All posts by z3u9t.icu

A specialist in sports law has put a timeframe on when the pending Newcastle United takeover arbitration case may end and when a decision may be made.

Speaking to The Chronicle, Peter Nunn, who is a legal director with London-based firm Mishcon de Reya, claimed:  “I would think within the next six months, there should be the hearing and the decision.”

He also claimed that the actual hearing itself will “most likely” last between three and five days, and in terms of the decision being made, Nunn says that “it will probably be within a month of the actual hearing”.

Anxious wait for takeover arbitration

There will now be a very anxious wait leading up to the arbitration case for the St. James’ Park faithful as the final decision at the end of it could give a much clearer idea over the direction that the proposed takeover by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group is heading.

If the North East club were to win the legal battle against the Premier League, then it could well pave a pathway back for the KSA’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) to come back to the table.

It is anyone’s guess over what decision will be made by the three-man arbitration panel, but Nunn has claimed that it should be made within the next six months. Either way, Magpies fans now face a nervous wait to see what the outcome will be.

In other news, find out what PIF claim has been dropped by Liam Kennedy on the potential takeover here!

David Sullivan should fund a revised swoop for West Ham United to sign Youssef En-Nesyri, with Sevilla reportedly expecting a new offer from the Premier League side this summer.

What’s the word?

According to La Razon, Sevilla chiefs have begun drawing up a shortlist of candidates to replace En-Nesyri at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium and have named Real Madrid’s Mariano Diaz as a potential option.

The Nervion outfit anticipates being active in the transfer market at the end of the season as En-Nesyri is likely to drum up vivid interest across Europe, after Sevilla successfully fended off the Hammers’ efforts to sign the Moroccan during the mid-season window.

Sevilla have not ruled out West Ham making a renewed approach in the summer but will again urge that the Irons to pay €40m (£35m) for his services, as AC Milan and AS Roma are also now willing to challenge for the 23-year-old.

Reports last month by The Athletic claimed the London Stadium natives had an opening offer of €25m (£22m) plus €5m (£4.5m) in additional add-ons rejected, while the Daily Star later alleged that an improved bid worth up to £32m was on the table.

David Moyes later confirmed that West Ham had seen an offer rejected for the €50,000-per-week (£44k-p/w) marksman, who has since taken his tally to 17 goals in 33 games.

“He’s not the only one we’ve bid for. We’ve bid for others. We’ve really knocked on the door of three of four really good players, which we think would have helped us if we’d got them,” Moyes said, via quotes by the Evening Standard.

Should West Ham revisit En-Nesyri this summer?

As West Ham ultimately did not sign a striker to replace Sebastien Haller during the winter transfer window, the East London outfit will have to hit the market this summer to add depth behind an injury-prone Michail Antonio.

With the Irons also, allegedly, not too far off of matching Sevilla’s demands for En-Nesyri and Moyes even admitting to making an offer last month, it would not be that surprising to see a revised approach made at the end of the season.

Sullivan will have to dig a little deeper to come up with the extra few million needed to land the free-scoring 23-year-old, though he should not err on the side of caution too much.

Roma and Milan are unlikely to be the only clubs around Europe who could challenge West Ham for En-Nesyri, given the Moroccan’s record in front of the net this season. The 35-cap international has scored 13 goals in 22 La Liga fixtures and four goals in six Champions League ties.

West Ham have not had a player score as often in a single league season in more than a decade, with Marko Arnautovic’s 11-goal haul in 2017/18 the highest tally a Hammers player has achieved in that timeframe.

The Irons also have few players who have featured as often in Europe throughout their careers as En-Nesyri has just this term, with Andriy Yarmolenko playing 72 games, Vladimir Coufal 31 matches, Tomas Soucek 22 fixtures, Pablo Fornals 19 matches, Lukasz Fabianski 16 matches, Arthur Masuaku 15 games and Manchester United loanee Jesse Lingard featuring 39 times in UEFA competitions beyond the qualifying stages to date.

Those players may be able to build on their records next season with West Ham in contention for a European qualifying slot, but having a goalscorer of En-Nesyri’s calibre will be very beneficial to them, regardless of whether they’re playing in Europe or not.

AND in other news, West Ham are willing to take a £19m hit to offload a £85k-p/w flop…

Speaking recently to Football Insider, Kevin Campbell discussed the reasoning behind Jack Harrison’s omission from Marcelo Biela’s Leeds United side.

Having highly impressed over his 24 Premier League starts prior to the club’s clash with Aston Villa on Saturday, scoring six goals, providing four assists and averaging a WhoScored match rating of 6.90, Harrison was a surprise exclusion from Bielsa’s starting XI against Dean Smith’s side last weekend.

