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Steve Bruce has confirmed Newcastle United defender Paul Dummett has been ruled out of Saturday’s Premier League trip to Aston Villa with yet another injury.

According to The Shields Gazette, the let-back has returned to the treatment room and faces a spell back on the sidelines after being withdrawn in the closing stages of the Magpies’ 1-0 defeat at Sheffield United earlier this month.

Bruce put the 29-year-old’s exit down to fatigue at the time but has now offered clarification on Dummett’s situation, adding that he had sought to be more cautious with his return from a serious hamstring injury.

Dummett missed most of 2020 after sustaining a hamstring injury during the Toon’s FA Cup third round replay with Rochdale last January, only returning to action in December’s 1-1 draw at home to Fulham.

The defender later played the full 120 minutes of this month’s FA Cup loss at Arsenal before featuring for 74 minutes against Sheffield United in the space of three days, but has now been ruled out of action ahead of Newcastle’s visit to Aston Villa this weekend.

“He’s not right for the weekend,” Bruce said. “Unfortunately, Paul’s had an awful time because of injuries and hamstrings and this, that and the other.

“Against Arsenal, in the cup, I tried to take him off, but other people were flagging before he was. Unfortunately, he stayed on the pitch a bit too long. It’s been difficult for him. He’s not fit.”

Newcastle travel to Aston Villa on Saturday night looking to end a nine-game winless streak across all competitions, against a side the Magpies have only beaten in one of their last six encounters.

Bruce confirming yet another injury blow for Dummett could now force the Newcastle head coach into late transfer activity, having as yet finalised a deal for a new left-back to move to St. James’ Park despite frequent speculation.

The Toon are seen to be in the market for a new left-sided full-back this month due to a sense that £15m summer signing Jamal Lewis has struggled to settle (19/1 – 1:42pm) in the north-east after his move from Norwich City.

United were claimed to have reached a preliminary agreement to sign Manchester United full-back Brandon Williams on loan earlier in the January market but, despite continued links, have yet to acquire the Red Devils product.

Newcastle have also been touted as a potential destination for Juventus prospect Radu Dragusin, though the Serie A outfit are optimistic over their chances of retaining the Magpies, Tottenham Hotspur and RB Leipzig target with a new contract.

If Dummett’s injury leads to a lengthy absence for the Wales international, and no alternatives are acquired, Bruce may be forced to rely on midfielder Matt Ritchie once again. The former Scotland international has featured more often at left-back than he has in any other position so far this term.

AND in other news, Newcastle face a fight to sign a £7m-rated target who “destroys” danger.

Liverpool are reportedly trying to complete deals for two central defenders on transfer deadline day with the club desperately in need of bolstering their ranks.

What’s the word?

The Reds have already agreed a deal to sign Preston defender Ben Davies on deadline day but they are seemingly attempting to wrap up one more transfer.

Numerous defenders have been linked including Marseille’s Duje Caleta-Car and Arsenal’s Shkodran Mustafi.

However, a new player has now emerged on their radar. That happens to be Schalke’s Ozan Kabak.

Sky Sports report that Liverpool are working on a loan to buy offer for the seven-cap Turkey international. Michael Edwards faces a race against time to complete a move, though, with the German transfer window closing at 5pm and Schalke seemingly unwilling to let him leave without securing a replacement.

Preparations are underway for a medical to take place in Germany if a deal can be concluded.

Forget Mustafi

With Liverpool eyeing a move for Arsenal’s error-prone defender, they must forget all about that deal and seal a move for Kabak instead.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/liverpool-deadline-day-latest-news-transfer-rumours-and-more” title=”Deadline day is here: Read the latest Liverpool news, transfer rumours and more!”]

He is a stalwart of a defender, one who could add a great deal to Jurgen Klopp’s squad.

After winning the Bundesliga’s Rookie of the Year, a few years ago, Stuttgart sporting director Michael Reschke said he was “one of the most promising young defenders in Europe.”

