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Nottingham Forest fans have taken to Twitter in annoyance, after The Mirror revealed that Ben Osborn could be involved in a swap deal that would see James McClean team up with Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane once again in a move to The City Ground.

O’Neill is hoping to sign the 29-year-old whom he managed whilst as manager of the Republic of Ireland national team, as per The Mirror, where McClean arguably played some of his best football.

Osborn, however, came through the academy at the City Ground and has made over 200 appearances for the Reds, as per Transfermarkt, becoming somewhat of a fans’ favourite during that time as a result. The 24-year-old can also be used as a full-back as well as on the wing, so his versatility is especially useful to Forest.

Thogden has ranked his top 5 sets of Championship away fans for Pl>ymaker FC. Did your club make the list? Find out in the video below…

As a result of the aforementioned facts, fans of the play-off chasers are livid that he could potentially leave the club, if their reactions on Twitter are anything to go by…

Brennan Johnson features on Newcastle United’s list of potential replacements for Allan Saint-Maximin, The Daily Mail’s Simon Jones reports. 

The lowdown

Saint-Maximin, Jones writes, is expected to leave St James’ Park when the summer transfer window opens. The Magpies will then reinvest the funds from his exit into their planned ‘rebuild’.

Johnson is only under contract for another 14 months with Championship promotion hopefuls Nottingham Forest.

Aged just 20, the Wales international has scored 14 goals and provided seven assists in 39 league appearances this season.

The latest

Newcastle officials, led by Steve Nickson, have already ‘compiled reports’ on Johnson as they run the rule over potential additions on the flanks.

However, Jones does caution that the club will face ‘fierce’ competition for his signature.

Another player on their radar is Bayer Leverkusen’s Moussa Diaby, but he too is highly coveted.

The verdict

It’s no surprise that a multitude of clubs are interested in Johnson. He’s Forest’s top scorer and he ranks joint-eighth overall in the Championship goal charts, despite being a winger rather than an out and out forward.

As for assists, he’s second for Steve Cooper’s side (behind Philip Zinckernagel) and again in the top ten for the division as a whole.

To put those figures into perspective, as of April 9, he boasts at least eight more goal involvements than any other player aged 21 or under in England’s top four tiers.

He’s already earned nine senior caps for his country and will hope to feature at the Qatar World Cup at the end of the year if Wales secure qualification.

Johnson, who’s been mentored by David Beckham, has inevitably earned some reviews. For instance, the ‘old-fashioned winger’ was dubbed a ‘beautiful footballer’ and a ‘super, super talent’ by sports journalist Josh Bunting. Newcastle should be delighted if they win the race.

In other news, Keith Downie has an update on Eddie Howe.

West Ham are one of the clubs ‘most interested’ in signing winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia this summer, according to a new transfer update.

The Lowdown: Productive season for Kvaratskhelia

The 21-year-old has enjoyed an impressive spell for club and country, catching the eye with his performances for Rubin Kazan and Georgia, respectively.

Kvaratskhelia scored two goals and registered four assists for Kazan in the Russian Premier League this season before joining Dinamo Batumi, due to the ongoing situation in Russia.

West Ham have been linked with a move for the youngster in the past and their interest doesn’t appear to be going away, as a new link popped up on Friday.

The Latest: West Ham keen on move

According to Il Mattino, the Hammers are one of those ‘most interested’ in acquiring Kvaratskhelia’s signature, should he make a quick-fire exit from his current club.

The level he is playing at is a significant step down, due to returning to his homeland after his Kazan contract was terminated, so he could jump at the chance of moving to the Premier League.

Leeds United and Napoli are two of the clubs also thought to be in the mix.

The Verdict: Exciting wide addition

Kvaratskhelia is an exciting prospect who is already impressing for Georgia, scoring five times in 13 caps, and he could be a great option for David Moyes to bring in this summer.

Predominantly a left-sided player, he could provide stiff competition for Said Benrahma in that position, potentially even coming in as an upgrade on him. He averaged four dribbles per game for Georgia in World Cup qualifying, showing what a direct and skilful player he is. To put that into context, his total dribbles per game for club and country combined comes in and three, which is more than double Benrahma’s 1.3.

Kvaratskhelias’ situation means he could even be available for free, with his stay at Batumi ending in June, meaning there is less risk in taking a punt on him, too.

