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Kieran Maguire has made a claim involving the prospective new owners at Newcastle United should a takeover be pushed through.

The Lowdown: Partnership announced

Last month, the St James’ Park club announced a new commercial deal with eToro.

The online social investment platform will now be allowed to advertise at St James’ Park and take advantage of a number of other marketing opportunities.

The Latest: Maguire on partnership

Speaking to Football Insider, football finance expert Maguire has now claimed that the prospective new owners would have been advised over the value of the deal with eToro, in case they can push the takeover through. He said:

“The way you value a club is you look at the future cash being generated.

“If the deal negotiations are at an advanced stage, the prospective new owners will have been advised as to the value of the deal with eToro and other partners.

“Given that Mike Ashley has still got to persuade them to pay a final price, if he locks the club into low-value deals, especially on a long-term basis, that is no good for him.

“If the club has been locked into lower-value revenue streams, that’s going to have an impact on what Ashley can charge.

“It’s not in Ashley’s interest or the new owner’s interest to be tied into them.”

The Verdict: Still hope

There is still hope that a takeover can be pushed through on Tyneside, as the prospective new owners will want to know what is going on inside the club in case they are able to take charge.

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The arbitration case between Newcastle and the Premier League over the stalled bid is set to take place early next year, and a positive result for Mike Ashley could see him finally sell.

Nonetheless, the Toon Army will have to be patient after a disappointing summer transfer window which only saw them bring one player on a permanent deal in Joe Willock from Arsenal, and next year could well be their time.

In other news, find out what details Mark Douglas has revealed about this under-the-radar NUFC signing

Marcus Bent believes that signing Holland’s Euro 2020 star Denzel Dumfries would leave the Goodison Park faithful elated.

The 25-year-old right-back has been a regular for both his country and PSV for the last three years but has only recently caught the eye following his form at the European Championships.

Prior to the Netherlands’ last 16 exit, Dumfries had been one of the standout players of the tournament having scored in their opening two group games, and was also named man-of-the-match in each.

And his performances haven’t gone unnoticed, with Everton joining a long list of sides that are keen on signing him from PSV.

PSV manager Roger Schmidt has already resigned to losing his flying full-back after saying that Dumfries, who has a £15m release clause, is “likely to leave” the Dutch giants this summer.

Some of Europe’s top sides, including Bayern Munich and Inter Milan and are also keen on capturing him this summer, but Bent would love him to end up at Goodison Park.

He exclusively told Football FanCast:

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“Speaking to Everton, they said he’s a terrific player, but clubs don’t sell their players when the Euros are on because they can put x number of pounds onto their player. Terrific, quick, pacey, he’s a rocket.

“If the club could get him on the back of what he’s done or whether they could attract him to Goodison is a different point entirely, but if you could get him, the fans would be elated.”

David Moyes has confirmed that Jesse Lingard will be available to start when West Ham United host Chelsea on Saturday evening.

The Manchester United loanee was a potential doubt for the visit of Thomas Tuchel’s Blues to the London Stadium, having been taken off with cramp against Newcastle last weekend.

Lingard opened the action at St. James’ Park but was unable to help the Irons avoid a 3-2 defeat, despite thumping home a second-half penalty to continue his incredible run of form in claret and blue.

No West Ham player has been involved in as many Premier League goals since Lingard’s arrival in east London, with the 28-year-old striking home a now joint team-high nine times in just 10 appearances while offering three assists.

Moyes would have feared facing top-four rivals Chelsea without Lingard as he strives to put West Ham back on track for a European berth, with Michail Antonio one of four players he is due to be without.

“Jesse had a bit of cramp at Newcastle, which at the time we didn’t see as being too big a problem and he’s fine,” Moyes said on Friday.

“I’m hoping that somewhere along the line we can get Micky, Declan [Rice], Aaron Cresswell and Arthur [Masuaku] back in amongst it because they’ve been important players for us throughout the year.

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“We’re aware that if we can get them back it would help us. Aaron is getting closer, we’ll monitor it, see how he feels tomorrow [Saturday] and see how we think.”

Lingard has only failed to feature once for West Ham since his arrival on a half-season loan from Manchester United during the January transfer window, when eligible to face his parent side in the Hammers’ 1-0 loss at Old Trafford last month.

The 27-cap England international has also only failed to have a direct influence on the scoring twice, coming in the second and third of his Irons appearances as West Ham were held to a goalless draw with Fulham and a 3-0 win over Sheffield United when he won the penalty for the opener.

