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Whilst big-money signings are all well and good after a takeover, making major improvements to the club’s stadium and training facilities can be equally as important, and it appears the Saudi consortium looking to buy Newcastle have got exactly that in mind.

According to journalist Paul Smith, they have drawn up a blueprint for a “major makeover” of the club, and have already drawn up plans to demolish the Magpies’ existing training ground and invest a mammoth £25m in order to bring it up to par with their Premier League rivals.

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And after seeing Smith’s update, Newcastle fans flooded to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the matter.

A couple of Newcastle fans revealed their satisfaction at seeing the club focus on the “stuff that matters”.

Unsurprisingly, many Newcastle supporters are thrilled with the idea that the Saudi consortium are looking to make major investments not just in terms of new players, but also off the pitch too.

Manchester City’s owners in particular have done a great job of ensuring the club’s training and youth facilities are amongst the best in the world, and they are already beginning to reap the rewards of that with multiple Premier League titles over the past decade.

And it looks like Newcastle’s potential new owners are looking to follow suit.

Fans of Leeds United have been reacting to a post on Twitter, which relays comments made by Harry Kewell after the former Leeds midfielder moved to Galatasary in 2008.

Kewell signed a two-year contract with the Turkish side as a free-agent in 2008, following the expiry of his contract with Liverpool.

However, at the time of his signing with Galatasaray, Kewell came under criticism from fans of Leeds United, as the former Australian international was part of the Leeds side when two of their fans were killed in clashes before a UEFA Cup semi-final against Galatasaray in April 2000.

Ray Fell, then chairman of the Leeds United Supporters’ Club, said at the time: “It’s his career and his choice to make, but many Leeds fans will express their regrets. It’s disappointing, to put it mildly. Time has passed but there are people in Leeds close to the two lads we lost who will find it harder to move on.”

In response, Kewell stated: “It was a tragic thing in football but we can’t live in the past. I am happy and I hope everyone else can be too There were a lot of other clubs out there but this is perfect for me. Galatasaray wanted me from the start. The facilities are great. It’s a fantastic city and I’m willing to learn.”

After the former midfielder’s remarks resurfaced on Twitter recently, fans of the club have flocked to have their say on the matter, with many still outraged at Kewell’s comments, while others have claimed that his words had ruined his legacy at Leeds.

You can see some of their reactions below:

Leeds fans, what did you make of Kewell’s remarks? Let us know your thoughts below!

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Sunderland have struggled under Phil Parkinson and though a change to 4-3-3 didn’t yield success against Scunthorpe, it could be a useful option long-term.

On the chalkboard

With more than a month to go until the January transfer window and several important games to be played until then, Parkinson needs to find a solution from the options he has available currently.

Since taking over he has mainly continued Jack Ross’ 4-2-3-1 style, a surprising choice given the Scot’s lack of success, and though the Black Cats seemed to be heading on the right path after the demolition of Tranmere, they have since gone backwards.

That could be due to a lack of quality, but the bigger issue seems to be a lack of confidence, which could be addressed with a more attacking formation.

Key to that is the front-three, and particularly Will Grigg. Sunderland have to find a way of imposing dominance on the opposition, and posing a constant danger in the attacking final third is a good way to do that.

Operating with a 4-3-3 formation could enable that to happen, and in getting wingers to play higher up the pitch and closer to Grigg, Parkinson could start to build self-belief and establish a run of good form.

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Attacking mindset

Despite the concerning results of late, there have been good individual performances since Parkinson took over, which indicates that with time he may begin to bring the best out of the players at his disposal.

It is important he does that and gets players like Aiden McGeady and Duncan Watmore to replicate their impressive performances against Gillingham and Tranmere respectively.

4-3-3 would suit those two players, as they both come alive in the opponent’s final third, and playing higher up the pitch they would have a greater chance of receiving the ball in threatening positions.

If given more attacking responsibility they could also provide support and service for Grigg, and that could prove pivotal.

Too often in games he has been left too isolated, having just 15 and 17 touches in recent defeats against Wycombe and Shrewsbury, which made it very difficult for him to get on the scoresheet.

Parkinson has thus far failed to win over the supporters, but a more attacking and entertaining style would at least reinvigorate a fanbase that is becoming increasingly disillusioned with their club, and their owner.

أكد مدرب فريق مانشستر يونايتد أولي جونار سولشاير أن اللاعب هاري ماجواير لا يعاني من كسر في الكاحل، ولكنه يأمل مشاركته في نهائي الدوري الأوروبي.

وتعرض ماجواير لإصابة في الكاحل خلال مواجهة أستون فيلا يوم الأحد الماضي، في الدوري الإنجليزي.

وقال سولشاير في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “مترو” الإنجليزية: “الخبر السار أن ماجواير لا يعاني من كسر في الكاحل، لكن تلك الإصابة بالطبع قوية أيضًا”.

وأضاف: “آمل أن يكون مستعدًا فيما بعد، لا أعتقد أنه سيلعب في الموسم الحالي من الدوري الإنجليزي مرة أخرى، سنفعل كل ما في وسعنا لإعداده لنهائي الدوري الأوروبي”.

ويلتقي مانشستر يونايتد ضد فياريال في نهائي الدوري الأوروبي، يوم 26 مايو الحالي.

وواصل: “نحاول دائمًا الاعتناء باللاعبين على المدى الطويل، إذا كان لائقًا، سيلعب معنا، وإذا لم يكن لائقًا فلن يفعل”.

واختتم: “كما قلت، نأمل أن يكون جاهزًا، إذا كان مستعدًا لنا، فمن المحتمل أن يكون مستعدًا لبطولة يورو”.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Back in the summer, funds were tight at The Valley – presumably, they still are.

So much so that Charlton boss Lee Bowyer sold Dutch right-back Anfernee Dijksteel in order to fund a move for Peterborough striker Ivan Toney.

“The Anfernee money was going to go on Toney. But that didn’t come off.

“We were always trying to keep Lyle [Taylor]. The plan was to play Toney alongside Lyle. That’s why we sold Anfernee [to spend the money in other areas of the pitch].”

Sadly for the Addicks, the League One side rejected all of their bids, and one would assume that Bowyer will be kicking himself that a move for the forward never materialised given Toney’s stunning start to the campaign.

After scoring an eye-catching 23 goals across all competitions in 2018/19, the former Newcastle man has begun the 2019/20 campaign on fire.

The 23-year-old has been smashing the goals in like it’s nothing, finding the back of the net ten times in just 12 League One appearances this season.

Form like that will presumably not go unnoticed by other clubs – Barnsley and another unnamed Championship side were also interested back in the summer – and one assumes that Charlton might regret missing out on Toney.

For one, competition for his signature may potentially increase following his quite ridiculous start to the season, while Toney’s price tag may also rise due to his added importance to Peterborough and his young age – there is definitely room for improvement on what is already an outstanding footballer.

The Addicks haven’t struggled too much without Toney in their ranks as they currently sit just five points off the top of the table, but there could be cause for concern in the near future.

Their main man up top, Lyle Taylor, has scored five goals in six games, but he is still yet to sign a new contract with his current deal set to expire in the summer, and Toney could have become the ideal replacement.

Macauley Bonne is the only other Addicks forward to score a decent amount of goals with four in seven appearances, while Chuks Aneke has just one goal to his name – Tomer Hemed is still yet to score.

Given the lack of firepower behind Taylor, missing out on the deal for Toney could become quite the blunder if the club’s talisman elects not to extend his stay at The Valley, and Bowyer will surely be kicking himself if he ends up with just Bonne, Aneke and Hemed to fire in the goals.