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Wolverhampton Wanderers are among the clubs ‘interested’ in West Ham United centre-back Issa Diop. 

That’s according to journalist Ekrem Konur, who also names Crystal Palace and Southampton as interested parties.

In fact, he claims that Crystal Palace have already gone as far as tabling an ‘official offer’ for the Frenchman, only to see it rejected by the Hammers.

The lowdown on Wolves target Diop

Back in January, Diop was the subject of an enquiry from Champions League outfit Liverpool before they instead brought in Ozan Kabak on loan (via The Athletic).

Diop started 15 Premier League matches for West Ham last season, averaging 1.3 successful aerial duels, 1.1 tackles, 1.2 interceptions, 1.2 blocks and 3.2 clearances (via WhoScored).

The 24-year-old has two years remaining on his contract at the London Stadium and is valued at £16.2million by Transfermarkt.

He’d be competing with the likes of Conor Coady, Willy Boly, Max Kilman and Romain Saiss for a starting spot under Bruno Lage.

Fan feed Talking Wolves relayed the news, and here’s what supporters made of it.

These Wolves fans give Diop move seal of approval

“Not bad. Could do with some genuine competition at the back.”

Credit: @JasGreswal242

“Let’s be fair he’s better than what we have maybe minus Boly”

Credit: @DodgyWolf

“Imagine Diop and Boly!”

Credit: @Life0fsam

“Oh yes please. I think he would do really well at wolves. He’s tall solid and got potential still!!”

Credit: @bo88om

“I mean he’s definitely an improvement on Coady”

Credit: @aepearson02

“I’d have him, don’t care”

Credit: @YasWWFC

In other news, fans gushed over this news.

Alan Nixon has dropped the amount of cash that he believes Newcastle United have as a transfer budget for the summer window.

The Lowdown: Window open

The summer transfer window is officially open, meaning that the St. James’ Park faithful can start to look at which players they would like to bring in, and also who they would like to leave the North East.

Nonetheless, with the takeover arbitration case against the Premier League looming as well, it is set to be a very interesting one with the Tyneside club.

The Latest: £50m budget

As per reliable football journalist Alan Nixon, ‘Bruce will get a transfer war chest’ from Mike Ashley of around £50m for the window.

That, of course, could increase through player sales, as Steve Bruce’s team try to improve upon their respectable 12th-placed finish in the top flight.

The Verdict: Promising

£50m is certainly a promising figure in terms of a transfer budget for a Premier League side finishing in the bottom half of the table, and it is one that Bruce can work with.

Of course, the Magpies ideally would like to have the abundance of riches that would have come from a completed takeover, but nonetheless, it is certainly a good amount to get started.

The Toon will no doubt be looking at trying to sign Joe Willock on a permanent deal from Arsenal following his successful loan spell, and £50m would certainly give room for one of two more first-team targets, as well as the young midfielder.

In other news, find out what Mike Ashley has told the takeover consortium about arbitration here!

When he has been handed a chance Gareth Bale has generally performed in the Premier League for Tottenham Hotspur, but Marcus Bent, who made 215 Premier League appearances, has exclusively told Football FanCast that the winger could move to Everton.

With Spurs’ managerial situation still appearing unclear, so is Bale’s future with reports linking him with a move to Everton to work under former Los Blancos manager, Carlo Ancelotti.

The Toffees have not been shy in spending the money in recent years as they have splashed out a grand total of £266 million in the last three seasons on bringing in new players so Bale’s huge wages may not prove to be that big of a stumbling block.

Bales was pushed to one side at Real Madrid over the last few years as well as for large parts under Jose Mourinho, but Bent believes he could thrive at a club like Everton as the former Toffees striker spoke exclusively to FFC:

“I think that would be his kind of club. I think he’d be the headline player, which he needs to be for his confidence and he would play week in week out alongside some great players.

“As I’ve spoken about before, Everton is a family club, they would take him in and give him the love that he needs.”

Following his temporary arrival from Real Madrid last summer, the 31-year old has failed to live up to the high standards that he left White Hart Lane with back in 2013.

Tottenham as a collective have failed to impress this season as the most realistic expectation they have heading into the final game of the season is to qualify for the Europa Conference League.

Tottenham Hotspur are still on the hunt for their next manager and Roberto Martinez has constantly been linked with the job and former Wigan Athletic manager, Paul Jewell, believes that a good Euros campaign could help his case.

Martinez has had three spells as a manager in England having been in charge at Swansea City, Wigan Athletic and Everton before he took up the job as the Belgium national team’s manager.

The Spaniard played attacking and possession-based football which always saw his teams score a lot of goals, but this came at a cost as they often leaked a high number of goals in their own goal.

