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Newcastle slumped to an opening day loss to Tottenham at St James’ Park on Saturday, with manager Rafa Benítez overlooking his summer signings and depending on players from previous seasons. 

This could be a sign that the Spaniard is unhappy with his newest batch of players, or that he is waiting for them to adapt and become accustomed to their new environment.

One player in particular that may need to wait a while before he starts for The Magpies is Ki Sung-Yeung (valued at £6.3m on Transfermarkt.co.uk). The South Korean signed from Swansea in the summer on a free transfer, but is yet to feature.

Newcastle look strong in the middle of the park with a partnership between Jonjo Shelvey and Mohamed Diamé, and while one of those players will be rested at some point throughout the season, neither deserves to be dropped after one game.

Ki had a successful spell at Swansea, winning Player of the Season in 2015, but could not prevent the Welsh side being relegated last season, only earning himself a transfer away from the Liberty Stadium. But it would seem strange if Benítez would try and shoehorn Ki into his side.

Both Shelvey and Diamé are both solid presences in the midfield, which may be invaluable while Newcastle go through some defensive issues. This will mean that Ki will have to bide his time waiting for his first start for The Magpies. This differs from other new signings  Newcastle have made, where it is likely to see Salomón Rondón featuring soon, as well as Federico Fernandez.

Newcastle fans will be hoping that a few things get shaken up over the next months, and although some new faces will appear, Ki will have to wait for his chance.

According to The Sun, Middlesbrough want to sign Huddersfield Town attacker Rajiv van La Parra on loan before the end of the month.

Boro were believed to be on the verge of sealing a deal for Yannick Bolasie earlier this week, with the Everton attacker due to arrive at the Riverside Stadium on loan.

However, Aston Villa have since swooped in to land Bolasie, which has led to Boro needing to have a rethink ahead of the closing of the loan window at the end of August.

According to The Sun, Huddersfield’s Van La Parra has emerged as a target for Boro, with the 27-year-old surplus to requirements at the John Smith’s Stadium this season.

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Van La Parra appeared in all but five of Huddersfield’s 38 Premier League matches last season, and also has plenty of experience of the Championship having represented both Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brighton & Hove Albion in the second tier.

The Boro fans have been offering their views on the potential deal, and it would be fair to say that the majority are split.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Aston Villa are fighting hard to secure the loan services of Chelsea forward Tammy Abraham before the end of the month – as recently covered by The Telegraph.

Abraham, 20, scored five Premier League goals for Swansea City last season, but could not prevent the Welsh outfit from being relegated to the Championship.

The England international is back with his parent club, but has not been involved in the early stages of the 2018-19 Premier League season amid talk of an exit.

A number of clubs have been credited with an interest in the centre-forward, and it is understood that Villa are very much in the hunt.

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That said, Birmingham Live have reported that the 6ft 3in ace is currently reluctant to drop down to the Championship as he feels that it would not be the correct career move.

A lot could happen in the final days of the window, and the Villa supporters have been reacting to the speculation on social media – a selection of which can be seen below:

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According to the Daily Mail, Celtic are interested in taking Leicester’s new centre-back Filip Benkovic on loan for the season if Dedryck Boyata finally gets a move away from Parkhead.

Boyata ruled himself out of the first few games of this season claiming that he was injured, although boss Brendan Rodgers denied this and said the Belgain international was fit to play but refusing.

Celtic fans unveiled a banner that said Boyata was not fit to wear the jersey during the Bhoys’ home tie against Hamilton on Sunday, but it was the 27-year-old who scored the only goal of the game just after the hour mark, although perhaps tellingly he refused to celebrate.

If he does leave then the Mail reports that Rodgers wants to sign Croatian defender Benkovic as his replacement for the season. The exciting 21-year-old talent joined the Foxes this summer on deadline day from Dinamo Zagreb in a £13m deal.

Benkovic is still behind Harry Maguire, Wes Morgan and new signings Jonny Evans and Caglar Soyuncu at the King Power though and could be set for a temporary move away. Check out some of the best tweets from Celtic fans below.

