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Newcastle United have reportedly been urged to sign Nabil Bentaleb on a permanent deal from German club Schalke 04 after only initially having him on loan for the 2019/20 season.

According to Bild (via NUFC 360), the Bundesliga outfit are hoping that the Magpies will opt to buy the former Tottenham Hotspur man on a permanent basis for €10m, which is the equivalent of around £9.1m.

Schalke would apparently like to use the potential transfer fee that they receive for Bentaleb to improve their own squad for the upcoming summer transfer window.

However, the Gelsenkirchen-based are nervous to discover what the plans are for the 25-year old at St. James’ Park, as there has not yet been any contact between the two clubs to discuss a possible move, and Steve Bruce has admitted that deals such as this one for loan players will not be sorted out quickly.

Newcastle may be looking to potentially push the asking price down if they are to negotiate a permanent transfer for Bentaleb in the summer.

Indeed, the Algerian international could be a decent buy based off of his stats so far in the 2019/20 Premier League season compared with some of the other central midfield players currently with the Magpies.

Bentaleb has averaged more interceptions per game than Isaac Hayden, Jonjo Shelvey and Sean Longstaff, and also boasts the highest passing accuracy out of all of them, as per Whoscored.

Whether Newcastle decide to sign him on a permanent deal is another question, but it could well be a good move based on some of Bentaleb’s statistics compared to the other midfielders at the club as well as a potentially lowered asking fee.

Geordies, would you like Newcastle to sign Bentaleb permanently? Comment below with your views!

One problem that Leeds may have ahead of next season is that they don’t have much Premier League experience at the club.

Pablo Hernandez and Patrick Bamford head up the first team in terms of players with the most experience in the English top-flight, but what shouldn’t be forgotten is that one influential member of their backroom team has operated in the Premier League before.

Indeed, during his time at Middlesbrough Victor Orta spent a season in the Premier League, working alongside Aitor Karanka after Boro’s promotion.

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Unfortunately, Orta’s only season as a director of football at the top-table ended with relegation as Boro went out with a whimper, finishing 19th, 12 points adrift of safety.

It’s harsh to say it, but Orta has to take the brunt of the blame for Boro’s shortcomings as well, he did a lot of work in the window, with the cumulative transfermarkt valuation of all his signings coming to £67.5m, but none of the signings would go on to make the desired impact.

We’ve heard this summer that Leeds’ transfer strategy may focus around signing top players from the Championship, and that’s seemingly a model Orta followed with Boro as well, signing Rudy Gestede, Adama Traore, Brad Guzan and Fabio from Aston Villa and Cardiff, while also bringing in Patrick Bamford on a permanent deal after a successful loan spell a couple of years prior. Unfortunately, none of those players really lit up the Premier League.

Of course, we know Traore as a different animal today, but in 2016/17 he contributed to just one goal in 27 appearances, while Gestede and Bamford scored a combined three goals between them.

Orta also went for the odd big name, with Victor Valdes and Alvaro Negredo coming to the Riverside Stadium, but these players ended up being a waste of money, leaving the club after less than a year and failing to keep them in the top-flight.

Hopefully, that first go-round with Middlesbrough taught Orta a lot, because if he makes the same mistakes with Leeds, the Whites could be in danger.

Tottenham Hotspur have made some changes in regards to their goalkeepers at the club as Michel Vorm left the club, whilst former Premier League winner Joe Hart signed, and this has left many to speculate on the future of Paulo Gazzaniga.

According to The Telegraph, Fulham manager Scott Parker is keen on the goalkeeper and is preparing a move to sign the Argentinian.

Parker is willing to make Gazzaniga the number one goalkeeper at the newly promoted side ahead of Marek Rodak, and this could tempt him away from North London.

Since signing for Spurs from Southampton back in 2017, the 28 year-old has made 37 appearances, keeping ten clean sheets and conceding 43 goals, per Transfermarkt.

Mauricio Pochettino was the manager at the time of his arrival and he heaped praise on him in the past. Indeed, back in November 2017 he said of his compatriot: “I think it was fantastic. His debut at Wembley and I think he deserved a lot of praise. He was very calm. He made a few amazing saves. For me he was fantastic,” (Football.London).

He has never held the number one spot though, and if he has been drafted in to play, it is normally due to a Hugo Lloris injury, and therefore it might be good for the player to leave Tottenham.

Jose Mourinho clearly made a statement when he signed Joe Hart which showed that he felt he needed better cover for Lloris, and if Spurs can get some money for Gazzaniga, then a transfer to Fulham might be best for all involved – he is currently valued at £2.52m

If Mourinho does need a third goalkeeper, then a player from the academy could be an easy option here as it is very unlikely a third goalkeeper will be called upon to play and with the former Saints goalkeeper nearing his 30’s, he probably will want to be playing consistently and Fulham are offering him that at a high level.

