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Newcastle United have been enjoying a fantastic season so far and Eddie Howe will be absolutely thrilled with the rapid progression his squad has made in the short time they have been together.

The Magpies are currently fifth in the Premier League table following the incredible form that has seen them concede just two defeats over their 23 outings – fewer than any other side so far – as well as getting to their first domestic cup final since 1999 at Wembley last weekend.

Despite the success on Tyneside of late, there is still plenty of work to be done to fine-tune the squad so that Newcastle can really become competitive for trophies and comfortably compete in Europe, should they qualify this season.

As a result, Howe will surely be looking for areas of his team that can be improved upon and the left-back position is one of the most obvious places to start with centre-back Dan Burn currently occupying the spot on the left flank.

One player who has been linked to Newcastle and could replicate Kieran Trippier’s impact on the opposite side next season is Benfica’s Alejandro Grimaldo – a talented and versatile fullback who could make the move to the North East for free as his contract expires in the summer.

Could Howe repeat his Kieran Trippier masterclass with Grimaldo?

There is no doubt that Burn is solid in his defensive attributes but finding a player who can offer the progressive presence that Trippier provides on the right would be massively advantageous to Howe and could considerably improve the pressing machine that the manager has developed in every other area of the pitch.

Over 21 Liga Portugal appearances, Grimaldo has scored two goals, delivered six assists, and created a whopping 13 big chances, as well as averaging 86.4 touches, 50.5 accurate passes, 2.1 key passes, 1.1 successful dribbles, two tackles, and 4.7 duels won per game.

Meanwhile, Trippier has created 3.1 chances per match and produced 18 ‘big chances’ for his teammates in total, which shows that both players excel at making things happen in the final third on a regular basis.

Not only that, the Spanish sensation – hailed “incredible” by presenter Alexandra Jonson – ranks in the top 15% of his positional peers across the ‘Men’s Next Eight Competitions’ for non-penalty goals, assists, progressive passes, shot-creating actions and pass completion rate over the last 365 days, proving that he is extremely effective in progressive play.

When comparing Grimaldo with Burn over the season so far, it is clear that the Benfica ace would be a huge upgrade, outperforming the defender in a number of attributes including tackles and interceptions won (64 v 45), goal-creating actions (11 v 1), progressive passes (118 v 71) and ball recoveries (114 v 98).

Just like Trippier, the 27-year-old is extremely experienced in his position with 325 appearances tallied up in the left-back role, so not only can the powerbrokers at St James’ Park save millions by acquiring Grimaldo’s services for free but also add a player who is proven and confident in the position.

With that being said, it would be a no-brainer for Newcastle to secure the signing of Grimaldo this summer and if he can replicate his current output in the Premier League, it would add some great quality to the squad next season and could be a case of Trippier 2.0 for Howe.

Rangers will go into the summer transfer window with new midfielders on their radar including the Steaua Bucharest midfielder, Darius Olaru, on their list.

What’s the latest Rangers transfer rumours?

There have been reports suggesting Michael Beale’s men are now putting in the foundations to see four midfielders potentially leave in the summer.

Indeed, Football Insider has reported Steven Davis, Scott Arfield and Ryan Jack could all see their contracts expire at the end of the term with no signs of extensions on the horizon.

And this comes alongside the expectation for Malik Tillman to make a return to Germany having spent the campaign out on loan from Bayern Munich.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Pete O’Rourke expects Beale’s side to target a number of new arrivals to bolster their midfield:

“Maybe bringing in midfielders will be a top priority for Rangers. And this is why the Steaua Bucharest midfielder Darius Olaru is on their list.”

What would signing Darius Olaru mean for Rangers?

Olaru is a 24-year-old Romanian midfielder who has now been playing his football in the capital of his homeland for three years after making a move worth in the region of £530k.

And the central midfielder has played a big role in Steaua Bucharest’s season so far, having racked up 23 appearances in their top-flight, which has seen him captain the side a number of times.

In those games, the Romanian has been able to provide a respectable four assists as well as competing in the Europa Conference League where he assisted against West Ham United (via Transfermarkt).

Olaru has received some big praise from those within the club with Mihail Stoica likening him to Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne.

This is a player who has shown a lot of versatility this season for the Romanian side having played a number of roles across the midfield including one appearance at left wing.

But with all of these potential departures, it does feel as if Olaru cannot be the only player who Rangers should be looking to bring in this summer.

Glen Kamara could also leave Rangers with a headache over the summer with reported interest in the midfielder coming from south of the border.

And if that is the case, then Beale may certainly have a challenge on his hands to overhaul his midfield in the summer.

Celtic wantaway striker Georgios Giakoumakis wanted to become a top earner at Parkhead leading to his exit, according to Anthony Joseph.

