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Former Newcastle United defender Steve Howey has told The Transfer Tavern in an exclusive interview that his old side should not pay more than £25m for Arsenal’s Joe Willock.

Willock spent the second half of last season on loan at St. James’ Park, where he performed exceptionally well.

In 21 appearances, the 21-year-old midfielder managed to score eight goals, with seven out of the eight coming in seven consecutive games.

Willock is now being linked with a return to Newcastle, with The Sun recently reporting that he could cost up to £30m.

Speaking exclusively to TT about the player, Howey said:

“20, 25, that would be for me. I wouldn’t go any higher than that. I mean, he could turn out to be absolutely outstanding but, like all players, he could just go to the club after a very impressive loan spell and not do very well.”

The Sun also reports that manager Steve Bruce’s budget is set to be £50m, so Willock’s transfer could easily take half of that.

Even so, if the 2020/21 campaign is anything to go by, it still looks worth it. That knack Willock had for scoring goals from midfield, simply put, does not look like it is easy to find.

Former Rangers star Michael Ball says that the club will back Steven Gerrard if he decides to pursue Heerenveen midfielder Joey Veerman, in an exclusive interview with The Transfer Tavern.

The 22-year-old has been in fine form for the Dutch club this season, scoring seven goals and laying on 10 assists in 31 Eredivisie games.

Inside Futbol have carried quotes from Ferry de Haan, the club’s technical director, who is said to have confirmed that there is interest in the player.

He will cost around £8.5m, per the report, and Ball believes that Rangers will gladly back Gerrard if he decides to pursue a move.

Veerman is just 22 and he is a versatile presence, capable of playing in defensive and central midfield, as well as on the left of midfield.

A former Netherlands U21 international, Ball believes that a deal could well be done this summer, as the board look to back the boss.

Speaking to TT, he said: “They know the Dutch, how they are trained, and how they come through the youth system. His numbers are fantastic.

“He will probably cost more than Ryan Kent maybe, or around the same amount of money, so if Steven wants him as number one target, I feel the club will 100% back him.”

Former Leicester City striker Brian Deane has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that Ryan Bertrand would fit in well at his old club.

Bertrand is a free agent this month after deciding not to extend his contract at Southampton and the King Power looks the most likely destination for the 31-year-old left-back.

According to Football Insider, Bertrand has already agreed to join the Foxes in a blow to other Premier League outfits, such as Arsenal, who are also said to be interested in his signature.

Ultimately, for Deane, it is a move that makes a lot of sense. Reacting to the news, the ex-Leicester star said:

“He’s a good player. He has proven pedigree in the Premier League. Christian Fuchs has been released so could come in and slot in there.

“So he could be one that fits in quite well, saves them money.”

Indeed, Bertrand is a defender with a lot of experience after spells with Chelsea, Aston Villa and most recently Southampton.

Across those spells, the 2012 Champions League winner made close to 260 Premier League appearances, becoming an England international along the way.

So if Brendan Rodgers feels his side needs some more experience, then Bertrand could be a good option in that regard.

Tyler Roberts came off the bench for the final 15 minutes as Leeds United put four goals past Burnley at Saturday lunchtime.

The Welshman replaced Mateusz Klich, the scorer of Leeds’ first goal, with 15 minutes remaining and Leeds 2-0 to the good. Fellow substitute Rodrigo then scored two goals in the space of three minutes to turn a comfortable victory into a rout.

Roberts drove forward soon after and opted to go for goal rather than slipping in the Spaniard for a possible hat-trick. His 20-yard effort was easily gathered by Burnley ‘keeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell.

The Welsh international earned a SofaScore rating of 6.7 for his cameo appearance. He touched the ball 10 times, while six of his nine attempted passes were accurate. Before the trip to Turf Moor, the 22-year-old had been on a run of 12 consecutive Premier League starts.

Leeds’ victory in Lancashire kept them 10th in the table. They are within three points of Spurs, Everton and Arsenal ahead of their final two games against Southampton and West Brom.

Despite their splendid afternoon, however, some Whites fans took aim at Roberts over his “horrible” misjudgement in not teeing up Rodrigo for a potential hat-trick goal.

Tyler Roberts under fire after cameo against Burnley

“Tyler Roberts in a nutshell – knew he’d shoot”

Credit: @gjengland

“I don’t care what anyone says, Tyler Roberts needs to move clubs after that. Rodrigo was in for a hat trick then, and Roberts didn’t pass when Rodrigo would have been in. Incredibly frustrating player to watch, especially when he could have been so good.”

Credit: @reegzlufc

“Does Tyler Roberts ever score in training?”

Credit: @50Pagga

“Tyler Roberts, got a guy on a hat trick, could play him clean through yet he goes for a shot from 30 yards straight into keeper’s hands”

Credit: @AntVeress

“Nobody runs around aimlessly as well as Tyler Roberts”

Credit: @n6gold

“Oh dear Tyler Roberts”

Credit: @Mazzaleeds

“Bielsa surely only starts and brings on Roberts in hopes someone will take him off his hands in the summer, such an uncreative, selfish and lazy player, it’s genuinely so sad to see him play in a Leeds shirt”

Credit: @emogrrrl666

“Roberts just denied Rodrigo his hat-trick for a selfish shot on goal. A horrible and selfish decision”

Credit: @ChildishAlbeeno

In other news, many Leeds fans were much more complimentary about this defender. 

