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Everton have shown an interest in Arsenal’s Ainsley Maitland-Niles, according to a report from the Mail.

They claim that the Blues have identified Maitland-Niles, currently on loan at West Bromwich Albion, as a right-back target.

Manchester United, Leeds United and Southampton are also credited with interest.

Maitland-Niles has however expressed a preference for playing in midfield.

How has Maitland-Niles done at West Brom?

The 23-year-old has made 12 appearances for the now-relegated Baggies since his January loan switch.

He’s averaged 1.8 tackles, 0.8 interceptions, 1.3 clearances, 0.8 shots and 1.3 dribbles per 90 minutes (via WhoScored).

Maitland-Niles is valued at £16.2million by Transfermarkt is about to enter the final two years of his contract at the Emirates.

Everton may be in the hunt for a long-term Seamus Coleman successor this summer – it’s been reported that Norwich City’s Max Aarons is also under consideration, but he could cost as much as £30million (via The Times).

Fan feed The Toffee Blues relayed the Maitland-Niles rumour, and here’s how fans reacted.

These Everton fans urge club not to pursue Maitland-Niles transfer

“He went to West Brom because he doesn’t want to play right back. I think we’ve given Arsenal enough money for players who aren’t good enough for them as well.”

Credit: @terrymcallister

“Buying from Arsenal cast offs have never worked. Walcott and Iwobi being the latest 2.”

Credit: @Anthony20Chall

“Iwobi Mk2”

Credit: @leapfrog200

“Awful !!”

Credit: @AlwaysBlue7

“Don’t want him anywhere near our club.”

Credit: @MainManMina

“Waste of transfer… Carlo can’t rebuild the team with a player like this”

Credit: @Babby008

“No , just Aarons plz”

Credit: @daf_xf105

In other news, Fabrizio Romano delivered a concerning update on Aarons.

Aston Villa were beaten at the death by Liverpool on Saturday, and the fans were far from happy with the performance of Marvelous Nakamba.

The Villans travelled to Anfield to face a team that had scored just once at home this calendar year (Sky Sports), and they took the lead towards the end of the first 45 minutes through Ollie Watkins, who slotted home calmly past Alisson.

However, Mohamed Salah was on hand after the break to level things up, and Trent Alexander-Arnold scored late on to win the game for his side.

The Villa fans were far from happy with what they saw from Nakamba. Although the Midlands outfit took the lead, it was far from a good display from the Zimbabwe international, who was often guilty of giving the ball away easily. Also, his poor marking contributed to the goal that saw his side pegged back.

Nakamba managed just 31 touches in total, which was actually 18 less than his own goalkeeper, Emi Martinez, who was in fine form as always (Sofascore).

The supporters took to social media platform Twitter in their droves to share their thoughts on his showing.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Nakamba below

“Take Nakamba off please not completed a pass yet”

Credit: @leebavfc

“Inevitable equaliser but poor from Martinez that. Awful tracking from Nakamba before that too.”

Credit: @Valentine06

“Nakamba switched off”

Credit: @SotcAvfc

“Nakamba been off it today”

Credit: @jemail97

“Douglas Luiz and nakamba absolutley shocking”

Credit: @Jasonmoss1995

“Nakamba looks to be a bit of a passenger today.”

Credit: @TallieJ

In other news, Villa fans are livid at this latest injury news.

Celtic now haven’t had a permanent manager at the helm since the end of February.

It has been a long and slippery slope for the Bhoys but finally there now appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel for the Parkhead faithful.

What’s the word?

Reports from English newspapers suggested this week that a deal to bring Eddie Howe to Paradise was finally being concluded. With Crystal Palace also preferring other options over the 43-year-old, it bodes well for the Celtic hierarchy.

That said, they are not completely in the clear yet. That’s because, according to Stephen Craigan on the Go Radio Football show, they could still target another manager.

He talked up the chances of Scotland boss Steve Clarke being handed the reins, saying: “I just wonder, are they looking for a safe pair of hands and someone to come in steady the ship. And the reason why they can’t announce this guy [Clarke] is because he’s got the Euros in the summer.”

Craigan continued: “The longer it goes, the more I think Steve Clark could get the job. He knows the players, he knows the league he’s worked with some of the Celtic players at Scotland, you know, he’s shown he can manage a team and structure a team and get them organised.”

Poor appointment

In simple terms, Celtic need to completely forget about Clarke. He’s done an impressive job taking the national team to their first major tournament since the 1990s but, at the end of the day, he wouldn’t suit the Hoops.