Indeed, the player looks up to Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk so he’s certainly taking influence from the right type of player.

The Reds have had to rely on young or inexperienced players like Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams at times this season so it’s refreshing to hear of Kabak’s maturity levels. Thomas Hitzlersperger once commented: “It’s incredible how worldy-wise he is for his age. It’s astonishing. I see him every day and am amazed at how he mature he is.”

Despite being just 20, he appears to fit the bill for Liverpool. A quick look at the stats show that the £34k-per-week youngster is imperious in the air, winning 4.1 aerial duels per match this season. That’s a tally that usurps every Liverpool player to have started five games or more in 2020/21.

It looks like Klopp is keen to get another central defender in as well as Davies and Kabak is a much better option than Mustafi so the Schalke man must be the player to get in today.

AND in other news, Deadline day Liverpool move for centre-back in jeopardy, Edwards should find a Plan B

Sheffield Wednesday returned to winning ways in the Championship on Tuesday evening, and the Owls’ versatile star Adam Reach stole the show on their way to a valuable three points.

The South Yorkshiremen moved out of the dropzone with a crucial victory over rock-bottom Wycombe Wanderers at Hillsborough Stadium, thanks to goals from Jordan Rhodes and the already mentioned Reach.

Sitting 25 yards out from goal, the ball fell to the 28-year-old’s feet before he fired home via a deflection to seal a 2-0 win, and aside from finding the net, the utility man put in an industrious display on all fronts.

YorkshireLive reporter Dom Howson handed out his Man of the Match award to fellow wide man Kadeem Harris, who provided the assist for their opener. He graded him a 9/10 and claimed that Reach was a “real livewire on the right.”

However, Reach arguably outshone him to steal the show on the night.

The former England U20 international was at the heart of it all, recording more touches (75) than any other player on the pitch, either home or away. Usually, you’ll find Owls skipper Barry Bannan (59) taking this acclaim, but for once it was Reach on that left flank, which only shows how influential he was.

That’s even backed up by the fact that the £2.88m-rated wing-back lost possession 24 times, more than anyone in a home shirt.

Indeed, he also top-scored as per SofaScore ratings with an 8.4, nearly one point higher than Howson’s pick for the match.

Reach was a constant threat on the left side of the pitch as he left Chairboys duo Scott Kashket (6.8) and Jason McCarthy (6.1) in his wake, neither failed to win over 62.5% of their duels up against the Owls man.

Similarly, the 6 foot 1 dynamo put in an absolute defensive shift, displaying those versatile qualities to a tee – he made a match-high four tackles and was close behind for interceptions (three) and clearances (three), all via SofaScore.

In the absence of a clear left-sided option in defence, the £20k-per-week Reach stepped up to the plate again to run the show for his interim boss, Thompson.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Palmer drops Sheffield Wednesday manager claim…

Leeds United will be reeling off the back of two consecutive defeats in the Premier League after Arsenal and Wolves came away with all three points. Their defeat to the latter will be hugely frustrating for the team, given that the goal that came against them was a freak Illan Meslier own goal.

Focus now shifts to this evening’s match against Southampton and Marcelo Bielsa will not take kindly to settling for anything less than three points. However, the Saints held Chelsea to a 1-1 draw at St Mary’s last Saturday and will be hoping to expand on this positive result following six successive top-flight reverses.

Leeds will host Southampton at Elland Road at 6pm – here’s how Football FanCast has predicted the Whites to lineup…

Ezgjan Alioski was dropped against Wolves because of his poor performance against Arsenal in their 4-2 defeat. However, the £15,000-a-week man may return to the lineup this evening so Stuart Dallas can rejoin his usual position in midfield. This will also pave the way for Diego Llorente, who has been out of action since a ten-minute appearance against Newcastle back in January, to return.

