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Jack Wilshere is currently a free agent after being released by Bournemouth following their failed promotion bid, and former Newcastle defender Steve Howey believes that Steve Bruce should look to offer him a pay as you play contract to prove his fitness and quality.

Bruce knows that he will have to deal in this transfer window with one armed tied behind his back as he has just £10 million to spend on new players despite his squad needing obvious reinforcements, but bringing in a free agent of Wilshere’s ability could work out.

The former Arsenal midfielder has struggled to keep himself fit for the majority of his career with moves to both West Ham and Bournemouth failing to help get his career back on track, but with a limited budget this month Bruce might feel like it’s worth the risk, a bit like when he brought Andy Carroll back to the club in 2019 on a similar deal.

Free agents and loan signings will be the bread and butter of any deals that Newcastle complete this summer with such limited finances available, and Howey believes that Wilshere could take up a pay-as you-play deal to get another chance in the Premier League, something he spoke exclusively to Football FanCast about:

“If it was me, and I was in his position, then I would take that because I don’t think there are many clubs that are going to offer him a great deal of money, given his history of injuries.

“Me personally, I’d go down that route, because you would be at a top-flight club with magnificent fans, and you’d be playing in the top flight.”

It would be a surprise to see any Premier League club take a plunge on Wilshere considering he has missed a staggering 1470 days through injury during his career, and it is a shame because he has shown glimpses of class and even Pep Guardiola labelled him as a special talent back in 2017.

For Newcastle, signing a midfielder with injury problems would not likely make sense considering they have a large squad anyway and are flooded with central midfielders.

Everton boss Frank Lampard has been dealt a fresh injury setback ahead of an all-important Sunday trip to Liverpool. 

The lowdown

Everton travel to Anfield for the 16.30 kick-off looking to cause an upset against the title-chasing Reds.

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Any points could be crucial in their battle for survival, with the Blues just a point ahead of 18th-place Burnley at the start of the day (albeit with a game in hand).

Donny van de Beek, who’s on loan from Manchester United until the end of the season, had started five Premier League matches in a row before hitting injury trouble.

He missed four straight games with a thigh problem but was on the back bench against Leicester City in midweek.

That should have put him in starting contention against the Reds, but it appears he’s suffered a fresh setback in a blow for Lampard.

The latest

Ben Dinnery, an injury analyst and a contributor for Sky Sports, tweeted that ‘the Toffees’ injury problems continue’.

He reported that, according to Everton boss Lampard, both Van de Beek and fellow midfielder Andre Gomes would miss the game with groin injuries.

The verdict

Everton have been hit particularly hit by injuries this season.

As of 5 April, Everton led the way in the Premier League for most absences and for injuries suffered per 1,000 minutes played.

It’s been a significant factor in their struggles this season. With better luck, they might not have been in such deep trouble.

In addition to Van de Beek and Gomes, Lampard will be without Nathan Patterson (ankle), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (quad), Tom Davies (thigh) and Andros Townsend (knee).

That makes a daunting task at Anfield all the more difficult.

In other news, Everton risk losing one of their biggest stars.

Many Everton fans have been left buzzing after a transfer update has emerged on Wojciech Szczesny.

As per Tutto Juve, the Goodison Park faithful could make a proposal to sign the Juventus ace, but are willing to offer no more than €10m (£8.7m) to the Serie A side.

Nonetheless, £8.7m for a goalkeeper of that pedigree and experience should certainly be a deal that the Merseyside club should be keeping their eyes on.

Not only is Szczesny playing for one of the biggest and best teams in European football, but he is also very experienced at international level, with no fewer than 52 caps in total for Poland.

Having previously played for Arsenal as well, the 31-year-old would not have to adapt to the Premier League, and could be a worthy addition to Carlo Ancelotti’s team to compete with or deputise for Jordan Pickford at a very reasonable cost.

Everton fans on Szczesny transfer update

These Toffees buzzed as the update was shared on Twitter, with one Blues supporter even going as far as to claim that signing the goalkeeper would be a ‘bargain’:

“Would be an amazing signing”

Credit: @gilescorey1600

“Good keeper. Would be for this.”

