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Manchester City moving for Southampton striker Danny Ings this summer is not a bad thought, says the club’s former defender Steve Howey.

City are in the market for a new No.9 following Sergio Aguero’s departure and have identified Tottenham’s Harry Kane as a target.

However, the Premier League champions face a real battle in trying to bring the England captain to the Etihad, with Tottenham, according to reports, adamant that he is not for sale.

Meanwhile, talkSPORT claim Ings is holding out for a move to either Manchester City or Manchester United after deciding not to sign a new contract at St. Mary’s.

And now Howey has suggested that the 29-year-old would not be the worst option for City if they do end up missing out on Kane. He told TT:

“When he gets over his injuries, he scores goals. That’s what he does, he scores goals. For me, that [City] is not a bad thought. 

“He’s a very good player. He’s good outside the box, but he’s very, very good inside it.”

Back in March, Sky Sports reported that City were interested in Ings, viewing him as a potential successor to Aguero, so perhaps he could become a genuine option for the Citizens towards the end of the window.

Former Leeds United man David Norris believes that Paulo Gazzaniga would be a fine signing for the club if they were searching for a back-up to Illan Meslier.

Gazzaniga is set to leave Tottenham Hotspur upon the expiration of his contract at the end of the month.

He spent the second half of the season on loan at La Liga club Elche, playing eight times in the Spanish top-flight and keeping two clean sheets.

The Argentine has been with Spurs since 2017 but is set to end a four-year association with the club at the end of the month.

In total, the former Southampton ‘keeper made 37 appearances for Spurs, regularly deputising for Hugo Lloris whenever the Frenchman was injured.

He was undoubtedly the number two in the squad behind the Spurs captain, and Norris believes he could well be a fine signing for Leeds if they are in the market for a goalkeeper.

Indeed, Kiko Casilla is likely to leave the club this summer after falling out of favour under manager Marcelo Bielsa, and bringing Gazzaniga in would add depth in Meslier’s position.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, he said: “It’s always interesting with keepers because you’re either a number one or you accept that you’re a number two.

“You don’t really go, ‘I’ve done my number two, I want to be a number one now’, and they only want to be a number one. Number two keepers seem to understand that. They are the number two keeper and not many teams will have two number ones, because they’ll have two keepers that want to play all the time, it’s not going to work.

“So it depends on if he’s happy to come from being a number two at Spurs to being a number two at Leeds or whether he’s looking now to move and play somewhere and be a number one.

“Spurs, Leeds, two massive clubs, if you’re number two at Spurs and then number two at Leeds, it’s a sideways move, it’s not a drop down.”

Paulo Fonseca has been offered to Tottenham Hotspur, according to emerging reports…

What’s the word?

As per Sportitalia TV’s Gianluigi Longari, the Portuguese coach was proposed to Spurs by his representatives last week and the North London outfit are considering him as a potential candidate for their vacant managerial role.

It’s thought that the 48-year-old, who has been replaced at AS Roma by Jose Mourinho, is seen as a cheaper alternative to Antonio Conte due to his sustainable business in the transfer market.

This would back up recent claims from Football Insider, who have reported that a “low maintenance” manager who would be available for “cheap or zero compensation” is what Daniel Levy is looking for.

Playing with fire

It’s crucial for the Lilywhites chairman to get this next appointment absolutely spot on, otherwise, he risks an absolute disaster at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Several members of the club’s fanbase have protested against Levy, as well as the ownership group ENIC, since news of a European Super League first broke in mid-April.

Supporters have remained angry by these collapsed plans but in reality, it has been the culmination of many years of underachievement and a lack of ambition bubbling beneath the surface that triggered such a reaction.

Spurs have not won a trophy since 2008, losing many a final since and you could argue that they have not been good enough in the transfer market either.

One example is their failed move for Paulo Dybala in 2019, perhaps the final piece of the puzzle for Mauricio Pochettino, whilst the Argentine also went 18 months without a signing, too.

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It does beg the question – just why would he want to return? Both The Athletic and football.london claim he’s keen to swap the French capital for North London, just 18 months after being sacked by Levy.

However, it’s thought that PSG have extended his £6.5m-per-year deal until 2023, meaning the Premier League side would have to fork out an extortionate amount to release him from that contract.

Something that The Sun claim the club were unwilling to do for Brendan Rodgers at Leicester City.

