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Liverpool must swoop for Barcelona midfielder Pedri this summer after being linked with a move for the teenager.

What’s the story?

According to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo (as reported by The Mirror), Jurgen Klopp has made the 18-year-old his priority target ahead of the upcoming transfer window.

Pedri enjoyed a stellar breakout season with the Catalan giants in 2020/21, but their poor financial situation has seen a host of first-team stars linked with an imminent exit.

Edwards must swoop

The teenage prodigy joined Barca in an £18m move back in 2019 but stayed on at his boyhood club Las Palmas for another season.

After joining up with Ronaldo Koeman’s men 12 months ago, Pedri has instantly established himself as one of the club’s star performers.

Despite his tender years, the Spain international made an astonishing 52 appearances in all competitions for the Camp Nou outfit last season, bagging four goals and providing six assists along the way.

His impressive displays earnt him a spot in Luis Enriques’s 24-man squad for Euro 2020 and saw compatriot Thiago laud the youngster with praise after impressing on international duty.

“It’s amazing how confident he is for his age. He’s a footballer who looks spectacular,” claimed the Liverpool midfielder.

“With the club he’s at; and what he’s doing there, it’s incredible. I urge him to keep progressing.”

For someone so young, Pedri has an amazing ability to keep possession and unlock defences, something so many previous Spanish technicians have also excelled in.

However, it’s a quality that has been missing at Anfield for quite some time.

While Liverpool have founded their success in recent years off the back of their highly impressive gegenpressing style, Klopp’s charges have lacked a natural advanced playmaker since Philippe Coutinho’s departure.

Gini Wijnaldum’s departure to Paris Saint-Germain has left a gap in the Reds’ engine room, and Pedri could be the perfect man to fill it.

His contract currently contains a £70m buyout clause, but with Barca reportedly keen to tie him down to fresh terms, Klopp may have to move quickly to secure his key target.

And, in other news…Edwards masterstroke: Liverpool must land £63m-rated gem, he’s a “complete midfielder” 

Former Scotland manager Alex McLeish has claimed that he would not be surprised to see Christian Eriksen return to Tottenham Hotspur, despite interest from Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Eriksen’s contract

Having been released by Inter due to not being allowed to play in Italy with a cardioverter-defibrillator implant device, the former Spurs man was snapped up by Brentford on a short-term contract which is set to expire at the end of the season.

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Consequently, rumours have emerged linking Eriksen with a whole host of Premier League clubs. This includes the Lilywhites, following Football Insider’s report which revealed that Tottenham are keeping tabs on the Denmark international.

The Northern Echo have claimed that Newcastle have a strong interest in the signing Eriksen, and are also hopeful of striking up a deal with the Brentford midfielder.

The Latest: McLeish’s claim…

McLeish, who can be heard on BT Sport nowadays, has admitted that he would not be surprised to see Eriksen lining up in a white shirt next season due to his ‘love’ of the club.

Speaking with Football Insider, he claimed: “Spurs did lose their rhythm a little bit losing someone like Eriksen. He was a key individual in those years where they came very, very close.

“He’ll be a free agent so it wouldn’t surprise me if he went back to Spurs with his love for the club.

“Newcastle are ambitious as well. They’ve had a couple of great results since Eddie Howe brought in a couple of great players in.

“Also, he seems a very honourable guy. If he stayed at Brentford it would be an incredible gesture.”

The Verdict: Could be a good move

Tottenham boss Antonio Conte heaped praise on Eriksen after his Spurs side were held to a 0-0 draw against Brentford at the weekend. He claimed that “it’s amazing” to see the midfielder performing at the level that he is after recovering from the cardiac arrest he suffered last summer.

With the 30-year-old ranking in the 99th percentile for non-penalty goals and the 98th percentile for shots and expected assists among positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues (via FB Ref), it is easy to see why Tottenham would be interested in bringing the Dane back to Hotspur Way.

Therefore, if Fabio Paratici can get a Bosman deal over the line, this could prove to be a strong addition to Conte’s squad on the cheap.

In other news: Tottenham Hotspur: Alasdair Gold leaks more info on Conte, Pochettino and PSG

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Sheffield United striker Brian Deane believes his old side should be considering Slavisa Jokanovic for the job in the Bramall Lane dugout.

In their search to replace Chris Wilder, Sheffield United have narrowed down their shortlist to five names, but Jokanovic, 52, is not thought to be included despite being linked to the role.

