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Changes are surely coming aplenty for Newcastle United next season, as Rafa Benitez demands a proper reshuffle in shape in order to compete for bigger things.

The Magpies find themselves in risk of losing some key personnel considering the aforementioned Spaniard’s contractual situation on Tyneside and, elsewhere, influential midfielder Isaac Hayden seems insistent on leaving.

He’s not suited to life at St. James’ Park, seemingly wanting to move for personal reasons and, while it seems harsh to criticise him for that, the former Arsenal youngster would now be a big miss. Indeed, Hayden’s energy and steel in midfield have brought a new spark to Benitez’s game when it looked as if things were going stale, so his potential departure would be a blow.

So, according to reports from German outlet Bild (via HITC), the Magpies are looking for a rather unknown replacement in Nurnberg’s Patrick Erras.

While talented, the 24-year-old German is still finding his feet at the Bundesliga bottom feeders, making him quite an unusual replacement for such an influential midfielder. Erras’ only made 13 appearances for Nurnberg, including only 7 starts and would surely have to undergo a period of acclimatisation if he were to move to the English top flight.

Unlike the reliable Hayden, he’s still struggling to stand out in difficult circumstances.

If Newcastle want to move forward and become a side challenging for a European spot, getting mediocre talents like Erras won’t do. While the 24-year-old’s timely shown his ability with a few impressive appearances, stats don’t favour him at all. He’s only assisted once this campaign and boasts a relatively unimpressive 74.1% passing accuracy (stats via WhoScored).

Unlike the industrial Hayden, Erras has seemingly struggled under pressure and hasn’t been able to dominate possession as well as he’d like.

Exposing him to the Premier League’s intensity could be a huge risk, as the Magpies need to do better than getting a cheap replacement for their potentially departing workhorse.

Newcastle fans, would you be pleased with Erras’ potential arrival in the summer? Join the discussion by commenting below…

[ad_pod ]Manchester City fans have taken to Twitter to slam Aymeric Laporte’s performance against Tottenham on Wednesday, as the Cityzens crashed out of the Champions League on away goals.The former Athletic Bilbao made an error for Son Heung-Min’s opening goal after he inadvertently prodded the ball into the South Korean’s path.442oons have charted the entire career of Man City’s main man Sergio Aguero through song in the hilarious video below…Immediately after his mistake, the Frenchman’s loose touch allowed Lucas Moura to nip in and put Spurs on the attack, where Son doubled his and Tottenham’s tally just two minutes after scoring his first.Despite a spirited attempt to get back into it, crushed at the hands of VAR in the final moments, Laporte’s two moments of madness ultimately cost his side their chance at a spot in the semi-finals for the first time in their history.

Understandably, the City fans on Twitter didn’t hold back in their criticism of the 24-year-old (he even had to private his account after the game)…

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West Ham United suffered their third Premier League defeat in their last four matches at Stamford Bridge on Monday night as Eden Hazard scored twice in a 2-0 Chelsea win.

The Hammers had some bright moments, particularly in the second period, but were unable to stop the home side from collecting all three points.

Mark Noble again skippered West Ham from the middle of the park, but it would be fair to say that the club’s supporters were not pleased with his performance.

According to WhoScored, the 31-year-old only made one tackle during his 70 minutes on the field at Stamford Bridge, which is not really good enough.

There is absolutely no questioning the 5 ft 11 ace’s desire, but a number of the West Ham fans appeared to lose patience with the Englishman for his uninspiring display.

It is a difficult period of the season for the London club, who now face a trip to Manchester United on Saturday afternoon.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Wolves’ Raul Jimenez has been one of the most impressive new arrivals in the Premier League this season, playing a major part in Nuno Santo’s team’s wonderful first campaign back in the top flight.

The Mexican initially signed on a loan deal from Benfica but according to the Telegraph, he is now close to joining the club permanently for a club record fee of £25m rising to £30m.

Wolves supporters have fallen in love with the striker because of his good performances this term so they were obviously delighted with the news which was revealed on Thursday evening.

An individual claimed he couldn’t believe that it was happening to his club whilst another said it was music to their ears.

One fan suggested he wanted the club to sign Andre Silva, a player they have been linked with previously, whilst one other hailed the work of agent Jorge Mendes who has had a significant impact on so many players arriving at the club from Portugal.

