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Mark Douglas has dropped an inside claim from sources from the potential takeover of Newcastle United regarding Mike Ashley.

Writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, the journalist has claimed that takeover sources have indicated that there would have to be a readiness from the chief executive of Sports Direct to lower his original asking price, or at least structure a deal, in a way which takes into account the big financial hit the club would take if they were to find themselves relegated from the Premier League at the end of this season.

The Tynesiders are now under serious threat of going down after an embarrassing 3-0 loss at the hands of relegation rivals Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday night, meaning that they currently sit a mere two points outside of the drop zone in the league table after 29 games played (BBC Sport).

Is potential Newcastle takeover off if relegated?

One would seriously have to question whether the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) would consider coming back onto the table if Newcastle found themselves in the Championship.

The Magpies would certainly become a less attractive project in that scenario, and there is a question mark left on how much money Ashley would be willing to sell them for.

Nonetheless, Newcastle will now be prioritising staying up and then deal with any further takeover talk at the end of the season.

In other news, find out what big claim has been dropped on Rafa Benitez and the takeover consortium!

Many Manchester United fans were left to slam the display of Dan James despite their 1-0 win in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday night.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team had it all to do in the second leg after only managing a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford in the first, but Paul Pogba came up trumps just a couple of minutes after coming on for Marcus Rashford to give his side the win and thus put them safely through into the quarter-final stage.

However, although there were some very good performances in a Red Devils shirt, James flattered to deceive several MUFC supporters.

The former Swansea City man lost out on six of his duels and also failed to record a single shot on target or long ball, while losing possession on no fewer than on 14 separate occasions, the third-most out of any of his teammates to have set foot on the pitch (Sofascore).

Manchester United fan reaction to James display

These Man Utd fans slammed his performance on Twitter, with one supporter even going as far as to compare the Wales international to a ‘Sunday league’ player:

“Man, Dan James made me bald last night. Pulled out a lot of my hair after every stupid decision he made, or pass he didn’t make. #MUFC”

Credit: @OnFaaya

“Daniel James, not United quality! #mufc”

Credit: @ThorsethFillip

“Pogba class when he came on, Fred brilliant 2nd half. Bruno and Dan James awful. But job done, that’s the main thing, and probably just knocked out the best side left in this comp. #MUFC”

Credit: @dink2k5

“Dan James must be bribing someone. How is he playing? #MUFC”

Credit: @Jamewalte

“What is Dan James and what is it’s purpose? #MUFC”

Credit: @lsr1988

“James and Fred are definitely Sunday league players – they don’t appreciate the shirt, the club and @ManUtd. They are both lucky to be playing for #MUFC. Pogba showed he is class! Still poor game management from Ole. Ole is right Cup can cover the cracks.”

Credit: @Sauba_Oumesh

In other news, find out which Premier League ace United are interested in signing here!

Gabby Agbonlahor has urged Aston Villa to move for Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli after his asking price was slashed by £20m.

According to Football Insider, Spurs chief Daniel Levy will look to engineer a £25m move away for the 24-year-old, despite valuing him at £45m last summer.

Alli, whose contract in north London runs until 2024, has made just two Premier League starts under Jose Mourinho this season.

It seems as if a move away in the upcoming transfer window is a real possibility, and talking to Football Insider, cited by Birmingham Live, Agbonlahor urged Villa to make a £25m move, describing him as a ‘perfect’ addition.

The ex-Villa man did have his doubts over whether or not Levy would do business at £25m, though.

“I just don’t see Spurs letting him go for that amount of money, to be honest.

“He’s still young. Daniel Levy [the Spurs chairman] will want more than that.

“If that was the fee, I’d definitely expect Aston Villa to go for him. I think he’d be perfect for Aston Villa in that number 10 role.

“But I don’t see it being that fee. This is Daniel Levy we’re talking about.”

Villa fans react

@AVFC_News shared Agbonlahor’s comments on social media through Birmingham Live’s story.

As to be expected, it didn’t take long for several fans to have their say on a potential move for Alli, with many both for and against a possible swoop. One supporter even described the Englishman as ‘toxic’.

“I’d hope we pay whatever it takes to land him, think it would be more realistic price of £35million to £40million imo, Alli Jack Ollie and McGinn linking up would be great”

Credit: @UTViIIa

“Don’t want him anywhere near my club”

Credit: @stev26656

“noooooo”

Credit: @jimmy04421622

“I’ve said this for ages be great for villa..”

Credit: @villawayne197

“If you’ve seen the Spurs documentary you will know that Ali can be quite toxic and passionate about it. Which I get kind of but I wouldn’t want someone like that in my dressing room if I was a player”

Credit: @starblind1988

“100% you dont become a bad player over night get him to villa and show him the love and watch how he will perform”

Credit: @SteveHa39407869

In other news: Many AVFC fans fume as price emerges for summer target, find out more here.

