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Simon Zekaria has dropped a controversial reveal involving beIN Sports and the potential takeover of Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: CAT revelations

The Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) hearing between the Tyneside club and the Premier League over the stalled takeover deal with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group finally got underway on Wednesday morning.

As cited by The Daily Telegraph, the St James’ Park club were quite astonishingly threatened with expulsion from the top flight, and their separate arbitration case against the division will now take place on 3 January 2022.

The Latest: Zekaria on beIN

Journalist Zekaria has now revealed that St James Holdings Ltd (SJHL), the company owned by Mike Ashley who bought the CAT claim, have alleged that beIN Sports pressurised the Premier League to block the proposed takeover on Tyneside while discussing a three-year broadcasting rights deal to 2025.

He said: “I have learnt that SJHL’s competition claim alleges that beIN Sports pressurised the PL to block the sale of @NUFC while negotiating a three-year broadcasting rights deal to 2025.”

The Verdict: Controversial

Given that the KSA’s issue with piracy and the illegal streaming of games in the Premier League was reportedly suggested to be key in the delay of the takeover, it is not a surprise to hear that Qatari broadcaster beIN allegedly pressurised the top flight to block the sale.

However, it does not make it any less controversial, as decisions on the takeover should not be influenced by outside parties.

It will no doubt be interesting to see what the arbitration proceedings bring in terms of the direction of where the takeover bid is now heading.

In other news, one Newcastle player’s performance against Wolves has come in for criticism

Leeds United, Everton and Newcastle could all sign Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley this summer, according to 90min.

The Lowdown: Barkley’s struggles

Barkley has struggled for game time under Thomas Tuchel, starting just one Premier League fixture all season.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-42/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/cropped-2022-03-10T184055Z_1834933207_UP1EI3A1FW561_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-ENGLAND-LEE-AVA-REPORT-1-scaled-1.jpg” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Labelled as a ‘liability’ during his Aston Villa loan spell last year, the 28-year-old’s Transfermarkt valuation has dropped from £27m to £11.7m in the space of two-and-a-half years.

He’ll be entering the final 12 months of his Stamford Bridge contract in the summer, and it looks as if a permanent cut-price exit could be on the cards.

The Latest: Leeds links

90min shared a story on Monday, looking at possible midfield incomings and outgoings for Chelsea this summer.

Barkley was included in the report, with Leeds, Everton and Newcastle named as possible destinations for the 28-year-old in a cut-price deal.

The Verdict: A shock

Leeds and Barkley have previous after a failed loan move back in 2012/13 where he made just four appearances, so the news of a potential summer return does come as a surprise.

The attacking midfielder, on £100,000-a-week (no Leeds player makes more), has plenty of Premier League experience, however, you have to go back to 2016/17 for the last time he contributed to ten goals in a league season.

It would be a big risk signing Barkley following his lack of playing time this season and previous injury history, but it looks as if it could be one to keep an eye on.

In other news: ‘Set to leave…’ – Journalist says Leeds midfielder will now quit Elland Road this summer. 

Following on from their narrow 1-0 win over Wolves in their latest Premier League outing, Liverpool are back in Champions League action this evening with their away group clash against AC Milan.

On the chalkboard

With Liverpool having already qualified to the next stage of the tournament after their 2-0 win over Atletico Madrid back in early November, Reds manager Jurgen Klopp has the opportunity to rest and rotate some of his players on this occasion as he did by playing the likes of Neco Williams and Tyler Morton in their previous Champions League match against FC Porto.

On this occasion, one player that had a short but rather important cameo appearance in the recent win at Molineux that should be in the starting XI in midweek is Divock Origi.

With 22 minutes of the clash left to play against Bruno Lage’s side at the weekend, Klopp rolled the dice and put the Belgian on who then managed to fully repay the faith put in him by Klopp by scoring the winner.

The Belgian has previously shown his knack for bagging from the bench when he netted a consolation goal in their 3-2 defeat against West Ham United earlier in the season.

With this in mind, it would be a nice move by Klopp to give Origi the chance to shine from the start of the match against their Italian opponents tonight ahead of Diogo Jota, who should be rested ahead of Liverpool’s next league game against Aston Villa at the weekend.

Labelled as an “outstanding player” with “incredible” finishing abilities by Klopp after the Wolves game, the 26-year-old, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £82k-per-week according to Salary Sport, has scored 39 goals and provided 16 assists in 166 appearances across all competitions.

Looking ahead to the match in Milan, this match could be a great opportunity for Origi to show that he is more than just an impact player from the substitutes bench and has what it takes to put in a solid performance from the start.

