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Wolves could capitalise on Schalke 04’s woes to sign midfielder Omar Mascarell for a knockdown fee, CaughtOffside have reported. 

The report claimed that the Bundesliga club’s ‘struggling finances’ and their likely relegation from the German top flight could force them to accept an offer of as little as £4m.

Schalke are 11 points from safety with 10 games to go and have managed just win one all season (Transfermarkt).

Who is Omar Mascarell?

The Spaniard began his senior career at Real Madrid at 2013. He has experienced English football before, having gone on loan to Derby County during the 2014/15 season. He made 28 appearances for a Rams side who missed out on the play-offs by a single point.

Mascarell left Madrid permanently in 2016 to join Eintracht Frankfurt before making the switch to Schalke two years later.

According to WhoScored, he is a well-rounded midfielder who passes the ball well but can also break up play and win headers.

Another key asset is his versatility – while predominantly a defensive midfielder, he can also be deployed as a central midfielder or centre-back.

Transfer Tavern verdict

This looks like it would be a shrewd deal for Nuno Espirito’s men.

Mascarell is apparently available for a very small fee and could be a very solid squad player. You would imagine he would be a rotation option if Ruben Neves or Leander Dendoncker needed a rest.

The 28-year-old’s reputation has seemingly survived Schalke’s bruising season, and that is no mean feat.

In other news, this devastating striker is apparently on Wolves’ list of targets.

According to The Scottish Sun, Sky Sports are livid with Glasgow Rangers after they were snubbed during the Gers’ Premiership title celebrations.

Sky Sports angry at Rangers

The Gers were confirmed as Premiership champions on Sunday after Celtic could only manage a 0-0 draw with Dundee United.

However, while the Gers were celebrating the club’s 55th title win, Sky were left livid as they were unable to get much access to Steven Gerrard and his players. Then, the Gers sanctioned a Gerrard interview with ITV.

Silly from Rangers

Rangers have had plenty of problems with mainstream media outlets in recent times, and lots of supporters have turned towards the likes of Four Lads had a Dream and the Heart and Hand podcast in search of the latest updates regarding their clubs.

The club’s hierarchy will be aware of that, and they themselves were busy in the immediate aftermath as their own media team interviewed plenty of the season’s protagonists. However, what Rangers must not forget is, without Sky, they would struggle financially. Last summer, the broadcaster paid £125m to secure the Premiership’s TV rights for five years – money which no doubt comes in handy for the Ibrox outfit. While there may be some tension between the two, it is vital they make the partnership work.

In other news, Rangers fans slammed this Gerrard decision against Slavia Prague.

Former Leeds United favourite Jermaine Beckford has heaped praise on Kalvin Phillips, describing him as a “vitally important” player.

The Whites returned to winning ways in the Premier League on Friday evening, winning 2-1 away to Fulham and going up to 11th in the table.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side played some lovely football at Craven Cottage, with goals from Patrick Bamford and Raphinha earning them all three points.

[freshpress-quiz id=“347980″]

Phillips, valued at £24.3m by Transfermarkt, was once again a standout performer, proving to be a dominant presence in Leeds’ midfield, impressing both on and off the ball.

Beckford hails influential Phillips

The 25-year-old has many admirers, but someone who waxed lyrical about him before the Fulham game was ex-Whites striker Beckford.

Speaking on Sky Sports [via MOT Leeds News], he outlined precisely why he thinks so highly of Phillips, both as a footballer and as a person:

“Kalvin Phillips is one of those players that knits everything together in the middle of the field. He helps the defensive side of things when the game breaks down, and he also gives the attacking players, the wide players, the freedom to express themselves and go forward with no restrictions.

“He’s vitally important. He always finds himself in the right place at the right time. He doesn’t get pulled out of position very easily either, and his first thought is always ‘how can I get back and get the ball safely, and without giving away a free kick, and once I do that can I pop it off to somebody whose going to create some sort of chances’.

“I’m his biggest, biggest fan, aside from his mum. He’s a lovely person off the field as well, and you can see what he means to Leeds and what Leeds means to him by his performances.

“He gives everything he has for the club.”

Transfer Tavern take

Beckford is spot on in his assessment, with Phillips arguably the first name on Bielsa’s team-sheet. That will always be a subjective topic, but there is no denying that he is one of the most influential performers at the club.

The midfielder has not only proven his quality in the Premier League, but also at international level, with a place in England’s Euro 2020 squad looking likely.

In other news, Phil Hay has provided a key update on the future of one Leeds star. Read more about it here.

Many Everton fans have been left to laud Ben Godfrey after some quotes from the club’s latest matchday programme were relayed by their website.

In the interview, Godfrey talked about his tough mentality when going into tackles, and claimed that it is ‘huge’ for him to play for the Goodison Park faithful as the fans have the same kind of mentality as him.

The former Norwich City ace has averaged more blocks (1.2) than any of his teammates in the Premier League so far in the 2020/21 term, and has also averaged no fewer than 3.2 clearances, 1.6 tackles and 1.1 interceptions per game (Sofascore), showing that he does indeed like to get stuck in when playing.

