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Newcastle United fans have been going nuts over the latest news surrounding the prospective takeover of the northeast club this week.

The Express reported on Wednesday evening that it is thought the Premier League have given the green light over the Magpies’ Saudi takeover and an official announcement could be made in the coming days.

This was relayed to Twitter by popular fan account @NUFC360 and supporters have been going wild in response.

A deal worth approximately £300m has been agreed between current owner Mike Ashley and Amanda Staveley’s PCP Capital Partners, who are backed by the Saudi public investment fund and the Reuben brothers, for over a month now.

Hilariously obscure Premier League players – Can you name them all?

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The decision has been in the hands of the top-flight decision-makers for several weeks with the report claiming that they have finished their owners and directors test and found no wrong-doing over the takeover.

Here’s how the St James’ Park faithful have been reacting to the news…

AND in other Magpies news, Mark Douglas provides update into Newcastle takeover…

Newcastle United’s prospective £300m takeover by Amanda Staveley’s Saudi Arabia-backed consortium has been delayed, according to The Sun’s Neil Custis.Speaking on Twitter on Thursday morning, he claims that the Premier League are concentrating on ‘Project Restart’ with plenty of their clubs resuming training this week and that the issue of the Magpies’ changing ownership could be resolved next week instead.He said:

It comes less than a day after the Express reported that the Premier League had given the green light on the deal.

Supporters at St James’ Park have been growing tired over just how long this process has taken as it’s been well over a month since news first broke suggesting that Mike Ashley was going to sell up at last.

The single toughest football logo quiz of all time…

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If Custis’ statement rings true, then it’s going to be another week before fans hear the official word on their new era.

AND in other news,ÂMark Douglas makes Steve Bruce claim amid Newcastle takeover…

Manchester United might still be the most successful club in Premier League history, but that doesn’t mean they’re immune to absolute shockers in the transfer window.

If anything they’ve been one of the biggest culprits when it comes to buying flops over the years. Even Sir Alex Ferguson, one of the most decorated managers in football’s entire history, bought some very questionable names during his tenure.

Since Fergie’s retirement, the likes of David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho have all managed to add to the list of Man United flops with their questionable recruitment.

But which players will go down as Man United’s biggest flops in the Premier League era?

We’ve had a go at selecting 20 and we think most United fans will agree with these…

Morgan Schneiderlin

First up is a midfielder who you may have forgotten even plied his trade at Old Trafford – current Everton and ex-France man Morgan Schneiderlin.

United tried to follow in the footsteps of their rivals Liverpool by poaching some talent from Southampton when they paid an eye-watering £25m for Schneiderlin in the Louis van Gaal era, but unlike the Sadio Mane’s and Virgil van Dijk’s, this Saints star was to flop at a much bigger side.

William Prunier

How could we leave Willian Prunier off this list?

When he was on the field Sir Alex Ferguson’s Red Devils would have been no worse off with an actual statue in central defence.

The former France international, somehow, is widely regarded as one of the worst players to ever ply his trade at “The Theatre of Dreams” and he’s now managing in France’s fifth tier.

Gabriel Obertan

Signing Gabriel Obertan for his all-star Old Trafford team and spending actual money on him, too, was hardly one of the Fergie’s masterstrokes – and it’s not the first time you will see the legend get his recruitment woefully wrong in this list.

The hapless winger made just 27 appearances in his four-year United career, scoring a mere one goal and only registering four assists, he did get a Premier League winners’ medal though.

Radamel Falcao

Radamel Falcao was hardly the first player to come to England with a huge reputation in European football and prove he’s not even near English top-flight standard, and he surely won’t be the last either.

Having scored bags of goals on the continent for the likes of Porto, Atletico Madrid and a resurgent Monaco team, the Colombian was given his big chance to shine in the Premier League on loan in Manchester for the 2014/2015 season.

Needless to say that he didn’t take it, with the striker finding the back of the net on four occasions and he even got another opportunity with Chelsea the campaign after, to show everyone once again how below-par he is in England.

Zoran Tosic

The picture above rather sums up Zoran Tosic’s time in west Manchester – the Serbian was surrounded by some wonderful players such as Michael Owen, Paul Scholes, Rio Ferdinand and more – and he was somewhat the odd one out.

This was because, like so many in this list, Tosic simply never had the ability to be a star at the world’s biggest club and that’s why he lasted only one term after joining from Partizan Belgrade in 2009.

