Following the success of Jamie Vardy, the attention paid to non-League players has increased massively and Newcastle could be about to put together a move for the next big name to come through the non-League. 

Over the summer, Newcastle sold Aleksandar Mitrovic to Fulham and replaced him with West Brom forward, Salomon Rondon. The forward has scored three goals for the club so far this season without being particularly impressive for the Magpies.

Newcastle have struggled to score goals this season and so far they have only scored 13 goals this season, the fourth-lowest in the league.

Following that attacking trend, Newcastle are one of several teams considering a move for non-League star, Macauley Bonne who currently plays for Leyton Orient.

The Breakdown

The 23-year-old striker has scored 17 goals in the National League this season and has helped the side rise to the top of the table. Valued at £500,000 the striker has also attracted from Crystal Palace, Fulham and Huddersfield.

While he may turn out to be a star, Newcastle shouldn’t be looking to the non-League ranks to find a striker. His form is superb but if Newcastle want to remain in the Premier League this season they need to sign players that are going to contribute to the team straight away.

Rondon is a good player and will get better as the season progresses but he needs support. Overall, Newcastle’s forward options are quite poor and therefore, they need to be looking to spend well in the January transfer market rather than looking to the lower leagues.

Thoughts Newcastle fans? 

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Watford should make a move for CSKA Moscow’s Champions League hero Rodrigo Becao to replace Craig Cathcart in defence, after the Brazilian played a starring role against Real Madrid.

What’s the word, then?

Becao announced himself to the rest of Europe in CSKA Moscow’s resounding 3-0 win over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu recently, putting in a defensive masterclass against some of the world’s best players.

The 22-year-old was successful with all three of his attempted tackles against the likes of Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Vinicius Jr. Becao also managed to make five clearances and blocked two shots, whilst also making one interception and winning five out of his eight duels.

It is just the latest fine showing in what has been an eye-catching season for the young Brazilian. He is specifically very strong in the tackle, but is a composed passer who can find the right ball to play after successfully dispossessing his opponents.

Another key feature of his play is his ability in the air. CSKA have a real gem who doesn’t look like he’ll be in Russia for much longer if he keeps up these performances.

Why do Watford need him?

The Hornets have been playing some fantastic stuff this season under Javi Gracia and currently sit tenth in the league. They have been scintillating in attack for most of the campaign and solid at the back, but Craig Cathcart needs a better partner alongside him than Christian Kabasele, who has been sent off twice already this season.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below...

Becao would be an astute signing who is still fairly under the radar, so a shrewd swoop that wouldn’t harm Watford’s bank balance too much could be on the cards. Their defence has performed well this season but it is an area that needs freshening up with too many ageing faces in there, such as Adrian Mariappa.

The 22-year-old Becao would be a solution to that problem and a godsend for their backline for now and many years to come.

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Finding a reliable shots-topper has been a constant struggle for Arsenal over the last decade but, in Bernd Leno, they may have their best goalkeeper since Jens Lehmann – the former Bayer Leverkusen man is far from perfect and has been at fault a few times this season which shows how poor the Gunners’ previous custodians have been.

At 26, the German could be at the Emirates for another ten years, but that hasn’t stopped Sven Mislintat and co from scouting out a young star to provide some competition as Unai Emery takes the club into a new era.

Legia Warsaw’s highly-rated 19-year-old Radoslaw Majecki is reportedly seen as a long-term replacement for the waning Petr Cech, whose days at the top level are numbered.

The Pole would not be the first from his country to don the gloves at Arsenal – Juventus’ Wojciech Szczesny and West Ham’s Lukasz Fabianski have previously stood between the sticks for Arsenal but unfortunately never exhibited the quality they have done at their new respective clubs. Could Majecki be different?

Here’s how Arsenal fans reacted to the reports on Twitter…

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Newcastle fans have taken to Twitter to react after former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan told TalkSPORT that Mike Ashley is actually going to sell the club this time around, and will also make signings in January.

Given the fact that Magpies’ supporters have heard Ashley say he is going to sell up almost every season now, these claims are sure to have fallen on deaf ears, whilst anyone with a brain won’t fall for Jordan’s comments on signings.

Jordan knows Ashley well, so some fans are pessimistic about his comments, and feel that he is simply trying to portray his friend in a good light and get the angry St James Park faithful off his back.