However, in a recent interview with Football Insider, Kevin Campbell claimed that the Argentine manager will learn a great deal about the £8.1 million-rated Manchester City loanee this week, in how he reacts in training after being benched, as well as offering his opinion on why Harrison was dropped.

He said: “One thing Bielsa is not going to allow is complacency. If you are complacent and you are not doing what he wants you will be taken out. A little stint on the sidelines will definitely liven Harrison up.

“Bielsa will find out a lot more about him now. He’ll find out if Harrison is a sulker or whether he is a player who rolls his sleeves up. That is what Harrison has got to do, he needs to roll his sleeves up.”

Transfer Tavern Take

Considering the fact that Harrison has been one of United’s better players in the Premier League so far this season – with his average WhoScored match rating ranking him as the club’s sixth-best performer – as well as the fact that Bielsa himself recently stated that the 24-year-old is a “very strong player mentally” as well as a “very dedicated professional,” it is questionable whether Harrison’s sleeves have not already been rolled up this season.

Having said that, the winger’s form has dipped considerably in recent weeks, so perhaps Bielsa’s dropping of the £15k per week man will provide him with the wakeup call he requires to refind his impressive levels of performance, as Campbell suggests.

In other news, Phil Hay shed light on this Leeds star’s contract details – find out more here!

The transfer window is now finally open and with it, we need to prepare ourselves for the barrage of rumours and reports coming our way.

For Wolves, they will predominantly be linked with improving one area – their attack.

What’s the word?

Nuno Santo’s men were dealt a huge blow before the turn of the year when Raul Jimenez suffered a fractured skull.

As a result, the Old Gold are searching for cover in the January transfer market. The likes of Divock Origi and Diego Costa have both been linked but a fresh name has come to the centre of attention.

Coincidentally, it’s someone that Wolves reportedly wanted to sign in 2019 – Stephane Bahoken.

The new report comes courtesy of Football Insider who suggests that Premier League clubs are lining up a move for the 12-cap Cameroon striker.

Bahoken currently plays for Angers in Ligue 1 and is rated at just £5.4m according to Transfermarkt. Thus, it’s unlikely he’ll cost Jeff Shi and co too much money.

Must sign him

On the surface, Bahoken doesn’t look like a particularly eye-catching striker. The 28-year-old has scored just five goals so far this season, and found the net on seven occasions last term.

He’s not exactly going to fire Wolves to glory but that’s not what they need.

Jimenez won’t be out for too much longer and as we’ve already stated, they only need basic cover in January – not someone capable of scoring 20+.

Despite not finding the net on a regular basis, Nuno should be comfortable of landing a gem – that’s when you consider the previous business they’ve done with Angers.

The French club have supplied Wolves with both Romain Saiss and Rayan Ait-Nouri in years gone by and they’ve clearly learnt a promising football education in that part of the world.

Of course, they play in different positions, but the French club must be doing something right in preparing their players for bigger moves. Saiss has become a pivotal part of the way Wolves play, possessing the ability to play in a host of positions. Furthermore, he comes up with big moments.

The defender scored against Tottenham and then rattled the woodwork against Manchester United last time out. He has proven to be a consistent outlet for Nuno, one they hope will serve as an example for Bahoken.

Wolves have certainly had no trouble buying from them before. This would be a shrewd acquisition, one that solves their problem of a lack of depth in attack.

AND in other news, Shi must land Wolves upgrade in £25m “coach’s dream”, he destroyed Coady this year…

After progressing past Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup third round earlier this week, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side are back in cup action this weekend, as they face Arsenal at St Mary’s.

The Austrian manager is suffering an injury crisis at the South Coast club at the moment, with first-team regulars Jannik Vestergaard, Nathan Redmond, Oriol Romeu and Moussa Djenepo all ruled out.

However, the Saints have been boosted by the news that Danny Ings can return to action against the Gunners, after missing recent fixtures after testing positive for the current viral outbreak.

Whilst the Southampton youngsters impressed against Shrewsbury, Arsenal are a very different kettle of fish, so it seems likely that Hasenhuttl will make plenty of changes ahead of Saturday’s early kick-off.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Southampton to line up against Mikel Arteta’s side, with seven changes from the team that started against Shrewsbury…

Whilst Fraser Forster made it two clean sheets from two games in midweek, Hasenhuttl should restore first-choice Alex McCarthy in between the sticks to replace the £70k per week Saints ace.

There are two changes in defence, as Kyle Walker-Peters and Ryan Bertrand return in place of Jake Vokins and Yan Valery, both of whom got some much-needed minutes under their belt against the League One side.

In the absence of any senior natural left-wingers, Theo Walcott moves to the left-hand side against his old side, although he and Stuart Armstrong could switch, with the Scottish international also coming back in.

