Newcastle need a marquee signing to cement their European ambitions this summer.

The Magpies ended the season in 10th place – a respectable finish given the lack of resources available to Rafael Benitez. Mike Ashley indicated that the Spaniard would be backed in the transfer market, but the club are yet to make a marquee signing in the transfer window. If Ashley wants to keep Benitez on Tyneside, he simply must give him transfer funds.

Benitez would be wise to land a new number eight this season to partner Jonjo Shelvey in the engine room. Following Mikel Merino’s departure to Real Sociedad, the former Liverpool man lacks a true creative partner in the centre of midfield. To solve his problem, Benitez should reignite his interest in Chelsea outcast – Ross Barkley.

Valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt, the Englishman was targeted by Newcastle last summer when Barkley announced he would be leaving Everton. He ultimately stayed put before completing a bizarre £15m move to Chelsea. He played just 131 minutes of football for the Blues after making the switch.

Following Maurizio Sarri’s arrival at the club, it’s hard to see Barkley in his plans and Newcastle should offer him the chance to revive his career at St. James Park. The 24-year-old clearly has the talent to be a Premier League star, and Benitez could help get the best out of the former England international.

Playing regular football on Tyneside could be just what Barkley needs to rediscover his best form. Potentially available at a great price, Newcastle would be foolish to turn him down.

Newcastle fans, thoughts?

According to Mundo Deportivo, Ander Herrera has entered negotiations over a new contract with Manchester United, though no agreement has yet been reached.

Herrera joined the Red Devils back in 2014, and has been an integral member of the squad at Old Trafford since then.

The Spaniard’s technical abilities, consistency, and willingness to sacrifice himself for the good of the team, have made him a favourite amongst managers and fans alike.

The 28-year-old is entering the final year of his contract with the club, and the time has come to cash in on Ander Herrera. Rather than seek new terms with the midfielder, Jose Mourinho should sell him on to make room within his midfield contingent for a higher level player.

The Breakdown

For all of Herrera’s qualities, he is not good enough to be the engine of Manchester United’s midfield if they’re to be genuine title contenders again. That leaves his only role at Old Trafford as being a squad rotation option, which shouldn’t suit him or the club.

At 28, Herrera ought to be playing regular football and starting matches in a top European league. Equally, United’s squad doesn’t require the Spaniard’s services any more. 

This summer’s arrival of Fred, and the emergence of Scott McTominay, as well as the continued presence of the likes of Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic, Juan Mata and Marouane Fellaini means that there is enough security in the midfield contingent to allow Mourinho to move Herrera on and bring in a more exciting, dynamic option in his place.

Transfermarkt value Ander Herrera at £27 million. Such a figure suggests that Hererra’s departure could raise significant funds that would go a long way towards signing the likes of Sergej Milinkovic-Savic or Willian.

Wolverhampton Wanderers can’t wait for the Premier League season to begin on August 11th.

Nuno Espirito Santo guided his side to the Championship title last season, repaying the faith showed in him by owners Fosun International. Wolves will play Premier League football for the first time in six years. Their season begins at Molineux where they will welcome Marco Silva’s Everton side.

Espirito Santo wasted no time in strengthening his squad this summer, completing permanent deals for Diogo Jota and Willy Boly who impressed last season. The former Porto boss also landed Rui Patricio on a free transfer from Sporting and Joao Moutinho from Monaco for £5m. Wolves look well equipped to beat the drop next year.

They would almost guarantee survival in the Premier League if they signed Manchester United ace – Marcos Rojo. Valued at £16.2m by Transfermarkt, the Argentine has struggled for fitness and fell out of favour with Jose Mourinho which restricted him to just nine Premier League appearances last year. If United are successful in signing Harry Maguire from Leicester, Rojo may be shown the exit door.

The 28-year-old has Premier League and European experience which could prove vital as Wolves look to avoid relegation. Rojo is comfortable at centre-back or a left-back making him a valuable option for Espirito Santo. The former Sporting man has been capped 59 times by Argentina – highlighting the experience he will bring to Molineux.

Regular first-team football could be just what Rojo needs to get his career back on track.

Wolves fans, thoughts?

Celtic are well on their way to qualifying for the group stages of the UEFA Champions League.

The Hoops have already knocked out Armenian champions Alashkert as they look to play in the group stages for the fifth season in a row. Brendan Rodgers’ side were drawn against Rosenborg and goals from Odsonne Eduoard and Olivier Ntcham handed them the advantage heading into the second-leg. Celtic travel to Norway hoping for a similar result.

The Bhoys have been extremely quiet in the transfer window so far, completing a permanent deal from Eduoard as well as bringing in Scott Bain on a free transfer. With Rangers adding ten new players to their squad, retaining the Scottish Premiership title will be harder than ever. Rodgers needs to open his chequebook sooner rather than later.

