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West Bromwich Albion have been credited with an interest in Blackpool talisman Jerry Yates, as reported by The Sun.

The Lowdown: West Brom plot signings ahead of 2021/22

As the Baggies gear up for 2021/22, revenge will be on their mind as they look to win promotion to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

Intelligent acquisitions in the transfer market will be crucial for exactly that, and West Brom have been linked with moves for forwards like Taiwo Awoniyi and Northern Ireland international Kyle Lafferty in recent times [Football League World].

However, it now seems that the Albion may be eyeing a different offensive option to spearhead their attack next campaign.

The Latest: Baggies interested in Yates; could cost around £5 million

West Bromwich Albion are rumoured to be interested in a move for 24-year-old Yates, who is quoted at being available for around £5 million this window [The Sun].

Additionally, Blackburn Rovers, Bristol City and Nottingham Forest are also rumoured to be keen on a move for the goal-laden frontman [The Sun], with Blackburn likely to need a replacement for Adam Armstrong.

The Verdict: Yates would be an ideal signing for West Bromwich Albion

Undoubtedly, Yates would be a positive signing for the West Midlands side as they rebuild for 2021/22.

This season, the Englishman notched an impressive 23 goals in 54 fixtures in all competitions, which helped Blackpool regain promotion to the Sky Bet Championship last month [Transfermarkt].

Labelled ‘outstanding’ by Seasiders manager Neil Critchley, he would most certainly bring an element of potency which was lacking at the Hawthorns last campaign – as well as promotion expertise [NewsChain Online].

As the Baggies plot ahead, someone of Yates’ ilk would fit the bill in terms of consistency, age and ability to convert in-front of goal. West Brom should be doing all they can to get the deal over the line.

In other news, West Bromwich Albion have made a shock off-field decision.

A number of Sunderland fans have been left fuming at an update regarding Aiden McGeady, with the winger potentially not facing Lincoln City this weekend.

The Black Cats suffered a hugely disappointing night at the office on Wednesday evening, as they travelled to Lincoln for the first leg of the League One playoff semi-final.

Lee Johnson’s side lost 2-0 at Sincil Bank, giving them a huge amount of work to do in Saturday’s rematch at the Stadium of Light.

Someone who has been a key player for Sunderland is McGeady, with the veteran wide man scoring 33 goals in 132 appearances for the club.

While the Irishman played the whole 90 minutes in midweek, The Chronicle‘s James Hunter reports that he will be entitled to a new deal if he starts one more game this season, with his current contract expiring in the summer.

With Sunderland potentially not wanting to retain McGeady’s services beyond that point, Johnson finds himself in a tricky situation.

Sunderland fans bemoan McGeady update

These fans have taken to Twitter to vent their anger at the update.

“What a shambles this is, surely the games against Accrington, Plymouth and Northampton should have been used to rest him if they wanted to keep him under the 30 games!?”

Credit: @GlassesCraig

“This isn’t helping my mood one day on”

Credit: @1973mackem

“What a joke”

Credit: @calvinfox96

“And again – if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry. What a club man hahaha”

Credit: @MRennieRP

“We just keep finding new ways to look amateur don’t we?”

Credit: @nicholaswilso11

“What a mess”

Credit: @SpeakSAFC

In other news, some Sunderland fans have fumed at the treatment of one player in the first leg defeat at Lincoln. Find out who it is here.

Speaking in a Q&A for football.london, reliable correspondent Alasdair Gold has shared news on Tottenham Hotspur’s transfer plans and how they will fund summer swoops ahead of the 2021/2022 season.

The Lowdown: Big summer ahead…

Tottenham are arguably in need a big rebuild, with former boss Mauricio Pochettino explaining that fact over two years ago now.

Last summer, chairman Daniel Levy did more than most expected with the acquisition of seven players through the door.

Indeed, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Joe Hart, Matt Doherty, Sergio Reguilon, Gareth Bale, Carlos Vinicius and Joe Rodon all arrived in 2020, but two of them were on loan (Bale and Vinicius) and Spurs still missed out on a star centre-half.

Technical performance director Steve Hitchen flew to Italy in an attempt to strike a deal for Serie A colossus Milan Skriniar, but couldn’t reach an agreement on price (football.london).

Lilywhites supporters will be hoping they can bolster their backline this time and it is known they are keen on signing a ‘leader’ (football.london).

