Newcastle United head into the summer with the usual questions surrounding the club in relation to their manager and any potential summer signings.

Rafa Benitez once again did a superb job to see the Magpies avoid any relegation threat in the Premier League, and he deserves the backing this summer to try and progress the club further forward.

However, key to Benitez being able to move forward will also be keeping hold of some of the club’s top talents, and that includes midfielder Sean Longstaff, who was a revelation late in the season before picking up an injury which curtailed his progress.

Longstaff though has done enough in that time to attract glance from some of the top clubs, including Manchester United, with Newcastle reportedly looking to offer the midfielder a new deal to keep him out of the Old Trafford club’s clutches.

Here in the Tavern though we feel that Longstaff would be silly to turn down a move to United at this stage of his career, with opportunities to join such a world renowned club not something which comes around a lot.

At a time when United are set to undergo something of a revolution in terms of the signings they make and the way the club moves forward, Longstaff could well prove to be an integral long-term cog in the plans of manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Under a first-team coach like Michael Carrick at United, he could learn from one of the very best in that position in terms of the history of the Premier League.

While staying at his boyhood club will obviously tie him to Newcastle and influence his decision, there has to be an element within Longstaff that wants to test himself at the highest level, and that highest level is at a club like Manchester United.

أكد ليوناردو بونوتشي مدافع يوفنتوس الإيطالي أنه سيكون من الصعب تسجيل ثلاثة أهداف أمام برشلونة في المباراة الأخيرة بمباريات دور المجموعات، لصدارة المجموعة.

وتأهل يوفنتوس وبرشلونة لدور الـ16 بالفعل، ويتصدر البارسا المجموعة، وفي حال فوز البيانكونيري بثلاثة أهداف نظيفة سيتصدر.

وتحدث بونوتشي عقب فوز اليوفي امام دينامو كييف الأوكراني بثلاثية دون رد، في تصريحات لموقع اليويفا، وقال: “لعبنا مباراة جيدة، أردنا الفوز من أجل السفر إلى برشلونة من أجل مباراة رائعة وذات مغزى”.

وأاف: “الانتصارات مهمة أيضًا للثقة بالنفس، نحن بحاجة إلى الاستمرار في هذا الطريق والإيمان بالشباب الذين يواصلون النمو هنا”.

وواصل بونوتشي: “من الواضح أننا ندرك أنه لن يكون من السهل تسجيل ثلاثة أهداف ضد برشلونة، لكننا نذهب إلى هناك لنلعب مباراة رائعة، تساعد هذه المباريات على اكتساب خبرة حاسمة في طريقنا للتطور كفريق”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. بيرلو عن مواجهة برشلونة: كانت الأسهل لي كلاعب.. وعلينا التركيز على الديربي أولاً

وأكد: “نعلم جميعًا أنه ما زال يتعين علينا النمو ولكن هناك هامش كبير للتحسين، وصلنا إلى الهدف الأول للموسم وهو التأهل لمرحلة خروج المغلوب، الآن يمكننا الذهاب إلى برشلونة دون الكثير من الضغط ومحاولة لعب مباراة رائعة هناك”.

وعن وصول كريستيانو رونالدو للهدف رقم 750 في مسيرته استطرد بونوتشي: “لم نجهز أي شيء مميز للاحتفال بهدف رونالدو رقم 750 في مسيرته، ربما سيفعل شيئًا مميزًا لنا بدلاً من ذلك، أنا أمزح!”.

وأتم قائد البيانكونيري: “إنه لمن دواعي سروري أن نحتفل بكل أرقامه القياسية، سعيد لكوني جزءً من مسيرة كريستيانو الكروية الرائعة”.

There’s nothing quite like poaching another team’s superstar to kickstart your day. I bet Daniel Levy has been thinking the same thing while going through his morning papers with a cup of black coffee on the side. And then it hit him: Marco Asensio. We all know good ol’ Levy rarely breaks the bank but when he wants something done – it gets done, and if the reports coming from El Chiringuito TV are true, Spurs are coming for Asensio. Hold onto your seatbelts ’cause this is a big one.

Asensio is one of those players that was destined to have it all. And surely it seemed like that at the very start of his career already: unimaginable talent, brilliant left foot, likened to Messi at 21 and making a name for himself at Real Madrid of all places. You cannot really dream of a better start than that one. But, as it so often does, things started stagnating and slowly falling off for the Spanish protegee. It’s still not certain whether it was the club, the system, the coach or something else, but it’s starting to look more apparent each and every day – Asensio is being wasted in the Spanish capital.

