Celtic: Kennedy under full-time consideration

Celtic interim boss John Kennedy is under consideration to succeed former manager Neil Lennon on a full-time basis.

That’s according to a report from Give Me Sport, who have had information revealed to them regarding the Hoops’ hunt for a new boss.

Kennedy in with a chance of Celtic job

They claim that the 37-year-old is in with a chance of landing the position permanently with Celtic looking at a ‘traditional approach’.

Celtic’s ‘traditional approach’ is thought to be based on individuals who understand the Parkhead role, with Kennedy a possible cheap option.

Kennedy has taken charge of three games as interim boss, picking up five points from a possible nine.

Transfer Tavern take

With Kennedy having no senior managerial experience prior to his role as Celtic caretaker, we feel that it would be a huge risk appointing him on a full-time basis.

It’s not as if the Hoops have become a different side under his guidance. They’ve scored twice in 270 minutes of football and failed to beat eighth-placed Dundee United.

To us, we think they need to steer clear of Kennedy when it comes to the long run.

In other news: Reliable journalist claims 43-year-old is ‘a serious candidate’ for Hoops job, find out more here. 

McAvennie urges West Ham owners to spend

Speaking exclusively to the Transfer Tavern, former West Ham striker Frank McAvennie has warned owners David Gold and David Sullivan to splash the cash this summer.

West Ham are enjoying an impressive campaign under David Moyes and despite squandering a three-goal lead in their last Premier League match against Arsenal, they remain in with a shout of achieving their joint-best ever Premier League finish of fifth.

That draw left David Moyes team fifth, just two points behind fourth-place Chelsea having emerged as surprise top four contenders, and could still get into the Champions League for the first time in their history with a strong end to the season.

But it’s not just off the pitch where things are on track for West Ham.

Since Moyes returned to east London, the Hammers’ recruitment has improved dramatically – with Tomas Soucek, Jarrod Bowen, Vladimir Coufal and Craig Dawson just some of the few success stories at the London Stadium in previous months.

There’s also been the inspired loan signing of Jesse Lingard, whose been a revelation since joining from Manchester United in January, whilst the failed likes of Felipe Anderson and Sebastien Haller have been moved on.

But despite being on the verge of qualifying for Europe for the first time in five seasons, McAvennie knows the importance of West Ham investing heavily in their squad this summer, especially with the prospect of extra games Europe.

He told the Transfer Tavern:

“I think they have got to compete. What they have got this year is what they were promised, the fans were promised this and this is the first year that this has happened.

“It’s the first year that they’ve competed for Europe in the new stadium. Every year we have been competing for relegation. This year has been a big difference, but you’ve got to build on it, I think the owners will know that.

“They’ve still got the season tickets, so they’ve still got that kind of money, but it’s been hard, the merchandise will be down, but every club is in the same boat.

“But I don’t think there’s a problem with the money, but I would imagine the owners will give money for two or three players. I think they need Lingard, a striker and another, that would do for me, as long as they keep everyone.”

THFC: Spurs identify three GK targets

According to a recent report, Tottenham Hotspur have identified three potential summer replacements for Spurs goalkeeper, Hugo Lloris.

The report by The Sun claims that Daniel Levy and his Tottenham transfer team have all three of Dean Henderson, Nick Pope and Sam Johnstone on their shortlist as Hugo Lloris replacements, should the £100,000-per-week 35-year-old leave north London in the summer transfer window.

Indeed, Lloris has been heavily linked with a reunion with the former Spurs manager, Mauricio Pochettino, at Paris Saint-Germain, with The Sun claiming that the Frenchman would be open to the possibility of a return to Ligue 1 at the end of the season.

Transfer Tavern Take

With it being reported that Henderson would be keen to leave Manchester United this summer unless he is installed as the first choice ‘keeper at the club, should this not come to pass, it would indeed appear as if Tottenham could be presented with an opportunity to land the 24-year-old, for whom Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are thought to be demanding around £40 million to part with.

