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Aston Villa midfielder Marvelous Nakamba could return to the first-team squad for the first time in nearly four months today as the Villans host Tottenham Hotspur.

What’s the story

According to Villa manager Steven Gerrard, the Zimbabwe international is nearing a return to action.

Ahead of the meeting with Spurs, the 41-year-old said of Nakamba: “He has played for the under-23s. So you couldn’t rule out the possibility of him making the matchday squad soon. If not for the Tottenham game, then he’s certainly going to be available for that Leicester fixture.

“But he has an outside chance of being involved in the matchday squad this weekend, although it wouldn’t be a start.

“It might be a bit too soon for him now because he hasn’t had any serious game time. Hopefully, he comes through that, recovers well and then he can be back with the group. He’s been back training fully for ten, 12 days, and he’s smiling, getting closer and closer.”

The Zambian has been sidelined since suffering a knee injury away to Liverpool in December but he featured for Villa’s under-23s last Friday, the 28-year-old’s first match since that pre-Christmas setback.

Gerrard will be buzzing

Although inconsistent form has ultimately denied the West Midlands side any late shot at qualifying for Europe, a top-half finish is still very achievable for the Villans.

With eight matches to go, it is vital that Gerrard’s men finish the season as strongly as possible, with the manager certain to be making judgements over the coming weeks as to which players will have a future at Villa Park .

Therefore, Nakamba’s imminent return comes as excellent timing, both for him and for the team as a whole.

The regular midfield trio of Douglas Luiz, John McGinn and Jacob Ramsey have impressed during the 28-year-old’s absence, although having another option in the middle of the park will undoubtedly improve the Villa squad and give the manager some pleasant food for thought.

Indeed, Gerrard will be buzzing to have Nakamba back available, as the player had proven his worth for Villa earlier in the campaign. His match average of two tackles is the fourth-highest in the squad, while his 86.6% passing accuracy makes him the joint-leader in this regard of any current Villa player to have started a Premier League match this term, as per WhoScored.

Having as many players available as possible will be a high priority for Gerrard as his side look to finish the season strongly ahead of what could be a busy summer in the West Midlands.

In other news: Sources claim Aston Villa’s “crazy” £22.5m-rated talent could now leave, fans will surely be fuming

Sunderland have put themselves in a fantastic position to secure a spot in the League One play-offs this season after finding a run of form under Alex Neil – with the Mackems remaining unbeaten in their last eight games.

The Black Cats manager has taken 19 points from his 10 games in charge of the North-East club, winning five and drawing four in an impressive start to his tenure at the Stadium of Light, however, there must be credit given to a number of players that have contributed to a high level throughout the season.

One player who has been a particular standout for Sunderland is Daniel Neil, with the boyhood Mackem imposing himself perfectly in the midfield.

The 20-year-old has bagged three goals and registered the second-highest number of assists, seven, in the club’s 2021/22 League One campaign, however, his direct contributions to goals only claim a small fraction of the youngster’s success in the side.

Despite signing a long term contract with the club in October, Neil has been attracting interest from other clubs in a much better position, with Burnley reportedly keen to sign the £1.4k-per-week midfielder back in January.

With the mounting interest in the winter transfer window, there will no doubt be further interest this summer, and the club must do everything they can to keep hold of the youngster – as losing one of Sunderland’s biggest hopes for the future would be a complete disaster.

According to SofaScore, the central midfielder has made a huge impact over his 35 league outings, creating seven big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.2 key passes, completing 82% of his attempted passes and winning 1.3 tackles per game, proving that he is highly effective both going forwards and can also be relied upon to offer a presence in the middle of the park.

The former Black Cats boss, Lee Johnson, even compared the youngster to Paul Gascoigne when praising his influence on the side after becoming a more regular starter, saying:

“He’s got that lovely dribbling technique – a little bit like a young Paul Gascoigne almost in the way he pops and drags it at the same time. As a defender, it’s very difficult to commit because the minute you do, he’s got the ability to skip by you.”

Sunderland are now sixth in the table after an important win over Oxford United at the weekend, however, they must continue with their phenomenal run of form in order to keep them firmly in a play-off spot with tight competition in the League One table, and a win over Shrewsbury on Friday night should put them in the best position.

