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According to Dale O’Donnell of The Sportsman, Stoke City forward Bojan Krkic could leave the club before the summer transfer window slams shut at the end of this month, with Leicester City and another unnamed Premier League outfit interested in the unsettled Spanish forward.

Despite the fact that he started the Potters’ opening top flight fixture this season against Everton, The Sportsman says that the 26-year-old is keen on an exit from the Britannia Stadium having fallen out of favour last term, and he has fallen further down the pecking order following the arrival of Jese Rodriguez.

The former Barcelona man spent the second-half of the previous campaign on loan with Bundesliga outfit FSV Mainz 05, having struggled to break into the starting line-up under Mark Hughes.

Meanwhile, Newcastle United boss Rafa Benitez has been busy strengthening his squad throughout the summer following the Magpies’ promotion from the Championship, but he may feel that he still needs to add to his attacking options after the side drew a blank against Tottenham Hotspur on the opening day.

Here are three reasons Newcastle should move for Bojan…

Ability

Despite bringing in Joselu – also from Stoke City – the Magpies still look a little short of quality and numbers in attack, and there is no doubt that Bojan could improve the frontline.

The Spaniard was particularly impressive in the 2015/16 campaign for the Potters before he fell out of favour under Mark Hughes.

The forward scored seven goals and created 26 chances in 27 Premier League appearances, while he showed his quality on the ball with a passing accuracy of 84%, while he proved his ability to move forward with the ball after successfully completing 47 take-ons.

Pedigree

Having played for Barcelona, AS Roma, AC Milan and Ajax during his career, there is no doubt that Bojan has talent and something else about him that has allowed him to appear for such big European clubs.

While he would be coming from Stoke, who are perhaps a little less glamorous, the 26-year-old would still be an exciting and experienced for the club and the fans considering his list of former employers, and his arrival would certainly also lift manager Rafa Benitez and the rest of the squad.

Buy-out clause

The Sportsman says that Bojan has a release clause of £10m in his contract, and if that is true then Rafa Benitez should waste no time in moving for the former Barcelona man.

While he has struggled to be a hit for Stoke at times, he could thrive in a new environment in the Premier League and Newcastle could give him the regular first-team football that he is craving in order to find some form and consistency on the pitch.

Do you agree, Magpies fans? Let us know below.

The Premier League returns with a bang this weekend, no fixture more appetising than Tottenham Hotspur’s trip to Newcastle United.

A lack of activity and shock comments from Danny Rose see Spurs travel to Tynside under a dark cloud, and although Newcastle’s limited summer recruitment has raised some eyebrows as well, Rafa Benitez’s boys will be backed by a buoyant St. James’ Park delighted to welcome back top flight football.

It all suggests an upset could be on the cards, but that may well depend on how referee Andre Marriner officiates proceedings from the middle of the park. Although he’s mostly famed for the notorious case of mistaken identity between to Arsenal players, the 46-year-old is one of the more experienced referees in the division and always tries to let the game flow as much as possible – in fact, from the Premier League’s 19 referees last season, he ranked 17th for fouls per game and 19th for fouls per tackle.

In theory, that should benefit Newcastle more than Spurs as the underdogs, expected to put in a rear-guard display that will allow them to attack space on the counter. Although the Magpies ranked 18th for fouls in the Championship last season, they’ll likely be doing the majority of defending this Sunday and the stats suggest Marriner will let them get away with a few dark arts and risky challenges that would be punished by other referees. That leniency could be vital in a positive result for Newcastle.

That being said, Manchester United were the only top-six side to foul more consistently than Spurs last season, albeit ranking tenth on that front throughout the Premier League, and for a referee who oversaw 28 games last term, Marriner’s away win bias is exceptionally high – 42.9%. Only two referees, one of which officiated a single game, had a higher away win percentage last season.

If there’s another positive for Spurs to take into the game, it’s that Marriner has recently proved to be a bit of a lucky charm for them. The last four games with Marriner officiating have resulted in three wins, including a 7-1 drubbing over Hull City on the final day of last season, and a 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium – a pretty good result on the road.

Of course, other factors will be at play than simply how Marriner calls the match. So, Newcastle and Spurs fans, how do you think Sunday’s 1.30pm kickoff will pan out?

