One of the real surprises of Newcastle’s drop down to the Championship has been Yoan Gouffran. The French winger was widely criticised as the Magpies slipped to relegation last term and has often been questioned by fans due to his flaky nature on the pitch, so in the hustle and bustle of the second tier, it was expected that he would find it hard to cope after a proposed move away from the club collapsed.

However, Rafa Benitez has welcomed him into his high-flying North East XI and has been rewarded, with the 30-year-old notching two goals and two assists in 13 Championship outings, while looking a far better all-round player.

His improved form has, according to the Northern Echo, attracted the interest of Lille, who are believed to be looking at a cut-price January move for the wide-man, whose contract expires at the end of the current campaign.

Although there remains the possibility of extending his contract, it looks likely that the 22-time France U-21 international will be on his way in the New Year, and we caught up with Nothing But Newcastle editor, Jonnie Gorrie, to get his verdict on why cashing in on Gouffran makes sense…

A Prem flop…

Gouffran’s Premier League spell at Newcastle was hardly a success. The Frenchman signed for the Magpies from Bordeaux in a cut-price deal during the winter window of the 2012/13 season and after making an initial impact over the latter half of his debut campaign before going on to net six league goals in his first full term in England, his performances slowly declined. Even at his peak, the now 30-year-old could drift in and out of games, but across both 2014/15 and 2015/16 he struggled to make any sort of impact as the Tynesiders battled against relegation.

Indeed, he made only two starts during the campaign the inevitable eventually happened, and Jonnie Gorrie thinks it could be more of the same if he does return to the top tier with Newcastle:

“As much as the Newcastle faithful would love to see ‘The Gouff’ continue his fairytale resurgence and make it back into the Premier League, he’s not quite up to the job.

“That’s not to say the Frenchman is at all a bad player, but the notion of him starting in the Premier League as frequently as he does in the second tier is not exactly inspiring.

“He’s done a decent enough job at the level the club previously aimed for, but the ‘Rafalution’ simply demands more.”

Cash in before a free transfer

“Amazingly, Gouffran is yet to be on the losing side when he’s been used by Benitez this season.

“Still, as excellent a stat as that is considering his standing in the squad, the ex-Bordeaux man is replaceable.

“Though he’s certainly played his part in the recent run of good form, his exit mid-way through the season wouldn’t really change all that much in the grand scheme of things.”

Jonnie Gorrie reflects the views of many Newcastle fans, with the general verdict being that losing him will make little difference. There are the caveats of a new contract remaining a possibility, but for where Newcastle want to be in terms of progression, there are doubts surrounding Gouffran’s ability to contribute. The fee they get will be minimal and there’s no desperate need for cash in January after a big summer of sales, but it makes business sense to sell.

Clear room for current stars to shine

Newcastle aren’t exactly short of options in attacking midfield and wide areas, so Gouffran’s potential exit, albeit he’s been in good form, may not be felt too strongly. Indeed, Rafa Benitez could opt for a two-man forward line or even lean on the likes of Christian Atsu or Rolando Aarons, according to Jonnie Gorrie:

“Christian Astu, Ayoze Perez, Matt Ritchie and Rolando Aarons provide adequate cover on the wings.

“The aforementioned cover in wide areas is enough for the Magpies throughout the course of what could well be a champagne campaign, though perhaps Aarons would be the youngest of the lot to benefit.

“Should he sort his injuries and personal problems out, the 20-year-old can have a big future on Tyneside.”

The Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton is one of the most famous fixtures on the English football calendar, and it has certainly produced some memorable moments over the course of its history.

In matches that usually involve passion, drama, tension and an electric atmosphere in the stands, some players have dealt with the pressure and produced brilliant goals against their arch-rivals to gain the bragging rights in the city.

Of course, there have been a lot of finishes with quality in these matches over the years, but only the very best can make it onto our shortlist.

The likes of Ian Rush, Kenny Dalglish, Robbie Fowler, Andrei Kanchelskis and John Barnes narrowly missed out on making the top five, showing just how tough the competition really is.

So, without further ado – and in no particular order – here are the fantastic strikes that made the cut in Football FanCast’s best Merseyside derby goals…

Phil Jagielka vs Liverpool

Liverpool were leading 1-0 against their arch-rivals going into second-half stoppage-time at Anfield and looked set to record a narrow Premier League win over the Toffees.

With seconds left to play, Aiden McGeady picked the ball up on the left-hand side and when his cross was cleared out of the box, many Everton fans would have held their head in their hands when they saw centre-back Jagielka ready to unleash a half-volley.

Unbelievably, the captain thundered the ball into the top corner to salvage a point.

