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Leicester City could save themselves millions in the transfer market this summer by unleashing academy graduate Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

What’s the story?

The 22-year-old midfielder had an impressive 2020/21 campaign, scoring three goals and providing six assists in 39 league appearances for Championship outfit Luton Town.

Brendan Rodgers’ charges have already added Patson Daka and Boubakary Soumare to their ranks from RB Salzburg and Lille, respectively, meaning money could now be tight at the King Power Stadium.

Brendan Rodgers could save millions

After narrowly missing out on a Champions League qualification spot for the second consecutive season, the Foxes have already made some quality additions to their first-team squad.

However, with the effects of the ongoing pandemic continuing to hamper clubs’ finances, it may be unlikely that Leicester will be able to make any further big-money signings over the coming months.

That means they’re going to have to get creative when it comes to bolstering their options ahead of the upcoming campaign, and promoting from within is a logical solution.

After putting in a string of impressive performances for Luton last season, Dewsbury-Hall was given the chance to impress in some end-of-season training by Rodgers.

“He’s done very, very well. He’ll be one of the players I’ll be looking to bring back in,” revealed the former Celtic and Liverpool boss.

With Hamza Choudhary linked with a move away from Leicester after struggling for game time, Dewsbury-Hall could play an important role next season, offering cover and competition in the Foxes’ engine room.

He may not be the most glamourous and exciting addition, but he caught the eye of his Hatters teammates last season and could provide a much-needed boost to his boyhood club.

“He’s all right, isn’t he, he’s not bad at football is he? He’s been absolutely class since he’s come in, and long may it continue for him,” said Luton’s James Shea.

“He’s been one of our best players this season, he’s big for us, we’ve got to keep him fit, look after him.”

Dewsbury-Hall has only made two appearances for Leicester to date, but that could be about to change in 2021/22.

And, in other news…Leicester handed major boost in their pursuit of 86-goal gem, Rodgers will be buzzing 

Spurs have been linked with a move for Roma midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini recently and the Italian could be a serious upgrade on Harry Winks in Nuno Espirito Santo’s side ahead of next season.

What’s the word?

According to The Athletic, Pellegrini is a potential target for the north London club this summer but any deal would involve them meeting the £25.6m release clause in his contract with the Serie A side.

Considering the 25-year-old is currently valued at £36m by Transfermarkt, this could represent excellent business by Spurs this summer, and when you consider his impressive form for Roma in recent seasons, there seems little to suggest that he wouldn’t be a regular in Nuno’s side next season.

The Italy international has made 152 appearances in total for Roma’s first team, contributing 21 goals and 34 assists in that time.

He enjoyed his best season to date in terms of goals and assists in the 2020/21 campaign, as he managed seven goals and assists in the Italian top-flight, as well as three goals and three assists in the Europa League.

Would Pellegrini be an upgrade on Winks?

Last season saw Pellegrini average a superb 7.23 rating from WhoScored for his performances in Serie A, whereas Winks would manage a shocking 6.37 rating across his 15 Premier League appearances, with no goals or assists to his name.

Pellegrini is able to play deeper in midfield and dictate the play, whilst he can also feature in an attacking midfield role, where he can be trusted to contribute offensively. Last term, the Italian managed to provide 11 strikes and nine assists which is an area Winks has always struggled with at Spurs. During his entire Tottenham career, he’s registered only four goals and four assists in 173 appearances.

Former Roma boss Paulo Fonseca was full of praise for Pellegrini last season, saying:

“Like Bryan, he is another really clever player. Pellegrini covered Jordan Veretout’s role today. Jordan was playing really well there and whoever plays in that position needs to be able to find the spaces. Looking at the second line, Lorenzo did well – he ran and he worked hard to help the team.”

Therefore, it seems clear that the Italian would be an upgrade on Winks should he join Spurs this summer, so Fabio Paratici should definitely consider bringing him to north London.

And, in other news… Hotspur Way news emerges on £9m-rated wonderkid that’ll delight Spurs fans

MatériaMais Notícias

Alô, Turma da Fuzarca!

Lugar de vascaíno hoje à noite é em São Januário. Convoco a todos para comparecer na Colina e apoiar nosso Vascão nesse primeiro duelo contra o Vitória. Com a nossa força nas arquibancadas, tenho certeza que vamos sacudir esse timeco baiano e poder colocar até o time juvenil no jogo de volta.

Andam dizendo por aí que nosso adversário está forte e se reforçou bem. Só vejo refugo de outras equipes. Onde já se viu a gente ter medo de Paulinho, ex-Império do Mal?!

