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An injury expert has now dropped a Newcastle United claim on Callum Wilson before they play Norwich City away from home in the Premier League.

The Lowdown: Shooting drills

As cited by The Shields Gazette, Eddie Howe has revealed that Wilson has taken part in some low-level shooting drills as he looks to step up his recovery from injury.

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The striker was reportedly confident of making his return against the Canaries, and the Toon Army will no doubt be eager to hear an update on his situation from Howe before the game on Saturday afternoon.

The Latest: Injury expert

Speaking to Football Insider, medical expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in both medicine and data analysis, has claimed that Wilson is now ‘moving in the right direction’, and that it would be ‘fantastic’ if he could still play a part in the run-in:

“He is moving in the right direction.

“They will be proceeding with caution given his history with soft tissue injuries.

“With this injury specifically, you need to be careful with him because there is that danger there.

“If it was a choice between bringing him back too early or having a fully fit and firing Callum Wilson next season, you’d take the latter.

“If he does play some part in the run-in, fantastic. As long as he is moving in the right direction, that will suit Newcastle.”

The Verdict: Big boost

It would certainly be a big boost if Wilson could come back for the remainder of the run-in, starting with NCFC on Saturday.

Amazingly, he is still their top scorer this season with six goals despite his injury setback, and would be useful in getting the St. James’ Park faithful to finish as high up in the Premier League table as possible.

Nonetheless, a nice run of matches will get him best prepared for next term, where the North East club will be hoping to kick on after a potentially busy summer transfer window.

In other news, find out who NUFC’s three worst players were against Crystal Palace here!

An update has emerged regarding Southampton’s interest in Hull City winger Keane Lewis-Potter.

What’s the talk?

According to The Sun, Southampton are keeping tabs on the 20-year-old as they consider a swoop for the youngster.

The report claims that Saints are currently scouting his performances, with Hull potentially willing to sell him in the January transfer window.

Fans would love him

Martin Semmens must now sanction a January swoop for Lewis-Potter to bolster Southampton’s squad. The fans would love it as it could prove to be a shrewd piece of business in the long-term, with the Hull starlet only 20 years old.

Lewis-Potter has registered two goals and one assist in the Championship this season, whilst he also scored in the Carabao Cup against Wigan. This is after he managed 13 goals and five assists in League One as Hull were promoted out of the third tier in 2020/21, showing that he was able to produce regular despite his young age.

A move to the Premier League would represent another step up for him, but at the age of 20 he still has plenty of time to develop and fulfill his potential. Last year, Hull manager Grant McCann hailed the midfielder as a special talent and backed him to keep improving and progressing as a player.

He said: “The kid’s a special talent. Wherever we play him across that frontline, he’ll create and score goals.

“He can be anything he wants to be. He’s quick, he’s getting stronger. If you see him physically now compared to where he was this time last year, he’s head and shoulders above in terms of his physique. He’s got all the tools to be anything he wants.

“With young players you need to keep on at them. They need to keep understanding what’s expected on an everyday level. We’ve got good staff around here to help Keano keep progressing.”

That is why Saints fans would love this deal as the club would be investing in a young player who has already shown potential at senior level. Lewis-Potter has scored goals in League One and the Championship and scouts will continue to track his progress between now and January, which could give a better indication as to whether or not he would be coming in to play at St Mary’s or go back out on loan.

What happens in the short-term is not as important as the long-term planning, though. Saints fans will surely love that Semmens is trying to iron out a plan for the future by bringing in talented prospects who could become key players further down the line, which is why he must secure a deal for Lewis-Potter.

AND in other news, 86% duels won: Southampton gem repaid Hasenhuttl’s faith with superb Man City display…

Ex-Everton star Michael Ball has urged Everton to receive a huge fee for Moise Kean this summer amid links with Inter Milan.

The Serie A club have been linked with an interest in the striker in this transfer window after selling Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea.

The striker has moved to the Blues for a fee worth £97.5m, and Inter are now on the lookout for striking reinforcements.

Kean has been mentioned as a target and Ball believes that the Toffees need to take advantage of the fact that Inter are now flush with the cash from the Lukaku deal.

Kean spent last season on loan at PSG and scored 17 goals in 41 games for the French giants.

They have since signed Lionel Messi from Barcelona, however, scotching any prospect of Kean returning to Paris, and potentially leaving Inter as the only realistic destination prior to the transfer deadline.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Ball said: “Can Everton be quite clever and quite cute with Inter Milan, knowing that they’re going to get a big chunk of money for Lukaku?

