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Newcastle United are reportedly keen on a move for Romain Perraud in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Newcastle need starting left-back

Jamal Lewis found himself out of favour with Steve Bruce towards the end of the 2020/21 season, having been left on the bench by the former Aston Villa and Sunderland manager in the Magpies’ last 12 matches in the Premier League, and only coming on for a mere six minutes in total during that time (Transfermarkt).

With Paul Dummett also in the frame, it is not clear who is going to be the starting left-back come the start of the 2021/22 campaign, so it would be a wise idea by the St James’ Park club to go out and buy a new left-back over the summer.

The Latest: Newcastle keen on Perraud

As per L’Equipe (via Sport Witness), Newcastle are keen on a move for Perraud, along with both Leeds and Southampton.

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However, any deal would have to exceed €10m (£8.6m), and the Saints are currently leading the hunt for his signature.

Nonetheless, there is still time for the Magpies to scupper Southampton’s plans to sign him, should they decide to act on their interest.

The Verdict: Newcastle must sign Perraud

Newcastle must look to beat off the competition from their rivals in the Premier League and sign Perraud at all costs.

The Frenchman scored three goals and supplied a further seven assists in 36 games in Ligue 1 last season (‘quality’.

He would also be an upgrade on both Lewis and Dummett, given that he averaged more tackles (1.7), interceptions (1.3), shots (1.3), key passes (one), dribbles (0.9), crosses (1.1) and long balls (2.3) per game in their respective domestic leagues last campaign (WhoScored).

At just 23 years of age, Perraud still has a lot of potential, and now may be the perfect opportunity for Newcastle to tempt Brest into a sale.

In other news, find out what big Newcastle transfer claim has been dropped!

Bundesliga expert Daniel Pinder has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that Jerome Boateng is still capable of playing at the highest level amid rumours that he could join Tottenham this summer.

The 6 ft 3 Bayern Munich defender’s contract is up at the end of the season and he is now being linked with a move to the north London club.

Boateng, who reportedly turned down the chance to join brother Kevin-Prince at Spurs previously, turns 33 in September and has had his injury problems down the years but, even so, Pinder is confident that the German would still be a useful asset to Tottenham.

Discussing whether Boateng is a player who Spurs would be able to rely on, Pinder told FFC:

“A couple of years ago, he was declining and people were second guessing whether he could still play at the highest of levels, you know, Bayern Munich. I think at the time, Manchester United, PSG were all interested.

“He was criticised by club management because he launched a new lifestyle magazine, and he was told to focus on his football. And I think since Hansi Flick came in in 2019, he’s arguably been Bayern Munich’s best central defender.

“This season, he’s missed just three games, is averaging almost six progressive passes per 90 and 1.5 interceptions per 90. So, yeah, I do think he can still play at the highest level for three or four more years.”

Following Jose Mourinho’s dismissal from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium dugout, it will be interesting to see if this reported interest in Boateng remains.

Currently, the Premier League outfit have Toby Alderweireld, Davinson Sanchez, Eric Dier, Joe Rodon and Japhet Tanganga as central defensive options.

Speaking on Italian television show Si Gonfia La Rete (via Area Napoli), journalist Raffaele Auriemma has dropped a Tottenham Hotspur managerial claim involving Maurizio Sarri – with the reporter claiming he ‘would like’ to join either Spurs or Arsenal.

The Lowdown: Sarri touted as candidate

When it comes to Sarri, the media in England and Italy have two very contrasting views on the 62-year-old possibly being appointed by Tottenham.

On one hand, Football Italia and Calciomercato.it both claim that Tottenham have actually even made contact with the former Chelsea manager.

Sources closes to home, however, like football.london reporter Alasdair Gold, dismiss Sarri as a boss currently attracting interest from Spurs.

The Latest: Sarri ‘would like’ to join Spurs

Bringing another claim from Italy, journalist Auriemma has told TV show Si Gonfia La Rete that Sarri (via Area Napoli) ‘would like’ to join either Spurs or Arsenal.

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The reporter wasn’t alone, either, with another journalist on the programme, Christian Bosco, stating the Serie A-winning boss ‘would prefer’ a move back to the Premier League.

It is also added by Auriemma that Sarri’s agent, Fali Ramadani, was in England ‘until a few days ago’.

