Newcastle transfer news Toon open talks over TWO January deals for Rafa Benitez by @celebia - Post Details

Newcastle transfer news Toon open talks over TWO January deals for Rafa Benitez

Newcastle transfer news: Toon open talks over TWO January deals for Rafa Benitez. Newcastle sit two points above the relegation zone with just under half of the Premier League season still to go. And they will be desperate to avoid a battle against the drop over the course of the remainder of the campaign. Newcastle have the opportunity to add to Rafa Benitez’s squad this month in order to give them a better chance of staying up. **PREDICT FIVE RESULTS AND WIN £25,000 - FREE TO PLAY HERE** And it seems two players currently plying their trade in France have caught the eye of Toon scouts. According to the Daily Mail, Newcastle have opened talks regarding Faitout Maouassa and Clinton N'Jie. Rennes left-back Maouassa has impressed on loan at Nimes this season, making 11 appearances in all competitions. And he is expected to be included in France’s squad for this summer’s European Under-21 Championship in Italy. Maouassa would provide competition for Paul Dummett and Matt Ritchie, both of whom have played on the left side of defence this term. And Newcastle have asked Rennes about taking him on loan until May, when Benitez will be hoping his side have secured safety. N'Jie, meanwhile, has been lined up after Marseille made him available with the option for a permanent deal. The forward previously played in the Premier League during an ill-fated spell with Tottenham. And Newcastle apparently face a battle with Crystal Palace if they are to get the 25-year-old on board. Benitez has proved reluctant to talk about potential transfers during his recent press conferences. Ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup draw with Blackburn he explained his approach when asked about signings. "I think it is better," Benitez said with a smile, when asked why he keeps his cards close to his chest. "If I do not talk too much about that, no one will be analysing what I said, and whether it is positive or negative."

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Zion Williamson Kobe Bryant reveals insight on NBA prospect after i njury update
Zion Williamson Kobe Bryant reveals insight on NBA prospect after i njury update

Zion Williamson: Kobe Bryant reveals insight on NBA prospect after injury update. That is the view of NBA legend Kobe Bryant. Williamson, who has been phenomenal for the Blue Devils this season, is expected to be the first overall pick in this year’s NBA draft. But last week, he suffered a major setback as he injured his knee in the first minute of Duke’s game against North Carolina. In a freak accident, Williamson attempted to turn, but his foot went straight through his sneaker and twisted his knee. Despite jogging in the hallway and trying to prove he could carry on, the 18-year-old was taken out of the game and was left to team doctors to recover. While he is still set to go first in the draft, many called for Zion to shut it down for the season and wait for June’s draft. However, Bryant insisted that Williamson should return to the court if he can, because he made a commitment to the college to play. “Players should be able to choose and decide what the hell they want to do, to be honest,” he said to The Undefeated. “Whether you want to go to college or not really depends on you. “In terms of Zion, if he’s healthy, he should go play. “He made a decision to go to college and injuries are a part of that process and sometimes you get hurt, sometimes you don’t, man. “But you made the decision to go to college and you made your commitment to the university, then by all means finish your commitment. “I expect him to get healthy, get his knee better or whatever it was and come out and kick a**” Williamson could return on Friday night against the Miami Hurricanes. In his absence, RJ Barrett scored 30 points against Syracuse and 21 against Virginia Tech Hokies.



Newcastle players FUMING in i njury time vs Burnley    did you spot possible 'STAMP'
Newcastle players FUMING in i njury time vs Burnley did you spot possible 'STAMP'

Newcastle players FUMING in injury time vs Burnley... did you spot possible 'STAMP'?. Newcastle ran out 2-0 winners in the relegation battle with Burnley. Rafa Benitez’s side moved up to 13th in the table, overtaking Burnley and Crystal Palace in the process, and go seven points clear of the relegation zone. But Newcastle fans were concerned about a potential flash point at the end of the game as Burnley defender Tarkowski trod on joselu. Chris Sutton said: “I tell you what, Tarkowski here. “I don't know whether there's a little stamp. “I’m not so sure he catches Joselu here. “He goes in, buys the foul and that's... ooh. “I don’t know if he catches him but the intent is there.” Newcastle players also acted angrily at the incident as the game threatened to get nasty. Mo Diame had already been tended to after getting caught by a Peter Crouch elbow. Young midfielder Longstaff spoke about scoring in front of the home fans. "It was a really good game, I knew it was going to be very tough but we took our chances in the first half and then the second half we kept their chances to a minimum. "I say it everyday, I am in such a lucky position to be where I am, scoring and feeling the atmosphere tops it off. "We know it is still very close and a couple of results can change it. We know we can change it by winning and it is a lot nicer to look up the table rather than down. "I had about 10 people here, to have them here watching is a great night for me and the team. "I can’t put the feeling into words just pure emotion. The atmosphere is amazing."



