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Celtic are without a first-team manager right now and they could soon be missing a number of their best players too.

A muss culling is set to grace Parkhead this summer with plenty of those who have donned the famous green and white hoops being linked with a move away.

What’s the word?

Odsonne Edouard is currently being touted with a move to England but he’s not the only one who’s caught the attention of south of the border.

Another name who looks set to leave is Kristoffer Ajer.

The defender has admirers from Norwich and Newcastle but it looks as though the latter are in a better position to sign him.

They have scouted Ajer and now according to The Daily Mail, the Magpies are progressing with a deal to sign him.

It’s thought the Norwegian will cost somewhere in the region of £8m.

Huge blow for Celtic

Edouard is the man who scores the goals at Paradise but Ajer is the rock that holds everything together.

Without him this season, the Bhoys’ backline would have collapsed entirely.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-celtic-manager-and-transfer-news-howe-favre-mcgregor-mccann-tierney” title=”Read the latest Celtic manager and transfer news!”]

Celtic were woeful in defence, conceding 16 more goals than Rangers in the Premiership and shipping 19 strikes in just six Europa League outings.

On paper, Ajer shouldn’t really take any praise for that but his displays have led by example and provided a beacon of hope for the supporters watching on.

He is a rare breed, combining raw strength with poise and grace. The defender can bring the ball forward in extraordinary fashion, bursting past the opposition like a winger in full flow.

Standing at 6 foot 6, he is a man mountain at the back and has provided performances that others in the team should be looking up to.

Speaking earlier this term, John Harton said: “He’s a credit to the rest of the players. They should all look at him and if they’d all adopted the same attitude as Ajer then might have made a better fist of it in terms of holding on to the title.”

With that in mind, it’s easy to see why he’s such a key part of the team. If they lose the centre-back, their chances of reclaiming the biggest prize in Scottish football will become more difficult.

Celtic have been able to replace strikers in the past but Ajer’s influence extends way beyond his performances on the pitch. Off the field, he is a natural-born leader, someone who will grab the bull by its horns and shake things up. Thus, fans would be gutted to see him head for the departure lounge this summer.

They must do their utmost to keep him in Glasgow.

AND in other news, Imagine him under Howe: Celtic must sign 6ft3 “freak”, he’s the spitting image of Ajer…

Tottenham fans will be hoping that the potential return of Mauricio Pochettino could convince Harry Kane to stay at the club.

But former Premier League manager Lawrie Sanchez told Football FanCast that the England captain has already made his mind up and will be moving on this summer.

After making a handful of appearances under Tim Sherwood in the previous season, Kane was given his first proper chance in first-team football at Spurs by the Argentine, who played a major part in the striker becoming one of the most feared strikers in the world.

But the 27-year-old has made his feelings clear about wanting to leave his boyhood club, with Kane constantly reiterating his desire to be playing in the Champions League, something Spurs are unable to offer after finishing outside the top four for the second season in succession.

When Pochettino departed in November 2019, Kane said on Instagram: “I’ll be forever thankful to you for helping me achieve my dreams” – but Sanchez doesn’t think that the Argentine’s possible return will influence Kane’s future.

He exclusively told Football FanCast:

“I think Kane has made his mind up. There has been a long leaf about if he doesn’t win anything – even if he had won the Champions League it would have been difficult to keep him.

“Kane is England captain, he’s going to meet up with all his teammates over the summer, and all these lesser players are at bigger clubs winning these trophies and he’ll be thinking ‘I’m at Tottenham’, who haven’t won anything since the League Cup.”

Many West Ham United fans have been reacting to the news that David Moyes believes a combined fee of £45m for Jesse Lingard and Tammy Abraham would be fair.

The Hammers have enjoyed a fantastic campaign, finishing in sixth place in the Premier League – that means they will be embarking on a Europa League run next term. As such, Moyes and the rest of the club will need to plan ahead and start thinking about new signings they can add to the squad.

The Irons have been heavily linked with moves for both Lingard (Daily Mail) and Abraham (The Athletic) this summer. According to West Ham website Claret & Hugh, Moyes believes that both players could be signed permanently for a combined fee of £45m.

