When you go shopping for a gift for Mother’s Day this week, I am sure you will put some thought into it, and get her something that you think she’ll like, appreciate and get some use out of.

If she is a fan of romance movies, she’d love it if you bought her a blu-ray of the Fifty Shades trilogy, Titanic or Doctor Zhivago. All movies that a romantic would love, but from vastly different eras.

Football is the same. When considering what you should buy for the fans, an owner should be thinking: who would the fans like enough to keep attending matches?; What type of player would they appreciate pulling on the jersey?; Who could we get the best out of and could win us games?

The answer to these questions does not always fall into a particular blueprint. Some will be exciting youngsters, others will be experienced professionals.

But at Newcastle United, those questions seem somewhat irrelevant. Particularly, it seems, in the case of current loan striker Salomón Rondón.

The Daily Star reports that Mike Ashley is set to torpedo a deal to sign the Venezuelan international at the end of the season because he is 29-years-old, and in the controversial owner’s mind, that is too old.

Forget the fact that he has been in the form of his life this season. Forget too that his goals are the reason that the Magpies look set to secure Premier League survival. Forget, also, that his failure to stay at Newcastle is likely to see him end up at a top flight rival.

Those facts seem to mean nothing to the high street mogul. Because if they’re not under-25, they’re not worth it.

It is a short-sighted view, despite his insistence that it is a long-term strategy.

It is misguided, and destined to fail. The enthusiasm of youth is a fantastic commodity to have at a club — but it must be mixed with experience.

Without someone with the guile and nous of what it takes to succeed at the highest level, how are those youngsters going to hone their talent, discover the tricks, or hear the words of wisdom, that the older pros can offer them?

Rafa Benitez knows this, which is why he wants full control over incoming transfers at St James’ Park. He knows what the experienced players can do to benefit a club — off the field as well as on it.

It is why Newcastle should do everything to keep Rondón at the club.

Getting value for money does not always mean developing a player to increase his value when he reached his peak, as Ashley thinks.

It means having a player who can be a role-model for the younger ones through his performances on the pitch. Someone who can be a voice in the dressing room to encourage them when things are not going well. Who can teach and guide them in training.

That is value for money. That is what can help you get the best out of your younger players. That is the long-term strategy that is needed to build a successful football club.

Mike Ashley does not see it, or think, that way, and it is yet another sign — were any more needed — that he knows nothing about running a football club, and why 52,000 fans are praying for the day that the ‘SOLD’ sign appears outside their stadium.

What are your thoughts Newcastle fans? Should Newcastle do everything they can to keep Rondón? Or is Ashley’s under-25 policy the right way forward? Let us know your opinion…

رد مايكل أرتيتا مدرب آرسنال على انتقادات إركوت سوجوت وكيل اللاعب مسعود أوزيل، له بعد قراره بعدم الاعتماد على خدمات الألماني.

ولم يشارك أوزيل في أي مباراة رفقة آرسنال منذ شهر مارس الماضي.

وقرر أرتيتا عدم إدراج أوزيل في القائمة النهائية للفريق، المشاركة في الموسم الحالي من الدوري الإنجليزي، وكذلك الدوري الأوروبي.

وهاجم سوجوت أرتيتا واتهمه بالكذب وعدم قول الصدق فيما يتعلق بأسباب تجميد أوزيل (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا).

وقال أرتيتا، في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “ميرور” الإنجليزية: “إذا كان عليك القيادة، فعليهم أن يثقوا بك، ولكي يثقوا بك، عليك أن تكون صادقًا”.

وأضاف: “يجب أن تكون واضحًا ويجب أن تكون قادرًا على إخبار الناس وجهًا لوجه بالأخبار الجيدة والسيئة، ثم عليك أن تكون متسقًا فيما تقوله، والمطالب التي تضعها وما تقدمه”.

