Danny Rose completed his loan move to Newcastle United from Tottenham on Thursday night.

What’s the story?

The 29-time England international has made 10 starts for Spurs so far this season in the Premier League, but that has not been enough to keep him in North London.

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As such, the Toon have swooped to take him to St James’ Park until the end of the season. He is the third new arrival in the north east so far this month after loan moves for Nabil Bentaleb and Valentin Lazaro were also completed.

Change of direction

Steve Bruce’s side have been particularly defensive so far this campaign. Only three sides have scored less than their 24 goals so far this term and the average 39.1% possession they have managed in the Premier League is easily the lowest in the division.

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However, the arrival of Danny Rose, coupled with Austria international Lazaro, indicates a change in direction for the Toon. So far this season, Javier Manquillo, Emil Krafth and DeAndre Yedlin have all managed a maximum of 0.4 key passes per game as they have shared the right-back role. Lazaro, meanwhile, scored three goals and managed six assists last season for Hertha Berlin and averaged 1.8 key passes.

On the opposite flank, Jetro Willems has 0.8 key passes and 1.1 dribbles per fixture. With one and 1.3 last season, Rose indicates an improvement in the offensive department as well. It therefore looks as though Bruce may look to be more expansive from the full-back position – Newcastle fans should be relishing the thought.

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Many Everton fans on Twitter have jokingly jumped to the same conclusion after an image of a Ferrari with the number plate ‘A VIILLA’ outside the Royal Liver buildings in Liverpool city centre emerged.

Clearly the first thought for those seeing the photo was to link to Aston Villa, and that in turn led them to talk about one man – Jack Grealish.

The Villa captain has been in fine form this season for Dean Smith’s men, scoring nine goals and providing a further seven assists in 27 appearances in all competitions for the Premier League strugglers.

The 24-year-old has undoubtedly stepped up in terms of leadership and making an impact in the final third for the Midlands outfit, while according to WhoScored he has successfully completed 2.4 dribbles per game in the Premier League this term, as well as averaging an impressive 2.2 key passes per match, too.

Everton supporters showed their sense of humour – we think and hope at least – with their reaction to the image – as you can see below.

One individual even said it “all adds up”.

Other fans went a step further by suggesting that a deal is already done, or close to being done, having seen the photo.

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Cheeky!

Meanwhile, one more supporter delved a little deeper and thought about where Grealish could fit into the current Everton side.

Did he really play for us?! No Everton fan has managed to name all of these obscure Toffees players….

Of course, Carlo Ancelotti prefers a 4-4-2 system where the wingers can come inside and play as No.10s at certain points of a game, but the fan below believes there is a spot for the 24-year-old alongside Andre Gomes in the centre.

We’re not quite sure about that theory though, as neither is really defensively-minded.

In other Everton news, one man has expressed his suprise that the club ever wanted him at Goodison Park…

Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to react to Timo Werner’s performance against Bayern Munich on Sunday evening.The 29-cap Germany international was starting in attack for Julian Nagelsmann at the Allianz Arena, in what was a top-of-the-table clash – Bayern Munich are only one point ahead of RB Leipzig at the top of the Bundesliga.

In Werner’s case, he was looking to add to his already impressive tally of 20 goals in just 21 Bundesliga appearances this season – he has also registered six assists.

The Liverpool target – James Pearce of The Athletic said he has been mentioned as an option in a Q&A session – ended up drawing a blank as the two sides played out a 0-0 draw, although it was not for the want of trying for Werner, who had five shots on goal.

The 23-year-old also embarked on four dribbles and was fouled twice, while recording one key pass.

He also missed a sitter, but we will excuse him due to his absurd goalscoring numbers so far this term.

Let’s see what the Liverpool fans on Twitter were saying about his performance…

To kick off the reaction, @LFC_Wahome tweeted in defence of the striker as if Werner was already a Liverpool player!

This fan also added that the German “has to be got” as he “would hugely improve our squad” – it’s hard to argue with that claim.

Elsewhere, these two supporters pinpointed some traits of Werner’s that they liked.

Grizz highlighted the forward’s versatility – he has appeared in the centre and on the left throughout this season according to WhoScored – and said that the RB Leipzig No.11 is “just the type of flexible fluid attacker” who would fit right in at Anfield.