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Loads of Liverpool fans have been reacting to the latest transfer news, as reports claim the Reds have made contact over the potential free signing of Adrien Rabiot.

According to ESPN, Liverpool have made contact with the mother and agent of PSG star Rabiot.

The French midfielder is expected to leave Paris after he rejected multiple contract offers from the French champions, with his current deal set to expire next summer.

The report claims Jürgen Klopp has already spoken on the phone with the 23 year-old, who is valued at £45m by Transfermarkt.

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The Reds will face competition from Barcelona, but if Klopp can use his persuasive powers they would effectively be getting a £45m midfielder for free next summer, assuming he signs a pre-contract agreement in January.

Naby Keita and Fabinho were signed this summer to revamp the Reds’ midfield, and adding Rabiot into the mix would give them a depth of options capable of playing multiple positions and systems.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Leeds United have enjoyed a thrilling start to the Championship season under the guidance of Marcelo Bielsa and have now seen some of their players transfer that form onto the international break.

A host of the Peacocks’ players were on duty for their nations this week and the performance of Matheusz Klich caught the eye in particular, as the midfielder scored a last-gasp equaliser for Poland.

The 28-year-old came off the bench for Poland in their 1-1 draw with the Republic of Ireland, scoring just a few minutes before the final whistle to snatch victory from Martin O’Niell’s side with what was only his second goal for his nation.

After struggling for first-team chances last season, Klich has propelled into a position as a crucial player for Bielsa’s promotion hopefuls this season after scoring three goals and contributing one assist in his six Championship appearances.

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Maintaining his run of form into international duty, Leeds fans were delighted with his display and we have gathered some of the best reactions below.

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Tottenham Hotspur have won three of their four opening fixtures of the Premier League season and currently sit in fifth place in the league table, but should consider a January transfer move for Watford’s inform versatile midfielder Roberto Pereyra.

What’s the issue?

Whilst Tottenham Hotspur has started the 2018/19 campaign off brightly, Mauricio Pochettino became the first manager in Premier League history to fail to make a signing in the summer transfer window, with many Spurs fans concerned about the depth to their squad.

With one of the top starting front threes in England’s top flight consisting of the likes of England captain Harry Kane, inform Lucas Moura and soon to return Son Heung-min, attention turns to Tottenham’s midfield.

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Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen provide phenomenal attacking presence, but defensively aren’t up to scratch, whilst the likes of Mousa Dembele, Eric Dier and Victor Wanyama are all top level defensive midfielders, but struggle going forward.

Mauricio Pochettino should be looking ahead to the January transfer market, and attempting to secure the signing of inform Watford midfielder Pereyra.

Why Roberto Pereyra?

Having joined the ranks at Vicarage Road from Juventus in August 2016, Roberto Pereyra struggled to maintain his spot in the Watford lineup, finding the net on just five occasions last season, but has excelled at the start of this campaign.

The 27-year-old versatile midfielder, who is capable of playing both down the left or in central midfield, has already found the net three times in the opening four Premier League fixtures, and is an integral part of the Hornets’ high flying, unbeaten team that are joint top of the league table.

Capable of giving cover to the likes of Son Heung-min on the left side of midfield, as well as all those in the centre, the Argentinian international could provide creativity and cover to the Tottenham squad.

Currently vying for places with Etienne Capoue, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Will Hughes and Nathaniel Chalobah, Pereyra is demonstrating that he has the capabilities to play at an elite level – something that Mauricio Pochettino should be taking notice of.

Having played in a midfield three alongside Andrea Pirlo and Paul Pogba in the 2015 Champions League final, Roberto Pereyra is not short of high level experience, and could not only provide strong cover across multiple areas of the Tottenham side, but perhaps push for a spot in their starting eleven.

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Loads of Liverpool fans have been reacting to their brilliant win over PSG, and they’re convinced Joe Gomez has cemented his place in the team.

Dejan Lovren returned to training this week, but Liverpool fans don’t think he will get back in the team.

The Croatian has taken plenty of stick throughout his Liverpool career, but was phenomenal in the second half of last season for the Reds and also for his country at the World Cup.

However, an on-going injury left the door open for Gomez, and the youngster has been absolutely phenomenal since breaking into the side.

