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A major update has emerged on Paul Cook’s transfer plans this summer, regarding defensive midfielder Flynn Downes.

What’s the talk?

According to Football Insider, Championship side Barnsley are interested in a deal to sign Ipswich midfielder Flynn Downes this summer. Barnsley are said to be preparing an offer for the Englishman after being impressed with his displays for the Blues in League One.

The report claims that Ipswich manager Paul Cook is willing to cash in on Downes and would not stand in his way if a reasonable bid came in for his services. Downes is heading into the final year of his contract at Portman Road and Barnsley are looking to pounce on the 22-year-old.

Back in 2019, former Ipswich midfielder Matt Holland hailed the “outstanding” midfielder for his performances for the club under Paul Lambert. He told Ipswich’s website, as relayed by the EADT:

“Flynn is a player I’ve known for quite a long time because my son did a bit of training with the academy and I did a bit of coaching here as well.

“Straight away he was one who caught my eye and he was only 10 or 11 years old. I thought he had the temperament and character to go a long way, as well as the ability and talent of course.

“He’s proving that again this season and I think he’s been absolutely outstanding – a key player for Paul Lambert.”

Fans will be livid

Ipswich fans will be livid at this news for several reasons.

Downes is a long-time servant to Ipswich and has been at the club since he was seven, joining the academy in 2006 and making his first-team debut in 2017 against Birmingham in the Championship. T

his means that Cook could be about to let one of the club’s academy products go, which could anger fans who are attached to local players more than those who come in from other clubs in England or from abroad.

Downes has also been a shining light on the pitch for Ipswich. The 22-year-old averaged an excellent WhoScored rating of 6.98 in 10 starts as a defensive midfielder in League One. He averaged 2.8 tackles and interceptions per game for Ipswich, which is skewed by seven substitute appearances lowering his numbers.

That shows that he is adept at winning the ball back for his side. Therefore, he is a quality defensive midfield option at this level and could be a key player for Cook next season if he remains in Suffolk.

The £2.3k-per-week beast has plenty of room to improve at such a young age. Downes turned 22 in January and could be a player with more scope for development, but Ipswich fans will not be able to watch that happen at Portman Road if Cook sells him this summer.

They could miss out on potentially watching him flourish as a player and that could leave Ipswich fans livid at this sale if it goes through as reported, which is why Cook is headed for a disaster with this decision.

AND in other news, Ashton facing disaster with “flourishing” £1.9k-p/w ace, Ipswich fans will be gutted…

Sunderland have dropped out of their position in sixth following a draw with Plymouth Argyle on Monday night, with the League One play-off battle extremely tight, the Black Cats can’t afford to drop any more points.

Following the loss to their play-off position rivals, the top six has changed yet again with Wycombe Wanderers matching the Mackems for points on 77 with one more game played in sixth, whilst Sheffield Wednesday and Plymouth take place in fourth and fifth matched for 79 points.

With that in mind, Alex Neil must consider the changes needed in his squad and the impact needed to ensure that his team can secure a chance at promotion to the Championship at the end of this season with just three games remaining.

After the defeat to Argyle, the Black Cats manager came out to respond to concerns over Ross Stewart’s lack of goals in the last eight games:

“We’ve flogged Ross Stewart in particular into the ground this year.

“To expect a lad to come to this level and churn that out repeatedly for that amount of time, having done what he has done for us already, you are asking a lot of anybody.”

The £2.7k-per-week striker who has been claimed to be “fatigued” by Echo journalist Phil Smith, is the club’s top goal-scorer so far with 22 goals, starting every single league game only being subbed off four times in the second half over the entire season, so it is no wonder that there are concerns about the Scotsman being tired.

It would be a huge risk and a bold call to drop their star man, but if Neil does decide to axe Stewart from the starting line-up for the next game against 12th place Cambridge United on Saturday afternoon, it could ultimately pay off in the closing stages of the season.

Should Sunderland find themselves successful in finishing in the top six, there will be three huge additional games on top of the last three league games to secure promotion, so surely resting the striker against Cambridge United could be Neil’s last opportunity to allow Stewart to revive his goal-scoring form.

AND in other news: Speakman howler: SAFC may now be on the verge of repeating brutal Hugill disasterclass

Everton have never been afraid of making a big-money signing. Head down their ten most expensive acquisitions and you’ll notice every single one of them cost over £24m.

