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Tottenham Hotspur are being linked with a move for Southampton striker Danny Ings recently, and if the striker were to join the Lilywhites in the summer it could be bad news for Carlos Vinicius.

According to The Guardian, Ings is delaying contract talks with Southampton as he eyes a move to a club playing European football, with Spurs monitoring his situation at the South Coast club.

The former Liverpool man has been superb since joining Southampton, having seemingly overcome the injury issues that marred his time with the Merseyside club, and he finished as the joint-second top scorer in the Premier League last season with 22 goals.

He has also started this season in impressive form for the high-flying Saints, having contributed seven goals and three assists in 13 top-flight appearances, averaging a strong 7.17 rating.

If he were to join the North London club ahead of next season, it could spell trouble for Vinicius’ hopes of joining Spurs on a permanent basis.

The Brazilian was signed on loan from Benfica for the season, with Spurs holding the option to sign him for €45 million (£40 million).

The 25-year-old has impressed with his performances in the Europa League, with three goals and three assists in five appearances, resulting in a 7.41 average rating. He also bagged a hat-trick in the FA Cup third round against Marine but has been limited to just four substitute appearances in the Premier League.

With Ings currently valued at £18 million by Transfermarkt, and his contract set to run out at the end of next season, the Englishman would surely prove to be a lot cheaper to bring in that Vinicius, with the added bonus that he has a lot of Premier League experience, having contributed 50 goals and 12 assists in 124 top-flight appearances.

Having made three appearances for England in his career thus far, Ings could also prove to be an effective strike partner for Harry Kane in Jose Mourinho’s side, as they will have worked together at international level. The Southampton man’s energy and pressing in attack could allow Kane to drop slightly deeper and be more of a playmaker, as we have seen with Heung-Min Son this season.

Former Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe was full of praise for Ings last season, saying:

“The most impressive thing about Danny is, of course, he’s an outstanding player.

“Technically he’s very good, plays with real intelligence and the way he’s come back from his disappointments, the injury setbacks he’s had, the way he’s fought back and kept his mental strength has been hugely impressive.”

Therefore, if he were to join, it would be difficult to see Daniel Levy shelling out another £40 million just to sign Vinicius, as the Benfica man would surely struggle for much game time if he was behind both Kane and Ings in the pecking order in Mourinho’s side, so it would not be a surprise if he was forced to return to Benfica.

And, in other news, Forget Devine: “Record-breaking” academy sensation should be the next man in Jose’s first-team squad…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Newcastle United midfielder Rob Lee reacted to Charlie Austin’s claim on talkSPORT that Manchester United opted to sign Victor Lindelof instead of Virgil van Dijk.

Former Southampton striker Austin said the Red Devils turned down the chance to sign Van Dijk, revealing a chat he had with the 29-year-old during their time at St Mary’s.

The highly-rated Dutch defender, who had attracted interest from a number of Premier League clubs including United, handed in a transfer request to push through a move to Anfield, only for the deal to initially fall through after Liverpool publicly apologised for an alleged illegal approach for him in 2017.

But the Reds would not be dissuaded and renewed their efforts to sign him from the Saints in a then-world record deal worth £75m.

Of course, United would go on to complete the signing of Lindelof for £31m from Benfica several months later, as former manager Jose Mourinho sought to bolster his defensive options in the summer.

Whilst Lee wasn’t so easily convinced, he does believe that Van Dijk is a class above the rest of his competitors. He was asked about Austin’s comments by Football FanCast editor James Beavis this week and shared his thoughts on the subject.

He told FFC: “Well, they’ll be gutted if that’s true. Listen, Charlie Austin, I don’t know if it’s true or not, but you can’t compare the players.

“Van Dijk cruised the Scottish league, absolutely cruised it. I’m amazed no one bigger than Southampton came in for him.

“But again, it’s very difficult to judge how they play in different leagues to how well they will adjust to playing in the Premier League.

“Van Dijk, before his injury, and I’m sure once he comes back, is the best centre-back in the world by a million miles.”

It’s hard to argue otherwise, isn’t it? Van Dijk has established himself as a regular starter under Jurgen Klopp and gone on to make over a hundred appearances for Liverpool, helping them to Champions League and Premier League honours.