West Brom face an almighty task as they welcome Manchester City to the Hawthorns this evening.

Sam Allardyce’s men are in desperate need of results as they sit six points adrift of safety at the half-way stage of the season, though there are no easy games in the Premier League these days.

Usually, this sort of fixture would be a bit of a free hit but the Baggies really do need to start picking up points before it’s too late.

And the 66-year-old’s chances of pulling off a shock in the Midlands tonight have been boosted by the return of their only senior striker, Karlan Grant.

On the Chalkboard

Speaking ahead of the encounter, Big Sam revealed that the 23-year-old forward is available for selection, he told reporters, via wba.co.uk:

“I’m glad to say we have Matt Phillips and Karlan Grant back. That boosts our squad,” said Allardyce. “Granty, before he got here, scored plenty of goals at Huddersfield so we would like him to be back in the team and finding positions to score goals.”

The £9m-rated marksman may have only scored one top-flight goal in 867 minutes of action, but evidently, his manager is a fan and has hinted towards his involvement this evening.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-west-brom-news-and-rumours-copy” title=”Read the latest West Brom news, transfer rumours and more!”]

Grant has missed their last three Premier League outings as well as their FA Cup exit and in his absence, winger-by-trade Callum Robinson has been deployed upfront – a desperate experiment that has failed to work out.

Indeed, the Irishman has failed to score in that run of matches, even during their 3-2 win over arch-rivals Wolves. That day, two spot-kicks from Matheus Pereira and centre-back Semi Ajayi’s header from a set-piece sealed a rare victory.

Only two other players (Pereira and Conor Gallager) in this Albion squad are averaging more shots per game than Grant (1.3), while Robinson is further behind, averaging 0.8 attempts per match, via WhoScored, which shows he’s not really threatening enough to have the chance to score.

Grant’s expected goals per 90 minutes (0.17) is also above Robinson (0.10), so the summer arrival is certainly a better option in attack.

The Baggies are also among the lowest scorers in the division having bagged 15 goals in 19 outings – only Burnley and Sheffield United have scored fewer (ten).

Former Terriers boss Danny Cowley once dubbed the 6-foot striker “ruthless in front of goal” to The Athletic while another one of his ex-managers, Lee Bowyer, believes Grant is a player who “causes problems” for the opposition.

It’s on Big Sam to get those type of performances back out of him and his presence leading the line tonight could come as a major boost towards West Brom’s chances.

After all, he’s their only real striker and as such, he ought to be in the starting XI right now. They need goals if they’re to defeat – or even draw with – Pep Guardiola’s side so Grant must be selected from the start.

It’s time to unleash the 23-year-old dynamo.

AND in other news, 3 new signings, no Sawyers: How West Brom’s XI may look after deadline day…

After seeing him go down with an injury against Leicester, Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa was understandably concerned about summer signing Rodrigo.

Speaking after the game, the Argentine said: “Rodrigo fell and his legs separated and caused an elongation more than usual and this caused the injury.

“I saw a picture of the position both of his feet ended up in and the difference between them was different to what we would expect.”

Now, The Athletic’s Phil Hay has delivered an update on Rodrigo’s injury status, saying that he is “out for longer yet” on his official Twitter account.

The news surely comes as a major blow to Bielsa, who has deployed the Spaniard in that attacking role of trying to support Patrick Bamford, with nobody else in this current Leeds squad able to offer what he does in terms of his pace and movement.

Pablo Hernandez may be seen as someone who could potentially come in and offer that extra bit of creativity, but Hay relayed some news from Bielsa’s press conference that Leeds’ little magician is out once again.

Whilst the £22.5m-rated Rodrigo hasn’t exactly set Elland Road alight with his performances – he’s scored just three goals all season – he has shown flashes of his ability, not least against Arsenal earlier in the campaign.

Speaking after his impressive performance against the Gunners, former Leeds man Noel Whelan said: “He’s always looking for it, he’s never ever standing still, he’s always on the move and that’s what I like about him. He can’t be marked, he’s always looking for a space – very much the next Pablo Hernandez.

“He’s always brave and wants the ball in tight situations. We saw how dangerous he was when he came on. He is a player that looks like he can make things happen. He’s very intelligent, he brings other people into play and makes space for them.”

Rodrigo’s absence over the past couple of games has seen Mateusz Klich’s return to the starting line-up, but it still doesn’t make up for the fact that Leeds will continue to miss a player who ranks third for shots per game, fifth for key passes and sixth for dribbles per match among the entire squad.

His influence is there for all to see even without him catching the eye with either goals or assists.

