All posts by z3u9t.icu

Nottingham Forest have been handed a boost to their hopes of keeping Joe Worrall at The City Ground this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Lancashire Live, who claim that Burnley are preparing a £12m offer for Stoke City centre-back Nathan Collins, who is also said to be attracting interest from the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea, in the coming weeks.

The report goes on to state that Sean Dyche’s side still have a number of other potential centre-back targets on their radar, including Nottingham Forest’s Joe Worrall, although Collins now appears to be the Clarets’ first choice for the position this summer.

Hughton will be delighted

Despite Nottingham Forest having something of a season to forget last term, Worrall nonetheless impressed with his performances from the heart of the Garibaldi defence.

Over his 31 Championship appearances, the 24-year-old helped his side keep 12 clean sheets, in addition to making an average of 1.1 interceptions, 0.8 tackles, 4.2 clearances and winning 3.5 duels per game.

The £3.6m-rated defender also posed a threat going forwards, scoring one goal and registering one assist, as well as making an average of 0.3 key passes per fixture.

These returns culminated in Worrall earning a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.94, ranking him as Hughton’s fifth-best performer in the second tier.

As such, with the 62-year-old undoubtedly looking to build a side this summer that is capable of a much more respectable finish in the Championship next time around, retaining the services of the player whom Steven Gerrard dubbed a “leader” is sure to be high on his list of priorities.

And, with it looking as if Burnley have turned their attentions away from the £10k-per-week Forest star, it seems as if the 24-year-old may well be playing his football at The City Ground next season – for now, at least.

In other news: Forget Garner: Hughton must sanction Forest swoop for “quality” £2.25m-rated dynamo

According to a report by talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook, West Ham United are leading the race to sign goalkeeper Sam Johnstone from West Bromwich Albion – prompting many Hammers fans to rave as GSB allegedly eye the possible ‘great signing’.

Johnstone, who has attracted praise for his performances this season, also earned his first ever England call up by Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate recently.

The 28-year-old, as a result of his fine form, is in high demand – but Crook believes West Ham are the frontrunners for his signature.

David Moyes is apparently on the look out for an eventual heir to current number one Lukasz Fabianski, with the Poland international recently putting pen to paper on a new deal. 

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-rumours-and-gossip-two-electric-boogaloo-copy/” title=”West Ham updates” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Evening Standard report that Johnstone could even cost as little as £10 million, especially considering WBA’s relegation.

Now that West Ham are in pole position to sign the shot-stopping ace, many Irons supporters have raved over the news on social media – with one calling the Englishman a potentially ‘great signing’.

Find all of their best verdicts down below.

West Ham fan rave as GSB eye Johnstone

“Get in. Great signing if we get it done”

Credit: @muzza210

“Would be a fantastic signing”

Credit: @Mr_BA6

“Defo not against this. Brilliant keeper”

Credit: @joelitt78828048

“Fantastic news!”

Credit: @WestHam_Central

“Would be an absolute bargain”

Credit: @Arthur_WHU

“YESSSSSSS”

Credit: @WHUFC_News_

“Very good signing imo, fab not getting any younger had a few injuries over the last 2 seasons Johnstone good competition for that no1 spot”

Credit: @happyhammer190

In other news: West Ham fans also flocked to this teasing ExWHUemployee claim, find out more here.

Wayne Rooney is facing a battle in his bid to bring Dion Charles to Derby County this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Sun on Sunday (via Football League World), who claim that Rotherham United have entered to race to sign the Accrington Stanley centre-forward, with Derby County, Nottingham Forest, Cardiff City and Huddersfield Town all also believed to be keen on the 25-year-old.

A report by The Sun back in April revealed that John Coleman’s side would be demanding a fee of around £1.5m in order to part with the former Northern Ireland U21 international this summer.

Rooney must move

With goals having been something of a problem for Rooney’s side this season, with the Rams’ total of 36 goals for being the lowest amount scored by any Championship side in 2020/21, up front is certainly an area in which the 35-year-old must improve in the upcoming transfer market if Derby wish to have any hope of mounting a promotion push next term.

And, considering just how impressive Charles was in front of goal for Accrington this season, the Preston-born striker could prove to be an extremely astute piece of business for the Rams.

