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An update has emerged on Everton forward Richarlison, regarding Real Madrid’s interest in his services.

What’s the talk?

According to the Echo, there is a belief at Everton that Real Madrid are preparing an offer for Brazilian forward Richarlison this summer. Carlo Ancelotti is a big admirer of the man he managed at Goodison Park and could launch a bid to bring him to Madrid.

The report claims that the La Liga side value him at £90m, but it remains to be seen whether or not they are willing to make an offer in that region.

Fans would be livid

Marcel Brands must avoid a nightmare scenario by keeping Richarlison at the club this summer. The attacker is a key player for the Toffees and losing him, having already lost Ancelotti to Real, would be a bitter blow that would leave fans livid heading into next season.

Supporters would be furious if Richarlison departed from the club to go and join Madrid, unless a ridiculous transfer offer came in for his services. It would need to be a mega fee, possibly the £90m touted, for fans to understand Brands cashing in. Therefore, anything less than that would be a disaster for the Toffees chief and should be avoided at all costs.

Earlier this year, whilst he was still in charge at Goodison, Ancelotti lavished praise on the Brazil international.

He told GOAL:

“Richarlison is a modern striker, a complete striker, because he works really hard. His physical statistics are really high, like a midfielder – but he has speed and he is really clinical in the box.

“He is fantastic with the head and clinical in front of the goalkeeper and his movement without the ball is really good.

“I think he can be one of the top strikers in Europe. I’m sure he can because he has all these kind of qualities and he doesn’t have a specific position on the pitch. He is really complete.”

This shows how highly the Madrid coach rates the £90k-per-week gem and illustrates why he now wants to bring him to Spain. Richarlison managed seven goals and three assists in the Premier League last term for Everton, having provided 13 goals and three assists in the previous campaign.

His first appearance at the Olympic Games also showed the confidence running through his veins as he scored a hat-trick in the opening 30 minutes of a 4-2 win over Germany.

This proves that he can perform at the top level and be a threat in the final third, which is valuable for what the club want to do next season. Therefore, fans will want him to be kept hold of and that means Brands needs to reject any offers from Real, unless they reach truly dizzy heights.

AND in other news, Greg O’Keeffe drops Everton update that should leave fans buzzing…

West Bromwich Albion technical and sporting director Luke Dowling has left The Hawthorns club by mutual consent.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a statement posted on the West Brom website, in which the club confirmed that Dowling is leaving the Championship side with immediate effect after three years of working with the club.

A further statement was released later on Monday afternoon, in which the Baggies chief Executive Xu Ke provided an update on the club’s current search for a new manager, as well as thanking Dowling for his services to the club.

Xu Ke said: “I would like to thank Luke for his work behind the scenes at The Hawthorns during his three years with us. Luke’s departure provides us with an opportunity to reassess how our football operation functions and I will provide a further update on this subject in due course.”

Fans are rightly livid

The news of Dowling’s departure comes at a rather awkward time for West Brom, as, with the club still in the midst of their bid to appoint Sam Allardyce’s successor, the Baggies board now look set to conduct this search without a single member of staff who boasts a background in football.

Indeed, the technical and sporting director’s departure could also have come as a result of Guochuan Lai’s decision to rule out the club’s appointment of the former Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder, as Dowling was believed to have strongly favoured a move for the 53-year-old.

And, after the news was shared by the club in a post on Twitter, a large portion of the West Brom fanbase appeared outraged by the decision, with one claiming that the board are turning West Brom into a “joke of a club,” while another stated their belief that fans “can’t blame Dowling going if Lai and the board constantly overrule [him] all the time.”

We have to say, the perspective of these fans is easily understandable, as, with the club looking to make an immediate return to the Premier League next season, so much uncertainty regarding the board, the staff and the club’s transfer business does not appear to be the best way to kick start West Brom’s Championship campaign.

Furthermore, with Dowling playing a huge role in Slaven Bilic’s previous appointment at the club, a manager who ultimately secured the Baggies’ last promotion to the Premier League, the technical and sporting director has a history of installing a successful coach in the second tier, leading us to believe that Lai allowing Dowling to walk away could well be the biggest mistake of his West Brom reign to date.

