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Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Frank McAvennie has told current caretaker manager John Kennedy that he must “liven up” and admitted the Celtic job is “too big” for him.

Kennedy joined the Hoops as first-team coach back in 2014, and has worked under Ronny Deila, Brendan Rodgers and Neil Lennon before being put in temporary charge following the latter’s recent sacking.

The former Scotland midfielder, who has remained unbeaten in his four games in the dugout, including the Old Firm draw with Rangers last month, is currently second-favourite behind former Bournemouth manage Eddie Howe to succeed Lennon.

Kennedy looks set to remain in charge for Celtic’s final five Scottish Premiership fixtures, and he’ll be desperate to salvage some pride and ensure the Glasgow giants avoid their first trophyless season since 2010 by winning the Scottish Cup next month.

But McAvennie has advised Kennedy to earn his stripes as a manager in the lower leagues before considering a job the size of Celtic.

He told Football FanCast:

“No disrespect to John, I think Celtic is too big a club. Neil Lennon done it, but Neil was such a legend. And he had that behind him, so the fans gave him time, but they won’t give John time because he’s not held in the same regard.

“I think he might be a good manager, but I don’t know him well enough to say what his persona is, but he has got to liven up. If you walked into a dressing room, I wouldn’t be inspired, I would want someone to come in and fire me up.

“I think he might be a good manager, but he’s seen off four managers. I would think it’s time to go away, do something different, manage a lower league team, like Hamilton, Dundee, Dundee United. You’re going to get time at other jobs, but you won’t get time at Celtic.”

Southampton’s hopes of signing Levante winger Jorge de Frutos this summer appear to have been handed a huge boost, with the La Liga side having reportedly lowered their asking price for the 24-year-old.

According to reports from Spain, Levante are willing to sell de Frutos for just €15m (£12.8m) this summer, despite him reportedly having a €25m release clause with Les Granotes.

Southampton have been linked with a move for the 24-year-old recently, and given that the club’s finances have undoubtedly been negatively impacted by the current viral outbreak, this news could be a huge boost for the Saints’ chances of signing the Spaniard this summer.

However, Real Madrid are also seemingly keen on bringing de Frutos back to the Bernabeu, having sold him to Levante last summer, so Martin Semmens may have to act fast if he wants to steal a march on Los Blancos and convince him to move to St Mary’s instead.

The winger has enjoyed an impressive debut campaign with Levante so far, having contributed three goals and seven assists in the Spanish top flight, resulting in an average WhoScored match rating of 6.69/10.

WhoScored suggests that de Frutos likes to dribble, cross and tackle, which immediately marks him out as someone suited to Hasenhuttl’s style of play at Southampton, with his wingers expected to regularly track back and defend.

The Saints have often lacked the final pass on attacks this season, which has regularly seen them struggle to find the back of the net, with just 36 goals in their 29 top-flight fixtures so far.

The £7.2m-rated winger is someone who could help provide that extra bit of quality in the final third, as he has contributed one key pass per game in La Liga this season, which would rank him as the joint-third best in Southampton’s squad for 2020/21.

Therefore, it seems clear that the Saints could benefit from a player of his quality, so given this price reduction, Semmens should definitely try and bring him to St Mary’s this summer.

In other news… Bye-bye Jankewitz: Semmens should seal Saints swoop for £3.6m-rated beast this summer

Frank McAvennie has slammed Glasgow Rangers’ lack of common sense from the corner that saw St. Johnstone equalise in their Scottish Cup clash last weekend.

McAvennie slams Rangers defending

The Gers were 1-0 up going into the final minute of extra-time in their quarter-final against the Saints after James Tavernier gave them the lead. However, the scored was levelled when Chris Kane tapped in goalkeeper Zander Clark’s header.

Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie has slammed the Ibrox outfit’s lack of common sense. He said:

“The biggest thing I’ve said about Rangers all year is that they’re organised at the back, they’re rigid.

“But sometimes you have to use a bit of common sense and common sense told me you should mark a 6 feet tall goalkeeper at a corner kick. What a huge mistake. 

“Common sense would tell me, mark him. They didn’t get anywhere near him because they were all picking up the men they were told to. 

“Sometimes you have to think on your feet sometimes and adapt. You can’t leave someone unmarked in the box like that.”

Silly

It is hard to argue with McAvennie in this case. While Clark may not be used to being in the opposition penalty area, he stands at 6 foot 5, making him an aerial threat regardless of his actual footballing ability. That proved to be the case in this situation, and the goal eventually led to the Gers being knocked out of the competition.

It will be a blow for Steven Gerrard and co to already be out of the competition given they have already wrapped up the Premiership title. They will have wanted to complete a domestic double and, although the winner of the whole tournament only receives £240,000 (via The Daily Record), every little helps during these difficult financial times. Hopefully, this will be a lesson from which Gerrard and his players can learn.

In other news, Rangers fans are livid at this club news.

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!

Tottenham Hotspur could make a move for Danny Ings this summer, according to emerging reports…

What’s the word?

Eurosport’s Dean Jones claims the north London outfit are closely monitoring the 28-year-old ahead of the transfer window reopening and that they still hope to sign him from Southampton.

