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According to a report by Stretty News, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is now open to selling Harry Winks this summer as talks with Manchester United emerge.

The Lowdown: Mass exodus?

The 25-year-old, who started just nine Premier League games last season between the reigns of Jose Mourinho and Ryan Mason, has been touted as a player who could leave north London this summer.

Indeed, reliable Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold believes that Winks is a possible candidate for the exit door alongside the likes of Erik Lamela, Serge Aurier, Moussa Sissoko and Juan Foyth (football.london).

Spurs will need to adopt a sell-to-buy policy this summer amid the global pandemic, meaning that players will have to be offloaded before any incoming transfer activity at the club.

The Latest: Levy open to selling Winks…

Stretty News have brought a development stating that Tottenham and Manchester United have held talks in their ‘infancy’ over a possible transfer for Winks this summer.

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Levy’s mind is said to be made up, with the chairman now open to selling him, and he could demand in the region of £25m.

Amid the ongoing uncertainty surrounding Paul Pogba, Manchester United are apparently targeting the Englishman and it is believed that the Red Devils recruitment team are ‘big admirers’. Indeed, as per this report, United could look to capitalise on Winks’ uncertain future in north London. [Stretty News]

The Verdict: Get it done Levy…

Spurs need a ‘painful’ rebuild, as best described by Mauricio Pochettino more than two years ago, and the only way to start overhauling this squad is by selling surplus-to-requirements players. Winks arguably falls into that category given how rarely he featured last term and Spurs could look to recoup some much needed financing off his sale this summer.

At 25 years of age and homegrown, he could still hold some market value given that other clubs will likely be looking to add English talent to meet squad quota requirements.

A tidy midfield operator, as evident by his 90% pass accuracy across eight Europa League starts last season, Winks has also been called a ‘phenomenal player’ by Emile Heskey despite his lack of game-time (HITC).

Therefore, it is no surprise that clubs are interested in the England international, and the best outcome for everybody involved is perhaps a sure-fire sale.

In other news: Spurs could swoop for this ‘genius’ manager dubbed ‘the very best’ in world football, find out more here.

Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic are on the road once again this afternoon with an SPFL clash against Ross County.

After getting knocked out of the Scottish Cup last weekend following a 2-1 defeat to Rangers in the semi-final, the 56-year-old manager will be hoping his side can bounce back by securing all three points today – and, in doing so, take a step closer to the title before next weekend’s Old Firm showdown.

Speaking in his latest press conference ahead of today’s game, the 56-year-old revealed that his side will be without Josip Juranovic through injury, but that Giorgos Giakoumakis will be in contention this time around.

With that in mind, here’s how we feel Celtic could line up this afternoon.

Firstly, having played in all but two of Celtic’s league games this season, it’d be hard to see anyone other than Joe Hart start in goal.

For the back four, with Juranovic out, it seems likely that Anthony Ralston will come in at right-back alongside the centre-back duo of Carl Starfelt and Cameron Carter-Vickers, with Greg Taylor in the left-back position.

In the middle of the park, we think Callum McGregor will lead his team out once again but see a different pair of midfielders line up next to him from the two that he played with last time out.

Having claimed to have “lost his edge” by Pat Bonner, Tom Rogic could be set for a place on the substitutes bench this time out, alongside Reo Hatate – who also failed to impress in last weekend’s defeat at Hampden Park.

With that in mind, we think Postecoglou will give starts to Matt O’Riley and David Turnbull – the latter of whom has been praised for his “phenomenal” performances in the past – to see if they can freshen things up in that area of the pitch.

Then, for the final three attacking positions, we predict that Jota and Liel Abada will keep their places in the side, but also that Kyogo Furuhashi will come in and play through the middle, leaving Daizen Maeda on the substitutes bench.

Whether the 56-year-old Hoops boss goes with this exact starting XI that we have suggested or not, he will undoubtedly want to see a reaction from his players in response to last weekend’s disappointment.

In other news: Sold for £2m, now worth £540k: Celtic struck gold on £17k-p/w dud who “had issues”

Hands up if you remembered that Henri Saivet was still a Newcastle player?

The Senegal international arrived at St James’ Park back in the summer of 2016 and has since endured one of the most forgettable careers of any player to have worn the black and white shirt.

With a paltry eight appearances to his name, it’s certainly fair to say that Saivet has arguably been one of the worst signings – if not the worst – of the Mike Ashley era.

Costing a reported £5m when they first signed him from Bordeaux, Newcastle may have been forgiven for thinking they had bagged a real midfield star.

Speaking at the announcement of his signing, then-Magpies manager Steve McClaren said: “Henri is someone the club have been watching for a while, and he has developed into an excellent player at Bordeaux. This is someone with a very good mentality, who is a tough player and a winner. Those are key qualities you need in the Premier League and we are looking forward to seeing him pulling on the Newcastle United shirt.”