The Lowdown: Giakoumakis on the move

Greek striker Giakoumakis is set to leave Celtic in the coming days with a move to Atlanta United in the MLS the likely destination, with Fabrizio Romano revealing he’s heading to Mexico to join up with Atlanta’s pre-season ahead of a £4.3m move.

The 28-year-old arrived 18 months ago after netting SPFL appearances coming his way this campaign.

He’s been left out of the five previous squads as his departure becomes imminent from Glasgow.

The Latest: Joseph’s comments

Speaking to The Celtic Exchange, Sky Sports reporter Joseph revealed that Giakoumakis had become disgruntled at Celtic Park for a while and gave an update on the deal that is so far not official, saying:

(46:56) “Our understanding is that Giakoumakis was looking for improved terms and wanted more playing time, I think he felt he was promised more playing time.

“I don’t know the part about Ange not being happy about what he was asking for but I know that talks broke down between Giakoumakis and the club, he wanted to be one of the top earners at the club.”

“Over in America, there’s more complexities to a transfer, especially an integral international transfer inwards to the MLS, so as far as I was aware on deadline day that’s what was putting the move on hold, and there’s no rush with either club actually.”

The Verdict: Unsurprising departure

It’s unsurprising to see Giakoumakis head for the Celtic Park exit door amid the issues going on behind closed doors regarding his contract demands, with a lack of game time also down to the brilliant form that Furuhashi has enjoyed this season, with the Japanese the SPFL’s top scorer.

Celtic’s highest earner according to salary sport is captain Callum McGregor on £32k-per-week whilst the Greece international earns just £12k-per-week, but given Furuhashi’s form a bumper deal bringing him closer to McGregor would likely see him eclipse the 28-year-old’s salary, not something Celtic would be open to doing.

Postecoglou has also already moved to bring in Giakoumakis’ replacement with South Korean striker Hyeon-gyu Oh joining for a fee of £3m last month (via Daily Record), all but ending any chance that Giakoumakis would remain at the club.

Ex-footballer and pundit Tam McManus has urged Rangers boss Michael Beale to give Robby McCrorie more game time.

The Lowdown: Rangers rotating keepers

Throughout the course of the Scottish Premiership this season Allan McGregor and Jon McLaughlin have been rotated as the Gers number one.

McGregor has played in 13 league matches in the 2022/23 campaign keeping four clean sheets and letting in 13 goals, whilst McLaughlin’s season has seen him feature nine times picking up five clean sheets and conceding nine.

Meanwhile McCrorie’s not even been seen in a Rangers jersey this season.

The Lastest: McCrorie deserves a chance says McManus

Speaking to PLZ Soccer, McManus thinks that Beale is selecting McGregor because he knows it’s his last season with the club, but he thinks that McCrorie could be a future number one and should be given the opportunity to prove himself.

He stated: “I think that the manager knows that this is McGregor’s last season. So I think if you’re a manager, you can’t let sympathy get in the way of things.

“If McCrorie’s got a long-term future at Rangers, this is the perfect time to find out – play him in the team, give him a couple of games. If he comes out and he does really well, then you know you’ve got a potential number one for next season; if not, number two.

“But him sitting on the bench and then rotating the two other goalkeepers, he’s learning nothing there. Rangers supporters have not got a clue if McCrorie’s good enough or not, because he’s not an opportunity to prove it.”

The Verdict: Give the boy a chance

The Rangers ‘keeper is 24, so you’d think he’d be at the stage where he’d be given some opportunities to play, but this hasn’t been the case so far in his career for the Scottish outfit.

Across his entire Gers career, the shot-stopper has been put between the sticks on only two occasions, and was able to keep a clean sheet on both occasions.

If Beale sees a future in McCrorie, then he needs to show it through his selections.

McGregor and McLaughlin are 40 and 35 respectively, so their careers are due to end in the near future. Perhaps McCrorie may opt to leave the Gers in search of first-team action if that doesn’t change in the future.

Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane is still very much on the radar of Bayern Munich ahead of this summer’s transfer window.

What’s the latest?

The England captain is now playing into the final 18 months of his contract in north London following months of speculation in 2021 about a potential move away to Manchester City.

Some reports, including from reliable journalist David Ornstein, have suggested the Lilywhites will pick up transfer talks following the conclusion of the January window.

However, Spurs insider Paul O’Keefe has claimed on Twitter the striker is not engaging in talks over a potential new deal and Daniel levy would not stand in his way if he was to request a move this summer.

And now, speaking on the Talking Transfers podcast, insider Graeme Bailey has declared Bayern’s interest in the possibility of landing Kane in the summer:

“We’re reporting that Bayern Munich still hold interest. They haven’t found that Lewandowski replacement yet. You know, it’s less than 12 months until he can sign a pre-contract with Bayern Munich on a possible Bosman [free transfer] if he wished.

