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Arsenal midfielder and reported Aston Villa target Emile Smith Rowe is ready to sign a new Gunners contract, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Villa’s interest

Mike McGrath of The Telegraph was the first to share Villa’s interest in the 20-year-old last week.

He suggested that Villa hold an interest in the attacking midfielder, with his future at the Emirates yet to be resolved.

However, it now seems as if Smith Rowe, whose current Arsenal deal runs until 2023, is now ready to commit his future in north London.

The Latest: Romano’s post

Romano took to Twitter on Tuesday afternoon to provide an update on the midfielder’s situation.

The reliable reporter insisted the Englishman is ready to pen terms until 2026, with a deal waiting on last details to be finalised.

“Emile Smith-Rowe is ready to sign a new contract with Arsenal until June 2026 after negotiations started in March. Just waiting last details to be completed – then it’ll be done.”

The Verdict: Villa to now look elsewhere?

Villa have recently agreed on a club-record deal with Norwich City for star man Emiliano Buendia.

Reports in recent months have suggested that the club are actually after two wide forwards this summer, so perhaps Smith Rowe could have been the second alongside Buendia, with the youngster able to play out wide.

However, it seems as if Villa will now have to cross Smith Rowe off their summer wishlist and move on to alternative targets.

The transfer window only opened on Wednesday, so the club still have plenty of time to bolster their attacking ranks ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

In other news: Report shares two reasons Buendia is choosing Villa over Arsenal, find out more here. 

After Tottenham Hotspur announced the establishment of a Club Advisory Panel and subsequent fan representation on the board (official), Alasdair Gold has relayed this news whilst lifting the lid on a crucial detail. 

The Lowdown: Super League shame…

Tottenham faced unrelenting criticism for their involvement in the European Super League saga, with the Lilywhites opting to join the breakaway division as a founding member alongside Man United, Man City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool.

After the backlash from supporters, Spurs quickly announced their withdrawal from the project and have been attempting to rebuild bridges ever since.

ENIC out protests have occurred outside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the relationship between supporters and Spurs seems in a very delicate state.

The Latest: Gold relays Spurs board news after big announcement

In a move to garner trust with supporters, Tottenham officially announced and confirmed there will be fan representation on the board coupled with the establishment of a Club Advisory Panel.

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The head of this panel will be elected to the Tottenham Hotspur board as a non-executive and have full voting rights on all subjects brought forward affecting the club.

Gold, going into more detail, shares that these voting rights include all football-related matters on and off the pitch.

“The chair of the new Club Advisory Panel of fans, who will be elected to the Tottenham Hotspur board as a non-executive, will have full voting rights on matters decided by the board,” he explained on Twitter.

“For those asking, I’m told that also means the right to vote on all football matters put to the board.”

The Verdict: Good move, but still a way to go…

This move by the club will go some way to building bridges with supporters who have arguably lost a degree of trust after the ESL saga.

Tottenham fans being able to have a voice at the very top of Spurs could be huge in terms of major future decisions, especially Gold’s detail that the chair of this advisory panel will have full voting rights on every club topic, even matters on the pitch.

A step in the right direction to move on from what was a bleak week in the history of Tottenham, and Lilywhites can only hope this will go on to mark historic change.

In other news: 47-year-old now pushing strongly for Tottenham job, find out more here.

Alex Crook has claimed that Wolves have made ‘enquiries’ over the availability of Frank Lampard as they continue their hunt for a new manager.

The Lowdown: Wolves in manager hunt

Following the departure of Nuno Espirito Santo at the end of the 2020/21 term, the Midlands club are currently looking for a new manager to replace him for next season.

A few names have been touted as potential successors, including Bruno Lage, Sabri Lamouchi and Paulo Fonseca, but a new name has now emerged as a contender.

The Latest: Wolves enquire about Lampard

Crook has recently been speaking on talkSPORT about the vacant manager’s job at the Wanderers, and gave an interesting line with regards to former Chelsea boss Lampard: “I was told by a very reliable source that Wolves have started to make enquiries about Frank Lampard.”

With so many names being thrown around, Lampard is certainly one that catches the eye, given his past credentials in English football as a player but also as a coach.

The Verdict: Wolves should consider Lampard

What Lampard has over some of the other names to have been mentioned for the job is that he has that added experience of managing in the Premier League, while also overseeing Championship football with Derby County.

Of course, Nuno Espirito Santo managed to bring WWFC up from the Championship, and so similar comparisons can be drawn straight away between him and Lampard.

The 42-year-old also managed to bring a lot of quality young players through at Chelsea, most notably England international Mason Mount, and so is perhaps capable of repeating the trick again with some of Wolves’ youngsters like Fabio Silva, who he could hopefully develop into a top striker.

Nonetheless, the decision does not really need to be made until the summer transfer window opens, but Lampard, who is currently without a job at the moment, may fancy managing in England’s top flight once more.

In other news, find out what transfer update has left Wanderers buzzing here!

Speaking to the press via the club’s official website, Tottenham interim manager Ryan Mason has confirmed that Ben Davies will miss the Sheffield United clash this evening and is still out through injury. 

