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Aston Villa journalist Luke Hatfield reckons that Ashley Young’s set-piece ability is a major reason why the re-signed him.

The 36-year-old spent five seasons at Villa Park between 2006 and 2011 before securing a sensational return following successful spells with Manchester United and Inter Milan.

Young has won five major trophies during his decade away from Villa, including the Premier League, Europa League and Serie A title with Inter last term.

He’s enjoyed an illustrious career, with many goals and assists throughout, although some of his finest years came in the claret and blue of Villa.

His best scoring seasons all came at Villa, with his immaculate set-pieces a large reason why he’s racked up 48 goals and 69 assists in England’s topflight.

And with Villa short of a genuine free-kick and corner taker in their current squad, Hatfield told Football FanCast that Young’s quality around dead ball situations was one of the reasons that led to his return:

“Another important part of his game, which Villa will have liked, is his set-pieces.

“He knows how to whip a good ball in, he knows how to score from a direct free-kick, which is an area that Villa are slightly weak in.”

Rangers had been tipped to sign Harry Wilson earlier in the summer but Steven Gerrard won’t be reunited with the Welshman at Ibrox after he completed a move to Fulham recently.

What’s the word?

Rangers were heavily linked with the Liverpool winger in 2018, with reports claiming that Gerrard was very keen to add him to his squad having managed him during his spell working in the academy at Anfield.

When it became clear that the Reds were keen to cash in on the 24-year-old permanently this summer after a number of loan spells away from the club, he was once again touted as a potential option for the Gers.

Former Rangers man Michael Ball tipped his old club to make a move for the Wales international earlier this year, saying: “Steven’s got that connection with him. He knows of him, so that personal relationship could be a bonus. The money, we’re not too sure what they have to spend, so it all depends if any players move out as well at Rangers.

“If [Alfredo] Morelos moves on, the big money that they’ll get would give Rangers the opportunity to bring Harry and maybe a few others in.”

Should Rangers have signed Wilson?

Wilson has regularly emphasised his class in loan spells away from Liverpool but has never really established himself as a regular in Jurgen Klopp’s squad, perhaps due to the world-class talent that the German has available to him at Anfield.

Last season saw Wilson join Cardiff City on loan and he impressed with his performances in the Championship, contributing seven goals and 11 assists in 37 appearances and averaging a solid 6.96 rating from WhoScored for his endeavours.

It is therefore no surprise that he has earned himself a permanent move to the Championship this summer, with Fulham paying £12m to sign him earlier this week as they look to secure an immediate return to the top flight.

[freshpress-quiz id=“593776”]

The “outstanding” winger – as hailed by Roy Keane – could have been an excellent addition to Rangers’ squad ahead of their upcoming Champions League qualifying campaign. Given Gerrard’s relationship with him, you could definitely argue that Ross Wilson should have acted faster to try and bring the Welshman to Ibrox this summer.

In other news… Gerrard set for huge boost with “next level” Rangers beast, fans will be buzzing

Many Crystal Palace fans are excited after the club tweeted comments from Steve Parish detailing the plans that he, sporting director Dougie Freedman and new manager Patrick Vieira have in terms of signing players this summer.

Relief will likely engulf large parts of southeast London following conformation that former Arsenal captain Vieira is the new manager at Selhurst Park [BBC], coming almost two months after Roy Hodgson stepped aside [cpfc.co.uk].

Looking ahead, the Palace recruitment team will have a job on their hands building a successful team ahead of the new season, owing to the departure of 22 first team players detailed within the Eagles’ retained list at the start of June [The Sun].

Nevertheless, Crystal Palace chairman and part-owner Steve Parish has whetted the appetite of many supporters as he looks to positively influence transfer proceedings.

As per the club’s Twitter channel, he outlined: “We have a lot to do to prepare in the coming weeks and I look forward to working closely with Patrick and Dougie in bringing in some new faces to help us all to a successful season.”

In light of these comments, loads of Palace supporters took to Twitter to express their delight at what Parish had to say.

Crystal Palace fans react

Taking to Twitter, here is how some supporters reacted to the chairman’s promise:

“Tell Steve I am still willing to buy everything in the club shop including the wireless speaker (currently on sale), if Palace re-sign Bolasie.”

Credit: @RomfordRoger”This could be really exciting”Credit: @Cklar”We have some exciting youngsters at the club hoping at least 3 make the squad”Credit: @Vinceeagled”And here we go”Credit: @TalkCPFC”Major changes were needed, nice work Steve.”Credit: @SelhurstJon”Faith in Parish, once some decent signings come in the positivity will come back”Credit: @CPFCLomadzIn other news, these Crystal Palace fans react to their 2021/22 away kit launch.

A major update has emerged on Crystal Palace target Radu Dragusin regarding where he wants to play his football next season. 

What’s the talk?

