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Newcastle may have ‘dodged a bullet’ by refusing the takeover offer from Bin Zayed International, according to Rob Lee.

It was reported back in May 2019 that Sheikh Khaled’s group were in negotiations with Mike Ashley over the £350m purchase of the club. The previous year, they had apparently expressed interest in buying Liverpool before being rebuffed by Fenway Sports Group.

The Mag’s Jonathan Drape-Comyn wrote at the time that the prospective deal had the ‘potential to be the best thing ever to happen to Newcastle United’, but ultimately no breakthrough was made and Ashley was left publicly questioning the true extent of their wealth.

Sheikh Khaled’s Derby bid unravelled

Bin Zayed International then moved onto other options in their pursuit of a club. Last November, an agreement with Derby County was reached in principle.

It was said that confirmation was imminent, and Khaled was even involved in the appointment of Wayne Rooney as permanent manager at Pride Park (via BBC Sport).

Howver, after ongoing delays in the completion of the deal, The Telegraph reported earlier this month that it had been scrapped, leaving Derby ‘furious’.

Former Newcastle midfielder Lee spoke to Football FanCast about the matter and believes that the Magpies may be fortunate that the prospective takeover never happened, saying:

“We won’t know what’s going on behind the scenes. Mel Morris is in charge of Derby and maybe the same sort of thing [happened].

“We’ll never know, we’ll be guessing forever. We could’ve dodged a bullet.”

Transfer Tavern verdict

As Lee says, the details are murky. We don’t know, for instance, whether the Group would have sought to retain Rafael Benitez.

Initial reports suggested that they were intent on keeping the Spaniard, only for Ashley to later blame them for the Spaniard’s departure in June 2019.

An adequately-backed Benitez would theoretically have been a force on Tyneside, but can we really say, based on the chaotic picture we’ve been given of the takeover attempts, that this change of ownership would have ushered in a period of stability at St James’ Park?

In other news, Newcastle players are reportedly raging at one of their team-mates after his recent comments.

West Brom return from the international break to face an in-form Chelsea side at Stamford Bridge this Easter weekend.

The Baggies are still living precariously in the relegation zone and, in reality, it will take a lot to salvage their Premier League status – but if they’re going to do so, then it must begin with a shock result here.

Sam Allardyce has improved Albion in recent weeks, picking up three clean sheets in their last five outings, which is a vast improvement considering they are still the top-flight’s leakiest defence.

However, shoring up the defence has come at a price – they cannot find the net at the other end of the pitch, meaning that any chance of picking up enough points in the final nine games is looking like an arduous task.

On the Chalkboard

Mbaye Diagne has made a positive impact since arriving in January, but one goal in eight starts is far from encouraging. However, that largely comes down to a lack of service, and as such, it’s time for Big Sam to turn to Grady Diangana to start from the off.

The last time these two sides met, they drew 3-3, and you’d imagine Albion would take that result once again.

During that game, Diangana was a nuisance on the left flank. As per SofaScore, he put in four tackles, provided two key passes and succeeded with 50% of his crossing attempts – this would be far better service to Diagne than what he has been getting.

Against Palace, Matty Phillips – the man who’s likely to make way for the 22-year-old – was hugely wasteful, completing just one of five crosses (20%) and managing only ten passes during his time on the pitch, via SofaScore.

Diangana has struggled to get into the starting XI since he returned from injury, but it was only last season that he provided eight goals and seven assists on West Brom’s way to promotion, and it’s on Big Sam to get that back out of him.

The £10.8m-rated dynamo has been described as “explosive” and a “total nightmare” to play against, so it certainly seems like one huge waste to leave him on the bench when the Baggies are fighting for their Premier League lives, not to mention the £18m fee paid for his services in the summer.

Phillips should not be starting games in the Premier League, as evident by his shocker against the Eagles, so the natural replacement has to be Diangana.

Allardyce would only be doing the Midlands outfit a disservice by not unleashing the tricky winger on Saturday afternoon.

