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According to Football Insider, Leeds have made enquiries about Milan striker Rafael Leao.

What’s the word?

With the Whites having clinched promotion to the Premier League in superb fashion, Marcelo Bielsa’s side are no doubt on the look-out for some reinforcements as they bid to make their first campaign back in the top-flight a good one.

Is it Haaland Snr or David Hopkins? Your Leeds knowledge will be put to the test with this quiz…

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And Football Insider claim that Portugal starlet Leao is of interest to Leeds, although it is suggested that luring him away from the San Siro this summer may prove to be “complicated” as Milan still have “high hopes” for him.

Compared to Mbappe and Ronaldo

At just 21, Leao is already seen as one of European football’s most promising strikers, and it’s no surprise given that he has been mentioned in the same breath as the likes of PSG prodigy Kylian Mbappe, and Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

The president of Leao’s former club, Lille, Gerard Lopez simply declared him the “Portuguese Mbappe”, whilst Sporting CP’s former youth coach, Tiago Fernandes, proclaimed: “I pushed (then-Sporting coach) Jorge Jesus to take him in the first team and I said to him: ‘Yes, Gelson Martins has talent but Rafael is the best player in the history of the Sporting Academy’. At youth level, he was better than Cristiano Ronaldo.”

Rated at £18m by Transfermarkt, Leao has been further hailed as an “extraordinary talent” by Croatia legend Zvonimir Boban, and it’s quite telling that people seem to be falling over themselves to talk up just how good he is now, and good he can be in the future.

If Victor Orta and co are looking to make a major statement of intent this summer, then they could really do so by landing one of the brightest talents on offer in the whole of Europe.

Until the transfer window closes, the future of Arsenal star Mesut Ozil will continue to be discussed. However, we now know the German’s stance on his future as he gave an interview to David Ornstein and committed to staying until his contract runs out next summer.

The obvious issue here is the fact that the former World Cup winner is not fancied at all by Mikel Arteta, and this has been emphasised by the fact that Ozil has not made a single appearance for the club since football returned in June.

Many have been discussing the situation, including Joey Barton. The Fleetwood Town manager was speaking on talkSPORT, via The Boot Room, and was asked what he would do if the problem was his to sort out.

He replied: “It’s a tough one. Everyone knows what everyone is on [wages] and it affects the dressing room. If the big-paid players aren’t performing and those on less are playing, it creates an ill-feeling. He’s a World Cup winner, an unbelievable player and I would be trying to get the maximum out of him.”

There is no doubting Ozil’s quality, which has been proven by his rich CV, which includes a La Liga title at Real Madrid, four FA Cups with Arsenal and the World Cup and European Under-21 Championship with Germany, per Transfermarkt.

However, this quality was not often on show last season as the player, who is on a reported £350,000-a-week, only managed one goal and two assists in all competitions, per WhoScored.

With the 31-year-old costing the club around £18.2m annually, Barton has a point in saying that Arsenal should try to make the most out of him. However,  with the Gunners winning the FA Cup without calling on him, Arteta’s decision to continually overlook him seems justified; and if there is no way into the team for Ozil, perhaps it is best for Arsenal to move him on.

Gunners fans, do you agree with Barton’s verdict on Ozil? Let us know your views in the comments below!

Newcastle United’s prospective £300m takeover appears to still be some way off being complete this week after journalist Paul Smith delivered this latest update.He claims that the Premier League still haven’t given any confirmation over the deal and those involved remain “completely in the dark” over the situation.Smith tweeted this afternoon:

This is rather a cause for concern that the relevant parties involved haven’t received the slightest bit of information regarding the owners and directors test. The claim also suggests that both the buying and selling side know as much as the fanbase right now.

It’s been around two months since the news first broke about the Magpies potentially being sold to a Saudi-backed consortium. Several reports have created doubt on the situation in recent weeks, which wasn’t helped by Premier League CEO Richard Masters barely giving anything away in an interview on Friday.

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The truth is, no one really knows when – and even if – the takeover will go through, especially with ‘Project Restart’ being centre of attention for the top-flight at the minute.