The Eagles have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of the Juventus centre-back as his agent Florian Manea revealed that the 19-year-old wants to stay with the Italian giants.

Manea has confirmed that Dragusin wishes to remain at Juventus despite offers to join clubs in England and Germany, telling Calcio Mercato, as transcribed by JuveFC:

“He wants to stay at Juventus, he does not want to leave. There have been offers from England and Germany, but he wants to play for Juventus. If you do your best, I believe that in the end you will get to play for Juve.

“If Dragusin does leave, it will just be on loan to get more playing time. But he wants to remain a Juventus player.”

Earlier this year, former Juventus head coach Andrea Pirlo called Dragusin an “interesting” player, telling Gazzetta dello Sport, as transcribed by TekDeeps: “Radu Dragusin did very well, he is a very interesting player who has been training with us for several months. He is a young man of perspective and has already demonstrated his qualities.”

Fans will be gutted

Crystal Palace fans must be gutted reading these quotes from Manea as they seemingly rule out the chance of Dragusin ending up at Selhurst Park this summer.

The teenager is desperate to stay at Juventus and there does not appear to be an opening to sign him permanently in the coming months, which could rule Palace out of the race for his services and provide a major blow to Steve Parish’s plans in the short and long-term for the club. Fans will surely be frustrated that they now look set to miss out on the young prospect following this update.

Whilst Manea has opened the door to a loan deal for Dragusin if Juventus have no plans to play him next season, Palace may not be able to provide him with regular game-time. At the age of 19, the Romanian is a prospect rather than an established player, and there is no way for Palace to guarantee that he will be able to start every week with the centre-back options they have at their disposal. Mamadou Sakho, James Tomkins, Martin Kelly, Chiekhou Kouyate, Gary Cahill and Scott Dann are already at the club, which could limit how much Dragusin is able to play next season if he joins the Eagles.

This would not be an issue with a permanent deal for the 1.91m (6 foot 3) beast, though. All of the aforementioned centre-back options for Palace are 31 or older and heading into the final years of their careers, whilst Dragusin is in the embryonic stages of his.

Therefore, he could be the long-term solution to Palace’s centre-back problems and has the potential to be a key player for years to come, even if it does not happen immediately. That is why a short-term loan deal would not make sense for Palace and why this news is a major blow to Parish’s pursuit of the defender.

AND in other news, Get it done: Major development emerges on £10.8m-rated beast, Palace must seal deal…

Tottenham could find themselves battling relegation under Paulo Fonseca in the upcoming Premier League season, warns former player Paul Stewart.

Chairman Daniel Levy has turned to the former AS Roma boss after missing out on a host of other targets, though the club’s manager situation is unlikely to be the only thing that has given him a headache recently.

Harry Kane’s future at Tottenham also remains in doubt, adding to this chaotic period for the north London outfit.

All in all, Stewart is worried about what lies ahead for his former side. He told TT in an exclusive interview:

“They could find themselves maybe even battling relegation if they don’t watch or mind how they go about it because it’s not an easy league. Every week you come up against a team that’s going to give everything.

“Spurs could find themselves in a dog-fight.”

Indeed, the 2020/21 campaign could end up being a very challenging one for Tottenham and their new manager.

However, if Spurs are able to keep hold of Kane, they should be able to avoid a complete catastrophe and at least challenge for something, be it a Champions League place or the League Cup again.

When you have a forward who can create and score goals like the England captain, as Tottenham have shown in recent years, you’re likely to at least be in the conversation.

MatériaMais Notícias

O início de temporada do atacante Paolo Guerrero está sendo muito bom com a camisa do Flamengo, com cinco gols em cinco partidas disputadas em 2017. O camisa 9 acredita estar vivendo o melhor momento com a camisa do rubro-negro e afirma que elenco está mais forte em relação ao do ano passado, para brigar por títulos.

– Acho que sim (melhor momento no Flamengo), desde que cheguei. Em 2015 o time não estava indo tão bem. Depois da Copa América conseguimos remontar e melhorar. Cheguei com muita força e o ano passado foi difícil para nós. Muitas viagens, jogar pelas seleção, mas conseguimos fazer um campeonato que não foi ruim, foi bom. Podíamos ter saído como campeões e esse ano estamos mais entrosados. Chegaram mais reforços, está dando certo e nos conhecemos muito bem. Nesta temporada conseguimos elevar o nível e manter um padrão de jogo.

Segundo o camisa 9, boa fase e gols marcados dão mais tranquilidade para todos trabalharem diariamente no Ninho do Urubu.

– As coisas estão dando certo, eu estou fazendo os gols. Da para descansar bem e se preparar bem, pois temos mais motivação e confiança. Temos um padrão de jogo, gostamos de sair vitoriosos do campo. Isso tudo é melhor para treinar.