In other news: Xu Ke heading for grave West Brom mistake over £450k-rated beast with a “big future”

Newcastle United must land Tottenham centre-back Cameron Carter-Vickers this summer amid his impressive performances on loan at Championship side Bournemouth.

What’s the story?

The 23-year-old has spent the majority of the campaign on loan at the Vitality Stadium under former Magpies defender Jonathan Woodgate, making 26 appearances across all competitions.

The Northern Echo have now claimed that Newcastle manager Steve Bruce wants to sign the centre-back on a permanent deal, with Spurs apparently valuing the 1.83m (6ft) defender at around £10m.

He just bullied Ivan Toney

While Brentford may have come out on top in the end, Carter-Vickers put in a monstrous performance against the Bees in the first leg of the Championship play-off semi-finals, pocketing former Newcastle striker Ivan Toney with ease.

As per Sofascore, he won five of his duels and made four clearances, while also blocking one shot, while Toney – top scorer in the regular season with 31 goals – had a difficult game at the Vitality Stadium last week. He saw his only effort on goal blocked, made just 14 passes, lost the ball on 14 separate occasions and lost a mammoth 11 of his 18 duels.

Speaking after the American’s dominant display against the Bees, Woodgate was quick to praise his centre-back and how he has developed during his season with the Cherries.

The 41-year-old told the Bournemouth Daily Echo: “I’ve been really impressed. Okay, he’s not the tallest but he’s a very, very good defender. His leap is good, he’s quick, he’s decent enough on the ball for me. What he does need to improve on is in the opposition box, scoring more goals, but I like him as a player, I like his personality.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/newcastle-steve-bruce-premier-league-transfer-gossip-rumours-news-st-james-park-joelinton-shelvey-max-aarons” title=”Read the latest Newcastle transfer rumours and news!”]

“It didn’t affect him. He leads well, Cam. Alright, he’s not the loudest, but he leads well by how he defends and when Meps came on, he was equally as good up against a top striker in (Ivan) Toney. But Cam, since I’ve been here, he does what it says on the tin. He’s mister consistent. I know exactly what I’m going to get from him week in, week out. He loves defending. He loves keeping clean sheets, he’s like that.”

Given how he dealt with an in-form striker being linked with a big-money move to the Premier League, and the fact that he’s only 23, Carter-Vickers seems like he would be a superb addition to the Newcastle back-line.

Meanwhile, Newcastle are heading for transfer disaster over this £15k-p/w star…

Newcastle should consider letting Florian Lejeune leave this summer as a major transfer update emerges on his future at St James’ Park.

What’s the story?

Writing earlier in May for The Athletic, Chris Waugh said: “With Lejeune turning 30 later this month, there has been no indication yet that Newcastle will look to extend his deal and, as things stand, perversely, he actually appears to be the most likely defender to leave. Alaves, who are fighting relegation, are keen to keep him if they survive, and both Lejeune and Bruce may feel it is best for the Frenchman to move on.”

Now, The Shields Gazette claim that the centre-back could be moved on as part of an effort to raise some much-needed funds for Steve Bruce, “with the Frenchman likely to be sold heading into the final year of his Magpies’ contract”.

He was a Rafa favourite

Praised by Waugh as someone who’s got “everything”, the journalist added: “The Frenchman, who is both comfortable in possession and an excellent reader of the game, is arguably Newcastle’s best all-round defender.”

And that belief is something that was reflected by former Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez, who was a big fan of the man he brought to St James’ Park.

In fact, speaking back in September 2018, he said: “Then, in the months after he came back, he settled down because he is strong mentally, and then he was passing the ball and giving confidence to the team and all the players around. He became a very important player for us.

“Florian has been a big miss for us in terms of what he means for us as a crucial member of the team. The style of football he brings and helps us to adapt to is something we have lost.”

