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Newcastle United have a great chance to put distance between themselves and the Premier League relegation zone when they visit Burnley on Sunday after Fulham were beaten 1-0 by Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Steve Bruce’s Magpies can move six points clear of the bottom three and retain a game in hand over the Cottagers with a win at Turf Moor, where Sean Dyche’s Clarets have failed to win their last six top-flight games.

However, Newcastle have struggled for results on their travels all season, with the St James’ Park outfit winning just three of their 15 away league games – only West Bromwich Albion (two) and Sheffield United (one) have won fewer.

Bruce faces a number of selection decisions as players return from injuries and some head for the treatment room. With that in mind, here’s a potential line-up the Toon may field at Burnley…

Newcastle will arrive at Turf Moor brimming with confidence after taking a point at home to Tottenham Hotspur last time out, but will be expected to make as many as four changes from the line-up which faced Jose Mourinho’s side.

Jamaal Lascelles opened the Spurs affair in central defence alongside Paul Dummett and Emil Krafth but has been ruled out of the Burnley game with a fractured foot, while Krafth is likely to be replaced after struggling in a centre-back role.

Ciaran Clark could come back into the team after watching last weekend’s game from the bench, while Federico Fernandez is expected to be available for his first appearance since January following a spell out with a calf injury.

Matt Ritchie came in for his first appearance since a training ground bust-up with Bruce to start at left-back against Spurs while Jacob Murphy thrived at right-back, and both will expect to retain their roles in front of Martin Dubravka’s net.

“Matty played very well. I never hold a grudge – our row is forgotten,” Bruce said after the Spurs draw, via quotes shared by The Guardian. “That’s the best we’ve played for a long, long time, so there’s a tinge of disappointment we didn’t win.”

Jonjo Shelvey and Sean Longstaff will be expected to retain their positions in midfield, with Joe Willock returning to the starting line-up to occupy the right-hand role of the three-man line after scoring the late equaliser against Spurs.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/the-latest-newcastle-news%2c-gossip-and-views-2″ title=”The latest Newcastle news, gossip and views!”]

Miguel Almiron started in a deeper role against Tottenham but will likely move back into an advanced position to pull the strings behind the strikers, with Bruce potentially able to field his first-choice front three for the first time since beating Southampton 3-2 on February 6.

Bruce lost Callum Wilson to a hamstring injury 36 minutes into the Saints affair and has been without Newcastle’s 10-goal top scorer since, but is hopeful the ex-Bournemouth frontman – who Kevin Phillips has described as “excellent” – has now overcome his issue.

“I’m sure everyone’s asking about whether Callum and Allan [Saint-Maximin] will be in the squad,” Bruce said on Friday. “We’ve still got two days of training – we train today and tomorrow [Saturday] – but Callum and Allan have trained all week, so that’s good news for us that they’re available.”

Bruce starting Wilson and Saint-Maximin will see Dwight Gayle and Joelinton drop out of the team, despite the latter scoring the opener against Tottenham for his first Premier League goal in 15 appearances.

However, Wilson can offer Newcastle a game-changing option, who Rob Lee exclusively told Football FanCast: “He makes a difference, it’s genuinely that simple. Out of all the clubs down the bottom, no one [else] has got a goalscorer [like him].”

AND in other news, Newcastle have landed a boost in the race to sign a £26m target backed to be “one of the best in Europe”…

As per Foot Mercato, Southampton are interested in signing Nantes’ Randal Kolo Muani.

Saints eye Muani

Eintracht Frankfurt, Freiburg, RB Leipzig, Club Brugge and Watford are all said to be in pursuit of the 22-year-old, providing plenty of competition for Ralph Hasenhuttl and co.

As per this report, Southampton have already made an approach to the player’s entourage though, and he will apparently demand a fee of at least €5m (£4.3m).

Bargain

Muani has been in impressive for the Ligue 1 outfit so far this campaign, scoring five goals and providing five assists in 31 league matches so far (Transfermarkt) – he has 10 goals throughout his career. Such has been the level of his performances, he has drawn comparisons with £144m-valued superstar Kylian Mbappe (Goal.com), while he was also called “amazing” by former Nantes boss Christian Gourcuff.

