English Championship
Southampton and Norwich City leading race to sign 24-year-old with 34 goal contributions last term
Southampton and Norwich City are leading the race to sign Blackburn Rovers striker Adam Armstrong this summer, Football Insider reports. Armstrong had a superb 2020/21 campaign for Rovers, registering 29 goals and five assists from 43 appearances across all competitions. He was recently rewarded for his efforts with the Championship PFA fans’ Player of the Year award, beating the likes of Emiliano Buendia and Ivan Toney. Armstrong will enter the final year of his Rovers deal next month, and it is reported that they are willing to sell him for £15 million rather than losing him for free next summer. Owners Venky’s previously slapped a £25m price tag on his head, but it appears they may be willing to do business for less due to his contract status. Sportslens view: The Saints currently have ...
Championship club keen on appointing highly-rated Fulham manager
Bournemouth are interested in recruiting Fulham’s Scott Parker as their next manager, according to The Guardian. The 40-year-old was most recently relegated from the Premier League with Fulham. However, his stint at Craven Cottage has been impressive in context, and it is hard to fault him for the club’s relegation from the top-flight. Keeping the Cottagers in the Premier League was always going to be a challenge considering the club’s lack of resources and players who are proven performers in the upper ranks of English football. After being appointed as permanent first-team boss of Fulham in 2019, Parker impressively guided the club back to the Premier League after they were relegated the previous season. Due to the structural changes that unfold at clubs after relegation, it is always im...
Sky Sports: 45y/o tells West Brom he doesn’t want to become their manager
Lincoln City manager Michael Appleton has told West Bromwich Albion that he does not want to become their next boss, according to Sky Sports reporter Rob Dorsett. Understand Michael Appleton has told #wba he doesn’t want the Head Coach job at the Hawthorns. Wants to see the project through at #Lincoln — Rob Dorsett (@RobDorsettSky) June 14, 2021 The 45-year-old wants to remain at the League One outfit instead, dealing a blow on the Baggies. Sportslens View The Hawthorns outfit have already rejected the chance to sign Chris Wilder, while David Wagner chose another club ahead of them despite coming very close to joining. West Brom were keen on appointing Appleton as they sought a manager capable of helping them secure an instant promotion back to the Premier League. They have to look elsewhe...
Leicester City enter race to sign Southampton target with 25 goal contributions last season – report
Leicester City have entered the race to sign Bournemouth winger Arnaut Danjuma during the upcoming transfer window, The Mail reports. The 24-year-old was hugely impressive for the Cherries in the recent campaign, registering 17 goals and eight assists from 37 appearances. He scored in both legs of the semi-final play-offs against Brentford, but it was to no avail as the club suffered a disappointing 4-2 aggregate loss. It is now reported that the Cherries face a fight to keep the Dutchman after missing out on top-flight promotion at the first time of asking. The Foxes are keeping tabs on the PSV Eindhoven graduate while there is interest from overseas from the likes of Lyon and Wolfsburg. West Ham United and Southampton have previously been linked with the forward, who won the Cherries’ Pl...
Norwich City join West Ham United in race to sign 29-goal striker for £10m – report
Norwich City have joined West Ham United in the race to sign Blackburn Rovers striker Adam Armstrong this summer, The Telegraph reports. Armstrong had a fantastic individual season with Rovers, registering 29 goals and five assists from 43 appearances in all competitions. He netted 28 times in the Championship, but it came to no avail as Tony Mowbray’s side finished a disappointing 15th in the league standings. With just one year left on his contract, he has been tipped to make the step up to the top-flight, with West Ham United interested in his services. The Canaries, who secured automatic promotion from the Championship, are also interested in the 24-year-old as they bid to bolster their frontline. They consider the Newcastle United graduate as value for money for a fee of around £10 mi...
Brentford striker Ivan Toney could be next season’s Ollie Watkins in the Premier League
For the first time in 74 years, Brentford has earned promotion to the Premier League. The Bees enjoyed a fantastic campaign, ultimately beating Swansea in the Championship playoff final. One of the main reasons that Brentford is on their way up to the top flight though is striker Ivan Toney. The 25-year-old hitman bagged 33 goals after securing a summer move from League One side Peterborough last summer and instantly thrived in Thomas Frank’s side. [embedded content] While there have been boatloads of interest in Toney from other Premier League teams such as West Ham and Tottenham, the Bees have made it clear the Englishman will not be up for sale in the upcoming transfer window. This term actually saw a former Brentford player in Ollie Watkins flourish in his debut season in the Premier L...
