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Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer has warned Tottenham fans not to expect a Daniel Levy departure despite all of the fallout from the collapsed European Super League.

The Tottenham chairman is facing strong opposition right now from supporters, largely for the club’s involvement in the aforementioned, with many now calling for him and ENIC to pack their bags.

This comes after Football Insider reported that owner Joe Lewis is looking to sell the Premier League outfit. And after all the backlash the current regime has received following the ESL farce, some Spurs fans may be starting to think this could be it for Levy and Lewis.

Palmer, however, is not too sure. When asked by FFC whether the ESL disaster could end up forcing Levy out of the club, the ex-Sheffield Wednesday player said:

“Well, Levy’s never been popular at Tottenham, has he? He’s never been popular, so I don’t think that changes his mindset [regarding staying at the club].”

Next on the agenda for Levy is finding a new permanent manager for Spurs following Jose Mourinho’s sacking.

That new manager, however, will not be Julian Nagelsmann, who will leave RB Leipzig for Bayern Munich in the summer.

Crystal Palace could retain an interest in Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah after their efforts to secure his signature over the summer were rebuffed, according to journalist Tom Barclay.

What’s the story?

The Eagles were first linked with the 22-year-old in the previous transfer window when The Athletic claimed that Palace were willing to pay £10m for the youngster, but a deal couldn’t be agreed between the two clubs as the Gunners were holding out for a £20m fee.

Now though, with the January window fast approaching, Barclay believes the south London outfit could try their luck again as new manager Patrick Vieira looks to add further reinforcements to his forward line.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “There was big interest in Nketiah in the summer, he’s out of contract next summer.

“But he’s 22, which means he’s under 24 so Arsenal would be due some compensation, so it wouldn’t be a free transfer. I wouldn’t be surprised if they retained interest in Nketiah, though.”

Crystal Palace need him

A recent report by TransferMarketWeb claimed the former England U21 international could be available for as little as €12m (£10m) this winter due to his contract situation, a fee that could prove to be an absolute bargain in years to come.

He was dubbed “so incredibly prolific” by football scout Jacek Kulig after a string of impressive performances for Arsenal that has seen him rack up a combined haul of 16 goals and assists. Sadly, Nketiah has found opportunities hard to come by in recent months.

After receiving just 173 minutes of first-team action this term – all coming in the Carabao Cup – Nketiah has made his desire to depart north London known to Mikel Arteta, meaning an imminent exit could be on the cards.

With Christian Beneteke set to turn 31 next month, and loanee Jean-Philippe Mateta expected to return to his parent club early, Vieira and Palace will need extra attacker options over the coming months, and Nketiah could be the ideal solution.

And, in other news…Journo drops big claim over Palace “warrior” who Vieira loves, fans will be delighted 

While things at Wolverhampton Wanderers appear to very much be on the up in recent months, with Bruno Lage’s side picking up a highly impressive 16 points from a possible 20 over their last seven Premier League fixtures, there are nevertheless a couple of issues at Molineux that will be a cause for concern amongst fans.

Indeed, with Morgan Gibbs-White being sent out on loan at the start of the season and Bruno Jordao still being sidelined due to injury, the 45-year-old manager currently has just three options to choose from in the middle of the park – Ruben Neves, Leander Dendoncker and Joao Moutinho.

And, with December soon upon us – famously the most hectic period of the Premier League calendar – should either of this trio pick up an injury or suspension, Lage’s lack of choice in central midfield could well derail Wolves’ push to secure European football come next May rather quickly.

However, the Portuguese manager may well possess a ready-made solution to this potential middle of the park Christmas crisis – in the shape of 19-year-old Luke Cundle.

Cundle could save Shi millions

It is easy to see why expectations of those at Wolves are so high for Cundle, as the teenager has continually impressed during his progression through the club’s youth ranks.

Indeed, over his 41 appearances for the U18 side, the central midfielder scored four goals and registered four assists, while, over his 43 fixtures after being promoted to James Collins’ U23 side, the youngster has bagged four goals and nine assists, as well as being made the captain of the team.

The latest of these goals for the U23s came on Friday evening, with the teenager scoring a stunning 73rd-minute winner for his side – playing a one-two with a teammate on the edge of the opposition penalty area, before jinking through a number of defenders and driving powerfully home – in a 2-1 Premier League 2 victory over Birmingham City.

Following this result, Collins was full of praise for his captain, stating: “He’s ready for that step up. Whether that’s with our first team or whether that’s a loan, because watching him out there, I thought he was magnificent.