AND in other news, Newcastle fans react to update on season tickets…

Ahead of the inaugural NHS Charities Together Cup, we spoke to Chris Kamara, who will be co-hosting the all-star FIFA 20 tournament alongside Ben Shephard. The Sky Sports pundit spoke in-depth about the benefits of the competition which will feature sporting heroes such as John Terry, Ben Stokes and Justin Rose.

Alongside the sports stars will be various other famous faces, including Love Island’s Chris Hughes and eight-year-old YouTube star Tekkerz Kid. All proceeds will go towards the COVID-19 Urgent Appeal charity, with a tournament goal of raising £10million to help support the NHS.

FFC: What made you want to get involved in this charity FIFA 20 tournament?

Chris Kamara: “It’s a great cause, these absolutely fantastic people who have been asked to be involved have given up their time, which is great. It’s easy for people to sit at home and say ‘they’ve got nothing better to do’, but they have. We’ve all got families that we want to look after and spend as much time as possible with, because the one silver lining out of all of this is the family time.”

FFC: Is it important that content like this is still available for fans amid the current lockdown situation?

CK: “Very much so. I’ve been watching re-runs of old football matches. There are people out there who want to watch celebs competing against each other. Although it’s not on any of the main channels, it will be streaming live so we’re hoping that a lot of people join in and help us raise a bundle of money for the charity.”

FFC: Speaking of the lack of sport, what do you think will happen to English football’s 2019/20 season?

CK: “What do I think will happen? I’m not sure. I’m going to leave that to the authorities because this is a difficult decision. Whatever decision they make won’t please everybody. My personal opinion is, what’s the rush? The season was supposed to end in May but we’ve been on lockdown, so does it really matter when we finish it – between now and January? With the World Cup coming up in Doha, why can’t we start in the middle of January?

“These are special circumstances. I understand why people want to end the season, and if I was at a club at the bottom of the league then I would want it to end as soon as possible. That’s human nature. Even though it’s not about football at this moment in time, you would hope the authorities would do like Holland have done. But I don’t care when we start, I hope we start in June – I’ve heard the Premier League players might be going back into training on May 10. So I’m hoping that’s the case.

“I think if we get to July and nothing is happening, then we need to say ‘end of’ because we might not be able to start up again in January. It’s a really difficult question to answer and I’m just hoping whatever decision is made, everyone is in agreement.”

FFC: How do you feel about the likes of Leeds who may not be rewarded for their incredible season?

CK: “That would be a mega shame. From September, people were saying West Brom and Leeds will go up automatically, and that didn’t change, even when they had sticky periods.

“It would be a terrible situation for them, but once again, they’ll be around the table, they’ll be involved with the leagues making the decision. Liverpool at the top of the Premier League will be at the heart of it as well, and they’ll all be hoping that they come to the right decision and all the clubs are in agreement. But from a Leeds point of view, after banging on the door for as long as they have been now, it would be heartbreaking for them if the season was declared null and void. But we haven’t reached that point yet so who knows.”

FFC: How do you think the fans would react to a null and void season?

CK: “It’s hypothetical at the moment so we’re going to have to wait and see. We don’t know what’s going to happen or how the fans feel about it, but the fans should be involved in the decision-making, that’s one thing I know for sure. Whether we come back behind closed doors, come back with crowds or we don’t come back at all, the fans should have a voice in all of this.

“One of the things that make the Premier League great above all the other leagues in the world is the atmosphere in our stadiums. Atmospheres which other countries can only dream of. They’ve got their big games, Real Madrid vs Barcelona, PSG vs Marseille… but we have a big game every single week and these games always have a full house. For the fans not to be included in the decision-making would be wrong.

“With all the money that’s poured into the Premier League, the reason is the full stadiums and the atmospheres they create, so let’s not forget the people who matter.”

FFC: Are there any particular fixtures you’re looking forward to in the NHS Charities Together Cup?

