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Celtic have ‘sensationally’ opened discussions with Roy Keane in a stunning development in the club’s search for a new manager, according to Football Insider.

The report from Football Insider claims a Hoops source told them ‘discussions are underway with Keane and the club are ready to offer him the post’.

Keane’s managerial absence

Keane, who ended his playing career at Parkhead, last managed a side back in 2011. The Irishman spent two years in charge of Sunderland in his first taste of management, with Ipswich Town his previous first-team post.

Since then, he’s been Martin O’Neill’s assistant with Ireland and Nottingham Forest and Paul Lambert’s number two at Aston Villa.

Football Insider claim his potential appointment would ‘send shockwaves’ through the footballing world.

Transfer Tavern take

Ten years out of the game as a manager is a long time, so we feel Celtic will be taking a huge risk, should Keane agree to become Neil Lennon’s long-term successor.

The 49-year-old averages just 1.41 points-per-game during his 181-game career in the dugout, a figure which doesn’t exactly catch the eye.

Keane would be working closely with a director of football at Parkhead, should he return to Celtic, and possibly John Kennedy and the current backroom staff, as the former midfielder doesn’t have his own team in place.

In other news: Celtic midfielder keen on summer Parkhead exit; it’s not Scott Brown, find out more here. 

When Nelson Semedo signed for Wolves last summer, it was a landmark moment for the club.

Fosun were bringing a Barcelona player to the Midlands in a deal that could eventually rise to the £36m mark.

It was an eye-catching transfer; one that marked a significant statement of intent from the Molineux outfit. This type of deal was supposed to help catapult Wolves into the European places.

Instead, they have gone backwards with Semedo on the right-hand side of defence.

The Portugal international has struggled since signing but we shouldn’t really be surprised. The very fact Barcelona were able to sell him for a fee that could reach nearly £40m was baffling when you consider how he was taken to the cleaners by Alphonso Davies in the Champions League.

In the process of Barcelona being demoralised 8-2 by Bayern Munich, Semedo was dribbled past on three occasions, made an error that led to a shot and completed just one tackle all night. For a team who were so relentlessly on the back foot, it was a horror show from the defender.

Since penning terms in the Premier League, he has put in some wretched performances from a defensive point of view. Two games that spring to mind were Everton and Arsenal.

Against the Toffees, Semedo was given the run around by Lucas Digne as the French full-back was able to deliver six crosses. On a regular basis, the Portuguese failed to get close to Digne and that was evident for the opening goal.

The Everton defender got down the left and with Semedo nowhere to be seen, he was able to lay it on a plate for Alex Iwobi to fire home.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-wolves-transfer-news-and-views-ocampos-ronaldo-trincao-fabio-silva” title=”Latest Wolves transfer news and views!”]

During that clash, Wolves reporter Tim Spiers took to Twitter to express the following: “A liability at the back but nothing wrong with Semedo’s attacking ability of late.”

Indeed, that perfectly sums up the 27-year-old’s time in England. Going forward he looks a constant menace but he’s often left wanting defensively.

That was apparent when Arsenal and Nicolas Pepe came to town. The Ivorian was a constant thorn in the defence, beating Semedo on several occasions.

All of this has led to a dramatic decrease in his transfer value. When he moved to Wolves, the flying wing-back was valued at £36m.

However, just a matter of months on from when he signed, he is now valued at £28.8m by Transfermarkt; that’s a substantial decrease of £7.2m.

Clearly, he has not been at the top of his game since coming to the club. He has often been found out when playing as part of a back four but Wolves had their warnings before spending such a significant amount of money last summer.

Jeff Shi must be cursing his luck, especially after selling Matt Doherty to Tottenham.

AND in other news, Mendes magic: Wolves must sign “unbelievable” 95-goal gem from a “different planet”…

In a recent interview, Gabby Agbonlahor discussed the future of Glasgow Rangers centre-forward, Jermain Defoe, amid suggestions of a summer departure from Ibrox.

Despite having featured just 15 times across all competitions for Rangers so far this season, scoring five goals and registering two assists, Defoe recently claimed that he would love to stay on at Ibrox for another season, with his current deal at the club expiring at the end of the season.

