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Manchester United are reportedly set to sign Aston Villa goalkeeper Tom Heaton on a free transfer in the coming weeks, meaning mass changes could occur at Old Trafford this summer.

What’s the story?

According to well-known journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the 35-year-old shot-stopper is set to re-join his boyhood club after a disappointing spell at Villa Park.

Romano claims that Heaton is scheduled to undergo a medical with the Old Trafford outfit before signing a contract until 2023 with the option of a one-year extension.

De Gea needs to watch out

United’s goalkeeping conundrum has rumbled on for several seasons now, with David de Gea’s steady decline since the 2018 World Cup causing several major talking points.

The Spain international has made multiple high-profile mistakes between the sticks for the 20-time English champions over the last few campaigns, and the emergence of Dean Henderson has only served to add more cause for debate.

De Gea returned to his homeland for personal reasons midway through 2020/21, meaning the young keeper had a chance to impress between in the starting XI week in week out.

However, Henderson failed to take his chance, making a string of errors, including a horrendous performance against United’s bitter rivals Liverpool.

With the Red Devils looking to regain their spot at the summit of the Premier League, addressing their goalkeeping problem is expected to be high up on Ole Gunnar Solksjaer’s priority list this summer, and the potential arrival of Heaton could spell bad news for their current crop of keepers.

The Villa man is highly unlikely to come in and be United’s No.1, given he spent the entire 2020/21 campaign playing understudy to Emiliano Martinez, but his addition will leave Solksjaer with four shot-stoppers to choose from.

Sergio Romero is set to depart, while the £19.8 million rated De Gea (as per Transfermarkt) and England international Henderson will either fight it out to be first-choice, or both face the axe, leaving to door open for a new, top-quality goalkeeper to make his mark at Old Trafford.

It could bring an end to De Gea’s ten-year stay at United, where he’s won one Premier League title, one FA Cup, one League Cup and a Europa League crown, and mark a new chapter in the club’s eventful goalkeeping history.

By bringing in Heaton, United now have an adequate backup goalkeeper to Henderson if they do decide to move on from De Gea, and after his recent performances, that would not come as a shock at all.

And, in other news…Unleash him Ole: Man Utd already have their Juan Mata heir in rarely-seen 18 y/o gem 

Manchester United’s transfer plans have suffered a major blow after it was revealed that Ajax appear to have beaten them to the signing of FC Nordsjælland forward Kamaldeen Sulemana.

What’s the story?

According to De Telegraaf journalist Mike Verweij (as reported by Soccer News), the Eredivisie champions have seen off competition from the Red Devils for Sulemana’s signature.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is attempted to assemble a title-winning squad after finishing second in the Premier League last season, but he’ll have to do so without the 19-year-old sensation.

Solskjaer will be gutted

The Old Trafford outfit made decent progress in the recently concluded campaign, achieving consecutive top-four finishes for the first time since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.

However, there is still a lot of work left to be done if the 20-time English champions want to return to their former glories.

A big summer is, therefore, expected in the red half of Manchester, with the likes of Harry Kane, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane regularly being linked in recent weeks.

Another name that has reportedly attracted strong interest from the United hierarchy is Sulemana. The Ghana international had an impressive 2020/21 campaign, bagging 10 goals and providing eight assists in just 30 appearances for Flemming Pedersen’s side.

Trusting young players in the starting XI and rewarding them with regular game time is part of United’s identity, and under Solskjaer, that characteristic of the club has come back to the fore.

Several academy graduates such as Mason Greenwood, Brandon Williams and Dean Henderson have made their senior debuts under the Norwegian’s reign, but it seems as though Sulemana has opted for Amsterdam instead.

His decision is likely to leave Solskjaer gutted as the £8.1 million rated prodigy could have added some strength in depth at a very reasonable price.

With the pandemic limiting the club’s transfer kitty, picking up any potential bargains could be crucial to United’s success next season, and they’ve already missed out on the first one of the window.

