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Many may have been sceptical and not convinced if Liam Cooper would be good enough to play every game for Leeds United in the Premier League, but he was a rock at the back for them and former teammate David Norris has claimed that Marcelo Bielsa must love the defender.

Cooper is Leeds’ captain and not many would argue about it being anyone else with the way that he organises the team, leads by example and carries out instructions perfectly, which is why Bielsa never looked to replace him last summer – instead he wanted another centre back to complement his skipper.

Leeds will be looking to build on next season’s solid top-half finish with some quality additions as they already have a solid base and spine of their squad, and just a few more additions could potentially have them challenging at the right end of the table.

Still just 29-years-old, Cooper has plenty of time to continue developing and be a mainstay in the heart of Leeds’ defence for years to come as it appears unlikely that Bielsa will look to replace the one player he really admires, something Norris spoke exclusively to Football FanCast about:

“I think with Cooper being captain and knowing what Bielsa is like with wanting to trust players, then he obviously must love him.”

Cooper, rated at £6.3m by Transfermarkt, has been with Leeds since 2014 when he was signed from Chesterfield and since then he has never looked back, improving every season and dating his game under every manager he has worked under.

It is not just Cooper who is a leader on the pitch with the likes of Luke Ayling and Kalvin Phillips two other regulars under Bielsa that lead by example, but for the centre back to be the captain speaks volumes of his values and how he is as a person and player.

Brighton and Hove Albion correspondent Aden-Jay Wood reckons that Dan Ashworth is likely to join Newcastle United as their new Director of Football (DoF). 

The lowdown

The Athletic’s David Ornstein reported on Monday that the Seagulls had given Newcastle permission to speak to Ashworth about fulfilling the position.

Initial contact has been made, and formal talks are ‘likely to happen in due course’. It apparently isn’t the ‘style’ of the south coast club to deprive their employees of appealing opportunities when they arise.

Newcastle have previously been linked with former Chelsea and AS Monaco technical director Michael Emenalo. The Telegraph reported (via Sky Sports) that he had turned down The Magpies, although co-owner Mehrdad Ghodoussi insisted this was not the case.

The latest

Wood took to Twitter to provide the latest on Ashworth being linked with the DoF role at St James’ Park and is resigned to the 50-year-old departing Brighton.

He tweeted: “If Dan Ashworth goes (which I think he will), it will be a huge shame. Ashworth has almost singlehandedly changed Brighton’s approach both on and off the field and would be very, very difficult to replace.”

The verdict

Perhaps in an ideal world, Newcastle would have got their new DoF installed in time for the start of the January transfer window, but that appears very unlikely now.

They have at least managed to appoint Nick Hammond, the former Celtic and Reading director of football, in a temporary consultancy role. He may oversee signings designed to try and keep the Magpies in the Premier League, with Ashworth then taking the reins to guide them forward from thereon.

Ashworth did tell The Athletic in February 2020 that he hoped to be at the Amex Stadium for ‘many years to come’, but perhaps the Newcastle project would simply be too good to turn down given the sheer extent of wealth at their disposal.

In other news, Newcastle have offered this Brazilian beast a contract

Fabrizio Romano has dropped an update on the future of Tottenham Hotspur centre-forward Harry Kane.

What’s the talk?

In a recent episode of the Here We Go podcast, the transfer insider stated his belief that, should Antonio Conte remain at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer, the centre-forward also looks likely to continue his career in north London beyond the summer transfer window.

Speaking about the future of the 28-year-old, Romano said: “I want to say again – if Conte will stay at Tottenham, as their manager next season, my feeling is Harry Kane will be there. Harry Kane will be a Tottenham player again.

“Antonio Conte wants this winning mentality, wants this ambition – and ambition means the top player, Harry Kane has to stay. So, if Conte will stay, I see also Harry Kane staying at Tottenham in the summer. And, at the moment, Tottenham are absolutely not planning to sell him.”

