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Aston Villa manager Dean Smith could build a formidable strike duo by unleashing Ollie Watkins alongside Chris Wood amid a major transfer claim on the Burnley striker.

What’s the story?

Football Insider have recently claimed that the Clarets marksman is being targeted as someone who could add more firepower to Villa, adding that the Midlands club are “one of three top-12 Premier League clubs keeping close tabs on Wood”.

Imagine him and Watkins

While Smith has been predominantly using Watkins as his lone striker up front, the former Brentford man does have the ability to play out wide on the left, while the Villa boss could even go with both him and Wood up top as a duo.

The £50,000-a-week striker has been described as a “natural goalscorer” by former Leeds boss Garry Monk, while Scott Malone, his former teammate at Millwall, called him “frightening” to play against.

Villa fans must love seeing the way Watkins presses from the front, and in Wood they would have someone who is equally a nightmare to defend against, with his physicality and ability to bring others into the game a real strength.

Indeed, Premier League legend Alan Shearer said: “I like him, I like what he does for the team and he is the focal point for them. He is very good at occupying two centre halves. He is a get out for Burnley if they want because they are not afraid to knock it long.

“He can keep hold of it and bring other players into the game. He is horrible to play against and he won’t give defenders a moment’s peace.”

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/aston-villa-dean-smith-transfer-window-premier-league-villa-park-emi-buendia-gregg-evans-gossip-rumours-update-news” title=”Read the latest Aston Villa transfer rumours and news!”]

Having the two of Watkins and Wood chasing down opposition defenders, and harrying them on the ground and in the air, would give Villa a two-man strike force which teams would find incredibly menacing and real hard work to stop.

Meanwhile, a journo has dropped a major update on Villa’s pursuit of Emi Buendia…

Many Everton fans have been left to fume as some early team news has emerged ahead of their game away at West Ham United in the Premier League.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match on Sunday afternoon, Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed (via Phil Kirkbride) that James Rodriguez will not be able to play any part in the fixture.

The former Real Madrid star is clearly a key player for the Goodison Park faithful, with no fewer than six goals and a further nine assists in 25 games in total over all competitions so far in the 2020/21 term (Transfermarkt), and his creativity and flair will be greatly missed as the Merseyside club look to chase European qualification for next season.

Rodriguez has already missed plenty of games for the Toffees through injury, and it seems as if several Blues are growing increasingly frustrated with him.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/https-www-footballtransfertavern-com-everton-fc-transfer-rumours-sergio-aguero-manchester-city-premier-league/” title=”Everton updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Everton fans on Rodriguez setback

These EFC supporters fumed as the update on the Colombia international was shared on Twitter:

“James absolute liability… he may be talented but his injury record is abysmal… offload in the summer you just don’t need the hassle, he should be playing every game.”

Credit: @maximossilver

“Good to see Doucoure back but James is a waste of time.”

Credit: @10538R

“Made of plasticine is James”

Credit: @toddlonsdale

“Of course he’s out. Dude is fragile”

Credit: @BlakeEM_

“One step forward…two broken legs”

Credit: @BufordTJustice

“Bit of a joke this now. As good as he is, he’s fit barely half the season”

Credit: @paulwithe

In other news, find out what transfer update has left Toffees buzzing here!

Many Glasgow Rangers fans are livid over an article from newspaper columnist Helen Martin following the celebrations which took place at George Square at the weekend.

The last few days have been special for the Ibrox club. For the first time in 10 years, they lifted the Premiership title on Saturday after beating Aberdeen 4-0 at home – that also meant they went the entire league campaign unbeaten (BBC). As such, thousands of Rangers supporters took to the streets to celebrate. While there was some trouble – 20 fans were arrested (firstpost.com) – the scenes were generally peaceful and well-natured.

However, Martin clearly had another agenda on her mind. She concentrated solely on the few supporters who caused trouble and suggested that there is a widespread sectarian issue amongst the club’s fanbase – she even floated the idea of Rangers being put out of business (The Edinburgh News).

She shared the article on her Twitter page, and it attracted outrage from many Gers supporters. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on her “disturbing” remarks.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Martin below

“Utterly disgusting and truly offensive article.”

