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Southampton were linked with a move for Tottenham Hotspur youngster Japhet Tanganga in January, and with the defender now reportedly available on loan, Ralph Hasenhuttl should bring him to St Mary’s.

What’s the word?

According to Sky Sports, Spurs are keen to loan out the 22-year-old, with both Southampton and Burnley having shown an interest in him previously, which suggests that those on the Saints board will be keeping a close eye on his situation with the north London club.

The report suggests that while Galatasaray have made a loan approach for the Spurs academy graduate, he would prefer a loan move to a Premier League club, which certainly opens the door to a switch to St Mary’s.

Southampton have enjoyed success in loaning players from Spurs in the past, as Kyle Walker-Peters established himself as a regular in Hasenhuttl’s side during his loan spell at the club in the 2019/20 season, which convinced the Austrian to make the defender’s move permanent last summer.

Would Tanganga be a good signing?

Although Tanganga cannot boast much top-flight experience, with just 12 Premier League appearances to his name, he could be a solid backup option for Hasenhuttl to have in defence next season.

The Englishman has featured at centre-back, right-back and left-back in his senior career thus far, so he could comfortably cover for Walker-Peters and new signing Romain Perraud in the full-back positions, an area where Southampton desperately need to add some depth ahead of the new season.

He would also arguably be an upgrade on current backup options Yan Valery and Moussa Djenepo, considering that the Frenchman struggled for game-time on loan at Birmingham City last term whilst the Malian winger is far from a natural at left-back but has been forced to feature there in pre-season.

[freshpress-quiz id=“594431”]

Therefore, now that the “amazing” Tanganga is seemingly available for loan, Martin Semmens should definitely consider bringing him to Southampton this summer.

In other news… Hasenhuttl dealt potential blow with “outstanding” Saints beast

Leeds United have opened talks for Celtic central-defender Leo Hjelde, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Celtic face mini-exodus ahead of 2021/22

As 2021/22 rolls around the corner in Glasgow, the Hoops face the prospect of multiple senior exits as they re-shuffle the pack ahead of next campaign.

Odsonne Edouard has been heavily linked with moves to Leicester and West Ham United respectively, whilst Kristoffer Ajer has been targeted by Newcastle United and RB Leipzig [Chronicle Live].

However, another talented young star could be the first casualty of Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic reign as recent rumours come to light.

The Latest: Leeds United open talks with the talented Norwegian

After links earlier in the month, Hjelde’s exit is edging closer as the Yorkshire giants are now ‘negotiating’ a deal as they look to recruit more talent to their youth sides, according to a Leeds United source [Football Insider].

His contract at Parkhead is due to expire in 12-months, whilst the chances of Celtic being able to keep him are diminishing rapidly.

Leeds United are confident of landing Hjelde on a lucrative contract, citing his ‘enormous’ potential and room to develop as a player under Bielsa as cornerstone factors of his pursuit [Football Insider], with the Whites’ scouts apparently ‘blown away’ by his abilities at such a young age.

The Verdict: Losing ‘the next Van Dijk’ would come as a bitter blow for Celtic

Undoubtedly, losing a premium talent such as the Norwegian Under-18 international would not go down well with the Celtic support.

Enjoying a commendable debut introduction to senior football in 2020/21, Hjelde spent the second half of the season on loan at Ross County making 12 appearances; scoring once [Transfermarkt].

Eventually helping the Staggies to Scottish Premiership survival [BBC], then manager John Hughes was so enthralled by his contribution that he labelled the defender ‘the next Virgil van Dijk’ when talking about his potential upward trajectory at the Hoops [Daily Record].

With his best years well ahead of him, Celtic should aim to offer Hjelde a first-team pathway to entice him to extend his stay at Parkhead.

Despite this, advances from a Premier League side like Leeds United may be too tempting for the starlet to turn down, so it may already be too late for Celtic to keep Hjelde in Glasgow.

In other news, Celtic have offered a shock lifeline to a forgotten ace.