The Latest: Gold shares news on Spurs transfer plans

Speaking in a Q&A, when asked what kind of budget Tottenham will be working with and how they will be funding moves, Gold shared what he’s been told.

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Amid the coronavirus pandemic, club finances are stretched, meaning Spurs must first offload players who are surplus-to-requirements.

“Everything I’m told suggests it’s based on sales,” explained Gold when asked about the Tottenham transfer kitty.

“So many clubs have been stuffed financially by the pandemic. That could though have a knock-on effect in prices coming down across the board.”

The Verdict: Who should go…

Spurs have no shortage of candidates for the chopping block when it comes to player sales this summer.

As the Lilywhites need to bolster their funds for the 2021/2022 transfer window, which opens shortly, we believe Serge Aurier, Erik Lamela and Moussa Sissoko are certainly most suited for the exit door.

Aurier, despite a fine start to the season, tailed off and has just one year left on his current deal – he also recently dropped a big hint over his future.

His international compatriot, Sissoko, is 31-years-old and was used far more sporadically over 2020/2021 than in previous seasons (WhoScored) – with the midfielder also hinting he could be open to a move away.

Lamela, the longest serving member of Tottenham’s ‘magnificent seven’ brought in to fill the void left by Gareth Bale in 2013, should also leave.

Similar to Aurier, the Argentine has just one year left on his current deal and Spurs should take advantage of alleged Serie A interest in the player.

In other news: Spurs now eyeing this ‘amazing’ 103-goal striker, find out more here.

After falling to defeat to last time out in the Premier League, Aston Villa will be hoping to bounce back to winning ways when they take on Everton on Thursday night.

Dean Smith’s side took the lead against Manchester United last weekend thanks to a superb strike from Bertrand Traore, but a contentious penalty call swung things in the away side’s favour, eventually resulting in a 3-1 loss.

The Villa boss has some major decisions to make in terms of his team selection, with the likes of Jack Grealish returning, and Ollie Watkins missing out through suspension.

And, with the top-flight season almost over, these last couple of games might present the perfect opportunity for him to hand some of the club’s academy stars a chance in the first-team.

So, with that all in mind, below is a look at how Villa might line up when Everton come to town.

In goal, Emi Martinez will be hoping to keep his 15th clean sheet of the Premier League season, and close the Golden Gloves gap to second-placed Edouard Mendy to just one in the process.

The back-four should also once again remain unchanged, with Smith likely to make changes further forward in midfield.

One of those could be a debut for 17-year-old Carney Chukwuemeka, who has surely been knocking on the door for a chance in the first-team given his performances at youth-team level – he even bagged a hat-trick against Newcastle in the last round of the FA Youth Cup.

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The teenager could be joined by another one of the club’s young prospects in Jacob Ramsey, who has been one of the breakout stars of Villa’s season thus far.

The big news for Villa fans will no doubt be the return of Grealish, with The Athletic even claiming that “the attacker will be available to Villa for the first time since February and there is a good chance he will start the clash”.

The trio would all represent exciting changes from the starting line-up against United last week, and given their homegrown status, will have Villa fans excited too.

And up front, Keinan Davis is the man who is likely to replace the suspended Watkins, who received his marching orders late on at Villa Park.

Predicted XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett; McGinn, Chukwuemeka; Traore, Ramsey, Grealish; Davis.

Meanwhile, Villa must axe this “stupid” ace tonight vs Everton…

If anything summed up Wolves’ topsy-turvy season, it was their 2-1 win over Brighton last weekend.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side were battered by the Seagulls in the first half and had to withstand a relentless barrage of corners. However, after Lewis Dunk was shown a red card and handed his marching orders, Wolves crept back into the game.

Possessing the third-youngest starting XI in the Premier League this season, the Molineux outfit showed plenty of resolve to eventually win 2-1. Adama Traore popped up with the equaliser before Morgan Gibbs-White netted his first-ever top-flight goal.

That said, their assignment against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon could be a lot tougher. As such, will Nuno stick or twist with his youthful XI?

Here’s what we’re predicting…

We are tipping Wolves to show three changes to the team which defeated Brighton a week ago.