Lindelof, meanwhile, has struggled to make much of an impression at Old Trafford, as he is battling with Eric Bailly to bag a spot alongside Harry Maguire.

With United’s shock defeat to Sheffield United still fresh on his mind, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could be forgiven for wondering how things might have panned out if Van Dijk had joined their ranks instead of Lindelof in the summer of 2017.

AND in other news, Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes let Ole Gunnar Solskjaer down in 2-1 defeat…

Leeds United enjoyed a solid summer transfer window last year, signing the likes of Illan Meslier on a permanent deal and exciting winger Raphinha. Business was silent in January but Victor Orta and co will be looking ahead to when the market opens up once again this summer as they hope to bring in more reinforcements.

However, they will likely be looking at some departures from Elland Road as well. One man who looks set to be leaving the club is outcast left-back Barry Douglas.

Football Insider reports that the Whites are planning to let the 31-year-old depart upon the expiry of his contract in four months’ time, regardless of performances this season.

Douglas has spent the 2020/21 campaign on loan with Blackburn Rovers, where he has played just 18 matches across all competitions. He missed three matches due to coronavirus and was left out of the match day action on four different occasions, as per Transfermarkt.

Since joining Leeds back in 2018, Douglas has made a total of 44 appearances and struggled to adapt to the revolutionised full-back role of contributing to the attack. He has just five assists to his name in that time.

Despite the fact Marcelo Bielsa is short on defensive options, especially with Ezgjan Alioski being linked with leaving the club as well, it shows that Douglas really has ran down his time at Elland Road. The Scot is currently on a £40,000 per week deal, which will be money that Andrea Radrizzani could do without spending.

The Whites don’t have a massive warchest like some of their Premier League counter-parts, and will need to be shrewd with their dealings.

If Leeds are to bring in some new signings in the summer, they will need to free up some wages and having Douglas’ £40,000 wages off the books will be a huge boost for when Orta gets down to business in the transfer market.

Douglas simply hasn’t cut it for Bielsa, with The Athletic’s Phil Hay even remarking earlier this season that the left-back is “on the fringes” of things at Elland Road.

Cutting their losses on him this summer just seems like the best step for all parties involved, and Radrizzani will be happy that the club are finally making a ruthless call.

In other news, Marcelo Bielsa new deal is huge boost for Leeds…

With Pablo Hernandez’s career at Leeds United winding down, Marcelo Bielsa may be on the look-out for someone to fill that potential void sooner rather than later.

The veteran Spaniard, who will turn 36 in a couple of months, has fallen out of favour at Elland Road this season, playing just 313 minutes of Premier League football.

Whether it’s his age, or even suggestions that both he and the manager have had a falling out, the writing is very much on the wall for Hernandez’s time in Yorkshire.

But with reports in recent days linking the Whites with a move for Real Madrid’s Lucas Vazquez, Bielsa could well find his perfect successor to Hernandez quicker than he expected.

Vazquez is predominantly a right-winger, but he appears to have all the tools in his lock for Bielsa to work his coaching magic and turn him into a number ten or someone to play just off the striker – just like Hernandez has done in recent seasons.

This season, the Madrid flier has managed five assists in all competitions, including a couple of big contributions in big games against the likes of Valencia and Celta Vigo.

Speaking last month, Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane raved about his match-winning performance against Vigo, saying: “What he’s doing right now doesn’t surprise us. Not only do I like him, we all like him because he is always on the job and reliable. He always gives everything on the pitch and we appreciate that. I congratulate him.”

Vazquez is a more creative force than someone with the directness and willingness to let fly like a Raphinha-type, and it’s exactly why he seems to be more in the mould of a Hernandez.

The 29-year-old has averaged a very impressive 1.7 key passes per game in La Liga, which would actually rank him joint-second in the entire Leeds squad. And given his natural instincts as a winger, he’s also a prolific dribbler, making 1.4 per game at a superb success rate of 71%.

To put that into context, Raphinha makes slightly less per game at 1.6, but with far less success (54%).  Hernandez’s best season in terms of dribbling at Leeds meanwhile saw him manage 1.8 per game in his first season at Elland Road.

