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Flocking to Twitter, many Southampton fans are buzzing over a fresh transfer update out of St. Mary’s Stadium involving Fulham forward Fabio Carvalho.

Saints transfer chief Martin Semmens has kept his role as chief executive even after Serbian-born businessman Dragan Solak completed his £100 million takeover in early January (Sky Sports).

As such, the Southampton CEO is still tasked with overseeing recruitment strategy as Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side become linked with a few signings.

Their main priority appears to be wrapping up a permanent deal for loanee Armando Broja, who has impressed since joining on a temporary transfer from Chelsea (The Guardian).

However, that doesn’t mean other moves aren’t in the pipeline, with an update emerging involving Fulham forward Carvalho.

According to Eurosport journalist Dean Jones, speaking to Give Me Sport, Southampton are in pole position to sign the exciting Championship talent who has seven goals and two assists this season.

As per the ‘transfer insider’, Semmens and have ‘really been leading the race’ for Carvalho despite interest from Liverpool, West Ham and Tottenham (TEAMtalk).

Saints fans buzzing…

Flocking to this claim, many Saints supporters have been left buzzing on Twitter, with one fan calling him a would-be ‘unreal signing’.

His brilliant Championship form at the tender age of 19-years-old just shows how much potential Carvalho may have to become a really top level player, and the fact he could leave as a free agent as things stand is even more of a reason to swoop.

Here’s how Southampton fans reacted on social media as their club lead the way:

“Perfect signing if we pull that off”

Credit: @Charlie_Mercer_

“This is an incredibly inspiring move. Another youngster who can shine in a young talented team”

Credit: @LH_SFC

“PLEASEEEE”

Credit: @danthemanmfer

“This excites more than any potential deal for Broja tbh. #saintsfc”

Credit: @andrew2021k

“Get this done”

Credit: @Ross_Hodgson98

“YES YES YES”

Credit: @sfcrxbbo_

“This would be an unreal signing. Instantly replaces Redmond and brings energy in those winger positions”

Credit: @sfchenry_

Arsenal are reportedly hopeful that 18-year-old striker Khayon Edwards will sign a new contract with the north London club, according to Football London, with the youngster starting to make a serious impression for the Gunners’ youth sides.

The English youngster is currently on a scholarship deal that is set to expire in the summer and talks regarding an extension have been ongoing over recent months.

However, it is believed that both parties are nearing an agreement, with Edwards sharing the same agent as Hale End product Bukayo Saka.

The question is, can the 18-year-old be the next player to step up into Mikel Arteta’s first-team plans?

In the pipeline

Having scored 16 goals and registered five assists in 16 appearances in the U18 Premier League this term, it’s no surprise that Arsenal are incredibly keen to keep Edwards on their books.

The 18-year-old has also played twice for the U23s in the Premier League 2, scoring once.

Academy chief and former Arsenal player Per Mertesacker recently discussed his vision for creating ‘Strong Young Gunners’, with Edwards firmly part of that vision.

The former defender said: “Strong Young Gunners means this is our vision where we want our players to stand strong in every scenario they will face. We are passionate about creating youngsters who can rise to any challenge and we have a rich history and heritage we want to pay tribute to and carry on.”

Arteta has done brilliantly to integrate youngsters into the first team, with both Saka and Emile Smith-Rowe strong examples given their Hale End credentials.

Saka (20) and Smith-Rowe (21) have both scored ten goals across all competitions this season and have also scored for the England senior team, with the former heavily involved in the Three Lions’ run to the European Championship final last summer.

Moreover, 18-year-old midfielder Charlie Patino was awarded an appearance against Sunderland earlier this season in the EFL Cup and scored.

Edwards, who was dubbed “deadly” by Football.London’s Kaya Kaynak, will undoubtedly want to replicate the duo’s fortunes and make his own pathway into the first team over the coming seasons.

The teenager could find himself on the end of an opportunity to impress the Arsenal boss soon, particularly with striker Alexandre Lacazette still yet to sign a contract extension ahead of the expiry of his deal in June whilst the same applies for Eddie Nketiah.

However, if the English youngster is to sign a new contract with Arsenal, there will certainly have to be a belief that the 18-year-old can eventually work his way into the first-team plans and become the next Saka.

He’s certainly exciting and confident enough to do exactly that.

AND in other news: Arteta must ruthlessly axe “shocking” £18m-rated AFC liability, he’s “not world-class”

Rangers have not been reluctant when it comes to spending money to bring new players to the club over the past few years.

