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An encouraging update has emerged regarding Newcastle United's pursuit of a "superb" player this month, courtesy of renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Newcastle need midfield reinforcements The Magpies have been linked with so many midfielders ahead of the the January transfer window, butKalvin Phillipshas arguably stood out as one of the main targets, most often the name popping up in conversations between fans and media alike.

The 28-year-old has continually been backed to complete a move to St James' Park, with Sandro Tonali's 10-month ban for breaching betting rules heightening the need for a new midfielder to arrive, not to mention the constant injuries that have affected the depth within Eddie Howe's squad, with Joe Willock never really finding full fitness this term.

Phillips has endured a really disappointing spell at Manchester City, admittedly winning the treble last season, but ultimately playing little part in the success, invariably either being injured or on the substitutes' bench.

With Euro 2024 taking place later this year, the former Leeds United man will know the importance of regular playing time leading up to the tournament, in order to force his way into the England team – something that may be difficult, given the form of Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham and Trent Alexander-Arnold currently.

It looks as though a move to Newcastle could still very much be on the cards for Phillips, with a recent update giving them a boost in their quest to sign him.

Kalvin Phillips update

Taking to X on Sunday, Romano claimed that Newcastle are still interested in signing Kalvin Phillips, adding that Juventus have no intention of bringing him in this month, with the Turin outfit previously thought to be rivalling the Magpies for a deal.

"Juventus have no intention to proceed for Kalvin Phillips deal at current conditions after talks with Man City on loan fee/salary coverage. Newcastle remain interested in Kalvin Phillips, race open to more clubs."

Newcastle signing Phillips looks a piece of business that makes complete sense for all parties, with so few negatives on show surrounding it. For City, it would get a fringe player off their books – it remains to be seen if the transfer would be a temporary or permanent one – and for the Magpies, it would mean acquiring the signature of a proven Premier League player who has also shone greatly at international level. In fact, Phillips impressed so much for England at Euro 2020 that Spain and Barcelona legend Xavi had this to say about him:

"I have also been hugely impressed by the two midfielders, Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips. I did not know them that well, but they were superb."

A loan move until the end of the season would arguably make the most sense, just in case Phillips fails to impress, but he will be desperate to do so, and could therefore add a huge amount of energy and ability to Newcastle's midfield.

PIF very interested in signing "extraordinary" new player for Newcastle

He has won five times against the Magpies.

ByHenry Jackson Jan 7, 2024

Should that happen, a permanent switch in the summer could then be ideal, allowing him to rebuild his career and ensure that the Magpies have the services of a top-level player.

Ashley Sanchez has opened up on her disappointment at being left out of the United States women's team at last year's World Cup.

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• Sanchez expected to play at World Cup
• Was told she would be dropped to the bench
• Playmaker was devastated by the decision

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The North Carolina Courage playmaker believed she would have an important role when she was called up for the tournament in Australia and New Zealand. However, she was disappointed to be told that she would instead spend the tournament on the bench as then-coach Vlatko Andonovski preferred to start Savannah DeMelo and then Rose Lavelle following her return from injury.

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  WHAT SANCHEZ SAID

  She told the podcast: "I was told that I wasn’t going to play. I was trying to make the best of a situation, but it was definitely hard. When I was in it, I was [thinking], you don’t want to look back and have such a negative idea of something that you dreamed of your whole life, you know? But when you’re in the moment, you’re trying so hard to think of the positives, but you’re also like: 'Yeah, but I’m here, I worked my a*s off to be here, and I know I’m not going to play'.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The USWNT crashed out of the competition at the Round-of-16 with a penalty shootout defeat against Sweden. Sanchez soon returned to the NWSL and played a starring role for the North Carolina team, though it took some time to get over her World Cup disappointment.

  She said: "I felt like I’m going to come back, I’m just gonna play really great and prove everyone wrong, and then I was just kind of like: ‘Oh, I think I actually need to deal with this'. It’s not just going to go away because you’re playing well, you know? And that was probably…I hadn’t gone through anything that hard, I would say."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR SANCHEZ?

