Newcastle United have been handed a boost in their efforts to sign an "ice cold" attacking star, according to an update from journalist Ben Jacobs.

Newcastle need attacking depth

The Magpies will have the chance to make new signings next month, with the January transfer window arriving and allowing Eddie Howe the opportunity to bolster his squad options. It has been a season to remember for Newcastle so far, although not always for positive reasons, and injuries have decimated them at times, making it hard to hit top gear in both the Premier League and the Champions League.

In attack, both Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson have been injury-plagued, and it has been difficult for both to enjoy extended runs in the team this season, playing a part in their hit-and-miss form.

For that reason, Howe could look to bring in another option to provide competition for them soon, with Romelu Lukaku linked with a move to Newcastle, and VfB Stuttgart ace Serhou Guirassy also potentially heading to St James' Park.

Newcastle handed Serhou Guirassy boost

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jacobs provided an update on Newcastle's interest in Guirassy, saying he is keen on the idea of moving to the Premier League, acting as a clear boost for the Magpies.

"With Guirassy, it's slightly different [to Ekitike] because he's on fire. He’s scored 16 goals in all competitions this season. So, there's real quality there, but he’s not a player that Stuttgart want to lose mid-season. So, that has its complications.

"From the player's perspective, if he does move to the Premier League, and I’m told there is an openness broadly to do so, he won't want to go from playing every week into double figures, scoring freely, having a breakthrough season, to suddenly being on the bench, which would lend itself probably more towards a summer move as well."

Guirassy is enjoying an incredible season to date, scoring a remarkable 15 goals in his first ten Bundesliga appearances in 2023/24, which has proven to be a record-breaking effort from the Newcastle transfer target.

The 27-year-old could be such an exciting signing by the Magpies, and while a summer move looks much more likely to happen than a January transfer, he could be worth waiting for, rather than taking a punt on somebody else next month.

Appearances

10

Goals

15

Assists

1

Guirassy's scoring record has been hailed as "pure psycho" by Stuttgart teammate Deniz Undav, who added that he is "ice cold in front of goal and just enjoys himself", and it may be that Newcastle continue to track his form over the next few months, making sure that he retains this consistency and isn't simply going through a purple patch.

The Guinean does look like the real deal, however, only being outscored by Harry Kane in the Bundesliga this season, and his shot conversion rate of 48% is only just behind the England superstar's tally of 49%, further outlining why he could be a fantastic signing for Howe.

Romeo Beckham has taken fans aback with a haircut his dad, David, would have been proud to rock in the nineties.

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• Romeo Beckham shows off new hair
• Forward plays for Brentford B
• Yet to make a first-team appearance for the Bees

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Beckham showed off his bleached blonde buzzcut in a new Instagram post that has his four million followers drawing comparison to his father's various extravagant trims from years gone by. Beckham, part of the Brentford B team, was stood in front of a pink, luminescent sign reading: 'Hello Gorgeous.' He is clearly proud of his new look, although we're not sure McLaren F1 star Lando Norris agrees!

  @romeobeckham

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Romeo Beckham is yet to live up to the high standards set in football by his father. He joined Brentford B from his father's club, Inter Miami, in January 2023 on an initial six-month loan and was part of the squad that won the 2022–23 Premier League Cup. He was subsequently given a one-year contract with the Bees' B team. But, at 21, he is yet to make a first-team appearance for Brentford and does not look likely to break into the team anytime soon.

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  Romeo first played academy football at Arsenal. He joined the Gunners in 2014 but was released just one year later before choosing to give up pursuing a career in the game. His love for football returned, however, and he joined the Inter Miami reserve side in 2021.

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• WHAT NEXT FOR BECKHAM AND BRENTFORD?

  With Beckham's contract at Brentford running out this summer, his future remains uncertain. The Bees' first-team, meanwhile, take on Sheffield United on Saturday aiming to put some daylight between themselves and the drop zone.

LAFC have reportedly secured the signature of AC Milan star and France international Olivier Giroud on a free transfer.

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LAFC to officially sign GiroudFrance star to join on free transfer in summerWill join Hugo Lloris at LAFCGet the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowWHAT HAPPENED?

After reports surfaced earlier this spring that the 38-year-old was weighing his options, from MLS to Saudi Arabia and even staying in Europe, it now appears he's made his mind up. Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano reports that the France international will officially become a member of the Black and Gold this summer.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Giroud will slot in perfectly with the LAFC XI, as a striker is their biggest need in 2024. The 2022 MLS Cup Champions and 2023 finalists lost stalwart and club legend Carlos Vela in the offseason, and have yet to replace him.

Mateusz Bogusz has filled in valiantly, but has struggled to consistently look the part this season. The 38-year-old, who has 13 goals and eight assists in Serie A this season, will look to fill the shoes of Vela while also providing Bogusz with center-forward competition.