Queens Park Rangers winger Albert Adomah is considering his future at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football League World, who claim that the 33-year-old is considering his options ahead of the upcoming transfer window after a disappointing campaign in west London.

The report goes on to state that a number of Championship sides, including the likes of Bristol City, Derby County, Luton Town and Birmingham City, are keeping a close eye on the situation of the Ghana international ahead of a potential summer move.

Adomah must go

While there was a great deal of fanfare surrounding Adomah’s move from Nottingham Forest to QPR back in October, due to the £900k-rated forward’s obvious affection for the club, it would be a difficult argument to make that the 33-year-old had a good season for Mark Warburton’s side.

Although Adomah went on to feature 34 times in the Championship this term, it quickly became apparent that the former Aston Villa man was not a part of Warburton’s regular starting XI, with only seven of his league appearances coming as starts.

Over these appearances, the £13k-per-week winger hardly set the world alight, scoring two goals, registering five assists and creating seven big chances for his teammates, seeing him earn a rather disappointing seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.74 – ranking him as QPR’s joint 11th-worst performer in the second tier this season.

As such, considering the fact that Adomah is the Rs’ joint highest-paid player at present, his returns do not justify his rather hefty weekly wage, leading us to believe that it would be a very wise move for Amit Bhatia to move the player whom Dean Smith claimed gives full-backs “real trouble” onto pastures new this summer.

Furthermore, with exciting youth prospects such as Ilias Chair and Chris Willock coming through at QPR – both of whom are comfortable operating from the wing – regularly playing a 33-year-old Adomah ahead of the youngsters could stunt their growth in Warburton’s side.

So, despite the romance of the winger playing for the club that he so clearly loves, a move away from the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium this summer may be the best option for all parties.

In other news: Get it done: Bhatia must sanction QPR swoop for “unplayable” 17 G/A beast this summer

Michael Ball insists that Everton’s big stars don’t deserve a move away this summer after such a poor season.

Carlo Ancelotti guided the club to a disappointing 10th-placed finish in the Premier League, prior to leaving Goodison Park to join Real Madrid after Zinedine Zidane walked out of the Bernabeu.

The Toffees started the season in fine form and won nine of their opening 15 games, losing just four.

Their form tailed off, though, and they ended the campaign with something of a whimper, winning just three of their final 10 fixtures, signing off with a 5-0 defeat at the hands of champions Manchester City.

It remains to be seen who will be appointed to replace Ancelotti but Ball insists that there will be no mass exodus, with players following the Italian out of the exit door, given just how badly they played in the final six months of the campaign.

Various players have already been linked away, notably Richarlison, with Football Insider claiming that Real could actually bid for him as they look to reunite him with Ancelotti.

But Ball does not believe clubs will be queuing around the block to bring in players from Goodison Park.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, the ex-Everton star said: “That was a concern over the last six months or so, if we don’t get Europe, who would want to stay? Who wants to try to play to a better standard and play in the Champions League?

“And to be fair to them, I think with the performances, they probably don’t merit moving on.”

Everton are reportedly eyeing up a potential swap deal involving Rafael Leao and James Rodriguez in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Calvert-Lewin back-up needed

The Goodison Park faithful certainly need to sign a reliable back-up striker to Dominic Calvert-Lewin if they have any ambition of qualifying for European competition for next season.

The former Sheffield United ace was the the Merseyside club’s top scorer over all competitions in the 2020/21 term with 21, and while Richarlison scored 13 (Transfermarkt), the Brazil international often plays on the wing to accommodate Calvert-Lewin.

Given that the futures of both Cenk Tosun and Moise Kean are uncertain as well, as they were both sent out on loan over the past year, the Blues really do need to think about signing a brand new centre-forward.

The Latest: Leao and Rodriguez swap?

As per Calciomercato, Jorge Mendes, who is the agent of both Leao and Rodriguez, is exploring the possibility of the two players swapping clubs, so that the former would come to the Toffees as the latter would go and join AC Milan.

