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Aston Villa must seal a summer swoop for £9m-rated Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah, and he would make a great partner for Ollie Watkins.

Villa were interested in bringing Nketiah to the club ahead of January but a move never materialised, but they can’t make the same mistake this summer and must secure his signature before another club do.

According to Birmingham Live, Villa are still interested in the 22-year old who has made 87 appearances for Arsenal and been directly involved in 22 goals. To have played that amount of games at such a young age is impressive, he has a long career ahead of him and we think he would make a worthy investment.

The Englishman has impressed when called upon by Mikel Arteta this season, particularly in their recent derby victory over Chelsea where he scored a brace.

Following this display his boss Mikel Arteta said he has been “unfair” on him, eluding to the lack of game time he’s given to the youngster. It’s that lack of game time that could see him leave the club in search for more regular minutes, with Crystal Palace also showing an interest.

His contract expires in June and there is another offer on the table but he looks set to leave for free. Not paying a transfer fee makes signing him even more attractive and a lot less risky, so much so that it’s a surprise other clubs aren’t in for him.

Former England star Michael Owen has heaped praise on Nketiah calling him a “goal-machine” who has a “hunger to score”.

If he made the move to Villa Park then he would be lining up alongside Ollie Watkins. He’s been a menace since he arrived from Brentford for £30.6m in 2020 and is the top scorer for the West Midlands side this season.

They could form a formidable partnership that would give the Villans the best chance at achieving Steven Gerrard’s aim of ‘bringing European football back’ to the club.

When you compare the two players they both excel in different areas meaning that they could each contribute to the team in unique ways.

Watkins is better when it comes to shots on target per 90 minutes with 0.92 compared to 0.84, whereas Nketiah beats him when it comes to goal creating actions per 90 with 0.42 compared to 0.22.

Ultimately not much can go wrong and if Villa want to improve their forward line in the summer then he is the best option for them.

IN other news: Aston Villa now plotting bid for £18m-rated “phenom”, he’s the “new Yaya Toure” – opinion…

In an exclusive interview with Transfer Tavern, Tottenham Hotspur legend, Paul Stewart, has claimed that Spurs should’ve sold Harry Winks in January when Valencia were interested in the midfielder.

Winks has been with Spurs his whole career having made 170 appearances since making his debut in 2014 but there were reports that Valencia wanted to sign the 25-year old in January.

Former manager, Jose Mourinho, made it clear that he did not want Tottenham to sell Winks in January as he needed him in the squad to provide competition and depth to the midfield.

Speaking on why it would’ve been smart for Spurs to sell Winks in January and how he is not a fan of what Winks brings to the team, Stewart exclusively told The Transfer Tavern:

“I’d have taken the money for him in January, because I think it would have been good business.

“I’m a Tottenham fan but I have probably been one of Winks’ biggest critics.”

The £50,000 per week midfielder burst on the scene back in 2016 when he made 21 Premier League appearances and the midfielder earned his first England call up in 2017 but he was omitted from Gareth Southgate’s latest squad.

Spurs are on the hunt for a new manager which could allow Winks to prove himself and become a regular for Tottenham next season, as he’s only managed seven league starts this season.

Former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has told The Transfer Tavern in an exclusive interview that he would not be surprised to see Neil Taylor leave his old side in the summer.

Taylor has been a good servant to Villa after joining in 2017, helping the Midlands club to win promotion back to the Premier League.

However, the 32-year-old left-back is out of contract at the end of the season and Sky Sports are now reporting that Turkish outfit Istanbul Basaksehir are interested in bringing him to the Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadium on a free transfer.

Speaking exclusively to TT about Taylor’s future, Hendrie said:

“Taylor’s been one of those servants that some fans have liked him, some fans haven’t. Listen, when he’s played he’s worn his heart on his sleeve and he’s done well.

“I think the possibility of him signing a new contract is very, very bleak. I think he’d certainly be thinking and considering going and playing the latter stages of his career somewhere else, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he did leave the club.”

