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A journalist has dropped a quite big claim on Rafa Benitez and the proposed Newcastle United takeover consortium.

Writing in her latest piece for The Guardian, Louise Taylor has claimed that the former manager at the St. James’ Park faithful appears to be the consortium’s ‘preferred candidate’ should they complete a takeover in the North East, as he already has inside knowledge of the Tyneside club and is currently out of management and available for work.

Newcastle should hire Benitez if possible

If the Magpies do end up getting taken over by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group, then Benitez could well be the ideal candidate to potentially replace Steve Bruce.

The former Liverpool and Chelsea manager may feel as if he has unfinished business at the Toon, and if he was given the financial backing in the transfer market, then it may be seen as an attractive project for him to return.

Benitez guided NUFC to promotion back to the Premier League from the EFL Championship and managed to keep them in the top flight for two consecutive terms after that, boasting no fewer than 62 wins from 146 games in total over all competitions (Transfermarkt), a 42.5% win ratio.

Nonetheless, it would be very interesting to see who the potential new owners would go for as their manager of they were to take over, or whether they would even stick with Bruce.

In other news, find out what takeover ‘advantage’ Newcastle have here!

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Loads of Newcastle fans have been giving their verdict on Tuesday’s incredible win over Manchester City, and they’re completely stunned by the performance of young Sean Longstaff.

With Jonjo Shelvey and Mo Diame both missing and Ki Sung-yeung away on international duty, Rafael Benitez has relied on 21 year-old Longstaff over the last few weeks more out of necessity than his own choosing.

The youngster could well be the first name on the team sheet now though, as he put in his best performance yet against the champions on Tuesday night.

Longstaff, who racked up one goal and four assists in ten games for the Magpies’ Under-23 side this season (Transfermarkt), made his debut in the 4-0 defeat at Liverpool and has since started three consecutive Premier League matches.

After promising showings against Chelsea and Cardiff, he completely ran the show in Tuesday’s dramatic 2-1 win, dominating Manchester City’s iconic midfield trio of Fernandinho, David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

It seems as if Wigan Athletic midfielder Sean McGurk may well join Leeds United this summer.

The Whites had a bid turned down for the 18-year-old during the January window, with Marcelo Bielsa looking to bolster the club’s Under-23 ranks.

However, McGurk’s contract with the Latics expires in the summer – meaning he could move to Elland Road over the coming months with a fee decided by a tribunal.

Reliable reporter Alan Nixon, who writes for The Sun, appeared to give a positive update regarding Leeds and McGurk on Twitter on Wednesday afternoon.

He was asked if he thinks McGurk will still come to Leeds this summer, to which he replied:

“Not heard different.”

Transfer Tavern take

Should a deal for McGurk go through in the upcoming window, he could link up with former Wigan teammate Joe Gelhardt.

Gelhardt, on £16,500-a-week, has a close relationship with McGurk from the forward’s time at Wigan.

McGurk was described as ‘brilliant’ by Wigan youth coach Peter Murphy last year, with the latter heaping praise on the teenager for being ‘so effective’.

The attacking midfielder is yet to make his senior bow for Wigan, so should a deal materialise, he could well turn out for the Whites’ Under-23’s first, and perhaps him and Gelhardt could push through for a first-team berth together over the next couple of seasons.

In other news: David Ornstein claims Leeds man played role in ESL collapse, find out more here. 

According to Sky Sports, Tottenham Hotspur star Sergio Reguilon is an injury doubt for the Lilywhites’ first Premier League against Newcastle United after the international break – with manager Jose Mourinho facing the possibility of being without him and fellow left-back option Ben Davies.

Reguilon, who has been one of the Lilywhites’ best signings of the summer with midfield enforcer Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, could possibly miss Newcastle after the Spaniard limped off against Aston Villa in their last outing.

