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Dominic Calvert-Lewin could be a ‘great signing’ for Newcastle United, Kevin Phillips has told Football Insider.

The lowdown

The Telegraph’s Mike McGrath reported last week that Everton striker Calvert-Lewin featured on a KSA shortlist of targets following Newcastle’s takeover.

He’s only played three Premier League matches so far this season, with a quadriceps injury sidelining him, but last term he netted 16 goals in 32 Premier League starts.

Only Golden Boot winner Harry Kane (19) scored more non-penalty goals than Calvert-Lewin in 2020/21 (via The Daily Star).

The 24-year-old Englishman signed a new contract last year, ostensibly committing him to Everton until 2025. That contributes to a Transfermarkt valuation of £40.5million.

The latest

Phillips reckons there would be comparisons between Calvert-Lewin and Newcastle’s all-time leading goalscorer if he moved to Tyneside.

He hailed him as a complete striker and a smart long-term investment.

“Calvert-Lewin is a big powerful striker and I’m sure he’d be compared to Alan Shearer if he went there,” the former Sunderland man said.

He later added: “He has shown at Everton and England that he is improving all of the time. He is a striker who has a bit of everything.

“I think Newcastle could get a good six or seven years out of him. It would be a good investment. He could turn out to be a great signing for them.”

The verdict

Calvert-Lewin is an instinctive goalscorer, but the question is whether he’d be open to making the move.

In all likelihood, Everton will finish in the top half this season, while Newcastle are languishing in the relegation zone after nine games.

And with a top manager in the form of Rafael Benitez at Goodison Park, the Blues may actually be playing European football sooner, despite the Magpies’ riches.

So will Calvert-Lewin see it as a backwards step, or look at the long term and decide that financial powerhouses Newcastle have a higher ceiling?

In other news, talks are underway with this CL star’s camp. 

Plenty of West Ham United fans have been reacting to Jesse Lingard’s tweet following Manchester United’s 5-0 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday.

Sunday witnessed contrasting fortunes for the Hammers and the Red Devils. The Irons won 1-0 against Tottenham thanks to a goal from Michail Antonio to move into fourth place in the Premier League, while the Red Devils were hammered by their fiercest rivals as they were humiliated for 90 minutes.

The £19.8m-valued Lingard (Transfermarkt), who has started just one of his club’s 13 matches so far this season, was an unused substitute for the Old Trafford clash, and he was warming up towards the end of the match. A video has emerged of him being told to work harder by a Manchester United fan even though he was not on the pitch, something which was pointed out by the England international himself.

The 28-year-old then doubled down on Twitter by addressing the situation, although he did make it clear that it wasn’t abuse.

Plenty of Hammers fans saw the post and implored Lingard to return to the London Stadium, where he spent the second half of last season on loan and excelled by scoring nine goals in 16 games under David Moyes.

Let’s see what these fans had to say to Lingard

“Get yourself back to West Ham kid . There is a manager at that club that appreciate you”

Credit: @IANLAT82

“I know every West ham fan has said it already. But come back. Club that respects you & gives you every opportunity to make the English squad for the World Cup. If you stay there with no game time, you gotta feel like you’ll be overlooked. Despite stellar games for England.”

Credit: @WestHamInOz

“You would be top 4 if you stayed at West Ham. Playing week in week out.”

Credit: @thegarybarnett

“come back to the club who’ll support you week in week out”

Credit: @whubenbagged

“Come to West Ham, a good club.”

Credit: @Nando_RBB_RM

“Come home where your appreciated”

Credit: @reecetranter

In other news, some West Ham fans were unhappy with this man’s comments on Declan Rice

Bruno Lage’s first summer at Wolverhampton Wanderers has been a tame affair.

The Portuguese boss hasn’t been supplied with a war chest in order to bring new players in and as a consequence, the Old Gold still look light on first-team names.

What’s the word?

The encouraging sign for Wolves supporters is that Lage and Fosun do have their eyes set on bringing some fresh faces to the club in the remaining days of the window.

While a move for Cardiff striker Kieffer Moore has been touted, they also want to bring another midfielder to the club if you believe reports.

Wolves have set their sights on Roma gem Amadou Diawara throughout the summer but it was thought the Guinean had rejected a proposal to sign him a few months back.

However, according to Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), that offer is still on the table for Diawara as his club aim to shift him before the deadline closes.

According to CIES, the midfield brute is valued at around €20m (£17m).

Lage needs him

With the new manager admitting last week that Wolves were training with no more than 15 senior players, it’s easy to see why they need to dip their toes into the transfer market.

Signing a further midfielder might look strange on the surface, however. Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho have both started the season emphatically, putting in some classy performances against Tottenham and then Nottingham Forest.