“It’s really interesting this situation but we can confirm Bayern still think in an ideal world they would sign Harry Kane this summer.”

Huge months ahead for Spurs

Tottenham’s form this season has been turbulent, to say the least, with the last few months not going in their favour and seeing them drop out of the top four.

However, the form of Kane has not dipped in the slightest with the 29-year-old remaining the Premier League’s second-highest goalscorer this season with an impressive return of 15 goals from 19 games.

And it does feel as if the coming months for Spurs could be huge for their future given their manager, Antonio Conte’s, time in north London is also not set in stone for the years to come.

Kane is now nearing the age of 30-years-old and it does feel as if this upcoming deal could potentially be the final big one of his career.

And despite nearly being 30, the England captain still finds himself chasing that allusive piece of silverware.

Considering Bayern have won the Bundesliga for the last 10 campaigns and are already sitting top of the table this season with a four-point cushion, it would be a fair presumption that a move to Munich would likely satisfy his trophy needs.

However, we do wonder if Spurs winning a trophy this season could possibly put that need to win his first trophy to bed and see him sign a new deal at Spurs.

Currently, Tottenham only remain in the Champions League and FA Cup – with the Premier League title seemingly out of reach – so we do wonder if winning either of those could play a big part in his future.

But it would certainly be interesting to see if – at the age of 30 – Kane would be willing to try a new country and potentially leave behind Alan Shearer’s all-time Premier League goal record if Bayern were to come knocking.

Glasgow Rangers won for the third match in succession under Michael Beale with a narrow 1-0 victory in the Premiership last night.

It was a laboured performance by the Ibrox side, despite dominating the match by having 66% possession while taking 17 shots in total, and the team should have had more than one goal to show for their efforts.

John Lundstram opened the scoring in the 35th minute, finding a yard of space on the edge of the Ross County penalty box. The Englishman had a 93% pass completion rate during the match while dominating the ball in the middle of the pitch, taking 106 touches in total.

However, it was youngster Adam Devine who was Beale’s unsung hero, with the 19-year-old continuing to impress in an unfamiliar left-back berth. He received a Sofascore rating of 7.6/10 for his performance, which ranked him as the best performer out of both teams.

Devine took 70 touches on the night, ably supporting Ryan Kent along the left flank and continually wanting the ball in order to initiate attacks. His attacking abilities can’t be denied, with the teenager making four key passes, and it was only some lacklustre finishing which prevented him from registering an assist. He also created one big chance and succeeded with both his dribble attempts.

He isn’t a slouch defensively either, making two tackles, one clearance and one interception while winning four of his seven ground duels, proving that he had the maturity to fall back and contribute when Ross County where on the offensive.

With Ridvan Yilmaz and Borna Barisic still out injured ahead of next week’s match against Motherwell, Devine will most likely be called upon to deputise at left-back once again.

What has made his recent performances even more impressive is the fact the Scot is a natural right-back and is looked upon as the heir to captain James Tavernier, but his versatility will stand him in good stead for the future and Beale has an excellent young talent on his hands.

Arsenal have been handed an injury boost ahead of their upcoming Premier League clash against Brighton & Hove Albion. 

The Lowdown: Arsenal back in action

The north London club returned to Premier League action on Monday following the recent World Cup as they beat West Ham United 3-1 at the London Stadium.

The Gunners went in at halftime 1-0 down thanks to a penalty from Said Benrahma, only for goals from Bukayo Saka, Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Martinelli to secure a convincing victory for Mikel Arteta’s side.

As Arsenal prepare for an arguably tougher task with a trip to Brighton, the Gunners have welcomed one key player back to training.

The Latest: Tomiyasu returns to training

According to a recent report from The Sun, Gunners full-back Takehiro Tomiyasu has made a return to training following his time playing in the World Cup with Japan.

During his time in Qatar, the defender played in three of Japan’s four games, including the full 120 minutes of their round of 16 clash against Croatia where they lost on penalties.

The Verdict: Good news for Arteta

Having made 17 senior appearances for Arsenal this season across the Premier League and the Europa League, it’s clear that Tomiyasu is an important squad figure for Arteta, who will surely be pleased to see him back in training.

With the 24-year-old, whose presence in the squad has previously been described as “massive” by journalist Connor Humm, showing his versatility by playing in both full-back positions this season, he is an incredibly useful figure for the manager.

This will give Arteta the chance to rotate and rest one of his other full-back options to keep them fresh and to give Tomiyasu, who has been hailed for his “magnificent” performances for the Gunners in the past by journalist Josh Bunting, the opportunity to get some minutes under his belt.

Looking ahead to the clash on the south coast, potentially having the Japan international available to play will undoubtedly be a big boost for the north London club as they look to continue their winning run.

