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Newcastle United should look to sign Wolves centre-back Conor Coady in January, according to former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan.

The Lowdown: Coady shines at Wolves

Coady has been a fantastic servant for Wolves, making 286 appearances for the club and fully deserving his role as captain.

The 28-year-old’s leadership has shone through at Molineux and he has been a model of consistency at the heart of the defence, both in the Championship and the Premier League.

The Latest: Captain tipped for January exit

With Newcastle receiving an influx of money after their recent takeover, however, they could be looking at signing various players in January.

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan claimed Coady would be an ideal addition to the Magpies’ squad:

“He’s a brilliant defender and consistency is what you will get from him.

“Newcastle have struggled defensively for a number of years now, so getting a defender like him into the spine of that side will be massive.

“That’s the first place I’d be looking. You have Wilson, Saint-Maximin and Almiron in the attack, so you have enough there but the frailties are at the back and at centre-half, for me.

“Conor Coady is a player you would be more than happy with at your football club. He’s got the leadership qualities, he’s an England international now and he is a very consistent performer for Wolves.”

The Verdict: Potential huge blow

Coady might not necessarily be the most athletically gifted footballer around, but he has a huge influence at Wolves, both on and off the pitch.

For that reason, the thought of losing him doesn’t bear thinking about, with the Englishman very much the heart of the squad and almost a second manager on the pitch.

It remains to be seen if Newcastle will make a bid, but Wolves should demand huge money if they do.

In other news, some Wolves fans love a tweet about a Premier League landmark. Read more here.

Sky Sports journalist Pete Graves has revealed that former AS Roma boss Paulo Fonseca is a contender for the now vacant Newcastle United manager’s job.

What’s the story?

The Magpies finally confirmed on mid-Wednesday morning that Steve Bruce had left the club via mutual consent, and Graves has indicated that Fonseca is in the frame to take over.

Writing on Twitter earlier this morning before news broke of Bruce’s departure, he said: “Should #nufc new owners decide to part ways with Steve Bruce, we understand former Porto, Roma and Shakhtar Donetsk manager Paulo Fonseca would be of significant interest. Latest on @SkySportsNews. Fonseca is currently out of work and came close to joining Tottenham in the summer.”

Fans should be excited

While Fonseca may not be the most recognisable name to English football fans, he’s certainly earned a reputation out in Europe as someone who’s a winner and is capable of creating teams who play exciting, attacking football.

At Ukrainian giants Shakhtar Donetsk, the 48-year-old won three successive league titles and three successive domestic cups, while his team at AS Roma saw him build the team into a genuine force in European competition.

“I’d put them with Atalanta and Sassuolo as the league’s entertainers,” claimed The Athletic’s James Horncastle, via Tifo Football, whilst Alex Stewart described his style as “exciting.”

And, despite their Europa League exit last season at the semi-final stage, Portuguese journalist Alex Goncalves still backed Fonseca to enjoy a big career, tweeting: “It’s a bad result for Paulo Fonseca today, a 6-2 defeat to Manchester United. His managerial CV is exceptional, & his managerial ability matches it, but his time at Roma may be coming to an end. A talented manager who plays stylish football likely to be available this summer.”

After the dreariness of Bruce-ball at St James’ Park, Fonseca’s arrival could lift spirits at St James’ Park, and his penchant for front-foot football is sure to excite Magpies fans.

Meanwhile, George Caulkin has dropped some behind-the-scenes insight on PIF…

An update has emerged on Everton target Jesse Lingard, regarding Manchester United’s valuation of the midfielder.

What’s the talk?

According to The Express, Manchester United are now willing to accept offers in the region of £20m for Everton transfer target Jesse Lingard.

The report claims that West Ham are interested in snapping him up on a permanent deal following his loan spell with the club, whilst the Toffees have been linked with a swoop for him this summer.

New Tim Cahill

Everton have reportedly told James Rodriguez that he is free to find a new club between now and the end of the window, which means that Lingard could be brought in as a direct replacement for the ex-Real Madrid man. It could be time to wave bye-bye to James and say hi to the England international, especially given this latest update.

