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Newcastle United are reportedly ‘in the running’ with clubs currently competing in the Champions League to sign Darwin Nunez.

The Lowdown: Interest there

Record (via Sport Witness) reported earlier in the month that the St James’ Park club were ‘tightening the siege’ for Nunez, implying that interest is well and truly there to bring him to Tyneside.

He is certainly catching the eye this season, with eight goals and two assists in 15 matches across all competitions with Benfica, including three goals in five Champions League matches (Transfermarkt).

His agent Edgardo Lasalvia claims that the striker is ‘destined for great things’, and at 22 years of age, the Uruguay international should only get better.

The Latest: Nunez update

According to Record (via Sport Witness), Newcastle are ‘in the running’ along with Champions League quartet Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Manchester City and Atletico Madrid for his signature.

Benfica are reluctant to sell him in the January transfer window, and it would require a club to pay his astronomical release clause, currently standing at €150m (£126.2m).

Therefore, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium at St James’ Park may need to wait until the summer if they wish to bring Nunez in.

The Verdict: Wait until summer

Nunez is certainly a player with a lot of promise, but paying £126.2m for him, even for the new mega-rich owners, is simply far too much.

The Magpies must wait until the summer before they make their move, as their fate will also become clear as to whether they have avoided relegation from the Premier League.

However, if they are still in the top flight, and if they can get him for a reasonable price, then Nunez is someone they should pursue.

With a 6 foot 2 frame, the forward has both the physical and aerial attributes to thrive in the Premier League, and his agent has even claimed that he has ‘a lot of things in common’ with Manchester United beast and fellow Uruguayan Edinson Cavani, a man who has scored an abundance of goals wherever he has played.

If he goes on to score as many goals and be as ruthless as Cavani has been over the next few years, then Newcastle would have a real player on their hands.

In other news, NUFC are eyeing up a move for this ‘exciting’ midfielder with a Kante-like engine

Football is not only one of the world’s richest sports; it is also the most popular sport in the whole world. This popularity of football stems from the simple fact that it is an extremely entertaining and exciting sport to watch. None of the other rich sports such as American football, baseball, cricket, boxing, MMA, etc. have as many fans globally as the beautiful game does. So, what is it about football that makes it so irresistibly entertaining to us? Let’s find out next.

Global Relatability

Football is often defined as a global language for many reasons, but the most prominent one is that of instant relatability. Due to the immense, global popularity of football, even people without a common language between them can start to play together in a team without a hitch. This is, in fact, something that happens all the time at club level when international footballers are contracted to play for the local team.

Similarly, several Manchester United fans from different cultural backgrounds, and sometimes even a communication gap between them, can sit together in the stand and cheer their team on in unison. Whether you live in that country or not, you could start betting on any team of your choice on bet sites like Novibet, just like thousands of football fans like you around the globe. It is this international relatability which is a huge part of what makes football so entertaining.

The Commentary

Believe it or not, one of the most entertaining aspects of football as a whole are the sport’s commentators! Aside from the fact that football has always had its share of funny, witty, wise, astute, controversial, and overdramatic commentators in every generation, there is another reason. Due to the popularity of football, major matches are broadcasted and commented on in numerous languages across the entire planet, making the game and its entertaining commentary accessible to almost every fan.

The Controversial Refereeing

Aside from the regular controversies surrounding fouls and penalties, consider the fact that one of the greatest footballers of all time, Diego Maradona, scored a match winning goal against England in the 1986 World Cup Quarter Final match with his hand. Furthermore, he himself later named it as “The hand of God!” In 2005, Man Utd’s goalkeeper Roy Carroll fumbled a ball past his goal line, grabbed it, and pretended as if the ball never even crossed the goal line.

Although everyone watching at home and in the box saw it, the referee and the linesmen did not! The Premier League match against Tottenham ended in a 0 – 0 draw consequently. In 2006, a ball boy scored a goal at the Paulista Football Federation Cup against Atletico Sorocaba! Yes, the goal was indeed awarded to Santacruzense by referee Silvia Regina de Oliveira. Whether they admit it or not, people love controversies and football matches are always full of them!

