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Mark Douglas has dropped a claim explaining what this week’s developments on beIN mean for the potential takeover of Newcastle United by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group.

As per a report from the Associated Press earlier this week, the Serie A is set to lose a lot of money due to the ongoing disputes between beIN and the KSA, as they gained a lot of revenue from the Qatari broadcaster.

Given that beIN is still banned in Saudi Arabia with the tensions still firmly high, added to the strong relationship that the Serie A has with the KSA, the Qatari broadcaster have ostracised the Italian top flight, even telling other countries not to bid for their TV rights.

Douglas has made a connection between this report and the potential takeover of the St. James’ Park faithful, given the previous issues that the Premier League have held with the KSA about streaming live fixtures from the division illegally, with beIN currently their sole provider in the Gulf region.

Writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, the football journalist has claimed that any issues with beIN ‘may well become a priority’ for the KSA’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) if the pending arbitration case is a success for the Magpies.

Newcastle need beIN on their side

As Douglas suggests, assuming that PIF will come back to the table, the North East club will need to try and get beIN on their side in order to have the best chance of a takeover being completed by the Saudi consortium.

The unblocking of the Qatari broadcaster in the Kingdom may well go a long way in doing this, but that is not a formality given that there are clearly still tensions between the two Gulf countries.

In other news, find out which Toon-linked manager has been claimed could replace Steve Bruce at NUFC here!

Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has discussed whether Arsenal should have had a penalty against Burnley, and many Gunners’ fans have made their views clear about his comments.

There was controversy when Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw at Turf Moor on Saturday. During the second half, the ball had hit Erik Pieters’ arm and, after a long VAR check, the Gunners were denied a spot kick. Former referee Peter Walton has said he was surprised that the decision didn’t go in Arsenal’s favour but could understand why it wasn’t given as a penalty (Football.London).

Gallagher has now given his opinion about the incident and, speaking to Sky Sports (via Football Daily on Twitter), the former Premier League referee said that, if a penalty was given for the Pieters handball, he wouldn’t have had too many complaints about it.

As a result of the draw at Turf Moor, Arsenal remain tenth in the Premier League. They have only 38 points to their name and are nine points behind fourth-placed Chelsea, who occupy the last Champions League spot (BBC Sport).

The video involving Gallagher and his opinion was relayed on Twitter by Arsenal-related page AFCStuff, duly eliciting plenty of reaction from angry Gooners:

What did Arsenal fans make of Gallagher’s opinion?

“If this biased ex ref can say this, then I think those match officials should tender an official apology to Arsenal FC & should resign with immediate effect.”

Credit: @Call_Me_Daniels

“It was a 100% nailed on penalty, no excuses, it wasn’t given because it was in Arsenals favour.”

Credit: @RealIanPoulter

“Imo what’s the point of VAR if in the end it still the refs who decides whether if it’s a foul or not. We need VAR to works just like goal line technology that makes the decision by itself.”Credit: @audiyordana”Absolutely rubbish. What happen to common sense in the game. talking about what’s subjected decision or what’s not. it’s similar question mate, was that a penalty or not? I didn’t ask for philosophical question about what it is or what is not. He’s part of the problem.”Credit: @Nasri_mo10″You know it’s bad when even Gallagher says the decision was wrong.”Credit: @Arsenalinjected”Ex ref saying it is a pen. The @FA and @premierleague. Need to fix up mothers. CORRUPTION.”Credit: @_AFCFREDIn other news, Arsenal are the front-runners to sign a Premier League starlet – read more here.

In a recent interview, Kevin Phillips stated his belief that on-loan Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Oliver Skipp should leave Spurs once again this summer.

So far this season, Skipp has highly impressed across his 33 Championship appearances on loan at table-toppers Norwich City, with the 20-year-old averaging of one interception, two tackles, 0.9 clearances and 48.7 accurate passes per match, culminating in an average SofaScore match rating of 7.02 – ranking him as Daniel Farke’s 10th-best performer in the second tier.

However, despite the recent revelation that Jose Mourinho would not be allowing the £24,000 per week midfielder to leave the club once again this summer, Phillips told Football Insider that a move back to Carrow Road would hugely benefit both Skipp and Tottenham.

He said: “I would send him back to Norwich next season. Is he going to get into that Tottenham side? You have got players like Harry Winks not playing regular football. Mourinho has lots to choose from in that area.