The defender, who has been absent since suffering a ‘significant’ injury blow on international duty with Wales, will again be missing for Tottenham after also being unavailable for the Carabao Cup final last weekend.

Mason confirms Tottenham injury news

In terms of progress, Mason has remained cryptic in regards to when the 28-year-old could return to action for Tottenham and hasn’t really provided anything in terms of his current state.

“In terms of injuries, it’s the same as last week,” explained Mason (via tottenhamhotspur.com).

“Ben Davies is the only one out injured at the moment. Matt Doherty has been training since last week. He had a period of time out injured, but he’s back with the group and has trained all week.

“Harry is fine in terms of the injury. He was disappointed (after the final), like all of us. It hurts us, players, coaches, everyone associated with the Club. Harry is a top professional, like the whole group.

“We’ve trained hard, trained well and we’re prepared for the weekend.”

Transfer Tavern take

Davies started this season brightly, with pundit Darren Bent even calling him a ‘standout’ player in the team at one point (via The Boot Room), but 2020 summer signing Sergio Reguilon has arguably been the better of the two overall. The Spaniard has a greater tackling and interceptions average than his left-back teammate, along with providing more assists (via WhoScored).

Nonetheless, with Spurs still having a shot of qualifying for Europe next season, Mason will be hoping to have Davies back as an option quite soon, especially with tough away games versus Leicester City and Leeds United on the horizon.

In other news: Spurs could now turn to this ‘exceptional’ boss after a ‘fresh blow’, find out more here.

Marcus Bent has exclusively told Football FanCast that he would welcome the signing of Ivan Toney at Everton.

With the likes of Josh King and Cenk Tosun expected to leave, Carlo Ancelotti would be left with just one senior recognised striker in Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Richarlison has previously played down the middle, but is predominantly a winger, meaning the Italian could need another centre-forward this summer, especially with the prospect of European football next term.

Reports in January suggested that Everton were keeping a close eye on the Brentford frontman, who’s caught the eye of several Premier League clubs this season, with the 25-year-old being looked at as a potential addition to the Toffees squad.

Toney has enjoyed a phenomenal first season at Championship level, scoring 30 goals and 10 assists in 44 appearances to help Brentford secure a top-six place.

And Bent told Football FanCast that he would back the decision to sign Toney:

“That’s quite a big one – he’s been quality in the Championship and showed that he’s got the talent.

“You don’t need to start in the Premier League to progress your career, so I think that’s a good one for Everton. Will he start? He’ll have to earn his place.

“But I think he could go up there, but him going to Everton he’s going to be away from his family again, but that’s football and I’m sure he can cope with that. “

Celtic return to action this weekend with a timely break from the Premiership. The Bhoys have had a torrid league campaign and have surrendered their grasp on the title.

They are no longer champions and they currently have no silverware to their name in the 2020/21 season. Thus, the Scottish Cup represents a chance to correct their campaign somewhat.

They take on Falkirk this Saturday with the hope of retaining a tournament they won in 2019/20. After a torrid year, taking on a team in the third tier was exactly what they needed when the draw came out. However, if they lose, it will only heap further embarrassment on the Hoops.

With a game like this, John Kennedy could choose to make a number of changes. Here’s the XI we’re predicting him to pick.

We are tipping Kennedy to make as many as five changes to the side which drew with Rangers last time out.

The first thing to note is a swap between the sticks, where Scott Bain is rested and Vasilis Barkas afforded an opportunity to play. He has been rather error-prone this season but this is a good opportunity for the Greek to rediscover some form and confidence.

Another replacement is on the left-hand side of defence, where Greg Taylor comes in for the £57,000-per-week Diego Laxalt. The left-back has been missing for a few weeks now with an injury but returned to the substitute’s bench last time out.

There are plenty of changes in midfield, where Ismaila Soro comes in for Scott Brown with the skipper rested for cup duty.

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James Forrest comes into the team on the left wing, replacing Mo Elyounoussi. The Norwegian scored in the Old Firm derby but is rested here, with Forrest handed a first start since returning from a lengthy injury layoff.

The fifth and final switch is in attacking midfield. Ryan Christie, scoreless in his last six league games, drops out on this occasion as Tom Rogic comes into the fray to make a rare start.

Mikey Johnston has returned to training this week but this match may come too soon in terms of being included among the starting XI.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Edouard: Celtic must sign 16-goal gem who plays “in the style of Robben”…

Former Sunderland striker Kevin Phillips has revealed his excitement after a recent report suggested that new Black Cats owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus is willing to spend £60m this summer if the club earns promotion to the Championship.

Phillips loves Louis-Dreyfus news

Louis-Dreyfus recently purchased Sunderland from former owner Stewart Donald, a move which delighted many of the Wearside outfit’s fans (Roker Report).

A recent report from The Sun suggested that he was willing to part with £60m this summer if Sunderland move up a division, and this news has delighted Phillips. Speaking to Football Insider, the 47-year-old said:

“It would be massive.