Tottenham could be without Reguilon

The 24-year-old, attempting to ease the worries of supporters, took to Instagram with the message ‘everything is fine’ – but Sky report he is an injury doubt for the clash at St. James’ Park for which many punters will opt for Spurs in their Lucky 31 Bet Calculator selections after a week without domestic football during the international break.

Indeed, Mourinho faces the possibility of being without both Reguilon and Davies after the latter man suffered his own ‘significant’ fitness blow whilst on international duty with Wales.

Tottenham appear to be more optimistic about Reguilon, however, and it is hoped that he could be available for Newcastle after all even if doubts surround his fitness.

The defender has been going through light training work at Hotspur Way but has not yet returned to full sessions – with Reguilon facing a race against time to be fit for their clash against the Magpies.

Transfer Tavern take

Mourinho already knows the impact his absence could have on the team, especially since the Lilywhites boss oversaw Tottenham’s worst run of the campaign from late January to mid-February without the former Real Madrid starlet playing.

Spurs lost four out of five league games while Reguilon was sidelined over that period, and they may have missed his influence going forward.

The Lilywhites star has even averaged more shots per 90 in the English top flight than the likes of Giovani Lo Celso, Steven Bergwijn, Lucas Moura and Tanguy Ndombele this season (WhoScored).

According to a report by Football Insider, Mourinho and Tottenham coaches were immediately blown away by Reguilon upon his arrival in north London – with words like ‘phenomenal’ being used to describe him behind the scenes.

News that Tottenham could be without the player for Newcastle comes as a potential blow for Mourinho who looks to end the season as strongly as possible.

In other news: Tottenham are set to battle rivals for this forward, find out more here.

A number of Crystal Palace fans have been reacting to an update regarding the Eagles and AS Roma manager Paulo Fonseca on social media, with one fan calling the potential appointment ‘amazing’.

According to reports from Italy, relayed by Sports Witness, Palace have held a ‘direct’ conversation with Fonseca about potentially taking over from Roy Hodgson.

Hodgson, who will turn 74 in August, is out of contract at Selhurst Park in the summer, with the likes of Sean Dyche, Eddie Howe and Frank Lampard all being linked with the job.

However, it seems as if Palace’s interest in the current Roma boss is ‘concrete’ following discussions two weeks ago.

Reports claim that Fonseca looks set to leave Italy, and it seems as if the 6-2 defeat to Manchester United on Thursday has put the final nail in his Roma coffin.

Palace fans react

@cpfc_xtra shared the news regarding Palace’s contact with Fonseca on Twitter on Friday morning.

These Eagles supporters all had strong views on the update, with on describing a potential appointement as ‘amazing’.

“FLAT CAP IN THE DUGOUT AT SELHURST.. IT’S EVERYTHING I’VE EVER DREAMED OF!”

Credit: @Wheddsta

“They lost 6-2 last night but he’s young, he’s foreign and he’s not Roy so I’m on my knees”

Credit: @unknownbald

“We’d need some good investment obviously but this would be amazing if we can pull this off”

Credit: @CPFCMax03

“Still don’t believe it. Especially after last night’s disaster class, no way are the board gonna want to take such a huge risk with him”

Credit: @The_ArmaniCode

“Yikes, after Roma’s defensive performance last night this ‘risky’ shortlist choice doesn’t exactly get any safer.”

Credit: @OliverRender

“This is draining can we please just decide on a manager (preferably a good one)”

Credit: @localpla9tic

In other news: Many CPFC fans react at recent Wilfried Zaha development, find out more here. 

Rangers are on the hunt for move silverware and the next step on their journey to more success is a big clash at Ibrox later this evening.

Rangers will be looking to reach the Scottish Cup semi-finals as they take on St Johnstone, with Steven Gerrard undoubtedly targeting a league and cup double this season.

Remarkably, you have to go back to 2009 for the last time the Light Blues lifted the Scottish Cup but having knocked out their Old Firm rivals Celtic in the previous round, you would definitely say that Gerrard’s side are now firm favourites to win the trophy this season.

