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Sheffield Wednesday are in the market for a replacement for Keiren Westwood, Yorkshire Live journalist Dom Howson has confirmed.

The lowdown

Wednesday are preparing for a season in League One after being relegated from the Championship, as the veteran goalkeeper reached the end of his contract and left the club as a free agent.

The Irishman was one short of 200 appearances for the Owls and kept 73 clean sheets in his seven-year stay at Hillsborough (Transfermarkt).

The latest

Howson was asked in a fan Q&A whether the club was intent on bringing in another goalkeeper and whether West Bromwich Albion’s Josh Griffiths was a possible option. He confirmed that the search for Westwood’s replacement was underway and acknowledged that Griffiths ‘acquitted himself well’ on loan at Cheltenham Town last season.

However, he warned that ‘much depends’ on the future of Sam Johnstone. If the relegated Baggies were to sell the 28-year-old, who made the most saves in the Premier League in 2020/21 and was hailed as “brilliant” by Sam Allardyce, then they may be reluctant to sanction Griffiths’ temporary departure.

The verdict

Unfortunately for Wednesday, it seems likely that Johnstone will leave West Brom. He proved he was good enough for Premier League level and there will surely be plenty of suitors for a player who has just been named in the provisional England squad for the European Championship.

The Owls may duly be forced to abandon any hopes of signing Griffiths, who the Baggies will likely wish to keep, and Sheffield Wednesday could need to look elsewhere as they seek a replacement for the long-serving Westwood.

In other news, this former Owls midfielder has given his verdict on the decision to let Westwood go. 

Liverpool are looking to open contract talks with defender Neco Williams this summer.

What’s the word?

That’s according to a report by the Liverpool Echo, who claim that the Reds are planning to hold talks with Williams at the end of the season, before making a final decision on the defender’s future at Anfield.

With the club making the 21-year-old available for around £10m last year, it has been a remarkable turnaround for the player.

There were no bids for Williams in the summer and this led to him joining Fulham on loan in January, where he has excelled.

Jurgen Klopp sees progress

The Welshman’s form in the Championship with Fulham – who were recently promoted back to the Premier League – has convinced Klopp to see what the future holds for the defender at Liverpool.

The £10m rated defender has played 14 times for his adopted side in all competitions and registered an impressive two goals and two assists during that time. A solid return for a right-back and this will surely have impressed a watching Klopp.

The manager is clearly a massive admirer of the defender, explaining that he “trained like a machine” with further compliments also coming from his international boss, Rob Page.

Page stated that Williams “had to be brave” to join Fulham from Liverpool in January, moving away from what could be a historic achievement if they win the quadruple and training with world-class players on a daily basis.

This move seems like it has paid dividends, however, with the news that Klopp could want the player – who Page also claimed is a “recipe for success” – to remain at Anfield after the summer transfer window.

There is no doubt there he is a talented player, his success already proves this, plus the fact he has been capped for Wales 18 times at such a young age.

And, should Williams continue his impressive form at Anfield next season, the right-back could well begin to challenge Trent Alexander-Arnold for his place in the Reds starting XI, something that would undoubtedly please Klopp greatly.

Indeed, with more competition for a starting role, the England international will need to be at his absolute best in order to remain as the German’s number one in the position – something that is only likely to improve Liverpool further next season, meaning Williams could indeed be Klopp’s recipe for success.

AND in other news: Liverpool now plot £67m bid for “sensational” 76k-p/w “winner”, imagine him and Salah.

Manchester United will be aiming to take another step towards a UEFA Champions League return on Sunday as they face off with Leeds United.

The Red Devils head to Elland Road knowing four points will guarantee them a place in the top four come the end of the season so a win against Leeds will all but secure a place in the Champions League xext season.

How many changes could Solskjaer be tempted to make then?

We are expecting the Norwegian to switch things around with three alterations for the trip to Yorkshire.

None of those aforementioned changes will take place in defence where Dean Henderson will continue to be No.1 instead of David de Gea. The likes of Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Aaron Wan-Bissaka will keep their regular positions.

However, there could be a couple of alterations in the centre of the park. Against a Leeds side who somewhat struggle to defend, Solskjaer could be tempted to bring in the more creative Donny van de Beek instead of Fred.

The £19.8m-rated Brazilian was withdrawn at half-time against Burnley last time out so could well have to settle for a place on the bench.

