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Manchester United have agreed a new four-year deal with Phil Jones which has now been extended until at least June 2019, according to reports from the Express.

The 23-year-old joined from Blackburn Rovers back in 2011 and has been a regular selection for the club despite a number of injury concerns over the course of his spell at Old Trafford.

United boss Louis van Gaal expressed his delight at Jones penning a new deal and has praised the player for his versatility.

“We are delighted that Phil has signed a new contract. He is a talented footballer with great versatility and can play in a number of positions,” he said.

“Phil is a relatively young defender who is developing all the time. He missed some of last season due to injury but I was impressed by his professionalism and attitude during those periods.”

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The centre-back also confirmed the extension as he begins preparations ahead of the upcoming Premier League campaign.

“I am delighted to have signed a new deal. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here so far and am looking forward to continuing my development as a player,” he said.

“This a great club to be part of and I cannot wait to start the new campaign. I would like to thank the manager, coaching staff and fans for their continued support.”

The England international missed part of the season through injury, but has started all 22 matches he was selected for.

Despite the new deal, Van Gaal is still keen on reinforcing his defence and is already lining up moves for Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos and Valencia’s Nicolas Otamendi.

Apart from that, the Red Devils are also looking to reinforce their front line amid speculation that Robin van Persie and Javier Hernandez are set for an exit.

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Most Newcastle fans will know very little about Aleksandar Mitrovic, but his arrival from Anderlecht must have brought about an overriding feeling of relief for many of them.

Last season the Toon Army endured the squeakiest of squeaky bum times as the club suffered a catastrophic run of form only to end up avoiding relegation by an all too slender a margin.

This was followed by the appointment of Steve McClaren; an experienced and fairly successful coach, but ultimately a man who fails to set pulses racing amongst English football fans.

A summer of discontent then ensued with the Newcastle board seemingly doing nothing as Premier League rivals brought in re-enforcements. Things are changing though, and it appears that owner Mike Ashley has finally sanctioned the long awaited loosening of the purse strings.

Georginio Wijnaldum arrived just over a week ago from PSV Eindhoven for the third highest fee in the club’s history, £14.5m, and now Mitrovic has become the second signing of the window, for a slightly more modest £13m.

It seems the cash is at last being splashed. Mitrovic is a striker, too. And in the North East, oh how they love a striker.

The Serb, to his credit, despite his young age already has something of a reputation as a goal machine and it is this that will be getting the heart rates racing on Tyneside. Mitrovic has been regarded as one of Europe’s most promising young forwards for a few years now and over the last two campaigns has backed up the talk with statistics.

The 20-year-old netted 28 times in all competitions for Anderlecht last term – a great return for an inexperienced player – from 51 appearances. The reason Newcastle fans have every right to be feeling positive is that the bustling centre forward could easily be compared to club legend, Alan Shearer.

At just under 6ft 3″, the former Partizan Belgrade man is a real powerhouse and a bullish natural finisher. These attributes mean he thrives on anything played in behind opposition defences and seems equally adept at attacking crosses or ‘putting himself about’. With the right service, it is just possible that the youngster could go some way to emulating one of Newcastle’s favourite sons.

Mitrovic himself is fully aware of the standard to which he will be held, claiming that he “loves pressure” and that Shearer is someone he regards as a hero.

Next season the service to the front man will now be key to the success of Tyneside’s biggest club. If they can give their latest acquisition something to work with, they should see an improvement on last year’s dismal showing.

Of course there will be concerns that the new signing represents a significant outlay on a youngster as yet unproven in one of the continent’s top leagues, but the prolific nature of his form and the sheer natural ruthlessness with which he amassed his goal tally last season suggests that the only barriers to his success in the English top flight will be psychological.

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Mitrovic is reported to be a moody character and an individual who appears immature. These are often traits associated with gifted individuals and of course they can be overcome. It might be a concern though that if he finds the adjustment to life at St James’ Park difficult to begin with, then the club might never see him reach his true potential.

Magpies boss Steve McClaren will be the man tasked with ensuring Mitrovic is mentally ready for the challenge of the Premier League. The former England manager is a coach of vast experience, but he will be pinning his hopes on his young forward hitting the ground running.

McClaren says that the club fought off competition from around Europe to secure the player’s signature. With the right tactics and man management they can show the Premier League that it was worth the effort.

