Southampton are on the verge of selling Matt Targett to Aston Villa, according to The Daily Echo.
The paper say that Saints have managed to negotiate a fee double what Villa originally wanted to pay for the player.
He is now expected to complete a medical and be unveiled at the Villans next week.
Southampton’s new man Moussa Djenepo divides opinion amongst fans in the video below…
The report suggests that the fee will now go towards funding a move for Che Adams from Birmingham City.
Considering Targett made just 13 Premier League starts last season, it’s quite the deal, especially if it can be used to secure an exciting talent such as Adams, who scored 22 goals in the Championship in 2018/19.
Ryan Bertrand is the first-choice pick in Targett’s position and with a youngster like Jake Vokins in reserve they can afford to let the 23-year-old leave.
Cashing in on homegrown talent is always a positive if they’re not going to make it at the club and Saints fans are understandably buoyant at the news of Targett’s sale.
These supporters have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts on it all…
It all looked pretty bleak for Aston Villa 12 months ago before Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens invested their millions into the Midlands-based football club, but now, things are starting to look a bit rosier.
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The Villans have just been promoted back to the Premier League after a three-year absence thanks to a 2-1 win over Derby in the play-off final, and they are looking much better financially after winning the tie which was worth a reported £170m.
However, not everything is perfect.
Amongst all the droplets of champagne and photographs with the trophy, one man has had a massive result for himself personally despite doing very little to help earn promotion – Ross McCormack.
The Scottish international hasn’t featured for Villa since a 1-0 loss to Wolves in 2017 – almost 29 months ago – but had been ‘earning’ £40,000-a-week whilst out on a number of loans away from the club.
Following Villa’s return to the Premier League, a clause was triggered in the 32-year-old’s contract that will see his wages rise to a whopping £70,000-a-week; no one at Villa Park is less deserving of such a pay rise than the former Leeds man.
McCormack was already in the supporters’ bad books due to a lack of effort and poor attitude following his £12m arrival from Fulham. He continuously missed training sessions, and even once blamed his front gate being broken for his no-show.
He has only even managed to score three goals in 24 appearances for the club, which is simply not good enough for a player who was once one of the Championship’s best.
Worst of all, McCormack still has a year left on his contract at Villa Park, and it is unlikely that any other club will go near him now his wage has increased to £70,000-a-week – a figure that will see him earn more than some established Premier League stars, including Luka Milivojevic, Callum Wilson and Lukasz Fabianski.
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Since he arrived at the club on August 4th 2016, McCormack has earned a ridiculous £5,880,000 in wages; combine that with his £12m transfer fee and he has cost Villa £17,880,000 in total.
That’s a rate of £5,960,000 per goal, netting just thrice for the Birmingham club. Truly unbelievable.
Of course, McCormack has been out on loan with Nottingham Forest, Melbourne City, Central Coast Mariners – where he played up front with Usain Bolt – and Motherwell, but the exact details of the wage split between those clubs and Villa are unavailable.
Despite that, the point still stands: McCormack has cost Villa a hell of a lot of money, and he looks set to bleed them dry for at least a year longer.
Reports in the Yorkshire Evening Post have linked Leeds United with a loan move for 21-year-old Brighton centre-back Ben White.
The young defender spent the second half of last season out on loan at Peterborough United, but his impressive performances for The Posh have seen him attract interest from the Championship.
On the chalkboard
If this move does materialise, it is unlikely that White will join Bielsa’s side as a starting option considering the strength of Liam Cooper and Pontus Jansson’s partnership.
With the preferred centre-back duo not looking like being split up anytime soon, White would most likely be arriving as an option to bolster the strength in depth.
With Bielsa preferring to operate with a very small squad, the role of a reserve centre-half can be vital.
This was shown towards the back end of last season as Jansson missed the Whites’ playoff run and Gaetano Berardi had to step in after recovering from his own injury problems.
The Swiss defender played brilliantly in the first leg against Derby but, in the second match, he completely lost his head and was sent off.
Berardi out of favour
Berardi has been linked with a move away from Elland Road this summer.
It is unknown whether this move for White will indicate a departure for the 30-year-old, but it certainly demonstrates that he has slipped down the pecking order.
The former Sampdoria man has been Bielsa’s go-to man when there has been a gap to plug in the backline – whether it be at left-back or centre-back – but after his dismissal against Derby gave the Argentine reason to doubt his reliability next season.
White’s arrival will hand Berardi a major challenger and his game-time could diminish significantly as a consequence.
Given Berardi’s actions in the playoffs, that may well be for the best.
Tottenham Hotspur are preparing for a Champions League Final showdown with Premier League runners-up Liverpool, but it is in the transfer market where Chairman Daniel Levy has the chance to delight the Spurs fanbase.
The Sun have claimed that the North London outfit have been offered an opportunity to bring club hero Gareth Bale back to where he made a name for himself, as Real Madrid are desperate to have the Welsh winger off their books.
