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Swansea City manager Steve Cooper could be set to remain at the Liberty Stadium this summer.

What the talk?

That’s according to The Sun journalist Alan Nixon, who claimed in a post on Twitter that Cooper is not the first choice managerial target of the Crystal Palace hierarchy this summer, with the south London club currently searching for Roy Hodgson’s successor.

The 41-year-old has been heavily linked with the vacant job at Selhurst Park in recent weeks, but if Nixon is to be believed, the Swans boss is quite a way down on the list of Steve Parish’s targets for the Eagles.

In response to a question asking whether Palace are indeed interested in Cooper, Nixon said: “I would think he’s third or fourth choice currently.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering the remarkable job the former England under-17 manager has done at Swansea since taking over at the club back in June of 2019, the news that the 41-year-old is not a favourite for the vacant position at Palace is sure to leave fans of the Swans buzzing.

Indeed, taking over a Swansea side which had finished 10th in the Championship in the 2018/19 season, Cooper led his team to a remarkable top-six finish in his debut campaign in Wales, with the Swans narrowly missing out the play-off final following a 3-2 aggregate loss to Brentford.

However, last season the 41-year-old managed to go one step further as, after a fourth-placed finish in the league and a 2-1 aggregate victory over Barnsley in the semi-finals, Swansea set up a play-off final clash with old nemeses Brentford.

Although his side were comfortably beaten by Thomas Frank’s men at Wembley a week ago, things at Swansea are nevertheless looking increasingly on the up under Cooper.

As such, losing the manager’s services to a Premier League side this summer would undeniably be a huge blow for the south Wales club, making the news that he is not currently considered a favourite for the role at Palace all the sweeter for the Swans fanbase.

In other news: Cooper must sanction Swansea swoop for “dangerous” 19 y/o gem, he’ll be a “top player”

Former Leeds United defender Danny Mills believes the Whites should copy Liverpool and sign a proper left-back this summer, as they did with Andy Robertson.

The Lowdown: Alioski set to leave

Marcelo Bielsa will need to be on the lookout for a new left-back in the next transfer window, with Ezgjan Alioski almost certain to leave Elland Road.

The 28-year-old isn’t a natural in that position, however, filling in admirably but not always looking completely comfortably there.

Former Leeds midfielder James Milner played at left-back for Liverpool for a full season before Jurgen Klopp brought in Robertson from Hull City, making a huge difference to the Reds with his attacking prowess.

The Latest: Mills calls for established left-back to arrive

Speaking to Football Insider, Mills has called for Leeds to adopt the same approach, signing an out-and-out left-back who can help take the Whites up another level:

“He’s (Alioski) done incredibly well to fill in, I would say. He’s been fantastic for social media and he seems like a fantastic guy who’s done a very good job for Leeds.

“But if you’re looking to go to the next level…

“Go back to Liverpool, they tried it with James Milner, they tried it with other players at full-back and it didn’t work. They then get in Trent [Alexander-Arnold] and Robertson and they go to a whole new level. It’s their position, it’s what they are used to doing.

“Players can only fill in for so long before they get found out. If it’s not natural, against the better teams you start to get found out and that’s where it becomes a bit of an issue.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”] The Verdict: Copy Liverpool’s approach

There is only so long that a player can thrive in an auxiliary role, and while Alioski has been a fantastic servant for Leeds, it would be nice to see a proper left-back come in at Elland Road.

Someone like Whites-linked Ajax defender Nicolas Tagliafico seems perfect, in that respect, possessing a wealth of experience at club and international level, winning 27 caps for Argentina and being valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt.

Robertson showed the difference it can make, giving Liverpool more natural balance down the left flank, and a new signing in that role could do the same for Leeds.

In other news, a pundit has hinted at an attacking Leeds player leaving the club this summer. Find out who it is here.

Tottenham Hotspur’s managerial shortlist has been whittled down to just four names, it appears…

What’s the word?

According to The Athletic’s Jack Pitt-Brooke on a recent episode of ‘The View from the Lane’ podcast, Spurs are getting down to the final stages of their recruitment process and there should be a clearer idea of who will take over from Jose Mourinho in the next week or so.

Among the final four candidates is apparently Ralf Rangnick, the only man on the list who is currently unemployed and was previously linked to the North London outfit last month.

