Newcastle fans aren’t getting carried away despite their amazing form, after former Netherlands international Mario Melchiot said the Magpies can achieve big things under Rafael Benitez.

You’d be hard pushed to find a set of fans more infuriated by their ownership than Newcastle supporters, who have been pleading for years for owner Mike Ashley to leave the club.

Ashley bought the Magpies back in 2007, and fans have grown tired of his smug demeanour and downright refusal to spend any real money improving the squad.

The arrival of Rafa Benitez felt like a blessing to the Toon Army, and their incredible run in the last month or so has proven why they love the Spaniard so much.

Having upset Manchester United back in February, Benitez’s side have now won three games on the bounce, and Melchiot thinks it can be the start of something special on Tyneside.

“Newcastle is a club that belongs in the Premier League. They have some of the best fans in the country and the prestige of the club is up there with the best, but they have had difficult times in recent years, both on and off the field,” the 41 year-old wrote on his website.

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“That’s why Rafa Benitez’ work this season has been so brilliant.

“But there is still a lot of work to do at Newcastle before they reach the success that they experienced in the 90’s. And holding onto Rafa will be a key part of that.

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“He has been loyal so far, but unless the board give him more funding and more ambitious plans for growing the club’s position, Rafa won’t stick around for long.”

Newcastle fans would love to believe they can get back amongst the elite under Rafa, but they’re all saying the same thing about Melchiot’s comments – it will never happen with Ashley in charge.

Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…

Crystal Palace may have produced more memorable performances this season, but few points will have felt as precious as the one they picked up at Vicarage Road in a 1-1 draw on Saturday, moving the South London side six points clear of the relegation zone with just a handful of games remaining.

Indeed, while Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend have been easily amongst the best attacking players outside of the Premier League’s top six this term, it was the Eagles’ ability to keep out Watford that proved crucial at the weekend with centre-back James Tomkins playing a huge part in that.

The 29-year-old was an absolute rock at the heart of defence, making more than twice the number of clearances as any other player on the pitch and ranking second throughout both teams for aerial duels won, while recording two tackles and one interception.

In fact, it was actually the former England U21 who came closest to scoring for Palace, his header from a Yohan Cabaye corner hitting the post before bouncing back out, capping off an immense performance from Tomkins who has been one of the most dependable players amid a relegation-threatened season at Selhurst Park.

Is Tomkins your player of the season, Eagles fans? Let us know by voting below…

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Having been continually linked with a move for Karim Benzema over the years, it was no surprise that Arsenal fans were quick to react positively to his latest performance on Twitter as he scored a brace in his side’s 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final tie on Tuesday.

Outgoing Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has reportedly wanted the Frenchman, rated at £45m by Transfermarkt, many times in the past, with no move ever materialising.

While he did notch two against Bayern in midweek as Zinedine Zidane’s men reached their third successive Champions League final, it hasn’t been a great season for the 30-year-old in terms of goalscoring – he has just 11 in 42 appearances in all competitions.

Meanwhile, the north London outfit have Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang fighting for the centre-forward role, and while that is one position that their new manager may not look to strengthen, the former has struggled at times.

We decided to ask Arsenal fans to vote on our poll about whether their club should make a move to sign Benzema or not this summer, and a huge 78% would be against it.

That is probably fair enough and it seems as though the Benzema to Arsenal rumour is now way past its sell-by date.

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Tottenham fans are bemused by Mauricio Pochettino’s latest comments, after the boss gave Wednesday’s opponents all the motivation they’ll need.

A few weeks ago, Tottenham were all but guaranteed a top four finish and had an FA Cup semi-final to look forward to.

After an underwhelming cup defeat to Manchester United and multiple disappointing results in the Premier League, the success of this season is now resting on the final two matches.

To put it simply, Spurs need to get four points from the two matches against Newcastle and Leicester to wrap up Champions League football for next season.

