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Newcastle United's Swedish striker Alexander Isak has revealed club legend Alan Shearer contacted him after joining the Toon to tell him what it meant to play for the Magpies.

What did Shearer say to Isak?

The Swede arrived in the summer from Real Sociedad on the back of a club-record transfer which is believed to be worth in the area of £63m.

So pressure will have been high on the young striker, who has since come of age in the Premier League having battled his injury issues.

But it seems as if he has had the league's all-time record goalscorer there to help him along the way since making the move to Tyneside last summer.

Indeed, speaking to the media, the 23-year-old has revealed the contact he has had with Shearer as a Newcastle player and the advice he has been provided:

“He is very, very involved. Shearer is really passionate about the club and you can see it. Before the cup final, Alan was down and talked to us. Gave tips and of course, it helps us. Especially for me as a striker," he said.

“Even when I signed for the club, he told me what Newcastle means and what it means to be a striker for that club.”

Should Isak start ahead of Wilson?

Over the last number of weeks, the Swede has begun to establish himself as the starting striker in Eddie Howe's XI ahead of Callum Wilson.

The Englishman has also had his struggles this season and injuries haven't really been a huge concern but his form certainly has been.

In the Premier League, Wilson has only been able to provide a return of seven goals with only one of them coming since October last year (via Transfermarkt).

In comparison, injuries have been a major issue for Isak this season. His fitness problems have seen the 23-year-old miss a large chunk of the season.

However, in his limited game time, the striker has seriously impressed having bagged six league goals in just over 600 minutes of action (via Transfermarkt).

The goals have seen him establish himself in Howe's side and his goals-per-minute ratio has only been bettered by that of Manchester City's Erling Haaland this season.

Newcastle's £120k-per-week man was described as "frightening" by Kieran Trippier following his brace last week, but it is not just his goals which have impressed.

Isak also helped out defensively with four clearances which will certainly go down well with the Newcastle faithful and Shearer who hailed his display as "magnificent".

Barcelona could be handed a major boost as midfield sensation Pedri looks set to return from injury in Sunday's highly anticipated clash against Real Madrid.

What's the latest on Pedri's injury?

The 20-year-old picked up a thigh injury against Manchester United in the first leg of their Europa League tie, and has subsequently missed Barcelona's last six matches across all competitions.

However, a report in The Athletic has indicated that the Spain international could be set to return for Xavi's side ahead of the crunch match against their biggest rivals.

Barcelona are currently nine points ahead of Real Madrid at the top of La Liga, and a positive result in El Clasico could ultimately decide where the title ends up this season.

A loss to Los Blancos will open up the race again, but Real will travel to Camp Nou knowing that they cannot leave with anything but three points.

Xavi will be relieved to have such an important player available to him, even if he is only fit enough for the bench, as the Blaugrana look to win their first league title since 2019.

The report stated: "Ahead of the league meeting with their rivals at Camp Nou on Sunday, the 20-year-old has been given the green light to make a comeback.

"Pedri also took part in first-team training on Monday. It remains to be seen whether Xavi deems him fit enough to start the game."

How important is Pedri to Barcelona?

The Spaniard has scored seven times in 30 games this season and has already made over 100 appearances for the club despite his young age.

He also ranks in the top 10% of top-level European midfielders for goals, progressive passes and take-ons over the past year as per FBref, highlighting his importance in helping link Barcelona's defence to the attack.

The side have lost twice in his absence, with Barca falling to a 1-0 defeat to Almeria in La Liga, as well as collapsing in the Europa League at Old Trafford.

Barcelona legend Ronaldinho once described Pedri as "class" whilst also praising the youngster's bright future, and the former Golden Boy winner has drawn many comparisons to Andres Iniesta.

If Xavi's side can beat Real Madrid, it will all but secure the La Liga title for them this season, and having Pedri available could be a gamechanger, even off the bench.

Insider ExWHUemployee has revealed that West Ham United winger Jarrod Bowen should be fit to play in the club’s next game amid an injury scare.

What’s the latest on Jarrod Bowen and his WHUFC injury?

Things have not been going well of late for the Hammers and their inconsistent form was well summed up on Sunday afternoon as they slumped to defeat in the Premier League.

Indeed, goals from Emerson Royal and Son Heung-min gave Tottenham Hotspur a comfortable 2-0 win which saw David Moyes’ men end the week inside the relegation zone.

On top of that, key winger Bowen suffered a knock after the defeat and while he did not come off, he appeared to finish the game in notable discomfort.