Wilfried Zaha

Manchester United may well now regret letting go of Wilfried Zaha for well under £10m just four years go, however, this doesn’t take away from the fact that he wasn’t good enough for them.

£10.58m plus add-ons was a lot of money back in January 2013 and that’s exactly what David Moyes paid to capture him from Crystal Palace, only for the Ivory Coast international to appear on four unmemorable occasions – now Zaha is once again knocking on the door of a move to a “Big Six” side having come on leaps and bounds since then.

Memphis Depay

Louis van Gaal should have been more cautious knowing how many attackers purchased from his native Netherlands have struggled to adapt in England after thriving over there.

Look up Dutch Premier League flops in the dictionary and Depay’s name will appear.

Massimo Taibi

Few members of this list have an iconic moment in a Man United shirt to their name, although we must confess Massimo Taibi’s is seminal for the wrong reasons.

Having impressed on his debut against Liverpool after replacing Peter Schmeichel in the summer of 1999, the Italian let Matt Le Tissier score with one of the tamest efforts in Premier League history against Southampton a game later, and barely featured again.

Angel Di Maria

It’s hard to overlook our next United failure when it comes to the title of the biggest club-record signing dud in world football ever – Angel Di Maria.

To be fair to the Argentian, though, he’s since shown his true quality at Paris Saint-Germain.

However, under the weight of a £59.7m transfer from Real Madrid ahead of the 2014/2015 term, the Argentina star failed to make himself worthy of the famous Red Devils number seven shirt, providing little more than an eye-catching lob away at Leicester City.

Diego Forlan

A case of De Ja Vu here with Di Maria’s fellow South American Diego Forlan, a player that seemed to do extremely well at pretty much every club in his career apart from Man United.

Forlan was so bad at Old Trafford that it was laughable, as he somehow managed to rack up close to a century of matches under Fergie, who probably didn’t want to lose face after splashing out £6.9m on him, which was a large sum of money in 2002 football.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Former Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has said at Sportsmail’s “A Pint with Piers” event that Liverpool could have the title won by Christmas.

What did he say?

The Reds currently top the Premier League by eight points from Leicester City and Chelsea, whilst Manchester City are a further point behind. As it stands, they have to be regarded as the favourites to win the title.

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72-year-old Redknapp certainly thinks they will be top at the end of the season, and he even believes they could be too far ahead to be caught as early as Christmas. He explained:

“If you look at Man City’s remaining fixtures, if it’s not won already now then I think it will be won by Christmas because they play Chelsea next, then they play Newcastle, Burnley away, Arsenal, they play Manchester United in a derby game finished off by Leicester.

“I know there’s a difficult period for Liverpool and their fixture load but it certainly looks prettier than Man City’s.

“I think it could all be finished by Christmas. Liverpool’s fixture list looks a lot prettier than City’s.”

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Fixture list has been kind to Liverpool

Although the Reds do have to contend with two games in 24 hours due to their participation in both the League Cup semi-finals and the Club World Cup, the Premier League fixture list has at least been kind to them.

Before the start of 2020, they will face Crystal Palace, Bournemouth and Leicester City away from home, whilst Brighton, Watford, Everton and Wolves will all travel to Anfield to face Jurgen Klopp’s team. Only three of those sides are in the top ten in the division, and even then, Wolves and Bournemouth are eighth and ninth respectively.

The Citizens, meanwhile, have it a lot harder. They face third-placed Chelsea this Saturday before back-to-back away fixtures against Burnley and Newcastle. After that, they take on Manchester United, Arsenal and Leicester in successful matches, before a trip to Wolves and a home match against Sheffield United round off their year. Out of those teams, only Newcastle are not in the top half.

Redknapp is right. Such is City’s fixture list, there is a real chance they could drop a chunk of points before the year is even out, whilst Liverpool have a far easier set of matches to handle – that works out perfectly given their international commitments.

If they can navigate this busy run of games, then it will seem all but impossible for them to be caught by the Citizens.

A few Wolverhampton Wanderers supporters have been reacting on social media after the Molineux outfit shared that Conor Coady’s outing against Aston Villa on Sunday was his 200th for the club.

Coady moved to the Midlands outfit from Huddersfield Town in 2015 for a fee in the region of £2m, after the Liverpool trainee made 45 league appearances a year after leaving the Reds.

In his debut season with Wolves, Coady made 37 outings in the Championship predominantly from the centre of midfield, and went on to make 40 appearances in the 2016/17 term in a more defensive role.

