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Steve Bruce isn’t slowing down in his bid to bolster his squad with Nice’s Wylan Cyprien the latest player to be targeted, according to The Daily Mail.

What’s the latest?

It is reported that the Magpies have made an enquiry to the French club about the availability of the midfielder, who is believed to be valued at £20m.

The deal may not be a straightforward one, however, as Tottenham have also emerged as a party of interest, though Bruce is expected to tell Mike Ashley that another big-money move is necessary.

The owner will reportedly visit the training ground for the first time since the summer, which indicates that there could be some transfer business conducted this month.

Astute addition

Newcastle would benefit from strengthening in multiple areas due to the injury crisis that has hit in recent weeks, but the addition of Cyprien may instead fit into Bruce’s philosophy of only bringing in the right players.

Jonjo Shelvey’s absence means there is a lack of creativity and attacking threat from midfield – despite Matty Longstaff’s goal against Rochdale – as the 27-year-old has provided five goals and 1.7 key passes per game, but the Frenchman would certainly help to solve that issue.

Who the heck is that?! Can you name all 25 of these obscure Newcastle signings…

For starters, the 24-year-old has eight goals and three assists in 21 appearances this season, more than Yohan Cabaye managed in any individual campaign during his spell on the north-east.

Compared to the former Magpie, Cyprien has also managed more key passes, more average passes per game and a higher pass accuracy this term, with 1.8, 63 and 88% respectively.

In 2013/14 – arguably Cabaye’s best season as he earned a move to PSG – he managed 1.7 key passes and 43 average passes per game, with a pass success rate of 82%.

Cyprien will have to adjust and make the step up to the Premier League but the indicators suggest he coulde even play a more influential role than Cabaye did – a player who was hugely popular at St. James’ Park, as evidenced by his inclusion in The Chronicle readers’ Newcastle team of the decade.

If the Nice number 25 makes the move to the north-east he could provide that attacking intent from midfield, as Shelvey has under Bruce, and that may just be the injection the team needs to move further away from the relegation zone.

Meanwhile, The Athletic’s Chris Waugh has revealed what is troubling Steve Bruce most and what he aims to do about it…

It is hard to think what Roy Hodgson will make of Crystal Palace’s 1-1 draw at home against Arsenal on Saturday.The Eagles were by far second-best before the break, managing just one shot at goal and amassing a rather poor 33% possession.If the Gunners had kept up their dominance for 90 minutes, the former England manager could’ve had no complaints about losing the match, but given that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was set off with half of the second period left – at that point, Palace were drawing 1-1 after Jordan Ayew had cancelled out the Gabon international’s opener – he may feel his men could have come away with maximum points.Did he really play for us?! No Palace fan has managed to name all of these obscure Eagles signings….In the end, though, the spoils were shared. One of Palace’s best players was arguably Jairo Riedewald, who managed four clearances, two interceptions and three tackles during a dominating defensive display.The supporters were delighted with his performance on the day.

From a defensive point of view, he did nothing wrong. Considering he is either a centre-back or defensive midfielder by trade, he did very well by filling in on the left of the back four.

Such was the nature of his showing, many fans were adamant that he was the best player on the pitch.

High praise indeed. Both himself, the fans and his manager will be hoping that he can continue this form moving forward.

Although this performance came at left-back, some supporters still want to see him in the middle of the park.

When Patrick van Aanholt returns from injury, he will likely take the former Ajax man’s place, so the supporters may just get their wish of seeing him further forward.

Elsewhere, Palace fans react as it emerges Palace are ready to listen to offers for one man.

According to a report in The Sun on Sunday’s print edition (January 19th, page 65), several Championship clubs are interested in signing West Brom starlet Rekeem Harper on loan.

What’s the word?

It’s claimed that Leeds United, Fulham, Queens Park Rangers and Charlton Athletic want to take the 19-year-old temporarily for the remainder of the season.

Harper signed a new three-year contract in the summer taking him to the end of the 2021/22 campaign but has been limited to six minutes worth of game time in the Championship this season.

His performance in the Baggies’ FA Cup third-round victory over the Addicks sparked praise from manager Slaven Bilic, although, he left his immediate future open to interpretation.

He said: “If we think about him and only him, then a loan could help him, but I have to put the club first.”

