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Former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez could be in line for a new job just across the park from Anfield, according to The Telegraph, prompting loads of Reds fans to respond on Twitter.

Looking for a manager since the departure of Carlo Ancelotti to Spanish giants Real Madrid, Everton are hoping to install a new manager ahead of 2021/22 with owner Farhad Moshiri keen to speak to Benitez alongside other candidates [The Sun].

Of course, the Spaniard is regarded as something of a hero amongst the Anfield faithful. Over the course of his six years in Merseyside, he won a UEFA Champions League, FA Cup, Community Shield and UEFA Super Cup [Transfermarkt].

Fresh from a two-year spell in China with Dalian Pro, he is said to be eager for a return to Premier League management [The Telegraph].

Citing the opening at their city rivals, alongside the 61-year-old’s free agent status, loads of Liverpool fans took to Twitter to voice their opinion over these latest developments.

Liverpool fans react:

Here is how some of the Liverpool fans summarised their feelings after hearing the news surrounding Benitez:

“Pain. Immense pain.”

Credit: @rajsinghchohan”Not sure I believe it / don’t want to believe it.”Credit: @BelloLfc1801″He loses his liverpool legacy it he takes the everton Job”Credit: @LFCSlimbo”He won’t downgrade from being jobless”Credit: @joexlfc”Surely neither Liverpool or Everton fans want this to happen lol”Credit: @LfcHaugen”Abit like the Gerrard links, a load of nonsense”Credit: @randomgrubberIn other news, Liverpool fans rage at a big Marko Grujic update.

In an exclusive interview with The Transfer Tavern, David Norris, who made 36 appearances for Leeds United, has claimed that it appears as though Gaetano Berardi will eventually be leaving Elland Road this summer.

Berardi has been with Leeds since he signed from Sampdoria in 2014 and he has gone onto make 155 appearances for the Lilywhites, which includes 22 in their Championship-winning season.

The Switzerland international has missed much of the 2020/21 campaign after injuring his ACL against Derby County back in July, but despite that he was handed a new one-year contract in October 2020, which is due to expire next month.

Speaking on how it appears to be the end for Berardi at Leeds and how fans will be sad to see him leave this summer, Norris exclusively told The Transfer Tavern:

“I think it looks like it’s coming to an end, which is a shame. He came into the club when I was there and he was someone who looked like he could handle the pace and make it last at Leeds.

“I know Leeds fans love him and he loves the place so it will be a real shame, but it just looks like it is one of those things that is coming to a natural end and he’ll move on.”

The £32, 308 per week defender arrived when Leeds appeared to have no hope of making it in the Premier League back in 2014, but players like Berardi with the fight and desire to play for the badge have helped get them to where they are now.

Leeds will be looking to add more quality to their squad this summer as they will want to push on next season and achieve more than just a top-half finish.

Football Insider pundit Danny Mills believes that Aston Villa will want to sign Celtic midfielder David Turnbull before the European Championships begin on June 11.

The Lowdown: Villa plotting £7m bid

According to The Scottish Sun, Villa have watched the 21-year-old on multiple occasions this season and are lining up a £7m bid.

Turnbull, who Neil Lennon described as ‘brilliant’ last summer, was one of a few shining lights in a disappointing season for the Hoops. The attacking midfielder netted nine goals and registered eight assists in green and white, picking up the Scotland PFA Young Player of the Year award for his displays.

He was also named in Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad for the European Championship, and Mills believes that Dean Smith’s side could look to wrap up a deal over the next three weeks.

The Latest: Mills makes Turnbull claim

Asked by Football Insider if Villa will look to complete a deal for Turnbull before June 11, Mills said:

“Definitely.

“Good managers won’t buy players off the back of a good European Championships, or they shouldn’t do.”

The 44-year-old former Leeds defender added:

“Your targets should be identified by February because you’ve had six months to look at your players, you know what those players are like, you know what your weaknesses are and you know where to improve.

“Your scouts and scouting network should be doing that work all the way through that time. You should have an A, B and C target. Who they are and for what position.

“The best way is to just get it done. If you have to pay a little bit over the odds, just get it done.

“You don’t want to come back late to pre-season because of the Euros thinking ‘We haven’t signed a player. The player’s going to miss parts of pre-season, he’s not integrated.’

“Just go out and do it, that’s what Villa should be doing.”