DID YOU KNOW?

Giroud will link-up with former France teammate Hugo Lloris with the Black and Gold, after the goalkeeper joined LAFC during the winter transfer window.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR LAFC AND GIROUD?

LAFC are in action this weekend against the Timbers in a Western Conference showdown. Giroud and Milan, meanwhile, are set to clash with U.S. internationals Weston McKennie and Tim Weah as the Rossoneri take on Juventus on Saturday.

Newcastle United are in the midst of a crisis right now with 13 first-team players currently sidelined through injury and suspension which is certainly a worry for head coach Eddie Howe.

The Magpies' form has dipped too, with the team dropping to eighth in the Premier League table, below Manchester United, while Howe's men are also on the cusp of exiting the Champions League and a massive game away at Paris Saint-Germain next week could be the final nail in the coffin.

Newcastle's attacking department is down to the bare bones, with winger Anthony Gordon being tasked with leading the line during the team's recent 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth.

The club have started working on plans to improve depth in the forward positions and have identified one star who could change the team's fortunes.

Newcastle transfer news – Jota

According to 90min, Newcastle United are looking to make a move for the former Celtic attacker Jota, who is currently plying his trade in Saudi Arabia with league champions Al-Ittihad, having moved to the Middle East for £25m during the summer as a two-time Scottish Premiership winner.

The Portuguese winger has had limited game-time at Al-Ittihad as he wasn't registered in the first-team squad past the transfer window since clubs in the Saudi Pro League can only have eight foreign players at one point. There were rumours that the 24-year-old would be freed from his contract by the Saudi side but min have revealed that this now seems unlikely.

Furthermore, Newcastle would be forced to acquire Jota permanently from Al-Ittihad as Premier League teams are set to vote to prohibit any clubs from signing players on loan from affiliated sides. The Mags would fall under this category as a result of being bought by the PIF back in 2021.

How Jota compares with Anthony Gordon

Jota has struggled for minutes since moving to Saudi Arabia as a result of being unregistered. Overall, the Portugal international has featured just seven times for Al-Ittihad but only two of those games have come since September 1 in the AFC Champions League.

However, the winger had an exceptional season at Celtic under Ange Postecoglou last term. In 43 appearances for the Glasgow giants, Jota bagged 27 goal contributions in all competitions, including 15 goals and 12 assists, leading Postecoglou to call him "unbelievable". League top scorer Kyogo Furuhashi was the only player to contribute to more goals at Celtic last season.

Statistically, Jota had a far better season in the previous campaign than Gordon has had this term and has proven himself to be a greater threat in and around the penalty area than the Magpies' £45m winter signing.

Goals

0.47

0.28

Expected Goals

0.29

0.3

Assists

0.4

0.14

Expected Assists

0.25

0.12

Key Passes

2.81

0.92

Progressive Carries

5

3.46

Successful Take-Ons %

55%

41.2%

Stats via FBref

Gordon has scored four goals in 17 appearances this term and has come into his own a little in the current campaign. However, Jota has proven himself adept at playing anywhere along the front three during his playing career and can create chances but also finish them off, boasting an impressive take-on success, as well as a higher degree of key passes.

Howe could massively upgrade his forward line with the arrival of Jota this winter, especially since the Portuguese livewire would link up extremely well with Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak, just like he did with 34-goal Kyogo last term.

Liverpool can go one step closer to reaching the knockout stages of the Europa League this evening with victory over LASK.

As it stands, the Reds need four points from their remaining two matches to guarantee their passage into the round of 16, however, if Union Saint-Galloise manage to grab all three points against Toulouse, their qualification will be confirmed on matchday five.

Whilst the Thursday night jaunts to rogue destinations have supplied Jurgen Klopp with a busy fixture schedule, it has allowed him to heavily rotate his squad and keep competition for places strong.

The German tactician is expected to make wholesale changes once more to the side that salvaged a draw against Manchester City with Harvey Elliott looking poised to replace Dominik Szoboszlai, who has featured off the bench in all three appearances in the competition.

Dominik Szoboszlai's season in numbers

Liverpool's midfield needed an overhaul after looking devoid of energy and dynamism last term, but since Szoboszlai arrived at the club, he's provided Klopp with those attributes and more.

The Hungarian superstar has impressed across so many aspects, from his ball retention to his press resistance and ability to drive forward, possessing every ingredient in his locker to become a world-class midfielder.

Hailed as "incredible" by Liverpool legend John Barnes while drawing comparisons to Steven Gerrard, such praise has been directed towards the youngster because he can do everything on the pitch and that has been reflected across an array of his attacking and defensive metrics this term.

