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Newcastle United’s recent recruitment has been “absolutely awful”, claims the club’s former central defender Steve Howey.

In the past few summers, the Magpies have brought in the likes of Joelinton, Ryan Fraser and Yoshinori Muto, all of whom have struggled.

Muto spent last season out on loan after struggling to find regular minutes at St. James’ Park, Fraser has found himself in and out of the side and Joelinton has simply not lived up to his £40m price tag.

In the Brazilian’s debut Premier League campaign, he scored just twice in 38 games, though he did manage to double that last term. But all in all, not good enough for Howey.

“One of my biggest criticisms is the recruitment,” the ex-Newcastle player exclusively told TT. “The recruitment has been absolutely awful.

“I don’t know who the head of recruitment is to be quite honest, but obviously they need a big sit down with Steve [Bruce] and the rest of the staff, identify the players and do the checks on them to make sure that the limited money that we’ve got, we spend wisely.”

It is certainly something to think about for Newcastle, whose recent transfer activity has not been a complete disaster.

They have been able to bring in individuals such as Allan Saint-Maximin, the best dribbler in the side last season, per WhoScored, and Joe Willock, the club’s highest goalscorer after Callum Wilson.

Celtic have seen many players come and go over the years, with the Hoops constantly trying to strengthen their squad to give them the best chance of being successful in every season.

However, as happens with many teamd, some players end up slipping through the net at one club and then go on to have impressive careers elsewhere.

One example of this happening at Celtic came all the way back in 2009, when the Hoops had the chance to sign right-back Seamus Coleman.

According to Planet Football, the Parkhead club had taken the defender on trial but decided he wasn’t worth signing before he eventually joined Premier League side Everton, in a deal worth a reported bargain fee of £60k.

Since then, the Irishman has gone on to become a stalwart for the Toffees by racking up 376 appearances across all competitions, scoring 27 goals and providing 32 assists along the way.

Labelled a “world-class” player by his former Ireland manager Martin O’Neill, the veteran has recorded an average of 2.4 tackles per Premier League game this season, higher than any other defender currently in Frank Lampard’s squad.

Despite not getting his hands on any silverware during his time at Goodison Park, the 33-year-old – who is currently picking up £68k-per-week according to Salary Sport – has still garnered a lot of respect from many big names to have been involved in English football.

For example, during his time in charge of Everton, Carlo Ancelotti likened the former Celtic trialist to legendary defender Paolo Maldini and put him in the same bracket as some of the other big names he has managed, such as John Terry and Sergio Ramos.

Taking all this into account, it can be said that the Hoops and then-chairman John Reid may have made a mistake by not securing a permanent deal for Coleman when they had the chance 13 years ago.

Given the Irishman’s longevity at Everton and what he has provided for the club on and off the pitch, it’s safe to suggest that he would have been a key figure for Celtic had they pounced on him.

In other news: Celtic will rue call on £25k-p/w gem whose value has rocketed 400% since Parkhead exit

Journalist Joe Chapman was left impressed with Jayson Molumby’s lively home debut after West Brom’s narrow 1-0 win over Birmingham City.

The Lowdown: West Brom go top

The Baggies returned to Championship duties on Friday evening, resuming their title charge at the expense of Birmingham.

Karlan Grant’s expertly-taken second-half strike was enough for Valerien Ismael’s side get the better of Lee Bowyer’s Blues, despite a less than perfect performance.

The Latest: Molumby impresses on home debut

West Brom struggled to click overall, but someone who did their future chances no harm was Molumby, who made his home debut after joining on loan from Brighton in the summer, coming on as a substitute after the break.

Taking to Twitter on Friday night, Chapman showed his appreciation for the 22-year-old in a positive five-word verdict:

“A word on Jayson Molumby. Home debut, in a derby match with things not going the way of WBA. Made an impact. Promising signs.”

The Verdict: Promising early signs

As Chapman alludes to, Molumby has made an encouraging start to life at the Hawthorns, playing with the kind of intensity that will likely appeal to Ismael.

He made one tackle and won his only aerial duel when he came on and was ‘buzzing around the place’, according to Chapman in his post-match player ratings.

