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West Ham United play one of the biggest games in their history this evening – their first European final since 1976 will take place when they face Fiorentina in Prague.

The Europa Conference League has been an important source of distraction and confidence during a troubled domestic season.

The Hammers ended the term with inconsistent results, winning four and losing as many in the final eight games of the campaign.

However, most importantly, this run included two vital victories of AZ Alkmaar to ensure progression to the final hurdle.

David Moyes and his squad know there is no room for error and complacency – so after naming a rotated side against Leicester City in the previous game, the Scotsman is expected to revert to his strongest lineup.

How will West Ham line up against Fiorentina?

There could be as many as four changes from the 2-1 defeat to the Foxes.

In goal, Alphonse Areola has started every game in this competition, keeping six clean sheets in 12 outings, and will take over from Lukasz Fabianski.

The centre-back pairing is expected to be Nayef Aguerd and Kurt Zouma, as the former Chelsea ace will replace Vladimir Coufal in a reshuffled backline. The Frenchman has the highest average Sofascore rating (6.68) of any Hammers defender this season and his European experience could be crucial this evening.

This alteration will see Thilo Kehrer move across to right-back instead of Coufal, where the former Paris-Saint Germain man has performed admirably in recent weeks. Aaron Cresswell will retain his place at left-back.

Unsurprisingly, club captain Declan Rice will begin the encounter in what is likely to be his final appearance for the Irons, amid reports that he will join a Champions League outfit this summer.

The third change will see Tomas Soucek come in for Flynn Downes. The 6 foot 4 titan has made 49 appearances this season and is one of Moyes’ most trusted assets, even if he has been "woeful" at times, as per talkSPORT's Tom Rennie.

The ridiculously talented Lucas Paqueta will start behind the striker. The Brazilian has flourished in recent weeks, notably bagging an assist against Leeds, and his intricate creativity could be vital.

The reliable pairing of Said Benrahma and Jarrod Bowen will start on the wings. The latter was rested in the recent loss to Leicester but is Moyes’ preferred option to the "unbelievable" Pablo Fornals, as described by the Independent's Karl Matchett.

The £50k-per-week Spaniard is likely to still be involved in some capacity off the bench, especially after netting the winner in the away victory over AZ Alkmaar in the semi-final second leg.

Whilst Michail Antonio, who is the club’s top scorer (13) in all competitions this season, will keep his spot up top.

Predicted West Ham XI (4-2-3-1): Areola; Kehrer, Zouma, Aguerd, Cresswell; Rice; Soucek; Bowen, Paqueta, Benrahma; Antonio.

Leeds United will make a "big play" to keep hold of key midfielder Tyler Adams this summer, according to reliable journalist Graham Smyth.

Is Adams leaving Leeds?

While the Whites have had a miserable 2022/23 season in the Premier League, suffering relegation to the Championship, the £57,000-a-week American stood out as one of the few positives to take from the campaign.

Adams was an influential part of Leeds' midfield from the moment he arrived from RB Leipzig last summer, starting 24 league games and averaging a huge 3.7 tackle per match, proving to be a tenacious presence. Unfortunately, an injury ended his season prematurely – his last appearance came on March 11th – and the Whites missed him badly during the relegation run-in.

The 24-year-old could well look to move away from Elland Road in the next few months, in order to avoid playing second-tier football in 2023/24, but a positive update has emerged regarding his future.

Could Whites persuade Adams to stay put?

Speaking in a Q&A for the Yorkshire Evening Post, Smyth said that Leeds are going to do all they can to retain Adams' services beyond the summer transfer window, as well as defender Max Wober's:

"I expect 49ers Enterprises to make a big play to try and keep both men and probably Max Wober too. It’s not really in their power to stop them if something too-good-to-be-true comes along, though.

"I would argue the most important thing is to determine the wishes of both players nice and early. What you don’t want is to build a summer recruitment plan around them and then suddenly face losing them late in the window."

