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A worrying update has emerged on Newcastle’s pursuit of Marc Overmars, regarding the sporting director role at St. James’ Park.

What’s the talk?

According to Duncan Castles of The Times, the Dutchman will not be taking the job and the Magpies will now be looking at other candidates, although it remains unclear as to whether he rejected an offer or was not given the choice.

This comes after The Mirror reported last week that PIF had opened talks with the former Arsenal man over a deal to join the club.

Gutting

This update from Castles will surely leave Newcastle fans feeling gutted. Overmars has enjoyed success in a behind-the-scenes role at Ajax since becoming their director of football in 2012, having previously been a technical coach in the academy after retiring as a player – representing the likes of Barcelona and Arsenal.

CIES Football Observatory recently named Ajax as the top training club in Europe in 2021, having trained the most footballers playing in 31 top divisions across the continent. 81 players are currently playing professional football in Europe after coming through the academy at the Dutch giants, showing the incredible work being done by the Amsterdam club.

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Overmars, along with manager Erik ten Hag, has created an environment where young players have a pathway to the first team and the right conditions to thrive when they get there. This has resulted in the likes of Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt coming through the ranks before sealing £75m+ transfers to Barcelona and Juventus respectively in recent years.

The Dutch director, therefore, could have joined Newcastle and installed a similar philosophy in an attempt to unearth the next Alan Shearer or Paul Gascoigne. Magpies supporters would have no doubt enjoyed this as it would mean more homegrown players potentially coming through their ranks to play in the first team. Mix that with some new, experienced, signings and there would have been reasons to get excited.

This is why the update from Castles will be gutting for the Toon Army to read, as Overmars could have been an excellent appointment for the club given his impressive track record of developing youth with Ajax. It will be interesting to see where PIF go now in their pursuit of a figure to work alongside whoever the new head coach ends up being.

AND in other news, “Sources telling”: Journo drops major NUFC manager update that’ll leave fans ecstatic…

West Ham United moved into the top four in the Premier League with a win over local rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon.

Irons striker Michail Antonio’s sixth goal of the season was enough for the home side to seal all three points at the London Stadium. The 31-year-old talisman tapped home from close range after a pinpoint corner from Aaron Cresswell.

Both the goalscorer and provider were candidates for the ‘Man of the Match’ award, as were David Moyes’ resolute backline who kept their second clean sheet of the week.

But it was England midfielder Declan Rice who absolutely ran the show in east London.

With the captain’s armband on, the 22-year-old powerhouse led by example as he was graded a 7.5 by SofaScore – better than the goalscorer and both central defenders.

He led the game for passing accuracy, making 93% of his 40 attempts, ranked third in the Hammers’ squad for touches (58), so as ever, a lot of things ran through him.

But instead of bombing on and contributing in the final third as he has done recently, he was back to his anchorman duties, registering a game-high eight tackles – three more than the next best and two fewer than Spurs’ whole backline combined.

Rice also put in two interceptions and won a total of ten duels from 16 (62.5%) midfield battles, as per SofaScore.

The Evening Standard’s Jack Rosser waxed lyrical about his performance in his post-match column, claiming the academy graduate ‘oozed class’ in the win.

‘With Soucek off the pace Rice stepped up and dominated midfield almost on his own. First to almost everything and always looking to drive the Hammers forward,’ he wrote.

It’s no wonder new teammate Nikola Vlasic dubbed the £60k-per-week England interantional as “unbelievable” in a recent interview.

For the umpteenth time this season, Rice absolutely dominated another Premier League side. That will only cause interest in his services to increase heading into 2022, so the London Stadium faithful better enjoy it whilst they still can.

AND in other news, Moyes could unearth West Ham’s next Joe Cole in 19 y/o gem “similar to Jack Grealish”…

French side Bordeaux are showing late interest in Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard, according to Alan Nixon.

The Lowdown: Edouard’s summer

Reports back in April suggested that Edouard wanted to leave Celtic Park this summer, regardless of who came in as Neil Lennon’s replacement.

Ange Postecoglou was that man, and the 23-year-old has been a regular this season after his move to Leicester City fell through in July.

Edouard, into the final 12 months of his contract, is still working on a Scotland exit, with Nice thought to be preparing a bid recently.

The striker reportedly wants £85,000-a-week at his next club, and it seems as if another Ligue 1 side could be in for his services late in the window.

The Latest: Nixon’s post

Nixon, who writes for The Sun, took to Twitter on Friday morning to share an update on the French forward.

He claimed that the Hoops’ price has dropped slightly, however, the player’s demands are still big.

