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In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Chris Kirkland has questioned the decision to exclude veteran Keiren Westwood from the squad this season.

The 36-year-old has not featured for the Owls in nearly a year with Garry Monk option to run with academy graduates Joe Wildsmith and Cameron Dawson instead, which is rather damning with the long-serving shot-stopper thought to be on around £30k-per-week at Hillsborough.

Westwood was not given a squad number for the 2020/21 season and has been left to train away from the first-team squad. He was also reportedly available for transfer during the summer but no approaches were made.

Kirkland, who worked with the experienced Owls man during his stint in south Yorkshire, is baffled by the situation and has called on Monk to bury the hatchet to save their season.

He told FFC:

“I think they’ve got an issue. I think you have to talk about the goalkeeper situation there.

“I have worked with both Joe [Wildsmith] and Cam [Dawson]. Keiren Westwood should be playing without a shadow of a doubt. He’s the best keeper there. He should still be playing in the Premier League but there’s obviously question marks. People talk about Keiren and his attitude and stuff like that, but he was always great with me. I had no issues with him there.

“Other managers have seen a problem there and that’s probably why Garry [Monk] isn’t playing him now because there is obviously an issue behind the scenes. You don’t keep somebody who is one of your top-earners and as good as he is on the bench unless there are big problems behind the scenes.

“With Keiren not playing, that’s a huge mystery. I think if they’re going to do anything this season, they’ve got to bury whatever has gone on. He’s got to get back playing –  and now.”

Westwood has played 179 times for Sheffield Wednesday and appears unlikely to play for the club ever again whilst Monk is still in charge, especially with his contract up at the end of the current campaign.

The Owls have only conceded ten goals so far this term, which is fewer than league-leading Reading, Brentford, Blackburn Rovers and Bristol City.

It remains to be seen what the exact issue is between Monk and Westwood, but clearly, Kirkland believes the Owls would be a far stronger side with the Republic of Ireland glovesman between the sticks than either of their younger options.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Chris Kirkland tips Dejphon Chansiri to make a major call soon…

Former Glasgow Rangers whizkid Billy Gilmour is best known for his time with Chelsea, the club that he has played for since the summer of 2017, but fans shouldn’t forget his football roots.The Scotland U21 international recently went viral after featuring in a hilarious clip with N’Golo Kante, who couldn’t understand his teammate’s Scottish accent, which left the youngster laughing in hysterics.

Gilmour, who is widely regarded as one of the hottest prospects in Scottish football, had trained with the Rangers first team prior to his departure. Despite Pedro Caixinha’s best attempts to convince him otherwise, he decided to take his chances at Chelsea instead.

The 19-year-old enjoyed something of a breakthrough season under Frank Lampard last term after the talented teenager burst onto the scene with a match-winning performance against Liverpoool.

Speaking to Sky Sports, the Chelsea boss said:

“We’ve had a few of the young players come through this year, and that has given me great pleasure, as they are great to work with. They want to come in, they want to learn, and they’re like sponges.

“Billy has given me as much pleasure as anyone. When you look at Billy, he can be quite slight in terms of his size, he’s quite quiet, young and polite, but then you train day-to-day with him through the season.

“He moved over to the first team quite a while ago to train because he just had to, because he just trained at such a level. If you have a possession in training, or a small game, just simple passing, whatever, you talk about having the attitude there and getting the basics right.”

The £6.75m-rated ace even received praise from Roy Keane, with the former Manchester United midfielder admitting he looked like a “world-class player” after the famous win over the Reds.

Where is Gilmour now?

Rangers must be regretting their decision to sell the Scotsman for £500k as he has since thrived in what has undoubtedly been one of the best spells in his young career so far. Lampard handed him his first-team debut against Sheffield United in August 2018.

Gilmour then played six Premier League games last season, whilst he made three appearances in the FA Cup, and featured in the full 90 minutes against Jurgen Klopp’s side, where he completed two clearances, made two tackles and one interception in the entire game, as per SofaScore.

However, he suffered a knee injury which required surgery, and ruled him out of action for several months. So, it’s perhaps hardly surprising he has been tipped for a loan move away from Stamford Bridge in January. An unnamed football agent told The Athletic that he should leave on loan to play regular football.

There are no concrete links to Rangers at the moment, but could that change in the not too distant future? If anything, a straight swap would be beneficial for both clubs. The academy graduate would almost certainly be guaranteed regular game time whilst Chelsea wouldn’t have to worry about him playing every week.

Let’s face it, there won’t be many fans out there who wouldn’t love to see him don the light blue. Get it done, Gers.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers given major boost as Steven Gerrard cleared for Celtic clash…

According to reports, Aston Villa will try again in the January transfer window to sign Strasbourg defender Mohamed Simakan.

