While Newcastle United are focusing intently on eight coming games that hold an almost immeasurable magnitude on the complexion of the club’s future, their manager has been linked with a move away.

Such is the standing of Rafa Benitez in European football, seeing the Spaniard touted in the media for other jobs is always going to be a likely occurrence during his tenure on Tyneside, no matter how long or short it turns out to be. Indeed, it’s not even the first time this season he’s been linked with an exit, with both Arsenal and clubs in the Chinese Super League credited with an interest in him of late.

Still, what makes the most recent rumours so interesting are the fact they centre around a potential move to West Ham United. Though their maiden campaign in their new home has been an almighty struggle at times, there’s little doubting the Hammers are an upwardly mobile and ambitious Premier League side geared for success. However, is that really much different to the plans Newcastle have?

Clearly, there was a breakdown in communications between Benitez and top brass at St. James’ Park over the course of the January transfer window. With no one new arriving to aid the promotion push in black and white, the 56-year-old’s long-term future was cast into doubt over a tense start to 2017 in the North East.

However, I’ve previously written about how Mike Ashley has proven willing to back his managers in the top flight, with the Magpies splashing out £50m in the summer of 2015 alone, making them one of the highest spending teams in Europe at the time. In fact, Benitez himself has recently spoken about a ‘bright future’ for the Toon Army and the Chronicle suggests transfer meetings ahead of next season have already been held.

”This is a big club and we can have a very bright future I’m sure. The fans are incredible, the stadium is superb, the staff, everything is in place to allow this club to achieve great things.”

The ‘bigger club’ debate is an age old one and an argument that has no real tangible answer when talking about Newcastle United and West Ham. Clearly, the notion of challenging for the top six in east London is somewhat more readily achievable right now, though the Newcastle project has seemed to appeal to Benitez. Why stay on in charge even in the Championship, if you plan on jumping ship to a team who probably cannot offer you much more than you’re already on?

Granted, the looming figure of Mike Ashley in the boardroom may well complicate matters. While rebuilding Newcastle from the mess the last few years have left them in may be difficult to do with such an inherent distrust of the owner, the fact is, the Sports Direct mogul is always going divide opinion amongst the club’s support.

The reports over Benitez’s future sparked backlash online against Ashley and his boardroom and rightly so. Still, it’s not as if moving to the Irons would mean working under heavenly chairmen.

David Gold and Sullivan have attracted a lot of criticism for their rather public transfer pursuits, leaving egg on their own faces as they chase for a top-level striker led to the signing of Simone Zaza. Also, the fact they are even reportedly considering getting rid of Slaven Bilic after his wonderful first season in charge would suggest they aren’t the most patient bosses in the world.

Benitez’s reputation as gun-for-hire is being lifted at Newcastle, a city in which he is absolutely adored. That seems to appeal to a man who constantly fought battles during his time in charge of Chelsea and Real Madrid, so entering another loveless marriage with West Ham seems like a strange move for the Toon’s beating heart.

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Leeds United will be happy to be back at Elland Road following a disappointing week on the road that has put their play-off spot under threat.

The Whites suffered successive defeats on their travels as they were beaten 1-0 by fellow top six side Reading at the Madejski Stadium last Saturday, before losing 2-0 against Brentford at Griffin Park on Tuesday night.

The lack of goals and creativity in those two performances will be a concern for manager Garry Monk, but he knows that his side are stronger at home than they have been away this term having taken 42 of their 69 league points on home turf.

Perhaps low on confidence, beating in-form Preston North End could prove to be something of a challenge.

Simon Grayson’s men are just five points adrift of sixth-placed Sheffield Wednesday – and eight of their weekend opponents – with six matches of the season remaining.

The Lilywhites showed their strength by beating Bristol City 5-0 in midweek, and come into the clash at Elland Road unbeaten in their last five fixtures.

Here are THREE Preston players that could help extend Leeds’ losing run…

Callum Robinson

The 22-year-old only joined Preston on a permanent deal from Aston Villa last summer, but he has probably been one of Preston’s best players this season.

The forward has scored ten goals and provided two assists in 37 Championship appearances this term, he is one to watch at the weekend.

Robinson will come into this clash full of confidence after scoring a brace – as well as winning a penalty – in the 5-0 thrashing of Bristol City in midweek.

Aiden McGeady

The 31-year-old moved to Deepdale on a season-long loan deal from Everton last summer in order to get some regular first-team football, and he has certainly done that under Simon Grayson.

