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Aston Villa should look to move for Newcastle striker Callum Wilson this summer amid Lee Hendrie’s transfer claim.

What’s the story?

Reports back in the summer transfer window suggested that the club were looking to sign him back in September, but the England international ended up joining Newcastle instead.

However, with the Magpies potentially facing relegation from the Premier League this season, Hendrie has suggested that Wilson should be a target for Dean Smith’s side this summer.

He told Football Transfer Tavern: “I mean, Callum Wilson would be another one if you’re talking about Newcastle getting relegated. Callum Wilson’s scored goals in a team that’s really struggled this season, so there’s lots of elements of certainly where you’d look at and think ‘yes’, they’re the players you sort of try and bring into the club and nurture and push it forward.”

Premier League proven

Described as a “natural goalscorer” by Premier League legend Les Ferdinand, Wilson has scored ten times in just 21 top-flight games this season, and those goals haven’t been token strikes either.

He scored the equaliser against Tottenham, netted a decisive brace in a 3-1 win over Burnley, bagged both goals in the 2-1 victory over Everton and had a hand in both of Newcastle’s goals in 2-0 triumphs against Crystal Palace and Everton respectively (Transfermarkt).

Wilson has earned rave reviews in his time playing in the Premier League, with Eddie Howe, his former manager at Bournemouth, particularly effusive in his praise of the striker.

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He said of the striker: “He is an outstanding player with unique attributes for us. He has that ability to run in behind and he’s got the work ethic off the ball and, of course, he knows where the goal is.”

If the Magpies do go down, Villa should finally land the £22.5m-rated Wilson this summer, as Hendrie has suggested.

Meanwhile, Villa could hire their perfect Dean Smith successor in this “winner”…

Brendan Rodgers can welcome defender Caglar Soyuncu back to the Leicester City fray ahead of the Foxes’ FA Cup semi-final showdown with Southampton.

The Turkish defender has missed the last two Premier League matches having tested positive whilst on international duty, both games the Foxes lost to Manchester City and West Ham United.

However, with the former SC Freiburg centre-back looking “terrific” in training according to Foxes boss Rodgers, he should be restored immediately to the Leicester backline against the Saints at Wembley.

Put simply, Soyuncu is one of Leicester’s best defenders and should not be elbowed out of the starting line-up in place of Daniel Amartey, who has been deputising in the Turk’s absence.

According to WhoScored, the two defenders are actually level on both tackles and interceptions per game in the Premier League at 0.9 and one respectively.

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Nevertheless, Soyuncu, who earns £45k per week at the King Power Stadium, excels in anticipating danger by racking up 3.7 clearances per game compared to Amartey’s two.

Meanwhile, the Turk continues to better his Ghanaian teammate on the ball, where he possesses far more confidence. The 24-year-old has a better pass success rate, whilst completing more passes per game than Amartey and also contributing a surprise 0.2 key passes.

Whilst it is clear to see that Soyuncu is a far more accomplished defender, his inclusion also produces tangible results.

In matches where the centre-back has played this season, Leicester have conceded just 0.96 goals per game in all competitions but with him excluded, that number shoots up sharply to 1.14.

As Leicester aim to restrict Southampton at Wembley and reach the FA Cup final, that added defensive solidarity is surely going to come in mightily handy.

Therefore, it seems an obvious choice for Rodgers to recall Soyuncu into the Leicester starting line-up for Sunday’s clash.

AND in more news, take a look at the huge error that Leicester made in the transfer market last summer…

Leicester City have been handed a huge boost in the fight to keep Brendan Rodgers at the King Power Stadium.

The Northern-Irishman has been linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur in recent days following the sacking of Jose Mourinho, it not being the first time that he has been rumoured to be in the running to take over a North London club with Arsenal also thought to be admirers in the past.

However, Rodgers has allayed any fears over his future with the Foxes, insisting that he is “very happy” in the East-Midlands.

Those sentiments will surely be a huge boost to Leicester as they aim to keep hold of a man who has taken the club from mid-table mediocrity to consistent challenges for the UEFA Champions League positions.

Since arriving from Celtic, the 49-year-old has overseen a total of 103 matches at the club in all competitions, winning 56 of those and racking up the best win percentage of any permanent manager in the club’s history.