Current caretaker manager Paul Heckingbottom, however, is one name that is currently being considered.

Deane, though, thinks overlooking the former Fulham and Watford boss could be a mistake.

When asked by FFC if Sheffield United have missed a trick by not considering someone who has won Premier League promotion before, the retired Premier League footballer said:

“Yeah, possibly. I think that they needed to react before they have done because it’s like the club is just drifting now.

“I just hope they’ve got a plan in place, to be honest, but there just seems to be a lack of direction right now.”

Given that Jokanovic has taken both Fulham and Watford from the Championship to the Premier League in the past, he certainly looked like a safe bet for Sheffield United.

It seems, however, that the Blades want to go down another route in their quest to make a quick return to English football’s top division.

According to Italian newspaper La Repubblica, via Calciomercato, Tottenham Hotspur have already made their first offer to sign Sampdoria sensation Mikkel Damsgaard.

The Lowdown: Spurs eyeing Damsgaard…

As per The Evening Standard, managing director Fabio Paratici now has his eyes firmly on strengthening the creative positions in Tottenham’s team after sealing Cristian Romero from Atalanta.

Damsgaard is one of the targets on Spurs’ agenda alongside former academy player Noni Madueke, according to that report, with La Repubblica (via Calciomercato) now bringing a further development.

The Latest: Spurs have already made Damsgaard offer…

As per the newspaper from Italy, Tottenham have actually already made their first offer to sign the 21-year-old rising star this summer.

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They claim the bid is ‘higher than €20 million (£17.04 million)’ but nowhere near Sampdoria’s €40m (£34.02m) asking price, which club president Massimo Ferrero is demanding for his services.

Spurs’ first offer looks unlikely to be accepted as a result but a ‘good starting point’ for negotiations could be a figure in and around the €30 million (£25.5m) mark.

The Verdict: Perfect for Spurs…

Signing Damsgaard, in our opinion, would be the cherry on top of an already impressive window so far for Tottenham.

Paratici has undergone an extensive Lilywhites rebuild with the departures of Toby Alderweireld, Joe Hart, Erik Lamela, Juan Foyth, Danny Rose and Paulo Gazzaniga – shifting deadwood and making space for marquee arrivals.

The Lilywhites have already secured most of their main targets but adding Damsgaard into the mix would really be a masterstroke by Tottenham’s new managing director.

He is arguably one of the most exciting youngsters in world football with there already being a ‘gigantic buzz’ around him in Denmark, according to his former youth coach Kasper Kurland (inews.co.uk).

The starlet’s sensational free-kick against England in their Euro 2020 semi-final at Wembley could only be a glimpse into his ability, especially considering he has drawn comparisons with former Spurs favourite Christian Eriksen.

In other news: ‘My understanding’…Sky Sports reporter drops on air Kane update for Spurs, find out more here.

A number of Liverpool supporters are unhappy after an update regarding Xherdan Shaqiri, Harvey Elliott and the Reds’ transfer business emerged.

It has been a quiet summer at Anfield to date, with Ibrahima Konate the only player to arrive at Anfield.

Liverpool have been doing their best to offload some of the deadwood, however, with Shaqiri one of those individuals, having only made five Premier League starts last season.

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The 29-year-old has been linked with a move to Lyon recently, but as things stand, he remains a Reds player.

According to The Daily Mail‘s Dominic King, Elliott’s rise at Liverpool this summer means Liverpool are unlikely to sign a replacement for Shaqiri, with the teenager deemed a good enough player to fill in.

This has naturally led to some frustration surrounding the Reds’ continued lack of spending, with many still wanting another attacking player brought in.

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Liverpool fans unhappy at Shaqiri update

These Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to show their anger at the update.

“Clowns, don’t want to hear any complaints when we start falling apart next season”

Credit: @SnowHalliburton

“This club kills me man”

Credit: @bayowaaaa

“You see how as Shaqiri is about to be sold it’s no longer we have to sell to buy? FSG are a disgrace”

Credit: @agyeitah

“No way are FSG using an 18 YEAR OLD to be the Gini replacement AND our attacking depth???”

Credit: @VirgilLFC

“This club isn’t serious”

Credit: @SoLockedIn

“Why did my dad have to support this team man”

Credit: @kany3west3_

In other news, some Liverpool fans have also fumed at another transfer update. Read more here.

Southampton produced an extremely disappointing display as they fell to a 3-0 defeat against Europa League-bound West Ham on the final afternoon of the Premier League season.

