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Porto have said they are open to offers for Newcastle target Yacine Brahimi, according to Portuguese website A Bola.

What’s the story?

Newcastle have been interested in the Algerian wide-man for a number of months following his impressive performances in the Primeira Liga.

Having scored nine goals and made nine assists from the left wing this season, the 28-year-old has attracted interest from a host of clubs, including West Ham.

A Bola report that the tricky winger has a release clause of £53million but it is believed a fee of £26million will be enough to secure the player.

Is he worth it?

Newcastle fans love a player who runs directly at defenders with pace and that is exactly what Brahimi is all about.

Averaging over five dribbles per game this season, he is an exciting player that gets fans off their seats and normally provides a good end product.

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He may not come cheap but this player is in the prime of his career and Newcastle will do very well to see off their rivals to his signature.

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In promotion of the Men Ultra range and as part of their #JUSTWATCHME campaign, Head & Shoulders carried out a global survey across 8 nations, providing some interesting results on the decade defining football haircuts through the ages.

“Treating their scalps as blank canvases, footballers have long given their hairstylists full creative license in crafting artistic masterpieces that make statements, set trends and that grab the headlines when gracing football’s biggest stages” said football hairstylist Landry Agres.

The World Cup offers a stage where the planet’s most creative footballing talent can go head to head in pursuit of the most prestigious trophy in international football.

In a global survey of football fans across eight nations facilitated by Head & Shoulders, it has been revealed that Neymar Jr’s Bleached Barnet is the hairstyle that UK pollsters would most like to replicate.

Neymar’s bleached blonde locks have been subject to intense discussion on social media. Former United icon, Eric Cantona, had his say posting a light hearted picture where the Frenchman dons spaghetti on his head in homage to the Brazilian play-maker’s mop.

Cantona uploaded the image onto his Instagram account and puts his acting skills to the test holding a deadpan expression as he stares directly at the camera with spaghetti on his head.

He posted the photo the caption: “Neymar style. Spaghetti al dente!”

The picture was loved on social media, gaining hundreds of likes.

Despite the popularity of Neymar’s hairstyle in the polls, his new look was brutally trolled on social media.

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The same poll revealed that Belgium’s Radja Nainggolan has the unwanted title of having the hairstyle that UK pollsters would least like to replicate.

The fiery central midfielder and his Mohawk were both left out of Roberto Martinez’s World Cup squad.

Vibrant and dynamic partnerships can have an intrinsic impact on any team, and Everton fans who watched Leighton Baines and Steven Pienaar regularly link up down the left flank during their time together at Goodison Park will be more than aware of that.

Largely due to the Marcel Brands connection, the Toffees have been linked with PSV’s Hirving Lozano, who looks set to be remembered as one of the World Cup’s breakthrough stars after scoring the goal that saw Mexico unexpectedly beat Germany in the opening round of Group Stage clashes.

But that shock victory owed much to the defender fielded behind Lozano as well, 22-year-old Jesus Gallardo, who was excellent at left-back with seven clearances and eight interceptions to his name.

Is this the best World Cup ever? Give us your thoughts here and win any World Cup shirt of your choice.

With that in mind, we asked Everton fans whether the club’s new Director of Football should be looking to sign Gallardo too – an acquisition that could actually help Lozano settle quickly in England because of that extra familiarity.

And according to our poll, 79% of Everton fans would be in favour of a summer swoop. Brands does face a bit of a job to get a deal over the line though; Gallardo’s already agreed to sign for Monterrey, so he’ll have to convince the Mexican club to sell without the young full-back actually making an appearance for them.

Nonetheless, if Brands can get it done he could prove to be an incredibly smart signing for the Toffees.

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[brid autoplay=”true” video=”255857″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch Everton’s opening fixtures for the 201819 Premier League season”]

The Rangers fans in and around the Transfer Tavern are extremely excited with the future of their club in the hands of Steven Gerrard and feel that should this appointment be successful, silverware will soon be back at Ibrox.

The ex-England star will take up his first professional management role with the Gers as he hopes to lead them to glory once again. Already Rangers have been busy in the transfer market and that has to continue should they be in with a chance of matching Celtic’s talent ahead of the new season. Our punters would love to see a goalscorer join Ibrox and someone that could be in the form of Umar Sadiq, who is valued at £1.6 million on Transfermarkt.

