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Newcastle United goalkeeper Loris Karius has been offered to AC Milan and is keen to leave the Premier League, according to reports in the last 48 hours.

The Lowdown: Uncertain future

The German first arrived at St. James’ Park as a free agent back in September 2022 but has failed to establish himself under Eddie Howe.

The Magpies boss has predominantly opted for Nick Pope as his number one between the sticks and with Martin Dubravka as his back-up, the 29-year-old hasn’t had a proper look in.

Speaking during a recent interview, the 6 foot 2 shot-stopper admitted that he doesn’t know whether he’ll still be in the northeast beyond the summer. He said:

“I’m here until the summer. I don’t know if I’ll stay longer or not. We haven’t spoken about this – there was no need for it.

“There is so much going on here at the moment – we have important games, it’s a full schedule. There’s no rush.

“In football, you can never plan too far ahead, but I’m just enjoying my time here, really. Whatever role I have to play until the end of the season, I’m doing it for the team to be successful and then we will see.”

The Latest: Karius offered to AC Milan

According to CMW (via CaughtOffside), Karius’ agent has ‘already offered’ his client to AC Milan, with Inter Milan also interested in signing him in the upcoming window.

The Biberach native is reportedly ‘keen on leaving’ at the end of the season as a result of him wanting to spend more time with his partner who is based in Italy.

The Verdict: Let him go

Karius will be out of contract at Newcastle in the summer and his spell at St. James’ hasn’t been as successful as hoped so it would be the right decision to let him go.

Liverpool’s former star has made just one appearance during his time under Howe which was the Carabao Cup final vs Manchester United where he had a poor pass success rate of 38.5%.

The keeper is also the manager’s third choice having not even been named in the matchday squad for the last 13 top-flight games so it’s obvious he doesn’t view him as part of his long-term plans.

PIF won’t get any fee for Karius should he depart for nothing but his wages would certainly free up some money to invest in potential new signings in the months ahead.

Fabrizio Romano has insisted that Crystal Palace will be hoping to identify the type of manager they would like before the weekend is out.

The Lowdown: Palace scrambling around for a Vieira replacement

Steve Parish and the Palace board made the decision to relieve Patrick Vieira of his duties this week following the Eagles’ latest defeat at the hands of bitter rivals Brighton, leaving them just three points above the bottom three.

Palace still found themselves sitting very pretty in 12th heading into this weekend, which is impressive given the run of fixtures they’ve had to contend with over the last few weeks, having not played anyone below them in the table this calendar year.

Therefore, it looks to have been a thankless task for Vieira to pick up many points given this run, during which star man Wilfried Zaha has been absent for a string of games which certainly impacted the Eagles’ ability to score goals.

The Latest: Parish looking for a swift appointment

Speaking on the House of Champions YouTube channel this Friday, Romano admitted that Palace were keen to make some sort of managerial decision in the next 24-48 hours.

He said: “For Palace, it’s now time to decide. This afternoon [Friday] they will meet, I’m told, internally to discuss about potential options, to meet with managers and decide as soon as possible who is the right man to become the new coach.

“So there will be a meeting [this] afternoon, it is going to be important to understand how Palace will proceed – if they want an experienced manager or if they want to keep going with that [Vieira] kind of manager; a young manager with fresh ideas. So they will decide, probably, in the next 24-48 hours.”

The Verdict: Crystal Palace could take a big step backwards

Reports began to emerge last night that Palace would be keen to speak to and appoint former manager and current retiree Roy Hodgson as their new coach until the end of the season, which would go completely against everything Palace have tried to build throughout the last 18 months.

Under Vieira, there was a clear attempt to clear out the deadwood and bring down the average age of the squad, with players such as Wayne Hennessey, Andros Townsend, Gary Cahill and Scott Dann having all departed in recent times.

While at least some of these exits may have occurred regardless of Hodgson departing, appointing the 75-year-old as a firefighter-type manager would just show Parish has panicked and sacked Vieira without having a clear plan in mind as to who he wants to appoint and eventually get Palace out of this shocking run of form.

Tottenham Hotspur seemed set down a path towards steady success under Mauricio Pochettino, with the Argentine taking over in 2014 and slowly building up a team capable of fighting for consistent silverware, although he would never quite grasp it himself.

His sacking caused a shock, as it essentially unravelled the progress he had made across his five-year spell in north London.