Gary McAllister vs Everton

The veteran midfielder made a big impact during his time with Liverpool, none more so than when he scored the winning goal in the last minute of a 3-2 win against Everton at Goodison Park in 2001.

Around 35 yards out, the Scot stepped up and curled a sublime free-kick into the bottom corner to send the away fans into raptures and produce a look of surprised elation on manager Gerard Houllier’s face as the Reds took all three points.

It was 1984 and Everton picked up their first league win against Liverpool at Anfield for 14 years with a 1-0 success, thanks to a brilliant strike from Graeme Sharp.

A long ball forward from Peter Reid was taken down on the Scot’s right foot 25 yards out – beating Reds defender Mark Lawrenson in the process. He let the ball bounce before unleashing a volley that flew over Bruce Grobbelaar into the Liverpool goal. Outstanding.

Danny Murphy vs Everton

The midfielder always seemed to score important goals for Liverpool and one of those was a brilliant strike in a 2-1 win against Everton at Goodison Park in 2003.

It was David Moyes’ first Merseyside derby in charge of the Toffees but wasn’t a memorable one for the Scot as Murphy picked the ball up 25 yards out and shifted it on to his right foot before curling a sublime strike in off the far post.

Dan Gosling vs Liverpool

This occasion will be remembered for ITV accidentally going to an advertisement break during a live broadcast of an FA Cup fourth round replay between Everton and Liverpool – with viewers missing this winning extra-time goal as a result.

And it was a great one too. With just over two minutes to play until a penalty shootout, Gosling controlled a cross from the right with his left foot, beat two Reds defenders with a shift to his right and curled the ball beyond the despairing dive of Pepe Reina.

Tottenham Hotspur play hosts to table-topping fierce rivals Chelsea at White Hart Lane on Wednesday night.

With both teams heading into the heavyweight clash in excellent form, the supporters could be about to witness one of the games of the season in the Premier League.

It was only six weeks ago that the two sides met at Stamford Bridge; Chelsea secured their position at the summit of the Premier League, while Spurs were in the midst of an eleven-game winless run.

Since that meeting in west London, the Blues have maintained their dominance over the rest of the division. Spurs, meanwhile, have turned their uninspiring season around.

A win for Chelsea would guarantee the longest running run in Premier League history of 14 successive victories. On the other hand, the Lilywhites have recorded six wins from seven games since the 3-1 loss to Chelsea in November.

So without further delay, here are THREE reasons why we could potentially have the game of the season on our hands at the Lane.

Kane and Costa in red hot form

With the duo bagging a total of 24 goals between them this season, the game will witness two of the Premier League’s best forwards do battle for supremacy.

Both players have been instrumental in their team’s successes this season and the chances of victory rest largely on their shoulders.

If Kane and Costa hit the heights shown in recent weeks, we could be in for a goal-fest at White Hart Lane.

Revenge

Last season’s 2-2 thriller at Stamford Bridge was one of the most ill-tempered games in recent Premier League history.

Indeed, Eden Hazard’s incredible late equaliser saw the match erupt into never-ending fisticuffs all over the pitch as Spurs realised their title dreams were over.

There’s still no love lost between the two sets of players but perhaps more importantly, Spurs will be desperate to get their own back after having the title taken away from them by local rivals.

History suggests so

Down the years, this fixture has registered some of the finest Premier League games ever witnessed.

In fact, only two years ago, this exact fixture was underway on another Wednesday on New Year’s Day. A 5-3 victory for Spurs soon followed and left everyone watching in awe.

4-4 in 2008, 2-2 in 2016 and 1-5 in 2012 are just some of the goal-inflated classics to have occurred down the years.

Tottenham Hotspur are enjoying a fine season and having ended Chelsea’s remarkable winning run last week, the Lilywhites put their name in the hat for the FA Cup fourth round with a 2-0 victory over Aston Villa.

Mauricio Pochettino has led the side valiantly since his appointment three years ago and will surely be targeting success in the cup competitions this season, with the North London side establishing themselves as contenders.

Whilst they still have to be wary of the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea, all of whom also progressed this weekend, Spurs have shown they can beat anyone on their day.

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However, without Harry Kane their options up front are extremely limited as summer signing Vincent Janssen has been woeful in his Spurs career thus far.

Scoring just three penalties since a £17m arrival in the summer and not yet scoring from open play, Janssen had another game to forget about Villa and was criticised by many on social media.

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With Bournemouth halfway through their second ever Premier League season, you would have to say that they have adapted to life in the top flight well. As with any promoted club that manages to avoid the drop in their first season, the next task is then not to succumb to ‘second season syndrome’

That is something that the Cherries have managed to fend off in the first-half of this campaign but their FA Cup defeat away to Millwall highlighted the fact that they perhaps don’t have the depth of squad to make wholesale changes like the ones that were witnessed at The Den.

