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On Sunday afternoon, Notts County officially announced that owner and chairman Alan Hardy has made the struggling League Two outfit available for purchase. 

Hardy cited a need to focus on his other business interests as the driving factor behind his decision to sell. As per the aforementioned report, Hardy stated that “my efforts to restore Notts County’s fortunes over the last two years mean my other businesses have had to take a back seat. They are now in need of my full attention.”

The Magpies are currently floundering at the foot of the table. Neal Ardley’s side are in desperate need of a boost, which many will hope can be provided by the arrival of a new owner. 

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

Hardy took charge at Meadow Lane in January 2017, when the club were fighting for EFL survival. Since then, he has seen the club make the play-offs. However, they now once again find themselves mired in a desperate scrap to preserve their status as the oldest club in the Football League.

Following the announcement of Hardy’s decision to put the club up for sale, plenty of Notts County fans took to Twitter to voice their reactions…

Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt a huge boost concerning Ben Davies.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a claim made by Alasdair Gold, with the journalist revealing in a recent post on Twitter that, following the versatile left-back’s return to north London after withdrawing from the Wales squad, there has been a positive update regarding the 28-year-old.

Gold went on to explain in a subsequent report for football.london that the defender pulled out of his country’s friendly against the Czech Republic tomorrow evening due to feeling tightness in one of his quad muscles, although it is expected he will be available for the visit of Newcastle United on Sunday.

In his tweet, the journalist said: “Good news on Ben Davies.”

Conte will be buzzing

Considering how important a player Davies has been for Conte since the 52-year-old’s arrival in north London last year, the news that the Welshman should be available for selection this weekend is sure to have left the Italian buzzing.

Indeed, following the former Inter Milan manager’s appointment at Spurs back in November, the £16.2m-rated man has featured in all but one of the 27 fixtures the Italian has overseen at the club – with 25 of these outings coming as starts, primarily on the left of Tottenham’s three-man backline.

And, with Sky Sports reporter, Michael Bridge, recently stating in an interview with GIVEMESPORT that the position will undoubtedly be one which Conte and Fabio Paratici will be targeting a new signing in the summer transfer window, it is clear to see just how short Spurs currently are on the left of their defence.

As such, should the £93k-per-week Davies indeed be fit to face Newcastle this Sunday, it will certainly come as a huge boost to the 52-year-old coach – particularly with the race for a top-four finish being as close as it is.

AND in other news: Paratici can land THFC the next Vieira in “superb” 18 y/o with “world-class potential”

Leeds United will be looking to pick up their first victory in a month when they host Crystal Palace in the Premier League this evening and manager Marcelo Bielsa is facing several selection dilemmas.

The Yorkshiremen picked up a point on their travels at the weekend, drawing 0-0 to Brighton and Hove Albion on the south coast and they will be looking for three points against an in-form Eagles side tonight, having slipped to within three points of the relegation zone.

After three games without a win, the Argentine has got to spark a reaction on the pitch and he could do so with some key changes to his starting XI, one of which being at left-back, where Junior Firpo was a complete liability against the Seagulls.

Indeed, he was lucky to not be sent off for his troubles in keeping Tariq Lamptey at bay and it wasn’t too long before he was hooked by the manager.

It would be a surprise to see him named amongst the starters once again, particularly as Patrick Vieira has some tricky wide and attacking players at his disposal, notably Wilfried Zaha, Eberechi Eze, Odsonne Edouard and Chelsea loanee Conor Gallagher.

All of whom could feast on that left-flank should Bielsa opt for the former Barcelona full-back to start again.

As per SofaScore, he was utterly woeful in the 45 minutes he was on the pitch at the Amex Stadium, as he managed to commit four fouls, in which he received a booking, as well as being wasteful with the ball, registering a 68% passing accuracy, no accurate crosses and he also lost 50% of his duels.

Much of the Whites’ faithful took to social media to lambast his shocking performance, as relayed by This is Futbol, whilst Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards tore into him on Match of the Day, labelling him an “absolute disaster.”

