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Daniel Farke’s Norwich City side are interested in a move for Angus Gunn this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Hampshire Live, who claim that Southampton are open to the possibility of parting with the £2.7m-rated goalkeeper this summer, with Norwich reported to have identified the former England U21 international as a transfer target.

Hampshire Live go on to report that Norwich are considering bringing a new ‘keeper to Carrow Road in order to provide support and to compete for a starting spot with Tim Krul, as Orjan Nyland is stalling over a contract extension due to a lack of game time at the club.

Webber must move

Having spent the season on loan at Stoke City, Gunn turned in a number of solid performances while at the Bet365 Stadium, helping his side to keep six clean sheets, as well as making an average of 2.1 saves and 0.9 successful run outs per game over his 15 Championship appearances, culminating in an average SofaScore match rating of 6.73.

And, while this form is far from remarkable, there is easily enough evidence to make the argument that the shot-stopper – who came through the youth ranks at Norwich before moving to Manchester City – would be a good signing for Daniel Farke’s side.

Firstly is the point raised in Hampshire Live’s report regarding Orjan Nyland – with the 30-year-old goalkeeper looking set to depart City this summer without making an appearance since arriving at the club in February.

As such, Norwich simply have to bring in a ‘keeper to provide Krul with cover and competition ahead of next season – and, considering the fact that Gunn already has a decent amount of Premier League game time under his belt from his time at Southampton, he would appear a fine candidate in terms of experience in the league.

Secondly, and a rather important point when factoring in how Stuart Webber goes about his business in terms of incoming transfers, Gunn would appear to be an extremely cost-effective signing, with the ‘keeper – whom Ralph Hassenhuttl claimed has a “big future” ahead of him – likely to be available for a figure around his £2.7m Transfermarkt valuation due to being surplus to requirements at St. Mary’s.

Finally, the 25-year-old is a player who it can be assumed Daniel Farke is a big fan of, as the German manager brought Gunn the to club on loan for City’s 2017/18 Championship campaign, meaning that it should not take the £40k-per-week man long to adjust to life back at Carrow Road.

So, all in all, it would appear as if a move by Webber for the ‘keeper would be a very astute signing for the Canaries this summer, as the sporting director looks to build a squad capable of retaining their top-flight status beyond next season.

In other news: Major Norwich City development is revealed that’ll surely have fans buzzing – opinion

Newcastle United host Burnley at St James’ Park in the Premier League on Saturday in a mammoth clash at the bottom of the table.

Three points separate the teams heading into the game, with both sides in the relegation zone after 14 matches in the division. The Magpies were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Norwich last time out, having taken the lead through a penalty from Callum Wilson.

How many changes will Eddie Howe make to his team selection for the match today? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make four alterations for the game from midweek, with Miguel Almiron, Jacob Murphy, Jamaal Lascelles and Federico Fernandez all coming in.

One change will be enforced upon Howe following Ciaran Clark’s red card against the Canaries. Fernandez came on to fill the gap at centre-back and was outstanding to ensure that the Magpies did not lose, and he may have played his way into a start against Burnley.

As per SofaScore, he won both of his ground duels and made two clearances, two blocks, two interceptions and one tackle as he earned a rating of 7.0. This suggests that he was a solid performer at the back and could help Newcastle against the Clarets, as he has shown that he can put in a strong defensive display.

Fabian Schar went down with knocks on a couple of occasions and lost 50% of his ground duels as he recorded a SofaScore rating of 6.5. This could tempt the 43-year-old into bringing Lascelles back into the team after his suspension. The captain’s leadership at the back could seal his place in the starting XI next to Fernandez.

At right-back, Howe could exclude Javier Manquillo from the team. We published an article explaining why the £40k-per-week dud should be axed from the XI, and the ex-Bournemouth boss could offer Murphy an opportunity to come in and show what he can do at St James’ Park.

We are predicting that the midfield and forward line will only have one change from the starting XI against Norwich. Clark’s red card in the 11th minute forced Ryan Fraser to be sacrificed early, which led to a disjointed attack which was not given a fair chance to shine, and we think that Miguel Almiron for the Scotsman may be the only change that Howe makes in those positions today.

AND in other news, Discussions underway: NUFC must land £100k-p/w beast compared to “Ballack” and “Gazza”…

Newcastle United are keen on Burnley’s Ben Mee in addition to his centre-back partner James Tarkowski, according to The Mirror’s James Nursey. 

The lowdown

Back in October, it was reported that Tarkowski was one of the first targets of the new regime (via The Telegraph), but it has now emerged that Mee, whose contract is also up at the end of the season, is attracting the Magpies’ interest as well.