However, Football Insider claim that Steven Gerrard would only consider offering the 38-year-old a new contract at the club if he were to take a significant pay cut to his £30,000 weekly wage.

The same website also appear to suggest that, following the news that Sunderland could be given £60 million to spend if they are to achieve promotion to the Championship this season, Defoe could well make a return for the Stadium of Light this summer.

However, when asked by Football Insider whether a move to Sunderland would be good for Defoe, Agbonlahor stated his belief that the veteran striker would rather stay in Scotland than play in the Championship.

He said: “It could be, maybe. But Jermain Defoe has said he wants to stay at Rangers so I think he’d rather stay where he is than go back to the Championship. Somebody like him, he’s so hungry to play football so he’ll probably continue somewhere.”

Transfer Tavern Take

Considering just how little Defoe has featured for Rangers so far this season, in addition to the 38-year-old’s substantial weekly wage, it would not appear to make a great deal of sense for Gers to offer the centre-forward a new deal at the club this summer, despite the player’s preference to stay on at Ibrox.

However, whether or not it is indeed Sunderland who come calling for Defoe is something that will only be discovered come the end of the season.

In other news: ‘He wants to extend’ – One pundit dropped a hint on this ‘fantastic’ Gers star’s contract amid PL interest – find out more here!

During Manchester City’s 2-1 loss to Leeds United at the Etihad Stadium this afternoon, plenty of Sky Blues weren’t impressed with the performance of defender Benjamin Mendy – with some fans even calling him a ‘liability’ and claiming he ‘needs to be sold’.

Mendy, who was handed another Premier League start by Pep Guardiola after making his mark against Leicester City last weekend, often proved ineffective against the Whites.

According to SofaScore, the Frenchman won just 3/7 ground duels before being taken off for Phil Foden in the second half – and Mendy also failed to find anyone with three crosses from the left hand side.

He also lost possession 9 times and got dribbled past twice, with City supporters making their feelings towards him known on social media.

Mendy was the hero last weekend against Leicester after scoring the opener with an acute right footed finish into the bottom corner, but he couldn’t replicate that influence this time round.

Find all of their verdicts on Mendy down below.

Man City fans slam Benjamin Mendy

“Mendy genuinely is a shocking footballer. No two ways about it”

Credit: @jessrothberg

“Mendy needs to be sold”

Credit: @adamdavidhunt1

“Mendy is the opposite. A continued liability.”

Credit: @commando42

“Mendy is so useless”

Credit: @SazMCFC

“Mendy useless yet again”

Credit: @SamMCFC1

“mendy thanks for your goal but it’s time to leave”

Credit: @ICsLocked

“Genuinely can’t remember one thing Mendy has done right today. Sell”

Credit: @MattIngham87

“I never want to see Mendy play for this club ever again.”

Credit: @JudasFan1

In other news: Man City fans loved this news, find out more here.

A number of Crystal Palace supporters have been reacting to a report on Frank Lampard, who has supposedly been sounded out by the Eagles as a potential replacement for Roy Hodgson.

That’s according to a report from the Metro, who claim that the former Chelsea boss is a contender to take over from Hodgson.

Hodgson is out of contract at the end of the season, with the 73-year-old admitting back in February that he is ‘undecided’ on his future at the club.

The Eagles have looked at Burnley’s Sean Dyche in the past, but it seems as if they have now turned their focus to the available Lampard.

Lampard has been out of work since January and has recently admitted he has had turned down multiple offers to return to the dugout.

Palace fans react to Lampard news

@cpfc_xtra shared the Metro’s report on social media on Wednesday morning, with a number of fans giving their thoughts.

These Eagles supporters were all happy with the update, with one describing it as ‘fantastic’.

“Get in”

Credit: @RoccoSeipel

“Trust me when I say european football is coming”

Credit: @BRL__18

“Fantastic”

Credit: @PaulofEpsom

“Frank Lampard’s red & blue army!”

Credit: @iancnoble

“Get Frank in and we’ll get Tammy Abraham off Chelsea. There’s our striker.”

Credit: @Wheddsta

“Anyone but Roy”

Credit: @NicksView92

In other news: Many CPFC fans buzz at club’s official Monday post, find out more here. 