If he starts today, he will be making only his third first team appearance since joining the club in the summer, as per Transfermarkt. The £22,000 per week signing has been sidelined with a groin and hamstring injury, but has returned to training ahead of fellow centre-back Robin Koch.

Jamie Shackleton’s lacklustre display against Wolves could see him demoted to the bench. With Dallas likely returning to midfield, he will link up with Mateusz Klich in the middle of the park. Behind them will be Pascal Struijk, who will protect the backline in the absence of Kalvin Phillips.

All eyes will be on star wingers Jack Harrison and Raphinha as fans urge them to put in an influential performance alongside Patrick Bamford. They will need to catch Southampton on the back-foot, as they will undoubtedly be fancying another result today following on from their strong showing against Chelsea.

In other news, Leeds run high risk of losing Raphinha the more he shines…

It’s fair to say that Tammy Abraham in an Aston Villa shirt was an absolute revelation.

The England international fired Dean Smith’s side into the Premier League with his goals – 26 of them to be precise – and has since emerged as a key part of Chelsea’s first-team squad after returning back to Stamford Bridge.

But, reports in recent days have suggested that both Villa and West Ham both like the striker amid his possible departure from London this summer.

While Abraham’s goals alone are good enough to warrant Villa to consider making a move for him, his actual partnership with Jack Grealish is something that should have the Midlands club all over a potential deal.

Speaking earlier this season ahead of a Premier League clash against Chelsea, Smith said: “He’s a top player and a top person. We loved having him here and playing a part in his development and you know he’ll always have a strong affinity for Aston Villa.

“I think he is the real deal, everything about him. He sets standards and maintains them and tries to push them even more. To be a top drawer player, you have to have those standards but you have to be driven.”

Grealish himself has previously spoken about his partnership with Abraham during their campaign together in the Championship. In a Q&A session on his Instagram (via The Chelsea Chronicle), the Villa talisman wrote: “Unbelievable. Couldn’t believe how good he was with the ball for how tall he is. Loved playing with him.”

And, it wasn’t just Grealish who’s spoken highly of Abraham, with the opposite being the same too. The Chelsea man said: “He is a fantastic player and you don’t question why he is a leader. His ability says it all.

“He always believes and tries to encourage everyone – even until the last minute. It is always nice to have that behind you.”

According to Transfermarkt, Abraham and Grealish had five joint goal participations during their time together, which is quite impressive given that those above the Villa man on that list (excluding Kasey Palmer who played with the striker at youth level) are just one ahead on six goals but in considerably more matches.

The duo clearly had an understanding together in their time at Villa Park, and Smith could rekindle that magic partnership by signing the £36m-rated star in the summer.

Meanwhile, Villa must make a ruthless call on this star…

It may have ended in yet another Premier League defeat for West Brom, but there’s no questioning that there were plenty of positives to take from the game against Everton on Thursday night.

The Baggies were left to walk away with nothing after a strike from Richarlison, but Sam Allardyce’s men put in one of their more impressive displays of the campaign and were desperately unlucky not to at least grab a point.

They managed the same number of shots and shots on target as the visitors, with Jordan Pickford forced into making a couple of fines saves on the night.

But, one man who let his manager down with a truly woeful display was Matheus Pereira.

The winger looked completely out of sorts going forward, being extremely sloppy in possession and causing any potential counter-attacks and dangerous moves to break down – as per Sofascore, he lost possession 24 times, which was the joint-most of any Baggies player on the pitch.

He also failed to provide a single key pass – something that three of the Baggies’ back-line managed – and missed the target with all six of the crosses that he attempted.

In his post-match player ratings for the Birmingham Mail, Joseph Chapman gave him a 5 (the lowest of any West Brom player), and wrote: “A bit like on Saturday against Brighton, he wasn’t at the races in the first period. Passes went astray, moves fell down when they reached him.

“That’s unlike Pereira, who knows already that Allardyce won’t hesitate to change things up. Marginally better in the second but must rediscover that spark.”