Finally, Che Adams and Danny Ings will be looking to build on their partnership from earlier in the season, although Dan N’Lundulu can be utilised from the bench if either fail to perform, after he grabbed his first goal for the club in the third-round win.

And, in other news… Semmens must cash in on 23 y/o Saints assist-king; he’s hinted he wants to leave 

Celtic will return to Europa League action this evening when they host Lille in Glasgow. It will be somewhat of a sombre affair for the Hoops who have already sealed their exit from the competition. They have managed to bank just one point out of five games played, suffering four defeats and drawing against tonight’s opposition in the reverse fixture.

Neil Lennon will hope that his side can restore some positive form in their European clash. His future at the club is uncertain after Celtic have hugely dipped in form this season. A win at Celtic Park tonight will give the Bhoys a boost ahead of the weekend when they will play host to Kilmarnock in the Premiership.

With their Europa League hopes all but over, there’s no point in risking senior personnel ahead of an important weekend match. With that mind, Football FanCast has predicted how Lennon will line-up to face Lille this evening…

It would be foolish for the manager to play his regular lineup in a match that doesn’t make a difference to Celtic’s position in the Europa League. Whilst it will be a tough game to face, it’s bittersweet because Lennon can hand out chances to younger players who haven’t featured yet this season.

Anthony Ralston could come in for Jeremy Frimpong, who has established himself as a Celtic regular. The former is yet to pull on the green and white stripes this campaign and would hugely benefit from getting 90 minutes under his belt against Lille, given the 22-year-old is yet to play a single minute this term.

In similar fashion, Lennon could gift a start to 21-year-old Mikey Johnston, who has been out of favour because of Mohamed Elyounoussi’s fiery form since joining from Southampton.

James Forrest could partner the youngster on the right-wing to support likely attacking options Albian Ajeti and Leigh Griffiths, who have slipped down the pecking order recently.

Whilst these changes are drastic ones, Lennon can’t afford to risk any injuries ahead of an important league match at the weekend.

In other news, Hammond must bring Gyrano Kerk to Parkhead to fill the puzzle…

Leeds United are currently struggling with an injury-stricken squad as they trudge through the last fixtures of the year. With Liam Cooper now ruled out, Marcelo Bielsa’s squad continues to deplete at a worrying rate.

The skipper joins defensive teammates Diego Llorente and Robin Koch on the sidelines, leaving the boss with very few options to select ahead of their Sunday clash with Burnley.

However, fans will be thrilled to see Koch’s latest Instagram update. The Germany international recently posted a photo of himself along with a heartfelt message to all those who have been supporting him during his recovery.

“I’m doing absolutely fine,” Koch wrote. “I already started to march on with my recovery but the most important thing is that we will be marching on together again very soon.”

He went on to promise that, over the next few weeks, he will giving his all to get himself back onto the pitch. This is something that his manager, teammates and fans will be hugely relieved to know.

Leeds have struggled without the influence of Koch in defence. He joined the club in the summer on a £50,000 per week deal after impressing during his time in SC Freiburg.

The 24-year-old had played every single minute of Premier League football for his new club until he was forced off the pitch against Chelsea. In his absence, Leeds have won just one of their three games played and have conceded an alarming ten goals, as per Transfermarkt.

Koch has already established himself as a key player in Bielsa’s defence and the sooner he can get back to full fitness, the sooner the Whites will feel more in control of their destiny this season. It would be heartbreaking to slip back down to the Championship after such a long wait.

In other news, Orta must move for “real talent” Michael Olise to replace Forshaw…

Celtic play AC Milan in the Europa League tonight seeking to begin their group stage campaign with a home victory at Parkhead. Kristoffer Ajer has a big task on his hands, made even bigger by the fact that Milan are admirers of the player.

The Serie A side considered making a bid to take him to Italy before the end of the transfer window this month, although that never came to fruition. He has also attracted the interest of Real Madrid and Manchester City, and the latest reports suggest that he will be scouted tonight by one of the best defenders to play the game.

AC Milan to scout Ajer tonight

A report from Milanlive suggests Milan technical director Paulo Maldini, a five-time European Cup winner, will be scouting Ajer as the Italian side play Celtic tonight.

The report suggests that an attempt by Milan in the January 2021 transfer window should not be ruled out.

Will this affect Celtic?

Celtic and Neil Lennon have known for a while that there is interest from Milan, so this latest update should not massively affect them over the next few months.

Their stance of being willing to let him go only for offers around £20m will probably remain the same, with Ajer unlikely to be sold for less than that figure.

The 22-year-old has started the season well at centre-back, especially in the league. In the Scottish top flight, he has managed an average of 1.6 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 2.8 interceptions per game (WhoScored).

He is clearly highly rated, as BBC Sport pundit Neil McCann once excitedly remarked during a game that the Norwegian ‘is looking like Cafu here.’

