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An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their reported pursuit of Lucas Paqueta in the summer transfer window… 

What’s the talk?

The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards has confirmed that the club are not interested in a deal to bring the Brazil international to St. James’ Park ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

He Tweeted: “#nufc are not looking to sign Lucas Paqueta from Lyon, contrary to rumours being spread on here and elsewhere. He is recognised as a talented player but not someone they need at the moment. More transfer updates on Botman and Ekitike to follow on @TeleFootball shortly.”

This comes as a twist after it was reported, last month, that the club were ready to swoop for Bruno Guimaraes’ former teammate.

Supporters will be gutted

Edwards’ transfer twist will leave Toon supporters gutted as Paqueta, on paper, would be an excellent addition to the team.

Eddie Howe would surely love to have a player of his quality in his squad as the 25-year-old has proven his ability at the top level in Ligue 1.

In the 2021/22 campaign, the gem produced nine goals and six assists from midfield whilst averaging a sublime SofaScore rating of 7.13. This shows that he has the talent to make things happen in the final third whilst maintaining a high level with his performance week-in-week-out.

His displays are not a flash in the pan, either, as he caught the eye in his debut season for Lyon – averaging a rating of 7.17 as he scored ten goals and assisted five in Ligue 1. He is a consistent player who has proven that he has the tools required to be a top player in a major European league.

On top of that, he also has a pre-existing relationship with Guimaraes because they played alongside each other at Lyon and both play for Brazil at international level. This means that he would have had a smooth transition into life at the club, which could have helped him to hit the ground running in England.

Alas, the Magpies clearly feel that other positions are more of a priority at this moment in time. Hopefully, they will re-visit a potential move for him in a future window if they are in need of a midfielder as, for the aforementioned reasons, he would be a superb signing for Howe.

For now, though, the supporters will be gutted that Paqueta will not be a Newcastle player next season and will be hoping that the other signings the club plan to make will make them forget about the talent.

AND in other news, Decision imminent: Romano drops “serious” update that’ll leave NUFC supporters nervous…

West Ham United insider Claret & Hugh has shared some interesting transfer news out of Rush Green involving Brighton star Yves Bissouma.

The Lowdown: West Ham prepare…

Tasked with maintaining his team’s incredible rise over the last two seasons, Irons manager David Moyes is currently weighing up how best to strengthen his squad for the 2022/23 Premier League season.

The Scotsman reportedly plans to strengthen in key areas amid a real shake-up at West Ham with four departures having already been confirmed.

Andriy Yarmolenko, David Martin, Ryan Fredericks and the retired Mark Noble have all departed Rush Green, with many now wondering who could come in to take their place.

The Latest: Agents offer Bissouma…

According to Claret & Hugh, Moyes has been ‘offered’ the chance to sign Bissouma from Brighton, with representatives making an ‘approach’ to West Ham.

However, the Scotsman is believed to have turned down the chance, as he has earmarked Southampton star James Ward-Prowse as a priority target.

The Verdict: Right call?

This report claims the Seagulls now value Bissouma at £25m, a seismic 50% drop from his £50m valuation in January (The Daily Mail).

The Mali midfielder is about to enter the final year of his contract at the Amex Stadium and could now be snapped up for a reasonable fee, potentially making his signing a really good opportunity for any interested suitor.

Called a ‘monster’ by members of the media (Aaron Stokes, The Chronicle), the 25-year-old finished 2021/22 as one of Brighton’s best-performing players, making more tackles and interceptions per 90 than any of his team-mates (WhoScored).

Indeed, turning down the opportunity to lodge a cut-price bid for Bissouma could certainly be considered a bold move by Moyes.

In other news: West Ham officials dispatched as GSB eye ‘superstar’ signing for Moyes! Find out more here.

Celtic are reportedly interested in signing Maccabi Haifa midfielder Mohammad Abu Fani this summer.

What’s the news?

