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An expert on matters in the Middle East has made a big revelation regarding a possible takeover of Newcastle United by Sheikh Khaled bin Saqr Zayed al-Nayhan.

As per The Independent, his name was first mentioned in football circles when he was involved in takeover attempts at both St. James’ Park and Liverpool, and now, it looks like he is set to complete a purchase of Derby County.

When asked about the realistic expectations that Rams fans should have once Sheik Khaled completes the takeover of the EFL Championship club, Middle East expert Dr Kristian Ulrichsen of Rice University claimed:

“Let’s be brutally honest, maybe he’s found his level. He’s not been able to play in the big league, the Premier League. He might have gone down. There might be other reasons, he could have found a business partner in the Midlands.

“But having gone for Liverpool and Newcastle, and obviously not being the name that had been thought, he could have found his level.”

Newcastle takeover by Sheik Khaled unrealistic

Indeed, as Dr Ulrichsen suggests, perhaps a takeover in the North East by Sheik Khaled was unrealistic.

He failed with takeovers of both the Tyneside club and Liverpool, who are both very much established teams in the top flight.

On the other hand, Derby are lingering right at the bottom of the Championship table, and it looks as if the takeover of the Rams by Sheik Khaled will indeed go ahead.

Perhaps this kind of club is around his level as suggested, as he will now look to build them up and help them return to England’s highest division alongside the likes of the Magpies and the current EPL champions.

Is a Newcastle takeover still possible?

Indeed, if not from Sheik Khaled, a takeover at the Toon is still very much a possibility. The Saudi Sports Minister fairly recently claimed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) Public Investment Fund (PIF) would still look into the opportunity of taking over at NUFC.

Nonetheless, any hope of a takeover by Sheik Khaled seems dead in the water now as he has now set his sights set on Derby instead.

In other news, find out why takeover hopes may potentially be boosted here!

Conor Coady had a dream game against Wales on Thursday evening after his 53rd minute strike opened up his international portfolio.

The Liverpool-born defender doubled England’s lead over their British rivals after Dominic Calvert-Lewin broke the deadlock with a diving header. Gary Lineker has praised the “admired” 27-year-old in a recent tweet, after Coady and his teammates emphatically celebrated his first goal for his country.

Wolves must tie Coady down

Since joining the club in 2015, the centre-back has risen into the spotlight as he continues to drive Wolves forward. Nuno Espirito Santo will be delighted with their recent run of form, if not disappointed to just miss out on a top six finish last season. Coady played every minute of Premier League football last term, proving to be untouchable in the heart of the club’s defence.

He helped pull off some incredible results, including a 2-0 win over then reigning champions Manchester City. Adama Traore was on song with a brace, but Coady equally grafted hard to ensure their blistering attack was kept at bay. Sergio Aguero, who finished the 2018/19 season on 21 goals, behind the triple Golden Boot winners from that season by just one (via Premier League), couldn’t get a sniff.

According to SofaScore, Aguero failed to register a single shot on target and made just nine accurate passes in 90 minutes. On the other end, Coady provided an impressive nine clearances, one tackle and completed 100% of his attempted duels.

Now he’s made a splash with his England goal, other clubs could have had their heads turned in his direction. The Fosun Group simply cannot allow their captain to be tempted by another team and must do what they can to keep him at Molineux.

In other news, Wolves make plans for the future with new Niall Ennis contract…

Rhian Brewster’s future has resided with a question mark recently as reports have linked him with an Anfield exit.

Recent reports had claimed that Liverpool are prepared to listen to offers for the youngster amid a potential permanent move. However, The Star have claimed that he could be set for another loan move this season instead.

Sheffield United are keen on the striker and could be just days away from announcing his short-term move to the club (relayed via @LFCTransferRoom). This has come as a very welcome update for those Liverpool fans who had recently hit out at the club over even entertaining talks of cashing in on him.

Brewster spent half of last season with Swansea City, with whom he scored an impressive 11 goals in 22 Championship appearances (via Transfermarkt). He got this season underway with a cameo appearance in the Community Shield, but fatefully missed his penalty in the shootout defeat to Arsenal.

Many Kopites are in unison with the idea that another loan stint will help to rebuild Brewster’s confidence after a less than ideal start to the 2020/21 campaign. One fan has described it as a ‘perfect move’ for the forward and has urged the club to ‘make it happen’.

Read more replies from the Anfield faithful here:

Do you think a loan move is the right decision for Brewster? Have your say in the comments below!

Tottenham have already made a big signing in this transfer window, as they managed to acquire Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg from Southampton this week.

It is a sign of intent that Jose Mourinho will get backing from the board to build the squad that he wants in his first full season. We have also seen a departure from the club as promising striker Troy Parrott has gone on loan to Millwall. This means that Harry Kane is the only real centre-forward at the club.

Clearly this has been noticed by Spurs legend Jermain Defoe, who scored 143 goals in 361 appearances for the North London side, per Transfermarkt, as he has been asking a former teammate of his when he will join the club.