Manchester City are keeping an eye on Tottenham Hotspur defender Toby Alderweireld ahead of a potential January move, according to ESPN.

What’s the story?

The Belgian’s future at the North London club appears to be in doubt following comments made by the player’s agent Stijn Francis.

Alderweireld’s representative told Nieuwsblad that his client deserves a new contract or a move elsewhere, with “seven or eight” clubs believed to be interested.

The defender’s current contract expires in 2019, and it seems that negotiations over fresh terms have hit a stumbling block.

ESPN report that Man City are monitoring the situation and that Alderweireld has been placed on Pep Guardiola’s wishlist ahead of the January transfer window.

What should Tottenham do?

Put simply, give him a contract worth signing. It has become apparent that the North London outfit pay relatively modest wages compared to their competitors.

If the standoff is regarding salary rather than future plans on the pitch, then it is worth the club reconsidering their position.

Alderweireld has become a crucial member of Mauricio Pochettino’s team, and has formed a solid partnership with Jan Vertonghen.

Losing the 28-year-old could potentially be damaging to the club, and their reputation could be questioned if they sell another first-team player to Man City.

In the summer window, Spurs sold Kyle Walker to the two-time Premier League champions, and they would just be strengthening Guardiola’s team further if they allowed Alderweireld to follow.

The club should be adding to their own squad rather than helping their rivals.

In just six competitive fixtures so far this season, we’ve already seen three different players line up at left-back for Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United side – Daley Blind, Matteo Darmian and perhaps most surprisingly, former England winger Ashley Young.

Ever since being appointed Old Trafford boss, No.3 has represented a real problem position for Mourinho; in addition to the above, Marcos Rojo and Luke Shaw both took the role for short periods last season.

Following a notably impressive performance from Young in United’s 4-0 win over Everton at the weekend, we asked Red Devils fans to vote for who should be the club’s first-choice left-back for the remainder of the campaign.

And although he’s yet to kick a ball this season due to injury problems and a lack of match fitness, it was the seven-cap international who won our poll with exactly half of the vote.

Shaw may well get a chance to prove himself at left-back in the Carabao Cup this week, but Mourinho still doesn’t appear wholly convinced by the former Southampton youngster.

West Ham United announced on their official website on Tuesday that they had received an allocation of 4,800 tickets for the fourth round EFL Cup clash against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley later this month, and Irons fans are not happy.

With a total capacity of 90,000 the Hammers would have been hopeful of getting a significant allocation for the trip to one of their arch-rivals, but the announcement went on to say that the top level of England’s national stadium won’t be open, capping the capacity to 50,835.

The east London outfit have been handed just below one-tenth of that amount for the travelling fans, as Slaven Bilic’s side will be looking to get revenge for the 3-2 home defeat they suffered against Spurs last month with a quarter-final spot up for grabs.

West Ham supporters were quick to have their say on the news via social media, and while some described it as “very disappointing”, others said the decision was “disgraceful”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

According to Italian media outlet Calciomercato, Southampton were the first club to try to sign Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly, who is now rated at between €60-70m (approximately £53.9-62.9m) by the Serie A outfit.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Calciomercato spoke to an Italian agent named Giuseppe Cannella who revealed that Saints were the first club to make a move for the promising central defender two seasons ago, but no details of the bid were disclosed in the interview.

Since then, Chelsea have been heavily linked with the 26-year-old, who has quickly established himself as one of the best in his position in Italy and indeed across the whole of Europe, but they have been told that they may have to pay £62.9m to bring him to Stamford Bridge.

The Senegal international has made 132 appearances in all competitions for Napoli, who are currently top of Serie A having won all eight of their fixtures this term, scoring four goals and providing a further five assists, and he has shown that he has all of the attributes needed to be a success in the English top flight.

Has Southampton’s interest in him ended?

Almost certainly, yes.

Saints’ club-record fee is the £18.1m they paid to sign Mario Lemina from Juventus during the summer, and while they may have some significant funds available if they choose to cash in on Virgil van Dijk in the New Year or next summer, they would have an almost impossible job on their hands to convince the 26-year-old to move to St Mary’s.

