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Newcastle United are still interested in signing Jesse Lingard this summer, according to a report from Scott Wilson for the Northern Echo. 

The lowdown: Free bird

Upon the expiry of a contract at Manchester United, Lingard is currently a free agent having spent 14 years at Old Trafford, making 231 appearances for the club and spending time on loan at Leicester City, Brighton, Birmingham and Derby County in the process.

During the 2020/21 campaign, the 29-year-old spent a temporary loan spell at West Ham where the versatile attacker endeared himself to the club with a host of outstanding displays and rekindled his career at the elite level whilst also earning a recall to the England squad under Gareth Southgate.

However, Lingard became disenchanted once more back in Manchester and is now searching for a new home amidst interest from West Ham, Everton and seemingly, Newcastle.

The latest: ‘Retain an interest’

As per the Northern Echo report from Wilson, the Magpies are believed to ‘retain an interest’ in acquiring Lingard’s services.

It’s claimed that ownership group PIF are ‘adamant they will not dismantle their wage structure’ in order to sign the 32-cap England ace, but the club have ‘rekindled’ an interest following on from January and continue to hold discussions regarding a potential arrival on a free transfer.

The report also states that the attacking midfielder, who was described as ‘absolutely ruthless’ by football writer Kaustubh Pandey last year, wants in excess of £100,000-a-week as well as a ‘significant signing-on fee’ upon making a move.

The verdict: Stand firm

Many might’ve anticipated free-spending upon the arrival of the new owners at St James’ Park, however, it appears as though those in situ are unwilling to splash the cash without due care and attention.

Although Lingard’s undoubted quality, apparent likability to supporters and experience would represent a smart addition to Eddie Howe’s ranks in the North East, the Englishman’s demands would see him usurp Chris Wood and Kieran Trippier as the highest-paid player at the club immediately (Salary Sport), a step the Magpies are clearly uncertain about taking as things stand.

Having earned a reported £80,000 a week during his final year at Manchester United, Newcastle would be well served to make an offer of a similar ilk to sign the man who still holds a perceived market value of £16.2m, despite his free-agent status.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) Public Investment Fund (PIF) are reportedly now eyeing up a move to bring Japhet Tanganga to Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Lack of game-time

After a bright start to the 2021/22 Premier League campaign, having been hailed as ‘really special’ by Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville after an impressive performance on the opening day against Manchester City, the 23-year-old found himself slowly falling out of favour at Tottenham Hotspur.

He played just 19 times in all competitions and completed the full 90 minutes in just 11 of those games (Transfermarkt); and with Barcelona defender Clement Lenglet signing on loan for Spurs for next term, Tanganga’s future has been further cast into doubt.

The Latest: Newcastle offer for Tanganga

Taking to Twitter, TUTTOmercatoWEB journalist Marco Conterio has revealed that Newcastle have now offered a loan with an obligation to buy deal for Tanganga, a proposal which Spurs ‘like’.

Translated from Italian, he tweeted: “#Milan remains strong on the Japhet Tanganga talent of the #Tottenham for the defence but there is the insertion of #Newcastle.

“#NUFC offers the loan with obligation to redeem to #THFC, a formula that Spurs like.”

The Verdict: Low-risk

Signing Tanganga on an initial loan presents a low risk deal for Newcastle, who may also get a discounted price for the Englishman given that he seemingly no longer has a place in Antonio Conte’s squad at Tottenham.

Once dubbed ‘amazing’ by former Lilywhites manager Jose Mourinho, the defender still has a lot of promise at just 23 years of age.

Nonetheless, Eddie Howe will likely be confident that he can get the best out of the player; and if he does, it could turn out to be an exceptional prospective signing for the Magpies.

Arnaud Kalimuendo could be a ‘great’ signing for Leeds United if he completes a move this summer, according to transfer window journalist Jacque Talbot.

The Lowdown: Kalimuendo to Leeds?

The 20-year-old Paris Saint-Germain starlet has been strongly linked with a move to Elland Road in recent weeks, as Jesse Marsch looks to boost his attacking options.

Victor Orta is reportedly pressing ahead in talks over a deal worth a total of €25m (£21.1m), with an initial fee of €22m (£18.7m) and a number of fixed bonuses on top.

Even the reliable Phil Hay has confirmed the links are real as the young striker is ‘firmly admired’ as an alternative to Charles De Ketelaere.