Defoe posted on

/CDyRFYopnPx/”>Instagram an image of when he scored two goals for England against Holland eleven years ago. However it is the comment section that will have Spurs fans intrigued as Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson commented on the post, raving over the goal, to which Defoe asked the question, ‘u going spurs or what bro’.

The club have been linked to the England international in the past, and he definitely would add some-much needed firepower as cover or to support Kane as the £18 million-valued ace has managed 41 goals in 142 Premier League games, which is very decent for a striker performing in a side of AFC Bournemouth’s level.

Spurs fans, would you like Wilson? Comment below!

Tanguy Ndombele and Tottenham Hotspur. It’s been one rocky ride for the Frenchman since a club-record £55m move last summer.

The 23-year-old has only started four Premier League matches since Jose Mourinho was appointed as Spurs boss back in November and there have been plenty of stories surrounding his future at the club.

Inter Milan are reportedly keen on securing him whilst last month there were claims that Ndombele was ‘determined to leave’ north London, though this was quickly downplayed.

Next season could be a fresh start for all those concerned, especially as the box-to-box midfielder undoubtedly has quality.

During his final season at Lyon, Ndombele notched three goals and seven assists whilst averaging 2.4 dribbles, 1.1 key passes and 1 shot per game, via WhoScored, thus impressing Spurs’ scouts enough to splash a record fee on him.

Even despite managing just 49 minutes per appearance this season, the French international has still provided two goals and four assists.

Meanwhile, in other news, Moussa Sissoko could be on the chopping block, which may be game-changing for Ndombele if true.

According to Corriere dello Sport, Inter seek the long-serving Mauricio Pochettino favourite as a potential alternative to Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante.

If the Serie A outfit do come forward with a bid this summer, then Mourinho should absolutely accept as the fellow Frenchman isn’t really the right fit for the system the 57-year-old is trying to play.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is edging closer to joining the north Londoners as their new defensive midfield lynchpin, meaning Sissoko is going to find life hard in the middle as the two options in front of the Dane will have to be energetic box-to-box sorts – something that he’s not.

Per WhoScored, the 30-year-old has averaged a mediocre 0.6 key passes and 0.5 shots per game this term, which isn’t good enough.

His departure would open up one of those central midfield spots and thus, Ndombele can swoop in and stake his claim at long last with the other spot going to either Harry Winks, Giovani Lo Celso or Dele Alli depending on the opposition.

Sky Sports pundit may have once lauded Sissoko as “sensational” with Winks also describing him as “phenomenal” – but that really doesn’t appear to be the case anymore given the aforementioned numbers.

It’s time for Ndombele to shine at Spurs and the exit of his £18m-rated native compatriot would open the doors for that to happen.

AND in other news, Mourinho swoop for 13-goal winger would be shades of Ginola at Spurs…

According to The Sun’s Alan Nixon, Tottenham Hotspur are close to finalising a fee for Wigan Athletic wonderkid Alfie Devine. 

Recent reports suggested Tottenham had secured their first signing of the summer, although it seems they are still some way off.

Now, Nixon claims the move “should happen” and should cost Spurs £300,000 up front.

According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, the midfielder travelled to north London to complete a medical and agree terms last weekend.

Devine, 15, has been tipped to become a Premier League star and one to watch for the future.

He was released by Liverpool at the age of 11 and the Premier League champions may live to regret their decision as he has been described as a “top class” prospect by Reds legend Jamie Carragher.

Spurs scouts have been monitoring the teenager ever since he featured in Wigan’s FA Youth Cup run this season. He has also played for Wigan’s under-23 side and has been capped by England for the under-16 development squad.

Devine will team up with Tottenham’s under-23s at Hotspur Way.

Wigan have entered administration which has left them desperately short of cash. One way of solving this is to sell key players to raise some much-needed funds, and they have resigned themselves to losing several members of the first team and youth players as a result.

The Lilywhites could also look to plunder the Latics for Joe Gelhardt and Jensen Weir, while Devine seems to be on his way out of the DW Stadium, amid interest from Leeds United, Celtic, Rangers, Brighton, West Ham and Chelsea.

Jose Mourinho is acutely aware he will not be able to spend “rivers of money” in the summer and he will have to resort to sorting out swap deals, signing free agents and hunting for bargains. He may choose to take advantage of the situation and make further additions to his squad.

Devine will be hoping to make an immediate impression in the academy to catch Mourinho’s attention. The Portuguese has show he is willing to give the youth plenty of chances to prove themselves, as Japhet Tanganga and Oliver Skipp have benefited from his policy this season, and the teen will be looking to follow their lead.

Tottenham fans, do you think Daniel Levy has made the right decision to sign Devine? Let us know down below!

Brighton manager Graham Potter believes that midfielder Yves Bissouma can add more goals to his repertoire going forward at the Amex Stadium.

The 23-year-old hasn’t found the net in his 22 appearances this term and, while Potter praised other aspects of his game, he believes that the Mali international is capable of more in terms of contributing to goals.

