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Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Carlton Palmer believes his old side will not miss Jordan Rhodes should the striker depart at the end of the season.

Rhodes, who scored in the Owls’ 2-1 defeat to Norwich City last weekend, is one of numerous players at Hillsborough whose contract is set to expire in the summer and does not appear close to signing a new one.

The 31-year-old initially joined Wednesday on a loan deal back in 2017 before signing permanently but has failed to live up to expectations. Rhodes has scored just four league goals this season, and Palmer is adamant he will not be a huge loss due to that type of record and the money he is currently on (said to be £35,000 per week).

When asked if losing a player like Rhodes would be a blow to the club, the retired Premier League footballer told FFC:

“Not really, no. To be honest with you, he’s on too much money for that league, he’s on Premier League wages and he hasn’t done it. If you look at how long he’s been at Sheffield Wednesday, he hasn’t done it. He’s one of those players that needs to go.”

Palmer later added: “From what I’m hearing, he’s in the late 30s, early 40s. So that’s crazy money for the Championship, crazy money. You look at his goal record – it’s not been phenomenal while at Wednesday.”

During his time at Blackburn Rovers, Rhodes was one of the deadliest forwards in the Championship. The Scotland international managed to score over 80 goals between 2012 and 2016 for the club before going on to join Middlesbrough.

He has been unable to reach that kind of level again, though, and a Hillsborough exit could now be in everyone’s best interest.

Reports by 90min over the weekend claimed Tottenham Hotspur may target Carlo Ancelotti should Daniel Levy look to replace Jose Mourinho, but Farhad Moshiri cannot allow the Everton head coach to leave Goodison Park.

Doubts have arisen in Mourinho’s tenure in north London after an inconsistent run of form has seen Spurs crash out of the Europa League to Slavia Prague, despite taking a two-goal lead to Croatia.

The result frustrated sections of Spurs’ fanbase who called for Mourinho to be sacked, but it is in the club sitting sixth in the Premier League heading into the international break that has allegedly fallen below Chairman Levy’s expectations.

Qualifying for the 2021/22 edition of the Champions League was a minimum requirement for Mourinho to secure this term, and failing to do so could cost the Portuguese his job.

Intermediaries working for Tottenham are understood to have begun reaching out to potential replacements since the start of the year, and have a long list of candidates who could take up the hot seat in north London.

Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers is said to be Spurs’ top-target to replace Mourinho, but Levy could face competition from FC Barcelona should they look to replace Ronald Koeman, while the Foxes are ready to hand the 48-year-old an £15m-a-season deal to keep him in place.

The King Power Stadium side would also demand a large amount of compensation to release Rodgers, who is aware of Tottenham’s interest, but Spurs are also looking at RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann, Rangers gaffer Steven Gerrard and Ancelotti.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-news-on-everton” title=”Check out the latest news on Everton!”]

Everton awarded Ancelotti an £11.5m-a-year contract upon his appointment in 2019 that sees the Italian tied down at Goodison Park through to 2024, well-placing the Toffees to demand a lucrative fee should Tottenham look to test his resolve.

But Moshiri must block Ancelotti from any potential route out of Goodison Park, no matter how much Levy could offer, as the Italian has proven a huge success since his arrival on Merseyside when others have failed.

Ancelotti brought with him an “exceptional” brand of football, in the opinion of Pep Guardiola, when he joined Everton following his release by SSC Napoli, as his philosophy delivers an exciting style that has often produced results.

Marco Silva had promised to deliver “exciting, attacking football” at Goodison Park but was sacked after winning just 24 of his 60 games in charge. Koeman was similarly relieved of his command after winning 24 of 58 games at the helm, while Roberto Martinez won 62 of 143.

But Everton are a different side now. They’re in contention for Champions League football and they won their first match at Anfield since 1999 during the Merseyside derby last month, ending a 24-game run without beating Liverpool, and much of the result was down to Ancelotti.

“I never gave a man of the match in the game for whatever reason, maybe it slipped my mind. There was probably three or four Everton players you could have given it to, but I watched the game again yesterday morning when I got up and their Man of the Match was the manager, Carlo Ancelotti,” Jamie Carragher told Sky Sports.

“It’s 22 years since they won at Anfield, 1999. But that’s just the Premier League; notoriously, Everton’s record at Anfield is horrendous. So, to actually win at Anfield for Everton, is huge.”

