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As per a report by Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport, via Sport Witness, a Tottenham Hotspur transfer update has emerged involving AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie.

The Lowdown: Tottenham eye Kessie move…

The 52-cap Ivory Coast star has been on managing director Fabio Paratici’s agenda for quite a while as Spurs reportedly eye his signing as a free agent next summer.

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The Milan midfielder is currently set to leave on a free as things stand, with his contract running down next summer amid claims that Tottenham are certainly interested in him. Paratici is reportedly eyeing top players for low fees as he aims to boost Antonio Conte’s chances of success at N17.

Now, as per Corriere dello Sport, a fresh update has emerged on Spurs’ interest.

The Latest: Kessie handles Spurs offer…

According to their information, relayed by Sport Witness, Kessie has ‘attractive proposals’ from both Tottenham and Paris-Saint Germain, reportedly a major factor as to why he hasn’t agreed a contract extension at the San Siro.

The 25-year-old is demanding €8m (£6.7m) per year while Milan can only offer €6m (£5.07m), with the Lilywhites’ offer apparently more enticing. It is also stated that both Spurs and PSG are ‘on pole’ for his signature.

The Verdict: Get it done…

Thriving further forward under Stefano Pioli last season, scoring 13 goals and four assists in Serie A, Kessie has continued in that vein of form over 2021/22 so far. With five goals across 13 Italian top-flight starts, that’s far more than any Spurs midfielder has managed by comparison, with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg coming closest (two).

Despite being a natural defensive midfielder, the Ivorian could provide an extra degree of threat through the middle for Conte, and his signing on a pre-contract deal would certainly be a bargain.

In other news: Conte personally sets sights on signing £21m ‘top player’ with club now willing to sell, find out more here.

Celtic midfielder Tom Rogic has been ruled out of tonight’s Glasgow Derby with Rangers, Jo Hendry reports.

The Lowdown: Rogic in race against time

Rogic, who Ange Postecoglou labelled as ‘special’, has made 31 appearances this season, contributing to 12 goals.

The Aussie has been away representing his country and featured against Vietnam last Thursday and Oman on Tuesday in World Cup qualifiers.

Postecoglou recently held out hope of having the playmaker available in green and white this evening, but his participation against Oman yesterday has seemingly ruled him out of featuring tonight.

The Latest: Hendry’s post

Hendry took to Twitter on Tuesday afternoon following Postecoglou’s pre-match press conference.

She relayed confirmation from Postecoglou that Rogic is ruled out of the Celtic Park clash and once again stated that Kyogo Furuhashi is weeks away from a return.

The Verdict: Postecoglou now has options

If this game took place when it was initially scheduled for, then Postecoglou could have been in a bit of bother without Rogic.

However, he brought in three midfield additions in the New Year, with Reo Hatate and Matt O’Riley catching the eye in their early displays.

Therefore, with Hatate and O’Riley and Callum McGregor also having a chance of featuring, Postecoglou has more than enough in midfield at his disposal to get a first win over Rangers and take the Hoops back to the top of the Scottish Premiership.

In other news: ‘I can tell you…’ – BBC Radio 5 Live man shares key on-air info on ‘unbelievable’ Celtic ace. 

Graham Roberts has exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that reappointing Mauricio Pochettino as Tottenham manager would “100 percent” be enough to convince Harry Kane to stay this summer.

The pair struck up a close relationship during the Argentine’s five-and-a-half years in north London, with the striker being given the opportunity to establish himself as a regular for both club and country thanks to Pochettino’s trust.

But Pochettino is currently managing PSG following his January appointment, but that hasn’t stopped those expected links with the Spurs vacancy after Jose Mourinho’s sacking last month.

Meanwhile, Kane’s future has come under serious doubt in recent weeks after reports suggested that the England captain will hand in a transfer request should Tottenham fail to qualify for the Champions League.

They’re currently five points behind fourth-placed Chelsea and a further two behind Leicester in third, but they face the Foxes on the final-day.

But Roberts believes that Daniel Levy should apologise to Pochettino and bring him back, and asked whether he thought the sensational return would keep Kane in north London, he told The Transfer Tavern:

“Yes, 100 percent [Kane would stay]. If I was Levy, I’d be on my knees. Sometimes you make mistakes.

