Manchester City fans want to sign Joshua Kimmich after it was suggested the Citizens could make a move for the Germany international.
City fans were recently shocked by the news that Fernandinho had been placed on the club’s list of released players following the end of the Premier League season (premierleague.com). While that does not mean he will not be given a new contract, at 36 years of age he does not have too long left at the top.
As such, the Citizens are said to be looking at replacements for the Brazilian. As per The Manchester Evening News, Wilfred Ndidi, Eduardo Camavinga and Kimmich have been pinpointed as potential replacements. The mention of £81m-valued Kimmich (Transfermarkt), in particular, has delighted the City supporters.
The news was shared on Twitter by @City_Xtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the fans. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on the speculation.
Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Kimmich link below
“Obv Kimmich imagine the scenes! But Ndidi would be a great addition.”
Credit: @MikethaManc
“Kimmich we are on a mad one”
Credit: @SilkyCyrus_74
“Kimmich. That’s it. That is it.”
Credit: @austin3mb
“Kimmich would be filth”
Credit: @King_Kevin_17
“oh Kimmich make this happen”
Credit: @Thonchol_
“Signing kimmich would be better than winning the ucl”
Credit: @TwainX1X
In other news, Man City fans are far from happy with this exit rumour.
Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has suffered another blow ahead of the transfer window as fresh news emerges from Bodymoor Heath.
What’s the story?
Reports earlier this week had suggested that recruitment chief Rob Mackenzie was set to make the move to Bristol City, and now Villa are heading for further upheaval among the transfer committee.
Football Insider claimed that the Premier League club are planning to sack two members of their recruitment team, with long-term scouts Mick Brown and Alan Wood set to be offloaded amid a “major revamp behind the scenes”.
The report added that “Villa’s expected decision to part with senior duo Brown and Wood is a surprise given their experience and the esteem in which they are held in the industry”.
Dean Smith will be fuming
After hearing the news that Mackenzie was set to make his departure from Villa Park, and now facing up to the prospect of seeing two of his club’s most respected scouts also being let go, Smith must be fuming.
The Midlands club have just three Premier League games remaining before the end of the Premier League season, and yet here they are making some major changes to their core backroom staff right before the start of the transfer window.
More than anything, it’s the timing of these decisions which raises the most questions. Could Villa have not been more proactive and made these changes and decisions a few weeks or even months ago, knowing that this was the route they were going to embark upon going forward?
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Instead, they’ve left it all very late, and they face starting the transfer window with things up in the air. Like most if not all managers up and down the country, Smith will surely want his club’s business to get done early so that he can work with new players during pre-season and get them up and running ahead of the 2021/22 Premier League season.
Instead, Villa have suffered a setback with the culling of their recruitment team, and the pressure is very much on the remaining parties involved in the transfer process to get their act together and vindicate the decision from the club’s hierarchy.
Meanwhile, this Villa player was shocking against Everton…
In a shocking turn of events last week, Nuno Espirito Santo announced that he would be leaving Wolves this summer and that will have got people talking at Tottenham, according to former Premier League midfielder, Steve Howey.
Spurs are still on the hunt for their next manager and after being linked as a potential candidate for the job last month, Nuno’s decision to leave Wolves unexpectedly will have set off alarm bells in many people’s heads, with him quickly becoming the favourite to succeed Jose Mourinho.
Nuno spent four seasons at Molineux, winning the Championship in his first season before guiding the club to back-to-back seventh-place finishes in the Premier League as well as a Europa League campaign last season.
After Nuno unexpectedly announced his departure from Wolves just over 48 hours before the club’s final game of the Premier League season, many people could be talking about him going to Tottenham, according to Howey who spoke exclusively to Football FanCast:
“He’s proved that he’s a very good manager and the noises you hear out the camp are that he is well-liked amongst the team and he’s one of these managers that players can get on board with.
“It is a strange one because a lot of the time it’s been linking Brendan Rodgers or possibly Scott Parker with the job but with him leaving Wolves then, of course, a lot of tongues will be wagging.”
There were reports at the back end of last week that Tottenham will be looking to appoint their new manager in the next 10 days as they look to give their new boss as much time to prepare and plan for next season.
Whoever they do appoint will have a battle on their hands to keep star striker Harry Kane as well as guiding the club into the new formed Europa Conference League.
Celtic’s hunt to replace Neil Lennon in the dugout at Parkhead hasn’t exactly been a very straightforward affair.
The Hoops have been in contact with several managers but Dermot Desmond is struggling to conclude a deal.
It’s thought that the Bhoys have been in advanced discussions with Eddie Howe and although a move seems to be reaching a conclusion, there could be more twists and turns to come.