Credit: @deanoiskeeno

“So cheap take him take him pls”

Credit: @Efc_sai

“Szczesny is class but I have saw Roma and Juve games where he has made the wrong decisions a few times. Great for £10m in today’s market though.”

Credit: @evertonfinest

“Yes please.”

Credit: @adamm15_

“Bargain”

Credit: @ClassCarlo

In other news, find out what EFC update has left fans fuming here!

West Ham United have a ‘strong interest’ in Fiorentina’s Nikola Milenkovic but now face competition from European giants Juventus, according to Calciomercato. 

The lowdown

23-year-old centre-back Milenkovic made 34 Serie A appearances for Fiorentina last season. He averaged three successful aerial duels, 3.6 clearances and 1.4 tackles per 90 minutes (via WhoScored).

West Ham currently have the likes of Angelo Ogbonna, Craig Dawson and Issa Diop available in the centre of defence. Fabian Balbuena, who played 14 league games last season, left at the end of his contract.

Team-mate Pol Lirola has described Milenkovic as a player of ‘extraordinary quality’ and declared him ready for ‘a great team’.

The latest

The report states that Juventus ‘could turn to’ the Serbian depending on developments with Merih Demiral.

Atalanta are pushing to sign Demiral, who wants to play more regularly, on loan with an option to buy. The two clubs have yet to reach ‘total agreement’ on figures but there could be a breakthrough ‘in the next few hours’ of talks.

Juventus would then be joining the Hammers and La Liga outfit Sevilla in the race for Milenkovic, who’s valued at €16million (£13.7million) by Fiorentina.

He’s into the final year of his contract and has ‘no intention’ of agreeing a renewal, with The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare recently claiming any deal for the defender would be ‘relatively straightforward’ when discussing interest from Tottenham.

The verdict

This could change the landscape. While Milenkovic may not play immediately for Juventus – as he probably would for West Ham – he could be sold on the idea of succeeding Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci as Mathijs de Ligt’s long-term partner.

The Old Lady boast a historic list of legendary defenders down the years, and that may seriously appeal to a youngster already plying his trade in Serie A.

Nonetheless, the Hammers do very much need to recruit a centre-back in the four remaining weeks of the window. Having Winston Reid, a player who’s well past his best, as fourth-choice simply isn’t good enough.

In other news, West Ham are said to be ‘very close’ to their second deal of the summer.

According to Football Insider, Tottenham Hotspur, and by extension managing director Fabio Paratici, have been in contact to sign Sporting Lisbon midfielder Joao Palhinha as they register their interest.

The Lowdown: Paratici time…

Since the Italian’s appointment, Tottenham have been active in the transfer market in terms of both incomings and outgoings as they aim for a major summer rebuild.

The arrival of Nuno Espirito Santo as new Spurs boss also sets the tone for what will be an interesting 2021/2022 and Paratici’s work has, so far, arguably strengthened the Portuguese’s chances to oversee a successful campaign.

Cristian Romero, Bryan Gil and Pierluigi Gollini have arrived this summer with the likes of Juan Foyth, Joe Hart, Toby Alderweireld, Danny Rose, Erik Lamela, Paulo Gazzaniga all departing (Transfermarkt).

The Latest: Paratici makes contact for Palhinha…

As per a Spurs source at Football Insider, another target has emerged on Paratici’s radar as Tottenham continue their long overdue rebuild.

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Indeed, the Lilywhites have now registered their interest in Palhinha, already making contact with Sporting over his possible signing.

While the 26-year-old has a huge release clause, FI claim that he could leave this summer for as little as £14 million and Nuno is personally a huge admirer of the colossal midfield player.

As Spurs look to strengthen in the final weeks of the window, it appears the Portugal international has emerged as a possible bargain.

The Verdict: Get it done…

Palhinha could be Tottenham’s ideal midfield enforcer signing – especially if they can prise him away for a meagre £14m fee.

Sporting boss Ruben Amorim, speaking to MaisFutebol via Manchester News Today, branded the 6 foot 3 powerhouse as a ‘special player’ – as highlighted by his impressive defensive stats.

