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A promising update has emerged regarding Aston Villa star Jack Grealish… 

What’s the talk?

According to talkSPORT, Aston Villa star Jack Grealish is having doubts over a potential move to Premier League champions Manchester City amid mounting speculation that he could be on his way to The Etihad this summer.

The report claims that the attacking midfielder could now opt to sign a contract extension to reaffirm his loyalty to his hometown club. Pep Guardiola is desperate to land the England international in the coming weeks, but the mercurial talent is seemingly doubtful that it would be the right move for his career.

Fans will be buzzing

Villa fans will be over the moon with this update as it appears to increase the chances of Grealish playing in claret and blue next season.

It would be a massive statement of intent from the Villans to be able to keep the midfielder and pin him down to a new contract if City come in with a big-money offer as it would show that they have the financial muscle and pulling power to turn down interest from the top clubs.

City are the current champions and have been prolific in terms of picking up trophies under Guardiola, which means that they would be able to offer Grealish the chance to win major silverware next season. Whereas, Villa’s last major trophy came when they won the League Cup in 1996.

Therefore, fans would be ecstatic if he decided to remain at the club as it would show immense loyalty to reject such an opportunity.

Ex-Villa midfielder Kieran Richardson once heaped praise on the English attacker, labelling him as a phenomenal talent and lauding his ability to beat players with the ball.

He said: “Jack Grealish, he’s a phenomenal talent. When I was there (Villa) playing he was coming through and you could see from the get-go he was a top, top player. The way he can just ghost past players, he’s so strong, he rides challenges. Even if you knock him down he’ll get back up and keep going, he won’t shy away from anything.

“He’s very confident on the ball, he’ll take the ball whenever he can. He’s a top player and the way he’s built as well, he’s massive, his legs are absolutely massive. Even when I first saw him I was like ‘This guy’s a unit’.”

Harry Kane and Kevin de Bruyne were the only two players who achieved higher WhoScored ratings than Grealish in the Premier League last season.

This suggests that the Villa star was one of the best players in the division, with his score of 7.56, and that is why keeping him would be a massive achievement for the club and fans would be delighted that they would be able to watch him play again next season.

AND in other news, “As I understand it”: Ashley Preece makes new Aston Villa claim that’ll delight fans…

News has emerged about Sheffield Wednesday forward Josh Windass, regarding interest from Championship clubs.

What’s the talk?

According to the Sheffield Star, Championship sides Fulham and Birmingham are both interested in signing Sheffield Wednesday forward Josh Windass. Both sides are said to believe that they can strike a bargain deal for Windass due to Wednesday’s off-field issues in regards to their finances.

The report claims that Wednesday manager Darren Moore is a big fan of Windass and would like him to stay at the club next season. However, it does not state Wednesday’s official position on whether or not the club are open to selling Windass this summer, nor does it say what Wednesday believe Windass is worth.

Sky Sports pundit and former England international Sue Smith praised the forward earlier this year, labelling Windass as a constant “threat”. She told Sky Sports, as transcribed by Yorkshire Live:

“He’s just a constant runner and a constant threat.”

Chansiri must avoid mistake

Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri must avoid a grave mistake this summer with Windass. Amongst all the upheaval on and off the pitch, Wednesday should not be looking to sell their top goalscorer from the season just gone.

A number of first-team players will be leaving the club at the end of the month, including Joost van Aken, Elias Kachunga, Tom Lees, Joey Pelupessy, Adam Reach, Jordan Rhodes and Keiren Westwood.

This shows how depleted Moore’s squad already is ahead of the club’s return for pre-season next month. Chansiri sanctioning an exit for Windass would be the icing on a cake that Moore doesn’t want to eat.

Windass scored nine and assisted five goals in the Championship last season, which made him the club’s top scorer and joint-most creative outlet in the second tier. The former Rangers man proved his quality at that level and showed enough to suggest that he could thrive in League One and play a key role in any potential promotion push for the club next term.

The £10k-per-week ace, therefore, needs to stay at the club next season if Wednesday and Chansiri harbour any ambitions of returning to the Championship at the first attempt.