After all, following the announcement that Jose Mourinho will take over as Roma manager next term, it leaves their current boss Paulo Fonseca looking for work.
Reports claim that he’s been offered to both Celtic and Tottenham, but Desmond must ensure that his side are at the front of the queue.
Hailing from Portugal, the 48-year-old views Mourinho as one of his biggest influences but their style of football differs considerably.
While the self-proclaimed Special One has become a defensive coach, Fonseca likes his teams to play with breakneck intensity and with an attacking nature, something that could suit Celtic domestically.
The Portuguese’s philosophy revolves around a neat and tidy game, relying on short and simple passes to advance possession. That said, the intensity at which Roma and Shakhtar Donetsk have played under him shows that mentally and physically, there are plenty of demands.
Fonseca relentlessly talks about the need to be “brave” when it comes to playing football. When he arrived at Roma, he said: “I have my ideas and I want to implement them, but the main thing is to build a brave team. That’s the main objective and I believe with these players, we can build a brave team without any problems against the biggest teams, the small teams.”
[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/celtic-manager-transfers-eddie-howe-jesse-marsch-ryan-christie-siriki-dembele” title=”Read the latest Celtic managerial updates, transfer news, rumours and gossip!”]
This is particularly encouraging for the Hoops. After all, they have lacked a strong-willed mentality and instead of being brave, look completely scared.
Fonseca’s flexibility is also an attractive quality. He won seven out of nine major honours during three years in Ukraine while he also made them a tricky side to break down in Europe.
Given how Celtic crashed out of both European cups this term, that should be music to the ears of the club’s hierarchy. After Manchester City faced his Shakhtar side, he left Pep Guardiola wowed.
“Before every game against Shakhtar, I have the same feeling,” Guardiola began.
“The first time we face them in the group stage, my [scouting] team went to see them and they came back saying, ‘Wow.’ They were really impressed. In Barcelona all the time it was, ‘Shakhtar, Ukraine, who cares which players play, nobody knows them.’”
The Spaniard concluded: “I can assure you it was one of the best teams in terms of playing football. It was so tough for me. For Barcelona, Bayern, we had good results but it was tough. I have a lot of respect for them.”
This all comes back to the mentality and intensity that Fonseca instils within his players.
Also crucial for the Bhoys could be his cutting-edge training philosophy. Over the last few years Lennon continued to use Brendan Rodgers’ methods at Lennoxtown so what Celtic require now is a fresh change of direction.
Soccer Football – Serie A – Napoli v AS Roma – Stadio San Paolo, Naples, Italy – November 29, 2020 AS Roma coach Paulo Fonseca reacts REUTERS/Ciro De Luca
Fonseca has personalised training schedules which was particularly helpful in turning around the fortunes of Javier Pastore before his ankle fracture last season.
Considering how many of Celtic’s players have underperformed this term, notably Ryan Christie, he could also help to rejuvenate plenty of careers in Glasgow.
There are plenty of plus points to hiring the 48-year-old this summer. With the experience of dominating domestically and competing well in Europe, he feels more equipped to deal with the current issues at Celtic than Howe.
Desmond could well revive the Bhoys with this appointment.
AND in other news, Bye-bye Christie: McKay can land dream Celtic successor in “wonderful” 12-goal ace…
According to a report by Italian news outlet Il Resto del Carlino, via West Ham Central, the club have ‘already made an enquiry’ to re-sign former Hammers star Marko Arnautovic as he looks set to leave China this summer – prompting many supporters to erupt in response.
Links to the Austrian hitman have been resurfacing lately after Sky Sports claimed back in January the Irons were offered the chance to take Arnautovic back to the London Stadium.
Indeed, Il Resto del Carlino claim that West Ham have already made an approach for the 32-year-old amid manager David Moyes’ continued hunt for an out-and-out striker.
Scoring 22 goals and assisting 12 others in 65 appearances during his last stint in east London (Transfermarkt), he was revered at times with Moyes even branding Arnautovic ‘unplayable’ (Sky Sports).
However, he left on unceremonious terms for the Chinese Super League, and many West Ham supporters have erupted over this enquiry news as a result.
Find all of their verdicts from social media down below.
West Ham fans livid after Arnautovic development
“I beg this isn’t true”
Credit: @TomGuy93
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GET HIM OUT”
Credit: @mrwestham22
“Hope this is a wind up.”
Credit: @b2brdk
“No no no”
Credit: @hammerhastie316
“Why ruin my friday”
Credit: @jackhcc
“We should get some squad players that really want to play for us….Not ones that run off at the first sniff of money!!”