“How do you resurrect that? If you must apologise to him or get together and say, this, this and this.

“He knows what the football club is about, he knows what the supporters want, he knows what the chairman wants, and he knows what the players want.”

An exciting Newcastle United claim has emerged regarding their plans for the upcoming transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie has hinted that PIF will be looking to spend more than £50m in the market this summer, whilst not going overboard with their dealings.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “I think their plan is to run it like a business and I think their plan will be to keep costs as low as they can.

“I very much doubt they will manage to keep it to £50million, but I do think what they’ll try and do is bring money in, in terms of player sales as well.”

Supporters will be delighted

Newcastle supporters will surely be delighted with this claim.

Last summer, the only senior addition to the squad was the signing of Joe Willock from Arsenal for a reported £25m. He joined on a permanent basis after spending the second half of the 2020/21 campaign on loan and was the only player brought in by Mike Ashley to bolster Steve Bruce’s squad.

The lack of investment in the team came back to bite the Sports Direct supremo as the Toon became just the fourth team in Premier League history to not win any of their first 14 matches in a top-flight season.

In the last 14 games in the top flight, however, Newcastle have picked up 31 points and are third in the form table behind Manchester City and Liverpool.

The difference between these two stretches of games? The appointment of Eddie Howe and the January transfer window. PIF came in to take over the club from Ashley and invested in the squad by bringing in Kieran Trippier, Dan Burn, Matt Targett, Bruno Guimaraes and Chris Wood in the winter market.

Their work in January gave Howe the ammunition he needed to fire Newcastle to safety and that is exactly what he has done, with the Magpies currently sitting 14 points clear of the bottom three. This suggests that the signings earlier this year gave the club a massive lift, and that is set to save them from relegation.

Therefore, supporters will be excited by the prospect of PIF dropping more than £50m on further signings, as it means that Howe will be backed again and given what he needs to take the Toon to the next level. He will not be hung out to dry like Bruce was by Ashley, which is why fans will be delighted with the owners’ plans.

They will also be buzzing with the claim that PIF still want to run the club like a business and are not going to risk the financial future of Newcastle. The consortium are not looking for instant success which could lead to irreversible financial damage further down the line, and this measured, thought-out approach will surely go down well with the fanbase as it shows ambition and clarity over what the owners want to do.

AND in other news, Journalist reveals two names on Newcastle’s transfer “list”, Eddie Howe will be excited…

Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan has tipped the club to make a ‘vitally important’ signing at left-back this summer.

It looks almost certain that Ezgjan Alioski will leave the Whites at the end of the season, with recent reports even claiming he has agreed to join Galatasaray.

That would mean Marcelo Bielsa is short in the left-back area, as the Leeds boss looks to strengthen his squad ahead of next season.

It is imperative that the Argentine doesn’t rest on his laurels and fail to improve in key areas, as the Whites look to become an established Premier League outfit again.

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Whelan believes a new left-back will join

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan said DoF Victor Orta will ‘definitely’ sign an out-and-out left-back this summer, especially assuming Alioski moves on:

“Yes. I didn’t think he was going to be staying anyway.

“Whether they put an offer on the table or not, he was going to be third, fourth choice from next season. We’re definitely going out there to get a natural left-back, there’s no doubt about that.

“We can’t keep putting round pegs in square holes in that position because it’s vitally important. We know how we use the wing-backs to get forward, with Kalvin Phillips giving us that security.

“That’s one side I felt that the club had to go forward with. They need a real quality, left wing-back on board. Someone to compliment defenders that we’ve already brought in. Also, the other players that we’re going to look to bring in.

“I don’t think it’d be a waste of money keeping him but there’s no friends in football. Sentiment goes out the window. He’s surplus to requirements next season because we need a better player in that position.”

Transfer Tavern take

It makes complete sense for Leeds to bring in an experienced, top-quality left-back, filling the void left by Alioski and hopefully even upgrading on the 29-year-old.

In Leif Davis, Bielsa has an exciting young player to call upon, but he isn’t yet ready to be starting games at the top level every week.