The 57-year-old has been described as “remarkable” by Kris Commons but, apart from his defensive record, that doesn’t particularly ring true.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/celtic-manager-transfers-eddie-howe-jesse-marsch-ryan-christie-siriki-dembele” title=”Read the latest Celtic managerial updates, transfer news, rumours and gossip!”]

The Bhoys have had obvious issues in their backline this term, shipping 19 goals in just six Europa League games. Blatant defensive errors have been rife, with Jonjoe Kenny and Diego Laxalt the main culprits in recent weeks, particularly in the last Old Firm derby.

On that evidence, Clarke could lend a hand. At Kilmarnock, the coach conceded fewer goals in 2017/18 than Rangers as he guided them to a fifth-place finish. During the next season, his Killie team finished third, also ending the campaign with the third-best defensive record in the division.

That said, Celtic need an attack-minded manager, someone who’s willing to dominate and bully the opposition.

The Hoops have enjoyed over 61% possession on average this term and are used to scoring goals by the bucket load. It’s not certain whether Clarke be able to manage that kind of blueprint at Parkhead, though.

With that in mind, he’d be even less suited than someone like Roy Keane. Although he has not been in management for the best part of ten years, the Irishman showed with his Sunderland side which earned promotion from the Championship in 2006/07 that they can dominate and score goals. During that campaign, Keane’s men netted the third-highest tally of goals (76) in the division.

Dermot Desmond would likely only be inflicting further pain on Celtic by moving for Clarke. He needs to look elsewhere or else just stick with Howe.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Turnbull: Celtic can form dream duo by signing “clinical” 30-goal bully…

Former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has told Transfer Tavern in an exclusive interview that his old side should explore the possibility of signing Callum Wilson if Newcastle United go down.

The Magpies are currently caught up in a relegation battle and it would not be a surprise to see other teams target Wilson if they do end up dropping down to the Championship.

Despite Newcastle’s struggles this season, Wilson has still been able to perform when fit. In 21 league appearances, the 29-year-old striker has scored 10 goals, making him an attractive proposition.

For Hendrie, he is certainly a player Villa should be looking at this summer. On the England international, the retired Premier League footballer told TT:

“I mean, Callum Wilson would be another one if you’re talking about Newcastle getting relegated.

“Callum Wilson’s scored goals in a team that’s really struggled this season, so there’s lots of elements of certainly where you’d look at and think ‘yes’, they’re the players you sort of try and bring into the club and nurture and push it forward.”

Moving for Wilson in the summer would not be a first for Villa. In the last summer transfer window, the Midlands club tried to sign the centre-forward from Bournemouth before his eventual move to Newcastle.

Sheffield Wednesday are potentially less than nine games away from knowing their fate.

But recently-appointed Owls boss Darren Moore has an even tougher task ahead of him this summer, irrespective of which division the south Yorkshire fallen giants find themselves in.

No fewer than 12 players are out of contract at the end of the season, which is the vast majority of the current team, meaning there’s a likely rebuild ahead for the 46-year-old coach.

One of those names is Kadeem Harris – someone who has played a key role in this campaign. Letting him run down his deal is not only a dangerous game to play but is also going to make Moore’s job much harder.

Wednesday chairman Dejphon Chansiri is on the verge of making another contract mistake here – the likes of George Hirst and Liam Shaw spring to mind, albeit they were much younger prospects with huge potential.

Harris has been a frequent presence in the starting XI under Garry Monk, Tony Pulis, Neil Thompson and now Moore, having started 27 league games – only three other players have managed more this term.

The 27-year-old winger has been a major source of creativity too, recording three assists – one fewer than Owls playmaker Barry Bannan.

Again, it is only the skipper (1.6) who is managing more key passes per game than Harris (0.8) and as their set-piece taker, it’s easy to see why he’s putting in more crosses (1.1) than the former Cardiff ace (0.7) too, as per WhoScored.

What this does suggest, however, is that Harris is an integral player on the flank and without him, the Owls would certainly suffer from a lack of service.

Pulis once claimed that he was their only danger man during a drab 0-0 draw with Stoke City, he said (via The Star): “He’s taken us down the pitch, he’s been a threat, and he was probably the one threat that Michael (O’Neill) will have been worried about during the game.”

The £1.35m-rated dynamo won’t be short of suitors either, as according to YorkshireLive, Championship rivals Middlesbrough are huge admirers, whilst the likes of Reading, Watford and Stoke are said to be interested ahead of the summer.

Boro boss Neil Warnock has had him before, and despite being the man to let him depart for Hillsborough, still waxed lyrical over his ability.

