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Sheffield United have been handed a major boost in their bid to bring Ben Davies to Bramall Lane this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Sheffield Star, who claim that the Liverpool centre-back is high on Slavisa Jokanovic’s list of transfer targets in the summer window, while the 25-year-old is extremely keen on the idea of securing a move to the Blades.

The report goes on to relay the comments of the United boss following his side’s opening day defeat to Birmingham City, with the 52-year-old appearing very much open to adding a number of new signings to his squad before transfer deadline day.

He said: “We are making plans. But I am really thinking about my people and trying to help everyone here become better about what we do – myself included. Of course, though, there is a plan and we are still working [towards that].”

Jokanovic will be buzzing

With both Kean Bryan and Phil Jagielka having left the club upon the expiry of their contracts at Bramall Lane at the end of last season, and Jokanovic having so far failed to replace either player with a new face this summer, the news that Davies is eager to link up with the Serbian’s side is sure to have left the 52-year-old buzzing.

While Davies is yet to make an appearance for Liverpool since joining the Reds in a rather unusual transfer earlier this year, the defender proved in his time with Preston North End that he is an extremely capable player in the second tier of English football.

Indeed, over his 19 Championship appearances for the Lilywhites last season, the £2.7m-rated man helped his side keep six clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.4 interceptions, 1.2 tackles, 4.3 clearances and winning 4.9 duels per game.

These returns saw the player Jurgen Klopped dubbed a “leader” earn a highly impressive average SofaScore match rating of 6.99, ranking him as the club’s second-best performer in the league.

As such, taking into account just how short United are of options in the centre of defence, as well as Davies’ fine displays with Preston, it would appear highly advisable for Jokanovic to do all he can to get a deal over the line for the centre-back this summer, as the potential transfer would seem to suit all parties involved.

In other news: Jokanovic could be heading for grave Sheff Utd error over “fantastic” £900k-rated gem

Wolves fans were often bored watching their team last season with a lack of threat in the final third, so Bruno Lage must implement an attacking style of play as he did at Benfica. To do that, he’s got to keep Adama Traore according to Wolves legend, Steve Bull.

Lage has been well known for his attacking style of play which saw his Benfica side score a mesmerising 85 goals in just 27 matches, winning 18 of their 19 league fixtues as they romped to the Liga Nos title. Someone who could help implement that at Molineux is Traore, but Lage could have a battle on his hands to keep the linked-away winger.

The former assistant coach at both Swansea City and Sheffield Wednesday is sure to bring about a more front-foot approach, something that would appear to suit Wolves as they boast attacking options such as Pedro Neto, Traore, Daniel Podence and Raul Jimenez, although those four players only managed to score a combined total of 14 goals in the Premier League last season.

If Wolves are to play a more attacking style of football going forward then Traore must be part of it with his raw pace and strength a huge asset to Lage, if he wishes to start the winger or bring him on as an impact sub, something Bull spoke exclusively to Transfer Tavern about:

“If Lage wants to play 4-4-2 then he should keep Traore and put him on the right or the left and have one of Podence or Neto on the other side of Jimenez and that would be a good front three.

“I think if he wants to play attacking football then he’s got to keep him.”

Traore is by far and away one of the most difficult players to come up against as he is relentless and last season was no different as he attempted 214 dribbles in the league which was 50 more than Sadio Mane who attempted the second-most so, Lage would be mad to try and move him on and not to deploy him in a more attacking system.

West Ham United have received a major boost, with David Moyes expected to sign a contract extension before the end of the week…

What’s the word?

According to The Telegraph, the Scotsman was on the brink of signing a new three-year extension at the London Stadium, which would end any prospects of him returning to former club Everton.

He is likely to put pen to paper on Friday just under three weeks after sealing a place in the Europa League for the Irons with their best top-flight finish since the 1998/99 campaign.

The 58-year-old had been linked with a sensational return to Goodison Park following the departure of Carlo Ancelotti to Real Madrid but instead he has agreed to extend his contract, which was due to expire in 12 months’ time.

