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Newcastle United reportedly blocked a January exit for Matt Ritchie.

The 31-year-old was linked with a return to Bournemouth in January and there was talk of a potential swap deal involving him and Cherries midfielder Philip Billing. However, The Athletic have now revealed why Ritchie’s move back to the south coast didn’t go through.

Ritchie had his bags packed for Newcastle exit

The Athletic talked about Ritchie’s situation at St James’ Park, saying that the Scotsman was keen on joining Bournemouth and he had even emptied his locker ahead of a move. While he was convinced about a move to the Vitality Stadium, Newcastle ended up blocking the deal as they couldn’t find a potential replacement for the left-sided ace.

The report added that Newcastle wanted Ritchie to leave permanently or else loan him out with Bournemouth having the obligation to buy him permanently. However, the Cherries wanted him on a loan deal which would only become a permanent move upon promotion back to the top flight.

Newcastle stay hasn’t helped for Ritchie

Steve Bruce recently confirmed that he did have a bust-up with Ritchie recently and it has been stated that the player called his manager a ‘coward’ in the altercation. Bruce went on to criticise how the news about the bust-up got leaked in the media.

The 31-year-old has played only three times in the second half of the season and his last start for the Magpies came in early January. His last appearance was an 18-minute cameo against Wolves at the end of last month (Transfermarkt).

This suggests that staying at St James’ Park hasn’t helped Ritchie at all and it is easy to see why he wanted an exit in January.

In other news, Lee Ryder believes that Newcastle aren’t seeing the best of one Magpies star – read more here.

Crystal Palace have been handed a significant boost in their pursuit of Marseille left-back Jordan Amavi.

What’s the word?

Reports in recent months revealed that Roy Hodgson’s side were looking at Amavi as a potential replacement for out-of-contract defender Patrick Van Aanholt.

And now, Marseille president Jacques-Henri Eyraud has indicated that Amavi can leave the Orange Velodrome this month amid interest from Palace, according to RMC Sport.

It’s claimed that contract talks between the French club and Amavi have stalled, with the defender likely to leave the Olympians in the summer.

Ideal Van Aanholt replacement

Van Aanholt actually finds himself in a similar position as he remains locked in a stalemate with Palace over extending his deal, so making a move for the Frenchman now makes sense.

It’s fair to say that transfers on any scale are no easy process – in fact, so much goes on behind the scenes that they can be quite a headache. So if Steve Parish wants to find cover and competition for Tyrick Mitchell and give Hodgson another option if Van Aanholt departs Selhurst Park, snapping up the 26-year-old could be a shrewd move.

Evidently, Thauvin has very little control when it comes to Amavi’s future – in fact, he’s even issued an ultimatum – so Palace could take advantage of the situation by lowballing the French Ligue 1 club.

Signing Amavi would give Palace a significant upgrade on Van Aanholt, who has struggled for consistency this season – against Wolves, he was rated as the second-worst Eagles player on the pitch by SofaScore in the FA Cup defeat and that was a pretty good representation of his performances across the whole campaign.

If you take a closer look at the statistics, Amavi, who earns wages worth £25,000-per-week, has outperformed Van Aanholt defensively this season. He is currently averaging more clearances, interceptions and tackles per game than Van Aanholt. He was also described as being “quick and aggressive” by former Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood. Need we say more?

Palace have conceded 33 goals in the Premier League, which is the third-worst defensive record this season. Shoring up the back is imperative if Hodgson’s side are to escape a relegation battle at the end of the season so Amavi could be the perfect fit.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace still want to sign Ismaila Sarr despite Watford demands…

Speaking exclusively with Football FanCast, former West Ham United striker Marlon Harewood backed David Moyes to utilise Tomas Soucek in efforts to sign Slavia Prague striker Abdallah Sima.

The Irons have been credited with interest in the 19-year-old marksman, but face competition from Premier League big-hitters Arsenal and Manchester United and Serie A giants Juventus.

Sima has scored 14 goals in 21 games this season, after making the step up to Jindrich Trpisovsky’s first-team with strikes to his name in the Fortuna Liga and Europa League.

Slavia have been expected to rebuff any approaches in January and look to cash-in on Sima come the summer, after rejecting offers worth €10m (£9m) during the last transfer window, but would not refuse bids of €50m (£44.5m).

