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Southampton are looking increasingly likely to sign Theo Walcott from Everton in the summer, and if he were to join the Saints permanently, it could prove to be bad news for rising star Nathan Tella.

Speaking to Hampshire Live recently, Raph Hasenhuttl hinted that the 32-year-old could join from the Toffees permanently this summer, saying: “I am very happy that he is comfortable here now and that he is happy to play for us and there is no reason why we should not think about keeping him longer.”

The Athletic have also suggested that Southampton will look to sign the former Arsenal man on a permanent deal, with his contract at Everton set to expire this summer.

Therefore, given that the £5.4m-rated Englishman has been a regular in Hasenhuttl’s side so far this season, making 16 appearances in the Premier League, it seems fairly likely that he will be with the Saints again next term.

Unfortunately, this could prove to be bad news for 21-year-old Tella, who enjoyed a run in the Southampton side earlier in the season when Walcott was injured.

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He particularly impressed in the 2-0 win against Sheffield United in March, when his pace caused the Blades defence all sorts of problems and led to him winning a penalty in the first half, which James Ward-Prowse duly tucked away.

Tella has shown this season that he is too good to be playing in Premier League 2, as he memorably scored four goals as a striker against Leicester City under-21s earlier in the season, so he needs to be playing regular senior football for his development next season.

However, with the likes of Nathan Redmond, Moussa Djenepo and Stuart Armstrong already at the club, you worry that the permanent signing of Walcott is going to mean the 21-year-old is afforded very little playing time by Hasenhuttl.

[freshpress-quiz id=“594431″]

Therefore, perhaps we will see Tella leave Southampton on loan next season, for if Walcott does join on a permanent deal, it is difficult to see where the youngster fits in.

In other news… Southampton could find their ideal JWP replacement in 23 y/o beast who is a “joy to watch”

Aston Villa must avoid a major Ross Barkley nightmare after Dean Smith’s transfer update.

What’s the story?

The England international joined the club on loan from fellow Premier League side Chelsea, and has since endured a disappointing spell at Villa Park, scoring just three goals in the top-flight all season.

And now, speaking after his side’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester City on Wednesday night, Smith revealed that there have been no discussions over a potential permanent deal with Chelsea.

He said: “No, Ross Barkley came in on loan at the start of the season. Obviously, Frank (Lampard) was the manager at the time we did a deal to bring him in on loan. That’s where it was. He’s got another two years left on his contract at Chelsea and that’s not been discussed at all.”

Major nightmare for Dean Smith

It’s been a real telling sign that Barkley hasn’t started a Premier League game since the 2-1 defeat at home to Leicester, either being left on the bench as an unused substitute, or just coming on for brief cameos – even starlet Jacob Ramsey appears to have pipped him in the pecking order in recent weeks.

Villa podcaster Simon O’Regan critcised the midfielder’s recent form just last month, saying: “I think what’s sort of annoyed me as well over the last few weeks is Ross Barkley, and I’m not trying to single him out because I think he has been really heavily criticised more than he probably should have been, especially when other players haven’t exactly stepped up either.

“These last few weeks were a real opportunity I think for him to really shine and play his way into getting in a decent move and he hasn’t really done that.”

As O’Regan says, the £18m-rated Barkley just hasn’t shown enough to warrant Villa coughing up a decent sum of money to make this move permanent, and that really is on the midfielder himself for not doing so.

With Jack Grealish out, he had the perfect opportunity to really showcase his worth and prove to Smith and the fans that he’s someone worth keeping over the long-term. Instead, he’s proven beyond doubt that Villa simply cannot justify signing him on a permanent basis.

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Johan Lange must avoid a major Villa nightmare this summer and just let Barkley walk away, or else Smith will surely be fuming at signing someone he clearly doesn’t rate anymore.

Meanwhile, this Villa star let Dean Smith down just as much as Matty Cash vs Man City…

With Wolves’ forward line flattering to deceive this season, signing a new set of attackers in the summer should be at the top of their agenda.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, Wolves are in the hunt to sign Sevilla’s Lucas Ocampos.