Ashley has never backed Rafa Benitez since the Spaniard took over on Tyneside, and if he is in the process of selling the club, why would he invest any money into signings?

Let’s take a look at how Newcastle fans reacted to Jordan’s comments…

With the FA Cup third round tie against Tranmere on the horizon, Mauricio Pochettino is expected to rest a number of his first-team stars as a result of the busy festive fixture list, which will have taken its toll on the players physically.

As a result of that, a number of fringe players are expected to benefit, such as Paulo Gazzaniga and Oliver Skipp, but one man who could yet be handed another chance in a Tottenham shirt is Fernando Llorente.

The Spanish striker has started just one game this season in the Carabao Cup, making eight further appearances from the substitutes’ bench as he angles for a move away from north London. The 33-year-old has become frustrated at his lack of game time, and could even leave this January.

However, seeing as the unfit Vincent Janssen is the only player who can provide back-up to Harry Kane, should the former Swansea striker be handed another chance to prove himself against the League Two side?

Have your say down below…

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Loads of Leeds fans have been reacting to yet another injury setback, as Barry Douglas is expected to miss around two to three weeks with a muscle injury.

Leeds will go five points clear at the top of the table if they can overcome Derby County on Friday, but they will have to do it without one of their main summer signings.

Douglas, who has racked up three Championship assists since joining from Wolves, will miss around three weeks with the injury he sustained at Nottingham Forest, Phil Hay reports.

Pl>ymaker FC’s Thogden was at the crucial relegation 6-pointer between Bolton and Rotherham. Check out the video below…

The Whites are already without Liam Cooper and Gateano Berardi at the back, and will now expect to face Derby, Stoke City and Rotherham without Douglas.

The Scottish international has not been in great form recently anyway, but it is still a huge setback to lose yet another first team defender at such a crucial point in the season.

The boss will presumably now offer Leif Davis the chance to redeem himself after a poor performance in the FA Cup, and he will have to be at his very best against Derby’s Harry Wilson.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions to the news down below…

[ad_pod ]According to The Scottish Sun, Celtic are keen on signing Sunderland striker Josh Maja in this January transfer window, and could send defender Jack Hendry to the Stadium of Light on loan as part of the deal.

What’s the story?

Hendry is not the most popular figure amongst Celtic fans. The 23-year-old centre-back was signed by Brendan Rodgers in January 2018 from Dundee, but he has since struggled to step up to the level required by the Bhoys.

His recent performances have seen him come in for some criticism from the Celtic Park faithful and a loan move would likely be a good thing for the 3-cap Scotland international at this stage.

With only three league appearances to his name so far this season, some regular game time is exactly what Hendry needs too.

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If Hendry’s exit could facilitate the arrival of Maja, then that would have to be considered excellent business on the part of the reigning Scottish Premiership champions.Â

Ready to step up

Maja has been in fine form for the Black Cats so far this season. The Sunderland academy product has been prolific so far, registering 14 goals and 2 assists in 23 League One appearances.

The young striker in now ready to make the step up to a higher level, and a move to Celtic would give him that chance. If he could translate his form to the Scottish top flight too, then the likes of Odsonne Edouard and Leigh Griffiths could see their places come under threat from the 20-year-old.

All in all, a deal that would swap the flop Hendry for Maja would be brilliant for the Bhoys.

According to a recent report from The Daily Mail, Fernando Llorente’s future at Tottenham is far from certain heading into the remainder of the January transfer window. The 33-year-old made the move to the Premier League club back in the summer of 2017 after impressing at Swansea City, but struggles for regular football under manager Mauricio Pochettino has called his future in North London into question.

And reports suggest that Spanish giants Barcelona are considering a move for the Spaniard in a bid to bolster their own striking ranks, as should Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson as he eyes the missing piece in his side’s survival jigsaw.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, it’s pretty clear that the Londoners have a serious problem in the final third of the pitch, what with the Eagles having netted on just 20 occasions in their 22 Premier League games this season, only one of which has come from the club’s pool of strikers.

In fact, Luka Milivojevic is the club’s top goal-scorer this season with six of which five have been penalties, thus underlining just how much of a struggle it has been for Palace to put the ball in the back of the net – even Wilfried Zaha, comfortably the club’s best player, has found the going tough this term with only three goals to his name.

