All posts by h716a5.icu

Former Newcastle United star Keith Gillespie has exclusively told Transfer Tavern that the club will lose the likes of Allan Saint-Maximin and Callum Wilson if they are relegated to the Championship this season.

The Magpies have been in dire form under Steve Bruce and find themselves 17th in the Premier League table.

They have not won any of their last five games and currently sit just two points clear of 18th-placed Fulham. A win for Scott Parker’s men against Aston Villa, coupled with Newcastle losing to Tottenham Hotspur, would see Bruce’s men drop into the relegation zone.

They face a horror run-in, too, playing West Ham United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Leicester City and Manchester City in succession, while their last game of the season comes against Fulham.

Saint-Maximin and Wilson have been shining lights in a dismal season, the former’s electric dribbling and pace leading to two goals and three assists in 16 games, while Wilson has scored 10 goals in 21 outings, though he has struggled with injury issues.

And Gillespie, who played for the club 1995 and 1998, believes that the pair, along with Miguel Almiron, will almost certainly depart if the Magpies do drop through the trapdoor.

He told TT: “It’s really tough for them. Saint-Maximin, Almiron and Wilson are their creative players.

“I wouldn’t expect those players to be there next year if they go down because they are Premier League class players.

“They’ll be wanting to play at the top level.”

Eddie Howe may be on the verge of becoming Celtic’s new manager but John Kennedy remains in interim charge of the Bhoys for now.He hasn’t had the best of starts in the hot seat, winning just one of his first three games.That being said, he has a wonderful opportunity to stake his claim for the permanent position on Saturday when they face third-tier Falkirk. Nothing more than a big win for the Hoops should be on the cards but, as this season has told us, football often doesn’t follow the script.Celtic’s chances of going through to the next round of the Scottish Cup this weekend have been bolstered by the news that Mikey Johnston is back in first team training.The 21-year-old hasn’t been seen under Kennedy just yet but he was snapped participating in training by the club’s photographers following a spell on the sidelines.

With this news in mind, the Bhoys now have a big dilemma. It’s unlikely that Celtic will go full strength against Falkirk, so an opportunity could arise for Johnston out on the flanks.

That being said, Kennedy has a number of options from which to choose, something that leads to a hefty dilemma and selection headache. That being said, it’s a welcome headscratcher; the manager should be delighted at having so many options to use so late in the season.

James Forrest has played just 23 minutes since returning from injury and Kennedy may see this as the perfect opportunity to hand him his first start. The same can be said for Johnston, although he’ll have to usurp David Turnbull, Ryan Christie and Mohamed Elyounoussi in the pecking order.

The latter returned to form in the Old Firm derby two weeks ago by netting a sensational diving header. Christie was also more promising over the international break, standing out against Austria by registering an assist for John McGinn’s phenomenal overhead kick.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-celtic-manager-and-transfer-news-roy-keane-nicky-butt-jesse-marsch-scott-brown” title=”Latest Celtic manager and transfer news!”]

Kennedy may look towards those two players as his match-winners but, at the same time, this feels like a good time to hand Johnston a rare opportunity to impress.

If he is given minutes and shines, he could well stake a claim to play during the final weeks of the campaign. After all, Celtic have nothing to play for in the league anymore; they may as well utilise their young talent.

AND in other news, Rarely-seen 18 y/o could be Favre’s new Sancho at Celtic, he’s “exceptionally good”…

Tottenham Hotspur are a potential destination for Premier League talisman Sergio Aguero this summer…

What’s the word?

That’s according to the Telegraph’s transfer guru Mike McGrath, who has claimed that the out-of-contract Man City star is eager to remain in England to prove himself away from the runaway league leaders.

And he’s even said to be willing to forgo Champions League football.

Both Spurs and local rivals Chelsea appear to be in the running to claim the 32-year-old forward.

Finally get Redknapp’s man?

Aguero, who has bagged 257 goals in the Premier League, made only his sixth start of the campaign at the weekend and has been heavily out-of-favour under Pep Guardiola following injury troubles.