Wayne Rooney has been dealt a blow to his hopes of keeping Martyn Waghorn at Derby County this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claimed that a recruitment source has revealed that Cardiff City are monitoring the situation of the £1.8m-rated centre-forward ahead of a potential summer swoop.

The report added that Derby are desperate for the 31-year-old to sign a new deal at the club in the coming weeks, with his contract at Pride Park set to expire at the end of June.

Rooney will be gutted

While Waghorn did not have the best of seasons by anybody’s standards in 2020/21, the striker undeniably proved his worth to Rooney’s side in the final round of Championship fixtures.

With Derby needing to match Rotherham United’s result against Cardiff City in their own fixture against Sheffield Wednesday to survive relegation, the £7,900-per-week forward proved the catalyst in getting the Rams over the line at Pride Park, scoring two goals and providing one assist to secure a 3-3 draw with the Owls and subsequently keeping his side in the second tier at their opponents’ expense.

Over the rest of the season, Waghorn only managed a further three goals and three assists, as well as averaging a rather disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.67 – ranking him as Derby’s joint 17th-best performer in the Championship.

However, if the reports are to be believed, Rooney is clearly keen to keep the 31-year-old on the club’s books this summer, and as such, the news concerning Mick McCarthy’s interest in his former Ipswich Town player is likely to come as a huge blow for the 35-year-old Derby boss.

With the Bluebirds finishing in eighth place in the Championship, McCarthy will undoubtedly be hoping to mount a push for a play-off spot next season, something which could be quite appealing to Waghorn as the potential of playing Premier League football with the Welsh club appears to be much greater than if he were to stay at Derby this summer.

Indeed, with time running out on his contract at Pride Park and no sign as yet that he will be putting pen to paper on a new deal, things do not look too promising regarding Rooney’s chances of holding onto the striker – whom Kenny Miller dubbed a “fantastic” player – this summer.

In other news: Rooney must sanction £1.5m Derby County swoop for “fantastic” 22 G/A beast this summer – opinion

Marcus Bent has exclusively told Football FanCast that Jonjoe Kenny might want to leave Everton this summer following Seamus Coleman’s good form.

The right-back made seven appearances in the EFL Cup and Premier League prior to his loan move to Celtic in January, where he’s flourished and been a regular in the side.

Kenny spent last season on loan in the Bundesliga with Schalke, but with captain Coleman and Mason Holgate sharing the burden at right-back, the Everton Academy graduate has struggled for opportunities under Carlo Ancelotti, and perhaps his 15-year association with them could be coming to an end.

Since arriving at Parkhead, Kenny has played every minute of Celtic’s nine Scottish Premiership fixtures, and having had the feel for regular first-team football, Bent believes that he might consider a permanent switch away from Goodison Park this summer.

“Well he’s done well at Celtic on all accounts, but the problem is Coleman is doing so well at the minute,” the ex-Toffees frontman told Football FanCast.

“But Coleman is getting on a little bit, so whether he can sustain it, who knows? He’s 24, Jonjoe, and he’s had some playing time, but how long will he wait? He probably wants to be playing some first-team football.

“How long are they going to keep Coleman on, and are they going to give Jonjoe a chance?”

Leeds United have been handed a major transfer update in their pursuit of Rangers star Ryan Kent.

What’s the story?

Reports last summer revealed that the Gers had rejected a bid from Marcelo Bielsa’s side for the winger, and it now appears that a move won’t happen this time around either.

According to Football Insider, Leeds are set to move on from the £7.2m-rated ace and will pursue other players from their list of transfer targets.

The report adds that a new versatile wide forward is one of their top targets, although “it remains to be seen if Kent is willing to discuss an extension to his Rangers contract.”

Leeds must reconsider

After a failed move to Elland Road last summer, Kent has knuckled down this season to produce a very impressive campaign for the Gers, helping them to wrestle control of the Scottish Premiership away from Celtic.

The winger has produced a fine haul of 12 goals and 13 assists across all competitions, including netting in both Europa League knockout games against Royal Antwerp back in February.

The 24-year-old has earned rave reviews for his displays, not least from teammate Conor Goldson, who hailed him as “magnificent” and said: “He has got a lot of ability. (He is) 24-years-old, two-footed. It is not nice when he runs at you, I can tell you that personally from training. He has got everything.”

And, Neil Dewsnip, his former coach at England under-17 level, said: “He seems to relish the atmosphere, so I think he’s in the bracket of players who think ‘the bigger the better’. Ryan is very exciting so, when he’s good he’s devastatingly good. But that’s a trait of a lot of wide players. The challenge is to be consistent and I’m sure that’s what Steven and his staff will be working to achieve.”