With Lingard available to buy for £20m, Rafa Benitez and Marcel Brands must act on their interest and submit an offer for him. They could run the risk of West Ham, or another club in England or abroad, swooping in to snap him up if they do not move with urgency, which is why they must prepare a bid immediately.

Benitez could unearth Tim Cahill 2.0 with a deal for the attacking midfielder, as he is someone who is capable of chipping in with goals from behind the striker. The retired Australian scored six or more Premier League goals in six separate seasons for the Toffees, regularly providing a goal threat from midfield for the club over the course of a number of years – in total, he finished with an impressive haul of 68 goals in 278 games for the Merseyside club.

With Lingard, Everton could finally find the heir to his goalscoring throne. The 28-year-old spent the second-half of last season on loan to West Ham and proved to be an instant hit, with a stunning nine goals and five assists in 16 league appearances.

In his last 30+ appearances season for Manchester United, Lingard managed eight goals and six assists in the Premier League. This suggests that he has the quality to score and assist goals on a regular basis if given the game time to make an impact.

Red Devils legend Rio Ferdinand once hailed Lingard as an ‘intelligent’ footballer and claimed that he could play in any team. Ferdinand said on Five:

“I’ve argued with pundit after pundit, on-air, and off-air. He could play in any top team because he’s an intelligent footballer. He can play off one touch or two touch.

“He gets judged on his antics on social media. Some people, it rubs them up the wrong way, and they don’t like him because of it and a lot of the youngster generation love it.

“But if you’re looking at him as just a cold footballer, anyone who knows football surely has to see the kid has a talent.”

This shows how highly Ferdinand rates the midfielder and is another reason why Benitez must sanction a deal for Lingard in the coming days.

Dubbed as “special” by Stuart Pearce, if Everton can bring the Englishman through the door then they could have their new Tim Cahill…

AND in other news, Everton could sign major Doucoure upgrade in “very complete” £55k-p/w powerhouse…

Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte is in line for a huge boost after a major behind-the-scenes update emerged on the future of first-choice goalkeeper Hugo Lloris this weekend…

What’s the word?

As preparations for their Premier League clash against Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday were abruptly put to a halt, it has been revealed the north Londoners have opened talks with the Frenchman over a contract extension, as per Football Insider.

The 34-year-old’s current £100k-per-week deal is set to expire at the end of the season and it’s believed, according to an inside source, that he is keen to commit to fresh terms that would take him into his late 30s at the club.

Lloris is settled with his family in north London and is also thought to believe that there are good times ahead under the Italian.

Spurs are keen to tie him down before the new year, when the veteran shot-stopper is free to talk to foreign clubs and even sign a pre-contract elsewhere.

Conte boost

This should come as a massive boost to Conte, who has selected the 136-cap France international in all but one of his games in charge, and as club captain, he serves as a big influence in the dressing room.

It also means that the 52-year-old head coach will not have to target a new option between the sticks, when there are much bigger problems to solve, such as their lack of solid defensive options at centre-back, his lack of alternatives to Harry Kane or the need for a creative playmaker.

Lloris is currently Spurs’ longest-serving player, having racked up 388 appearances since arriving from Lyon in August 2012. And he was named skipper by Mauricio Pochettino back in 2015, so it’s clear to see that he’s been a crucial player for the club over nearly a decade.

Much of the Lilywhites faithful will be overjoyed by this latest development from Hotspur Way as recently, many fans were discussing the prospect of their leading glovesman remaining past the current campaign.

“Hope he stays” and “seems sensible” were just two reactions relayed by Spurs-Web.com this week.

Therefore, many around N17 will be buoyed by this behind-the-scenes update, not at least Conte, who clearly is a fan of his goalkeeper. This will come as a big boost to him, should the Frenchman agree to an extension in the coming weeks.

AND in other news, Worrying Spurs update emerges ahead of Leicester clash…

Former Manchester City player Michael Ball believes that manager Pep Guardiola could improve Harry Kane. 

The Tottenham striker has been linked with a summer move to the Etihad Stadium, with journalist Fabrizio Romano reporting that Spurs turned down a £100m bid earlier in the summer, insisting they want to keep Kane at the club.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola told the media [via Simon Stone] that: “He is a Tottenham player. If Tottenham don’t want to negotiate, it is finished. If they want to negotiate, many clubs would like to sign him, we are not an exception. We are very interested in him.”

