It would be an understatement to say that it’s been one hell of a season for Luton Town.
From losing their manager midway through the season to breaking the club’s unbeaten record to winning the League One title and claiming back-to-back promotions, life could not be any better as a Luton fan, but the good times could all be about to come to a grinding halt.
With success in a short timeframe in football comes interest for players, and Luton is no exception as according to the Daily Mail, Leicester City are interested in Hatters fullback James Justin, who has been one of the breakout players for the club this season.
The 21-year-old defender has been one of the best defenders in League One this season, scoring three and assisting eight as well as being named in the PFA Team of the Year for the division, and with a reported price tag of £5 million, Luton faces a fight to keep hold of Justin.
With the Luton academy product being such a standout this season, it is likely the interest won’t just stop at Leicester, and the Hatters need to be ready to fight off wave after wave of bids for their star defender.
Justin is a player who is likely to go on to become an exceptional defender in the future, and with Luton heading into the Championship next season, the 21-year-old will not only be an even more important figure for the London side but will continue his development in the first-team against better opposition.
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Luton will be besieged with offers this summer, but for Justin in particular, he is a player the club must do everything in their power to keep their talented defender at Kenilworth Road for the foreseeable future.
Luton fans, will Justin remain at the club this summer? Let us know!
Loads of Liverpool fans have been discussing the future of Dejan Lovren after a report detailing the futures of several Liverpool players.
GOAL.com’s Liverpool correspondent Neil Jones has released a report discussing the goals and expectations surrounding the Reds’ summer transfer activity, and his comments on Lovren have really got fans talking.
According to Jones’ report, the Croatian international could be sold this summer if a sizable offer comes in, but the club is not actively shopping for an upgrade.
This comes after much speculation surrounding a move for Matthijs de Ligt, who many Reds fans see as the perfect long-term partner for compatriot Virgil van Dijk.
Lovren meanwhile has fallen by the wayside this season, losing his place first to Joe Gomez and later to Joel Matip after the Englishman picked up an injury.
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While many see the Croatian as a solid fourth option in the heart of defence, others have been hurt too many times by his predictable mistakes.
You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, where Jones’ report has produced a mixed reaction…
West Ham United are interested in Newcastle United midfielders Jonjo Shelvey and Isaac Hayden, per Chronicle Live.
What’s the word?
The Hammers are looking to strengthen their squad this summer and have been linked with a number of players.
Football FanCast understands that the club are interested in acquiring Aleksandar Mitrovic from Fulham and have also been touted as potential suitors for West Bromwich Albion forward Salomon Rondon.
Hayden has expressed a desire to leave Newcastle as he wishes to move closer to his family down south; manager Rafael Benitez is thus willing to countenance a sale, the report claims.
Benitez, though, also faces an uncertain future and transfer business, per Chronicle Live, is subsequently on hold until he commits to the club.
The Hammers are interested in signing Hayden but they also hold a long-term interest in Shelvey, per the report, and could look to secure his signature.
The latter is currently the Magpies’ highest-earner, with a weekly wage of £80,000.
The London club, however, are only said to be likely to bid for one Newcastle player this summer.
An expensive back-up
Neither Hayden nor Shelvey are likely to play very much if they move to east London.
Declan Rice is the undisputed first-choice in central midfield alongside Mark Noble and, while there is a need to secure a back-up, it seems like this would be a remarkably expensive way of going about it.
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Each player is seen as important by Newcastle and Benitez would need owner Mike Ashley to demand a big fee that he could reinvest.
Dealing with Ashley, of course, is complicated even for the staff he employs.
West Ham would do well to look elsewhere, then, otherwise they risk being out of pocket for a player who is unlikely to make more than 15 appearances next season.
Now that the dust has settled from what was a roller-coaster of a season for Leeds United, boss Marcelo Bielsa will be looking towards where he can strengthen his side this summer ahead of another year in the Championship.
Having narrowly missed on promotion to the Premier League, it could be argued that if the Whites can keep the nucleus of their squad intact over the coming months, they will be strong favourites for the second tier title.
Yet in order to keep Leeds heading in the right direction, Bielsa must first make a definitive decision on the club’s goalkeeping issues.
Despite starting the 2018/19 campaign with Bailey Peacock-Farrell as his number one choice, the Argentine ended up losing faith in the Thorp Arch academy graduate and brought in Kiko Casilla from Real Madrid in January.