Huge boost

After those worrying links to his old club emerged during the past week, this fresh development will surely come as exciting news to everyone in east London as the Hammers can now look ahead to what will be a historic season.

Moyes has completely transformed West Ham in his second spell at the club. Last year, he guided them to Premier League safety with just one game to spare and he has now steered them to a top-six finish.

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

His recruitment in the transfer market has arguably been second to none, trusting relatively unknown signings from abroad like Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal, who have both become instant favourites, whilst no one could have predicted the form of Jesse Lingard, who ended the season on nine goals and four assists having only joined on loan in January.

In response to the report about Moyes’ future, plenty of the Irons faithful have made their feelings known on social media, with the overriding consensus being sheer elation. – albeit from a small sample size, there won’t be many against this move.

“Great stuff”, claimed one supporter, whilst another previously lauded it as “class news”. A further member of the London Stadium fanbase also described it as a “huge relief to 99% of West Ham fans”.

All that’s left is the official announcement from Rush Green but, until then, it seems that everyone associated with the club can now start to get excited ahead of next season.

AND in other news, Moyes must axe “really special” Pellegrini flop, he’s cost West Ham £3.95m per goal…

Some Everton fans have been left to fume as a transfer update emerged on James Rodriguez.

Speaking to Sports Blog (via Marca), football journalist Javier Hernandez Bonnet has claimed that the Colombia international has the option of returning back to Real Madrid and reuniting with Carlo Ancelotti on a free transfer.

Rodriguez was such a key player for the Goodison Park faithful in the 2020/21 season, scoring six goals and making a further nine assists in 26 games in total over all competitions (Transfermarkt), and so it would be such a shame to see him leave after just one campaign, especially given that he largely played without supporters in the stadiums.

Nonetheless, to lose the 29-year-old for free would be a devastating blow, as he would not be easy to replace without spending a bit of cash.

Everton fans on Rodriguez transfer update

These Toffees fumed as the transfer update was shared on Twitter, with one Blue even going as far as to claim that it was a ‘joke’:

“Smashing my head against the wall”

Credit: @tomefc14

“Joke”

Credit: @danevans_tm

“What did I do in my past life to be forced to support Everton”

Credit: @FylesAj

“Honestly believe we are the worst run club in world football”

Credit: @patto1878

“Not sure I can take much more this week”Credit: @smmoore4″It never rains….”Credit: @RaRaRiggaIn other news, find out what Paul Joyce update has been slammed by EFC fans here!

Sheffield Wednesday have been dealt a blow in their quest to sign Matthew Olosunde from Rotherham United, with Preston North End swopping in instead.

The Lowdown: Owls linked with Olosunde move

The right-back made 32 appearances in the Championship for Rotherham last season, ultimately failing to keep them in the Championship.

Wednesday have been linked with a move for Olosunde as Darren Moore eyes up new signings ahead of life in League One, but the boss will have to look elsewhere for a new full-back.

The Latest: Preston set to sign target

Unfortunately, the Owls’ hopes of signing the 23-year-old American have been scuppered, with Preston confirming that he has joined the club.

Olosunde’s contract with Rotherham has expired, allowing the Championship club to snap him up for free and meaning Wednesday will now have to start over in the hunt for defensive reinforcements.

The Verdict: Blow for Wednesday

This is an undoubted blow for the Owls, but the harsh reality is that a free agent is more likely to join a Championship club over one in League One.

Patience may be required from Moore in the transfer market, as the manager looks to bring in exactly the players he wants to fit his system, in order to mastermind his team’s return to the second tier.

Liam Palmer still has a year left on his current deal, and will hopefully remain Wednesday’s first-choice right-back, which would soften the blow of missing out on Olosunde, but the Owls are clearly on the hunt for a younger player in that spot.

In other news, Sheff Wed are reportedly eyeing up a summer signing – find out who the player in question is here.

