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PSG are keen to sign Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, report AS.

What’s the word?

The French champions are looking to sign a stopper this summer, with both Manchester United’s David De Gea and AC Milan’s Gianluigi Donnarumma listed as potential targets.

However, they are both seen as prohibitively expensive and Lloris, who has captained Spurs to the Champions League final and won the World Cup with France last summer, is seen as a more attainable acquisition.

The 32-year-old joined the London club in 2012 and the report states that they are keen to reward his service by facilitating his transfer this summer, should he so desire it.

An opportunity not to pass up

This is a rare opportunity for Spurs and they should absolutely cash in on Lloris if a big bid is made.

This season, he has made a number of mistakes despite the side’s success in Europe and is perhaps the most upgradeable player in the first-choice starting XI.

Indeed, he cost his side a point against Liverpool at Anfield – Spurs could well have secured a top-four finish prior to the final day of the season if they’d held on – and was also involved in a horrific mix-up with Kieran Trippier against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge that saw the England right-back score an own goal.

Now, that is not to say that it’ll be simple for PSG to lure him to France but they have seemingly endless resources at their disposal and chairman Daniel Levy should use that to his advantage.

He is, of course, a feared negotiator and he should be trying to extract the biggest fee possible from the Parisien giants.

That money then has to be reinvested – preferably on a goalkeeper who makes fewer errors than Lloris – but this could be the prime opportunity to cash in.

He will be 33 in December and PSG rarely come knocking twice.

It was an unexpected signing, but when the news broke that West Ham had signed Felipe Anderson for a club-record fee, everyone was surprised.

The then Lazio winger was at one point one of the most talked about players in the European game with a plethora of teams all linked to the signature of the Brazilian international, which is why it was a surprise that Manuel Pellegrini’s West Ham were the club to sign Anderson for a reported £36 million last year.

Sceptics were unsure whether the winger would live up to his price tag, but after a full season in the Premier League the 26-year-old has proven to be a hit in the English top-flight, scoring nine goals and assisting four in his debut year, and he’s already attracting interest.

According to the Daily Mail (via Hammers News), Liverpool are interested in the Brazilian winger this summer as Jurgen Klopp’s side aim to add that missing bit of creativity that saw the Reds miss out on the Premier League title by a point, and for West Ham, they should let Anderson walk if a bid comes in.

Although Anderson is only valued on Transfermarkt at £36 million, the Brazilian would recoup a club-record offer should the Reds make a bid for the Hammers superstar, and after such a stellar season in his first year in England, the winger has shown he is capable of playing for a bigger club.

His performances this season suggest he should be playing Champions League football instead of fighting for a top-half place, which is nothing against the Hammers, just his ability deserves to be projected on a bigger stage.

West Ham are in need of a lot of new players this summer with very few funds to work with, and selling Anderson will give the club the money to all but rebuild their squad and make them a better team going into next season.

Anderson have proven to be a natural in the Premier League, and if a big bid comes in for the flamboyant Brazilian, West Ham must do the right thing and let their man walk.

West Ham fans, would you sell Anderson this summer? Let us know!

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It was a monumental Saturday for Celtic Football Club.

Not only have the Hoops managed to win a treble of trophies for a third successive season, the club also announced their future direction by confirming that Neil Lennon has been offered the permanent role of manager.

Despite securing a 2-1 victory over Hearts, the match at Hampden was another reminder for many that there’s serious work to be done on this Celtic side over the summer break to maintain success.

Lennon must start by addressing an obvious midfield problem that put the team at risk of defeat against Craig Levein’s side.

On the chalkboard

Put simply, the performances of Tom Rogic are not to the standard that Celtic require and it’s been clear since he returned from injury a couple of months ago.

He started the match on Saturday instead of Olivier Ntcham and from the first minute it was rather obvious there was a lack of balance in the Hoops midfield.