One man he should consider is Hertha Berlin forward – Davie Selke. Valued at £10.8m by Transfermarkt, after guiding RB Leipzig to the Bundesliga, he was sold to Hertha following a disappointing first year in Germany’s top division. The German enjoyed his best season to date after establishing himself as a first-team regular.

Selke netted ten goals in just 19 starts in the Bundesliga as well as scoring four goals in just three appearances in the UEFA Europa League. The 23-year-old is an excellent finisher and would bag goals for fun in the SPFL.

Unfortunately, the Germany U21 international suffered a collapsed lung during a collision in pre-season training. Selke is set to be out of action until October which could drive his price tag down. Despite his injury, Selke could become a huge star under Rodgers’ tutelage.

Celtic fans, thoughts?

Manchester City faced the enviable task of finding it difficult to improve their squad this summer, with only Riyad Mahrez added to the title winning team from last season.

Pep Guardiola will know it is difficult to improve such a talented bunch of players, but he is no doubt always on the lookout for added quality.

However, there is room for improvement as always, and one position which seems to be somewhat lightweight is a right back, where only Kyle Walker is of real world class level.

And one player we think would be a superb signing for City is Bayern Munich and Germany star, Joshua Kimmich.

Kimmich is very much on the same level, if not better in terms of ability than Walker, and at just 23, could make the right back slot his own at the Etihad.

Despite not having the best time with Germany over in Russia this summer, Kimmich is still recognised as one of the best in the world in his position, and rightly so.

A classy operator, Kimmich would improve the squad and first team at City no end, and would be a massive signing for the club.

Quick, dangerous in attack, and crucially, solid in defence, there is little doubt that the German star would bring an added element to the City squad and give them even greater depth as they seek to win the Champions League.

 City fans, what do you think? Good signing? Let us know in the comments!

In his press conference on Friday, Jose Mourinho confirmed that Antonio Valencia would continue as captain when he returns from injury, taking over from Paul Pogba who will again lead the side against Brighton on Sunday, as reported by Metro.

Mourinho and Pogba have been involved in a long-running bust up this summer, but the French World Cup winning midfielder captained the side in their opening day win over Leicester at Old Trafford and netted the first goal from the penalty spot.

Valencia is currently out with a calf strain that he suffered during pre-season, and Manchester United fans on Twitter were clearly against him taking the captain’s armband back from Pogba on his return.

Metro did report however that Mourinho claimed Pogba, as an academy graduate and guaranteed starter, had all the right attributes to be considered a future United club captain. Although clearly that day cannot come soon enough for many fans. Check out the best reactions to the news below.

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Leeds United have been linked with a move for free agent Morteza Pouraliganji, according to Iranian news outlet Tasnim News Agency.

What’s the story?

The 26-year-old is a free agent after leaving Qatari club Al-Saad this summer, with a proposed move to Trabzonspor falling through.

The centre-back, who played every minute of Iran’s World Cup campaign in Russia, is now being linked with a move to Leeds United as Marcelo Bielsa has taken a liking to the talent who can also play as a central midfielder.

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Worth a punt

Even though Leeds have looked very strong so far this season, another centre-back would really help solidify Bielsa’s squad, and someone that is capable of playing in midfield would be an added bonus.

Pouraliganji may not have been tested at the highest level of European club football, but the 30-cap international played against Portugal and Spain at the World Cup, conceding one goal in each game.

On a free transfer, there is a very little risk to signing Pouraliganji and he could be that finishing touch that sees Leeds over the line come the end of the season, with little cover for the centre-back options in particular currently on offer.

According to Turkish website Fanatik, Beşiktaş are interested in signing West Brom winger Nacer Chadli.

The Belgian was expected to leave at some point this summer, and it looks as though the club from Istanbul could be his destination.

Chadli (valued at £13.5m on Transfermarkt.co.uk) has not featured for The Baggies so far this season. However, this may be because manager Darren Moore would like to rest his man after featuring in the World Cup for Belgium, including bagging his country's winner against Japan in the last 16.

But after a successful World Cup, it always seemed unlikely that the former Tottenham man would return to The Hawthorns, and many fans would not blame him. On the back of his World Cup, he would want to playing the highest level of football possible, and the former Turkish champions can potentially offer the 29-year-old European football, providing they qualify.

Chadli's 2017/18 season was marred by injury, as the player only managed to play four times in the Premier League, finding the net once, as his side were relegated. While it is expected that a relegated club will have an exodus of players, the surprising thing is that it has taken this long for anyone to show an interest in Chadli.

Beşiktaş finished fourth in the Süper Lig last season and will want to add to their squad to regain the title that they lost from the season before.

Of course this will be disappointing news for West Brom fans, but it is one that they must have seen coming, and cannot blame Chadli.

