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Southampton have been linked with a move for Newcastle United winger Jacob Murphy recently, and considering his impressive recent form, it seems as if he could be a solid addition to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side this summer.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, both Rangers and Southampton are interested in signing the 26-year-old ahead of next season and will have to pay around £3m for his services.

Murphy’s contract at St James’ Park is reportedly set to expire at the end of the season and there are a lot of factors still to be decided before his future at Newcastle becomes clear, including whether or not Steve Bruce remains in charge and if they can avoid relegation to the Championship.

Would he be a good signing?

Whilst Murphy has always been an impressive winger at Championship level, producing excellent displays in the second tier with the likes of Norwich City and Sheffield Wednesday in the past, he has never really been able to replicate those performances and goal contributions in the top flight.

In 53 Premier League appearances, he has managed just three goals and four assists, which doesn’t bode well when you consider that the majority of the wingers in Hasenhuttl’s squad have struggled to provide goal contributions this season.

However, the Englishman has been deployed in a right wing-back role by Bruce in recent weeks and has produced some excellent displays, impressing against Wolves, Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley, with one goal and one assist in those three appearances.

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This opens up a new possibility for Hasenhuttl, as the Austrian has openly admitted that Southampton need cover at full-back ahead of next season, so perhaps Murphy could be a solid backup option for Kyle Walker-Peters in 2021/22 should he make the move to St Mary’s this summer.

The former RB Leipzig boss also suggested that Southampton would be looking to complete deals below £10m, so the Murphy transfer would make a lot of sense if his reported asking price is accurate.

Earlier in the season, former Leeds United man Noel Whelan was full of praise for the Newcastle ace, saying: “Murphy is a player with so much ability. He was brought to that club to run, be direct, use that pace and skill that he has with the ball at his feet and now he seems to be doing it.”

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Therefore, Murphy’s versatility, low asking price and homegrown status all mark him out as a solid option for Hasenhuttl this summer, so Martin Semmens should definitely try and bring him to St Mary’s.

In other news… Southampton could repeat Van Dijk deal with swoop for wonderkid destined for “big things”

Aston Villa have been urged to make a summer transfer move for Wolves star Adama Traore.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days and weeks have suggested that Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are willing to let the Spain international go in the summer for around the £30m mark, and former Premier League goalkeeper Paddy Kenny has called on Villa to go after him.

He told Football Insider: “It could be a possibility at that price. If I was Aston Villa, I’d be looking at someone like him. He set the goal up at the weekend against Sheffield United. He’s got pace and power.

“He might not be as effective this season as he was last year but maybe he can freshen up, go to a new club and be a top signing. He’s an absolute handful. You wouldn’t want to be coming up against him every week, especially if you get in a foot race against him.”

Bargain deal for Lange

Considering there were suggestions that Wolves were demanding a whopping fee of around £70m to let Traore go last summer, for his price to be slashed by more than half, surely gives Villa the perfect chance to nab an absolute bargain.

Johan Lange will be keen to ensure that he makes the kind of signings that genuinely strengthens Dean Smith’s side, and given the injury troubles of Trezeguet, and the inconsistency of Bertrand Traore – he’s scored just one goal in his last 13 Premier League games – a move for a Premier League-proven winger like Traore would do just that.

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Wolves’ own Traore has been terrifying Premier League defences for a few seasons now, with his “pace and power” as Kenny says being a real weapon for Nuno’s side.

The £100k-a-week earning powerhouse may just need a change in scenery to help him get back on track, and while Villa wouldn’t exactly be a fresh start given his previous time at the club, it could be the kind of move that revitalises him.

Meanwhile, Villa have been handed a major boost over this forgotten man…

Tottenham Hotspur are thought to be tracking Celtic midfielder Ismaila Soro ahead of a potential summer swoop, but work permit issues could help new Hoops chief Dominic McKay keep him in Glasgow.

That’s according to a report from the Daily Mail, who claim that Spurs view the 22-year-old as a talented holding midfielder who could bolster their squad.

Soro, on £11,000-a-week, made the move to Celtic Park last year in a deal worth just over £2m and is under contract in Glasgow until 2024.

He’s made 21 appearances in all competitions this season – keeping Scott Brown out of the starting line up during December and January under former manager Neil Lennon.

