiership.

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Luckily, McGregor’s spot-kick woes didn’t come back to haunt Celtic, but you’d expect that Josip Juranovic will once again take control from 12 yards out when he’s on the pitch.

In other news: Deal negotiated – ‘Ambitious’ Celtic ace who Postecoglou hailed now open to Parkhead exit

As per Calciomercato, there has been an update on Tottenham Hotspur’s transfer plans for Southampton defender Tino Livramento.

The Lowdown: Paratici makes ‘preliminary moves’…

The exciting defender, described as a ‘perfect’ modern full-back by PFF football data analyst Evan Patrick, has been subject to strong interest from Spurs in recent weeks, as reported by Football Insider.

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It is believed that Tottenham, and by extension their transfer chief Fabio Paratici, have made ‘preliminary moves’ to sign Livramento, as bolstering Conte’s right-wing-back options remains a major priority.

The Lilywhites were knowingly on the hunt for a signing in that position over the January transfer window, with Barcelona ace Adama Traore a rather public target at the time. Alas, after the Catalans hijacked Tottenham’s move, Paratici was unable to add a right wing-back to Conte’s ranks.

Sharing an update on the chase for Livramento, Calciomercato claimed that Spurs may table Harry Winks or Cameron Carter-Vickers in exchange for his signature.

The Latest: Calciomercato share Livramento update…

According to their information, Paratici and Spurs ‘could offer’ either player ‘in a bid’ to sign the 19-year-old.

Carter-Vickers, currently on loan at Celtic, has been excelling north of the border, whereas Winks is somewhat blowing hot and cold under Conte.

The Verdict: Get it done?

Regardless of his fine Celtic form, the USA defender doesn’t appear to have a future at Spurs, having played just five times for the first team since making his debut in 2016/17 (Transfermarkt).

His contract also expires in 2023, surely making it a no-brainer to offer the 24-year-old in a swap deal for the Southampton ace, but much will depend on whether the Hoops take up a purchase option in his deal.

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Meanwhile, Winks has displayed at various points this season he can still prove useful for Conte. The Englishman has impressed in certain games, particularly in a 2-2 draw against Liverpool at the end of last year, with pundit Jamie Redknapp calling him the ‘main man’ against Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Former Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson has also lavished Winks with praise, calling him an ‘amazing player’, so we believe that Carter-Vickers should be the one sacrificed in a potential swap deal for Livramento.

In other news: Tottenham make pre-summer move as they chase ‘massive’ signing for Conte, find out more here

Over the years, Liverpool have let go of a number of promising young players who hadn’t made the grade at the club but have since forged brilliant careers, including Wolves captain Conor Coady and Lazio playmaker Luis Alberto.

However, while it’s not that often that they make a mistake when selling or releasing a young talent, one recent example is Nigerian striker Taiwo Awoniyi, who signed for Union Berlin permanently last summer for £6.5m after spending the previous six seasons on loan as the club struggled to get a work permit for him.

The club were finally granted a work permit in May last year in order to open up the possibility for English clubs to acquire his playing services, but he returned to the German club, for whom he recorded eight goal contributions in 21 Bundesliga appearances last season.

Having played just one match more so far this term, Awoniyi has well and truly bettered his previous tally, scoring ten goals in Germany’s top flight and another five in all competitions, along with setting up four more in total.

With an impressive scoring frequency of one Bundesliga goal every 151 minutes, working out at 0.5 per game, he is the team’s top scorer this season so far, as well as the joint-seventh best in the league.

Among strikers in Europe’s top five leagues and continental competitions, Awoniyi ranks in the top 9% for non-penalty expected goals per 90 (0.58). Most impressively, he ranks in the top 3% for successful pressure percentage per 90 (32.1%), a statistic over which Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will be kicking himself due to his favoured high-tempo pressing style of play.

Due to Awoniyi’s impressive form, the 24-year-old’s market valuation has risen to £13.5m – a 131% increase on the fee for which he was sold by Liverpool, which will surely leave the Anfield board rathet frustrated.

With Divock Origi’s contract expiring at the end of the season, the Nigerian has also proved himself to be a top-quality striker, and his goal record suggests that he would have been capable of playing in the Premier League and deputising for the likes of Roberto Firmino beyond the Belgian’s departure from the club.

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Instead, his exit will go down as a rare howler from Klopp during his spell in charge of Liverpool.

In other news: LFC are ready to sign £46m-rated “fearless” gem; could be replacement for Anfield star

Tottenham Hotspur reportedly have a new transfer target on the agenda as news emerges on Marseille defender Boubacar Kamara.

The Lowdown: Kane and Conte worries emerge…

The Lilywhites’ key duo, coming in the form of star striker Harry Kane and elite manager Antonio Conte, have both been linked with a possible summer exit if Tottenham don’t match their ambition.

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Conte dropped another hint this week with recent reports also detailing a clause in his contract which would allow him to leave at the end of this season, despite his deal actually expiring in 2023.

Kane, meanwhile, is also being linked with another move away this summer, potentially to Manchester City as they allegedly maintain their interest despite the Erling Haaland rumours (Sky Sports Germany).

Now, according to reports from Spain, it appears Tottenham have devised a plan to keep the duo this summer.

The Latest: Spurs eye Kamara move…

Indeed, it is claimed that Marseille’s soon-to-be free agent Kamara is now a target for Spurs as one of five players.

Tottenham have apparently drawn up this list with the intention of going ‘all out’ this summer as that is ‘the only thing they can do’ to ensure that Conte and Kane ‘stay at the club for next season.’

The Verdict: Right move?

The versatile ace, able to play in defence or as a midfield anchor, is set to leave for free later this year and comes as a proven Ligue 1 talent.

