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Plenty of Aston Villa supporters have been giving their thoughts on social media regarding Lee Hendrie’s transfer comments on Ivan Toney.

Toney, 25, was brought in by The Bees after Ollie Watkins left the club to join Dean Smith at Villa last summer.

Both forwards have had brilliant first seasons with their respective clubs, with Toney scoring 28 Championship goals in 38 games following his £5m move from Peterborough.

Toney, on £21,000-a-week in London, is under contract with the club until 2025, however, should Thomas Frank’s side fail to earn promotion to the Premier League, Hendrie feels Toney would be of interest to multiple clubs.

Talking to Football League World, cited by Birmingham Live, Hendrie urged Villa to move for the forward, should Brentford remain in the second-tier.

“There’s no way if Brentford don’t go up this season that he’s not getting snapped up by someone because he’s been the best player in the Championship arguably, because of the goals he has scored, and the assists he has been involved in.

“I’d certainly have a look at if I was Villa manager.

“If I had to pick a player, Toney I’d certainly be looking at if Brentford didn’t go up because of his goals this season.

“I feel that he would fit into a well certainly a Villa side if he was available, it’s just obviously what fee they’d have to pay for him.”

Villa fans react

@AVFC_News shared the story on Twitter on Wednesday evening, which, as to be expected, received interaction from both Villa and Brentford supporters.

This is what these Villa fans had to say about a potential deal.

“I have seen him a lot when he was at Peterborough and he was the full package. Quick, good in the air, clinical”

Credit: @RichardsonNath

“Big signing”

Credit: @boyreeks

“Adds options. Ollie can play wide left and might be really important if Jack moves to pastures new”

Credit: @AjMilitaria

“I wouldn’t be against this.”

Credit: @amc89avfc

“No we need proven quality from Europe now we have big money”

Credit: @StevenH48466088

“There’s a surprise. Talk about lazy journalism. Any other Brentford links?”

Credit: @ajsfounded71

In other news: Many AVFC fans react to transfer comments on another Championship star, find out more here. 

Former Man City defender Micah Richards has defended Trent Alexander-Arnold, after hearing of the Liverpool star’s omission from England’s latest squad.

The right-back has been a sensational performer for the Reds for a number of years now, almost redefining his role and providing endless quality from out wide.

At just 22, Alexander-Arnold is already a Premier League champion and a Champions League winner, also winning 12 caps for England.

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After a slight dip in form this season, however, Gareth Southgate has dropped the youngster from his squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

It is a decision that has left many baffled, especially as both Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier haven’t been regulars for their respective teams this season.

Richards sticks up for Trent

Liverpool and City may have a fierce rivalry these days, but someone who has stuck up for Alexander-Arnold is former Citizen right-back Richards.

Taking to Instagram on Thursday, the pundit bemoaned Southgate’s decision to drop him, highlighting his quality:

Transfer Tavern take

Southgate’s decision makes little sense, especially as Alexander-Arnold’s form for Liverpool has actually been good recently.

It feels a little like he has been singled out when others often make England squads regardless of their form, and the hope is that it fires the Reds superstar up between now and the end of the season.

From a selfish Liverpool perspective, Alexander-Arnold will now enjoy a much-needed rest in the coming weeks, which can only be a good thing.

In other news, Liverpool fans are keen for the Reds to sign one Bundesliga star, but it’s not Erling Haaland. Read about it here.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Premier League midfielder Lee Hendrie is confident Lee Bowyer can make a big impact at St. Andrew’s following his appointment as Birmingham City manager.

Bowyer, who has left League 1 side Charlton Athletic to join Birmingham, replaces Aitor Karanka and takes over a club currently flirting with relegation.

Last season, Bowyer and the south London club found themselves in a similar situation to Birmingham, eventually seeing relegation from the Championship after finishing in 22nd place.

Nevertheless, Hendrie, who enjoyed a successful career at the Blues’ fierce rivals Aston Villa, believes the Bowyer appointment is a good one. He told FFC:

“I spoke to him yesterday just to wish him all the best. And, you know, he’s got a big job on his hands, he really has. The league table speaks for itself, really, they’ve got to depend on other results at the moment, but, you know, Lee’s a very good manager, his style, and he was always like that as a player, he demands a lot.”

Hendrie later added: “I think he’ll make a big impact. I think his style… he’ll be honest with players and he’ll want the best and I think he’ll get the best out of the players. So I feel it’s a great appointment.”

Losing their last two games under Karanka and firmly in a relegation battle, the exit of the former Nottingham Forest and Middlesbrough boss does not come as a surprise.