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Having finished ninth in his first season at the club, the Foxes claimed fifth in Rodgers’ first full campaign in charge, whilst they have consistently been in the top four throughout 2020/21.

Meanwhile, Rodgers has also been able to create history, too, by leading Leicester to their first FA Cup Final since 1969 having beaten Southampton 1-0 at Wembley.

That aforementioned work has certainly drawn praise within the Premier League. Current Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp labelled his influence on Celtic, where he lifted seven trophies, and indeed Leicester as “incredible”.

It will, therefore, be a relief to note then that Rodgers is seemingly not tempted to continue that work at Tottenham Hotspur, instead being content with staying at Leicester – a huge boost for the future of the club considering their current trajectory under the former Liverpool manager.

AND in more news, take a look at which current Premier League forward could replace Jamie Vardy…

Gabriel Agbonlahor has dropped a revelation about Celtic’s chase of Eddie Howe.

The Hoops had an agreement in principle with Howe, and Agbonlahor has now revealed what he believes is a key reason why the deal isn’t done yet.

Howe has concerns about Celtic budget

Agbonlahor was speaking with Football Insider and he talked about potential developments in Celtic’s move for Howe.

The former Aston Villa striker said that he has heard information from multiple former Celtic coaches that new managers don’t get to change the whole structure at Parkhead, something the 43 year-old would likely want to do.

“I’ve heard from different managers before at Celtic that Celtic are very strong with this. You can bring in maybe two coaches and that’s all you get. You don’t get to change the whole system.

“Celtic are very strong in not giving managers too much power. ‘Bring in a couple of coaches, we’ll sort out the director of football, we’ll sort out everything else.’

“I reckon Celtic are being stubborn on that. Eddie Howe is probably thinking ‘I want to change a lot of things. I want my director of football, I want somebody to help me with transfers.’ They’ve probably said ‘No’ and that’s all it is.

“Eddie Howe’s probably thinking, with the job Celtic have got on their hands with Scott Brown leaving, Edouard probably leaving, ‘How much money am I going to be promised?’ There’s no point in signing a contract with Celtic, jumping the gun and being told you’ve got £15million in the kitty.

“He’s probably thinking I need a lot more than that to catch up with Rangers.

“There’s no rush to go there at the moment. We’ve got the Euros coming up, the season finishing. I’m sure Eddie Howe is not in a super rush to get back managing.

“It’s a big decision for him and his family to move to Scotland. You can’t travel, he’d have to relocate to Glasgow. Maybe he’ll only take the job if he’s given the clauses he wants with a director of football.”

Celtic need to meet Howe’s demands

That there has been no movement in the Celtic manager saga suggests that, while things haven’t moved forward, perhaps Celtic are still refusing to shift to another target. It has also been hinted by journalists that the Hoops are relaxed about the situation and that things are still on track, despite all the conflicting rumours.

Howe had stayed at Bournemouth for a number of years and he helped them rise from League Two to the Premier League, which shows that he knows how to raise standards at clubs. Celtic haven’t qualified for the group stages of the Champions League in multiple seasons and they have failed in the Premiership this year, too – it is time for a fresh-faced manager to lead a major overhaul.

They clearly need to refresh their standards and, considering Howe’s record, he may yet be the man to do that at Parkhead – if he and the club can reach a compromise on some crucial factors.

In other news, ‘Can neither confirm nor deny’ – Elusive answer emerges as McKay plots his first big Celtic move

Tottenham Hotspur legend Gary Mabbutt has told Football FanCast that plans will be in place for Gareth Bale’s future as his loan spell at the club comes to an end.

The winger returned to the club from Real Madrid in the summer.

He has gone on to make 29 appearances in all competitions, scoring 11 goals, but the spell is coming to an end, with just five games of the season remaining.

It remains to be seen what will happen next, with Bale himself saying that his plan was to return to Spain, before his agent felt the need to clarify the comments and claim that they had been taken out of context.

Spurs are reported to have an option to keep him for another season and Mabbutt thinks that decisions will already have been made for the Wales international.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, he said: “Of course plans are in place. You’ve got a player that in two months’ time is going to be in limbo and due to be going back to Real Madrid after a one season loan.

