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[ad_pod ]Marko Arnautovic could play for West Ham United against Liverpool after scans on his foot injury confirmed that he had not broken a bone, Football FanCast have been told.The Austria international was substituted late on during the club’s 3-0 loss to Wolves on TuesdayÂafter a follow-through from Ruben Neves’ clearance caught Arnautovic.Javier Hernandez replaced him and Arnautovic was subsequently pictured leaving Molineux in a protective boot and on crutches.

The club had feared that he had suffered a broken foot, which could have seen a lengthy lay-off.

However, Football FanCast can confirm that Arnautovic merely has heavy bruising on his foot and has an outside chance of being involved against Jurgen Klopp’s side.

It is perhaps more likely that he will return against Crystal Palace next weekend but the news will come as a major boost to manager Manuel Pellegrini.

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

Arnautovic chose to stay at West Ham after links with the Chinese Super League throughout January – as reported by FFC – and signed a contract extension last week.

The 29-year-old has scored eight goals and provided two assists this season, per Transfermarkt, and was back in the team against Wolves after a short absence.

The Hammers have appeared distracted throughout the month amid rumours over Arnautovic’s future, losing to AFC Bournemouth and Wolves in the Premier League after defeating Arsenal 1-0. They also lost in the FA Cup to AFC Wimbledon, falling 4-2 to the team that are currently rock-bottom of League One.

After Liverpool and Palace, the Hammers face Fulham as they look to keep pace with seventh-placed Wolves; Pellegrini’s men are currently four points back in 11th.

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Despite a lack of pace on the counter attack, Newcastle let Jacob Murphy go out on loan to West Brom on deadline day, as per nufc.co.uk, and the decision to do so may have confused some; particularly as the Magpies have been lacking quality options on the left-wing since Matt Ritchie was shifted into Rafa Benitez’s back-five to patch up an injury stricken defence.

However, after the club sealed a loan move for Monaco’s Antonio Barreca in January – the Italian came on at left-wing-back in the loss to Spurs on Saturday – Rafa Benitez is looking forward to restoring Ritchie in midfield.

What’s Benitez said?

Well, the Spaniard said, in quotes reported by The Northern Echo:

“We decided to let Murphy go on loan because of that

“With Barreca, we have another chance to play with a left wing-back, which means that Ritchie can play as a winger.

“Maybe he can continue as a wing-back if we need him to, but at least we have more options and that is always good because it gives us more competition.

The Magpies have found success playing a 5-4-1 in recent weeks, although this may be subject to change after the club-record signing of Miguel Almiron, who excels playing as an attacking midfielder in central areas.

Benefits of Barreca

The 23-year-old has got bags of pace – a commodity in the Newcastle ranks – and will match his right-sided counterpart DeAndre Yedlin in that department but, more importantly, his arrival allows Ritchie, who is arguably the St James’ Park outfit’s best crosser of the ball, to get into attacking areas more often.

Striker Salomon Rondon thrives off of balls into the box and is a real handful for any centre-back on his day, although Ritchie’s relegation to the defence has meant he has had less service – the likes of Christian Atsu and Ayoze Perez have often struggled in that respect.

Newcastle make the trip to Molineux on Monday to face Wolves and will be hoping to climb further away from the relegation zone. Might we see Richie back in midfield as soon as then?

The Magpie Channel’s Matt explains why he’s “jealous” of Wolves ahead of Newcastle’s clash with Nuno Espirito Santo’s men on Monday 11th in the video below…

Manchester City have got a big few transfer windows ahead of them, as the club look set to see some of their elder statesmen so to speak come to the end of their peak.

City and manager Pep Guardiola have always been active and shrewd in the market in the main, and this summer gives them a chance to act once again.

The likes of Fernandinho, David Silva, Vincent Kompany, and Sergio Aguero are all players into their 30’s now, and it’s only natural for a club to look for continuity.

