Newcastle United have exceeded expectations so far this season with an outstanding campaign and Eddie Howe will surely be thrilled with the consistency shown by his squad so far.

The Magpies are just two points behind Tottenham Hotspur in fifth with a great chance of still qualifying for Champions League football at the end of their Premier League campaign if they can continue to pick up crucial points and take advantage of their two games in hand over the north London club.

Indeed, the St James' Park hierarchy will be extremely pleased with the rapid progression the squad has made in the first full season since the Saudi takeover, but there is still plenty of work to be done to gain the dominance and trophies desperately desired on Tyneside.

The recruitment over the last 12 months has already been extraordinary with Bruno Guimaraes, Sven Botman, Alexander Isak and Kieran Trippier all becoming hugely important players in Newcastle's rise up the Premier League table and recent achievement of reaching the first domestic cup final at Wembley since 1999.

However, if the club does earn Champions League football ahead of next season it will be important for the club to acquire the services of players who have lots of European experience and the quality needed to compete with the best of the best.

One player who has been linked with a move to the North East this summer is Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele and the Frenchman could be exactly the European pedigree that Newcastle will be looking for.

Should Newcastle sign Dembele?

There is no doubt that many players have improved under the management of Howe with none more so than winger Miguel Almiron who this season has been a huge attacking force for the Magpies.

The Paraguayan star has scored 11 goals and registered three assists over his 32 appearances in all competitions this season but at 29 years old he is unlikely to be considered part of the long-term future of the forward line at St James' Park.

As a result, the signing of Dembele could be the perfect opportunity to bring in a younger and fresh perspective on the right flank and even improve the output in front of goal.

The £203k-per-week World Cup winner – hailed "special" by his manager Xavi – has tallied up 40 goals and 41 assists over 173 appearances for the La Liga giants with a goal contribution every 131 minutes, which is an impressive output that would be incredibly valuable to Howe next season.

Not only that, Dembele has outperformed Almiron in several areas this season in league football including shots on target rate (35.9% v 34%), assists (5 v 1), shot-creating actions per 90 (4.99 v 3), goal-creating actions per 90 (0.82 v 0.46) and crosses completed (71 v 20).

That's no mean feat when you consider that the latter has been one of the most impressive forward players in the Premier League this term.

Unlike his North East-based positional peer, the France international also boasts a wealth of experience playing Champions League football with 40 appearances, ten goals and 11 assists in the prestigious European competition.

With that being said, the signing of Dembele would be a huge statement of Newcastle's ambition and intent, with the Frenchman a player who could potentially set the continental stage alight should Howe's men get there.

Pakistan have added batsman Sharjeel Khan and fast bowler Mohammad Sami to their squads for the Asia Cup and World T20, following injuries to batsman Babar Azam and Rumman Raees

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Feb-2016Pakistan have added batsman Sharjeel Khan and fast bowler Mohammad Sami to their squads for the Asia Cup and World T20, following injuries to Babar Azam and Rumman Raees. The selectors also made another change to the World T20 squad, bringing in batsman Khalid Latif in place of Iftikhar Ahmed.Azam has been ruled out for 3-4 weeks after suffering a fracture on his left forearm during a practice session in the ongoing Pakistan Super League. Raees has a Grade-1 hamstring strain and is “operating at 60% of his fitness currently”, the PCB stated in a release.Pakistan’s selection committee chairman Haroon Rashid said that PSL performances played a part in the selection. Sharjeel, Sami and Latif are with Islamabad United, who will face Quetta Gladiators in the final of the inaugural edition of the league on Tuesday.Sharjeel has hit the only century of the league till date, with his 62-ball 117 against Peshawar Zalmi booking Islamabad United’s place in the final. He is the third-highest run-scorer, with 287 runs in ten innings at a strike rate of 151.05. Sami has picked up 11 wickets in six matches, including a haul of 5 for 8 against Karachi Kings. Latif was included on the basis of his power-hitting, according to Rashid, who clarified that the batsman could not join the Asia Cup squad due to technical reasons. Latif has scored 190 runs in six innings, at a strike rate of 114.45.”After having looked at the performance of the players in the PSL competition, the selection committee along with Captain Shahid Afridi and Head Coach Waqar Younis have come to the conclusion that keeping in view the outstanding performances of Sharjeel Khan and Mohammad Sami in PSL matches, they should be included as replacements for injured Babar Azam and Ruman Raees respectively for both Asia Cup and World Cup,” Rashid said.”Since we have the option available to bring in changes in our World Cup squad before the support period starting from March 8, 2016, it has also been decided to use this option and decided to include Khalid Latif, who showed tremendous display of power hitting in the PSL matches, which paved the way for his inclusion in the World Cup squad in place of Iftikhar Ahmed.”Sharjeel’s previous T20 international appearance was in December 2013, while Sami made his comeback into the Pakistan side after nearly three years during the home series against Zimbabwe in May 2015. Latif last played an international match for Pakistan in June 2012.