If he does start this evening and manages to deliver an impressive display, there’s every chance that he could give himself a shot of starting their game against Villa as well.

In other news: Edwards must seal LFC swoop for £43m gem who Klopp dubbed “one of the biggest talents” – opinion

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been left buzzing over some transfer news on Jack Simpson.

As per The Daily Record, the Ibrox faithful could let him leave on loan once the January transfer window opens, with a number of clubs in the English Championship thought to be interested in his signature.

Simpson has barely featured at all over the past two seasons for the Teddy Bears, with just four games played in total over all competitions so far this term (central defenders that they have at their disposal, it may be a wise idea just to get him off of the wage bill.

Moreover, some of his performances this campaign have been far from flattering, and so an exit could be best for all parties.

Nonetheless, the money gained could then be used to help fund other signings for other priority positions in the winter market.

Rangers fans on Simpson transfer news

These supporters of the Light Blues were left buzzing as the transfer news on Simpson was shared across Twitter:

“I’ll drive him down south myself – Stevie G’s biggest mistake.”

Credit: @BobMacCallum1

“I’ll pay for him to leave”

Credit: @morvenatkinson9

“I’ll lock him in my boot and drive him.”

Credit: @Baldy_Barisic

“Happy Thursday x”

Credit: @paula2561

“Happy New Year”

Credit: @johnnywasajunky

“Start the engine”

Credit: @kennygrfc

In other news, find out what club update has Gers buzzing here!

Glasgow Rangers have been dealt a fresh setback in their bid to bring John Souttar to Ibrox in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Daily Record, which relayed a claim made by Hearts manager Robbie Neilson stating that it would take a “crazy bid” for his club to part ways with the centre-back this month.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side recently won the race to sign the 25-year-old on a pre-contract deal, beating the likes of Sheffield United and Blackburn to the defender’s signature for a free transfer at the end of the season, although it is reported that Ross Wilson is now weighing up an offer to bring the Scotland international to Glasgow in the current window.

However, in a recent statement, Hearts backed up their manager’s claim that they are firmly against letting Souttar leave Tynecastle in January, with the club announcing: “The club reiterates that John is an important member of the squad and will remain so until the end of the season unless a significant and satisfactory offer is made during the January transfer window.”

Van Bronckhorst will be fuming

Considering just how impressive Souttar has been for Hearts so far this season, in addition to the fact that Van Bronckhorst is currently experiencing issues in the heart of his defence – with Leon Balogun and Filip Helander out injured and Connor Goldson being free to discuss a move away from the club – the news that the Jam Tarts look set to play hardball over sanctioning the 25-year-old’s departure this month with have left the Dutchman fuming.

Indeed, over his 18 Premiership appearances in the current campaign, the £900k-rated defender has been in remarkable form, helping his side to keep five clean sheets, scoring three goals and creating three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking 1.1 shots and making 0.5 key passes per game.

The £3.1k-per-week centre-back has also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making 1.5 interceptions, 0.8 tackles, 4.4 clearances and 44.9 passes and winning 71% of his duels per match.

These returns have seen the Scotland defender average an astonishing SofaScore match rating of 7.43, not only ranking him as Neilson’s best performer in the league, but also as the fifth-best player in the entire division.

As such, it is clear to see that bringing Souttar to Ibrox this month would undoubtedly provide Rangers’ chances of going on to secure a second Premiership title in two years with a considerable boost.

However, following the latest update from Tynecastle, it would appear as if Wilson has a lot of work to do if he is to get a deal over the line for the 25-year-old in the current window, while missing out on the centre-back in January would certainly come as a blow to Van Bronckhorst and his side.

In other news – Negotiations ongoing: Report delivers huge update on Rangers dud which will delight fans

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According to The Birmingham Mail, Aston Villa’s January window is far from over and the Midlands club will look to bring in three new faces before the end of the month. Newcastle’s Isaac Hayden is a target, while Chelsea’s Gary Cahill and Bournemouth’s Tyrone Mings are also on the radar – the latter duo could transform the Villans defence if Dean Smith can get them in.

On the chalkboard

The Birmingham Mail reports that the trio, who are all being targeted with the aim of establishing defensive security at Villa Park, will be moving to the Midlands if Smith gets his way, with Birkir Bjarnason also being allowed to leave should a suitable offer come in.

Villa lost out to Bournemouth in the battle for Brentford centre-back Chris Mepham’s signature earlier this month – the Welshman opted for the Cherries instead – but have identified other targets as they look to plug a defence that has leaked 46 goals already this campaign.

