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Last season was undoubtedly a disappointing one for West Bromwich Albion. Despite the ambition of earning automatic promotion back to the Premier League at the first attempt, they eventually missed out on going up altogether after losing in the play-off semi-finals to Aston Villa. As such, it will be a busy window at the Hawthorns as they look to get back to the promised land. Here’s a look at the latest transfer rumours regarding the Baggies…

Thill on Baggies radar

According to Soccer Link, the Baggies are after FC Metz midfielder Vincent Thill. The 19-year-old is a promising youngster, having scored 10 goals and made three assists for National 1 side FC Pau last term, and is tipped for big things. West Brom will face competition from Norwich for his signature, however.

New boss will need to sort out finances

According to the Express and Star, the next West Brom boss will need to trim the club’s wage bill when considering bringing in fresh faces. Whilst six loanees have been returned and five senior players have not been offered new contracts, any new signings will need to be made with the £38million trim in mind – suggesting there will be more exits this summer.

Good news on Wilder front

West Brom have been handed a boost in their hunt for a new manager based on news from the Star. Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder has been on the club’s radar since May, and it seems his future at Brammall Lane is uncertain amidst the court case involving the ownership dispute between Kevin McCabe and Prince Abdullah. It’s suggested the outcome of the proceedings could see Wilder leave the club he’s just brought to the Premier League.

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An update from The Evening Chronicle’s Mark Douglas has Newcastle fans worried that the potential takeover of the club is in jeopardy.

Since The Sun claimed Newcastle had been officially sold to Sheikh Khaled Bin Zayed Al Nehayan, there have been hundreds of conflicting reports and rumours regarding a takeover bid.

The Sun seem to have massively jumped the gun by saying the sale was all but done, but a statement released by the Bin Zayed group this week suggests the wheels are in motion.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals why Tyne-Wear is a more intense derby than anything London can offer – check out the video below….

And reports out of the Middle East had fans excited during the week, claiming that Friday would bring big news to Tyneside.

Douglas though, who is the publishing editor for The Chronicle, has quashed the reports of a big breakthrough on Friday with one simple tweet.

Fans are now fretting over the validity of the reports on the takeover in general, especially due to the fact that the entire ordeal is wasting the final days of Rafael Benitez’s contract with the club.

Have a look at the Twitter reactions down below…

When Sheffield Wednesday revealed that they had completed the permanent signing of Jordan Rhodes from Middlesbrough in 2017, their supporters had every right to be excited.

Prolific at Championship level during his time at Blackburn Rovers, the 29-year-old forward seemingly had all the ingredients needed to become a hero at Hillsborough.

Yet having been signed with the expectation that he could be player to fire the Owls to the Premier League, Rhodes ultimately failed to deliver in his debut season as he only managed to score five league goals in 31 appearances as his side slumped to a 15th place finish in the second tier.

With then-manager Jos Luhukay unwilling to include the £4.5m-rated ace (via Transfermarkt) in his plans for the 2018/19 campaign, he decided to loan him out to Norwich City last summer.

Although the Canaries would end up lifting the Championship title, Rhodes’ contribution to this remarkable achievement was very minimal as the forward only found the back of the net on nine occasions in 40 games for Daniel Farke’s side.

Considering his lack of form for Norwich over the past year, it is somewhat of a surprise that the former Blackburn ace is being linked with a permanent switch to Carrow Road when the transfer window opens in July.

According to The Sun on Sunday (as quoted by HITC), Rhodes is reportedly at the top of the Canaries’ shopping list with Farke keen to deploy him in the Premier League next season.

If this is indeed the case, Bruce must not hesitate at the thought of selling Rhodes to the Norfolk-based outfit as it could be argued that he already has better striking options at the club in the form of Fernando Forestieri and Steven Fletcher.

By cashing in on the forward, the 58-year-old could use the money to strengthen his squad ahead of the Owls’ eighth consecutive Championship campaign.

What do you think Wednesday fans? Should Bruce sell Rhodes this summer? Or does the forward deserve another chance to impress for your club? Let us know below.

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QPR might have been plunged into difficulties both on and off the pitch in recent years but the club was in euphoria this time eight years ago, when they celebrated promotion to the Premier League under Neil Warnock on May 7.

The R’s stormed to the title in the 2010/11 season, taking an impressive 88 points, while Adel Taarabt was their top scorer with 19 to his name. Since, it’s been a steady decline for the W12 outfit – they were relegated two years later, rock bottom of the pile, before winning promotion again in 2013/14 and then being sent packing down to the second tier once again in the following season.