‘Howe’s a fan’ – Journo claims incoming Celtic boss could sign Englishman Rangers once wanted
English midfielder Jack Wilshere has left Bournemouth after the short-term deal he signed in January ended. The former Arsenal star is now a free agent again, and according to Evening Standard’s Simon Collings, Celtic could emerge as an option for him if, as expected, Eddie Howe is appointed as their new boss. The former Bournemouth manager is a fan of Wilshere after working with him at Vitality Stadium during 2016-17. The 29-year-old was linked with Rangers last October after West Ham United released him, but he took to Twitter early this year to reveal that the Scottish Premiership champions never made a move to suggest they wanted him. Nope! https://t.co/XVZZqLroNc — Jack Wilshere (@JackWilshere) January 22, 2021 It remains to be seen whether the Light Blues outfit would return for Wils...
Watford and Swansea City interested in 25-year-old striker with 20 goal contributions this season
Watford and Swansea City are interested in signing FC Midtjylland striker Sory Kaba during this summer’s transfer window, The Telegraph reports. The 25-year-old has had a good 2020/21 campaign with Midtjylland, registering 14 goals and six assists across all competitions. His displays have caught the eye of the Hornets and Swans, who are eyeing an affordable option to bolster their attack this summer. Sportslens view: The Hornets have secured automatic promotion from the Championship, but that was largely due to their defensive record, which was the best in the division. In terms of attack, they only possessed the fifth-best record and there is room for improvement ahead of their top-flight return. Ismaila Sarr and Joao Pedro starred for the Hornets with 13 and nine goals respectively this...
Newcastle want 25-yr-old to sort out defensive problems, Bruce a big admirer
Newcastle United are looking to sign Queens Park Rangers defender Rob Dickie this summer. According to Football Insider, the 25-year-old is a long term target for the Magpies and the Premier League club are plotting a summer raid. Steve Bruce is a big admirer of the defender who has excelled for the London club in the Championship this season. QPR are desperate to keep hold of the centre-back, but a lucrative offer from the Premier League outfit may alter their stance. Dicke is likely to be tempted if Newcastle come calling, although QPR are unlikely to allow him to leave cheaply as he contracted to them until 2024. SL View: Signing a defender should be a priority for Bruce Newcastle have been vulnerable at the back this season, conceding 62 goals in 37 Premier League matches. Signing...
Villa man keen on becoming boss reportedly would be allowed to join West Brom
According to Sportsmail, West Bromwich Albion want a manager to help them deliver an immediate return to the Premier League following relegation to the Championship, and Aston Villa assistant manager John Terry is one of the contenders for the job. The former Villa skipper has some supporters at the Hawthorns, and he is keen to move into management. Terry was linked with the Bournemouth job as a potential replacement for Jason Tindall in February, and the Villa Park outfit would not stand in his way if he wished to take a No1 job elsewhere. The Chelsea legend has been manager Dean Smith’s assistant since 2018-19, and he is set to leave someday to become a head coach and follow in the steps of his former England teammates Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard. Terry knows the Champ...
Former United and Liverpool legends back petition to save their clubs
The call by former Premier League stars for better regulation in English football will be music to the ears of fans across the country. Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards are amongst the ex-players who are urging the UK government to appoint an independent regulator. They are calling on fans to sign a petition which will force the government to debate the matter if more than 100,000 signatures are collected. The petition is already well on its way to hitting the target as people across football throw their weight behind the idea. The recent European Super League proposal highlighted the disdain with which some elements of football view the current picture. Many people within the sport believe that the appointment of a regulatory body would help to represent the interests of t...
Rangers reportedly want to re-sign Premier League-linked 21-goal midfielder
Watford want Aberdeen midfielder Lewis Ferguson this summer and have seen a £2 million bid rejected, according to The Sun. The Hornets are preparing for life back in the Premier League and they reckon the Scottish ace would be a top addition to their squad. However, they are not the only ones keen on Ferguson, with Rangers also keeping tabs on him. Manager Steven Gerrard wants to defend the Scottish Premiership title next term and is keen to make quality summer recruitment, but the Light Blues will not be getting their former academy player for cheap. Ferguson spent four years in the Rangers setup but was released at 14 before making a name for himself at Hamilton Academical. He joined Aberdeen three years ago and has since established himself as a key player, scoring 21 goals in 124 appea...
