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Newcastle United could now replace Steve Bruce with Chris Wilder, according to journalist Lee Ryder.

The Lowdown: Bruce under pressure

Bruce is certainly under pressure to get some results in the board, as the Magpies currently sit 19th in the Premier League, with no wins and a mere three points from their first seven games (Premier League).

That said, Mike Ashley seems to be sticking by his man for now, and the international break could not come at a better time for the Tyneside club.

The Latest: Bruce replacement?

Writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, Ryder has revealed that Wilder is among a list of names who could replace Bruce should he leave St James’ Park, with both Eddie Howe and Frank Lampard also being mentioned.

Wilder would reportedly ‘love’ to get the Magpies job and would be a contender if the position did become vacant, according to this report.

The Verdict: Wilder in

Given Newcastle’s poor start to the season, and with a lot of fans calling for Bruce to go, the international break seems to present itself with a perfect time to change manager and get prepared for when the squad returns.

In this case, they should look no further than Wilder. Although Sheffield United were relegated in his second top-flight season at Bramall Lane, the 54-year-old guided the Blades to a very impressive ninth-placed finish the previous term, having just been promoted up from the Championship.

Joe Cole has noted the ‘fantastic’ brand of football that Wilder’s teams often play, and given that his preferred formation is to play with three central defenders like Bruce does, the players should not find it too difficult to adapt to his system and tactics.

He is currently out of the job at the moment, so Newcastle should look to get him in before another club beats them to the chase.

In other news, find out what ‘massive boost’ Newcastle have received

West Brom manager Valerien Ismael has hinted that striker Kenneth Zohore could stay at the club beyond this summer, having impressed of late.

The Lowdown: Zohore sent out on loan

The Baggies were relegated from the Premier League last season, but one player who played no part in their struggles was Zohore.

The 27-year-old spent the 2020/21 campaign on loan at Millwall, but he didn’t impress overall, scoring just twice in 17 Championship appearances.

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The Latest: Striker could stay put

Zohore has arguably been expected to leave West Brom this summer, but speaking to Birmingham Live, Ismael has suggested that the attacker may be given another chance to prove his worth:

“Ken I have to say, over the last two weeks, has raised his intensity for sure.

“At the beginning we had some concerns about whether he can play at that intensity and buy in, but the last two weeks and the game against Birmingham show that we are on the right way with him.

“Strikers of that type you will need in the Championship, he can help us. He can score goals. He has the quality and he is part of the process.

“It’s up to him now to put the performances in on the pitch. My job, with the staff, is to make sure that he has the clarity in his head to know exactly what he has to do. I hope he can confirm what we have seen over the last two weeks.”

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The Verdict: New signing still needed

If Zohore does end up staying with the Baggies, it is vital that another striker is brought in, regardless of the Dane’s future.

They have been linked with moves for the likes of Daryl Dike and Andre Gray, and the former in particular would represent an upgrade on current options having shone on loan for Ismael at Barnsley.

Zohore has shown that he is not good enough to lead the line regularly for a Championship side, and while Karlan Grant is also ahead of him in the pecking order, more depth is required.

In other news, West Brom are reportedly in talks to sign one player this summer. Find out who it is here.

Wolves are having a good start to their Premier League season so far, currently sitting eighth in the table and hoping to take three points today from West Ham which could see them moving above Manchester United.

Bruno Lage has many attacking options at Molineux, all with individual qualities which have helped the team to take five wins from their first 11 games of the season. However with the sheer amount of attackers at his disposal, it’s impossible to play everyone at once.

Adama Traore is one player who has taken a hit when it comes to game-time in Lage’s side, benched for four of the last six fixtures. The 25-year-old winger has had to share his place with Francisco Trincao and Daniel Podence this season.

The £27m-rated Spain international spoke out this week after he was ranked the number one dribbler in Europe in a study by CIES Football Observatory. He said: “I’m proud of that. If I’m the number one dribbler in Europe, it’s because I’m having chances too. I have to be the best that I can be, and if I take the chances I have, I can be the player I want to be in the future.