“French side Bordeaux taking a late and big interest in Odsonne Edouard at Celtic. Price dropped a bit, wage demands still big.”

Nixon then shared another update on Friday, claiming Rubin Kazan have come in with a €18m bid for Edouard that could tempt the Hoops.

The Verdict: Good decision

This summer could be the last chance the Hoops have to receive a respectable fee for Edouard, described as ‘superb’ by Darryl Broadfoot, so it’s good to see they have lowered their asking price with days remaining in the window.

Should his situation remain the same, he could leave for nothing over the next 12 months, not ideal for a player who Celtic wanted £40m for last summer.

A fee close to or just under his Transfermarkt valuation of £15.3m could still be good business all things considered, and that should put Dominic McKay in profit in his first summer as CEO.

In other news: Celtic medical: McKay on verge of ‘brilliant’ 9th signing for Ange as development confirmed. 

According to a report by Football Insider, it is looking increasingly likely that Tottenham Hotspur will be forced into a ‘crazy’ schedule in the New Year.

The Lowdown: Tottenham fixtures piling up

Tottenham have been heavily affected by the increased spread of the global pandemic. After Spurs stated that eight players had tested positive for the virus, the club’s Europa Conference League match against Rennes was called off. This was followed by the postponement of the Lilywhites’ away fixture to Brighton on Sunday.

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This has meant that Spurs’ fixtures are starting to pile up, and fans will surely wonder when they’re going to be played. This was exacerbated by the postponement of Spurs’ match against Burnley, which was set to take place at Turf Moor towards the end of November, which was called off due to heavy snowfall.

The Latest: Spurs could play heavy fixture list in 2022

As the outbreak at Hotspur Way led to the Premier League calling off Spurs’ fixture against Brighton, Antonio Conte’s men now have two games in hand on the majority of the league.

Speaking to Football Insider, Spurs insider John Wenham has claimed that playing out the heavy fixture list out in 2022 is the only way forward.

He said: “It’s a really difficult one, all of this is such a blow. I think we will end up playing three games in a week on a few occasions.

“You are looking at a Tuesday, Thursday then Sunday game all in the same week. That’s just to get rid of the backlog we already have before you think about other games that might be called off.

“Other clubs are having… issues so it’s not out of the question other teams might have games called off that will affect us.

“We are so busy already but I don’t see another way around it. It will be a crazy schedule.

“It will be a challenge but hopefully it will be after January so we may have a stronger squad to deal with that congestion.”

The Verdict: Conte needs additions in January

With the current schedule already looking hectic, it does not seem possible that Spurs will be able to fit in these fixtures anywhere else, besides in the New Year. This means that it will be crucial for Conte and Paratici to bring in a few signings in the January transfer window in order to bolster the playing squad.

Spurs have been linked with a plethora of players this season, with much of the attention centered around Fiorentina striker Dušan Vlahović. However, fans may want to see a greater number of fresh faces in January, especially if the squad continues to decimated with injuries, illness or a fixture backlog.

In other news: “Top, top player” – Paul Robinson delighted as Spurs eye ‘underrated’ beast; Conte is a big fan too

Fulham midfielder Andre-Frank Anguissa appears to be edging closer to an exit from Craven Cottage this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Athletic, who revealed that the 25-year-old’s absence from Marco Silva’s side in the Cottagers’ season-opening draw with Middlesbrough last weekend came as a result of his desire to leave the club.

The report continues by confirming that the Cameroon international is not injured, nor has a transfer bid been accepted by Fulham. However, there is a significant amount of interest in the midfielder’s services, with at least two Premier League clubs, as well as one each from Spain and Italy, thought to be keen on a move this summer.

Finally, it is claimed that Marco Silva is more than happy to sanction the sale of a player who is not committed to the club, and if an acceptable offer is placed by an interested party, the Portuguese manager will not stand in the way of Anguissa’s departure.

Fans will be devastated

While the Fulham manager is well within his rights to exile a player who is not interested in helping the club secure an immediate return to the top flight this season – as will undoubtedly be Silva’s ambition – fans will nevertheless be devastated to wave goodbye to a very talented player considering how well Anguissa performed for the west Londoners last term.

Indeed, over his 36 Premier League appearances last time out, the £22.5m-rated defensive midfielder  averaged 1.6 interceptions, 2.2 tackles and 0.4 clearances and won 7.3 duels per game. The £70k-per-week man also impressed for his team going forwards, registering three assists and creating four big chances for his teammates, along with averaging 0.8 key passes per league fixture.

