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The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece has delivered a major update on Aston Villa’s transfer pursuit of Man Utd defender Axel Tuanzebe.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks have claimed that the centre-back could be set for a reunion with Dean Smith, having of course played under the Villa boss during their time in the Championship.

And now, Preece has said: “As for Axel. Villa will keep tabs on that. Engels could look to move and that opens up a slot at RCB. Could be one to watch.”

Perfect for Dean Smith

The £7.2m-rated centre-back has earned rave reviews for his displays even during his limited game-time this season, earning special praise from United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after helping to stop PSG and Kylian Mbappe in the Champions League earlier in the year.

He said: “Axel’s a tremendous defender, a great leader. He’s come through the academy and we’ve known for years that he’s going to be a top player for us and he’s got the character and the attitude that a Man United player should have. Sometimes you’ll get in a foot race with Mbappe and you have to run with him and we know Axel’s qualities, he’s a top defender.”

Former Villa man Lee Hendrie has previously delivered his verdict on a potential move for Tuanzebe, suggesting that the ball is really in the defender’s court about whether he would want to battle for his place at Villa Park.

He said: “It’s whether Axel wants to come in and actually fight for a place. The two at the moment (Mings and Konsa), basically they’re picked week in, week out if you look at it. I just think he isn’t going to overtake Mings and Konsa at this current time.”

Given the £50k-a-week earning ace has already played under Smith, he should be able to hit the ground running, especially with his experience of Premier League football at United too.

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If there is a deal to be done, then Villa should be all over it in the summer.

Meanwhile, a journo has dropped major Villa’s transfer plans after Buendia…

Many Everton fans have been buzzing as a transfer update emerged on Mason Holgate and Kalidou Koulibaly.As per Football Insider, the Goodison Park club will listen to offers for the 24-year-old in the summer window as they look to raise some money for A-list signings, including a top central defender.A source from the Merseyside club has claimed that they could sell Holgate as Carlo Ancelotti is not totally convinced by him, as they plan to work on a deal to sign Koulibaly from Napoli.Several Toffees supporters have voiced their anger towards Holgate for some of his recent displays, which have included far too many errors. It may be a wise idea to move him on while he still has value and then use the money gained from his potential sale to invest in a more experienced centre-back in Koulibaly, who is well-versed at Champions League level and has been renowned as one of the hottest transfer properties in Europe.[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/everton-updates-2/” title=”Everton updates! (2)” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”] Everton fans on Holgate/Koulibaly transfer update

These Everton fans were buzzing as the transfer update was shared on Twitter by The Toffee Blues:

“Brilliant news!”Credit: @harryb223″Carlo magnifico”Credit: @MattSingerr”Great news if true”Credit: @evertonno1″That is the best news I have heard for a long time, you Everton players can not fool Ancelotti who else will be on the taxi with Holgate?”Credit: @abbot551″No brainer if true”Credit: @Rixzuh”If this goes through, we are looking at the first step of competitive football at Blue Mersey.”Credit: @litiproc31In other news, many Everton fans were fuming over this image from the draw against Aston Villa.

Many Wolves fans have been left to buzz as the Midlands club confirmed on their official website that Conor Coady is in England’s provisional Euros squad.

Gareth Southgate has named 33 players in his provisional squad for Euro 2020 which will have to be cut down to 26 and named on the 1st June.

It is always good to see a player from your team represent their country at international level, and Coady may be able to do just that for the Molineux faithful should he make the final cut.

The central defender averaged the most blocks (0.9) and long balls (6.7) per game in the Premier League in the 2020/21 term out of any of his teammates, and he also ranked highly in terms of clearances (3.5), average passes (50.2) and pass success percentage (88%) (Whoscored).

With the competition for places at centre-back for the Three Lions, Coady has certainly done well to earn his spot.

Wolves fans on Coady call-up

These WWFC supporters buzzed as Coady’s call-up was shared on Twitter, with one fan claiming that they were ‘so happy’ while a couple labelled the news as ‘brilliant’:

“Brilliant news! #ourcaptain  so proud of him!  xx”

Credit: @AuntyTwe

“Thank goodness for that”

Credit: @JezLowe

“No brainer ..Southgate loves his leadership qualities on and off the pitch. Well done skipper”

Credit: @StPaul197173

“Brilliant”

Credit: @taylerjadeloach

“So happy for him”

Credit: @Luciafarruggio1

“Yess Coady captain fantastic”

Credit: @charlwolves84

In other news, find out what big Wanderers manager update Henry Winter has dropped here!