However, in an update on The West Ham Way podcast, Ex revealed that the Englishman should be fine to play in the club’s next game.

He said: “Bowen received a knock at the end of the game against Spurs.

“Apparently he’s fine as well and should be available for Nottingham Forest.”

What does the Bowen injury news mean for West Ham?

After the game, his manager slammed the challenge that lead to Bowen’s injury noting that it should have been a yellow card. Moyes told the press: “I thought it was a poor decision that it wasn’t a yellow card. I thought it was very simple.

“This was a whack around the shins to me. I was a long way away, so I might be wrong but my first thought, and I’ve not had a chance to see it again, my first thought was it was a pretty clear booking.”

Seeing as the club have a big game against Nottingham Forest at home coming up this weekend, they’ll certainly hope to have Bowen fit. Indeed, a win would leave West Ham just two behind Steve Cooper’s men who are currently 13th in the league.

With that in mind, Moyes will no doubt be relieved to have his winger fit and ready for the game. After all, the 26-year-old has started every league game so far this term, scoring four times and proving two assists.

Insider ExWHUemployee has revealed West Ham United that Mark Noble is looking to establish a relationship with Monaco amid transfer interest in Axel Disasi.

What’s the latest on Axel Disasi to West Ham?

At the start of this year, having retired just last season, the former club captain took over as sporting director for the Hammers.

It seems as though he is wasting little time in getting his feet under the table and making an impact. Indeed, in January, with Noble now involved, the club signed proven Premier League striker Danny Ings from Aston Villa.

It remains unclear just how much of an influence he has on that deal but it looks as though he’s helping the club potentially line up a deal for Monaco defender Disasi, who was linked with the Hammers during the January transfer window.

And while speaking on The West Ham Way podcast, Ex revealed that the sporting director had recently been in France on a business trip.

He explained the reason for the visit, saying: “Mark Noble was a guest at the Monaco-PSG game.

“He does know Monaco sporting director Paul Mitchell there, was invited as a result of [the relationship between] him and the Monaco sort of hierarchy.

“That was to get to know the role of sporting director, but also as a way of establishing strong links between us and Monaco. With the potential signing of Axel Disasi – a French centre-back that we were looking at previously – and he could be one that we’d look to sign.”

What does Noble’s relationship with Monaco mean for West Ham?

Still only 24 years of age, Disasi could be an interesting signing in the future for the Hammers. He’s clearly well-rated in Ligue 1 as he travelled to Qatar with France for the 2022 World Cup and featured three times, starting once.

If the East London club can establish a relationship with Monaco too, that wouldn’t be a bad thing. After all, they did help produce global superstar Kylian Mbappe.

Seeing as their sporting director Paul Mitchell is an Englishman who worked with Southampton and Tottenham before heading to France, it’s no shock to learn that he’s familiar with Noble and this could certainly help with a connection between the two clubs.

Taking it all into account, transfer dealings between West Ham and Monaco could be something to keep an eye on in the near future.

An update has emerged on Aston Villa and their interest in Nico Williams ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

According to Spanish outlet AS, via Sport Witness, the Villans are one of two Premier League clubs who are interested in signing the Athletic Bilbao forward at the end of the season.

The report claims that Unai Emery’s side and Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool have both tested the ground ahead of a possible swoop to sign the Spain international ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

It is stated that the flanker has a €50m (£45m) release clause in his contract, which expires in 2024, and that the attacker has been ‘loyal’ to his current club so far.

Leon Bailey upgrade

Emery could land an upgrade on current Villa winger Leon Bailey by beating the Reds to the signing of the Bilbao star in the summer window.

The Jamaican has been a regular starter for the club in the Premier League this season but has struggled to deliver consistently impressive performances out wide.

In 17 top-flight starts, the attacker has delivered four goals and two assists and averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.68, which places him 16th in the squad.

Bailey has been far from one of Villa’s top performers in the division this term and has not done enough in the final third to prove that he can be a consistent threat in the final third.

Williams, however, who is five years younger than the Villans forward, has enjoyed a better campaign in LaLiga with Athletic Bilbao as the 20-year-old has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.82 and provided three goals and five assists, whilst also scoring three times and assisting one in five cup appearances.

This means that the gem, whose “phenomenal” form was hailed by talent scout Jacek Kulig earlier this term, has racked up six goals and six assists in 25 appearances – compared to Bailey’s five goals and two assists in 23 games for Villa in all competitions – and could offer a greater attacking threat for Emery’s side.

