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Sunderland have beaten off Premier League competition to sign Josh Hawkes from Hartlepool, according to TEAMtalk.

The League One club have snapped up the 21-year-old, despite rival interest from northern rivals Newcastle United, along with Leeds United and Middlesbrough.

Hawkes is a left winger who can also play in central midfield and at No.10.

The 21-year-old’s contract has expired and he is poised to move to Sunderland on a free transfer.

Hawkes has made 63 appearances for Hartlepool in total, scoring 13 goals and registering one assist.

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He has only played twice in League Two, making the majority of his appearances in the National League, but the interest shown in him speaks to how good he could be.

He is now poised to become a League One player with Sunderland, where he will hope to take the next step in his career.

A separate TEAMtalk report states that both Newcastle and Middlesbrough had watched Hawkes continuously, with their scouts checking on his progress.

They were not able to agree a deal, however, while Sunderland did manage to get the deal over the line.

Chelsea are looking to cash in on midfield talisman N’Golo Kante in order to balance the books in this transfer window.

Frank Lampard has seemingly identified a future without the France international in his squad and is looking for suitors to come in for his services. Inter Milan are highly interested in Kante but Chelsea’s asking price could prove to be too high for them to meet.

That’s according to Tuttosport (via Sport Witness), who have also linked Premier League rivals Manchester United with a move for the 29-year-old.

The Blues have firmly stated that a loan move will not be considered and are demanding a fee of €60m (£54.3m) in order to let Kante leave in this window.

With the recent signing of Kai Havertz and the likes of Mason Mount cementing his place in Lampard’s starting XI, the battle for minutes in Chelsea’s midfield is getting tougher.

Despite helping Chelsea to win the Premier League, FA Cup and Europa League, Kante’s time in west London appears to be coming to a close.

The Frenchman made just 22 league appearances last season due to several injuries sidelining him throughout the campaign. Four separate injuries kept him out of the squad at various intervals, with a hamstring problem seeing him miss the final five games of 2019/20 (via Transfermarkt).

Manchester United are reportedly ready to match Kante’s £54.3m price tag and can do so comfortably, according to the report. However, no official moves have been made as of yet.

Do you think Chelsea are right to sell N’Golo Kante? Have your say in the comments below…

Burnley have taken their interest in Harry Wilson to the next level after submitting an official bid of £12million for his services.

However, the Clarets will need to revise their offer if they want to win over Michael Edwards, who reportedly knocked back the bid. The Liverpool sporting director is looking for at least £3million more in order to let the Wales international leave the club this transfer window (via Football Insider).

It’s unclear whether Burnley will revisit with an improved amount, but time is running out and a player like Wilson could help transform Sean Dyche’s side.

How would Harry Wilson benefit Burnley?

After the Clarets finished in a respectable 10th place last season, they will be eyeing up their chance to close the gap on the top six. With 54 points at the end of the term, they were just five points behind Spurs in sixth place, who managed to claw back a solid finish despite their sticky start.

Top scorer Chris Wood would benefit from a playmaker like Wilson operating either in the engine room or on the wing. The 23-year-old has enjoyed three loan spells away from Liverpool and has made himself known as a superb free-kick taker with the ability to net from long-range.

This is a trait that could also transform Burnley’s attack, for matches where they are unable to break down the opposition’s defence.

Harry Wilson stats

Despite only breaking into Liverpool’s first team twice in his career, Wilson has impressed in the youth leagues and also during his loan stints. In 60 appearances for the Reds’ reserve side, the Welshman boasts a superb 32 goals and 14 assists. His first short-term move away was with Hull, where he racked up seven goals and four assists in 14 matches (via Transfermarkt).

His eagle-eyed vision means he has scored eight goals through a direct free-kick, winning the match on one occasion with his frightening accuracy.

Two of those free-kicks came during his time on loan with Bournemouth, which seriously impressed Eddie Howe.

In an interview with the Bournemouth Echo last November, the Cherries boss hailed Wilson as being “hugely impressive” after he notched a total of seven goals and two assists.

If Burnley are serious about bringing the playmaker to Turf Moor, they must rally their funds as fellow Premier League sides Southampton, Leeds and Newcastle are also very interested in his services.