Spurs supporters will love Romano’s update

Despite having initially struggled to hit his usual levels of form towards the beginning of the current campaign – scoring just one goal and registering one assist over his first 13 Premier League outings this season – Kane has proven in the time since that he is still very much one of the best centre-forwards in world football.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-martinez-dybala-spence-conte-2” title= “Read the latest Spurs news!”]

Indeed, over his subsequent 16 league fixtures, the £90m-rated striker has bagged a further 11 goals and provided five assists – form which saw the England captain named as the Premier League Player of the Month in March, the record-equalling seventh time the £200k-per-week hitman has picked up the award.

And, despite his early-season slump, Kane’s recent returns have seen him average a quite remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.29 over his 26 Premier League appearances, not only ranking him Spurs’ second-best performer in the league but also as the 18th-best player in the division as a whole.

As such, it is clear for all to see that retaining the services of the 243-goal forward is an absolute must if Tottenham are to become a serious title contender under the management of Conte next season, leading us to believe that Romano’s latest update is sure to be news that Spurs supporters will love.

AND in other news: Conte must ruthlessly axe “pathetic” £25m-rated Spurs passenger, “he is the worst”

An update has emerged in Ibrox chief Ross Wilson’s efforts to bring a new manager to Rangers this week…

What’s the talk?

Go Radio journalist Jo Hendry has claimed that the club’s search for Steven Gerrard is not going to drag on much longer, although they are in no rush to make an immediate appointment.

She has also ruled out the possibility of Ronald Koeman taking over in Glasgow, stating that he has never been in the running.

The Daily Record quote her as saying:

“Talks ongoing today [Tuesday] as Rangers continue the search for a new manager. Former Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman never under consideration. I’m told despite being in no rush to appoint, the process isn’t going to drag on too long.”

Pleasing

Whilst Rangers fans may not be over the moon with Koeman being out of the race to land the hot seat, they will surely be buzzing by the rest of Hendry’s claims.

For starters, talks are evidently still ongoing over a deal for someone to replace Gerrard, which means that Wilson is actively working hard to get a move over the line in the coming days.

He is not twiddling his thumbs and waiting for responses from candidates or for other options to become available. Consequently, this should delight fans who want to see the club being proactive and on the front foot in their pursuit of a new head coach.

They will also be buzzing with the comment ‘the process isn’t going to drag on too long’ as it indicates that Rangers may well have a manager in place sooner rather than later. This is a particularly important point given the club face a semi-final clash with Hibernian in the League Cup on Sunday.

The Gers have an opportunity to reach the final of the competition and Rangers fans would love to see a new head coach achieve that in their first game.

Imagine, for example, Gio van Bronckhorst ending his first match in charge of the club by sending them through to the final with a chance of winning their first trophy of the season. This is why supporters will be ecstatic with the news that the appointment will not drag on in the coming days/weeks. It’s pleasing to see Rangers acting so swiftly with proceedings.

AND in other news, Major twist emerges in Rangers manager hunt that should leave fans elated…

Wolverhampton Wanderers were dealt another blow in their quest for European football as Bruno Lage’s side were beaten 1-0 by Newcastle United at St James’ Park on Friday night.

Chris Wood’s 72nd-minute penalty proved the difference between the two teams, with Wolves now three points off sixth with Manchester United playing this lunchtime.

The visitors were by far inferior to their hosts, with Lage’s men recording just five shots all night, two of which were on target, compared to Newcastle’s 12 (four on target). On a personal level, it was another uneventful outing for 19-year-old striker Fabio Silva.

The Portuguese youngster is yet to score this season despite making 23 appearances across all competitions so far. Despite Raul Jimenez’s status as Wolves’ first-choice striker, opportunities certainly haven’t been scarce for Silva.

With the Mexican serving a three-match suspension for a red card picked up against Leeds prior to the international break, another chance for the 19-year-old to start has arisen, but once again it hasn’t been taken.

