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Aston Villa will tell midfielder Morgan Sanson he is free to leave the club in the summer, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Sanson’s season

Sanson, who Dean Smith labelled as ‘frustrating’ last year due to injury problems, has made just three league starts all season in what has been a disappointing first full campaign at Villa Park.

Pundit Kevin Phillips believed the French midfielder even stormed off earlier this season against Newcastle, with Sanson also reacting angrily after not coming on against Arsenal back in October.

The 27-year-old started in the 2-1 defeat to Wolves on Saturday afternoon, but prior to that, a major update emerged regarding his Midlands future.

The Latest: Source’s reveal

A Villa source told Football Insider that Steven Gerrard wants to let Sanson go in the summer.

Villa chiefs will now tell the midfielder he can find a new club in the summer window, with Gerrard planning a major overhaul ahead of his first full season in charge.

The Verdict: Right call?

Things just haven’t worked out for Sanson at Villa Park under both Smith and Gerrard, so it seems to make sense to look to cash in ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

He has failed to nail down a starting spot under two different bosses with two different systems, even with Gerrard switching to a 4-3-1-2 system, which appeared to favour Sanson.

Sanson has made just 20 appearances in all competitions and is under contract until 2025, so hopefully, Villa will be able to recoup a large percentage of the £14.22m fee they paid Marseille last year.

In other news: Villa and Lange now make contact with ‘tall’ forward’s agent; possible club-record move. 

Wolves have seen numerous key figures move away from the club over recent years such as Adama Traore, Rui Patricio and Diogo Jota to name a few.

With the upcoming summer transfer window on the horizon, it seems as though the Old Gold could be in danger of seeing another one of their pivotal players pack their bags and wave goodbye to Molineux.

What’s the latest?

According to a recent report from The Sun, proposed Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag will apparently look to make Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves his number one transfer target if he is appointed at Old Trafford.

Neves has been the talk of constant speculation surrounding his future so this update is not a promising one for Wolves.

Fosun disaster

Since joining the Midlands club back in the 2017 summer transfer window from Porto, the midfielder has gone on to make 207 appearances for Wolves across all competitions.

In those appearances, the 25-year-old has found the back of the net 24 times and delivered 12 assists in the process, highlighting how dangerous he can be in front of goal.

Back in October 2018, Wolves journalist Tim Spiers described one particular half-volleyed attempt at goal the former Porto ace had as “cheeky”, an assessment that rather sums up the midfielder’s overall nature.

With four goals and two assists under his belt in this campaign, Neves has also earned himself an overall performance rating of 6.95, making him the second-highest rated Wolves player to start more than four league games according to WhoScored.

To further highlight how important he is to the team in the middle of the pitch off the ball, only Joao Moutinho (274) has managed to rack up more recoveries in the league than his Portuguese compatriot (273).

With Bruno Lage saying that it’s a “big loss” for the team to have Neves out of action through injury at this stage of the season, it’s safe to say that it would be a much bigger loss for the team and club as a whole if the midfielder left in the summer.

Taking all of this into account, Fosun will have to do all they can to avoid disaster and convince the £58k-per-week talent to stay where he is and not join the Manchester club if they come calling.

A good step towards doing this could be to see the team finish above the Red Devils in the league table, which, as things stand, isn’t out of the question by the time the campaign draws to an end.

In other news: Lage can axe “toothless” Wolves flop with swoop for “breathtaking” £28.8m-rated star

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Nottingham Forest legend Garry Birtles has written in his Nottingham Post column that striker Daryl Murphy can be an important player for the club over the remainder of the season, but he has got it completely wrong.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Murphy has become more of a prominent feature in the starting XI following Aitor Karanka’s departure and Martin O’Neill’s arrival at The City Ground last month, starting four of the six Championship fixtures the Irishman has been in charge for to date.

Prior to that he had only made the XI on six occasions this term when the Spaniard was at the helm, and he started with fellow striker Lewis Grabban in the goalless draw against Preston North End at Deepdale last weekend.

Birtles obviously feels that the Republic of Ireland international has big role to play, writing in the Nottingham Post: “Daryl Murphy can sometimes get a bit of stick from some Nottingham Forest fans, but he has shown how important he can be.

“Daryl can be a great outlet for us. He can take the pressure off Lewis a little bit. We can direct the ball towards Daryl, and Lewis can play off him.