وواصل: “عندما تطلب أشياءً وتحدث، فإنك تكون إيجابيًا، وعندما لا تحدث، تكون هناك عواقف، يجب أن يكون هناك إطارًا يتضمن جزءً منه أن يكون الناس مسؤولين عن تصرفاتهم”.

واختتم: “يجب على الناس إدراك المعايير التي نحتاجها من بعضنا في النادي لكي نصبح ناجحين”.

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Hugo Lloris has urged Tottenham Hotspur to get back to winning ways against Crystal Palace on Wednesday, per the London Evening Standard.

Spurs will open their new stadium against Crystal Palace in midweek after their disappointing 2-1 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.

What’s the word?

Lloris was at fault for Spurs’ defeat at the weekend.

After Lucas Moura had cancelled out Roberto Firmino’s opener, Lloris conspired to concede an own goal in the last minute, parrying a routine Mohamed Salah header against Toby Alderweireld, leading the ball to trickle over the line.

Spurs have subsequently gone five games without a win in the Premier League and have seen their hopes of qualifying for the top four placed in serious jeopardy – they are just one point clear of sixth-placed Chelsea.

Lloris, though, has insisted that the result was down to “very bad luck” and has called on his team-mates to rally against Roy Hodgson’s men.

“There’s a big moment for the club on Wednesday,” he said.

“That’s the moment to get back on the winning way and get the big feeling back because it was a bit unlucky for us yesterday against a title challenger. We showed our quality but it was not enough.

“It’s one of the best stadiums in England – and maybe in Europe or the world. It’s a very interesting moment for all the Spurs community. Now it’s up to the players to make history inside this club, step-by-step.”

Lloris also insists that there is much for the club to play for this season, with a Champions League quarter-final against Manchester City looming large on the horizon.

“There’s still the Champions League quarter-final to play [against Manchester City]. Of course, we’re disappointed because we try to win every game. But after this defeat and especially the way we played in the second half we need to keep pushing and keep going.

“In the second half we showed a great mentality, we were very positive. We controlled the game, we should have won the game probably. Then we conceded a late goal in a very bad luck way.”

Shut up and move on

How dare Lloris try to rally his team-mates?

Their loss is as a direct result of a simply terrible mistake that he is attempting to blame on bad luck.

Lloris has cost Spurs all too many times and there is a very salient argument to be made that he should not be playing for the club at all, such has been his form this season.

To have the brass neck to claim “we need to keep pushing” will gall many fans.

Spurs did just that against Liverpool and came within a whisker of a creditable result. Instead, Lloris decided against catching a simple ball and now Spurs are in very real danger of losing the initiative in the race to qualify for the Champions League.

That, at the end of the day, is on him.

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Leeds fans on Twitter have voiced their opinions on who should claim the club’s Young Player of the Year award and there is a clear winner in the minds of the fanbase.

Tyler Roberts has excelled in recent weeks when playing in a deeper role and his performances have seen the fans campaign for him to win the yearly accolade.

The Welshman faces tough competition from Jack Clarke and Jamie Shackleton but Leeds fans believe that Roberts has to be the winner.

Roberts has scored three goals and assisted four so far this season but his impact since dropping into the midfield has seen him become one of the first names on the teamsheet for Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

The 20-year-old has been instrumental whilst playing as an attacking midfielder, a role which he has recently taken up after Samu Saiz’s departure from Elland Road.

Clarke and Shackleton, of course, are worthy nominees but if the twitter replies are any indication of the fans’ voting intention then Roberts should win with a landslide.

Here’s what Leeds fans have been saying on Twitter…

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According to Football Insider, a Bournemouth scout was in attendance for Stoke City’s 2-2 draw with Rotherham on Saturday as the Cherries look to step up their pursuit of England international Jack Butland.

After recent blunders from Asmir Begovic, Eddie Howe’s keenness on a new goalkeeper makes sense.

Could Butland be the final piece in the jigsaw for Bournemouth?