In other news, Leeds are reportedly eyeing up a move for an exciting young player this summer. Read about it here.

Southampton fans have been reacting to the news that Jannik Vestergaard would like to move on if the Saints receive an offer from a top team, and the south-coast outfit are already looking at replacements.

The Saints went through a mixed term last campaign as they reached an F.A Cup semi-final but also finished in 15th place in the Premier League. As such, there is likely to be plenty of business conducted at St. Mary’s Stadium this term – they have already completed one signing, with Romain Perraud joining from Brest (southamptonfc.com).

Now, as per The Athletic, the Saints may be looking to bring in a centre-back. That is because £16.2m-valued Vestergaard (Transfermarkt) will look to move away from the club if an offer from a bigger club were to come on.

The news was shared on Twitter by @SaintsExtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

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

“15 Million for Vestergaard, bring in a young CB to develop, and Salisu ready to go.”

Credit: @EFranzo17

“Get rid and re invest”

Credit: @jimmysaint7

“He’s had about 10 good games in three years since he joined, let’s be honest. Bar the first half of this season he’s been bang average. If someone offers us the £18million we paid for him I’d take it. Salisu is ready to step up this year”

Credit: @Liam_Houghton98

“I wouldn’t be overly disappointed if he left, I’d like him to stay but he is replaceable.”

Credit: @miserygutscoop

“No real loss if we get good money. He’s improved yes but is regularly out of position which has cost us plenty of goals”

Credit: @kellyokid

“He’s gone then. This is the danger of the Stephens extension. 4th choice is fine but if it involves him playing in anything apart from meaningless cup matches then that’s a problem”

Credit: @forkhandl

In other news, Southampton receive an update on this La Liga target.

Former Leeds United favourite Noel Whelan admits he is delighted that Whites midfielder Stuart Dallas has signed a new deal at the club.

The Lowdown: Dallas priceless for Leeds

Leeds had a number of star performers in the Premier League last season, from Kalvin Phillips to Patrick Bamford, but it was Dallas who scooped both the Players’ Player of the Year and Player of the Year awards.

The Northern Irishman was magnificent for Marcelo Bielsa’s side, scoring eight goals from midfield, including a last-gasp winner away to champions Manchester City.

Dallas put pen to paper on a new three-year deal last week, acting as a huge boost for Leeds moving forward, keeping him at Elland Road until 2024.

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The Latest: Whelan hails new deal

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan couldn’t hide his delight at the news, heaping praise on the 30-year-old in the process:

“Absolutely brilliant news. I cannot think of a player that deserves it more than him, to be quite honest with you.

“The last couple of seasons he has been my player of the season. Nobody can say that he does not deserve this three-year deal.

“He has been the ultimate professional. He has never let the team down. I expect that he got a sizeable pay rise which he fully deserves. His performances have been so consistent.”

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The Verdict: Most important player?

There is an argument to say that Dallas is Leeds’ most important player currently, even though he may not always stand out as much as others.

So much of the work he does can go unnoticed, particularly for fans of other clubs who don’t watch him every week, but his versatility and team ethic have played a huge role in Leeds’ success.

Only Bamford scored more goals than Dallas in the league last season, while only five players bettered his average of 1.9 tackles per game, highlighting his quality on and off the ball.

In other news, one pundit admits he would love to see a current Premier League player at Leeds next season. Find out who it is here.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Wolves legend Steve Bull has revealed that he wishes Sir Bobby Robson gave him a chance in the semi-final against West Germany at Italia 90, claiming they wouldn’t know what had hit them.

Bull featured 13 times for England with his first call up coming when Wolves were still in what is now known as League One, something that has never happened since and likely never will again.

England ended up finishing fourth in 1990 after losing to the Germans on penalties in the semi-final, before losing to Italy in the third-place play-off 2-1 thanks to a Salvatore Schillaci penalty in the 87th minute.

Speaking on why he was so desperate to be given a chance against West Germany and what the one thing was that stopped him making an appearance, Bull told FFC:

“It was an absolutely unbelievable experience and I’ve got my fourth place medal on the wall and whenever I walk past it on my stairs I think, ‘we could have won that’.