These returns saw the player who Joachim Andersen dubbed a “machine” earn an impressive average SofaScore match rating of 6.91, ranking him as Scott Parker’s 10th-best player in the top flight in 2020/21.

As such, while keeping a player of Anguissa’s ability after suffering relegation to the Championship always seemed a long shot, it is undeniable that the 25-year-old’s sale will make Fulham a weaker side – something which may well be a bitter pill to swallow for the Craven Cottage faithful.

In other news: Khan facing nightmare as twist emerges on £2.7m-rated ace, Fulham fans will be gutted

Swansea City have made contact with Michael Appleton regarding him taking over at the Liberty Stadium this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claim that, with Steve Cooper being linked with both the Crystal Palace and Fulham managerial positions, the Swans have made an approach to Lincoln City regarding the availability of their 45-year-old head coach.

Appleton had already been in talks with West Bromwich Albion this summer regarding the job at The Hawthorns, however, the Albion hierarchy ultimately decided they did not want to pay the compensation fee the Imps were demanding to allow the former Oxford United boss to leave the club.

Appleton could continue Cooper’s legacy

While losing a manager who has secured consecutive top-six finishes in the Championship would undoubtedly be a huge blow for Jason Levien and Swansea City, should Cooper indeed move onto pastures new this summer, Appleton would appear to be a fantastic candidate to replace the 41-year-old boss.

Not only did Appleton match Cooper’s achievement of reaching a play-off final with an unfancied Lincoln side last season, the 45-year-old also achieved the feat while putting an emphasis on the development of young players, with the Imps squad ranking as the third youngest in League One.

Indeed, since Appleton’s arrival at Lincoln back in September of 2019, the Imps have seen the average age of their squad drop from 30 to 23, a decision that the progressive manager took in order to build a side capable of long term success, rather than prioritising immediate glory.

This is something that Cooper has also earned plaudits for, with it being reported that, due to the England U17 World Cup winner’s reputation for developing youth prospects, Premier League clubs now offer Swansea their starlets on loan deals before putting them on the general market – something that has been reported to occur with Lincoln City too.

As such, while losing the services of Cooper is rightly a worry for Swansea fans this summer, if Levien goes on to land Appleton as his successor, it would very much seem as if the club will be in the hands of a perfect replacement for the Welshman, as the 45-year-old’s philosophies would see him continue Cooper’s fantastic work at the Liberty Stadium.

In other news: Major update drops about “outstanding” £25k-p/w Swansea target, fans will be gutted

Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard has proven to be an inspired managerial appointment at Rangers since his arrival at Ibrox in 2018.

The former England midfielder has successfully managed to wrestle back supremacy for the Gers in Scottish football, winning the Premiership title in the 2020/21 campaign and now trying to defend Rangers’ crown this term.

Along the way, he has made some shrewd decisions in the transfer market, both in selling players and in signing them. One player on whom he made an astute call was left-back Declan John.

Gerrard arrived in 2018 and the sale of John was one of the first decisions he had to make in terms of recruitment, with the defender ultimately being sold to Swansea for a reported fee of £801,000. This was after he played 31 times the previous season, scoring three goals and providing four assists from left-back.

In the subsequent three years since leaving Ibrox, John has gone on loan to Sunderland and Bolton and then left Swansea permanently for the Trotters and is currently playing in English League One, having been promoted out of the fourth tier last season.

Transfermarkt currently has him valued at just £270,000. This is a 66% decrease from the fee Rangers received from Swansea for his services in 2018, despite him now being in what should be the prime years of his playing career at the age of 26.

His value plummeting since leaving Rangers suggests that it was a masterstroke from Gerrard to sell him at the time, as his decrease in value could have happened with the Ibrox club had they opted not to cash in on him. Therefore, it may have been perfect timing from Gerrard and the Light Blues in making the most of the situation by getting rid of someone who, quite frankly, had been a bit of a flop in Glasgow.

What makes the deal even better from a Rangers perspective is that the man they brought in to replace John was Borna Barisic. The Croatian left-back has gone on to play 119 times for the club, scoring seven goals and providing 33 assists and is now valued at a cool £5.4m, 20 times greater than John’s current valuation.

Therefore, it was an all-around masterclass from Gerrard. The 41-year-old was able to sell a player in John before his career took a turn for the worst and duly replaced him with an upgrade in his position who is now worth far more than his predecessor.

AND in other news, Gerrard provides fresh injury update that’ll leave Rangers fans delighted…

Leicester City have received a quadruple selection boost ahead of their Premier League clash with champions Manchester City on Saturday.

What’s the word?