Harewood would not judge Sima on the fee Slavia President Jaroslav Tvrdik touted, but rather bend the ear of 6 ft 4 Moyes favourite Soucek after the midfielder’s time at Slavia Prague.

“The best person to ask would be Soucek. If he’s played with him, he would know straight away and he can explain to him what it’s going to take to [make it in England],” Harewood told FFC.

“He’s been playing with him for quite a while at his previous club, so it’d be good, he knows what he’s about. And if he says: ‘Yes, he’s the one that’s going to help us build and do really well for seasons to come’, then I think he’ll be the best person to ask that question.

“But his ratio seems really good. The money, nowadays, it’s hard to judge a player on a price tag.”

Sima made his Slavia first-team debut after Soucek joined West Ham in a permanent £19m transfer this summer, but the Irons’ star midfielder has previously waxed lyrical over the Senegalese teen.

“I’m excited about him. His goals are very much similar to what I’ve been scoring. I’m glad that such a player was found, but it’s not just about that. He shows one-on-one qualities, finishing, just a typical winger,” Soucek told CT Sport.

“I have to say that the guys or the media around West Ham know about him. I would only be happy if another player from Slavia came, but it is still far away. He’s still a young player and he has to prove it. But a lot of people know about him and notice him. Only good for him.”

Soucek’s love is well placed, with Sima scoring twice against Ligue 1 side OGC Nice in the Europa League earlier this season, and finding the back of the net twice in the Fortuna Liga derby against rivals AC Sparta Prague.

Whether West Ham move to sign Sima this month remains to be seen, though Moyes’ side are certainly in the market for a striker after Sebastien Haller’s £20m move to AFC Ajax.

AND in other news, West Ham are considering a £15.5m-rated striker without a goal since October to replace Seb Haller…

Peter Lawwell would be living in a dreamland if the Celtic CEO were to bring Henrik Larsson back to Parkhead to replace Neil Lennon.

What’s the word?

According to the Glasgow Times, Larsson is among the candidates in the running to replace Lennon should Lawwell and majority owner Dermot Desmond call time on the Irishman’s Lennoxtown tenure.

The Hoops sit a mammoth 13 points behind Old Firm rivals Rangers in the Premiership standings as their drab run of results continued with a 1-1 draw at home to St. Johnstone on Sunday, dealing further damage to any lingering hopes of claiming their tenth title in a row.

Lennon was given fresh assurances that his position is secure on Sunday night, despite now boasting just two wins in Celtic’s last 12 games across all competitions, having begged the board for more time after fans again descended on Parkhead to let make sure their voices could be heard.

Desmond also spoke with Lennon last week and vowed the under-pressure gaffer will be given the chance to save Celtic’s season before further crunch talks were held on Sunday.

But managers are being touted left, right and centre to eventually replace Lennon if he cannot stop the rot, with Larsson among those should Lawwell be able to lure the Hoops hero away from FC Barcelona.

Larsson is currently Ronald Koeman’s right-hand man at the Camp Nou following his own ill-fated managerial spells in his native Sweden with Landskrona Bols, Falkenbergs FF and Helsingborgs IF over the years.

Heading for disaster

While Larsson returning to Parkhead – the scene of four Premiership triumphs for the former Barcelona, Manchester United and Celtic striker – would be a romantic notion for supporters to clutch to at a time of crisis, Lawwell would be setting the Hoops up for further disaster by appointing the 49-year-old.

Larsson has not held a managerial role since his second spell in charge of Helsingborgs came to a swift end in August 2019, just two months into his tenure, after guiding the club to a mere two wins in nine games that saw the Olympia natives keep only two clean sheets.

Koeman’s number two did not enjoy even a modicum of success during his first spell with Helsingborgs between 2015 and 2017, either, having been in charge as Di Roe were relegated from the Allsvenskan.

Lawwell appointing Larsson to take charge of Celtic would only serve to see the Hoops’ CEO throw a club legend onto the fire, let alone offer him a baptism of fire, in a similar way to Alan Shearer’s time in charge at Newcastle United in 2009 when his eight-game reign failed to prevent relegation from the Premier League.

Filippo Inzaghi flopped in charge of AC Milan, too, with the Rossoneri’s iconic striker winning just 14 of his 40 games in charge on route to a 10th-placed Serie A finish – their worst in 17 years – and he now resides with Benevento Calcio in the second-tier of Italian football.