AND in other news, West Brom can secure their next Mulumbu in £8.55m-rated powerhouse…

Sheffield Wednesday are back in Championship action this afternoon as they head to north London to face a promotion favourite in Watford.

Darren Moore’s Owls squad will be in a confident mood after picking up their first win under the current boss, defeating south Yorkshire rivals Barnsley last time out.

However, the Hornets will likely be a massive increase in quality, especially as they have won each of their last five matches, so will the 46-year-old stick with his winning formula or look to make changes?

Here’s our predicted XI, as well as the latest team and injury news from the Hillsborough camp…

There could be as many as three changes from the side which defeated the Tykes before the international break.

Veteran goalkeeper Keiren Westwood has returned to training following injury and is in line to come straight back in, replacing 25-year-old Joe Wildsmith between the sticks.

“Westy has been back in training and we’re putting him through his paces,” explained Moore, via Yorkshire Live. “The pleasing thing for him is the injury has now healed.”

The same goes for versatile midfielder Sam Hutchinson, who had been filling in at centre-back before picking up a hamstring knock prior to the Barnsley game. He is expected to return to the starting XI, with Julian Borner the likely candidate to make way. Hutchinson will partner Tom Lees and Osaze Urhoghide at the back.

The final change could come on the right flank as Kadeem Harris gets the nod over Liam Palmer at wing-back. Both he and Adam Reach offer far more attacking threat, and given the formation deployed, that’s what will be required if the Owls are to stand a chance of picking up a result at Vicarage Road.

It means the rest of the lineup remains the same, so Barry Bannan and Joey Pelupessy continue in the engine room with Callum Paterson slightly further forward, whilst Jordan Rhodes and Josh Windass are paired up top.

AND in other news, Sheffield Wednesday must move on from Jos Luhukay flop this summer…

Tottenham Hotspur are eyeing up a move for Sevilla colossus Diego Carlos this summer, according to Spanish newspaper La Razon.

It’s claimed that Jose Mourinho has pushed the Spurs hierarchy to make a move for the 6 foot 1 Brazilian ahead of the transfer window, though he’s thought to have a whopping €75m (£64m) release clause.

However, Davinson Sanchez could be made available to send in the other direction to sweeten negotiations.

The search for a new centre-back shouldn’t come as a surprise after the ever-reliable Alasdair Gold at football.london revealed that the arrival of a new defensive leader was Spurs’ top priority going into next season.

Many names have surfaced since then, including former target Milan Skriniar, Fulham loan sensation Joachim Andersen, and Brighton veteran Lewis Dunk.

Carlos is a rather intriguing option, not at least because of his ties to current Spurs star Sergio Reguilon, who joined from Real Madrid in the summer.

The 24-year-old left wing-back has excelled in the English capital as one of Mourinho’s star performers, with three assists (only better by two players) and an average rating of 6.89, as per WhoScored.

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But this form is a mere continuation from his sparkling exploits on loan to Sevilla last season, where he thrived alongside Carlos at the back. Indeed, the duo formed a formidable partnership.

In 35 appearances together, the La Liga outfit lost only four games, with a win rate of 65.7%. The pair played five times on their way to clinching the Europa League trophy, including in the final, where they defeated Inter Milan 3-2, as per Transfermarkt.

Carlos contributed towards 21 clean sheets throughout the campaign too, keeping the likes of Edin Dzeko, Raul Jimenez, and Barcelona’s frontline of Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi silent.

It’s no wonder he has been nicknamed the “beast,” and this has been reverberated by Spanish football expert Domagoj Kostanjsak, who told the Liverpool ECHO’s podcast that the £45m-rated defender is “built like a tank” and that he’s “not called ‘the beast’ for nothing.”

Carlos and Reguilon evidently struck up a lethal partnership at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan, and that’s something that Daniel Levy must recreate at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Mourinho has been dealing with individual errors and defensive mistakes all season despite having the third-tightest backline in the Premier League, so pairing two players that have that proven track record together could be a game-changer for Spurs.

Levy must sanction this deal, whatever the price.

