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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Brazilian forward Willian Jose has claimed that he turned down the chance to join Newcastle United from Real Sociedad in 2018.

And the Magpies have been made to regret missing out on the Sociedad ace with Joelinton struggling to make his mark since arriving from Hoffenheim.

What’s the word, then?

Speaking to Marca, Willian Jose revealed that he had the opportunity to join Newcastle last summer but ultimately remained with Sociedad.

The 27-year-old had spells with Real Madrid and Real Zaragoza before joining Las Palmas, where he managed 10 goals in 34 outings during the 2015-16 campaign.

Watch Newcastle United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Sociedad signed the forward in the summer of 2016, and he has been in fine form the Basque club – netting 49 times in 117 appearances in all competitions.

This season, Willian Jose has four goals in nine La Liga outings, whilst his overall record in La Liga is 51 strikes in 133 appearances, which is some going when considering that he has not been turning out for the likes of Barcelona.

Newcastle had been in the market for a striker for some time before ultimately deciding to sign Joelinton during the summer, and the South American’s struggles suggest that Willian Jose would have been a much better option for the club.

Can Joelinton turn his form around?

It was always going to be difficult for the summer arrival to hit the ground running as Newcastle are not exactly a team that create bundles of opportunities.

The striker has netted just once in nine Premier League appearances this season, whilst his record of 15 goals in 60 Bundesliga matches is not exactly prolific.

It remains to be seen whether Joelinton can score the goals to keep Newcastle in the Premier League.

We mastered the trick in the video below in 8 attempts… could you do better?

It is difficult to say with any certainty that Willian Jose would have been a success in England’s top flight as he is unproven in the Premier League.

The Brazilian’s goal record in recent years is very, very impressive, though, and Newcastle missed a real trick when they failed to bring him to St James’ Park.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Injury News series, which considers the impact of the latest updates on players’ fitness

West Ham United goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski has been ruled out for at least two months, and Irons fans should find comfort in the rise of former stopper Adrian at Liverpool to see how number two Roberto could develop.

What’s happened then?

Well, the Poland international pulled up in the first half after taking a goal kick against Bournemouth, and it has been confirmed via BBC Sport that he has suffered a torn hip muscle.

It means that his ever-present run for the east London outfit in the Premier League since he joined the club on a free will come to an end this weekend, and he may not be back in action until December at the earliest if the initial diagnosis is correct.

Watch West Ham United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Roberto Jimenez Gago replaced the 34-year-old against the Cherries and while he did make one good save in particular his kicking wasn’t great, while he came under fire from some fans on Twitter for his display in the humiliating 4-0 Carabao Cup defeat to Oxford United last week.

Roberto could surprise everyone

It’s probably fair to say that West Ham fans won’t be expecting the Spaniard to be at the same level as their 2018/19 Hammer of the Year, having shown some weaknesses when he has been on the pitch.

Liverpool supporters may have had the same concerns when Alisson got injured on the opening day of the campaign and saw Adrian replace him however, but the former Irons man who left on a free earlier in 2019 has gone from strength to strength between the sticks for the Premier League leaders in the Brazilian’s continued absence, conceding five goals in seven top flight outings.

Given how West Ham fans criticised him when he played for them and how he was number two to Fabianski before departing, he is an unexpected source of hope for them in light of the recent development given first-team starts at Anfield would surely have been predicted to be few and far between if Alisson stayed fit.

Roberto could easily make the same impact as Adrian if the circumstances are right, and the London Stadium faithful need to get behind him to give him that confidence, rather than getting on his back as soon as he does something wrong like they may have done with other keepers in the past.

Lots of Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter to react after they heard that Christian Benteke had scored his first goal since April.

The 6 foot 3 striker found the back of the net just three minutes after coming on for Belgium against San Marino, as Roberto Martinez’s side recorded a 9-0 victory.

It was Benteke’s first strike since his headed effort against Arsenal back in April, his one and only goal from the 2018/19 campaign.

In total, the 28-year-old has netted just four goals in his last 58 games for the Eagles across all competitions – you could say that it is a surprise to even see him in the Belgium squad, let alone scoring.

One would presume that Palace fans are hoping this goal will give their £27m forward a bit of much-needed confidence in front of goal, although the quality of the opposition – and the fact that goalkeeper Simone Benedettini didn’t even dive – somewhat reduces the validity of the strike.

Let’s see how the Eagles supporters on Twitter reacted to the shock event…

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Off the Bench series, which places in-game managerial decisions and squad selections under FFC’s microscope.

There wasn’t much Roy Hodgson could’ve done amidst a first-half Tottenham onslaught on Saturday.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men just kept coming, attacking the Crystal Palace backline at will and scoring at almost every given opportunity for the first 45 minutes, going into the dressing room 4-0 up at the break.

The former England manager isn’t known for his wise use of substitutions – the best way to back that up is by reading The Times’ article from last year on Hodgson’s ill-advised use of his bench.

Given that nugget of information, you wouldn’t have expected the 72-year-old to make a shrewd first-half substitution to try and change things – as a result of that, he should have made a slight change to his starting XI instead in an attempt to help his side get up the pitch.

