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Former Leeds United midfielder Carlton Palmer has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that Marcelo Bielsa bringing Sergio Aguero to Elland Road would be a gamble.

Aguero, who will leave Manchester City in the summer after 10 years at the club, was being linked with a move to Leeds.

However, it has recently emerged that Barcelona are now in talks to sign the 32-year-old striker, with BBC Sport’s Guillem Balague claiming that it is a deal that all parties are keen to get over the line.

Aguero’s proven pedigree in the Premier League could have made him a brilliant addition to Bielsa’s squad, though Palmer feels he would have been a gamble given his age and injury record.

Speaking exclusively to FFC about Leeds’ reported interest in the Manchester City forward, the retired England international said:

“I think he accepts he’s not finished yet, but his better days are past it. So in terms of him playing and playing regularly, he’ll probably be able to do that more on the continent. The Premier League’s a tough, tough league.

“Is it three seasons now where he’s been just struggling with injuries and he comes in and goes out? Listen, let me tell you, if he could still contribute over sort of 25-30 games, there’s no way Man City would be allowing him to go.

“So I think it’s a gamble for anybody to take him in the Premier League; it’s a gamble just over his fitness. There’s no doubt about his quality and his ability to score goals if he’s on the football pitch.”

Aguero has struggled with injury this season, so perhaps that could be one factor behind Manchester City’s decision to allow him to go.

This has been a torrid season for Wolves but, with Raul Jimenez set to return during pre-season, the Old Gold can be positive about their prospects in 2021/22.

It was wonderful news to hear the Mexican had now made a full recovery from the horrendous fractured skull he sustained back in November.

He has been a monumental loss to departing manager Nuno Espirito Santo this term, with the Molineux outfit struggling for goals. That’s hardly a surprise, though, especially when you consider that Jimenez returned 27 strikes in 2019/20.

Since his time on the sidelines, Fabio Silva has only found the net four times and Willian Jose has scored once. Therefore, to have their main man back will come as music to the ears of Wolves supporters.

It will also be welcomed by Pedro Neto, a player suffering from his own lengthy injury.

He was named the club’s Player of the Season this week and it was easy to see why. He is their joint-top scorer and has more assists than any other player in the squad. However, those numbers would be far better if their Mexican number nine was available throughout the campaign.

Providing Wolves can get him and Jimenez back fit, they could have a brilliant chance of breaking into the European places next season. Add Xherdan Shaqiri into the mix and their hopes become even brighter.

The Liverpool forward was tipped to be a good addition for Wolves by Football Insider pundit Noel Whelan earlier this year.

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He commented: “Where would he end up going [from Liverpool]? You’re probably talking middle of the table. Maybe Wolves, that might suit a player like him. But I doubt the top six would take a chance on him. He’s got a great left foot but he hasn’t been playing regularly. He’s been a bit-part player.”

As a player blessed with plenty of creativity, a front three of him, Neto and Jimenez is a mouth-watering one. Shaqiri possesses what has been described as “breathtaking technique” and you can see that in the way he carves out chances for others.

Despite his limited game-time at Liverpool this term, he has still managed 1.4 key passes per match. That tally is only bettered by Adama Traore and Neto at Molineux.

The comparisons with Nuno’s front three are rife, possessing flair and trickery to beat defenders on a regular basis.

During an interview with Football FanCast’s sister site This is Futbol, Old Gold legend Steve Bull said: “Shaqiri is similar to Neto, Podence and Traore so he could actually fit in and I wouldn’t rule that out at all. He’s that type of player who is busy, small, light on his feet and a dead ball specialist.”

If a player is good enough for Bull, he should be good enough for Wolves’ new manager next term, and indeed Fosun.

Shaqiri’s salary of £80,000 per week is steep but he would add plenty to a Wolves squad who are in desperate need of more quality and options in the final third.

AND in other news, Wolves intend to buy “unpredictable” 23-goal Mendes client, he’s an upgrade on Podence…

Many Glasgow Rangers fans were disappointed with the performance of Joe Aribo during their Old Firm victory on Sunday.