Not only this, but that decision also marked a divergence in the strategy of chairman Daniel Levy, who assumed that because the club now sat amongst the elite they should start seeking out the 'elite managers'.

Straying completely from the model that had earned them praise, Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte were both appointed and expected to win trophies instantly, yet neither seem set to have done so.

This summer will see the Italian's contract conclude, but his reign could be cut short before then, marking another crossroads for the hierarchy to navigate.

Do they persevere with their current method, in a desperate search for a trophy of any kind, or do they return to their trusted old method which could see them take a few steps back before they can move forwards?

Either way, the touted appointment of Steve Cooper would essentially just see them secure a downgrade on their current boss, so it is one avenue that must be avoided.

Could Steve Cooper go to Spurs?

With his youth and impressive start to life in management, the suggestion is that the 43-year-old could well reignite the club as they tread down the latter of the two aforementioned paths.

However, he has hardly done enough to merit a jump up from a relegation battle to challenging for Champions League spots.

His work in seeing Nottingham Forest promoted was admirable, with his fluid three-at-the-back system earning praise, but since returning to the Premier League his side have admittedly struggled.

The Tricky Trees currently sit 16th, firmly entrenched within the myriad of teams vying to avoid the drop; but their goalscoring statistics make for depressing viewing.

Forest are currently the joint-lowest scorers in the division, and with 49 conceded in just 27 games, only AFC Bournemouth have shipped more goals.

The fact that they are still afloat after posting such abysmal numbers is arguably a testament to the weakness of the bottom half of the league.

Despite overseeing something of a mini-turnaround at the turn of the year, it seems they have now reverted to form, having not won since mid-February.

This abysmal play style paired with a lack of defensive security actually draws comparisons with Conte's Spurs side, who likely only boast an improvement because of the higher quality of players they boast.

With their system and the results yielded boasting striking similarities, to ditch Conte for Cooper would be a baffling decision that could only see them compound their initial mistake.

Gabby Agbonlahor had suggested only back in October that he was "out of his depth" at the City Ground, so to upgrade him to an even bigger club with far greater expectations would likely only exacerbate that statement.

Referee William Collum and his VAR team may have made a big mistake after awarding Celtic a penalty in the club's most recent win.

What's the latest on VAR and Celtic?

The Bhoys were able to restore their nine-point lead at the very top of the table on Sunday with a decent 2-0 win in the Scottish Premiership.

Indeed, travelling away from home, Ange Postecoglou and co took on Ross County and picked up the points thanks to two goals scored right at the end of each half.

Indeed, Jota netted the opener from the penalty spot into the fifth minute of injury time in the first half, while the second goal – scored by Alexandro Bernabei – came in the 95th minute.

However, despite the win, it seems rather fortunate that a penalty was awarded to Celtic by VAR. As seen in the official highlights via the SPFL YouTube channel (1:45), Alex Iacovitti is harshly judged to have handled the ball inside his own box.

Did Celtic deserve a penalty?

Seeing as Cameron Carter-Vickers and Iacovitti both jump for the ball at the same time but the Celtic man gets their first, it's not as though the defender can do much to move his arm out of the way.

Indeed, there is little more than a yard between Carter-Vickers' head and Iacovitti's arm, so it seems unreasonable to expect him to be able to move his arm away from the ball in this time.

When talking after the game, Ross County manager Malky Mackay certainly seemed to be in disbelief that the foul was given.

He told BBC Sport: "I've watched it half a dozen times and I still can't quite believe the bar for VAR in Scotland is so low. I look at that in England and that's not being given.

"It's really disappointing that that then meant we were chasing the game, which we had to do in the second half. I'm so proud of the players and, if we play like that in the last eight games, we'll give anyone a game and get points on the board."

While former player Paul Lambert also made the point (via Glasgow Evening Times) that the player had to have his arm raised naturally to avoid a clash of heads.

He said: "What do you do? I think there would be a clash of heads there if the two arms weren't up. VAR looks at every incident and the referee has made the choice that he's going to give handball.

Insider ExWHUEmployee has revealed that West Ham United striker Gianluca Scamacca could be out injured for a "couple of weeks".

What is the latest West Ham injury news for Gianluca Scamacca?

The 24-year-old returned from the recent international break with Italy with a knee issue that has now seen him absent for the past three Premier League games.

On April 4, manager David Moyes was quoted by football.london as saying the player could be out of action for a short while.

