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West Bromwich Albion are interested in a deal to bring Sam Clucas to The Hawthorns this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claim that the Baggies have registered their interest in the Stoke City central midfielder ahead of a potential move in the summer transfer window.

It is reported that, with the 30-year-old entering the final year of his contract at the bet356 Stadium, should the Potters receive an offer of around their £3m asking price for Clucas, they would be willing to greenlight his departure this summer.

Ismael must move

With it appearing increasingly likely that Valerien Ismael will be taking over at The Hawthorns in the coming days, the Frenchman will almost certainly be dipping into the transfer market in a bid to fire West Brom back to the Premier League at the first time of asking next season.

And, considering just how impressive the former Swansea City midfielder was for Michael O’Neill’s side last season, there would certainly seem worse candidates to become Ismael’s first signing as the new West Brom manager this summer.

Indeed, over his 24 Championship appearances for the Potters last term, the £2.25m-rated Clucas scored two goals, provided three assists and created two big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.1 interceptions, 0.9 tackles and 1.7 key passes per game.

These returns saw the £33k-per-week man earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.05, ranking him as Stoke’s joint third-best performer in the second tier of English football.

And, with Conor Gallagher having moved back to Chelsea following the completion of his loan deal with the Baggies, central midfield could well be an area in which Ismael will look to bring fresh faces over the coming months.

As such, with Stoke reportedly only wanting a rather modest £3m in order to part with the man whom Gabriel Agbonlahor dubbed a “quality” player, it would appear to be highly advisable for the Frenchman to do all he can to get a deal over the line for Clucas, as not only would the midfielder add some quality to the Baggies midfield, but he would also be a signing who would represent incredible value for money.

In other news: Get it done: Lai must sanction West Brom summer swoop for “outstanding” 32 G/A machine

Speaking to Spanish radio station Cadena SER (via Sky Sports), Sevilla president Jose Castro has lifted the lid on a ‘dizzying’ offer made by Tottenham Hotspur for manager Julen Lopetegui.

The Lowdown: Tottenham search continues…

Spurs have seen a host of managers come and go out of contention when it comes to the hot seat.

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The Lilywhites have most recently botched talks for Mauricio Pochettino, Antonio Conte, Paulo Fonseca and Gennaro Gattuso – with the quest for a new manager seemingly showing no sign of ending.

Now, lifting the lid on another managerial offer made by Tottenham, Sevilla’s president has come out with a major claim.

The Latest: Castro lifts lid on Spurs offer…

Speaking to Cadena SER (via Sky), Castro explained that Lopetegui himself revealed the offer from Tottenham in a phone call – describing it as a ‘dizzying’ one.

“Julen rang me and told me. He said he’d received offers he’d not listened to in addition to a dizzying one from Tottenham,” explained the Los Nervionenses chief.

“But he said he doesn’t forget things and that he is very motivated here. We believed and believe in him, giving him a two-year contract extension, and I’m sure he will bring much more to the club.

“You see his ability and leadership every day. Some coaches are more driven by economic factors but Julen is very clear that he is happy here and he even said it would be very difficult to find a better place to work than here.”

The Verdict: Yet another sucker punch…

Described as a ‘very serious’ and ‘hard-working’ manager overall by president Castro in another interview (via The Athletic), this latest revelation comes as another managerial blow for Spurs.

The £2.5 million-per-year boss has enjoyed a rebirth since unceremoniously leaving the Spanish national team for Real Madrid, where he was sacked after just four and a half months.

Lopetegui would have fitted Tottenham’s desire for a manager who encourages open, attacking football – with the Spaniard’s teams known for their excellence in possession and patience in the build up (The Coaches’ Voice).

It appears now that the Spurs hunt continues, but chairman Daniel Levy is slowly running out of options.

In other news: Levy offered chance to sign ‘extraordinary’ £120,000-per-week ‘genius’ in Tottenham transfer discussions, find out more here.

Sheffield Wednesday are going to have to be smart in the transfer window with Darren Moore still unsure what his transfer budget is, but someone like Lee Gregory has to be avoided because of his very poor recent goalscoring record, according to Sheffield Wednesday legend Carlton Palmer.

Moore will know that a lot of his signings this summer will likely have to be free agents, loan signings or potentially players entering the twilight years of their career, but Gregory surely won’t be appealing considering he’s managed just 10 goals in his last 61 games for both Stoke City and Derby County.

Gregory has been touted as a potential target for Moore’s side who will be looking to bounce back at the first time of asking despite all the uncertainty away from the pitch with players not being paid.