As for the appointment of Bowyer, it is one supporters should be able to get behind. The 44-year-old was, of course, previously on Birmingham’s books as a player, being a part of that famous Blues side that defeated Arsenal 2-1 in the 2010/11 League Cup final at Wembley.

Bowyer also did a very good job at Charlton despite their relegation from the Championship last term, helping them get to English football’s second division to begin with.

Following the departure of Neil Lennon, rumours are flying around who will be next to take the reins at the hilt of Celtic Football Club. The 2020/21 season has been a disappointing one for the Scottish giants, who had hoped they would mark their tenth consecutive Premiership title. However, a poor run from the reigning champions and an unstoppable campaign for Steven Gerrard will see Rangers snatch the crown from them at the end of the season.

Celtic were also knocked out of the Europa League early on. They finished bottom of their group on just four points, conceding the joint most amount of goals in the group stage of the competition. They also watched Jeremie Frimpong leave for pastures new and could be facing several more exits if the likes of Odsonne Edouard and Kristoffer Ajer also opt to leave Parkhead.

A number of names have swirled around the open managerial position at Celtic, but one who has been heavily linked to the job is former Liverpool and Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez. According to The Mirror, the Spaniard was firmly in the picture to take over from Lennon whilst he was still at the club after he decided to leave his position in China, suggesting he is very much on Dermot Desmond’s radar.

Recruiting a proven winner like Benitez would be a huge coup for the Bhoys, but it would also allow certain players to develop and unleash their full potential under his watchful eye.

Back in 2006, Benitez was still relishing his Champions League win in Istanbul and turned to the January transfer market to recruit some new blood. Liverpool brought in a 20-year-old Daniel Agger, who joined the club from Brondby in his native Denmark. Despite his first season being limited due to injuries, the centre-back went on to become an ever-present figure in Liverpool’s squad and is now hugely regarded as a club legend in the eyes of many.

For Benitez to build up a plucky young lad into an icon is something to appreciate. Indeed, history could repeat itself if the 60-year-old joins Celtic and he shifts his attention to Stephen Welsh.

The £180,000-rated Scot was called up to the senior team this season as an emergency strategy from Lennon. With Shane Duffy disappointing and Christopher Jullien out injured, the 21-year-old defender was given his chance to shine. Although he’s picked up a slight injury, Welsh was solid in the five matches he started alongside Ajer. Once he returns to fitness, he has a bright future ahead of him with Celtic.

All he needs is a manager who will put their faith into him and be patient as they build him into the solid centre-half he is capable of becoming. Benitez turned Agger into a hero, he could do the exact same with Welsh.

In other news, potential new Celtic manager Steve Clarke could hand Leigh Griffiths a huge lifeline…

West Bromwich Albion fans were far from happy with the performance of Darnell Furlong during their 1-0 defeat to Everton in the Premier League on Thursday.

Sam Allardyce will no doubt be gutted his team were unable to get anything from the game against the Toffees. Both sides had three shots on target (SofaScore), and the Baggies even had the ball in the back of the net before the goal was disallowed. The loss now leaves the Midlands outfit nine points adrift of safety with 11 games left to play (Sky Sports).

Furlong was far from his best in this match. He won just four of his 11 duels and lost the ball a worrying 24 times. As the Baggies aim for survival, the £2.88m-valued 25-year-old (Transfermarkt) must do better.

The fans took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Furlong below

“Awful defending, been a headless chicken for last 20 mins”

Credit: @MattW1lkes

“Dreadful Furlong second half.”

Credit: @CHawthorns

“Furlong is a liability”

Credit: @paulgsmith_48

“Furlong is absolutely terrible, get rid”

Credit: @8ub_wba

“Phillips neat and tidy first half, but offered little. Furlong suspect defensively. Ultimately Everton were off the pace today and in tight games at home, you simply have to get something to stay up. #wba”

Credit: @mggriffiths84

“Furlong was worst player on the pitch, can literally not defend to save his life”

Credit: @JoshAtWba

In other news, West Brom fans love this news on one of their defenders.

Glasgow Rangers have been linked with a deadline-day move for Aberdeen winger Scott Wright.

What’s the word?

Rangers confirmed the signing of Wright on a pre-contract agreement last week with the 23-year-old due to move to Ibrox in the summer when his deal at Pittodrie ends at the end of this season.

And now, Rangers are now in talks with Aberdeen to try and push for a move before the transfer window closes tonight, according to The Daily Record.

However, Aberdeen are under very little pressure to sell Wright after the departure of Sam Cosgrove to Birmingham City, so Ross Wilson will have his work cut out before finalising a move.

