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Things are just beginning to look up if you’re a Newcastle United fan.

After a dreadful and timid display at home to Manchester United eventually saw them lose 4-1, the Magpies have enjoyed a couple of very impressive results in the Premier League.

First, Steve Bruce’s side rescued a very creditable point away at notoriously hard to play Wolves at Molineux, before picking up a huge 2-1 win against this season’s high-fliers Everton.

Spot the fact from the fib: Are these Premier League records true or false?

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With in-form Southampton their next challenge in the top-flight, there’s a real chance Newcastle could end up in the top four by the end of Friday night, if – and it’s a big if – they can beat Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.

Below is a look at just how the Magpies could potentially line up.

With Martin Dubravka still no closer to making his return to the starting line-up thanks to injury, Karl Darlow will continue in between the sticks for the Magpies.

In front of him, Bruce will no doubt continue with the same back-five that served him so well in that clash against Everton, with very little reason to make changes there.

The two big decisions that the Newcastle boss will have to make comes further forward. Both Isaac Hayden and Ryan Fraser came on as substitutes in that win over the Toffees, and will surely be pushing for a start this time around against Southampton.

Sean Longstaff’s inspired performance on his return from injury may however have convinced Bruce that he should be kept in the starting eleven, meaning Hayden will have to settle for a place on the bench.

Miguel Almiron on the other hand, is surely in danger of losing his place, especially given Fraser’s contribution to Wilson’s second goal, which proved to be the match-winner of course thanks to Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s late strike.

That could see Bruce field a very exciting, and pacy, front-three of Fraser, Allan Saint-Maximin and Callum Wilson.

Predicted XI: Darlow; Murphy, Schar, Lascelles, Fernandez, Lewis; Longstaff, Hendrick; Saint-Maximin, Wilson, Fraser.

Tottenham Hotspur could sell seven players to fund Jose Mourinho’s summer spending spree, reports say. 

Tottenham have signed Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg from Southampton for a fee in excess of their original £15m opening offer, via the BBC.

Now the Lilywhites have turned their attention to looking at other new recruits as Mourinho is ready to ring changes in the summer.

According to Football Insider, Spurs need to sell before the club can make some major signings, while Kyle Walker-Peters has joined the Saints for a reported £12m to bring his time in north London to an end.

Daniel Levy is trying to sell Serge Aurier to AC Milan after he apparently agreed to move to the San Siro as he has no intentions of signing a new deal.

The Portuguese reportedly wants to sign an attacking midfielder, a centre-back, a right-back, as well as a backup striker for Harry Kane and goalkeeper to provide cover for Hugo Lloris.

Mourinho must sell the deadwood in order to raise some much-needed transfer funds, which includes defenders Juan Foyth, Danny Rose and Cameron Carter-Vickers, while Erik Lamela is also considered surplus to requirements.

Spurs have entered into negotiations with Inter Milan to sort out a deal for Tanguy Ndombele, as he wants to leave north London after falling out with Mourinho. Nevertheless, Daniel Levy may regret letting him leave as he could end up fulfilling his full potential elsewhere.

Kane suffered a torn hamstring during the defeat to Southampton last season and Spurs struggled to score goals during his lengthy absence. Finding a forward who is capable of providing him with competition and cover is paramount in the transfer market. The Lilywhites have been linked to several top-class strikers, including England international Callum Wilson and Napoli’s Arkadiusz Milik, who could be available for a cut-price deal.

Tottenham fans, do you think Mourinho will make the signings he needs to compete for trophies next season? 

N’Golo Kante remains a top priority of former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte as he hopes to bolster his squad to aid their 2020/21 run.

The Italian is an admirer of Chelsea’s midfielder and talks have ramped up after it was made apparent that he was not considered an important part of Frank Lampard’s plans.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness), Conte is willing to try different approaches to raise the funds for Kante’s hefty €50million (£44.1m) asking price.

Inter are hoping to agree a swap deal involving Marcelo Brozovic, a player who Chelsea have reportedly shown interest in. However, failing this, the Serie A side would be looking to offload some senior personnel in order to raise the funds to meet the transfer fee.

Names including Milan Skriniar, Ivan Perisic and Radja Nainggolan have been thrown into the mix as potential outgoings.

