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Fulham are interested in a deal to bring Josh Windass to Craven Cottage this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Sheffield Star, who claim that the Cottagers are one of a number of Championship clubs considering a move for the 27-year-old attacking midfielder in the summer transfer window, with Fulham believed to have reaffirmed their interest.

The report goes on to state that, as a result of Sheffield Wednesday’s precarious financial situation, the interested parties are hoping to land the £1.44m-rated forward on something of a cut-price deal.

However, the Sheffield Star also claim that Fulham’s bid for Windass may be put on hold while the situation of Scott Parker’s future, with the 40-year-old being heavily linked with the Bournemouth job, is resolved.

Khan must move

While Sheffield Wednesday had something of a campaign to forget last season, with Darren Moore’s side unable to overcome a points deduction and subsequently suffering relegation to League One, Windass nevertheless impressed for the Owls.

Indeed, over his 41 Championship appearances last term, the £10k-per-week attacking midfielder scored nine goals, registered six assists and created seven big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.9 shots and making 0.7 key passes per game.

These returns saw Windass earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.80, ranking him as Wednesday’s seventh-best performer in the second tier of English football.

As such, should the 27-year-old – whom his father, Dean, dubbed an “explosive” player – go on to make a move to Craven Cottage this summer, the upgrade in quality between the respective squads of Fulham and Sheffield Wednesday would only appear to improve the chances of Windass going on to better his already impressive returns of goals and assists from last season.

So, it would appear highly advisable for Tony Khan to do all he can to get a deal over the line as quickly as possible for the potential bargain signing this summer, or else he risks missing out on the forward to one of Fulham’s Championship rivals.

In other news: Forget Parker: Khan can continue Fulham project by moving for “quality” 41 y/o

Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch could look to bring Manchester United assistant Chris Armas to Elland Road this summer, according to Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Armas profiled

The 49-year-old worked under Marsch at New York Red Bulls, serving as his assistant for 151 games.

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Armas, labelled as a ‘winner’ with ‘infectious positivity’, has since gone on to manage Toronto and has been at Old Trafford under Ralf Rangnick since December.

His services in Manchester may no longer be needed after Erik ten Hag was announced as Manchester United’s new manager, and it looks as if Marsch could take full advantage ahead of his first full season in charge.

The Latest: Hay’s claim

Hay shared a story on The Athletic on Saturday morning, looking at Leeds’ U23s following a record PL2 attendance at Elland Road on Friday night.

Within his report, he claimed that Marsch looks set to make further alterations to his backroom staff this summer, revealing Armas is under consideration for a permanent post.

The Verdict: Makes sense

The pair know each other well following their time back in the USA and Marsch is clearly a fan of Armas, so a reunion in Yorkshire appears to be a shrewd move.

Marsch has already brought Franz Schiemer and Cameron Toshack to Thorp Arch, while Mark Jackson has been promoted from the U23s, so Amas could be the missing piece in the backroom staff jigsaw.

Hopefully, Leeds will be preparing for a first full season under the American as a Premier League side, which could persuade Armas to remain in England.

In other news: Phil Hay: Marsch now eyeing Leeds move for ‘quality’ rising star alongside Aaronson. 

John Kennedy has been left in the dark in regards to Celtic’s off-field plans this summer, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Kennedy in the running?

Kennedy has been in interim charge of the Hoops following Neil Lennon’s resignation back in February.

Reports last month suggested that the 37-year-old was still in the running for the permanent role, but he failed to increase his chances of landing the job on a full-time basis following a Scottish Cup defeat to Rangers.

Eddie Howe is thought to be the frontrunner for the vacant Parkhead position, with reports towards the end of April claiming he is finalising his Celtic Park backroom staff.

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The Latest: Interim boss ‘hasn’t got a clue’

According to a recent report from Football Insider, Kennedy is none the wiser in regards to the incoming changes at the club.

The media outlet was informed by a Celtic source that Kennedy “hasn’t got a clue what the club are doing” – nine words which could well spell trouble for the current interim boss.

The Verdict: New manager to make the final call?