Some may have felt those changes unnecessary with Bournemouth in a comfortable league position, but this side certainly cannot afford to get too complacent. To make sure his team don’t slide down the table, Eddie Howe may well look to bring in a few more players to get them over the line and secure a third top-flight campaign come August.

So with that said, let’s now take a look at three potential signings for Bournemouth this month…

John Terry

The Cherries have been unfortunate to see Nathan Ake recalled by parent club Chelsea after a string of impressive performances this season, but they could return to Stamford Bridge in a bid to complete arguably one of the shock moves of this transfer window.

That is because they have none other than former England captain John Terry in their sights in regards to a move to the Vitality Stadium. Terry’s days at Stamford Bridge are undoubtedly coming to an end and with Chelsea being in the in-form team they are in as of late the 36-year-old’s first-team opportunities have been few and far between.

Terry obviously has not helped himself on that front after receiving a red card in the FA Cup Third Round Round tie against Peterborough and with the prospect of him being limited to just a few cup appearances, he may well feel that it’s time to see out his playing days elsewhere.

If there is one thing that has let Bournemouth down this season it has been their defence. They seemed assured in attack but this is a side that is often prone to the odd defensive lapse. However, should they manage to pull off the capture of Terry’s signature, his experience would undoubtedly give them a boost in confidence at the back.

Terry has often been linked with big money moves to Major League Soccer outfits or teams in China but if he does not want to end his career abroad then a move to the Dorset coast may appeal.

Pedro Pereira

Another defensive target that Bournemouth have their eye on this month is Pedro Pereira of Sampdoria. The 18-year-old has been a key cog in Portugal’s youth set-up, representing his country and U-15 through to U-18 level.

Bournemouth are said at the head of the queue for his services with a fee of £7m believed to be enough to take Pereira to the Premier League.

After deciding to stay at Sampdoria in the summer the Portuguese starlet has been rewarded with ten Serie A appearances this season and it’s those that have seemingly captured the attention of the Cherries’ scouting department.

He may not quite be top of many Bournemouth fans’ shopping lists for this transfer window but if the club can capture Pereira’s services then they could very well reap the rewards for years to come.

Morgan Sanson

To complete this trio of potential transfer targets, we now move our attention to France and Montpellier in particular as Bournemouth could be prepared to make a bid for Morgan Sanson. They have been tracking the 22-year-old and with a number of clubs doing likewise they may well feel that now is the right time to move that interest to the next level.

With other clubs around Europe also eyeing up Sanson, the one thing Bournemouth do not want to get caught up in is a bidding war, one which would undoubtedly see Sanson’s asking price increase. Therefore the Cherries will probably want to get a deal wrapped up as soon as possible.

After only making 14 appearances in Ligue 1 last season, Sanson has been an ever-present this season as Montpellier boss Frederic Hantz continues to show his faith in him. Unfortunately, though, it seems the more he plays the more he is in the shop window and there is now a strong likelihood that he will be with a new club before the end of the month.

With Chelsea dropping points against Liverpool last night, Arsenal had the chance to move just six points behind the Premier League leaders before Saturday’s huge clash at Stamford Bridge- where a victory would have put them just three points behind.In the end though, a forgetful performance against Watford at the Emirates Stadium saw Arsenal lose at home in the Premier League for the first time since the opening day of the season, fall nine points behind Chelsea and concede second-spot to Tottenham Hotspur.It continues a frustrating trend for Arsenal supporters, who have often seen their side struggle to compete, but their main problem is clearly playing Premier League matches in midweek- which is quite bizarre considering they’re well accustomed to the midweek rigours of Champions League football.

Since March 2015, Arsenal have failed to win a Premier League match on a Tuesday or a Wednesday, losing three and drawing four of the seven matches since- including two defeats in midweek this season against Everton at Watford.

Perhaps even more concerning is that Arsenal would have been expected to win the majority of those games, excluding Southampton and Liverpool, and it shows the Gunners really do lack the consistency needed to win the Premier League title.

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The Scottish Cup returns this weekend and for Celtic it’s a chance to take another step to a famous domestic treble in Brendan Rodgers’ first season as manager.

With the League Cup already won and a 27-point lead in the Scottish Premiership leaving the Bhoys just a few wins away from the title, the primary focus in the last part of the season is on the oldest trophy in football.

To win it they must beat Inverness Caledonian Thistle who have, in recent history, been a formidable foe for Celtic in the competition.