Kalimuendo has made four appearances for PSG’s first team but his playing time is understandably limited, due to the presence of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

The Latest: Expert talks up signing

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Talbot talked up the idea of Kalimuendo joining the Whites, saying he would be a strong addition:

“Marsch has got the opportunity to get rid of some and bring some in who do have his values and the two striker system could be great up front next season and Kalimuendo would be a very good signing for Leeds.”

The Verdict: Great summer addition

There is no doubt that Leeds new a new attacking signing brought in this summer – that was the case before Raphinha’s goals joined Barcelona but it feels even more important now, with a natural striker an absolute necessity.

Kalimuendo is certainly someone who could be an exciting signing, bringing with him the fearlessness of youth and a long-term addition with great potential. Talbot himself has described him as ‘disgustingly good’ in the past, perhaps no surprise given his 12 goals on loan at Lens last term.

Thirteen goals in 24 caps for France Under-17s, Under-18s and Under-21s combined is an impressive return that shows his pedigree too, and perhaps in the long run he could even turn out to be better than De Ketelaere.

Nottingham Forest are closing in on a deal to sign Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard, according to The Guardian journalist Jacob Steinberg.

The Lowdown: Lingard to leave United

The 29-year-old has fallen out of favour at Old Trafford in recent years, being loaned out to West Ham during the 2020/21 campaign and only starting two Premier League games last season after returning to the north-west.

For that reason, Lingard was allowed to leave United when his contract expired earlier in the summer and he is now a free agent looking for a new challenge.

It looks as though Forest will snap up the Englishman, following a significant transfer update.

The Latest: Forest close in on move

Taking to Twitter on Tuesday evening, Steinberg shared an earlier update which claimed West Ham were moving in, dropping a new ‘update’ from the City Ground:

“Update on this … now told they Forest are close to agreeing a deal with Lingard. Not finalised yet but a fairly surprising development.”

The Verdict: Exciting signing for Reds

This is a potentially excellent piece of business by Forest, bringing in a player with huge Premier League and international experience – he has been hailed as ‘amazing’ by Rio Ferdinand in the past and the numbers back it up.

Lingard racked up an incredible nine goals and four assists in juts 16 top flight games during his loan spell at the London Stadium, showing what a potent attacking threat he can be when given the confidence and freedom to thrive.

And he could thrive again being one of the star men at Forest, putting his experience and quality to good use and hopefully proving to be an inspirational figure for younger players around him, like Brennan Johnson and Taiwo Awoniyi.

A big update has emerged regarding Glasgow Rangers as they have been dealt a potential blow in the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Sky Sports journalist Lyall Thomas has claimed that the Gers, alongside a host of other clubs, are missing out on a deal to sign Doron Leidner ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

The Israel international is moving to Greek giants Olympiacos, days after the Light Blues secured the services of Ridvan Yilmaz from Besiktas.

Thomas tweeted: “#HapoelTelAviv LB Doron Leidner is set to move to #Olympiacos. A #Rangers and #Celtic target earlier in the summer and on the lists at #Bologna and #Sassuolo too, but he is moving to Greece in an initial £1.7m (€2m) deal. Already on #NottinghamForest radar for the future #nffc.”

Gio van Bronckhorst will be deflated

This claim will leave the Ibrox head coach deflated, as Leidner had the potential to be an excellent addition to the squad heading into next season.

Whilst Yilmaz has come in to offset Calvin Bassey’s departure to Ajax, the left-back situation in Glasgow may not be as simple as it currently looks on paper.

Borna Barisic has been attracting interest from Turkey and it remains to be seen whether or not he will still be at the club beyond the end of August. Journalist Fraser Fletcher recently confirmed that “Trabzonspor are really keen on him” as they eye up the full-back.

The Croatia international’s exit would leave Yilmaz without any competition, and Leidner could have provided that for the Gers.

By the age of 20, he has racked up 57 first-team appearances for Hapoel Tel-Aviv and chipped in with one goal and five assists. He has also been capped three times by Israel at international level and set up two goals in those Nations League clashes.

The gem has shown great promise in his short career to date, and that is proven by the significant interest in his signature from a host of European clubs. He is seemingly an attack-minded full-back and, at the age of 20, he still has plenty of years left ahead of him to grow and develop as a player over time.

This means that he could have been the perfect replacement for Barisic, if the Croatian full-back ends up joining Trabzonspor, as he is a young player with potential who could have put pressure on Yilmaz whilst being an asset for the future.

Therefore, van Bronckhorst will be deflated by this news and will now be hoping that the club are able to keep hold of Barisic.

