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DeAndre Yedlin is set to be deployed on the right-wing for his international side this week, so could this boost his stock at Newcastle United?

What’s the story?

Newcastle have put together a string of incredible home performances since the turn of the year, steering themselves away from relegation trouble in a manner very similar to last season.

The Magpies have won five home games on the bounce, and Yedlin has started in four of those five.

The speedy full back has been deployed at both right-back and wing-back under Rafael Benitez, and is now set for an even more advanced role for USA.

According to reports, the 25 year-old is expected to feature on the wing during USA’s friendlies against Ecuador and Chile.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals why Tyne-Wear is a more intense derby than anything London can offer – check out the video below….

On the chalkboard

No one is for a moment suggesting that Benitez is suddenly going to utilise Yedlin as a regular winger, but his exploits for the national team could boost his Magpies career.

The American is perfect for that wing-back role in Benitez’s three-at-the-back system, but the speed and engine which allows him to bomb up and down the wing so effortlessly is often ruined by his lack of end product.

Playing on the wing for his country, even just for a few weeks, could give him the boost of confidence he needs to start arriving in the box at the right time to provide goals and assists, just as he did in the 2-1 defeat at the Etihad back in September.

With Benitez often known to switch between different systems, even changing to a back four during the recent win over Everton, having a player who can occupy three different positions down that right flank will be a huge boost.

In fact, when it comes to summer investment, it could save Benitez a lot of money. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Mike Ashley is not going to follow the Miguel Almiron signing with some mass spending spree, and Yedlin’s versatility will save money that can be better spent improving other parts of the squad.

Full-back is often pointed to on Tyneside as the position most in need of improvement, but could Yedlin step up to the plate with a bit of development in the final third? Newcastle fans, let us know your thoughts in the comments below…

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Loads of Celtic fans have been reacting to some comments from John Hartson, as the legendary striker has tipped Neil Lennon for the permanent job at Parkhead.

Celtic are set to be crowned Scottish champions for the eighth consecutive season, and the Bhoys could yet accomplish a historic “treble treble” as well.

They will face Aberdeen in the Scottish cup semi-finals before a final against either Hearts or Inverness, having already beaten the Dons for a League Cup success in December.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

Of course, it hasn’t all been plain sailing since Lennon’s arrival as interim boss though, as the Bhoys were moments away from recording their second consecutive dull draw until Odsonne Edouard scored a late winner at Dundee.

The Bhoys have not played anywhere near the expressive, exciting football that they often did under Brendan Rodgers, yet Hartson thinks Lennon should get the permanent role.

“I have said all along that I think he is the man for the job on a permanent basis and I still hold on to that,” the 43 year-old told The Evening Times.

“The way that he celebrated with the Celtic support on Sunday after that last gasp winner at Dens Park would tell you everything you need to know about how hard he will work to keep the success coming at the club.”

Hartson may have a point about Lennon’s passion for the club, but fans want more than that- they want an experienced tactician who can guide them to more than just domestic dominance.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, where hardly a single fan agrees with Hartson…

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According to a report in The Guardian, Tottenham Hotspur striker Fernando Llorente looks likely to leave the club when his contract expires in the summer, but the club should actually listen to what some fans are saying in this case and keep him.

What’s the word, then?

Well, The Guardian report that big changes could be afoot for the north London outfit come the end of the season, following two successive transfer windows without signing a new player.

The report states that Spurs have plenty of potential new players on their radar, which means that some current individuals could be on their way.

The Guardian reports that 34-year-old Llorente is likely to be one of those when his deal is up, and if you asked supporters a few months ago whether they wanted the Spaniard to stay it might have been a different opinion to the one some have now.

Give him another 12 months

The problem for Tottenham is that if they do allow the tall centre-forward to go, they are tasked with finding a striker who will be happy to settle for being Harry Kane’s back-up.

Find out why not a single Spurs fan will miss Wembley in the video below…

Llorente is at an age where he is clearly happy to do that as long as he gets his fair share of minutes here and there, and he has often stepped up – especially in 2019 – with seven goals and four assists in 24 outings in all competitions.

The former Swansea City man was particularly impressive when Kane was absent through injury, enjoying a run of one goal and three assists in three successive Premier League appearances from the end of January and into February.

The impact he made then – as well as in other games – seem to have convinced the following Spurs supporters that Mauricio Pochettino should look to keep him ahead of next season, and they have got a point because he can be a real handful from the substitutes’ bench and appears to have a great attitude.

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Idrissa Gueye reportedly asked to leave Everton for Paris Saint-Germain in the latter stages of the January transfer window.

