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Liam Kennedy has now dropped some reassuring insight on the potential takeover of Newcastle United after a rumour emerged involving Mukesh Ambani.

The Lowdown: Ambani rumour

As per The Shields Gazette, the name Mukesh Ambani has recently been trending amid rumours that he may revisit a possible takeover at St. James’ Park having previously bene linked with one back in 2008 and 2011.

This comes as the North East club await the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) case over the stalled takeover deal between Mike Ashley and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group, which is set to take place this month after a delay in proceedings, according to The Chronicle.

The Latest: Kennedy on rumour

Writing in his latest piece for Newcastle World, Kennedy has claimed that the Toon Army should be sceptical over the latest link, but did reassure them with some insight from parties involved in the potential deal with the KSA consortium.

The journalist says that there ‘remains a confidence’ from all parties involved in the bid that a deal can still be done.

The Verdict: Reassuring

It is certainly reassuring to hear that all parties remain confident in the deal, given the constant delays that have been happening with cases.

The arbitration hearing between the Tyneside outfit and the Premier League is not set to take place until early next year now, and so the fight goes on to get a takeover over the line.

Nonetheless, with rumours with regards to Ambani seemingly squashed by Kennedy for now, there is at least still some hope from the KSA consortium.

In other news, find out what ‘massive blow’ NUFC have received here!

Football Insider pundit Noel Whelan has been reacting to reports emanating from Aston Villa regarding Dean Smith’s position.

The Lowdown: Villa source’s claim

An Aston Villa source revealed to the site that Smith’s relationship with chief executive Christian Purslow has weakened after coaches John Terry and Richard O’Kelly left the club earlier in the summer. Reports have even suggested that Smith could be fighting for his job prior to the next international break.

However, an impressive display in a 3-0 win over Everton on the weekend should squash any rumours of a possible departure for the 50-year-old.

The Latest: Whelan reacts

Whelan was asked for his thoughts on the rumours by Football Insider, with the interview coming prior to Villa’s win at the weekend.

The 46-year-old was left baffled by the update, labelling it as ‘premature’ to start talking about a Bodymoor Heath exit for Smith, saying:

“It is very premature to start talking about a manager’s job, I don’t get that.

“It’s too early in the season. Villa have gone out and bought some brilliant players and it will take time for them to gel.

“At the same time, the amount of money they have spent, I expect better performances and results.

“What they have done in the transfer market means they should be aiming for the top eight.

“With the players they have and the team they have assembled, despite losing Grealish, that is the aim.

“They haven’t got off to a great start, it’s been a mixed bag. I don’t think there’s any reason to worry so early on in the season.

“Every team in the league is trying to find their feet other than the top four.”

The Verdict: Bang on

Whelan’s comments regarding Villa and Smith’s position are bang on. The club brought in several new players over the summer and have also had to adjust to life without Jack Grealish, so it was always going to take time for things to settle after that transition.

Rumours of the manager possibly facing the sack now look a bit silly following an impressive win over the Toffees, and potentially positive league results against Manchester United and Tottenham over the coming weeks would only strengthen Smith’s position.

The club have also acted when it comes to Terry and O’Kelly leaving by bringing in Aaron Danks alongside Smith, so patience is key.

In other news: Bodymoor Heath trial: Villa looking at versatile teenager after missing out on Tino Livramento. 

West Ham boss David Moyes must bring Vladimir Coufal back into his starting XI this afternoon as the Irons look to extend their unbeaten run in the Premier League to a fifth straight game.

It won’t be an easy task, however, as they welcome Manchester United to the London Stadium and they’ll have plenty of firepower at their disposal, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Bruno Fernandes.

The Hammers continued their fine form in 2021/22 during the week, defeating Dinamo Zagreb in their own back garden to kickstart their Europa League group stage debut in impressive fashion.

Moyes rung the changes for the encounter, almost utilising a whole new backline, with Ryan Fredericks and Issa Diop coming back in, whilst Kurt Zouma was handed a debut.

But despite the solid outings from many of his fringe players, the Scotsman must turn back to his usual first-choice options, which means we should see a return for the industrious Vladimir Coufal at right-back.

It remains to be seen who could line-up for the Red Devils on the left but considering the options are between Sancho and Mason Greenwood, the east London outfit will know they will be in for a tricky afternoon against either.

The Czech Republic beast has continued his phenomenal form from his debut campaign last term and sits amongst Moyes’ best-performing players once again.

No other player is averaging more tackles per game (3.3) this season than Coufal, whilst he’s also averaged 1.3 interceptions and one key pass per match, via WhoScored.

