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In today’s Newcastle United roundup, we take a look at what news has been doing the rounds for the Magpies. 16-year-old Luke Matheson has been linked with the club after scoring at Old Trafford in the EFL Cup, there is a fresh takeover bid from Peter Kenyon, and Rafael Benitez has named the best players he signed for the club.

Kenyon launches fresh takeover bid

Report: According to Sky Sports, Kenyon’s new American investment fund GACP Sports is trying to buy Newcastle for £300m which will be paid in installments over three years. A detailed 46-page brochure has been sent out to potential investors, explaining their plans for the club, states the report.

Verdict: No doubt this will be music to the ears of anyone who follows the Toon Army. For over a decade now, fans have been desperate to see the back of Mike Ashley, with the Sports Direct owner refusing to delve into the transfer market enough, and thus having played a huge role in the club being relegated twice during his reign.

Kenyon’s GACP Sports also owns French side Bordeaux, whilst the man himself has been chief executive of both Chelsea and Manchester United and clearly knows how to run a football club as a result.

As has been the case in previous bids from Kenyon, there needs to be a large sum which Ashley would fancy or it is unlikely he will sell the club. Indeed, in recent times Amanda Staveley’s PCP Partners, the Bin Zayed Group as well as Kenyon have all attempted to purchase the club, with Ashley turning down each offer.

It seems it is going to take a bid in excess of £350m, as Sky Sports reports, and Newcastle fans will be hoping and praying this comes sooner rather than later.

Benitez on his best signings for the club

Report: In a Q&A with The Athletic (as quoted by Shields Gazette), former Magpies boss Benitez revealed who were his best signings during his time at St James’ Park. The Spaniard was asked ‘who would you say was your best value signing at Newcastle (Fabian) Schar, (Florian) Lejeune, (Martin) Dubravka?’, although Benitez was quick to point out Solomon Rondon as a name he never forgot during his time in the North East.

He replied: “I agree the three of them are quite good signings for the money we paid. Also I would add Rondon was good value as a loan.”

Verdict: Dubravka has turned himself into one of the better goalkeepers in the Premier League over the last few years, keeping 17 clean sheets and making 139 saves in 56 appearances. Although the Slovakian has conceded 67 times, only five of them have come as ‘errors leading to a goal’, according to official statistics of the Premier League.

Schar is continuing to prove his importance for the club this season, averaging a 7.16 performance rating and playing a huge role in Newcastle conceding eight goals in six games – only Crystal Palace boasts better in the bottom half.

As for Rondon, he has linked up once again with Benitez, joining him at Dalian Yifang in China. During his time at Newcastle, however, the Venezuelan finished as the second top scorer for the club, bagging 11 goals and seven assists in 31 Premier League appearances.

Lejeune is currently out injured, but the Frenchman did average a 7.05 performance rating with the Magpies in his first season under Benitez.

Bruce keeping tabs on Matheson

Report: According to the Chronicle Live, Newcastle have been scouting the Rochdale teenager even before his heroics against Manchester United. It is reported that the Magpies have kept tabs on the defender ever since he made his first-team debut in the Checkatrade Trophy last year.

Verdict: 16-year-old Matheson has jumped into the limelight after scoring the equaliser in the Dale’s Carabao Cup tie at Old Trafford. The right-back has been involved heavily for the League One side so far, playing all three of the EFL Cup games until Rochdale were knocked out. Matheson has also played twice in the league for his boyhood club this season and has even stepped out for the England U17’s on one occasion.

It is always wise to keep tabs on the younger guys around because clubs can never know what youth teams are prizing away the best young talent in the country – sometimes it is not always the Premier League teams who acquire the best young products from around England.

If Newcastle were to sign Matheson, it would be highly doubtful he would see first-team action more than a handful of times in a year. Nevertheless, if his performance at Old Trafford is anything to go by, it is a good idea to keep an eye on his progress.

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These Southampton fans on Twitter believe they have identified the player the club has submitted a late deal sheet for on transfer deadline day – Augsburg centre-back Kevin Danso.

