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A worrying Newcastle United injury update has emerged, after Jamal Lewis suffered a blow against Liverpool on Thursday…

What’s the latest?

Magpies boss Eddie Howe has revealed what caused the young defender to be withdrawn from the match in the first-half. He told The Chronicle:

“It looked bad.

“It’s a hamstring injury, which is a surprise with Jamal because he’s obviously so athletic. He’s been excellent in terms of his athletic work for us so far, so for that to happen so early in the game, I was surprised.”

Gutted

Newcastle fans will surely be gutted with this update for multiple reasons. Firstly, the fact that it is a hamstring injury is a worrying prospect, as they can range from days, to weeks, to months, of recovery being needed before the player is able to return.

This means that Lewis could potentially miss a large chunk of the campaign, especially given Howe’s claim that it “looked bad”. Supporters will now be concerned about the severity of the injury and just how many matches he will be out for.

Secondly, they will be disappointed for the player himself. He had only been back in the side for three Premier League matches prior to Thursday night, playing against Norwich, Burnley and Leicester. His resurgence has now been stopped in its tracks and it is a major shame for the young full-back, as he could have established himself in the side and enjoyed a run of games in the team, revitalised under the new leadership.

Finally, fans will be gutted because it means that Matt Ritchie may be required to come back in at left-back for the foreseeable future. He gave the supporters a glimpse of what they have not been missing with a disappointing display off the bench against Liverpool.

In 75 minutes on the pitch, he failed to compete in a single ground or aerial duel. He made zero tackles and completed just 19 passes, attempting zero crosses from left-back in the match. This shows that he struggled to make a positive impact at either end, which is another reason why fans will be gutted by this injury to Lewis.

Hopefully, it will not keep the Northern Ireland international out for a prolonged period of time and he will be able to return for the start of January, or even Boxing Day if he is able to complete a speedy recovery.

AND in other news, NUFC liability who lost 83% duels badly betrayed Howe, Shearer thinks he’s a “danger”…

After PIF’s takeover of Newcastle United was confirmed a number of months ago, we were all expectant and excited to see the type of talent they could lure to St James’ Park.

Sadly, and rather unsurprisingly, however, they have found life difficult during the winter.

January is always a tricky time to recruit and the club’s new owners are finding that our swiftly.

What’s the word?

News broke on Wednesday that Newcastle were trying to complete a deal to bring Jesse Lingard to the club.

However, the Magpies have been rebuffed in their attempts to lands the Manchester United playmaker and it’s thought he’d prefer another move to the capital.

As a result, the Toon are considering making moves for two other players, one of which is Tottenham’s Dele Alli.

That’s according to 90min who report that the England international is an alternative to Lingard this winter.

It’s thought Spurs had set an asking price of £25m according to a separate report last year.

The new Gazza?

A few years ago Darren Anderton was incredibly effusive in his praise for Dele, hailing the creative midfielder as a “freak of a talent.”

Indeed, that talent is clearly still lurking in the 25-year-old but there is a sense that he needs a fresh start elsewhere in order to discover that.

After all, the playmaker has scored just twice in all competitions this term and has only registered one assist too.

That is a far cry from the numbers we saw him rack up in the early stages of his career. In 2015/16, Dele amassed as many as ten goals and nine assists in the top-flight, then went even better in the campaign after that, scoring 18 times with another nine assists to his name.

2017/18 was also productive for the attacking midfielder who racked up nine goals and 11 assists.

With that kind of dynamism in mind, he could well become Newcastle’s next Paul Gascoigne if he finds his form again.

Gazza was a wonderful player in his prime and scored 133 times during his career.

The duo have also been compared previously by none other than Barcelona manager, Xavi. He once said: “There are some very promising young English midfield players and there is no doubt he is very special.

“He is very talented, very technical. I can understand why the Tottenham fans are hoping he is the next Paul Gascoigne.

“For me, Gascoigne was an inspiration when I was developing, one of the best midfield players I have ever seen. It is important not to put pressure on Dele with these comparisons but I can see why fans are excited.”

Of course, his form has subsided since that comparison but there is certainly a belief that he can get back to his best with new tools and resources.

Newcastle must make that happen.