According to WhoScored, Palhinha averaged a head-turning 3.3 tackles per 90 in the centre of the park over 28 Liga NOS starts last season – more than any Tottenham player managed in the Premier League.

Therefore, we believe he could be a perfect acquisition for Nuno as Spurs aim for a final transfer flurry before August 31.

In other news: ‘Yes yes yes’, ‘Buzzing’, ‘Game changer’…Many Tottenham fans erupt as ‘beautiful’ news confirmed, find out more here.

In some Leeds United news which was perhaps to be expected, it has been confirmed that both Pablo Hernandez and Gaetano Berardi will leave the Premier League club this summer.

Hernandez in particular has played such a huge role in the Whites’ ascent to the top flight from their days in the Championship, amassing an impressive 174 games for the club, scoring 36 goals and providing 41 assists, and his last-gasp winner against Swansea in last year’s promotion run-in has gone down in legend.

With the Premier League season coming to an end after Leeds’ clash against West Brom on Sunday afternoon, Marcelo Bielsa must surely grasp the opportunity to give Hernandez a well-deserved send-off in front of the returning Elland Road fans.

The Spaniard turned 36 last month and it has been incredibly telling that the highest number of minutes he has played in one top-flight game this season is the 67 that he completed against Leicester way back in early November.

Dubbed as an “inspiration”, the £21,000-a-week earner has previously stated that he wouldn’t want to overstay his welcome at Leeds if he felt like the time had passed him by. He said: “If you talk about football tactically or technically, this is probably the best time of my career. Physically I feel good but obviously 10 years ago, I felt better. I can’t change this.”

Now that the time has come for him to leave, the Spaniard should be given the chance to say his goodbyes on the pitch when Leeds welcome the Baggies to Elland Road.

It’s a sentiment which has been echoed by former Leeds ace Andy Couzens, who suggested that Hernandez and Berardi should both feature this afternoon.

The 45-year-old said: “All good things have to come to an end!! Two players that have given everything to this great club and will be forever in the club’s hearts. Let’s see them both play for the last time on Sunday and with only 8.5 thousand fans in the stadium they will still get the best send-off.”

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Hernandez deserves the opportunity to play one last time in a Leeds shirt, and Bielsa should be all for it. The Elland Road faithful would surely be absolutely buzzing to see it.

Meanwhile, Leeds are eyeing a move for this South American starlet…

Newcastle United fans have had to put up with false dawns, fake ‘in the know’ accounts and people claiming it will never happen but, journalist for the Shields Gazette, Liam Kennedy, can’t see any problems arising in the club’s potential takeover.

The common phrase used when talking about the problems occurring in the Newcastle takeover is ‘red flags’ with the buyers claiming there were never any of those, thus the confusion as to why it never got passed through.

After the consortium refused arbitration during the takeover process, Mike Ashley stepped in personally to keep it alive and decide to take on the league himself with his own assembled legal team to try and get it pushed through.

After over 12 months of being led along the takeover trail, it would be a massive blow for fans, club and owner if PCP Capital partners didn’t complete the takeover, but Kennedy can’t see that being the case with no new problems expected to arise as he spoke to Football FanCast about the takeover:

“There isn’t going to be any more issues, in my understanding, with the money and the people involved as they still want to buy the football club.”

Amanda Staveley is famously leading the takeover bid and after it collapsed last year, she called on fans to make their voices heard against the Premier League who have led people on and made it difficult for the consortium to buy the club.

After years of slumping it out at the foot of the Premier League table and battling relegation, Newcastle fans would be delighted to see their club finish comfortably mid-table and have a relatively simple season after spending a decent amount of money on the squad and academy.

Some Everton fans have been left fuming over some transfer news on Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

As per The Daily Telegraph, Newcastle United are keen on signing the Goodison Park striker, while Arsenal and an unnamed club from the Bundesliga are also interested in his signature.

Manchester City and Manchester United are also believed to be a long-term admirer of his, as the race hots up to sign the former Sheffield United ace.

Of course, their talisman being linked with a move to a rival in the Premier League has upset a lot of supporters of the Merseyside club, who simply do not want to see him go, unless a monstrous offer came in.

