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Craig Hope, North East reporter for The Daily Mail, says that Real Valladolid right-back Ivan Fresneda is ‘being watched’ by Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Newcastle interest

The Mail reported on New Year’s Eve that the St. James’ Park outfit have joined the race to sign Fresneda, with both Arsenal and Juventus also monitoring the teenager.

He could be available for around £10m, and the North East club have officially ‘expressed their interest’ in his signature.

The Latest: ‘Being watched’

Taking to Twitter, Hope has shared that Fresneda is ‘being watched’ by the Tynesiders ahead of a potential move, and he is among a number of other right-backs being ‘tracked’:

“Valladolid right back Ivan Fresneda is being watched by NUFC. Sources confirm interest & say 18-yr-old is among others being tracked. A young right-back is certainly high on list for Jan.”

Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth has since added that Eddie Howe’s team have scouted Fresneda ‘several times’, including when he played against Real Madrid on Friday.

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The Verdict: Get it done

Despite Valladolid’s 2-0 loss at home to Madrid, the Magpies would have liked what they saw from Fresneda.

The Spaniard won ten duels, by far the most of any player on the pitch, while he also made a joint-high three clearances and an unmatched eight tackles, chipping in with four accurate long balls, one key pass and two interceptions (SofaScore).

Hailed as having the ‘beastly‘ ability to maraud forward and put in crosses from right-back by journalist and La Liga presenter Juan Arroita, only three of his team-mates average more crosses per game than him in La Liga so far this season, while his 1.4 key passes per match is unmatched (WhoScored).

Nonetheless, Fresneda would be the perfect understudy to Kieran Trippier, who has played in every game so far this term and is in need of the occasional rest.

Liverpool could take the opportunity to strengthen their midfield during the January transfer window and now a new update has emerged from a reliable source on a potential target.

What’s the latest?

According to journalist Jacque Talbot, Liverpool have held talks over signing Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Kouadio Kone.

Talbot tweeted: “Hear been talks between Reds and Khephren Thuram of Nice – and Kouadio Kone of Borussia Monchengladbach.”

Moises Caicedo clone

It is no secret that Liverpool are in desperate need of reinforcements in midfield, something that has become glaringly obvious since the start of the current campaign.

The Reds are currently sixth in the Premier League ahead of their clash with Brighton and Hove Albion this weekend with a challenging second half of the season ahead of them in order to climb back inside the top four, now seven points behind in the race for a Champions League qualification spot.

The Carabao Cup champions of last season have already been knocked out by Manchester City, suffered a disappointing draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers in the FA Cup pending a replay and next month will face their Champions League rivals Real Madrid in the round of 16 – only adding to the pressure mounting at Anfield.

As a result, the powerbrokers at the Merseyside club can no longer continue to ignore the much-needed refresh in the centre of the pitch and the signing of Kone could be the perfect opportunity to add pace, aggression, quality and depth to their midfield in order to transform their gloomy trajectory over the remainder of the campaign.

In fact, the Reds could even land an alternative to one of their widely-reported top transfer targets Moises Caicedo as Kone – who was hailed a “warrior” by Jacek Kulig – is a clone of the Ecuadorian ace with the Brighton midfielder being named as one of the most comparable players to the Gladbach star, according to FBref.

The two midfielders have shared similarities in some of their strongest attributes so far this term, including goal contributions (2 v 2), pass completion rate (85.4% v 87.4%), shot-creating actions (34 v 35), goal-creating actions per 90 (0.22 v 0.19) and blocks (20 v 17).

Both immense box-to-box propositions, it is generally in defensive situations where their quality shines through the most, with the duo making a comparable amount of tackles this term, albeit with Caicedo coming out on top – 2.97 to 2.13 per 90 minutes.

It is reported by Sport BILD (via GGFN) that Kone has a price tag of €45m (£39m) whilst Caicedo boasts a more expensive transfer fee of £65m, so it could be an opportunity to acquire the services of a like-minded midfielder at the fraction of the price – something that will surely capture FSG’s attention.

