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Current Sunderland owner Stewart Donald has left the door open for Sammy Yu and Mark Campbell to make takeover bids.

Back in April 2018, Donald arrived as the club’s new ownerafter taking over from Ellis Short but, just 19 months into the businessman’s tenure, he made public his desire to sell the club.

With Sunderland missing out on the chance of promotion from League One for a second successive season, there have been calls from some fans for Donald to sell up.

Sammy Yu and Mark Campbell have both been credited with takeover interest over the last few weeks, although the former claimed that Donald had failed to acknowledge attempts to contact him regarding the matter.

Speaking to BBC Radio Newcastle as quoted by Sunderland Echo, Donald spoke about a potential bid arriving and revealed how talks went with Campbell.

“The fans have asked me to leave, and whether it’s Mark Campbell or somebody else,” he said.

“If somebody passes the EFL [tests], has the funds and has the vision… I’m not quite sure what the fans want me to do.”

Donald was speaking after he met with fans on Thursday to discuss the sale of the club and other pressing matters.

It seems that, if either Yu or Campbell have the necessary funds, then Donald will welcome a bid – so why has it taken this long?

Something does not seem right at the moment and it appears that the current Black Cats owner is holding out for a bid that will guarantee getting his money back on his initial investment.

Donald says that he does not know what fans want, but it seems quite clear they want a new owner to come in and for things to change as quickly as possible.

Who do you think has a better chance of taking over Sunderland? Let us know in the comments section below…

Chelsea were unable to come away from Anfield with the result they wanted after an exhilarating eight-goal fiesta unfolded at Anfield.

The Blues left nothing out on the pitch and threw their bodies on the line in search for a point against Liverpool, but the champions were far too clinical in attack. The match finished 5-3 to the home side and now leaves Chelsea in desperate need of a result against Wolves in their Premier League finale.

Christian Pulisic started the game on the bench but made an immediate impact after he was substituted on for Willian just before the hour mark. In just over 30 minutes, the US international contributed a goal and an assist and completed 100% of his passes (via Sofascore).

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The official Chelsea Instagram account uploaded a photo of Pulisic to celebrate his goal which forced the deficit back to just one. Loads of fans are furious that the winger was not named as part of the starting XI and are imploring Frank Lampard to never bench him again.

The £46.8million-valued winger has now taken his tally for the season to 10 goals and 10 assists across all competitions (via Transfermarkt).

He will have a few more chances to boost his numbers this season, starting with Nuno Espirito Santo’s side at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

How would you rate Pulisic’s performance against Liverpool, Blues? Let us know in the comments below!

After starting off the new Scottish Premiership campaign with three wins in a row, Rangers could only manage a draw away at Livingston on Sunday afternoon.

Steven Gerrard’s side looked completely toothless up front as they toiled their way to a hugely disappointing 0-0 draw. The Gers enjoyed 79% possession of the ball, but despite ‘dominating’ the game, they didn’t really test Max Stryjek in the Livingston goal.

Out of the 23 total shots they had, only three of them found the target, and it was the kind of blunt attacking performance that can have a major impact on the title race in the long-run.

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The one man who came away from the game with a decent amount of credit, was Connor Goldson. The centre-back marshaled the back-line alongside Filip Helander, and once again proved why he is arguably Gerrard’s unsung hero in this Rangers team.

Since signing from Premier League side Brighton back in 2018 for a fee in the region of £3m, Goldson has been the picture of consistency, rarely putting a foot wrong and not missing many games either – it’s a telling stat that he has already amassed 110 games for the club.

It was no surprise that earlier last week, Gerrard waxed lyrical about the 6 foot 3 powerhouse, insisting that he simply isn’t appreciated by many.

He said: “I don’t think Connor gets the credit he deserves and that’s not just this season, that’s looking at the big picture. He’s been robust, he’s always available and has rarely missed a training session. He’s in fantastic shape, he’s a leader and so professional. He’s made a couple of individual errors that I think people hold him to. But he’s so important to this team. I can’t express how important he is to us.

“I don’t know why he doesn’t get the credit he deserves but that’s only on the outside. His team-mates value him a lot, as do the staff and the club. That’s the only thing that really matters in terms of Connor’s thinking. We’re right behind him and we know he’s done a fantastic job for us.”

And against Livingston, Goldson proved his manager was absolutely spot-on with his assessment. Whilst the home side hardly posed the stiffest of attacking threats, the defender dealt with everything superbly, ensuring the Gers could pin them back.