AND in other news: Speakman must avoid embarrassing SAFC error over “sublime” gem who “can change a game”

According to a recent report from The Daily Mirror, Newcastle United are interested in a move for winger Yannick Bolasie before the close of the transfer window on Thursday. The 29-year-old currently plays his football at Premier League outfit Everton and has done so since leaving Crystal Palace back in the summer of 2016, although struggles for regular game time under new Toffees manager Marco Silva, hence he was shipped out on loan earlier this season, has plunged his future at Goodison Park into doubt.

And a recent report from The Daily Mirror suggests that Rafa Benitez’s Newcastle, as well as a whole host of other Premier League clubs, are eyeing up a move for the linked-away ace, whose arrival at St James’ Park would go some way to giving the Magpies a huge upgrade on awful Kenedy.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, the acquisition of Brazilian star Kenedy back in the summer was met with widespread optimism given just how effective the 22-year-old was for the North East giants last season – arguably, his arrival 12 months ago helped inspire the Magpies to a tenth place finish.

However, the winger has looked a shadow of that player this time round in netting just once and laying on only one assist for Benitez’s side, to the point that he hasn’t featured in three of their last four Premier League matches to underline just how out of form the 22-year-old really is.

Ultimately, while he only actually scored twice for the club last term, his overall impact was clear for all to see as he injected some impetus and dynamism into the Newcastle attack – quite simply, that hasn’t been seen this time round.

And with the Magpies reportedly (as per The Daily Mirror) interested in Everton’s Bolasie this month, the DR Congo international would go some way to giving Benitez an upgrade on the Brazilian.

The 29-year-old has struggled for form pretty much ever since returning from a year out with injury at the rear end of 2017, with the winger bagging just once in the second half of last season for the Toffees as they finished eighth under Sam Allardyce.

Yet the former Crystal Palace man was shipped out on loan by new boss Silva at the start of the season to underline just how far down the pecking order he was at Goodison Park, and returning early after a testing spell at Championship side Aston Villa doesn’t appear to have aided his cause in getting back into the Everton fold.

However, one mustn’t forget just how effective and impactful Bolasie can be when he is somewhere near his best, what with the winger netting 13 times and laying on 30 assists in 144 games for Palace between 2012 and 2016, before starting well at Everton with a goal and four assists in 13 league games prior to injury – clearly, there is a seriously talented Premier League winger in the 29-year-old.

And in a Newcastle side crying out for greater flair and creativity in the final third of the field, and someone to try and replicate what Kenedy did 12 months ago by giving them an injection of energy going forward, Bolasie could seriously flourish.

Yes, the Magpies will either have to strike a permanent deal for the 29-year-old or let one of Kenedy or Salomon Rondon return to their parent clubs, such are the loan rules, but either way it’s a deal Benitez and the club’s hierarchy simply must seek to strike, as doing so would give the Spaniard a huge upgrade on the out-of-form Brazilian star.

Newcastle fans… what do you think? Let us know!

An update has emerged on Newcastle United’s plans that will cause concern for Dan Burn…

What’s the talk?

Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie has warned the Englishman that he is likely to face stiff competition for his place next season.

The journalist has claimed that the Magpies may sign as many as two central defenders in the next transfer window, leaving his spot in the team in a vulnerable position.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “I don’t think what he’s done will have any impact at all on Newcastle’s plans for the summer. I still expect them to spend big, and I expect them to bring in at least one, if not two international centre-backs, even with Dan Burn there.”

Disasterclass

PIF must avoid a Darsley Park disaster this summer because instantly replacing Burn would be a huge mistake by the owners.

Firstly, he has been excellent in the Premier League this season and there is little need to find an immediate upgrade in his position.

Steven Taylor dubbed him a “perfect” signing for the club and Toon legend Alan Shearer admitted that he was shocked by his performances, saying: “I looked at him at Brighton and I saw a good Premier League player, who is reliable. I have got to be honest. I didn’t realise how good he was, in terms of what he has brought to this Newcastle team, the leadership.