“If I was Skipp I would not be thinking about Tottenham next season. I would make sure Norwich gain promotion and then push to rejoin them on loan again next season. He will be playing week in, week out at Norwich. At Tottenham, even the experienced players get rotated.

“I am not saying he is not good enough, far from it, but I think for his development another season at Norwich would be best. He should learn his trade while playing week in, week out.”

Transfer Tavern Take

Indeed, as Phillips points out, Mourinho does has a number of options to choose from in the middle of the park, with the likes of Harry Winks, Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Moussa Sissoko and Dele Alli all being candidates for the central midfield position – which could lead to Skipp’s playing time at Spurs being limited.

Also, should Norwich go on to secure promotion to the top flight this season, allowing the 20-year-old to return to the Canaries this summer would, in theory, allow the midfielder to continue developing in familiar surroundings, while also playing at Premier League level.

As such, it would appear as if the logic behind Phillips’ suggestion is sound. However, whether Mourinho holds the same point of view is another question altogether.

In other news: Tottenham have been sent a warning over Harry Kane – find out more here!

Many Liverpool fans were excited to discover that their team are looking at bringing West Ham United defender Issa Diop to Anfield this month.

According to The Athletic, the 24-year-old is attracting interest from Merseyside amid their catastrophic injury outbreak in defence, with all four of their main options unavailable.

Diop has found himself out of favour this season, making just three Premier League starts and accumulating only 297 minutes of game time (Whoscored).

Both Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez have been ruled out for the foreseeable future for the Reds, while Joel Matip and Fabinho both picked up injuries before or during their 3-1 win against Tottenham on Thursday.

This leaves Liverpool with no established centre-backs to choose from, with the transfer window due to close in a matter of days.

Despite Diop’s lack of action this term, some supporters reacted in delight after the report emerged on Friday evening, with many making their feelings clear via @TheAnfieldTalk on Twitter. One supporter said it would be an “unbelievable” signing.

Diop links spark excitement

“Wouldn’t mind him actually”

Credit: @lfcfamz

“Taking him all day long”

Credit: @LFCfl_

“I’ll take him 100%”

Credit: @Alexlloyd1995

“Yes yes yes. Young, experienced and cheap”

Credit: @Kaspska171

“I like him, replacement Matip and Nat and Gomez and Lovren”

Credit: @kardphrom1

“This would be an unbelievable signing”

Credit: @Thiago6A

In other news, Rob Lee backs Liverpool to make huge January move – EXCLUSIVE.

Daniel Levy could round off a perfect Tottenham Hotspur attack this summer…

What’s the word?

According to Tuttosport, Spurs are among the teams monitoring Sampdoria attacking midfielder Mikkel Damsgaard ahead of the next transfer window.

It’s claimed that Jose Mourinho has the 20-year-old on his shortlist, though he’ll face competition from Serie A giants Juventus.

As per the report, it is thought that the Dane’s value has increased from €6.4m (£5.6m) to €20m (£18m) thanks to his impressive form in Genoa this season.

Imagine him, Son & Kane

So far this season, Spurs have heavily relied on the goalscoring exploits of Heung-min Son and Harry Kane, both have scored 13 times apiece, meaning they account for 72.2% of their goals in the Premier League.

Tanguy Ndombele is next up with only three goals whilst between right-sided options – Gareth Bale, Lucas Moura and Steven Bergwijn – just two goals have been scored. The latter two are suffering barren spells too.

The Brazilian has bagged just once in the top-flight since December 2019, whilst the Dutchman hasn’t found the net since football’s original return in June 2020.

Evidently, Mourinho could do with another option in his attack, and this is where Damsgaard fits the bill immensely.

Harry Kane is on course to become Tottenham’s all-time top goalscorer! Own a piece of historic memorabilia with a signed Harry Kane White Hart Lane street sign. Click here to view and buy!

Ranking among Sampdoria’s consistent performers with an average rating of 6.76, the Danish international has proven to be an industrious source of goals, scoring twice as well as providing four assists, per WhoScored.

For Claudio Ranieri’s men, Damsgaard tops the charts for dribbles, managing 4.7 per 90 minutes at a completion rate of 61.7% but his work-rate doesn’t stop there as he puts in the graft defensively too –  a bit like Bergwijn.

