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Aston Villa should revive their interest in Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard this summer after suffering a major setback in their pursuit of Emile Smith Rowe.

What’s the story?

The Midlands oufit were linked with a move for Lingard back in April after a run of scintillating form, but they opted to bid for Smith Rowe instead.

However, after seeing separate offers of £25m and £30m turned down by Arsenal, Mikel Arteta has confirmed that the youngster is not for sale, leaving Villa back at square one.

Imagine him and Grealish

Lingard was one of the surprise packages of last season, enjoying a fabulous run of form in the second half of the campaign after joining West Ham United on a short-term loan deal.

After arriving at the London Stadium in January, the 28-year-old bagged nine goals and laid on five assists in just 16 Premier League appearances.

His impressive performances earned several plaudits, with talkSPORT host Adrian Durham labeling the England international as “phenomenal, absolutely phenomenal” following a brace against Leicester City.

Like Lingard, Villa made great strides in 2020/21, ending the season in 11th position and dramatically improving on their 17th-placed finish in the previous campaign.

The club’s ambitious owners have wasted no time in bolstering Dean Smith’s ranks this summer, bringing in former Norwich City forward Emi Buendia in a £33m deal, and director of football Johan Lange could seal a dream duo at Villa Park by recruiting Lingard as his next acquisition to partner captain Jack Grealish in midfield.

Chelsea loanee Ross Barkley got off to a fast start in the 2020/21 campaign, contributing to three goals in his first six outings for Villa, before a serious hamstring injury halted his progress.

Barkley’s drop-off in form didn’t affect Grealish, however, with the talismanic figure going on to enjoy the finest season of his career to date, earning himself a place in England’s squad for Euro 2020.

Pairing Lingard with Grealish would be enough to strike fear into any Premier League defence, and Smith should be urging Lange to get this deal over the line.

In other news… Villa suffer major blow in pursuit of “extraordinary” £30m gem, Smith will be gutted 

Fabrizio Romano has delivered an update on the future of Tanguy Ndombele, and Tottenham Hotspur supporters will want to hear it…

What’s the word?

Following their FA Cup win over Morecambe on Sunday afternoon, the Italian transfer guru issued the following claim on Twitter:

“Tottenham are looking for a solution to sell or loan out Tanguy Ndombele in January. Rumours about AS Roma but no talks so far as [the] Italian side are working to sign Sergio Oliveira,” he said.

“Spurs are also open to discuss swap deals including Ndombele as part of the negotiation.”

Finally the end?

It’s hard to imagine any way back for the French midfielder, who was signed for a club-record £55m back in the summer of 2020, after the weekend’s antics at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The 25-year-old star trudged off when substituted by Antonio Conte in the 69th-minute to a chorus of boos, and the raucous atmosphere only made him walk slower, despite Harry Kane’s attempts and visible frustration as the Lilywhites were losing 1-0 at the time.

Once he reached the side of the pitch, he did not go and sit in the dugout but instead, he went straight down the tunnel. “It’s hard to think of a worse way to endear yourself to the fans,” claimed The Athletic’s Jack Pitt-Brooke following the match.

Meanwhile, Football Insider pundit Noel Whelan slammed his attitude and form at the club.

“The fans are voicing their disapproval, and rightly so. His attitude and performances are woeful,” he said.

“He’s their record signing, let’s not forget. That’s four managers now who have had the chance to get the best out of him and improve him.

“He’s shown disrespect to the fans, the club, and the manager by walking straight down the tunnel. Quite frankly, I don’t think there’s any way back from that. I think his time’s up.”

Now valued at £34.2m by Transfermarkt, the former Lyon man has managed only ten goals and nine assists across 91 appearances – that’s a direct contribution of just once nearly every five games. A shocking return for an attack-minded player.

On the above evidence, the frustrated Lilywhites faithful will surely be delighted by Romano’s latest update. It seems as if Ndombele’s time at Spurs is finally coming towards an end.

Whether or not the north Londoners find a viable solution remains to be seen, but at the very least, the intent is there to get him out of the club.

AND in other news, Sky Sports reporter drops huge Spurs transfer claim live on air, fans will be buzzing…

Celtic have been hit with a fresh injury setback over defender Josip Juranovic after the Old Firm clash on Sunday…

What’s the latest?

The Hoops full-back was forced off in the 67th minute of the game as he hobbled off with what appeared to be a hamstring strain and was replaced by Anthony Ralston.

Bhoys boss Ange Postecoglou did not comment on his situation after the match and Celtic now face a nervous wait to find out the severity of the injury in the coming days.

Supporters will be gutted

This news will surely leave Celtic supporters gutted as it will be a big blow to lose him for any period of time between now and the end of the season. Depending on how bad of a strain it is, he could be out for days, weeks, or months and that is why the supporters will be anxious to hear more about him.

