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QPR are reportedly not pursuing a deal for Sheffield Wednesday forward Josh Windass, according to West London Sport. 

What’s the story?

The Rs finished the 2020/21 season ninth in the Championship table, and will be hoping they can build on a hugely impressive second-half of that campaign under the management of Mark Warburton.

QPR finished that season strongly, and the club’s supporters will have every reason to believe that they could mount a serious push for promotion into the Premier League next term.

Warburton has already acted swiftly in making Charlie Austin’s loan spell a permanent one, with the 32-year-old catching the eye with a number of strong showings whilst at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium on a temporary basis from West Brom.

But QPR were rumoured to be interested in a deal to sign Windass ahead of the new Championship campaign, as Warburton looked to add depth to his attacking options over the summer, which could have potentially been a strong addition to the QPR team.

It’s a bold transfer stance to take by QPR

Windass still has one year remaining on his contract with Darren Moore’s side, and Sheffield Wednesday are seemingly keen to keep him at the club for the upcoming League One season, with Dejphon Chansiri reportedly valuing Windass in the region of £5million, which is likely to ward off any interest in his signature.

Windass was branded as ‘explosive’ by his father Dean Windass in a previous interview with Football FanCast, and he could have been the ideal signing for the Rs to take them to the next level.

The 27-year-old netted ten goals and was on hand to provide six assists in 44 appearances for Sheffield Wednesday last term, although his efforts weren’t quite enough to see the Owls avoid relegation into the third tier of English football.

QPR have both Charlie Austin and Lyndon Dykes as their main attacking options, but they could certainly have benefitted from adding strength in depth to their frontline this summer, and Windass would have provided them with just that.

Sheffield Wednesday are playing a risky game over Windass’ future though, as they’re likely to be pricing him out of a move away from Hillsborough this year, whilst also running the risk of losing him for nothing at the end of the 2021/22 season.

QPR’s rumoured stance on Windass is a somewhat surprising one though, and it’ll be interesting to see whether that could change in the future if another interested party was to register a formal bid for his services this summer.

It’s exactly why fans of the side may be worried at the prospect of missing out on a player like Windass, and what he could have potentially done at the club in terms of strengthening Warburton’s attacking options.

For now though, the Rs will be looking to make a positive start to the new Championship season, when they take on London-based rivals Millwall on the opening day of the campaign, in what is likely to be a closely-fought battle between both teams.

Tottenham Hotspur’s long wait for silverware seems likely to go on after they were well-beaten in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final clash against Antonio Conte’s former club, Chelsea, on Wednesday evening.

The north Londoners were dominated from the first minute and looked a world away from truly competing against the Champions of Europe at Stamford Bridge.

Conte named a largely full-strength side with just two changes from the New Year’s Day triumph over fellow capital city rivals Watford – Japhet Tanganga replaced Eric Dier, who was not even in the matchday squad, whilst Matt Doherty made a rare appearance at left wing-back over Sergio Reguilon.

After being the goalscoring hero on Saturday, Davinson Sanchez endured a nightmare down in west London, proving to be at fault for Kai Havertz’s opener before conceding a comedy own goal after the returning Tanganga headed the ball off Ben Davies’ shoulder and it flew past a helpless Hugo Lloris.

However, it was the £10.8m-rated Ireland international that was hooked at the break after another shocking outing in the Lilywhites colours. A rather damning move from Conte as the 29-year-old has been linked with a move away from Spurs this transfer window.

Perhaps that ought to be his final game for the club.

Across his 45 minutes on the pitch, he registered the fewest touches of any starter (20), which was even fewer than goalkeeper Lloris (34) and his replacement Tanguy Ndombele (24). Meanwhile, he also made only nine accurate passes, as per SofaScore.

As a wing-back, he would be expected to contribute in the final third, too, but it seems as if he struggled to have an influence there, failing to register a single dribble or cross.

Tanganga and Sanchez received quite the criticism from reporters after the game but it was Doherty who was consistently rated as Conte’s worst performer on the night.