That point about Allardyce not being hesitate to “change things up” should result in Pereira being dropped from the Baggies’ next game.

The 24-year-old has failed to score or assist in his last six Premier League games, and his latest howler should see the West Brom boss take the initiative and leave him out against Newcastle United on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Carlton Palmer has exclusively delivered his verdict on West Brom…

Former Celtic hero Massimo Donati has revealed it is his ‘dream’ to manage the Hoops.

The 39-year-old spent two years at Parkhead after joining from AC Milan back in 2007, making 47 appearances for the Hoops.

Donati won the Scottish Premiership and the Scottish League Cup during his time at Parkhead, scoring five goals in the process.

The midfielder’s most famous strike in green and white came in the Champions League against Shakhtar Donetsk just a few months after making the move to Glasgow.

Talking exclusively to Tribalfootball.com, Donati addressed his managerial plans, ending with an 11-word admission that could be of interest to several Hoops supporters.

“I have big plans as a manager in the future, I am just waiting for the right opportunity and I can’t wait for it to arrive.

“I have had many good coaches in my career and I have always tried to ‘steal’ something from each of them to be ready when my time comes.

“Celtic is really a great club, not even I was aware of its greatness until I found myself living it every day.

“From the point of view of the organisation (and not only that) it is very similar to Milan.

“My dream/goal is to become manager of Celtic one day.”

Transfer Tavern take

Donati, who has a Celtic tattoo over his heart, clearly has plenty of love for the club and big plans for management.

Possibly one day in the future, he could lead the Hoops after a successful stint elsewhere, however, taking the vacant Hoops job right now shouldn’t be in his, or the club’s thoughts.

Neil Lennon’s long-term successor has a big challenge ahead, with a summer rebuild in the pipeline. An experienced coach with fresh ideas appears to be what is needed at Parkhead, not a former player who has never had a senior managerial role.

In other news: Celtic have been handed a potential director of football boost thanks to Manchester United, find out more here.

One positive in appointing Darren Moore is that it’ll give Sheffield Wednesday something they’ve never really had – a manager that’ll trust and develop youth prospects.

This could become a paramount tactic should the Owls be relegated to League One as their already precarious finances will be depleted even more.

The Hillsborough-based outfit can clearly produce talent as seen in Liam Shaw and Osaze Urhoghide, who have both become regular members of the first-team setup this season.

We also got a glimpse of some of the other young Owls hopefuls in the FA Cup earlier in the campaign as then-caretaker boss Neil Thompson handed the reins to several of academy prospects.

One of which was left-back Ryan Galvin, who arguably stole the show in their 2-0 victory over League Two outfit Exeter City in the third round.

The 20-year-old won 83% of his duels, made five tackles and had three interceptions, via SofaScore, in what was his senior debut for the Yorkshire giants, leading to YorkshireLive reporter Dom Howson waxing lyrical.

He wrote in his post-match ratings: “Assured display from the left-back on his pro debut. Did not look out of place at all, delivering a bright, energetic performance. A day he will remember for the rest of his life.”

Considering former Owls boss Tony Pulis once claimed that he didn’t have a left-back at the club, it is perhaps worth considering Galvin as a long-term option in the role – even more so under the stewardship of Moore.

At Doncaster Rovers, the 46-year-old had one of the youngest squads in the division (average age of 24.6), which is a stark contrast to the ageing cohort of players at Hillsborough (27.1).

Galvin has been pulling up trees in the youth system, with academy coach Andy Holdsworth dubbing him one of the U23s’ “star performers,” he added: “Ryan Galvin came in and he didn’t put a foot wrong.”

The young defender certainly fits the mould in what Moore would be looking for, former Wigan coach Nick Chadwick told The Athletic: “He’s direct, quick and has a terrific crossing ability. He can dribble with the ball at his feet and is as good at that as he is without it, and in terms of his attacking game, there was not much more we could add.”