Tottenham Hotspur's managerial vacancy is a gaping one, with many curious to see who chairman Daniel Levy selects to succeed departed Italian Antonio Conte.

His last three appointments have drawn scrutiny for varying reasons, but in the end, all were deemed failures and subsequently dismissed. The pressure has ramped up significantly on this next appointment to be the right one, which is likely why he seemingly plans to wait until the season's conclusion.

This will likely make it far easier to tempt those already in jobs to leave, especially ones as high-flying as Marco Silva.

His Fulham team have been punching way above their weight all season, and sit just ten points off fourth place with a game in hand. To prise the Portuguese tactician from Craven Cottage now could prove tricky.

However, perhaps the Lilywhites should be looking elsewhere within the Premier League to find their new man.

Scrolling further down the table, there is a struggling Leicester City side with a manager who has proven his quality both on the big stage and with a stringent budget. Having also been linked with the move too, Brendan Rodgers could be their man.

Would Brendan Rodgers be a good fit for Spurs?

Although his Foxes team might be struggling this season, it must be noted the considerable lack of investment that his ageing squad has received.

The Northern Irishman boasts a fine transfer policy, easy-on-the-eye football and a demeanour that would likely resonate well with fans of the club. His calmness will be a welcome divergence from the manic and defensive-heavy tenures of Jose Mourinho and Conte.

His work at the King Power was nothing short of miraculous at first, as he earned back-to-back fifth-place finishes. As such, the 50-year-old has been touted with plenty of jobs bigger than his current one.

Although he is yet to actually be offered one, he does boast the pedigree to suggest he could take that step up. His fine work at Celtic only serves to further exacerbate that, where he managed expectations well to win successive domestic trebles.

He did all this with a philosophy that journalist Henry Winter ha since lauded as "attractive, attack-minded football".

Whilst Silva also has earned praise this season, his only experience at one of the bigger clubs saw him fail spectacularly with Everton despite the riches handed to him.

Rodgers has success at a top outfit, as well as within a long-term project too.

Spurs boast a fine blend of the two. Such is his experience, he even branded himself as a "leader" who would step up when needed to offer some harsh truths to his players.

Whilst his potential predecessor aimed to do this, his methods were fundamentally flawed and it cost him his job. Before that, however, the stern Italian tactician had drawn scorn for his turgid football that many were getting sick of.

This is exactly what this struggling Spurs side needs: someone who will come in with a fresh and exciting philosophy to cut out any and all stragglers they have with more finesse than Conte had.

Everton's financial concerns will have major effects on the club if they are to be relegated this season amid the construction of their new stadium.

What's the latest in Everton's believed FFP breach?

On Friday, Everton were told of the news they were being passed on to an independent commission amid their alleged breach of the Financial Fair Play regulations.

The breach in question covers the 2021/2022 campaign where complaints were lodged by Leeds United and Burnley over Everton's financial state.

Rules state Premier League clubs are able to make losses of up to £105m across a three-year period, however, between 2018 and 2021, the Toffees recorded a staggering £370m loss.

And with the prospect of points deductions and relegation looming over the club, insider Graeme Bailey has suggested it could prove disastrous for the club amid their new stadium development:

"Yeah, it's a bit of a mess. I'm being told, you know, if Everton go down, there could be some serious, serious ramifications.

