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Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse is reportedly a target for Aston Villa, as reported by The Guardian.

The Lowdown: Ward-Prowse had an excellent 2020/21

After a commendable 2020/21 campaign, the Saints captain is now living up to his full potential. Labelled as “one of the best midfield players in the Premier League” by his current manager Ralph Hasenhüttl [Daily Echo], he earned a place in England’s provisional 33-man Euro 2020 squad before narrowly missing out on the finalised roster.

Despite that late omission, Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate still lauded Ward-Prowse as a “great captain” [Hampshire Live]. Voted the Southampton fans’ player of the year in 2021, his efforts have clearly not gone unnoticed [Saints Marching].

Ever-present for the Saints last season, the 26-year-old featured in every Premier League fixture as he recorded 15 goal contributions, with eight goals and seven assists [Transfermarkt], and it now seems that Aston Villa are set to table a bid.

The Latest: Villa in for Ward-Prowse

Villa are keen to sign the Saints midfielder, just 24 hours after agreeing to smash their transfer record for Norwich City talisman Emiliano Buendia [The Guardian].

Seeking midfield reinforcements, the Villans look set to test the resolve of Southampton, citing his set-piece quality [Daily Mail]. Any successful negotiations would come as a hammer blow to the Saints as Ward-Prowse has spent 18 years on the south coast, signing for the club at the age of eight [Daily Echo].

The Verdict: Southampton’s loss would be Aston Villa’s gain

Losing a player of Ward-Prowse’s ability would be detrimental for everyone involved at the Hampshire club. A product of the Staplewood youth system, his commitment, drive and leadership seen him installed as club captain in 2020 [Hampshire Live].

For Aston Villa, on the other hand, they would be gaining another addition to an already exciting group of players. Potentially able to thrive alongside the likes of Jack Grealish, John McGinn, Ollie Watkins and Buendia, signing Ward-Prowse could be a signal of intent by Dean Smith’s side for a European push in 2021/22.

In other news, these Saints fans react to confirmation of a player departing the club.

Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou could be facing a summer headache as news emerges from Parkhead about midfielder Tom Rogic.

What’s the story?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Pete O’Rourke said: “I’m sure, behind the scenes, Celtic’s powerbrokers will be looking at Rogic’s contract again. He’s out of contract in 2023, so he’s not got that long left on his current deal.”

Key player for Ange Postecoglou

While Rogic hasn’t completed the full 90 minutes for Celtic since the 4-0 victory over Motherwell back in February – a game in which he struck twice – he has certainly chipped in with some big contributions this season.

In 45 games across all competitions, he’s managed six goals and provided another ten assists, including netting in the superb 2-1 victory over Rangers in the Old Firm clash just a couple of weeks ago.

Indeed, speaking earlier this month, former Scotland boss Alex McLeish, said: “He’s been the bane of everybody recently, but he was invisible for a big period.

“It’s taken his countryman, Postecoglou, to come in and show the faith in him again. And he’s rewarded his gaffer with some incredible performances. I would have thought Celtic would make it a high priority to get Tom on board for a few more seasons.”

Sorting out a new deal for Rogic has to be an absolute priority for Celtic chief executive Michael Nicholson, especially considering he won’t have long left on his contract heading into the summer.

Given the importance of Rogic to Postecoglou since coming back in the fold, the Hoops boss certainly wouldn’t be happy if a deal couldn’t be struck between the two parties.

If that can’t be done, then the Australian would either have to be sold on the cheap as he would have just the 12 months left on his existing deal, or would then leave on a free transfer next summer.

It’s the kind of nightmare scenario that Postecoglou could do without.

AND in other news – £4.7m down the drain: £12k-p/w Celtic liability rinsed Peter Lawwell for 140 weeks

According to an update courtesy of ExWHUemployee, via West Ham Fan Zone, Michail Antonio has an outside chance of being available for the Burnley game on Monday night and is ‘way ahead of schedule’ in his recovery. 

David Moyes, who is often cryptic in regards to injury updates, confirmed on Friday that the 31-year-old is back on the grass and refused to rule him out of contention for the trip to Turf Moor (football.london).

Backing up the manager’s statement, Ex says that the striker stands a chance of playing against Burnley after progressing in rehabilitation quicker than expected and way ahead of schedule.

Antonio suffered a hamstring injury during the victory at Wolves last month and has been sidelined ever since, with concerns then emerging that he could miss the rest of the season (The Guardian). With the 31-year-old being their only senior centre-forward and one of their leading scorers, his swift return will naturally be welcomed.

Flocking to the update from Ex, many Irons supporters were understandably delighted that the striker has a chance to feature on Monday, with one Hammers fan calling it ‘great news’.

Check out some of their verdicts from social media below.

