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In a recent interview with Football FanCast, former Southampton striker Kevin Phillips has claimed that he expects Danny Ings to leave the Saints this summer.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, when asked if he could see the 28-year-old departing, he said:

“Yes I can, as much as Southampton fans won’t thank me for it. I think he even came out at one point and said he wants to play Champions League football, so that suggests to me he would like to move on.”

“So I possibly could see him moving on. It’s just a case of, he is a little bit injury prone. We have seen what he can do, I’m not doubting that. I think he’s a fantastic striker, scores great goals, good movement, but he is a little bit injury prone, so I think ‘who would take him who would finish in the Champions League spots?’.

“But I do think that he’ll probably be angling for a move come the summer.”

Whilst Phillips’ claim does seem to be a fair one, with the former Liverpool man having reportedly expressed an interest in playing European football again in the near future, recent injury setbacks for the England international might just put some clubs off signing him this summer.

The striker enjoyed an injury-free campaign last season and scored a superb 22 goals in 38 Premier League appearances and looked set to repeat that feat with a superb start to the 2020/21 campaign.

However, he has struggled with minor injury problems since the New Year, which has, unsurprisingly, coincided with Southampton’s awful run of form, and he has just three goals in 12 appearances in 2021.

He suffered another setback in the 2-0 win against Sheffield United recently, which will keep him sidelined for another couple of weeks, and you feel that, given his injury history, top four clubs may well feel that it is too big a risk to bring him in for the sort of money that Southampton would likely demand this summer.

His last big move to Liverpool, unfortunately, didn’t go to plan because of significant injury problems and after his recent Issues, despite being minor in comparison to those he suffered at Anfield, might just prove to be a key factor in whether or not a club playing in Europe comes knocking during the summer transfer window, which might just work in Southampton’s favour.

However, all signs suggest that Phillips is right and that Ings will push for a move this summer, which won’t go down well with Saints fans. Whether he gets his move, or not, remains to be seen.

And, in other news… Semmens must avoid VVD repeat with £13.5m-rated “role model” Hasenhuttl loves

Newcastle United have landed a huge boost ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash with West Bromwich Albion as Elliot Anderson is expected to be fit.

That’s according to The Shields Gazette, who note that the 18-year-old has recovered from an ankle injury sustained during an Under 23s clash with the Baggies’ academy last week.

The blow prevented Anderson from playing any role in Steve Bruce’s plans as the Magpies drew 1-1 with Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, along with representing Chris Hogg’s junior side as they lost 2-1 at home to Reading on Monday.

Anderson is now expected to be one of the contenders to replace Miguel Almiron at the Hawthorns on Sunday, after Bruce lost his Paraguayan playmaker due to a knee injury as one of three casualties against Wolves.

Allan Saint-Maximin sustained a groin issue during the draw, and will now join top-scorer Callum Wilson on the sidelines after the French wing wizard was ruled out until April.

Emil Krafth was also forced off with a shin injury on Saturday, but he is due to resume training ahead of facing West Brom in a crunch encounter between two relegation-threatened sides.

Having Anderson available as well will come as a huge boost for Bruce, with the academy product expected to be in the mix to replace Almiron beside the likes of Ryan Fraser, Jacob Murphy and Jeff Hendrick.

Bruce awarded Anderson his senior Newcastle debut away to Arsenal in the second half of January’s FA Cup tie, before introducing the 18-year-old to the Premier League for the final three minutes at the Emirates Stadium nine days later.

The North Shields-born prospect is yet to feature for the Toon first-team since facing the Gunners, but has seven goals and one assist in nine U23s outings after finding the back of the net against West Brom in a 3-2 PL2 win last week.

Bruce described Anderson’s debut at Arsenal as a “big positive” as the attacking midfielder’s performance instilled a sense of confidence in the United head coach.

“Big positive. I thought the kid was very, very good. He’s been with us, knocking on the door, for a while now, so it was good to see him making his way. He’s got a big future ahead of him, hopefully,” Bruce noted after the Emirates Stadium affair.