Yet, they do arguably lack depth in that position. Morgan Gibbs-White is a more offensive midfielder while Romain Saiss and Leander Dendoncker were preferred in defence during the latter stages of Nuno Santo’s tenure.

Wolves also lost Vitinha this summer when they opted against signing the Portuguese dynamo on a permanent transfer.

Consequently, the idea of signing Diawara is an attractive one. Like Neves and Moutinho, he’s incredibly assured in possession of the ball.

Last campaign, the 24-year-old completed 89.7% of his passes in the top-flight of Italian football. His tally over the last year, meanwhile, puts him in the 87th percentile among fellow midfield players in Europe’s top five leagues.

Regularly successful in winning back the ball for his team, Diawara was once described as a “phenomenon” by his former coach, Fabrizio Tazzioli.

Combine that with the fact he’s been compared to Marcel Desailly and the thought of signing him becomes even more attractive.

AND in other news, Wolves set for huge boost after Tim Spiers tweet, fans should be elated…

Everton had an opportunity to climb back into the top half of the table with a win against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday evening but failed to secure even a single point losing 2-1 away from home.

Crystal Palace got really stuck into this game, and Everton let them with a poor defensive display from start to finish from Rafa Benitez’s side, who were unable to stop Crystal Palace loan superstar, Conor Gallagher from scoring twice, and centre back, James Tomkins from adding one too.

Despite losing possession five fewer times than Palace, the Toffees failed spectacularly to hold possession throughout the game with just an overall 39% of the ball over the 90 minutes.

Although Salamon Rondon did manage to find the back of the net in the 70th minute, the lack of creativity in the first hour of the game left Everton out of the chances of securing a win at Selhurst Park on Sunday.

Rondon was subbed on for none other than Everton gem, Richarlison, who failed to make any impact on the game in the first half and beyond, prompting Rafa to collar the Brazilian back to the bench in the 58th minute, and rightly so.

After a spectacular performance against Arsenal last Monday, Benitez put his trust into Richarlison to deliver the crucial goals and attacking prowess needed to secure the much needed three points for the struggling Everton side, who as it stands, sit 14th in the Premier League table collecting just three points from their last five games.

As tallied by SofaScore, there was very clear justification for Benitez to feel the need to remove Richarlison from the side early into the second half, with the Brazilian forward losing 100% of his twelve duels whilst on the pitch, completing only three passes and not offering a single shot on or off target for the duration of his game time.

Richarlison didn’t appear pleased to be taken off as the camera panned to him taking his seat in the dugout, but the manager’s decision was given further justification when Rondon bagged a goal back for the Toffees just 12 minutes after he replaced his teammate.

Benitez appeared to take one step forward against Arsenal, but took two steps back on Sunday against the Eagles, with the away side not looking convincing all over the pitch throughout the game, after barely having a third of possession and failing to offer better defensive play.

The Spanish manager will now need to go back and analyse the next move as they face a tough challenge on Thursday against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. When they go there, Richarlison simply has to improve because his performance today badly betrayed his superiors.

In other news: Everton enter transfer race for Gini Wijnaldum

Leeds United and Huddersfield Town are ‘not a million miles apart in their valuation’ of Lewis O’Brien, according to journalist Graham Smyth.

The Lowdown: Leeds keen on O’Brien move

Marcelo Bielsa may still be looking to do some transfer business this summer, despite the new Premier League season getting underway this weekend.

One player with whom the Whites have been linked is Huddersfield midfielder O’Brien, who started 39 of his side’s 46 Championship games in 2020/21.

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The Latest: Smyth provides update

An update has now been provided by Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Smyth, who claims that Leeds remain interested in the 22-year-old.

While it is stated that ‘nothing is imminent’ currently, it is thought that positive talks are taking place between the two clubs over a move.

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The Verdict: Exciting long-term prospect

While O’Brien may not necessarily come straight in as a regular starter for Leeds, he could be considered both a reliable squad player and a long-term prospect, having been lauded as a ‘superb player’ by Noel Whelan.

The youngster averaged an impressive two tackles per game in the Championship last season, outlining the Kalvin Phillips-esque tenacity he possesses in the middle of the park.

O’Brien could afford the Leeds star more of a breather throughout the campaign and be a strong option in domestic cup competitions, if of course the Whites can go on to seal the deal.

In other news, a transfer update has emerged linking Leeds with a new signing this summer. Find out who it is here.

Former Everton star Michael Ball insists that Farhad Moshiri’s strategy of changing managers routinely has not worked at Goodison Park.

Moshiri became the club’s majority shareholder in 2016, and since then, the Toffees have gone through a number of managers.

