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Leeds United could sign a new Ronaldo Vieira in Cagliari midfielder Nahitan Nandez this summer.

What’s the story?

Reports last summer suggested that Marcelo Bielsa’s side were ready to activate the release clause of the Uruguay international, but a deal failed to materialise before the end of the deadline.

Now, Italian publication Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness) claim that the Whites are ready to “snatch” Nandez away from Cagliari in the upcoming transfer window, and that the club could sign him for much lower than his reported release clause.

A new Ronaldo Vieira

At the time of Vieira’s move to Sampdoria, Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani made it clear that the deal simply had to be made given the Whites’ financial situation.

He said: “He was one of best players to come from our youth but I cannot put the club in danger in the future. Unfortunately to sustain a club in this league, we need to sell one or two players each year. We’ve invested a lot and it’s not enough to break even, so we had to manage the club and look at the future, not just today.”

The former Leeds midfielder’s break-out campaign at Leeds during the 2016/2017 season saw him establish himself as a real midfield dynamo, averaging 2.1 tackles and one interception per game in the Championship.

That defensive tenacity is exactly what Nandez would bring to the table were he to join up with Bielsa at Elland Road. As per Sofascore, Nandez’s heat-map is a clear indication of the kind of incredible ground that he covers game to game, popping up everywhere to close down and make tackles.

He has won a total of 6.3 duels per game and also makes 1.8 tackles per match too, and that physicality and aggression for someone who’s 5 foot 7 draws natural comparisons with someone like Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante. It’s no surprise that the Cagliari midfielder has even been described as an “a bit of an engine who gets up and down.”

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His all-action approach makes him a real dream for Bielsa, and it’s something his agent, Pablo Bentancur, feels also endears him into the hearts of fans too. He said: “Nandez is certainly a great player. The fans always like him because he leaves every last drop of sweat on the pitch.”

Leeds could well sign their new Vieira in the Uruguayan pocket dynamo this summer.

Meanwhile, a journalist has dropped a major Leeds United update…

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Fulham fell to another disappointing defeat on Saturday, as they were thumped 3-0 by Manchester United at Craven Cottage.

The result has left the club 19th in the Premier League table, seven points adrift of 17th-placed Newcastle United and eight behind 16th-placed Cardiff City.

Fulham have won just four times this season – beating Brighton and Hove Albion in January, Huddersfield in December, Southampton in November and Burnley in August.

Their season has been characterised by inconsistency, however. Their first win over Burnley was followed by a run of nine games without victory, including a thumping 5-1 loss to Arsenal, a 3-0 loss to Manchester City and a 4-2 beating by Cardiff City.

Check out Neymar’s controversial new haircut for 2019 and Xherdan Shaqiri as you’ve never seen him before in the video below…

Hopes of a run of form were raised at the end of January, when the Cottagers fought back from 2-0 down to beat Brighton 4-2, but two successive losses, to Crystal Palace and United at an aggregate score of 5-0, have seen many consign the club to the drop.

And Fulham fans want manager Claudio Ranieri – appointed in November – sacked after another uninspiring performance.

Charlton Athletic midfielder Alex Gilbey endured a disappointing evening on Tuesday, despite the Addicks’ crucial League One victory.

Knowing that nothing short of victory against Lincoln City would have ended Charlton’s hopes of securing a top-six finish come the end of the season, Nigel Adkins’ side turned in a highly impressive display in a 3-1 win against the Imps, with goals from Jayden Stockley, Ryan Inniss and Chuks Aneke ensuring that the southeast London side remain in with a shout of clinching a play-off spot on Saturday.

The win means that the Addicks are now just one point behind Portsmouth in sixth place and level on points with Oxford United in seventh, meaning that Charlton will have to better Pompey’s result against Accrington Stanley, as well as Oxford’s against Burton Albion, when Adkins’ side face table-toppers Hull City in order to seal their place in the League One play-offs.

However, one player who will undoubtedly be hoping for a better performance on Saturday in comparison to Tuesday will be Alex Gilbey, as, despite his side’s victory, the 26-year-old turned in a disappointing display, with his SofaScore match rating of 6.3 ranking him as the club’s worst player on the night.

