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Leeds United are among a number of Premier League clubs who have been scouting Sunderland starlet Dan Neil this season.

What’s the story?

According to Football League World, Jesse Marsch’s side – along with the likes of Aston Villa, Wolves and Brighton – have been watching the young midfielder closely this season as they bid to lure him away from League One in the summer.

However, the report added that promotion with Sunderland this year could see him remain at the Stadium of Light for another season, but that may prove to be the only way that the Wearside club keep hold of him.

Exciting prospect for Leeds

Labelled a “diamond” by Phil Parkinson in the past, the 20-year-old has enjoyed a real breakthrough campaign on Wearside this season, playing a whopping 42 games in all competitions.

His performances in the league have been most impressive, notching three goals and providing seven assists as he tries to drag Sunderland into the play-offs come the end of the season.

His team-mate Luke O’Nien has previously raved about the youngster, saying: “Dan has been exceptional right throughout pre-season. Every day in training, he’s like a dancer with those magic feet. He’s creating and scoring goals in training all the time.”

Meanwhile, former Sunderland boss Lee Johnson added to his list of admirers by saying: “He’s technically a very good player, you can see the way he manipulates the ball, and I think he has added another dimension to his game in being able to drop and drive, as we call it, and receive the ball and commit players.

“He’s got that lovely dribbling technique, a little bit like a young Paul Gascoigne almost in the way he sort of hops and drags it at the same time which, as a defender, makes it very difficult to commit because as soon as you do, he’s got the ability to skip by you. I do expect to see a couple of slalom-type goals from him this season.”

It’s clear that the 5 foot 10 Neil has the kind of natural ability which would make him a real fan favourite at Elland Road and a genuinely exciting prospect for the club to work with in the coming years.

It’s a prospective move which will have Marsch buzzing.

AND in other news: “We’re told…”: Graham Smyth drops big Leeds United update that’ll delight supporters

Wolves right-back Nelson Semedo is back in training ahead of the visit of Aston Villa, reliable journalist Tim Spiers has confirmed.

The Lowdown: Semedo missing for key period

The Portuguese ace has been an undisputed key man for the Wanderers this season, having started 23 times in a largely positive Premier League campaign.

Semedo picked up a hamstring injury at the end of February and hasn’t played since, however, acting as a blow to Bruno Lage during an important period.

It now looks as though the right-back’s return to action is on the horizon, though, as Wolves prepare to host Villa on Saturday afternoon.

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The Latest: Spiers makes positive claim

Taking to Twitter on Friday, Spiers confirmed in a simple four-word verdict that Semedo is back in the fold:

“Semedo back in training.”

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The Verdict: Big boost for Wolves

Semedo has been a strong performer for Wolves, being hailed as ‘unbelievable’ by Spiers himself in the past, so this news is an undoubted positive.

Jonny has been filling in at right-back in his teammate’s absence but he isn’t as natural in that role as he is on the left-hand side, while youngster Ki-Jana Hoever remains a work in progress.

Semedo’s return in the coming weeks should provide Wolves with an extra attacking threat – he has averaged 1.5 dribbles per game in the league this season – as they look to secure European football of some kind at Molineux next season.

In other news, a transfer expert has dropped a key Wolves claim. Read more here.

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Everton have hardly had the season the fans were surely hoping for after Marco Silva took the helm and the Toffees recruited three Barcelona players in the summer. A string of poor results have seen the Goodison Park outfit lose five of their last six and the pressure mount on their Portuguese manager.

The same problems seem to be cropping up time and time again and there is little doubt that they are underperforming. There have, though, been occasional bright-sparks provided by a select few, although there are also a couple of players who have flattered to deceive throughout the season.

So, who has improved and who has declined the most on Merseyside over the course of the campaign?

Most improved: Lucas Digne

The Frenchman is one of very few players who can confidently say that their starting spot will be guaranteed beyond the summer and looks set to hold down the left-side of Everton’s defence for the foreseeable future – a rapid turnaround after starting the season behind Leighton Baines in the pecking order.

The Toffees may have struggled to find a way through their opponents’ defences in recent weeks but Digne is not for the want of trying – the former Barcelona man has attempted a league-high 197 crosses, while also chalking up three goals and as many assists in 24 league appearances.

Possessing a wicked left-foot, the left-back has even ousted Gylfi Sigurdsson from some set-piece duties and has frequently shown his lethality from dead-ball situations as he goes from strength to strength.

Far removed: Seamus Coleman

On the other side of the Toffees defence, Seamus Coleman is having a campaign to forget. The Irishman has regularly looked off the pace and has shown nothing but glimpses of the calibre of performance that have made him the first name on the Everton team sheet over the years.

Besides the obvious need for a winger and striker, Coleman’s place looks most under threat if Everton decide to conduct another squad overhaul in the summer.