The report does add that there would be ‘obstacles around him earning a work permit’ – something which could help new CEO McKay, should the Hoops wish to keep hold of Soro this summer.

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Transfer Tavern take

With Soro having over three years remaining on his deal, we feel as if Spurs would need to place a huge offer to tempt Celtic into selling the Ivory Coast-born midfielder.

Brown is set to leave the Hoops this summer for Aberdeen, so Celtic may already have the club captain’s long-term successor on their hands in Soro.

Interest from Tottenham, to us, just shows that the club has an impressive player on their hands. It comes as a shock, though, considering Soro has been in and out of the side in recent months.

His acquisition just over 12 months ago seems to be one of the club’s more successful signings in recent years, and the next six months could be Soro’s time to establish himself as a vital member of Celtic’s squad, should he remain at Parkhead.

In other news: Alan Nixon shares worrying Eddie Howe update, find out more here.

According to a report by Il Resto del Carlino, via Sport Witness, GSB and West Ham United are ‘dreaming’ of signing former striker Marko Arnautovic this summer and are ‘on his trail’ along with Crystal Palace and Bologna.

West Ham ‘dreaming’ of Arnautovic

Arnautovic, who scored 22 goals and assisted 12 others over 65 appearances for West Ham over his last spell (Transfermarkt), could now return to Europe in the summer two years after departing east London for the Chinese Super League.

Bologna have apparently already held talks with the Austrian’s representatives but this report claims they will face stern competition to sign Arnautovic from both the Irons and Palace.

It is also said that GSB are ‘dreaming’ of his return to the capital and are even preparing a salary offer of around €4 million (£3.4m) per season to convince the striker to make a return.

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Transfer Tavern take

He was a fan favourite at the London Stadium during his last stay and manager David Moyes even called him ‘unplayable’ due to his mixture of physical strength, pace and class on the ball – but we believe the boat has sailed with Arnautovic.

Linked striking targets such as Tammy Abraham and Ivan Toney come as much better options given their age and goal returns over the last two season.

Abraham has scored 21 goals in 37 Premier League starts over the last two seasons, with Toney bagging an incredible 29 goals and 10 assists in the Championship this campaign alone (WhoScored).

Meanwhile, Arnautovic hasn’t played in a top division for two years, so bringing him back to London would undoubtedly be a gamble, especially on a big contract.

In other news: West Ham fans also want this ‘massive’ forward signed, find out more here.

Former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that his old side will struggle to replace Ollie Watkins if they sell him this summer.

Watkins only joined Villa from Brentford in the last summer transfer window, but there are already rumours about other clubs being interested in the 25-year-old striker.

According to Football Insider, Liverpool are keen on bringing in a new forward before next season and like the look of Watkins.

It is not hard to see why, with the England international managing to reach double figures for goals in his debut Premier League campaign.

Hendrie, though, has warned his former club about selling the player, believing that they would struggle to find an adequate replacement.

On Liverpool’s reported interest in Watkins, the ex-Villa star told FFC:

“If you’re going to start selling those players to the bigger clubs, how are you meant to compete? I get that you’re possibly going to get £60m for someone, but then who do you go and buy that’s going to replace Ollie Watkins?

“You’ve got to go and spend decent money on someone to go and bring him in and then it could possibly be a gamble.”

Whether Watkins stays at Villa Park or not, it seems the Midlands club will be in the market for a new striker this summer.

The Telegraph reports that strengthening up front is a priority for Villa going into the 2021/22 campaign.

Liverpool’s significant injury woes were added to ahead of Saturday’s victory over Southampton with a number of players being ruled out before the game.

The likes of Ozan Kabak, James Milner, Naby Keita and Ben Davies were all omitted from Jurgen Klopp’s squad with what the club described as “minor injury concerns”.

Whilst that in itself is not too worrying with the four hopefully recovering relatively quickly, any absences for Liverpool’s upcoming strenuous schedule could significantly harm their chances of gaining a place in the Premier League top four and with that, a UEFA Champions League place for next season.

It remains to be seen just how severe the issues are, with the specific nature of the problems remaining undisclosed.

However, with the Reds back in Premier League action as soon as Thursday evening against Manchester United, Klopp will certainly hope that at least some of those aforementioned players can return sooner rather than later.

The absences of Kabak, Milner and Keita are probably going to be the most felt.