It was announced at the end of March that the long-serving City poacher would leave the Etihad at the expiration of his current £230k-per-week contract, having originally joined from Atletico Madrid in 2011.

He could’ve joined Spurs back then, too as then-manager Harry Redknapp pursued his signature. It’s always been a case of ‘what might’ve been’ for the north Londoners but now they could finally get their hands on him and right their wrongs.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-this-weeks-april-latest-spurs-news-transfer-rumours-and-more” title=”Read this week’s latest Spurs news, April transfer rumours and more!”]

In January 2011, Redknapp failed with a €45m (£38m) bid for the emerging Argentine sensation despite meeting his release clause, then within six months he was a City player and the rest was history.

Evidently, Spurs missed out on one of the greatest Premier League strikers, if not all-round players, of all-time as he has constantly delivered goals on the biggest stage, also leading the Citizens to four top-flight titles and one FA Cup.

“Aguero has conquered England. His numbers speak for themselves,” lauded Guardiola to ESPN (via Sports Illustrated). “Aguero is an extraordinary person, and we still have a month and a half to win more things and help him to score goals.”

It remains to be seen how that would’ve impacted Harry Kane’s rapid growth over the years but you can’t help but feel many were deprived of a mouthwatering partnership.

That’s something Levy can make amends for now.

Only three players have scored more goals in the Premier League than Aguero – all legends in their own right in Wayne Rooney, Alan Shearer and Andy Cole.

New Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel recently dubbed him “world-class” whilst talkSPORT pundit Jason Cundy claimed he was an “icon” in the Premier League and that he has been “unbelievable.”

Still valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt, securing Aguero on a free transfer to play alongside or behind Kane would certainly be a masterstroke move from Daniel Levy.

He clearly has a lot to give and with that added chip on his shoulder, the 97-time Argentina international could continue to smash top-flight records and help steer Spurs back on track with their own aims and ambitions.

AND in other news, Spurs could land bargain defensive solution in “complete” 6 foot 4 monster…

Yerry Mina was forced off just before the hour mark in Everton’s goalless draw with Brighton on Monday night.

Mina looked to have sustained a muscle injury after stretching to make a challenge and was replaced by Alex Iwobi.

Asked about the issue after the game, Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti predicted that Mina would be out for two to three weeks.

Which games could Mina miss?

Ancelotti stressed that he is ‘not a doctor’, so couldn’t be sure at this early stage, but was certain that the Colombian international will not be fit for the visit of Spurs on Friday night.

Were to be ruled out for three weeks, he would also miss the games against Arsenal and Aston Villa.

The £18m-rated defender has started 20 of Everton’s 30 Premier League matches up to this point (via Transfermarkt), so that is a blow.

Elsewhere the news may be picking up though – top scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin, first-choice goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and midfielder Allan are all expected to be back available for the Tottenham clash.

Here’s how fans reacted to the Mina news, passed on by the club’s official account, as one supporter called it ‘shock’ news while others joked they want the season to end now…

Everton fans lament latest injury setback

“Let’s just wrap up and come back next season….. this season is wrecking my head!!”

Credit: @BH_Design

“Shock”

Credit: @vicaz22

“We’re cursed”

Credit: @pwefc1

“He’ll be out all season. We’re everton”

Credit: @Stu1766645

“wow.”

Credit: @joeevertonleary

“This club”

Credit: @JstinR7

“Make it stop”

@shenandoahterp

In other news, Everton fans flocked to this exciting footage.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Graham Roberts has praised Rangers captain James Tavernier for proving his critics wrong to help the Ibrox side win the title.

The right-back came under scrutiny last March following some inconsistent performances, but has been outstanding this season, and is on course to win the club’s Golden Boot to add to his league winning medal.

Tavernier has scored 17 times in all competitions, whilst adding 15 assists, and has even found the net more than striker Alfredo Morelos despite not scoring since the victory at Dundee United back in December – 14 matches ago.

More than half of Tavernier’s goals this season have been from the penalty spot, but Roberts, who won both the Scottish Premiership title and Scottish League Cup during his two seasons at Ibrox, has praised the Gers skipper for bouncing back from his previous struggles.

