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Newcastle United are reportedly closing in on a deal to sign Timo Werner in the summer transfer window… 

What’s the talk?

According to iNews, the Magpies are in pole position to land the Germany international on loan for the 2022/23 campaign.

The report claims that the club are the favourites to sign the striker if Chelsea opt to part ways with him on a temporary basis, with a decision to come after they complete other pieces of business.

It is stated that the Toon are willing to pay a loan fee to the Blues and will cover a percentage of his wages, although it remains to be seen how much that would amount to.

Eddie Howe’s own Duvan Zapata

Newcastle have been linked with a swoop to sign Atalanta’s Zapata this summer and the club can now land Howe his own version of the Colombian goalscorer by securing a deal to sign Werner in the coming weeks.

The official Chelsea website described him by stating: “One of the most feared young strikers in Europe, Werner is renowned for his pace, movement, link-up play and finishing ability. At Leipzig he has most often been deployed in a front two, but he can also play out wide in a front three or as the central striker.”

Talent scout Jacek Kulig previously dubbed the £268k-per-week gem as “deadly” in front of goal and his last campaign in the Bundesliga backs that up. In 2019/20, the German racked up 28 goals and eight in 34 appearances for Leipzig, which shows that he has the potential to score and assist goals at an impressive rate.

The gem struggled to find consistency in his first season in the Premier League but did manage six goals and eight assists – creating ten ‘big chances’ for his teammates – in 29 starts.

These statistics suggest that he offers a double threat up front and FB Ref has named Zapata as one of the most similar players to him, with the Colombian also capable of scoring and assisting goals.

The Atalanta man produced ten goals and four assists in 20 Serie A starts last season, after managing 15 goals and nine assists in 29 starts in 2020/21.

This shows that both Werner and Zapata have the potential to make a big impact at the top end of the pitch with their finishing and their unselfish play. However, the former looks set to be available on loan rather than a permanent basis and this could make him more attractive to the Magpies from a financial point of view.

AND in other news, “Inside Newcastle”: Craig Hope drops big transfer update that’ll excite supporters…

West Ham United target Maxwel Cornet is the perfect man to replace Arthur Masuaku’s role in the squad, says former Premier League striker Kevin Campbell.

The lowdown: Hammers deal lined up

The Hammers have been extensively linked with Cornet in recent weeks, albeit there was fierce competition from Everton and Newcastle for the recently relegated Burnley man.

However, West Ham are now believed to have agreed on a fee with the Lancashire club, moving the transfer swoop for the 25-year-old Ivory Coast international one step closer.

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Following the loan departure of Masuaku to Besiktas this week, one pundit has suggested that Cornet could be the ideal man to replace the versatile ace in the Irons’ ranks…

The latest: ‘Like for like’

Speaking to Football Insider, ex-Arsenal frontman and Sky Sports pundit Campbell stated that the 29-cap winger is the perfect man to succeed Masuaku.

He said: “It would be a like for like. Masuaku has done a job every time he has come in. He has done ok.

“He has not been a regular starter though. It gets to the point where you want to play. At Besiktas, he will play.

“I’m sure he would go with West Ham fans blessing. David Moyes is clearly in the market for a left-sided player. If a [Filip] Kostic or Cornet comes in you have cover. That would be a like for like replacement.

“West Ham have been so consistent. Players on the periphery don’t get much game time. The first XI have been so consistent.”

The verdict: Attacking intent

Albeit Cornet is capable of operating as a left-back having done so 39 times in his career to date, a majority of the Ivorian’s skill-set lies in the attacking areas and David Moyes would therefore likely be reticent to turn to him for a prolonged period in place of Aaron Cresswell.

Capable of playing on either wing and as a centre-forward, last season, the former Lyon man scored nine times and provided two assists in 29 appearances across all competitions for what was a struggling Burnley outfit.

Hailed as an ‘exciting’ player by pundit Noel Whelan, Cornet would offer supreme versatility to Moyes’ squad at the London Stadium, so perhaps we could see Campbell’s call come to fruition if the boss ever opts to play a back five, offering Cornet more freedom as a wing-back.