With that being said, the signing of Kone could be the perfect solution to the ongoing issues at Anfield and if the club can secure a deal ahead of the second half of the season he could be a huge asset to Klopp over the remaining fixtures.

Newcastle United have been knocked out of the FA Cup in a shock defeat to League One side Sheffield Wednesday this evening at Hillsborough, and Eddie Howe will surely be regretting his decision to make so many changes for the clash.

The Magpies manager made eight changes to the starting XI which drew with Arsenal in an effort to give fringe players the opportunity to prove their worth and allow first-teamers a rest ahead of the Carabao Cup quarter-final clash against Leicester City on Tuesday.

Despite having 75% possession of the ball, more shots on goal (22 v 9), more big chances created (4 v 3), more shots inside the box (15 v 6) and more dribbles completed (63% v 13%) than the home side, Newcastle were unable to convert their overwhelming amount of chances, which ultimately cost them their place in the competition.

The first half was relatively uneventful, with Newcastle dominating the ball, and although both teams were creating chances comfortably to threaten their opponents, it remained scoreless at the interval.

In the second half, the drama unfolded as Wednesday’s striker Josh Windass finally broke the stalemate to give his team the lead in the 52nd minute, and the chaos that he caused Newcastle didn’t end there as he doubled the lead with another goal just 13 minutes later.

Bruno Guimaraes responded with a goal for Newcastle in the 69th minute but chance after chance was squandered and, after a prolonged period of injury time, Howe’s side fell to just their second defeat of the season.

One player who was brought onto the pitch to strengthen the attacking threat was striker Chris Wood, replacing a freshly-returned Alexander Isak in front of goal, and it’s safe to say that it was a complete disaster from the New Zealand striker.

Over his 45-minute performance, the 31-year-old flop – whose display was dubbed “awful” by Adam Wesley – had 23 touches, completed just 14 passes, lost 100% of his duels and missed a one-on-one opportunity with the goalkeeper to equalise late into the second half, a miss which must result in the striker never wearing the black and white shirt again.

Wood has been linked with a potential move away from St James’ Park after falling somewhat out of favour due to his goal-shy approach (just three this season), Callum Wilson’s form and Isak’s arrival, with Leeds United one of the clubs reportedly keeping an eye on the striker.

An opportunity to offload Wood should not be ignored by Howe and PIF if a club should make a concrete offer over the January transfer window, as it is clear from tonight’s disasterclass that the drop-off in quality is huge when replacing his positional peers in the centre-forward role.

Newcastle United have sent scouts to watch Lorient striker Terem Moffi in action ahead of a potential move for him, according to a new transfer rumour.

The Lowdown: Moffi shining for Lorient

The Nigerian is enjoying an excellent season for his current club, standing out as arguably one of the most prolific attacking players in Ligue 1.

Moffi has scored 11 goals in just 17 league appearances this season and he also found the net twice for Nigeria during last year’s Africa Cup of Nations.

A new report has now emerged that suggests the 23-year-old could be heading to the Premier League.

The Latest: Newcastle scouting attacker

According to Football Insider, Newcastle sent scouts to watch Moffi in action for Lorient against Monaco on Wednesday evening – a game in which he found the net.

They are ‘assessing’ forward targets for the January and summer transfer windows and consider him an option to come in.

The Magpies ‘face stiff competition’ for the attacker, however, with Southampton, Everton, Aston Villa, West Ham, Leicester City and Bournemouth all mention in the report, too.

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The Verdict: Snap him up?

Moffi could be a superb signing by Newcastle, providing Eddie Howe with a long-term option who could battle with Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson, eventually usurping the 30-year-old, injury-prone latter.

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His goalscoring record this season speaks for itself – only Kylian Mbappe has scored more times in Ligue 1 this season – and he has been hailed as a ‘man of gold’ by Lorient manager Christophe Pelissier.

Newcastle need to reach a point where they have two genuinely top-class option in every position and Moffi would make the squad significantly stronger, with 34 goals in 89 appearances for Lorient a highly impressive record for a young player.

Tony Mowbray’s Sunderland return to action in the Championship this afternoon as they take on rivals Middlesbrough at the Stadium of Light.

