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Aston Villa are leading the race to sign Rangers star Glen Kamara as Steven Gerrard looks for reinforcements in the January transfer window.

What’s the story?

According to TEAMtalk, the Gers are contemplating making a big sale next month after failing to make it out of the Champions League group stages, with Kamara among those players potentially being allowed to go.

And, the report adds that it’s Villa are who are currently at the front of the queue for the Finland international as Gerrard plots to reunite with his former midfielder at Villa Park.

Forget Nakamba

With Marvelous Nakamba ruled out through injury, Villa are in real need of a midfielder who can play that anchorman role, and in Kamara they can find someone who Gerrard knows very well indeed from his time at Ibrox.

The Villa boss dubbed Kamara as a “class act” following an impressive display against in a Scottish Cup win over Kilmarnock, and will be well aware of how to get the best out of him should he sign him for Villa.

And, Neil McCann, Kamara’s former manager at Dundee, said: “He looks small but he’s strong and he’s a playmaker. When Rangers signed Glen, I sat there thinking he would smash it. Glen will end up back in the English Premier League. I’ve no doubts about that.”

McCann added: “He isn’t a big, physical lad but he’s made of iron and really strong. I knew immediately that he could handle the ball under pressure and not give it away, so he was perfect. He’s a special talent.

“He’s lightning-quick but he doesn’t show it. He’s a player who takes instruction well.”

The 40-cap Kamara could be exactly what Villa need in midfield, and with McCann saying that the Finn will end up back in the English top flight – he was once on the books at Arsenal – Villa Park could be an ideal destination for him.

Meanwhile, Villa could sign a new Gareth Barry in this star…

Alex Crook has revealed a fresh development in West Bromwich Albion’s potential appointment of Steve Bruce.

What’s the talk?

In a recent post on Twitter, the talkSPORT journalist revealed that, alongside the 61-year-old, Alex Bruce and Stephen Clemence also look set to join the Albion coaching staff upon the appointment of the former Newcastle United manager.

In his post, Crook said: “Understand Alex Bruce could be part of dad Steve’s WBA backroom team having recently completed his coaching badges. Stephen Clemence tends to be by his side at most clubs so would anticipate him coming too.”

Fans will be fuming

With Baggies fans appearing extremely unhappy at the prospect of Bruce being appointed as Valerien Ismael’s successor at The Hawthorns, the news that the veteran coach is planning on bringing his son into a coaching role at the club is sure to have left supporters fuming.

Indeed, in two polls ran on Football FanCast in recent days, West Brom fans first proved that they do not think the 61-year-old would be a good choice as the club’s next manager, before revealing in a second poll that the reasoning behind this is due to Bruce’s style of football.

As such, when adding into the mix the likely arrival of Alex Bruce as part of the Baggies’ new first-team coaching staff, there will undoubtedly be questions raised about the former Birmingham City and Aston Villa manager’s reasoning for appointing a completely inexperienced coach to help train a squad that is chasing promotion to the Premier League this season.

Indeed, with Albion fans not best pleased with Bruce’s impending arrival in the first place, the former Manchester United centre-back’s son also making a move to The Hawthorns is not likely to make matters any better for Albion supporters.

In other news: “I’m told…”: Sky Sports journo reveals WBA want 41 y/o boss, fans will be buzzing

According to a report by reliable journalist Mike McGrath, writing in his transfer notebook for the Telegraph, West Ham United and David Moyes are now eyeing RB Leipzig striker Hwang Hee-chan alongside London rivals Crystal Palace. 

West Ham now eyeing Hee-chan

The South Korean ace, who was targeted by West Ham in January during their failed hunt for a Sebastien Haller replacement, is now back on the radar as Moyes seeks to add new forward additions this summer.

As well as a permanent deal for star loanee midfielder Jesse Lingard, the Hammers are said to be prioritising a new forward to find alternative options for main man Michail Antonio (Claret & Hugh), and it seems Hwang could be the man.