Credit: @21digits
“the number of player who are better than him haha what a joke for wanting a guy who spit on the badge I can’t understand how you can think that you are a fan if you prefer a guy over the badge :/”
Credit: @krays2208
“I worry about his attitude. We have a good balance atm in terms of attitudes and egos. He could really throw that out.”
Credit: @deanashtonsfoot
In other news: Bids expected for West Ham star this summer, find out more here.
Teemu Pukki continues to make Celtic’s decision to sell him in 2015 look like a humongous error six years later.
The Finnish striker was jettisoned from Parkhead by former boss Ronny Deila after failing to find his best form in the Scottish Premiership.
Indeed, he could only find the net on nine occasions in 38 appearances with the club following his arrival from Schalke 04.
Moved onto Brondby for a reported £600k after just two years as a Bhoy, Pukki has continued to plunder goal after goal. He was lethal in the Danish Superliga and then continued that rich form in both the Championship and Premier League with current employers Norwich City,
Since departing the club on a permanent deal, the now 31-year-old has scored 124 goals. For comparison, current Hoops forward Odsonne Edouard has found the net on just 82 occasions in the same period, albeit having only arrived at Celtic in 2017.
Pukki’s performances only seem to be improving as he ages. He has already scored 22 goals in the league this season, just seven goals fewer than his lethal 2018/19 campaign. He has a further seven league games to beat that haul.
[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-celtic-manager-and-transfer-news-roy-keane-nicky-butt-jesse-marsch-scott-brown” title=”Latest Celtic manager and transfer news!”]
Pukki’s displays also continue to draw praise from his manager. Norwich boss Daniel Farke has hailed the striker as “unplayable” throughout the 2020/21 campaign.
He is now rated at £6.3m as a result, indicating just how much he was undervalued by Celtic.
With the Canaries now look set to seal a return to the Premier League with yet another promotion, Pukki is once again set to be a top-level forward.
Should he equal or even better his last season in the Premier League then that will only continue to prove that Celtic made a huge error in selling him for what now looks like a pittance of a fee.
AND in more news, take a look at which current Premier League star the Hoops will also regret not keeping…
Charlton Athletic have a pretty good record when it comes to developing young talent.
Most recently, Alfie Doughty swapped The Valley for Championship outfit Stoke City, whilst the likes of Jonjo Shelvey and Joe Gomez have gone on to become Premier League regulars.
Addicks boss Nigel Adkins may not know which division his side will be competing in next season, with there still plenty of matches left to seal a League One playoff spot but it will be an important summer in the transfer window either way.
And he could well save owner Thomas Sandgaard a lot of money if he looks to continue that promising academy trend.
One player who could certainly make the full step up to the first-team next season is 18-year-old defender Charlie Barker, who has already enjoyed a little taste at senior level.
The right-back, who can also play centrally, has made nine appearances this season. He started Chalton’s opening three league games but has been restricted to appearances in the domestic cups, where Lee Bowyer looked to rotate his side.
A goal against Swindon Town and a clean sheet against Crewe Alexandra isn’t the worst way to kickstart your career in southeast London.
Speaking about his debut, Bowyer heaped praise on Barker, he told the official website:
“As a positive, I thought young Barker was outstanding, outstanding. He didn’t put a foot wrong all night, in possession and out of possession. He defended properly when crosses came in, goal kicks, competing and fighting. I would say he was the biggest positive.”
Barker has seen meteoric progress in recent years, having been without a club just four seasons ago but the Addicks took a punt on him and academy chief Steve Avory has transformed him into a potential first-team star.
“Charlie came into the club quite late. He’s a good learner, he genuinely, I feel, loves the game and loves defending,” explained Avory. “He’s such a strong-willed competitor and on the whole, I feel he did then, and does now, dominate the one-v-one battles he comes up against on the pitch.”
Adkins has a few options at right-back but both are coming towards the end of their careers in Chris Gunter, 32, and Adam Matthews, 29. Of course, the pair could easily play for another three or four years but it’s not as if their form has been good enough to warrant such an opportunity.
Both are amongst Charlton’s poorest performers, as per WhoScored ratings, neither has managed above a 6.52.
Barker could well be a bargain solution this summer, should Adkins also see his huge potential.
AND in other news, Gallen must ruthlessly axe “outstanding” Addicks man this summer, he’s not good enough…
Ezri Konsa raked in the plaudits from numerous Aston Villa fans even in the wake of their defeat against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday night.
Goals from Carlos Vinicus and Harry Kane condemned the Villans to a 2-0 loss, extending their winless run to four matches. Having scored only one goal in March, Dean Smith’s slide have slipped to 10th in the table.