“He’s come back and people will be debating about Gareth Bale’s impact at Spurs.”

Bale took some time to get up to speed at Spurs but Mabbutt has also hailed the impact the superstar has had on the dressing room.

“The bringing back on loan of Gareth Bale from Real Madrid had a massive impact in that respect within the dynamics of the dressing room.”

Former Premier League striker Marcus Bent believes Tottenham Hotspur could make the mistake of overlooking Son Heung-Min if they sell Harry Kane this summer, telling Football FanCast that they will look to buy an elite-level replacement.

Kane has been heavily linked with a departure from his boyhood club ahead of the summer transfer window.

The Athletic broke a huge story claiming that Kane was ready to push for a move away if Spurs failed to qualify for the Champions League this season, and that does seem a long shot at this stage.

Ryan Mason’s side are five points behind Chelsea in fourth and they have won just two of their last five Premier League outings.

Son has been linked away too, with Bayern Munich credited with an interest, but he is in talks over a new contract at the club.

And Bent believes that if Kane were to go, there would be an opportunity for Son to step up and prove himself as the main man at Spurs.

Son has scored 20 goals in all competitions this season and, in total, has netted 105 goals in 275 games since his arrival from Bayer Leverkusen.

But Bent also thinks that Spurs would look to replace Kane with another elite striker, leaving Son overlooked.

He told FFC: “When you sell your best players this is not a good thing. You don’t want to be at a side where your team is selling your best players and not bringing any players in to replace them.

“I’m not saying Tottenham haven’t done that, and it hasn’t happened yet. But again, if you were to sell Kane, then where are the goals going to come from?

“Maybe Son might say, ‘okay, well I can stay and score the goals, and be number one’.

“But really, and truly, I think Tottenham will have to bring in someone on the level of Kane and Son will be again, overlooked and underrated, which is a shame.

“But that’s the way football is and you’ve got to kind of just stick at it and move on.”

According to a report by Daily Mail correspondent Jack Gaughan, via City Xtra, the club have held post-retirement role discussions with Manchester City favourite Fernandinho and there is even a growing possibility of the midfielder extending his stay at the Etihad Stadium after recent performances.

The Brazilian has been a mainstay since signing at Eastlands back in the summer of 2013, making 347 appearances in all competitions whilst scoring 24 goals and assisting 28 others as a defensive midfielder (Transfermarkt).

He has been a pivotal member of the squad over City’s last few Premier League title triumphs under Pep Guardiola and has continued to play a role when called upon this campaign.

The 36-year-old captained City to a stunning victory over Paris-Saint Germain in their Champions League semi-final tie midweek after being handed the nod over Rodri, and his gritty performance highlighted exactly why supporters love him.

Now, Mail journalist Gaughan says there is a ‘growing possibility’ of the midfield colossus extending his contract after recent performances and the club have even held discussions with him over remaining at the club post-retirement.

Flocking to this claim, many Sky Blues have understandably erupted – find all of their best verdicts from social media down below.

Man City fans erupt over Fernandinho news

“I am on my knees, give him whatever he wants”

Credit: @amlmcfc

“YEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS”

Credit: @ManCitehzen

“VAMOSSSSSS”

Credit: @onemilli19

“Let’s gooooo”

Credit: @deyab_mcfc

“GIVE IT HIM. KEEP HIM HERE FOR A LIFETIME”

Credit: @FouldsAshley

“Sign him for another 10 years”

Credit: @itscharly19_

“Give him a 50 year contract imo”

Credit: @mohameddamiin2

In other news: Man City fans blasted this PSG ‘clown’ after what he said, find out more here.

Derby County’s relegation rivals have issued a statement regarding the Rams’ potential points deduction.

What’s the latest?

With Sky Sports reporting that Wayne Rooney’s side face a possible points penalty after breaching the EFL’s Financial Fair Play rules, Wycombe Wanderers have spoken out regarding the outcome of the matter.

In a statement on the Wycombe website, the club, who finished the Championship season just one point behind the Rams in 22nd place, claimed that they trust the “correct decision will be reached” by the independent commission who will be determining the outcome of the case, before revealing that they are “not contemplating legal action at this time.”

