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AFC Bournemouth remain keen on Newcastle United’s Freddie Woodman, who may now be available for loan again, Chronicle Live journalist Lee Ryder reports.

The lowdown

Woodman got as far as having a medical with the Cherries and was preparing to join up with his new team-mates for a pre-season training camp in Marbella (via The Northern Echo).

But Newcastle opted to pull the plug on the deal at the eleventh hour following an injury to first-choice ‘keeper Martin Dubravka.

Woodman also spent last season loan in the second tier, helping Swansea City reach the playoff final.

In 45 league appearances, he conceded only 38 goals and kept 20 clean sheets – the most in the division.

The 24-year-old has two years left on his Newcastle contract and is valued at £9million by Transfermarkt.

The latest

Karl Darlow, another of Dubravka’s deputies, is due back in training this week after recovering from Covid-19.

He could play some part in the Toon’s behind-closed-doors friendly against Burnley on Tuesday, which would point towards him being available for Newcastle’s first league game at home to West Ham on 15 August.

The ‘debate’ over whether Woodman should be loaned out is now expected to resurface.

Bournemouth are still described as ‘keen’, while the player himself is hoping to go out on loan in search of regular first-team football.

The verdict

Newcastle should now grant Woodman the move he desires, whether that’s Bournemouth or elsewhere. You’d imagine there’ll be no shortage of suitors after his impressive displays in the Championship.

Mark Gillespie is a capable no. 2 in the mean-time, and Newcastle could even try to insert a straightforward recall option in the Woodman loan agreement as an additional safety net.

In the long-term, a larger question about his his role at St James’ Park looms. Dubravka and Darlow are 32 and 30 respectively and should be able to continue performing for a number of years. Come next summer, the Magpies may choose to cash in.

In other news, Mark Douglas provided encouraging Joe Willock news. 

Everton have withdrawn from the race to sign PSV Eindhoven’s Denzel Dumfries, according to Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness). 

The player apparently asked his agent Mino Raiola to push for a move to reigning champions Inter Milan instead. Their interest ultimately ‘stimulated’ him more.

Why might Everton have been keen on Dumfries?

Dumfries made 30 Eredivisie appearances last season, scoring twice and providing six assists (via WhoScored).

The 25-year-old was called up to The Netherlands squad for the European Championships and shone in the group stages. He netted a late winner in the Dutch’s opener against Ukraine and was also on target against Austria.

Dumfries has two years left on his PSV contract and is valued at £14.4million by Transfermarkt.

According to The Athletic, signing a right-back is a priority for Everton after two years of scouting potential successors to the veteran Seamus Coleman.

Fan feed Toffee TV relayed Gazzetta’s claims, and here’s how fans reacted.

These Everton fans fuming after plug pulled on Dumfries move

“Unsurprising we’ve only needed a right back for 18 months. Gonna be an angry Goodison if we go behind to Southampton.”

Credit: @realkitters

“If true this is turning into an equally awful transfer window as previous ones – just for very different reasons”

Credit: @Boxing_UK_

“A massive missed opportunity”

Credit: @MartinDolce

“Done like a kipper yet again”

Credit: @EvertonGezza

“We just aren’t spending money”

Credit: @lewis79339488

“Brands can’t even attract players he’s worked with”

Credit: @BGR1878

In other news, Everton are leading this race for this attacker.

Flocking to Twitter, many Liverpool fans have erupted as the club confirmed they have tied down midfield star Fabinho with a bumper new long-term contract (liverpoolfc.com).

The Brazilian, nicknamed the team’s ‘lighthouse’ by assistant manager Pepijn Lijnders, had been the subject of rumours linking him with an extension at Anfield.

Fabinho was one of many first team players touted with a new deal, coming after the club also recently confirmed a fresh contract for Trent Alexander-Arnold. The 27-year-old now becomes Liverpool’s latest player to commit his future on Merseyside and reports suggest that the Reds aren’t done there.

Flocking to this announcement, it’s safe to say that plenty of supporters are buzzing, with many erupting over this news in response to Liverpool’s official Twitter channel.

Fabinho was forced to play in a makeshift central defensive role throughout 2020/21 to cope with Liverpool’s mounting injury issues but immediately dazzled again upon returning to midfield (The Daily Mail).

It is little wonder that news of Liverpool securing a new deal for the enforcer had some fans hailing it as “more great news” following on from Alexander-Arnold’s renewed commitment. Check out some of the best verdicts from social media below.