You will also notice that they’ve wasted a fair bit of cash too. Moise Kean, Yannick Bolasie and Alex Iwobi all feature on that list, for instance.

It’s fair to say that Farhad Moshiri and Marcel Brands haven’t always got the transfer window spot on.

Their efforts with Carlo Ancelotti last summer were more promising though. James Rodriguez was the landmark addition but their defence has been sufficiently bolstered by the entrance of Ben Godfrey.

However, in classic Toffees fashion, it’s their attack they are aiming to strengthen in a few months time.

Philippe Coutinho has been linked with a move to Goodison Park and if he did complete that switch, it would be a captivating addition.

After all, this is a man who has won the Champions League with Bayern Munich and has regularly put defenders in a spin across Europe.

Blessed with the ability to create something out of nothing, his long-range shooting and vision is truly captivating.

It would be another landmark addition for Everton but so would Sergio Aguero. The Manchester City forward is out of contract this summer and it’s thought that Everton are one of his suitors.

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A transfer to Merseyside may feel a bit wild to some but Everton’s board have shown big ambition in the recent past and just imagine the damage Aguero could do alongside Coutinho.

Dubbed “unique” by Pep Guardiola, Aguero possesses a ruthless finishing instinct which coupled with Coutinho’s creativity would be mouth-watering.

He is a joy to play with and if Kevin De Bruyne laps up his services, the creative muses at Everton would too.

Speaking a number of years ago, the Belgian superstar commented: “He’s obviously one of the best strikers I’ve played with. He’s a striker who’s there in front of the goal. When you don’t see him a lot in a game he can pop up and score three. His record speaks for itself. Everyone knows about Sergio.”

Aguero has found the net on 258 occasions for the Citizens down the years and is now their all-time record scorer. The 97-cap Argentine may have his injury problems but give him a sight of goal and the ball is likely to end up in the back of the net.

Combine that ruthless streak with a player of Coutinho’s ability and it could be curtains for Premier League defences. After all, when the Brazilian played for Liverpool, he racked up an impressive 45 assists in 201 outings.

James is currently the creative jewel at Goodison but the arrival of these two world-class players would give Everton a remarkable chance of finally breaking into the top four.

It’s enough to make those at Goodison drool with excitement.

AND in other news, Everton may find their new Lukaku by signing £45m beast who makes “spectacular plays”…

Rangers begin their Champions League qualifying campaign with an away game against Malmo on Tuesday evening, and Steven Gerrard should hand a start Scott Wright.

The Gers travel to Sweden to take on Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side, with just two ties separating the Gers from the Champions League group stage.

It was confirmed earlier this week that the winner of this tie will take on either Ludogorets or  Olympiacos in the play-off round, but Malmo will be far from easy for Gerrard’s side, with the Swedish side responsible for Rangers’ exit the last time they appeared in the Champions League qualifiers in 2011.

Therefore, Rangers will need to be at their best if they are to pick up a positive result at the Eleda Stadium on Tuesday night, and Wright deserves a start after his impressive performance against Livingston at the weekend.

Why should Wright start vs Livingston?

The former Aberdeen man replaced the injury-stricken Ianis Hagi early on and later scored Rangers’ second goal with a superb volleyed finish inside the area. His performance earned him a 7.6 SofaScore rating, the joint-second highest of anyone who featured at Ibrox.

Following the game, Gerrard was full of praise for the 23-year-old’s display and his attitude in pre-season, saying: “Scott could have started today. His performances in pre-season have been outstanding. We’re working on him a lot.

“He’s quick and got his rewards from another strong performance. He’s really in my thinking for Tuesday night.”

The 41-year-old admitted that Hagi might not be fit to start against the Swedish champions, but even if the Romanian does return, Rangers might be best served by starting the Scottish winger on the right-hand side.

The 23-year-old offers the pace and direct running which Hagi doesn’t, and on a night where Rangers might find themselves on the back foot as the away team, speed on the counterattack could be key to Gerrard’s side bringing a positive result back to Ibrox for next week.

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Although Malmo only scraped past HJK Helsinki and Riga to earn their place in this stage of the Champions League qualifiers, they have won their last three league games with a cumulative score of 11-0, so will be in a confident mood as they welcome Rangers. However, if Wright gets a start and produces a similar display to Saturday’s win at Ibrox, then he could prove to be Gerrard’s difference-maker in Sweden tonight.