Nuno Espirito Santo is still the favourite for the vacant Crystal Palace managerial position, according to Sky Sports.

Understood to have had three days of discussions with the Eagles hierarchy, there is scope that the Londoners could land something of a landmark appointment in the former Wolves manager [Daily Mail].

After taking charge of Wolves back in 2017, the Portuguese coach went on to win 96 times in the Molineux hotseat [Transfermarkt]. Within this timeframe, he led the Midlands outfit to prestigious achievements such as the Sky Bet Championship title and consecutive 7th place Premier League finishes [Transfermarkt].

Alongside this, Espirito Santo managed to take his former club Wolves to the Europa League quarter-finals in 2019/20 [Guardian].

Truly an outstanding manager, he will not be short of options for his next post. Despite being linked with Tottenham and Everton recently, Selhurst Park looks to be his most likely destination which has enthused loads of Crystal Palace supporters [The Sack Race].

Crystal Palace fans react

Responding to the news issued by Sky Sports, here is what the Palace faithful had to say on the news:

“I’ll take that 100%”

Credit:@Jorrdanc

“It’s sky so who knows how true but I said this days ago”

Credit:@SamLAllington

“here we go”Credit:@royhodgsonoutt”Bonkers if true”Credit:@GarethWynDavies”Certainly didn’t see that one coming. Be happy if he’s got the job though.”Credit:@Flintey”Yeah certainly seems the best of the potential bunch.”Credit:@GarethWynDaviesIn other news, fans have been reacting to former Crystal Palace striker Glenn Murray’s retirement from football.

Sheffield Wednesday stalwart Sam Hutchinson is set to stay at Hillsborough for another season, having triggered a clause in his contract.

The Lowdown: Great servant for the Owls

The  31-year-old has been a great servant for the Owls, making 176 appearances and scoring seven goals for the club, impressing with his tenacious style, both in midfield and at centre-back.

With Wednesday relegated to League One, they could lose a number of key figures in the summer transfer window, acting as a further blow to their hopes.

The Latest: Hutchinson set to extend stay

Hutchinson looks set to remain at the club, however, with the Sheffield Star reporting that the one-year option in his contract has been triggered.

The clause relates to the midfielder playing an unspecified number of game since re-joining in January.

The Verdict: Key to promotion push

At 31, Hutchinson may not represent the future for Wednesday, but his experience will be key in League One, as Darren Moore’s side look to return to the Championship as quickly as possible.

His professionalism, quality and leadership all need to come to the fore, especially if the Owls potentially lose other influential figures, such as Barry Bannan.

Hutchinson will now hopefully reach a milestone of 200 appearances for Wednesday, assuming he can remain injury-free – something that has been such an issue in the past.

In other news, one Sheff Wed player is being tipped to leave the club this summer. Read more here.

Many Glasgow Rangers fans are livid with comments from politician James Dornan as the fall-out following their Premiership title celebrations continues.

This campaign has been one many Gers fans will never forget. They picked up their first top-flight title in 10 years, and they even went the entire campaign in the Premiership unbeaten (BBC). In fact, they only suffered three defeats across the whole season, one of which was on penalties (Transfermarkt).

Following the 4-0 defeat of Aberdeen on the final day of the season, throngs of Rangers supporters took to the streets of Glasgow to celebrate the team being given the trophy. There was some trouble in George Square – 20 arrests were made (firstpost.com) – but the celebrations were generally peaceful.

There have been plenty of discussion regarding sectarian chanting, with Rangers players and fans accused of singing anti-Catholic songs – there has been no proof of either charge as of yet.. However, football commentator Derek Clark @derekclarksport has put together two tweets from SNP politician Dornan, who appears to have indirectly shown double standards.

Dornan’s tweets were shared by Clark on Twitter and they attracted plenty of attention from Gers supporters. These took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on the matter.

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

“See for all this talk about the constant singing of anti-Catholic and anti-Irish songs from a week past Saturday I’ve still not seen any videos of it. Surely with the amount of people there a video of it would have surfaced somewhere?”