According to reports in his homeland (via Daily Record), the Hoops are joined by Eintracht Frankfurt, Standard Liege and Royal Antwerp in keeping an eye on the midfielder during Israel’s upcoming Nations League matches.

A product of Maccabi Haifa’s youth academy, the 24-year-old has racked up 99 appearances for the club across all competitions. In that time, the Israel international – who is currently valued at just £810k by Transfermarkt – has scored 10 goals and delivered seven assists along the way.

With 44 appearances and 12 goal contributions this season across all competitions, this highlights just how important he is for his club and why they may be reluctant to let him leave this summer.

On the international stage, the midfielder has made 45 appearances for his country across their youth and senior teams, scoring six goals in the process.

In January, journalist Sanny Rudravajhala quote-tweeted a now-deleted clip of Abu Fani keeping possession of the ball during a game against Maccabi Tel Aviv when his side won 3-2 having been 2-0 down, with the journalist describing the passage of play as a “thing of beauty”.

Bye-bye Soro

In terms of a potential move to Celtic for the Israeli gem, this could potentially bring Ismaila Soro’s time at Parkhead to an end.

Signed from Israeli outfit Bnei Yehuda in January 2020 in a four-and-a-half-year deal worth around £2m, the Ivorian has made just 43 appearances for the Bhoys.

Taking into account how the 24-year-old only started six of the 19 games in which he appeared for Ange Postecoglou’s side this season (and none since December), it’s safe to say that he is not particularly high in the pecking order at Parkhead.

Also, with a report from The Athletic claiming that the Bhoys intend moving the midfielder out of the club this summer, this could pave the way for Abu Fani to come in and take the Ivorian’s place in Postecoglou’s squad.

Should the Hoops finally manage to get rid of Soro in the coming weeks and months, adding a player like Abu Fani to their ranks, who has experience of playing as an attacking and defensive midfielder at times, could be the best option for the club.

In other news: Ange can finally axe “unbelievable” Celtic flop by signing “feisty” 19-goal sensation

Manchester City are keen on signing Rafael Leao from AC Milan amid uncertainty over his future, according to Foot Mercato journalist Santi Aouna. 

The lowdown

The Premier League champions have already kicked off their summer business with the £51.2m addition of Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund, but it seems that Pep Guardiola might want to bolster his attacking options even further.

Leao operated as a left winger for Milan last season but has actually played most of his games up to this point as a striker.

The 22-year-old is a key player for the Rossoneri, with Stefano Pioli selecting him for 34 out of 38 Serie A matches and four of their six Champions League games in the recently-concluded campaign.

Valued at £45m by Transfermarkt, Leao has just over two years to run on his contract at San Siro.

The latest

Aouna tweeted on Monday evening that Leao had ‘an extension offer on the table’ from the newly-crowned Serie A champions but wasn’t guaranteed to stay put at the San Siro.

‘Several clubs are interested’ in the Portuguese attacker, ‘including Man City’, who apparently ‘started talks a few weeks ago’ with Leao’s representative Jorge Mendes.

Mendes’ other clients include Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva, Joao Cancelo and Ederson, so the Etihad Stadium club have experience of working with him previously.

The verdict

Leao won Serie A’s MVP award and it’s no surprise in light of his excellent headline numbers.

The five-cap Portugal international was directly involved in 26 goals across all competitions in 2021/22, scoring 14 goals and registering 12 assists.

Beyond those eye-catching figures, he’s also highly adept at running with the ball, ranking in the 90th percentile among positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues for progressive carries and the 96th percentile for dribbles completed (via FBRef). Furthermore, his presence in the 81st percentile for aerial duels won suggests that he can more than hold his own physically.

In terms of profile according to FBRef, he is similar to Riyad Mahrez, who found the net 24 times for Guardiola’s side this season.

Journalists have been raving about Leao, with Mina Rzouki describing him as ‘ridiculously brilliant’ and Maxi Angelo dubbing him ‘completely unstoppable’ and ‘truly magical’.

On that evidence, he could be a brilliant long-term investment for City if they bring him in.