Appearances

13

Shots per game

1.9

Big chances created

5

Key passes

2.2

Accurate passes per game

51.4 (88%)

Expected Assists (xA)

2.95

Balls recovered per game

7.1

All stats via Sofascore

Szoboszlai's importance to the squad shouldn't be understated, as showcased by the table above, with the 22-year-old supplying the third most key passes in the Liverpool squad (2.2), second most big chances created (5) and the most fouls drawn in the box.

Much like Mohamed Salah, however, his minutes are restricted in this competition and that is a blessing to Elliott, who should get his chance to impress Klopp once more this evening.

Why Elliott should start against LASK

If competition for places in Liverpool's midfield wasn't so high, Elliott would be starting every week and that is a testament to how good he is.

At 20 years old, Elliott is maturing into a sensational footballer and although his performances warrant more first-team action in the Premier League, he's used the Europa League as an opportunity to showcase his talents.

Dubbed by Jamie Carragher as "special", the fleet-footed midfielder has thrived in the pocket of space in the right channel, slaloming in between defenders with his exceptional ball control and low centre of gravity.

Across four matches in the competition, he's completed a whopping 75% of his dribbles, which underscores how difficult he is to tackle when the ball is stuck to his foot like glue.

Whilst he is adept at gliding past his opponents, Elliott is also a menace out of possession, utilising his boundless energy to make two tackles, win possession 1.5 times and recover six balls per game.

If the Europa League is a stage, the England under-21 star – who scored twice in the 3-0 victory over Northern Ireland – has certainly performed with Reds bracing themselves for another exceptional display from the talented youngster this evening.

نجح منتخب المغرب الأولمبي، في تسجيل الهدفين الأول والثاني بشباك نظيره المصري، خلال المباراة الجارية بينهما حالياً بدورة الألعاب الأولمبية باريس 2024.

ويلتقي منتخب مصر نظيره المغربي، اليوم الخميس، في مباراة تحديد المركزين الثالث والرابع في أولمبياد باريس 2024.

وسجل عبد الصمد الزلزولي هدف المغرب الأول في الدقيقة 24، من تصويبة قوية من داخل منطقة الجزاء سكنت الشباك.

طالع أيضاً.. ترتيب هدافي أولمبياد باريس بعد هدف سفيان رحيمي أمام مصر

وفي الدقيقة 26 أحرز سفيان رحيمي الهدف الثاني، بعد كرة عرضية لداخل منطقة الجزاء استقبلها سفيان رحيمي برأسية داخل الشباك.

وفاز منتخب مصر في ربع النهائي على باراجواي، ولكن خسر أمام فرنسا في نصف النهائي بنتيجة 3-1 بعد الأشواط الإضافية.

أما المنتخب المغربي، حصد بطاقة التأهل كوصيف في مجموعته وتأهل إلى نصف النهائي على حساب أمريكا، ولكن خسر أمام إسبانيا بنتيجة 2-1. هدف المغرب الأول أمام مصر في أولمبياد باريس

هدف المغرب الثاني أمام مصر في أولمبياد باريس

The opener will will see a doctor before any decision is made on whether he would resume batting for New Zealand A

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Nov-2018Hamish Rutherford falls over while batting•Getty Images

Opener Hamish Rutherford , who copped a blow on his helmet, will see a doctor before any decision is made on whether he would resume batting for New Zealand A in the four-dayer against India A in Hamilton. Rutherford was struck by fast bowler Mohammed Siraj when he was on 9, and following an assessment, he sat out of the rest of the day. Will Young, the captain, though, made an unbeaten 117 as New Zealand A went to stumps at 221 for 5.Young, who was among the top performers for New Zealand A in the UAE, extended his form and hit 12 fours and two sixes. India A’s seamers, though, kept chipping away at the other end, reducing the hosts from 75 for 1 to 141 for 5. Young and Theo van Woerkom then put on an unbroken 80-run partnership to close out the day without any further setbacks.Siraj and Rajneesh Gurbani claimed two wickets each while Navdeep Saini took one.