Ancelotti has also been instrumental in some of the signings Everton have made since his appointment, with James Rodriguez revealing that being reunited with the Italian played a key role in his decision to leave Real Madrid. A chat with the Blues boss was also important for Niels Nkounkou, having mapped out his route to becoming a first-team regular.

With Ancelotti keen to extend his time on Merseyside beyond 2024 so that he can lead Everton into the club’s proposed new Bramley-Moore Dock stadium, as well, Moshiri cannot allow the Italian to join Tottenham and must tell Levy to think again if he does make an approach.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti has set his eyes on bringing an £18m-rated titan to Everton this summer…

According to recent reports, Southampton are interested in the summer signing of Newcastle winger, Jacob Murphy.

The report by Football Insider claims that a Newcastle United source has revealed that Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side, along with Rangers and Watford, are keeping tabs on Murphy ahead of the summer transfer window.

It is then reported that, in order for Newcastle to part with the £25,000-per-week winger, any interested party will be required to pay the Magpies’ £3 million asking price for the former England U21 international.

However, Football Insider also claim that Steve Bruce is yet to make a decision on whether or not he would actually be open to selling the former Norwich City man, and could even offer Murphy a new deal in the summer.

Transfer Tavern Take

So far this season, Murphy has found his game time somewhat limited at St James’ Park, with the 26-year-old starting just 10 Premier League fixtures, as well as making a further nine appearances from the bench.

Over his total of 19 appearances, the winger – who has often been utilised at wing-back – has scored two goals and provided two assists, hardly a bad return for a square peg in a round hole playing in a struggling side.

As such, should Hasenhuttl wish to add greater depth to his wide options at the club this summer, for a fee of just £3 million, Murphy could prove something of an astute and cost-effective addition to the Saints squad, although, perhaps more as an option from the bench rather than a starter.

In other news: ‘Give him a lifetime contract’, ‘Love that’ – Many Saints fans gush at ‘brilliant’ contract talk – find out more here!

It started off so promisingly, but in the end, it was just oh-so typically Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta’s side took the lead in the first few minutes of their Premier League clash against Burnley on Saturday afternoon through a fine strike from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. However, after gifting the Clarets their equaliser thanks to a shocking choice of pass from Granit Xhaka inside his own area, the Gunners were forced into a tough contest at Turf Moor.

The north London side can count themselves desperately unlucky not to have picked up all three points, with a penalty for handball denied, then a red card and spot-kick overturned by VAR, and in the dying moments of the game, a strike cannoning off the post.

However, while Arteta can point to how the Gunners could and probably should have won, one man who really disappointed and let him down was Willian.

The Brazilian was handed the chance to start again after putting in an impressive performance against Leicester last time out, picking up an assist against the Foxes.

Although he was credited with another assist in Saturday’s game after laying the ball off to Aubameyang, the Brazilian was largely anonymous, and looked as ineffective as ever.

Away games at Burnley in the Premier League have come to be known for the rough and tumble side of things, and Willian in particular just seemed to struggle with the Clarets defence looking to impose their will on him.

Time and again he was just muscled off the ball far too easily or seemed to let Burnley’s pressing get the better of him, losing all five of his contested duels on the day.

He also looked a complete non-entity going forward with the ball at his feet, attempting no shots on goal whatsoever and not managing a single successful dribble either, per SofaScore.

While Xhaka of course had the standout moment of the match when his pass rebounded off Chris Wood and into the back of the net, the Swiss midfielder at least still looked to keep his composure and offered a much-needed presence to the back-four for the rest of the game – only Bukayo Saka won more ground duels than him for Arsenal, and nobody had more touches than him either with 101, a whole 20 more than the next-best in this regard in Calum Chambers, per SofaScore.

After being given the nod to start against Burnley, Arteta would have been hoping that Willian could show that he had picked up a consistent bit of form after last week’s display against Leicester.

Instead, the Brazilian let him down with a timid display when the Gunners needed him most.

Meanwhile, Arsenal are eyeing this Premier League starlet…

Five of the starting line-up that beat Crystal Palace on Tuesday night were players West Ham United have signed since the appointment of David Moyes. One, though, in Tomas Soucek, will make the London Stadium a hotbed for vultures to pick apart.

Soucek was the absolute star of the show as the Hammers comfortably beat the Eagles 3-2, on a night the scoreline would have been far wider had Michail Antonio not squandered a hat-trick’s worth of chances to fire past Vincente Guaita.