Sources tell the outlet that the winger is firmly on Wolves’ radar as they look to bolster their attacking options next term.

Ocampos is currently on a wage of £27k-per-week but a potential stumbling block could be the fee.

The Argentine has a release clause of a whopping £62m in his current contract at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium.

With Wolves struggling to afford sizeable transfers in January, it’s hard to picture how they’d afford this one.

Imagine him and Jimenez

Wolves’ struggles this term have been primarily with their frontline. You can hardly blame the issues at hand, though.

They sold Matt Doherty and Diogo Jota last summer, a pairing who equated for 25% of Wolves’ goals last term. Add that Raul Jimenez has been missing since November and it quickly becomes rather evident why they’re sat in the bottom half of the table.

Fabio Silva has scored just twice while Willian Jose is yet to find the net since moving to the Midlands in January.

The addition of Ocampos, therefore, would be simply thrilling. If Wolves can get Jimenez fit before the start of next season and bring in a winger as talented as the Sevilla one, then it would elevate their chances of getting back in Europe.

The Mexican’s record for Wolves has been impeccable while Ocampos has quickly become one of the most dynamic wingers in La Liga.

He has scored 24 goals for the Spanish outfit since swapping Marseille for Iberia in 2019, seven of which have come this term.

The 26-year-old is a real live wire and a move to the Premier League would be a fine reward for the rapid progression he’s shown in his game.

Speaking about Ocampos, Fede Prami, a journalist and River Plate fan once recalled: “The kid was gold. He made his debut at El Monumental in River’s first-ever second-division match. No pressure. In his second match, he scored. In the third, a goal and assist. He was electric.”

Indeed, since his move to Europe, he has shown similar qualities. The winger has registered 2.2 dribbles per game this term, a tally that usurps Pedro Neto’s.

Thus, just imagine what a player like this could do for someone like Jimenez. He may just bounce back from his injury in even better form.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Neto: Wolves must swoop for “lovely” £47k-p/w gem who “doesn’t stop running”…

Many fans of Wolverhampton Wanderers have been reacting to a post on Twitter in which Tim Spiers relayed an article of his regarding Wolves’ defensive issues.

In his article for The Athletic, Spiers revealed that, out of the 33 Premier League goals Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have conceded so far this season, 15 have come from crosses or set-pieces – highlighting the club’s ‘inability to defend’ a ball from a wide position.

Spiers continued in his piece by highlighting each of the 15 goals in question, the latest of which came during the club’s recent 1-1 stalemate with Newcastle United. One angry supporter described the defensive problem as “pathetic”.

After the journalist relayed his report on Twitter, fans of Wolves flocked to have their say on the matter, with many appearing to blame the statistic on the fact that Nuno often fields midfielders in the heart of his defence – for instance, Leander Dendoncker has played the last four matches at centre-back.

So, what exactly did these Wolverhampton Wanderers fans have to say in reaction to Tim Spiers’ report?

“It really gets me how defenders turn their backs when attackers are crossing – and what’s with tucking your hands behind you? In the penalty area, OK – but elsewhere?”

@mrbcuk

“A midfielder’s instinct is to drop and defend the goal, real defenders hold the line and attack the ball. There’s your answer from a layman on Twitter. Question is, why can’t a multi-million-pound manager identify this?”

@MrR1g4t

“We’re desperate for a class CB in the summer, Dendoncker’s definitely been found out.”

@andywilis62

“Why’s he persisting with using midfielders as makeshift centre-halves when he has a 6ft 4 centre half who’s barely put a foot wrong when he’s played on the bench?”

@superwolves22

“The amount of free kicks we give away around the box is infuriating when we clearly can’t defend them.”

@DannyRosamond

“They looked all over the place, lack of communication. Surely that’s something that can be practised in training?”

@GianSG11

“Playing Saiss in the defence is not the long term answer. Dendoncker needs replacing, the same for Boly. The squad nucleus is stale.”

@FW90

“Maybe down to none of our back 3 are natural centre backs. 100% need to invest in the summer, even when Boly is back.”