The first of those sees Traore come back into the team ahead of Daniel Podence. The speedster appeared from the bench last week but, once he came on, the game completely changed. In completing three dribbles, he quickly became central to Wolves’ victory as he scored and was unfortunate not to claim an assist when Gibbs-White missed from a matter of yards out.

The second change is at right-back, where the more experienced Nelson Semedo starts ahead of Ki-Jana Hoever. Against the might of Harry Kane and Heung-min Son, the youngster could struggle.

The final switch comes at centre-back, where £14,000-per-week Max Kilman drops out with Willy Boly returning.

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The 30-year-old been suffering from the after-effects of illness and therefore missed their win over Brighton. However, the Frenchman has been back in training this week and may immediately come back into the XI as a result.

Marcal has fully recovered from his injuries but we anticipate this match to come too soon for the Brazilian.

With that in mind, Rayan Ait-Nouri gets the opportunity to continue his wonderful form. The teenager was a menace at Molineux last weekend, completing three key passes and three dribbles against the Seagulls.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Neto: Wolves must sign “spectacular” £32m beast, has shades of Ronaldo…

Tottenham Hotspur legend Gary Mabbutt has hailed Japhet Tanganga after his recent performances, telling Football FanCast that he deserves a run at right-back.

The youngster came into the side against Aston Villa after a dismal week for Jose Mourinho’s side.

They lost to Arsenal in the north London derby and were then beaten by Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League, as they inexplicably crashed out of the competition.

It was only Tanganga’s third appearance of the Premier League season, with his other two appearances coming in defeats to Manchester City and West Ham United – just last season Mourinho described the youngster’s performance against Liverpool as “fantastic”.

The senior right-backs in the squad, Serge Aurier and Matt Doherty, have struggled at times this season and Mabbutt was impressed with the youngster’s performance.

He went on to start against Newcastle, before being an unused substitute for the visit of Manchester United at the weekend.

Asked by FFC if the defender deserved a run at right-back, he replied: “Yes, he had a fantastic game against Villa.

“It was a defence which had been chopped and changed around quite a bit and to be able to put in such a good performance given the circumstances, I thought was a high commendation of him.

“He is an excellent player.”

Mabbutt also thinks that Tanganga’s lack of minutes thus far this season points to the fact that Spurs have a remarkably deep squad, and can essentially pick two first-teams.

And he believes that has had a positive effect on the development of players within the squad.

He added: “There’s a lot of competition for places and that’s what I always say about Spurs.

“We can put out two first-teams with the squad that we have and it’s all about competition.”

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Howey, who played 99 times for Manchester City, has backed Sergio Aguero to stay in the Premier League after his contract expires with City at the end of the season.

Since it was announced that Aguero would be leaving Man City at the end of the season, he has been linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur as they prepare to potentially lose Harry Kane, while Foot Mercato reported that he had received offers from both Chelsea and Manchester United.

Aguero has been with City since 2011 when he joined from Athletico Madrid for £36 million and has become the club’s all-time top scorer, as well as scoring the winning goal against QPR to earn them their first-ever Premier League title in 2012.

Speaking on why Aguero may fancy himself to stay in the Premier League and how a move to Qatar or China could also be on the cards, Howey told FFC:

“I know there were rumours about him going to Man United so it’ll be interesting to see what he does decide to do.

“Somebody like Aguero may feel as if he could still do a great job in the Premier League, or he could easily get a move to Qatar or China.”

Aguero has long been linked with a move to Barcelona which would potentially convince his international teammate, Lionel Messi, to stay at the club.

The £230,ooo-per-week striker has only managed five starts in the Premier League this season as he continues to battle different injury problems.

The Athletic’s Gregg Evans has delivered a major boost for Aston Villa ahead of their Premier League clash against Fulham on Sunday afternoon.

Wesley had been out of action for more than a year after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury, and having made his return to training in recent weeks, he finally stepped out onto the pitch during the week for the club’s under-23s.

However, Dean Smith and co would have been left very concerned after he saw his game cut short following a knock to his knee, and there may have been fears over another setback for the big Brazilian.

However, Evans has now moved to dismiss those concerns by insisting that the 24-year-old was only substituted as a “precaution” and will now continue his work back to full fitness.

On his official Twitter account, the journalist revealed: “Disappointing for Wesley’s afternoon to be cut short today, but he was only taken off as a precaution. The striker has been assessed at #AVFC and will continue his return back to full fitness. No major concern from today’s knock to the knee.”

