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Ben Jacobs believes that an opportunity may well present itself and allow Newcastle United to land Serbian international Dusan Vlahovic.

The Lowdown: Newcastle to target a new striker

Despite the Magpies going out and splashing a club-record fee on Alexander Isak less than 12 months ago, the worrying form of Callum Wilson this season could well be a cause for concern.

Newcastle’s number nine hasn’t found the back of the net since the end of October, which has coincided with the Magpies being part of several 0-0 games post-World Cup, so PIF may look to do business in the summer.

If Newcastle are wanting to be competitive in the league and potentially Europe next season they will need strikers who are clinical and proven, something Wilson isn’t at European level, but Vlahovic certainly is.

The Latest: Vlahovic to look for a quick exit

The Serbian international has only been at Juventus for just over 12 months but is already being tipped with an exit due to the Old Lady’s off-field issues and that could leave the door open for Newcastle according to Jacobs who was speaking on his latest Twitter Space.

He said: (59:45) “I also think that there is an opportunity for Newcastle to enter into certain races that they wouldn’t have predicted at the beginning of the season because of Champions League football. Whether that’s for, example, a player like Dusan Vlahovic.”

The Verdict: PIF to make a statement of intent

It has been reported that Vlahovic, who has been hailed as a ‘ridiculous’ player by Micah Richards, has a price tag on his head of around £80 million according to Corriere dello Sport (via Football Italia), which is quite hefty but given he signed a long-term deal just 12 months ago and has been firing in the goals in Turin, it’s not a surprise.

Vlahovic’s arrival would likely signal the end of Wilson being the main man on Tyneside given his age and the fact he’s struggling for form and has a horrific injury record following him around.

However, it would indeed be a hefty deal for PIF to splash out on especially when they have a young striker in the form of Isak within their ranks, but if the opportunity presented itself it would be madness to not sign someone so young, an international for his country and has a record of 57 goals in 124 Serie A games.

Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou is not believed to be on the immediate shortlist of potential options for Leeds United, despite recent reports.

What’s the latest?

There have been various reports linking the Australian manager with a potential move south of the border over recent days following the sacking of Jesse Marsch.

And it seems as if there are a number of clubs that have taken notice of what the 57-year-old is doing up at Parkhead, with TalkSport’s Alex Crook saying: “He’s certainly attracting interest from clubs around Leeds at the bottom of the table.”

However, there are also questions as to whether the Australian would actually be willing to leave what he has built in Glasgow just yet.

And speaking on the latest Inside Elland Road podcast, journalist Graham Smyth has claimed Postecoglou may not even be on Leeds’ shortlist of options:

“I was told yesterday [Monday] he wasn’t in the frontrunners. In fact, I’m not even sure he’s kind of one that they’re targeting, for whatever reason, and perhaps it would be a difficult one to do.”

Here to stay

This will be music to the ears of all those at Parkhead, however, there may have been some quiet confidence that Postecoglou may not have left even if they were pursuing him.

Postecoglou has only been at the club for just under two years now and it still feels as if the Australian is building on the success he brought last season.

In the January transfer window, the Hoops saw Josip Juranovic leave the club but Postecoglou was able to bring in a suitable replacement before the Croatian had even left.

And, once again, the Australian has eyed up the Asian market by bringing in the South Korean forward Oh Hyeon-gyu from the K-League.

So it does still feel as if Postecoglou has his mind set on Celtic and the job at hand with the title on the line as well as the League Cup later this month.

However, it will be interesting to see whether his stance is to change over the summer with the likes of Leeds said to have eyed him up as a potential candidate.

Previous Scottish Premiership managers have deserted their clubs in the middle of a season in the past to make the move to the Premier League.

However, there is the feeling this would not be the case with Postecoglou.

But it will be interesting to see whether he potentially accesses his options in the summer if there is still interest from England and whether he feels he’s taken Celtic as far as he can if they do win the league again.

Leeds United have discussed a move for former Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo to fill the vacancy at Elland Road, according to Phil Hay for The Athletic.