Lingard has just one year left on his deal at Manchester United (Transfermarkt), while Abraham’s exclusion from the Champions League final squad for Chelsea indicates that he is not a part of Thomas Tuchel’s plans.

The former excelled on loan at West Ham this year, scoring nine goals in 16 games, while the latter was Chelsea’s joint-top scorer for the season with 12 goals despite often being overlooked by Tuchel.

The news was shared on Twitter by @WestHam_Central and it duly attracted plenty of attention. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on the development – one said that David Sullivan should get an ‘owner of the year award’ if the Irons pull off this double coup for £45m.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about Moyes’ stance

“That’s fair because Jesse is 28 on the last year of his contract and Abraham didn’t even get into the 23 man squad last night for Chelsea”

Credit: @ConorWHUFC

“That’s a good deal for them both”

Credit: @1bbyWHU

“Yes now get it done”

Credit: @JameswhufcJones

“Both would be big signings for West Ham hope they get it done”

Credit: @TylerDub93

“If we get Lingard and Abraham both for £45 million, David Sullivan should get Owner of the year award.”

Credit: @CLARETnBLUESguy

“I don’t think so, £35m alone will be for Lingard”

Credit: @theveryintrepid

In other news, many West Ham fans were livid over this snub.

Manchester City fans are livid after Fernandinho was placed on the list of players released by the club following the end of the Premier League campaign.

Since signing for the club in 2013, 53-time Brazil international Fernandinho has become a club legend. He has made 350 appearances for the Citizens (Transfermarkt), helping the club win the Premier League on four separate occasions. He even succeeded Vincent Kompany as club captain when the Belgian left the Etihad Stadium.

As of right now, the 36-year-old’s contract at the club will run out – but it could still get extended.

However, for now, he has been placed on the list of released players which is published at the end of each campaign (premierleague.com). Having made 37 appearances in all competitions this past campaign, it does seem a bizarre decision from the club if they allow him to go.

The news was shared on Twitter by @City_Chief, and it attracted plenty of attention from the club’s supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

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

“Absolutely gutted”

Credit: @grifc15

“What!!!”

Credit: @EKatuta

“HZVSFSVSCDHSHXSVVSVSVZNZN NAH FAM THIS AINT TRUE”

Credit: @FabulousFoden47

“IM FUMING”

Credit: @ManCitehzen

“Im not listening, This have to be a joke”

Credit: @SofiCitizens

“HOPE THIS ISN’T TRUE WHAAAT”

Credit: @RealTalkMCFC

In other news, Man City fans want to sign this Serie A midfielder this summer.

Aston Villa have agreed a deal for the acquisition of Norwich City talisman Emiliano Buendia, as reported by the Daily Mail.

The Argentine enjoyed a wonderful season in the 2020/21 Championship which saw the Canaries win the title as he contributed a hefty 32 goal contributions, with 15 goals and 17 assists [Transfermarkt].

Arsenal were initial front-runners for his signature, making offers of £30m firstly followed by £35m, both of which were subsequently rejected [Sky Sports].

Having now agreed to move to the Midlands over London, the Villans have agreed to fork out a whopping £40m in order to get their man [Daily Mail]. As you’d expect, this news has been greeted with jubilation by the Villa Park faithful.

Celebrating their successful pursuit of Buendia, loads of Villa diehards took to Twitter to revel in these latest developments.

Villa fans react:

Here is what some of the Aston Villa fans had to say following an official club announcement on Twitter:

“Happy Monday! #AVFC #UTV”

Credit: @garyjbelcher

“A huge addition to our squad, already excited to see you play! #WelcomeEmi”
Credit: @AndrewAshburn

“The Grealish /Buendia/ watkins link up is going to be a thing of sheer beauty next season. Well done Villa for getting this one done so quickly “
Credit: @Villa_Ad83

“It’s official! Can’t wait to see him smash one in the top bins in front of the Holte!”
Credit: @viewsfromb6

“What a signing!!! Emi + JG = Top 6 #AVFC”

Credit: @aaronss94

“Announcing this like it’s nothing special, big club behaviour. Arsenal have well and truly been put in their place. A warm welcome to the best Argentine RW”
Credit: @avfc4_alex

In other news, these Aston Villa fans react to the club’s interest in this midfielder.