However, Wednesday’s league fixture against Callum Davidson’s side emphasised that it won’t be an easy game for Rangers on Sunday, as the Saints earned themselves a point thanks to Liam Craig’s stoppage-time penalty.

Gerrard rested several first-team players for the trip to McDiarmid Park in midweek so it seems likely that he will go full strength for the quarter-final this evening.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects the 40-year-old to line his side up at Ibrox, with five changes from the team that started in midweek…

Allan McGregor returns in between the sticks after Jon McLaughlin made a rare league start at McDiarmid Park.

There is just one change in defence, as Filip Helander returns to the side in place of Jack Simpson, who struggled on his full debut in midweek and gave away the penalty late on.

In midfield, Gerrard switches back to three central players after going with a 4-4-2 in midweek, which sees Joe Aribo come back into the starting side.

That results in plenty of changes up front, as Kemar Roofe, Cedric Itten and Scott Wright all dropping out, with Ianis Hagi pushed up to a right-wing position, whilst Alfredo Morelos returns up front.

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Although Wright scored in midweek and is perhaps unfortunate to miss out, Ryan Kent has been “sensational” this season and is very likely to return after being rested last time out.

And, in other news… Gerrard must axe Rangers’ “born leader” vs Saints, he was a liability in midweek

Aston Villa must make a ruthless call on Ross Barkley amid claims West Ham are interested in signing him this summer.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks claimed that Christian Purslow was the driving force behind doing a permanent deal for Barkley come the end of the season, despite Dean Smith himself being “unconvinced” over whether the 27-year-old is worth the money needed to sign him.

Now, TEAMtalk have suggested that Hammers boss David Moyes has added Barkley to his list of targets this summer, while Villa themselves have now indicated they will not be looking to sign him.

NSWE will be fuming

Given how Barkley’s campaign has really fizzled out after some promising early appearances for the club, it would be a major blunder from Villa to be looking to sign the £18m-rated ace permanently.

After scoring twice in his opening two Premier League games for the club, Barkley has scored just once since in the top-flight, while he still only has one assist to his name in the competition too.

Speaking after he was taken off yet again in the second half against Leicester last month, Sky Sports pundit Alex Scott slammed him for his display, saying: “For me it’s another missed opportunity for Ross Barkley to show up and demand, he’s been subbed off again and you can see in his face he’s not happy. But how many chances does a player need?

“You need to take it upon yourself. There’s only so many chances that he can be deserving. He’s missed another opportunity today.”

With reports initially claiming that Purslow was spearheading Villa’s permanent move for Barkley, the chief executive must now make a ruthless U-turn. NSWE certainly won’t be happy at forking out a shed-load of money for a player who’s barely performed for them this season.

Meanwhile, Villa are eyeing a move for this 6 foot 6 giant…

Manchester United prolonged Manchester City’s wait for the Premier League title on Sunday as they came from behind to win against Aston Villa.

Bertrand Traore had given Dean Smith’s men the lead but the Red Devils roared back after the break thanks to goals from Mason Greenwood, Bruno Fernandes and Edinson Cavani.

It was their second goalscorer Fernandes who predictably was the star man at Villa Park and his game did not just end with a well-taken penalty.

He continued his excellent recent form by being a constant threat to Villa. According to WhoScored, he had four shots – a figure that was only matched by Bertrand Traore of every player to take to the pitch for both sides.

The Portuguese ace was also a huge creative influence in the centre of the park as he produced three key passes for his teammates. Marcus Rashford in the Red Devils squad was the only player to improve upon that statistic with four of his own.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/the-latest-man-united-transfer-rumours-and-news-from-old-trafford-fofana-solskjaer-van-de-beek-wwodward” title=”The latest Man United transfer rumours and news from Old Trafford…”]

It is no surprise to see those numbers though considering that Fernandes had 77 touches of the ball throughout the 90 minutes. Once again, that’s a count that was not bettered by any of his Red Devils’ teammates.