According to SofaScore, two of Wolves’ five shots came from the Portuguese teenager, with one on target as Wolves’ club-record signing played 90 minutes. Moreover, the youngster had just 27 touches all night, eight fewer than goalkeeper José Sá’s 35, whilst losing possession seven times.

While a 78% passing success rate is satisfactory, the striker attempted just 18 passes in his time on the pitch, completing 14.

There was little defensive contribution either as Silva lost 79% of his duels whilst also failing to make a single clearance, block, interception or tackle and being dribbled past twice.

The Fabio Silva puzzle is certainly one that both Lage and former Old Gold manager Nuno Espirito Santo have struggled to solve since the 19-year-old’s move from Porto in 2020 for a club-record £35.6m, with journalist Liam Keen labelling the striker a “hindrance” earlier this season.

Last season was an adequate maiden campaign in the English top flight as the youngster scored four goals and set up three in 32 league appearances. However, there have been few signs of progress since then.

Jimenez’s return from a nasty skull fracture has reduced opportunities for the 19-year-old but, in what has been a quiet campaign by the Mexican’s standards, Silva has failed to outshine the 30-year-old.

There are no doubts regarding the youngster’s talent and potential, as otherwise Wolves wouldn’t have broken their record transfer fee to lure him to Molineux.

However, there is now a situation developing where the Portuguese marksman can’t be relied upon whenever Jimenez is unavailable. Given this predicament, Lage may well seek to bring in a new striker in the upcoming transfer window.

In other news: Fosun now set for Wolves disaster on “cheeky” £58k-p/w machine, he’d be a “big loss”

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been left erupting as some comments emerged from Steven Gerrard.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match at home to Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday afternoon, the English manager has now claimed that the club need to ‘spend big money’ in transfer windows in order to be able to compete, citing that in the last two windows they ‘haven’t spent a penny’.

This comes after the Light Blues lost 1-0 away at Sparta Prague in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday night, after losing their opening game 2-0 at home to Lyon in the competition (BBC Sport).

They have also drawn and lost a match in the SPFL already as well, and so question marks have been raised over their performances this season compared to last.

Nonetheless, several Light Blues seemed to be taken back by his subtle dig at the board.

Rangers fans on Gerrard comments

These Gers supporters erupted as the comments were shared on Twitter:

“That’s a statement and a half”

Credit: @TobyJamieson4

“First time we’ve heard him express his disappointment at the transfer business we have done. Sounded like a wee dig at the board.”

Credit: @FacelessRanger

“Is that a dig at the board for us not spending any money?”

Credit: @CarrieCummings4

“The board won’t be too happy with that last comment, but he’s correct.”

Credit: @Motor_Ted

“Steven Gerrard making it clear to EVERYONE you need to spend money to improve and challenge in European competitions. Money he hasn’t been given in the last 2 transfer windows so why should we expect this team to keep doing it, year after year?”

Credit: @CF3Loyal

“2 poor transfer windows. Not spent a penny. Manager having a dig at the board here?”

Credit: @TheFamousRFC

In other news, find out whose display against Prague left RFC fans fuming here!

Speaking to Football Insider, Tottenham Hotspur ‘insider’ and club source John Wenham has made an exciting claim on young talent J’Neil Bennett.

The Lowdown: Barely seen at Spurs…

The 19-year-old, whilst currently shining out on loan at Crewe Alexandra, has only made one senior competitive appearance for Spurs.

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Indeed, Bennett even scored his first goal for The Railwaymen last weekend – marauding down their left hand-side and driving an arrowed shot into the far corner against Burton Albion.

Despite not amassing many chances at Tottenham, it appears the teenage talent is making plenty of impressions elsewhere on his temporary stint away, with Lilywhites insider Wenham now making an exciting claim.

The Latest: Spurs source makes Bennett claim…

Speaking to FI, the club source, who regularly breaks news on his Lilywhites Rose social media page, has been left blown away by Bennett and insists he is ‘very gifted’.