Moyes, speaking to the press recently, ruled West Ham out of the race for Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham if his price tag is indeed £40 million – with Hwang coming as a much cheaper alternative.

Transfer Tavern take

It is said that GSB could even secure the 25-year-old for as little as £10m, and despite the fact he has failed to score this season, his exploits over 2019/2020 still mark him out as a potentially bargain acquisition.

Indeed, the 32-cap ace bagged 11 goals and 12 assists in the league for RB Salzburg before securing a move to the Bundesliga (Transfermarkt) – with former teammate and superstar Erling Haaland even calling him ‘absolutely crazy’ (Bundesliga).

Former Salzburg head coach Peter Zeidler also subbed the rising starlet ‘exceptional’ with ‘brutal dynamism’ (Bundesliga) – and descriptions like this possibly point to the forward West Ham need for an much more meagre price than the one quoted above for Abraham.

In other news: ExWHUemployee lifts lid on injury blow, find out more here.

Journalist Phil Hay believes that Dan James will lead the line for Leeds United in their Premier League clash with Crystal Palace on Monday night.

The Lowdown: James’ resurgence under Marsch

Jesse Marsch’s men face another crucial game in their top-flight survival battle as they head south to take on the Eagles at Selhurst Park.

James has been used regularly by the Leeds manager since the American replaced Marcelo Bielsa, admittedly not yet scoring under the 48-year-old but providing lots of endeavour and registering two assists.

The former Manchester United man has often been used centrally by Marsch in the absence of Patrick Bamford, and that could be the case again when Leeds take on Palace.

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The Latest: Hay makes team news claim

Writing in a Q&A for The Athletic leading up to kick-off, Hay has backed James to lead the line for Leeds at Selhurst Park, on what feels like a crucial night in the relegation tussle. The journalist wrote:

“My gut feeling is it will be James up front again this evening – but maybe Marsch will surprise us.”

[freshpress-quiz id=“383507″]

The Verdict: Big night for James

In truth, James has had a disappointing first season in a Leeds shirt, having become the club’s second-most expensive signing in history when he joined from their Mancunian rivals.

Four goals and four assists is still a reasonable effort in a struggling team, though, and it makes sense for him to continue in a central role on Monday night in the absence of Bamford.

If James could find the net decisively at Selhurst Park, it would be perhaps his biggest contribution yet in a Whites shirt as he looks to justify the £25m that Leeds paid for him last year.

In other news, Marsch is reportedly trying to bring one player to Leeds. Find out who it is here.

Thousands of Newcastle fans have been voting in a survey by Chronicle Live as to who they next want to see in the dugout at St James’ Park.

A mammoth 95% of the 14,000 supporters who took the survey called for the club to part ways with Steve Bruce. Newcastle are two points above the Premier League drop zone and have a game in hand, but 92% fear relegation under the incumbent manager.

Who do Newcastle fans want instead?

There were 10,000 responses submitted as to the preferred candidate for Bruce’s replacement.

Former Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe led the way with the backing of 25%, although he is presently the frontrunner for the vacant role at Celtic.

Around 1,600 respondents favour a return for Rafael Benitez, who led the Magpies to 10th in 2017/18 and 13th the following season before departing the club at the end of his contract.

In third place was Chris Wilder, who left Sheffield United by mutual consent earlier this month. He ‘narrowly’ placed ahead of another intriguing candidate in the form of Frank Lampard, who was sacked by Chelsea at the end of January.

Transfer Tavern verdict

All four of these candidates would likely be welcomed with open arms on Tyneside.

Howe would look to implement an expansive, ambitious brand of football, almost the polar opposite of the conservative tactics often employed by Bruce.

Benitez has proven that he is a world-class coach, as illustrated by his CV, Wilder remarkably led Sheffield United from League One to the top half of the Premier League and Lampard commendably secured a top four finish for Chelsea following Eden Hazard’s departure in the summer of 2019.

In other news, Lee Ryder dropped an inside claim on this promising Newcastle youngster.

Arsenal have rejected another bid for academy graduate Emile Smith Rowe…

What’s the word?