AND in other news, “From sources” – Fabrizio Romano drops big NUFC transfer update that’ll delight fans…

Some Wolves fans have been left to laud a transfer update on reported target Tammy Abraham as the Daily Telegraph have claimed that Chelsea are ready to sell him.

As per the news outlet, the Blues are looking for a fee of £40m to offload the 23-year-old, who has fallen down the pecking order under Thomas Tuchel.

A report emerged earlier this week that the Wanderers are one of the clubs interested in signing Abraham in the summer window, and the news that Chelsea are willing to sell him should come as a boost.

£40m is a lot of money to pay on one player granted, but his price was always going to be inflated because he is English, and at 23 years of age, Abraham still has a lot of potential to fulfil.

Given the torrid time Raul Jimenez has suffered with his head injury this season, the striker would be a welcome addition to the squad in order to provide good cover and competition for the Mexico international, something he has never really had at Molineux.

Wolves fans on Abraham transfer update

These members of the Molineux faithful lauded the transfer update after it was shared on Twitter by Talking Wolves:

“1 in 2 striker, 23 years old, proven in EPL, strong, quick, good target man. Considering the goals-for column this season, isn’t that exactly one of the roles we need to fill?”

Credit: @stevep_1973

“Considering we paid £35m for Silva who’s nothing short of a computer game hype job and in a few years’ time will be playing in the Portuguese lower leagues in front of 1 man and his dog, £40m for Abraham is a bargain”

Credit: @Colinricko

“I’d have him all day long.”

Credit: @Giggsy64570629

“Wolves get your chequebook out! Honestly sign him and then splash out too on a top cb!”

Credit: @J_J_1234_

“Do it”

Credit: @_TheClassicMan

“Definitely”

Credit: @slackermanbo

In other news, find out what transfer update has left Wanderers fuming here!

West Ham United are among the leading candidates to sign Andrea Belotti this summer…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Italian publication Tuttomercatoweb, who claim the 28-year-old striker will leave Torino on a free transfer at the end of the season, though there are three other teams mooted with interest.

These are mentioned by the report as being Premier League rivals Newcastle United, Atalanta and Fiorentina.

They have also relayed comments from Torino president Urbano Cairo, who said:

“Belotti? He may have already signed up for another club. Maybe he could also tell us, but that’s okay. Let’s say that from February 1st he was free to sign, theoretically, he could even have done so … Disappointed? I no longer speak of this issue.”

Get it done!

By signing Belotti, the Irons’ head of recruitment Rob Newman could finally end one of David Moyes’ long-serving nightmares at the London Stadium.

It’s been over a year since Sebastien Haller’s exit from the club after the club-record flop joined Ajax in January 2021 and that’s a decision that left the Scottish head coach awfully light on options.

Indeed, he’s only had Michail Antonio available at his disposal and we know too well of his chequered injury past, whilst his form this campaign – particularly in 2022 – has been called into question.

But that’s hardly a surprise when you’re relying on a 31-year-old to deliver each and every week across multiple competitions without a break.

His only league goal this calendar year came on New Year’s Day, some 14 games ago, but he has no backup and no other alternative, so Moyes has to continually select him.

Belotti could be the perfect competition given his prolific goalscoring record in Italy. The Euro 2020 winner has bagged 110 goals in 247 appearances for the Turin-based side, including a season-best of 28 during the 2016/17 campaign, via Transfermarkt.

“Andrea is similar to all the great strikers, English and not. It’s hard to compare him to someone else because he’s special,” once claimed his former teammate Joe Hart to renowned journalist Gianluca Di Marzio.

“He’s Belotti and that’s it. He has [an] instinct for goals, personality and he’s a team player: he’s always focused on his team and plays hard to help it.”

High praise indeed from someone who faced the 5 foot 11 tank every day in training.

Now valued at £25.2m by Transfermarkt, the Hammers could well seal an absolute bargain in Belotti and given his talismanic-like record, he’d be a much welcome and much-needed addition to Moyes’ squad heading into next season, where they could well remain in Europe.

AND in other news, Time to go: Moyes must ruthlessly axe WHU’s £61k-p/w “monster” as big claim emerges…

Glasgow Rangers’ last five games of the season have been revealed as they attempt to go the term unbeaten.

Rangers find out remaining schedule

Of course, the Scottish Premiership’s peculiar format means the league will split into the top six and the bottom six, with the teams in each group playing each other once to take the grand total for the campaign to 38 games played per side.

