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Jonjo Shelvey must step up for Newcastle United in the coming weeks following the news that Sean Longstaff is expected to miss the remainder of the 2018-19 campaign.

Longstaff has been in excellent form the Magpies since making the breakthrough into the first team, but the Premier League club have confirmed that the 21-year-old is set to miss the rest of the season with a serious knee injury.

The Chalkboard

Whilst Longstaff has been starring for Newcastle, Shelvey has been watching on.

The 27-year-old has only made 11 Premier League appearances this season, playing just once in 2019 – 37 minutes of the 2-0 defeat to Manchester United on January 2.

A thigh injury has kept Shelvey on the sidelines, but he turned out for Newcastle’s Under-23 side against Fulham last week and is seemingly nearing a return to fitness.

It has not been the season that Shelvey would have hoped for, but Longstaff’s loss could be his gain as there is now a position open in the middle of midfield.

Other players will be in the mix and whilst it is unlikely that the 6ft ace will be ready to face Everton on Saturday, he could play a key role between now and the end of the season.

What can Shelvey bring to Newcastle?

Having turned 27 last month, Shelvey should be in the prime of his career.

A six-time England international, the midfielder was impressive for Newcastle last season – scoring twice in 32 appearances in all competitions.

Boasting a wonderful range of passing and the ability to unlock defences, the former Charlton Athletic youngster has attributes that others can only dream of.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

It has been a frustrating period for Shelvey, but his form in the early weeks of the campaign was not exactly terrific – boasting just one assist in 11 league appearances.

Strongly linked with a move to West Ham United, it is probably now or never for Shelvey when it comes to his Newcastle career, but whether he is ready to contribute remains to be seen.

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Jack Grealish has revealed via his official Twitter account that he is raring to go ahead of Aston Villa’s return to Championship action this weekend.

The Midlands outfit will be looking to put their fifth straight Championship win on the board when they welcome Blackburn Rovers to Villa Park on Saturday afternoon.

Grealish has been in outstanding form since returning from injury and the Villa supporters are hoping that the 23-year-old will put in another impressive performance against Rovers.

There continues to be speculation surrounding the future of the attacker, which is not a surprise when considering his talent.

Grealish is currently leading his side’s charge up the table, however, and he will be fully focused on helping his team secure at least a playoff spot in the coming weeks.

To be honest, the Villa fans absolutely adore the 5 ft 9 ace and a selection of their Twitter reaction to his post on social media can be seen below:

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According to the Daily Mail, Everton are checking on Lille striker Rafael Leao, who they are reportedly looking to sign in the summer as Marcel Brands looks to build a team that ‘can move forward’.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Portugal Under-21 striker only joined Lille back in the summer on a free transfer after his departure from Sporting Lisbon, which came following a training ground invasion which saw some players assaulted.

Since his arrival in France, Leao has performed admirably, showing the form which caught the attention of Manchester City before he opted to move to Ligue 1 in hope of more first-team football – the 19-year-old has hit seven goals and recorded two assists in 15 league starts.

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Leao is a direct, pacy forward who can play on the left or in the centre, and is a player that Lille reportedly don’t want to lose, despite being braced for offers – the teenager has four years remaining on his contract.

Everton moving in the right direction

Marco Silva and Brands are moving in the right direction with their work in the transfer market.

Following their capture of Richarlison, the Toffees are snapping up just the right kind of player – young, hungry footballers whose values will only increase as they get older.

This has been proven by AC Milan’s interest in Richarlison, with Everton wanting around £60m for their 21-year-old Brazilian, a fee which could easily be met by one of Europe’s giants.

Leao is a dynamic, young forward who looks to have bags of potential, highlighted by Manchester City’s interest in him, as aforesaid.

Along with the signings of Jordan Pickford, Lucas Digne and Bernard, Brands is certainly identifying, and signing, the correct profile of player, and moving away from the scatter-gun approach of old which saw names such as Davy Klaassen, Theo Walcott and Morgan Schneiderlin arrive.

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Interim Celtic manager Neil Lennon was on hand to watch the reserves smash Dundee 6-0 on Tuesday, and 17 year-old Armstrong Okoflex must have put himself in contention for a first team call-up.