And while the return of Christian Benteke from injury last weekend in the 2-1 defeat to Watford will come as a huge boost to manager Hodgson, the sanctioning of Alexander Sorloth’s loan move to Gent leaves the former England boss even shorter in the attacking ranks – yet a move for Llorente would go some way to bolstering that department.

The Spain international may well be reaching the twilight of his career at the age of 33, but one mustn’t forget the role he played in keeping Swansea City in the Premier League just a matter of years ago, with the striker bagging 15 goals in 33 league games to help the Swans stave off relegation.

That season, the former Athletic Bilbao and Juventus forward struck up a wonderful partnership with Gylfi Sigurdsson in regularly getting on the end of the Icelandic star’s crosses and corners, while he also produced moments of brilliance in the penalty area to help fire the South Wales outfit to safety.

And with the plethora of attacking options at Hodgson’s disposal at Selhurst Park, namely Zaha and Andros Townsend, there’s no reason why the same couldn’t happen with Llorente at Palace – he carries a genuine threat in the final third of the field.

Yes, Llorente hasn’t exactly pulled up any trees during his time at Tottenham in the last 18 months, netting just one Premier League goal for the club since 2017, but with aerial presence and intelligence in the forward role, he appears to be exactly what Palace need to pull clear of the bottom three, with that gap currently just four points.

And with the Spaniard’s future far from certain at Spurs, Hodgson must be ready to raid the London club for the 33-year-old’s signature, whose arrival would go some way to giving the 71-year-old the missing piece in his Palace survival jigsaw.

Palace and Tottenham fans… what do you think? Let us know!

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According to Football Insider, Sunderland have reportedly made an approach for Barsnley striker Kieffer Moore, as the Black Cats prepare for life without Josh Maja.

What’s the word?

Sunderland fans were gutted when news of Maja’s move to Bordeaux broke on Wednesday, as the 20 year-old will join the Ligue 1 outfit for around £3.5m, per Sky Sports.

The good news however, is that the club isn’t standing still in finding a replacement for the youngster, as Football Insider claim they have lodged a £2m bid for Moore.

The 6ft 5in target man has scored 13 times in 23 League One games this season, including a brace in a 4-2 defeat at the Stadium of Light back in November.

Would he be a good signing?

Well, Moore has scored two less league goals than Maja this season, but the powerful target man has a proven track record in League One.

As well as his 13 strikes this season, he notched the same tally in 22 appearances last year, per Transfermarkt, despite the fact that he was only in the division for six months, on loan at Rotherham.

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The 26-year-old is a handful for defenders, an absolute monster in the air and, most importantly of all, he knows how to stick the ball in the back of the net.

The move should also fill fans with confidence about new owner Stewart Donald, who is once again proving he truly cares about the club’s promotion push by wasting no time replacing Maja.

So, Sunderland fans, would you be happy with Moore replacing Maja? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…

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Southampton are prepared to listen to offers for striker Charlie Austin, according to Sky Sports.

Manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has been trimming his squad this January and is now prepared to part with the forward, who has been at St Mary’s Stadium since 2016.

What’s the word?

Austin has scored three goals this season, in 18 appearances in all competitions – per Transfermarkt.

However, his contract expires at the end of next season and the 29-year-old is deemed expendable by Hasenhuttl.

Indeed, Austin has not played 90 minutes this season and has been handed just three starts by the Austrian.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

The Englishman has not played for the club since the 2-2 FA Cup draw with Derby County and is now seemingly poised for an exit from the Saints.

Southampton have already sold Manolo Gabbiadini to Sampdoria this month – per BBC – while Wesley Hoedt was shipped out on loan to Celta Vigo, reports Sky Sports.

The club have yet to recruit a new addition in this transfer window, however.

No mercy

Hasenhuttl is showing absolutely no mercy at Southampton.

He is well aware of the style of play he wants to implement and it has become apparent that Austin does not fit with that vision.

The striker has been something of a journeyman throughout his career – playing for the likes of Poole Town, Swindon Town, Burnley and QPR prior to joining Southampton – and he appears poised to return to his nomadic roots this month.

It remains to be seen if any Premier League clubs will be willing to take a gamble on Austin, though, as he has never scored over 10 goals for the club in a single campaign.

But he does, at least, have the chance of a fresh start, while Hasenhuttl has the ability to bring in a new striker more in keeping with his modus operandi on the south coast.