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Newcastle’s new 2020/21 kits have dropped, including recent posts showcasing the away and third shirt designs.

The official Toon Instagram account are showing off the new yellow and purple kits and they’ve been followed up by a post from Allan Saint-Maximin. The Frenchman has uploaded a snap of him sporting the Newcastle third kit, which has enticed a lot of comments from excited Magpies fans.

Many are loving the design and can’t wait to get their hands on one of their own whilst others are telling the winger they’re eager to see him sporting it on the pitch.

Some other Toon fans are using this as an opportunity to show their appreciation for Saint-Maximin, a player who they really don’t want to see leave the club any time soon. Indeed, he has been linked with a move to fellow Premier League outfit Wolves this summer (90min).

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The 23-year-old joined the Tyneside club last summer from Nice, commanding a fee of £16.5million (via BBC Sport). He had a solid season despite Newcastle’s struggles, netting four goals across all competitions and assisting a further seven (via Transfermarkt).

Saint-Maximin finished the campaign as the club’s third top scorer, behind only Jonjo Shelvey and Miguel Almiron. After a promising debut season in the Premier League, fans will be looking to see what else the Frenchman can conjure up once Newcastle kick off the 2020/21 term.

How many goals do you think Allan Saint-Maximin will score this season? Let us know in the comments below!

According to reports, Tottenham are now interested in Aston Villa transfer target Ollie Watkins.

What’s the word?

The Brentford striker enjoyed a scintillating campaign in the Championship last season, scoring an impressive 26 goals as the Bees narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier League following their play-off final defeat – his manager at Griffin Park, Thomas Frank, simply hailed him as “amazing”.

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Reports in recent weeks have suggested that Villa are keen on bringing Watkins to the club, but The Sun now claim that fellow top-flight side Spurs are making a dramatic late move for the 24-year-old.

It’s claimed that Spurs were alerted to Watkins’ availability after Brentford hired an agency to sell the striker, and that they will have to pay around £22m to sign him.

Lange disaster

After replacing Suso, there is significant pressure on Villa’s new sporting director, Johan Lange, to get things right in his first transfer window in charge of the club.

Whilst most deals always tend to have an element of gamble to it, a move for Watkins is as sure-fire as they come. Not necessarily in terms of whether his Championship exploits can continue at Premier League level, but the fact the striker has already worked with Smith before when they were together at Brentford.

The Villa boss knows the 24-year-old inside out whilst Watkins himself is fully aware of the kind of style of play his former manager insists on.

Missing out on a striker like that, and instead going for a risk like Suso did with the likes of Wesley and Mbwana Samatta could leave Villa with a major sense of regret come the end of the window. If they let Watkins slip through their hands, it would be a huge disaster for Lange.

Wolverhampton Wanderers lost one of their key players this summer after Matt Doherty swapped Molineux for north London and despite the acquisition of Ki-Jana Hoever, it appears Nuno Santo still wants another right wing-back.

According to 90min, the Midlands outfit are one of three Premier League teams chasing a move for former Everton loanee Djibril Sidibe, who is seemingly free to leave Monaco for the right bid this transfer window.

They claim that West Ham are leading the race, but Wolves are also keen on signing him, though he will only be sold if any loan exit comes with an obligation to buy.

The Toffees hierarchy opted against triggering the €14m (£12.8m) clause they had as part of his loan last season after appearing 28 times in all competitions.

Sidibe provided four assists whilst averaging 3.3 tackles, 1.6 interceptions and 1.3 clearances per game, via WhoScored.

Not a single Old Gold player managed more tackles per game in the Premier League last season – not even Jonny (2.6), Willy Boly (2.6), Joao Moutinho (2.4) or Leander Dendoncker (1.8).

Whether the 18-time French international would be a decent addition for Nuno very much remains to be seen as he drew conflicting reviews last term.

Toffees caretaker Duncan Ferguson labelled him “unbelievable” after he played through illness against Chelsea, but later in the season, Sky Sports’ Gary Neville unleashed at his defending versus Arsenal, calling it a “madness” for poorly marking Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Wolves have also been linked with a move for Barcelona’s Nelson Semedo, which could make a ton of sense given his agent is Jorge Mendes, who carries deep ties within the Molineux reigns.

