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Lee Ryder has dropped a promising claim on the potential takeover of Newcastle United as big news emerged on Rafa Benitez.

The Lowdown: Benitez to Everton?

As per football presenter Jim White, Benitez is on the brink of becoming the new manager at Everton after discussions, after the departure of Carlo Ancelotti to Real Madrid.

According to journalist Liam Kennedy, who has been following the takeover saga closely, the former Magpies boss was wanted by the potential owners-in waiting to return to St. James’ Park, as he helped bring them to the table in the first place.

The Latest: Ryder on Benitez

Writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, North East journalist Ryder has confirmed that Benitez’s potential return to Tyneside was not a stipulation of the takeover deal, meaning that him joining the Toffees will not affect any potential new ownership.

With the arbitration case against the Premier League, this is certainly promising news, as there is still a chance that the bid can be revived if that case goes the way of the Magpies.

The Verdict: Arbitration focus

Given that the potential appointment of Benitez for the Blues will not have any affect on new ownership at St. James’ Park, the sole focus will now be on arbitration.

If the Toon are able to win their case, then the potential takeover could certainly be pushed one step closer to completion – just not with Rafa at the helm.

However, they would still need the top flight to cooperate with them fully, and any deal may be complicated by NUFC’s other focus on the summer transfer window and preparation for the new 2021/22 season.

In other news, find out why the Premier League have been slammed amid the takeover saga here!

Manchester United are potentially eyeing a move for Erik Ten Hag’s current Ajax starlet, Jurrien Timber.

What’s the word?

That is according to journalist Rudy Galetti, who took to his Twitter page to issue a statement regarding incoming Manchester United manager, Erik Ten Hag.

Galetti said this in his tweet: “Manchester United’s first signing of the Ten Hag era will most likely be a centre-back.”

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He also suggested two names that United may be looking to bring in: “To date, on the MUFC list the hot names are Timber (Ajax) and Torres (Villareal).”

Of course, those two names are Jurrien Timber, who currently plays under Ten Hag and Pau Torres, with the latter being linked with Manchester United across the last few transfer windows.

Better than Maguire

As a right-footed centre-back who usually operates on the right in a four-man defence, Timber would not pose a threat to Harry Maguire’s starting spot… would he?

In actual fact, he would. Based on the pattern that Ten Hag has created at Ajax, the right-footed centre-back operates on the right, whilst the left-footed centre-back operates on the left.

When Ten Hag comes in, if he does not opt to bring in a left-footed centre-back, he will most likely hone in on Raphael Varane’s experience for Real Madrid as a left centre-back, a position he fulfilled at times. Varane is also listed as just 60% right-footed, according to FBref.

Timber would partner the France international in what would be a cool, calm and collected backline. Both centre-halves love having the ball at their feet and the potential signing of Timber would offer Ten Hag familiarity in this area.

The 20-year-old boasts some serious numbers that place him in the elite category for the majority of his passing stats, with his average of 76 passes completed per 90 far better than Maguire’s average of 48 passes per 90.

Timber, who has been described as a “top talent” as per UEFA Champions League, also outdoes Maguire in almost all defensive metrics, with the £27m-rated defender having a seamless season in the Eredivisie in which he has made zero errors per 90 – the antithesis of the Englishman this season.

The signing of Timber could see Maguire lacking game time under Ten Hag, and based on this year’s stats, the new United boss would be right to drop him and potentially sell him too, as reports have suggested.

In other news: Ronaldo 2.0: Ten Hag can seal instant MUFC masterclass by unleashing “rampant” 17 y/o – opinion

Some Liverpool fans have been left delighted after Jurgen Klopp confirmed that Nathaniel Phillips is fit to face Southampton this weekend.

The Reds are back in action on Saturday evening, with Saints making the trip to Anfield in the Premier League.

It has been a fortnight since Jurgen Klopp’s men were last in action, due to last weekend’s scheduled clash with Manchester United being postponed.

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Liverpool simply have to beat Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side if they are to have any chance of finishing in the top four this season – even then, their chances still look slim.

Someone who hasn’t played since the 0-0 draw with Real Madrid last month is Phillips, who has been missing though injury, albeit being named in the initial team to face United last Sunday.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Friday, Klopp confirmed that the 24-year-old is fit, firing and available for selection, with the last week further aiding his recovery.

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Liverpool fans pleased with Klopp’s update on Phillips

These Liverpool supporters have been sharing their happiness at Phillips being available on Twitter.