This is certainly an encouraging update, showing that Leeds are not willing to leave Adams depart without a fight, although the decision may ultimately rest with the player himself as Smyth suggests.

If he demands to leave, it is pointless trying to keep hold of an unhappy player, with the Whites receiving good money for him and using it wisely to sign a strong replacement. That being said, the hope is that the 36-time capped USA international believes Leeds will only be in the Championship for one year, and that he can help lead them back into the Premier League in no time at all.

Should that happen, it would be a huge moment immediately enhancing the Whites' chances of securing automatic promotion back to the top flight, considering he has been described as a "menace" by former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock.

أعلنت رابطة الأندية الإنجليزية المحترفة “EFL”، عن الفائز بجائزة رجل مباراة ليفربول وتشيلسي في نهائي كأس رابطة الأندية الإنجليزية.

وواجه ليفربول نظيره تشيلسي، في إطار منافسات نهائي مسابقة كأس الرابطة للأندية الإنجليزية “الكاراباو” على ملعب “ويمبلي” في العاصمة الإنجليزية “لندن”.

وبهذا الفوز، نجح ليفربول في تحقيق اللقب العاشر له في مسابقة كأس رابطة الأندية الإنجليزية كأكثر الأندية تتويجًا باللقب.

اقرأ أيضاً.. بالفيديو | ليفربول يفوز بكأس رابطة الأندية الإنجليزية بهدف قاتل من فان دايك أمام تشيلسي

وحصل الهولندي فيرجيل فان دايك قائد ليفربول، على جائزة رجل المباراة النهائية من رابطة الأندية الإنجليزية المحترفة.

وسجل فان دايك هدفًا قاتلاً في مباراة ليفربول وتشيلسي، في الوقت الإضافي الثاني، وحقق تمريرات ناجحة بنسبة 92%.

A roundup of the second day’s action at ICC World Cricket League Division Four in Los Angeles