He explained: “The only news that we’ve got is that Gianluca Scamacca’s got two weeks rehabilitation on his knee at the moment, which is going to keep him out for a couple of weeks."

Worryingly, however, this was over a week ago and yet it doesn't sound as though Scamacca had made a great deal of progress.

Indeed, while writing an update on The West Ham Way Patreon page, Ex revealed that he is still not training and so won't be back for some time.

He said: "Gianluca Scamacca has not yet returned to training and it is looking likely that he will not be available for selection for a couple of weeks yet."

Has Scamacca flopped at West Ham?

It certainly hasn't been a great debut season in England for the Italian. For instance, he has just three Premier League goals in 16 outings.

And while fitness issues have hampered his progress, he hasn't played in any of the club's last ten league games despite being fit enough to make the bench for four of those games.

Notably, in that run of games as an unused substitute, West Ham were in need of a goal against Aston Villa but Moyes opted against bringing on Scamacca.

The game ended 1-1 and after the game, the manager defended his decision with some criticism aimed at the forward.

He told the press: “We know that his physical data has got to be much better than it is.

“Gianluca has got to get himself back. No manager wants to put out a bad team, you want to put out the players who you think are going to win for you, so you are always looking to put your best team out.

“I think his application is there, we just want the output to be bigger and more, that’s one of things we are looking for more (of)."

Seeing as the Italian earns £90k-p/w, the club will no doubt be hoping he can get fit and start proving his worth in a West Ham shirt soon.

Chelsea will play out the rest of the 2022/23 campaign with their former manager Frank Lampard now as interim manager after Bruno Saltor did not want to job, to begin with.

Why have Chelsea rehired Frank Lampard?

The Blues will see Lampard return to the sidelines at Stamford Bridge for their remaining games on the back of their recent draw against Liverpool.

It has been a season to forget for Chelsea with a lot of money spent over the transfer windows which have not produced results in the league.

The draw against Jurgen Klopp's side was not enough to pull Chelsea back into the top half as they now sit slumped in 11th spot and a whopping 14 points off fourth place.

Champions League football is now out of the picture for the Blues, but it is a measure of how poor their campaign has been under Graham Potter that they are this far off the pace.

Upon Potter's sacking, his assistant coach, Saltor, was appointed as the caretaker manager and oversaw the following game against Liverpool.

However, speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano has claimed the Spaniard did not particularly want to take on the job given his close relationship with Potter:

(3:50) "Bruno Saltor, the interim manager [appointed] a few days ago and also in the Liverpool game, he was not 100% keen on this job.

"He was there because Chelsea decided to do that, after the Graham Potter surprising timing and situation, but he's really close to Graham Potter. And so the feeling at Chelsea is that they needed something different until the end of the season."

Will Lampard be better than Saltor?

The Blues were held to a draw on Tuesday night in a game which they very much dominated but were simply unable to find the back of the net.

Chelsea ended the game with an XG of 2.17 in comparison to Liverpool's mere 0.35, yet were forced to share the points with the Reds (via SofaScore).

But Saltor's time at the helm only lasted one game as Chelsea opted to bring in Lampard for the remaining games in the league and Champions League.

Lampard is someone who will provide more experience than Saltor having previously managed across a number of different teams.

However, his time in the Premier League has not exactly been a roaring success.

The former midfielder was sacked by Everton earlier in the year less than 12 months after being appointed at Goodison Park amid their ongoing relegation concerns.

And his time at Stamford Bridge between 2019-2021 only saw Lampard able to provide a return of on average 1.75 points per game which saw him sacked in favour of Thomas Tuchel.

Perhaps Lampard will not be able to pull of a Champions League miracle, but it is apparent Chelsea value his experience at the club more than that of Saltor.

Leeds United forward Wilfried Gnonto is already looking to find a new club, according to reporter Alex Crook.

What’s the latest Leeds news on Gnonto?

Gnonto has been one of the very few bright sparks for the Whites this season after the Italy international made the move to Elland Road on deadline day in the summer. The 19-year-old has made 22 appearances for Leeds, contributing to seven goals and seeing his Transfermarkt valuation increase to a career-high €18m.

His positive displays on the pitch have resulted in speculation of a return to his native country, with the likes of AS Roma, AC Milan, Atalanta, Juventus and Napoli all keeping an eye on the forward.