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Gomez put in another wonderful shift alongside Virgil van Dijk on Tuesday night, and former Manchester United man Rio Ferdinand thinks there is “no way” the Croatian will get back in the side.

It certainly seems like Liverpool fans agree with that assessment, and they’re heaping praise on Gomez, who completed 90 per cent of his passes against PSG.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, look away now Dejan…

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[ffc_insert title=”Check out the Big Interview with Ben Dinnery & Johnny Wilson” name=”Fixture In Focus Podcast Special” image_ link=”https://fixtureinfocus.podiant.co/e/369d9b4fb86294/” link_text=”Click here to play”]

Former Chelsea striker Tony Cascarino has criticised West Ham for signing Jack Wilshere in the summer, in comments made to The Times.

What’s the word?

West Ham embarked on a hefty spending spree in the summer transfer window as Manuel Pellegrini splashed over £100m on new additions but he also secured a number of free transfers, including landing Ryan Fredericks and Jack Wilshere.

The latter arrived from London rivals Arsenal following the expiration of his contract at the Emirates Stadium and featured in the Hammers’ opening four games of the season, all of which ended in defeat, before suffering the latest in a long line of injury setbacks.

In his absence, West Ham have found their feet after beating Everton and holding Chelsea to a draw to end the Blues’ 100% record in the Premier League and Tony Cascarino has suggested to The Times that Pellegrini’s side look better without Wilshere.

What was said?

“I was surprised when West Ham signed Jack Wilshere. His injury record is so poor, and even though he was on a free transfer I would be surprised if many other clubs were in for him.

“It seemed to be a vanity signing and I can’t believe they gave him a three-year deal. The most damning thing about Wilshere is that West Ham have looked better since his injury forced him out of the team.

“With a midfield three of Mark Noble, Declan Rice and Pedro Obiang they look more balanced and, crucially, have the energy and fitness that Wilshere doesn’t have. He’s got excellent technical ability but he looks increasingly unsuited to the modern-day game.”

Is he right?

Cascarino’s comments may seem harsh but he makes a number of key points, the first of which is the three-year deal that the Hammers handed to Wilshere despite his injury record – which is something that could come back to haunt them.

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However, Wilshere did show progress last year at Arsenal by making 20 Premier League appearances and a further 13 in the Europa League, while his previous campaign on loan with Bournemouth saw him feature in 27 Premier League appearances for the Cherries.

It all depends on whether Wilshere can remain fit at West Ham and his early season injury is a major blow. However, it is too soon to say whether signing the England international was a mistake as he could still become a vital asset for Manuel Pellegrini’s side.

[ad_pod ][ffc_insert title=”Check out the Big Interview with Ben Dinnery & Johnny Wilson” name=”Fixture In Focus Podcast Special” image_ link=”https://fixtureinfocus.podiant.co/e/369d9b4fb86294/” link_text=”Click here to play”]Nottingham Forest fans on Twitter loved Michael Dawson’s performance in the Carabao Cup win over Stoke, with many pointing out his dominance in the last 10 or so minutes when the Reds were 3-2 up with 10 men.Aitor Karanka’s side went ahead after just 19 minutes against their fellow Championship side, when Ben Osborn broke in behind the Stoke defence and got lucky with a ricochet off keeper Adam Federici that bounced off the Forest man’s knee and into the net.The Reds were well on top in the first-half at the City Ground and Daryl Murphy doubled their lead just before half-time with a thumping finish. Then just five minutes into the second-half, winger Joe Lolley made it 3-0 and the game looked all but over.[brid autoplay=”true” video=”300259″ player=”12034″ title=”Mo Salah’s “7th Best Goal” Wins FIFA’s Puskas Award”]However, Stoke’s summer signing Benik Afobe netted once again to close the gap before Forest’s Benfica loanee Diogo Goncalves was sent off for a two-footed challenge. The red-card changed the balance of the game and Stoke began to pile on the pressure. Saido Berahino closed the gap to just one goal, but the Reds held out thanks largely to Dawson’s imperious performance. Check out some of the best tweets in reaction to the 34-year-old’s display below.