The £40k-a-week earning ace’s departure would bring in some much-needed cash, especially with the recent update that Bruce could only have around £10m to work with this summer – an absolute pittance when you consider the kinds of money that get bandied about in transfer windows these days.

The Magpies would then be able to reinvest that into players who they need, perhaps even helping with putting together a package to prise Joe Willock away from Arsenal on a permanent basis.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/newcastle-steve-bruce-premier-league-transfer-gossip-rumours-news-st-james-park-joelinton-shelvey-max-aarons” title=”Read the latest Newcastle transfer rumours and news!”]

Whatever the case, it may be the perfect time for Newcastle to wave goodbye to the centre-back this summer.

Meanwhile, Steve Bruce could create a formidable Newcastle duo by signing this “unique talent”…

Aston Villa owners Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris are set to back a move for Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Villa haven’t wasted any time this summer

Villa have already brought in Emiliano Buendia from Norwich City in a club-record deal, and it now appears as if their next big-money move could be one for Ward-Prowse.

Another man who is set for talks with Villa is Ashley Young, whereas the club were reportedly in discussions with striker Josh King earlier this month.

The Latest: Ward-Prowse update

A Villa source informed Football Insider that both Edens and Sawiris are keen for a deal to be completed in time for the midfielder to be at the club’s Bodymoor Heath training ground for the start of pre-season.

Dean Smith’s side are set to return for pre-season on July 5, which is in 19 days time. The Villa hierarchy want the central midfielder through the door by then to bed the free-kick specialist into Smith’s system.

A move for Ward-Prowse will take a huge fee, the report adds, and a push for a deal to be wrapped up as soon as possible was aided following his omission from England’s European Championship squad this summer.

The Verdict: A major coup if a deal goes through

Should Villa seal a deal for Ward-Prowse, it would only add to their ambition to establish themselves as an elite Premier League side.

Villa fans found out first hand how effective the 26-year-old can be last season when he scored twice and registered an assist in a 4-3 win for the Saints at Villa Park.

He appears to be in the prime of his career and has also racked up 269 appearances in the Premier League, and a move for the Saints captain may also help persuade Jack Grealish to remain at the club beyond the summer, amid links to Manchester City.

In other news: Many AVFC fans react to Grealish latest, find out more here. 

In an exclusive interview with The Transfer Tavern, David Norris, who made 36 appearances for Leeds United, has claimed that Ezgjan Alioski is all set to leave Elland Road when his contract expires this summer.

Alioski has been linked with a controversial move to Galatasaray as a free agent with many Leeds fans not taking the news very well, considering the hatred between the two clubs after the UEFA cup semi-final riots in 2000.

There has been a new twist in the Alioski saga though as in the last 48 hours reports have emerged that Galatasaray can’t afford his wages anymore and the defender doesn’t want to receive backlash from Leeds fans so he won’t be moving to Turkey.

Speaking on how it appears to be time up for Alioski at Leeds and how a deal may already be in place, Norris exclusively told The Transfer Tavern:

“If I’m honest, I think it’s probably time up for him because when it drags on this long and you haven’t got something sorted, it normally means that it is already done and dusted.

“If Bielsa wants to keep him I think he stays because at Leeds whatever Bielsa wants he gets, so it looks like it’s already agreed and has been done on the quiet.”

The 28-year old defender has been a regular starter for Leeds since joining in 2017 and he has been able to make the step up into the Premier League smoothly this season at left-back.

His ability to play anywhere down the left-hand side has allowed Stuart Dallas to be deployed in the centre of midfield and showcase both his attacking and defensive qualities.

According to a report by The Mirror, West Ham United are considering a summer bid for defender Joachim Andersen, with many Irons supporters erupting over GSB’s alleged transfer plan.

Andersen, who is attracting plenty of top-flight attention following a solid season on loan at Fulham from Lyon, has now enticed West Ham into a possible summer swoop. The 24-year-old has started 27 Premier League matches under Scott Parker this season, whilst averaging the sixth-best clearances per game average in the entire division.

West Ham are allegedly considering Andersen ahead of what is hoped to be a 2021/22 season in the Champions League.