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Meanwhile, whilst Paul Pogba is in great from at the current time, he could be somewhat restricted for space against a Leeds side who deploy a combative 4-1-4-1 system. It might make sense then for a further winger to be played which would give Daniel James the opportunity to start against a side that he almost joined in January 2019.

Mason Greenwood should remain on the opposite flank whilst one final change will occur in attack.

Marcus Rashford is still managing an injury so might not start the game. If that is indeed the case, he will be replaced by Edinson Cavani, who has scored in each of his last two Premier League apperanaces.

AND in more news, find out why signing a current Barcelona star would be an awful mistake from Solskjaer…

Newcastle United could pounce with Stade Rennais struggling to finance a move for FC Midtjylland’s Jens Cajuste, according to RMC Sport journalist Loic Tanzi. 

The lowdown

Cajuste, a 21-year-old defensive midfielder, made 39 appearances for the Danish side last season.

Four of those appearances came in the group stages of the Champions League, where he twice faced Liverpool.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig has hailed Cajuste as ‘a great talent’ and ‘the future of Swedish football’, adding that he’ll ‘soon be ready’ to ‘attack one of the top five leagues’.

He has two years left on his contract and is valued at £4.5million by Transfermarkt.

According to The Athletic’s Chris Waugh, Newcastle would like to sign two midfielders this summer – a box-to-box option and a ‘combative presence’.

The latest

Tanzi writes that Cajuste’s proposed move to Stade Rennais has reached a ‘standstill’. They must raise money through player sales before they can present a satisfactory bid.

Newcastle are not the only Premier League club who could capitalise. Newly-promoted Brentford also ‘want to move forward’.

The verdict

Cajuste looks a really exciting talent, and one whose value could skyrocket in the coming years.

It’s probably a good sign that Brentford are interested too given the renowned success of their data-driven recruitment model.

With only a ‘meagre’ budget this summer, perhaps adopting a diamond-in-the-rough recruitment model would be wise for Steve Bruce and co, especially now the takeover is on hold until at least next year.

In other news, Lee Ryder issues a concerning update on this ‘outstanding’ ace. 

Reliable reporter Alan Nixon has admitted he is ‘expecting’ Celtic to make ‘panic moves soon’ when it comes to transfers.

The Lowdown: Plenty of rumours

Ange Postecoglou has made three big-money signings so far this summer in Liel Abada, Kyogo Furuhashi and Carl Starfelt.

There have been plenty of rumours since those three deals went through, with right-backs Aurelio Buta and Josip Juranovic and goalkeepers Joe Hart and Ben Foster linked with a move to Parkhead. There have also been rumours in France to forwards Diego Costa and Jean-Kevin Augustin.

However, Starfelt remains Celtic’s latest addition, with that transfer going through nine days ago.

Since then, the Hoops have been knocked out of the Champions League, and Nixon didn’t exactly have good news for Celtic supporters.

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The Latest: Nixon’s post

Nixon, who writes for The Sun, was asked by a Celtic fan if the Hoops were close to any signings on Thursday afternoon.

He replied, admitting he has ‘not heard anything’ – a worrying three-word update.

“Not heard anything … but expecting panic moves soon.”

The Verdict: Not ideal…

With Nixon not hearing of any potential Celtic incomings, it appears to be a worrying time in Glasgow.

The Hoops get their Scottish Premiership campaign underway on Saturday evening and, to take right-back, for instance, Postecoglou has two inexperienced players in Anthony Ralston and Lee O’Connor to choose from against Hearts.

Postecoglou has also used two different ‘keepers in Vasilis Barkas and Scott Bain in his two competitive games, so a new shot-stopper appears needed as well.

However, it seems as if Celtic fans will have to wait even longer for any more additions.

In other news: ‘Also…’ – Sky Sports drop live TV claim revealing £33k-p/w Celtic target; he loves Parkhead. 

Danny Mills has dropped a big claim on the potential takeover of Newcastle United as an update emerged involving Mike Ashley.

The Lowdown: Ashley releases statement

The Guardian have recently reported that Ashley released a powerful statement this week after HMRC quietly discontinued a long-running investigation into the tax affairs of the St James’ Park club.

As per the Shields Gazette, Newcastle and its chief executive have also accused the Premier League of what they believe to be anti-competitive behaviour in their decision-making process on the proposed deal with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group.