Premier League giants Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City have also been name-checked with an interest, and it looks as if the player himself is looking at his options ahead of the summer.

Crook was speaking on talkSPORT regarding Leeds following the 6-1 defeat to Liverpool on Monday. Relayed by MOT Leeds News, he said that Gnonto, who one again began the game at Elland Road on the bench, “may well be hankering for a move away” this summer.

“A few of the fans are pointing the finger of blame at the board, and I think the club has been run shambolically this season. But what about that dressing room? Wilfried Gnonto, not in the starting line-up last night. My understanding is that he may well be hankering for a move away.”

How much could Leeds receive for Gnonto?

Javi Gracia hasn’t relied on Gnonto as much as former manager Jesse Marsch, with the forward starting just two of the eight top-flight games under the Spaniard, something which may have contributed to his recent stance of a possible move away.

Leeds paid FC Zurich around £3.8m for Gnonto last year, so they look certain to make an eye-catching profit, should they cash in over the coming months. Reports have suggested that the club would want £40m, a fee which could make the player one of Leeds' five most expensive sales of all time.

The Whites could do with that money as well, especially if they drop down to the Championship over the coming months. They have recently learned that former striker Jean-Kevin Augustin is owed £24.5m for a breach in contract, which would take a deal for Augustin to £40m in total, so recouping a large fee for Gnonto could be something Leeds explore, especially following this update.

Journalist Alasdair Gold has revealed that Tottenham Hotspur have made "zero contact" with Mauricio Pochettino about becoming their new manager.

What is the latest on Mauricio Pochettino and Spurs?

The Premier League side are currently on the hunt for a new boss having fired Antonio Conte, with Cristian Stellini being placed in charge until the end of the season.

London rivals Chelsea are in a similar position and they seem to be seriously considering a move for former Spurs boss Pochettino.

With that being the case, we might expect to soon learn that Tottenham have also reached out to the 51-year-old in an attempt to get him back on board before the Blues can make him one of their own.

However, when talking about this on his YouTube channel, Gold revealed the surprising news that Pochettino has not had any contact with the north London outfit.

He explained: "Spurs have shown zero interest in reappointing Mauricio Pochettino.

"They haven't. I've been asking around, asking people around Poch and everything, and from what I understand – and also, this is kind of coming from people within the club as well – there has been no contact made by anyone from Spurs with Mauricio Pochettino at this point.

"I double-double-checked before starting this video, but there's been no kind of feelers put out to him from Spurs of whether he'd be interested in coming back, which is huge, really, when you see the calls for him to come back from the fans, the chants at the stadiums."

Will Pochettino want to join Spurs?

It certainly is surprising that Spurs and Daniel Levy haven't made any contact with Pochettino yet. After all, Gold has explained in the past that the club's own fans have been chanting the Argentinian's name at games.

Most recently, during a fortunate win over Brighton & Hove Albion at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the home crowd were signing: "Mauricio Pochettino, he's magic, you know."

Seeing as the 51-year-old oversaw 293 games with Spurs, averaging 1.84 points per game and taking them to a Champions League final along the way, it's not hard to see why plenty would love to see him back in north London.

And in some sections of the media, Pochettino has been touted as a leading candidate to make a return – which is why it's so surprising Levy hasn't even reached out to the manager.

With that being the case, it seems as though Chelsea are now in which a great chance of hiring him when many could have predicted a return to Spurs as being far more likely.

There is no denying that it has not been a happy start to life at Tottenham Hotspur for January arrival, Pedro Porro, with the Spain international – who is set to be snapped up permanently on a £39m deal this summer – having struggled to make his mark in his new surroundings.

While the on-loan Sporting CP ace did help to spark the recent comeback at home to Manchester United with a delightful, volleyed effort, the 23-year-old has come in for notable criticism due to his errant form, with former Spurs boss Tim Sherwood stating the defender "is so bad it’s unbelievable", following his debut outing in the grim loss to Leicester City.

More recently, the former Manchester City man was all at sea in the 6-1 thrashing at the hands of Newcastle United, with 90min's Grey Whitebloom awarding him a 1/10 match rating, while stating that the wing-back 'never quite grasped where he was supposed to be on the pitch.'

The two-cap defender was again somewhat culpable during Sunday's last-gasp defeat away to Liverpool, having 'struggled defensively' – according to football.london's Rob Guest – after notably failing to track Curtis Jones at the back post for the game's opener.