No attacking outlet attempts more than his 4.7 tackles per 90, and more often than not, he’s a hard man to defeat as he’s managing a success rate of 51% and this should be right up Mourinho’s street as he wants his players to track back and help out the team.

Not even Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (4.5 per 90) is attempting more tackles than his fellow Dane, which speaks volumes.

The former Leicester City hero has also earmarked his impressive talent for a “big future” whilst TV 2 SPORT’s football expert Martin Mikkelsen dubbed him “magical,” adding: “He is dynamic and can go both ways. He is creative but also so mature in his decisions. Was that something we dreamed of? It’s awesome.”

That merely reinforces his potential fit in Mourinho’s attack alongside Son and Kane – he’s certainly doing far better than the seasoned and illustrious Bale this season, which is costing an abomination with wages of £240k-per-week, all for 230 minutes of PL action.

Levy ought to forget Bale this summer and swoop for the Blucerchiati gem, just imagine him in that Spurs attack.

AND in other news, Spurs’ £20.25m-rated target who “shows no nerves” could be a perfect buy for Mourinho…

A first home defeat in five matches will have come as a bit of a shock for Manchester United, with Manchester City the beneficiaries.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side slipped up in their pursuit of silverware as they succumbed to a surprise 2-0 defeat to City at Old Trafford.

Despite a bright start from the Red Devils with Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford wasting decent opportunities, the home side found themselves behind shortly after the break.

Fernandes forced a fine save from City goalkeeper Zack Steffen before United suffered a defensive lapse in concentration when John Stones latched onto a free kick from Phil Foden to open the scoring.

City added further gloss to their performance soon after as Fernandinho took advantage of some more slack defending to double their lead and put the game to bed.

Whilst you could pick many holes in Solskjaer’s side after a dreadful defensive performance from the hosts, it was Fred who massively let Solskjaer down after he lost his individual battles in the midfield for the most part.

The middle of the pitch is often one area in particular where many games are won and lost. Against their arch rivals, United were far too often outnumbered as City’s five-man midfield swarmed all over Fred, Scott McTominay and Paul Pogba.

As per SofaScore, the 27-year-old was given a low grade of 6.4 out of ten for his efforts – lower than Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire – he lost possession eleven times, won only three out of a possible ten duels, was dribbled past once and committed two fouls to sum up his frustrations.

Deployed as a deep-lying midfielder, Fred struggled to get a foothold in the game, as he failed to record a single clearance or interception, as per SofaScore.

The Manchester Evening News were left unimpressed by his poor performance, giving him an average grade of 6/10 and claiming he ‘compromised United’s attacking fluidity,’ whilst The Sun seemed to agree, adding he ‘showed his frustration at times as the likes of Ilkay Gundogan and Phil Foden passed him by with precise passes.’

It’s no wonder he was replaced by new summer recruit Donny van de Beek in the 88th minute but by then it was too late to correct things. Both his teammates Pogba and Bruno Fernandes managed more tackles (2) than the Brazilian (1) as he couldn’t cope with the intensity.

As solid as United have looked when Fred has been in the side in recent weeks, Solskjaer will surely have to consider other options after his latest showing.

AND in other news, Manchester United must swoop for Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho after latest masterclass…

Many Everton fans have been left reacting to the news that Ali Daei may be joining the Goodison Park faithful.

As per German magazine Kicker (via The Toffee Blues), the Iran football legend has said: “I’m probably going to be a member of the Everton club and it’s a great honour for me.”

It was reported last month that the Merseyside club are interested in working with Daei, although it still remains unclear as to what kind of role he would be playing for the Toffees.

There is also a connection to Farhad Moshiri, who is Iranian himself, which could be a reason as to how and why Daei has been recruited by the Blues.

Nonetheless, the comments that he has made on the possibility of working with EFC should please supporters if he were to join the Everton family.

However, it has also left fans questioning as to why exactly he has been recruited and for what type of role.

Everton fan reaction to Daei news

These Everton fans gave some fairly mixed reaction to the news on Twitter, with one Toffee claiming that it ‘could be massive for the club’ if he joins:

“He’s massive over in Iran, could be massive for the club and grow a fan base over there”

Credit: @jonefc2

“Brands still not offered a new deal, could this be the reason why?”