In come Spurs – a team on the rise with an outstanding coach at their helm and a season crowned with Europan success, regardless of the outcome of the Champions League final against Liverpool. In so many ways, Spurs need Asensio as much as Asensio needs Spurs. He would undoubtedly be a statement signing, a big-money prospect for the future with enough pedigree already on his back. But most importantly, he would soften the blow of potential departures, namely potentially Christian Eriksen’s, and could slot right into that vacant spot and the number 10 role.

Even if the Danish international stays at Tottenham, seeing how the club’s newfound ambition and project might tempt him to, Asensio would be the ideal player to give Spurs’ superstar a run for his money. You can never have enough of competition within your squad and this young gem would bring that and much more.

In so many ways, he is already a proven investment despite his age and current team status. We saw him shine numerous times before and all those superlatives were not thrown at him without reason. Mauricio Pochettino is well aware of that and he knows Asensio brings about that immediate improvement he seeks but also certain banking on the future. It’s a win-win scenario but the only thing potentially undermining it is Los Blancos, who might persist in pointing out that Asensio has a €700m release clause (roughly £616m) regardless of his £72.00m estimated value by Transfermarkt.

Still, we wouldn’t really bet against Daniel Levy in any transfer fight and I’m sure that Florentino Perez will be happy to listen to his offers, considering the fact Madrid have a big rebuild of their own to fund. After all, there are ways they can both help each other and come out as winners.

Spurs fans, on a scale to 1-10, how excited are you about the Asensio rumours? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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Tottenham Hotspur “definitely want” Tanguy Ndombele but they could be priced out of a move for the Lyon midfielder, per Sky Sports journalist Lyall Thomas via the Last Word on Spurs podcast.

What’s he said?

Ndombele has emerged as an elite central midfielder during his time at the Ligue 1 outfit.

The France international has made a total of 96 appearances for the club and has been touted as a £70m player by reports in the English media.

Thomas, who primarily covers Spurs, has confirmed that the club are interested but that they risk seeing his asking price rise beyond their means.

He said: “They definitely want him. The interest has been there for a while, I think it was 18 months ago or more that I put out a story saying they were tracking him and they’ve been doing that ever since.

“The problem for Spurs is how much he’s going to cost. He’s obviously going to fetch a very, very high price because he’s gone from an emerging talent to someone who’s performed at a really high standard for Lyon over two seasons now.”

Spurs are not close to securing a deal for the midfielder, however, and Thomas believes that Manchester City could have a major say over the player’s future.

He added: “While that City interest is there, that’s obviously going to be attractive to the player. He’s one of City’s three targets for that position.

“The Atletico Madrid one, Rodri, is their top target and Marcos Llorente is the other one, at Real Madrid. I think that will have a bearing on what happens with Ndombele.”

Flex their muscles

If Spurs can secure Ndombele’s signature, this would be a coup of epic proportions.

The club have not managed to bring in a player of such magnitude since the signing of Rafael van der Vaart from Real Madrid nearly a decade ago and that deal only happened because nobody else was interested.

Beating the likes of City to the 22-year-old would prove that Spurs belong at the top table of European football, with the players to boot.

Spurs have been looking for a replacement to Mousa Dembele since his departure in January but Ndombele is more than just an excellent midfield player.

He could be a beacon of hope and the player that takes the club through the glass ceiling that they have been butting against for so long.

Regardless of the price, this is the deal that Spurs desperately need to do.

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Per The Daily Star, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Southampton are involved in a six-way race to land exciting young Liverpool attacker Harry Wilson, who is ready to leave Anfield after a thrilling season of first-team football at Derby County.

The attacking midfielder couldn’t quite fire his side to the Premier League but featured for the Rams in last Monday’s playoff final, an eventual 2-1 loss to Aston Villa.

Throughout the season, the 22-year-old bagged 16 goals and four assists in 43 Championship appearances, building upon the previous term’s impressive haul of ten goal involvements from 13 games during a short stint with Hull City in the same division.

The Saints will battle it out with Premier League rivals Crystal Palace, Newcastle United and Brighton & Hove Albion and Hertha Berlin and Eintracht Frankfurt from the Bundesliga for the signature of the young Championship sensation.

But what do Football FanCast’s writers think of Southampton’s chase? Four of them share their thoughts below…

Ben Goodwin

“When you consider some of the fees that have been tossed around by Premier League sides in recent years, £25m for a 22 year-old with 20 goal involvements in 40 Championship starts this season is an absolute no-brainer. Ralph Hasenhuttl has turned Nathan Redmond, an exciting wide man with poor end product, into a new and improved, more clinical player. Just imagine what he’d do with Wilson, who already has the end product and is just missing the chance to put it all together consistently at the top level.”

