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An update has emerged on Sunderland defender Bailey Wright, regarding Wigan’s interest in his services.

What’s the talk?

According to Alan Nixon of The Sun, the Latics are interested in signing the 28-year-old colossus before the end of the transfer window next month.

The Black Cats’ league rivals have already signed Charlie Wyke and Max Power from the Stadium of Light on free transfers and are now after the club’s centre-back.

Fans would hate it

Kristjaan Speakman must avoid a Black Cats nightmare with Wright this summer.

He cannot allow one of their direct League One opposition, Wigan, to come in and swoop him up, especially given that they have already signed the club’s top scorer, Wyke, from last season already.

That is already one disaster waiting to happen.

Fans would be furious if they let one of their best players leave to go and strengthen a team that could end up ousting them in the promotion race.

Wright started 35 of Sunderland’s League One matches last season and averaged an excellent WhoScored rating of 6.94. The only players with higher scores were Wyke, Aiden McGeady and Luke O’Nien, with the latter two still at the club.

This highlights that the centre-back is one of Lee Johnson’s top performers and that losing him would be a gigantic blow ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

He won 4.3 aerial battles per game, whilst also making 4.6 clearances and 0.6 blocks to showcase his defensive ability at the back. The rock-solid battler proved himself to be a quality defender at this level.

Upon the Australian’s arrival at the club last year, Kevin Phillips compared him to Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk in terms of his importance to the side.

He told Football Insider:

“He’s been a great signing.

“I don’t know the player, but I just get the feeling that he’s a leader and a voice in the dressing room.

“Sometimes the manager can only say so much and then you want of your senior experience players to pipe up and put a few people in their place and give encouragement and be a leader. He seems like that.

“The stats just show what an important player he is. He’s almost to Sunderland what van Dijk is to Liverpool at the moment with those incredible stats.”

Therefore, fans would be devastated if the club sold the £13k-per-week powerhouse to Wigan in the coming weeks, because he is a top player who is crucial to what Sunderland want to do next season; get promoted.

This is why Speakman must reject all offers for the defender and ensure that he is still playing in red and white in League One next term.

AND in other news, SAFC dealt blow over 23 y/o gem who’s a “breath of fresh air”, fans will be gutted…

Writing on Twitter, Sport Italia TV journalist Rudy Galetti has claimed that a ‘sensational’ name has now emerged in the Tottenham Hotspur managerial hunt, with Brendan Rodgers overtaking contenders.

The Lowdown: Rodgers and Spurs…

Tottenham were linked with a move for Rodgers right at the beginning of their search for an heir to Jose Mourinho.

Indeed, the Northern Irishman was touted as a heavy favourite for the role alongside Julian Nagelsmann, but both men fell out of contention.

Rodgers appeared focused on Leicester and unwilling to leave the King Power Stadium just yet, with the 48-year-old even guiding them to an FA Cup triumph last month.

The Latest: Rodgers overtakes contenders…

In a stunning turn of events, Galetti has now claimed that Rodgers is back on the radar for Spurs and has even ‘overtaken’ other candidates.

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“After the chaos with Fonseca and the #NoToGattuso trend, a sensational name emerges for the Tottenham bench: it’s Brendan Rodgers,” the journalist explained on Twitter.

“The Leicester coach seems to have overtake the other contenders. The Spurs try: decisive hours.”

The Verdict: Big claim…

This comes as a very surprising claim given that Rodgers to Spurs looked all but doomed, and we advise to take this information with a pinch of salt.

Rodgers would be a phenomenal appointment for Tottenham, with chairman Daniel Levy being a known admirer of the Leicester boss for a long while. It is claimed that Levy even assessed him for Spurs way back in 2012 as a successor to Harry Redknapp, but the former Swansea boss instead opted for Liverpool.

However, with pre-season nearing and Leicester already busy in the transfer market, it would be a truly head-turning twist if Tottenham somehow manage to appoint Rodgers after all.

In other news: ‘He has already contacted’…Journalist drops big Spurs claim involving Paratici, find out more here.

A number of Liverpool supporters are keen on the idea of the Reds re-signing Philippe Coutinho following a report discussing the Brazilian’s future.

Jurgen Klopp is recharging his batteries after a tough campaign, both professionally and personally, but it won’t be long until he is back to work again. The German will be eyeing up summer reinforcements alongside sporting director Michael Edwards, looking to freshen up his squad and launch a title challenge next season.

Liverpool could arguably do with another attacking player providing more competition for places, and Coutinho has been linked with a shock return to Anfield.

The Brazil international became a superstar with the Reds, with 54 goals and 45 assists in 201 appearances, before leaving for Barcelona in January 2018 and struggling to kick on ever since, having been sent out on loan for a spell by the Catalan giants.

