Mark Douglas has dropped a promising Newcastle United transfer update regarding Joe Willock.
The Lowdown: Willock impresses
It is safe to say that Willock has taken his loan spell to St James’ Park by storm, having racked up seven goals in 13 Premier League games for the Magpies before their final match away at Fulham this afternoon (Transfermarkt).
It is not just with his goals in which he has contributed, but his overall displays as well, with Alan Shearer hailing his performance as ‘magnificent’ in the 3-2 home win over Southampton back in February when he first arrived on Tyneside.
The Latest: Promising Willock update
Writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, Douglas has reported that Newcastle believe Willock wants to return to St James’ Park for next season.
Key to the Magpies’ pursuit is that they would build a team around the central midfielder, whereas he is not guaranteed to be a regular starter at Arsenal.
Willock does not want to go back to being a bit-part player and sees the Toon as the perfect platform to continue his development as a footballer.
The Verdict: Newcastle must sign Willock
Newcastle must do all that they can to ensure that Willock is signed on a permanent deal once the summer transfer window opens.
The 21-year-old has already shown his worth with his goals, and he certainly gives an added athleticism in the middle of the park which Steve Bruce will need going into the new campaign.
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Nonetheless, other clubs will surely come knocking at the Gunners’ door given his form on Tyneside, and Newcastle need to make sure that St James’ Park is his only destination.
In other news, find out what big Tyler Roberts transfer claim has been dropped!
Everton’s Premier League status ahead of next season still hangs in the balance as they continue to flirt with the chance of relegation in 17th, however it has not stopped the club being linked with signings this summer, as fresh interest emerges from Goodison Park.
What’s the word?
According to 90min, Newcastle United are ready to sell their star player Allan Saint-Maximin this summer, with Everton joining Wolverhampton Wanderers in the pursuit to secure the signature of the French winger.
90min reports that they understand Everton are ‘keeping tabs on the situation’ although their interest is likely to only gain more traction if Frank Lampard can seal another Premier League season for the Toffees.
Other reports claim he could be worth somewhere in the region of £50m.
Richarlison replacement
Due to Everton’s disastrous season, Richarlison has been linked with a number of moves away from the club with both Arsenal and Manchester United being tipped to sign the Brazilian winger this summer, and if it was the case that the Everton star did leave come the end of the season, Saint-Maximin could be a worthy replacement.
The £93k-per-week Newcastle wizard who has scored five goals this season, has been highly praised during his time on Tyneside, with Gary Neville even hailing the 25-year-old “breathtaking” after his performance against Leeds United earlier in the season.
Neville told Sky Sports: ‘To see his speed, his movement, it’s absolutely breathtaking.”
If you compare Saint-Maximin to Richarlison it’s clear to see who is having the better impact on his team this season, with the Magpies winger more successful in his aerial duels, tackles and dribbles, as well as offering a higher shot and pass accuracy according to Soccerment.
With that being said, although the loss of Richarlison would be a shame as he has become a fan favourite, if Farhad Moshiri could fetch an eye-catching transfer fee for the Brazilian and then follow up by signing Saint-Maximin as a replacement in the same window, it could be a huge upgrade for Everton.
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The signing could turn out to be a superb piece of business for the club, especially if they can convince Dominic Calvert-Lewin to stay, giving the Toffees boss the opportunity to form a fierce attacking partnership between the Frenchman and their current star striker.
Ultimately, Lampard must focus on maintaining top-flight football at Goodison Park over the rest of the season if the club have any chance of attracting players of Saint-Maximin’s calibre and keeping hold of some of the key players in their current squad.
In other news: “Pretty likely…”: Insider drops huge Everton claim that’ll have Frank Lampard fuming
John Barnes reckons that if Liverpool duo Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres are unhappy at the club, then they should both follow Benitez out of Merseyside this summer.
So, the question is, has Barnes’s latest assessment of his former club proven his lack football knowledge? Or is the Anfield legend’s latest statement of his former club a correct one?
