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Leeds United could sign a dream Rodrigo de Paul alternative in Arsenal star Joe Willock amid David Norris’ transfer claim.

What’s the story?

The England U21 international spent the last Premier League season on loan at Newcastle, starring for the Magpies as they staved off relegation with some impressive form towards the end of the campaign – they won five out of their last eight games.

And now, Norris has claimed that with the Gunners potentially being open to letting Willock go this summer, he has the potential to turn into a “decent signing” for Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

Speaking exclusively to This is Futbol, Norris said: “I think initially like it was at Newcastle, he would be a slightly underwhelming signing but would come with the potential to turn into a decent signing.”

Forget De Paul

Reports in recent weeks and months had claimed that De Paul was a key target for Marcelo Bielsa’s side, but Fabrizio Romano recently delivered a crushing blow to their hopes, claiming that Spanish giants Atletico Madrid were now close to clinching his signing.

While Bielsa may be gutted at having missed out on the Argentine’s signing, he could get a similarly dynamic midfielder in the much-younger Willock.

After seeing him score on his Newcastle debut against Southampton last season, Newcastle boss Steve Bruce claimed that Willock has the style of play from which his side could really benefit.

He said: “It was a classic midfield player’s goal from the ability to arrive in the box, and that’s what he’s brought us. He can go box-to-box, he’s a terrific athlete, the kid, a typical modern-day midfield player who has the ability to get up and down the pitch quickly and has that added ability to score a goal.”

That ability to get into the box at the right time to finish things off is something about which Arsenal legend Martin Keown has waxed lyrical, too, hailing him after his goal-scoring display against Dundalk in the Europa League earlier last season.

The ex-Gunners defender said: “The point is, he can do so much, he gets in the box in the right place at the right time. He wants it to feet, he’s always on the half-turn, which is nice to see. Today I saw a bit more athleticism rather than just coasting in there. His overall game is really good.”

The £34m-rated midfielder haul off 11 goals in all competitions last season was actually better than what De Paul managed (nine), and went on a real hot streak to end the campaign – he bagged seven in seven in the Premier League, becoming the youngest player ever to achieve that feat, making him a top-flight record breaker.

With his ability to score goals from midfield, Willock has everything in his locker to be a real dream alternative to De Paul, and offer the same kind of attacking dynamism that the Argentine would have brought.

Meanwhile, Beren Cross has dropped a Leeds United transfer update…

Glasgow Rangers fans were livid with a tweet from journalist Hugh Keevins after it was revealed the Gers will start charging reporters to cover the Ibrox outfit.

The Gers have had a trouble relationship with the mainstream media in Scotland in recent years – Club 1872, a fan supporters group, have been forced to file and IPSO complaint previously, while the fans have had run-ins with journalists such as Keith Jackson or Graham Spiers.

It seems the 55-time Scottish champions are looking to take matters into their own hands. As reported by The Mail’s Mike Keegan, the Gers will start charging reports as much as £25,000 for them to cover matches at Ibrox and also speak to Steven Gerrard, the manager. Keevins didn’t appear too happy, suggesting the move was like asking bus drivers to pay their employers to drive the bus.

Keevins shared his thoughts on Twitter, and his comments attracted the attention of the Gers supporters – they were very unhappy, with many saying that Rangers do not work for the media or vice versa. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

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

“You can disagree and challenge the idea but that’s an absurd comparison. The media don’t work for Rangers.”

Credit: @AMcKellar89

“That’s a really poor analogy is it not?”

Credit: @JHC17626935

“What a preposterous analogy. Douglas Park’s bus drivers are employees of Douglas Park. You and your colleagues are not employees of Rangers.”

Credit: @RossMcFarlane1

“The coach drivers are employees of Parks of Hamilton. The journalists are not employees of Rangers, but do make money for their organisation by performing a task which is already done in house by Rangers. A ridiculous false equivalence.”

Credit: @chelt_lad

“This is arguably the worst analogy I’ve seen from you not involving Nuremberg. That in itself is remarkable.”