What’s the word?

Reports back in the summer suggested that Villa’s fellow Premier League side Burnley were keen on putting together a £15m deal to entice him away from France, but that failed to come to fruition, with Simakan staying put.

Now, an intermediary for the defender, Francesco Di Frisco told Italian publication Calcio Mercato that Villa, and a number of other clubs across Europe could make a renewed attempt to sign him.

He said (via Sport Witness): “There were many teams on Simakan: Lyon, Aston Villa and Borussia Dortmund, especially the Germans tried until the last hours of the market. In January, I think these clubs, including Milan, will try to push again. The boy has picked up where he left off, showing his qualities and it’s possible that his admirers will also increase.”

Lange must win the race

At just 20-years-old, it’s little wonder that some of European football’s most prestigious sides are often Simakan.

The starlet, who is capable of playing at either centre-back or right-back, has all the qualities to become a real top defender at the highest level, especially when you consider that Strasbourg’s club president, and former France international, Marc Keller, said he had shades of Real Madrid star Raphael Varane.

Simakan has already established himself as a key part of his team’s starting eleven, playing the full 90 minutes in every single Ligue 1 game this season. Despite Strasbourg’s lowly position – they currently find themselves 18th – the 6 foot 2 powerhouse putting in some exemplary individual displays.

Spot the fact from the fib: Are these Premier League records true or false?

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

As per Whoscored, he is averaging an impressive 2.1 tackles and 2.1 interceptions per game in the French top-flight. To put that into context, among all players in the division, he ranks 44th and joint-20th for those two stats respectively.

With Tyrone Mings being left-footed, and also capable of playing in a back-three as shown by his performances with England, Simakan’s own versatility of being able to play at full-back could see him become the perfect partner for the Villa ace. Johan Lange must surely do everything he can to win the race to sign him in January.

Southampton were victorious over West Bromwich Albion in their Sunday afternoon fixture at St Mary’s. The Saints banked their second win of the season thanks to goals from Moussa Djenepo and Oriol Romeu.

Despite the confident win, one man had a less than convincing performance in defence. New signing Kyle Walker-Peters was a passenger in the Saints bck-line, with his teammates putting in the graft to ensure they kept a clean sheet on home soil.

Kyle Walker-Peters stats

One recurring issue with the former Spurs man is his ability to keep hold of the ball. According to Sofascore, Walker-Peters lost possession a worrying 22 times and was successful in just six of his 14 attempted duels. His previous performance against Burnley was a similar display – losing the ball 19 times and failing to make a single tackle, interception or clearance.

The 23-year-old’s worst game in Southampton colours statistically came against Manchester United at the end of last season. The 2-2 tie saw Walker-Peters earn a poor Sofascore rating of 5.8 after losing possession 21 times and being dribbled past three times.

Potential worries moving forward with Southampton

After Spurs came knocking with an offer for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, the Saints took an eye for an eye and brought in the right-back for a fee of £12million (via Daily Mail). Luckily, Southampton’s back-line and Alex McCarthy have been strong so far this campaign, painting over the subpar performances from the England youth international.

Winning two of their four games played is a solid start for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side, but he may need to rethink his options on the right-hand side. With Yan Valery available as his disposal, the 53-year-old might change up his tactics to avoid being exposed by strong left wingers like Sadio Mane, Raheem Sterling and Son Heung-min moving forwards.

In other news, Ralph Hasenhuttl makes Southampton transfer deadline day statement…

West Ham boss David Moyes could be sleepwalking into a transfer disaster this summer if fresh reports are to be believed…

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, the Hammers have pulled a U-turn on their young winger Grady Diangana and are now prepared to sell him if they receive an offer of £25m.

They claim that Moyes had been reluctant to let the 22-year-old leave the London Stadium before next season after his impressive loan spell at promotion-winning West Brom.

Now the club would like to move him on in order to garner some extra funds to use in the transfer market.

Moyes mistake

With the likes of Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko also on the chopping block this summer, it would be a strange move to get rid of Diangana too.

This really could be one of Moyes’ biggest mistakes at the Irons.

The enigmatic winger provided eight goals and six assists as the Baggies clinched the runner-up spot in the Championship this term – he only started 23 matches, which makes it all that more spectacular. Diangana also averaged 2.4 dribbles, 1.6 shots and 1.4 key passes per game, via WhoScored.

Only one Hammers star (Michail Antonio) scored more goals than the 22-year-old whilst no other player managed to match his assists for the season.

Diangana’s performances at the Hawthorns haven’t gone unnoticed either, Lee Hendrie believes he has set himself up “to be an absolutely fabulous player” and a “total nightmare” for defenders whilst EFL pundit Keith Andrews has described the wide man as “explosive”.