“J’Neil is a really interesting player,” he explained.

“He came onto my radar as a 15 or 16-year-old, he was playing up with the Under-18s. He is very, very gifted.

“I have been really impressed with him. He has a signature move where he runs down the left, cuts in and bends it into the far corner.

“He went on trial to Crewe earlier in the summer and clearly impressed them, which is why he joined. He has such an unpredictability about him.

“I’m really pleased for him, I hope next season he can come back and maybe get another loan into the Championship or maybe challenge in the squad.”

The Verdict: Exciting times for Spurs academy…

By the sounds of Wenham’s exciting claim, Bennett can be added to the long list of talents emerging from Spurs’ academy.

There have been no shortage of them, either, with Oliver Skipp, Dane Scarlett, Nile John, Joshua Oluwayemi all turning heads in recent times.

Given Tottenham’s struggles financially due to COVID, posting losses of around £63.9 million last year alone, they may be more reliant than ever when it comes to their starlets breaking through and saving millions in transfer fees.

In other news:  Spurs now want ‘outstanding’ 29 y/o who Pochettino wanted to make one of his highest earners, find out more here.

An update has emerged on reported Aston Villa transfer target Pape Sarr regarding the interest in his services so far this summer.

What’s the talk?

Metz president Bernard Serin has confirmed that there have been no offers for the 18-year-old so far in this window, stating that Sarr “hasn’t received any serious offer”.

Villa have been touted with an interest in the midfielder in the transfer window, but Serin has made it clear that no club has come in with a concrete move.

When asked about his future, Sarr remained committed to Metz by outlining his aims for the Ligue 1 side next season. He said: “At FC Metz, our first objective is to keep the team in Ligue 1. But winning trophies with them is also part of my ambitions for next season.

“I want to have a better season than in the 2020/21 [campaign] and if possible, score more goals.”

Get it done

Johan Lange must get a deal done for Sarr before the end of the window. Villa have just under a month left to complete their summer business and a swoop for the midfielder could be a shrewd addition in the short- and long-term, which is why they must react to this update from Serin by making their move.

With no other clubs acting on their potential interest in the teenager, Villa could snap him up with little to no competition if they move swiftly. However, if Lange dawdles and waits until the end of the window, that could allow time for other clubs to become desperate and then enter the race for Sarr if they do not get their other targets.

Metz head coach Frédéric Antonetti recently claimed that Sarr “will go far” in the game and praised his hardworking nature on and off the pitch. He stated: “Pape Matar Sarr is elegance in the midfield, it’s talent, it’s making others play.

The club’s general manger Olivier Perrin added: “He will be able to go as far as he wants to go. He must work, be as he is there, modest, regular, hardworking. He must continue to love football and he will do like the great players, he will go far. I think he will go very far.”

This shows that he is highly-rated by his club and has the attitude required to continually improve as he progresses in his career. Therefore, this could be an excellent investment opportunity for Villa if they are able to bring him in for a reasonable price, as they could sign him and develop the midfielder over the course of the next few years, leading to him either being sold on for a profit or becoming a key player for Villa.

The 18-year-old averaged an impressive WhoScored rating of 6.82 in 22 Ligue 1 appearances for Metz last season, scoring three times. This shows that he is already able to consistently perform in the French top flight despite his young age, and he could arrive at Villa Park to provide competition in midfield whilst learning from the likes of John McGinn and Douglas Luiz to continue his development.

AND in other news, Lange must sanction dream Villa deal for £70k-p/w “machine”, he’s an upgrade on Luiz…

An update has emerged on former Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman, regarding interest from Glasgow giants Rangers.

What’s the talk?

According to Portuguese journalist Pedro Almeida, the Dutch head coach is a ‘possibility’ for the Gers as they attempt to replace Steven Gerrard at Ibrox in the coming days, following his move to Premier League outfit Aston Villa.