Credit: @angryscotsman81

“Stupid analogy – the press are not employed by Rangers. I’d much rather get my news straight from my club anyway. Most media outlets derive their news from social media platforms these days and quality sports journalism is very rare – particularly in Scotland.”

Credit: @HamptonCaught

In other news, Rangers fans were livid at this Wembley photo.

An update has emerged on Newcastle United target Kyle Bartley.

What’s the talk?

According to the Birmingham Mail, West Brom are determined to keep hold of Newcastle target Kyle Bartley this summer as they attempt to build a squad capable of returning to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

The report claims that Newcastle, Burnley and Crystal Palace are all interested in the centre-back, who has one year left on his contract at The Hawthorns. Although, he is said to be happy with his situation at West Brom and is not desperate to depart.

Upgrade on Fernandez

Newcastle owner Mike Ashley must sanction a deal to sign Bartley this summer, irrespective of this latest update and West Brom’s hopes of keeping him.

The Magpies chief should look to make them an offer they can’t turn down or try to convince Bartley that a move to St. James’ Park is what is best for him ahead of next season as he could be a terrific addition to Steve Bruce’s squad.

He could represent an upgrade on what Bruce already has at his disposal, particularly in regards to Federico Fernandez. The 32-year-old started 24 of Newcastle’s games at centre-back last season and averaged an unimpressive WhoScored rating of 6.64. Bartley, meanwhile, averaged a score of 6.79 in 28 starts for the Baggies despite their relegation back down to the Championship.

This shows that he can perform to a higher standard in the Premier League than Fernandez whilst playing in a struggling side, or at least a side struggling more than Newcastle. He is also two years younger than the former Napoli man, which could give him more time to be a key player in Bruce’s squad.

Earlier this year, former Baggies boss Sam Allardyce labelled Bartley as a “leader” and said that his quality stands out at West Brom with his experience on the pitch.

He said:

“Now he is coming to the age I think where his experience and his quality is standing out.

“He is a good talker and a good leader and we all know there aren’t many of them about these days.

“That defensive unit has been – and will continue to be – the backbone of helping us get out of trouble if we are to do so.”

The £15k-per-week beast would be an upgrade on Fernandez and would also arrive with all the tools to be a leader on the pitch, something that Newcastle are in desperate need of.

Ashley must ensure that he can get a deal over the line for the former Arsenal enforcer.

AND in other news, NUFC in talks over deal for “terrific” £20k-p/w record-breaker, Bruce will be buzzing…

Carlton Palmer has offered his opinion on whether or not James Ward-Prowse would be interested in joining Aston Villa…

What’s the talk?

The former Premier League midfielder has suggested that the Southampton captain would be tempted by a switch to Aston Villa this summer. Dean Smith is reportedly keen on snapping the England international up in the coming weeks and Palmer believes that they are a club he would like to join.

The former England international told Football FanCast: “If you’re being linked to Aston Villa, it’s an exciting time. It’s a young team with a great management team in Dean Smith and John Terry. It’s a club you’d want to go and join.

“He loves Southampton but if you’re ambitious, you want to go on and be the best you can. He’ll want to claim international honours and that’s only going to happen if you’re playing for a strong side.”

Lange must strike

Johan Lange must strike and pounce on any potential doubts in Ward-Prowse’s desire to stay at Southampton this summer. If there is even the slightest suggestion that the midfielder could be convinced to ditch the Saints and join Villa, Lange must explore every possible avenue to bring him to the Midlands, as he could be a terrific addition to Smith’s squad.

Ward-Prowse is a proven Premier League-quality midfielder who is heading into the peak of his career at the age of 26. He has played more than 250 games in the English top flight and has averaged a WhoScored rating of 6.87 or higher in each of the past three campaigns, exceeding 7.06 in two of them. This shows that he has the consistency and ability to be a top player at this level, and that is why Villa would benefit from his arrival.

Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl lauded Ward-Prowse as “outstanding” at the end of last season as the midfield maestro was named the club’s Player of the Year for his impressive efforts throughout the campaign.