The Verdict: Spurs, you know what to do…

The Transfer Tavern has often promoted Sarri as an ideal candidate for the Spurs job and somebody chairman Daniel Levy shouldn’t dismiss so quickly.

He promotes a possession-based, high-pressing style which should be a real incentive for Tottenham to consider making the move.

It is reported that Levy desires a boss who can bring back an attack-minded way of playing and Sarri may be a brilliant candidate to reinstall that exciting brand of football at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Sarri has an admirer, too, in Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.

The Spaniard, in awe of Sarri’s managerial style, lauded him as ‘one of the absolute best’ who implements a style of football which is ‘out of this world’ (Planet Football).

He is available, a free agent and allegedly keen on the job – Levy, you know what to do.

In other news: Spurs could be offered this £250,000-per-week ace for Kane, find out more here.

Leicester City missed the chance to strengthen their hold on a Champions League place as they were held to a 1-1 draw against 10-man Southampton on Friday night.

Jannik Vestergaard was sent off in just the ninth minute of the game but Brendan Rodgers’ Foxes could not find a way through before the interval, even falling behind to James Ward-Prowse’s second half penalty before Jonny Evans rescued a point.

A huge culprit of Leicester’s failure to earn three points at St Mary’s on Friday was in-form striker Kelechi Iheanacho. Despite having scored 14 goals in all competitions since early February, the Nigerian was a disappointment on the south coast last night.

According to WhoScored, he had three shots throughout the game, failing to draw Saints stopper Alex McCarthy into any strenuous work with any of them.

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He provided two key passes and it was his cross which was headed home by Evans for the eventual Leicester equaliser, but that does not quite tell the whole story of Iheanacho’s evening.

The £13.5m-rated striker could only accumulate a woeful pass accuracy rate of 58.3%, which was by far the worst from a Leicester player. This is compounded by the fact that Iheanacho lost possession on 16 occasions throughout the 90 minutes according to SofaScore as he continually struggled to control the ball.

Having also failed to complete a dribble and being flagged offside once, the Nigerian served to frustrate his team.

To compound that frustration, the former Manchester City man was at fault for the hosts’ goal, with his handball directly resulting in a penalty kick being awarded and then converted by Ward-Prowse.

Considering that the Foxes were up against ten men for almost the entire match, Rodgers will surely be fuming at Iheanacho’s hugely wasteful performance against Southampton.

AND in more news, find out why Leicester have been boosted in their pursuit of a La Liga star…

In an exclusive interview with Transfer Tavern, Rob Lee, who made 18 appearances for West Ham, admits he doesn’t think Issa Diop is worth the £60 million West Ham were quoting for him last season, despite having a good campaign.

The Hammers put a £60 million price tag on Diop’s head last summer to put off reported interest from Arsenal, which worked as the Frenchman stayed at the London Stadium.

In January, David Moyes was happy to let the £67,000 per week defender leave on loan but they never managed to reach an agreement with any clubs, and it remains to be seen whether the 24-year old is in the manager’s long term plans.

Speaking on why Diop is not worth £60 million and how he can’t expect to leave easily this summer, Lee told FFC:

“He’s had a good season but would I pay £60 million for him? No. I don’t think he pulled up any trees last year and he has done very well this year but he’s been in a good team.

“He has done well, but why because he has had one good season should he be looking to leave a club that stood by him when he wasn’t great last year?”

The Hammers have lost a bit of their momentum since Declan Rice’s injury having recently lost back-to-back games against Newcastle United and Chelsea.

West Ham have already signed a defender for next season as the club made Craig Dawson’s loan deal a permanent one for just £2 million from Watford.

Many fans of Aston Villa have been reacting to a post on Twitter which relayed a report regarding recent comments made by on-loan Villa midfielder Conor Hourihane.

Since making his loan move to Swansea City back in January, the Irishman has highly impressed in his 13 Championship appearances for Steve Cooper’s side, with the 30-year-old scoring five goals and providing one assist, as well as averaging a WhoScored match rating of 6.86, ranking him as the Swans’ 10th-best performer in the second tier.

In recent comments, as cited by Birmingham Live, Hourihane claimed that Swansea’s push for promotion is an “exciting” thing to be a part of, before going on to state that he knows what it is like to experience promotion to the top flight, as he achieved the feat with Villa back in 2019.

