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Mark Douglas has dropped an inside claim on the potential takeover of Newcastle United by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group.

Writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, the football journalist has claimed that “sources close” to the buying side “insist” that the KSA’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) would return to the table if a path was made clear for them to come back, and also added that Inter Milan “reached out” to the Saudis over a potential deal with them instead.

Newcastle takeover hope

Even though there have been rumours swirling of PIF making a move for the Serie A club as Douglas points out, it is not really clear just how interested they are in pursuing that deal, given that Inter reached out to them rather than the other way around.

The fact that PIF would also return to the table if a pathway is cleared is also promising news in terms of the potential revival of the original deal with Mike Ashley.

However, they are currently off of the table at the moment and could easily change their mind if the St. James’ Park faithful were to find themselves relegated from the Premier League down to the EFL Championship.

Nonetheless, the North East club need to fully focus on avoiding the drop for now and then deal with any potential takeover scenarios at the end of the 2020/21 term.

In other news, find out whose display against Aston Villa was slammed by Lee Ryder here!

Liverpool’s injury woes look to have worsened after James Milner was forced off in the 3-1 defeat against Leicester City on Saturday, and the timing arguably could not be worse.

The Reds have endured a nightmare start to 2021 which has seen them drop off the top of the Premier League table and knocked out of the FA Cup by rivals Manchester United.

Whilst long-term injuries to Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip have made things extremely difficult for Jurgen Klopp’s side, it looks as if they will be providing a feeble defence to the title they won so impressively last season.

In their current rut, Klopp will be relying on his experienced players to help Liverpool get back to their best, with the likes of Jordan Henderson and Milner providing experience on the pitch and aiding the inexperienced backline.

Therefore, to lose Milner through injury ahead of the Champions League game against RB Leipzig is horrible timing for Klopp, as the midfielder has been a big part of the Reds’ success since joining on a free transfer from Manchester City in 2015.

Following the game against Leicester, Klopp revealed that the 35-year-old had an issue with his hamstring and that is why he was forced off at the King Power Stadium, and it seems likely, therefore, that he will miss the trip to Budapest on Tuesday evening.

Back in December 2018, Georginio Wijnaldum was full of praise for Milner after he reached 500 Premier League appearances, saying:

“It is [incredible to reach 500 Premier League games], and also that he is still so fit. He’s a machine.”

Therefore, it seems clear that Milner, who earns £140k per week at Liverpool, is a well respected by his teammates and is still a vital part of Klopp’s side despite his age, so it is undoubtedly a blow that he has suffered an injury and could miss some important upcoming fixtures.

And, in other news… LFC ace lost possession 45 times vs Leicester; he was so wasteful

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Dean Windass believes reported Tottenham target Nick Pope could be the man replace Hugo Lloris in North London.

The Spurs captain has made over 350 appearances in all competitions since joining in 2012 from Lyon.

The French captain kept his first clean sheet since February 7 on Sunday with Jose Mourinho’s side recording a comfortable 4-0 win against Burnley, following it up with another against Fulham.

Nick Pope has been a formidable force between the sticks for both club and country since his debut in 2017 and he could be the reassuring hands Spurs need.

Lloris has managed 10 clean sheets in all competitions this campaign with Pope recording just one less, despite playing in a team fighting relegation.

With constant snubs from Gareth Southgate Pope may feel it is required to play for a bigger club if he is to ever change the manager’s perception of him being the best goalkeeper for England.

Dean Windass told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that it may be the right time for change to happen.

He said: “Yeah, it’s coming to the end and Lloris making a few mistakes as well.

“Mourinho teams are not one really for playing from the back. They’re not a Manchester City or Liverpool where they’ve got a goalkeeper who like Man City’s goalkeeper could play in midfield, that’s how good he is.

“You’re not saying Lloris can play outfield and they don’t really play from the back. Nick Pope’s not great with his feet in my opinion.

“I’m an old school centre forward/wanting to be a manager so, for me first and foremost start with stop the ball going in the net.

“Some managers say can you play with your feet? Some managers say can you keep the ball out the net?

“Nick Pope’s been unbelievable, I think that would be great.”

Lloris will turn 36-years old this year with Pope still on the better side of 30-years old. The Burnley stopper would not likely come cheap, with the Mail Online reporting a £30 million price tag being put on him.

Spurs have looked shaky at the back this season, which is unusual for a Mourinho team. A fresh face and voice may be what’s required to get the defence into shape.

According to a recent article in The Athletic, Southampton were extremely keen on signing current Wolves striker Raul Jimenez back in January 2018.

Southampton writer Dan Sheldon documented some of the better players that the Saints have missed out on in recent times, but the decision to sign Guido Carrillo ahead of Jimenez is arguably one which will hurt fans of the South Coast club the most.