Credit: @sisi_michael

“See you in court”

Credit: @mitchduncan6

“Vile beyond belief”

Credit: @jamesmcguire191

“Downright disturbing take.”

Credit: @Shodan47

“This is a staggeringly appalling article, it’s not just the content itself it’s all terribly written”

Credit: @leadbetterMaz

“That is vile and dangerous. Very very dangerous Helen Martin.”

Credit: @Tilthedayisdone

In other news, Rangers fans love this Burj Khalifa tribute.

A number of Liverpool supporters believe Roberto Firmino has peaked as a footballer, following a hugely below-par season for the Reds.

Jurgen Klopp’s men have experienced a campaign to forget, having won the Premier League title in 2019/20.

A mixture of injuries, poor form, no supporters in grounds and baffling VAR decisions have all played a part in Liverpool’s woes, making for a season to forget.

[freshpress-quiz id=“350790”]

There have been a host of Reds players who have struggled throughout, but Firmino has arguably been the worst of the bunch. The Brazilian has only scored six goals in 31 league appearances and his all-round game has been a shadow of its former self, withtoo many poor performances thrown in.

Former Liverpool striker John Aldridge has written about Firmino’s struggles in the Liverpool Echo, describing him as ‘a problem’ at the moment. The 62-year-old wrote: “Look at Firmino, he is a problem. He has lost his mojo completely and I have been one of his biggest fans, but it has been like this for a long time now.”

Aldridge added: “He’s lost his belief, totally, his confidence, everything in his game seems to have gone and he just can’t shake himself out of it.”

Liverpool fans believe Firmino has peaked

These Reds fans agreed with Aldridge, providing their thoughts on Twitter.

“Bobby is DONE. No coming back from that”

Credit: @fre_flow

“I don’t know why he has lost his way this season”

Credit: @Seyjith

“This is a bitter truth. I have noticed him so well. We need to sell him”

Credit: @Stature01

“Best days are behind him John, upgrade needed. Evolution happens and we need to move on. Forwards at the club need to be scoring goals and apart from Mo they have been well below what we need from them. And sadly Bobby has been like that for a long time now “

Credit: @MarkWells47

“Totally agree, we need an out an out striker”

Credit: @MarkPriddy9

“His good days are gone sadly though”

Credit: @Leeblinder

In other news, some Liverpool fans have been calling for one divisive Reds player to be sold this summer. Find out who it is here.

Bundesliga expert Daniel Pinder has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that he cannot see Wout Weghorst leaving Wolfsburg for Tottenham this summer.

The 6 ft 6 Dutch striker has been linked with a move to the north London club amid a stunning campaign.

Weghorst has managed to reach the 20-goal mark in the Bundesliga this season, showing that he could perhaps be a reliable alternative to Harry Kane if the England captain remains at Spurs.

Pinder, however, believes Kane’s presence at Tottenham is actually likely to detract the 28-year-old from wanting to join the club.

On Weghorst, who is currently valued at £27m by Transfermarkt, the editor-in-chief at Get German Football News told FFC:

“I think he’d only consider it if Kane leaves. Wolfsburg are third in the Bundesliga, so the chance of them getting Champions League football next season is extremely high. So unless the offer’s right, the team’s right, I don’t really think he has that desire to leave Wolfsburg.”

Loanee Carlos Vinicius is the other striker currently in Tottenham’s squad, but recent reports suggest that the Premier League outfit do not want to activate the £36m option-to-buy fee they have in place with Benfica.

It means Spurs will likely need to sign a new No.9 whether Kane stays or not.

Ally McCoist has urged Harry Kane to follow the example of Glasgow Rangers striker Jermain Defoe and move to a club that demands trophies.

McCoist urges Kane to follow Defoe’s lead

Defoe, who moved to the Gers in 2019, was recently speaking about England captain Kane and suggested that he needs to leave Tottenham to win trophies.

Speaking on talkSPORT Breakfast [06:00, 29/03/21] , McCoist agreed with Defoe and said that Kane should follow his lead in moving to a club like Rangers, where there is pressure to succeed. The Ibrox icon said (via Ibrox News):

“It was brilliant listening to Jermain there, I get totally what he’s saying there.

“He’s now going up to Rangers where there’s a demand to win things that’s greater than anywhere else.