The Verdict: Celtic under no pressure to sell

In our opinion, should Villa come in with a reported £7m bid before Euro 2020, Celtic should make their feelings clear that he is not for sale.

Yes, he is only valued at £1.62m, so the Hoops would be receiving a fee over four times that figure, but the club should be thinking of the bigger picture.

Frank McAvennie recently compared Turnbull to a young Scott Brown, and should the former go on to achieve half of what Brown did at Celtic Park, keeping hold of him will prove a brilliant decision.

The 21-year-old on just £7,500 per week at Parkhead and has a deal which runs to 2024, so the Hoops may have to think of rewarding Turnbull for his recent performances in order to keep him happy in Glasgow.

In other news: Celtic have the chance to sign ‘creative’ £20k-p/w January target for free as news is confirmed, find out more here. 

According to Nicolo Schira, Southampton are interested in signing Norway international Jens Petter Hauge.

Saints eye Hauge

The 21-year-old is currently playing in Italy for AC Milan, whom he joined in last summer’s transfer window from Bodo/Glimt.

It appears that he is now attracting interest from the Saints, who are not the only club interested in the £9m-valued (Transfermarkt) talent, with Udinese also eyeing a move for him.

Exciting talent

Hauge initially caught the eye in his homeland, scoring 17 goals and providing 12 assists in 21 games for Bodo/Glimt in 2020 (Transfermarkt). As such, Milan decided to part with €5m (£4.3m) to take him to Serie A, and he has continued to impress in Italy, with five goals and one assist in 25 games for the Rossoneri.

Previously described as a “great talent” by Norway team-mate Erling Haaland (via Milan News), Hauge seems to have a big future ahead of him. It would be surprising to see Milan let him go cheaply – after all, he has a contract at the San Siro which runs until 2025, and given his potential, the Rossoneri will want to hold on to him for as long as possible, or at least until his resale value peaks.

Still, it shows ambition from Ralph Hasenhuttl and co that they would be interested in such a talent. A loan deal could perhaps be the best way for them to approach a move.

In other news, many Southampton fans are delighted by news on this midfielder.

In the end, Aston Villa were left to bemoan a familiar tale of Manchester United being handed a dubious penalty, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side taking full advantage and securing a 3-1 win on Sunday afternoon.

Dean Smith’s men took the lead thanks to an absolute stunner from Bertrand Traore, but saw the game fall apart thanks to a contentious penalty decision, a spot-kick that Bruno Fernandes duly dispatched.

Goals from Mason Greenwood and Edinson Cavani late on sealed the United comeback, and while understandably Smith will be furious with having another refereeing call go against them in a clash with the Manchester side, he may also have a major headache with the performance of Matty Cash.

The full-back had a difficult afternoon coming up against Paul Pogba and Luke Shaw, and while Traore did better than most weeks in trying to track back and help him out, he just couldn’t get going whatsoever.

As per Sofascore, he lost possession 16 times over the course of the game, the third-most of any Villa player, and being forced to go a bit more direct than he perhaps usually would have.

And then, arguably his biggest mishap on the day, was how he let Cavani ghost in front of him with a quick run and nod past Emi Martinez in the Villa goal – it was just a complete lack of concentration that rather typified his display.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/villa-dean-smith-transfer-gossip-rumours-news-premier-league-buendia-berge-mcneil-trezeguet-villa-park” title=”Read the latest Villa transfer rumours and news!”]

And, writing in his post-match player ratings, The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece gave him a five, and said: “Up against Pogba and Shaw on United’s left and battled bravely. Cash was caught out on the odd occasion, though, and allowed Shaw to get beyond him for a strike at goal. Cash was in poor form and lacked conviction in his play as he was pinned back time and time again. The right-back was arguably at fault for Cavani’s header which wrapped it up as the Uruguayan ghosted past him to head home.”

With the Premier League season now reaching its end, Smith surely has the perfect opportunity to be handing out vital first-team minutes to some of the club’s brightest young talents.

And in the 18-year-old Kaine Kesler, he’s got a dream understudy to Cash just waiting for a chance to shine at first-team level.

While one poor performance should hardly see Cash just chucked out of the starting line-up for good, with only a couple of games left, surely it would do a lot more good for the development of Kesler for the teenager to be brought into the fold?

It’s a major headache for Smith but one that could pay big rewards for Villa in the long-term.