Billy Meyers

“If he becomes a realistic target for the Saints, then a swoop for Wilson wouldn’t be a bad move. However, it definitely shouldn’t be a priority signing. A goalscorer and a real colossus at centre-back is what Hasenhuttl’s side need, not wasting £25m on an unproven youngster.”

Southampton fans may love Ralph Hasenhuttl but do the owners? Check out the video below…

James Beavis

“You only need to take a quick look at Redmond’s development this season to see the merits of Wilson moving to Southampton. Hasenhuttl is clearly a brilliant coach and there’s no doubt he could turn the Liverpool academy product into another Redmond success story. He’s blessed with all the attributes needed to thrive at the top level and with the right guidance he could be a valuable weapon for the Saints.”

Christy Malyan

“I’m surprised Liverpool aren’t intent on keeping Wilson. He’s still got much to add to his game but his record in the Championship speaks for itself and surely the next stage for Jurgen Klopp’s team is to start integrating more academy talents. With that in mind, he’d be a fantastic investment for Southampton, especially under the guidance of Hasenhuttl. Many have made the Redmond comparison already but I see Wilson almost as another James Ward-Prowse – someone the Saints boss can encourage a steely tenacity in to match the obvious flair and technical ability.”

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Conor Coventry could be the latest West Ham United academy graduate, perhaps destined to follow in the footsteps of Declan Rice.

The Republic of Ireland youth international is just 19 but it already showing all of the signs that he could make a first-team breakthrough sooner rather than later.

He is currently the captain of the club’s Under-23 team, having made 36 appearances for them, and has been capped at Under-17, Under-18, Under-19 and Under-21 level by his country.

Coventry has already made his senior debut for the club, playing in the 8-0 EFL Cup thumping of Macclesfield Town in 2018.

Pellegrini clearly trusts him and has given him a taste of life in the first-team, as he has been on the bench a total of four times in the Premier League.

An excellent defensive midfielder with the ability to move the ball well, while also boasting the stamina to go box-to-box, his talent has long been evident.

He made his debut in the Premier League Division 2 in 2015/16, when he was just 15.

Coventry is currently with Ireland’s U21 team in the Toulon Tournament and has helped them qualify for the semi-finals, coming on as a substitute in the recent 1-0 win over Bahrain.

There is perhaps a gap opening up too. West Ham only have Rice, Carlos Sanchez and Pedro Obiang to call upon in defensive midfield and bringing Coventry through makes sense. Rice, who Coventry will hope to emulate, is the only Premier League quality player in that trio.

He’s still a teenager, of course, and there is the likelihood that he could potentially be sent out on loan.

But promoting him to the first-team, where he can learn from Rice, now an England international, and Mark Noble, a fantastic servant to the club who is hero-worshipped by the fans, will give him the required ingredients to grow and improve as a player.

He is far from the finished article, of course, but his talents are there for all at the Irons to see.

If he is exposed to the first-team, he will be in the starting XI soon enough.

أعلن المدرب الهولندي، رونالدو كومان، المدير الفني لنادي برشلونة، قائمة فريقه المُستدعاة لخوض مباراة قادش في الدوري الإسباني.

برشلونة يحل ضيفًا على قادش مساء غدًا السبت، على ملعب “رامون دي كارنازا”، ضمن لقاءات الجولة الثانية عشر من الليجا.

وشهدت قائمة النادي الكتالوني، تواجد مدافع الفريق الأوروجواياني، رونالد أراخو  بعد تعافيه من الإصابة، حيث تسلم التصريح الطبي اللازم للمشاركة في المباراة.

كما عاد الدولي الأرجنتيني ليونيل ميسي، وصانع الألعاب البرازيلي فيليب كوتينيو، إلى جانب حارس المرمى الألماني، مارك أندريه تير شتيجن، بعدما قرر كومان استبعداهم في مباراة فيرينكفاروس الماضية بدوري الأبطال للراحة.

بينما استمر غياب الفرنسي، صامويل أومتيتي، رغم مشاركته في تدريبات اليوم الجمعة، كما يغيب كل من جيرارد بيكيه، وسيرجى روبروتو، أنسو فاتي بسبب الإصابة. قائمة برشلونة لمباراة قادش فى الدورى الاسبانى

حراسة المرمى: نيتو، تير شتيجن.

خط الدفاع: ديست، رونالد أراخو، أوسكار مينجويزا جارسيا، لينجليت، فيربو، جوردي ألبا.

خط الوسط: بوسكيتس، ألينيا، بيانيتش، بويج، كوتينيو، روبيرتو، دي يونج.