“Watch the way he’s looking around and trying to organise different players, then taking up his position to do his bit defensively. He has been a leader in that back four, ever since he has put that black and white shirt on.”

He has averaged a superb SofaScore rating of 7.03 for Brighton and Newcastle combined, making 3.1 tackles and interceptions per game. The £20k-per-week machine has shown that he can consistently deliver in the top-flight and that is one reason why it would be a mistake to replace him this summer.

Another reason why it would be a mistake from PIF is that it would surely put some players off from wanting to join the club.

Seeing that they are willing to wield their axe with Burn, in the sense of replacing him in the starting XI, after just a few months in which he has been delivering quality performances would cause targets to think twice about whether or not it is the best move for their career.

Why would a player be interested in signing for the Magpies if they know that they can put in excellent displays and help the team massively and still be potentially pushed aside within weeks or months?

Therefore, the Magpies must add one centre-back to their squad this summer to compete with the likes of Schar and Dan Burn, instead of signing a completely new defensive pairing.

AND in other news, Sold at £108k, now worth £10.8m: NUFC had howler on gem who proved Benitez “all wrong”…

West Ham United are ready to move for Everton centre-back Michael Keane if the Blues are relegated. 

That’s according to Daily Star sports reporter Harry Pratt.

The lowdown

Keane, Pratt notes, was ‘rising through the Manchester United ranks’ when David Moyes in charge during the 2013/14 season.

Everton later paid £25.7million to sign Keane in 2017 after he’d spent two and a half years at Burnley.

The Englishman has gone on to rack up 181 appearances for The Toffees, including 33 in all competitions so far this season (via Transfermarkt).

His £65,000-per-week contract still has more than three years left to run.

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The latest

Pratt writes that Moyes remains a ‘big admirer’ of Keane and could look to capitalise on the ‘major exodus’ that’s anticipated at Goodison Park if the Toffees drop.

The Scot and West Ham would be ready to offer him ‘an immediate route back to the Premier League’.

Moyes wants to more centre-back available ahead of the 2022/23 season.

Keane would apparently cost the Hammers as much as £20million even after a potential relegation.

The verdict

Everton supporters may be somewhat surprised at the prospect of a lucrative sale.

Indeed, a £20million exit would be the ninth-biggest in the history of the club.

Keane has come in for heavy criticism at times this season, with Paul Robinson accusing him of frequent ‘lapses in concentration’ and The I’s James Gray pondering if he’d endured the ‘worst half ever’ in the 5-0 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur last month.

But Moyes has been undeterred, and he could hand his former club a significant financial boost, helping to absorb the possible blow of demotion.

In other news, Everton also risk losing another mainstay.

According to reports by The Mirror (as relayed by football.london), former Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov fears that Harry Kane will once again try to force a move away from Spurs if Antonio Conte fails to win a trophy or qualify for the Champions League.

The Lowdown: Harry Kane’s transfer saga

Kane was at the heart of a messy transfer saga during last summer’s transfer window. The England captain was Pep Guardiola’s priority target as Manchester City looked to bring in a top-quality striker. Spurs rejected City’s sensational £125m bid for the player, who had his mind set on the move after winning last season’s Premier League Golden Boot.

Kane tried to force his way out of the north London club by failing to turn up to training. However, these attempts proved unsuccessful, and the 28-year-old took to social media to confirm that he would remain at his boyhood club.

Despite Spurs’ retention of the striker, he has been relatively poor this season, having transfer market valuation drop from a peak of £135m to its current value of £90m.

The Latest: Berbatov issues Kane transfer warning

Berbatov now fears that Kane will try again to leave the club if Tottenham fail to deliver silverware or a top-four finish this season.

Speaking to The Mirror, the Bulgarian said: “In my opinion, I think we are going to see a similar situation with Harry Kane to last year.

“I am not convinced that the thought of moving to a top club to win trophies is completely out of Harry’s head.

“Yes, Conte has said that Harry is a key guy and that the team must evolve around him. But at the same time, I think that temptation is still there – and that we will see the same drama next summer.

