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West Bromwich Albion have been dealt a blow to their hopes of bringing Valerien Ismael to The Hawthorns this summer.

What’s been said?

In a recent interview with Barnsley’s official website, their CEO Dane Murphy revealed that there have been no approaches made for the club’s 45-year-old manager so far, in addition to stating that he fully expects Ismael to remain at Oakwell for the club’s upcoming Championship campaign.

It has been reported that both West Brom and Crystal Palace have been keeping tabs on the Frenchman ahead of a potential move to appoint him at their respective clubs this summer.

However, Murphy appears confident that neither club will be successful in their attempts, with the Barnsley CEO stating: “We’ve heard the rumours, we’ve seen the headlines, but we haven’t had any direct approach for Valerien.

“Of course there is going to be rumour and interest after the season we’ve just had. What Valerien put together with our club was incredible. But I am extremely confident, the club is extremely confident that he will return and he’s going to continue to be the leader of our team.”

“I don’t envisage a situation where we aren’t looking at season 2021/22 without Valerien Ismael as our head coach.”

Fans will be furious

Considering just how impressive a job Ismael has done at Barnsley since taking over at the club last October, the likelihood that West Brom will be unable to poach the 45-year-old from Oakwell this summer is sure to leave Baggies fans furious.

Indeed, over his 39 Championship fixtures as the Tykes’ manager, Ismael guided his team to 23 wins, five draws and 11 losses, picking up a whopping 74 points along the way.

This form saw Barnsley comfortably qualify for a place in the play-offs, finishing the regular season above Bournemouth in fifth place in the Championship standings and just 13 points behind Watford in an automatic promotion spot.

Although the Tykes narrowly missed out on a shot at promotion in the play-off final following their 2-1 aggregate loss to Swansea City in the semis, considering the club were predicted to finish in 18th place by FourFourTwo before a ball had been kicked last season, the argument can easily be made that Ismael has worked something of a miracle in his short time at Oakwell.

Aside from his obvious coaching talents, with the 45-year-old being described as a “young, ambitious” manager by the club’s CEO, these are both traits which – following West Brom’s relegation from the Premier League under Sam Allardyce – the Baggies’ hierarchy will undoubtedly be seeking in their next coach.

As such, Ismael does not seem to be far off being the ideal candidate as West Brom’s next manager, but following Murphy’s recent comments, the Baggies very much appear to have an uphill battle on their hands if they are to land the Frenchman this summer.

In other news: West Brom handed transfer boost over “fantastic” £8m beast that’ll have fans buzzing

Chris Hughton is planning to offload four Nottingham Forest player this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Telegraph, who claim that Harry Arter, Fouad Bachirou, Carl Jenkinson and Gaetan Bong have all been informed that they have no futures at the City Ground.

Marinakis must sell

Nottingham Forest have had something of a campaign to forget in the Championship this season, with the Reds finishing in a lowly 17th place in the second-tier standings.

As such, Hughton has a big summer ahead of him if he is to steer the Garibaldi back towards the play-off positions next term, and shifting a number of the club’s deadwood is the perfect place to start.

Arter joined Forest in a £4.95 million deal from AFC Bournemouth last summer, with the 31-year-old being handed a three-year deal on a reported £20,000-per-week.

However, the £2.7 million-rated Republic of Ireland international made just 13 Championship appearances for the Reds this season, over which he averaged a rather disappointing Sofascore match rating of 6.79.

Bong also made the move to the City Ground in 2020, however, the left-back was a £450,000 signing in the January transfer window, with the 33-year-old being given a two-and-a-half-year deal on a reported £18,000-per-week.

The £450,000-rated defender went on to make just 10 league appearances for Hughton’s side this term, over which he too averaged a SofaScore match rating of 6.79.

Fouad Bachirou was also a recent recruit, making a £603,000 move from Malmo FF last summer when he was handed a two-year deal on a reported £18,000-per-week, with the £540,000-rated 30-year-old going on to make just one Championship appearance for the Garibaldi this season.

Finally, Jenkinson was a £1.98 million signing from Arsenal back in the summer of 2019, when the right-back was given a three-year deal on a reported £27,000-per-week, however, the £810,000-rated 29-year-old featured in just three league games for Nottingham Forest this term.

