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Las Palmas reportedly have an ‘agreement’ in place to keep Leeds United forward Rafa Mujica at the club permanently this summer.

Th 22-year-old is currently on loan at the Secunda Division side, scoring once in five league appearances so far this season.

Mujica joined Leeds from Barcelona back in 2019, but has since had various loan spells on top of his current one, spending time at Extremadura, Villarreal B and Oviedo.

Mujica set for permanent Leeds exit

It now appears as though Mujica’s long-term future may lie away from Elland Road, with Marcelo Bielsa seemingly not considering him part of his first-team plans.

According to Sport [via Sport Witness], Las Palmas’ president has confirmed that a deal is in place to keep the youngster at the Spanish club beyond June:

“There’s an agreement in which UD Las Palmas can extend the contract beyond June 30th. If his performance continues as it’s been going, he must continue here.”

Transfer Tavern take

It looks like an agreement that could suit all parties, with Mujica doing enough to justify staying on at Las Palmas and Leeds no doubt happy to let him move on.

Bielsa already has a host of attacking quality in his armoury, and as the Leeds boss looks to take his side to the next level and sign new players this summer, Mujica doesn’t represent the level of quality required.

In other news, Noel Whelan has criticised the performance of one Leeds player in their 2-0 defeat to West Ham. Read about it here.

Glasgow Rangers’ European dream came to an end last night against Slavia Prague at Ibrox, and Leon Balogun was partly to blame for the Gers’ collapse.

The 55-time Scottish champions drew 1-1 in Czechia in the first leg of their Europa League round of 16 clash and will have been hoping to get the job done at home. However, they ended up losing 2-0 in the return match and therefore were defeated 3-1 on aggregate.

Balogun, in particular, struggled against Slavia. His lack of pace was clear, he lost possession 15 times (SofaScore) and he was also sent off for a second bookable offence in the second half. That dismissal came after Kemar Roofe had already been given his marching orders for a stomach-churning tackle on goalkeeper Ondrej Kolar – Balogun made his side’s job even harder.

The Gers supporters were far from happy with his display, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Balogun below

“Balogun was shocking since the first minute, probably should of gave a penalty away and then gets sent off. Disaster.”

Credit: @ProctorDre

“Both balogun and goldson were awful!”

Credit: @APearson93

“Three players tonight showed the are true Rangers in an important game, Davis, Kent and Patterson. Ariobo, Barasic, were ify. Kamara, Arfield, Morelos. Balogun was a liability. Roofe? should go. Lord have mercy on us come Sunday barring one of our opponents miracle.”

Credit: @alexanderlair10

“Because the red card was coming all game. He was pathetic tonight. Shouldve been hooked at half time”

Credit: @Tjrfc97

“Garbage”

Credit: @steviegwilldo

“Balogun isn’t good enough for Rangers .. that’s just the truth & it’s not based on one game”

Credit: @andybearz

In other news, Rangers are interested in this 18-goal striker.

James Rodriguez has dropped a promising injury update as he looks to get back to playing for Everton as soon as possible.

Speaking on the latest stream on his Twitch channel (via Liverpool Echo), the former Real Madrid star claimed that ‘soon I’ll be playing’ and added that his most recent setback is ‘nothing serious’ after missing the Toffees’ last four games.

Everton need Rodriguez back

The Merseyside club looked devoid of ideas at times as they fell to a 2-1 defeat at Goodison Park to Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday evening.

Rodriguez is the player who has usually given Carlo Ancelotti’s team a spark going forward, with former Premier League striker Noel Whelan highlighting that the Colombia international was particularly ‘excellent’ in the 3-3 draw at Manchester United back in February, a game in where he scored a well-taken goal.

That was one of five goals that the 29-year-old, currently valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt, has scored on top of a further eight assists he has made in 21 games in total across all competitions so far this 2020/21 season (Transfermarkt).

His eye for both a killer pass and a goal is crucial to what the Toffees do when going forward, and there is no doubt that the Blues will want the Colombian back as soon as possible.

In other news, find out whose display against Burnley was slammed by some Everton fans!