Chelsea news Paul Merson SHOCKED at one player against Man City   not Kepa Arrizabalaga
Chelsea news Paul Merson SHOCKED at one player against Man City not Kepa Arrizabalaga

Chelsea news: Paul Merson SHOCKED at one player against Man City - not Kepa Arrizabalaga. That is the opinion of former Arsenal star and Chelsea fan Paul Merson. Arrizabalaga refused to be substituted deep into extra time of Sunday’s Carabao Cup final loss to Manchester City. The Spaniard claimed he was fine to carry on despite doubts over his fitness. Manager Maurizio Sarri fumed at Kepa on the touchline but David Luiz was the only player to speak to the goalkeeper on the pitch. Azpilicueta, who has been Chelsea’s captain this season with Gary Cahill out of favour at Stamford Bridge, stayed away. Merson says the situation would not have happened with him at Arsenal under former manager George Graham. And he reckons legendary Gunners captain Tony Adams would have done more than Azpilicueta in the same scenario. “We played with George Graham, that wouldn’t happen in a million years,” Merson said on Sky Sports. “That tells me there is not a lot of respect there. “If that was [under] George Graham, you wouldn’t have done it. “You wouldn’t have done it because you know you’re in major trouble. And Tony Adams would have been over there. “That was what shocked me more than anything as well, where was Azpilicueta? He’s the captain. “Surely ‘what’s going on here?’. I know David Luiz went over and I think he said ‘don’t disrespect the manager’. “But the captain’s got to come, the captain’s got to come and say ‘come on, you’ve got to go’. Even if they go over to the side or whatever. “It was cringeworthy in the end. I was watching it and it was cringeworthy.”



Man Utd boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer makes brutally honest Paul Pogba lifestyle admission
Man Utd boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer makes brutally honest Paul Pogba lifestyle admission

Man Utd boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer makes brutally honest Paul Pogba lifestyle admission. Pogba drew criticism from fans, pundits and even former manager Jose Mourinho as performances dipped but his personal life remained extravagant. Pogba often changed his hairstyle, was active on social media and then drew blanks on the pitch as Manchester United’s season unravelled under Mourinho. But under interim manager Solskjaer he has exploded back into life and looks every bit the World Cup winner he is. Pogba faces another challenge on Sunday when United face Liverpool as they look to cement their place in the top four - and dent the Reds’ title challenge. As he prepared for the big clash at Old Trafford, Solskjaer insisted he didn’t force the 25-year-old £89million World Cup winner to rein in his extrovert ways. But he’s revealed he wouldn’t have let Pogba go to the Brit Awards last week – unlike Kop boss Jurgen Klopp, who allowed Daniel Sturridge and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to attend the glitzy London bash ahead of today’s key encounter. “Paul has always been a larger-than-life character. He has a fantastic family but you don’t do yourself any favours at times with stuff like that,” said Solskjaer. “You don’t want to give anyone an excuse really so, of course, you don’t go to the Brit Awards this week. “We know leading up to our last game against Liverpool there were stories about players not being focused. “It is not about that. We know they are focused, we know they are doing their best and that is just Paul being Paul. But he does help himself by toning it down a bit. “Maybe he does not have the energy to do it now. Who knows? But I have not said anything to him about it. I have talked to the whole team about expectations and the standards we have and what I expect from them. “Paul is a leader in training, he is a leader in the dressing room. Players are allowed to be themselves and that’s my job as well – to allow that. “He spends a lot of energy being a leader on and off the pitch. If you want the nice car, different haircut, that’s no problem. “I can’t do anything about my grey hair! But you are allowed to have different hair, it is not a problem to have whatever haircut you want. “It has never been a problem with Paul. I remember when he was 16 he wanted to feel good. If you feel good you will play well. “I am a bit older than them and don’t understand all this social media, even though I posted a picture of Rashy’s shirt over my television when he scored against Liverpool last time at Old Trafford! That maybe was one of my five or six tweets ever! “And you would be surprised by the number of minutes he’s played this season. “Apart from David de Gea and maybe Nemanja Matic he has played the most minutes for us in the league even though there was a perception that Jose left him out all the time.”