Michael Ball has told The Transfer Tavern that Everton’s players need to prove themselves worthy of a place in Carlo Ancelotti’s squad between now and the end of the season.

The Toffees have enjoyed a relatively successful season this term under the experienced management of Carlo Ancelotti.

Following the weekend’s results, the club sit eighth in the Premier League table, but they are now nine points behind fourth-placed Chelsea after losing to Aston Villa on Saturday.

They still have a game in hand on the Blues but catching them now seems unlikely at best, given the respective form of each side.

Securing qualification for the Europa League remains within their grasp but the Toffees will need to start winning with some regularity for that to become a reality.

And Ball has challenged the players at his old club to step up and show that they deserve to be a part of the squad next season, when the club will likely look to kick on again.

Speaking exclusively to TT, Ball said: “If the players want to be at the football club next season, they’ve got to start performing now to the level Carlo wants to keep them in the squad.

“It’s a huge incentive for them to go out there and prove to the fans and to Carlo that they want to be there.

“That’s by putting top performances in and winning football games and fingers crossed other teams in and around you start dropping points as well because they’ve got their own issues going on.”

Kevin Campbell says ex-Roma boss Paulo Fonseca could be a good alternative for Celtic if a deal for Eddie Howe can’t be finalised.

The former Arsenal and Everton striker was speaking to Football Insider.

The lowdown

Fonseca will be leaving Roma this season on the expiry of his contract.

He led them to fifth in his first year but they look set to finish outside the top six this time around.

They did reach the semi-finals of the Europa League, having beaten Braga, Fonseca’s former club Shakhtar Donetsk and Ajax, but a 6-2 defeat against Manchester United in the first leg put paid to their ambitions.

Fonseca has taken charge of 98 Roma matches, winning 52, drawing 19 and losing 27 – that equates to a win rate of 53.1 per cent. He usually opts for variations of a 3-4-3 formation.

It was revealed on The Transfer Window Podcast last week that Celtic have been linked with Fonseca after he expressed an interest in the managerial role, vacant since Neil Lennon’s departure at the end of February. That follows previous reports from The Daily Record citing Fonseca as a possible alternative target.

The Glasgow outfit reached a verbal agreement with Eddie Howe early in April, but haven’t been able to get that deal over the line as of yet.

The latest

Campbell expressed his confidence that Fonseca ‘could do a job’ at Parkhead and says he knows how to coach young players.

“Fonseca is a good manager,” he said.

“There was big talk about him coming to the Premier League and Celtic a few years ago.

“That didn’t work out and he went to Roma instead.

“He is definitely a manager who could do a job at Celtic but Eddie Howe could as well.

“They both know their football and work well with younger players.

“That Shakhtar team he had was really good, that’s how he made his name.”

The verdict

Fonseca looks to be a decent outside candidate for the Parkhead gig. As this report from The Athletic notes, he’s faced a ‘tough situation’ at the Stadio Olimpico amid a ‘difficult restructure’ off the field, so he shouldn’t necessarily be written off based on the disappointing end to his tenure in the Italian capital.

Howe surely remains the man Celtic want given the sheer volume of media noise about his possible arrival, and that appointment would likely generate genuine excitement among supporters, but Fonseca has plenty of plaudits.

Indeed, Fonseca’s Shakhtar side were drawn to Manchester City’s Champions League group in consecutive years between 2017 and 2019, and Pep Guardiola himself was amazed by their setup, via The Times: “Before every game against Shakhtar, I have the same feeling – the first time we face them in the group stage, my (scouting) team went to see them and they came back saying ‘wow’.

“They were really impressed. In Barcelona all the time it was, ‘Shakhtar, Ukraine, who cares which players play, nobody knows them.’

“I can assure you it was one of the best teams in terms of playing football. It was so tough for me. For Barcelona, Bayern, we had good results but it was tough. I have a lot of respect for them.”