In other news, one former West Ham player could return to the club this summer. Find out who it is here.

Manchester United have still not confirmed who their next permanent manager will be to take over at Old Trafford from Ralf Rangnick this summer, however there has been a huge new update from a reliable source about the potential appointment of Erik ten Hag.

What’s the word?

Popular Italian transfer insider and journalist Fabrizio Romano has taken to his YouTube channel to give a fresh update on the progression of Manchester United’s search for their next manager, and more importantly, promising progress with ten Hag.

Romano said: “From what I am told, there is no agreement signed or completed but talks are progressing well between Manchester United, Erik ten Hag and Ajax. At the moment from what I am told, there is nothing completed, nothing agreed, nothing signed but work in progress in a positive way. Ten Hag is under contract but he has a release clause. That release clause is €2m.”

Supporters will be delighted

There is no doubt that Erik ten Hag has been the firm favourite amongst supporters to take the reins at Old Trafford to transform their squad and the club’s struggle for success, so they will surely be delighted to hear that progress has been made with the Ajax boss.

The Dutch coach would be the fifth permanent manager to take on the challenging role at Manchester United since Sir Alex Ferguson retired back in May 2013, so the Glazers and the board at the club will be hoping that ten Hag can provide long term solutions and ultimately success in his potential appointment.

The increasing interest in the 52-year-old manager stems from his success with Ajax, winning two Eredivisie titles and three domestic trophies with the team, and his coaching pedigree clearly a huge attractive factor for Manchester United who have seemingly lost their identity over almost a decade since Fergie departed.

This new information from Romano will certainly keep the fans happy whilst Rangnick continues to focus on leaving the club in a good position at the end of the season by securing a place inside the top four and earning Champions League football

Yet, with the side currently three points behind their competitors Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal it is looking less likely that the German interim coach will be able to achieve it.

In other news: Man Utd now plot bid to sign £60m “special talent”, he’s miles better than Rashford

According to TottenhamTiers, there has been some transfer news out of Hotspur Way involving club chief Fabio Paratici and Leicester City star Youri Tielemans.

The Lowdown: Midfielder on the cards?

While the Lilywhites have been tipped to target a left-sided central defender as manager Antonio Conte’s top summer priority, as backed by The Athletic, there are also reports midfielders on the agenda.

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90min, for example, revealed earlier this week that Tottenham are considering a move for ex-playmaker and fan favourite Christian Eriksen – though it is unclear whether the Dane would be open to returning.

Elsewhere, Conte has apparently requested the signing of Juventus ace and USA international Weston McKennie (La Gazzetta dello Sport via Sport Witness).

These rumours potentially back the club’s intention to improve Spurs’ depth in the middle of the park as news now comes to light involving Foxes star Tielemans.

The Latest: Paratici earmarks ‘cut price’ move…

According to TottenhamTiers, Paratici has personally ‘earmarked’ Tielemans, alongside Eriksen, to ‘potentially join Spurs’ for a ‘cut-price’ fee this summer.

The Belgium international is entering the final year of his King Power Stadium contract and is said to be in ‘high-demand’ with Tottenham set to compete for his signature.

The Verdict: Time to bid?

Tielemans, a proven Premier League playmaker, would inject real creativity into Conte’s midfield, with Man City boss Pep Guardiola even calling the 24-year-old a ‘top, top class player’.

On a reported £120,000-per-week, he wouldn’t exactly break Tottenham’s wage structure, with the only obstacle being just how much Leicester could demand this summer.

The latest reports suggest Tielemans could cost a cut price somewhere in and around the £25 million mark (The Telegraph) due to his contract situation.

This fee suddenly makes his signing far more realistic at Tottenham and we believe it is little surprise Paratici has now earmarked him as a summer target.

Tielemans may well be one to watch out for with the window fast approaching.

In other news: Tottenham official sent to club as Paratici also eyes ‘imperious’ ex-Man City man for Conte! Find out more here.

Given the catastrophic season that Everton have had under the managerial guidance of Rafa Benitez with just five Premier League wins under their belt from a possible 19, it wasn’t much of a surprise to see him sacked from the club, especially after losing 2-1 against relegation strugglers Norwich City in their latest league outing.

Since then, Everton have made the decision to appoint Duncan Ferguson as their caretaker boss for the time being as they begin yet another search for a potential manager.