Bale banks an astonishing £600,000-a-week at the Santiago Bernabeu as part of a contract which runs until 2022, and will see the 75-cap international earn more than £100million even if he never plays another minute in Spain.
Madrid, however, are so keen to see that he leaves this summer, they are willing to loan Bale to Tottenham for just £10million, and even pay £350,000 of his weekly wage.
The La Liga giants re-hiring French icon Zinedine Zidane earlier in the year effectively marked the end for Bale in the Spanish capital, where the 29-year-old is considered public enemy number one and fans regularly boo his name.
Los Blancos’ supporter’s disgust with the former world record signing even saw the left-footed powerhouse receive 90% of the votes in a poll asking who they would like to see President Florentino Perez cash-in on come the summer.
If Perez fails to find a suitor willing to pay what he is after, as the 72-year-old eyes signing Chelsea’s Eden Hazard and Manchester United’s Paul Pogba in the summer, Zidane is thought to be ready to drop Bale from not only the matchday squad, but into Madrid’s Under 23s.
As the potential is there for Levy to bring the Spurs hero back to North London for £10million, plus upwards of £9m in wages, The Sun believe Tottenham’s transfer committee are discussing the feasibility of a move, after ruling out a permanent deal.
Deciding to give Madrid a short reprieve, however, will not be beneficial to Mauricio Pochettino’s plans for next season, even though Bale is a four-time Champions League winner, who has decided Finals in the past.
His arrival back in North London at Tottenham’s new home could fracture the dressing room the Argentine has strived to build, as the Welsh forward would demand regular game time in a desperate bid to prove his worthiness to those in the Spanish capital.
It would effectively be a prolonged pre-season for Bale back in the Premier League, rather than a chance to rekindle the glory days of his time in England, after years of injuries led to the point where he could be training with the Under 23s again next term with no hope of playing first-team minutes.
This season alone saw Bale sit on the sidelines five times at various points of the campaign, after suffering twice with an adductor problem, before two ankle injuries and an issue with his calf.
Sheffield Wednesday fans on Twitter have been calling for Marco Matias to be released from the club at the end of the season.
The Portuguese forward’s contract is up this summer and supporters have been urging the Owls not to renew his deal.
This comes after an article written by Dom Howson in the Sheffield Star recommended that Matias was kept on at the club beyond his current deal.
Owls fans on Twitter were quick to disagree with Howson saying that Matias should be let go sooner rather than later.
The 29-year-old has scored six goals in 29 Championship appearances so far this season, but Wednesday fans seemingly no longer want him.
Steve Bruce’s side have been in fantastic form since the former Villa boss took charge at Hillsborough, but fans want to see the team changed up next season and Matias isn’t a part of their plans.
Here’s what Wednesday fans have been saying on Twitter…
Check out the video below to see how Brazil fans reacted to being asked how Cristiano Ronaldo would perform for them in a hilarious prank by Pl>ymaker FC…
Liverpool travel to Barcelona on Wednesday evening for what is a crucial Champions League semi-final inside the Camp Nou, where Jurgen Klopp’s men will have the chance to score a vital away goal.
It will certainly be a tough task for the Reds against one of the best sides in Europe, and it will be an enticing watch as to who comes out on top between Lionel Messi and Virgil van Dijk, arguably two of the best in their positions in world football.
However, the job could be made harder for Liverpool if Roberto Firmino cannot recover from his ‘small muscle tear’, which ruled him out of the 5-0 win over Huddersfield.
Watch “Jurgen Klopp’s” hilarious masterplan for winning the title in the video below…
The Brazilian is a crucial cog in Klopp’s team, and his absence could be a significant factor in Liverpool’s chances of getting a result against the Spanish champions.
Firstly, let’s see how the Reds may set up with Firmino available…
This is how Klopp opted to line his side up against the Terriers, apart from Daniel Sturridge coming in for Firmino, and saw a performance from his men which yielded five goals and a clean sheet; a real swashbuckling showing.
However, if Firmino is unavailable, the former Borussia Dortmund boss will have to rethink things – Sturridge was ineffective against the league’s basement side in Huddersfield, so he can’t be seriously considered against Barcelona.
Of course, Xherdan Shaqiri is an option to come in, so too is Divock Origi, but we don’t think that Klopp will spring any surprises; instead, we think he may just alter one in-form star’s position slightly…
Instead of bringing in a recognised attacker, Klopp should move Keita out onto the left-wing, and put Sadio Mane into the centre-forward role where he has shone at times this season.
The Guinean international has played out on the left four times in the current campaign, and it is an area that Klopp has said in that past that Keita can play in due to his ‘speed’ and ‘football intelligence’.
The chain reaction of Firmino missing out and pushing Keita wide would then make room for Georginio Wijnaldum, who has recently seen his spot hijacked by a resurgent Jordan Henderson.