‘Out of position on the left and often looked out of his depth. Struggled to make any inroads down his flank, and frequently lost the ball,’ wrote the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick, whilst Alasdair Gold at football.london graded him a dismal three out of ten.

On the evidence above, the defender – who earns a reported £74k-per-week in N17 – must never play for Tottenham again. Fabio Paratici and co must look to sell him as soon as possible, there is surely no way back now.

AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano drops major Hugo Lloris update at Spurs…

Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt yet another injury setback concerning Oliver Skipp.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to Dan Kilpatrick, with the journalist revealing in a recent report for the Evening Standard that, despite Antonio Conte claiming last week that the midfielder was “very close” to making a return from a pelvic injury that has kept him out of action since January, the 21-year-old is now set to return to the treatment room after suffering a setback in his recovery.

Kilpatrick went on to state that, despite training individually on the grass on Monday and Tuesday, the England U21 international’s return date now appears increasingly unclear after he reported fresh soreness in his pelvis – something which all but confirms Skipp’s unavailability for Saturday’s trip to Aston Villa.

In his piece, the journalist said: “Skipp is now certain to sit out Saturday’s visit to Aston Villa.”

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-martinez-dybala-spence-conte-2” title= “Read the latest Spurs news!”]

Conte will be fuming

Considering the number of setbacks Skipp had already suffered in his recovery from injury – with Conte initially suggesting that the academy product would be ruled out for two weeks at most, before claiming that he hoped Tottenham’s medical team would have the youngster back in seven to ten days – the fact that the midfielder is once again unavailable this weekend is sure to have left the 52-year-old fuming.

It is not difficult to understand why the Italian is so desperate to get the £18m-rated dynamo back up to full fitness, as it is clear that the 21-year-old is a major part of his first-team plans at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – with Skipp featuring in all but one of the 14 fixtures he has been available for selection following Conte’s arrival in north London last November.

However, with an extended period of rest being the only real solution to the pubis symphysis injury with which the midfielder is struggling, perhaps the manager’s pressure on both the player and the Spurs medical team is the cause of the youngster’s continuous relapses in his recovery.

Either way, Conte looks set to once again be without the services of the England youth international for the trip to Villa on Saturday, something that will undoubtedly come as a huge blow to the 52-year-old – particularly as all three points are a must if Tottenham wish to give themselves the best possible chance of finishing in the top four come the end of the season.

AND in other news: “They will get it done”: Romano drops huge transfer update Spurs supporters will love

Many Wolves fans have been left fuming over some news which has emerged involving their January transfer plans.

As per The Daily Mirror, the club have no plans to spend significantly in the upcoming transfer window, despite pleas from Bruno Lage to do so.

The Wolves manager wants to bring in at least three new faces, but Fosun are not likely to grant him any major funds.

That is because the owners want to make the club self-funding and are mindful of Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.

Wolves do not have a particularly big squad and also have plenty of injuries, so it would be strange if Fosun do not dig deep into their pockets in order to help Lage, otherwise his squad could be depleted even further.

Wolves fans on transfer news

These Wanderers fans were left fuming as the news on their January transfer plans was shared by Talking Wolves on their Twitter page:

“#FosunOut”

Credit: @Gary_Poynton

“So short-sighted. Tell the fans one thing and do another”

Credit: @Ianph61

“Long may the pain continue”

Credit: @ChriWoodward

“We will be relegated next season if the squad is not improved in the next 2 windows. Heard it here first!”

Credit: @aimstocks2021

“Spend bottom half, get bottom half”

Credit: @Ashley19345299

“Really? Surely they won’t let him down again.”

Credit: @WolvesFirst

In other news, one Wolves player’s pre-Liverpool comments went down well with many supporters

Flocking to Twitter, many Liverpool fans have gone wild over a transfer claim involving Real Sociedad striker Alexander Isak.