  The 25-year-old has made 27 appearances for the USWNT and registered three goals and four assists. She will hope to play a key role this summer when Emma Hayes takes charge of the team ahead of the Olympic Games in Paris.

Manchester United have endured a frustrating first half of the 2023/24 campaign and will be hoping for significant improvement in 2024.

Erik ten Hag's side are currently seventh in the Premier League as it stands and have lost nine of their opening 20 matches in the top-flight.

The Red Devils have already been knocked out of Europe as they finished bottom of their Champions League group with one win out of six games, which means that they will not play any European football until next season at the earliest.

United are still in the FA Cup and have Wigan to come this weekend, which could be their most realistic chance of securing silverware this term.

The January transfer window, which is now open for business, has provided them with an opportunity to bolster the squad in order to give them a better chance of achieving success over the coming months.

Adding more creativity and goals to the team should be a priority as 16 other Premier League sides have outscored United so far this season.

Man United transfer news – Rayan Cherki

With this in mind, ten Hag should push for the club to secure a deal for reported transfer target Rayan Cherki before the end of the window.

FootballTransfers reported last month that the Lyon starlet is on the club's radar as they consider a swoop to sign the talented attacking midfielder.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is said to be keen for the Red Devils to complete a deal for the French whiz and the young ace has been of interest to the club 'for a while'.

Football Insider reported in November that Newcastle United and Manchester United were both keeping tabs on Cherki ahead of the January window.

They claimed that both teams see him as a star in the making, whilst fellow Premier League side Chelsea could also enter the race for his signature.

The outlet also added that Lyon are set to demand a fee of up to £40m, and a minimum of £30m, to part ways with the exciting gem in 2024.

This suggests that it would not be a super expensive deal for the club to complete. However, they could need to beat off interest from Chelsea and Newcastle to land his signature, which could be difficult if they continue to lose matches and plummet down the table over the coming weeks.

United must work hard to win the race for Cherki and convince him to make the move to Old Trafford as ten Hag could bring him in as an instant upgrade on Mason Mount, who arrived from Chelsea last summer.

Mason Mount's season in numbers

The England international joined the club from the Blues ahead of the 2023/24 campaign for a reported fee of £55m, plus an extra £5m in potential add-ons.

It has been a frustrating first six months in Manchester for the attacking midfielder as his form on the pitch has been poor and he has been hit with injury woes.

The 24-year-old attacker recently made a return to training after a calf injury that caused him to miss ten competitive matches, which came after he was absent for six games due to injury earlier in the campaign.

On the pitch, Mount has produced zero goals, zero assists, and zero 'big chances' created in eight Premier League appearances – including four starts.

He has played 12 matches in all competitions for the Red Devils and contributed with zero goals, one assist, and one 'big chance' created in total.

Appearances

24

Goals

Three

Assists

Two

Big chances created

Three

Key passes per game

1.3

As you can see from the table above, United signed Mount off the back of an unproductive season in front of goal for Chelsea in the top-flight during the 2022/23 campaign.

He did not contribute with goals, assists, or 'big chances' created on a regular basis for his boyhood club but that did not stop ten Hag from swooping to sign him for up to £60m.

The England international's struggles this term should, therefore, not be a surprise and there is no recent evidence to suggest that his form is going to drastically improve in the coming weeks or months.

This is why the United head coach should now push to sign Cherki this month as the French ace could come in as an immediate upgrade on the former Chelsea lightweight.

The statistics that show why United should sign Cherki

The 20-year-old magician has been in splendid form for Lyon over the past 18 months and has the potential to offer more than Mount at the top end of the pitch.

Since the start of last season, Cherki has made 51 Ligue 1 appearances for his club and chipped in with four goals, eight assists, and 17 'big chances' created.

