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Frank McAvennie believes that Tottenham could be in trouble if Callum Wilson is available for Newcastle ahead of the meeting between the two sides next weekend.

The Lowdown: Wilson could be fit

The 29-year-old started the season in top form for the Magpies, scoring twice in the first three Premier League games (Transfermarkt).

However, since the 2-2 draw at Southampton in late August, he has not played a minute in any competition due to a hamstring injury, but it is being reported that the striker could be available to face Spurs once domestic football returns following the end of the current international break.

The Latest: McAvennie fires Spurs warning

Speaking to Football Insider, former Premier League striker McAvennie has urged Spurs to be vigilant if Wilson is available for Newcastle. He said:

“If he’s back, that’s massive, that’s the game Wilson wants to play in.

“He is going to be up against a pretty poor Tottenham defence and he is a striker who will punish you if you slip up.

“Me, as a striker, I would play against that defence all day long and twice on Sunday.

“It doesn’t matter, if you come up against a striker who knows how to pull you about and create space, you’re in trouble.

“If Newcastle are on it, which they should be, any ball over the top will have Eric Dier scrambling.

“Wilson will fancy that I’m sure. He loves scoring and he has a great chance to get a couple in my opinion.”

The Verdict: Difficult task

Spurs have not been in the best form this season, losing three of their first seven Premier League matches (Sky Sports). However, they are doing considerably better than the Magpies, who are without a win in any competition this term. The Tynesiders may have been taken over by a Saudi Arabian consortium in recent days, but they will not be able to spend any of the money now at their disposal until January (BBC).

Newcastle’s leading scorer last season with 12 goals, £19.8m-valued Wilson (Transfermarkt) is the best striker at Steve Bruce’s disposal right now, and having the England international available would provide his team with a massive boost. Spurs have conceded 10 goals in the Premier League already, so Nuno Espirito Santo and his team could indeed be in for a challenging Sunday afternoon if the 29-year-old is fit to feature for the visit of the north Londoners to St James’ Park.

In other news, Jose Mourinho’s stance on this Tottenham midfielder has been praised.

The career of Mikey Johnston has flattered to deceive on many an occasion at Celtic with several Hoops managers now failing to get the best from him at Parkhead.

Whether that is down to the coaching, the player, or positional rivals is very much a cause for debate.

This term, the 22-year-old has had to compete with the likes of Jota, Liel Abada and even Kyogo Furuhashi on the flanks meaning game time has been severely limited.

However, he has very rarely grabbed his opportunity with both hands. After Jota was ruled out through injury, Ange Postecoglou challenged the young Scot to grab the bull by the horns.

“Ultimately, we need guys like Mikey and Liel (Abada) to step up, that’s why they’re here at the club.

“And if the opportunity exists for them it’s up to them to take it,” the Australian said.

However, just as a chance presents itself, Johnston is out injured again. He missed the club’s last gasp win over Ross County last night and after that, there should really be no way back for the Celtic man in Glasgow.

In the words of Frank McAvennie, this is a problem that’s been going on “for years now.”

He told Football Insider this week: “He’s barely getting a game and when he does play he is really struggling.

“Sell him. I would like to see him moved on for the benefit of his own career. Ange gave him a chance with Jota out and he’s not done anything.

“Some fans might disagree but he’s simply not good enough for what Ange is trying to build.”

It’s hard to disagree with those sentiments. Johnston has scored just 11 times in his Hoops career and is yet to find the net for Postecoglou this term.

In the process of amassing that disappointing number, the attacker has spent over 557 days on the treatment table and has missed around 68 fixtures.

He may only earn a weekly salary of £7.9k-per-week but that money is surely better spent on someone of greater quality or even a player who doesn’t take up so much time with the physios.

It seems harsh but ultimately, the winger has not delivered on the pitch with his performances or with his fitness.

After breaking on the scene in 2018, divisive figure Chris Sutton tweeted the following: “Is Mikey Johnston the new Ryan Christie? Celtic’s fringe players at the start of the season coming to the fore when it counts.”

Sadly, he has not stood up and been counted on too many occasions since and just like Christie, he must seek a new club.

AND in other news, Forget Abada: Celtic gem who won 67% duels proved he’s now someone “Ange can’t ignore”…

Rangers find themselves with an excellent group of academy players coming through the ranks at Ibrox at the minute, with Alex Lowry and Charlie McCann really showing their promise.