É só o tio Cris armar o time direitinho, para a gente jogar sem afobação, com inteligência. Assim, a gente mata essa decisão para a próxima fase já aqui no Rio de Janeiro. É isso!

Saudações Vascaínas!

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Allan Saint-Maximin has made it very clear that he doesn’t want to be involved in a third straight relegation battle with Newcastle United or he may have to look for a move to a team with more ambition, but Hull City legend Dean Windass has ruled out that next club being Everton.

Former Toffees striker Marcus Bent told Football FanCast last month that one of the Merseyside outfit’s main transfer priorities this summer is to sign a new pacy winger.

The Magpies appeared to be heading for the Championship after they were thrashed 3-0 by Brighton, but the return of Saint-Maximin from injury saw Steve Bruce able to push his team further up the pitch knowing his talismanic winger would be able to carry the ball forward much quicker and more successfully than anyone else in the squad.

With the amount of money Everton have spent in recent years, it would be sensible to think they are a much better club to join than Newcastle but they only managed to finish two places higher than the Magpies last season.

If Saint-Maximin, valued at £70m according to The Daily Mail, did move to Goodison Park then he would certainly be in a side that plays more attacking football which would suit his playing style but in terms of league finishes there is not much in it, something Windass spoke exclusively to Football FanCast about:

“Saint-Maximin is a talent but I don’t think he’d leave Newcastle. He’s like the big fish at Newcastle and I think, listening to Steve Howey the other day, he’s their talisman now.”

Everton may well be looking for a new winger this summer with Bernard failing to impress and Alex Iwobi still yet to show any sign of proving he was worth the £27 million the Toffees paid for him back in 2019.

Bruce will know that Saint-Maximin deserves to be playing at a higher level than relegation battles so the recruitment on Tyneside has to be spot on with more signings like Callum Wilson, and fewer ones like Jeff Hendrick.

Many Wolves fans have been left to fume as a transfer update emerged on Dany Mota.

As per Fonza Morza, Jorge Mendes would like to bring the Portugal youth international to the Midlands club, and Monza would be tempted to sell him for the right price.

Mota does not play at a very high level compared to the Premier League, and only scored a mere seven goals in 36 games in total over all competitions in the 2020/21 season (Transfermarkt).

With other strikers already at Molineux in Raul Jimenez, Fabio Silva, Rafa Mir and Patrick Cutrone, it would not really be smart business to invest in a player who would be a big gamble in bringing him to the English top flight, with other options likely to be available further down the summer transfer window.

Wolves fans on Mota transfer update

These WWFC supporters fumed as the transfer update on Mota was shared on Twitter:

“NO”

Credit: @bestwolvesfan

“Not good enough. If he was, he wouldn’t be playing in Serie B in Italy at the age of 23. I saw him in the under 21s for Portugal. Again if he was that good wouldn’t he at his age be pushing the national side? Not an upgrade on Mir and Cutrone.”

Credit: @GabyCaizzo

“Pray he is only being linked because he is Portuguese and a Mendes client, if this is really the type of player we are looking to sign, we are going back to the Championship, which I’m worried could be a real possibility, I have no faith in the owners or this new manager”

Credit: @WolvesFan20

“Serie B player!! We’re going back to Poundland shopping.”

Credit: @SteveWiles20

“Rather we keep Cutrone”

Credit: @AdanTroare

“6 goals in Serie B last season; no thanks.”

Credit: @amarsmusicshow

In other news, find out what big transfer update has Wanderers talking here!

MatériaMais Notícias

As palmas, celebrações e euforia ficaram só para a torcida do Santos após a vitória por 6 a 2 sobre o Linense, na Vila Belmiro, nesta sexta-feira, na estreia do Paulistão. O técnico Dorival Júnior, em entrevista coletiva após a partida, adotou uma postura mais cautelosa.

A principal preocupação do treinador é manter os pés no chão após a primeira apresentação da temporada. Inclusive, na reapresentação do elenco, já no sábado, ele quer mostrar mais erros do que acertos do Peixe.

-É início de trabalho, sentimos algumas dificuldades. Precisaremos arrumar algumas coisas. Criação foi boa, até acima do que imaginávamos em um começo, ainda mais sabendo que o adversário trabalhava há mais tempo. Imaginava problemas físicos e não foi isso que aconteceu. Fizemos 35 minutos intensos, participação em um todo, principalmente na retomada de bola. Perda e reação rápida. Participando com meio e ataque, e laterais, durante quase todo o tempo. Nossas principais jogadas foram criadas com movimentações. Ainda é muito cedo e temos que melhorar muitas coisas. Foi apenas uma boa partida.