Hasenhuttl has recently revealed Southampton will be looking to sign players for £10m or less this summer (via Sky Sports), meaning Muani would be the perfect transfer target. With plenty of years left ahead of him and clear talent, he has re-sale value that is important for a club in Saints’ position, whether they would like to admit it or not. There is obviously plenty of competition for his services, but perhaps the allure of Premier League football could well be enough to convince the France U21 international.

In other news, Southampton fans are livid with this man’s comments.

Premiership giants Celtic are on red alert as West Ham United have now mandated agents to work on helping the club secure the services of Odsonne Edouard.

Edouard has previously been linked with a move to other Premier League clubs like Brighton, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace. Monaco had a bid rejected in the past too. It now seems as though West Ham are leading the way to sign the Frenchman.

Agents to work for West Ham in Edouard deal

Football Insider have dropped the latest about Edouard, saying that West Ham are set to mandate agents to help them work on the deal for the Frenchman in the summer.

Sources have allegedly told Football Insider that David Sullivan wants to see his club move for the striker and is sending agents to negotiate on the Hammers’ behalf.

The report claims that Edouard’s actions of switching agents was a sign of the fact that he is set to leave the club in the summer.

The Hoops have tried multiple times to hand him a new contract, but he has knocked back these attempts every single time. As a result, his value has fallen and West Ham now want him as an option alongside Michail Antonio.

Celtic should part ways with Edouard in the summer

Edouard has racked up a non-penalty goals per 90 minutes tally of only 0.66 in the Premiership this season. That is his lowest ever tally in his Celtic career (as per FBRef).

His contract at Parkhead runs out in the summer of 2022, meaning that the upcoming summer would be Celtic’s best chance of earning a good fee from his sale.

Considering that he hasn’t had a great season by his own lofty standards, perhaps it will be a good time to part ways, ensuring the Hoops get a good fee which they can reinvest into a new manager’s rebuild, rather than losing him for free in the not-so-distant future.

In other news, Chris Sutton picks out three players for new Celtic boss to build around – read more here.

Ross Wilson could be about to hand Steven Gerrard a huge boost at Rangers, with Vitesse centre-back Danilho Doekhi reportedly set to be offered a three-year deal at Ibrox.

According to reports from the Netherlands, Doekhi has decided to leave Vitesse this summer and is set to be offered a deal by Rangers, with Newcastle United and Fulham also said to be interested in the 22-year-old.

Doekhi has been a big part of Vitesse’s impressive season thus far, helping Thomas Letsch’s side to fourth place in the Eredivisie, whilst they also boast one of the best defensive records in the division, so it is easy to see why the young centre-back is attracting interest from Ibrox.

He was dubbed “one of the best defenders” in the league by Letsch recently, who was also full of praise for him back in January, as he said:

“Danilho is a class player, a great player, for us.

“He already played fantastic last year and this season he has performed every game at the highest level. Danilho makes almost no mistakes and is an absolute team player, a very calm player. Although he can be emotional, but he has developed in that area as well.”

Although Rangers have plenty of options at centre-back already, Filip Helander and George Edmundson have both been tipped for a move away recently and Doekhi definitely looks as if he could come in and challenge for a starting spot in Gerrard’s side.

So far this season, the Netherlands U21 international has averaged a very solid 6.92 rating for his performances in the Eredivisie, averaging 2.9 aerials won per game, 2 tackles per game and 1.7 interceptions per game.

This is more tackles and interceptions than any Rangers player has averaged in the Premiership this season, whilst his aerial prowess is only rated behind Filip Helander and Connor Goldson.

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Therefore, he could definitely be an excellent addition to Gerrard’s side this summer, so it will be interesting to see if he accepts the reported three-year deal and makes the move to Ibrox. It’d be a welcome boost for Gerrard if he does.

And, in other news… Better than Itten: Wilson should seal Rangers swoop for “fantastic” 24 G/A beast 

Many Everton fans have been flocking to a transfer update on Hwang Hee-Chan as Sport1 have reported that they are particularly keen on him.

