Newcastle United ‘leading race’ for free agent attacker as footage of frustrated Magpies star goes viral

Newcastle United and West Ham are currently leading the race to sign Wilried Zaha this summer, according to the Daily Star. the forward is likely to leave Crystal Palace when his contract expires this summer.

Zaha has spent almost 20 years of his career with Crystal Palace and has bagged over 150 goals and assists during his time at Selhurst Park. The Ivorian has long been linked with a move away and has previously attracted interest from the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool, handing in a transfer request during the summer of 2019. However, he is yet to leave his boyhood club.

With Zaha’s deal now set to expire in June, the attacker looks increasingly likely to secure a move elsewhere and the report claims he is eager to test himself in Europe. The interest from some of the ‘top’ clubs may not be there anymore as he approaches his 31st birthday, though Newcastle may have an advantage in the race for his signature if they can secure Champions League football.

Despite that, Zaha may prefer to remain in London and could seek a switch to West Ham if they can avoid relegation. There is also still the possibility of signing a new contract with Crystal Palace, who are also in a relegation battle themselves.

Anthony Gordon goes viral

A video clip of Anthony Gordon’s frustrated reaction to being subbed off against Brentford has gone viral on social media. The 21-year-old was brought onto replace Jacob Murphy at half-time, but was then taken off himself during injury-time.

Gordon was left a frustrated figure and wasn’t afraid to show his anger at the substitution as he pushed Eddie Howe away as he entered the dugouts. The video of the youngster has been published by various social media accounts, racking up over 10 million views on Twitter.

Speaking on the incident, Howe said:  “I’ve got no problem. Anthony is passionate boy. He wants to do well, but there was seconds left on the clock and we wanted to get Matty on because Anthony was holding his ankle.

“He just needs to control his emotions in that moment, but there are no problems.”

Gordon has only managed one start for the Magpies since his £45 million move from Everton during the January transfer window. The forward is yet to score in his seven appearances for the club.