The Spanish dynamo has also averaged more progressive carries, successful take-ons, and progressive passes per 90 than Bailey over the last 365 days, proving he is an incredibly direct individual.

It also suggests that the Bilbao man could offer more to Villa’s build-up play by getting the ball up the pitch from deeper positions, dribbling past players or breaking lines to find teammates in promising areas.

Therefore, Williams could be an upgrade on the former Bayer Leverkusen man, both in terms of his role in the build-up and his consistency in the final third, whilst also having five more years of development to go through, which is why Emery must sign the forward this summer.

Tottenham Hotspur defender Djed Spence has many clubs interested in signing him this month, according to Alasdair Gold.

The Lowdown: Spence’s situation

Spence has had a frustrating time in north London, with him being almost completely frozen out by Antonio Conte during his debut campaign.

The 22-year-old is yet to start a match for Spurs since arriving in the Premier League for £20m (BBC), with only six appearances in total. Spence has been stuck behind Emerson Royal and Matt Doherty in the pecking order at right wing-back.

Earlier in January, ESPN reported that Spence was set to leave north London in a bid to find game time amid Spurs’ continued interest in signing Pedro Porro (via Daily Mail).

The Latest: Gold’s comments

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Gold gave an update on the future of the Englishman and reeled off a list of interested suitors – with a host of top-flight sides amongst the touted clubs.

He said: “Djed Spence as well, I understand there’s interest for him; obviously, Bayer Leverkusen, Germany, have spoken about that before; and the Premier League, Palace, Southampton and West Ham, I understand have all shown an interest in him as well.”

The Verdict: Time to head out

We’d be left very shocked if Spence wasn’t to leave Spurs before the end of the month, especially if they can secure the signing of Pedro Porro before the deadline, as that would surely see the 22-year-old drop even further down the pecking order.

Interestingly, those Premier League sides mentioned would all be of significant interest to Spence, with all offering little competition at right-back.

Palace have both Joel Ward and Nathaniel Clyne over 30, so Spence would offer youthful exuberance to Patrick Vieira’s side.

Meanwhile, Southampton still don’t have Tino Livramento available after he suffered a fresh injury setback (via HampshireLive), and West Ham’s Vladimir Coufal was previously reported by Sky Sports to be frustrated and eyeing a potential exit.

The option for first-team football should be as appealing to Conte as well, who will find out whether the right-back is indeed good enough to play Premier League football if he were to move to one of the touted clubs on a temporary basis.

Celtic’s Reo Hatate was hailed by Matthew Fulton for his performance against Kilmarnock.

The Lowdown: Celtic victory

Celtic stretched their lead at the top of the SPFL to 12 points following a 2-0 win against Killie at Parkhead.

Goals six minutes apart at either side of half-time through Jota and an own goal from Ash Taylor were enough to extend the Bhoys’ 100% league record at Parkhead this campaign and extend their domestic unbeaten streak, which dates back to September.

Ange Postecoglou’s side have put more pressure on Rangers, who face a trip to Dundee United on Sunday.

The Latest: Fulton raves over Hatate

One key player for the Hoops today who yet again caught the eye was centre-midfielder Hatate, who received the highest rating from Fulton’s player ratings on GlasgowLive with a 9/10 display.

He wrote: “A sublime eye for a pass shown by the opener and a good cross for Kyogo for the second. A good few efforts of his own. An all-round effortless showing.”

The Verdict: Star man

The 25-year-old added his fifth assist of the season as he set up Jota’s opener to put Celtic on their way.

According to Sofascore, Hatate completed 59 passes at a success of 81% with four key completed passes – the highest of any player on the pitch.

Despite losing possession 18 times, it just highlights how direct and expansive the Japanese’s play was today as he embodied the playmaking role for Postecoglou.

Making his 14th SPFL start in a row, Hatate again proved his importance to the side as he notched his ninth goal involvement of the campaign so far as Celtic look destined to record back-to-back titles come May.

Manchester United are in the midst of a transitional period under the tutelage of Erik ten Hag, who assumed the role of head coach at Old Trafford earlier this year, and Enzo Fernandez is the name being considered to spearhead the revival.

With a lucrative summer sweep across Europe parting the club with roughly £213m and bolstering the side ahead of an attempted surge towards the top of the Premier League once again, the Red Devils have certainly made steady gains across the maiden period of their Dutch manager’s tenure, with a recent determined victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers placing the club back in the top-four after 16 matches played.