Bielsa will be concerned that Rodrigo doesn’t look like he’ll be returning anytime soon.

Meanwhile, Leeds could sign Kalvin Phillips’ perfect midfield partner in this starlet…

For Wolves, it hasn’t been an overly happy Christmas.

They were forced to head towards the festive period in a rather bizarre run of form, something that culminated with a defeat to Burnley.

Nuno Santo’s men were bullied against the Clarets and came out second best courtesy of goals from Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes.

To sum up how bad the Old Gold were, it was Barnes’ first goal for over a year. Thus, they will need to improve desperately against Spurs.

Fortunately, their record against the better sides in the division is pretty impressive. They have beaten both Arsenal and Chelsea in the last month for example.

Though, how will Wolves line-up when they welcome Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham to Molineux on Sunday evening?

Well, for starters, we’re tipping Nuno to make as many as four changes to the XI that started against Burnley.

We’re keeping the formation the same but there are a number of players we’ve removed from the XI. That begins with youngster Owen Otasowie.

The American did little wrong on his first Premier League start last Monday but with Fabio Silva finally breaking his goal drought, he starts in attack next to Pedro Neto. Raul Jimenez is still recovering from a fractured skull so misses out again.

Daniel Podence drops into a number 10 position and behind him, Ruben Neves sits out. The Portuguese was reduced to a number of shots from long range against Burnley that didn’t really trouble Nick Pope and he has been in and out of the squad anyway.

Starting ahead of him is Belgian midfielder Leander Dendoncker. The remaining two changes come at the back.

Rayan Ait-Nouri is replaced by the more experienced head in Marcal while Willy Boly comes back into the starting line-up ahead of Max Kilman.

The 23-year-old was demolished when Wolves played Burnley, losing a mammoth 83.4% of his duels. As a result, Nuno should have no other option but to remove him from the XI, especially against a rampant Harry Kane and Heung-min Son.

AND in other news, Forget Adama: Wolves must UNLEASH “outstanding” teen who has “a bit of everything”…

Aston Villa remain interested in signing Galatasaray defender Christian Luyindama.

What’s the story?

Reports over the summer transfer window suggested that the DR Congo international was a player Dean Smith’s side were looking at, but a deal failed to materialise before the end of the deadline.

Now, Turkish publication Sampiy (via Sport Witness) claim that both Villa and fellow Premier League side Everton are closely interested in signing him, with the centre-back having just been put up for transfer for a fee of around €10m (£9m).

The report adds that Galatasaray are just waiting for an official offer to come in so that they can let him go and reinvest the money in their own side.

Lange’s second chance

Having missed out on his signing in the summer, Johan Lange has got the perfect chance to ensure Villa don’t miss out again by landing Luyindama this time around.

The 6 foot 3 titan has got plenty of experience of playing real top-level football over the years with Galatasaray, competing in both the Champions League and Europa League with the Turkish giants.

No categories

And with reports in recent weeks claiming that Bjorn Engels could be set for a return back to his native Belgium after really falling out of favour under Smith this season – he’s made no appearances for Villa whatsoever – a move for Luyindama would offset the loss of the 26-year-old.

If Lange is intent on strengthening Villa’s defence and ensuring Smith has got enough options at centre-back particularly after Engels’ potential departure, then Luyindama’s affordable price and experience makes him a shrewd signing.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa played an absolute blinder by selling this flop…

It’s almost time for a new era at Sunderland. They have a new manager in Lee Johnson and could soon have new ownership too…

Takeover latest

Last month, the Guardian reported that Stuart Donald had agreed to sell the north-east giants to a consortium involving the 22-year-old son of former Marseille owner Robert Dreyfus, Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, and current minority shareholder Juan Sartori.

Whilst according to the Sunderland Echo, the prospective Black Cats owner had a major part to play in appointing Johnson as their new manager last weekend.

The deal still remains with the EFL as many at the Stadium of Light await a positive outcome.

And in with a fresh look soon to emerge at the League One outfit, it may be time to move on from certain ghosts from years gone by – namely Danny Graham.

Graham future

Ex-Sunderland boss Phil Parkinson brought the 35-year-old back to the club for a second time back in September and as of right now, he’s yet to pay dividends having failed to score in 11 league outings.

In fact, he was snubbed entirely by Johnson in both of his first two games in charge, which is a damning sign over his future. Indeed, he may no longer be needed.

Will Grigg and Charlie Wyke appear to be the first-choice options at the disposal of the 39-year-old whilst Aiden O’Brien is also able to feature in the role.

Even in his first spell at the Stadium of Light, Graham was nothing special and then he cost £5m in fees and £30k-per-week in wages – in three years at the club he went out on loan four times and scored the one goal in 42 appearances, per Transfermarkt.

