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Should I stay or should I go?

That’s a question Rafa Benitez must be heavily pondering about right now after watching his Newcastle United side fall to back-to-back defeats in the Premier League.

The Spaniard’s done everything he can to save the Magpies from relegation and take them as far as possible. In order to extend his stay as their manager, he’s outlined some financial demands (quotes sourced by the Daily Express last week) to Mike Ashley for the summer transfer window.

Clearly, this is a story with so much still left in it but, as a Toon fan reading this, are you confident in the Sports Direct mogul? Probably not.

While Benitez’s departure would be truly gutting, sudden rumours of a club takeover can change it. Indeed, according to Dave Kitson (yes, we know) speaking on talkSPORT via the Chronicle, there are talks going on about Ashley selling the club before the end of the season. Apparently (well in Kitson’s world), the deal is close to being finalized and new owners can usher into St. James Park as soon as next month.

This would be news which will definitely gain Benitez’s attention. While Ashley might not curb to his demands, new ambitious owners should allow a squad overhaul, as unlikely as the claims might currently be. With new owners comes a flow of big money in the summer, which can allow the Spaniard to sign some big players to get the Magpies firing on all cylinders.

Perhaps it’s all a publicity stunt. We’ve certainly been here before with Team Ashley but even the mere talk of it surely makes any decision on his future a difficult personal one for Benitez. It’s the hope that kills you, after all.

If any owners are ambitious enough, they’ll definitely work alongside Benitez and allow him to make the team according to his vision. Benitez will definitely relish life at Newcastle if given complete authority over how to run things. Indeed, Tyneside would be such a buzzing hotbed of football again, surely even neutral supporters would want to see it happen.

If his demands are met, Newcastle fans can surely expect their world-class manager to remain for a long time.

Newcastle fans, are you excited by chances of a potential takeover? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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Liverpool returned to the top of the Premier League table with a 2-0 win over Chelsea at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.

And it would be fair to say that the Merseyside club’s fans were pleased with the performance of right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, valued at £45 million by Transfermarkt.

According to WhoScored, the 20-year-old made three tackles, had two shots and boasted a pass success rate of 75%.

The Englishman is far from the finished package, but the signs are that he will go on to become one of the best right-backs in the league, if he is not already.

Liverpool have talent all over the park, but the performances of full-backs Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson have been special throughout the campaign.

Are the media letting Jurgen Klopp off lightly for his lack of silverware? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

The club’s official Twitter account paid tribute to Alexander-Arnold following the win over Maurizio Sarri’s side.

And that led to a number of the supporters lavishing praise on the 5 ft 9 ace – a selection of which can be seen below:

A slightly worrisome defensive crisis looms large for Celtic this summer.

While they might be primed to win the treble this season, they’ll have to work hard onto reshaping their squad next season because of all the outgoing stars after May.

Indeed, more than three defenders can end up leaving Parkhead after the season. Dedryck Boyata, Mikael Lustig and Filip Benkovic (at the end of his loan) are almost certain to leave, meaning the Hoops will lose three experienced defenders. For those behind the scenes in Glasgow, replacing all three is bound to be an expensive affair.

With that in mind, Celtic have an opportunity to play it smart and they’re aiming that by tracking Middlesbrough’s Dael Fry, according to TEAMtalk.

Indeed, the defender is valued at £4.5 million (by Transfermarkt), so Peter Lawwell will need to get his wallet out.

The Scottish Champions want to sign the versatile 21-year-old from the Championship side after watching his excellent work in multiple positions. He’s been a key cog for Tony Pulis’ side this season, helping them keep 13 clean-sheets this season. Fry’s also averaged 4.8 clearances per game and 1 tackle per game(stats via WhoScored), but his four assists prove his effectiveness going forward.

While naturally a centre-half, he’s also capable of playing right-back or left-back if necessary. Not only can Celtic gain a long-term successor to Lustig at right-back, but his commanding work through the centre means he can also operate as Boyata’s replacement.

The Hoops need some versatility to add more options to their depleting squad. For them, the multi-talented 21-year-old’s the perfect man for their future. Fry’s got many tricks under his sleeve, something Celtic can benefit from to keep their commendable defensive record intact next season.

Celtic fans, would you be pleased with Fry’s potential signing? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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It has been reported that Ander Herrera has agreed a contract with Paris Saint-Germain ahead of a summer move to the French champions.

The Spanish international’s contract at Old Trafford is up at the end of the season, and the Red Devils have struggled to tie him down to fresh terms due to Herrera’s wage demands – the midfielder has been asking for a rise from his current £80,000-a-week deal to a salary of £200,000-a-week.

However, whilst it is debatable whether or not a 29-year-old approaching his thirties is worth being amongst the club’s top earners, one thing is for certain; there isn’t a player like Herrera at United, and he will be sorely missed based on his performance against Chelsea on Sunday.

Who would win out of Man Utd’s treble winners and Man City today? Fans discuss in the video below…

The former Athletic Bilbao man made Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men look a completely different side to the one that had won just two out of their last seven prior to their meeting with the Blues.