Flocking to this claim, it’s safe to say this news has attracted plenty of attention from Hammers fans, with the majority pleading for GSB to get a deal done. Given his credentials, it’s not hard to see why – and he is reportedly valued at around £20m.

Here is a flavour of the reaction from the Irons faithful on Twitter.

West Ham fans erupt over alleged GSB transfer plan

“Oh my yes please”

Credit: @whulouie

“Sign Andersen in the summer or we riot”

Credit: @Jackcoyi

“Yes please, 100% needed”

Credit: @RobWaldon

“Omgggggggg”

Credit: @joelitt78828048

“Please, he’s class”

Credit: @westham_hub

“100% would take him…..”

Credit: @Jay8320

“Fantastic player”

Credit: @WHUDan7

“Andersen and Ogbonna would be unreal at the back”

Credit: @oliverrrwhu

In other news: These West Ham fans flock to ExWHUemployee claim, find out more here.

Steven Gerrard’s hopes of signing Jonson Clarke-Harris for Rangers this summer have taken a blow after Peterborough earned promotion to the Championship on Saturday, which will surely make it harder for Ross Wilson to tempt him to Ibrox.

According to Football Insider, Rangers have been tracking the former Bristol Rovers striker in recent weeks and sent scouts to watch him play in a game against Accrington Stanley, where he hit an impressive hattrick in a 7-0 win.

The 26-year-old striker, who was signed as a replacement for the outgoing Ivan Toney last summer, has enjoyed a superb campaign in League One, one which recently saw him named as the Player of the Year.

He was the saviour once again on Saturday, as his brace helped Peterborough come from 3-0 down to earn the point they needed against Lincoln City to secure promotion back to the Championship.

This could prove to be a huge blow to Gerrard’s chances of signing him this summer, as the Posh will surely be able to demand a significant fee for their talismanic striker, whilst he is also perhaps much more likely to want to stay now that they have earned promotion.

Clarke-Harris looks nailed on to finish as the top scorer in League One this season, with a remarkable 31 goals to his name in 45 league appearances for the Posh.

This has helped him average an excellent 7.36 rating for his performances, which ranks him as the seventh-best player in the division so far this season.

Earlier in the season, Peterborough United manager Darren Ferguson was full of praise for Clarke-Harris, saying:

“He was our number one target when Ivan Toney left and we had to work hard on his fitness when he first got here, but he’s been an outstanding signing and a real pleasure to work with.“His fitness has been excellent. He had Covid around Christmas and he wasn’t quite right when he came back, but his performance levels have remained high. He’s been brilliant so far.”[freshpress-quiz id=“593776”]Considering the striker is contracted until 2024 and has earned a promotion in his first season with the Cambridgeshire side, it could be very difficult to prise him away this summer, which will surely frustrate both Gerrard and Wilson in their hopes of signing him.And, in other news… Bye-bye Kamara: Wilson should swoop for “very good” 22 y/o this summer – opinion

According to Il Messaggero (via Sport Witness), Tottenham have made contact with Paulo Fonseca in regards to becoming their next manager.

The Lowdown: Spurs continue search

Tottenham are continuing their search for a new manager after Jose Mourinho was sacked as boss by Daniel Levy last month, with links to the likes of Julian Nagelsmann and Erik ten Hag coming and going, as names like Graham Potter and Brendan Rodgers still repeatedly crop up.

The Portuguese has already found himself a new position at AS Roma (bloomberg.com) however, replacing the outgoing Fonseca, who is seemingly set to draw plenty of interest in the summer.

The Latest: Spurs eye Fonseca

With Fonseca now out of work, it seems Spurs are interested in giving him the reins in north London, with reports in Italy (via Sport Witness) claiming Levy and co have actually made contact already.

They are not the only clubs eyeing him, though. Both Benfica and Zenit St. Petersburg have been mentioned alongside him, while the report claims he would prefer to stay in Italy for his next role.