Roberto Martinez became the first manager to be sacked by Moshiri, back in 2016, and since then, the club have had four permanent managers: Ronald Koeman, Sam Allardyce, Marco Silva and Carlo Ancelotti.

Everton have also had four caretaker managers, with David Unsworth twice taking the reins, along with Joe Royle and Duncan Ferguson.

Ball believes that such a strategy has roundly failed for the Toffees, with the club still on the lookout for Ancelotti’s replacement amid links with former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez.

Indeed, since 2016, Everton have finished seventh, eighth, twice, 12th and 10th, meaning there have been some truly underwhelming campaigns at Goodison Park.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, Ball said: “The fans do like Moshiri because of what he’s bringing to the club with the new ground and he’s putting a lot of wealth into the club and trying to improve us, and it’s just not working.

“But he’s still funding it. But he needs to realise moving forward that we don’t like chopping and changing managers. We’ve had five managers in five years and it’s not successful enough, we’re not winning things, it’s not working.”

Thomas Tuchel has now revealed how close Harry Kane was to leaving Tottenham Hotspur and joining him at Chelsea.

The Lowdown: Chelsea preferred Kane

Chelsea reportedly preferred to sign Kane over Romelu Lukaku in the summer transfer window, but while his future was still unclear at Spurs they opted for the Belgium international instead.

Manchester City were also firmly in the running to sign the England international captain, but in the end he stayed in North London.

The Latest: Tuchel on Kane

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match against the Lilywhites, Tuchel revealed (via Fabrizio Romano) that he thought that Kane would go to City, but admitted that they also had ‘some information’ on the striker, but a move to take him to Stamford Bridge was ‘never that close’:

“I thought Kane to Man City deal would happen. We never had a list with his name on it – but the club sorted out the situation. We had some information about Kane. But it was never that close that we had to experience the rivalry”.

The Verdict: Relief

It is certainly a welcome relief for Nuno Espirito Santo and everyone associated with the Lilywhites that they managed to keep hold of their talisman, despite interest from top teams in the Premier League.

There have been a number of reports recently suggesting that Kane would now be open to talks over a new deal, which would be vital in terms of keeping him at THFC for as long as possible.

Nonetheless, Tottenham now have to match his ambition, and by keeping him at the club they will have the best possible chance of success.

In other news, find out who Fabio Paratici has set his sights on signing here!

Celtic’s start to the new campaign had been a fairly successful one with positivity engulfing Parkhead, rather than the violent negativity of last term.

However, that atmosphere is in danger of being tarnished again despite the Hoops’ 3-0 win on Saturday afternoon.

What’s the word?

A surprising dose of news broke on Friday evening when it was revealed that Dominic McKay would be leaving his role as Celtic CEO.

McKay only took up the role this summer and worked closely with Ange Postecoglou in bringing in several new players over the last few months.

However, he has now stepped down due to ‘personal reasons’.

A fresh report from Stephen McGowan in the print version of The Daily Mail (via Celtic Vital), however, claims there might have been issues mounting for the departing chief executive.

He wrote: “In hindsight, Dominic McKay must wish he’d accepted that offer of help on the end of a phone.

“Peter Lawwell had a readymade crisis line on the nuts and bolts of running Celtic. And his successor chose not to call it.

“Inexperienced in the world of football transfers and rebuilding a football club, that was his first mistake. Regrettably, it wouldn’t be his last.

“Last night, the former chief operating officer of the Scottish Rugby Union paid a heavy price for his determination to go it alone when he lost the confidence of major shareholder Dermot Desmond… and jumped before he was pushed.”

McGowan added: “McKay expressed a desire to modernise and upgrade the club’s operations. He set out to be his own man. Plucked from the world of professional rugby, he knew nothing about football transfers — and he showed no inclination to accept a helping hand from those who did.”

Fans fuming?

If this really is the case then Celtic fans should be aghast with the events that have played out.

After all, McKay has done very little wrong since entering the club over the summer.

In fact, he has worked relentlessly with Postecoglou to prepare a squad that’s capable of usurping Rangers again to reclaim the Premiership title.

The early signs look good as well. Despite exiting the Champions League because of issues with transfers, the club went on to acquire 12 first team bodies, qualify for the Europa League and play some stunning football along the way.

Of course, McKay has no part in the football that’s being played but he’s certainly made Postecoglou’s life a lot easier over the last few weeks with his work behind the scenes.

What should also frustrate supporters is the fact that Dermot Desmond seemingly isn’t keen on the modernisation of the football club.

In his column, McGowan concluded: “His ideas were incompatible with the major shareholder and the board of directors. While he felt ready for Celtic, Celtic simply weren’t ready for him.”