After he came off, Ralston struggled against Ryan Kent for the rest off the game. Athletic journalist Jordan Campbell noted that the Gers were “getting joy” against the Scot and this highlights Juranovic’s importance to the team and the impact his loss will have in the coming weeks if he is missing.

The difference between Celtic when he was off and on the pitch in the Scottish Cup semi-final clash was obvious, as illustrated by Campbell’s comment. They struggled defensively after he went off as Ralston was unable to cope with the Gers and this suggests that it would be a disaster if the Croatian is now absent for a number of games.

In the Premiership this season, he has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.21 across 27 appearances. He has helped the Hoops to keep 11 clean sheets in the league, making 2.2 tackles and interceptions per game whilst winning 56% of his duels.

This shows that he has been strong defensively and a key part of Postecoglou’s resilient back line in the division throughout the campaign. However, he has also caught the eye going the other way with 1.4 key passes per game and three goals, showing that he can find the back of the net himself and create openings for his teammates to score from.

Therefore, he has been crucial for the Hoops this season with his flying play down the flank. He has been able to impress in attack whilst remaining consistent and reliable at the back and the fans will be gutted by this injury blow.

AND in other news, AND in other news, Signed for 7 figures, left for peanuts: Celtic had a mare on “unplayable” £15k-p/w dud…

A crushing injury update has been delivered on Rangers midfielder Ryan Jack…

What’s the latest?

Gers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst has revealed that the 29-year-old is waiting on a diagnosis after suffering an injury in training prior to the 1-1 draw with Lyon in the Europa League, although he is unsure as to the extent of the blow.

Football Scotland quote the Dutchman as saying: “I don’t know. We will have to wait and see, he’s getting the diagnosis in the next few days. We have to wait and I can’t say anything about his injury yet, but I hope we will be able to do so.”

Frustration

This news will come as a body blow to Rangers and leave supporters frustrated given the timing of the knock. Jack has only played three competitive matches since his return from a long-term injury, coming off the bench in games against Hibernian, Dundee and Ross County.

His last appearance prior to that little spell came all the way back in February against Dundee United, with more than eight months separating his time in the team due to injury. This highlights how long he has had to wait to be given a chance to get back out on the pitch and that is why this knock will be a particularly frustrating one for him and the fans to deal with.

Supporters surely want to see him back out on the pitch as he has shown in the past that he can be a top performer at this level. Last season, he averaged an excellent SofaScore rating of 7.14 in the Premiership as he made 19 appearances on the way to the Gers’ title triumph. He completed an impressive 90% of his passes and made 2.2 tackles and interceptions per game, whilst chipping in with two goals and one assist.

This shows the quality that Jack can provide on the pitch, which is why it is a crushing blow for the Gers that he has suffered such a quick setback in his recovery. Although it remains to be seen how bad this fresh knock will be, fans may be praying that it is only a minor injury from which he will be able to recover quickly before getting back into the team in the coming weeks.

AND in other news, Fewer touches than McLaughlin: Rangers dud with 56% pass accuracy let GvB down badly…

Tottenham Hotspur are plotting an ‘ambitious’ bid to sign Serge Gnabry, according to reports…

What’s the word?

The Daily Star claim Spurs are keen on landing the Bayern Munich contract rebel as he enters the final year of his current contract at the Allianz Arena, where he is thought to be holding out for a salary of around £13m-per-year.

The Bundesliga champions won’t be held ransom by his demands, so that has alerted many teams around Europe, including the Lilywhites and Real Madrid, though it remains to be seen how much the German side would sell him for – if at all, given their track-record in letting players leave for nothing.

CIES Football Observatory currently value him in the region of £60m.

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Major coup

Whilst an ex-Arsenal player, Gnabry would be something of a coup for Spurs, should they manage to secure his signature in the coming months.

The German international struggled to make much of an impact during his time in England, eventually being sold to Werder Bremen for just £5m in 2016 but he has since emerged as one of the best wingers in Europe.

Across 168 appearances for the Bavarian giants, Gnabry has provided 63 goals and 40 assists, averaging a direct contribution once every 104 minutes, via Transfermarkt.

Spurs know too well of his ability after he absolutely tore Mauricio Pochettino’s side apart with four goals in Bayern’s 7-2 win in the Champions League back in October 2019.

His form has led to quite the praise indeed, including a particularly glowing endorsement from BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand, who claimed last season:

“His stats are phenomenal. He’s sitting in the top-level, world-class. He’s come to Germany and set the place on fire, he was absolutely stunning tonight. His decision making has been extraordinary.

“I’ll go as far as to say he’s one of the most improved players in football at the moment. I don’t think anyone’s upwards trajectory is as sharp as his.”