A similar future would likely be on the cards for Larsson if he were to return to Parkhead this winter, so if he has any sense at all, he would reject the chance of a Lennoxtown homecoming if Lawwell is naïve enough to offer one.

AND in other news, Peter Lawwell can invoke shades of Scott Sinclair by signing a “phenomenal” £20m wonder for Celtic.

After absolutely thrashing West Brom 5-0 away from home, Leeds United face a more stiffer test when they take on Tottenham.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side were in imperious form last time out at the Hawthorns, and blew away the Baggies inside the first-half, racing to a four-goal lead before the break.

Spurs on the other hand seem to have hit a sticky patch, failing to win in their past four Premier League games. Bielsa will no doubt be reluctant to make too many significant changes to his side – that isn’t his style anyway – but injuries may play a part in forcing his hand.

And with that in mind, below is a look at Leeds’ potential line-up to face Jose Mourinho’s men on Saturday afternoon.

In goal, Illan Meslier will hope to continue where he’s left off in the past couple of months. The Frenchman has managed to keep two clean sheets in succession in the top-flight since that 6-2 drubbing at the hands of Manchester United.

The back-four is also likely to remain the same, with Pascal Struijk keeping his place at the heart of defence following Liam Cooper’s injury.

Midfield however could be the one area where Bielsa tinkers slightly. Mateusz Klich picked up a knock against West Brom last week, but the Leeds boss may wish to keep him out of the side regardless of whether he passes a late fitness check, given his questionable form in recent weeks.

That could see Jamie Shackleton make a Premier League start, whilst Bielsa may also make a big call over who plays on the right hand side.

Raphinha – hailed a “complete player” by Victor Orta recently – is beginning to find his feet at Elland Road, but some of the Whites’ best performances against the heavyweight sides this season, against Chelsea and Liverpool respectively, have seen Helder Costa start on both occasions.

That could be the case again, as Bielsa goes with a more tried-and-trusted option in a big game like this.

Predicted XI: Meslier; Dallas, Ayling, Struijk, Alioski; Phillips, Rodrigo, Shackleton; Costa, Bamford, Harrison.

Crystal Palace crushed a ten-man West Bromwich Albion in a comfortable 5-1 win at the Hawthorns on Sunday afternoon.

The Eagles took an early lead after Darnell Furlong diverted the ball into the back of his own net, before the Baggies hit back with a goal from Chelsea loanee Connor Gallagher before the break.

But Palace weren’t to be denied the spoils as they put Slaven Bilic’s side to the sword in the second half. Both Christian Benteke and Wilfried Zaha bagged a brace and Eberechi Eze put in a near-perfect performance. We must reserve a special mention to Benteke as well, who worked tirelessly throughout the game and reaped the rewards.

However, cometh the hour, cometh the man – Zaha was back to his very best as he marked his return to the starting line-up with a double after testing positive for coronavirus. It’s no secret Roy Hodgson’s side have struggled in his absence and he set the tone almost immediately when Furlong turned his cross into the net.

West Brom’s woes continued as Matheus Pereira was sent off for kicking out at Patrick van Aanholt, which gave Zaha the license to roam free and run at their defence.

SofaScore graded the 28-year-old with a high rating of 9.1 out of ten for his dominant display – which was higher than any other player on the pitch, including his strike partner – as he won eight out of his 15 duels overall, made 24/29 passes (83%) and successfully completed four dribble attempts.

Zaha took 50 touches of the ball and clearly made the most out of the possession as the titan took two shots on target, two shots off target, had two shots blocked and was fouled four times, which shows that he was a constant thorn in Bilic’s side throughout the game, particularly in the second half.

It’s fair to say that Palace have lacked a real impetus in attack over the past couple of games. With the Ivory Coast international back amongst their ranks, they looked like a real threat going forwards, as the Eagles scored five away goals for the first time in the top flight.

In nine appearances in the Premier League so far this season, €40m-valued (£36m) Zaha has now scored seven goals and supplied two assists, whilst he is averaging 2.7 shots, 1.4 key passes and 1.7 dribbles per game, via WhoScored. 