The winger is starting to display some of the form that he has shown previously in his career, and he won the Championship Player of the Month award for February.

After scoring six goals and providing seven assists in 26 league appearances this term, the winger will be one that the Leeds defence need to keep a close eye on at Elland Road.

Tom Barkhuizen

The 23-year-old striker only made his debut for Preston in January after he was released from his contract with Morecambe in November as the League Two outfit hit financial difficulties.

The attacker has scored six goals in just eleven Championship appearances since – including the opener in the 5-0 win against Bristol City during the week – and he will come into the clash at Elland Road brimming with confidence as he looks to help his side snatch a play-off spot.

Toby Alderweireld has told Tottenham Hotspur that he does not want to extend his contract at the club, reports Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio.

What’s the word?

The reporter has claimed on his personal website that Inter Milan are circling ahead of the summer transfer window.

Alderweireld has three years remaining on his current deal at White Hart Lane, but it is believed that talks over a fresh contract have broken down.

Di Marzio claims that a release clause of £23.4m can be triggered in 2019, and that Inter have made initial enquiries about the defender.

Tottenham have moved quickly over the past nine months to tie down some of their key players to long-term deals, but Alderweireld is one of them who has not yet signed on the dotted line.

Should Spurs be worried?

Not yet. Given that Alderweireld still has three years left on his contract, Tottenham are in a strong negotiating position if other clubs come calling.

If he is reluctant to pen fresh terms at the moment, then it could be a case of his camp trying to squeeze more money out of Tottenham.

From a footballing standpoint, it would be odd for Alderweireld to move on given that he has become a regular starter under Mauricio Pochettino and he is part of a young team that is thriving.

The club are the closest challengers to Premier League leaders Chelsea having cut the gap to just four points with six games left to play.

If the reports are to be believed, then there is no need for Spurs fans to worry about Alderweireld leaving this summer as the rumoured release clause cannot be triggered for another two years.

It’s that time of year again when the nominees for the PFA Young Player of the Year awards are announced and everyone moans about why Harry Kane is up for both awards but not Dele Alli.

Who deserves to be crowned the Premier League’s best young player this season, though? Leroy Sane has enjoyed a promising first season in England with Man City, Spurs duo Alli and Kane have been at their usual best while the likes of Burnley’s Michael Keane and Sunderland stopper Jordan Pickford have both been a real breath of fresh air. Romelu Lukaku, believe it or not, is still passes off as a young player despite being around for what seems like forever.

We asked four of our writers who they think deserves the crown…

Chris McMullan – Michael Keane

The thing that differentiates this year’s nominees for the young player award from the main one is that it contains a much more balanced spread of the various contributions different players can make. Attackers, a defender, two creators and even a goalkeeper are included. Fair play. Though you get the feeling one or two will play the role of filling the numbers.

All of these players have been brilliant this season, obviously, but because I can’t elevate one player over all others in some sort of dystopian Miss Premier League contest, I think the award should go to Michael Keane: he has formed part of an outstanding defensive unit which has turned Burnley’s Turf Moor into a fortress, probably kept his unfancied side in the Premier League, and even allowed him to win his first England caps.

If this award is about recognising outstanding contributions rather than salaciously masturbating over the division’s top attackers, then why not give it to Keane?

But it’s not, though, is it?

Christy Malyan – Deli Alli

This kid just gets better and better. His debut season was phenomenal, but Alli has already overshadowed his goal return from last season by six and is now encroaching upon Gerrard and Lampard territory in terms of providing goals from midfield.

It’s not all been plain sailing for the Tottenham sensation this term; he started the campaign poorly and his sending off against Gent was a real low. But the 21-year-old always battles back and it’s that mentality which makes Alli such a special young player.

It also speaks volumes that he arrived at White Hart Lane as a box-to-box midfielder but will finish this season playing almost as a second striker in Spurs’ 3-4-3 set-up.

Matt Law – Dele Alli

Alli is not always the easiest player for opposition supporters to like, but there can be no doubting the 21-year-old’s contribution to Tottenham Hotspur this season.

The England international has 16 goals and five assists in 30 Premier League appearances for Spurs during the 2016-17 campaign, which is even more remarkable when considering his inexperience at this level of football.

The former MK Dons midfielder could become the first player to win this award in consecutive seasons for the first time since Wayne Rooney in 2005 and 2006.

Burnley’s Michael Keane and Manchester City’s Leroy Sane are worth a mention, but Alli has been absolutely vital to another impressive campaign for Mauricio Pochettino’s side.

