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New Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers will have been encouraged by what he saw this midweek as the Foxes ground out a win over Brighton at the King Power.

The former Liverpool and Watford boss has made the big and bold decision to move from Celtic back to the Premier League, and it will be interesting to see just how he adapts to life back in the English game after ever so nearly leading Liverpool to glory.

However, he is going to need to be backed with some of his own players if he is to be a success, and we here in the Tavern wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him raid Celtic for some talent.

And one man who we feel might be of particular interest to Rodgers is attacking midfielder James Forrest, who has once again been in fine form for the Bhoys this term.

Double figures in terms of goals once again show the talent the Celtic man has, and at 27 and heading into his prime years, the challenge of the Premier League might well be too enticing a proposition to ignore.

Forrest is real handful in both wide and central areas, and with the Foxes having never really replaced the creative spark that Riyad Mahrez brought to the club, the Scottish star might well be the answer.

Quick, able to beat a man and with a keen eye for goal, Forrest would be a fine addition for Leicester and Rodgers.

While Celtic might not want to sell, the thought of having Forrest and the ever impressive James Maddison providing the creativity from attacking midfield is an exciting prospect for Leicester if they can convince the Scottish champions to part ways with their key man.

Leicester fans, what do you think? Let us know in the comments!

As per Sky Sports reporter Lyall Thomas, some transfer news has come out of West Ham United, and it involves Borussia Monchengladbach star Matthias Ginter.

The Lowdown: Newman and Moyes face big summer…

Hammers officials, according to club insider Claret & Hugh, are soon set for a crunch meeting to determine the amount of money which will be allocated to both David Moyes and head of recruitment Rob Newman’s transfer kitty.

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Depending on the outcome of these financial discussions, Moyes and Newman could be set for a big window, but a lot could also come down to West Ham’s run in the Europa League or if they qualify for Europe next season.

The free agent market, as a result, could be a fruitful source for talent to bolster West Ham’s squad at zero cost.

Sharing news, Sky journalist Thomas has now lifted the lid on a potential Bosman transfer for the club this summer.

The Latest: West Ham eye Ginter…

As per his sources, the Irons are now eyeing Bundesliga defender and Germany international Ginter – joining ‘a lot of top clubs’ who have been keeping tabs on the in-demand star.

The 28-year-old, as he’s already confirmed, is set to move on this summer after his contract expires – prompting West Ham to now take note as they eye him for Moyes.

The Verdict: Make a move?

Ginter, a mainstay for his club, has played the second-most top flight minutes for Gladbach behind goalkeeper Yann Sommer – all while ranking in as their fourth-best performer by average match rating (WhoScored).

He’s also made the second-most clearances per 90 (3) out of their squad, standing out as a solid and reliable defender who could seemingly strengthen Moyes’ options at centre-half.

Valued at around £21.6 million by Transfermarkt, bypassing this fee entirely and signing Ginter for free comes as a potential bargain for West Ham.

In other news: West Ham insider: Irons officials set for crunch talks as Moyes personally plots ‘special’ player bid, find out more here.

Leeds United are interested in a deal to bring Javi Galan to Elland Road in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness), who claim that Victor Orta has already made contact with the Celta Vigo left-back regarding a switch to Elland Road at the end of the current campaign.

However, the report goes on to state that competition is high for the 27-year-old’s signature this summer, with Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla also believed to be keen on the defender, while Celta Vigo are not thought to be willing to part with Galan for anything other than an offer they simply cannot refuse.

Orta can axe Firpo with Galan

Considering just how impressive Galan has been in Spain this season, in addition to how poor Junior Firpo has been for Leeds following his £13m move from Barcelona last July, it is easy to see why Victor Orta and Jesse Marsch would be keen on a move for the Spaniard this summer.

Indeed, over his 29 LaLiga appearances this term, the £12.5m-rated left-back – who is also comfortable operating from left midfield and on the left-wing – has been one of Eduardo Coudet’s standout performers, helping his side keep nine clean sheets, registering three assists and creating two big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 0.5 shots and making 0.6 key passes per game.

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The £43k-per-week full-back has also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making an average of 1.3 interceptions, three tackles – the second-most of any player in the division – 1.1 clearances, 34.6 passes, completing 2.4 dribbles – the joint fifth-most in the league – and winning eight duels per fixture.

These returns have seen the player who The Real Champs dubbed both “underrated” and a “threat” average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.90, ranking him as Vigo’s joint fifth-best player in the Spanish top flight.

