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Gabriel Magalhaes has been attracting the attention of clubs around Europe, including Arsenal, and the latest update seems to suggest the Gunners have a big battle on their hands if they want to acquire the player.

Reports from L’Equipe and Made in Dogues claim that the defender, who plays for Ligue 1 side Lille, has five teams available to him after they have all submitted transfer offers. These include Arsenal and fellow Premier League side Everton, as well as Serie A club Napoli.

Despite the offers from the Premier League sides, it seems that Gabriel prefers a move to Italy and will snub Arsenal and Everton in favour of Napoli.

The Lille centre-back has made 30 appearances in all competitions this season, including the Champions League, and has made 1.8 tackles per game and 3.3 clearances per game, via WhoScored.

To be a key part of the Lille team which finished fourth in Ligue 1 whilst battling in the Champions League at the age of 22 emphasises that he has a lot of quality and potential, as does the reported transfer interest from no fewer than five clubs around Europe.

His tackles per game average is better than any of Arsenal’s regular centre-backs, via WhoScored, and with the defence being criticised at times this season, Gabriel could be a good central defender to strengthen the back line.

If they can somehow beat Napoli to his signature, then it should really help Mikel Arteta build a better squad to improve their league position next season.

Gunners fans, do you think Arsenal can land Gabriel or will he go to Napoli? Comment below with your views!

The Mirror’s Simon Bird has delivered an intriguing claim to Newcastle United supporters this week on why their Saudi-backed takeover is likely to go through.

Speaking on the ‘Everything is Black and White’ podcast, he said:

“The objections raised will have been anticipated – they have a highly-paid expert PR team on the bid.

“They will have an argument to hit back at the Premier League everytime.

“It’s a complicated one for the Premier League to deal with.

“It’s so far down the line, I don’t think the Premier League will block it. They will have to find a way around the image of approving it.”

It is fast approaching two months since the Magpies’ prospective new owners submitted their bid to the Premier League for approval and the longer the process has gone on, the more doubt has crept into sections of the St James’ Park faithful.

Saudi Arabia’s public investment fund is set to take 80% ownership of the northeast outfit with the remaining 20% going to Amanda Staveley, who is likely to be the face of the board, and the Reuben brothers.

A report from the World Trade Organisation, via the Guardian, has put the whole deal in ‘serious doubt’ due to the state’s involvement in pirate streaming service beoutQ.

Think you’re a big Magpies fan? Can you name these former players by looking at their careers? Go on, give it a go…

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However, Bird believes that the consortium has employed the very best PR team, thus resulting in them having an argument to counter what the PL has to say every time.

He goes on to add that he doesn’t believe they will block it, which is majorly positive news.

AND in other news, Newcastle fans lay into Richard Keys after takeover comments…

Everton are reportedly interested in acquiring the services of Gabon international Denis Bouanga this summer.

According to a report from Le10 Sport (via Sportslens), the Blues are keen on bringing the Saint-Etienne man to Goodison Park in the upcoming transfer window.

Bouanga is reportedly valued at €15m (£13.4m), which is a bargain for a player of his calibre. Fellow Ligue 1 side Rennes are also interested in the forward, although a bidding war is unlikely.

The 25-year-old has had a blistering season in France this term, tallying a total of 12 goals and five assists across all competitions (via Transfermarkt). It has hardly been a fluke season either, as Bouanga notched eight goals and three assists for former club Nimes Olympique before Saint-Etienne snapped him up last summer.

It is uncertain whether the French outfit will be willing to cash in after just one season but the Blues could have their man if they meet the asking price.

For an estimated £13.4m, signing a clinical playmaker like Bouanga is a no-brainer for Everton. He would provide some serious competition for Richarlison or potentially even usurp the Brazilian as Carlo Ancelotti’s first choice centre-forward.

This season, Bouanga has played fewer games in the league but has the same amount of goals and assists as the Blues’ number seven (10 goals, three assists). The Gabonese attacker has also averaged more dribbles per game (2.2) and has better passing accuracy (72.5%) than Richarlison’s 1.8 and 66% respectively (via WhoScored).

The two players are extremely similar in terms of positional versatility and career goal contributions with Bouanga tallying 55 goals and 21 assists and Richarlison just behind on 51 goals and 22 assists (via Transfermarkt). There isn’t much to separate the two attackers, which is what could make for a very entertaining friendly scrap for their spot in the starting XI.

Bounaga is also available at a fraction of the price of what the club spent on Richarlison. For less than £15m, the Blues would be foolish not to pursue a move for the Gabon international.

What’s your take, Everton fans? Would you like to see Denis Bouanga join the Blues this summer? Have your say in the comments below…

In a Q&A posted on his official YouTube channel on Monday, Football London’s Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Alasdair Gold has issued an update on recent rumours once again linking Juventus forward Paulo Dybala with a move to Spurs, following the failed summer deal.

What did he say?

