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Dean Windass has exclusively told Football FanCast that he expects Georginio Wijnaldum to leave Liverpool this summer following months of speculation regarding his future at Anfield.

The Dutch midfielder has entered the final six months of his deal on Merseyside, and has been locked in contract talks for a number of months, with Wijnaldum yet to accept Liverpool’s offer.

And with Wijnaldum’s deal set to expire this summer, strong reports have suggested that the former Newcastle man is now expected to join Barcelona on a free transfer at the end of the season.

Wijnaldum, rated at £36m by Transfermarkt, has been one of the many success stories of the Jurgen Klopp era, helping Liverpool to both Champions League and Premier League glory in recent seasons, most notably scoring a three-minute brace in the Reds’ incredible comeback against Barcelona at Anfield in 2019 in the semi-finals.

But with his career with the Reds appears to be drawing to a close, Windass admitted that if the Dutchman was going to extend his contract with the Liverpool that a deal would have been agreed by now.

He told Football FanCast: “It’s been going on for a few weeks. If he was going to sign, he would have signed by now, so he won’t be there. Whoever signs him has got a wonderful sitting midfield player. They can’t entice him to stay, maybe he doesn’t think Liverpool can get back to where they were.

“Liverpool players have let the manager down this year. You go and win the title by playing extremely well all season and it looks as if they’ve gone ‘well we’ve won the league, we can go back to not winning it for another 30 years’. Liverpool Football Club will want better than that, and he’ll be a big loss.”

Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Telegraph, Chelsea defender and current AC Milan loanee Fikayo Tomori has revealed a 2020 offer from West Ham United very late on in the summer transfer window – explaining how he ‘got a call’ from his manager approving the move. 

Tomori opted for a temporary switch to the San Siro last month in a bid to earn more game time, with manager Stefano Pioli aiming to win a first Serie A title for Milan since 2010/2011.

They’re currently locked in a tight battle with arch rivals Inter Milan as Tomori could be set to become part of a thrilling Italian title race.

However, Tomori has now explained in a candid Telegraph interview that he had a ‘shock’ opportunity to join West Ham United just a ‘few hours’ before the summer deadline.

Tomori confirms West Ham attempt

“I was thinking that after the way the previous six months had gone, the best thing for me to do was to go on loan and get some games and come back to Chelsea with a full season in the Premier League behind me,” he explained.

“I was ready to go and I wasn’t allowed to because the manager said I was in his plans.

“Then, a few hours before the deadline, I got a call saying the manager had said I could go to West Ham and it was a shock because this hadn’t been in the conversation at all.

“I like to think I’m pretty logical and I think things through and, together with my dad and my agent, my plan had been that if Everton didn’t happen, I had to be prepared to stay at Chelsea. By the time the West Ham offer came, it was too late to just switch that mentality with no time to think about it.”

Transfer Tavern take

Indeed, as shared by Tomori, it appears West Ham lodged a 2020 attempt to sign Tomori and if things had gone differently, he may have been an option for David Moyes at this present moment.

However, due to the last minute nature of this attempt, Tomori opted not to go and remained at Chelsea – with Irons supporters potentially wondering what might have been.

In other news: West Ham fans flocked to this ExWHUemployee claim, find out more here.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer stated that he could imagine seeing either Thierry Henry or Roberto Martinez at Celtic.

After falling well off the pace in the title race this season, former manager Neil Lennon opted to resign from his post, making way for John Kennedy to step in on an interim basis.

As far as permanent appointments go, though, Palmer believes Henry or Martinez could be the way to go for the Glasgow club. Henry, who has managed at AS Monaco and coached in the Belgium national team set-up, recently stepped down as CF Montreal manager. Martinez, meanwhile, remains the head coach of Belgium, previously working alongside the Arsenal legend.