Harry Kane published a statement on his own Twitter account on Friday, explaining that he will be returning to Tottenham on Saturday as planned and that he hasn’t refused to train, and never would.

But with the speculation linking him to Manchester City, Ball believes Pep Guardiola could improve the striker, exclusively telling the Transfer Tavern: “Harry Kane, you’d love to see him at Manchester City teaming up with De Bruyne and the other guys, I think Pep would bring Harry Kane’s game on as well, like he did with Aguero.”

Kane has been an unbelievable player for Tottenham, scoring three occasions, finishing with 25 goals in the 2015/2016 season, 29 goals in 2016/2017 and 23 goals last term.

The Cityzens have already strengthened their star-studded squad ahead of 2021/2022, completeing the signing of Jack Grealish from Aston Villa for £100m, but Pep Guardiola’s very public admission that he is indeed interested in Kane’s services suggests he may be prepared to cheque book out again before the transfer window closes.

Millwall will allow centre-forward Jon Dadi Bodvarsson to leave The Den this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by London News Online, who claim that Gary Rowett will listen to offers for the 29-year-old striker in the summer transfer window, as the 47-year-old looks to free up space in his squad in order to bring in his own attacking targets.

The report goes on to state that Bodvarsson is eager to play regular first-team football next season, suggesting that he too would be open to a move away from The Den this summer.

Bodvarsson must go

Having been a Neil Harris signing for Millwall from Reading in what was a £765k deal back in 2019, it would appear to be a fair statement to make that the Iceland international has not quite lived up to expectations for the Lions.

Indeed, having played a total of 75 games in all competitions for the club, Bodvarsson has so far managed just seven goals and six assists.

Over his 38 Championship appearances last season, only 13 of which came as starts, the £810k-rated striker scored one goal, registered two assists and created three big chances for his teammates, as well as managing an average of just 0.2 shots on target and 0.2 key passes per game.

These returns saw the 29-year-old earn a disappointing seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.64, ranking him as Rowett’s fifth-worst performer in the second tier of English football, out of all 27 Lions’ players to have featured in the competition.

As such, it would appear highly advisable for Rowett to move the centre-forward whom the Birmingham Live writer Ryan Leister dubbed a “powerful” player on to pastures new this summer, as Bodvarsson’s returns simply do not warrant the £10k-per-week wages he is reported to earn at The Den.

Furthermore, with the money generated from his potential sale, in addition to the money that would be saved on his salary, waving goodbye to the Icelandic hitman should afford Rowett a decent amount sum to bring in a more cost-effective attacking option this summer.

In other news: Millwall dealt huge blow over “fabulous” 18 y/o beast that will leave Rowett gutted

When Scott Robertson made his Celtic debut all the way back in 2019, it looked as though it would be the first taste of a glittering career at Parkhead.

However, in classic circumstances, Robertson has only had one bite of the cherry in the senior team and hasn’t been deemed good enough yet for a proper breakthrough.

The list is countless, especially in recent years. Neil Lennon didn’t hand sufficient chances to the likes of Karamoko Dembele, Cameron Harper or Luca Connell either.

Harper has left and Dembele’s contract expires next summer with an extension still unlikely.

Connell did at least enjoy a loan spell at Queen’s Park last term where he helped them achieve promotion but Robertson is another to benefit from the loan system.

He spent last season at Gillingham and has now moved to Crewe in League One.

His first performance was wonderful as he shone in the middle of the park for David Artell’s team.

During a 1-1 draw with Shrewsbury last weekend, Robertson was all-action in the middle of the park, supplying three key passes and winning eight of the nine defensive duels he competed in.

On top of that, the 20-year-old was fouled five times as Crewe’s opponents struggled to contain his dynamism.

It’s not entirely how the midfielder would have expected his career to go after making his debut against Cluj in the Europa League two years ago.

However, there is no shame in being loaned out to the third tier of English football; just ask current club captain Callum McGregor.

He spent a year with Notts County in 2013/14 and has since gone on to become a stalwart of the Hoops team.