Over his 42 League One appearances for Accy in 2020/21, the 25-year-old bagged a whopping 19 goals, provided three assists and created seven big chances for his teammates, as well taking an average of 2.7 shots and making 0.7 key passes per game, culminating in an average SofaScore match rating of 6.91.

Aside from his clear eye for goal and decent creative capacity, the finances involved in a potential deal for Charles would also appear to be extremely appealing for Derby.

At present, the striker earns a modest £870-per-week at The Wham Stadium, while his £1.5m asking price is also likely to be affordable for the Rams, even with the current uncertainty regarding the club’s ownership.

As such, Rooney should be doing all he can to convince Charles – whom Ian Baraclough claimed had been “fantastic” this season – of a move to Pride Park this summer, as the centre-forward appears to have the potential to be both an improvement on a number of the club’s current options in attack, as well as one who is incredibly cost-effective for the club.

In other news: Key figure drops Derby County takeover update that’ll surely have fans buzzing – opinion

Speaking to Juventus News 24, via Sport Witness, Italian journalist and commentator Francesco Repice has hinted that Tottenham Hotspur could swoop for Massimiliano Allegri and pleaded for supporters to ‘watch out’.

Allegri, who is currently out of work, has won 13 major honours in Italy and guided AC Milan to their last Serie A title in 2011, with reports recently linking the 53-year-old to Tottenham.

Spurs claim emerges on Allegri

Indeed, reliable outlets like the Evening Standard have said that he would even consider an approach from Tottenham, while Alasdair Gold believes that he is an attractive proposition for Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.

Famous Italian reporter Repice has now dropped his own claim on the possibility of Allegri going to Spurs and says to ‘watch out for Tottenham’ when speaking of the manager’s future.

“Any sensible club would bet on him,” he told Juventus News 24 (via Sport Witness).

“Watch out for Tottenham, both for him and for Sarri, but a big club that wants to revive the team has only one name that can be used: Massimiliano Allegri.”

Transfer Tavern take

While Allegri’s CV is an impressive one, the Italian may not fit into the mould of an exciting, attack-minded manager, with the 53-year-old instead being known for his pragmatism and favouring a counter-attack style (90min).

Of all the coaches linked with Spurs, it’s clear that Allegri is one of the more star-studded names and has even drawn huge praise from legendary Premier League manager Sir Alex Ferguson in the past.

Indeed, the Scotsman heralded Allegri as an ‘extraordinary technician’ (La Gazzetta via Daily Mail), but Tottenham are said to be on the lookout for a coach more in the Mauricio Pochettino mould (Evening Standard).

For this reason, we believe the former Juventus coach is an unlikely fit for the north Londoners.

In other news: Report makes big new contract claim at Spurs, find out more here.

Leeds United have been handed a late Premier League boost after confirmation that fans will be allowed to return to Elland Road for the final game of the season against West Brom.

What’s the story?

Marcelo Bielsa’s side haven’t been able to welcome their supporters for the club’s return to the top-flight after 16 years away, but Boris Johnson’s announcement that up to 10,000 fans will be permitted at outdoor sports venues from May 17 has opened the door for that to finally happen.

And, in response to the news, former Leeds goalkeeper Paddy Kenny admitted that it would be a major boost for the club to have their fans back inside the stadium, and that it will be “even harder” for visiting teams.

He said: “This record against these very top teams is without any fans being there for the full season. I can only imagine with fans being there it will be even harder for these teams coming to face Leeds.

“In the Premier League, with a full crowd, it would be absolutely frightening for an away player. Every club could say they will have a boost. But Elland Road when it’s rocking is a really, really special place to be.”

Bielsa will be buzzing

As Kenny says, when Elland Road is rocking, there’s not many stadiums up and down the country that can better the kind of atmosphere that gets built up.

While 10,000 fans is hardly going to have the stadium filled to the rafters, it’s certainly more than enough to make a major impact on proceedings, especially when you consider players have gone months without really playing in front of anybody at all.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Read the latest Leeds transfer rumours and news!”]

Bielsa and the club’s fans have built a really close relationship since the Argentine became manager a few seasons ago, so he will be absolutely buzzing to have some of them back and witnessing their first Premier League game in the flesh since well over a decade.

