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Newcastle United are reportedly stepping up their interest in Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher, after agreeing a deal to sign Real Sociedad striker, Alexander Isak.

What’s the word?

That’s according to the Telegraph’s Luke Edwards, who wrote on Twitter that a loan move could be in the works: “Told #nufc pushing hard for Gallagher on loan from Chelsea after landing Isak from Real Sociedad.”

Reports earlier this month had suggested that the Magpies were one of a handful of Premier League clubs to have enquired about the England international, following his impressive, breakout campaign on loan at Crystal Palace.

Although the 22-year-old has since been welcomed back into the first-team fold at Stamford Bridge, manager Thomas Tuchel has admitted that there will be no guarantee of minutes for the youngster amid intense competition for places.

Manager’s dream

It looks set to be a hectic end to the window for those at St James’ Park, with the club all-but set to confirm the arrival of Isak on a £60m deal, having previously walked away from negotiations due to the hefty financial package.

That change of heart – potentially influenced by a fresh injury concern regarding first-choice forward Callum Wilson – will see the Tynesiders finally end their search for a new attacking recruit, with manager Eddie Howe having previously admitted his frustration at the inability to bolster his forward line.

The former Bournemouth boss now appears to have set his sights on another promising talent in the form of Gallagher, with the one-time West Bromwich Albion loanee currently on a real upward curve following his meteoric rise over the last 12 months.

Snapped up by those at Selhurst Park last summer, the £22.5m-rated sensation went on to score eight goals and provide three assists in the top-flight alone, while also impressing with his relentless, all-action style in the centre of the park.

Something of an old fashioned “box-to-box midfielder”, in the words of Zach Lowy, the £32k-per-week menace proved himself a real “manager’s dream” during his time with the Eagles – according to manager Patrick Vieira – such is his capability to impact the game in both boxes.

His impressive attacking output is no doubt influenced by his willingness to form part of the forward line when his side are in possession, as he notably ranks in the top 8% for touches in the attacking penalty area among those in his position across Europe’s top five leagues.

A man to also spark an attack with a surging run from deep – as he ranks in the top 8% for dribbles completed – the Epsom-born playmaker possesses a real desire to get on the front foot and influence the game, with that risk-tasking, aggressive style no doubt to Howe’s liking.

As too will be his strength defensively, as he ranks in the top 7% for pressures made, as per FBref, having previously been lauded as a “pressing machine” by Mark Duffy.

That approach will seemingly mirror the current style that is adopted by the Tynesiders, with the likes of Miguel Almiron (top 8%), Bruno Guimaraes (top 10%) and Joe Willock (top 13%) also ranking highly for the same metric.

It may prove difficult to secure the services of a player who has featured in all three league games for the Blues so far this season, although it is easy to see why Howe and co are so intent on pursuing him, with the four-cap maestro a true ‘manager’s dream’.

Newcastle United could be in line to secure another key piece of business on deadline day, with a new midfield addition having not been ruled out.

What’s the word?

That’s according to the Telegraph’s Luke Edwards, who suggested that there is still lingering hope that a midfield recruit can be added before the close of play, even if hopes of striking are somewhat slim.

Writing on Twitter about a possible deal, the journalist stated:”#nufc are a midfielder short of what they probably need in this window and there’s still a chance they can do something but I doubt they will. That shouldn’t distract from the huge progress that has been made since the start of the year. It’s not all about new signings”.

Howe would love it

A new acquisition in the centre of the park has thus far alluded the Magpies this summer, with manager Eddie Howe having been left somewhat short in that department at present, despite the January arrival of Bruno Guimaraes.

The recent injury absence of the Brazilian has only exacerbated the potential need for further reinforcement before the window closes, with the Tynesiders having also allowed Isaac Hayden to join Norwich City on loan earlier in the summer.

Howe and co have also been dealt a blow of late, with playmaker Jonjo Shelvey likely to remain on the sidelines until early November after undergoing hamstring surgery during pre-season, effectively ruling him out until after the upcoming World Cup in Qatar.

That has left Joe Willock, Sean Longstaff and Joelinton as the only senior options in central midfield at present, with young Elliot Anderson having made just a handful of first-team outings for the club so far.

With that in mind, Howe would no doubt love the chance to bring in another addition before the end of the window, with the former Bournemouth boss having only recently seen the impact that a new signing can make following Alexander Isak’s impressive goalscoring debut against Liverpool last night.

