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Ashley Young confirmed his return to Aston Villa on Thursday, but Dean Windass thinks he’ll find game-time extremely hard to come by.

The 35-year-old penned a one-year contract at Villa Park, which sees him return having spent the lasts 18 months with Inter Milan.

Young made 59 appearances for Inter and added yet another medal to his collection by winning the Serie A title last term.

But the versatile full-back and winger is now back in England and will be hoping to continue where he left off during his first spell with the club.

Young, who’s excellent form eventually earned him a dream move to Manchester United, was part of the Villa side that were European regulars, something the current team will be looking to emulate following their 11th-place finish last term.

Despite his pedigree and ability to play in several different positions, Windass reckons he’ll struggle to break into a settled Villa side.

On the man Dean Smith decided to sign, he exclusively told Football FanCast:

“I can’t see him starting. He’s 35, so I can’t see him playing week in week out, but will he want to play week in week out when he gets to that age?

“Some managers will say ‘you’re playing at home, but you’re not playing away because we’re playing more defensively and need more legs in the team.”

Leeds United need to recruit a competitor for striker Patrick Bamford to ensure that he doesn’t start ‘resting on his laurels’.

That’s according to former Whites goalkeeper Nigel Martyn, who was speaking to Leeds United News.

The lowdown

Bamford enjoyed an excellent campaign as Leeds finished ninth in the Premier League. The Englishman was the joint-fourth highest scorer in the division with 17 goals, and he added a further seven assists, with only Harry Kane, Mohamed Salah and Bruno Fernandes outscoring the 27-year-old in the top flight in 2020/21.

Last summer, Leeds broke their transfer record to sign Rodrigo from Valencia. He can play as a striker but was predominantly used as an attacking midfielder by Marcelo Bielsa (Transfermarkt), the Spaniard scored seven Premier League goals in total as he averaged one every 183 minutes.

The latest

Martyn has said that, at the highest level, Bamford needs ‘to be put under pressure’ to extract the best performances out of him. He explained that new arrivals can further improve the attitude within the camp.

“You don’t want things to become stale, you need that competition,” the 54-year-old told Leeds United News.

“New people coming in creates competition, and it gives current players a lift and a reason to fight.

“He’s had a great season but the last thing you want is for him to be resting on his laurels.

“He needs to be put under pressure for his position, go and do it again – that is what being at the highest level is all about.”

The verdict

Seven goals was a decent return for Rodrigo in a season which was disrupted by injury, but he isn’t an out-and-out centre-forward.

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Leeds recruit a second number nine, with Football Insider claiming that it’s one of the areas the Whites are targeting, although they will have to find someone capable of meeting Bielsa’s unique expectations.

More generally, they don’t need to worry too much about Bamford finding motivation, as his excellent numbers this season suggest that he may have been driven on by some critics who claimed that he wasn’t cut out for Premier League level.

In other news, David Norris has given his view on a Leeds player’s uncertain future.

Ben Jacobs has dropped a fresh claim on piracy issues and their effect on the potential takeover of Newcastle United and the pending arbitration case.

The Lowdown: Piracy of Premier League games

It was reported by The Guardian back in June of last year that the World Trade Organization (WTO) had ruled that the pirate service beoutQ was being run in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), which was responsible for the broadcasting of illegally streamed football games, including ones from the Premier League.

The top flight eventually decided to reject the deal between Mike Ashley and the KSA group, with the piracy issue thought to be a reason in them doing so.

An arbitration case between the division and the St. James’ Park faithful has since been set up over the failed bid, and the issue of piracy will surely be heavily discussed.

The Latest: Jacobs on piracy and potential affect on takeover

Jacobs, a sports journalist and digital expert, who has been following the whole takeover saga very closely, has since given his thoughts on the piracy issue and how much it could affect the final results of the arbitration hearing and in turn what it could mean for a potential revival of the takeover.

Jacobs claims that ‘piracy is relevant’ in terms of the bigger picture of the takeover, adding that the North East club are ‘arguing separation to stop it being considered’.