“Everton could get in there and demand a big fee, maybe with a sell-on as well, to get that transfer fee over the line.”

Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou is set to welcome back Anthony Ralston against Real Betis on Thursday, according to Scott Burns of The Daily Record.

The Lowdown: Ralston under Postecoglou

The 22-year-old has been one of Celtic’s best-rated performers under Postecoglou, as per WhoScored, with an average match rating of 8.38/10.

He’s netted twice in the Scottish Premiership and has also registered an assist but missed his first game of the 2021/22 campaign against Ross County on the weekend.

It looks like he’ll be back for the Hoops’ opening Europa League group game against Real Betis, though.

The Latest: Ralston update

Burns shared an update on Monday evening regarding Ralston, while all but ruling out Taylor for Betis after revealing he has been sent to an injury specialist regarding his shoulder issue.

When it came to Ralston, though, Burns said the right-back is back in full training and will be available for the trip to Spain.

The Verdict: Good news

Postecoglou has had two injury blows recently in Taylor and Kyogo Furuhashi, so it’s a welcome boost to know that Ralston’s absence will only be a short one.

Should he return to the starting line up, Postecoglou could use summer signing Josip Juranovic at left-back and Ralston on the right side, as he did against Rangers.

Youngster Adam Montgomery replaced Taylor at Parkhead on the weekend, so at least Postecoglou will have options against the La Liga side.

In other news: ‘Could be huge’ – McAvennie ecstatic at what he’s ‘heard’ from ‘a few Celtic people’. 

Leeds presenter Joe Wainman believes that Dan James was always destined to sign for the club, even suggesting he is like a son to Marcelo Bielsa.

The Lowdown: Leeds finally capture James

Leeds signing of £16.2m-valued James (Transfermarkt) had been two years in the making. The Whites had been close to capturing the Wales international in 2019, but the move from Swansea City fell apart on deadline day.

He of course moved to Manchester United before finally switching to Elland Road in the summer for a fee of £25m (BBC).

The Latest: Wainman makes James claim

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Wainman believes James was always going to end up with the Whites. He said:

“I just felt that it was always going to be Leeds United’s deal because they were so big on him. Victor Orta very big on him. Of course, Bielsa, he’s like Bielsa’s son, I think. It was always going to happen.”

The Verdict: Finally

It is hard to understate just how close James was close to moving to Yorkshire – he was even pictured holding up a Leeds shirt before the transfer fell apart (inews). Two years later, the Whites finally have their man, and he has already made five appearances in all competitions for the club (Transfermarkt).

How much of an impact he has remains to be seen – he is yet to score or provide an assist as of yet – but if Bielsa was that desperate to capture him, he clearly has a certain ability. After all, the Argentinian is a hero in Leeds and, so far, the vast majority of his decisions have paid off.

In other news, Noel Whelan is delighted with these club plans.

Celtic have had a remarkably positive and an incredibly busy last few weeks.

The Hoops have signed two players in the transfer market and have recorded three consecutive victories, ensuring Ange Postecoglou’s pathway to regular continental football grows closer.

What’s the word?

The Bhoys continue to be active in the transfer window and are closing in on the signing of a right-back according to various sources.

Celtic are hoping to convince Manchester City’s Yan Couto to sign on loan with the Brazilian even being invited to watch them play at Parkhead.

However, at the top of the pile appears to be Legia Warsaw’s Josip Juranovic.

Croatian journalist Izak Ante Sucic was one of the first to report the news but a fresh update emerged on Friday suggesting a move was completely off the table due to Celtic’s finances.

Though, Sucic rebuffed those claims with the following six-word update: “Everything seems to be just fine.”

Exciting news

If Celtic do end up concluding a deal for Juranovic, it can only be good news for the club who will surely elate their supporters with this acquisition.

Although Couto has been compared to Dani Alves and is a fine prospect at the age of 19, the Bhoys need a more seasoned and proven player to become their mainstay at right-back.

Furthermore, it would be a permanent move as opposed to the temporary swoop mooted for Couto.

Signing Juranovic may mean Celtic have to spend a bit more but he’d certainly be worth it. After all, he looks perfect for Postecoglou.

Anthony Ralston has been fantastic in the early weeks of the season, scoring twice from full-back, but in terms of overall quality, the Croat would be a massive upgrade.