The 44-year-old suggested that the capture of the Sweden international could potentially lead to further high-profile incomings, insisting that St James’ Park can provide a “pathway” for marquee names to showcase their talent.

One name who has been mentioned of late is Leicester City sensation Youri Tielemans, with Newcastle – plus fellow Premier League side Arsenal – believed to be eyeing a deal for the Belgian with a just year remaining on his existing deal with the Foxes.

That deal – or another midfield acquisition – could well be the cherry on top of the icing of what has been another impressive window for the new owners, with Howe no doubt hoping to be backed just one more time this summer.

Wolverhampton Wanderers failed to win again in the Premier League, this time against Manchester City, with the visitors emerging from Molineux with a comfortable 3-0 win.

The writing was on the wall for the home side with only 55 seconds gone as Jack Grealish scored the opener, and it went from bad to worse for Wolves. City’s star striker Erling Haaland scored his 14th goal of the season to double their advantage on 16 minutes before Nathan Collins was sent off for a high tackle on Grealish.

Phil Foden compounded the misery by netting the third goal despite Wolves showing some fighting spirit, and the Molineux side have only scored three Premier League goals all season, as many as they conceded today.

With Lage switching up his attacking trio, it was a player valued at £50m who disappointed the most…

Neto let Wolves down v Man City

Pedro Neto started the match and was trusted by the manager to pose a significant attacking threat, despite playing against the champions. However, apart from a weaving run and a shot which veered off target, he was largely ineffective during the gamr.

He achieved a SofaScore rating of just 6.4, the lowest out of Wolves’ six midfielders and attackers, and he really should have made way for youngster Chem Campbell earlier than the 86th minute.

Neto had only 41 touches during his time on the pitch, 30 fewer than goalkeeper Jose Sa, was successful with just three of his eight dribble attempts and delivered just one accurate cross. These are poor numbers from a winger, and he clearly struggled to get into the game.

Defensively, the Portuguese gem lost 67% of his duels, gave away possession 14 times (the most of any outfield Old Gold player) and made just one tackle throughout the afternoon. These poor defensive numbers suggest that Neto doesn’t have the required maturity to contribute to the team when they are on the back foot, and he was evidently Wolves’ weak link down the right-hand side.

Journalist Emmanuel Aneyaw tweeted that Neto was “messing Wolves up” against City following the winger’s performance, and it’s hard to disagree from this evidence.

Lage should maybe have sold the 22-year-old in the summer when he had the chance, for if the Portugal forward keeps producing performances like this on a regular basis, the manager might struggle to find a club who’d want to splash out on him.

Everton have had success in promoting their legendary players to managerial positions at Goodison Park with Duncan Ferguson enjoying a long career off the pitch in the senior management team, but sometimes the idea of something is better than the reality.

When Rafa Benitez was finally given the boot back in January it wasn’t long before, at the time, Derby County manager Wayne Rooney’s name was thrown into the hat.

There was plenty of speculation surrounding a potential return to his boyhood club but it didn’t ultimately happen.

Although the idea of being led to better things by Rooney would have been a fairytale for the Goodison Park faithful, the reality is that England’s all-time top goal scorer is extremely inexperienced, and has had an unstable managerial career so far with no Premier League experience on his CV.

The 36-year-old who was dubbed a “fool” by talkSPORT’s Simon Jordan for leaving behind Derby County after being relegated from the Championship, has joined his former teammate turned manager Phil Neville over in MLS to continue developing his managerial skills and experience.

Over his career on the sideline so far, Rooney’s record isn’t the greatest with 46.32% of his results ending in defeat and only 28.42% victories since taking on the managerial challenge. He has also picked up just 1.11 points on average from his time at DC United and Derby combined.

On the other hand, current Everton boss Frank Lampard has a much more attractive profile when it comes to churning out results with a 47.06% win rate and only 31.76% of his results have ended in defeat. Furthermore, he’s got plenty of Premier League experience as a manager at Chelsea before taking on the difficult role with the Toffees.

Interestingly, both managers have held the reins at Pride Park early into their managerial careers but Lampard had the role in much brighter circumstances than Rooney, with financial problems plaguing the club throughout the current DC United boss’ tenure.