With the winter transfer market set to open in just under a month’s time, Palace may have to brace themselves for a bidding war for their most valuable asset off the back of these impressive performances.

AND in other news, Imagine him and Riedewald: Crystal Palace must swoop for Glasgow Rangers dynamo Glen Kamara…

Andrea Radrizzani has been handed a huge financial boost knowing that the long-suffering dilemma of Laurens De Bock could finally be coming to an end…

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, the defender’s loan club Zulte Waregem are expected to make his move back to his native country permanent next year.

The 28-year-old joined the Jupiler Pro League side in the summer and will remain there until the end of the season, but the club are reportedly keen on keeping hold of him for good.

Relief for Radrizzani

Leeds have made some smart signings over the years, but they have also had their fair share of flops too. De Bock is definitely up there as one of their more questionable business deals.

The Whites brought the left-back to Elland Road in 2018 and paid a little more than £1million for his services. But since his arrival, he has spent more time at other clubs than he has at Leeds.

In two years, De Bock has left the Yorkshire outfit on four occasions to pursue temporary moves whilst being out of favour at his parent club.

The Belgian has played a total of just seven games in white – his last appearance came in October two years ago in the Championship, before he was axed and passed from loan club, to loan club, via Transfermarkt.

The Marcelo Bielsa reject is on a contract worth a reported £15,000 per week. This is more than the likes of Stuart Dallas, Luke Ayling and Mateusz Klich are currently earning, despite not playing a single match for Leeds in more than two years.

Radrizzani clearly made a huge error in working with former manager Thomas Christiansen to bring De Bock to Elland Road. The Italian will be glad to see the back of him next summer and finally stop his wages rinsing the club’s money pot.

In other news, Bielsa interest in Riqui Puig could spell trouble for Jamie Shackleton…

What does it mean to be promoted to the Premier League? Ask the owners, players and fans of Leeds, West Bromwich Albion and Fulham who have been dreaming about the return to the promised land for years. Oh, and don’t forget the accountants – promotion to the top flight is rumoured to be worth a staggering £170 million.

But, to these clubs, it’s more than the money. Former Great British institutions, they’re searching for redemption and to etch their names into silverware. At the least, they want to avoid relegation (again).

So, what are their chances?

A closer look at the three newcomers Leeds

Leeds are the biggest of the 2020’s “newcomers” with a Champions League semi-final and a stint as the country’s best team among their achievements. Plus, with Bielsa in charge and a Championship title under their belts, they were certainly the most pleasing to watch last year.

For these reasons, https://www.stsbet.co.uk has Leeds as the favourites of the newbies to avoid relegation, putting the likes of Burnley, Sheffield United and Newcastle above them in the pecking order. With the arrival of Valencia forward and former Barcelona target, Rodrigo, there’s no doubt the club has big dreams, as well as potential superstars in the form of Kalvin Phillips and Pablo Hernandez.

They didn’t embarrass themselves in an opening day fixture at Anfield, against a team that has averaged 98 points in the last two seasons, and followed that up with wins against Fulham and Sheffield United to ensure they got off to a good start.

West Bromwich Albion

West Brom have been to the Prem before and have the personnel to prove it. As well as experienced players such as Charlie Austin, Kieran Gibbs and Chris Brunt, they also have the guile of Livermore in midfield and the playmaking prowess of Matheus Pereira. His 16 assists were a division high, helping West Brom to promotion.

Probably their biggest signing so far is manager Slaven Bilic, who led the squad to only two defeats since taking charge in mid-June. Yes, the loss of Gareth Barry to retirement will hurt, yet West Bromwich fans will be hopeful that Bilic’s tactical nous and experience will ensure the team is solid enough to win games at home and nick points away.

Fulham

Although Fulham aren’t the favourites to go down, the bookmakers clearly remember the 76 goals they shipped in the 2018/19 season. It takes guts to bounce straight back up, not to mention quality, yet manager Scott Parker has already said the London-based club wouldn’t make the same mistakes.

The Cottagers’ supporters and staff will hope that doesn’t mean tightening the purse strings, considering the owners spent £100 million last season to avoid the drop. It didn’t work, and while they have experienced players at the Premier League level – chiefly Mitrovic – the majority of the team hasn’t played to such a high standard.

They’ll definitely need to invest. Unfortunately, with little activity in the transfer market, it could be another challenging year.