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Scott Brown and Callum McGregor were overrun in the first half, with the low-energy Rogic failing to do anything on the ball that could be considered a threat to the Hearts defence.

In the second half that only continued until Lennon took the necessary step to substitute the attacking midfielder off and bring on the Frenchman, who on today’s evidence should have started the match.

Ntcham was far more of a presence in both halves of the pitch, managing to carry the ball on the break more effectively than the Australian and offering the Hoops more out of possession too.

Tactical changes

Now Lennon knows he has the job heading in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers he will likely seek to enact his own tactical changes on a side that have persisted in the manner of Brendan Rodgers since his departure to Leicester City.

What that means for the formation and style of his side remains to be seen, but if Rogic doesn’t improve or hit the ground running in the early stages of the season then he won’t find himself starting much longer.

Right now a midfield three of Brown, McGregor and one of Ntcham or Ryan Christie seems by far the best way to proceed, as both can offer attacking impetus with a better defensive work rate than Rogic.

Recruitment is going to be a massive part of Lennon’s first few months next season, but unless he gets the ongoing balance of his team spot on then Celtic risk having a more difficult summer of qualifiers than they’d like.

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Marcus Rashford is one of England’s finest talents, but there’s no question that his form massively tailed off towards the end of the season, just when Manchester United really had the chance to get Champions League football and set up the perfect base for a summer of rebuilding.

On the chalkboard

Manchester United were in turmoil when Jose Mourinho was sacked back in December.

The Red Devils, to their credit, regrouped and made the brave decision to abandon the Mourinho project and bring in a fan favourite – Molde’s Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

His appointment as interim manager was so successful he’s since been given the job full-time, not only for the incredible improvement in results but for the way some of the club’s best and most expensive prospects had since found form under the new boss.

However, things have come to an abrupt halt since, with Solksjaer realising what an enormous job he has to not only build a United side capable of competing in the big games but one that’s got the hunger, desire and fitness to compete over a whole season.

Team’s confidence killed Rashford’s support

While the desire of the United players will be called into question, could the issue really be the team’s confidence? If this is the issue, it would go a long way to explaining why Rashford has struggled so much in recent weeks.

Dents in confidence have occurred throughout the whole season and it’s even trickled into the most reliable of players like David De Gea, the ever-performing, match-saving goalkeeper. These last few months, he’s been just as much part of the problem.

So how does confidence in the team impact Rashford so much? Perhaps it’s too kind on the young man to hide him behind these excuses, maybe he’s just thrown in the towel for the season, but nothing in his past would suggest he’s of that nature. What’s more plausible is the idea that every bad result and every bad moment sent a ripple effect through the spine of the team. With every De Gea mistake, the defence dropped slightly deeper. With every goal conceded, the midfield felt they had to sit back more and lay off the press.

This has a huge impact on young Rashford. The more the team retreats and sits back, the more isolated  United’s number 10 is going to become.

Solskjaer then himself seemed to lose confidence, and that was evident in his line ups at the end of the season. He was suddenly playing a back five rather than being brave like he once was and leaving three forwards up the pitch to counter attack.

Rashford has struggled on his own account, but the on-field support from those around him hasn’t been there because of the breakdown in confidence of the team. Suddenly his team-mates weren’t close to him and weren’t attempting high-risk, high-reward passes. The team then stopped pressing, and the England youngster was left more and more alone up front, even with a striking partner.

Rashford can only do so much, and the team’s lack of belief resulted in him becoming more isolated as the season went on. That perhaps was the biggest cause of his slump in form, and it’s a much wider problem at United right now than simply one young player not performing to his best.

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According to ExWHUemployee, West Ham United have identified Newcastle United midfielder Jonjo Shelvey as a potential transfer target this summer.

However, it would be fair to say that the majority of the Hammers fans are against their club moving for the 27-year-old.

Shelvey only made 18 appearances for Newcastle during the 2018-19 season.