Fans and pundits acknowledge that Moore has to bring in players with experience and ones that have done it in League One before at both ends of the pitch, but Gregory shouldn’t be entertained as a potential signing according to Palmer, who spoke passionately on the topic exclusively to Football FanCast:

“When he scored those goals for Milwall, it was a long time ago and in his 40 league appearances for Stoke in the 2019/20 season, he scored seven goals.

“Darren’s got to get some experience in but it will boil down to the finances available to him. If you go back through his goal-scoring records in recent years, it’s not been very good. So, I’d rather take somebody from a lower division, who’s scoring goals, and is in-form.”

Gregory has been there and done it in League One before when he helped spearhead Milwall into the Championship with his 18 goals in 41 games as well as two goals in three play-off games that same season.

His move to Stoke City has certainly not worked out so maybe a move down a league under Moore who appears to be a superb man-manager could help him find his confidence if he is not looking for a huge wage packet.

Liverpool have received a crushing blow in their pursuit of Kylian Mbappe, following reports that Paris St-Germain are set to offer the France international a contract extension [Liverpool Echo].

Enjoying a remarkable 2020-21 campaign, Mbappe notched an unbelievable 53 goal contributions in 47 appearances for the Coupe De France winners [Transfermarkt].

Sparking rumours of a switch to the Premier League, Liverpool alongside Real Madrid have been heavily rumoured with a move for to secure his signature.

However, this now looks set to fall by the wayside after the Parisians have stepped up their attempts to keep him at the Parc De Princes.

PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has taken charge of negotiations, whilst the 22-year-old looks likely to tie himself to his current employers for the foreseeable future [Liverpool Echo].

In light of this news, no wonder loads of Liverpool diehards took to Twitter to voice their opinions to the rumours.

Reds fans react:

Replying to The Liverpool Echo’s Twitter feed, here is how some Reds fans summarized these latest developments:

“Oh, for god’s sake, give it a rest. For a paper whose credibility among Liverpool fans is already low you seem determined to hang yourselves on this non-story. We Are Not Signing Mbappe!!”

Credit: @poggiolino

“Oh no, nO, NOO! I’d already ordered my new shirt with his name on the back, thought it was a sure bet! For Gods sake people, Mbappe is not coming to LFC, not even on a free, not now, not ever. LFC would never pay that kind of salary on a player even if he was free!”

Credit: @chara2_john

“Double blow? What? 1. He’s not coming to Liverpool and 2. He was never coming to Liverpool anyway.”

Credit: @FireGrd

“No way. It looked nailed on a few days ago”

Credit: @khan45887895

“Only bloody fools will believe we are even in the running to bid mbappe”

Credit: @ErnestYap9

“Its only a blow if you were stupid enough to full invest your hope on this being true.”

Credit: @GregB_Lad

In other news, Liverpool fans react to a pursuit of a reported transfer target.

Bruno Lage is reportedly fighting for Wolves to sign Kaio Jorge in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Jimenez alternative needed

The Molineux club certainly need to think about bringing in an alternative to Raul Jimenez should he suffer an injury as serious as the one he picked up during the 2020/21 season, which ruled him out for most of the campaign.

They have Fabio Silva but he is still very raw, so he too would need help in attack if Jimenez were to pick up another serious injury.

The Latest: Jorge wanted

As per Record (via Sport Witness), Lage is fighting with Juventus to sign Jorge for Wolves as they look for an ‘alternative for Jimenez’.

In an interview with Rui Aguias, his former manager at Santos, Jorge was described as having an ‘excellent attitude’ and a player who is ‘brave’ and has ‘quality’. He was also labelled an ‘athlete’ and has been backed to be ‘very successful’ in his future playing career.

The Verdict: Sign

Aguias will know Jorge a lot better than most, so for him to speak so highly of the player despite him being just 19 years of age surely suggests that he could be a future star of the game.

Despite his age, the striker has been playing in men’s football since 2018, scoring 15 goals and supplying four assists in 75 games across all competitions for Santos (Transfermarkt).

Jorge has even been likened to a legend of the game, having been dubbed the ‘new Cristiano Ronaldo’, which should get Wolves supporters excited should they manage to strike a deal to sign him.

In other news, find out what recent claim has left these Wolves fans buzzing!

An update has emerged on Aston Villa’s pursuit of Metz midfielder Pape Sarr… 

What’s the talk?

According to the Birmingham Mail, Villa have decided to back out of the race to sign Metz midfielder Pape Sarr this summer.