The 62-year-old has been out of the coaching game since the 2018/19 season, where he guided RB Leipzig to a place in the Champions League and he has since been a director of football for all of Red Bull’s teams across the world.

Game-changing hire

Someone as old as Rangnick is hardly the ideal candidate for Spurs on the face of it, but he is an innovator and one who is responsible for many of the big names you see around football today, including Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp and Chelsea’s Thomas Tuchel.

He is widely regarded as a pioneer of the gengenpress system, whereby there is a belief that most goals are scored within eight seconds of winning the ball back.

As a result, he has been dubbed “a professor, a scientist of football,” and the “architect” of Leipzig’s astronomical rise.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/spurs-managerial-latest-update-transfer-rumours-gossip” title= “Read the latest Spurs news, managerial gossip, transfer rumours and more!”]

A lot of their transformation was down to Rangnick’s revolutionary decisions in the transfer market as he would not sign any players over the age of 23, meaning he could develop them and then sell them on for mega profit.

Examples of this are seen in the Premier League too, ranging from Naby Keita to Timo Werner, whilst mooted Spurs transfer target Marcel Sabitzer is another.

We know that Levy is targeting an ‘attack-minded’ head coach with strong credentials in developing players to take over from Mourinho, and that’s where Rangnick continues to fit the criteria.

The Athletic have described his approach as “Bielsa-esque” as he plays a very intense brand of football that depends on a high press, counter-attack, and domination on the ball.

In 2018/19 under his stewardship, Leipzig were the youngest side in Europe, with an average weighted age of 23.5. By comparison, Spurs are amongst the oldest in England alone, with an average squad age of 27, as per Transfermarkt.

If Levy truly wants to change Spurs’ fortunes on and off the pitch, then there will not be a better candidate out there than Rangnick, especially as he will not cost him a penny in terms of compensation.

Based on the above evidence of Rangnick’s impressive tactics and ability off the pitch, the German veteran must be appointed this summer.

AND in other news, Forget Rodgers: Levy could revive Tottenham by hiring “amazing” 58 y/o who wowed Pep & Klopp…

Over the last few years, Nuno Santo and Jeff Shi have completely changed the face of Wolverhampton Wanderers.

They were taken from a middle of the road Championship club to one competing in the Europa League.

The way they’ve fallen away this season, therefore, has been completely out of turn with the high standards that they’ve set themselves.

They currently sit in the bottom half of the table and memories of European football have slipped away very quickly.

It’s been a difficult term to analyse. Without injuries, Wolves may well occupy a place in the top half still.

Raul Jimenez has been missing since November while he recovers from a fractured skull and during that time frame, the club’s out and out strikers have scored just four goals between them.

Fabio Silva has struggled to live up to his price tag, netting three times and Willian Jose only has one goal since penning terms in January.

It’s evident that Wolves need more firepower, especially with Pedro Neto now out for six months with a knee injury.

They could find that by targeting Tammy Abraham. According to Football Insider, Wolves are in the race to sign the Chelsea striker, alongside Aston Villa.

The 23-year-old has been bumped down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge this term but over the last 18 months he is their top scorer, netting more than Timo Werner this season.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-wolves-news-and-views-lingard-leao-jimenez-mir” title= “Read the latest Wolves news and views!”]

Abraham netted 15 league strikes in 2019/20 and has six in 21 this term. That might not be the best tally but he’s still racked up an impressive 30 goals in Chelsea colours.

He is a particularly tricky forward to deal with, combining pace with brutal physicality and height that can blow away the opposition.

Throughout his career, he has won 2.2 aerial duels per match. Compare that to Jimenez and he’s ahead by 0.5. Thus, the Old Gold could find a very different offensive proposition by luring him to Molineux this summer.

They’d have more pace in behind and they’d also have a better target to aim for when delivering balls into the penalty area.

Dubbed “phenomenal” by Alex McLeish, Abraham is the type of player who could take Wolves back to Europe.

At the age of 23, he has a high ceiling and potential that could grow higher than Jimenez. The Mexican has been a great servant in the last couple of seasons but Wolves need further options to really take them to the next level.

Abraham has shown he can score goals on a regular basis at the highest level and would surely prosper under Nuno’s counter-attacking system.

Just imagine what he could do with the likes of Neto and Adama Traore running riot next to him.