In other news, read this big Aurelien Tchouameni claim involving City.

Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Bruno Lage must brutally sell Morgan Gibbs-White this summer and could get up to £20m for the player.

What’s the story?

talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook spoke to GIVEMESPORT and said: “If he’s a player they can get £20m for they might see that as a good investment and a chance to rebuild.”

The 22-year-old had an exceptional loan spell with Sheffield United this past season, and helped them secure a play-off place before they lost out in the semi-final to eventual winners Nottingham Forest.

Wolves could sign him on a new contract, but with big clubs such as Serie A champions AC Milan interested, now is a good time to cash in.

He won’t make it at Molineux

Gibbs-White has risen through the ranks at Molineux and is one of the latest successes from their academy. He has had two loan spells with his most recent one at Sheffield United impressing the most.

He made 35 Championship appearances for The Blades and was directly involved in 20 goals during that time. Those are impressive numbers, and he’s been described as a “catalyst” in the EFL by journalist Laurie Whitwell. However, you have to put it into perspective.

They were one of the best teams in the division last season and it would be difficult for the Englishman to replicate that standard in a much tougher Premier League.

If he remained at Molinuex it would be hard to see where he would fit in. Wolves usually play a formation of three forward players so he would either have to be moved out wide or be put in a deeper position.

This would risk not getting the best out of him, as has been seen previously, particularly under Nuno Santo.

Gibbs-White isn’t necessarily a bad player, but if Wolves can get a good fee for him, then it makes more sense for them to use that to improve other areas of the team rather than keep a player who will likely be on the bench.

In the 86 appearances he has made for the Old Gold, he’s only scored three and assisted one, which ultimately proves that he isn’t good enough to stay at Molineux.

IN other news: Wolves now already heading for huge summer transfer disaster, Lage will be furious…

Celtic had an incredibly busy summer 2021 transfer window in terms of the amount of players who not only joined the club but also the number who exited Parkhead.

While the Hoops have already been linked with some new players even before the transfer window has opened for business, it seems as though the club could now be at risk of losing one of their reported targets to their closest rivals.

What’s the news?

After recently being linked with a move for Cardiff City youngster Japhet Matondo, Celtic could be at risk of missing out on signing the winger after Football Scotland claimed that Rangers have joined the race to sign him.

To give some insight on the player, the 16-year-old can reportedly play on the left and right wings and has already featured for Wales’ under-23 side.

This shows why Celtic and now their Old Firm rivals have taken an interest in the young talent and why it would be awful news for the Bhoys to potentially see their arch-rivals sign him.

Worrying news for Celtic

While the teenager may not have any senior experience under his belt just yet, he could well be a great addition for Celtic’s youth ranks.

Now that Rangers have entered the race to sign the young Welshman, the possibility of seeing him join the Ibrox club and making a name for himself there should give the Hoops more of an incentive to push forward and secure his signature.

Given how Celtic already have a significant number of young players in their squad who have spent time in the youth ranks and are pushing to break into the first team, adding Matondo to their ranks could give him and the other players more competition for a place in the senior side.

Therefore, if more players are vying for a place in Postecoglou’s squad, they’ll need to work harder to ensure that they catch the eye of the first-team manager.

While adding established senior players to their ranks should definitely be in Celtic’s plans for the summer transfer window, signing young talents like Matondo – who could replace Ben Doak and potentially Karamoko Dembele if he doesn’t sign a new deal – should also be on the club’s agenda.

In other news – Signed for £4.5m, now worth 70% less: Celtic had a huge howler on £9k-p/w “disaster”

The Athletic reporter Steve Madeley has admitted that he doesn’t know where West Brom defender Kean Bryan ‘fits in’ to the first team anymore.

The Lowdown: Long-term injury concerns

The 25-year-old first joined the Midlands outfit last summer on a two-year deal from fellow Championship side Sheffield United, but has so far only made three appearances in the second-tier of English football having sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury back in November 2021.