Given the threat on offer this evening, the £12.5m-rated dynamo, who is thought to be earning around £55k-per-week at Elland Road, has no right being involved following that disasterclass of a display.

Meanwhile, an average WhoScored rating of 6.32 suggests that he has just not been good enough across the campaign so far. It is the worst rating of any player to start over three league games.

A worrying trend of disappointing and inconsistent form.

Bielsa must now be ruthless, especially after his encouraging comments on Firpo after the Brighton stalemate, and axe the Spaniard from his starting lineup this evening.

AND in other news, Beren Cross drops Kalvin Phillips update ahead of Crystal Palace clash…

An update has emerged on Manchester City winger Cole Palmer, regarding Newcastle’s interest in his services…

What’s the talk?

According to The Athletic, the Magpies have made a loan approach to sign the England under-21 international for the second halff of the campaign.

The report claims that their initial attempts to land him have been knocked back by Pep Guardiola’s side, but does not state whether or not Newcastle will go back in with another effort.

Snap him up

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe must do everything in his power to snap him up by convincing the Premier League champions to send Palmer on loan to St. James’ Park. He could be a terrific addition to the squad who could help them avoid relegation down to the Championship.

The £12k-per-week wing wizard has already played 12 games in the first-team for Manchester City, scoring twice, and has been capped four times by England at under-21 level.

Guardiola was previously effusive in his praise of the young attacker, saying:

“Cole has a special quality in front of the box, a talent that is difficult to find. When he has the ball there, most of the time it ends up in the net. It’s difficult to find that.

“I know how it works with young players. We have to be calm and patient. His position is the second team but at the same time he trains with us and works with our principles. I am happy with the goal. He could have done a few actions a little bit better, but that is normal. It is experience.”

His record at U23 level for City is phenomenal. He has scored 19 goals and provided 10 assists in 27 games, having found the back of the net 20 times – whilst managing eight assists – in 32 matches for the U18s previously.

This, along with his exposure to first-team football under Guardiola, suggests that he could have the quality to provide a lift to the Magpies team. Callum Wilson (six) is the only Newcastle player with more than three Premier League goals and Allan Saint-Maximin (three) is the only player with more than two assists, highlighting the need for more forwards who can contribute at the top end of the pitch.

Therefore, Howe must work hard to change City’s mind and get them to send Palmer to the club on loan. He could come in and offer an added bit of quality in the final third, if he is able to translate even a fraction of the form he has shown for City at youth level into the first team.

AND in other news, Downie shares NUFC update after speaking “to the consortium”, fans will be thrilled…

Tottenham director of football Fabio Paratici will give an answer to AC Milan over a move for Japhet Tanganga ‘this weekend’.

The Lowdown: Tanganga under Conte

The 22-year-old has been used by Antonio Conte on a number of occasions in recent months, turning out in a variety of roles.

He’s played as a left-back, centre-back, right-back and even right midfielder, with his latest appearance coming against Leicester City in a dramatic 3-2 victory.

Tanganga is under contract until 2025 but has been linked with a move to Italy, and it seems as if Spurs are mulling over a possible transfer in the final days of the January window.

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The Latest: Next 48 hours key

Sports Witness shared a link to a story on Twitter on Wednesday afternoon, revealing the clubs are in talks and Paratici will give an answer ‘this weekend’.

AC Milan are thought to be ‘working’ on a move and would prefer a loan deal over a permanent one, with the next 48 hours seemingly vital.

The Verdict: Reinforcements needed first?

Sending Tanganga to Milan for the second half of the season may well be good for the youngster – it has reinvigorated Fikayo Tomori’s career, for example. However, Spurs could do with bringing players in before shipping any out on loan.

Conte has just five senior centre-backs to choose from, one being Cristian Romero who is injured. Joe Rodon also doesn’t seem to be fancied by the Italian, who has moved Ben Davies into a central role from left-back.