The Hoops have finished 19th this campaign having slid way down the table in 2019, and Steve McClaren was given the boot in April. Fortunately, caretaker boss John Eustace’s men were able to sign off for the season in style with a 2-1 win away at Sheffield Wednesday – they will be hoping to build on that glimpse of positivity next term.

Check out the below above to see football played as you’ve never seen it before… in a maze!

For many QPR fans, this great day represents the start of their beloved club’s struggles – you can check out the best of the reaction on Twitter below…

Manchester City had a few twists and turns to get where they are today, and one of their biggest learning curves came when they splurged £18million of real life money on Roque Santa Cruz.

Wowee. What a truly uninspired purchase Paraguayan forward Santa Cruz was. Genuinely, what can we say about this man that isn’t fundamentally negative? They didn’t spend £19million or £20million – suppose that’s something? He could kick a ball (we mean literally just kick it) – that’s another thing, right?

The forward made his fateful multi-million pound move to Manchester City in the summer of 2009 – just a year after former boss Mark Hughes had dragged him to the miserable depths of Blackburn from the comparatively dream-like city of Munich, Germany. Ah, you can imagine it can’t you: his once happy little face melt as he slowly struggled to digest his new northern surroundings, despite probably being convinced by Hughes that it was “near enough to London” – the place where all overseas players want to live.

You could say it wasn’t exactly the dream start Santa Cruz was hoping for. His biggest and only fan Hughes was sacked in December (it was a great Christmas that year) just hours after the forward had claimed his first Premier League goal for the Citizens in a 4-3 thriller against Sunderland, leaving him stranded in the City wilderness without anyone to turn to.

City fans only had to wait another three months until he scored his only other goal for the club. Quite the record. Needless to say, new boss Roberto Mancini wasn’t going to wait around for him, and he quickly and clinically disposed of him – initially on loan deals back to Santa Cruz’s beloved Blackburn and Real Betis before Malaga.

Manchester City fans, quite simply – is Santa Cruz your worst ever signing? Let us know in the comments below…

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West Ham United are interested in signing AC Milan winger Hakan Calhanoglu, per Fanatik.

What’s the word?

Calhanoglu, a left winger who can also play in central midfield, has been with the Serie A giants since 2017.

Signed from Bayer Leverkusen for a fee of around €20million, which could rise to €24m depending on bonuses, the Turkey international has made 86 appearances for the club, scoring 10 goals and laying on 26 assists.

Previously a genuine creative force in the Bundesliga – he scored 28 goals and provided 29 assists across 115 games for Leverkusen – Calhanoglu could leave Milan this summer.

Fanatik claim that both the Hammers and Leicester City have expressed an interest in securing Calhanoglu’s signature.

Any deal would cost around €30m (£25.9m), with the 25-year-old said to be open to the possibility of playing in England.

Versatility is key

This deal suggests that Manuel Pellegrini is looking to bring in versatile players this summer.

Calhanoglu offers the ability to play on the left flank, with his trickery and creativity excellent attributes, while he can also do a job in central midfield.

Pellegrini, then, would have the tactical flexibility to switch formation mid-game with Calhanoglu in the team; if he isn’t working on the left-hand side of a 4-3-3, West Ham can easily switch to having two up front, with Calhanoglu dropping back into midfield.

There are not many players out there like him and €30m would be a snip in today’s market.

It remains to be seen, of course, if the Irons can beat Leicester to his signature.

Obviously, there are multiple roles Celtic need to look towards improving in the summer, yet the goalkeeping department – helpfully – isn’t one. Indeed, even during Brendan Rodgers’ reign and beyond, the Hoops have kept a stellar defensive record in the Scottish Premiership thanks to a solid defensive base.

While their defence might be reshuffled next season, one player who’s made a role his own is Scott Bain. The 27-year-old goalkeeper’s been in stellar form for Celtic since the turn of the year, putting in excellent shifts. He’s kept 9 clean-sheets from 12 appearances, only conceding 4 goals (stats via Transfermarkt, where is he valued at £450k)

However, according to reports from the Shields Gazette, the Bhoys are looking towards signing Newcastle youngster Freddie Woodman in the summer. The 22-year-old bright goalkeeper’s set to be part of a mass clearout at Tyneside and the Hoops want him as their long-term option.

However, with Bain’s stunning work, there’s no need for as such.

The Hoops may dominate most matches, but Bain’s shown impressive alertness to keeping out oppositions. Even recently against Dundee United, he pulled off some impressive saves to keep his side on the front-foot. Indeed, unlike some keepers, he rarely loses his concentration and can even make one crucial save if needed.