As such, considering how sparingly all four of these players were used by Hughton this season, in addition to the whopping £83,000 a week that Forest reportedly spend on the foursome, Evangelos Marinakis is right to be doing all he can to move these players on this summer, as getting them off the payroll will allow his 62-year-old manager a more significant wage budget to work with, as well as whatever money is received from their transfers, to help rebuild his squad ahead of next season.

In other news: Forest handed devastating blow over £3.6m-rated gem dubbed “one of the most talented” – opinion

Manchester United are reportedly in the running to sign Sporting Lisbon sensation Nuno Mendes after a string of impressive displays from the youngster.

What’s the talk?

According to The Sun, United have already ‘made contact’ with the Portuguese champions over a move for the 18-year-old full-back ahead of the upcoming transfer window.

The report states that a £52m fee is being muted and that Mendes shares the same agent as Bruno Fernandes, who left Sporting for Old Trafford 18 months ago.

Woodward must move

Mendes has taken the Primeira Liga by storm this season, making 29 league appearances for the capital club as Ruben Amorim’s men ended a 19-year wait for the top-flight title.

He could become the latest name to join Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Red Devils revolution after Manchester City cooled their interest after Verde e Brancos named their price for the Portugal international.

While some may argue that the 20-time English champions are well-stocked at left-back with Luke Shaw and Alex Telles, signing a generational talent like Mendes is simply an opportunity United can’t afford to pass up on.

Shaw has been magnificent this season and is undoubtedly the short-term solution to Solskjaer’s left-back needs, but at just 18, Mendes could grow and develop for a couple of years under the Norwegian’s tutelage while getting enough game time in cup competitions to continue his on-pitch development.

Summer-signing Telles has struggled to adapt to life in the English top-flight so far and could still be sold for a relatively high price, given his contract has three years left to run.

It would leave United with the perfect scenario. Their first-choice full-back would be an established Premier League player entering his prime years with over 200 senior appearances to his name, and his understudy would be a teenage prodigy admired by the continent’s top clubs.

Former Portugal international Costinha spoke to Goal after Mendes was named on the 2021 NXGN list of the world’s top teenage talent, and gave a glowing reference of his compatriot.

“Nuno Mendes (is the top talent). I don’t think he will be here next season,” claimed the retired midfielder.

“If I was a scout for the big clubs in Europe, I would look at him. Eighteen years old, a left-back – and there aren’t many left-backs in the world with that quality – then I would definitely go and pick him.

“He is strong physically and in his head. He has an excellent left foot, and he has very good pace.”

Therefore, Ed Woodward must seal a deal for the £22.5m-rated gem before he steps down from his position on the United board this summer, and leave the Premier League giants with at least one positive note.

And, in other news…Major Manchester United transfer update emerges that’ll surely have fans buzzing – opinion

Plenty of Aston Villa fans have been reacting to Dean Smith’s comments on Wesley Moraes on social media.

The 24-year-old made his first appearance of the season in the 2-2 draw with West Brom on Sunday evening.

Smith described Wesley’s long-term absence due to a cruciate ligament injury as one of the most significant injuries he’s seen in football.

The Villa boss revealed that the Brazilian, who joined in a deal worth £22.5m back in 2019, received a round of applause from the Villa players after he named the squad in training for the clash with Sam Allardyce’s side.

Wesley has made a total of 22 career appearances for Villa so far, scoring on six occasions and registering a single assist.

Villa fans react

Villa shared the footage of Smith talking about the striker on Monday lunchtime on their official Twitter page.

Several supporters gave their views on his comments, with a selection available to view below.

“Is this man going to take us any further or do you think it is the end of the road”

Credit: @Dylanjo70365265

“my heart”

Credit: @fokkos2

“Love that”

Credit: @nickgd99

“I love this club soo much utv”

Credit: @Marco60921015

“Keinan may have scored the equalizer, but it was Wes who made the impact. Big lad like him in the box for the last minutes, well, we all saw the chaos it caused for West Brom. More options in attack, nice to have him back !”

Credit: @JarkkoKyn

“Man like big Wes! Cannot wait to see him back fully fit. Support him lads! It was a massive injury.”

Credit: @jSG50

In other news: £47k-a-week Aston Villa man a shock target for Premier League giants, find out more here. 

Celtic’s new manager will have to revamp the team’s defensive structure, according to Mark Wilson.