Spurs are thought to be keen on Sevilla’s Diego Carlos, and should they pip Newcastle to the Brazilian, then perhaps an exit for Tanganga, who Gary Neville called ‘really special’, could be on the cards.

In other news: Spurs make 11th-hour attempt to dramatically scupper rivals’ move for £40.5m-rated ‘beast’. 

Manchester United’s interim manager Ralf Rangnick will be aiming to secure his second consecutive victory when BSC Young Boys visit Old Trafford in their Champions League encounter this evening.

The German tactician’s reign got off to a perfect start over the weekend when he guided the Red Devils to a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace.

But it wasn’t just the result that would have pleased Rangnick. United recorded their first clean sheet on home territory in the Premier League since March on Sunday, having previously kept just three clean sheets in the current campaign.

Rangnick didn’t just manage to shut up shop by adopting a defensive, backs-to-the-wall approach, though.

United won back possession of the ball 12 times in the final third of the pitch, a record number for the 20-time English champions since Opta began recording such data.

“Possession won in the final third was a massive one,” said Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville in his analysis. “What they did is they sustained attacks, and they stopped teams cutting through them, and they stopped counter-attacks. They won the ball back quicker.

“Everyone assumed it would be Jurgen Klopp-style heavy-metal football. They did not run more but what they did do was work smarter.”

And now Rangnick must give other players an opportunity to impress in his new-look set up for the visit of Young Boys, unleashing the likes of Mason Greenwood into the starting XI.

He could be a game-changer

The 63-year-old already revealed in his pre-match press conference that fringe players Dean Henderson and Donny van de Beek will be afforded rare opportunities to impress from the off, with United already assured of their place in the last-16.

Therefore, Greenwood should also be brought back into the fold. After suffering from the ongoing pandemic last month, the versatile forward has failed to start a game in all competitions since 6 November and is currently enduring a five-game goal drought.

The £45m-rated forward’s recent showings in front of goal have been in stark contrast to those in the opening weeks of the campaign when he bagged three strikes in his first three league games.

“The kid is on fire,” said David de Gea after he well-taken finish at Wolves. “Top finisher, he is clinical, he has the goal in his mind all the time, so he’s being very important for us at the moment.

“Hopefully he can keep the level up and keep scoring goals like he did today.”

Unfortunately for Greenwood and United, the youngster hasn’t been able to maintain that form as De Gea had hoped, but today’s clash could be the perfect opportunity for him to get back on track.

After all, he has the potential to be better than a host of club legends according to pundit Jason Cundy who once said: “Every game I see, he gets better and better and better.

“He is better than Marcus Rashford, he will be better than David Beckham, he will be better than Ryan Giggs.”

The youngster’s deadly combination of intelligent movement, natural pace and unerring finishing always has the ability to change any game, and if he puts in an impressive display, it could alter the course of his season under Rangnick.

And, in other news…Rangnick could seal bargain Man Utd swoop for £287k-p/w “phenomenon” compared to CR7

Antonio Conte is still settling into life at Tottenham Hotspur having been appointed as their new manager less than two weeks ago.

Much of his system, tactics and personnel will be tinkered and altered over the coming weeks and months as the Italian coach looks to resolve the sinking ship that is Spurs.

He has started life pretty well considering, with a win in the Europa Conference League and a draw to Everton in the Premier League but when the squad returns to domestic action next weekend, they’ll face the tough test of Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United.

The 52-year-old has predominantly used a three-at-the-back formation throughout his managerial career, earning silverware at the likes of Chelsea and Inter Milan deploying such a system.

One of the Lilywhites’ problems last season was their leaky and incoherent backline, so it’s a bold risk to take seeing as only Cristian Romero joined the defensive armoury in the summer.

Both Davinson Sanchez and Eric Dier have been rather error-prone, though the latter has been preferred thus far. Meanwhile, both Japhet Tanganga and Joe Rodon do not seem to be favoured yet.

In fact, it’s the Welshman’s international teammate, Ben Davies, that is acting as the left-sided central defender and on Saturday night, he just proved exactly why he has already won the faith of the new Spurs boss; actually playing alongside Rodon in the middle, too.