This lowly ranking is likely to be down to a number of factors, including his sloppy passing – completing just 20 of his 30 attempted passes, with his 67% accuracy rate ranking him as Addicks’ joint second-worst passer in the fixture – his six fouls – double the number of fouls conceded by the next highest Charlton player – and the fact that he lost possession of the ball on 15 separate occasions.

Charlton may have got the win they needed, but Gilbey’s individul performance let his manager down and he’ll need to be much better next week.

As such, with so much at stake in the game against Hull on Saturday, the £5,500-per-week man will certainly have to up his game if the Addicks are to have any chance of securing a result against the Tigers. If he doesn’t, the midfielder could well cost his side a shot at promotion.

Swansea City have been linked with Rochdale striker Stephen Humphrys recently and if he were to make the move to the Liberty Stadium this summer, he could prove to be the ideal long-term replacement for Andre Ayew.

According to The 72, the Swans have joined the race to sign the 23-year-old striker, who has impressed for the Dale this season despite their woes in League One.

However, the likes of Blackburn Rovers, Nottingham Forest and Preston North End have also been linked with a move for the former Southend United man, so he will certainly be in demand this summer.

Rochdale signed the powerful striker from Southend in the summer in the hope that his goals could help them stave off relegation to League Two following a summer that saw a number of first-team regulars depart due to the financial impact of the current viral outbreak.

Unfortunately, the young striker has endured long spells out injured which has contributed to the Dale needing a huge turnaround in their final few league fixtures if they want to stay up, although when Humphrys has been fit, he has produced some superb displays.

In 25 league appearances this season, the English striker has contributed 10 goals and three assists, averaging an excellent 7.09 rating, which ranks him as Dale’s second-best performer so far this season.

WhoScored suggests that Humphrys’ best attributes include his ability to dribble with the ball as well as holding it up, which suggests that he could play in a similar role to Ayew at Swansea, with the Ghanaian international often featuring as a target man who is also expected to link up with the midfield.

The 31-year-old has been Swansea’s best performer of the current squad in the league so far this season with 15 goals in 41 appearances, averaging a solid 7.16 rating.

However, his current contract is set to expire at the end of the season, so Swansea may have to look for a replacement if he doesn’t commit to a new deal.

Given that Humphrys is currently valued at just £225k by Transfermarkt and will most likely be available if Rochdale go down this season, he could be an affordable replacement for the former West Ham man in Cooper’s side.

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Certainly, the former Fulham youngster works hard and offers an all-round option up front and Cooper would surely love to have a player of his ilk in his Swansea side next season, so Julian Winter should do all he can to bring Humphrys to the Liberty ahead of next season.

And, in other news… Swansea’s season-defining injury to £3.6m-rated “leader” will leave Cooper worried

Speaking to TMW Radio (via Inside Futbol), former player turned agent Massimo Brambati has lifted the lid on Tottenham Hotspur and their contact with Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini.

The Lowdown: The Italian Job…

Since Jose Mourinho was handed his marching orders last month, Tottenham have been linked with a host of Italian managers. This includes the likes of Gasperini, Maurizio Sarri, Antonio Conte, Massimiliano Allegri and Simone Inzaghi (football.london), who all have ample experience of managing in Serie A.

Indeed, as per reports, Spurs have been looking toward Italy for their possible next manager, but these claims are dismissed by sources closer to home (football.london).

The Latest: Agent lifts lid on Gasperini contact with Spurs

Speaking in an interview with TMW Radio, Brambati has insisted that contact has been made by Spurs for Gasperini despite the manager denying it himself recently.

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Brambati even says that Premier League manager Carlo Ancelotti has advised the 63-year-old to go to London.

“Tottenham and Monaco contacted him,” the agent explained (via Inside Futbol).

“At Atalanta he found the ideal environment, but going to London might be worth more. I know that he has been in touch with Ancelotti, who has advised him to go there, his football would be praised.

“For what he did at Atalanta, it is strange to me that he still has not had the chance to make the big leap.”

The Verdict: Appointment very unlikely…

As explained by Gasperini himself (football.london), the 63-year-old is happy at current club Atalanta – and it’s obvious to see why given the fine job he has done there since being appointed in 2016.

Under his reign, La Dea have qualified for the Champions League in the last two seasons, reaching the quarter-finals last year, and are on course to do so yet again this time around.