Meanwhile, Villa should finally unleash this academy starlet…

According to a report by ‘transfer insider’ Graeme Bailey, writing for TEAMtalk, West Ham United and GSB have been watching Championship forward Daryl Dike closely – who has impressed on loan at Barnsley from MLS side Orlando City.

West Ham eyeing Dike

The 20-year-old, having already earned an international cap for the USA national team, has turned plenty of heads since his arrival in England – scoring five goals so far after joining on loan in early February.

Barnsley also have an option-to-buy clause inserted into the temporary deal at £17 million with a 20% sell-on – but only promotion to the Premier League is likely to tempt the Yorkshire side into activating it.

It is understood by Bailey, writing for TEAMtalk, that Dike has attracted interest from half of the English top flight, with GSB and West Ham among the sides taking note of his exploits at Oakwell.

Transfer Tavern take

Dike has received plenty of plaudits through the media, plenty of which come from one of his former coaches in the United States, George Gelnovatch.

Indeed, Gelnovatch oversaw his development at College side Virginia Cavaliers and quickly noticed his sky high potential – branding him ‘relentless competitor’ and ‘ruthless guy’ (ScoreCiti.com).

Standing at an imposing 6 foot 2, Dike’s swift adaptation to life in England has prompted interest from West Ham – but only time will tell whether they take it a step further.

In other news: West Ham fans buzzed at this news, find out more here.

It’s still very much the curious case of Dele Alli at Tottenham Hotspur this season.

Despite all of Spurs’ recent struggles, Jose Mourinho has still rarely turned to the out-of-favour midfielder and now his future in north London is surely hanging by a thread.

An exit in January was blocked late on by Daniel Levy but with the 25-year-old only featuring for a grand total of 984 minutes in all competitions, the chairman could look to cash in on the £26m-rated dynamo this time round.

If he does indeed go through with sanctioning his departure, it could well be a decision he regrets in the long run.

Mourinho has a sorry history when it comes to giving young talent a chance, and whilst it feels like Alli has been around forever, the 37-time England international is far from reaching his peak years.

Alli, aside from Harry Kane and Heung-min Son, has been one of Spurs’ best players in recent years.

It was only in the 2016/17 season that he bagged a whopping 18 goals from midfield, whilst he has also clinched back-to-back PFA Young Player of the Year awards – the first player to achieve that feat since Wayne Rooney in 2005, and the third-ever to do so.

That year, Spurs legend Darren Anderton waxed lyrical about Alli, comparing him to both Steven Gerrard and Paul Scholes, going onto call him a “freak of a talent” and a “real joy to watch” (quotes sourced via Goal).

You simply cannot afford to leave out a player as talented as Alli all season, and ultimately it’s cost Spurs dearly.

Mourinho has a poor history in this regard too, writing off the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah at Chelsea, going on to sell them to Wolfsburg and Fiorentina, respectively.

[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!]

No one needs reminding of how their careers have panned out since then, but as a Premier League and Champions League winner, Salah is perhaps the Portuguese’s worst mistake.

The Egyptian’s rise has been astronomical but the signs of that potential were staring Mourinho right in the face, as former Blues teammate Felipe Luis told the Guardian, Salah was like Lionel Messi in training.

“I suffered Salah in training,” claimed the Brazilian defender. “When he went Fiorentina, I said: ‘Why are you going, Momo? This is Chelsea.’ And he said: ‘I need to play.’ I thought: ‘This kid’s good.’ He never went for money or to win more; he went to show he could play. In training, he was like Messi. Really, like Messi. Ask anyone.”

Now Alli may not go onto repeat the impressive exploits of Salah, but there’s every chance he could given it is Paris Saint-Germain are interested in his services and they made the UCL final last year, and are consistently winning Ligue 1.

The difference between the Englishman at Spurs now, and both Salah and De Bruyne at Chelsea then, is that he’s already delivered and proven his worth over several seasons. And that will make this error even more glaring, in a shorter time frame, too.

Mourino cannot afford to repeat this blunder this summer.

AND in other news, “Excellent player” – Exclusive: Pundit hails rarely-seen Spurs youngster Jose called “fantastic”

Former West Bromwich Albion star Steve Bull has told Football FanCast that Sam Johnstone can become one of the best goalkeepers in England.

The goalkeeper has been raging against the dying of the light at the Hawthorns this season, with Sam Allardyce’s side almost certain to go down.

They are 10 points off safety with nine games to go and it would take nothing short of a miracle for them to force their way out of the bottom three.

