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Today’s Newcastle Transfer Roundup includes an update on the managerial position, the potential exit of one of the club’s midfielders and news on a Spanish forward.

Redfearn could take interim role

According to the Northern Echo, Neil Redfearn could be appointed as the interim boss at the North East club soon. The former Leeds boss is set to take early control of the club’s pre-season preparations whilst the Toon continue their search for a new full-time boss.

Solskjaer wants Longstaff

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has told the Manchester United board that he wants Sean Longstaff signed by the end of this week, before the Red Devils embark on their pre-season tour of Australia and the Far East on July 8th, according to the Daily Star. The 21-year-old midfielder is the club’s priority, over the likes of Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes.

Perez wants contract talks or will push to leave

The Chronicle is reporting that Ayoze Perez expects to start talks in regards to a contract extension soon, otherwise he will push for an exit from the club. The Spaniard currently has two years left on his deal.

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Loads of Sunderland fans have been reacting to a tweet from the club about Jack Ross, and it seems the Black Cats are divided over the achievements of his debut season on Wearside.

A lot has changed at the Stadium of Light over the last 12 months, and while the club is still toiling in the third tier of English football, things are certainly heading in the right direction.

Stewart Donald, together with Ross, has given the fans fresh optimism and united the players with their supporters.

Watch fans explain why the Football League is better than the Premier League in the video below…

However, it seems not everyone is impressed by Ross’ maiden campaign, as the Scot guided his team to a fifth-place finish and a gutting play-off final defeat.

On the one hand, turning just a few of the 19 league draws into wins would have meant automatic promotion and there would be zero doubts over Ross’ future.

One could argue though that with the size of the squad and budget afforded to the Scot he should have had automatic promotion wrapped up with ease.

The side also lost its identity after Christmas, finding it nigh on impossible to break teams down and score more than one goal in a match.

Supporters have thus been left split over their gaffer, and produced a mixed reaction when the club tweeted to wish him a happy 43rd birthday on Wednesday.

Take a look at some of the best Twitter reactions down below, where multiple fans referenced his favourite 1-1 scoreline…

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Tottenham Hotspur are unwilling to match Leeds United’s valuation of teenage winger Jack Clarke, according to the Yorkshire Evening Post.

The 18-year-old made his first-team breakthrough under Marcelo Bielsa in 2018/19 as the Whites attempted to win promotion to the Premier League.

He made a total of 25 first-team appearances in all competitions as Leeds ultimately finished third, only to lose to Derby County in the play-offs.

Spurs are said to be interested in signing the youngster as they look to refresh a squad that has not seen any investment whatsoever since January 2018.

However, the Post report that chairman Daniel Levy is currently unwilling to pay full price for Clarke, who was included in the starting XI in the Championship just four times.

But should this be a deal that Spurs are attempting to get done whatever the cost, such is Clarke’s seemingly boundless potential?

Football FanCast’s writers give their verdicts below!

Matt Dawson

“Absolutely. Pochettino has worked wonders with English talent before and Clarke would likely be no different. The 18-year-old is still incredibly raw but it goes without saying that Spurs would be setting themselves up for a far better future by bringing the Leeds man to north London. However, they must be careful not to pay over the odds. You sense Spurs need some proven talent before spending a fortune on young players.”

James Beavis

“Daniel Levy clearly has the money to spend, and Tottenham must pay whatever it takes to get Clarke. On far too many occasions in the past – James Maddison being a prime example last summer – Spurs have seen promising players go elsewhere for affordable fees, before shining in the Premier League. Clarke has all of the attributes to follow the exact same path, and Tottenham must get him before his stock rises even further.”

Billy Meyers

“Clarke would fit the homegrown quota and could also become a very dangerous wide man under the tutelage of Pochettino. He wouldn’t be a bank buster of a signing and would be a relatively low-risk one like Daniel James to Man Utd, so this is definitely one that Spurs should try and get over the line.”

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Rangers striker Kyle Lafferty looks to have played his last game for the club after Thursday reports he is due to return to Glasgow to discuss the terms of his departure from Ibrox.

Clyde 1 reckon that he has already been told by manager Steven Gerrard he will play no part next season and has been instructed to find a new club.

The player is due to join up with the Northern Ireland squad for matches next month but will first hold talks with his advisers and the club to find a way forward, according to the report.

Watch the video below to find out which derbies the Pl>ymaker squad have picked as the most entertaining, fierce and passionate in the world…

Lafferty joined from Hearts last summer on a two-year deal as competition for Alfredo Morelos, although it quickly became apparent he was not good enough to make the step up and impress during his second spell at Ibrox.

Scoring just five goals for Rangers across the season, he was barely used after the January transfer window allowed Gerrard the opportunity to bring in Jermain Defoe.

Fans won’t exactly be disappointed to see him go, with many feeling like he should never have been signed in the first place.

Rangers will need better recruitment this summer as they look to end years of trophy drought and pick up major honours next term.