The Merseysiders were linked with a move for now-Leicester man Ricardo Pereira when he was still at Porto and, considering the impact the Portuguese has had at the King Power and the lacklustre figure cut by Coleman, they will surely rue their inability to win the race for his signature last year.

How much money could you make busking for a week as a freestyle footballer? Find out in the video below…

Newcastle United’s owners showed in the previous January transfer window just how capable they are of being active in the market and spending money on bringing new players to the Tyneside club.

With the upcoming summer transfer window on the horizon, it seems as though a big twist has emerged over one potential deal that could take place for Newcastle once the current season ends.

What’s the latest?

According to a recent report from Football Insider, the Magpies are in pole position to sign defender Sven Botman from Lille for around £30m this summer even though he has apparently already agreed personal terms with AC Milan.

The Toon were linked with a move for the centre-back during the previous winter transfer window but couldn’t get a deal over the line.

Since joining the French club back in the 2020 summer transfer window from Ajax’s U21 side, the 22-year-old has made 75 appearances for Lille across all competitions, chipping in with three goals and two assists.

With an average of 4.5 clearances per game in Ligue 1 this season, more than any other Lille player, the Dutchman could be a big asset for the Toon and strengthen their back line.

Labelled as a “golden boy” by Francesco Miniero, the director of Botman’s agency in Italy, the defender would certainly be a special deal for PIF to pull off, who will surely be happy at being at the front of the line to sign the youngster.

Even though Eddie Howe’s side haven’t conceded more than one goal in any of their 12 previous games across all competitions, adding the Lille star, who is currently valued at £27m according to Transfermarkt, to their ranks would definitely make the team stronger at the back, even after they already added some depth to it in January with the arrivals of Dan Burn, Kieran Trippier and Matt Targett.

Moving forward, if Newcastle were able to snatch Botman out of Milan’s hands and finally get their target after missing out on him in January, this would certainly please a lot of Toon fans and further increase the reputation of the club’s owners and their ruthlessness in the transfer market.

In other news: NUFC eye £49.5m-rated “phenomenon” who’s a “work of art”, he’d ignite St James’ Park…

Crystal Palace saw their run in this season’s FA Cup come to an end at Wembley this evening as the Eagles were beaten 2-0 by Chelsea in the semi-final stage.

Palace midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate had the best chance of the first half before goals from Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mason Mount took the game away from Patrick Vieira’s men.

In a game with few chances, particularly in the first period, the South London outfit failed to show prowess in the final third, with striker Jean-Philippe Mateta struggling to lead the line.

According to SofaScore, the striker made just 21 touches in his 55-minute spell, losing the ball on 12 occasions at an average rate of once every 1.8 touches.

The striker also failed to get a single shot away whilst completing just five passes all match and attempting zero dribbles.

In terms of physicality upfront, the 6 foot 3 Frenchman won just 35.7% of his duels, although the 24-year-old did attempt 14 in total.

There was also little defensive contribution from Mateta who managed just one tackle whilst offering zero clearances, blocks or interceptions.

Prior to the Wembley showdown, the Frenchman had been in decent form, scoring four goals in his last eight appearances across both league and cup.

The campaign has certainly beared fruit in the second half for the 24-year-old after a slow start to the season which saw Vieira hand the forward just two appearances in the Eagles’ first 17 matches in the Premier League.

However, having made his loan from Bundesliga outfit FC Mainz permanent in January, Mateta has scored six goals and registered one assist since Christmas and seems to have now worked his way up the pecking order to become the Palace boss’ first-choice centre-forward.

Granted, the Eagles aren’t particularly blessed with striker options with Christian Benteke, Odsonne Edouard and Jordan Ayew collectively scoring just one league goal since the end of January.

Now, the South London outfit has seven Premier League matches left with a top-half finish very much a realistic target with just three points separating them and tenth-placed Brighton, who have also played a game more.

Therefore, Palace supporters will be desperate to see a strong end to the season from Mateta as opposed to the timid display put on at Wembley.

AND in other news: Vieira could form a deadly duo as Palace plot bid for “unbelievable” 148-goal machine

With Aston Villa being rather busy in the January transfer window bringing the likes of Lucas Digne, Robin Olsen and Philippe Coutinho to Villa Park, it seems as though one reported transfer target for the Midlands club will not be following in the footsteps of their new trio of winter signings this month.

What’s the latest?

According to a recent transfer report from Birmingham Live by journalists Ashley Preece and John Townley, a deal to bring in Atletico Madrid and former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez is now unlikely.

The Uruguayan is set to stay with the La Liga club for the remainder of the season after it was previously reported that the Midlands club had sent a proposal to the striker to make a move to Villa Park.

The report also added that Suarez “will assess his options when he becomes a free agent in June.”