Instead, the Irons were indebted to Soucek for guiding them to glory over their London rivals with a brace as he took his tally for the season to seven, with what has become a trademark late run and a powerful header from the Czech Republic international.

Soucek does not do anything overly fancy or try to go on a dazzling 40-yard dribble past half a dozen players like a stereotypical Brazilian in their prime. Instead, the 25-year-old excels at anticipating where a chance is going to come from and pre-empting the path of the ball to ensure he glides in, often unnoticed, to the right place at the right time.

His ability to reach the ball at the optimum moment against Palace left Moyes rightfully impressed with his £19m summer capture, who the former Manchester United boss was never going to let leave the London Stadium after his initial loan spell for any reason other than relegation.

“He has done brilliantly since he came to the country, it was this time last year when we signed him, and to come in and hit the ground running in the Premier League is really difficult at any time,” said Moyes, via quotes by football.london, following Tuesday’s win.

“I can’t put him in a Steven Gerard mould but midfielders who can get into the box and score goals is a great thing and Tomas is that. He’s a wee bit old-fashioned in many ways but his attitude and commitment to the team is second to none. He is a joy to work with.”

But for how long Moyes can enjoy working with Soucek remains to be seen, as the Czech Republic international’s exploits will be sure to make the London Stadium a hotbed for vultures to circle and not just those looking to sign the supposed cherry of Frank Lampard’s eye Declan Rice.

Reports have already emerged in recent months suggesting Bayern Munich and a clutch of European outfits are now monitoring Soucek’s situation following his sublime first year in claret and blue, as he went from an unknown quantity to a pivotal part of a top Premier League side.

West Ham would be nine points worse off were it not for the goals that Soucek has scored in the league this season, with the £27m-rated beast’s strike in defeat to Manchester United the only effort to have not returned a win or a draw thus far.

Soucek offers far more than just goals, too, with Vladimir Coufal (45) and Rice (38) the only members of Moyes’ squad to have recorded a greater number of successful tackles (37) in the top-flight this term, per WhoScored.

Rice is also the only one to intercept the ball more often (39) than Soucek (29), as the pair sniff out danger before it can threaten Lukasz Fabianski’s goal and dictate how West Ham operate with the second (975) and third-most (808) total passes, only behind Aaron Cresswell (984).

Moyes should fittingly be lauded for his masterclass in polishing the diamond that Soucek has become in his year in east London, but the midfielder he lauds for being “brilliant” will soon put the Scot’s resolve to the test when offers no doubt come flooding in thick and fast from Europe’s elite.

AND in other news – Exclusive: Pundit drops verdict on West Ham’s links to £7m-rated striker…

Following the departure of Neil Lennon, Celtic have been linked to several names who could come and take over at the hilt of the club. The Express reported earlier this week that Scotland manager Steve Clarke is one of the potential targets to take the job at Parkhead.

Lennon stepped down amid talks of his sacking due to Celtic’s poor run of form this season. The Bhoys were hoping to clinch their tenth consecutive Scottish Premiership title, but Glasgow rivals Rangers have run away with the league in an unstoppable streak. The reigning champions were also ejected from the Europa League during the group stages after finishing with just four points and conceding the joint most amount of goals.

Dean Windass spoke to Football FanCast about the likelihood of Clarke making the move from international to domestic football.

“In my opinion, I don’t think the Celtic board think that Steve Clarke could go on and win trophies and win leagues for Celtic,” the pundit said. He went on to say that Celtic need a “big name” and highlighted other links including Frank Lampard and Roberto Martinez as names who would “wow” the fans. However, he commented that this wouldn’t be the case with the Scotland boss.

“I don’t think they go ‘wow’ with Steve Clarke,” Windass said.

The 57-year-old has been with Scotland since 2019 and recently spearheaded them to their historic Euro’s qualification. With the likes of Ryan Christie hailing from Celtic, the 57-year-old would have a field day in working with internationals like the midfielder. But Windass feels as though there’s bigger fish to fry for the Glaswegians.

John Kennedy has stepped in for the time being, but rumours continue to be rife as the Scottish season ticks down to a close.

In other news, Appointing Benitez could hugely improve Stephen Welsh at Celtic…

Southampton centre-back Jannik Vestergaard is reportedly attracting interest from Tottenham Hotspur ahead of the summer and if Ralph Hasenhuttl wants to keep him on the South Coast, then the club should consider offering him a new deal as soon as possible.

