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West Brom attacker Matheus Pereira is likely to be low down Aston Villa’s transfer shortlist, journalist Luke Hatfield has told Football FanCast.

Pereira has been linked with a summer move to Villa, with The Athletic reporting back in April that the 25-year-old is a player the Midlands club have been monitoring.

However, Villa have since gone on to sign another right winger in Emiliano Buendia, while they also put a lot of effort into trying to bring Arsenal’s Emile Smith Rowe to Villa Park, though they have fallen short there.

It means Villa could now turn elsewhere, but Hatfield has his doubts about a potential move for Pereira.

“I still think it’s unlikely,” the Express & Star reporter said. “I think Villa have probably looked at him and he’s probably on like a lengthy list, because they will have a lengthy list of players that they’ll be looking at. But I don’t think he’s at the top of that.”

If Villa do end up signing Pereira, then they would be getting a player who could add much more firepower to the team’s attack.

Last season, only Ollie Watkins (14) managed to score more Premier League goals than the Brazilian (11).

Pereira also averaged more key passes (1.8) per game than any Villa player bar Grealish (3.1), so the West Brom star could prove to be a creative threat, too (stats via WhoScored).

The likes of West Ham and Crystal Palace have also been credited with an interest, so the Villans could face a lot of competition for his signature.

After Fulham’s relegation was confirmed to the Championship, there has been a lot of speculation over the future of Scott Parker and Peterborough’s Director of Football, Barry Fry, believes that he may not want to stay at Craven Cottage any longer.

It was reported that the Fulham board were not happy with some of the comments and performances from Parker and his side towards the end of last season, which appeared to shine a bad light on the owners in terms of them not taking a big interest in the team.

This has led to widespread speculation over his future with talks set to commence on what the future looks like in the Fulham dugout, and reports have suggested that Parker could be tempted to take the Bournemouth job this summer.

It would be a huge blow for Fulham if they were to lose the manager that got them promoted last time out in the Championship and it could all come down to which club will offer him the biggest transfer budget, according to Fry when he spoke exclusively to Football FanCast:

“It all depends on the talks about recruitment and the budget for next season.

“If he’s had those talks with the owner and they’re not giving him a budget that he thinks he can compete with to get them up next year, then he won’t want to stay.”

Parker was tasked with getting Fulham out of the Championship during the 2019/20 season and he managed to do so as they bounced back at the first time of asking via a play-off final win against Brentford.

Meanwhile, Bournemouth underachieved last year especially considering the squad they had in the Championship as they were beaten in the semi-final of the play-offs by eventual winners, Brentford.

Leeds United are reportedly eyeing up a summer move for VfL Wolfsburg midfielder Josip Brekalo, but they face competition for his signature.

The Lowdown: Midfield reinforcements needed

The Whites completed an excellent season last weekend, beating West Brom 3-1 to finish ninth in the Premier League, in their first year back in the top-flight.

Marcelo Bielsa will no doubt be content with the squad he currently has at his disposal, but will also see the need for new signings this summer.

Additions to Leeds’ midfield could be required, whether it be to support Kalvin Phillips or bring more creativity further up the pitch.

The Latest: Brekalo linked with Leeds move

According to Bild [via Sport Witness], Brekalo has emerged as a target for the Whites this summer, with Everton also keen on the 22-year-old.

Napoli, AC Milan and Fiorentina are also mentioned in the report, with the attacking midfielder having a number of admirers.

Brekalo scored seven goals and registered three assists in the Bundesliga in 2020/21 and has netted four times in 22 caps for Croatia.

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The Verdict: Ideal squad player?

At 22, Brekalo is still an emerging player, but he is also an established international who has the quality to be a success at Elland Road.

The youngster averaged 1.3 key passes per game in the league last season, which is superior to Phillips (1.2), suggesting he may bring more guile than the Leeds star, perhaps making them a perfect combination in midfield.

Brekalo may not come in as an immediate regular starter, but he could certainly be a key squad player, developing and becoming more influential as the season progresses, just like Rodrigo did.

In other news, Leeds have been urged to sign a player who could fill a key position this summer. Find out who it is here.