Gerrard will be gutted

Having scored a total of 433 goals in 683 club appearances throughout his career, it’s not hard to see what Suarez would be able to offer Villa if he made the move to the Midlands club this month.

Labelled as an “assassin” in the past by former Barcelona manager Luis Enrique in terms of his clinical nature to finish chances in the penalty box, Suarez would have been an exciting prospect for the Villa fans see at their club given his previous experience in the Premier League with Liverpool and clear ability to score goals on a regular basis.

The idea of seeing the forward not only play alongside his former Liverpool and Barcelona teammate Coutinho, who have played together on 115 occasions but also seeing him feature under Gerrard who he played with at Liverpool as well, would have been an incredibly exciting idea for Villa.

With the Midlands outfit aiming to end the season as high up the table as possible, the boss will surely be absolutely gutted to miss out on the chance to add a deadly striker such as the 35-year-old to his ranks.

With a January move for the veteran attacker now unlikely, Gerrard will have to make do with Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings as his two senior strike options and hope they can end the season strongly with plenty of goals under their belts.

Looking beyond that, Villa should still keep an eye on Suarez’s situation in the summer when his current contract runs out to see if the £9m-rated striker would be willing to make a return to the Premier League.

In other news: Lange can replicate Digne masterclass as AVFC plot move for “phenomenal” £10m dynamo – opinion

A twist in the ongoing saga of West Ham United star midfielder Declan Rice has now been backed by reliable club insider ExWHUemployee.

The Lowdown: Rice twist reported…

There have been numerous claims over Rice and whether or not he could depart the London Stadium this summer.

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While journalists Dean Jones and Scott Saunders first claimed that the 23-year-old is more open than ever to a Rush Green exit, Hammers insider Claret & Hugh stated that David Moyes’ star man is committed to the cause for 2022/2023 at least.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano shared another twist on Friday evening – breaking news that Rice has turned down a third contract offer and is ‘now open to a move this summer’ (Twitter).

The Latest: Ex backs development…

Now, backing this big update on the England international, West Ham insider ExWHUemployee has dropped a three-word message – simply stating ‘yes it is’ when asked if the rumour was true.

The Verdict: Blow for Moyes?

While this doesn’t come as the best news for Irons supporters, GSB’s unwavering stance that he is ‘untouchable’ has been backed by Sky Sports – who claim that West Ham will not budge in the next window.

This provides a glimmer of assurance for Moyes and co as they gear up for what will be a very interesting Premier League campaign next year.

West Ham will apparently be backed with a £150 million kitty in the summer and intend to show Rice their ambition, so it remains to be seen whether the starlet could eventually change his stance depending on developments, and even if he doesn’t it is clear at this point GSB will only sell for a colossal figure.

In other news: Agreement reached: ExWHUemployee also has some promising player news for West Ham supporters! Find out more here.

David Moyes has opened up on West Ham United’s failures in the January transfer window.

What’s been said?

In recent comments made to West Ham TV, the 58-year-old coach provided some insight as to exactly why he and his transfer team failed to bring any fresh faces to the club this winter, despite the Scotsman himself stating that he wanted to sign at least a new central defender and centre-forward in the market.

Speaking about the Hammers’ transfer window, Moyes said: “I would have loved to have said we’d got everything done and dusted early doors but, look, it wasn’t for the want of trying, that’s for sure.

“West Ham supporters can be reassured that we were really ambitious in what we were trying to do. We were really ambitious in trying to get good players and players who could help us and make a difference.

“We’ve also got Jarrod Bowen and it would be very difficult to get a better back-up to Micky Antonio than Jarrod. We were always looking to try and find replacements in several areas, but it just became pretty difficult in the end and we missed out on one or two late on.

“Overall, all I can say is that the board have been fantastic. We probably made three record transfer bids from the club in this January window and, let’s be fair, January is never really a great time.

“We’ve been quite good in January in the main and in the last few Januaries we’ve been here we’ve signed players and done quite well, but this one for some reason became tougher.

“I also believe it’s probably been tougher because we’re looking at a much different level of player now and trying to attract some of the top players throughout Europe.”

Fans won’t be happy

While it is all well and good targeting the signings of highly sought after players, something that will undoubtedly have been a difficult task for a club the size of West Ham – especially when competing against the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur for transfers – the fact remains that Moyes’ approach to the January window was simply not organised enough.

Indeed, from the outside looking in, it very much appeared as if the 58-year-old left the vast majority of his moves until the final stages of the winter window – if not deadline day itself – something that quite obviously puts extremely pressing time constraints on any transfer that is discussed.

This is evidenced by the Irons’ late move for the Atalanta centre-forward Duvan Zapata, as, despite agreeing a fee with the Serie A side regarding a loan to buy deal for the 30-year-old, the Hammers ultimately failed to complete the paperwork prior to Monday’s transfer deadline – seeing the move fall through.