The 21-year-old has recently been out on loan with Dutch outfit NAC Breda, where he played in 12 Eredivise games, scoring 5 goals and setting up 3 assists. That’s an impressive record for a player just joining a new league and upon his return to parent club Roma this summer, our punters believe Gerrard should take a punt and offer whatever it takes to bring him to Scotland.

Nigerian star Sadiq has a lot of potential and that could be fulfilled under Gerrard at Rangers this season. Umar Sadiq has bags of pace, power and determination, all vital attributes that will allow him to succeed in football. Roma aren’t prepared now to take a risk as they want proven players in their squad so for Rangers, this is the perfect time to sneak in and grab a bargain.

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was heavily criticised for not bringing in a single senior outfield player over the summer, and his midfield has been accused of lacking a true physical presence in recent years.  And with Jack Wilshere constantly out injured, it could be another young Three Lions star who helps add some steel to the Emirates engine room.

Swansea midfielder Jonjo Shelvey is enjoying a purple patch of form, with the former Liverpool man recalled to Roy Hodgson’s England set up. The midfield maestro joined the Swans in a cut-price £5m deal after departing Anfield in 2013, and he’s been able to showcase his true talent under the stewardship of Garry Monk.

His good form has led to questions about Brendan Rodgers’ decision to let him leave Merseyside so easily. He has a wide ranging skill set and is able to mix his strength with a range of passing not often seen in players from these waters. In fact, Gunners star Jack Wilshere is the only current up-and-coming Englishman who can really match match such an excellent array of abilities.

Perhaps not the ‘destroyer’ Arsenal fans may long for, Shelvey is still more than capable of toughening up their midfield. He could act as a more continental ‘No.4’, think Michael Carrick or a latter years Steven Gerrard. Not to put him in the same class yet of course, but theoretically the 23-year old could perform similar duties.

Next to someone like Francis Coquelin, Wenger could boast his most physical midfield in years. The industry would be a sight to behold, and the Swans star is more than capable than mixing his long range passing with the intricate excellence of Arsenal’s attacking options.

Should he continue his improvement, the England star will be a force to be reckoned with. Still prone to inconsistency, Monk criticised the player last year, believing he should wise up and stop picking up yellow cards through laziness.

In fact, Shelvey’s own father even criticised his long passing during his first full international game against San Marino, a performance he has been widely praised for.

Despite set-backs, the former Charlton youngster has a fighting spirit often found lacking in North London. He was commended for his refreshingly honest post-match interview following the 2-2 draw against Liverpool in 2014, where despite scoring and assisting, he was at fault for both of the Reds’ goals.

Perhaps another season at the Liberty Stadium is the best thing for the young England midfielder. However, his determination to overcome set-backs and criticism is something to be admired, and he is truly going from strength to strength.

As a youngster, he trained with Arsenal’s youth teams. Now older, and growing ever wiser, he could be exactly the sort of player the Emirates outfit so desperately need.

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Yesterday was a special day for Arsenal, as legendary manager Arsene Wenger turned 66. The Frenchman has been in charge of the Gunners since the summer of 1996, at which time Calum Chambers was just over a year old… that puts his achievement into perspective. Further to the last point, Wenger’s reign in North London is longer than all 19 current Premier League managers put together. No wonder the football world took some time to celebrate ol’ Arsene on Thursday then!

We at FootballFanCast really got into the spirit, and here are the highlights from a great day of Wenger Mania!

Let’s hope he wore a similar hat for his celebratory jelly and ice cream!

Junichi Inamoto! #ThrowBack

Ian Holloway-seque.

An absolute classic.

Managerial genius and fashionista!

Just LOL.

We weren’t the only once getting in on the action, here are a few other highlights!

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Olivier Giroud has been a figure of mockery for many football fans since his arrival at Arsenal, but the slick-haired Frenchman continues to prove doubters wrong with another (potentially) crucial goal.

Giroud has even developed his own trademarked goal scoring angle at the near post. He might be mocked for a lack of pace, or missing the occasional sitter, but Wenger’s main man up front continues to provide for his side when the Gunners need it most.

Some fans are decidedly unsure about the big striker..