AND in other news, Wilson could form a “massive” duo after Rangers given green light for £3.1k-p/w target…

A major Sunderland claim has emerged on the club’s plans for the rest of the summer transfer window… 

What’s the talk?

Alex Neil has confirmed that the Black Cats are far from being done in the market as they plot further additions to their squad.

He told the Sunderland Echo: “We’ve still got four, potentially five that we want to bring in before the window ends.”We need to make sure the squad is competitive and not only that, they brought four or five really fresh lads on who know the level, and that can really make a difference.”I think what you could see today is that it was a step up in intensity. I thought towards the end of the game our lads were dead on their feet, it really is difficult. Normally we score a goal in League One, the opposition gets a bit scared and they sink back into their shape. We control the ball and it’s basically a case of when will the next goal come.”At this level, Coventry came here thinking, ‘we’re better than Sunderland and we have better players, we’re coming to win’.” Supporters will be delighted

Black Cats fans will be delighted by this claim from Neil because it now promises to be a very exciting end to the window for the club.

Neil and Kristjaan Speakman have a month or so left to bring players into the club, with the market closing on the 1st of September, and supporters can now look forward to seeing a host of fresh faces coming through the door.

As the head coach said above, Coventry had quality in depth and that paid off in the latter stages of the game as they gained control towards the end of the match. They were able to overwhelm the Black Cats and forced them back into their own box – with their attacking momentum spiking in the final 15 minutes.

Whilst the equalising goal was a moment of individual quality from Viktor Gyokeres, Coventry put enough pressure on the hosts to deserve a point from the game.

This highlighted the step up in quality from League One and that is why supporters will be delighted to read that Neil is keen on four or five more players coming in as that will, hopefully, provide him with the tools he needs to avoid being overwhelmed in matches.

AND in other news, Sunderland “seem hopeful” of sealing major deal that’ll leave supporters buzzing…

Ex-BBC pundit Noel Whelan has urged West Ham United to sanction big money spending after hearing David Moyes’ latest transfer comments.

The Lowdown: Moyes’ comments

On the opening weekend of the new Premier League season, the Hammers lined up against last year’s champions Manchester City at the London Stadium.

Proving too much for the Irons’ defence, new Citizens arrival Erling Haaland scored twice as City somewhat coasted to a 2-0 victory.

After a poor all-round performance, for which the West Ham XI averaged a meagre 6.49 SofaScore rating, manager Moyes took to his post-match interview, where he claimed: “We need to freshen up a little bit, we’re a bit stale.”

The Latest: Whelan’s claim

Despite having made five signings this summer, Whelan, who worked for BBC Radio Leeds before taking on a role at Elland Road, reacted after hearing the comments from Moyes.

Speaking with Football Insider, he said:

“They’re looking for the next progression.

“To achieve that, they will have to spend money, unfortunately. The board have got to allow that to happen.

“If they want to close the gap to those Champions League spots, which they’ve come so close to doing – they need to keep adding to the squad and spending money.

“That’s what David Moyes wants, and that’s what will take them to the next level. It may also be the thing that keeps big players at the club.

“They want to see that progression and know that they will be challenging at the right end of the table.

“They’ve got to be ambitious and challenge Man United, Arsenal, and Spurs – but to do that, you’ve got to spend that extra money.”

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The Verdict: More outgoings than incomings

In spite of the new arrivals at Rush Green, the east London club have also seen the same number of players leave the club this summer.

Whilst the quality of their replacements may have improved, this still means West Ham are short of depth in the squad.

According to Hammers news page West Ham Social, the Irons are now down to just 17 fit first-team players.

As demonstrated last season, Moyes’ squad seriously suffered with fatigue, with the side faltering towards the end of the Premier League season.

Therefore, if GSB do not put their hand in their pocket and bring in multiple new additions before September’s deadline, this could be a missed opportunity for the club to progress.

Fulham’s 2-2 draw against Liverpool on Saturday not only saw the west London club take on one of Europe’s top teams, but also one of the best attacking players in world football in Mohamed Salah.

After scoring 23 goals and providing 14 assists in 35 league games last season, the Egypt winger got his new campaign off to a good start by scoring and providing an assist for his team as they rescued a point from Craven Cottage last weekend.

Another top wide attacking talent in the Premier League that Marco Silva’s side will be taking on at some point this season is Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha.

With 278 top-flight appearances to his name, the Ivory Coast international has found the net 61 times and delivered 41 assists along the way, which highlights just how established he is at Premier League level.

However, with there still being just over three weeks left before the transfer window closes, the west London club could use this time to bring in someone who would be their own version of Zaha.