Leao also likes the idea of moving to EFC, while Rodriguez has reportedly been linked with a move away.

The Verdict: Swap

While Rodriguez has had his fair share of good moments in an Everton shirt, he was constantly disrupted by various injury problems.

The 29-year-old has also caused controversy among fans and media, as he has not exactly been enthusiastic about staying at Goodison Park since the departure of Carlo Ancelotti to Real Madrid.

On the other hand, given Leao likes the idea of moving to the Merseyside club, it would be much better for them to keep happy players there.

The striker would also be a shrewd addition, as his added pace and willingness to run in behind would certainly offer the Toffees a different dimension in attack to that with Calvert-Lewin playing up top.

Leao has even been previously likened to both Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe in the past, which is high praise indeed, and a deal to see him arrive at the Blues and Rodriguez heading in the other direction would certainly make sense.

In other news, find out what transfer claim ahs been slammed by EFC supporters here!

Some Glasgow Rangers fans are far from happy with comments from former SNP councillor Christopher McEleny.

The past week has been a mixed one for the Gers. Last weekend, they completed their unbeaten Premiership season thanks to a 4-0 win over Aberdeen at Ibrox (BBC), after which they received the league trophy. It was a day of celebration for Rangers players and supporters after 10 years without a major honour.

Unfortunately, there has been some controversy in the meantime. Twenty Rangers fans were arrested in George Square after scuffles broke out (firstpost.com), while the Gers players were ludicrously accused of singing sectarian songs during their own post-match celebrations. Police Scotland have cleared them of any wrongdoing (Daily Record), but McEleny still believes they are guilty of the charge being levelled against them.

The comments were shared on his official Twitter account and they attracted plenty of attention from the club’s supporters. These Gers fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on McEleny’s comments, which one irate fan described as “ludicrous”.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about the comments from McEleny

“My other half is a club employee & was there so genuine question… If those in attendance know it didn’t happen, where are you getting your info from? Surely not TikTok? These accusations are wrong & just pathetic.”

Credit: @WeeVK80

“Lost the plot mate.”

Credit: @The_JazzyB

“Claims to be a Morton fan yet tweets this out during their most important game of the season. Absolutely rent free.”

Credit: @Stu_1872_

“Many of the Rangers 1st team are Catholic and openly cross themselves when they enter or leave the field or score a goal. It’s simply ludicrous to suggest they would then happily sing FTP.”

Credit: @missteeray

“I hope the club lawyers are looking at this too”

Credit: @GraemeGames

“Chris if you are that sure players of a football club done that then why not name that club? Is it because if you name the club you’ll find yourself receiving a lawyer’s letter”

Credit: @kev84mc

In other news, some Rangers fans were livid at this article in The Times.

Barry Fry has told The Transfer Tavern that he was left confused by Jose Mourinho’s treatment of both Dele Alli and Gareth Bale during his time at Tottenham Hotspur amid their returns to the team.

Both players played against Sheffield United on Sunday night, with interim coach Ryan Mason selecting them both in his starting XI.

His faith was rewarded as Bale scored a hat-trick and Alli helped bamboozle the Blades players with his clever dribbling and hard running.

Spurs ultimately won the game 4-0 to keep their hopes of finishing in the top four alive – they are now five points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.

Fry believes that Mourinho, who was sacked prior to the games against Southampton in the Premier League and Manchester City in the Carabao Cup, got it wrong with both Alli and Bale.

And he has questioned whether or not the Portuguese actually wanted to sign the Wales international, such was his lack of desire to play him.

Indeed, under Mourinho, Bale made six starts, while Alli made two.

Speaking exclusively to TT, Fry said: “He’s obviously fallen out with so many players, and also, talking to a lot of Tottenham fans like I do, there’s a lot of players that the Tottenham fans rate very highly that didn’t get a look-in under Mourinho.

“Alli to name but one, and even Bale.

“They got Bale in, the question for me is did Daniel Levy fetch Bale back or did Mourinho really want Bale? If Mourinho really wanted Bale, why didn’t he start in more games?”