That update will come as a major relief to Smith ahead of his team’s Premier League clash against Fulham on Sunday afternoon, and while Wesley may not have featured in the matchday squad against the Cottagers, it’s a welcome boost for the run-in to the season.

The £13.5m-rated ace’s long-term future at Villa Park is up in the air this summer, and Villa would be wise to make a ruthless call on the striker.

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However, for the here and now, Smith could really do with someone to lighten the burden on Ollie Watkins up front; and Wesley’s return to fitness will give him a Premier League option to provide either an option off the bench or someone to offer genuine competition to the ex-Brentford marksman.

Evans’ update will surely have the Villa manager very relieved.

Meanwhile, Villa should go after this Premier League star…

The Athletic’s Crystal Palace journalist Matt Woosnam has recently provided some details about Jean-Philippe Mateta’s situation at the club.

Mateta had joined Palace on a loan deal in the January transfer window and his term at the club ends after 18 months, when the Eagles have the option to sign him. However, the striker has not featured regularly for Roy Hodgson’s men in recent weeks.

Woosnam provides Mateta update

The Athletic recently opened up a Q&A session for Palace fans ahead of their game against Everton. One fan asked Woosnam about Mateta and his lack of involvement in the Palace first-team under Hodgson.

The 23-year-old didn’t start against the Toffees on Monday either, but Woosnam revealed that the striker is a long-term signing for Palace even though Mateta was aware of a plan to use him this season. The journalist compared him to Michy Batshuayi, saying that his hold-up play isn’t great and he doesn’t fit into Hodgson’s plan and tactics at the moment.

Here’s what the journalist said in full: “He is on an 18-month loan, he was aware that the plan was to use him here and there in this season and then see how he does going forward. It’s a longer-term signing who can contribute now but is there for the future. Based on his performances to date and also what can be gleaned from the data and observations from previous clubs, he is someone who needs service and the ball to come to him, he doesn’t hold it up well. To some extent there are similarities with Batshuayi.

“But he doesn’t particularly suit Hodgson’s system or style at the moment.”

Despite limited game-time, Mateta has already scored once for Palace, finding the back of the net against Brighton back in February (Transfermarkt).

Mateta signing could work out in the long-term

Before arriving at Palace, the £13.5m-rated Mateta had impressed for Mainz this season. He played 15 Bundesliga games for them, scoring seven times and getting one assist for the club. He also got three goals in two DFB Pokal games for Die Nullfünfer (as per Transfermarkt).

It shows that he is certainly an able goalscorer and, while he might not fit Hodgson’s system, the manager’s contract at Palace runs out in the summer. Palace could well have a new man in charge from next season onwards, and perhaps that could help Mateta to flourish at Selhurst Park.

In other news, many Palace fans have been reacting to a news about Eddie Howe – read more here.

Many Everton fans have been left to bemoan an injury that Jordan Pickford has sustained which will mean that he will miss their next game.

As per the official website of the Goodison Park faithful, the former Sunderland ace has sustained an injury to his oblique abdominal muscle after he was forced off in the first half in their 2-1 home loss to Burnley in the Premier League last time out.

As a consequence, he has been ruled out of the Merseyside club’s next game, which is at home to Manchester City in the FA Cup on Saturday evening.

If that match was not already going to be tough enough, Carlo Ancelotti’s team will now have to somehow find a way into the next round of the competition without their number one goalkeeper, just as he had been finding his best form of the season.

Everton fan reaction to Pickford injury

These Toffees supporters bemoaned the injury to Pickford on Twitter, with one Blues fan even going as far to say that the England international will be a ‘huge loss’:

“Dear god Virginia in goal for City let the hammering commence”

Credit: @johnocallagha11

“This is probably one of our worst injury misses. A big problem but good luck to Virginia”

Credit: @ctayts

“Team’s falling to bits. Can’t remember the last time we fielded our strongest 11. Pickford and Doucoure out will be a huge loss for us now.”

Credit: @_JakeClark_

“Hate to say it, but I can see us losing by a cricket score on Saturday.”

Credit: @PaulCarrott3

“Another injury blow, in a season that seems full of them for us”

Credit: @blue_nose_amy

“Love an injury us”

Credit: @jackph21

In other news, find out whose display against Burnley was blasted here!