Atacante peruano revelou que conversa com Zé Ricardo foi fundamental para melhorar seu rendimento dentro de campo. Guerrero também explicou processo de fortalecimentos dos seus tornozelos.

– Foi um papo bem legal. Ele é honesto e sincero, disse tudo que tinha que dizer, me sentia vontade e confortável..Fiz também um trabalho especial na pré-temporada, pois estava com os tornozelos fracos. O departamento médico me ajudou bastante com todos os dados que colhem.

– Estou me sentindo bem, não só eu, todo o grupo que está correndo mais e se sentindo mais forte. As coisas estão indo como a gente quer – completou.

Para finalizar, o atacante falou sobre a possibilidade de ser poupado nos próximos compromissos do Flamengo, já que a estreia da Libertadores está ficando cada vez mais próxima.

– As vezes é importante poupar jogadores, pois o campeonato é duro e longo. Vai depender da programação e dados que eles (profissionais do departamento médico) têm nos exames. Então vamos ver, o que vão programar para ver quem vai jogar.

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Southampton fans are far from happy after it was revealed Josh Sims has been placed on the club’s released list following the end of the 2020/21 Premier League season.

The Saints experienced a mixed season last time out. While they started the campaign well and even reached the F.A Cup semi-finals, they produced a lacklustre display against Leicester City at Wembley, and they could only end up 15th in the table after going on a poor run of form. As such, there is likely to be a shake-up at the club this summer.

That will include several outgoings. As confirmed on the Premier League website, 11 players will depart the club on a free transfer, one of which is 24-year-old Sims. There had been high hopes for the midfielder, but he ended up making just 27 appearances for the club before departing (Transfermarkt).

However, it seems his departure has upset a number of the club’s supporters. The news was shared on Southampton’s official Twitter account, and the fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Sims news below

“Shame to see Sims go, always looked dangerous when he played”

Credit: @IngsIsKing

“Gutted about @simsjosh12”

Credit: @SFC_Debs

“crazy to let Josh Sims go, good little player on his day”

Credit: @HarryGeddess

“Always rated Josh Sims and Jake Hesketh, shame to see them go”

Credit: @BraddersKitch19

“Dropped the ball with Sims! Anyone that picks him up has an absolute steal”

Credit: @Jack_Gladman

“Sims is a mistake IMHO, Jake also had something about him.”

Credit: @pstewartgallery

In other news, Southampton are interested in this midfielder compared to Steven Gerrard.

New Zealand achieved a commendable victory over Pakistan in the 3rd and final Test of the National Bank Series, which finished at Hamilton on Friday

Col (Retd) Rafi Nasim30-Mar-2001New Zealand achieved a commendable victory over Pakistan in the 3rd and final Test of the National Bank Series, which finished at Hamilton on Friday. The two teams will remember the encounter for all times to come, the Black Caps for a glorious victory and some of the records they achieved and Pakistan for a concentrated dose of humiliation they suffered during an unexpectedly short span of time. Pakistan’s unpredictable batting line crumbled twice in the game that ended well before closing time on the 4th day. Taking out the time consumed by rain, the actual play did not extend more than two and a half days, something unusual for a test match, especially one producing a result on the 4th day!New Zealand squared up the series with a glorious victory over Pakistan by an innings and 185 runs. It was their highest winning margin of victory achieved in a test, the previous being an innings and 132 runs against England in1983-84. With a thrilling and highly stimulating performance, they very gracefully took sweet revenge for a similar defeat they suffered in the 1st Test at Auckland, with the difference, the game there lasted the full length. With the One-day series already clinched and the Test series drawn, the Black Caps emerged as the proud winners. It was a result that Pakistan could not have imagined.This was perhaps the encounter that `cricket’ chose to prove its glorious uncertainties. Pakistan’s batting line up blended with youth and experience flopped in the first innings on a pitch that had no demons in it. It had a little extra pace and bounce that all cricketers playing at international level are expected to negotiate. Getting out for a meagre 104 runs was enough to indicate a disaster in the offing.This was followed by the second failure, the ineffectiveness of Pakistan’s much heralded bowling that virtually made no impact on the New Zealand batsmen. What magic? The pitch that helped New Zealand bowlers to destroy Pakistan seemed to lose its grit and energy and provide similar support to the Pakistani’s. Was this perhaps the reason the curator was showered with all the praise at the end of the match?Believing in this theory would be mere fantasy! It was in fact the stark inability of the Pakistani bowlers to penetrate through the Black Caps batting. There was a general belief that a rain-affected track helps the bowlers. Surprisingly the rain fell amidst New Zealand’s batting and against all expectations the surface invigorated the batsmen rather than lending any support to the bowlers.With a remarkable flourish the Black Caps carried their innings to 407 for 4 with the two openers, Matthew Bell (105) and Mark Richardson (106) scoring centuries plus Craig McMillan missing a well deserved ton when he was smartly caught by Waqar Younis off Fazl-e-Akbar for a scintillating 98 scored in 97 balls. In the process he had, however, created a world record by clinching 26 runs, 5 fours and a six in one over bowled by Younis Khan.Pakistan faced a deficit of 303 runs with more than a day and a half at their disposal, not to win but to save themselves from an innings defeat. Considering their performance in the 1st innings and some sort of a psychological dilemma that the team was in, it was an arduous task, beyond their power to accomplish. They started the innings carelessly and ended it as such. With a visible lack of fighting spirit, the batsmen threw away their wickets.As indicated in my previous article, the players showed complete inability to face the moving ball. Except for Inzamam (20) who was out on a sensational catch taken by Daryl Tuffey at square leg and a couple of others, seven Pakistani batsmen offered catches to the wicket keeper or fielders in the slips and gully. This is a serious flaw in Pakistan’s batting which needs immediate attention by the coach and Board.Pakistan was all out for 118 runs in the 2nd innings providing New Zealand a well deserved and glorious victory by an innings and 185 runs. Rookie wicket keeper Humayun Farhat was the highest scorer with 26 runs. Even stalwarts like Ijaz Ahmed, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Yousuf Youhana failed to prove their mettle just when it was required most.Though Pakistan failed to put up the required amount of resistance, the Black Caps deserve all the credit for such a remarkable victory. Franklin 4 for 26 and Tuffey 3 for 36 gave a quality exhibition of pace bowling. Their enthusiasm and the spirit to fight were remarkable. Let us hope that Pakistan learns from the defeat. The players’ attitude to the game and some serious management problems need a serious thought.