Nottingham Forest left-back Yuri Ribeiro looks set to leave the City Ground this summer.

What’s the talk?

Despite the fact that a recent report by The Telegraph claiming that the left-back looked to be the only of Forest’s out of contract players to receive the offer of a new deal this summer, a recent post on Twitter by the 24-year-old himself appeared to suggest otherwise.

Ribeiro said: “Playing in England has always been a dream. Thanks [Nottingham Forest] for allowing me that. We wanted more this season but it’s not always possible. I’m sure this club will achieve what it deserves in the future. For me, it was an incredible experience! I’ve learned a lot this year! Thank you all for the support!”

Worrying news

While Ribeiro has in no way enjoyed the best of seasons for Forest this term, as has been the case for a number of their players throughout a disappointing league campaign, the £7.3k-per-week defender has proven in his time at the City Ground that he is more than capable of doing a job in the Championship.

Over the 24-year-old’s 25 league appearances last season, he helped his side keep seven clean sheets, as well as making an average of one interception, 0.8 tackles and 0.7 key passes per game, culminating in a respectable average SofaScore match rating of 6.71.

In the season prior, in which the Reds narrowly missed out on securing a play-off place, the left-back also returned decent metrics, helping his side keep nine clean sheets, providing three assists and creating four big chances, as well as averaging a SofaScore match rating of 6.77.

As such, the former Portugal U21 international has been a reliable option for Forest at the back as well as going forwards, and his apparent departure seems to have left a number of the club’s fans gutted, with some taking to Twitter begging Chris Hughton to “give him a contract,” while others stated their belief that Ribeiro “should be staying” as he is a “brilliant player.”

Indeed, with the 62-year-old Forest manager also reportedly telling fellow left-back Gaetan Bong to find a new club this summer, releasing Ribeiro would seem to leave the club short of options in the position ahead of next season, and could be something that Hughton comes to regret.

In other news: Encouraging update emerges on Forest’s “leader” that’ll surely have fans buzzing – opinion

Tottenham Hotspur’s manager search continues to rumble on into a second month.

Plenty of names have been linked to the vacancy during that time, though this week, Daniel Levy has been given a major boost over one mooted target.

Antonio Conte has left Serie A champions Inter Milan just a few weeks after clinching their first title in over a decade, opening the door for Spurs to strike if he’s a genuine candidate.

It has since been revealed that the former Chelsea boss would be interested in taking the job in North London, according to the Guardian.

Football FanCast have delved into the potential world of an Conte-led Spurs side next season, here’s how the XI could look, with a bit of help in the transfer market…

There are plenty of interesting storylines that could emerge at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this off-season, largely because Harry Kane wants out.

Truth be told, whoever is in charge next term, he will need substantial backing in the transfer market to turn around their fortunes, so it is plausible that the club cash in on their leading talisman, in order to fund an overhaul.

Levy is under pressure to get this appointment right and the £150m sale of Kane would help matters, as bold as it sounds.

Conte’s renowned for his three-at-the-back system and that could pay dividends in England as it has done before, considering he’s won the Premier League and FA Cup at Stamford Bridge.

Goalkeeper: Lloris

Club captain Hugo Lloris still has one year to run on his current deal and is said to be in talks over an extension, so he is likely to remain Spurs’ no.1 for the foreseeable future, though a new third-choice may be needed after Paulo Gazzaniga’s exit was confirmed this week.

Defence: Reguilon, Andersen, Alderweireld, Skriniar, Celik

It could be all change in defence as this has been the one Achilles’ heel of Jose Mourinho’s tumultuous reign. As explained by The Athletic, mistakes at the back have been the defining theme of Spurs’ abysmal season.

Joe Rodon doesn’t appear to be ready, whilst Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez are the root cause of most of these errors, so both are axed. It means Toby Alderwerield is the only to survive from this term.