That’s according to The Athletic’s ever-reliable David Ornstein, who claims the Midlands side returned with a £30m offer after having had a £25m bid rejected the first time around.

The Gunners are said to be refusing to entertain interest in Smith Rowe’s signature and are adamant that he’s remaining at the Emirates Stadium.

Smith Rowe has two years to run on his current £20k-per-week contract but has been in talks over a long-term extension, though there has been no breakthrough so far.

Here to stay?

This latest claim from one of the most reliable sources around should  not just come as promising news but it should leave many excited too as it seems as if the 20-year-old England youth international is set to remain an Arsenal player.

The Croydon-born dynamo, who is currently valued at around £45m by CIES Football Observatory, originally joined the North London giants at the age of ten and has progressed into the first team under Mikel Arteta, who has often turned to the youngster for creativity in attack.

After successful loan spells away at RB Leipzig and Huddersfield Town, Smith Rowe provided the Gunners with four goals and seven assists across both domestic and European competitions in 2020/21, whilst he ranked first for chances created having averaged 1.4 key passes per league outing, via WhoScored.

In total, the youngster has provided 14 direct goal contributions in his 45 senior appearances, as per Transfermarkt.

The 6-foot midfielder has also displayed crucial versatility in being able to play through the middle, on the left and up top and that only helps Arteta more in terms of fitting him in as he’s able to play pretty much anywhere in the attack.

It’s clear that the Spaniard is a huge fan of Smith Rowe, describing him as “extraordinary” to Sky Sports (via the Independent) back in January this year.

The fact that the Gunners’ hierarchy are remaining firm in their stance over their talented youth product is hugely encouraging and goes to show how much faith Arteta and co have in him.

As a result, this should leave the Emirates faithful absolutely delighted as it means they should keep hold of their potential star of the future going into the new campaign.

Currently without a no.10, the midfield sensation could easily cement his name down as Arteta’s first-choice option in the near future.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Xhaka: Edu could land Arsenal their next Vieira in £49.5m-rated “huge talent”…

Paul Robinson has made an Everton transfer claim involving goalkeeper Sergio Romero.

The Lowdown: Romero leaves Manchester United

The 34-year-old is now a free agent after letting his contract run down at Manchester United.

As reported by Football Insider last month, the Goodison Park outfit have offered the Argentina international a lucrative deal in order to try to win the race for his signature.

The Latest: Romero claim

Speaking to Football Insider, Robinson – who is now a pundit after playing for the likes of Tottenham, Leeds and Blackburn – has claimed that Romero will not want to move to the Toffees if he is to be a backup for Jordan Pickford, and would not be able to force himself into becoming first choice under Rafa Benitez.

The 41-year-old commented:

“I cannot see anyone taking the gloves off Jordan Pickford at the moment. He has been exceptional at the Euros.

“I don’t think Romero wants to be in a situation when he is number two again. He has wasted enough time on the bench and I think he will want to go and play now.

“It would be very frustrating for him if he went to a club like Everton and did not play.

“He has done his time as an understudy. His next move has to be to a club where he is the number one.

“He is a good keeper who has brilliant distribution. He has been unfortunate at United.”

The Verdict: Competition does not hurt

Even though Pickford may well be the established number one at Goodison Park, it would not hurt for the England international to have some healthy competition in between the posts.

Romero would be perfect for that, given that he is already highly experienced in English football and would perhaps offer a calmer head than the 21-year-old Joao Virginia.

The 34-year-old has also won a fair share of accolades in his long footballing career, and he could be a good character to have off the pitch as well as on it.

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Given that Romero would not cost a penny in transfer fees either, it would be a deal which the Toffees would be silly not to at least try to make.

In other news, find out what recent news has left these Everton fans fuming

Sunderland suffered their first defeat in 15 games (Sky Sports) on Saturday against Charlton Athletic in League One, and the fans were far from happy with the performance of Josh Scowen.