Peter Della Penna in Los Angeles 31-Oct-2016

USA preserved their perfect start to WCL Division Four with a tense one-wicket win over Italy in a match that was reduced to 41 overs a side due to rain. Timroy Allen was named Man of the Match for his vital 53 off 27 balls at No. 7, which rescued USA after they were 107 for 5 in their chase of 186.Allen struck four fours and two sixes and teamed with Elmore Hutchinson to add 46 for the eighth wicket – USA’s best partnership of the match – before falling in the 35th over with nine still needed to win. Allen was dismissed by left-arm seamer Luis di Giglio. Hutchinson was also caught behind off di Giglio two overs later to force last man Danial Ahmed into the fray with two runs still required.The 37th over ended with two dot balls and and No. 10 Jessy Singh took a single to third man off the first ball of the 38th, from Gian Meade, to level the scores. Ahmed then guided the next ball to short third man and a frantic single clinched victory for the hosts. It was a moment of redemption for Ahmed after he conceded 18 runs in his only over of the day.Italy elected to bat first on an overcast morning and rain then caused a 30-minute delay to the start of play and curtailed the match to 46 overs a side. Allen had bowled only one delivery before the rain returned and play was delayed for 45 minutes, causing the overs to be cut down to 41.USA’s pace bowlers struggled to grip the wet ball but USA added to their troubles by missing six chances in the field. Italy’s openers Manpreet Singh and Supun Tharanga got a reprieve each when they were on 5 and 1 respectively. Tharanga’s was the easier of the two chances, spilled at second slip by Alex Amsterdam off Hutchinson in the sixth over. Both batsmen went on to make half-centuries and put together a 118-run opening stand.The partnership showed no signs of slowing down but was broken due to a blunder by the batting pair, which arguably cost Italy the match. Manpreet flicked a single off Timil Patel to deep midwicket to bring up his fifty in the 26th over and, in their excitement to celebrate the milestone, both batsmen left their crease to meet at the centre of the pitch. However, Jessy Singh had not yet collected the ball running in from the boundary, let alone relay it in to the wicketkeeper Akeem Dodson. The bails were taken off by Dodson and USA appealed. After a lengthy discussion to confirm the ball was still live, umpire Iftikhar Ali raised his finger to rule Tharanga out for 52.It was the catalyst USA needed to slow down Italy’s progress and three balls later Manpreet top-edged a pull off Amsterdam’s part-time offspin to be caught at midwicket by Allen for 50. Italy struggled to regain momentum as Allen took 1 for 16 bowling five overs of offspin after going wicketless in three overs of medium-pace with the new ball.Oman survived a scare from Bermuda before prevailing by four wickets at Severn Cricket Field. Following their loss to USA in the first match, Bermuda shook up their batting order, promoting Kamau Leverock and Dean Minors as openers after they were asked to bat in a match reduced to 40 overs a side. The move had the desired effect as Leverock left Oman shellshocked by racing to 30 off 18 balls in the first five overs to take the score to 40 for 0.Leverock eventually made 47 off 37 balls before the opening partnership of 72 was broken by Mohammad Nadeem in the 13th over. Once Leverock fell, Bermuda added 101 runs to their score in 27.2 overs and were kept in check by legspinner Khawar Ali’s 4 for 25, which limited them to a score of 173 for 9.The Oman chase got off to a shaky start as both openers fell within the first three overs to make it 15 for 2. Midway through the chase, Oman lost two wickets in the space of three balls – Saturday’s Man-of-the-Match Swapnil Khadye was run out by Leverock’s relay throw for 24 and Ajay Lalcheta fell for a golden duck in the next over – and found themselves at 70 for 5.Jatinder Singh held his nerve to score an unbeaten 68 off 52. His unbeaten 55-run seventh-wicket stand with Amir Ali helped get Oman over the line with six overs to spare.Denmark, too, were unbeaten after recording a six-wicket win over Jersey in another match reduced to 40 overs after morning rain. Denmark sent Jersey in to bat at the toss and bowled them out for 158 in 36.4 overs. Offspinner Bashir Shah wiped out Jersey’s top order, taking four of the first five wickets, to finish with his second successive four-for.Anthony Hawkins-Kay top-scored with 35 at No. 6 for Jersey and dismissed Freddie Klokker for 9 at the start of Denmark’s chase but Denmark cruised through the rest of the innings. Man-of-the-Match Saif Ahmad struck an unbeaten 67 and added 83 for the third wicket with Hamid Shah to take their side to within 17 runs of victory. Ben Kynman broken the stand and then added Michael Pedersen to his haul of 3 for 45 but lacked support from the rest of the attack as Denmark achieved victory with 7.5 overs to spare.The tournament will resume on Tuesday after a rest day on Monday. USA and Oman will clash at Wright Cricket Field while Denmark will take on winless Bermuda at Wong Cricket Field. Italy and Jersey will square off at Severn Cricket Field with both sides seeking their first win, while the loser will be in danger of relegation.

Newcastle United are in an unlikely position of power. The Magpies can finally offer Champions League football. This makes the pool of players within their grasp wider, brimming with more quality.

The club must now work to forge a deeper, younger, whilst avoiding any engagement with FFP and maintaining the tremendous harmony within the dressing room.

Last summer, Eddie Howe splashed around £118m, and it’s estimated that a similar budget of between £100m-£150m will be available this window.

Newcastle’s transfer strategy is geared around a “collective approach”, guided by Howe’s “specific requirements.”

One player who fits within this approach is Dominik Szoboszlai.

What’s the latest on Dominik Szoboszlai to Newcastle?

According to The Athletic, the Magpies have a 'longstanding interest' and he remains on the shortlist.

However, it's also been confirmed that nothing is 'particularly imminent' at this stage.

How would Dominik Szoboszlai fit in at Newcastle?

The 22-year-old has enjoyed a ridiculously productive season and has been of one RB Leipzig’s brightest sparks.