Daily Echo journalist Adam Leitch was the first to tweet that Saints were still trying to get a signing over the line after the initial 5pm deadline, with clubs given an extra two hours to get a transfer completed if they are some way down the line.

Freelance football writer Lars Pollmann tweeted late on Thursday afternoon that Kicker expected Danso to move to a unnamed Premier League club, and it makes sense that it would be the south coast outfit.

After all, he is a centre-back – a position that has been a priority ever since Southampton signed Che Adams according to The Telegraph – he fits into manager Ralph Hasenhuttl’s new signings age policy of being under 24 as he is 20, and he is Austrian, the same nationality as Hasenhuttl.

Saints supporters believe they have put two and two together to come up with Danso, who has made 44 first-team appearances for Bundesliga outfit Augsburg.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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According to Football Insider, Tottenham Hotspur have made progress over a move for Fulham’s Ryan Sessegnon in this summer’s transfer window.

The report claims that Spurs are now confident of landing the teenager in a £25m deal, which could go through as early as next week.

The capital outfit are seemingly in the market for a new left-back this summer with Danny Rose being left out of their pre-season squad.

Paris Saint-Germain are said to lead the race for Rose, who could be allowed to leave the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for £20m this summer.

According to Football Insider, Spurs have a potential replacement lined up, with a £25m swoop for Sessegnon close to going through following weeks of speculation.

Watch the best UCL final reactions from Liverpool and Spurs fans (and their enemies) in the video below…

The Tottenham fans have been on social media offering their views on the transfer claim and a number are looking forward to potentially watching the 5 ft 10 man next season.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Following the signings of Tanguy Ndombele and Jack Clarke, it appears that Spurs are determined to continue their summer recruitment.

Real Madrid’s Dani Ceballos has been heavily linked with a move to north London in recent weeks, and football.london report that Spurs are seriously interested in the player.

It’s also reported that the Spaniard is seeking a loan move away from Los Blancos, while Spurs are only willing to proceed with a loan deal if an option to buy the player is included.

The midfielder was mostly a rotational figure in La Liga last season with the Spaniard only starting 13 of his 23 appearances.

Given Tottenham’s interest in his services, Football Fancast has collated the opinions of three experts on a key Tottenham transfer target.

Sam Tighe, Bleacher Report journalist

“That’s what Ceballos is, in pure footballing terms: An electric, exciting, dazzling, smart midfielder. If he can set aside his documented off-field issues and control his emotions, the sky’s the limit for him.”

Analysing Ceballos’ performances at the under-21 European Championship in 2017, Tighe identified the Spaniard’s immense potential, per Bleacher Report.

That same summer, Ceballos made the seismic switch from Real Betis to Real Madrid.

While that move hasn’t bred the results Ceballos would have hoped for, his contributions during his sporadic La Liga involvement last season attest to Tighe’s glowing assessment.

Even though almost half of his appearances were as a substitute, Ceballos averaged one key pass per game last campaign. Similarly, he flaunted an impressive passing ratio of 92.6% while proving difficult for opponents to negate, as he was fouled 1.7 times per game on average.

One senses if Ceballos is handed consistent involvement and sincere appreciation he could produce his best form and begin to fulfil the monumental potential that Tighe described.

Luis Enrique, former Spain and Barcelona manager

“I saw Dani Ceballos countless times with Spain’s Under-21s, and he did the same on his debut with them as he did with us, a different player. He’s special, there aren’t many like that.”

Another individual who has been very complimentary of Ceballos’ skill set has been the former Barcelona and Spain manager, Luis Enrique, as ESPN reported.

Ceballos was handed his debut by Enrique in Spain’s comprehensive 6-0 drubbing of Croatia in the Nations League and has since earned a further five caps for the national side.

Given Enrique’s pedigree and the remarkable honours he collected both as a player, a three-time La Liga winner and as a manager, having won La Liga twice and the Champions League once, his words carry significance, and favourable analysis of the playmaker further legitimises claims of his enormous promise.

Luis Enrique has managed some of the best players in football, most notably the likes of Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos.

