All posts by z3u9t.icu

It was one of the huge talking points last summer and also a massive factor as to why many thought the Newcastle takeover never got passed through, and Liam Kennedy from the Shields Gazette believes that it’s still an issue for the potential new owners.

When everything appeared to be going smoothly in the takeover process, Bein Sport got involved and sent a letter to the Premier League urging them to reject any potential deal involving Saudi Arabia as they were breaching piracy laws and illegally showing football which was owned by Bein.

Along with the dispute over separation and who would really be making the decision at Newcastle United, piracy failed to ever go away and was ultimately one of the downfalls which led to the Premier League stalling over a decision.

Talk of piracy emerged recently once again with it still being a big factor, even if a legal battle is won by Mike Ashley, and Kennedy has confirmed that it remains a big problem for the potential buyers as he explained to Football FanCast:

“Piracy is something that’s never really gone away, it’s been a constant throughout this and without second-guessing, do we really know how much the Premier League were going to use that against the buyers? My personal opinion is, I think once they linked the Saudi state to PIF, I think piracy then becomes a huge stumbling block in any deal.”

If Newcastle are to be taken over by PCP Capital Partners, it appears that an already huge uphill battle has increased drastically if piracy will still be a big issue, even if the arbitration goes in the club’s favour.

Everton have been linked with a move for Feyenoord midfielder Guus Til ahead of the upcoming January transfer window as manager Rafa Benitez looks to bolster his threadbare forward line.

What’s the story?

According to TEAMtalk, the Toffees are weighing up a move for the 23-year-old, although they’re set to face extensive competition for his signature, with Wolves, West Ham United, Southampton, Crystal Palace, Brighton, Brentford and Watford also listed as potential suitors.

Til moved to Feyenoord on loan from Spartak Moscow in the summer, and although the Russian outfit have a recall clause in Til’s loan deal, Arne Slot’s charges are desperate not to lose him halfway through the campaign.

Imagine him and Calvert-Lewin

After rising through the ranks at boyhood club AZ Alkmaar, Til became one of the hottest properties in Dutch football, prompting Spartak to splash £15m on the attacker back in 2019.

However, things didn’t go to plan for the 6 foot 1 dynamo during his time at the capital club.

In his 23 appearances for Spartak throughout his maiden campaign at the Otkritie Bank Arena, Til managed just two goals and four assists, prompting a season-long loan move to Freiburg next term.

But his spell in the Bundesliga also ended in major disappointment after he failed to establish himself in the first-team squad, making just seven league outings during 2020/21.

Nevertheless, a return to his homeland has allowed the Netherlands international to recapture his best form and showcase his true potential on a regular basis once again.

Til has proved his doubters wrong by notching up a remarkable 15 strikes and three assists in 28 games for Feyenoord, playing a pivotal part in their rise to third in the Eredivisie table.

He bagged a brace in an enthralling 5-3 victory over NEC Nijmegen earlier in the campaign, and his second was a stunning strike following a trademark burst into the penalty area, earning praise from several impressed onlookers.

“I knew in advance he was capable of scoring goals but what he mainly brings is an unbelievable willpower and running ability when the opponent has the ball,” said Slot (as relayed by Rijnmond).

Despite his eye-catching exploits, the Feyenoord hierarchy have already resigned themselves to losing the Til in the near future as they’re unable to match the creative talent’s wage demands.

“(Til) will eventually go back to Moscow, that’s what has been agreed between the three parties involved,” adds director Frank Arnesen. “He has a salary in Moscow that Feyenoord can’t come close to. He deserved that.”

And the £4.5m-rated gem could form a formidable partnership with Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, should he make the switch to Merseyside this winter. After all, this is a player who has scored 52 times in his senior career to date.

Calvert-Lewin has become the Blues’ star striker in recent years, notching up 39 goals in his last 83 appearances, and the added creativity and firepower that Til would bring may see that strike rate increase even further.

Therefore, Benitez must swoop for Til in January, potentially securing the extra quality he needs to turn Everton’s disappointing season around.

And, in other news…“What I’m hearing…”: Greg O’Keeffe drops big Everton update, fans surely buzzing

Nottingham Forest have reportedly reignited their interest in Blackpool winger Josh Bowler with the 23-year-old subject to Premier League interest too.

What’s the latest?

According to Football League World, the Reds are ready to make a fresh attempt to lure the Englishman away from Bloomfield Road after a failed attempt in January with Leicester, Burnley and Fulham also apparently interested.

The winger has scored seven goals in 40 Championship matches for Neil Critchley’s side this term who currently sit 16th in the second tier having won the League One playoffs last season.

Bowler was a summer addition for the Tangerines having been released by Everton after four years in the U23 set-up with a loan spell at Hull City in the 2019/20 season proving uneventful.