Meanwhile, Marcelo Bielsa is eyeing Gjanni Alioski’s successor in this star…

Swansea City kept their slim automatic promotion hopes alive with an impressive 3-0 win against Millwall in Saturday’s early kick-off.

Steve Cooper’s side had fallen well behind Norwich City and Watford in the Championship after a run of four straight defeats but sit 10 points behind the Hornets, with a game in hand, after their excellent performance at The Den.

Andre Ayew ended the barren run without a goal in first half stoppage time, before Jamal Lowe ended his own woeful run of goalscoring form with a brace in the second half.

Although the former Wigan Athletic man was impressive in the win, the performance of Conor Hourihane was also vital to Swansea earning the three points. As per SofaScore, the on-loan Aston Villa man earned a superb 7.9/10 rating for his performance, with only Lowe (8.1) earning higher from both sides.

The Republic of Ireland international provided the assist for Ayew’s opening goal and registered an impressive 90% pass accuracy during the game, whereas Lowe would complete just 70% of his passes, as per SofaScore.

Hourihane also impressively contributed four key passes, which was the most of any player on the pitch, and significantly more than the 0.9 key passes he has averaged in the Championship so far this season.

Whilst Lowe was excellent in front of goal, he failed to find a Swansea shirt with any of his three long balls or his one cross during the game, whereas Hourihane contributed two accurate crosses and three accurate long balls out of three.

[freshpress-quiz id=“532484″]

Therefore, it seems clear that the £4.05m-rated midfielder was able to emphasise his quality at The Den and was arguably the best player on the pitch despite Lowe’s double, which will surely delight Cooper as his side put their recent poor form behind them and picked up a vital three points this lunchtime.

In other news… Sold for £20m, one goal this season: Swans axed PL flop at the perfect time.

Leeds must make an attempt to sign Norwich City star Emiliano Buendia this summer amid Paddy Kenny’s transfer claim.

What’s the story?

Reports last summer suggested that Buendia was someone who Marcelo Bielsa’s side had made an enquiry for as they planned for life in the Premier League, although a deal, of course, failed to materialise before the end of the deadline.

Now, Kenny has suggested Leeds should be looking to target the play-maker once again, and even claimed that his Argentinian roots could be something that might play out in the Whites’ favour.

He said: “Definitely. He’s an exceptional player. Norwich are as good as promoted now and he’s played a massive part in that. Would he want to leave? Can you turn Leeds down? It’s a tough one. He’s Argentinian too. With Bielsa, that could sway it.”

Bye-bye Pablo Hernandez

With reports claiming that Pablo Hernandez could be set to depart Elland Road this summer, it’s surely the perfect time for Leeds to make a summer move for Buendia again.

The Athletic journalist Phil Hay said late last week: “My gut feeling is also that Hernandez will go. I’ve written about Castellon and I know a few people out there. Part of the reason they looked at signing Hernandez in January was that they thought they could get him and believed he wanted to go (despite Leeds insisting on keeping him for now).

“Given his age and how little he’s playing under Marcelo Bielsa, a parting of ways might make sense when this season ends.”

With Hernandez set to exit, Leeds could do with trying to sign their new source of attacking inspiration, and Buendia fits that to a tee.

He has provided a remarkable 12 goals and 16 assists this campaign in the Championship, showcasing impressive qualities in the final third and being hailed as a “very special” talent by Canaries centre-back Ben Gibson.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Latest Leeds transfer rumours and news”]

The Athletic have previously reported that Buendia is a player Victor Orta has “always liked” while the £19.8m-rated ace has previously been dubbed a “revelation” by ex-Premier League striker Chris Sutton.

Given how he’s leading Norwich’s charge back to the top-flight this season – the Canaries currently find themselves top of the Championship table – a move for Buendia must surely be on the cards for Bielsa’s side in the summer.

Meanwhile, Leeds are facing a transfer battle to sign this midfielder…

Reports linking Roy Keane with the vacant Celtic managerial role seem to be gathering pace.

On Thursday morning, Football Insider revealed that the Hoops had ‘sensationally’ opened talks with the Irishman and were ready to offer Keane a return to management 10 years on from his last position.

