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The Professional Football Association (PFA) has announced that racist abuse will become a sackable offence for professional footballers next season. Racist abuse will now be classed as gross misconduct within football.

Both the Premier League and Football League is expected to back this campaign. Although no actions will be enforced by the PFA, it will be down to the club to terminate a players contract if found committing the abuse. If a club chooses to refuse, it will signify the club condones the act of racism. It will be taken into affect by introducing the penalty into a player’s contract with a club.

Gordon Taylor the Chief Executive of the Professional Footballers Association is behind the proposal and hopes it will send out a powerful message to all players in the game. However this completely contradicts a statement made by Gordon Taylor regarding the Suarez incident when he “was surprised at the severity of the punishment” at the time of the case, which was only last season. Taylor also reiterates that it will remove any ambiguity about the possible consequences for anyone found guilty of the offence.

Racism has previously been attempted to remove from football with the Kick It Out campaign which challenges discrimination and encourages inclusive practices and work towards a possible change which is supported and funded by all the games governing bodies. Yet recently this has been evidently unsuccessful due to the two high profile incidents in the Premier League last season.

The Chelsea captain will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on 9 July after he was charged with a ‘racially aggravated public order offence’ against Anton Ferdinand in October. Conveniently after the UEFA Euro’s where Terry plays is part in Hodgson’s squad representing England.

Football should not be different to any other profession and footballers should not get treated any differently to other professionals. If there was racist abuse witnessed in any other profession it would definitely not be tolerated and the culprit will be sacked with immediate affect.

The PFA will present the proposal to the Professional Football Negotiating and Consultative Committee, which includes the Premier League and the Football League, and Taylor is confident that it will be approved.

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The terms ‘striker’ and ‘West Ham’ have been thrown together a lot of late, particularly last month whilst the transfer window was open. It’s the key area the Hammers need reinforcements in with Michail Antonio the East London outfit’s only senior centre-forward.

The Jamaica international started the campaign in red-hot form, scoring four goals in his first three Premier League matches. However, the 31-year-old has only scored five goals since, having not found the back of the net since New Year’s Day.

It’s an area that David Moyes’ side have had little luck with in terms of recruitment, with the Hammers failing to sign a striker once again last month. There will certainly be a desperate need to add at least one in the summer, however, failed endeavours in the past have, in the long-term, favoured the Irons. Particularly the case of Maxi Gomez.

After Marko Arnautovic left The London Stadium for Chinese Super League outfit Shanghai SIPG for a fee believed to be around €25m (£21m), the Hammers targeted then-Celta Vigo star Gomez.

The Irons were willing to break their transfer record at the time to pay Gomez’s €50m (£42m) release clause, however, the Uruguayan remained in La Liga, joining Valencia instead.

Instead, Manuel Pellegrini signed Sebastien Haller from Frankfurt for a club-record £45m fee, a deal that didn’t pay off with the 14-goal Ivorian now at Eredivisie side Ajax.

Now 25, Gomez is still at Valencia, but the striker certainly hasn’t lived up to the significant transfer fee paid for his services almost three years ago.

Having scored 31 goals and registered ten assists in 75 appearances for Celta Vigo, the striker has netted just 19 times in 97 appearances for the La Liga outfit, assisting a further ten goals.

The Uruguayan is yet to reach double figures in the league since his move to the Mestalla, having scored 13 goals in the Spanish top-flight the season before his move.

This campaign, in particular, has been an issue for the 25-year-old, who has scored just twice in 23 appearances across all competitions, starting 17 of them which makes Antonio’s tally this term look prolific.

Although Valencia didn’t pay the €50m that West Ham would have as Santi Mina was included in the deal, with the Spanish forward joining Celta Vigo alongside an initial €14m fee, Gomez certainly hasn’t lived up to expectations.

According to Transfermarkt, the striker’s market value was at £36m when he joined Valencia in 2019 and has failed to recover ever since.

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After almost a season with the Spanish giants, the Uruguayan’s value dropped by £7.2m to £28.8m, but soon increased slightly in October 2020 to £31.5m.

However, from there Gomez’s value has continued to drop, with the latest valuation coming in December last year, with the striker reportedly worth £18m, with West Ham preparing to pay almost triple that just two-and-a-half years ago.

In hindsight, missing out on the forward was a blessing in disguise for the Hammers’ hierarchy, although their striker recruitment that summer didn’t go to plan with each Haller goal worth £3.21m.