George Blake – Romelu Lukaku

Over the last few years, Romelu Lukaku has slowly been developing into the sort of player that everyone had expected him to be.

Sure, he can have off days and he can be frustrating – but on his day there is simply nobody better in the Premier League.

He has become the talisman for a club that has otherwise struggled at points this season, becoming the catalyst-like figure that his presence on the field has demanded.

The small feat of bagging a remarkable 23 league goals so far – the highest in the league – is proof of his rise, and proof that he has finally reached the level that we expected of him as a teenager.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Friday, Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce dropped the biggest hint yet that he could be ready to offer striker Gabby Agbonlahor a new contract this summer.

The 31-year-old’s current deal at Villa Park is due to run out this summer and it looked as though the attacker would leave the Midlands outfit after being frozen out at the start of the campaign by Roberto Di Matteo.

However, Bruce gave Agbonlahor another chance when he took the helm in October and the forward did his chances of extending his stay no harm at all when he scored the winning goal against arch-rivals Birmingham City last weekend.

Aston Villa supporters were quick to react to the comments from their boss via social media, but they disagree with him and believe that it is time for both parties to go their separate ways.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction to the news…

As reported in an exclusive by The Scottish Sun, Rangers striker Martyn Waghorn is a target for League One outfit Scunthorpe United this summer.

What’s the story?

Despite being the club’s top scorer this term, Martyn Waghorn isn’t exactly the most popular of players with supporters right now after a series of poor performances for the Light Blues, especially in the recent big matches against Celtic.

They might well the news from The Scottish Sun then, who say that Scunthorpe boss Graham Alexander is keen on signing the 27 year old this summer.

Having just missed out on promotion in the League One play-offs, the paper say Alexander is hoping Waghorn can lead a promotion push next season and was in Glasgow on Wednesday night to scout the striker during the Light Blues’ clash with Aberdeen.

Should they sell?

According to Transfermarkt, Waghorn’s current value sits at £638,000, not an unsubstantial amount for a Rangers that is looking to rebuild significantly over the next few months. Pedro Caixinha needs all the resources he can get and given Waghorn’s ability to be the consistent attacker they need to close the gap on Celtic, selling him would make sense as long as their asking price is met.

The striker has just over 12 months left on his current contract and actually rejected a new contract last year, meaning that his time is likely limited at Ibrox regardless. Maximising value in this situation is the right thing to do and Caixinha should look to bring in more quality in the final third.

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte picked up both the Premier League and LMA Manager of the Year awards on Monday night in recognition of an excellent debut campaign in England in which his side won the top flight title.

After a disappointing 10th-placed finish last season, Blues fans would have been more hopeful than expectant of their chances this term following the appointment of the Italian, and they would certainly have been worried following a 3-0 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates in October.

However, a change in formation led the west London outfit to embark on an incredible run that saw them wrap up the title with two matches to spare, eventually finishing with 30 wins from their 38 fixtures and 93 points.

Chelsea supporters were quick to have their say on the news via social media, and while some believe they have got the best manager in the world, others were wondering what former Blues boss Jose Mourinho must be thinking right now with Manchester United only able to finish in sixth.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Southampton sacked manager Claude Puel on Wednesday night after just a year in charge at St Mary’s.

The Frenchman had moved to the south coast outfit from Nice last summer but despite securing an eighth-place finish and reaching the final of the League Cup, it wasn’t deemed to be enough for the club to keep the faith with him for another season.

Of course, the fact that the supporters had criticised the style of football and that the side only scored 17 home league goals all season certainly paid a part, and Saints will now look to make a long-term addition that will play an attractive brand of football.

His dismissal will be met with interest by a number of Southampton players who became frustrated with life under the Frenchman last season, with a change of boss potentially saving their careers at St Mary’s.

Here are three Saints players that will be happy Puel has been sacked…

Shane Long

Despite enjoying his best ever Premier League season under the leadership of Ronald Koeman before the Dutchman left to join Everton, Long found opportunities to start up top hard to come by under Claude Puel with many of his outings coming from the substitutes’ bench.

The Republic of Ireland international scored 13 goals in 34 appearances in all competitions during the 2015/16 campaign but he ended last season with just five in 42 with first Charlie Austin, and then Manolo Gabbiadini, preferred in the striker’s position.

Long will hope he is given more of a run in the side when the new man comes in.