"There's serious issues at Everton. There really is, they're in a lot of debt. This stadium is costing a lot of money. And they will finish it, there's no suggestion they won't finish it or anything.

"But if they're playing in that stadium in the Championship, who knows? Who knows? I don't want to speculate about administration or whatever. But I'm told if Everton goes down, there's a lot of pain to follow that."

What could this mean for Everton?

Everton have plans to grow their club with a new stadium offering a significantly increased capacity of over 52,000 which will provide them with an increase in matchday revenue.

However, relegation will mean the club would see their revenue decrease dramatically with the Premier League the place to be for financial reasons.

The difference in playing in the Championship instead of the top flight is believed to be worth in the hundreds of millions.

Everton's owners are said to be on the hunt for some new investment to help push the club forward, however, if the Toffees are to go down then their attractiveness to potential investors will likely diminish.

Relegation to the Championship could see some of their big players depart which will likely have an effect on their ability to bounce straight back to the top flight.

And when the club are needing to start the repayments on their new shiny home, Championship revenue is the last thing the club needs for one season never mind multiple.

The Toffees have been able to pull themselves out of the relegation zone for the time being with Sean Dyche at the helm, however, it is still incredibly tight.

Only two points separate them from the drop zone and only three points from the side rock bottom of the Premier League table, Southampton.

And given it is so tight, the prospect of a potential points deduction will be a real concern for the Blues with that potentially sealing their faith in the second tier of English football.

ScorecardEvin Lewis cracked nine fours and one six during his 41-ball 56•WICB Media/Ashley Allen

Opener Evin Lewis struck a quick fifty as Trinidad & Tobago knocked off 107 within 14 overs to secure 18 points; their first win at home this season.Lewis was dismissed for 56 off 41 balls but Kyle Hope stayed unbeaten with Marlon Richards to seal the victory. This meant that Leeward Islands remained rooted to the bottom of the table with a solitary win in eight matches.Leeward Islands were left to play catch-up right from the first day, when they were bowled out for 225. Debutant Keacy Carty, who had steered West Indies Under-19s’ tense chase against India Under-19s in the World Cup final, was the first to go, bowled by Rayad Emrit for 5. Daron Cruickshank soon became Emrit’s second victim. Nkrumah Bonner mounted some resistance with 47 before Jahmar Hamilton and Rakheem Cornwall added 74 together, but the lower order was cleaned up by pacer Marlon Richards.Legspinning allrounder Imran Khan pitched in with two wickets. He then led T&T’s batting effort with his ninth first-class fifty, at the top of the order. Narsingh Deonarine and Steven Katwaroo also stroked fifties to give their side the advantage with a first-innings lead of 181, despite Cornwall’s five-for.Leeward Islands fared marginally better in their second dig, managing 287, but the small target was brushed off by T&T. Carty hit a fifty as did Cornwall, but Imran’s four-wicket haul rattled the middle order. His match haul of six wickets eventually put him joint second on the wickets charts, with 37 scalps.
ScorecardRonsford Beaton’s five-for in the first innings followed by Leon Johnson’s 107 shaped Guyana’s six-wicket win against Windward Islands in St Lucia. Guyana picked up 18 points with the win to strengthen their position at the top of the points table.After being inserted, Devon Smith and Jelornie Robinson set Windwards up nicely with a 120-run partnership for the second wicket after Beaton had removed Tyrone Theophile early. Raymon Reifer broke the stand by removing Robinson for 57, a wicket that triggered Windwards’ middle-order collapse. A combined bowling effort from Guyana, led by Beaton, ensured that no other Windwards crossed the score of 20 as they lost nine wickets for 80 runs. Beaton cleaned up Windwards’ tail quickly as they were bowled out for 216.Guyana’s strong response was built on Johnson’s century, while Vishaul Singh and Tagenarine Chanderpaul (46) played the support roles. Johnson struck 13 fours in his 107 and also shared a 119-run fifth-wicket stand with Vishaul, who made a patient 58 – a partnership that put them in control after they were at a wobbly 100 for 4. Guyana got a late push when Johnson and Reifer combined for the seventh wicket to add 62, a stand that set them up for over 300. Mervin Matthew’s late wickets, that helped him complete career-best figures of 6 for 81, helped Windwards bowl Guyana out for 339, a 123-run lead.Windwards suffered another batting collapse in the second innings that had them lose seven wickets for 41 runs as they slumped to 131 for 9. Smith’s 51 was the only score of note before Shane Shillingford provided lower-order resistance with a quick 26 that took his side to 161 before they were bowled out. Reifer led Guyana’s bowling effort, picking up 4 for 35, while Devendra Bishoo and Beaton accounted for a total of five wickets.In their pursuit of 39, Guyana were reduced to 13 for 4 by Shillingford and Kyle Mayers. Johnson then came out full of positivity though, and smashed a quick 17 to take his side home without further damage.
ScorecardJustin Greaves’ 5 for 41 and fifties from Kraigg Brathwaite and Roston Chase set up Barbados’ six-wicket win over Jamaica at Sabina Park. The result, though, had no bearing on the points table as Barbados maintained their second position, while Jamaica follow at third.Shacaya Thomas and Andre McCarthy struck fifties but Greaves’ five-for cut through Jamaica, bowling them out for 177 as only two other batsmen made double-digit scores, both without touching 20.Nikita Miller led the hosts’ bowling effort, cutting through the visitors with a haul of 8 for 67. Barbados, though, were rescued and helped to a 40-run lead by Brathwaite and Chase’s fifties. Brathwaite stroked 11 fours during his 130-ball 66, while Chase’s knock came with eight fours.Jamaica slumped to 80 for 7 in their second innings before Devon and Jason Dawes combined to add 63 for the eighth wicket. Their partnership helped the hosts set Barbados a fighting if still small target of 118. Jomel Warrican and Hayden Walsh combined to pick up 6 for 90 for Barbados, while Miguel Cummins finished with 2 for 20.Brathwaite combined with Jonathan Carter to help take Barbados to 77 for 1 in the chase, before both batsmen fell in consecutive overs. Chase then came in and smacked a brisk 35 to take them home with six wickets in hand.