Herrera made three tackles, whilst also committing four fouls along the way, but it is that bite and tenacity in the middle of the park that United have sorely missed in his recent absence.

He gives the attackers confidence as they know there’s a solid base behind them, whilst he gives the defenders that extra bit of belief as a result of the protection he gives them – he is arguably the glue that keeps the team together.

Admittedly, United still looked fairly lost after Marcos Alonso netted an equaliser, but they seemed a far more comfortable unit with Herrera sat in midfield.

His demands are representative of the crumbling wage structure at the club, ignited by placing the ineffective, out of favour Alexis Sanchez on a salary of £350,000-a-week potentially rising to £500,000-a-week with on bonuses.

But, even though the club should not bow down to his demands, they must ensure they replace him immediately, or United should prepare themselves for a turbulent start to next season.

To cry or not to cry: Paul Pogba wants out of Manchester United with Real Madrid circling.

Midfield maestro Paul Pogba is looking for a way out of Manchester United this summer and is “very keen” on forcing a move to Real Madrid, as per the Independent.

The World Cup winner has been the centre of just about everything toxic at the club this season, having already successfully mutinied against former manager Jose Mourinho, and sources now say that he is desperate to leave himself.

Perhaps understandably the player is concerned with United’s inability to challenge for the league, which looks a long, long way away considering Manchester City’s and Liverpool’s dominance and the Red Devil’s failure to produce performances anywhere near the necessary level.

One of the reasons he joined back in 2016 is that he felt they could be on the brink of a challenge, and in a way, they were under Mourinho – for a bit anyway. But things have unravelled very, very quickly and the 26-year-old does not want to spend his prime years waiting.

It is said that a bid of over £130million could be enough to tempt United into selling and we are sure, given his recent behaviour, United fans would snap up the opportunity to flog him at that price.

Pogba is a world-class player, yes – only a fool would deny that. But his work ethic stinks. People might defend him for being surrounded by utter tripe, and to some extent that is true – he would look infinitely better surrounded by more capable players. However, it is hard to ignore just how little he is willing to give to the badge when the going gets tough.

Why would anyone want to keep a player who isn’t grateful playing for the biggest club in the world? He is literally laughing at the fans who kiss his boots and defend him.

Time to wave goodbye and feed him to the hostile fans of Real Madrid. There are more fish in the sea, as they say.

United fans, is this really the end for Paul Pogba? Join the discussion by commenting below…

[ad_pod ]NBC commentator Arlo White was very impressed with Leicester City against Manchester City at the Etihad on Monday.

Leicester were brilliant but were denied a well-earned point by a stupendous Vincent Kompany strike that moved Pep Guardiola’s men a step closer to another Premier League title.

The Foxes however created all sorts of problems for the Cityzens and also defended like they were fighting relegation, rather than cruising in mid-table – the sign of a team who are committed to their manager and what he is trying to do.

Brendan Rodgers has not had the job long but he already seems to have made an impact on this Leicester side, they have picked up 19 points since he has arrived whilst Jamie Vardy is a man reborn after scoring ten times.

White is correct to be positive about the future as the east Midlands outfit has some superb young players like James Maddison and Harvey Barnes. With Rodgers in charge playing expansive, entertaining football and with a decent budget for the summer, could they be the team to break into the top six?

Even if they don’t manage to do that, one or both of the cup competitions next season could be really attacked and the Foxes would stand a very good chance of picking up some silverware.

With Eden Hazard edging closer to the Chelsea exit door (Sky Sports), the west London club will now intensify their search for a replacement.

And should their transfer ban be frozen, according to Goal, the Blues could turn to Barcelona’s Philippe Coutinho in their quest to find a successor to the Belgian.

If Chelsea are looking for a like-for-like replacement for Hazard, then Coutinho is not it. And given how disappointing he has been at the Camp Nou, you can understand any reservations some supporters may have.

That being said, £90m-rated Coutinho (Transfermarkt) is still too good of a player for Chelsea to turn down.

In attack, this is a Blues side that is not blessed with quality. Willian and Pedro are well past their best, while the club have not quite fixed their No.9 problem yet.

Based on that, Chelsea would be crazy to reject the chance to sign the 26-year-old.

Considering Barcelona bought him from Liverpool for £142m (BBC Sport), it will not be a cheap transfer.

But a player with his skill set, someone who can dribble, pass and shoot, is exactly what this Chelsea team needs.

Too often this campaign, the Blues’ decision-making and execution in the final third have not been good enough.

Wrong pass after wrong pass and terrible shot after terrible shot. With Hazard gone, that is only going to get worse, making signing someone such as Coutinho imperative.

Chelsea fans, do you want your club to sign Coutinho in the summer? Join the discussion by commenting below.

The play-offs are a very unforgiving competition, aren’t they?

Having achieved a third-place finish in the Championship under Marcelo Bielsa in the regular season, the Whites looked almost certain to book their place at Wembley Stadium on May 27th after winning the first leg of their semi-final against Derby County 1-0 last Saturday.

Yet the Rams had other ideas.