The Black Cats will be hoping to bounce back from their last match in the division as they were beaten 3-1 by Russell Martin’s Swansea on their own turf.

Sunderland were fighting against the odds after 18 minutes against the Swans as central defender Luke O’Nien was shown a straight red card for a horribly mistimed challenge which led to the away side marching on to all three points.

A win for the hosts against Middlesbrough today will send them level on points with ninth-placed West Bromwich Albion and one point behind Norwich in the final play-off place in the table.

Therefore, there is plenty for the Black Cats to play for and Mowbray must now unleash experienced central defender Danny Batth from the start to give his side an improved chance of winning the match.

O’Nien was given his marching orders against Swansea and will now be suspended for this match. The former Wycombe man has not been in the greatest of form throughout the season so far as he has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.77 across his 25 appearances in the Championship, which places him 16th in the squad.

Batth, meanwhile, has averaged a score of 6.86 in the division and has been the club’s seventh-best performer this season. He was a substitute against the Swans as it was his first game back since the 17th December and Mowbray must unleash him from the start today to replace the suspended O’Nien.

The 6 foot 3 man mountain, whose expected transfer value (xTV) is £526k, came off the bench against Swansea and recorded a Sofascore rating of 6.9 as he assisted Daniel Neil’s goal, won 100% of his ground duels, and made three clearances, two blocks, one tackle, and one interception – as per Sofascore.

Batth, who was once dubbed “outstanding” by journalist Josh Bunting, has been a dominant force on the pitch for Sunderland this season as he has won a whopping 70% of his aerial battles in the Championship, whilst making 4.1 clearances per game for the side.

Whereas, O’Nien has only won 54% of his duels in the air and made 3.1 clearances per match. This indicates, along with their average performance levels, that the 32-year-old veteran would come in as a big upgrade on the versatile defender by starting against Middlesbrough this afternoon, which is why Mowbray must bring him in.

Crystal Palace have been linked with Naouirou Ahamada recently and the youngster could form a superb partnership with Cheick Doucoure in Patrick Vieira’s midfield.

According to The Athletic‘s Crystal Palace correspondent Matt Woosnam, the Eagles are “in discussions” with the Bundesliga club over a deal for the breakout star.

The 20-year-old has established himself as a regular in Bruno Labbadia’s side so far this term, making 17 appearances, in which he has contributed two goals and two assists.

In a recent interview with Football FanCast, journalist Pete O’Rourke shared his thoughts on a potential Palace move for Ahamada and the partnership he could form with summer signing Doucoure.

He said: “On paper, they’re both good midfielders.

“They’ve got good energy, they can provide defensive cover in front of Palace’s back four. They seem to have all the attributes to be the modern-day midfield.

“I’m sure that Patrick Vieira will be hoping that those two players can become Palace’s engine room for the long-term.”

Ahamada was featured on football talent scout Jacek Kulig’s “crazy” list of French U21 players and if he could achieve his obvious potential at Palace, then there seems no reason why he couldn’t be a mainstay alongside Doucoure for a number of years to come.

The Malian, who joined from RC Lens last summer, has started 18 of Palace’s 20 games in the top flight so far this season and boasts an impressive 6.83 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

However, he has often been exposed due to a lack of defensive support in the midfield, with the likes of Jeffrey Schlupp, Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise often accompanying him in the middle of the park, despite none of those players being natural central midfielders.

Therefore, it is easy to see why Vieira would want to sign another midfielder this month, especially with James McArthur, Luka Milivojevic and Schlupp all candidates to leave Selhurst Park at the end of the season when their current contracts expire.

The French manager has overseen a youthful transformation of Palace’s squad since taking over from Roy Hodgson in 2021 and Ahamada would be another exciting young option in the middle of the park.

With Doucoure more of a ball-winner, while the Stuttgart star likes to get forward with his preference of dribbling and shooting from range, there seems little reason why they couldn’t be a success together at Crystal Palace for years to come.

Journalist Charles Watts has revealed that the injury concern to Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey isn’t as bad as feared and that the player is hopefully he will be fit to play in the club’s next game.