If they can get Mings and Cahill in, we could be seeing a completely new look come February and the Villans may finally start racking up the clean sheets.

How do they change the defence?

Villa have been lacking a leader in the backline since John Terry retired at the end of last season having guided them to a play-off final – the Chelsea legend’s presence has been sorely missed at the heart of defence – but the signing of old friend Cahill would help regiment the team immediately.

The 33-year-old might not fit the bill at Stamford Bridge, most likely due to a lack of technical ability, but he is arguably the best defender in the ranks in terms of clearing his lines and getting his body in the way – Villa simply need to do both of those more often and it’s clear to see how he would make a huge impact.

Mings, meanwhile, gives Smith the interesting option of switching to a five-at-the-back formation – the 6-foot-5 defender can play at both left-back and centre-back – and doing so could mean the ball hits the back of the Villa net much less frequently.

If Villa want to push for promotion via the coveted play-off spots, they need to sharpen up at the back – Tammy Abraham can’t fire them to glory if they let in as many goals at the other end – and maybe straying away from the 4-2-3-1 in favour of a 5-4-1, for instance, is the way forward.

However, this only seems possible if Cahill and Mings, in particular, are brought on board; the clock is ticking at Villa Park.

Thogden has ranked his top 5 sets of Championship away fans for Pl>ymaker FC. Did your club make the list? Find out in the video above…

The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece has revealed what he’s seen about Aston Villa in recent weeks amid a difficult start to the Premier League.

What’s the story?

Dean Smith’s side suffered yet another disappointing defeat in the top-flight last Friday when they went down 3-1 to Arsenal, and, during a discussion session for The Birmingham Mail, Preece made a very “alarming” claim.

He said: “It’s a combination of both. The finger-pointing came out at Arsenal last week, with Tyrone Mings, Matt Targett, John McGinn, Ezri Konsa, Matty Cash and Emi Martinez all dishing out rollickings to each other.

“The two boys up top, Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins, just have zero belief in what they’re doing at present. The body language amongst the group is alarming – and so too was Smith’s admission last week that recent, below-par performances have been nothing to do with that 3-5-2 system.”

Fans will be worried

While Jack Grealish’s exit in the summer transfer window was always going to be painful, Villa fans would surely have been in optimistic spirits heading into the new season given just how well their recruitment went.

The likes of Leon Bailey, Emi Buendia and Danny Ings, among others, were brought in to add a bit more excitement and attacking flair to Villa’s side, and given the fact they had a settled back four and goalkeeper from last season, things were looking up.

But, the momentum at Villa Park has well and truly shifted, with a couple of bad defeats in recent weeks really raising question marks about the club and the direction they’re heading in – they lie in the bottom half of the table, and have already suffered five defeats in just nine Premier League games.

The fact Preece claims the body language in the group is “alarming” is sure to worry fans about whether Smith can restore the kind of confidence needed to bounce back from their recent failures.

If this kind of run continues, then it’s hard to see where that leaves Smith.

Meanwhile, Villa should sell this star amid rival interest…

An encouraging update has emerged on the future of Robin Koch at Leeds United this week…

What’s the word?

Ahead of the winter World Cup later this year, reports have surfaced linking the versatile German defender with a move away from Elland Road as hasn’t been afforded the game time he would’ve liked this season, though that has largely been due to injuries.

Football Insider claim the Yorkshire giants will listen to offers for the 25-year-old in the summer as they plot an overhaul of the squad.

However, according to the ever-reliable Phil Hay of The Athletic, he’s heard nothing to suggest that this could be the case – speaking on a recent episode of his podcast show, he said:

“I’ve always liked Koch’s game, I think that there’s a very, very good player there he’s just a player who hasn’t been fit enough and hasn’t been in the team enough.

“I’ve heard nothing from Leeds to say that they would look at moving him on in the summer, but I did see the reports earlier this week. As with quite a few players, it’s going to be quite interesting, isn’t it this window.”

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-marsch-raphinha-dest-philhay” title=”Read the latest Leeds news!”]

Marsch boost

Indeed, Koch has been restricted to only 12 league starts throughout 2021/22 but he missed the bulk of the start of the season with a hip injury before picking up an illness and then a concussion.

He did feature from the off during Saturday’s 3-0 win over relegation rivals Watford as he was a surprise inclusion over Adam Forshaw, featuring in defensive midfield with skipper Liam Cooper and Diego Llorente in the backline.