Anderson has been named as an unused substitute on three occasions since facing Arsenal, but the Scotland U19 international does not want to settle for a seat on the bench.

“I’ve played twice, come on but I want to be playing more, even if you’re playing a lot you want to be playing more,” he told NUFC TV. “As a footballer, you need to keep pushing and pushing, so I’ll continue to work hard and take my chances.

“Making my debut at the Emirates was massive but it wouldn’t be the same feeling making it at St. James’, so I’m waiting for that to come – the day that happens it will probably be the best day of my life, hopefully with the fans back. I can’t wait.”

Sunday’s clash with West Brom may not be at home so Anderson would have to wait for his St. James’ Park bow, but Bruce should see it as a boost having the Newcastle talent back fit, even if he doesn’t want to start the youngster, he could be a more than useful option coming off the bench.

AND in other news, an “absolutely awesome” titan has been tipped to quit Newcastle this summer…

Whoever replaces Neil Lennon as Celtic’s new manager will have a seismic job on their hands.

Given how terribly this campaign has gone, they will need to rip things up and almost start again. Certainly, with Peter Lawwell also departing in the summer, lots of change will be needed in order to take Celtic back to the top.

A plethora of renowned coaches from within the football world have been linked with the vacancy. Whether it’s Frank Lampard or Roberto Martinez, some eye-catching names are regularly being branded about.

Though, one manager who hasn’t been in the discussion too much is Stoke boss Michael O’Neill. On paper, this might not look like an attractive proposition for Hoops supporters but they’d be foolish to ignore him.

Trevor Sinclair recently spoke about his chances of moving to Glasgow and how a man with his CV could be game-changing in Glasgow. He told talkSPORT (24/02 – 10:30am): “I would look at Michael O’Neill. He’s done a fantastic job with the Northern Ireland national team, he’s done a superb job with Stoke City,” he began.

Sinclair concluded: “(O’Neill) is a David Moyes kind of manager. He knows the game inside out, how to run clubs from top to bottom. You need a manager like that to come in and give the club a shake – and I think that’s what is needed.”

Indeed, despite O’Neill’s win rate of just 39% with Stoke, he has revived them, replicating a similar sort of job that he did with the Northern Irish national side.

When he walked into that job, they were in a desperate place. Northern Ireland were very quickly slipping towards their lowest FIFA ranking and in September 2012, were placed 129th. O’Neill, however, used supreme professionalism and tactical acumen to breathe fresh life into not only the team but also the country as a whole.

Just four years later, they were competing at the European Championships in France. They weren’t just there to make up the numbers either. O’Neill had guided his team from being one of the worst in Europe based on FIFA rankings to reaching the last 16 at the Euros.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-on-celtics-managerial-vacancy” title=”Check out the latest on Celtic’s managerial vacancy!”]

Wales knocked them out, but despite that, O’Neill had brought a country and its fan base together with his pragmatic approach.

In the words of BBC reporter Richard Petrie; “O’Neill’s philosophy of the sum of the parts being more effective than individual star performers built a sense of togetherness and collective team spirit which served a squad with a paucity of Premier League players at its disposal well.”

Petrie continued: “Tactically, his style was pragmatic – always a bespoke game plan in place depending on the opposition – difficult to break down, with pressing and exploiting opportunities to score from set-pieces or on the counter-attack in mind. It was a formation that his squad grew comfortable and familiar with and yielded positive results.”

For a side like Celtic, so in need of being revived, this could be ideal. You only need to look at what he’s done for Stoke too.

The Potters were sitting rock bottom of the English Championship when the 51-year-old took over in September 2019. He subsequently guided them to a finish of 15th last term. This season, meanwhile, they are now sitting in 11th position with an outside chance of reaching the playoffs.

He has engineered successful revivals in two successive jobs now. With that in mind, O’Neill seems like the ideal man for a crisis. Celtic could benefit ten-fold from his arrival at Parkhead.

AND in other news, Forget Harper: Kennedy should unleash 18 y/o gem never-seen in the Celtic first-team…

Celtic are in a disastrous position right now. 21 points behind their fierce rivals and out of Europe, Neil Lennon and the club’s hierarchy are in a perilous place with their jobs on the line.

