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Watford are plotting a move for Inter Milan’s Ashley Young this summer, according to reports.

What’s been said?

A recent report by Football League World has claimed that sources have released Xisco Munoz’s plans to bring Young back to the club where he started his footballing career, with an offer believed to be in the process of being lodged with the Serie A side.

The report also states that the 35-year-old is interested in the switch back to his old club, who have recently secured their immediate return to the Premier League after being relegated last season.

Past his best

Regardless of how romantic a summer return to Watford would be for Young, there are a considerable amount of reasons why a move for the left midfielder, who Paul Scholes once dubbed as “embarrassing”, simply would not make sense for the club.

Firstly, with Young edging closer and closer towards the end of his career as a footballer, the signing of the 35-year-old would not exactly be a move that screams of the Hornets planning for the long-term, as Young is not likely to have too many seasons remaining at the top of his game.

Secondly, with the former Aston Villa man reported to be on a whopping £91,000-per-week in Italy, if the midfielder were to demand a salary anywhere near this amount of money in a potential switch to Watford, he would comfortably become the club’s highest earner – something that is not likely to please a number of the current squad.

Furthermore, with a number of options already in the Watford side who can comfortably operate along the left-hand side of the pitch, there does not particularly appear a real need to sign Young – particularly when considering how much the midfielder would cost the Hornets in wages.

As such, it would be highly advisable for Xisco to turn his gaze away from a summer move for Young, and rather concentrate on building a team that is capable of surviving in the Premier League on a long-term basis.

In other news: Bye-bye Deeney: Journalist drops transfer news on “magnificent” ace Watford must land – opinion

Steve Bruce should allow Norwich City to sign Celtic defender Kristoffer Ajer, after Daniel Farke’s Premier League-bound Canaries joined the emerging race for Newcastle United’s summer target.

What’s the word?

According to CaughtOffside, Norwich have informed Celtic of their desire to secure a deal for Ajer as the Premiership giants prepare to cash in.

The Hoops have warmed to allowing the Norway international to leave Parkhead at the end of the season as he will enter the final year of his current Hoops contract in June.

His situation is thought to also be of interest to Newcastle, after the Toon approached Celtic to discuss Ajer’s situation recently.

Both Newcastle and Norwich are claimed to have a keen interest in securing Ajer’s signature in the off-season, with the 23-year-old able to operate in central defence as well as at right-back and in a holding midfield role.

The Magpies were previously linked with preparing an £8m assault on Glasgow for Ajer, who Celtic believe is worth closer to £35m but are in a weakened position due to the limited time remaining on his £14,000-per-week terms.

Newcastle anticipated competition would arrive for Ajer and are aware that having Premier League status will be key in any negotiations, which Norwich secured last week and will now contend with Watford for the Championship title.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-newcastle-news%2c-gossip-and-views-2″ title=”Latest Newcastle news, gossip and views!”]

A clutch of unnamed clubs are also said to have approached Celtic to enquire over Ajer’s availability, and it remains to be seen if AC Milan revisit the 21-cap defender’s situation after Technical Director Paolo Maldini confirmed the Serie A side’s interest last summer.

Should Newcastle sign Celtic’s Ajer?

Newcastle may struggle to secure Ajer’s services for the previously reported fee that Bruce’s side were preparing to submit if Norwich and fellow suitors arrive on the scene, especially with interest from Italy noted and prior links with Arsenal and Leicester City.

But United missing out on the 6 ft 5 man mountain may not be the end of the world for Bruce, as Ajer has been highly criticised for his efforts in Celtic’s ill-fated attempt at winning a 10th Premiership title in a row.

Ajer has been a fixture of the Hoops backline this season, with the 23-year-old starting 30 of his 31 appearances and only missing two fixtures after being forced to go into quarantine, but was unable to prevent results going astray and Rangers winning the title.

Even still, the Daily Record quoted Ajer as claiming last month: “If I am only to look at my performances, it may have been my best season at the club.”

His comment left former Celtic striker Frank McAvennie irate, telling Football Insider: “He flung his teammates under the bus.”

He added: “The manager will want rid of him; he hasn’t done anything. Ajer doesn’t even want to head the ball, so he has to go and play in Italy or Germany where they play with it at the back. Celtic need someone who can go and win the ball and he’s not the man to do that.”

