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Former Premier League goalkeeper Paul Robinson has urged Liverpool to retain the services of Caoimhin Kelleher this summer. 

The lowdown: So far so good

Added to the Reds’ youth ranks as a teenager from Ringmahon Rangers, the 23-year-old made a combined 51 appearances for the under-23 and under-18 sides prior to becoming a regular part of Jurgen Klopp’s first-team plans.

The Cork native has made 17 senior outings for the Anfield club so far, playing a major role in the Carabao Cup success last season and also becoming a fully-fledged Republic of Ireland international.

Despite those personal achievements and a report from The Athletic claiming that the Irishman is part of the long-term plan, Kelleher remains the understudy to Alisson at Liverpool, but one pundit has backed the talented Irishman to stay put…

The latest: ‘Will get opportunities’

Speaking to Football Insider, Robinson – who contributes as a pundit for Sky Sports – has insisted that the Reds must keep the 23-year-old, with reports last month claiming that the Liverpool stopper may want to move elsewhere to get more game-time.

The former England goalkeeper said of Kelleher: “It is imperative that they keep him from a Liverpool point of view. He is so young. He has shown the ability that he has got. There is no doubt about it, he has the ability to play week in, week out as a number one.

“Every Premier League club carries two number one goalkeepers now. It is vitally important that they do because they are playing in so many competitions. Kelleher will get opportunities but it really depends what he wants.

“The number one has changed massively at the big clubs. Managers are not afraid to rotate goalkeepers now. There is always a clear number one at a club but if he is not playing well there is a number two there that the manager is able to put in.”

The verdict: Unfinished business

The pathway to becoming the first choice on Merseyside seems blocked for the foreseeable future given that Alisson is still only 29 years old and in a position whereby players tend to enjoy prolonged careers at the top.

However, Kelleher certainly has what it takes to pressurise the Brazilian for the number one berth and still has plenty to offer the Reds in the short term and in years to come.

Already a serial trophy winner, the eight-cap Irishman – who was dubbed ‘outstanding’ by Klopp for two penalty saves against Leicester City last season en route to Carabao Cup glory – has proven in his short career to be of the level required to perform on a consistent basis, and that could eventually force a move away.

Furthermore, having not been named in the Liverpool travelling party for their pre-season tour of the far east, there could well be concerns over whether the £7.2m-valued Kelleher is indeed content with a continued backup role at Anfield.

Tottenham Hotspur have made a breakthrough in negotiations for Middlesbrough defender Djed Spence.

The Lowdown: Levy locked in talks

The right-back typically plays his football at the Riverside Stadium, but spent the 2021/22 season out on loan at Nottingham Forest, where he helped the Reds gain promotion back to the Premier League for the first time in 23 years.

His impressive performances at the City Ground clearly caught the eye of the Lilywhites, who have been locked in talks with Boro over a potential move for the 21-year-old for weeks.

Reports last week claimed Daniel Levy had personally taken over negotiations before further updates in the last 24 hours revealed the club chief was just £1m away from Steve Gibson’s price tag, and it looks like that last gap may now have been bridged.

The Latest: Spurs make negotiation breakthrough

In an article published by 90min, it’s claimed that Tottenham are now ‘nearing an agreement’ with Middlesbrough for Spence, and are set to pay ‘roughly £15m’ up front for his services.

The source states that Spurs have made ‘headway in negotiations’, and hope to complete the deal ‘by the time pre-season training starts on Monday’, with the club ‘confident’ of getting it over the line.

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The Verdict: One for the future

Conte has already completed the signing of Richarlison from Everton, and it looks as though Spence will shortly be following in his footsteps to walk through the doors at Hotspur Way.

The Italian boss loves to give his wing-backs the chance to get forward, and the England U21 international does that perfectly, having provided five assists and scored three goals himself across all competitions for Forest last season, via Transfermarkt.

Spence, who was once hailed an ‘unbelievable’ player by BBC pundit Ian Wright, has so much potential for someone at such a young age, and should Spurs tie him down on a long-term basis – he will be one to build the team around in future years to come.

Celtic need to have at least three strong strikers next season if they want to make an impact in the Champions League, according to journalist Anthony Joseph.

The Lowdown: Lacking a true target man

The Hoops enjoyed a superb 2021/22 season, regaining the Premiership title, but that’s not to say that everything was perfect at Parkhead.

Ange Postecoglou didn’t possess a truly ruthless marksman in his ranks, with the goals shared out among the squad and Kyogo Furuhashi leading the way with 20 in all competitions.

It is an area which could be improved upon in the coming weeks, especially with a return to the Champions League group stage next season for the first time since 2017/18.

