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Former teen sensation Ravel Morrison won’t be returning to Sheffield Wednesday this summer, according to journalist Alex Miller.

The Lowdown: Morrison trains with Owls

There was a time when Morrison was seen as arguably the most exciting young player in the country, starring for Manchester United’s youth team.

His career has never kicked on, however, and he was invited to train with Wednesday back in March, before the club decided not to retain his services.

The Latest: Former sensation won’t return

A fresh update has now been provided by Sheffield Star journalist Miller, who claims that there are still no plans to bring Morrison back to Hillsborough.

The 28-year-old is now training with Derby County under former United teammate Wayne Rooney, as he looks to get his career back on track.

The Verdict: Wasted career

In an ideal world, Wednesday would sign Morrison and he would be superb in League One next season, showcasing his outrageous natural talent in a division where he would certainly stand out.

Unfortunately, he doesn’t seem to have the application to be a success story, though, meaning the Owls are right not to acquire his services.

Darren Moore needs to create a happy environment and have his squad pulling in the same direction, but Morrison could end up being a disruptive influence is his career thus far is anything to go by.

In other news, Sheff Wed are reportedly keen on signing a Premier League player this summer. Find out who it is here.

Lots of Everton fans have been left to buzz as an update emerged on their Premier League fixtures.

As per the official Twitter page of the Goodison Park faithful, the Merseyside club start off with a very favourable set of games for the first two months, in which they avoid all of the so-called ‘Big Six’ and both Leicester City and West Ham United as well, who finished in the European places last season.

The Toffees got off to a great start in the 2020/21 campaign, winning their first four matches in the top flight, and will be thinking that they are very much capable of repeating the trick come the new term.

Nonetheless, whoever the new manager is, they will surely be happy with the starting run of fixtures.

Everton fans on fixture update

These Blues buzzed as the fixture update was shared on Twitter, with one EFC supporter even going as far as to claim that it was ‘excellent’:

“Wow. Exceptionally good start to the season!! New manager should be flying”

Credit: @the_staveros

“Quite happy with that start.”

Credit: @LadShirts

“Roll on top of the league for the first 6 games again”

Credit: @jake_williams11

“September champs again”

Credit: @plee33

“An excellent opportunity to get a really good start to the season.”

Credit: @AlHart07

“27 points from our first 10 games be sound that”

Credit: @dh_5__

In other news, find out what transfer update has left Toffees fuming here!

According to The Daily Mail, Wolves have rejected a £1m bid from Sunderland for central defender Dion Sanderson.

The Lowdown: Sanderson impresses on loan with Black Cats

Sanderson spent last season on loan at the Stadium of Light, and impressed at the heart of the back four, so much so that Wolves fans were desperate to bring the youngster back when the season ended.

As such, the Black Cats want to see him return to the club permanently ahead of next term.

The Latest: Sunderland make Sanderson bid

Now, it has been reported that the north-east outfit have made a bid of £1m for the 21-year-old.

Wolves, though, swiftly rejected the offer – they are looking for a fee of £2m for the defender.

Sheffield United are also interested, but are yet to make a concrete approach.

The Verdict: Top target

There is no doubt Sanderson should be a top target for Lee Johnson and co. Of the 26 matches he played some part in last term in League One, the Black Cats lost just four (absence through to injury.

Johnson even called him a “Rolls-Royce” earlier this year (The Chronicle Live).

He proved himself to be an important player for Johnson throughout the campaign and, as Sunderland aim to earn promotion to the Championship, the signature of Sanderson could prove to be key. It remains to be seen whether the club can get their man this summer.

In other news, Sunderland hope to sign this in-demand winger.

Southampton experienced a meteoric rise into the Premier League having earned promotion in 2012 and have not looked back since, and former Vice-Chairman Les Reed has paid testament to former fan favourite Jos Hooiveld.

The Saints had several players who both helped them into Premier League and also stay there, such as Hooiveld, Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert and Jose Fonte, which is how they achieved high finishes given the consistency and continuity within their squad.

Hooiveld was initially signed on loan during their Championship days and was a key player and fan favourite during their title-winning season, and he was subsequently signed permanently that following summer.

Southampton made some very smart signings that they ended up making huge profits on but Hooiveld remained loyal to the club that gave him his Premier League chance, and Reed hailed his importance to the club as he spoke exclusively to Football FanCast:

“One of the biggest heroes at Southampton was Jos Hooiveld who we got from Celtic, and Jos was an unbelievable character and the fans absolutely loved him.

“He got picked every single game by Nigel Adkins despite him scoring three own goals for Southampton, having previously never scored an own goal in his career.”

During the Saints’ title-winning season, Hooiveld proved to be a huge presence in both boxes as he netted eight goals in all competitions during the 2011/12 season.

Southampton have had a good history of having good quality centre backs that may have been less heard of before joining them such as Virgil van Dijk, Janik Vestergaard and Jose Fonte.

