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Former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Carlton Palmer has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that the Owls moving Jordan Rhodes on was “good business”.

Wednesday recently announced their retained list, with Rhodes’ name not being on it.

The 31-year-old striker has since gone on to rejoin Huddersfield Town on a free transfer, previously playing for the Championship outfit between 2009-12.

Rhodes was supposedly on £35,000 a week during his time at Hillsborough and, on that kind of Money, Palmer feels the League One club had no choice but to part ways with the Scotsman.

On Rhodes, the ex-Wednesday player said:

“I believe he’s a nice lad. From what I hear, my pal who’s a Norwich City supporter said he was great when he went down, but still not a massive goal return again.

“He’s good to have around the dressing room and whatever. Well, that’s alright for me if I’m not paying him that type of money, do you know what I mean? So, you know, it’s good business for Wednesday to move him on, good business for them to move him on.”

While Rhodes did manage to find the back of the net a few times in the last part of the season, he did struggle throughout the majority of the campaign.

The former Blackburn Rovers forward finished the term with seven league goals in 36 appearances, while his overall record at Wednesday was far from prolific.

Furthermore, perhaps this fresh start was needed for everyone and could give Rhodes the chance to rediscover his goalscoring touch again.

Mike Burns savaged the Yorkshire attack to hit a career-best 162 not out as Somerset dominated the opening day of the Bath Festival after losing the toss

Richard Latham13-Jun-2001Mike Burns savaged the Yorkshire attack to hit a career-best 162 not out as Somerset dominated the opening day of the Bath Festival after losing the toss.Burns shared a stand of 206 with skipper Jamie Cox, which was a Somerset record for the second wicket against Yorkshire. By the close he had faced 283 balls, hitting 19 fours and a six, in beating his previous highest score of 160 against Oxford University.Cox overcame a sketchy start to hit 95 and there was an impressive debut from 20-year-old Devonian Matthew Wood, who finished 60 not out, having shared an unbroken stand of 139 with Burns, which took the total to an imposing 371-2 off 104 overs.Yorkshire skipper David Byas must have regretted his decision to field yet it had looked sound enough during a morning ession in which his bowlers enjoyed little luck.Gavin Hamilton send back Piran Holloway for five with the total on 26 and a key moment came at 54-1 when Cox was badly dropped by James Middlebrook at first slip off the aggressive Steven Kirby, having made only 20.Burns was caught behind off a no-ball on five and the two reprieves were capitalised on in style. Cox had hit 15 boundaries when he was finally picked up by Byas at slip trying to force Gary Fellows through the offside.The pitch lost all trace of its early life in the afternoon and Burns made majestic progress. Having taken 147 balls to reach 50 he need only a further 119 deliveries to race past 150.Wood leant excellent support after the departure of Cox. His first two scoring strikes in Championship cricket were boundaries and he reached his maiden half-century with an eighth four, handsomely lifting Middlebrook over mid-off.Somerset coach Kevin Shine spoke highly of Wood, saying: “Matthew played very well indeed, and I was very impressed. It’s the first time I’ve seen him in a match situation. He was very calm and very assured – and he’s not finished yet.”

Southampton were heavily linked with Heerenveen midfielder Joey Veerman last year and his superb performances in the Netherlands have now attracted the interest of Champions League clubs ahead of the summer, which suggests that Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side seriously missed out on the 22-year-old.

The Saints were seemingly keen on completing a deal for the Dutch midfielder before October’s transfer deadline in 2020 but he ended up staying with the Eredivisie side, where he has continued to demonstrate his quality this season.

In 29 appearances in the Dutch top flight this term, Veerman has contributed seven goals and nine assists, earning an impressive 7.44 average rating from WhoScored.

If he had replicated those performances at Southampton this season, he would have comfortably been rated as their best performer in the Premier League, which emphasises that the St Mary’s hierarchy should have done more to bring him in.

The 22-year-old’s overall goals and assist tally of 18 this season is also more than any Southampton player, despite him featuring as a central-midfielder in the majority of his appearances.

It is no surprise that Veerman is now attracting interest from across Europe ahead of next season, with the likes of Rangers and Atalanta linked with him recently, both of whom look set to be playing in the Champions League next season given their performances in the Premiership and Serie A respectively.

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Veerman earned a lot of praise from former Rangers striker Michael Mols recently, with the Dutchman saying: “He is perfect with the ball and in possession, he’s a really great player. His passing and movement with the ball is really relaxed in a good way.”