Whilst Fernandes was brilliant in an attacking sense, as is to be somewhat expected, he was also surprisingly eye-catching in defence too.

The Portuguese star produced three clearances and an interception. Meanwhile, he also managed to contribute two tackles. Only midfielder destroyer Fred only contributed more than that throughout the game.

Having been hailed as “pure quality” in the past by former Red Devil Roy Keane, Fernandes certainly displayed that all over the Villa Park pitch.

Solskjaer should, once again, be delighted with another spectacular from his midfield dynamo.

AND in more news, find out which Serie A defensive rock the Red Devils simply must sign in the summer…

Manchester United booked their place in the Europa League quarter-finals with a 2-1 aggregate win on Thursday night.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men secured their progression with a 1-0 win at the San Siro against AC Milan, Paul Pogba coming off of the bench to score the vital goal.

He had only been on the pitch for two minutes following his half-time introduction before firing in from close range following penalty box pinball. Aside from the goal, it was a thoroughly impressive showing from the Frenchman following his return after approximately six weeks on the sidelines with a thigh injury.

In his 45 minutes on the pitch, the former Juventus man had 46 touches on the ball, surpassing Mason Greenwood, who ended up completing the full game.

The vast majority of Pogba’s touches had a telling contribution, too. According to WhoScored, he had three shots at goal, with no player on either side having more than the midfielder. The one he managed to get on target, of course, ended up being the all-important winning goal at the San Siro.

Pogba’s contributions did not end there, either, as he also provided two key passes in what was an eye-catching offensive cameo. In his 90 minutes on the pitch, only Bruno Fernandes and Dan James could match that figure, per WhoScored.

Whilst the £58.5m-rated midfielder inspired the Red Devils in an attacking sense, he was also crucial as the visitors attempted to close out their vital victory. He contributed one tackle, two interceptions, a clearance and a successful aerial duel.

For a player who was deployed by Solskjaer to inspire the Red Devils in an attacking vein, Pogba’s determined defensive showing was also extremely impressive.

Having only played 45 minutes for United in Italy, Pogba really was the inspiration behind their win.

AND in more news, take a look at how yet another Sporting CP star could be the latest arrival at Old Trafford…

Sunderland suffered their first defeat in 15 games (Sky Sports) on Saturday against Charlton Athletic in League One, and the fans were far from happy with the performance of Josh Scowen.

The Black Cats are currently fighting for promotion to the Championship, but their 2-1 defeat against The Addicks is a huge blow to those hopes. Unfortunately, despite spending much of the match in control, they were unable to beat an opponent who themselves are also eyeing one of those coveted promotion spots.

The performance of Scowen was particularly disappointing for the fans. He actually put the ball into his own net to give the London outfit the lead, and struggled throughout the game in the middle of the park. Lee Johnson will be expecting more from him during the remaining few weeks of the season, even though he did grab what turned out to be a consolation goal.

The fans took took to social media platform Twitter in their droves to share their thoughts on his display.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Scowen below

“Scowen is a waste of space”

Credit: @SafcF1Fan

“Got nowt to do with that, when we play the right team we can create and score. Scowen in midfield totally ruins the team”

Credit: @DavidHindmarsh7

“Scowen is virtually on the line. It’s absolutely pathetic 4th division Sunday league clearance. If he can’t kick a ball like that properly then he needs to find another sport”

Credit: @SafcMod

“Scowen is embarrassing but making that save look like is shocking, he’s dove past the ball and then parried it back into the goal, embarrassing”

Credit: @BradfordGavin

“Get Scowen off I am not sure what he actually does full stop.”

Credit: @GuyAllison73

“How is Scowen still on the pitch? Dreadful”

Credit: @mgsmith95

In other news, Sunderland fans slammed this man against Peterborough on Monday.