He completes a whopping 40% of his crosses and gives away very few fouls. In fact, he committed the fewest fouls of anyone in the entire Polish top-flight last season at only 0.21 per 90 minutes.

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Furthermore, Juranovic is a physical presence too. Despite standing at just 5 foot 8 he wins 67.6% of his ground duels.

A full international, there are plenty of positives of bringing him to Parkhead this summer. Celtic must ensure they pay Legia’s asking price.

AND in other news, Celtic open talks to sign 6ft1 gem who’s “one of the very best”, he could be Kyogo 2.0…

West Ham United have been handed a huge boost concerning Ben Johnson and Kurt Zouma.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by Football.London, David Moyes revealed that he withdrew Johnson at half-time in the Hammers’ 3-2 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday as the defender was on a booking rather than because of an injury, while the 58-year-old also suggested that Zouma could be ahead of schedule in his recovery from a hamstring tendon injury.

Speaking about Johnson, Moyes said: “I would have liked to have used another sub as I took Ben off because he was booked.”

Regarding Zouma and the club’s efforts to sign a new centre-back in the January transfer window, the West Ham manager added: “A defender is in our priorities but if we get Kurt back that might alter it.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering how important both Johnson and Zouma have been for West Ham this season, the news that the 21-year-old did not suffer an injury against Palace, in addition to the suggestion that Zouma could be back in first-team action before January is up, will undoubtedly have left the London Stadium faithful buzzing.

Indeed, over his 11 Premier League appearances in the current campaign – the most recent of which have come at left-back as a result of Aaron Cresswell’s injury – the £2.7m-rated Johnson has helped his side keep two clean sheets and scored one goal, as well as making an average of 1.3 interceptions, 2.2 tackles, 2.6 clearances and winning 54% of his duels per game.

These returns have seen the England U21 international average an impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.00, ranking him as Moyes’ fifth-best performer in the top flight of English football.

Meanwhile, over Zouma’s own 11 league outings this term, the £28.8m-rated centre-back has also helped the Irons keep two clean sheets and has scored one goal, as well as making an average of 1.2 interceptions, 0.6 tackles, 5.2 clearances and winning 60% of his duels per match.

These returns have seen the £120k-per-week defender average a SofaScore match rating of 6.91, ranking him as the Hammers’ joint ninth-best player in the division.

As such, it is clear to see that both players are incredibly important to both Moyes and West Ham, meaning that the 58-year-old’s latest update is sure to have left fans of the club buzzing.

In other news: Big transfer twist emerges on “invaluable” 22 y/o that’ll leave West Ham fans outraged

Rangers are plotting a key deal to ensure Alex Lowry’s future under Giovanni van Bronckhorst at Ibrox beyond 2023.

What’s the talk?

According to Football Insider, a Gers source has revealed that the club have made the talented youngster a new contract offer worth £5k-per-week.

The report claims that he is set to meet with van Bronckhorst and club officials to discuss a deal this week, with Rangers hoping to pin him down to fresh terms until 2025.

His current contract expires in the summer of 2023 and the Light Blues are keen to avoid losing him for nothing at the end of next season. He is said to be attracting interest from unnamed clubs from England, and the Gers are hoping to ward off those advances with a new deal for the midfielder.

Van Bronckhorst will be elated

This update will surely leave Van Bronckhorst elated, as Rangers are pressing ahead with their attempts to keep Lowry at Ibrox. They are not waiting until bids have already come in for him to start trying to retain his services, which means that they are being proactive in their approach.

The Dutch head coach will be desperate to keep hold of the teenager heading into the 2022/23 campaign and beyond, as he is a talented young player with high potential.

At the age of 18, Lowry has already been exposed to first-team football at Ibrox. He made his Premiership debut earlier this season and scored his first senior goal for the club against Stirling Albion in the Scottish Cup, which shows that he has the talent to make an impact outside of the youth team.

Last month, journalist Josh Bunting lavished him with praise, tweeting: “Alex Lowry is just a fabulous footballer, on this pitch the way he’s dribbling on it indicates he has so much quality, so good on the ball and has a wonderful sense of balance, really good at driving at the opposition defence he creates plenty of problems with his movement.”

This shows that the 18-year-old has been catching the eye throughout the campaign. He still has the majority of his career ahead of him to continue developing and Rangers cannot afford to lose him at the end of his current contract as they would not be able to benefit from his full potential.

