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      Man City starlet Liam Delap joins Stoke on season-long loan transfer to get 19-year-old striker first-team experience

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      STOKE CITY have signed Liam Delap on a season-long loan from Manchester City.The 19-year-old forward will now remain with the Championship side until June 2023.
      Delap has signed for Stoke on a season-long loanCredit: Stoke FC
      He made the move to get more first-team experienceCredit: Stoke FC
      There is no option to buy in the contract – which was signed on Thursday morning – because Man City view him as a crucial player for the future.
      He will now follow in the footsteps of his father Rory Delap, who made 208 appearances for Stoke during his playing career and is now a first team coach.
      In his first official interview for the club, the England U19 international said: “Obviously it’s a brilliant feeling (to be here).
      “I’ve known and been around this club for a long time and to finally get the deal done and over the line, I’m buzzing. I can’t wait to get started.”
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      Stoke boss Michael O’Neill was equally as excited to complete the move. He told the official Stoke website: “It’s no secret that we have been looking to bring Liam to the club this summer.
      “We have been in dialogue with City for some time now and had the opportunity a few weeks ago to outline our plans for Liam.
      “We are grateful to them for the trust they have placed in us and we are really excited about working with Liam.”
      Delap was open to a move away from Man City to gain more first team experience.
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      He made five senior appearances last season, including one Champions League run-out.
      According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, City received permanent transfer offers for the young star from Southampton and Newcastle, but had no intention of selling him. More

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      Arsenal youngster Salah Oulad M’Hand set to join Hull on loan transfer with option to buy next summer in major coup

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      ARSENAL starlet Salah Oulad M’Hand is reportedly closing in on a loan switch to Championship side Hull.The Yorkshire outfit are claimed to have the option to turn his temporary spell into a permanent stay next summer.
      Hull are set to complete the loan signing of Arsenal midfielder Salah Oulad M’HandCredit: Getty
      Gunners starlet Salah will reportedly wear the No10 shirt for Championship side HullCredit: Getty
      Big things are expected of teenage midfielder Salah, who was an unused substitute in five Premier League matches last season.
      The Holland Under-17 youth international was also named on the bench for the Gunners’ FA Cup third round defeat against Nottingham Forest in January, as well as three Carabao Cup ties.
      But the youngster, who is tied down at the Emirates until 2025, is keen to depart North London in his quest to play regular first team football.
      According to the Hull Daily Mail, the Tigers have agreed a loan with a buy-option for the ex-Feyenoord youth ace.
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      Personal terms have already been agreed with Hull and Salah, who have made landing the player a top priority this window.
      It is understood that Salah will wear the No10 jersey at the MKM Stadium.
      Arsenal are said to have been reluctant to let him leave, but Salah’s eagerness to join Hull has proved vital in the transfer.
      The central midfielder is expected in Hull on Thursday with only formalities needed to be completed before the move is officially announced.
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      Salah is just one of a number of youngsters that Arsenal have allowed to depart on loan.
      Striker Folarin Balgoun has been snapped up by Reims, with the ex-Middlesbrough loanee scoring in each of his first two Ligue 1 games.
      Meanwhile teenage midfielder Charlie Patino has joined Championship side Blackpool until the end of the term.
      Mexico international Marcelo Flores will be plying his trade in Spain this season with Segunda Division outfit Real Oviedo.
      And shot-stopper Arthur Okonkwo has signed for League Two club Crewe, where he has already featured five times. More

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      Newcastle set to launch improved Joao Pedro transfer bid after failed £20m offer as Watford hold out on £35m

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      NEWCASTLE are preparing to increase their bid for Watford striker Joao Pedro.The Championship club insist the Magpies’ initial £20million bid is nowhere near their valuation.
      Joao Pedro could be on his way to Newcastle if the Toon bid enoughCredit: Getty
      Hornets boss Rob Edwards has hinted they are ready to sell Pedro with him rated at around £35million.
      Newcastle saw an opening move for the 20-year-old rejected but hope a second offer will bring them to the negotiating table.
      Edwards said: “The bid that has come in is not anywhere near the level we’d expect it to be for him.
      “If anything else was to come in again, then we’ll sit down and talk about it as a club and as a board.”
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      The youngster burst onto the scene in his homeland of Brazil with Fluminense scoring seven goals in 28 games as a teenager.
      He earned a move to Watford where he has netted 14 times in 78 appearances.