What does the bid say about the club’s recruitment?

It obviously shines it in a good light considering how much the centre-back has developed in the last couple of seasons, as well as showing that they can see the potential in a player.

But while Saints can point to the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Sadio Mane and Toby Alderweireld as impressive additions in recent years, they have also had their fair share of questionable purchases too – think Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and even Sofiane Boufal.

If Brighton are to survive their first ever season in the Premier League, defensive resilience will be essential. The Seagulls have already exceeded the expectations of some to claim seven points from their first seven games, but Chris Hughton will be more than aware his side lack the attacking quality to try and outscore their opponents every weekend.

After losing their first two games of the season by a 2-0 scoreline, Brighton have shown improvements defensively in recent weeks – in fact, their last five outings have seen just five goals conceded and two clean sheets claimed against Watford and Newcastle – and centre-back Shane Duffy has played a crucial part.

He’s been a real rock at the back for Brighton and it was a similar case in Ireland’s all-or-nothing World Cup qualifier against Wales last night, the 25-year-old arguably the Man of the Match in a rear-guard performance that saw Martin O’Neill’s boys shut out the Dragons and take a huge goal on the break through James McClean.

Duffy completed a staggering 19 clearances last night – the most of any player on the pitch – alongside three tackles, three interceptions and one block, while winning eight aerial duels. Aside from McClean, he was the biggest threat to Wayne Hennessey conceding as well; twice popping up at set pieces to produce an effort at goal.

If Duffy can maintain that form at the heart of Brighton’s defence for the remainder of the campaign, the south coast outfit will fancy their chances of beating the Premier League’s drop zone. He will, however, face far more talented attacks than Wales’ before the 2017/18 campaign comes to a close.

Southampton have struggled for consistency this season having recorded three wins, four draws and three defeats in the Premier League.

After sealing a 1-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion, the Saints travelled to the Amex Stadium to face Brighton at the weekend, hoping for their first back-to-back wins of the campaign.

The match started off well for Mauricio Pellegrino’s side as Steven Davis put the team a goal to the good inside the first seven minutes.

The goal came from James Ward-Prowse’s free kick, which hammered off the crossbar and into the path of Davis for the rebound.

The coastal club were unable to hold on to their lead, though, as Glenn Murray found an equaliser seven minutes into the second half and the visitors were unable to respond.

Southampton are now unbeaten in their last three league outings, picking up five points from a possible nine.

Ward-Prowse and Wesley Hoedt gave their reactions to the result after the game, and the fans had plenty to say.

The West Ham United board have never been able to get all the fans onside.

Co-chairmen David Gold and David Sullivan have been heavily criticised by the club’s following over the years.

Transfer activity and the East London outfit’s controversial move to the London Stadium have been among the topics raised by angry West Ham supporters.

The powers that be made a big change at the club earlier this week by sacking Slaven Bilic and hiring David Moyes, who had disappointing spells in charge of Manchester United, Real Sociedad and Sunderland after leaving Everton in 2013.

A large majority of supporters were against the appointment, but now that the Scotsman is in the role, most have decided to give their backing.

Gold took to Twitter on Thursday urging for the club’s following to get behind the new leader, whose first game will be agains Watford on November 19.

The responses to the chairmen’s message were not hugely positive, with many launching criticism at the businessman.

Leeds United failed to build on their win against Middlesbrough on Sunday as they were beaten 4-1 by Championship table-toppers Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux on Wednesday night, and Whites fans weren’t impressed with Andy Lonergan’s performance.

The 34-year-old goalkeeper has started the last seven league games between the sticks after Felix Wiedwald was dropped earlier in the campaign, but he has now conceded 13 goals in that time keeping just the one clean sheet.

Lonergan perhaps may feel he should have done better with Barry Douglas’ 15th-minute free-kick, while he also got a hand to Ivan Cavaleiro’s goal that put the hosts 2-0 up.

His difficult night was summed up when he brought down Leo Bonatini in the penalty area late on after parrying an effort back into danger, with Helder Costa converting the spot-kick.

Leeds supporters were quick to have their say on his showing via social media, and while a few labelled him “hopeless”, one went a step further and said he “shouldn’t play for Leeds again”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…