In comparison, over Firpo’s 19 Premier League outings this season, the £10.8m-rated defender has been rather less impressive, helping the Whites keep one clean sheet, providing one assist and creating one big chance for his teammates, as well as making an average of 0.9 interceptions, 2.5 tackles, 1.3 clearances, completing 0.7 dribbles and winning 4.9 duels per game.

These returns have seen the £55k-per-week Dominican Republic international average an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of just 6.59, ranking him as Leeds’ joint seventh-worst performer in the English top flight.

As such, it is perhaps not surprising that Frank McAvennie has tipped the former Barcelona full-back for a move away from Elland Road this summer, with the former West Ham United forward stating last month:

“He’s from Spain so maybe he was never quite up to playing in the Premier League. I imagine he will go back there, he hasn’t done very well at all. He’s had a result in coming to Leeds, he has got his name out there. But he hasn’t performed.

“You have to hit the ground running over here. He will go, he’ll get a team over in Spain. I’m thinking the likes of Getafe, someone like that, one of the smaller teams. Leeds can get a bit of money back for him and they can move on. He can’t cut it over here.”

Indeed, as McAvennie suggests, considering Firpo’s poor form since his move to England last summer, it would appear a wise move for Orta to cut his losses on the 25-year-old – who Anthony Lewis dubbed “awful” earlier this season – this summer, before reinvesting the money received from his sale – as well as his hefty weekly wage – into a move for the much more impressive Galan.

AND in other news: Leeds United dealt major setback on £25m-rated machine, Victor Orta will be fuming

A big Tottenham Hotspur transfer update has emerged on central defender Joe Rodon… 

What’s the talk?

According to Football Insider, sources close to the club have revealed that they are willing to move the Welsh international on this summer.

The report claims that they are open to allowing him to leave on a permanent or temporary basis, although they are unlikely to recoup the £11m fee – rising to £15m with add-ons – they paid Swansea City for him in 2020.

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Supporters will be gutted

This update will surely leave supporters gutted as it shows that Spurs have given up on his development and do not see a future for him at the club.

He has not played a single game in the Premier League under Antonio Conte as he has not been able to convince the Italian head coach that he deserves regular minutes in the side. From this viewpoint, it is understandable as to why Tottenham are looking at Rodon and trying to work out where he will be next season.

However, they must not sell him on a permanent basis. The fans will be fuming with the willingness to cash in on the Welshman as he still has the potential to come good and showed signs of quality in the top-flight last term. He is not a lost cause and, therefore, should not be treated as such this summer.

In the top-flight last term, he averaged a solid SofaScore rating of 6.97 across 12 appearances. He made an average of three tackles and interceptions per game and won a whopping 73% of his individual duels, which shows that he was dominant from a physical standpoint – with journalist Ian Mitchelmore also dubbing him as “flawless” for Wales.

At the age of 24, he is still young for a centre-back and has plenty of time left on his side to develop and improve his game. This means that the best course of action for Spurs would be to send him out on loan for a season to see how he fares with regular game time in the Premier League, or another top European division.

If he plays 30+ games out on loan next term and is not able to show enough to convince Conte that he has a future in north London, then perhaps that will be the time to think about cashing in on him.

For now, though, Spurs must loan him out or hand him a chance to impress in the first-team as it is too early to consider selling him on a permanent basis – as his form in 2020/21 very much indicates that he still has something to offer.

AND in other news: Conte can now axe “truly hilarious” £42k-p/w flop as Spurs eye £33m “difference maker”

Newcastle United are interested in signing Paris Saint-Germain striker Arnaud Kalimuendo, according to Foot Mercato (via Get French Football News).

The lowdown

The young marksman has spent the last two seasons away from the Parc des Princes on loan at RC Lens.

The 20-year-old has scored 10 goals in 30 Ligue 1 appearances this season, putting him three clear of Seko Fofana at the top of the team’s goalscoring charts. Valued at £10.8m by Transfermarkt, he is under contract at PSG until the summer of 2024.

Newcastle have also been linked with another Ligue 1 striker in the form of Reims’ Hugo Ekitike.

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The latest

According to Foot Mercato (via Get French Football News), Kalimuendo’s agent is due to meet with figures at PSG ‘in the coming weeks’ for talks about his future.

He is apparently ready to commit to the newly-crowned Ligue 1 champions by signing a new deal, but that hasn’t stopped Newcastle or fellow Premier League outfit Leicester City from ‘looking at him’.

The verdict

Kalimuendo is certainly an impressive talent. He has already played nine matches for France’s under-21 side, scoring on just his second start against Ukraine and adding three more to his tally since.

Furthermore, in 2020, he won the Titi D’Or, a prize awarded to the most promising young talent at PSG.