Instead of signing the Mexican, the club opted to pay Monaco £19 million for Carrillo’s services, making him their club-record signing in the process.

Unfortunately for the Argentinian, he would go on to make just 10 appearances for the Saints, failing to score a single goal and following a couple of loan spells away from the South Coast club, he was released on a free transfer earlier this year.

Therefore, it seems clear that the club made a huge mistake in signing him ahead of Jimenez, who has been superb since joining Wolves from Benfica.

After a successful loan spell with the Old Gold in the Premier League, they paid £30 million to sign him permanently last year and he has continued his impressive form since then, having now contributed 47 goals and 18 assists in 110 appearances for the club.

The 29-year-old was attracting interest from the likes of Real Madrid during the summer transfer window, which is testament to the fact that he’s established himself as one of the top marksmen in the Premier League over the past two seasons.

His performances in the top-flight earned him the praise of Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, who said:

“I think he has everything a world-class striker needs.

“For a striker, he is so mobile, but also physically so good and talented technically on the ball. I can imagine him playing with us.”

However, a terrible collision with Arsenal’s David Luiz earlier this season resulted in the Mexican international fracturing his skull, with it still unclear whether he will be able to make a return to action.

It seems clear therefore that Les Reed, who was the Southampton vice-chariman back in 2018, made a huge error in signing Carrillo ahead of Jimenez, as they missed out on a top player who could’ve been a huge success in this Southampton side.

And, in other news… Fewer touches than McCarthy: Hasenhuttl will be fuming with 24 y/o’s anonymous display

According to Fotomac, Fenerbahce have rejected an offer of €8m from Crystal Palace for their Turkish midfielder Ozan Tufan.

What’s the word?

Palace submitted a bid believed to be worth an initial €8m – which they feel is reasonable considering the current economic climate – on Thursday after some deliberation over a bid.

However, the Turkish club value the 25-year-old at €12m (£10m), having signed him from his boyhood club Bursaspor in 2015.

But the report adds Palace may be prepared to increase their offer substantially, although Fenerbache are also expected to hike their price for the 55-cap Turkey international, who joined the club at the age of 19.

Significant upgrade in the midfield

Hodgson has got the Eagles well above the Premier League relegation battle and is now looking for January additions to keep them there.

Steve Parish has already signed Jean-Philippe Mateta on an initial 18-month loan deal with an option to buy from Bundesliga club Mainz to that effect and Tufan could follow suit if the club chairman can be persuaded to dip into his pockets.

The Eagles manager was interested in Tufan almost three years ago, but he turned his attentions elsewhere but if Palace want to prise him away from the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, they will have to match Fenerbahce’s asking price.

While Luka Milivojevic has established himself as a regular starter in the Premier League under Hodgson, the Palace boss has struggled to settle on his preferred midfield pairing.

Despite impressing at times for Hodgson’s side this season so far, Jairo Riedewald has been unable to nail down a starting berth in the squad, whilst James McArthur and James McCarthy are the other two men battling to bag the same spot, although there are questions over both.

It’s fair to say that Tufan – who has been heavily linked with a move to Selhurst Park in the past – would be a significant upgrade in the midfield. Now closing in on seven years at Fenerbahce, he has made 152 appearances for the club, scoring 19 goals and setting up a further 19 assists for his teammates.

Only McArthur (3.1) and McCarthy (1.8) currently average more tackles per game compared to Tufan’s exploits this season, with the Turk bettering both Milivojevic and Riedewald, per WhoScored. He currently averages more interceptions per game too, which suggests that he reads the game well and can break up attacks.

He also tops the charts in comparison to the Palace midfielders for the most shots (1.5), key passes (1.1) and dribbles (0.9) per game, which shows that his all-round game is solid.

Tufan, therefore, could be a valuable asset for the Eagles but it remains to be seen how much Parish will be willing to spend to finally land Palace’s long-term target.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace sign Mainz striker Jean-Philippe Mateta; spells bad news for Michy Batshuayi…

David Sullivan is proving he is not learning from his past errors amid reports West Ham United are keen to strike a deal to sign Sporting CP winger Gonzalo Plata.

What’s the word?

According to Record, West Ham are continuing to monitor Plata’s situation in Lisbon after the forward opened the door for a potential move away from the Jose Alvalade Stadium.

The London Stadium is believed to be a potential destination should the 20-year-old quit the Liga NOS giants, for whom he has represented five times across all competitions thus far this season but is yet to start a single fixture.

Ruben Amorim’s relentless preference to only name Plata on the bench has sparked the Ecuador international to decide that now is the best time to leave, having played just 64 minutes and not featuring with more than 10 minutes on the clock since October.