One of the most talked-about youth prospects is centre-back Leon King, who at just 18 years old, has featured on the Premiership sides bench a few times already this season and could be ready for a step-up next season.

King signed a new long-term deal in January which will take him up to May 2024, with Ross Wilson explaining that he was “delighted” the young defender will continue his journey at Rangers.

The move to offer him a new deal was a smart one, as his performances in the B team haven’t gone unnoticed, he was linked with a move to both Manchester United and Newcastle United before pledging his future to the Gers.

Steven Gerrard was the first to offer hints that King could be a key part of the Ibrox side’s future when the then 16-year-old was included in the first-team squad for their trip to Belgium to face Standard Liege in the Europa League in October 2020.

Since then, he went on to make his official debut against Falkirk in a League Cup tie before featuring for the Gers in league duty against Livingston in May 2021, long after the side had won the Premiership title.

This led Giovanni van Bronckhorst to promote him to the first-team squad in January and this experience will surely stand him in good stead.

The player has all the attributes to become the side’s next Richard Gough, a stalwart at the heart of defence who eventually went on to make over 300 appearances in Rangers blue. With former coach Gerrard labelling him as “superb” then the sky really is the limit for the talented defender.

Van Bronckhorst could save millions by utilising him in the next few seasons in what is an exciting time for the youngster.

AND in other news, Body blow: Van Bronckhorst now set for huge Rangers disaster over £27k-p/w “rock”…

Sky Sports journalist Keith Downie has dropped an exciting transfer claim about Newcastle United’s plans for the January window.

What’s the story?

Speaking live on Sky Sports’ Transfer Talk at 12.10pm, he said: “As I’ve been reporting for the last few days, Trippier, as the new owners would hope, is the first of maybe at least four or five new signings arriving this January.

“Newcastle are very interested in bringing Lucas Digne to the club, they need a new left-back. Digne is one of a few they are looking at, and there has been some initial discussions between both clubs.

“What makes this one a little interesting is that Everton are keen on Sean Longstaff, and it’s my understanding that an offer came in from Everton just after Christmas. Time will tell whether the two clubs could come to an agreement on some sort of swap deal plus cash.”

PIF making moves

Downie’s claim that Trippier is the first of a number of signings to potentially walk through the door at St James’ Park is sure to have the likes of Eddie Howe and the club’s fans very excited.

The Magpies are in a precarious predicament at the moment, firmly entrenched in a relegation battle and needing a truly miraculous escape to beat the drop from the Premier League.

But, rather than just giving up and even planning towards life in the Championship, the club’s new owners are going full steam ahead with trying to keep the Tyneside club afloat.

Trippier’s arrival is a statement of intent in itself given he was playing for a Champions League playing side like Atletico Madrid, and if any new additions are on a similar level of quality and experience, then Newcastle’s hopes of surviving will take an absolutely massive boost.

PIF are making some big moves.

Meanwhile, Craig Hope has delivered a major Newcastle update…

Lots of Everton fans have been flocking to some manager news involving Duncan Ferguson.

As per The Times, sources close to the Goodison Park club have now indicated that Rafael Benitez could be relieved of his duties before they play Aston Villa at home in the Premier League next Saturday.

Ferguson is ‘ready’ to take temporary charge of Everton once more if the Spaniard is given the chop before then.

After yesterday’s embarrassing 2-1 loss at relegation-threatened Norwich City, the Toffees have still only managed to pick up one win in the top flight since September, and the extremely poor run of form looks set to cost Benitez his job.

Nonetheless, Ferguson looks set to take the reins once more, having done so back in 2019, when he actually did pretty well over four games. He won his opening match 3-1 at home to Chelsea while also picking up credible draws against both Manchester United and Arsenal (Transfermarkt).

He surely cannot do any worse than Benitez in terms of results, so it seems that a lot of Toffees supporters would be happy with the the 50-year-old being appointed.

Everton fans on Ferguson manager news

These Everton flocked to the manager news as it was shared on Twitter:

“Right decision. Get him in for Villa and Goodison bouncing again”

Credit: @bluesofgoodison

“Let’s hope so..”

Credit: @neilthompson67

“Yes Yes Yes”

Credit: @Stephen12724226

“Big Dunc”

Credit: @AndyVale27

“Perfect choice. The fanbase and team needs uniting again and he’s the perfect man to do it. Imagine the atmosphere vs Villa alone.”