Selling him now could be a major error by Chansiri and he needs to make sure that Windass is still in Moore’s squad next month and that he’s ready to play his part in the 2021/22 League One campaign.

Moore has already lost the aforementioned players due to their contract situations, but Windass still has another year on his deal and Wednesday should be looking to make the most out of him over the next 12 months.

AND in other news, Get it done: Chansiri must seal SWFC swoop for £1.5k-p/w prospect, Moore will love it…

West Brom goalkeeper Josh Griffiths would be a ‘great signing’ for Portsmouth this summer, according to former Pompey midfielder David Norris.

The Lowdown: Griffiths linked with Pompey move

The 19-year-old enjoyed a superb 2020/21 season, shining on loan at Cheltenham Town and helping them finish the League Two campaign as champions.

Griffiths started 44 of their 46 league matches, proving to be an influential figure and being hailed as ‘brilliant’ by manager Michael Duff.

The youngster has been linked with a move to Pompey this summer as Danny Cowley looks to steer his side into the Championship.

The Latest: Norris keen on goalkeeper signing

Speaking to Football League World, Norris talked up the idea of Griffiths moving to Fratton Park, saying that he could be a great addition for the League One side. The 40-year-old stated:

“I think he’d be a great signing, Cheltenham had a very good defensive record when he was there.

“They kept a lot of clean sheets with him in the team, you know, over 20 clean sheets. So they obviously had a decent keeper in their side, so I think that would be a good signing for the club to make.”

The Verdict: Potential great addition

Griffiths seems to be a wonderful prospect, already thriving at such a young age in a position where players can often peak into their 30s.

He could be an exciting signing by Pompey if they pull it off, replacing Craig MacGillivray after his move to Charlton Athletic and aiding a hopeful promotion push.

Griffiths is still only a teenager and the step up to League One could be significant at this stage in his career, but he showed such confidence at Cheltenham that this seems the next natural step for him.

In other news, Norris has called for one player to return to Portsmouth this summer. Find out who it is here.

Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins has been nominated for the PFA Fans Player of the Year award [Aston Villa FC Official].

Making an instant impact in his debut Premier League season, the 25-year-old notched an impressive 16 goals and five assists in 40 appearances [Transfermarkt], eventually helping the Villains to a commendable 11th placed finish under Dean Smith.

A member of Gareth Southgate’s provisional 33-man England EURO 2020 squad, the former Brentford man was unfortunate not to make the final cut considering his exploits [Evening Standard].

Further adding to the adulation, he has now been nominated alongside Kevin De Bruyne, Mohamed Salah, Patrick Bamford, Harry Kane and Bruno Fernandes respectively for the prestigious award [Leeds United].

No doubt buzzing with these developments, loads of Aston Villa diehards took to social media as they revel in their hero’s recognition.

Villa Fans react:

Replying to the Aston Villa FC Official Twitter outlet, here is what some fans had to say following the nomination:

“Who deserves it more? A quite brilliant first season in the Premier League”

Credit: @jonnygould

“Just think Ollie is being mentioned in the same conversations as De Bruyne, Kane and Salah. Villa are on the up”

Credit: @fanboy82

“Fully deserved”

Credit: @Davidomahony18

“OLLIEEEE”

Credit: @catrinedwards18

“What a signing”

Credit: @av_reece

“Click the link and vote for Watkins!”

Credit: @ultimateAVFC

In other news, Aston Villa fans react to their interest in a midfield beast.

Former Leeds United ace David Norris believes that the club are genuinely interested in signing Rodrigo De Paul this summer and thinks the player will want the move too.

Leeds’ interest in De Paul has become a long-running saga over the past few months.

They were widely tipped to have an interest last summer and were even reported to have tabled a bid for the Argentina international. He is valued at £34.2m by Transfermarkt.

That was rejected by Udinese and they could revisit the interest this summer as they look to strengthen Marcelo Bielsa’s squad after a superb season in which they finished in the Premier League’s top half.