Fresh Keane update

The Daily Mail, cited by the Daily Record, have now had their say on the former Celtic midfielder.

They also claim that the 49-year-old has held discussions with the Hoops hierarchy, with Keane seemingly interested in becoming Neil Lennon’s long-term successor.

However, the latest report added that Keane is just one of a “number of candidates” in the frame to take over in Glasgow, meaning there could be more twists and turns to come yet.

Transfer Tavern take

With more than one outlet now sharing details of Keane’s reported Celtic discussions, it seems as if the Sky Sports pundit could well be making the move back to Scotland.

If he does, we feel it would be a risk, purely based on his lengthy absence from the dugout.

Yes, it would be sensational – causing huge public interest to shift towards Glasgow – but a 10-year gap from being the main man on the touchline could be a cause for concern.

Perhaps some fans will be hoping that one of those other candidates steals the show.

In other news: Report shares who Keane’s number two could be after Wednesday news, find out more here. 

Now into the final three months of his Crystal Palace contract, the future of Roy Hodgson remains up in the air.

The former England boss has been at the helm at Selhurst Park since he replaced Frank de Boer in September 2017 and has kept the Eagles somewhat comfortably away from the relegation dogfight season upon season.

It has been reported that Sean Dyche has been lined up as a potential successor should he not sign a new contract, with the Burnley boss recently conceding that the rumours indicate “respect” for the job he has done at Turf Moor.

The Clarets tactician could indeed be the perfect successor for Hodgson at Crystal Palace.

Since being installed at Burnley, Dyche has done a wonderful job. He has led the club to two promotions, then establishing the Lancashire outfit in the top-flight of English football and even earning a venture into the Europa League.

In the past four seasons, the club have finished 16th, 7th, 15th and 10th. For comparison, the Eagles have finished 14th, 11th, 12th and 14th – the Clarets coming out on top in two out of those, whilst just four points separate the two sides in the current standings.

Whilst Hodgson currently possesses a better Premier League win rate – 33% to 30% – Dyche has managed to do that with a club earning promotion from the Championship, whilst the former had inherited a squad which had already established itself in the top flight since 2013.

The Burnley boss has certainly earned plaudits for that excellent work, with former Clarets’ striker Peter Crouch even labelling him as a “top” Premier League manager.

Should he arrive at Palace, he would have an instant understanding of the job on his hands, with the club having similar aspirations as well as transfer budgets. Indeed, the two clubs have spent near enough the same amount in the market over the past three seasons.

With Dyche on £50k per week at Turf Moor, whilst Hodgson is currently raking in almost £94k on a weekly basis with Crystal Palace, it seems a no-brainer to bring the Clarets boss in as his replacement at Selhurst Park.

AND in more news, Steve Parish must start making some tough calls on the future of a number of Palace players…

Former Premier League striker Dean Windass has told Football FanCast that Danny Ings will not be moving to a top-four club this summer but he believes Arsenal could end up making a move for the Southampton forward.

Ings has been in excellent form this season, scoring eight goals in the Premier League, and has 42 in 91 appearances for the south coast outfit in total.

He has battled injury issues, having sustained a knee problem earlier this season, but remains the Saints’ key man going forward.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men are currently 14th in the Premier League table, seven points clear of the relegation zone.

Windass is convinced that Southampton will stay in the top-flight but he does not believe Ings will be moving to a club in the top four when the transfer window reopens.

Ings has played for Liverpool previously, but he made just 25 appearances for the Reds, scoring four goals.

Liverpool signed the player as he came to the end of his contract at Burnley and Windass believes that his performances at Anfield may put off any potential suitors.

He told FFC: “Southampton will stay in the Premier League. Because Danny Ings went to Liverpool and it wasn’t a success, I can’t see one of the top four buying him.”

However, Windass does think that a club like Arsenal could make a move for the forward.

He has claimed that he could cost as much as £50m, but he does not believe the Gunners should be regarded as a Champions League-level team.

Windass added: “Maybe Arsenal, but I’m not talking Arsenal as a top four team.

“Arsenal will probably go and pay £30, £40, £50 million for him, whatever, but I can’t see Danny Ings going into the top four.”