Across 46 appearances in all competitions, the Hungarian has scored 10 goals and crafted 13 assists, which equates to a contribution every two games.

He has been his side’s chief creator and an indispensable component of their offensive phases of play as he averaged 2.3 key passes and 1.7 dribbles per game, the highest for both metrics in the squad, as per WhoScored.

Jesse Marsch has eulogised over his unbelievable quality and limitless potential, saying: “Certainly his greatest gift is his right foot, he can put the ball where he wants to.

“He’s very fit; so whatever the physical demands you put on him, he can meet those demands because he’s fit, he’s strong, he’s fast, he’s athletic.

“The more he can tilt himself to being active and intensive and sprinting, he has the potential to be one of the top No 10s in the world, there’s no question. The combination of his vision, his technical ability, his athletic ability, and his personality means there aren’t many players that can dominate games from that position the way that he can.”

Indeed, his obvious talent has earned comparisons to the imperious Bruno Fernandes, according to FBref.

Both are the innovative nucleus’ of their respective team and their statistics rank formidably across the continent.

The playmakers sit within the top 13% in Europe’s top five leagues among their positional peers for progressive passes per 90, as well as the best 9% for shot-creating actions per 90.

Similarly to Marsch’s reference to Szoboszlai’s striking ability, Fernandes possesses a vicious right foot, but also a formidable ability to find his teammates as the Portuguese created the most big chances (32) of any player in the Premier League.

Hailed as a “magician” by Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig, the £69k-per-week man would be a phenomenal addition to English football and could emulate the untameable form that Fernandes has exhibited since his move to Old Trafford.

يلاقي فريق ليفربول نظيره ساوثهامبتون، في إطار منافسات مسابقة كأس الاتحاد الإنجليزي “FA CUP” عن مواجهات دور الـ16.

وسيخوض ليفربول مواجهة اليوم أمام ساوثهامبتون على ملعب “أنفيلد”، في تمام العاشرة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة.

اقرأ ايضاً.. ليفربول يتخذ أول خطوة للتعاقد مع تشابي ألونسو

وشهدت قائمة ليفربول اليوم أمام ساوثهامبتون غياب الدولي المصري، محمد صلاح، بسبب الإصابة بجانب كل من، داروين نونيز ودومينيك سوبوسلاي. تشكيل ليفربول اليوم أمام ساوثهامبتون في كأس الاتحاد الإنجليزي

حراسة المرمى: كيليهر.

خط الدفاع: جوميز، فان دايك، كوانساه، تسيميكاس.

خط الوسط: كلارك، إيليوت، ماكونيل، برادلي.

خط الهجوم: كوماس، جاكبو. بدلاء ليفربول اليوم أمام ساوثهامبتون

أدريان – كوناتي – لويس دياز – ماك أليستر – سكانلون – جوردون – نالو – دانس – نيوني.

Here’s how we line up to face Southampton tonight 👊#EmiratesFACup | #LIVSOU — Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 28, 2024

It was hard to avoid a sense of deja-vu as Alastair Cook accepted that England’s batting had let them down in Mohali