West Ham fans erupt over Ex injury update

“Wow”

Credit: @TalkinWestHam

“Things you love to see”

Credit: @conwhufc03

“Hope he makes it. Would be big to see him terrorise Mee & Tarkowski. Even for 30-40 mins”

Credit: @westhamhour

“Great news we need him”

Credit: @happy_hammers

“We really need him to turn up when he’s back”

Credit: @Kai_WHU

“Literally reading this as blur song 2 comes on!!

Wooooo hooooo”

Credit: @daledwhu

“WHAT”

Credit: @whugabes

In other news: West Ham have made contact to sign this ‘unplayable’ star, find out more here.

Crystal Palace are looking to make Jean-Philippe Mateta’s move permanent.

That’s according to journalist Tom Barclay, and, as to be expected, a number of Eagles fans have been reacting to the news on social media.

Palace brought Mateta in 12 months ago from Mainz on an 18-month loan which included an option to buy. [BBC]

The 24-year-old has scored against rivals Brighton and Millwall during his time at the club and has featured regularly under Patrick Vieira in recent months.

And it now seems as if he has done enough to make a Selhurst Park stay permanent, with Barclay stating he has won Vieira over in recent months.

The journalist added that a deal is not done yet, but a full-time transfer appears to be on the cards for the Frenchman.

Palace fans react

This is what these Eagles supporters had to say in reply to Barclay’s post, with one ‘buzzing’ for the forward and another labelling it as ‘incredible’.

“Good. Goals against Millwall and Brighton. I’m a fan forever.”

Credit: @HunterCPFC

“Buzzing for the man, Vieira clearly rated him above Benteke and at 24 years old we could get him on the cheap”

Credit: @ReeceJMT

“YESSSSSS”

Credit: @EvilSashPioneer

“Would be incredible if he goes on to be a big player for us”

Credit: @SWPalace

“YESSSSS”

Credit: @MattCPFC

“Get in”

Credit: @Rpcpfc

In other news: ‘Onto the next one, sorry Donny pal’ – Many Palace fans react as Romano shares ‘bonkers’ update. 

According to a report by HommeDuMatch.fr, Tottenham Hotspur have tabled a bid to sign Sheffield United star Sander Berge and The Blades have already replied.

The Lowdown: Spurs in centre-midfield tussle?

The future of club record signing Tanguy Ndombele has been plunged back in doubt over recent days according to reports, with Daily Star reporter Paul Brown believing that he is again unsettled.

As such, Spurs are apparently weighing moves for centre midfield additions and have targets in mind – which include the likes of Joao Palhinha, Corentin Tolisso and Denis Zakaria (Daily Star).

Now, HommeDuMatch bring news of another target for Spurs with an offer now made.

The Latest: Spurs table Berge bid…

The news outlet claims Tottenham have now tabled a bid to sign Norway international Berge this summer – with the player’s current club Sheffield United already responding.

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It is believed that the 23-year-old is ‘eager to leave’ Bramall Lane after their relegation from the Premier League and Spurs have become the latest club to try and offer him an escape route.

Indeed, the Lilywhites have apparently offered United  €20 million (£16.9m) for Berge’s services but that won’t be enough.

Slaviša Jokanović’s side are holding firm and have rejected Tottenham’s bid as they hold out for ‘no less’ than €25m (£21.7m).

The Verdict: Good option?

The 6 foot 4 powerhouse certainly stands out as a physical presence and one who has impressed in the English top flight before, with ex-Blades boss Chris Wilder lauding him as a ‘unique’ player (VG via CaughtOffside).

However, the midfield dynamo also suffered through his fair share of injury problems over 2020/2021 and missed a worrying total of 21 games due to surgery (Transfermarkt) – meaning it could be a gamble to pay over the odds.

Other targets like Palhinha, who played consistently last season whilst averaging more tackles per 90 than any Spurs player (WhoScored), arguably stand out as more priority targets.

In other news: ‘Wow’, ‘Fantastic’…Sky Sports pundit blown away by ‘huge’ claim involving Spurs, find out more here.

Tottenham Hotspur return to Premier League action as they welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers to North London this afternoon.

Ryan Mason’s side know a victory would see them rise into sixth place to bolster their slim hopes of making the top four, though they will need to keep picking up results to ensure qualification to the Europa League at the very least.

The visitors have very little to play for, languishing down in 12th place but this encounter has often produced goals and after last weekend’s shocking performance at Leeds, the 29-year-old caretaker may want to tinker his side.

It will be interesting to see what sort of line-up he opts for today, so here’s the XI we reckon he could go with, as well as the latest team and injury news from N17…

We’re predicting there to be as many as three changes right across the pitch as Mason looks to spark a reaction in pursuit of a crucial three points.