According to Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher, the 29-year-old was “one of the signings of the season.”

“We talk about [Tomas] Soucek, but Coufal whether it’s right wing-back or right full-back at different times, he’s just one of those players that’s 7/10 minimum every time you watch him play. He’s the type of player you’d love to play with him. A manager’s dream, never injured, he’s there week in week out,” he said on Monday Night Football (4th May, 22:24pm).

Whilst Coufal’s current teammate, the Irons club captain Mark Noble, dubbed the £18m-rated defender as a “machine” to ‘That Peter Crouch Podcast’ back in May.

If West Ham are to continue their unbeaten run, then Moyes must turn back to Coufal at right-back. He could well hold the keys to a positive result this afternoon.

AND in other news, Fewer passes than Fabianski: £27m-rated West Ham dynamo gives Moyes cause for concern against Zagreb…

Aston Villa’s youth will have ‘an opportunity to shine again’ in the injury-enforced absence of Leon Bailey. 

That’s according to the former Leeds United forward Noel Whelan, who was speaking to Football Insider.

The lowdown

Bailey, a goalscorer in the 3-0 win over Everton last weekend, will miss at least two matches with a thigh strain.

Manager Dean Smith hopes he’ll be ready to return for the first game after the international break, but can’t be sure just yet.

With Trezeguet, another winger, out long-term, Dean Smith’s options include Anwar El Ghazi, Bertrand Traore and Jaden Philogene-Bidace.

19-year-old Philogence-Bidace is awaiting a full Premier League debut after making two substitute appearances.

He was handed a 26-minute run-out in the Carabao Cup defeat against Chelsea in midweek and ‘impressed’, according to Shropshire Star journalist Matt Maher.

The latest

Whelan has backed Villa to cope with the blow of losing Bailey by turning to their pool of talented youngsters.

“A month is quite a long time,” he said. “It’s not ideal but Aston Villa are another team that play a lot of young players.

“They’ll look at them and go: ‘We have got back up. It’s an opportunity for them to shine again.'”

The verdict

Philogene-Bidace has been directly involved in eight goals (scoring five and assisting three more) in 18 appearances at Premier League 2 level, and Smith has now deemed him ‘capable of competing’ in the men’s top-flight.

He’s still a little way down the pecking order, and Villa face two of the trickiest away fixtures before the break, travelling first to Manchester United and then to Spurs.

Will Smith look to him to inspire the team if they’re trailing? It may be a little early for that, but what a show of faith it would be.

In other news, fans react to images that have surfaced pre-United. 

Celtic right-back Josip Juranovic has been ruled out for a couple of weeks with a hamstring injury, Alison Conroy reports.

The Lowdown: Juranovic under Postecoglou

Juranovic was one of 12 summer signings by the Hoops, costing £2.7m from Legia Warsaw. Ange Postecoglou believed that the 26-year-old would add ‘important quality’ to the Celtic squad, and he has used Juranovic at right-back and left-back in recent weeks.

He turned out as a right midfielder for his previous employers at the beginning of the season and suffered a knock in Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Dundee United.

The Latest: Sidelined

Postecoglou was talking to the media on Wednesday ahead of Celtic’s Europa League clash with Bayer Leverkusen.

He admitted that Juranovic will be out for “a couple of weeks†with a hamstring injury, with Conroy relaying the news via Twitter.

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The Verdict: Another one…

Celtic’s injury list has been mounting up recently, and Juranovic is the latest man to be ruled out.

However, it could have been worse timing for Postecoglou and the Hoops, with international action set to take centre stage following this weekend’s clash with Aberdeen.

Celtic’s next game after the trip to Pittodrie isn’t until October 16, so hopefully a number of absentees will be in line for a return by then.

In other news: Journalist hints 43-cap free-agent for possible Celtic move.Â

Rangers chief Ross Wilson could face a difficult decision in the January transfer window over the future of Alfredo Morelos.

Last month, the Colombian admitted that he is eyeing up an exit from Ibrox after he failed to secure a transfer in the summer window, despite interest from Porto.

He said: “I am calm and I am a young player, I hope that soon the opportunity to leave will be given.

“Here at Rangers I have already been champion, I have made history and we hope that it will happen; the opportunity to come out in the best way.”

This suggests that Rangers could need to go into the market to find a replacement for Morelos in forthcoming transfer windows, potentially in January, if a club comes in with a serious offer for him. His comments intimate that he will be desperate to explore an opportunity to leave if one arises, and that could result in Wilson needing to cash in on him rather than keeping a potentially disruptive influence in the dressing room.