Birmingham City are in talks regarding a deal to bring Alex Pritchard to St. Andrew’s this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football League World, who claim that the former Huddersfield Town attacking midfielder is in early talks with Lee Bowyer’s side over a summer move to Birmingham.

It had been previously reported that a number of Championship sides were considering a move for the 28-year-old, including the likes of Bristol City, Derby County and Queens Park Rangers, although the Blues now appear to be in the driving seat over a deal for the former England U21 international.

Big mistake

Despite impressing early on in his career in professional football, scoring eight goals and providing 11 assists over 44 appearances on a loan spell at Swindon Town, bagging 12 goals and registering seven assists over 47 fixtures while on loan at Brentford and scoring eight goals and providing 12 assists over 43 fixtures after joining Norwich City on a permanent basis, things have taken a turn for the worst for Pritchard in recent years.

Having made an £11.12m move to Huddersfield Town in January of 2018, the £2.52m-rated man went on to score a mere three goals and provide just three assists over his 81 appearances across four campaigns for the Terriers, averaging disappointing seasonal WhoScored match ratings of 6.70, 6.51, 6.54 and 6.16 in chronological order.

As such, the attacking midfielder, who was earning a weekly wage of £30k at Huddersfield, very much appears to be a player on the decline, something that has not likely been helped by the fact he has struggled with a number of injuries in recent years.

So, when taking into account the fact Pritchard would almost certainly be demanding a rather considerable salary to join Birmingham this summer, particularly as he would be arriving on a free transfer, the 28-year-old would simply not appear to be worth the cost for the Blues.

And, if Bowyer does go on to complete a deal to land the midfielder in the coming months, and he subsequently returns similar numbers to that of his time at The John Smith’s Stadium, the argument could easily be made that the signing would be one of the 44-year-old manager’s worst transfer mistakes so far at St. Andrew’s, with fans likely to be livid with Pritchard’s potential arrival.

In other news: Bowyer heading for grave Birmingham transfer mistake over £3k-p/w “danger” this summer

It’s fair to say that Scotland fans were absolutely buzzing ahead of Euro 2020 and yesterday’s 2-0 defeat against the Czech Republic would have put a bit of a dampener on things. The tournament marks the long awaited return of fans in stadiums cheering on their home nation and former Scotland international and icon Ally McCoist sat down with Joe Cole, James Collins and Instagram sensation Munya Chawawa for Just Eat’s Home Advantage video series.

Just Eat’s Home Advantage  looks to bring the best of food and football together, as Munya orders a takeaway with some of the UK’s favourites footballers each week throughout the tournament.

The significance of Scotland’s participation is certainly not lost on former Rangers man, McCoist. Before the tournament McCoist did however voice some concern over the attacking output of the team. “Our lack of goals might be a problem. And I wouldn’t see us playing two up front in many games.”

When asked who we might expect to see some top performances from, McCoist praised Chelsea and Aston Villa youngsters, Billy Gilmore and John McGin. “I would like to see Billy Gilmore get a run. Hopefully John McGinn will be key for us and has a great campaign. If he does, we will be alright.“

Regardless of what happens, McCoist knows how special the tournament can be, recalling some of his favourite moments, the former Scotland international remarked, “As a wee boy, I can remember the original Penenka penalty. I remember him scoring it against Sepp Maier of West Germany. It was unbelievable. And I can also remember Van Basten’s volley against Russia, which was just an absolutely incredible goal. “

It certainly was and we’re sure Ally will be hoping for more of the same. Catch each week’s full episode of Just Eat’s Home Advantage below…

Andriy Yarmolenko ‘wants to reassess’ his future at West Ham United this summer, according to The Athletic’s Roshane Thomas.