As per SofaScore, the 28-year-old even found himself on the scoresheet in their World Cup qualifying demolition of Belarus. The £14.4m-rated Spurs man bagged their fourth in the 5-1 victory and played a major role, having registered a surprising three shots on target throughout the 90 minutes.

His influence was reflected by the fact he registered more touches (100) than any other player on the pitch, including the playmaking Aaron Ramsey (61) and attacking midfield threat Harry Wilson (69).

Elsewhere, the Spurs defender recorded one clearance and one interception, and he won four of his seven duels, both on the ground and aerially, via SofaScore. Once again proving to be a “standout” player.

Davies, despite his involvement under the former Chelsea boss, has been touted as a player that could be binned off in the coming transfer windows but performances like this will make that as far from being the case as possible.

Interestingly, the versatile Wales star was a player Conte was keen to sign for the Blues back in 2016, as per ESPN FC, so that only adds further insight into why he has come straight back into the starting XI.

Jose Mourinho once lauded the 28-year-old as “intelligent” thanks to his ability to play in various positions defensively.

Earning reported wages of around £93k-per-week, Davies has shown everyone, including ourselves, that he deserves to start regularly in this new exciting era – the change in system has certainly helped, maybe it’s a match made in heaven.

AND in other news, Imagine him and Kane: Conte wants “lethal” 6 foot 1 machine at Spurs…

Celtic’s ‘massive’ mid-season recruitment drive should eliminate any concerns about squad depth, Paddy Kenny has told Football Insider. 

The lowdown

With less than a third of the January transfer window gone, the Hoops have already made four additions to their squad. Reo Hatate, Yosuke Ideguchi and Daizen Maeda have all arrived from the J1 League, while Johnny Kenny has joined from Irish outfit Sligo Rovers.

Hatate cost £1.38m, Ideguchi £640,000 and Kenny £135,000, while Maeda signed on an initial loan with an option to buy. That’s a total expenditure of £2.2m, comfortably the highest in the Premiership so far.

Celtic don’t appear to be stopping there, either. On Sunday morning, The Daily Mail reported that they were closing in on a deal for Riley McGree, who is currently on loan at English Championship side Birmingham City. The Charlotte FC midfielder is valued at £540,000 by Transfermarkt.

The latest

Kenny has commended the Celtic board for matching Postecoglou’s ambitions in the market this month, believing that they look set to be in a stronger position to reclaim the Premiership title from Rangers come the end of the season.

The former Republic of Ireland goalkeeper told Football Insider: “You can never have too many good players. The good thing for the manager is that this is now looking like his squad.

“He has been relentless in his effort to get these players in, it’s great to see.

‘”It’s massive compared to last season. Streamlining the squad is only going to make Celtic better as well.

“I think they struggled with depth earlier this season, I don’t think that will be an issue now.”

The verdict

Postecoglou did seem to be frustrated by what he considered inadequate squad depth. In December, he said injuries ‘wouldn’t be as much of an issue’ if he had more options to call upon.

Crucially, many of the players he has brought into the club offer tremendous versatility. Hatate can play left-back, and on the left and in the middle of midfield; Ideguchi can operate as a number 6, 8 or 10; and forward Maeda can be deployed out wide or through the middle.

Having that extra cover in multiple positions will no doubt be significant for the club as they look to achieve their domestic and continental ambitions, so it’s little wonder that Kenny has been impressed by their January transfer business so far.

In other news, Celtic are also getting nearer to this double deal

The future of Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos may depend on ‘what happens with [Giovanni] van Bronckhorst’, Danny Mills has told Football Insider.

The lowdown

Morelos’s £33,000-per-week Rangers contract is due to expire at the end of next season.

That means this summer could be the club’s last opportunity to cash in, with Morelos able to line up a free transfer to a foreign club from January unless he pens an extension.

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The frontman stated back in the autumn that he hoped he would be soon be allowed to leave Glasgow.