That deal is thought to be close as per Fabrizio Romano, so perhaps this interest in Sidibe is all merely a smokescreen.

Only time will tell, either way.

AND in other news, Wolves are now learning the negatives of aligning with Jorge Mendes…

Sheffield Wednesday are currently on a decent run in the Carabao Cup as they have won in the first two rounds after beating Walsall on penalties and comfortably beating Rochdale 2-0.

They know that they will be facing Premier League side Fulham in the third round of the League Cup, and they have recently found out their potential fourth round opponents as well, which is causing a lot of reaction from the Owls fan base.

The club tweeted out that the winners of the tie against Fulham will face either Brentford or West Bromwich Albion and Garry Monk’s side will be away from home.

All associated with the Owls should be very confident that they can get this far in the tournament as they are currently yet to concede a goal in their three competitive games this season and they won their first Championship game of the season 2-0 against Cardiff City, who finished in the playoffs last season.

Many have conflicted opinions on the draw though, with one saying ‘4 ties all away, some would say the EFL doesn’t like #swfc ‘ and it is clear to see why this person feels that way as the club have been given away ties for every round so far, whilst the EFL also gave the Owls a twelve point deduction this season following their misconduct charge.

Here is what fans said following the tweet:

Owls fans, what are your thoughts on this news? Comment below!

Time could be up for Moise Kean to prove himself at Goodison Park after reports emerged claiming Everton have warmed to loaning the troubled striker back his former side Juventus.

What’s the word?

According to Corriere Torino, via Sport Witness, Everton are now open to loaning Kean back to Juventus having backtracked on their stance that the 20-year-old would not be leaving Merseyside this summer unless in a permanent deal.

The Toffees drew the line on Kean’s future at a permanent deal aimed at recouping the club’s losses, having spent an initial £25.1million rising to £27.5m on the Vercelli-born forward who has failed to establish himself at Goodison Park since.

Juventus have been eager to land a reunion for the forward all window but have been clear throughout the market in that Andrea Pirlo’s outfit do not have the assets to satisfy the Blues’ demands at present. Kean, likewise, is understood to be desperate to return to the Allianz Stadium after a troubled debut season in England.

But progress could be on the cards, as the latest word from Italy is that Everton are now open minded to sending Kean back to Turin on a two-year deal providing they receive guarantees of a €25m (£22.6m) fee in the future.

Juventus are not yet thought to have responded to Everton’s offer, although with both the player and club keen to secure a deal, progress will likely come fast approaching Monday’s Deadline Day.

Time to part ways

Kean arrived on Merseyside last summer as a highly-rated prospect but already with a troubled past, having been punished by Italy U21 coach Gigi Di Biagio in April 2019 for missing training sessions ahead of a crunch fixture with Belgium.

That failed to persuade Everton Director of Football Marcel Brands and former head coach Marco Silva that the forward would be an ill-advised addition to the Portuguese’s squad, but issues settling into life at Goodison Park led to suggestions he was being mishandled by the 43-year-old.

Issues, however, remained off the field for Kean and Silva was left in a position where he felt the striker had to be left at home when Everton travelled to Southampton after arriving late for team meetings on multiple occasions.

Even once Silva was sacked and replaced by Carlo Ancelotti, Kean remained a troubled aspect of the Toffees’ first-team and left the Goodison Park outfit “appalled” when images emerged of the 20-year-old hosting a party at his apartment during lockdown in April.

No side willing to pay circa-£25m for Kean this summer may have kept the Italy international in England thus far, but a loan with an obligation to buy must be considered acceptable for a player who causes a magnitude of issues without impressing on the field.

Kean has played a total of 13 minutes, all from the bench, in the Premier League this season and was omitted from the matchday squad when Everton beat West Ham United 4-1 in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.

AND in other news, a long-time Everton star has emerged as a transfer option for a Premier League competitor.

Leeds United’s good start to the Premier League season has had many pundits raving about the Whites’ attacking intent, but it’s easy to forget that one man who deserves just as much credit as any forward player this season is United’s goalkeeper.

Indeed, Illan Meslier may have only kept one clean sheet so far this season, but he has been instrumental in Leeds’ success so far, earning all sorts of plaudits along the way.