The midfielder will see his contract at St James’ Park expire in little over two years, meanwhile, and according to ExWHUemployee, Shelvey is a target for West Ham.

The six-time England international struggled with injury last term and missed 22 of his team’s 38 Premier League matches.

There is no question that the former Charlton Athletic youngster is a talent. However, his career appears to have stalled over the last 12 months or so.

The West Ham fans have been on social media offering their views on his potential arrival.

And it would be fair to say that not too many want their club to move for the Romford-born midfielder – a selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has a lot of squad decisions to make this summer.

Last season may have been an improvement on previous years for the Ibrox side but it still wasn’t good enough for plenty of supporters, once again going trophy-less having gone out of cup competitions early and failing to sustain a credible title challenge.

One of his tasks will be deciding what kind of role his young, emerging stars will play over the course of next season.

Will he invest more time into their development? Should they be sent on loan? Are they good enough to feature heavily?

One such player is winger Glenn Middleton, who has experienced both exposure to first-team action and life on the fringes of the manager’s squad.

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On the chalkboard

From a personal perspective, the 2018/19 season was a breakthrough one for Middleton.

Making his Gers debut, which happened to be his first senior career appearance, the teenager ended up impressing Gerrard enough to get a sustained run in the first-team, allowing him to experience UEFA Europa League group stage football and even thrill fans by scoring away at Spartak Moscow.

The sky seemed to be the limit in terms of potential and where his Gers career might take him next, but after the winter break he was frozen out of first-team action and played mostly for the reserve team.

Despite making 27 appearances in total, there are definite question marks about his future under Gerrard having not started a single match since December.

Is he good enough?

Effectively playing half a season, mostly from the bench, Middleton still pitched in with five goals and five assists, which isn’t a bad return at all for a rookie player.

For the reserves and youth sides he often shone too, with clips regularly appearing online of him doing wonderful things at that level.

There’s definitely still hope for him at Rangers despite the lack of action in 2019, but he needs regular football that will help him learn and make better decisions at a senior level.

Celtic have found success in this regard in recent seasons, allowing Ryan Christie to develop at Aberdeen and figure out how to become the main man in a starting eleven.

Middleton needs that kind of confidence to make the next step at Ibrox. If he can regularly score goals and win games for another club, it will prove to Gerrard he is ready to feature more regularly and can be relied upon.

To make it at Rangers, he might have to leave the club first.

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Rangers fans aren’t keen on reports that the club are exploring the option of signing Northern Ireland striker Josh Magennis this summer.

The Belfast Telegraph reported on Tuesday that the Gers were in discussions with the player’s representatives about a potential budget move from Bolton Wanderers this summer, as the English club continue to suffer financial problems.

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With 41 caps for his country and spells at Aberdeen, St Mirren and Kilmarnock, Magennis does have good experience but is not known as a prolific goalscorer.

Steven Gerrard already has Alfredo Morelos and Jermain Defoe to call upon, but any third striker in support will also have to be able to find his way to goal when called upon or he won’t be very popular at Ibrox.

It’s fair to say the reaction to his potential signing is already negative, with many fans feeling he simply doesn’t have the quality to fit in at the club if they are hoping to be winning trophies next term.

These supporters have taken to Twitter this week to share their thoughts on the story…

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Leeds United have been linked with Callum O’Dowda quite often this summer, and a recent report has stated that he has his heart set on a move to Elland Road in the upcoming transfer window.

This article from Football League World has coincided with the Championship fixture list being released. The opening day of the season sees the Whites travel to Bristol City, a game where O’Dowda could be the difference-maker.

O’Dowda’s history

After being frozen out of the squad according to The Times (subscription required) and rejecting three contract offers it is fair to say that the 24-year-old isn’t leaving Ashton Gate on the best of terms.

If he does join Leeds there would be no better way to get one over his former employers than beating them on his debut.

This extra incentive to win could see the Irishman have an extra spring in his step which could, of course, help his new side on their way to victory.