The reporter also claimed that ex-Rangers defender Giovanni van Bronckhorst is the favourite for the role, but Koeman could now be in the race.

Forget van Bronckhorst

Rangers chief Ross Wilson must forget about a swoop for van Bronckhorst if Koeman is a realistic option for the club in the next few days. If the Dutchman is available then the Gers director must make a move for him and attempt to bring him to Ibrox as he could be a terrific appointment.

He is vastly experienced and has managed some top clubs throughout his career; Barcelona, Ajax, Valencia, Benfica, Southampton and Everton among others. Koeman also managed his native Netherlands for 20 matches and averaged an impressive 1.9 points per game for the country.

Van Bronckhorst won an Eredivisie title with Feyenoord and averaged 2.03 points per game across 136 league matches in the Netherlands. This shows that he is a good candidate to replace Gerrard and proves that he is capable of setting a side up to win points on a regular basis, but Koeman’s statistics and experience eclipse him.

Koeman has managed 342 Eredivisie games and averaged 2.06 points per match, across spells with Vitesse, Ajax, Feyenoord and PSV – winning three league titles along the way, with nine trophies in his career overall. This suggests that he could be a better option than van Bronckhorst in terms of their experience in their home country.

However, the real edge for the ex-Barca coach comes with the fact he has proven himself outside of the Netherlands.

In three full Premier League seasons in charge of Southampton and Everton in England, the 58-year-old finished seventh, sixth and seventh – showing that he can achieve success in one of Europe’s top divisions.

Van Bronckhorst, meanwhile, has only managed in China and the Netherlands.

His spell in China was also cut short after 23 games as he averaged a measly 1.22 points per game, which is another indication that Koeman could be the better option of the two and that is why Wilson must move for the former Saint.

AND in other news, “It’s understood..”: Journo drops update on Rangers’ manager hunt, fans will be gutted…

Manchester United are set to receive another offer from AC Milan for defender Diogo Dalot over the coming days, reports reveal.

What’s the story?

According to well-known journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the Serie A giants are plotting a fresh offer for the 22-year-old after a successful loan spell last season.

He tweeted: “AC Milan are preparing a new bid to Manchester United for Diogo Dalot. Loan with buy option to be offered again – but improving the loan fee #MUFC #ACMilan Man Utd want around €4/5m loan fee + buy option included. Ancelotti loves him but Real Madrid not an option, as of now.”

Fans should be concerned

Dalot has struggled for first-team opportunities since arriving on English shores back in 2018, making just 35 appearances for the Red Devils during his three-year stay.

The £50m arrival of Aaron Wan-Bissaka pushed the youngster further down United’s pecking order, and he was forced to go out on loan last season in search of regular game time.

However, after joining Milan for the entire 2020/21 campaign, Dalot thrived, discovering his best form at San Siro, helping Stefano Pioli’s side to a second-place finish in the top-flight standings.

His impressive performances earned him a late call-up to Portugal’s squad for Euro 2020 after Joao Cancelo tested positive for Covid-19, and the right-back ended up making his senior debut for the national side as a late substitute against France.

Therefore, United supporters should be concerned at the latest revelation regarding Dalot’s future as the Red Devils could be about to lose an extremely promising young full-back.

While Wan-Bissaka is undoubtedly an exceptional one-on-one defender, the 23-year-old has limited attacking attributes, severely hampering the Old Trafford outfit’s ability to make meaningful forrays forward down the right-hand side.

United have been heavily linked with a move for Atletico Madrid’s Kieran Trippier in recent weeks as a result, but they could already have the perfect solution within the club.

Selling Dalot may be a decision Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and co. come to regret in years to come, and the Norweigian tactician could be digging his own grave by letting the highly-rated gem depart.

And, in other news…MEN drop promising update on Man Utd’s £54m-rated “monster”, Solskjaer will be buzzing