Wilson, a right-back, made over 100 appearances for the Hoops between 2006 and 2012.

Celtic have endured a dismal season -they trail champions Rangers by 23 points in the table and crashed out of the Europa League in the group stages while their arch-rivals progressed to the Round of 16, and a large part of their struggles has been down to their torrid defending.

How much have Celtic struggled defensively?

Celtic conceded 19 goals over their six continental fixtures, a joint-competition-high (alongside Dundalk and Ludogorets).

They’ve shipped 29 in the Scottish Premiership, and though that equates to fewer than one per game, their defensive record pales in comparison to Rangers, who have let in just 13.

For Wilson, it’s clear where the outstanding problems lie for Neil Lennon’s long-term successor.

‘Celtic must address weakness Gerrard exploited’

“Any manager who is looking at this Celtic side and has done their homework throughout the season, not just against Rangers, can clearly see the weaknesses,” he told Sky Sports, via Daily Record.

“Steven Gerrard played on that and said after the match he played on that weakness of the backline and goalkeeper.

“That is the priority for any manager coming in – a goalkeeper and two full-backs and a centre-half.

“If they can keep Kris Ajer it’s a good start, but it’s a tall order.”

Who would be getting replaced in Celtic revamp?

It was reported at the start of the season that £3.6million-rated Ajer wanted to leave Celtic, and he’s now about to enter the last year of his contract.

Scott Bain (£540,000) is currently the no. 1 ‘keeper at Parkhead, having started the last 11 matches.

Everton loanee Jonjoe Kenny (£6.3million) occupies the right-back position, with AC Milan’s Diego Laxalt (£3.6million) predominantly the man stationed on the opposite flank.

That makes about £14m worth of talent that could need replacing and upgrading.

Transfer Tavern verdict

Celtic need an overhaul this summer, but they can’t focus all their attention on the defence – let’s not forget that while Sunday’s Old Firm turned into a goal-fest, the Hoops had mustered just one goal in the previous four clashes against the Gers this term.

Odsonne Edouard could leave, forcing the club to try and repeat the trick of identifying a diamond in the rough up front, just like they did with Moussa Dembele before him.

Indeed, his mooted £15million sale could be crucial for fundraising and one would hope it can stretch to more than just a couple of defenders – if the club were to upgrade at the back but lose Edouard without an adequate replacement, we can’t see them properly challenging Rangers for the throne next term regardless of how many clean sheets they keep.

In other news, Celtic have been warned about offloading this midfielder.

Tottenham Hotspur are eyeing up a move for Sven Botman ahead of the summer transfer window, according to reports…

What’s the word?

The Telegraph claim that Jose Mourinho is a big fan of the Lille centre-back and would like to prioritise bolstering his backline ahead of next season.

Botman was slapped with a €40m (£36m) price tag amid interest from Spurs and Premier League rivals Liverpool last month, so it remains to be seen whether or not Daniel Levy would be willing to open the chequebook to meet his manager’s wish.

It’s also suggested that even if the Portuguese leaves at the end of the season, then it is likely that any new appointment would want to add a central defender to his ranks, and it’s easy to see why.

Imagine him & Rodon

Spurs have suffered with defensive issues all campaign, and Mourinho still doesn’t know his best partnership, with game time between Eric Dier, Toby Alderweireld and Davinson Sanchez being split in the Premier League.

Only the England international has started more than 20 matches, and even then, he’s been snubbed from the starting XI in each of their last five league outings.

Recently against Aston Villa, Mourinho turned to young hopeful Joe Rodon and he duly delivered. As explained in this Performance In Numbers feature from Football FanCast, the Wales colossus made a statement to his manager that he deserves a place in Spurs’ lineup.

The 23-year-old’s arrival in the summer wasn’t one for an immediate impact but was certainly one for the future and in Botman, Levy could seal the Lilywhites’ defence for the next five or six years.

“Joe Rodon, if he’s developed in the right way, could become a £70m defender. He’s a very good player. He’s one of those who, you can see he’s got all the tools. He’s got all the proper assets you need to be a very good defender, you could see why Spurs have gone for him,” explained Alasdair Gold (via This is Futbol) in January.

Botman is younger at 21 and has already been touted for major things by those around him.

