Aston Villa forward Ross McCormack has been left out of the club’s pre-season training trip to Portugal – as covered by the Daily Telegraph.

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McCormack joined Villa from Fulham in 2016, but has never settled at Villa Park.

The 31-year-old scored 13 times in 15 appearances for Melbourne City in the first half of last season, but was not re-introduced into the first-team fold following his return in January.

It is understood that the striker’s relationship with head coach Steve Bruce is still non-existent following their infamous bust-up 18 months ago.

It had been thought that McCormack would be given some football in pre-season, but he has reportedly been omitted from Villa’s pre-season trip to Portugal.

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The Villa fans have been reacting to the news on social media, and it would be fair to say that they are frustrated with what looks a huge mess.

McCormack showed at Leeds United and Fulham that he can score plenty of goals at Championship level, but he has only managed three league goals since arriving at Villa.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Newcastle United supporters in the Transfer Tavern are eagerly anticipating the 2018/19 Premier League season, what with their team seeking to build upon their impressive tenth place finish last term.

Rafa Benitez’s men deserve great credit for achieving a top half finish upon their return to the top-flight last time round, having won the Championship title just 12 months earlier. But based on their limitations over the course of the campaign, it’s clear that reinforcements will be needed over the summer to help take Benitez’s side to the next level this season, and perhaps back towards their former glories in the years to come.

As such, there are many excited Magpies fans up and down the country, several of whom are wondering who could break-out from the youth ranks this coming season, and thus seek to stake a claim for a first team spot in the near future.

And based on his efforts for the club’s development team last term, alongside his short stint on loan at Crewe Alexandra, 21-year-old Dan Barlaser could well be set to become the next midfield general at St James’ Park.

The Turkish youngster made the move to the Newcastle academy back in 2006 and has since worked his way up through the youth ranks at the North East giants, having played a staggering 84 times for the Under-23 side.

And last season saw the midfielder really produce the goods in laying on six assists in 17 appearances in Division Two of Premier League 2, thus seeing him finish atop of that particular chart alongside Wolves’ Sherwin Seedorf.

In fact, Barlaser’s efforts for the Magpies development squad saw him earn a loan move to third tier outfit Crewe in the second half of last season, a stint that was sure to aid with his development and give him much-needed league experience, even if he did only appear four times.

The 21-year-old has played four times for the senior side at Newcastle to suggest that he isn’t too far away from the first team picture, and with a wide array of passing and fine ability when shooting from long range, he could well be the man to marshal the Magpies midfield for many years to come.

Newcastle fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Liverpool fans were dealt a cruel blow earlier in the month.

Liverpool’s world-record signing of Alisson Becker from Roma caused a huge stir on Merseyside. So much so that news regarding Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s injury which is set to sideline him for the entirety of the 2018/19 season slipped under the radar. After making the £35m switch from Arsenal last summer, the England international became a key player under Klopp before his injury against Manchester City.

Oxlade-Chamberlain’s injury is a huge blow to the German’s plans as the 24-year-old had taken the creative responsibility following Philippe Coutinho’s departure. The extent of his injury could force Klopp back into the market for a midfielder if he doesn’t revive his interest in Nabil Fekir. Adam Lallana’s fitness has been a problem in recent seasons, and Georginio Wijnaldum has been linked with an Anfield exit.

One option he could consider is Bayern Munich midfielder Renato Sanches, valued at £18m by Transfermarkt. The Portugal international burst on to the scene at Euro 2016 following a brilliant season at Benfica. His performances at the tournament earned him a £31.5m move to the Bundesliga after scooping the European Golden Boy award.

His first season in Germany didn’t go to plan, and he was loaned to Swansea last year. Sanches started just nine games in the Premier League after falling out of favour under two different managers. Despite his troubles in England, the youngster could be a huge success within a new environment under Klopp’s tutelage.

The 20-year-old needs to rediscover the confidence that made him one of the most sought-after teenagers in world football just two years ago. If Sanches can find his feet on Merseyside, Klopp would have an excellent rotation option on his hands.

Liverpool fans, thoughts?

Leeds fans have finally got something to be excited about, as reports claim they have joined the race for Mohamed Eisa.

According to reports, Leeds have joined Portsmouth and Sunderland in the chase for Cheltenham’s Eisa.

The 24 year-old striker had an incredible breakout season in League Two last season, scoring 23 league goals in his first year in league football.