Indeed, it would not be surprising to see the former Manchester United striker manage the Toffees one day but at the time when the job became available the team was in a very sticky relegation scrap at the bottom of the table and if unsuccessful his reputation could have been in ruins.

With that being said, when you consider Lampard’s improvement this season in the Premier League already with Everton it was likely the right decision to put the club’s fate into slightly more experienced hands at the time. That said, there is no doubt that the idea of Rooney leading the Toffees to victory and trophies one day will be a dream for supporters.

Tottenham Hotspur return to action with a lunchtime cracker as they go head-to-head with arch-rivals Arsenal in the north London derby.

Both teams find themselves at the top of the Premier League standings with the Gunners holding a one-point advantage in first place, so we’re surely in for an exciting encounter indeed.

Antonio Conte has plenty of decisions to make in terms of team selection, particularly as the bulk of his squad have just returned from international duty.

Unlike more recent campaigns, Arsenal pose a far greater threat this term and the Italian must be wary of the firepower available at Mikel Arteta’s disposal.

The likes of Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli could have a field day if Spurs’ backline aren’t on their ‘A game’ this afternoon.

A whopping 77% of Tottenham’s play comes from their own third or the heart of the pitch, which is a worry as Arsenal are the opposite, playing 77% of their game in the middle and in the opposition’s third, this means that Conte is likely to set-up in a counter-attack manner.

This could leave Emerson Royal exposed at right wing-back as his display against a much weaker outfit in Sporting CP a few weeks ago was pretty shocking.

‘ Same old story with his attacking bluntness and at the back he was beaten in the air with Kane for Paulinho’s header and then Gomes skipped past with a nutmeg far too easily,’ wrote football.london reporter Alasdair Gold in his post-match column.

The Brazilian has been something of a liability for Spurs at times this season, particularly in defence, where he gives up one foul per game, which is tied for the second-most within the squad. He also makes the seventh fewest interceptions, via WhoScored.

Signed in a £26m deal from FC Barcelona last summer, the 23-year-old’s time in north London has certainly divided opinion.

“He’s obviously not loved by a lot of Spurs fans,” recently claimed The Sun journalist Tom Barclay to GIVEMESPORT, whilst The Times revealed in January that Conte wasn’t convinced by his options in the role and wanted an upgrade – they went onto sign Djed Spence in the summer.

BBC Match of the Day presenter Craig Mitch also stated that Emerson “will cost this team massively this season” earlier in the month, with BT Sport pundit Peter Crouch lambasting his defending in that aforementioned Champions League defeat as “very poor” (via the Express).

As such, Conte must make the brutal decision to axe the Brazil international from his starting XI for the north London derby today. The liability’s presence on the pitch could well cost them against the Gunners in what is arguably their biggest games of the season so far.

AND in other news, Spurs dealt injury worry ahead of Arsenal…

West Ham United have been handed a huge injury boost ahead of their meeting with RSC Anderlecht this evening.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to The West Ham Way, who report that, despite dislocating his finger in the 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend, it is thought that Jarrod Bowen’s injury is not overly serious, with the winger expected to be available for selection for the Europa Conference League clash tonight.

However, the report goes on to state that the Anderlecht fixture could be an opportunity to hand the 25-year-old a rest ahead of the visit of Fulham in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, especially considering his recent knock.

Great news for Moyes

While David Moyes may well have been toying with the idea of handing Bowen a rest against Anderlecht, considering just how important the forward has proven himself to be for the Hammers over the last 12 months or so, the fact that the 25-year-old looks as if he will be available for selection at Lotto Park this evening is undoubtedly great news for the 59-year-old manager.

While the England international has not exactly got off to a flyer so far in 2022/23, scoring three goals over his 11 appearances in all competitions this season, the £52.5m-rated talent more than proved just how crucial he is within the Hammers’ squad over the club’s 2021/22 campaign.

Indeed, over his 36 Premier League appearances last time out, the £96k-per-week forward was in remarkable form, scoring 12 goals, registering 12 assists and creating nine big chances for his teammates, with these returns seeing the winger average a SofaScore match rating of 7.09 – ranking him as West Ham’s second-best performer in the top flight last season.

The four-cap international also impressed over his 15 fixtures in the Europa League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup last term, scoring a further six goals and providing one assist, taking his total for the season to 18 goals and 13 assists over 51 appearances in all competitions – averaging a direct goal contribution every 132 minutes of football played in 21/22.

