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Newcastle still beset by injuries, Man City star expected to miss out
The Premier League Matchday 36 gets underway at St James’ Park on Friday night as Newcastle United take on newly-crowned champions Manchester City. Manchester United’s midweek loss to Leicester City officially handed the Premier League title over to City, their third in four years. Meanwhile, Newcastle take the field without any pressure, having already secured top-flight football for another season despite enduring a rollercoaster campaign. Newcastle United Preview The Magpies have picked up just two wins in nine home league matches since the turn of the year (D3, L4) despite scoring the opener on 55.56% of those occasions. By contrast, the hosts have conceded first in each of their last four top-flight meetings with City at St James’ Park but managed to avoid defeat three times (W1, D2, ...
Borussia Dortmund reportedly big admirers of West Ham attacker as they eye move
According to The Sun, Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund are big admirers of West Ham United loanee Jesse Lingard and are eyeing a summer swoop. The Manchester United attacking midfielder has caught the eyes of suitors since impressing with the Hammers. Lingard has nine goals and three assists in 13 Premier League appearances for West Ham since joining in January, and while manager David Moyes would love to sign the £20 million-rated England international permanently, his £100,000-a-week deal could hamper a deal. Man Utd could now use the attacker in a deal to bring Jadon Sancho to Old Trafford should the Hammers opt against a permanent deal at the end of the season. Dortmund want around £100m for the winger, but that price could be brought down significantly with the inclusion of Lingard...
Two former Manchester United players urge club to bring back Cristiano Ronaldo
Two former Manchester United players have encouraged the club to re-sign Cristiano Ronaldo this summer. Ronaldo has been at Juventus for three seasons, and recently hit his 100th goal for the club. During this time, he has won two league titles and a Serie A Player of the Year award, and is on course for his first Golden Boot in Italy. Ronaldo celebrates one of his 100 goals for Juventus However, things haven’t been so great this season for the Bianconeri. Andrea Pirlo’s men look on course to miss out on Champions League football. In addition, they have not progressed past the quarter-finals of the competition since Ronaldo arrived, being eliminated by Ajax, Lyon, and Porto respectively. As of now, the forward’s future is uncertain. He has just one year left on his contract, and will proba...
Zinedine Zidane prepared to leave Real Madrid this summer – Juventus and France interested
Zinedine Zidane will quit his job in charge of Real Madrid this summer, according to a report by the Daily Mail. Zidane first took charge of his former club back in January 2016 following the dismissal of previous manager Rafa Benitez. The Frenchman had worked with the club’s B team for the two years prior to his appointment. In his managerial debut season, he helped the club win the Champions League, defeating local rivals Atletico Madrid in the final on penalties. He followed this up with another European title the next season, becoming the first club to ever win back-to-back Champions Leagues. In the same season, he secured the club’s first La Liga title since 2012. Zidane has won three Champions Leagues as a manager The next year, he won a third straight Champions League trophy, beatin...
Barcelona board give green light to sign £22.5m-rated star, player ‘crazy’ to join the club
Barcelona’s hierarchy have given the green light over a summer move for Manchester City star Sergio Aguero, Mundo Deportivo reports. Aguero is expected to leave the Cityzens when his contract expires in June, and the Blaugrana have been touted as favourites to sign him. It was recently reported that the club had made contact with his representatives, and the board have now given the go-ahead for the free transfer. The 32-year-old is ‘crazy’ about the prospect of joining the Catalan giants, where he would be reunited with close friend and compatriot Lionel Messi. Aguero is prepared to take a pay-cut on his €12 million annual salary. The Blaugrana believe the arrival of Aguero will convince Messi to prolong his stay. Messi’s current deal expires at the end of next month, but talks are p...
Report: Jose Mourinho keen to sign £8.6m Wolves star this summer
Jose Mourinho is looking to sign a new goalkeeper in the summer transfer window. The Portuguese boss will take over at AS Roma after the end of the season. Mourinho was sacked earlier this season by Tottenham Hotspur but he quickly bagged a new job in Italy. The former Chelsea boss has been confirmed to replace Paulo Fonseca at the Stadio Olimpico from the start of next season. And he has already started planning for the summer transfer window ahead. The report claims that Mourinho wants to sign a new goalkeeper and an experienced one. According to reports from Calciomercato, Roma have been linked with players like Sergio Romero and Yann Sommer. The Gialorossi have been linked with a move for veteran goalkeeper Gigi Buffon who has confirmed recently that he won’t continue his contract...