“NAT PHILLIPS IS FIT YESSSSSSSS”

Credit: @NoSwearingHere7

” Super news”

Credit: @TheKopiteOFF

“Nat Phillips is fit & should be back in defence. Fabinho back in midfield then. Find your scoring boots guys!”

Credit: @Sakethscribbles

“The Incredible Flying Brick”

Credit: @kevezlowey

“Yay”

Credit: @JacobTaschler

“Yessir”

Credit: @Podgeeeeeeee

In other news, one Liverpool player is set to be offered a monster new deal. Find out who it is here.

Football.london writer Sam Inkersole believes that Tammy Abraham would certainly bring something different to West Ham.

There has been much speculation about Abraham’s future this summer, with Football Insider reporting earlier this month that West Ham were in pole position to sign the striker, but now Arsenal appear to be leading the race, according to the Mirror.

David Moyes has made a striker one of his top priorities this window, with Inkersole believing that Tammy Abraham would bring the club something different up front, telling Football FanCast: “He would certainly bring them something different. If Abraham went there, he’s excellent at holding the ball up, he’s just not as mobile as you would perhaps like your striker to be. 

“I think he would suit West Ham’s playing style; I think with Declan Rice seeing a lot of the ball in that West Ham midfield and playing through the lines to Abraham, get him to hold the ball up and because they do like their wide players, Fornals, Jarred Bowen bringing them in, Said Benrahma I think’s going to have a big season next season as well, I think it would be a good move for the Hammers.”

With West Ham qualifying for the Europa League, David Moyes needs to increase the size of his squad in order to cope with the demand of having at least six extra fixtures to play.

If the Hammers do decide to go for Tammy Abraham, they will be getting a player who knows where the back of the net is, as he has goal-scoring pedigree in both the Premier League and the Champions League.

Abraham featured 32 times in all competitions last season and helped himself to 12 goals in the process. This was a continuation of his goal scoring form the season prior, where he found the back of the net on 18 occasions in all competitions, including three in the Champions League.

Aston Villa began their season with a 3-2 defeat to newly-promoted Watford on the opening weekend.

Birmingham Live reporter Ashley Preece shared a few of Dean Smith’s comments following the game, which led to a number of Villa supporters reacting angrily over what he said.

Villa found themselves 3-0 down with just over 20 minutes remaining at Vicarage Road but managed to pull back two goals through John McGinn and Danny Ings on a day when summer signings Ings, Emi Buendia and Ashley Young all started.

As per Preece’s tweet, Smith was ‘fuming with the first half and read his side the riot act at half-time’. The manager raged that “it was almost like a friendly international” before adding that he wouldn’t “accept a performance like that”.

Villa’s preparations for the new campaign weren’t exactly ideal, with assistants John Terry and Richard O’Kelly leaving, while Smith himself missed two pre-season matches due to isolation.

Yesterday’s result was in stark contrast to how Villa started last season, when they won their first four league games.

Villa fans react

Preece posted Smith’s comments on Twitter shortly after the full-time whistle and many Villa fans weren’t impressed, with a selection of negative responses available to view blow.

“And that’s on him, what a disaster”Credit: @mindofavillan”Shambolic pre-season didn’t help”Credit: @ged_egan”Thing is…this happened how many times last year? It’s clear as day we lack in the middle. And to be honest, the left forward position. Same as last season. We’ve not spent a penny we haven’t made from sales yet either.”Credit: @Titanuk1874″Then leave and allow the club to bring in somebody who demands more.”Credit: @_porsalin”Your words mean nothing anymore”Credit: @DOUGLASLUlZ”Honestly don’t know what he was expecting, awful tactical setup today.”Credit: @Dan_Byrne_82

In other news: ‘I’m actually done’ – Many AVFC fans react as ‘worrying’ news is confirmed.

Former Tottenham Hotspur hero Graham Roberts believes Julian Nagelsmann was the club’s first choice to replace Jose Mourinho as manager.

Spurs sacked Mourinho earlier this season after falling as low as ninth in the Premier League table.

The Portuguese struggled to give the club the consistency needed to finish in the top four, as they routinely threw away leads and lost to those clubs above them in the Premier League table.

Spurs are yet to appoint a new boss, having given Ryan Mason the job on an interim basis until the end of the season.