The Highlanders famously shocked the Hoops 3-1 at Celtic Park in 2000 in a match that ensured the dismissal of John Barnes but they also picked up notable cup upsets in 2003 and 2015 against the Glasgow side, latterly going on to win the entire tournament.

It means Saturday’s match has an intriguing edge to it and the Bhoys must stay sharp to ensure victory. To that end, rotating in some players from Sunday’s win in Perth wouldn’t go amiss.

Here are THREE players that deserve to start on Saturday…

Callum McGregor

Callum McGregor came off the substitutes’ bench on Sunday with the game poised at 2-2 and just 18 minutes remaining. He was a key part of the eventual 5-2 victory, providing boundless energy and dragging the team forward as they racked up the goals against St Johnstone.

It was his sumptuous flick that provided the assist for Moussa Dembele to net his second hat-trick of the season after a most wonderful team move involving a rabona from Mikael Lustig of all people.

While he came on for Liam Henderson at the weekend, he deserves to start vs. Inverness but should do so in the place of Nir Bitton. Henderson, Brown and McGregor would be a high-intensity trio in that Celtic midfield that could really trouble the Caley team early doors and have the Hoops rushing to a lead.

The chances of an upset or a tricky replay up in Inverness increase as the game progresses so the Hoops will be hoping to start strongly and ensure it’s just another routine day at Celtic Park.

Jozo Simunovic

Brendan Rodgers went for the pairing of Erik Sviatchenko and Dedryck Boyata in central defence on Sunday, preferring to bench Simunovic for the trip to St. Johnstone’s heavy McDiarmid Park pitch.

But, the Croatian deserves to come straight back into the team for the visit of Inverness. He’s arguably been Celtic’s most consistent central defender this season.

An avoidable Boyata own goal will have done little to help his cause, although the Belgian has looked much improved in recent weeks. It’s tough at the top and even though it was a mistake that didn’t prove to be costly, a fresh look at the Simunovic/Sviatchenko partnership would likely to go down very well with the home supporters.

Cristian Gamboa

You can’t deny that Mikael Lustig put in a terrific shift against St Johnstone but Cristian Gamboa has been in fine form at Celtic Park recently.

He was particularly impressive last Sunday at home to Hearts, and was one of the Hoops’ top performers, showing signs he could have a fine Celtic career despite a fairly slow start so far.

With tough tackling and attacking prowess, he’s the best option against what is expected to be a deep and defensive Inverness team coming to Celtic Park.

He offers a slight edge over Lustig in wide attacking areas, often bursting in behind a defensive line in an effort to break teams down.

Whether he gets the nod remains to be seen, Lustig is on a high after his cheeky rabona that helped Celtic to their fifth goal. It’s a fine headache for Brendan Rodgers to have.

Friday 3rd March 2017, remember the date. Just a normal end to the week? Nope. Yaya Sanogo actually did something good. Yes, that Yaya Sanogo. No, this isn’t some weird Football Manager parallel universe.

The young French striker was playing for Arsenal’s U23 side at London Colney this afternoon against local rivals Tottenham Hotspur and opened the scoring, to put the Gunners on their way to a victory against their arch-rivals.

Given Arsenal have endured a tough year so far, with the most recent blow being a 5-1 drubbing at the hands of Bayern Munich, it was about time the North London side had something to cheer about- and it’s fair to say the fans were loving it.

Gooners across the globe took to social media to have their own say on Sanago’s goal, each providing their own little slant- and plenty of jokes directed towards their local rivals.

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After 20 years as the manager of Arsenal, you’d think that Arsene Wenger would be afforded the comfortable status of legend. Instead, he is being pushed towards an exit door and painted as an faded old man who just doesn’t know when to give up.

When Wenger arrived at Arsenal, he was a hugely unknown quantity in England. In reality, though, this was a man who had just steered Monaco to one of the most successful spells in their history, including a Ligue 1 title, a Coupe de France, and a Cup Winners’ Cup final. The fact Wenger had come from Japan did him no favours in England at first, but few noted that he’d only left France in the first place because of the corruption and bribery for which Marseille were stripped of their title in 1993.

His CV is as impressive as any other manager in the game and to have stayed at the top as long as he has deserves credit.

It’s no surprise, then, that he has been touted with a move to Barcelona. In fact, it makes perfect sense.

Wenger is the only manager in football to have lost all three major European club finals: the Cup Winners’ Cup with Monaco in 1992, the UEFA Cup in 2000, and the Champions League in 2006. Perhaps that’s the sort of record that Jose Mourinho was referring to when he called Wenger a specialist in failure, but in reality, few other managers can boast a record of coming so close, and over such a long period of time. If multiple reaching European finals is failure, then only a very select few succeed.