It only adds further weight to the argument that a manager like Fonseca would be the easy and cheap alternative, and that will not go down well with the Hotspur faithful based on their recent protests.

The Portuguese coach once wowed Man City boss Pep Guardiola during his time at Shakhtar Donetsk, with the Premier League winner telling reporters:

“Before every game against Shakhtar, I have the same feeling. 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.’”

Similarly, Fonseca has been lauded as an “exceptional” and “talented” manager by Portuguese journalist Alex Goncalves.

However, Serie A is not the Ukrainian top-flight, as he soon found out at the Stadio Olimpico, where he failed to achieve above a fifth-place finish and in Europe, they faltered immensely.

The Premier League is arguably a tougher and much better league than the Serie A, too, so there’s nothing to suggest he would be able to turn around his fortunes overnight, especially if he’s been unable to do it in Italy.

He just seems like the cheap option here and if Levy is to win back his baying fanbase, then he must look elsewhere.

The Spurs chairman could well be on the verge of making his biggest mistake since sacking Pochettino in the first place by appointing a man who’s going to save them money, rather than the one that seems right to take them forward.

AND in other news, Spurs could now turn to 54 y/o gem who destroyed Pochettino this season…

A source from Newcastle United has shared some latest insight on the parties involved in the potential takeover, which interestingly involves Rafa Benitez.

The Lowdown: Bruce could be at risk

If the proposed deal between Mike Ashley and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium does eventually go through, then Steve Bruce could potentially be at risk of losing his job in the North East.

The new owners may want to go down a new pathway with regards to hiring a fresh new boss to take them to the next level, and given that Bruce was not appointed by them in the first place, the former Aston Villa and Sunderland coach may well be at risk.

In theory, a takeover at St. James’ Park could well be completed as early as July, if the arbitration case against the Premier League goes well for both Ashley and the Tyneside club, which would then in turn cast doubt over Bruce’s future going into the new season.

The Latest: Takeover insight involving Benitez

As per Football Insider, a source from the Magpies has shared the latest situation with regards to the ongoing takeover saga, which is that all parties involved in the bid are confident that the deal will go through after the arbitration proceedings.

Those working on the deal have also reportedly laid the groundwork for Benitez to return as the new manager in place of Bruce, and the Spaniard is their ‘top managerial target’.

The Verdict: Exciting times ahead

The fact that all of the parties involved in the potential deal are confident that it will go through after arbitration is certainly promising in terms of what could be expected of the results, and thus the process afterwards.

If arbitration does go in favour of the Toon, then it would certainly bring the potential revival of the takeover one step closer and thus give an incentive for the KSA’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) to come back to the table.

In a dream scenario, if the takeover could be completed by July after the hearing takes place, then NUFC could start looking at managers to take them into the new era, and none more so would fit perfectly than the return of Benitez.

A lot of Newcastle fans have previously called for the 61-year-old to come back, and so he would certainly be a popular appointment among the Toon Army.

Nonetheless, he has a vast amount of experience in managing in the Premier League, with teams on bigger transfer budgets like Liverpool and Chelsea, and so he should have little problems in handling the additional funds that would come with the takeover.

In other news, find out what promising insight Lee Ryder has shared on those close to Amanda Staveley on the potential takeover here!

Former Leeds midfielder David Norris reckons that Adama Traore would be an excellent signing for Marcelo Bielsa’s team.

Reports earlier this summer believe that new Wolves manager Bruno Lago is looking to cash-in on the flying Spaniard to raise funds, with Leeds continuing to show a strong interest in the 25-year-old.

It’s been more than three years since Traore last signed a contract extension at Molineux, which has led to serious speculation surround his future, with only two years remaining on his current deal.

Traore remains one of the most devastating players in the Premier League, even though he managed just five goal contributions in 37 league outings last season, which is under half of what he chipped in with 12 months earlier (13).

But Traore, who produced more dribbles by Lionel Messi last season, remains a wanted man, and Norris exclusively told Football FanCast that the winger could improve an attack that outscored both Chelsea and Arsenal last season:

“He likes them attacking, exciting players that can create.

“They still must work hard, but the way he’s been in the last couple of seasons, and how much of a danger he is and how much he an create, I think that would be a great signing. Leeds are looking for top players and I think he’s a top player.”

