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An update has emerged on Lazio goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha, regarding interest from English side Newcastle United.

What’s the talk?

According to The Sun, the Magpies are weighing up a move to sign him on a cut-price deal in the January transfer window.

The report claims that he is out of contract at the end of the season and Newcastle could agree a pre-contract with the shot-stopper before leveraging a bargain deal in January to bring him in earlier.

Howler

PIF must avoid making their first howler since taking over Newcastle following this update. They should opt against a deal for Strakosha as it could be a terrible move for the club given the current goalkeeping situation at St. James’ Park and his recent form, or lack thereof, for Lazio in Italy.

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The Magpies already have three senior goalkeepers on their books in Freddie Woodman, Martin Dubravka and Karl Darlow, with all three of them having played Premier League football for the club this calendar year.

This suggests that Newcastle would need to bring in a number one who can provide a sizeable upgrade on all of them whilst being reliable enough to be a consistent starter. Otherwise, they will end up with another option to rotate through without solving the problem.

Strakosha, however, does not appear to fit that mould. He has only played nine Serie A games for Lazio since the start of the 2020/21 campaign and has not played a single league match this term. This suggests that he has not been good enough to earn a starting berth, which means that he would be arriving at Newcastle on a downwards trend, rather than coming in full of confidence and ready to hit the ground running.

Italian outlet Corriere della Sera, via the Daily Cannon, previously stated that he is ‘often criticised’ for his performances in Rome. This was prior to him losing his place as the number one at Lazio, suggesting that the worrying nature of his displays caused him to become a bench warmer for the Serie A side.

Therefore, he could be a liability between the sticks as his errors in Italy have seemingly resulted in him being a rarely-seen individual on the pitch over the last 18 months. This is why Newcastle must avoid a deal for the £36k-per-week shot-stopper, as it could be a howler from PIF based on his current situation at Lazio.

AND in other news, Howe could land Krul 2.0 for NUFC in £120k-p/w gem with “incredible development”…

Rangers saw a significant number of players make the move to Ibrox during the short reign of former manager Pedro Caixinha.

However, much like the 51-year-old’s time in charge of the Gers, not all of the players that joined the club in 2017 ended up being particularly successful at Ibrox.

One player, in particular, that ended up being a major flop for the club is midfielder Carlos Pena.

In June 2017, Rangers signed the Mexican from Guadalajara in a deal worth a reported fee of £2.2m, making him the most expensive player signed under Caixinha.

Having made just 14 appearances for the Gers across all competitions, Pena’s contract was terminated only 18 months into the four-year deal he signed with them.

Despite being labelled as a “massive player with a lot of technique and physicality” by Caixinha, Pena was also seen as a “problem” by the former Rangers boss in regards to what he ended up delivering on the pitch for the team.

Even though he managed to find the back of the net four times in the 12 league appearances he made in the 2017/18 season, it was problems off the pitch that impacted his time at the club.

According to Andy Halliday, Pena had such an issue with alcohol that he would come into training smelling of it.

Halliday said: “He was messy alright, this guy was the modern alcoholic. He would just come in stinking of bevvy all the time. Stinking of it. From the time he came in I was only there for maybe a month, but honestly he was always stinking of booze.”

After leaving Rangers in March 2019, the player has gone on to have spells at clubs in Poland, El Salvador, Mexico and Argentina.

The 32-year-old has been without a club since January.

Taking all of this into account, it’s hard to see Pena’s transfer to Rangers being anything other than disastrous.

Having shelled out a total sum of £4.3m on the player from his transfer fee and £25k-per-week wages over the 84 weeks he was at the club, this just highlights what a waste of money it was from the Gers.

In other news: Wilson could land a new £13m talent as Rangers plot bid for £180k-rated sensation

Making a £4.5m move to Celtic back in the summer of 2020, expectations at Parkhead were high for Vasilis Barkas, with the Bhoys handing the goalkeeper a four-year deal believed to be worth around £20k-per-week.

However, after making just 23 appearances in all competitions, only one of which has come under the management of Ange Postecoglou this season, reports have claimed that the club are ready to cut their losses on the Greece international this January.

It is not difficult to see why, as, over his 15 Premiership appearances last time out, Barkas made an average of just one save and conceded 0.7 goals per game, returns that saw the £2.52m-rated 27-year-old earn a seasonal SofaScore rating of just 6.79 – ranking him as the club’s joint ninth-worst performer in the league.

However, rather than splashing the cash on a new backup to Joe Hart this winter, it would appear wise for Postecoglou to take a closer look at one of the club’s up and coming prospects between the sticks – in the shape of Tobi Oluwayemi.