With the senior side flying at the moment, Lennon took the time to watch Celtic’s reserves on Tuesday, and Vakoun Issouf Bayo grabbed his first goal for the Hoops.

While Bayo impressed with a goal and assist though, it was Okoflex who really stole the show, also pitching in with both a goal and an assist.

The 17 year-old, who joined the club from Arsenal last summer, is on a “rapid ascent” to Celtic’s first team according to The Boot Room, and Tuesday’s performance won’t have done him any harm.

Operating from the wing, the teenager terrorised the Dundee defence with his skill, speed and directness, all with Lennon watching on from the stands.

The Bhoys aren’t exactly stocked up on wingers with Leigh Griffiths still absent, so could Okoflex be the one to fill the 28 year-old’s void?

Celtic fans, let us know your thoughts in the comments below…

West Ham are preparing to bridge their bitter rivalry with Millwall to poach one of the club’s best talents.

The momentously hostile clash between West Ham and Millwall is a rare occurrence nowadays, but this is not to say relationships have improved – they likely never will, well as the Hammer reading this will certainly think. And this situation certainly will not be improved if Manuel Pellegrini swoops in to steal the services of full-back Mahlon Romeo.

Indeed, the dawn of the summer transfer market means one thing for lower tier clubs: hatch their best players down and hope for the best.

With such a huge disparity in transfer budgets and general wealth, it is a sad reality that those sitting below the top flight can be financially flexed on so easily by those within it.

This is just another case of that chain unfolding.

Romeo is a touted long-term replacement for 34-year-old veteran Pablo Zabaleta, whose contract is set to expire at the end of the season. And despite the Argentine being a decent enough servant, this will make a welcome change to proceedings.

Indeed, the Hammers right-back position has become a bit of a retirement spot for those in the twilight years of their career.

The aged and most certainly ‘past it’ Alvaro Arbeloa was handed the honour before Manchester City’s Pablo Zabaleta; and, rather worryingly, reports as recent as February have suggested that departing Red Devil Antonio Valencia could be the next in line (as per Daily Mail).

This is why interest in Romeo is surely welcome and refreshing news.

According to the Express¸ West Ham are readying an offer to take the player from under Millwall’s noses this summer.

He may only be used as competition for Ryan Fredericks but there is a very good player in Romeo. Quick off the mark, solid in his tackles, and tactically astute, the Daily Mail were very positive about the player early last year in an extensive scouting report.

He could be well worth a chance – especially if it means depriving a rival of one of their best players.

West Ham fans, would you feel about potentially signing a player from Millwall? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

اتخذ نادي مانشستر يونايتد الإنجليزي قرارًا بشأن لاعب واتفورد إسماعيلا سار، المتواجد على راداره هذا الصيف.

وأبدى الشياطين الحمر رغبتهم في الحصول على خدمات سار في موسم الانتقالات الصيفي.

وانتهت فترة الانتقالات الصيفية في مختلف دول العالم بعد حلول منتصف ليل يوم الاثنين.

ورغم ذلك، فإن الأندية الإنجليزية تستطيع إبرام صفقات داخل إنجلترا حتى يوم 16 أكتوبر.

اقرأ أيضًا.. تقارير: كلوب كان واثقًا من انتقال سانشو إلى مانشستر يونايتد

وحسب صحيفة “ميرور” الإنجليزية، نقلًا عن “جول” العالمية، فإن مانشستر يونايتد يمتلك فرصة بالفعل للحصول على خدمات السنغالي إسماعيلا سار من صفوف واتفورد.

وأوضحت إنه بالرغم من ذلك، فإن إدارة مانشستر يونايتد قررت عدم التحرك لحسم تلك الصفقة.

وكان مانشستر يونايتد قد رغب في استعارة خدمات سار، ولكن واتفورد حدد شرط رحيله عن طريقة صفقة انتقال دائم.

وأكدت الشبكة أن مسؤولي الشياطين الحمر استقروا على عدم إجراء أي تغيير في صفوف الفريق، والاكتفاء بالصفقات التي اُبرمت بالفعل.

Thank the sweet Lord for Patrick Bamford. Not many thought his ninth-minute opener would be Leeds’ only goal of the game, but he made sure his side had something to hang on to, and hang on they did.