“He’s given them directness, pace and power,” said the veteran. “He’s got every attribute. I can’t praise him highly enough. We had a chat last year, around Christmas time, and he trained like a Trojan. We have been blessed with good wide players and he just couldn’t get a long run.

He must be doing something right, in what has been a diabolical season for Wednesday.

Letting the £10k-per-week wide man leave for nothing would be a disaster, and that ultimately falls at the feet of Chansiri, who appears to be making yet another catastrophic blunder here.

AND in other news, Owls must axe Luhukay dud this summer, Bannan once dubbed him “perfect”…

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Seeing Keiran Tierney back in training is what every Celtic fan has been waiting months for.

On Friday Brendan Rodgers confirmed Tierney’s return at Lennoxtown but cautioned, as quoted by Celtic’s official website: “He’ll need to find football fitness, but it’s great to get him back out on the pitch.”

It’s no coincidence that Celtic’s dip in form before the winter break coincided with the young left-back dropping out the team due to injury.

At times it seems Tierney’s outstanding performances are taken for granted – but his absence has highlighted just how important he is to the Hoops.

Going into Sunday’s Scottish Cup tie, Celtic may have to rely on winger Jonny Hayes to play at left-back after Emilio Izaguirre was crocked in midweek by a nasty challenge from Darnell Johnston.

With another treble at stake, the lack of options at the back (mostly due to injury) is a real concern going into Sunday’s lunchtime kick off.

And with Valencia visiting the east end of Glasgow next Thursday, the Celtic backline is going to be severely tested over the next week.

Former Premier League striker Dean Windass has exclusively told Football FanCast that he expects Danny Ings to leave Southampton this summer.

Ings’ deal at St Mary’s expires next summer, and he hasn’t yet extended his contract, with growing concerns surrounding his future.

The England striker hasn’t been firing on all cylinders this term, failing to replicate his form from 12 months ago, scoring just 10 Premier League goals all season and only four since Christmas.

Despite failing to hit the heights of last season, Ings is still Southampton’s top scorer, with his goals alone earning the Saints an extra 12 points.

But the Southampton man has already been strongly linked away from the South Coast this summer, with Manchester City and Tottenham both keen, and with just 14 months left on his deal, Southampton might be forced to cash-in on Ings to prevent him from leaving for free next summer.

And that’s exactly what Windass expects to happen. He told Football FanCast:

“Danny Ings will score goals in any team. He’s just a natural goalscorer. There was talk a few weeks ago about him going to Man City.

“He could go to Spurs, Harry Kane leaving, a replacement, depending on who gets the job.

“I can’t see him being at Southampton, I can’t see him signing a new contract, I can’t see Southampton offering him a new contract because they must have a wage cap.

“Southampton are not a club that let players go for free. He’ll get in any top-six team. He’ll get in any team. If you put balls in the box, you know he’ll get goals.”

Many Glasgow Rangers fans do not fully agree with comments from Steven Gerrard on the ban given out to right-back Nathan Patterson.

On Sunday, the Gers progressed to the fourth round of the Scottish Cup after beating Cove Rangers 4-0, and they will now face Celtic in the next round. Patterson started the match and got himself on the scoresheet for the second time in his senior career (Transfermarkt).

Not long ago, it seemed that his time at Rangers could be in real danger after he broke lockdown regulations along with four of his teammates to attend a small house gathering. He has now been handed a six-game ban – something which has not gone down too well with Gerrard (Daily Record).

The manager has suggested that the ban is harsh, citing the 19-year-old’s ability on the pitch as one of the reasons why the SFA should have been more lenient as he said: “”You’re talking about one of the brightest prospects ever, in terms of right-back. This kid’s going to play for Scotland and all of a sudden the SFA want to ban him for that long, I don’t get it but we’ll see what happens moving forward.”

While many Gers supporters fell short of slamming Gerrard, it appears that some didn’t seem to fully agree. These fans took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts on the matter.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the comments from Gerrard below

“I completely understand what Gerrard is saying but Patterson should have thought that going partying might damage his career it’s his own fault and if he damages his career I have no sympathy”

Credit: @55Alistair

“Agree to an extent but ability shouldn’t come in to it.”

Credit: @RangersBanter17

“I really, really don’t understand what the club are doing here”

Credit: @phiw09

“I get his point but end of day he broke rules. I’m a Rangers fan, this is about Tav injury must be, they got less than Jones and Edmundson bans”

Credit: @madrugadadave16

“Hardly damaging his career. He’s young and made a mistake. He should use the punishment as a motivation not to overstep the line again. Plus if Tav was fit this wouldn’t be getting mentioned.”