With there still being some time left until the current January transfer window closes, Toffees owner Farhad Moshiri could use this time to not only search for a suitable long-term manager to take the reins at Goodison Park but also to bring some new players to the club to help Ferguson get their season back on track and give the fans something to shout about positively.

One player the Merseyside club could look to bring in that would certainly get a lot of people talking is Real Madrid and former Chelsea winger Eden Hazard, who has recently been mentioned with a move back to the Premier League by reports in Spain, specifically with Everton and Newcastle United interested in taking the Belgian.

During his time with Chelsea, Hazard managed to score 110 goals and provide 92 assists in 352 appearances across all competitions with 245 of those appearances and 85 of those goals coming in the Premier League, highlighting the sort of experience that he’d be able to bring to Everton this month.

In addition to this, with the 31-year-old, who was previously labelled as a “superstar” by Jamie Carragher, having won two Premier League titles and one FA Cup during his spell with the west London club, he would also bring a winning mentality to Goodison Park if he were to make a move there.

Considering their lack of wins in the league this season, this is something that Everton could seriously do with at the moment and something that Ferguson would love to have in his squad as he looks to bring a bit of stability to the club and end the season as strong as possible.

Moving forward, if a move for Hazard would be financially viable for the Toffees this month, this is something that they should definitely consider doing to see if he can have a positive impact on the team going forward.

In other news: Offer made: Everton in talks with 48 y/o “gentleman”, Moshiri is taking a massive risk – opinion

Journalist Keith Jackson has suggested that Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst could deploy Joe Aribo as a false nine on Thursday. 

The lowdown

Rangers are due to travel to Germany for the first leg of their Europa League semi-final this week, where they will take on RB Leipzig.

They already knew they would be without top scorer Alfredo Morelos, who is ruled out for the remainder of the season after undergoing thigh surgery, but now second-top scorer Kemar Roofe has picked up a knee injury which will also sideline him against the Bundesliga outfit.

With those two missing, Fashion Sakala led the line for Gers on Saturday as they won 3-1 at Motherwell.

Aribo is predominantly a central midfielder who is also capable of operating on the right but, according to Transfermarkt, he has never played as a centre-forward or a second striker in his senior career.

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The latest

Jackson said in The Daily Record’s Monday Jury that Van Bronckhorst has his ‘work cut out’ to deliver a ‘tactical solution’ to Rangers’ centre-forward problem.

The journalist has pondered if Aribo could ‘operate as a false nine’ and said that, in the circumstances, it would be a ‘huge’ achievement if the Gers leave the Red Bull Arena with ‘the semifinal still alive’.

The verdict

This is certainly a bold call from Jackson, given that Aribo has no experience in the position, although you could argue that it’s exactly the kind of thing which could catch Leipzig out, as Domenico Tedesco’s side probably won’t be prepared for it.

Aribo is certainly a goalscoring midfielder, having bagged eight over the course of the season. Incidentally, that is more than Sakala (seven), although the Nigerian has played 10 more matches.

If Rangers are to take this gamble, then it’s important that Van Bronckhorst trains the revised shape all week so that his players are able to adjust as best they can ahead of Thursday night.

In other news, Ally McCoist tears into one ‘really poor’ Rangers player

Mark Guidi has dropped an update on Celtic’s bid to secure a deal to bring Jota to Parkhead on a permanent basis.

What’s the talk?

Speaking recently to The Go Radio Football Show (via Vital Celtic), the Daily Record journalist stated his belief that Celtic are comfortable concerning the situation of Jota, as Ange Postecoglou’s side have an option to purchase the 22-year-old written into the winger’s loan contract at Parkhead.

Guidi went on to state that the Portugal under-21 international also appears to be enjoying his time in Glasgow, something that the journalist believes will make it easier for the Bhoys to agree personal terms with the Benfica loanee.

Concerning Celtic’s potential signing of Jota, Guidi said: “I think Celtic will be comfortable with the Jota scenario because what we’re led to believe [is] they do have [a] first option. It’s there in black and white.

“That was part of the loan agreement – that Celtic have the first option at an agreed fee. The fee is already agreed so there’s probably no negotiation [to be had with Benfica]. The negotiation is really with the player, in terms of his individual package.