Liverpool have had one of their worst season’s in recent memory. They finished in 7th place in the Premier League, Internal chaos caused major problems between the clubs owners and Benitez, and as a result, the Spaniard decided to leave the club last week, which may spark a mass exodus of players at the Merseyside club this summer.
Nonetheless, Liverpool legend John Barnes feels that if any player is unhappy at the club then they should leave, including the likes of Gerrard and Torres. Barnes claimed:
“Liverpool don’t want Gerrard and Torres to go – but if they don’t want to be there, let them move on. The fans would have to understand that and still get behind the club.”
He finishes off by saying:
“Any player who doesn’t want to be at Liverpool should go… no matter who they are.”
The former Kop winger spent 10 years at the Merseyside club and Barnes believes that Liverpool can survive even if the Kop do lose their biggest stars this summer. He also believes that too much focus on the Liverpool captain and Spanish striker this season has affected the team in whole.
“Look at this history of the club, Kevin Keegan went and people were worried but they got stronger. Kenny Dalglish was a legend but he retired and left and they’ve gone on and won trophies since then.”
Barnes added:
“I think there has been too much focus on Gerrard and Torres. They are important players but that affected a lot of the others in the team. The more we focus on them, the more we believe we can’t compete without them.”
Some (if not all) Liverpool fans reading this may think Barnes needs to check himself into a psychiatric ward, as many would believe that losing Gerrard and especially Torres would be suicide for the club. These fans maybe correct in their assessment of the situation, however, does Barnes have a point to? If a player seems displeased, then is there any point of keeping him at the club?
Granted, Gerrard and Torres are the biggest stars of Liverpool and no doubt keep the side ticking. The likely departure of the duo this summer, in retrospect, would spell the end for the Merseyside club in many fans eyes. It is believed that Liverpool have minimal funds available to strengthen their team this summer, and in order to gain money they would have to sell their stars.
Gerrard and Torres have not yet stated if they wish to stay at the club next season or not, claiming they will decide their future after the World Cup. This has not helped the situation, and their words have left Liverpool fans sweating until the completion of the tournament.
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Nonetheless, two players do not make a club, and like Barnes has declared, if the duo are unhappy with the current circumstances then they may as well leave, even if it means years of rebuilding for the famous English club.
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The news that Chelsea have been looking at Brazilian midfielder Ramires is not altogether surprising, especially considering the paucity of both quality and numbers that the club now possess in the middle of the park, but should Carlo Ancelotti be able to negotiate the successful transfer, we could seriously be looking at one of the transfer coup’s of the summer with the Benfica man currently one of the most underrated midfielders in Europe.
Ramires’ agent Luis Carlini has stated that “Many clubs from the big European leagues have been in contact about Ramires. Chelsea and Bayern have spoken to Benfica, but I can’t say more.” So it would appear that a move elsewhere in on the cards.
With Michael Ballack having departed for pastures anew after not having his contract renewed by the West London club, he set sail for former club Bayer Leverkusen. Deco too looks set to leave with a well-documented desire to move back to his homeland of Brazil not going unnoticed, and a move to Fluminense imminent. The club also let go of utility player Belletti this summer who was also capable, should the occasion call for it, of doing a shift in the middle.
This leaves the club with only three recognised central midfield players in their first team squad in Frank Lampard, John Obi Mikel and Michael Essien. Michael Mancienne cut his Premiership teeth at holding man for Wolves last season on loan, his energetic style of play, distribution and bite in the tackle proving a useful commodity for Mick McCarthy’s relegation threatened side, but such was his success last term for the club, that McCarthy wishes to have him back again this season either on loan or a permanent deal, and his stay at Chelsea only looks assured should they fail to add to their squad.
Lampard is a nailed on inclusion, and despite a poor World Cup he had a magnificent season for the reigning Champions last term and there are no worries about him. Mikel though remains something of a conundrum for me personally. Brought in to do an unfussy job quietly and efficiently, he more often than not does the exact opposite and his lack of development despite the large amount of game time he has acquired the past few seasons is a cause for concern and he has to be seen as more of a squad player as opposed to a guaranteed starter.