Steve Bruce’s naïve plan to afford the Newcastle United first team six days off from nine over the March international break will only hold Matty Longstaff back.

Reports by the Daily Mail have claimed that the Toon will only train for three days this week, as Bruce and the Tyneside hierarchy have decided to minimise the number of times that players will train together in hopes of easing the pressure on the squad.

United enter the international break after an apathetic and gutless 3-0 defeat to relegation rivals Brighton & Hove Albion to leave the St James’ Park natives only two points above the drop zone.

Only three of the six Newcastle players who have been called up for international duty featured at the Amex Stadium, but the entire squad’s ‘mental and physical wellbeing’ was the deciding factor in pencilling in a limited number of sessions.

Some of the Magpies first team are noted to have grown increasingly concerned at the number of days off Bruce and his staff have given amid a relegation fight, and were not surprised when they heard his latest plan.

Tuesday represents the first time that Newcastle will reconvene since being beaten comprehensively at Brighton, but will only stay together until Thursday before having a further four days off.

Attentions will soon turn to United’s next Premier League fixture once players return to Darsley Park next week, with Tottenham Hotspur visiting St James’ Park on April 4 to begin a brutal run of games including encounters with Burnley, West Ham, Liverpool, Arsenal, Leicester and Manchester City.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-newcastle-news” title=”Latest Newcastle news!”]

Expectations of Newcastle taking many points in that run will be low given their current streak of two wins in 18 top-flight matches, and leaves the final two rounds of the season as extremely must-win games against relegation rivals Sheffield United and Fulham.

In the meantime, Bruce and his staff having limited opportunities to work with the squad will prove unlucky for some, as they will not have as many chances to earn a place in the side as they otherwise could have.

Longstaff is one who falls into that unfortunate trap, as a place in the Newcastle midfield is likely to be up for grabs against Tottenham after Isaac Hayden sustained a potentially season-ending knee injury at Brighton on Saturday.

Bruce has not fielded Longstaff for a single second of Premier League football over the Magpies’ last 11 games and opted to omit the 21-year-old from his matchday plans on six occasions, including each of United’s last five fixtures.

His stance has left Longstaff on just 377 minutes of top-flight action all term – only Elliot Anderson (three minutes), Dwight Gayle (295) and goalkeeper Martin Dubravka (360) have featured less for Newcastle this season.

Reports by The Athletic earlier in the month claimed that Longstaff’s perplexing omission from Bruce’s plans, despite being fit, has been to the bewilderment of teammates and the academy product himself.

What Bruce sold to him last summer to see the 21-year-old sign a new contract has not come true, and now the midfielder – who Martin Keown once likened to Paul Scholes – is likely set to miss out on a potential recall due to the Magpies manager’s mistake of sanctioning extra time off rather than working tooth and nail to somehow inspire a turn of form at a time of despair.

AND in other news, Newcastle are tracking a 20-year-old talent who has “played out of his skin”…

Liverpool could complete a sensational return this summer by bringing former striker Luis Suarez back to Anfield.

According to reports in Spain, Jurgen Klopp wants to bring an experienced forward to the club in the summer to shoulder the goalscoring burden and he sees the Uruguayan as a perfect candidate.

Whilst his return would be exhilarating from a romanticised viewpoint, he still has plenty to offer the Merseysiders as they aim to recover from what has been a horrendous title defence throughout 2020/21.

Despite being 34 years of age, Suarez still appears to be at the top of his game having scored 19 goals in all competitions for Atletico Madrid this season as Los Rojiblancos continue to challenge for the La Liga crown.

That eye for goal this season would rank him second in the Reds’ squad, only behind Mo Salah, who has notched 25 of his own in all competitions.

As a matter fact, his goalscoring does not appear to have slowed down with age. He has scored an eye-watering 79 goals after his 30th birthday.

Having only netted 48 goals in the Premier League this season, fewer than all of Manchester City, Manchester United, Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur, Klopp could certainly do with that goal-scoring knack to establish the Merseyside club at the top of the table once again.

Suarez’s attitude would also be hugely useful. Former Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers previously suggested that the striker “gives everything” for his success, and that motivation has certainly been justified with the Uruguayan lifting the UEFA Champions League, four La Ligas and four Copas del Rey.

Of course, should Suarez bring his prolific and clinical nature to Anfield, he would be highly likely to add to the 82 goals he plundered in a stunning first spell at the club before departing for Barcelona, as well as help the Reds again challenge for major honours.

Rated at just £13.5m, a return for Suarez would be a sensational one for Liverpool but one that they should definitely facilitate. Suarez and Mo Salah could score plenty of goals between them if the former Red made a return to Anfield.

AND in more news, read which on-loan Reds’ star is deserving of an opportunity at Anfield next season…

Peterborough United Director of Football Barry Fry has told Football FanCast that West Ham have done excellent business in the January transfer window but fears for the club if Michail Antonio is injured.

The Hammers are currently fifth in the Premier League table and are continuing to push for qualification to the Champions League.

With nine games of the season remaining, David Moyes’ side are just two points behind fourth-placed Chelsea and seven behind Leicester City.

The Irons have a reasonable run-in too, as they only play two teams who are above them in the league: the Blues and the Foxes.

Moyes’ side have won just one of their last four games, however, which included games against Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal, and Fry thinks the club may be left in trouble if Antonio suffers an injury.

The striker has scored seven goals and laid on five assists in 20 games this season in the Premier League and is the club’s only out-and-out forward as they failed to sign a new centre-forward in the January transfer window.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, Fry hailed the signing of Jesse Lingard, who has eased the goalscoring burden on Antonio with five goals in seven games since his loan move from United, but sounded a note of caution.

He said: “In Lingard, I think that was a magnificent signing and the icing on the cake.

“I’m a little bit worried if anything happened to Antonio, they’re a bit short in that department.”

Fry revealed in a separate interview that he told West Ham to sign Ivan Toney from Peterborough United before he moved to Brentford.

Newcastle United midfielder Kyle Scott has rejected a contract offer from MLS side FC Cincinnati, according to Chronicle Live.

After a trial with the Ohio outfit, Scott was offered a two-year deal, but it apparently fell short of his demands.

The report states that the 23-year-old is determined to play top-flight football in Europe and understands that regular first team football is essential at his age. Newcastle are said to have the option to trigger a 12-month extension to his contract in June, but that’s thought to be ‘unlikely’ given that he isn’t in the first team picture at the moment.

Scott’s Newcastle career fails to ignite

The American came through the Chelsea youth ranks and joined Newcastle in July 2019 (Transfermarkt). He made 41 Premier League 2 appearances for the Blues and has notched a further 17 games for Newcastle’s under-23s.

Scott admitted last year that his first season on Tyneside had proven to be ‘very frustrating’, with football suspended shortly after his return from a groin injury (via Chronicle Live).

Transfer Tavern verdict

Scott is clearly backing himself to make it at St James’ Park. He recognises that moving back to the United States at this stage would probably just stall his career.

Whilst he might not have many attractive options in Europe’s top five leagues, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he were to move to a level slightly lower than that. After all, he is available on a free transfer as it stands.

In other news, Lee Ryder slammed this Newcastle player’s performance against Spurs.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Rob Lee, who is a Newcastle United Hall of Famer, claims that giving Dwight Gayle a new three-year contract makes no sense given his performances and the club’s current situation.

Gayle has been handed just three Premier League starts this season, with his latest coming against Tottenham Hotspur which the Magpies drew 2-2, however their former number nine missed two very good chances.

Before the Spurs game, Gayle’s last start came in the 1-1 draw against Aston Villa in which the £40,000 per week striker was deployed as a left-winger, while Ryan Fraser was preferred to play through the middle.

Speaking on the decision to hand Gayle a new deal, which was presumably signed off by the likes of Mike Ashley and Lee Charnley, could mean for the young players coming through and how he doesn’t deserve it, Lee told FFC:

“I’d say it’s confusing from a player’s point of view because you’d look at it and think over the last 18 months he hasn’t played much, and when he has the goals haven’t been there and he’s rewarded with a three-year contract.

