Judging by the transfer gossip surrounding Newcastle United this summer, Rafael Benitez is in the market for a winger.

Matt Ritchie has been heavily linked with a move to Stoke City, and if a deal came to pass, the Magpies would need a replacement.

Crystal Palace star Andros Townsend has been frequently mentioned as a target, but manager Roy Hodgson recently told football.london that he has no interest in selling the winger.

Last week, Sky Sports News reported that West Ham United were willing to listen to offers for Michail Antonio.

The versatile winger has been a Hammer since 2015, but last season he had limited appearances on the pitch, mainly due to injuries.

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In fact, Antonio made just 21 Premier League outings, and in that time he scored three goals and created a single assist.

While Townsend’s pace would certainly be an asset at Newcastle, Antonio can play in a number of different roles, including right-back and up front.

We asked you if the North-East outfit should swoop for the unity man, and the majority are keen on the idea.

Manchester United fans are furious with the latest transfer news, as reliable reports claim the club will not meet the asking price for Alex Sandro.

According to The Times, Manchester United have agreed personal terms with the Juventus left back, but have refused to meet the asking price.

Fans are growing increasingly impatient over the lack of transfer activity to bolster the defence, and left back has been a problem for quite some time now.

Ashley Young performed well in the role last season, but the 33 year-old is not a viable option there long term.

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Luke Shaw has been told he can leave the club according to the Times report, although the former Southampton star has rejected the chance to revive his career at Everton.

The 27 year-old Sandro grabbed four goals and five assists for the Italian champions last season, and his ability to play either as a traditional full back or a wing back would be a huge boost for the Red Devils.

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Fans are furious the club have once again stalled on a major transfer target, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Thierry Henry is loved by the Arsenal fanbase, but some would not be hugely supportive if he ended up taking over at Aston Villa.

On Saturday, The Mirror reported that the Championship outfit are considering swooping for Henry as a replacement for Steve Bruce.

At the moment, no managerial shifts have been made, but a recent financial injection may cause a change.

Egyptian billionaire Nassef Sawiris has sought to end Villa’s woes in the boardroom by taking a controlling stake from chairman Tony Xia.

The Mirror claims that Henry could be a potential candidate to replace Bruce after he quit his punditry duties with Sky Sports to embark on a career in management.

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The Frenchman, who is Arsenal’s leading goalscorer, caught the bug while assisting Roberto Martinez during Belgium’s World Cup campaign in Russia.

While Arsenal fans are keen for their club legend to take on his first management job, some have concerns about Villa.

Comment from discussion Aston Villa look to hire Thierry Henry as their new manager after financial bailout.Comment from discussion Aston Villa look to hire Thierry Henry as their new manager after financial bailout.Comment from discussion Aston Villa look to hire Thierry Henry as their new manager after financial bailout.Comment from discussion Aston Villa look to hire Thierry Henry as their new manager after financial bailout.Comment from discussion Aston Villa look to hire Thierry Henry as their new manager after financial bailout.Comment from discussion Aston Villa look to hire Thierry Henry as their new manager after financial bailout.Comment from discussion Aston Villa look to hire Thierry Henry as their new manager after financial bailout.Comment from discussion Aston Villa look to hire Thierry Henry as their new manager after financial bailout.

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has admitted that Matteo Darmian wants to leave Old Trafford this summer, and that he is willing to sell the defender if the price is right, as quoted by Goal.

Since his arrival from Torino in 2015, Darmian has failed to convince in the Premier League that he is capable of performing consistently at the high standard expected by Manchester United.

The 28-year-old only made 8 appearances last season in the English top flight, and, at this stage of his career, a move to secure more game time makes perfect sense.

His departure would however leave the Red Devils thin on the ground in terms of right-back options. 

According to Mourinho, neither new signing Diogo Dalot or the veteran Antonio Valencia will be fit in time for the start of the Premier League campaign. In any case, they are aged 19 and 32 respectively, which raises questions about either of them being suitable first choice candidates this season.

If Darmian departs this summer, expect to see a new first choice right-back arrive at Old Trafford before the transfer window shuts.

Mourinho might want to consider making Santiago Arias that new signing.

The Breakdown

Santiago Arias enjoyed a fine campaign with PSV in the Eredivisie last season. 3 goals and 6 assists from the right-back position are impressive figures, and defensively the 26-year-old was consistently solid.

This should come as no surprise, as the Colombian international has been reliably excellent for the Dutch giants since joining them in 2013.

Bigger things await for Arias though, and a switch to Old Trafford this summer would afford him the opportunity to prove that he has what it takes to make it at the highest level.

Transfermarkt value Arias at £16.2 million, but with the player entering the final year of his contract with PSV, he could be available at a bargain price.

Importing from the Eredivisie into the Premier League has proved a risky strategy in recent years, with more misses than hits in terms of players being able to make the step up. In this case though, this is a gamble worth taking for United. 

Adama Traore continues to be linked with a move away from Middlesbrough, with Wolverhampton Wanderers believed to be prepared to pay £18m for the attacker.

There is no question that Traore can be frustrating, but the former Barcelona winger is also capable of excellence, and he can be a real threat if it all comes together.

The 22-year-old scored five times and registered 10 assists in 34 Championship appearances for Boro last term, which has led to a host of interest.

Traore will actually miss the start of next season with a dislocated shoulder, but it is understood that Wolves still want to get the deal done, as reported by journalist Pete O’Rourke.