Some days ago, it was reported that Fulham are in talks over a potential move for AS Roma winger Justin Kluivert, who has the Palace star included in a list of players similar to him according to Football Transfers.

Having made 220 club appearances at senior and youth level, the winger has 47 goals and 47 assists to his name, showing how similar he is to the Ivorian in being able to not only score goals but set them up for his team-mates as well.

Looking at the duo’s previous league campaigns, they both ended the 2021/22 season with an almost identical rate for key passes per game, with Zaha making 1.4 and Kluivert 1.3.

Hailed by his former Ajax coach Peter Bosz as a player who has “swagger in his game”, the Dutchman made good use of his ability to run with the ball to be an attacking threat last season as only one other Nice player racked up more successful dribbles than him.

This also mirrors Zaha and his main attacking attribute, as he attempted more dribbles (140) than any of his Palace team-mates in the league last term. In fact, only three other players in the 2021/22 Premier League had more dribbles than the 29-year-old.

Taking all this into account, securing a deal for the £55k-per-week Roma attacker could be a very promising and exciting bit of business for Fulham and potentially give them someone who can develop into being up there with the likes of Zaha and Salah as one of the league’s top attacking players.

A Newcastle United injury development has emerged on Matt Targett’s situation… 

What’s the latest?

Magpies head coach Eddie Howe has revealed that the left-back has suffered a blow that is more serious than they initially expected, albeit not a long-term issue as it stands.

The Northern Echo quote him as saying: “He (Targett) got a dead leg last week to his hamstring. We felt it was just a knock, but we had a scan and it showed very, very subtle damage to the muscle.

“We’re treating it like a very small muscle strain, but we’re hoping he will be back soon.”

The boss then provided an update on Ryan Fraser, saying: “He (Fraser) had a slight back spasm on Thursday and Friday,” he said. “He was close to making the game, but not fit.”

A blow for Howe

Although the defender shouldn’t be out for too long, an eventuality that will no doubt please the manager, the fact that it’s a more serious setback than first thought will surely worry the head coach.

The left-back is a proven Premier League performer who has been a solid, consistent, presence in the Magpies team since he arrived at the club – initially on loan – in January earlier this year.

In the 2021/22 campaign, he made 16 appearances in the top-flight and averaged a WhoScored rating of 6.99 – the third-best rating of all the Magpies players with 10+ games played in the division. 

Of those with 10+ outings, Targett ranked joint-first for tackles (2.6) and first for interceptions (1.6) per game in the Premier League.

At the end of that loan spell, Howe was quick to praise his performances as he said: “Matt had a fantastic impact after joining on loan in January and made a big contribution to some excellent team performances.”

The full-back then signed on a permanent basis and made an excellent start to the campaign with a superb display against Nottingham Forest last weekend.

In the 2-0 win, Targett recorded a WhoScored rating of 7.29 as he completed three tackles and provided three key passes in the 90 minutes. The small sample size means that it is worth taking with a pinch of salt, but no Newcastle player has matched those totals per game across the first two matches.

Therefore, taking his form for the Magpies in 2021/22 and 2022/23, Howe will be concerned that the defender’s injury will keep him out of the next few games.

He has proven himself to be one of the top performers in the team and the head coach will surely be keen to get him back as soon as possible.

New Nottingham Forest arrival Dean Henderson seriously impressed during the 1-1 draw against Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday.

The Lowdown

Arriving on loan from Manchester United, Henderson has already proven the decision to sign him to be a good one, saving a penalty and producing several reaction saves against West Ham last week.

Trusted to start once again against Everton this weekend, the England international is drawing even more praise for his display this time around.

The Latest

Featuring in Cooper’s starting eleven again, Henderson produced the highest rated display on the pitch, per Sofascore.

Making seven saves and winning 100 per cent of his duels, the 26 year-old drew huge praise from journalist and Reds fan Ethan Lamb:

“What a signing Dean Henderson has been for us so far. 3 games, 18 saves, 1 penalty save, 1 clean sheet, 8.2 average rating. Will certainly win us some key points in our battle to stay in the Premier League.”

The Verdict

With the newly-promoted side having spent just shy of £150m this summer, the arrival of the likes of Henderson and fellow new signing Orel Mangala, who also impressed today, really highlight the club’s intent as they look to succeed in the Premier League this season.

And while they have made a super start with four points from three matches, there will no doubt be times where the capture of Henderson looks the most significant of the lot this season, as he continues on pace for a record-setting season in terms of saves by a goalkeeper.