“The only way that won’t happen is if Spurs win something or qualify for the Champions League. That’s where Kane wants to be – so let’s see if Spurs can surprise a few people by doing it.”

The Verdict: Pressure on Spurs to keep Kane

With Berbatov believing that Kane holds mixed feelings over his future at Tottenham, there is huge pressure on Conte to guide the team to a successful season in the form of a trophy or Champions League qualification. Otherwise, the England international could once again seek to leave the club.

He would be a monumental loss for Spurs. Kane has played 364 times for the Lilywhites, scoring an incredible 233 goals. Levy will not only be feeling the pressure to keep the fan favourite at the club, he might also be worrying about whether Conte will follow suit in leaving if the England captain is eventually granted a departure from N17.

With the FA Cup still to fight for, and sitting just four points off the top four with several games in hand, Tottenham still have every chance of salvaging tangible success from this season. Kane’s future at the club could depend on it.

In other news – ‘Conte is confident’: Spurs business ‘expected to be tied up very soon’ amid exit rumour

Celtic currently boast the best-attacking record in the SPFL this season under Ange Postecoglou, having scored 80 goals in 34 games.

18 different players have found the net for the Hoops in this campaign and helped them climb six points clear at the top of the league table.

However, one player that hasn’t been involved in Celtic’s latest season is Ryan Christie, who left the Parkhead club during the previous summer transfer window.

The 27-year-old joined Championship club AFC Bournemouth for a fee of £2.5m back in September after making a total of 151 appearances for the Bhoys across all competitions.

In those appearances, the Scotsman scored 41 goals and provided 44 assists, making him a useful attacking figure for the club.

Since making his move to Bournemouth, the attacker has been a fairly regular player for the Cherries in their bid to reach the Premier League.

With 36 appearances under his belt, the former Hoops star has racked up 11 goal contributions for the Championship club, scoring three goals and providing eight assists.

To further highlight his attacking talent, the £8.1m-rated player has the second-highest number of shots and crosses in the Bournemouth squad.

The 27-year-old also had the second-highest number of tackles to his name, showing how useful the Scotland international can be from a defensive point of view.

As well as his prowess in front of goal, his overall performances have also been rather impressive for his new club.

According to WhoScored, he is currently listed as Bournemouth’s third-highest rated player with a rating of 7.04.

Taking all of this into account, it’s easy to see why Hoops journalist Ryan McGinlay claimed that the Cherries gem could have been Celtic’s “player of the season” had he stayed at Parkhead and played under Postecoglou.

Even though the Bhoys haven’t had much of an issue scoring goals this season, there may be some sense of regret surrounding the attacker’s summer exit.

Moving forward, the best way for everyone at Celtic to finally put Christie and his exit behind them is to secure a permanent deal for their current loan attacker Jota.

Having delivered 23 goal contributions in 36 games this season, the Portuguese winger could be the ideal tonic for any Hoops fan that may be still concerned about losing Christie.

In other news: Time to go: Ange must finally axe Celtic’s £2m Parkhead flop, he’s stealing a living

Tottenham have allegedly reached an agreement with Fiorentina for midfielder Sofyan Amrabat.

The Lowdown: Amrabat profiled

Amrabat is a Morocco international who is primarily a defensive midfielder who can also play in a central role.

The 25-year-old is valued at £8.1m by Transfermarkt and has made 45 appearances for the Serie A side after joining back in 2020.

He’s been missing in Fiorentina’s last four league outings and is yet to contribute to a goal for his current employers, with a move to Antonio Conte’s side now looking likely before Monday’s deadline.

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The Latest: Agreement reached

According to Corriere Fiorentino, relayed by Sports Witness, Amrabat is ‘more than happy’ to move to Spurs and it will happen ‘barring surprises’.

Conte and Fabio Paratici both ‘rate’ the midfielder, with an ‘agreement reached’ between the two clubs.

It seems as if Tanguy Ndombele has to leave the club first, though, with the report claiming the Frenchman is ‘blocking’ a transfer being finalised.

The Verdict: Needed

Spurs are in desperate need of reinforcements in the final days of the window and have ultimately wasted a lot of time on pursuing Adama Traore, who is in Barcelona ahead of a loan move.