It was later confirmed that Bryan would miss the remainder of the season as a result of undergoing surgery, meaning that whenever he does make a return to action, he will probably be behind the likes of Kyle Bartley and Semi Ajayi in the pecking order, especially considering that the latter has just signed a new long-term contract extension.

The Latest: Madeley makes Bryan ‘wildcard’ claim

In a post on his personal Twitter account, Madeley expressed his concerns surrounding the future of the centre-back and believes that he is nothing but a ‘wildcard’ option, considering that too many players are already competing for game time. He wrote:

“Kean Bryan also a wildcard in the whole equation. He has a year remaining too, but after a first season wrecked by injury and having been signed by a different manager for a very specific reason, it’s really hard to know where he fits in.”

The Verdict: Time to move on?

With it recently being claimed that Steve Bruce is keen on trying to bring in Blackburn Rovers captain Darragh Lenihan to bolster his backline ahead of next season, his potential arrival could signal the unfortunate end for Bryan.

Even though picking up the injury isn’t something that he had any control over, the fact that the 6 foot 1 ace has only played 48 minutes of Championship football this term won’t have helped his chances of regaining a place in the match-day squad when he is declared fully fit again.

Bryan could well find himself on the periphery of action when he recovers from injury, and if he fails to impress the 61-year-old boss to the extent where he’s not involved in his starting XI, the writing might just be on the wall.

In other news… a BBC pundit has reacted to a huge West Brom contract decision.

Fitness, preparation and wickets in abundance as death-overs specialist finds peak form