Credit: @MrBashe

“Moshiri connection I guess”

Credit: @Johnny_Murnane_

“Would be good as a finishing coach. Like Dunc helps out with the physical side of a striker, and he does the actual finishing ability part”

Credit: @lewisbelle3

“I’m confused.”

Credit: @exiledtoffee

“Moshiri’s getting the dough out and bringing in an experienced goal scorer and a legend to teach the young.”

Credit: @EvertonFourIG

In other news, find out what transfer update Blues have been hailing here!

Sunderland’s season has been a topsy-turvy affair.

Is that really very surprising? It shouldn’t be if you’re familiar with what’s happened in the last five years.

The Black Cats suffered back to back relegations and try as they might, they can’t seem to get out of League One.

Their ambitions of doing so took another meaty blow this week, too.

On the chalkboard

Ahead of Sunderland’s clash with Fleetwood on Friday evening Phil Parkinson delivered some frustrating news in his pre-match press conference.

Speaking to the north-east media, he confirmed that Lynden Gooch had picked up an ankle injury.

Parkinson said: “He’ll have an injection tomorrow [Friday] which we hope will speed up that recovery, but we are probably looking at between two and four weeks without Lynden.”

The manager continued: “That’s a blow because he has been exceptional for us this season, but we have to take the advice of the specialist and make sure that Lynden is right and he is flying for us when he comes back.”

As the Sunderland boss states, the American has been brilliant for the Black Cats this term, scoring two goals and registering a team-high four assists.

The attacking midfielder has been Sunderland’s most consistent performer in the final third so losing him will be a bitter loss.

The solution?

Who Sunderland see as their Gooch replacement in the next few weeks remains to be seen. There have been hints that Elliott Embleton could make a return and play more regularly but this injury may have just handed a lifeline to someone else on the fringes at the Stadium of Light.

That happens to be Aiden McGeady.

Parkinson’s views on the Irishman are quite clear. He transfer listed the winger last season and banished him from the senior squad. With that in mind, it looked as though he’d played his final game for the Mackems.

However, McGeady started for the U23s at the beginning of last week and could well make a first-team return in the future.

Parkinson seemed more positive about the 34-year-old’s chances when questioned about his surprise outing this week, stating: “He came back [this season] with a couple of niggly problems, he has had an injection in his knee which then needed rest, and then we have put together a programme for him similar to the one the lads did in pre-season to get him up to speed.

“I’ve just said to Aiden ‘let’s get you fit, then we’ll sit down and assess everything’, because until he is fit and flying, there’s no discussion to be had really.”

Therefore, for McGeady to even be considered before Gooch comes back he’ll need to get fit.

Playing 60 odd minutes was a good start and if he does prove his sharpness, there is no question he has to be picked. After all, this is someone with unquestionable ability, someone previously described by Neil Lennon as a “mercurial talent.”

It would be a shame to waste him.

In other news, Sunderland could soon discover their NEW Didier Ndong…

Former England international Rob Lee, while speaking exclusively with FootballFanCast, has claimed Newcastle United will be interested in a January loan deal for Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Harry Winks.

Winks has grown disgruntled at being a bit-part player in north London this season and is ready to discuss a loan move away from the club with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, fearing a lack of game time will hinder his chances of being named in Gareth Southgate’s England squad.

Jose Mourinho has rarely trusted the 24-year-old with occupying a regular role in his plans so far this term, with Winks starting just three Premier League fixtures and not playing a single minute since October.

Mourinho would not have named Winks in his 18-man matchday squad for last weekend’s north London Derby had it not been for a late injury to Tanguy Ndombele, which marked the Spurs product’s return to the fold for only the second time since facing West Ham United.

Winks may be denied a move away from Tottenham in the upcoming window with Levy more inclined to sanction a winter exit for Dele Alli, who has similarly been shunned this season, making eight outings across all competitions.

Everton have been linked with a potential bid to sign Winks on loan in January should he leave Spurs, though Lee – who made 267 Premier League appearances for Newcastle – believes his former side will also be keen.

“Harry Winks is a good player, very good player. Because [Pierre-Emile] Hojbjerg has come in, where do you play him? That’s the problem,” Lee told FootballFanCast.

“He seems to like Hojbjerg and [Moussa] Sissoko’s done very well; he’s that sort of player where he’s big, strong, he works, got a great engine and they seem to work well together.