“There’s an expectation level – you’re not wanting to reach finals, you’re not hoping to reach finals or win the league, the difference is you’ve got to.

“It’s a massive, massive incentive and I’d like someone like Harry Kane to feel that kind of pressure, it’s a different kind of pressure.”

Vital

Before moving to Scotland, Defoe had won just one trophy throughout his career – the League Cup with Spurs way back in 2008. At the Gers, he has already doubled that haul after winning the Premiership, and the Gers still have the chance to lift the Scottish Cup this term as well.

With 57 England caps to his name and 163 Premier League goals throughout his career (Transfermarkt), Defoe has had fulfilled much of his potential, but this latest trophy victory is probably his crowning glory.

Kane already has 231 senior goals, of which 160 have come in the English top flight, but he will not be remembered among the greats as he rightly should unless he adds silverware to his CV. Unfortunately, that looks increasingly unlikely at Tottenham – he must switch to a club that expects trophies, like Defoe has done and McCoist has advised.

In other news, some Rangers fans react to this bizarre news on a former Ibrox hero.

Liverpool are in the ‘final stages’ of signing RB Leipzig star Ibrahima Konate, according to Bild‘s head of football Christian Falk.

The Reds are looking to sign at least one new centre-back this summer, having suffered terrible misfortune in that area this season.

Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip are all out for the rest of the campaign, with Nathaniel Phillips and Ozan Kabak an unlikely current pairing currently.

Konate has been the defender most heavily linked with joining Liverpool, with recent reports saying a deal looks likely in the summer.

Konate deal edges closer for Liverpool

Speaking to Bild [via Sport Witness], Falk claimed that the move is nearing its conclusion, with the price of it also a reasonable amount:

“He doesn’t have seem to be that expensive after all. It’s quiet, so they’re really in the final stages of the transfer now; I heard they’re going through, and they’re just going through all the data again as he’s had a few injuries.

“The nice news is they’ve always talked about €40m plus, but he’s supposed to cost, according to our information, the transfer fee is €32.5m- €34m.

“That means in these times, every million that’s cheaper makes the transfer easier, of course.”

Transfer Tavern take

The £31.5million-rated (Transfermarkt) Konate is certainly a centre-back with a huge amount of promise, already making 90 appearances for Leipzig at the age of just 21.

He is winning an average of 1.8 aerial duels per game in the league this season, which suggests he could thrive in that area at Liverpool, with the Reds reportedly wanting an aerially-dominant player to come in.

Konate’s injury issues are the one possible stumbling block, however, but if Jurgen Klopp believes he is the right man, the boss has done enough to prove he is worth trusting.

In other news, some Liverpool fans have been sticking up for one Reds player after some recent criticism. Find out who it is here.

Sheffield Wednesday ended a run of seven straight defeats but still slipped ever closer towards League One after throwing away two points at Hillsborough against their local rivals last night.

Darren Moore’s side are cut nine points adrift of safety following the 1-1 draw with only ten games left to play. An unfortunate Callum Paterson own goal cancelled out Josh Windass’ equaliser.

It’s clear that the 46-year-old still does not know his best starting XI – or formation – but plenty of the current squad are doing him no favours. At times, they looked too vulnerable to overcommit and ultimately, shot of confidence.

As outlined by YorkshireLive reporter Dom Howson, Wednesday’s struggles in front of goal continued against Huddersfield, managing only two shots on target. He also claims that their expected goals record since Moore was appointed is yet to improve either.

Moore deployed a 3-4-3 formation with Windass and Kadeem Harris playing either side of Jordan Rhodes. Only two of the trio surpassed a rating of 7.0 as per SofaScore.

The one that didn’t was Harris – the natural winger. In fact, he had a complete nightmare of an evening on that right flank before being hooked on the hour mark.

His 6.5 rating was the lowest of any Owls player, and it’s easy to see why.

The 27-year-old dynamo, valued at £1.35m by Transfermarkt, recorded the fewest touches (26) of any Wednesday starter which goes to show just how ineffective and incapable he was of making an impact in the game. Even Keiren Westwood had more between the sticks (45). That’s never a good sign.

Harris made 58 touches against the league leaders on Sunday, in a game they weren’t expected to do well in whatsoever.