Everton reportedly hold an ‘interest’ in signing Rennes striker Serhou Guirassy before the transfer window closes.

The Lowdown: Striker wanted

With Dominic Calvert-Lewin injured, and Richarlison sold to Tottenham Hotspur, the Goodison Park outfit are in desperate need of a new striker.

The likes of Memphis Depay, Michy Batshuayi and Sasa Kalajdzic have been linked with a move to Merseyside in recent days, so it would not be a surprise to see one of those come through the door before the window closes on 1st September.

The Latest: Guirassy ‘interest’

Taking to Twitter in sharing his report for L’Equipe, journalist Emery Taisne has revealed that Frank Lampard’s side hold an ‘interest’ in Guirassy, with is a ‘possibility’ that the 26-year-old could move to Everton.

The reporter tweeted: “An interest from Everton for Serhou Guirassy. Nothing done but it is a possibility for the attacker of @staderennais.”

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The Verdict: Desperation

It is desperation now for Everton in terms of bringing in a new striker, so if they are serious about signing Guirassy, they should be looking to get the deal done promptly.

The 6 foot 2 colossus scored 12 goals and supplied a further three assists in France last season (impressive statistics in Ligue 1 for numerous aspects of his gameplay.

Interestingly, he will already know of Lille’s Amadou Onana and PSG’s Idrissa Gueye, who are both set to join the Toffees from the French top flight, so may find it easier to settle in should he end up making the move to Goodison Park along with those two transfer targets.

Entertainment consists of various mediums, including century-old casino games and gambling. Another prominent medium is betting. The invention of the online platform has made both gambling and betting gain immeasurable popularity and acceptance. With the numerous emergent forms of betting and gambling, many people will likely start using the terms interchangeably. Additionally, gambling and betting involve wagering money on unpredictable events like a race or game. For this reason, it is vital to comprehend the significant differences between the two terminologies. Below are distinct definitions of gambling and betting and their differences.

What exactly is gambling?

Gambling is a long-standing activity that people have been engaging in since time immemorial. It refers to wagering something valuable or money on a game or race with an uncertain outcome. The activity is solely based on the concept of probability. In contrast, permutation and combination, principles of probability, and number theory are necessary for predicting the most accurate outcome of the event in question. The result varies between a ‘Loss’ and a ‘Win.’

It isn’t a secret that gambling can be addictive no matter how many times a person loses. The excitement associated with uncertainty sustains the interest among the parties, and they keep on wagering more and more of their valuables. When looking for a top-rated, legal and safe gambling site, GambleOnline NZ could be a reliable choice. Gambling relies on an unknown or sometimes calculated risk. It can also depend on one’s chance and luck, but the skill hardly comes into play. When someone mentions gambling, you’re likely to think about gaming or sports, but it is much more than that, as it can involve table games, casino games, and slots.

Definition of betting

Betting involves placing a bet on a sport with pre-defined odds or possibilities. This act is a typical agreement between two groups, also known as a wager or bet. In this case, the party that makes an incorrect prediction about an unpredictable event forfeits something valuable to the other. A simple betting scenario is two people betting on the outcome of an election (for instance, who will win the presidential seat between Biden and Trump). Sports betting is the most common form of betting. Most people often place stakes on sporting activities like hockey, football, and basketball matches.

Betting can also entail non-sports events such as reality show contests and political elections. More intriguingly,  sports betting also involves games like underground cockfighting, horse racing, and greyhound racing. Contrary to gambling, betting is somewhat organized and involves a certain skill level when placing a stake. One unique aspect of betting is that the involved parties are aware of the intensity of the condition and the external forces that may influence the final results of the wager.

