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Major news has emerged about an “outstanding” £360k-rated ace who has been linked with a move to Sunderland.

What’s the talk?

Scottish Premiership side St Mirren have officially confirmed the signing of left-back Scott Tanser on a free transfer from St Johnstone. The 26-year-old has put pen to paper on a one-year contract with St Mirren, with the club holding an option to extend it by a further 12 months.

According to the Sunderland Echo, Lee Johnson is eager to bring in a left-back this summer and Tanser was one of the names on the club’s list of targets.

In the official announcement of Tanser’s arrival at St Mirren, his new boss Jim Goodwin claimed that he was “outstanding” for St Johnstone at left wing-back. He told St Mirren’s official website:

“Scott Tanser is one who knows the league and has been outstanding at left wing-back for St. Johnstone this season. He’s a very good athlete, great delivery, he was instrumental in some of the really good performances that St. Johnstone had.

“I’ve been speaking to Scott since January time, really with him and his agent trying to get something done and I’m delighted that today he has agreed to come in.”

Sunderland fans will be livid

Sunderland fans will be livid at this news as the club are currently set to head into next month without a senior left-back on the books.

Callum McFadzean has been released and Denver Hume is currently in contract talks with the club over a potential extension of his deal. As it stands, Hume will become a free agent at the end of the month and Johnson will go from having two left-back options to having none.

Football League World have reported that Middlesbrough are interested in signing Hume on a free. This could make it difficult for Sunderland to keep Hume at the club as Middlesbrough could offer him a higher standard of football in the Championship. Although, it remains to be seen how interested Middlesbrough are and what wages they would be able to provide in comparison to Sunderland.

This means that missing out on Tanser is particularly painful as Sunderland are in desperate need of a left-back to come through the door. Tanser impressed in the Scottish Premiership for St Johnstone and could have been a superb addition to Johnson’s squad, with an average WhoScored rating of 7.08 in 17 starts as a left wing-back.

The £360k-rated ace averaged 2.8 tackles and interceptions per game, whilst also winning an impressive 3.6 aerial battles per game in the Scottish Premiership.

Hopefully, Johnson and Sunderland have other targets in the pipeline who they can now pursue with a deal for Tanser out of the question.

With Hume’s future still up in the air and McFadzean on his way out, it would be ideal for Sunderland to get a left-back in sooner rather than later instead of waiting too late and going into the season without proper cover in that position.

The Sunderland fans should be fuming that their club has got to a position where they’re not only going to be going into the summer without a left-back, but also that they’re being beaten to players by St Mirren.

AND in other news, Major update emerges on “athletic” £2m beast, Sunderland fans will be on cloud nine…

Wolverhampton Wanderers have had a torrid old season but fortunately, it looks as though the hierarchy have learnt from the error of their ways.Instead of signing depth last summer, Jeff Shi went out and focused his efforts on two landmark additions; Fabio Silva and Nelson Semedo.While the pair of them have managed to stay fit, the rest of the team has been pillaged with injuries that haven’t benefited their adaption time at Molineux.On the chalkboardNuno Santo has already admitted that Wolves neekd to plan better for next term and that means sorting out their recruitment swiftly.One player who could leave is Max Kilman. The centre-back was handed his first start since early February during the win over Brighton just over a week ago but he looks to have lost trust with the manager.Reports earlier this year stated that he’d be transfer listed this summer with Nuno having no room for the 23-year-old in his plans.You can understand why. The Old Gold currently have a number of promising defenders coming through the ranks with Dion Sanderson and Christian Marques waiting patiently in the wings.Van Dijk 2.0 inbound?Wolves have had a shoddy defence this season and thus, losing Kilman would not be a blow. He was part of a backline that kept just two clean sheets during a period of 14 league matches from October to January.That said, they will need to replace him in the squad.One way of doing so would be to lure Juventus centre-back Radu Dragusin to the Midlands.[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-wolves-transfer-rumours-and-news-soumare-dias-dembele-marques-nuno-santo” title=”Read the latest Wolves transfer rumours and news!”]Wolves were linked with a move for the 19-year-old back in March with the Romanian’s contract set to expire this summer. He has since signed a new deal with Juve but he could still be available on a loan deal.Crystal Palace are chasing his signature on a temporary basis but Nuno should pursue him as well.This is a player who stands tall at 6 foot 3, combining the finesse of a modern-day centre-back with the brute force of days gone by.Compared to Virgil van Dijk for his positioning and confidence in possession, he’d fit right into Wolves with his aesthetically pleasing ball-playing abilities.Having trained alongside the likes of Matthijs de Ligt, Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, Dragusin will have picked up some important tricks of the trade. After all, those names are three of the best centre-backs around.Speaking about the teenager this season, Andrea Pirlo commented: “He’s physically very strong. He’s very young and must develop on a technical level, but he will have time to do it, training every day with great champions.”With strong technical qualities and immense power, he is not only similar to the classy Van Dijk, but in terms of those already at Molineux, Dragusin is very comparable to Willy Boly.The Frenchman has been the perfect fit for Wolves, meaning the Romanian could also take to English football like a duck to water.AND in other news, Fewer touches than Patricio: Wolves gem who made just 14 passes majorly let Nuno down…