No need for spying

As we saw last season with spygate, Marcelo Bielsa loves to know everything about his upcoming opponents, and if O’Dowda was signed he could play the role of a spy ahead of this game.

The Irishman will know all of Lee Johnson’s tactics and tricks as he has played under the Bristol City boss for the past three years, and the information that he could relay to Bielsa and his coaching staff could prove invaluable.

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This would allow the Argentine the slight advantage he used to get from watching other teams training sessions without breaking the new EFL rule that has been put in place to stop a repeat of the infamous incident between Leeds and Derby.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to BBC Sport, Liverpool are interested in signing teenage centre-back Sepp van den Berg from PEC Zwolle.

What’s the word?

Ahead of a Premier League season where Liverpool will be hoping to go one better than their second place finish in 2018/19, there isn’t a huge amount of work to do in the transfer market.

The Reds have a fairly settled squad and after achieving 97 points and winning the Champions League, there aren’t too many reasons for going out and spending.

However, they could be about to land their first signing of the summer according to the BBC.

They claim that Liverpool are keen on adding 17-year-old Dutchman Van den Berg to their team. Despite his age, he played 15 times in the Eredivisie last term, cementing himself as a rising talent.

Danger for Hoever?

Liverpool’s defence at the moment is one of the best around. The imperious Virgil van Dijk has been joined by the consistently reliable Joe Gomez and Joel Matip, so it would be difficult to dislodge any of them as Liverpool aim to challenge for further major honours.

As a result of their settled backline, the promising Ki-Jana Hoever already faces a battle to gain first-team minutes.

The 17-year-old can play at right-back or centre back but it was in the middle where he earned his senior bow against Wolves last term. He’s also played in that role in the UEFA Youth League.

Therefore, if Van den Berg arrives, it would be incredibly detrimental for his development.

It appears unlikely that Liverpool’s defence will be broken up anytime soon and therefore game time is likely to be restricted considerably for their rising stars.

If you consider Trent Alexander-Arnold’s impact at full back too, Hoever isn’t expected to be able to stake much of a claim there either.

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It would be shrewd business to poach one of the Eredivisie top young talents away but they’d be putting another of their academy prospects in danger of not fulfilling his potential by doing so.

The pair of them may well go onto establish a fine partnership at youth level, but it’s doubtful that they’d ever fit into the same Liverpool side.

Jurgen Klopp’s defence is particularly young as it is, so Hoever would only find things even more challenging if their reported target arrives.

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Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed the signing of Jack Clarke from Leeds United.

The 18-year-old talent has now joined the club and has signed a contract that will bind him to Spurs until 2023. However, he will now first return to Leeds in the Championship, where he will spend the 2019/20 season on loan.

Upon making the deal official, Clarke did not waste any time before posting a snap on

/Bzaj0IlhHAz/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link” data-lasso->Instagram showing off his new kit.

While he was understandably eager to express his excitement for the future in north London, he also had a profound message for Leeds supporters as he underlined his desire to help the Whites win promotion next season.

Leeds’ stature and history combined with Marcelo Bielsa’s refreshing influence have facilitated the notion that the top-flight is, as Clarke says, where Leeds belong – one which was supported last season by Henry Winter, Chief Football Writer at The Times.

Shortly after he submitted the post some of his friends from his time at Leeds, including Izzy Brown and Tom Pearce, along with Nottingham Forest’s Brennan Johnson, posted messages of support for the youngster.

Just last season, with Leeds, he made 25 appearances in all-competitions, scoring and assisting twice in the process and injecting sporadic bursts of excitement from the flank.

His impact under Bielsa’s watch was one of the major sub-plots at Elland Road last season, so it’s no surprise that he has garnered interest from a club of Tottenham’s prestige.

Still, this will be a big step up and another season in the Championship might do him the world of good before he enters the fray in the Premier League.