Critical differences between betting and gambling

One notable difference between gambling and betting is that the former entirely relies on luck while the latter depends on skill, strategy, and luck. This fact implies that the gambling parties do not influence the final result. Interestingly, you can access data online stipulating how much a gambler is expected to lose while playing different casino games. Sports betting, on the other hand, allows the parties to lay unique strategies, conduct extensive research and utilize the information to place them in a better position to win the bet. Although luck is a factor, one can hardly consider it the deciding factor in the long run. This difference may seem negligible, but in practice, it is massive. Another way of looking at it is that the gambling players are sure to lose their valuables and that their only chance of multiplying their money is hoping for a big score and quitting gambling. Sports betting, however, allows the parties to multiply their money in the long run. The chances may be slim, with 3% of sports bettors profiting in the long run, but it is still something compared to gambling. Over time gambling has become more popular than sports betting in the online arena. Even though sports betting is available online, people still prefer placing their bets at live betting shops. Some countries have rules and regulations treating luck and skill games differently, meaning that the residents are allowed to engage in skill games but forbidden to play luck games. This rule implies that betting is allowed while gambling is illegal in those countries.

Both betting and gambling involve wagering a valuable item or money on the outcome of unpredictable events. Many people use these terminologies interchangeably, but after comprehending the differences, which may seem insignificant at first, you’ll never confuse them again. The primary difference between betting and gambling is that betting can be professional or amateur (depending on the skills and strategies), while gambling is usually professional. Betting also allows a certain percentage chance of winning in the long run, while gambling does not.

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Glasgow Rangers turn their attention back to Champions League action tonight as Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men bid to qualify for the group stages.

The Ibrox side head into the game off the back of a 4-0 win in the Premiership last weekend and should be full of confidence.

They host Dutch outfit PSV in Glasgow before facing them away from home in the second leg next week and the Light Blues will surely be hoping to take a strong lead with them to the Netherlands.

One change the head coach must make to the team is unleashing Welsh midfielder Tom Lawrence from the start after using him as a substitute at the weekend.

Joshua Barrie claimed that he made a “real impact” in the second leg clash against Union Saint Gilloise to help the Gers overcome a 2-0 deficit last week to make the next qualifying round.

He then came off the bench against St. Johnstone on Saturday and managed to score a goal in just 23 minutes on the pitch for the Gers. Scott Wright, meanwhile, failed to create a single chance or register a shot on goal in 66 minutes out on the right wing, and is yet to manage a goal or assist in three league starts this season.

Journalist Josh Bunting, earlier this month, said that Lawrence has the potential to “do some damage”, because of how direct he is, and his statistics since arriving in Scotland back that up.

The former Derby man, who has been hailed as a “fabulous talent” in the past by his former manager Gary Bowyer, created five chances in his first two Premiership starts, whilst winning 13 duels and registering one assist. This shows that he has the creativity to unlock defences to create opportunities for his teammates.

This could be particularly useful in a tense Champions League qualifier with plenty at stake for both teams as they attempt to play their way into the riches of Europe’s premier competition. 

The £27k-per-week gem could be the player van Bronckhorst needs to play the final killer pass or to break into the box to score for himself, given that he has shown that he can do both in the early parts of his Gers career.

Therefore, Lawrence must come in for the underperforming Wright. He can play in the midfield three, or in a number 10 role, with Malik Tilmann moving into a wide position.

Journalist Simon Phillips has stated that the signing of Che Adams is Frank Lampard’s ‘top priority’ for Everton.

The Lowdown: Everton exploring offer

It has been reported that the Goodison Park outfit are ‘exploring’ a loan-to-buy offer for the 26-year-old and that Southampton would be willing to let him go, using the funds to bring in a new striker.

The Merseyside club have been linked with the likes of Chelsea’s Michy Batshuayi and Brentford’s Ivan Toney in recent days, as Frank Lampard desperately looks to sign a centre-forward before the transfer window closes.

The Latest: Adams is Everton’s ‘top priority’

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Phillips has shared that Adams is Lampard’s ‘top priority’ in terms of Everton’s list of striker targets.

He stated: “I’ve been told that Che Adams is the top priority there for Lampard at least. But, obviously, at Everton, he’s got the board there, and the decisions are not just Lampard’s.”

The Verdict: Great option

Adams would certainly be a great option for Everton, especially if they can get him on an initial loan basis, which would save them the money to then potentially sign him on a permanent deal next season.