He certainly sounds like the sort of player who Hasenhuttl would appreciate having in his midfield, especially this season when a lack of squad depth in the middle of the park has been cruelly exposed following long-term injuries to Oriol Romeu and Will Smallbone.

Certainly, Veerman looks like a fine player who is destined for a bright future away from Heerenveen, but unfortunately it looks as if Southampton have blown their best chance of bringing him to St Mary’s.

In other news… Better than Bednarek: Semmens should seal bargain Saints swoop for £4.5m-rated beast

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.

In the seemingly never-ending saga that is Newcastle United’s potential takeover, Rob Lee, who played during the Entertainers era on Tyneside, has exclusively told Football FanCast that there is too much noise around the deal for his liking.

In the latest twist of events, details of the Premier League requesting an extension to prepare their evidence for both legal cases that Mike Ashley has launched against them emerged, with just one being accepted and that is the one surrounding anti-competition.

Ashley thought he had struck gold when Amanda Staveley’s consortium, backed by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, agreed to take the club off his hands, only for them to pull the plug at the last minute.

Takeovers happen all the time in football and they are usually passed through quietly without many people knowing, which is the opposite of this potential deal, something Lee doesn’t like as he exclusively told FFC:

“I genuinely don’t know where this is all going but it looks like Ashley is just trying to get the fans to dislike somebody else rather than himself. He’s blaming the Premier League and seemingly everybody else apart from himself and as I’ve said before, there is way too much noise going on.

“These deals usually get done very quietly but we’re still hanging onto the fact that hopefully, something might happen.”

A deal was agreed for PCP Capital Partners to buy Newcastle over 12 months ago but as Steve Bruce heads into what will be his fifth transfer window as manager, Ashley still holds the keys to the club.

Recently, documents suggested that the arbitration case is set to begin in July, which could determine whether or not Ashley can sell the club to PCP Capital Partners or not.

Some Everton fans have been left to laud a big update from Paul Joyce on Marcel Brands.

As per a tweet from The Times journalist, the director of football at the Goodison Park faithful has signed a new deal that will keep him at the Merseyside club for three more years, news which has since been confirmed by the club.

The timing comes after the collapse of the proposed European Super League (ESL) which was largely condemned around the country, including by the Toffees themselves, although they were not one of the six teams from the Premier League that signed up to take part.

Nonetheless, Brands signing a new contract offers some stability for the Blues and says a lot about their faith in him given the relationships that have been broken from sides in the ‘big six’ as a result of the ESL fiasco.

Everton fans on Joyce’s Brands update

These EFC supporters lauded the update from Joyce on Brands’ new deal on Twitter, with one fan even going as far as to claim that they were left ‘made up’ while another labelled it as ‘brilliant news’:

“Nice”

Credit: @james_gavo3

“Good news for once”

Credit: @EFCJakeee

“Personally, I’m made up with news….”

Credit: @NTylerVI

“Brilliant news!”

Credit: @ChrisPickles24

“Love to see it”Credit: @MainManMina”Great News!!!”Credit: @AllToffee1878In other news, find out what ESL news Toffees flocked to here!

MatériaMais Notícias

Manoel está novamente à disposição de Mano Menezes. Após se ausentar de quatro jogos por conta de uma suspensão imposta pelo treinador, o zagueiro pode retornar à equipe. No entanto, o treinador não sabe se o atleta voltará ao time.

Questionado sobre a possível escalação do defensor diante da Chapecoense, neste domingo (16), o comandante gaúcho tergiversou. Os atuais titulares são Léo e Bruno Rodrigo.

– Vou definir amanhã (sábado), porque não falei com os jogadores ainda. Quando falar com os jogadores, aí sim passo para vocês (imprensa). Eles são as pessoas mais importantes nesse processo. Vou tentar ser coerente dentro desse assunto – afirmou.

Em relação à atual dupla titular (que alcançou três jogos seguidos sem sofrer gols), o técnico explica:

– É a vida do técnico. O futebol é assim mesmo. Vou procurar ser o mais coerente possível com eles, sem deixar a equipe cair de rendimento. A escolha fica em segundo plano – concluiu Mano Menezes.

Gareth Southgate has admitted Jordan Henderson faces a race against time to even be fit for England’s Euro 2020 campaign this summer.

The Liverpool captain has been absent since the 1-0 defeat at home to Everton last month, having limped off with a groin problem, with a return originally expected some time in April (Sky Sports).