However, should the club have identified the Colombia international as a target even a week earlier in the window – and subsequently placed a bid, had it accepted and agreed terms with the player – West Ham would not have been left with Michail Antonio as their only recognised striker for the second half of the campaign.

Indeed, it is because of the fact that West Ham are now attempting to sign a higher calibre of player that Moyes should have done his business in the opening stages of the window, rather than using the fact as an argument against being able to get any deals over the line.

As such, while the Scotsman would undoubtedly have been hoping to appease the London Stadium faithful with his comments on the club’s failed transfer business, it would not be surprising if Irons’ fans are far from happy with the manager’s reasoning for the Hammers’ lack of activity last month.

In other news: Lifeline: Moyes’ £61k-p/w West Ham “monster” a big winner from January transfer window

Leeds United are unlikely to see any incomings before the January transfer window deadline on Monday…

What’s the word?

That is according to ever-reliable Daily Mirror reporter David Anderson, who delivered a worrying claim to GIVEMESPORT ahead of tomorrow night.

The Yorkshire giants have been firmly linked with a move for RB Salzburg midfielder Brenden Aaronson but the Austria champions are reluctant to sell their star player before the summer, largely due to their involvement in the Champions League.

Victor Orta and co have seen two bids of £15m and £20m rejected for the American’s signature, so if he’s not arriving at Elland Road in the next 48 hours, then it appear as if no one is.

“As it stands, it certainly looks like Aaronson or no other senior signing before Monday,” he revealed.

Trouble ahead?

Indeed, other reports have suggested that the Aaronson deal will need to wait until the summer when it seems very likely to happen. However, it would be hugely concerning to not bolster Marcelo Bielsa’s playing squad.

This update will surely leave him livid.

The Argentine head coach has had to deal with a string of injury problems throughout the campaign.

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It has gotten so bad that as many as 11 first-team players have been absent at the same stage, whilst during a Premier League clash with West Ham earlier this month, only one of nine substitutes was a senior professional.

Bielsa will be without two key stars in Kalvin Phillips and club captain Liam Cooper until March at the very earliest. Meanwhile, last season’s top goalscorer Patrick Bamford has missed 17 of their last 18 games with a trio of different injuries.

Aaronson by no means would’ve solved all of the problems at Elland Road right now but it’s another body in a crucial area of the pitch and that’s what the United boss needs right now.

They haven’t signed a midfielder for four years now – eight transfer windows – and that wait will go on.

Further injuries will seriously scupper their chances of progressing this season and they are not clear of a relegation dogfight just yet either, so Bielsa will surely be bemoaning their lack of business.

AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano has good news for Leeds fans…

Barcelona are due to speak to Philippe Coutinho’s agents this week amid concerns that Aston Villa won’t activate their £33million option to buy. 

That’s according to Tom Hopkinson, chief sports reporter for the Sunday Mirror and Sunday People, in a story published online on Saturday night.

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The lowdown

Villa signed Coutinho on loan in January and agreed a purchase option with the La Liga giants.

Steven Gerrard has selected him in 11 straight starting line-ups, and has been rewarded with four goals and three assists so far (via Transfermarkt).

Coutinho earns £480,000 per week at Barcelona and, as per The Telegraph, will have to take a significant pay-cut if he’s to join permanently.

For context, Villa’s highest earner at present is thought to be Danny Ings on a quarter of that salary.

The latest

Barcelona directors will seek imminent discussions with Coutinho’s representatives this week over his future.

They aren’t convinced that Villa will stump up the £33million, and they’re keen to know how much, if anything, the Midlands outfit will pay.

If his intermediaries receive a ‘negative response’ from Villa, they will begin to test the water with other clubs.

The plan is to find a new home for Coutinho as Barcelona look to clear him from the wage bill.

The Brazilian’s performances apparently haven’t been as consistent as Aston Villa hoped since his arrival.

The verdict

Is this assessment of Coutinho fair?

Even though he only joined midway through the campaign, his tally of seven goal contributions is enough to rank him third in the Villa squad behind Danny Ings (10) and Ollie Watkins (nine). That suggests inconsistency is an issue throughout the squad.

What’s more, his average WhoScored rating of 7.13/10 is the second highest in Gerrard’s ranks after John McGinn (7.17).

If Coutinho agrees to a reasonable wage, then it looks to be a fairly low-risk signing.

The 29-year-old scored 42 Premier League goals and provided 36 assists with Liverpool during his first stint in England, and he’s shown he can still thrive in the division.

He’s very much a known quantity and should theoretically be affordable for Villa, who paid more than £33million (£34.6m) to sign Emiliano Buendia last summer.

In other news, Steven Gerrard has personally scouted this midfielder.