These supporters have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts on his exit…

A significant overhaul is required to fix the issues at Arsenal. That much is obvious. 

If their upset against Brighton Hove & Albion proved anything, the Gunners desperately need to bolster their midfield. Now that Aaron Ramsey’s bid farewell, a mix of youngsters and a frankly awful Granit Xhaka simply cannot be the future of the club.

As a result, Unai Emery must be determined to sign a midfielder to help his side control games better going forward. According to reports from the Express, the North London giants are interested in signing Everton loanee Andre Gomes. Indeed, the Portuguese has enjoyed a revival after joining the Toffees, giving some strong performances this season as Marco Silva presides over a decent end to the campaign.

That being said, Gomes isn’t the quality Emery is looking for. He’s only scored and assisted 1 goal apiece this season while picking up 7 yellow-cards from 26 Premier League appearances. Frankly, the former Barcelona ace is too lethargic in midfield, often switching off which allows oppositions to penetrate his defence easier.

Not only can he make their defensive situation worse, but even going forward he’s nothing special. He can help his side keep control, but rarely creates anything formidable when in possession. Gomes is quite sloppy in midfield, surely a reason why the La Liga giants didn’t want to keep him beyond last season.

The Portuguese is nowhere close to the stunning Aaron Ramsey and doesn’t work as hard either. He might occasionally give decent performances but is nowhere close to Lucas Torreira or Matteo Guendouzi in terms of commitment. Gomes isn’t the dominant leader they’re looking for in midfield. We all know they need one, after all.

Simply put, fans shouldn’t be excited by these links and should be hoping the club steer well clear.

Arsenal fans, would you be happy with Gomes’ potential signing next season? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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Jonathan Kodjia down on the turf, holding his leg and hurt.

A number of Aston Villa players had stopped, expecting the ball to be kicked out so the Ivorian could receive treatment, but why?

The referee is only required to stop the game if it is a head injury, which Kodjia’s wasn’t.

Who has been the Championship’s best player this season? The Pl>ymaker FC squad discuss in the video below…

So, when Mateusz Klich raced through and finished confidently to kick his side into the lead, a number of Villa players reacted angrily and got to grips with the Pole for his apparent lack of sportsmanship – however, why didn’t the Villa players play to the whistle?

Marcelo Bielsa instructed his players to gift Villa an equaliser, much to the annoyance of Pontus Jansson who tried to prevent the goal from happening against his manager’s wishes.

Is it this charitable attitude which has cost Leeds a place in the automatic promotion positions?

Klich and Jansson showed a winning mentality, something that evidently isn’t instilled in Bielsa or the rest of the players who didn’t protest the decision.

Bielsa’s methods, in which he appears to have sapped all of the energy from his players at this late stage of the season due to his intense demands, have already come under fire amid this late season collapse.

However, that is the physical aspect of the game. Leeds have led the table for long periods of the current campaign, although after Sunday’s draw against Villa, the mental side of their disappointing fall-off can now be brought into the conversation.

How much do Leeds want it? Players such as Patrick Bamford, whose pathetic play-acting got Anwar El Ghazi sent off, aren’t showing enough desire. Bielsa isn’t showing enough desire himself to get Leeds to where they need to be – would Chris Wilder or Daniel Farke have allowed the ball to be walked into their net when an automatic promotion place is still mathematically possible?

It is a team game, admittedly, and everyone has to be pulling in the same direction; clearly, not all of the Leeds players and staff are on the right page when it comes to the mentality adopted at Elland Road.

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“If I’m Solskjaer, I’d build a team around him”. So insisted Danny Higginbottom last week to Sky Sports while laying out exactly how he would get the best out of the potentially brilliant, often disappointing Paul Pogba.

It is a well-worn trope that was fraying at the edges even just a few months into the 26-year-old’s extravagantly costly return to Old Trafford. By now it seems positively archaic.

With a heavy sigh though let’s go through it all again. Please don’t stop us if you’ve heard this before. You will have heard this before.

Pogba was so very effective for Juventus and plays his best football now for France because he thrives on freedom of movement and two disciplined centre-circle destroyers stationed behind him gives him that freedom. If he had that at Manchester United he would be consistently sensational.

The problem with that thinking of course is that Jose Mourinho, and latterly Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, have utilised their enigmatic star in such a way, many times over. And far too often he has been a show pony when they have needed a thoroughbred. On other occasions, just to mix things up, he has been completely anonymous.

On the same day that Higginbottom was suggesting that the simple answer to all of Manchester United’s woes was to double-down on their chief hindrance it was reported in the Independent that the player in question is very keen to push through a summer move to Real Madrid with an eye-watering fee of £130m mooted.

That would represent a decent mark-up on a failure. That would give Solskjaer a colossal sum to bring in two world class replacements, one more defensively minded (Declan Rice for example), the other a creative in the mould of Ivan Rakitic.

It’s just a suggestion.