Morelos has scored 113 goals in 224 appearances for the club, better than one every two games, and is their all-time top European goalscorer.

Former Rangers midfielder Nacho Novo has urged the Light Blues to ‘do something very soon’ as they face the prospect of losing an ‘incredible’ player.

The latest

Mills, a pundit for Sky Sports News, says there are plenty of factors that may determine Morelos’ next move, including Van Bronckhorst’s future.

“It will depend on where Rangers finish in the league, what happens in the Europa League and what that means for their finances,” he told Football Insider.

“Then what happens with Giovanni van Bronckhorst going forwards? There is a lot in the mix at Rangers and it depends on these next few weeks, effectively.

“If they finish behind Celtic, how far will they finish behind Celtic? Can they turn it around in the Europa League?

Mills warned that Rangers may be forced to sell the Colombian to fund further recruitment.

But on the other hand, the opportunity to play in the Champions League could compel him to remain at Ibrox.

“What is the plan going forward?” he said. “Do they need to sell a player like that to get some money to help bring players in?

“If they were to overtake Celtic and win the league, get in the Champions League with all that money they might be able to keep him and he will want to play in the Champions League.

“If not, they might need to reassess the situation.”

The verdict

There are two possible routes for Rangers into the Champions League – winning the Scottish Premiership and winning the UEFA Europa League.

The first looks decidedly unlikely after Celtic beat Rangers 2-1 earlier this month to open up a six-point cushion at the top of the table. There is still one more Old Firm to play, though, which would could revive the Gers’ hopes.

As for the European path, Rangers will first have to overturn a 1-0 deficit against Braga on Thursday. That would earn them a place in the semifinals, but RB Leipzig or Atalanta would be the favourites for the tie.

Rangers, then, have only an outside bet of making it into Europe’s premier club competition, but it could prove to be a trump card if they can get it done.

Many of the clubs interested in Morelos – like Leicester City, Newcastle United and Everton – won’t be playing at that level next season.

In other news, a significant contract update has emerged.

An update has emerged on Liverpool dynamo Divock Origi, regarding Newcastle United’s interest in his services.

What’s the talk?

According to the Northern Echo, the Belgian forward is one of a number of players Eddie Howe is eyeing ahead of the January transfer window.

The report claims that he is being considered as a potential loan signing, with his game time at Anfield currently limited.

Imagine him & Wilson

Newcastle could land a dream deal by signing Origi on loan in the January transfer window for multiple reasons. Firstly, he could form an exciting partnership with Callum Wilson at the top end of the pitch for the Magpies in the second half of the season.

Origi has 38 goals and 16 assists for Liverpool in his time at Anfield and has produced three goals and two assists in seven games this season, showing that he has the quality to make a difference in games. Wilson, meanwhile, has 16 Premier League goals since the start of last term and has proven that, like the Reds attacker, he can score goals at this level.

The Belgian forward is capable of playing out wide on the left and could play off Wilson in a front three along with Allan Saint-Maximin. Therefore, with Origi and Wilson’s ability to score goals, they could create a promising strike force that should get fans excited.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp once hailed the forward as ‘unbelievably important’ and praised the different qualities he offers. He said:

“Div is unbelievably important for us.

“We knew it before but Div needs a good feeling, needs to be in a confident mood and then everybody knows what he is able to do. If you compare him with other players in our squad then they are all different, they all have different qualities and very often we used three other players up front, but Div was always so important for us.

“Then it’s really nice as well that he can show his importance in a game like this, which was obviously very important for all of us. Scoring these kinds of goals showed extra class, they were exceptional.”

Secondly, a loan deal could be a dream financial move for the club. They are currently 20th in the Premier League and a loan with an option to sign him permanently at the end of the season could be perfect for the Magpies, as it means that they do not have to commit to paying his wages if they are relegated to the Championship.

AND in other news, Shearer 2.0: Howe could get St. James’ rocking with NUFC deal for “incredible” beast…