Bringing in Sancho would more than compensate for this particular disappointment, although it’s possible Sulemana could develop into a superstar with similar status at the Johan Cruyff Arena.

And, in other news…Major revelation emerges over MUFC target with an “amazing future”, Ole will be gutted 

Roy Hodgson turned down the chance to potentially become the new West Bromwich Albion manager this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claim that a West Brom source has revealed to them that the 73-year-old rejected the advances of the Baggies hierarchy regarding a potential return to The Hawthorns.

Seemingly as a result of Hodgson’s decision, West Brom have reportedly now turned their attention to the former Huddersfield Town manager David Wagner, who looks set to become Sam Allardyce’s successor at the Championship club.

Blessing in disguise

While it is undeniable that Hodgson has enjoyed a highly successful career in football management, the fact the veteran gaffer turned down a move to the Baggies could be something of a blessing in disguise for the club.

Indeed, over his 45-year managerial career, the 73-year-old has managed some massive football teams, including the likes of Inter Milan, Liverpool, Switzerland and England, as well as winning the Sweedish Championship with both Halmstads BK and Malmo FF, in addition to lifting the Danish Championship with FC Copenhagen.

However, in his most recent job at Crystal Palace, Hodgson often found his style of play criticised, with there being a feeling amongst Palace fans that his football was boring at times, while others felt that he had failed to roll with the times at Selhurst Park, and this has side were merely treading water in the league rather than making any real progress.

As such, with West Brom having the opportunity this summer to build a youthful and exciting side that is not only capable of promotion back to the Premier League but also has the ability to stay there, the argument could easily be made that a manager with these particular criticisms may not be the best candidate for the job.

So, while Hodgson could well have been a decent short term appointment for the Baggies, the fact he turned down the job could well be something of a blessing in disguise for the long term future of West Brom.

In other news: West Brom given huge transfer boost over “magnificent” 28 y/o gem that’ll delight fans

Derby County are interested in a deal to bring Matt Crooks to Pride Park this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the East Anglian Daily Times, who claim that Wayne Rooney’s side are set to rival Ipswich Town in a bid to sign the Rotherham United midfielder in the summer transfer window.

It is reported that the recently relegated Millers would demand a six-figure fee in order to part with the 27-year-old, who has one year remaining on his contract at the AESSEAL New York Stadium.

Rooney must move

Considering just how badly Derby struggled in the Championship last season, with Rooney’s side barely avoiding the drop and scoring a league-low of 36 goals, it is clear that the 35-year-old must bring in additions to his squad this summer if the Rams are to have any hope of mounting a push towards the top half of the table next season.

And, despite playing for a Rotherham side who ultimately did suffer relegation at the expense of Derby, Crooks would certainly appear to be an excellent option for Rooney to have at his disposal next term.

Indeed, over his 40 Championship appearances for Paul Warne’s side last season, the £630k-rated midfielder scored six goals, provided three assists and created two big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.3 tackles, 0.8 key passes and taking 1.4 shots per game.

These returns saw the 6 foot 4 27-year-old earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.67, however, considering his contributions and individual importance to his side, this rating feels slightly slow.

Indeed, when comparing Crooks’ returns to that of Derby’s highest-scoring central midfielder Graeme Shinnie – who bagged three goals, registered one assist and created three big chances over his 41 league appearances for the Rams last term, seeing him average a SofaScore match rating of 6.98 – the Rotherham man appears to easily best the 29-year-old Scot.

As such, it would seem highly advisable for Rooney to do all he can to beat Ipswich Town to the signature of the player whom Warne dubbed a “driving force” for his side this summer. the £1.9k-per-week man could bring some much-needed goals from the middle of the park to the Rams side next season.

In other news: Derby dealt potential transfer blow over £30k-p/w “force” that’ll leave Rooney gutted

Serie A expert Conor Clancy believes Rodrigo De Paul would be able to slot into Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United side if he did make the move to Elland Road this summer.