Moyes will no doubt be buzzing to have such an influential weapon available for Chelsea’s visit to the London Stadium, the team he has faced more than any other in his managerial career (41) but only beaten on six occasions – losing 23.

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Lingard’s influence has also stemmed beyond his end product, with the £13.5m-rated maestro – who Glenn Hoddle believes has been “playing exceedingly well” – ranking first among the West Ham squad for shots taken per game with an average of three.

He exceeded that average at Newcastle last weekend with four efforts on Martin Dubravka’s net plus February’s 2-1 defeat at Manchester City, hit six on debut against Aston Villa and five against Sheffield United, while matching it during the Irons’ 3-2 win over Leicester City and 2-0 win at home to Leeds United, per WhoScored.

With Antonio – who ranks second with 2.4 shots per game – unavailable due to his hamstring injury, Lingard will likely have to step up once again to potentially fire West Ham to victory in the London derby this Saturday.

AND in other news, a £34.5m West Ham target has confirmed clubs are in contact with his agent over a summer switch…

According to Leeds Live, Marcelo Bielsa’s side are unlikely to make any major signings in the remaining days of this January transfer window.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks have linked the Premier League side to numerous players, including Fiorentina duo Erick Pulgar and Christian Kouame.

But now, amid suggestions the Whites also had a eye on Marseille left-back Jordan Amavi, Leeds Live have revealed that as well as there being no interest in the Frenchman, “there remains no interest in completing any major incoming transfers at United”.

Bielsa will be fuming

The fact that Leeds were linked with moves for players in three different positions – left-back, holding midfield and up front – and look set to bring in no-one, must surely have Bielsa tearing his hair out.

The Whites boss has worked wonders in ensuring the club’s return to the Premier League has seen them firmly avoid any hint of a relegation battle this season, with the Elland Road side even looking up at an incredible European place – a long shot perhaps, but they remain only seven points behind sixth-placed Tottenham.

So for director of football, Victor Orta, not to even strengthen this Leeds squad and give Bielsa the best possible platform to challenge the rest of the chasing pack for the second-half of this season just seems like a horrendous mistake.

With the nature of the Premier League this season, and the circumstances surrounding it, this may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do the unthinkable – get promoted and finish in a European spot in your first year back.

Taking a back seat like Orta appears to be doing is frankly unforgivable. There have been shock results all across the board, and whichever side has the courage to take that extra step in this January transfer window could be massive winners come the end of the campaign.

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At the moment, Leeds look like they won’t be that side, and that will surely have Bielsa fuming.

Meanwhile, Leeds are risking Marcelo Bielsa’s wrath with this decision…

Sunderland boss Phil Parkinson has confirmed that Max Power will be the new team captain for the 2020/2021 season.

After last season’s disappointment which saw the Black Cats finish eighth in League One and fail to secure either a promotion or play-off place, Parkinson has been busy preparing his side for a third stint in England’s third tier.

Six new signings have arrived at the Stadium of Light with Danny Graham being the biggest name to sign on the dotted line for the Wearsiders.

With the pressure firmly on Parkinson’s shoulders, a decision has now been made on Power being the new team captain.

Aside from confirming Power’s captaincy, it has also been confirmed that Grant Leadbitter and Bailey Wright be Club Captain and Vice-Captain, respectively.

Former Wigan Athletic midfielder Power has made 85 appearances for the Black Cats, netting seven goals and gaining 4 assists.

Speaking about the announcement on captains, Parkinson said: “Grant has returned to the group for pre-season and has been a massive plus for us. He has come back to the club in excellent condition and trained well, and he has also really helped the younger players within the group. He has the club at heart and is desperate to have an impact on the pitch, which I’m sure he will, and he will be an invaluable asset for us throughout the season.

“We are fortunate to have a squad of players with an abundance of leadership qualities, and Max and Bailey epitomise that. They both lead by example and like Grant, they will be key to establishing a culture within the dressing room that will drive the club forward throughout the season.”

Sunderland will face Bristol Rovers this coming Saturday (12/9) as the League One season kicks off.

This seems like a good decision as Power has the experience and will likely be a key player for Sunderland next season.

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With Power, Leadbitter and Wright all leading the club for the new season, Parkinson can feel assured that he has the right men by his side.

Do you think Power is the right choice to be Sunderland captain? Let us know in the comments section below….

Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy has come in for some intense criticism this week over his recent transfer dealings after a leading football agent revealed his thoughts to Football Insider.

What’s been said?

Late on Tuesday evening, the club announced the departure of Victor Wanyama on a free transfer and even though they are offloading around £65k in wages, the midfielder is still only 28-years-old and could have maybe commanded a fee.

While Christian Eriksen left north London in January in a £16.9m move to Inter Milan – a fraction of the price Spurs were asking for last season.

This agent believes greed has got the better of Levy, resulting in him taking a hit on his reputation as a shrewd negotiator and also in him losing his Midas touch.

Speaking to Football Insider, the anonymous representative said:

“Take the Christian Eriksen and Victor Wanyama deals, Tottenham lost out big time. Levy was asking for £130-£140million for Eriksen at the end of last season when he had a year left on his contract. It was pie-in-the-sky stuff.

“They refused to cut the price until later in the window, by which time they realised he was not quite as in demand as they hoped.

“In the end, they had a disinterested player who went through the motions before they had no choice but to sell him in January? For, what? £16million. That’s nothing. They could and should have got £70-80million for him last summer when he wanted to go.

“Levy’s lost his Midas touch. Is he getting too greedy? Has he taken his eye off the ball with the stadium?

“You look at the [Kieran] Trippier deal. What was it, £20m? That’s nothing for an England international at his peak age. [Vincent] Janssen was sold at a huge loss when they should have let him go a year or two earlier. 

The Danny Rose situation doesn’t appear to have been handled too well, either. He’s another one they could end up getting nothing for.”

Anonymous agent to Football Insider.

Club cost

Many of the players that the agent mentions were indeed on their way out of Spurs in some form, but he’s also correct in claiming that they never made the most out of it.

Had Eriksen been sold for circa £70m last season, the money could have been used to firstly find his replacement but also spent bolstering their backline – where Jan Vertonghen looks likely to be the next out – and finding a suitable backup to Harry Kane – a decision that is surely rued in north London.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

He also questions the sale of Vincent Janssen, Kieran Trippier and Danny Rose, which has put Levy’s decision-making under the microscope.

Is he really doing what is best for the club? Is he fulfilling his duty as chairman of Spurs?

N17 could be without Champions League football next season as Jose Mourinho’s sit five points from the playoffs and have it all to do in Germany if they are to overcome an away goal to RB Leipzig.

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Money talks: How much did Levy pay for each of these Spurs stars?

The knock-on effect is a lack of funds and willingness from players to join a club that isn’t competing on the elite stage – all of which is the ultimate consequence on how Levy has gone about his business over the past few years.

And in other news, Spurs fans have been rating the season of this player…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

16 Premier League games played this season, and already 22 points off league leaders and arch-rivals Liverpool. On the face of it, Manchester United have endured a pretty disappointing campaign so far, but when looking at where their points have been won and lost, it becomes just that more eye-brow raising.

After a glorious week in which the Red Devils pulled off superb victories against Tottenham and Manchester City, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are back in the hunt for a top-four place. They now find themselves just five points off Chelsea who currently occupy that final qualifying spot for the Champions League. They are very much in the race to return to the glitz and glamour of European football’s elite competition, and that has largely been thanks to their sensational record against the big-six under their Norwegian manager.

The United legend has been in charge of 13 games against the league’s fellow top sides, and he has masterminded an impressive seven victories in them. The Red Devils have tasted defeat just twice in those contests, both of them coming against Arsenal and City last season. As well as his impressive win ratio in these fixtures, Solskjaer has also ensured his team are hard to break down, conceding just 11 times.

So just how is it possible that the side still find themselves out of the top four at the moment? The notion always used to be that games against your rivals would often dictate where you finish, but the way the Manchester side are currently going, it is their results against the division’s lesser lights that could threaten to spoil their party this season. Damaging defeats to the likes of Crystal Palace and Newcastle have ensured there is still a major question mark over whether they can return to the Champions League for next year.

No clues: Can you name the Man Utd result purely based on these images? Give it a go now…

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The fact that Solskjaer appears to have sussed out how to pick up valuable points in his side’s most difficult fixtures whether it be home or away means he has no excuse whatsoever not to guide United into the top four. Games against ‘easier’ opposition should be a virtual guarantee of three points for the Red Devils, whilst any kind of result against their fellow big-six should be seen as a bonus. Instead, the opposite is seemingly true for them. If the Norwegian boss can’t figure out a way to rectify that, then their failure will really be on his shoulders.