Norwich City have been dealt a blow to their chances of keeping Emi Buendia at Carrow Road this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Goal, who claimed that Arsenal are looking to firm up their interest in the £19.8m-rated 24-year-old ahead of a bid in the upcoming transfer window, with Norwich thought to be demanding a fee in the region of £40m to part with Buendia this summer.

It is reported that the Gunners’ technical director Edu is extremely fond of the Argentine midfielder, with the Brazilian believed to have put the Canaries star at the top of his list of summer targets.

Farke will be gutted

Considering just how impressive Buendia has been since joining Norwich back in 2018, something which was particularly the case this season, the news that Arsenal could be ready to finally pull the trigger on a move for Buendia will undoubtedly worry Daniel Farke.

Indeed, the £8,000-per-week attacking midfielder has been in remarkable form over his 39 Championship appearances for the Norfolk side this season, scoring 15 goals, registering 16 assists and creating 18 big chances, culminating in an average SofaScore match rating of 7.68 – ranking him as the club’s best performer in the second tier.

In total, over his 121 appearances for the Canaries, the player whom Chris Sutton dubbed a “revelation” has scored 24 goals and provided a whopping 42 assists – returns which have played a huge part in the club winning two Championship titles in the space of three years.

As such, losing a player of Buendia’s obvious ability prior to City’s Premier League campaign next season would undoubtedly weaken the chances of Farke’s side retaining their status as a top-flight team come the summer of 2022, and his departure is surely something that the Norwich gaffer would like to avoid at all costs.

In other news: Forget Skipp: Webber must sanction bargain NCFC swoop for 9-capped £2.25m-rated beast – opinion

Celtic and Newcastle United are both reported to be keen on signing Crystal Palace midfielder James McCarthy over the coming months.  

As to be expected, plenty of Eagles fans have been reacting to the two club’s reported interest in the 30-year-old.

According to TEAMtalk, Newcastle are looking to pip Celtic to a deal for the Irishman, with the Scottish giants coming close to landing the player on a pre-contract agreement back in January.

McCarthy, who is on £50,000-a-week at Selhurst Park, is out of contract in a matter of months. He has made just 49 appearances since joining in 2019, with 14 of those coming this season.

The midfielder began the campaign as a regular under Roy Hodgson, but he has since fallen out of favour and a Palace exit appears to be on the cards.

Palace fans react

@CPFCtransfersHQ shared TEAMtalk’s claims on McCarthy on social media on Friday evening.

Here is what some Palace fans had to say in reply. A few praised the player, whereas others want to see the back of the midfielder over the coming months.

“Get rid. Please”Credit: @stuartAchalmers”A fit James McCarthy is one of our most solid players.”Credit: @Padraic_McG”Move him on”Credit: @Steve_CPFC”I like him, prepared to fight for the team”Credit: @JimRuss1980″Good when he plays but he doesn’t often.”Credit: @Georgiecpfc”Need to get younger players in”Credit: @AdamNye1

In other news: Many Palace fans fume at Hodgson’s recent comments regarding his future, find out more here. 

West Ham United still have a lot to play for this season but there will be some big decisions to made in the summer.

The Irons are likely to be competing in Europe next term, so David Moyes will need to bolster his playing squad with quality additions and that recruitment process could be aided by shifting out some deadwood.

Amongst the culling candidates will surely be Felipe Anderson, who has spent the season on loan at Porto and has struggled to make an impression, failing to score in nine appearances.

“I have a contract with West Ham, so next season I’ll be here and I need to do my best to be back stronger,” he told talkSPORT but given the need to find a new striker and further depth options across the squad, the £13.5m-rated winger must be on the chopping block.

His time at the London Stadium has been nothing short of a disaster.

Back in the summer of 2018, the Brazilian attacker was signed by Manuel Pellegrini for a then club-record £36m, with that rising to £42m, and he is thought to be amongst the Hammers’ highest-earners on around £85k-per-week, which is more than Michail Antonio, Tomas Soucek, and Declan Rice, as per Spotrac.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-latest-west-ham-transfer-rumours-gossip-team-injury-news-gsb-update” title= “Read the latest West Ham news, transfer rumours, gossip and more!”]

For their heavy financial investment, the East London outfit have only seen 12 goals and 12 assists from 72 appearances, via Transfermarkt.

When factoring in the total amount they have paid towards Anderson, excluding this season’s stint with the Portuguese side, then he has cost GSB around £720k per game and £4.3m per goal.

These are finances that could be better spent on that lucrative new talisman, or in bolstering Moyes’ midfield and defensive options.