Joe Hart’s career at the top level is facing some questions now that he is no longer considered first choice at West Ham United.

Manager David Moyes dropped the goalkeeper following the team’s 4-0 defeat to Everton at the end of November.

Adrian has since taken the number one spot, but Hart, who is on loan at the Hammers from Manchester City, was given a chance between the sticks against Arsenal in Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup quarter-final at the Emirates.

The England international was one of six changes to the team that defeated Stoke City 3-0 at the weekend.

Moyes gave the 30-year-old a chance to impress, but he failed to do so in what was an overall lacklustre game.

Hart could have done more to prevent the one and only goal that sent Arsenal into the semi-finals of the cup.

The shot-stopper failed to come off his line and claim the ball that led to Danny Welbeck’s goal.

Hart also escaped a red card, despite smashing into the Arsenal hitman outside of the box.

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Judging by the reaction on Twitter, fans were not best pleased with the goalkeeper’s performance.

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly ready to end their pursuit of Bordeaux winger Malcolm.

What’s the word?

The 20-year-old Brazilian has attracted interest from numerous clubs around Europe for his positive displays on the pitch.

The youngster caught the eye after moving to France in January 2016 from Corinthians, where he made 51 appearances across two seasons.

In the 2017-18 campaign for Bordeaux, Malcolm has netted seven goals in 20 outings.

Tottenham were said to be interested in the Brazilian, but according to the Daily Mail, Mauricio Pochettino’s club are now looking at other targets after learning that Bordeaux want £45m.

Are Spurs making a mistake?

Spending close to £50m on a 20-year-old is ludicrous, but in this day and age, every single club is forced to overspend on talent.

In this case, taking a risk could mean unearthing a talent who could eventually be worth double his current price tag.

The widespread interest from big clubs suggest that something special has been spotted in Malcolm.

Tottenham’s North London rivals Arsenal have also been registered with an interest in the winger.

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If Spurs pull out of the race, they are leaving the door wide open for the Gunners to swoop in.

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Now that the Alexis Sanchez-Henrikh Mkhitaryan swap deal with Manchester United is all wrapped up, Arsenal’s attention in the transfer market has turned to a potential deal for Borussia Dortmund’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The attacker supposedly wants to leave Dortmund but the Bundesliga outfit are reportedly asking for more than £50m before they’ll part way with the 28-year-old.

The big question is whether Arsenal should pay such a large fee for someone in their late 20’s. Can they can get their money’s worth? We’ve asked a handful of our writers for their opinion on the matter…

Christy Malyan

Aubameyang is clearly one of the best goalscorers in the world, but you have to wonder what the long-term plan is here. The Gabon international will turn 29 before next season and as soon as he loses that yard of pace, he’ll be a far less effective striker.

Likewise, Arsenal invested a similar sum in Alexandre Lacazette back in the summer – has he already been deemed not good enough by Arsene Wenger? It strikes as a signing more to maintain the perception of Arsenal being able to attract top drawer talent, which Aubameyang may not be for too much longer anyway, rather than truly addressing a weakness in the squad.

Sanchez’s departure gives Arsenal a chance to rebuild, but instead the Gunners are only postponing their problems until Aubameyang’s career begins to unwind.

Then again, if Wenger’s tenure is to come to an end either this summer or the next, perhaps a proven player in peak form is the short-term solution they need until a new manager comes in and puts his own mark on a team needing a fresh identity.

Danielle Joynson

Nowadays, paying £50m for players is no big shock, and in Arsenal’s case they may not have a choice given that time is running out in the January transfer window. They’ve lost Alexis Sanchez and if they want to end the season strongly, they need a replacement now.

Let’s not forget, Aubameyang is proven – he scored 31 league goals last season and he’s netted 21 in 23 games in all competitions already in this campaign. A question mark for me, though, would be his discipline.

It makes me wonder why he has not been scooped up before now.

James Beavis

While many would argue that investing that amount of money in a player that will be 29 years of age this year is wrong, Arsenal need to get the feel-good factor back around the club following the departure of Alexis Sanchez, and show that they can still attract the best players in European football.

Having lost Sanchez to United, they will be determined to keep Mesut Ozil too but the brilliant German will only want to commit his long-term future to the club if they show ambition and bring in players that can make a difference and help them push on.