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Latest Leeds transfer rumours and news”]

Labelled a “constant threat” by Gers boss Steven Gerrard, Kent seemingly has everything to be a real success at Leeds, and exactly why the likes of Bielsa and the club’s transfer committee should potentially reconsider their transfer stance on him.

With Raphinha already showing the kind of damage one winger can do, having Kent on the opposite flank could give the Whites an incredible tandem to unleash on opposition defences.

Full of pace, trickery and end product, the £20k-a-week earning Kent should surely be a must-sign.

Meanwhile, Leeds are interested in signing this “Rolls-Royce of a player”…

Luke Edwards has dropped a claim on a potential takeover of Newcastle United after replying to a question from a fan of the St James’ Park faithful.

As per a tweet from the Daily Telegraph journalist, any other party other than the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group who may be interested in taking over in the northeast ‘can’t get anywhere’ with Mike Ashley until the Tyneside club’s relegation fate is known.

Other potential Newcastle buyers?

Given that the KSA’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) are yet to put themselves back onto the table, there is a question mark over whether the original deal between the consortium and Ashley can still be revived.

This may invite other potential buyers to submit their own bids, but a lot will be decided come the end of the 2020/21 season, when Steve Bruce’s team know their fate in terms of possible relegation.

If the worst were to happen and the Magpies found themselves going down from the Premier League to the Championship, then the prospect of taking over at Newcastle would be far less attractive to PIF, and Ashley would not be able to demand as high of an asking price.

Still, this may invite other potential buyers who would not mind taking over at a club in the lower division to come in with their own bids, and it would then be up to Ashley if he still wants to sell.

In other news, find out what one pundit has claimed after a big Newcastle injury update before the Spurs clash!

As Liverpool beat Aston Villa 2-1 this afternoon at Anfield, many Reds were left unimpressed with the performance of midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum – so much so that some Reds supporters called him ‘shocking’ and a ‘clown’.

Wijnaldum was started by manager Jurgen Klopp in midfield as the Reds improved upon their recently torrid record on Merseyside.

The Dutchman is out of contract at the end of the season with much being made over his future recently – and it’s safe to say Liverpool supporters weren’t exactly overjoyed with his outing this afternoon

According to SofaScore, the 30-year-old lost the ball six times and won just two out of his five ground duels in midfield before being taken off by Klopp in the second half.

He was also among the lowest rated players in the squad, with SofaScore giving him a 6.5/10 on the day. 

Given these stats, it’s little wonder Reds weren’t impressed – find all of their verdicts down below, where it’s fair to say these fans won’t miss the Dutchman if he leaves the club this summer…

Liverpool fans hammer Wijnaldum

“Wijnaldum is shocking, seems to lose his brains anytime he has a chance to pass the ball forward during a quick attack! Must he turn and twist in every chance? We need Keita now!”

Credit: @mshale_k

“Get the clown wijnaldum off”

Credit: @TMLFC19

“i love Wijnaldum but my god the guy has been woeful these last few games.”

Credit: @YaBoi_Thanatos

“I hope he never starts for us again”

Credit: @AAA18_YNWA

“Poor”

Credit: @LFCThreads

“Awful as always!!!”

Credit: @ScouseNawaf

“Can’t leave soon enough”

Credit: @GilmourRuaridh

“Wijnaldum was playing?”

Credit: @dylan_the_kid_

In other news: Liverpool are in the ‘final stages’ of this move, find out more here.

Loads of Wolves fans have been talking about the latest tweet from Joe Edwards that recently emerged on social media, as the journalist shared news of Romain Saiss’ extended deal.

Edwards recently tweeted about Saiss, sharing an article about his contractual situation at the club. The versatile Frecnhman is now set for a a new 12-month deal at the club and that has been triggered by how many matches he has started this season for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.

The journalist’s tweet described Saiss to be a key member of Nuno’s side while revealing that he will remain in the Midlands for at least 12 more months. The defender’s current contract at Wolves runs out in the summer transfer window and the club had the option to extend it by another year based on his impact this term, which has proved to be significant. One supporter described it as ‘great news’.

He had arrived at Wolves in the summer of 2016 from Ligue 1 side Angers, and the 30-year-old is now the longest-serving Wolves player after Conor Coady, who has been at the club since 2015.

Edwards’ tweet about Saiss’ contractual update drew the attention of lots of Wolves fans, who made their views clear about the player.

What did Wolves fans make of Edwards’ tweet?

“The guy is awesome pleased for him definitely rate him I reckon there’d be a queue for him if he was put up for sale.”

Credit: @DaveJon36562654

“Love the bloke, deserves his new contract and is an invaluable member of the squad but he can’t be part of our strongest starting 11 if we want to move forward next season.”Credit: @witdawit”Extended increase our value for him, he’ll move on.”Credit: @t_j_mcg”Great squad player to have, but needs upgrading in the summer.”Credit: @Russt_29″Great news.. great player to have around..”Credit: @davidellerton”Get in.”Credit: @cal_wolvesfc”Vital player. Sort of person we need to keep. Versatile and happy to play here and there.”Credit: @gav_dhaliwalIn other news, Wolves have been linked with a move for a former player – read more here.