Nonetheless, several supporters of the Merseyside club were clearly appreciative of the big central defender upon reading his comments, flocking to Twitter to heap praise on the man fast becoming one of the signings of the season.

Everton fan reaction to Godfrey comments

These Toffees supporters hailed Godfrey on Twitter, with one Blues fan describing the 23-year-old as ‘quality’:

“He’s the best signing Everton have made in years. Quality. And future England captain”

Credit: @MartinDolce

“Great to see him on the field…young and hungry is good…”

Credit: @Heather99203875

“An obvious future Everton captain.”

Credit: @paultrantrainer

“Love his attitude”

Credit: @_jennifer1878

“Ben for me is a real decent lad and player. Glad we signed Ben.”

Credit: @PeterPapadopo11

“Make him captain now @Everton”Credit: @Holy_TrinityEFCIn other news, find out what fresh injury setback has been bemoaned by EFC fans here!

Former Manchester United academy product Keith Gillespie has told Football FanCast that Nicky Butt could link up with Celtic as speculation continues to swirl over the potential appointment of Roy Keane as manager.

Reports suggest the Scottish giants have opened talks with Keane over the vacant position, following the resignation of Neil Lennon earlier this season.

Celtic have watched on as Rangers have won the Scottish Premiership title, and they are currently 20 points behind their Old Firm rivals.

Butt has left United after nine years spent working with the club’s academy, and United released a statement claiming that he was seeking a “new professional challenge”.

That has heightened speculation he could link up with Keane at Parkhead as Celtic look to revive their fortunes and challenge Rangers once again.

Football Insider have reported that Butt could move to become Keane’s assistant.

And Gillespie thinks that his former team-mate will have something lined up, and he believes there could be a chance he is heading north of the border.

He told FFC: “I think with Nicky leaving the academy, he’s obviously got something lined up. So who knows? It could be that.

“We could just be barking up the wrong tree like happens too often. But I’d say that there’s maybe a bit of truth in it, the fact that the timing of Nicky leaving then all of a sudden, there’s this mention of Celtic. So I’d say that there probably is something in it.”

Butt spent 12 years at United, playing in central midfield, winning six Premier League titles, three FA Cups and the Champions League.

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been reacting after it emerged that a couple of billboards celebrating the club’s 55th Premiership title have been damaged.

The Gers are still basking in the glory of their latest trophy. It has been a dominant campaign for the Ibrox outfit – they have already won the league with five games remaining and are currently 20 points clear of their closest rivals in the table, Celtic (BBC). It has been a season that Rangers fans will never forget.

To celebrate the success, billboards were erected in Glasgow displaying messaging in support of the Rangers squad. However, photos have now emerged showing those billboards to have been damaged (via Vital Rangers). Clearly, there are some in the city who are far from happy that the Gers have won the title.

The photos of the damaged billboards attracted plenty of attention on Twitter, and these fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on the matter. Indeed, they managed to see a positive side to the vandalism.

Let’s see what these Rangers fans had to say below

“It’s only a game….”

Credit: @fumefox

“superb”

Credit: @ThomasHannigan9

“55 has destroyed them”

Credit: @TheBluezulu2

“That makes them even better”

Credit: @geomac24

“Lovely to see, it means they’re hurting!”

Credit: @BFPO107

“Makes it all the better ,shows how much its hurting them”

Credit: @1873Rickster

In other news, some Rangers fans rage at this official club release.

Manchester United strengthened their grip on second place in the Premier League table on Sunday evening as they squeezed past Brighton and Hove Albion at Old Trafford.

Former Red Devil Danny Welbeck had initially given the Seagulls the lead but second-half strikes from Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood turned the game on its head.

Whilst the club’s attacking stars will claim the headlines, it was actually Paul Pogba who was a defining influence for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s troops.

Still continuing to find match sharpness following a long injury lay-off, the Frenchman looked back to his best, especially defensively, turning in a more-rounded performance than even the irrepressible Bruno Fernandes.

He contributed three tackles, three interceptions and two clearances throughout the game according to WhoScored, in what was a thoroughly dominant defensive performance in the heart of midfield.

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Pogba was also extremely effective going forwards as well though. During his time on the pitch, he completed 76 passes – only teammates Fred and Victor Lindelof managing to complete more than the former Juventus midfielder.

Those contributions were not just for the sake of passing from Pogba though as he also managed to generate two key passes, one of those being somewhat of a shot that found its way through to Greenwood, who nodded into the Brighton net. It was the 28-year-old’s sixth assist in all competitions of the current campaign.

Pogba’s evening did eventually end before the end, eventually being withdrawn in the 83rd minute and replaced by Scott McTominay. However, considering his long lay-off and his excellent work throughout the match, it was a well-earned rest for the midfielder.

He was heavily influential throughout, managing 93 touches, a number only beaten by Fred – his midfield partner and one that lasted the full 90 minutes.

United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will certainly be hoping he can get a few more performances like the one against Brighton out of his midfielder between now and the end of the campaign.

