Steve Bruce reverted to his one striker system against Leicester but made the wrong decision to start Joelinton over Andy Carroll, as the Brazilian disappointed once again.

The 23-year-old has been an underwhelming failure since his £40m arrival in summer and has just one goal to show for his efforts from 21 Premier League games.

His average of 5.1 aerial duels won is the only area where he’s really excelled in any department, and that means he has so far been a waste of money, with fans growing increasingly fed up with his presence in the team.

Unfortunately for the Magpies, his return of 63% pass accuracy and a WhoScored rating of 6.2 against Leicester are not even the worst he has shown this term, as he managed just a 55% pass accuracy against Manchester City and a rating of 5.9 against Norwich.

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As a result, his place in the side should be coming under greater scrutiny and presumably would be if Steve Bruce had better players in reserve. The fact he doesn’t mean additions need to be made.

Newcastle are in a sticky situation currently with several injuries to the defence leaving them in a precarious position just above the relegation zone.

While that is one area of the team that could do with reinforcements, the biggest struggle for Bruce’s side so far has been finding the back of the net, with just 20 goals to show from their 21 league games.

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Andy Carroll has been the manager’s second-choice forward to call upon, but he is far too similar to Joelinton.

An average of 6.3 aerial duels won per game shows that like his teammate he provides an aerial threat without offering much pace or agility, and the opposition has found them both too easy to deal with as a result.

In fact, the same can be said of Newcastle’s other two strikers. Dwight Gayle and Yoshinori Muto have both found game time difficult to come by, though the latter is the only other striker to score this season – with one goal.

Both could find themselves moving on this month, particularly Gayle who has a number of Championship clubs chasing him.

Bruce may be the beneficiary if that occurs, as he will have greater resources available to spend on a new striker. That’s only if Mike Ashley is willing to grant him the money raised from transfer income.

Elsewhere, Newcastle fans have been directing criticism at Steve Bruce after he decided to play Florian Lejeune against Leicester.

The Athletic’s Southampton correspondent Carl Anka has added an intriguing dimension to the exit talk surrounding Che Adams.

Recently, the former Birmingham striker – who cost the Saints £15m back in the summer – has been strongly linked with a move to Leeds with Marcelo Bielsa’s side believed to ‘want’ the English forward this month, according to The Athletic’s Phil Hay.

However, Ralph Hasenhuttl recently poured cold water on those links, saying that there is “absolutely no” chance that the 23-year-old leaves St Mary’s this January as “we need every player”.

Despite that, Anka has added some fuel to the fire.

What did he say?

When asked if Adams could move to Leeds in his Q & A session with supporters, Anka wrote: “Interesting one. From what I understand Leeds are front-runners for the forward *if* he is available, but yesterday Ralph said he’s not expecting any outgoings this month.

“I don’t think Adams will leave until/unless RH is sure he has a replacement. I do not see a replacement. Yet.”

One word adds intriguing new dimension to exit talk

While the majority of Anka’s response is pretty much in line with what Hasenhuttl said on the situation, one word does throw up a lot of intrigue and adds a fresh, new dimension to the exit talk surrounding Adams.

“Yet”.

It would be speculative to try and figure out what Anka is getting at here, although it does make you think.

Anka could’ve just followed suit with what Hasenhuttl said by leaving his comment with “I do not see a replacement”, but the added “yet” suggests that this situation might not be as clear cut as the former RB Leipzig manager attempted to make it out to be in his pre-Leicester press conference on Thursday.

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Furthermore, Anka also said that there is a 30% chance that Southampton sign a new striker and Adams leaves this month.

With 20 days of the window left, keep an eye out for fresh developments on this Adams-related transfer saga.

In other news, it is back to the drawing board for Southampton after they lose out on a transfer target to this Championship side…

Aston Villa’s summer was a considerable statement.

After bringing in 12 players for over £130m, they looked Premier League-ready. However, the warning signs were there.

Direct comparisons with Fulham were immediately drawn after they spent over £100m a year prior before being relegated.

There were reasons to suggest they wouldn’t have the same failures as the Cottagers, though. They’d signed players in Tyrone Mings, Anwar El Ghazi and Kortney Hause who had already been at the club. On top of that, they had a clear policy – to sign young players with potential.