But his brace tonight should be enough to give Arsenal fans a bit more faith that Olivier Giroud is of a standard to carry Arsenal to the ‘next level’.

Its not like every fan is against you, Olivier.

Maybe a few more performances like this and the cruel world of Arsenal twitter will begin to be a bit kinder about the big man.

Would like to echo your feelings there, Nour.

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In an age of austerity for the rest of us while footballers’ wages spiral out of control, there has been repeated calls for a more sensible approach within the game.On the surface, Financial Fair Play (FFP) was supposed to reign in the spending of clubs but its implementation was farcical, its aims less than honourable. Suddenly the world faces the prospect of a £1m-a-week footballer. Things are about to get messy.The relaxing of FFP and increased revenue from television and commercial deals means there is more disposable cash for the top clubs than ever before. There was dismay when Wayne Rooney became a £300k-a-week man when he signed his last contract extension.It wasn’t that Manchester United fans didn’t rate the striker; the problem was an imaginary line had been crossed. For a long time, Premier League fans saw £250k as the weekly ceiling for top players. Even then those that earned it, such as Yaya Toure, faced criticism. Any hopes that FFP not taking into account bonuses would lead to a slow levelling of the weekly wage have recently been dismissed.Lionel Messi stands in an elite group of two, the other being Cristiano Ronaldo, that can make any demands to a club trying to secure their services outside of Spain. In an unlikely switching of financial policy, it was Arsenal that emerged first as a potential home for Messi.

As reported in the Daily Star, the Argentine would prefer a move to London should he ever come to the Premier League. Another belief is that he admires the Gunners’ style of play.

The rumour gained enough traction for a group of Arsenal fans to suggest setting up a weekly Direct Debit for £1, believing this would easily cover his wages and costs with the amount of supporters interested. If this novel approach was adapted it would mean every time the player pulled on the shirt, he would be literally playing for the fans.

Not wishing to break the stereotype of the Premier League’s big spenders, Manchester City have decided to join the party. The Sun broke the news the club is in talks for a £800k-a-week deal, amounting to £40m a year. With Barcelona apparently prepared to forego the £250m buyout clause and settle for £120m.

The figures involved make it all sound like mere fantasy. However, it might not be so implausible. From a financial aspect City certainly have the backing and Arsenal are renowned for balancing the books in an admirable fashion. Neither clubs would entertain the idea unless it was relatively risk free.

The idea that Messi wants to leave no longer sounds farfetched. His nose has been put out of joint by Barcelona’s preference to deal with Neymar’s contract first. Perhaps the hierarchy at Camp Nou were worried the rumours linking the Brazilian with a move could be true. Assuming Messi would never want to leave was a mistake. Messi’s impending trial for tax evasion in Spain has soured his experience further; making a move offers him a fresh start.

Such a large jump in wages (he currently earns £500k-a-week in Spain) should prompt the authorities to examine their current rules. For a long time fans have asked for a wage cap to be put in place. This writer has previously spoken out against caps in European football, they limit free trade, standard business practices and could create a status quo scenario which was the major downside to FFP.

However, the mistake of implementing the original version of FFP has created an economic system in football that sees the clubs take more income from commercial entities and still squeezes fans for every last penny. Extra cash coming into the game isn’t reducing the cost for the working man in the stand, perversely, it’s hiking up the value of match day tickets.

At the moment, early in negotiation, it’s reported City have offered Messi £800k-a-week. That could easily rise. If a cap or new legislation isn’t put into place soon, we will see a £1m-a-week player within the next five years.

The Premier League needs the help of UEFA to enforce a salary cap across all its associations. The only differing values taken into account should be each member state’s unique tax percentage on wages. This would create a level playing field for the purposes of FFP and the fans should be protected from escalating costs.

With a cap in place the excess money the club makes could then help lower tickets for matches and the cost of supporting the team. Then the players would be playing for the fans in a much more ethical way.

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Liverpool are the so-called sleeping giants of the Premier League, and fans always believe they’ll one day win the title again, or go back to the glory days of the 80s.

Fast forward to the January transfer window just passed and the Reds had a very disappointing month of business where Klopp struggled to fully utilise his squad to cope with the demands of the Premier League, with the only transfers coming in being defender Steven Caulker on loan, and Marko Grujic, who was immediately shipped back out on loan.