Playing with fire

Tonight, Albion have an opportunity to go four points clear of their nearest title challengers Leeds United, and eight clear of the playoffs.

That’s if they can see past Stoke City at the Hawthorns.

Watch West Bromwich Albion Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

The last thing they need to do before January closes is to strengthen a rival club, especially as promotion is no foregone conclusion.

It would be a devastating blow if Leeds or Fulham were to close the gap because of the influence Harper made in their midfield, or even worse, scored the winner that clinched them the title or second place over the Baggies.

However, there’s no denying that the young prospect needs regular match experience otherwise his progression will stall, so it may be a wise move to send him somewhere like Charlton, where his performances won’t have any influence on their quest for the Premier League.

How much do you remember about football in 2019? Our quiz will test your knowledge…

Harper can fill the void left behind by Sam Field’s injury at The Valley. Bilic will quite simply be playing with fire if he sanctions a move to any of the other clubs in the promotion hunt.

And in other news, here’s how West Brom could line up next month after three new additions…

Reliable Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio has revealed Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti’s stance on signing Napoli midfielder Allan in a tweet on Wednesday night.

What did he say?

Well, Di Marzio posted on Twitter that the 60-year-old has insisted the Merseyside outfit sign the Serie A star, although their attempts to get him could be thwarted after he added that Napoli and Inter Milan are in discussions over a possible swap deal involving the Brazilian and Matias Vecino.

The tweet translated as: “Up #Allan Ancelotti insists for the @Everton but today @Inter is @sscnapoli they started talking about another exchange: #Vecino – #Allan.”

Meanwhile, Sky Sports reported earlier this month that the Toffees were keen to bring in a new central midfielder during the January transfer window.

It could be difficult

This latest update doesn’t sound great in Ancelotti’s bid to bring the 29-year-old to Goodison Park, but it isn’t the only negative.

While the South American star may fit the profile of midfield player the manager wants given he has averaged 3.1 tackles and 1.2 dribbles per game in Serie A this term according to WhoScored, it doesn’t hide the fact that he will be 30 early next year and is hardly one for the future.

Call yourself an Everton expert? How much did each of these January signings cost?

In addition, the initial link to him last week in the Gazzetta dello Sport, via Sport Witness, suggested that he was an ‘impossible dream’ addition for Everton, and that the club was instead trying to find a ‘photocopy’ of the Brazilian.

They must be careful they don’t go against Ancelotti’s wishes though, and if he does want Allan as much as the reports suggest then director of football Marcel Brands must go all out to deliver for his manager.

In other Everton news, Alan Myers has offered an update on how many players he thinks the Toffees could sign before the January transfer deadline…

Speaking before Manchester United’s clash with Wolves on late Saturday afternoon, Gary Neville has criticised his former side’s loan signing of Odion Ighalo.

What did he say?

The Red Devils had a particularly hectic deadline day, with reports early on Friday morning suggesting they were interested in securing Bournemouth’s Josh King. However, that move failed to materialise, with attentions then turning to Shanghai Shenua man Ighalo.

The Manchester side eventually got a loan deal over the line before the deadline, but Neville has slammed the club for their lack of planning and decisiveness over the entire situation.

Watch Manchester United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

He said (as quoted by Sky Sports): “They just needed a body in that area. Rashford’s going to be out for another couple of months. I can’t let the club off the hook though, unfortunately. Romelu Lukaku told us a couple of weeks ago that he had said he was going to leave last February or March.

“That’s nine months to be able to manoeuvre and get into a position to sign a striker for the club for the long-term. And yet they have ended up desperately doing one on Deadline Day. The fact that the club were in that position, knowing that Sanchez and Lukaku were leaving for many, many months, tells us that Manchester United, at this moment in time, are struggling to navigate through the transfer market smartly.”

Desperation

Whilst United managed to get a striker in through the door before the deadline, as Neville suggests, the whole saga really does reflect poorly on how the club have managed the situation.

Quickfire Quiz: How much do you know about Man Utd’s history in the January transfer window?

Having taken the decision to let Romelu Lukaku go last summer, the Red Devils desperately needed to show a bit more foresight in recognising that they needed to replace the Belgium international. Instead, they are now going to finish this current campaign with Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood and Ighalo as their front-line options.

That simply put, isn’t good enough for a team the calibre of United.