Undoubtedly, his best performance of the season came against Sheffield United where he made two saves from John Lundstram and George Baldock at point-blank range to deny the Blades and eventually earn his team three points.

It’s hard to imagine where Leeds would be without their goalkeeper, and the fact that he cost just £5m this summer, makes his performances that much sweeter.

Marcelo Bielsa’s comments on him last season show just how good he is while also highlighting how much of a bargain he was.

“He is a goalkeeper without weak points and he has been with us from the beginning of the season,” Bielsa said.

Nobody expected a youngster from Ligue 2 to be Premier League ready this quickly, but Meslier is doing the business against the very best sides in the league.

Yes, he conceded eight in his first two games, but with three of those being penalties and others being down to individual errors, such as Liam Cooper’s poor marking of Aleksandar Mitrovic against Fulham, those numbers look far more forgivable.

At just £5m he has a better save percentage than £65m man Alisson, and if you discount the three penalties that have been scored against him, his save percentage goes up to 80%, which is good enough for third-best in the league.

In an age where relegated goalkeepers can cost £18.5m signing Meslier for £5m is one of the biggest bargains we’ve seen this summer, and Leeds can be proud of the fact that they’ve uncovered such a gem from absolutely nowhere.

Wolverhampton Wanderers may have missed out on a potential gem – if only they listened to former sporting director Kevin Thelwell before he departed Molineux…

What was the word?

Ahead of the January transfer window last season, the Midlands outfit were linked with a move for South Korean sensation Hwang Hee-chan by the reliable John Percy.

According to the Telegraph reporter, Wolves were planning a bid, thought to be in the region of £20m, for the forward with the view to loaning him back to RB Salzburg for the remainder of the season.

Thelwell personally scouted the 24-year-old on multiple occasions before the club pulled the plug on their pursuit.

One that got away?

Hee-chan has since joined exciting Bundesliga side RB Leipzig as the successor to Timo Werner, signing for just €10m (£9m). It appears Wolves missed out on an absolute steal.

For sister club Salzburg last season, the 32-time international contributed to a whopping 38 goals (16 goals, 22 assists) in 40 appearances, including in big Champions League ties against Napoli and Liverpool.

He’s been likened to Liverpool star Roberto Firmino in terms of playing style: “[Hee-chan] likes to get on the ball and has a trick or two up his sleeve to shake off a defender. [He’s] comfortable with both feet, with the strength to hold off an opponent and the pace to exploit space,” wrote Bundesliga.com.

His former coach Peter Zeidler has also waxed lyrical about his talents, claiming: “He’s exceptional, has a brutal dynamism. I’ve rarely seen anything like it.”

Even Erling Haaland dubbed him “absolutely crazy,” which is high praise indeed considering the Dortmund talisman is the crazy talent right now.

With an ability to play on the left as well as through the middle or even as a number ten, it appears that Wolves missed out on the most perfect Diogo Jota successor.

The 24-year-old has already made his presence felt in Germany too, scoring and assisting a goal apiece in Leipzig’s DFL Cup win over Nurnberg last month in what was his first start for the club.

Wolves are one of the fast-growing clubs globally thanks to their Chinese ownership group, Fosun, so adding a South Korean star would’ve aided that goal substantially.

You only have to look at Heung-min Son’s off-the-field impact to see the rewards that could’ve come their way.

AND in other news, £25.2m-rated Wolves star was a HUGE passenger vs Newcastle…

Wolves have made an approach to AC Milan for star talent Rafael Leao, according to reports in Italy.

Leao likened to Ronaldo

The 21-year-old has started strongly during the 2020/21 campaign, scoring three goals and providing three assists for the Rossoneri so far (TransferMarkt).

Leao, a young Portuguese striker, was hailed by his former coach Tiago Fernandes and was compared with Ronaldo due to his pace, technique and the quality of his finishing (cited by All Football).

According to Calciomercato, Wolves made an attempt to sign Leao during the last transfer window and he is seen as a replacement for Diogo Jota, who left Molineux to join Liverpool for £41m.

The report added that they did not come close to getting their man, with Milan believing that they have a “diamond” on their hands, so they did not even want to listen to the offer.