Meanwhile, with both Pope and Johnstone facing the possibility of relegation from the Premier League with their respective clubs this season, should either Burnley or West Bromwich Albion ultimately drop down the Championship, Tottenham could again have a clear path to signing one of the ‘keepers.

However, it should be pointed out that, while Lloris remains at the club, all of these links would seem to be purely theoretical, for now.

In other news: Sources have revealed that Daniel Levy will be “all over” one club targeting multiple Spurs transfers this summer – find out more here!

Crystal Palace: Leeds keen on van Aanholt

Leeds United will target Crystal Palace left-back Patrick van Aanholt this summer when his deal at Selhurst Park expires.

That’s according to a report from The Mirror, who claimed that the 30-year-old fits the profile required by Marcelo Bielsa of an attacking full-back.

Van Aanholt to replace Leeds’ Alioski?

Van Aanholt, valued at £7.2m by Transfermarkt, is considering the next move of his career after Tyrick Mitchell’s emergence has seen him in and out of Roy Hodgson’s side.

The Dutch defender, who has made 19 appearances this season, will be available for nothing in the summer, when his contract is due to expire.

The Whites have a left-back of their own out of contract in the summer in Ezgjan Alioski, and it seems as if Van Aanholt could come in to replace the North Macedonian, with Bielsa eyeing a new first-choice left-back.

Transfer Tavern take

Many Eagles supporters weren’t impressed with Van Aanholt on Saturday during the 1-0 win over West Brom, with one describing his display as ‘awful’.

The £55,000-a-week Palace man stalled over fresh contract talks with Palace towards the end of 2020, and a move away from Selhurst Park for nothing now seems likely.

He has made 130 appearances for the club, scoring 14 times and providing six assists, but it appears as if he won’t be hitting the 150 mark for the Eagles.

In other news: Many Palace fans are buzzing at links to £9m-rated Premier League midfielder, find out more here. 

Newcastle: Potential relegation costs

A report from The Times has explored the extent of financial damage relegation can cause for Newcastle United.

The Magpies find themselves 16th in the Premier League and only a single point ahead of 18th-placed Fulham, who have played a game more. They are also one point ahead of Brighton and find themselves in the middle of a relegation scrap, but failure to avoid the drop could have disastrous financial consequences.

NUFC players don’t have relegation clauses

A report from Martin Hardy in The Times has talked about the finances which can be affected by Newcastle’s potential relegation. It stated that the Magpies could witness ‘devastating’ financial consequences, as the club’s players don’t have relegation clauses in their contracts.

The Tynesiders have previously done that to avoid signings from being deterred from joining and, as a result of this clause, the club would have to take their Premier League wage bill to the Championship. The report added that their wage bill stood at £96.8m in June 2019, but since then they have roped in Joelinton, Callum Wilson, Ryan Fraser and Jamal Lewis.

Clubs use relegation clauses to ensure that they manage the revenue drop in the absence of Premier League money, but the Magpies don’t have that in place.

Relegation could be disastarous for NUFC

While financial issues would likely crop up in case of relegation, it has been stated by journalist Liam Kennedy that dropping out of the Premier League could dramatically reduce chances of a potential takeover for the Magpies.

This clearly shows that they can’t afford to get relegated and could have severely damaging consequences, so Steve Bruce’s side need to turn their form around soon to avoid this unenviable scenario.

In other news, one Newcastle man could be set to return to the first team soon – read more here.

Arsenal fans slam Willian vs Burnley

Some Arsenal fans were left to slam the display of Willian away at Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday lunchtime.

The former Chelsea man did not impress some members of the Emirates Stadium faithful after he was given his chance from the start by Mikel Arteta.

The Brazil international lost out on 100% of his duels and also failed to record a single shot on goal, successful dribble or accurate cross, as he lost possession of the ball 10 times in the game in total (Sofascore).

Even though he picked up the assist for the opening goal for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Willian was not able to have too much more of an influence in the match, as he was substituted off in the 70th minute for Nicolas Pepe.

Arsenal fan reaction to Willian display

These Gunners supporters slammed his performance on Twitter, with one Gooner even going as far as to claim that the 32-year-old was ‘ineffective’:

“Willian off, thank God”

Credit: @dumakadozie

“Take Willian off neowwww!”