Indeed, Atalanta have established themselves as one of the top clubs in Serie A, with journalist Ian McGarry pointing out his ‘hyper-offensive’ footballing philosophy at the Gewiss Stadium (Transfer Window Podcast). They are the highest-scoring team in Serie A this season with 86 goals, having struck 98 in the division last term.

However, due to Gasperini’s public stance, Tottenham may have to look elsewhere for a new manager.

In other news: Tottenham exit talks for 66-cap ace emerge, find out more here.

Newcastle medics fear that the after-effects of Covid-19 have hampered Federico Fernandez’s recovery from injury.

That’s according to The Athletic’s Chris Waugh, who offered an update on the Argentine on Tuesday afternoon.

Fernandez was a regular for Newcastle during the first half of the season, his only absence down to a positive coronavirus test back in December.

He then strained his thigh muscle, keeping him out from the middle of January until the beginning of March.

Fernandez setback gives Bruce headache

The 32-year-old returned to the bench for the goalless draw at West Bromwich Albion and remained among the substitutes for the Aston Villa and Brighton matches.

But there was no sign of him in the matchday squad last Sunday as Newcastle faced Spurs. He’s clearly struggling to build-up to full match fitness.

His return can’t come soon enough for the Magpies. Steve Bruce was forced to select Emil Krafth and Paul Dummett, two full-backs by trade, either side of Jamaal Lascelles in a back three at the weekend.

Krafth in particular found it a real struggle – Lee Ryder rated his performance a mere four out of ten, with Waugh commenting on The Athletic that Fernandez has been “huge miss”.

Transfer Tavern verdict

If Newcastle feel they can’t rely on Fernandez, it raises real doubts about his future. His contract is up in the summer, and at 32 a renewal seems unlikely if these problems persist.

It’s clear that we don’t yet fully understand the toll the pandemic is taking on certain players, and fans will be hoping the former Swansea man is back at full fitness as soon as possible.

In other news, Noel Whelan made this claim about a possible Steve Bruce replacement.

Former Tottenham Hotspur captain Graham Roberts has told Football FanCast that Daniel Levy took the decision to sack Jose Mourinho so he could attempt to appoint Julian Nagelsmann as manager, although any move could now be in doubt after Bild reported on Monday that an agreement between RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich is close.

The RB Leipzig boss has been admired by Levy for some time, with FFC reporting after Mauricio Pochettino’s sacking that he was actually the chairman’s first-choice.

Those links have resurfaced in recent weeks, and The Daily Telegraph reports that the 33-year-old is again Levy’s first-choice.

However, there is a wrinkle in any pursuit given that Hansi Flick is set to leave Bayern Munich at the end of the season, likely to become the German national team manager.

Bayern will thus be on the lookout for a replacement and Nagelsmann has been touted as a potential successor to Flick at the Allianz Arena.

As such, Roberts believes that Levy pulled the trigger on Mourinho on Monday in order to give Spurs a “chance” of appointing the young boss.

Leipzig are currently second in the Bundesliga, seven points behind leaders Bayern.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, he said: “At the moment, I have two or three names. I think this has all been done, for me personally, because the Bayern Munich manager is going at the end of the season.

“Bayern Munich have said that Nagelsmann is their number one target. We’ve always been in touch, been wanting Nagelsmann, and I think the club have thought, if Jose wins the cup, does he keep the job for next season?

“So Nagelsmann goes to Bayern Munich. Nagelsmann might already be Bayern Munich manager anyway, he might have already agreed, but I think they’ve given themselves a chance, Tottenham, to go and get him.”

Former Premier League midfielder Rob Lee has suggested that Anthony Martial does not have the correct attitude to be a starter for Manchester United.

Speaking exclusively to Football Fan Cast, he said that it appears that the Frenchman “can’t be bothered” to play for the Red Devils.

That lack of motivation, combined with his ever-decreasing output at Old Trafford, should see Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ed Woodward cut ties with the forward.

Martial initially burst onto the scene in his debut season following a big-money move from AS Monaco. He scored 17 goals during 2015/16 but since then has only bettered those numbers once.

He scored eight in 2016/17, 11 in 2017/18, 12 in 2018/19, with his highest-scoring season coming last term with a fantastic 23 in all competitions.

