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Former Newcastle United star Keith Gillespie believes that Mike Ashley will be satisfied with a 17th-placed finish for the club next season, in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast.

The club looked to be in serious danger of dropping out of the Premier League just a few weeks ago, but eight points from their previous four matches has seen them move eight points clear of the relegation zone.

Nevertheless, Gillespie believes that Newcastle’s owner is fine with the club repeatedly surviving by the skin of their teeth.

In a way it’s lucky that Steve Bruce’s men got those points on the board as they now face Arsenal, Leicester City and Manchester City, before bringing the curtain down on their campaign with clashes against Fulham and Sheffield United.

And Gillespie thinks that Ashley is currently reaping what he has sown, with their current struggles a result of a general lack of investment in the squad at St James’ Park, and he insists the owner has absolutely no ambition, but he remains hopeful the club will progress, potentially under a new manager.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, the former Magpies winger said: “Absolutely. That is an owner of a club with no ambition, happy to finish 17th every year. That’s not what fans need.

“Newcastle are a club that have experienced Champions League football in the past. They’re a million miles away now. You just want an owner to come in and push the club forward because the club is stood still, going backwards at times.

“They haven’t invested in the squad as well, like other clubs have. If you don’t do that, you’re going to fall behind and you’re going to be in relegation battles.”

A number of West Ham fans have been praising Pablo Fornals after he appeared in his 100th game for the club at the weekend.

The Hammers were held to a 0-0 draw as they faced off against Burnley in an underwhelming performance at Turf Moor. However, there was one positive from the game – fan favourite Fornals racked up a century of appearances for the east London club.

The Spanish midfielder came on as a substitute in the 80th minute, replacing Argentine international Manuel Lanzini.

Despite recently losing his place in the starting XI, the attacking-midfielder remains the Irons’ second highest scorer in the Premier League this season behind centre-forward Michail Antonio,  having scored four times in 16 top-flight appearances during the current campaign.

Fornals has been hailed for his great attitude and hard-working nature. The club’s former defender Tony Gale praised the Spaniard in a recent interview, saying: “I don’t think there’s a fitter man at West Ham. He’s a workaholic, his work rate is phenomenal.”

Since joining the Hammers from Villarreal in 2019 for £24m, the 25-year-old has contributed 14 goals and 13 assists, making himself a near-permanent fixture in the first XI under David Moyes. He is also among the squad’s top performers in terms of tackles, shots and key passes per game, an indication of his all-round value to the team.

Fans flock to praise Fornals

West Ham took to Twitter to congratulate Fornals in a post celebrating the Spaniard making his 100th appearance for the club. Many supporters posted their appreciation for the player’s efforts in response, with one fan hailing him as a “baller”.

Here a flavour of the reactions:

“Hope there’s 100 more to come, what a baller he is”

Credit: @jw12045

“That’s gone so quick”

Credit: @DJS97_

“Quality, Quality player, congratulations Pablo!”

Credit: @rickwhufc

“He’s a future West ham legend”

Credit: @fornalsSZN

“Get him back in the starting eleven plz!”

Credit: @FernsSeniors

“What a signing he’s been!”

Credit: @jlouwnel

In other news: ‘Owners taking cheap shortcuts’ – These West Ham fans fume over David Moyes’ comments

According to a report from The Telegraph, Aston Villa are preparing a summer approach to sign Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips. 

The lowdown: Hot property

The 26-year-old has been the subject of heightened speculation in the last 12 months and has been linked with big-money moves to Real Madrid and Manchester United previously.

Despite reported efforts from the Yorkshire club to tie down the England international and stave off suitors, it would appear that the upcoming summer transfer window is set to be a crucial one for the midfielder.

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The Villans now look set to make a fresh approach for the Leeds star.

The latest: Massive price hike for Phillips

As per The Telegraph, the Midlands club are preparing to ‘make a renewed £60million approach’ for the defensive midfielder.

It is claimed that, having had a £25m offer for Brighton colossus Yves Bissouma rebuffed, Villa manager Steven Gerrard will turn attention to Phillips.

Villa attempted to sign the 19-cap England ace back in 2019 for £25m (Birmingham Mail), but they are now said to be lining up a much more lucrative £60m move.