Lisbon are reluctant to sell Plata on the cheap with his contract running through to the summer of 2024 and will demand at least €20million (£18m), while his former side Independiente Del Valle would also be due 50% of any fee received though Sporting are in discussions over their percentage.

West Ham would prefer to sign Plata on loan with an option to buy, and are willing to wait until next summer, but could face competition from Newcastle United and SSC Napoli.

Another Sullivan blunder

West Ham moving to sign Plata in January or next summer would see Co-Owner and Chairman Sullivan sanction yet another blunderous transfer, having greenlit disastrous deals for the likes of Felipe Anderson, Andriy Yarmolenko, Javier Hernandez and Andre Ayew in recent years.

Only Yarmolenko of the aforementioned quartet remains at the London Stadium this season, but has featured for just 97 minutes and is yet to score or assist a goal over five substitute appearances from West Ham’s opening 10 Premier League fixtures.

Plata would be unlikely to offer much more than the veteran Ukraine international, having struck only three goals and penned two assists in 29 first-team games for Sporting since earning his senior debut under Marcel Keizer last season.

The 20-year-old is yet to even register a single shot or key pass in the Liga NOS this term, while playing on average just 4.8 accurate passes, making 0.8 successful dribbles and winning 2.5 duels (53%) in 17 minutes of action a game, per SofaScore.

His numbers were only marginally better last term when averaging 55 minutes per game over 21 outings of which he started 12, with Plata penning 0.6 shots, 1.0 key balls, 14.4 accurate passes, winning 4.9 duels (47%) and delivering 0.5 accurate crosses.

Unless Plata can turn his fortunes around over the remainder of the Portuguese top-flight campaign, Sullivan would be making a horrific mistake agreeing to pay €20m for the 8-cap Ecuador forward.

And in other news, David Moyes must solve a £19m West Ham star’s alarming issue ahead of facing Manchester United.

Leeds United continue to be dealt major injury blows as they will now be without Robin Koch and Liam Cooper when they face Burnley on Sunday, via premierinjuries.com.

The Whites have been stricken with injuries since they returned to the Premier League, with Jamie Shackleton recently returning and Adam Forshaw still sidelined. Now, Marcelo Bielsa will need to consult the drawing board as he mulls over his very limited options in central defence.

Luke Ayling has been the man to fill in for Koch, who has made a huge impact since he joined the club in the summer. But now with the skipper also out of action, Leeds could be staring down the barrel of a loaded gun unless they recruit again in January.

Bielsa initially claimed he would not be on the market for another centre-back next month, but he is running out of options. At the moment, Pascal Struijk and Oliver Casey are match fit ahead of Burnley, as well as Diego Llorente who has just returned from his own injury, as per the club’s website. One must step up to plate at Elland Road tomorrow.

Whilst it’s a big opportunity for the out of favour Struijk and his young teammate, it’s far from good news for the team. If Koch and Cooper are looking at long recovery periods, Bielsa must accept that he will need to bring in a new central defender or he risks a huge upset as his men prepare to face the likes of Spurs and Southampton.

It’s undoubtedly a frustrating situation for Victor Orta and Andrea Radrizzani, who worked together to sign both Koch and Llorente this summer. They also signed new goalkeeper Illan Meslier on a permanent deal. This defensive haul must have had them convinced they were stacked at the back, but their triple injury blow only highlights how fast the situation can change.

This must serve as a wake up call for Bielsa and the board, who will reluctantly have to recruit once again once January comes round.

In other news, Orta must work his magic on reuniting Bamford and Adama Traore…

Glasgow Rangers took on Livingston at Ibrox in their first game back in the Scottish Premiership since their comfortable 2-0 win over their arch-rivals Celtic at Parkhead. Steven Gerrard’s side started without first-team regular starter Borna Barisic, as the left-back dropped to the bench as a precaution, meaning that Calvin Bassey took his place in the starting line-up.

Whilst Bassey was impressive as a substitute in the 2-0 win against Standard Liege in the Europa League, Gerrard has another secret weapon in the team at the moment in goalkeeper Allan McGregor.

What’s the word?

According to The Daily Record, McGregor is three games away from equalling the club’s record for the most appearances in all European competitions, which is currently held by Barry Ferguson.

It’s highly likely that the veteran will overtake his former teammate at some stage this season, and Ferguson insists he will “be the first to congratulate Greegs when he breaks mine.”

He told The Daily Record: “There’s nobody better to take the record. Greegs just gets better and better and is still worth 15 points

a season.”

“Hopefully I’ll get a chance to hand over the baton in person. I would do it in a heartbeat because it’s a brilliant honour and he’s a brilliant guy.”

Secret weapon?