The Foxes will be hoping to make it consecutive victories when they welcome Pep Guardiola’s charges to the King Power Stadium this afternoon, and their chances of doing just that have significantly increased given the team news which emerged recently.

That’s because the defensive quartet of Jonny Evans, Ricardo Pereira, Jannik Vestergaard and Ryan Bertrand have all returned to training and should be available for selection against the Cityzens.

“We have most of our players back available now, although some are still short of fitness,” manager Brendan Rodgers said at his press conference on Thursday. “The likes of JJ (James Justin) and Wesley Fofana are the only two out at the moment.

“Ryan Bertrand will be back and available. Jonny Evans and Jannik Vestergaard are progressing very well. We’ve had a good international break with players increasing their fitness levels. Hopefully, all those players should be fit and available.

“(Ricardo) trained today. He was out on the pitches yesterday and came through a session today, and looked very good.

On Evans and Vestergaard, he added: “That’s what we have to assess in this final 24 hours (if they can play v Man City). We had a training game last week that both of them played in here at the training ground. They came through that.”

Brendan Rodgers will be delighted

Rodgers will surely be delighted at the return to action of so many of his defensive stalwarts following injury and illness, especially with such a big game on the horizon.

Centre-back Caglar Soyuncu has endured a nightmare start to the new season for both club and country, making Evans’ and Vestergaard’s availability even more important.

It remains to be seen whether this multiple selection boost is enough for Leicester to see off Manchester City this afternoon, but Rodgers and the club’s supporters will surely be looking forward to seeing some of the Foxes’ key defenders getting back out on the pitch.

And, in other news…Get it done: Leicester make contact over £30m wizard, he’s a “great talent” 

Leeds United are reportedly keen on making an audacious move for Real Madrid legend Marcelo this summer, as the search for a left-back continues.

The Lowdown: Left-back needed

The Whites could have a productive time of things in the next transfer window, with Marcelo Bielsa keen on bringing in reinforcements.

One area that looks key to address is left-back, with Ezgjan Alioski expected to move on once his contract expires.

Leeds have been linked with a host of players in that position, including Ajax man Nicolas Tagliafico, but a hugely exciting rumour has now emerged.

The Latest: Marcelo linked with move

According to the Mirror, the Whites are interested in snapping up Marcelo, with the Brazilian an iconic figure at Real Madrid, winning five La Liga titles and four Champions League crowns.

Everton are also mentioned as potential suitors for the 33-year-old, whose Madrid contract expires at the end of next season.

The Verdict: Potential incredible addition

While Marcelo may not be the force he once was, he could be a wonderful addition at Leeds, both in terms of his quality and the winning mentality he has acquired in Spain, having won so much silverware.

At Madrid, Marcelo has won five league titles, four Champions Leagues and many other medals and that winning experience could be an excellent addition to the Leeds squad,

At 33, the Brazilian could still have a few years left in him at the top – Pablo Hernandez is 36 and has only just left the Whites, for example.

Whether or not Marcelo’s wage demands or transfer fee become an issue remains to be seen, but the fact that Leeds are linked with him is a testament to the strides they have made under Bielsa.

In other news, a pundit has tipped a Leeds player to feature more prominently next season. Find out who it is here.

Jordan Campbell has been left buzzing over some Glasgow Rangers news which has now emerged involving James Tavernier.

The Lowdown: Players’ POTY

The Ibrox club announced on Sunday night that Tavernier has won the Men’s Players’ Player of the Year Award (POTY).

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The right-back has been dubbed the team’s best performer in both the Premiership and the Europa League, scoring an astounding 13 goals and supplying a further 15 assists in both competitions combined (Transfermarkt).

The Latest: Campbell reacts

Taking to Twitter, The Athletic journalist Campbell buzzed over the update as it was announced, claiming that Tavernier was the ‘clear choice’ alongside Calvin Bassey as Young Player as he stated:

“The clear choice this season, along with Bassey as young player.

“I think this is the best football Tavernier has played of his career as his overall game has been brilliant under Van Bronckhorst.

“He looks more emboldened than ever.”

The Verdict: Deserved

The reward for Tavernier is so well-deserved, and as Campbell suggests, the right-back really seems to have stepped up his game under new manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

Under Steven Gerrard earlier this season, the Englishman had managed three goals in total over all competitions. Since Van Bronckhorst’s arrival, he has added another nine, including six crucial strikes in the Europa League to help them all the way to the semi-finals (Transfermarkt).

The captain has certainly led by example, especially in Europe, and while they slack behind Celtic in the Premiership, this could still be a quite remarkable season if they manage to go all the way in the Europa League.

In other news, find out who the Gers are now targeting this summer