Conte has highlighted Kante’s ability to lead his side to success after winning a Premier League title with both Leicester and Chelsea.

Lampard has impressed with his business on the transfer market so far, welcoming five high-calibre signings over the threshold. However, there’s still a couple of names being mentioned who are yet to agree terms with the Blues.

Kai Havertz is close to becoming Chelsea’s latest recruit after Bayer Leverkusen manager Peter Bosz admitted the 21-year-old is likely not to train with the German side again.

Declan Rice is another name heavily linked with a move to West London, and cashing in on Kante could raise serious funds to make the move happen. Chelsea are reportedly tabling a £70million offer for the England international, pocketing £44.1m from the sale of Kante will make up the majority of what they need to land Rice.

Do you think Chelsea should cash in on N’Golo Kante? Join the conversation in the comments below…

Steven Bergwijn has emerged as one of the few positives in a difficult season for Tottenham Hotspur. 

The 22-year-old briefly shone for Tottenham until he missed the last game against RB Leipzig prior to the nationwide lockdown after picking up an ankle injury.

Bergwijn has bagged 3 goals in 7 league games, including striking on his home debut against defending champions Manchester City.

Spurs started the Premier League restart well after he opened the scoring against Manchester United, before Eric Dier’s blunder allowed the Red Devils to claw their way back to a 1-1 draw last week (BBC).

As is the fashion these days, Jose Mourinho held a virtual press conference prior to their 2-0 win against West Ham and singled out Bergwijn for high praise, although he admitted the Dutchman wasn’t his first choice.

The Portuguese told football.london correspondent Alasdair Gold he is a “good player, good professional, good boy. Congratulations to my club, the way they did it.

“Initially, and I’m always very honest on this, he wasn’t my first option when we decided to make a movement in the winter.

“But in the end, a great decision. A player with a great future, can play on the right and the left.

“We’re more than happy, not just his age, but also his professional attitude. The way he trains, the way he lives. He’s the kind of kid that can only be better.”

Spurs don’t have an easy run of fixtures remaining, as Mourinho’s side still have to face Sheffield United away and Arsenal at home.

Time and again Bergwijn has shown he can make a difference, as he scored against high-flying Wolves in March.

The Dutch international, who can be deployed on either flank, has taken 1.3 shots per game, averaging 1.5 key passes, and made 1.2 tackles on average (via WhoScored).

Mourinho praised his work ethic on-and-off the pitch so his contributions clearly haven’t gone unnoticed. The Lilywhites will know they must earn as many points as possible if they are to qualify for the Champions League.

If Bergwijn can continue to adjust to Mourinho’s methodology, he should be able to maintain his sensational form for the remainder of the season.

Tottenham fans, have you been impressed by Steven Bergwijn? Let us know down below!

Plenty of Everton fans are split on the possible signing of FC Barcelona ace Jean-Clair Todibo as Spanish outlet Sport have reported that “everything points to” the Merseyside club getting him in the summer transfer window.

As per the outlet, the Catalan giants are asking for a fee of 20 million euros, plus 5 million in bonuses, which is the equivalent of around £22.5 million.

However, the Toffees face potential competition from AS Roma to get his signature on the dotted line, as the publication also reports that the Blues have now frozen their interest for now anyway.

Nevertheless, if the opportunity arose, Carlo Ancelotti’s team could swoop in, providing that they pay the asking price.

The central defender, who was on loan at FC Schalke 04 in the 2019/20 season, averaged more tackles, interceptions and dribbles in the Bundesliga than Mason Holgate, Michael Keane and Yerry Mina did in the Premier League in the last campaign, but also averaged the fewest clearances, passes and long balls per league game, according to Whoscored.

Being just 20 years of age, Todibo arguably still has a lot of potential, but the Frenchman does not have any prior experience playing in England.

These members of the Goodison Park faithful seemed split on Twitter as to whether Todibo would be a good signing:

Evertonians, would Todibo be a good signing? Comment below!

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Injury News series, which considers the impact of the latest updates on players’ fitness.

Newcastle have suffered numerous injuries to defensive players this season and Ciaran Clark is the latest who looks set to miss a few games.

