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Aston Villa will reportedly seek to loan out Wesley in the summer transfer window following horrendous injury problems for the striker.

The Lowdown: Injury hell for Wesley

The Brazilian arrived at Villa Park in the summer of 2019, costing £22m and becoming the most expensive signing the club’s history at the time. He has since been usurped by Ollie Watkins in that respect, but it’s fair to say big things were expected of the striker.

Sadly, a cruciate ligament injury suffered at the beginning of last year halted Wesley’s progress significantly, with the 24-year-old playing just 15 minutes of Premier League football this season.

The Latest: Villa looking to sell striker

According to Football Insider, Villa don’t intend to keep Wesley in their squad for next season, moving him on to pastures new instead. The report claimed that Dean Smith had been unconvinced by the Brazilian even before his horrific injury in January 2020.

The plan is to loan him out and sign another striker, which suggests that he has no future at Villa Park moving forward.

The Verdict: Time to move on

There was so much promise when Wesley arrived, but unfortunately the severity of his injury means that he may never be the same player again.

There is a feeling that Smith’s side have moved on without him, too, with Watkins leading the line excellently in his place, scoring 13 goals in the league this season and justifying his club-record outlay.

Wesley will hopefully be a reliable player again one day, but with another striker potentially coming in, it is hard to see how he can revive his abortive Aston Villa career.

In other news, one Villa player has been linked with a shock move to a ‘big six’ club this summer. Find out who it is here.

Former Sheffield United star Keith Gillespie insists that the club need a British manager to replace Chris Wilder, in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast.

The former Blades boss left the club earlier this month, with relegation almost certain.

Sheffield United are currently rock-bottom of the league table, taking 14 points from 29 games.

They are 14 points off safety with nine games of the season remaining, and they have won just one of their last five games.

The club have yet to replace Wilder but Sky Sports News have revealed that former Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic is one of the club’s top choices to replace Wilder.

But Gillespie believes that a British manager should be the target for the club, as they look to appease the club’s supporters.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, he said: “When you have managers that do have experience, you’ve certainly got to sit up and take notice. I’m a believer that a British manager would probably be best in a club like that because they know the club.

“I might be completely wrong, I’d probably say that most Sheffield United fans would probably want a British manager to come in there.

“But if a name becomes available and it’s somebody the board think is viable and will hopefully make things work, then you have to look at it.”

Sheffield United have never had a foreign manager, with their last five bosses being English, with the club also having five Scottish managers, a Welshman, and a Northern Irishman since their founding.

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!

Hugo Lloris has taken a massive pay cut in order to make his move to MLS side LAFC possible, after leaving Tottenham in December.

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• Lloris takes whopping pay cut to make move
• Saudi deal would have tripled Spurs salary
• World Cup winner wowed by California

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The former Tottenham Hotspur keeper signed a one-year deal worth $350,000 (£276,000), a fraction of what Lloris was earning in the Premier League and lower than a vast number of MLS goalkeepers.

  After turning down a move to Saudi Arabia that would have trebled his previous earnings, the World Cup winner seems content with his decision, viewing the move as an opportunity to begin a new chapter with his family on the Pacific coast.

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  WHAT HUGO LLORIS SAID

  “I have now arrived at a point in my career where I feel free to decide my next project and destination, and I liked everything about MLS,” Lloris told . “They have a budget for the goalkeeper spot that they couldn’t go over because the rules are different, so there was not even a question about salary. It shows how much I wanted to come!

  “I don’t have the national team anymore because I retired a year ago, so this was a chance to discover a new continent with my family. California is an amazing place."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  After 11 seasons as Spurs' undisputed number one, Lloris' time in north London came to an ignominious end when he lost his place in the side late last season. He never featured in the plans of new boss Ange Postecoglou, who has placed his trust in summer arrival Guglielmo Vicario.

  Lloris continued to train with team-mates despite having no chance of selection but matters were finally resolved in December when the Frenchman made his move to Los Angeles on a free transfer.

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• WHAT NEXT FOR LLORIS?

  Lloris should make his MLS debut when LAFC host the Seattle Sounders at BMO Stadium on Saturday – a side who finished just above them in last season's Western Conference standings.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Carlton Palmer suggested his former club West Brom did all they could in the January transfer window.