In other news, Michael Edwards shows Liverpool worth amid potential transfer profit

Loads of Everton fans were left fuming over the possible exit of Dominic Calvert-Lewin to play under Ronald Koeman at Barcelona.

According to Spanish news outlet Mundo Deportivo (via The Toffee Blues), the former Everton manager is interested in reuniting with the 23-year old in Spain.

Incidentally, Calvert-Lewin did not have the best of times playing under Koeman, as he only managed to score four goals and provide three assists in 28 games in all competitions at Goodison Park, as per Transfermarkt.

However, the striker has been much-improved so far this term, scoring no fewer than nine goals in just six matches over all competitions, including scoring a hat-trick in two separate games (per Transfermarkt).

Therefore, it is perhaps not a surprise that Koeman is interested in signing him, and the Dutchman may well make his move in the January transfer window.

Everton fan reaction to possible Calvert-Lewin exit

These Everton supporters on Twitter were raging over the possibility of Calvert-Lewin leaving the Toffees:

Evertonians, would you sell Calvert-Lewin for the right price? Comment below with your views!

Morale in the Southampton camp will be through the roof after they caused a major upset to Premier League leaders Everton on Sunday. The Blues were hoping to return to winning ways after drawing against Liverpool in the Merseyside derby, but the Saints had other ideas.

Goals from James Ward-Prowse and Che Adams brushed aside the table-toppers, who were without key players Richarlison and Seamus Coleman. It’ll be back to the drawing board for Carlo Ancelotti, whilst Ralph Hasenhuttl will hope to recreate a similar display against Aston Villa next.

However, one area of concern that the Austrian must address is the progressively weakened performances from Nathan Redmond, described as “important” by his manager back in July. Despite earning Man of the Match by Sky Sports, the England international was definitely more than a little fortunate to get it.

Hasenhuttl must decide what to do with Redmond

The winger found the back of the net eight times in his 2016/17 campaign with the Saints, which was a good return for the club’s eighth place finish. But since then, Redmond has declined and has struggled to contribute from the wing.

This season, the £16.2million-rated forward is still yet to open up his account. He has made five appearances across all competitions so far, but was dropped from the squad completely for Southampton’s game against Spurs and Burnley in the Premier League (via Transfermarkt).

According to Sofascore, Redmond failed to register a single shot on target against Everton and lost 14 of his 24 attempted duels. Additionally, he was dribbled past an alarming six times and committed three fouls. If the 26-year-old is this clumsy in possession when it comes to facing more attacking teams, he could seriously put his side at risk of conceding.

Redmond’s competition in Moussa Djenepo is currently sidelined due to a thigh injury. If the 22-year-old was fit and firing, there would likely be a lot more doubt over which of the two would start in Hasenhuttl’s lineup. On current performances, Redmond will be dropped to the bench and limited to substitute appearances at most.

However, after four years with the club, it could be time for the boss to move him on whilst he is still young enough to make first team football.

In other news, history came back to hurt Everton after Danny Ings masterclass…

Steven Gerrard finally got what he wanted all along when Bongani Zungu joined Glasgow Rangers on loan from Amiens last month, but the South Africa international is yet to make his debut for the Ibrox outfit thus far.

What’s the word?

Rangers signed Zungu from the French Ligue 2 side on an initial loan deal on transfer deadline day. He has been named in the South Africa squad for their upcoming AFCON qualifiers as his quarantine restrictions in Scotland have come to an end following his loan move from Amiens.

Speaking to the This Is Ibrox podcast, South African journalist Lorenz Köhler believes Gerrard must unleash his countryman sooner rather than later.

“In my opinion, he’s best as a box-to-box midfielder because he’s an all-action player who just wants to be involved,” he said.

“He likes to take the game by the scruff of its neck.

“It’s going to sound ludicrous…when Yaya Toure left Barcelona, he was playing as a centre-back. He came to the Premier League and the manager saw that ‘this guy isn’t a centre-back’.

“I think the same can be said to Gerrard. He’ll take one look and say ‘this guy is not a defensive midfielder’. Unleash him. Let him be free, let him go forward. He’s got a bit of height to him, he can score from headers, he can find the top corner. He can do everything.”