The report added that Kennedy is unsure if he will even be at the club next season, and we feel that his future should be down to the new Hoops manager.

Kennedy, who has been a Celtic player and worked as a scout at Parkhead, knows the club inside and out. However, should the next man in charge not want him as part of his staff, we feel as if Celtic need to part ways with the 37-year-old.

It looks set to be a summer of change both on and off the pitch in Glasgow, which hopefully will be for the better in the hope of reclaiming the Premiership crown from Rangers next season.

Should Howe come in, he may yet decide to keep Kennedy around, with reports last month claiming that the former Bournemouth manager is happy to work alongside both him and Gavin Strachan.

In other news: Source shares big Celtic transfer development; ‘magnificent’ star seems to have chosen new club, find out more here. 

Former Scotland manager Alex McLeish believes that Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou will make numerous outcasts train with the academy sides, as per Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Derby demolition

The Hoops returned to the top of the Premiership on Wednesday night for the first time since August with a dominant win in the Old Firm derby.

Celtic scored three times in the first half, two of which came from January arrival Reo Hatate, ending a seven-game winless run against Rangers.

Three players who didn’t feature at Celtic Park were Albian Ajeti, Vasilis Barkas and Boli Bolingoli, with the trio failing to seal moves away from the club in last month’s transfer window.

The Latest: McLeish’s comments

McLeish, who contributes as a pundit for BBC Radio 5 Live, was talking to Football Insider about the trio in a story released the morning after the derby win.

He expects all three to be demoted to Celtic’s academy sides due to the size of Postecoglou’s squad, saying:

“This is where, when you’ve got a massive squad, you have to separate a lot of the players, and I’m looking at the likes of Ajeti, Barkas and Bolingoli.

“They will probably be, and I can only imagine because we did this back in my day at Rangers, under the supervision of other coaches.

“Maybe one of the younger coaches learning his trade as well with the professionals who are not in the plans. He’ll join them in with the young players and stuff.

“You know players of that ilk would want to go and play senior level (football). They don’t really relish playing with the young ones.

“To be fair, most of them will give the young ones the respect while they’re training with them.

“There’s no way you can train a squad with eight or nine you don’t consider as first or second choice.”

The Verdict: Still time…

Even though the transfer window is now shut in Scotland, that doesn’t mean Ajeti, Barkas and Bolingoli are stuck with the Hoops until the summer.

That’s because multiple countries across the world can still complete their winter business in February, including Turkey, with the window closing in five days.

Both Barkas and Bolingoli have been linked with moves to Turkey over the past 12 months, so perhaps that could be a possibility over the coming days rather than McLeish’s prediction of them being banished to training with Celtic’s reserves.

In other news – 20 duels won, 13 successful tackles, 77 completed passes: These were Celtic’s 3 best players v Rangers 

Many West Ham United fans have been left to bemoan an update on Alan Irvine as the club’s website confirmed that he has left his role as assistant manager.

The 62-year-old will now take on a new technical advisory position to assist David Moyes and his coaching staff for the 2021/22 term.

The website describes him as a ‘hugely respected figure’ and ‘one of the finest coaches in the English game, admired and respected by players and his peers in the coaching world’.

It is not just Moyes who had contributed to the great work on the pitch last season, with which the East London club managed a sixth-placed finish in the Premier League and therefore qualified for the UEFA Europa League, but Irvine as well played a big part, and so it will be a huge loss not to have him right on the touchline.

Although he is still working with the Hammers, several Irons supporters have been left to bemoan the Scotsman not being able to work alongside Moyes from the touchline during games.

West Ham fans on Irvine update

These WHU fans flocked to the update as it was shared on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that they were ‘gutted’:

“I don’t consider this good news at all”

Credit: @LeefromAHN

“That’s not good. He is well liked. Respected coach. Carlton Cole was talking about how good he is”

Credit: @jeffers4045

“Gutting I liked him”

Credit: @RyanWestHam1999

“That’s not good news, need to keep that group together”

Credit: @rickwhufc

“Ah gutted, top coach he is!”