“Before, when we just had Lewis up front, the ball was coming back a little bit too often. He’s not the greatest in the air, but Daryl is.

“Daryl will win you plenty of headers and can hold the ball up. That can be a big help for Lewis.

“And having Daryl in the team can give an extra bit of height for set-pieces against us. It’s not always appreciated just how important strikers can be in that sense; in your own box.”

Birtles is wrong

While the 62-year-old is right in some aspects such as the centre-forward being useful in terms of holding the ball up and his presence in both penalty boxes because of his height, he is completely wrong in others.

Basically saying the 35-year-old should be starting alongside Grabban is living in the past and something of a throwback to yesteryear, and football has moved on from a 4-4-2 even if it is a formation O’Neill has sometimes opted for since his return to the club.

Check out Matchday With Max’s verdict on Preston 0-0 Forest in the video below…

Instead of making a veteran striker a key player in the coming weeks and months, they should be doing everything they can to find a role for record signing Joao Carvalho, who has barely featured under the experienced manager to date.

He is the future of Nottingham Forest, and O’Neill needs to adopt some modern-day tactics based around arguably their best player to get the team fighting at the top of the Championship – just look at Leeds United and Norwich City.

Alasdair Gold has delivered a transfer update on a potential Tottenham swoop for Juventus star Paulo Dybala this summer.

What’s the story?

The Argentina international’s contract with the Turin club comes to an end at the climax of this season, and speculation has unsurprisingly arisen about where his future destination could be.

During a Q&A for football.london, Gold revealed: “The whole Dybala thing is an interesting one. It feels very 2019! The fact that he’s expected to be a free agent means you can’t rule anything out, but it feels like a slightly more awkward fit for Spurs in this moment than it did three years ago.

“There’s no doubting he’s talented and still scores goals, with 13 this season from 29 matches – eight in Serie A – but I’m not sure Fabio Paratici is as desperate to sign him as is being reported in some quarters.

“If Spurs do end up moving for him, it might well be because Antonio Conte has requested them to, although I’m not entirely whether Conte’s physical demands during and around matches will suit Dybala either with his last couple of years’ worth of injury problems.”

A statement from Spurs

While Dybala’s injury history is certainly worrisome, that doesn’t detract from the fact that, when he’s fit and on form, he remains an enviable talent who would certainly walk into most teams in Europe.

With 113 goals and 48 assists in 283 games for Juventus, the Argentine has performed at the very highest stage for a number of years, delivering multiple league titles and also competing for the Champions League.

Indeed, Gold himself has said that signing Dybala would be an “eye-catching” signing for the north Londoners, but questioned whether the 28-year-old would be the right fit for Conte’s tactical demands.

On a free transfer, though, it’s difficult to argue against certainly exploring a potential move for the Argentina international, and maybe it could help him rediscover his form and fitness away from Turin.

Whatever the case, it would certainly be a very intriguing and exciting move for Spurs to make.

AND in other news – Left in 2019, now worth £50m: Levy suffered shocking Spurs howler over “insane” star

Sky Sports News have shared the latest injury update on Tottenham Hotspur full-back Matt Doherty live on air.

The Lowdown: Doherty’s rise to prominence

The 30-year-old has risen to prominence at Spurs in recent weeks, having become a key player in Antonio Conte’s starting XI. The Irishman has recently produced two goals and three assists in  the space of six league matches, which has added to the Lilywhites’ push for a fourth-place finish in the Premier League table.

However, Doherty’s contributions for the current campaign have now seemingly come to an end after the defender sustained a knee injury against Aston Villa on Saturday, forcing Conte into an unwanted substitution in the 21st minute.

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The Latest: Sky Sports News drop on-air Doherty update

Reporting live on air, Sky Sports News have revealed that Doherty is out for up to 12 weeks following the injury he sustained against Villa, which means that he will now miss the remainder of the Premier League season.

With the on-air clip shared via Twitter, Sky reported: “BREAKING: Tottenham’s Matt Doherty is out for up to 12 weeks.”

The reporter delivering the update referred to it as “bad news for Tottenham”, with the Irishman having “really found form lately”.

The Verdict: Huge blow for Conte

Conte has struggled with finalising his starting options at wing-back this season. However, Doherty has made the step up in recent weeks and has since featured in the starting XI in Tottenham’s last seven Premier League games.