Ex-Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Carlton Palmer has told The Transfer Tavern in an exclusive interview that wholesale changes are needed at his former club.

Palmer cannot see it happening due to the kind of contracts Wednesday’s players are currently on, but in the retired England international’s ideal world, most of the squad would be heading out of the exit door this summer.

They have undoubtedly not performed at a good enough level this season, with the Owls currently in the relegation zone and battling to stay in the Championship, though there has been some improvement of late – particularly the 5-0 win against Cardiff City.

It could turn out to be too little, too late, however, and Palmer is now eager to see a player overhaul take place at Hillsborough. Speaking exclusively to TT, he said:

“Apart from Barry Bannan and Osaze Urhoghide, there’s not too many. Liam [Shaw], I’d keep, you know, there’s a few I’d keep, but there would be wholesale changes, trust me. But he [Darren Moore] can’t do that in the league now.

“If these guys are on the money that they’re on and they’re on three or four-year contracts or whatever, you can’t make wholesale changes. You can’t.”

While Palmer would like to see the likes of Bannan and Urhoghide remain at the club, both players are set to become free agents in the summer. Meanwhile, Shaw has a pre-contract agreement with Celtic.

Given how The Super League has dominated the football world over the past couple of days, you’d be forgiven for letting Aston Villa’s Premier League clash against Manchester City on Wednesday night slip your mind.

Dean Smith’s side will be taking on one of the SL’s ‘founding fathers’ when they take on City at Villa Park, and no doubt the pre-match talk will all be dominated by the competition and how it can be stopped.

The Villa boss however will need to ensure he keeps his eye on matters on the pitch, and there is one big call that he should look to make: dropping Bertrand Traore.

The Burkina Faso international has really struggled for form in recent weeks, failing to score in his last seven Premier League games, and picking up just the one assist in that time.

Last week against Liverpool, Traore just didn’t look at all at the races, and, writing in his post-match player ratings for The Birmingham Mail, Ashley Preece gave him a five, saying: “Slipped Trezeguet in with a nice reverse pass in the first half but his involvement was minimal. His display was summed up when he attempted a hospital pass infield from a Villa throw-in as Salah almost took advantage.

“I don’t think he’s formed a good understanding with Cash yet, which again was summed up as he over-hit his pass as Cash advanced. Traore just couldn’t get going, couldn’t produce that magic we’ve seen this season and struggled throughout before complaining of rib trouble once more as El Ghazi replaced him. Disappointing.”

The £55k-a-week earning Traore has just been costing Villa in recent weeks with his performances, especially when you consider that Smith has desperately needed him to step up in Jack Grealish’s absence.

Instead, the winger has just hit a real roadblock in terms of his form, and as Preece says, appears to be a bit of a liability, both going forward and back towards his own goal.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-aston-villa-transfer-rumours-and-news-copy-copy” title=”Latest Aston Villa transfer rumours and news”]

With the likes of Anwar El Ghazi and Jacob Ramsey waiting in the wings, it’s time for Smith to make a ruthless call and drop his summer signing against City on Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, Villa must land this “unique” Premier League sensation…

Many Glasgow Rangers fans were livid with the performance of Kemar Roofe during their Scottish Cup quarter-final defeat on Sunday.

With the Premiership title already sewn up, Steven Gerrard and his players will have had all eyes on the domestic cup as they attempted to do the double.

However, despite knocking out fierce rivals Celtic in the previous round, they were unable to get past St Johnstone at Ibrox as they lost 4-2 on penalties following a 1-1 draw.

There were several performances which will have disappointed Gerrard, one of which came from Roofe. He only came on in the 81st minute of normal time for Alfredo Morelos, but he ended up having a negative impact on the game. He failed to pick up anyone from the corner which led to St. Johnstone’s equaliser, while he also missed from the spot in the shoot-out.

These Gers fans were far from happy with what they saw from the 28-year-old, who one supporter slammed as “hopeless”, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

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

“If I were Ross Wilson or Gerrard, I’m hoping for calls on Kemar Roofe. He is a shocking footballer. I’d look to try and recoup our money before it’s too late. Absolutely mince.”