This means that the French youngster has produced a goal or a 'big chance' created every 2.43 league matches for Lyon during that period.

Whereas, Mount has three goals and three 'big chances' created in 32 Premier League games for Chelsea and United combined since the start of the 2022/23 campaign, which is one every 5.33 matches on average.

These statistics suggest that Cherki has the ability to make an impact at the top end of the pitch far more frequently than the current United whiz, which could, therefore, help to increase the goal output from ten Hag's team.

In fact, the 20-year-old talent currently ranks within the top 9% of attacking midfielders and wingers within the Men's Big Five Leagues and European competitions over the last 365 days for shot-creating actions (5.19) per 90.

Meanwhile, Mount ranks below average in the bottom 49% of attacking midfielders and wingers with 3.70 shot-creating actions per 90 over the last 365 days.

This shows that the United target, who was once hailed as a "joy to watch" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, can offer far more than the English dud in possession.

Therefore, ten Hag must pursue a deal for the £40m-rated wizard as the evidence of the last 18 months indicates that Cherki – with his creative brilliance – could elevate United's attack to a level that Mount is not capable of reaching.

Aston Villa have been impressive so far in the Premier League and reporter Dean Jones has given some insight as to where Unai Emery could look to strengthen his squad in January.

Aston Villa draw at Bournemouth…

On Sunday, Aston Villa looked set to fall to their first defeat in five games away to Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, with strikes from Antoine Semenyo and Dominic Solanke cancelling out a reply from Leon Bailey.

However, as he so often does, Villans striker Ollie Watkins popped up in the dying embers of the clash with a headed goal to secure a potentially vital point in his side's hunt for continental qualification, subsequently ensuring that Emery's men remained inside the top four as they delve deeper into a congested run of festive fixtures.

Speaking to the Villans' official website in the aftermath of the match, the Spaniard praised his side's resilience as they salvaged something from proceedings, saying:

"It’s not the worst result but it’s not the best result. In 90 minutes with the way we played and the demands they made of us, I think it’s a good point. We have to accept it and continue trying to build a team. We are in our process and now we have 29 points. We were losing 2-1 at the end and we drew."

"It’s important to feel it’s a good point. We’re thankful to our supporters for being here with us, and now we’re excited to play again on Wednesday at home with them, trying to continue being strong like we are."

Next up, Aston Villa take on the might of Premier League champions Manchester City at Villa Park on Wednesday evening in what is arguably the biggest test of their capabilities so far this campaign.

Aston Villa's next five fixtures – all competitions

Competition

Opponent

Venue

Premier League

Manchester City (H)

Villa Park

Premier League

Arsenal (H)

Villa Park

Europa Conference League

Zrinjski Mostar (A)

Stadion pod Bijelim brijegom

Premier League

Brentford (A)

Gtech Community Stadium

Premier League

Sheffield United (H)

Villa Park

Come January, being able to bring in new arrivals could be crucial to their chances of being able to achieve success this campaign and reporter Jones has given an indication as to where owners NSWE may look to bolster Emery's ranks.

Dean Jones on Aston Villa transfer activity

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, reporter Jones has signalled that Aston Villa could look to bring in a striker and a left-back in January to help beef up Emery's squad in an exciting claim.

"There's no way that Watkins is not starting nine games out of ten. They will look at an attacking presence, and then there'll be other areas of that pitch that they look to influence. think the midfield seems in pretty good shape, but defensively, left-back is talked about, and I think it seems like the position Villa always seem to turn to when there's potential for a new signing. The left-back position seems to always come onto the radar. But I think they’ll make one or two signings for sure."

Especially in the case of a player as important as Watkins, we all know how one injury can derail the entire structure of a side and limit their goalscoring threat. At left-back, Alex Moreno has now returned from a hamstring injury and is available for selection; however, it would make sense to ensure Aston Villa bring in additional cover across both fronts in the New Year.