The Colombia international has enjoyed a terrific spell with the Scottish giants and proven himself to be a reliable goalscorer. To date, he has 99 goals and 45 assists in 196 competitive matches for Rangers, which means that he has been directly involved in a goal for the club in every 1.36 games.

Steven Gerrard could make a key decision which could save Wilson from splashing out millions in the transfer market. He could unearth Morelos 2.0 by unleashing 19-year-old academy striker Juan Alegria, who joined from FC Honka in the summer.

Former Gers defender Alan Hutton claimed that Rangers see Alegria as a ‘big talent’ and has put his faith in the club’s scouting system.

He said: “I think we all know that the scouting system has worked well at Rangers so they obviously see a promising, big talent and he’s only 18 so it’s going to be one to bring in and develop within the squad.

“He sounds a decent prospect and I trust the Rangers scouting team because they’ve done so well in the past. It’s not been bad so far so we’ll have to back them.”

The teenager scored seven goals in 28 matches for Honka’s senior and youth teams, with 24 of his appearances coming in the senior squad. He is also a Colombian youth international, which also highlights his potential as a player, while he has followed in the footsteps of compatriot Morelos by swapping Finland for Ibrox.

Therefore, Gerrard could potentially save millions in the transfer market by replacing the 25-year-old with his fellow countryman. He could unleash Alegria in the first team and develop him into a natural replacement for Morelos, which would mean that Rangers do not need to invest a sizeable fee in bring in a new signing to take the latter’s place.

AND in other news, Gerrard masterclass: “Special” Rangers beast has seen his value soar 1,233% since 2019…

With Southampton having scored just six goals in their opening eight Premier League games of the season, it’s safe to say Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have not been in the best attacking form so far in this campaign.

One attacking player that is making a difference away from Southampton is 20-year-old left-midfielder Will Ferry, who is currently on a loan deal from the Saints with League Two club Crawley Town.

Ferry joined Southampton’s U18 side from Bury’s U18s back in the 2017 summer transfer window for an undisclosed fee.

Since then, Ferry has featured in 23 matches for Southampton U18s where he has managed to score seven goals and provide nine assists along the way.

The player has also managed to make 33 appearances for Southampton’s B team, netting five and assisting on seven occasions but has yet to make his senior debut for the Saints.

During his time with Crawley, Ferry has managed to score one goal and provide three assists in ten outings for the club so far this season across all competitions, getting plenty of minutes under his belt which should be very pleasing for Hasenhuttl and the supporters.

In addition to this, Ferry has racked up an average of 1.4 shots per game in League Two as well as 1.3 key passes per game, showing just how much of an attacking threat he has been for the club since his arrival at Crawley.

He’s certainly delivering on the immense promise that made Crawley pounce on his temporary signature with their CEO, Erdem Konyar, saying in August: “Will is an exciting young player.”

Moving forward, if Ferry can keep playing regularly for Crawley until the end of his loan spell and keep adding some more goals and assists to his tally, we feel he could definitely be in contention to eventually make his senior debut for the Saints when he returns at some point.

Given the age of some of Southampton’s current wingers such as Theo Walcott (32) and Nathan Redmond (27), there’s every possibility that Ferry could well be a regular first-team player for the Saints in the future alongside the likes of Nathan Tella and Moussa Djenepo. With that many options on the flanks, however, the boss would have an undoubted dilemma as to who to select.

The Irishman is some way off being Premier League ready but his potential and star qualities lower down the leagues is standing him in good stead.

In other news: Forget JWP: Saints must unleash “aggressive” 22 y/o on Sat, he could terrify Burnley – opinion

In terms of incoming transfers, Liverpool were not very busy during the previous summer window, only managing to bring in defender Ibrahima Konate, with a number of players leaving the club.

However, even before the upcoming January transfer market, it seems as though the Reds are already eyeing up potential deals they could make in the next summer window.

What’s the news? 

According to Spanish media outlet RAC1 (via Liverpool Echo) the Merseyside club are interested in signing Inter Milan midfielder Marcelo Brozovic.

That’s if he fails to renew his current contract at the Italian club by the time it expires next summer when the Reds could sign him on a free transfer.

Extra quality

Inter originally signed Brozovic on a loan deal from Dinamo Zagreb back in the 2015 January transfer window before securing him on a permanent basis in the 2016 summer window.

Overall, the 28-year-old, who is currently valued at £36m according to Transfermarkt, has made a total of 252 appearances for the reigning Serie A champions, scoring 25 goals and providing 34 assists along the way. With that in mind, it’s hardly surprising that he was described as a player of “incredible quality” by Roberto Mancini.