“This is my mentality, fulfilling that. If you see last season, I was not having the chances that I’ve had this season. But this is my mentality, to grow as a player each day, and then this season now, I’m having more chances close to the goalie and I hope, soon, the ball is going to be hitting the net.”

Lage must unleash the winger, who was once dubbed “unplayable” by Jurgen Klopp, against West Ham today as he would terrify their defenders with not only his proven dribbling abilities, but his forceful and direct attacking approach which sets him apart from many wingers in the Premier League.

These attacking qualities are obviously the reason that many top clubs have taken an interest in the winger, including Liverpool and Barcelona. Lage will need to give Traore game-time and convince him that he is in the 45-year-old’s plans to hold onto him next season.

Wolves will host an impressive and in-form West Ham side at Molineux today and it could be the perfect challenge for Traore to make an impact and try to secure a regular starting place in the team.

In other news: Here is our predicted XI for the West Ham clash

Taking to Twitter, sharing his news on the major links to Jesse Lingard over this last 24 hours, 90min reporter Toby Cudworth has subtly dropped another Adam Hlozek claim.

The Lowdown: West Ham in Hlozek hunt…

Links to the exciting Czech Republic international have been prevalent since just after the end of summer’s eventful transfer window.

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Indeed, as explained by the West Ham correspondent back in September, the Irons were still very much keeping tabs on Hlozek even after the window’s closure.

Manager David Moyes once again failed to bring in a back-up striker for Michail Antonio and all eyes will be on whether he can finally break the mould in January.

Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky’s now confirmed 27% minority stake in West Ham has only accelerated reports of a swoop for Hlozek with 90min reporting in mid-week that they are currently preparing a bid.

The Latest: Cudworth drops another promising Hlozek claim…

Taking to Twitter amid all of the Lingard hysteria, with the Man United ace even dropping a subtle West Ham transfer hint on Instagram (via talkSPORT), Cudworth has gone slightly against the grain as he also makes a Hlozek claim.

He understands that while West Ham’s interest in Lingard ‘remains’, he isn’t ‘necessarily the priority’, whilst interest in Hlozek is ‘very real’ and could present ‘a better long-term option’ – explaining on Twitter:

“#WHUFC & Jesse Lingard as I understand it:

Certain to leave Man Utd

West Ham interest remains

He’s not necessarily the priority

Hlozek interest v real and a better long-term option

Barca, Atleti & Milan options abroad for Lingz”

The Verdict: Double swoop?

The Evening Standard recently reported that Kretinsky’s new-found investment will see Moyes get backed in the transfer market, so much so that they could bring in a striker, new defender and Lingard.

Bearing this in mind, is it too much to ask for both Hlozek and the England international?

Both men would bolster Moyes’ options to no end, with the former lauded as an ‘extraordinary’ player by agent Pavel Paska whilst he also managed an impressive 15 goals and eight assists in just 19 Fortuna Liga appearances over 2020/2021 (Transfermarkt).

Lingard, meanwhile, enjoyed a sensational loan spell at the London Stadium last year and was heralded as the best Premier League player on current form back in April (Adrian Durham to talkSPORT).

In terms of the finances, some sources believe that the playmaker could leave Old Trafford for as little as £10 million in January due to his contract situation as United risk losing him for nothing next summer (The Sun).

Hlozek, meanwhile, is the subject of a potential loan with an obligation to buy bid according to 90min, an arguably more-than affordable move for West Ham depending on the end price tag.

In other news: ‘Yesssss’, ‘Get in’, ‘What a day’…ExWHUemployee’s ‘great news’ has many West Ham fans talking, find out more here.

It does not make sense for West Brom star Matheus Pereira to join Al-Hilal this summer, reporter Luke Hatfield has told Football FanCast.

Pereira has been linked with a move to the Saudi Arabian side, with journalist Ekrem Konur claiming earlier this month that an initial offer for the player has already been made.

The 25-year-old attacker was arguably West Brom’s best performer last season. He was directly involved in 17 Premier League goals, making interest from other clubs no surprise following the Baggies’ relegation to the Championship.

For Hatfield, though, a move to the Saudi Professional League lacks logic. On the recent speculation, the Express & Star reporter said:

“The question as well for Pereira is does he want to be playing in the Saudi Arabian league?