The report claims that Villa’s interest in the 18-year-old midfielder has been cooled and that they are currently focussed on signing a number 10 as they also look set to miss out on a deal for Arsenal talent Emile Smith-Rowe.

Fans will be gutted

Director of Football Johan Lange is facing a disaster with this decision and Villa fans will be gutted as Sarr could have been a much-needed arival for the club.

At this moment in time, no alternative targets have been named and supporters will have every right to be frustrated that a promising young talent will not be arriving at the club.

Dean Smith lacks strength-in-depth in the central midfield positions and the signing of Sarr could have helped to alleviate that issue. Marvelous Nakamba is the current backup defensive midfield option for the former Brentford coach and he struggled throughout the 2020/21 campaign. The 27-year-old averaged a dismal WhoScored rating of 6.52 in the Premier League as he made 13 appearances.

This suggests that Villa are in need of an upgrade on the Zimbabwe international. Sarr could have been that upgrade given his performances for Metz in Ligue 1. The teenager averaged an impressive WhoScored rating of 6.92 in 18 starts as a central midfielder, whilst making 3.2 tackles and interceptions per game.

Metz manager Frédéric Antonetti heaped praise on the young midfielder earlier this year, claiming that he “will go far” in the game.

He said:

“Pape Matar Sarr is elegance in the midfield, it’s talent, it’s making others play.

“He will be able to go as far as he wants to go. He must work, be as he is there, modest, regular, hardworking. He must continue to love football and he will do like the great players, he will go far. I think he will go very far.”

This shows why the £9m-rated gem could have been a very good signing for Villa, as he has the quality to fill a gap in Smith’s squad.

At the age of 18, he also has the majority of his career ahead of him to develop as a player and improve to potentially become a key cog in Villa’s XI.

Smith could have worked with him closely on the training pitch to nurture his game, but that now appears to be a distant memory with Lange now looking elsewhere. Villa fans will surely be gutted at this update.

AND in other news, NSWE must avoid grave £30m mistake with “Mr Conservative”, Villa fans would be fuming…

Southampton fans want to sign Yangel Herrera this summer after the Saints were linked with a move for the midfielder.

The Saints are preparing for the new campaign as they aim to improve on their disappointing 15th place finish in the Premier League last term. They have already completed the signing of Romain Perraud from Stade Brestois (southamptonfc.com), and they are now looking to add more players to their squad to give Ralph Hasenhuttl the best chance of success next term.

Now, as per The Telegraph, they are interested in signing Herrera this summer. The Venezuelan, who is contracted to Manchester City, spent last season on loan at Granada. As per the report, he is valued at up to £20m by the Citizens.

The news was shared on Twitter by @SaintsExtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

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

“One of those FM dream signings I make every year. Bags of potential, but can’t expect us to pay £20m for a holding midfielder this summer”

Credit: @samharrisonnnn

“I would faint”

Credit: @stighefootball

“Yes !”

Credit: @salisuszn

“too expensive but class player”

Credit: @sfc_maxi

“Yes I’d love this”

Credit: @josefsfc

“WE MUST SIGN HIM ASAP JWP ISNT GOOD ENOUGH!!!!”

Credit: @_edwardcross

In other news, Southampton fans want to sign this Champions League winner.

It’s taken a while for Rafa Benitez to put his money where his mouth is but it looks as though Everton are moving closer to their first signing under the Spaniard.

The Toffees haven’t moved quickly in the transfer market but pending the Spaniard’s approval, addition number one is on the way.

What’s the word?

Everton have been linked with a number of faces in the window with an emphasis put on the defensive line.

Ben White, Denzel Dumfries and Max Aarons to name a few have been on their radar but their first acquisition of the summer looks set to be a midfielder.

That’s according to Correio da Manhã (via Sport Witness) who suggest that Matheus Nunes is on the verge of arriving on Merseyside from Sporting Lisbon.

Terms look as though they’ve been agreed and now the move just depends on one thing; the approval of their new manager; Benitez.

Is he a good signing?

If Everton secure this transfer and get it over the line, supporters will have every right to be pleased.

It’s always nice to secure your first signing of the summer and when it’s for a player like Nunes, there should be particular excitement.

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The 22-year-old isn’t exactly a household name to Premier League audiences but he was a solid and reliable performer in the middle of the park for a team who won the Portuguese top-flight last term.

Nunes proved to be a dynamic performer, starting on 12 occasions and impressing in small glimpses.