The Lowdown: Nuno at Al-Itiihad

Nuno has been in charge of Al-Itiihad in Saudi Arabia since July, signing Whites winger Helder Costa on loan over the summer.

The 49-year-old has averaged 2.42 points per game with his current club and is under contract until 2024. His name has been speculated as a potential option for Leeds officials, and it looks as if a move has been discussed inside Elland Road.

The Latest: Nuno ‘under discussion’ at Leeds

Hay shared a story for The Athletic on Saturday, claiming that Nuno’s name is now ‘under discussion’ in Yorkshire.

The reliable reporter added that the Portuguese coach ‘would be keen on another chance in the Premier League’ following his stints with Wolves and Tottenham.

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The Verdict: Good move?

Although Nuno’s time at Spurs was short-lived, he could be a shrewd prospective appointment by Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani and the 49ers Enterprises.

He has a 100% win record from his four matches against the Whites and enjoyed an impressive spell with Wolves, taking them into the Premier League, twice finishing in the top seven, and getting them to the Europa League quarter-finals during his four-year stint at Molineux.

Experience in England’s top flight could prove crucial over the coming months as Leeds look to stay in the Premier League, so you could argue that the Whites would do a lot worse than bring in someone like Nuno.

Arsenal are currently flying high in the Premier League, and despite the recent home defeat to title rivals Manchester City knocking the Gunners off top spot, avoiding victory in their game in hand would re-establish their lead.

Having failed to qualify for Champions League football in each of the past six campaigns, Mikel Arteta must be praised for the manner in which he has maintained an upward trajectory since his arrival at the helm, having previously starred for the club during his playing career.

After winning the FA Cup in 2019/20, his debut managerial campaign, the 40-year-old has made steady improvements at the Emirates Stadium, with the current campaign leaving the club firmly on course for a return to Europe’s premier club competition, 11 points above fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur and with a game in hand.

Arteta can indeed take pride in the job he is doing at Arsenal, but he might have never had the foundation to build upon had the club succeeded in a past bid for Thomas Lemar…

Were Arsenal right to reject Thomas Lemar?

In 2017, AS Monaco seismically triumphed in Ligue 1, defeating overwhelming favourites Paris-Saint Germain to the crown and enjoying a memorable Champions League run to the semi-finals.

Winger Lemar, who was then 21, was integral in these endeavours with £92m bid for the pacy Frenchman, which the player rejected following concerns over the club’s failure to clinch Champions League football that year.

Last year, L’Equipe reported that the Gunners turned down the opportunity to dive back in for the now 27-year-old, who has succumbed to a significant plummet from the prominence of his early feats in his homeland.

In hindsight, Arsenal can be glad with that decision, with his fall from grace laid bare since moving to Atletico Madrid for £53m in 2018, one year after Arsenal’s exorbitant attempt to land him from Monaco.

As evidenced by the graphic displayed above, Lemar’s decline has been stark, and those close to the 27-cap dud must be somewhat incredulous as to quite how it happened.

At Diego Simeone’s Atletico, he has only scored nine goals and provided 19 assists from 163 appearances, and his current market value of just £11m (via Football Transfers) is indeed an illustration of the player’s bitter woes.

Once heralded as “lethal” by compatriot Hugo Lloris, Lemar now offers little more than a toothless bite, having failed to score from 20 appearances this season, setting up a mere two goals.

While his transitional play remains impressive – the 27-year-old ranks among the top 8% of positional peers over the past year for progressive carries and successful take-ons – his lack of dynamism would not knock Arsenal’s established wingers Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka off their respective perches.

The club did sign Nicolas Pepe in a £72m deal two years after their failed Lemar bud, a transfer which was widely acknowledged as a failure, with former Gunners boss Unai Emery saying of the Ivorian: “He didn’t give me the performances.”

Arsenal dodged a bullet, and despite the club being grazed by the expensive and lacklustre deal for Pepe in 2019, Arteta will count his lucky stars that both deals were not completed.

It’s hard to imagine that the club’s meteoric rise of late would have been quite so fluid had they blundered on Lemar too.