Joe Rodon could be in contention to start.

The 23-year-old has been “unfortunate” not to feature under the interim boss and he revealed in the build-up to this encounter that the Welshman has “trained well, done well.”

He could be gifted a start, taking the place of axed Eric Dier, who was at fault for all three goals at Elland Road. And he will partner Toby Alderweireld in the middle, with Sergio Reguilon and Serge Aurier on the wings, in front of skipper Hugo Lloris.

A second change could come in midfield, with Tanguy Ndombele due a start, having been snubbed from the line-up in their last two outings.

The £45m-rated box-to-box maestro would likely replace the underwhelming Giovani Lo Celso to take up a place alongside Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg at the base of the engine room.

There is a tricky decision to make over Dele Alli in an advanced role. The 25-year-old has started back-to-back league games for the first time this season but his lack of game time (377 PL minutes) could raise fitness doubts.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-latest-spurs-manager-update-gossip-transfer-rumours-daniel-levy-enic-mason-mourinho-more” title= “Read the latest Spurs news, managerial gossip, transfer rumours and more!”]

Despite assisting Spurs’ only goal against Leeds, Mason could look to freshen things up by deploying Lucas Moura in the role instead.

Described as a “nightmare” to train and defend against by his teammate Dier, the £26m-rated Brazilian winger has thrived through the middle, providing two goals and three assists in seven appearances.

The front three should write itself, with Gareth Bale, Heung-min Son and Harry Kane all likely to keep their places.

AND in other news, Gold drops fresh Spurs manager claim over “unbelievable” 48 y/o, fans will be buzzing…

Leicester City are preparing a bid to bring Philippe Coutinho to the King Power Stadium this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness), who claim that Brendan Rodgers’ side are keeping a close eye on the situation of the Barcelona forward, with the 48-year-old thought to be keen on a reunion with the Brazil international.

It is then reported that the Foxes, along with Arsenal and Everton, have moved to recruit the 29-year-old on either a permanent or temporary basis, with the Spanish giants believed to be more than willing to sanction Coutinho’s departure this summer.

 Fans should be buzzing

While it is undeniable that Coutinho has not enjoyed the best football of his career in recent seasons, with the attacking midfielder having not featured for Barca since December due to a knee injury, considering how impressive the Brazilian was under the leadership of Rodgers at Liverpool, fans of Leicester should be buzzing at the possibility of landing the £27m-rated man this summer.

Indeed, over his 112 appearances under the Northern Irishman – the greatest number of games Coutinho has ever featured for a manager – the 29-year-old scored 17 goals and provided 23 assists for his teammates.

Arguably his best season under the 48-year-old came in 2013/14, when the £383k-per-week man scored five goals and registered seven assists over his 33 Premier League appearances, as well as taking an average of 2.8 shots and making two key passes per game.

These returns saw the man Roberto Firmino dubbed a “magician” earn a seasonal WhoScored match rating of 7.44, ranking him as the Reds’ fifth-best performer in the league that season, playing a huge role in the club’s dramatic title race with Manchester City.

As such, while his wages are astronomically high, if Leicester can negotiate a deal to lower his salary either with Barcelona or the player himself, as well as being confident that Coutinho could go on to replicate his previous form under Rodgers, it would be an extremely difficult argument to make that he would not be a fantastic signing for the Champions League hopefuls.

And, with Mundo Deportivo suggesting that the Foxes are in the process of lining up a move for the 29-year-old this summer, seeing the Brazilian in action at the King Power on a regular basis next season may not be that distant of a possibility.

In other news: Imagine him & Barnes: LCFC could complete their attack with “great talent” for £34m

Everton fell to a 5-2 defeat at home to Watford on Saturday afternoon, with former Toffees striker Josh King netting a hat-trick on his return to Merseyside.

Tom Davies gave Rafa Benitez’s side the lead early on and Richarlison netted in the second half to put the Toffees back in front, but a crazy final 15 minutes saw the hosts concede four times and leave Goodison Park with nothing.

As to be expected with the result, a number of Everton starters disappointed, as The Transfer Tavern dives into the three worst-rated outfield starters by statistical specialists SofaScore…

Allan

The Brazilian midfielder kept up his record of starting every Premier League fixture so far this season, partnering Davies in a 4-4-1-1 system.

However, he had an afternoon to forget, recording a SofaScore rating of 6.1/10. Allan lost six ground duels and one aerial duel, while losing possession 13 times and being dribbled past on five occasions.

Seamus Coleman

Coleman also received a SofaScore rating of 6.1/10 – the joint-worst when it came to outfield starters alongside Allan.

The right-back lost the ball on 16 occasions, lost four ground duels and two aerial duels and was dribbled past three times.