Molumby may not be a key starter as the season progresses but he has shown that he can be effective from the bench, with squad depth so vital in the gruelling Championship campaign.

In other news, some West Brom fans praised one player’s first-half performance against Birmingham. Read more here.

According to a report from Italian outlet MilanLive.it (via Sport Witness), Liverpool remain interested in signing Watford winger Ismaila Sarr. 

The lowdown: Reds slayer

Initial interest in Sarr materialised shortly after the Senegalese ace had put Jurgen Klopp’s side to the sword at Vicarage Road in February 2020.

The 24-year-old forward was in unstoppable form on the night, scoring twice in a 3-0 victory as Watford ended Liverpool’s hopes of going through the Premier League season unbeaten.

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The Anfield club instead opted to sign Portuguese ace Diogo Jota, whose productivity has been off the charts since arriving on Merseyside.

However, as the summer transfer window looms, a reignited move for the ex-Rennes speedster remains a possibility…

The latest: On the radar

As per MilanLive.it, translated by SW, it’s stated that Liverpool ‘seem to have plans to get serious’ in pursuit of Sarr this summer.

The report claims that AC Milan view the Reds and new sporting director Julian Ward as a ‘dangerous competitor’ in the race to sign the 39-cap star.

This comes after reports last month revealed Klopp is personally a huge fan of the player, marking him out as his number one target to reinforce the attack.

The verdict: An inevitable departure?

So far this season Sarr has scored five times and provided one assist in 17 top-flight outings for relegation-threatened Watford, taking the Africa Cup of Nations winner to 41 direct goal contritions for the Hertfordshire club.

Named player of the season in 2020/21, having dropped down to the Championship only to fire Watford straight back up, should the Hornets indeed be relegated for a second time during his stay then a move away seems inevitable.

Predominantly operating from a right-wing role, Sarr would provide adequate cover for Mohamed Salah, a position of relative understrength in comparison to the abundance of natural left-wing options in Sadio Mane, Luis Diaz and Jota himself.

Lauded as a ‘freak’ by teammate Ben Foster, adding the £24.3million valued man to the already frightening Liverpool attacking ranks would be a worthwhile venture at the right price.

In other news, manager admits desire to sign Liverpool cult hero. Find out more here.

Celtic have been dealt a big blow in their bid to bring Callum Styles to Parkhead in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Daily Record, who claimed that Barnsley look set to play hardball regarding the sale of the 21-year-old this month, as Poya Asbaghi recently revealed that he is not willing to let any of his first-team regulars leave the club midway through the season.

Speaking about his plans for the January market, the Barnsley boss said: “In the end, we want to make room in the squad and it’s better to let go of players who aren’t playing – not players who are playing. I will not go too deep into specifics on positions but I can say maybe left-back is not our biggest concern.”

The Daily Record went on to suggest that this update will come as a blow to Ange Postecoglou and his Celtic side, as the 56-year-old Bhoys boss is believed to have identified the versatile left-footer as one of his primary targets this month in a bid to solve the troublesome left-back spot in his Hoops side.

Postecoglou will be livid

Considering just how impressive Styles has been for Barnsley this season, in addition to how well suited he seems to Postecoglou’s particular brand of football, the news that the Yorkshire club look set to put up a fight for the 21-year-old this month is sure to have left the Celtic manager livid.

Indeed, over his 22 league outings in the current campaign, the £2.7m-rated man – who has often been deployed in a more advanced position on the left flank this season, as well as in central midfield – has scored one goal, registered one assist and created three big chances for his teammates.

The £3.4k-per-week 21-year-old has also averaged 1.3 interceptions, 2.3 tackles and one key pass and won 4.6 duels per game. These returns have seen the player who Cauley Woodrow dubbed a “massive talent” average a SofaScore match rating of 6.77, ranking him as Barnsley’s eighth-best performer in the Championship.

As such, due to his attacking inclination, positional versatility and extremely high potential, it is clear to see why Postecoglou would be interested in a move for Styles this month.