They also look set to miss out on Luis Diaz, so it’s good news that a move for Amrabat is all but sealed, providing Ndombele can seal a move away from north London.

He now looks set to become the club’s third defensive midfielder on the books alongside Oliver Skipp and Harry Winks, so it’ll be interesting to see how Conte uses Amrabat in the second half of the season.

In other news: Spurs now preparing last-gasp bid to sign ‘special’ player who could leave for just £14m. 

Crystal Palace make the mighty 298 mile trip to St James’ Park tonight, as they take on fellow mid-table settlers Newcastle United.

Although both sides are believed to be safe from relegation obscurity, they share the mutual ambition of reaching the traditional safe haven that is the 40 points mark.

A win for either side tonight would allow them to achieve that very ambition, though only one side can prevail.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Vieira revealed that the Eagles’ recent loss to Chelsea was a “massive disappointment” and ordered his side to answer questions raised.

In the same press conference, Vieira gave some succinct team news over his side’s injury status heading into this clash with the Magpies:

“Our captain Luka [Milivojevic] will not be part of the group. He felt something in his hamstring so he won’t be part of the team. Nathan [Ferguson] is still injured. Outside of those two, everybody is good.”

With that update, we at Football FanCast anticipate two changes from Palace’s loss against Chelsea in the FA Cup.

Crystal Palace predicted XI: Guaita (GK) Clyne (RB) Andersen (RCB) Guehi (LCB) Mitchell (LB) Gallagher (RCM) Kouyate (DM) Schlupp (LCM) Eze (RW) Mateta (ST) Zaha (LW).

A return back to the 4-3-3 system after two games, and two losses without it makes sense for Patrick Vieira.

Perhaps the biggest boost is the return of 22-year-old Eagles loanee Conor Gallagher who has been dubbed a “sensation” by Zach Lowy. He comes in for the £1.4m-rated James McArthur, with Gallagher proving to be one of Vieira’s biggest creative threats this season having bagged eight goals and three assists.

Our predicted line-up also sees Nathaniel Clyne restored in place of Joel Ward, who started the FA Cup semi-final last time out.

The return of Eberechi Eze will be welcomed too, after the 23-year-old completed his first full 90 minutes against Chelsea in the last game, with the player who has been dubbed “special” by CoachesVoice now over his achilles tendon problem.

Jordan Ayew, a player described as “magic” is also an unfortunate drop-out with Vieira hoping to secure victory.

In other news: Vieira could terrify Newcastle by unleashing CPFC’s “special” £37k-p/w livewire…

Celtic forward Leigh Griffiths is wanted by Dundee in a permanent deal, The Herald report.

The Lowdown: Soon-to-be free agent

Recent reports have suggested that the Hoops have terminated the 31-year-old’s contract at Parkhead, however, the club are yet to confirm this.

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As things stand, Griffiths, labelled as ‘amazing’ by Alex McLeish, is still technically a Celtic player, with his deal set to expire in the summer.

He’s been on loan at Dundee during the 2021/22 campaign, scoring twice in 14 games, and it seems as if he is wanted on a permanent deal at Dens Park.

The Latest: Full-time move

According to The Herald, Dundee manager James McPake is determined to keep Griffiths until the end of the season.

Parkhead chiefs have spoken to Griffiths and agreed that they will cancel his contract early, with a permanent move to Dundee as a free agent on the cards at the end of the month.

The Verdict: Good decision

Even though Griffiths penned fresh terms after Ange Postecoglou arrived, things have quickly changed and he is no longer needed at Parkhead, so cutting ties is the right call.

The Hoops have brought in Kyogo Furuhashi, Giorgos Giakoumakis, Daizen Maeda and youngster Johnny Kenny as central attacking options after Griffiths extended his stay, so they have more than enough without the Scot.

He’s been a great servant to the club, scoring 123 goals in green and white in 262 appearances and winning 14 major honours, but now is the time to move on for good and look to the future.

In other news: Source claims Celtic closing in on £5m transfer; talkSPORT man says it will ‘definitely’ happen.