There has been a fresh twist in the Tottenham manager saga as it emerged that Martinez is in continued in talks with the club over becoming their new manager after the Euros, and Jewell believes that he would play good football at Tottenham, speaking exclusively to Football FanCast on the topic:

“He always likes his teams to play good football and he’s done a terrific job at Belgium, with fantastic players though, I have to say.

“What you usually find is that after the Euros or World Cup, there’s a manager who does really well and all of a sudden they’re the favourite for all the top jobs in Europe. So that might happen to Roberto.”

Several managers have been linked with the job including Erik ten Hag, who only signed a one-year extension at Ajax last month, but Spurs could still persuade him to move to London.

Another strong candidate that has been linked is Graham Potter, who Spurs Chief Scout Steve Hitchen recommended as his number one choice to Daniel Levy.

Derby County have been dealt a blow in their potential bid to bring Isaac Success to Pride Park this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Watford Observer, who claim that the 25-year-old wants to stay and fight for his place at Watford, despite reports suggesting that the centre-forward looks likely to leave the club either on a temporary or permanent basis this summer.

One of the clubs reported to be interested in the Nigeria international back in February were Derby County, interest that is assumed will continue this summer, particularly if the Hornets do go on to make the striker available.

Rooney will be gutted

Considering how badly Derby struggled for goals last season, with the team scoring a Championship low of 36 goals and Colin Kazim-Richards being the club’s top league goalscorer with just eight strikes, the Rams’ attacking department will undoubtedly be an area in which Wayne Rooney will be looking to bring recruitments in this summer.

As such, the news that one of the 35-year-old’s targets of last season looks unlikely to be receptive of a move away from his current side is likely to leave Rooney somewhat gutted.

Although, whether or not Success would have been the man to bring the goals to Pride Park next season is a subject up for debate.

Over his 10 Championship appearances for Xisco Munoz’s side last season – only three of which came as starts – the £1.62m-rated man scored one goal, provided no assists and created no big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 0.5 shots and making 0.4 key passes per game.

However, with the £30k-per-week forward averaging just 36 minutes on the pitch in each of his fixtures, the argument could easily be made that, with more game time, the 25-year-old’s returns would have been significantly greater.

And, even with his lack of direct involvement in goals, Success still earned a decent seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.75, proving that the striker, whom Munoz’s dubbed a “big force” for Watford, can have a positive impact on games even without hitting the back of the net.

Regardless of all this, however, the fact that Rooney wanted to bring Success to the club, and the forward’s subsequent statement revealing his desire to remain at Vicarage Road ahead of next season, will no doubt have come as disappointing news for the Derby manager, who may well have to turn his attention in the transfer market elsewhere.

In other news: Roberts 2.0: Rooney heading for Derby transfer disaster over “frustrated” 22 y/o flop

A number of Derby County supporters have been left happy with the news that a planned takeover of the club has now officially been called off.

The Rams ensured they remained in the Championship for another season last weekend, following a breathless final day – providing they survive a possible points deduction.

Wayne Rooney’s side may only have managed to draw 3-3 at home to Sheffield Wednesday, but Rotherham’s failure to win away to Cardiff City meant Derby stayed up.

It was a huge relief for everyone associated with the club, with hope that they can now push onto bigger and better things with Rooney at the helm.

Talk surrounding a takeover taking place at Pride Park has not been met with resounding positivity however, but that news has now taken a twist.

According to BBC Sport, Spanish businessman Erik Alonso’s proposed takeover of Derby has fallen through, with his company, No Limit Sports Limited, failing to complete a deal.

Derby fans flock to failed takeover

These Derby fans have been providing their thoughts on the matter on Twitter, with much happiness in the air.

“Some good news for once”

Credit: @iancf

“Happy Friday!”

Credit: @Nuwtfly

“Finally good news. Time to move on let the yanks buy the club and move on from the mess that has been the last 2 years”

Credit: @stefdcfc89

“This is great to see, it’s time to bring someone in who can bring stability to the club and put us back on an even footing, without the drama and the false promises. Let’s hope something can be tied up quickly and move forward “

Credit: @Rik_JP1884

“Get innnn”

Credit: @AdamDCFC1884

“It’s official!”

Credit: @DerbyStatistics

In other news, some Derby fans have been lauding one player after the Rams stayed in the Championship. Find out who it is here.

Many Everton fans have slammed the performance of Andre Gomes despite their 1-0 away win against Arsenal in the Premier League on Friday night.

The Merseysiders managed to grab a crucial three points at the Emirates Stadium thanks to a bizarre own goal from Bernd Leno, despite not really being at their best.

One player who flattered to deceive was Gomes, who failed to record a single shot on goal, clearance, interception, key pass or cross in the match and was consequently subbed off by Carlo Ancelotti in the 66th minute for Fabian Delph (Sofascore).