Despite having watched their team win nine titles in a row, Hoops supporters are ruthless and will only ever settle for top spot.

With the transfer window now in full swing, signing a few players could certainly help with matters. That being said, making up such a large gap is now virtually impossible.

Though, one player who could perhaps lend more assistance heading into next season is Joel Randall.

The Exeter City winger was linked with a move to Parkhead last week and although he probably wouldn’t be what we’d call a marquee addition, there is a sense that he’d showcase plenty of talent in Scotland.

So far this season, the 21-year-old has scored eight goals and registered a further four assists in what has been a breakthrough campaign for the Grecians.

He currently plays in League Two, so there is understandable scepticism about whether he could make the jump to the SPFL but his performance in the FA Cup last weekend showcased the he can shine against a higher level of opposition.

Although Exeter lost to Championship side Sheffield Wednesday, Randall stood out and he certainly didn’t shy out of a challenge, winning 75% of his duels. For context, no Exeter player won more ground duels for his side than Randall last Saturday.

He was also good going forward, however, succeeding with a joint team-high number of two dribbles. Randall did lose possession 20 times but that was just a marker of how regularly he either tried to deliver the ball into the box or how often he tried to beat a man.

The fact he was top of his team’s statistics just go to show the talent he possesses ass he put in a performance that was full of energy. That will come as no surprise to many, though.

Speaking about the youngster previously, his manager Matt Taylor once said: “His running stats are phenomenal but he’s added an extra dimension to his game in terms of the end product.”

Randall got up and down the left-hand channel like a whippet, putting in plenty of hard yards which no doubt would have pleased Celtic scouts. Unfortunately, his endeavour wasn’t enough to earn Exeter the win but Lennon, if he had any doubt about how the Exeter star would cope playing against better opposition, will now surely be convinced.

Six goals in League Two isn’t the most impressive achievement but standing out against Championship opposition is no mean feat. He’d be a solid pick up for the Hoops, especially with Mo Elyounoussi only on loan in Glasgow for the time being. A replacement, therefore, will need to be found from somewhere and Randall could well be that man.

AND in other news, “Huge disappointment” – Exclusive: Pundit reacts to massive Celtic injury blow for Neil Lennon…

Glasgow Rangers fans have been enjoying a video of former X Factor contestant Chico Slimani as they close in on the Premiership title.

Things could hardly be going better for the Ibrox outfit at the moment. As it stands, they lead the table by 20 points from Celtic with just 14 games left to play (BBC). As such, they are well on course to win their first league title in 10 years, and they have a good chance of going through the campaign unbeaten.

The supporters are enjoying themselves, as well, as they enroll the help of several celebrities to poke fun at their fierce rivals. First, former Eastenders actor Shaun Williamson recorded a message for “Neil, Broony and the Bhoys”, and now Chico has put together a similar clip.

As you can imagine, the Gers fans were absolutely delighted with the video, which was shared by Twitter account @JimTheJudge, and they took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Chico below

“This will take some topping”

Credit: @83boabobski

“Genius. Just genius.”

Credit: @drovenpoke

“Outstanding”

Credit: @trickymcfingaz

“That is fantastic”

Credit: @TheMacFarlane

“Tremendous”

Credit: @Ro55B055RFC

“This is phenomenal!!”

Credit: @reverendgv1

In other news, Rangers fans are livid at this transfer news.

With the transfer window now open Victor Orta has plenty of pondering to do. Against sides in and around them, Leeds are superb. However, when they face the bigger teams in the Premier League on the road, they struggle.

Unfortunately, it’s very unlikely Leeds will be too active in the transfer market. That’s when you consider what happened with Jean-Kevin Augustin last January.

The Frenchman signed on loan from RB Leipzig but failed to flatter Marcelo Bielsa and thus, only played 48 first-team minutes.

Trying to adapt to Bielsa’s training methods are tough as it is, let alone when you’re coming in midway through the season.