The West Indies captain was given out on what was evidently a no-ball due to fielding infringements by Bangladesh

Mohammad Isam in Sylhet14-Dec-2018

Rovman Powell is clean bowled by an inswinging delivery•Associated Press

In a controversial incident in the series-deciding ODI in Sylhet, West Indies captain Rovman Powell was out to what should have been called a no-ball due to an excessive number of Bangladesh fielders manning the leg-side field. Following the game, which Bangladesh won to seal the series, Powell expressed disappointment with the on-field umpires for not catching the breach till it was pointed out by Carlos Brathwaite, West Indies’ 12th man who came on to the field to bring it to the notice of umpires Masudur Rahman and Ruchira Palliyaguruge.Brathwaite was seen having an animated discussion with the umpires just after Powell was given caught behind off Mehidy Hasan in the 26th over. He seemed to bring up the matter again, when he came onto the field with drinks a few overs later. Powell said that Brathwaite had come on to the field to bring the situation to the umpires’ notice.Powell said the issue had persisted over several balls. “It was a situation where Bangladesh had six persons on the leg side, and generally six persons on the leg side is considered a no-ball. It is a bit disappointing to see about six or seven balls [were] bowled with six players on the leg side and the umpire didn’t pick that up. It is human mistake, so sometimes you have to just give and take.”But you don’t want to lose a wicket in that fashion. Maybe that’s one of the major reasons why Carlos came on the field. To be honest, I didn’t spot it. None of us, me nor [the other batsman at the time] Shai Hope, spotted it. We were concentrating on rebuilding, getting a partnership going and that just happened.”It is not clear why Brathwaite did not prevent Powell from leaving the field when they had, evidently correctly, spotted this umpiring error. When Powell was asked about the matter at the press conference, he didn’t seem to catch the question.According to clause 28.4 of the ICC men’s playing conditions, “At the instant of delivery, there may not be more than 5 fielders on the leg side… In the event of infringement of this clause by any fielder, the striker’s end umpire shall call and signal no-ball.”Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza said that they also did not spot the error. “We all know that a 6-3 field is a no-ball,” Mashrafe said. “But by being focused on getting them out we ended up having six fielders on the on-side, but since the umpire had made his call [on the Powell dismissal], he had to be given out.”

أعلنت شبكة قنوات “بي إن سبورت” عن نبأ سار بشأن إذاعة مباراة منتخب مصر الأولمبي أمام المغرب والتي تجمع بينهما مساء اليوم ضمن منافسات أولمبياد باريس 2024.

ووصل منتخب مصر إلى نصف النهائي، بعد احتلال صدارة المجموعة الثالثة، متفوقًا على إسبانيا وأوزبكستان وجمهورية الدومينكان، والفوز على باراجواي، ثم الخسارة أمام فرنسا.

وتلقى منتخب مصر هزيمة صعبة أمام فرنسا، بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدف، في لقاء امتد للأشواط الإضافية.

طالع | تشكيل منتخب مصر أمام المغرب اليوم في أولمبياد باريس

في المقابل احتل منتخب المغرب المركز الثاني في مجموعته، وتأهل إلى نصف النهائي على حساب أمريكا، والتقى إسبانيا وخسر بهدفين مقابل هدف.

ويرغب روجيرو ميكالي المدير الفني لمنتخب مصر واللاعبين في تحقيق الفوز والتتويج بأول ميدالية أولمبية في التاريخ.

وتصطدم أحلام منتخب مصر، بمنافسه المغرب، حيث سبق وأن التقيا في آخر مواجهة بينهما بنهائي كأس أمم إفريقيا تحت 23 سنة والتي فاز بها أسود أطلس. موعد مباراة مصر والمغرب في أولمبياد باريس

تنطلق المباراة بين مصر والمغرب اليوم الخميس في تمام السادسة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة والسعودية. القنوات الناقلة لمباراة مصر والمغرب اليوم في أولمبياد باريس

أعلنت قناة “بي إن سبورت” عن إذاعة مباراة مصر والمغرب عبر قناة “BEIN XTRA2” والمفتوحة عبر قمر النايل سات.

وكذلك من المقرر أن يتم بث المباراة عبر قناة “بي إن سبورت” على موقع “يوتيوب”.

Getafe boss Jose Bordalas has called on La Liga to take action after Mason Greenwood was targeted with 'die' chants in their Real Sociedad clash.

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• Getafe draw with Real Sociedad
• Greenwood subjected to 'die' chants
• Manager calls on La Liga to take action

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  During Getafe's 1-1 draw with Real Sociedad on Sunday, the Manchester United loanee is understood to have been called a "rapist" and told to "die" by some away supporters. This is not the first time the 22-year-old has been on the receiving end of fan abuse and now manager Bordalas wants stronger action taken.

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  WHAT GETAFE'S MANAGER SAID

  After the contest, Bordalas said, via Spanish publication AS: “I don't have much to say. It is unacceptable. This is not the first time this has happened to us and we must take action. Like what happened in the game against Sevilla.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Greenwood, who was allowed to leave for La Liga earlier this season, had charges of attempted rape, assault and coercive control dropped in early 2023 – after initially being arrested in January 2022 and then suspended by United – but is still receiving abuse from sections of supporters.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  While Greenwood – who is likely to never play for United again – and Getafe wait to hear if La Liga will take action over these chants, the Spanish side are next in action away to Almeria on Saturday.