Just like Hernandez, the 5 foot 8 Vazquez is small in stature, but has got all the footwork and trickery to make him a real danger for the opposition. If Orta can get this deal over the line, Bielsa could very well land Leeds’ next Spanish magician.

Like how Hernandez was converted from a flying right winger into a number ten, Bielsa could do the same with Vazquez. It’s all on Victor Orta to snap him up on a free transfer this summer.

Leicester City came from behind to secure a point against Burnley at Turf Moor on Wednesday evening.

Matej Vydra had given the hosts an early lead before Kelechi Iheanacho equalised with a stunning drive to see the spoils shared.

The goal was the tip of the iceberg of an impressive performance from the former Manchester City hitman, again sending justification to Foxes’ boss Brendan Rodgers that he should be included in the starting lineup on a more regular basis.

In his 66 minutes on the pitch before he was withdrawn for the returning Wesley Fofana, Iheanacho only had 29 touches of the ball, according to WhoScored, but he was effective when he received it.

He attempted three shots throughout his appearance, no player on each side had more attempts. The £13.5m-rated Nigerian also managed to combine well with his teammates, providing a key pass and also contributing two crosses.

For context, Leicester talisman Jamie Vardy only had 16 touches in the full 90 minutes, only providing one key pass.

Even Rodgers admitted that the 34-year-old ‘didn’t do much’ but still elected to leave him on the pitch and withdraw his strike partner.

It wasn’t just in the statistics where Iheanacho caught the eye though. His hold-up play against a stubborn Burnley backline was impressive as he acted as a focal point in the Foxes attack.

The most spectacular element of his game though was, of course, the goal that earned the East-Midlanders a point in Lancashire.

Iheanacho showed fantastic awareness to get on the end of Wilfred Ndidi’s lofted ball to then watch it over his shoulder and volley home with a lethal left-footed drive.

The goal now takes his personal record to six in all competitions so far this season, having scored three in his last five domestic appearances.

Considering Vardy is currently in the middle of a barren run of just one Premier League goal since mid-December, Iheanacho will feel like he has sent a stark message to his manager.

In other news, why Cengiz Under’s absence at Turf Moor could have provided clues to Leicester’s summer transfer plans.

Celtic’s managerial vacancy is one of the most talked-about gigs in world football right now.

Of course, the Hoops are a massive club so they likely won’t have any shortage of suitors in their hunt to replace Neil Lennon.

Big names like Roberto Martinez have been linked with the vacancy but another name mentioned in recent days is Thierry Henry.

He has recently left his role with Montreal Impact in MLS due to family reasons but a number of coincidences have occurred since. Indeed, the man he wanted as his number two a few years ago, Julien Stephan, has left his role at Rennes.

That provoked journalist Robin Bairner to comment the following on Twitter: “Interesting that Stephan has quit just days after Thierry Henry left Montreal. Henry wanted Stephan to be his assistant at Monaco but Rennes refused permission to talk. Could they team up, Henry as figurehead, Stephan as the coach?”

Described as someone with “a science to football” by Radamel Falcao, his coaching methods have drawn mixed results. He was sacked as manager of Monaco after just three months for instance.

That being said, it would certainly be an interesting line of approach for Celtic to take but it could be game-changing in keeping one of their star players.

Odsonne Edouard has regularly been linked with a move away, most recently to Arsenal. Given the mass interest and Celtic’s trophy-less season, it would be very difficult to keep him in Glasgow. That being said, he is a man that Henry rates incredibly highly.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-celtic-manager-hunt-stories-wagner-marsch-martinez-lennon-news” title=”The last stories on Celtic’s hunt for a new manager!”]

Speaking about the relationship between the two last year, Ally McCoist told talkSPORT; “I spoke to Thierry Henry at the Liverpool vs Leicester City game and he really rates Edouard. He was saying in France in particular [he’s rated] and he personally really, really thinks he’s got a chance of going right to the top.”

Henry, of course, is a legend of the French game and there would be few better strikers to learn from than the Arsenal great.

He is one of the most lethal strikers we’ve seen over the last two decades and if Henry sees Edouard as someone who could reach the top, he’d surely be central to his plans at Parkhead.

Of course, a move to a bigger club may be on the cards but surely a man of Henry’s influence in French football could sway him to stay?