What’s the latest? With the Gunners pushing hard to sign a new midfielder in the remaining hours of the transfer window – bidding twice for Brighton ace Moises Caicedo – fans may fear the worst when it comes to their own options.After all, Mohamed Elneny is currently having his own fitness struggles and Partey had to come off at halftime with a rib injury against Manchester City last week in the FA Cup.However, it seems as though the club may simply be pushing for a new midfielder to provide depth in their title race regardless of the Ghanaian’s status.Indeed, while speaking on his YouTube channel, Watts said the Partey injury isn’t serious and that he could even be fit enough to play against Everton.He explained (1:51): “I’ve heard pretty good news when it comes to Thomas Partey. As far as I’m aware, he is okay. The scan results did not pick up anything serious.”And he is hopeful that he will be able to play against Everton. Obviously, I can’t confirm 100 per cent that he will be playing at Goodison Park, but he is hopeful that he will be fit to feature and that he will be okay to train, to start training as normal ahead of that match on Saturday.He added (3:50): “Fingers crossed Thomas will be fine for that trip to Everton. Which will be a massive massive boost to Arsenalbecause they need him fit .they need him available.”Huge boostSeeing as Arsenal are struggling to convince Brighton to sell Caicedo despite lodging multiple big bids – with the Seagulls steadfast in their position – it’s great news that Mikel Arteta might not need a new midfielder immediately.Even so, this injury scare to Partey does prove just how short of options the club are right now. Granit Xhaka obviously plays in the middle of the park too, but with Elneny unfit the only other natural alternative is Albert Sambi Lokonga.The Belgian isn’t a exactly perfect alternative for Partey in that deep midfielder role and against Man City captain Martin Odergaard even berated him for his poor positioning.Thankfully, Partey looks to be fit for the time being but as Watts says, there’s no guarantee that he will be ready to play against Everton and so the Gunners may still be desperate to get a new signing in through the door this month. It certainly feels as though they are going to try.

Glasgow Rangers have had a £2m bid for attacking midfielder Morgan Whittaker rejected, according to reports on Friday afternoon.

The Lowdown: Rangers chasing Whittaker

The Premiership giants have been chasing the 22-year-old for a while now, previously having a £1.5m bid turned down, with Swansea manager Russell Martin claiming that all the offers they have received so far have been ‘quite a way’ from his valuation.

Yesterday, Fabrizio Romano detailed that two bids have already been knocked back by the south Wales club, but Ibrox manager Michael Beale has since come back to the table with a new and improved £2m offer.

The Latest: Bid turned down

According to Wales Online, the Gers have had the £2m offer that they tabled on Thursday morning rejected, as it is still well short of Swansea’s valuation.

It is claimed that the offer was swiftly turned down, indicating just how far off Rangers are from being able to strike a deal, and it remains to be seen whether they will come back to the table in the final days of the January transfer window.

Whittaker appears to be keen on a move, having asked to be omitted from Swansea’s recent clash against QPR after admitting that he was not in the right frame of mind to feature in the game.

The Verdict: He’s worth it

Judging by the 22-year-old’s exploits on loan with Plymouth Argyle in League One earlier this season, when he scored nine goals and set up another seven in 25 appearances, he is definitely worth another bid from Rangers,

Hailed as ‘fantastic’ by Martin, the maestro also displayed his versatility during his loan spell with the Pilgrims, featuring on the right -wing, attacking midfield and in a more advanced role playing just behind the striker.

Whittaker bagged a goal and two assists in the latter position in his last game for Argyle, indicating that he could be a very good option for Beale in a central role to provide opportunities for the likes of Alfredo Morelos and Antonio Colak at Rangers.

Jack Pitt-Brooke of The Athletic has claimed that Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Yves Bissouma needs to ‘take more responsibility’.

The Lowdown: Little impact

Antonio Conte’s side signed Bissouma last summer from fellow Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion for a fee of around £35 million.

The 26-year-old has played 18 times in the league for Spurs, but he’s only been given the nod to start on eight different occasions.

Last month Chelsea were reportedly interested in signing the midfielder from Mali, but Bissouma claimed he was happy with life at Tottenham.