His age and quality highlights that he is a crucial asset for the Hoops and it is understandable that they value him so highly. This latest update shouldn’t unsettle him before the game tonight as players deal with transfer rumours all the time.

Have a look back at our article which discussed Ajer’s valuation here!

Carlo Ancelotti is set for regret in Everton’s chase of the ideal partner for Dominic Calvert-Lewin, with SSC Napoli’s Arkadiusz Milik reportedly seduced by a move to AS Roma.

What’s the word?

According to Corriere dello Sport, Roma have continued to court Milik since the closure of the summer market, having failed to strike an agreement with Napoli that would have allowed the outcast Poland striker to leave the San Paolo Stadium.

The Giallorossi had come to a total understanding with Milik, who travelled to the Italian capital for his obligatory medical checks, before seeing a route out of Napoli slammed shut despite Roma offering €25million (£22.3m) for the 2021-free agent.

Contact has remained ongoing between the striker and Stadio Olimpico natives, who have a €5m-a-year (£86,115-p/w) deal ready for Milik to sign through to 2025, but Roma intend to renegotiate terms with Napoli given the 26-year-old’s expiring contract.

Roma are willing to hold out and sign Milik in the summer for free, however doing so risks the forward’s place in Poland’s squad for next summer’s postponed Euro 2020 tournament after coach Jerzy Brzeczek urged a winter deal.

Milik, described as a “great striker” by Italian journalist Bruno Longhi in 2019, is yet to kick a ball under Gennaro Gattuso this season, with the Italian icon standing firm to his word that he believed the striker’s time in Naples was over at the end of the prolonged 2019/20 campaign.

“When a player believes his time at a club is over and he wants a change of scenery, you have to listen to him,” he told Sky Sport Italia, via quotes by Goal. “You can’t try to keep someone against their will, or it’s difficult to get them to listen or have the right mentality.”

Everton were linked with interest in Milik this summer but, like Roma, failed to get a deal across the line. And much like the Giallorossi, have remained attentive to the 56-cap forward’s situation with reports by The Sun claiming Ancelotti is eying a £10m January bid.

Tottenham Hotspur and AC Milan are also noted to be interested in the attacker, who Ancelotti allegedly considers a top-class back-up to the in-form Calvert-Lewin after allowing Moise Kean to join Paris Saint-Germain on loan and being left underwhelmed by Cenk Tosun.

Ideal DCL partner?

With Ancelotti said to see Milik as the ideal back-up for Calvert-Lewin, Everton Director of Football Marcel Brands must negotiate a rocky path to acquire the Poland striker or risk leaving the Italian tactician regretting the Blues’ failure.

Ancelotti knows Milik well from his time in Naples, with it noted the former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich coach has not forgotten the 26-year-old’s 28 goals in 56 games, including a hat-trick against Genk in the Champions League during his final match in charge.

In raiding his former club again, after the successful capture of Allan this summer, Ancelotti would also be reuniting with a player he lauded while in charge of Napoli, having claimed the striker is a more complete forward than Mauro Icardi amid links with the Argentine.

“Icardi is a great striker like Milik. The Pole, however, is more complete, even if the Argentine scores more in the box,” Ancelotti told Luna TV, via quotes by Calciomercato. “Talking about Icardi diminishes the value of Milik.”

Though Milik would arrive at Goodison Park very rusty having played no domestic football this season, leading to a lacklustre display for Poland as they lost 2-0 to Italy on Sunday.

Milik failed to register any efforts on goal or key balls following his introduction in the 74th-minute, per SofaScore, having also managed just one shot versus Bosnia & Herzegovina last month.

AND in other news, Marcel Brands can solve a “concerning” situation with a decisive call on Everton’s £54k-p/w enforcer.

Aston Villa aren’t slowing down in their quest to strengthen their squad this summer.

The Villans have already spent a fair amount this summer with the arrivals of Matty Cash, Ollie Watkins and Bertrand Traore making a dent in their budget.

However, it seems as though there is still money there to be spent with the Midlands outfit submitting a €17.5m (£16m) offer for Nice midfielder Wylan Cyprien.

Unfortunately, it seems as though the Frenchman isn’t too keen on the move with Le 10 Sport reporting that the Nice star would rather stay in his home country and join Bordeaux.

The report claims that Cyprien has an agreement in principle to join the Ligue 1 outfit despite Villa’s offer.

They also claim that an agreement between the two teams is yet to be reached, but according to their sources, discussions are underway between the clubs.

Of course, Villa aren’t out of the running yet, with their offer still on the table, but if Le 10 Sport’s information is accurate, it seems as though the most likely destination for Cyprien is Bordeaux.

Whether or not this leads to Dean Smith’s side moving for another midfielder remains to be seen.