Liverpool fans erupt over Fabinho news…

“LET’SSSSS GOOOOOOOOOO”

Credit: @lfcxcathal

“FABULOUS NEWS”

Credit: @HB_JFT97

“Wooow”

Credit: @sokhna_thiat

“Best in the world in that position I would say personally, amazing that he’s signed a new deal he is one of the best buys the club has ever made”

Credit: @IsaacByrom_

“Best news of the summer so far for @LFC along with @TrentAA extending. Hopefully @MoSalah @VirgilvDijk Sadio and Bobby.”

Credit: @AndyDoulou

“Better than any transfer this”

Credit: @_Adam_7

“Unbelievable news”

Credit: @SH35dv5e7

“More great news!”

Credit: @Matt_Mack7

In other news: ‘No way’, ‘We are filthy rich’…Liverpool fans react as bid news emerges, find out more here.

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has slammed Mike Ashley after Newcastle United released their 2019/20 accounts.

The lowdown

Newcastle were the final Premier League club to publish their figures for the first pandemic-hit season. Maguire has crunched the numbers, and they show a total spend of £216m on the 2019/20 squad. That’s lower than Watford and Bournemouth, who were both relegated.

Newcastle went on to spend £35.1m ahead of the 2020/21 campaign, with Callum Wilson and Jamal Lewis the headline arrivals. They have yet to make a signing this summer, although they may be close to ending that famine after a fee was agreed for Joe Willock.

The latest

Maguire told The Athletic that it was ‘ridiculous’ that two relegated teams had spent more on their squad than the Magpies.

He opined: “For Newcastle to have a lower spend than Watford and Bournemouth is ridiculous. As a neutral, I’d expect Newcastle to spend a similar amount to West Ham, Everton and Leicester. But they’re nowhere near them.

“It is just indicative of what Ashley does. He really only spends a significant amount one in every three years and, unfortunately, this is not one of those years.”

Maguire continued: “It is frustrating for supporters. But Ashley looks at it this way: ‘If you were selling your house, would you do up the kitchen first?”

The verdict

The figures underline the difficult position in which successive Newcastle managers have been placed. It’s easy to understand why a coach of Rafael Benitez’s calibre might have become frustrated, with a financial handbrake effectively put in place.

The squad that the Magpies have is good enough to stay in the Premier League, so Steve Bruce did deserve criticism for his side’s flirtation with the bottom three. However, he can’t really be expected to achieve much more than lower mid-table under this frugal model.

In other news, Lee Ryder says a fee has been agreed for this Newcastle youngster.

A number of Liverpool supporters are unhappy about Jurgen Klopp’s comments regarding the Reds’ pursuit of a central midfielder.

It has been a quiet summer in the transfer market for the Reds, with centre-back Ibrahima Konate still the only signing made to date.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359326”]

Meanwhile, Gini Wijnaldum has departed for Paris Saint-Germain, leaving a potential void in the middle of the park at Anfield.

The Dutchman may not have always provided goals and assists from midfield, but there is no doubting his impact during his time at Anfield, racking up 237 appearances and rarely ever missing time through injury.

Speaking in his pre-Norwich press conference on Friday [via journalist Paul Gorst on Twitter], a spiky Klopp played down the need to sign a new midfielder, rattling off the options at his disposal.

The Liverpool manager’s comments suggest the Reds won’t be bringing in anyone to replace Wijnaldum, which may not go down well with many.

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Liverpool fans unhappy with Klopp’s remarks

These Liverpool fans took to Twitter to show their unhappiness at Klopp’s comments, suggesting a new midfielder should be arriving.

“He’s gone mad somebody stop him”

Credit: @JCJlfc

“Bold of him to assume Naby can stay fit for two weeks”

Credit: @rebekkarnold

“Yep he’s finished”

Credit: @lfcJxn

“REPLACE YOUR MOST USED MIDFIELDER LAST SEASON”

Credit: @Alfieoclfc

“He’s just winding us up at this point”

Credit:@Maahir_J

“No, more depth you plank”

Credit: @ftblmichael

In other news, a journalist has provided an update on Leeds’ attempts to sign one player. Find out who it is here.

Many Everton fans have been left reacting as some early team news emerged ahead of their away game at Leeds United on Saturday afternoon.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match, Rafa Benitez said with regards to whether Jean-Philippe Gbamin will play (via Toffee TV): “It will not be easy because we have some players in isolation.”

The central midfield player was pictured in training earlier this week, but strangely looks set to miss out against the Whites at Elland Road due to protocols.

Gbamin has barely featured for the Goodison Park faithful since his move a couple of years ago and did not play in their 3-1 opening day win at home to Southampton.