Everton have been made to deal with their relegation battles over the past two seasons with Dominic Calvert-Lewin facing regular spells on the sidelines, and as the season approaches the business end the fight to preserve top-flight status might feature the towering talisman on the periphery once again.

Last season, a late burst of form propelled the relegation candidates away from the danger zone, concluding the term four points and two places above relegated Burnley.

But with the bottom three looming once again, manager Sean Dyche will be hoping that the recent purple patch that followed his January arrival will be maintained and the two-point gap to 18th-place West Ham United can be stretched further still.

Calvert-Lewin has scored just once from 11 league outings this season to complement a similarly uninspiring preceding year that landed just five strikes from 17 appearances, and with the 26-year-old missing the past seven matches in the Premier League, Dyche has been forced to utilise Demarai Gray in a dynamic striking role.

Gray has held his own, but against Chelsea in the club's last encounter, it was 22-year-old forward Ellis Simms, recalled from his loan spell at Championship outfit Sunderland, who burst past the hapless Kalidou Koulibaly in the dying embers of the contest to fire the ball home and restore parity, earning an invaluable point to maintain distance above the depths of the division.

How good is Ellis Simms?

Simms' goal at Stamford Bridge was his first for the Toffees since rising from the club's youth ranks and spending a string of spells out on loan.

For the Black Cats this term, the ace plundered seven goals and two assists from 14 starts, impressing the newly-appointed Dyche and earning a recall to aid his parent outfit in the fight to preserve top-flight status.

Simms has made just one starting appearance since his return to the fold, but he could indeed start to see opportunities increase after demonstrating his clinical edge against Chelsea, hailed for his "superb" maiden strike for his Premier League outfit by writer Peter Guy.

Also praised for being an "absolute nuisance" by Phil Smith, the £7k-per-week star ranks among the top 15% of forwards across Men's 'Next 8' divisions – the leagues preceding the established big five – for rate of goals and the top 14% for progressive carries per 90, as per FBref, illustrating a growing prowess as a lethal force and as a transitional cog to whir Everton into life.