The Latest: Joseph makes transfer claim

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Joseph highlighted attack as a key area of focus for Celtic in the transfer market this summer.

He claimed:

“If Celtic want to really make a mark in Europe and do well, whether that’s finishing third in the Champions League and getting into the Europa League and having a run there, then they will need at least three solid number nines.”

The Verdict: Attacking firepower required

Joseph is quite right in his assessment, with the addition of a couple of bona fide penalty box predators having the potential to take this Celtic squad up another level next season.

The Scottish champions could certainly do with signing at least one such player, in order for Postecoglou to have a genuine target man as an option, with Champions League defences unlikely to be too scared of the Hoops’ current attack.

It would be a huge shame if Celtic’s hard work comes undone after such a great season, once again exiting Europe’s premier club competition at the first hurdle, and possibly even suffering in the Premiership because of a lack of firepower, too.

Luke Edwards has now shared his views on the arrival of Sven Botman at Newcastle United, thrilled by the show of ambition from the Magpies in beating seven-time European champions AC Milan.

The Lowdown: Botman’s arrival

After a long round of negotiations, the Magpies have now secured the signing of Lille centre-back Botman, who joins Eddie Howe’s side on a five year contract.

Newcastle eventually came to an agreement with the French side after months of talks dating back to January, with a £32m fee deemed acceptable for the promising youngster.

The Toon were locked in a battle with Serie A giants AC Milan to land the 22-year-old defender, with the Italian outfit unwilling to match Lille’s valuation of the player.

The Latest: Edwards’ reaction

Edwards has now shared his views on Newcastle’s latest signing, proclaiming that this is a sign of things to come for the North East club.

Taking to Twitter, the journalist exclaimed:

“Botman was on #nufc scouting list this time last year but there was no chance they could have signed him then and beating AC Milan to do so was simply unimaginable. The times are a changing.”

The Verdict: Great signing

According to SofaScore match ratings, Botman was Lille’s most valuable player for the 2021/22 Ligue 1 season, having averaged an impressive 7.10 score across 25 appearances.

This praise has been supported by teammate Jose Fonte, an experienced Premier League defender, who claimed: “He’s tall, he’s considerably fast, he has a great left foot, he gives great balls between the lines and he reads the game very well. Listen, I loved every time, every game that we played together.

“He’s good now offensively too, he has improved. He scores goals. I think he can deal with the Premier League. For sure it’s going to be a great test for him, but I think he can deal with it, 100%.”

Given such remarks from a player with 177 English top-flight games under his belt, this is certainly an exciting signing for Magpies fans.

As Edwards suggests, beating the likes of Milan to the Dutchman’s signature highlights a huge change in Newcastle’s status as a club across Europe.

Rangers Review and Sky Sports journalist Joshua Barrie has now revealed some positive ‘talks’ which have now taken place inside Glasgow Rangers.

The Lowdown: Talks ongoing…

It has been reported that the Ibrox club held talks with Allan McGregor over his future with the Light Blues last week.

The 40-year-old is out of contract this summer, meaning that he can leave on a free transfer if his deal is allowed to run down.

The Latest: Progress being made

Taking to Twitter, Barrie has revealed that talks between McGregor and Rangers are now ‘progressing’, adding that both sides are ‘keen’ for a deal to be reached.

He outlined: “I understand that talks between Allan McGregor and Rangers are progressing with both sides keen for a deal to be agreed.”

The Verdict: One more year

McGregor’s performances last season, and his overall loyalty to the club, has meant that he is deserving of staying another year with the Teddy Bears.

The 40-year-old remarkably played more than 4,000 minutes of football in total across all competitions in 2021/22, keeping 17 clean sheets in the process, and he has showed no signs of slowing down as of yet.

In Rangers’ memorable Europa League campaign, McGregor saved a penalty, made no errors leading to goals and averaged 2.9 saves per game (SofaScore), being a key player in helping them to reach the final against Eintracht Frankfurt.

If the goalkeeper can continue playing at a high level, there is no reason for the Light Blues not to keep hold of him.

In other news, find out who the Gers are now battling Celtic to sign here!

It’s no secret that Everton need a major summer overhaul following on from their narrow escape from Premier League relegation at the end of last season.

Frank Lampard inherited a squad which should have had enough quality to finish much higher than their eventual position of 16th in the table, and he now has the summer transfer window to clear out some deadwood and bring in a few upgrades.

One player that the 43-year-old should be aiming to bring in sooner rather than later is Matheus Nunes from Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon.

The midfielder has been linked with a move to Goodison Park according to O Jogo, who claimed that Everton showed initial interest in 2021 before continuing to watch him develop; and after a great season at Sporting, they are now looking to swoop.