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A lot of supporters of the Merseyside club are simply desperate to see him in action more, and so have been left frustrated by this latest setback.

Everton fans on Gbamin news

These Toffees gave their reactions as the news was shared on Twitter, with one Blue even going as far as to claim that it was ‘bizarre’:

“Wasn’t he photographed training yesterday. All getting a bit ridiculous. Is Gomes injured or isolating as well?”

Credit: @photogareth

“It’s very bizarre why he or the club won’t come out and actually tell us who’s isolating and who’s injured”

Credit: @EfcSl

“2 years of nothing. I’d just try and release him now”

Credit: @Conform1984

“Makes no sense at all he was pictured in training all getting a bit weird this”

Credit: @Ryanc10efc

“He’s such a weirdo”

Credit: @EFCbuggi1878

“Obviously this is a mind game but I’m not quite sure that’s even a sentence that makes sense…”

Credit: @1878_Shirts

In other news, find out what comments from one player has Evertonians fuming here!

Many Wolves fans have been left fuming as some news emerged ahead of their game at home against Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday.

As per the official website of the Premier League, it has now been confirmed that Mike Dean will be the on-field referee for the game, while Stuart Attwell will be on VAR duty.

Incidentally, Dean has given more penalty kicks to Man Utd (20) then any other club over the course of his career so far, and the Red Devils are the second-most profitable team in terms of wins (43) behind Chelsea when he is officiating (Transfermarkt).

He has often been accused by the media of making games all about him, and has been involved in controversial Wolves matches because of this (Birmingham Mail).

Wolves fans on Dean appointment

These members of the Molineux faithful fumed as the news was confirmed on Twitter, with one WWFC supporter even going as far as to claim that it is ‘dreadful’:

“We are doomed to 0 pts from first 3 games. Might as well just give Man Utd the points and take the day off.”

Credit: @ceedawn10

“That’s all we need! He never gives us anything!”

Credit: @SteveBromley61

“Premier League and FA are clearly trying to get rid of us”

Credit: @jayson_sheward

“That has just officially ruined my evening!”

Credit: @tony_unsworth

“Dreadful”

Credit: @_JackBish

“Not watching it”
Credit: @wutanqcIan

In other news, find out what transfer update has Wanderers talking here!

Lee Johnson’s Sunderland have enjoyed a sensational start to the 2021/22 campaign, with four wins out of five in all competitions.

The Black Cats have beaten Wigan, MK Dons and Wimbledon in League One, losing only to Burton Albion, and also defeated Port Vale in the League Cup to show that they mean business this season.

They beat AFC Wimbledon 1-0 on Saturday thanks to a deflected goal from Carl Winchester and they now travel to face Championship outfit Blackpool in the second round of the Carabao Cup tonight.

How will Johnson switch up his team for the visit to Bloomfield Road? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make seven changes to the team which beat AFC Wimbledon, with Niall Huggins, Frederik Alves, Bailey Wright, Dennis Cirkin, Josh Hawkes, Nathan Broadhead and Aiden O’Brien all coming in.

Lee Burge suffered an injury against Wimbledon in the warm-up, so we believe that Anthony Patterson will line up in goal for the second match in succession to allow the first-choice stopper to return to full fitness before coming back in.

In defence, we are predicting wholesale changes which will also impact the midfield. Summer signings Niall Huggins and Dennis Cirkin could come in to fill the full-back positions, allowing Dan Neil and Carl Winchester to return to their more favoured central midfield spots.

We published an article explaining why Huggins deserves his chance, but it also means that £4k-per-week beast Luke O’Nien could be axed from the side. He has been struggling with a shoulder injury, and bringing Huggins and Cirkin into the team means that Johnson can drop O’Nien and move Winchester and Neil into midfield to take his place.

For the centre-backs, it is a simple case of rotation. Tom Flanagan and Callum Doyle have started all four League One matches. Frederick Alves and Bailey Wright can be given the chance to start and show what they are capable of producing as a pair, whilst giving the first-choice partnership a rest.

We are predicting that Johnson will start Josh Hawkes on the left of the attack. He scored an excellent goal against Port Vale in the first round and deserves to be given another opportunity to impress. The 22-year-old was given a SofaScore rating of 7.0 for that match and was provided with the assist by Alex Pritchard, who we are also predicting to start to get more minutes under his belt.

Aiden O’Brien also scored against Port Vale and he should come in for Ross Stewart to give the centre-forward a rest ahead of a return to League One action next weekend.

The final change we are predicting is Nathan Broadhead to make his full debut in place of Lynden Gooch. With the 23-year-old having recently signed on loan from Everton, this is the ideal situation for Johnson to throw him in and see what he can do.