Boosted by the news that Kemar Roofe would be absent from the return clash at Elland Road, Frank Lampard’s side took the game to their opponents last night by deploying an attacking formation that ultimately paid dividends.

Although Stuart Dallas managed to fire in a fantastic brace for Leeds, a double from Jack Marriot combined with goals from Mason Mount and Harry Wilson secured a famous 4-2 victory for Derby who are now just 90 minutes away from the Premier League.

Whereas the East Midlands-based outfit’s key players stepped to the mark in their biggest match of the season to date, the same cannot be said for Patrick Bamford.

Brought in as a replacement for Roofe, the forward had the chance to justify why the Whites splashed out £7.11m (via Transfermarkt) to bring him to Elland Road from Middlesbrough last summer.

Yet with the pressure to deliver proving too much for Bamford, he produced a shocking performance against Derby in which he offered very little up-front for his side.

Already on thin ice with Bielsa after picking up a two-game ban for deceiving an official in Leeds’ 1-1 draw against Aston Villa last month, the fact that the 25-year-old was booked for diving by Anthony Taylor during Wednesday’s clash suggests that he hasn’t learned his lesson at all.

With Bamford’s lack of discipline costing the Whites in recent weeks, it may be time for the club to consider cutting ties with the forward if they are to bounce back next season.

Having only managed to fire in a measly total of nine goals in the Championship during the 2018/19 campaign, it is obvious that the former Chelsea ace is simply not good enough to lead a club to promotion with his latest failure being the fourth time he has failed in the play-offs in his career.

If Bielsa can offload him in the summer, the Argentine could use the money gained from a sale to make some much-needed improvements to his squad.

What do you think Leeds fans? Would you be happy to see Bamford leave Elland Road following his recent antics? Can your side bounce back from their play-off heartbreak in the 2019/20 campaign? Let us know below.

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According to The Evening Standard, Manchester United are readying a £25m offer for Aaron Wan-Bissaka, with the impressive Crystal Palace man surely seen as Antonio Valencia’s successor at Old Trafford.

Eagles fans will rightly turn their noses up at such an offer, with the combative number 29’s actual valuation surely closer to double that figure – while there’s nothing too much to worry about right now, then, this approach from the Red Devils suggests that this saga could torment the Selhurst Park faithful all summer long.

What’s the word?

Well, The Evening Standard reports that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has made the 21-year-old his number one right-back target this summer, with the aforementioned Valencia departing, and has instructed Ed Woodward to test the waters with a first offer.

Steve Parish and the Palace bigwigs are expected to demand at least £50m for the highly-rated Englishman who only broke through to the first team in February 2018, meaning that the reported £25m bid is certain to be rejected, although unfortunately that doesn’t mean this book closes.

United’s lowball offer means that they can slowly climb towards Palace’s asking price of £50m over the course of the summer, which is likely what they’ll do considering how highly Solskjaer rates the Croydon-born starlet.

A long summer for Palace fans

A successful window for the Selhurst Park outfit would constitute keeping hold of their main stars: Wan-Bissaka and Wilfried Zaha. In fact, if you asked most Palace fans, they would probably tell you that they’d rather keep the aforementioned duo than lose them both and spend £100m-plus on new faces in the coming months.

Has this guy found the worst stadium in English football? Decide for yourself by watching the video below…

United won’t call it quits once their £25m offer is inevitably scoffed at and will surely be on the phone every other week with a new, fractionally-improved bid until they finally get their man or Palace say enough is enough, meaning that the SE25 faithful should start sweating over the star’s future now. This one will likely roll on until the window slams shut on 8th August.

On a scale of one to Nuri Sahin, how wrong can one loan move go?

‘How flipping wrong can this go?’ – This is a question we often find ourselves asking when the next flopped attempt at short-term glory steps in and out of our favourite club like a bare body testing a boiling hot bath. Well, ask Liverpool fans and they will give you a pretty comprehensive account.

Once one of the brightest prospects in world football and forged in the talent producing powerhouse that is Borussia Dortmund, Turkey international Nuri Sahin was kicking a ball around for the iconic Real Madrid when Liverpool came knocking back in 2012. He wasn’t the quickest of players, but what he lacked in pace he more than made up for in technical ability. Sahin could pick a pass from any range and deliver it with such efficiency and effectiveness that it was rumoured UPS were going sack off couriers and recruit him to volley parcels to their customers’ doorsteps.

Oh boy, did they think they had a player. The midfield “maestro” (in the loosest possible sense) started off his spell with the Reds in emphatic style, scoring one and assisting two in his second start against the mighty Norwich City. Surely the sky was the limit. It had to be.

Alas, sadly this was not the case.

Indeed, it seems the unprecedented highs of clipping the canaries wings was just about as good as it got for Sahin, who went on to contribute a paltry zero Premier League goals and assists in the remaining five fixtures before being unceremoniously disposed of in January, months before the expected return date.

One of the worst ever? We think so.

Liverpool fans, how shocking was Sahin? Was he a victim of time? Would he perform in your current squad? Let us know in the comments below…