Liverpool are reportedly eyeing a move for a "magician" of a footballer, seeing him as someone who could replace a current Reds hero in a surprising swap deal.

Liverpool eyeing more signings

Jurgen Klopp did some of the most important transfer business of his whole tenure during the summer window, as he completely rebuilt his midfield. By bringing in the likes of Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch, Liverpool acquired the services of some young and exceptionally gifted midfield players, having looked so jaded in that area last season, when Fabinho and Jordan Henderson struggled greatly.

Player	EA FC 24 Rating
Mohamed Salah	89
Virgil van Dijk	89
Alisson	89
Andy Robertson	86
Trent Alexander-Arnold	86
Diogo Jota	85
Thiago	84
Luis Diaz	84
Cody Gakpo	83
Alexis Mac Allister	82
Darwin Núñez	82
Dominik Szoboszlai	82
Ibrahima Konate	81
Wataru Endo	80
Joel Matip	80
Joe Gomez	79
Ryan Gravenberch	79
Harvey Elliott	77
Curtis Jones	77
Kostas Tsimikas	77
Caoimhin Kelleher	73
Stefan Bajcetic	72
Adrian	72
Conor Bradley	69
Luke Chambers	62
Ben Doak	62
Kaide Gordon	62
Jarell Quansah	62
Vitezslav Jaros	61
Bobby Clark	57
Marcelo Pitaluga	57

While things have been transformed in the middle of the park, further signings need to arrive elsewhere, and the Reds have been linked with plenty of new faces. Liverpool are reportedly leading the race to sign Sporting CP star Goncalo Inacio, for example, seeing him as someone who can bolster their defensive options.

Meanwhile, Barcelona youngster Ansu Fati has been tipped to move to Anfield, as Klopp potentially looks to find a long-term replacement for Mohamed Salah. Another attacking ace has also been thrown into the mix, with a surprise swap deal potentially in the works.

Liverpool eyeing Raphinha-Diaz swap deal

According to a report from Spain, Liverpool are interested in signing Barcelona winger Raphinha, bringing him in as a direct swap for Luis Diaz, who has been hailed as "exceptional" by Jurgen Klopp in the past.

It is claimed that the Reds see the former Leeds United winger as a strong option to snap up, and are happy to see Diaz head in the opposite direction in the process. There is no question that Raphinha is an extremely talented footballer, with the Brazilian so often standing out as one of Leeds' best players during his time there.

Dan James, a teammate of his at Elland Road, had this to say before the move to Barca: "He’s a magician. He’s always been a great player – I played against him at United and he was always great – but he’s improved so much."

A classy wide player with a beautiful left foot, it is easy to see why the Reds admire Raphinha, even though his time at Barca has been fairly underwhelming, with the Liverpool target scoring 12 goals and getting 15 assists in 61 appearances for the La Liga giants.

To see Diaz leave is something that the club shouldn't even be entertaining, however, with the Colombian an elite wide player who has looked somewhere close to his best again this season, as he battles back from a serious knee injury last term. Still only 26, the Liverpool ace is the same age as Raphinha and is arguably a more potent provider of end product, with Diaz's stats of four goals in ten starts impressive given what's happened in his personal life in recent weeks.

The Colombia superstar is also a left-sided player, whereas Raphinha is happier cutting in from the right, so it wouldn't make a huge amount of sense to replace the latter with the former. Should he come in, though, Liverpool would be getting a very talented attacker – one who could develop further from playing under Klopp.

Celtic remain winless in the Champions League this season as they were beaten 2-0 by Italian side Lazio in Rome on Tuesday night.

The Hoops are rooted to the bottom of the group and this week's result has confirmed that they will be staying there as they are unable to catch Feyenoord in third.

This means that the Scottish giants are out of Europe completely, as they will not drop down into the Europa League, and they now only have the Scottish Premiership and the SFA Cup to compete for heading into the second half of the campaign.