Although the Spaniard seemed to be the perfect signing on paper given his vast amount of experience in La Liga, he, unfortunately, failed to deliver for Leeds and was a complete and utter liability in their play-off defeat to Derby earlier this month.
With a conundrum on his hands heading into the upcoming campaign, Bielsa simply has to consider offering Peacock-Farrell another chance to impress as he didn’t do too much wrong, barring a couple of errors, during his 28 Championship appearances last season.
According to Football Insider, the Northern Ireland international is on the verge of agreeing a new deal with Leeds which will extend his stay at Elland Road for the foreseeable future.
If this is indeed true, it is imperative that Peacock-Farrell makes the step up required over the coming months to get himself in the best shape possible to help launch a sustained push for promotion.
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Still only 22-years-old, the shot-stopper still has plenty of time left in his career to fulfil his potential yet the only way that will be able to do just that is by playing regular first-team football.
What do you think Leeds fans? Should Bielsa give Peacock-Farrell another chance to impress next season? Or would it be more beneficial for the Argentine to bring in a keeper when the transfer window opens in July? Get in touch below.
Over the past year Jadon Sancho has become a trailblazer for young British footballers everywhere.
Suddenly we’ve started to see a number of players move out to Germany after the former Manchester City man proved there was a pathway to the top outside of English football.
But a year before his transfer to Dortmund, a certain Scotsman had also made the move to German shores, intriguingly switching Nottingham Forest for RB Leipzig.
The man in question is, of course, Oliver Burke, a player who has somehow racked up £28m in transfer fees after arriving in the Bundesliga and then the Premier League.
Football is a funny game, it’s a bizarre business too. In 2016, four goals in five games at the start of the season was apparently enough to see you get a £13m move from the Championship to Germany’s top tier.
It was a move that caught the eye, but after scoring just once in 25 matches for the German side, Burke found himself back in England.
This time it was a £15m transfer as Tony Pulis brought the Scottish international to the Hawthorns.
How he’s been able to command those types of fees must be dictated by his age. Now into his 20s, Burke still has promise, yet his performances over the last few years have been particularly poor.
As a teenager at Forest he was one of the best up and coming talents in the second tier. Now, however, his stock has decreased significantly.
His loan move to Celtic saw him score four times in 11 SPFL matches. Under the stewardship of Brendan Rodgers he looked a changed man. But after the Northern Irishman left for Leicester, his performances went downhill.
On that evidence, perhaps Rodgers is the man Albion need as their new manager? It’s beyond the realms of possibility but it proves how a progressive coach can improve Burke.
In the final months of the season he was particularly poor in Scotland, as his season ended rather typically with an injury. He was then completely outshone last month when 16-year-old Karamoko Dembele replaced him at half-time against Hearts.
If that doesn’t sum up his career so far nothing will.
West Brom fans will be forgiven for thinking he shouldn’t be given another chance. In many ways it’s difficult to disagree.
Yet with a monumental rebuild on the club’s hands ahead of next season, Burke can be key, especially after a permanent move to the Hoops was put in doubt.
If there was ever a chance to give him a second opportunity in the Midlands, now is the time.
The Scotsman earns £30,000 a week at the Baggies which puts him among the highest earners at the club. Does he deserve to be? Arguably not.
With as many as five players possibly leaving, it remains to be seen whether Burke will be among those to depart.
His performances for Celtic prove it’s unlikely he’d be able to turn his career around in such quick fashion, but if Albion hire a coach who can develop the younger players at the club, he has a future.
West Brom have a number of young talents coming through their ranks at the moment. One of the most impressive is Kyle Edwards. On paper, a wide area consisting of him and Burke is exciting, especially at Championship level.
There lies the solution to the club’s rebuild. They simply have to place their faith in those with potential, rather than players who are past their use by date.
By building that philosophy, the stage could be set for Burke’s transformation.
Since signing he’s started just twice and has failed to find the back of the net. It’s been a horrendous move but now is his opportunity to prove his worth.
After a number of moves to various clubs the winger needs to find a settled place to play his football. At Celtic there were a few glimpses of the maturing player he can become and, if he can provide even an inch of that going into next season, West Brom could be onto something.
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As well as playing on the wing, he could also be utilised as a number nine, a role he played in for Celtic.
With Dwight Gayle not returning and Jay Rodriguez looking as though he could leave, that aspect of his game can be particularly useful.