During it, manager Sam Allardyce and technical director Luke Dowling were able to bring in the likes of Robert Snodgrass, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Mbaye Diagne, giving the Baggies a boost in their fight for survival.

With West Brom struggling at both ends of the pitch this season, though, the Baggies could have perhaps done with further strengthening. They are one of the lowest scorers in the Premier League, registering just 20 goals in the current campaign, and have the worst record when it comes to goals conceded.

However, Palmer believes the club did what was realistically possible in the transfer market, noting the need to be financially cautious. In an exclusive interview with FFC, the former England international said:

“Well, the problem is in the position that they’re in, it’s always dangerous, isn’t it? Do you overspend to try and stay in the Premier League? Because, you know, if you go down, you’re left with a big wage bill.

“And it’s not that easy, as we’ve seen, to get automatic promotion from the Championship, so I think it’s a balancing act. And I think they would have taken that with a view when they brought Sam in.

“At the time they brought him in, obviously the wage they’ll be paying Sam and the recruitment they’ve done, I think they would have taken a calculated gamble in what they were doing. So, you know, I think they’ve done as much as what they can.”

Whatever the case, West Brom will believe that they can stay up. The Midlands club are currently nine points adrift of safety; however, they play 17th-placed Newcastle United on Sunday in a relegation clash that could completely change the dynamic down at the bottom.

The players can also draw confidence from having a very experienced manager in charge in Allardyce, with the ex-England boss boasting zero relegations from the Premier League on his CV, leading previous sides Crystal Palace and Sunderland to top-flight safety.

Roy Keane is thought to be back in the running to take over at Celtic, with the stalling move for Eddie Howe causing a U-turn in the Bhoys boardroom.

That’s according to a ‘behind the scenes’ report from Football Insider, who have been informed by a Hoops source that the Irishman has growing support from within the boardroom and is becoming more prominent in the thoughts of the hierarchy.

Keane feared he had been overlooked by Celtic despite talks with the club, but it seems as if he is now back in the frame.

The report suggests that the Hoops hierarchy feel they need a new manager with a strong personality to rebuild a broken team and compete with Rangers, while the faltering move for Howe has also led to a rethink.

Transfer Tavern take

To us, appointing Keane as Celtic’s new manager would be a huge risk. The 49-year-old has been out of the managerial game for over ten years – with his experience in the dugout since then coming as assistant to both Martin O’Neill and Paul Lambert with Ireland, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest respectively.

Howe is another man in the Celtic picture along with Keane, and to us, the Englishman would be a better option, as he proved with Bournemouth that he can rebuild a side, taking them from League Two to the Premier League in the space of six seasons.

Howe also has over 350 games more as a manager than Keane and has been out of work for less than a year, so not only is he the fresher and more current manager, he is also actually more experienced as well.

In other news: Premier League club mandate agents to work on signing Celtic star, find out more here. 

Jose Mourinho has defended the decision to award Lionel Messi the 2010 Ballon d'Or despite his former player Wesley Sneijder claiming it was "unfair".

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• Messi won 2010 Ballon d'Or
• Sneijder felt he should've won it
• Mourinho defends Argentine

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Former Dutch international Sneijder felt it was "unfair" he did not get the individual accolade in 2010 after helping Mourinho's Inter win the Champions League, Coppa Italia and Serie A. Despite Messi just winning La Liga and seeing his Argentina side lose in the World Cup quarter-finals that year, whereas the Netherlands were runners-up to Spain, the former Roma manager has come to the aid of the Inter Miami ace.

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  WHAT JOSE MOURINHO SAID

  On Rio Ferdinand’s podcast, the Portuguese said: "I don’t like to say it robbed. Who won it? Messi? So, not robbed. But Wesley did the treble, the Champions League winner, I think the World Cup final in the same season. So Wesley should be there at least in the top 3, but when in the last generation, when Cristiano [Ronaldo], Messi, they win the Ballon d’Or, it’s never robbed."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  While some of Messi's Ballon d'Or wins have been questioned, particularly the 2023 award after he scored fewer goals than Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe and Manchester City's Erling Haaland and played in a weaker league in the MLS, the 36-year-old will go down as one of the greatest players ever. That undoubtedly means more than any individual accolades.