The former 42-cap Scotland international has staked his claim in the starting line-up ever since he returned to Ibrox on a free transfer from Championship club Hull City in 2018. The 38-year-old made his first-team debut for the Gers back in 2002.

Since then, he has made over 300 appearances for his boyhood club, keeping 166 clean sheets in all competitions in the process, as well as winning a hat-trick of league titles in 2009, 2010 and 2011, via Transfermarkt.

As a general rule of thumb, as professional athletes get older, their reflexes and reaction times get slower. But it seems the 38-year-old has shown no signs of slowing down anytime soon, as he has played seven games this season so far, saving five clean sheets and only conceding two goals in all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

Once hailed as a “superb” player by Gerrard for his performance in the 4-0 Europa League win over Willem II, McGregor has continued to defy the odds.

Despite his advancing years, the Scotsman is considered to be one of the club’s most reliable players, as he has still managed to make more than 30 appearances a season for the past few years in a row.

Gerrard even wants to give him a new contract, if recent reports are to be believed, which speaks volumes about his obvious talent. Get it done, Gers, before it’s too late.

AND in other news, Steven Gerrard must unleash Glasgow Rangers ace Jordan Jones vs Livingston…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Chris Kirkland has delivered his verdict on Newcastle flop Miguel Almiron.

After arriving in a then club-record deal from MLS side Atlanta United, the Magpies may have seen the Paraguay international as someone who could kick-start a new era at St James’ Park.

And with his tireless style of play, and willingness to put everything on the line, there was no question that he had endeared himself to the supporters early on.

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But a lack of end product has held him back big-time, with him managing just nine goals in 62 games across all competitions. A rather paltry return for someone who has predominantly played out wide or in an attacking midfield position.

Now, Kirkland has admitted that the man signed by Rafa Benitez has really struggled to life in England, and it’s a gamble that hasn’t quite paid off.

He said: “Well he’s struggled. He hasn’t adapted, has he? It’s a risk when you’re buying players from abroad. It is a big risk because they can be very good players but moving abroad, moving away from your family, bringing your family over, the different language, all of it has a massive effect.”

As if to prove Kirkland’s point, Almiron had yet another shocker against Southampton on Friday. Just a couple of weeks after his disaster against Wolves, the Paraguayan was similarly disappointing this time around at St Mary’s.

As per Sofascore, his 5.2 match rating was the worst of any player on the pitch, and it was easy to see why. He lost ten of his 14 total duels, had no shots whatsoever, completed just one of his six attempted dribbles, and also made an error that directly led to a Southampton goal.

All in all, it wasn’t a great outing, and it’s clear to see Almiron just hasn’t found his feet on Tyneside.

Speaking to Sky Sports, via football.london, pundit Micah Richards has lavished Spurs star Son Heung-min with praise following his impressive performances this season and has even compared him to Premier League superstars Kevin De Bruyne and Sadio Mane – both of whom were arguably the division’s best assets last season. 

Son, who averaged more shots per 90 than the likes of Dele Alli over 2019/2020, all while completing more dribbles than any player in the Tottenham squad (WhoScored), has been in sensational form already after the new campaign’s commencement.

Indeed, the South Korea international recently buried four goals at St Mary’s as Jose Mourinho’s men ran out 5-2 winners against Southampton last weekend – a performance which highlights just how underrated he is according to Richards.

The pundit, likening him to De Bruyne and Mane whilst lauding the 28-year-old as a Premier League sensation, waxed lyrical over his recent outings and also called the attacker an ‘absolute steal’.

Tottenham signed Son back in August 2015 for a reported £22 million, with the winger going on to amass 234 appearances for the club whilst bagging 90 goals and assisting 49 others so far (Transfermarkt).

Now, given his most recent accolades, ex-Premier League winner Richards has put him up there with the very best.

“His form is absolutely incredible,” explained the former Man City star.

“When I worked under Steve Bruce, he would pinpoint how he’d want me to play, how to set up against someone like this.

“Someone might want to man-mark him but when you’ve got this player in this sort of form, it doesn’t matter what you try and do.

“He always finds the spaces, he always looks to run in behind. What I like about Son the most is his composure in front of goal.

“How many times do you see him miss chances? Very rarely. He’s an absolute steal for Spurs.

“There’s a lot of talk about Mane and Kevin De Bruyne, and rightly so, but for me, Son is right up there.

“Spurs are lucky to have him because he’s an absolute treasure of a player.”

Indeed, given the attacker’s contribution in north London since putting pen to paper on a move over half a decade ago, it’s far to say that Richards could be spot on in his verdict.

If Jose Mourinho’s side are going to reach the top four by the end of 2020/2021, they will need Son to keep up his brilliant run of form.

Spurs fans, is Son up there with both De Bruyne and Mane? Have your say in the comments down below…