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Liverpool fans want Coutinho back at Anfield

In truth, it is unlikely to see Coutinho back at Liverpool – he turns 29 later this month – but it is a story which has sparked excitement among some Reds fans. Here are some of the best reactions to the news on Twitter.

“It would be great if LFC gets him back “

Credit: @Tobi_Joe_

“Just bring him back imo. We are crying out for a creative midfielder”

Credit: @txnnya

“I can’t cope with another summer of Phil rumours just for him to stay on the Barca bench. I’m begging you Michael Edwards”

Credit: @Soilsum_FUT

“Please”

Credit: @Ngcebo_YNWA

“I’d love to have him back”

Credit: @LonwaboSlangwe

“Please bring him home”

Credit: @RyanKeyo

In other news, one Liverpool player has been linked with a move abroad this summer. Find out who it is here.

Portsmouth must complete a swoop for “excellent” Millwall utility man Shane Ferguson this summer.

What’s the talk?

The midfielder has admitted that he will be leaving the club on a free transfer this summer as he is not happy with sitting on the bench on a regular basis. Football Insider claimed earlier this year that Portsmouth were in talks with the 29-year-old over a loan switch to Fratton Park, although it failed to materialise on deadline day.

Ferguson is out of contract at the end of the month and has said that he wants to playing instead of watching on from the bench at Millwall, which is why he has decided to leave the club.

He told London News Online: “It just felt natural (to leave Millwall now). I didn’t play much this season and I want to be playing. I didn’t feel I could do another season of that, it wouldn’t be good for my career at all.

“I had a good chat with the manager, we were both really honest where we were at with it. I’m looking forward to what happens next, I’ve left that to my agent. I’m away on internationals and I’m focused on that, just keeping myself fit. I’ll see what happens in the coming weeks.”

Millwall manager Gary Rowett has lauded the “excellent” Northern Ireland international and commended his work in training despite his lack of involvement on matchdays – the 29-year-old started just two Championship matches last season.

Rowett told London News Online: “Fergie is a great lad. He comes in every day and he trains well. He never gives you an ounce of a problem off the pitch and comes battering your door down.

“I know he wants to play more, he desperately wants to play more. Sometimes you get to the point with a player when they are a full international that you can’t keep them from playing and starting games for a further season.

“I think it is one of those natural ones where Fergie recognises he needs to go and play more regularly and we have to create some space in the squad financially and numbers wise to go and do something different.

“But as a player he has been excellent for me and brilliant around the group.”

Cowley would love him

Portsmouth manager Danny Cowley would surely love to have Ferguson at Fratton Park. For starters, the deal makes financial sense for Pompey as he is available on a free transfer. This means that the club can avoid negotiating with Millwall over a fee and will only need to worry about the player’s personal demands, rather than the club desperately trying to find the money to pay a seven-figure sum for his services.

Secondly, he has played plenty of football at Championship level and could provide experience for the younger players in the group at Portsmouth. Over the last four seasons with Millwall, Ferguson has played 101 times for Millwall in the second tier – scoring twice and setting up seven goals – whilst being deployed as a left-back and as a left-midfielder.

This shows that he could have the quality to drop down to League One and be a useful player for Cowley, as he has been picked to play more than 100 times across four seasons in a higher division.

The £6,000-per-week dynamo could also strike a chord with Cowley because of his attitude. The quotes from Rowett above suggest that Ferguson is extremely professional and a great character to have in the dressing room. This could be beneficial for when times are tough as Ferguson can make sure that setbacks do not keep him down for long whilst helping his teammates lift their own spirits throughout the season.

This combination of experience, professionalism and the absence of a transfer fee make him an ideal transfer target for Cowley and Portsmouth.

AND in other news, Pompey must sanction swoop for 10 G/A ace who is a “nightmare for defenders”…