Aubameyang’s incredible goal record certainly means he can help them do that, and it would also give Wenger the opportunity to try out a 4-2-2-2 formation with Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette up top, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Ozil in the advanced midfield positions behind.

Chris McMullan

Whatever the price, the signing of a 28-year-old forward who is considered one of the world’s biggest stars marks a significant departure for Arsene Wenger’s transfer policy at Arsenal.

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For that reason, the price is almost an irrelevance, the mere act of buying him at all is the statement.

But it might be a statement that says more than Arsenal ever intended. After losing Alexis Sanchez and, to a much lesser extent, Theo Walcott in this window, are the Gunners actually strengthened by this move? Or is it a purchase just to prove that they’re still one of the world’s biggest clubs? And do they even need him, after signing Alexandre Lacazette for a club record fee in the summer?

Perhaps the biggest talking point, though, should be the question of who exactly is sanctioning this transfer. Is it Wenger or the new ‘Head of Recruitment’ Sven Mislintat? If it’s the former, it’s certainly a sea change, if it’s the latter, is this the ‘biggest hint yet’ that we’re nearing the end of an era at the Emirates?

Last Sunday’s Premier League clash between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield was always going to be a thrilling one.

It was a very open game at times, with both teams relying on their attacking prowess to get a result.

Liverpool took the lead in the third minute thanks to a goal from Mohamed Salah, but it was the final 10 minutes of the contest that sparked drama.

Victor Wanyama equalised for Tottenham with a thunderbolt, and Harry Kane squandered the chance to put the visitors ahead when his penalty was saved.

Salah then struck again in the 91st minute to net what looked to be the winner, but Kane secured a 2-2 draw at Anfield with a late penalty.

The match was filled with controversy, with many arguing that the first penalty should never have been given in the first place due to Kane being offside.

Some fans have also accused the England international of diving to win the first spot kick.

Referee Jon Moss has come under fire, and now ex-Liverpool striker John Aldridge has taken aim at Kane and Dele Alli, who was booked for diving during the contest.

In the Irish Independent, the former footballer described the Spurs duo as “cheats”.

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It is safe to say that Tottenham fans are fed up with the constant hounding.

After Celtic’s latest strong financial report, supporters know that the club are in a great position heading into the summer transfer window. The Hoops arguably have more resources than they’ve ever had to spend smartly in the market, even as fees balloon across Europe in the biggest leagues.

The club of course will not be reckless with their spending, the days of attracting debt are long behind them, focusing more on a sustainable selling model of buying low, developing talent and letting them leave for cash-rich clubs in the English Premier League.

However, there’s a chance they could break their reported record transfer fee over the next 12 months, one which has stood since the days Martin O’Neill manned the touchline at Celtic Park when the club shelled out £6m for both Chris Sutton and John Hartson.

One option to do that is Odsonne Edouard, on loan from Paris Saint-Germain with an option to buy. That option is reported to cost £7m, which would clearly make him the most expensive player to ever sign permanently for the club.

However, that’s not something they should be pursuing and here are THREE reasons why…

Celtic need more end product, less potential

Odsonne Edouard hasn’t been a terrible Celtic signing by any means and with injuries and off-field issues having an effect on the likes of Moussa Dembele and Leigh Griffiths this season, he’s been  a key third man to fill in when need be.

However, he hasn’t exactly set the world on fire at Celtic Park either. He’s scored just six times in 18 appearances and just once in his last eight Scottish Premiership matches. It’s not exactly the kind of form that makes you think the Hoops should rush out buy him, especially at the reported fee of £7m.

With their transfer model, the Hoops have to strike a balance between potential and end product and at this point of his career, Edouard leans too much towards the former.

If they signed him for that kind of money and he produced similar form over the next 18 months, it’s unlikely that Celtic would be able to recoup their outlay, going against everything they’ve held dear in recent seasons.

Even if Moussa Dembele leaves, Celtic have a better option

Even if Moussa Dembele leaves the club this summer, which is a distinct possibility given all the transfer reports about him in recent months, Odsonne Edouard still wouldn’t be the strongest striker at Celtic.

That would of course fall to the ever-reliable Leigh Griffiths who, despite sometimes lacking opportunities, remains a consistent goalscoring force at the Hoops.

The Scottish international is set to reach 100 career goals at Celtic before the end of the season, should he return from injury smoothly, meaning he would be the first player to do that at the club since John Hartson.