Tony then said that Werner works hard, is quick and direct, while he also has quality – this fan also said that he would be “perfect for Klopp” to mould into one of the world’s best.

Meanwhile, this pair of Liverpool supporters mentioned how Werner would perform under Klopp.

@LFCismyblood said that the prolific attacker would “be a monster under Klopp” while Freyt said that there is “no doubt” that the RB Leipzig man would flourish under the former Borussia Dortmund boss.

Lastly, this supporter had a slightly different view on Werner’s performance.

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‘LFC IS LIFE’ simply tweeted that the German was “dropping a disaster-class” against Bayern Munich – after his goalscoring feats so far, surely this fan can forgive him.

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Speaking to Football Insider, former Hull defender Alex Bruce has backed Everton’s reported pursuit of Chris Smalling.

What did he say?

According to Italian publication Corriere dello Sport, Carlo Ancelotti’s side are interested in signing the AS Roma man this summer after he returns from his season-long loan spell from Manchester United.

And Bruce has given his seal of approval to such a move, saying that he would be a “good acquisition for anybody”.

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He said: “It does not surprise me at all. You know exactly what you will get out of Chris. Speaking from experience from playing against him myself I have always found him a no-nonsense steady eddy – you know what you are going to get. He is good in the air and he is a good one on one defender.

“The fact that he is getting linked, especially after doing very well at Roma – does not surprise me. He would be a good acquisition for anybody.”

False dawn

Whilst Smalling is no doubt enjoying a fine season over in Italy – he has averaged an impressive 2.2 interceptions and 1.1 tackles per game in Serie A – the Toffees shouldn’t forget about how this is still a man who was deemed not good enough to be at United.

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The Merseyside club should be looking to target younger players with higher potential, rather than Premier League cast-offs. Smalling’s renaissance may purely be down to the different styles of football, and that could be something that is perfectly down his street.

But if the 6 foot 4 powerhouse was truly a master of his craft in English football, then Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would surely have kept him and perhaps let Phil Jones go instead. And that just says it all really. Everton should steer clear.

Meanwhile, Carlo Ancelotti should play this man against Arsenal.

Rangers have been cut further adrift from in the Scottish Premiership following Sunday’s draw and now manager Steven Gerrard has come under attack for one of his key decisions during that match.Chris Sutton has slammed the 39-year-old following his actions over centre-back Nikola Katic – the Gers boss didn’t want to sling the Croatian off during the first half for his dire display incase it hindered his morale, but then proceeded to throw him under the bus post-game.The former Celtic midfielder has described it as “pretty remarkable” on Twitter, he said:

Gerrard said: “I don’t want to take anyone off too early because that could ruin them for a long time. At times you have to accept that teams will get some joy against you, but for St Johnstone to get the joy they did against us was just too easy. If we defend like that against Braga we haven’t got a chance, that is for sure.” before adding: “teams are not cutting us to pieces. We are not being killed by individual brilliance. It is us who are shooting ourselves in the foot.”

Katic provided a blunder for both of the goals they conceded – one, he was found lost in possession, and the other, he was purely outmuscled by the opposition.

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It gives Gerrard plenty to think about ahead of their trip to Braga tomorrow evening where they hold a one-goal advantage, but the Portuguese outfit managed to secure two away goals, which only bolsters their chances.

Whether the 23-year-old keeps his place remains to be seen, though what is clear is that the former Liverpool midfielder still has plenty to learn about the managerial game. It’s a cutthroat industry.

And in other news, Rangers fans SLAM this Gerrard FAVOURITE after St Johnstone draw…

Plenty of Manchester United men will be receiving praise after the 3-0 win over Watford and Luke Shaw is one of them.

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The England international played the full 90 minutes, as the Red Devils went on to complete the impressive victory over their relegation-threatened opposition.

His performance in the game saw him receive plenty of praise from United fans.

The 24-year-old was indomitable in his defensive work, being successful with all four of the tackles that he attempted, while also making five clearances – which saw him make the most of any player on the pitch – and three interceptions.

He was also effective with the ball at his feet, completing 90% of the passes that he attempted, while also making one dribble.