Also lauded as a “real weapon” by his former manager Niko Kovac to Bundesliga.com, Gnabry would certainly add a new dimension to Conte’s attack and given his links to the Gunners and exploits for Bayern, he’d be quite the stunning signing for the north Londoners.

If sporting director Fabio Paratici can pull this off, it would certainly be another one of his masterclass-like swoops.

AND in other news, Contact made: Spurs in talks for “phenomenal” £33m signing, he’s better than Bremer…

An update has emerged regarding Newcastle’s interest in Watford winger Ismaila Sarr.

What’s the talk?

According to the Daily Mail, the Magpies are eyeing the forward as a potential January signing as they look to bolster their squad following the club’s takeover earlier this month.

The report claims that Watford will fight hard to keep hold of their star player as they believe he can be as good as Manchester City winger Jack Grealish.

Saint-Maximin 2.0

PIF must secure a deal to sign Sarr in the January transfer window as they could unearth Allan Saint-Maximin 2.0 for the club. The Hornets forward is similar to the Frenchman in his playing style and could operate on the opposite wing, which is why the Toon Army faithful could love him.

Both players excel at dribbling with the ball and creating chances for their teammates, whilst also possessing the ability to score themselves. Sarr has averaged 3.4 dribbles and key passes per game in the Premier League this season, compared to Saint-Maximin’s 6.3.

This suggests that the Watford maestro is on his way to reaching the former Nice man’s standards, whilst he has already shown he may be a step above when it comes to goalscoring. He has found the back of the net nine times in 31 top-flight starts for Watford, whilst the Magpies wizard has scored eight goals in 51 starts. This is why Newcastle fans would love Sarr at St James’ Park, as he has the end product to match his exciting play.

Former Manchester United defender and current Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville once lauded the winger’s talents and praised his movement in behind. He said: “He’s a big, big talent, honestly he really is. I always think, particularly as a wide player, what would I have not wanted to have played against? The first thing is pace.

“And then you’ve got to think about, can he use his pace? Well, yes, he can, because he makes really good quality runs: the spin in behind, straight, but also the run inside in between full-back and centre-back – which I always think is the most difficult to mark.”

Neville’s comments suggest that Sarr also has the pace that Saint-Maximin possesses, with both players able to run with the ball at speed and take players on. Along with their similarity in playing style, this is why PIF could find their next wing wizard in the 23-year-old and must work hard to strike a deal for his services in the January window. The fans would surely love to see another talented winger in the ranks to get them off their seats during games and the Watford man’s statistics suggest that he could do just that.

AND in other news, PIF must ruthlessly sell shocking £75k-p/w liability, he’s holding Newcastle back…

Leeds United must finally sell Tyler Roberts amid his latest disaster-class against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night.

What’s the story?

The Wales international has endured a nightmare start to the campaign thus far, scoring no goals and providing no assists, and following his performance in mid-week, Leeds Live’s Beren Cross revealed what he saw from that night.

He said: “Roberts remains a divisive figure among fans, but Bielsa evidently likes him and plays him because he sees a lot of potential in the Wales international. The only way Roberts improves is by playing more and developing as a player on the pitch. That’s the way Bielsa will see it.

“It was interesting to see the flashpoint which convinced Bielsa to go for Gelhardt last night, though. Roberts received the ball in a promising position last night with Arsenal out of shape and rather than look to turn Maitland-Niles, as he had the time to do, he waited and looked for contact from behind to go down. The referee waved played on and the hosts took the ball away. Bielsa was furious and barked immediately for Gelhardt to come on.”

Time for Roberts to go

Here on FFC, Roberts’ performance on Tuesday against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup was heavily scrutinised, and with the January transfer window looming, it’s perhaps high time that the Wales international finally heads for the exit door.

Former Leeds striker Noel Whelan insisted that the £12.6m-rated forward hasn’t shown enough in the Premier League to “convince” Bielsa – he managed just one goal in 27 top-flight appearances all of last season, and even that came in the penultimate game against Southampton.

The 46-year-old said: “With Leeds this season, he’s been given a long spell of games to convince Bielsa he’s worth keeping. In my opinion, I’m still undecided. I don’t think he affected the game during his time on the field.”

Whelan added: “Is he good enough? In my opinion he isn’t. I would love him to go out there and prove me wrong because I want everyone to succeed. I need him to show me more. He needs to show more fight and desire. I just do not see that.”

The quite shambolic goal-scoring record that Roberts has at Elland Road, even for someone who’s relatively young at 22, should surely be the end of the straw for him under Bielsa.

The Whites desperately need greater end product from someone occupying that attacking midfield role just behind the striker, and Roberts simply hasn’t cut it.

Meanwhile, this Leeds United star is now attracting big interest…

Southampton forward Mo Elyounoussi produced a worrying display for Norway as his country beat Gilbraltar 5-1 in a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday night.