PSG could not agree a deal with the Toffees, though, and the midfielder ultimately remained at Goodison Park.

Gueye has not sulked, however, and has continued to put in strong performances for the Merseyside outfit in the middle of the park.

Kurt Zouma – on loan at Everton from Chelsea – has recently paid tribute to the 29-year-old for his brilliant form.

And that led to a host of the club’s supporters commenting on Gueye – a 2016 arrival from Aston Villa.

It remains to be seen whether PSG make another move for the midfielder in this summer’s transfer window and Gueye will be fearing that the ship has sailed.

Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

Everton appear to be heading in the right direction, though, and Gueye will surely want to hear of the club’s plans for this summer before making a decision.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the Everton fans can be seen below:

Yesterday saw millions of viewers tune in to watch the second FA Cup semi-final of the weekend and they’d all have been hoping for it to be a better game than the one they’d watched 24 hours previously. Watford and Wolves didn’t disappoint either, as Gerard Deulofeu helped the Hornets sting Wolves with an incredible performance from the bench.

If you’re reading this and haven’t yet had a chance to watch the highlights of the five-goal Wembley thriller, go and do so just to see Deulofeu’s incredible goal to start the Watford comeback. The Spaniard seemingly had nothing on when he picked the ball up wide in the Wolves box, yet he produced a marvellous chip out of nowhere to stun Wolves.

From there, the momentum was all Watford, and the Hornets kept buzzing around and causing problems until they won their late penalty. After forcing extra-time, it always looked like a matter of when and not if Watford would win it, and once again it was Deulofeu who grabbed the all-important goal. The Spaniard has become lethal under Javi Gracia, and the Watford fans will be desperate for him to fire them towards FA Cup glory in next month’s final.

You can read the Hornet’s verdict on Deulofeu here:

The Hornets were left mesmerised by Deulofeu and will be desperate for him to repeat his heroics when they return to Wembley to face Manchester City next month.

Clearly, Celtic will need to get their house in order on the managerial front this summer. Indeed, while the short-term fix of Neil Lennon has worked when it comes to winning the title, a long-term plan needs to come into place. 

The Hoops are looking for experienced candidates all around and according to reports from the Scottish Sun, they have their eyes set on Swansea City’s Graham Potter. The English manager’s done a stellar job at a club riddled with issues, enabling them to play some exciting attacking football against all comers.

He guided them to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, where they went down fighting against the mighty Manchester City. Despite sitting 13th in the Championship, Potter’s actually done well considering the frail squad he inherited. He’s given rise to many youngsters and his fantastic ability to allow his players to play more freely is something which must’ve impressed Celtic.

The Hoops can widely benefit from such an encouraging manager, which helps them continue their dominant reign. Under Potter, they could maintain their exciting, possession-based attacking style and the youngsters can definitely benefit from the unconventional manager. He’ll bring in a change in philosophy, but one which can transcend the Scottish champions to new heights.

Rather than relying on the old, Celtic should give new blood a chance. Graham Potter fits the bill as the next generation, emerging manager who can not only allow them to maintain uncontested dominance but get them playing thrilling football soothing to the eye in order to keep fans and players both happy.

Celtic fans, would you be happy with Potter’s potential appointment this summer? Join the discussion by commenting below…

What a fantastic run of form this is! Aston Villa are really looking good to secure their spot within the play-offs and could yet be promoted this season. Who’d have thought that a few months ago? Amazing how football works. Indeed, amazing how Dean Smith works. 

After an inconsistent start, Smith has made vital improvements in recent weeks that has now seen Villa register themselves as promotion contenders. At last, the project looks its working for the former Brentford manager at his boyhood club.

Still, the heartache of last years play-off final loss is still fresh in the memory but there is now no reason to suggest why the Villans can’t go all the way and make their long awaited top flight return. Players have improved which correlates to better results but the need for big changes in the summer is still of the highest importance.

Finances for Aston Villa are somewhat unknown meaning if they wanted to try and save money, giving a new contract and a chance in pre-season to defender Mitchell Clark, that wouldn’t be a bad idea for the Villans.

Mitchell Clark has enjoyed a very successful loan spell with Port Vale, albeit a lot lower level than Aston Villa.

The fact is though, he now has more experience to his name and within that timeframe, has suggested why it would be a ludicrous decision on Villa’s behalf to not reward him with a new contract.

With 42 appearances in all competitions thus far for Mitchell Clark, the versatile defender has helped keep 15 clean-sheets as he ranges from left to right back mostly. We know how bad the club’s defence can be at times, so affording him the chance to shine could be a masterstroke.