Jimenez had scored 15 goals in all competitions heading into the weekend, which includes a host of goals against some of England’s top clubs. This season he’s notched against Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham and Liverpool.

Here’s how the Molineux faithful reacted to the news.

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Arsenal fans have taken to Twitter to react after Alexis Sanchez attempted to explain his poor form when speaking to the BBC.

The Chilean international said: “I’m a player that, if I’m not in contact with the ball, I lose that spark”, when asked to attempt to put his dismal Manchester United career so far into words.

Sanchez left Arsenal for Old Trafford in January 2017 in a swap deal with Henrikh Mkhitaryan, but has scored just five goals in 37 appearances for the Red Devils – to make matters worse, he is reportedly earning an eye-watering £350,000-a-week at Old Trafford, rising to £500,000-a-week with bonuses and image rights.

The 30-year-old had better times at the Emirates, scoring 80 goals in over 160 appearances, although the fans don’t seem to hold him in high regard anymore after arguably appearing to play for a move in his final weeks in north London.

The Arsenal fans’ strong dislike towards Sanchez can be seen in their replies to his statement on Twitter…

Aston Villa are reported to be interested in Barnsley centre-back Liam Lindsay according to The Sun’s Alan Nixon in the Sun (via HITC) and the move could shore up the defence that will see them miss out on promotion this season.

They currently sit in 13th, eight points away from the play-off places, but it’s their goal difference that really tells the story of where they’re falling behind. They’ve conceded 53 goals so far this season and only 22nd placed Rotherham and bottom-of-the-table Ipswich have conceded more. That’s not good enough for a side looking to return to the Premier League.

Barnsley are second in League One and have conceded just 28 goals this season, the least in the league and it’s no secret Liam Lindsay has been key to keeping his side tight at the back. He’s made 31 appearances this campaign and 42 times last season despite The Tykes being relegated. He’s a well-established 23-year-old who now looks ready to make the step up.

Villa’s history and size as a club should be an attractive prospect for the Scotsman, who’ll know that he’s exactly what they need to force a promotion push. He wouldn’t have any trouble breaking into the first team and so this is a rare opportunity for a lad in the third division to join one the biggest clubs in the country.

Although clubs like Villa can get stuck in the Championship (look at Leeds), there’s a major chance they’ll return to the Premier League in the next five seasons and that could be how Lindsey reaches the top rather than having to deal with the pressure of a transfer to a top-flight side. It makes sense for him and it makes sense for Villa.

If they can snatch him from Barnsley in the summer, they could plug their defensive hole and be pushing for promotion next season. That’d make Lindsey one of the best signings in the club’s history.

You do you think Aston Villa needs to sign for begin their push for promotion?

Arsenal fans have taken to Twitter to lay into Alexandre Lacazette, following the 0-0 draw against Burnley at Turf Moor on Sunday.

The Gunners recorded their 13th draw of the Premier League campaign with the stalemate against the Clarets – no side have registered more draws in England’s top-flight this term – and a big part of that was down to Lacazette.

The 16-cap France international placed a free header well wide of Nick Pope’s goal in the first few minutes of the game, in what was a glaring miss from the Arsenal No.9.

Lacazette was anonymous for almost the rest of the game, making just one key pass and having only 28 touches of the ball – no Arsenal player other than Bukayo Saka, who was withdrawn at half-time, had fewer touches.

The former Lyon striker had another chance to score in the dying stages of the match, but delayed his effort until it was eventually blocked and fell harmlessly into Pope’s arms – he was then substituted in the 89th minute.

It means that the 28-year-old has now gone eight Premier League games without a goal, having last netted against Brighton on December 5th – the 5 foot 9 forward has only scored five league goals all season.

Let’s see how the Arsenal fans on Twitter reacted to Lacazette’s performance…

To kick off the hammering of Lacazette, these two supporters were not happy with him.

@afcdaz1 said that the forward is “useless” before adding that it is “criminal” how Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang started on the left to accommodate the Frenchman.

Then, Bailey added that the striker “needs to go” – short and sweet.

Elsewhere, @AFCBeef was livid with the Arsene Wenger signing, saying that they have lost their temper with Lacazette now and they “can’t be defending that anymore” – this supporter seems furious, to say the least.