CK: “Like I normally am when I’ve got my Soccer Saturday hat on, or my commentator hat on, I just look forward to every single game and I want to watch it like a fan. This is slightly different but I’m going to be as neutral as I possibly can be and get excited about what’s good and rip them to bits about what’s not so good.”

FFC: Do you think the tournament will hit the donation target of £10million?

CK: “I do a lot of charity work and the generosity of the people in the UK amazes me. So if we got £1million I’d be thankful, if we got £10million, that would be unbelievable – to coin a phrase!

“Never underestimate the charitable people in the UK. If you’d have said to captain Tom that he would reach more than £28million, he’d have laughed. So we’re in a situation where £1million would be fantastic, anything better would be incredible.

“It’s hard for the charities at the moment as well, because they’ve also got the future to think about. One of the biggest losses for Marie Curie was March, which is usually their big fundraiser that keeps the hospices and homes going. So to lose all that money is a travesty. But these Charities Together will hopefully help towards everybody’s funding.”

For more information on the NHS Charities Together Cup and how you can donate, click here.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Paris Saint-Germain are a club that are still trying to prove themselves to the world.

And despite having a total monopoly over Ligue 1 back in France, the Saints haven’t really been firing on all cylinders in Europe, specifically in the Champions League.

Even though they have eight French crowns under their belts already, their cabinet still doesn’t have a single European trophy apart from the one Cup Winners Cup from 1995/96.

But despite all of that and their club still being somewhat fresh in the conversation of the biggest teams on the planet, they still managed to attract superstars like Neymar and Kylian Mbappe to their squad.

However, N’Golo Kante recently spoke to French television channel Canal Plus (as quoted by Metro) and revealed that he turned Paris Saint-Germain down in the past due to “sporting reasons”.

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He went on to say that he likes the current project at Chelsea and that’s one of the reasons he decided to stay but it could also indicate that, despite all the money and the glamour, PSG are still lacking the type of pulling power you typically associate with an elite club.

With Neymar Junior, arguably their biggest star alongside the aforementioned Mbappe, pushing for a move away from the French capital in a soap opera that was active throughout the whole summer, there just might be something behind Kante’s words after all.

A similar thing happened with Marco Verratti, a midfielder who was also pretty close to leaving the club a couple of years back, when he received a more tempting offer from Barcelona, but he ended up staying in Paris.

Maybe the biggest statement the French giants can actually make is somehow making sure Mbappe stays put and doesn’t leave in the not so distant future, but even that looks unlikely with Real Madrid constantly on the prowl.

So despite having those superstars now and their links with great players such as Kante, it still feels like they still have trouble attracting or simply keeping them in their squad.

And that in itself could be a sign they are not yet at the level they would probably want to be.

Meanwhile, Graham Roberts has suggested a bold idea to Spurs that involves two big stars and the fans seem to be divided on the matter.

Loads of Newcastle fans have been raving over a clip of Allan Saint-Maximin, after the Frenchman shared a moment from training on his Twitter account.

How to become a fan favourite at a new club… be ridiculously good at football? Check. Help out the local food banks? Check. Stay active on social media? Check. Gucci headband? Debatable.

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Saint-Maximin has quickly forged a unique relationship with the Toon Army, thanks in part to his incredible skill on the pitch, averaging a whopping 4.4 dribbles per game, but also due to his personality off it, where he has been keeping fans entertained while football is suspended.

The 23 year-old, valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt, has shared plenty of videos of his backyard training and football with his daughters, but went a different route this week by sharing a clip of him humiliating two teammates at once with a rainbow flick during a training drill.

You can watch the video and find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Have you seen the footage of Salomon Rondon that has got Newcastle fans talking?

Jose Mourinho has been appointed as Tottenham Hotspur manager, with his deal running until the end of the 2022/23 campaign, as reported by their official website.

While he will be looking to make a change over an extended period of time, it is his first fixture in charge at Spurs that many are focusing on.

West Ham United haven’t won any of their last seven games in all competitions, so East London wasn’t exactly brimming with confidence ahead of the derby.