Vithushan Ehantharajah25-Aug-2023Half an hour after ticking off a must-win game with Southern Brave against Manchester Originals to reach Saturday’s men’s Hundred Eliminator at The Oval against the same opponents, Tymal Mills reaches into his pocket and pulls out a folded piece of paper. “I’ve got a little cheat sheet,” he says with a smile.On the sheet are three columns. The first contains a list of all Originals’ batters in order. The second, headed “SCOOP” is followed by ticks and crosses. The third – “PACE”- has “ON” and “OFF” alternating all the way down.You don’t need to know of this “cheat sheet” to appreciate how diligently Mills prepares for every match (his handwriting, by the way, is immaculate). Doing your homework is part of the job for fast bowlers like Mills who operate primarily at the death. But carrying notes onto the field is a recent development for a cricketer eight shy of 200 T20 appearances.”I started doing it in the Blast this year [playing for Sussex Sharks] because there were more guys playing that I don’t know,” he explains. “There were a few times batters would come out towards the back end and I didn’t really know them. So I’d be shouting to our analyst or those on the bench: ‘Does he ramp or not?’ That’s all I really want to know – if a guy ramps, do I need fine-leg back, or should I keep him up?”Since then, I’ve adopted it. I know Mark Watt did it during the T20 World Cup last year [for Scotland]. I don’t know what he had written on his, but that’s just for me; whether they scoop and whether pace on or pace off is a better option for that person, just so I am not going into things blind.””Cheating” works, kids. Mills bowled balls 76 to 80 and 91 to 95 against Originals, removing Jamie Overton and Tom Hartley in the latter set to finish with 3 for 27. Their opponents were restricted to 130, which Brave knocked off with five balls to spare. According to CricViz, Mills’ 10 dismissals at the death (categorised as the final 25 deliveries) are the most in the competition, four clear of second-placed Daniel Sams. He takes a wicket every 7.5 balls in that phase, with a dot-ball percentage of 30.6. His 15 wickets overall are the most in the competition.Mills has been in form and at full fitness all competition•ECB via Getty ImagesThose impressive numbers are nothing out of the ordinary for Mills. You only need to look at the last three seasons of the Blast – 30 wickets at an average of 13.50 between overs 16 and 20 – to see this is merely a continuation of his excellence at the business end. Similarly, his deliveries at this stage of an innings – 62.9 percent are slower balls – are nothing new. The surprise is that, although batters now set themselves for change-ups, his are still effective.”I haven’t changed an awful lot,” he says. “I bowl a legcutter more now than I did back then, just to have a third variation as such. The legcutter is a bit quicker than the back-of-the-hand-er, so I’m using that as a bit of a middle ball.”We’ve played on some wickets which have been decent to bowl on. And by that I mean pretty slow. I prefer slower wickets to faster wickets. My pace often travels for runs on quick decks so I don’t mind bowling on tough wickets in terms of used wickets.”Towards the back end, it’s just trying to predict what the batter is going to do as much as I can, and mixing it up between back-of-the-hand slower balls, legcutters and pace-on deliveries. Just trying to outfox the batter and so far it’s been pretty successful.”All being well, Mills should double the eight dismissals he managed when Brave won the inaugural men’s Hundred back in 2021, which followed a winter in which he spent three months in a back brace following a stress fracture. It was a stint that earned him a call-up to England’s 2021 T20 World Cup squad. He played four matches, taking seven wickets, which was the team’s joint-highest, before suffering a thigh strain against Sri Lanka.Mills was disappointed to miss out on the T20Is against New Zealand, but says he ‘gets it’•Francois Nel/Getty ImagesHe missed 2022’s edition of the Hundred but found himself on the other side of the ledger as an injury alternate for 2022’s T20 World Cup. Reece Topley, Mills’ replacement in 2021, suffered an unfortunate ankle injury when he tripped over an advertising cushion during a fielding drill. Mills replaced him in the squad but did not play a game as England triumphed.A stint in the Big Bash League with Perth Scorchers last winter was cancelled in harrowing circumstances when Mills’ two-year-old daughter Delphi suffered a stroke at the airport before the flight to Australia. Thankfully, after 11 days in hospital following the incident, she has made a rapid recovery. Mills has entered this season’s BBL draft and is expected to be listed at the Platinum band (AUD$420,000).He should be in demand given form and fitness. Wednesday’s final Hundred group game was Mills’ 26th short-form match in the space of 90 days. The first 12 came in the Blast (22 wickets at 21.11) then a six-game stint for Bulawayo Braves in the Zimbabwe Afro T10 (six at 20.50) ahead of the Hundred.”I hate saying it out loud, but I’ve been fit all summer,” says Mills. “I played a full Blast campaign, went to Zimbabwe and played the T10 and now here. It’s just nice not worrying about my body, going about my business and having a nice routine.”I don’t believe in the gods and stuff, but I’m reticent to say yes,” he answers, when asked if he is operating at 100 percent. “But I haven’t missed a game through injury all year, which has been great. I struggled with a bit of a freak injury with my big toe, the skin and a bad laceration that kept reopening. I got that sorted and played 12 out of 14 Blast games for Sussex, and the two I didn’t play was just rest and rotation.”Related

How Charlotte Edwards steered Southern Brave to a third straight Hundred final

Tymal Mills comes full circle in his remarkable England comeback

Tymal Mills takes hat-trick in crushing Southern Brave win

Rehan Ahmed, Tymal Mills set up emphatic victory for Southern Brave

Devon Conway sees Brave home after Tymal Mills keeps lid on Originals

All this makes the timing of England’s T20I series against New Zealand, which begins next Wednesday, and Mills’ omission from the squad frustrating. Ahead of the 50-over World Cup in October, limited-overs coach Matthew Mott and captain Jos Buttler are opting to use those four matches, and four ODIs that follow, as a tuning-up period ahead of India. As such, T20 staples like Mills and Brave team-mate Chris Jordan were not selected.Mills gets it. Conversations with Mott and men’s selector Luke Wright, a former Sussex team-mate, have been upfront and honest. Nevertheless, Mills rues being unable to add to 13 international caps before the summer is out.”It was disappointing because, as I say, I’m bowling well, feeling great and there are England games coming up and I haven’t been selected. You feel like they’ve come at a perfect time and you want to play.”Luke Wright and Motty were clear with CJ (Jordan) and myself. We both had separate conversations and they’re using these T20 games as part of the whole month to prepare for the 50-over World Cup. With CJ and myself not featuring in the 50-over World Cup, they weren’t going to consider us for the T20 games.”It’s still disappointing and frustrating. I want to play for England as much as I can. But they said I’ll come back into consideration for the games in the Caribbean in December.”Mills emphasised that final point – loyalty to the national team – to Mott and Wright. The global franchise circuit may offer greater remunerations, but Mills has eyes for the T20 World Cup next June in the Caribbean and United States.”That was one of the reasons I was a bit disappointed. I understand, if everyone’s fit, I’m not guaranteed to be in that 15. So I want to try and get opportunities to get on there. I want to do what I can to try and be in the mix for World Cup selection next summer.”