The Unmatched Excitement

Although this one is arguable because fans of other sports will not agree, there is no denying the fact that most people around the world find football to be the most exciting sport to watch. It is a fact supported by broadcasting records and opinion polls unanimously. Not that they cannot be boring, but when the stakes are big, football matches heat up like nothing else in sports.

The Transfers and the New Finds

Scouts from the top football clubs always scour the globe in search of new talent, while players, owners and managers negotiate among themselves to bag the best deal. From the fan’s perspective, it is an exciting prospect to not just speculate who will be playing for which team next season, but to enjoy the most exciting part that comes later. Once the next season begins, everyone’s eyes are on that multimillion-pound transfer or that new 17-year-old that their club has dubbed as a prodigy. Disappointment, excitement, and surprise are always part of the entire affair for fans of the game, each season.

There is a reason why billions love the likes of Messi and Ronaldo so much, making them the final and the most powerful reason behind why football is the most entertaining sport in the world. If you have never seen Lionel Messi dribble past five defenders, you are missing out!

Images from: unsplash.com

It’s no secret that West Brom need a striker to push their promotion charge to the next level in the second half of the season.

The Baggies currently sit in third place in the Championship, six points off the automatic promotion places having scored just 29 goals in their 21 games so far this season.

The current top goalscorer for the club is winger Karlan Grant, who has bagged nine times in 21 appearances, which is some way off golden boot leader Aleksandar Mitrovic’s 21 in 20 for league leaders Fulham. First-choice striker Callum Robinson has managed just three goals himself, but has chipped in with six assists too.

So with the January transfer window approaching, several names have been linked with the role of West Brom centre forward for the second half of the season. The two names that are at the top of the list are Aston Villa forward Keinan Davis and former Baggies forward Dwight Gayle, currently at Newcastle.

While Davis is 23-years-old, he is relatively young in terms of playing experience. He has just six goals in his senior career and has played for just nine minutes in total this season for the Midlands side. He is keen for a loan move in January, but West Brom have another more reliable target than the £45k-per-week unproven Davis and must avoid such a potentially disastrous signing.

Gayle previously spent the 2018/19 season on loan at The Hawthorns and scored 23 goals in 39 appearances in the Championship as the Baggies and has been described as “a natural goalscorer” by Steve Bruce in the past.

Gayle has found chances hard to come by with the Magpies, earning just 21 minutes of action in the Premier League this season. While he’s not played regularly in recent years, goalscoring instinct is something that never leaves you.

The £3.6m-rated forward has always had good movement and is good with both feet and his head, while being proven in the division and having a history with the club. He will likely push for a move away from the club with Newcastle having big funds to spend following their PIF takeover, and it seems like a match made in heaven.

Gayle needs game time, West Brom need a goalscorer. Make it happen Ismael.

AND in other news, Masi reveals Ismael’s January transfer window plans.

Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard could land a dream centre-back signing in Liverpool star Joe Gomez.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days and weeks have suggested that the Midlands side have got their sights set on the Reds defender, and now, The Express and Star’s Luke Hatfield has delivered his verdict on the potential signing.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: “Oh yeah, for sure. He’s a quality player, obviously an England international pre-injury. He would be a fantastic signing for Villa.”

Jurgen Klopp’s a big fan

While Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa have been Villa’s established centre-back partnership for the past couple of seasons now in the Premier League, the former has seen his form go up and down, and was even dropped by former manager Dean Smith earlier this campaign.

In Gomez, not only would Villa be signing someone who at 24-years-old still has the prime years of his career ahead of him, but someone who has been playing at the very highest level for a number of years now at Anfield.

He was a key part of the squad that helped Liverpool lift the Champions League trophy in the 2018/2019 campaign, before following it up with a Premier League title a year later – that was a season that saw him emerge as the Reds’ dominant centre-back following Virgil van Dijk’s injury, playing 28 times in the top-flight.