Credit: @GeorgeP27576261

“I’m a lifelong Rangers fan and I don’t care how good he is or what form he is in at the moment, he did wrong as I always got told growing up ‘if you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime’ it was stupid and reckless but just take the bans and move on!”

Credit: @jax1872

In other news, Rangers have been urged to sign this striker.

Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton has said that only Callum McGregor, David Turnbull and Stephen Welsh stand out as players exempt from a looming squad overhaul at Parkhead.

Interim boss John Kennedy will oversee the concluding four games of the season before the club make a final decision on Neil Lennon’s long-term managerial successor.

Kennedy has been unable to salvage the Hoops’ campaign. On Sunday, they were beaten 2-0 by arch-rivals Rangers in the Scottish Cup fourth round, a result which confirms their first trophyless season since 2010.

They are also 20 points adrift of Steven Gerrard’s men in the league table, a damning state of affairs.

‘Practically a blank sheet of paper’ for incoming Celtic boss

Writing in his Record Sport column, Sutton predicted that Odsonne Edouard and Kristoffer Ajer would follow loanees Mohamed Elyounoussi, Jonjoe Kenny and Diego Laxalt out the door.

In his eyes, only McGregor – set to take over as captain as Scott Brown heads to Aberdeen – midfielder Turnbull and centre-back Welsh are guaranteed to be part of the long-term picture.

“It’s practically a blank sheet of paper,” Sutton wrote.

“What’s on it? Callum McGregor, David Turnbull are on there, you maybe give youngster Stephen Welsh the benefit of the doubt even if he wasn’t at his best against Rangers.”

Sutton added: “It’s a heck of a shopping list at Celtic Park if they are to even think about having a chance of wrestling the title off Rangers next season.”

At the start of the month, it was reported that Celtic were on the verge of appointing former Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe.

However, no announcement has followed, and Football Insider have claimed that the 43-year-old has entertained a rival approach from Crystal Palace.

Transfer Tavern verdict

If you were a Rangers fan assessing Celtic’s predicament, you would be licking your lips. With a summer of upheaval ahead, it seems unlikely that they will be unable to strike back quickly, even under new management.

Their crosstown rivals have looked a level above this season, progressing to the Europa League round of 16 and going 34 league matches unbeaten.

In terms of the players who will still be at Parkhead next term, Sutton is justified in advocating the cases of Turnbull, McGregor and Welsh based on their generally solid performances throughout the current campaign.

In other news, this reported Celtic managerial candidate fears he has been overlooked.

The 26th of March marked five years since Jamie Vardy’s first goal for England against Germany.

The striker, then making his fifth appearance for his country, showed lethal instincts to flick Nathaniel Clyne’s cross behind himself and past Manuel Neuer into the back of the net.

It was another glorious chapter for Vardy, whose goals were soon to guide Leicester to the most miraculous Premier League title triumph.

However, fast-forward five years and the 34-year-old is now firmly out of the Three Lions reckoning, having all-but retired from international duty after the 2018 World Cup in Russia with 26 caps and seven goals to his name.

Whilst there have been suggestions that Vardy’s decision was slightly too premature, he has certainly been vindicated.

Since he stepped back, his performances for the Foxes have remained excellent. He has scored an eye-watering 55 goals for Leicester in the time following, playing a key role as the East Midlanders secured a place in the UEFA Europa League last term but also as they look to better that with a UEFA Champions League return this time around.

The striker, dubbed “wonderful” by Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers, scooped another fantastic personal achievement last year, too. He become the first Leicester City player to claim the Golden Boot, with his 23 strikes in 2019/20 enough to see him edge ahead of the likes of Harry Kane, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mo Salah.

All of this may not have been possible had Vardy had the strains and travels of international football to contend with.

After all, the toll on his body appears to be worsening already. Vardy has missed seven matches in all competitions this season through injury – the highest amount for he has been unavailable in one campaign since Leicester earned promotion back to the Premier League. This could have potentially been even worse with England duties had he not stepped back from the international scene.

At the time of his unofficial retirement, the veteran also suggested that a lack of game-time had “an impact” in his decision. Kane, Daniel Sturridge and Danny Welbeck were all preferred by Roy Hodgson and Gareth Southgate.

That competition has only been enhanced, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Danny Ings, Ollie Watkins, Patrick Bamford and of course Kane having fantastic personal seasons and all vying for a place in the Three Lions setup.

Whilst it could be argued that Vardy has the quality to challenge for a place, he will reflect on a solid England career which all kicked off with that stunning finish against Germany in 2016, and will surely believe he made the correct decision in drawing it to a close when he did.

AND in more news, Leicester should not look to sign William Carvalho once more…