Jurgen Klopp’s side, having just suffered a 3-2 defeat to West Ham at the London Stadium before this international break, were perhaps reminded of their shortcomings in terms of depth.

Naby Keita, Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott, James Milner, Joe Gomez and Roberto Firmino are all currently sidelined due to injury with the latter man in particular causing big concern.

Firmino, one of Liverpool’s only natural forward options, will be a big miss and Klopp can only turn to either Divock Origi or Diogo Jota as his senior stand-ins.

The Africa Cup of Nations also presents a hurdle as both Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane will be unavailable to compete for a period of time from January 9.

As a result, Liverpool, and by extension owners Fenway Sports Group, have reportedly set their sights on the transfer market as news emerges on Isak.

The towering striker, who scored 17 goals in 30 La Liga starts last season, is apparently attracting major interest from the Reds as El Nacional make an exciting claim.

According to their sources, Liverpool are now weighing up a €40 million (£34.1m) offer to sign the Sweden international.

Flocking to this claim, many supporters have displayed real excitement given their desperation for a new forward option and some depth for Klopp – with one calling Isak a would-be ‘amazing signing’.

Find their best verdicts from social media down below.

Liverpool fans go wild for Isak claim…

“would be an amazing signing”

Credit: @LiverpoolAjX2

“Finally an actual striker”

Credit: @SReshal6

“omg please ISAK king”

Credit: @Aldin44543756

“Please be true”

Credit: @JoakimAckelman

“Please make this happen”

Credit: @KeanoLF

“Yessssss!!!”

Credit: @Eritrawino

“on my kneeeeeeeeeeeeees”

Credit: @KopiteZac

“I think he’s absolutely unreal I’d love to see this”

Credit: @wandellings

In other news: ‘Yes’, ‘Finally’ – Fabrizio Romano’s ‘mad’ transfer claim has many Liverpool fans talking, find out more here.

Sheffield Wednesday’s latest League One outing saw them secure a third consecutive draw with a 1-1 result against Lincoln City at the weekend.

Owls midfielder Dennis Adeniran put the home side ahead ten minutes into the second half before the Imps grabbed an equaliser through Lewis Montsma in the 80th minute.

On the chalkboard

Looking ahead to Wednesday’s weekend clash against Cheltenham Town where Darren Moore will undoubtedly be hoping to secure a win this time out, one player that was not in the starting XI to face Lincoln that we think should be for their next encounter is 27-year-old striker Callum Paterson.

The 27-year-old replaced Lee Gregory in the second half of the match at the weekend and managed to have one shot at goal, completed seven of his nine passes and won one aerial duel, ultimately earning him an overall match rating of 6.6/10 according to SofaScore.

Wednesday signed Paterson back in September 2020 from Cardiff City for an undisclosed fee. Since then, the striker, who is currently valued at £1.62m according to Transfermarkt has made 57 appearances for the Yorkshire club, scoring 11 goals and providing five assists along the way, proving himself to be a fairly decent signing for the Owls based on his attacking output.

So far this season, Paterson, who has been described as “phenomenal” by Robbie Neilson, has managed to score two goals and provide one assist in 11 League One appearances showing he has what it takes to pop up at the right time and place for the Owls, leading us to believe he could bully Cheltenham’s defenders if given the chance to.

Looking ahead to the match at the weekend, in terms of who Paterson could replace in the team if Moore thinks his side would have a better chance of picking up all three points with him in, we feel that it could be a good time for Gregory to come out of the side for a while considering he had a poor game against Lincoln where he failed to even register one shot at goal in 62 minutes.

Whether Moore decides to stick Paterson back in the team at the weekend or not, we feel that Wednesday will need to get a win under their belts soon so they can stay in the running for a promotion place by the end of the campaign or else they could be facing another season in League One.

In other news: Get rid: SWFC liability who lost the ball every 1.6 touches badly let Moore down today – opinion

Newcastle United could now hire Erik ten Hag as their next manager, if Marc Overmars is appointed the new Director of Football (DoF) at St. James’ Park.