The Gers’ final five games of the league season have now been confirmed (via The Glasgow Times). They are as follows:

Sunday 11th April – Rangers vs Hibernian

Wednesday 21st April – St Johnstone vs Rangers

Sunday 2nd May – Rangers vs Celtic

Wednesday 12th May – Livingston vs Rangers

Saturday 15th May – Rangers vs Aberdeen

Glory awaits

After 33 matches, the Gers are in the fantastic position of still being unbeaten (BBC) – that means they have a realistic opportunity of going the campaign without defeat in the league. However, there is no doubt they will face some difficult challenges if they are to do so.

Obviously, the fourth Old Firm derby of the season jumps off the page – Steven Gerrard will be happy that game will be played at Ibrox. A third visit of the term to Livingston and their artificial pitch is unlikely to be an easy game either. All eyes, though, will be on the final fixture. They will face Aberdeen, and it is on that day that they are likely to finally receive the Premiership trophy. Given the rivalry they share with the Dons (The Guardian), it will be an occasion the Gers will particularly enjoy.

In other news, this man has been tipped to be Rangers’ Player of the Year.

Sheffield Wednesday defender Matt Penney is set to make the move to Ipswich Town this summer, according to a fresh report.

The Lowdown: Outgoings expected at Hillsborough

The Owls suffered the agony of relegation to League One last season, having failed to win away to Derby County on the final day when they needed victory to preserve their Championship status.

Darren Moore now has the task of perfecting his squad ahead of the 2021/22 campaign, but a number of key players could move on from Hillsborough.

The Latest: Penney set to join Ipswich

Penney is one of those, with his Wednesday contract expiring at the end of this month, bringing an end to his time at the club.

According to The East Anglian Daily Times, the 23-year-old on his way to fellow League One side Ipswich, having managed just 12 Championship appearances last season.

The Verdict: Big loss for Owls

Penney is a talented young player – former Owls manager Jos Luhukay once described him as ‘fantastic’ – so it is a blow to lose someone of such promise, even though the club didn’t exactly try too hard to keep hold of him by letting his contract run down.

While the 23-year-old didn’t feature regularly for Wednesday in 2020/21, his tackling average of 1.6 per game was still the joint-fifth highest in the squad, while only three team-mates bettered his 0.8 dribbles per match (WhoScored), so he will be quite a loss to Moore’s squad.

Ipswich are expected to be one of the Owls’ promotion rivals in League One next season, so potentially strengthening Paul Cook’s squad isn’t an ideal scenario.

The hope is that the versatile Penney is replaced this summer, with improved squad depth badly needed at Hillsborough as Moore considers new signings.

In other news, Sheff Wed are reportedly eyeing up a move for a midfielder – find out who it is here.

Celtic have been handed a major boost in their pursuit of Eddie Howe this week…

What’s the word?

According to The Scottish Sun, the incoming Hoops boss has already started work on summer transfer targets, with the 43-year-old making Joshua King one of his first signings.

The pair were together at AFC Bournemouth and it is thought that Howe sees his former talisman as an ideal successor to Odsonne Edouard, who is unlikely to stick around at Parkhead past the current campaign.

King has struggled for game time at Everton since his January deadline day move, failing to start a single match and could well depart at the end of his £45k-per-week contract, opening the door for a reunion in Glasgow.

Source of encouragement

Howe is yet to be confirmed as Neil Lennon’s successor but is expected to be announced as early as next week, though he may not take the helm until the summer.

The former Cherries genius has a huge rebuild on his hands – long-serving skipper Scott Brown is following CEO Peter Lawwell out the door, four loan players are set to return to their parent clubs and several key stars are either entering the final 12 months of their contracts or are wanted by other teams.

So it’s hugely encouraging that he’s already ‘working flat out behind the scenes,’ as per the aforementioned report. This will please majority shareholder Dermot Desmond immensely, especially after the mooted setback earlier this week.

It suggests that Howe is set on taking the job, and that means Desmond has got his man, barring that official announcement, having been questioned over his own status recently.

He won’t be selling his shares as he’s clearly wanting to be a big part of this new era that Celtic Park is about to embark on.

Incoming CEO Dominic McKay will be taking up his role three months earlier than expected, so it’s now a case of getting Howe through the door sooner rather than later.