Spurs fans, what are your thoughts on this news? Comment below!

Tottenham Hotspur appear to have been handed a major opportunity to put an end one of their biggest ongoing issues this week…

What’s the word?

According to the Express, Spurs are expected to make a move for Napoli striker Arkadiusz Milik to provide much-needed competition to Harry Kane.

They claim that the north Londoners have been monitoring the 26-year-old all summer and now that interest from Serie A duo Juventus and Roma has fallen through, the door has been opened for Daniel Levy to pounce.

Napoli value Milik at £26m and it is thought that he’d be open to a move to the Premier League this summer.

Llorente 2.0

Spurs have been crying out for a backup centre-forward for the best part of a year and now they may have finally found their man – albeit at a premium price.

Levy failed to replace Fernando Llorente last summer and once again during the January transfer window, leaving Jose Mourinho with a selection nightmare after Kane picked up a long-term injury at the start of the year.

It’s time for him to make amends for that and swoop for Milik.

The Polish international enjoyed another goal-laden campaign despite only starting 21 matches. He bagged 14 times whilst averaging 2.5 shots and 1.5 aerials won, via WhoScored.

His imposing 6 foot 1 frame draws some similarities to the Spanish veteran and that’s merely reinforced by his comparisons to fellow compatriot, the Champions League winning Robert Lewandowski.

Whilst he’s even been likened to arch-rival Dennis Bergkamp following a 4-1 devouring of Roma back in March 2019. During that match, Milik tore apart former Spurs centre-back Federico Fazio – the 33-year-old picked up a low 6.4 rating by SofaScore and was well beaten for the Pole’s strike.

Carlo Ancelotti, his old boss at Napoli, has previously described the prolific talisman as “sensational” whilst his successor Gennaro Gattuso believes there aren’t many players in the game stronger than Milik.

Kane needs a number two and the 26-year-old appears to be the perfect foil to either partner him or to use as a plan B, Levy must actually get this deal done – even for £26m.

AND in other news, Spurs must win transfer tussle to sign £27m trophy winner…

West Ham United are all over the place at the moment.

The Hammers’ transfer business has been less than inspiring, and after two defeats in their opening two matches, something has to change sooner rather than later.

Fortunately, the London club are being linked with some exciting moves, with reports claiming that they’re interested in loaning Chelsea’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

This move would certainly bolster the Hammers’ midfield as the England international would add some much-needed creativity to what has turned into a rather flat XI.

However, West Ham do already have a player in this mould, in the shape of Jack Wilshere.

There are a lot of parallels to be drawn between Wilshere and Loftus-Cheek, with the pair being young creative English midfielders who have dazzled with their ball control and passing ability.

Unfortunately, Wilshere’s West Ham career may be coming to an end, with reports earlier this month claiming that the club are ready to terminate his £100k a week contract in order to cut some costs.

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We’ve already argued that paying the 28-year-old £5.2m for the rest of the year is a risk worth taking for the club due to the fact that it’d be a tough task to find a player that talented for such a price, but in Loftus-Cheek they may have found that man.

If the Chelsea man is brought in for the season it would mitigate a lot of the risk attached to releasing Wilshere, as they will have a man who is amongst the England reckoning when he is fit and at his best.

Will it still be painful for West Ham fans if Wilshere goes on to excel elsewhere? Of course it will be, but if Loftus-Cheek performs how we know he can, that pain will be eased.

According to an update by Italian radio station Retesport, via Inside Futbol, Tottenham made an official £22.7 million bid to snap up AS Roma defender Roger Ibanez as a potential alternative to Milan Skriniar – but the Serie A giants were unmoved and thus rejected the proposal. 

Ibanez, despite barely featuring for Roma last season, is seen as a promising talent with huge potential – made evident by his cameos for Brazil Under-23s since October 2019.

The 21-year-old, currently valued at around just £7.2 million by Transfermarkt, stands at a lofty 6ft 1 and Roma believe he is worth treble his market valuation – knocking back a £22.7m bid from Spurs as the transfer window deadline day looms.

As per reliable Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold, Tottenham want two more signings even after securing both Gareth Bale and Sergio Reguilon in a sensational double swoop nearly a fortnight ago – with Inter Milan colossus Milan Skriniar firmly on the agenda.

In negotiations since last week according to Fabrizio Romano, Spurs and Inter could reach an impasse over his potential fee – with the Lilywhites reportedly unwilling to go beyond £31.8 million and Antonio Conte’s side valuing Skriniar at £45.5 million. 