@bigal9_wwfc

“Our attitude to blocking crosses is pathetic. Time and time again our full-backs lack the urgency to close down the crosser and then dangle a token leg out with zero intention of taking one for the team and putting their bodies between the ball and the intended target.”

@SDando9

In other Wolverhampton Wanderers news, fans were left furious by one update, find out more here!

Manchester United may have found the perfect replacement for Anthony Martial in the form of Bayer Leverkusen’s Leon Bailey.

According to reports, the Red Devils have already had discussions with the Jamaican wideman’s representatives as recently as the January transfer window.

With current United forward Martial having been urged to leave Old Trafford, this summer is the perfect time for the club to move for Bailey.

Since joining Bayer Leverkusen, the former Genk man has become one of the most exciting forward players in the Bundesliga.

He is currently in the midst of his most productive campaign in Germany having hit ten goals and provided nine assists in all competitions.

Despite not quite having the goalscoring ability of Martial yet, with the Jamaican having scored 0.24 goals per game for Leverkusen compared to the Frenchman’s 0.3 for United, he has been in far better form throughout 2020/21.

According to WhoScored, Bailey has been averaging 2.3 shots per game, 1.5 key passes, 2.2 dribbles. He also keeps the ball extremely well, being dispossessed on average just once every game.

These numbers far outweigh Martial. The winger, signed from AS Monaco, averages just 1.9 shots, 0.8 key passes and 1.4 dribbles per game, whilst he’s been relinquishing possession at a rate 1.7 times per game.

With Bailey two years Martial’s junior, his numbers are surely set to improve even more as he finds greater consistency. Even Bayer boss Peter Bosz has seen Bailey’s improvement, stating that he is “getting better with every game”.

Another benefit of the switch would also see Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and the Red Devils potentially earn some cash.

At the time of writing, Martial is rated at £49.5m. Whilst they might not be able to demand quite as large a fee, it is still far larger than Bailey’s rating of just £31.5m.

Despite Martial earning plenty of praise in the Manchester derby win, Bailey remains a far more promising prospect and should certainly be a transfer target for the Red Devils this summer.

AND in more news, take a look at Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s brilliant performance in the Red Devils’ 2-0 victory in the Manchester derby…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Southampton midfielder Carlton Palmer believes Ralph Hasenhuttl is right to demand a bigger squad for next season in a clear message to owner Gao Jisheng to back his manager.

The Southampton boss is aiming for success at St. Mary’s but is adamant he needs more first-team players if the Saints are to evolve.

Hasenhuttl has had to contend with an array of injuries this term, including to 2019/20 top scorer Danny Ings, making it hardly a surprise that he would like his squad to be significantly reinforced in the summer.

And it is a sentiment shared by Palmer, who highlighted Southampton’s pressing style as one reason for why Hasenhuttl needs better depth. The retired Premier League footballer told FFC in an exclusive interview:

“You need it [a bigger squad], especially the way they play. They play a very offensive, closing down style, which if you don’t retain the ball well when you’ve got it, that’s hard work game after game after game. So, yeah, every manager will tell you he wants a big squad, every manager would like to have two players for every position – so two first teams in effect.”

As well as losing Ings, Hasenhuttl has also had to cope without the likes of Theo Walcott, Michael Obafemi and Oriol Romeu, with all three players currently out injured. The latter, for a matter of fact, is out for the rest of the season after picking up a serious foot injury.

Evidently, Hasenhuttl has had a bad time with injuries this term, so any plea to the Southampton board for signings this summer would be understandable.

According to The Athletic, Leeds United have watched Brennan Johnson this season.

What’s the story?

The Nottingham Forest starlet has spent the campaign thus far on loan at League One side Lincoln City, where he has been producing some impressive displays – in just 22 games in all competitions, he’s bagged seven goals and provided another seven assists.

Now, The Athletic claim that Johnson is attracting interest from the Premier League and beyond on the back of those performances, with Burnley and Brentford keen, and Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds having watched him this season.

The report adds that “Forest are reluctant to sell unless somebody tables a significant bid that is too good to turn down, while they would be unlikely to sell to another Championship club”.