Credit: @SachinT1878

“Let him be in charge for the rest of the season, see how he gets on”

Credit: @AdamEFC9

In other news, this Everton player was slammed by many fans over his performance against Norwich

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Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could well end up playing a part for Liverpool in the latter stages of the 2018/19 campaign, which looked in severe doubt at one point.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has been on the sidelines since rupturing knee ligaments in the Champions League semi-final against Roma last April.

The 32-cap international was forced to miss the resulting Champions League final, in addition to the 2018 World Cup where England reached the semi-finals.

The 25-year-old has recently started ball work, however, and could return to first-team training in the middle of next month – according to The Liverpool Echo.

Liverpool will, obviously, be very careful when it comes to re-introducing Oxlade-Chamberlain due to the seriousness of his problem.

However, it now appears possible that the Englishman will play a part for Liverpool in the final weeks of the campaign.

His return will be like a new signing for Liverpool, who are battling to stay top of the Premier League table amid huge pressure from Manchester City.

Jurgen Klopp recently praised the manner in which Oxlade-Chamberlain has dealt with the setback, and Liverpool supporters were quick to respond on Twitter. Here’s a look at some of the best reactions…

Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

An update has emerged on Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette, regarding Newcastle’s interest in his services.

What’s the talk?

According to the Sunday People (24/10, pg 54), via Geordie Boot Boys, the Magpies are interested in a deal to sign the French forward.

The report claims that he could be available as Arsenal have been offering him out to clubs across Europe in hope of finding a buyer.

Imagine him & Wilson

PIF must secure a January deal for Lacazette as they could seal a deadly strike force for the manager they pick to replace Steve Bruce. With Callum Wilson already at the club, bringing the Arsenal forward in could help to create a terrifying front two capable of scoring the goals to fire Newcastle up the table.

Wilson has been in sensational form since joining from Bournemouth last summer. He has scored 16 goals and provided five assists in 28 Premier League starts, which means that he has averaged a goal contribution every 1.33 starts.

Lacazette, meanwhile, scored 51 goals and provided 23 assists in 132 Premier League matches for Arsenal, starting 98 of those matches. This means that he has been directly involved in a goal every 1.32 starts in the top-flight, which is a terrific record for the attacker and shows that he and Wilson could strike fear into opposition defenders in a front two.

When Asked about Lacazette’s future recently, Mikel Arteta hailed his character and refused to rule out an exit in January. He said:

“We discuss that internally, we discuss that with him. It’s a long season ahead of us anything can happen everything is open. He just needs to focus on performing and contributing to the team like he always does.

“He’s a phenomenal character, he’s somebody that’s always pushing and he has a real interest to help the team. That’s not going to change. After we will see what happens.”

This suggests that the dynamo has the right mentality to come in at Newcastle and give the rest of the team a lift, as he wants to help the side overall rather than focus on himself.

Therefore, a partnership with Wilson could be a dream scenario for Newcastle, as both players have sensational records at Premier League level and could work well in a pair, given Lacazette’s unselfishness and willingness to work for the team.

AND in other news, PIF must avoid first NUFC blunder over £20m “mentality monster”, fans would be fuming…

Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst has enjoyed a seamless transition to life in Glasgow and is thriving at Ibrox as the club’s new head coach.

He has won five of his first six matches – starting with Sparta Prague – in all competitions, including all four of his Premiership games, and has carried on where Steven Gerrard left off.

However, one issue he has faced has been the fitness of midfielder Ryan Jack. The 29-year-old recently returned after nine months out of action and has now suffered a fresh setback, which is a shame as he has the potential to be a key player for the Dutchman.

Transfer dream

The Gers signed Jack on a free transfer from Aberdeen in the summer of 2017 and he has been a fine servant for the club over the years. At the time of the move, Transfermarkt valued him at just £630k, having played 250 times for the fellow Scottish side.

Since arriving at Ibrox, Jack has made 133 appearances for the club and been directly involved in 23 goals, with 11 for himself and 12 assists. He has also been capped 10 times by Scotland since joining the Gers, making his debut in November 2017.

Back in 2019, then-Gers boss Steven Gerrard claimed that the 29-year-old ‘drives the team on’ with how he demands more from his teammates, saying: “Ryan is an example for the rest of the squad because he never drops his standards, whether it’s a training session or a game.

