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Millwall will not make a move to re-sign loanee centre-forward Kenneth Zohore this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to the Lions boss Gary Rowett, who claimed in a recent interview with News at Den that the West Bromwich Albion striker is unlikely to be a target for Millwall in the upcoming transfer window as a result of the 27-year-old’s poor record of injuries.

The 47-year-old manager said: “I think just Ken’s fitness, really, and injuries would make it difficult to pursue that any further. It’s probably unlikely that we would go back in for Ken.”

Fans will be buzzing

While Zohore was a player who arrived at The Den last October with plenty of promise, with Neil Warnock claiming that the striker is a “manager’s dream” to work with, as well as having scored 26 goals and provided 10 assists over his 94 appearances in the Championship prior to linking up with Rowett’s side, the £2.25m-rated man ultimately failed to live up to expectations during his time in Bermondsey.

Over his 17 league appearances for the club, only 10 of which came as starts, the 27-year-old scored just two goals, registered no assists and created no big chances, in addition to missing three big chances set up by his teammates.

The former Cardiff City man also managed an average of mere 0.4 shots on target per game in the Championship, as well as making an average of just 0.5 key passes in each of his appearances.

These metrics saw the Zohore earn a disappointing seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.65, ranking him as Millwall’s seventh-worst performer in the second tier.

As such, while his returns were undeniably affected by spending two long spells on the sidelines due to injury, with the centre-forward missing games from October 28 to January 2 and then again February 13 to April 2, the news that Rowett is not planning on bringing the West Brom man back to the club this summer is likely to leave Millwall fans buzzing – as his £16,500-per-week wages could easily be spent on a more reliable option – both in terms of fitness and goalscoring – in the upcoming transfer window.

In other news: Rowett must urge Millwall swoop for £293k-rated 7-assist dynamo who’s a “great talent” – opinion

Everton are said to be lining up FC Porto manager Sergio Conceicao as their next boss after Carlo Ancelotti’s decision to join Real Madrid.

What’s the story?

Ancelotti’s surprise return to the Santiago Bernabeu has left the Toffees with a real dilemma, and it appears they have cast the net far and wide to appoint their next manager.

And, according to Football Insider, the Merseyside club have got their eye on Conceicao, with the 44-year-old still having yet put pen to paper on a new contract at Porto.

The report claims that the stand-off between the two sides has opened the door for him to move to Goodison Park, and that Everton are “keeping tabs” on his situation.

Would fire up Goodison Park

While Sky Sports have revealed the Toffees are set to undergo talks with former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo, it’s his fellow Portuguese manager Conceicao who Farhad Moshiri and co should really be looking at.

Speaking to Goal, journalist Lidia Paralta Gomes, said of Conceicao: “They see him as a homegrown guy with the authentic Porto mentality – very passionate, very intense, very proud. There are claims that he is all about attitude and not sophisticated enough, but those are minority”.

That dedication and willingness to win is reflected in comments made by Real Madrid legend Iker Casillas, who played under Conceicao at Porto.

The Spaniard said: “Behind every serious and disciplined coach there is also a great person. During the three years with Conceicao I came to know a man who demands the maximum. He always wants to win and transmits this will to his players”.

Conceicao meanwhile himself admitted: “I am never 100 per cent happy. There is a dark side inside me, and it will never leave”.

Another key thing the 44-year-old will bring to the table is his ability to manage a squad of players, and his style should see him become a really popular figure at the club.

In a piece about his tactical philosophy, Football BH wrote: “Conceição garnered respect quickly. He introduced a fine blend of spirited charisma and tacit discipline to not only get the dressing room on-side but the despondent fans as well.

“Conceição has one intangible attribute all top modern managers possess. He is able to bleed an extra 5% out of every player in his squad, imploring them to pull in the same direction and pull hard.

“The authority doesn’t come from shouting the loudest or micro-managing every detail. It has grown from his honesty with the press, his public team-talks in front of the fans and jogging 24-miles home after losing a bet with his players.”

That ability to get his players leave everything on the line for him shows the remarkable man-management skills that Conceicao possesses, and that intensity and passion that people have raved about, should endear him to the Goodison Park faithful.