Fonseca did indeed shock Guardiola later that year as the Premier League champions elect lost 2-1 in Ukraine, via Soccerway.

In other news, will Celtic’s hand be forced with this midfielder?

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been handed a worrying update over the fitness of forward Anthony Martial as attention turns back to club football this weekend.

The striker had previously sustained a knee injury in France’s second match of the international break, eventually being substituted in Les Blues’ 2-0 win against Kazakhstan on Sunday.

There was fleeting hope from manager Didier Deschamps that he would be fit enough to feature again versus Bosnia and Herzegovina with the 52-year-old suggesting that any serious problem had been “dismissed”.

Nevertheless, Martial was not included in his nation’s most recent squad, not even afforded a place on the bench, plunging his inclusion for the Premier League clash against Brighton & Hove Albion this weekend into severe doubt.

Despite having not quite hit his best form this season, with just seven goals and eight assists in all competitions, the Frenchman is still key for Solskjaer.

Having played in 36 matches in all competitions this season, only Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes have topped his total 15 direct goal contributions this season so he is likely to be a bigger miss than first considered.

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As a matter of fact, former Red Devils’ forward Robin van Persie has labelled him as a “world class” player so if he is missing, it is surely going to be a blow.

Martial’s absence also exacerbates an ever-worsening crisis for Manchester United in attack this season. He has only just returned from a problem of his own, whilst fellow forward Rashford has missed the entirety of the international break with an ankle problem.

Elsewhere, Edinson Cavani has only made one start in his last eight games in all competitions due to a persistent injury.

If all of the Red Devils’ attacking trio are unavailable, this leaves Solskjaer with just Mason Greenwood, who has scored just one Premier League goal all season, to occupy the loan striker role.

The Norwegian then will see the international absence of Martial, who earns £250k per week at Old Trafford, as an extremely worrying development.

AND in more news, a current Red Devils defender is proving his former manager wrong this season…

Kevin Phillips has told Sunderland loanee Dion Sanderson that joining their arch-rivals Newcastle this summer would not be ‘worth the hassle’.

Phillips was speaking to Football Insider, who named the Magpies as one of the suitors for the Wolves defender.

Sanderson has averaged 2.2 successful aerial duels and 2.6 clearances per game, along with an 82% passing accuracy, for the Black Cats this season. He has only been dribbled past 0.2 times per 90 minutes on average (via WhoScored).

He has been a key part of their push for promotion back to the Championship as they currently sit in third place with games in hand on the teams above them.

Sanderson, whom Football Insider claimed could be let go by Wolves for as little as £2m, has been described as ‘a class apart’ by Sunderland journalist James Hunter.

Sanderson offered advice by Phillips

Phillips believes that the 21-year-old will ‘get better and better’, but feels that St James’ Park is not the right destination for him.

“Sanderson would be a very brave lad if he was to step across and play for Newcastle after playing for Sunderland,” the former Mackems striker said.

“My advice to him would be ‘don’t do it’. It would not be worth the hassle. He has proven this season that he is going to get better and better.”

Competition for Sanderson inevitable

Crystal Palace and Sheffield United are also said to be among the interested parties for the 21-year-old, but Sunderland may be able to compete if they can secure the financial boost associated with promotion.

“It will not just be Newcastle sniffing around him, I am sure there will be a few other clubs as well,” Phillips said.

“It is going to be difficult for Sunderland to sign him permanently this summer but I would be very surprised if he went to Newcastle, put it that way.”

Transfer Tavern verdict

Given the plaudits Sanderson is receiving and his impressive statistics in 2020/21, it seems surprising that Wolves haven’t decided that they want to keep him.

A fee of £2m looks as if it would be a snip, but as Phillips has hinted, there’s no doubt that Newcastle are automatically on the backfoot given Sanderson’s Stadium of Light connections.

Sunderland may actually be best-placed to seal his signature, provided they can offer him regular football if they get into the Championship.

In other news, find out what takeover claim Phillips made about Mike Ashley.

As West Ham United post the highlights of their Under-18s triumph against Norwich City in the FA Youth Cup, breezing past the Canaries youngsters 5-0 at Carrow Road, plenty of Irons supporters have lauded their starlets as they cruise into the next round.