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Since arriving from Schalke in January, Kabak has become the Reds’ first-choice centre-back, following the injuries suffered by Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip earlier this season.

With him out though, the Reds were forced to play a defensive pairing of Rhys Williams and Nathaniel Phillips against the Saints.

Whilst they earned a clean sheet, it is certainly not a set-up that Klopp will want to use regularly, especially in the race for the top four as Williams, in particular, was caught out a couple of times and was bailed out by his goalkeeper.

Meanwhile, with Milner and Keita out, joining Jordan Henderson on the sidelines, Klopp’s midfield choices are significantly reduced.

Fabinho, Georginio Wijnaldum and Thiago Alcantara are all certainly capable but then that just leaves Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Curtis Jones in reserve – a worrying lack of depth heading into a key final four games of the season.

Klopp then will certainly hope that the injury issues are nothing more than just minor to compound their woes any further but with their next game just a matter of days away, he’ll be concerned that his players seem to be dropping like flies as his side need to be pretty much perfect for the rest of the campaign.

An inability to properly rotate, added to the fact that Klopp is relying on essentially his 8th choice centre-back option in Williams, is a huge worry for the manager, one that could cost his side a top four finish.

AND in more news, find out which other Red gave Klopp a boost instead…

Celtic’s 4-0 win last night was enough to provoke a slice of positivity from those at Parkhead.

It’s not often a Hoops performance has provided that in 2020/21, such is their dismal trophyless campaign.

Though, for Ryan Christie’s improvement and Scott Brown’s fond farewell, there was a negative embedded within the win at Paradise.

St Johnstone were swept aside as though they were facing the Celtic of old but Moi Elyounoussi endured a less than lively day at the office.

The Norwegian has been an inconsistent figure this term but if you look at his goals alone, it has been a promising campaign. The attacker has scored 17 times in all competitions, making it the best goal-scoring season of his career to date.

That said, only three of those strikes have come in his last 15 appearances for the Bhoys. It has been a troubling end to the campaign for a man who shouldn’t be seen in Celtic colours again.

Elyounoussi could be available for £5m this summer but if John Kennedy and the new manager have any sense, they’ll unleash Karamoko Dembele instead or hunt for a cheaper alternative in the transfer window.

His performance against St Johnstone summed up his recent efforts. The Norway international has had a habit of missing simple opportunities and that happened again at Paradise on Wednesday.

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He struggled to ever get going which given the scoreline was particularly disappointing.

Elyounoussi was hauled off after 73 minutes having registered the second-fewest touches (49) of anyone to start the game while he completed just 78% of his passes.

It was a timid afternoon from the Southampton loanee who provided a solitary key pass and failed to complete any of his crosses. He also didn’t register a single dribble; a statistic completely out of character with his style of play.

To make matters worse, the 26-year-old surrendered possession on 12 occasions; once every four touches.

Mikey Johnston replaced him and had a bigger impact in less than 20 minutes on the field. The youngster completed a key pass and also attempted two dribbles in a spritely outing.

On a rare night of positives for Celtic, Elyounoussi proved exactly why the Hoops can’t afford to invest in his signature. His performances have dropped off alarmingly and he shouldn’t play for the club again.

AND in other news, McKay must wield the axe on 5ft9 Celtic dud, Sutton dubbed him the “new Ryan Christie”…

Sheffield United travel to Goodison Park on Sunday evening to take on Everton, with Paul Heckingbottom’s side only having pride to play for, whilst the hosts are still within a shout of European football for next season.

The Blades fell to a disappointing 2-0 defeat against Crystal Palace in their last game, whilst Carlo Ancelotti’s side played out a stalemate with Aston Villa.

Heckingbottom’s side will have to put in a seriously improved display if they are to avoid leaving Goodison Park with nothing, although the hosts have struggled against bottom-half teams at home this season, so could be vulnerable if the Blades are at their best.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects the 43-year-old to line his side up on Sunday evening, with three changes from the side that started against Crystal Palace last time out…

Aaron Ramsdale keeps his place in goal, as there was very little he could do about either Crystal Palace goal last time out.

There are two changes in defence, as Jayden Bogle comes in at right wing-back, with George Baldock moving into a more central role, whilst Max Lowe comes in at left wing-back, with Enda Stevens replacing the £1.8m-rated Kean Bryan at centre-back.