But the fact that the ex-Bournemouth manager is already eyeing up a target in King will prove to be music to the ears of many. It’s hugely encouraging and surely means the deal is all but done.

He’ll need to hit the ground running this summer and getting ahead now could be a masterstroke in the long run.

AND in other news, Howe and McKay could instantly save Celtic millions this summer…

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been reacting after the club unveiled the rebuilt Edmiston House on Monday morning.

The season is now over and the Gers can look back with plenty of pride. They won the Premiership, their first major trophy in 10 years, and they even managed to go the entire league campaign unbeaten (BBC). In all competitions, they lost on just three occasions (Sky Sports) and reached the Europa League round of 16 for a second successive year.

It is a good time to be a Rangers fan on the pitch, and things are also going well off it as well. The club has unveiled the new Edmiston House, a place where supporters can enjoy matchdays both before and after the game.

The new building was unveiled on the club’s official Twitter account, and it attracted plenty of attention from Gers supporters. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about the Edmiston House unveiling

“The LED in shape of football pitch is brilliant. This takes us to the next level. Incredible for fans and looks sensational. Honestly what a time to be a Rangers supporter”

Credit: @MacGerrard_

“Licence to print money. Looks incredible.”

Credit: @Championees55

“Looks absolutely amazing”

Credit: @gibbo89

“Temple of Dreams, Nice touch.”

Credit: @Inglis

“Beautiful”

Credit: @TremendoHendo72

“Wow looks cracking”

Credit: @dazzaragi

In other news, many Rangers fans demand this man’s resignation.

In recent weeks, former Newcastle United and Liverpool manager, Rafa Benitez, has confirmed that he’s ready for a return to the Premier League and that is somebody Steve Bull could see ending up at Molineux.

Bruno Lage has been installed as the favourite for the Wolves job and is reportedly having talks with the hierarchy this week as they look for a swift appointment of Nuno Espirito Santo’s successor.

Benitez would bring defensively solidarity to Wolves after a season where they conceded 55 goals and having a striker like Raul Jimenez would potentially be perfect for the Spaniard having seen what he did with Salomon Rondon at Newcastle.

Whoever Wolves end up appointing, they are likely to have some form of connection to Jorge Mendes but Benitez would be a good fit in the Midlands given his experience and knowledge of the game, according to Bull who spoke exclusively to Football FanCast:

“Rafa Benitez is an old-headed foreign manager which we could do with and I think if he came, Wolves the fans would welcome him with open arms because you saw at Newcastle what he was like up there.

“I could actually see Benitez down there at Wolves and I think he could do a good job.”

Nuno enjoyed a very successful period of time at Wolves having guided the club to a Europa League quarter-final as well as also winning three Premier League manager of the month awards.

Benitez loves to have a strong solid defensive base in his starting lineup and that is something Wolves could benefit from especially with accomplished defenders in Conor Coady, Willy Boly and Romain Saiss already at the club.

Crystal Palace posted a picture on Twitter of their seven first-team signings on Thursday.

And a number of Palace supporters were quick to share their excitement towards the new recruits on social media.

The Eagles completed their summer business late on deadline day with the signing of Odsonne Edouard from Celtic.

The French forward, who cost over £14m and penned a four-year deal on Tuesday, was at the centre of the club’s post, alongside fellow recruits Michael Olise, Conor Gallagher, Joachim Andersen, Marc Guehi, Remi Matthews and Will Hughes.

Jacob Montes also signed at Selhurst Park but was loaned to Belgium, with Steve Parish spending just over £66m on new recruits in Patrick Vieira’s first summer in charge.

Palace shared a picture of their seven signings with the caption ‘let’s build something special’.

Palace fans react

This is what these Palace fans had to say in reply, with many excited and one ‘buzzing’ at the club’s summer business.

“Rebuild 90% complete.”

Credit: @cpfcfin

“Announce Europe”

Credit: @MichaelCPFC

“I’m just absolutely buzzing here”

Credit: @xylottie

“Absolutely ridiculous window”

Credit: @Phillyconcarne

“still in disbelief”

Credit: @EBERZEE

“Come on you palace”

Credit: @GeorgeHilder1

In other news: ‘Let’s gooooo’ – Lots of Palace fans delighted by ‘great’ Thursday news.