The Verdict: Good target

Fonseca has done a relatively good job with the Giallorossi. This term, they reached the semi-finals of the Europa League before losing 8-5 to Manchester United on aggregate. However, with them sitting seventh in the Serie A table, Roma are unlikely to be playing in European competition next season.

Perhaps more impressively however, he made his name with Shakhtar Donetsk before making the switch to Roma, transforming them into Champions League regulars.

He averaged 2.37 points per game across three years with the Ukrainian outfit (Transfermarkt), helping them win the top flight title on three separate occasions.

He even earned big praise from Pep Guardiola when the two met in the Champions League in 2017 (The Times) with the Spaniard admitting he and his coaching staff were blown away by their play style – Shakhtar were victorious in one of the two clashes with the Premier League champions that season.

He could be a very good outside candidate for the Lilywhites.

In other news, Levy wants this Champions League winner at Spurs.

Southampton will reportedly consider a move for Arsenal midfielder Ainsley Maitland-Niles this summer and if he were to join Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side, he could prove to be the man to replace James Ward-Prowse.

According to The Telegraph, the 23-year-old England international will leave the Gunners this summer due to a lack of first-team opportunities under Mikel Arteta, with Southampton, Wolves and Leicester City all expected to be interested in him ahead of next season.

Maitland-Niles was linked with a loan move to the Saints in the winter transfer window but opted to join West Brom instead, as he sees himself as a midfielder rather than a full-back, and he would have been expected to provide cover for Kyle Walker-Peters and Ryan Bertrand at full-back in Hasenhuttl’s side had he joined the South Coast club.

The Arsenal academy graduate has been a regular in Sam Allardyce’s side since then, making eight appearances in the top-flight, and impressed in the Baggies’ shock 5-2 win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last weekend.

If he were to join Southampton, then he would no doubt want to feature as a midfielder in Hasenhuttl’s side and due to him being more of a box-to-box player, he could prove to be the long-term replacement for Saints captain Ward-Prowse.

The 26-year-old is enjoying his best-ever Premier League season with Southampton, contributing seven goals and five assists in 30 top-flight appearances, averaging an excellent 7.10 rating for his performances.

He looks to be nailed on for a spot in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the European Championships this summer as a result, and if he can impress there, then it would not be a surprise if we saw a lot of interest in the £25.2m-rated midfielder this summer, with Spurs having already been tipped as a potential destination for Ward-Prowse by Glen Hoddle.

Therefore, as painful as it might be for Southampton fans and Hasenhuttl to admit, Ward-Prowse looks to be destined for bigger things, and they should look to bring in someone who could possibly replace him with the Saints this summer.

Maitland-Niles would bring experience having featured on multiple occasions for Arsenal in the Europa League and is still young so could be moulded into a promising midfielder by Hasenhuttl if he were to become a first-team regular with the South Coast club.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/southampton-saints-ralph-hasenhuttl-martin-semmens-st-marys” title=”Latest Southampton news, transfer rumours and more”]

Arteta was full of praise for the Englishman earlier in the season, saying:

“I think he’s made – in this year – big, big progress and he’s in a much better place than what he was a year ago and he needs to keep doing what he’s doing.”

In a highlight reel posted to Instagram (via HITC), Ainsley Maitland-Niles drew praise from some of his former teammates, including current Everton winger Alex Iwobi, who lauded his old Gunners counterpart “a joy to watch.”

Ward-Prowse easily takes that accolade amongst this Saints squad, that’s for sure.

Whilst he hasn’t been able to contribute goals or assists on a consistent basis in his career thus far, he has shown in his performances as a right-back that he can get forward well and be dangerous in the final third, so could work well alongside either more conservative options such as Oriol Romeu or Ibrahima Diallo in the Saints midfield.

[freshpress-quiz id=“594431″]

Therefore, Southampton should act on their reported interest in the 23-year-old Arsenal man this summer, as if Ward-Prowse does end up leaving the club, then Maitland-Niles could prove to be a contender to replace him in Hasenhuttl’s side.

And, in other news… Saints rejected in 2019, now worth £37.8m: Ralph will regret missing out on 23-goal beast