Transfer Tavern take

It is an achievement to be compared to such an iconic player at such a short space of time in Serie A, but he is a player that Nuno Espirito Santo evidently likes.

With the Jorge Mendes connection, Leao could well be a player that Wolves can attract to Molineux and he could even compete with Raul Jimenez for a place in the starting eleven.

With the January transfer window still quite a while away, time will tell what Nuno decides to do and whether he feels the need to strengthen during the mid-season.

In other news, Wolves join race to sign player with potential to be ‘as good as Trent Alexander-Arnold’.

Glasgow Rangers coach Michael Beale has called the VAR decision that overturned Patrick Bamford’s goal in the Crystal Palace vs Leeds United game “ridiculous”.

Beale hits out

The Gers coach was clearly keeping an eye on the Premier League action as the Ibrox outfit weren’t in action – Steven Gerrard’s side faced Hamilton on Sunday.

At 1-0, Bamford put the ball in the back of the opponents’ net – but his arm was judged to be offside and the goal was ruled out. Beale was clearly disgusted with the decision, saying:

“The people who changed the rules are ruining the game.

“This is ridiculous and the worst decision I’ve seen (yet!) using VAR. Nothing against Crystal Palace as I’m completely neutral – but that’s a shocking decision from the match officials.”

Not an issue in Scotland

Fortunately for Beale, such decisions are not something he has to deal with north of the border. As it stands, the Video Assistant Referee is not in play in Scotland. SPFL chief Neil Doncaster has previously said that the technology could damage the sport’s brand in Scotland.

The jury remains out on VAR. Whilst it can help referees in some cases, there appears to be too much desire to take goals away with such decisions. Hopefully, by the time VAR is introduced in Scotland, the system will have ironed out these problems.

In other news, Rangers fans love these quotes on Alfredo Morelos.

Yerry Mina offered Carlo Ancelotti further reasons to look away from the Everton defender, after producing a torturous display as Colombia were beaten 3-0 in their World Cup qualifier with Uruguay on Friday night.

Ancelotti had opted to bench the former FC Barcelona centre-half for Everton’s final Premier League fixture before the November international break, with the Italian instead favouring a starting role for Mason Holgate against Manchester United upon his return from a toe injury.

Mina had opened each of the Toffees’ previous seven top-flight fixtures alongside Michael Keane and helped the Blues to their only clean sheet on the opening day of the season, marking the 26-year-old’s longest run in the starting line-up under Ancelotti to date.

But Mina may now have to wait for his next chance to impress at Goodison Park, as the £27million Marco Silva signing offered what El Tiempo described as a performance to be forgotten against Uruguay after seeing red for two yellow card fouls.

The Colombian outlet tore into Mina for his efforts at home to Uruguay, as the 26-year-old’s struggles ensured Oscar Tabarez’s team were able to play below their best and still leave the Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Melendez with all three points.

Popular Colombian football commentator Ivan Mejia also had some choice words for Mina, taking to Twitter to claim: “Mina, keep organizing the little dance. Fortunately, this torture was over, it had not been played so bad for a long time.”

Uruguay’s win moved Luis Suarez’s side two points clear of Colombia in the CONMEBOL table, with Mina and James Rodriguez’s country falling to seventh place and facing a five-point margin to leaders Brazil.

Mina’s struggles at home to Uruguay were capitalised by his late sending off for a second yellow card, but his performance was worrisome before referee Fernando Rapallini reached for his back pocket.

The 26-cap centre-half failed to register a single successful tackle up against the likes of Luis Suarez and Manchester United striker Edinson Cavani, while losing two of his four ground duels, three of his six aerial duels, misplacing 13 of his 57 passes and losing possession 13 times, per SofaScore.

Mina only committed one foul that did not see Rapallini reach for a card, but his two clearances and one interception were fewer than defensive partner Jeison Murillo achieved, with the Celta Vigo man clearing danger on three occasions and making two interceptions.

Ancelotti would have hoped to see Mina respond from his omission at home to Manchester United, but instead saw the centre-half let himself and his country down.

AND in other news, Marcel Brands holds a key advantage in Everton’s hunt for Carlo Ancelotti’s £13m target.