The Black Cats are currently fighting for promotion to the Championship, but their 2-1 defeat against The Addicks is a huge blow to those hopes. Unfortunately, despite spending much of the match in control, they were unable to beat an opponent who themselves are also eyeing one of those coveted promotion spots.

The performance of Scowen was particularly disappointing for the fans. He actually put the ball into his own net to give the London outfit the lead, and struggled throughout the game in the middle of the park. Lee Johnson will be expecting more from him during the remaining few weeks of the season, even though he did grab what turned out to be a consolation goal.

The fans took took to social media platform Twitter in their droves to share their thoughts on his display.

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

“Scowen is a waste of space”

Credit: @SafcF1Fan

“Got nowt to do with that, when we play the right team we can create and score. Scowen in midfield totally ruins the team”

Credit: @DavidHindmarsh7

“Scowen is virtually on the line. It’s absolutely pathetic 4th division Sunday league clearance. If he can’t kick a ball like that properly then he needs to find another sport”

Credit: @SafcMod

“Scowen is embarrassing but making that save look like is shocking, he’s dove past the ball and then parried it back into the goal, embarrassing”

Credit: @BradfordGavin

“Get Scowen off I am not sure what he actually does full stop.”

Credit: @GuyAllison73

“How is Scowen still on the pitch? Dreadful”

Credit: @mgsmith95

In other news, Sunderland fans slammed this man against Peterborough on Monday.

Leeds United are reportedly eyeing up a summer move for VfL Wolfsburg midfielder Josip Brekalo, but they face competition for his signature.

The Lowdown: Midfield reinforcements needed

The Whites completed an excellent season last weekend, beating West Brom 3-1 to finish ninth in the Premier League, in their first year back in the top-flight.

Marcelo Bielsa will no doubt be content with the squad he currently has at his disposal, but will also see the need for new signings this summer.

Additions to Leeds’ midfield could be required, whether it be to support Kalvin Phillips or bring more creativity further up the pitch.

The Latest: Brekalo linked with Leeds move

According to Bild [via Sport Witness], Brekalo has emerged as a target for the Whites this summer, with Everton also keen on the 22-year-old.

Napoli, AC Milan and Fiorentina are also mentioned in the report, with the attacking midfielder having a number of admirers.

Brekalo scored seven goals and registered three assists in the Bundesliga in 2020/21 and has netted four times in 22 caps for Croatia.

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The Verdict: Ideal squad player?

At 22, Brekalo is still an emerging player, but he is also an established international who has the quality to be a success at Elland Road.

The youngster averaged 1.3 key passes per game in the league last season, which is superior to Phillips (1.2), suggesting he may bring more guile than the Leeds star, perhaps making them a perfect combination in midfield.

Brekalo may not come in as an immediate regular starter, but he could certainly be a key squad player, developing and becoming more influential as the season progresses, just like Rodrigo did.

In other news, Leeds have been urged to sign a player who could fill a key position this summer. Find out who it is here.

Former Leeds United midfielder Carlton Palmer has told Football FanCast that he expects his old side to make another move for Huddersfield Town star Lewis O’Brien in the future.

O’Brien, 22, was a target for Leeds during the summer transfer window, with the club’s director of football Victor Orta revealing to the Yorkshire Evening Post that the player’s valuation prevented a transfer.

Palmer, however, does not think that is the end of it and believes the Yorkshire club could revisit things when the transfer window is open again.

When asked by FFC if he could see Leeds making a fresh move for O’Brien, the ex-Whites player said:

“Yeah, for sure. You identify a player, but you don’t always get the player at the time. I remember when I signed for Leeds United, Howard Wilkinson told me he was tracking me for nearly three seasons before he was actually able to sign me and that’s the way it goes sometimes.

“You keep your scouts watching him, make sure he’s performing, make sure he’s the player that’s going to fit into the system that you want and then you test the water again at the appropriate time.”

Marcelo Bielsa and Leeds have already shown that they are not afraid to revisit previous targets.

After missing out on Dan James back in 2019, the Premier League outfit finally managed to land him last month. Perhaps a similar thing could happen with O’Brien in the new year.