Franck Haise, his manager at Lens, believes that Kalimuendo possesses every attribute that a modern forward needs, describing him as the ‘prototype striker of the present’.

If the 20-year-old’s parent club can’t offer him the opportunities that he craves, then perhaps a move to Tyneside could be on the cards.

In other news, Newcastle are also targeting this left-back

Speaking to Give Me Sport, journalist Ryan Taylor of The Daily Express has made a West Ham United summer transfer claim involving Burnley defender James Tarkowski.

The Lowdown: West Ham eye January move…

A plethora of central defenders were tipped with a potential move to the London Stadium last month as manager David Moyes saw it as a transfer priority alongside the need for another striker (The Daily Mail).

The likes of Duje Caleta-Car were mentioned, with late window talks apparently held for the Croatian, while Manchester City’s Nathan Ake and Bournemouth loanee Nathaniel Phillips had also been linked (The Evening Standard).

Tarkowski, whose contract at current club Burnley expires later this year, was another name on the target list for Moyes with Express reporter Taylor now sharing an update on their interest.

The Latest: Taylor expects summer move

Speaking to GMS, the reporter says West Ham could in fact ‘enter the fray’ for Tarkowski again in the summer.

He explained: “All signs pointed towards him staying to the end of the season, then West Ham could enter the fray.”

The Verdict: Get it done?

While the Hammers couldn’t seal a central defensive signing for Moyes last month, recruitment chief Rob Newman would be remiss if he didn’t at least consider Tarkowski on a free.

The 29-year-old, who was once valued at his £50 million release clause by Burnley, looks set to leave for nothing in the summer and West Ham could secure a short term centre-back option at the very least.

Described as one of Sean Dyche’s ‘talismans’ and a ‘real leader’ by pundit Noel Whelan, Moyes’ side could benefit from a figure like this in the heart of West Ham’s defence – especially for no transfer fee.

In other news: ExWHUemployee: Moyes now personally wants ‘unreal’ international who’s also a Salthouse client, find out more here.

Crystal Palace will assess the condition of their 20-year-old midfielder Michael Olise ahead of today’s evening kick-off against Leeds United.

What’s the latest?

Friday morning’s press conference (via Football.London) saw Palace boss Patrick Vieira drop a revelation on Michael Olise’s foot injury that saw him prematurely withdrawn last time out against Newcastle United.

Speaking to the media, he said: “With Michael Olise – we were off yesterday and today, so we have to wait until tomorrow. But, yes, we took him off early in the [Newcastle] game as he wasn’t feeling 100 percent.”

A mini-update of sorts was then revealed by producer Conor McGilligan on Twitter who shared he was “definitely a doubt.”

Olise omission

In what is his debut season in the Premier League, Olise has struggled to assert himself as a regular under Patrick Vieira, starting just 34% of the Eagles’ Premier League fixtures.

Though you cannot argue against his impact for Palace this season, with his accumulation of seven goal contributions (two goals and five assists) in a total of 23 appearances in the league.

The Frenchman’s five assists this season see him rank first in the Eagles set-up, ahead of Conor Gallagher’s total of three assists in the league.

Along the same lines, his chance creation is what Palace will miss the most, with his total of seven big chances created again placing him ahead of Gallagher and ranking him first in the squad.

At just 20-year-old, Olise is an outstanding creative asset for Vieira’s side and in the appearances, he has made, has acted as the glue for his side’s efforts in possession, with his average of 49 passes per 90 and goal-creating actions of 0.62 placing him within the elite category amongst positionally similar players in Europe’s top five leagues over the last year.

For extra context, Manchester United target Frenkie de Jong averages 56 passes per match, so Olise is kicking it with the best of them and it is not going unnoticed.

Vieira will certainly be worried if he has to make do without the French starlet’s brilliance in the side tonight in what will be a real let-off for Leeds United.

In other news: Vieira must finally unleash CPFC’s £15.3m “delight” today, he will terrify Leeds…

Speaking on Friday ahead of the West Midlands derby against Aston Villa, Wolves manager Bruno Lage revealed that all of his players have come back fit and ready from the international break.

What’s the latest?

During the press conference on Friday ahead of today’s clash at Molineux, the 45-year-old said: “Everyone came back with good news from national teams because every player [involved in qualifying] got to the World Cup, and we are just waiting for Tony Roberts and Wales, because they didn’t play, I think they will play in the first days of June, but everyone else will go to the World Cup.

“It was good news and it was a good environment yesterday because everyone came back with the good news. I was happy because I was supporting everyone, so I was happy for them because qualifying for a World Cup is a big moment for everyone.”

