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Liam Kennedy has dropped a promising update on the Premier League and their attempt to throw out Newcastle United’s anti-competition takeover case.

The Lowdown: Ashley’s claims

Mike Ashley has launched two separate claims against the top flight, one of which is the Competition Appeals Tribunal (CAT) lawsuit over the decision-making process in the failing the deal between him and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group.

The other is the arbitration case, which is set to take place this month.

The Latest: CAT update

Writing on Twitter, Kennedy, a football journalist for The Shields Gazette who has been following the latest takeover developments closely, has shared: “The Premier League’s attempts to have SJHL CAT case thrown out on ‘technicality’ seem to have failed, we’re told.”

He also added: “The push for a private hearing – and yet more delays – goes on, however.”

The Verdict: Promising

It is certainly promising to hear that the top flight’s attempt to have the CAT case thrown out has failed, as it gives Ashley another route into pushing through the takeover, if the results of arbitration go against him.

The league clearly did not give sufficient enough evidence as to why the case should be discontinued, and that should give the Magpies owner more confidence that he can get a deal over the line.

The CAT claim will be kept in his back pocket for now, as he will be hoping that he can win the arbitration case, and thus speed up the takeover process.

All that said, the one concern will be the delays mentioned by Kennedy – perhaps the league’s plan is to infuriate the consortium into simply giving up.

In other news, find out why the Premier League have been questioned after NUFC released their arbitration statement here!

Leeds United are active in the January transfer window and are ‘progressing’ in their pursuit of new additions, according to reliable reporter Graham Smyth.

The Lowdown: Drameh on the move…

It has been a quiet start to the winter window when it comes to incomings, even though Victor Orta is thought to be after two midfield signings.

However, even though the Whites are yet to get any players through the door at Thorp Arch, it appears as if they are happy to allow Cody Drameh to leave on loan.

The young right-back is set to join Cardiff City on loan until the end of the season, and according to Smyth, Orta is working hard on potential incomings too.

The Latest: Smyth’s post

Smyth, chief football writer at The Yorkshire Evening Post, replied to a fan on Twitter on Monday morning who asked about updates on new signings.

This is what he had to say in reply, providing a positive outlook.

“They’re active. Things are ‘progressing’ we’re told.”

The Verdict: Good signs

Leeds have question marks over 11 players ahead of the trip to West Ham this weekend, so there’s no doubt that fresh faces would give the whole squad a much-needed boost.

You could argue that letting Drameh leave on loan puts more pressure on Luke Ayling and the versatile Stuart Dallas, so another player capable of adding depth in multiple positions like Dallas could prove priceless.

Leeds are short of midfield and attacking options and have a number of defenders injured, so it remains to be seen where the club may strengthen first. A versatile midfielder would be a good starting point, however, time is quickly running out, so Orta could do with making things happen before the weekend.

In other news: Radz and 49ers may now finance Leeds move for versatile ace with ‘great acceleration’. 

An update has emerged regarding a transfer offer for Rangers full-back Borna Barisic.

What’s the talk?

According to The Athletic, the Gers have rejected a £2m bid from English Premier League side Watford for the Croatian left-back.

The report claims that the offer was knocked back two weeks ago and that it would take a ‘significantly’ higher bid to convince them to part ways with the 29-year-old.

Fans will be delighted

Giovanni van Bronckhorst has averted a big Rangers disaster by not selling Barisic to Watford, especially for a mere £2m. Allowing the defender to exit would have left the club in a desperate position in the full-back areas, particularly with Nathan Patterson’s exit this week.

With Calvin Bassey emerging as a strong centre-back option for the Gers, James Tavernier and Barisic are the Dutchman’s only natural full-back options as it stands. Patterson had been providing cover on both flanks of late and the club may be forced to dip into the market to replace him, which illustrates how much of a problem it would have been to sell Barisic as well as the Scotland international.

Not only would it have created issues in terms of recruitment this month, it would also have weakened the team significantly, as the Croatian has proven his quality in the Premiership for the club.

Former Gers midfielder Alex Rae previously lauded the defensive monster, saying: “He performs at good level week-in, week-out and has terrific quality in the final third of the park.”

Barisic has averaged a sublime SofaScore rating of 7.30 this season from left-back in the Premiership, providing two assists in the process. Last term, he averaged a score of 7.40 and racked up six assists as he created 2.2 chances per game for his teammates.