Reports last summer suggested that the Tyneside club were struggling to find a buyer for Saivet as they looked to get him off the books, and it was then no surprise that he was eventually omitted from the Premier League squad for the season.

Earning a reported £35,000-a-week at St James’ Park, the 30-year-old’s only football this season has been with the under-23s, playing four times at Premier League 2 level – in fact, it’s a damning statement that he has actually made the same number of appearances for the reserves as he has for the first team over his Newcastle career.

All in all, Saivet’s transfer fee and wages, have meant that he has now cost a whopping £10m in total for the Magpies over the years that he has been at St James’ Park – a truly ridiculous amount for someone who doesn’t even feature anymore.

However, with his contract coming to an end this summer, Steve Bruce has the chance to finally wave goodbye to Saivet and end his misery on Tyneside.

Considering his costs to the club, it will surely leave Mike Ashley very relieved as well.

Meanwhile, Newcastle must unleash this “supremely driven” talent…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Graham Roberts has laughed off suggestions that Harry Kane will miss Tottenham’s opening-day meeting with Manchester City next month.

Kane is yet to report back to Hotspur Way for pre-season following his exploits with England at the European Championships, with the visit of the champions now less than three weeks away.

It’s not yet clear who Kane will be playing for when Nuno Espirito Santo takes charge of his first Premier League game on 15 August, but according to the Telegraph, Kane will be on the sidelines regardless.

Having reached the final of the Euro’s, players are generally given around three weeks to recover.

However, Leeds’ Kalvin Phillips has already returned for pre-season just 16 days after the Three Lions suffered penalty heartache against Italy at Wembley.

Kane is currently on holiday with his family having missed Spurs’ first three pre-season games, but Roberts is confident that he’ll be back in the coming weeks.

He exclusively told FFC:

“I know he’s in the Caribbean now because he had the wedding last week, and now he’s in the Caribbean. But Harry Kane is not going to sit on the beach and do nothing.”

Asked whether he thinks Kane will start against Manchester City? “100 percent,” Roberts said confidently.

“If he comes back on the 3rd or 4th as August, he’s still got 10 days. He’ll be running up and down the beach, he’ll have a gym. He’s fit from the Euro’s.

“The first game of the season, nobody is fit. Harry Kane is not going to be 100 percent fit on the opening day of the season, nobody is.”

Many Everton fans have been left fuming as some transfer comments emerged from James Rodriguez.

Speaking on his Twitch channel (via The Toffee Blues), the Colombia international said: “I go to Everton, practically because Ancelotti was there and look, now Carlo is gone. I don’t know what is going to happen. In football and in life, we don’t know anything. Let’s see what happens. All I know is that I’m training hard, preparing well.”

Of course, Carlo Ancelotti left Goodison Park to go and manage Real Madrid, and clearly Rodriguez had a good bond with him.

The fact that he has does not now know whether he is going to stay at the Merseyside club is certainly not reassuring for the Toffees supporters, and is not the first time that he has cast doubt over his own future.

Rodriguez would not be an easy player to replace, given that he scored six goals and made a further nine assists in 26 games in total over all competitions across the 2020/21 season (Transfermarkt), but the ongoing saga coupled up with the fact that he has not said he wants to stay at the Blues has meant that several Evertonians would just like to see him go now.

It seems his comments have changed the opinions of many, as many supporters were strongly in favour of keeping the talented playmaker earlier this week.

Everton fans on Rodriguez transfer comments

These EFC fans fumed as the comments were shared on Twitter:

“How about knuckling down and stop hiding behind Ancelotti”

Credit: @steviemac2010

“The whole circus around him since the Copa injury is just a bit too much for me. Needs to be playing and doing it 34-38 games a season to be getting away with continued enigmatic quotes about his future.”

Credit: @Phoenix20387

“Total disrespect to the Everton fans, many of who seem to have been backing him rather than the club. No player is bigger than EFC. If you don’t want to be part of the TEAM then you’re out. With James it seems to be about me, me, me.”

Credit: @__RobMatthews__

“I’m not backing him – he can go – I’d rather we get something for him NOW than get lumbered with some 30 something who cant stay fit or picks games where he “fancies it” – he was a luxury player for us when we signed him – we don’t have that luxury.”

Credit: @chr509740634

“Then follow the snake to Spain, neither of you will be missed by me!!”

Credit: @pilkyefc

“Overpaid star not interested in football like his old manager Ancelotti the fraud”

Credit: @RobertS91163055

In other news, find out what transfer update has Toffees buzzing here!

Some Liverpool supporters have been left fuming after confirmation of the officials for Sunday’s crucial Premier League clash with Crystal Palace.

The Reds picked up another vital win on Wednesday night, beating Burnley 3-0 at Turf Moor and producing a commanding performance.