Two goals from Pablo Fornals and one from Declan Rice secured a comfortable win for David Moyes’ side, whilst the Saints missed plenty of chances and produced some woeful defending, which ensured that they would finish the season in 15th.

One man who was getting plenty of stick for his performance on Twitter during the game was Nathan Redmond, but in reality, he was one of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s best performers at the London Stadium.

As per SofaScore, the former Norwich City man would earn an impressive 7.4/10 rating for his performance, which was the best of any Southampton play to feature on Sunday.

During the game, the 27-year-old winger would have 53 touches of the ball and would complete 26/30 of his passes, resulting in a solid 87% pass accuracy, which is an improvement on the 76.8% accuracy he averaged in the Premier League across the season.

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Impressively, seven of those passes were key passes, as he was definitely Southampton’s most creative player against the Hammers, as this was only one less than the rest of the team combined, and is also significantly more than the one key pass he averaged per game this season.

The winger looked very dangerous at times, as he completed five out of his seven dribble attempts and also impressively won seven of his duels, whereas Stuart Armstrong on the opposite flank would contribute two key passes, two dribbles and three successful duels, yet he is rarely criticised by the Southampton faithful.

Therefore, it definitely seems fair to suggest that Redmond is often scapegoated by Southampton fans, as whilst he has had a poor season overall, his performance against West Ham on the final day should be praised rather than criticised.

And, in other news… Just 10 passes: Southampton star was awful vs WHU, Hasenhuttl surely fuming

According to a report by Mundo Deportivo, via Sport Witness, Tottenham Hotspur are now ‘willing to take the first step’ to sign Barcelona ace Miralem Pjanic – with new managing director Fabio Paratici knowing him well from Juventus.

The Lowdown: Spurs eyeing Pjanic?

The £210,000-per-week midfielder has emerged as a target for Tottenham over this last week with Sport first claiming that they had made an approach.

This alleged Spurs transfer development even garnered praise by pundits in the press, with pundit Alan Hutton raving over the reported enquiry to Football Insider whilst calling Pjanic an ‘amazing player’.

The Latest: Tottenham now ‘willing to take the first step’

As per another report from Spain, this time from Mundo Deportivo, the Lilywhites are ‘willing to take the first step’ to sign Pjanic with his Barcelona future in doubt.

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The Bosnia and Herzegovina international struggled last season and his club apparently wanted him to leave as a free agent this summer and help reduce their enormous wage bill.

While it is stated that Pjanic would prefer a move back to Juventus, the Turin giants are prioritising Euro 2020 star Manuel Locatelli as more of a prime target.

This has allowed Spurs and Paratici to potentially make a move as they weigh the first step.

The Verdict: Worth it?

It’s little wonder Barca wish to offload Pjanic given his sky high salary and limited appearances last term, with the 31-year-old starting just six La Liga matches.

However, it is obvious the midfield dynamo has quality in his locker by his many great seasons in Serie A and 100 international caps for Bosnia. 

Over his 281 appearances in the Italian top flight across stints at both Juve and Roma, Pjanic bagged a noteworthy 42 goals and 73 assists from midfield (Transfermarkt).

He also possesses vast experience in the Champions League with 80 cameos in Europe’s peak competition.

It would be a financial gamble by chairman Daniel Levy and director Paratici, but one which could provide a player with a wealth of experience.

In other news: Tottenham make approach to sign £43.2 million-valued star once likened to Messi, find out more here.

Aston Villa youngster Keinan Davis still has a bright future at the club despite a lack of playing time recently, according to journalist Luke Hatfield.

The Lowdown: Davis struggling for playing time

The 23-year-old is yet to make an appearance for Villa’s senior team this season, having fallen down the pecking order under Dean Smith.

Davis could have left Villa Park on loan in the summer but ended up staying put, and it could be that a temporary exit in January makes sense.

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The Latest: Hatfield provides key update

Despite Davis’ career stalling a little in recent times, Hatfield believes that he still has plenty to offer at Aston Villa.

Speaking to Give Me Sport, the journalist claimed that Villa think highly of the striker and that his opportunity to become a key figure could arise in the future, tipping him to possibly join Nottingham Forest on loan. Hatfield said:

“Aston Villa have high hopes for Keinan Davis, regardless of whether they send him out on loan or not.

“They just want to make sure he gets the time on the pitch and hopefully he develops into the football player that is potentially there to be.

“So, I’m sure Villa will be looking at teams that play a similar style, and it seems like Nottingham Forest would work out pretty well.”