With Ange Postecoglou now sitting comfortably in the Celtic hot seat, their preparations for the new season are up and running.The Hoops are getting busy in the transfer window and if you believe reports, they have started their activity.What’s the word?Defence seems to be the order of the day for the Bhoys at the moment with Celtic opening talks with the agent of Brazilian defender Riccieli.However, he’s not the only man on the club’s radar, with flying full-back Valentin Rosier now attracting their attention too.That’s according to journalist Ekrem Konur who has tweeted a variety of updates on the 24-year-old’s future this week.Konur first reported that Marseille were close to finalising a deal to sign the right-back this summer.However, they have a battle on their hands to sign the Sporting Lisbon defender for a fee in the region of €7m (£5.9m).That’s because Celtic have now made an offer for Rosier and are joined in the race by Spartak Moscow, who have also begun talks.A big upgradeAfter losing Jeremie Frimpong last January, Celtic desperately needed to find themselves a new right-back.They thought they’d aided their cause with the temporary addition of Jonjoe Kenny but his loan spell at Paradise was pretty disastrous.[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-celtic-transfer-news-posetcoglou-ryan-delap-wyke” title= “Read the latest Celtic transfer news!”]Kenny failed to show the sort of form that saw him nominated for the Rookie of the Year award in the Bundesliga with Schalke, proving to be a defensive liability.The Everton full-back was caught out on a number of occasions, particularly in the Old Firm matches when his lapses in concentration led to Rangers goals.With that in mind, signing a new right-back this summer was of utmost importance for Postecoglou.Although they face competition for Rosier, landing him in the coming months would be an astute piece of business.After all, he has been one of the most promising young players in his position over the last few years.He learnt his trade in France but following a move to Sporting Lisbon, he spent last term on loan at Turkish club Besiktas.Rosier not only caught the eye going forward – registering six assists – but he was also adept defensively. Frimpong was often rampant in the final third but Kenny struggled in that department, registering just one goal involvement after penning terms in Glasgow.Although the Hoops will need a full-back capable of going forward, they will need someone who can clean up their shoddy defence. Fortunately, Rosier could be the man in this department.He made 2.2 tackles per match last term while producing 2.1 interceptions per game. For context, both of those numbers are higher than any other player at Celtic in 2020/21.Add a glistening review from his head coach at Rodez, Laurent Peyrelade and the lure of signing him gets greater:“The first time I saw him was during a trial when I arrived. Every year, we bring four to five young people from the club to test them. He played on the right, I think. He had the athletic qualities of a modern, dynamic footballer, with a great capacity for acceleration,” Peyrelade said.With his athletic attributes in mind and his capability to defend, he’d be perfect for Celtic.They conceded 16 more goals than Rangers last term so need someone who is going to improve their backline. Rosier would certainly do that.AND in other news, Imagine him & Dembele: Celtic may have their new Hooper in rarely-seen 16-goal prodigy…

Everton finished 10th in the Premier League after a 5-0 final day drubbing at the hands of champions Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

Goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus gave City command of the game early on. Phil Foden added a third shortly after half-time and then Sergio Aguero came off the bench to score a brace.

The Toffees went into the last round of fixtures with a chance of qualifying for Europe, but they miss out despite gaining 10 points on their 2019/20 tally. They won just four of their last 12 matches, leaving them 13th in the form table during that period.

Digne urges togetherness at Everton

Everton left-back Lucas Digne took to Instagram to send a message to fans, admitting that ‘we didn’t finish like we want’.

Although the Toffees missed out on their ‘goal’ of qualifying for Europe, the Frenchman emphasised the importance of ‘staying together’. He finished off by thanking the fans for their support.

Fan feed The Toffee Blues relayed Digne’s comments, which went down well with many supporters. Some felt that he was one of the team’s best performers in 2020/21 – a view which is justified going by WhoScored performance statistics – while others appreciated how he “says it how it is” after Everton’s tame finish to the season.

Everton fans praise Digne after tough end to the season

“Only one I can’t criticise this season tbh”

Credit: @ElliottB1878

“The only one who comes out and says it how it is”

Credit: @IanLR

“About one of the only players to put a shift in yesterday”

Credit: @PeterLaing74

“Give 100% all the time”

Credit: @Jesudian15

“Only guy who gives his 100% and create something”

Credit: @Charliebabbit1

“I adore you, my French king”

Credit: @Reservoirfrogs_

In other news, Paddy Kenny dropped a transfer warning about one of Digne’s fellow Everton defenders.

Tottenham are interested in signing Barcelona’s Riqui Puig, according to Tribal Football.

Spurs eye Puig

The 21-year-old has had to make do with a bit-part role under Ronald Koeman so far this season, making just 21 appearances in all competitions (Transfermarkt).

It seems that Spurs are now interested in the midfielder, but they are not the only side in pursuit – Arsenal, Juventus and Inter Milan have all been mentioned as potential suitors, as per Tribal Football.

Top talent

While Puig is clearly not a core part of Koeman’s plans at the moment, he is still a player tipped to have a big future. He made his debut for Barca during the 2018/19 campaign and has now played 36 times for the club.

Former Barcelona manager Quique Setien was a fan, calling the 21-year-old an “extraordinary” talent (via barcablaugranes.com), while he has even compared to club legend Andres Iniesta (via Goal.com).

Koeman’s failure to utilise him could therefore see Puig depart, and Tottenham should be jumping at the chance to sign the midfielder. He has a market value of £16.2m (Transfermarkt) – far from an outrageous valuation – and still has plenty to prove. It remains to be seen whether Daniel Levy and co follow up with a concrete offer in the summer, but they would be silly not to at least have a go.