This is a huge shame because his early work certainly seemed better than Lawwell and Nick Hammond’s.

Their work in the market last summer was disastrous with Vasilis Barkas and Albian Ajeti proving to be colossal failures despite an outlay of close to £10m.

Barkas was out of the team fairly quickly and Ajeti has netted just eight goals since signing from West Ham.

It speaks volumes that one of Postecoglou and McKay’s best signings – Kyogo Furuhashi – is already just one goal shy of that after being in Glasgow for a matter of months.

If the decision that McKay took was based on those above him in the pecking order, supporters at Paradise should be immensely disappointed.

AND in other news, Forget Ajeti: Celtic gem who took 126 touches vs Ross County was their true hero…

West Bromwich Albion midfielder Rekeem Harper looks set to depart The Hawthorns this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Express & Star, who claim that the 21-year-old is on the brink of joining Ipswich Town after passing a medical with Paul Cook’s side in the last few days.

It is reported that the deal will cost the League One team up to £1m if all clauses are met, with the baseline figure believed to be £500k.

The Express & Star also reveal that the Tractor Boys had originally contacted West Brom regarding the possibility of loaning Harper ahead of next season, before being informed by the Championship club that a permanent deal could be done.

Grave error

Having been a highly-rated part of the West Brom youth setup and first-team for the best part of a decade, the news that Harper looks set to move onto pastures new this summer could well be something of a cause for concern among Baggies fans.

In his breakthrough campaign with the club back in 2018/19, the £2.25m-rated midfielder went on to make 16 Championship appearances, over which he scored one goal, provided one assist and created one big chance for his teammates, earning a seasonal SofaScore rating of 6.60.

These performances saw the former England U19 international linked with a move to the likes of Norwich City and Tottenham Hotspur, however, £8k-per-week youngster eventually committed his future to the Baggies, signing a three-year deal with the club in the summer of 2019.

Over the last two seasons, however, game time has become more limited for the midfielder, with the 21-year-old making just ten Championship appearances in the club’s 2019/20 campaign and a mere two appearances in the Premier League last term.

However, despite this lack of minutes – something that has undoubtedly stifled his development as a footballer – the decision to offload the player whom Slaven Bilic claimed has “no limits” in the game looks to be something of a backwards step for West Brom. With a little more trust placed in him, it would very much appear as if Harper has the talent and ability to become a real star for the club.

In other news: West Brom handed boost over “top-class” manager target that should have fans buzzing

Jesse Marsch’s Leeds United finally return to Premier League action this evening, with the Whites making the trip to south London to face Crystal Palace in Monday’s 20:00 kick-off – 16 days after their 3-0 win over Watford.

As a result of this time off, the 48-year-old manager has had plenty of time to work with his first-team squad at Thorp Arch, something that could well give Leeds the edge over tonight’s opponents – who were bested 1-0 by Newcastle United last Wednesday.

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The gap between fixtures will have also afforded a number of the Whites’ injured and fatigued players a much-needed rest from the hectic Premier League schedule, although, it is reported that the meeting with Palace will still come too soon for Patrick Bamford.

And, with Daniel James having once again struggled when playing through the middle at Vicarage Road, it would appear highly advisable for Marsch to finally unleash 19-year-old Joe Gelhardt from the off against the Eagles.

“Banging on the door”

Indeed, since the American’s appointment in the Elland Road dugout, Gelhardt is yet to be included in the 48-year-old’s starting XI, featuring just four times in the Premier League under the management of Marsch, in which time he has bagged one goal – the stoppage-time winner against Norwich City a little over a month ago.

However, looking at the campaign as a whole, the £4.5m-rated striker’s impact is clear for all to see, with the England U21 international having scored two goals and registered three assists over just 486 top-flight minutes – averaging a direct goal involvement every 97.2 minutes of football played.

For comparison, while James’ record of four goals and five assists over 30 Premier League outings does better the 19-year-old’s returns, when taking into account the Wales international directly contributes to a goal an average of once every 253.4 minutes played, it is obvious who is the more deadly.

Furthermore, over the last seven top-flight fixtures in which the £16.2m-rated winger has been deployed up front, James has failed to hit the back of the net, something which would very much suggest that he is simply not suited to a central attacking role.

As such, despite his tender age, Marsch must finally place his trust in the player who Beren Cross dubbed Leeds’ “next big thing” against Palace, as it is clear to see from his impressive record in the final third that Gelhardt is very much “banging on the door” – in the words of Phil Hay – for a start under the American.

AND in other news: Joe Donnohue drops early team news ahead of Palace, it’s a double boost for Leeds