According to sporx.com, Galatasaray are interested in signing Glasgow Rangers’ Joe Aribo this summer.

The Lowdown: Gers stars to attract interest

Given the Gers won the Premiership without losing a single match this campaign (BBC), there are likely to be a number of their players attracting interest from across Europe.

The likes of Glen Kamara are said to be on a number of radars (The Daily Mail), while Alfredo Morelos has already said his dream is to play in the Premier League (Radio Caracol).

The Latest: Galatasaray want Aribo

Now, it has emerged that Turkish outfit Galatasaray are eyeing Aribo.

He is valued at €3.5m (£3.15m) by Transfermarkt, but this report says the Ibrox outfit are likely to want considerably more than that fee.

The Verdict: Plenty more to give

The recently-ended season was a mixed one for Aribo. He played 42 matches in all competitions, scoring eight goals and providing seven assists, and even displayed his versatility by playing at left-back towards the end of the term (Transfermarkt). However, he has struggled with injuries at times, and has also come in for criticism from supporters.

According to The Athletic, Aribo’s real value is £11m – that would be a considerable sum for the 55-time Scottish champions. Of course, he still has plenty to give the Gers, but if they can get a good price for him, they may decide to move him on and look for an upgrade. Galatasaray, who have won the Turkish league 22-times, may feel he is the right man for them.

In other news, Rangers fans react to footage of this club “legend”.

This summer could be one where Celtic look to take advantage of the Scottish market.

It was something the Bhoys utilised well last summer when they welcomed David Turnbull to Parkhead.

He’s has enjoyed a brilliant campaign and has been recognised as one of the best young players in the division throughout 2020/21.

On the chalkboard

Turnbull’s appearance among the nominees for the Young Player of the Season award is well deserved.

If anyone has been a shining light from a torrid season at Paradise it’s him. The 21-year-old has netted nine times and also has seven assists to his name.

However, it was baffling that there was no place for Ali McCann on the shortlist. The Northern Ireland midfielder has had a breakthrough season and has been watched by Celtic scouts numerous times throughout the course of the campaign.

Currently playing for St Johnstone, it wouldn’t be a great surprise if we saw him at one of the biggest teams in the next few seasons.

After all, he has proven to be a reliable and consistent performer under Callum Davidson.

Bye-bye McGregor

If Celtic decide to act on their interest in McCann then he’d act as a perfect replacement for Callum McGregor.

The Scotland international has widely been tipped to take over the captaincy when Scott Brown departs but it’s hard to argue whether his performances actually merit that.

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Like many at Paradise this season, McGregor hasn’t enjoyed the best of times and if anything summed that up it would be his red card against Rangers last weekend.

He showed a complete lack of discipline as he slid in on Glen Kamara despite already being on a yellow card and was consequently shown his marching orders.

McGregor proved in this instance that he cannot be relied upon to set the tone in the middle of Celtic’s side.

McCann, however, has shown he can dictate and organise things well for St Johnstone.

Described as “excellent” by Davidson, he has all the tools to be a huge success at Celtic. He is versatile and has played at wing-back this term, building on the qualities he’s shown as a midfield player.

The 21-year-old is a solid ball carrier but his defensive attributes are first-class. McCann has won a mighty 2.7 tackles per game in the Premiership this season, a number that usurps every single player at Celtic.

For context, McGregor has recorded just 0.9 tackles per match while Scott Brown has registered 1.3.

He would be a clear upgrade and would offer a protective layer in front of the defence, especially with his exceptional reading of the play; he has made 1.5 interceptions per match.