Who should’ve started?

It would have been harsh to drop Jordan Ayew given his form of late – the Ghanaian had two goals in two before the trip to Spurs – so he deserved to start.

One man who perhaps should have dropped out of the eleven, however, was Andros Townsend. The England international had started the last two games prior to Saturday’s match on the bench, and only made his way into the XI after an injury to James McArthur.

Townsend didn’t have a single shot on goal, nor did he complete a key pass in his 84 minutes on the field, while he also had four unsuccessful touches.

In stark contrast, Belgium international Benteke played the last 20 minutes and made an impact, taking two shots, making two key passes and winning two aerial duels.

How would Benteke have helped out from the start?

It is that last statistic that would’ve helped ease the pressure on the south Londoners. Benteke is no stranger to winning an aerial duel or two – he is currently 11th in the league for aerials won, per WhoScored – and with Palace struggling to find a way out of Spurs’ relentless attacking play, a target man to hit would’ve been helpful.

Ayew has been excellent of late, but he is no player of the sort and struggled to hold the ball up and get it to a teammate against Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld – he won six aerial duels in fairness, but there weren’t enough of his fellow Palace players around him.

Benteke’s aerial presence alongside the Ghanaian would have helped the likes of Gary Cahill and Mamadou Sakho play the ball out without inviting pressure onto the midfielders, and it would also have made life easier for Wilfried Zaha in terms of getting into the game via the forward’s knock-downs.

Ayew is much better suited to life under Hodgson in a system less focused on crossing the ball, but forgetting goalscoring for a second, Benteke should have started ahead of Townsend purely for pressure-relieving reasons.

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Grady Diangana has been an inspired signing for West Bromwich Albion.

The 21-year-old joined the Baggies on loan from West Ham United during the summer and has made a strong impression this term.

Indeed, the attacker has managed three goals and two assists in six Championship appearances in the early stages of the 2019/20 campaign.

Watch West Bromwich Albion Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Diangana netted twice on his Championship debut against Luton on August 17, whilst he came off the bench to provide two assists in Sunday’s 4-2 victory over Huddersfield Town in the second tier.

West Brom are going nicely in the league this season with 16 points leaving them in fourth position in the table – just one point off leaders Leeds United.

A Celtic fan pays tribute to Fernando Ricksen in the video below…

And it would be fair to say that the club’s supporters have been delighted with the performances of Diangana, who actually made 17 Premier League appearances for West Ham during the 2018/19 campaign.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

[ad_pod ]Fulham have completed the loan signing of Havard Nordtveit from Hoffenheim, the club confirmed on Thursday via their official website.The versatile Norway international, who can play as a midfielder or a centre-back, moves to the club after an injury-hit season in the Bundesliga.Per Transfermarkt, Nordtveit played just eight times in the German top-flight prior to his move to the Cottagers, having struggled with an ankle fracture.Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…The 28-year-old has experience of playing in England, having spent four years with Arsenal between 2007 and 2011, though he failed to make a first-team debut for the Gunners and eventually joined Borussia Monchengladbach.He also spent the 2016-17 season at West Ham United, making 21 appearances in all competitions before joining Hoffenheim.Nordtveit’s move to Fulham has been received well by the club’s fans, with Claudio Ranieri’s men battling relegation this season.The club are currently six points behind Burnley in 17th, and supporters hope the star can hit the ground running.

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Lots of Charlton fans have taken to Twitter to react after the signing of Adam Matthews was confirmed by the club.

The Wales international has signed a one-year contract with the Addicks after impressing whilst on trial with the south Londoners, and the experienced defender will add quality to the right-back position – he’ll compete with Chris Solly and Deji Oshilaja for a starting berth.

Matthews, 27, teams up with Lee Bowyer after leaving League One side Sunderland at the end of last season, following the Black Cats’ playoff final loss to Charlton at Wembley.

He arrives at The Valley with Champions League experience under his belt, having made 148 appearances for Scottish giants Celtic – the presence of former Bhoys teammate Beram Kayal should also help him settle in at the club.

One fan below thinks Matthews’ arrival means that the Addicks should be handed the league title immediately, whilst another has said that the Premier League is ‘inbound’ – all in jest, I hope, as there is still a long way to go despite the impressive start to the campaign!

Let’s take a look at some more of the Twitter reaction…

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An update has emerged on Rangers and their January transfer window plans for gem Joe Aribo…

What’s the talk?

According to The Scottish Mail of Sunday journalist Gary Keown, via Ibrox News, the Gers are keen to ‘strike while the iron is hot’ by cashing in on the midfielder this month.

The report claims that he is attracting ‘strong interest’ from a number of English Premier League teams, although no potential fee is mentioned.

Infuriation

Gers fans will surely be left infuriated by this update as it suggests that the club have decided that now is the best time to sell Aribo.

However, Rangers could be headed for a major January blunder if this is the case because they would be frustrating their own supporters and weakening their side in the midst of a title battle.