The summer signing has been pictured training ahead of the club’s Europa League clash with Benfica.

Impact sub!

Zungu was an unused substitute against Lech Poznan last week, but was not included in the squad for the away trip to Kilmarnock on Sunday.

Whilst we have to admit that it’s highly unlikely the South African will start, as Glen Kamara, Steven Davis and Scott Arfield have all impressed in recent weeks, the midfielder may make an appearance as an impact substitute from the bench.

The 28-year-old has a decent personal record against the Portuguese giants, as he has previously scored one goal in four games, although it’s worth pointing out the fact that he has lost every fixture so far.

Last season, he played 21 games in Ligue 1, averaging more than one tackle and one clearance per game, via WhoScored. By comparison, even Arfield is managing fewer than one tackle and one clearance per game in the Scottish Premiership this season so far, as per WhoScored.

Flavio Meireles, the sporting director from Vitoria de Guimaraes, once hailed the South African powerhouse as a “special talent”, whilst Amiens sporting director John Williams insisted “he can do everything.”

If that isn’t enough to convince Gerrard to consider his options, we don’t know what will be. The Gers have the option to buy Zungu outright if he can impress the club during his loan spell at Ibrox. He just needs to get some minutes under his belt in order to demonstrate his value – the sooner he gets the time to shine, the better. Otherwise, what was even the point of signing him in the first place?

AND in other news, Shades of Prso: Steven Gerrard must unleash Glasgow Rangers ace Cedric Itten vs Benfica…

Glasgow Rangers have suspended Jordan Jones and George Edmundson for breaching Covid regulations, reports say…

What’s the word?

According to the club’s official website, the two Rangers players attended a private gathering at the weekend with others from outside of their household.

Rangers chief Stewart Robertson said that their behaviour was totally “unacceptable”, commenting: “The Chairman Douglas Park, Ross Wilson, Steven Gerrard and I discussed this matter as soon as it was brought to our attention.

“We are completely aligned in our action and the standards that are being set at Rangers.

“We will not tolerate behaviour that does not follow those standards and it is totally unacceptable for any of our players to be involved in anything that puts at risk the excellent protocols that have been put in place at Rangers.”

Edmundson has endured a difficult start to the season so far as the defender has made just two appearances in all competitions at the time of writing. It’s fair to say that the 23-year-old will hardly have done himself any favours at all whatsoever as he arguably already faces an uncertain future at the Ibrox outfit, although this may force Gerrard’s hand when the transfer market re-opens in January.

Nail in the coffin

As a professional footballer, or any person in the public interest for that matter, some may argue that they have a certain level of accountability and responsibility as a result to set the standards on and off the pitch for the rest of the public to follow.

On this occasion, it cuts even deeper than that. Not only has Edmundson let himself down, he has also let his teammates down with his abhorrent behaviour as well.

As Rangers legend Barry Ferguson rightly says: “Trust? They’ve just about broken every rule in the book, not just when it comes to Covid-19 protocols but also in terms of what’s expected from a proper team-mate.”

Edmundson was left out of the squad for the Europa League group stages last month, which cast doubt over his long-term future at the club, having made two appearances against Lincoln Red Imps and Motherwell FC respectively.

Forget about a loan, as far as we are concerned, this could be the final nail in the coffin for Edmundson’s Gers career.

The Manchester-born centre-back received praise from Gerrard for his “faultless” performance after he made his long-awaited league debut but it’s fair to say that his career has somewhat fallen by the wayside.

Connor Goldson has arguably cemented his place in the starting line-up this season, whilst Filip Helander and Leon Balogun have worked their way into contention to start in Nikola Katic’s absence. However, Katic has recently hinted he could make a quick-fire return, which would push Edmundson even further down the pecking order.

At this stage in his career, he needs to be playing regularly, which is something that Gerrard will not be able to provide. So, it’s about time the Light Blues cut their losses before it’s too late. Get him gone, Gers.

AND in other news, Worse than Barker: Glasgow Rangers dodged a bullet in one-time target Isaac Atanga…

The Premier League may have breached confidentiality law by confirming their legal dispute with Newcastle United with regards to the failed takeover at St. James’ Park.

