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After being ruled out for the past few weeks through injury, Jack Grealish is closing on a return to first team action with Aston Villa, and it’s come at the perfect time just before their Premier League clash against Tottenham.

The England international hasn’t played for Dean Smith’s side since missing the game against Leicester back in mid-February, and in his absence, Villa just haven’t been the same.

Grealish has been the team’s main source of creativity, registering 12 assists in the Premier League alone. That’s not to mention the six goals he’s scored in the competition as well.

Without him in the side, Villa have struggled badly for both performances and results, with just three goals in their past five games in the Premier League – that run has seen them pick up just five points out of a possible 15.

Speaking to BBC 5 Live Sport, former Villa player Kieran Richardson raved about Grealish and what he brings to the table, saying: “He’s a phenomenal talent. When I was there playing he was coming through and you could see from the get-go he was a top, top player.

“The way he can just ghost past players, he’s so strong, he rides challenges. Even if you knock him down he’ll get back up and keep going, he won’t shy away from anything. He’s very confident on the ball, he’ll take the ball whenever he can. He’s a top player and the way he’s built as well, he’s massive, his legs are absolutely massive. Even when I first saw him I was like ‘This guy’s a unit’.”

With The Athletic’s Gregg Evans claiming that Villa will make a late call on the midfielder, Smith must surely unleash the 1.8m-tall (5 foot 10) star on Spurs tonight.

As well as his ability, Grealish’s return could provide a much-needed lift to the rest of his teammates and get them firing too.

Meanwhile, Villa are making a big mistake over signing this midfielder…

Steve Bruce must ruthlessly axe Karl Darlow and return Martin Dubravka to the Newcastle United goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

And, according to The Telegraph, that’s exactly what the under-pressure Toon boss intends to do at St. James’ Park on Saturday.

Dubravka is yet to open a single Premier League fixture this season after sustaining a heel injury in training ahead of the start to the 2020/21 campaign, with Darlow going on to establish himself as the new number one on Tyneside.

Darlow performed magnificently most weeks during the first half of the term, with his saves often proving crucial to Newcastle staying in fixtures and keeping, some, distance between the Magpies and the relegation zone.

Particularly against defending champions Liverpool in December, Darlow stood firm to warrant a rare 10 out of 10 match rating from Chronicle Live, having produced 11 saves to deny Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane – the former being the Premier League’s top-scorer with 17 goals to date.

But Darlow’s efforts have dropped off somewhat in recent weeks, and he endured a particularly troublesome night at Old Trafford last Sunday when Manchester United beat Newcastle 3-1.

The 30-year-old will know he should have done better when beaten by Marcus Rashford for the Red Devils’ opener, with the England international driving home low at the near post. Dan James later snuck the ball past Darlow to restore his side’s lead, with the shot-stopper unable to make himself big enough to prevent Newcastle conceding for a 42nd time this term.

Those moments left Bruce to tell the assembled media after the game: “We’ll have a look at the goalkeeper, he will be disappointed to be beaten at the near post for the first goal. It’s been a difficult week, but we have games coming up where we think we can take points.”

That run starts with Wolves on Saturday, in which a defeat combined with a Fulham win on Sunday at Crystal Palace could leave Newcastle in the drop zone, with three points all that separates United from the Cottagers who hold a superior goal difference.

Dropping Darlow after one particular errant performance may seem harsh, but the move to recall the Magpies’ 2019/20 Player of the Year Dubravka is a needed one if Bruce wishes to keep his job, for a little longer at least.

Owner Mike Ashley is expected to be hands-off all the while Newcastle remain outside of the bottom three, though that may only be a matter of days away with Bruce winless in 14 of the Toon’s last 16 Premier League games.

Installing Dubravka between the sticks now, ahead of hosting the Molineux natives and subsequent top-flight clashes with relegation-rivals West Bromwich Albion plus Brighton and Hove Albion, may thus be a needed measure to bring a sense of calm to St. James’.

“When Dubravka was injured and Darlow was in fantastic form he was knocking on the door for an England call-up and without him, they could be in the position where Sheffield United or West Brom are,” Lee Ryder said on the EIBW Podcast (Chronicle Live, 23/2, 11:37)

“Dubravka is a different type of goalkeeper to Darlow – he organises his defence a little differently, he’s calmer and that is what Newcastle may need in the next 13 games.”

Darlow may feel hard done by to be replaced by Dubravka after everything he’s done for Newcastle this season, but a relegation battle is no time for Bruce to show sentimentality.

AND in other news, Newcastle are exploring a deal to sign a £31.5m-rated star for free this summer…

Liverpool have been boosted in their potential quest to sign Kylian Mbappe this summer, with the Frenchman reportedly rejecting three contract offers from Paris Saint-Germain.