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• WHAT NEXT?

  Messi's Miami begin their 2024 MLS campaign at home to Real Salt Lake on February 22, before taking on La Galaxy away from home. Sneijder, on the other hand, retired from the game in 2019.

According to a report by club insiders Claret & Hugh, GSB will ‘move heaven and earth’ to seal the permanent signing of Jesse Lingard for West Ham United this summer – with the Irons keen to do a deal after his loan expiry.

West Ham set to prioritise Lingard permanent deal

Indeed, as per C&H, West Ham are very eager to make a permanent move happen at the end of the season – with manager David Moyes even listing it as a major priority in the summer window.

The 28-year-old, who has bagged four goals and one assist in six Premier League starts already since joining on a temporary deal in January (WhoScored), is at the centre of heavy interest over a permanent move according to this report.

It is said that GSB will even ‘move heaven and earth’ to make it happen, even despite his alleged £20 million price tag and £107k-per-week wages.

Transfer Tavern take

The Englishman will have little sell-on value compared to that £20m price tag, but the club and GSB are still eager to do a deal with Moyes listing it as a major priority alongside potentially two new striker signings.

Receiving no shortage of plaudits since his rejuvenation at the London Stadium, pundit Alan Shearer hailed Lingard as a ‘magnificent signing’ for West Ham.

Judging by this update, it appears the east Londoners are very keen to secure Lingard permanently – but time will tell what comes of the inside claim.

In other news: West Ham fans flocked to this club announcement, find out more here.

Many felt that the Blues had overpaid for the 21-year-old attacker but he stole the show at Stamford Bridge on Sunday

"I'm tired," Mauricio Pochettino said in his post-match press conference. And who could blame him? With Monday's emotionally-draining Tottenham victory still fresh in the memory, the Argentine was subjected to another tortuous 90-plus minutes against Manchester City on Sunday.

However, thanks to Cole Palmer, at least the Blues came away with a 4-4 draw and a point to show for their efforts. The former City man netted from the penalty spot in second-half stoppage time to cap off another crazy game of Premier League football, after Ruben Dias had chopped down Armando Broja in the area.

Before that, this one had pretty much everything. As you might expect in a game with eight goals, Erling Haaland found himself on the scoresheet twice, though not without controversy, and Palmer was not the only ex-City man that proved a point against his former employers.

England boss Gareth Southgate would have watched on with particular interest too, with Raheem Sterling making another strong case for his return to the national team. But, in the end, this one was all about Palmer – a young man proving that not all of Chelsea's summer signings are doomed to failure.

Below, GOAL runs down all the winners and losers from Stamford Bridge…

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  WINNER: Erling Haaland

  Haaland has scored two or more goals on 36 occasions since joining Borussia Dortmund in 2020 – more than any other player across Europe's 'Big Five' leagues. Obviously! The man is a goalscoring machine, operating in a league of his own. It really is as simple as that. Like the Terminator, there is just no stopping him – no matter how little the Norwegian is involved in his team’s build-up play. However, while Haaland is sometimes criticised for his lack of touches, particularly since arriving at Manchester City, he was excellent at Stamford Bridge in every sense.

  His hold-up play was fantastic – he was heavily involved in the move that led to City’s fourth goal – and he never gave Thiago Silva & Co. a moment’s piece. On days such as these, he really does look like a cheat code. City didn’t play particularly well at all yet they still managed to claim a point almost exclusively because of the phenomenal No.9.

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  LOSER: Manchester City's defence

  When Pep Guardiola claimed that Manchester City were "in trouble” following an injury to John Stones, many people scoffed. After all, the Catalan is in possession of one of the most expensively assembled squads in football history. The man is renowned for stockpiling £50 million defenders – and only this past summer he signed a centre-back, Josko Gvardiol, for nearly twice that figure.

  However, Stones was undeniably conspicuous by his absence at Stamford Bridge, with his defensive excellence and composure on the ball in midfield sorely missed by a team that looked unusually ragged. The aforementioned Gvardiol continues to flatter to deceive but the real story was City being let down by some of their most reliable players, namely Ederson and Ruben Dias.