If anyone is well-placed to judge a player’s credentials then it’s Enrique.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Rubén Pardo, Real Sociedad and former Spain under-21 midfielder

“Dani is a player with a lot of quality who makes everything easier for his team-mates. He always gives you the right pass so you can move the ball more comfortably. He makes everything simpler.”

A player who has amassed 180 La Liga appearances and has featured in both the Champions League and the Europa League, Pardo is adequately qualified and astutely aware of Ceballos’ quality and his potential, as cited by UEFA.

Pardo played alongside Ceballos at Real Betis during a brief loan move in the second half of the 2017-18 season.

Given the extent to which Pochettino has revolutionised Tottenham’s style of play, a strategy that places huge emphasis on possession and creativity, it appears that the Spaniard’s technical attributes are accordant with Spurs’ style.

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Celtic midfielder Callum McGregor was undoubtedly one of the club’s top performers last season.

With six goals and 16 assists from midfield he proved to be not only an effective and creative attacking outlet across the course of Celtic’s treble-winning season, but also provided a battling spirit in the middle of the park that made him one of the team’s outstanding leaders.

In the prime of his career at 26 years of age, he has grown from a player on the fringes of the first-team to effectively becoming the first name on the teamsheet over the last few years.

In fact, not a single player in the entire Celtic squad played more than him across last season, with the Scotland international featuring in a remarkable 59 matches for his side.

Adding the ten caps he has won for his country since the start of last season he’s played an incredible 5,894 minutes of football, more than any of the players Transfermarkt tracked globally across 2018/19.

How can Celtic improve next season? A Hoops fan tells us how in the video below…

It’s an incredible statistic that stands as a testament to the endurance and durability of the Celtic midfielder.

However, it really shouldn’t be considered a positive and the Hoops need only look at the injury troubles of Kieran Tierney as a sign they need to rotate McGregor more and take the burden off his shoulders in matches against weaker opposition under Neil Lennon.

The Celtic left-back admitted back in March that overuse was one of the primary reasons for the hip pain he was suffering, with the player eventually requiring surgery at the end of the season.

Tierney missed 23 of Celtic’s 63 games last term, over a third of the season, with the lack of competent back-up in his position directly contributing to him playing games that he perhaps should have sat out prior to his fitness issues.

The season prior he produced similar numbers to McGregor in terms of appearances and minutes played.

Playing 50+ games a season, every season, with just a couple of weeks of rest separating each campaign will eventually take its toll, even on someone as consistent as McGregor.

Celtic finished last season on 25th May and have already return to pre-season less than a month later, with McGregor and other internationalists due to return to training next Monday.

Watch Celtic Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

He was notably more fatigued towards the end of the 2018/19, with energy missing from his performances that was there earlier in the campaign.

Next season Lennon needs to consider that McGregor is not needed in every match and with players such as Nir Bitton, Scott Brown, Olivier Ntcham, Ewan Henderson and Ryan Christie all available to play in central midfield squad management needs to be better.

It will allow the player to make greater impacts in the club’s biggest matches and ensure his body doesn’t eventually break down.

تحدث أحمد الأحمر لاعب منتخب مصر لكرة اليد، عن بطولة كأس العالم المقامة على ملاعب مصر خلال الأيام الفترة ما بين 13 يناير وحتى الـ31 من الشهر ذاته.

وكان منتخب مصر قد نجح في تحقيق فوز بمباراتي الجولة الأولى والثانية من دور المجموعات على منتخبي تشيلي ومقدونيا الشمالية.

وقال الأحمر في تصريحات رسمية: “واجهنا ظروفًا صعبة خلال فترة الإعداد، بسبب عدم قدرة الفريق على لعب مباريات ودية مع فرق أوروبية في ظل انتشار فيروس كورونا المستجد”.

فيديو | منتخب مصر يكتسح مقدونيا ويخطف بطاقة التأهل الأولى في كأس العالم لليد

وأضاف: “ولكننا استطعنا تعويض ذلك من خلال رفع المعدل البدني طوال المعسكرات المتتالية والتي بدأت في يوليو الماضي “.