They are looking to take the Premier League to court over the matter and have also taken on an anti-competition case given to them by the Newcastle Consortium Supporters Limited (NCSL), with the EPL given fresh legal papers as Ashley looks to force them to wave through the bid.

The Latest: Mills reacts to Ashley activity

Mills, who is now a pundit after playing for the likes of Leeds United and Manchester City in his career, has since given his thoughts to Football Insider on Ashley’s latest activity, and his view on the potential takeover on Tyneside:

“It’s a case of Mike Ashley being desperate to sell and doing everything he can to get his money.

“But I think he’s right, it does need to be investigated as to why.

“There is the golf super league with Saudi Arabia, we’ve seen all the boxing going on over there as well and other sports.

“I don’t think we’ve ever had a reason why they weren’t allowed to take over.

“There’s no better time with all the issues surrounding the so-called ‘big six’ and those smaller clubs can say ‘Hang on a minute, how can you allow this to happen to these other clubs and let them spend what they want but you’re not letting us compete?’

“It isn’t really fair. It’s almost like it’s a monopoly on who can do what they want and spend what they want.”

The Verdict: Ashley seems desperate

Given that there is already an arbitration hearing to take place between Newcastle and the Premier League, it seems as if Ashley is already starting to feel desperate by taking them to another legal battle to try and claim damages.

What the result of the arbitration case would be remains unclear, but the report that the businessman is trying to at least get some compensation from the failed takeover bid suggests that he may not be confident about getting a positive outcome from the saga.

In other news, find out what big claim another pundit has made on the potential takeover!

Former Leeds United goalkeeper Paddy Kenny believes the Whites’ future transfer business will be boosted by the expansion of Elland Road.

The Lowdown: Elland Road expansion plans

Leeds enjoyed a superb return to the Premier League last season, finishing ninth and playing some of the most eye-catching football in the division.

It isn’t only on the pitch where the Whites are thriving, however, with plans in place to increase Elland Road’s capacity by 16,000, taking it to 55,000.

It is an exciting update that will make the famous Elland Road atmosphere even greater, but more importantly, it will generate more revenue.

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The Latest: Kenny excited about the future

Speaking to Football Insider, 43 year-old Kenny was hugely excited about what the future has to offer, suggesting more money will now be available to buy new players:

“They are trying to build on what they’ve done over the past few years. In getting promoted and then finishing in the top half of the table, that was an amazing achievement.

“This [stadium expansion] brings more revenue and brings massively more finances and might give them more money to spend in the transfer market.

“It’s unbelievable the atmosphere as it is already. When I played there, the club wasn’t in as good a position as it is now. But even when there was only 25,000 there it was still unbelievable.

“So I can see plenty of positives. I’m sure there are lots of Leeds fans who haven’t got the chance to go and watch them who might do now.”

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The Verdict: Moving in the right direction

This is such an exciting time to be a Leeds supporter, with the club excelling in so many areas on both sides of those white lines, as they look to slowly return to the top of English football.

Money is ultimately the key in the modern game, and if Bielsa is afforded more funds for transfers, it will play a major role in the Whites pushing towards the European places.

European football can then bring in even more revenue and so on and so forth.

The aim for now however is of course just to keep heading in the right direction, which Andrea Radrizzani and co certainly seem to be doing.

In other news, one report has suggested a number of Leeds signings are close. Read more here.

Liverpool are reportedly one of the clubs in the mix to sign AS Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni.

What’s the story?

This comes after Italian media outlet Tuttosport (via Sport Witness) recently published an article claiming that the Merseyside club, fellow Premier League side Chelsea and Serie A giants Juventus are currently interested in signing the midfielder at some point in the future.

A replacement for Wijnaldum?

In terms of recent incoming transfer activity at Liverpool, the latest summer transfer window saw the Reds bring in defender Ibrahima Konate for a fee of £36m from German club RB Leipzig.

Regarding Tchouameni, the player joined Monaco back in the 2020 January transfer window from fellow French club Bordeaux for a fee of £16.2m.

Since then, the 21-year-old, who is currently valued at £27m according to Transfermarkt, has made 60 appearances for the club across all competitions in which he has managed to score five goals and provide four assists along the way.

Given how Liverpool saw Georginio Wijnaldum leave the Merseyside club for a free transfer to Paris Saint-Germain over the summer, it’s understandable why the club would be interested in signing Tchouameni. He represents a long-term midfield option at a crucial point with Liverpool possessing the likes of Jordan Henderson and James Milner in their squad over the age of 30.