Alex McLeish has backed Matheus Pereira to replace Pablo Hernandez at Leeds United should they be able to sign him in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Leeds eye Pereira

As per the Daily Express, the Yorkshire club are among the long list of teams keen on snapping up the West Brom star following their relegation from the Premier League down to the EFL Championship.

Marcelo Bielsa may well be looking to sign a new attacking midfield player after confirming the departure of Hernandez this summer, and Pereira could fit the bill.

The Latest: McLeish claims Pereira can replace Hernandez

Speaking to Football Insider, McLeish, who is now a pundit after a successful managerial career, has backed Pereira to make the move to Elland Road from the Hawthorns, and thinks that he has the capabilities of replacing Hernandez for the Whites:

“Absolutely brilliant. A very technical player and I think it would be a great acquisition that I can see happening.

“You would think he would be very much available due to the fact West Brom are in the Championship now. 

“Nobody wants to be likened to somebody else. You want to be your own man. Pablo has had a fantastic career but he is getting to an age where the legs are affected a wee bit. 

“That can be very visible at times. It is right you get a new pretender. A new kid on the block continuing the marvellous work he has done. Also, adding to Leeds’ terrific entertainment levels.” 

The Verdict: Leeds must sign Pereira

The Whites must take advantage of the Baggies’ relegation and sign Pereira at all costs.

The Brazilian could be available for a decent fee given that Albion will not be able to demand as much being in the Championship, and at 25 years of age, the investment would be for the future as well.

Pereira scored no fewer than 12 goals and made a further six assists in 34 games in total over all competitions in the 2020/21 season for a struggling side (Transfermarkt), highlighting his capabilities, and in a better team, he could well shine.

Hernandez has no doubt been a great servant to LUFC, scoring 36 times and supplying a further 41 assists in 175 matches in total over all competitions across the last five consecutive terms (Transfermarkt), but at 36, it is no surprise to see them let him go.

Nonetheless, Pereira certainly has the potential to perform for Leeds as well as Hernandez did, and more.

In other news, find out which ‘unstoppable’ international LUFC have set their sights on here!

As concerns start to mount in East London, a reliable West Ham source has dropped an encouraging update…

What’s the word?

The Irons are yet to complete any business since the transfer window opened last week, which is pretty understandable given the European Championships are on right now.

However, mooted striker target Patson Daka appears to be on the verge of joining Premier League rivals Leicester City, whilst it seems like manager David Moyes and the club have also been dealt a devastating setback in their pursuit to sign Jesse Lingard permanently.

But the anonymous ExWHUemployee has now delivered his thoughts on the current situation.

In response to one worried supporter on Twitter, he wrote:

“Unfortunately a lot of the players we are keen on are currently awaiting other transfers to happen (domino effect) before they are allowed to go with the Euros being on it means players are occupied etc. I know only youngsters but we have brought 2 in. Top ones to follow.”

Encouraging claim

This should come as very promising news to many in East London right now. After all, it’s still early days and the new season is still months away.

The Hammers have been handed some positive news in recent weeks.  The 58-year-old signed a new long-term agreement to remain in charge of the side.

He had steered West Ham from relegation candidates to the Europa League, recording their best-ever Premier League points tally and their highest finish since 1999.

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A little patience is now required as the club looks to work on getting transfers over the line. Moyes needs plenty of additions, none more so than upfront, where he only has an injury-prone Michail Antonio to call upon right now.

But even though Daka will be going elsewhere, it seems like the Irons’ hierarchy is working on other deals, with Ex claiming that the top targets are to follow in due course.

Moyes also has to put together his own recruitment team as he has been given the green light to bolster his scouting network by David Gold, David Sullivan and Karen Brady, according to Football Insider, so that could be another reason behind their delay in the transfer market.

All in all, it’s far from the time to start panicking just yet. As the reliable source says, things are likely to fall into place after Euro 2020, even if some targets are going elsewhere.

AND in other news, Moyes can seal biggest West Ham signing since Payet in “complete” 64-cap “technician”…

West Brom were unable to give their returning fans something to shout about as they were well-beaten by West Ham at the Hawthorns on Wednesday evening.

It’s been a long 14 months without spectators in the stadium but the Baggies faithful were treated to a thrilling encounter that saw both teams muster up plenty of chances.