“He’s got an outstanding brain and drives the game, he runs the game and dictates it which is a great skill. He’s intelligent, makes good decisions, can attack and defend and when you first see him, you wonder whether he could be a Premier League player because he’s slight and small.

“But once you’ve worked with him for a bit you can see how much of a good player he is. I’m delighted for him to get his goal because his performance deserved that. I thought everyone did well, but he was a real stand-out.”

Collins’ belief in Cundle’s readiness for first-team football is an opinion that the Express & Star’s Luke Hatfield shares, with the journalist stating of the 19-year-old in an interview with GIVEMESPORT:

“They’re probably looking at who could potentially make an impact at first-team level and I think Luke Cundle is maybe one. He is probably one they are looking at and maybe he could break through if they need cover. If push comes to shove and they need an extra body in their midfield, Luke Cundle is one they may be eyeing up.”

As such, considering the midfielder’s abundance of potential, coupled with Lage’s rather desperate need for reinforcements in the middle of the park, it would seem highly advisable for the 45-year-old to finally unleash the youngster in his first-team, as, with a couple of impressive performances in the top flight, Cundle could well go on to save Jeff Shi and Wolves millions of pounds in January transfer fees.

In other news: “I spoke with my agent”: £51k-p/w Wolves target drops big transfer hint, Shi must act

Antonio Conte has reportedly now identified his main transfer target for Tottenham Hotspur – Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie.

The Lowdown: Well-known

McKennie is a player that is well-known to both Conte and Fabio Paratici, given their connections to Serie A.

Of course, Conte thrived at Inter Milan last season, guiding them to the Serie A title ahead of McKennie’s Juventus, while Paratici used to be the managing director at the Old Lady before moving on to Spurs.

McKennie is a player that Paratici was particularly fond of during his time at Juve, claiming that he is ‘very exuberant’ and ‘very intelligent’, while adding that they had ‘high expectations’ of him (Juve FC).

Former Juventus manager Andrea Pirlo even went as far as to call him a ‘rock’ in his team earlier this year, so he is a player that is certainly generating excitement.

The Latest: Main target

As per Calciomercato, Conte will now look to sign McKennie for Spurs in the January transfer window, and he is the even ‘first name on his wish list’.

However, for the North London club to have any chance of securing his signature next month, they would need to cough up at least €30-35m (£25.3-29.6m).

The Verdict: Get it done

At just 23 years of age, McKennie is already playing at a high level, having shined at FC Schalke before he moved to Juventus.

He has already featured 18 times in the UEFA Champions League for both clubs combined, and clearly has a high ceiling given the lofty praise from those who have worked with him.

Nonetheless, he is already making a name for himself at international level as well, racking up no fewer than 28 senior caps for the United States, while he was also named their Footballer of the Year in 2020.

Harry Winks, Tanguy Ndombele and Dele Alli could all be leaving the Lilywhites soon, which would certainly open up a midfield slot for McKennie to grab with both arms.

In other news, find out which ‘undefendable’ beast Conte is now keen on here!

The writing is on the wall for Newcastle United. Fail to sack Steve Bruce, and relegation will surely be on the cards.

This Magpies team looks like a torrid group; they look defeated, bullied to within an inch of their lives.

Their style of football is shoddy and there are very few signs of fight from those in the St James’ Park camp. Their 3-0 defeat to fellow relegation candidates Brighton on Saturday evening just about summed things up.

They were toothless in attack and filled with mistakes in defence. Once again, the prime candidate was Joelinton.

The big Brazilian set the tone just 21 minutes in. Martin Dubravaka launched the ball forward in the direction of Joelinton. The striker got his head to the ball but planted it straight out of play for a throw-in.

If anything summed up his time in the north-east that was it. To be completely blunt, the attacker has been one of the worst signings in Premier League history.

Signed from Hoffenheim for £40m, he penned a six-year deal with Newcastle. It was not only a club-record deal, but also Bruce’s record deal. Unfortunately, he is costing the manager his job.

The forward has found the net on just seven occasions and has three top-flight goals to his name since the summer of 2019. To suggest his time in England has been poor, therefore, would be putting it lightly.

Perhaps one of his worst performances in a black and white shirt came on Saturday. Joelinton was utterly anonymous in attack and made fewer passes (16) and fewer touches (34) than Dubravka in the Magpies goal. The Slovakian had 45 touches and made 24 passes in comparison.