The Northern Echo’s Scott Wilson has previously written that Newcastle’s new owners would focus heavily on players in the final months of their deals.

It should be noted that, in the case of Mee, who is valued at £5.4m by Transfermarkt, there is the option for a further year. He has been described as a ‘true leader’ and an ‘underrated’ defender by TV pundit Micah Richards.

The latest

According to The Mirror, Eddie Howe is ‘desperate’ to bring in a new centre-back and likes both players. His former club Burnley are unlikely to let both of them leave, but importantly, Newcastle are in a position to double their wages.

Mee and Tarkowski are the top two earners at Turf Moor, taking home £55,000 and £50,000 per week respectively.

The verdict

As noted by Nursey, there is an added advantage to targeting Burnley players – weakening a likely relegation rival.

Newcastle are shipping an average of two goals per game this season, and the hope would be that Mee and/or Tarkowski could give them a more secure platform for their survival bid. This was a duo which helped Burnley to keep 15 clean sheets in the 2019/20 season – a record bettered only by Manchester City.

Compared to positional peers in the top five leagues, Mee ranks in the 99th percentile for aerial duels won and the 97th for clearances. Based on those figures, he could help Newcastle immeasurably when their backs are against the wall.

In other news, Newcastle are also interested in this ‘incredible talent’

Newcastle United are less than two weeks away from entering their first transfer window under the ownership of PIF and fans may be excited about what could be to come under the Saudi-Arabian consortium.

We have seen plenty of transfer speculation in recent weeks building up to January, with the Magpies reportedly looking at players to come in and bolster their squad ahead of the second half of the season.

However, the players currently at the club must also be taken into account as any new signing will need to take up a previously occupied spot in the XI and squad.

Finally axe Ritchie

One player who could finally be axed from the team is left-back Matt Ritchie. Newcastle are, according to the Daily Mail, interested in a deal to sign Lucas Digne from Everton and the Frenchman’s arrival would allow Eddie Howe to jettison the Scot by either leaving him on the bench or selling him.

Ritchie has been in poor form this season and signing a new player in his position could solve a problem area for the Magpies. He has averaged a dismal WhoScored rating of 6.43 in 16 Premier League outings this season, which shows that he has struggled to maintain a high standard throughout the campaign.

In the 2020/21 term, he averaged a higher – albeit uninspiring – score of 6.64. This suggests that he has not been performing well over the past 18 months and fans would surely love to see Howe finally axe him from the team by bringing Digne in.

The Blues defender averaged a WhoScored rating of 7.08 in the top-flight last season, after averaging scores of 7.38 and 7.16 in the two previous years. This shows that he can consistently churn out excellent displays at this level, making him a sizeable upgrade on Ritchie.

Chelsea and England midfielder Ross Barkley Tweeted earlier this year: “Lucas Digne, wand of a left foot,” seemingly in awe of the defender’s talents.

The £110k-per-week gem’s statistics back up this claim from the former Toffees man, with 18 assists in his first three Premier League campaigns for Everton. He has also set up three goals in his last six starts for France, highlighting the creative threat he can provide from left-back.

Therefore, Howe must now ensure that he can complete a deal for Digne so that he can axe Ritchie from the XI whilst upgrading in his position with a top-class performer who is proven in this division.

AND in other news, Move over Ashworth: NUFC must consider “irate” DoF whose “behaviour’s been a disgrace”…

According to a report by Italian news outlet Il Milanista, as translated and shared by Sport Witness, West Ham United are eyeing Marseille ace Jordan Amavi – with manager David Moyes and co reportedly interested in this potential summer free agent.

West Ham eyeing Amavi

Amavi, who has suffered from a fair share of injury problems this season (Transfermarkt), resulting in little game time, hasn’t put pen to paper on an extension at the Stade Velodrome – resulting in some clubs taking note ahead of the summer window.

Il Milanista relay that as well as West Ham, Serie A giants AC Milan and Napoli are taking note – with the latter side keeping tabs after a bad injury to their left-back Faouzi Ghoulam.

The 27-year-old, who has Premier League experience with Aston Villa having played there from 2015-2017, is now on the Hammers radar – and GSB could theoretically sign him for free in the summer as his contract expires at the end of this season.

Transfer Tavern take

Despite his fitness concerns over 2020/2021, former Marseille boss Andre Villas-Boas has allegedly been quoted as calling him ‘amazing’ (HITC) for his exploits at the start of the season.