Credit: @westhampep

“NOOOOO”

Credit: @conwhufc03

In other news, find out what Moyes’ transfer priority is here!

Marcus Bent has backed Everton to heap more misery on relegated Sheffield United by tempting their club record signing away from Bramall Lane.

The Blades will be back in the Championship next season after a two-year stay in the Premier League.

England goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale is among those who have been linked with securing a quickfire return to the top flight, while John Lundstram turned down the offer of a new deal in favour of UEFA Champions League football with Scottish Premiership title winners Rangers.

But ex-Everton striker Bent, who also spent time with Sheffield United during his playing career, feels new Toffees boss Rafa Benitez should be working on a deal to bring 6 ft 5 Sander Berge to Goodison Park.

The Norwegian international midfielder joined the Blades in a big-money deal in January 2020 and has gone on to make 29 Premier League appearances.

Arsenal, along with Italian sides Napoli and Atalanta, are also thought to be interested in the 23-year-old but Bent has urged Everton to win the race for his signature.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, Bent said: “I watched Sheffield United against Liverpool two seasons ago and they were absolutely brilliant. They played great football.

“I was a little bit distraught and upset that they went down and the season was so disappointing. A lot of the players, fans and people I have spoken to have said the same thing.

“Berge is their record signing and selling him would be a kick in the gut but they have been relegated.

“Everton would take that sort of player because he is hardworking, fast and got good knowledge of the game. It would be a good signing for Everton but a loss for Sheffield United.”

Glasgow Rangers fans were livid with a tweet from journalist Hugh Keevins after it was revealed the Gers will start charging reporters to cover the Ibrox outfit.

The Gers have had a trouble relationship with the mainstream media in Scotland in recent years – Club 1872, a fan supporters group, have been forced to file and IPSO complaint previously, while the fans have had run-ins with journalists such as Keith Jackson or Graham Spiers.

It seems the 55-time Scottish champions are looking to take matters into their own hands. As reported by The Mail’s Mike Keegan, the Gers will start charging reports as much as £25,000 for them to cover matches at Ibrox and also speak to Steven Gerrard, the manager. Keevins didn’t appear too happy, suggesting the move was like asking bus drivers to pay their employers to drive the bus.

Keevins shared his thoughts on Twitter, and his comments attracted the attention of the Gers supporters – they were very unhappy, with many saying that Rangers do not work for the media or vice versa. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Keevins tweet below

“You can disagree and challenge the idea but that’s an absurd comparison. The media don’t work for Rangers.”

Credit: @AMcKellar89

“That’s a really poor analogy is it not?”

Credit: @JHC17626935

“What a preposterous analogy. Douglas Park’s bus drivers are employees of Douglas Park. You and your colleagues are not employees of Rangers.”

Credit: @RossMcFarlane1

“The coach drivers are employees of Parks of Hamilton. The journalists are not employees of Rangers, but do make money for their organisation by performing a task which is already done in house by Rangers. A ridiculous false equivalence.”

Credit: @chelt_lad

“This is arguably the worst analogy I’ve seen from you not involving Nuremberg. That in itself is remarkable.”

Credit: @angryscotsman81

“Stupid analogy – the press are not employed by Rangers. I’d much rather get my news straight from my club anyway. Most media outlets derive their news from social media platforms these days and quality sports journalism is very rare – particularly in Scotland.”

Credit: @HamptonCaught

In other news, Rangers fans were livid at this Wembley photo.

Writing for The Sun, journalist Paul Jiggins has dropped a damning behind-the-scenes Tottenham Hotspur claim involving senior players at N17.

The Lowdown: Nuno back in the firing line…

Following two consecutive Premier League wins against Aston Villa and Newcastle, the pressure on Nuno Espírito Santo was slightly eased as he aims to guide Spurs into his very own era.

However, this last week has seemingly placed the Portuguese back in the firing line with another two losses now on the board – this time to Conference League minnows Vitesse and bitter London rivals West Ham.

After the regrettable last round of fixtures for Tottenham’s head coach, reporter Jiggins has now dropped a damning behind-the-scenes reveal in another blow for Nuno.