Toffees fans only have to look across to the red half of Merseyside to see the kind of impact a charismatic manager can have on an entire club. Conceicao appears to be built from that same never-say-die mould and would be a perfect fit for Everton.

If Moshiri wants to really kick-start things at Goodison, then he should turn to Conceicao instead of Nuno.

And in other news, Everton could find new Pienaar by signing this star player…

Everton are diving through their list of potential managers following the swift departure of Carlo Ancelotti back to Real Madrid and Forza Italian Football editor in chief Conor Clancy has backed Paulo Fonseca to do well at Goodison Park if given the chance.

The Toffees will need to get this appointment spot on as they have spent far too much money over the last few years to be languishing in mid-table, and Fonseca has been tipped as a contender to take up the hot seat at Everton by The Athletic.

Fonseca was the man who guided Roma to the Europa League semi-final which they ultimately lost against Manchester United because of their defensive frailties, however they showed glimpses of real quality especially on the counter-attack and from set-pieces.

Everton have hired and sacked their fair share of managers recently with the likes of Marco Silva, Ronald Koeman and Sam Allardyce the most recent examples, but Clancy has backed Fonseca to be the man to get it right at Everton, as he told Football FanCast exclusively:

“He got Roma to the semi-final of the Europa League which they shouldn’t have been anywhere near, and I know they got hammered in the end by Man United but that was just a 15-minute collapse.

“I quite like Fonseca and I do think that level of job just below the very top tier is one that he would do really well at and I think if he got the Everton job then I’d back him to do a very decent bit of work there.”

Everton started the season brightly, however, once their form fell off a cliff in 2021 their hopes of a European spot were dashed and considering they lost to the likes of Sheffield United and Newcastle United at home, fans must have expected that outcome.

The Toffees may struggle to keep some of their top players such as James Rodriguez and Richarlison now that Ancelotti’s has left as he appeared to be the glue keeping them all together after several poor seasons at Everton.

Dejphon Chansiri is heading for a disaster with Sheffield Wednesday centre-back Julian Borner.

What’s the talk?

According to German publication Bild, Sheffield Wednesday defender Julian Borner is closing in on a move to 2. Bundesliga side Hannover this week. Borner has agreed a contract with Hannover and will now complete a medical before officially completing his transfer back to Germany.

The report claims that Hannover are not paying a transfer fee to Sheffield Wednesday for the centre-back. Despite Borner having one year left to run on his contract at Hillsborough, Chansiri has decided to send him to Hannover with no money in return, simply to get him off the books.

Back in 2019, former Sheffield Wednesday boss Garry Monk heaped praise on Borner and labelled him as a “fighter”. He told the Yorkshire Post:

“Overall, he has consistently performed well, and I am sure there will be more to come from him. How he has handled that transition has been really impressive.

“He is a good guy around the group, all the players and staff like him.

“He’s very respectful, but determined, a fighter and that’s his mentality. He likes the aggressive side of it and he looks at it as a challenge over here, the physical side of the league.

Disaster for Chansiri

Chansiri is heading for a disaster with this move. Not only is Darren Moore set to lose one of his key players ahead of the upcoming League One season, but he is also not getting any funds in return to help bolster the squad in an attempt to replace Borner. Sheffield Wednesday’s issues with wages this year have been well-documented and, from that perspective, you can understand why the club have decided to let Borner go, as it allows them to get his wages off the books heading into the 2021/22 campaign.

However, Borner still had a year left on his contract at the club and Sheffield Wednesday could have used the interest from Germany to bring in a transfer fee. Even if they did not get a fee to sign a replacement, they could have used the funds to alleviate some of the financial issues they are currently facing as a club. This is why this deal is a disaster for Chansiri, as he has missed out on a potential opportunity to bring a chunk of change through the door by getting a fee for Borner.

The £12k-per-week beast’s performances in the Championship over the past two seasons warrant a transfer fee for his exit. Despite relegation from the second tier, Borner averaged a solid WhoScored rating of 6.82 in 25 starts at centre-back for Wednesday, after managing a score of 6.92 in 37 games during the 2019/20 season. This shows that he is a good Championship performer and he surely could have attracted enough interest from clubs to justify a transfer fee being paid for his services.

To let him go for free looks like awful business and Wednesday fans will have every right to be angry about it.