The Austrian told the Daily Echo: “It’s not surprising for me, a player who played every minute this season is unbelievable.

“His physicality and his performances are outstanding. That’s our captain on the pitch and he is on the way that he is a very important player for this club for the long term, I think.”

John McGinn managed the highest WhoScored rating out of all of Villa’s central midfielders last term with a score of 6.88. Douglas Luiz, his main midfield partner, achieved a rating of 6.67 and comparing them to Ward-Prowse highlights the improvement the Saints skipper would bring to the side. The £75,000-per-week beast earned an eye-catching 7.07 rating whilst scoring eight goals and setting up another seven, which is more than McGinn and Luiz combined.

Therefore, he could provide a significant step-up in regards to Smith’s central midfield options. This is why Lange must pursue a deal for the Southampton man and do all that he can to prise him away from St Mary’s ahead of next season.

AND in other news, Aston Villa must act swiftly to sign £40m beast, he’s “Drogba-esque”…

Newcastle United are expecting to hear ‘something significant’ on their Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) case against the Premier League imminently.

That’s according to Shields Gazette journalist Liam Kennedy (via Twitter).

The lowdown

Mike Ashley has taken the Premier League to the CAT as well as initiating arbitration proceedings, and the disputes centre around the stalled takeover by a Saudi-led consortium.

A report from The Independent on Saturday suggested that the takeover was unlikely to go through before the start of the new Premier League season as Newcastle kick-off the campaign with a home fixture against West Ham United on 15 August.

A source told the newspaper that ‘the uncertainty is affecting how the club is operating’, with Ashley reluctant to spend on transfers ‘if he is not going to be the owner’.

The latest

‘Club sources’ have indicated that an important update on the CAT case will arrive as soon as ‘this week’.

However, Kennedy does sound a note of instinctive scepticism as he tweeted: “Club sources suggesting they are expecting to hear something significant on the CAT case this week.

“As ever with #NUFC though, we watch & wait.”

The verdict

At this stage, it would be understandable if Newcastle fans were distancing themselves from all the noise surrounding this prospective takeover.

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters offered assurances at the start of this year that a resolution would be reached ‘in a timely manner’, but it has proven to be an exhausting process.

However, Kennedy’s update offers optimism that things are finally starting to ramp up, hopefully leading to decisive developments in the next month or so.

In other news, the demands of this Newcastle target have been revealed.

Michael Ball has offered his thoughts on Yerry Mina’s future at Everton amid links to Kalidou Koulibaly.

What’s the talk?

Former Everton defender Michael Ball has claimed that he could see Yerry Mina leave the club this summer if Rafa Benitez brings in Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli. He told This is Futbol:

“I can see Mina going if Koulibaly comes in.

“I feel, with the big wages and also his international image, Everton could probably demand a decent fee which could go towards new signings.”

Everton have been touted with a potential swoop for Koulibaly from Napoli this window, but the Italian club are determined to keep hold of the Senegal international.

Fans would be buzzing

Marcel Brands must ruthlessly axe Mina from Everton’s squad this summer if he can replace him with Koulibaly, or another quality centre-back target.

The Colombian defender played fewer Premier League matches than Ben Godfrey, Mason Holgate and Michael Keane last season, with Carlo Ancelotti opting for a back-three for the most part.

If Rafa Benitez comes in and opts to play a back-four, then Mina could be well down the pecking order. He could potentially be the fourth-choice option behind the aforementioned trio, which is not ideal for a player who is on £120k-per-week – the highest wage at the club.

Supporters will not want to see a reserve option taking up such a chunk of the wage bill when that money could be better spent elsewhere. Therefore, fans will be buzzing to see Mina sold if it means that the club can bring in an upgrade on the defender.

Speaking earlier this year, Ball claimed that Mina and Keane have a “lack of pace” which has played a part in the club’s failures in the Premier League. He said:

“I think Everton’s failures this season is how deep we have played because of the lack of pace of Michael Keane and Yerry Mina.