Journalist Santi Aouna tweeted: “Info: Nunes has received approaches from Wolverhampton, Newcastle, and Everton. He will only be sold at the price of his release clause which is €60m.”

This works out as around £51m and would be a massive outlay for Everton, but they need to add quality to their ranks, and he is a major upgrade on Allan.

Not only is Nunes more of a goalscoring threat, netting three goals last season to the Brazilian’s zero, he also took more shots (22 to seven), giving himself a better chance of scoring.

Nunes created six big chances in the league last term, whereas Allan didn’t create any, and the Portuguese gem also took 12 more touches on average compared to the Everton midfielder (59.5 to 47.5), showing his composure on the ball.

Nunes was only dribbled past 0.7 times per match last season, while Allan let opponents go past him 2.5 times per 90 minutes.

These figures show the type of player that Lampard requires, and he could finally axe Allan in the process. Having been described as “one of the best players in the world today” by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, then it’s clear he will be able to excel in the Premier League.

AND in other news, “Full agreement”: Fabrizio Romano drops Everton transfer claim that’ll delight Lampard

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Marc Guehi to north London in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Jack Pitt-Brooke, with the journalist revealing in a recent article for The Athletic that Fabio Paratici and Antonio Conte are big admirers of the Crystal Palace centre-back, with the England international believed to be a potential alternative to Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni.

However, Pitt-Brooke added that, with the 21-year-old having four years remaining on his current contract at Selhurst Park, Patrick Vieira’s side have little incentive to negotiate with Spurs regarding any sale of the defender, with it being reported that it would take a huge fee to sign him this summer.

In his article, the journalist wrote: “Spurs are big admirers of Marc Guehi at Crystal Palace but he has four years remaining on his deal, meaning that Palace have no incentive to even negotiate with Spurs. It would take a huge fee to get him out at this point.”

The next John Terry

Considering just how exciting a prospect Guehi undoubtedly is, it’s not difficult to see why both Conte and Paratici would be keen on bringing the centre-back to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer.

Indeed, over his 36 Premier League appearances in 2021/22, the £60m-rated talent was imperious on the left of Palace’s centre-back pairing. He helped his side to keep 10 clean sheets, making 0.8 interceptions, one tackle and 3.5 clearances and winning 4.1 duels (at a success rate of 67%) per game.

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The £31k-per-week prodigy also impressed going forwards, scoring two goals, registering one assist and creating one big chance for his team-mates, in addition to making 57 passes and 4.4 long balls and taking 0.5 shots per match.

These returns saw the player who Vieira dubbed “unbelievable” earn a quite spectacular seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.03, ranking him as the Eagles’ second-best performer in the league last season.

Furthermore, as a result of his impressive reading of the game, Tom Barclay went as far as to compare the Chelsea academy product’s style of play to that of one of the best centre-backs to ever grace the English top flight, in John Terry.

Speaking about Guehi in an interview with GIVEMESPORT earlier this year, the journalist said: “He’s never been blessed with rapid pace, but his understanding of the game has really helped him on that front.

“I’m not surprised that John Terry is his idol. When you consider the similarities, John Terry didn’t have a lot of pace but his reading of the game nullified that problem.”

A deal appears unlikely at present, but should Paratici somehow manage to convince Palace to part with their centre-back sensation this summer, the sporting director could well have unearthed the next Terry at Tottenham. That is certain to be a hugely exciting prospect both for Conte and for supporters of the club alike.

AND in other news: “Told..”: Journo reveals Paratici now “very close” to Spurs deal, Arteta will be livid

Wolves are reportedly the leading candidates to sign highly-rated Braga centre-back David Carmo in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Centre-back needed?

Romain Saiss is leaving Molineux this summer, which will leave Bruno Lage with fewer defensive options ahead of next season.

With Conor Coady’s future also potentially up in the air amid interest from Everton, there is no doubt that a new centre-back has to be one of Wolves’ transfer priorities in the coming weeks and months.

An exciting new rumour is now doing the rounds in that respect.

The Latest: Wolves could have Carmo edge

According to O Jogo [via Sport Witness], Wolves are the ‘latest’ club to enter the race to sign Braga defender Carmo this summer, and they have made an approach for the Portuguese gem.

The report stated that the 22-year-old ‘fulfils the demanded requirements’ from Lage, and that the Old Gold could now ‘take the lead’ in the battle ahead of fellow Premier League clubs Liverpool and Manchester United.

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The Verdict: Ideal summer signing

Carmo could be a superb prospective signing for Wolves ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, with the youngster hailed as a ‘fantastic’ player by his manager Carlos Carvalhal.