Postecoglou can axe Barkas by unleashing Oluwayemi

Having already been called up to first-team training by Postecoglou, as well as being selected to feature on the bench – ahead of Barkas – in Celtic’s Europa League campaign this season, it is clear that the 18-year-old shot-stopper is a player the Greek-Australian coach has high hopes for.

Indeed, speaking prior to the Bhoys’ 3-2 victory over Real Betis earlier this month, the 56-year-old manager said of Oluwayemi: “Stevie Woods, our goalkeeping coach, rates him very highly. We’ve had him up in training with the team and he’s shown some good qualities.

“With all of these guys, we try and include them as much as we can and give them that experience. Toby was on the [Europa League] list so it gives him a chance to travel with the team and get the experience.”

As such, while the England U19 international is yet to make a single appearance in senior football, it would very much appear as if he is a player who has the potential to one day go on to become Celtic’s number one, an objective that would only seem to be helped by him being included in the Hoops first-team squad on a much more regular basis.

So, should Celtic indeed move the 27-year-old Barkas who Tam McManus dubbed a “horrendous” player on this winter, it would seem a very intelligent move for Postecoglou to unleash the 18-year-old Oluwayemi in the Greek’s place.

In other news: Ange can finally axe “pathetic” £7.9k-p/w Celtic flop with swoop for £270k-rated beast

Pete Graves has now dropped a Newcastle United transfer claim from the new owners.

The Lowdown: Wood confirmed

The St. James’ Park faithful confirmed the signing of Chris Wood from Burnley for an undisclosed fee on Thursday morning, and he has signed a two-and-a-half year deal.

He has been registered in time for their crucial game at home against Watford in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, and joins Kieran Trippier to be their second signing in the January transfer window so far.

Nonetheless, there promises to be more on the way, with the likes of Marcos Senesi and Benoit Badiashile recently being linked with a move to the North East and a desperate need for additions in the heart of defence – the Magpies have the second-most goals conceded in the league.

The Latest: Transfer claim from owners

As per Graves, the new owners feel as if Premier League experience will be ‘key’ in their battle to avoid relegation down to the Championship, and so following the signing of Wood, they may go down that route again for their other targets:

“There’s a feeling amongst key members of the ownership that Premier League experience will be key in survival battle.”

The Verdict: Ideal, but not vital

Of course, signing players that have past experience in the top flight is ideal, as they know what to expect and some, like Wood, may have even faced a relegation battle before.

However, you can find unknown gems from outside of the division, and they would often come cheaper, given that you would not be buying directly from one of your rivals – Feyenoord’s Senesi is a prime example, valued at £10.8m by Transfermarkt.

Nonetheless, whatever strategy the new owners use, it has to be perfect if they are to give Eddie Howe a chance of keeping them up, and signing Trippier and Wood, who both have experience in the top flight, is certainly a good start.

In other news, find out who NUFC are in ‘advanced talks’ to sign here!

Newcastle United are reportedly now moving to sign Issa Diop before the January transfer window shuts.

The Lowdown: Centre-back still needed

Despite the good business that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium have done so far this window, a central defender has still not been signed.

They have been strongly linked with moves for Brighton and Hove Albion duo Adam Webster and Dan Burn, and with just a few more days left in the month, expect the new owners to be very busy on their phones as the clock ticks down.

And now, according to reports from the player’s homeland, it is another Premier League club that the Magpies are plotting to raid.

The Latest: Diop move

As per L’Equipe (via Sport Witness), the North East club are now ‘making moves’ to sign Diop, and there have been ‘discussions in recent hours’ with the player’s camp over a potential switch.

They ‘considered’ signing the West Ham United centre-back at the start of the window before moving on to other targets, but now it looks as if they have gone back in for him.

The Verdict: Get it done

With the clock ticking by, the Tyneside outfit just need to get this deal done as soon as possible.

Diop would be an upgrade on what Eddie Howe currently has at his disposal, as he is currently averaging more tackles and passes at a higher success than Ciaran Clark, Fabian Schar and Jamaal Lascelles in the Premier League so far this season (WhoScored), and is at a good age at 25.

With his six-foot-four frame, the Frenchman is a bit of a beast, and Jose Mourinho even went as far as to dub him a ‘monster‘ back in 2018, after dominating duels against his Manchester United team.

Nonetheless, with his added experience of playing in the top flight, Diop would be a very smart signing.

In other news, find out what exciting transfer update Keith Downie has dropped here!

Wolves right-back Nelson Semedo could return for his side’s Premier League clash with Newcastle United, according to injury expert Ben Dinnery.

The Lowdown: Semedo missing recently

The Portuguese ace has been out of action since the 2-1 defeat away to Arsenal in late February, having picked up a hamstring injury.