“That’s no disrespect to the league. But if you’ve got the option of playing in a top league in Europe, or in the Premier League, or the Saudi league, unless you’re very financially driven, I don’t think it really makes sense.”

According to the Daily Express, West Ham have held talks with Pereira’s representatives, so a move to a Premier League club still looks like the most likely option for the Brazilian this transfer window.

All things considered, at this stage of his career, it would be a surprise to see Pereira swap English football for the Saudi Professional League.

Former Everton striker Marcus Bent has thrown out the idea of two of his former teammates Duncan Ferguson and Tim Cahill teaming up in management to take the reins at Goodison Park, amid reports that Nuno Santo is the favourite to replace Carlo Ancelotti.

Ferguson is already part of the coaching staff, having joined in 2014, and was Carlo Ancelotti’s assistant manager before his recent departure.

Meanwhile, 41-year-old Cahill, who spent eight seasons at Goodison Park before leaving for the MLS, is yet to take his first steps into coaching, but was meant to take up a role during his time with Melbourne City. However, he continued playing with both Millwall and then in India, and never had the opportunity.

But Ferguson has already had a taste in the hot seat when he took charge of four matches as caretaker manager when Marco Silva was sacked back in December 2019.

The Toffees fans’ favourite put together an inspiring unbeaten run, which included games against Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United, with his reward a promotion to Ancelotti’s coaching staff.

“Tim has got to go in as assistant manager, Dunc [Duncan Ferguson] would be the manager,” Bent exclusively told Football FanCast.

“Tim is currently in Dubai getting a little more intelligence around the game and around the world. The fans adore him. But Dunc has been there a while since Moyesy left, and had that little stint, so maybe give him a chance.”

Out-of-favour Leeds United winger Helder Costa could leave the Whites on loan after Dan James signs, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Costa out of favour at Leeds

Marcelo Bielsa has many exciting attacking players at his disposal at Elland Road but Costa isn’t currently one of them.

The 27-year-old has played just 20 minutes of Premier League action so far this season so is clearly not an important part of Leeds’ plans moving forward.

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The Latest: Tuesday morning development

According to O’Rourke on Twitter on Tuesday, Costa ‘has been made available’ for a loan move on deadline day, following the signing of Daniel James.

It remains to be seen if a bid will come in for the Portuguese speedster, but getting him off the books is now Victor Orta and co’s next order of business, claims O’Rourke.

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The Verdict: Time to move on

Costa was a promising wide player but he hasn’t offered much for Leeds in a long time, scoring just seven goals in the last two-and-a-bit league seasons.

It is time for him to enjoy a fresh challenge, and if he can get more playing time elsewhere, it will be beneficial for all parties.

It is clear that Bielsa sees no future for Costa at Elland Road and the hope is surely that any potential temporary move becomes permanent with a transfer fee eventually.

In other news, Leeds could make a late move for another player, according to a recent report. Read more here.

Crystal Palace are still working to bring further additions to Selhurst Park prior to the closure of the summer transfer window.

What’s been said?

In recent comments cited by Football.London, Patrick Vieira revealed that he and his transfer team have identified that the Eagles are lacking a prolific centre-forward, and are working on completing a deal for a player in the position prior to Tuesday’s transfer deadline.

When asked whether he was planning on bringing a new striker in this summer, the Frenchman said: “Yeah, this is something that we identified a couple of weeks ago, we knew that it would be important for us to reinforce that department, to have more options. The window is still open, and we’re trying to improve that department, and anything can happen.”

Music to the ears of fans

While Palace did manage to score their first two Premier League goals of the season in the 2-2 draw with West Ham United on Saturday, rather than Christian Benteke, Jordan Ayew or Wilfried Zaha finding the back of the net in the fixture, it was on loan Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher who finished the match with a brace.

Indeed, considering the fact that none of the Eagles forwards have mustered a single goal between them over the club’s three league fixtures thus far, it would indeed appear as if Vieira is in need of a fresh face in the position prior to the closure of the summer transfer window.