In his latest appearance for Monaco in their recent 3-0 Ligue 1 victory over Bordeaux, Tchouameni certainly showed what his previous club were missing.

He put in a near-perfect all-round display, demonstrating the type of qualities that Wijnaldum so regularly brought to Anfield.

Tchouameni scored a goal, hit the woodwork, made five tackles and won a whopping 13 of the 18 duels he was involved in. ultimately earning himself a very impressive overall match rating of 8.7/10, making him Monaco’s highest-rated player on the day according to SofaScore.

This alone shows why the likes of Liverpool, Juventus and Chelsea are apparently interested in snapping him up.

Looking ahead to the future, if Liverpool are keen on strengthening their midfield either in the upcoming January transfer window or the next summer window, we feel that Tchouameni should definitely be an option to consider bringing in.

However, with other big boys of European football also pursuing him, it could end up being rather difficult to sign the midfielder, but one that could be very beneficial for the club for the next few years.

In other news: Klopp masterstroke: £50k-p/w Liverpool gem has seen value rise by £49.5m in 3 years – opinion 

Manchester City goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, who is currently on loan at Portsmouth, reportedly wants to make a loan switch to a Premier League club in 2022.

The Lowdown: Bazunu impresses

The youngster has been in impressive form so far this term for both club and country. He has kept four clean sheets in 10 League One matches for Pompey (Transfermarkt).

He also has seven caps for the Republic of Ireland despite being just 19 years of age, turning in a goalkeeping masterclass in a World Cup qualifier against Serbia last month.

The Latest: Bazunu wants Premier League move

According to The Sun, Bazunu wants to make a move to the Premier League in the next few months.

He is currently on loan at Fratton Park until the end of the season, so he will have the chance to achieve his goal at the start of the 2022/23 campaign, with Manchester City already working on where to send him once his time at Portsmouth is done.

The Verdict: He deserves the chance

Despite his tender age, Bazunu is already looking like a star of the future. He already has 48 senior appearances to his name across spells at Shamrock Rovers, Rochdale and Pompey, and he has been called “different class” by Portsmouth team-mate Clark Robertson.

He is still quite young but that does not mean he couldn’t cut it in the Premier League. With him already having international experience and looking the part for Ireland, there is no reason why he would not be able to cut it amongst the elite.

It remains to be seen whether he will make the step up to top-flight level from next autumn or whether City may test him in the Championship first.

In other news, lots of Man City fans were gutted over this news on another youngster on the club’s books

West Bromwich Albion are in talks with Galatasaray over a permanent move for striker Mbaye Diagne, according to Turkish outlet Ajansspor.

The Baggies have apparently made a €5m (£4.2m) offer for the 29-year-old, but that falls short of the Super Lig outfit’s €7m (£5.9m) valuation.

Ahead of their return to the Championship, Valerien Ismael’s side have Callum Robinson, Kenneth Zohore and Karlan Grant available as centre-forward options.

How did Diagne fare at West Brom?

The Baggies signed Diagne late in the January transfer window, hoping that his goals could help propel them to safety. However, he only managed to score three times in his 16 appearances, significantly under-performing on his xG tally of 6.79 (via Infogol).

He missed 11 big chances in total, seven more than any of his West Brom team-mates – Robinson was second with four – and despite only playing half the season in England, the Senegalese frontman finished in the league’s top 10 for offsides with 17.

Fan feed WBA Report relayed Ajansspor’s claims, and here’s how these Baggies fans reacted, with many not keen on a Hawthorns return for Diagne.

These West Brom fans opposed to permanent Diagne signing

“Not sure I’m that bothered tbh, wasn’t that impressed.”

Credit: @Baggiejohn1

“I would prefer we look elsewhere. Offside lots and finishing poor”

Credit: @PORTZD2

“Not fussed on this one. Caught offside too many times and missed too many sitters. Offside rules and size of goals stay the same in Championship.”

Credit: @JohnTheBagtist

“He had good games but not good enough in my opinion. Too many times caught offside and his finishing was terrible to say the least”

Credit: @1toowatch

“Please god no”

Credit: @JamieWhitehou18

“God no, keep him in Turkey”

Credit: @BaggiesTom1

In other news, West Brom are set to face competition for this Premier League ace.