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Manchester United have suffered a major injury blow ahead of their Champions League encounter with Villarreal after centre-back Harry Maguire was ruled out of action.

What’s the word?

The Red Devils host their Spanish opponents this evening looking for their first points in Group F, but their task has been made considerably harder due to their captain’s enforced absence.

Maguire had to be substituted in the 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa over the weekend after picking up a calf injury, and he joined fellow defender Luke Shaw on the treatment table as the left-back also had to leave the field of play early due to a fitness concern.

United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer provided an update of the pair’s current situation in Tuesday’s press conference, and it appears as though Shaw has recovered quicker.

“Luke has been in today, so I’ll give him a chance to be involved, he didn’t train with the team,” the Norweigian tactician revealed. “Harry is more or less definitely out; it doesn’t look good.

“It is his calf; that might take a few weeks. Let’s see how quickly he recovers. He wanted to play against Villarreal; he missed the last game. We will have to make a few changes.”

Solskjaer will be gutted

News that United will be unable to call upon the services of Maguire for this crucial Champions League clash will certainly leave Solskjaer feeling gutted.

A shock defeat against Young Boys in the opening group game has piled the pressure on the Old Trafford outfit to get a result against Villarreal, and the absence of their captain and first-choice centre-back is a bitter blow to their hopes of getting a positive result.

And, in other news…Imagine him and Pogba: Man Utd must complete swoop for £60m beast, he’s a big upgrade

Celtic were linked with a late swoop for Linfield teenager Trai Hume on deadline day, Belfast Live report.  

The Lowdown: Three in

Dominic McKay was a busy man on his first deadline day as Celtic CEO.

Leigh Griffiths, Ryan Christie and Odsonne Edouard all completed moves away from Parkhead, while Georgios Giakoumakis, Filipe Jota and Cameron Carter-Vickers all finalised Glasgow moves with hours to spare.

It seems as if McKay may have had his eye on a fourth late addition for the Hoops, though, going off reports late on Tuesday evening.

The Latest: Hume links

According to Belfast Live, Linfield turned down a number of big-money offers for Hume in excess of £100,000, who can play as a right-back, centre-back or centre-midfielder.

Celtic and English League One side Lincoln City were name-checked with the late interest in the 5 foot 9 teenager, who is reportedly under contract until 2023.

The Verdict: Another Scales?

Celtic recently sealed a move for versatile defender Liam Scales from Shamrock Rovers, so it’ll be interesting to see if the Hoops go back in for Hume further down the line, with there clearly being a focus from McKay on up and coming defenders.

He’s been described as one of the Irish League’s hottest properties, similar to Scales earlier in the summer.

Hume’s versatility could attract Celtic in the next transfer window, as it did with Scales, so it could be a name to keep an eye on over the next 12 months.

In other news: Greek journalist drops late Celtic transfer news; ace didn’t want to move.

Leicester City slumped to their second Premier League loss of the season after reigning champions Manchester City left the King Power Stadium with a 1-0 victory on Saturday.

The Foxes had already defeated the Cityzens this season, securing the Community Shield in the opening fixture of 2021/22, but they couldn’t repeat the trick this time around.

It was an exciting, evenly contested game, though, and Brendan Rodgers will have come away thinking about what could have been had his side taken one of their big chances.

Winger Harvey Barnes came closest to finding the back on the net, having one effort well saved by Ederson before clipping the top of the bar with a late effort.

However, it was arguably another one of Leicester’s first-team regulars who really let Rodgers down against Manchester City.

As per SofaScore, Youri Tielemans received a match rating of just 6.2 out of 10, the lowest tally for any player on the pitch, and when taking a closer inspection at his underlying numbers, it’s clear to see why.

The Belgium international midfielder was suffocated in the centre of the pitch and was unable to get on the ball regularly or find his teammates with penetrative passes on the rare occasions that he was in possession.

As a result, the technically gifted maestro achieved a passing accuracy of just 79%, failed to make any key passes and had only 55 touches of the ball, 10 fewer than goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel managed.

Tielemans also lost possession 15 times during the 90 minutes and struggled physically, winning just four of his 11 duels in Leicester’s engine room.

The 24-year-old’s inability to win the midfield battle significantly hampered his side’s chances of securing a positive result over the champions, and Rodgers has every right to feel let down by one of his side’s star men.