Newcastle don’t have much to play for themselves, but Tottenham fans are worried they might be more motivated now, after Mauricio Pochettino said the Magpies are not a big club.

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“They have a fantastic season, it’s a fantastic job that he’s doing there, Rafa, with all the circumstances,” he said.

“When we assess another team, we need to assess them with reality. Newcastle, of course, is a big club, was a big club, yes, big names, yes, but the reality today is that it’s not. To see the past and say, ‘OK because Newcastle won some titles, now Newcastle must win’ is wrong.”

Of course, the Tottenham boss intended to pay a compliment to his opposite number Rafael Benitez, but chose his words poorly to say the least.

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Fans were already fearing the worst about the chase for top four, and now they’re worried their main man has just made it that little bit harder.

Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…

Manchester United are primed and ready to pounce if Juventus do not take up their option to sign Douglas Costa from Bayern Munich, according to the Sun.

The 27-year-old is superior to all of Jose Mourinho’s current right-wing options and would go straight into the first team, replacing academy graduate Jesse Lingard.

What’s the story, then?

The Sun claim that Juventus, with whom Costa has just spent the season on loan, have an option to buy the Brazilian for £33m this summer but may spurn the opportunity in pursuit of spending big on an elite central midfielder.

In that event, they report that United are ready to offer Bayern, Costa’s parent club, over double the fee agreed with Juve – £79m – to bring the wideman to Old Trafford this summer.

The report also says that United and Juve’s transfer business is uncannily intertwined. Reds full-back Matteo Darmian is set to join the Italian giants, who want to secure a return for Paul Pogba.

Their other central midfield target is Sergej Milinkovic-Savic who is reportedly subject of interest from United also, and could raise the funds to sign a central midfielder via the sale of left-back Alex Sandro, who Mourinho is also sniffing around.

Costa is the perfect right-winger for United

United’s right wing options are currently Juan Mata – who is a number 10 bizarrely converted to a wideman despite not having the legs – Jesse Lingard, who has pace and energy but looks more comfortable through the middle and lacks consistency, or an awkward crowbarring of Alexis Sanchez, Marcus Rashford or Anthony Martial – all more comfortable operating from the left.

Costa is a better bet than all of them. He is an outstanding dribbler, capable of embarrassing even Europe’s elite defenders and would add genuine pace and width to this United setup.

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£79m is steep, and it is especially perplexing that United would go in that high when Juve have £33m agreed already but potentially the closeness of the two club’s transfer dealings can help a deal get over the line.

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Whenever a football club reveals some good news, it is guaranteed that their rivals will find something to mock.

On Thursday, Tottenham Hotspur confirmed that manager Mauricio Pochettino has signed a new five-year contract.

Questions were raised over the Argentine’s long-term future at the club during the season due to his continuous development.

Many thought that Pochettino’s good work would result in him being poached by some of Europe’s elite.

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However, it seems that the former Southampton boss is committed to Spurs and plans to be there for the long haul.

It is an exciting time for the North London outfit as they prepare to move into a brand new stadium for the 2018-19 season.

However, it cannot be ignored that the club have not picked up a piece of silverware for a decade.

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Spurs have finished second and third in the last three Premier League seasons, but they continue to fall at the final hurdle.

Pochettino has also never won a trophy as a manager, so some rival fans could not help but poke fun at the club’s huge news.

According to Sky Sports, new Arsenal manager Unai Emery is keen to build his team around Aaron Ramsey and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and he admitted in his first press conference, via The Mirror, that he wants to play a high pressing game – both things which may not be good news for Mesut Ozil, who is rated at £45m by Transfermarkt.

The former could mean that Ramsey is pushed forward and starts in the No.10 role ahead of him with the German likely to move out wide – a position he has often struggled with, especially from a defensive point of view – in that particular case.

The 29-year-old has also often been criticised for his lack of work-rate by his own supporters and generally in the media, and it is difficult to envisage him chasing opponents down to win the ball back having seen often fail to do the same in recent years at the Emirates Stadium.