  The former was at fault for Nicolas Jackson’s goal, while the latter was atrocious throughout, with his miserable evening capped by a terrible challenge on Armando Broja that allowed Palmer to level the game from the penalty spot. Maybe Guardiola was right. Maybe the treble-winners really are in trouble…

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  WINNER: Cole Palmer

  Of all the signings Chelsea have made in the Todd Boehly era so far, few have generated as muted a reaction as when Palmer arrived from Manchester City in a £42.5m ($51.9m) deal. Dismissed as an overpay at the time, the silky forward is making his critics eat their words lately – and Sunday was his best display yet.

  Palmer clearly wanted to prove a point to his former club. His energy never dipped and he was involved in many of Chelsea’s best moves, linking up sublimely with Reece James down the right-hand side in particular. Midway through the second half, it appeared he’d created his crowning moment, jinking past a host of sky-blue shirts and into the box. However, off balance, he scuffed a tame effort at Ederson.

  Thankfully, Dias was on hand to ensure his ex-team-mate went home happy. His foul gifted Chelsea a penalty at the death and despite a lengthy delay, Palmer kept his nerve, stepping up to smash home and earn his side a point. This young team desperately needs leaders – and Palmer can be exactly that. City might have made a massive mistake in not fighting harder to keep him around in the summer.

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  LOSER: Levi Colwill

  Colwill has not had the best week on a personal level. After putting in one of his shakiest displays in a Chelsea shirt against Tottenham on Monday – which resulted in him being dragged off at half time – he was absent from the squad entirely against City. The talented young defender suffered a minor shoulder injury in the lead up to the game and was not risked this weekend.

  Colwill was milling around the press area with fellow absentee Wesley Fofana before the match and seemed in decent-enough spirits – particularly when he got to spend some time with rap superstar and Chelsea fan Jack Harlow. However, the knock comes at a less-than-ideal moment.

  He was once again called up by England boss Gareth Southgate for next week’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against North Macedonia and Malta and although there is little to play for – with the Three Lions progression already secured – the warning Southgate issued to clubmate Reece James will be ringing in Colwill’s ears this evening. It’s not long until the action gets going in Germany and every single player will be laser-focussed on impressing Southgate. Colwill seems to have been deprived of that opportunity this month.

According to Goal, via West Ham Central, the Hammers are interested in Red Bull Salzburg striker Patson Daka – with many supporters erupting as GSB allegedly eye the ‘perfect signing’.

Daka has attracted much attention for his exploits in Austria, drawing comparisons with Premier League legend Thierry Henry, and it’s not hard to see why judging by his phenomenal goal record over the 2020/2021 season.

Indeed, the Zambian star bagged a truly head-turning 34 goals and 12 assists in 42 appearances in all competitions for Salzburg (Transfermarkt) – with West Ham now apparently one of the clubs interested.

Not much is mentioned in regards to a price tag or any formal enquiry, but Goal claim that the Irons are certainly taking note of the 22-year-old.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-rumours-and-gossip-two-electric-boogaloo-copy/” title=”West Ham updates” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Given his brilliant campaign, it’s little wonder supporters are excited at this link – with one Hammers fan calling Daka the ‘perfect signing’ if they can get a deal done.

Find all of their best verdicts on this development down below.

West Ham fans erupt as GSB allegedly eye Daka

“Please…don’t play with my heart again!

I think he’s levels above Toney, Armstrong & Abraham ability-wise & suitability for West Ham!

Unbelievable pace & work rate, good with both feet, strong, good in the air, excellent link-up play & his agent is Kanoute!

Get it done!!!”

Credit: @WhufcSloth

“This is a dream for me.”

Credit: @DNXN90

“I’m on my knees”

Credit: @1bbyWHU

“Now this I can really get behind!! Make it happen Moyesy”

Credit: @westhampep

“Yes please. Perfect signing but probably too expensive for us.”

Credit: @zan_nichol

“Yesss”

Credit: @HarryZippyAx

“Thought he was going to Leipzig but if he’s available for £25m, he’d be perfect. Fast, young, good on the ball and prolific admittedly not in the best league but he has had experience in Europa.”

Credit: @WestHam_Xtra

“This is THE signing we have to make this summer!!”

Credit: @gdizzle1981

In other news: West Ham fans were left horrified by this development, find out more here.