This shows that he has performed consistently over the past 18 months and is able to carry an attacking threat with his crossing from out wide. Therefore, Gers fans will be delighted that he appears set to remain at Ibrox after the club rejected Watford’s offer.

As we’ve outlined above, it would have been a disaster for Van Bronckhorst if Barisic had moved on from Glasgow this month, and the 46-year-old will surely be looking forward to having him in his team for the rest of the season, assuming there are no more twists in the transfer window. The Croatian is a key member of the champions’ line-up, and fans will surely be buzzing to keep him.

AND in other news, Jordan Campbell drops key Rangers transfer claim, Van Bronckhorst will be buzzing…

Leeds United are eyeing a transfer swoop for Reading midfielder John Swift, and he could be a massive upgrade on Tyler Roberts.

What’s the story?

According to The Sheffield Star, Marcelo Bielsa’s side, along with the likes of Newcastle United and Brentford, have got their eye on the attacking midfielder,

He’s a huge Roberts upgrade

With no goals or assists in 12 games in all competitions this season, it’s safe to say Roberts’ start to the current campaign has been nothing short of disastrous.

In fact, with a measly record of just eight goals in 94 games, the 22-year-old hasn’t shown anything like the kind of form that would suggest he’s going to develop into a real attacking force for the Whites.

Swift on the other hand has a track record of being someone who can offer a goal-scoring threat from attacking midfield unlike the Welshman, managing an impressive 62 goal contributions in 178 games – in fact, his start to the current campaign for Reading has actually been quite incredible, netting eight goals in 14 matches in the Championship as well as chipping in with six assists too.

Speaking back in August after a 2-1 win over Preston, Royals manager, Veljko Paunovic, said: “Now he’s back, it is important we keep him healthy and motivated as he is now because that will help us a lot.

“He is super talented and he showed an urgency that he wanted to decide the game. The first couple of passes to Azeez and Joao were fantastic vision and execution of the final pass – something we’ve missed in the past. We missed those slick combinations through the middle when we progress forward so that’s something we have to keep up.”

That ability to come from deep and find the back of the net – he’s scored 40 senior goals in his professional career thus far – would add a different dimension to Leeds’ side.

The £3.6m-rated star is exactly what Bielsa needs at Elland Road to take goal-scoring burden off Bamford and add far more of a threat than Roberts.

Meanwhile, Leeds must avoid a major howler with this star…

Newcastle United have reportedly now offered a deal to Sven Botman ahead of a potential move in the summer.

The Lowdown: Two-way battle

It has been widely reported that there seems to be a two-way battle between the St. James’ Park faithful and AC Milan for Botman’s signature this summer.

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The former reportedly had a bid rejected from Lille for the Dutchman in the January transfer window, and now it looks as if they will return for him at the end of the season, while the latter have even had their club legends talking up a deal.

The Latest: Deal offered

As per Football Insider, a source from the North East club has revealed that they have ‘not given up hope’ of signing Botman, after holding ‘extensive negotiations’ since January.

Both the KSA Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Milan have ‘offered a contract’ to the central defender, and have already ‘verbally agreed personal terms’.

The Tyneside outfit now have to negotiate a fee with Lille, who are thought to value Botman at £30m.

The Verdict: Sign

If the Magpies can snap Botman up for £30m, it could prove to be a real bargain in the future.

Described as a ‘golden boy‘ by his agent Francesco Miniero, he is already playing regularly at the highest level at just 22 years of age, and is surely a player that Eddie Howe would love to work with.

At six-foot-five, Botman is a colossus, and only two of his teammates win more aerial duels per game on average in Ligue 1 this season.

Nonetheless, he would certainly be a statement signing by the new owners and would seemingly settle into a monstrous back-line alongside 6 foot 7 Dan Burn.

In other news, find out who NUFC now ‘want’ as their ‘marquee’ signing here!

Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds moved up to 16th in the Premier League table with a 1-0 win over Watford at Elland Road on Saturday.

Diego Llorente brilliantly finished from close range after the ball dropped at an awkward angle for him, expertly turning his body to drill a shot past Ben Foster.

His strike ended up winning the three points for Leeds, as Watford only managed one shot on target in the entire match.

Whilst Llorente won the game for the Whites, one player who was an unsung hero for Bielsa was right-back Jamie Shackleton.