However, Konsa was one of the better performers against Spurs. He earned a rating of 7.0 from SofaScore, edged only by defensive partner Tyrone Mings (7.1) and left-back Matt Targett (7.4). That website’s statistics show that he made nine clearances and three interceptions and won six of his seven aerial duels, while he was not dribbled past during the game.
The Englishman continues to enjoy an outstanding season. Earlier this month, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher dubbed him a ‘brilliant defender’ who has made a ‘huge difference’ for Villa.
“I can’t talk enough about how impressed I’ve been with him defensively,” the ex-Liverpool man added. “He doesn’t do silly things. He’s very brave at getting the blocks in.”
Despite these rave reviews, Konsa continues to be overlooked by England boss Gareth Southgate, having again missed out on the most recent Three Lions squad. For now, these Villa fans on Twitter were content to praise the 23-year-old’s latest performance after he took to the social media platform with a defiant message of “We keep fighting”.
Konsa a shining light for Villa in Spurs reverse
“Man…if the attacking players could play as well and as consistently as you guys on the back line…then you could be still be getting results without Jack in the squad.”
Credit: @BoondockFaint
“Made some world class interceptions last night. It will come good again.”
Credit: @stoneageman1
“Player of the season for @AVFCOfficial.”
Credit: @dalyvilla
“Another top performance from yourself last night”
Credit: @wst1975
“Best player on the pitch last night”
Credit: @denslow_cris
“Deano give this man any amount of money he wants to keep him here”
Credit: @Utvjack
“Class again last night Ezri, Southgate won’t be able to ignore soon!”
Credit: @JoshuaRyanWard
“Please never leave”
Credit: @ktvilla92
In other news, this development could improve Villa’s chances of keeping Jack Grealish.
Lee Ryder has dropped a relegation claim on the potential takeover of Newcastle United by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group.
Writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, the journalist has claimed that the future of the proposed deal between the Sports Direct chief executive and the consortium could be just eight weeks away from a ‘major diversion’, as the 2020/21 Premier League season would have ended by then and it will become clear whether or not the Tynesiders are relegated to the Championship.
However, Ryder added that Ashley looks like he is prepared to ‘take another chance’ as the current owner at St James’ Park despite the possible repercussions of another season outside the top flight.
Relegation worry for Newcastle takeover
There is still a worry over whether the prospective bid would go through if Newcastle were in a lower division.
The KSA’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) may not want to come back onto the table if the Magpies are not in the Premier League, while Ashley would certainly not be able to demand as much money from a sale if they were in the Championship.
Nonetheless, Ryder claims that the businessman is willing to take a chance of the Toon potentially finding themselves relegated come the end of the season, with their ultimate fate being sealed eight weeks from now.
In other news, find out what PIF claim Mark Douglas has dropped on the potential takeover after a beIN development!
Greg Stewart has endured a difficult two years with Rangers under Steven Gerrard and following the recent title win for the Ibrox outfit, sporting director Ross Wilson should axe the 30-year-old this summer.
The striker made the move to Scotland on a free transfer after leaving Championship side Birmingham City but has never really found his feet in Gerrard’s side, managing just three goals and six assists in 30 appearances.
Although he struggled at Birmingham, Rangers clearly saw enough from Stewart in his loan spells at Aberdeen and Kilmarnock in recent seasons to convince them that he was worth bringing to Ibrox, but unfortunately, that move hasn’t worked out.
The 30-year-old’s contract is set to expire at the end of the current season and having played just 13 minutes in the Premiership this season under Gerrard, it seems likely that he will be departing Ibrox in the summer.
Considering Jermaine Defoe is also looking likely to leave when his contract expires, there may be a small temptation to keep Stewart around the club as a backup to the likes of Alfredo Morelos, Kemar Roofe and Cedric Itten, but in reality, he just isn’t good enough to play regularly under Gerrard.
The ‘Gers will want to give a good account of themselves in the Champions League next season after their impressive showings in the Europa League so far this campaign, and if Rangers want to keep on progressing as a club, they cannot afford to keep players like Stewart at the club.
The 30-year-old reportedly earns £7.5k per week at Rangers, more than Glen Kamara and the same as Joe Aribo, both of whom have been hugely important in Gerrard’s midfield this season, so it is difficult to justify keeping him at the club when he has contributed so little.
Therefore, Wilson should ensure that he leaves the club this season as if Rangers want to keep on getting better, then there is no time for niceties such as keeping deadwood at Ibrox.
And, in other news… Gerrard should axe £30k-p/w Rangers gem amid exit links