It is with Michael Essien though that the club has its greatest worry. The Ghanaian midfielder has started just 25 league game in the last two seasons and 40 across all competitions in the same time. Essien is quite simply a beast of a player, and when fit, he’s one of the most destructive midfielders in the world, but his fitness, or rather lack of it, means that manager Carlo Ancelotti cannot pencil his name in for next season’s team sheet with any degree of certainty.
This is where Ramires comes in. He is like Essien-light if you will. Not quite the midfield enforcer of the current Chelsea player but with a bit more pace, agility allied with a decent range of passing. Ramires missed Brazil’s exit to Holland at the quarterfinal stage of the World Cup with a suspension, but his rise to prominence has been a sharp one both within the national team and within European football.
Signed by Benfica for £6.5m last summer from Cruzeiro, the 23 year old has managed to force his way into the Brazil national team set-up under former manager Dunga and he went on to play four of Brazil’s five World Cup games this summer.
What does remain to be seen though is whether Benfica will want to let go of one of their most prized assets, a year after signing him, and more importantly, with the player in question only one year into a five-year deal, particularly after they just agreed to let go of star player Angel Di Maria to Real Madrid for £20m just last week.
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Ramires would appear to be angling for a move by saying “I came to Europe to win championships. It is normal that I would look at any offers from clubs in bigger leagues but I am currently under contract and Benfica will have the final say.”
He may not come cheaply, but Benfica are fundamentally a selling club, and at the right price, Ancelotti should be able to get their man. Central midfield looks to be in need of some serious reinforcement and with Ramires in tow, Chelsea could go a long way to plugging an evident gap in their squad.
After an awful summer for the England team following a dismal World Cup campaign many believe Fabio Capello should be moved on as many questioned his tactics, regime and selection. It would appear that the bookies favourite to succeed Capello as England coach is Harry Redknapp, are Tottenham set for an uncomfortable few weeks as the rumours gather pace?
Redknapp has already stated that the post is one that interests him:
“I’m English, who wouldn’t want to manage England?
“There’s not an Englishman – whether it’s me, Roy Hodgson or Sam Allardyce – who would turn the job down because it’s our country and we want to manage our country.
“No-one is ever going to turn that job down.”
Are these sorts of comments a come-and-get-me plea towards the FA, or just a show of patriotism from the Tottenham manager who says any manager should be proud to take charge of his country’s national team?
The White Hart Lane faithful will obviously be hoping that it is the latter, but the bookmakers think otherwise and Hodgson’s imminent arrival at Anfield to take the Liverpool hot seat will shorten the Spurs man’s odds even further.
Many people in football such as Lawrie McMenemy and former England international Paul Merson have touted Redknapp as a perfect candidate for the England job.
McMeneny believes that Redknapp is able to handle the big name players for England as he has done so well at Spurs when many initially had their reservations about him taking the job at the north London club.
The ex-Southampton manager said:
“He would be able to handle the dressing room as well as anyone and when it comes to handling the big players, Harry has proved he can do it.
“They’re all different and they don’t need coaching, but they do need managing. Harry has proved he can do that.”
Whilst Merson argues that although Capello is a proven manager it is time for a change as he argues that England’s World Cup campaign was disastrous. Merson has bemoaned England’s showing over the past few weeks as there wasn’t one single impressive performance out of their four matches, which suggests that the Italian is perhaps wrong for the role.
Continue reading on Page 2…
Merson, the former Arsenal man, also believes that there is no better candidate for the job than the current Tottenham manager, but admits that the FA will have to pay a fortune in compensation to both the current boss and Spurs to make such a move come to pass.
“People will think I am only saying it because I’ve played for him [Harry Redknapp], but believe me everyone of those players would want to play for him.
“They need to play with the confidence that if they do give the ball away it won’t be the end of the world, they won’t get that with the manager waving his arms around, elbowing Stuart Pearce off the bench.”