The Portuguese midfielder will need to put in much better performances than the one against Mikel Arteta’s side if he is to stay in the starting XI for the rest of the season, especially as he has frequently been the target of Toffees’ fans vitriol in recent months.

Everton fans on Gomes display

These Everton supporters slammed his performance on Twitter, with one fan even going as far as to claim that he was a ‘joke’:

“That was depressing and the tactics were all over the place. Richarlison who has barely played on the right side is suddenly put there. No width on the left. Gomes is a joke of a player who needs dropping. James thinks he has an hour on the ball and is dispossessed so easy #efc”

Credit: @sicurrie

“Gomes giving it away like it’s going out of fashion. #ArsEve”

Credit: @Abelsouthall

“Remember when Gomes used to pass to a Blue shirt? No? Me neither. #ArsEve”

Credit: @nix4pool

“Does Gomes ever not bottle a tackle?!?! #arseve”

Credit: @EvertonOttawa

“Gomes offered nothing tonight”

Credit: @PaulFoy16

“Andre Gomes and Sigurdsson couldn’t tackle a paper bag”

Credit: @JDGEFC

In other news, find out what Fabrizio Romano transfer update has excited many Everton fans!

In an exclusive interview with The Transfer Tavern, Rob Lee, who made 18 appearances for West Ham United, has claimed that Tammy Abraham may prove to be too expensive if Chelsea are wanting £40 million for the striker.

It has been reported that the Blues will look to receive £40 million for their academy graduate who has fallen out of favour at Chelsea since Thomas Tuchel took over from Frank Lampard earlier this year.

West Ham only have one recognised striker after they sold their club-record signing Sebastien Haller to Ajax for £20.25 million in January, but David Moyes decided to not replace him.

Speaking on how £40 million could be too expensive for West Ham and how Abraham has proved himself to be worth that much, Lee told The Transfer Tavern:

“Yeah, that is really expensive and a lot of money but I think he’s done very well and he’s always scored goals whether that be for Aston Villa or Chelsea.

“I’m sure there’ll be other clubs who are interested in him if they’re going to let him go and £40 million does seem a lot of money, but clubs will pay it.”

Last season was the £57,692 per week striker’s breakout Premier League campaign as he managed to score 15 goals, however this season he’s only found the net six times.

Timo Werner was signed for £45 million last summer from RB Leipzig, however he has not been clinical enough in front of goal with just six goals in 32 Premier League games.

According to Football Insider, Glasgow Rangers are planning to make a bid for Lewis Ferguson after he handed in a transfer request at Aberdeen.

The Lowdown: Ferguson hands in transfer request

Ferguson, who currently plays for the Dons, handed in a transfer request to leave the club (BBC).

Aberdeen have since released a statement in regards to the situation, saying they have received an “insulting” offer for the 21-year-old’s services from a Premier League outfit (afc.co.uk).

The Latest: Gers interest

Following this update, the Gers are said to be interested in making a move for the £2.7m-valued U21 Scotland international (Transfermarkt).

Rangers are confident Ferguson is “desperate” to make the move to Ibrox if a deal can be agreed, Ibrox sources have told Football Insider.

The Verdict: Top talent

Ferguson has enjoyed his most lucrative season to date from a personal perspective. He has scored 10 goals in all competitions for Aberdeen to take his overall career tally to 21, while he also chipped in with five assists (Transfermarkt). It seems only natural that he will move on to bigger and better things.

Given he is the nephew of former Gers player Barry Ferguson and the son of Derek Ferguson, there will be some who are confident Lewis will choose Ibrox as his next step. However, the midfielder’s agent has said it is his dream to play in the Premier League (The Daily Mail via The Scottish Sun), something which Rangers likely can’t compete with. It therefore remains to be seen whether he can be convinced to move to the 55-time Scottish champions.

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

Luke Edwards has dropped a claim on a potential takeover of Newcastle United after replying to a question from a fan of the St James’ Park faithful.

As per a tweet from the Daily Telegraph journalist, any other party other than the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group who may be interested in taking over in the northeast ‘can’t get anywhere’ with Mike Ashley until the Tyneside club’s relegation fate is known.

Other potential Newcastle buyers?

Given that the KSA’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) are yet to put themselves back onto the table, there is a question mark over whether the original deal between the consortium and Ashley can still be revived.

This may invite other potential buyers to submit their own bids, but a lot will be decided come the end of the 2020/21 season, when Steve Bruce’s team know their fate in terms of possible relegation.

If the worst were to happen and the Magpies found themselves going down from the Premier League to the Championship, then the prospect of taking over at Newcastle would be far less attractive to PIF, and Ashley would not be able to demand as high of an asking price.

Still, this may invite other potential buyers who would not mind taking over at a club in the lower division to come in with their own bids, and it would then be up to Ashley if he still wants to sell.

In other news, find out what one pundit has claimed after a big Newcastle injury update before the Spurs clash!