The Gers won at Ibrox to extend their unbeaten run in the Premiership (BBC). Kemar Roofe gave the 55-time Scottish champions the lead before Odsonne Edouard equalised, but Alfredo Morelos restored his side’s lead and then Roofe grabbed his second after the interval. Although the league title is long since wrapped up, the Gers will be delighted to have beaten their rivals once again this season.

However, the display of £3.15m-valued Aribo (Transfermarkt) disappointed some of the Gers supporters. He failed to have a real impact on the game in the middle of the park and he shirked his defensive duties on the few occasions that 10-man Celtic did try to attack. He was sloppy in possession and came out second best in many of his duels. That, in particular, will not have pleased Steven Gerrard on the touchline.

These Gers fans were far from happy with what they saw from the 24-year-old, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about Aribo

“Scared to foul him Aribo”

Credit: @RampantRyanJack

“Aribo and Kamara watching people run through our midfield”

Credit: @ShankillBear

“How lazy is Aribo”

Credit: @KennyConway9

“Aribo is a man short in midfield”

Credit: @bluediamond62

“Aribo’s defensive qualities are non existent.”

Credit: @cozy1872

“Aribo walking around doing nothing. Just got turned why isn’t he getting goal side of him. Useless”

Credit: @glenman82

In other news, Ally McCoist slams this man’s comments.

Reported Southampton transfer target Tammy Abraham is said to be looking to leave Chelsea this summer and after he was left out of Thomas Tuchel’s squad for the FA Cup semi-final last weekend, it is looking increasingly likely that he won’t be at Stamford Bridge next season.

According to Eurosport, Southampton and West Ham are both considering moves for the England international this summer, as he continues to struggle for game time under Chelsea’s new manager.

It was suggested at the time that Abraham could look for a new venture ahead of next season and it feels as if his complete omission for Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final could be the final straw for the young striker at Chelsea.

Since Tuchel’s appointment on the 26th January, Abraham has completed 90 minutes just once in a 1-0 FA Cup win against Barnsley when he scored, so it is perhaps surprising that he has been used so sparingly in the Premier League and Champions League by the former PSG and Borussia Dortmund boss.

Despite his lack of minutes this season, the former Aston Villa loanee has six goals in just 12 top-flight starts this season, as well as six goals in cup competitions, so it is clear that he can be relied upon to find the back of the net when he features.

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The 23-year-old striker was prolific during his time with the Villans in the Championship, hitting 25 goals in 37 league appearances, which led Jack Grealish to sing his praises on Instagram last year, saying:

“Unbelievable. Couldn’t believe how good he was with the ball for how tall he is. Loved playing with him.”

Given that Southampton spent the majority of their FA Cup semi-final launching long balls to Danny Ings and Nathan Redmond, having a striker such as the six-foot-three Abraham certainly seems like a good idea ahead of next season.

[freshpress-quiz id=“594431″]

It certainly seems likely that he will depart Stamford Bridge, so Martin Semmens should do everything he can to bring the striker to St Mary’s, as he could be a superb addition to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.

And, in other news… Ralph blew it: Hasenhuttl’s tactical blunder cost Saints at Wembley, they were woeful

انتقد الإعلامي الإنجليزي الشهير ريتشارد كيز، كريستيانو رونالدو وقال له إنه “جزء من المشكلة” في مانشستر يونايتد.

عاد رونالدو إلى أولد ترافورد الصيف الماضي وسط ضجة كبيرة، ولكن يبدو أن الموسم لم يسر كما كان مخططًا له من قِبل البرتغالي.

بعد أن أنهى الموسم الماضي في المركز الثاني، يتأخر يونايتد كثيرًا عن مانشستر سيتي متصدر الدوري، ويواجه معركة للحصول على مكان ضمن المراكز المؤهلة لبطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا الموسم المقبل.

اللاعب البالغ من العمر 37 عامًا لديه 14 هدفًا في جميع المسابقات، بما في ذلك 8 في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، لكنه فشل الآن في التسجيل في آخر 6 مباريات.

وبدا رونالدو محبطًا بشدة في أكثر من مباراة لـ مانشستر يونايتد، وسرعان ما يذهب إلى النفق المؤدي لغرف الملابس بعد انتهاء اللقاءات، اعتراضًا على الهزيمة أو التعادل.