Cameron Carter-Vickers switched off with ten minutes to go as Ciro Immobile peeled off the back of him to score the opening goal for the hosts, before the Italian ace bullied Liam Scales and sat the American colossus down with a clever touch to make it 2-0 shortly after.

Carter-Vickers' performance against Lazio in numbers

Frustratingly, the former Tottenham Hotspur man was enjoying a superb, dominant, performance prior to being caught out by the Lazio legend for both goals.

The USA international used his physical strength and excellent positioning to win five of his seven duels throughout the 90 minutes, which included three battles on the ground and four in the air.

His use of the ball was also impressive. Carter-Vickers completed 93% (100/108) of his attempted passes and five of his seven longer passes.

However, that was all for nothing in the end as his lapse in concentration for the first goal and lack of mobility to deal with Immobile's clever play for the second goal contributed to another European loss.

Kyogo Furuhashi's performance against Lazio in numbers

Whilst the Hoops centre-back was partly to blame for the defeat, the true villain for Brendan Rodgers was centre-forward Kyogo Furuhashi, who was worse on the night.

The Japan international did not make the most of the opportunities he had to make an impact on the match and did not offer enough outside of those key moments.

He had an early opportunity on the edge of the box with time to either pick out James Forrest in space or find the back of the net but his weak effort rolled into the arms of the goalkeeper.

The 28-year-old whiz, who had scored two goals in the competition prior to Tuesday's match, had a similar opening at the start of the second half as Matt O'Riley picked him out in the box but the forward watched his shot drag wide of the far post from 15 yards.

Therefore, Kyogo failed to step up to deliver a moment of quality for Celtic when they needed it most and this then opened the door for Lazio to go on and win the match as the Hoops could not find a goal of their own to take the lead.

The former Vissel Kobe star's lack of physicality was on display as the lightweight lost 100% (1/1) of his duels throughout the game and failed with his only attempted dribble in his 97 minutes on the pitch.

He was worse than Carter-Vickers as his lack of quality in vital moments meant that the Hoops were not able to make the most of the solid platform that the centre-back's impressive display in the opening 80 minutes provided them with.

Bukayo Saka explained what has changed at Arsenal since their late collapse in the Premier League title race last season.

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• Saka explained how Arsenal have changed
• Scored the opening goal in 3-0 win
• Eyeing Premier League title after 20 years

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The England international opened the scoring from the penalty spot in Arsenal's comprehensive 3-0 win over Brighton on Saturday in a crucial Premier League encounter. After the match, the star player explained how things have changed at the Gunners camp this season as they eye a first title win in 20 years.

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  WHAT BUKAYO SAKA SAID

  Speaking to after the match, Saka said: "Last season was not great to think about. But, great in terms that we have learned our lesson. In games like this game, we needed to put it to bed. Last season we were conceding late goals and having to defend – then the fans were on top of us. This year we are more comfortable and I think the team is better. I feel like we are ready for each game to win."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The 22-year-old has enjoyed a rich vein of form this season and is the club's highest scorer in the across all competitions. He has netted 14 times in the league thus far and 17 overall in 39 matches and has provided 13 assists.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?

  Mikel Arteta's side will be next seen in action on April 9 as they take on Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final fixture.

MatériaMais Notícias

O fim de semana terminou amargo para o Athletico. Após abrir o placar no Maracanã, o Furacão acabou superado pelo Fluminense e conheceu a sua segunda derrota consecutiva no Brasileirão.

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Nos vestiários, o técnico Paulo Autuori falou sobre a ‘lição’ que o revés fora de casa vai ensinar ao seu grupo de jogadores.

‘Começamos o jogo muito bem, fizemos um gol bonito, mas perdemos um pouco de competitividade. Poderíamos gerir o jogo de maneira mais inteligente. Dava para ter facilitado as coisas para nós. É uma lição que fica’, afirmou.

Agora, o Athletico aparece na 12ª colocação, com 28 pontos. Na próxima rodada, o time encara o Atlético-MG, na Arena da Baixada.