Watch fans explain why the Football League is better than the Premier League in the video below…
Burke has never been a £15m player, but that’s the state of transfer fees in what seems to be an ever inflated market.
£5m of that transfer fee is still owed to Leipzig. Considering West Brom are trying to cut back this summer, it’s a far from ideal situation.
However, if both player and club can forget about the sheer amount of money that was involved in his move, he may finally start to flourish.
After being called up to Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad, it really feels like a turning point for the wide man.
It’s now up to West Brom to take full advantage of it.
[ad_pod ]According to The Sun, Tottenham are looking to offload fan favourite Danny Rose and replace him with Fulham starlet Ryan Sessegnon in a deal worth £35m.
What’s the word, then?
Well, the Champions League finalists are reportedly happy to let the England international leave the club, with Mauricio Pochettino looking to trade the 28-year-old for a younger model in 19-year-old Sessegnon.
The north Londoners may have to pay £35m for the teenager whose first taste of Premier League football ended in relegation with the Cottagers.
Check out the video below to find out why Arsenal fans aren’t celebrating Spurs’ UCL final defeat as much as they’d like…
Spurs are said to be finding it difficult to offload Rose, however, and the clubs interested in signing the former Sunderland left-back are struggling to agree on a deal that factors in his wages.
Sessegnon is believed to be viewed as a long-term replacement for the ageing Rose.
Would risk the fans’ fury if Rose was sold
Some Spurs fans absolutely love Rose and would be gutted if he left.
They adore his committed performances and hold him in high regard due to the fact he has been with them since 2007, spending 12 years with the club since signing as a teenager – they will always remember the screamer he scored against Arsenal on his debut.
As you can see, some Tottenham fans really would not be too happy if Rose left the club this summer, which is the last thing the club needs having got the supporters back in their good books after watching games at Wembley and a lack of spending in the last two transfer windows drained the life out of them.
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The new stadium and an exciting run to the Champions League final has built up a bond between the players, Pochettino and the supporters, so damaging ruining that by selling a fan favourite would be an unwise move.
After two consecutive seasons of fighting for survival, how does Ralph Hasenhuttl take this Southampton side away from the danger zone?
For one former Saint, the answer lies in two attacking players: Nathan Redmond and Danny Ings.
“Players like Redmond have kicked on this year. I think he flattered to deceive, but now he’s got goals and end product to his game,” Nicky Banger told the Daily Echo. “He looks like a very, very key player.
“I think if we can keep Ings fitter and play him a little bit more then we can start to build around the squad.”
If Southampton are to climb the table next season, then Redmond will have to deliver. In Banger’s words, the 25-year-old is a key player, a key player who is starting to express himself fully now that Ralph Hasenhuttl is at the helm.
Under Mauricio Pellegrino and Mark Hughes, he looked really restricted. Back in the 2017/18 Premier League season, the England international was making 1.8 dribbles per game, whereas in the last campaign he was able to make 2.4 (as per WhoScored).
Undoubtedly, in attack, Hasenhuttl has given Redmond more freedom and he is now flourishing, scoring six goals following a term where he managed just one.
Based on that, the former Norwich City man will surely have a role to play if Southampton are to have a successful 2019/20 season.
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As for Ings, while he certainly has the backing of Banger, no one would be surprised if the 26-year-old was unable to make a similar impact given his injury record. He spent a lot of time in the stands last campaign and, ultimately, does not look like the sort of No.9 you can rely on.
After contrasting seasons, while Redmond looks like he could be the protagonist for the Saints going forward, the jury is still arguably out on Ings.
According to the Daily Mail, Ryan Bertrand has attracted interest from both Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid with Southampton open to bids for the left-back.
What’s the deal, then?
The 29-year-old has two years left on his contract but, according to the Daily Mail, Saints are keen to move him on and give academy graduate full-back Matt Targett a consistent run in the starting XI.
Manchester City showed interest for Bertrand in 2017 and 2018, but both times Pep Guardiola’s side were told he was not for sale.
But now it appears the south coast side are open to offers to take him away from St Mary’s in what they are hoping will be a deal worth around £15million.
Selling Bertrand a risk Hasenhuttl should be reluctant to take
When you look at the statistics it is pretty damning that Bertrand is clearly not an improving player – which is not a surprise given he is nearly in his 30s.
The former Chelsea man failed to provide a single assist last season, compared to his previous three seasons where he had managed at least four in each campaign.