In Mane’s case, the Senegalese international played as a centre-forward in the 5-0 win over Watford earlier in the season, a game in which he netted two goals – including an expertly taken back-heel chip over Ben Foster.
Given the lack of quality in the forward options behind Firmino, such as Origi and Sturridge, this would be Klopp’s best lineup in the absence of his first-choice No.9, and would go some way to helping them get a result and potentially a crucial away goal.
Sheffield United are interested in signing Chelsea midfielder Kasey Palmer according to The Sun (April 30, page 50).
The Blades have recently secured their promotion to the Premier League but are still searching for bargains as The Sun report that a potential deal for Palmer would cost just £4 million.
Untested in the top flight
Kasey Palmer has spent the majority of his young career out on loan in the Championship. The 22-year-old has enjoyed successful loan spells at Huddersfield, Derby, Blackburn and Bristol City.
The midfielder is currently on loan at Ashton Gate, but with his future at Stamford Bridge looking bleak he may be looking for a way out.
Palmer rejoined Huddersfield on loan upon their promotion the Premier League however he only made four appearances in the top flight during his time at the Terriers.
If Chris Wilder is to move for the midfielder, then it would be a significant risk as he is an unknown quantity in the at that level.
If the manager is to rely on him to play a crucial part in keeping the Blades in the division next year, then he is taking a considerable risk.
Staying domestic
The Yorkshire club went into this season with a squad filled with British and Irish personnel thus not a single foreign player appeared during their promotion campaign.
With the only rumoured signings so far being Palmer, Gary Madine and Dean Henderson, it seems that the Blades want to keep up with their policy of keeping their squad filled with domestically-based footballers.
It has been a successful strategy thus far for the Blades as they have achieved two promotions in three seasons with individuals who have proven that they are capable of performing well in the English leagues.
Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…
However, the Premier League is a different animal, and if Wilder is to stick to his policy of not signing foreign players, he must at least move towards making signings who have experience in the top flight.
[ad_pod ]According to Claret & Hugh, Jordan Hugill will be sent back to parent club West Ham United this summer as Middlesbrough have no intention of signing him permanently.Hugill – a 2018 arrival at West Ham – joined Boro on loan last summer.The 26-year-old has scored seven times in all competitions for the Riverside outfit this season, but according to Claret & Hugh, Boro boss Tony Pulis does not want to sign the Englishman on a permanent contract.The 6 foot frontman, who played over 100 times for Preston North End, made just three appearances for the Hammers in the second half of last season.It is difficult to imagine that there will be a first-team spot for the striker next term, but it remains to be seen what happens.Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals what Lasagne-Gate was really like for Tottenham’s food-poisoned stars – Check out the video below…For now, the West Ham fans have been on social media reacting to the update on Hugill’s future and a selection of their responses can be seen below:
Scott Parker tasted defeat in his first game as Fulham caretaker manager after replacing Claudio Ranieri, as his side were beaten 2-1 by Chelsea at Craven Cottage.
The west London derby was an exciting, end-to-end affair, and the Cottagers’ character was on full display.
After falling behind to an excellent Gonzalo Higuain strike, Fulham equalised through defender Calum Chambers. However, Jorginho scored what proved to be the winner with a languid effort from the edge of the box just three minutes after the leveller.
Fulham continued to push, however, and Ryan Sessegnon appeared to have earned his side a point in the final minute, only for the linesman to correctly flag the winger offside.
Despite the defeat, which leaves Fulham languishing in the relegation zone and a staggering 10 points off safety, fans were impressed with Parker’s impact on a team that is surely doomed.
Take a look at the best of the reaction on Twitter below!
The judgement on the “Spygate” scandal was finally delivered, as Leeds United were fined £200,000 and given a stern warning for future offences (via BBC).
Despite being made to pay quite the formidable figure, the Whites will be glad to pay the fine rather than having their points deducted. Their Championship rivals, on the other hand, will be anything but pleased.
Many fans have voiced their displeasure at Leeds being let off easily by the EFL. It was hoped – albeit speculatively – they would have some points deducted, which could’ve helped make the Championship race more competitive. The clubs, who were victims of “Spygate”, will surely have been most displeased because the spying hampered their chances against the Whites.
While there weren’t much grounds for Leeds to have their points deducted, they should’ve been handed a more formidable ban. Be it suspending Marcelo Bielsa, the perpetrator of the whole thing, for a few matches or something else, this fine feels like injustice towards their opponents.
However, Bielsa’s extraordinary revelation a few months ago when he gave a long presentation showcasing how he analyzes each game and isn’t dependent on the “spying” to win matches probably worked in his favour. The Whites now have a hovering worry out of their sight and can finally concentrate towards the last hurdle.
Only a few months remain of the Championship action. With Leeds’ title chances remaining intact, those relying on them being handed a more potent ban will be left worried about how to recharge their own promotion chances.