We are surprised Tottenham haven’t been linked sooner given Fabio Paratici’s love for free agents and it is reasonable to suggest Kamara would fit in seamlessly to Spurs’ midfield or back four.

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According to WhoScored, only Oliver Skipp (90.1%) has averaged a greater pass accuracy this season than Kamara (89.9%), with the Frenchman also matching Tottenham’s best tacklers with similar numbers in that regard.

Described as an ‘out of the ordinary’ player by former teammate Rolando, the fact Spurs could bypass his £22.5 million estimated market valuation and sign him for free makes this potential move a shrewd one.

In other news: Tottenham ‘monster’ now eyeing exit as club chiefs already take steps to sign him…find out more here.

The Athletic’s Phil Hay has delivered the latest update on Leeds United’s injury situation.

What’s the story?

With the international break having gotten underway, Jesse Marsch has the chance to pick the bones out from the club’s incredible triumph over Wolves – a game that saw them clinch all three points in the dying embers, but suffer a disastrous number of injuries.

And now, Hay has revealed what the club’s hopes are behind the scenes at Thorp Arch.

He said: “As new head coach Jesse Marsch went through them one by one post-match, he took solace from the fact that none of the individual knocks or strains appeared to be particularly severe. Regardless, Marsch always intended to give the squad a meaningful rest through the international break now underway.

“This two-week interlude has been perfectly timed after back-to-back wins and at a point in the season when so many players need some downtime. The 48 hours after Wolves were taken up with medical scans and decisions about who was fit enough to travel abroad for international duty.”

Much-needed boost for Leeds

While Marsch would undoubtedly have been on cloud nine following that dramatic late victory over Wolves at Molineux, his immediate attentions and concerns would have turned towards the club’s growing injury list.

Just when the American may have thought things had beginning to turn a corner – Patrick Bamford started the game, while Kalvin Phillips and Liam Cooper found themselves on the substitutes bench – it all took a shocking decline.

Bamford limped off and left inconsolable, while the likes of Illan Meslier, Diego Llorente and Mateusz Klich were all forced off with their own problems – that’s not to mention Stuart Dallas being absolutely crunched himself but fighting through it to stay on.

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So, news from Hay that none of those issues seem to be too severe, and that the squad will be given a “meaningful rest” over these coming two weeks is a perfectly timed boost for Marsch and one that will have him delighted.

AND in other news: Orta set for Leeds disaster as terms agreed for £63k-p/w “storm” who’s “a level above”

Financial expert Kieran Maguire believes that Tottenham will be ‘in the box seat’ under new spending controls brought in by UEFA, as per Football Insider.

The Lowdown: The numbers

The New York Times reported last week that clubs will not be able to spend more than 70 per cent of turnover on signings, wages and agents fees.

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Football Insider stated that Spurs recorded a £361.9m revenue in their latest set of accounts, which means they could spend just over £250m under the new restrictions.

Antonio Conte has spent just over £26m as Spurs manager so far, with £17.1m going on midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur and a £9m loan fee for Dejan Kulusevski during the January window.

The Latest: Maguire’s claim

Maguire, who contributes for Sky Sports, was talking to Football Insider about Spurs’ situation, claiming that Daniel Levy and co will be ‘in the box seat’ after managing a ‘very tight ship’ in recent years. He outlined:

“In my view, I suspect UEFA will allow player sales into the equation too.

“Spurs are in the box seat when it comes to any changes to cost control measures because they have historically managed a very tight ship.

“They have started to pay more money out in terms of transfers, although there was a period of time when they weren’t.

“But if we take a look at wages, for example, Spurs’ wage bill is closer to Norwich’s than it is to Chelsea.”

The Verdict: Summer spend?

It seems as if Spurs are in a healthy position off the pitch, so it seems as if they don’t have an excuse when it comes to backing Conte ahead of his first full season in charge in north London.

A new centre-forward to challenge Harry Kane appears to be needed over the coming months, with the Spurs captain the only out-and-out senior centre-forward available to Conte.

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Spurs also have just four central midfielders and four centre-backs on the books, so it could be an exciting summer when it comes to spending, and you’d expect that Fabio Paratici is already working on potential deals throughout the current international break.

In other news: Journalist now makes Paulo Dybala to Spurs claim

Manchester United were angered by Morocco for blocking Noussair Mazraoui from playing against Bournemouth on Monday, sources understand.

Man Utd escalate Mazraoui complaint to FIFA

The 28-year-old has been called up by the Africa Cup of Nations hosts – who kick-off the tournament against Comoros on December 21 – and FIFA recently confirmed the release period started on December 15.

United hosted Bournemouth that night and were unable to call upon Mazraoui for the chaotic 4-4 draw after the Royal Moroccan Football Federation refused to let the versatile defender play.

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Sources understand the issue was escalated to FIFA, with Ruben Amorim and Co disappointed and left feeling unfairly penalised by the schedule.

The United boss had expected Mazraoui, who trained with his team-mates before his departure on Sunday, to be available.

Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo were able to face Bournemouth after United held productive talks with the federations of Cameroon and Ivory Coast respectively.

Bruno Fernandes says Man Utd 'wanted me to leave'

Captain Bruno Fernandes has claimed “the club wanted me to go” when Al-Hilal made a big-money bid to sign him in the summer.

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The Saudi Arabian club were reportedly willing to pay £100million for the 31-year-old midfielder, offering the Portugal international wages of up to £700,000 a week, but Fernandes ultimately stayed at Old Trafford after talks with Amorim.

In an interview with Canal 11, a channel owned by the Portuguese Football Federation, Fernandes has said he felt senior figures at United were keen to cash in.