Why invest a significant sum in Edouard when they already have a better option in attack? It makes little sense from any angle, despite the potential he may hold.

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The Hoops need to focus resources on their shaky defence

Celtic’s attack is actually the least of their problems right now and any resources the Hoops have in the transfer market should be diverted on attracting quality to enhance their defensive line and provide depth to positions that are stretched thin.

The Hoops badly need a quality, experienced centre-back to ease their problems at the back and even in positions they already have quality in, like left-back, they lack proper back-up, with Kieran Tierney having to start almost every match this season, which is less than ideal given the quantity the club have to play.

Their problems at the back aren’t going to be solved overnight and it’s an impossibility to guarantee stability at European level, but Celtic at least need to give themselves a fighting chance at that level and investment in their back four would undoubtedly enhance their chances of better results on the continent.

Man City have developed a habit of spending massive money on defenders in recent seasons, and reports in the Mirror recently claim they’re eyeing another £50m spend on in-from Leciester City defender Harry Maguire.

Harry Maguire signed for the Foxes for just £17m last summer and has impressed so far this season, leading to him being linked with Pep Guardiola’s City. But would he walk in to Pep’s best XI?

We discuss below…

Chris McMullan

Probably not. Maguire is known as a solid ball-playing centre back, and certainly one of the best outside of the top six at the moment, but just because he ticks some of the minimum boxes for a Guardiola side doesn’t mean he’d get into the squad let alone the starting lineup.

With John Stones, Aymeric Laporte and even Vincent Kompany back to fitness – not to mention Nicolas Otamendi who has had the most touches and completed passes of any player in the Premier League this season – City certainly have enough without a man playing pretty well for Leicester.

Chris Malyan

There is a subtle misconception regarding Maguire, who is valued at just £13.5m by transfermarkt.com. He’s not so much good on the ball as he is prepared to do positive things with it, and it would be interesting to see what side of that line Pep Guardiola falls on – does he want defenders who simply have the right mindset, or the impeccable technique to back it up as well?

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That being said, in terms of form this season, Maguire has far surpassed John Stones in my opinion. He offers those ball-playing qualities, but also a more rugged, physical and dominant style of defending. So if he doesn’t make City’s current starting XI, especially following the arrival of Aymeric Laporte, he deserves to make the squad over Stones.

In our poll on Wednesday, we asked West Ham fans to decide whether veteran centre-back James Collins deserved a new contract when his current one expires in the summer.

Having been at the club for over 5 years now, the Welsh defender is a dependable choice for David Moyes most weekends, but that’s if he’s able to keep himself fit.

Collins has suffered from increasingly prolonged battles with injury in his past three seasons, with a malleolar injury this campaign keeping him out of the majority of league fixtures but he is still a 13-year club veteran with a large groundswell of support among fans.

West Ham have other options at the back, with Kiwi centre-half Winston Reid and Angelo Ogbonna capable of filling in when the Welshman goes down injured, but Hammers fans were mostly singing from the same hymn sheet in our poll as 86% said they wanted him resigned at the club.

Here is the full result of our poll…

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As reported by Italian outlet Premium Sport, Manchester United attacker Anthony Martial has emerged as the number one summer transfer target for Serie A giants Juventus.

What’s the story?

Martial has struggled to become a trusted first team pick of Mourinho’s this season, starting just 16 of their 30 Premier League matches so far, but still remains popular with supporters who recognise the potential of his attacking contribution when fit and confident.

Premium Sport report that Juventus officials and his agents are already discussing a potential move for the winger this summer, with a fee of around £57m thought to be enough to tempt United into doing business.

The outlet reckon he is the prime objective of Juventus’ transfer window, meaning this could be a story that rumbles on all summer.

Shouldn’t they keep him?

Man United have already invested heavily in Martial’s future potential and it’s easy to forget he is still just 22 years of age. While his much-hyped arrival hasn’t produced the kind of attacking consistency the Old Trafford outfit might have been looking for, he’s still showing enough to suggest his future should lie in Manchester.

So far this season he’s scored 11 goals and created 10 assists despite having to sit on the bench plenty of weeks.

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It would be a shame for the Red Devils to miss out on his prime years after bringing him to the club so early into his career and although his contract runs out in 2019, they should invest in his future again and attempt help him reach his full potential. It could be a big regret if he goes on to do exceptional work at a team like Juventus.

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