However, it was the classy visitors who punished them severely, which was understandable given they are one match away from sealing a place in Europe, compared to Albion’s fate already being confirmed.

There have been some positive performances under Sam Allardyce despite failing to stave off relegation, particularly defensively, but West Brom reverted back to their old selves as the backline could not deal with the Irons’ tricky attack.

Michail Antonio’s energy and ruthlessness caused all sorts of problems, especially for the towering Semi Ajayi, who endured a rare shocking night in the Midlands.

The 27-year-old centre-back was rated amongst Allardyce’s worst performers with a grade of 6.3, as per SofaScore, whilst BirminghamLive were equally scathing in their post-match column.

“Awful first minute when his undercooked pass backwards goal was latched on by Antonio,” wrote journalist Joseph Chapman. “Mercifully Rice fluffed the penalty. Looked rather shaky after that.”

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The £6m-rated star struggled to have much of an influence in the game, registering just 38 touches, which was fewer than goalkeeper Sam Johnstone (48) and his defensive partner, Kyle Bartley (47).

He also managed only 17 passes throughout the 90 minutes, a rate of one every 5.7 minutes, only further emphasising how little he was involved on the night.

In addition to that, Antonio’s presence was a constant thorn in West Brom’s defence all game and that was reflected by Ajayi winning just three of nine duels (33%) and being dribbled past on one occasion, via SofaScore.

The 6 foot 4 colossus worryingly failed to make a single tackle or block.

It was certainly a one-off poor performance but with fans back in the ground, Ajayi badly let them down at the Hawthorns on Wednesday.

AND in other news, Fresh twist emerges over West Brom job amid Allardyce claim, it’s bad news for fans…

Former Leeds United star Jon Newsome has told Football FanCast that the club can only focus on remaining in the Premier League next season, or risk following in Sheffield United’s footsteps.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side have enjoyed an excellent season this term, and are currently ninth in the Premier League table.

They are unlikely to qualify for Europe, as they are six points behind seventh-placed Tottenham Hotspur.

However, Newsome is wary of the club setting their sights too high next season, especially after the experience of the Blades.

Chris Wilder’s side finished ninth last season after a poor end to the season saw them lose three consecutive games, to Arsenal, Wolves, and Brighton & Hove Albion.

This season, they are rock-bottom, with 17 points from 33 games, having won just five of their 33 games.

And Newsome believes Leeds should simply focus on staying up next season, and reassess their goals if and when their safety is confirmed.

He told FFC: “But for me it’s got to be survival in the Premier League. Because, as we’ve seen, it’s a tough, tough gig. We’ll touch on Sheffield United down the road, they had an amazing season last season.

“Things didn’t work out this season. It’s been an awful season for them. So Leeds United supporters, Leeds United players, staff, they’ll all have that in the back of their mind as well, you know, everybody will know that they don’t want to do a Sheffield United next season.

“So yeah, the pressure is on so I think it’s achievable, realistic targets for me.”

Rangers have been linked with Young Boys winger Nicolas Moumi Ngamaleu recently and he could prove to be an ideal heir to Ryan Kent in Steven Gerrard’s side should he arrive at Ibrox this summer.

According to teamTALK, Rangers, along with a host of Premier League clubs including Everton, Leeds United, Leicester City and Brighton are all interested in signing the 26-year-old this summer.

If he were to arrive at Ibrox, he could prove to be a replacement for Kent, who is once again being heavily linked with a move to Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United ahead of the summer transfer window.

Whilst Gerrard may believe that he already has a long-term replacement for the former Liverpool youngster in his squad in the form of Scott Wright, Ngamaleu would arguably be a better heir to the 24-year-old.

Since joining from Aberdeen earlier this year, Wright has managed just 11 appearances in Gerrard’s side, scoring one goal and providing two assists.

Whilst it was always going to be difficult for the 23-year-old to oust the likes of Kent, Ianis Hagi and Joe Aribo from Rangers’ first-team, the majority of his appearances thus far have been late cameos from the bench.

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There have been some impressive displays against Cove Rangers and St Johnstone thrown in but he is yet to replicate the sort of displays Kent has been producing since his move to Ibrox.