What’s the word?

Well, Football Insider understands that the Vitality Stadium outfit could be on the hunt for two goalkeepers this summer with the aforementioned Begovic falling out of favour and Artur Boruc, whose contract also runs out at the end of the campaign, not getting any younger.

Butland is expected to finally leave the bet365 Stadium this summer having surprisingly remained at the club after relegation to the Championship last season. The 26-year-old has been a regular fixture in the Potters lineup this term, playing all 42 league games and keeping 17 clean sheets.

Bournemouth will have to stump up the cash if they’re to get their man though – Stoke are set to demand a fee in the region of £15m for the number 1’s services, although it will certainly be worth it from a Cherries point of view.

The final piece of the jigsaw

Howe has gone to great lengths to lower the average age of his squad in recent seasons, with the likes of Jordon Ibe, Dominic Solanke, Nathan Ake and David Brooks recruited in the hope that they will be a big part of the Cherries’ future, as well as their present.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

The south coast outfit have youth in all areas of the pitch and look set to be a force in the Premier League for the foreseeable future, although one role isn’t quite locked down for the next decade: goalkeeper.

Begovic, 31 and Boruc, 39, won’t be able to guard the net forever so signing a young, quality goalkeeper would mean Bournemouth have pretty much all bases covered for the next five or six seasons, as long as they can keep all their young stars of course.

Butland is highly-rated and still has room to grow, so the move would make perfect sense, although Bournemouth surely won’t be the only suitors come the summer.

What do you think, Bournemouth fans, would you like to sign the custodian? Let us know in the comments below.

Leeds United were uncharacteristically poor at the weekend against Birmingham City.

Indeed, The Whites did create a number of good chances at St Andrew’s and dominated possession throughout yet they let themselves massively in defence. Although they only conceded once in Saturday’s defeat, on another day they would have let in three or four as the Blues saw a number of chances saved by the impressive Kiko Casilla.

As a result of their slip-up, Marcelo Bielsa’s side were leapfrogged by Sheffield United in the Championship standings after their promotion rivals secured a vital victory at Preston North End. With Norwich City pulling seven points clear at the top of the table, it is now a two-horse race for second place in the second tier.

Importantly for Leeds, they will not have too much time to dwell on their defeat at Birmingham as they head to Preston on Tuesday where they will be aiming to replicate the Blades’ result from the weekend. If the Whites do make a welcome return to form at Deepdale, they will be able to put the pressure back on Chris Wilder’s side who do not play until Wednesday.

Bielsa will undoubtedly be looking for a reaction from his side in midweek and may bring in the likes of Jack Clarke and Keemar Roofe in order to secure all three points. The latter of the two players made a return from injury as a substitute against the Blues and may replace Patrick Bamford who was way below par on Saturday.

Although the Lilywhites will undoubtedly pose a considerable threat to Leeds, they will not be entering the clash with a lot of confidence having lost their last two in the Championship. Nevertheless, it is paramount that the Whites treat their opponents with the utmost respect as they know that any more slip-ups in the coming weeks could end up killing off their hopes for automatic promotion in May.

What do you think Leeds fans? Is it good that your side has a chance to bounce back from Saturday’s defeat almost immediately in midweek? Or would they have benefited from an entire week on the training ground? Let us know below.

كشف مصدر بالنادي المصري عن ضم 4 صفقات جديدة لتدعيم صفوف الفريق الأول استعدادًا للموسم المقبل.

وقال المصدر لـ”بطولات” إن النادي المصري نجح في التعاقد مع 4 لاعبين جدد من الإنتاج الحربي وإف سي مصر وسيتم الإعلان بشكل رسمي خلال أيام.

وأوضح: “نجحنا في ضم أحمد شديد قناوي لاعب الإنتاج الحربي لمدة موسمين بعد فشل ناديه في التجديد له”.