Imagine him and Raphinha

Able to play anywhere across the front-line, but predominantly a left-winger, Johnson could well represent Leeds’ future on that flank, with summer signing Raphinha on the opposite side.

Jack Harrison made it clear earlier this season just what Bielsa wants from his wide-men, saying: “I know what he wants from me as a player in my position and I am able to do that on the pitch. The first thing is running – he wants his wingers to do as much running, not only attacking but defensively as well.

“I am willing to do as much as I can on the pitch to help the team out in whichever way I can. After that comes the tactics and technique, and what I am capable of doing as well and all these things combined.”

And in Johnson, Bielsa would get another workaholic winger, with the 19-year-old perhaps being a rather surprising young player in that he doesn’t shirk any of the defensive responsibilities.

As per Sofascore, he’s made 1.1 tackles and won five duels per game this season, both of which are considerably higher than Raphinha (0.8 and 3), and almost on par with Harrison (1.8 and 5). Johnson isn’t scared of putting his foot in and getting involved in the physical battles, something Bielsa would surely relish given the kind of high-octane style Leeds have come to be known for.

It’s no surprise then that Johnson’s former boss at Forest, Sabri Lamouchi, hailed him not just as an “unbelievable player” but one with the “right mentality” too, and that surely has a lot to do with the kind of hard working attitude already instilled in the teenager’s game.

Young, with a proven end product already (albeit at League One level) and the willingness to do the dirty work too, Johnson seems tailor-made for Bielsa and could well strike up an exciting partnership with Raphinha both for now and for the future.

Meanwhile, Leeds are making a foolish mistake over this player…

Dean Windass, while speaking exclusively with Football FanCast, has claimed Everton have suffered a “huge blow” after midfielder Allan was ruled out of Saturday’s clash with Arsenal through a hamstring injury.

The Brazilian was forced off just before half-time during the Toffees’ 2-0 win over Leicester City on Wednesday night, and joins James Rodriguez, Lucas Digne, Fabian Delph and Jean-Philippe Gbamin in the physio’s room.

Carlo Ancelotti does not expect Allan to require surgery, but Windass believes the Italian will now have to hit the transfer market looking to add depth in the engine room after losing a key part of his Toffees side.

Allan, who had started all 12 of his Premier League appearances since joining Everton from SSC Napoli in a £21million deal this summer, was replaced by Andre Gomes at the King Power Stadium while Tom Davies was kept on the bench.

Former Hull City striker Windass does not see either of the pair serving as Ancelotti’s long-term solution, though.

“Yeah, it’s a huge blow. I think that’s certainly where in the transfer market he [Ancelotti] will strengthen now with Allan pulling his hamstring, and he’ll be out for 5-6 weeks now,” Windass told Football FanCast.

Allan had been a near ever-present for Everton in the Premier League following his summer arrival, with the 29-year-old only sitting out October’s 4-2 win over Brighton and Hove Albion after sustaining a groin injury at home to West Ham United in the Carabao Cup.

Ancelotti has tasked Allan with serving as the deepest of his midfield line whenever the 10-cap international has been fit, and saw the former Napoli enforcer thrive in the Premier League.

No Everton player has won a higher number of ground duels in the top-flight thus far this term than Allan, who ranks level first with Richarlison on 79, per SofaScore, while recording a team-high 41 successful tackles.

Allan further ranks highly for total passes (538), interceptions (13), blocked shots (6), accurate long balls (29) and successful dribbles (20), and will be sorely missed when Everton host Mikel Arteta’s struggling Arsenal on Saturday.

AND in other news, an £18m-rated Everton ace once an automatic pick for Carlo Ancelotti faces a huge hurdle to regain his place at Goodison Park.

Tottenham find themselves in an unlikely position at the moment.

Heading into the January transfer market, they are in the title race and as a result, Daniel Levy and Jose Mourinho cannot afford to rest on their laurels.

What’s the word?

It would seem that Spurs want to add to their forward line this month.