The likes of Wesley, Matt Targett and Ezri Konsa fell into that category.

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Fast forward to the January window and one of their biggest mistakes from the summer months is now staring them right in the face.

Their £22m Brazilian recruit is out for the season and after going 12 games without a goal at one point, the need for more firepower has never been more evident at Villa Park.

At the top of their list this month is a striker but had they done the work in the summer, they wouldn’t have to scramble around and panic in the early exchanges of the new decade.

A matter of months ago, Sporting Director Suso and Chief Executive Christian Purslow had ample opportunity to sign another forward but they decided against it.

It’s a problem they’ll now struggle to solve and it’s had an adverse effect on their ambitions to stay in the division.

Wesley has never hit the ground running, scoring just five times, while Jonathan Kodjia has spent large periods out of the team.

This doesn’t look like a side capable of staying up based on their efforts in the final third.

Speaking last week, manager Dean Smith had the following to say about their recruitment: “We’ve got business planned, that’ll continue. I’m sitting down tonight with Christian (Purslow) and Suso to see what this changes for us. It’ll hasten what we do in the market.”

Signing a striker was always going to be the priority in January but it could have been solved over four months ago.

Instead, they unnecessarily spent on players like Douglas Luiz when they already had a strong midfield containing John McGinn, Jack Grealish and Conor Hourihane.

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January is notoriously hard to recruit and now Purslow and Suso are scrambling around for unwanted talent.

In more recent times, they’ve been linked with moves for Tosun, someone who has one goal all season and Glenn Murray. The Brighton man is now 36 and after failing to net this term in the league, it would be wrong to suggest he could lift them to safety.

This is a problem of their hierarchy’s making and they will now struggle to fix it.

In other news, Villa fans have hit out after being linked with “the WORST striker in the league”…

RB Salzburg Sporting Director Christoph Freund has revealed that Marin Pongračić could leave the club this month.

The Croatia centre-back has made seven appearances in all competitions for the Austrian side, playing alongside Takumi Minamino and Erling Braut Håland before the pair moved to Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund respectively.

Pongračić – a Croatian U21 international – is believed to be on Southampton’s radar this month, with Sky Sports stating that the 22-year-old is a long-term target of the Saints.

What did he say?

Freund told Welt Fussball: “It is possible that both will leave the club. Nevertheless, we are convinced that we are very well positioned.”

Interestingly, Welt Fussball also revealed that the centre-back is in talks with a club ‘from abroad’.

Promising update

While Freund doesn’t give too much away in regards to Pongračić and his future, he does provide a promising update on a player who, as Sky Sports revealed, is a long-term target for the Saints.

Southampton are in need of a new centre-back given the fact that they have only two options behind first-choice duo Jack Stephens and Jan Bednarek, although those backups aren’t the best.

Maya Yoshida – a 31-year-old who has played just five Premier League minutes since the 9-0 defeat to Leicester in October – is one of them, while Jannik Vestergaard, a man who the Saints are said to be open to offers for, is another.

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Additionally, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have conceded the third-most goals in the Premier League this season having shipped 39 goals in 22 games, so there is quite clearly a need for reinforcements at the back.

Freund really keeps his cards close to his chest, and there is absolutely nothing to imply that Southampton are the side in negotiations with Pongračić – however, the fact that the Saints have been linked with the Croatian, as well as the fact that his departure is “possible”, certainly makes for interesting reading.

In other news, take a look at this image of Jack Stephens that Southampton fans will love…

Many Leeds fans were over the moon with the signing of Helder Costa last summer, but it is fair to say that for some he hasn’t lived up to expectations.

The Portuguese winger was a key player in Wolves’ 2017/18 promotion campaign and performed well for them in the Championship with 15 goals and 14 assists, but so far for Leeds, he has managed just eight goal contributions.

In his defence, he struggled for starts at the beginning of the season but he still has some work to do to convince the fanbase that he has been a good signing, and is worth the £15m outlay that the Whites are obliged to pay at the end of the season.

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The question of whether the club should pay it, or rather, whether he is worth it, has sparked a debate amongst supporters, with several suggesting he has yet to prove that he is.

Their stance is understandable given he would be the most expensive player currently at the club.

One fan’s example of Jack Harrison being more consistent with 11 goal contributions yet may cost less is particularly intriguing and indicates that Costa has some improvement to do.