As for Redknapp himself, I’d question whether it would be worth it for him to leave the Lilywhites after working so hard to earn the right to compete in the UEFA Champions League. Surely the chance to manage in the Champions League is a strong enough pull to keep ‘Arry at Spurs and away from the Three Lions position?
However, some critics in the past have questioned Redknapp’s loyalty considering his actions in the past. In 2004 Redknapp left Portsmouth to go to bitter south-coast rivals Southampton (relegated them), then he returned to Portsmouth, won the FA Cup with them then ended up walking out on them again to replace Juande Ramos at Tottenham.
Although the Tottenham fans won’t like it Redknapp is also many England fans’ favourite to take over from Capello and will hope that he can bring a younger look to the squad. Some quarters are also arguing that the next national coach should be English as someone like Redknapp may play a style which suits our players more than Capello’s laborious and predictable 442. But England had a bad experience under their last English coach Steve McClaren and have since found some stability under the current boss.
Are the Tottenham fans worried that they could lose their manager to England?
Do the England fans want Harry Redknapp as the England coach, should the FA stick with Capello, or would you prefer another candidate for the Three Lions role?
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Click on image below to see the PORTUGUESE babes at the World Cup
Portsmouth manager Steve Cotterill has urged England goalkeeper David James to make a decision over whether he will remain with the club next season in the near future.
The Pompey hierarchy have held talks with the 39-year-old following England's dismal World Cup campaign, but James has not yet indicated if he will remain on the South Coast following relegation to the Championship.
Cotterill told The News:"I probably think we will know very soon as to what David is going to do. We need to know if it's not going to be with us. We need to move on.
"So sooner or later there's going to have to be a decision made there. We're definitely going to need to know and maybe if David can't make his mind up, we've got to make a decision.
"He could contribute as a coach here. We've chatted about a few things in the area. But, like I say, at the end of the day, sooner or later there's got to be a decision made.
"We need to know what he is going to do."
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Meanwhile, Senegal midfielder Papa Bouba Diop has left Fratton Park to join Greek side AEK Athens.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Newcastle haven’t exactly splashed the cash this summer, as Mike Ashley has kept a tight rein on Chris Hughton’s spending, but the Magpies have brought in one high profile player. That has come in the form of former Tottenham, Arsenal and England defender Sol Campbell. Sol will add some experience to Newcastle’s back line and will be hoping to contribute to a fair few clean sheets in the 2010/11 Premier League season. Since joining Newcastle on a free transfer, a lot has been made in the media about the 35-year old being a little on the large side. Whether he’s fat or fit, he won’t be ready in time for Newcastle’s first match of the season against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Here’s Campbell watching a Newcastle friendly at St James’ Park that celebrated the management career of Sir Bobby Robson, but will this be the last time Sol is sat in the stands this season?
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France’s World Cup campaign was certainly a calamitous one, Nicolas Anelka sent home after an argument with then manager Raymond Domenech and the subsequent revolt left any distant dream of glory in tatters but the most recent story to materialise from the French Football Federation is perhaps even more staggering.
The 18 match International ban handed to Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka holds little point to it and is one which he is right to ridicule.
After all, Anelka himself admitted when he exited South Africa his international career was over for the shouting, and it seems the French Football Association have took action simply to try to assert their authority after player power reared its ugly head.
The peace in which Laurent Blanc needs to conduct a new era dictates such confounding chastisement but surely the new manager would rest easier knowing a player of Anelka’s ilk and quality was in his squad.
For Anelka has flourished at Chelsea, his work-rate on and off the ball has coincided perfectly with his selfless play and a career that was once described as nomadic should now be presented more favourably.
Anelka said: “This whole thing is nonsense, to turn the page because [new coach] Laurent Blanc needs to be able to work in peace. These people are clowns. I’m dying with laughter. The whole commission thing is a charade not to lose face.” And he may well have a chuckle, as the only team that will benefit from this is Chelsea.
He will again be a central figure in Chelsea’s hopes of retaining the Premier League and without the burden of International football the enigmatic Frenchmen may even equal his impressive goal tally last term.