Jay Rodriguez

The forward is still looking to recapture the form that saw him on the brink of going to the 2014 World Cup with England before he suffered a serious injury against Manchester City a couple of months before, but he has struggled to do so.

The 27-year-old certainly wouldn’t have been happy that he often found himself behind Charlie Austin and Long in the pecking order at the start of the season, or with Claude Puel’s rotation policy.

A fine case in point is when Rodriguez scored one and assisted the other in Saints’ 2-1 win against Middlesbrough in May, before he was left on the bench for the following game at home to Manchester United.

If he does stay at St Mary’s this summer, he will be another hoping for time on the pitch next term.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg

Southampton fans would have been excited last summer when Hojbjerg arrived in a £12m deal from Bayern Munich and showed what he was capable of during pre-season.

Comfortable in possession and with the ability to take players on and get himself out of tight situations, the midfielder looked to have a bright future.

However, the 21-year-old started to lose form towards the end of 2016 following Claude Puel’s rotation and spent the majority of the second half of the campaign on the bench, or sometimes even failing to make the squad.

Hojbjerg clearly needs a run in the side – something that James Ward-Prowse was given and benefitted from last season – and he will hope to get that next term.

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

According to reports in The Telegraph, Southampton are reportedly on the verge of sacking manager Claude Puel, once they have a replacement lined up.

Despite finishing in eighth position and reaching the EFL Cup final in his first season at charge, fans became disillusioned at the style of football that saw them score just 17 times in 19 Premier League home games, ending the campaign 17 points worse off than when they finished sixth last term.

The likes of former Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel and former Leeds United boss Garry Monk have already been linked with the post, but no decision seems to be close on who will replace the Frenchman, with the story also suggesting that he could still yet stay if the south coast outfit don’t find a suitable successor.

Southampton supporters were quick to have their say on the rumour via social media, and many were unsurprised and relieved that he is set to leave St Mary’s.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Chelsea’s idiosyncratic loan system has always divided opinion; for its size, its global scale and its perception of young footballers as little more than financial assets. Yet, everybody once recognised its shrewdness in helping the west London club circumvent Financial Fair Play laws, something that has affected their freedom to spend in the transfer market far more than divisional rivals Arsenal and Manchester United.

The theory behind it is simple enough; Chelsea sign young players whose values are almost guaranteed to rise, farm them out across Europe to ensure they do, and then cash in for more than their original investment. The profit then creates a net spend surplus, which allows Chelsea greater room for manoeuvre when recruiting for the first-team without having to fear UEFA’s wrath. It’s football’s equivalent of hedge funds, albeit in the process taking advantage of the naïve ambitions of young footballers who dream of playing for one of the Premier League’s biggest clubs.

Moral correctness aside, however, the first significant returns from Chelsea’s loan operation were hard to argue with – over £35million made on Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, at that time two Belgian youngsters who may or may not have gone on to come good on their much-heralded potential, after making just 24 appearances combined for the first-team. Instead, De Bruyne and Lukaku gained their value on loan West Brom and Everton, and Werder Bremen respectively.

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The prophecy was that becoming the norm for Chelsea; that level of profit being turned around on most of their youngsters despite hardly kicking a ball, simply by signing the right ones, sending them out on loan to the right clubs such as Vitesse Arnhem – nowadays, Chelsea’s official feeder team – and selling them at the right time.

Yet, fast forward to present day and the tide is turning. Not only have Lukaku and De Bruyne gone on to establish themselves as the amongst best players in the Premier League – in fact, the Blues could reportedly spend as much as £100million to bring the former back to Stamford Bridge this summer – but the surplus-driving sales of those levels have been few and far between, whilst those frustrated with the many blockades to the Chelsea first-team are beginning to leave of their own accord.

Take the last six members of Chelsea’s farming out brigade who were sold after several stints out on loan; Mohamed Salah, Stipe Perica, Bertrand Traore, Nathan Ake, Christian Atsu and Patrick Bamford. On paper, Chelsea bought all six for just shy of £21million and sold them for just shy of £57million – essentially, a £36million profit. But almost exactly two thirds of that was generated from the sale of Ake alone – when his £20million move to Bournemouth is taken out of the equation, Chelsea’s profit stands at just £16million from five players.

Any profit is profit, a businessman would say. But how much of that £16million is actual profit remains a contentious subject; in total, those five players spent a combined 19.5 years on the books at Chelsea – one can only assume, therefore, a significant chunk of that £16million was eaten up in wages, agent fees, signing-on bonuses and the general costs that accompany footballers in this day and age – employing coaches to train them, the support staff to look after them, buying residencies to house them and so on.