Clark has always been considered to be a promising youngster in the Villa system and it would be a shame to neglect that potential by not offering him a new contract when it expires this summer. He could save the club an awful lot of money, after all.

Do you agree Mitchell Clark should be given a chance at Aston Villa? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

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At this moment in time, there is probably not a better centre-back in world football than Liverpool ace Virgil van Dijk.

The 27-year-old has been in magnificent form for the Reds this term and grabbed his fifth goal of the season in Wednesday’s 4-1 win at Porto in the Champions League.

If Jurgen Klopp’s side are to be successful this season then they will need the Netherlands international to stay at his current level.

At the time, £75m for Van Dijk seemed like an awful lot money.

The Dutchman has probably more than doubled in value now, though, and Liverpool have a serious centre-back on their hands.

Liverpool’s official Twitter account paid tribute to the defender following the victory at Porto on Wednesday night.

Are the media letting Jurgen Klopp off lightly for his lack of silverware? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

And it was not a surprise to see so many of the club’s fans take to social media to express their feelings – a selection of which can be seen below:

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Wolves have had issues in defence recently but they could be about to attempt to solve them by renewing their early season interest in Croatian defender Domagoj Vida.

This is according to Turkish outlet Sporx who claim the Midlands side are keen on the no-nonsense centre back.

The report sparked reaction from the Molineux faithful on Twitter who took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on a possible deal for the player.

There was a mixed response as one fan laughed at the fact another rumour regarding the 29-year-old had resurfaced. However, they did state they’d love Wolves to sign him.

Another individual tweeted that his price tag seemed a bit steep considering his age. A further fan joked that the Croat, who sports an interesting hairstyle, needed a trim.

Vida was one of the stars of the World Cup as Croatia reached the final in Russia last summer and could be the experienced central defender Nuno Santo is looking for.

He’s currently rated at £9m according to Transfermarkt but Sporx states that he would likely cost around €15m (£12.95m).

Here’s the best of the reaction.

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Seemingly from nowhere Che Adams has established himself as a potent attacking force this season in the Championship and his goals for a struggling Birmingham City side have naturally attracted serious interest from a number of Premier League suitors.

Chief among them as per the Daily Mail are Southampton with Ralph Hasenhuttl looking to add fire-power to a new-look Saints side for next term. According to the Telegraph meanwhile the in-demand striker is at the centre of a three-way battle with Burnley and Crystal Palace also very keen.

It feels almost inevitable that the player nicknamed ‘Chele’ by the Brum faithful will be on the move in the months to come and scoring against a top flight side near you very soon, so with that in mind we gauged what those who know him best have to say on the hot-shot.

Matt Baker – Former team-mate

The most remarkable aspect to Adams’ rise is how he has shot through the levels, first with Ilkeston Town after being released by Coventry City as a teen. A series of outstanding displays there soon got him noticed and one of his former colleagues was certainly impressed, telling the Guardian…

“He reminds me a little bit of the old Ronaldo. He had that raw ability. I wouldn’t say he was electric quick but he was powerful and strong. He would brush people off and he could go through people. And he always had a finish at the end of it.”

Lukas Jutkiewicz – Team-mate at Birmingham

There are several marks of quality worth noting in any centre-forward. Their variety of goals is one and in this regard Adams rates highly, with a poacher’s instinct allayed to a powerful frame.

Their work-rate off the ball is always another consideration and again the 22-year-old Leicestershire star is gold standard. Lastly, how their attacking partners view them is often revealing.

A fruitful understanding up front with Jutkiewicz in the Midlands has brought nothing but admiration from his partner in crime as illustrated by his comments via the BBC.

“He’s someone who’s grown into himself this year. We all knew he had that in him. We all knew he had so much ability and had that potential to be the powerhouse and really take on the league and do what he wanted with it. It has been great to see him doing that.”

Harry Redknapp – manager

Those who play alongside the star who was recently included in the EPL Team of the Year clearly appreciate what he offers on the pitch and that appreciation is doubled from managers whose job security rests on Adams not misfiring. He hasn’t as of yet.

In May 2017 former Blues boss Harry Redknapp raved in typically upbeat fashion about his leading man, as per the Birmingham Mail.

“Yesterday in training he was absolutely on fire. He is a handful, he is a kid with real potential. I think he has the ability to go all the way if he works at his game. He has definitely got what it takes.”

Verdict

While circumspection is justified given that Adams has only so far fired on all cylinders in the Championship the fact remains that a potential fee of £15m for a forward who has consistently scored through the levels and with no ceiling yet in sight represents a potential bargain of the summer.