The verdict: Would be a smart signing

Phillips – who caused a stir when discussing interest from Villa before sharing his admiration for Gerrard last summer – has the ability to be a welcome boost to the Villa Park squad, particularly as Douglas Luiz continues to be touted with a summer exit.

Already a proven Premier League performer, adding the man once described as ‘phenomenal’ by Ian Wright following a standout display in England’s 1-0 victory over Croatia at Euro 2020 would be a shrewd move as Villa look to improve next season.

Boasting impressive attributes in both an attacking and defensive sense, the £45m-valued midfielder possesses strong tackling and interception prowess (WhoScored), and he could offer much-needed additional steel to the Villans’ ranks.

In other news: Journalist makes summer claim regarding current Villa star. Read more here!

Celtic goalkeepers Vasilis Barkas and Conor Hazard could leave the club in January, according to The Athletic’s Kieran Devlin.

The Lowdown: Lack of game time…

Both Barkas and Hazard featured in stages last season under Neil Lennon but have fallen out of favour during the current campaign.

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Barkas, labelled as ‘horrendous’ by pundit Tam McManus, made 22 appearances last season but has started just twice under Ange Postecoglou.

Meanwhile, Hazard, described as ‘jittery’ by pundit Natasha Meikle, is yet to feature in 2021/22 after making six appearances last season.

The Latest: Devlin’s claim

Devlin shared a transfer mailbag on The Athletic on Wednesday, answering numerous questions from Hoops fans ahead of the January window.

He was asked about the club’s goalkeepers, with Devlin admitting Celtic ‘will attempt to move Barkas on in January, although his wages might make a permanent transfer difficult.’

Devlin then said that Hazard ‘might be moved on too, again depending on what kind of loan bids or permanent offers comes in’.

The reliable reporter revealed that there are no immediate plans to replace Scott Bain, with Celtic also having high hopes for teenager Tobi Oluwayemi.

The Verdict: The right calls?

It seems as if Barkas and Hazard aren’t in the club’s long-term plans, so looking to move them on next month appears to be the right call.

Hazard only penned new Parkhead terms back in March, but it doesn’t look like he’s fancied by Postecoglou given he hasn’t even featured under the gaffer, with youngster Oluwayemi possibly identified as the first-choice in the long run.

On that basis, selling or moving the pair out on loan could be a wise decision, but even though they’ve hardly played this season that doesn’t mean the club should accept any old lowball offers that come in.

In other news: Print newspaper reveal Celtic now want left-footed ace who’s racked up £20m in transfer fees. 

Liverpool take on Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Sunday evening and will be hoping to end a run of four consecutive defeats in the Premier League by taking all three points against the Blades.

Chris Wilder’s side are bottom of the top-flight having endured a nightmare season, although they have shown that they won’t be going down without a fight in recent weeks, picking up valuable wins against West Brom and Manchester United.

The Reds have found it difficult to break down sides who sit deep and focus on defending, as we saw in the defeats against Burnley and Brighton recently, so they could be in for another tough game at Bramall Lane.

If Klopp wants to set the precedent on Sunday evening, he should consider switching back to a 4-2-3-1 formation, as the midfield, in particular, has been too defensive on several occasions this season, meaning they have struggled to create chances for the wingers and Roberto Firmino.

Here’s how Football FanCast feels the German manager should set his side up against the Blades, with four changes from the side that lost out against Everton last time out…

After the sad news of Alisson’s father’s death earlier this week, the Brazilian should perhaps not feature on Sunday, with Adrian replacing him in goal as Caoimhin Kelleher has also been absent in recent weeks.

There’s one change in the defence, as Nathaniel Phillips starts alongside Ozan Kabak at centre-back, replacing Jordan Henderson who was ruled out until April due to injury.

The switch to 4-2-3-1 means Thiago and Georginio Wijnaldum sit a bit deeper, with Xherdan Shaqiri replacing Curtis Jones in the attacking-midfield role.

Although Klopp labelled the academy ace an “exceptional talent” earlier this season, he hasn’t been at his best in recent fixtures and the Swiss international deserves another chance to impress.