Glasgow Rangers have been given the green light to complete the permanent signing of Malik Tillman, according to reports in the last 48 hours.

The Lowdown: Beale’s admiration

The United States international arrived in the Scottish Premiership from Bayern Munich on a season-long loan last summer with the option to buy included in his deal.

Michael Beale has already admitted that he would personally love to keep the 20-year-old at Ibrox for many years to come, and it appears that he’s now been handed the chance to do just that.

The Latest: Tillman available to buy

According to Football Insider, Rangers have ‘been told’ by Bayern that they are ‘free to sign’ Tillman on a permanent basis.

The German club are ‘delighted’ by his performances in Glasgow but are ‘not looking’ to integrate him into their own squad.

The Bundesliga giants are happy to reach an ‘early agreement’ through the £6.2m buy option, a fee that is ‘prohibitive’ for Beale’s side.

The Light Blues are therefore ‘yet to indicate’ whether they will take up the chance to retain his services for good.

The Verdict: Get it done…

Tillman has been a revelation ever since joining Rangers so Ross Wilson should definitely act to get this deal over the line ahead of the summer, even if it means spending big.

The Teddy Bears midfielder has so far clocked up 14 goal contributions in 36 outings at Ibrox, where he’s averaging 1.6 shots and 1.4 key passes per league game (WhoScored).

The Nuremberg native has also provided great versatility having operated out wide on both the left and right flanks alongside his natural central position.

Tillman has been hailed an ‘epic talent’ by former Gers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst and considering the impact he’s made, this is a no-brainer of a switch to complete.

Everton and transfer disasters. Name a better duo, we’ll wait.

It has been a remarkably sour theme to the Farhad Moshiri regime at Goodison Park with a ludicrous amount of money –  nearly £700m in fact – being wasted.
Enormous amounts of investment have been ploughed into the club but they have seen little aside from a plethora of managers in return.
Very few have been able to get a tune out of the team since David Moyes left all those years ago with two successive relegation battles now to show for their troubles.
Spending now happens to be less frequent but after receiving £40m for Anthony Gordon, there is a hope that should Sean Dyche keep them in the division, money will be reinvested wisely into the squad.
What Everton will hope to avoid again is bringing in players like Morgan Schneiderlin, who simply failed to set the world alight in Merseyside.

When did Everton sign Schneiderlin?

The Toffees battled hard to secure the acquisition of the Frenchman back in January 2017, eventually paying Manchester United £24m for his signature.
Unfortunately, that turned out to be money wasted as far as the hierarchy are concerned with the 6 foot 1 battler in his own words “regretting” leaving Old Trafford behind.
He is unlikely to be the only one feeling regret either, with the former Southampton man playing 88 times across a three-and-a-half-year period.
In that time, the now 33-year-old found the net just once while offering a return of two assists.
Discipline was a problem as Schneiderlin entered the referee’s notebook 15 times, once every six matches, and was shown a red card on three occasions.
A knee injury later ensured that he ended his time at Everton on the treatment table with that fact rather typical of his stay at the club, but also potentially a blessing in disguise for supporters.

Where is Morgan Schneiderlin now?

The now 33-year-old left the Toffees in the summer of 2020, heading back to his homeland where he was handed an opportunity to get his career back on track.
Sadly, it’s been another tail of woe with the combative ace failing to score in 59 outings for Nice while picking up 13 yellows, a card every 4.5 games, in what represents an even poorer average compared to his last few campaigns in England.
As such, he has been exiled from the first team picture and was told to find pastures new in January 2023.
His destination? Australia.
Schneiderlin’s time at the top level, therefore, would appear to be done and dusted with the A-League a considerable drop off from one of Europe’s top five divisions.
Since joining Western Sydney Wanderers on loan, he has started just one match and played on three occasions.
His statistics? You guessed it, a yellow card. However, that is combined with a goal and assist apiece following his first attacking contributions on Saturday.
The French midfielder has only just arrived in a new country and thus will take some adjusting, but his fall from grace since departing United has been a rather alarming one. Consequently, is it ever a surprise that BBC reporter Phil McNulty once dubbed him “shocking”?
Those words certainly weren’t true during his formative years in the Premier League but that was about as good as it ever got for Schneiderlin throughout his playing career to date. Indeed, his move to Everton was a failure for all involved and arguably, he is still picking up the pieces from that stint.