He would later earn 45 outings in ’17/18 following a change to central defence, as Wolves secured promotion into the Premier League.

The £13.5m-rated defender has been a mainstay of Nuno Santo’s plans in the top-flight, featuring in all of their matches last season and is yet to miss a league teamsheet this term.

Wolves’ captain has also played the full ninety-minutes in each of the West Midlands outfit’s Europa League fixtures so far this season, where he has helped to two clean sheets and his side’s second-place standing in Group K.

Coady is one of only three Wolves player to have started each of their Premier League fixtures this season, along with Raul Jimenez and Rui Patricio.

Here are some of the messages shared to Coady’s achievement of making 200 outings for Wolves across all competitions…

Lots of Liverpool fans have shared their hope in seeing Jurgen Klopp start Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain against Manchester City in their top of the table clash on Sunday.Pep Guardiola’s Sky Blues travel to Anfield at the weekend looking to deal the Reds their first defeat in the Premier League this season, with a win for the reigning title-holders enough to half their deficit to the Merseyside outfit.Liverpool have taken 31 of a possible 33 points thus far in the top-flight, while two defeats and a draw for Man City have left the 2018/19 champions playing catch-up.Every Premier League club’s WORST player is named and shamed in the video below…Oxlade-Chamberlain has only started two of Liverpool’s league fixtures so far this term, with both coming in the opening five rounds of games.The 26-year-old returned to the opening line-up against his former side Arsenal in the Carabao Cup last week and scored from range to make the score 3-4, having also delivered the cross which saw Shkodran Mustafi net an early own goal.He later replaced Georginio Wijnaldum in the 65th-minute against Aston Villa on Saturday, and managed to record four shots, one successful dribble and five passes in the final third during his time on the field, per WhoScored data.Liverpool face KRC Genk in the Champions League on Tuesday night, but many Reds supporters would like to see Oxlade-Chamberlain make another start in the Premier League come the weekend.Some have reflected on his prior performances against Man City to justify their views, after the three-time FA Cup winner scored and assisted against the Sky Blues in his last top-flight meeting with the Etihad Stadium natives.Here are some of the messages shared…

Real Madrid came out on the right side of a 1-0 win away to Galatasaray in their Champions League group stage encounter last night thanks to a first-half goal from Toni Kroos.

It was a first win in the competition this season for Zinedine Zidane’s side following their matchday one hammering by Paris Saint-Germain and the subsequent home draw against Club Brugge, lifting them up to second in Group A behind runaway leaders PSG.

Although the visitors had far more shots on the night (26 to 11), their failure to score more than one goal meant that the game was in the balance throughout, with Fernando Muslera’s 11 saves helping to keep Galatasaray in the contest.

While Kroos came up with the match-winning moment, one of his midfield partners was instrumental in helping Real Madrid to a much-needed victory.

Casemiro repeatedly broke up play in the middle of the park, ending the game with six successful tackles, three interceptions and five successful aerial duels. [via WhoScored]

He was composed when in possession of the ball, his tally of 46 successful passes second only to Kroos among Zidane’s line-up, while he also broke forward on occasion to record four shots, one of which was on target. [via WhoScored]

Some reporters acknowledged the contribution of the 27-year-old in Istanbul last night. Daily Express reporter Ben Pringle wrote: “The Brazilian is so valuable to Real on nights like this, screening the back four diligently and breaking up opposition attacks before they get going.”

Sam Sharpe of Managing Madrid said: “A figure like Casemiro is so important in a game as vital and as messy as this”, adding that “the Brazilian’s bulldozing challenges often kept Galatasaray from creating real danger on the break”.

Sport 360’s Andy West described the midfielder’s performance as “solid and steady” and awarded him a rating of seven.

On a nervy night for Real Madrid, the tireless work of Casemiro in nullifying the attacking movement of Galatasaray provided an unglamorous yet crucial platform for a narrow victory which gave them some overdue satisfaction from a Champions League night.

Real Madrid fans, how vital was Casemiro’s performance in the win over Galatasaray? Comment below with your views!

A selection of Newcastle United fans have been slamming Shola Ameobi for his role as Loan Coordinator following reports by the Chronicle that Elias Sorensen could be recalled.

Sorensen joined League Two side Carlisle United on a one-season loan deal this summer, but has been resigned to one start from a possible 14 in the fourth-tier and has played just 32 minutes in the Cumbrians’ last six league games.