Nottingham Forest have been handed a boost to their hopes of keeping Joe Worrall at The City Ground this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Lancashire Live, who claim that Burnley are preparing a £12m offer for Stoke City centre-back Nathan Collins, who is also said to be attracting interest from the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea, in the coming weeks.

The report goes on to state that Sean Dyche’s side still have a number of other potential centre-back targets on their radar, including Nottingham Forest’s Joe Worrall, although Collins now appears to be the Clarets’ first choice for the position this summer.

Hughton will be delighted

Despite Nottingham Forest having something of a season to forget last term, Worrall nonetheless impressed with his performances from the heart of the Garibaldi defence.

Over his 31 Championship appearances, the 24-year-old helped his side keep 12 clean sheets, in addition to making an average of 1.1 interceptions, 0.8 tackles, 4.2 clearances and winning 3.5 duels per game.

The £3.6m-rated defender also posed a threat going forwards, scoring one goal and registering one assist, as well as making an average of 0.3 key passes per fixture.

These returns culminated in Worrall earning a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.94, ranking him as Hughton’s fifth-best performer in the second tier.

As such, with the 62-year-old undoubtedly looking to build a side this summer that is capable of a much more respectable finish in the Championship next time around, retaining the services of the player whom Steven Gerrard dubbed a “leader” is sure to be high on his list of priorities.

And, with it looking as if Burnley have turned their attentions away from the £10k-per-week Forest star, it seems as if the 24-year-old may well be playing his football at The City Ground next season – for now, at least.

In other news: Forget Garner: Hughton must sanction Forest swoop for “quality” £2.25m-rated dynamo

Crystal Palace are targeting Swansea manager Steve Cooper and Burnley boss Sean Dyche as possible options to succeed Roy Hodgson at Selhurst Park.

What’s the story?

According to a huge update from EuroSport reporter Dean Jones, the Eagles have moved on from previous targets Eddie Howe and Frank Lampard in their pursuit of a new manager and the club’s owners now have Cooper and Dyche on their wishlist.

Hodgson announced his departure from the south London club a few weeks ago after four relatively successful years at Palace, but chairman Steve Parish is yet to appoint his replacement.

Fans will be buzzing

Although Cooper and Dyche are completely contrasting in their styles of play and managerial experience, both are likely to be appealing options to the Palace supporters.

The Swans boss has only been in charge of a senior side for two seasons, guiding the Welsh outfit to the Championship play-offs on both occasions.

He’s built an impressive reputation for developing young talent throughout his time working in Liverpool’s academy and as the England Under-17’s manager, though, guiding the young Three Lions side to World Cup glory back in 2017.

Cooper often likes his sides to build patiently from the back and play combinations in the wide positions. Although it hasn’t always been successful at the Liberty Stadium, Swansea have been lauded for their attractive style on many occasions, and the prospect of bringing in a young, exciting coach will surely have the Palace fans buzzing.

Dyche, on the other hand, is an appealing appointment for a host of different reasons. The 49-year-old has been in charge at Turf Moor for nine seasons now and has achieved unprecedented success with his Burnley side.

Despite working on a shoestring budget, the Clarets have achieved two promotions and two top-half Premier League finishes under his tutelage.

The Englishman’s name has virtually become a byword for guaranteed top-flight safety in recent seasons: something Palace will be desperate to achieve in 2021/22.

While Dyche may not win many plaudits for his back to basics approach to the beautiful game, his style is certainly effective, and the Palace fans would surely welcome someone like him with open arms to oversee this transitional period and ensure the club maintains its Premier League status throughout the process.

Parish appointing either one of these two men should be something that has Eagles fans buzzing.

And, in other news…Massive CPFC contract update emerges over £8.1m-rated “colossus”, fans will be buzzing 

According to West Ham United insider Claret & Hugh, defender Angelo Ogbonna has been given just a ’50/50′ chance of being available for their encounter with Everton this weekend.

The Lowdown: Ogbonna missing for Hammers

The Italian has been unavailable since a 1-o loss to Chelsea at the London Stadium nearly two weeks ago and manager David Moyes was forced to cope without his colossal presence at the back yet again during West Ham’s latest victory at Burnley.

Previously, Ogbonna had been missing for eight matches between February 10 and April 12 – unavailable for West Ham selection over 61 days in that time (Transfermarkt).

Upon his return, Moyes received a big boost in terms of defensive options as he seeks to guide the Irons to unprecedented Champions League qualification.

However, it didn’t take long for the 32-year-old to succumb to another injury issue and is now sidelined again.

The Latest: Chance of weekend return ’50/50′

Providing an update, club insider Claret & Hugh have shared news that he only has around a ’50/50′ chance of returning for their clash against Everton this weekend.

It is believed he is still recovering from the knock picked up against Chelsea while fellow defender Arthur Masuaku very much remains in the same position.

They note that Ogbonna could arguably be West Ham’s most important potential absentee for the Everton game, especially given alternative option Issa Diop has failed to impress recently.

The Verdict: Would be a big blow

The Toffees’ impending London Stadium visit comes as another stern test as the Irons continue chasing their Champions League dream, and they have had to cope with mounting injury issues over this last month.