As such, the Frenchman’s latest comments are sure to come as music to the ears of Palace fans, as, following an impressive result at the London Stadium, the addition of a proven goalscorer before Tuesday could well prove to kickstart their club’s season, having been disappointing over their opening two fixtures of the campaign against Chelsea and Brentford.

However, should Vieira fail in his task to bring in a new striker over the coming days, it could well turn into a long season for both the 45-year-old manager and fans alike.

In other news: Parish must sanction £7m CPFC deal for beast who is “like having two players”

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly made a move for Mauricio Pochettino, with Daniel Levy personally calling him in order to try and get him to join.

The Lowdown: Pochettino may return

There have been plenty of rumours circling about as to whether Pochettino is coming back to Spurs to take over from interim boss Ryan Mason, as Sky Sports journalist Kaveh Solhekol reported earlier in the week that one of his sources had told him they felt that the potential deal was ‘basically done’.

Nonetheless, there should be more developments heading into Euro 2020, as the Lilywhites would ideally like to being a new manager to north London as soon as possible with the summer transfer window edging ever closer.

The Latest: Tottenham make Pochettino move

As per AS (via Sport Witness), Tottenham have ‘made a move’ for Pochettino, as Levy has personally called the former Espanyol and Southampton coach on a number of different occasions in order to try and ‘convince’ him to return.

Pochettino would return to Spurs on two conditions – if he is offered a deal worth at least four years, and if he gets to ‘enjoy full powers’ when it comes down to sporting decisions.

The Argentine is ‘going through a bad situation’ at PSG and is looking for a way out of the club, although the recently vacant manager’s job at Real Madrid, given that Zinedine Zidane has now left, may ‘alter his plans’.

The Verdict: Tottenham should avoid Pochettino

Pochettino did a lot of great things at Spurs, none more so than getting them to a Champions League final, along with achieving four successive top-four finishes in the Premier League.

However, the 49-year-old never won a trophy during his time in N17, which is exactly what the north London club need at this moment in time in order to end their 13-year drought.

There is still time for the Lilywhites to find themselves the ideal successor to Jose Mourinho, with title-winning managers such as Zidane and Antonio Conte recently leaving their posts at both Madrid and Inter Milan respectively.

Spurs need to be ruthless and therefore put aside any sentiment that they may still have for Pochettino.

In other news, find out what big Brendan Rodgers to Tottenham claim has been dropped!

Tottenham Hotspur have been handed a boost in their bid to bring Wilfried Singo to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness), who claim that Spurs are one of a number of English clubs who have sent scouts to watch the Torino right wing-back in action ahead of a potential swoop at the end of the season.

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The report then goes on to specify Spurs’ interest in the 21-year-old, who is believed to consider a move to the Premier League this summer as an unmissable opportunity, while it is also stated that the Serie A side would be willing to part with the Ivory Coast international, as long as they were to receive an offer in the region of €30m (£25m).

Conte would love him

Considering how impressive Singo has been in Italy throughout the current campaign, it is easy to see why Antonio Conte would be interested in a deal to bring the right-back to north London this summer.

Indeed, over his 32 Serie A appearances this season, the £25m-rated wing-back has been in breathtaking form for Ivan Juric’s side, scoring three goals, providing four assists and creating four big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.2 shots, making 0.7 key passes and completing 1.1 dribbles per game.

The £5.4k-per-week defender has also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making an average of 0.6 interceptions, 1.6 tackles, 1.3 clearances, and winning 5.7 duels – at a success rate of 58% – per fixture.

These returns have seen the player who Matteo Bonetti dubbed a “revelation” average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.97, ranking him as Torino’s joint seventh-best performer in the Italian top flight.

As such, with Singo being a talent who is just as effective going forwards as he is sturdy in defence, it is clear to see that the 21-year-old would be something of a perfect fit for Conte’s right wing-back role.

And, with the player appearing to be extremely keen on a switch to north London, in addition to the fact that £25m is a very affordable figure for Spurs, it would seem as if Paratici is now on course to land a deal for the Ivorian starlet this summer.

AND in other news: “Not going to be at Tottenham…”: Gold drops update on £118m Spurs talent, time’s up