-Tenho satisfação, é natural. E não vou cortar isso do torcedor de maneira nenhuma. Mas somos profissionais e precisamos ter consciência, mostrar os pés no chão. Não é nada além de um bom resultado. Estou satisfeito, mas amanhã iniciamos o trabalho, repetição, cobrando mais, enaltecendo menos, mostrando mais erros do que acertos. Não precisamos exceder qualquer comemoração. É fato natural. Derrota tem peso grande. Vitórias parecem obrigação. A gente se acostuma – avaliou.

O Peixe se reapresenta na manhã de sábado. O próximo desafio será no domingo da semana que vem, às 11h, contra o Red Bull, no Pacaembu.

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TelstraClear Black Caps batsman, Nathan Astle, has been ruled out of rest of the tour of Pakistan with a knee injury and he will be replaced by Mathew Sinclair

New Zealand Cricket24-Apr-2002TelstraClear Black Caps batsman, Nathan Astle, has been ruled out of rest of the tour of Pakistan with a knee injury and he will be replaced by Mathew Sinclair.Astle had been experiencing increasing discomfort in his left knee since the one-day tournament in Sharjah and had a precautionary scan in Pakistan today.The scan was reviewed by specialists in Pakistan who diagnosed him as having a tear to the patella tendon.New Zealand Cricket Operations Manager John Reid says Astle will be returning home as soon as possible for examination and treatment.”Nathan will not be playing in the second One-Day International (day-nighter starting today) and will take no further part in the series,” said Reid.”We want to get him home for further diagnosis from our medical team and start him on rehabilitation as quickly as possible.”Sinclair will fly out to rejoin the side on Friday and will be available for the Test series.

Liverpool have been linked with a move for Atalanta defender Cristian Romero ahead of the upcoming transfer window.

What’s the story?

According to Italian outlet Calciomercato (as reported by The Mirror), Jurgen Klopp’s charges are making progress in their pursuit of the 23-year-old as the German manager looks to strengthen his defensive options.

The report claims that the Serie A outfit value Romero at around £43m following an impressive 2020/21 campaign, but they must first turn his loan move from Juventus into a permanent one.

Klopp needs him

Liverpool’s current centre-back options struggled with serious injury issues last season, significantly hindering their progress as youngsters Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams were forced to fill in on many occasions.

Klopp has already moved to address that issue, bringing in Ibrahima Konate from RB Leipzig for £34 million, although his suspect injury record means the former Borussia Dortmund boss may want to add further reinforcements – the Frenchman has suffered four significant injuries in the past two seasons alone, missing 45 games.

The Anfield outfit finished a whopping 17 points behind Premier League champions Manchester City in the recently concluded campaign, largely down to their leaky defence.

While the Citizens conceded just 32 goals in 38 games, Liverpool let in 42. Building a solid foundation is key to any success in football, and adding Romero would ensure Klopp can construct exactly that over the coming months.

The Argentina international played a pivotal part as Gian Piero Gasperini’s men finished third in the Italian top-flight, making 31 league appearances, scoring two goals and assisting a further three.

Despite his telling contribution in the attacking third, Romero was also crucial to Atalanta’s defensive solidity, making 2.2 clearances per league game, 3.1 interceptions and two tackles, placing him in the top two amongst his teammates for each metric.

His physical style, love for a tackle and ability in the air would make the South American an ideal centre-back in the Premier League, and the possibility of the 6 ft powerhouse lining up alongside Van Dijk is a daunting prospect for any top-flight striker.

The pair have the potential to form a formidable partnership at the heart of the defence, with Romero also excelling with the ball at his feet and building from the back – he averaged the sixth-most passes of any Atalanta player, and with the fourth-best accuracy of any player to have started more than one game.

With Liverpool aiming to regain their Premier League crown next season, Klopp needs an extra centre-back to avoid a repeat scenario that killed off their title tilt in 2020/21, and bringing Romero would be a significant coup.

And, in other news…Gini 2.0: Liverpool must revisit swoop for 19 y/o prodigy, he’s a “complete player” 

Rotherham are heading for disaster over “standout” centre-forward Michael Smith amid interest from Championship clubs.

What’s the talk?

According to the Bristol Post, Bristol City manager Nigel Pearson is considering a swoop for the Millers’ centre-forward, who is also wanted by fellow Championship side Middlesbrough. The report claims that Pearson is working with a tight budget at Ashton Gate and has identified the 29-year-old as a player who could come in and strengthen his attacking options ahead of next season.

Gazette Live then followed up on that news by claiming that Rotherham are willing to facilitate a Championship move for Smith at the right price. The club are prepared to let him move on to chase his Championship ambitions following Rotherham’s relegation to the third tier.