Carlo Ancelotti has been good to Anelka during his time at Chelsea and the boss at the Bridge may well be repaid as his number 39 looks to replicate the form which has silenced those who one doubted him for what he is, a world-class centre forward.
Click on image below to see the gallery of Mario Balotelli’s stunning girlfriend
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It’s been a mixed bag for Tottenham so far this season. They could have easily battered Manchester City on the opening day, but failed to get the win, they had a horror show in Switzerland before rescuing the tie, and then there was the loss to a wounded Wigan team at White Hart Lane. It’s not all gone quite to plan, but there are still plenty of reasons for the Spurs faithful to stay positive. Here are five of them:
1. Players have yet to hit form
The likes of Wilson Palacios and Aaron Lennon played some of their best football during last season, but so far this term, their engines have stuttered and they have yet to get into top gear. While not totally reliant on either player, they are important to the team and Spurs are a far better outfit when they are fully functioning. Likewise Jermaine Defoe, who has been carrying a groin injury and is having problems finding the back of the net in the white of Tottenham (while being devastating in the white of his country).
2. They are still adapting to the Champions League
Tuesday’s result away in Bremen was a decent point, and given the option before the game, Redknapp probably would have taken it. But the way in which they tore their opponents to pieces in the first half, really should have led to a healthier lead, and ultimately the win. As soon as they conceded, they looked drained and devoid of all the zip and verve that was battering Bremen early on. The weekend’s fixture against Newcastle will help determine how they are coping with the juggling act of all the competitions. It is still a learning curve, and so far there has been more good than bad.
3. This is the best squad of recent memory
It is more the balance of quality, as well as quantity. It may not be that of Chelsea, or Man United, but it is not far off. The arrival of Rafael Van der Vaart was canny, and William Gallas is a proven Premiership performer, regardless of any of the baggage that he lugs on those sulking shoulders. Even with injuries to the likes of Dawson, Defoe, Modric and King, they have still managed to field good sides. When everyone is fit and firing, Redknapp will have some serious decisions to make over who makes the cut, but as the cliché goes; it is a good problem to have.
4. Healthy relationships and structure
Villa have had their managerial problems, and fans are still sceptical of the new appointment of Gerrard Houllier. Roberto Mancini is under colossal pressure from the outset, while Liverpool have spiralling debts and no prospective buyer. Spurs seem to have a healthy structure in place, are financially stable, and their manager has a good relationship with his executives. Everything is seemingly in place for progression, as long as they can sort out their new stadium and the red tape involved.
5. Quite simply – Gareth Bale
If there is a more exciting player in the Premier League at the moment, I haven’t seen them. Adam Johnson has been impressive, Michael Essien is a welcome return, and Andy Carroll is causing problems, but none compare to the Welsh winger. At the moment, he is killing defenders. Playing a role in seven of Spurs’ first eight goals of the season, he has embarrassed opponents along the way. His strike against Stoke is arguabley the goal of the season so far. With this devastating aura that he has at the moment, Spurs are always likely to create goals. In a team of good players, he is still head and shoulders above anything around or against him.
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A welcome addition to our Champions League wag series – click on the image to view the gallery of Yolanthe Cabau
Birmingham City boss Alex McLeish has welcomed the selection dilemma that the availability of new signings is giving him.
McLeish has deadline-day signings Alex Hleb and Jean Beausejour available for Saturday's derby trip to West Bromwich Albion.
Hleb, who is on a season-long loan from Barcelona, has recovered from an ankle injury while Chile international Beausejour has finally received his international clearance to play in the Premier League.
"Hleb is looking good and it is great to see his undoubted quality on the training field," McLeish told the club's official website.
"He's a little bit behind the players in terms of games played because the other players played six games in pre-season as well as some practice matches and also the start of the campaign.
"Hleb's not played too many games at all – two international games and he came back with a slight injury, but he's trained this week.
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"I just have to make a decision whether I throw him right in or whether he comes from the bench in the early stages."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email