Hustling and bustling ahead of the one-man soap opera to very little effect Romelu Lukaku is another of United’s recent marquee signings who is as per Goal.com also looking elsewhere, namely Serie A.

The misfiring striker has put in performances this term so utterly inept that it has prompted open hilarity from rival fans. He has failed to score against the top six. He has failed to score at all in the league since the start of February. Recently Gayr Neville said this of a forward who cost more than Mo Salah and Sergio Aguero combined – “You see him make one big run and he looks absolutely shattered. He almost looks tired after one or two runs. He’s a big decision.”

He is not a big decision. Nor is the selling of Pogba. Indeed both – who between them earn a staggering £470k per week – could be said to be no-brainers.

Solskjaer has a huge rebuild on his hands this summer and he should start at the top, bringing in players who will lead; players who will be utterly committed to his cause. It is in short, time to begin anew because if for no other reason another article about how to get the best out of their marquee mistakes will drive us all to insanity.

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Sheffield Wednesday fans on Twitter have been reminiscing after the club posted footage of a classic match at Hillsborough.

The video was shared on Twitter for World Theatre Day and featured a dramatic last-gasp winner from midfielder Kieran Lee, which was celebrated with a mini pitch invasion in the late-night Yorkshire rain.

The strike was the decider in a 3-2 Sky Bet Championship victory over Bristol City for the Owls in September 2016 and was scored after the visitors had led 2-0 at the break and the hosts had mounted a remarkable second-half comeback.

And Wednesday supporters were absolutely loving the clip, sharing memories from that evening on the social media platform in their droves.

Some simply posted comments such as “loved this game,” whilst others were just proud to say that they were there.

One fan even went as far as saying it was his “favourite home game in these last few years.”

Check out a selection of the best reactive Tweets from fans of the Sheffield club below…

The indoor football skills in the video below have to be seen to be believed…

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West Ham United are set to rival Tottenham for the signature of Jack Grealish, per The Mirror.

The Aston Villa star has long been linked with a move to north London, with Spurs making a bid worth £25million for the playmaker last summer.

What’s the word?

The aforementioned report claims that AFC Bournemouth will join the Hammers and Spurs in the chase for Grealish.

Indeed, England manager Gareth Southgate has claimed that he needs to be playing in the Premier League to be picked by his country.

Nevertheless, Grealish has been in excellent form since his return from injury, scoring two goals in four games, including a superb winner in the Second City derby against Birmingham.

After Spurs failed to secure a move for the 23-year-old, it appears that they run the risk of seeing him slip through their fingers in the summer, with both the Irons and Cherries reportedly exploring the possibility of a deal once the transfer window opens.

Grealish is an excellent attacking midfielder and a move to the top-flight could see him force his way into Southgate’s plans as England continue their qualification campaign for Euro 2020.

A Nasri replacement

With Samir Nasri’s contract expiring at the end of the season, a move for Grealish makes all the sense in the world for the Irons.

The former Manchester City star has not set the world alight at the London Stadium.

He has played just six times, providing a total of two assists, and has probably not done enough to earn an extension.

Bringing Grealish in both replaces the Frenchman and adds an extra dimension to the London Stadium midfield.

He is a brilliant dribbler, has the talent to unlock any defence in the top-flight and is capable of the genuinely spectacular.

It remains to be seen if Manuel Pellegrini’s men can beat Spurs to his signature; they should pull out all the stops to do so.

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Everton got back to winning ways with a comfortable 3-0 victory over a Cardiff City side that, despite having been buoyed by recent results, were humbled this week in back-to-back defeats. One major talking point emerging from the clash was Phil Jagielka’s return to the starting XI.

On the chalkboard

Prior to their dispatch of the Bluebirds, Marco Silva’s side had endured a torrid run of form that had seen them take just one win from their last six matches in all competitions, with the Toffees defence of set-pieces proving a big weak point – all of the Goodison Park outfit’s three goals conceded against Millwall in the FA Cup 4th round clash were from such situations.

Therefore, the midweek clash against a physical Cardiff side represented yet another big test for the Everton defence. The 17 days worth of rest afforded to the Merseyside outfit, though, seemed to help Silva solidify his back line.

A lot of credit should go to Phil Jagielka, who made just his third appearance of the season, for shoring up a previously leaky defence.

A lynchpin or a liability?

The 36-year-old was restored at centre-back alongside Michael Keane and his presence seemed to calm the entire defensive contingent, aside from some sloppiness in the early moments.

The 40-cap international might not have the legs anymore, but his positioning and footballing brain are unrivalled in a Toffees defence that often seems to lack sense.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

Winning 4 aerial duels against the Bluebirds and earning a match rating of 7.13, according to WhoScored, the Everton captain staked a strong claim for a starting spot against Liverpool this weekend.

In the upcoming Merseyside derby, there will be no room for mistakes from Everton’s point of view – the Reds’ front three will more than likely rip them to shreds if they seize upon a loose ball – and so Jagielka’s lack of pace could be detrimental to his side, even if they could sorely do with his leadership.