Meanwhile, Manchester United fans laud this ace after his monstrous display against Manchester City.

Leeds haven’t been able to produce some of the most positive news this week.

Injury updates in recent days have seen the likes of Liam Cooper and Jamie Shackleton ruled out while Pablo Hernandez and Adam Forshaw will again be absent on Saturday afternoon.

The Whites face Millwall this weekend and it’s a match that could see the ever-improving Stuart Dallas move position. Marcelo Bielsa suggested that he could slide into central midfield with Luke Ayling returning at right-back.

As he detailed that, the 64-year-old labelled Dallas’ qualities.

It was a glowing indication of what the Argentine thinks about the 6-foot utility man who also earned plaudits in response from fans.

They were quick to rave over how good he’s been as one said he’s turned into a Premier League quality player under Bielsa.

Dallas was branded a machine, as well as being described as Leeds’ player of the season so far.

The Northern Irishman ended last term playing at left-back but has since made the right side of the defence his own by featuring in all ten matches in the Championship so far.

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Here’s the best of the reaction to Bielsa’s comments.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Speaking to bwin, former Liverpool man Danny Murphy has revealed Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele would be a “fantastic signing” for the Reds this summer.

What did he say?

After the euphoria of laying their hands on yet another Champions League title, the summer transfer window has been a rather low-key affair for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Reports in recent weeks and months had linked Dembele with a move to Anfield following a rather underwhelming time at the Camp Nou, and now Murphy has now suggested a potential move for the winger could be inspired.

He said: “Dembele would be a fantastic signing for Liverpool. He’s not had the best time at Barcelona, but clearly has an abundance of talent and the ability to win games by himself. If he can recapture his belief in his ability then Liverpool would have a formidable front three with him, Mane and Salah.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

“When playing to his potential, I think he would edge Firmino out of the first team. Firmino is the type of player that would raise his own game and everyone’s around him if Dembele came into the team. He’ll fight for his place week in week out and if you’re not giving your all on the pitch, then Firmino will be right there to take it.”

A wise move?

Despite all their successes last season, Liverpool continued to be heavily reliant on their famed front three to score the bulk of their goals – they netted 56 times in the top flight last season. Off the bench, whilst Divock Origi etched himself into folklore with his goals against Barcelona and Tottenham in the Champions League, the Belgian and his fellow substitute options represented a significant downgrade in quality.

A move for Dembele therefore could be a real game-changer in terms of depth. The France international’s electric pace and dribbling skills could see him add a bit of spark to the Reds’ attack. However, there is an argument to be made that the 22-year-old’s arrival would simply upset the balance and cohesion Klopp has built up.

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Indeed, would Dembele buy into the off-the-ball work the German demands? Would he be prepared to play second fiddle to the likes of Firmino, Salah and Mane if he doesn’t earn an instant first team place? Whilst Murphy’s suggestion certainly has its merits, it’s difficult to see how and why swooping for Dembele would be worth it when there is a great likelihood he would just be sitting on the bench.

Likewise, having had his attitude questioned at Barcelona, there’s no guarantee he would acclimatise to the industrious aspects of Klopp’s football either, or embrace the collective spirit that has been so prominent at Anfield during the German’s time there.

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Unai Emery takes his Arsenal side to the King Power Stadium in the Premier League on Sunday needing a victory to boost morale in north London ahead of a vital few weeks.

Coming off a run of three defeats in four in the league, they face Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester City knowing that a rare away three points would boost their chances of squeezing back into the top four with Manchester United and Chelsea also facing off later on the same day at Old Trafford.

How will they line up?

Using the above graphic, we have predicted how the Gunners will line up in the East Midlands in their quest for only their second league away triumph since early February.

We’re sure Emery would have loved to have been able to make tonnes of changes from the shambolic performance that saw his side defeated 3-1 by Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday evening.

However, with Aaron Ramsey still out of action and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang only fit enough to just return to the squad, he doesn’t have that luxury.

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But he can freshen things up in the left-back position in the wake of a difficult night for Nacho Monreal in midweek, replacing him with Sead Kolasinac.

This is why we believe that Emery will make just one change to the Xl that took to the field at Molineux, Kolasinac in for Monreal, and not alter his 4-2-3-1 formation on Sunday.