Newcastle will likely need to sign a defender capable of winning the ball frequently in the summer, with Bruce’s side ranking 18th of the 20 Premier League clubs for the least shots allowed per game (14.6) and 15th for successful tackles (13.8) this season, per WhoScored.

Clearly, it remains to be seen if Ajer is that man, meaning Bruce can avoid a summer swoop and allow Norwich to seal a deal if the newly promoted Canaries persist with their interest.

AND in other news, Newcastle have been backed to bring a £2.5m-rated beast who “really impressed” back to St. James this summer…

Former Sheffield United star Keith Gillespie has told Football FanCast that Rhian Brewster should stay at the club next season and help fire them to promotion.

The young striker has struggled this season at times in a poor Blades team.

They are currently rock-bottom of the Premier League, having taken just 14 points from 30 games.

Brewster arrived in the summer from Liverpool for a fee of £23.5m in the summer, a club-record fee that seemed to mark him out as their next first-choice striker who could hit the back of the net with regularity.

He has struggled, though, playing 24 times for the club in all competitions and failing to score a goal.

It has been roundly terrible for the 21-year-old but he does have history of hitting the back of the net, scoring 11 times in 22 games for Swansea City in the Championship while on loan from Liverpool, and scoring 13 goals in 28 games for Liverpool’s U23s.

Gillespie has refused to criticise the player, instead insisting he should stay for another season and try to help fire the Blades to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

He told FFC: “He has suffered with not scoring, it is tough when you are that age and you come with a reputation of scoring goals.

“But I’d like to think he’d show loyalty to Sheffield United, and he’ll be there next season. I’d imagine he’d probably score quite a few goals in the Championship and hopefully help Sheffield United back to the Premier League.”

The lawyer of Glasgow Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara believes the police now have enough evidence to charge Ondrej Kudela for “racially aggravated conduct”.

Kamara lawyer discusses case

Aamer Anwar is representing Finland international Kamara after he accused Kudela of racist abuse during the Europa League round of 16 clash between the Gers and Slavia Prague at Ibrox.

Speaking about the progression of the case, Anwar said (via The Herald):

“The police have now gathered evidence including CCTV as well as statements from witnesses that we believe would corroborate sufficient evidence for a criminal charge of a ‘racially aggravated conduct’ by Kudela – in that it is alleged he intended to cause Glen Kamara alarm or distress and his conduct was motivated by malice and ill-will because of Glen’s race.

“If Police Scotland believe there is sufficiency of evidence, then they can swiftly move to a charge of a Section 50A(1)(b) offence under Criminal Procedure Scotland Act 1995, that would mean that Mr Kudela would be reported to the Procurator Fiscal.

“Mr Kudela could then be served with a citation to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court at a later date and ultimately at a trial if he does plead guilty in advance.”

Finally

Finally, it seems that we may be close to some sort of outcome in regards to this case. Since the game was played on March 18th, there have been accusations thrown back and forth – Slavia have accused Kamara of striking Kudela on the back of the head in the tunnel (slavia.cz), while there have also been suggestions Nicolae Stanciu received abuse from a Rangers player (eFotbal.cz).
It remains to be seen whether Kudela is actually found guilty, but putting together a strong case is a start. The result of the impending trial is important – whatever verdict is reached will send out a message in regards to the fight against racism.
In other news, Rangers are said to be interested in this 27-goal striker.

According to a report by the Daily Express, Tottenham Hotspur have ‘made their move’ to win the race for highly rated defender Joachim Andersen as Daniel Levy schedules talks with the player’s representatives.

Tottenham set for Andersen talks

As per this significant update, the Spurs chairman is apparently set to sit down with Andersen’s agents in the ‘next few weeks’ to discuss a possible transfer to Tottenham this summer.

The towering Danish colossus has apparently ‘made his way onto Spurs’ summer shortlist’, with reliable correspondent Alasdair Gold first reporting that he has attracted attention from the Lilywhites.

The Daily Express have now claimed that Levy is apparently set to meet with Andersen’s representatives imminently and that Tottenham have ‘made their move’ to win the race for his signature.

Transfer Tavern take

The 6 foot 3 (1.92m) sensation has impressed under Fulham manager Scott Parker this season on loan from Lyon, starting 26 Premier League matches and averaging the joint-fifth most clearances per game in the entire division (WhoScored).