The Latest: Bissouma must step up

Speaking on The View From The Lane podcast, Pitt-Brooke claimed that Spurs were too reliant on Rodrigo Bentancur and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. He urged Bissouma to step up and push himself to make more of an impact when he plays for the club.

He stated (34:37), “It’s a miracle that they’ve got as far as they have with Hojbjerg and Bentancur playing basically every minute.

“Certainly before the World Cup, since the World Cup has been a little bit more rotation. It’s pretty apparent that Conte doesn’t particularly trust Sarr and Skipp,

“It’s apparent that Bissouma has taken a lot longer to get settled in than we thought. Tactically around the place is clearly there’s quite a bit of learning.

“He still needs to get up to speed but he’s gonna have to, because particularly if you’re competing on multiple fronts, if they’re going to stay in Europe especially.

“I’m sure they’d want the option maybe you’re playing the resume as the extra midfielder which I think it’s actually worked pretty well in a few games. They have done it before they’ve gone back to the 3-4-3.

“Bissouma has to be able to take more responsibility and he has to become an important player because so far, he just feels like a squad player.”

The Verdict: Bissouma needs time

We believe that Bissouma needs time to settle into life at Tottenham, sometimes a player needs a season to feel comfortable in a new team and its philosophy.

The 26-year-old was well loved in Sussex when he was at Brighton, the Seagulls faithful certainly admired and recognised his ability, Bissouma was named the Player of the Year by the supporters of the club for the year 2021.

He certainly has a lot of confidence in himself and his ability, the midfielder labelled himself as ‘the best’ midfielder in the Premier League when speaking to Football Focus (via The Mirror).

Bissouma could well need time to settle because he’s playing at a club with different expectations, Spurs are constantly pushing for top four and getting a place in the Champions League.

Brighton on the other hand is a club that only recently made a dent in the league’s top ten, achieving their first-ever finish in that position last season.

In our view Bissouma is certainly someone who has talent, he just needs time to settle and fully understand what’s expected of him at Spurs.

An update has emerged on Glasgow Rangers attacking midfielder Ianis Hagi and when he could return from injury…

What’s the latest?

The 24-year-old has revealed that it could take him up to a month before Michael Beale will be able to utilise his talent for a full 90 minutes of action.

Speaking to Romanian media, via the Daily Record, the midfielder said: “For me to play 90 minutes? I would say in three or four weeks. But of course, it doesn’t just depend on me, I have to be called to do it.

“I have to show I can play well. I feel fine physically and mentally as well. Now I’m trying to play as many minutes as possible and get ready as quickly as I can. I don’t feel old, but I feel experienced compared to Alex Pitu for example, who has just signed for Bordeaux. I have my whole career ahead of me, I hope to play another 15 years at least.”

Hagi recently made his comeback off the bench in the 2-0 win over St. Johnstone and was an unused substitute against Ross County last weekend in the Premiership.

Big boost

This news should come as a big boost to the Light Blues head coach as the Romania international has the quality to be a key player for Beale in the coming months of the campaign.

The 24-year-old missed a whopping 69 competitive outings for the club after needing knee surgery in January 2022 and the claim that he will be able to play full 90-minute games by the end of February, or in the early part of March, is fantastic news and a credit to the work the gem has done during his rehabilitation.

It also means that the winger could be ready to play a significant role, if selected, in the League Cup final against Celtic on the 26th of February. Whilst he may not be ready to play a full match by that point, Hagi should be fit enough to either start or play a good chunk of minutes off the bench as he closes in on 100% fitness.

This is a big boost given what the playmaker has shown over the course of his Rangers career. The dynamo has proven himself to be a difference-maker on more than one occasion having scored 15 goals and provided 21 assists in 86 appearances in all competitions for the club.

The Romanian is capable of providing goals and assists from an attacking midfield or wide position and his contributions at the top end of the pitch could win matches for the Gers this season if he is able to get back to his best.

The above statistics show that Hagi has the quality to consistently deliver quality performances and end product from midfield for the Gers when at his peak fitness, which is why having the midfielder fit and ready to play in the coming weeks and months is a huge boost for Beale.