“He knits everything together, he drives the team on, he demands from everyone else around him.”

The £12k-per-week beast played an important part in Rangers’ title success last season. He averaged a sublime SofaScore rating of 7.14 as he managed 2.2 tackles and interceptions per game, whilst completing 90% of his passes overall.

At the time of writing, Transfermarkt value him at £3.15m and, at the age of 29, he still has the opportunity to improve on that valuation if he is able to return to fitness and play a leading role for the club in the second half of the campaign.

Therefore, Rangers pulled off a transfer blinder by landing Jack on a free in 2017. He has surpassed 100 appearances for the club, heavily increasing his value and turning in impressive performances on a consistent basis in a title-winning season. Hopefully this will not be the end of his Gers career and he will continue to prove his worth under Van Bronckhorst when he returns from injury.

AND in other news, Forget Tavernier: “Terrific” Rangers beast with 51 duels won is already GVB’s key man…

According to Portuguese newspaper A Bola, via Sport Witness, some major Man City transfer news has emerged involving Sporting Lisbon star Matheus Nunes.

The Lowdown: Guardiola blown away…

After Pep Guardiola’s side hammered Sporting 5-0 away in the first leg of their Round of 16 Champions League Round tie, one opposition player who seemingly blew away City’s boss was in fact Nunes.

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Speaking to media afterwards, the Sky Blues head coach lavished praise on Sporting’s in-demand midfielder, even going on to claim he is ‘one of the best players in the world today’.

Guardiola’s rave review of the 23-year-old has prompted links to signing him in the summer window with A Bola (via SW) now sharing a promising transfer development out of Eastlands.

The Latest: Man City hold discussions…

According to their sources, City chiefs have apparently held ‘informal’ discussions with Sporting over a transfer for Nunes.

In perhaps the most exciting part of this story, the player himself is very keen on moving to Manchester, with there even being suggestions he ‘dreams’ of signing for Guardiola.

It’s also pointed that both Sporting and City’s ‘privileged relationship’ could boost them further in an attempt to land Nunes.

The Verdict: Make a move?

The Premier League champions already have a wealth of talent at their disposal in midfield, but given they could sign him for just €40 million (£33m), it appears there is little financial risk for City.

Called ‘unbelievable’ by former teammate Goncalo Santos, the player’s WhoScored stats point to someone who could actually be of use in Guardiola’s unique false-nine system.

A superb ball-carrier, Nunes completes more dribbles per 90 on average domestically than any City star has in the Premier League – backing why they’re allegedly interested.

Given his quality and fairly cheap potential sum, the Sky Blues should at the very least consider a transfer this summer.

In other news: Man City officials sent to club as Pep now eyes ‘absolute beast’ alongside Haaland! Find out more here.

Leeds United have been dealt a major setback in their bid to bring Oscar Mingueza to Elland Road in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness), who claim that, despite Barcelona being keen to include a player in their negotiations to sign Raphinha at the end of the current campaign, Oscar Mingueza – who Victor Orta has been reported to be keen on and has been proposed to the Whites – is not interested in a move to the Premier League side.

Orta will be fuming

Considering Leeds’ rather desperate need for improvement upon their current options in the heart of defence this summer, in addition to Mingueza’s impressive form for Barca over the past two years, the news that the 22-year-old is not willing to consider a move to England is sure to have left Orta fuming.

Indeed, over his 27 LaLiga appearances last season, the £25m-rated centre-back highly impressed, helping his side keep seven clean sheets, scoring two goals and registering two assists, as well as making an average of 0.7 interceptions, 1.9 tackles, 1.6 clearances and 54.9 passes and winning 3.3 duels per game.

These metrics saw the £19k-per-week defender average an impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.96, ranking him as Barcelona’s 11th-best player in the Spanish top flight last term.

And, when considering the fact that Jesse Marsch’s side have shipped a league-high 68 goals over their 31 Premier League fixtures this season, it is clear for all to see that the American’s backline is an area of his squad which is in dire need of reinforcements this summer.

As such, the news that Mingueza is not tempted by the prospect of a switch to Elland Road is sure to have come as a gutting blow to Orta, who will now be forced to turn his attention in the transfer market elsewhere.

AND in other news: Fewer touches than Illan: “Headless” 8-pass LUFC dud once again failed Marsch v Saints