Regardless, it is vital that GSB sign at least one striker in the upcoming summer transfer window, as a lack of depth up front could prove majorly costly with the East London outfit still competing in three competitions as we enter March.

In other news: Sold for £23m, now worth 5x less: West Ham played a blinder with “heated” 32 y/o flop

Frank McAvennie has suggested that Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou should look to rest Cameron Carter-Vickers and Carl Starfelt. 

The lowdown

The Hoops looked in good shape defensively straight after the winter break, conceding just two goals in six matches between 17 January and 6 February. However, in their subsequent five games, they have shipped nine goals, and their only clean sheet has come against Championship side Raith Rovers.

Last weekend, the Premiership’s bottom club Dundee breached them twice, with Giorgos Giakoumakis rescuing the Bhoys by scoring a hat-trick, including an 86th-minute winner.

Starfelt is on a run of eight straight Premiership starts, while Carter-Vickers hasn’t missed a league game since the clash with Hearts at the start of December.

The latest

Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie said that Celtic’s recent defensive trends were a ‘worry’ and called for Postecoglou to freshen things up in the heart of the backline.

He stated: “For me, in the last few games, the defence has looked jaded. That can happen.

“When that happens, great teams still manage to grind out a result. We saw that at the weekend when it took a Giakoumakis hattrick to win the game because the defence weren’t at it.

“That’s a worry for me. I would rather win 1-0 than 3-2 all day.

“The two centre-backs have barely changed all season so maybe they need a bit of a rest.”

The verdict

Perhaps the time is right to turn to Christopher Jullien.

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The Frenchman played the last 16 minutes against Raith Rovers earlier this month, making his long-awaited comeback from injury, but Postecoglou left him on the bench for both legs of the Europa Conference League play-off tie against Bodo/Glimt and also against Dundee.

Although there’s a need for patience with a player who has been sidelined through injury for more than a year, surely the best way for Jullien to get back to his former level is to get back into match action. Now may be the time to get him going in that regard.

In other news, Celtic clearly liked what they saw from this Bodo/Glimt player

Celtic centre-forward Albian Ajeti will be told he is free to leave Parkhead in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claim a Celtic source has revealed that Ange Postecoglou will inform the 25-year-old that he is surplus to requirements at Celtic Park at the end of the season, with the Bhoys willing to consider any offers submitted for the Switzerland international.

The striker had been linked with a move away from Glasgow in the January transfer window, with FC Basel reported to have been interested in the former West Ham United forward, however, no move ultimately materialised for the striker – who remains well down the attacking pecking order at Parkhead.

Postecoglou must finally axe Ajeti

Considering just how poor Ajeti has been since his £5m move to Celtic back in 2020, it is unsurprising to learn that Postecoglou is willing to cut the centre-forward loose at the end of the season.

Indeed, over his 20 Premiership appearances during his debut campaign, the £2.25m-rated striker found the back of the net just six times, provided his teammates with one assist and created no big chances, while he also took an average of a mere 0.7 shots and made 0.6 key passes per game.

These returns saw the player who Neil Lennon once dubbed a “tremendous” talent earn an extremely disappointing seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.85, ranking him as the Hoops’ joint 12th-worst performer in the Scottish top flight last time out.

Things have not exactly improved for Ajeti over his seven league outings this season, with the £18k-per-week forward having bagged two goals, registered no assists and created no big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.3 shots and making 0.4 key passes per fixture.

These metrics have seen the 25-year-old who Packie Bonner dubbed a “problem” average an even more disappointing SofaScore match rating of just 6.72, ranking him as Postecoglou’s ninth-worst player in the division.

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As such, considering his below-par returns, in addition to the fact the 11-time capped international has also set Celtic back roughly £6.5m in wages and fees over his one and a half year spell in Glasgow, the 56-year-old Bhoys boss simply must do all he can to finally rid the Hoops of Ajeti this summer – as it is clear that Lennon had something of a nightmare when signing the striker back in the summer of 2020.

In other news: £3.8k-p/w dynamo drops teasing transfer hint that will surely crush Celtic fans

Newcastle United have suffered an injury blow ahead of their trip to Southampton, with Federico Fernandez facing another spell on the sidelines thanks to a new issue. 

The lowdown

Newcastle travel to St Mary’s on Thursday night looking to put further distance between themselves and the relegation zone.