Ex-Irons man Frank McAvennie has been far from pleased with his progress, too. He exclusively told Football FanCast:

“He’s got to go. Let the boy go. They bought him in and he’s a luxury player. I’ve never seen him go into a tackle, never mind win one. Talent in abundance, but he’s gone to Porto on loan, but has done the same there – just strolled about. He can’t come back to West Ham; they’ll want him off the wage bill.”

On the above evidence, GSB must get rid of their 2018 flop at all costs this summer.

AND in other news, Forget Abraham: West Ham can finally replace Haller with swoop for £26m-rated “beast”…

As confirmed by the club in an official announcement, West Ham United have sold young forward Oladapo Afolayan to Bolton Wanderers following his loan spell there as a consistent regular – and many Irons supporters are livid after this development.

The 23-year-old was shipped out to the University of Bolton Stadium on loan for the second half of 2020/21, where he managed to turn heads under manager Ian Evatt.

Helping Bolton to achieve promotion from League Two, the Trotters were seemingly impressed enough to make his temporary spell permanent, with Afolayan now cutting his ties with West Ham.

Making just one senior appearance for the Hammers back in January, Afolayan bagged his debut goal in that game as West Ham thumped Doncaster Rovers 4-0 in the FA Cup fourth round (whufc.com).

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The striker also impressed for West Ham’s under-23s, scoring nine goals and setting up five others in 32 Premier League 2 outings (Transfermarkt).

Afolayan’s potential appeared to excite many Irons supporters, who are now livid with the decision to sell him so soon – check out some of their verdicts on the announcement below.

West Ham fans horrified by Afolayan sale

“I actually find it crazy how these young talents don’t even get a look in with the first team.

We have now lost another kid who could have been a superstar”

Credit: @lozza3man

“Pain“

Credit: @WHUalfiee_

“Crazy decision”

Credit: @tonyclarke1

“Another exceptionally good young player we have lost. Going into Europe we need this talent. Why buy players who don’t fit in when we already have the quality here.”

Credit: @claretandblu1

“Why can we never keep hold of our promising youngsters”

Credit: @littlelegsessex

“Wasted talent”

Credit: @cayz03

“Shame, I thought he could have been given more of a chance in the first team at some point, makes you laugh squad is paper thin and we are always happy to let players go”

Credit: @JackPar78026231

In other news: ExWHUemployee lifts lid on enticing GSB transfer plan for West Ham, find out more here.

Sheffield Wednesday’s survival bid was dealt a devastating blow this weekend as they were emphatically beaten in the Championship.

Darren Moore’s side were unable to follow up their shock victory in front of the TV cameras last time out with the Owls being absolutely played off the park in west London.

The Yorkshiremen are now seven points adrift of safety and only have six games left remaining.

On the back of a 5-0 whitewash of an in-form Cardiff City side, Moore will have been expecting his side to continue that form against QPR on Saturday but he was badly let down by several key stars.

None more so than Jordan Rhodes, who was once again trusted to lead the line given his upturn in form, having scored four goals since the 46-year-old’s appointment.

The 31-year-old was graded as the Owls’ second-worst player (6.1) behind goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith (5.1) but that was perhaps a little harsh on the shot-stopper.

As YorkshireLive’s Dom Howson claimed, Wildsmith ‘produced a couple of important saves in the first half’ and then was ‘left completely stranded’ for the Rs’ third goal.

At the other end of the pitch, Rhodes was a mere passenger.

He recorded the fewest touches of any starter (26), which was even less than Wildsmith (42) and Osaze Urhoghide (35), who was substituted before him in the 70th minute.

When the Scotsman did get the ball, however, he was particularly wasteful – as per SofaScore, the veteran fired two shots off target, lost possession eight times, and made only 71% of his 17 passing attempts.

To make things worse, he absolutely struggled to combat the towering back-three deployed by the opposition; winning just one of nine duels (11%) – none of which coming in the air.

Howson suggested that Rhodes ‘struggled to get involved for much of the game’ which is half the case, but on the evidence above, he was a huge let down for Moore.

Given he’s out of contract in the summer, he’s not done the club or himself any favours with a performance like that. Wednesday desperately needed his expertise in front of goal, and he was evidently way below the standard required for a team fighting for their lives.

AND in other news, Owls eye perfect Rhodes replacement in 23 y/o machine who’s on “a different level”…