With regular starter Luke Ayling ruled out, Shackleton was called upon to step up at full-back for the second game running and he produced an excellent performance. He was defensively solid along with offering a reliable outlet on the ball down the right, which played a part in allowing Leeds to dominate the game and ultimately beat the Hornets.

In terms of his defending, Shakleton was superb. Per SofaScore, he won eight of his 11 ground duels and made two clearances and four tackles. Along with that, he did not allow a single Watford player to dribble past him in the 90 minutes.

This shows that he was strong in the challenge and positionally aware, as he was not exposed by any players dribbling past him. By being solid at the back, Emmanuel Dennis was limited to one shot in the game and had a dribble success rate of 0% on the left wing, coming up against Shackleton.

On the ball, the youngster also impressed. Via SofaScore, he had a whopping 96 touches of the ball in the 90 minutes. Shackleton was successful with two of his three attempted dribbles and completed 84% of his passes, whilst also winning two fouls and managing one shot in the final third.

He was active on the ball throughout the match and assured in possession, as he completed the vast majority of his passes. His dribbling success shows that he was also able to offer quality in transition, beating players to push Leeds up the pitch and get the team closer to the Watford goal to build pressure on the Hornets.

Therefore, forget Llorente, Shackleton was Leeds’ unsung hero against Watford. He merged strong defending with composure on the ball and Bielsa will surely be hoping that he can maintain this level of performance until Ayling is fit to return.

AND in other news, Fresh development emerges on “unlimited energy” beast that’ll leave Leeds fans excited…

Shields Gazette reporter Liam Kennedy has confirmed Newcastle United are looking to sign Hamza Choudhury before the transfer window slams shut.

It appears as though the Magpies are closing in on their first signing of the summer after the club agreed a fee in excess of £20million for Arsenal’s Joe Willock.

The midfielder is set to head to St James’ Park on a permanent basis after enjoying a successful loan spell with Newcastle last season. During his temporary stay on Tyneside, Willock became the first player since Alan Shearer to score in seven consecutive Premier League outings.

But Magpies boss Steve Bruce wants to strengthen his midfield further by poaching Leicester City’s Choudhury, who saw a loan move to Newcastle fall through at the end of the January transfer window.

The 23-year-old made just four Premier League starts last term and Kennedy has revealed the central midfielder remains on Bruce’s wishlist after narrowly missing out earlier this year.

He told The Transfer Tavern: “He is a player who hasn’t ever come off the wanted list. He was a hair’s breadth away from signing in January on a loan deal.

“Hamza Choudhury is a player that Steve Bruce rates and they were very close to signing. They thought it would happen but Brendan Rodgers pulled the plug in January and kept him on at Leicester.”

With Liverpool having scored more goals (39) in the Premier League than any other team so far this season, with five scored in the Carabao Cup and 15 in the Champions League, it’s safe to say that they are one of Europe’s most lethal attacking sides.

It seems as though the Reds have the opportunity to add another attacking talent to their squad for a cut-price fee.

What’s the news?

It has recently been reported by Football Insider that Wolves could be willing to sell winger Adama Traore in the upcoming January transfer window for a fee of around £20m.

This has apparently put the Merseyside club on red alert as they were reportedly linked with a move for Traore during the previous summer transfer but were put off by Wolves’ asking price of £50m.

Since joining the Midlands club during the 2018 summer transfer window from Championship club Middlesbrough in a deal worth a reported fee of £18m, Traore has made a total of 145 appearances for Bruno Lage’s side across all competitions, scoring 10 goals and providing 18 assists along the way.

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Labelled in the past as “electric” by pundit Martin Keown, Traore may not have managed to grab a goal or assist in the Premier League so far this season, but he has still shown what a versatile attacking threat he is.

With 12 league appearances under his belt, Traore has managed to rack up an average of 1.4 shots per game and 1.2 key passes per game.

In June last year, OptaJoe shared a post on their official Twitter account calling the 25-year-old winger a “bulldozer” after revealing that  Traore had drawn 21 cards in the opposition half thanks to his dazzling dribbling skills.

Combine those attributes with the fact that Liverpool will be without two of their top goalscorers for a period in January when Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah take part in the upcoming AFCON tournament, Michael Edwards should definitely pounce on a possible £20m deal for Traore if Wolves would be willing to sell him to them in January.

If this did happen, Liverpool would not only be getting a talented and experienced Premier League star but a player that has the potential to grow and develop his game under Klopp for the next few years given his age.