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Some of the Leeds faithful have come to his defence and admire his quality even if he has shown it too sparingly, and perhaps if Marcelo Bielsa can boost his confidence the 24-year-old will begin to aid his team with greater regularity.

Others feel it is best to wait before delivering a final verdict on the player, with one supporter suggesting the division Leeds are playing in next year could influence whether or not Costa is a good signing.

In other news, a very interesting development took place prior to the QPR game which could be huge for Leeds’ future.

According to a recent report from AS, Real Sociedad’s Willian Jose has been chosen by Jose Mourinho to replace Harry Kane amid his injury, and move to the Premier League in the January transfer window.

But if that move were to materialise, there would be one clear winner and one clear loser emerging from Spurs’ squad…

The big fat Tottenham quiz of 2019 – how much do you remember about the last year at Spurs?

Winner: Harry Kane

Kane is a man who needs little introduction and being Spurs’ top goal-scorer every single season in the Premier League since 2014/15, it’s pretty safe to say that the London outfit have relied on him banging in the goals. And for that same reason, they are now in a rather desperate situation with the Englishman’s injury.

But with the arrival of Jose – another prolific goal-scorer who’s already netted eight times in his first 22 games for La Real – Kane could see the responsibility in front goal finally shared by someone else.

And with much less pressure and a bit more time to rest and recuperate when needed, Spurs could potentially avoid further injuries to their star striker – he’s suffered seven injuries since the start of the 2017/18 season, missing 153 days of action and 28 games in total.

Kane would definitely prosper from the arrival of a quality backup forward.

Loser: Lucas Moura

With Kane injured and Mourinho lacking any out and out striker to successfully fill his void, Moura has been chosen to try and assume the role of a centre-forward and lead the line for his team.

The 27-year-old started and finished the last five games in that position but with little to no effect, failing to find the back of the net in each of those outings.

Jose’s arrival would in theory allow him to return to a more favoured role out wide, but it still remains to be seen whether the Special One intends to put him in the squad ahead of the likes of Heung-Min Son, Erik Lamela and Giovanni Lo Celso.

The simple fact of the matter is that Lucas just doesn’t come across as a Mourinho-style winger. Speed aside, he’s not particularly athletic or robust and he has a knack of drifting in and out of games.

Son will surely take the left wing, having made as many Premier League goal contributions as Kane this season, but Lamela feels more suited to Mourinho on the right and has started there in Spurs’ last two Premier League games, while Lo Celso featured on the flank in the FA Cup against Southampton.

That’s not to say the Brazilian definitely won’t win the battle to take the right wing, but there’s clearly far greater competition out wide than up front. Right now, Lucas gets into the starting XI by default.

Aston Villa’s Jota could be loaned out to Fulham for the rest of the season, as has been reported by The Daily Mail.

The Spaniard is in talks with the Championship club about temporarily moving there, having struggled during his first half-season at Villa Park.

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Villa fans have been reacting to the report, with the general consensus seemingly being that this move could work out well for their club.

There are some fans who feel that he is simply not good enough to be a Premier League player, with one claiming that he is “too slow”, while another suggested that he is “not fast or strong enough”.

It is also shown through statistics that he has been unable to make much of an impact for the club, as he has only made four starts and four substitute appearances.

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During that time, he has made one assist, while averaging 0.5 key passes and 0.8 dribbles per game – showing how minuscule his attacking threat has been.

This has also led to some speculative excitement about the idea of someone else coming in to replace the 28-year-old.

One fan has suggested that they should be looking to bring in Hull City’s Jarrod Bowen to replace him, with his Championship return currently standing at 16 goals and seven assists.

However, it has been suggested in the report that the wages freed up from the deal could be used to bring in a striker, which makes that unlikely.

Meanwhile, Villa fans have reacted to links with an international striker.

Tottenham Hotspur fans received some absolutely brilliant news on Friday morning as the club officially announced that one of their young starlets, Troy Parrott, has signed a new contract.

The 18-year-old academy product will now stay with Spurs until at least 2023 and looks set to be an important part of their plans for the future.

Parrott has made two competitive first-team appearances to date, making his debut against Burnley in December 2019, while he already has a senior cap for the Republic of Ireland despite his age..

A true test for any Spurs fan: Can you match these iconic images with the right results?