However, their ability to cope will come down to their beefy squad depth in the centre of defence.

What’s the latest?

The Republic of Ireland international has been a regular starter in recent weeks after injuries to other key defenders provided him with a chance to shine, and he is making the most of his opportunity.

However, he was forced off in the win over Southampton at half-time, with Steve Bruce explaining that he took a knock to his calf, with the substitution decision likely being made as a precaution.

The duration of his injury is still unknown at this point and the centre-back has made quick recoveries to previous injuries, such as the knock he picked up on international duty a few weeks ago.

Strength in depth

Newcastle have coped well despite losing several important defenders this term and therefore the injury to Clark, even if he misses many games, shouldn’t prevent Bruce’s side picking up points.

Paul Dummett and Federico Fernandez have stepped up with impressive performances that have pleased fans since Jamaal Lascelles and Fabian Schar were sidelined. That is a reflection of the good work Bruce has done, both in terms of the organisation of his team as well as his improvement of players.

Schar was Newcastle’s highest-rated defender last term, via WhoScored, earning an average match rating of 7.30. Lascelles racked up a number of 6.80, but played 32 games.

Who the heck is that?! Can you name all 25 of these obscure Liverpool signings…

However, with Clark out too, a man who won 3.9 aerial duels in 2019/20, one would assume they’d be in a bit of trouble.

That being said, the Magpies still have Florian Lejeune to come back from his injury setback too. He is yet to play a minute this term but his form last season made him popular amongst the fanbase and that means there are multiple defensive options for the Newcastle boss to call upon.

Fernandez was named in Alan Shearer’s Premier League Team of the Week not so long ago and even without Schar and Lascelles, they’ve gone onto lose just one of their last seven fixtures. This points to a Newcastle side who have a strong ability to cope with setbacks, particularly because of their strength in depth.

With this in mind, Bruce must look to establish such depth in all areas of his squad, with a lack of options on the wing and a lack of quality striking options two problems he needs to address.

Fans seem to agree, too, which is why they are frustrated with a planned lack of movement in the January transfer window, as that could come as a detriment to the squad, and perhaps hinder them for the rest of the campaign.

Certainly, from a defensive point of view though, they look well set.

Further injuries to key players, such as the one suffered by Allan Saint-Maximin, could begin to deplete Newcastle of their better players, and that means Bruce should be keen to make signings next month.

Name: Sean Longstaff

Club: Newcastle United

Date of Birth: 30 October 1997

Position: Midfielder (Central/Attacking)

Sean Longstaff – his career so far

Sean David Longstaff is the older of the two Longstaff brothers who are currently plying their trade at Newcastle United in the Premier League. Just like his brother, Matthew Ben Longstaff, the 22-year-old midfielder has been a life-long fan of the Magpies and has joined the club at an early age, advancing through the ranks of their academy and making it on the big stage.

Sean and Ben are the sons of David Longstaff, a former ice hockey player for Great Britain who was capped over 100 times for the national team before retiring from the professional scene in the year of 2013.

Even though the older Longstaff brother has been at Newcastle for a bit longer than his younger sibling, his road towards the senior team under Steve Bruce has been somewhat different from Matthew’s.

Both brothers spent some time playing for the Magpies’ development squads but the older brother was also sent out on loan before he would return a more developed and mature player, slotting into the first-team squad at the beginning of 2019.

Longstaff played just two documented games for Newcastle’s U18 squad before making a jump into the U23s where he featured for a total of 46 games, scoring nine goals and assisting nine more in the process as well.

But in January 2017, he went on a loan to Kilmarnock and ended up registering 17 appearances in Scotland and rattling the inside of the opposition’s net three times. Upon returning to Tyneside, his signature was in demand once again so he signed for Blackpool on loan at the start of the 2017/18 campaign, registering 45 appearances in League One and netting nine goals and six assists along the way.

Sean made his competitive first-team debut against Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup in August 2018 and just a few months later, he would also make his Premier League bow coming on as a second-half substitute against Liverpool at Anfield in December 2018.

Since then, he’s made a total of 39 senior team appearances, even bagging three goals and three assists under his belt as well.

Transfer latest

One of the big Newcastle United news coming out of the camp concerning both Longstaff brothers was the transfer rumour that they are potentially looking to hire the superagent Pini Zahavi in an attempt to resolve their futures.