“They play very, very deep, which is ok to defend as a unit, but it makes it difficult for our midfield. And our lack of legs in midfield, other opposition teams can bully us in those areas and cause us a lot of problems.”

This, along with his wages and potential ranking in the pecking order, suggests that Everton need to sell Mina this summer. If they can get a solid replacement through the door, such as Koulibaly, Brands should be swiftly axing the central defender from the team and moving on.

AND in other news, Brands could finally replace Gueye by landing “excellent” £34k-p/w beast for Everton…

QPR goalkeeper Dillon Barnes is a rumoured loan target for League One side Doncaster Rovers, according to the Doncaster Free Press. 

What’s the story?

Barnes has been with QPR since 2019 and is yet to make a senior appearance for the Rs. He’s found regular game time in the QPR first-team hard to come by in recent seasons, and it seems as though he could be heading for a temporary departure this summer.

The shot-stopper is likely to be behind Seny Dieng in the pecking order in Mark Warburton’s side ahead of the 2021/22 league campaign.

Doncaster Rovers have reportedly expressed an interest in signing Barnes on a temporary basis, with the goalkeeper recently featuring in a pre-season friendly for them, as a second-half substitute.

Doncaster boss Richie Wellens has recently revealed that Barnes is on their radar, but wouldn’t be drawn into making a transfer admission on which goalkeeper he’ll pursue a move for at this moment in time.

The ideal move for all parties

Barnes is unlikely to feature for the QPR first-team this term, with the strong performances of Seny Dieng catching the eye, with the likes of West Ham United previously being interested in a deal to sign the 25-year-old.

Barnes has previously been on the books of Fulham and Colchester United, and with a lack of minutes likely to be on the table from Mark Warburton’s side moving forwards, a move to Doncaster Rovers would be the best move for all parties involved.

The League One side need a shot-stopper ahead of the 2021/22 league campaign, and if they can offer Barnes game time, then it’ll be a no-brainer for Donny to make their move for Barnes. Given that he’s already featured in a pre-season friendly for them, they’re clearly keen to get a move over the line in the near future.

QPR goalkeeping coach Gavin Ward has previously issued high praise for Barnes in an interview with the club’s official website, after his arrival was confirmed back in 2019.

“I’ve seen a lot from him, he has got the raw ingredients to become a very good goalkeeper. We have to perfect that now and make him technically as good as he can be.”

Doncaster Rovers are set to get their new league campaign underway on Saturday 7th August, when they take on AFC Wimbledon, and it’ll be interesting to see which player is between the posts for Richie Wellens’ side.

Southampton were credited with an interest in Barcelona midfielder Alex Collado recently, but the Spaniard is set to complete a move to Club Brugge, which is another setback for Ralph Hasenhuttl.

What’s the word?

According to Italian journalist Gianluca di Marzio (via Tribuna football), the 22-year-old is expected to join Club Brugge, despite interest from Sampdoria, Porto, Fiorentina and Southampton.

So far this summer, Hasenhuttl has signed Theo Walcott, Romain Perraud, Dynel Simeu and Tino Livramento on permanent deals, which still leaves open the possibility of bringing in a loan signing.

The move for Manchester United’s Brandon Williams looks to have fallen through due to the wages that they were demanding, as well as the recent arrival of Livramento, so perhaps Southampton were looking to loan in an attacker instead?

Would Collado have been a good signing?

Since joining Barcelona from Espanyol in 2010, Collado has progressed through La Masia into the first-team, although he has managed just two appearances in his career thus far.

Therefore, it is no surprise to see him leaving on loan, and his performances with Barcelona B and his versatility suggest that he could’ve been a stellar addition to Hasenhuttl’s side.

The £4.5m-rated ace managed 18 goals and 11 assists in 83 appearances for the Barcelona B team and has featured in a number of positions in the midfield and an attack.

He predominantly features in the centre of midfield, and whilst there is plenty of competition in that position, he would offer a very different option to the likes of James Ward-Prowse, Oriol Romeu and Ibrahima Diallo.