Cristiano Ronaldo may have learnt Atletico Madrid gesture from Jose Mourinho   Horncastle
Cristiano Ronaldo may have learnt Atletico Madrid gesture from Jose Mourinho Horncastle

Cristiano Ronaldo may have learnt Atletico Madrid gesture from Jose Mourinho - Horncastle. Cristiano Ronaldo was powerless to prevent Juventus from slipping to a shock 2-0 Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid on Wednesday. The 34-year-old was returning to the city for the first time since leaving Real Madrid back in the summer. But goals from Diego Godin and Jose Giminez made it a nightmare night for Ronaldo and his Juventus team-mates alike, dealing a major blow to their hopes of European glory. After the game, Ronaldo stuck out his hand to show all five fingers. It was a clear message that he had won the Champions League five times - compared to Atletico’s none. And ESPN writer Horncastle has claimed he could have learnt the action from Mourinho. Earlier in the season, the Portuguese gestured towards Juventus fans after defeating the Old Lady with Manchester United. And Horncastle wrote for ESPN: “A short while later, Ronaldo was striding through the mixed zone and could have disappeared quietly into the night. “Clearly, though, that was not his intention. “‘Five Champions,’ he said, before making a zero with thumb and forefinger. Atleti have none. “Ronaldo perhaps learned the move from Jose Mourinho and the three fingers he held up at Juventus fans to indicate Inter's treble - ‘the toughest moment for them’ - after Manchester United won in Turin in November. “Ronaldo's ire was as much a consequence of the result as the songs dedicated to him.” Ronaldo has been criticised for his failure to propel Juventus past Atletico last night. And Horncastle feels he will be judged on whether or not he stars in the Champions League this season. “While expectation has been met in Serie A, it's here where Ronaldo must deliver,” he added. “So far he has been sent off in Valencia, scored just once - recall the ab-stroking wonder goal in the 3-2 defeat to Manchester United - and has lost three of six Champions League games. “It would only be two defeats had he not interfered with play from an offside position when Dybala whacked in a beautiful would-be equaliser against Young Boys, only for it to be ruled out because of his attempt to head the ball as it flew into the top corner.” Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo, meanwhile, has hit out at Ronaldo for his gesture. He told Radio CRC: “A small clarification is that Cristiano Ronaldo has not won five Champions Leagues at all, but only three. “The remaining two against Atletico, he did not really win them. “Who won those two finals? I will tell you in the next interview.”



Anthony Davis to SNUB Lakers and join Celtics Boston to win trade if this happens
Anthony Davis to SNUB Lakers and join Celtics Boston to win trade if this happens

Anthony Davis to SNUB Lakers and join Celtics: Boston to win trade if this happens. That’s according to Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, who suggests the Celtics will get Davis if Kyrie Irving opts to re-sign as a free agent. Boston were unable to trade for the six-time All Star at the deadline due to the ‘Rose Rule’, but they can enter the bidding war in the summer with the Lakers likely to come again. Both Davis and Irving are close friends and reports have suggested they’re hoping to team up on the same team. And Mannix reports the Celtics are confident of uniting the two close friends in Boston if Irving decides to re-sign. “The Celtics have always been pretty confident that if they retain Kyrie Irving, then Anthony Davis is going to want to play there,” Mannix said on The Rich Eisen Show. “If Kyrie goes, they may not even make a full fledge pitch for Anthony Davis, because that won’t be the direction the team wants to go. “But if they can retain Kyrie, they’ve been really confident. “They’ve done a lot of research on this guy over the last 18 months. “They’ve always been really confident that Anthony Davis wants to play with Kyrie Irving and wants to play with both. “And Boston offers both.” But Mannix adds that the Lakers are likely to not take any chances this summer by offering an even bigger deal to the Pelicans. “The Lakers aren’t going to screw around with this,” he added. “Look at what can happen before a Laker deal gets consummated. “What if Kawhi Leonard decides to stay in Toronto? Is that going to embolden another team - maybe Chicago, Davis is from the area… “You don’t want to roll the dice if you’re the Lakers. “So at the bare minimum I think it’s going to be the exact same offer, if not stronger if the Pelicans play it right.”



'James Harden and Russell Westbrook will NEVER be LeBron James'   Cowherd SLAMS NBA stars
'James Harden and Russell Westbrook will NEVER be LeBron James' Cowherd SLAMS NBA stars

