Many Newcastle United supporters have responded negatively to a recent claim by Toon Managing Director Lee Charnley, regarding the Magpies’ academy and his ambitions for it.
Charnley has told The Athletic (via The Chronicle) that he wants United to have the best academy in the North East, and sees the youth ranks at Darsley Park brimming with local prospects who “will get chances” like North Shields-born brothers Sean and Matty Longstaff.
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“We want to be the best academy in the region,” Charnley said. “Our vision is we want local boys to look at it and think it’s not going to be full of boys from London, Manchester or abroad. Between nine and 16, it will be an academy with boys predominantly from the local area.
“There will be exceptions but generally, it will be local. Other clubs may move boys around the country, sign them at 12, 13, 14, move their education. We’re not doing that. Consciously, we have made a decision not to do that and to give local boys the opportunity.”
Fans have not taken to his comments positively, though, as many feel Charnley is speaking on a topic that former manager Rafael Benitez had pressed the Magpies to focus on before he walked away from the club.
The Spaniard used to plead to owner Mike Ashley to invest funds into Newcastle’s academy while in discussions with the Sports Direct owner regarding a new contract, but those ambitions did not appear to be matched at the time.
Charnley has now stressed a desire to have a successful academy and hopes to see more names follow the Longstaff brothers into the senior fold soon.
He added: “[The] ultimate aim is that one player every year comes through our system and ends up in our first-team squad. That is what we want to achieve.”
In today’s Newcastle United roundup, we take a look at what news has been doing the rounds for the Magpies. 16-year-old Luke Matheson has been linked with the club after scoring at Old Trafford in the EFL Cup, there is a fresh takeover bid from Peter Kenyon, and Rafael Benitez has named the best players he signed for the club.
Kenyon launches fresh takeover bid
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Report: According to Sky Sports, Kenyon’s new American investment fund GACP Sports is trying to buy Newcastle for £300m which will be paid in installments over three years. A detailed 46-page brochure has been sent out to potential investors, explaining their plans for the club, states the report.
Verdict: No doubt this will be music to the ears of anyone who follows the Toon Army. For over a decade now, fans have been desperate to see the back of Mike Ashley, with the Sports Direct owner refusing to delve into the transfer market enough, and thus having played a huge role in the club being relegated twice during his reign.
Kenyon’s GACP Sports also owns French side Bordeaux, whilst the man himself has been chief executive of both Chelsea and Manchester United and clearly knows how to run a football club as a result.
As has been the case in previous bids from Kenyon, there needs to be a large sum which Ashley would fancy or it is unlikely he will sell the club. Indeed, in recent times Amanda Staveley’s PCP Partners, the Bin Zayed Group as well as Kenyon have all attempted to purchase the club, with Ashley turning down each offer.
It seems it is going to take a bid in excess of £350m, as Sky Sports reports, and Newcastle fans will be hoping and praying this comes sooner rather than later.
Benitez on his best signings for the club
Report: In a Q&A with The Athletic (as quoted by Shields Gazette), former Magpies boss Benitez revealed who were his best signings during his time at St James’ Park. The Spaniard was asked ‘who would you say was your best value signing at Newcastle (Fabian) Schar, (Florian) Lejeune, (Martin) Dubravka?’, although Benitez was quick to point out Solomon Rondon as a name he never forgot during his time in the North East.
He replied: “I agree the three of them are quite good signings for the money we paid. Also I would add Rondon was good value as a loan.”
Verdict: Dubravka has turned himself into one of the better goalkeepers in the Premier League over the last few years, keeping 17 clean sheets and making 139 saves in 56 appearances. Although the Slovakian has conceded 67 times, only five of them have come as ‘errors leading to a goal’, according to official statistics of the Premier League.
Schar is continuing to prove his importance for the club this season, averaging a 7.16 performance rating and playing a huge role in Newcastle conceding eight goals in six games – only Crystal Palace boasts better in the bottom half.
As for Rondon, he has linked up once again with Benitez, joining him at Dalian Yifang in China. During his time at Newcastle, however, the Venezuelan finished as the second top scorer for the club, bagging 11 goals and seven assists in 31 Premier League appearances.
Lejeune is currently out injured, but the Frenchman did average a 7.05 performance rating with the Magpies in his first season under Benitez.
Bruce keeping tabs on Matheson
Report: According to the Chronicle Live, Newcastle have been scouting the Rochdale teenager even before his heroics against Manchester United. It is reported that the Magpies have kept tabs on the defender ever since he made his first-team debut in the Checkatrade Trophy last year.
Verdict: 16-year-old Matheson has jumped into the limelight after scoring the equaliser in the Dale’s Carabao Cup tie at Old Trafford. The right-back has been involved heavily for the League One side so far, playing all three of the EFL Cup games until Rochdale were knocked out. Matheson has also played twice in the league for his boyhood club this season and has even stepped out for the England U17’s on one occasion.