And, in other news…Get it done: Leicester make contact over £30m wizard, he’s a “great talent”

Danny Cowley has explained Michael Jacobs’ current situation, following a failed transfer this month.

What’s the talk?

Portsmouth manager Danny Cowley has explained why Michael Jacobs’ proposed move to Ipswich ultimately fell through. The Pompey boss has claimed that another player became available to the Tractor Boys at the last minute and that caused them to ditch Jacobs and leave him in limbo.

He told the Portsmouth News:

“We got into a good place on Thursday, which allowed us to accept the bid for Michael.

“They agreed personal terms and they did a medical. Michael passed that medical, so I am told. For whatever reason, the deal didn’t happen.

“I found out yesterday afternoon. I told Michael, he didn’t know. I was ringing Ipswich all day Sunday, trying to find out, for everyone’s benefit.

“What happened – and this does happen in football – is that Ipswich agreed the deal and then another player became available and they decided to go with the other player.

“Michael appreciated my honesty. He needed clarity himself and once I found out, I told him. He is one of my players, I care a lot for him. You think ‘How would I want to be treated in that position?’.

‘I always try to walk in their shoes and would want to know and, even if it’s not my place to tell him, I think I have a responsibility to tell him.‘He’s a really good kid and he has been mucked around, messed around. Football never ceases to amaze you, doesn’t it?” Fans will be frustrated

This update from Cowley will leave fans frustrated. It is difficult to blame Ipswich for their actions as they were acting in the best interests of their own club. If a better player, in their view, was available and a deal for Jacob was not signed, sealed and delivered then it is their prerogative to make that call, which they ultimately did.

That does not change how it impacts Portsmouth, though, and that is why this is a frustrating situation for the supporters, the club, Cowley and Jacobs. The midfielder was seemingly happy to move on and join the Blues, with Portsmouth also willing to sanction it and Cowley moved on with his plans to shape his own squad for the League One campaign.

Jacobs has now returned to Fratton Park with a huge question mark over his head for the rest of the window. Do Portsmouth now keep hold of him? Do they sell him to another side?

The £7.9k-per-week dud did not enjoy the best of debut seasons for Portsmouth. He played 20 games in League One, 12 starts, and averaged a WhoScored rating of 6.67. That placed him 14th in the Pompey squad for ratings, which suggests that he is a bench option for Cowley on the evidence of his career at the club so far.

Therefore, it could be a shrewd call to find him a new club before the end of the month as his exit may not impact the squad in terms of quality and he has already had his head set on a move.

He may not be able to fully concentrate on playing for Pompey, as he was in the mindset for a transfer to Ipswich – which could mean that he needs to seal an exit to settle down and start grinding out performances again. Pompey fans will be frustrated, as their club are now left with a player who was ready to move on.

AND in other news, 9 duels lost: Portsmouth flop endured nightmare display that’ll leave Cowley fuming…

Southampton fans want to sign Duje Caleta-Car after it was suggested they are interested in a move for the Marseille central defender.

The Saints kicked off their Premier League season with a 3-1 defeat to Everton at Goodison Park despite taking the lead through Adam Armstrong. That defeat came without Jannik Vestergaard, who recently made the move to Leicester City from St. Mary’s Stadium (lcfc.com) – as such, the Saints could do with a new central defender.

As per Hampshire Live, the Saints are looking at Caleta-Car to come in to replace the Denmark international. He was previously at Red Bull Salzburg, where he won the Austrian Bundesliga four times, while he was also a part of Croatia’s squad for the 2018 World Cup when they reached the final.

The news was shared on Twitter by @TheSaintCentre, and it attracted plenty of attention from the Saints supporters. They took took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Caleta-Car news below

“Yes please”

Credit: @oliverrschmidt8

“Put the money in Saints !!”

Credit: @sfc2110

“Make it happen! I don’t care what it takes but Semmens needs to get it done ASAP.”

Credit: @BenneseeWhiskey

“That’d be a great signing and there’s no way they can’t afford 22.5 mill”

Credit: @Sam_Maynard_

“This lad is Brilliant, been outstanding for MARSEILLE for a couple of years now. Never played for Lyon as far as Im aware?!?!”

Credit: @saintbannerman

“Would be an insane signing but anything above £15M isn’t gonna happen. More likely we get Cahill sadly!”