وزعمت تقارير صحفية هذا الأسبوع أن رونالدو قد يرحل عن مانشستر يونايتد مبكرًا، نهاية الموسم الحالي.

من جانبه، حث ريتشارد كيز البرتغالي على الرحيل عاجلًا وليس آجلًا، لأنه يمثل جزءً من مشكلة مانشستر يونايتد.

وقال ريتشارد كيز في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “ميرور” الإنجليزية: “كان خورخي مينديز يتحدث إلى كبار المسؤولين التنفيذيين في مانشستر يونايتد بشأن المغادرة في نهاية الموسم، رأيي في ذلك هو أنه يجب أن يغادر الآن”.

وأضاف: “لقد كان رأيي طوال الموسم أنني أعتقد أنه جزء من المشكلة – وليس المشكلة بأكملها – مثل أي شيء وأي شخص آخر”.

وواصل: “في الليلة الماضية، بعد التعادل مع ساوثهامبتون، غادر الملعب سريعًا إلى غرفة الملابس، بعدما سبق وأن ألقى محاضرة على الجميع مؤخرًا عن كونه القائد وأن الشباب لا يفعلون الأمور التي يفعلها، كيف يشجع تصرفه هذا روح الفريق في غرفة الملابس؟!”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. دي خيا يوجه رسالة غاضبة بعد تعادل مانشستر يونايتد مع ساوثهامبتون

رد المضيف المشارك آندي جراي: “لم يكن من الجيد رؤية ذلك، خطأ تمامًا بالنسبة له أن يفعل ذلك، من الواضح أنه محبط لعدم اللعب، كان يلعب ضد بيرنلي المتذيل ويفكر في فرصة التسجيل أمامهم، إنه يبلغ من العمر 37 عامًا ويعرف أن الوقت ينفد فيه للعب في قمة كرة القدم، تريد تجربة ولعب أكبر عدد ممكن من المباريات”.

وهنا تدخل كيز قائلًا: “هذا جيد إذن، اذهب ووقع لـ بورنموث وستلعب كل مباراة!”.

Brighton star Ben White is reportedly a summer transfer target for Liverpool, as the Reds weigh up potential centre-back options to bring in.

Jurgen Klopp has suffered a disastrous season in defence, with the Premier League champions left depleted in that area of the pitch.

Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip are all out for the remainder of the campaign, leaving Nathaniel Phillips and Ozan Kabak as the first-choice pairing.

It looks almost certain that at least one new centre-back will arrive in the summer transfer window, with Ibrahima Konate heavily linked with a move earlier this week.

Liverpool keen on White move

According to the Daily Mail‘s Dominic King, White is also ‘being considered’ as a target by Liverpool, having started 28 of Brighton’s 29 league games this season.

The 23-year-old has been described as “brilliant” by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp in the past and has been tipped to join the Reds before.

Transfer Tavern take

White is certainly an exciting defender who is also capable of playing in midfield, although he lacks the top-level experience of someone like Konate.

While the RB Leipzig man has already made 89 appearances for a team fighting for the Bundesliga title and going far in the Champions League, despite being just 21, White is still in his first season in the top flight.

That suggests Konate could be the better option, especially as his average of two aerial duels won per game in the league this season is superior to the Englishman’s (1.4).

In other news, some Liverpool fans have been reacting to a significant piece of news affecting the club. Read about it here.

Celtic return to action this weekend with a timely break from the Premiership. The Bhoys have had a torrid league campaign and have surrendered their grasp on the title.

They are no longer champions and they currently have no silverware to their name in the 2020/21 season. Thus, the Scottish Cup represents a chance to correct their campaign somewhat.

They take on Falkirk this Saturday with the hope of retaining a tournament they won in 2019/20. After a torrid year, taking on a team in the third tier was exactly what they needed when the draw came out. However, if they lose, it will only heap further embarrassment on the Hoops.

With a game like this, John Kennedy could choose to make a number of changes. Here’s the XI we’re predicting him to pick.

We are tipping Kennedy to make as many as five changes to the side which drew with Rangers last time out.