West Ham are better off having him around next season. He’s hungry to be a success and will be on less than half the money that the majority of the squad – flops included – are on.

It’s no wonder SPFL giants Celtic and Rangers are hot on his tail. They’d both make Moyes rue this blunder.

AND in other news, Hammers hope to use Moyes flop as makeweight for £20m star…

Darren Bent insists appointing Ledley King as a first-team coach at Tottenham Hotspur is a “masterstroke” by Jose Mourinho.

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former Spurs striker admits he is surprised it hasn’t happened sooner.

Recent reports revealed that King had held talks about joining the backroom staff at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after Mourinho announced his assistant Ricardo Formosinho would be leaving north London to pursue his own career as a head coach.

Mourinho has now confirmed that the club’s former captain will be linking up with his coaching staff next season.

Spurs qualified for the Europa League with a 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace on the final day of the season, and Mourinho dropped the news immediately after the game.

The pundit, who played with King at White Hart Lane, believes the move will win Mourinho favour with the fans.

Bent told assistant editor Russell Edge “that guy can do the lot, he can do everything – play, defend, everything, and he did it with one leg.”

“Do you know what’s mad though? I’ve always thought to myself surely when he retired one of the managers would get him on board on the coaching staff defensively. Honestly, outstanding.”

“I don’t know if it was him that didn’t or what but it didn’t happen but I always felt managers were missing a trick with him because this guy, the fans love him – that’s a way to get the fans on board because they idolise him – he’s obviously that good as well.”

“It’s a masterstroke from Mourinho if he pulls that off.”

It is hard to argue with Bent here, as King is a hugely popular figure amongst the fan base.

King, 39, made 323 appearances for Spurs, scoring 14 goals in all competitions, famously winning the League Cup in 2008.

After breaking through the ranks, the academy graduate led the club for seven years, until a recurring knee injury forced him to retire at the age of just 31.

The arrival of Martin Jol coincided with King’s revival, as together the duo laid the foundations that turned Tottenham into a team capable of challenging for a place in the Champions League.

The firm favourite enjoys the honour of hearing his name ring out on the 26th minute of every game to mark his shirt number and he has worked as a club ambassador up until now.

Despite the fact his playing career was sadly cut short, King knows the club inside and out, and his local knowledge could prove useful.

The Lilywhites have leaked goals for fun throughout the season and fans will be hoping the veteran can fix their defensive frailties on the training pitch.

Whether or not he will be able to make an immediate impact remains to be seen.

Tottenham fans, are you excited to see Ledley King link up with Mourinho? Let us know down below!

Chelsea have reportedly agreed a fee to pay for Ugurcan Cakir’s services ahead of next season.

According to Haber365 (via Sport Witness), the Blues have agreed a €33m (£29.7m) fee to sign Trabzonspor’s first-choice goalkeeper. If the deal goes through, the shot-stopper will become the most expensive player to be bought from the Turkish Super Lig.

It seems that Frank Lampard is not including Kepa Arrizabalaga in his long-term plans and is on the lookout for his replacement. Should talks come to fruition, Cakir will join fellow new additions Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner at the west London club.

The Turkey international helped Trabzonspor to a second-placed finish in the Super Lig this season, behind only Istanbul Basaksehir by four points.

Cakir has admitted that a move to the Premier League would be a ‘dream come true’ for him. He would be joining a team undergoing an exciting transition which could see them consistently challenge for silverware.

Trabzonspor is the 24-year-old’s boyhood club, but a new avenue for fresh challenges and opportunities could see the best of his game flourish at Chelsea if he makes the move to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea fans, would you like to see Cakir join the club next season? Have your say in the comments below…

Manchester United face stiff competition from Arsenal in the race to sign Gabriel Magalhaes from Lille, reports claim.Â

Gabriel finds himself on the Red Devils’ radar amid interest from a number of European clubs this summer with Arsenal among them.

According to Goal, Lille still haven’t decided where his future lies, and he is currently considering his options ahead of a potential move.

It is understood that the Ligue 1 club want at least £25m for the highly-rated centre-back.

Recent reports had suggested that the Red Devils were close to completing a deal for the defender but this doesn’t seem to be the case.

While Man United have made contact with his agent, Fabrizio Romano revealed they are not in talks with Lille at the moment.

The Italian transfer expert tweeted that Arsenal are ahead of their fierce rivals as they have started discussions with Les Dogues to sort out a deal, while Napoli remain interested but are waiting to see what will happen with United’s other defensive target, Kalidou Koulibaly.