According to The Times’ Duncan Castles, former Premier League defender Jose Fonte believes the Dutchman is the best centre-back he’s played with – and he’s played with quite a few big names, including Virgil van Dijk, Gabriel, ex-Madrid man Pepe, and Alderweireld.

Similarly, current Lille boss Christophe Galtier lauded the youngster as a “leader” already at his young age.

“In football, you have leaders who are vocal, ones who gesticulate and ones who shake the team up… I have a few of those, “said Galtier. “But you also have people who lead by example, through their performances, and it’s true that Sven is emerging as this type of leader.”

The £22.5m-rated titan ranks among Les Dogues’ star performers as they challenge Mauricio Pochettino’s PSG for the Ligue 1 title this season. Indeed, the 6 foot 4 defender is behind only three other players for average WhoScored rating (7.03) – better than all four of Spurs’ current central options.

It’s clear to see that his best attribute is being able to play the ball out from the back. He’s averaging a whopping squad-high 71.7 passes per game and delivering at an accuracy rate of 85.9%.

In Rodon and Botman, Mourinho could quickly find a perfect mix of brute force and deft touch, two abilities that should suit his defence down to a tee.

Levy must sanction the £36m swoop this summer, he could build a formidable partnership for the future by doing so.

AND in other news, Hugo Lloris could be closer to Spurs exit amid interest in £18m-rated beast…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Howey, who made 270 career appearances, believes that losing Jamaal Lascelles through injury will be a big blow for Newcastle United, but hopes they have other leaders in the squad.

Steve Bruce delivered the disappointing news in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Burnley clash that he will be without his captain for what appears to be the remainder of the season, in a match that could give them some serious breathing space from 18th-placed Fulham.

During Callum Wilson’s latest injury, Lascelles has been the club’s top scorer with two headers against Aston Villa and Wolves respectively with both goals earning the Magpies a point in each match.

Speaking on how big of a blow losing Lascelles will be for Newcastle but how he hopes they will have other leaders ready to step up, Howey told FFC:

“Obviously it is a blow losing your skipper, but you’d like to think that there are some more leaders in the group.

“It just came out of nowhere, because there wasn’t any mention of an injury and then all of a sudden, he’s got this stress fracture, which is a blow.”

Lascelles has been an ever-present when fit under Bruce, having featured 19 times in the Premier League this season.

The 26-year old was appointed captain during their last season in the Championship when eyebrows were raised, considering he was just 22-years old at the time, with Rafa Benitez claiming he had a big character and was a leader in the changing room.

After pulling off an impressive comeback victory over Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday, Arsenal return to Europa League action when they take on Olympiacos.

Mikel Arteta’s side secured bragging rights in the north London derby thanks to goals from Martin Odegaard and Alexandre Lacazette, and appear to have picked up a bit of momentum at a crucial time in the season.

And, with a 3-1 advantage to their name against Olympiacos, the Gunners look all set to progress into the next round of the competition, as they host the Greek giants at the Emirates tonight.

With West Ham on the horizon at the weekend, Arteta may consider freshening things up for Thursday’s game given their lead from the first leg, but it should remain a strong starting line-up.

And with that in mind, below is a look at how the Gunners might line up.

In goal, Bernd Leno will be hoping to fare better than he did in the first leg, where he played a huge part in the Gunners’ awful defensive gaffe for Olympiacos’ goal.

The defence could see one key change with Hector Bellerin coming in for Cedric, with Arteta potentially looking to rest the Portuguese man ahead of the clash against the Hammers on Sunday.

In midfield, the £200k-a-week earning Thomas Partey may find himself back on the bench after starting the past few games for the north London side – Mohamed Elneny is surely pushing for a recall, especially after his long-range screamer over in Greece.

Further forward, Nicolas Pepe has also made a good case to start, after coming on at half-time for the injured Bukayo Saka and playing the pass leading up to Alexandre Lacazette’s penalty.

And up front, Arteta may give Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang the opportunity to make amends for his mistake at the weekend, which saw him dropped from the starting line-up against Spurs.

In total, the Arsenal boss could make five changes from the starting line-up against Spurs with Willian also coming in for the rested Emile Smith Rowe.

Predicted XI: Leno; Bellerin, Luiz, Gabriel, Tierney; Elneny, Xhaka; Pepe, Odegaard, Willian; Aubameyang.