We here in the Tavern feel it might take one or two, maybe even more windows, for the club to fully replace that talent, but this summer could be a start.

With that, we’ve looked at TWO players who City should be looking to sign this summer…

Isco

A younger David Silva essentially, the Madrid man has not been the number one choice this season, making a move look likely come the summer.

Isco remains a class act though, and under Pep Guardiola, it’s easy to see him flourishing.

The chance to come and learn from Silva is also something which could appeal, and it would be no surprise to us to see City make their move for the Spaniard.

Tanguy Ndombele

The French midfielder is really coming on leaps and bounds, and as a direct replacement for Fernandinho, he would be a superb signing.

The Lyon man is growing by the game, and still very much in his infancy as a footballer, would have massive scope for development under Guardiola.

Tough tackling and full of energy, Ndombele would be a superb capture at the Etihad.

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Brendan Rodgers has one very important decision to make in defence for the return leg with Valencia.

It doesn’t involve the full-back positions – Jeremy Toljan and Jonny Hayes seem certain to start – but in central defence the Celtic boss has to decide who plays alongside Dedryck Boyata.

In the first leg Jozo Simunovic was pulled all over the place with Valencia’s second goal delivered by an unmarked Ruben Sobrino shooting home from seven yards out. At that moment the odds on Celtic progressing became ridiculous.

On Sunday at Kilmarnock Kris Ajer replaced Simunovic, who has made just one appearance on a plastic pitch since joining Celtic in 2015.

The former Dinamo Zagreb defender has never quite convinced the Celtic support that he is the real deal. Apart from one memorable challenge on Kenny Miller there have been few domineering performances in between regular spells out injured. According to Transfermarkt he has had eight absences due to injury.

By contrast Ajer has always made himself available – away to Astana in the 2017 Champions League qualifier he learned some punishing lessons as Celtic leaked goals but just managed to hang on to claim a place in the group phase.

Ajer is effectively in his second season at Celtic, deputising behind Boyata and Filip Benkovic who are the first choice pairing but about to leave the Hoops in the summer.

The young Norwegian has had some testing times but 90 minutes against Valencia will have him fully prepared for next season’s Champions League qualifiers – assuming Celtic clinch the title.

None of next season’s Champions League opponents will be on a par with the Spanish side. This season Celtic would have faced qualifiers against the champions of Greece and Hungary to reach the group phase.

Rodgers has spoken recently about age not being a barrier – giving Ajer the jersey to face Valencia is a sound decision for the clash in the Mestalla with plenty of dividends down the line for the player and club.

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Tottenham Hotspur’s loss to Burnley could not have come at a worse time.

A trip to Turf Moor should have been a guaranteed three points for a team still in with a shout of winning the Premier League title.

But theirs was a stodgy, defensively naive performance against a bruising Burnley side who played the role of spoilers to perfection. Goals from Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes put paid to Spurs’ hopes of turning up the heat on both Liverpool and Manchester City.

It would be churlish to claim that Spurs’ title hopes are over; there are 11 games of the season left and they still have to play Jurgen Klopp’s side and Pep Guardiola’s champions.

But the fixture pile-up they are currently facing is no picnic. Spurs travel to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday to face a Chelsea side still bruised from their Carabao Cup final defeat to City on penalties, before facing Arsenal at the weekend. Those games are before a Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund in Germany. Afterwards, Spurs play Southampton and Crystal Palace before a trip to Anfield.

Now, winning every single game would do a lot to enhance Spurs’ reputation and ensure that they are still in the conversation at the top of the league, and would also see them cruise through to the Champions League quarter-finals.

But the inverse – a run of defeats, particularly against Chelsea and Arsenal – could see the club looking over their shoulder instead of up the table.

Spurs are eight points clear of fifth-placed Manchester United and seven ahead of the Gunners.

Losses to both the Blues and Arsenal – Unai Emery’s men play AFC Bournemouth on Wednesday – could see that lead chopped to one point in the blink of an eye.