Johnstone, though, has made the most saves of any goalkeeper in the Premier League and has been rewarded with his first international call-up.

He could play for England against San Marino on Thursday, or against Albania or Poland in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

Johnstone will be battling with Manchester United’s Dean Henderson and Burnley’s Nick Pope for a place in the XI for the upcoming games, with Jordan Pickford injured, and Bull, who won 13 caps for the Three Lions, thinks that he has what it takes to become a real option for Southgate.

Asked if he could become one of England’s best, Bull told FFC: “Yeah, he could do. I think he’s got the most saves in the Premier League. His back must be really hurting! I just think he’s got to keep doing it for his club at the moment.

“If he can do it for Albion with all of these shots and crosses coming in, you just think of the likes of Tottenham and Liverpool where there’s hardly anything coming in. I think he’s got to earn his bread and butter now.

“He’s got his first call-up, he might be third-choice, second-choice, you never know, he might get on. You never know what he might do but all he’s got to do is keep his feet firmly on the ground and, who knows, he could be a top six, top three, top two England goalkeeper in the future.

“There’s a lot of young ones that are up and coming and fighting for that spot and all the best to them; keep doing what you’re doing for your club and you’ll get your chance for your country.”

Former Manchester United man Keith Gillespie has told Football FanCast that the club can afford to sell David de Gea this summer.

De Gea has been with United since 2011 and has gone on to make 434 appearances for the club.

However, this season, he has lost his place after a period of absence, with Dean Henderson playing in the last three top-flight games.

Henderson spent last season on loan at Sheffield United, enjoying an exceptional season, and has even won a cap for England.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has utilised the 24-year-old in various cup competitions, playing in the FA Cup, the League Cup, and the Europa League.

Gillespie believes Henderson is good enough to step into de Gea’s shoes and believes that, as a result, United can cash in on the Spain international this summer.

He has been linked with a move away, with The Sun claiming earlier this month that PSG could make a summer swoop.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, Gillespie said: “De Gea has been fantastic for the period that he’s been there, I think now would probably be a good time to cash in and let him go.

“You have got somebody waiting to come in there, somebody who’s playing now, in Henderson. He did fantastically well last year at Sheffield United. He’s biding his time and when he has had to play, he’s done really well.

“He’s a young English goalkeeper, he could force his way in and be England number one if he gets that regular starting place at Man United.”

De Gea has enjoyed a storied career at Old Trafford, winning the Premier League, the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Europa League, while he has also been voted the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year four times during his United career.

He added: “David de Gea has been fantastic and I think four out of five seasons he won Man United’s Player of the Year, but that shows you how much work he had to do.

“That’s not something that would have happened under Alex Ferguson!”

Liverpool returned to winning ways with a 2-0 victory over Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Sunday evening.

An excellent finish from Curtis Jones followed by an own-goal from Kean Bryan were enough to secure the three points for Jurgen Klopp’s side, which leaves them just two points outside of the top-four spots.

One man who impressed with his performance against the Blades was experienced midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum.

In the absence of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, the Reds needed their other midfielders to step up against a physical Blades side and Wijnaldum barely put a foot wrong during the 90 minutes.

As per SofaScore, the 30-year-old would pick up a solid 7.2 match rating for his display, with only Adrian, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson rated higher of the Liverpool players on the night.

The former Newcastle man was the captain for the game and he produced a captain-like display, completing 56/59 of his passes, resulting in a superb pass accuracy of 95% – even better than the 92% pass accuracy registered by master-passer Thiago.

Considering the Dutch international has averaged a 91.9% pass accuracy in the Premier League so far this season, it shows that he was even more impressive than usual at Bramall Lane.

Wijnaldum was also able to contribute two key passes, which was more than both Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, as he was often the driving force and attacking threat in midfield.

Although he only contested two duels during the game, he won both of them, and he also gave away possession on just four occasions during the 90 minutes, suggesting that he was just too good for Sheffield United’s midfielders.

He was also unlucky to be denied by Aaron Ramsdale with a rasping shot from the edge of the area, from which Firmino failed to put away the rebound.

Therefore, it was arguably a near-perfect display from the midfielder, who earns £90k per week at Liverpool, and he definitely stole the show for Klopp’s side in a game that they desperately needed to win.

And, in other news… LFC signing gem with “extraordinary quality” would surely be the end for £50k-p/w dud