“He’s been brilliant, led from the front,” Roberts told Football FanCast.

“He’s been absolutely fantastic. I think he was getting a bit of stick last year, giving away silly goals, and I think he worked really hard in pre-season.

“And being with Steven Gerrard he has done an absolutely amazing job, it’s no more than what they deserve this year.”

Rangers host Celtic in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup this weekend.

Jacob Murphy has ‘proven he can perform’ and merits a two or three-year extension at Newcastle United, according to Kevin Phillips.

Murphy is seemingly in the final months of his current £25,000-per-week contract at St James’ Park, although there have been reports his deal is actually one year longer than expected.

Murphy boosting Newcastle’s survival push

The Times’ Henry Winter noted that his ‘resilience echoed all over’ in the battling draw against Spurs, with Alan Shearer adding that his display was ‘excellent’ and that he had tormented Sergio Reguilon.

The following week, Murphy scored a superb goal to haul Newcastle level in a critical game against Burnley, which they eventually won 2-1.

That was the Englishman’s third goal of the season, adding to his three assists (via Transfermarkt).

Newcastle have already agreed a contract extension with 30-year-old striker Dwight Gayle and are keen to tie down 32-year-old Federico Fernandez as well.

Phillips acknowledges that the outlook is uncertain on Tyneside, but sees no reason to let Murphy go.

‘Jacob Murphy has done very well when called upon’

“I think Newcastle should offer him a new deal but a lot depends on what has been made available to Bruce in the summer and if Bruce will even be there beyond the summer,” he told Football Insider.

“Is he going to get the money to be able to enhance the squad?

“Jacob Murphy has done very well when called upon this season.

“At Newcastle he has showed that he has good quality. Why would they not want to try and re-sign him?

“Why not offer someone who knows the club and has proven that he can perform a new deal?

“I would get him tied down to a two or three-year extension.”

Club correspondent Lee Ryder suggested earlier this month that it could cost the Magpies as much as £25million to replace ‘a player of his age and experience’.

It would, therefore, be ‘stupid not to give him a new deal’.

Transfer Tavern verdict

Murphy, to his credit, hasn’t looked at all distracted even amid the possibility that he’ll be left without a club come this summer.

Instead, he’s been a picture of focus, stepping up a gear to prove his worth to Newcastle in crucial moments, such as the win against Burnley.

As Ryder notes, it makes infinite sense to retain him in a pandemic-hit market. He can be a valuable part of this squad going forward.

In other news, Newcastle have been backed to strike a deal for another Englishman.

Frank McAvennie has exclusively told Football FanCast that he doesn’t think playing in Europe next season would derail West Ham’s Premier League form.

David Moyes’ side are currently fourth in the table, despite defeat against Newcastle United at St James’ Park on Saturday.

The Hammers haven’t finished in the European places since their final campaign at Upton Park, but have every chance of ending their five-year wait with a strong end to the season.

Finishing in the top-six will currently be good enough for a place in the Europe Conference League as it stands, but that could change depending on who wins both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup.

If West Ham don’t come higher than sixth, they could face a July-start, with the potential of Europa League qualifiers – as they did in consecutive seasons in 2015-16 and 2016-17 when they failed to reach the group stages both times.

But McAvennie believes that a couple of additions would see West Ham cope with the potential of a Thursday-Sunday-Thursday schedule.

He told Football FanCast:

“It’s only managers that moan about games, you never seen players moan about it. Players want to play football. Players just want to go out and play, whether it’s a Thursday night, Sunday or Saturday.

“You have got to have an in-depth squad to deal with it. They need a midfield player. No disrespect to Mark Noble, but he doesn’t have the legs to compete with the Premier League anymore. You need somebody in there who’s going to freshen it up.”

Former West Ham striker Brian Deane has told The Transfer Tavern in an exclusive interview that his old club signing Odsonne Edouard this summer would not be a gamble.

According to Football Insider, West Ham co-owner David Sullivan is already working on a deal to bring the Celtic forward to the London Stadium as David Moyes looks to bolster his forward options.