Goals from promising Hammers starlet Mipo Odubeko (2), alongside Jayden Fevrier, Jamal Baptiste and Kai Corbett, sealed the youngsters’ place in the FA Youth Cup Last 16 after a comprehensive victory in East Anglia.

The result means West Ham enter this stage of the competition for the first time in nine years as Kevin Keen’s side look forward to a long awaited fifth round tie (club official).

Keen’s young Hammers dominated from start to finish, with highly-rated Odubeko notching a brace as he impressed, and club footage of the highlights has prompted plenty of supporters to hold excitement over the future.

Find all of their verdicts down below in response to the club footage.

West Ham fans flock to club footage

“The ball from #10 was insane.”

Credit: @AidanWHUFC

“Future looking good for us”

Credit: @LingardinhoSzn

“Mipo looking quality”

Credit: @ejr_00

“Fantastic goals what a performance”

Credit: @colinkeenan71

“Well done lads. Hammered them”

Credit: @Stuthehammer76

“Odubeko is such a baller”

Credit: @oreeves03

“They can keep a 3-0 lead and extend it, good job lads”

Credit: @adamhammer7261

“Always better to watch than the first team”

Credit: @bluepepperaudio

In other news: West Ham fans flocked to Declan Rice’s message, find out more here.

Some Liverpool fans have been left to fume at some comments made by Mo Salah in an interview with Spanish publication Marca.

As relayed in a tweet by The Athletic journalist James Pearce, the former Chelsea and Roma ace said when being asked about whether he is keen to try out Spanish football: “I hope to be able to play for many more years. Why not? No-one knows what’s going to happen in the future, so maybe one day, yes.”

Some members of the Anfield faithful have not taken these comments well at all, as they can be perceived as saying that he wants to leave the Merseyside club, albeit in the future and not necessarily in the upcoming transfer window.

However, the Egypt international star has not yet signed a new deal with Jurgen Klopp’s men, adding to the speculation that he could well leave the Reds, with comments like these certainly adding fuel to the fire.

Liverpool fans on Salah comments

These LFC supporters fumed upon reading the comments on Twitter, believing that they were unnecessary, especially with their big game in the UEFA Champions League against Real Madrid coming up:

“Let him go, we can replace anyone but Klopp”

Credit: @allan_ynwa

“He will be off, love the player but thinks he’s bigger than Liverpool”

Credit: @gazzaflint1971

“This guy isn’t Mr @LFC, don’t want him beyond this season IMO let’s get #Mbappe or another team player”

Credit: @SNiyogakiza

“Sell him ! Where is smoke there is fire :)”

Credit: @liverfan1980

“Who cares? Him leaving will be good riddance to bad selfishness.”Credit: @carlQuartey3″Salah fans are so weird man, he shouldn’t be saying this but blame the media for reporting it it’s so dumb, why can’t he just keep his mouth shut like the likes of Sadio, VVD, Firmino and Fabinho?”Credit: @blndaIanIn other news, find out what Fabrizio Romano transfer update has been lauded by Kopites here!

Harry Kane has been slammed by Alasdair Gold in his latest player ratings piece for football.london despite Tottenham Hotspur beating Fulham 1-0.

The North London club took the lead inside the first 20 minutes of the first half through an own goal from Tosin Adarabioyo and managed to hold on in the end as Scott Parker’s men proved to be a tough opponent, with Josh Maja having a goal disallowed in the second half by VAR for a handball in the build up.

While there were some decent performances from Jose Mourinho’s team, Gold was rather underwhelmed by Kane’s display, giving him a 5/10 overall rating, the joint-lowest out of any Spurs player along with Gareth Bale, as he missed two ‘big’ opportunities to score and had an ‘off’ night by his usual high standards.

Kane not at his best for Spurs

As Gold points out, Kane did not have his best of game in a Lilywhites shirt. Aside from missing two ‘big’ opportunities, the England international, who is currently earning £200,000 per week, lost out on five of his duels, had just a 67% pass accuracy and lost possession of the ball no fewer than 14 times in the game, the joint-third most out of any of his teammates to have set foot on the pitch (Sofascore).

Nonetheless, the 27-year-old striker will be hoping to get back to his best when THFC host Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday evening.

In other news, find out what transfer business Alan Hutton expects Spurs to do in the summer here!