Even at the age of 38, Thiago Silva remains as important as ever for Chelsea, but the Brazilian cannot last forever and Graham Potter will soon have to consider who can replace the former PSG man at the back for the Blues.

A number of young defenders have been recruited in recent seasons, with Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile both likely to be regulars at the back for the remainder of the campaign, with the former recovering from his long-term injury to reclaim his place in the squad in recent weeks.

However, Potter’s best potential replacement for Silva may come straight from the academy, as Levi Colwill is showing his quality once again out on loan, starring with Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton side.

Could Levi Colwill replace Silva at Chelsea?

Last season saw the teenage defender spend the season on loan with Huddersfield Town in the Championship, where he was a regular in the Terriers’ side as they exceeded expectations, losing out to Nottingham Forest in the playoff final.

The Englishman would make 31 appearances in the second tier, scoring two goals and providing one assist, earning an impressive 6.97 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

Former Huddersfield boss Carlos Corberan sang his praises during the campaign, saying:

“I think he’s going to be one of the most important centre-backs for this country in the future.

“I am seeing a player with a lot of potential and a lot of personality.”
Despite his performances in the second tier, Chelsea saw fit to loan him out again in the summer, to a side that now looks to have a far better chance of earning European football next season.
While Colwill’s best performances for the Seagulls have come in the League Cup, where he has averaged a superb 7.29 rating from WhoScored, he has also featured seven times in the Premier League.
The Athletic’s Simon Johnson has previously described Colwill as a “rising talent,” comparing him to Chelsea legend John Terry, but the Blues need to make sure that he doesn’t become another promising youngster to leave the club and showcase his abilities elsewhere.
FBref ranks Colwill in the top 15% of centre-backs in Europe’s top leagues for passes attempted, progressive carries and aerials won, which suggests that he certainly possesses the attributes to excel as a modern, ball-playing defender.
Therefore, when Silva leaves Chelsea or eventually retires, Potter should consider promoting the teenager as his replacement.

Chelsea are showing an interest in the possibility of signing the RB Leipzig midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai in the summer transfer window.

Who is Dominik Szoboszlai?

The 22-year-old midfielder has now been playing his football with the Bundesliga club for just over two years now having joined from their sister club, RB Salzburg.

However, it seems as if there is the possibility his time in Germany could be coming to an end with the Premier League side, Chelsea, showing an interest in signing him.

Reports have emerged over the weekend suggesting a deal between the two clubs is close and could even be completed over the next few days.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano has played down the idea of a deal being close between the clubs but has reaffirmed Chelsea’s interest in the midfielder:

(2:00) “We know that in the last 48 hours we had some rumours about Dominik Szoboszlai this midfielder, Hungarian midfielder, from Leipzig, he’s always been in the Red Bull group, one of the biggest talents in his position.”

“From what I understand guys, there is nothing done for the future of Szoboszlai at this stage. There are many clubs interested. Many clubs are following the player closely.

“It’s true that Chelsea appreciates the player. Chelsea have sent their people to follow the player, to scout the player but at the moment we can’t say that Chelsea are close to signing Dominik Szoboszlai.”

What could this mean for Mason Mount’s future?

It has been reported talks between Mason Mount and Chelsea have stalled over recent weeks over a potential new deal to extend his future at Stamford Bridge.

And with this in mind, it would be interesting to see whether the potential arrival of Szoboszlai in the summer could leave Mount’s future in London in the balance.

Along with the reports over his contract issues, there have also been suggestions that Liverpool are viewing the England midfielder as a potential option ahead of the summer.

In comparison, Szoboszlai has provided more goals and assists than Mount this season with the Hungarian scoring one more (4) than the Chelsea man but providing six more (8) assists (via Fbref).