However, following the latest update concerning the youngster’s future, it would appear as if a move for the Barnsley starlet may be rather tricky to pull off for Celtic this month, something which will undoubtedly come as a big blow to the Hoops manager and his side.

In other news: Postecoglou heading for Celtic disaster with “superb” £1.35m-rated beast as Anthony Joseph confirms bid

Chris Sutton has been reacting to more Celtic injury news, this time on summer signing Giorgos Giakoumakis.

The Lowdown: Calf injury

Giakoumakis was included in a Celtic matchday squad for the first time on Thursday but failed to make his debut in a 3-0 win over Raith Rovers.

Ange Postecoglou confirmed after the game that the Dutch striker injured his calf in the warm-up and was sent for a scan as a result.

As a result, Giakoumakis looks set to join Christopher Jullien, Greg Taylor, Kyogo Furuhashi and Mikey Johnston on the sidelines, with captain Callum McGregor also missed the last three games.

The Latest: Sutton reacts

Sutton took to Twitter late on Thursday evening to give his thoughts on the striker.

He described the latest setback for Giakoumakis as a ‘nightmare’ for Postecoglou.

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The Verdict: Concerning…

Giakoumakis was brought in on deadline day to fill the void left by Odsonne Edouard and Leigh Griffiths.

However, he last kicked a competitive ball in May and seemed to be quite far off fitness-wise earlier this month.

Add a fresh calf injury into the mix, you’d expect he’ll miss Dundee United on the weekend, so it does seem a bit concerning in regards to the Hoops splashing £2.5m on the 26-year-old.

In other news: ‘Hopefully’ – Kieran Devlin shares ‘important’ area Celtic may add to next after McElhone. 

Dean Windass exclusively told Football FanCast that Kurt Zouma would be an outstanding signing for West Ham.

Following their second-best Premier League finish last season, David Moyes’ men are in the group stages of the Europa League for the first time.

And with at least six extra games in the pipeline next term, the Hammers need a squad of players capable of playing twice a week up until Christmas.

According to Sky Sports, Moyes has been looking to add Zouma to his squad to compete with the likes of Craig Dawson, Issa Diop and Angelo Ogbonna at centre-back.

Despite his involvement for Chelsea on the way to winning the Champions League last season, the Frenchman is surplus to requirements with Sevilla’s Jules Kounde linked to the Stamford Bridge outfit.

West Ham’s only current signing so far has been a loan deal for PSG goalkeeper Alphonse Areola, but Windass believes Zouma would be another shrewd piece of business.

He exclusively told FFC:

“I like that, I’m surprised Chelsea are letting him go. I think he’s been outstanding for Thomas. I can’t believe how good he is in the air.

“He’s strong, quick, not the most gifted on the ball, but that would be a great fit for West Ham if they can get that over the line, although I’m so surprised Chelsea want to get rid of him.”

Everton will renew their efforts to sign Donny van de Beek on loan when the January transfer window opens, according to ESPN’s Rob Dawson. 

The lowdown

Van de Beek’s agent Guido Albers confirmed in September that talks had taken place with Everton during the summer (via The Athletic). United had moved to block the transfer on the penultimate day of trading.

But the Dutchman has remained an outcast in the early months of the season, playing just 15 minutes of Premier League football.

After the £120,000-per-week midfielder was handed a rare opportunity to shine in last season’s 4-1 European win over Istanbul Basaksehir, BT Sport’s Owen Hargreaves hailed him as ‘close to perfect’, so it is no surprise to see yet more links suggesting a player of that quality could be on the move.

The latest

Dawson writes that ‘a host of Premier League clubs’ are considering a January loan swoop for Van de Beek.

He explicitly names Everton as well as relegation-threatened Newcastle United.

Sources have told ESPN that the player himself is ‘keen to explore his options’ ahead of the mid-season market.

The verdict

Surely United can’t stand in Van de Beek’s way this time on the grounds that he’s part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s plans? He’s effectively a forgotten man at Old Trafford, with Gary Neville even warning fellow struggling signing Jadon Sancho he could end up like the Dutchman (Sky Sports), hardly a glowing endorsement of his chances.