And needless to say, this update was a long-overdue update for many fans who were simply delighted with the announcement.

But fans don’t think it’s enough just to extend his contract – fans want Jose Mourinho to give Parrott some minutes to prove himself in the first team in order to fulfil his potential.

Many of the fans were thrilled with the news but also demanded further involvement in light of the fresh agreement.

And seeing how they value him so highly, it doesn’t come as a surprise that they want him to play as much as possible.

It seems that plenty of them have him bookmarked as a potential superstar of the future.

Not only that but some believe he is the very future of this club and they weren’t shy to express their opinions…

Meanwhile, many Spurs supporters want to see their club sign one man following his incredible display against them in the FA Cup…

According to the exclusive report from The Sun, Barcelona’s loanee Moussa Wague is still being considered by West Ham United despite the fact he signed for Nice on loan last month.

What’s the word, then?

The same source states that David Moyes is very keen on snatching the player from Barcelona in the coming summer and was even reportedly close to doing so in the last days of the January transfer window.

Still, if The Sun’s report is to be believed, the 21-year-old defender could still be sold in the summer for around £16m.

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For that reason, Moyes is set to travel to France to scout the player himself.

The situation might still change, as The Sun notes, if West Ham get relegated at the end of the campaign but regardless of that, Barcelona have to make sure Wague remains under their banner.

Verdict

The 21-year-old right-back hasn’t really had a proper chance to shine in Catalonia as he has only played six games for the Catalans since he was signed.

But that’s largely due to both Sergi Roberto and Nelson Semedo having a big presence in the team and Wague can’t really compete with that at this point in time.

Still, he is young and could develop into a quality right-back in the not too distant future.

In the odd games we’ve seen him feature, he managed to show glimpses of his potential and great attacking prowess.

For that reason, Barcelona can’t really afford to lose such a young talent for a position that’s missing an elite player since the departure of Dani Alves.

Meanwhile, here’s everything we know about a young star in making that’s being chased by both Barcelona and Manchester City…

Liverpool have been superb so far this campaign.

They held a huge 22-point lead at the top of the Premier League prior to Leicester’s clash against Wolves on Friday night – which is the biggest such margin in the highest of English football’s top flight – whilst they are still unbeaten in the competition as well. With 13 games left, they need just six victories to confirm their inevitable status as champions, whilst they are still in both the Champions League and the FA Cup as well – it has the potential to be a monumental season.

Can you name the result these iconic Liverpool images belong to? Give it a go now…

Once the campaign is over, though, and the dust has settled, the Reds will be looking to progress and could add to their squad as they look to likely defend their title in England. A number of targets have already been thrown about – Timo Werner and Jadon Sancho to name but two – and, according to fcinternews.it, the Anfield outfit are also eyeing Marcelo Brozovic.

The Croatia international currently plays for Inter Milan, and is currently enjoying a fantastic campaign. The Nerazzurri are currently top of Serie A on goal difference, with the 27-year-old having played 21 out of 23 games to date. He has contributed three goals and five assists up until now, whilst he has also managed an average WhoScored rating in the division of 7.27 – only Romelu Lukaku, with 7.53, has managed more for Antonio Conte’s side.

The question would be, who would he replace in Jurgen Klopp’s XI were he to be recruited by the Reds? Looking at the stats, Georginio Wijnaldum’s place would be under real threat. Defensively, Brozovic has won 5.1 out of 9.6 duels per 90 minutes, whilst the Netherlands international has managed just 4.4 from 9.4, and the former has also won over 50% of his aerial duels – the same cannot be said for Wijnaldum.

Brozovic has also managed more interceptions – 1.4 to 0.7 – and has completed 18.2 final third balls per 90 minutes compared to the former Newcastle man’s 13.7. The former Dinamo Zagreb man is an all-action midfielder who would slot right in at Anfield.

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There have been rumours that Wijnaldum could leave the club in the summer. But even if he stayed at Liverpool, Brozovic would still be hard done by not to get in ahead of the ex-PSV man were he to be signed. It remains to be seen whether a concrete move will be made – he has a release clause of €60m (£50m) for clubs outside of Italy – but his arrival would be something worth celebrating for the supporters.

Meanwhile, Liverpool fans slam comments from John Aldridge.