Well, Gold was conducting a Q&A with fans as the break from football continues, and he was asked whether stories about the north London outfit signing the Argentina international were likely.

The supporter was talking about a report from Italian media outlet Tuttosport, via Sport Witness, earlier this month, which suggested that the Serie A giants could look to use the 26-year-old as a makeweight in a deal to sign Harry Kane.

Stuck in isolation? Our mega footy quiz will cure any boredom…

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Giving his thoughts on the subject, Gold said (1:20): “There have been a few bits floating around about Dybala again. What I would say, I do wonder personally whether that moment has passed. He’s someone Pochettino would have loved to have at the club, a fellow Argentine. He had previously rated him as world-class, one of the best players in the world.”

He added: “Can I see it under a new coach? I’m not entirely sure. Dybala’s had quite a good season. He does love Juventus and he just wanted to play.”

Gold concluded: “I can’t see it now. There was a potential window opening to bring him in, but it just proved too difficult to do. I’m not entirely sure that’s likely to happen again this summer.”

Will it happen?

Obviously, we don’t know what is happening at the moment in football with all of the uncertainty, but should things get back to normal it seems unlikely that Spurs will end up with Dybala.

Perhaps if Kane wants to move to Juventus and they can manage to get the Argentine as part of the deal it could potentially be a possibility, but as Gold says you have to feel as though their opportunity is gone.

Indeed, Dybala has gone from not playing as much as he would have liked to being a key man for ‘the Old Lady’, scoring 13 goals and providing a further 12 assists in 34 appearances before the campaign was brought to a standstill.

Given he is a key player under Maurizio Sarri and looks to have guaranteed Champions League football in Turin, why would he want to give that up for a Spurs team that may not qualify for Europe’s elite club competition if and when the English top flight season resumes?

Spurs fans can stop getting excited, then.

In other Tottenham news, Stan Collymore has launched a scathing Twitter attack on Spurs & Daniel Levy following an announcement on Tuesday…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Fabinho’s brother-in-law, Ricardo Assis, has told The Telegraph that PSG, Manchester City, Manchester United and Juventus all spoke to the Brazil international’s agent before he moved to Anfield.

What’s the story?

The 26-year-old signed for the Reds in 2018 for £43.7m from AS Monaco, and has since gone on to make 58 appearances for the club.

However, according to his brother-in-law, it could have been so very different. He said:

“Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, Manchester City and Juventus also talked to his agent, but it was Liverpool that made all the effort to sign him.”

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Vital cog in Liverpool’s machine

There are plenty of talented players in Liverpool’s team. Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane stand out, of course, whilst Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold have also received praise for their contribution from the full-back positions. Fabinho, though, tends to go under the radar.

However, he is a vital cog in the Liverpool machine and he is arguably the Reds’ most important player in the middle of the park. Last season in the Premier League, he averaged 57.5 passes per match, more than any of those in the centre of the park, as well as 2.1 tackles, which again led the way amongst the midfielders.

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This season, he has progressed even more. The £45m-valued man – as per Transfermarkt – still leads the way in both aspects, but now he has 59.6 passes per game and a team-topping 2.4 tackles per match. Not only that, but he has also added key passes to his arsenal – he has 1.2 each game compared to 0.6 last term. The midfielder has also seen his completed long balls go up from 2.6 to 4.4 per match.

Henderson and Wijnaldum are the other two main midfielders and, whilst they do a lot for the team, their overall contribution, both in defence and going forward, cannot match Fabinho’s statistically.

Given how essential he is to the way Jurgen Klopp’s team play, Liverpool can count their lucky stars that he chose them over any of those other European giants.

استقر الجنوب إفريقي بيتسو موسيماني، المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالنادي الأهلي، بنسبة كبيرة، على التشكيل الذي سيواجه به نظيره صن داونز في ذهاب ربع نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

وأسفرت قرعة دور ربع نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا عن مواجهة بين الأهلي وصن داونز للمرة الثالثة على التوالي، حيث تقابل الفريقان العام الماضي، بنفس الدور، وتأهل المارد الأحمر لنصف النهائي حينها، فيما خسر المارد الأحمر أمام صن داونز بنتيجة 5-1، في مجموع المباراتين، بالنسخة قبل الماضية من الأميرة السمراء.

طالع | تشكيل الأهلي أمام صن داونز.. محمد شريف يقود الهجوم

وتأهل الأهلي إلى دور ربع النهائي عقب احتلاله المركز الثاني في جدول ترتيب المجموعة الأولى بالبطولة الإفريقية برصيد 11 نقطة، فيما احتل صن داونز صدارة المجموعة الثانية برصيد 13 نقطة.

ويلتقي الأهلي مع صن داونز مساء اليوم السبت على استاد الأهلي ‏we السلام، في ذهاب دور ربع نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا، على أن تُقام مباراة العودة يوم 22 من ‏الشهر الجاري في جنوب إفريقيا.‏

طالع أيضا.. خاص | إصابة لاعب الأهلي قبل مباراة صن داونز تشكيل الأهلي المتوقع لمباراة صن داونز في دوري أبطال إفريقيا

في حراسة المرمى: محمد الشناوي.