Meanwhile, Man Utd are plotting a £20m summer swoop for this starlet.

Steven Gerrard has guided Rangers to the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup.

The Gers were in good form against Hamilton. In the end, they won 4-1 thanks to a brace from Scott Arfield, as well as goals from Joe Aribo and Alfredo Morelos.

A football legend: Can you get over 80% on this Gazza quiz? Find out now…

However, it wasn’t all good news for the Ibrox outfit. Midway through the second half, Borna Barisic went down injured and needed to be replaced by Andy Halliday. The sight of him going down, and then being confirmed to have a hip-flexor issue, has not gone down well.

The 27-year-old has been in top form for Rangers so far this season, picking up two goals and 14 assists in 32 matches in all competitions from left-back. If he is out for the considerable future, it will be a blow to the club’s aspirations for the rest of the campaign.

Others fans, meanwhile, do not want to see Halliday on the field.

Having made just eight appearances in all competitions so far this term, the 28-year-old is clearly not a big part of his manager’s plans, and him needing to replace Barisic for a significant amount of time will perhaps be a worry for Gerrard.

Hopefully, the Croatia international isn’t on the sidelines for too long.

Elsewhere, Rangers laud this man against Hamilton.

Liverpool’s big FA Cup victory over Shrewsbury Town in the fourth round of the competition has been a major talking point across the footballing world this week.

Even though the Reds were without any first-team players or Jurgen Klopp, the youngsters still managed to record a narrow but extremely impressive 1-0 victory and secure the club’s place in the next round of the competition.

But not everyone has been impressed by the German manager’s decision to miss the FA Cup tie, with many perceiving his actions as a gesture of disrespect towards the historic competition.

Call yourself a Liverpool expert? How much did each of these big-money January signings cost?

Sky Sports pundit, Matthew Upson, believes it would’ve been nice to see Liverpool punished for it and he said as much on while appearing on Sky Sports’ The Debate show following the clash:

“I think it would’ve been good to see them pay a price for it [fielding a young side]. I don’t think that would’ve been a bad thing for the FA Cup.”

Of course, many members of the Anfield faithful didn’t take those comments too kindly as some of them seem to think Upson was either eager for publicity or straight up just hates Liverpool.

One fan even called him a bad footballer and a bad pundit…

But some of their supporters believe this standpoint derives from the jealousy of Liverpool’s success.

Besides, the Reds now have bigger fish to fry and one fan even stated smaller clubs can’t possibly understand their logic…

Meanwhile, many Liverpool fans were full of praise for one of the senior players after a huge revelation…

Aston Villa loanee Andre Green may be in line for a new contract with the club, as has been reported by Football Insider.

What’s the story?

The 21-year-old’s future is currently uncertain, as his contract at Villa Park is coming to an end during the summer of 2020.

His case for a new one was not helped by his time at Preston North End, which saw his season-long loan cut short after being afforded just 87 minutes of football across four substitute appearances.

However, he has turned his campaign around at the Valley, which may have been enough to get himself into Dean Smith’s future thinking and earn himself a new contract with the club.

Villa do have an option to extend his current contract, or they could offer him a long-term one.

Big performances, big rewards

Since moving to Charlton in early January, Green has already become an integral part of Lee Bowyer’s side, as they look to stay up in the Championship.

Having not made a single league start at Deepdale, he has already made four in red, either playing off the main striker or being part of a front two with Lyle Taylor.

This has worked to great effect with the 21-year-old already bagging two goals. The first of those came against Preston when he scored his first Deepdale goal of the campaign in any competition. That was followed up by a vital strike in the bottom of the table win over Barnsley.

Did he really play for us?! No Villa fan has managed to name all of these obscure Villans….

In addition to that, he also assisted Ben Purrington’s goal with a pinpoint cross towards the back post for the left-back to get on the end of.

If Green continues form such as this, then it has been put across that there is a realistic chance he could earn himself another contract with the Villans, which would be thoroughly deserved.

Meanwhile, another loanee has made a positive start to life away from Villa Park.

Celtic fans have taken to Twitter to react after seeing Odsonne Edouard miss an absolute sitter against Aberdeen.