It’s no surprise then that Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has previously waxed lyrical about him, and the unique combination of pace and power he has as a centre-back.

He said: “Since he is playing as a centre-half again – his natural position – together with (Virgil van Dijk) there is exceptional. He is a sensational footballer, which is good.

“He has outstanding speed, which helps us a lot to keep our last line high; he is a really good challenger; good in one-on-one situations; football-wise, I said already, good. The package is really nice.”

The £27m-rated star could bring proven quality to the Villa back-line so has to be signed over the winter months.

With his experience at the elite level in mind, he’d surely be a dream deal for Johan Lange and co as Gerrard’s revolution is kickstarted in the market. The fact he’s hand-picked from the new manager’s former club also makes it a very attractive deal – there is no club he knows more about than Liverpool.

Meanwhile, Villa are eyeing this European star…

West Ham United are currently suffering an injury crisis amongst their backline, with six defenders currently sidelined, four of which are full-backs.

David Moyes will surely be looking to add reinforcements in January, and a move for Everton left-back Lucas Digne could prove a clever move.

What’s the story?

According to the Telegraph, French full-back Lucas Digne faces an uncertain future at Goodison Park with the suggestion that the 28-year-old and manager Rafa Benitez have fallen out.

The Mirror reported this week that there was a further breakdown in Benitez’s relationship with the left-back after the 28-year-old pulled out of the squad for Thursday’s game against Chelsea with sickness.

If the reports of a fall out are true and that Digne could therefore be forced out of the Merseyside club in January, certain Premier League clubs should be keeping tabs on the situation and West Ham are one of them.

West Ham should make a move for Digne

With West Ham still competing in four competitions, Moyes is going to need to add depth to his squad if they are to juggle all four successfully, particularly the Premier League and Europa League.

Full-back is an area that has particularly suffered of late with Aaron Cresswell, Ben Johnson and Ryan Fredericks all injured whilst Vladimir Coufal faces suspension after being sent off against Arsenal.

In particular, left-back Cresswell has been at West Ham for six-and-a-half years and is now 32 years of age with no obvious long-term suitor to replace the Englishman.

Digne is 28 and possesses plenty of Premier League experience having been with the Toffees since 2018 when he joined from Barcelona, making him a suitable candidate to replace Cresswell for the long term, particularly if the Hammers are serious about making a push for European qualification every season.

Rated £31.5m by Transfermarkt, the left-back won’t come cheap but the West Ham hierarchy could take advantage of a difficult situation at Everton and swoop for the French defender.

West Ham United are capable of securing a deal to bring Eden Hazard to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Peter O’Rourke, with the journalist stating his belief in a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT that David Moyes’ side have the financial capability to seal a deal for the Real Madrid winger this winter, before going on to suggest that the 30-year-old’s signing would be a real signal of intent from the Champions League hopefuls.

Speaking about the Hammers’ reported interest in the Belgium international, O’Rourke said: “West Ham, they can offer him Premier League football, and could match his wages – you can never say never in football. It would be a real signal of intent if West Ham can convince Eden Hazard to move to the London Stadium.”

Lingard 2.0

Considering the success Moyes achieved after signing Jesse Lingard on a four-month loan deal in the second half of last season, with the attacking midfielder going on to bag nine goals and five assists over just 16 Premier League appearances for the Hammers, should the Scottish manager be able to secure a deal for Hazard this winter, he could well repeat his Lingard masterclass of last term.

Indeed, there are clear similarities between the situations of each player, with Hazard having featured in just 13 fixtures for Los Blancos so far this season, only six of which have come as starts – something that was a very similar case to that of Lingard at Manchester United last time out.

However, with the greatest of respect to Lingard, although he is one year the Belgian’s junior, should West Ham be able to secure the £13m-rated Hazard in January, he is undoubtedly a player who has a far higher ceiling regarding potential returns in comparison to the England international.