      Pedro has already scored once this season but may be heading back to the Premier League.
      He is versatile and can also operate in the left-wing.
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      Newcastle boss Eddie Howe is supposedly desperate to add attacking depth to his squad with Chris Wood and the injury prone Callum Wilson up top.
      Pedro’s teammate Ismalia Sarr has been linked with a move back to the top flight too with Crystal Palace reportedly keen.
      But Edwards dismissed claims there has been a bid: “The situation is pretty clear. We’ve not had a bid from anyone. So that’s where it is in terms of any sort of transfer speculation.”
      If the 24-year-old does leave then Watford would lose their strongest front three after Emmanuel Dennis departed Vicarage Road for Nottingham Forest. More

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      Norwich reject two loan transfer offers for Max Aarons from Atalanta and Monza with Dean Smith’s side demanding £15m fee

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      NORWICH have turned down loan offers from Serie A duo Atalanta and Monza for Max Aarons.And ex-Canaries boss Daniel Farke, now the manager of German side Borussia Monchengladbach, has also made an approach to be reunited with the right-back.
      Max Aarons has played 170 games for Norwich since graduating through the academyCredit: Rex
      Highly-rated Aarons is valued at £15million by Dean Smith’s side.
      Aarons has started the opening four Championship matches of the season in fine form as European clubs circle for his services.
      The 22-year-old has been granted assurances that he can leave Carrow Road if a suitable bid comes in.
      Everton, Wolfsburg and Marseille all enquired about the England Under-21 star earlier this summer.
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      Aarons has less than two years left on his contract and Norwich are open to a sale on one of their prized assets following relegation from the Premier League.
      In the past, Euro giants Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund and Roma have all monitored his progress.
      Aarons graduated through The Canaries academy in 2018 and has gone on to make 170 appearances for the senior side.
      Former Manchester United and England star Rio Ferdinand claimed Aarons was the type of player United should try and sign.
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      Ferdinand said Aarons could “have an impact” similar to that of Chris Smalling at the club.
      City have recently taken the decision to BAN children under two from attending games over safety fears about the long-term impact of noise. More

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      Coventry clash with Huddersfield called off just days before Championship match with pitch still unsafe to play on

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      COVENTRY CITY’S home game against Huddersfield Town on Saturday is off – after they lost their latest pitch battle.It means the EFL has now postponed a HAT-TRICK of Championship fixtures at the CBS Arena due to the perilous state of the pitch, which they share with rugby union side Wasps and was used for the Rugby 7s at the Commonwealth Games.
      Mark Robins’ Coventry City side are facing more pitch problemsCredit: ccfc.co.uk
      The surface was wrecked by the heatwave and the Commonwealth GamesCredit: ccfc.co.uk
      Mark Robins’ Sky Blues suffered a double-whammy when they then failed to have the fixture reversed to the Terriers’ John Smith’s Stadium.
      Concerns over player safety led to Coventry’s league fixtures against Wigan Athletic and Rotherham United being postponed, while the ‘home’ Carabao Cup tie against Bristol City was switched to Burton Albion’s Pirelli Stadium.
      The upheaval means Robins’ Coventry has played just two league games, while their rivals will have played up to five by the end of this weekend’s round of fixtures. 
      It is the worst possible news for the Sky Blues boss whose side sit bottom of the table with one point from their opening two games and now face a fixture backlog in the closing weeks of an already congested season.
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      However there was some positive news for the troubled Midlands club when the EFL confirmed City and the CBS Arena have agreed to undertake a re-lay of substantial parts of the pitch to try and avoid further issues.
      The EFL will inspect the newly laid pitch before Cov’s next home game on Wednesday 31 August, against Preston North End, to confirm the new surface is safe for players and match officials.
      Robins is now looking at alternative ways to replicate game time for his players who will have gone a fortnight without a competitive match by Saturday.
      The frustrated Sky Blues boss said: “We can only control what we can. We just want to get that rhythm built. 
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      “Everyone else is playing games and getting that rhythm while we keep missing them, so we’re going to have to get an in-house game on Tuesday. 
      “We will get a linesman and referee and try to build momentum that way. We have two elevens and young players who need to develop. We have to find a way.
      “Ultimately there has to be a new pitch laid and if that can happen, the sooner the better we can get on with things. We will get a week’s work into us and see what happens.”
      The Sky Blues are rooted to the bottom of the table with just one pointCredit: PA
      The Carabao Cup ‘home’ match against Bristol City was held at Burton’s Pirelli StadiumCredit: PA More

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      Fulham join Ben Brereton Diaz transfer race but face competition from FOUR Premier League rivals for Blackburn star