With so few touches, the former Cardiff ace struggled immensely, failing to deliver an accurate cross to Rhodes whilst he was hugely wasteful with three of his shots failing to find the target with one of those attempts being a big chance missed, via SofaScore.

The 5 foot 9 dynamo also lost possession seven times, meaning one in 3.7 touches were merely him giving the ball back to the Terriers, whilst he won just four of seven duels, proving to be lightweight up against his opposite number.

Howson graded Harris among his worst performers in his post-match ratings column, and said: ‘Another frustrating evening. Carried the ball forward but there was no end product to his forward thrusts. Looked disappointed to come off after the break.’

All in all, it was a complete disasterclass from the £10k-per-week Owls man in front of a manager he needs to impress, one that is also still searching for his right team.

On that basis alone, Harris may not be given another opportunity.

AND in other news, Moore could save Sheffield Wednesday thousands next season with “terrific” 20 y/o gem…

Peterborough United Director of Football Barry Fry has hailed Nicky Butt after his departure from Manchester United, telling Football FanCast that he has saved the club hundreds of millions in the transfer market.

Butt has left United after nine years spent in the academy system, working as both the head of the academy and the head of first-team development.

Butt is now set to embark on a new challenge, with reports suggesting that he could move to Celtic to link up with their potential new manager Roy Keane.

Fry believes that the 46-year-old deserves a huge amount of credit for the club’s pathway from the academy to the first-team.

Having taken the role in 2016, the likes of Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood, and Scott McTominay have gone from the youth team to the first-team.

And Fry thinks that Butt has ultimately saved United a fortune in transfer fees.

He told FFC: “When you look at the young players that have come through at Man United, wow, he’s done a hell of a job and he’s saved the club hundreds and hundreds of millions in my opinion.”

United have restructured somewhat this month, appointing Darren Fletcher as their technical director and Richard Murtough as football director.

And Fry thinks that those appointments may have played a key role in Butt’s departure.

He added: “United’s made a few decisions lately that have obviously upset one or two. Nicky Butt’s gone after nine years. Nicky Butt’s obviously done a fantastic job over the last nine years. He didn’t only play 400 times nearly for United as a player, and played great, he’s also been in the recruitment side of it for the last nine years.”

Fans of Aston Villa have been reacting to a post on Twitter, in which Gregg Evans relayed recent comments made by Dean Smith regarding Morgan Sanson’s progression at the club.

Since joining Villa from Olympique Marseille in what was a £14.22 million deal back in January, Sanson is yet to be awarded a start in the Premier League, with the midfielder’s four appearances for the club all coming as a substitute.

However, speaking prior to the club’s clash with Sheffield United on Wednesday evening, the 49-year-old Villa manager provided a rather positive update on the development of the £18 million-rated 26-year-old, suggesting that the Frenchman could be in line to start a fixture in the near future.

He said: “He’s starting to show what he’s about in games when he’s been coming on. But he’s an ambitious young man who wants to start games and I’m confident enough now that he can start games for us and I have no doubts putting him in.”

And, after Evans relayed Smith’s comments on Twitter, fans of Villa flocked to have their say on the matter, with many urging their manager to play Sanson from the off against the Blades.

So, what exactly did these Aston Villa fans have to say in reaction to Dean Smith’s comments regarding Morgan Sanson?

“Then start him, Dean.”

@WatkinsOffside2

“That comment suggests it’s Nakamba – McGinn – Sanson tomorrow then, I’m fine with that.”

@WWE__History

“It’s fantastic that we have the opportunity to do that this season. Whereas last season we had to chuck all new signings straight in without a slow introduction. It really showed what a difference it made, after last seasons lockdown, how important it is to have a steady introduction.”

@stegzy80

“I think we are easing him into premier league life perfectly tbh. He will become more of a major player for us as time goes by. He looks decent.”

@coleman83avfc

“I can see Sanson / Barkley starting as a 10 tomorrow in place of Ramsay. Maybe he will save Sanson for Wolves on Saturday though.”

@avfcsarco

“Get in! SANSON STARTING CONFIRMED?!”

@trickytargett

“I like this talk.”

@GaryBolton91

In other news, these Villa fans are loving this crazy statistic – find out more here!