With that being said, players with the experience that Bertrand has – he has made appearances in 10 different Premier League seasons since the age of 21 – are imperative to a side who have stared relegation in the face for the past two seasons.
Hasenhuttl said in an interview with Bild last week that his transfer policy this summer was to sign players between the ages of 20 and 24, and he has already made one of those with the acquisition of Moussa Djenepo.
But with that comes the need for older heads who can use their knowledge and maturity to keep things on an even keel on the pitch and in the dressing room.
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Southampton’s new man Moussa Djenepo divides opinion amongst fans in the video below…
It is a positive sign for Saints fans that Hasenhuttl is set on building a young, hungry squad.
But he should not get carried away with that narrative at the expense of seasoned pros such as Bertrand.
[ad_pod ]Former Celtic striker and current BT Sport pundit John Hartson has been left perplexed by Arsenal’s reported low-ball offer for Celtic left-back Kieran Tierney.
What’s he said?
The Scottish Sun reported on Friday that the Gunners have made a £15m move for the Scotland international, which has been rejected out of hand by the Scottish champions.
Tierney is one of Celtic’s most important players and a fan favourite, and as such there’s a feeling that Arsenal have not represented his true value with their opening offer.
How can Celtic improve next season? A Hoops fan tells us how in the video below…
John Hartson was left baffled, taking to Twitter to share his initial verdict on it all.
Can Celtic keep hold of Tierney this summer?
Hartson is right to suggest he is worth far more to the Hoops than £15m, with his contract not expiring until 2023.
Having made 170 appearances since his debut back in 2015, he’s been a crucial part of the incredible trophy success that Celtic have enjoyed over the last few years.
Despite having their bid rejected, The Scottish Sun report that Arsenal are expected to try and sign him again with a new bid in the coming days, potentially offering unwanted Gunners players as part of the deal.
The paper say Celtic value him as worth £25m.
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If more firm bids are in the offing from Europe’s elite clubs then Celtic could have a real battle on their hands to convince the defender that his future and development is best served by playing in the Scottish Premiership.
Celtic have no recognised left-backs available to step into Tierney’s boots, so the club must think carefully about how to proceed, especially with vital Champions League qualifiers on the horizon.
David Ornstein’s transfer news has become the stuff of legend in the Arsenal community, yet his latest update should make for worrying reading for fans.
The BBC Sport journalist revealed on Twitter that the Gunners were in fact still interested in Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha, however a move for the Ivorian would be difficult given Arsenal’s limited resources and the Eagles’ valuation of £80 million for the attacker, and that the only reasonable way to sign the former Manchester United man will be to sell a key player such as a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Indeed, Zaha could arguably make for a good signing for Arsenal as well as any other side in the top-six in need of a versatile attacker. Heralded as one of the best players outside the top six by the Daily Mail back in April, the 26-year-old’s ability to play on both wings and centre-forward based on position starts via Transfermarkt is something that few players can do in this age of the game.
Making 17 appearances on the left, 15 in the middle and a further two times both as a right-winger and a second striker, it’s clear to see he does boast the kind of talent to fit across the frontline. After the departure of Danny Welbeck – who made 5 appearances each as a left-winger or a centre-forward as well as 2 on the right and 1 as a support striker – that’d be useful.
Alongside his exit and since the failed swap deal of Alexis Sanchez and Henrikh Mkhitaryan in which the Armenian winger has failed massively to fill in the shoes of the Chilean based on his stats (a pretty low 6 goals and 4 assists) from last season, the Palace star’s CV certainly fits the bill, but here’s why we think the Gunners are making a mistake going in for the Ivorian.
Frankly, the biggest and most glaring issue is the money. Sure, Zaha could be affordable if Arsenal are to sell an Aubameyang or an Alexandre Lacazette, but would the club really let go one of their most important players who both performed better than the Palace man next season based on stats from WhoScored?
The second problem with trying to bring Zaha in is that it immediately throws away any sort of ‘transition team’ model that Arsenal themselves stated on their official website when Freddie Ljungberg was announced as a first-team assistant coach.
With the likes of Reiss Nelson, Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah all realistically having a shot at making the first-team next season given their impressive years last time out, introducing a big-money player like Zaha will completely block a path to the senior team for them, and in doing so halting an exciting project before it even got started.
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Zaha’s qualities are clear to see with his double-digit goals and assists last season, but with the money that’s being talked about and the long-term plans affected by this move, they should steer clear.
Arsenal fans, do you think the club should sign Zaha? Let us know!