Also, @afcViking added that he “needs to step up” as he has “been awful for a year now” – brutal words.

Lastly, Gally said that Lacazette has “been terrible this season” and that they have “had enough of” Arsenal accommodating the striker.

Someone’s got to own them: Who do these incredibly unwanted PL records belong to?

Then ‘AFC bellerin’ said that the France international is “making Arteta look like a fraud” – big statement.

In other news, these Arsenal fans also hammered this player who was “like a donkey running around a coconut tree” against Burnley…

According to The Sunderland Echo, The Black Cats have offered an improved bid for Wigan’s Will Grigg, after having their original bid rejected. 

Sunderland and manager Jack Ross are clearly desperate to land a deal for the 27-year-old, and look as though they will not stop until they have secured his services at The Stadium of Light.

However, while this may be a high-profile signing, given the past that the Northern Ireland international has, this is a very bizarre move from Sunderland, and looks to be the wrong choice.

Now there is no denying that Grigg is a successful goalscorer in League One. In his combined last three seasons in the division with Wigan and MK Dons, he has amassed 64 league goals in total, which is a return that Sunderland would desperately want. With rumours that Josh Maja, their top goalscorer, could be leaving the northeast this month, they will need a player to be as fruitful in front of goal.

Grigg appears to be the man that can keep firing them in for Sunderland and take them into the Championship. But this is where it becomes a problem. In his last season in the Championship, the 2016/17 season, Grigg amassed five goals in 33 games. This season with Wigan, he has only managed four goals in 16 games. He has clearly proven to be a League One striker, but struggles in the Championship.

If Sunderland pay such a high fee for Grigg, they will expect more from him than half a season, but if they earn promotion, that is surely what they will get.

Trent Alexander-Arnold has experienced a remarkable rise up the rankings in just two years.

The Liverpool right-back has gone from academy starlet to first-team regular under Jurgen Klopp at Anfield.

The 20-year-old came of age last season as he showed no fear in huge Champions League matches against Manchester City and Roma.

The then-teenager also held his own during the final, which ended in a 3-1 loss to Real Madrid.

Alexander-Arnold’s impressive performances at full-back earned him a spot in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the 2018 World Cup.

This season, Klopp has continued to play the youngster in the first team, although in the club’s last two outings he has had to settle for a spot on the bench.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”310054″ player=”12034″ title=”Rafa’s Pub Facts Fake Madrid & Ross Barkley Emulates… David Ngog”]

It is unclear when he will be back among the fold, but one thing is for sure – his value to Liverpool has almost certainly risen.

The market has inflated massively over the last few years and it is becoming normal for an elite player to be sold for a fee in the region of £100m.

Alexander-Arnold is a young English talent, which adds a premium to his fee, and he is also a regular at one of the Premier League’s so-called ‘big’ clubs.

With that in mind, how much do you think the right-back is worth at this moment in time?

Let us know by voting below.

Arsenal finally have a squad that can challenge the best teams in the Premier League.

After Arsene Wenger’s departure, an overhaul was expected at Arsenal. The Frenchman will always be remembered as a club legend but it was time to usher in a new era at the Emirates. Former PSG boss, Unai Emery, was tasked with improving the club’s fortunes.

The Spaniard has wasted no time in revamping the squad. Emery has bought five new players as the Gunners look to challenge Manchester City for the Premier League title. Despite their smart business so far, their attack could use one more stellar addition.

The perfect man for the job would be Crystal Palace winger – Wilfried Zaha. Valued at £27m by Transfermarkt, the former Manchester United man has been linked with a summer exit following a superb Premier League campaign. The Eagles are desperate to keep their star forward but the Ivorian is adamant on leaving and reports suggest he could hand in a transfer request to force a move.

Chelsea and Tottenham are both interested in the winger who scored nine Premier League goals next season. If Arsenal want to be considered title contenders, beating their rivals to Zaha’s signature would be a huge step in the right direction.

Still only 25-years-old, the winger would compliment Arsenal’s attackers perfectly. He possesses blistering pace and fantastic dribbling ability – only Eden Hazard completed more take-ons in the Premier League last season (Squawka).

Landing Zaha would complete one of Arsenal’s best transfer windows in recent years.

Arsenal fans, would you like to see Wilfried Zaha at the Emirates? Comment and let us know!