The midfield stays the same, with Sander Berge still regaining match fitness ahead of a likely summer departure and he is supported by John Fleck and Oliver Norwood.

There is one change in attack as, after a less than impressive display against Crystal Palace, Oliver Burke drops to the bench and is replaced by 17-year-old wonderkid Daniel Jebbison. He made his debut against the Eagles as a substitute, and he supports David McGoldrick in attack.

And, in other news… Sheffield United could be set for significant boost after huge update on “remarkable” gem

West Ham have reportedly enquired about the availability of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain ahead of the summer…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Football Insider, who claim the Irons are in the transfer market for attacking midfield reinforcements and the Liverpool star is amongst the targets after slipping down the pecking order at Anfield.

A source has told the website that the East London outfit have made contact over potentially signing the 27-year-old before the start of next season.

It is thought that the 2019/20 champions will listen to offers for Oxlade-Chamberlain and with three years still to run on his current £120k-per-week deal, they value him around £22m.

Wilshere 2.0

A move for the 35-time England international could be a case of serious deja vu at the London Stadium and David Moyes must approach with caution.

Oxlade-Chamberlain is undoubtedly a top-quality player as he’s made over 200 appearances in the top-flight, and has a Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup in his trophy cabinet.

His former manager Arsene Wenger even once likened him to Wayne Rooney and Cesc Fabregas. He told the Guardian in 2012:

“I feel that is always a brand of top players. They just play. When you saw [Wayne] Rooney start he played like it was natural, the same with [Cesc] Fabregas. They are happy on the football pitch and comfortable.”

Whilst upon signing for the Reds, data analyst and Anfield Index Pro podcaster Dan Kennett described the versatile dynamo as a “physical monster” with “pace, power and endurance.”

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However, his career in recent seasons has been seriously hampered by injury. For instance, this year alone, he has played only 244 minutes in the Premier League, adding to his total of just 1,490 minutes in their title-winning campaign, via Transfermarkt.

Since arriving in Merseyside in 2017, Oxlade-Chamberlain has missed more games than he has played and it was an injury that ruled him out of the 2018 World Cup, too.

When he has been on the pitch this season, The Athletic’s James Pearce has described the 27-year-old as a “passenger,” highlighting his form as real concern.

A £22m investment and wages that would see him top their payroll is certainly a big gamble to make when you factor in his dire injury record.

It bears plenty of similarities to Manuel Pellegrini’s mistake of bringing Jack Wilshere to the club, albeit on a free transfer.

On his day, when fit, the former Gunners star was amongst the very best on the ball in the Premier League but the Irons saw him on the pitch just 19 times across two seasons.

You’d have to worry that the same could happen here with Oxlade-Chamberlain, even more so considering the finances involved this time.

Moyes should probably steer clear of the £18m-rated midfielder as he’s dealt with more than enough injury problems this season, he shouldn’t want to add to those woes with a campaign in Europe on the horizon.

AND in other news, West Ham set for huge boost as major Rush Green news emerges, fans will be buzzing…

Many Wolves fans have been left to flock to a contract update involving Adama Traore.

As per Goal, the Spain international is set to commit his future to the Midlands club, as he is currently in talks over a new deal.

However, that deal is likely to include a gentleman’s agreement with which he would be allowed to leave if a bigger club comes in bidding a certain transfer fee.

The update has certainly caused a debate among the Molineux faithful, as some are split over whether this is good news.

Of course, keeping one of the best players for as long as possible is ideal, but some are not happy at all with the gentleman’s agreement as it questions his loyalty and commitment to the Wanderers, while it is debatable whether he has actually earned it based off of just three goals and three assists this season (Transfermarkt).

Wolves fans on Traore contract update

These WWFC supporters flocked to the contract update on Traore as it was shared on Twitter:

“Massive W tbf”

Credit: @OldManWolves

“W”

Credit: @lewis__wwfc7

“Class”

Credit: @w0lv0br4d10

“Sell him, even though he’s the only shining light in the last few games. Personally his performances as a whole this season don’t warrant a new contract or pay rise. Is he playing for the team or himself?”

Credit: @Wulfrunian1877

“A bigger club get rid now”

Credit: @RobertDimmock1

“The modern footballer… always one eye on something else. Loyalty just doesn’t exist.”

Credit: @peterping

In other news, find out what Raul Jimenez update has left Wanderers raving here!