He’s helped the Hoops enjoy plenty of success already this season and he will no doubt play a big part in helping the club secure yet another treble from here on in.

Woodman has had loan spells in Scotland, yet signing him would create a surplus in Celtic’s goalkeeping department. Apart from the excellent Bain, they have experienced Craig Gordon on standby. Furthermore, Bain has proven more than capable of staying fit throughout the season and witnessing his continued growth, Celtic shouldn’t let greed goad them into unnecessarily signing Woodman.

Celtic fans, do you want another goalkeeper in Woodman to challenge Bain next season? Join the discussion by commenting below. 

It’s now confirmed that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is remaining at Old Trafford for another three years and fans are understandably elated because of how good he’s been so far. You Red Devils reading this must be absolutely delighted, considering how bad things have largely been over the course of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.

Spirit is flowing around Old Trafford as a result of the Norwegian’s stint as manager so far because the players are playing for the shirt once again, something that couldn’t be said when Jose Mourinho was in charge. Remember those days? Yuck.

It has been a quick change under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer but certainly a good one at that and, finally, England’s biggest club can start planning, something fans don’t need telling they’ve struggled with over the course of the campaign.

Manchester United fans right now though, are more concerned about whether he will be given significant financial backing over the summer to improve his team. If money really isn’t a problem and Ed Woodward is prepared to go all-out, a target looked at (via CaughtOffside) under Jose Mourinho should most definitely be looked at once again this summer and that is Bayern Munich’s, Joshua Kimmich.

Kimmich, (who is valued at £54 million on Transfermarkt) is arguably one of, if not the best right-back in the world right now and Man United would be very lucky to have a player of his quality in defence. Largely brought to an English audience this season for his performance against Liverpool in the Champions League, the sight of the German international shouting at Sadio Mane after missing would have pleased the United faithful.

Not only is he a formidable right-back but Kimmich is well equipped to play as a defensive-midfielder alternately as well for United.

At the age of 26, Kimmich is now reaching the very best days of his career so far and what an asset he could be at Old Trafford.

With Antonio Valencia set to leave this summer, the need for a top right-back is essential and what better way to replace the pair than to sign the best one around. That’s the Manchester United way of thinking.

Is signing Joshua Kimmich a good idea for Man United… Join the discussion and let us know below!

أعلن نادي فولهام الإنجليزي تعاقده مع روبن لوفتوس تشيك من صفوف تشيلسي، في بيان رسمي قبل لحظات.

وينضم تشيك لصفوف فولهام على سبيل الإعارة من البلوز لمدة عام طوال موسم 2020/21.

وصرّح لوفنتوس تشيك للموقع الرسمي لفولهام: “أنا سعيد حقًا، لقد شاهدت فولهام في بداية الموسم وبدا أنهم يلعبون كرة قدم جيد”.

طالع أبرز صفقات موسم الانتقالات الصيفي

وأضاف: “مع هذا المدرب، أعتقد أنه يمكنني العودة إلى أفضل ما لدي، هذا هو الشيء الرئيسي بالنسبة لي، أن أعود لمستواي وأساعد هذا الفريق على الفوز بالمباريات”.

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According to an interview as published by The Times, Bayern Munich star Joshua Kimmich believes Jurgen Klopp is ideally suited to be manager of the Germany national team.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the versatile 24-year-old has been speaking ahead of his side’s trip to face Liverpool at Anfield in the first leg of their last 16 Champions League tie on Tuesday night, and has been full of praise for the former Borussia Dortmund coach.

The Germany international, who may well start at right-back on Merseyside, said via The Times: “You see how he works at Liverpool, or how he worked before at Dortmund. [Joachim] Löw has been there [as Germany’s head coach] since 2006, so it’s hard for everybody to imagine how it would be with another coach. But of course I think Jürgen Klopp would be a good national coach.”

Low signed a new contract that would take him through until the 2022 World Cup in Qatar prior to his team’s awful showing in Russia last summer, while they also suffered relegation from their UEFA Nations League group.

Would Klopp ever get the job?

Given his personality and style of play he likes to use, there seems little doubt that one day he will be Germany manager.

When Low eventually goes – whether that is after the World Cup in Qatar or beforehand if things continue to not go well – Klopp will undoubtedly be one of the names near the top of the shortlist to be his replacement.

Should the 51-year-old win the Premier League title with the Reds this season he may feel satisfied that he has done all he can with the Merseyside club, who of course would surely do everything they can to keep him should Germany come calling unless things turn sour in the near future given his huge popularity.