When asked if he could see the two as contenders for the job at Celtic Park, Palmer exclusively told FFC:

“Absolutely, absolutely. I mean, I’ve heard Thierry’s name mentioned, I’ve heard Roberto Martinez’s name mentioned. I mean, all the agents will be linking all their clients to the job because it’s a big, big job. But, you know, we will have to wait and see what their criteria is of the guy they want to bring in.”

One name, however, that Palmer cannot see heading to Celtic Park is Brendan Rodgers, who, of course, recently managed the club before heading to Leicester City.

“I don’t see Brendan Rodgers going back there because I don’t think you go back to something that you’ve left, especially when he’s doing so well at Leicester,” the ex-England international later added.

Whoever does end up as Celtic manager, undoubtedly, will have a lot of work to do next season. The Bhoys have fallen miles behind rivals Rangers in the SPFL while much improvement is also needed in Europe.

After being knocked out of the Champions League qualifying phase, Celtic endured a very disappointing Europa League campaign, finishing bottom in Group H.

Carlo Ancelotti must cash-in on Burnley’s interest in Everton’s Jonjoe Kenny during the January transfer window as he will never be the heir to Seamus Coleman at Goodison Park.

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Mail, Sean Dyche’s Clarets have approached the Blues to discuss a potential mid-season deal that will see the former England U21 international move to Turf Moor this month.

Kenny has struggled to establish himself under Ancelotti following a strong season on loan with Bundesliga outfit FC Schalke 04, and is now keen to secure more regular playing time after featuring for just 77 minutes in the Premier League thus far this term.

Dyche is believed to be keen on making Kenny his first signing of the winter market after failing to seal a deal last year, while Football Insider further add that the Clarets boss is a big admirer of the £6.5m-rated full-back.

Everton are not yet thought to have decided on the best course for Kenny’s future with loan or permanent exits on the cards, but Kenny’s position in Ancelotti’s plans was further made clear on Saturday when the 23-year-old failed to make Everton’s matchday squad for their FA Cup third round win over Championship strugglers Rotherham United.

Kenny had further failed to make the 18-man squad for the Toffees’ prior Premier League match at home to West Ham United, while making his sole top-flight start of the season in November’s 2-1 defeat at Newcastle.

Time for Kenny to go

While it is noted that Everton are yet to reach a decision on Kenny’s future amid the alleged interest from Burnley boss Dyche, Ancelotti must accept that now is the time to boot the right-back out of Goodison Park permanently as he will never be the heir to Coleman’s role.

Ancelotti has shown throughout the current campaign that he does not value Kenny’s talents by his relentless preference to overlook the £15,000-per-week defender, whose terms are due to expire in 17-months’ time.

The Italian tactician has even taken to fielding Alex Iwobi, Tom Davies and Mason Holgate at right-back at times this term whilst without Coleman, who missed seven top-flight fixtures in the run-up to Christmas with a hamstring injury.

Ancelotti is even being linked with a string of new right-backs after reportedly deciding to use the winter market to find a more suitable long-term Coleman replacement, with LOSC Lille’s Zeki Celik and Norwich City’s Max Aarons among the potential targets touted.

Kenny is clearly not seen by those in power at Goodison Park to be fit to feature for Everton anytime soon, and Burnley’s interest may prove to be their best route to securing his maximum market value before thoughts start to turn to a future exit as a free agent.

AND in other news: “Absolutely” – Exclusive: Pundit can see £31.5m-rated “Ancelotti type of player” joining Everton.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, former Premier League footballer Carlton Palmer discussed Gareth Bale’s form since his summer return to Tottenham Hostpur.

After leaving Spurs for Real Madrid in what was an £85 million world-record deal back in 2013, Bale went on to feature 251 times for Los Blancos, scoring 105 goals and providing 68 assists, helping the Spanish giants to win a remarkable four Champions Leagues, two La Ligas, four FIFA Club World Cups, three UEFA Super Cups, two Supercopa de Espanas and one Copa del Rey.

Half a season into his return to Spurs, Bale has so far started just one Premier League game for Jose Mourinho’s side, playing just 160 minutes over a total of four appearances in the top flight, in which he has managed one goal.