AND in other news, Wolves could unearth their very own Ruben Dias in “outstanding” rarely-seen 18 y/o…

Many West Ham United fans were shocked as it emerged that Tomas Soucek won 17 aerial duels against Burnley on Monday night.

The Hammers were in action against Sean Dyche’s team as they aimed to preserve their hopes of earning a European berth for next season. They went behind to a Chris Wood penalty but a brace from Michail Antonio saw them emerge victorious. The Irons have now moved back up to fifth in the table as they trail Chelsea in fourth by just three points (Sky Sports).

Soucel, valued at £36m by Transfermarkt, started the match and won 17 of his 21 aerial duels – incredibly, no other player won more than eight (SofaScore). That means the Czech international has won 204 such battles throughout the season, which is 37 more than Christian Benteke, the next-best performer in the Premier League for this statistic (WhoScored). Soucek is truly unstoppable in the air, it seems.

These West Ham fans were in awe of the stat, as you can imagine, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about Soucek’s feat

“Animal”

Credit: @alex_light1

“Soucek my hero”

Credit: @ClaireTeresa1

“Are you serious? That’s amazing. The dude’s a machine.”

Credit: @RalphMHarrison

“@ExWHUemployee @DaveWalkerWHU I know you guys don’t like stats but wow!”

Credit: @Arber_007

“That’s actually hilarious.”

Credit: @SamJimW

“Soucek won 17 aerial duels against Burnley. Insane.”

Credit: @_thejacobc_

In other news, many West Ham fans want this player signed.

Former Manchester United man Keith Gillespie insists that the club must prioritise the Europa League this season as they look to end a four-year trophy drought, in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast.

United are currently second in the Premier League and are eight points clear of fifth-placed West Ham United.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men are likely to finish in the top four this season but their only hope of silverware comes in the Europa League.

United lost to Leicester City in an FA Cup quarter-final at the weekend, and are also 14 points behind leaders Manchester City in the league.

They will play Granada in the quarter-finals of the Europa League, with the victor playing the winner of the tie between Ajax and Roma.

Gillespie believes that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should throw all of his eggs into the European basket, as United are enduring a barren patch.

Their last success came in the 2016/17 season, when Jose Mourinho’s men won the League Cup and the Europa League.

Speaking to FFC, Gillespie was asked whether a top-four finish sounds good enough for United this season.

He said: “It doesn’t and that’s because of the standard they’ve set over all these years, since the Premier League really began back in the early 90s.

“It’s four years without a trophy. You look at last season, the semi-finals that they got to and lost in every one. They’ve had a favourable draw in the Europa League with Granada. So you would expect them to get to the semis there.

“But I think we probably are going to finish in the top four. So it is something which they do need to prioritise. They’ve got a big enough squad where they can rotate at times with the league, but in terms of the Europa League, go out there and play your best team and try and win that tournament because four years without a trophy is something Man United aren’t used to, in terms of the dominance that they’ve had for a lot of years under Sir Alex.

“So I think it is something that they do need to really look at and prioritise.”

Rangers return to Premiership action on Sunday as they take on Hibernian at Ibrox, with Steven Gerrard’s side still in with a chance of finishing the league season unbeaten.

The 40-year-old manager rang the changes for his side’s 4-0 win against League One Cove Rangers in the Scottish Cup last time out, so will likely be back at full strength for the game against Hibs this weekend and the bookies featured at bookmaker-ratings.com have reflected this in their odds on the Champions picking up three points.

Unfortunately for Scott Arfield, that should see him drop out of the team, as his performances in recent fixtures have been far from good enough and you could definitely argue that Joe Aribo, Glen Kamara and Steven Davis are all ahead of him in the midfield pecking order on current form.

The Canadian international started the game against Cove Rangers but failed to provide a goal or an assist in the 90 minutes to continue his recent barren run. The 32-year-old’s last goal contribution came in the 3-2 win against Standard Liege back in December, meaning he has failed to register a single goal or assist in 2021 thus far.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/rangers-news-ibrox-steven-gerrard-ross-wilson-gers-rfc” title=”Latest Rangers news, transfer rumours and more!”]

The former Burnley man has made 25 appearances in the Premiership so far this season and has averaged a less than impressive 6.65 WhoScored rating for his performances, which ranks him as the worst performer in Gerrard’s squad of those who have made at least five starts in the Scottish top flight.