With his frightening speed, incredible desire to beat opponents and the ability to make something out of nothing, he’d undoubtedly be a dream deal at a time where the Reds may be cut short of their attacking options.

In other news: FSG must avoid transfer calamity at Liverpool with “sensational” £27m-rated beast – opinion

Rafael Benitez has said that Salomon Rondon will ‘100%’ be fit enough to start when Everton travel to Brentford this weekend.

As quoted by The Liverpool Echo, the Toffees manager said that the striker had ‘been training well the last two weeks’ and that he was ‘quite confident’ that the Venezuelan would perform.

Everton are down two forward options for their trip to London after Richarlison picked up his fifth yellow card of the season last time out against Manchester City, earning a one-match suspension. Dominic Calvert-Lewin is already out of action because of a thigh injury.

Rondon an unpopular choice right now

Rondon has endured a difficult start to his Everton career since he joined from Dalian Professional on a free transfer in the summer.

He is yet to open his account for the Blues after eight appearances and, worse still, he has racked up as many yellow cards (one) as he’s had shots on target (via Premier League).

The 32-year-old was also mocked and criticised by numerous supporters when he walked straight down the tunnel at full-time last weekend rather than acknowledging the travelling fans, having already been unpopular among some of the Goodison Park faithful over his unproductive performances.

Fan feed The Toffee Blues relayed Benitez’s quotes, and here’s how some of their followers responded. A couple let rip at ‘agent Rafa’, seemingly accusing the former Liverpool boss of sabotaging Everton, while another made unflattering comparisons between Rondon and ‘Sunday League’ players.

Everton fans bemoan likely Rondon start

“God help us”

Credit: @jaysmith1878

“Does Rondon have dirt on Benítez or something?! I have seen Sunday League players with more skill and motivation than this dude…”

Credit: @SOSTV1878

“Stuff like this almost makes me believe the agent Rafa stuff”

Credit: @andy_beck77

“Definitely agent Rafa this… he can’t be serious”

Credit: @efcn3

“#rafaOut immediately!!! Playing Delph and saying Rondon is fit, get a grip. Should have never been appointed Everton manager”

Credit: @NickRyanPGALol

“Rafa Benitez has insisted he is ready to start the game with 10 men against Brentford later this week.”

Credit: @WatchedToffee

In other news, many Everton fans have also reacted to Benitez’s comments on this player’s injury.

Michael Ball has offered his thoughts on Yerry Mina’s future at Everton amid links to Kalidou Koulibaly.

What’s the talk?

Former Everton defender Michael Ball has claimed that he could see Yerry Mina leave the club this summer if Rafa Benitez brings in Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli. He told This is Futbol:

“I can see Mina going if Koulibaly comes in.

“I feel, with the big wages and also his international image, Everton could probably demand a decent fee which could go towards new signings.”

Everton have been touted with a potential swoop for Koulibaly from Napoli this window, but the Italian club are determined to keep hold of the Senegal international.

Fans would be buzzing

Marcel Brands must ruthlessly axe Mina from Everton’s squad this summer if he can replace him with Koulibaly, or another quality centre-back target.

The Colombian defender played fewer Premier League matches than Ben Godfrey, Mason Holgate and Michael Keane last season, with Carlo Ancelotti opting for a back-three for the most part.

If Rafa Benitez comes in and opts to play a back-four, then Mina could be well down the pecking order. He could potentially be the fourth-choice option behind the aforementioned trio, which is not ideal for a player who is on £120k-per-week – the highest wage at the club.

Supporters will not want to see a reserve option taking up such a chunk of the wage bill when that money could be better spent elsewhere. Therefore, fans will be buzzing to see Mina sold if it means that the club can bring in an upgrade on the defender.

Speaking earlier this year, Ball claimed that Mina and Keane have a “lack of pace” which has played a part in the club’s failures in the Premier League. He said:

“I think Everton’s failures this season is how deep we have played because of the lack of pace of Michael Keane and Yerry Mina.

“They play very, very deep, which is ok to defend as a unit, but it makes it difficult for our midfield. And our lack of legs in midfield, other opposition teams can bully us in those areas and cause us a lot of problems.”

This, along with his wages and potential ranking in the pecking order, suggests that Everton need to sell Mina this summer. If they can get a solid replacement through the door, such as Koulibaly, Brands should be swiftly axing the central defender from the team and moving on.

AND in other news, Brands could finally replace Gueye by landing “excellent” £34k-p/w beast for Everton…