Indeed, over his 245 Premier League appearances for Chelsea, the £381k-per-week man scored a whopping 81 goals and registered 61 assists, as well as winning two Premier League titles, two Europa League titles and the 2014/15 Premier League player of the year award.

As such, while the man who Rudi Garcia claimed is a “unique” talent with an “irreplaceable style” has not enjoyed the best of times since his £103.5m move to Real Madrid back in 2019, if Moyes can do a similar job on the Belgian to the one he did with Lingard, West Ham could well have a world-beater on their hands for the second half of the current campaign – leading us to believe that the Hammers should do all they can to secure a £21m deal for the winger in the coming weeks.

In other news: “Talks will start”: Ex drops major West Ham transfer update that’ll have fans buzzing

Celtic are ‘days’ away from completing the signing of striker Johnny Kenny from Sligo Rovers, according to The Sligo Champion (via The Irish Independent).

The lowdown: Celtic busy

Celtic have already made three signings this month, recruiting Daizen Maeda, Yosuke Ideguchi and Reo Hatate from the J1 League.

Kenny, who’s scored three goals in as many appearances for the Republic of Ireland at Under-19 level, looks set to be the fourth.

The 18-year-old frontman has caught the eye after bagging 12 goals in his 34 senior outings for Rovers.

There could also be outgoings at Parkhead in a busy January window, with Vasilis Barkas and Conor Hazard some of those expected to depart.

The latest: Hoops win the race

According to the report, Celtic look to have won the battle with Scottish Premiership rivals Hibernian for Kenny’s signature.

Hibs made a ‘huge’ effort to land Kenny, inviting him to a game at Easter Road last month.

But he appears to have opted for Celtic, who will duly pay his €150,000 release clause as well as add-ons.

The verdict: Exciting long-term addition

Kenny may be part of the reserve set-up initially. He’s still very young, and the step-up in quality is considerable – the Scottish Premiership is the ninth-best league in Europe, while the top flight in Ireland ranks 40th, so it’s hard to envisage the teenager making the immediate step up into Ange Postecoglou’s senior options.

Celtic fans, then, may need to show patience – he’s not being signed to make an immediate impact like the J1 League trio – but the club are clearly convinced of his potential having raced in front of Hibs to secure a deal.

Indeed, there’s apparently been ‘massive interest’ in Kenny ever since last season, when he made his first-team debut for Rovers, so perhaps the Hoops’ recruitment team are onto a winner in the long run.

In other news, Celtic apparently want this deal ‘wrapped up’.

Celtic have been dealt a blow in their bid to bring Hannes Wolf to Parkhead in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Turkish media outlet Fotomac (via the Daily Record), who claim that, despite previous reports suggesting that Celtic and Rapid Vienna were the only serious contenders for the Borussia Monchengladbach attacking midfielder this month, both Trabzonspor and Istanbul Basaksehir have now joined the race from the 22-year-old.

The report goes on to state that the Bundesliga side have made moving the Austria international on one of their main priorities in the January transfer window, while it has also been claimed that Gladbach would be willing to part with Wolf on a temporary basis this month.

Postecoglou will be fuming

While it is true that Wolf has not enjoyed his finest form since making an £8.55m move to Borussia Monchengladbach this summer, the forward nevertheless proved during his time at Red Bull Salzburg that he is a player with a considerable amount of both potential and talent.

Indeed, over his 22 Austrian Bundesliga appearances back in 2018/19, the £12.5m-rated attacking midfielder scored eight goals, provided seven assists and created four big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.9 shots and making 1.1 key passes per game.

These returns saw the £27k-per-week forward who Ralf Rangnick dubbed a “prominent” talent earn a highly impressive seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.92, playing a starring role in his side’s title-winning campaign that season.

Furthermore, with Wolf also being capable of playing further back in central midfield, as well on the left-wing and up front, the 22-year-old’s positional versatility would also appear to be another big plus point in Ange Postecoglou’s books.