The 22-year-old is among the most exciting players in world football at the moment, wreaking havoc for PSG, both domestically and in Europe.

Mbappe has scored 115 goals in just 156 appearances for the Ligue 1 champions, also chipping in with 56 assists for good measure.

Liverpool and Real Madrid have long been considered the front-runners to snap up the Frenchman this summer, should he decide to have a fresh challenge.

Reds boosted in Mbappe pursuit

According to Cadena SER [via Sport Witness], Mbappe has rejected three separate offers from PSG, as they look to tie him down for the long-term future.

It is even stated that the youngster ‘doesn’t want to renew’ at his current club, potentially paving the way for Liverpool to snap him up.

The Reds’ financial situation could play a part in whether or not a deal takes place, however, especially if they fail to qualify for the Champions League.

Transfer Tavern take

The idea of Mbappe in a Liverpool shirt is certainly an exciting one, but it is hard to envisage Jurgen Klopp having all of Mbappe, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota to call upon.

It appears as though the only way Mbappe will be at Anfield next season is if one of their other attacking superstars leaves.

In other news, Liverpool fans have been reacting to Steven Gerrard’s comments on Klopp’s future. Read them here.

Speaking exclusively to FootballFanCast, Steve Howey has suggested Leeds United re-sign Eddie Nketiah from Arsenal in this January transfer window.

The England U21 international of course spent the first-half of last season on loan at Elland Road, where he made 19 appearances in all competitions and notched five goals, before returning back to Mikel Arteta’s side in January.

The £18m-rated ace hasn’t quite kicked on in this current Premier League campaign however with just one goal in 12 top-flight games, and Football Insider claim that a second loan move for the forward could be on the cards for Leeds, although it isn’t a priority at this stage.

And speaking to FootballFanCast, Howey delivered his verdict on a potential Elland Road return for Nketiah.

He said: “It’s clear he’s not really in the team (at Arsenal). (Bukayo) Saka seems to be the man who’s kind of getting everybody’s attention at the moment. Nketiah certainly, was one that was, but it’s an opportunity for him to go there.

“We all know how exciting Leeds are under Bielsa. What a force they are going forward, they’ve shocked everybody. I’ve watched them a couple of times this season and I’ve absolutely loved watching them.

“Again, for Nketiah, from now until the end of the season, and he’s been there before and knows what it’s about, absolutely. Why not?”

Whilst his loan spell may have end up being cut short, Marcelo Bielsa was always quick to hail Nketiah’s talents.

Speaking after the English starlet’s return to the Emirates, the Leeds boss said: “He’s a specialist great player with a lot of resources and our play is a collective way of playing and one player needs to adapt to this style. For this reason when we felt he was part of the team we thought that we were going to feel the same and that he would continue with us.

“He didn’t take this decision but he is a great player, an excellent professional and he had very good behaviour, he is a gentleman in every sense.”Whilst it may not have ended the way anyone would have wanted, Leeds could land a superb alternative to Patrick Bamford were they to bring back Nketiah this month.

Carlo Ancelotti has dropped an injury update on Everton man Jean-Philippe Gbamin ahead of their game versus Newcastle United in the Premier League.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference to the media ahead of the match, the Italian boss said: “Hope Gbamin can start to train with us next week.”

Gbamin update a welcome relief for Everton

The news that Gbamin may be able to train with the Goodison Park faithful as early as next week will surely come as a welcome relief to the Merseyside club.

The defensive midfield player has missed out on no fewer than 61 appearances for the Toffees though a quite wretched injury record that has started ever since he signed for the club from Mainz.

He has only played in a mere two senior games for the Blues in all competitions and has not featured since August 2019.

EFC fans will surely be desperate to see the 25-year-old on the pitch again for them and see why the club paid £22.5m to sign him in the first place.

However, since his move, Everton signed both Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure in his position in last summer’s transfer window, so even if he does make a return to training next week, Gbamin, currently valued at £18m by Transfermarkt, may not get many opportunities to showcase his talents.

In other news, find out transfer update has been lauded by Everton fans here!

With Christmas on the horizon, Celtic got themselves a bit of early festive cheer as they eased past Ross County in the Scottish Premiership on Wednesday night.

Neil Lennon’s side ran out comfortable 2-0 winners at home, and could have, and probably should have, won by a bigger margin had it not been for some wasteful finishing.

But whilst Leigh Griffiths may take plenty of the plaudits after scoring his 20th headed goal for the club – only Henrik Larsson has scored more – it was David Turnbull who no doubt stole the show.

The man who signed from Motherwell back in the summer transfer window was the heartbeat of everything good about Celtic on the night, buzzing about and looking to make things happen at every opportunity.