Credit: @SFCMart

In other news, Southampton fans want to sign this Champions League winner.

Sunderland have been handed a boost to their chances of keeping Elliot Embleton at the Stadium of Light this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Alan Nixon, with The Sun journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that Blackpool have not, at present, made a second bid for the Black Cats midfielder.

It was previously reported that Neil Critchley had instructed his transfer team to do all they can to secure the services of the 22-year-old in the summer market, although the Seasiders appear to have seen an initial offer for the former England U20 international rejected.

Meanwhile, Sunderland are thought to be desperate to keep hold of Embleton, with Lee Johnson claiming that he will look to give the youngster plenty of game time in the club’s upcoming campaign.

And, after a fan asked Nixon whether or not Blackpool had returned with an improved offer for the midfielder, the journalist said: “Not yet.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how impressive Embleton was while on loan at Blackpool last season, the fact that it appears the 22-year-old could remain at the Stadium of Light beyond the summer is sure to have left fans of the club buzzing.

Indeed, over his 30 League One appearances for Critchley’s team last term, the £4.3k-per-week man scored two goals, registered four assists and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.7 shots and making 1.2 key passes per game.

The midfielder also turned in impressive numbers more typical of his position, making an average of 1.1 tackles, winning possession 0.5 times and triumphing in 2.3 duels per match.

These returns saw the man Max Power dubbed as “technically one of the best players I’ve seen” earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.90, ranking him as the Seasiders’ 12th-best performer in the third tier of English football – playing a key role in the club securing promotion to the Championship.

As such, with Johnson hoping to mastermind a promotion of his own with Sunderland next season, the return of a player who boasts as much potential as Embleton, as well as one who managed the feat while on loan last term, would certainly appear to give the 40-year-old’s chances of achieving his target a huge boost.

In other news: Get it done: KLD must seal swoop for “important” £1.2k-p/w gem, SAFC have opened talks

Rangers head into their second fixture of the new Premiership season looking to make it two wins out of two, but manager Steven Gerrard will be without several key players for their trip to Tannadice.

Both Ianis Hagi and Joe Aribo missed the Gers’ midweek defeat to Swedish outfit Malmo in the first leg of their Champions League third-round qualifier through injury, and the pair are expected to remain on the treatment table in today’s early kick-off.

Alfredo Morelos is set to join them on the sidelines as he searches for match fitness following his return from Colombia, while key midfielder Ryan Jack is still a few weeks away from a return to action.

“We will be without Ianis Hagi. Roofe is available to return to the group. Kamara will return to the squad. Morelos is available but he will need a couple of sessions on his return. Ryan Jack will be another couple of weeks all being well,” Gerrard revealed in yesterday’s press conference.

The positive news surrounding Kemar Roofe and Glen Kamara, who also missed Tuesday night’s defeat through European bans rather than fitness concerns, will be a big positive for Gerrard, though.

With that in mind, we take a look at how the Gers could line up against Dundee United this afternoon, with three changes from the midweek defeat in Sweden…

Gerrard looks set to rotate his goalkeepers between domestic and European games, so Jon McLaughlin should come back into the starting XI for this one.

The back four is likely to remain unchanged from Rangers’ midweek exploits, although there’s expected to be some alterations in the middle of the park.

Kamara will almost certainly return from the off against the Tangerines, leading to Steven Davis taking a place on the bench, with the ageing £18k-per-week maestro unlikely to be able to play two games in such quick succession.

Summer signing John Lundstram and experienced campaigner Scott Arfield should complete the Rangers engine room.

In attack, Ryan Kent is likely to be accompanied by former Aberdeen winger Scott Wright after the 23-year-old made a fast start to life at Ibrox with a goal against Livingston, and the returning Roofe could get the nod over Cedric Itten and Fashion Sakala up front.

In other news… “Rangers would like to bring him in” – Exclusive: Michael Ball drops big Gers transfer claim

West Ham did not receive a former takeover bid this week, according to ExWHUemployee…

What’s the word?

Reports had emerged suggesting that a group of investors had made an attempt to purchase the East London outfit in a bid worth over £400m, as per the Daily Mail.

It was claimed that the prospective owners wanted to hand Irons boss David Moyes a significant transfer budget, whilst also transforming the London Stadium and the surrounding areas, though it’s said that majority shareholder David Sullivan rejected the offer.