Jurgen Klopp’s men didn’t have things their own way throughout the 90 minutes, with the Clarets creating plenty of half chances, but goals from Roberto Firmino, Nathaniel Phillips and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain got them over the line.

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The victory means Liverpool should just have to beat Palace at Anfield on Sunday afternoon, assuming Leicester City don’t annihilate Tottenham at the same time.

It has been confirmed that Andre Marriner will take charge of the much-anticipated clash, with Paul Tierney, who is from Manchester, in charge of the dreaded VAR.

It’s fair to say that the current crop of officials aren’t exactly the most popular, so the news has not been met well by a number of Liverpool fans.

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Liverpool fans unhappy with officials for Palace clash

Here are some of the best reactions on Twitter.

“We’re done”

Credit: @Brian81649303

“Equivalent of a 2 goal start for Palace”

Credit: @AndrewGoodwin87

“Advantage Palace”

Credit: @algin_tolga

“Nooo. The worst arrogant referee of all”

Credit: @FrydenlundLasse

“Oh for… Tierney is dreadful.”

Credit: @OblivionCalls

“Oh no”

Credit: @lfcjason1

In other news, some Liverpool fans are angry after a transfer rumour emerged regarding one key Reds player. Find out who it is here.

When Nuno Santo decided to leave Wolves at the end of last season, it came as a shock to everybody at Molineux.

However, what wasn’t surprising was the way the Old Gold and Fosun looked towards Portugal for his successor.

They held talks with their friendly pal, Jorge Mendes, and Bruno Lage walked through the door after a brief spell away from football.

Lage lost his job at Benfica in the top-flight of Portuguese football but guided them to the title in 2018/19, also bringing through some of the hottest young talent in Europe.

The 45-year-old has very quickly become a coach renowned for handing opportunities to younger players and judging by the Benfica academy, you can hardly blame him.

They’ve produced the likes of Bernardo Silva, Andre Silva, Joao Cancelo and Renato Sanches. Former Wolves star Ivan Cavaleiro came through their ranks while their current right-back, Nelson Semedo, cut his teeth in the Benfica academy as well.

Under Lage, it was Ruben Dias and Joao Felix who rose to stardom but there is a new breed rising up in emphatic fashion.

Unfortunately, Benfica need to sell some players in order to raise funds this summer. 15-goal Goncalo Ramos has been linked with a move to Wolves but so has one of his partners in crime, Henrique Araujo.

Another client of Mendes, the Portuguese is one of the most devastating young players in his homeland.

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A centre-forward by trade, the 19-year-old found the back of the net on 19 occasions in 36 outings at youth level last season.

Araujo didn’t earn any senior football but he is surely right on the periphery of regular first-team action.

A move to Wolves could prove incredibly beneficial for his career. Although the Midlands outfit have Fabio Silva in their ranks, Lage has already proven he can develop young attacking talent.

Combine that with the club he now coaches, and it’s surely a recipe for success for the younger players coming through at Compton.

Wolves have taken players like Diogo Jota and Pedro Neto to the next level, something that should excite Araujo if he makes the move to England.

Described as a “gem” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the teenager started last season by scoring eight goals in his first eight appearances.

A player blessed with a ruthless ability to find the back of the net, he’d add to a glistening array of young talent already at Molineux.

Combine him with Silva and they could create an awe-inspiring duo for supporters to salivate over. This could be yet another jewel in the crown of Fosun’s Wolves empire.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Neves: Wolves must swoop for gem with 259 PL apps, Bull thinks he’s “quality”…

Crystal Palace embarked on a mass overhaul of their first-team squad over the summer, allowing several experienced campaigners to depart before replacing them with exciting, young acquisitions.

And the early indications are that the capital club’s dealings were a huge success. The likes of Marc Guehi, Odsonne Edouard and Conor Gallagher have all hit the ground running at Selhurst Park, propelling Patrick Vieira’s new-look side to a memorable victory over Tottenham Hotspur.

However, while there can be little doubt over the incomings in south London, the club’s hierarchy arguably made a few mistakes when allowing some seasoned professionals to walk out the exit.

Winger Andros Townsend has been excelling at fellow Premier League club Everton in the opening weeks of the new campaign with five goals for the Toffees already, but defender Patrick van Aanholt is another who Palace chairman Steve Parish may have some regrets over.

After joining the Eagles via a £9.45m move in January 2017, the attacking left-back went on to make 134 appearances in all competitions, scoring 14 goals and providing six assists in the process.

His impressive performances for Palace saw him soon became a pivotal part of the English sides system under former manager Roy Hodgson, earning him 19 caps for the Netherlands senior setup as a result.

But while the ex-England boss brought stability to Palace during his tenure, Hodgson has left behind an imbalanced and unstable playing squad, with the Selhurst Park outfit having the oldest squad in the top flight in 2020/21.