وتابع: “أمر رائع وعظيم أن تلعب بطولة عالم على أرضك، هو أمر لا يحدث في العمر سوى مرة واحدة، نحن نملك طموحات كبيرة ونسعى للظهور بشكل جيد من أجل رفع علم مصر وأن نظهر بمستوى مشرف”.

وتابع: “الجيل الحالي لمنتخب الفراعنة الذي يجمع بين الخبرة والشباب، جيل يضم عناصر رائعة، ومن أفضل الأجيال في تاريخ مصر، ما يميز هذا الجيل عن أجيال سابقة هو وجود البدائل ووجود لاعبين يلعبون بطرق مختلفة، وهو ما يمنح المدير الفني القدرة على لعب المباريات بخطط مختلفة ويمنحنا قوة كبيرة”.

وأتم: “بالطبع كنا نتمنى أن تقام البطولة في ظروف أفضل، وأن يتواجد الجمهور يساندنا في المدرجات، ولكن الظروف الحالية فرضت ذلك علينا”.

واختتم الأحمر: “الاجراءات تسير بشكل رائع حتى الآن، هذه البطولة ستعكس صورة رائعة للعالم حول مصر وقدرتها على تنظيم حدث رياضي كبير في ظل الظروف الصعبة التي يعيشها العالم “.

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After a crushing 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid in last year’s Champions League final, a big summer awaited a Liverpool side who were clearly just a few players away from becoming a force to be reckoned with.

The supporters were in a terrible mood. Loris Karius’ reputation was in tatters. Everything seemed bleak.

However, just three days after the crushing defeat to Los Blancos, a key cog arrived at Anfield.

Are the media letting Jurgen Klopp off lightly for his lack of silverware? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

Brazilian international Fabinho was signed in a deal worth £43.7m, and immediately provided the Reds with the steely bite their midfield was sorely lacking.

All you need to do is take a look at the three players that Jurgen Klopp started last year’s final with.

Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Gini Wijnaldum.

All three are very much the same player in some respects; hard working, decent but not exactly spectacular in possession and not exactly huge physical presences in the middle of the park either.

In stark contrast, 6 ft 2 Fabinho is certainly a dominant figure in there, and is by no means just a lump; he has excellent technique that goes unnoticed by many.

When the Reds walk out of the Wanda Metropolitano tunnel, they should feel confidence coursing through their veins almost immediately thanks to the No.3’s presence in the side; even more so given the fact that a player like the Brazilian is what Tottenham will be sorely missing.

They sold the only real player of Fabinho’s ilk back in January when they allowed Mousa Dembele to go to China, and have just Victor Wanyama and Eric Dier to somewhat mirror what the former Monaco man brings to Liverpool.

Dier and Wanyama, however, are nowhere near as good as Fabinho. They are very limited from a technical aspect and are also extremely injury prone.

Mauricio Pochettino’s midfield will probably consist of Christian Eriksen, Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko on Saturday, and none of them are the midfield destroyers that all successful teams need; names such as Casemiro – who was crucial in last year’s final – and Fernandinho spring to mind.

[ad_pod ]Rangers fans have called for James Tavernier to reject interest from elsewhere to stay with the Scottish giants beyond the end of this summer’s transfer window.Tavernier enjoyed a spectacular 2018-19 campaign with the Gers – scoring 17 times and contributing 20 assists from right-back, which is some record.The 27-year-old holds the captain’s armband for Steven Gerrard’s side, but it has recently been reported that Aston Villa are preparing a summer move.As massive as Rangers are, it would be difficult for the club to keep hold of Tavernier if Villa came calling upon potentially earning promotion to the Premier League.The former Wigan Athletic defender took to social media in the aftermath of his team’s 2-1 loss at Kilmarnock on the final weekend of the 2018-19 Scottish Premiership season.Check out Keith from C’mon the Hoops’ fascinating video on the origins of the Old Firm derby below…And it was not a surprise to see the Rangers fans fill the response section with messages calling for him to stay with the club this summer.A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

There are few players in world football that at face value look perfect for Arsenal, and Youri Tielemans is certainly one of them.