The lowdown

West Ham signed the Ukrainian from Borussia Dortmund in 2018 for a fee of £17.5m and he has gone on to make just 54 appearances in an injury-disrupted spell at the club, scoring 10 goals.

Yarmolenko only made one Premier League start in 2020/21, notching a further 14 substitute appearances, but he has shone for Ukraine at Euro 2020 so far, scoring a sublime goal in a 3-2 defeat to the Netherlands before finding the net again in the subsequent win over North Macedonia.

Yarmolenko is valued at £3.6m by Transfermarkt and has one year remaining on his contract.

The latest

Thomas reported for The Athletic that Yarmolenko is considering his options after a season of limited involvement at the London Stadium. West Ham could look to offload the 31-year-old, who has been earning more than £100,000 per week, as a means of raising funds.

Thomas added that Ukraine manager Andriy Shevchenko told Yarmolenko prior to the tournament: ‘You need to remind everyone how good you are for the national team’.

The verdict

If West Ham are keen to sell Yarmolenko, they’ll be licking their lips after his exploits at the Euros. He might well have doubled his value by reminding the footballing world of his quality.

He could be a decent option next season if the Hammers are looking to rotate during the Europa League group stage, while Irons team-mate Declan Rice has raved about the 31-year-old’s ‘special’ technique and his ‘beautiful’ left foot.

If he does move on, however, West Ham fans may be tempted to ponder what might have been. Yarmolenko has shown devastating ability in flashes, but injury has consistently stalled his West Ham career. Having finished sixth last season with him playing only a peripheral role, he would not seem a major loss if he were to depart.

In other news, a La Liga expert has issued his verdict on this West Ham target. 

Peterborough United Director of Football Barry Fry believes that West Ham United may decide to pursue Blackburn Rovers striker Adam Armstrong instead of Brentford’s Ivan Toney.

The Hammers have been linked with both strikers after they each enjoyed fantastic seasons in 2020/21.

Armstrong scored 28 goals in 40 games in the Championship but Blackburn were only able to seal a 15th-placed finish.

Toney, by comparison, scored 31 goals en route to Brentford’s promotion to the Premier League and also netted in the play-off final against Swansea City.

Fry believes that Toney may subsequently be out of the Hammers’ reach and feels that a deal for Armstrong will be far more affordable.

His contract is set to expire at the end of next season and he is valued at £14.4m by Transfermarkt, a figure the Irons may well find palatable this summer.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Fry, who sold Toney to Brentford from Peterborough United, said: “There’s a lot of talk about them going for Ivan. I can see that, but I think he’ll cost too much.

“But I think Adam Armstrong, because Moyes has been so successful with the players he’s took out of the Championship, as long as the price is right, I feel they could go for him.

“They definitely need to strengthen up top in their squad.”

Lots of Wolves fans have been left to flock to a transfer update involving Rui Patricio.

As per Fantacalcio, AS Roma have now made a U-turn over their proposed deal for the Portugal international, as the Midlands club want a fee in the region of €12m (£10.3m), but the Serie A team are only willing to pay up to €7m (£6m) for his signature.

Patricio only missed one game in the Premier League in the 2020/21 term (Transfermarkt), showing how much of a key player he is at Molineux, and at 33 years of age, his experience is vital in helping the younger players like Fabio Silva fit in, while new manager Bruno Lage would also appreciate him in and around the dressing room.

Wolves fans on Patricio transfer update

These WWFC supporters flocked to the transfer update as it was shared on Twitter, with one claiming that it was ‘fantastic news’ while another even went as far as to claim that Patricio is an ‘excellent’ goalkeeper:

“Happy to keep him!”

Credit: @ACrowe87

“Great news honestly”

Credit: @PortuWolves

“Fantastic news if true!”

Credit: @Julian_Cassell

“Oh I hope this is true”

Credit: @AdamWWFC_

“Get in lads!”

Credit: @reece_shore

“I just hope that we can keep him he’s been excellent for Wolves I for one would be sorry to see him go”

Credit: @grahamwhittake8

In other news, find out what transfer update has Wanderers fuming here!