Supporters will be up in arms as he has been in terrific form this season and his exit would harm Gio van Bronckhorst’s chances of winning the Premiership. He has averaged an excellent SofaScore rating of 7.20 this term, scoring six goals and providing three assists, showing that he is delivering consistently brilliant displays for the Scottish giants.

His former Charlton teammate Ezri Konsa once praised Aribo’s style of play, saying: “Having Gerrard as his manager at Rangers, that has made him go up another level.

“Joe’s style is unique. When I was with him at Charlton he did remind me for a while of a left-footed Yaya Toure. But you don’t get a lot of midfielders like Joe, there aren’t many around.

“Like Toure, for a tall guy he’s got such great feet. But that languid style he’s got is actually fairly unique in the game.”

These comments, in particular, highlight why selling Aribo could be a big disaster for the Gers. He is not a run-of-the-mill midfielder who the club could go and easily find a replica of. He is unique and replacing him in the transfer market, particularly in the winter window, could be extremely difficult, which is why selling him now would be an error.

Therefore, Ross Wilson must reverse his decision to seek a sale for Aribo and avoid striking ‘while the iron is hot’ to keep him at Ibrox. He is a crucial player for the Gers and selling him now could have a major impact on the pitch and off it in terms of the fan reaction it could bring.

AND in other news, Expert makes “transformational” £50m Rangers claim that will leave Ross Wilson buzzing…

A huge Newcastle United update has emerged on the club’s pursuit of Brighton centre-back Dan Burn…

What’s the talk?

Sky Sports journalist Keith Downie has claimed that the Magpies are on the verge of completing a deal to bring the giant to St. James’ Park.

He Tweeted: “BREAKING: Newcastle have agreed a fee of £13m with Brighton for Dan Burn. The defender is travelling up to the North East to undergo a medical Breakthrough for #NUFC in their search for a centre back.”

Excitement

This update will surely excite Newcastle fans as the defence is an area in which the club needs vast improvement, on the evidence of this season so far.

Only Norwich have conceded more goals than Eddie Howe’s side in the Premier League and they have only kept two clean sheets, both coming in 1-0 wins over Burnley and Leeds respectively.

They have been far from good enough at the back and their form in the top-flight suggests that they need to strengthen in the transfer market.

The current crop of centre-back options have proven themselves to not be up to the task, with Howe now looking to bring in upgrades on the likes of Ciaran Clark and Jamaal Lascelles.

Magpies fans will also be excited by the prospect of Dan Burn coming in from Brighton after he completes his medical. The giant Seagulls enforcer is enjoying a fine campaign in the top-fight, averaging a SofaScore rating of 6.96, and could be an excellent addition to the squad.

Burn has shown that he can perform to a high standard in the Premier League on a consistent basis, which indicates that he could come in at Newcastle and improve the backline.

No current centre-back in the squad has averaged a score higher than 6.77 this term, highlighting the gulf in class between the ex-Wigan man and the players he could be coming in to replace.

Therefore, Toon fans will be buzzing with the club’s efforts to improve the team heading into deadline day as they are clearly targeting a key area that needs to be addressed. Burn’s form for Brighton also suggests that he could be a much-needed signing for Howe’s team and the supporters will be delighted to see a proven defender is on the verge of arriving.

AND in other news,  “A failure…”: Edwards drops “desperate” NUFC transfer update, Howe will be fuming…

Leeds United have been boosted in their attempts to sign Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie, with journalist Pete O’Rourke claiming a January move could happen.

The Lowdown: Leeds keen on signing McKennie

The Whites are searching for a new midfielder in the January transfer window, with Kalvin Phillips out injured for the foreseeable future and reports suggesting Victor Orta is seeking two additions – a number six and a number eight.

One player who Leeds have been linked with signing is McKennie, with the American not always a regular for Juventus this season, starting 11 out of 20 Serie A matches.

It appears as though Marcelo Bielsa could be pushing for the £22.5million-rated midfielder’s signature, with a fresh update emerging on the situation.

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The Latest: Journalist provides update

Speaking to Give Me Sport, O’Rourke claimed a January move for McKennie isn’t out of the question:

“I think McKennie could be a target, whether you could get them away from Juventus to join a relegation battle will be another issue, but Juventus are open to letting McKennie go, so that maybe gives Leeds a bit of hope in that one.”

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The Verdict: Much-needed addition

The 23-year-old is exactly the kind of player Leeds could do with signing this month, with his profile ideal for what Bielsa is looking for.

His age makes him a long-term acquisition but he already possesses plenty of experience, scoring eight goals in 28 caps for the USA and making 65 appearances for Juve after racking up 91 games for Schalke.

According to the official Bundesliga site, the youngster is capable of playing pretty much anywhere in midfield and even in defence, making him the ideal signing in Orta’s search to add depth to the squad – he has played eight different positions in his career.

His former manager in Germany, David Wagner, hailed him as a ‘leader’, which is surely the type of personality Bielsa would want in a relegation dogfight.

McKennie was won an average of 1.6 aerial duels per game in the league this season, not to mention 1.1 tackles and dribbles apiece, highlighting his all-round expertise in the middle of the park.

In other news, Leeds have also been linked with another signing. Find out who it is here.