Therefore, Van Bronckhorst will be elated with the efforts to keep Lowry at Ibrox and will be hoping that the Scotland youth international is willing to commit his future to the club.

AND in other news, Insider drops worrying behind-the-scenes Ibrox claim, it’s very bad news for Rangers…

Everton could secure their next Mikel Arteta after the Toffees linked with a move to bring Real Madrid midfielder Isco to Goodison Park ahead of the upcoming transfer window.

What’s the story?

Spanish outlet Defensa Central reported a few months ago that Rafa Benitez was keen for a reunion with the 29-year-old at Goodison Park after managing him at Madrid between 2015 and 2016.

However, Super Deporte have now provided an update on Isco’s situation, claiming that fellow Premier League side Newcastle United and Serie A giants Juventus have joined the race for his signature.

With Los Blancos keen to offload some fringe players ahead of Kylian Mbappe’s expected arrival, and Isco far down Carlo Ancelotti’s pecking order, an imminent exit appears to be on the cards.

Benitez needs him

It’s been many years since Everton had a diminutive, technically gifted, attack-minded Spanish maestro pulling the strings in the middle of the park, with Mikel Arteta the last to do so.

The now Arsenal boss departed the Blues back in 2011, though, and they’ve missed the guile and imagination of a player in his mould ever since.

In Isco, director of football Marcel Brands could finally replace the attributes that Arteta brought to the engine room throughout his six-year stay, providing Benitez with the creativity he needs for a successful season in the process.

The Spain international has played a pivotal part in Madrid’s success over the last few years, scoring 52 goals and providing 56 assists in 342 appearances for the club. Arteta, meanwhile, provided exactly 35 goals and 35 assists in 209 outings for the Merseyside outfit.

Isco’s impressive exploits helped the capital club claim four Champions League crowns, two La Liga titles and one Copa del Rey during his time in Madrid, earning praise from several impressed onlookers, including former international teammate Andres Iniesta.

“He is a fantastic player, with an incredible talent,” Iniesta told reporters back in 2017. “For many years, he has been doing things very well, and he is playing for one of the best teams in the world.

“He is an important player not just in the national team but in his club. He is young and has many years to grow and improve.”

However, injuries and drop-off in form have resulted in Isco being reduced to a bit-part role in recent years, and he’s only been awarded two starts in all competitions during 2021/22, failing to complete a full 90 minutes on either occasion.

With James Rodriguez’s departure leaving a sizeable gap in Benitez’s forward line at Everton, the £13.5m-rated Isco could be the ideal candidate to plug it, adding the extra firepower that the Spanish tactician so evidently needs.

And, in other news…Forget Gbamin: Benitez must unleash £80k-p/w EFC beast, he made a “huge difference” 

Leeds United have been touted with a move for Chelsea outcast Ross Barkley this summer…

What’s the story?

90min have suggested that Jesse Marsch’s side, along with fellow Premier League outfits Everton and Newcastle are possible landing spots for the former England man in the upcoming transfer window.

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His contract at Stamford Bridge comes to an end in the summer of 2023, and it’s been claimed that a cut-price sale is a “dead-cert”.

Marsch heading for a mistake

The £100k-a-week ace was on loan at Villa Park last year, and endured a rather nightmare spell in the Midlands, managing just three goals and the solitary assist in the Premier League.

It was no surprise then that he came in for some harsh criticism from those who watched him week-in and week-out, with The Athletic’s Villa correspondent, Gregg Evans, saying: “He doesn’t do enough for me now. I’ve seen enough of Ross Barkley now to realise that he’s becoming a bit of a liability for Villa. He’s not helping out enough as he should, really.”

This campaign has seen him completely fall out of the reckoning back at Chelsea, having initially seemed like he was at least a rotational part of Thomas Tuchel’s side.

But after playing 25 minutes against former club Everton back in mid-December, Barkley has not taken to the field at all for the Blues, and it’s been a real indication of how he’s slipped down the pecking order that there have been occasions when he hasn’t even made the match-day squad for them.

At 28, Barkley simply hasn’t shown enough in recent seasons to indicate that he would be someone Marsch can really count on in the hustle and bustle of the Premier League, and his troublesome injury record certainly doesn’t make him more of an appealing signing either.

It’s a move that seems like a real mistake on the part of Marsch, and one that won’t have the Elland Road faithful delighted at all.

AND in other news – Leeds could finally axe shocking £50k-p/w liability with “extraordinary” 6 ft 2 star