Compared to Tottenham’s squad, only Joe Rodon has averaged more interceptions per game than the Dane’s 1.3, while he is also beaten in fewer dribbles per match than Spurs centre-backs Davinson Sanchez and Toby Alderweireld.

These exploits are arguably incentive to consider Andersen as a top target, with Cottagers legend Tony Gale describing him as ‘absolutely sensational’ (fulhamfc.com).

Gold first explained that Spurs are chasing a ‘leader’ who can marshal their shaky backline, and Andersen definitely seems to fit the bill as Levy schedules transfer talks.

In other news: Journalist drops enticing Tottenham transfer claim, find out more here.

At one point, it seemed destined for Burnley to go down this season. However, Sean Dyche’s side’s resurgence following Christmas has been palpable. After being pitted at the bottom for a prolonged period, Burnley now find themselves two points clear of the relegation zone.

The Clarets are unbeaten in six, having taken full points against West Ham United as well as relegation rivals Fulham and Huddersfield Town. The courageous draw at Old Trafford, in which they displayed some exemplary stubborn defending, proved Burnley had regained last season’s form, exemplified in them having kept two clean sheets and conceded only five in last six games.

With defenders Ben Mee, James Tarkowski and captain Tom Heaton in inspired form and striking duo Wood and Barnes scoring again, Burnley’s survival hopes have been strengthened. Dyche’s brilliant turnaround might’ve earned him a Premier League manager of the month nomination, but he needs to keep strengthening his side’s resolve.

In this final stretch, Burnley host top six sides in Manchester City, Tottenham and Arsenal while travelling to Merseyside twice. While the victories against relegation rivals were vital, the Clarets need to keep gaining maximum points to assure safety. In a league like the Premier League, this unpredictable relegation battle could soon turn on their heads.

The Clarets have to dig their heels in and bully opponents into surrendering points. While tough times lay await, Burnley’s recent resurgence indicates that they should live to fight another season in the English top-flight.

Dyche has largely turned it around but he’ll know more than anyone not to get too comfortable if those at Turf Moor are going to stay in the Premier League, considering the run in they have.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Frank McAvennie said that he believes Jonjoe Kenny would be a good addition for his former side this summer.

Kenny is a product of Everton’s Academy, but has spent the majority of the previous three seasons out on loan in order to gain valuable experience away from Goodison Park.

His most productive stint came at Schalke last season, although his impressive performances in the Bundesliga led to him making just one Premier League start following his return to Everton last summer.

Kenny’s only other starts came in the EFL Cup, meaning the defender was sent out on loan in January – this time north of the border to Celtic.

Since arriving in Glasgow, the 24-year-old has played every minute of Celtic’s nine Scottish Premiership games, including Sunday’s draw in the Old Firm derby.

“If he would come to Celtic on a permanent basis I would be happy with that signing,” McAvennie told Football FanCast when asked whether Celtic should sign the Everton full-back permanently.

He added: “I like him. I think he’s a decent player. The first two or three games he came in, he was getting past the defenders and whipping the ball into the box. As a former striker, I would have ate them up.

“But the strikers at Celtic don’t. Edouard wasn’t getting in there, he likes everything into his feet. So it was hard. Ajeti and Klimala were getting chances, but weren’t putting them away. I don’t think they’ve had crosses like that for such a long time, they didn’t know what to do with them.”

Kenny has entered the final 18 months of his contract at Everton, and is down the pecking order under Carlo Ancelotti, meaning there’s every chance he’ll be moved on this summer, with Celtic Park up there with his likeliest destinations.

The contract talks of Sheffield Wednesday star Adam Reach have been put on hold until the end of the season.

What’s the word?

That’s according to Yorkshire Live’s Sheffield Wednesday correspondent Dom Howson, who revealed in a recent Q&A that Dejphon Chansiri has put the contract talks of Reach – as well as every other Owls player – on hold until the end of the season, despite the fact that these talks reportedly began back in December.

When asked for an update on the progression of Reach’s new deal, Howson said: “From what I have been told, all contract talks have been put on the back-burner until the end of the season.”

A risk not worth taking

Despite Wednesday’s diabolical Championship campaign this season, Reach has been one of the few shining lights coming out of Hillsborough.