The midfielder is capable in offensive situations too, scoring the winning penalty to knock Rangers out of the Scottish Cup.

McCann has been impressive for a while now and speaking last term, his former teammate Jason Holt only have fine praise: “He got his place in the team at the start of the season, and to keep it, it is testament to himself and the performances he has been putting in. He has been undroppable.

“He’s definitely got the potential to go on to bigger things. He has a great head on his shoulders and he is very down to earth.”

Celtic could undoubtedly benefit from someone with his qualities; his potential is enormous.

AND in other news, Hoops set for seven-figure windfall after big Celtic news, McKay surely buzzing…

Southampton travel to Anfield on Saturday night looking to complete a historic double against Liverpool, and Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl should unleash Mohammed Salisu in order to give his team the best chance of victory against Jurgen Klopp’s side.

The Ghanaian produced arguably his best display in a Southampton shirt in their 1-1 draw with Leicester City last time out, as he came on as an early substitute for Nathan Tella following Jannik Vestergaard’s red card and was vital in Hasenhuttl’s side earning a point, making a whopping 11 clearances.

Although the Denmark international has subsequently had his red card overturned, meaning he will be available for the game at Anfield tonight, Salisu’s performance still warrants him a start against the Reds, even if he is deployed at left-back.

Following the game against Leicester, Hampshire Live journalist Tom Leach was full of praise for the 2020 signing, saying: “He was heroic tonight. He steps up explosively, getting out and to the ball with unrivaled enthusiasm. He is a monster in one-on-one situations and is, in all honesty, one of the fastest defenders ever to wear Southampton colours.”

Ryan Bertrand’s absence through injury means that the 22-year-old is a likely candidate to start at left-back and he could prove to be a key factor in the result, as he will most likely be up against Liverpool’s danger man Mohamed Salah.

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The Egyptian has been one consistent performer in a disappointing campaign for the Merseyside club, which sees them battling for a top four spot after winning the title so comfortably last season.

Salah has 20 Premier League goals this season and will be a huge threat down the right-hand side with his pace and dribbling, so it would make more sense to go with Salisu there than Jack Stephens, who started in that unfamiliar position against Leicester.

The Englishman is not blessed with pace and is naturally right-footed, so he would likely struggle up against against Salah if Hasenhuttl keeps his faith in him at left-back at Anfield.

Therefore, after his superb performance last time out, Hasenhuttl should definitely start Salisu on Saturday night. If he can keep Salah quiet, then the Saints have a decent chance of earning three points which would secure their Premier League status for next season.

In other news… Southampton suffer huge transfer setback to “exciting” £9m-rated gem, Hasenhuttl must be fuming

Steve Bruce played a blinder against Tottenham Hotspur by unleashing Newcastle United midfielder Jacob Murphy at right-wing-back.

Murphy had not opened a Premier League fixture in the Toon’s last nine games and only featured as a substitute on four occasions in that run.

When he had been called on, Murphy also took up attacking positions with the 26-year-old tasked with offering width against Wolverhampton Wanderers after Allan Saint-Maximin was forced off with a groin injury.

Murphy also came off the bench with less than 10 minutes on the clock against Aston Villa last month, which was enough to see the £25,000-per-week gem twist and turn his way into Emiliano Martinez’s box before crashing his shot against the crossbar.

The missed chance failed to dent Murphy’s confidence and he soon set Jamaal Lascelles’ up to equalise, yet was left on the bench against Brighton & Hove Albion before the international break and instructed to add defensive resilience against Spurs on Sunday.

But Bruce’s decision to recall Murphy to the Magpies’ starting line-up for the first time since losing 2-1 at home to Leeds United in January proved genius, as the £3m-rated maestro – who is set to be out of contract in the summer – absolutely thrived.

Murphy displayed undiluted grit to fight for the shirt up against Harry Kane, Lucas Moura and Sergio Reguilon, which was all too often lacking from the Toon in their dismal 3-0 humbling at relegation-rivals Brighton last month.

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“Jacob Murphy [was] outstanding for Newcastle at right-wing-back,” The Times’ Chief Football Writer Henry Winter noted on Twitter after the game. “[He] ran himself into the ground, defending/attacking. His resilience echoed all over.”

The former England U21 international was eventually replaced in the 83rd minute by Javier Manquillo having developed cramp, which was not too unexpected given the performance he delivered and his lack of minutes in recent months.

