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Peterborough director of football Barry Fry has told The Transfer Tavern in an exclusive interview that West Ham are more likely to move for Adam Armstrong than Ivan Toney this summer.

West Ham have been credited with an interest in both strikers. According to Football Insider, the Hammers are one of multiple Premier League sides who are keen on the Blackburn Rovers man.

Elsewhere, The Sun have claimed that Toney is one forward the east London club have identified in their search for reinforcements ahead of the new campaign.

It is the former, though, who Fry sees as the most realistic option for West Ham. He told TT:

“I don’t think West Ham would go to that much [Brentford’s valuation] for Ivan, they wouldn’t.

“Whereas Adam Armstrong, I can see them having a punt on that, because he’d be a lot cheaper.”

Armstrong was in terrific form in the Championship last season, scoring 28 goals in 40 appearances. It makes it little surprise that the Englishman is one striker the Hammers are looking at as manager David Moyes looks to bolster his attacking options.

However, that does not look like it will be an easy deal either, with Football Insider stating that Southampton are winning the race for the 24-year-old.

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.

Leeds United have one of the brightest young keepers in the Premier League with Illan Meslier who has impressed during his debut Premier League season, so former Leeds midfielder David Norris admits he can’t see the club bringing in free agent Paulo Gazzaniga.

6 ft 5 colossus Gazzaniga has eventually left Tottenham Hotspur after being at the club since 2017 and having made just 37 appearances, and with Leeds likely to sell Kiko Casilla this summer, the Argentina international could be set for another bench-warming role, this time at Elland Road, something fans would like to see.

The link between Marcelo Bielsa and Gazzaniga is obvious with them both being from the same country, however, if Gazzaniga had no chance of being the number one, it would make more sense to just promote from within their academy.

Meslier was only handed a few starts towards the back end of Leeds’ Championship winning season, however, he grasped his opportunity with both hands in the top flight so it would not make sense to bring in Gazzaniga this summer, according to Norris who made the strong claim exclusively to Football FanCast:

“I’d be surprised because I can’t see it happening as they’ve got Caprile as the third choice at the moment, and I’m not 100% sure if Casilla is going back to Spain.”

It would be quite impressive if next season Bielsa did trust Elia Caprile to be the number two at Leeds as that would give their goalkeepers a combined age of just 40-years-old.

Gazzaniga was always seen as a number two during his time with Spurs and considering he is now 29-years old it would likely be the best time for him to step up and be a number one at a club.

Many teams suffer from what is commonly known as second-season syndrome. It’s where a club survives in their first season being in the Premier League before falling like a stone into the relegation zone, which is exactly what happened to Sheffield United this season. However, former Leeds United midfielder, David Norris, doesn’t see Leeds United succumbing to the same fate.

It appears to be a current theme in Yorkshire lately as Huddersfield Town did the exact same thing as the Blades, avoiding the drop after being written off before the season began but ultimately, they imploded during their second season and stunk out the Premier League finishing bottom of the pile in 2018.

Leeds, however, appear to be different as they managed to finish in the top half of the Premier League, despite having their 12th man behind them all season, something both Sheffield United and Huddersfield relied on heavily.

Instead of thinking about avoiding the drop in their tricky second season, Norris believes that Leeds will be looking to improve on this season and push closer to the European spots. He spoke exclusively to Football FanCast:

‘I don’t think so, no. I think when Sheffield United came up, they didn’t really change too much. They still had a Championship squad that was just overachieving and they didn’t make many big signings. Whereas Leeds, they spent big coming into the league and didn’t mess about.

“I just think because of the way they play, they’re not looking to just stay in the league. They’ve come in and had a right go and I don’t expect them to drop off too much. Teams will have a little bit more of an idea about the way they play and may know how to stop them but, I can’t see them struggling.”

Leeds fans will have been excited to hear the news that Marcelo Bielsa had reportedly signed a new deal to keep him at the club for next season and that could turn out to be the club’s most important signing of the summer.

After enjoying their first season back in the Premier League, many Leeds fans will be set to hopefully enjoy watching one of their own at the European Championships this summer, if Kalvin Phillips makes Gareth Southgate’s final 26-man squad.

Antonio Conte has emerged as the most likely candidate to take the vacant Tottenham Hotspur job…

What’s the word?