Calvert-Lewin, in retrospect, is mired in woe and ranks only among the top 84% of forwards across Europe's major leagues for rate of goals and the top 78% for progressive carries per 90, highlighting the stark plummet from prominence that saw him bag 21 goals across all competitions during the 2020/21 campaign.

Simms is raw but he is a brute in his powerful and imposing offensive play, and this level of gritty tenacity is exactly what Dyche needs to bully opposition into submission and secure yet another Premier League year for this proud Merseyside club.

Should the youngster achieve that for his outfit, then the former Clarets boss may well discover that he can finally cash in on Calvert-Lewin, a beleaguered striker who is now a shadow of his former self.

A first century of the season for James Hildreth, that great, overlooked west country run-gatherer, provided Somerset supporters with something to clutch to their breasts on what was an otherwise trying day

Alan Gardner at Taunton03-May-2016
ScorecardJames Anderson took three wickets in an over to put Lancashire in control•Getty Images

A first century of the season for James Hildreth, that great, overlooked west country run-gatherer, provided Somerset supporters with something to clutch to their breasts on what was an otherwise trying day. Nearly three games in and this is beginning to look like another difficult Championship campaign. Hildreth was last out for 130 and, facing a first-innings deficit of 180, Somerset were duly asked to bat again.Lancashire have played the percentages well throughout this match and their performance in the field, with plenty of runs on the board, was textbook. Three wickets in five balls after lunch from James Anderson was like a punch to gut of the Somerset innings and although they didn’t quite double over and sink to the ground – mainly thanks to an eighth-wicket stand of 139 between Hildreth and Jamie Overton – there was enough impetus to Lancashire’s efforts to give them a reasonable chance of pulling off victory on the final day.The surface for Taunton’s first home game of the season has played more like one prepared in August. Safer to bat on than a bank vault for the first two days, Lancashire’s attack then produced the tools needed to crack it open: Anderson, Neil Wagner and Kyle Jarvis bowling in bursts as Simon Kerrigan wheeled away from the River End. The grubbing delivery from Jarvis that wrecked Craig Overton’s stumps suggested things could get even more difficult for Somerset.They would have been far worse were it not for Hildreth’s 36th first-class hundred. The time has passed when he was mentioned among England possibles – there are still questions about how the Test XI will line up against Sri Lanka later this month, yet Hildreth has not entered the debate – but he drove, cut and pulled smoothly during an innings that only offered one chance, a sharp one to midwicket that Alviro Petersen put down diving to his right.

Division One ‘closest thing to Tests’ – Wagner

Neil Wagner, Lancashire’s New Zealand international bowler, has praised the quality of competition in the top tier of the Championship. After a hard-fought day in which Lancashire gave themselves a chance of making it back-to-back wins on their return to Division One, Wagner said the changes to regulations that have seen better-quality pitches produced around the country meant that it was the next best thing to playing at Test level.
“Division One county cricket is the closest you get to Test cricket,” he said. “I think the quality of cricket and cricketers is that good, it’s all-round tough cricket that you have to play – especially with the wickets as they are at the moment, they are quite flat, quite tough and hard graft. As bowlers it’s quite testing and that’s where your big characters have got to stand up.”