The journalist also claims that the PL ‘would be in a strong position to reject the consortium’ if the Saudi state have to be tested for separation as per the Owners’ and Directors’ Test (ODT), which he says that the Tyneside club are arguing for in order to stop piracy being considered.

Jacobs adds that the league ‘don’t want to sell to those who stole their rights’, thus it is ‘imperative’ that the Magpies win their arbitration case because of the piracy issue.

The Verdict: Piracy issue appears crucial

Piracy is certainly an important issue to consider in terms of whether the potential takeover can be resurrected or not.

As Jacobs outlines, the Premier League will not want one of their own teams in the Toon being taken over by the consortium if the KSA are still illegally streaming matches from the top flight.

It is vital that NUFC can argue that the KSA’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) are a separate entity from the Saudi state, which would in turn eliminate the possibility of piracy being considered.

The pending arbitration hearing will no doubt give a clearer picture over the direction of where the potential takeover is going, but the piracy issue is likely to be a factor that could even decide the entire ordeal, and thus one that Newcastle fans will need to pay close attention to in the coming months.

In other news, find out which ‘shining light’ NUFC are in pole position to sign here!

Leeds United are thought to be keen on bringing West Brom star Matheus Pereira to Elland Road this summer.

The Lowdown: Leeds fans wanted him signed

Pereira has been part of a Baggies side who have failed to remain in the Premier League after they came up alongside the Whites last season, with their relegation back to the Championship confirmed on Sunday.

The 25-year-old has starred at The Hawthorns, though, scoring 10 times and registering five assists in 31 league appearances.

His display against Southampton last month caught the eye of some Whites supporters, who urged the club to move for the Brazilian in the upcoming window.

The Latest: Orta and co not the only ones keen

According to the Daily Express, the Whites are now in fact interested in Pereira, who is on £39,000-a-week in the Midlands.

Leicester, RB Leipzig and West Ham are also keen on Pereira’s services, with the Baggies anticipated to demand up to £30m for the attacking midfielder described as a ‘great talent’ by Michael Brown.

So much interest from top sides is perhaps no surprise given the quality the Brazilian has shown in such a poor side this term.

The Verdict: Orta should try his luck

Victor Orta, who is of course the main man when it comes to transfer dealings at Elland Road, should make a move for Pereira ahead of the 2021/22 season.

Leeds hero Pablo Hernandez looks set to move on in the summer, so Pereira could come in to seriously rival the likes of Rodrigo and Tyler Roberts in a number 10 role.

Should Pereira move to Yorkshire, that may also then allow Rodrigo to rival Patrick Bamford as a starting striker, with the Brazilian occupying a position behind the forward.

He could well come at a club-record price, but he’s managed to produce two brilliant personal seasons in England now, and could fit into Marcelo Bielsa’s attack-minded squad with ease, as he is also capable of playing on either wing.

In other news: Noel Whelan addresses Raphinha rumours, find out more here. 

Liverpool fans feared the worst as they struggled at the back earlier this season but after a consistent run of games, Nat Phillips established himself as the number one centre back for Jurgen Klopp, and Paul Jewell believes that the 24-year old won’t be happy sitting on the bench next season.

With Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez expected to be fit for the start of next season, Klopp is likely to select his trusted centre back pairing whenever possible, despite Phillips showing his ability to lead and be a threat in both boxes.

Since Liverpool clinched a spot in the top four, reports have emerged that they are willing to sell Phillips this summer if any club is willing to pay £10 million for a 24-year old who has only played 36 league games in his career.

Phillips became a fan favourite during his run in the first team and he won’t be happy to go back to the reserves or just settling for cup appearances, something Jewell explained exclusively to Football FanCast:

“This is the scenario that Nat has where he was on loan last year in Germany, he’s done well in the Liverpool side but it’s likely that Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez will come back into the starting line up next season. That’s the problem that young players have once they’ve had a taste of playing regular football.