The Shields Gazette have reported that, according to sources, by confirming that the top flight are in a legal dispute with the Tyneside club, that represents an alleged breach of the confidentiality of the Magpies, with both said to be bound by privacy on the matter now that the case is actually running.

The confirmation by England’s highest division is also understood to have angered many close to the proposed £300m deal between Mike Ashley and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium.

The confirmation from the EPL was revealed in an official statement by the Newcastle Consortium Supporters Ltd (NCSL) that in turn was confirmed to The Shields Gazette.

When contacted by the news outlet, the Premier League refused to comment on the matter.

What does this mean for the Newcastle takeover?

Indeed, this means that the legal dispute between the Toon and the English top flight is likely to be taken to a court case if it cannot be settled by the two parties involved.

Ashley may possibly already have top lawyers Nick De Marco QC and Shaheed Fatima QC on standby to represent the chief executive of Sports Direct in court and it feels fair to predict the CEO of England’s highest division, Richard Masters, will already have his own army of lawyers at the ready too.

Nonetheless, the Premier League may have dug themselves a hole already if they are found to have breached the confidentiality law.

In other news, find out which key figure is concerned about one development in the takeover saga here!

Manchester United spent huge sums of money in a massive spree in the summer as Ed Woodward sought to strengthen Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s squad in all areas.

Whilst Woodward signed Donny van de Beek from Ajax, and secured the services of both Alex Telles and former Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani on transfer deadline day, the Red Devils have been unable to hit the ground running so far this season.

Lying in tenth place in the Premier League table, a point adrift of Wolverhampton Wanderers, Solskjaer’s side still have a lot of work to do as they head into December.

It’s about time Solskjaer starts to sort out some of the deadwood, as he desperately needs to lower the club’s colossal wage bill, and he may not have to look much further than Timothy Fosu-Mensah, who currently earns wages worth £15,000-per-week.

According to The Manchester Evening News, Solskjaer wants Fosu-Mensah to stay at Old Trafford as he is approaching the final seven months of his contract.

However, the versatile Dutchman, who can play as a centre-back or right-back, has only played 95 minutes of football so far this season, and was dropped from the first team for their past seven fixtures in the Premier League, via Transfermarkt.

It’s fair to say that he has been replaced by Axel Tuanzebe, who has turned out to be an able deputy at the back in recent weeks, whilst it would be wise for Woodward to cash in on the £5.7m-rated outcast in January whilst he still can before his market value falls even further.

The Red Devils may be reluctant to let go of another academy graduate after Angel Gomes left the club in the summer, but United chiefs will simply have to bite the bullet, as it is surely best for all parties involved if Fosu-Mensah moves elsewhere in the end rather than wasting away as an unused substitute on the bench.

Last season, the former Dutch international played just three games in the Premier League, whilst he averaged fewer than one tackle and one clearance per game, via WhoScored. By comparison, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who is Solskjaer’s undisputed first-choice right-back, managed 3.7 tackles and 1.7 clearances on average per game in the top flight last term, as per WhoScored.

Rather than give him a new contract, Woodward must get rid of him for once and for all in the winter transfer window to raise surplus cash to spend on other areas Solskjaer urgently needs to address.

AND in other news, Manchester United: In-form Alex Telles spells trouble for Brandon Williams…

According to an ‘interesting’ update by reliable transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, via Man City Xtra, Juventus are ‘in love’ with striker Gabriel Jesus but they are not negotiating with Man City or his agents – with the Sky Blues’ stance on selling him made abundantly clear.

Jesus, who signed for City back in 2017, has been tipped as Sergio Aguero’s heir at the Etihad Stadium – with the latter club legend now entering the twilight phase of his career as he slowly returns to full match fitness.

The Argentine has made brief cameos recently since his latest injury lay-off, with City now having to start planning ahead for life without the club’s all time top goal scorer.

Flocking to this Romano update, despite Txiki Begiristain and co not wishing to sell Jesus, many Man City fans have buzzed over Juve’s interest whilst begging the club to offload him.

As links to Erling Haaland grow stronger and stronger, it’s clear these supporters don’t see their current attacker as a man fit to replace Aguero.

Find all of their verdicts on the young Brazilian down below.

Man City fans buzz over Jesus news

In other news: Man City fans were left fuming by this update, find out more here.