As per Sofascore, he won a quite ridiculous 17 of his total 20 duels, whilst he also enjoyed 113 touches of the ball too – only Ryan Jack and Glen Kamara had more. Goldson could perhaps have moved the ball forward a bit more and with a bit more tempo, but there was no questioning that he has been a lynch-pin.

As Gerrard says, he may not get the credit he deserves, but he’s certainly one of the unsung heroes of this Rangers team.

Key information about Mill Farm

Mill Farm was built in 2016 and is now the home of National League’s AFC Fylde. The ground is located on the outskirts of Wesham in the Borough of Fylde over in Lancashire and apart from the football field, also includes several 3G football and hockey pitches as well.

Its current capacity stands at 6,000 and it has a pitch that measures 100m by 67m. The surface is covered with grass and it has no running track surrounding it.

The record attendance of 3,858 fans at Mill Farm was set on 26 December back in 2016.

A history of Mill Farm

The first plans for AFC Fylde to move out of their previous home at Kellamergh Park in the village of Warton were announced back in 2008. And two years later, the project for a new Community Sports Complex in Wrea Green was unveiled. But, the application was ultimately rejected by Fylde Council in April 2012, bashing the club’s dreams.

But their quest to obtain their Football League status was not dead just yet and a new stadium was one way of actually making that dream come true. However, with the initial project scrapped, they set out to redevelop their current home between 2006 and 2016. But it was actually in 2013 that they first outlined new plans for a £18 million multi-sport facility, to be called Mill Farm Sports Village, that would also be in line with the Football League standards.

This time, the Council accepted the application and the Preston architecture company the Frank Whittle Partnership Limited were chosen to design their new home. The construction began in March 2015 and was finished by mid-2016.

On 13 August that same year, AFC Fylde would play their first game at Mill Farm against Brackley Town and soon afterwards, on 26 December, they would also register the record attendance of 3,858 fans at the stadium.

The Mill Farm has three stands, two of which have covered terraces, while the main grandstand comprises 2,000 seats and even has hospitality areas built-in, something that clearly differentiates the ground from the usual stadiums at that level. But Mill Farm is not all about football.

Of course, the football stadium is its main venue but it also has multiple other customer facilities such as a sports bar, a cafe, a restaurant and conference and event facilities across nine different rooms. It is also accompanied by an Aldi supermarket just behind the south end while a Euro Garages petrol station with a Sainsbury’s Local, Greggs bakery and KFC fast-food restaurant are also present on the site.

There are also other sporting facilities such as several 3G football and hockey pitches at Mill Farm as well.

Tickets to watch AFC Fylde at Mill Farm

All tickets to watch AFC Fylde play at Mill Farm can be found and purchased on the club’s official website. The price varies depending on the age group of the buyer and the stand chosen but adult tickets cost around £18 to £20.

Still, the club offers a season ticket scheme as well as memberships that can get you discounts. More information can be found on the aforementioned website.

Related links

https://www.afcfylde.co.uk/ – Official website of AFC Fylde

Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley is said to have been left baffled by a legal bill worth more than £500,000 accrued by Henry Mauriss in the latest news involving the takeover saga.

As per The Chronicle, talks between the chief executive of Clear TV and the lawyers of Ashley were ongoing over the summer but the CEO of Sports Direct has been left mystified by the slow nature of the discussions since the Kingdom of Saudi Arabian (KSA) group officially decided to withdraw their own £300m bid after losing patience with how much time it was taking for the Premier League and Richard Masters to decide whether or not to approve their bid.

Nevertheless, the paperwork of the Mauriss bid is said to be examined very carefully by the current owner at St James’ Park. However, it is his failure to follow up on the £350m verbal agreement on a deal earlier this year that has left Ashley casting his own doubts on the intentions of the businessman.

Nonetheless, the approach has still cost Mauriss big in legal fees, which has left Ashley baffled. Indeed, the English tycoon looks more unlikely by the day to come to an agreement with Mauriss over a serious offer, as Ashley is expected to label both the American and the Bellagraph Nova (BN) group as “time-wasters” when he addresses the matter publicly.

It seems as if a prospective takeover of the Tyneside club by Mauriss is all but dead, as the Saudi-led consortium continue to play the waiting game in order to try and get their own deal with Ashley back on track.

Geordies, do you think a Mauriss takeover is still possible? Comment below with your views!

Aston Villa could land a devastating one-two sucker punch on the rest of the Premier League this summer if emerging reports are to be believed…

What’s the word?