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The Northern Echo have claimed that Boro could actually offer Traore a new contract in a bid to keep him, and that is exactly what the club’s supporters want to happen.

Well, that or add a buy-back or sell-on clause into any deal that goes through this summer.

Traore’s current release clause would be activated with a bid of £18m, and it is going to be very interesting to see how this one plays out.

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

Loads of Rangers fans have been giving their verdict on Sunday’s win, and it looks like Borna Barisic could be one of the steals of the summer.

Looking at Gerrard’s transfer business this summer, it’s pretty clear he identified the defence as the number one issue at Ibrox.

The Liverpool legend has completely transformed the Gers’ backline, bringing in bargain after bargain to increase both the depth and the quality of the starting XI.

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Nikola Katic and Connor Goldson have formed a dominant partnership at the heart of the defence, but it’s already looking like Barisic could be an even better coup.

The Croatian can play as a left back or further up the pitch as a wing back, and his dangerous deliveries caused loads of problems for St Mirren on Sunday.

The 25 year-old was signed for a fee of around £2.2m according to Sky Sports, and even after one match fans are starting to feel this is another genius move from the gaffer.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

At this stage of the transfer window, random footballers tend to be plucked from the air and linked to various clubs.

Newcastle United have had another frustrating few months trying to bring in some fresh talent to bolster Rafael Benitez’s squad.

Once again, club owner Mike Ashley has caused problems for the manager, who has publicly admitted that he is in the dark with regards to transfer funds.

Martin Dubravka, Ki-Sung yueng, Kenedy, Fabian Schar, Yoshinori Muto and Salomon Rondon have all come through the welcome gates at St James’ Park, but Benitez is not done.

According to a recent report in The Sun, the former Liverpool boss is eyeing a move for Bournemouth midfielder Harry Arter, who the club value at around £10m.

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It seems that if the Magpies are serious about trying to sign the Republic of Ireland international, who has 13 caps to his name, they need to beat off competition from Cardiff City, Middlesbrough and Stoke City.

On Twitter, Newcastle fans have debated whether recruiting Arter would be a good move from Benitez.

Some believe that the club should consider offloading Isaac Hayden in a swap deal.

The transfer window may be over for Newcastle United, but they still have the opportunity to sign free agents at any time to bolster their options in various positions. 

Rafa Benitez was able to bring in plenty of new players during the summer window, many of which will give the club a huge boost in their bid for survival. But yet they remain alarmingly short of strength in depth both in attacking midfield and on the right-wing.

Ayoze Perez and Matt Ritchie have their respective positions secured at this moment in time with little by way of competition to challenge them for a starting berth, but that could all change if Newcastle take note of Alessio Cerci’s availability.

The 31-year-old attacking midfielder was recently released from Hellas Verona at the end of a season in which they were relegated from Serie A, and he is now available to sign on a free transfer.

With the ability to cut in from the right-wing onto his favoured left-foot or play in a number ten role behind the striker, Cerci offers a level of versatility across two positions in which the Magpies are short of quality options.

Although there’s no doubt that he is past is electric best at 31-years-of-age, especially given his injury problems in recent years, Newcastle would certainly be wise to take a punt on the Italian midfielder this summer in order to add depth to their sparse options.

It’s clear from the fact that Cerci has managed to score 41 goals and provide 39 assists from 201 Serie A appearances that he possesses the killer instinct to make a decisive impact in the final-third.

At this stage in his career Cerci will struggle to play 90 minutes on a consistent basis so some form of incentive based contract which takes appearances, goals and assists into account could be a desirable agreement for all involved.

The importance of squad players cannot be underestimated across a 38 fixture season, so Benitez must add another to his ranks by signing Cerci on a free transfer before he gets snapped by a rival club.

Newcastle fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton took to Twitter to hint that Blackburn Rovers defender Charlie Mulgrew could be a good signing for Celtic following his performance on Wednesday night, and Bhoys fans were quick to react.

The Rovers captain helped the Lancashire outfit return to the Championship last term with 14 goals and a further five assists despite playing as a centre-back, and he carried on his goalscoring form in the 2-2 draw against Reading at Ewood Park by twice converting from the penalty spot.

The 32-year-old made more than 200 appearances for the Scottish Premiership holders previously before joining Blackburn two years ago, and with Brendan Rodgers’ current centre-back options struggling right now he would probably prove to be a decent buy.

Celtic supporters took to social media to have their say on Sutton’s comments on Mulgrew, and while one said “he would jump at the chance”, another said “he wasn’t good enough when we got rid”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

West Ham United booked their spot in the third round of the EFL Cup with a 3-1 win over AFC Wimbledon in the second round of the competition on Tuesday night.

It was far from a vintage performance from the Hammers, but they did come from 1-0 behind to ensure that Manuel Pellegrini would pick up his first win as head coach.

Lucas Perez has made two substitute appearances for West Ham since his arrival from Arsenal during the summer, but he was in the XI against Wimbledon.

The 29-year-old struggled to make his mark against the League One outfit, however, which has led to a lot of criticism from the West Ham fans.

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Javier Hernandez was also picked out as an underperforming player on the night, and Perez has received similar treatment from the club’s supporters.

Perez will seemingly have to wait before potentially securing a spot in Pellegrini’s first XI, and the Spaniard will certainly need to up his game from Tuesday night.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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