It is always wise to keep tabs on the younger guys around because clubs can never know what youth teams are prizing away the best young talent in the country – sometimes it is not always the Premier League teams who acquire the best young products from around England.
If Newcastle were to sign Matheson, it would be highly doubtful he would see first-team action more than a handful of times in a year. Nevertheless, if his performance at Old Trafford is anything to go by, it is a good idea to keep an eye on his progress.
This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…
According to The Mirror, Paris Saint-Germain are planning a stunning £100m swoop for Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha as a replacement for Neymar Jr, who looks set for a move back to La Liga.
What’s the word, then?
Well, the Ivorian made his intentions to leave Selhurst Park crystal clear in the summer by handing in a transfer request on the eve of the deadline, and was reportedly devastated that the Eagles rejected Everton’s late advances.
However, the window for European clubs remains open until September 2nd, and the French champions may test Palace’s resolve one last time this summer before Zaha’s hopes of leaving until at least January are killed off completely.
PSG know that Neymar is irreplaceable, but see the Palace academy graduate as a player of a similar style who can excite the Parc des Princes crowd – a delegation is being sent to London this week to see if a deal can be struck for Zaha.
Palace’s best chance of receiving their valuation
Arsenal were interested in Zaha this summer, but Palace deemed their offer of £65m + Reiss Nelson on loan as nowhere near good enough.
The Toffees also got involved later on in the summer, but their highest offer of £60m + Cenk Tosun was also deemed unacceptable – The Telegraph claimed that while the Eagles value Zaha at £100m, they would’ve accepted £80m in upfront cash.
So, if the news that PSG are readying an offer worth £100m is true, this could be Palace’s best chance of receiving what they want for the Ivorian.
It would leave them in a tricky situation until the January window opens in terms of finding a replacement, but if such an offer does arrive, it would be too hard to turn down given the fact that another offer worth that much may not come around again.
This is Palace’s best chance of getting what they want for their prized asset.
أشاد لاعب وسط الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي أستون فيلا، جون ماكجين، بأداء زميله، أحمد المحمدي، خلال مباراة ليدز يونايتد في الجولة السادسة والعشرين من بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.
ونجح أستون فيلا في تحقيق فوز مهمً على حساب ليدز يونايتد يوم، السبت الماضي، بهدف نظيف أحرزه واتكينز على ملعب “إيلاند رود”.
واستطاع أحمد المحمدي إيقاف خطورة أبرز نجوم ليدز يونايتد في الموسم الحالي وجناح الفريق الأول، رافينها، أحد أهداف ليفربول في الميركاتو الصيفي المقبل.
اقرأ ايضًا.. مدرب أستون فيلا يكشف إصابة إيميليانو مارتينيز أمام ليدز
وتحدث ماكجين عن المحمدي ونجاحه لإيقاف رافينها في المباراة خلال تصريحات نقلتها صحيفة “ديلي ميل” البريطانية، وقال: “رافينها هو أحد أفضل اللاعبين في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز هذا الموسم”.
وتابع: “افتقدنا كاش في مركز الظهير الأيسر، لكن أحمد المحمدي كان ممتازًا ونجح في إيقاف خطورة رافينها واعتبره كان مفتاحًا لفوز أستون فيلا بالمباراة”.
وأتم تصريحاته: “اعتقد أن أداء المحمدي اليوم كان رائعًا أمام أحد أفضل اللاعبين في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز”.
This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…
Everton have announced the signing of Djibril Sidibe from Monaco, with the right-back arriving on a season-long loan from the Ligue 1 side.
What’s the word, then?
Well, it had previously been reported that Marco Silva wanted a right-back to compete with Seamus Coleman, and the former Watford boss appears to have got his man after Sidibe’s arrival was announced.
The 27-year-old becomes the Toffees’ sixth signing of the summer after deals for Jonas Lossl, Andre Gomes, Fabian Delph, Jean-Philippe Gbamin and Moise Kean were also completed by Marcel Brands.
Sidibe is a World Cup winner and brings a wealth of experience to the Premier League, having earned 18 caps for France whilst playing in the Champions League with Monaco.
He will once again link up with Lucas Digne, whom he played alongside at Lille.
Mason Holgate as a centre-back?
It was intriguing when Silva reportedly said he was after a right-back, as Mason Holgate had since returned to the club from his loan spell at West Brom.
The England Under-21 international can play either at right-back or at centre-back, but has never really nailed down a spot in either position at Goodison Park.
Check out some amazing tekkers in the video below…
Despite Sidibe’s arrival strengthening the right-back position, Everton still only have two centre-backs in Yerry Mina and Michael Keane, with no other senior figures in that area at the club after Phil Jagielka and Kurt Zouma left.
As a result of this, it could easily be argued that the Merseysiders see Holgate as a centre-back for the upcoming season given the fact that he is now third choice in the pecking order at right-back behind Sidibe and Coleman.
He looks set to remain at the club right now, and with it looking extremely unlikely for him to get game time at right-back, the 22-year-old may be spending the 2019/20 campaign as a central defender in Silva’s eyes.