AND in other news, Johnson must unleash “versatile” Sunderland gem against Blackpool, it’s his time to shine…

Tottenham Hotspur are closing in on another signing before Tuesday’s 11pm deadline…

What’s the word?

The north London outfit have made no fewer than three new additions this summer and according to renowned Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, they are close to agreeing on a deal to sign Barcelona right-back Emerson Royal.

“Tottenham and Barcelona are now close to reach an agreement for Emerson, as per @gbsans. Fee will be around €30m but negotiations are not completed yet,” he tweeted.

“Serge Aurier won’t be involved in the deal. Personal terms [are] still to be agreed. NO negotiations for Moriba [to] Spurs.”

And whilst the Ivory Coast international will not be heading in the other direction, his future could still lie away from N17, as per football.london’s Alasdair Gold.

“If they do sign Emerson then it’s because they are able to get at least one [Aurier or Matt Doherty] out the door,” he claimed.

Bye-bye Aurier!

This news will be music to the ears of many as the arrival of the Brazilian international would surely spell the end for Aurier, who earlier in the summer made his intentions to leave Spurs very clear.

In an interview with French publication L’Equipe in May, he said: “Everyone knows that if I wanted to extend my contract at Tottenham, I’d have already done so. I’m not going to do that in six months’ time. I’ve experienced the Premier League and a Champions League final. I’ve reached the end of a cycle and it’s time to look elsewhere.”

Aurier’s time in north London has been marred by a combination of disciplinary issues off-the-pitch and plenty of below-par performances on it.

During the country’s first lockdown, the 28-year-old was fined for breaching the government’s regulations after he was spotted getting a haircut on social media.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-more” title= “Read the latest Spurs team and injury news, transfer rumours, gossip and much, much more!”]

Whilst after Spurs’ Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City, a game in which he started and played the entire duration, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher lambasted his display.

“Aurier is maybe one of the biggest liabilities in Premier League football and is a player who would possibly put you off management with the amount of crazy decision he makes,” he claimed, via talkSPORT.

Indeed, the fans appear to feel the same as many showed their desire for the club to offload him in recent weeks after Sky Sports suggested the former Paris Saint-Germain man was up for sale.

Not only is Emerson a younger option at 22, but he appears to be a much more reliable option on the flank, having excelled for Real Betis over the past two seasons.

As per WhoScored, the £22.5m-rated dynamo has provided four goals and ten assists since the start of the 2019/20 La Liga season, whilst he averaged a whopping 2.7 tackles, 1.8 interceptions and one key pass per game last term alone.

Aurier is yet to play under Nuno Santo, with Japhet Tanganga ahead of him in the pecking order and by comparison, he averaged fewer interceptions and key passes, as well as racking up 1.2 fouls per Premier League outing (joint-second most in Spurs’ squad).

Therefore, on the above evidence, many around north London will undoubtedly see Emerson’s arrival as a major positive in moving the often calamitous Aurier on before tomorrow’s deadline.

This update should leave plenty of fans absolutely thrilled.

AND in other news, Fabio Paratici dealt Spurs transfer blow over £22.5m-rated “young Pogba”…

Celtic could actually pocket up to £20m in the deal that took Odsonne Edouard to Crystal Palace on deadline day, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Sky Sports claim

Edouard finally sealed a Parkhead exit he has been working on since April with hours remaining of the window, signing a four-year deal at Selhurst Park.

The Hoops brought in a striker of their own in Georgios Giakoumakis from VVV-Venlo.

Sky Sports claimed that a transfer for Edouard cost Patrick Vieira’s side an initial £14m that could rise to £18.5m. However, it seems as if it could be more than that, which is good news for Dominic McKay and Ange Postecoglou.

The Latest: Source shares Wednesday update

Football Insider shared a story on Wednesday after being informed by a Celtic source.

They suggested that a move for Edouard has actually cost Palace £15m which could end up totalling £20m with various add-ons.

The report adds that Celtic will now have to hand Paris Saint-Germain 30% of profits made on Edouard.

The Verdict: A good window

Celtic have brought in 12 summer signings and have come out with a profit, as per Transfermarkt.

The site suggests that the Hoops have forked out just over £20m on incomings and have received £31.59m in departures over recent months.

It seems as if that figure could well rise in the future with add-ons for Edouard, so overall, it appears to have been a productive window for McKay and co, rebuilding a squad in desperate need of a freshen-up with money to spare.

In other news: Deadline day activity away from Celtic means two of McKay’s signings cost effectively nothing.