As a result, Tottenham could now be in the market for any potential alternatives if an agreement cannot be reached, and Ibanez has recently been at the centre of a Levy enquiry according to Retesport.

However, after their bid was rejected, Spurs may have to look elsewhere – and Chelsea centre-back Antonio Rudiger has recently been linked with a potential loan move to north London. 

Spurs fans, will your club sign a centre-back this window? Have your say in the comments down below…

Lots of Everton fans have been raving over some comments made by Allan, which were shared on the Toffees’ official website.

The Brazil international said:

“My wife says it is a bit annoying. She says, ‘You never want to lose, you never want to come last, you always want to be in first place and winning’. But that’s my style of play and I hope I never lose it.”

Indeed, the fact that Allan does not like to lose will surely please several members of the Goodison Park faithful, who may have felt their players have not had that same mental edge in recent years.

Since the 29-year old signed for the Merseyside club, the Blues have won four out of four games in the Premier League and have also booked themselves a place in the Carabao Cup quarter-final, where they will face Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United for a place in the semis.

Allan has given EFC a winning mentality, and playing in the defensive midfield role, he has been a big influence in the middle of the park, winning 6.7 of his duels per game in the top flight and also averaging four tackles, 1.7 clearances and 1.3 interceptions per match in England’s highest division so far, as per Sofascore.

Everton fan reaction to Allan’s comments

These supporters buzzed upon reading the comments made by Allan on Twitter:

Evertonians, what do you make of Allan’s comments? Comment below!

West Brom broke their club-record transfer fee this summer, bringing loan sensation Grady Diangana back to the Hawthorns after an impressive temporary stint last season.

But the Baggies haven’t always had great success with their big-money signings – £13m signing Nacer Chadli failed to back up his price tag before being quickly moved on whilst Oliver Burke’s arrival was arguably the worst piece of business they have ever done.

Although, it’s now Albion who are having the last laugh on the matter.

At the time, he became the most expensive Scottish player in history as Tony Pulis brought him to the Hawthorns from RB Leipzig for a whopping £15m.

The 23-year-old winger would go onto play just 24 times for the Midlands outfit, contributing only one goal and three assists, via Transfermarkt.

During the past two seasons alone, he was sent out on loan to both Celtic and La Liga strugglers Alaves, though neither side wanted to take a punt in signing him permanently.

Instead, it was top-flight rivals Sheffield United who took that on that burden this summer, paying an “undisclosed fee” as well as sending versatile forward Callum Robinson, who also enjoyed a successful spell at the Baggies during their promotion-winning campaign, the other way.

However, The Star claim that Albion paid £3m plus Burke to secure the Irishman.

And so far, it’s turned out to be a masterstroke from Luke Dowling and co as Burke has failed to prove his credentials for the Blades this campaign.

Per WhoScored, the 6 foot 2 Scotsman has averaged just one key pass, 0.7 shots and 0.3 dribbles per game. He’s even managed a shocking 57.6% pass success rate, which ranks him third-worst in the entire league for any outfield player to start three or more matches.

In contrast, Robinson has already delivered two goals for Slaven Bilic – against Chelsea too – and is averaging more shots and dribbles than the former Pulis flop.

Considering Burke was raking in £30k-per-week at the club, Albion have done wonders in getting him off the wage bill and have delivered an outrageous coup in getting Robinson too.

The Baggies may have lost over £20m on him through fees, swaps and wages, but he’s now United’s problem meaning Bilic and Dowling have had the last laugh here.

AND in other news, West Brom may have uncovered their next Harvey Barnes, even if it’s a BAD sign…

Matty Phillips is one of West Brom’s longest-serving players but it’s ever so clear that he’s not in Slaven Bilic’s first-team plans.

And with the January transfer window on the horizon, it might be best for the two parties to part ways.

The 29-year-old, who has been capped 16 times by Scotland, originally joined the Hawthorns in the summer of 2016, signing for Tony Pulis in a £6m deal from Queens Park Rangers.

He has since gone on to feature 145 times in a Baggies shirt, scoring 21 goals and providing 23 assists, via Transfermarkt.

However, in the past year, the winger has found game time hard to come by – Phillips has played just 69 minutes in the Premier League this term, and has started just one of their last 15 matches across the top-flight and the Championship.

Phillips is among the high-earners at the club on £20k-per-week, so his continued absence is merely a waste of money for the club. He’s burned around £10.5m in total since his arrival when his wages and that transfer fee is combined.