George Dobell in Mohali29-Nov-2016

It was hard to avoid a sense of deja-vu as Alastair Cook accepted that England’s batting had let them down in Mohali.He was quite right, of course. By failing to take advantage of winning the toss here, England surrendered their best opportunity to control the game. On a surface that Cook described as “400 par” – and it was at least that – England instead succumbed to 283 all out and surrendered the pitch at its best to an India side who were determined to utilise it.Whereas four England batsmen had scored centuries (three in the first innings, one in the second) on what Cook described as a similar surface in Rajkot, here Jonny Bairstow was the only man to make 50 in the first innings.”You need a big score on a wicket like that,” Cook said, “and we weren’t good enough to make one. Jonny Bairstow made a good 80, but we need hundreds. The pitch wasn’t too different to Rajkot, maybe slightly harder to score on, but it was 400 par and we were below it. We just weren’t good enough.”While Cook’s candour is welcome, England have now lost four of their most recent six Tests with batting failures a recurring theme. If the collapses in Dhaka (where they lost 10 wickets for 63 runs) and Visakhapatnam (where they lost 10 for 63) were especially eye-catching, the batting at The Oval (England were 110 for 5 on the first day having won the toss) and here (where they were 87 for 4 before lunch on the first day) was equally culpable.And while they seem to have found the answer to their problem at the top of the order in Haseeb Hameed, Moeen Ali was not convincing at No. 4 (or No. 3 in the second innings) and Hameed is now unavailable for the rest of the series. Moeen and Jos Buttler both picked out the fielder after trying to hit over the top in the second innings – victims of good bowling, for sure, but also a lack of patience – underlining the suspicion that England were still trying to find a way to blend their naturally positive approach with the discipline required for Test cricket.Their struggles against spin are familiar, too. While the pitches in this series have deteriorated and turned a little, there has been none of the extravagant assistance that some anticipated. Instead, on perfectly reasonable surfaces, England have struggled to deal with an accurate, disciplined spin attack who have exposed some flawed techniques and uncertain temperaments.Cook was criticised for his “they’re no supermen” comments after the Visag Test (some even suggested he was “taunting” India), but he came very close to repeating those remarks here.”There were not magic balls,” he said of England’s second innings struggle. “Maybe Jonny Bairstow was the only one that was a good piece of bowling, but apart from that there wasn’t a huge amount misbehaving from the pitch. It was good accurate bowling, as you expect from India in these conditions, but not unplayable. You can talk all you want but the top order have to go and deliver.”While the phrase “the only one that was a good piece of bowling” in unfortunate – and almost certainly a reflection of a lack of eloquence more than a lack of grace – there is a valid point in there somewhere. Cook, for example, missed a 46 mph delivery that turned about one degree. Moeen and Buttler fell to sucker punches. It was soft cricket that was thrown into its proper perspective by a 19-year-old with a badly broken finger. His teammates were, quite rightly, proud of his performance: one or two of them might have felt it contrasted with their own.Ultimately, professional players have to take responsibility for the way they play. They have to make their choices and live by the results. But these are the times that coaches also earn their keep and there have been times of late when it has been unclear what England’s approach is meant to be: are they blocking their way to safety – as they attempted in Visag – or trying to counter-attack to success, as they showed, in fits and starts, here. Both options are reasonable, but a lack of confidence in their defence has been a feature of several of these batting failures. England have usually preferred aggressive players to defensive ones – consider the selections of Ben Duckett, for example – and here picked an excellent limited-overs players (Buttler) who had played just one first-class game in the previous year. There is not a lot of evidence to suggest this aggressive approach is working.Perhaps the brief holiday they will have now is well-timed. Several of the squad will travel to Dubai for a few days, with no formal training planned. “It will mentally give us a break from cricket,” Cook said. “We can come back more refreshed.”Cook also admitted England may have erred in their selection for Mohali. The presence of a third spinner – and a second off-spinner, in particular – was superfluous, with Cook suggesting the option of a fourth seamer would have been more beneficial.”All of us probably misread the pitch,” Cook said. “we thought it was dry and would spin more. If we had known what we do now, we would have gone four seamers two spinners. The seamers were always in the game with reverse and the way we bash length, we can control the scoring rate very well.”That does not necessarily mean that England will play four seamers in Mumbai. As well as injury concerns over seamers Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes, England hope to have Zafar Ansari, the left-arm spinner, available for selection again and expect that surface may provide more assistance to spinners. The last time England played a Test there, in 2012, Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann shared 19 wickets between them.

Burnley are interested in the services of promising centre-half Soumaila Coulibaly, per reports.