Newcastle Under 23s boss Neil Redfearn has admitted concern at the 20-year-old’s back-up role while out on loan, as the Magpies were keen to see Sorensen play regular minutes.

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“I know I have said on the record in the past that he needs to fight it out, but obviously the idea of him going out on loan is that he plays,” Redfearn said.

“So if he’s on the bench and not coming on, it’s not what we want, it’s not what we need.

“The reports that we are getting back are that he’s working really hard and desperately trying to do the right things to get in so we are getting that, but there is no getting away from the fact he needs to play.”

Newcastle hold an option to recall Sorensen in January, and Redfearn added that the Toon will be reviewing the Denmark youth international’s situation.

Magpies Loan Coordinator Ameobi will decide Sorensen’s uncertain future at Brunton Park come the New Year.

Ameobi was appointed to his position at St. James’ Park this summer as United sought to shake-up the coaching line-up in their academy.

Here are some of the messages shared…

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

As told by Football Insider, Everton attacker Bernard is fearful he may be frozen out of the team if Marco Silva departs and David Moyes takes his spot.

What’s the word?

Bernard was signed by Silva on a free transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk last summer and joined the club on a four-year deal after winning three league titles in five years in Ukraine.

The Brazilian is reportedly worried that should Moyes make a sensational return to Goodison Park, he will be pushed out the team. Bernard fears the Scot’s tough-tackling and defensive approach as a manager would subsequently mean a lack of game time under a Moyes rule.

The 54-year-old, who spent 11 years on Merseyside before moving to Manchester United, was reported by The Mirror to be interested in a return to the club should Silva face the axe.

During his tenure at Everton, the Blues were renowned for their aggressive nature and during his final year at the club, Moyes boasted the fourth-best defensive league record, conceding three fewer than champions Manchester United.

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A right to be fearful

Bernard was signed for The Toffees because of his speed and ability up top, rather than his ability in defence, as his 5 foot 5 stature is hardly a concern for opposing players.

During his time in Ukraine, the 27-year-old registered 28 goals and 35 assists in 128 appearances and has bagged three goals and four assists so far for the Blues.

In Moyes’ final few seasons on Merseyside, the former Sunderland boss put faith in the likes of Steven Pienaar, Marouane Fellaini, and Nikica Jelavic, players who are known and put in the team for the tenacious, aggressive nature.

The likes of Fellaini would be a thorn in almost any side with his physical abilities, and attackers like Victor Anichebe would be a worry for almost any defender with his strength and stature up top. Unfortunately, despite his blistering pace, these are all attributes that Bernard lacks.

From a defensive standpoint, the South American has actually made 1.3 tackles per game this season. However, at the same time, he has averaged a foul per match and just 0.2 interceptions.

Regardless of his creativity, should Moyes retake the helm, the forward should be very fearful of being frozen out of the side and he may need to add this to his game for future managers to look at.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

It was only a matter of time before Marc-Andre ter Stegen would be recognised as Barcelona’s unsung hero.

And yes, it’s difficult to get a piece of the spotlight with the likes of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in the team but the German wall has cemented himself as a major star at the Camp Nou.

His recent performances, particularly his assist against Granada, can surely attest to that.

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And while having your goalkeeper as the hero of your squad does say a lot about the team as a whole, that still can’t take anything away from the 27-year-old’s heroics as of late.

According to Marca, the German is on track to be rewarded for his contributions with a brand new contract in the near future.

The specifics of it are not yet known but an improvement to the old one, which he signed back in 2017, would definitely be fully deserved and long coming.

Ter Stegen wasn’t always that big of a name at the club, however.

At the very beginning of his Catalan career, he had to fight with former Barcelona stopper, Claudio Bravo, for the spot in the starting lineup and more often than not, the Chilean would get the nod in front of the German.

Watch Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale answer the internet’s weirdest questions in the video below…

But ever since he managed to dethrone Bravo, Ter Stegen has been on an upward ascent. As a whole, he tallied 200 games under his belt, kept an unbelievable 84 clean sheets and made 526 saves in total.

By all accounts, whatever improvement is coming his way, it will be well deserved.

And to top it all off, Ter Stegen seems to be a true fan-favourite at the Camp Nou with many fans stating he is their “best player after Messi” and showering him with praise on social media and Twitter.

When everything is said and done, it wouldn’t really be such a surprise if he really is given a new contract in the near future.

Perhaps it should even have happened sooner.