As per The Argus, the Seagulls boss said of Bissouma: “It would be nice for him to add a couple of goals to his game. It all depends on the position on the pitch that he plays.

“I think he is developing as a midfield player who can defend as well. He wins a lot of balls and regains possession for us. He has the ability, the quality, to score as well.

“As a team, we need to try and get more goals from other areas of the pitch. It is something that is quite obvious. He has the capability to do that.”

Since coming to Brighton two years ago, Bissouma has made 56 appearances but only found the net once, against Bournemouth in an FA Cup clash in January 2019 (as per TransferMarkt). He has now played one more match for the Seagulls than he did for previous club Lille, for whom he netted four goals.

In defence of the 23-year-old, he plays primarily in central midfield rather than in a more advanced role, where he would naturally have more opportunities to score. However, a match average of just 0.7 shots shows that he rarely even puts himself in positions to threaten opposition goalkeepers, never mind finding the net – centre-back Lewis Dunk has a greater shots-per-game average of 0.9.

It is also worth noting that Bissouma certainly isn’t the only goal-shy presence at the Amex Stadium – Brighton have failed to score in six of their last 10 Premier League games, with only three teams scoring fewer than their 37 goals in the division this term.

Even though Bissouma’s biggest strengths are in breaking up play (his tackling average of 2.3 per game is the highest in Brighton’s squad), his lower goal return with the Seagulls compared to Lille shows that he can offer a greater threat in the final third of the pitch.

Hopefully this is an area that he can address next term in what will be his third season at the Amex, and judging by Brighton’s low goal return overall, Potter will hope that a few of the Malian’s team-mates can also increase their strike rate.

Brighton fans, what have you made of Bissouma’s performances for the club so far? Have your say by commenting below!

As reported by The Athletic, Harvey Elliott refused to meet Sergio Ramos as part of Real Madrid’s attempt to sign him after he had injured Mohamed Salah during the 2018 Champions League final.

Elliott was playing for Fulham at the time, and Los Merengues were interested in securing his services, and as a teaser, they had arranged for the teenager to meet Real legend Ramos. The Spaniard, of course, had been part of the team that had beaten the Reds in Kiev two years ago, and he was involved in an incident with Salah that soon saw the latter leave the pitch.

When Elliott was asked if he wanted to meet the centre-back, he replied: “No, it’s OK, thanks. I don’t like him after what he did to Mo Salah.”

Elliott has made signs of progress already this campaign, having made six appearances in the cup competitions up until this point. Still only 17, there is plenty of hope that he can become a star at Anfield in the future, and as a Liverpool fan from his childhood, there should be the desire and determination to become a popular figure amongst supporters.

From Real Madrid’s perspective, they should have done a bit more homework on the prodigy – it may have changed the course of his career so far.

Let us know what you think below!

Many Tottenham Hotspur fans have reacted to a tweet from @thespursweb that showed new photos of Son Heung-min. 

The fan account tweeted images of Son’s new haircut after he completed mandatory military service in South Korea.

According to The Sun, the Spurs star completed his time with the army earlier this month, and he particularly excelled at shooting practice, hitting every target in training practice. He is now spending two weeks isolating after returning to the UK.

The 27-year-old has followed his sharp shooting up with a brand new trim, which you can see below.

Ever since the winger arrived at White Hart Lane from Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen for £27m back in the summer of 2015, the South Korean international has become a proper fan favourite, scoring 83 goals and producing 44 assists in 220 appearances for the Lilywhites up until now.

He has played in 21 games for Jose Mourinho’s side in the Premier League, notching 9 goals and creating 7 assists, taking 3 shots per game, averaging 1.4 key passes, and successfully completing 2.3 dribbles on average this season (WhoScored).

Naturally, many Spurs fans responded to the “cute” images on social media, with one fan tweeting they are “jealous,” and another adding “he means business.”

Scroll through the rest of the best reactions we could find so far…

Tottenham fans, are you looking forward to seeing Son back on the pitch when the season resumes? Join the discussion in the comments section!

Agent Nick Arcuri has said that the first offer for Real Madrid’s Rodrygo was actually from Liverpool.

The Brazilian signed for Los Merengues for €45m (£35.3m) in 2018, but it seems he could have made the move to Anfield before that when he was 16. Acuri has said that Jurgen Klopp actually travelled to South America to watch him play.

An offer was made, but in the end Santos weren’t ready to sell, and so he stayed at the club until the La Liga outfit made their move.

The 19-year-old is one of the most promising talents on the planet right now. For Santos, he managed 10 goals in 49 matches, and he has already taken like a duck to water at the Santiago Bernabeu. In 18 games, he has bagged seven times, including a perfect hattrick in the Champions League – that made him the youngest-ever player to do so in the history of the competition.

It is certainly understandable why Klopp and co wanted to take him to Merseyside – he could have very well been the jewel in their crown. Instead, though, they will have to think of what might have been – it is certainly a missed opportunity for the European champions.

Would you have liked Rodrygo at Liverpool? Let us know in the comments!