AND in other news, Forget Nagelsmann: Spurs should appoint “unbelievable” 48 y/o gem next…

David Moyes will be fearing any potential spell on the sidelines for Mark Noble after confirming that the West Ham United captain sustained a “bad” injury against Leicester City.

That’s according to football.london, who quote the Irons boss as revealing Noble took a kick to his elbow during Sunday’s 3-2 win over the Foxes.

Noble had opened the London Stadium affair beside Tomas Soucek as he started back-to-back Premier League games for only the second time this season, as Moyes continues to be without Declan Rice.

Rice is facing a race against time to be fit before the end of the season after sustaining a knee ligament injury during the March international break, which left Noble and Soucek as Moyes’ only natural holding midfield options.

But Moyes could be down to only one option when West Ham visit relegation-threatened Newcastle United on Saturday, after seeing Noble forced off through injury late into his 400th Premier League appearance in claret and blue.

“He got a bad kick on the elbow so his elbow is bad, so we will need to see how he is and, look, Mark has done brilliantly well,” Moyes said following the game.

“He has come into the team and as I said at the start of the season, I thought Mark would have a big part to play, he has a huge part to play because he does so many good things for the team.

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“Obviously, we can’t hide the fact that we miss Declan and Micky Antonio, but we have to find other ways of winning and I have to say, Mark has come in and done a great job.”

Ben Johnson, who is a natural right-back, had to come on to replace Noble in the 82nd-minute and try to help see out Sunday’s game, but was unable to prevent a nervy finish when Kelechi Iheanacho struck his second goal after a late surge of pressure from Leicester.

Moyes will now be fearing the implications of losing Noble for any period of time, having seen his West Ham side emerge as genuine challengers for Champions League qualification.

The Irons sit fourth in the Premier League table and only a point behind the Foxes after beating Brendan Rodgers’ side, but doubts will rise over the likelihood of the London Stadium natives maintaining their position with only one natural central midfielder available.

Noble – who Dean Ashton claims has “given absolutely everything he can” to West Ham – did not look out of place against Wolverhampton Wanderers or Leicester after coming in for Rice, with his leadership skills key to keeping things calm.

The 33-year-old put his body on the line to protect the Irons defence on Sunday, too, having thrown himself in front of a driven effort from Youri Tielemans.

But his decision may now cost West Ham in the long run having gone down clutching his arm in the aftermath, to leave Moyes facing an anxious few days.

AND in other news, West Ham eye 23-year-old talent once backed to become “world-class”…

As per Foot Mercato, Southampton are interested in signing Nantes’ Randal Kolo Muani.

Saints eye Muani

Eintracht Frankfurt, Freiburg, RB Leipzig, Club Brugge and Watford are all said to be in pursuit of the 22-year-old, providing plenty of competition for Ralph Hasenhuttl and co.

As per this report, Southampton have already made an approach to the player’s entourage though, and he will apparently demand a fee of at least €5m (£4.3m).

Bargain

Muani has been in impressive for the Ligue 1 outfit so far this campaign, scoring five goals and providing five assists in 31 league matches so far (Transfermarkt) – he has 10 goals throughout his career. Such has been the level of his performances, he has drawn comparisons with £144m-valued superstar Kylian Mbappe (Goal.com), while he was also called “amazing” by former Nantes boss Christian Gourcuff.

Hasenhuttl has recently revealed Southampton will be looking to sign players for £10m or less this summer (via Sky Sports), meaning Muani would be the perfect transfer target. With plenty of years left ahead of him and clear talent, he has re-sale value that is important for a club in Saints’ position, whether they would like to admit it or not. There is obviously plenty of competition for his services, but perhaps the allure of Premier League football could well be enough to convince the France U21 international.

In other news, Southampton fans are livid with this man’s comments.

In an exclusive interview with The Transfer Tavern, Steve Howey, who made 270 appearances during his career, claims there is a deal to be done for West Ham if they want to sign Jesse Lingard permanently.

Lingard failed to make a single league appearance for Manchester United this season which saw him go out on loan to the Hammers, and his form has been that good it’s earned him an England recall.