That’s according to football.london’s Alasdair Gold, who delivered a fresh update on the situation to Twitter on Wednesday evening, where he claimed:

“Now looking likely that Antonio Conte will become the next Tottenham boss. Spurs pushed hard to try to bring Mauricio Pochettino back but PSG have fought hard to keep him.”

There are a few issues to iron out first, however.

It is thought that the 51-year-old, who left Inter Milan after winning their first Serie A title last week, wants reassurances that Harry Kane will not be sold this summer – a player he has waxed lyrical about in the past.

“For me, Kane, now, is one of the best strikers in the world. If I had to buy one striker I would go to Kane. He is a complete striker,” he told the Guardian.

Whilst Spurs are expected to appoint a new sporting director in Fabio Paratici, who Conte worked with at Juventus for many seasons, as per The Times.

A strict approach

Many in North London will know Conte well. He enjoyed a very successful spell at Chelsea, cleaning up Jose Mourinho’s mess by delivering a Premier League title in his first season before clinching the FA Cup a year later.

The Italian will give Spurs a culture shock, that’s for sure. And that’s not just because he’s a nine-time trophy winner.

According to The Athletic, Mourinho sucked the life out of the club, with players said to be left feeling bored and untested by his training regime and his defensive tactics left them feeling incapable of attacking.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-manager-gossip-transfer-rumours-team-and-injury-updates-and-more” title= “Read the latest Spurs news, manager gossip, transfer rumours, team and injury updates and more!”]

Furthermore, Gold believes that the squad’s fitness levels were a major source of concern under the Portuguese too and was one reason why they made so many mistakes on the pitch. They were widely regarded as one of the fittest in the English top-flight when Mauricio Pochettino was at the helm.

This is something that Conte would fix, instantly.

He’s a tough character who will offer Spurs a strict approach on the training ground.

The Telegraph claim that the 51-year-old was ‘very strict’ on nutrition, limiting the options available to the players in the club’s training ground canteen, whilst he also made sure that the squad were together on the evening before every match.

This is something that was once emphasised by legendary midfielder Andrea Pirlo, who in the past has also lauded Conte as a “genius.”

“He needed only one speech, with many simple words, to conquer both me and Juventus,” the former Juventus star once claimed (via the Guardian).

“He had fire running through his veins and he moved like a viper. ‘This squad, dear boys, is coming off two consecutive seventh-place finishes. It’s crazy. It’s shocking. I am not here for this, so it’s time to stop being so c**p.’

“When Conte speaks, his words assault you,” Pirlo added. “They crash through the doors of your mind. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve said: ‘Hell, Conte said something really spot-on again today.'”

If the current Spurs squad felt bored and appeared laborious under Mourinho, then they will be rocked by the likely appointment of Conte.

Overall, the Premier League winner could be exactly what the Lilywhites need. It’s certainly a mouthwatering prospect already.

AND in other news, Journalist rules Mauricio Pochettino out of Spurs return…

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.

Former Premier League manager Lawrie Sanchez has exclusively told Football FanCast that he’s surprised Steve Bruce has never been given the opportunity to manage Manchester United.

The 60-year-old is approaching 1000 games in management in England during a career that spans over four decades.

Bruce has won promotion to the Premier League on numerous occasions, taken Hull to an FA Cup final and last month won his first ever Manager of the Month award in the top-flight.

But despite a glistening managerial career, Bruce has never been in the running to manage the Red Devils.

Bruce won 12 major trophies with United during his playing career, including three FA Cups, and was part of the side that won the first ever Premier League crown back in 1993.

And given that he was a popular face with the United faithful, Sanchez told Football FanCast that he’s surprised Bruce has never managed the club:

“You forget what an influential figure he was at United. Him coming to United probably won them the league. Him and Pallister as centre-halves were the final piece of the jigsaw.

“As much as people write about Cantona and Schmeichel, but for Bruce and Pallister they wouldn’t have won the league.

“I am surprised that Bruce, who has so many games under his belt, wasn’t given a chance at the United job.”

Peterborough United Director of Football Barry Fry has told Football FanCast Liverpool only need three additions to challenge at the top end of the Premier League next season.

Jurgen Klopp’s side have struggled immensely at times this season.

The Reds drew 1-1 with Newcastle United at the weekend, as Joe Willock scored a last-gasp equaliser to snatch a point for Steve Bruce’s side.