وأكمل: “وتم التعاقد مع الثنائي مصطفى سلطان وعلاء عطا لاعبا نادي مصر لمدة ثلاث مواسم”.

وأختتم: “وتعاقدنا أيضًا مع عصام ثروت حارس مرمى إف سي مصر لمدة ثلاث مواسم”.

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West Ham United are interested in signing Edin Dzeko from AS Roma this summer and have agreed personal terms with the former Manchester City striker, per Il Tempo.

The Bosnia & Herzegovina international has reportedly been offered a two-year contract by the Hammers.

What’s the word?

The Hammers are seemingly looking to replenish their squad this summer and Dzeko is reportedly wanted by the club.

While the Irons have agreed terms with Dzeko, they have yet to seal a deal with the Italian club.

Il Tempo report that Roma are keen to recoup €20million (£17.2m) for a player who has spent four years in Serie A.

Dzeko joined Roma on loan in 2015 and the deal was made permanent a year later.

Across 171 appearances for the club, he has scored a total of 85 goals, while laying on 36 assists.

He has won 101 caps for Bosnia and Herzegovina, scoring 55 times.

A perfect Arnautovic replacement

Marko Arnautovic looks likely to depart the club in the summer. He signed a new contract in January but it contains a clause that allows him to leave if a bid of £45m is tabled by an interested party.

Of course, he flirted with a move to China in January and there is every chance that there could be a rekindling of that interest at the end of the season.

Dzeko is a player who would step into his shoes straight away.

He has Premier League experience, having won the title twice with City, and is a player adept at spearheading a forward line.

Manager Manuel Pellegrini has repeatedly experimented with a 4-1-4-1 formation and Dzeko is perhaps more suited to that system than Arnautovic.

The Bosnian is a strong forward presence, an excellent header of the ball and exhibits superb hold-up play.

Having agreed a deal with the striker, it’s time for West Ham to meet Roma’s valuation.

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Leeds fans have had the seed of doubt planted in their minds after Mike Dean handed out his 100th Premier League red card during Manchester United vs Wolves on Tuesday night.

Dean is one of the Premier League’s most notorious refs and he will be taking a step down to officiate a Championship game this weekend as he heads to St Andrew’s for Birmingham vs Leeds.

Leeds fans are feeling a sense of impending doom as Dean has a history of making controversial decisions in matches. Dean has only refereed one Leeds game this season so far where he awarded Reading a late penalty which was saved by Bailey Peacock-Farrell.

Of Dean’s 100 red cards only one has been administered to a Leeds player, with Mark Viduka getting the unfortunate honour way back in 2004.

Despite complaints throughout the season that refereeing in the Championship isn’t up to standard Leeds fans aren’t excited at the prospect of one of England’s most senior officials taking charge of one of their games.

Here’s what Leeds fans had to say on Twitter…

Sheffield United sealed promotion to the Premier League this weekend with a 2-o win over Ipswich Town at Bramall Lane.

The Blades secured at least second spot and could even run out title winners if Norwich lose at Villa next week and United can take three points at Stoke City.

Manager Chris Wilder has done an absolutely superb job for United, and his unique way of his team being set up with over-lapping centre backs and all out attacking style have blown away most teams in the Championship this term.

However, that style will be under the microscope going into the Premier League, but here in the Tavern, we feel like Wilder should just stick to his guns and play the way he knows to shock the Premier League.

Of course, United will take some defeats and probably some fairly big ones along the way, but they might also come out on top against teams that Wilder will already be identifying as the sort of teams who they can target to take three points from.

The Blades will be scrapping near the bottom of the table you would imagine, but there is something special about the group of players Wilder has assembled, and it would be no surprise to see them shock the Premier League and do something similar to what Huddersfield did in their first season in the top flight.

It’s going to be hard for the Blades, and it’s going to be a different level to that they have seen in the Championship, but rest assured, if anyone can get United to be a success at the highest level, it’s Chris Wilder.