Clearly, Matt Penney isn’t too fancied at the club as he’s started only ten league games, whilst Liam Palmer is entering the final 18 months of his current deal – and the interest in free-agent Danny Simpson speaks volumes.

Therefore, the Owls could save themselves thousands ahead of next season by promoting Galvin into the first team. They won’t need to sign a new option, whether that be permanently, through a loan or on a free transfer – all of which will undoubtedly stack up financially.

AND in other news, Moore can solve season-long nightmare with move for £450k-rated “demon”…

Southampton’s decision to sign Jan Bednarek for just £5 million from Lech Poznan in 2017 is looking to be more and more like a masterstroke by the Saints, with former sporting director Ross Wilson deserving a lot of credit for his role in the negotiations.

Southampton brought in the centre-back for the minimal fee in the summer of 2017, as he became Mauricio Pellegrino’s first signing at the South Coast club.

He would end up outlasting the Argentine manager and he has become a key part of Southampton’s first-team under Ralph Hasenhuttl in recent seasons.

The Polish international has now made 108 appearances for the Saints, in which he has contributed three goals and four assists.

Bednarek was a big part of Southampton’s impressive form earlier in the season, forming a solid partnership with Jannik Vestergaard in central defence and he has been one of the first names on the team sheet under the Austrian’s management.

Having established himself as a quality defender at both domestic and international level, it is no surprise that Bednarek’s market value has significantly increased during his time at Southampton.

At the time of his signing, the centre-back was valued at just £4.5 million, whereas the 24-year-old is now valued at £22.5 million, which shows why his acquisition was excellent business by the South Coast club.

Bednarek is still relatively young for a centre-back, so it would not be a surprise to see his value continue to rise over the next few seasons and whilst it might be tricky for the Saints to keep hold of him if he attracts interest from a top club, it looks like they’re almost guaranteed to make a serious profit on him should he leave.

Therefore, you could definitely say that it was something of a masterclass by Wilson to bring in Bednarek for just £5 million back in 2017, considering his excellent performances in his first four years with the Saints.

To sign a player, see him have great success then either sell him for a big profit or keep him for years to come is exaclty what clubs like Saints want to do in the market. There’s no doubting that getting Bednarek was a masterstroke.

And, in other news… Southampton can sign their next Mane with £8.5m swoop for 18-goal beast

Southampton can get their season back on track with a win against Bournemouth in the FA Cup quarter-final on Saturday, with Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side having struggled immensely in the league since the turn of the year.

The Saints have won just one of their last 12 Premier League fixtures but have triumphed in FA Cup ties against Shrewsbury Town, Arsenal and Wolves in that time.

Last weekend’s 2-1 defeat against Brighton dragged Hasenhuttl’s side back into a relegation battle in the top flight but the Austrian will be hoping that his side put their league form behind them when they travel to the Vitality Stadium to face the Cherries, who are challenging for a play-off position in the second tier.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Hasenhuttl to line his side up in the FA Cup, with three changes from the side which started against Brighton last time out…

Fraser Forster continues as first choice after Alex McCarthy’s poor recent form for the Saints, with the former Celtic loanee having kept clean sheets in all three of his appearances in the competition this season.

There’s one change in defence as Ryan Bertrand drops to the bench after some disappointing displays of late, with Mohammed Salisu replacing him at left-back, which should allow Kyle Walker-Peters to push further forward on the right.

Takumi Minamino is unfortunately cup-tied having featured in the competition for Liverpool earlier in the season, so Moussa Djenepo is likely to replace him on the left-hand side.

Finally, Nathan Redmond comes in for Nathan Tella in the attack, with the youngster ineffectual against Brighton following some strong performances, so the Austrian should go for the experience of the £16.2m-valued 27-year-old to partner Che Adams if he wants his side to go all-out for the FA Cup this season.

In other news… Southampton signing 11-goal beast could be bad news for 22 y/o gem Ralph loves