It was not the transfer window many Liverpool fans had hoped for, with Liverpool now sitting 9th in the table, 12 points off the top four. Of course there has to be a sense that Liverpool are not the big team that they used to be, however they should be doing better than they currently are.

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The biggest embarrassment has to be the Alex Teixeira saga, which saw the 26-year-old Brazilian eventually complete a €50million move to Chinese side Jiangsu Suing. Although you could argue the player is merely doing it for the money, it highlights how far Liverpool have fallen from grace, and how they will seriously struggle to get their top four goal.

You could argue that it isn’t Klopp’s fault, and why it may even not be Rodgers’ fault.

The ex-Liverpool manager has recently claimed he did not have full control over transfers whilst in the Anfield hot-seat, which immediately starts ringing alarm bells.

When you look at Liverpool’s squad, it is in desperate need of an overhaul. There is no depth, something highlighted through their recent injury struggles where in the FA Cup match against Exeter, they struggled to convincingly dominate, emphasised through the fact Exeter took them to a replay.

This is a team that craves a direct replacement to Raheem Sterling, whose attacking prowess is being missed. Roberto Firmino is a good signing, but he is being played out of position and in no way able to carry the team on his own. Christian Benteke is a good striker at a lower level like Everton, but is no direct replacement to Luis Suarez, and he cost an awful lot more than he should have done.

The centre of the team is missing Steven Gerrard, with Jordan Henderson the only convincing player in the middle of the park right now. There is a real need for a creative talent to be in that position, to help lead Liverpool forward, as well as taking some of the burden off Henderson. Klopp’s defence looks anything but convincing, with Mignolet lacking any competition between the sticks and looking fragile with the defence in front of him. Skrtel is not a good defender anymore, and Sakho and Lovren hardly help to install confidence in the team.

With Liverpool struggling with injury due to Klopp’s high pressure tactics, you feel the club should have dived into the transfer market. Unless there were no players available to them (which we all know isn’t true), the finger must be aimed at the Anfield hierarchy for not handing Klopp the necessary funds to strengthen his squad.

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Few could’ve predicted the impact Jack Butland would have on Stoke after Asmir Begovic left for Chelsea in the summer.

After playing third fiddle for the beginning of his career at Stoke, Butland has now risen to the challenge and is threatening Joe Hart for the number one jersey for England.

He has had to work hard throughout his career to get to this level, and it’s not through a lack of trying. When Shay Given signed for the Potters, many thought the England youngster still wasn’t going to get a chance.

Yet if anything, the signing of the experienced keeper has helped to push Butland to a new level, and make him one of the most sought after goalkeepers in Europe.

The youngster from Bristol first came to national attention when he replaced fan favourite Ben Foster at Birmingham, who moved to Midland rivals West Brom. The Blues have a great past for good number 1’s, with fellow England keepers Joe Hart and Foster making an impact there, too. It is no wonder that Butland was quickly scouted by some of the best clubs in England.

With Birmingham needing to sell to make money, Butland was one of the main names at the top of the list who could earn the Blues a big payday. Jack showed great maturity in turning down a big move to Chelsea, knowing that his opportunities would be limited behind Petr Cech and the incoming Thibaut Courtois. Instead the then 19-year-old opted for Stoke City, and has not looked back since.

Though there were loan moves away from Stoke to teams like Birmingham, Barnsley, Leeds and Derby, the young keeper was consistently good, both for club and country, including representing Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics.

This season he has been Stoke’s most consistent performer, and has played a huge role in helping Mark Hughes’ side up to seventh in the Premier League.

The England star is consistent within the Stoke team, and has been pointed out by teammates, opposition players and pundits for his exploits this term. Even though he may not have kept clean sheets in every match, he has been praised for great saves that have kept Stoke in several games.

With international recognition and a possibility of a goalkeeper transfer merry-go-round in the summer, the England international could see himself move away from Stoke. The likes of Liverpool and Manchester United could be in the market for a new goalkeeper, and Jack may find himself attracting attention.

It could be a longer summer for Stoke fans, and if Butland continues to perform this season, then he could easily be at a bigger club. At the age of 22 he still has a long career ahead of him, and will provide consistency and solidity for any team…

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