It seems as though the appointment of the Portuguese tactician has only worsened the feeling among Hammers fans:

Spurs are on a run of five Premier League games without a win, but the general consensus seems to be that they will be lifted by the Special One’s arrival.

That, mixed with the current goalkeeper situation, means that there is a definite pessimism among sections of the club’s supporters.

A selection of Twitter reaction to the managerial change, including posts from concerned West Ham fans, can be seen below:

Sheffield Wednesday fans will be taking a keen eye on Sunday’s match between England and Kosovo, but their loyalties may be split as striker Atdhe Nuhiu is likely to start for the home nation.

Their interest will have peaked even more following his performance on Thursday night as he scored Kosovo’s only goal of the game during their 2-1 defeat to the Czech Republic.

The 30-year-old scored the opener in the 50th minute before the Czechs confirmed their place at Euro 2020 with two goals in return, meaning they will finish second to England.

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Nuhiu’s performance caused a reaction on Twitter amongst plenty of supporters back at his domestic club.

One member of the Hillsborough faithful claimed the striker had been as good as anyone else in the side this campaign, while another believed he is a team player that possesses ‘class.’

‘Absolute colossus’ and ‘beast’ were just two other phrases used to describe his showing with a further fan jokingly saying he has to be worth over £60m now.

Here’s the best of the reaction:

Well, it would be fair to say that the West Ham United fans are not overly pleased with their Spanish goalkeeper Roberto.The 33-year-old joined the Hammers on a free transfer over the summer after leaving Espanyol, where he had spent three years.Lukasz Fabianski is currently on the sidelines with a hip injury, meaning that Roberto is the number one for the moment.The Spaniard was again between the sticks for Saturday’s Premier League clash with Burnley, and after failing to cover himself in glory for the home side’s second of the match, he dropped a real clanger for the third.Indeed, Roberto punched the ball into the back of his own net in the 54th minute, which pretty much decided the match as a contest.West Ham are on a rotten run of form at the moment having failed to pick up all three points in the Premier League since overcoming Manchester United on September 22.

And the recent form of Roberto is not helping their mood, with some claiming that they do not want the stopper to ever represent the club again.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Charlie Nicholas believes Marco Silva will go with an attacking team against Tottenham Hotspur this Sunday.

What did he say?

Everton currently sit in 16th, two points from the relegation spots. If the Toffees lose again, it will be their seventh of the campaign, and it could force them back into the drop zone should other results go against them.

Nicholas told Sky Sports: “This is the game. There is no doubt that Marco Silva is under the most extreme pressure and the only reason he is hanging on is because of his home record.

“They did not play too badly at Liverpool, but the Tottenham issues are in defence and going forward. Does he have the right balance? Does Dele Alli deserve to be in the team? Why is Lucas Moura not playing? Christian Eriksen is a passenger at the moment, so he doesn’t belong in the team. There is too much confusion at Tottenham. The manager is not the problem but there is something within.”

“It will be an open game and Silva will pick an attacking team here. It is so hard to predict what will happen to either of these sides.”

Got to go for it

Everton looked like they had just found the winning formula when they beat West Ham United two weeks ago. However, a 3-2 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion a week later has heaped the praise back onto Silva.

For this reason alone, the former Watford boss simply has to go for it. Should Everton sit back and invite pressure, the likes of Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen could have a field day, despite recent form.

Last season the visiting Spurs side put six goals past Everton in a 6-2 rout, and a similar result this time round could seal Silva’s fate.

The Blues have conceded 16 goals so far in the league, so Silva must think carefully about how to attack and not create holes in his side at the same time.

His team does appear to pick itself in an attacking sense, with Bernard out injured. Theo Walcott has two assists lately and is growing in stature at the club, whilst Richarlison scored again in midweek.

Elsewhere, Dominic Calvert-Lewin bagged his fifth goal of the season last week, so he is surely in line for a start. Silva must go with the big guns, and leave players like Moise Kean benched for the time being.

It’s simple, the Portuguese manager cannot afford any more dropped points and Spurs are there for the taking on current form.

It remains to be seen if Nicholas’ prediction about Silva’s attacking team will