'James Harden and Russell Westbrook will NEVER be LeBron James' - Cowherd SLAMS NBA stars. That is according to Fox Sports’ NBA expert Colin Cowherd. Both Harden and Westbrook have been vying for personal accolades throughout the season, with the former currently chasing Wilt Chamberlain’s record for consecutive 30-point-games. The Houston Rockets star has gone 31 games since he last failed to score 30 points. But Cowherd criticised him for stat-padding, claiming that he stays in games late when he doesn’t need to just to get points to maintain his streak. Westbrook, on the other hand, has scored 10 straight triple-doubles - become the first player in NBA history to manage such a feat. And the Fox Sports show host claimed that both men are too focused on winning personal titles, rather than saving their bodies to help their teams later in the season. “I’m not into this whole James Harden vs Russell Westbrook chasing plaques, chasing stats, having awards. I’m not into it,” Cowherd said. “The only thing that matters in the NBA is winning titles. I don’t give a rip about stats. “I’m not into Westbrook, I think Harden is better by a lot. But I’m not interested in Harden staying in blow-out games just to get records. “Both Westbrook and Harden are chasing Wilt Chamberlain records.” Cowherd then compared both players with LeBron James, and even mentioned actors Dwayne Johnson and Leonardo DiCaprio - insisting Westbrook and Harden could learn from the latter. He added: “Westbrook has had team-mates like Carmelo Anthony acknowledge that he’s chasing rebounds. And James Harden’s team is admitting it by keeping him in blowouts to hit meaningless threes. “LeBron James hit a triple-double last night, an amazing triple-double. “His thoughts were that you could throw that triple-double in the trash. He’s chasing something more than Player of the Month. “I look at Harden and Westbrook and you can choose either, Harden ‘keep me in the game in a blow-out loss or win, I want to get that record’. “You see it all the time with hollywood, take The Rock, that’s disposable. Nobody’s going to be talking about Rampage, Tooth Fairy, Skyscraper just eight minutes after they’re released. But they make The Rock famous, and everybody likes The Rock. “Leonardo DiCaprio would not star in The Tooth Fairy, he’s in the Revenant, he’s in Blood Diamond, The Wolf of Wall Street. We quote those movies 30 years later. “They have lasting influence, those are different paths. The Rock is going to be popular and get money, Leonardo DiCaprio is going to be remembered. “Wilt Chamberlain holds all those stat records, he’s the most famous, most 30-point games, the 100-point-game. Bill Russell’s career matters more. “The NBA Finals Most Valuable Player award isn’t called the Wilt Chamberlain Award, it’s the Bill Russell Award.”



Lakers news NBA expert makes Kyle Kuzma trade claim, Anthony Davis to Celtics latest
Lakers news NBA expert makes Kyle Kuzma trade claim, Anthony Davis to Celtics latest

Lakers news: NBA expert makes Kyle Kuzma trade claim, Anthony Davis to Celtics latest. That’s according to Colin Cowherd, who believes the Lakers are a mediocre team as he ranted about the team’s current situation. Los Angeles followed up a buzzer-beater win over the Boston Celtics by getting blown out by the Philadelphia 76ers in a 23-point loss. Kuzma dropped a game-high 39 points on the Sixers but Cowherd insists the third-year forward was also missing in Philly, despite the second-best point-scoring night of his fledgling NBA career. The Lakers’ playoff hopes are currently in limbo with Luke Walton’s team owning a 28-28 record which sees them sat 10th in the Western Conference. The franchise’s roster has had to deal with mass uncertainty in recent weeks with it well known that the Lakers were willing to trade everyone but LeBron to land Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans. And Cowherd thinks the fall-out of such a situation means the Lakers will pay the price for the rest of the season. “They’re one star and 13 possible transactions. Kyle Kuzma is their second-best player and he disappears in games,” Cowherd said on Fox Sports’ The Herd. “He did against the Sixers, he does it all the time and he’s their second-best player.  “I know they’re all transactions because I read stories last week where the Lakers were willing to give up every young player. The Lakers put out a list of seven players and five draft picks they were willing to give up and all the players now know they’re pawns.  “This is an average team with one great player on the back nine of his career. Though he’s still remarkable he’s not as dominant as he once was, he’s coming off an injury.  “Only one other player is a true asset, Kyle Kuzma, and he disappears in games.  “I thought the trade and all of the nonsense in the media confused an average locker room. “Magic Johnson flew out to soothe his young players who are freaking out which all young people, middle-aged people or old people would do if they feel they’re completely expendable. They’re not fine. They didn’t look fine.  “This is a confused locker room and be very careful about doing business with people who have nothing to lose.  “I don’t blame the players, if you can sense your demise or the fact you’re completely expendable, that’s tough for anyone to deal with.  “That win against the Celtics meant nothing. This is going to be an incredible choppy second half and Luke Walton will unfortunately take the hit.” The Pelicans held on to Davis to see what offers they can attract in the summer, when the Boston Celtics and even the New York Knicks could make moves to trade for the six-time All-Star. Yet while the Celtics may have the assets and picks to make a deal work, Cowherd insists Davis is not Boston-bound. He added: “Anthony Davis is not - don’t believe anybody - he’s not interested.  “I was told that last week by somebody I trust that is close to Anthony Davis. He ain’t going to Boston.”