An eight-game unbeaten run has seen them open up a seven-point cushion on 17th-place Burnley.

Fernandez was missing from the middle of December until the middle of February with a thigh problem, and his return to the matchday squad has lasted only two games (via Transfermarkt).

Elsewhere, The Magpies are without Isaac Hayden, Kieran Trippier, Callum Wilson and Jamal Lewis, all of whom are nursing longer-term injuries.

The latest

Newcastle World journalist Jordan Cronin relayed the news from Eddie Howe’s pre-match press conference on Twitter.

Fernandez is apparently ‘set to miss’ Newcastle’s run of three away games in the next week – Southampton, Chelsea and Everton.

The new injury is only ‘slight’ but it’s expected to keep him out ‘for a week to 10 days’.

The verdict

Fernandez has made seven Premier League appearances for Newcastle this season, but his last one came against Burnley in early December.

The £47,300-per-week ace actually impressed in the reverse fixture – a 2-2 draw at St James’ Park – with six clearances, a game-high four blocks and 71% duel success (via SofaScore).

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Howe has dubbed him an ‘outstanding player’, but Newcastle fan page Mouth of the Tyne say he now ‘appears to be finished’ as he struggles for fitness and that he may be ‘one of the first out the door’.

Cronin agreed with that assessment, pointing out that two new central defenders could arrive and render the Argentine surplus to requirements.

In other news, Ralph Hasenhuttl has also suffered a setback ahead of the game. 

Everton’s 1-0 victory at home against Newcastle could turn out to be season-defining, with the Toffees now moving three points clear of 18th-placed Watford with two games in hand, and four points clear of Burnley in 19th in the Premier League table.

The Goodison Park crowd erupted after a 99th-minute goal from Alex Iwobi shattered the visitors’ hearts, and the Magpies will rue not taking full advantage of their extra man after Toffees midfielder Allan was sent off for a cynical challenge on Allan Saint-Maximin.

Everton boss Frank Lampard confessed after the match: “I’ve broken my hand by the way in the celebrations. I’ll take it for three points! It was in the celebrations for the goal. I didn’t realise at the time, but as the game carried on it was a bit sore there. It’s a bit shaky but it’s fine. I don’t care.

“It was an amazing night. It’s important that we put perspective on it, because we need those nights and there’s a long way to go.

“We must enjoy them and we must realise what got us that win. It was spirit, it was togetherness. I spoke to the players in the week and a lot of them stood up tonight.”

However, Iwobi wasn’t the star man on the pitch, as 34-year-old Asmir Begovic – standing in for virus-hit Jordan Pickford, earned the highest match rating by far (8.4) from SofaScore.

With the Magpies dominating possession and having the majority of the chances, the Bosnia-Herzegovina goalkeeper was called upon to make six vital saves, including four from within the 18-yard box, on his way to keeping his first Premier League clean sheet since Bournemouth’s 2-0 win over Brighton back in December 2018.

The former Chelsea and AC Milan shot-stopper also won all three of his aerial duels and completed eight long balls forward, one punch, one run-out and two clearances to relieve the tiring Toffees defence. The only thing he failed to stop was a protestor who cable-tied himself to Begovic’s goalpost.

Should he be called upon by Lampard again for Everton’s visit to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup quarter-Finals this weekend if Pickford is still unavailable, the 34-year-old will be heading into the game on a high as he seeks a third successive clean sheet in all competitions.

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He has had to be patient for opportunities this season, but Begovic – who was hailed as “the ultimate professional” by his former Cherries boss Eddie Howe, ironically now in charge of Newcastle – literally saved his team on numerous occasions last night, coming good when he was very much needed.

In other news: Everton now plotting bid for £11.8m “disaster”, he’s another huge Moshiri blunder

It would appear to be a fair statement to make that West Ham United endured something of a nightmare in the January transfer window.

Indeed, despite David Moyes making it abundantly clear that he had money to spend in the winter market, as well as the 58-year-old having identified three positions in his first-team squad that he felt required reinforcements, the Scot went into February with exactly the same group as players he had at his disposal in December.

However, this was not through the lack of trying – on the face of it, at least – with the Hammers reportedly seeing bids rejected for Benfica centre-forward Darwin Nunez, Leeds United duo Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha and Atalanta hitman Duvan Zapata.