Norris believes that both parties will be showing an interest in the move, and he believes that De Paul will want to make the move to Elland Road as the summer transfer window progresses.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “Yeah I think so. As players, you normally know the club’s interest way before it comes out into the press so there’s definitely going to have been some contact made and the fact that it’s still got legs to it means both parties are showing an interest.

“If Leeds have touched base with someone in that way and it wasn’t something he was interested in, we wouldn’t be hearing about it until now. It’d be no, the player doesn’t want it, move on.

“So the fact that has happened and it’s still got legs to it definitely means there’s still an interest from the player and there’s clearly massive interest from the club so he would have known of Leeds’ interest before it came out to all of us.”

Norris’ only worry is that Liverpool have also been linked, and he is concerned that De Paul could have his head turned.

“It’ll just be now whether he gets his head turned by Liverpool coming in or a club a little bit bigger where he might think ‘what shall I do now’ otherwise it looked like it was going to be a Leeds move all the way.”

Leicester City have been linked with a move for Manchester United winger Dan James ahead of the upcoming transfer window.

What’s the story?

According to Manchester Gazzette reporter Paul Swinson, the Foxes are interested in acquiring the 23-year-old’s services as they look to add some strength in depth to their first-team squad over the summer.

It’s reported that the Red Devils are unlikely to retain James for the 2021/22 campaign if Jadon Sancho arrives from Borussia Dortmund, with a loan deal including an option to buy anticipated.

Rodgers must avoid

Brendan Rodgers guided his Leicester side to their maiden FA Cup crown this season, defeating Chelsea 1-0 in the showpiece event at Wembley Stadium.

However, a defeat to the Blues in the league, and fellow losses to Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur, meant the Midlands outfit won just one of their final four Premier League fixtures, ensuring they narrowly missed out on a Champions League qualification spot once again.

It was a cruel ending to an otherwise excellent campaign for the Midlands outfit but serious injuries to the likes of Harvey Barnes, James Justin, Wilfried N’didi and James Maddison at various points throughout the season hampered their progress.

The 2016 English champions have consistently punched above their weight since Rodgers arrived two and a half years ago, but breaking into the top four is still an achievement that has eluded them under the Northern Irish manager.

Compared to their rivals at the upper echelons of the top-flight, Leicester have relatively modest resources and have founded their success on smart work in the transfer market, often buying young stars full of potential for low prices before selling them on for an astronomical profit.

However, James does not fit into that category. The Wales international has showcased his lighting God-given pace, an incredible work rate and an ability to press intelligently during his two-year stay at Old Trafford but has often struggled to make a meaningful impact upon games, especially with the ball at his feet.

The youngster has scored just nine goals and provided a further nine assists in 71 appearances for United, not a terrible return but certainly not of the level that Leicester require to close the gap on their more affluent competitors.

Rodgers is perhaps, understandably, looking for someone to replicate the sheer speed and directness that Barnes offered in abundance before he was sidelined with a knee injury, although the £45,000-per-week James is not the solution.

While Barnes offers an end product and bags of potential to go alongside his natural assets, the same can’t be said about James, and if Rodgers pursues a deal for the £16.2m-rated forward (as per Transfermarkt), it would be a big mistake.

And, in other news…68% pass accuracy: Leicester ace blew the Foxes’ top-four hopes with hopeless display 

Southampton have been linked with both Junior Firpo and Brandon Williams recently, but who would be the better addition to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side this summer?

Brandon Williams

Southampton were heavily linked with the Manchester United full-back during the January transfer window and, whilst that deal fell through, The Athletic have suggested that Hasenhuttl’s side will return for him this summer ahead of a potential loan deal.

The 20-year-old defender has dropped down the pecking order at Old Trafford this season due to the signing of Alex Telles and the impressive form of Luke Shaw, which led to him making just four appearances in the Premier League.

Whilst it is likely that the £9m-rated youngster would initially join on loan, it could prove to be a repeat of the deal which saw Southampton sign Kyle Walker-Peters on a temporary basis in January 2020 before being convinced to make his stay a permanent one last summer.

Junior Firpo

According to ESPN, Southampton have asked about Firpo’s situation at Barcelona ahead of a potential summer move, with the former Real Betis man having struggled for regular game-time at the Nou Camp due to the form of Jordi Alba.