And his influence on the Leipzig team can be seen through his other stats with the Hungarian providing more progressive passes as well as more shot-creating actions per game than the Englishman.

Mount has only started one of the last three Premier League games under Potter and has failed to provide a goal or assist in the top flight since late last year (via Transfermarkt).

With this in mind, it does feel as if a big few months lies ahead of the 24-year-old and with reports of interest in Szoboszlai, it does seem as if Chelsea could be monitoring their options ahead of the summer.

A number of Leeds United supporters have been reacting to an update regarding coach Chris Armas.

The Lowdown: Armas in and out?

Armas arrived at Elland Road towards the end of January as an assistant to Jesse Marsch. As we know, the Whites parted ways with Marsch last month, with Armas forming part of a three-man caretaker team alongside Michael Skubala and Paco Gallardo.

He remained at the club following Javi Gracia’s arrival, however, the Spaniard confirmed on Thursday that Armas is not part of his staff.

The Latest: Fans react

Phil Hay shared Gracia’s comments regarding Armas, which led to a number of supporters responding, one of which labelled the situation as ‘shambolic’.

“Why is Gracia forced to field these questions when the DoF who sanctioned the contract gets to hide in the shadows? JKA part 2.” – @DarraghC81

“What a mess” – @mjosephabie

“Board pathetic” – @cal_sez

“We’re an absolute circus, it’s embarrassing” – @DannyMiddleton_

“Shambolic and embarrassing. Armas should never have been employed but seen as he was the club should at least settle with him and let him on his way” – @_sean_duffy

“Bizarre.” – @JosesBusDrivers

The Verdict: Bizarre indeed

It does seem strange how Armas remained at the club after the likes of Rene Maric, Cameron Toshack and Pierre Barrieu departed alongside Marsch.

It may have been a case of keeping the new man to help Skubala and Gallardo, however, it does look rather silly that he now appears to have left after less than two months in Yorkshire.

You could argue that the club should have provided the update on Armas instead of leaving it down to Gracia, but at least the new head coach has provided some clarity.

Leeds United face a tough challenge against one of their relegation rivals in Wolverhampton Wanderers at the weekend and will be without Tyler Adams.

What has happened to Tyler Adams?

The American midfielder is now set to miss the game on the weekend at Molineux as a result of a hamstring injury which has been sustained during a training session at Thorp Arch.

The injury is also set to see the American miss the upcoming international break which would've seen him jet off to Grenada.

However, the young prospect Archie Gray could potentially return to the fold this weekend having only been included in the first-team squad twice in the league this season (via Transfermarkt).

And speaking on his latest podcast, journalist Phil Hay has suggested the 17-year-old could be a player that Javi Gracia could look towards to fill the void left by Adams:

"He certainly seems to be fit enough to be included. And going back to pre-season now and also the U21s games that he's featured in, he's looked massively talented when we've seen him. But it's a big ask, isn't it?"

Could Archie Gray start against Wolves?

Firstly, it is worth mentioning that Gray is still yet to earn his debut for the Leeds senior side having only played across the U18 and U21 levels.

However, he is a player who has been hailed as a prospect to keep an eye on over recent years with Sky Sports' Jamie Redknapp tipping him for a bright future:

“Archie Gray, 15 years of age, has travelled with the Leeds squad today. He is going to be a tremendous young player, from the famous Gray family,” he said back in 2021.

And he is a player who has been a part of the senior squad before having made numerous matchday squads under the likes of Marcelo Bielsa and Jesse Marsch.

Gray's season has, however, been interrupted through injury which has meant he has only played five games in the Premier League 2 for the U21s (via Transfermarkt).

He did return in recent weeks and play 45 minutes against Derby County's U21s but he is still yet to break into the senior side despite training with them regularly.

And in his recent press conference, the Spanish manager admitted the 17-year-old is a player who will come into consideration ahead of Saturday's clash.

Although it feels unlikely that Gray will be dropped straight into a first-ever start, it will be interesting to see if he is at least provided his senior debut with Adams missing from the side.