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      FULHAM have entered the race to sign Blackburn Rovers striker Ben Brereton Diaz.Blackburn last night rejected an opening £8.4million offer from French club Nice as they hold out for a much larger initial fee.
      Diaz is being tracked by a number of clubs including FulhamCredit: Getty
      Diaz, 23, has just one year left on his contract and has garnered plenty of interest in Europe, with a host of Spanish clubs also tracking his progress.
      Fulham are one of a number of Prem clubs keen on the former Nottingham Forest man.
      Everton, Bournemouth and Leeds United have all registered interest while West Ham are long term admirers.
      Cottagers boss Marco Silva is in need of further investment after summer signing Manor Solomon was ruled out until after the World Cup following a knee injury and surgery.
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      Given his contract situation, should the Chile international not leave this month he can negotiate with clubs abroad from January and leave for nothing at the end of the season.
      Rovers, however, have a need to sell before the summer window closes.
      The Championship club have the lowest transfer budget in the division.
      Chiefs at Ewood Park could be tempted by an initial offer of £12-15million before add-ons.
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      Two goals in three games so far from Diaz could well have aided their cause in demanding a higher fee.
      Fulham are also close to agreeing a deal to sign Justin Kluivert, son of Dutch legend Patrick, from Roma.
      The west Londoners have already made seven signings since their promotion from the Championship, having added Solomon, Joao Palhinha, Issa Diop, Andreas Pereira, Kevin Mbabu, Bernd Leno and Shane Duffy. More

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      Horrific moment on-loan Arsenal star Charlie Patino twists ankle as Blackpool anxiously await injury update

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      ARSENAL loanee Charlie Patino suffered a devastating ankle injury during Blackpool’s Championship clash with QPR on Tuesday, just two weeks after joining the club.The 18-year-old midfielder twisted his ankle just 15 minutes into the game while attempting to challenge QPR defender Jimmy Dunne for the ball.
      Patino suffered a devastating injury on TuesdayCredit: Getty
      The 18-year-old twisted his ankle while challenging Dunne

      Despite the severity of the injury he continued to play on for another 30 minutes, but had to be substituted at half time in order to receive treatment.
      To make matters worse for The Seasiders, Manchester City loanee Lewis Fiorini was forced off midway through the second half with a hamstring issue.
      Blackpool went on to win the game 1-0, but manager Michael Appleton struggled to hide his concern when discussing the two injury blows.
      He said: “It’s not great if I’m being honest. Obviously we’ll know the full extent over the next 72 hours I’d imagine.
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      “Lewis (Fiorini) has definitely done his hamstring. How badly, we won’t know until it’s been scanned.
      “Charlie (Patino), his ankle is quite badly swollen and it was badly swollen at half-time, so it’s something we’ve got to control and get the swelling down.
      “Once we’re in a position where the swelling is under control we can go and get it scanned.”
      Patino joined Blackpool on a season-long loan from Arsenal at the beginning of August.
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      He made an instant impact upon his arrival, with Blackpool fans already creating a chant for the young star.
      Appleton has also been very impressed with the midfielder, who made his Championship debut in a 2-0 defeat to Stoke earlier this month.
      After that game, the Blackpool boss said: “He takes yards off people sometimes with his ability to get away from people.
      “I thought he was great. I thought he showed a calmness. He showed an old head on very, very young shoulders and I enjoyed watching him.
      “I think the Blackpool fans over the coming season are going to enjoy watching him.” More

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      Stoke ‘agree deal with Man City to sign Liam Delap on loan transfer with youngster set for medical’

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      STOKE CITY have reportedly agreed a deal to sign Manchester City prospect Liam Delap on loan.The striker, 19, is highly rated by Etihad boss Pep Guardiola.
      Man City youngster Liam Delap is set to join Stoke City on loanCredit: Getty
      But he has made just six senior appearances for the Premier League champions in the last two years.
      And Guardiola is keen to see Delap develop with some proper minutes under his belt.
      Burnley, managed by City legend Vincent Kompany, were interested in a move after landing Delap’s teammate Taylor Harwood-Bellis.
      Southampton also had a stunning £20million offer rejected, having already spent a combined £24m on City kids Gavin Bazunu and Romeo Lavia.
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      But the Athletic claims Stoke have won the race for hitman Delap this summer.
      Dad Rory is currently a first-team coach at the Championship club, having made 208 appearances for them as a player.
      And Delap is now set to compete for a starting role under former Northern Ireland gaffer Michael O’Neill.
      The teen is set to become Stoke’s NINTH signing of the window, with the Potters rebuilding after losing Benik Afobe, Steven Fletcher, James Chester, Tom Ince, Tommy Smith and Joe Allen.
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      New signings include experienced ex-Newcastle striker Dwight Gayle, as well as highly-rated youngsters Will Smallbone from Southampton and Gavin Kilkenny from Bournemouth.
      Versatile Brentford winger Tarique Fosu became Stoke’s latest capture yesterday.
      And O’Neill will be hoping for a change of fortunes in tonight’s match against Middlesbrough, having lost two of his opening three league fixtures while being dumped out of the Carabao Cup to Morecambe. More