The Danish international’s contract with the Saints is set to expire at the end of next season, meaning that if Spurs did make an approach for the six-foot-six defender in the summer, then it is unlikely that Southampton would be able to demand a significant fee, despite his impressive performances this season.

In fact, Hasenhuttl could potentially lose him on a free transfer next year, with foreign clubs free to approach him with the view to signing him on a Bosman transfer in January 2022.

Considering how important the 28-year-old has been in the Austrian’s side this season, the club should surely be looking to tie him down to a longer deal to ensure that he isn’t prised away from them too easily in the future.

In 21 appearances this season, the former Borussia Monchengladbach man has averaged an impressive 7.09 rating for his performances, which is second to only James Ward-Prowse in the Southampton squad.

Therefore, he is clearly a key figure in this Southampton side and should be rewarded with a new deal, as his current deal sees him earn £60k per week at the South Coast club.

Arguably, the club should be focusing on the Dane more than Danny Ings, with the club currently in ongoing negotiations with the England international over a new deal, with his contract also set to expire at the end of next season.

However, despite his impressive performances in recent seasons, the former Liverpool man has suggested that he sees his future with a Champions League side, so it is difficult to see his long-term future with Southampton.

Although Vestergaard will likely share the same dream, he hasn’t openly admitted to it, so there’s no reason to think he can’t finish his career at the top with Southampton by signing a new long-term contract.

Therefore, Martin Semmens should perhaps forget about Ings and instead focus on delivering a new contract to the Danish international, as his performances this season certainly warrant him earning a new deal.

And, in other news… Semmens can deliver Saints’ Ings replacement with swoop for in-demand 24 y/o

Crystal Palace are currently trying to trim their squad in the January transfer window.

Roy Hodgson hasn’t ruled out any new signings but while the Palace boss will probably be keeping a close eye on the market, the Eagles aren’t expected to make any new additions to the squad.

But it seems Palace are set to focus all their efforts on trying to offload several unwanted players including Connor Wickham and Mamadou Sakho instead.

Steve Parish signed the former Liverpool centre-back for £26m after he ended the 2016-17 season at Anfield. The Parisian-born defender penned a four-year deal with Palace which is set to expire at the end of this season.

Sakho kicked off the campaign with three starts from the first four games, but is deemed surplus to requirements at Selhurst Park after falling out of favour with manager Hodgson.

According to French newspaper Nice-Matin, as per The Daily Mail, Nice are reportedly closing in on a move for the outcast centre-back.

The 30-year-old, who earns around £100,000-per-week at Selhurst Park, has played just five games for Palace this season, via Transfermarkt.

Recently described as an “incredible” player by the Palace boss after he made his comeback against Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup, the season started so brightly for Sakho following an injury-disrupted campaign, but his form has somewhat tailed off.

Per WhoScored, he is only averaging 0.8 tackles and 0.8 interceptions per game in the Premier League this season.

It appears Hodgson has finally lost his patience with the former French international and his time at the club seems to be be all but over after he was substituted at half-time during the FA Cup defeat to Wolves on Friday night.

Against Wolves, as per SofaScore, he failed to record a tackle in the first half and completed just one accurate long ball from three attempts.

The centre-back has barely featured at all since the start of the season so it’s unlikely his presence in the dressing room will be missed too much if he departs Selhurst Park in the near future.

Palace need players they can rely on and Parish needs to be ruthless in clearing out the deadwood and try to boost the transfer kitty with a much-needed clear out. Erratic form and injury struggles have not helped his case.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace midfielder James McCarthy the only positive from Wolves defeat…

Oliver Skipp has no reason to fear for his Tottenham Hotspur career after former Spurs boss Tim Sherwood suggested Jose Mourinho does not rate the young midfielder.

What’s he said?

While speaking on the Kelly and Wrighty Show, Sherwood has claimed Mourinho told Spurs Chairman Daniel Levy that Skipp – along with Kyle Walker-Peters and Troy Parrott – is not good enough for the north London side immediately upon joining the club last year.

His initial assessment of the 20-year-old is believed to be the reason behind Skipp’s season-long loan deal with Norwich City, for whom he has started all 13 Championship fixtures thus far this season as the Canaries sit top of the table on 27 points.

Sherwood seems to feel Skipp will need a next-level campaign in the second-tier if he is to seal a future for himself at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where Mourinho successfully strived to sign Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the summer.