Nagelsmann was touted as a top target in the immediate aftermath of Mourinho’s sacking but he has instead opted to join Bayern Munich from RB Leipzig, replacing Hansi Flick, who has agreed to become the manager of the German national team.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Roberts claimed that Spurs initially believed they would appoint the German prior to his move to Bayern.

He said: “I think the Nagelsmann one mucked everything up because they thought they were going to get him.

“With the Bayern Munich manager going, it mucked everything up and put everything on the back foot.”

Aston Villa have been linked with both Todd Cantwell and Emile Smith-Rowe in recent weeks but who would be the better addition to Dean Smith’s side this summer?

Todd Cantwell

According to the Telegraph, Villa are continuing to monitor the £19.8m-rated Norwich City ace after his impressive performances in the Championship last season helped Daniel Farke’s side win promotion back to the top-flight.

Smith’s side have already signed Emiliano Buendia from the Canaries this summer and could look to the Championship title holders once again should they bring in Cantwell.

The 23-year-old winger, who can play on either side, contributed six goals and six assists for Farke’s side last season in the second tier, earning an impressive 7.13 rating from WhoScored for his performances, so was clearly a key player for the Canaries.

Former West Ham man Dean Ashton is certainly a big fan of Cantwell, as he sang his praises on talkSPORT earlier this year, saying:

“When I first saw him I said to Darren Huckerby, ‘how is that lad not training with the first-team?

“He was incredible. The way he was drifting past players. His speed of thought and his awareness. He’s just a wonderful player.”

Emile Smith-Rowe

Villa have already seen a £30m bid rejected for the Arsenal youngster, who impressed last season after breaking into Mikel Arteta’s first team following loan spells with RB Leipzig and Huddersfield Town.

The 20-year-old made 20 appearances in the Premier League for the Gunners, contributing two goals and four assists, averaging a solid 6.77 rating from WhoScored for his performances, whilst he also managed one goal and three assists in the Europa League.

Given that Arsenal are clearly desperate to keep hold of Smith-Rowe this summer a deal will be very difficult to complete for Villa, although he clearly has a huge future in the Premier League so any potential fee may well be worth it.

Who would be better

Considering their respective goal and assist returns last season, as well as the fact that Cantwell would be considerably cheaper and could link up well with Buendia, the Norwich City man might be the better option for Smith’s side this summer, so sporting director Johan Lange should forget about Smith-Rowe and instead focus on signing Cantwell as it looks like Arsenal have no intention of selling their player, whilst Cantwell is seemingly available at the right price.

And, in other news… Lange must avoid Aston Villa transfer disaster with “super” gem

Following on from their dramatic 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, Liverpool will now be turning their attention back to the Premier League with a big clash against Manchester United at Old Trafford on the horizon for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

The Manchester club were also in Champions League action in midweek for their 3-2 victory over Atalanta after finding themselves 2-0 down at half time.

On the chalkboard

Looking ahead to the match at Old Trafford on Sunday, one Liverpool player that Klopp included in his starting XI in midweek that we feel should not be in the team to face United is Naby Keita.

Even though the midfielder managed to open the scoring for the Reds against Diego Simeone’s side, Keita was actually incredibly disappointing in the middle of the park.

Per SofaScore, he failed to make any key passes, crosses or accurate long balls and lost possession on nine occasions during what was a sloppy evening on the ball. That meant he actually surrendered the play once every five minutes in a very sloppy showing.

Furthermore, he only won one of the nine duels he was involved in and got dribbled past three times, ultimately earning himself a rather poor overall match rating of 6.5/10, making him the joint-lowest rated Liverpool player that started the match according to SofaScore after being subbed off at the break.

In addition to this, Keita’s performance also caught the attention of former Liverpool player Dietmar Hamann who described the midfielder’s latest outing for the Reds as “hugely disappointing” and that he is “simply not good enough.”

Since joining the Merseyside club back in the 2018 summer transfer window after Liverpool secured a deal with German club RB Leipzig in 2017 worth a reported fee of £52.75m, the 26-year-old, who is currently valued at £28.8m according to Transfermarkt, has made 84 appearances for the Reds across all competitions in which he has managed to score nine goals and provide four assists along the way.

The midfielder has suffered his fair share of injury issues since becoming a Liverpool player which has significantly impacted his playing time at the club.

Looking ahead to the United match, we feel that Klopp must take Keita out of the starting XI to give his side the best chance of beating the Red Devils at the weekend.

However, with Thiago Alcantara, Harvey Elliott and possibly Curtis Jones all out injured, Klopp’s hand may well be forced on the Guinea international on this occasion.