He averaged 3.4 successful aerial duels per game across five Europa League appearances this season, along with an incredible 6.2 clearances per match. Across all competitions in 2021/22 he won 2.8 headers per game, which would put him second in Lage’s squad ahead of the likes of towering 6 foot 5 centre-back Max Kilman (2.2).

Carmo would come to Molineux as an immediate first-team solution and also a long-term acquisition, possibly making Wolves even harder to break down, having boasted the best defensive record of any team outside the top four in the most recent Premier League campaign.

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In other news, a foreign source has dropped a Wolves transfer claim. Read more here.

Steven Gerrard will be looking forward to the new Premier League season, especially when you consider the signings that Aston Villa have made before the transfer window officially opens.

The 42-year-old has managed to secure Philippe Coutinho on a permanent deal, while Diego Carlos and Boubacar Kamara have also arrived, and the spine of the side looks excellent so far.

The signing of Carlos in particular has been a pleasing one for the Villa faithful, with the defence being an area of concern last season. They conceded 54 goals in the league in 2021/22, so the signing of the Brazilian centre-back should improve this aspect next term.

The question is, who will partner with him? Tyrone Mings (6.74) and Ezri Konsa (6.43) ranked 10th and 17th in the Aston Villa squad on WhoScored for the most recent campaign, signifying that their performances have been underwhelming.

However, with a report from The Athletic stating that Villa are favourites to sign Burnley defender James Tarkowski, Gerrard may have found the perfect partner for Carlos.

Imagine Tarkowski and Carlos

The £70k-p/w centre back, who was described as a “rock” by journalist Alex James, has plenty of Premier League experience (194 games) and would slot well into the Villa backline.

Tarkowski ranks in the top 1% compared to positional peers in the big five European leagues for both blocks (2.67 per 90) and aerial duels won (4.95 per 90), so his would certainly appear to be a shrewd signing for Gerrard to make.

His physical prowess and defensive ability would be welcomed at Villa Park ahead of what is a crucial season for Gerrard and his team. A fast start is required or there might be a few doubts lingering in the air as to whether or not the 42-year-old is suited to Premier League management, having lost more matches than he’s won so far in the Midlands.

Only time will tell, but Villa supporters will love that the manager has made a head start on recruitment, with more new faces on the way hopefully.

AND in other news, Gerrard must axe “frustrating” Aston Villa liability in deal for “unreal” £10m dynamo

While PIF and Eddie Howe have already made astute transfer market moves at Newcastle United in 2022, the previous regime was blighted with transfer mistakes and missed opportunities, with former owner Mike Ashley and Howe’s predecessor Steve Bruce not exactly making the wisest transfer dealings.

One common theme that dominated previous years was inaction in the transfer window, with the Magpies having been far too hesitant and reluctant to spend, despite their continual suffering at the foot of the table.

That frugality and stubbornness often saw the Tynesiders miss out on potential stars, with Arsenal’s Takehiro Tomiyasu just one name to have escaped the clutches of Bruce and co in recent seasons.

While he was eventually signed by the Gunners on a £20m deal last summer, the Japan international could have actually been snapped up a year prior, with the northeast side reportedly scouting the versatile full-back while at former club Bologna, alongside West Ham.

A further report suggested that the Serie A outfit had set the player’s asking price at just £15m – £5m less than he was eventually sold for a year later – although Newcastle passed up the chance, instead opting to bring in the likes of Jeff Hendrick, Ryan Fraser and Jamal Lewis that summer, as well as the more successful signing of Callum Wilson.

The club have seemingly been left to pay for that mistake since then, however, having been left with just Emil Krafth and Javier Manquillo as right-back options for much of the last two seasons, with Kieran Trippier having struggled with injury since his January arrival.

Even at centre-back, however, Tomiyasu would likely have been a more than adequate replacement, with the club having shipped 62 league goals in the 2021/22 campaign – the sixth-worst record in the division.

As for the £57k-per-week gem, he also had his troubles with injury during his debut campaign at the club, although has managed to earn rave reviews from across the game, having been dubbed Arsenal’s “signing of the season” for his impact by journalist Kaya Kaynak, while teammate Ben White also insisted that the 28-cap star “does the simple things at a world-class level.”

Although the aforementioned Trippier has somewhat softened the blow at having missed out on the 23-year-old, Bruce and Ashley’s failings did leave the club without a quality right-back for almost 18 months, with recruitment defensively as whole having been shoddy in recent years.

Now valued at £22.5m, Tomiyasu looks likely to prove a bargain even for Mikel Arteta’s side, with it hard to believe that Newcastle missed the chance to sign him for just £15m – another major error of the Bruce-Ashley era.

IN other news, Eddie Howe can now help NUFC sign “spectacular” £64m “nightmare”, he’s better than Saint-Maximin