Despite his poor run of form, Gerrard was full of praise for Arfield earlier this year, saying: “Scott epitomises what we want. Out of possession he shows grit, he shows fight, he’s there for you and in possession, he’s always available.

“He stands up to be counted at important times, so we’re extremely happy with Scott at the moment.”

[freshpress-quiz id=“593776”]

However, the former Liverpool captain will surely be aware that the midfielder’s performances have declined in recent months and therefore he should drop him against Hibernian in order to give his team the best chance of picking up all three points and continuing the unbeaten run.

In other news… Sold for £1m, now in League One: Rangers axed one of their “top performers” at the perfect time

Speaking to football.london, West Ham United manager David Moyes was asked the latest in regards to securing Jesse Lingard on a permanent move to east London.

The Scotsman’s side take on Arsenal tomorrow in what is set to be an interesting encounter, with victory for the Irons a potentially huge step in their race to secure European qualification.

Finishing in a Champions League or Europa League is a serious possibility, something that supporters and critics alike arguably didn’t expect, with talk of summer signings to build upon this surprising season already underway in the media.

Moyes drops West Ham transfer hint

As a result, West Ham have been the subject of speculation linking them with a permanent deal for Lingard after his impressive start – with Moyes speaking candidly on the matter.

Dropping a transfer hint, while he admits they have not taken it further at the moment, Moyes declares that West Ham will discuss and ‘probably look at it at the end of the season’.

“We have not thought about that really, we have not taken it any further at the moment.”

“We have him on loan and he is doing a good job for us just now, I think we will discuss that and probably look at it at the end of the season but it is not something that we have taken any further than the situation we are in just now.”

Transfer Tavern take

As Moyes remains tight-lipped but refuses to rule out the possibility of a Lingard permanent move, this comes after an ExWHUemployee development that West Ham do want to complete a deal behind the scenes – with it being believed that a fee of around £15 million could be enough (West Ham Way Podcast).

It remains to be seen whether the Hammers do manage to secure Lingard this summer, but it would arguably be a brilliant coup for the club.

In other news: West Ham fans flocked to this transfer claim, find out more here.

West Ham United are increasingly confident that Angelo Ogbonna will return from injury shortly after the international break.

That’s according to Claret & Hugh, who claim that the Italian is expected to be available to David Moyes for next month’s clash with top-four rivals Leicester City or the following trip to Newcastle United.

Ogbonna has missed the Hammers’ last six Premier League games after sustaining a high ankle sprain in the FA Cup fifth-round defeat to Manchester United on February 9.

West Ham’s medical team and backroom staff have been pleased with the progress seen from Ogbonna in recent weeks, to believe he is now only one or two games from a return.

Moyes had confirmed that Ogbonna was closing in on a return to fitness ahead of last weekend’s 3-3 draw with Arsenal, but poured cold on an imminent appearance.

“We’ve got just about everybody the same [as against Manchester United],” Moyes said last Friday. “Pablo Fornals is improving, and, on the injury front, Angelo Ogbonna is closing in and getting much closer to fitness but he’s a wee bit away.”

West Ham’s increasing confidence in Ogbonna’s recovery will hand Moyes a huge boost coming out of the international break next week, with Pablo Fornals expected to be made available for the trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday, April 5th.

Fornals missed the Gunners’ visit to the London Stadium with a groin injury but should be included in the travelling squad at Molineux, along with Arthur Masuaku (knee) and Andriy Yarmolenko (knee), per Claret & Hugh.

Having the quartet all available should soon see the numbers in the Irons’ treatment room reduce drastically, with Ryan Fredericks (groin) the sole additional name Moyes mentioned when speaking to the media last week.

West Ham expecting Ogbonna to be passed fit to face Leicester on April 11th or Newcastle six days later may be a boost for Moyes, but it comes as a problem for Issa Diop.

The Frenchman has stood in for Ogbonna beside Craig Dawson in each Premier League game that the Italian has missed so far, in a reprieve after Moyes had only awarded Diop 117 minutes of top-flight action between mid-September and February.

Diop made himself the Hammers’ hero against Sheffield United on his return to action by producing a resolute showing at home to the Bramall Lane natives, yet his performances have dropped off in more recent weeks.

The £67,000-per-week centre-half was often indecisive against Manchester United and left West Ham woefully exposed midway through the second half when caught on the ball, allowing the Red Devils to break four-on-two.