Since he joined West Ham in January Lingard has managed eight goals and four assists in just nine league games, which has seen David Moyes’ side solidify their Champions League hopes.

Speaking on how there is a deal for West Ham to complete if they want to and also why Lingard has impressed by doing more than just score goals, Howey told The Transfer Tavern:

“He’s gone to West Ham and absolutely set the place on fire, not only scoring goals but his performances as well. So I think there will be some sort of deal to be done if Lingard wants to leave Man United.

“I definitely feel they could come to an agreement because ultimately, he couldn’t get into Man United’s team. West Ham offered him an opportunity which he’s grabbed with both hands and now it’s up to both clubs to try and sort out a deal.”

Unsurprisingly, Lingard is set to be Moyes’ number one target in the summer, however, the Hammers don’t have an option to buy so Man United can demand what they see fit.

West Ham will want to bulk up their squad if they qualify for the Champions League and they are currently in pole position to do so sitting in fourth place.

Diego Laxalt’s name is enough to provoke nightmares for some Celtic supporters and indeed most people associated with Parkhead.

When the Bhoys brought the left-back to Paradise last summer, it looked like a very efficient deal on paper. Celtic were signing an international proven defender from one of the world’s biggest clubs in AC Milan with no transfer fee attached.

That being said, it’s just as well they didn’t shell out anything because his spell in Glasgow has been rife with inconsistency. On his day, Laxalt is a vibrant, energetic individual on the left-hand side of the field, but that day is very much a rare one.

He has been a liability from a defensive point of view, and when the Hoops played Aberdeen on Wednesday, it was hardly a surprise to see him dropped from the starting XI.

Laxalt saved one of his worst performances of the season for their most crucial game in recent memory. The Uruguayan started the Scottish Cup fourth round clash with Rangers but was all at sea for both of their opposition’s goals.

For the first strike, he was caught napping down down Rangers’ right flank and he was nowhere to be seen as Joe Aribo strode forward.

He was then led a merry dance by Aribo for their second goal. The former Charlton man performed a marvellous piece of skill which completely fooled Laxalt, who was left in the dust. As Rangers ran out 2-0 winners, it ended the only remaining hope Celtic had of winning a trophy this season.

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Consequently, it was an outing which saw the Milan loanee rake in some of the fiercest criticism we’ve seen all season.

John Hartson claimed that John Kennedy would have been left “disgusted” with his display before saying on Premier Sports, calling it “a horror first half”, That was an assessment with which Celtic podcaster Paul John Dykes agreed, describing it as a “horror show.”

With that in mind, it feels most unlikely that Dermot Desmond and the Hoops hierarchy will utilise their option to buy him in the summer. Instead, they should consider signing Romain Perraud from Brest.

The Frenchman nearly signed for Celtic in 2019 and is now on their radar again. Capable defensively and a wizard offensively, he’d bring a lot more security to a faltering Hoops backline.

Speaking about the 23-year-old’s game in the past, French football expert Adrien Dryll said: “Romain Perraud rapidly became a fan-favourite at the Stade Charlety, thanks to some Roberto Carlos-esque rockets from outside the box.”

He continued: “Keeping everything in perspective, Perraud’s style is, on some points, quite similar to the former Real Madrid full-back’s. He has a fighting mentality, an incredible shot power and a left-foot that has proven throughout the season to be a deadly weapon for set-pieces.”

That’s quite the appraisal for the young full-back, but you only need to assess the statistics to see how he’d be an upgrade on Laxalt.

For starters, the Celtic loanee has only contributed to one goal all season, whereas Perraud has been involved in eight, scoring three goals and claiming five assists.

The latter makes 1.8 tackles per game compared to Laxalt’s 1.7 but crucially, the flying Frenchman concedes fewer fouls per match (1.5) than the man he could replace at Parkhead (1.9).

Clean in the tackle and a ray of quality in the final third, he’d be a very good successor to the on-loan Uruguayan.

AND in other news, Celtic moving towards 3 landmark hires after big manager U-turn, Desmond surely elated…

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s hopes of keeping Jannik Vestergaard at Southampton beyond this summer look to have suffered a fresh blow, with Juventus the latest side to register an interest in the Danish international.