Porro's woes have also been laid bare by his grim statistical record as the 5 foot 8 asset has notably been a real liability on the ball after losing possession 15.6 times per game on average from his 11 Premier League appearances, having also been dribbled past 1.8 times per game.

As such, caretaker boss Ryan Mason may need to consider whether it is worth taking the Spaniard out of the firing line over the coming games, with it potentially a chance to give exciting youngster Romaine Mundle a chance to impress in a wing-back berth.

Who is Tottenham's Romaine Mundle?

While more of a forward player by trade, the versatile Mundle has also been deployed in a full-back role or as a wing-back so far this term, notably taking on that latter berth during the mid-season friendly clash with Motherwell back in December.

The 19-year-old clearly "looks a player" – as per MUTV commentator Stewart Gardner during the recent 2-2 draw with Manchester United's U21's – having racked up eight goals and five assists in 32 games across all fronts this season, including 11 goals and assists in just 23 Premier League 2 outings.

That standout form has ensured that there are a "number of Premier League clubs keeping an eye on him" – as per respected insider Alasdair Gold – with just a matter of weeks to run on his existing deal, albeit with talks set to "continue" over a possible extension, according to Gold.

Also the subject of interest from clubs in the Bundesliga, the "talented" wide man – as hailed by transfer guru Fabrizio Romano – is clearly a potential star of the future, having evidently "impressed" in the youth ranks this term, according to journalist George Sessions.

While a first-team bow has yet to emerge despite regularly featuring in matchday squads in recent weeks, the £700-per-week sensation has impressed against senior opposition in the EFL Trophy earlier in the campaign, notably averaging two key passes per game from his three outings – a better record than what Porro has achieved in the top flight (1.5).

The creative gem could therefore be one player Mason looks to properly integrate over the coming weeks, with changes seemingly needed amid this current run of four league games without a win for the north Londoners.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have endured a season below expectation, sitting seven points above the relegation zone and in 14th with just four fixtures remaining until the end of 2022/23 campaign.

It’s been a year of change, seeing two managers take charge at Molineux since the season got underway last summer, with Bruno Lage being dismissed and replaced by Julen Lopetegui in mid-November.

The Spaniard had a huge task on his hands when taking the job last winter, with Wolves threatening relegation after failing to hit form under Lage before his departure. With safety looking likely for the Midlands side, who haven’t had their Premier League status threatened during their five season stay in the top division.

The club's lowest finish came back in 2021 where they ended in 13th, with this season potentially marking a new low since their promotion in 2018. It will be a busy summer for Lopetegui, who will be looking to put his stamp on the squad he inherited from both Lage and Nuno Santo.

There will be some improvement expected to be made in defence, with the 50 goals conceded so far in the Premier League and just 10 clean sheets kept in 34 fixtures. Lopetegui introduced some experience into the defence through signing Craig Dawson in January, a centre-back with 260 appearances in the English first division and a reputable figure to lead a struggling back line.

At 32, the Englishman is playing in the latter stages of his career, however Wolves may not need to look further than their academy when it comes to replacing the commanding defender in the future.

Who is Kamran Kandola?

Kamran Kandola has been praised as a “top baller in the making” by The Guardian contributing journalist and podcast producer Arif Islam for his development as a player in Wolves’ academy.

The English-born defender, who is also of South Asian descent, signed a professional contract at the club in November 2021, and has continued to progress with the U23 squad.

Kandola was part of academy squad that earned promotion to the Premier League 2's top division last season, and has stepped up when it matters, even between the sticks, where he played as a keeper due to a sending off and no replacement earlier this year. The 19-year-old made a number of key saves, showing his commitment to succeed in bizarre circumstances.

Wolves’ ex-technical director Scott Sellars has also previously praised the defender for being “consistent” and a player that has “worked hard” to earn his professional contract, via the Express and Star.

The commanding centre-back has made 12 appearances in the PL2 this season, starting five games and contributing to one clean sheet in the process. The teen talent has won 19 duels in the centre of defence and has shown his innate defensive ability in making 58 recoveries.

Premier League veteran Dawson earned his first professional contract at 19, signing for Rochdale, and the rest has been history.

With a lot of potential shown in the academy by Kandola, he could be a name we see in the future walking in Dawson’s footsteps by representing Wolves' first-team.