Born in Sudan, the 6ft striker spent the early years his career banging in goals in non-league football, averaging more than a goal every two games for Greenwich Borough before his switch to Cheltenham.

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Eisa has a little bit of everything, and has been tipped to follow in the footsteps of Jamie Vardy by plenty of Cheltenham fans after his incredible debut season.

Eisa has surprising strength to go with his electric pace, is good in the air, dangerous attacking defenders one-on-one with the ball, and above all else he just knows how to stick the ball in the back of the net.

Some fans may have their reservations about signing a striker with just one football league season under his belt, but Eisa is a star in the making, and plenty of fans are excited about the links.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Arsenal will be hoping for some success this season under new manager Unai Emery, and with Arsene Wenger now out of the picture, expectation will be high for the former PSG manager to deliver success for the Gunners.

Times at the Emirates will no doubt change, and there will invariably be a strange feel to proceedings when the Gunners first take to the field without Wenger in the coming season. However, Emery is a confident manager, and he will no doubt be firm in his mind that he can deliver success to the club this season.

Some useful summer additions have already arrived through the door, and with only a few weeks of the transfer window remaining, there could well be a few more players join Arsenal before a ball is kicked.

One player we at the Transfer Tavern think would be a useful addition to the squad is Belgian star Yannick Carrasco, who is valued at a fairly hefty £19.8m on Transfermarkt.

The speedy winger was a key member of the Belgium squad over in Russia and will be keen to make a big impression if he can seal a move to the Emirates, and despite only moving to the Chinese Super League some six months ago, a move to the Premier League will always appeal to Carrasco.

Formerly of Atletico Madrid, Carrasco is used to playing for the big teams and in big competitions, and with the Gunners loss of Alexis Sanchez in January, signing someone with the style, pace, and attacking ability of Carrasco would be a smart move by Emery and the Londoners.

Arsenal fans, what do you think? Good signing? Let us know in the comments!

Newcastle look set to have another challenging season this year, and in the last year of his contract, Rafa Benitez is probably going to have to work miracles once again. 

For much of the summer, Newcastle have been looking for a striker to lead the line. With Mitrovic’s departure, there’s even more emphasis on the club to strengthen up front.

Mike Ashley has brought in Yoshinori Muto to help soften the blow but realistically, the club needs to bring in some more help up front.

The Mainz striker is a good start but there’s still room improve and according to The Sun, the Magpies are interested in Anderlecht’s Swedish striker, Isaac Kiese Thelin.

The Breakdown

Thelin scored 19 goals last season and made it into Sweden’s World Cup squad this summer.

Thelin played for Anderlecht’s rivals, Waasland-Beveren last season and has caught the eye of not just Newcastle but also Russian side, Lokomotiv Moscow.

The report states that Newcastle have offered £5 million for the Swede, which if true seems well within Mike Ashley’s tight budget.

Rafa Benitez has been criticised the club’s lack of transfer activity and has made it clear that he needs more signings before the window closes. With the sale of Mitrovic for £22 million, it may now give Newcastle some more room to spend some money in the market.

But with under a week left in the transfer market, any deal needs to be done quickly. There’s a chance Newcastle could pull this off but considering Mike Ashley’s recent spending history, it might just be too far-fetched, albeit a deal that could be some smart business.

Thoughts Newcastle fans?  

Arsenal fans have been discussing their interest in Domagoj Vida, and nearly two thirds of fans think it would be a huge mistake.

According to reports, Unai Emery is targeting a £25m bid for Vida.

The report claims Emery has not been impressed by Shkodran Mustafi, and will sell either the German defender or Danny Welbeck to raise funds for the Vida deal.

The links should be taken with a hefty pinch of salt, as the Croatia hard man has been linked with several Premier League clubs, so it could easily be agent talk off the back of an incredible World Cup.

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The 29 year-old was sensational for Croatia at the World Cup alongside Dejan Lovren, but it does seem sort of bizarre to splash out £25m on an ageing defender who has never performed in one of Europe’s top leagues.

Mustafi tends to split opinion amongst fans, but it seems the majority would much prefer the German to Vida, as 64 per cent voted against signing the no nonsense centre back.

You can find the full poll results down below…

The Unai Emery era got off to a bad start at the weekend as Arsenal lost 2-0 to a Manchester City side that looked worryingly good so early in the season.

With Ainsley Maitland-Niles starting in an unnatural position and Matteo Guendouzi making his debut for the side, Arsenal were outclassed by a much better team.