As such, even if Bowen was not in line to start the Anderlecht fixture this evening, it is clear to see that the 25-year-old’s availability for the bench will come as a big boost to Moyes and his side, as the winger very much possesses the ability in the final third to come on and change the course of the game in the Hammers’ favour.

Liverpool have had many players come and go over the years, and many will be remembered for their outstanding contributions to the team whilst others are recalled for being complete flops.

These days, the Reds rarely get it wrong when it comes to their recruitment strategy and scouting since the arrival of Jurgen Klopp in 2015, which has led them to success in multiple competitions, including a first-ever Premier League title in 2020.

However, it hasn’t always been this way, and Liverpool went through a period of horrendous transfer disasters which left them struggling to enjoy dominance in any competition between 2010 and 2015.

One player who was signed during this era was Christian Poulsen, a Danish defensive midfielder who completed a £4.5m move to Anfield in 2010 whilst Roy Hodgson was manager at the club, and it’s safe to say that he didn’t make a big impact in the team.

Poulsen was coming to the latter stages of his career when he joined Hodgson’s squad at 30 years of age and had seen his most successful days tallying up 162 appearances for Schalke 04 and 60 games for Juventus before moving to Merseyside.

At Liverpool, the 92-cap Denmark international made just 21 appearances, averaging 70 minutes per game. Despite signing a three-year contract to replace Javier Mascherano, he made a swift exit just one year later, joining French side Evian on a free transfer after Hodgson preferred Jay Spearing in the midfield engine room.

As with many players who leave the bright lights and famous European nights at Anfield, Poulsen did not manage to reignite his career following his exit in 2011, going from Evian to Ajax and finally to Copenhagen before hanging up his boots in 2016.

However, the former Liverpool nightmare could now be the secret weapon to success for Denmark in the World Cup this November, as Poulsen has forged a football career beyond his playing days and channelled his experience into coaching.

The 42-year-old was appointed as his national team’s assistant manager in September 2021 after building up a portfolio of experience as a trainee coach at Ajax between 2018 and 2019, later promoted to the Amsterdam club’s assistant manager for two years between 2019 and 2021.

Poulsen was right-hand man for former Ajax boss Erik ten Hag across 93 games in the Netherlands, so he has built up plenty of managerial and coaching experience which could become invaluable to Denmark over the tournament in Qatar next month.

Although the former midfielder’s career at Liverpool on the pitch was rather unsuccessful, is clear that Poulsen now intends to make a name for himself on the sideline, and it will be interesting to see just how well he gets on in the coming weeks and months ahead with his national team.

Journalist Pete O’Rourke says that Glasgow Rangers will be ‘concerned’ by some recent transfer news involving Leon King.

The Lowdown: Premier League scouting

It was reported earlier this week that three clubs in the Premier League have sent scouts to watch King in action ahead of a potential move in the January transfer window.

Leeds United, Newcastle United and Manchester United are the clubs monitoring his situation at Ibrox, and he is out of contract in 2024.

The Latest: Rangers ‘concerned’

Speaking to GiveMeSport, O’Rourke has claimed that Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side will be ‘concerned’ with King’s links to some of the top teams in the Premier League, and will be ‘hoping’ that they can persuade him to stay:

“You’re obviously going to be concerned if your players are being linked with some of the top clubs in the Premier League because if it comes down to finance, Rangers won’t be able to compete with the clubs in the English Premier League.

“That’s a no-brainer really, as well, and they’ll be hoping they’ll be able to keep hold of Leon King by offering him regular first-team football.

“He’s now got a pathway into the first-team at Rangers, he’s playing in the Champions League, so that’s what Giovanni van Bronckhorst will be hoping that he might be able to use to his advantage to try and persuade Leon King to stay.”

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The Verdict: New contract?

With only a couple of years to run on his current deal, added to the speculation over his future, the Gers need to give King a new contract as soon as possible.

He has played ten times already in all competitions so far this season despite being just 18 years of age, and has repaid the faith that Van Bronckhorst has shown in him after allowing senior central defenders Calvin Bassey and Leon Balogun to leave in the summer,

Nonetheless, with Ben Davies and Connor Goldson’s recent injuries, King is the only recognised fit centre-back available in the senior squad at the moment, and so could really establish himself as a key player in the team from now until the end of the campaign.