Diego Costa has been linked with the Lilywhites since leaving Atletico Madrid and at the opposite end of the spectrum age-wise, Kyle Joseph at Wigan has been touted with a switch.

Yet, the most eye-catching report of all has been regarding Paulo Dybala. The Argentine has been relentlessly tipped to join Spurs and he almost did in 2019 if it wasn’t for image rights.

90min reported last month that Tottenham’s representatives have been contacted over a possible move for the attacking midfielder.

Though, there has now been another update on Dybala’s future. According to Tutto Sport (via Football Italia), Juventus will let him leave on one condition.

Juve have offered him a new contract in Turin but if he doesn’t sign it, he could leave before the end of the season.

Per Transfermarkt, the 27-year-old is currently valued at a whopping £63m.

Game-changing

To put things bluntly, Dybala’s performances have dropped meteorically this season.

He’d only scored once before December and as a result, was being torn to shreds by the Italian press. Fortunately for Juve and the player himself, he’s recently rediscovered his best and has two goals in his last three outings.

It’s been a timely return to form for a man who’s now firmly put himself in the shop window.

Dybala has always been an impressive talent, mainly due to his dribbling and ability to cut through compact situations. Alessandro Del Piero once described him perfectly: “He is a player of extraordinary quality.”

He can change games in an instant and enjoyed a very productive campaign last season, scoring 11 and assisting six. When it comes to chance creation, there are few better than Dybala – someone who amassed 2.1 key passes per game last season and 1.8 key passes a match this term.

Just imagine what that kind of service could do for a player like Harry Kane. He is already a phenomenal striker but could become even better if the Juve dynamo is acquired.

Spurs need to ignore Dybala’s patchy form this season and go all out to finally bring him to north London.

It could do wonders for their title aspirations.

AND in other news, Levy must seal Spurs swoop for “very rare” gem who made 7 dribbles…

Alfredo Morelos has left Glasgow Rangers in a position where Steven Gerrard must unleash Cedric Itten against Hamilton Academical after Kemar Roofe struggled on his first game back having made a full recovery from injury.

Rangers have recently accepted a three-game ban handed to Morelos after being cited for violent conduct against Hibernian following a stamp on Ryan Porteous.

As such, he will not face Hamilton and Kilmarnock, which has deprived Gerrard of his first-choice striker ahead of the trip to New Douglas Park on Sunday.

The Colombian’s reckless behaviour means Roofe, Jermain Defoe, Greg Stewart and Cedric Itten remain Rangers’ recognised senior centre-forwards, with Gerrard in a position now where he may be forced to choose between the first two to lead the line. It’s unlike Stewart will make a rare appearance having hardly featured at all since the start of this season.

Yet if Gerrard opts for Itten and makes him a key cog in his attack, it could be his chance to stake his claim in the starting line-up against the Accies.

Itten’s development has been somewhat hindered by Gerrard so far this season, with the majority of his appearances coming off the bench. However, Gerrard rewarded him for his patience with a start against Lech Poznan in the Europa League and must now put his faith in his potential after he opened the scoring.

The 24-year-old boasted a pretty remarkable record for his former club St. Gallen, having scored 20 clubs goals for the Swiss side before sealing a move to the 54-time Scottish champions in the summer. He has since made 26 appearances across all competitions for the Light Blues and has five goals and two assists to show for his six starts.

However, while Itten was afforded 24′ minutes against St. Johnstone, he entered the action halfway through the second half and has been barely seen at all this season.

Gerrard clearly has high hopes for the Switzerland international, hailing him for his “fantastic” performance after the 2-0 win over Lech Poznan, and even admitting that he is someone who “deserves to play more”. Well, it’s about time the Ibrox boss put his money where his mouth is and gave him another shot instead.

Obviously, Morelos will resume his place as Gerrard’s first-choice striker after he has served his suspension, but in terms of his backup options, the £12.5k-per-week earning Itten deserves his chance given that he has waited patiently while slowly being eased into life in Scottish football.

AND in other news, Steven Gerrard should unleash Rangers defender Calvin Bassey against Hamilton Academical…