In other news… Rangers miss out on “fantastic” gem, Gerrard surely gutted

Southampton are rumoured to be keen on signing Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on loan, according to talkSPORT.

The 27-year-old was restricted to just 17 appearances in all competitions last term for the Reds in what was a frustrating campaign disrupted with injury problems. The midfielder has been troubled with various injury concerns in his time at Anfield, having signed for the Reds back in 2017 from Premier League rivals Arsenal.

He would be no stranger to his surroundings if he were to pursue a move to Southampton, having spent his youth career at St Mary’s before breaking into their first-team in 2010.

Southampton finished 15th in the Premier League last season under the management of Ralph Hasenhüttl, and they’re clearly keen to strengthen their midfield options before the summer transfer window reaches a conclusion.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp previously labelled Oxlade-Chamberlain as ‘outstanding’, and the 27-year-old will be hoping he can find regular game-time at Anfield during the 2021/22 campaign.

Plenty of Reds fans took to social media to react to Southampton’s rumoured interest in re-signing the England international this summer. Take a look at some of the reaction from Anfield Watch on Twitter, with some Kopites begging the club to avoid making the “stupid decision” of letting him go out on loan.

Liverpool fans don’t want Oxlade-Chamberlain loaned out

“Why are you willing to sell and yet we don’t see any effort of bringing in any new face like Saul, we are not sharp in scoring, that’s our problem by now.”

Credit: @nelsonnyonges11

“Can’t afford to let him go. Before his injury he was looking good. On his day can provide goals from midfield. Would only be able to replace him with a “home grown” player. Who?”

Credit: @MarkhHaigh

“I don’t think we are in a position to let any player leave, especially in that midfield.”

Credit: @Damzie07

“Makes 0 sense if we are meant to be using him as an alternative to Firmino.”

Credit: @ChloeWesthead1

“No, no, no and no !! Give him a chance this season, he has potential if he’s not injured. We believe in him! So underrated”

Credit: @Upcomers_

“No don’t do it @LFC let him stay. He’s a special talent and deserves to be given a fair chance, if he can stay free from injury.”

Credit: @QuintonCroukamp

“Stupid decision if it happens.”

Credit: @neilatkins2

“Keep him unless we sign someone.”

Credit: @danielpgst

In other news, many Liverpool fans were purring over this man’s display against Athletic Bilbao

Andy Carroll will learn his Newcastle fate on Thursday, according to Chronicle Live journalist Lee Ryder.

The lowdown

The 32-year-old is approaching the end of his contract at St James’ Park, having rejoined the Magpies ahead of the 2019/20 season after being released by West Ham.

Carroll has made 22 appearances in all competitions this season, with his only goal coming in a 2-1 defeat to Leicester in March.

The striker is one of a number of Toon players out of contract in June. The group also includes wingers Jacob Murphy and Christian Atsu, centre-back Federico Fernandez and midfielder Henri Saivet.

The latest

Carroll was an unused substitute as Newcastle beat Fulham 2-0 at Craven Cottage on the final day of the Premier League season, and Ryder speculated that his ‘thumbs up towards the stands’ may have been a goodbye.

The Chronicle Live reporter added that the former Liverpool striker will be told whether he is being released later this week, with Mike Ashley possibly having the ‘final word’.

The verdict

Carroll’s time at Newcastle would appear to be up. He hasn’t made enough of a contribution since he returned to Tyneside two years ago, scoring just once in 43 appearances in that time.

Given that he’s now 32, it’s probably in his interests to be playing regular football in a division such as the Championship rather than occupying a bit-part role at Newcastle.

The priority for Ashley should be to extend the contract of Murphy, whose impressive run of form was instrumental in steering Newcastle to safety.

In other news, Newcastle have reportedly held talks with this Championship defender. 

According to a report by The Times, Tottenham Hotspur have already held talks over potentially signing 21 year-old Fiorentina star Dusan Vlahovic this summer.

The Lowdown: Spurs eyeing attackers…

While it is thought that strengthening at centre-back is the main priority for Tottenham, the club have also been touted to bolster their forward options.

Both Carlos Vinicius and Gareth Bale have now returned to their parent clubs upon the expiry of their temporary deals in north London and one of Fabio Paratici’s jobs for this summer could be to inject some much-needed quality in their positions.

The Latest: Tottenham have already held talks…

As per The Times, Spurs have already held talks over possibly signing Vlahovic this summer as the club weigh up their transfer options.

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The Serbia striker scored an impressive 21 league goals for La Viola over 2020/2021 and could come as a great alternative to star man Harry Kane as the club fight to keep him this summer.

Spurs want to strengthen this summer and have apparently now held discussions over Vlahovic as they weigh summer moves.

The Verdict: Do it Levy…

Tottenham will have to break the bank for him in a tough financial climate, with TUTTOMercatoWEB (via Milan Reports) recently revealing Fiorentina value him at around €60 million (£51.6m).

However, given his phenomenal goal record over 20/21 and with many years still ahead of him, the towering 6 foot 3 striker could be worth every penny.

Ex-Partizan Belgrade team-mate Valeri Bojinov lifted the lid on his ‘crazy’ ex-teammate branding himself the ‘new Zlatan Ibrahimovic’ in an interview (Planet Football), while former Serie A striker Antonio Di Natale lauded Vlahovic as a ‘phenomenon’ (TMW).

Hitting 21 goals in Serie A at his age suggests they may be right.

As Spurs announce the appointment of Nuno Espirito Santo, with their long manager search now coming to an end, no better statement could be made than properly making an effort for Vlahovic this summer.

In other news: Tottenham negotiations now underway for this possible signing, find out more here.

If Thursday night was a trial, then mooted West Ham target Paul Onachu would have hardly passed with flying colours.

In fact, his performance may be enough to put new Irons head of recruitment Rob Newman completely off making a move as the 27-year-old struggled against the east London outfit in the Europa League.

The Hammers dominated Belgian outfit Genk and came out on top with a 3-0 victory at the London Stadium to maintain their 100% record in the competition.

According to the Daily Mail, West Ham are among many clubs interested in a move for the Nigeria international, who is thought to be valued at around £20m.

There is said to be competition from Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton, whilst Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid have also been linked by the report.

Well, luckily for David Moyes and co, they got to witness his credentials firsthand, and on that basis alone, he could struggle to have much of an impact in England as the Irons absolutely silenced him with their two backup central defenders.

Onuachu may have bagged 11 goals in 15 appearances beforehand, providing a total of 56 goals in only 85 games for the Jupiler Pro League outfit, but there is a vast difference in the quality of opposition.

The £19.8m-rated forward, who was once dubbed a “goal king” by former Wimbledon star John Fashanu, looked rather poor against the Irons.

Both Issa Diop and Craig Dawson dealt with his 6 foot 7 stature and usually impressive aerial ability (he has won 3.6 aerial duels per league game this term) with aplomb.

Onuachu was hooked after 73 minutes, having failed to make any sort of impact. As per SofaScore, his two attempts on goal were fired off target, with one of those a particularly weak effort with what was a golden chance for the visitors, whilst the towering striker also won only 50% of his battles in the air and managed just one successful dribble from three attempts.

It’s no secret that Moyes needs another frontline addition to help provide backup to Michail Antonio, who was not even in the squad on Thursday night, but on that midweek showing, the answer may not be the Genk talisman.

Newman must steer West Ham clear of the 27-year-old or else risk making a major transfer blunder.

AND in other news, Moyes handed fresh injury blow to key West Ham star ahead of Spurs…

It could well be Declan Rice’s last season at West Ham as interest in his signature ramps up heading into 2022…

What’s the word?

According to Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, there is set to be a massive transfer tussle between three of the Premier League’s biggest clubs in a bid to win the race for the 22-year-old England international.

“It’s a big race for Declan Rice, because he is in the list for Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United,” he revealed to his ‘Here We Go’ podcast this week.

Whilst he is unlikely to depart the London Stadium in January, it seems likely that the Irons star will leave in the summer, with The Athletic echoing such thoughts.

They claim that the Hammers are aware of Rice’s ambitions to win trophies and play Champions League football, whilst he’s under contract until 2024.

Moyes nightmare

Moyes could be fighting a losing battle here, so it may soon become his worst nightmare in east London.

Rice was already performing at an exceptional level last season and at Euro 2020 but somehow, he’s elevated his game even more. It’s no wonder the three big dogs are pursuing him.