It’s not the first time that Ings has been linked with a move to Spurs, and back in January, Charlie Austin – his former teammate at both the Saints and Burnley – claimed the £18m-rated forward would be a good fit at the club.

Speaking on talkSPORT (via the Daily Echo), he said: “I think it would be a good fit,” before adding: “He just brings much more to the team as well, his all-round game is second to none and the goals just put him in the right direction. There is no surprise he is linked with a club like Tottenham.”

Spurs’ next Keane?

Given the dubious future of Harry Kane at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a move for a proven Premier League goalscorer like Ings could be a wise decision from Daniel Levy and co.

According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, there is a possibility the England skipper departs this summer. He revealed: “Some of those people have described Kane’s desire to me as ‘desperate to leave’. Now, I don’t want people to take that out of context, it’s not that he’s deeply distraught to be at Spurs.”

Now, Ings will be 29 by the time the transfer market opens again ahead of next season, but history tells us that Spurs have a decent record when it comes to buying proven talent, such as Robbie Keane, who joined the club for a second time aged 28.

[snack-amp-story url=https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-transfer-rumours-and-recent-gossip” title=”Read this week’s Spurs news, latest transfer rumours and more!]

Both had been tried and tested in the English top-flight and both are known for their ability to press from the front, so there are plenty of similarities to be had.

In fact, this is exactly the comparison Clinton Morrison made to talkSPORT last summer. “I used to play with a striker who played exactly like Ings [and that’s] Robbie Keane,” he said. “I look at the way Ings plays and his movement is first class.”

Ings has scored 52 times in 135 Premier League appearances, which is a rate of one goal every two and a half matches, and that is a very respectable return.

Whilst Kane is a more all-rounded centre-forward, the fellow Englishman does have attributes that’ll please Mourinho – “He presses really well, he’s hard-working,” explained Martin Keown. “Danny Ings has been outstanding.” That merely ehoed the thoughts of his manager, Ralph Hassenhuttl, who dubbed him “unbelievable” to the BBC after lockdown last year.

After all, the last signing from the Saints went down pretty well, so why not look to trust their development once again? Ings may not be Kane, but he could well become Spurs’ next Keane.

If push comes to shove, Levy must strike and splash out on Ings.

AND in other news, Spurs’ £18m-rated summer target wants the move, Levy must strike…

Some Liverpool fans have been bemoaning the news that Sepp van den Berg and Marko Grujic could be used as squad players next season.

The Reds have had an extremely difficult campaign, failing to defend their Premier League title and now desperately battling to finish in the top four.

Key players have under-performed, such as Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino – they have scored just 13 league goals between them – while Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip are all long-term injury absentees.

The hope from these fans is clearly that Jurgen Klopp delves into the transfer market this summer, freshening up his squad and adding quality in the process.

According to the Liverpool Echo [via The Anfield Buzz], however, Liverpool could show faith in Van den Berg and Grujic next season, with the pair currently on loan at Preston North End and Porto, respectively.

Liverpool fans bemoan Van den Berg and Grujic update

It isn’t exactly a piece of news that will get Reds supporters too excited and some took to Twitter to voice their disapproval at the update.

“Delete or get blocked this is offensive”

Credit: @lfc_tim

“If these start next season, we deserve everything we get”

Credit: @JackAndrewWeb1

“Another 30 plus years without a league”

Credit: @jaketay88907204

“Another 2-3 decades before we win anything again. A signing of natural winger and natural striker would be nice, add in a creative midfielder”

Credit: @guyjinsama

“This club is dusted”

Credit: @GL1240

“We won the CL and signed Van Den Berg and Adrian. This club man. The highest highs and the lowest lows”

Credit: @Welshlfcfan98

In other news, one popular Liverpool player has come in for criticism from some Reds supporters. Read more here.

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Newcastle produced a stunning comeback to upset the champions on Tuesday night, and Fabian Schar once again proved he is one of the best signings of the season.

Newcastle United’s transfer business is always the subject of much controversy and rightly so, as owner Mike Ashley has simply not injected enough cash into a squad bereft of any real pace or quality.

Rafael Benitez has managed to bring in some gems despite the shoestring budget though, and Schar looks to be an absolute steal from the former Real Madrid and Liverpool manager.

Which Man Utd star got fed by Salt Bae this week? Check out the video below to find out…

The 27 year-old defender was highly regarded as one of the best young prospects in Europe when he broke though at FC Basel, but moves to Germany and Spain did not pay off before he eventually landed on Tyneside.

The club paid a measly £3m to secure his services, per BBC, and after a match-winning display against Cardiff he showed the gritty, hungry side to his game on Tuesday night.

Benitez’s side looked set to get absolutely trounced when Sergio Aguero opened the visitors’ tally just 24 seconds into the match, but the organisation, toughness and leadership of Schar, Jamaal Lascelles and Florian Lejeune was truly incredible to witness.

Schar in particular had a superb showing, throwing his body on the line whenever necessary with two aerial duels won and six clearances made.