It is common knowledge that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants to sign a centre-back to play alongside Harry Maguire at the back, as Victor Lindelof has struggled for consistency, and Eric Bailly has barely played at all.

The 22-year-old Brazilian is exactly the sort of player he needs to bring to Old Trafford this summer.

Gabriel, who has been described by Lille president Gerard Lopez as an “absolute machine,” has the pick of the crop after putting in a string of impressive performances at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy last term.

United are a more attractive option than Arsenal, as Solskjaer can offer Champions League football, while their top-flight rivals will have to settle for playing in the Europa League next season.

Admittedly, Mikel Arteta’s side may have an advantage, as Raul Sanllehi worked with Lille chief executive Marc Ingla during their time together at Barcelona, which is believed to have worked in their favour while negotiating for Nicolas Pepe.

Ed Woodward will have his work cut out as it seems as though the centre-back has dropped a huge hint on social media. However, there are bound to be plenty of twists and turns as the transfer saga continues to unfold in the coming days.

United fans, do you think Woodward will sign Gabriel this summer? Let us know down below!

Loads of Tottenham fans have reacted to a post from the club’s official account showing footage of Son Heung-min giving an interview at Enfield. 

Son spoke extensively about his military service and how it feels to be back training with his teammates. Spurs shared a clip on Twitter, with the caption “I’ve missed the guys. When I came back, I couldn’t stop smiling, like always!”

Last month, the South Korean returned to training for the first time since the nationwide lockdown began after completing national service with his home country. He impressed army officers and finished at the top of his class (Daily Mail).

As Son was ruled out with a broken arm in February, there is no doubt his return will give Jose Mourinho’s side a massive boost.

Indeed, the 27-year-old is the club’s second-highest goalscorer at the time of writing, only a goal behind star striker Harry Kane, and he has provided more assists than the England international up until now (BBC).

He has scored nine goals and created seven assists in the Premier League, taking three shots per game, averaging 1.4 key passes and attempting 2.3 dribbles on average (via WhoScored).

Unsurprisingly, lots of Spurs supporters gushed over Son’s latest “amazing” interview on social media, with one fan dubbing the video “fantastic”.

Scroll down through some of the glowing reactions so far…

Tottenham fans, are you excited to see Sonny back on the pitch? Let us know down below!

Tottenham Hotspur have launched an offer for Bayern Munich wonderkid Taylor Booth, according to Football Insider.  

Tottenham are trying to prise the teenager away from the Allianz Arena in the summer, despite the fact he has two years remaining on his current contract.

A source close to the situation told the outlet Spurs are prepared to hand the prospect a lucrative professional contract.

The Daily Mail recently reported the 18-year-old impressed backroom staff with his performance against the Lilywhites in the UEFA Youth League last year.

Booth signed for Bayern back in January 2019, but has grown frustrated with the lack of opportunities in Hans-Dieter Flick’s senior squad, and Spurs have already made the first move.

Consequently, this latest development could be bad news for Harry Winks.

Ever since he arrived at the Bundesliga champions in 2019, the American has been tipped for greatness, after he put in an impressive performance as Bayern’s Under-19s thrashed Tottenham 3-0 back in December, finishing the game with a tally of two assists.

Moreover, the holding midfielder has been capped by USA at all levels up to his age group. He has also regularly featured in the German youth league, creating 3 assists in 11 games so far (Transfermarkt).

On the other hand, Winks has arguably struggled for consistency up until now. Remarkably, the 24-year-old is still yet to score or create an assist in all competitions at the time of writing.

Indeed, the Englishman has failed to register a single goal or assist in the Premier League this season, taking a mere 0.4 shots per game, averaging under one clearance, although he has made 1.3 tackles on average in the English top flight (WhoScored).

Daniel Levy is set to try to lure Booth away with an offer the club feels he won’t be able to resist.

As it stands, the whizzkid is unsure about his future at the German giants, as Die Roten are on course to claim another league title after beating rivals Borussia Dortmund earlier this week.

Spurs have a history of developing young players into world-class talents, with the club churning out the likes of Harry Kane and Gareth Bale in recent years.

If Booth moves to England in the upcoming transfer window, it is Winks who could miss out on a place in the squad in the future, as he has been unable to shield the defence over the course of the campaign.

Furthermore, Daniel Levy splashed the cash to sign Tanguy Ndombele, so it is unlikely the chairman would be willing for the club’s record signing to make room for the American teen in the squad. Giovani Lo Celso has also received a higher rating than his English counterpart via WhoScored.

Mourinho has certainly given the England international plenty of chances, but he has largely failed to live up to expectations so far, and he stands to lose the most if Booth joins the North London club.

Tottenham fans, do you think Daniel Levy should sign Taylor Booth in the summer? Let us know down below!