Murphy has experience of playing at right-wing-back this season having been called on to play in defence on five occasions in the Premier League, but had not featured in the role since Newcastle were beaten 5-2 at Leeds in December.

He was unable to stop the Whites from thriving on their left-hand channel that day and appeared to duck out of the away when Jack Harrison delivered the cross for his side’s third goal.

Yet it was a very different Murphy on show this Sunday against Spurs, as he won a whopping 10 ground duels, made five successful tackles and created two goalscoring opportunities, per SofaScore.

Murphy has only averaged 3.6 ground duels won per Premier League game this season, along with 1.1 tackles and 0.7 key passes, but excelled to end the day with two more successful tackles to his name than any other player.

Jonjo Shelvey and Emil Krafth also registered two key passes, but no United player won as many ground duels as Murphy, either, with Miguel Almiron the second-most successful player in black and white after winning seven.

Moura won seven of his ground duels for Tottenham, while Kane could only win one and Reguilon won three as they often found the Toon’s right-wing a challenge to break through.

Bruce will surely have been delighted with Murphy’s performance, and feel that his decision to recall the winger in defence was vindicated.

AND in other news, a 9-cap dud who was expected to be a “massive asset” faces an uncertain future at Newcastle…

Former Premier League striker Kevin Phillips believes there are two areas of the pitch in which Leeds United must improve next season.

The summer transfer window could be a busy one at Elland Road as Marcelo Bielsa aims to fine-tune his squad. Leeds are currently in mid-table in the Premier League, and while that may suggest not too many reinforcements are needed, the hope is that next season sees a push for European football.

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Phillips discusses Leeds’ summer business

Speaking to Football Insider, Phillips claimed a left-back and a striker need to come in at the end of the season, pinpointing them as the key areas to improve upon:

“They need a left back and another striker before anything else.

“They’re your two main priorities when you look at the Leeds squad, a recognised left back and another striker because they’ve relied heavily on Bamford this season.

“It’s always difficult in your second season so they’re the priorities. They could also look to get a utility player in the midfield area that can do two or three different jobs.

“Those players should be the priority.”

Transfer Tavern take

It is hard to disagree with Phillips’ thoughts on Leeds’ summer business, with the rest of the squad well covered in terms of quality and depth.

The seemingly imminent exit of Ezgjan Alioski will leave a void at left-back and Bielsa can’t be depending on youngster Leif Davis at this point given his lack of experience, with just 31 minutes of league action coming his way this season.

Equally, Leeds have relied on the goals of Patrick Bamford too much this term – his league tally of 14 is twice as much as anyone else – so they need another option to add more firepower in the final third.

In other news, one pundit has been explaining a key moment that happened after Liam Cooper’s red card against Manchester City. Read more here.

Robin Olsen reportedly wishes to no longer stay at Everton following the news of an armed robbery while at home with his family earlier this month.

As per Calciomercato, the Sweden international could return to AS Roma and stay at the Serie A club following the end of his loan spell at the Goodison Park faithful, not wanting to stay on Merseyside after what happened at his home.

Everton should keep Olsen

The Merseyside club should be looking to convince Olsen to stay on a permanent deal once his loan at the Toffees comes to an end.

The 31-year-old is vastly experienced and is more than capable of providing some decent competition to Jordan Pickford in between the posts in the future.

Some of his displays so far this season have been very impressive to say the least, with former Premier League striker, now pundit, Kevin Phillips even going as far as to claiming that he was ‘amazing’ in a game against Leeds United back in February.

Even though Joao Virginia has emerged from the shadows in recent times following injuries to both Pickford and Olsen, the latter should still be considered Carlo Ancelotti’s number two goalkeeper, and given Roma’s willingness to let him go out on loan, coupled up wit the fact that he is 31 years of age, Olsen may well be available at a decent price for the Toffees.

In other news, find out what injury update has been lauded by Blues here!

Steve Bruce can land Newcastle United’s new Salomon Rondon in VfB Stuttgart striker Sasa Kalajdzic, who Fabrizio Romano claims is a target for the St James’ Park natives.

What’s the word?

While speaking with Give Me Sport, transfer guru Romano confirmed that Newcastle are one of several Premier League clubs currently tracking Kalajdzic’s situation at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.