Everton should consider making a move for USA and Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie in the near future, according to journalist Simon Phillips.

The Lowdown: Impressive World Cup for McKennie

The 24-year-old has been on World Cup duty with America in Qatar, and while his country exited after defeat to Netherlands on Saturday, he enjoyed an impressive tournament.

McKennie has been a key member of an energetic USA midfield throughout the competition, starting all four matches and averaging 1.3 clearances per game.

A move away from Juventus could be on the cards and a Premier League switch is possible, with Everton one of the clubs linked with signing him in recent weeks.

The Latest: McKennie would suit Everton

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Phillips talked up the idea of Everton snapping up McKennie, believing that club and player would be a perfect fit.

He said of the American:

“He’s a very good player, I think he could bring a lot to Everton, I don’t think he’s good enough for Chelsea and I don’t want Chelsea to sign him but I think for a club like Everton, he’s much better suited to that move.”

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The Verdict: Brilliant midfield option

Everton’s midfield arguably looks too one-paced at times under Frank Lampard, and McKennie is somebody who could be ideal in solving that issue.

At 24, he is at an ideal age to come in and strengthen the Toffees in the middle of the park, with 91 appearances for Juventus and 40 caps for the USA highlighting his pedigree.

McKennie could take up a box-to-box role which gives Frank Lampard’s side an extra attacking dimension – he has been described as a ‘dangerous’ player by Clint Dempsey – and while his current Juventus deal doesn’t expire until 2025, a January bid could turn the Serie A club’s heads.

An update has emerged on Glasgow Rangers and their attempts to keep hold of talented youngster Jack Wylie…

What’s the talk?

According to Football Insider, the Light Blues have submitted a contract offer to the 15-year-old defender and are ‘rolling out the red carpet’ in an attempt to stop him from leaving.

He is not eligible to sign a professional contract with the club until his 16th birthday, in January, but Ross Wilson has already put a deal on the table ahead of schedule in order to ward off interest from elsewhere.

The report claims that Premier League sides Arsenal, Manchester United, and Leeds United are all keen on the teenager and have been in talks with the player’s representatives.

Billy Gilmour 2.0

The gem is in a similar position to the one that Gilmour found himself in at Ibrox. Chelsea signed him from the Light Blues in 2017, prior to his 16th birthday, for a fee of £500k after the club failed to convince the gem to remain in Scotland.

Although he failed to ultimately make the grade at Stamford Bridge, the Scotland international joined Brighton for a fee that could rise to £10m in the summer and this shows that Rangers missed out on a gigantic payday by losing him at the age of 15 for half a million pounds.

The Gers, therefore, played a disasterclass with the central midfielder because they did not enjoy his talents on the pitch or benefit from his true value in the transfer market.

Speaking in a Caught Offside briefing video in October, Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano described Wylie as a “wonderkid” and claimed that he is “focused” on Rangers, although it remains to be seen if the latter is still the case.

He is a Scotland U16 international and his form has clearly been good enough to attract interest from a number of sides south of the border and to convince the club to pull out all of the stops to keep him at Ibrox.

After watching Gilmour walk away for pennies and then go on to be worth eight figures, Rangers will surely be desperate to keep Wylie and avoid another disaster with a promising young player who seemingly has the potential to make an impact in the first-team in the future.

Wilson and Michael Beale must now do everything within their power to convince the defender that staying in Glasgow is the best option for him at this point in his career in order to stop him from joining an English side and becoming the next Gilmour.

Transfer expert Dean Jones says that Newcastle United target Nicolas Jackson is ‘not top of the list’.

The Lowdown: January interest

According to The Daily Mail, the Tyneside club are among a number of teams in the Premier League who are eyeing a possible move for Jackson in the January transfer window.

They have been following his progress in recent months, but will face competition from Everton, Aston Villa and Barcelona for his signature.

The Latest: Jackson transfer update

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones has shared that, although Newcastle have ‘looked’ at Jackson, he is ‘not top of the list’ at St James’ Park.

The journalist stated: “Newcastle have looked at him, but he’s not top of the list as I understand it. He’s just a player that they’ve kind of marked down to keep an eye on for the coming months.”

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The Verdict: One to watch

Jackson has made the Senegal squad for the upcoming World Cup in Qatar, so he will be a player to watch for the Toon Army at the tournament.

Hailed as a ‘quality’ player by former Premier League striker Kevin Campbell, and one with ‘bags of potential‘ by journalist Ashley Preece, the youngster has only missed one game for Villarreal all season, scoring three goals and supplying two assists across all competitions (Transfermarkt).

The 6 foot 2 attacker can play anywhere across the front line, and at 21 years of age, he should only get even better over the coming years.

Jackson could be a great prospective addition to Eddie Howe’s squad, but it will be interesting to see whether the Magpies push him higher up the priority list come January.