The transfer news stated the negotiations for their new contracts has hit a brick wall recently and getting a new agent in would likely help to solve that problem. Sean, however, has a contract running until 2022 while his younger brother’s expires this summer.

It still seems that Newcastle want both homegrown talents to stay but recent updates suggest no real breakthrough has been made in the last couple of months. As things currently stand, both of their futures are still up in the air.

Player profile

Even though both Longstaff brothers are midfielders by trade, Sean likes to operate higher up the pitch, often slotting just behind the striker and being that creative link between the middle and the final third of the pitch.

He is very comfortable on the ball and can cause some real danger in and around the opposition’s box, both through his passing and shooting over a longer distance. But his defensive output should also not be disregarded.

Longstaff can be deployed in a deeper role where he will use his work rate and energy to break the opposition’s attacks and restart his own, often tackling and intercepting his counterparts. Even though he is playing in a Newcastle team that doesn’t thrive on possession or is that attacking-minded in the first place, Longstaff is often the one to inject them with some purpose and drive.

But being versatile enough to cover multiple spots in midfield is a trait not many possess and something Bruce can certainly use in his team.

Everton fans chose not to acknowledge the words of Marco Silva after his latest press conference which looked towards their Premier League game away at Leicester City on Sunday.

The Portuguese manager is under intense scrutiny after a series of poor results and performances have put him on the brink of dismissal.

His side have managed to win just four games out of their first 13 Premier League outings, conceding 20 goals in the process.

He said during his press conference that his side needs to channel their anger accurately, and called for players in the dressing room to stand up and take responsibility for their performances.

Supporters did not show much interest in what he had to say, emphasising once more that he is holding the club back and needs to be sacked from his role.

Here you will find some of the best comments from Everton fans:

Everton fans, has Silva done all he can? Let us know below!

It was not really a good night for Tottenham Hotspur when they visited Manchester United at Old Trafford on Wednesday evening.

Jose Mourinho’s return ended in a 2-1 defeat to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in what represented his first defeat at the helm.

Spurs evidently had issues to resolve across the pitch and Mourinho couldn’t shift the tide in their favour despite Dele Alli’s magical piece of skill that brought them level in the first half.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

One player, however, who was heavily criticised by many of the fans was actually Harry Kane. When some of them were giving out marks after the game, their star striker was not getting any love whatsoever, with many calling him terrible and just slamming his display.

But the biggest problem seemed to be that Kane was nowhere to be seen throughout the 90 minutes played at Old Trafford. He was isolated and forced to drop deeper to even receive the ball in the first place, resulting in just 43 touches on the night, among the lowest in the whole team with only Paulo Gazzinaga having fewer out of the players from the starting lineup.

Who is that?! Can you name all of these obscure Spurs signings? Give it a go now…

Many of the fans were quick to call him out for being anonymous and missing from yet another big game for Spurs. One fan even called him “useless when he doesn’t get involved” and that seemed to summarise his whole performance against the Red Devils.

Still, it very much feels like the whole team failed to confront United and it resulted in Mourinho’s first defeat of the season.

Let’s see how he reacts to it.

In other news, one of Spurs’ youngsters had a brilliant night against a difficult opponent and many of the fans were absolutely loving it…

Liverpool have confirmed their plans to field two separate squads to compete in both the Club World Cup and their Carabao Cup quarter-final against Aston Villa, and some fans of the West Midlands’ side have been speaking out following Jurgen Klopp’s comments on the situation.

With the two fixtures coinciding, Liverpool will attempt to win the games at both Villa Park and in Qatar, despite Klopp’s previous request for the English Football League (EFL) to reconsider scheduling their tie with Dean Smith’s side.

The Liverpool boss, as reported by James Pearce of The Athletic, said to reporters: “Can we ask Aston Villa to come to Qatar and we play the game over there?”

Whilst a manager as jovial as the German coach could easily have been speaking in jest, these Villa fans were quick to respond to the Liverpool manager’s comments, with a number asking the Champions League-winning boss to pay for their travel to Qatar.

Here are some of the best reactions from these Villa fans following the confirmation of Klopp’s comments.