However, with the recent news that Trabzonspor and Istanbul Basaksehir have now joined the race for the youngster, both of whom have a considerably bigger wage budget than the Bhoys, Celtic’s chances of securing a deal for the Gladbach forward appear to have been shortened somewhat – something that will undoubtedly leave Postecoglou fuming.

In other news: “Opened talks”: Joseph drops major transfer update that’ll have Celtic fans buzzing

Wayne Rooney’s Derby County are among the clubs hoping to take Manchester United’s Amad Diallo on loan, according to The Telegraph’s James Ducker. 

The Red Devils are set to send the 19-year-old out on loan, and the club’s record goalscorer is hopeful that his connections at Old Trafford will prove to be a decisive advantage, as the Rams are facing competition from fellow second tier sides Barnsley and Birmingham City.

Ducker said that Diallo was ‘supposed’ to join Eredivisie outfit Feyenoord in the summer, only for the move to be called off after an injury.

Why are United loaning Diallo out?

The Ivorian winger, who joined the Old Trafford club 12 months ago in a £19m move from Atalanta, has only played 68 minutes of senior football this season. That came in United’s final Champions League group stage fixture against Young Boys, while he has only once made the matchday squad for a Premier League fixture, the 3-2 win over Arsenal in early December.

Fan feed Utd Report relayed Ducker’s update, and here’s how supporters reacted, with many Red Devils fans believing that a loan move to play under Rooney at Derby would be perfect for the “starboy”.

Many MUFC fans erupt over Amad news

“GIVE HIM TO WAYNE!! PAY ALL HIS SALARY. GIVE ROONEY WHATEVER HE NEEDS”

Credit: @utd_chi

“Amad managed by Rooney and unshackled from the chains of benchball should be illegal”

Credit: @initiaxion

“Yesssssssss, my starboy will get game time”

Credit: @theutdcode

“Need this to happen. For both parties”

Credit: @MedullaryRed

“Perfect move”

Credit: @ishraqutd

“Please make it happen”

Credit: @KenAzrain

In other news, lots of United fans flocked to this big news about Cavani

Everton have been very active in the January transfer window, with three signings made inside the first 14 days of the month.

Anwar El Ghazi became the third new arrival on Thursday, but Rafael Benitez could be already looking at his fourth signing of the transfer window as he attempts to steer the club into a more acceptable position in the Premier League during the last few months of the season.

What’s the word?

According to Sport Witness, Everton are ‘interested’ in signing Monaco midfielder Aleksandr Golovin during January, but they are competing with West Ham United for his signature.

The report claimed that a source close to the player told the news outlet that the Toffees have been in contact with the player’s agent but have only spoken once about a potential move for the Ligue 1 star.

Golovin is seemingly not giving anything away about his future and where he wants to go according to the report, and will instead see how the situation develops over the coming weeks.

Imagine him & El Ghazi

El Ghazi is yet to play for the Toffees but he will be available to feature on Saturday against Norwich, and his arrival has the potential to ignite a new lease of creativity and goal threat into the Everton side over the remaining months of the season.

Benitez could form a deadly duo by adding Golovin into that attacking setup alongside the 26-year-old, something that the manager would surely welcome after the first half of the season was littered with poor performances, a lack of goals and defensive issues galore.

The Russian midfielder, who was dubbed a “playmaker” by Jose Mourinho, is causing havoc in the opposition’s penalty area in Ligue 1 with Monaco this season. According to One Versus One, he has executed 88 successful passes into the box and has an 81% pass completion rate so far this season.

In total, he has scored 16 times and set up 22 goals in 114 appearances for his current club, contributing to a goal on average once every three matches.

When you combine that with El Ghazi’s Aston Villa record of a goal involvement every 180 minutes, they could form a deadly attacking duo which could see Everton scoring far more regularly, duly firing the Toffees into a much higher position in the Premier League table.

Benitez must do everything he can to get the signing of the £78k-p/w Monaco ace over the line, so as to avoid West Ham jumping in and landing his signature.

In other news: Alan Myers makes January transfer window prediction regarding Everton