He endured a torrid evening on the south coast, losing possession of the ball on 15 occasions and taking just one touch in the opposition penalty area. Joelinton also failed to have a single shot at goal.

For a normal footballer that makes for pretty grim reading. However, when you cost £40m, it only looks even worse.

He hasn’t scored since the back end of November and worryingly, his performances are getting worse.

In a relegation six-pointer, he should be one of the players standing up and taking the game by the scruff of the neck. Unfortunately, that’s very rarely happened during his feeble stay at Newcastle.

Judging by his attitude and form, it would be an almighty surprise to watch him see out the six years he signed on for. Joelinton epitomises the sinking ship of Newcastle right now.

AND in other news, “It’s the Graeme Jones way” – Exclusive: Rob Lee baffled by what Bruce assistant has done at NUFC…

Sunderland managed to rescue a point late on at home to Rotherham United as they drew 1-1 in League One on Tuesday night.

An own goal from Michael Ihiekwe spared their blushes after the central defender scored at the right end for the visitors in the first half, in a game that saw Alex Neil’s team dominate possession, but create very few chances (SofaScore).

As such, The Transfer Tavern have used statistical experts SofaScore to analyse who the three worst performers (to have played at least 45 minutes) were for the hosts on the night, as this trio lost the ball a combined 37 times from 123 touches, or roughly every three touches.

With such a crucial final game of the season coming up this weekend, could any of these men be fearing for their place in the XI?

Nathan Broadhead

Admittedly tied with second in terms of overall rating (6.4/10), Broadhead ranks in third here as he did not complete the full 90 minutes.

The Everton loanee lost out on four of his duels in total, and also failed to record a single shot, dribble or key pass, managing a mere 19 touches of the ball and giving it away with nine of those.

Callum Doyle

Also given a 6.4 rating, Doyle ranked as the Stadium of Light faithful’s second-worst player.

The central defender lost eight duels, more than any of his teammates, and also made no clearances, interceptions or key passes, while he was dribbled past once and lost the ball 13 times from 62 touches.

Jay Matete

Matete ranked as the Wearside club’s worst performer with a 6.2 rating.

The centre midfielder got off to a bad start with a booking inside the opening eight minutes, and struggled to really recover from that, as he was unsuccessful in five of his duels, and recorded no shots, dribbles, clearances, interceptions or key passes, making two fouls and giving possession away a total of 15 times from 42 touches.

In other news, find out what Black Cats update has Roker Report buzzing here!

When Noni Madueke left Tottenham Hotspur as a 16-year-old in 2018 it was undoubtedly seen as a blow but few would have perhaps predicted how much of a meteoric rise he would enjoy in the next few years.

He joined PSV Eindhoven on a free transfer and in the two-and-a-half years since he has established himself as a key player with a Dutch side.

This season, in particular, has seen the youngster impress, as he has contributed six goals and six assists in just 15 Eredivisie games. The England U18 international was superb with both the U19 and U21 sides at PSV so it is no surprise that he has been promoted to their first team.

He is now valued at £8.1 million by Transfermarkt and if his performances with PSV continue it would not be a surprise to see him return to the Premier League in the future.

Considering Spurs’ current right-wingers are all struggling for form, with Steven Bergwijn, Lucas Moura and Gareth Bale having all disappointed with their performances in the Premier League this season, the North London club will perhaps be frustrated that they couldn’t convince Madueke to stay with the club, considering his quality performances on the right-wing with PSV.

The youngster has averaged a superb 7.15 rating for his performances in the Dutch top-flight, which would be enough to rank him as Spurs’ fourth-best player in the Premier League this season if he produced the same level of performances in Jose Mourinho’s squad.

Therefore, it is clear that Madueke is extremely talented, something that Spurs will have surely noticed during his time in the academy, so perhaps they could have done more to assure the youngster he would have first-team opportunities in the future.

Former PSV midfielder Tommie van de Leegte was full of praise for the youngster last year:

“He’s fast and has the capability to trick his opponent. He brings creativity and is very explosive in his actions.”

Madueke quotes former Manchester City winger Jadon Sancho as an inspiration for leaving Spurs in the hope of finding regular first-team football elsewhere, which suggests that the lack of opportunities for young players is not just a problem with the North London club, but throughout the Premier League’s bigger clubs.

Former Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino did hand plenty of Spurs youngsters their debuts during his time in charge but it seems as if Madueke felt he was best served by moving elsewhere, a decision that certainly looks to have paid off.