As the club close in on the £28m signing of Ollie Watkins from Brentford, it appears Dean Smith is keen to also add Liverpool starlet Rhian Brewster to his ranks.

According to The Sun, Villa have inquired about the possibility of signing the 20-year-old in a £20m deal but they face stiff competition from the likes of Sheffield United, Crystal Palace, Brighton and Burnley.

And now, Sky Sports claim that the Premier League champions could be willing to let him go on a permanent deal just as long as it includes a buy-back clause.

Imagine him and Watkins

Given Villa’s struggles with scoring goals, Smith would be a fool to not consider at least one extra signing on top of Watkins and a move for Brewster would be quite the coup.

Perhaps there’s a chance that the Bees talisman is played out wide, thus allowing skipper Jack Grealish to move back into the middle of the pitch with the young Englishman then preferred over Wesley and Mbwana Samatta.

The struggling striking duo combined for just six goals all season last term, so adding Watkins, who bagged 26 times and Brewster, who netted 11 goals, would certainly be one way to improve that major issue.

It’s quite the shame that Jurgen Klopp simply cannot fit Brewster into his Reds side as he’s a hugely talented youngster, but their loss has to be Villa’s gain.

During a loan spell with Swansea last season, teammate Andre Ayew claimed the 20-year-old starlet “has it all” whilst England U17 teammate Jadon Sancho believes he can cause defenders to have “nightmares”.

Also dubbed as “exceptional” by the man that scouted him, Brewster would continue to meet the home-grown priorities of Smith.

Just imagine him and Watkins tearing it up in attack, they’d quickly make you forget about Wesley and co in a heartbeat.

AND in other news, Smith set to table £16m bid for yet another striker…

Leeds United’s transfer deadline day looks set to be an exciting with Raphinha looking likely to join the Whites in a deal worth an initial £17m.

Leeds have been after a winger for the entirety of this window with names such as Said Benrahma, Daniel James and Ryan Kent strongly linked at different points.

Now, it seems as though they have finally got their man with the Rennes wide man set to join on deadline day, but despite a winger coming in, United still need to do one more thing.

Indeed, the Whites need to bring in a midfielder after failing to secure the signature of Michael Cuisance from Bayern Munich.

Whether or not a midfielder is absolutely needed is up for debate, but the fact that United so publicly chased Cuisance and almost signed him before the deal collapsed at the 11th hour, shows that they were in the market for a midfielder, and if they don’t land one, it will be seen as a failure on Victor Orta’s part.

The cohort of Mateusz Klich, Adam Forshaw, Kalvin Phillips and Pablo Hernandez should be enough to help United towards their goals this season, but if Leeds fail to add reinforcements after a summer of pursuing options such as Rodrigo De Paul and Cuisance, they will look a bit incompetent.

Orta clearly prioritised the midfield spots as an area that needs bolstering, and if he doesn’t get his man after coming so close to signing Cuisance, he will deserve a lot of blame, despite what has otherwise been a successful transfer window.

Anything can happen on deadline day, so Leeds could still get their midfielder, but if they don’t, Orta will be due a bit of stick.

Everton Director of Football Marcel Brands can save Carlo Ancelotti’s Goodison Park natives from rushing in the winter to add depth behind James Rodriquez by forging a late move to sign Watford ace Ismaila Sarr, despite downplayed links.

What’s the word?

According to the Liverpool Echo, Everton have limited interest in signing Sarr during the final week of the domestic transfer market, having decided with Ancelotti that efforts will predominantly be spent attempting to offload those deemed surplus to requirements.

Muhamed Besic and Yannick Bolasie are expected to court Championship moves after failing to secure deals before Monday’s international Deadline Day, while the Toffees remain open to loans or sales for Under 23 stars Beni Baningime, Callum Connolly, Nathan Broadhead and perineal outcast Matty Pennington.

Brands is yet to rule out dipping his toe into the EFL market before the October 16th shut off, with the lower tiers brimming with players that could offer something to Ancelotti following Everton’s unbeaten start to the season.

Manchester United have previously been linked with a move for Sarr following Watford’s relegation from the Premier League last term, however the Red Devils have recently opted against pursuing a deal as the Hornets would only be interested in a permanent transfer rather than the loan move proposed by Executive Vice-Chairman Ed Woodward.

Liverpool, likewise, have been touted as a potential suitor, although Watford have been set on a £40million asking price for the 22-year-old signed a year ago for the same figure, and given that they’ve just signed Diogo Jota, it seems unlikely that they’d spend big on Sarr too.