The first thing to note is a swap between the sticks, where Scott Bain is rested and Vasilis Barkas afforded an opportunity to play. He has been rather error-prone this season but this is a good opportunity for the Greek to rediscover some form and confidence.

Another replacement is on the left-hand side of defence, where Greg Taylor comes in for the £57,000-per-week Diego Laxalt. The left-back has been missing for a few weeks now with an injury but returned to the substitute’s bench last time out.

There are plenty of changes in midfield, where Ismaila Soro comes in for Scott Brown with the skipper rested for cup duty.

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James Forrest comes into the team on the left wing, replacing Mo Elyounoussi. The Norwegian scored in the Old Firm derby but is rested here, with Forrest handed a first start since returning from a lengthy injury layoff.

The fifth and final switch is in attacking midfield. Ryan Christie, scoreless in his last six league games, drops out on this occasion as Tom Rogic comes into the fray to make a rare start.

Mikey Johnston has returned to training this week but this match may come too soon in terms of being included among the starting XI.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Edouard: Celtic must sign 16-goal gem who plays “in the style of Robben”…

When then-Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood brought Jordan Veretout to the club back in the summer of 2015, he made it clear just how “delighted” he was at getting a deal done.

The ex-Blackburn midfielder said: “He has played over 140 games in Ligue 1 and is a really exciting young player. I know Veretout is very highly rated over in France, so we are delighted to get this deal over the line.”

Fast forward a year, however, and things hadn’t turned out the way either the player or the club would have wanted at Villa Park, with the team going through a roller-coaster period of managerial changes and relegation from the Premier League as well.

In the end, the Frenchman was sent out on loan, before sealing a more permanent move away from the club when he joined Serie A outfit Fiorentina for around £6m in 2017. Since then, he has been nothing short of incredible, enjoying an impressive rise which is now seeing him shine for one of Italian football’s biggest clubs in AS Roma.

This season has seen him develop into an elite goal-scoring midfielder, netting ten times in 24 games in the league alone, including a match-saving brace against Juventus in a 2-2 draw. It’s no surprise, then, that his market value has shot up considerably, with Transfermarkt now rating him at £31.5m – more than five times the amount for which Villa actually sold him.

However, there were some behind the scenes at Villa Park who did see his potential, with caretaker manager Kevin McDonald in particular saying: “Jordan is a wonderful passer of the ball. He will get better. And he is looking to impose himself in training games. Now he has to do that over a period of time. If he does that, he will be a very, very good player.

“Glenn Hoddle didn’t have to run up and down the pitch. But he was the most wonderful passer this country had in a long, long time. It’s not about being a holding midfielder or an attacking midfielder – Jordan needs to be a midfielder who gets on the ball more than anybody else in the team.”

Niggling injuries didn’t help his cause, but he didn’t even take to the pitch for any of Villa’s last seven Premier League games of the 2015/2016 season, not even making the matchday squad in four of them.

When you see the way he is shining now, though, there must surely be a sense of regret that they couldn’t keep hold of Veretout or ever get to see the best of him at Villa Park.

Meanwhile, Villa must unleash this academy talent after his FA Youth Cup display; it’s not Aaron Ramsey…

Tottenham Hotspur have been handed an encouraging boost after it was confirmed that two players returned to training this week…

What’s the word?

Ahead of the second leg of their Europa League Round of 32 clash with Wolfsberger AC tonight, Spurs boss Jose Mourinho delivered a positive update in his pre-game press conference, where he revealed that both Serge Aurier and Giovani Lo Celso were nearing a comeback.

On Aurier, he said: “Serge is almost there, I believe for the weekend and if not the weekend, Fulham next week, but Serge is coming.”

And on Lo Celso, Mourinho added: “Gio is not coming back, but coming back to training with the team, which is a big step and a very important one. Even today, he was training for the first time, of course, with lots of protection in relation to what he could or could not do.

“It’s good news. It’s maybe a couple of weeks to play, but let’s say if everything goes well, we are on the countdown.”

Mourinho will be delighted

Given the run of form Spurs find themselves in at the minute – six defeats in eight – it will be a welcome boost to have two players back capable of making an impact for the rest of the campaign.

At right-back, it is becoming increasingly clear that Mourinho does not trust £15m summer signing Matt Doherty and reports have surfaced, via ESPN, suggesting that his future past the summer could be in serious doubt.