He’s hardly been convincing when given an opportunity by Bilic either, averaging a dreadful passing accuracy of 58.3%, per WhoScored.

In fact, Phillips’ record in the Premier League is pretty dry – contributing with just 11 goals in 115 appearances, so clearly, he’s never been up to the standard and makes the thought of selling him in January a little easier to bear.

Last season in the second-tier, the Scotsman was lauded as a “game-changer” who has “got everything” by Football Insider pundit Noel Whelan, though we’re yet to see that in the big time.

As a promotion-winner, he wouldn’t be short of options in the Championship. You could fully see him going into a playoff-chasing team and making a difference, but in the Midlands, it’s just not going to happen.

Bilic has far better options in Grady Diangana, Callum Robinson and even Kyle Edwards.

It would be best for all if Phillips was moved on this winter.

AND in other news, West Brom must ignore calls for 66 y/o at the Hawthorns…

Everton finally welcome star forward Richarlison back to the fold for Sunday’s Premier League trip to Fulham following the Brazilian’s three-match suspension, but while Carlo Ancelotti welcomes one in, he loses another.

Toffees captain Seamus Coleman was forced to return to Finch Farm during the November international break after sustaining an injury while training with the Republic of Ireland squad ahead of his nation’s friendly with England.

The right-back underwent further scans to assess the situation but has since been ruled out of this weekend’s fixture at Craven Cottage with an aggravation of the hamstring issue that prevented his involvement in October’s loss to Southampton.

Ancelotti was met with further injury scares as Everton’s players returned to Merseyside from the international break, leaving the Italian to ponder a raft of changes. So, with that in mind, here’s a predicted line-up the former Chelsea coach could favour against Fulham…

Sunday’s trip to Craven Cottage will be an important clash for Ancelotti to orchestrate, having seen Everton slip from an unbeaten Premier League side after five games to be winless in their last three.

The Blues are without a top-flight clean sheet since the opening day of the campaign, either, yet will be expected to name Jordan Pickford between the posts after the England international kept Iceland from scoring the UEFA Nations League earlier this week.

Michael Keane was on the bench for Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions but should start for Everton alongside compatriot Mason Holgate, after the duo combined well in defeat at home to Manchester United despite the 3-1 scoreline.

Lucas Digne’s creativity ought to ensure the Frenchman likewise retains his place, having provided the highest number of accurate crosses (14) and more key balls (11) than all Everton players bar James Rodriguez (17) in the league this season, per WhoScored.

Kenny should be in line to make only his second start of the top-flight campaign in place of the injured Coleman after featuring in place of the Toffees captain at Newcastle, where he won each of his ground duels, made two tackles, one clearance, attempted six crosses and took 61 touches, per SofaScore.

Ancelotti faced an anxious wait over the international break after star summer signing Allan sustained a muscle injury in training with Brazil, but the midfield enforcer has been declared fit to feature at Fulham.

Abdoulaye Doucoure will expect to join Keane and striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin in being the only Everton players to boast a 100% starting record in the Premier League this term, having demanded a commanding presence since his £20million arrival with 19 tackles, 11 interceptions, seven successful dribbles, eight shots and 10 aerial duels contended.

The third midfield slot in Ancelotti’s plans will be up for grabs this weekend after Gylfi Sigurdsson failed to secure the role after displacing Andre Gomes against Manchester United, and perhaps will fall behind Bernard after the Brazilian impressed standing in for Richarlison.

Bernard offered great link-up play with the overlapping Digne at home to Manchester United, while breaking the deadlock in the 19th-minute for his first goal of the season and recording WhoScored’s highest match rating for an Everton player at 7.7/10 thanks to 62 touches, two key balls, 34 accurate passes, two successful dribbles, two tackles, two clearances and one interception.

As for Sigurdsson, the £16.2m-rated Iceland midfielder could only offer one key ball from 25 accurate passes, no successful dribbles, tackles or shots taken before being replaced in the 67th-minute.

If Ancelotti does not favour a central role for Bernard after his excellence on the wing, Gomes ought to be next in line for another chance with Tom Davies and Fabian Delph so far restricted to just 92 and 154 minutes of Premier League football this season.

Richarlison’s return to the wing to partner Calvert-Lewin and James Rodriguez in attack will come as a welcome relief for Ancelotti and Everton, with the Brazilian ranking third among all Premier League forwards for ground duels won (43) and sixth for successful dribbles (16), per SofaScore, despite missing the last three fixtures.

Calvert-Lewin will be hoping the winger’s return will also see him net once more, having struck seven in five games with the former Watford attacker but only once in three since.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti can end Tom Davies’ Everton career with a swoop for a lethal £19m-rated target.