Consequently, this news will come as a huge blow to the Spurs manager, who will now have to rely on Emerson Royal as the only fit right wing-back available for selection for the remainder of the season. It’s a cruel blow for Doherty, too, who was just hitting his stride after a difficult start to life in north London.

In other news: Fabrizio Romano drops Dejan Kulusevski transfer claim

Having secured a 1-0 victory in their previous SPFL match against Livingston, Rangers are back in action this afternoon with an away clash against Ross County next up for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side in their latest attempt at moving a step closer to securing the league title.

On the chalkboard

In terms of which players Van Bronckhorst could select to be in his starting XI to take on County this afternoon, one figure that didn’t start against Livingston but ended playing a big part in the win that we feel should be in the team from the beginning on this occasion is Scott Arfield. 

After replacing James Sands in the 59th minute in midweek, Arfield managed to get his name on the scoresheet and score the vital goal that earned Rangers the three points on the day. 

With that in mind, it would be a good option to give Arfield, who is currently picking up a weekly wage of £16k-per-week according to Salary Sport, the chance to potentially add another goal to his tally for the season from the start rather than the substitutes bench again. 

Also, with Van Bronckhorst recently sharing his wishes at seeing the Canadian stay at the club for the foreseeable future after his current contract at Ibrox expires at the end of the season, starting him this afternoon would be a good way of proving just how important he is for the team.

Labelled as a “reliable” player for Rangers by Kenny Miller, Arfield has racked up 165 appearances for the Scottish champions across all competitions with 32 goals and 18 assists under his belt, showing not only how experienced he is but also how capable he is in front of goal.

Taking into account how the 33-year-old has already scored against County this season back in August during Rangers’ 4-2 win, he now has the chance to haunt them again this time around and terrify them with his goalscoring ability.

Moving forward, while the midfielder proved in the game against Livingston how much of a useful impact player he can be for Rangers off the substitutes bench, it could be worth starting him this time to see if he can help his side have a more comfortable game this time around.

In other news: “Monitoring”: Journalist delivers key Rangers transfer update which Van Bronckhorst will love…

In our Loan Watch feature, The Transfer Tavern takes a look at how Leeds United winger Helder Costa has fared during a season-long spell at Valencia.

The Lowdown: Option to buy

The Whites made Costa’s loan move permanent following promotion to the Premier League in 2019/20, penning a four-year deal at Elland Road.

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Costa went on to make 22 Premier League appearances under Marcelo Bielsa, scoring three times and registering three assists.

However, he was sent out on loan to Valencia last summer, which included an option to make a deal permanent at the end of the current campaign.

The Latest: Costa in 2021/22

Costa hasn’t fared well over in La Liga, as per SofaScore. The 28-year-old has started just 13 league games, averaging just 52 minutes per game, often hauled off as he consistently fails to leave his mark on proceedings.

He has failed to score a goal, provided just one assist, lost 63% of his duels and has lost possession 9.3 times per game.

His latest display against Villarreal resulted in a 3/10 match rating from one Spanish outlet, and it looks increasingly unlikely that Valencia will exercise their option to buy over the coming months.

The Verdict: Headache for Radrizzani and Orta

Costa returning to Yorkshire over the summer could provide Andrea Radrizzani and Victor Orta with a fresh transfer headache.

They managed to negotiate a £16.7m option to buy fee, which would have seen the Whites actually make a small profit.

His Transfermarkt valuation has now dropped to £7.2m though, the joint-lowest it has been since 2016, so Leeds may find it hard to bring in a respectable fee for his services. If Leeds can’t strike terms elsewhere, Jesse Marsch may well have to keep the underperforming winger ahead of his first full season in charge.

In other news: Sky Sports now share big news on Leeds star’s Elland Road future; ‘dealing’ already happening. 

Leeds United correspondent Beren Cross has relayed claims suggesting Charlie Cresswell and Jamie Shackleton look set to return following the current international break.

The Lowdown: Forshaw back training

The Whites were last in action against Newcastle United, where they were without eight first-team players.

Forshaw was one of those after limping off against West Ham the week before, but he has returned to training at Thorp Arch during the current break, according to Phil Hay.

Meanwhile, the club also shared pictures of Kalvin Phillips and Liam Cooper on the training pitch

And it seems as if Marcelo Bielsa could have two more injury boosts ahead of the trip to Aston Villa next week.