He was involved in five goals while his ability to carry the ball from deep undoubtedly stood out, completing 1.2 dribbles per game.

For context, only Allan in the Everton midfield last term recorded more than that. Per Stats Bomb and FB Ref, his shots per goal ranked him as the fifth-best in that department throughout Liga NOS.

With that in mind, by handing regular game time and starts to Nunes, perhaps he could start to find the net with more regularity.

Throw in his ball carrying and this looks like a mightily attractive signing.

Supporters should be enthralled that Everton are finally on the verge of concluding their first transfer of the summer.

AND in other news, Everton may repeat their Walcott howler by signing £30m gem who Rafa compared to Messi…

Leeds United could forget all about Nahitan Nandez by signing Manchester City midfielder Yangel Herrera this summer.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks and months had suggested that Cagliari star Nandez is someone who Marcelo Bielsa was very keen on bringing to Elland Road, but indications are that he is now close to joining fellow Serie A side Inter instead after they opened talks.

It has now been claimed that City would be willing to sell Herrera, who is valued at £20m, and that Leeds and West Ham have already shown interest in signing him this summer.

Far better than Klich

While missing out on Nandez may frustrate Bielsa, in Herrera they could get someone who can soften the blow.

Speaking to talkSPORT, Venezuelan football expert Carlos Ponte said: “In Venezuela, we’ve never had as complete a footballer Yangel – elegant in possession, tall, very physically imposing, good at bringing the ball out, good in the air, the right mentality, and a good head on his shoulders.

“He has a lot of energy and stamina, is great at providing cover and a true team player. He’s good at bringing the ball out with a certain degree of elegance.”

That “awareness” and being able to spot danger is clearly seen in his defensive numbers last season in La Liga – as per Sofascore, he averaged almost two tackles and one interception per game, while he’s an absolute monster in the 50/50s, winning a mind-boggling 8.2 duels per match in La Liga at a success rate of 51%.

To put that into context, Mateusz Klich averaged just 1.1 tackles and 0.3 interceptions per match in the Premier League, while he only won 2.4 duels pre game at a success rate of 36%.

Like an on-song Klich, Herrera is more than capable of doing damage the other way, being a real threat in the opposition box with the timing of his runs and willingness to take shots on goal – the City man netted eight times last year compared to the Leeds ace’s total of just four.

Speaking to Football Transfer Tavern, La Liga expert Euan McTear raved about the Venezuelan’s performances last season while on loan at Spanish side Granada, saying: “He’s been key to their qualification for Europa League and then the run to the quarter-finals.

“He’s like a classic box-to-box midfielder, a bit of a throwback in that way. His first instinct is to try and dribble, to pass it forward, charging forward he took so many shots this season, he would get in the box, he scored quite a few goals early on when they were lacking strikers and attacking midfielders and that’s the thing too, he’s been really versatile.”

It’s exactly why Leeds could sign a real upgrade on their Polish ace, in the process forgetting all about missing out on Nandez this summer.

Meanwhile, Leeds must finally land this long-term transfer target Bielsa’s desperate for…

Crystal Palace revealed their new third kit for the upcoming campaign on Monday.

And the Eagles’ brand new strip had a lot of supporters talking on social media, sharing their positive thoughts at the kit.

Palace, who have been busy when it comes to transfers in recent weeks following Patrick Vieira’s arrival, unveiled a special edition third kit.

The club went for a sky blue and white combination, which celebrates the origins of the club. Those colours were worn by Palace’s first ever team 160 years ago, with chairman Steve Parish ‘delighted’ at the 1861 design.

Palace debuted their new kit in Vieira’s first game at Selhurst Park on Tuesday evening, with the Eagles playing out a 2-2 pre-season friendly draw with Charlton Athletic.

Palace fans react

Palace shared the third kit with their fans on Monday afternoon by posting it on their official Twitter page. These Eagles fans went wild at the new strip by replying to the post, with one describing it as ‘immense’.

“Wow”

Credit: @jackstacpfc

“that’s actually quality”

Credit: @ExhilaratingEZE

“OH MY!”

Credit: @PGxHachi

“Wow! This year’s kits are looking amazing. Thought the yellow one was class but this is immense!”

Credit: @PeterHoward01

“Now this I do like.”

Credit: @RomfordRoger

“Kit is utter filth. Absolutely beautiful. Fantastic to keep up the 1861 campaign with this stunning shirt. Love it!!”

Credit: @HC15OnTour

In other news: Lots of Palace fans fume as exit rumours emerge.