Consequently, Van Aanholt was one of the players sacrificed to make way for the new era in south London and was phased out of the Palace starting XI in the final few weeks of last term, allowing promising full-back Tyrick Mitchell a chance to shine.

However, the now 31-year-old still made 22 Premier League appearances for Palace, recording 1.4 interceptions per game and 1.1 defensive dribbles per game, the third-highest totals in the Palace squad for each metric, respectively.

His departure on a free transfer in the previous window has left Mitchell as the only natural left-back in Vieira’s squad, while Van Aanholt’s eye-catching performances for Galatasaray in the Europa League will surely leave Parish and co. lamenting their decision to let the defender go.

And, in other news…Signed for £0, sold for £49.5m: Parish struck gold for Palace over £90k-p/w gem

Sheffield Wednesday picked up their third League One draw in a row this afternoon with a 1-1 stalemate against Lincoln City at Hillsborough.

Wednesday took the lead after 55 minutes with a goal from Dennis Adeniran but couldn’t capitalise on it before Lewis Montsma scored the equaliser for the away side, with Darren Moore’s side dropping another two points.

One Owls player who had very little impact on the game was Lee Gregory, who started the match but was taken off just after the hour mark to be replaced by Callum Paterson.

During his time on the pitch, the 33-year-old failed to even have one shot at goal, lost possession on 15 occasions, completed only seven out of his 11 passes, won just two of his 13 duels and made no crosses or key passes. He had just 25 touches all afternoon, losing the ball once for every 1.6 touches of the ball.

That all earned him a rather disappointing overall match rating of 6.3/10, making him the lowest-rated player on the pitch according to SofaScore, badly letting Moore down and making him a real liability for the team on this occasion.

Furthermore, Yorkshire Live writer Dom Howson’s verdict that the centre-forward “struggled to get into the game” sums up the sort of afternoon he had.

Wednesday signed Gregory during the previous summer transfer window from Championship club Stoke City for an undisclosed fee.

Since then, the striker – who is currently valued at £450k by Transfermarkt – has made 13 appearances for the Owls in League One after their draw against Lincoln, scoring five goals and providing two assists in the process and proving himself to be a decent signing for the Owls.

However, with Gregory also failing to impress in Wednesday’s 1-1 draw against Cambridge United in midweek prior to the Lincoln clash, perhaps it is a sign that now is the right time for Moore to take him out of the team for a period until he’s able to get his form back, particularly in front of goal. Otherwise, he could even find himself out of the club altogether if performances like this become the norm.

As quoted in a football.london Q&A, reliable Tottenham Hotspur reporter Alasdair Gold has made a transfer claim involving France international star Jules Kounde.

The Lowdown: Spurs in Sanchez swap deal?

Over this last week, sensational reports have emerged from out of the woodwork detailing a possible Spurs swap deal for Kounde with defender Davinson Sanchez going the other way.

Indeed, Gianluca Di Marzio broke the news that there was even an agreement in place between the two clubs over a €30m (£25.6m) deal plus Sanchez in exchange.

However, it then emerged that Kounde rejected a move to Spurs, with Gold now providing a fresh update for supporters.

The Latest: Gold makes Kounde claim…

As quoted by football.london, when asked about the rumours involving Kounde, Gold dropped his own update and shared what he knows from within Tottenham.

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The journalist backs that Spurs ‘really like’ the France international and also doesn’t dismiss Sevilla being interested in Sanchez – an aspect of the possible deal which could help ‘enormously’.

“Spurs really like Kounde and it helps enormously that Sevilla are understood to be interested in Davinson Sanchez,” he explained (via football.london).

“I understand the player’s first choice would be a move to Real Madrid, but if that does not materialise then Tottenham would come into the picture.

“He’s an interesting target. He’s not the tallest but he does have an incredible spring to his jumps which negates it somewhat.

“He’s also worth a lot of money which is why the Sanchez element could be crucial, if the Colombian would like to move in the opposite direction.”

The Verdict: Sweating on Madrid…

Despite the France international’s priority being Real Madrid, there is arguably some encouragement to take from this update. Gold refuses to rule out Spurs entirely in the race to sign Kounde and says that they could still come back into the picture depending on how Los Galacticos fare.

News of Sevilla’s interest in Sanchez is also a boost, especially given Tottenham’s desire to offload in a sell-to-buy market.

There is little doubt that Kounde would come as a major defensive signing for Spurs given his performance levels, with Spurs pundit Paul Robinson saying he could be the ‘world class’ centre-half who they so ‘desperately’ need (Football Insider). Gold’s update suggests that Tottenham fans can keep their hopes up.

In other news: Bid made – Paratici swoops with fresh offer to sign ‘absolute beast’ for Spurs, find out more here.