The French striker – who has registered an eye-catching 23 goals and 17 assists so far this season – had a golden chance to extend the Hoops’ lead in the 87th minute after Kristoffer Ajer had netted an ultimately crucial goal just six minutes earlier.

However, with Aberdeen glovesman Joe Lewis stranded on the ground, Edouard smacked the ball at him when it looked easier to put it in the net – Celtic’s official Twitter account spared his blushes by saying that Lewis merely ‘saved’ it, although a player of the Frenchman’s quality should really have scored.

Luckily for the 22-year-old, Ajer’s goal was enough to grab the three points after Ash Taylor had cancelled out Callum McGregor’s opener.

The victory meant that Neil Lennon’s side opened up a 13-pointgap over Rangers, before Steven Gerrard’s men kicked off in their game against Livingston on Sunday.

Winning the game is the main thing, although a number of Celtic fans couldn’t help but react to Edouard’s miss…

To kick off the reaction, @CelticBhoysFS couldn’t hide their shock at the squandered opportunity in saying “oh my word” before asking “how” the former Paris Saint-Germain forward missed.

Liam then branded the moment as “madness” before also questioning how Edouard didn’t score.

Elsewhere, Ped labelled the miss as Iwelumo-esque.

This tweet was of course in reference to Chris Iwelumo’s famous miss for Scotland against Norway from back in 2008 – it wasn’t quite as bad as that horrendous effort!

Meanwhile, these two supporters had transfer-related thoughts in mind following the miss.

From green pitch to silver screen: What productions did these famous footballers star in?

Will said that Edouard “just took £50m off his price tag” after the unbelievable moment.

Then, Martin said that anytime anyone asks about the striker, then they should be shown his miss in hope that it’ll put off any potential suitors for the prolific attacker – The Daily Record believe that Leicester are preparing a £30m bid for his signature, while Crystal Palace were also interested in January.

Lastly, Jonny said that he’ll “never know” how Edouard missed that chance – neither will we!

In other news, Chris Sutton has reacted to the 2-1 win over Aberdeen on Twitter…

Sunderland’s turnaround has been nothing short of spectacular.

From Phil Parkinson’s opening 14 matches in charge, they’d won just two matches. However, since then, they’ve lost only once in their last 15.

To say the tide has turned would be an understatement.

On the chalkboard

Sunderland’s 1-1 draw with Fleetwood on Tuesday night was testament to the incredible fitness levels the Mackems have instilled in the team since Nick Allamby arrived as Physical Performance coach.

The Black Cats have had a habit for scoring late in matches and Max Power’s 97th-minute equaliser was symbolic of a side with renewed commitment and work rate. Since January 1st, Sunderland have scored six goals in the final 15 minutes of play.

However, when a winning run comes there are often victims and those who have to play second fiddle – particularly when certain players have stepped up in their performances.

Struggling Scowen

Power and George Dobson have established themselves in the centre of Sunderland’s midfield with the former even taking on the captaincy with Grant Leadbitter away from the side due to personal reasons.

Both of them have been imperative in Phil Parkinson’s turnaround, forming a solid base both defensively and in attack.

That couldn’t have been clearer than when Power fired home in injury time to add just a second league goal of the season in midweek.

Since Josh Scowen arrived on loan from QPR in January in search of first-team football, Power has dipped below an average match rating – per WhoScored – of 6.6 on just one occasion. Similarly, Dobson has also managed that achievement, registering an average rating of over 7 on three occasions in his last seven outings.

Their performances last Saturday was typical of their recent efforts. Dobson completed over 96% of his passes while also winning two tackles and playing a key pass. His midfield partner also provided a key pass but won two aerial duels and completed two interceptions, via WhoScored.

Consequently, Scowen has had to settle for a place on the bench, failing to start a single game and amassing just 31 minutes of League One action since making his debut against Tranmere at the end of January.

From green pitch to silver screen: What productions did these famous footballers star in?

For someone who was playing in the Championship earlier this campaign, you can forgive the 26-year-old for wanting more football, especially when you consider that was the reason he joined temporarily.

With Sunderland enduring a tricky January off the pitch amid Stewart Donald’s plans to sell, the club’s future was far from certain.

However, the Black Cats have now stabilised themselves. Unfortunately, Scowen has found himself the victim of that.

In other Sunderland news, Tony Coton can begin to meet his aims by landing a talented starlet…