What’s so vital to McGregor’s tale is that he plays in a very similar way to Robertson.

They are not afraid of the physical side of the game and they are also both immensely creative. Speaking about his own game last year, the academy graduate commented: “I like being the deepest in midfield getting on the ball and dictating the game.

“But I’ve got no problem going a bit further forward as a No 8 rather than a No 6, because I think I’m not bad when I get closer to the goal as well.”

The number 6 role has become synonymous with McGregor at Paradise. He wins turnovers, dictates the game and then acts as the supply line for the exciting forward players at Ange Postecoglou’s disposal.

Pivotally, he also looks a player above his age bracket. Gills boss, Steve Evans, said during the youngster’s loan spell: “He is a player. He is a kid in a man’s body and I am pleased we got him. I am not going to build him up to what he is not; he is a young player who has come from a great club and he has got great potential.”

Adding to that, a Celtic source told The Athletic: “His technical ability and tactical side of the game are already there, and he’s developed a lot physically over the last few years.”

There are plenty of parallels between him and McGregor. They’ve spent time in England but importantly, their game is similar.

The skipper registered 1.6 key passes per match in the Premiership last season while amassing 1.4 tackles per game this term.

Of course, McGregor is now a fully-fledged international so Robertson has plenty to live up to.

First and foremost, he must make an impression on Postecoglou and earn another chance in the first team.

AND in other news, Ange could discover Celtic’s new Christie by signing £6.3m-rated “top player” in Jan…

The transfer window slammed shut just under 48 hours ago but Celtic and Ange Postecoglou are already planning their next signings ahead of January.

The Hoops signed no fewer than 12 first-team players in the summer market but as they should be, they’re looking at further ways to improve and get ahead in the market.

What’s the word?

One area of the squad that Postecoglou has been keen to improve is the younger options available to him.

Liam Shaw, Liam Scales and Osaze Urhoghide all arrived this summer while Joey Dawson and Bosun Lawal also became Celtic players.

However, the Bhoys won’t stop there in order to improve their youth ranks.

According to The Irish Independent, Celtic are keeping tabs on Sligo Rovers forward Johnny Kenny.

They have planned a scouting mission for Friday when the 18-year-old’s team will take on Drogheda United.

Ange will love him

When Postecoglou was first given the Celtic job, he revealed just how important young players would be to his plans.

The Australian said: “I’m a big believer that, if you can produce homegrown talent and players who have come through the club, there’s extra meaning to represent that football club for the player. For the supporters, they see one of their own out there and I think that’s very important.”

He added: “The first step of that is to make sure the talent is being produced and nurtured at the club. I want to get really involved in the Academy process and see where they’re at. They’ve produced some fantastic footballers in recent times.

“My job is to give those footballers an opportunity and make them realise their potential. For me, age is irrelevant.”

Those quotes came within days of him taking the role and he has so far lived up to that promise with the sheer number of teenagers he’s signed.

Furthermore, he has already made moves to include academy players in the matchday squad on a regular basis with Dane Murray and Adam Montgomery earning game time in the early moments of the season.

Therefore, if you consider Kenny’s qualities and CV to date, Postecoglou should love him.

Speaking about the Irishman earlier this year, Sligo Rovers manager Liam Buckley commented: “He’s a top talent. We pulled him into the first-team group this year from the start – he jumped in and he’s not looking back.”

Buckley concluded: “His finishing is really good.”

Six senior goals in just 23 senior outings at his age is an impressive haul and he opened his account for 2021/22 by scoring a goal for his team in the UEFA Conference League qualifiers against Icelandic opposition FH Hafnarfjördur.

With so many vibrant young players walking through the door, the future looks bright at Parkhead; the addition of Kenny will also improve that.

AND in other news, Celtic may have just repeated their John McGinn howler…

Liverpool’s incredible rise under Jurgen Klopp in recent years came to a sudden halt this season as injuries and a severe drop-off in form allowed Manchester City to regain their Premier League crown with relative ease.

Their disappointing showing throughout 2020/21 has left many questions to be answered over the coming months, with several changes expected to be made by the Anfield outfit’s hierarchy.