January action needed now

While Everton are not expected to go big in the final week of the domestic transfer window either, there is a slight expectation that Brands could consider a change of heart and spend funds in the winter market following two years with less than £1m spent in the January sales.

The right-wing position at Goodison Park is one area where the Toffees may need to explore signings in the mid-season market, which is just 86 days away, as Rodriguez is currently the only natural option for the role with Anthony Gordon and Alex Iwobi better suited on the left.

Sarr, therefore, could be the ideal option to sign now and land the depth in a key position sooner rather than later, potentially after witnessing niggling injuries derail Everton’s push for European football.

Watford benefited from five goals and four assists over 28 appearances during Sarr’s sole Premier League campaign, similar numbers to what Richarlison achieved in the 2017/18 campaign (five goals, five assists) before his £50m transfer from Vicarage Road.

The Hornets’ £25,000-per-week forward also created five big chances that were not converted and spurned six himself, per SofaScore, showing that there is still room for Sarr to develop under Ancelotti, who can tap into the Senegalese star’s average 1.1 shots, 0.9 key balls, 0.6 accurate crosses and 1.7 successful dribbles per game from last season’s top-flight campaign.

AND in other news, an outcast of Carlo Ancelotti’s plans is unlikely to win the Everton boss over despite his Deadline Day decision.

Outcast Southampton winger Mohamed Elyounoussi appears to be flourishing during his time away from the south coast. His numbers at loan side Celtic have been impressive, but he also put in a solid shift on the international stage on Sunday.

As Norway made easy work of securing a 4-0 win over Romania in the UEFA Nations League, Elyounoussi dropped into midfield to operate behind his side’s double strike force. Alexander Sorloth and Erling Haaland both played superbly up front, but the midfield four helped command the play.

Elyounoussi could be important for Hasenhuttl

Although he wasn’t directly involved in any of the four Norway goals scored, Elyounoussi arrived with a lot of creativity. According to Sofascore, the Saints loanee made two key passes and 100% of his shots hit the target. He also contributed two tackles, one clearance and won 6/9 ground duels.

Elyounoussi boasts extreme versatility and could be an important asset to Ralph Hasenhuttl once he returns from his spell in Scotland. Not only can he play across any position in the front three, but is comfortable being deployed at both left and right midfield as well as in a more attacking role.

The 26-year-old was shipped out on loan after failing to make an impact at St Mary’s. However, since he joined Celtic he has unleashed his true potential. Last season, he tallied seven goals and six assists in just 20 appearances for the Hoops and has already made three contributions in front of goal this campaign (via Transfermarkt).

Whilst Theo Walcott is only with Southampton for the short-term and Nathan Tella yet to really prove himself, Elyounoussi could slot into the right side of the team when he returns. His goal and assist return alongside his driven work ethic will have certainly turned Hasenhuttl’s head.

In other news, Southampton should move to sign Troy Deeney before EFL window closes…

Whilst they may have been holding Manchester United to 1-1 until the dying stages of the game, it almost felt inevitable that Newcastle were eventually going to succumb to defeat in the Premier League on Saturday night.

The Magpies took the lead thanks to an own goal from Luke Shaw in the opening few minutes of the contest, but their passive approach invited Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side to keep pressing, and in the end, the defence crumbled under the pressure – by the end of the game, they had been out-shot at a ratio of four to one (28 to 7).

But if you’ve been watching Newcastle throughout this season, then the fact United were peppering Karl Darlow’s goal with effort after effort was hardly surprising.

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The Tyneside club’s reliance on trying to soak up the pressure before being clinical on any counter-attacks or set-pieces has earned them a couple of notable results, but there has been elements of good fortune to them as well – not least being the beneficiaries of a hugely contentious VAR call that saw them earn a point away at Tottenham.

In fact, as per WhoScored, Steve Bruce’s side have faced, on average, 17.2 shots per game this season in the Premier League, which is by far the worst in the division.

Despite the fact the actual table shows them in 13th place with seven points from their opening five league games, it’s an approach that is completely unsustainable in the long-term.

You simply cannot rely on Darlow to pull off blinders week-in and week-out to keep a clean sheet, and the negative approach will end up taking its toll on a talented forward-line that boasts the likes of Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin.

Unless Bruce finds a way to help plug a leaky defence, and prevent Darlow from having to work double-time every game he steps on to the field, then Newcastle are heading for an unmitigated disaster.