Ace up their sleeve

While the ever-reliable Ryan Kent is a dead cert to start on the left wing, Steven Gerrard has struggled to find a suitable understudy for the former Liverpool man, as Brandon Barker and Jordan Jones have been battling to bag the backup spot, though they have both had their critics.

Sunderland have now signed Jones on loan until the end of the season from the Scottish Premiership leaders, leaving Gerrard desperately short of options on the left wing after Glenn Middleton joined St Johnstone on a short-term loan deal last month, with Barker the only other natural left-winger.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.

footballfancast.com/web-

stories/deadline-day-rangers-

latest-news-transfer-rumours-

and-more” title=”Deadline day is here: Read the latest Rangers news, transfer rumours and more!”]

Signing Wright would be a significant upgrade on Barker, who has struggled for game time under Gerrard this season for obvious reasons – in his last appearance alone, he was rated as one of the worst players on the pitch by SofaScore in the 2-0 victory over Lech Poznan in the Europa League.

In Wright, however, Rangers could find a player who could give them the cutting edge in the title race.

According to WhoScored, it seems the 23-year-old is better than Barker in almost every area of the pitch. He currently averages more key passes (1.3) and dribbles (1.5) per match and commits fewer fouls than the 24-year-old, which suggests that he offers a greater counterattacking threat.

Wright has been in such fine form since the start of this season, having made 17 top-flight appearances in the Scottish Premiership with two goals and two assists to show for his 14 starts, per Transfermarkt.

Dons boss Derek McInnes has heaped praise on the maturing youngster for translating his “terrific” talent into consistent performances at Pittodrie.

The move is ultimately in Rangers’ hands and if they can put forward an offer that the Dons simply can’t refuse, then they would be in a strong position to sign Wright before the close of play on deadline day.

AND in other news, George Edmundson must use temporary loan move to resurrect Rangers career…

Jake Vokins made his first Premier League appearance of the season against Arsenal on Tuesday night but was far from good enough defensively during his time on the pitch.

The Southampton academy ace was selected at left-back in the absence of Ryan Bertrand, who was suspended for the game against the Gunners.

Unfortunately for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side, Stuart Armstrong’s early goal was as good as it got against their North London opposition as they fell to a 3-1 defeat at St Mary’s, with the Austrian criticising his team’s defending post-match.

Vokins was one of Southampton’s poorer performances on the night statistically, and was substituted just after the hour mark with Ibrahima Diallo moving to left-back to replace him.

As per SofaScore, the 20-year-old would earn a disappointing 6.1 match rating for his display, which was the joint-worst rating, with Yan Valery, of any outfield player on the pitch.

During his time on the pitch, the left-back would contribute no tackles or interceptions, and lost all three of his ground duels during the game, suggesting that the Saints really missed Bertrand against the Gunners – especially in defensive areas.

Vokins was very rarely involved, as he had just 23 touches, which was far fewer than the 43 touches goalkeeper Alex McCarthy had during the game.

Unfortunately for the academy ace, he would manage just 11 passes during the game, whereas opposition left-back and former Saints man Cedric would have 81 touches, and contributed 24 passes, showing his influence on proceedings.

The Saints defender struggled against Bukayo Saka, as he got past him for Arsenal’s second goal, with the Gunners ace picking up a 7.8 match rating, suggesting that he had the better of Vokins throughout his time on the pitch.

Fortunately for Hasenhuttl, Bertrand has now served his one-match ban, so will most likely be back for the game against Aston Villa at the weekend. However for Vokins this was perhaps evidence that he is not ready to be a starter in the Premier League just yet, as he clearly struggled against Mikel Arteta’s side on Tuesday night.

And, in other news… “What a player” – Exclusive: Pundit “surprised” that Hasenhuttl fave is still at Southampton

Many Manchester City fans will be frustrated following their side’s disappointing 1-1 draw against West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday night but Pep Guardiola will surely be delighted that Ruben Dias once again produced a superb display.

Whilst he was unfortunate to be credited with an own goal after he turned Semi Ajayi’s effort past Ederson, his overall performance was very strong.

The Portuguese international has quickly settled into English football since joining City from Benfica during the summer transfer window, with his performances having displaced Aymeric Laporte from the Citizens’ starting eleven.

In 10 Premier League appearances for the Citizens so far this season, the 23-year-old has averaged a solid 6.67 rating and he has been a big part of Guardiola’s side’s improved defensive record in recent weeks, as before the West Brom game, they had kept six consecutive clean sheets in all competitions.

Despite his own goal on Tuesday, the statistics suggest that he was one of City’s best players once again, as he dominated the West Brom attack.

As per SofaScore, the centre-back won 4/4 of his duels during the game, whilst he committed no fouls and wasn’t dribbled past once, suggesting that he was well on top in his battle with the West Brom forwards.