And now the club look set to make a signing capable of ascending the squad towards title-winning contention, with SL Benfica’s 21-year-old maestro Fernandez at the forefront of the transfer attention.

According to Argentine journalist Gaston Edul, John Murtough and United are among the suitors for Fernandez, whose agent has travelled to Portugal with him to forge a move, should an interested party pay his €120m (£103m) release clause.

Old Trafford’s next Scholes

Fernandez’s precocious talents were already distinguished by the likes of Man United, but his exploits at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, scoring a goal and assisting one more from five starts as he played an integral role in his nation’s monumental triumph in bringing the coveted trophy back to Argentina.

As per Sofascore, the dynamo recorded an impressive average rating of 7.10, exhibiting his supreme ball-playing ability with an 88% passing accuracy across the tournament, winning 59% of his duels, completing 60% of his dribbles and displaying his industrious side by making 3.1 tackles per outing – vital in snuffing out danger and swiftly instigating dangerous forward manoeuvres.

His all-encompassing nature offers shades of a former Red Devil icon in Paul Scholes, who made 714 appearances across his one-club career at the Theatre of Dreams, scoring 153 goals and serving 75 assists as he frequently captained one of the most eminent and destructive teams football has seen – winning 11 Premier League trophies and two Champions League among a wealth of major honours as he earned an ever-lasting place within the pantheon of the sport’s brightest stars.

With FBref, ranking the “beast” – as lauded by reporter Ives Galarcep for his role in a strike at the World Cup – within the top 1% of midfielders throughout the world’s next eight leagues for progressive passes, the top 2% for shot-creating actions and the top 1% for assists per 90.

With the Old Trafford rebuild firmly underway, Fernandez would be a destructive presence to inject into the fold, possibly indeed emulating Scholes in orchestrating the good fortunes for the next era at the club.

Celtic are believed to be confident of selling Josip Juranovic in a £5m-plus transfer in January, as per Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Contract talks stall

Juranovic is currently away with Croatia at the World Cup, where he has helped his country to qualify for the last 16. The 27-year-old has played every minute of action for Zlatko Dalic’s side in Qatar but looks destined to exit Parkhead in the New Year.

Reports have suggested that, following unsuccessful negotiations over a new contract, Celtic are braced for offers for the full-back and will consider bids in January.

The Latest: Celtic confident of £5m+ Juranovic sale

Football Insider reporter Wayne Veysey provided an update regarding Celtic and Juranovic on Wednesday evening.

He revealed that the Hoops, and by association their head of recruitment Mark Lawwell, are confident of agreeing a £5m-plus January deal for the full-back.

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The Verdict: Profit…

Juranovic arrived in Scotland last year in a deal worth around £2.5m, so Celtic look set to make a tidy profit, should a £5m-plus exit materialise.

Ange Postecoglou’s side also appear to be close to signing a potential long-term replacement at right-back in Alistair Johnston, with a move for the Canada international all but done.

Therefore, it appears to make sense for the Hoops to cash in on the Croatian defender, and it’ll be interesting to see who comes in with an offer for Juranovic in 2023.

Glasgow Rangers are ready to trigger Michael Beale’s release clause to bring him back to Ibrox and the Scottish Premiership, according to reports in the last 48 hours.

The Lowdown: Approach made

Ross Wilson has been on the hunt to find Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s successor following his sacking earlier this month and has identified the 42-year-old as his primary target.

They made an official approach to hold talks with Beale over the weekend, and it now sounds like they are prepared to take a huge step in a bid to secure his services at the Ibrox.

The Latest: Rangers to trigger release clause

According to Football Insider reporter Wayne Veysey on Sunday evening, Rangers are ‘set to trigger’ Beale’s seven-figure release clause as they ‘close in’ on making him their new manager.

The Light Blues are ‘poised to activate’ the buyout which is ‘one of the final hurdles’ to the two parties reaching a full agreement. The report states that the camps are in the process of ‘finalising a deal’, with the Londoner expected to be appointed ‘within the next few days’.

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The Verdict: Perfect candidate?

Rangers and Beale will already have a good relationship considering he served as a first-team coach for three years, so his existing understanding and knowledge of the club seem to make him the ideal man for the job.

The Hoops boss has won nine and drawn four of his level on playoff points with three other teams in the second tier.

Beale’s preferred formation is also an attacking 4-3-3 system, so his coaching style could excite plenty of Rangers supporters.