This is, of course, is purely hypothetical. There is every chance that there could be two wins for Spurs or two draws – the latter could still see the lead down to four.

Tottenham have a history here. They have twice before blown a lead of seven points over the Gunners, and most recently, when they were battling Leicester City for the title, Spurs ended up third, a point behind Arsene Wenger’s side. Arsenal were never considered contenders.

Past Tottenham, Arsenal face only one other top-four contender before May, in Manchester United. United, meanwhile, still have to play City and Chelsea.

But the gap could close in on Harry Kane & Co if they cannot regain their form quickly.

It would be remiss not to mention the fact that Spurs enjoyed a run of five successive league victories before their defeat to Burnley, but they lost to Arsenal at the Emirates earlier this season and also went down to both City and Liverpool at Wembley.

History suggests, then, that there may not be too much fruit to bear from their upcoming run of games.

With the title race coming to a crunch period, Spurs face a defining week. Win both games, and beat Dortmund, and the ship is righted, the challenge at the top of the league still feasible.

But lose to both of their London rivals and they may well be reinserted into the race for the top four, watching both Liverpool and City battle it out for the title in the front row, powerless to jump the barricade and involve themselves in the fight.

There is, to put it bluntly, absolutely no room for error.

Marcelo Bielsa is the man at Leeds United. There is no doubting it, and his presence at one of the world’s most iconic clubs has been felt.

First and foremost, you need to remind yourself what fans have endured since departing the top-flight of English football to understand why Bielsa is considered the messiah in West Yorkshire.

Pure, unadulterated misery has ensued since 2004.

Ranging from poor performances to bitterly close encounters with promotion; to the unthinkable relegation to the third-tier; a management merry-go-round consisting of the likes of Neil Warnock, Darko Milanic, Brian McDermott, Uwe Rosler, Gary Monk, Thomas Christiansen, and Paul Heckingbottom. All underlined by the plague that was Massimo Cellino.

The only constant in this mess: the Leeds United supporters.

They have followed with the same admirable grit and determination throughout all the club’s hardships; average home attendances shaming some of the top teams in English football, and a staunch away following that outmatches the hosts wherever they travel.

So, it probably comes as no surprise then that the club have recently announced that over 6,000 season tickets have already been renewed for the 2019/20 campaign, their largest opening week of sales on record (LUFC Twitter).

A quality haul, even by the standards of Leeds United. And, Times writer Henry Winter has claimed, it is all down to their new man Marcelo Bielsa and the man who introduced him to the club, Radrizanni.

The new owner has made a hugely positive impact since taking over from former embarrassment Cellino, whose name hardly warrants mention. Money has been spent, optimism spread, and the appointment of one of the world’s best made.

Evidently no complaints from the Leeds camp, even without the guarantee of promotion.

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Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to react after Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s comeback from injury didn’t go as planned.

The England international has been out since the first leg of the Champions League semi-final tie against Roma last season after damaging multiple knee ligaments against the Serie A side.

Is Jurgen Klopp a “serial bottler”? The fan in the video below certainly thinks so…

Ahead of schedule, the former Arsenal man was pencilled in to make his return in the Reds’ Under-23 match against Derby on Friday afternoon, although things didn’t go as planned.

Whilst nothing horrendous happened, the 25-year-old had to be withdrawn on 41 minutes for ‘precautionary reasons’ after feeling some tightness in his hamstring.

Fearing that their No.21 had suffered a setback in his rehabilitation, Liverpool fans on Twitter began to fret as they feared the man who their hopes are relying on in the second half of the season was injured yet again.

The fact that it is a fresh injury scare rather than a flare-up in his knee is probably actually a good thing, but let’s see what the Merseysiders are saying on Twitter about Oxlade-Chamberlain’s early withdrawal…

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Raul Jimenez has been a revelation for Wolves this season and his goal against Chelsea on Sunday only reaffirmed to supporters of Nuno Santo’s team just how much of an instant hit he has become.