However, one player with whom the Gers were linked in recent memory but didn’t end up making a move to Ibrox is Joey Veerman, and missing out on him could now be a great source of regret for the Light Blues.

Back in April 2021, The Scottish Sun reported that Rangers were interested in signing the Dutch midfielder from his previous club Heerenveen.

The 23-year-old, who has been described as a player who “looks beyond his years” by coach Robert Molenaar, ended up staying where he was last summer before eventually making the move to PSV Eindhoven in January in a deal worth a reported €6m (£4.9m).

In his 18 league appearances for Heerenveen in the first half of the current campaign, the midfielder scored three goals and provided six assists, earning himself an overall performance rating of 7.32/10 from WhoScored, making him their second-highest rated player.

Things have just been as impressive for the 23-year-old since joining PSV, having scored two goals and provided four assists in just nine league appearances, earning an overall rating of 7.29/10 to become third-highest rated player at the club according to WhoScored.

Taking all this into account, it’s safe to say that Ross Wilson dropped the ball by not securing a deal which would have seen Veerman join Rangers, based on what he has done on the pitch for Heerenveen and PSV this season.

Given the midfielder’s young age and the fact that Rangers currently have the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Scott Arfield and Steven Davis in their squad – who have all hit the age of 30 and are set to become free agents at the end of the season – Veerman could have been an ideal long-term midfield option for the Gers and would have been worth the investment.

Alas, it seems as though the Ibrox club will just have to live with their mistake and hope that they don’t miss out on any other reported transfer targets when the opportunity presents itself to strike.

In other news: Van Bronckhorst’s £3.6m-rated “leader” can be Rangers’ “real handful” in Old Firm

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Fernando Llorente has been deputising quite ably for Harry Kane since the England striker sustained an ankle ligament injury.

The former Swansea City striker has been thrown in at the deep end under Mauricio Pochettino and has done well, and he deserves the chance to play against Leicester City this weekend and earn his way into next week’s clash with Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.

 On the chalkboard

The 6 foot 4 striker has had a divisive effect since coming into the team.

He scored an own goal against Fulham but also gave Spurs hope of progressing to the Carabao Cup final with an excellently taken header against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Pochettino’s men, of course, lost on penalties.

He also scored against Watford, a late winner, to give the club a 2-1 victory having already provided a clever assist to Heung-Min Son for the South Korea international to level the scores.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

Llorente was also on hand to again give Son the chance to score next time out, chesting down a long ball that the winger lashed home against Newcastle United.

The 33-year-old is not the most elegant striker, and sometimes appears akin to a bull in a china shop, but he has the ability to change games and has been at the centre of Spurs’ two most recent victories.

They face Leicester this weekend and rotation is likely, particularly with Dortmund to come on Wednesday.

Pochettino, though, should give Llorente the chance to earn his place against the German giants.

Kane fitness not guaranteed

The Sun report that Kane could be fit for the game against Dortmund.

It would mark a shocking turn of events, given that he was initially ruled out until March.

But the fitness of the England captain is far from guaranteed and is nothing to be trifled with by Pochettino, such is his history of ankle problems.

Playing Llorente against Leicester, then, is something of a low-risk, high-reward strategy.

Indeed, if he struggles to hit the back of the net, Son and Christian Eriksen can share the load, but if he gets on the goal trail, he will head into the game against Dortmund full of confidence.

Llorente is a completely different threat to Kane, and the Bundesliga giants may struggle to contain him – he should be given the right to prove that this weekend.

Celtic followed up last weekend’s Old Firm victory with a blistering 7-0 thrashing against St Johnstone at Parkhead this afternoon.

The Hoops were 3-0 up and cruising at half-time thanks to goals from Reo Hatate, Giorgos Giakoumakis and Daizen Maeda. The second half saw a penalty from Josip Juranovic, a brace from substitute Matt O’Riley and a clinching goal from Liel Abada put the icing on the cake for Ange Postecoglou’s side.

Despite this emphatic victory and plethora of goals for the home crowd to enjoy, not every player wearing a Celtic shirt delivered a strong performance.

Having scored the equaliser against Rangers last weekend which eventually helped the Hoops to secure all three points at Ibrox, Tom Rogic found himself in the starting XI once again today.

However, with just 50 touches of the ball, nine fewer than goalkeeper Joe Hart, the Australian failed to have much of a positive impact for his team on this occasion. The 29-year-old ended up losing possession of the ball 16 times during the first half before he was replaced by O’Riley at the interval.