However, the 23-year-old only signed a one year contract last summer, although Blackpool will almost certainly take up the option in his contract to extend his stay by another year.

Forest should swoop for Bowler

There was always going to be some risk for Blackpool by taking on Bowler after a stagnant start to his career. However, the winger has been a revelation on the seaside.

With eight goals in all competitions, this season has seen the attacker make excellent progress hence the interest from Premier League clubs as well as Forest.

Steve Cooper has arguably the Championship’s best winger in Brennan Johnson who has netted 14 goals and registered seven assists in the second tier this term. Although, if the Reds fail to secure promotion it may be hard to keep him at the club.

If that is to be the case, then the East Midlands outfit should undoubtedly swoop to sign the wide man who has already shown that he has become accustomed to the Championship.

Moreover, the £810k-rated Englishman will be available for a bargain fee given his short-term contract.

Having started his career in the QPR youth ranks, Bowler was handed one first-team appearance for the Hoops under former manager Ian Holloway before making the move to Everton in 2017.

Speaking on Quest about the winger, Holloway said: “I gave him his debut as a young man at QPR, unfortunately he played half a game for me and then got sold.

“We got £1.5m for him and his mum and dad needed him to go but he’s only played 35 Championship starts in his career and he’s 23.

“I would pay to watch him myself.”

There’s certainly plenty of excitement surrounding Bowler which may prove to be an obstacle for Forest in their pursuit of the 23-year-old. However, it’s certainly a race worth participating in.

In other news: Imagine him & Johnson: Cooper can unearth a gem in NFFC’s “lovely” rarely-seen 21 y/o

Having joined Celtic in what was a £4.5m deal back in the summer of 2020, the general opinion at Parkhead was that the Bhoys had signed their number one goalkeeper for, at the very least, the length of the 27-year-old’s four-year contract.

Indeed, upon Vasilis Barkas’ arrival in Glasgow, The Athletic’s Celtic correspondent, Kieran Devlin, wrote an article suggesting that the Greece international was the solution to Celtic’s goalkeeping crisis, with the journalist dubbing the shot-stopper “calm, commanding, tall – a complete keeper.”

Devlin was not the only person who appeared convinced of the £20k-per-week man’s ability, with Antonis Oikonomidis stating that Barkas’ best traits are “his flexibility and his calmness.”

The Greek journalist continued: “He’s quick to save with his hands, and knows how to save with his feet, how to catch crosses and corners, how to command his defence. He’s strong, he’s tall [6ft5], he’s a good all-round keeper – a complete keeper.

“But his calmness is his best quality, how stressful the occasion doesn’t matter and he is always very calm. He knows how to handle pressure. He never looks worried even in big games.”

However, after making just 23 appearances in all competitions for Celtic to date, only one of which has come under the management of Ange Postecoglou this season, recent reports have suggested that the Hoops are ready to cut their losses on the shot-stopper, with a January departure looking increasingly likely for the 27-year-old.

It is not difficult to see why Postecoglou is looking to move the £2.52m-rated ‘keeper on, as, over his 15 appearances that came in the Scottish Premiership last season, Barkas made just one save and conceded 0.7 goals on average per fixture – with these returns seeing him earn a seasonal SofaScore rating of just 6.79, ranking him as the club’s joint ninth-worst performer in the league.

And, with summer signing Joe Hart now being Celtic’s undisputed number one, the club’s nightmare regarding Barkas’ signing has only been highlighted further, with it appearing incredibly unlikely that the Hoops will recoup their £4.5m outlay, or even his current Transfermarkt value, upon his potential sale this winter.

However, when taking into account the player who Tam McManus dubbed as “horrendous” has also cost Celtic around £1.4m in wages since his arrival at the club – bringing the total amount of money spent on the shot-stopper to a whopping £5.9m – it would very much appear a good idea to get the 27-year-old’s wages off of the club’s books in January, even if it means giving him away for peanuts.

In other news: Celtic handed major boost ahead of Bayer Leverkusen clash, Postecoglou will be buzzing

Journalist Paul Brown has now dropped some fresh Everton transfer news involving Newcastle United winger Allan Saint-Maximin, claiming a deal for the winger is ‘out of reach’.

The Lowdown: £50m claim

As per The Daily Mail, the Magpies are now willing to listen to offers of around £50m for Saint-Maximin in the summer, as Eddie Howe looks to freshen up his squad ahead of the new season.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/everton-news-4/” title=”Everton news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Goodison Park faithful are reportedly just one of a number of clubs who are interested in his signature, but that is assuming that they manage to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

The Latest: Brown update

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Brown has now claimed that a move for Saint-Maximin to the Merseyside club ‘looks out of reach at the moment’, but admitted that he would have been an ‘ideal’ signing under former manager Rafa Benitez:

“It looks out of reach at the moment. I’ve thought since last summer, when we found out that Rafael Benitez wanted to play quick, counter-attacking football with wingers, that Saint-Maximin was ideal for that kind of role.”