He also read the game superbly, something he has done to a high level since arriving on Tyneside, making a whopping six tackles as well as three interceptions.

For just £3m the club has managed to sign a versatile, ball-playing centre back with the speed and physicality to thrive in the Premier League, and at 27 the Swiss international still has plenty of room to improve.

He may well be the bargain of the season.

Plenty of Crystal Palace supporters have been giving their thoughts to a report linking Burnley’s Sean Dyche with a move to Selhurst Park.

According to the Daily Mail, Dyche is attracting interest from Palace, with the future of current manager Roy Hodgson uncertain.

Hodgson’s deal in the capital expires at the end of the current campaign and Palace aren’t expected to make a decision on the 73-year-old until the closing weeks of the season.

The report adds that any club wanting Dyche, who has also been linked to Newcastle, will need to pay a £3.5m compensation fee for the 49-year-old.

Should Dyche end his nine-year association at Turf Moor, the Daily Mail claim that former Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder is a contender to take the Clarets job.

Palace fans react

@cpfc_xtra shared the Daily Mail’s report on social media regarding Dyche on Wednesday morning.

These Eagles fans were all excited by the update, with some seemingly keen for Dyche to take over from Hodgson.

“3.5 mil is a no brainer if true”

Credit: @OutYanks

“This is content we need to see on a Wednesday morning”

Credit: @Kevbartleyy

“OMG PLEASE”

Credit: @CPFC_Cal

“Wilder to Burnley and Dyche to us, solid.”

Credit: @matthew_poole30

“Dyche is a far better manager than Roy but isn’t gonna be an exciting move”

Credit: @amancpfc

“omg omg omg pleeeaaaaase”

Credit: @SigmondCPFC

In other news: Many CPFC fans buzz over official club post on 27 y/o, find out more here. 

According to reports, Leeds defender Barry Douglas is set to leave Elland Road this summer once his contract expires with the Premier League club.

What’s the story?

The 31-year-old is currently spending the season out on loan at Championship side Blackburn and has been a near-permanent fixture in Tony Mowbray’s starting line-up, making 25 appearances in the league alone.

However, Football Insider now claim that, with his contract at Leeds coming to an end this summer, Marcelo Bielsa and co have no intentions of offering him a new deal to extend his stay in Yorkshire.

The report added that Douglas is set to follow Gjanni Alioski out the exit door this summer.

Ruthless call from Bielsa

Given how Douglas has only made 44 appearances for Leeds since joining from Wolves in the summer of 2018, the time has surely come for Bielsa to wave goodbye to the left-back this summer.

Speaking earlier this season, The Athletic’s Phil Hay hinted that the writing seemed to be on the wall for the £40,000-a-week earning Douglas at Elland Road, saying: “It tells its own story that Stuart Dallas is currently the best left-back at the club. There is interest, Watford are very keen, Blackburn have spoken about him.

“On the basis that he didn’t make the 18 against City, when Jack Harrison was unavailable, if, in those circumstances, Douglas isn’t in the 18 you know he’s on his way.”

Subsequent confirmation of his loan move to Blackburn really painted a picture of just how far his stock has fallen at Leeds, and why the club must make a ruthless call and just let him go as a free agent this summer.

Meanwhile, Victor Orta pulled off an absolute masterclass for Leeds with this signing…

Leeds are making a major mistake over their transfer stance on Liverpool starlet Yasser Larouci.

What’s the story?

According to The Athletic, Larouci has been on the club’s radar in the past, and that while they had looked at him a few transfer windows ago, they deemed him too expensive, and are now focused on trying to recruit a more experienced option at left-back.

Radrizzani needs to spend

While Leeds are hardly a club like Manchester City that can just throw money at players, the 20-year-old Larouci is something they should not be turning their backs on.

The young left-back has barely had an opportunity on Merseyside, playing just twice for the senior side, but is clearly someone with bags of potential.

Liverpool’s former U18s boss Barry Lewtas, said: “He is lightning-quick and a real good personality. Because he is so quick it helps in his one-v-one defending, he is aggressive and is good when he runs into the big spaces and he arrives well in terms of forward runs.”

And, The Athletic’s James Pearce added: “Larouci has made big strides forward. He’s an interesting one in itself because he’s a player who came in as an attacker, as a real pacey, strong winger with an eye for goal.

“The staff felt that actually he would be better suited to the left-back role, especially in the Klopp mould where so much of it is providing that attacking outlet. They felt they could work with him and work on his defensive game and he’s another one that’s come on a lot.”

At just 20, Larouci has still got the world at his feet in terms of developing into a Premier League star, and being a young player means that he will always have resale value.

Even if things don’t work out as Leeds may hope, there’s always the fallback of still being able to draw in good money for him – unlike spending a big sum of money on a more experienced, older option like they are reportedly planning on doing.

Clearly, Larouci is highly-rated by those who know Liverpool well, and that kind of potential is something the Whites should be all over. Andrea Radrizzani should be getting out the chequebook and bringing the Reds back to the negotiating table to try and strike a deal.

It would be a foolish mistake if they didn’t.

Meanwhile, Leeds should unleash this midfield talent next season…