Yet, one player who could be suited to the physical demands of the Argentine’s play style is Adama Traore. The Spaniard was linked with a move to Leeds late last year and a fee of £40m was quoted.

That’s a lot of money for a club who failed to cough up the sum required to land Rodrigo de Paul last summer.

Traore hasn’t scored in the top-flight for over a year now but he demonstrated on Saturday why Leeds need to sign him, and why he’s earned the tag “unplayable.”

The former Barcelona prodigy hasn’t been at the races this season but he was phenomenal against Brighton this weekend in Wolves’ 3-3 draw.

He was everywhere and proved to be a menace to the Seagulls’ backline, amassing as many as nine dribbles during his 90 minutes on the pitch. It got even better though. Traore won a mammoth 16 duels and was fouled on four occasions.

Although he failed to find the back of the net, this was about as complete a performance as you can provide without scoring. It was everything the Spain international is about – pace, power and sheer force.

The 24-year-old was a brute, doing his job offensively and defensively to near perfection. Traore won two tackles and one interception, tracking back well. Coincidentally, this all came in a week where club-record signing Rodrigo was poor, winning just two duels against Tottenham and being bullied by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

If any weekend summed up why Orta needs to move for one of his targets, this was it.

AND in other news, Ronaldo Vieira 2.0: Orta must seal Leeds swoop for £13m titan with “great physique”…

Wolves’ season hasn’t exactly been one to remember so far.

Sat 13th in the Premier League table, they have fallen some way short of expectation and will face a huge battle to regain European football. As a result, some extra investment in the transfer market could do a great deal of good.

What’s the word?

The priority for Wolves in the January window is a new striker. They have been linked with the likes of Divock Origi and Diego Costa but a new name has now emerged on their radar.

According to the Transfer Exchange Show, they’re eyeing a move for Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah.

They state that the Old Gold are in talks over a move for the youngster with negotiations ongoing. It’s thought that Arsenal are wanting somewhere in the region of £15m-£20m for his services.

Nketiah is currently earning a salary of £45k-a-week at the Emirates so this could be a pricey deal for Fosun and co to complete.

A big mistake

Nketiah is undoubtedly one of the most promising young strikers in the Premier League. He is a talented poacher and more often than not, finds the back of the net when given a goal-scoring opportunity.

Described as “powerful” by Mikel Arteta, he possesses the ability to run in behind and get across his man with intelligent off the ball movement.

He has been lethal in youth football and has surpassed Alan Shearer’s record of goals in an England U21s shirt. Nketiah has 12 strikes in ten matches at that level so it’s no great surprise to see him labelled a “goal machine” by Michael Owen.

If anyone knows anything about beating the goalkeeper, it’s certainly him.

Yet, for all of his success at youth level, he hasn’t achieved a great deal on the senior stage. The striker has scored five times in 21 matches this season which isn’t disastrous given he’s just 21, but at the end of the day, they don’t need another young forward.

Wolves do like to develop for the future but they signed Fabio Silva for £35.6m in the summer. Signing Nketiah, therefore, would be an inexcusable waste of money.

Nuno Santo needs a senior striker to cover for Raul Jimenez this month, not a rising star – he already has that at his disposal.

AND in other news, Forget Podence: Shi must land Wolves upgrade in £16.9m gem with an “unbelievable shot”…

Newcastle United may lose up to six players in the January transfer window, including Dwight Gayle, according to The Chronicle.

As per the news outlet, Jacob Murphy, Christian Atsu, Henri Saivet, Achraf Lazaar and Rolando Aarons could also be let out through the door at St. James’ Park in order to recoup some cash for some possible new arrivals.

Aarons may well be on his way to Huddersfield Town in the EFL Championship, while Rangers have apparently retained their willingness from the summer to strike a loan deal with Murphy, while Gayle only has a few months left on his current deal in the North East and he has not yet signed a new one.

Gayle and Murphy would be biggest losses to Newcastle

Given that both players have played their part for the Tyneside club so far in the 2020/21 term, both Gayle and Murphy could be the biggest losses to Steve Bruce’s team.