In other news: Imagine him & Thiago: Klopp must secure LFC move for “incredible” £36m-rated machine – opinion

The Athletic’s Phil Hay has confirmed that Leeds United defender Luke Ayling will miss today’s clash against Norwich City and delivered a worrying update on his potential comeback.

What’s the story?

The versatile 30-year-old has missed the last four games in the Premier League for Marcelo Bielsa’s side after being forced off late in the second half against Newcastle United a few weeks ago.

Hay has now revealed that Leeds manager Bielsa hasn’t indicated when Ayling could be back.

Writing on Twitter, the journalist said: “Shackleton has a chance of being involved but no Luke Ayling. Still not ready to return. Bielsa says there’s no precise return date set for Bamford, Ayling or Koch yet.”

Big setback for Bielsa

Usually one of the first names on the team-sheet, there’s no questioning that Ayling has been one of the manager’s most trusted lieutenants over the past couple of seasons.

The £45k-a-week ace played the full 90 minutes in every single Premier League game last season bar one, and even that was when Bielsa took him off to try and find a goal in the last 20 minutes against ten-man Arsenal.

Described as a “great technician” by former Arsenal academy team-mate Cedric Evina, Ayling’s composure on the ball is something that Bielsa particularly admires, saying after Leeds’ 3-0 victory over Aston Villa last year that the right-back “transmitted serenity to the rest of the team”.

The Leeds manager even once said that the defender was someone “who can solve any problem”, and that’s exactly why Hay’s update is a body blow for Bielsa and the Whites this weekend.

While missing Bamford up top and Phillips in the middle of the park have both been big blows for Leeds, losing a reliable presence like the 30-year-old Ayling is sure to have left the manager particularly gutted.

Meanwhile, Leeds are eyeing this South American ace…

AFC Bournemouth have reportedly joined Sheffield Wednesday and Birmingham City in the race to sign Burnley goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell on loan, according to journalist Alan Nixon.

What’s the story?

Sheffield Wednesday had previously been interested in a deal to sign Burnley goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell on loan for the upcoming 2021/22 season, according to journalist Alan Nixon.

It was revealed last week that Birmingham City were also keen on reaching an agreement to sign the Northern Irish international, although it remained to be seen as to which club was leading the race to land his signature.

However, Nixon has now revealed that AFC Bournemouth have entered the race to sign Peacock-Farrell, as they look to find a suitable replacement for Asmir Begovic, who recently departed in favour of a move to Everton.

Nixon has also reported that Burnley are looking to obtain a fee of £300,000 to send the goalkeeper out on loan this term, as he is their current second-choice option between the posts.

‘A very good asset’

Sheffield Wednesday’s interest in signing a goalkeeper of Peacock-Farrell’s quality made perfect sense, with both Joe Wildsmith and Cameron Dawson not exactly filling the club’s supporters with much confidence in recent months.

Nixon has claimed that Wildsmith could be set to depart if Sheffield Wednesday are to secure a deal to sign another goalkeeper this summer, which hints that his future lies away from Hillsborough.

The Owls conceded 61 goals in total in the 2020/21 Championship season, which certainly doesn’t make for the best of reading, and those defensive problems will have to be addressed at the earliest of opportunities this term.

Peacock-Farrell could be the ideal option to have between the posts for Darren Moore’s side this term, as he’s shown that he can perform to a high standard in the past, having kept ten clean sheets for Leeds United in the 2018/19 season, before heading to Turf Moor with Burnley.

Bournemouth will fancy their chances of striking a deal for the 24-year-old though, as they’re likely to be able to offer him regular minutes.

But Sheffield Wednesday can also offer that, and Darren Moore’s side should be pushing ahead with their interest in signing the shot-stopper on a temporary basis now that the Cherries are also rumoured to be keen on landing his signature.

Even though they’re playing their football in the third tier now, they should still be doing all they can to sign Peacock-Farrell on loan this term, and it would be somewhat of a coup for the Owls if they manage to do so this summer.

Marcelo Bielsa previously issued high-praise for Peacock-Farrell, and labelled him as a ‘very good asset’, which makes for good reading for the goalkeeper, with Bielsa establishing Leeds as a strong force in the Premier League since then.

“I think he is a very good asset for Leeds because he has been formed in the club, he is very young, he will play as a professional player for 15 years at least and if he takes advantage of the time positively, either playing or not, because when you play what you see is the limits you have, the mistakes you make.”