The Udinese playmaker has been heavily linked with the club for around 12 months.

Last summer, Leeds saw a bid rejected for the Argentina international, who has enjoyed an exceptional season with the Italian club.

In total, he made 36 Serie A appearances, scoring nine goals and registering 11 assists.

He is a remarkably versatile presence, capable of playing in attacking midfield, on the both flanks, and in central midfield.

It remains to be seen if Leeds will be able to convince him to make the move to Elland Road, as Liverpool are also said to be interested, but Clancy, who is the editor-in-chief at Forza Italian Football, believes De Paul has the tools required to make a real impact at Leeds.

Indeed, he believes he would be able to adapt to Bielsa’s high-pressing demands, provided he was willing.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “With the work rate, he’s capable of it, I’m not sure if he wants to do it all that much.

“Particularly coming from Udinese, where he’s the man, he’s the star, the rest of the people do a little bit of his work for him. It might just be a case of, if he goes, he’s limited to an hour a game or something and then get someone else on but if he’s willing, he could do it.”

Tottenham Hotspur’s manager hunt is now a ‘two horse race’ between former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo and Brighton’s Graham Potter.

That’s according to sports reporter and commentator Ian Abrahams on Twitter.

The lowdown

Spurs are still working to appoint a new manager more than two months on from the sacking of Jose Mourinho and many sports betting sites have the market as wide open.

Nuno left Wolves at the end of the season after they fell to 13th following consecutive seventh-place finishes. Football London journalist Alasdair Gold reported at the weekend that Spurs’ new managing director of football Fabio Paratici ‘likes’ the 47-year-old.

Potter has led Brighton to 15th and 16th in his two seasons at the Amex Stadium, successfully staving off the threat of relegation. Spurs were interested in the Englishman at the outset but chose to pursue other targets.

The latest

Abrahams tweeted: “Regarding @SpursOfficial next manager, my information today is it’s a two horse race now between Nuno Espirito Santo and Graham Potter”.

It’s unclear which candidate has the edge at this moment in time, but the north London outfit will need to act fairly swiftly with the transfer window already underway.

The verdict

Nuno deserves great credit for his achievements at Wolves, but his success was built upon a counterattacking style which some Spurs fans may struggle to embrace off the back of Mourinho’s tenure.

Potter, by contrast, has developed a Brighton team which is easy on the eye and a clinical goalscorer short of a huge leap up the table. Going off expected goals for and against, the Seagulls should have been competing for Europe last season.

It would no doubt be a huge gamble to appoint the former Swansea boss, but it could also be a very rewarding one. After all, he has been hailed by the hugely decorated Pep Guardiola as ‘the best English manager’.

Considering that Levy is on record as wanting a manager who will execute an attack-minded approach, Potter may seem the more desirable of the two supposedly remaining candidates.

In other news, the reason why Spurs ‘changed course’ in talks with Fonseca has been revealed.

Plenty of Crystal Palace fans have been showing the love towards a tweet from The Athletic’s senior writer Dominic Fifield after he dropped news on the club’s pursuit of Lucien Favre.

According to Fifield, Favre has agreed to take over at Selhurst Park and become Roy Hodgson’s long-term successor.

Fifield adds that the former Borussia Dortmund boss will move to London, pending the award of a work permit. The process, Fifield described as complicated, is now underway.

Favre is 63 years of age and has been out of work since his sacking with the Bundesliga giants in December. He’s never managed in England, but it seems as if that could be about to change, should the relevant documents be approved.

Palace fans react

Fifield posted the news on Twitter with a link to his story on Wednesday evening.

As to be expected, plenty of Palace fans were quick to have their say, with one describing the news as ‘brilliant’.