“So, in terms of financial outlay, if Celtic fancied doing A, B and C just now, and [then] leave [signing] Jota [until] the summer [they could], because they know Jota is theirs if they want him – provided they can agree personal terms.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how impressive Jota has been since his arrival in Glasgow on a season-long loan deal last summer, Guidi’s reassuring words regarding the 22-year-old’s permanent switch to Parkhead are sure to have left the Hoops’ fanbase buzzing.

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It is easy to see why fans would be excited for the Bhoys to secure the winger’s signing. Over his 12 Premiership outings in the current campaign, the £4.95m-rated trickster has been in astonishing form for the Hoops.

Indeed, the Portuguese forward has already scored five league goals, registered four assists and created two big chances for his teammates, as well as taking 2.8 shots and making 1.4 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the £7.1k-per-week forward average a remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.31, ranking him as the joint seventh-best player in the Scottish top flight.

As such, should Postecoglou indeed manage to get a deal over the line for Jota this season, particularly for the reported fee of £6.5m, it would undoubtedly be a major coup for the club. Not only is the winger likely to be a continuous source of goals and creativity during spell at Parkhead, he could also become a hugely valuable asset for the Bhoys further down the line in terms of making an enormous sell-on profit.

In other news: Celtic dealt huge blow as fresh twist emerges on 24 y/o, Postecoglou will be fuming

Many Everton fans have been left buzzing over some manager news that has emerged involving Niko Kovac.

As per The Daily Mail, the Croatian is now a candidate for the vacant position left by Rafa Benitez earlier this week, following the 2-1 loss away at Norwich City in the Premier League.

He has a lot of pedigree, having won four major trophies during his time at both Bayern Munich and Eintracht Frankfurt, including the Bundesliga title with the former.

With Frankfurt, he managed to take them from relegation candidates into the top half of the table, and members of the Goodison Park faithful feel as if he could do a similar thing with them.

Nonetheless, with nearly 300 games managed at a high level, the 50-year-old would certainly be an exciting appointment.

Everton fans on Kovac manager news

These supporters of the Merseyside club buzzed as the manager news was shared on Twitter, with one Toffee even going as far as to claim that he would be ‘great’ for them:

“Would be great for us”

Credit: @pauladdo10

“Oh hello”

Credit: @D_Hart11

“Bring me Kovac”

Credit: @ibowens3

“Now we’re talking”

Credit: @DonLeify

“Get it done”

Credit: @EFC__Scott

“Please”

Credit: @Edward__Toth

In other news, find out what manager update has Blues buzzing here!

Celtic have rejected an offer for Stephen Welsh.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Anthony Joseph, with the Sky Sports journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that Celtic have knocked back an offer from Udinese for the 21-year-old centre-back.

Joseph goes on to state that the Serie A side had enquired about taking the Scotland U21 international on an initial loan deal with an option to buy, however, Ange Postecoglou rejected the bid as he is keen to keep the defender – who only signed a new four-year deal with the Bhoys last year – at Parkhead.

In his tweet, the journalist said: “Celtic have knocked back an approach from Udinese for defender Stephen Welsh. It’s understood the Serie A club enquired about taking the 21-year-old on loan, with an option to buy. But Celtic are keen to keep the centre-back, who signed a new four-year contract in April 2021.”

Disaster for Celtic

While it does not appear as if Postecoglou has any intention of parting with Welsh this month, should the club go on to be tempted into the sale of the centre-back as a result of a sizeable offer, the youngster’s departure would undoubtedly be something of a disaster for the Bhoys.

Indeed, over his nine Premiership appearances so far this season, the £1.35m-rated defender has been in exceptional form for the Hoops, helping his side keep three clean sheets and registering one assist, as well as making an average of 1.6 interceptions, 0.8 tackles, 85.9 passes, 2.2 clearances and winning 5.1 duels per game.

These returns have seen the player who Greg Taylor dubbed a “superb” talent average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.11, ranking him as Postecoglou’s 10th-best performer in the top flight of Scottish football – of players who remain a part of Celtic’s first-team squad.

However, it is not only domestically that Welsh has impressed, with the 21-year-old scoring one goal and averaging a SofaScore match rating of 7.07 over his three outings in the Europa League this season.

As such, it is clear for all to see that the defender is a player with an incredibly bright future at Parkhead, which is exactly why losing his services so soon into his Hoops career would be a nightmare for the Postecoglou and the club.

In other news: Ange could repeat Stokes masterclass as Celtic plot offer for “outstanding” £3m dynamo