It is clear, however, that Marsch does like the German international as he was selected over the likes of Pascal Struijk, the returning Leo Hjelde, Charlie Cresswell and even Kalvin Phillips down at Vicarage Road.

The 6 foot 4 colossus, who has been likened to Javi Martinez, cost the Whites around £13m in the summer of 2020 and could prove to be a solid option under the American head coach going forward due to his ball-playing ability.

Once dubbed a “warrior” by his former Freiburg coach Christian Streich, the eight-time Germany international made 86.2% of his passes last season, where he enjoyed more minutes on the pitch.

Leeds could well lose several big stars this off-season with the likes of Raphinha, Kalvin Phillips, Illan Meslier and Jack Harrison all linked with exits, so to lose Koch on top of that would certainly be a blow, irrespective of how little he’s played in comparison to that quartet.

Hay’s comments surely put an end to rumours that Leeds could lose out on another key player heading into next season. Marsch needs to keep hold of everyone he can, so this good news will surely provide him with plenty of encouragement ahead of a busy summer.

AND in other news, Hay drops Brenden Aaronson transfer update…

A key Rangers transfer claim has been made, regarding Gio van Bronckhorst’s efforts to land his first Ibrox signing…

What’s the talk?

According to the Glasgow Times, New York City FC midfielder James Sands has agreed terms with the Gers and is now set to join on an initial 18-month loan.

The report claims that Rangers will be able to make the switch permanent at the end of the 2022/23 campaign, although the potential fee has not been revealed.

Delight

Rangers fans will surely be delighted with this update as it appears to suggest that the club are inching closer towards their first signing of the window. It shows that the player, most importantly, is on-board with the move and is ready to complete his switch to Scotland in the coming days.

This means that the Gers will not be facing any issues in regards to convincing Sands to join them, showing the supporters that he is eager to make it happen. Supporters know that he is keen on the transfer and is not just coming to Ibrox for a payday, which they may appreciate.

They will also be buzzing as he could be an excellent signing for the squad. He is a versatile player who van Bronckhort could look to use in a multitude of roles, as he is capable of playing right-back, centre-back, holding midfield and as a central midfielder. This means that he can plug gaps when needed and be a useful option for the boss to call upon.

In the MLS this season, he has averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.91 whilst playing at right-back and in holding midfield for New York City FC. His most recent performance was an impressive showing against Portland Timbers, as he recorded a score of 7.7 in midfield.

As per SofaScore, he won 90% of his ground duels (9/10) and completed six tackles, two interceptions and six clearances, whilst also creating one chance and taking 116 touches of the ball.

Although this was in an MLS match and it is difficult to gauge the difference in quality between that division and the Premiership, these statistics provide an insight into the type of player Rangers are set to land.

He appears to be a tough-tackling midfielder who works hard for the team on the defensive side of the game whilst also wanting to get on the ball to make things happen.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Goldson: GvB may seal dream 1st Rangers signing in gem who “makes no mistakes”…

Many Wolves fans have been blasting the performance of Romain Saiss in their 2-0 loss at Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday.

The defender was guilty of not pushing up for the first goal that they conceded, keeping Wilfried Zaha onside, and Conor Gallagher later added a second with just over 10 minutes to go to pile on his misery.

Saiss lost out on five of his duels and failed to block any shots, while he was also guilty of losing possession of the ball on 14 different occasions at Selhurst Park, the joint-third most of anyone in the visitors’ line-up (SofaScore).

Furthermore, the Morocco international will be wary that Willy Boly is now breathing down his neck for a starting place, returning to the bench for the last two games after a training ground injury in October.

Wolves fans on Saiss’ display

These Wolves fans on Twitter blasted Saiss’ performance against Palace, with one supporter even going as far as to claim that the Moroccan was a ‘liability’:

“Sell Coady and Saiss”

Credit: @fatchav

“Go back to attacking football, bin Coady and Saiss, bring back Boly to play with Kilman in a back four, and put another attacking midfield option in to play in a free role behind Raul”

Credit: @HUGEWolf

“Saiss. Go. Please. Just go”

Credit: @JoeJose84

“Coady and Saiss literally keeping Zaha onside but not marking anyone, so Coady and Saiss’ positioning were useless”

Credit: @Wolvoryan04

“Sorry, but Saiss is a liability at times. We’ve got to up the quality in these defensive positions”

Credit: @inlandtaipan1

“Coady and Saiss, dumb and dumber at it again man”

Credit: @P0DENCE

In other news, find out whose display against Palace was also slammed by numerous Wolves fans