“On the Gareth Bale situation, if that wasn’t at Tottenham, that would be an absolute catastrophe move and I thought it was inspired at the time,” Palmer told The Transfer Tavern. “But it’s not looking to be that way at the moment and Tottenham are lucky that he’s not become a main player for them, or not needed to be a main player, because it’s not worked out at the moment.”

He continued: “I knew he needed time to get his fitness up and get up to speed and whatever, but he should be ready to be playing an active part in the first team and delivering. Considering the wages they’re paying out to him at the moment, that’s turning out to be a bad, bad deal. At this moment, he’s been a waste of money because he’s not playing.”

Indeed, as Palmer suggests, Bale’s performances have not exactly been sensational for Tottenham so far this season, with the 31-year-old averaging a WhoScored match rating of 6.67 in the Premier League and a rating of 6.85 in the Europa League, ranking him as the club’s 11th-best performer in both competitions.

And, while Madrid are reported to be paying around 60% of the Welshman’s £600,000 weekly wage, Bale’s presence at Spurs is still costing the club around £240,000 per week, enough to rank him as Tottenham’s highest-paid player.

As such, it would appear that Palmer is entirely justified in dubbing Bale a “waste of money” at present, as, considering Harry Kane has 12 goals and 11 assists in the Premier League, while Son Heung-min has 12 goals and six assists in the top flight, both of whom earn less than Bale, it is easy to argue that the 31-year-old has not yet proved anywhere near good value for money for Spurs.

In other Tottenham news, Spurs have been linked with this French striker, find out more here!

Celtic have a huge fixture approaching as they prepare to lock horns with Hearts in Sunday’s Scottish Cup Final. Thanks to wins over Lille and Kilmarnock, the Hoops are back in winning form following a difficult 2019/20 season.

Whilst they may have slipped drastically behind Rangers in the Premiership, they have a good chance of securing some silverware and indeed, the ‘quadruple treble’ with a Sunday victory.

Neil Lennon will have a difficult decision to make as he mulls over his first team options. With his future at the club potentially in jeopardy, he has been risking a few outsider choices recently but they have paid off in dividends. One man that he must start against Hearts is Conor Hazard, who has enormously stepped up to the plate in the last two matches.

Conor Hazard must start vs Hearts

With both Scott Bain and Vasilis Barkas failing to impress the boss this season, Lennon has been forced to take desperate measures. The manager handed back-to-back starts to 22-year-old Hazard, who had only ever made one previous first team appearance back in 2017.

Following his senior debut, many of the shot-stopper’s current and former teammates heaped praise on his achievement and praised his hard work.

He slipped down the pecking order though after he made his first appearance. But back then he was just a teenager. Now, he has had time to work hard both on and off the pitch and if he can help Celtic lift the cup on Sunday, he could be looking at a spot as Lennon’s first choice next season.

The Hoops will be furious that their summer signing of Barkas hasn’t paid off but Hazard has swooped in and potentiality saved both the club and Lennon’s campaign.

In other news, Lawwell making smart decision by offering Conor Hazard new deal…

Manchester United’s start to this season has been a rollercoaster of a ride.

Linked to the likes of Borussia Dortmund starlet Jadon Sancho, Leicester City star James Maddison and former Birmingham City wonderkid Jude Bellingham in the summer, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was forced to settle for nothing less than Alex Telles, Edinson Cavani and Donny van de Beek, as well as promising youngsters Amad Diallo and Facundo Pellistri. Oh the shame!

But that’s not all, though.

Solskjaer has had to dodge rampant speculation over his future at Old Trafford all the way to taking his side to the top of the table, level on points with reigning Premier League champions Liverpool. It almost beggars belief, really.

But if there’s one criticism that can be made, they arguably lack that final cutting edge in the midfield. Other than Bruno Fernandes, no other midfielder has reached double figures  – Scott McTominay is the closest despite only scoring three goals in 20 appearances across all competitions.