“So, there’s no room really for Harry Winks to play. But if Spurs want to get rid of him for a little while, then I’m sure Newcastle will be interested in him because he’s a top player.”

Newcastle were linked with a move to sign Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka last winter amid doubt over his long-term future at the Emirates, after the Switzerland international swore at his own supporters whilst they jeered his substitution and threw the captain’s armband to the ground.

Xhaka bounced back following a change in manager at the north London side, with Mikel Arteta offering the 28-year-old a new lease of life and minutes in all but four of his 31 Premier League fixtures at the helm to date.

Winks is yet to be offered an olive branch by Mourinho at Tottenham and may urge Levy to sanction a move in January, opening the door for Bruce to strike amid claims the Newcastle boss will be active in the loan market and suggestions he will target a box-to-box midfielder.

Whether or not Bruce targets Winks remains to be seen, though in doing so he could acquire an eight-cap England international desperate to prove himself to Southgate.

AND in other news, Mike Ashley’s January transfer stance could see Newcastle miss out on a £30m gem compared to Alan Shearer.

Glasgow Rangers must give Borna Barisic a new deal if recent reports are to be believed…

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, Barisic has received praise from former treble-winning Rangers boss Alex McLeish. McLeish admitted that he had doubted him when he first arrived at Ibrox, but believes the “tremendous” defender is now an important part of Steven Gerrard’s side.

He said: “There was talk that he wasn’t quite good enough for the Rangers level, he’d again hit a bit of a patch of bad form and looking a wee bit vulnerable.

“But that’s confidence and you don’t know what a person is like, you’ve never walked in their shoes and it’s difficult to know what he’s feeling in his stomach or what he’s feeling in his head at a certain moment.

“In my days at Aberdeen, I remember losing my form and Sir Alex dropped me and I was humiliated.

“Then I played in a game and I thought I did pretty well but we got battered 3-0 by Dundee United, 3-0 at home. I thought, ‘that’s it, I’ll be dropped again’ but he said to me: ‘That was more like yourself tonight,’ and all of a sudden my mentality came back strong again and my confidence was there.

“They’re only human so I think Barisic has actually exceeded expectations now such is his tremendous form.”

Barisic was part of the back four alongside Connor Goldson, Filip Helander and James Tavernier that prevented Celtic from taking a single shot on target during the first Old Firm derby of the season. It’s now up to Ross Wilson to convince the left-back to sign a new deal after he attracted interest from elite clubs in the summer.

Deserves new deal

Alright, we get it – the Croatia international recently signed a contract extension at the start of the year, whilst his wages have increased to £18,000-per-week, which is more than what club captain James Tavernier currently earns.

Rangers slapped an £8m price tag on his head, although that may not be enough to deter potential suitors if Premier League clubs like Leeds United rear their ugly heads in January. In fact, Leeds were willing to pay £13m to prise Robin Koch away from Freiburg, who now earns £50,000-per-week at Elland Road, which just goes to show the amount of money they are willing to throw at their defence.

However, Gerrard once again insisted the Croatian is not for sale, saying: “We’re not surprised if there is any interest in Borna.

“Of course we’re not because he has been a consistent performer for us for some time now and he has started the season so brightly again.

“But he has signed a long-term deal here, everyone loves him, the fans like him and he was in the running for Player of the Year.”

Even so, the 27-year-old may be unable to resist such a tempting lucrative offer in the future. As we all know, money talks.

Whilst Barisic may not be going anywhere anytime soon at the very least, a hike in wages should be more than enough to fend off any lingering interest from elsewhere in the winter transfer window for the time being.

SofaScore gave him a high grade of 7.4 for his performance at Parkhead – he completed one interception and two clearances, whilst he made one key pass, two crosses, created one big chance, and won three out of six ground duels, as well as five out of seven aerial duels.

He received a rating of 7/10 from Sky Sports, whilst The Daily Record gave him the same score, claiming he “was able to match the attacking runs of Frimpong down his side with good positional sense and one brilliant ball almost volleyed home by Kent.”

If the Gers are to regain their title, we suspect that he may have a part to play bombing up and down the flanks. That’s if he stays until the end of the season, of course.

AND in other news, Rangers must watch out for Standard Liege’s Mehdi Carcela in Europa League…