It’s thought that Fulham loan star Joachim Andersen favours a move to the North London giants this summer, and he could be clinched for £25m, whilst long-time target Milan Skriniar was a frequent and popular presence under Conte at the San Siro.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-managerial-updates-transfer-news-rumours-gossip-and-more-levy-kane-enic” title= “Read the latest Spurs news, managerial gossip, transfer rumours and more!”]

Perhaps Levy can finally seal the tough-tackling centre-back with the arrival of the Italian. He could command around €70m (£60m), as per Calciomercato (via Football Italia).

Sergio Reguilon could benefit most from the change in the system, as he thrived in a similar role on his way to Europa League glory at Sevilla, where they beat Conte’s side in the final last year.

Whilst Matt Doherty and Serge Aurier seemingly have no future at the club, Levy could look to bring in Zeki Celik from Ligue 1 champions Lille, a £13.5m-rated player they have been linked with recently.

Midfield: Hojbjerg, Ndombele

The midfield pretty much writes itself barring any major changes, though the likes of Dele Alli, Moussa Sissoko and Harry Winks may find it hard to feature.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Tanguy Ndombele are a good mix both defensively and in attack, and they will need to do the bulk of the box-to-box work, given it’s just those two in the engine room.

Attack: Son, Belotti, Bergwijn

Levy will find it hard to properly replace Kane but he could do so in a player that Conte should know well from the Serie A, Andrea Belotti.

The prolific 27-year-old will be entering the final year of his contract at Torino, so could be available for a lot cheaper than expected, and he has been linked with interest from Spurs in the past, too.

Corriere dello Sport (via Manchester Evening News) believe that price tag may be as little as €25m (£21.5m).

All in all, Levy may well go on a summer spending spree, splashing out a whopping £120m, with around £30m left remaining, should they get what they deserve for Kane.

AND in other news, Levy could secure Spurs’ perfect Bale replacement in “phenomenal” £40m “game-changer”…

Celtic haven’t had everything go their way in the hunt to bring a new manager to Parkhead. The Bhoys have been dealt with repeated setbacks but perhaps the air is beginning to change.

What’s the word?

Lucien Favre has been viewed as an alternative to Eddie Howe by the Celtic hierarchy.

He reportedly has an interest in taking the job but like Howe, is being courted elsewhere. Saudi club Al-Hilal are appealed by the idea of appointing the Swiss but another team were also in the race.

According to Turkish outlet Milliyet, Fenerbahce wanted to bring Favre to the club next season.

However, after discussions took place between the two parties, the Super-Lig outfit performed a major U-turn and decided not to pursue him.

That’s because of the colossal wages the former Borussia Dortmund boss wanted in order to head to that part of the world.

The report states Favre was eyeing €4.5m-a-year at Dortmund – around £75k-per-week. It remains to be seen how much the 63-year-old would be looking for in Glasgow.

Encouraging news

After the constant setbacks of the last two weeks, the news that Fenerbahce are now distancing themselves from the Swiss manager should come as music to the ears of Dermot Desmond and the club’s supporters.

Celtic’s search for a new manager has been a frustrating saga with Roy Keane and Eddie Howe both holding talks before things stalled.

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

The Keane rumour went away fairly quickly but Howe is still very much a target for the Hoops. Unfortunately, there are a number of issues putting the completion of a deal on hold.

The 43-year-old doesn’t want to return to management until the summer while he’s not a fan of the idea of Fergal Harkin becoming Celtic’s director of football. Instead, he wants Richard Hughes to join him, a companion from his days at Bournemouth.

There is also interest from other parties. Both Brighton and Crystal Palace are keeping tabs on Howe who appears to be a man in demand.

Favre is attracting other onlookers too but Celtic’s pursuit of the experienced coach has now received a boost.

If he wants the same wages as he did in Turkey, they can safely wave goodbye to him. Though, it should be easier to lure him to Glasgow now interest is dying down.

At long last, there is some positive news for supporters.

AND in other news, Celtic may finally replace Tierney by signing 18 y/o who could end up “like Busquets”…