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One fan claimed that he should have been Man of the Match, while another has referred to United as “Shaw FC”.

As well as recognising the current level of performance Shaw has given, there is also an appreciation for the improvements he has made to get there.

Shaw missed 10 league games through injury earlier in the season, which gave Brandon Williams a chance to show what he can do, with one fan feeling “he needed that challenge”.

The hope among fans is that he will be able to continue his current form, cementing his place as a regular feature in the United backline.

Meanwhile, Man United swoon over star man’s performance against Watford.

Celtic fans have taken to Twitter to react after a journalist named Ignazio Genuardi revealed that the Hoops hope to retain the services of Odsonne Edouard beyond the current campaign, and plan to achieve this with a lucrative contract offer.

Genuardi reports that the reigning Scottish champions are set to offer the French forward a ‘significant salary increase’ as well as an agreement to let him leave in the summer of 2021.

Premier League outfit Leicester – who are looking a good bet to achieve a place in the Champions League for next season – are believed to be sniffing around the former Paris Saint-Germain striker, although Neil Lennon would surely love to keep hold of the 22-year-old given his absurd numbers so far this season.

Edouard has netted an extraordinary 26 goals while also grabbing an eye-catching 17 assists in 43 games for the Hoops this term, having also scored 22 goals last season – he really is becoming a truly brilliant centre-forward.

It comes as no surprise that Leicester are interested, but it should be encouraging for Celtic supporters to see that the club are making every effort to keep their prize asset.

Let’s see how the Celtic fans on Twitter reacted to the news…

To kick off the reaction, one fan said it would be amazing if Celtic could keep Edouard for one more season – given how well he has played this term, and his obvious improvement from last season, the Frenchman could fire the Hoops to even better things next year.

Elsewhere, these fans outlined how much they’d like the exit clause in Edouard’s contract to be.

One fan imagined it would be £35m, while another said that it should be no less than £50m – it seems optimistic that Celtic will make the latter fee on their striker, although given his importance to the club, they can quite rightly demand whatever they want.

Lastly, ‘SM’ said that Peter Lawwell runs Celtic and expressed doubt that any kind of gentleman’s agreement will be made.

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However, given everything Edouard has done for the club, it would be cruel to deny him an exit and a chance to play at the highest level.

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Leeds United will be looking for a fifth successive victory this weekend as they host the west Yorkshire derby at Elland Road.The Whites face Huddersfield Town where a victory would keep the pressure on league leaders West Brom, who are only one point ahead of them with ten games remaining.Ahead of the match, Marcelo Bielsa revealed that he would have the same squad at his disposal, meaning those that featured in their 4-0 thrashing of Hull City will be involved once again.Therefore, Jean-Kevin Augustin and Ian Poveda will be absent, and The Athletic’s Phil Hay has provided reasons to why the former has been missing lately.

The 22-year-old has only been able to play for a total of 48 minutes since joining on loan from RB Leipzig in January while he hasn’t even been named in the matchday squad for back-to-back outings.

Hay has revealed that he is suffering with a hamstring issue, which won’t help his chances of securing a move long-term as super-sub Tyler Roberts stepped up in his absence to bag a brace at the KCOM Stadium last weekend.

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Leeds do indeed have an option on Augustin this summer if they do indeed wish to keep hold of him.

And in other news,ÂLeeds fans react to news on possible Bielsa touchline BAN…

The Athletic’s Everton correspondent Patrick Boyland says he sees a lot of former Toffees star Steven Pienaar in winger Alex Iwobi, in the latest Gwlad Tidings podcast (March 13).

What did he say?

Well, during a Q&A section on the podcast, Boyland and colleague Greg O’Keeffe were asked about the summer addition, who is yet to really make his mark following his move to Goodison Park from Arsenal.

The journalist said (42:22): “I think he’s been one of the biggest fall guys from the change of formation. Because in a 4-2-3-1, I think he’s best as a No.10. With a 4-4-2 not having a No.10, you couldn’t see him in one of the two central midfield roles. I don’t think he’s disciplined enough, or strong enough as a central midfielder. He kind of has to go in one of the wide positions.”