However, after Aston Villa News relayed the report on Twitter, questioning whether Villa fans would welcome Hourihane back to Villa Park this summer, many stated their belief that the £42,000-per-week midfielder’s time with Dean Smith’s side is up. That stance could be based on the 30-year-old making just four Premier League appearances this season before his loan move to south Wales.

So, what did these Aston Villa fans have to say in reaction to the tweet regarding Conor Hourihane?

“Loved his contribution during his time with us. I think, though, his days are done with Villa. Wish him all the success.”

@irvines02

“Nope, a summer recruitment drive will put an end to Hourihane’s Villa career.”

@Captain__C00k_

“Sad to say but no – a great player at Championship level but not in the Prem.”

@hilly53

“Nope, Championship player at best. Great for a goal or set-piece but overall not good or mobile enough for the Prem.”

@Seancallowbrady

“No. Has served us well but if we’re moving forward then it’s time to move on.”

@shang1308

“No, not good enough.”

@paulhughes2016

In other news: These Villa fans reacted as this ‘stupid’ club news emerged – find out more here!

Celtic are still yet to announce a deal for Eddie Howe as their next manager, despite reports claiming he verbally agreed on a move to Glasgow last week.

And now, according to a report from Football Insider, the Hoops are fearing the 43-year-old is having second thoughts over a move to Parkhead.

Howe put off by Celtic pressure?

They have been informed by a Celtic source that Howe has received a ‘wonderful’ offer from the club, however, they have concerns he may be having second thoughts about the vacant post.

One reason mentioned is the demands of winning every game in Scotland, with Howe not used to that pressure during his previous stints at Bournemouth and Burnley.

Transfer Tavern take

Even though Football Insider are sharing the club’s fears over Howe’s stance on a move, we aren’t as concerned over a proposed deal falling through.

The Sun have suggested that both parties are reluctant to rush negotiations, which, in our view, is the right decision.

A potential start date, along with certain assurances may still need to be agreed between both Howe and Celtic, so as long as the two parties are on the same page throughout, we’re confident a move will still be finalised.

In other news: Premier League side set to bid for Celtic midfielder, find out more here. 

Reports by Il Napoli Online over the weekend claimed Carlo Ancelotti has a strong interest in signing Alex Meret this summer, yet the SSC Napoli goalkeeper will not solve his Robin Olsen problem at Everton.

Ancelotti had expected to hold talks with AS Roma over turning Olsen’s loan permanent at the end of the season, but those plans may now be on hold.

The Daily Mail have claimed that Olsen wishes to leave Goodison Park once his temporary deal expires after a break-in at his home allegedly saw burglars threaten his family as they stole jewellery and a watch.

Olsen’s wife and children were traumatised by the ordeal and had considered returning to Sweden, before Everton found them alternative accommodation while upgraded security is installed at their Greater Manchester home.

Ancelotti had shared earlier in the month that he still believed Olsen wished to remain on Merseyside beyond his initial season-long loan despite the break-in, although that may no longer be the case.

“No, I think he’s happy to stay,” the Italian said, via quotes by the Liverpool Echo. “In this moment he has to talk with his family and manage that, but I think he is happy to stay. He wants to stay, and we want him for the next season.”

But Ancelotti may be lining up a potential replacement for the 31-year-old in Meret, who is thought to be considering his future at Napoli and may request a transfer in the summer.

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Meret has only opened 12 of the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium natives’ 27 Serie A fixtures this season, in which he’s kept four clean sheets, conceded 17 goals and proving unable to permanently dislodge David Ospina between the sticks.

It was reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport, via Football-Italia, last March that Meret had rejected a new contract with Napoli as he wanted assurances he would be the club’s first choice, and remains on the same £36,000-per-week deal that runs until 2023.

But Ancelotti looking to test Meret’s commitment to Napoli and the Italian outfit’s plans for the 24-year-old will be unlikely to see the Everton boss solve the problem that Olsen leaving would cause.

Ancelotti lauds Olsen for the impact that his presence at Goodison Park has had on Jordan Pickford, believing the England international has taken his game to another level due to the competition that the Roma loanee offers.

“I think he is doing well because I rotated him,” Ancelotti said of Pickford’s performances against Liverpool, Southampton and West Bromwich Albion. “I took him out from a little bit of pressure. He is doing well now.

“Robin Olsen is injured but when he comes back, he can play some games to keep Jordan fresh and be like he is in this moment now.”