However, in a new update, the anonymous but very reliable ExWHUemployee played down such claims. He tweeted:

“The talk from their end was that they would make a serious offer but at this point they haven’t. There has been no formal bid. So they will have to prove their credibility soon. They have had 5 months to do so and haven’t yet but I guess time will tell.”

GSB remain

The Hammers faithful have had a very interesting relationship with the club’s owners over the years but you would imagine that the majority would love to see new ownership.

Back in February 2020, supporters staged a protest march against Sullivan, David Gold and Karen Brady before a game against Southampton, whilst some fans had banners a week earlier, saying “Run like a circus – Owned by clowns” and “GSB out – Sold a dream, delivered a nightmare.”

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-west-ham-news-transfer-rumours-the-latest-gossip-and-much-more-2” title= “Read the latest West Ham news, transfer rumours, gossip and much more!”]

And just months later, some protested following the sale of promising academy star Grady Diangana to West Brom. “Now more than ever, the voices of our members and all West Ham fans must be heard,” claimed Stephen Cross at leading supporter organisation Hammers United.

That made it clear that it wasn’t just about their dismal campaign, in which they avoided relegation with one game to spare.

It’s evident that not much has changed over a year on, as seen by their reaction to one of Ex’s recent transfer updates, where some of the London Stadium fanbase have been left frustrated by a lack of activity off the pitch – as relayed by the Transfer Tavern.

Therefore, you could argue that a lot of supporters in East London will be pretty upset and angry by this latest claim as it means GSB will remain in charge for the time being.

That is very unlikely to change with the new season less than a month away, so Gold and Sullivan are likely to be around for a while yet.

AND in other news, Moyes could land Bowen 2.0 in West Ham swoop for “magic” 17-goal gem, GSB must act now…

Luke Edwards has cast doubt over when the potential takeover of Newcastle United could be completed by.

The Lowdown: Claims launched

Mike Ashley has launched two separate claims against the Premier League, including the arbitration case that is set to take place this month, over the failed takeover deal between him and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium.

There is also the Competition Appeals Tribunal (CAT) claim, but the results of the arbitration hearing will likely determine whether the takeover bid can be pushed forward, and at what pace.

The Latest: Edwards claim

Edwards, a football journalist who works for The Daily Telegraph and has been following the latest takeover developments, has claimed that ‘there is no way’ that the potential takeover could be completed before the start of next season or at the close of the summer transfer window.

Earlier reports had suggested the opposite.

This is because if Ashley wins arbitration, then, as per Edwards, ‘all it will do’ is restart the Owners’ and Directors’ Test (ODT), which can be a lengthy process.

The Verdict: Possible but difficult

It is certainly possible that the potential takeover could be completed before the new 2021/22 season starts, although as Edwards suggests, it would be very difficult.

There is not a definitive timescale over how long the arbitration proceedings will take, and even then if Ashley gets a positive result, he will have to go through the ODT all over again.

Full cooperation would be needed with the top flight in order for the process to be sped up, and with the summer transfer window also in the mind at St. James’ Park, the timings would be extremely tight.

In other news, find out the latest Mark Douglas has dropped from those close to the potential takeover here!

Glasgow Rangers have missed out on the signing of Rafael Santos Borre, who has completed a transfer to Eintracht Frankfurt instead.

The Lowdown: Gers eye Santos Borre

The contract of Colombia international Santos Borre ran out at River Plate recently, leaving him available on a free transfer.

The Gers were linked with a move for the 25-year-old as they attempted to boost their attacking options (El Deportivo).

The Latest: Frankfurt win the race

However, it has now been confirmed the Gers have missed out – the striker has instead moved to Frankfurt, who qualified for the Europa League last term.

He has replaced Andre Silva, who recently made the move to RB Leipzig.

The Verdict: Pipe dream

While the Gers will have hoped they could convince Santos Borre to join them, and may have hoped the potential promise of Champions League would be a big-enough carrot, it always felt improbable that they would capture the Colombia international.

In 149 games for Argentinian giants River Plate, he managed 56 goals (he has 74 strikes throughout his career), and even helped them win the Copa Libertadores in 2018 (Transfermarkt).

With four caps for Colombia you get the feeling that number will only increase in the coming years. There is nothing wrong in aiming big, but this one always felt unlikely for Ross Wilson and co.

In other news, this Rangers man shares his Ibrox desperation.