The Scotland international boasts plenty of Premier League two goals away to Leicester City on Saturday afternoon, helping the Saints to come from behind and clinch all three points in a 2-1 win.

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Therefore, he should be able to settle in fairly quickly with a move to Goodison Park, and Lampard would be hoping that the 26-year-old could hit the ground running straight away in the absence of the injured Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Sky Sports presenter Dan Bardell has described Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard’s decision to substitute Douglas Luiz in their defeat to West Ham today as ‘utter madness’.

The Lowdown: Underwhelming start

The Midlands outfit hosted the Irons on Sunday afternoon but suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of David Moyes’ side with a 74th-minute Pablo Fornals goal, with Ezri Konsa seeing his earlier goal chalked off in the first half.

The Villans have had a disappointing start to the Premier League campaign, winning just one game out of their opening four and losing the other three, leaving them languishing in 15th place despite a summer spend of almost £50m.

The Latest: ‘Utter madness’ from Gerrard

With the tams still level in the 66th minute at Villa Park, Gerrard decided to bring on Jacob Ramsey in place of Luiz, and Bardell took to Twitter to react to what he believed was ‘utter madness’ by the Villa manager.

He wrote: “Utter madness to take Luiz off and go back to a midfield that hasn’t been working. I assume he wasn’t injured.

“As soon as Luiz [was] off we lost all stability and control in the game, easy to play through. Goal. Winnable game gone.”

The Verdict: Surprising decision

Luiz has played in three of Villa’s four Premier League matches this season, so if he wasn’t injured, it seemed a strange decision to take him off.

He had been enjoying a decent afternoon against West Ham, completing 44 of his 51 passes, winning one duel, making two interceptions and drawing one foul (Sofascore).

The Brazilian currently averages a 92.2% pass success rate in the Premier League alone, highlighting his composure and how he can firm up a midfield, and Fornals’ goal could have potentially been prevented had he still been on the pitch to break up the play in the build-up to the game’s decisive moment.

Gerrard will now be hoping to regain some form when his team travel to the Emirates Stadium to take on Arsenal on Wednesday night to ensure that he doesn’t come under any more pressure. Hopefully his substitutions work out better than the decision to withdraw Luiz did today.

An update has emerged on Glasgow Rangers and their attempts to bolster their squad in the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

According to journalist Alan Nixon, via his Patreon, the Light Blues are exploring a potential swoop for the England international.

The report claims that the allure of Champions League football could mean that the club have a real shot of getting a deal over the line in the coming days.

It was stated that Chelsea may look to pay off the rest of his contract in order to allow him to find a new team on a free transfer, which has since proven to be true as has left the Blues by mutual consent on Monday afternoon.

Imagine him & Antonio Colak

Firstly, this may not be an Aaron Ramsey 2.0 where he rarely features after joining. He has only missed 11 matches in all competitions due to injury since the start of the 2020/21 campaign, which suggests that his fitness and durability should not be a cause for concern.

Whereas, Ramsey had missed 26 games in the 18 months prior to arriving in Glasgow and then suffered with injuries during his time in Scotland.

The ex-Chelsea midfielder, who Gregg Evans claimed has “magic” in his feet, could come in and make an instant impact by linking up with the red-hot Antonio Colak at Ibrox.

Newcastle legend Alan Shearer heaped praise on the attacking midfielder during the 2021/22 campaign, saying: “Ross seems to have found a system that suits him and a manager who wants to play him. This is exactly what he needs.

“He now needs to find the consistency that has been lacking in his game because this is a crucial stage of his career. Ross has been spoken about in glowing terms since he was very young but he is 27 now and needs to deliver on that potential.

“At his best he is a match-winner and Villa is a great platform for him.”

Former Chelsea boss Frank Lampard previously hailed his attitude as “first class” and said that he can play a “complete” role, with these comments highlighting how highly he is rated in England.

The former England international, who has racked up 53 goals and 44 assists throughout his club career, created 2.39 chances per 90 minutes for Villa in the Premier League in 2020/21. He then managed 4.5 per 90 in 2021/22 for Chelsea in 180 minutes of action in the top flight.