The Latest: Senior Spurs players ‘seriously angered’…

As per the journalist, writing in The Sun, senior members of Nuno’s Europa Conference League squad have been left ‘seriously angered’ due to the manager’s tendency to think too far ahead.

This has apparently created a ‘needless chasm’ at Hotspur way and left the team’s morale in ‘tatters’ – coming after he decided to field a second-string team against Vitesse and rest key players for West Ham only to lose both anyway.

Jiggins also believes the Spurs squad is now ‘divided’ under Nuno amid increasing pressure.

The Verdict: Blow for Nuno…

The external pressure from critics alone is one huge obstacle the 47-year-old must face and harbouring furious senior squad members will do little to help his cause.

There is still time for him to steer the Spurs ship back around, especially considering they lie just three points away from a top four place and are keeping fair chase statistically.

However, a swift revival in terms of both results and performances is needed – starting with Burnley in the Carabao Cup tonight.

In other news: Paratici may now be willing to offer ‘frightening’ player over £200,000-per-week to join Tottenham, find out more here.

Odsonne Edouard suffered an injury shortly after Celtic’s 6-0 win over Dundee on Sunday, The Daily Record report.

The Lowdown: Exit latest

Edouard has featured in every competitive game under Ange Postecoglou this season but is still thought to be working on a Parkhead exit after a move to Leicester City fell through earlier this summer.

Brighton are the favourites to land the 23-year-old, with Crystal Palace, Newcastle United and AS Roma also interested.

The Daily Record believe his future could be resolved by the end of the week, however, the forward recently suffered an injury at Parkhead.

The Latest: Edouard’s injury

According to The Daily Record, Edouard, who scored his first of the season from the penalty spot, picked up a knock during the warm down after the final whistle.

The report doesn’t specify the severity of Edouard’s injury, but they do believe he is a major doubt for Celtic’s Europa League qualifier second-leg against Jablonec.

The Verdict: Last time we’ve seen Edouard in a Celtic shirt?

With an injury and transfer update in one provided by The Daily Record, Sunday could well have been the last time Hoops fans will see Edouard in a Celtic shirt.

He could be missing completely on Thursday and may well have his future wrapped up by the end of the week.

Thomas Henry looks likely to be the man to replace Edouard, so it’s good to see Celtic already putting plans in place without their centre-forward.

In other news: Loan to buy: Journalist in Turkey claims Celtic could now move for ‘dangerous’ ace.

West Bromwich Albion have been dealt a blow regarding the fitness of Kean Bryan ahead of their Championship fixture on Tuesday night.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a report by Birmingham Live, who claimed that the centre-back does not look likely to be deemed fit enough to feature in the clash against Derby County at The Hawthorns.

As a result, the report suggests it looks more than likely that Valerien Ismael will stick with the trio of Cedric Kipre, Kyle Bartley and Semi Ajayi for the match – the same defensive three who started Albion’s disappointing 1-1 draw with Millwall last weekend.

Ismael will be gutted

Considering that Bryan was signed as a result of the respective injuries to the Frenchman’s first-choice centre-backs Matt Clarke and Dara O’Shea, the potential absence of the 24-year-old for tonight’s clash against the Rams is sure to have left the 45-year-old manager gutted.

Indeed, neither Kipre nor Ajayi did much in the Millwall fixture to convince Ismael that they would be worthy of keeping their places in the starting XI. The former lost 56% of his duels, ceding possession of the ball on 14 occasions and earning a SofaScore match rating of 6.7, while Ajayi made an error which led to a shot and gave away the ball 15 times, receiving a SofaScore match rating of just 6.4.

As such, the addition of Bryan to Ismael’s back three for the Derby game would have almost certainly provided the Frenchman with a considerable boost to his chances of getting the Baggies back to winning ways in the fixture.

However, unfortunately for the Albion manager, it looks as if he will have to once again make do without the former Sheffield United man, which will undoubtedly come as a blow to the 45-year-old.

In other news: Journalist reveals how “complete” 27 y/o failed to secure WBA move, he would’ve been a huge coup