As per Sofascore, he lost possession 20 times over the course of the game – the most of any player on the pitch. But that number was only down to the fact Turnbull didn’t shy away from taking the riskier choice and trying to feed the likes of Odsonne Edouard and Griffiths up front.

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He provided a total of three key passes, sent in a whopping eight crosses, and boasted an impressive 84% pass accuracy. If Lennon wanted his summer signing to take the game by the scruff of the neck, then that’s exactly what he did.

His performance led to Scottish journalist and presenter Dominik Diamond to rave about him on Twitter, even tipping him to become a “future Celtic great”.

Trying not to get ahead of myself but I think we could be seeing the rise of a future Celtic great in David Turnbull. He just seems to have as good a game with his brain as he does his feet. Attitude seems good as well.

It may be early days in his Hoops career, but if Turnbull can get a consistent run of games under his belt, then he might prove to be one of the most inspired domestic signings in recent history.

According to The Scotsman, Lille remain interested in a move for Glasgow Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos.

Lille monitoring Morelos

Lille, who are currently second in Ligue 1 on goal difference and are still in the Europa League, were heavily linked with a move for the Colombia international during last summer’s transfer window – they were said to have agreed personal terms with the £13.5m-valued 24-year-old (Transfermarkt), while they also had a £16m bid rejected.

The Scotsman has been discussing players who will attract interest this January, and while they admit it is unlikely Morelos will depart this month, Lille are still monitoring his situation north of the border.

May be worth selling

Given his impressive scoring record at Ibrox – he has 85 goals in 164 games for the 54-time Scottish champions – the Gers were eager to hold on to Morelos as they resisted the temptation to sell last summer. However, this campaign, the striker has just eight goals in 26 games despite the Gers losing only once in all competitions.

His temperament has got the better of him on occasion, as well. He has been involved in altercations with Scott Brown in both Old Firm derbies, while Steven Gerrard has spoken out against his attitude when being substituted. It is getting to the point where he is becoming far more trouble than he is worth – another £16m offer could well force Ross Wilson’s hand.

In other news, Rangers fans hammer this politician’s lack of respect.

Phil Parkinson cannot hold Callum McFadzean back any longer after two excellent displays and must unleash the Sunderland defender in Saturday’s League One clash with MK Dons, should he overcome fears of a hamstring injury.

What’s the word?

According to the Evening Express, McFadzean is a major doubt for this weekend’s meeting at the Stadium of Light after being forced off late into Tuesday’s Papa John’s Trophy defeat at Fleetwood Town.

Parkinson had been hopeful that the blow was not serious and would wait for further assessments before deciding on the 26-year-old’s involvement against MK Dons, with Oliver Younger (hamstring) and Cieran Dunne (shoulder) also casualties of the midweek loss.

McFadzean had left a positive impression on Parkinson at Highbury, with the Black Cats boss noting after the game via quotes by the Sunderland Echo: “I thought he was tremendous and gave us a real creative spark down the left. He got us that goal and then when he had to go into left-sided centre-back, I thought he was excellent there as well.”

Parkinson may be without McFadzean against MK Dons, however, as additional assessments have raised question marks over the severity of his hamstring injury, potentially further depriving Sunderland of first-team players with Tom Flanagan and Conor McLaughlin away on international duty.

Luke O’Nien, Lynden Gooch and Denver Hume are also doubts, though Josh Scowen could make his return with the midfielder back in training after suffering a concussion during last week’s 2-1 win over Ipswich Town.

Time to unleash McFadzean

McFadzean’s displays in Sunderland’s FA Cup loss at home to Mansfield and role in Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat at Fleetwood rightly left a positive impression on Parkinson, as Sunderland’s summer capture has shown why the Black Cats sought his signature after the defender was released by Plymouth Argyle.

The left-sided full-back, who is also capable of playing centrally, offered an impressive debut in the FA Cup, when he delivered a string of excellent crosses and forced a save out of Mansfield’s goalkeeper Marek Stech.

He then turned in another fine performance in the EFL Trophy before limping off in the 61st-minute, with McFadzean scoring his first Sunderland goal with a low strike off the inside of the right-hand post after the ball broke kindly to the former Scotland U21 international just inside the box.

It was not only his goal that stood out, either, as McFadzean attempted five ground duels, one aerial duel, delivered two crosses and attempted five long balls during his time on the field, while being fouled twice, per SofaScore.

Parkinson will no doubt be keen to offer McFadzean his Sunderland league debut against MK Dons this weekend and it is certainly time to unleash the 26-year-old after seeing just 136-minutes of him all season, should fears over his hamstring injury subside in time.

AND in other news, a Sunderland talent who “pleased” Phil Parkinson in 2019 took a major step back at Fleetwood.

Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt one “devastating” blow this week, according to club legend Gary Mabbutt.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, the former central defender claimed that Spurs may suffer in the absence of Toby Alderweireld after sustaining an injury during their 2-0 win over Manchester City at the weekend.

The 31-year-old came off in the 81st minute with a muscular problem, which left manager Jose Mourinho rather anxious post-game as he described it as “bad.”

During his Europa League press conference, the Portuguese boss confirmed that the centre-back would be out for between two and four weeks, meaning he will definitely be unavailable for crucial games against Ludogorets and Chelsea.

And Mabbutt knows how huge a miss he will be, he told FFC:

“It would be a massive blow. I think he’s been outstanding this season.

“If you look at Toby over the last few years, when him and Jan [Vertonghen] were the partnership at the back, they were probably one of the best partnerships in the world. You know, fantastic, the way they worked together. And of course, losing him is going to be devastating.”

Alderweireld has started ten games in all competitions and has been key to Spurs keeping three clean sheets in their last four Premier League fixtures, as per Transfermarkt.

It means the ‘Special One’ will be left with only Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez in the Europa League tonight with Joe Rodon ineligible for selection.

In December 2019, the Belgian international signed a contract extension to 2023, which was one of Mourinho’s first pieces of business after replacing Mauricio Pochettino.

CIES Football Observatory currently value the veteran defender at €30m (£26.5m). He will indeed be a huge miss for Spurs heading into the festive period.

AND in other news, Spurs can unlock Giovani Lo Celso with swoop for £62m-rated “huge talent”…

West Ham United have long-been known as the Academy of Football for their proven track record of developing the future stars of the game, be it three-time Premier League winner Frank Lampard, former England captain John Terry, Champions League victor Michael Carrick or UEFA Super Cup champion Paul Ince.

Developing in east London and making a career in east London has not been a successful venture for all in recent years, however, with hot prospect Grady Diangana sold this summer after just 21 first-team appearances amid the Irons’ need to raise funds to strengthen David Moyes’ squad.

But there remains plenty to brag about at Chadwell Heath, particularly in teen sensation Jamal Baptiste.

The young centre-half who represented West Ham’s Under 18s when only 14-years-old has been lauded by The Guardian as the Hammer’s top youth prospect in their Next Generation 2020 list, to add to the buzz already surrounding the 16-year-old.

Baptiste has impressed many after becoming the second-youngest ever to play for the Irons’ U23s when he made his debut against Valencia’s B-side side last year, feature for England’s youth ranks and impressing his coaches with strength, versatility and talent in possession.

Much will be expected from Baptiste’s continued rise through the ranks, with pressure already growing on his shoulders to become a great at the London Stadium from former players.

“I’m a massive fan,” said Carlton Cole, who is working in the Irons’ academy, on Inside Irons Episode Three back in August. “He’s training with the first-team at the moment, so I think he’s definitely a massive prospect.

“He’s going to be the next Anton Ferdinand hopefully or the next Rio.”

Current first-team ace Angelo Ogbonna has likewise been impressed with what he’s seen from Baptiste, having trained alongside the youngster this summer and played alongside him in a pre-season meeting with Wycombe Wanderers.

It was Baptiste’s maiden first-team appearance at just 16 years of age, yet his lack of senior experience only sparked one major issue when he let substitute Uche Ikpeazu in to shoot, but otherwise stood out with an assured and composed effort.

“He played really, really well and as a young player you can make one or two mistakes, but your behaviour has to be the right one, like Dec [Rice] when he starts,” Ogbonna told West Ham’s official website.

“Jamal has a lot of work still to do but he is composed. He is still young and has to take things step by step. This was just a pre-season game. He has to follow the senior players and the manager’s instruction and it’s good for him to have people he can look to.

“Having senior players around like myself, the captain [Mark Noble] and Dave [Martin] in goal can help by giving him advice and this is really, really good.”

But Baptiste cannot now take it easy and believe his route into the first-team is nailed on, as West Ham fans are only too well aware of how things can fade quickly for one of their stars of tomorrow having seen Reece Oxford’s progress disappear after making history as the club’s youngest-ever player aged 16 years and 198 days old against Lusitanos in the Europa League.

Oxford went on to make just 16 further senior outings in claret and blue before joining FC Augsburg in a permanent deal last summer, where he has only managed to earn 15 appearances since including a mere 32 minutes this season across all competitions.

Moyes would do well to manage the expectations coming Baptiste’s way and not allow the comparisons to Rio or Anton Ferdinand to become the force that overwhelms a budding career.

AND in other news, West Ham have been dealt a setback in the club’s efforts to land the missing spark of David Moyes’ midfield.