The actual cost of those additions unfortunately remains unknown, but if we estimate at £1million per footballer, Chelsea’s profit drops down to just £11million. Once again, profit is profit – but for the work involved and time consumed, not to mention careers potentially ruined for players like Bamford who have struggled to live up to their potential, £11million just doesn’t seem worth it – especially when the transfer market’s ever-escalating inflation is taken into the equation. In real terms the selling fees probably weren’t worth much more – if at all – than what Chelsea paid in the first place.

At the same time, deals offsetting that modest sum like Ake’s departure to Bournemouth have been much rarer than many would assume – in fact, that’s the biggest profit Chelsea have made on a single farmed out player since their loan system got off the ground, and one of just four occasions – alongside Lukaku, De Bruyne and Ryan Bertrand – in which the overall profit has exceeded the £10million mark.

Of course, the more acceptable byproduct of Chelsea’s loan system is the idea that every now and then, a true top-class entity will shine through, impressing enough on loan to force his way into the first-team. But from the countless players involved to date, only one has managed to establish himself at his parent club – goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who benefitted from Petr Cech being the wrong side of 30 when he began to make waves at Atletico Madrid.

In the process, the Blues have wasted De Bruyne, one of the top creative midfielders in world football who Man City forked out £33million more than Chelsea sold him for, Bertrand, an England international who could also end up at City this summer, Ake, a fantastically versatile young defender whose career will surely reach bigger heights than Bournemouth, and Lukaku, a 24-year-old striker with 85 Premier League goals under his belt already. In fact, if Chelsea buy back Lukaku for £100million this summer, they’ll wipe out practically all profits their loan system has made.

There’s also the suddenly vast collection of youngsters who might not make Chelsea any profit at all, having struggled to develop to the levels expected amid a raft of loan spells; Kenneth Omerou is now 23 years of age and spent last season out on loan at Alanyaspor, Lucas Piazon, signed for nearly £6million, is 23 as well and endured an unspectacular season at Fulham last time out, £5.2million acquisition Tomas Kalas also spent last term at Craven Cottage and will be 25 before the end of 2017/18, Matej Delac, albeit signed for free, has just come to the end of his 10th loan spell courtesy of Belgian outfit Royal Excel Mouscron – his Blues contract is now due to expire in twelve months.

But perhaps the real sign of the system failing is that Chelsea no longer seem to be calling the shots in the same way. Whilst they clearly felt Everton and Wolfsburg offered fair prices for Lukaku and De Bruyne respectively – once again, who couldn’t be guaranteed to reach the top of the game at the time – it now feels as if disgruntled youngsters are forcing their own moves.

“It was time. Considering my age and for my development, it was time for me to leave the club. I could have stayed at Chelsea and played a few minutes in every game, fighting every day for a spot, knowing that I’ll never get a spot, I trained at the club, I did everything. Two seasons ago, I challenged the starters but we all know what happened last year.

“I was there during pre-season and then I was sent out on loan. So this year, I did not want to re-live the same scenario. It was time for me to find a stable club where I could play first-team football, where I could be one of the key players in the team.”

Bertrand Traore on why he left Chelsea for Lyon

Bertrand Traore has revealed he joined Lyon because he didn’t want to spend another season out on loan and although Dominic Solanke was never actually farmed out in the same way he’s decided to join Liverpool of his own accord in a compensation deal because of limited first-team opportunities. All of a sudden, Chelsea’s treatment of young players and first-team tunnel vision is beginning to catch up with them. Whilst that may not have been much of a problem five years ago, the quality of young player at Stamford Bridge is now significantly greater.

These days, Financial Fair Play is no longer as stringent as it once was. The punishments are less severe, the oversight is less vigilant, allowances are far more common. Which makes you wonder what the point of Chelsea’s loan system now truly is. £11million-£16million profit spit over five young players? The occasional £20million return at the cost of sacrificing a future top-class footballer? Hoarding youngsters to keep them out of reach of divisional rivals? Or simply to crush the dreams of young footballers who won’t get genuine opportunities at Stamford Bridge?

Whilst Chelsea’s farming out operation once had a clear aim and purpose, the negatives are now starting to outweigh the positives. The numbers are struggling to add up and Chelsea are wasting more talent than they’re producing. In footballing and financial terms, the system is failing.