Henderson underwent surgery on the issue, but his return to action is still a way off and he isn’t expected to face Real Madrid in either leg of the Reds’ Champions League quarter-final tie.

It means the 30-year-old will likely only return for the final weeks of this season at best, meaning he may not even be match-fit enough to play at the Euros.

[freshpress-quiz id=“306736”]

Henderson faces race to be fit for Euro 2020

Speaking to reporters [via the Liverpool Echo], England manager Southgate hinted that Henderson will need to prove his fitness in order to make the squad:

“In terms of promises, we can only say that Hendo himself is very optimistic about how the operation went and the prognosis that the specialist has given him as to what is possible,” Southgate said.

“We are conscious that with any injury of that nature, there is a guide and a time defined – but that anything can happen along the way.

“We know it’s going to be close to the end of the season and we will just have to see how it goes.

“He will give himself every chance of being available. And, of course, we also know he is likely to be a bit short of match minutes in high-level games.

“There are a lot of things to take into consideration but, at the moment, that is a decision that is a few weeks away.”

Transfer Tavern take

Missing the Euros would be an enormous blow for Henderson, who at 30, may not have many more chances to impress at a major tournament.

Given his standing as vice-captain in the current England squad, he will surely start if he is fit, but the next month or so could be crucial, in that respect.

It appears this is yet more bad injury news for Liverpool, given that the original prognosis for the skipper was that he would be back in April (Sky Sports).

In other news, some Liverpool fans have been reacting to yet another injury blow for the Reds. Read about it here.

Former Sheffield United striker Dean Windass has exclusively told Football FanCast that it would be a “no-brainer” for Roy Keane to take the Celtic job.

The former Manchester United midfielder, who won the Scottish Premiership during a brief stint with the Hoops during the 2005-2006 campaign, has been out of management since leaving Ipswich more than a decade ago, although he’s been assistant boss at Republic of Ireland and Aston Villa, and most recently at Nottingham Forest under Martin O’Neill.

And reports have circulated since the departure of Celtic manager Neil Lennon last month that Keane wants a return to dugout and would be interested in the vacant role at Celtic Park.

Keane is currently working as a pundit for both Sky Sports and ITV, but is currently amongst the favourites to replace Lennon at the Glasgow-based club.

Given his previous links to the Scottish giants, Windass believes that it would be a great opportunity for Keane to return to management.

He told Football FanCast: “It’s a no-brainer really, if that’s the case with Roy.

“The links that he’s had for Celtic and he’s been there and played for them at the end of his career.

“It’s a great shout if that’s the case, and I’m sure if he walks in the changing room Celtic players will know there’s a man in there that demands high standards on and off the field, and they’ve got a massive challenge in taking the title off Rangers.”

Manchester City cult hero Pablo Zabaleta, as relayed by an exclusive with the Mirror, is in talks over an emotional return to Eastlands nearly four years after his departure – with the Argentine open to taking up different roles for the club following his retirement from football in October.

Zabaleta, who made 333 appearances for the Sky Blues before emotionally saying goodbye at the end of the 2016/2017 season, winning two Premier League titles, two League Cups, an FA Cup and a Community Shield at the Etihad, could now make a dream return in a non-playing capacity.

The Argentine is a fan favourite for the club, being one of the only players signed before the takeover to survive in City’s squad for years thereafter.

After his departure from the Etihad, Zabaleta could come back in a non-playing role – as the Mirror relay CFG have approached him over a return in some capacity as he will continue to negotiate.

The 36-year-old hinted he could even take up a coaching role as supporters flock to this ‘awesome news’ shared by City Xtra on social media, and it’s little wonder why they’re excited given the love for ‘Zaba’.

Find all of their best verdicts down below.

Man City fans wowed by ‘awesome’ Zabaleta news

“Get in Zaba”

Credit: @MCFCAJ10

“#ZABACK SIUUUUUUUU”

Credit: @gundo8ii

“YEA!!!! Awesome news…!”

Credit: @MCFCTone

“YEEESSSSSSS”

Credit: @jontekarlsson02

“Can’t wait to have Zaba back in any capacity. His genuine love for mcfc

is unmatched.”

Credit: @dippyalone

“Please make this happen”

Credit: @Mr_C_Walsh

“The king shall return”

Credit: @_TrueInBlue

“YESSSSSS”

Credit: @mcfcsaif

In other news: Man City fans weren’t impressed by this claim, find out more here.