Finally, Diogo Jota makes his return from injury in the attack, replacing the out-of-form Roberto Firmino, in the hope that he and Sadio Mane can take some of the pressure off Mohamed Salah by scoring some goals in this Liverpool side.

And, in other news… Edwards should seal summer swoop for 6 ft 3 CB beast who silenced Messi at 19

Manchester United were frustrated in their attempts to cut the gap at the top of the Premier League table as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

The Red Devils stuttered throughout the game, struggling to get any real attacking rhythm going.

One of the main culprits of that was Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani, who returned to the starting lineup having missed the last four matches with a muscular injury.

It was certainly not the glorious return that he might have envisaged.

The former Paris Saint-Germain man struggled to really threaten the home side’s defence all evening, eventually having just 23 touches of the ball according to WhoScored – just six more than United goalkeeper Dean Henderson.

When he did receive the ball, he was not able to do much with it. The striker, rated at £10.8m, only managed to complete 16 passes, the lowest of the entire starting XI, with just one of those passes being classed as a key pass.

As a matter of fact, his pass accuracy was worse than any other Manchester United player who managed to get on the pitch during the entire match.

Whilst he did manage to have two shots on goal, neither of them were on target or forced Palace stopper Vicente Guaita into any kind of strenuous work.

Cavani was eventually withdrawn in the 75th minute for Daniel James, having endured a fruitless evening in front of goal.

Prior to his injury, has was in a rich vein of goalscoring form in the Premier League having netted crucial strikes against Fulham and Everton, whilst also managing to find the net in the 9-0 demolition of Southampton.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will hope that the Uruguayan turns in better displays as he recovers his match fitness following his time out of the team.

And in other news, take a look at how Manchester United could look to offload Phil Jones…

Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek will be ‘excited’ about his chances of shining at Old Trafford following Erik ten Hag’s appointment at the club.

The Lowdown: Ten Hag comes in

Ten Hag has officially been named as United’s new manager, with the 52-year-old coming in at the end of the season after an impressive spell at Ajax.

The hope is that he is finally the right man to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford, with David Moyes, Jose Mourinho, Louis van Gaal, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick all flattering to deceive in the Premier League.

One player who Ten Hag knows inside out is Van de Beek, with the pair working together when Ajax reached the Champions League semi-finals back in 2018/19.

The Latest: Journalist makes Van de Beek claim

Speaking to GiveMeSport, journalist Paul Brown claimed that this could be Van de Beek’s time to seize his opportunity at United, saying:

“I think he’s quite excited probably about the prospect of finally getting a chance.

“If he doesn’t, there are probably other clubs in a better position than Everton to take him on loan, if possible.”

The Verdict: Make-or-break for Van de Beek

This certainly feels like a make-or-break moment in Van de Beek’s United career, with the Netherlands international on loan at Everton after a woeful spell at Old Trafford.

If Ten Hag can’t get a tune out of him, you’d start to wonder if anyone will be able to do so, with the midfielder such a key figure under the 52-year-old at Ajax, scoring 41 goals in 175 appearances in total.

It will be fascinating to see how Van de Beek fares next season, assuming he stays at Old Trafford, and if Ten Hag gets the best out of him, it could genuinely feel almost like a new signing for United, with the 25-year-old having once been hailed as ‘perfect’ by Owen Hargreaves.

In other news, United are reportedly keen on signing one Premier League star. Read more here.

Marcus Rashford bagged a brace as Manchester United came from behind to beat Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Thursday night.

The Red Devils didn’t get off to the best of starts after United goalkeeper Dean Henderson gifted the Blades an opener when he was caught in possession by Oliver Burke, which allowed David McGoldrick to coolly slot home from close range.

However, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side weren’t to be denied the spoils, as they staged yet another comeback, with Rashford scoring a stunning equaliser, and Anthony Martial ended his goal drought to put the visitors ahead before the break with his first league goal of the campaign.

And Rashford appeared to have put the game to bed after he beat the diving Aaron Ramsdale after a swift counter attack.

But there were a few nervous faces in the United dugout when McGoldrick headed in from a corner in the latter stages of the game and Lys Mousset forced a fine save from Henderson.

Red hot Rashford continued his impressive run of form, Martial seemed back to his very best, but Paul Pogba played the Blades off the park and it allowed United to build on Rashford’s equaliser to secure the three points.