Over the 28-year-old’s 42 league appearances this term, he has scored five goals, provided three assists and created five big chances, as well as making an average of 0.8 key passes and taking 1.2 shots per game, culminating in an average SofaScore match rating of 6.83 – ranking him as the Owls’ fifth-best performer in the second tier.

In addition to this, following the appointment of Darren Moore as the Wednesday boss back in March, the £23,000-per-week midfielder appears to have taken his game to a new level, scoring two goals and registering one assist over his 11 appearances under the 47-year-old manager, as well as averaging a SofaScore match rating of 6.99 in the same period.

As such, regardless of which league the Owls are playing their football in next season, the tying of Reach down to a new deal is an absolute priority for Wednesday this summer.

Thus, Chansiri’s risk of waiting until the end of the season to finalise a contract is certainly not one worth taking when it comes to the midfielder Chey Dunkley dubbed a “leader” in the team, as other Championship clubs will undoubtedly be keeping a very close eye on the situation of Reach in the coming weeks.

In other news: Howson drops big transfer claim on SWFC’s “constant threat”, Moore will be gutted – opinion

Perhaps one criticism you could make of Steven Gerrard’s title-winning campaign as Rangers manager was the lack of opportunities for young players, but he can put that right by promoting Chris McKee to his first-team at Ibrox next season.

The 18-year-old, who joined Rangers from Linfield in 2018, has been scoring goals for fun in the academy in recent seasons and was rewarded with a new contract with the club in 2020, one which will see him stay with Gerrard’s side until 2022 at least.

He also earned his first call-up to the Northern Ireland U’21s earlier this season as a result of his performances for the Rangers B team, with whom he had scored eight goals by November, which was double the amount scored by any other player, which certainly suggests that he is one of the stars in the academy.

Earlier this month, McKee was sent on loan to Brechin City in League Two, having scored twice and assisted another in a friendly match between Brechin and Rangers’ B team back in November.

Although games have been postponed for all of this year so far as a result of the pandemic, the season resumes this weekend, so it will be interesting to see how McKee performs for Michael Paton’s side.

If he can impress in lower league football then perhaps he will earn a chance to make his debut for Rangers next season, although opportunities for young players in Gerrard’s side have been hard to come by this season.

Other than first-team regular Ianis Hagi, who is 22, we have seen just Calvin Bassey (21) make seven appearances in the league this season, whilst Nathan Patterson (19), has made four league appearances – which is arguably only due to the injury suffered by the influential James Tavernier.

Earlier in the year, Noel Whelan was full of praise for McKee in an interview with Football Insider, saying:

“Rangers have barely paid anything for McKee. He is a young player who knows where the back of the net is so he is worth his weight in gold, he really is.”

Therefore, whilst it may be tough for McKee to force his way into Gerrard’s plans, this loan move to Brechin City represents a real opportunity for him to find his feet in ‘men’s football’ before returning to Rangers ahead of next season, where he can hopefully make a real impression.

And, in other news… Wilson must not rush transfer decision on Rangers ace who Gerrard dubbed a “real threat”

Former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer deserves a new contract.

The Telegraph recently reported that Solskjaer is in line for a new deal even if the Red Devils finish the season trophyless, and Palmer believes it would be completely justified.

Manchester United are currently second in the Premier League and there is still a chance that Solskjaer does end the campaign with some silverware.

His side are still in the Europa League, taking on La Liga outfit Granada next in the quarter-finals, and will surely fancy their chances of making the final this year after coming so close last term.

On the news that Solskjaer could be set to sign a new contract at Old Trafford, Palmer told FFC:

“Listen, if he finishes second in the Premier League, I don’t think there’s any manager in the world who wouldn’t be expecting to get a new contract. Where else can you finish? The only other place you can finish is first. City are on a different level at the moment, on a different level. So if he finishes second, I think he’s done a remarkable job.

“I think he’s handled himself very well when, you know, they’ve had a little blip. Everybody’s been talking about [Mauricio] Pochettino and linking other managers to the football club, saying that he shouldn’t be there. I think he’s done very, very well at the football club.”

The ex-Sheffield Wednesday midfielder finished off by saying:

“They’ve only finished second again to an outstanding Man City side who could do something really special this season, to be honest with you. They could do something really special. So, yeah, for sure. 110% he deserves his new contract.”

Having overtaken Liverpool this season, the next step now is to close the gap with Manchester City. Easier said than done.