Burenly transfer news – Soumaila Coulibaly

According to Football Insider, the Clarets have submitted a loan offer for Borussia Dortmund's exciting central defensive prospect Soumaila Coulibaly as a potential replacement for the departing Taylor Harwood-Bellis at Turf Moor.

The publication reports that Burnley boss Vincent Kompany is a 'big admirer' of the 19-year-old, and the Lancashire club are 'in talks' with BVB over what would be best for the youngster's development.

The former Paris Saint-Germain gem is held in high regard at the Westfalenstadion following a successful spell with the club's reserve team.

However, a disastrous debut for the senior side in the Bundesliga has hurt his image somewhat, and so with three years left on his deal with the famous Black and Yellow, a loan could be a great option for all sides.

Would Soumaila Coulibaly be a good replacement for Taylor Harwood-Bellis?

The departure of Harwood-Bellis back to his parent club Manchester City is a real problem for Kompany's team.

He made 32 appearances in the Championship last season and, according to WhoScored, averaged an impressive rating of 7.07.

The Belgian is clearly one of his biggest fans, telling Lancashire Live:

"He really has an outstanding attitude, and he's got good habits of high-level professionals. His level is for everyone to see. I had him when he was at Anderlecht, and he's a better player now.

"The player he is now today, give him another year or two, he's going to be a much-improved player again because he has the right attitude. We're excited to be a part of his development."

That said, Coulibaly looks to have the attributes required to replace the returning City loanee well.

For a start, both players share a physical profile, with the Englishman coming in at 6 foot 2 and his potential replacement at 6 foot 3; their weights are also only 1kg apart at 82kg and 81kg, respectively, per Eurosport.

It's this 'imposing' build that has led to comparisons with the immensely talented Dayot Upamecano, and if that is the calibre of player he is already being likened to at just 19 years old, he could have a massive future ahead of him.

It's not just his physique that has led to that comparison however, he has also shown himself to be a good ball-playing centre-half, despite his limited minutes.

According to FBref, the Dortmund man produced 12.9 progressive passes per 90 last year, more than any Burnley player in the Championship.

The Championship winners also look to have already secured the perfect partner for Coulibaly with the permanent signing of Jordan Beyer, another promising youngster from the German topflight who spent the season on loan with the club last year.

With Beyer favouring his right foot and Coulibaly favouring his left, the club could have an incredibly balanced and exciting defence going into their Premier League campaign.

The only problem could come from the German runners-up not wanting to let him go on a permanent should he have a good season, as they described him as 'one of the most promising players.'

His manager at the Signal Iduna Park, Edin Terzic, also looks to be a fan, claiming: "He's been getting better and better and finding consistency."

There is a small element of risk in bringing in Coulibaly as a replacement for the consistent Harwood-Bellis, but based on what people have said about the player and his profile, there seems to be so much more upside to this deal.

اختتم الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي الزمالك، بقيادة البرتغالي جوزيه جوميز، تدريباته مساء اليوم الخميس، على ملعب أكاديمية المهد الرياضية، بمدينة الرياض بالمملكة العربية السعودية، استعداداً لمواجهة الأهلي المقبلة في نهائي كأس مصر.

وخاض لاعبو الزمالك، فقرة تأهيلية في بداية المران، من خلال أداء بعض التدريبات المتنوعة تحت قيادة جواوو ميجيل مدرب الأحمال بالفريق.

وأدى لاعبو الفريق فقرة خططية تحت إشراف البرتغالي جوزيه جوميز، تم خلالها شرح بعض الأفكار الخططية قبل مواجهة الأهلي في نهائي كأس مصر.

وفي نهاية المران، خاض الفريق تقسيمة فنية خفيفة، في جزء من الملعب لمدة دقائق معدودة، شهدت تطبيق الأفكار الخططية التي تم التدريب عليها.