The latter has played in nine games in total in all competitions, scoring two goals and making a further two assists (‘magnificent’ by Toon legend Alan Shearer, he also praised the ‘great cross’ put in by Murphy.

It is clear that both of these aces would be a miss to NUFC should they be allowed to leave next month.

In other news, find out who was ‘out of his depth’ against WBA here!

Everton are in need of a Deadline Day miracle to offload Theo Walcott before the market slams shut at 11pm, despite interest from Southampton in a potential loan move for the former England international.

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Mail, Southampton are hopeful of sealing an emotional return to St Mary’s for Walcott 14 years on from the winger joining Arsenal aged 16, but will require help from Everton in getting a temporary transfer across the line.

The Saints are understood to be in open communication with the Toffees, however any activity on the south coast will hinge on Everton subsiding part of Walcott’s £100,000-per-week contract, which the Blues are currently reluctant to accept.

Everton chiefs have considered the winger’s future heavily approaching Deadline Day and expect to see the 31-year-old depart Merseyside, even if a permanent deal would see the Goodison Park natives receive little or no transfer fee, per The Athletic.

Walcott is thought to be desperate to be playing regular football this season, but his sizable wage demands are considered a major hurdle in any transfer negotiations.

Being one of Everton’s top-earners has also made Walcott’s situation a prevalent concern this summer as he does not feature in boss Carlo Ancelotti’s plans, while also now being within the final year of his lucrative contract.

It remains to be seen if Everton warm to covering some of Walcott’s wage or if the three-time FA Cup winner will accept a lower offer to re-join Southampton, who consider the 31-year-old to be an experienced addition that will add depth in the wide areas of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side following a string of injuries.

Everton need a miracle

With Walcott expecting a lucrative contract like the one he signed with Everton upon joining the Toffees in 2018, the Goodison Park outfit will be needing a miracle if they are to offload him on Deadline Day.

Everton could get around any wage concerns by following through on The Athletic’s report and offering him to Southampton for free, but the lack of a transfer fee could see the 31-year-old’s representatives push for a greater salary knowing the circumstances of Walcott’s potential arrival.

But no matter the terms of his departure if one occurs, Walcott’s move to Everton in 2018 will go down as one of a major gamble by former Director of Football Steve Walsh that has not paid off, having spent in excess of £20million to sign him from Arsenal.

Added to his wage, Everton have spent more than £34m on Walcott’s capture but in return only seen 11 goals in 85 games and the winger be pushed aside to the point his 12-minute cameo against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday came as his league season debut.

Ancelotti is right to want Walcott gone this summer, but may be left penniless in return as Everton are embarrassed by the expense of what turned out to be a woeful piece of business made by a former club chief.

AND in other news, Everton will fail to solve the issues a potential Deadline Day arrival is intended to mend as talks are opened.

There’s now an air of optimism brewing in Merseyside after Everton bolstered their squad with no fewer than three new signings and now they’re back in action as the Premier League returns this afternoon.

The Toffees face a trip south to north London to face Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

But what sort of lineup will Carlo Ancelotti select as he faces another former Real Madrid boss in the form of Jose Mourinho?

Here’s what we are predicting…

There are no doubts over Jordan Pickford going into the new campaign as the first-choice shot-stopper. He’s got no viable backup or real competition.

His back four will most likely include Lucas Digne and Seamus Coleman on either flank with Michael Keane partnering Yerry Mina through the middle. The young Mason Holgate is expected to be out through injury for several weeks.

Ancelotti could hand a debut to his Napoli lynchpin Allan as he looks to fortify their weak midfield from last season. However, Andre Gomes remains in the starting XI over fellow summer arrival Abdoulaye Doucoure.

Out wide, Richarlison drops back to take up a spot on the left with the £22.95m-rated Alex Iwobi occupying the other side whilst there’s another debut through the middle as James Rodriguez is given a start in the number ten role.

It means there’s no place on offer for Tom Davies or Gylfi Sigurdsson – much to the delight of many back in Merseyside, you’d imagine.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin will surely lead the line as a result with his Italian boss opting for a 4-3-3 rather than a 4-4-2.