Furthermore, in comments made towards the end of February, Moyes also revealed that West Ham came extremely close to landing Luis Diaz in the January window – only for Liverpool to beat the Irons to the £37m signing of the 25-year-old winger.

Speaking about his interest in the Colombia international, the 58-year-old said: “We were quite far down the line to sign him from Porto. My understanding was Liverpool were going to come in for him in the summer, and I was going to try to get him in January.

“I don’t know if us trying to get him in January affected Liverpool’s decision but he’s a really good player. I really hoped that he was going to choose West Ham. We didn’t get him in but our ambition to sign the best players to improve West Ham is good.”

Moyes had a nightmare on Diaz

Considering just how impressive Diaz has been since his January switch to Liverpool, the fact that West Ham appeared to be extremely close to sealing a deal for the winger is sure to come as disappointing news to the London Stadium faithful.

Indeed, over his six Premier League appearances for Jurgen Klopp’s side so far this season, the £58.5m-rated forward has been in electric form, having already scored two goals and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 3.2 shots and making 1.8 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the player who Andy Robertson dubbed both a “special” and “unplayable” talent average a quite extraordinary SofaScore match rating of 7.18, ranking him as Liverpool’s eighth-best player in the top flight of English football.

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As such, it is clear for all to see that the €67k-per-week (£56k-per-week) sensation would have made a fantastic addition to West Ham’s current attacking arsenal – leading us to believe that missing out on the 25-year-old’s signing this winter has proven to be a nightmare for Moyes and his side.

AND in other news: DM can land the next Bowen as WHU plot bid for “special” 20 y/o “destined for the top”

Leeds United midfielder Lewis Bate has withdrawn from England’s U20 squad due to injury.

The Lowdown: Elland Road knock

The young midfielder, who arrived from Chelsea last summer, suffered an injury in a 3-0 win for the U23s against Manchester United at Elland Road last week.

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Bate had to be helped from the pitch after going down on two separate occasions but did feature days later against his former side at Stamford Bridge, with the 19-year-old playing an hour in a 1-0 defeat on the weekend.

The Latest: International withdrawal

As reported by LUFC Youth Academy on Twitter on Monday evening, Bate has been forced to pull out of England’s U20 squad due to injury.

Bate was included in Andy Taylor’s squad for games with Poland and Germany, but like Aston Villa forward Cameron Archer, now won’t be available for selection.

The Verdict: Setback

It seems as if Bate has suffered a setback following his knock against Manchester United last week to now pull out of the England squad, considering he had initially been deemed fit to return against Chelsea.

The update isn’t ideal, but hopefully, Leeds and the player have made the decision purely as a precaution and he won’t miss much action when domestic football returns.

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Bate has missed just four of the last 13 senior Premier League matchday squads, establishing himself as a regular on the bench and impressing in a 3-2 win over West Ham in January, so fingers crossed he will be able to make a full recovery over the coming weeks.

In other news: ‘Been told’ – Sky Sports journalist now drops big Raphinha ‘update’ as Leeds exit gathers pace. 

Pundit Frank McAvennie has now unleashed on Everton after they posted their financial accounts.

The Lowdown: Accounts published

The Goodison Park faithful have now published their official accounts for the 2020/21 season on their website.

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They have recorded a total loss of £120.9m, with some of that down to the financial impact of the global pandemic.

However, the Merseyside club have remained in a secure position thanks to Farhad Moshiri, who has given them more than £600m since he first bought shares in 2016.

The Latest: McAvennie reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie has unleashed at the Toffees over their financial losses, and the 62-year-old added that relegation from the Premier League is now a ‘real worry’:

“You can spend all the money in the world but it’s the decisions that are letting them down.

“Hiring Benitez was such a huge mistake, no amount of money can help when you do that.

“A lot gets made of that hire but the transfers have been pretty bad too.

“Everton need to invest in people who make football decisions, people who know what they are doing because the current guys are clueless don’t know what they are doing.

“They are such a big club and I don’t want them to get relegated.

“But you look at the club’s position and it’s a real worry.“

The Verdict: Relegation catastrophic

If the Blues were to go down to the Championship, it would be nothing short of a catastrophe.

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They are already recording big financial losses, and without the security of wealth that the top flight brings through the likes of TV deals and sponsorships, they could be in real trouble come this time next term.

