All posts by z3u9t.icu

Despite spending just six months on Tyneside before Newcastle United were relegated in 2016, Andros Townsend is a firm fan favourite and the club even attempted to bring him back in 2018. However, Dean Widnass can’t see Steve Bruce being tempted to bring the 29-year-old back to St James’ Park this summer.

Townsend ended up joining Crystal Palace in the summer of Newcastle’s relegation but he failed to impress on a consistent basis, something that held him back at Tottenham Hotspur as well, and he now finds himself as a free agent this summer, as things stand.

The winger recently confirmed that he already has two offers from clubs ahead of next season but is keeping his options open, potentially waiting for a call from Bruce who is a big fan of homegrown players as that was all he signed last season for the first team.

However, Windass is not confident in seeing Townsend making an emotional return to St James’ Park because of his lack of goals during his time at Palace, as he explained exclusively to Transfer Tavern:

“No, I can’t see that happening and I can’t see Steve taking a chance on him because I think he’s really struggled at Crystal Palace in the last couple of seasons.

“He hasn’t moved on in terms of developing and he hasn’t managed to add goals to his game so I can’t see Steve taking a chance on him.”

Newcastle are in need of reinforcements this summer and Bruce may look to dip into both the free agent and loan market this summer to avoid eating up too much of his reported £10 million budget.

Townsend spent a short but sweet time on Tyneside when he was signed by Rafa Benitez and there was hope that he may stay on with the Magpies into the Championship, however he claimed that playing in the second tier of English football never really crossed his mind.

Former West Brom midfielder Carlton Palmer has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that he expects Mbaye Diagne and the Baggies to part ways this summer.

Diagne, who joined West Brom from Galatasaray at the end of January, is only at the Hawthorns on loan, but the Midlands club do have an option to buy.

However, following West Brom’s relegation to the Championship, the 29-year-old striker is now being linked with other Premier League sides.

According to Football Insider, the likes of Wolves and Crystal Palace are currently interested, with his parent club said to have slapped an £8m price tag on his head.

When asked by FFC whether there was any chance of Diagne remaining at West Brom next season, Palmer said:

“I think a lot of the problem is going to be the salaries. Remember the Premier League salaries, even though the Championship salaries are good, the Premier League salaries are a lot higher than the Championship.

“Will West Brom think that they can get somebody in a lot cheaper to get them promotion?

“I’m sure there’ll be some movement because these players, you know, if you’ve got ambitions of international honours and whatever, you need to be playing in the top league.”

While Diagne has not been at his prolific best since joining West Brom, he has shown glimpses of being a very capable forward in the Premier League.

The Senegal international has delivered a couple of big goals, bagging in a 1-1 draw with Manchester United and that incredible 5-2 win over Chelsea.

Crystal Palace failed to give Roy Hodgson a memorable send-off in his last game in charge of the Eagles, losing 2-0 away to Liverpool.

The 73-year-old manager is calling time on his four-year spell at Selhurst Park but lost to one of his former sides following an underwhelming performance from the capital club.

It means that Palace have recorded consecutive 14th-placed finishes in Hodgson’s final two campaign’s at the club, leaving a solid foundation for any potential successor.

However, the ex-England boss would have wanted his final 90 minutes to be a rather more noteworthy affair, not the disappointing display that his team produced at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.

One player who was particularly guilty of letting Hodgson down was midfielder Jairo Riedewald. The former Ajax man recorded a meagre 6.4/10 rating, the joint-lowest score received by anyone on the pitch, as per SofaScore.

Remarkably, the 24-year-old had just 25 touches of the ball against Jurgen Klopp’s charges, despite playing the full 90 minutes, 19 fewer touchces than the 44 goalkeeper Vicente Guaita managed.

None of the Palace players covered themselves in glory in what was a below-par showing from the south London outfit, but Riedewald was arguably the worst out of a bad bunch.

The three-cap Netherlands ace has often struggled since arriving on English shores, only making 72 Palace appearances in four seasons, but this was amongst his most ineffective outings.

He won just one of his three duels, made only 14 accurate passes and failed to make a single tackle. It’s set to be a summer of big changes at Selhurst Park, and Reidewald may have to convince the new boss that he’s worth keeping after this shocking performance.

If that was Hodgson’s last game in management, Riedewald was one of the Palace players who let the departing boss down on his exit from the game.

And, in other news…Pundit says Crystal Palace should pick Valerien Ismael over Steve Cooper

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Howey, who made 278 appearances during his career, has claimed that Roy Keane could be a good appointment for Celtic if they want someone who takes no prisoners.

With Eddie Howe continuing to stall over accepting the Celtic job, something his representatives have said he won’t do until at least the summer, Keane reportedly held more talks with Celtic over the role last month.

Keane has not been a manager since he was sacked by Ipswich Town in 2011 but before that, he managed to get Sunderland promoted from the Championship to the Premier League.

Speaking on how Keane could be a different option for Celtic and what he would be like as a manager, Howey exclusively told FFC:

“He obviously played there at the back end of his career so he’s already got a bond with Celtic fans, but it all depends on what the board want. Do they want somebody like Keane, who won’t take any prisoners whatsoever and will upset players because he doesn’t care?