“It would be one of the biggest budgets in the Championship, if not the biggest. It is huge money.

“Let’s hope that they get there so Lee Johnson has the chance to spend that kind of money.

“If Sunderland do get promotion, and that money is spent wisely, with a full crowd back in the Stadium of Light, you start to get a little bit excited.

“We need to get there first though. There is still a lot of work to be done on the pitch this season.

“It is really exciting to hear that though. From Lee Johnson’s point of view, hearing that those sorts of funds could be available, he will be absolutely delighted.”

Huge

As Phillips says, this would be a huge boost for all involved at the club, especially manager Lee Johnson. With such a budget, the Black Cats could put together a squad capable of not only staying in the second tier, but even trying to return to the Premier League.

Of course, Sunderland must not get ahead of themselves. After all, they are third in League One and their hopes of automatic promotion are no longer in their own hands after losing 2-1 to Charlton Athletic last weekend. However, it is very positive to hear that Louis-Dreyfus is willing put his hand into his pocket in order to return the good times to the Stadium of Light.

In other news, many Sunderland fans slam this man’s performance against the Addicks.

Many Wolves fans have been left to laud a transfer update on Lucas Ocampos as Football Insider have reported that they are in the hunt to sign him.

As per the news outlet, a source from the Midlands club has claimed that the Sevilla ace is firmly on their radar, as he was watched when he was at Marseille and now at the La Liga team.

Ocampos has three years left on his current deal and a release clause of £62m, but it is likely that Sevilla would be fine with selling him at a cheaper price due to the financial implications of the pandemic, claim Football Insider.

However, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side would still likely have to sell one of their key players in the first team in order to raise the funds needed to buy him.

Nonetheless, it could be a very shrewd signing for a man who is very experienced at playing in some of the top clubs in football, with no fewer than 74 goals and a further 36 assists in 363 games in total over all competitions across the last 10 seasons (Transfermarkt).

Wolves fan reaction to Ocampos transfer update

These Wanderers lauded the transfer update on Ocampos on Twitter, with one WWFC supporter calling it ‘huge’ while another went as far as to claim that the Argentina international is a ‘fantastic’ player:

“Strike force.. Pod, Raul, Pedro, Lucas. Now we’re talking!”

Credit: @chris7mac

“Yes would be all over this, fantastic player.”

Credit: @JonnyQ88

“Now this guy is a baller. Would be some serious statement of intent if we can get him”

Credit: @cal_wolvesfc

“Would be an amazing signing”

Credit: @ReisangHuileng1

“We can only dream”

Credit: @juranceb01

“Huge if true”

Credit: @deathblossom69

In other news, find out which Premier League star Steve Bull has called for Wolves to sign here!

Leicester City have reportedly made an offer to sign Florian Thauvin, according to Estadio Deportivo.

The report claimed that the East Midlands club offered him a four-year deal and a salary of €3.5m (£3m) per season, but Thauvin has not yet made a decision over his future at Marseille.

Tottenham Hotspur, AS Roma and Napoli are also closely following any further developments with the player, but it has not been ruled out that he may leave in the upcoming summer transfer window.

Leicester should sign Thauvin

Brendan Rodgers’ team could do with a player like Thauvin in their ranks in order to boost the numbers in their squad for the 2021/22 season.

The 28-year-old has a lot of pedigree in the beautiful game, having won the World Cup with France back in 2018. He has been enjoying a good campaign so far, with no fewer than eight goals and a further nine assists in 37 games across all competitions (Transfermarkt).

Football legend Paolo Maldini described him as a ‘high level’ player back in November of last year, which is noteworthy praise given the Italian’s glittering CV.

Currently rated at £28.8m by Transfermarkt, the French winger is certainly a player who the Foxes should be looking at signing come the end of the season.

In other news, find out which ‘outstanding’ ace Leicester are eyeing!

Dean Windass has exclusively told Football FanCast that he wouldn’t be surprised to see Billy Sharp score 20 goals in the Championship for Sheffield United next season.

The Blades suffered their 22nd Premier League defeat of the campaign against Southampton on Saturday, leaving them 12 points from safety with just 10 games remaining, meaning the Bramall Lane outfit require a minor miracle in order to avoid relegation.

Chris Wilder’s team, who are the lowest scorers in England, have struggled for goals throughout the campaign, although they do have a number of proven Championship goalscorers in their ranks.

One of which is their captain, Sharp. Only Teemu Pukki, Tammy Abraham and Neal Maupay scored more than the Blades legend when United were last in the second-tier – with Sharp’s tally of 23 his best ever return at Championship level.

And despite Sharp scoring just three Premier League goals this term, Windass has backed the striker to find his best form next season, providing Wilder’s side do get relegated.

He told Football FanCast:

“He [Chris Wilder] will have a list of players that are going to leave the football club. You wouldn’t bet against Billy Sharp getting 20 goals in the Championship next season, even though he’s 35.”

Despite his lack of goals since Sheffield United were promoted two seasons back, Sharp has been an outstanding servant over the previous six years, and you really wouldn’t be shocked to see him find his goalscoring touch once more.