Credit: @RyanKerr_1

“What a shocker @glasgowcathcart still pontificating while remaining silent on the apology front he said he would do himself.”

Credit: @GBryson86

“The double Standards”

Credit: @ayeready1872

@glasgowcathcart thinks it’s OK to have a hatred towards people from the UK, but not OK if that hatred is directed towards Irish. Normal people call out hatred wherever it’s directed.

Credit: @NoColoursLaddie

“This however, is exactly why people like @glasgowcathcart have zero credibility. They believe they and only they, get to decide what is and isn’t acceptable. Condemn others, but when they vent their anti-UK bigotry and hate, they should be allowed to do so with complete impunity.”

Credit: @wavydot

“He’s lost it”

Credit: @declanlally

In other news, these European giants are interested in signing Joe Aribo.

Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa could land a superb signing in Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah this summer.

What’s the story?

The England under-21 international was on the books at Elland Road during a half-season loan spell when the Whites were in the Championship, and while the Gunners ended up recalling him in January 2020, it appears they are now keen to offload him on a permanent basis.

According to Football Insider, Leeds have been offered the chance to sign Nketiah permanently, with Arsenal willing to listen to offers in order to fund a summer rebuild.

Bielsa rates him

Despite only briefly playing under Bielsa – he featured just 19 times and scored five goals – the £17m-rated forward appeared to leave a big impression back at Elland Road.

Bielsa himself said: “He’s a specialist great player with a lot of resources and our play is a collective way of playing and one player needs to adapt to this style.

“For this reason when we felt he was part of the team we thought that we were going to feel the same and that he would continue with us. He didn’t take this decision but he is a great player, an excellent professional and he had very good behaviour, he is a gentleman in every sense.”Former Leeds striker Noel Whelan has waxed lyrical about Nketiah, claiming that his style of play is very much reminiscent of Jermain Defoe. He said: “He reminds me of another Jermaine Defoe and look at how well he did at West Ham. He’s very much that similar sort of player. He plays off the shoulder, very dangerous in the box. He’s a player you can’t take your eyes off because his movement’s so good.”

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/leeds-united-marcelo-bielsa-transfer-gossip-rumours-news-elland-road-rodrigo-de-paul” title=”Read the latest Leeds transfer rumours and news!”]

Given his previous experience of playing at Elland Road under Bielsa, Nketiah would fancy his chances of hitting the ground running were he to join Leeds a second time.

Meanwhile, Bielsa can sign this Championship starlet who silenced Elland Road for free…

Glasgow Rangers captain James Tavernier has refused to criticise the idea of the Gers joining a British Super League in the future.

Tavernier discusses BSL

Earlier this week, the European Super League fell apart within 48 hours of its creation (The Guardian). However, the prospect of the venture saw the re-emergence of suggestions of a British Super League involving Rangers and Celtic (The Sun via football365.com).

Speaking ahead of the 55-time champions’ clash with St Johnstone in the Scottish Cup, Tavernier said (via The Scotsman):

“As long as Rangers Football Club is always going to be competitive in trophies, that’s what we want to do.

“It’s one of those things where it’s a lot higher than the players. You saw that with the European Super League, it comes from a lot higher up in the clubs. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. I think it’s way above my pay grade!”

Difficult

Talks of the Old Firm duo joining the English footballing pyramid have been around for years – quite frankly, it seems to be a pipe dream. However, if it were to materialise, £7.2m-valued Tavernier (Transfermarkt) may well be disappointed, as winning trophies would become an awful lot harder.

With no disrespect to the Gers, they are currently playing in a league where they only have one real competitor for titles in Celtic. In a British Super League, the level of competition would increase significantly, and the Gers would no longer be able to overpower their opponents financially.

There are plenty of reasons why the Gers would be interested in such a project, but adding to their trophy cabinet would not be one of them.

In other news, this ace previously compared to Lionel Messi would be eager to move to Rangers.