As well as this, former Premier League boss Tim Sherwood called Amavi a ‘top player’ when the duo worked together at Villa Park back in 2015 (official).

Still nearing his prime and having averaged an impressive 2.1 tackles and 2.2 interceptions per 90 in Ligue 1 over 2019/2020 when playing regularly (WhoScored), it is clear he could be a coup for the east Londoners on a free summer deal if they decide to take their interest any further.

In other news: West Ham fans flocked to this ExWHUemployee news, find out more here.

Many Sunderland fans have been criticising the performance of Grant Leadbitter in their 1-1 draw with Lincoln City in League One on Saturday afternoon.

Lee Johnson’s team took the lead at the Stadium of Light through a rare goal for Callum McFadzean after a fine ball by Max Power, before Callum Morton equalised for the visitors just after the hour mark.

It will surely be seen as two points dropped by the hosts as they look to chase promotion back to the Championship at the end of the season.

Leadbitter was just one of a number of players who struggled throughout the game, losing out on four of his duels while also failing to record a single interception or tackle from the centre of midfield (Sofascore).

The former Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough man also lost possession of the ball no fewer than seven times in total over the course of the match, as he was substituted off in the 71st minute for Ross Stewart (Sofascore).

Sunderland fan reaction to Leadbitter display

These Black Cats supporters slammed the 35-year-old’s performance on Twitter, with one Sunderland fan describing the veteran as ‘leggy’:

“O’Nien and Leadbitter cost us two points today. Clear weak links against a strong, rapid counter attacking team”

Credit: @jpsleightholme1

“Every time Leadbitter starts the tempo is awful. We can’t press with him and he slows the whole game. Had his day, needs to be a sub used when we need to slow a game down and that’s it.”

Credit: @craigtrichardso

“Think Leadbitter performances of late has proved he should go to academy to train the kids…we have no momentum ..are ponderous and pedestrian when he starts #SAFC”

Credit: @Safcftm2016

“Think Leadbitter didn’t have a good game, slows the tempo down massively in the middle of the park. Baffled by the midfield selection tbh. #SAFC”

Credit: @TheSafcAnalyst

“Wrong starting line up, Power and Leadbitter have no pace in cm, looked very leggy, only one team looked like winning it in second half”

Credit: @theboovont

“How can he not see Leadbitter makes this team worse. He should have retired the same time as Danny Graham. The midfield is full of slow players we’ve never had a foothold in this game”

Credit: @CalPatterson17

In other news, find out whose performance was slammed against Tranmere Rovers!

John Beaton has been confirmed as the referee for Sunday’s crucial Scottish Premiership clash between Celtic and Rangers at Parkhead.

The Lowdown: Massive game at Parkhead

Ange Postecoglou’s side kept up their six-point lead over their rivals on Sunday afternoon, picking up a precious 2-0 victory away to Ross County.

Next up for the Hoops is this weekend’s critical Old Firm derby meeting at Parkhead, with a win for the hosts all but securing title glory after missing out last year.

It is a game that can sometimes be defined by the refereeing performance – Bobby Madden’s display drew plenty of conversation in the cup semi-final – and the man in the middle has now been confirmed for Sunday’s meeting.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/key-latest-celtic-updates-4/” title=”Key latest Celtic updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

The Latest: Beaton takes charge

It is Beaton who will take charge of proceedings at Parkhead, reports The Scotsman, and based on his own judgement, Hoops fans may not be particularly pleased to see him with the whistle.

Back in 2020, Beaton himself admitted that Celtic supporters would ‘absolutely love’ to get rid of Scottish referees for this fixture, claiming ‘everybody’ except the officials themselves want them replaced.

The Verdict: Unpopular choice

The appointment of Beaton will not go down well with Postecoglou and his players, or the fans for that matter – he has even hinted at preferring refereeing behind closed doors, saying in those comments back in 2020 life was easier without the intensity from the fans.

That said, Celtic need to focus on the task at hand and ignore any controversy – if the Hoops allow the referee to get to them, the only people it is going to affect is themselves, on what is a potentially defining afternoon in the title race.

Essentially, all the pressure is on Rangers, who really have to win the match – the only hope is that Beaton doesn’t end up having a negative say on matters.

In other news, an ex-Celtic hero has taken a dig at Rangers ahead of Sunday’s game. Read more here.

Eberechi Eze’s wonderful solo goal against Wolves helped Crystal Palace to a 1-0 win at Selhurst Park on Saturday.

Roy Hodgson has had to endure harsh criticism from a section of Palace fans this season whilst his side had only won one of their past nine Premier League fixtures prior to the clash with Wolves.