The Frenchman has not managed to keep that up though, with the current campaign looking like his worst with the Red Devils, having found the net just seven times so far.

That lack of importance to the Red Devils is highlighted when considering that Martial’s four league goals contribute to just 7% of the team’s total haul this season.

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That is easily bettered by the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford and Edinson Cavani, whilst being equalled by midfielder Scott McTominay.

The lesser-played Daniel James and Paul Pogba are only just behind Martial, with the duo contributing just over 5% of the Red Devils’ goals.

For all of his promise and potential, Martial is really yet to really kick-on and establish himself as a star in the Premier League, mainly due to his inconsistencies.

That could be used as an argument to suggest that the £45m-rated Frenchman is the most disposable of United’s current striking options.

Couple that with his lack of attitude, and there are plenty of reasons as to why Woodward should consider cashing in on Martial sooner rather than later.

AND in more news, the Red Devils must avoid signing a Premier League stalwart this summer…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie believes Ross Barkley would be a good permanent addition to Dean Smith’s squad.

Barkley, who reportedly earns £96,000-a-week, is currently at Villa Park on a season-long loan from Chelsea and was able to make a huge impact earlier in the campaign.

The 27-year-old scored on his debut for the club in that incredible 7-2 win over Liverpool and managed to net the winner the game after, a 1-0 victory against Leicester City. However, since picking up a hamstring injury, Barkley’s form has dipped drastically, with Smith leaving him out of the side for trips to Newcastle United, Sheffield United, Leeds United and the visit of Wolves.

Nevertheless, Hendrie is still keen to see Barkley’s loan move become a permanent one, confident the England international has a lot to offer. He told FFC:

“Ross came into the club and he really hit the ground running. He got the fans onside straight away and he had a great connection with Jack. You know, there was a great little bit of balance in that team, he was scoring goals and then he picked up his injury.

“Ross Barkley is a fabulous player, that’s for sure. And, at this moment in time, because Villa are not playing well, it’s hard for him to really stand out and be that attacking threat and [have] that confidence that oozes out when you play well. So, for me, to keep Ross, I think it would be a good addition.”

Barkley has been one of Villa’s biggest attacking threats this season, bringing creativity to Smith’s side.

The attacking midfielder is currently averaging 1.7 key passes per league game, the second-highest average in the Villans’ squad (via WhoScored). Averaging 3.4 key passes per league game, only Jack Grealish is outperforming him in that area. Ultimately, buying Barkley outright from Chelsea is an avenue probably worth exploring.

Glasgow Rangers fans are delighted after the club confirmed they will play Arsenal in a pre-season friendly before the start of next term.

The Gers are already planning ahead for the next campaign, and they have chosen to face the Gunners in a match that will help commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Ibrox outfit. The game will be played at the home of the 55-time Scottish champions on July 17th.

In the past few days, it seems the two clubs have built up somewhat of a rapport. Arsenal faced Slavia Prague in the Europa League quarter-finals on Thursday – the Gers were defeated by the Czechia champions in the previous stage. Following Ondrej Kudela’s 10-game ban for racially abusing Glen Kamara, Slavia refused to take a knee for the Black Lives Matter movement before the game – that lead to Alexandre Lacazette doing so right in front of them (The Guardian).

The Gunners eventually won 4-0, with the France international on the scoresheet.

As such, the Gers supporters were delighted to be facing the Premier League side. The news was shared on the Gers’ official Twitter account, and the fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the Rangers had to say about the news below

“Marvellous. Wish I could be there, what a party that’ll be”

Credit: @newtowngooner

“Tremendous a club who has played a part in our history and a proper football club with great fans”

Credit: @Stephen54840229

“That’s insane. I was just thinking today how great it would be to play Arsenal in a friendly after last night. Wow.”

Credit: @Ricky9Forbes

“Excellent choice given the history between both Clubs.”

Credit: @airman614

“Things you love to see Friendship as strong as ever, especially after Prague where spanked last night”

Credit: @matthewlee67

“Lovely stuff”

Credit: @TremendoHendo72

In other news, Kevin Phillips believes this man will have to take a pay-cut to stay at Rangers beyond this season.