It is now twice that the veteran has proven he hasn’t got the ability to play for Sunderland in League One, let alone in the Premier League during that first stint.

New technical director Kristjaan Speakman must do all in his power to get rid of the £428k-rated Graham as and when the takeover goes through, there is a perfect opportunity to do so in less than three weeks time.

As Kevin Phillips put perfectly to Football Insider, the ex-Blackburn man is a “hustler” and a “bustler” but we’re thinking that should’ve been directed towards his ability to still con a wage right now.

The two-time Black Cats flop does not belong at the club anymore and must be offloaded before he robs Dreyfus blind.

AND in other news, Speakman can deliver another Sunderland masterstroke with “exceptional” appointment

Loads of Everton fans have praised Gylfi Sigurdsson as he scored two goals for Iceland versus Romania in their Euro 2020 play-off semi-final.

As shared in a video clip by Giorgi Javioni on Twitter, his first goal was a well-taken strike with his left foot from outside of the box into the bottom corner.

His second goal, as shared by F-2-4, was another fine left-footed finish, this time finessing the ball into the opposite corner of the net.

It is perhaps refreshing for some members of the Goodison Park faithful to see Sigurdsson playing so well for his country, given that the 31-year old only managed to score a mere three times and make just three assists in 38 games over all competitions last season, according to Transfermarkt.

With the new arrivals of James Rodriguez, Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure to Carlo Ancelotti’s squad, Sigurdsson has been limited to reportedly available for transfer in the summer transfer window.

Everton fan reaction to Sigurdsson goals

These Everton supporters hailed Sigurdsson’s goals, with one fan labelling one of them as ‘classy’:

Evertonians, can Sigurdsson turn it around at Everton? Comment below with your views!

Glasgow Rangers will be well aware they can’t afford to repeat the mistake they made with Billy Gilmour by letting Kai Kennedy leave his boyhood club.

Kennedy’s current contract will run out in 2021 and it’s been suggested that his time at the club could be coming to an end in the not too distant future.

However, reports in recent times have revealed that Rangers seem to have reneged on their stance as they have reopened discussions with the player’s representatives, with further talks to be held in the coming weeks and months.

What’s the story?

According to Glasgow Live, the Rangers academy product could commit his future to the club after his agent held talks with the Gers.

It’s claimed that negotiations are still ongoing after initial talks stalled earlier this year following a public spat with Steven Gerrard over his playing time. However, it remains to be seen if the two sides will be able to reach an agreement.

The 18-year-old has attracted attention from European giants AS Roma, Bayern Munich and Manchester City in recent months after breaking through into the first team as a second half substitute in the 2-0 win over Stranraer in the Scottish Cup last season. So, Gers chief Ross Wilson must act now before it’s too late, as it’s unlikely he will be short of suitors in the months ahead.

Wake up Wilson!

Without trying to rub salt in the wound, it’s safe to say that the Light Blues have been in this position before, as Pedro Caixinha tried in vain to convince Gilmour to stay at the club back in 2017. They aren’t the first club and they certainly won’t be the last to lose one of their top prospects, but losing another would paint an all-too familiar pattern.

Once hailed as a “fabulous little player” by Gerrard after some “outstanding” performances, Kennedy has made five appearances for John Robertson’s side so far this season, registering his first assist against Raith Rovers in the Scottish Cup, which is surely a sign of things to come. At one stage it looked like the left winger was destined for the exit after an apparent disagreement with the Ibrox boss over his lack of game time.

Contrary to some reports, it seems that their relationship isn’t beyond repair, although the talented teenager is currently plying his trade on loan at Inverness Caledonian Thistle after being told he could find a new club in the summer. But Gerrard may have to swallow his pride as the club cannot afford to let another talented youngster slip through their grasp.

Now it’s up to Wilson to try and convince Kennedy to sign a new and improved contract, having so far failed to agree a new deal with the winger. Admittedly, Gerrard has a number of wide options to choose from, as Ryan Kent, Ianis Hagi, Brandon Barker, Jordan Jones and even Joe Aribo have all started in recent weeks before the international break.

However, Jones has hardly done himself any favours whatsoever after falling afoul of the coronavirus protocols. Indeed, the Northern Ireland international has been heavily linked with an exit in the winter transfer window. If he is sold as is expected, this would create space in the squad for another winger, which may allow Kennedy to stake his claim for a place in the starting line-up instead.

He just needs to be given the time to shine at a senior level, as he has already show flashes of his overall brilliance with two assists in seven games for the Gers’ reserves. Now Wilson must reward him with a new deal, or the club could live to regret their decision to let him go for little more than a development fee next summer in the years to come.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers could’ve signed Ryan Kent’s perfect replacement in Daniel Johnson…