Credit: @ProlificPapi

“Willian extremely ineffective, hopefully Pepe can have a run at Erik Pieters”

Credit: @AlexCullen17

“Pls can Willian get out, I’m on my knees”

Credit: @supportsteven

“About time Willian actually took a player on. Just doesn’t seem to fancy it does he.”

Credit: @bobramsden1

“I just want Willian out of the club or just not playing”

Credit: @ppperdix1

In other news, find out who else was slammed for his display here!

VIDEO: Jesse Lingard making enemies in Korea already! Ex-Man Utd flop booked within 15 minutes of FC Seoul debut for shocking challenge before shoving opposition player in eventual loss

Jesse Lingard got booked within 15 minutes of his FC Seoul debut for a shocking challenge on an opposition player in an eventual 2-0 loss.

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  • Lingard had an Asian debut to forget
  • Beaten 2-0 by Gwangju
  • Booked just 15 minutes after coming on
  • Getty/Instagram

    WHAT HAPPENED?

    Coming off the bench in the second half, Lingard lost his cool as he scythed down Oh Hu-seong near the touchline with a lunging tackle to earn a caution from the referee. The challenge sparked a furious reaction from the opposition players and the former Manchester United flop even shoved away Han Seung-gyu as the Korean tried to confront Lingard.

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  • WATCH THE CLIP

  • THE BIGGER PICTURE

    Lingard was an anonymous figure in attack as Seoul suffered a 2-0 defeat. They fell behind in the 21st minute when Hui-Gyun Lee opened the scoring and Gabriel Oliveira's strike deep in stoppage time put the game to bed.

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  • DID YOU KNOW

    Lingard's decision to join the South Korean side surprised many as it is alleged that the forward has settled on a £17,500-a-week wage which is a massive drop from his £100,000-a-week salary at United.

Man Utd star Mary Earps sends message to England debutant Grace Clinton after goalkeeper is benched for Lionesses' Austria thrashing

Mary Earps congratulated Manchester United loanee Grace Clinton after the 20-year-old marked her Lionesses debut with a goal.

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  • Earps sends message to Clinton on debut
  • 20-year-old bags goal in Austria
  • United keeper benched as Hampton given chance
  • Getty

    WHAT HAPPENED?

    The goalkeeper had an unusual vantage point for England's 7-2 thrashing of Austria in Andalusia on Friday night with manager Sarina Wiegman opting to give Chelsea's Hannah Hampton some international experience.

    But Earps was delighted by what she saw from the sidelines, in particular with Clinton, who earned a call up after some impressive performances on loan at Tottenham Hotspur this term.

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  • WHAT MARY EARPS SAID

    "So buzzing for you Grace Clinton. What a debut," posted the England number one.

    Instagram @1maryearps

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    THE BIGGER PICTURE

    While Earps sat out Friday night's romp in southern Spain, Wiegman made it clear that she will keep the gloves when England return to competitive action.

    After a stellar year during which Earps swept up a bewildering number of individual trophies, England's number one has regularly paid tribute to Wiegman, emphasising the role that Dutch manager played in restoring her confidence after being dropped by the previous management team.

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  • WHAT NEXT FOR MARY EARPS?

    The Lionesses face Italy in another friendly on Tuesday in Algeciras. Fans will be keen to see if Wiegman picks another experimental team or goes back to something resembling a full-strength line up.

‘Undeniable’ – AC Milan chief hails USMNT stars Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah for Rossoneri’s increased popularity in United States

AC Milan’s chief marketing officer Tania Moreno hailed USMNT stars Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah for the growth of the club's brand in the US.

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  • AC Milan chief lauds USMNT stars
  • Milan's brand saw substantial growth in the US
  • Pulisic, Musah and Swaby joined Milan this summer
  • WHAT HAPPENED?

    Moreno suggested that while the decision to sign Pulisic and Musah this summer was purely on their merit, it is undeniable that the US men's national team stars' presence has helped AC Milan to grow their brand in the US market.