Prior to that setback, Semedo had started 23 Premier League matches for the Wanderers, proving to be an important part of Bruno Lage’s plans.

With Wolves visiting Newcastle on Friday evening, an injury boost may have emerged in the hours leading up to kick-off.

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The Latest: Dinnery makes key claim

Taking to Twitter, Dinnery, an injury analyst who runs the Premier Injuries site, claimed Semedo is in line to make a return to the side at St James’ Park:

“Nelson Semedo is training at a ‘good level’ and the right-back is in contention for the trip to St James’ Park.”

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The Verdict: Last-minute boost

This is a welcome boost for Wolves, and while Semedo may not be deemed match fit enough to start, the update suggests he will be able to play a key role between now and the end of the season.

Having the 28-year-old back in the fold means Jonny could revert to his preferred left-back role, giving the side an ideal balance in the two full-back positions.

Lage needs as many key men available in the final weeks of the season and Semedo certainly falls into that bracket, having averaged 2.3 tackles per game in the league this season. Only Toti (4.0) and Rayan Ait-Nouri (2.9) have a higher average.

In other news, Wolves are in a four-way battle to sign one player this summer. Find out who it is here.

Newcastle United host Norwich City at St. James’ Park in the Premier League tonight in a mammoth clash at the bottom of the Premier League table.

The Canaries are two points ahead of the Magpies coming into the game and have the chance to go five clear, whilst potentially going level with 17th by the end of the night. Whereas, Eddie Howe’s team could leapfrog Norwich and put themselves right back in the mix to avoid the drop.

Time to shine

One change the ex-Bournemouth coach must make is to bring Jamal Lewis into the side for his time to shine at left-back for the suspended Matt Ritchie. The Scot will be forced to watch on from the stands after he picked up his fifth yellow card of the season at The Emirates against Arsenal at the weekend.

Although, the suspension may not have mattered as the nature of his performance against the Gunners suggested that he deserved to lose his place. Per SofaScore, he lost all five of his duels on the pitch as he failed to make a single tackle and was dribbled past twice. He only completed 60% of his attempted passes and all four of his crossing and long pass attempts were inaccurate.

Therefore, his fifth booking came at a good time for him and Newcastle, as he now has the opportunity to rest up for a match and ensure that he is back to his best when he is next called upon. It also now opens up the door for Lewis to receive his first start of the campaign.

The Northern Ireland international has played nine minutes off the bench in the Premier League this season and deserves a chance to show what he can do in the team. Playing against the club he came through the ranks at, Norwich, could also be an added motivation for him to impress.

Ex-England striker Darren Bent previously hailed him as a ‘dark horse’ in terms of Premier League left-backs to watch for the future.

He told Football Insider: “Jamal Lewis, when you think about it, defensively I think he’s a little bit better than Max Aarons. I think going forward and defensively he’s very good, and underrated as well.

“I’m telling you, if he keeps progressing at Newcastle, he might be a dark horse. He could turn out to be one of the best left-backs in the country this season.”

This highlights the £10.8m-rated gem’s potential and why Howe should unleash him against Norwich. He could unearth a key player for the side if Lewis is able to find his form and fulfil the promise Bent seemingly believed he has, with this clash with Norwich the perfect chance for him to come in and shine.

AND in other news, NUFC could kickstart Howe era with £275k-p/w gem who plays football “like a dance”…

Southampton have a very tough task on the horizon with a weekend trip to Anfield next up for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side to take on Liverpool in the Premier League after losing 2-1 to Norwich City last time out.

With Liverpool scoring more goals (35) than any other top-flight side so far this season, it’s safe to say that this will not be an easy match for the Saints, despite managing to beat them and keep a clean sheet against them in their 1-0 victory at St. Mary’s last season.

However, one player that has contributed to a significant number of those 35 goals that will be on the hunt to add more to his tally is Reds winger Mohamed Salah, who has a particular knack for scoring against the Saints.

In eight appearances against Southampton, Salah has managed to score seven goals and provide two assists.

With a total of 16 appearances under his belt across all competitions so far this season, the emphatic Egyptian has managed to net 16 times and supply six assists along the way, highlighting just how dangerous he has been in front of goal for Liverpool.

That’s exactly why Southampton will have to keep him contained if they want to have any chance of securing a positive result at the weekend to make up for their disappointing defeat at Norwich.

In addition to his incredible goals and assists record this season, the 29-year-old’s performances have earned him an overall season rating of 8.15/10, making him the highest-rated player in the Premier League according to WhoScored.

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Given how there has only been two league games that Salah, who has been labelled as a “top-class” player by Jurgen Klopp, has played in where he hasn’t scored a goal or provided an assist this season, Southampton’s defenders will have to be at the top of their game this weekend.