Therefore, if he does end up leaving Rangers this summer, Gerrard and Ross Wilson might be best served by turning to Ngamaleu as his replacement.

The Cameroon international has contributed 33 goals and 35 assists in 168 games for Young Boys so far in his career, which includes goals in both the Europa League and the Champions League in the past.

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Kent has averaged 1.9 dribbles per game in the Premiership this season and Ngamaleu has averaged 2.3 dribbles per game in the Europa League, whereas Wright only mustered 1.5 dribbles per game with Aberdeen, so it could certainly be argued that the £3.42m-rated Cameroon international would be a better, and more natural heir to Kent at Rangers this summer.

And, in other news… Rangers outcast sent Gerrard a huge message with “sensational” weekend display

Paul Stewart has exclusively told Football FanCast that several fringe players could leave Tottenham this window, with Harry Winks and Erik Lamela just two of seven name mentioned as potentially being the start a summer of departures in north London.

Both Winks and Lamela have played a bit-part role for Spurs this season, with the latter failing to start a Premier League game in the last two months, while the former’s first in that period came on the final day against Leicester.

The former is tied down to a long-term contract, but the Argentine’s deal expires in 2022, which could force the club to cash-in on him to avoid him leaving for nothing in 12 months time.

But Winks and Lamela aren’t the only two that could possibly depart, with up to 10 first-team players already linked away after Tottenham’s failure to qualify for the Champions League, with Danny Rose out of contract and Gareth Bale and Carlos Vinicius expected to return to their parent clubs Real Madrid and Benfica.

And Stewart believes that his former club have plenty of value in their squad and could free up more than £100m by selling certain that aren’t needed.

He told Football FanCast:

“There’s four of five fringe players that you could sell and grab £100m-£150m.

“There will be players that won’t be there. Lamela won’t be there, Winksy could be surplus to requirements – Lo Celso, Bergwijn, even Dele Alli, if you’re looking to move somebody on.

“There is no doubt who we need to move on, and when you look at the back-four – Sanchez and Doherty.”

If ever there was an audition for the vacant manager’s role at Celtic, then it was passed with flying colours on Saturday afternoon at Parkhead. The Bhoys were at their free-flowing best putting in a performance that rolled back the years.

Celtic smacked their opposition for six, displaying arguably their best form of the entire season yet.

It was an outcome that could prove timely for their interim manager. John Kennedy may only have a few more weeks left in the job with Eddie Howe so relentlessly linked with a move to Paradise.

Though, Kennedy staked his claim beautifully this weekend as the Hoops finally rid themselves of the tight shackles that have been holding them back.

Moi Elyounoussi has found a rich vein of form and added to his strike against Rangers by netting twice on Saturday and picking up an assist. From an attacking point of view, there was much to savour in a 6-0 rout of Livingston.

That being said, those in the defensive ranks were near perfect. Celtic’s backline has been questionable at best this term. They shipped 19 strikes in six Europa League outings and have conceded 14 more goals than Rangers in the Scottish Premiership.

This, however, was one of their most comfortable afternoons yet. Kristoffer Ajer defended well and played a role in Elyounoussi’s opening strike.

Yet, it was Stephen Welsh who was arguably the most dominating. This has been a breakthrough campaign for the defender and on Saturday, he looked a player beyond his years.

Like Ajer, the centre-back was quick to step forward and it was his constant pressing that ultimately led to Celtic’s third goal of the contest.

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Welsh was competent with the ball at his feet and completed an eye-catching 93% of his passes. In total, he completed 107 passes, 29 more than anybody else on the field of play.

The 21-year-old also took more touches (128) than anyone else by 33. It was a combative display from the young Scotsman, a player who appears to be getting better by the game.

He was strong in the tackle and won a whopping 88% of his defensive duels. That means that Welsh only lost one duel throughout the entire game.

Celtic may have won the game 6-0 but a rare clean sheet will do this team wonders. With Ajer and Welsh pressing from defensive positions, it allowed the Hoops to get further up the field and score goals in abundance.

This was a near-complete performance from the Glaswegians.

AND in other news, Celtic may sign their best striker since Larsson with move for “powerful” £45k-p/w ace…