“Jose Mourinho has gone in there [and said] Troy Parrott’s not good enough, Walker-Peters is not good enough, Oliver Skipp, not only not good enough, he gets rid of them. He gets them away from the football club,” claimed Sherwood.

“So, all of a sudden, now he has got a shadow of the squad and what he says to Daniel Levy, which is the biggest art in any management, is to get the owner to spend money.

“When he first went in there, Jose Mourinho, they asked him ‘do you need any players?’ He said ‘no, I am happy with the squad’. What a wonderful squad, from the outside. He goes in there, after the inks dry, and he goes to Daniel Levy ‘these are not good enough, we need this one, that one and go get me them’. And Daniel has backed him.”

Should Skipp fear for his future?

Sherwood’s claims should prove very worrisome for Skipp as Hojbjerg has thrived from the off since his £15million summer arrival, while Harry Winks lit up the stage at home to Ludogorets on Thursday night to show what he can offer when given a chance.

But Skipp is in the perfect setting to prove Sherwood wrong, as Daniel Farke is offering the Tottenham product every opportunity to not only develop his talents in a senior squad but play every game as Norwich strive to secure an immediate return to the Premier League.

Those opportunities are allowing Skipp to demonstrate how he can offer a defensive force in Mourinho’s midfield, with the 20-year-old so far averaging 6.1 duels won and 2.2 tackles per Championship game while completing 88% of his passes, per SofaScore.

Despite Sherwood’s suggestion, Mourinho has also stated his belief in Skipp’s potential, noting after he penned a new four-year contract in July that he considered the U21 international to be a captain in the making.

“I’m really happy,” Mourinho said, via quotes by the Evening Standard. “Everybody in the club is, his teammates are, I am and Skippy is or not he wouldn’t sign the contract. I think he’s genuinely Tottenham’s future.

“In his mind he wants to go on loan, [for] six months, the whole season. He feels that he needs that, I also feel that would be good for his evolution, so maybe that is the direction we go. I think he can be more than a player; he can be a future captain here. Hugo, Harry.”

So, while Sherwood’s claim must spark fear in Skipp over his long-term future in north London, Mourinho’s words and his performances for Norwich should more than rubbish those of the former Tottenham manager.

AND in other news, a Spurs gem who isn’t “shy” has a mountain to climb if he’s to win Jose Mourinho over.

Mohammed Salisu looks to be in contention for his first appearance in a Southampton shirt on Monday night when the Saints face Brighton and Hove Albion away from home.

It was confirmed by Ralph Hasenhuttl earlier in the week that the Ghanaian, who joined from Real Valladolid during the summer, could make his first appearance for the first-team against Graham Potter’s side.

The Austrian manager has suggested previously that Salisu needed to learn how to play in this Southampton side and improve his fitness before he could be considered for selection, but it seems as if he has done enough to convince his manager that he is ready to play against the Seagulls on Monday.

Following Southampton’s collapse against Manchester United last weekend, which saw them lose 3-2 despite winning 2-0 at the break, Hasenhuttl must consider making some defensive changes to his side, and that includes handing 21-year-old Salisu a start.

Jannik Vestergaard was full of praise for the young defender earlier this year, saying: 

“He looks comfortable on the ball, has an amazing physique and is just generally a nice guy.

“Quiet for now, but it’s always difficult coming as a new player, so maybe he’s just saving up his words for later!

“But I think he’s a big talent and he has a lot of years ahead of him.” 

However, the Danish international might not be too happy if Salisu takes his place in the first-team, after what was a nightmare display from the 28-year-old last time out, as he earned a 5.97 rating for his display.

Therefore, Vestergaard, who earns £60k per week at Southampton, would certainly be lucky to keep his place, and Hasenhuttl must hand Salisu a spot in his starting XI on Monday evening.

Brighton have produced some very solid performances recently and showed against Liverpool last weekend that they can get in behind a defence, so it would make sense for the Saints boss to entrust Salisu to start alongside Jan Bednarek, rather than Vestergaard, who isn’t the most mobile of defenders.

Hopefully for Salisu, who is valued at £10.8 million by Transfermarkt, this can be the first of many appearances in a Southampton shirt, as he looks to have a big future ahead of him at the South Coast club.

And, in other news… Saints club update could spell bad news for 26 y/o Hasenhuttl is “not always so happy with”