Wolverhampton Wanderers could now ‘get rid’ of Raul Jimenez as reports share a big update on the striker’s Premier League future.

The Lowdown: Jimenez’s woes…

Despite his obvious ability, the Mexico international hasn’t been able to contribute as effectively as Wolves supporters would have liked in the last couple of seasons, understandably not looking the same player ever since his skull fracture nearly two years ago.

Indeed, Jimenez missed almost the entirety of 2020/21 with the major issue as the Old Gold implemented a patient, steady return to full fitness from that very serious injury.

Following on, the 2021/22 season saw the Wolves forward make 10 goal contributions in 30 league starts – steady numbers but not quite the level of previous years.

Jimenez bagged 30 goals and 13 assists domestically in two campaigns from 2018 to 2020, and the Molineux side won’t be seeing that form again any time soon considering that he is now sidelined again.

The Latest: Wolves could now ‘get rid’ of Jimenez…

According to recent reports, it appears that club owners Fosun International are now weighing up whether to take action.

La Opinión reported on Thursday afternoon, as translated and shared by Sport Witness, that Club America ‘seems close’ to potentially bringing Jimenez back across the Atlantic.

They add that Wolves are open to selling the attacker and could now ‘get rid of him’, with Jimenez apparently having a ‘foot and a half out of Wolverhampton’ amid a possible return to his homeland.

The Verdict: Time to say goodbye?

There is no questioning the Mexican’s ability, as evidenced by his form in his first two years at Molineux, with former Wolves defender Conor Coady calling Jimenez a ‘phenomenal footballer’ and ‘massive for the club’.

However, as Fosun look to consistently progress on the field and fix the Old Gold’s current issues, change is sometimes required, even if it means letting go of a fantastic servant such as the 31-year-old.

Crystal Palace have several young English prospects in their squad and after fantastic performances over last season, some of Patrick Vieira’s most promising rising stars were given the golden opportunity to play for their country for the first time.

Tyrick Mitchell, Marc Guehi and loan player, at the time, Conor Gallagher were all handed their debuts in Gareth Southgate’s side over the last 12 months for their outstanding contributions with the Eagles, something that has led to a continued conversation about their inclusions in the upcoming World Cup.

The Athletic published an article where the publication’s journalists put together their predicted 26-man England squads and despite a slow start for Palace, some of the club’s players were mentioned.

Senior writer Dominic Fifield named midfielder Eberechi Eze in his predicted squad, a player who has not only been a standout performer for Palace this season but also took an unfortunate blow to his chances of featuring in the Euro 2020 squad last year.

It was reported in May 2021 that Eze was given notice of his selection for Gareth Southgate’s provisional squad for the European tournament, however, a serious Achilles injury sidelined the player in the same month and he spent 162 days in recovery.

Unfortunately, the talented Palace ace hasn’t featured for his country since returning to action from his injury and it will be interesting to see if he will make the cut when Southgate does put together his squad over the coming days and weeks ahead.

However, there was another player named in Fifield’s predicted squad who has had the opportunity to prove himself on the international stage for Southgate, with Guehi named as a potential selection for the World Cup.

The Athletic’s Chelsea reporter Carl Anka also named Guehi in his predicted 25-man squad, and it’s not hard to see why when you consider his consistency in the centre-back position for Palace.

The 22-year-old – who was dubbed an “absolute tank” by Josef Bursik – averages 71.6 touches, 1.1 interceptions, 1.2 tackles and 3.6 clearances per game, as well as winning the majority of his duels (59%) over 12 league appearances.

When you compare Guehi to regular England centre-back Harry Maguire over this season, it is clear that the Palace ace is in much better form in comparison ahead of the international tournament.

The £18m machine has a better pass completion rate (88% v 87.6%), has made more tackles and interceptions (26 v 7) and has won more aerial duels (14 v 7).

Guehi is no stranger to international success either, as he scored one of the goals that led England to victory in the 5-2 defeat over Spain in the U17s World Cup final back in 2017, something the Palace centre-back claimed was the “best moment” of his life.

With that being said, there is no doubt that Guehi should be given the opportunity to travel to Qatar with the England squad next month as he has proven he can offer consistent form and has defensive attributes that could prove invaluable to Southgate during the tournament.

Indeed, with Southgate looking short of quality central defensive options, and Maguire out of form, the Palace defender could be an unexpected answer to his prayers.