Pogba was imperious in the midfield, completing 82% of his passes and touching the ball an astonishing 91 times, second only to Alex Telles, and won most of his individual battles to help Solskjaer’s side to victory.

The 27-year-old glided around the middle of the pitch, picking the right moments to keep it short and simple or split the defence with a well-timed pass.

As per SofaScore, he won five out of nine ground duels, and won three out of the six aerial duels he contested, whilst he made three clearances as well.

He was only dribbled past once and committed just one foul, which shows that he maintained a high level of concentration throughout the game.

After a shaky start to the season, Solskjaer seems to have finally found his winning formula at long last.

Once lauded as a “monster” by his former boss Jose Mourinho, the Frenchman has been the centre of attention following Mino Raiola’s most recent outburst as he has been heavily linked with the Old Trafford exit.

But Pogba simply must start more often if United are to establish themselves as genuine contenders for the title if this latest showing is anything to go by.

AND in other news, Man Utd could complete transfer coup in AC Milan star Hakan Calhanoglu…

Steven Gerrard’s hopes of signing Jonson Clarke-Harris for Rangers this summer have taken a blow after Peterborough earned promotion to the Championship on Saturday, which will surely make it harder for Ross Wilson to tempt him to Ibrox.

According to Football Insider, Rangers have been tracking the former Bristol Rovers striker in recent weeks and sent scouts to watch him play in a game against Accrington Stanley, where he hit an impressive hattrick in a 7-0 win.

The 26-year-old striker, who was signed as a replacement for the outgoing Ivan Toney last summer, has enjoyed a superb campaign in League One, one which recently saw him named as the Player of the Year.

He was the saviour once again on Saturday, as his brace helped Peterborough come from 3-0 down to earn the point they needed against Lincoln City to secure promotion back to the Championship.

This could prove to be a huge blow to Gerrard’s chances of signing him this summer, as the Posh will surely be able to demand a significant fee for their talismanic striker, whilst he is also perhaps much more likely to want to stay now that they have earned promotion.

Clarke-Harris looks nailed on to finish as the top scorer in League One this season, with a remarkable 31 goals to his name in 45 league appearances for the Posh.

This has helped him average an excellent 7.36 rating for his performances, which ranks him as the seventh-best player in the division so far this season.

Earlier in the season, Peterborough United manager Darren Ferguson was full of praise for Clarke-Harris, saying:

“He was our number one target when Ivan Toney left and we had to work hard on his fitness when he first got here, but he’s been an outstanding signing and a real pleasure to work with.“His fitness has been excellent. He had Covid around Christmas and he wasn’t quite right when he came back, but his performance levels have remained high. He’s been brilliant so far.”[freshpress-quiz id=“593776”]Considering the striker is contracted until 2024 and has earned a promotion in his first season with the Cambridgeshire side, it could be very difficult to prise him away this summer, which will surely frustrate both Gerrard and Wilson in their hopes of signing him.And, in other news… Bye-bye Kamara: Wilson should swoop for “very good” 22 y/o this summer – opinion

According to Football Insider, Tottenham have entered the race to sign Max Aarons.

Spurs eye Aarons

The 21-year-old recently earned promotion back to the Premier League with Norwich City.

According to this report, the Canaries agreed with the right-back last summer that he could depart in one year’s time. Everton are also interested in Aarons, with Norwich looking for a fee of £30m to part ways with the youngster.

Worth it?

Aarons has been virtually an ever-present this season for Daniel Farke’s side, playing 44 matches in the Championship out of a possible 45 (Transfermarkt). During that time, he has managed two goals and four assists, while former England under-21 manager Aidy Boothroyd called him “outstanding” last October (The Pink Un).

However, Tottenham already have plenty of options at right-back. Serge Aurier has had his problems, but he has shown promise this season and illustrated his attacking threat with two assists against Sheffield United on Sunday. Matt Doherty, meanwhile, was only signed from Wolves last summer – even if he has failed to nail down a first team spot, he still deserves time to do so.

For £30m, Aarons’ signature would represent a significant outlay, and those funds could be put to better use elsewhere.

In other news, this Champions League winner is interested in managing Tottenham.