Keeping him company for much of the afternoon was Jamie Overton, who has a reputation as a lusty hitter but, despite getting off the mark with a pulled six over midwicket off Wagner, was considerably more circumspect in compiling a fourth first-class fifty, from 89 balls. He was out to his next delivery, from Wagner, who had done admirably in attempting to get his bouncer high enough to hit the 6ft 6in Overton in the head and had also seen him edge short of slip on 17.Impeded by Monday’s rain and a slow outfield, which is still bedding in after new drainage was installed, Lancashire took the best part of two days to amass 493 for 9 declared. That effectively took the win out of the equation for Somerset but the way in which they pitched headlong into a mid-afternoon collapse would have been worrying for the new captain, Chris Rogers, and director of cricket, Matthew Maynard, in his second season at the club.Somerset have found themselves similarly off the pace in opening fixtures at Chester-le-Street and The Oval, though they escaped with draws in both. The same result ought to be achievable here but it would not do much to reduce the chuntering among those meandering away down St James Street come Wednesday’s close.The situation had looked brighter in the morning, even though Marcus Trescothick departed tamely to a return catch from Jarvis’ first ball. Rogers produced his first half-century since signing for Somerset and he could walk off to a backdrop of contented applause with his side 101 for 2 at lunch. But things then quickened up rather suddenly after the interval, and not to the home crowd’s liking.Anderson, as wily with the ball as he is unsubtle in discourse with opposing batsmen, prised out Rogers after a 107-ball stay. The delivery may have stopped a little but, facing a 7-2 off-side field and Anderson bowling round the wicket, Rogers could not stop a defensive push looping to one of the catchers positioned in the covers. There was no David Saker to point to on the balcony, as Anderson did after they came up with a plan for Rogers at Trent Bridge in 2013, but it was another example of how exacting a bowler he has become.He was soon on a hat-trick, Roelof van der Merwe extending his limp run with the bat by playing all around a straight one, and although Peter Trego negotiated the delivery securely enough, he was gone two balls later, Alex Wharf slowly raising the finger to complete a car-crash slide from 102 for 2 to 102 for 5.Ryan Davies, a former England U-19s wicketkeeper with a previous first-class best of 17, twice drove Anderson sweetly down the ground – which did not pass without comment from the bowler – and played neatly enough for 45 minutes, until he decided to rush at Kerrigan and was stumped well out of his crease. Craig Overton fell shortly after and, at 150 for 7, Somerset’s chances of batting out the day seemed remote. That they were asked to have another go, with Tim Groenewald facing one final over from Anderson, only made it more galling.

West Ham United are reportedly still interested in signing Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher this summer and the England international's potential arrival at the London Stadium could allow David Moyes to finally ditch Tomas Soucek.

Could West Ham sign Conor Gallagher?

According to the Evening Standard, both Gallagher and Kalvin Phillips are high up on the Hammers' shortlist this summer as they consider how to replace club captain Declan Rice, who looks destined to leave in search of Champions League football.

With Phillips the more natural heir to Rice in the defensive midfield role at West Ham, Gallagher could prove to be a replacement for the struggling Soucek in Moyes' side, should the east London outfit spend big this summer and bring them both in, which of course would only be an option should they avoid relegation from the top flight this season.

It has also been an underwhelming season for the Chelsea academy graduate, who has failed to replicate his performances from his loan spell at Crystal Palace last season, where he became a key player for the Eagles and earned a call-up to Gareth Southgate's England side.

In 34 Premier League appearances for the Selhurst Park outfit, the young midfielder would manage eight goals and three assists with a strong WhoScored average rating of 7.09, which is comfortably more goal contributions and a better rating than anyone in the Hammers' squad so far this campaign.

Patrick Vieira sang the 23-year-old's praises after his brace in the 3-1 win against Everton, saying:

“Conor has this passion for the game when he is on the field like a Ray Parlour, but I would say he has maybe the quality finishing of a Frank Lampard.

“It is a manager’s dream to have a player like Conor because when he is on the field, he will give everything."

The comparisons with former West Ham and Chelsea favourite Lampard didn't end there however, as NBC Sports journalist Joe Prince-Wright described him as "like peak Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard rolled into one," which certainly bodes well for his future if he can rediscover his best form away from Stamford Bridge.

Could Moyes replace Soucek with Gallagher?

Given the huge sums of money being spent by Todd Boehly at Chelsea, Gallagher could become available this summer and could slot into a new-look Hammers midfield, which fans may well be hoping doesn't feature Soucek.

Despite featuring as a central midfielder, the Czech Republic international boasts one of the worst pass success rates in West Ham's squad with just 72.6% of his passes finding a teammate per Premier League game.

Gallagher also betters Soucek when it comes to key passes (0.7 vs 0.4), dribbles (0.7 vs 0.1) and crosses (0.4 vs 0.2) per game this season, which suggests that even though the young Englishman hasn't been at his best and has been limited to a lot of appearances from the bench, he has still performed better from an attacking perspective this season.

Therefore, surely the Chelsea man would be a preferable long-term option to the former Slavia Prague man in West Ham's midfield.