خط الهجوم: جريزمان، ميسي، ديمبلي، برايثوايت، بيدري، ترينكاو

[ad_pod ]ExWHUemployee recently claimed that Robert Snodgrass could return to Leeds United ahead of the 2019-20 campaign.Indeed, the West Ham United insider spoke on The West Ham Way podcast on Thursday where the future of Snodgrass was addressed.However, a number of the London club’s fans are desperate for the midfielder to stay with the Hammers in this summer’s transfer window.Snodgrass spent the 2017-18 campaign on loan at Aston Villa before returning to West Ham last summer.The Scotland international scored four times and contributed nine assists in 38 appearances for Manuel Pellegrini’s side last term.And a whole host of West Ham fans have taken to social media to call for their club to keep hold of the 31-year-old ahead of the 2019-20 campaign.Watch West Ham United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Snodgrass will see his contract at the London Stadium expire next summer, though, and this might well be a good chance to cash in on the attacker.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Tottenham Hotspur face a couple of selection headaches ahead of the Champions League final.

Mauricio Pochettino’s rag-tag group of players, so affected by injuries throughout the season, have travelled to Madrid and many have question marks hanging over them.

Harry Kane, of course, is the headline; he sustained ligament damage against Manchester City in the first leg of the quarter-final and it is not clear if he will be selected to play from the start. If he does play, surely one of the club’s attacking players will have to drop out; one of Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, Son Heung-Min and Lucas Moura are likely to be on the bench.

Harry Winks, too, has travelled with the squad but he has not played since March and it remains to be seen if he will be trusted from the outset.

There is also the issue with the defence; should Spurs yet again attempt to field five-at-the-back in an hope of stifling Liverpool’s attacking threat or should they revert to the four-at-the-back that has proved so successful throughout the campaign?

Football FanCast takes a look at two potential XIs below.

Plan A

This is a bold selection, not least because Eriksen is on the bench, but it is perhaps Spurs’ best chance at balancing both defensive solidity and proper attacking power.

If Kane is fit, and we have to make this clear, that remains a big if, he has to start. He’s Harry Kane. It’s the Champions League final.

Unfortunately, that means someone has to drop out – neither Eriksen nor Alli are truly capable of playing in a two-man midfield and allying Winks with Sissoko, again assuming the Englishman is fit, gives Spurs a double pivot that has proved remarkably successful in the past.

Lucas scored a hat-trick against Ajax in the semi-finals and it would be something approaching sacrilege to drop him like a stone, while Son is perhaps the club’s best attacking player aside from Kane.

Alli, too, has shown signs of getting back to his former self and playing him behind his England team-mate will allow him the time to thrive.

Eriksen, then, is the main casualty but he was poor in Amsterdam and has been in something of a dip in form; if it was purely based on that, he would be the one to miss out.

Plan B

There is the possibility that Kane won’t start and neither will Winks.

That, surely, needs to lead to the 4-2-3-1 formation listed above.

There is a temptation to play with five in the defence and draft in Sanchez but he has a mistake in him and to do that would be to limit Spurs’ attacking thrust.

If Kane is out, the best course of action is to start Lucas up front, with Son on the left and Eriksen drifting in off the right.

Alli retains his position in the No.10 role, but Eric Dier is drafted into midfield; he is a more mobile option than Victor Wanyama and, while he is very much a back-up, starting him would free up Sissoko and allow him to maraud forward as he loves to do.

Pochettino, though, will be hoping he can call on both of his Harrys, as the club look to win the Champions League for the first time in their history.

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After gaining promotion to the Premier League on Monday it appears as though Aston Villa are wasting no time in their pursuit of possible transfers.

The Daily Mail have reported that Villa are expected to bid £10m for Nottingham Forest’s Joe Lolley. The winger was in tremendous form this term and he could now be about to move back to the Premier League following his spell with Huddersfield previously.

After seeing the report, supporters of Villa took to Twitter to discuss his possible arrival and many were in agreement that he’d be a good signing.

One fan said they’d cry if they signed Lolley, claiming he deserved it. Another referenced the fact that they couldn’t rely on John McGinn and Jack Grealish again so the 26-year-old would be an ideal addition.

A further supporter suggested the club could be aiming higher in the market but claimed it was good to see Villa looking to sign fans of the club.

Lolley was Forest’s star man this season as he quickly became one of the most dangerous players in the Championship. As well as finding the net 11 times in the league, he also laid on 11 assists for his teammates including four in the thrilling 5-5 draw at Villa Park in November.

Here’s the best of the debate.