خط الدفاع: محمد هاني، بدر بانون، رامي ربيعة، أيمن أشرف.

خط الوسط: أليو ديانج، عمرو السولية، محمد مجدي أفشة، حسين الشحات، طاهر محمد طاهر.

خط الهجوم: محمد شريف.

Some Tottenham fans have taken to Twitter to express their dissatisfaction at how late in the game Mauricio Pochettino decided to substitute Giovani Lo Celso and Lucas Moura onto the field against Liverpool.

After taking an early lead through Harry Kane, Spurs allowed Jordan Henderson and Mohamed Salah to strike in the second half to help Liverpool record a 2-1 win.

In a somewhat delayed response to Salah’s 75th minute spot-kick, Pochettino decided to introduce Lucas in the 84th minute before bringing summer signing Lo Celso into the game four minutes later.

Unsurprisingly, that did not give the duo enough time to make an impact on proceedings, and did seem like a particularly baffling thing to do from Pochettino.

One supporter below said that the former Southampton manager’s tactical move proves that he has lost the plot, whereas another fan said the late switches made “zero sense”.

Let’s take a look at some more of the Twitter reaction…

QPR and Ryan Manning continued their fine form on Saturday afternoon as the Rs defeated Hull 3-2.

Mark Warburton’s men have been in the goals of late and now have seven in their last two outings as they showed no signs of slowing down after the international break.

Eberechi Eze was on the scoresheet twice but as was Manning, who added to the assist he claimed against Blackburn two weeks ago.

The left-back put in a convincing display which left many fans absolutely delighted with him.

One supporter suggested he was showing shades of Brazilian legend Ronaldinho while another individual labelled him the best in his position in the Championship.

A fellow QPR fan said she was in love with the defender as he was also described as cool as ice.

Manning has been ever-present for the Londoners this season but this weekend marked his first goal of the term. He’s claimed three assists to date as well.

The 23-year-old has caught the eye of the Premier League in 2019/20 with Newcastle reportedly in the race to snap him up.

Here’s what fans were saying about him yesterday.

According to The Daily Mail, Tottenham Hotspur are open to offers for five players – including Eric Dier – during the January transfer window, but plenty of Spurs fans want him to stay.

The Daily Mail says that the England international, along with Danny Rose, Serge Aurier, Christian Eriksen and Victor Wanyama, can go if the price is right, as Mauricio Pochettino plans a New Year shake-up of his squad.

The 25-year-old has certainly found first-team minutes hard to come by under the Argentine this term despite being fully fit, with his first Premier League start of the campaign not coming until the 3-0 defeat against Brighton and Hove Albion earlier this month.

Dier has played 214 minutes in total across all competitions, although 90 of those came in the EFL Cup humiliation against League Two Colchester United.

Nevertheless, Tottenham supporters don’t appear keen to lose the former Sporting Lisbon anytime soon, with one describing him as “so underrated”, and another saying “Dier would be the only one I’d like to keep”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Off the Bench series, which places in-game managerial decisions and squad selections under FFC’s microscope.

After suffering the humiliation of losing 7-2 to Bayern Munich in mid-week, Tottenham’s woes were compounded when they fell to a 3-0 defeat to Brighton in the Premier League.

Snapshot

Mauricio Pochettino’s side suffered their biggest defeat under the Argentine’s management on Tuesday night, and they would undoubtedly have been hoping for some kind of positive reaction against the Seagulls on Saturday.

But a howler from Hugo Lloris allowed Neal Maupay to open the scoring for the home side after just a few minutes, before a brace from Aaron Connolly sealed a comfortable victory for Graham Potter’s men.

The indoor football skills in the video below have to be seen to be believed…

Pochettino has come under criticism in recent weeks, and his decision to take off Tanguy Ndombele at half-time certainly appeared to be eyebrow-raising to say the least.

Off the bench

Whilst the summer signing may not have set the world alight in north London since arriving in a big-money deal from Lyon, he represents one of the more offensive midfielders in the side. The Frenchman has averaged an impressive 1.5 successful dribbles per game this season, and it’s that directness from deep that can often change the tempo of an attack.

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And yet, despite trailing 2-0 at the break, Pochettino decided to take off the 22-year-old for Harry Winks. Whilst the latter came on to provide some more thrust, surely the more logical choice would have been to substitute Eric Dier, a specialist holding midfielder?

Instead, Dier continued to look all at sea in a rare Premier League appearance, completing just 74% of his passes, and losing possession 15 times over the course of the game. When you need to score at least two goals to earn a result, doesn’t it make more sense to take off the more defensively-minded player, instead of the one whose main strength is to drive forward?

In the end, Spurs didn’t look at all likely in making their way back into the match. But Pochettino’s half-time decision spoke of just how out of touch the Argentine appears to be at the moment.