Olsen is not yet 100% fit but returned to training from an oblique abdominal muscle injury at the end of last week, and may soon continue showing why he is a better long-term rival for Pickford than Meret would be.

Over their respective performances in the Serie A and Premier League this season, Meret boasts a worse post-shot expected goals minus goals allowed of the trio at negative 1.1 to Pickford’s minus-0.8 and Olsen’s minus-0.3, per FBref. Showing that he concedes more often from shots where the goalkeeper is considered more likely to make a save.

The £18m-rated Italian also claims a worse pass completion percentage than Olsen at 44.9% to the Sweden internationals’ 49.3%, despite only 17.9% of his passes travelling 40 or more yards while Olsen launches 51.4% of his kicks and Pickford 54.1%.

So, if Olsen is to leave, Ancelotti would be better served to keep looking for the Roma loanee’s replacement than sign a downgrade in Meret.

AND in other news, Everton are monitoring a £17m ace dubbed the next Erling Haaland…

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s hopes of keeping Danny Ings at Southampton this summer look to have suffered a huge blow, with Manchester City reportedly interested in signing him ahead of next season.

According to Sky Sports, City have identified the 28-year-old as a more attainable replacement for Sergio Aguero than Erling Haaland should the Argentinian leave this summer when his contract expires.

City would be in a strong position to sign Ings, too, given his precarious contract situation at Southampton, with his current deal set to expire at the end of next season.

The former Liverpool man has publicly revealed his desire to play for a club in the Champions League and City would certainly be able to provide that, with Pep Guardiola’s side well on their way towards winning the Premier League title this season.

You would not blame the £19.8m-rated forward for wanting to join a club such as City and play under Guardiola but it would undoubtedly be a huge blow for Hasenhuttl and Southampton, considering Ings’ impressive record on the south coast.

The striker has contributed 42 goals and nine assists in 92 appearances for the Saints, which included 22 goals in the top-flight last season, which saw him finish as the joint-second top scorer in the Premier League.

His performances earned him a call-up to the England squad and, although he has struggled with minor injury problems this season, he still has eight goals and three assists in the top flight.

Given Southampton’s struggles this season, which have seen them dragged into a relegation battle despite a promising start to the campaign, some may worry that without Ings they would struggle to score anywhere near as many goals.

Although Che Adams has found form again recently, he endured a difficult run earlier in the season and it would be tough on him to step up as Southampton’s main goalscorer should Ings depart.

Last season, former Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe was full of praise for Ings’ performances in the Premier League, saying: “The most impressive thing about Danny is, of course, he’s an outstanding player.

“Technically he’s very good, plays with real intelligence and the way he’s come back from his disappointments, the injury setbacks he’s had, the way he’s fought back and kept his mental strength has been hugely impressive.”

Although Southampton are clearly desperate for Ings to sign a new deal, it seems clear that he wants to join a Champions League outfit, and this reported interest from Man City could prove to be the catalyst for him leaving the south coast this summer.

And, in other news… Southampton signing £7.2m-rated beast could be bad news for £55k-p/w Saints regular

According to a recent report, Tottenham Hotspur paid an agent a multi-million-pound fee for the transfer of one of the club’s summer signings.

The report by Football Insider claimed that a ‘recruitment source’ has revealed, as part of Tottenham’s deal to sign Wolverhampton Wanderers right-back Matt Doherty last summer, that Daniel Levy and the Spurs board paid super-agent Jorge Mendes a £6m fee.

As a result, it is reported that only around £10m of the figure Tottenham paid for the £18m-rated defender actually went to the selling club, with the remainder going directly to Mendes.

Transfer Tavern Take

While it is questionable whether Doherty has been worth the £15.12m with which Jose Mourinho’s side parted in order secure his signing last summer – as the 29-year-old has featured in just 12 Premier League games so far this season, over which he has averaged a rather disappointing WhoScored match rating of 6.65 – from Tottenham’s point of view, to whom exactly the Doherty transfer money went is not likely to be a great cause for concern.

The issue would appear to be more of a relevant point for Wolves, who, if Football Insider are to be believed, saw around a third of the transfer fee received for the sale of their fifth-best player in the league last season pocketed by Mendes.

In other Tottenham news, this Spurs transfer admission lifted the lid on a failed Daniel Levy coup with Pochettino – find out more here!