However, after two years under Guardiola and multiple transfer windows, City are much further down the line than Arsenal and therefore were expected to win.

What was slightly worryingly for Arsenal fans, was that in a game of that magnitude, Emery turned to Guendouzi to start alongside Granit Xhaka and the Frenchman actually played better than the more experienced midfield man.

Aside from the aforementioned pair, Arsenal only have Lucas Torrieira, Ainsley Maitland-Niles – who could be injured – and Mohamed Elneny to play in midfield, with the Egyptian being a target for Marseille, according to Maxifoot,

The Breakdown

With the arrival of Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi, Elneny has dropped down the pecking order at Arsenal but while he may not be first-choice, the Arsenal midfielder is going to be a crucial player for Arsenal as the season progresses.

Elneny has a very well-rounded game and his ability to be a box-to-box midfielder is something Arsenal don’t really have outside of Aaron Ramsey.

Moreover, it’s unlikely that both Guendouzi and Torreira will go through the season without picking up an injury and therefore, Arsenal will need Elneny to step in at some point.

Marseille need a replacement following Fulham’s deal for Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa but if Arsenal are wise, they will refuse any attempt to let Elneny go.

What do you think Arsenal fans?

Leeds have made an excellent start to the season, but their lack of depth will cost them if they don’t make a late loan swoop for Everton’s Mo Besic.

Leeds have made just about the perfect start to life under Marcelo Bielsa, and perhaps his most impressive feat is the work he’s done with Kalvin Phillips.

The young midfielder was probably one of the worst performers last season, but the new boss has revitalised him in a deeper midfield role.

However, Adam Forshaw’s constant injury problems and the sale of Ronaldo Vieira means one injury to Phillips could be catastrophic.

This is why Bielsa must take advantage of Besic’s situation at Everton, as the tough-tackling 25 year-old is unlikely to see any playing time this season. The biggest flaw in Bielsa’s system is potential fatigue and injuries, and building quality depth is quite literally the only way to prevent this being an issue.

Middlesbrough have been heavily linked with a loan deal for the Bosnian, but the deal reportedly fell through last week.

Besic spent the second half of last season at the Riverside, and fans loved his work ethic and feisty tackling, but it looks like they have missed the chance to snap him up for another season.

A more recent report has claimed Boro have baulked at the Everton man’s wage demands, and Leeds should jump at the opportunity to swoop in and pay him what he wants.

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The perfect midfield signing?

Besic has never really got the chance to strut his stuff at Everton, but there is clearly a very talented player there. At 25, he has racked up 31 caps for his country and was superb on loan at Middlesbrough last season.

In 17 Championship appearances, he grabbed one goal and one assist, averaged an amazing 88 per cent pass success rate, and completed 1.6 key passes and 1.6 dribbles per game as well.

Those are truly incredible stats for a defensive-minded midfielder, and his tackling numbers speak for themselves, averaging over two per game for Boro, and boasting an incredible 3.7 per game in the Europa League for Everton.

The 25 year-old is fantastic at reading the play, loves getting stuck in, and has the composure and quality to pick his head up and find the pass for one of Bielsa’s trademark quick transitions.

If Leeds are going to play this high-octane pressing all season, there will be injuries. A loan swoop for Besic would ensure any midfield injuries would not be a crisis, as he could interchange with both Phillips and the impressive Mateusz Klich.

So, Leeds fans, would you be happy to cough up the wages for a loan swoop? Would Besic be a good signing? Let us know your thoughts by voting in the poll below…

According to Sky Sports, Celtic are keen on signing Aberdeen centre-back Scott McKenna, but fans of the Bhoys on Twitter weren’t keen on the potential move.

With Dedryck Boyata looking more and more likely to get a move away from Celtic Park before the window closes at the end of August, Brendan Rodgers will need to bring in at least one new defender.

The Hoops have suffered a difficult start to the Scottish Premiership season, having lost to Hearts 1-0 in their second game. They were also knocked out of the Champions League at the qualifying stage by Greek side AEK Athens.

McKenna has captained the Scottish national side and made 35 appearances for Aberdeen last season, scoring three goals – including one 40-yard rocket against Kilmarnock. However, Sky reports that Aberdeen want £10m for the 21-year-old, whereas he is valued at just £1.13m by Transfermarkt, and Celtic fans weren’t keen to overpay for his signature. Check out some of the best tweets below.

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