The 27-cap beast, who is currently valued at £63m by Transfermarkt, is once again proving to be a crucial cog in this Irons squad.

As per WhoScored, Rice is averaging a 7.31 rating (fourth-best), having provided two assists, whilst he tops the charts for interceptions per game (two) and passing accuracy (92.4%), despite managing a whopping 61.1 passes each outing.

After West Ham’s win over Everton at the weekend, Moyes waxed lyrical about his midfield talisman and vice-captain, re-iterating just how influential he is to their success.

“It would be very hard to say how good he was. He was excellent,” he told reporters (via football.london). “For me, he was head and shoulders above everybody on the pitch today, he passed it, took control, wanted the ball, received the ball and tried to create opportunities.”

Just a few days later, Sky Sports pundit and United legend Gary Neville added further fuel to the fire by urging him to leave the club [Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, 18/10].

“I think the development will be at some point, and West Ham fans won’t like me saying this, that he’ll somehow have to obviously transfer to a club that’s going to the Champions League, where he plays in midfield with high expectations, where he’s playing against teams that are dropping deep every week. I think he meets the demands on players to be good on the ball, to drive with the ball. I think he’s a good defender as well. He’s got a massive physique and he’s got good speed.”

On the above evidence, fans should probably be resigned to the fact that Rice isn’t going to stick around forever, no matter how big his love is for the club.

As we saw with Jack Grealish’s move to Manchester City this summer, some things are just too good to turn down and that scenario could well repeat itself with the West Ham star.

Moyes will be gutted to lose such an integral part of his squad, that’s for sure.

AND in other news, West Ham handed double injury boost ahead of Genk clash…

Leicester City have received a potentially significant boost in their pursuit of West Bromwich Albion midfielder Matheus Pereira.

What’s the story?

The Foxes are amongst several Premier League clubs who have been credited with an interest in the 25-year-old magician this summer, with Crystal Palace, Leeds United and Aston Villa also thought to be on his signature.

And according to BirminghamLive, West Brom have given the clearest indication yet that Pereira will depart the Hawthorns over the coming months after agreeing to leave Pereira out of their squad for their remaining warm-up matches after he missed their first three amid speculation over his future.

He’s a big upgrade

Despite the Baggies being stuck in the relegation zone for much of 2020/21, Pereira excelled throughout his maiden top-flight campaign, bagging 11 goals and providing six assists in 33 appearances.

Pereira’s one-man show at times last season caught the eye of numerous onlookers, including BBC pundit and former Everton midfielder Leon Osman, who praised his set-piece delivery.

“It’s a wonderful corner. We’ve seen Matheus Pereira try this a few times. He tries to find it under the crossbar, inside the goal frame, to see if anyone gets on the end of it,” said Osman.

“Matt Phillips made himself a handful for the goalkeeper, but it’s a wonderful delivery from Pereira.”

And, after a superb display against Aston Villa, BBC Sport pundit Jermain Jenas said of the 25-year-old: “He’s just silky. When he’s on it, he’s just got that lovely left-foot, (tucked) his penalty away, the delivery into the box for set-pieces was brilliant, and he wanted to showcase his skills.”

A recent report in the Express & Star claimed that West Brom are set to demand around £30m for their prized asset, and he would provide a significant upgrade on some of the current options available to Brendan Rodgers at the King Power Stadium.

Both Dennis Praet and Ayoze Perez have been linked with moves away from Leicester in recent weeks, and replacing the duo with Pereira would see the FA Cup holders increase the strength in depth of their first-team squad.

After the pair enjoyed relatively successful first campaigns with the Midlands outfit, they both struggled to make an impact last term.

Belgium international Praet contributed to just two Premier League goals throughout 2020/21, while Perez only bettered his teammates tally by one, falling way below Pereira’s standards despite playing in a far more successful side.

It remains to be seen whether the Leicester hierarchy follow up their interest in the Brazilian playmaker with a concrete offer, but it’s clear he would provide a much-needed boost to Rodgers’ hopes of achieving a top-four finish next season.

And, with James Maddison being linked with an exit to Arsenal, Pereira come in and instantly be his successor at the King Power.

And, in other news…Leicester eye swoop for “incredible” £18m-rated beast, fans will be buzzing