And he seems, understandably, to be unhappy with the situation, having been filmed throwing his chewing gum and training bib to the floor when Solskjaer overlooked him against Villarreal.

Everton could grant a new lease of life to a player who demonstrated at Ajax that he has plenty of quality – in his last season in Amsterdam, he recorded a whopping 30 goal contributions.

In other news, fans reacted to this Aaron Ramsey report. 

Following Steven Gerrard’s appointment as the new Aston Villa manager last week, the club have already been linked with a host of players in the upcoming transfer window, with the likes of Ryan Kent, Glen Kamara and Joe Aribo all being touted with moves to Villa Park this winter.

However, in order to make space for the club’s potential incoming signings, the 41-year-old may well have to look to move a number of the current Villa squad on come January, with one name likely to be high on the manager’s list of outgoing candidates being that of Keinan Davis.

Despite having made his debut for the club as an exciting 18-year-old prospect back in 2017, the centre-forward has failed to kick on in his professional career at Villa Park, still yet to enjoy what could be considered as his breakout season in first-team football.

Indeed, in his first season spent predominantly with the senior squad, the £2.7m-rated striker scored three goals and provided four assists over his 30 appearances in all competitions, returns which suggested that the former England U20 international could have the potential to go on and become a first-team regular.

However, the 23-year-old would ultimately make only 45 more appearances over the following three campaigns, scoring just three goals and registering three assists in the process, as the centre-forward found himself pushed further and further down the Aston Villa pecking order, while his returns did nothing to convince Dean Smith that he deserved a spot in the manager’s starting XI.

This is a lesson that Steven Gerrard must learn from, as, over the past four seasons the £25k-per-week Davis has consistently proven that he is not a player of the standard required at Villa Park.

Indeed, fans of the club also agree with this assessment, as, in a poll ran on Football FanCast, the vast majority of supporters made their feelings known that they do not believe the player who Jack Grealish once dubbed as “unplayable” has a future at their club.

As such, Gerrard simply must axe the 23-year-old in January, as his place in the squad, as well as his rather hefty weekly wage, could be put to much better use by the 41-year-old manager.

In other news: Lange could transform Gerrard’s AVFC by signing “frightening” £20m gem likened to Mane

Lukas Nmecha has become the latest player to leave Manchester City this summer, in a deal which the Citizens may well end up regretting, should he realise his obvious potential with Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga.

What’s the word?

It was confirmed earlier this week that the Germany U21 international had completed a permanent £11m move to Mark van Bommel’s side, having struggled for game time in Pep Guardiola’s side during his time at the Etihad.

In total, the 22-year-old would make just two first-team appearances for Man City, as he spent the majority of his time out on loan, with unsuccessful spells at Middlesbrough and Preston North End in recent seasons.

However, he impressed on loan at Anderlecht last season, contributing 18 goals and three assists in 37 league appearances, which helped him average an excellent 7.06 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

He was also integral to Germany’s success in the U’21 European Championships this summer, winning the golden boot with four goals, which suggests that he has a very bright future.

Will City regret selling Nmecha?

Considering City are arguably lacking a natural goalscorer following the departure of Sergio Aguero earlier in the summer, Nmecha perhaps deserved an opportunity in Guardiola’s side for the 2021/22 campaign but instead, it looks as if City have cashed in on him in order to fund moves for the likes of Harry Kane and Jack Grealish during the transfer window.

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It is disappointing that the Citizens are seemingly unwilling to give some of their most talented academy players regular opportunities, especially after Nmecha proved himself under City legend Vincent Kompany at Anderlecht last season.

The former centre-back sang his praises last season, saying:

“Of course, he still has room for improvement, but actually he is already a quite complete striker. He does not have any noticeable weaknesses.

“At the moment he is already one of the best strikers in Belgium.

“In time he will be a striker for one of the European clubs who are just below the top or even for a top European club.”

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Kompany wasn’t wrong, as Nmecha will be plying his trade in the Champions League next season with Wolfsburg, and if he can continue to impress with the Bundesliga side, then this transfer feels like one City will end up regretting in the not too distant future.

And, in other news… Sam Lee shares promising Jack Grealish update that’ll leave fans buzzing