After all, why wouldn’t he want to learn from a master craftsman in Henry? The 43-year-old could take him to the next level and help him earn an even bigger move than may initially be on the cards.

This has the potential to be a dream combination. Dermot Desmond needs to see if it can become a reality.

AND in other news, Celtic may have their new Ajer in 17 y/o “hungry talent” never-seen in the first team…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer stated that he could imagine seeing either Thierry Henry or Roberto Martinez at Celtic.

After falling well off the pace in the title race this season, former manager Neil Lennon opted to resign from his post, making way for John Kennedy to step in on an interim basis.

As far as permanent appointments go, though, Palmer believes Henry or Martinez could be the way to go for the Glasgow club. Henry, who has managed at AS Monaco and coached in the Belgium national team set-up, recently stepped down as CF Montreal manager. Martinez, meanwhile, remains the head coach of Belgium, previously working alongside the Arsenal legend.

When asked if he could see the two as contenders for the job at Celtic Park, Palmer exclusively told FFC:

“Absolutely, absolutely. I mean, I’ve heard Thierry’s name mentioned, I’ve heard Roberto Martinez’s name mentioned. I mean, all the agents will be linking all their clients to the job because it’s a big, big job. But, you know, we will have to wait and see what their criteria is of the guy they want to bring in.”

One name, however, that Palmer cannot see heading to Celtic Park is Brendan Rodgers, who, of course, recently managed the club before heading to Leicester City.

“I don’t see Brendan Rodgers going back there because I don’t think you go back to something that you’ve left, especially when he’s doing so well at Leicester,” the ex-England international later added.

Whoever does end up as Celtic manager, undoubtedly, will have a lot of work to do next season. The Bhoys have fallen miles behind rivals Rangers in the SPFL while much improvement is also needed in Europe.

After being knocked out of the Champions League qualifying phase, Celtic endured a very disappointing Europa League campaign, finishing bottom in Group H.

David Moyes must not look to revive West Ham United’s interest in Junior Firpo amid claims FC Barcelona will look to sell the defender this summer.

What’s the word?

According to Sport, Firpo’s time at the Camp Nou is set to end at the end of the season as Barcelona begin to search for a replacement.

Ronald Koeman does not consider the 24-year-old to be a part of his plans and will look to cash-in amid interest from Serie A side SSC Napoli.

The Diego Armando Maradona Stadium natives offered Barcelona a two-year loan deal with the option of purchasing Firpo, but saw the proposal rejected.

Barca have no intentions of parting with the left-back on a temporary deal as they strive to secure a fee as soon as possible, and believe Firpo’s market value sits at €20m (£17m).

Several Premier League clubs are also thought to be keen on the defender of Dominican Republic descent, and could look to hold talks with the Camp Nou natives this summer.

West Ham were frequently linked with a move to sign Firpo during the recent winter market, with ESPN and Mundo Deportivo two outlets to cite east London as a potential destination.

A hurdle in the Irons’ approach had been that Moyes could not guarantee the £105,000-per-week full-back regular football, which was Firpo’s goal, with Aaron Cresswell his first choice.

Should West Ham sign Firpo?

News emerging in Spain that Barcelona will look to sell Firpo at the end of the season could see West Ham re-emerge as a potential destination, but Moyes should not strive for a deal.

Firpo has continued to deliver unimpressive performances when given rare opportunities to feature by Koeman this season, with Mundo Deportivo noting in January how he wasted a golden chance against Rayo Vallecano in the Copa del Ray.

The Round of 16 tie was anticipated to be Firpo’s opening to prove his worth but was erratic on the pitch and failed to present any threat on the break. He also misplaced more passes than (15) all but one of his teammates and turned over possession the second-most times (20).

Koeman is noted to have hauled Firpo off for Jordi Alba having grown that frustrated at his careless passing, having already been dismayed by the left-back’s efforts in the previous round against UE Cornella.

The Barca boss is said to have vigorously yelled at Firpo twice during the first half of extra-time against the third-tier outfit, as he was not putting enough effort into his defensive actions and later produced further lazy passes when options were wide open.

Moyes will not be able to afford to have any passengers at the London Stadium next season, when West Ham could be competing in Europe, and has so far dodged an expensive bullet by not having Firpo at his disposal already.