“I think sometimes that’s the right way to go about it but you can’t really do that all the time anymore, but who am I to question Keane? For a manager to go to Celtic, it will be a huge job for them.”

Whoever is appointed as Celtic’s new manager will have a big job on their hands as they look to regain the SPFL title from Steven Gerrard’s Rangers.

Howe has reportedly held talks with Premier League clubs Crystal Palace and Newcastle United with the future of their respective managers uncertain.

In an exclusive interview with The Transfer Tavern, former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has shared his experience of seeing Keinan Davis up close for the first time in training after returning to Bodymoor Heath.

Davis, a product of Bodymoor Heath, has worked his way into Villa’s first team and has been Dean Smith’s second-choice striker this season.

With Wesley having been unavailable following the serious injury he picked up last term, Davis has been deputising for Ollie Watkins.

And, in that deputy role, the 23-year-old has managed to come up with a couple of important contributions of late, including a goal against West Brom and assist versus Fulham.

For Hendrie, he is a player who has always had talent, talent which Villa supporters are now starting to see.

Speaking exclusively to TT about what he remembers from the first time he had a good look at Davis, the ex-Villa player said:

“I went back, a few years back now, and I went in and just watched. It was actually when Steve Bruce was managing and I watched the training.

“Kevin MacDonald was at the club at the time and he was working with a lot of the younger lads that were certainly pushing for first-team recognition. And Keinan was one of those players.

“I went and watched a game. It was the first time I’d actually seen Keinan and I thought to myself, ‘certainly with lots of coaching and guidance, he’ll be a player. He will be a player.’ “

If Davis’ last few performances are anything to go by, then the 23-year-old is a player who certainly has something to offer.

Eddie Howe looks set to become Celtic’s new manager and already has his sights set on Bournemouth defender Steve Cook as a key Hoops signing.

That’s according to The Scottish Sun, who claimed that the 29-year-old could find it hard to turn down a potential reunion with Howe at Celtic Park over the coming months.

Cook to Celtic on a free transfer?

The centre-back, valued at £6.3m by Transfermarkt, is out of contract in the summer and so could make the move to Glasgow on a free transfer.

According to the report, Cook could even be seen by Howe as Celtic’s next captain, with current skipper Scott Brown set to join Aberdeen in the summer.

Transfer Tavern take

Cook is on £45,000 per week, the same wage as Josh King, who has also been tipped to reunite with Howe at Parkhead.

In our view, the defender could prove to be an excellent addition on a free transfer if it materialises, taking all things into consideration.

He has made more than 150 appearances in the Premier League, knows how Howe works and could provide fierce competition to the likes of Kristoffer Ajer, Christopher Jullien and Stephen Welsh.

In other news: Celtic knock back offer for 26 y/o after Friday development, find out more here. 

Plenty of Crystal Palace supporters have been reacting to an update on the club’s reported interest in Juventus midfielder Aaron Ramsey on social media. 

Transfer expert Nicolo Schira suggested last month that the Eagles enquired over the possibility of signing the Wales international in the summer, along with Premier League rivals West Ham.

However, according to The Athletic, Ramsey is enjoying his football under Andrea Pirlo and has received no indication the Italian giants want to sell him over the coming months.

Ramsey, valued at £18m by Transfermarkt, is under contract in Turin until 2023.

He’s made 28 appearances in all competitions for Juventus this season, and it doesn’t seem as if a move to Selhurst Park has any legs.

Palace fans react

@CPFCtransfersHQ shared the update regarding Ramsey on Twitter on Thursday morning, which, as to be expected, received plenty of interaction.

This is what some had to say in reply, with many not exactly surprised.

“Ramsey watched the Chelsea game”

Credit: @RobbieScotcher

“oh no!”

Credit: @palacejacob

“Turin or Croydon?”

Credit: @Palace_CPFC

“Good”

Credit: @Sumo08112

“Can’t believe he doesn’t want to come to palace. Shock.”

Credit: @eagle176

“Ramsey’s wages would liquidate us”

Credit: @Upsided0wncpfc

In other news: Many CPFC fans not impressed at update on Palace pair from reliable reporter, find out more here. 

Philippe Sandler is now 24 years old and remains at Manchester City despite his lack of appearances for the Citizens in recent seasons, and the club should try and get rid of him this summer as he is arguably stealing a living at the Etihad Stadium at the moment.

City signed the centre-back from PEC Zwolle in July 2018 but he has been limited to just two appearances in his two-and-a-half years with the club and spent last season on loan with Anderlecht under Vincent Kompany.

He made just 11 appearances there before returning to the Etihad last summer, with injury issues having seriously stalled the youngster’s progress in a Manchester City shirt.

That being said, Sandler reportedly earns £38,000 per week at the Etihad and has now been at the club for 138 weeks, which means he has cost City £5.24m thus far.

That means that, for each appearance the Dutchman has made in a City shirt, with both coming in cup competitions in the 2018/19 season, he has cost City £2.62m.