Assuming that Hasenhuttl will stick with Kyle Walker-Peters at left-back, he will have to make sure he puts in a better performance this weekend than he did against Norwich where he only managed to make one tackle and win 50% of his duels. If he performs like that again, then Salah could have a field day on the right flank.

If Southampton are able to keep their £90m-rated nemesis relatively quiet and off the scoresheet, this will give the Saints a great chance of coming away from Anfield with a positive result.

In other news: Ralph must unleash “quality” Southampton machine, he could give Klopp nightmares – opinion

West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Divock Origi to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by ExWHUemployee, who revealed on a recent episode of The West Ham Way Podcast that, despite David Moyes holding some reservations about the 26-year-old, the Liverpool centre-forward could become an option for the 58-year-old manager if he cannot land his preferred targets this month.

Speaking about the Hammers’ interest in the Belgium international, the club insider said: “Origi of Liverpool could be available. I think Moyes isn’t convinced but that could change if other targets don’t come to fruition.”

Dream signing

With West Ham desperately in need of backup and competition for Michail Antonio in the second half of the current campaign if the club are to have any hope of securing Champions League football at the London Stadium next season, Origi would very much appear to be something of a dream signing for the club.

Indeed, the £10.8m-rated man has made something of a reputation for himself as being a super-sub, having bagged a quite astonishing 11 goals for Jurgen Klopp’s side when coming off the bench – six of which came in the last ten minutes of the match in question.

Furthermore, the German manager is quite clearly convinced that the £82k-per-week forward is a player who deserves to hold more than a role as simply being a bit-part player, with the 54-year-old Reds boss stating of the Belgian: “If I would be in another club I would go for him. I thought that would happen but I cannot believe if you don’t play for Liverpool, you cannot be good. But I am very happy he is still here.”

As such, with West Ham very much in need of a player who is capable of doing a job from the bench, as well as possessing the ability to push Antonio for his starting spot in Moyes’ XI, the man whose “skills are outstanding” in the words of Klopp, would very much look to be the perfect target for the East London side to pursue this winter.

In other news: “Interestingly…”: Sky Sports journo drops big transfer claim, WHU fans will be livid

Player potential can be both prosperous and dangerous.

On one hand, if a player is to reach their maximum skill evolvement, their club can benefit no-end, financially speaking.

Though, if a player fails to hit the heights that their hype holds them accountable to, it can be a damaging affair for their employers.

Wolves are unique in the fact that their saga with former Portuguese and now Angolan footballer, Helder Costa leant more towards the former and more prosperous scenario, rather than the latter.

Costa profit

Costa emerged from the high profile Benfica youth system at the age of 18, in the same age group as Ivan Cavaleiro and Bernardo Silva.

After making his debut for the Lisbon side’s B-team in 2012, he would go onto represent them 72 times, scoring 15 goals. Ultimately, he failed to make the grade for the Benfica first-team, making just one appearance.

After a failed loan-spell at La Liga side Deportivo de La Coruna, he made the brave switch to pastures new to link-up with fellow Benfica graduates Silva and Cavaleiro at Monaco.

Despite teeing up a young Kylian Mbappe for the Frenchman’s first-ever league goal, Costa would go on to play a total of 28 games for the Ligue 1 side, scoring five goals, with Monaco loaded with depth options in Kylian Mbappe, Thomas Lemar and Bernardo Silva.

It wasn’t all bad though as Helder Costa moved on a season-long loan to Championship side at the time Wolverhampton Wanderers in what was his best season ever in terms of end product, with a total of 18 goal contributions in 35 appearances. 

Wolves made the transfer permanent, with the Old Gold side splashing out £13m for Costa’s services to break their club-record transfer fee at the time in January 2017.

Ultimately, the attacker was not able replicate his ten goals and eight assists that he showed the season prior, but still chipped in with a solid five goals and six assists to help Wolves top the Championship and gain promotion to the Premier League.

After one season in the Premier League, Costa joined Leeds United on loan in the Championship and after helping them to promotion, made the deal permanent with Leeds forking out £16m but he was soon dubbed a “massive flop” by pundit Noel Whelan.

He featured 22 times in the Premier League for Bielsa’s side the following season (2020/2021) yet Leeds offloaded him to Valencia the following campaign after just one appearance, in what was a strange deal at the time.

With 28-year-old Costa fighting to turn his loan move at Valencia into a permanent deal, he is now valued at just £7.2m, with Wolves’ decision to sell in 2019 looking ingenious.

In other news – Wolves eyeing “all-round” 26y/o regarded as “most complete ever” with fans buzzing…