Indeed, Aurier has usurped the Irishman despite all of his own worries. The Spurs boss revealed during their Amazon ‘All or Nothing’ docuseries that he was scared of the former PSG star’s defending, so it speaks volumes that he’s started more times (13) than Doherty (nine).

Japhet Tanganga was preferred to the 29-year-old on Sunday, too.

Whilst Lo Celso is capable of injecting much-needed influence further up the pitch. As we’ve seen in recent matches, Mourinho has given chances to wide duo Erik Lamela and Lucas Moura in the no.10 role, with Tanguy Ndombele playing a little deeper.

This surely means the Argentine playmaker could slot right back in, eventually.

On the face of it, a return of only one goal and one assist in the league isn’t anything to scream about but Lo Celso’s importance shouldn’t be understated.

He sits third to the impressive partnership of Harry Kane and Heung-min Son for key passes per game (0.8), which means he’s creating more chances than everyone but Spurs’ two biggest goal threats.

Whilst of all players to play ten or more league games this term, Aurier (0.24) and Lo Celso (0.21) are only behind Kane for expected assists per 90 minutes, via Understat, only reinforcing their importance to this side picking up results.

In the two games without Aurier, Spurs have scored just once, whilst since the turn of the year, the north London outfit have only surpassed two goals in one game on two occasions, which isn’t good enough for a side that was sitting top of the table in mid-December.

Clearly, the return of the pair will be a major boost for Spurs, and that should ultimately have Mourinho absolutely delighted.

AND in other news, Forget Alli: Jose must unleash “special” £18m-rated Spurs star who’s “full of quality” TONIGHT…

West Ham United may rue David Moyes’ decision to retain Andriy Yarmolenko last summer after reportedly placing the crocked Ukraine winger back on the transfer list.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, the Irons are planning to part ways with Yarmolenko at the end of the season, even at a substantial loss.

The 31-year-old moved to the London Stadium for £18m as the fifth signing of Manuel Pellegrini’s time at the helm back in 2018, but has struggled to live up to his billing.

West Ham now intend to listen to offers as they look for ways to raise funds that can be used to strengthen Moyes’ squad, with bids of around £5-6m expected to be enough.

Club chiefs are said to recognise the need to accept a sizeable hit on any fee received if the Irons are to offload Yarmolenko, who will have two years remaining on his contract come the summer.

The ex-Borussia Dortmund dynamo is also currently sidelined through injury, having sustained knee ligament damage during Tuesday night’s FA Cup defeat to Manchester United.

Moyes is currently refusing to put a timescale on the forward’s rehabilitation, with the unwanted winger requiring further assessments.

“Yarmolenko has a got a little bit of a knee injury we’re going to assess so we know exactly what that is,” the West Ham boss noted on Friday.

A blunderous U-turn

West Ham placing Yarmolenko on the transfer list ahead of the summer market represents a blunderous U-turn by Moyes, who has rarely called upon the forward to feature since opting to retain the 31-year-old last summer.

Reports had claimed that the Hammers viewed Yarmolenko as a player they could live without amid efforts to raise funds to sign Said Benrahma, having given Moyes the green light to sell the costly failures of Pellegrini and former Director of Football Mario Husillos’ time at the club.

But Moyes later decided that he wished to retain the attacker, who has since gone on to start just one of his 14 Premier League appearances and play a total of 345 minutes in the top-flight thus far this term.

Yarmolenko at least offered Moyes an option to rotate in the cups, starting all six ties played across the EFL and FA Cups, although having that depth has only added to the vast millions West Ham have wasted on the 92-cap Ukraine international.

On top of the expected £12-13m hit on the fee paid to Borussia Dortmund, West Ham have handed over £15.5m and counting in wages across the 135 weeks that Yarmolenko has been earning £115k-p/w in east London.

Had Moyes sold Yarmolenko even on Deadline Day in October, he could have saved the Irons almost £2m in wages. But now, his decision to keep the forward for another year has only served to add further millions to the funds flushed down the drain.

AND in other news, West Ham may face added competition to sign a highly-rated 6 ft 7 titan…