The Lowdown: Manager search

The North East club have been linked with the likes of Roberto Martinez, Steven Gerrard and Matias Almeyda in recent days, as their manager search continues following the departure of Steve Bruce.

Graeme Jones will be taking temporary charge of the next couple of games until the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium find the person that they want.

The Latest: ten Hag and Overmars combo

As per De Telegraaf (via Sport Witness), Overmars, who is currently the DoF at Ajax, would be ‘comfortable’ taking the same role on Tyneside, and ‘will poll’ ten Hag if he is appointed.

It will be interesting to see which role the new owners of the Magpies fill in first, as one could well dictate who is hired for the other.

The Verdict: Get both in

There is no doubt that a lot of the recent success Ajax have had is down to Overmars and ten Hag.

Off of the pitch, the former has been responsible for selling players for big profits and then helping rebuild with quality replacements, while ten Hag has won five major trophies during his time at the club, and famously guided them to the UEFA Champions League semi-final in the 2018/19 season.

Jurgen Klopp dubbed him as an ‘exciting’ manager back in December, which is high praise indeed, and getting both in would prove to be a real coup from the Toon.

In other news, find out which ‘extraordinary’ ace NUFC are ‘preparing’ a £67.7m bid for here!

Lee Johnson’s Sunderland continued their strong start to the season with a 1-0 win against AFC Wimbledon at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.

The Black Cats have now won three of their four matches in League One and four of their five competitive games so far this campaign.

Carl Winchester scored the only goal of the game in the 64th minute, securing a win to leave Sunderland fifth in the table, just one point behind league-leaders Sheffield Wednesday.

Whilst the headlines belong to Winchester after his match-winning strike, another player put in a stunning performance that may have gone under the radar. Tom Flanagan produced an excellent display at centre-back to help keep a clean sheet and help to secure the three points on the day.

The goalscorer deserves acclaim for his performance, but fans should not forget Flanagan and his contribution to the result.

Per SofaScore, Winchester (7.4) was the only outfield player with a higher rating than the central defender (7.2) against the Dons. Sunderland’s number three was pivotal to the win with his almost flawless defensive work to keep Wimbledon at bay throughout the game.

The 29-year-old won an impressive 80% of his defensive duels. He came on top in 12 of his 15 battles, winning three on the ground and nine in the air, proving that he had the beating of his opponents for the majority of the game.

Flanagan also completed two tackles and was not dribbled past a single time in the 90 minutes.

As much as scoring goals win games, conceding them loses points so Flanagan’s defending was arguably as important as Winchester’s goal, as that strike could have been for nothing if Sunderland conceded a sloppy goal or two.

The Sunderland Echo’s Phil Smith hailed Flanagan as ‘composed’ in his player rating piece after the match, handing him a score of 7/10. He wrote:

“Has had a very decent start to the season. Brings some important experience to the side and keeps it simple in possession when needed. Really composed.”

This further highlights the point that Flanagan made a huge impact against Wimbledon, with Smith explaining that his experience and composure helped Sunderland both in and out of possession.

With 71% of his passes completed and 67 touches of the ball, he was able to play out from the back well alongside the inexperienced Callum Doyle and was a massive reason why The Black Cats were able to take all three points.

Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a surprise move for Andreas Christensen this week…

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Star, the north Londoners have joined Manchester City and Manchester United in the race to secure the 25-year-old on a free transfer in the summer.

The 54-cap Denmark international is yet to sign a new deal at Stamford Bridge, meaning he is currently expected to become a free-agent at the end of the current campaign.

As a result, several Premier League teams have been put on high alert, including Spurs, where manager Antonio Conte is seeking defensive reinforcements.

Christensen is currently valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt.

Bargain raid

The defender dubbed the ‘Danish [Paolo] Maldini’ would be quite the coup for the Lilywhites, particularly snatching him from their rival’s grasp.