In other news, Steve Hitchen has suggested this man as the next Tottenham manager.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Scottish Premiership defender Michael Ball believes Celtic fans want to see a big-name manager like Jose Mourinho arrive at the club, in a damning verdict of the pursuit of Eddie Howe.

Prior to accepting the job at AS Roma, there was some talk about Celtic being keen on bringing the ex-Tottenham boss to Glasgow.

Nothing, of course, materialised and Howe remains the frontrunner to permanently succeed Neil Lennon in the Celtic Park dugout. Lucien Favre has also reportedly been interviewed for the role in a potential twist.

Having lost out on the Scottish Premiership title to rivals Rangers, though, Ball feels supporters desperately want a manager of Mourinho’s profile to come in and prevent a repeat of this season.

On Celtic’s manager search, the retired full-back told FFC:

“Speaking to a lot of Celtic fans, they’re reaching for the top, they want the best of the best. I think there’s obviously a lot of talk about Eddie Howe right now, but Celtic… their demands as fans are huge and they want to push Steven Gerrard as much as possible to bridge that gap, so they want the biggest names available.

“Now even when Mourinho was available before the Roma job, they wanted him, so whether that board can go out and attract that type of manager is a different question, but what the fans want will be a big name.”

Given what Mourinho has accomplished in the game, bringing him to Celtic Park would have been some coup.

With that no longer an option, however, you would expect the Bhoys to continue in their pursuit of Howe.

Former Leeds United defender Danny Mills has tipped the Whites to sign Chelsea and England striker Tammy Abraham this summer.

The Lowdown: Attacking additions needed

Marcelo Bielsa’s side may have thrived in their first season back in the Premier League, but they cannot afford to rest on their laurels and go backwards.

Leeds need to bring in a number of top-quality new players in the coming months, with attacking reinforcements potentially at the top of Bielsa’s wish-list.

Only Patrick Bamford (16) has got into double figures for goals in the league in 2020/21, possibly highlighting the need for more firepower in that area of the pitch.

The Latest: Mills talks up Abraham signing

Abraham could possibly leave Chelsea in the summer transfer window and Mills has told Football Insider that Leeds should snap him up:

“I’m sure Leeds have got their targets, but you need somebody to challenge Bamford.

“Is he going to have another good season? Who knows? He may well do. If he does and you bring in somebody that can’t get into the team, that’s life. Even if he costs a lot of money, if Bamford keeps him out, he keeps him out.

“It raises the standards of everybody and that’s what’s important.

“The big striker that’s available this summer is Tammy Abraham. Where’s Tammy Abraham going to go? Could it be Tottenham? Could it be Leicester City?

“Leeds would be an option. Why not? I would suggest he’s going to be highly sought-after this summer.”

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The Verdict: Great deal for all concerned

The £36million-rated Abraham could be a great signing for Leeds, easing the burden on Bamford and also giving him genuine competition.

As Mills touched upon, there is no guarantee that Bamford will enjoy another season as good as this one and the Chelsea man arguably has more pedigree at the top level.

The 23-year-old has 30 goals in 82 appearances for the Blues, also finding the net once in his six England games to date.

Leeds should certainly consider a bid, especially given Abraham’s age and ability to improve further as the years pass, and help take their squad to the next level.

In other news, ‘huge’ offers for one Leeds player are expected this summer – find out who it is here.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Leeds United midfielder Carlton Palmer believes Sergio Aguero could join Marcelo Bielsa’s side in what would be an astonishing summer move.

The Manchester City striker is set to leave the Etihad at the end of the season when his contract expires and, according to 90min, Leeds are keen on bringing him to Elland Road.

The same outlet reports that Chelsea are also interested in signing Aguero, meaning the Whites could face some serious competition for the 32-year-old’s signature.

Palmer, however, still thinks Aguero to Leeds is a possibility, though he believes the Argentina international’s wages could be a potential stumbling block.

On the rumours that Leeds could move for Aguero in the summer, the ex-Whites player told FFC in an exclusive interview:

“I was thinking about this today; it could be a possibility because Sergio wouldn’t have to move – obviously he lives in Manchester. I think at Sergio’s age, he wouldn’t want to go anywhere and be a bit-part.

“So, you know, when they’re talking about top clubs like Chelsea and whatever, if he’s not guaranteed of playing every week, which I think he’s going to fall into that category now with his injuries and with his age, Leeds could be a good shout. The problem that would be, I would assume, would be his salary.”

Outside of England, Aguero, who managed to score 23 goals in all competitions last season, is said to be attracting interest from the likes of Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.