Delight for Wolves

Lage’s comments about his players returning from international duty will surely leave the Wolves faithful delighted ahead of today’s derby encounter.

The manager, and indeed supporters of the Old Gold, may well have spent the last fortnight sweating on the fortunes of every player who had flown out to represent their countries, as Lage was already trying to cope with several standout absences.

Raul Jimenez is suspended for the next two matches after his second red card of the season against Leeds in Wolves’ last outing, while the same night saw Ruben Neves incur a knee injury which could have ended his campaign prematurely. Nelson Semedo and Pedro Neto are also doubtful for the visit of Steven Gerrard’s side this afternoon.

The importance of the first two players in particular cannot be overstated. The Mexican has been the team’s top scorer in league action with six goals, also providing three assists for good measure, while WhoScored rank Neves as the squad’s second-best performer when players to start two games or fewer are disregarded.

With Villa having almost a fully-fit squad at their disposal, Lage could not have afforded any further setbacks during the international break, particularly with his team losing three of their last four matches to leave their hopes of European qualification in doubt.

Therefore, he and the Molineux faithful will be relieved and delighted to have made it through the break with a clean bill of health for everyone who had been in international action over the past fortnight.

In other news – Lage could finally unearth Wolves’ new Diogo Jota in “unpredictable” £33m speedster

Crystal Palace have been enjoying a comfortable season, with Patrick Vieira bringing in a number of young new players this season to improve the squad, and all of his signings so far have made a great impact on the team.

Michael Olise, Conor Gallagher, Odsonne Edouard and Marc Guehi were all brought in last summer in the French manager’s pursuit to inject more youth into the team, as last season Palace had the oldest squad in the Premier League.

They have been doing an incredible job of integrating into the team so far, with Guehi and Gallagher in particular getting senior England call-ups this season as a result.

Despite building a team for the future, Vieira will have a dilemma hanging over his squad this summer as Gallagher is set to return to his parent club Chelsea when his season long loan deal ends, and Palace will be set to lose one of their most impactful players this season.

Gallagher has been having a season that all young footballers dream of having, with the 22 year old netting eight goals and assisting his teammates five times across all competitions so far this season from his midfield position and was named Young Player of the Year at the London Football Awards earlier this month.

Chelsea are in a vulnerable position with financial sanctioning taking hold of the club recently, as they await new owners to take over the club they are not able to make signings or offer new contracts to players currently, so bringing back Gallagher to play for the Chelsea team could be one of their only options moving forward, which means Crystal Palace’s chances of signing the player permanently are put into jeopardy.

It is clear that losing the £17k-per-week star who was hailed as “Kante with goals” by Tony Cascarino, would leave a huge hole for Vieira to fill if he did depart from the squad this summer, especially when you consider that the Eagles lost three out of the four games he didn’t play this season.

The Palace boss will need to work hard to find a way to tempt Gallagher into a permanent move to the club as he has been a key component to their successes this season, and will be important in the final push for a top half finish for the club in the remaining games of the season.

In other news: Vieira must unleash CPFC’s £79k-p/w “special talent”, he’s being wasted at Selhurst

Wolves could sign Sporting Lisbon midfielder Joao Palhinha as a potential Ruben Neves replacement, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Palhinha impressing for Sporting

The 26-year-old has been an influential figure at the heart of Sporting’s midfield this season, with 16 Primeira Liga appearances to his name, not to mention three goals.

Palhinha has been linked with a move to Wolves in recent days, as Bruno Lage continues to eye up squad reinforcements moving forward.

It could be that the Portuguese is viewed as a long-term successor to compatriot Neves, who has been tipped to move to Arsenal at the end of the season.

The Latest: Journalist talks up move

Speaking to Give Me Sport, O’Rourke claimed that Palhinha could be the ideal man to come in and fill the possible void left by Neves this summer:

“In the summer, if Ruben Neves wants to leave, Palhinha might be a ready-made replacement.”

The Verdict: Ideal Neves replacement

The hope is that Neves stays put at Wolves for many years, given his quality, but there is always the risk that his head could be turned by a big move elsewhere.

Should that happen, Palhinha looks tailor-made to come in as a replacement, having been described as a ‘special player’ by Sporting manager Ruben Amorim.

The midfielder has enjoyed an 86.7% pass completion rate in the league this season, as well as averaging a hugely impressive 3.4 tackles.

In comparison, Neves has 82.6% passing and 2.2 challenges per game, showing that the Sporting star could even prove to be an upgrade if he transitions well into English football.

In other news, some Wolves fans have gushed over a key transfer update. Read more here.