With three goals in three games so far this season before his injury (Transfermarkt), Rafa Benitez would find it so hard to replace him.

Everton fans on Calvert-Lewin transfer news

These Toffees fans fumed as the transfer news on Calvert-Lewin was shared on Twitter:

“The media literally hate us”

Credit: @KUEFC

“Can all this bad news just like stop?…”

Credit: @shaun00012

“Marcel will let him leave for a season long loan and bring in someone like Joelinton”

Credit: @g4j4s4

“Knew this was coming”

Credit: @ToffeeTosh1878

“And so it begins”

Credit: @robjones673

“Don’t worry we have Rondon”

Credit: @neilh32

In other news, find out whose return from injury has Blues buzzing here!

Writing a piece for The Daily Express, reporter Jack Otway has urged Tottenham Hotspur managing director Fabio Paratici to sell defender Ben Davies alongside the likes of Dele Alli and Harry Winks.

The Lowdown: Vitesse defeat highlights issue…

On paper, it is arguable that Spurs should be strolling their Europa Conference League group yet manager Nuno Espirito Santo sees his side sitting third.

Vitesse stunned a much-rotated Lilywhites side 1-0 on Thursday night in their third match of Group G, putting pressure back on Spurs’ head coach after back-to-back solid results in the Premier League.

The usual suspects criticised for their poor showings, like England internationals Alli and Winks, were in the firing line but reporter Otway has now explained why Davies also needs to be sold alongside the duo.

The Latest: Otway slams Davies…

Writing for the Express, Otway believes the 28-year-old’s best days are behind him and has said that Paratici ‘would be wise’ to offload the left-back.

The reporter goes on to say that Davies is ‘stuck in a rut’ and had a ‘chastening night at the office’ midweek.

Calling the Wales international vulnerable defensively after he failed to stop the cross for Vitesse’s eventual winning goal, Otway also believes he offered ‘precious little’ going forward.

The Verdict: In agreement…

We believe the journalist may have a point when it comes to Davies and Spurs, and it could certainly be the case that Paratici and the club need to sell while they can.

The only issue for Tottenham is, as always, lack of depth in that area – especially considering Sergio Reguilon has been linked with a move back to Real Madrid recently and Ryan Sessegnon is yet to ignite his career in north London.

In other news: Matter of time: Yet another Spurs player now eyeing N17 exit, he’s already said yes…find out more here.

Leeds United are among the Premier League clubs eyeing Omar Colley, according to Samp News 24. 

The lowdown

Sampdoria centre-back Colley made 29 Serie A appearances last season, averaging 4.4 accurate long balls, 2.6 successful aerial duels and 2.3 interceptions per match (via WhoScored).

No player in Serie A made more clearances than the Gambia international, who also ranked in the top five for interceptions.

Chris Wilder, the manager of Leeds’ Yorkshire rivals Sheffield United, requested the signing of Colley in the January transfer window as he looked to save the struggling Blades (via The Athletic).

Leeds have made two senior signings this summer, striking an £11.52million permanent deal for Jack Harrison before recruiting Junior Firpo from FC Barcelona for £13.5million (via Transfermarkt).

The latest

The report says that the sale of Colley, who returned for pre-season training on Wednesday, is seen by Sampdoria as a way to ‘guarantee some incoming investments’.

But they’ve made clear that they won’t budge on their price-tag of €10million (£8.6million).

Leeds are not the only Premier League club in the frame, with West Ham United and Newcastle United also keen.

The verdict

Perhaps centre-back shouldn’t be a priority for Leeds this summer, with Robin Koch, Diego Llorente, Liam Cooper and Pascal Struijk already on their books. Still, it’s good to have that extra insurance, particularly given Llorente’s concerning fitness record.

Colley would be a reasonably cheap acquisition and a solid medium-term option for Marcelo Bielsa.

He could be something of a weapon given his capacity to launch attacks from deep. No Leeds centre-back played more accurate long passes per game than Colley last season.

In other news, a Leeds journalist has made this admission on links to Adama Traore.