Celtic fans have been discussing possible targets to rescue their defence, and nearly two thirds of fans are backing a move for Micah Richards.

According to BBC, Celtic had a bid in the region of £3.5m rejected for Aberdeen youngster Scott McKenna.

Rodgers has since confirmed that the Hoops are no longer interest in McKenna, but along with the links to Wolfsburg’s Jeffrey Bruma, it is clear the Hoops are chasing another centre back.

Fans have been discussing other possible targets, and one fan has suggested making a move for Aston Villa’s Richards.

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The versatile veteran can play as a centre back or right back, which are Celtic’s two major problem positions right now, so if they could get him for a reasonable price it would actually be a very smart move.

Richards didn’t play a game for Aston Villa last season, and a move to Celtic Park could be exactly what he needs to revive his career.

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61 per cent of fans think they should move for the 30 year-old, and you can find the full poll results down below…

West Ham United launched a summer spending spree during the recent transfer window which garnered widespread media attention and hype among the expectant fanbase, but not one of their signings have shaken the footballing world to its core quite like the famous double deal they completed in 2006 to secure the signatures of both Javier Mascherano and Carlos Tevez. 

The photograph which displays a delighted Alan Pardew stood in-between two fresh faced Argentinians is one of the most iconic images of the Premier League era. West Ham’s manager at the time looks like a proud father who has just watched both his sons sign professional contracts in the same day as if, somehow, he was solely responsible for their special talent.

The pride written all over Pardew’s face was certainly not misplaced: indeed, the Hammers had just secured the signatures of two players who had been widely tipped to reach the highest heights of European football. Football manager enthusiasts and avid watchers of South American football salivated at witnessing Mascherano and Tevez showcase their potential in the Premier League.

It was an incredibly groundbreaking deal which was aptly described as ‘the biggest transfer coup of the summer’ by the Daily Telegraph; make no mistake about it, this was a deal which shocked the footballing world to its core. Nobody saw it coming and yet, out of nowhere, the Irons had brought two of South America’s most promising youngsters to Upton Park.

But neither Tevez or Mascherano hit the ground running in English football in the manner which many had expected them to. Mascherano made just 3 Premier League starts for the Hammers before joining Liverpool in the January transfer window on a loan deal spanning nearly 18 months – by the end of his first season in England he was in Liverpool’s starting XI to face AC Milan in the final of the Champions League.

Whilst Mascherano was busy establishing himself as a first-team regular at Liverpool and highlighting Pardew’s failure to recognise his true potential, Tevez was intent on writing himself into West Ham folklore. The bullish centre-forward failed to score in his first 16 Premier League appearances, but his moment of relief arrived in April 2007 as he scored a direct free-kick and provided 2 assists during a cruel 4-3 home defeat against Tottenham Hotspur.

What happened next will remain in the hearts of the Hammers faithful for eternity. Tevez embarked on a goal-scoring spree which saw him net 7 goals in the final 10 games of the season as the club scrapped with Sheffield United to avoid relegation to the Championship.

The final day of the Premier League season arrived and West Ham travelled to Old Trafford to face a game worth millions of pounds as they flirted with the prospect of relegation. Amid extreme controversy relating to the legality behind Tevez’s transfer to West Ham and Kia Joorabchian’s reported third-party ownership of his client, the Argentine turned the media attention towards his performance on the field of play by netting the opening goal against Man United on the stroke of half-time.

United failed to reply in the second-half and West Ham secured three points whilst their closest relegation rivals Sheffield United suffered a 2-1 defeat against Wigan at Bramall Lane, and with that result Tevez had unquestionably scored one of the biggest goals in the club’s history. To this day the bitter rivalry between West Ham and Sheffield United over the Tevez deal continues to fizzle as one of the most intense, unique and recent rivalries in English football.

Mascherano has gone on to lift 2 Champions League trophies with Barcelona, 5 La Liga titles and 5 Copa del Reys, making 333 appearances for the Catalan giants in the process whilst pivoting in a midfield anchor role and marshalling the defensive unit from centre-back.

Meanwhile, Tevez continued to establish himself as one of the most controversial figures in Premier League history by completing a switch from Manchester United to Manchester City in 2009 – a deal which was greeted with another iconic image: this time a blue banner scattered across the northern powerhouse detailed a picture of Tevez wheeling away in celebration along with the deliberately antagonistic phrase ‘welcome to Manchester’.

Not only did the Argentinian pair shock the world with their initial decision to move to east London, their abject opening to life in English football, legal issues related to Joorabchian’s ownership of the players, season-defining goals, controversial transfers and above all, the enormity of the success they have respectively achieved have, with the benefit of hindsight, made West Ham’s deal arguably the most dramatic in the history of the Premier League.

West Ham fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

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