According to The Daily Mail, United had the chance to sign Jack Grealish from Aston Villa. However, the Red Devils refused to meet their asking price, and a move failed to materialise as he signed a contract extension to extend his stay at Villa Park in the end instead.

It goes without saying that Grealish would have added a great deal to Solskjaer’s side, having provided five goals and nine assists in 15 games in the Premier League this season thus far, via Transfermarkt.

The 25-year-old bears some resemblance to his countryman Paul Gascoigne. Just like Gascoigne, he is a superb dribbler, capable of picking the ball up from inside his own half and gliding past defenders.

Per WhoScored, Grealish has managed, on average, 2.9 dribbles  per game for Villa in the Premier League. By comparison, new summer recruit Van de Beek has averaged a mere 0.4 attempts over the same metric.

In terms of shots per game, there’s almost no comparison, as the England international is far ahead of the 23-year-old by quite some margin – 2.7 in contrast to Van de Beek’s abysmal 0.1, albeit from far fewer starts.

BT Sport pundit Robbie Savage believes Grealish would be an “incredible” signing for any team inside the top five, as quoted by The Daily Express.

Whether the Red Devils will regard this as a missed opportunity in the years to come remains to be seen, but Woodward will have to break the bank in order to meet Villa’s £100m valuation.

AND in other news, Manchester United must swoop for Lens defender Facundo Medina…

Tottenham Hotspur scouts appear to have gone across the Atlantic in pursuit of their next signing this January…

What’s the word?

According to 90min, Spurs are one of several Premier League teams monitoring the progress of Cruz Azul midfielder Orbelin Pineda, who was close to signing for Manchester City back in 2016 before electing for the Mexican outfit in a £10m deal.

It’s claimed that no fewer than seven sides have sent scouts to watch the 24-year-old in action this season, including arch-rivals Arsenal and Wolves.

Pineda enters the final 12 months of his current contract in Mexico City, thus opening the prospect of that long-awaited move abroad.

Wing upgrade?

On the face of it, another winger is the last thing that Spurs need right now. However, their heavy reliance on the red-hot form of prolific duo Heung-min Son and Harry Kane will only stretch so far.

No other player in N17 has scored more than one goal in the Premier League this term – Gareth Bale, Tanguy Ndombele and Lucas Moura all have one goal whilst Erik Lamela and Steven Bergwijn are yet to find the net, per WhoScored.

Pineda could well resolve the issue, even if it’s a very nice one to have.

Per FBref, the versatile Mexican attacker averaged 0.73 shots on target per 90 minutes during the 2019/20 campaign and also managed a goal contribution of at least 0.33 in each of his last two seasons.

By comparison, Moura could only muster up an average 0.53 shots on target per 90 last season and has never bettered Pineda’s goal contribution per 90 since signing for Spurs.

In 2016, Chivas coach Matias Almeyda hailed his abilities, he said, via ESPN: “He’s one of those players that has to end up in a great European club. He has the talent and the attributes.”

Whilst Goal.com just a year later touted Pineda as one of Mexico’s breakout talents, claiming that he is ‘strong in the middle of the field and adept at winning back balls early’ and how he ‘also can help start attacks with passes and has a good shot of his own.’

As someone who can play on either wing, through the middle and even as a number eight, Mourinho should relish the opportunity to secure the 24-year-old.

You can already see the money signs in Daniel Levy’s eyes as he’ll be tapping into the South American market once again in the hope it replicates Son’s marketing influence in Asia.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Spurs icon sends message to Jose Mourinho about Dele Alli…

With Dele Alli out of favour at Spurs, now is the perfect time for Jose Mourinho to reinvent his midfield. The club are still yet to replace clinical creator Christian Eriksen after he left for Inter Milan at the start of the year.

The Dane enjoyed seven years in north London and produced some stunning performances for the Lilywhites. His first season after joining from Ajax saw him bag 12 goals and 16 assists across all competitions, a tally he would go on to smash with a 23-assist campaign in 2016/17 (via Transfermarkt).