AND in more news, find out which stunning swap deal the Red Devils must consider…

Aston Villa must look to offload Tom Heaton in the upcoming summer transfer window.

What’s the story?

The Athletic claimed that, with Heaton’s deal at Villa Park coming to an end this summer, the goalkeeper will consider leaving Dean Smith’s side for guaranteed first team football elsewhere.

The report added that: “Villa would like to extend his stay as they recognise his qualities and leadership skills. A new contract will be offered to the former England squad regular as the plan is to keep their goalkeeping department strong with three senior pros on board.

“Heaton, however, wants to be someone’s starter and Villa cannot offer him such an assurance — so he will listen to other offers before deciding on his future.”

Get rid

After Emiliano Martinez’s big-money arrival from Arsenal last summer, it’s been no surprise that Smith has gone with the Argentine as his main man in goal – and with good reason, too.

Martinez has kept an impressive 14 clean sheets in the Premier League alone this season, which ranks him third among all shot-stoppers in the division, and is a real testament to how good he has been for his new club.

It has left Heaton stuck on the sidelines ever since he returned from his long-term knee injury, and he is yet to play a single minute of competitive football for Villa’s first team in 2020/21.

Earning a reported £60,000-a-week, that’s a lot of money to be paying someone who is essentially nothing more than a backup, and it’s the kind of money that Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens won’t be happy at spending on a weekly basis.

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Heaton looks unlikely to displace Martinez in between the sticks for Villa any time soon, and it seems the perfect time for all parties involved to go their separate ways this summer.

Meanwhile, this Villa man just sent Dean Smith a huge message…

One of the few positives for Everton fans following their 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace on Monday evening was the return of Jean-Philippe Gbamin from injury.

The midfielder replaced goalscorer James Rodriguez with 10 minutes remaining at Goodison Park.

Gbamin joined Everton in the summer of 2019 but had only made two appearances for the club before last night. He has been through an injury nightmare, sidelined this season by an Achilles tendon rupture following a lengthy hamstring injury last term.

The Ivorian touched the ball 15 times during his cameo, completing six passes and making one tackle and one clearance (via SofaScore).

Expectations will have to be managed in the coming weeks given the length of his absence. He had last played competitive football 597 days ago, as the official Everton Twitter account noted after the game.

A number of supporters questioned the wisdom of introducing in such a high-stakes situation. Everton went onto surrender their lead, a significant setback to their hopes of finishing of the top four.

Perhaps Carlo Ancelotti ought to have delayed Gbamin’s comeback for a moment when the result was settled – these Toffees on Twitter certainly seemed to think so.

Ancelotti questioned after Gbamin cameo

“Great he is back from 2yrs of injury but should have come on when game was killed off, not at 1-0”

Credit: @nickgartland

“Nice to have him back. Didn’t think it was the game to bring him on though. I don’t think it was very smart to bring on a player that has been out for so long when only 1-0.”

Credit: @hmmmm12345643

“Reckon he’ll be a class player when he’s got his match sharpness up. Was poor today but very understandable. As much as I’m happy that he is back, this game was the wrong game to bring him on, especially when Palace was pressing aggressively.”

Credit: @kingkierxn

“Not the best time for trying players. Bad choice from Carlo”

Credit: @EFC_Turkey

“Was the wrong time to bring him on. At 1-0 it’s just too risky. Not his fault at all, but a bit more experience was needed. I also though bringing Godfrey on for Coleman was the wrong call. Lost all our shape.”

Credit: @kevinseanor

“If we were 5-0 up then yes!”

Credit: @chris83jones

In other news, Everton must ‘move quickly’ to land this eye-catching bargain.

Many fans of West Ham United have been reacting to a post on Twitter which relayed Pedro Almeida’s claim that Dynamo Kyiv are interested in a summer move for Andriy Yarmolenko.

According to Almeida, the Ukrainian giants are extremely keen on bringing Yarmolenko back to his native country this summer, with the Premier Liga side already thought to be in negotiations with West Ham regarding the transfer of the 31-year-old.

Since joining West Ham from Borussia Dortmund in an £18m deal three years ago, the winger has struggled to hold down a regular place in the Hammers’ starting XI, featuring just 53 times for the club in all competitions – something which has largely been down to the Ukraine international picking up a number of different injuries.

After one West Ham fan account relayed Almeida’s claim regarding Yarmolenko on Twitter, many fans of the Irons flocked to have their say on the matter, with plenty seemingly delighted at the prospect of the £100,000-per-week man – who has taken his share of criticism during his time at the club – leaving east London at the end of the season.

So, what did these West Ham United fans have to say in reaction to the claim regarding Andriy Yarmolenko?

“Scenes when they give us £20m.”

@whumako

“Yesssssssssss.”

@joelitt78828048

“Buzzing with that.”

@__chowellWH6

“Can have him for free.”

@fflynnnn

“Sell him.”

@Thehammerone1

“The stepover merchant is finally leaving.”

@ScoutSoucek

In other news: West Ham make approach for £12.6m-rated ace; GSB could get him for nothing this summer – find out more here!