So far this season, Brozovic has played in all of Inter’s eight league games in which he has managed to rack up an average of 1.8 tackles per game, 1.1 clearances per game, an impressive passing accuracy percentage of 92% as well as one key pass per game, showing how well-rounded the player is in defence and attack.

In terms of a potential move to Liverpool, we feel that if the Merseyside club were able to sign him on a free transfer next summer, this could be a great bit of business. It would nearly mirror their move for Thiago Alcantara back in the 2020 summer transfer window as an experienced and technical midfielder in his peak years moved to Anfield.

Speaking of Thiago, we feel that the idea of him and Brozovic linking up for Jurgen Klopp’s side could be something that would excite a lot of Liverpool fans and give the team a different dynamic to the likes of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson who may not be as attack-minded as the aforementioned stars in terms of creativity and their technical ability.

Specifically, Brozovic has a higher creativity rating (76) than both Fabinho (51) and Henderson (68) according to SofaScore, with Thiago’s standing at 74, much closer to Brozovic’s.

Moving forward, we feel that Brozovic’s situation at Inter is something Liverpool should be monitoring to see if they could eventually identify an opportunity for them to sign the player on a free transfer in the summer.

In other news: Liverpool dealt big injury blow ahead of Atletico clash, Klopp will be gutted – opinion

Leeds United are unlikely to change their stance on Harry Winks after turning down a move for the midfielder this summer, according to the reliable Phil Hay for The Athletic.

The Lowdown: Leeds turn down Winks move

The Whites completed a few pieces of transfer business in the summer but one player they didn’t sign was Winks, who remained at Tottenham instead.

It is believed that Leeds had the opportunity to snap up the 25-year-old but opted against the idea, with Marcelo Bielsa seemingly not seeing him as the right fit.

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The Latest: Hay provides update

Speaking in a Q&A for The Athletic after Leeds’ 1-1 draw at home to Wolves on Saturday, Hay gave an update on the situation, admitting that he doesn’t see the club changing their stance on Winks.

In response to a supporter’s query as to whether the Whites could be interested in a January move for the midfielder, the journalist replied: “He was offered to Leeds in the summer, I was told, but Leeds didn’t want him. I’d be surprised if that’s changed.”

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The Verdict: Not worth it

Winks is a capable midfielder but he has flattered to deceive for Spurs for a while now, appearing in the Premier League for just 61 minutes so far this season and failing to convince with his performances.

Given the fact that he is English, his transfer fee could also be bloated, and Leeds should be looking at superior players in the middle of the park, even if former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino once claimed that Winks was a ‘perfect’ midfielder.

If he were to come in as a replacement for Kalvin Phillips, for example, it would feel like a huge step down in quality – Winks averaged a 6.37 match rating in last season’s Premier League from WhoScored, compared to 6.51 for the Leeds maestro, whose rating has risen to a massive 7.93 this term.

In other news, three players disappointed in Leeds’ 1-1 draw with Wolves. Find out who they are here.

The Athletic journalist Phil Hay has praised match-winner Rodrigo’s improved performance in Leeds United’s vital 2-1 win away to Norwich City.

The Lowdown: Massive win for Leeds

The Whites faced a huge game at the bottom end of the Premier League on Sunday, but they prevailed to secure a much-needed three points.

It wasn’t a classic at Carrow Road, but goals from Raphinha and Rodrigo helped Marcelo Bielsa’s side to climb out of the relegation zone.

After the late draw at home to Wolves and now a crucial away win, the hope is that Leeds may slowly be turning a corner after a poor start to the season.

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The Latest: Hay praises Rodrigo

It was Rodrigo who fired home the winner on Sunday, finding the net from distance as he bagged his second league goal of the campaign. His ball distribution was also on point, completing 24 of his 28 passes, while he also won five duels and had three shots in total (SofaScore).

Taking to Twitter after the game, Hay spoke positively about the Spaniard with the seven-word verdict of: “Rodrigo got better as that went on.”

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The Verdict: Still need more from Rodrigo

It was a key contribution from Rodrigo, who now has two goals in as many league outings, but there is still a feeling that more is required from him, having been described as a ‘huge’ player by Hay in the past.

The 30-year-old is the club’s record signing but is yet to perform like it overall, with two goals in 12 appearances still a disappointing return so far this season.

With Patrick Bamford out injured, it is vital that Rodrigo continues to steps up to the plate in the coming weeks, justifying his price tag in the process. More performances like yesterday’s should help.

In other news, three Leeds players struggled despite the eventual win over Norwich. Find out who they are here.