According to Italian news outlet Tutto Mercato Web, Juventus have joined Tottenham Hotspur and Roma in the race for the 28-year-old this summer, after his impressive performances for the Saints so far this season.

Since signing from Borussia Monchengladbach in an £18m deal back in 2018, the centre-back has gone on to make 73 appearances for the Saints, contributing four goals.

After a shaky start to his career on the South Coast, the six-foot-six defender has established himself as a key figure in Hasenhuttl’s side so far this season, making 24 appearances in the Premier League and scoring three times, which has helped him average an impressive 7.04 rating for his performances.

This is enough to rank him as Southampton’s second-best performer in the top-flight so far this season, with James Ward-Prowse only just edging him out at the top, so it would undoubtedly be a massive blow for Hasenhuttl to lose him this summer.

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However, the Dane’s contract is set to expire at the end of next season, so an exit this summer is looking increasingly likely, especially when you consider the quality of sides that are showing an interest in him.

His solid performances with Denmark in recent seasons will also undoubtedly be a factor in why top clubs are looking at him, and Danish head coach Kasper Hjulmand was full of praise for him earlier in the season, saying:

“It’s a pleasure to see Jannik. I also took him with me right from the start because I think he has great potential. I had a good talk with him in the Spring, and my feeling was that he would get a good position in Southampton, and he has taken it.”

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If Vestergaard can impress at the European Championships this summer then it seems likely that he will attract even more interest, and given Southampton’s shocking second half of the season, it is, unfortunately, difficult to see him wanting to stay at St Mary’s.

And, in other news… Wilson masterclass: “Unbelievable” Southampton gem’s value has risen 275% since joining

Everton were dealt a big setback in their bid to qualify for Europe next season when they suffered defeat on Saturday evening.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side was rocked by defensive mistakes, particularly from one of their younger centre-backs.

On the chalkboard

Michael Keane was back from injury on Saturday evening but was only fit enough to make the bench.

Unfortunately, Ancelotti will regret not throwing him straight back into the starting XI.

That’s because Mason Holgate was a complete disaster. The 24-year-old has been a regular in the side this term and has shown strong versatility at centre-back, full-back and in defensive midfield.

Though, he demonstrated last weekend why Everton may need to find an upgrade.

He cost his team the opening strike of the game as he took on the ball just inside his own half and then inexplicably turned back towards his own goal. Holgate had several options but turned into danger and then surrendered possession to Ollie Watkins.

The defender was weak in trying to win it back as the Aston Villa striker raced into the area and then found the back of the net.

Forget Holgate

Ancelotti can forget all about the young defender with one simple solution this summer; signing Merih Demiral.

The Juventus centre-back has been linked with a move to the Toffees over the last week or so with reports in Italy suggesting Everton are in advanced talks to bring him to Goodison Park.

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It’s thought that Ancelotti and Marcel Brands may have to part ways with around €30m (£26m) to lure him to Merseyside.

Demiral has long been thought of as one of the most promising defenders in Europe so to sign him would be a huge upgrade.

He is a monster in the air and his physicality easily usurps someone like Holgate. After a battling performance against Udinese in 2019, scout Jacek Kulig called him an “absolute beast.”

During that clash, he won five aerial duels and even registered an assist, being labelled “tenacious” by Kulig too.

Compared to Nemanja Vidic, the 23-year-old has all the qualities necessary to become an elite defender.

So far this term, Demiral has won 2.1 aerial duels and has made 1.7 interceptions per game for Juventus. His aerial stats are even better when playing for Turkey, winning a mighty 3.6 battles a match.

This is streets ahead of Holgate, a player who has won 1.6 aerial duels and 1.4 interceptions per appearance for the Toffees this term.

The Everton centre-back is promising but Demiral is a brick wall and could add a new sense of solidity to Ancelotti’s backline.

AND in other news, Everton could sign Gomes upgrade in “incredible” £17m beast, he’s “extremely strong”…