إقرأ أيضًا..الأهلي والزمالك يصطدمان في نهائي كأس مصر بحثًا عن اللقب الفاصل

وشهد المران الختامي، حضور الكابتن حسين لبيب رئيس مجلس إدارة النادي، وهشام نصر نائب الرئيس، ورئيس البعثة بالمملكة العربية السعودية، وكذلك أحمد سليمان عضو مجلس الإدارة والمشرف على الكرة، حيث اطمأنوا من عبد الواحد السيد مدير الكرة على كافة الترتيبات النهائية الخاصة بالفريق استعداداً للقاء الأهلي غداً الجمعة.

ومن المقرر، أن يلتقي الزمالك مع الأهلي غداً الجمعة، على ملعب “الأول بارك” بالرياض، في تمام السابعة والنصف مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، الثامنة والنصف مساءً بتوقيت السعودية، في نهائي مسابقة كأس مصر. قائمة الزمالك لخوض نهائي كأس مصر

حراسة المرمى : محمد عواد – محمد صبحي – معاذ علاء الدين.

خط الدفاع : حمزة المثلوثي – عمر جابر – محمود علاء – حسام عبدالمجيد – مصطفى الزناري – أحمد فتوح – سيد عبدالله “نيمار”.

خط الوسط : نبيل عماد دونجا – محمد أشرف “روقا” – محمد شحاتة – أحمد حمدي – ناصر ماهر – عبد الله السعيد – أحمد مصطفى “زيزو” – محمود عبد الرازق “شيكابالا” – مصطفى شلبي -يوسف أوباما.

خط الهجوم: سيف الدين الجزيري – ناصر منسي – سامسون أكينولا.

Newcastle United look set for another transfer battle this summer, with reports claiming that Marc Guehi is a target for both the Magpies and Arsenal, with both clubs ready to splash the cash for him.

How many games did Marc Guehi play this season?

Eddie Howe's side look set to bring in AC Milan midfielder Sandro Tonali, with a €70m agreement reached with AC Milan, and it now looks as if they are eyeing a move for Guehi.

Having joined Crystal Palace back in 2021 on a permanent basis from Chelsea, the defender has been able to thrive in a regular home with the club. He played 36 times during his first campaign with the Eagles and then managed a further 37 games in the 2022/23 season – only missing one fixture in the entire Premier League season. It means that the 22-year-old has already racked up 73 league outings at Selhurst Park and has become a key player in their team.

Even more impressive is how much the youngster impresses when compared to others in his position amongst the Men's 'Top Five' big leagues in Europe too. Guehi actually has a rate of 0.38 successful take-ons, which puts him in the top 19 percent in that area and he also has a tendency to enjoy playing out from the back and having the ball at his feet too, as showcased by his rate of 59.69 passes attempted per 90. That rate puts him in the top 30 percent in that category too, above the average. The Crystal Palace man appears to be a modern-day ball-playing defender – and that has led to interest from elsewhere in the player's signature.

Are Newcastle United interested in signing Marc Guehi?

According to a report from The Sun (via The Boot Room), Newcastle, and by extension owners PIF, are keen to try and bring in the defender and are prepared to kick on their interest in Guehi. It states that they are also ready to stump up a large amount of money to try and tempt Palace into business, with the Toon eyeing a £45m offer.

It's almost double what the Eagles originally paid Chelsea for him, so would be a tempting proposition. However, it is suggested that the club would actually want around £50m to consider any bid for the centre-back.

Newcastle then, if they are indeed getting serious about signing him, may have to fork out the extra cash to get a deal agreed. In addition, Arsenal are also contemplating a bid for his services – so the Magpies may face a battle to sign the defender.

Guehi, who shares the same agency as Anthony Gordon and Callum Wilson, is already very highly regarded in the game, with those who have watched him praising the defender for his efforts at the back.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig for example, having watched him in action against Man City previously, highlighted how superb he had been and simply wrote "beast mode" to describe the player.

It shows how excellent he is at the back already and if Newcastle want to kick on and challenge on all fronts next season, signing someone like Guehi – if they can get him – could be a good bit of business by the club.