In November of last year, Rotherham manager Paul Warne heaped praise on “standout” forward Michael Smith, who “lead the line really well”. He told The Star: “I think he was our standout player by a country mile, he led the line really well, he worked hard and he caused them problems.

“Every time a cross came in, I fancied him to get on the end of it and he got himself a deserved goal.“His performance was one of the highlights of the first half for me for sure. That really pleased me and he looks a lot more like the Smudge we love.” Fans surely fuming

Rotherham fans will surely be fuming if Smith is allowed to leave the club this summer. He is one of the best players left at the New York Stadium following relegation to League One, and Warne’s squad could take a big hit by sanctioning his exit to Bristol City or Middlesbrough.

The 29-year-old averaged an impressive WhoScored rating of 6.90 across 44 appearances in the Championship for the Millers, which was only bettered by Michael Ihiekwe and Lewis Wing, proving that he was one of the key players in Warne’s squad.

The £2,900k-per-week beast was Rotherham’s top scorer in the division with 10 strikes and one of only three players with more than three league goals. Matt Crooks (six) and Freddie Ladapo (nine) were the only other Rotherham players who found the net at a semi-regular rate. This highlights Smith’s importance to the side and illustrates how keeping him could be key to their promotion hopes in League One as he is their main source of goals.

Therefore, accepting that Smith can leave the club this summer may not be a smart move by the Millers. At the very least, they should fight to keep hold of him to give themselves the best chance of being able to bounce back at the first attempt, as his goal return shows that he could be key to Warne’s hopes of an instant return.

If a Championship club comes in with a mouth-watering offer at that stage which would allow Rotherham to reinvest and strengthen their squad, then that could make more sense for the League One club.

AND in other news, Rotherham must seal deal for “outstanding” £800-p/w goal machine, fans would love it…

Tottenham Hotspur head into the final game of the 2020/21 Premier League campaign knowing they must pick up all three points to stand a chance of qualifying for the Europa League.

But it will be no easy task as they face a Leicester City side who also need a victory in their bid to make the Champions League.

Spurs will need to vastly improve from their abysmal result in midweek, where they lost 2-1 to Aston Villa, and that result leaves interim boss Ryan Mason with plenty to ponder ahead of kick-off.

They looked disappointing in front of goal again, with big names like Harry Kane, Heung-min Son and Dele Alli all underperforming.

The link between midfield and attack may have been the root cause as the Lilywhites looked far more lively when Tanguy Ndombele’s presence entered the field of play during the second half.

Mason’s decision to opt for Harry Winks in the engine room in recent outings just hasn’t paid off. He is the man holding Spurs back right now as he offers very little going forward nor much defensively either.

Fans were less than impressed with his performance against Leeds, so perhaps it was surprising to see him come back into the starting XI in midweek after missing the win over Wolves.

As per WhoScored, the 25-year-old midfielder ranks as the worst performer on the season with an average rating of just 6.33. This should come as no surprise, though, as he’s never managed above a diabolical 6.57 average in any of his Premier League campaigns since his debut.

In terms of attacking output, the Englishman manages only 0.3 key passes and 0.1 dribbles per game, via WhoScored, often resorting to a side or backwards pass – something that is just not needed when the team are crying out for someone to drive them forward from the middle.

Against Villa, he once again failed to create a key chance, was dribbled past twice, and made only one of three long balls. proving to be rather wasteful too.

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Ndombele, however, tried to move Spurs forward in the mere 16 minutes he was on the pitch – via SofaScore, he made 90% of passes, successfully pulled off 100% of his dribbles, and won all of his ground duels, too.

Winks was poor defensively too. As noted by Chris Coleman during commentary, Eric Dier was seen lambasting his teammate during the game.

“You can see there. Eric Dier is having words with Harry Winks,” he said. “He’s saying that the shield in front of himself and Toby Alderweireld is not good enough. Grealish is getting in the space in front of the centre-backs and you don’t want that to happen. Eric Dier is asking for a bit more protection.”

Even the attack-focused Frenchman (1.2 tackles per game) is outdoing the £26m-rated passenger (0.9) with his work rate at the back, and that speaks volumes.

Given the £75k-per-week star has also been linked with an exit from N17 this summer, it would be wise to brutally axe him from the starting XI at the King Power this evening.

Winks has no right starting in a game of this calibre, especially not over a playmaker like Ndombele. It’s time for Mason to show no mercy over his old teammate in his final game in charge.

AND in other news, Mason must unleash “remarkable” £18m-rated beast on Leicester today, could be a game-changer…