The Portuguese defender also lost possession on just five occasions, despite having 101 touches of the ball, as 89/94 of his passes found a Manchester City shirt, once again emphasising the young defender’s ability on the ball.

It is a shame that Dias may be blamed for the Baggies’ equaliser but he definitely deserved to be on the winning side for his performance, which he should have been when you consider the late chances for City missed by Ilkay Gundogan and Raheem Sterling.

However, Guardiola can be safe in the knowledge that City recruited very well with Dias during the summer, and the £45 million-rated man looks set for a great future with the Citizens.

And, in other news… Lost possession 23x: MCFC star badly let Pep down with an abysmal display vs WBA

Tottenham Hotspur are within touching distance of a chance to land their first piece of silverware in over 12 years, but standing in their way are Championship promotion hopefuls Brentford in tonight’s Carabao Cup semi-final clash.

Jose Mourinho labelled this match the biggest since he replaced Mauricio Pochettino in November 2019, so we can expect Spurs to come out with a strong lineup at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Spurs were handed a rest between their draw with Wolves and their win over Leeds United last time out due to the postponed fixture against Fulham, so that should further hint that we shouldn’t expect too many alterations to the starting XI.

Here’s what we are predicting this evening…

Mourinho will be forced into a couple of changes, at least.

Right-back Matt Doherty is suspended after receiving a late red card against the Whites, whilst Sergio Reguilon, Erik Lamela, Gareth Bale and Giovani Lo Celso are all expected to be absent.

That means Serge Aurier is a shoo-in to return having not featured in Spurs’ last two outings. He’s one of two changes to the backline as Davinson Sanchez gets the nod over the rested Toby Alderweireld.

Both Ben Davies and Eric Dier keep their places.

In midfield, there could also be some fresh legs added in the form of Moussa Sissoko. The £18m-rated Frenchman could take the place of Harry Winks, who has now started three successive matches.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg remains, though Mourinho has a massive call to make on Dele Alli.

The out-of-favour attacking midfielder played 66 minutes against Stoke City in the last round and could reprise that role here over Tanguy Ndombele, who has played more than 70 minutes in back-to-back matches.

We may also see one final change in the attack with Lucas Moura getting an opportunity to impress in this competition once again, which means Steven Bergwijn is axed.

The £36m-rated Brazilian, dubbed a “nightmare” by Dier hasn’t started in the top-flight since October as in need of minutes, whilst the Dutch winger has concerns over his fitness.

Given the importance of the match, both Heung-min Son and Harry Kane should start.

AND in other news, Mourinho will be regretting his decision over £12m gem way better than Doherty…

When Celtic signed Moussa Dembele from Fulham in 2016, few might have predicted that the French striker would go on to become one of the most in-demand strikers in European football just four years later.

The forward left the West London club in 2016 to join Celtic, with the Scottish side forced to pay just £500,000 in compensation for the Frenchman despite him having already made 64 appearances for the Cottagers, in which he had contributed an impressive 19 goals and nine assists (per Transfermarkt).

He enjoyed two years with the Bhoys, in which he would make 94 appearances in all competitions, scoring an impressive 51 goals, whilst providing 18 assists for his teammates (per Transfermarkt).

Fulham’s decision to let him go already looked a poor one when he joined Olympique Lyon for £19.7 million in 2018, as not only had the Cottagers missed out on a fairly-prolific striker, they had also missed out on what could have been a hefty transfer fee for Dembele.

However, in his two years with Lyon he has arguably progressed even further, having contributed 44 goals and 13 assists for Les Gones, which has proved enough to attract the interest of plenty of sides from across Europe.

We have seen the striker linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur, Barcelona, PSG and West Ham in recent times and it perhaps seems unlikely that he will be with Lyon for much longer.

It is unsurprising to see how Dembele has progressed in recent years, as during his time with Celtic, his teammate Leigh Griffiths praised him heavily following a 4-0 win against Rangers, saying:

“With that display, Moussa showed he is one of the top young talents in Europe.

“He bullied their centre-halves and he was unplayable, and his penalty just summed the guy up.

“It doesn’t matter how big the occasion is, he is always calm. I thought he was exceptional. He never gave the Rangers defence a minute’s peace. He has that in the locker and when he is in the mood like that he is a joy to watch.” (per Sports Mole)

Considering Fulham’s poor form this season, which has seen them win just once in the Premier League, it could definitely be argued that they would benefit from a striker of Dembele’s quality.

Therefore it seems as if it was a huge mistake by Tony Khan to not do everything he could to keep the Frenchman at Fulham back in 2016.