The Norweigan attacker has made a promising return to England after a two-year spell in Scotland with Celtic, scoring in his only Premier League appearance of the season to date. He also scored a hat-trick in a League Cup thrashing of League Two outfit Newport County, potentially leaving fans to wonder whether or not he will finally come good on the south coast.

Elyounoussi’s debut campaign with the Saints was disastrous. He failed to register a single goal or assist in 16 Premier League appearances and averaged a dismal WhoScored rating of 6.51, as he failed to show that he could score or assist goals on a regular basis in the top-flight of English football.

His performance for Norway against Gilbraltar was a throwback to those early displays for Southampton as he struggled with his end product. He had more touches of the ball than Kristian Thorstvedt, Erling Haaland and Alexander Sorloth, who were all directly involved in at least two goals whilst Elyounoussi managed neither a goal nor an assist.

Elyounoussi attempted four shots during the match, getting just one on target, the other three blocked by defenders. This suggests that the quality of his efforts in front of goal were well below the standard required to find the back of the net, or even reach the goal as the majority of them were cut out at source.

One of his shots went down as a ‘big chance missed’ on SofaScore. This means that he spurned an excellent opportunity to find the back of the net, which is worrying for Ralph Hasenhuttl heading into the rest of the campaign as he will want consistency from his forwards.

Elyounoussi also lost possession of the ball 11 times during his 81 minutes on the pitch. This included three of his four crossing attempts going straight back to the opposition rather than finding a teammate. His finishing was sub-par and these statistics suggest that his all-around play also left plenty to be desired.

Southampton fans, along with Hasenhuttl, could be concerned by this performance as it was a throwback to his early showings in red and white. They will be hoping that it is a blip and that he is able to return to Premier League action for the Saints at the weekend ready to put in a top-class performance in order to nail down his spot in the starting XI.

AND in other news, Saints missed out on potential £9m windfall, now they look set to lose dud for free…

According to reports by Voetbal24 (via SportWitness), West Ham are a ‘serious candidate’ for Club Brugge star Hans Vanaken, who is expected to make a Premier League move if he wins the Belgian Golden Shoe.

The Lowdown: Vanaken having a fantastic season

Attacking-midfielder Vanaken signed for Brugge in 2015, having already spent five seasons playing in Belgium – first at Lommel United, then at KSC Lokeren.

The Belgium international is currently having a fantastic campaign in the Jupiler Pro League, having scored five goals and producing two assists.

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He has also performed on the European stage, scoring three times and assisting once in six Champions League games this season – drawing international attention.

The Latest: Vanaken linked with the Hammers

The Hammers have long been linked with the midfielder, having previously been rejected by the player following a £15 million bid. Vanaken cited that if he were to move to the Premier League, he would want only want to do so to win trophies.

However, according to a report by Voetbal24 (via SportWitness), if Vanaken is able to bring home the Belgian Golden Shoe, it is expected that he will move to the Premier League, with West Ham now once again considered a serious candidate.

This arises after a previous report Voetbal24 (via SportWitness) claimed that the move was no longer out of the question despite the previous rejection.

The Verdict: A fine addition for David Moyes

The attacking-midfielder could prove to be a fantastic addition to David Moyes’ side, who have struggled for goals recently, with Michail Antonio failing to score in his last seven Premier League games.

Former teammate Onur Kaya has said that Vanaken has the technique of a much smaller player – he is 6 foot 5 – and believes that his friend ‘has his place at 16 of the 20 Premier League clubs’.

Current teammate and former Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has even claimed that Vanaken is a better finisher ‘than Roberto Firmino’ and that he is of a ‘comparable level to Mo [Salah]’.

It seems that the Belgian beast could be the perfect fit for West Ham as an alternative goalscoring option playing off Antonio, so fans will surely hope to see this deal cross the line.

Former Manchester City man Paul Stewart reckons both Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling’s places will be under threat following the arrival of Jack Grealish.

Grealish became City’s first major signing of the window when he broke the British record for the most expensive player last Thursday.

His £100m move from Aston Villa means Guardiola now has nine attacking players at his disposal, which could become 10 if Harry Kane follows his England colleague through the door at the Etihad Stadium.

But his arrival means someone’s place in the side could become under threat, with Grealish’s price-tag surely meaning he’ll be a regular starter under Guardiola.

Guardiola has already confirmed that some of his squad want to leave, one of which being Bernardo Silva, but when asked who he expects to miss out on being a starter next season, Stewart gave a perhaps surprise answer given his form.

He exclusively told Football FanCast:

“He did himself proud at the EUROs, Sterling. But I can see him or Mahrez being the ones that are at most risk of not playing because Grealish can drift in from either side and as you said, he will play.”