The Verdict: Unlikely

It just seems very unlikely that Saint-Maximin would leave the long-term project at St. James’ Park for a club currently entrenched even further in the relegation dogfight.

He is clearly a key player for the Magpies, having averaged more shots and dribbles per match in the division than any of his teammates, while no Toon player has come close to his six man-of-the-match awards.

Nonetheless, it is very difficult to see the Toffees paying anything close to £50m for the Frenchman anyway, given their financial troubles.

In other news, find out which Ronaldo-like star the Blues are now eyeing here!

Crystal Palace must revive their interest in PSV Eindhoven winger Noni Madueke over the coming months after missing out on him in the previous window.

What’s the story?

The Eagles were one of several Premier League sides heavily linked with a move for the highly-rated 19-year-old in the summer after he enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2020/21.

However, Madueke decided to turn down interest from his homeland and sign a new contract at the Philips Stadion, committing his future to the Eredivisie giants until 2025.

Despite the teenager putting pen to paper on fresh terms with PSV, the Dutch outfit are a selling club, and their prized assets are always available for the right price, meaning Palace would be wise to resurrect their interest in the England U21 international.

Crystal Palace must revive interest

After leaving Tottenham Hotspur back in 2018 in search of regular first-team minutes, Madueke, who is valued at £16.2m, has established himself as one of Dutch football’s most exciting prospects.

The London-born attacker contributed nine goals and eight assists in 32 appearances for them last term, catching the eye of several impressed onlookers, including his former national team manager Aidy Boothroyd.

“He’s certainly a very talented young man, really excited to be called up by the Under 21s, and a little bit like Phil (Foden) last time, nobody had really heard of him until he came and played in the tournament,” said Boothroyd ahead of the European Championships.

“They knew a little bit about him, but that set him off on a trajectory, and we’re hoping Noni can create even more positive attention for the way that they play. He’s got a lovely infectious character that comes out even over the phone.”

And he appears to have elevated his game to new heights this time around. In just 14 appearances for Roger Schmidt’s side, Madueke has bagged six goals and provided one assist, highlighting his incredible potential and ruthlessness in attack.

With Palace’s squad lacking a natural right-winger following the departure of Andros Townsend, chairman Steve Parish must swoop for Madueke over the next couple of transfer windows, providing Patrick Vieira with a balanced attack.

And, in other news…75% duels won, 96 touches: Palace monster shines on the international stage 

Frank McAvennie has now dropped a big claim on the potential takeover of Newcastle United following the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) hearing.

The Lowdown: CAT case underway

The CAT case between the St. James’ Park faithful and the Premier League over the stalled takeover deal with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium got underway on Wednesday morning.

In a revelation cited by The Daily Telegraph, the North East club were threatened with expulsion from the top flight, and their separate arbitration case will now take place on 3rd January.

The Latest: McAvennie on takeover

Speaking to Football Insider, former Celtic and West Ham United striker McAvennie, 61, has claimed that the takeover will go through, as the Premier League have been put under too much pressure:

“Ashley has done everything.

“He gave a price, he got the price, he’s ready to sell. It’s just the Premier League now.

“I’m sure they will get it done now. There is too much pressure on the league now.

“I think the takeover will go through and that will be really exciting for Newcastle fans, they deserve it.

“They have agreed to sell the club, who are the Premier League to interject in that?”

The Verdict: Arbitration key

There is no doubt that the arbitration hearing is now key for the direction of where the takeover is heading.

The top flight certainly seem to be feeling the heat after threatening the Tyneside outfit with expulsion, and so it makes the proceedings next year more interesting.

Nonetheless, the whole takeover saga has been going on for far too long now, and so a swift conclusion is needed for all of the parties involved in the deal, which should come after the arbitration process has finished.

In other news, find out what an inside source has revealed about Steve Bruce’s future here!

An update has emerged on Crystal Palace’s pursuit of Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah.

What’s the talk?

According to the Daily Mail, Palace are set to intensify their talks with Arsenal over a deal for Nketiah.

The report claims Patrick Vieira is looking to bolster his squad before next Tuesday’s transfer deadline and a move for Nketiah is due to pick up pace in the coming days.

Imagine him and Benteke

Vieira could land a dream attacking partnership by signing Nketiah as he could form an excellent relationship with Christian Benteke. They could be the little and large duo at the top end of the pitch to cause opposition defences problems this season, which is why Palace must ensure that they can get a deal over the line for the Gunners forward.