Rogic, who has been described as being like a “ballet dancer” in terms of his midfield play in the past by A Celtic State of Mind pundit Kevin Graham, also failed to complete two of the three dribbles he attempted.

Off the ball, things weren’t much better for the midfielder, who lost 86% of his duels, committed one foul and getting dribbled past on one occasion.

This display ultimately earned the Old Firm derby hero an underwhelming overall match rating of 6/10, making him the lowest-rated player in a Celtic shirt according to SofaScore.

Given how O’Riley had an instant impact on the scoreline in the second half, it turned out to have been a masterstroke from Postecoglou to put him on for Rogic at the interval.

The Hoops boss may well feel let down by what he saw from his compatriot this afternoon and will be hoping that the 29-year-old can improve on this less than stellar performance.

In other news: £2.7m down the drain as Celtic had a howler on “difficult” £450k-rated Parkhead flop

Everton completed the ultimate smash and grab by winning a point from their game at Goodison Park park last night against Leicester City, with another point tallied up in their battle for safety from relegation this season.

Frank Lampard will be delighted that his team have managed to build a four-point gap between themselves and the relegation zone with just seven games left to go and the belief in the dressing room will hopefully push the team on to put in a performance in the Merseyside derby this weekend.

Despite only having 36% possession, fewer shots on goal and no big chances created throughout the game, the hosts refused to let the game pass them by to ultimately take a point away from the difficult game against the Foxes yesterday evening.

Leicester opened the scoring early when Harvey Barnes found the back of the net in the fifth minute of the first half, and from that moment it looked like it was going to be a tale of ill-fate for the Toffees, a situation we’ve seen the side find themselves in numerous times this season.

However, Lampard’s side remained resilient and held off the visitors from taking their further chances over the rest of the game, and Richarlison took the opportunity to find a last-minute winner scoring to undo Leicester’s work in the 92nd minute, sealing a point in the process.

One player who will go under the radar for his huge influence in the centre of the pitch with a performance that kept Everton in with a chance was Fabian Delph, someone who is currently enjoining a renaissance period at Goodison Park.

According to SofaScore, the 32-year-old midfielder won 100% of his five aerial and ground duels combined, made five blocks, two interceptions, one key pass and two tackles.

Furthermore, he only lost possession nine times in his 53 touches of the ball in an all-round impressive display that made him the real hero in the team.

The Toffees boss will surely be absolutely delighted that Delph has come back into the team to make such an influential impact on the side following a long-term injury.

The former Manchester City star also played a huge part in the victory over Manchester United, and Lampard will surely be hoping that his inclusion in the team will continue to inspire further positive results.

AND in other news: EFC plotting £25m bid for “dangerous” £152k-p/w ace, it could be bye-bye Richarlison

Bournemouth have reportedly made an approach to sign Leeds United right-back Cody Drameh this summer.

The Lowdown: Drameh at Cardiff

The Leeds youngster decided to head out on loan during the January window, joining Championship side Cardiff City until the end of the season.

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Drameh has become a regular for The Bluebirds, making 18 consecutive starts following his move to Wales.

The 20-year-old, who’s positioning was labelled as ‘awful’ by Ian Wright against Arsenal back in December, now appears to be catching the eye elsewhere following his spell in the second tier.

The Latest: Bournemouth approach

According to Wales Online, Bournemouth have made an approach over a move for Drameh, outlining how much they’d be willing to offer when it comes to wages.

The report adds that Leeds look likely to assess the full-back in pre-season, with Drameh open to the idea of another exit if he isn’t guaranteed minutes under Jesse Marsch.

The Verdict: Tricky…

Drameh will be entering the final two years of his contract in the summer, and it looks as if Andrea Radrizzani, the 49ers group, Victor Orta and Marsch will have another difficult call to make on the youngster over the coming months.

We have already seen that Drameh is willing to force his way out of Elland Road, and another temporary deal away could suit all involved.

Bournemouth could well be a destination, and it looks as if they are going to earn promotion back to the Premier League. Therefore, if regular minutes can be guaranteed, then the south coast could be the perfect place for Drameh ahead of a potential breakthrough into the Leeds side in 2023/24.

In other news: Sky Sports now share big news on Leeds star’s Elland Road future; ‘dealing’ already happening. 

Tottenham will continue talks with Wolves over the prospective signing of Adama Traore over the coming days, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Traore on the verge of Spurs move

The 25-year-old looks near-certain to join Spurs imminently, with strong rumours linking him with a move to north London in recent days.