حسم نادي النصر السعودي موقفه من التوقيع مع لاعب مانشستر يونايتد، كاسيميرو، خلال فترة الانتقالات الصيفية الحالية.

وارتبط اللاعب البرازيلي كاسيميرو بالانضمام إلى فريق النصر السعودي هذا الصيف، حيث سينتهي عقد كاسيميرو مع مانشستر يونايتد في موسم 2026.

اقرأ أيضاً.. النصر السعودي يٌعلن التعاقد مع حارس برازيلي لتدعيم صفوفه في الموسم الجديد

وأفادت شبكة “سكاي سبورتس” بأن اهتمام أندية الدوري السعودي بالتعاقد مع لاعب مانشستر يونايتد، كاسيميرو، أصبح ضعيفاً في الفترة الحالية.

وتراجع نادي النصر السعودي عن التفاوض مع كاسيميرو بالرغم من محاولة كريستيانو رونالدو بإقناع النادي السعودي بالتفاوض مع زميله السابق في ريال مدريد.

وبالرغم من تراجع أداء كاسيميرو مع مانشستر يونايتد في الموسم الماضي، فإن النادي الإنجليزي لن يتخلى عن خدمات اللاعب بمبلغ أقل من 30 مليون يورو.

وشارك كاسيميرو الموسم الماضي في 32 مباراة مع مانشستر يونايتد بجميع المسابقات، حيث أحرز 5 أهداف وقام بصناعة 4 أهداف طوال الموسم.

Newcastle United’s defensive midfielder Sandro Tonali has recently been involved in a public betting scandal, and a reliable journalist has now delivered an update based on what he’s heard from St. James’ Park.

What happened to Sandro Tonali?

Following the Premier League 2-2 draw against West Ham United, Tonali left the northeast to go and represent his nation, Italy, for their two fixtures over the international break, but he was sent away from their training ground after being one of two players named in a football betting probe.

According to Sky Sports Italy, Eddie Howe’s summer signing has since admitted to betting on AC Milan to win matches whilst he was still a player there, and his situation hasn’t yet started to get any easier.

The Magpies star’s agent has confirmed that his client has an addiction to gambling, as per the same outlet, and whilst that isn’t the news that supporters will want to hear, his openess could certainly help his case when it comes to key figures deciding on the length of his ban.

The Football Association have revealed that the 23-year-old is still available for selection for Saturday’s home fixture against Crystal Palace as things stand, but with the club having made no further comment, it’s clear that there are mixed emotions behind the scenes.

Sandro Tonali betting scandal update

Taking to X, Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie shared an update on Sandro Tonali and revealed that Newcastle are shocked to learn of their central talisman’s behaviour, whilst suggesting how long he could be away from the action for if seriously punished.

“The most severe punishment for this conduct is a three-year ban from football Worldwide. However Tonali likely to be served a lesser ban for his help with the investigation. No comment from #NUFC at this stage, but understand this has come as a surprise to the club.”

Following this update, Newcastle will rightly not know what to say or do at this moment in time until the investigation has drawn to a complete close, but considering the hugely positive impact Tonali is able to make on the pitch, it would certainly be a blow for Howe if he was to lose his services for the foreseeable.

The Lodi native has posted 57 contributions, 31 assists and 26 goals, since the start of his career which highlights his desire to get involved with the action in the final third, and that is an attribute that he’s carried into the new campaign in the northeast (Transfermarkt – Tonali statistics).

Howe’s £120k-per-week earner (Newcastle salaries), has also whipped 11 crosses into the opposition’s penalty area so far this season, which is actually the second-highest total throughout the squad behind Kieran Trippier (FBRef – Newcastle statistics).

Furthermore, Tonali is a versatile operator having been deployed in four out of the five positions in the midfield, though if he’s found to be guilty of everything that he’s admitted to, the boss is set to be without that quality for potentially at least a year at St. James’ Park.