Barcelona are reportedly keen to sell the 24-year-old as they attempt to raise funds through the sales of deadwood in Ronald Koeman’s squad, although they may be keen to recoup a significant percentage of the £16.3m they paid for him in 2019.

This season saw the Spaniard make just seven appearances in La Liga for the Catalan side, but his previous form at Real Betis suggests that he could be a good addition at St Mary’s this summer.

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Who would be the better signing?

Given that Hasenhuttl has claimed Southampton will target players under £10m this summer and Firpo is also valued at £9m, it seems as if both are viable options for the Austrian this summer.

However, Williams allows for a trial period if he joins on loan with no obligation to buy, whereas the Spaniard would have little resale value if he signed permanently and failed to impress.

Williams is also younger than Firpo, can feature as a right-back so has more versatility, and has the added bonus of being English which helps with registration issues, so it seems as if he would be the better addition this summer at least.

Therefore, Martin Semmens should forget about signing Firpo and instead focus on bringing Manchester United’s “exciting, young English talent” – in the words of Gary Lineker – to St Mary’s.

In other news… Semmens must seal Saints swoop for “exceptionally talented” ace, he won’t cost a penny

As Manchester City followed up a stunning Champions League semi-final second leg win against Paris-Saint Germain with defeat to Chelsea on Saturday, putting the Premier League title champagne back on ice, many Sky Blues fans weren’t impressed with Benjamin Mendy’s performance.

Pep Guardiola’s side were looking to mathematically confirm their fifth league crown in total and third under manager Pep Guardiola with a win against the west Londoners, but a number of first team changes combined with Chelsea’s solid performance made it a day to forget.

City rested plenty of big names for the clash, with the likes of Phil Foden, Ilkay Gundogan, Riyad Mahrez, Kyle Walker, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fernandinho and Bernardo Silva all coming out of the first XI from the win over PSG. Kevin De Bruyne was also missing due to not being fully fit, while John Stones couldn’t take part with his domestic suspension (mancity.com), and it’s arguable that the Sky Blues missed them.

City did manage to take the lead, with Raheem Sterling poaching in an effort after a heavy first touch on goal from Sergio Aguero, but the Argentine’s attempted ‘Panenka’ penalty soon afterwards wasn’t able to thwart Edouard Mendy.

As a result, Chelsea came back in the second half with goals from Hakim Ziyech and Marcos Alonso giving them three points at the Etihad Stadium.

One particular problem area for the Sky Blues was their left flank, as both Mendy and Nathan Ake were troubled time and time again. Christian Pulisic and Reece James often bombed forward to good effect, leaving the pair exposed in a tough afternoon, although Ake arguably held his ground more effectively given his 7.0 match rating by SofaScore.

Mendy, on the other hand, lost the vast majority of his ground duels (6/8) and was dribbled past twice on that side (SofaScore), and a number of City supporters duly took aim at his “shocking” performance. One fan even dubbed the 26-year-old a “liability”.

Check out a flavour of the social media verdicts on the Frenchman below.

Man City fans slam Mendy

“Mendy needs to go in my opinion. Shouldn’t be near the team!”

Credit: @PaddyDavidson1

“Pep set up this lineup just to play Mendy and he was complete liability. Sterling is a talented player in poor form. Mendy is way beyond poor form, good form is a rarity for him.”

Credit: @ManchesterMike_

“Mendy and Ake must go this summer! Poor”

Credit: @THEK1NGPIN

“Mendy was shocking and isn’t City quality, dunno why you have an issue with that”

Credit: @MCFCAJ10

“Mendy definitely needs to be moved on. He was shocking today”

Credit: @1cornishblue

“Also before I sleep Mendy was a liability today, exposing Ake so many times”

Credit: @MCFC_Rez

“So why play him. He’s been consistently poor and getting worse. So out of his depth”

Credit: @Mike_Y_653

In other news: Man City fans were, however, excited by this new deal claim…find out more here.

After the weekend’s results so far, Tottenham Hotspur could give their European hopes a major boost with a win in North London this afternoon.