AND in other news, David Moyes has made a £25m forward his top target to fill Seb Haller’s void at West Ham…

There have been a number of players at Celtic this season who have not been fit to wear the jersey. In fact, if supporters were allowed inside Parkhead, a number of the squad would likely be receiving a rather hostile reception.

After all, this campaign has been a tale of woe, one where the Hoops have surrendered their dominance of Scottish football to their biggest rivals.

Though, one of the chief suspects in Celtic’s underperforming season had been Olivier Ntcham.

In years gone by, the Frenchman has been an anchor for the Bhoys, a player they looked towards to drive the team forward. He epitomised everything you’d look for in a box to box midfielder.

Unfortunately, he went missing this season. He started just seven times in the SPFL where he scored the solitary goal.

Clearly out of favour with Neil Lennon, he was accused of downing tools by talkSPORT presenter Alan Brazil. He has been loaned out to Marseille in his homeland but it’s arguably got even worse for him since he went back to France.

On day one, Andre Villas-Boas threatened to leave his job. The exact words from his mouth in an explosive press conference were: “Ntcham is precisely a player for whom I said no. It was never a player who was on our list.”

After disagreeing with the board, Villas-Boas was consequently sacked from his post. However, the arrival of Jorge Sampaoli hasn’t been beneficial either.

Ntcham has been nothing short of abysmal since penning temporary terms with the Ligue 1 side. He has been withdrawn at half time in three separate matches, including a cup tie where Marseille suffered defeat to Canet Roussillon, a team in the fourth tier of French football.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-celtic-manager-and-transfer-news-boupendza-mcgeady-marsch-mccarthy” title=”Latest Celtic manager and transfer news!”]

On that occasion, the midfielder was given a match rating of 1/10 by La Provence, a publication that described him as “unacceptable.” That came after L’Equipe gave him a 3/10 for this role in a 2-0 defeat against Lille.

Unfortunately, he was particularly poor again when Marseille were swept aside 3-0 by Nice. Ntcham lost a massive 80% of his duels in that contest last weekend, before being lumped off at the break.

Once more, he was given a brutal assessment in the French press.

La Provence reporter Alexandre Jacquin said: “Ntcham is the man of half-time exits. It must be said that once again, he did not do much to deserve to stay on the ground after returning from rest. Sampaoli even gave the impression of biting his fingers for having trusted him: If he had not been bald, we could have written that El Pelado tore his hair out every time the native of Longjumeau touched leather.”

Clearly, his time back in France has not benefited his career. On his return to Celtic, it wouldn’t be a great surprise if he was given the boot permanently.

The £14k-per-week earner has had a disastrous season; there is surely no way back for him.

AND in other news, Bankier missed Celtic’s next Van Dijk in £46k-p/w beast who “rarely makes mistakes”…

Writing for The Daily Star, journalist Rhys Daly has suggested four stars Tottenham Hotspur could possibly sign to replace Gareth Bale this summer after the Welshman’s comments over his future – with Barcelona playmaker Philippe Coutinho arguably standing out among his candidates.

Coutinho suggested for Spurs

Coutinho, who was linked with a move to Tottenham last summer as Barcelona reportedly offered Daniel Levy a chance to sign him on loan (Football Insider), has now been suggested as a potential replacement for Bale as the La Liga giants appear eager to offload.

Indeed, the Catalan giants are said to be ‘actively seeking’ a new club for the 28-year-old, with journalist Daly touting him as a potential replacement for Bale after his admission.

The Welsh winger openly stated his plan, as it stands, to return to parent club Real Madrid upon the expiry of his loan deal – and chairman Levy could be looking for replacements in the summer should that happen.

Transfer Tavern take

As a result, Daly has touted Coutinho as an option for Spurs, coming despite his reported £200,000-per-week wages.

Lauded as a ‘creative genius’ in 2020 by Sky Sports pundit Phil Thompson (via Goal), regardless of his lack of game time, Coutinho displayed some of his best form whilst on loan at Bayern Munich last season.

Time will tell whether he emerges as an option, but Barca are allegedly desperate to offload, prompting him to be suggested as a potential Spurs replacement for Bale.

In other news: Robinson was left thrilled by this ‘great news for Spurs’, find out more here.