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With the transfer window set to start in a few months’ time, there is bound to be speculation about Ryan Kent, which will put the winger in an uncomfortable position over his Glasgow Rangers future.

Kent’s relationship with Rangers almost seems to be too perfect to break. Beloved by fans, players and pundits alike, the former England U20 international, who turned 24 earlier this week, has burst onto the scene at Ibrox since he first arrived at the club from Liverpool on loan in 2018.

Reports in recent times revealed that Ibrox bosses want the left winger to renew terms for the second time in 18 months after an impressive start to the season.

Kent has been in fine form in recent months, although his performances somewhat tailed off before the international break. Despite this, he has still scored five goals and supplied four assists so far this season, making him the club’s third-highest goalscorer in all competitions.

But former Celtic and St Mirren striker Frank McAvennie has questioned whether or not the Ibrox outfit will be able to offer him new and improved terms. Speaking to Football Insider, he said: “I am not sure if Rangers could afford to pay him the money he would want to renew terms again.

“If they win the league and do well in the Europa League then there is a chance but who knows.”

As is often the case, Rangers are in danger of losing one of their best players if Premier League clubs come calling once again, as they simply do not have the financial firepower to fend off the potential suitors.

Recently described as an “unstoppable” dynamo by former Aberdeen and Leeds striker Noel Whelan, Kent has made nearly 100 appearances for the Light Blues, whilst he has scored 19 goals and supplied 19 assists in all competitions, via Transfermarkt. Remarkably, he has not been sent off once in his entire club career so far, despite being on the receiving end of some hair-raising tackles.

If he helps Rangers reclaim the elusive Scottish Premiership this season, he may feel as if he has achieved everything possibly he can with Gerrard’s side, and consider a move elsewhere for a new challenge. However, a lucrative contract extension would throw a real spanner in the works, as it would tie him down to a new long-term deal.

Kent currently earns wages worth £18,000-per-week, per SalarySport, but a new contract could make him one of the club’s highest paid earners. He is arguably one of the club’s most influential players on the pitch alongside club captain James Tavernier. Should no transfer come to fruition in the not too distant future, it looks like he could spend the next couple of years of his career at the club. Bringing down the wage bill would create some space to increase his salary, so getting rid of Jermain Defoe would be a good step in the right direction.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers must give Connor Goldson a bumper new deal in Nikola Katic’s absence…

More than four years after leaving Elland Road, Lewis Cook could be set for an incredible return to Leeds United this summer.

The England international joined Bournemouth in the summer of 2016, with the Cherries’ chief executive Neill Blake declaring that they had signed “one of the country’s brightest prospects”.

But following Bournemouth’s relegation to the Championship, things are up in the air, with Football Insider now claiming that Leeds are eyeing up a move for their former midfield prodigy.

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The report claims that Cook is “firmly on their radar”, and that the 23-year-old’s close connection with the Whites could see him be convinced of a move back to Yorkshire.

Hailed as a “special talent” by Eddie Howe, Cook can return to Leeds and form an exciting partnership in the middle of the park with Kalvin Phillips.

The duo both came through the Elland Road’s side academy, and with the club making their return to the Premier League after well over a decade, it would be quite poetic to see the pair start in their first game back.

As clubs spend big money on signing players from all across Europe, the Leeds midfield could be dominated by two homegrown, local stars. When Cook was bursting onto the scene, then Whites boss Dave Hockaday waxed lyrical about the young prospect, saying “if you chopped Lewis’ head off and put an older head on his shoulders, you wouldn’t be surprised”.

It was Hockaday who handed the midfielder his debut and first start for Leeds before he left the club, and some of the credit for Cook’s emergence surely has to go to the former Whites boss for placing his trust in him.

And with the midfielder now having played a total of 75 times in the Premier League in his time at Bournemouth, he could provide Marcelo Bielsa’s side with some valuable top-flight experience.

Bringing a former academy starlet back home? It just seems like a no-brainer.

Aston Villa may have already snapped up one striker during this summer transfer window but it appears Dean Smith isn’t finished just yet…

What’s the word?

According to the Telegraph, the Midlands outfit are keen to add more firepower before next month’s deadline with Celtic forward Odsonne Edouard high on their shortlist.

Smith has dipped into the Championship for his first two signings, clinching Matty Cash from Nottingham Forest as well as his former Brentford talisman Ollie Watkins for a whopping £33m.

Edouard won’t be easy to prize away from the Scottish champions with a tenth title in a row firmly in their sight.

The Sun believe they rate their leading goalscorer at £30m with Leicester City, Everton, Leeds United and many more also interested.

Shades of Benteke

It would certainly be one hell of a statement from new director of football Johan Lange if they were to clinch the emphatic 22-year-old on top of their Watkins swoop.

During the 2019/20 campaign, the Frenchman delivered 27 goals and 19 assists in all competitions, including important strikes in the Europa League and against arch-rivals Rangers, per Transfermarkt.

His playing style and imposing power draws similarities to that of ex-Villa star Christian Benteke – speaking about Edouard during his time at Parkhead, Brendan Rodgers once said:

“I find myself applauding due to the sheer quality that he possesses, which is incredible. He also has a great footballing brain and technique for such a young player. He’s very strong and he also gets goals.”