“If I was a player coming through I’d be questioning what has he done to earn that contract? I don’t know why they are signing him now because we’re in a relegation battle, and I don’t get why you would be signing players up unless they are planning to play in the Championship next season?”

The last time they were in the Championship, Gayle propelled the Magpies to the Championship title as he finished as the club’s top scorer with 23 goals.

With eight games left Newcastle are just three points and one place above the relegation zone with a tough run of fixtures around the corner.

Many Southampton fans are far from happy with comments from Ralph Hasenhuttl on the club’s transfer plans ahead of the summer window.

It could well be a busy summer for the Saints, but mainly because they are likely to be fielding offers from other clubs for some of their star players. Striker Danny Ings has been linked with a move to Manchester City as Sergio Aguero leaves the Citizens (Sky Sports), while Tottenham are interested in signing central defender Jannik Vestergaard (Daily Express).

Speaking prior to Southampton’s match against West Bromwich Albion on Monday, Hasenhuttl shared the club’s plans. He provided some good news, saying that the likes of Ings and Vestergaard are not for sale, but he did also admit that the south coast outfit will need to look to sign players for below £10m, which is relatively cheap in the Premier League.

The comments were shared on Twitter by journalist Tom Leach, and it is fair to say that some Saints fans were far from happy, with one even calling the manager “deluded” following his remarks. Another took aim at what they saw as the flawed transfer dealings of former vice-chairman Les Reed.

These supporters took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the comments from Hasenhuttl below

“Hasenhuttl is deluded if he believes we will turn down good offers for Ings and Vestergaard, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Ward-Prowse go as well,”

Credit: @spmooney68

“This is all rather depressing stuff. Sub £10 million targets = dross”

Credit: @MarcTR4

“The issue is that who is going to pay good money for the dross that fills our squad? Thanks Les Reed for wasting so much money, guess that agents were throwing cash about”

Credit: @SpencerHoughts

“That’s them sold then!”

Credit: @davsExt

“So next year we lose Ings for nothing. £20m down the drain”

Credit: @scottfi54648411

“Sounds like another negative transfer windows on the cards. It’s near on impossible to sign PL quality for those prices. No doubt sign some fringe player from a bigger European club as usual and they struggle to adjust.”

Credit: @James90044529

In other news, many Southampton fans are unhappy with this transfer link.

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has revealed Glasgow Rangers have missed out on around £36m in matchday revenue across this season.

Maguire discusses Rangers issue

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Gers have been unable to welcome supporters to Ibrox throughout the whole of this campaign.

Speaking to Football Insider, Maguire has revealed the financial loss and believes the Scottish government must shed light on when fans can return. He said:

“I think Rangers fans will renew because Steven Gerrard has delivered for them.

“When the club will legitimately be allowed to claim that money is so complex a problem.

“Clearly, they’ll have to roll over season tickets, which I think will be an issue.

“Scotland as a country has the highest proportion in Uefa of matchday income compared to total income.

“When we look at Rangers, 60 per cent of its total income in 2020 came from matchday. So it is a dominant force.

“Matchday income for 2020 was just under £36m out of total revenues of £59m, and that was a season that was curtailed by Covid.

“Potentially next season if they reach the group stages of the Champions League, the broadcasting pot will rise significantly.

“But matchday income is essential for Rangers. They’ve got a completely devoted fanbase who will turn up regardless of the opposition.”

Deficit

Unfortunately, the last year has had a negative impact on clubs across the world. The Gers may be big enough to survive even without such a source of income, but £36m is a huge amount of money to miss out on. Hopefully, they can reach the group stages of the Champions League to offset that loss.

So far, it remains unclear as to when supporters will be once again allowed to attend matches in the Premiership – this is something that must be determined as soon as possible, at the very least so clubs can plan ahead. 12,000 fans are set to attend European Championships games at Hampden Park this summer, which perhaps gives an indication of what is come. Conversation, though, is needed at club level as well.

In other news, Frank McAvennie slams the Rangers player’s valuation.