The Latest: Cross’ comments

Cross ran a Q&A on LeedsLive on Tuesday evening to discuss a range of Elland Road topics with supporters.

He was asked by one fan for an update on the injury front, to which he said:

“On the injuries: Forshaw has recently said he is very hopeful of making it back for the Villa match, while Bielsa has previously said Cresswell and Shackleton would return on the other side of the international break. Bamford remains something of a mystery after Bielsa’s doubtful comments on the striker being back for the Villa game. Phillips and Cooper are slated for March returns, though there are high hopes the former could be back sooner than that.”

The Verdict: Good news

Bielsa already has a small squad and has been hit hard with the club’s injury woes this season, so Cresswell and Shackleton returning can only be seen as positive news.

Cresswell has made five senior appearances this season whereas the versatile Shackleton has turned out on 13 occasions, with both missing the last four league games.

They may not be regulars from the off under Bielsa, however, the two returns will certainly strengthen the bench, which has featured 15-year-old Archie Gray in recent months, showing just how short of senior options the manager has been.

In other news: Phil Hay and Graham Smyth buzzing at free transfer news. 

Alfredo Morelos’ return will be a ‘welcome’ boost for Rangers against Hearts on Sunday, journalist Andrew Dickson says. 

The lowdown

Rangers host third-place Hearts on Sunday looking to produce a response after their heavy defeat in Wednesday’s Old Firm.

Celtic’s 3-0 win saw them wrestle top spot away from The Gers, but there’s still only one point in it.

Morelos was unable to play against The Hoops after Colombia called him up for their World Cup qualifiers.

But Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst said in his pre-match press conference that the striker would be available for Sunday’s game, having had enough training time.

The latest

“The return of Morelos on Sunday will be a welcome one,” Dickson wrote on Twitter in response to Van Bronckhorst’s comments.

He also expects Filip Helander’s comeback ‘in the not too distant future’ to lift the mood around Ibrox.

But in his eyes, it’s the set-up in midfield, rather than defence or attack, that’s ‘most crucial of all’.

He wants to see Aaron Ramsey and Ryan Jack ‘playing as much as possible’.

The verdict

It’s certainly hard to dispute Dickson’s assessment given that Morelos’ is Rangers’ top scorer this season with 11 goals in all competitions.

He was also in fine form before he jetted off to South America, with four goals in six Premiership matches.

What’s more, his replacement, Kemar Roofe, struggled to make any sort of impact in midweek. Rangers registered nine shots in total, but none of them came from Roofe, and he had as many touches as Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart.

Elsewhere, GVB must make these changes today.

As per TUTTOmercatoWEB, West Ham United boss David Moyes is ‘ready’ to offload another one of his players this summer – but on one condition.

The Lowdown: West Ham exits take shape?

Recent reports out of West Ham suggest that Moyes and co have made their decisions on certain squad members as summer exits begin to shape before July.

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As per Claret & Hugh, defender Ryan Fredericks, whose contract expires at the end of 2021/2022, is almost certain to leave the club as is fellow soon-to-be free agent Andriy Yarmolenko.

GSB are unlikely to offer the latter man fresh terms despite his Aston Villa and Sevilla heroics recently and it appears Moyes could be ready to axe another in loanee midfielder Alex Kral.

The Latest: West Ham open to Kral deal…

Currently on a temporary deal from Spartak Moscow, which contains an option to buy, it is believed that the Czech Republic international ‘could land in Italy this summer’ (TMW).

While West Ham consider Kral a ‘precious’ asset, Moyes and co are ‘ready’ to offload him if they receive an ‘excellent proposal’.

This comes as pre-summer ‘contacts’ emerge with both Bologna and Atalanta reaching out to the Irons.

The Verdict: Time to go?

Unable to get a look-in past Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek, who have been mainstays in the middle of the park under Moyes, it may be time to let Kral leave the London Stadium in search of more game time.

Coming to east London with a fair bit of promise, it clearly hasn’t worked out for the 23-year-old and a move away may be best for both parties.

Perhaps the only scenario which would allow Kral more chances is the departure of Rice, but that is the last thing supporters want to see.

In other news: Sky Sports say West Ham could sign £21.6m-rated star who’s set to leave this summer! Find out more here.