The 6 foot 3 Benteke won an impressive 6.8 aerial battles per game in 30 Premier League appearances for Palace last term. Nketiah, meanwhile, has a career average of 0.4 aerial battles won per game for Arsenal, which suggests that he struggles with holding the ball up and winning flick-ons for his teammates.

This means that Nketiah may not be the ideal option for Vieira when playing with one striker on the pitch. However, playing him alongside Benteke could create the perfect foil for the attack, with the Belgian striker able to provide the out ball by holding off defenders and allowing Nketiah to use his movement and pace to get in behind or pick up the ball in pockets of space.

The English forward scored five goals in ten starts for Arsenal last season in the Premier League and Europa League, which suggests that he has the quality to score goals at the top level if given the minutes. In 2020, Mikel Arteta hailed Nketiah’s personality as ‘immense’ and said that he is continuing to develop as a player. He said:

“I want him to keep doing what he’s doing. The way he played last night against those players, in those difficult conditions, for me is extraordinary at his age.

“He has an immense personality to play, confidence, he’s powerful and is developing in every area, I think. I have a lot of faith in him.”

This shows that Nketiah also has the potential to improve further, which is another reason why Palace must sanction this deal. They could be getting a player who could work well alongside Benteke, whilst also making an investment on a talent who could grow and become more valuable in the future.

AND in other news, The Athletic drop big CPFC transfer claim that will leave Vieira over the moon… 

Rangers have enjoyed a sublime start to life with Giovanni van Bronckhorst in Glasgow after two wins from two since his official arrival at Ibrox.

The Gers have beaten Sparta Prague, in the Europa League group stage, and Livingston, in the Premiership, and are now looking to make it three wins in a row.

They face up against Hibernian, who they recently lost to in the semi-final of the League Cup, in the league as they look to build on their 3-1 win at the weekend.

How many changes will he make to the team? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make three alterations to the side, with John Lundstram, Fashion Sakala and Scott Wright coming in.

With a busy festive schedule set to hit the Gers in the coming weeks, van Bronckhorst may need to make changes to his side based on more than just individual performances from week to week. He may need to offer minutes to players to keep them fresh and rest others to avoid burnout.

The first change we are predicting is John Lundstram coming in for Glen Kamara, with the back four and goalkeeper staying the same. Per SofaScore, the Finland international was dribbled past twice and lost six of his 11 duels against Livingston, which could open the door for the ex-Sheffield United man to step in and have his chance to shine.

FFC published an article explaining why Ryan Kent should be axed from the team, after back-to-back disappointing displays under the Dutchman’s reign. Sakala replaced him off the bench against Livingston and scored the third goal for the Gers with a composed header, which could see the £8.3k-per-week Zambian start on the left of the attacking four tonight with the ex-Liverpool man cut from the XI.

Finally, Wright could start out wide on the right ahead of Ianis Hagi. With a busy schedule coming up, van Bronckhorst could keep the Romanian winger fully fit by resting him for this clash, whilst also offering Wright an opportunity to come in and show that he is deserving of more minutes in the coming weeks and months for the Gers.

The 24-year-old has one goal and an average of 1.3 chances created per game despite only starting three games in the Premiership this term. This suggests that the potential is there for him to be a threat in the final third, but he needs to go and show that he can do it on a consistent basis – starting with Hibs.

AND in other news, GVB must brutally axe £18k-p/w Rangers “wizard” vs Hibernian, he’s been a passenger…

A number of Liverpool fans are delighted with the sight of Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk battling alongside one another in training.

The Reds continue to work hard on their preparations for the new Premier League season, with players steadily returning from their summer holidays.

Jurgen Klopp’s side face Hertha Berlin in a friendly in Austria on Thursday night, which is another great opportunity to find more fitness and rhythm.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359326”]

Someone who could feature against the Bundesliga side is Van Dijk, who hasn’t played in a match since suffering cruciate ligament damage last October.

On Tuesday, a photo emerged [via Anfield Watch on Twitter] showing the Dutchman tussling with Salah in training, with the two looking competitive alongside one another and no signs of van Dijk being less than 100 per cent.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/the-latest-liverpool-transfer-news-9/” title=”The latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

Liverpool fans love Salah and Van Dijk photo

These Liverpool fans took to Twitter to show their love for the image, with it proving how much progress Van Dijk has made in his injury recovery.

“EPL IS NOT READY”

Credit: @Oteng_18

“What a pic!”

Credit: @kunlennon

“Eeeeeeeesh”

Credit: @BlakeDayne

“It’s about to be scary, not for us tho”

Credit: @KhumaloMphe

“Two best players in the premier league!”

Credit: @shimandhi

“Just seeing him run again makes me incredibly happy”

Credit: @FabianCrusoe1

In other news, some Liverpool fans are unhappy with an update regarding one Reds player. Find out who it is here.