Of course, whether the pandemic will have as much of a financial impact is another question, but relegation still seems unthinkable at this moment in time, and so Frank Lampard and his team must push all the way to make sure that they stay up.

In other news, find out what ‘massive’ update will now have EFC ‘buzzing’ here!

Newcastle United enter the Christmas period as an inconsistent outfit, with their recent Premier League draw against Chelsea keeping them in the bottom half of the standings.

A two-goal lead after Nick Woltemade’s quick brace was not enough to seal three points at St. James’ Park, and with away form still leaving so much to be desired, there are real problems for Eddie Howe to solve.

These are more than just a few wrinkles across the Magpies’ fabric. There are systematic issues to overcome.

While defensive issues abound, with injuries piling up and United now without a clean sheet in ten top-flight fixtures, there’s a sense that attacking additions might be needed too, especially on the right flank.

Why Newcastle need a right winger

Newcastle solved their interminable right-sided problem this summer when they signed Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest for £55m, but the Sweden international has been anything but effective this season.

Elanga’s Last Two Premier League Seasons

Stats (* per game)

24/25

25/26

Matches (starts)

38 (31)

17 (7)

Goals

6

0

Assists

11

1

Shots (on target)*

1.1 (0.6)

0.5 (0.2)

Pass completion

78%

79%

Key passes*

1.3

0.5

Big chances created

9

1

Succ. dribbles*

0.7 (39%)

0.2 (17%)

Ball recoveries

2.3

0.9

Tackles + interceptions*

0.7

0.5

Duels (won)*

3.0 (45%)

1.5 (33%)

Data via Sofascore

He’s regressed. Big time. Luckily, Jacob Murphy continues to play an industrious role, but his potency has been severed along with the link to Alexander Isak, and it’s looking more and more likely that Howe will need to convince PIF to dig into their pockets once again.

According to TEAMtalk, Newcastle are long-term admirers of Jarrod Bowen and would be ready to bid for the West Ham United talisman if he were to become available in 2026.

Irons owner David Sullivan is desperate to keep his club’s captain and has made it clear that he is not for sale this January, though it’s felt a £100m fee would be enough to get the deal done.

That, of course, is a huge sum, and one that suitors would not be happy to pay.

Why Newcastle should sign Jarrod Bowen

Howe and Newcastle have had Bowen on their radar for several years, and with relegation-threatened West Ham potentially skipping from the Premier League this season, there might just be a chance to secure the 29-year-old’s signature.

Bowen is no spring chicken, but he’s one of the most experienced wingers in the Premier League and has been a shining light in an otherwise dim Hammers system, their top scorer with five goals from 17 matches this season. It’s pertinent to note that he has only missed two big chances, as per Sofascore, and given his positional skill and ability to arc inward and into the danger area.

His kind of clinical quality would see him slot right into Newcastle’s starting line-up, shoving Elanga to the sidelines. The 23-year-old is only firing on goal once every two matches this season, and he’s hitting the target even less.

As per FBref, the £150k-per-week star ranks among the top 9% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for non-penalty goals scored per 90, and that tells a convincing tale of Bowen’s expertise and how he might thrive in a Newcastle set-up with a greater capacity to fire on all cylinders.

Subscribe for in-depth Newcastle transfer and tactics Curious how Newcastle could reshape their squad? Subscribing to the newsletter offers expert analysis on right-wing options, potential Bowen interest, data-driven player profiles, transfer rumours and broader Premier League insights to deepen your understanding. Subscribe Subscribe for in-depth Newcastle transfer and tactics Curious how Newcastle could reshape their squad? Subscribing to the newsletter offers expert analysis on right-wing options, potential Bowen interest, data-driven player profiles, transfer rumours and broader Premier League insights to deepen your understanding.

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But Bowen isn’t only a sharpshooter. He’s a “superstar”, as has been noted by writer Paddy Keogh. The Three Lions man has averaged 1.5 dribbles and 4.6 duels per league game this year, and he has long been well regarded for his ability as a playmaker, capable of whipping in mean crosses and using his intelligence to link up with strikers in the box.

There’s no question that Bowen is a cut above Elanga, who simply hasn’t been at the races since joining during the summer. And considering the inconsistent form the Tyneside club find themselves embroiled in this year, this could be a statement signing to propel Howe’s project back into the ascendancy.

Related Better signing than Woltemade: Newcastle struck gold on star who is "back"

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Posts ByKelan Sarson