“Palace now bigger than Spurs confirmed”

Credit: @EastonAdam

“Oh my god”

Credit: @rileyeagles

“Huge”

Credit: @JPSullivan90

“Brilliant stuff, on a scale of 1-10 how good is this appointment. I’d say 11”

Credit: @barquoir

“DOMMMMMMMMM”

Credit: @BenM_CPFC

“Scenes”

Credit: @cam_cpfc

In other news: ‘Does this count?’ – Many CPFC fans think £67k-p/w ace may stay after club tweet, find out more here.

Graham Roberts insists Rangers will want to win either the double or the treble in 2021/22 after lifting the Scottish Premiership trophy last season.

Steven Gerrard’s side were in unbelievable form throughout the campaign and won the title at a canter, ending the season a staggering 25 points clear of second-placed Celtic.

However, Rangers somewhat struggled in the cup competitions.

Indeed, they were knocked out of the Scottish League Cup by St Mirren, while they also lost in the Scottish Cup quarter-finals by St Johnstone on penalties.

In the Europa League, Rangers were beaten 3-1 on aggregate by Slavia Prague in the Round of 16.

They were irrepressible in the league, however, but Roberts believes that Gerrard will be targeting cup glory along with winning the league next season, to prove last season was no flash in the pan.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, he made the claim that the club will do everything they can to strengthen Gerrard’s squad, and he said: “A big target. You win one, you want to go and win the second one now, and I would think the next thing will be to do the double or the treble so you’ve got to get a big enough squad, and I’m sure they will.”

Aston Villa journalist for the Express and Star, Luke Hatfield, has claimed that John McGinn will not be leaving Villa Park this summer despite reported interest from Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool, who see him as a potential Georginio Wijnaldum replacement.

McGinn was a standout performer for Villa last campaign and his energy was obvious for everyone to see as he attempted and completed the most amount of pressures on the ball at the club, operating in several different positions.

His consistency and ability to perform in several positions has led to Liverpool admiring the Scotland international and being tempted to move for him, although a reported £45 million price tag may well put them off.

With Villa looking to build on their solid squad from last season with the addition of Emiliano Buendia and reports suggesting that Jack Grealish is to be offered a new deal, it would be unlikely to see McGinn leave, according to Hatfield who spoke to Transfer Tavern:

“I highly doubt it. McGinn is obviously a player who’s blossomed at Villa, similarly with Grealish but in completely different circumstances in the fact that McGinn was obviously doing a job at Hibs in Scotland before he made the move, and it turned out to be a great value move.

“I don’t think many people kind of expected him to bring what he does to the Villa side and he is so integral to them.”

Villa have their sights set on finishing higher than 11th in the Premier League and better last campaign’s performances, especially if they can manage to hold onto Grealish beyond this summer.

McGinn was deployed a lot deeper lasts season which may have frustrated him but it could well have increased his value as he demonstrated that he is capable of playing in several different positions very effectively.

Former Crystal Palace striker Marcus Bent has told The Transfer Tavern in an exclusive interview that he is surprised new Fulham boss Marco Silva was not considered for the job in the Selhurst Park dugout.

Prior to the appointment of Patrick Vieira, Palace looked at a host of managers in their quest to replace Roy Hodgson.

That includes Lucien Favre and Nuno Espirito Santo, who both at some point looked like they would be in charge of the Eagles for the upcoming campaign.

Silva, however, now managing Fulham after Scott Parker’s move to Bournemouth, was not a name under consideration and that has surprised Bent.

“I’m surprised a lot of clubs haven’t considered him for a while, to be honest,” the ex-Palace player said. “Maybe they’re looking at Vieira as a name, but I think he [Silva] would’ve been a good appointment.”

The Vieira appointment is an interesting one, with the Frenchman lacking Premier League experience, in contrast to 43-year-old Silva, who has had spells at Watford and Everton.

With his stature in the game, though, perhaps Vieira will be able to attract players at a time where Palace are undergoing a revamp. Their squad is, of course, down to the bare-bones right now due to expired contracts.