That makes grim reading for the City board, who will undoubtedly be disappointed that Sandler has failed to have the desired effect during his time with Pep Guardiola’s side.

The 24-year-old’s contract with City is set to expire at the end of next season but the club may be best served by axing him this summer and trying to recoup some of the money they have wasted on him over the last few seasons.

He is currently valued at £2.7m by Transfermarkt, although Txiki Begiristain would do well to receive anywhere near that fee given his lack of appearances and injury problems during his time in the Premier League.

Therefore, Sandler’s time with City will unfortunately go down as a failure, and they must do their best to get rid of him this summer in order to avoid continuing to pay him for nothing before losing him for free at the end of next season.

In other news… No goals or assists in March: £63m-rated City ace let his standards drop this month

Tottenham Hotspur return from the international break with a few injuries on their plate.

It is thought that Ben Davies and Matt Doherty, who both returned home early this week through injury, will not make the trip to St James’ Park on Sunday to face Newcastle. Whilst Sergio Reguilon is expected to be fit enough to travel, Jose Mourinho may not want to risk him so soon after recovering from another recent problem.

He missed five league games with a muscle issue in early February and was withdrawn early against Aston Villa last time out. Sky Sports believe he remains a doubt for this weekend, so the Spurs boss may need to turn to another young prospect, having trusted Joe Rodon and Japhet Tanganga at Villa Park…

On the Chalkboard

Given that game-time has been given to the likes of Dane Scarlett and Alfie Devine this season, it’s perhaps a surprise to not see Dennis Cirkin make his senior bow thus far, but there cannot be a better opportunity to do so than now.

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

The 18-year-old left-back quickly emerged as one of Spurs’ next future stars following the arrival of Mourinho, as he was one of the very first academy products to be praised by the ‘Special One.’

“OK, he’s 17, but he’s a kid with a lot of quality, and I look forward to bringing him to train with us, and to help his development,” explained Mourinho just two weeks after his appointment in north London.

The Athletic have described him as ‘energetic’ and ‘strong in the tackle’ which fits the bill for the sort of full-back Mourinho would love in his squad, so it’s no surprise he was drawn straight to Cirkin when moving to N17.

The teenager has drawn comparisons to Ben Chilwell as a “modern and athletic” full-back and has even been tipped for international stardom one day.

“I think he can go all the way to the top; I’m talking full England international and Premier League left-back for Tottenham,” said The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare on the ‘Next Big Thing’ podcast.

In 2018, he managed to keep one of the world’s most valuable youngsters at bay, recording a clean sheet against Barcelona and Ansu Fati, who in January this year was rated at €108.4m (£92m) by CIES Football Observatory despite only being 18 years old.

Given the likely concerns at left-back on Sunday, Mourinho must be true to his word and finally unleash Cirkin for his senior Spurs debut.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Alderweireld: Spurs keen on “magnificent” £18m-rated beast…

It has been suggested recently that Southampton could look to sign Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham in the summer transfer window and if he were to join the Saints, it would be a deal similar to the one that saw Graziano Pelle join the club in 2014.

According to EuroSport, both West Ham and Southampton have made tentative enquiries about signing the England international, who has struggled for game time under Thomas Tuchel since the German was appointed manager of the Stamford Bridge outfit.

The report suggests that with Chelsea targeting Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland ahead of the summer window, opportunities would be few and far in between for Abraham next season.

Therefore, a move away could be on the cards for the £36 million-rated forward, and Southampton would presumably be able to offer him regular football if he were to make the move to St Mary’s.

Southampton have had some great target men strikers in the past decade, with Rickie Lambert and Pelle two of the very best, but it is something they have arguably lacked under Hasenhuttl.

Danny Ings and Che Adams have lead the line for the majority of the past two seasons, and whilst both work extremely hard, neither are particularly strong in the air, so Abraham would definitely offer something different if he were to join.

The 6 foot 3 striker has been prolific in recent seasons, first on loan with Bristol City in the 2016/17 campaign, where he hit 26 goals in 48 appearances for the Robins.

After a disappointing spell with Swansea in the Premier League, he found his shooting boots once again with Aston Villa, notching 25 goals in 37 appearances on their way to promotion.

He then grabbed 15 Premier League goals with Chelsea last season under Frank Lampard and has now made six appearances for England as he continues to impress in the top-flight.

Therefore, there seems little doubt that he would score goals should he join Southampton in the summer, and he could prove to be similarly effective to the 6 foot 4 Pelle, who was superb in his time on the South Coast.

The Italian contributed 30 goals and 10 assists in 80 appearances for the Saints, before moving to China in 2016, so he is fondly remembered by a lot of Southampton fans.

So, if Martin Semmens can convince Abraham to join this summer, then it would be a deal reminiscent of the one that saw them sign Pelle, and hopefully, the 23-year-old would be as impressive as his Italian predecessor was in Southampton colours.

And, in other news… Forget Tella: Saints beast who played 4 key passes was Hasenhuttl’s star vs SHU – opinion