But after switching to a 4-2-3-1 formation Hodgson’s side held on to secure all three points, with Eze’s sensational strike helping to beat a toothless Wolves.

Wilfried Zaha, who went close either side of the break, came close to adding a second in the second half, only to see his effort slam against the crossbar.

Eze, on the other hand, looked a real handful, losing his marker in Leander Dendoncker, before curling the ball into the back of the net, which led Sky Sports’ Paul Merson to exclaim:

“What a big goal this is. He hit it as hard as he could, it wasn’t far from the goalkeeper, but it was a great strike. Eze is a class player.”

A moment of individual brilliance from the 22-year-old helped Palace put their poor form behind them with a 1-0 victory over Wolves.

As per SofaScore, the attacking midfielder – who earns around £30,000-per-week at Selhurst Park – earned a high 7.1 match rating for his performance, bettered only by the likes of Patrick van Aanholt, Luka Milivojevic and Vicente Guaita.

He took two shots in total, including one shot on target, which is far better than his seasonal average of 0.9 per 90 minutes, and shows that he was performing at a higher level than previously expected.

Despite taking 55 touches, Eze lost possession of the ball just eight times in the entire game, this being fewer than any attacking player on the pitch besides Andros Townsend, and also significantly less than the 11.8 he has averaged per game in the Premier League this season thus far.

The victory has moved Hodgson’s men back into 13th place in the Premier League with Wolves a place below them in 14th.

If Palace are to stay above the relegation battle this season, on this evidence alone, we suspect Eze will be central to their hopes of Premier League survival. There’s no doubting the fact that Steve Parish will be delighted with his performance, having spent £19.5m to prise him away from Queens Park Rangers in the summer.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace can sign perfect Vicente Guaita replacement in Manchester United’s Sergio Romero…

According to reliable transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano on Twitter, Boubakary Soumaré is set to join Leicester as a new signing, a new left-back is ‘incoming’ and midfield star Youri Tielemans will negotiate a new deal, prompting many Foxes fans to go wild over the ‘big’ news.

Brendan Rodgers’ side enjoyed a Saturday afternoon to remember as they clinched FA Cup glory for the first time in their history, having lost their previous four finals. Indeed, Leicester’s FA Cup win has been a long time coming, with Tielemans the hero as they enjoyed a glorious afternoon at Wembley.

Following on from this memorable occasion, many Foxes fans are now even more ecstatic after hearing the latest from Romano on Twitter. The journalist claimed that, as well as Soumare preparing to join Leicester, a new left-back’s arrival is on the horizon and cup final hero Tielemans will sit down and commence talks over a new deal at the King Power Stadium.

As a result, these Foxes fans went into pandemonium on social media – check out a flavour of their verdicts below.

Leicester fans go wild for Romano news

“YES YES YES”

Credit: @jayarita24

“Big things”

Credit: @EthanOBrien_

“This day gets better and better”

Credit: @WorldclassTimmo

“We’re in a good shape”

Credit: @hurdlesaquon

“We’re massive.”

Credit: @LBlcfc

“OH YEESSSS FABRIZIOOOOOOOO”

Credit: @DylanIsLCFC

In other news: Leicester target now likened to Foxes colossus, find out more here.

Mel Morris is in talks with US consortium as he looks to finally complete the sale of Derby County, according to Mirror journalist James Nursey.

The lowdown

Morris is intent on selling the club, having invested £200million of his own money during his time at Pride Park.

Derby just about stayed up on the final day of the season after a thrilling 3-3 draw with relegation rivals Sheffield Wednesday, although they are yet to discover the punishment for a breach of Financial Fair Play regulations.

A points deduction could be in store, but it’s been reported that it wouldn’t be imposed until next season, meaning they won’t be relegated after the fact.

Morris has already tried in vain to sell the club to Sheikh Khaled, a cousin of Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour, and to Spaniard Erik Alonso.

The latest

Nursey says there could be ‘hope on the horizon’ for the club, with negotiations underway.

The prospective American owners are said to have ‘experience in sport’, coming after Rooney begged for ‘clarity’ and said simply of a potential takeover: “It has to happen.”

The verdict

At this point, Derby fans will just be desperate for the saga to end, and for some sense of stability to be restored to their football club.

Indeed, the respite of survival may be short-lived if talks drag on into the coming months.

Their hands may be tied in the transfer market if that uncertainty persists. Throw in a points deduction and the Rams could be in serious trouble.

As Rooney states, Morris’ future at the club simply must be sorted as quickly as possible.

In other news, Rams fans want to see this man sold.