“He won’t be happy to sit on the bench every week so that will be a discussion for him and Liverpool to have and if he’s not going to play regular football at Liverpool, does he go and seek regular first team football elsewhere?”

The £64,615 per week had established what appeared to be a reasonable partnership with on-loan signing Ozan Kabak, but it appears that the Schalke defender won’t be staying at Anfield when his loan deal expires this summer.

Recently, Van Dijk confirmed that he would miss the European Championships this summer so that he can be fully fit for the start of next season for Liverpool.

Southampton produced a performance that nowhere near befitted the occasion on Sunday evening as they crashed out of the FA Cup at the semi-final stage, losing 1-0 to Leicester City in a game low on quality.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side failed to muster a single shot on target in the 90 minutes and bar a five-minute spell after Kelechi Iheanacho’s opening goal, they failed to show any real urgency or willingness to attack.

Whilst there were plenty of poor performances from the Southampton players at Wembley, one man who particularly disappointed was Nathan Redmond.

As per SofaScore, the former Norwich City man would earn a shocking 6.4/10 rating for his performance, with only Moussa Djenepo (6.1) and Fraser Forster (6.3) rated lower.

During his 59 minutes on the pitch, Redmond would have just 21 touches of the ball, which was less than half the number of touches Forster would have (43) during the game.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/southampton-saints-ralph-hasenhuttl-martin-semmens-st-marys” title=”Latest Southampton news, transfer rumours and more”]

The £16.2m-rated winger also contributed a measly nine passes during the game, which was the fewest of any player other than Danny Ings who featured in the game.

It is also significantly fewer than the 22.9 passes he has averaged in the Premier League this season, which emphasises just how below par he was at Wembley.

Despite being involved so little, the 27-year-old would lose possession on nine occasions at Wembley, as he regularly made poor choices and ran into trouble instead of looking for a pass.

[freshpress-quiz id=“594431″]

He also failed to contribute a single shot or key pass, so it was no surprise to see Hasenhuttl axe him shortly before the hour mark, with it clear that Redmond was one of several players to let the Austrian down at Wembley on Sunday.

And, in other news… Southampton were robbed with “world-class” star, his value has risen 265% since leaving

Premier League side Aston Villa are reportedly interested in signing Fenerbahce centre-back Attila Szalai.

There seems to be no shortage of interest in the defender, with Lazio and Napoli interested, along with other Premier League outfits like Leicester City and Newcastle United.

Fenerbahce want £21.5m for Szalai

Hungarian outlet Blikk have reported about Szalai, stating that the defender is attracting plenty of suitors from across Europe and Fenerbahce want a fee of £21.5 million to part ways with him. This could make the 23-year-old the most expensive Hungarian player in the game’s history.

The report claims: “His outstanding performances have also attracted the interest of top European clubs. Among others, Leicester City are third English club interested, Newcastle United and Aston Villa in the UK are also interested. Napoli and Lazio in Italy are competing for him.”

Szalai has made 15 appearances in the Turkish league this season, scoring two goals already and picking up a rating of 7.00. The defender stands six foot and two feet tall and he has won 2.7 aerial duels per game, making 1.3 tackles per game as well for the side.

Szalai would add depth to the Villa back line

As things stand, Dean Smith’s men have four out-and-out centre-back options – Ezri Konsa, Kortney Hause, Tyrone Mings and Bjorn Engels (as per Transfermarkt).

Engels though, has been linked with a move away from the club as Royal Antwerp are interested in the defender. So signing another defender could make sense in the summer, especially if Engels does leave. As his departure could leave Smith’s men short in the centre-back department.

In other news, ‘There will be no impact’ – Kieran Maguire gives his verdict following key AVFC financial update

Many Sunderland fans were delighted that BBC commentator Nick Barnes appeared on the Roker Report podcast ahead of the Easter weekend’s football action.

The next few days promise to be huge for the Black Cats. They face two games in the space of four days – first, they play Oxford United at home on Good Friday before travelling to Peterborough United, who are currently second in League One, on Monday. The results of the two matches are likely to go a long way to determining whether the Wearside outfit earn promotion automatically to the Championship.