Arsenal and Mikel Arteta have been handed a fairly concerning injury update on the condition of Kai Havertz, who was rumoured to be in contention for this weekend’s looming North London derby against Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium.

After losing star defender Gabriel Magalhaes to a thigh injury earlier this week, which cut short his international tour of duty with Brazil, the last thing Arteta needs is another injury setback.

Arsenal, who top the Premier League table after a sensational run of form and haven’t lost a single game since their 1-0 defeat to Liverpool in August, have done extraordinarily well to cope without a plethora of key attackers lately — including Martin Odegaard, Noni Madueke, Gabriel Martinelli, Viktor Gyokeres, Gabriel Jesus and Havertz.

Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest

Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 1-1 Man City

Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal

Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

Fulham 0-1 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-0 Atlético Madrid

Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace

Arsenal 2-0 Brighton

Burnley 0-2 Arsenal

Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal

Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal

Odegaard, Madueke, Havertz and Jesus have been on the treatment table for extended periods, with the latter last in line to return to action after he ruptured his ACL against Man United at the start of 2025.

Madueke is racing to be fit for this weekend’s clash with Tottenham after impressing Arsenal rehab staff in his recovery from a knee problem, with Odegaard in the same boat according to reliable media sources like Standard Sport.

Havertz was believed to be in contention as well, but an update from Nagelsmann threatens to cast some doubt over his involvement against Spurs on Sunday.

The 26-year-old was sidelined in the opening week of the Premier League campaign and required surgery on a knee issue, having only just returned from a hamstring injury which kept him out for months.

It’s been a frustrating time for Havertz, and while reports suggest he’s been excelling in his Arsenal rehab similar to Madueke, Nagelsmann has actually made a suggestion to the contrary.

Julian Nagelsmann makes Kai Havertz injury claim in worry for Arsenal

Speaking to reporters this week, the Germany boss made an interesting prediction, stating that he expects Havertz to return “towards the end of the year”.

This comes after the £280,000-per-week star also suffered a “minor relapse” of his knee injury, though Nagelsmann has moved to say that Havertz is “doing well” all things considered.

While this doesn’t mean that Havertz is definitively out for this weekend’s all-important derby clash, it doesn’t exactly paint a certain picture of his involvement either, so Arsenal could have another injury worry on their hands here after a few scares over the international break.

Luckily for Arteta, while Gabriel is a major doubt to face Tottenham, Riccardo Calafiori has been given the all-clear to play this weekend, according to Fabrizio Romano.

If Havertz does turn out to be ready for Sunday, with uncertainty surrounding him right now, it would come as an almighty boost.

Gyokeres is another Arsenal player who could miss the derby, so a return for Havertz would undoubtedly do wonders to alleviate the Swede’s absence, otherwise Mikel Merino is in line to start his third successive game as Arteta’s makeshift striker.

Elly De La Cruz is back to making baseball look really easy, and we're all better for it.

The Cincinnati Reds' 23-year-old phenom shortstop kicked off spring training last weekend by hitting home runs from each side of the plate in a game against the Cleveland Guardians.

Then on Wednesday, he once again showed off his ridiculous speed while cruising around the bases for one of the most nonchalant triples you'll ever see.

Look at how quickly he got to third against the Los Angeles Angels:

Too good.

Fans loved it: