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Leeds United could clinch an exciting signing in Club Brugge starlet Noa Lang amid glowing comments from his teammate.

What’s the story?

According to recent reports from The Telegraph, Marcelo Bielsa’s side have been watching the 21-year-old, and there have even been suggestions from the Dutch media that the Whites’ interest in him is concrete.

And now, his teammate at Brugge, Cyriel Dessers, has insisted that Lang is ready to shine in English football, even backing Leeds’ interest in him.

He said: “He is absolutely ready for the Premier League. He was fantastic last season. Then it is logical that there is a next step.  I would love to see him in the Champions League with Club Brugge, but he has shown that he is one of the best footballers in Belgium.

“He is a graceful footballer, but he also works very hard. I often sat on the bench, so I could keep an eye on him there. But the way he works, I didn’t know he had that in him. He has really taken a step. The interest does not come out of nowhere. I know how Leeds work.”

Could blossom under Bielsa

Given that he only recently turned 22, Lang could be the kind of long-term project who thrives under Bielsa and blossoms into a real star at both club and international level.

Able to play anywhere across the frontline, Lang has shown he has a real eye for goal in his loan spell at Brugge last season, bagging 17 goals and providing a further 11 assists in just 37 games, including netting in the Champions League.

With the volume of goals and assists that Lang delivered last season, and with him still being very much in the infancy of his career, a move for the youngster would surely be the kind of exciting one that has both the fans and Bielsa buzzing.

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The £19.8m-rated Lang looks to be the kind of player who makes a real impact in the final third and is someone who produces a genuine end product, rather than just flashes of promise.

Given his teammate’s own words about how he could do in the Premier League were Leeds to get him, the Whites must turn their interest into a signing. He seems like the type of young player who Bielsa can develop even further and given the impressive season he had last year, he could turn into something very special under the excellent Leeds manager.

Meanwhile, this star could be incredible alongside Raphinha…

With Eddie Howe expected to become the new Celtic manager, there’s an obvious link between the Scottish giants and Bournemouth.

And Dean Windass told Football FanCast that following their failure to win the play-offs and secure a place back in the Premier League, he wouldn’t be surprised to see Howe make a raid on the Cherries squad for reported target Steve Cook, who would be available on a free to Dominic McKay this summer.

Whilst the likes of Ryan Fraser, Josh King and Callum Wilson have since been moved on, Bournemouth still have a handful of players that were relegated from the Premier League last season, which could appeal to Howe should be finally be appointed as Neil Lennon’s replacement in Glasgow.

Reports earlier this month believe that the 43-year-old is expected to be named the new Celtic boss now the season has ended, which should now be slightly more straightforward following Bournemouth’s play-off result.

Howe wanted to bring some of his Cherries coaching staff to Scotland. And whilst that remains a possibility, Windass exclusively told Football FanCast that Paradise could also appeal to a number of his former players, like 30-year-old Cook:

“Is he getting the job? There’s rumours, but there’s no other names being linked. Celtic have got a massive situation now where the pressure will be back on them now.

“In terms of bringing Bournemouth players in, only time will tell. Yes, with Steve Cook and players like that, now they’re in the Championship, would Celtic be appealing to them? Without a shadow of doubt the size of the football club.”

Queens Park Rangers have been dealt a blow in their bid to bring Chuks Aneke to the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by London News Online, who claim that the 27-year-old Charlton Athletic forward has not turned down the offer of a new contract from Nigel Adkins’ side.

This latest development comes following a recent report by TEAMtalk, who claimed the £360k-rated attacker – who is said to have received offers from the likes of Queens Park Rangers, Middlesbrough, Reading, Coventry City and Bristol City – had indeed rejected a new deal at The Valley.

The former England U19 international’s current deal at the League One side is set to expire at the end of this month, meaning that if a new contract is not agreed with Charlton, he will become available on a free transfer.

Fans will be gutted

Considering just how impressive Aneke has been for the Addicks this season, the fact the striker has not rejected a new deal with his current side is likely to come as a huge blow to Mark Warburton’s side, as well as leaving fans of the club gutted.

Over his 38 League One appearances for Nigel Adkins’ side this year, the £5.4k-per-week striker bagged 15 goals, provided two assists and created three big chances, as well as winning an average of 4.9 duels and taking 2.3 shots per game.

These metrics saw the 27-year-old earn an average SofaScore match rating of 7.03, ranking him as Charlton’s fifth-best performer in the league – something that is no mean feat when taking into account he started only 11 of his 38 fixtures in the third tier.

As such, it would very much appear as if the former Arsenal man – whom Lee Bowyer dubbed an “immense” player – would have been a fantastic addition to Warburton’s attacking arsenal at QPR ahead of next season, with the 58-year-old looking to build a side capable of mounting a push for a top-six finish in the league.

However, with it not being confirmed that Aneke has put pen to paper on a new deal at The Valley just yet, the Rs’ hopes of landing the forward do not appear to be completely dead in the water, for now.

In other news: Get him gone: Bhatia must ruthlessly axe £13k-p/w QPR dud who’s “trouble” this summer

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Howey, who made 157 appearances for Newcastle United, has urged the Magpies to appoint an English manager if Steve Bruce leaves this summer.

Bruce was on talkSPORT earlier this week and he claimed that his future is for other people to decide and not himself, as speculation grows whether or not he will remain in the dugout at St James’ Park next season.

This comes after reports earlier in the year that Mike Ashley would be offering Bruce a new contract at the end of the season if he managed to keep Newcastle in the Premier League, which he has managed to do.

Speaking on why he would like Newcastle to appoint another English manager after Bruce and how there are a lot of good managers in this country, Howey exclusively told FFC:

“I think we’ve got some very good managers in this country but for some reason we always want to go foreign, and there are some very good foreign managers don’t get me wrong, but it puzzles me.

“For some reason clubs always want to go foreign first, and that’s their prerogative, but I would always look at home first.”

Bruce appeared to be in danger of losing his job after Newcastle’s 3-0 defeat away to Brighton earlier this season with even some players thinking he was about to be sacked, but he stayed in the hot-seat and has turned the club away from relegation.

A name that has been linked with taking over from Bruce if he was to depart this summer is Gennaro Gattuso, who has recently managed AC Milan and is currently in charge at Napoli.

Leeds United have confirmed that fan favourite, Gaetano Berardi, will be leaving the club when his contract expires this summer and according to former Leeds midfielder David Norris, it is because he does not have the required quality to perform in the Premier League.

Marcelo Bielsa paid both Berardi and Pablo Hernandez a tribute as the two players have amassed a total of 330 appearances for the club between them but Sunday will be their last opportunity to pull on the Leeds shirt.

Berardi has been unfortunate as he suffered a cruciate ligament injury at the end of the club’s Championship-winning season which has seen him miss almost the entirety of their Premier League campaign.

The defender was a great servant for the club in the Championship but he just lacks that little bit of extra quality that Bielsa desires, according to Norris, who spoke exclusively to The Transfer Tavern:

“Bielsa has those expectations of what he wants from each player in their respective position and he knows exactly what he wants from every player and I can imagine they will be quite high standards but Berardi is still a very good player. 

“Berardi has done it in the Championship for Leeds so he’s obviously got some quality, but it might just be that he doesn’t have that little bit of extra quality Bielsa wants in the Premier League.”

The 32-year old fortunately did get a chance to play for Leeds in the Premier League against Southampton when he was brought on to replace Diego Llorente in the second half.

Before making his Premier League debut, Berardi had been named on the bench by Bielsa for 10 of the club’s last 11 league games and many fans would like to see him and Hernandez play one last time at Elland Road on Sunday.

Many Southampton fans are far from happy with comments from Ralph Hasenhuttl on the club’s transfer plans ahead of the summer window.

It could well be a busy summer for the Saints, but mainly because they are likely to be fielding offers from other clubs for some of their star players. Striker Danny Ings has been linked with a move to Manchester City as Sergio Aguero leaves the Citizens (Sky Sports), while Tottenham are interested in signing central defender Jannik Vestergaard (Daily Express).

Speaking prior to Southampton’s match against West Bromwich Albion on Monday, Hasenhuttl shared the club’s plans. He provided some good news, saying that the likes of Ings and Vestergaard are not for sale, but he did also admit that the south coast outfit will need to look to sign players for below £10m, which is relatively cheap in the Premier League.

The comments were shared on Twitter by journalist Tom Leach, and it is fair to say that some Saints fans were far from happy, with one even calling the manager “deluded” following his remarks. Another took aim at what they saw as the flawed transfer dealings of former vice-chairman Les Reed.

These supporters took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the comments from Hasenhuttl below

“Hasenhuttl is deluded if he believes we will turn down good offers for Ings and Vestergaard, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Ward-Prowse go as well,”

Credit: @spmooney68

“This is all rather depressing stuff. Sub £10 million targets = dross”

Credit: @MarcTR4

“The issue is that who is going to pay good money for the dross that fills our squad? Thanks Les Reed for wasting so much money, guess that agents were throwing cash about”

Credit: @SpencerHoughts

“That’s them sold then!”

Credit: @davsExt

“So next year we lose Ings for nothing. £20m down the drain”

Credit: @scottfi54648411

“Sounds like another negative transfer windows on the cards. It’s near on impossible to sign PL quality for those prices. No doubt sign some fringe player from a bigger European club as usual and they struggle to adjust.”

Credit: @James90044529

In other news, many Southampton fans are unhappy with this transfer link.

Southampton are ready to do battle with Leicester City to sign Sweden international Mattias Svanberg, according to Calciomercato.

Saints in Svanberg transfer battle

The Saints have been linked with a move for the Bologna midfielder, while Champions League chasers Leicester City are also in pursuit.

The Serie A outfit are believed to be looking for €20m (£17.2m) to part ways with Svanberg.

Above budget

Svanberg has impressed in Italy with Bologna, scoring five times and providing two assists in 28 matches in the top flight this season (Transfermarkt). With seven caps to his name and at just 22 years of age, he clearly seems to have a big future ahead of him.

At Southampton, only Danny Ings exceeds his average of 1.8 shots per game, while James Ward-Prowse is the only midfielder to better his goal tally – and the Saints captain depends almost entirely on set pieces to find the net.

However, the issue is whether the St Mary’s outfit can actually afford him. Manager Ralph Hasenhuttl said recently that they will only be able to pay transfer fees of up to £10m (Sky Sports), meaning that Svanberg would be considerably over budget. There are going to be exceptions to every rule, but is the Bologna man really to be the man for whom they break the bank?

After all, they are likely to be able to sign more established players for a lower price. It remains to be seen whether Southampton stick to that transfer policy, but if they do, they will be priced out of a move for the Swedish midfielder.

In other news, many Southampton fans slammed this man’s performance against Leicester.

Many Everton fans have been left to hail a transfer link to Daryl Dike as Eurosport have reported that they are interested in signing him.

As per the news outlet, scouts at the Goodison Park faithful have been impressed with his displays at Barnsley so far, where he has scored a total of five goals in 11 games in the EFL Championship so far in the 2020/21 term (Transfermarkt), following his loan spell from Orlando City FC in the MLS.

It is believed that the USA international has a valuation of $20m (£14.5m), which may not be a bad price for the 20-year-old striker.

Given that he now has the experience of playing in English football, albeit in a lower division than the Premier League, Dike may be a very handy back-up to have for the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and being just 20 years of age, he can only get better.

Everton fans on Dike transfer update

These Toffees hailed the transfer update on Dike on Twitter, with one Blues supporter claiming that he would be a ‘fantastic’ signing and branded him a ‘beast’:

“Let’s gooooooo”

Credit: @corg1k1ng

“Oh hell yes!!”

Credit: @BazTastic77

“Need”

Credit: @osiannaiso

“Absolute beast. He would be a fantastic signing.”

Credit: @Medwards011

“Absolutely loving it”

Credit: @LilKean1878

“Looks like another big Rom …. get him signed up!”

Credit: @fifasavedmylife

In other news, find out what Liverpool dig from one EFC ace has been lauded by fans here!

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Bull, who is a Wolverhampton Wanderers Hall of Famer, has claimed that Rafa Mir has no future at Wolves despite scoring 24 times in 49 games for SD Huesca.

Mir signed for Wolves when they were in the Championship, linking up with Nuno Espirito Santo for the second time following their time together at Valencia, where Nuno handed the 23-year old his debut.

Since joining in 2018, Mir has only made four appearances for Wolves failing to score in all of them, which coincides with a poor loan spell at Nottingham Forest which saw him fail to find the net in 13 games.

Speaking on Rafa Mir’s future at Wolves and what the club should do with the 23-year old, Bull told FFC:

“I think he’s gone now, I think he’s flown the nest and we could talk all day about transfers coming in and out, but he’s not going to fit into Nuno’s plans.

Wolves have struggled in the final third season with their top scorers being Pedro Neto and Ruben Neves, both on five goals with Raul Jimenez out injured.

Jimenez has been a big miss for Wolves who have had to cope without their talisman since November when he fractured his skull against Arsenal.

Leeds United will aim to replace Ezgjan Alioski with a ‘specialist’ signing this summer, according to former Whites defender Danny Mills.

Alioski looks increasingly likely to move on from Elland Road at the end of the season, with his contract expiring once the 2020/21 campaign reaches its conclusion.

The 29-year-old has been a Leeds player since 2017 after joining from Lugano, making 161 appearances for the club, scoring 22 goals and registering 16 assists along the way.

Alioski tipped to be replace by Bielsa

With Alioski seemingly in his final few months as a Leeds player, however, Bielsa will need to look at potential additions to come in and strengthen his squad, as the Whites look to build on an impressive first season back in the Premier League.

Speaking to Football Insider, Mills claimed that the left-back’s likely exit means the Leeds manager will probably already have someone in mind to replace him – somebody who is a natural in the role:

“I’m pretty sure if Bielsa’s going to let Alioski go, he’s got somebody in mind already. It doesn’t matter who that’s going to be. At the moment, is Alioski better than Leif Davis? Yes, he is. You still want to play your strongest team until the end of the season.

“If Leif Davis was going to be the next player coming through, he’d be there or thereabouts already. Maybe he’s not quite ready yet for first-team football.

“Alioski is a fantastic utility player but maybe they are looking to bring in more of a specialist and Leeds have got a few utility players.

“If Alioski doesn’t play left-back, where else is he going to play? Leeds are covered.

“It’s balancing the books, it’s getting somebody out so you can bring in somebody of better quality.

“He’ll be missed as a character, I’m sure. Which is a shame for the fans, players. Sadly, that’s football and if you want to improve you’ve got to bring in better quality.”

Transfer Tavern take

It is vital that Bielsa doesn’t allow Leeds’ squad to become weaker next season, and while Alioski may no longer be an indispensable player for the Whites, he still possesses enough quality to start regularly and will need replacing.

Stuart Dallas and youngster Leif Davis can continue to be good options at left-back, but signing an experience natural fit for the role makes perfect sense.

In other news, Noel Whelan has made a huge claim after Leeds’ 0-0 draw with Chelsea. Read his comments here.