Spurs reportedly weighing up move for manager Pochettino called ‘my football father’
Tottenham Hotspur are weighing up a move for Leeds United head coach Marcelo Bielsa in their search for Jose Mourinho’s permanent replacement, according to Football Insider. Spurs have been linked with many names since the Portuguese was shown the exit door last month, and the Argentine is one of the latest to be linked with the job. Bielsa is in his third season at Leeds and his deal expires at the end of the campaign. The 65-year-old has only signed one-year contracts since joining the Elland Road side, and he is expected to do so again this summer. That would not stop Spurs from sounding him out, and it remains to be seen whether they can get him interviewed as they prepare to talk to candidates in the coming days. Former Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez is also on Tottenham’s rada...
Barcelona contact Tottenham’s reported manager target about replacing Koeman
Barcelona have contacted the representatives of Bayern Munich manager Hansi Flick to ask about his availability this summer, according to ESPN. The Catalans could replace Ronald Koeman at the end of the season after what has been an underwhelming campaign, and they have also been linked with former midfielder Xavi. However, the Al Sadd SC manager signed a new two-year extension yesterday, potentially ruling out a return to Camp Nou. 🗣 Xavi: “I’m proud to continue at Al-Sadd. We achieved a lot together, scored goals, won matches and titles, and we are all very proud of this success. Getting this kind of support is the best thing any coach can get.”#AlSadd #XAVI2023 pic.twitter.com/lFpXrjofGP — 🏆 #75 Al Sadd SC | نادي السد (@AlsaddSC) May 12, 2021 Landing Flick is also n...
Frank Lampard becomes favourite for Crystal Palace job
Former Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has emerged as the favourite to take over at Crystal Palace if Roy Hodgson leaves this summer. Hodgson arrived at Crystal Palace in September 2017, taking charge after the nightmare start made by Frank de Boer. This was a chance for the former Liverpool manager to rebuild his reputation, having led the England national team through a disastrous Euro 2016 campaign. Hodgson is on course for another mid-table finish with Crystal Palace After a horrible opening seven games, Hodgson turned things around at Selhurst Park, guiding the club to a respectable 11th place finish. Since then, the Eagles have finished in 12th and 14th. This season, they look on course to settle in the same area of the table, currently residing in 13th place with three games remaining. O...
Bielsa suggests Leeds star available vs Burnley, three players miss out
Leeds United will face Burnley in their next Premier League game at Turf Moor on Saturday. Ahead of the match, Marcelo Bielsa has confirmed that Leeds skipper Liam Cooper is available for selection once again. Cooper was absent during Leeds’ 3-1 win over Tottenham with a gluteus injury last weekend. Before that, the Whites skipper was suspended for three games after he was sent off in Leeds’ 2-1 win over Manchester City last month. Bielsa has now confirmed that he is fit to play against the Clarets. “He has recovered his health – he hasn’t got any injuries which prevent him from participating,” said Bielsa as quoted by Leeds Live. The Argentine has got a near-fully fit squad to choose from for the trip to Turf Moor, with just Helder Costa, Joe Gelhardt and Adam Forshaw missing. With ...
Southampton confirm Ryan Bertrand will leave for free at the end of this season
Southampton have confirmed that defender Ryan Bertrand will leave the Saints this summer when his contract expires and will be available on a free transfer. The Englishman has spent seven years on the south coast, racking up an impressive 240 appearances for the club. In that time, Bertrand has also featured in a Carabao Cup final and two FA Cup semi-finals, while helping Southampton achieve their highest ever Premier League table finish. In a statement on their website, Southampton thanked Bertrand for his contribution to the Saints. “Southampton Football Club can today confirm that Ryan Bertrand will leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the season,” the statement read. “Everyone associated with Southampton would like to thank Ryan for his contribution to the history of ...
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirms £190,000-a-week star is out injured for rest of league season
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has provided an injury update on Harry Maguire ahead of the Premier League clash against Liverpool on Thursday. The England international sustained an ankle injury during the Aston Villa game last weekend, and he subsequently missed yesterday’s game against Leicester City. In a press conference earlier today, Solskjaer highlighted that Maguire suffered an ankle ligament injury, but has managed to avoid a fracture. He added that Maguire will miss rest of the league season, and the club will try their best to get him fit for the Europa League final against Villarreal. He told Manutd.com: “The good news was it wasn’t broken. There was no fracture, but a ligament injury, of course, is serious as well. If I’m very positive – that’s maybe stretching...