The Belgian international has been thriving with Leicester City this season since his move to the Foxes from Monaco on loan in January, and Tielemans’ performances have many fans across the Premier League hoping their team will go in for the midfielder this summer, and none so more than Arsenal supporters.

The Daily Star have also reported that the Gunners, as well as Manchester United and Tottenham, are interested in signing the 21-year-old midfielder from Monaco this summer, and with a valuation of £19.8 million on Transfermarkt, Tielemans is well in Arsenal’s price range.

As well as being affordable, Tielemans would be a game-changing signing for Arsenal. The Gunners have lacked a midfielder who can control the tempo of the game and create chances for attacking players in the final third, and the Belgian would be a signing that could keep Alexandre Lacazette at the club.

The Frenchman has recently been linked with a big money move to Barcelona by the Express, but if Emery is able to court Tielemans over to north London it could open Lacazette’s mind up to stay with the Gunners.

Emery faces a massive rebuilding job this summer with new figures a must at the club as well as under-performing players needing to be moved on, and Tielemans would be a player that will solve not only an existing problem but also keep one of Arsenal’s most important stars in north London for the future.

Arsenal fans, should Emery make Tielemans a priority this summer? Let us know!

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Arsenal have not enjoyed the best of seasons on the road.

As has been copiously covered, the Gunners have been beaten eight times away from home this season, while also drawing four times. They have won just six games.

This is a familiar problem for Emery, though, and a trawl back through his managerial career suggests that he has no idea whatsoever how to fix it.

In 2015-16, Emery was managing Sevilla. He took the club to Europa League glory and a seemingly respectable seventh-placed finish in La Liga.

However, he failed to win away from home at all in the Spanish top-flight.

It is a statistical quirk, some might say, but the difference between the club’s record at home and on the road is stark. That season, they played 19 games at home and won 14. They drew once and were beaten four times, by Atletico Madrid, Celta Vigo, Real Sociedad and Granada. They beat Real Madrid 3-2 at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan and Barcelona 2-1. The draw came against Deportivo La Coruna. They scored 38 goals and conceded just 21.

Sevilla away 2015-16

Wins: 0

Draws: 9

Losses: 10

Goals scored: 13

Goals conceded: 29

This speaks to a well-organised, well-drilled team who thrives on the big occasion; it is incredibly rare that both Real and Barca fall to the same team outside of the top three.

But away from home, Sevilla were nothing short of dreadful.

They recorded nine draws and were beaten 10 times. Real, the team they scalped at home, thumped them 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu. Barcelona won 2-1 at Camp Nou. Rayo Vallecano, Getafe and Levante were all relegated that season and all three drew with Emery’s men at home. Sporting Gijon, who stayed up by one point, won 2-1 at home in the run-in.

Indeed, in all competitions, Sevilla won on the road three times. They beat Athletic Bilbao 2-1 away in the Europa League quarter-finals. Ironically, they then lost at home, by a 2-1 scoreline, but progressed on penalties. Their other two wins came in the Copa Del Rey against lower-league opposition, 3-0 successes over Mirandes in the Round of 32 and Logrones in the quarter-finals.

Arsenal, of course, have not quite been this bad this season but they have been far from impressive. They have won six times on the road but half of those victories have come against the bottom three; a 2-1 win over Huddersfield Town on April 9th was followed by a 5-1 success over Fulham in October and a 3-2 victory over Cardiff City in September. The other wins came against Newcastle United in September, AFC Bournemouth in November and Watford in April.

It has been a major problem and it has placed Arsenal’s participation in next season’s Champions League in serious peril. The club are currently fifth in the Premier League, two points behind Chelsea and four off Tottenham Hotspur in third.

They could, of course, win the Europa League and sneak in that way but to do that they will have to beat Valencia over two legs and then beat either Eintracht Frankfurt or old rivals Chelsea in the final.

Emery, as 2015-16 shows us, does have experience of lifting that trophy. When it comes to fixing his side’s away form, however, it does not appear as though he has the answer.