According to The Mirror, Aston Villa have launched a bid to sign Tom Heaton from Burnley after the stopper previously rejected a contract offer from the Clarets.
The Villans have made signing a goalkeeper a top priority this summer having targeted a number throughout he window.
Neil Etheridge, Jack Butland and Alex McCarthy have all been linked but it appears as though Heaton is the one they’re now focusing on.
And sharing their views on Twitter, Villa fans appeared delighted that he could be joining the club.
One supporter labelled him the perfect number one goalkeeper for a side returning to the top-flight, as another said he’d give the Villans competition and quality.
A further supporter remarked how he saw the 33-year-old keep Burnley in a game against Brighton, suggesting that if he signs for Villa then the club were in for a treat. One individual even said it would be a step-up from Jed Steer.
Heaton has become somewhat of a stalwart for Burnley, remaining a reliable presence between the sticks, keeping 25 clean sheets in 96 Premier League games.
أبدى بريندان رودجرز مدرب فريق ليستر سيتي أسفه لـ إقالة فرانك لامبارد من منصبه في نادي تشيلسي.
وكان تشيلسي قد أعلن اليوم الاستغناء عن خدمات لامبارد لسوء نتائج الفريق (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا).
وقال بريندان رودجرز في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “ديلي إكسبريس” الإنجليزية: “أعرف مدى أهمية النادي بالنسبة لـ لامبارد وكل شيء قدمه للنادي، بالنظر إلى الفريق وكل شيء آخر حوله والتكيف مع اللاعبين القادمين، كما قلت سابقًا هو كان في حاجة إلى الوقت، وللأسف لم يحصل على ذلك”.
وأضاف: “أنا أشعر به حقًا، الرجل الذي قدم أداءً رائعًا في ديربي كاونتي، كانت لديه الشجاعة للخروج من مسيرة رائعة كلاعب، وكان بإمكانه أن يسلك طريقًا أسهل، ولكنه ذهب مباشرة إلى التدريب والإدارة”.
اقرأ أيضًا.. تياجو سيلفا لـ لامبارد بعد إقالته من تشيلسي: شكرًا لك يا أسطورة
وواصل: “لقد تولى لامبارد وظيفة لا يستطيع رفضها، على الرغم من أنه لم يكن لديه الكثير من الخبرة، لكنني شعرت أنه كان بإمكانه القيام بعمل جيد حقًا هناك، قام بذلك الموسم الماضي”.
وتابع: “ربما لم تكن النتائج كما كانوا يريدون أو كان يريد، لأنه هو نفسه شخص يحب الفوز، لكن كما أقول أشعر أنها وظيفة تحتاج إلى وقت، وللأسف لم يكن لديه الوقت الكافي”.
Liverpool are heading into the summer on the back of landing a sixth European Cup after the Reds finally got their rewards for two years worth of superb football.
The Reds and manager Jurgen Klopp are in a good place in all honesty, and barring a disaster in terms of losing some their top players, not much is needed in terms of squad investment to ensure the club remain right at the summit of the game.
However, if there was one position that could do with adding too, it’s in goal, where number two Simon Mignolet is nowhere near on the level of main stopper Alisson, who has been simply superb since being brought into the club last summer.
This weekend then has seen the club linked with a move for Southampton stopper Alex McCarthy, and here in the Tavern, we couldn’t think of a better signing for the club.
McCarthy might have lost his place in the Saints XI to Angus Gunn, but the 29-year-old had earlier in the campaign displayed the type of form which showed he can play at the very top, earning himself an England call up along the way.
Belgian Mignolet has never ever produced the goods for the Reds either, and his onrunning battle with Loris Karius last season was blamed for the club’s lack of success in the end, with both ‘keepers deemed untrustworthy by Klopp.
The signing of McCarthy then would represent a welcome boost to the squad, and crucially, would relieve some of the game time Alisson has to put himself through. McCarthy is also good enough to ensure the Brazilian number one cannot rest on his laurels either, and Liverpool fans could be safe in the knowledge that they have a steady pair of hands ready to jump in should Alisson be missing.
According to The Sun journalist Alan Nixon, Aston Villa want to sign a new number one goalkeeper this summer and could send Lovre Kalinic out on loan.
Villa signed Kalinic from Gent in January with the view to the Croatia international being the club’s number one goalkeeper.
It was a big statement at the time but the 29-year-old’s move to Villa Park has simply not worked out and Jed Steer quickly took over as the first-choice.
Steer was terrific in the final months of the campaign, putting in a string of impressive performances as Dean Smith’s side earned promotion to the Premier League via the playoffs.
But Nixon has claimed that Villa want a new stopper this summer.
“The EPL is overrated anyway!” – Check out a Derby fan’s Play-off final vlog in the video below…
And the newly-promoted club’s fans have insisted that Steer should be given a chance to prove his worth in the top flight next term, rather than signing a goalkeeper to overtake him in the pecking order.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below: