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Wayne Rooney could be planning a move to bring Lee Gregory back to Derby County this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Derbyshire Live, who claim that the 35-year-old Rams boss may be targeting a move to bring the Stoke City centre-forward, who spent the second half of the campaign on loan at Pride Park, back to the club for next season.

Speaking last month about the possibility of the £450,000-rated 32-year-old returning to Derby, Rooney, as cited by Derbyshire Live, stated: “Losing Lee was a blow because he was in good form. He’ll do his rehab and we will help him get back fit, and [will] obviously make a decision on Lee at the end of the season.

“I think he has been fantastic – attitude, energy, hunger. He’s very good inside the six-yard box, his anticipation to get himself in the right position to score goals is very good.”

Rooney must avoid move

While Gregory did manage to score three goals and provide one assist over his 11 appearances while on loan at Derby County, prior to picking up a hamstring injury that ruled him out of the club’s last seven Championship fixtures, there are a number of reasons why Rooney must avoid a move for the former Millwall man this summer.

Firstly, while the Derby boss may well be impressed with the striker’s hunger, energy and attitude, the fact remains that, throughout his career, Gregory has only ever scored 10 or more goals in a Championship season on two occasions – in his 2017/18 and 2018/19 Championship campaigns with the Lions, when he scored 10 and 12 goals respectively.

Secondly, with the £17,500-per-week forward still under contract for a further year with Stoke, unless Derby can somehow persuade the Potters to allow them to take Gregory off their hands for nothing, then he will cost a fee – something that, considering the state of Derby’s current finances, would appear to be a waste of money on a 32-year-old with little to no resale value.

Finally, there is an argument to make that there are much better options available for Derby in the transfer window, not only in terms of quality but also in price, with a number of impressive talents becoming available on free transfers this summer – such as Sunderland’s 29-goal hitman Charlie Wyke.

As such, it would be highly advisable for Rooney to resist the temptation to simply return to a player he knows in the upcoming transfer window, as the Rams need to make considerable improvements, rather than just treading water.

In other news: Alan Nixon delivers encouraging Derby County update, fans will surely be buzzing – opinion

Manchester United reportedly want to add to their midfield options this summer with the addition of Barcelona midfielder Miralem Pjanic.

According to Fichajes, Red Devils’ boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is a huge fan of the Bosnian and sees him as an ideal replacement for Fred in the heart of the United midfield.

However, Ed Woodward – who is set to leave Old Trafford at the end of the year – would be rounding off his tenure with a shocking mistake should he sign-off a move.

Since arriving at the Nou Camp, Pjanic really has been underwhelming. The 31-year-old has made just 28 appearances in all competitions for the Catalans, only managing to rack up three assists. Compare this to even his last season in Turin, where he notched three goals and eight assists in all competitions, it is clear that Pjanic is currently on the decline.

That aspect is certainly exemplified by the huge hit that his transfer valuation has taken whilst in Spain.

Having been rated at £63m as recently as December 2019, the former AS Roma man now sits at just £25.2m – a huge drop of just under £38m in a year-and-a-half.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/the-latest-man-united-transfer-rumours-and-news-from-old-trafford-fofana-solskjaer-van-de-beek-wwodward” title=”The latest Man United transfer rumours and news from Old Trafford…”]

Now over 30, there is no reason to suggest that he might be able to recover both his form and his rating.

It is mystifying then that Solskjaer wants to replace Fred – who is three years his junior – with the current Barca midfielder.

According to WhoScored, the current Manchester United man comes out on top in tackles and interceptions, clearly excelling in his preferred defensive midfield role.

Intriguingly though, the Brazilian also excels in an attacking vein too having racked up more shots, key passes and dribbles than Pjanic per game throughout 2020/21.

Again then, it seems bizarre that Solskjaer would see the Barcelona midfielder as a viable option in the centre of the park.

Should Woodward agree a deal to sign him this summer then he would be making another glaring error.

AND in more news, read which summer signing the Red Devils must hold onto for next season…

Liverpool finally halted their Anfield woes on Saturday afternoon with a late victory against Aston Villa.

Jurgen Klopp’s Reds had initially gone behind to Ollie Watkins’ strike, with Roberto Firmino seeing his equaliser ruled out by a tight offside call from VAR.

However, they did manage to roar back through Mo Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold, the latter firing in a 90th minute winner.

Despite the right-back proving key for the reigning champions, it was actually his defensive colleague Nathaniel Phillips who should indeed be earning more praise for his performance.

The centre-back, who earns £64k per-week at Anfield, turned in a thoroughly dominant defensive showing throughout the afternoon.

According to WhoScored, the 24-year-old contributed two tackles and a further seven clearances. For comparison, the rest of the Liverpool side could only contribute nine clearances between them throughout the match.

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Whilst his anticipation of danger was extremely impressive, Phillips was also tough to deal with when faced up with his direct opponents.

Of the 17 duels he attempted against Aston Villa both on the ground and in the air, he won a huge 13 of those according to SofaScore – a huge increase on his 7.1 average per match in the Premier League this season.

Phillips was of course pivotal from a defensive standpoint but the Englishman also had his fair share of influence on the ball for the Reds, too.

Of the 72 passes that he completed, the most of every single player in the entire match, three of those were key. Once again, no player for either side completed more key passes than the Liverpool centre-back.

So, whilst Trent Alexander-Arnold will draw plenty of praise for what turned out to be his winning strike, Phillips was equally if not more pivotal in the Reds claiming a much sought-after Anfield win in the Premier League.

AND in more news, find out which other young defender the Reds must not sell…

As confirmed by the club, Norwich City loanee Ben Gibson will miss the rest of the 2020/21 Championship season following an ankle ligament injury, prompting many supporters to voice their despair as this ‘awful news’ emerges.

Gibson – who has been a mainstay under Daniel Farke this season, starting 26 matches in England’s second tier (WhoScored) – will now be absent for the remainder of the promotion-chasing campaign.

The 28-year-old has helped guide Farke’s table-topping Canaries to within touching distance of promotion back to the Premier League, but news of him being ruled out for their remaining matches has resulted in some concern.

Gibson and centre-back partner Grant Hanley are regarded by some sections of the press as potentially Farke’s best-ever defensive pairing in his time at Norwich, leaving little wonder as to why one of the duo’s absence has prompted discussion on social media.

Find some of the supporters’ verdicts on this news below.

Norwich City fans erupt over Gibson injury

“Awful news but he will be back stronger”

Credit: @Airheadange

“oh my God, Ben please take my ankle, you need it more than me”

Credit: @nikosrobinson

“This is a massive blow”

Credit: @mattterry08

“such sad news 🙁 he’s been immense for us! hope you come back stronger”

Credit: @aimeencfc18

“Ahhhh gutted. This will be a big loss.

Get well soon Gibson”

Credit: @RoryHaczewski

“He’s been superb for us this season. Gutted”

Credit: @lewisjarrett4

“That’s a big blow.”

Credit: @sji1616

In other news: Norwich City transfers that shook the club, read more about it here.

Jonas Lossl has told The Athletic that he felt he had the talent to replace Jordan Pickford as Everton’s number one when he sealed a free transfer from Huddersfield Town in 2019.

The Blues moved to snap up Lossl under the leadership of Marco Silva following the Terriers relegation to the second-tier, yet the 32-year-old never played a game for the Merseyside outfit.

Silva ensured that Lossl remained a constant understudy for Pickford and that picture did not change when the Portuguese was replaced at the helm by Carlo Ancelotti, who sanctioned a loan move back to the John Smith’s Stadium just six weeks into his tenure.

Lossl hoped that his return in the summer of 2020 would see Ancelotti offer him a chance at earning minutes at Goodison Park after the departure of Maarten Stekelenburg, but the arrival of Robin Olsen on loan from AS Roma saw an end to that.

“The situation at Everton was not for me,” Lossl claims. “I went with the expectation and hope of challenging Jordan Pickford and getting game time. Because of different situations, that didn’t happen. I thought all along I could go and get in front of Jordan. It was my chance to get into a team like that, but I didn’t take it.”

The arrival of Olsen a year later and Ancelotti favouring the Sweden international as Pickford’s understudy caught Lossl by surprise, and paved the way for his eventual exit on Deadline Day in February when he re-joined former side FC Midtjylland.

“Of course I was [surprised] and sad because they were changing me out,” Lossl added. “I didn’t expect that. If I’d known, I’d have tried to prevent it — if not get another move, then tell them not to do it because he took my place.

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“Robin came in how many hours before closing time? It was difficult [for me] to do something. I felt from the beginning that I did not want to be third-choice. I worked my *** off in autumn to try to prove that it was the wrong decision, and they should play me.

“We had a cup game the week before I left, so I went to Carlo and said: ‘Give me the chance to prove that I can play,’ but we had an honest conversation and they told me: ‘This is not the club for you and if you want to play, then we need to find a solution.’”

Lossl holds no ill-feelings for anyone for the way that his Everton career panned out, and is now back at the side where he began his career in Midtjylland, seven years after leaving the Danish club for EA Guingamp.

Yet minutes have not been overly forthcoming for the one-time Denmark international, with Lossl only playing the Ulvene’s last three Superligaen games before the international break after six appearances as an unused substitute.

There was a place on the bench for Lossl in 21 of Everton’s Premier League games during his 19-months at the club, with the shot-stopper finding even a back-up role hard to secure under Ancelotti who omitted him from 15 matchday squads.

The Italian ultimately made the right decision by telling Lossl to find a new side in the final stages of the winter market as Everton was “not the club for you”, as Ancelotti clearly did not rate the £2.5m-rated ‘keeper but has often sung the praises of Olsen.

Lossl’s disaster of an Everton career will see that he goes down in the record books as one of Silva’s flops, having failed to play a single second yet cost the Toffees just over £3m in wages.

Reports at the time of his arrival by Ekstra Bladet claimed Lossl signed a 100 million krona (£53.5k-p/w) three-year contract at Goodison Park, while Huddersfield covered his salary – thanks to a pay cut – during his 26-weeks back at the club on loan.

The money Everton flushed away through Lossl does not stop at his wages earned over 57 weeks on Merseyside, either, as the Blues reached a settlement agreement with the goalkeeper so that he could leave the club earlier this year.

Lossl will not be a player who lives long in the memories of Everton supporters for any other reason than failing to play a game for the club, and will hope to create better memories for Midtjylland in a battle with Brondby IF for the Superligaen title.

AND in other news, Everton can potentially save £13m by turning to this Max Aarons alternative…

Leicester City booked their first FA Cup semi-final place with a stunning 3-1 victory against Manchester United on Sunday evening.

Kelechi Iheanacho scored twice, with Youri Tielemans getting the other as the Foxes scythed through the Red Devils despite Mason Greenwood’s first-half equaliser at the King Power Stadium.

The Nigerian striker followed up his hat-trick against Sheffield United with another all-action showing, inspiring Brendan Rodgers’ men through to the last-four where they will now meet Southampton at Wembley Stadium.

Iheanacho was a threat to the Red Devils from the off, with his constant pressing a thorn in the side of the visitors.

That paid dividends midway through the first-half as he picked off a poor Fred backpass to round Dean Henderson and score with a low finish.

He then doubled his afternoon’s work with a well-guided header from Marc Albrighton’s free-kick to take his goal count to 12 for the season and a remarkable nine since early February in all competitions.

Iheanacho’s excellent performance did not just end with his goals however.

According to WhoScored, he had two shots on target, both of them finding the net, whilst also producing a dribble and drawing as many as three fouls – more than any player on either side.

His creativity was also eye-catching as well, contributing a further three key passes, with just Marc Albrighton contributing more than the former Manchester City man.

Whilst he was a threat to the Red Devils throughout the 90 minutes in an attacking sense, Iheanacho also contributed defensively, too.

He racked-up two tackles and two interceptions in what ended up to be an energy sapping 90 minutes.

Considering his performances in recent weeks, including his performance against Manchester United, Iheanacho is certainly earning his £60k per-week wages.

AND in more news, take a look at which Foxes’ star’s comments have reaffirmed his commitment to the Foxes…

Many Aston Villa fans have flooded to Twitter in reaction to reports around sporting director Johan Lange and the plans he has in the summer.

It was tweeted by @AVFC_News, that Lange is preparing for a massive clearout in the summer, referring to reports from the Birmingham Mail.

It is very interesting to see how Villa execute this reported exodus as only two permanent playing contracts expire at the end of this season. Ahmed Elmohamady and Neil Taylor, who are barely seen on the pitch these days unless there is an injury or suspension, are the duo currently set to leave in the summer.

Ross Barkley’s loan will expire and he would return to Chelsea, but Villa might want to keep him and Dean Smith has a big decision to make on what happens to the 27-year-old as he has lost his place in the starting XI lately.

There are other players in the squad who could be sold and it will be intriguing to see how the summer transfer window goes, especially if Dean Smith’s side manage a top-half finish this season.

These Villa fans on Twitter outlined their wishes in response to the reports about Lange:

Here is how Villa fans reacted to this news:

“We have shown that if we aspirations next season to get into Europe then we need to bring in quality. Get the business done as early as possible so we can hit the ground running.”

Credit: @mickstan63

“Crucial we keep JG, Martinez, Konsa, Mings, Sanson, Cash, Targett and McGinn. Wesley and Hause we should hope to keep along with AEG. The rest, in my view we should sell and seek upgrades if there is. Build on our spine and seek to improve again”

Credit: @strongarm710

“We’ve got some real quality on our books now which means the club has to show ambition to keep them. Exciting times UTV”

 Credit: @MauricioRock666

“No surprises there”

Credit: @denniswhite1114

“What’s important is that every signing Villa make this coming summer, has to be better than a current starter, I envisage 4 or 5 signings again, with a new striker a priority once again.”

Credit: @1966wall

“I hope we keep Dominic Reven. He was outstanding against Liverpool. Big potential.”

Credit: @DarkHorseRex

In other news, Gregg Evans provided an injury update on this Villa ace!

Many Wolverhampton Wanderers fans have been reacting to a tweet that was recently posted by The Athletic’s Wolves reporter Tim Spiers which shared Old Gold manager Nuno Espirito Santo’s injury update on Daniel Podence and Willy Boly. 

The Portuguese manager has revealed that the Old Gold duo are set to be sidelined “for some time,” with both the attacker and the centre-back sitting out Wolves’ 0-0 draw with Leicester City this past weekend. 

After Spiers took to Twitter to share this news, lots of Wolves supporters replied to his post to react to this revelation.

So, how have these Wolves fans been reacting? 

Many Old Gold supporters have been devastated by this news, indicating that they think this is a significant blow for their side, who are already on a poor run of form, having won just one of their last 10 top-flight fixtures.

“Spain but the S is silent”

Credit: @matthewashaww

“Gutted”

Credit: @HeadInTheSkies

“Oh dear, oh dear”

Credit: @FW90

“Calls for a round of applause for the Wolves sport science and fitness team. Shambles !”

Credit: @MrR1g4t

“Not what we need!”

Credit: @EssexWolvess

“That’s disgusting Tim, clean up your tweets, there are children on here”

Credit: @metalliam

“Ouch”

Credit: @richwolves41

In other news, lots of Wolves fans were disappointed with Willian Jose’s display versus Leicester City.