Ahead of the two matches, renowned Sunderland website Roker Report released a preview podcast. Sunderland commentator Barnes appeared on the episode, and his appearance appeared to go down fantastically well with many of the club’s supporters.

The episode was shared on Twitter by Roker Report, and these fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what these Sunderland fans had to say below

“Always good to have @Tweed_Barnesy on the pod. Should be a great listen.”

Credit: @antony_waterson

“Biggest weekend in the last decade for #SAFC ?? I think so!! I’m on record as saying FOUR points or more this bank holiday weekend and we are up as champions – what better way to prepare yourself than listening to the thoughts of @Tweed_Barnesy and the lads.”

Credit: @bomber8t5

“Great pod lads. The positivity from Barnesy has got me keyed up for today!”

Credit: @andybirkbeck

“Great timing, what a nice way to get the bank holiday weekend rolling…”

Credit: @SafcMerch

“Fantastic pod from @CWynn83 with @Tweed_Barnesy. Think it’s one of my favourite pods going. For someone who is eternally pessimistic when it comes to Sunderland’s fortunes; it’s scary how confident I feel right now.”

Credit: @MFos2

“Aargh. More positivity!! Getting nervous about this weekend’s fixtures now. Ha’way!”

Credit: @martin_wanless

In other news, many Sunderland fans love these comments from Kyril Louis-Dreyfus.

Leeds United have been boosted in their attempts to sign Sampdoria defender Omar Colley, as the Whites eye up summer reinforcements.

Marcelo Bielsa already has a strong nucleus of centre-backs to call upon, with Liam Cooper, Diego Llorente, Robin Koch and Pascal Struijk all good current options.

That doesn’t seem to have deterred the Leeds manager from looking at other possible defensive additions, however, if recent reports are to be believed.

The Whites are thought to be lining up a move for Colley, with ClubDoria46 linking the 28-year-old with a switch to Elland Road on Tuesday.

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Leeds receive boost in bid to sign Colley

Now, TuttoMercatoWeb claim that he will be allowed to leave Sampdoria at the end of the season, also adding a second positive piece of news that he obtained a work permit in February, acting as a further boost for Leeds.

The Whites’ interest in Colley is again confirmed, stating that they are hovering ‘in the background’, looking to potentially seal a move for him.

Transfer Tavern take

Colley’s pedigree speaks for itself, with 25 caps to his name for The Gambia and 78 appearances for a prestigious Serie A club in Sampdoria.

Leeds’ interest is, therefore, undoubtedly exciting, but the main stumbling block is whether or not they need to spend money on a new centre-back.

The aforementioned quartet of options currently available to Bielsa are all at a good age, so using the funds on other positions, such as left-back, could be a more shrewd approach.

In other news, an ex-England striker believes Leeds need to improve in two areas of the pitch this summer. Read more here.

Celtic were linked with Aston Villa midfield prospect Aaron Ramsey back in the January window.

According to the Daily Mail, the Hoops, along with Dutch giants Ajax, were showing a serious interest in the England Under-17 international in the New Year.

However, it doesn’t look like the 18-year-old will be making a cut-price move to Parkhead this summer after Villa announced on Tuesday that the central midfielder has signed professional terms with the club.

Ramsey’s initial deal was set to expire in the summer, but it appears as if he’ll now be looking to follow in the footsteps of older brother Jacob in breaking into Dean Smith’s first-team plans.

Transfer Tavern take

Ramsey appeared to fit one of the club’s transfer strategies at the time of being a UK-based prospect with high upside potential available either on a pre-contract, or for a nominal fee.

The Hoops have signed Sheffield Wednesday teenager Liam Shaw on a pre-contract deal and appear to be lining up young forward Kyle Joseph from Wigan Athletic as their next target of that ilk.

However, a move for Ramsey seems to be off the cards for now following his first professional contract in the Midlands.

In other news: Celtic keen on 18-goal forward who could become club’s third-most expensive signing, find out more here.