Traore nearly had the perfect ending to his Wolves career in Saturday’s 2-1 win away to Brentford, scoring what looked like a match-sealing third goal, only for it to be ruled out for offside.

Spurs are still pushing hard to get their man, and a fresh update has now been provided on the matter.

The Latest: Romano gives update

Taking to Twitter on Monday, Romano said that talks between the two clubs would ramp up again, with Tottenham keen to get the deal done before next Monday’s transfer deadline and optimistic over their chances of doing so

The journalist outlined: “Tottenham are prepared to push on Adama Traore deal starting from today. Talks will re-start with Wolves to enter into final details & reach the agreement. Club confident to complete the new signing.”

The Verdict: Right move for everyone

Traore has been a popular figure at Molineux but this is the right time for him to move on, with Wolves set to receive a healthy fee for his services.

The Spain winger has shown over an extended period that he cannot be considered a genuinely reliable attacking option, scoring only one goal and yet to register an assist in the Premier League this season. Nor is this an uncharacteristic trough; his 154 appearances in Old Gold have yielded a mere 11 goals.

The money from Spurs could be used to sign an attacker who Bruno Lage genuinely wants at Molineux, while Traore could try to prove his doubters wrong under Antonio Conte and enjoy a fresh challenge in north London.

In other news, a journalist has claimed Bruno Lage wants a Wolves signing in one position this month. Read more here.

Many Everton fans were left slamming the display of Andros Townsend in their game at home to Aston Villa in the Premier League at Saturday lunchtime.

The winger struggled to make any sort of real impact on the match, and was subsequently hauled off for Anthony Gordon in the 56th minute.

He failed to record any shots on goal, and was accurate with only one of his five crosses, while he only managed to make one key pass and was successful in just 53% of his passes (SofaScore).

Townsend also gave possession away on no fewer than on 18 separate occasions in total, one of the highest in the team, despite only playing 56 minutes, while defensively he struggled up against former teammate Lucas Digne, losing out on five of his duels.

Everton fans slam Townsend

These members of the Goodison Park faithful slammed his performance on Twitter, with one supporter of the Merseyside club even going as far as to claim that he was a ‘passenger’:

“Chose to start Townsend who was practically non-existent in the first half! Comical.”

Credit: @TheDanMox

“Gordon done more in 30 seconds than Townsend in 55 mins”

Credit: @dxhty

“Townsend is a passenger”

Credit: @SStaniford

“Townsend’s having a mare”

Credit: @mindersam

“Townsend atrocious”

Credit: @JwfFive

“Townsend actually does nothing”

Credit: @Evertxn

In other news, find out what team news had Toffees talking here!

Leeds United have been handed a huge boost in their bid to bring Eddie Nketiah back to Elland Road this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Athletic, who claim that, despite the centre-forward revealing that he is in discussions with Arsenal regarding a new contract, the 22-year-old will wait until the end of the season – when his current deal at The Emirates expires – before making a decision on his future.

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This is likely to come as a huge boost to Victor Orta and Leeds United, who have once again been rumoured to be interested in the signing of the former England U21 international this summer.

“Extraordinary at his age”

Considering the fact that Leeds were linked with a £20m move for Nketiah as recently as last summer, the news that the Whites could land the striker for free at the end of the current campaign is sure to have left Orta buzzing.

While it is true that the £9m-rated forward has not had much chance to impress under the management of Mikel Arteta this season – making 21 appearances in all competitions, only seven of which have come as starts – the 22-year-old has nevertheless proven that when given the opportunity he is more than capable of finding the back of the net.

Indeed, over his five Carabao Cup fixtures this term, the £45k-per-week hitman bagged an extremely impressive five goals – including one in a 2-0 victory over Leeds – on the Gunners’ way to the semi-final of the competition, where they were knocked out by eventual winners Liverpool.

Furthermore, the player who Noel Whelan dubbed a “dangerous” talent and Arteta claimed is “extraordinary at his age” also impressed during a loan spell at Elland Road back in 2019, scoring five goals and registering one assist over his 19 appearances for the Whites – averaging a direct goal involvement every 106 minutes of football played.

As such, considering his undoubted goalscoring ability and potential for development in the future, Nketiah’s signing would certainly appear to be a huge coup for Jesse Marsch’s side – particularly with it looking as if Orta could land the 22-year-old for nothing.

AND in other news: Marsch could unearth Leeds’ next £60m talent in “wonderful” £1.8m-rated sensation