He added: “I think he’s got a role in this current Everton side, but maybe the formation doesn’t do him a whole heap of favours, particularly if he has to play an inverted role from the right. I don’t think that suits him. His continuity play reminds me a lot of Steven Pienaar, not that good yet obviously. But he reminds me a lot of Steven Pienaar.”

Did he really play for us?! No Everton fan has managed to name all of these obscure Toffees players….

Is he right?

Well, Pienaar scored 26 goals and provided a further 49 assists in 229 appearances for Everton, and Iwobi has some work to do if he wants to match or better those numbers.

The next challenge for him is to undoubtedly find out where he fits into an Ancelotti team, and that may well mean having to adapt or perhaps play in a role that might not be his favourite if he is to be an Everton success.

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Injuries have meant that he hasn’t had a consistent run in the starting XI under either Marco Silva or his Italian successor to date, and his return of two goals and one assist in 22 appearances in all competitions hardly stands out either given he cost £34m.

At 23 years of age he still has plenty of time to improve though, and now he must show his manager on the training pitch that he can make a big difference week in, week out for the Toffees, otherwise he will have to be considered as another flop – alongside the likes of Davy Klaassen, Sandro Ramirez and Cenk Tosun – signed in recent years by the Merseyside outfit.

In other Everton news, one Toffees youngster could be Carlo Ancelotti’s next Kalidou Koulibaly at Goodison Park…

Out of nowhere, Jeremy Ngakia has burst onto the scene at West Ham this season.

Before this campaign, the 19-year-old had never made a senior appearance. However, he was included in the starting line-up for the first time against Liverpool. Coincidentally, his next appearance was against the same opponents, and he was then named on the teamsheet by David Moyes for the clashes against Southampton and Arsenal.

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According to ExWHUemployee, the Hammers have already offered him a new contract – in a short space of time, his importance to Moyes and co has risen dramatically.

Here, we take a look at three rave reviews from his performances so far this season…

Carlton Cole, former West Ham striker

Carlton Cole was something of a journeyman, playing for no less than eight clubs, but it was at West Ham where he spent the longest amount of time – he scored 67 times in 293 games.

Now a pundit, he had plenty of praise for Ngakia following his performance against the Reds, which the Irons lost 3-2.

He said, via Sky Sports:

“I thought his concentration and focus on Monday night was immense. To hold his own against someone like Sadio Mane, one of the best in the world at the moment, and other players like Andy Robertson, was a measure of his quality. Jeremy is a natural defender. I think he started as a winger, but he has that natural instinct to defend – his reading of the game and sense of positioning is very, very good.”

It was a very good display from the teenager. Mane may have scored, but Ngakia was not overawed, making five tackles and winning 10 of his 18 duels.

That is easier said than done against a player who finished fourth in last year’s Ballon d’Or rankings.

Pablo Zabaleta, West Ham right-back

Zabaleta has had a fantastic career at right-back. He made 333 appearances for Manchester City, for example, winning two Premier League titles, whilst he also has 58 caps for Argentina.

An expert in Ngakia’s position, he clearly thinks he has a bright future ahead of him. He told the youngster directly on West Ham’s YouTube channel:

“You’ve been superb. How old are you, 19? Keep working hard, listening, be a good professional and good luck in your career. You can go for 15 more years.”

If anybody knows how to make a career in that role, then it is Zabaleta. He started out as a 17-year-old with San Lorenzo, and is still playing amongst the elite now.

Ngakia should take such praise and advice on board.

John Moncur, former West Ham player

Moncur was part of the furniture for the Hammers during the 1990s – he spent nine years at Upton Park between 1994 and 2003.

Speaking to the West Ham Fan Show on Love Sport Radio, he said of Ngakia:

“When you look back because you say I was there when they all come through. And it’s a little bit like Glen Johnson; Glen Johnson come in. I mean, we sold him after 12 games. But in them 12 games he proved that he had a Premiership career. You know from the third or fourth game that he come in, he’s going to be a star, you know, an asset to the club and I can see this with this boy. I’m really impressed with him.”

Glen Johnson, of course, started his career at the Irons, but he made just 16 appearances before moving on to Chelsea.

West Ham will be hoping history does not repeat itself.