Worrying news

After securing a dramatic 3-3 draw with Sheffield Wednesday on the final day of the Championship season that kept the club up, the ecstasy of surviving relegation to the third tier of English football could well be short-lived for Derby.

While it remains unclear whether a points deduction would be implemented on the season just past or on next term – due to the EFL stating that there is “no definitive timescale” for proceedings – the fact that Wycombe have mentioned legal action is likely to come as infuriating news for both the club and their fanbase.

Although, whether or not this will influence how quickly the EFL make their judgement on Derby’s punishment, and subsequently determining whether or not they remain in the Championship or drop down to League One as of next season, also remains unclear.

However, this too brings with it a different kind of threat for Rooney’s side, as attracting players in the summer transfer market will likely be a great deal harder when the club cannot offer assurances of which league they will be playing their football in next year or if they are going to start next season on a minus points total.

As such, the whole situation is something of a mess, and none of it appears to be good news for the Rams.

In other news: Rooney must avoid summer disaster over “fantastic” £17.5k-p/w dud, Derby can do better – opinion

In an exclusive interview with The Transfer Tavern, David Norris, who made 36 appearances for Leeds United, has claimed that Ezgjan Alioski is all set to leave Elland Road when his contract expires this summer.

Alioski has been linked with a controversial move to Galatasaray as a free agent with many Leeds fans not taking the news very well, considering the hatred between the two clubs after the UEFA cup semi-final riots in 2000.

There has been a new twist in the Alioski saga though as in the last 48 hours reports have emerged that Galatasaray can’t afford his wages anymore and the defender doesn’t want to receive backlash from Leeds fans so he won’t be moving to Turkey.

Speaking on how it appears to be time up for Alioski at Leeds and how a deal may already be in place, Norris exclusively told The Transfer Tavern:

“If I’m honest, I think it’s probably time up for him because when it drags on this long and you haven’t got something sorted, it normally means that it is already done and dusted.

“If Bielsa wants to keep him I think he stays because at Leeds whatever Bielsa wants he gets, so it looks like it’s already agreed and has been done on the quiet.”

The 28-year old defender has been a regular starter for Leeds since joining in 2017 and he has been able to make the step up into the Premier League smoothly this season at left-back.

His ability to play anywhere down the left-hand side has allowed Stuart Dallas to be deployed in the centre of midfield and showcase both his attacking and defensive qualities.

Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard appears to be closing in on a move to Leicester City, according to talkSPORT’s Jason Bourne.

The Lowdown: Edouard’s Hoops stance

It appears as if Celtic fans have now seen the last of the French forward in a Hoops shirt.

Sources close to the club admitted last month that the 23-year-old wants to leave Celtic Park over the coming months, regardless of who comes in to replace Neil Lennon as manager.

He’ll have just 12 months left on his deal in the summer, with Edouard’s camp believing last month he could secure a Parkhead exit for just £8-10m in the upcoming transfer window.

However, it looks as if the Hoops will be receiving more than that figure for his services.

The Latest: Bourne shares Edouard latest

Bourne shared the latest on the Foxes’ summer plans on Tuesday evening, with updates on both Edouard and Lille midfielder Boubakary Soumare.

“I understand Boubakary Soumare to Leicester City is getting closer to completion. Appears formalities just need to be sorted now. Leicester also want to wrap up Odsonne Edouard deal. Personal terms not a problem. Looking to arrange a fee now. Could be £15-20m.”

The Verdict: Fee good news for McKay

In our opinion, should a deal go through at £20m, it would be good business from the Hoops and new CEO Dominic McKay.

Celtic know that they’ll have to hand over around half of that fee to Paris Saint-Germain due to a sell-on clause, but that would still leave the Hoops with £10m – not bad for a player who could’ve discussed a potential free transfer in January 2022.

McKay should be delighted if a transfer is completed closer to the £20m mark, especially with the player’s camp believing an exit at half of that price was doable, and he would then have the funds to bring in a proven replacement for the Frenchman.

Edouard was the league’s top scorer this season and has netted an impressive 83 times in 168 appearances. Replacing those goals could be vital in the club’s bid to win back the Scottish Premiership, so McKay needs every penny he can get out of the deal.

In other news: Pundit drops John Kennedy claim, find out more here.