The result has left the club sixth in the Premier League table, four points behind fourth-placed Chelsea, who beat top-four rivals West Ham United on Saturday.

They are 23 points behind leaders Manchester City, a staggering climbdown from last season, when the Reds dropped points in just six games.

The result versus Newcastle means Liverpool have dropped points in 18 games, drawing nine and losing nine.

But Fry believes that the club only have to be active in the transfer window to climb back to where they were last term.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, he said: “I think all Liverpool players have played below the standards they’ve set themselves over the last two years but they’ve had two unbelievable, outstanding years, so they’ve all fallen short of that but I still feel with three or four additions they’ll be challenging for all the things next season.”

Liverpool will not be winning a trophy this season, having been eliminated from the Champions League and the FA Cup, while City won the League Cup over the weekend.

Rangers have been linked with young striker Roko Simic recently and the 17-year-old, who has been likened to Erling Haaland, could add a new dimension to Steven Gerrard’s side next season if he moves to Ibrox.

According to the Daily Record, the Light Blues have been linked with the teenage forward recently as a result of his impressive performances with Lokomotiva Zagreb this season.

Rangers already have Borna Barisic and Nikola Katic in Gerrard’s squad, and the son of one-time AC Milan defender Dario Simic could add to the impressive Croatian contingent at Ibrox next season should the teenager make the switch.

His performances have certainly caught the eye of another Croatian former Rangers player in Nikica Jelavic, who sang his praises recently after playing alongside Simic this season, saying: “Roko is certainly one of the greatest talents in Croatian football! That’s for sure, he’s a young and decent guy, brilliantly brought up and he’s a real rough diamond.

“He is gaining experience, I played with him and as one of the older players, we helped him along.

“Everyone knows who he is because of his famous father, but that’s a burden that will shortly be off his back because he’s good enough to write his own story.

“I am convinced that Roko will make a great career and that he will be a world-class striker, I really haven’t seen a more talented player than Roko for a long time.”

In 22 appearances for Lokomotiva Zagreb, the teenage striker has already hit three goals, which is a respectable return for someone so young.

Considering that Jelavic managed 36 goals and 15 assists in just 56 appearances for Rangers, he clearly knows a lot about what it takes to succeed in the Scottish Premiership, and he evidently believes that Simic would be a hit at Ibrox.

It certainly seems as if the youngster is destined for a big future in football and therefore Rangers should perhaps be looking to bring him in as soon as possible, rather than waiting until his performances begin to attract elite clubs from across Europe.

In other news… Rangers handed major transfer boost with 23 y/o dubbed “the best”, Wilson must deliver

Aston Villa have been tipped to make a move for Tottenham ace Dele Alli this summer by former Premier League striker Dean Windass.

As to be expected, plenty of Villa supporters have been giving their thoughts on a potential move on social media.

Alli has fallen out of favour under Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho this season, starting just two Premier League games during the current campaign. He’s under contract with Spurs until 2024, but his lack of game-time has led to speculation of a north London exit.

Alli is on £100,000 per week at Tottenham and has seen his market value crash over the last 16 months from £81m to £28.8m.

Villa are expected to bolster their attacking ranks this summer with a new winger and another striker, but Windass believes Alli could be heading to the Midlands. Speakinh exclusively to Football Transfer Tavern, cited by Birmingham Live, he said that either Villa or Everton should make a move for the England international.

“I think Everton or Aston Villa, one of those teams where he then becomes a big fish in a small pond again. At the minute he’s a small fish in a big pond.

“The kid needs to be playing to get back into the England squad. Gareth will be on the phone saying ‘I think you’re a great player, but you need to be playing your club football.’”

Villa fans react

Birmingham Live shared the story on Twitter on Monday and here is what these Villa fans had to say in reply, with many excited by the prospect of Alli lining out in claret and blue if Windass’ recommendation is acted upon.

“Wow”

Credit: @HappyGrealish

“been begging for this for months. get it done Villa”

Credit: @1874dan

“I am on my knees”

Credit: @joegodwin_

“Please Deano”

Credit: @AVFC_Bailey

“Said this last year and I still think the same, we really should try and make this happen”

Credit: @Pred_Walters

“Certainly the level of player we should be going for #AVFC”

Credit: @Benjmeister85

In other news: Many AVFC fans react to club’s Villa Park plans, find out more here.