As well as Ogbonna and Masuaku, the likes of Michail Antonio, Aaron Cresswell and Declan Rice have recently missed time (whufc.com).

Antonio and Cresswell both made a welcome return to the side at Turf Moor, meanwhile Rice is expected to return soon (C&H).

Regardless, possibly being without Ogbonna comes as a setback for Moyes and co given he has arguably been their most outstanding centre-back this season alongside Craig Dawson.

Former West Ham defender James Collins seemingly believes that’s the case, branding him ‘phenomenal’ in an interview with the club’s official website earlier this season.

As a result, Irons supporters will be hoping they have him back either for Everton or as soon as possible thereafter.

In other news: West Ham now eyeing this ‘absolutely crazy’ striker, find out more here.

Former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer has told The Transfer Tavern in an exclusive interview that Sheffield United hiring Philippe Clement would be a big risk.

The Blades are yet to appoint a permanent manager following Chris Wilder’s Bramall Lane exit back in March, with Paul Heckingbottom stepping in on an interim basis.

The current caretaker boss is now in contention for the job full-time but, according to reports coming out of Belgium (via Yorkshire Live), so is Club Brugge’s Clement.

Clement has done an excellent job at the Jan Breydel Stadium this term, guiding his side to the top of the Jupiler Pro League table during the regular season.

Palmer, however, is not entirely convinced, believing his lack of Championship experience would make him a gamble for United.

Speaking exclusively to TT about Clement, the ex-England international said:

“I think he’s a big risk. I think you’ve got to go tried and trusted, I really do. You know, it’s a tough, tough league to get out of.

“I think Sheffield United have the players to get out of that league next season. They just need to get the right person at the helm to do that.”

Clement’s contract at the Jan Breydel Stadium is up next summer, so his future could very well be away from Belgium.

According to The Athletic, Wolves are interested in hiring Glasgow Rangers manager Steven Gerrard as their new boss.

The Lowdown: Gerrard impresses

Gerrard has done a fantastic job with the Gers this campaign. He led the Ibrox outfit to their first major trophy in 10 years, and even took them through an unbeaten campaign in the Premiership.

As such, the Gers’ performances have linked Gerrard with the exit door, with Tottenham being urged to hire the former Liverpool captain (Football Insider). Now, another Premier League outfit are said to be in pursuit.

The Latest: Wolves want Gerrard

Nuno Espirito Santo recently confirmed he would be leaving Wolves at the end of the season (BBC), meaning the Midlands outfit need to replace him.

This latest report suggests Gerrard is amongst the candidates for the role, although Bruno Lage is seemingly the front runner.

The Verdict: He can do better

Given how the Gers have done this campaign, there is bound to be plenty of interest in Gerrard’s services. At some point, it feels likely that he will return to England, and a club such as Wolves would be able to offer him an interesting project and funds to spend. They would also likely be able to offer him an increase on the £2.5m a year (or £48,000 a week) he earns in Glasgow (sportekz.com).

At the moment, though, it makes no sense for him to leave.

Winning the Premiership means the Gers have qualified for the third qualifying round of the Champions League. Competing in that tournament, as well as trying to win trophies domestically, is too big a carrot for Gerrard to ignore. For now, he should stay put unless another Champions League outfit comes calling.

In other news, Barry Ferguson makes a claim on this Gers 22-year-old.

A big claim on the potential takeover of Newcastle United by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group has been dropped involving the Premier League.

Speaking to The Chronicle, Ian Mearns, who is the local MP for Gateshead and a life-long season ticket holder at St. James’ Park, has claimed he is ‘convinced’ there was outside influence on the decision made by the English top flight to fail the original deal between Mike Ashley and the KSA consortium.

He also slammed their ‘no comment’ response from the division to the reports of emails exchanged between them and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) suggesting that the bid was close as well as the Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) asking Prime Minister Boris Johnson to intervene:

“When the Premier League was posing the question ‘things could change’, I want to know at that stage what was it that they were anticipating could change? From my perspective, I’m convinced there was outside interference, possibly from other Premier League clubs.

“There’s a number of things which are commercially confidential here but it smacks of something to hide and cover up – from that perspective it will come out sooner rather than later.

“If they’ve got nothing to hide, they should be disclosing that at the earliest opportunity.

“The Premier League need to stop leading us up the garden path – just come out, be clear, concise and utterly transparent about what involvement there has been – and if there has been any interference from any outside sources.”

More transparency needed on Newcastle takeover

There certainly needs to be more transparency on the potential takeover in the North East given all of the recent stories which have broken out.

Given how close it seemingly was to being completed back in the summer, an explanation is needed from the PL on why they suddenly made a U-turn on the decision, and ultimately how a deal that looked like it could happen all of a sudden collapsed.

Nonetheless, the pending arbitration case between the Tyneside club and the league should clear up a lot of grey areas, and many members of the Toon Army will have their fingers crossed for a positive result.

In other news, find out what injury below before West Ham United has been dropped by Steve Bruce here!