One victim of Liverpool’s substandard campaign is set to be Xherdan Shaqiri after the Switzerland international made just five top-flight starts for the Reds.

Despite the enduring struggles of Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, Klopp was either unable to call upon Shaqiri’s services due to injury or through a lack of trust in the 29-year-old’s ability.

Many had high hopes when the former Bayern Munich man arrived on Merseyside back in 2018, but after a solid first season at Liverpool, the diminutive forward has struggled to make an impact with the 19-time English champions.

Shaqiri’s modest return of eight goals and nine assists in 63 appearances for Klopp’s side is way below the level expected of a forward turning out for a side aiming to scoop up football’s top honors and has unsurprisingly seen him linked with a move away this summer.

However, with money tight due to the financial impact of the ongoing pandemic and the centre-back, central midfield and striker positions expected to be prioritised by the Reds, they may have to make a bold decision as they search for Shaqiri’s successor in the upcoming transfer window.

Klopp has never been afraid to put his faith in Liverpool’s academy products since he arrived at the club, rewarding the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Curtis Jones and Neco Williams with their first-team debuts during his tenure.

Another teenager talent who has benefitted from the enigmatic German manager’s faith is Harvey Elliott.

The youngster made nine appearances for Liverpool in 2019/20 before being sent out on loan to Championship outfit Blackburn Rovers for the recently concluded campaign.

Despite it being his first full season in senior football, Elliott shone throughout his 12-month spell at Ewood Park, bagging seven goals and providing 11 assists in 41 league appearances for Tony Mowbray’s men.

Ex-Rovers teammate Elliott Bennett once described the 18-year-old as a “special, special player” on Twitter after a dazzling display for the Lancashire outfit, and his magnificent performers have arguably done enough to prove he’s already got the ability to make the step up to the Premier League.

While Elliott may not be at the level required to start week in week out for Liverpool as Klopp aims to return them to the summit of English football, his integration into the first-team set-up will allow his parent club to focus their limited resources on other, higher priority positions, giving them a better chance of recapturing their Premier League title.

He could be the perfect replacement if the Reds choose to cash in on Shaqiri.

And, in other news…Liverpool must swoop for “intelligent” 12-assist wizard, Jurgen Klopp needs him 

Celtic have seen a significant number of players join the Parkhead club over recent years, either on loan or permanent deals.

While the club have been active in the transfer market, this always increases the chances of having the occasional deal not go as well as they may have hoped.

One particular deal that looks to have been a let-down for the Hoops is their 2020 swoop for midfielder Ismaila Soro.

During the January transfer window in 2019/20, Celtic secured a four-and-a-half-year deal for the midfielder worth £2m from Israeli side Bnei Yehuda.

Despite signing in January, the Ivorian didn’t end up making his debut for the Bhoys until September 2020, in a 5-0 SPFL win over Ross County – having been out with a knee injury in the months prior.

Overall, the 23-year-old has made just 43 appearances for the Hoops across all competitions, scoring just one goal and providing one assist in the process.

Back in February last year, former Celtic manager Neil Lennon admitted that the midfielder was “struggling with a bit of fatigue” as a result of the number of games he was playing at the time.

This doesn’t seem to be the case this season under Postecoglou, as the midfielder has only started six of the 19 games he’s appeared in across all competitions.

According to Transfermarkt, Soro’s current market value stands at £810k, which is significantly lower than the £2m that the Bhoys splashed out to bring him to Celtic Park.

Given his lack of action in this campaign, it’s hard to suggest that he’s been justifying that transfer fee.

Even when he has been given the chance to play in the league, the midfielder hasn’t done much to convince Postecoglou he has what it takes to be a regular member of the team.

With eight league appearances to his name, Soro has earned himself a rather underwhelming overall WhoScore match rating of 6.25, making him the lowest-rated Celtic player to play in more than two league games.

Taking all of this into account, unless the 23-year-old can turn his fortunes around sooner rather than later and start helping the team out, then the club will start to have some regrets over bringing him to Parkhead in the first place – with his signing already appearing to have been something of a nightmare.

AND in other news: Huge blow: Celtic suffer major injury setback, it’s terrible news for Postecoglou