However, as per the news outlet, that is also the stance of West Ham United, and both teams were interested in signing him in the winter break.

The Goodison Park faithful could do with another striker to compete with Dominic Calvert-Lewin up top for the 2021/22 term, and Hwang would certainly offer a different option given his ability to run in behind with his pace.

However, the South Korea international has not been very prolific for RB Leipzig so far this season, scoring just two times in 21 games in total over all competitions (Transfermarkt).

The update has certainly split the fanbase of the Merseyside club in terms of whether the 25-year-old would be a good signing for them or not.

Everton fans on Hee-Chan transfer update

These Toffees supporters flocked to the transfer update after it was shared on Twitter:

“Let’s gooooooooooooo!!!”

Credit: @jaehl33

“Thought we should of looked at him in January. He’s not bad, versatile. Sell Kean for £40m plus and get him for around £15m and it’s really good business imo”

Credit: @AidyDews

“A lot of fans here looking his goals per game and just that. He’s got a well-rounded game, plenty of potential and brings more than just being a “striker””

Credit: @Lukazioo

“Please no”

Credit: @davidh_5_

“2 goals in 35 Bundesliga games. No thanks.”

Credit: @irvine75

“Isn’t he like scoreless in 15 games?”

Credit: @TheBenji1878

In other news, find out what transfer update has been lauded by Blues here!

Kris Commons has strongly criticised wantaway Celtic duo Odsonne Edouard and Kristoffer Ajer, arguing that the club ought to have sold the ‘demotivated’ pair last summer.

The Hoops’ dismal season took yet another wretched turn on Sunday as they were thumped 4-1 by arch-rivals Rangers at Ibrox. With two games to go, they trail Steven Gerrard’s side by 23 points in the Premiership.

How did Edouard and Ajer play against Rangers?

Edouard equalised for Celtic in the first half with a header from close range, before Alfredo Morelos swiftly restored Rangers’ lead. Two further goals in the second half compounded the misery for John Kennedy’s side.

Daily Record journalist Gordon Parks awarded Edouard a team-high rating of seven out of 10 for his performance, writing that his ‘appetite for the occasion wasn’t in question’ and that he ‘refused to give up the ghost despite being drip served decent service’.

It has been reported that the Frenchman, who has now scored 20 goals this season, is intent upon leaving the club regardless of whom they appoint as Neil Lennon’s successor.

Ajer is also reported to have his eyes on the exit door. The centre-half provided a knock-down assist for Edouard’s goal but Parks accused him of ‘dereliction in duty’ after he ducked out of the way of Morelos’ subsequent shot.

What did Commons have to say about Edouard and Ajer?

Former Celtic player Commons wrote that ‘an improvement in the attitude and performances’ of Edouard and Ajer was expected after Lennon’s departure, adding that Celtic’s ‘unhealthy obsession’ with winning 10 titles in a row has led to them retaining players who ‘felt like they were doing a Celtic a favour’.

“The problem lies squarely with these players who have their own agendas and prioritised them ahead of the club,” he wrote in the Daily Mail print edition, via Daily Record.

“The unhealthy obsession with 10 In A Row is at the heart of it.

“Celtic felt compelled to hold onto a select few players who were already plotting their own exit.

“They should never have entertained the idea of having to coax these players into giving the club ‘one more year’.

“As soon as a player expresses a desire to leave, as Lennon made clear after the Ferencvaros game last August, the club should be phoning them a taxi to the airport.

“These players felt like they were doing a Celtic favour by hanging around.

“They have lost all motivation and it has been the club and the supporters who have suffered for it.”

Transfer Tavern verdict

There’s an added layer here in that Celtic have also allowed both players name-checked by Commons to reach the final year of their respective contracts. That means they won’t be able to maximise the fees for £13.5m-rated Edouard and £3.6m-rated Ajer.

That could make the task of replacing them with players of similar quality all the more difficult. Commons may have a point in wondering whether their hearts are truly in it at Celtic, but the practicality of sorting their futures seems trickier than the theory.

In other news, Edouard has responded to a huge contract offer from this Premier League club.