Marcelo Bielsa isn’t known for grinding out results, but his men did just that as Bristol forced their backs against the wall for the final 15 minutes, despite the Whites dominating the whole game before that. This Leeds side has been criticised for not finishing enough chances and they would have faced the same complaints again had Bamford not netted early on.

He’s been injured for much of this season, but out of his 14 appearances, he’s made eight starts, scoring seven goals. That’s not a bad return considering players usually take time to get into their rhythm after an injury. He was taken off after 57 minutes following a collision with a post, but the signs in his return were promising.

Fellow forward Kemar Roofe is going through treatment of his own, and so Bamford will be needed for Tuesday’s trip to Reading. He’s got the opportunity to get some minutes back under his belt and prove to the manager just why he should start when he’s available to. The 25-year-old certainly has the ability to be the finisher Leeds need to take them to automatic promotion.

It’s getting to the stage of the season where Leeds usually falter and resign themselves to another year in the Championship, but this season could be so much different, and the fans feel it. The players need to start putting games to bed earlier to avoid the nerves and pressure mounting.

Bamford could be key to doing that, so Leeds will hope he can keep his fitness up and launch them back to the Premier League.

Leeds fans, how important do you feel Patrick Bamford will turn out to be in your club’s promotion push? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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Luton Town fans have expressed their genuine delight at the inclusion of Jack Stacey in League One’s Team of the Season.

The 22-year-old has made 38 appearances in the top-flight this season and has only been absent once, on the first day of the season, as the Hatters lost 1-0 to Portsmouth.

He has been ever-present since, laying on a total of six assists from right-back and scoring four goals.

With Stacey in the team, Luton have lost just three games and sit top of League One, five points clear of second-placed Barnsley.

And he has been in exceptional form in recent outings, scoring the winner in a 1-0 victory over Bradford and also netting in the 2-2 draw with Gillingham. Against Doncaster, Luton’s last fixture, Stacey laid on an assist in a 4-0 thumping.

Stacey moved to Luton from Reading in 2017 and appears to have finally found his niche, with the club seemingly set to win promotion to the Championship this season.

Luton left-back James Justin and striker James Collins, who has scored 20 goals in League One, have also been included in the Team of the Season.

Stacey expressed his delight at his inclusion on Tuesday, with a number of supporters quickly praising the full-back. Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

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There’s something about an academy starlet that gets fans excited. With Nottingham Forest’s Arvin Appiah, that is no different.

The young forward was called up to England’s U19s squad last week but has only featured once in the league this season for Forest, something which has left supporters of the Reds a little puzzled.

Following comments made by manager Martin O’Neill about the 18-year-old, there is a demand that he now gets more game time.

O’Neill’s words about the attacker were full of positives so the frustration over his lack of game time from fans seems justified. In response to the manager’s statements, two individuals shared similar opinions, claiming that the club should be giving him minutes in preparation for next season.

The reasoning behind this is a lack of goals in the team, according to one fan. Another said he should be included more often because of Lewis Grabban’s injury whilst there was a suggestion that Appiah is better than Ben Osborn.

The question was also asked as to why is he not playing for Forest if he’s good enough to be called up for England U19s.

Appiah already has one goal for the club this term, scoring off the bench against Burton in the Carabao Cup. Since then, he’s found opportunities hard to come by.

Here’s the best of the reaction to O’Neill’s remarks.

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West Brom may have returned to form under James Shan but supporters of the club have now been given some bad news with Matt Phillips suffering another injury setback.

Reacting to the news on Twitter, fans decided to let rip on the player, throwing a heap of abuse in the Scotland international’s direction.

A couple of supporters claimed that the winger was “made of glass” whilst one fan named him “biscuit legs”.

It was an incredibly damning assessment as a further member of the Hawthorns faithful followed up by saying it was time to cash in on the player, such are the extent of his injury problems.

Phillips has barely played for West Brom in 2019 because of an ongoing tendon problem and has missed 10 of the last 13 matches.

Before then, the 28-year-old had been in outstanding form for the club, becoming one of their most important players.

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In 25 Championship matches, he’s scored five goals and claimed seven assists. But despite that, fans aren’t full of praise for the player.

Here’s the best of the reaction.