Federico Fernandez’s Newcastle United future remains uncertain, but Chris Waugh has confirmed that the defender is ‘someone they want to keep’.

The latest

The 32-year-old’s name featured on Newcastle’s retained list with the word ‘offer’ beside his name, with his current deal is due to expire at the end of the month.

Fernandez made 24 Premier League appearances for Steve Bruce’s side last season and Newcastle appear to be moving to bolster their centre-back ranks in the transfer market, with a £6m deal for Kristoffer Ajer in the works.

It has also been reported that a loan move for Arsenal’s William Saliba, a player they have monitored for 18 months, could be on the cards.

The lowdown

Waugh, the club’s correspondent for The Athletic, said Newcastle are working to keep Fernandez, who joined from Swansea City in 2018, at St James’ Park.

However, he added that the future of striker Andy Carroll, who is also out of contract, is ‘less certain’. Newcastle have until 23 June to finalise their released lists ahead of the new season.

The verdict

It may be a slight surprise to see Newcastle endeavour to keep him when more youthful additions at centre-back are seemingly being lined up.

Perhaps the club are trying to guard against the kind of injury crisis they suffered in February, when Fernandez, Ciaran Clark and Jamaal Lascelles were all missing, and Isaac Hayden had to fill in at centre-half for the game against Southampton.

On top of that, Fernandez is an experienced and dependable performer with 192 Premier League appearances to his name, so Steve Bruce will likely view him as an important asset to the squad.

In other news, Mark Douglas has offered the latest on the future of two youngsters.

Leeds United could be set for an exciting transfer window this summer as news emerges from Thorp Arch about the club’s plans.

What’s the story?

With the Premier League season now in its closing stages, all eyes will now slowly be turning towards the start of the transfer window, and Marcelo Bielsa will no doubt be very keen to get the ball rolling with new signings as soon as possible.

According to Football Insider, a Leeds source has revealed “that the club are finalising a shortlist of forward targets capable of slotting into the first team next season”.

The report added that “the profile Marcelo Bielsa is looking for is a versatile forward in the 18-23 age bracket who can play out wide and down the middle, is quick and has an eye for goal.”

Bielsa will be buzzing

Make no mistake about it, the news that Victor Orta and co are in the process of “finalising” a shortlist of striker targets should be music to the ears of Bielsa, who has had to heavily rely upon Patrick Bamford for the bulk of Leeds’ goals this season.

The burden on the English striker has been immense, and he has started every single one of the Whites’ Premier League games – the toll that takes on a player both physically and mentally is huge and must be exhausting.

While he has handled that pressure pretty well – he’s bagged 15 goals in the league alone – there’s no questioning that he could do with someone to just lighten the load.

It’s exactly why bringing in a new, younger and quicker striker who can provide Bamford with much-needed competition and be rotated with him is necessary for the club to go forward.

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Given how the likes of the 24-year-old Raphinha has settled in at Elland Road (he was 23 when he first signed for the club last summer), news that the club are once again targeting that age range is exciting.

This latest transfer update will surely have Bielsa buzzing.

Meanwhile, Leeds could sign Bielsa’s new pet project in this star…