Ryan Kent is the only player (3.0) with more than 2.4 key passes per game in the Premiership and Barkley could come in as another player capable of regularly creating openings in the final third.

Colak could benefit from this as the starting number nine as he is the player who could be on the end of the chances that the Englishman provides.

The 28-year-old has scored an eye-catching seven goals in nine outings for Rangers to date, missing just one ‘big chance’ in the Premiership, and this suggests that he has the quality to thrive off quality service into the box.

Now, imagine Barkley threading through balls and whipping crosses in for the Croatian forward to punish teams this season. It’s should be a sumptuous thought for everyone at Rangers.

Despite Aston Villa’s precarious position in the Premier League table, Steven Gerrard has by all accounts had a solid summer transfer window.

The club have brought in quality, with Diego Carlos, Boubacar Kamara, and Philippe Coutinho arriving at Villa Park in permanent deals.

Deadline day saw another two additions, with Leander Dendoncker and Jan Bednarek arriving for £13m and a season-long loan respectively and this has given Gerrard options in the two positions that arguably needed it most.

They were also after another forward in the window, with Blackburn Rovers star Ben Brereton-Diaz being linked recently, however, no move materialised for the player.

This might not matter though, as the club could already have a talent within their ranks who might be a Premier League star in the making.

Caleb Chukwuemeka is a forward for Villa’s U21 side and older brother of Carney Chukwuemeka, who recently joined Chelsea from Villa in a £20m transfer.

There is no doubt that Chukwuemeka could follow in his brother’s footsteps with the talent he possesses, with Gregg Evans describing him as a “real prospect” and there appears no limit to what he can achieve in the game.

Gerrard has sent the youngster out on loan to Crawley Town for the remainder of the season and the manager will be hoping he continues his development in League Two.

In the Premier League 2 last season, he netted seven goals in just nine appearances, grabbing a further five assists and he won the player of the month award for September.

Aston Villa beat Tottenham Hotspur and Rangers to the signing of the 20-year-old just last year and he joined Premiership side, Livingston, for the second half of last season.

No goals were scored during his stint in Scotland, but first-team football for a top-flight team was excellent for his development and if he carries on improving, then he could well be a force to be reckoned with in the future.

Sunderland were unable to complete all of the transfers they wanted to make on deadline day, but there has been a new behind-the-scenes update that’ll give the club a big boost following the end of the summer transfer window.

What’s the latest?

Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman joined new manager Tony Mowbray in his pre-match press conference on Friday to deliver some good news about Ross Stewart’s contract situation.

Speakman told the press: “Ross is someone we’ve been having a conversation with since spring and had positive conversations with.

“We have an option for an extra year option, so there’s no panic there.

“Ross is a top guy. We want it to be right for Ross, we want it to be right for the football club and I’m sure we’ll get there at some point.”

It’d be massive for Sunderland

There is no doubt that securing the future of Stewart would be massive for Sunderland in their pursuit to climb the Championship table and return to the Premier League, as he has become a key player in the club’s progress over the last 12 months.

Over 71 appearances for the Black Cats, the star striker has scored 32 goals and delivered seven assists, with a goal contribution every 141 minutes played – which led to the 26-year-old becoming the joint-top scorer in League One last season with 26 goals.

The Sunderland goal machine is showing no signs of slowing down since the club were promoted to the Championship, scoring five goals and delivering three assists already this season, as well as taking an average of 3.9 shots and making one key pass per game over his seven appearances in 2022/23.

Stewart’s impressive performances have not gone unnoticed, with journalist Josh Bunting hailing the player “unpredictable” and Kevin Phillips lavished praise on the striker claiming he “works his socks off” (via Chronicle Live):

“You’ve got a player up front that works his socks off, can finish all types and never gives up.”

As a result, after powering up Sunderland’s League One success, the powers at The Stadium of Light must do everything they can to make sure he remains the dominant force in their challenge for Premier League promotion in the future, so securing an improved deal is an absolute necessity for Speakman.