Of course, he is also a player that Conte knows well having managed him during his time at Stamford Bridge. Christensen played 40 times under the Italian, who also once backed him to become a leader for the club.

“Christensen is having a fantastic season and showing great maturity. For me, apart from the mistake, his performance was great, was wonderful,” he said (via the Evening Standard).

“I have a lot of trust in Christensen. This player is a player for the present for Chelsea, and for Chelsea’s future for 10 or 12 years. He can also become the captain of this team in the future.”

Indeed, the Danish star has emerged as a solid option for Spurs’ arch-rivals in recent times, starting ten of his 11 appearances in the Premier League this term, which comes off the back of 27 appearances last season, including 51 minutes in their Champions League triumph against City.

Christensen played the entire match during the clash between the two sides back in September, where he proved to be a massive nightmare for a front two of Heung-min Son and Harry Kane.

Nuno Santo’s side were thrashed 3-0 with is strike duo managing only two shots on target between them all game. SofaScore also grade the pair at 6.5 or lower – the two lowest of any starter. Son lost 75% of his duels and Kane was dominated in the air, winning just two of six aerial duels.

The Chelsea defender won 80% of his duels, earned a 7.5 rating and registered three interceptions (second-most in the game).

In the past, he has been dubbed a “really special talent” and “colossal” by TalkChelsea’s Simon Phillips, so that only goes to show how important he has been for the west Londoners and Denmark in recent times.

On the above evidence, sporting director Fabio Paratici could land Spurs an absolute bargain and quite the coup, should he win the race to seal Christensen’s signature.

Whether they truly stand a chance remains to be seen.

AND in other news, Paratici must brutally axe “terrible” £19.8m-rated Spurs flop, he’s cost £8m per goal…

Leicester City have been tipped to make a move for Southampton defender Jannik Vestergaard this summer.

What’s the story?

The Foxes have been in the market for a new central defender all window following Wes Morgan’s retirement, and Wesley Fofana’s horrific injury has now significantly increased the need for reinforcements in that area of the pitch.

According to TalkSPORT reporter Alex Crook (as reported by the Leicester Mercury), Leicester are plotting a move for Vestergaard over the coming weeks, with the Saints reportedly set to demand £20 million for the Denmark international.

Fans will be buzzing

Vestergaard caught the eye with a string of impressive performances last season, achieving a highly respectable 6.89 WhoScored rating from his 30 Premier League appearances.

On average, the 6 ft 5 centre-back made a whopping four clearances per game in 2020/21, the highest amongst his Southampton teammates, as well as recording 0.5 blocks, the third-highest tally amongst his St. Mary’s colleagues.

However, with just one year remaining on his current contract on the south coast, speculation over the Scandinavian’s future has continued to rumble on throughout the summer.

And now Crook has revealed Leicester are the latest potential suitor for Vestergaard’s services, news that will surely have the club’s supporters buzzing due to his previous exploits.

“I would probably say 40%-60% in favour of him leaving at this stage, and one of the interested parties, as I understand it, is Leicester City, they’re in dire need of reinforcements at the back,” he told TalkSPORT.

“They were already light there with Jonny Evans unavailable, Vestergaard is someone they certainly tried to sign before, and he is in the last year of his contract like Danny Ings.”

Crook went on to explain that the Saints are expecting a bid for their prized asset and that Ralph Hassenhuttl’s charges may be in no position to turn it down.

“The impression I get is that Southampton are very much bracing themselves for a bid from Leicester, and if that bid did come in, they would have to seriously consider it given that contract situation,” he added.

“They want to get £20m, I imagine Leicester might go in at £15m and test Southampton’s resolve.”

Vestergaard would be a solid addition to the FA Cup holders’ backline, providing Brendan Rodgers with a natural left-footed option at the heart of his defence and delivering a boost to their chances of finishing inside the top four next season.

And, in other news…Heir to Wes Morgan: Rudkin must complete Leicester swoop for 6 ft 3 “monster”