If Taylor wants to play regular football, then leaving this summer is probably his best option.

Matt Targett has really made that left-back position his own this season, making over 30 appearances for Dean Smith’s side in the current Premier League campaign, so it is hard to imagine Taylor usurping him.

Everton have further fortune in their favour after their fantastic FA Cup win at the weekend, with a fresh update on injuries handing Frank Lampard a huge boost in the Premier League challenge that lies ahead of the new manager.

What’s the word?

The ex-Chelsea boss took to his pre-match press conference to confirm that Dominic Calvert-Lewin is back in training with the squad and will be available for the upcoming fixture against Newcastle United this evening.

Lampard simply said: “Dominic’s in the squad, so, Dominic has been training for the last few days.”

The striker had been confirmed last week as unavailable for the FA Cup clash with Brentford last Saturday afternoon after sustaining a knock, but quickly returned to training and will now be in contention for a place in the team at St James’ Park.

Fans will be delighted

Calvert-Lewin has cemented himself as a fan favourite at the club thanks to his attacking output since he joined the club in 2016 when he was signed for just £1.5m.

He has been worth his weight in gold with 56 goals and 16 assists in 179 appearances for the Toffees.

The 24-year-old has been instrumental for the side and continues to have a presence Everton seem to struggle without, almost seven years into his time at Goodison Park, which is something we have witnessed this season with Calvert-Lewin missing the majority so far through injury.

The star striker has scored three goals this term so far of which were scored consecutively in the first, second and third games of the season, in which they won two and drew one. Sadly his momentum came to an end when he sustained a quadriceps injury and a fractured toe at the beginning of September.

Since then, it has been downhill for the Toffees, winning just two games in the Premier League in Calvert-Lewin’s absence, conceding 11 more goals than they have scored in their campaign, so his return will surely be a huge boost for the team and for Lampard, as he considers his starting XI tonight with a desperately needed win the outcome the new manager will be hoping for.

New signings Donny van de Beek and Dele Alli will also be available for the league fixture for the first time and it will be interesting to see if Lampard will stick or twist with his winning team from the FA Cup clash at the weekend.

In other news: Lampard could sign Broja in the summer

Aiden McGeady’s dazzling footwork was once again not enough to get Sunderland back into the Championship, but he is still yet to sign a new deal on Wearside and former Newcastle United defender Steve Howey believes the winger will be holding out for more money from the club.

During the second half of last season, the Black Cats were eventually taken over by Kyril Louis-Dreyfus who became the youngest owner in English football, and with a lot of financial power himself and in his family, Sunderland could splash the cash this summer.

McGeady was shunned out of the first-team picture during the first half of the season under former boss, Phil Parkinson, however Lee Johnson brought him straight back in and despite playing just 24 league games he managed to top the assist chart with 16 and get into the WhoScored team of the season with a 7.4 rating.

It would be a huge blow for Sunderland to lose McGeady although it could be for the best to move him on if he is holding out for more money because the club has new owners – something Howey spoke exclusively to Transfer Tavern about:

“He might be holding out for more money or he could be a little bit annoyed with how he was treated because he was exiled a little bit earlier but ultimately, that wasn’t under the manager who is there now.

“He made the League One Team of the Season this year, so even though the club is not basking in money, they do have new owners and he could want them to pay him more.”

There is no doubting McGeady’s qualities on the ball as he is carried Sunderland numerous times to victory or back into games, however at 35-years-old he may now see this as his final big payday before retiring or returning back to Ireland.

Another contract rebel is Charlie Wyke, who is also set to become a free agent later this summer unless he decides to sign the new deal that is on the table for him but after scoring 25 goals in League One he may want to test himself in the Championship.

TalkSPORT’s Simon Jordan has slammed a claim that was made on the potential takeover of Newcastle United by Amanda Staveley.

The Lowdown: Staveley interview

Staveley, who is part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium looking to take over at St. James’ Park has recently spoke to Sky Sports giving her latest thoughts on the whole saga.

In the interview, she referenced a letter that she wrote urging both the UK government and football regulators to make sure that the upcoming arbitration case against the Premier League is made public.

She also added that she wants to seek transparency, as she claims that she knows nothing about the arbitration and does not know what is going on.

The Latest: Jordan slams Staveley

Speaking on talkSPORT, Jordan, a pundit who is the former chairman of Crystal Palace, has claimed that Staveley being ‘in tears’ about opportunities that were missed for the North East club are ‘nonsense’, adding that it is only really the opportunities that she has missed for herself.

He also went on to claim that Staveley’s call for the arbitration process to be made public has ‘nothing to do with the government’, which she ‘knows’.

The Verdict: Staveley desperate

Judging by her latest interview, Staveley is clearly as desperate as many Magpies fans to get the takeover over the line, and sympathises with them in terms of the need for transparency.

Thus, it is a little unfair for Jordan to suggest that she is only really in it for herself, as she clearly knows what the supporters are feeling and wants the deal to go through for them as well as herself and the rest of the consortium.

Nonetheless, her call to make the arbitration process public is a reasonable one, and so the top flight should be looking to side with the Tyneside club and make it so.

In other news, find out what has been said about the latest ‘huge development’ in the takeover saga here!

Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a move for Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar recently and the Frenchman could be a superb addition to Nuno Espirito Santo’s side ahead of next season.

What’s the word?

According to French news outlet Le10 Sport, Spurs have joined their North London rivals Arsenal in the race for the Lyon star this summer.

The report claims that whilst Lyon are keen to keep him at the club, they have been hugely impacted by the issues with the TV deals in Ligue 1 that have left the majority of French clubs under financial strain, which means that they could be willing to let him go for less than the £45m they demanded of Arsenal last summer.

Would he be a good signing?

Aouar has been a regular at Lyon in the past four seasons, making 170 appearances for the French giants, in which he has contributed an impressive 32 goals and 31 assists from midfield.

Last season saw the 23-year-old contribute seven goals and three assists in 30 Ligue 1 appearances for Les Gones, averaging a solid 6.83 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

Whilst that would rank him above the majority of Spurs’ midfield options from last season, Spurs should perhaps be wary of the fact that Tanguy Ndombele, who was also signed from Lyon, has thus far failed to reach the level he was consistently showing in Ligue 1, despite some improved performances last campaign after a nightmare first season at the club.

However, Aouar is clearly a player who is held in high regard across Europe, with legendary Barcelona star Lionel Messi naming him as one of 15 young players to watch, whilst also singing his praises in 2020, saying:

“He is always calm with the ball at his feet with an excellent technical quality.”

Therefore, if he is able to adapt to the Premier League then he could prove to be a superb addition to Espirito Santo’s side this summer, so sporting director Fabio Paratici should definitely be looking to bring him in.

And, in other news… Paratici can sign Nuno a serious Dier upgrade with swoop for “brilliant” beast

After securing their fourth consecutive draw in League One with a 2-2 result against Cheltenham Town at the weekend, Sheffield Wednesday are back in action on Tuesday evening with a big clash against Sunderland, who are currently six points ahead of Darren Moore’s side in the table.

On the chalkboard

Looking ahead to the midweek match against the Black Cats, one Wednesday player that featured in the draw against Cheltenham that we feel should be in the starting XI against Sunderland is defender Chey Dunkley.

During the match at the weekend, Dunkley started and played the full 90 minutes and not only did he manage to score one of Wednesday’s goals on the day, but he also managed to make a vital contribution at the other end of the pitch.

He made three interceptions, blocked three shots and produced four clearances which led to him winning ten of the 14 duels he was involved in. That ultimately earned him an impressive overall match rating of 8/10, making him Wednesday’s highest-rated player on the day according to SofaScore.

This shows just how useful Dunkley, who has been described as “solid” in the past by Moore, can be for the Owls in a defensive and attacking sense on this occasion. That’s precisely why we feel he would be a good option to start again against Sunderland who could see their attacking players bullied while trying to get past the Wednesday defender.

The Yorkshire side signed Dunkley back in August 2020 from Wigan Athletic on a free transfer on a reported two-year deal. Since then, the 29-year-old, who is currently valued at £720k according to Transfermarkt, has made 22 appearances for the Owls across all competitions.

Looking ahead to the match against Lee Johnson’s side, who were beaten 5-1 by Rotherham United in their previous league outing, we feel that Dunkley should definitely be in the starting XI, especially if Dominic Iorfa, who missed the Cheltenham game through injury, isn’t available to play after Moore said it’s 50/50 over whether he’d be fit enough to play a part.

If Dunkley does play in midweek, we think he would give Wednesday a great chance of grabbing a positive result and keeping their unbeaten streak going with the Owls having not lost a league game since their 2-1 defeat against Oxford United back in early October.

In other news: Sheff Weds sweating over big injury blow ahead of SAFC clash, Moore will be gutted – opinion

Everton would have been better off targeting Sassuolo winger Jeremie Boga instead of plumping for free agent Andros Townsend, according to Forza Italian Football editor Conor Clancy.

Rafa Benitez was appointed as the Toffees’ new boss in June, following Carlo Ancelotti’s shock return to Real Madrid, and quickly made Townsend his first signing having worked with the former Crystal Palace man at Newcastle United.

Townsend headed to Goodison Park after seeing his contract at Palace expire at the end of June.

Everton, who have signed another winger in the form of Demarai Gray ahead of the season getting underway, have also been heavily linked with Boga.

The Toffees are not the only club targeting the 24-year-old Sassuolo man, with Leeds United and Crystal Palace showing an interest while Serie A side Atalanta have seen a £15.5million bid knocked back.

Boga made one Premier League appearance during his time with Chelsea and Italian football expert Clancy believes Benitez should have prioritised signing Boga instead of Townsend.

He told Football FanCast: “There’s no competition between Boga and Townsend. Boga is twice the player Townsend is – and then some.”

Former Premiership striker Noel Whelan, who now works as a pundit for the BBC, believes there is no chance Rangers will allow Glen Kamara to leave the club in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Kamara a key man for Rangers

Steven Gerrard’s side have enjoyed great success in recent times, getting their hands on the Premiership title last season.

Kamara has been a key presence for them during this period – indeed, his manager has hailed him as ‘fantastic’, impressing in the middle of the park and subsequently being linked with a move away from Ibrox.

The Latest: Pundit makes bold prediction

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan is adamant that the 25-year-old won’t move on in January, but admitted a summer exit could be on the cards:

“It’s not a worry in terms of his performances, because he’s kept the putting in the same standard of performances.

“Contract talks are never easy, especially when you’re trying to keep big players at the club. It’s especially hard when there’s a real possibility of selling him at the end of the season.

“It will be the end of the season if he is sold.

“There’s no way Rangers would sell in January when they’ll still be fighting for Europe and fighting to retain the title.

“If the deal is to be signed, you would expect that all parties would have agreed to it by January. He’s an important player, and one that Steven Gerrard clearly admires.”

The Verdict: Summer exit likely

The idea of losing Kamara midway through the season doesn’t bear thinking about considering the influence he has for Rangers, averaging an 89.1% pass completion rate and 1.2 tackles per game in the league this season and holding down a regular place in the side under Gerrard.

In truth, though, it could be hard to keep the Finland international at Ibrox beyond next summer, at which point he may decide he needs a fresh challenge.

In an ideal world, Kamara would stay with the Gers for the foreseeable future, but it is hard to imagine that he wouldn’t be tempted by lucrative offers from elsewhere.

In other news, some Rangers fans have been left raging for one specific reason. Read more here.