Ryan Mason and his side welcome Wolves to N17 knowing that three points would see them leapfrog local rivals West Ham into sixth place, and that would put them just four points behind the top four, with six points left on offer.

Last time out, Spurs suffered an embarrassing 3-1 defeat to Leeds, so the interim head coach will want to see a reaction from that pathetic outing, though he could do himself a favour or two when it comes to team selection.

Up at Elland Road, Eric Dier suffered a disaster of an afternoon as Patrick Bamford ran him ragged throughout the 90 minutes and the England international was arguably at fault for all three goals.

Writing in The Athletic, Alan Shearer slammed the centre-back and questioned his involvement ahead of this summer’s European Championships. He wrote:

“We saw Tyrone Mings and Eric Dier make big errors at the weekend, but that hasn’t been uncommon this season. Dier was given the runaround during Tottenham Hotspur’s dismal 3-1 defeat at Leeds United.”

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Dier allowed Jack Harrison’s cross to fly past him for their opener, was stood like a statue for Bamford’s strike and was woefully out of position when playing Raphinha onside for the third.

Defensive problems and a lack of cohesion have been the defining theme of Spurs’ turbulent season.

No centre-back has started more games in the Premier League than Dier (26) and that comes as a surprise considering their issues and his performances.

In February, former midfielder-turned-pundit Jamie O’Hara urged Jose Mourinho to drop the 27-year-old, he told talkSPORT: “As a centre-half, he just looks lost around the box. In my opinion, he needs to be dropped.”

Indeed, just a few months later, Danny Mills was heard describing Dier’s mistake against the Whites as a “defensive calamity” during commentary.

The £26m-rated centre-back, who earns a reported £85k-per-week in North London, must surely be facing the axe this afternoon, especially with Joe Rodon waiting in the wings.

Mason may have provided a hint heading into kick-off, too.

“He’s trained well,” he revealed to reporters ahead of the match – will there be a change? Only time will tell but on the above evidence, the 29-year-old caretaker must show no mercy and chop Dier from his starting XI today.

He has let Spurs down for far too long now.

AND in other news, Levy could seal Spurs’ best signing since Son in £36m beast who’s “similar to Eriksen”…

Aston Villa could sign Jack Grealish’s perfect partner in Norwich City star Emiliano Buendia, amid Lee Hendrie’s transfer claim.

What’s the story?

The Canaries look set to earn promotion back to the Premier League at the first attempt, currently top of the table in the Championship. Despite that, Hendrie has suggested that a “big club” will look to take Buendia off their hands, and insisted that the 24-year-old would be near the top of his list for potential summer transfer targets.

The former Villa midfielder told This Is Futbol: “I think a big club will definitely try and take him. I know you can say he’s done it in the Championship, but you could say that about (Said) Benrahma, you could say that about Ollie Watkins.

“I feel that Buendia, I mean we’ve seen him in a very good Norwich side in the Championship, I feel in a Villa side… wow. If I could say or had a big say in bringing players in, he’s the one on top of my list that I would bring into Aston Villa.”

Imagine him and Grealish

While Grealish may be out injured right now, when the Villa talisman does eventually return, Smith’s side could surely do with someone who could ease the burden on their skipper.

In the “exceptional” Buendia, they could sign someone who is Premier League proven and could offer the same levels of creativity that their main man provides. The Argentine’s total number of chances created last season in the top flight ranked him fourth in the entire division, despite playing for a team who ended up getting relegated.

He has provided a whopping 12 goals and 16 assists this season in the Championship, showcasing impressive qualities in the final third and being dubbed “very special”  by Norwich defender Ben Gibson.

The £19.8m-rated ace has been branded a “revelation” by former Villa striker Chris Sutton, and the playmaker could link up to great effect with someone like Grealish, interchanging positions and feeding one other.

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If Grealish is then out injured, Smith would surely be more confident by at least having Buendia to take up the mantle. Whether or not Villa’s talisman is in the team, the signing of the Norwich star would appear to be a superb move this summer.

Meanwhile, Villa’s summer plans are exciting news for Dean Smith and the fans…