And, in other news… Bye-bye Vinicius: Levy can find Kane’s Spurs partner in “outstanding” £18m-rated beast

Mike Ashley can end Steve Bruce’s defensive dilemma with a late Deadline Day deal for Newcastle United to sign FC Schalke 04’s Ozan Kabak.

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Mail, Bruce had sought to acquire Kabak on loan until the end of the season but the Toon deemed a move too expensive.

The 20-year-old has not missed a second of action across his Bundesliga side’s last 11 top-flight fixtures following a challenging start to the campaign, with Kabak seeing an indirect suspension result in a four game ban.

West Ham United and AC Milan have previously been credited with interest in Kabak after Schalke warmed to offloading the Turkey international for €15m (£13m), having accepted that the centre-half is one of few Die Konigsblauen could still demand a lucrative fee for.

Liverpool have also now entered the race for the defender, who Stuttgart sporting director Thomas Hitzlsperger lauds as a “role model”, with Sky Sports (Transfer Centre, 1/2, 10:21) claiming Kabak is prepared to undergo a medical in Germany if the two sides are able to agree on the terms of a deal with the Reds proposing a £2.5m loan fee.

He was formerly considered unsellable among the Schalke hierarchy, who recognised that the Gelsenkirchen outfit would have to sell some of their key players to fund arrivals in the winter market who could steer the club away from the relegation zone.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/newcastle-deadline-day-latest-news-transfer-rumours-and-more” title=”Deadline day is here: Read the latest Rangers news, transfer rumours and more!”]

Should Newcastle pursue Kabak further?

Kabak would appear to have been an option very much on the market in the winter sales, with reports in Germany claiming Schalke were open to selling the 7-cap beast and reports in England suggesting Newcastle only walked away from a loan after hearing the financial terms needed.

But Bruce should not relent on his interest in the Turkish youngster and should urge Ashley to dig a little deeper to meet Die Konigsblauen’s demands, as Kabak could help solve the Toon’s defensive nightmare.

The Magpies have just lost captain Jamal Lascelles again after the centre-half sustained a hamstring injury in United’s win over Everton on Saturday, which is expected to keep him sidelined for several weeks.

Lascelles had only just returned to Premier League action 12 days prior following a lengthy period out after testing positive for coronavirus, and now joins Federico Fernandez in the medical room just as Ciaran Clark and Paul Dummett returned to training.

Newcastle’s spate of injuries have forced Bruce into fielding midfielder Isaac Hayden in the backline recently, but no such thoughts would cross the Magpies boss’ mind if Kabak were signed.

Despite Schalke’s torrid campaign that sees the Veltins Arena natives sit rock bottom of the Bundesliga, Kabak has been a star as he comfortably collects possession with 1.2 successful tackles and clears danger 3.9 times a game. He also wins a mammoth 4.1 aerial duels and 3.0 ground duels game, per SofaScore.

Only Fernandez (1.5) has been successful in as many tackles a game in the Premier League for Newcastle this season among Bruce’s current centre-halves, with Lascelles offering 0.83, Clark 0.82 and Fabian Schar 0.71.

Schar further offers fewer clearances (3.36), while no Toon defender wins as many ground duels or aerial duels with Fernandez (2.25 ground) and Clark (3.73 air) the top-performers.

Bruce faces a race against time to get Ashley to dig a little deeper and sign Kabak, but Newcastle would stand to benefit greatly from beating out Liverpool’s late interest and getting a deal done.

AND in other news, Newcastle United have faced enquiries over a £15m deal to sell a Steve Bruce outcast…

Celtic are without a first-team manager right now and they could soon be missing a number of their best players too.

A muss culling is set to grace Parkhead this summer with plenty of those who have donned the famous green and white hoops being linked with a move away.

What’s the word?

Odsonne Edouard is currently being touted with a move to England but he’s not the only one who’s caught the attention of south of the border.

Another name who looks set to leave is Kristoffer Ajer.

The defender has admirers from Norwich and Newcastle but it looks as though the latter are in a better position to sign him.

They have scouted Ajer and now according to The Daily Mail, the Magpies are progressing with a deal to sign him.

It’s thought the Norwegian will cost somewhere in the region of £8m.

Huge blow for Celtic

Edouard is the man who scores the goals at Paradise but Ajer is the rock that holds everything together.

Without him this season, the Bhoys’ backline would have collapsed entirely.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-celtic-manager-and-transfer-news-howe-favre-mcgregor-mccann-tierney” title=”Read the latest Celtic manager and transfer news!”]