Sheffield Wednesday will make a decision on free-agent trialist Ravel Morrison this week…

What’s the word?

Speaking after the Owls’ impressive 2-1 win over high-flying south Yorkshire rivals Barnsley, Wednesday manager Darren Moore revealed he was taking a look at the 28-year-old midfielder. He said, via The Star:

“What we’ll do is take a good look at Ravel and make a decision in the next two, three, four days so we know what we’re doing with Ravel going forward.”

The former Manchester United graduate has been without a club since leaving Dutch outfit ADO Den Haag and is free to join the Owls as he contract was terminated by mutual consent in January.

Polarising maverick

It’s not been too long since Wednesday last had a player who will cut the fanbase like a knife through butter. Indeed, Fernando Forestieri was that man for a very long time at Hillsborough.

After playing an instrumental role in back-to-back playoff campaigns under Carlos Carvalhal, the Argentina-born Italian soon saw his Owls career dogged by injury problems and disciplinary issues before leaving in the summer after a divisive five years.

Morrison has played for 11 different teams, including arch-rivals Sheffield United, and has struggled for regular game-time and consistency in that time. This is something he acknowledged during an appearance on Rio Ferdinand’s ‘Vibe with Five’ podcast, via The Star:

“I think it’s because a lot of people already have a picture in their head of what I am like, so people don’t want to commit and say: ‘We’ll bring him to the club for two or three years’. They think: ‘We’ll give him six months because he might be a problem.'”Chris Wilder also described him as a “maverick” and has previously lauded the midfielder as an “undoubted talent” with “serious ability”, yet his track record would say otherwise. He would likely be another polarising figure at Wednesday.You couldn’t say Forestieri didn’t lack ability – after all, he produced 40 goals and 18 assists in 134 appearances – it’s the fact that it could’ve been so much better with more application and fewer problems, both on and off the pitch.That very much is the same for Morrison.At Manchester United, he was thought to be “better than” the likes of Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard coming through, according to Wayne Rooney. “He struggled with lifestyle and his environment which was sad for him,” explained the Red Devils legend to The Sunday Times.The Owls could do with all the help they can get right now, so taking Morrison on board for the remainder of the season could be a smart ploy, but they will need to be weary for the long run. Things quickly turned south for Forestieri, and that’s not something that needs to be repeated at Hillsborough again.

AND in other news, Lost possession 40x: Owls star the one negative from Moore’s first Owls win… 

While Raphinha has developed into a superstar on the right-hand side for Leeds United, Marcelo Bielsa has had more trouble on the opposite flank.

Jack Harrison had that position nailed down for the majority of this Premier League season, and delivered some fine performances, racking up six goals and providing four assists in the top-flight alone.

But recently, his form has dropped off considerably, so much so that he was taken off at half-time in two out of the last three games, before being dropped to the bench against Aston Villa. Helder Costa came in and took his place, but looked woefully out of place, and Bielsa must make a ruthless call on him.

So, with Leeds’ wide options on the left currently in a bit of a rough patch, Bielsa must turn towards another exciting talent to potentially step into the gap: Ian Poveda.

The 21-year-old has played ten times in the Premier League this season, but that has only amounted to a total of 243 minutes of football, instead spending more time playing for the club’s U23s.

But, there’s no questioning the kind of talent and ability he’s got, and with him being able to play on both flanks, could offer Bielsa another option down the left side.

Talking about Poveda earlier this campaign, Noel Whelan said: “You can see now when you talk about people changing games and bringing a different dimension, he’s very, very quick, got great feet, very tricky, likes to run at players. Very much like Raphinha as well.

“He just looks a lot stronger this season, body-wise, mentality wise. He looks like he’s there to push people rather than just take up a bench place.”

Paul Robinson added to the winger’s list of admirers, insisting last March: “I think we’re going to see Poveda come through next season. Leeds have signed him for a reason, Bielsa knows he’s a top, top player.”

With both Harrison and Costa short on form in recent weeks, bringing the £10k-a-week earning Poveda into the fold could help Leeds set up a new and exciting wide duo with Raphinha.

Given Whelan’s comments on how Poveda plays makes him sound very similar to the Brazilian too, that makes for a mouth-watering combo.

Meanwhile, Leeds could hire Bielsa’s dream successor in this 36 y/o…