Jimenez is currently on loan at the club, having joined from Benfica in the summer, but Wolves could make the deal permanent in an apparent €41m deal, according to AS.

If the deal went through it would make him the most expensive Benfica sale in history, eclipsing what Manchester City paid for goalkeeper Ederson, and Wolves’ new club-record signing.

Wolves fans are keen for their club to make the deal permanent whatever the fee and although the reported price would be a large sum to pay, his contribution to the team this season has been vital in the West Midlands side’s instant adjustment to Premier League life.

The Mexican’s goal at the weekend was his 12th this term and saw him overtake Steven Fletcher’s previous Premier League goals record for Wolves of 11 in a season.

It isn’t just his goals that have Wolves fans craving a permanent transfer for Jimenez. His overall contribution to the team has also been outstanding, claiming six Premier League assists to date too.

His performances so far in a Wolves shirt have made supporters think he’d be a bargain and an absolute must transfer. Here’s what they’ve had to say.

Fulham were just 10 minutes away from recording an unlikely draw at Craven Cottage against Liverpool on Sunday.

Following Ryan Babel’s equaliser against his former side, it was looking like Scott Parker’s side were heading for arguable their best result of the season. Yet, in typical Cottagers fashion, they let themselves down once again.

Following a harmless strike from Reds forward Mohamed Salah, Sergio Rico somehow managed to drop the ball at the feet of Sadio Mane before unnecessarily tripping the Senegalese star up in the penalty area. James Milner stepped up to take the spot-kick and duly scored the winner, condemning the Cottagers to their 22nd defeat of the season.

However, despite many fans rightfully blaming Rico for his error, he should still keep his place in Parker’s side as he is clearly the best goalkeeper at the club once you look closer at the stats for this season in the Premier League.

In the 22 games that the Sevilla loanee has been involved in, he has conceded 45 goals which averages out at 2.046 per game which is a better ratio than both Fabri (2.5 goals) and Marcus Bettinelli (2.86 goals.)

Furthermore, Fulham’s only clean sheets this season, which came in fixtures against Newcastle United and Huddersfield Town, have come with Rico in between the sticks.

It could be argued that no matter who Fulham have in goal, it simply does not matter as the main reason for why they will be relegated to the Championship at the end of the season is their horrendous defence.

By letting their opponents score 70 goals in the Premier League in just 31 games, they are already well on course to record one of the worst defensive records in recent top-flight history.

Therefore, whilst it would easy for Parker to drop Rico for the Cottagers’ clash against Manchester City on March 30th, he should instead be making alterations to his back four who have been woeful throughout the 2018/19 campaign.

What do you think Fulham fans? Should Rico be dropped by Parker for his error against Liverpool? Or is it the defence who are ultimately to blame for this season? Let us know below.

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The Birmingham Mail have released a detailed questions and answers piece on the situations of Salomon Rondon, Dwight Gayle and Jacob Murphy, and it sounds like the latter pair have no chance of a future at Newcastle.

What’s the story?

According to The Birmingham Mail, Rafael Benitez was so desperate to get rid of Gayle that the club upped his wages just to incentivise him to leave on loan.

Benitez “made it clear” last summer that the striker has no long-term future with the Magpies, claims the report.

Does Newcastle’s infamous title collapse of 1996 mirror what is happening at Liverpool right now? The Magpie Channel discuss in the video below…

It also runs the rule over Murphy’s future, saying there are “major doubts” about his ability on Tyneside and that the club would be open to offers.

Improvement at last

For far too long Newcastle have flirted with relegation, constantly hovering above the danger zone with a squad packed full of mostly bang average players.

Put simply, that is exactly what Gayle and Murphy are – average players.

The English pair have both performed well in the Championship but failed to step up to the top flight, and the explanation for that is they have found their level in the second tier.

Benitez and the club would be absolutely right to seek whatever transfer fees they can recoup this summer and move on from the underwhelming pair.