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The Verdict: Persevere with him

At 23, Davis isn’t necessarily an up-and-coming player anymore, but there is still lots of time for him to develop as a footballer and become more polished.

A loan move away could do him the world of good, allowing him to pick up confidence and get minutes under his belt before returning to Villa next summer.

Jack Grealish once described his former Villa team-mate as ‘unplayable’, which speaks to how much ability Davis appears to have, so hopefully the striker will be able to forge out a stable future under Smith.

In other news, some Villa fans have reacted to an image of one player. Find out who it is here.

Amid a tough run of form in the Premier League, Aston Villa boss Dean Smith will no doubt be desperately searching for ways to reinvigorate his squad.

The Villans head into this weekend’s clash against Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon off the back of three successive defeats at the hands of Tottenham, Wolves and Arsenal respectively.

The switch to a back-three has fallen apart in recent weeks, and while the returns from injury of the likes of Leon Bailey and Bertrand Traore will be music to the ears of Smith and the club’s fans, the Villa boss could get Villa Park rocking by unleashing Cameron Archer.

A profile piece by The Birmingham Mail back in the summer of 2019 described Archer as “one of Villa’s most highly thought of youngsters alongside Jacob Ramsey”, and that he’s a “livewire forward with excellent footwork and the ability to find the back of the net”.

And, The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece added: “Genuine pace. That’s Cameron Archer in a nutshell. He’s short, stocky and jet-heeled. Blink and you’ll miss him.

“Cam, as he’s known, is a natural striker who plays off the shoulder of a defender but, in recent weeks, has been deployed on the right of a three-pronged forward line, such is his ability to beat his man one-on-one. Delaney and Smith could see his long-term future as an electrifying winger.”

Archer’s similar blend of speed, skill and finishing is something that has already gotten everybody’s attentions behind the scenes at Villa Park, with assistant head coach Craig Shakespeare noting he made a big impression earlier this summer.

He said: “We went on a pre-season training camp and he came down and did really well – caught everyone’s eye with his enthusiasm and goal scoring ability.”

With both Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings struggling to work as a tandem – the former has managed just one goal all season while the latter has bagged just three – Archer’s introduction on the scene could light a fire in both and help them to rediscover their form as well knowing there is fierce competition for places.

Archer has been an absolute revelation this season for Villa’s academy sides, scoring 12 goals in just 9 games in all competitions, including scoring four in two Carabao Cup games for Smith.

Those performances at senior level surely gave the Villa boss some food for thought, and given the fact he’s come through the academy system too, he’ll have automatically have the fans’ backing.

Smith could get the home crowd on board by giving Archer a chance in the top-flight.

Meanwhile, Ashley Preece has delivered some behind-the-scenes insight…

Sheffield United have been dealt a blow in their bid to keep Aaron Ramsdale at Bramall Lane this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook, who revealed that Arsenal have made the goalkeeper their top priority in the summer transfer window, ahead of West Bromwich Albion shot-stopper Sam Johnstone.

Crook goes on to state that Mikel Arteta’s side have already seen two bids rejected for the 23-year-old, and are now lining up a third offer believed to be in the region of £30m.

Bad news for Blades

While £30m is undeniably a mouthwatering fee to receive for a Championship side, particularly following the effects of the global pandemic on the financial health of clubs all up and down the country, losing a player of Ramsalde’s ability is bad news for the Blades – regardless of the fee his potential sale would bring in.

Indeed, over his 38 Premier League appearances last season, the £10.8m-rated man kept five clean sheets, as well as making an average of 3.9 saves and 0.3 successful runs out per game, in addition to stopping a whopping 147 shots throughout the club’s campaign.

These metrics saw the man Jurgen Klopp dubbed an “incredible” player earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.87, ranking him as United’s third-best performer in the English top flight.

As such, Ramsalde’s ability is clear for all to see, meaning his loss would severely damage Slavisa Jokanovic’s chances of going on to secure an immediate return to the Premier League with the Blades next season – unless he can find an apt replacement for the £43k-per-week ‘keeper in what remains of the summer transfer window.

However, with Sheffield United now being a Championship side, the chances of the club attracting a player of a similar ability to Ramsdale are slim to none, with the shot-stopper’s likely departure leaving the 52-year-old manager with no other choice than to bring in a downgrade on the England Euro 2020 squad member this summer.

In other news: Journo drops 13-word Sheff Utd transfer claim on “superb” £30k-p/w gem, he’d be a coup