At 6 foot 2, he is very much akin to what is perhaps Villa’s last true goalscorer and their recent attempts to replace him in Wesley and Mbwana Samatta have been more miss than hit.

Former Hoops right-back Mark Wilson describes Edouard as “the complete all round striker” as he “can play off the shoulder, can hold it up, can drop into the hole and can score free kicks.”

Just imagine him and Watkins feeding off the creative Jack Grealish this season. That should be enough to have fans drooling from their mouth, which is why the club must push ahead with this signing.

AND in other news, Aston Villa can sign Remi Garde favourite in Clement Grenier

Tottenham Hotspur are a team that certainly need to be active in the upcoming transfer window.

The London club have finished outside the top four for the first time since 2014/15, and they’ll need to improve in a number of areas if they’re going to get back into the Champions League spots next season.

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They’ve been looking at a number of players, with links to Willian and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg circulating, but they’re also barking up the wrong tree in trying to sign a new backup goalkeeper.

What’s the story then?

It seems as though Tottenham are keen on getting a new goalie through the door, as they’ve been linked to both Aaron Ramsdale and Marcus Bettinelli.

Ramsdale may want a move due to Bournemouth’s seemingly impending relegation, while Bettinelli has lost his spot as Fulham’s number one due to the emergence of Marek Rodak.

Not needed

Tottenham may not be the best team in the Premier League, but they may have the best goalkeeper and backup combination in the league.

Hugo Lloris has proven his quality over the past decade or so, being a regular in the Champions League and a World Cup-winning captain, while Paulo Gazzaniga has proven to be a competent number two this season, starting 17 league games in Lloris’ absence, losing just five of those matches.

Bettinelli isn’t even first choice at Fulham, while Ramsdale seemingly couldn’t stop Bournemouth from going down, so why are Spurs after them?

It’s hard to imagine that Bettinelli, who has been in the England squad before, and Ramsdale who has been the Cherries’ first-choice this term, will be available for cheap either.

Spurs wasting money and time chasing these two deals seems a foolish move, and perhaps they’d be better off looking towards other areas where they need to strengthen.

Tottenham Hotspur have emerged as surprising contenders to sign Ivan Perisic from Inter Milan this summer, according to reports. 

Jose Mourinho wanted to bring Perisic to Old Trafford during his time in charge of Manchester United but Ed Woodward refused to sanction a deal. Recent reports revealed that the Croatia international is weighing up a move to north London in the summer, amid interest from Mourinho’s former club.

Tottenham have held talks with his agent over a potential transfer and it seems a deal could be one step closer to being completed. According to Calciomercato, as per @TranSPURS, Spurs are prepared to offer Erik Lamela in exchange for the Inter Milan midfielder.

Perisic has spent the past season on loan at Bayern Munich, scoring four goals and supplying three assists in the Bundesliga this season, taking 1.9 shots per game (via WhoScored). However, the German giants will not trigger the option to sign the 31-year-old on a permanent basis and he is now considering his options.

The Italian publication claimed that Antonio Conte has no intentions in using the Croatian at the San Siro next season, which has left him in a precarious position.

Mourinho has the answer to his old adversary’s problems as the Portuguese wants to take Perisic off his hands. He is willing to offer Lamela in exchange to sweeten the deal, which could be a shrewd piece of business by Daniel Levy.

The Argentine was a firm favourite of former boss Mauricio Pochettino, becoming the club’s first-choice winger during his compatriot’s reign, but he has struggled for consistency this season.

His output has simply not been up to scratch, especially as the Spurs boss has made it clear that he wants to win trophies.

Clubs are operating in unprecedented circumstances and Mourinho knows that his budget has been severely slashed, so he will have to resort to hunting for bargains, searching for free agents and sorting out swap deals. It is arguably the perfect opportunity for the Portuguese to finally get his man.

Tottenham fans, should Levy sign Ivan Perisic in the summer? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Darren Pratley has spoken about the consequences of Charlton Athletic’s poor run of form, as reported by News Shopper.

What did he say?

Charlton have managed to get just two points from their nine most recent games, a run that has seen them plummet down the table to their current position of 17th.

Having failed to win for such a long period of time, there is definitely the possibility that the team’s confidence could be negatively impacted.

That has proven to be the case, as Pratley honestly explained:

“No matter how much you dress it up, losing games effects confidence, when you lose games it will affect you.

“We are all trying to make things happen and it’s not working, especially in front of goal, we aren’t creating, testing their keeper.

“The sooner we get everyone off that treatment table the better, Jonny is a creative player and Lyle scores goals, we need them back, they’re international players. It’s always good to have your best players available.”

In need of a lift

This is completely understandable from a human level, as continuously coming short is bound to take its toll at some point.

However, the Addicks can’t allow themselves to wallow in their failure, as things will only get worse if they are drawn into a scrap to stay out of the relegation zone.

Pratley referenced the return of five-goal striker Lyle Taylor as something that could come as a lift and the Montserrat international came close to doing that against Huddersfield Town, but his goal was eventually ruled out.

The players can’t simply look towards the 29-year-old for answers though, especially as he hasn’t fully made his way back to the starting line up yet.

Bowyer’s men have struggled, but the manager now needs his players to stand up and be counted against Hull City and beyond.

In other news, Bowyer has opened up about how much Charlton miss one key man.

In a Q&A for Football.London, Alasdair Gold has confirmed Tottenham’s interest in Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma.

What did he say?

Reports in recent days have suggested that Spurs are eyeing a move for the Frenchman this summer, and any potential switch would see Zouma be reunited with his former boss at Stamford Bridge, Jose Mourinho.

And according to Gold, that previous link means the current Spurs manager will “know him inside out”, but admitted that any fee to sign him could prove to be out of the north London side’s reach.

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When asked whether there is “any legitimacy in the links”, he said: “There will be interest there. Mourinho signed him for Chelsea and will know him inside out and at 25 there’s plenty to work with when it comes to Zouma. However, for me, with three years left on his deal and Chelsea not likely to be desperate to deal with Spurs, any fee would be massive and something Tottenham would struggle with this year.”

Reunion

Out of all the managers he has played under at Chelsea, Zouma featured the most under Mourinho, playing 49 games for the Portuguese man and even scoring four goals too.

The £25.2m-rated ace had been a regular under Frank Lampard for the first-half of the season, but the last couple of months before football was postponed, saw him fall out of the starting eleven.

He played just twice in Chelsea’s last eight Premier League games, and at 25, is at the stage of his career when playing first-team football week-in and week-out should surely be at the top of the agenda.

And having played under Mourinho before, a move to Spurs may be all the more appealing. But as Gold suggests, Chelsea are unlikely to let him go on the cheap, so the north London side may have to turn their attentions elsewhere.

Sheffield Wednesday will be looking to get back on track this evening when they host Birmingham City at Hillsborough, but they will do so without one key member of the squad, which has left some supporters absolutely delighted.

The Owls were defeated 2-1 by league leaders West Bromwich Albion on Saturday as Charlie Austin slotted home an 88th-minute penalty to secure all three points.

A mix up in defence saw goalkeeper Keiren Westwood clatter down Matheus Pereira inside the area to hand the Baggies substitute an opportunity from the spot and the veteran will now play no part in tonight’s game as a result.

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In his pre-match press conference, manager Garry Monk revealed to journalist Dom Howson that the 35-year-old will be out of action due to a slight shoulder injury, meaning Cameron Dawson will be named between the sticks once again – although, this move would have happened either way.

The young backup has made four clean sheets in five appearances this season, so they will certainly be in good hands.

Several of the Wednesday faithful have taken to social media to express their thoughts about the news.

One supporter said it was about time as Dawson had been brilliant every time he’s come into the side while another praised Monk for starting players on merit rather than name.

Others highlighted the fact that Westwood had made too many mistakes recently with a further fan wanting the 24-year-old to keep the long-serving Owl out of the side for the foreseeable future.

Here’s what the fans are saying:

Meanwhile, Garry Monk has finally spoken out about the potential punishment the club may face following their EFL charge.

Gabriel Martinelli has been something of a sensation since the relatively unknown attacker landed at Arsenal in the summer transfer window.

The Brazilian teenager was plucked from South America and has made an immediate impact in north London, scoring seven goals in all competitions and catching the eye with his tantalising technique.

A Premier League start, however, continues to elude him, much to the annoyance of a handful of Arsenal fans on Twitter.

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With the clash against Brighton looming on Thursday evening, supporters have expressed their desire to see him out wide in Freddie Ljungberg’s starting XI.

Whether Martinelli’s involvement would indeed enable Arsenal to play “sexy football” is up for debate, but the agenda is clear nonetheless.

It’s only natural that cries of this nature are beginning to infiltrate social media just after Ljungberg has taken charge.

After all, it’s during periods of managerial upheaval in which fringe players are given a chance to prove themselves to a fresh set of eyes, and the 18-year-old talent is certainly no exception to the rule.

Meanwhile, a handful of fans want to see Martinelli in the side in any shape or form, whether it be at centre-forward or otherwise.

One fan in particular cited his cameo against Norwich City last weekend as justification for his take.

The consensus is clear: Arsenal fans want to see Martinelli make his first start for the club this week.

In other news, Ljungberg has name-checked a wonderkid who represents the future at Arsenal. 

Leeds United fans on Twitter have been paying tribute to one of their greatest ever players on his birthday as Johnny Giles turned 79 on Wednesday.

The Irishman was a part of Don Revie’s historic United team from the late 1960s and early 1970s, and during his time at Elland Road, he won almost everything there is to win in club football.

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Indeed, during his spell with the Whites, he won two league titles, an FA Cup and a League Cup, while also being a part of the team that infamously lost the 1975 European Cup final.

Leeds fans of a certain age have incredible memories of the midfielder, and they’ll have told their children and grandchildren stories of his brilliance.

Understandably, some United supporters took to Twitter on his birthday to wax lyrical about the club legend.

Here’s what the Elland Road faithful have been saying on social media…