The Magpies were recently linked with a potential move for the 23-year-old by Tutto Juve, who cited Tyneside as well as Everton, RB Leipzig and Juventus as potential destinations for the striker dubbed the next Erling Haaland.

Stuttgart are reported to value Kalajdzic at between €20m and €25m (£17m-£21.5m) after the 6 ft 6 target man struck 13 goals in 25 Bundesliga games during his first year of German top-flight football to sit sixth in the scoring charts going into the international break.

Romano does not believe that Newcastle are currently leading the race for Kalajdzic’s signature, but expects opportunities to arise for the four-cap Austria international to test himself in the Premier League next season.

“I think yes, he has chances to join Premier League,” Romano said. “To be honest with you, I don’t know about the club because all the clubs you mention are scouting this player, he’s an amazing player.

“So, they are looking at him, like information about him, also what they say about the player and the potential. At the moment, there is still nothing advanced, but I think yes, he has chances to join the Premier League. A lot of clubs are looking at him.

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“So, he’s the typical opportunity and this kind of summer where we have after the pandemic, we are obviously in a difficult situation about economic and financial point of view. Having this kind of opportunity is interesting also for English clubs.

“So, I would say yes, I see him as a good opportunity in Premier League, but let’s see if they will pay what the club are asking. So, it’s still so long, but I think it’s an opportunity.”

Should Newcastle sign Stuttgart’s Kalajdzic?

Much can change between now and the end of the season but a move for Newcastle to sign Kalajdzic would appear somewhat unlikely, with Stuttgart valuing the forward in the region of £20m and United’s budget expected to be small – if there is any money with which to work.

However, Bruce should urge Toon owner Mike Ashley to fund a pursuit of Kalajdzic as the Stuttgart star can prove to be Newcastle’s new Rondon, who was named as United’s Player of the Year for the 2018/19 term during his season on loan from West Bromwich Albion.

Rondon won the hearts of Toon supporters during his year on Tyneside, and some fans have frequently shared hope on social media of the Venezuelan returning when opportunities have arisen.

The 31-year-old left a lasting impression having been highly influential under Rafa Benitez, with 11 goals and seven assists in 32 Premier League games including pivotal efforts against Bournemouth, Everton, Huddersfield, Watford and Manchester City. No player was involved in more goals for the Magpies than Rondon that season.

Kalajdzic has the potential to offer the same impact next term and in the years ahead, with Stuttgart not planning on offering the 23-year-old a new contract despite being their top scorer and helping fire the Baden-Wurttemberg club to ninth in the Bundesliga table.

The towering Austrian is tipped to explode in the near future and take his game to an even higher level too, despite Kalajdzic entering the international break on the back of scoring eight goals in as many top-flight games. That’s a run of form which Bruce would surely love for Newcastle.

Click here to see the full interview with Fabrizio Romano.

AND in other news, a “more than fantastic” 46-year-old is keen to replace Steve Bruce at Newcastle…

Manchester City will be looking to bounce back from defeat in the derby by picking up three points against Southampton at the Etihad on Wednesday evening.

Pep Guardiola’s side saw their 21-game winning run come to an end against Manchester United but they are still comfortable at the top of the Premier League and can extend their lead with another three points against an out-of-sorts Southampton side.

The South Coast club had picked up just one point from their previous nine Premier League games before getting an important three points against Sheffield United at the weekend, but they will be without star striker Danny Ings for the trip to the Etihad, after he picked up an injury at Bramall Lane.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Guardiola to line his side up against Southampton on Wednesday, with six changes from the side that started against United…

Ederson keeps his place in goal, although he perhaps should have done better with Bruno Fernandes’ penalty on Sunday.

There are two changes in defence, as Kyle Walker comes in for Joao Cancelo at right-back, after the Portuguese international struggled at the weekend, whilst Aymeric Laporte replaces John Stones at centre-back, with the Englishman rested.

Rodri drops out of the midfield, with the experienced Fernandinho coming in as his replacement, alongside Ilkay Gundogan.

Kevin De Bruyne is also rested, with Bernardo Silva restored to the side in an interchangeable trio that also includes Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez, with Raheem Sterling also dropping to the bench after a poor display vs United.

Finally, after the number of missed chances at the weekend, Guardiola should select Sergio Aguero up top, in the hope that he can help City rediscover their goalscoring touch against the Saints.

And, in other news… Txiki disasterclass: City may regret transfer decision with 6 ft 5 beast starring in the PL