Celtic could be just days away from embarking upon a new chapter in the club’s history. After a disappointing season, it appears that the guillotine is inching closer to Neil Lennon’s neck on the chopping block.

The Mirror has reported that following his decision to leave China, Celtic have eyed Rafael Benitez as the perfect successor to their current head coach. Should these talks come to fruition, treble winner Lennon will be axed from his position and he only has himself to blame.

Why Lennon could be replaced by Benitez

For a side with as rich a history as Celtic, it’s extremely disappointing to see them struggling to assert their dominance. The Scottish Premiership is their bread and butter – a league that many believe belongs to the Hoops.

They were on track for their tenth consecutive league title this season, but an uncharacteristically subpar campaign has resulted in them being humiliated on several occasions. Not only are they trailing to their bitter rivals, but Rangers top the table by a mammoth 23 points.

Steven Gerrard and his men are yet to lose a single Premiership match this term and have drawn just three games. Although Celtic have three games in-hand, any chance of a revival looks long gone.

Odsonne Edouard has seriously struggled this season, falling off track in terms of his personal numbers. The Frenchman looks a shadow of himself from last campaign, in which he tallied 21 goals and 12 assists in 27 appearances. However, he has managed just seven goals and four assists so far this time round, according to Transfermarkt.

It seems his passion for the club has dimmed due to their frustrating season and Celtic run the risk of losing him. Edouard has been linked to both Arsenal and West Ham this window, with talks of a £35million price tag circulating.

Whilst lack of goals is worrying, Lennon’s defence is also a serious issue. In their Europa League run alone, the Hoops shipped 19 goals in the group stages, which was the joint-highest amount conceded in that point of the competition. But despite this, the boss appears to be showing no urgency to bring any new personnel in.

A goalscorer and a new centre-back must be a priority for Celtic, but Lennon has seemingly been uninterested in the transfer market this month. If he is to be given the boot, he will have put the final nail in his own coffin with his summer transfers, his questionable team selections, his choice to make the Dubai trip and his seeming inability to attract new players to the club this month.

In other news, Hammond set for masterstroke sale of Jack Hendry…

Southampton centre-back Jannik Vestergaard has established himself as a key player in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side so far this season and following Martin Keown’s comments on the Danish international, the Saints should prioritise tying him down to a new deal.

The pundit was full of praise for the former Borussia Monchengladbach man on talkSPORT recently, following his impressive start to the season, saying:

I’ve not seen a better central defender this season and I thought maybe that might be a player Jurgen Klopp might go after.”

“He reminds me of Van Dijk. If you look at the way they ping balls, the way he threads balls into midfield, he’s a big man. Of course, Southampton won’t want to let him go.”

Before picking up his injury, Vestergaard has been a mainstay in Southampton’s side this season, making 13 appearances in the top-flight and averaging a superb 7.27 rating, which is enough to rank him as their second-best performer in the Premier League.

The 28-year-old’s contract with the South Coast club is set to expire at the end of next season, so the Saints will surely be keen to ensure that he signs a new deal, otherwise, they potentially risk losing him for nothing in 2022.

It seemed impossible just six months ago, when Vestergaard was largely out of favour because of the flourishing partnership between Jan Bednarek and Jack Stephens, that the giant centre-back would become so important to this Southampton team but he is well on track to surpass his number of performances from last season.

However, since Stephens has come in for the Dane at centre-back, Southampton have not conceded a goal, so if the Englishman continues to impress, Vestergaard may struggle to get back into the first-team.

Still, the 28-year-old has proven himself to be an important player in this Southampton team and they must therefore consider offering him a new deal in the near future, perhaps even ahead of the likes of Danny Ings, who the club have seemingly been in negotiations with over a new deal for some time now.

And, in other news… Southampton can unearth their next JWP in academy sensation once linked to Barca