We asked Arsenal fans to vote on our poll to see whether they thought Ozil would thrive or flop under Emery, and against all of the odds 70% believe that he will actually shine under the Spaniard.

While some of the criticism aimed at the German in the past has been unfair, it will certainly be interesting to see whether he fits into the style of play that Arsene Wenger’s successor is keen to introduce.

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As reported by The Daily Record, Aberdeen are one of the clubs interested in bringing Freddie Woodman back to the Scottish Premiership this summer.

What’s the story?

Aberdeen fans will be familiar with Woodman of course, with the young goalkeeper spending time on loan at the club last season, filling in for established number Joe Lewis for eight appearances.

Now he could be set for a return north.

That’s according to The Record, who say that Aberdeen, Hearts and Hibs are all interested in his services this summer on a loan basis.

Rated at £450,000 by Transfermarkt, should the Dons make another move for the impressive prospect, or stick with the goalkeepers they have?

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Would he be a good addition for Aberdeen?

While Woodman impressed on loan last season, and is showing great progress in the England national team’s youth set-up, do Aberdeen really need to have him around in the new season?

Joe Lewis has recovered from a knee operation and back-up goalkeeper Danny Rogers signed a new contract in May, with Derek McInnes claiming he was a big part of his plans going forward.

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Three goalkeepers are nice to have and would provide great depth but Woodman is arguably good enough for first team football at Scottish Premiership level, so is unlikely to be happy sitting on the bench at Pittodrie.

Perhaps their transfer efforts would perhaps be best focused elsewhere.

The agent of Nabil Fekir has informed Liverpool that the deal to take the French playmaker to Anfield could be revived, according to the Express. 

What’s the latest, then?

The Express report that Jean-Pierre Bernes has told the Reds, via French television, that ‘it is not the end of the story’ where Fekir and Liverpool are concerned.

They claim that means that the £53m deal to bring Fekir to Merseyside could well be back on, indicating that the relationships between the parties involved in the deal have not been totally ruptured.

Bernes also reportedly refused to cite one single reason why the deal, which looked on the cards for weeks, fell through at the last minute.

How would Fekir fit in?

Jurgen Klopp revealed in May that in a world where Philippe Coutinho did not dream of playing for Barcelona, his Liverpool team would feature the Brazilian in a deeper, Kevin de Bruyne-style playmaker role behind the front three of Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane.

On the days when Liverpool enjoy the majority of possession, Fekir could take up a similar role, giving Klopp four outstanding attackers on the pitch to break down the deep defences which often stifle the Reds.

To offer variety, Fekir could move into the forward line, offering an alternative to the pure pace and directness of Salah, Mane and Firmino while ensuring that quality doesn’t drop off.

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According to the Stoke Sentinel, Stoke City’s versatile Geoff Cameron could be on his way out of the Britannia this summer, with Southampton a likely destination for the experienced player.

What’s the story?

The 32-year-old joined Stoke in 2012 and has gone on to make 168 league appearances for the Potters.

Cameron, who is comfortable in defence and in midfield, is believed to have a release clause in his contract in excess of £5million which Southampton and a number of MLS clubs are keen to test, according to the report.

The American international is the third longest-serving player currently at the club, with only veterans Peter Crouch and Ryan Shawcross surpassing him.

A move to Southampton would see Cameron reunite with former boss Mark Hughes who joined Stoke a year after the defender.

Head over heart for Rowett

New boss Gary Rowett will clearly want to trim an ageing squad at Stoke if he wants to stop the rot that saw the club relegated from the Premier League last season.

On the verge of turning 33, Cameron doesn’t have many years left in him, and if they can get a few million for the player, they could reinvest that wisely in some young talent.

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Even though it’s always sad to see a fan-favourite and veteran of the club depart, it seems like this would be a sensible move for Stoke as they look to rebuild the squad.

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