He also only made one tackle all game, compared to Lucas Digne at left-back who made seven.

Salomon Rondon

Summer signing Rondon is still awaiting his first Toffees goal, and like Allan and Coleman, he failed to have a single shot on goal against the Hornets.

He had just 26 touches all afternoon, lost the ball eight times and struggled in the air, losing eight of his 12 duels and three of five on three ground.

It seems as if the quicker Dominic Calvert-Lewin can return from injury, the better, following the much-maligned Venezuelan’s SofaScore match rating of 6.5/10.

In other news: ‘Don’t make me cry’ – Many Everton fans buzz over ‘great news’. 

Everton’s recruitment under Rafa Benitez will look no different to the managers who have sat in the Goodison Park dugout before him.

The Toffees have spent big in recent years and the board have already promised their new head coach funds to spend.

Mega-money moves have been lined up but whether any deals can be concluded in an inflated market remains to be seen.

Everton are hoping to pip Arsenal to the signing of Ben White while Wilfried Zaha is on their radar again.

They’ve been chasing the Crystal Palace forward for a number of years now and had a remarkable bid of £70m plus Cenk Tosun and James McCarthy rejected back in 2019.

Benitez could return for the Ivorian this summer and he may cost them just £40m.

Zaha has two years left remaining on his contract at Selhurst Park and at the age of 28, he’s now in his prime.

A dazzling dribbler with the ability to frighten opponents to death, he’d be an exceptional pick up for a team in need of more dynamism in the final third.

Moving to a bigger club has been on the cards for a while now and after rediscovering his best form last term, that switch would be deserved.

Zaha found the net on 11 occasions in 2020/21 but are there better options elsewhere; potentially ones with less ego and baggage?

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-everton-news-benitez-kamara-romero-dumfries” title= “Read the latest Everton transfer news!”]

Everton were linked with a move for Newcastle speedster Allan Saint-Maximin this week in a deal that could cost them in the region of £60m.

That’s significantly more than Zaha’s current price tag but he has been electrifying for the Magpies since arriving from French football, being described as “scary” by Steve Bruce.

The pair are incredibly similar footballers and although the Palace dynamo was involved in a higher volume of goals last term, it was Saint-Maximin who scared defenders more.

Both are renowned for their ability to beat a marker but it was the Newcastle forward who came out on top in dribbles per game last season. Saint-Maximin recorded a whopping 3.8 – the second-best tally in the division – compared to Zaha who managed 1.8.

Meanwhile, per stats provided by FB Ref, the £60m speed demon is a more creative outlet.

His expected assists over the last year rank him in the 91st percentile for players in the same position throughout the Premier League. Zaha, however, is ranked in the 49th percentile for that statistic.

To supplement that, his number of progressive passes is also more impressive with the Frenchman sitting in the 89th percentile compared to the Palace attacker’s 82nd percentile.

Combine that with the fact that Saint-Maximin still has plenty of room to grow and he suddenly becomes the more sensible signing right now. It would be a masterclass to bring someone with such eye-catching abilities to Goodison Park.

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

Many Crystal Palace fans have flocked to Twitter following a post from transfer guru Fabrizio Romano in which he claimed that Eagles youngster Zion Atta is set to complete a move to Ligue 1 outfit OGC Nice.

At the age of just 16, the winger made one appearance in the Under-18 Premier League last term for Crystal Palace [Transfermarkt].

However, he has now elected to join Nice in France following recent reports from renowned reporter Romano, with the reported offer of a new scholarship and professional deal [Daily Mail] seemingly not enough to keep him at Selhurst Park.

Speaking to his large Twitter audience, the journalist relayed that there is a ‘deal now agreed’ between the winger and Nice, with a move set to be completed today. Juventus were also said to be interested in acquiring his services.

In light of this, plenty of Crystal Palace diehards took to social media to express their opinions on recent developments.

Crystal Palace fans react:

Replying to Romano on Twitter, here is what some Eagles fans had to say as Atta gets set to depart Selhurst Park, with many taking aim at his agent Mino Raiola:

“Yeah but wanted 2 grand a week and we weren’t willing to break our wage structure for him. Raiola client so only wanted money”

Credit: @george_eard

“Good riddance. A lot can happen between now and him being ready to play first team football. Paying him what he demanded (£100k pa) would have been bad for morale in the academy group and a huge gamble.”

Credit: @DaveSturges”Raiola back to ruining football”Credit: @DrizzyCPFC”Raiola ruining football”Credit: @cpfcgoaat”Finished anyway tbh”Credit: @JamesCPFC11″Big L, especially with teams like Juve wanting him he was obviously special. However no team is paying 2k a week to a 16 year old”Credit: @L_cpfcIn other news, many Crystal Palace fans react to injury news. Find out more here.