A player Spurs would do well to poach is previously-linked target Jack Grealish. The Englishman’s performances for Aston Villa have attracted a lot of attention from top clubs and he currently has an £80million price tag to warrant his exceptional influence. Ex-Lilywhite Paul Robinson recently admitted that he would love his former club to snap up the rising talent as he tips him to soon leave Aston Villa in search of silverware (via Football Insider).

Should Spurs sign Jack Grealish?

Despite playing primarily on the wing, Grealish’s versatility has seen him perform well in the heart of the midfield as well. Not only would he fill a gap in Tottenham’s engine room, but he could be deployed out wide in order to cover injury as well.

The 25-year-old has contributed to ten goals in just seven appearances this season, making up more than half of Villa’s entire goal tally so far. Grealish is already on track to bettering last campaign’s stats, where he finished the term with eight goals and six assists in the Premier League.

He has also shone during the international break, already rapidly establishing himself as a vital part of Gareth Southgate’s team. The Villa captain bagged an assist for England against the Republic of Ireland and was awarded Man of the Match in their Nations League fixture against Iceland. His influential performances have sparked a lot of conversation, with Jamie Redknapp recently branding Grealish as the “real deal”.

It’s to be expected that the Midlands outfit will lose their beloved skipper and goalscorer, hence the mammoth asking price they have put out there. However, Daniel Levy has shown that he isn’t afraid to put his hand in his pocket when required. The signing of Tanguy Ndombele broke the club’s record transfer fee after they forked out a handsome £53million. Whilst Grealish would command a lot more, the longevity of his career and blistering form speaks for itself.

Selling Alli would also put a large wedge of the transfer money in the pot too. The midfielder is currently valued at £46million, but Spurs would be able to charge much higher than this, considering the fact he still has four years left on his current contract.

However they find the money, signing Grealish would be a massive move for Spurs who are looking to assert their dominance in the Premier League. Bringing a natural goalscorer and leader like the Villa icon would be the perfect successor to Eriksen.

In other news, Marlon Harewood highlights this Chelsea ace as ideal Tottenham signing…

Patrick Bamford has started this season in red-hot form.

The Leeds striker has scored in each of the Whites’ first three games of the season, helping his team on their way to six points so far.

However, despite Bamford’s incredible beginning, there is a feeling of inevitability that he won’t be holding down his starting role for the entire season, with £27m signing Rodrigo waiting in the wings.

The Spain international does have a better CV than Bamford, having played for both Benfica and Valencia, compared to Bamford’s experience with the likes of Derby County and Middlesbrough, but again, you can’t argue with results on the pitch, and Bamford is providing them.

Bielsa has a massive selection headache in terms of how to keep everyone happy, with Bamford barely putting a foot wrong this season, and a club-record signing having to be played slightly out of position or left on the bench.

This isn’t a new issue for Bielsa, this time last year Eddie Nketiah was scoring at an incredible rate in his substitute appearances, while Bamford was faltering on the pitch, but despite the Arsenal man’s incredible form, he couldn’t force his manager’s hand to give him a starting spot.

Nketiah ended up starting just two games for Leeds before heading back to his parent club in January, and while that didn’t prove to be a huge loss, the stakes are much higher when you’re dealing with a £27m international footballer who recently scored 59 goals and provided 41 assists in 220 Valencia appearances and was labelled as “extraordinary” by Quique Setien.

Of course, it’s still early days, and Bielsa often takes a while to introduce new signings as they take a while to get up to speed with his intense training regimes, but the fact still remains that the same debates that were cropping up last year are once again rearing their heads.

Having two quality strikers that you need to rotate is always quite a nice dilemma to have, but it is a dilemma nonetheless, and if Bielsa doesn’t strike the right balance, it could all end in tears again, just as it did with Nketiah.

In other news, one potential Leeds signing could be an immediate fan favourite.