Edouard has a very good goal record in Scotland, hitting the 20-goal mark once again this season, while he has 81 goals in 165 games in total for the Bhoys. The strength of the Scottish Premiership, however, may have some doubting whether the Frenchman would be as effective in English football’s top flight.

For Deane, though, as long as West Ham can get Edouard at a good price, it should not be too much of a gamble.

On the 23-year-old potentially joining the Hammers this summer, Deane told TT:

“I don’t think it’s a gamble if you get him for the right money. If you overpay for a player, then, yeah, it’s a gamble. Rhian Brewster at 20 years of age costing £20m, that’s a gamble.

“If you get Edouard for, let’s say £15m or £12m, for example, but it won’t. It’ll probably be more that they’re asking [for]. If you get him at that money, then it’s not so much a gamble.”

One other person who is also likely to feel that Edouard is a safe bet is Thierry Henry, who once told former Rangers striker Ally McCoist that his compatriot could go “right to the top”.

According to reports, Aston Villa are interested in signing Burnley winger Dwight McNeil this summer.

What’s the story?

With the 2020/21 Premier League now entering its final weeks, attention will soon be turning towards the start of the transfer window, and it appears that Dean Smith’s side already have some plans firmed up.

Football Insider claimed that Villa have their eyes on McNeil, with the 21-year-old “one of the top targets of their recruitment team” and the Midlanders “lining up a huge bid for him”.

The report added that the winger’s recent new contract with Burnley will not deter Villa, with the signing of a new wide forward high on the summer agenda for Johan Lange and co.

Premier League star

While two goals and five assists in the Premier League this season is hardly something to shout about, the 21-year-old is playing for a Burnley side who have hardly come to be known as a swashbuckling, attack-minded side in their years under Sean Dyche.

McNeil has arguably been one of the few standout performers going forward for the Clarets, and it’s something which has previously caught the eye of Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp.

He said: “Dwight McNeil is such a good player, lovely left foot, doesn’t stop running. Every time I watch him he gets better and better, he’s got real quality and certainly a player that the top six to eight clubs will be looking at, and that’s no disrespect to Burnley because I don’t like saying that sometimes, but he is that good.”

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-aston-villa-transfer-rumours-and-news-copy-copy” title=”Latest Aston Villa transfer rumours and news”]

Given that Villa appear to have taken a real step forward this season after only just surviving relegation from the Premier League in 2020, it’s no surprise they are intent on taking another leap come the summer with a swoop for the £60m-rated McNeil.

Meanwhile, Villa mustn’t sell this star this summer; it’s not Grealish…

Joe Worrall will leave Chris Hughton’s Nottingham Forest side this summer if a suitable offer is submitted.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to The Sun journalist Alan Nixon, who claimed on Twitter that the centre-back is certain to leave the City Ground this summer if a “proper offer” is placed – with Forest believed to be demanding a fee in the region of £12 million for the defender.

There has been no shortage of interest reported in the £3.6 million-rated 24-year-old ahead of the summer transfer window, with all of Norwich City, Burnley and West Ham United thought to be keen on a move for the Nottingham-born man.

Fans will be gutted

Despite the fact that Hughton’s side have had something of a season to forget in the Championship this term, Worrall has, nonetheless, proven one of the shining lights at the City Ground.

Over the defender’s 30 league appearances for the club, he has helped his side to keep an impressive 12 clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.1 interceptions, 0.7 tackles and 4.2 clearances per game, culminating in an average SofaScore match rating of 6.95 – ranking him as the club’s fourth-best performer in the second tier.

As such, without the presence of the £10,000-per-week Worrall in the Forest backline this season, it is not a difficult scenario to imagine that the Reds would be in a rather more dangerous position than their current standing of 16th in the Championship table.

So, the claim that the former England U21 international looks almost certain to leave the club this summer is likely to come as unwelcome news for the Forest faithful, while the defender’s departure would also present Hughton with a huge challenge in the summer transfer market – as the 24-year-old, whom Steven Gerrard dubbed as “outstanding” during a loan spell at Rangers,  will not be an easy man to replace.

In other news: Forget Grabban: Hughton must swoop for 6ft3 machine who could fire Forest up the table – opinion