    She further revealed that 74% of Pulisic's Milan jerseys were sold in his home country while ticket sales and other revenues substantially grew since the arrival of the duo.

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    THE BIGGER PICTURE

    Former Chelsea star Pulisic has enjoyed a purple patch at Milan having contributed with four goals and two assists in 12 matches across all competitions. Musah, on the other hand, has provided one assist in 14 games thus far.

    US-born and raised Allyson Swaby, who currently represents the Jamaican women's national team, also joined the Serie A giants in the summer and has started in all eight matches for the club in the ongoing season.

  • WHAT TANIA MORENO SAID

    Speaking at the 2023 Soccerex in Miami, Moreno said: "First of all, these players are at Milan because they are fantastic footballers. However, it is undeniable that having them in our team is helping us reach the public American in a more incisive way and has a strong impact on the commercial side. Just to give a few examples, in terms of ticket sales, this season we are seeing more sales of single tickets and hospitality tickets sold to Americans than in the past.

    "In terms of merchandise sales, 74% of all CP11 jerseys are currently sold in the United States. Even more impressive is the total number of units [all AC Milan merchandise] sold in the US, which is up 110% compared to last year – a huge year-over-year increase. Finally, as of July 2023, the percentage of jerseys sold in the United States amounts to 20% of the total."

    She added: "As for our digital platforms, we’ve seen a spike in views from the US on platforms like YouTube, where video views from the US are growing at impressive rates. Overall, 3 of the 10 most engaging videos of the season so far feature Pulisic. As for the app, it saw a +266% increase in new downloads from the US market compared to last year, and on the website, we achieved a +154% increase in the number of US users."

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    WHAT NEXT FOR AC MILAN

    The men's team, who are currently third in the league and are eight points behind leaders and rivals Inter, will next take on Fiorentina on November 25. On the same day, the women's will face Inter in a Milan derby.

Chelsea miss out! Bayern Munich announce Lena Oberdorf signing as Germany star chooses Wolfsburg's rivals over English champions

Bayern Munich have announced the signing of Lena Oberdorf after the Germany star chose Wolfsburg's biggest rivals over a move to Chelsea.

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  • Bayern Munich announce Oberdorf signing
  • Germany star chose domestic move over Chelsea
  • Will leave Wolfsburg in the summer
  • WHAT HAPPENED?

    Wolfsburg have cashed in on the reported €400,000 (£340,500/$429,000) release clause in Oberdorf's contract, which was set to expire next summer. reported earlier this week that Chelsea were also willing to pay the bumper fee to sign the 22-year-old, but she instead chose Bayern Munich – Wolfsburg's main rivals in Germany – and will join the club this summer. Her contract is until 2028.

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  • WHAT OBERDORF & RECH SAID

    Oberdorf said on the move: "I had good discussions with head coach Alexander Straus and head of department Bianca Rech and I really liked the club's vision of what they want to achieve in the next few years. They also showed me where my potential lies and what they can still get out of me. I don't think I'm a complete player yet – but I want to get there. I will continue to give my all for VfL Wolfsburg until the summer and then look forward to the new challenge."

    "Lena Oberdorf is one of the most talented players in Germany and has a great future ahead of her. We are very happy that we were able to convince Lena to join FC Bayern," Rech added. "We are looking forward to her playing for us from the summer, as we are convinced that Lena represents the values as a footballer that we need to continue to be successful in the future."

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    THE BIGGER PICTURE

    The move is a blow for Chelsea, who have been looking for a top class holding midfielder for the last few transfer windows. It's an even bigger setback for Wolfsburg, though. The She-Wolves have been the dominant force in Germany for some time and one of the elite in Europe, too, reaching the Champions League final as recently as last season. However, this is another sign that Bayern are growing at a rapid rate as they look to shift the power domestically.

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  • DID YOU KNOW?

    Oberdorf was GOAL's first-ever Women's NXGN winner back in 2020. The prize, given to the most talented young player in the world, came after she represented Germany at the 2019 Women's World Cup while just 17 years old, making her the country's youngest ever player at the tournament.

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