Barcelona, though, is a club which is synonymous with success these days. It wasn’t always like that. They have always been a massive football club, sure, but it took until 1992 for Barcelona to win their first European cup – ironically enough, the year Wenger lost his first European title. The fact that Barcelona have won the Cup Winners’ Cup and the Fairs Cup more times than any other team, whilst their bitter rivals Real Madrid have won the European Cup more than anyone else speaks to Barcelona’s historical position: a club with the all the setup for success, but who had never managed it on the biggest scale until very recently.

In fact, when you look at the history, Barcelona and Wenger share a spirit. It’s all about winning – what else would football be about? But it’s also about something greater than that. They say that Barcelona, the club, is a representation of Barcelona, the city. And they say that the capital of Catalonia is a representation of the nation of Catalonia. The club, they say, is more than a club.

Johan Cruyff’s arrival at Camp Nou took the team to new heights, before his return as a manager established a way of playing that brought success at home and abroad. But again, it was more than that. The success of Cruyff wasn’t fleeting, it would lead directly to the era of Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique when the club twice won the treble.

With all of that recent success, it sounds as though a manager of Arsene Wenger’s recent record of two FA Cups in over a decade doesn’t really fit. And yet the success isn’t the most impressive part of the Barcelona story, it’s the fact that the foundations have been there for so long.

One of the criticisms levelled at both Guardiola and Enrique is that anyone could have done their jobs: that the team was so strong that a monkey with a laser pointer could have won the treble. But if it seems as though the job is easy, it’s only because the club have spent decades creating the right foundations. It’s also what Wenger has been doing at Arsenal, under particularly trying financial conditions up until just a few years ago.

And so Barcelona, when they do look for a new manager to take over from Enrique, will be in a situation where they will need to find someone to deliver both continuity and regeneration.

Whilst it’s clear that the Spanish giants aren’t in the greatest of shape this season compared to what they’re used to, they still find themselves in the final of the Copa del Rey and in pole position in La Liga – albeit having played a game more than Real. If they do manage to beat PSG and go through to the Champions League quarter-finals, that would be a miracle, but if that’s the only reason Barcelona are underachieving, then there’s really only one answer: you surely can’t win every trophy every season.

There is a rebuilding job on the next manager’s hands, but it’s already been started: Samuel Umtiti, Andre Gomes, Denis Suarez and Paco Alcacer seem to have been identified as the future of the club in defence, defensive midfield, attacking midfield and attack respectively. And if Wenger needs any more incentive to join a club of Barcelona’s stature, the quality of the players and the ability to manage the transition from one team of superstars to the next must be tempting. The idea of knocking Arsenal out of the Champions League in the last 16 is a tempting idea for any Wenger apologist who isn’t of an Arsenal persuasion. What better revenge on the ungrateful hordes on FanTV stations could Wenger wish for? Blind with rage already, would the more irate of the regulars even be able to articulate a proper thought?

None of this means that Barcelona will want Wenger in charge, nor does it mean that Wenger would even want to go, if offered.

But it would give him a chance to leave Arsenal and ride off into the sunset – and with a squad like Barcelona’s at his disposal, would he still look like a specialist in failure by the end of his contract?

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According to reports in The Sun, Southampton right-back Cedric Soares is a £25m target for Spanish giants Barcelona.

What’s the story, then?

Well, with Barcelona still yet to find a long-term solution to replacing Dani Alves at right-back, they are said to be considering signing one in the summer.

Saints’ Cedric is said to be one of their top targets, and they are willing to pay £25m – five times what the south coast outfit bought him for when they signed him from Sporting Lisbon in 2015.

How key has he been for Saints this season?

The 25-year-old seems to have struggled with niggling injuries ever since he made the move to St Mary’s, and he has missed chunks of the current campaign with Cuco Martina filling in when needed.

However, his attacking threat – as with Ryan Bertrand on the other flank – is vital to Claude Puel’s side’s attacking play and he was outstanding in the EFL Cup Final defeat against Manchester United, and should have had an assist for Manolo Gabbiadini’s goal which was incorrectly deemed to be offside.

Would Saints stand in his way if an offer came in

It’s hard to say.

Chairman Ralph Krueger recently told talkSPORT that the club wants to keep hold of their best players, but the club may feel that an offer of £25m would be too good to turn down for someone they signed for £5m.

Les Reed has proven time and time again that he is able to replace the stars that leave with cheaper alternatives – who still have great quality – and they may not want to deny the Euro 2016 winner the opportunity to move to one of the biggest teams in world football.