Credit: @WilliamSevcoRFC

“Roofe needs sold and sold quickly before his worth is a set of tracksuits and cones”

Credit: @alanmonolith

“Roofe is hopeless and I don’t care what anyone else says, Day Morelos leaves is a sad sad bad day”

Credit: @JuniorMendesRFC

“Btw I’ve been thinking this for a while now… I don’t think Kemar Roofe is good enough for Rangers”

Credit: @Thommo_12

“What dye mean ? Roofe has been a letdown for the money he cost.”

Credit: @Darrennnnn10

“Roofe Itten Stewart Zungu They 4 have no future at rangers”

Credit: @kamaradona18

In other news, Rangers are in advanced talks to sign this striker.

Speaking to BILD (via Sport Witness), journalist Christian Falk has dropped a major claim on a possible new manager for Tottenham Hotspur involving Ralph Rangnick – with the reporter stating that Rangnick has been ‘offered’ the role and talks ‘will come’ given he is on the shortlist.

The 62-year-old, who recently emerged as a candidate for Spurs, is now climbing up the managerial shortlist in north London after blows involving previous targets Julian Nagelsmann and Erik Ten Hag.

The former has agreed to become the new manager of German giants Bayern Munich while the latter has signed a new deal at Ajax, dealing two big hits as Spurs hunt for their Jose Mourinho successor.

Falk drops major Tottenham claim

However, in a positive twist, Falk now believes that Rangnick has been ‘offered’ the role – dropping the latest from what he has heard in regards to the manager chase.

“We have already talked about how Rangnick and Tottenham could become hot, and I have now heard quite specifically that he was offered the job,” he told BILD (via Sport Witness).

“In any case, he is on the shortlist, and that means talks will come.

“From the club, he still hears a bit of scepticism, but he’s already held talks with Manchester United and Everton in the UK in the past that never quite worked out.

“There must have been reasons for that, we don’t know them all, but it’s nice that he’s now being discussed.

“They need a new Tuchel, and in the UK, they believe the German coaches have done a lot of groundwork, which could be a big ace in the hole for Rangnick to Tottenham.”

Transfer Tavern take

After the big announcements involving Nagelsmann and Ten Hag, we believe that Spurs are quite right to offer Rangnick the job as he appears to be the next best option.

Described as a ‘perfectionist’ by RB Leipzig striker Yussuf Poulsen, he has also been credited with influencing Premier League bosses Thomas Tuchel, Jurgen Klopp and Ralph Hasenhuttl (The Telegraph).

Spurs are also on the hunt for an attack-minded boss who can reinstall that exciting brand of football, and Rangnick’s label as the ‘father of gegenpressing’ certainly throws him into this category of manager.

In other news: This boss is also eyeing the Spurs job, find out more here.

Some Wolves fans have been left to fume as a transfer update has emerged involving Rui Patricio.

As per Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness), the Portugal international has been named as a potential target for AS Roma in the summer window, given that Jorge Mendes is the agent of both Patricio and new manager Jose Mourinho.

Even though the Midlands club have had an indifferent season so far, currently sitting in the bottom half of the table in the Premier League, Patricio has been ever-present throughout, not missing a single game yet in the top flight so far in the 2020/21 term (Transfermarkt).

To lose such a key player to Nuno Espirito Santo’s team would be so damaging without an adequate replacement lined up, and so it would seem pretty silly to let the 33-year-old go at this moment in time.

Wolves fans on Patricio transfer update

These members of the Molineux faithful fumed as the update was shared on Twitter, with one WWFC supporter claiming that Patricio is a ‘class’ goalkeeper:

“The comments on here questioning his ability, Rui is an outstanding GK, would be foolish to let him go”

Credit: @PartonAdam

“Don’t see any reason for him to go”

Credit: @geenar34

“Naaaaaaaa”

Credit: @Harley_V12

“Not a chance!”

Credit: @F1Jamie_

“Some errors this season yes, but he’s a class keeper, and has kept us in many games this season. I’d be gutted for him to go.”

Credit: @joninglis

“Oh no”Credit: @eve_elizabethxxIn other news, find out what Tim Spiers update has been bemoaned by Wanderers here!