On paper, there’s no doubt that Leeds have the manager, squad and infrastructure to make it happen. Of course, nobody thought they’d have to wait 16 years to return to the top flight either.

Sunderland ace Conor McLaughlin offered a well-rounded display at right-midfield on Tuesday night, as the Northern Ireland international brought creativity and defensive support to the Crown Oil Arena.

The Black Cats travelled to Greater Manchester looking to bounce back from their first defeat of the League One season, having been beaten 3-1 at home by Portsmouth three days prior in a match that saw Phil Parkinson’s side slip down to sixth in the table.

A point at Rochdale after goals from Charlie Wyke and Bailey Wright between efforts from Matthew Lund could not prevent Sunderland from falling out of the Play-Off places, though, with Parkinson’s men now seventh and seven points behind league-leaders Lincoln City.

McLaughlin proved a key aspect of Sunderland’s efforts to beat Rochdale in their midweek clash, as the 29-year-old returned to his natural wide position after slotting into a centre-back role for a makeshift defence against Crewe Alexandra last week.

Parkinson will have been impressed by McLaughlin’s response to being dropped for the Portsmouth defeat, despite the full-back failing to pen an assist against Rochdale amid his continued search for only his second across all competitions since joining Sunderland in 2019.

McLaughlin was courted extensively during the summer market that year by former Black Cats boss Jack Ross, who was full of praise for the Belfast-born defender when he announced his arrival at the Stadium of Light.

“He brings quality and experience to a position that was of high-priority for us to have options in,” said Ross, via quotes by the Sunderland Echo. “I look forward to working with him over the course of the season.”

McLaughlin made the 25th appearance of his Sunderland career against Rochdale on Tuesday night, marking only his third League One start since the turn of the year with Parkinson often looking elsewhere in his squad to serve as the wide-right option.

Parkinson will have been impressed by what McLaughlin brought to the table at the Crown Oil Arena, with the 29-year-old recording four key balls from 36 accurate passes, while delivering three accurate crosses from nine attempts, per SofaScore.

The former Millwall defender further contributed to Sunderland’s attack with a vast per cent of his 81 touches coming inside Rochdale territory, though aiding right-sided centre-back Dion Sanderson with two tackles, one interception, one clearance and one shot blocked.

McLaughlin additionally won three of his six ground duels, three of his four aerial contests and was fouled once, but was also caught offside twice and did not attempt any dribbles or shots.

His efforts should be enough to see Parkinson maintain with McLaughlin on the right-hand side of the Sunderland midfield against Gillingham in Saturday’s League One clash at Priestfield Stadium.

AND in other news, a promotion rival has pinpointed a major flaw in Phil Parkinson’s tactics that could spell dire consequences for Sunderland.

Manchester United are in the market for a defender and this has seem them linked with AS Monaco’s Benoit Badiashile, but it seems like they might have to look elsewhere following the latest transfer update on the player.

According to Telefoot Chaine, via TEAMtalk, Monaco manager Niko Kovac does not want the transfer to happen as he wants the teenager as part of his plans at the Stade Louis II.

The Croatian said: “Our aim is to take him to the next level. If he plays a lot of matches with us in Ligue 1 he will improve. That is certain. We do not want to sell him, that is very clear, he will stay here this season. I think that this is the best solution for him. He has his club here, his family. He knows the environment.”

These comments sounds like the French side are adamant that they will keep the defender at the club beyond the current transfer window and it is understandable that they want to keep him.

He is a young prospect who is clearly highly rated by Monaco. The 19-year-old has already made 47 appearances in all competitions for the senior side, including two in the Champions League, per Transfermarkt. He has even managed to score twice and suuply one assist, and these performances have clearly not gone unnoticed as he has also featured for the French under-19 side no fewer than 15 times.

It was recently reported that United had a bid of around £20m rejected by the Ligue 1 side, so it shows that the Old Trafford hierarchy clearly believe he could add some quality to the Red Devils squad.

However, these latest comments from Kovac will probably mean that United will have to look elsewhere, which they already seem to be doing as they have also been linked with Dayot Upamecano, who has a wealth of Champions League and Bundesliga experience, so he could definitely be seen as a good alternative to Badiashile.

Man United fans, will you be disappointed to miss out on Badiashile? Comment below with your views!