Celtic were woeful in defence, conceding 16 more goals than Rangers in the Premiership and shipping 19 strikes in just six Europa League outings.

On paper, Ajer shouldn’t really take any praise for that but his displays have led by example and provided a beacon of hope for the supporters watching on.

He is a rare breed, combining raw strength with poise and grace. The defender can bring the ball forward in extraordinary fashion, bursting past the opposition like a winger in full flow.

Standing at 6 foot 6, he is a man mountain at the back and has provided performances that others in the team should be looking up to.

Speaking earlier this term, John Harton said: “He’s a credit to the rest of the players. They should all look at him and if they’d all adopted the same attitude as Ajer then might have made a better fist of it in terms of holding on to the title.”

With that in mind, it’s easy to see why he’s such a key part of the team. If they lose the centre-back, their chances of reclaiming the biggest prize in Scottish football will become more difficult.

Celtic have been able to replace strikers in the past but Ajer’s influence extends way beyond his performances on the pitch. Off the field, he is a natural-born leader, someone who will grab the bull by its horns and shake things up. Thus, fans would be gutted to see him head for the departure lounge this summer.

They must do their utmost to keep him in Glasgow.

AND in other news, Imagine him under Howe: Celtic must sign 6ft3 “freak”, he’s the spitting image of Ajer…

West Ham’s top four hopes were dealt a blow on Sunday night as they turned in a limp performance in a 1-0 defeat at Manchester United.

David Moyes opted to field three defensive midfielders – Mark Noble, Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek – as well as a back five as he looked to frustrate his former club.

However, they struggled to create opportunities, with home goalkeeper Dean Henderson facing no shots on target over the course of the 90 minutes.

Noble struggling to make a positive impact

Soucek and Rice are regulars for the Irons, but this was club captain Noble’s first start since the 2-2 draw with Brighton just before the turn of the year and just his fourth of the season in the Premier League (via Transfermarkt).

The Hammers’ record when he plays from the off does not make for pleasant reading – they have picked up one point from a possible 12, with the veteran of 521 club appearances also starting in comprehensive defeats to Newcastle and Chelsea.

The 33-year-old announced last week that the 2021/22 would be his last at the club and, judging by last night, he is in danger of going out on a whimper. His total of 38 touches was the third-lowest among the Irons’ starting XI, while he was beaten twice in the dribble by opponents (Sofascore).

Responding to a tweet from fan feed The West Ham Way highlighting the unenviable win record with Noble starting, these supporters gave their verdict on what he has offered this year. One described his Old Trafford performance as “anonymous”, while another feel that he “kills the way we play”, which may explain the Irons’ poor record when he starts.

These West Ham fans were critical of Noble

“Noble is a club legend and rightly so but should be nowhere near the starting 11….another season carrying him in these games vs the ‘big’ boys. Moyes doing a fantastic job but has an inferiority complex in these games. Man City performance should be the rule, not the exception.”

Credit: @Lipdogz

“His first move is to turn goal side to buy time. He moves the ball to either a cb or a fb or at best to rice or soucek. Any momentum stagnates. This level has been beyond him for some time now. At times it was painful watching fred and mctominay bypassing him with such ease.”

Credit: @apl63

“Noble starts we lose. Great servant, love the bloke but coming on to hold on or kill a game is one thing. He just kills the way we play”

Credit: @unbiasedhammer

“As soon as I saw he was starting I knew we wouldn’t win, we haven’t won a game when he has started and it shows. Great bloke, but times have changed and he shouldn’t start any more games. Sad but time catches up with everyone in the end.”

Credit: @Tiger2806

“He was totally anonymous last night, players glide past him with ease now, he is only useful for a game in last 15 or 20 minutes due to players tiring but starting no”

Credit: @tayloriw

“Love him but the team has moved on. He’s not good enough to be starting anymore. As a sub to see a game through to the end then yes. But not as a starter.”

Credit: @billhrpr

“The problem is he shouldn’t even be an option. He is taking up an academy players slot and not for the first time.”

Credit: @gallivantor2020

“And that point was because he was subbed off at half time. He is a huge problem. Last 10-15 min player tops. Should never ever start league games, he’s way past it.”

Credit: @henn88

“He has one strength now, and that’s slowing a game down to close it out.”

Credit: @ZentaviusTV

In other news, one West Ham player has signalled good news on the injury front.