He was not without fault in the draw with Arsenal last time out, either, as the Irons seemed to try to stand off after the break which invited the Gunners to attack.

“West Ham came and pressed them, they tried to win the ball high up and Arsenal just didn’t get it right,” Paul Merson wrote in his column for Sky Sports.

“For the players, as soon as the shackles are off and they have nothing to lose, they can play. But at the same time, I think West Ham helped with that because they sat back so deep, that they invited Arsenal onto them. And if you give them that much time and defend on the edge of your box, they will open you up by the end of the game.”

Diop’s positioning was a fault labelled at him toward the end of last season by football.london, as well, who claimed he had regressed to look shaky in possession, unsure where to stand and was ‘lucky’ to have Ogbonna beside him.

Another performance from Diop like those he produced against Arsenal and Man United could be all the evidence Moyes needs to bring Ogbonna back against Leicester, making next month’s trip to Wolves potentially Diop’s final chance to impress.

AND in other news, a West Ham ace who joined at the “perfect moment” has seen his market value of crash by £16.5m…

Carlo Ancelotti should urge Marcel Brands to launch a summer swoop for Everton to sign a second Richarlison-type player in VfB Stuttgart forward Silas Wamangituka.

What’s the word?

According to Eurosport, Wamangituka has caught the attention of a clutch of Premier League clubs with his dazzling efforts in the Bundesliga this season.

The 21-year-old has been the star of Stuttgart’s campaign since Die Roten returned to the German top-flight last summer, netting 11 of his side’s 44 goals while providing three assists.

Wamangituka, who is under contract at the Mercedes-Benz Arena until 2024, is considered to be one of the most exciting talents across the Bundesliga, having delivered an instant impact while tackling matches with a distinctive style of play.

His pace and finishing excellence from a wide position is thought to have Everton and Fulham on alert, along with talent spotters from some of Germany’s bigger clubs.

The DR Congo native is likened to Arsenal’s £72m forward Nicolas Pepe for the way he broke out at LOSC Lille to seal his move to the Emirates Stadium in 2019, having provided 22 goals and 11 assists in 38 Ligue 1 appearances.

Should Everton sign Wamangituka?

Ancelotti urging Everton’s Director of Football Brands to launch a pursuit to sign Wamangituka this summer could see the Dutch chief acquire a versatile dynamo, who is capable of playing on either wing as well as in behind the striker.

The £22.5m-rated speedster is able to find the back of the net on either wing, too, having struck nine goals and produced three assists from 19 games on the right-flank along with two goals in two Bundesliga outings from the left.

Fitness rarely seems an issue for the 21-year-old, either, with the energetic winger starting 21 of his 22 appearances while sitting out just one fixture to date this term.

Arsenal’s Pepe is not the only player Wamangituka has been likened to, as well, with former Gunners Head of Scouting Sven Mislintat, now Stuttgart’s Sporting Director, comparing the Paris FC product with Gabon star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

“There are some differences between them, of course, but also many, many similar things,” Mislintat told Bundesliga.com. “His father was a player, defensive midfielder, playing for the national team of Gabon, hard worker and Auba got this attitude.

“And he has learned quite a lot also from Jurgen Klopp in working defensively. If they adopt this and they are able to do this, then they will become big, big stars in football with their qualities and their mindsets. And this is what Silas did as well.”

Mislintat also describes Wamangituka as a “scoring machine”, along with being “humble, hungry for success, [and] he would like to improve his game every day.”

Wamangituka’s drive, output, style and versatility would not be too dissimilar to Richarlison if brought to Everton, offering Ancelotti two high-calibre options for either wing.

“I think he [Richarlison] cannot play centre-forward because he is really good at attacking the line and to play centre-forward, most of the time you have your back to the goal,” Ancelotti said, via quotes by the Liverpool Echo. “I think for him, better is centre-left.”

The Toffees boss has also praised his star Brazilian for his defensive contribution, noting via quotes by the Mirror: “I was not happy with him against Newcastle because I think he could work more. Against Leeds, he did fantastic defensive work and I was pleased with that performance.”

It remains to be seen how much Stuttgart would value Wamangituka at the end of the season, but Everton should certainly sound out the Bundesliga side’s position.

AND in other news, Everton are tracking a prolific 15-goal winger backed to reach another level…