As a product of the La Masia academy, Collado will undoubtedly be very confident in possession and capable of a defensive-splitting pass, so could have been an excellent option for Hasenuhttl to bring on to try and change the game, as too often last season they struggled to come back into games once going behind.

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Therefore, the Austrian will be gutted that Southampton have missed out on another transfer target, and will be hoping that he can bring in attacking reinforcements before the window ends.

And, in other news… Imagine him and JWP: Semmens should seal Saints move for beast who “always performs”

Many Wolves fans have been left buzzing as they officially launched their brand new away kit ahead of the 2021/22 season.

Footage of the likes of Adama Traore, Fabio Silva and Raul Jimenez wearing the new shirt was shared by the Midlands club on their official Twitter page.

Members of the Molineux faithful can now buy the new strip on the website – it boasts a predominantly dark grey colour with some Old Gold spatters, dark grey shorts and dark grey socks.

The launch of a new kit is always an exciting time for supporters, as it signals that the new season is not long away, and WWFC fans will be able to see their team wear all of their new shirts in due course, when the new Premier League campaign kicks off next week.

Wolves fans on new kit

These Wanderers buzzed as footage of the new kit was shared on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that it was ‘absolutely fantastic’:

“I love it”

Credit: @wendyayit

“Absolutely fantastic…. Haven’t bought a shirt in years but could not resist this one”

Credit: @martin_h_

“Beautiful kit would look amazing on a new signing”

Credit: @moixlyo

“That’s absolute quality. Nice one.”

Credit: @wolvesbradders

“That’s unbelievable wow”

Credit: @HarrisonPoole5

“That is unreal”

Credit: @bsutton19

In other news, find out what Tim Spiers update has Wanderers raging here!

According to Football Insider, Tottenham Hotspur, and by extension managing director Fabio Paratici, have been in contact to sign Sporting Lisbon midfielder Joao Palhinha as they register their interest.

The Lowdown: Paratici time…

Since the Italian’s appointment, Tottenham have been active in the transfer market in terms of both incomings and outgoings as they aim for a major summer rebuild.

The arrival of Nuno Espirito Santo as new Spurs boss also sets the tone for what will be an interesting 2021/2022 and Paratici’s work has, so far, arguably strengthened the Portuguese’s chances to oversee a successful campaign.

Cristian Romero, Bryan Gil and Pierluigi Gollini have arrived this summer with the likes of Juan Foyth, Joe Hart, Toby Alderweireld, Danny Rose, Erik Lamela, Paulo Gazzaniga all departing (Transfermarkt).

The Latest: Paratici makes contact for Palhinha…

As per a Spurs source at Football Insider, another target has emerged on Paratici’s radar as Tottenham continue their long overdue rebuild.

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Indeed, the Lilywhites have now registered their interest in Palhinha, already making contact with Sporting over his possible signing.

While the 26-year-old has a huge release clause, FI claim that he could leave this summer for as little as £14 million and Nuno is personally a huge admirer of the colossal midfield player.

As Spurs look to strengthen in the final weeks of the window, it appears the Portugal international has emerged as a possible bargain.

The Verdict: Get it done…

Palhinha could be Tottenham’s ideal midfield enforcer signing – especially if they can prise him away for a meagre £14m fee.

Sporting boss Ruben Amorim, speaking to MaisFutebol via Manchester News Today, branded the 6 foot 3 powerhouse as a ‘special player’ – as highlighted by his impressive defensive stats.

According to WhoScored, Palhinha averaged a head-turning 3.3 tackles per 90 in the centre of the park over 28 Liga NOS starts last season – more than any Tottenham player managed in the Premier League.

Therefore, we believe he could be a perfect acquisition for Nuno as Spurs aim for a final transfer flurry before August 31.

In other news: ‘Yes yes yes’, ‘Buzzing’, ‘Game changer’…Many Tottenham fans erupt as ‘beautiful’ news confirmed, find out more here.