“The one thing I wish Bobby Robson would have done for me was put me on. He told me to get warmed up and I was about to go stand on the halfway line ready to go come on but by the time I got there that man who eats Walkers crisps, is it Lineker or something? He had scored and then Bobby turned to me and said just sit down.

“I was thinking, just give me 20 minutes because I would’ve been like the Tasmanian devil and they wouldn’t have known what had hit them. I would have just run around like an idiot, I would have been hustling and bustling and I think I would have got one chance.”

It required 83rd and 105th-minute penalties against Cameroon to secure England’s place in the semi-finals of the World Cup, but they were once again undone on a penalty shoot-out by Germany.

West Germany ended up winning the World Cup as they beat Argentinea1-0 in the final after an 85th minute winning penalty from Andreas Brehme, who scored in the shoot-out against England.

Newcastle United must avoid making a major howler this summer and offering Andy Carroll a new contract, amid Steve Howey’s intriguing claim.

What’s the story?

The Magpies striker played just 381 minutes of football in the entire Premier League season, and in fact, had played less than ten minutes since the beginning of March.

Despite the lack of game-time, Howey has insisted he would keep Carroll at St James’ Park, and instead laid the blame at Steve Bruce’s door for the lack of first-team action.

He said: “I’m surprised that Carroll will be out of contract because me personally, I would keep him for another year, I really would. He’s been fit this season but just hasn’t been given the opportunity to play so that’s not his fault.

“It’s not his fault that he’s not played, that’s the manager’s fault because all Carroll can do is be fit. I still think he’s a threat and that centre backs still won’t like playing against him.”

Would be a disaster

While Carroll may be the kind of different dimension of striker that teams might like, he simply hasn’t shown he’s really cut out for this level for a long time now – injuries of course have played their part, but the fact he’s scored just five goals in the past four seasons is a real telling sign of his decline.

Earning a basic £20k-a-week, that rises to a monumental £75k-a-week if he actually starts, and to £35k-a-week if he comes off the bench, Carroll is simply making up the numbers at St James’ Park, at a time when the Magpies desperately need to be getting rid of the deadwood and freeing up the finances.

It’s already been indicated that money will be tight on Tyneside this summer, and having Carroll still pick up a pay-cheque for doing virtually nothing week-in and week-out would be a ridiculous waste of wages.

If Bruce simply doesn’t trust him enough, or doesn’t fancy him, then it’s best for the club to just let him go and loosen up the wage bill a little. The Magpies need to save every penny they can to make a go of signing players like Joe Willock to really take the next step up.

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Keeping Carroll in the hope that he can get back to his best from years ago seems like a foolish mistake to make, and it’s one that won’t have the fans happy at all.

Meanwhile, Newcastle are risking another Andy Carroll disaster with this signing…

Some Rangers supporters have laid into Jack Simpson’s performance in the first half at home to Motherwell.

After the disappointment of losing 2-0 to Lyon in the Europa League on Thursday evening, Steven Gerrard’s side returned to Scottish Premiership action on Sunday.

The Gers had a major incentive going into the game, with a draw enough to take them top of the table, but a victory clearly more preferable.

Gerrard’s men took an early lead through Fashion Sakala, as they took control of proceedings at Ibrox and largely outplayed their opponents.

One player who failed to convince in the opening 45 minutes however was Simpson, as he continues to adjust to life in Scotland.

Rangers fans react to Simpson performance

These Rangers fans were unhappy with the defender’s first-half showing, taking to Twitter to show their unhappiness.

“It’s impressive how often Jack Simpson has made me feel so unconfident with our back line”

Credit: @carsonritchie__

“I’m usually optimistic about players and give them time to settle etc but canny see Jack Simpson ever being good for us”

Credit: @GregMcBride_

“Would honestly have Marge Simpson over Jack Simpson”

Credit: @Grantmckay01

“I can’t keep defending Jack Simpson Homer would be more useful”

Credit: @willytoonsly

“Jack Simpson really does give me the fear”

Credit: @harricrowe

“Honestly think we would be better with homer than jack Simpson at centre half tbh”

Credit: @wmstirling_

In other news, a pundit is thrilled by an update regarding one Rangers player. Find out who it is here.