AND in other news, Chansiri set for SWFC disaster over “immense” £270k-rated beast, Moore will be gutted…

Former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez could be in line for a new job just across the park from Anfield, according to The Telegraph, prompting loads of Reds fans to respond on Twitter.

Looking for a manager since the departure of Carlo Ancelotti to Spanish giants Real Madrid, Everton are hoping to install a new manager ahead of 2021/22 with owner Farhad Moshiri keen to speak to Benitez alongside other candidates [The Sun].

Of course, the Spaniard is regarded as something of a hero amongst the Anfield faithful. Over the course of his six years in Merseyside, he won a UEFA Champions League, FA Cup, Community Shield and UEFA Super Cup [Transfermarkt].

Fresh from a two-year spell in China with Dalian Pro, he is said to be eager for a return to Premier League management [The Telegraph].

Citing the opening at their city rivals, alongside the 61-year-old’s free agent status, loads of Liverpool fans took to Twitter to voice their opinion over these latest developments.

Liverpool fans react:

Here is how some of the Liverpool fans summarised their feelings after hearing the news surrounding Benitez:

“Pain. Immense pain.”

Credit: @rajsinghchohan

“Not sure I believe it / don’t want to believe it.”

Credit: @BelloLfc1801

“He loses his liverpool legacy it he takes the everton Job”

Credit: @LFCSlimbo

“He won’t downgrade from being jobless”

Credit: @joexlfc

“Surely neither Liverpool or Everton fans want this to happen lol”

Credit: @LfcHaugen

“Abit like the Gerrard links, a load of nonsense”
Credit: @randomgrubber

In other news, Liverpool fans rage at a big Marko Grujic update.

Ange Postecoglou has already set out his priorities as the new manager of Celtic.

That’s if you believe the various news outlets that have linked the Hoops to several new goalkeepers in the last few days.

What’s the word?

The Bhoys are believed to be keen on reuniting Brighton and Australia stopper Mat Ryan with Postecoglou this summer but there are other ‘keepers on their radar.

They could revive their chase for Robin Olsen while Benjamin Siegrist is a topic of conversation again.

Celtic have been tracking the Swiss over the course of the season with a move initially thought to be a possibility last winter.

A move didn’t materialise but the Hoops may well take part in a bidding war for the Dundee United man this summer.

That’s the word of journalist Alan Nixon who took to Twitter to say the following: “Ipswich want him but Dundee United will try for an auction … and Celtic may take part.”

Exciting news

Siegrist might not have the international or Premier League pedigree of Ryan but this is still incredibly exciting news for supporters.

The 6 foot 4 colossus is proven in the Premiership and would arrive at a time where Celtic are desperate to sign a new goalkeeper.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-celtic-transfer-news-posetcoglou-ryan-delap-wyke” title= “Read the latest Celtic transfer news!”]

Vasilis Barkas signed for a fee of £4.5m last summer but was particularly error-prone, eventually being ousted in favour of Scott Bain.

The Greek only started two games after the January period but Bain hardly covered himself in glory throughout the season either. He made a succession of errors against Sparta Prague in the Europa League and didn’t offer much authority.

Siegrist is the polar opposite and is one of the most commanding goalkeepers in the Scottish game.

Celtic supporters saw this firsthand when his dominating performance led to a 0-0 draw with the Hoops that ensured Rangers wrapped up the title early.

As Dundee United earned a surprise point at Tannadice, Siegrist was in remarkable form as he made a sensational 12 saves.

He repeatedly denied Odsonne Edouard on what was a terrible day at the office for the Frenchman.

For a man who “trains like a monster” in the words of Micky Mellon, he’d be a first-class addition to Postecoglou’s ranks.

Supporters should be excited at the potential of seeing a new man between the sticks after their wretched campaign from a defensive point of view.

AND in other news, McKay must complete Celtic move for 42-cap beast who dubbed Postecoglou “intimidating”…

West Ham have been urged to sign James Tarkowski this summer amid recent reports…

What’s the word?

According to former Premier League striker Kevin Campbell, the Burnley centre-back’s future is “probably set in stone” and also claimed that he “would be a stabilising force back there for West Ham.”

It comes less than a week after the Irons were initially linked with reigniting their interest in the 28-year-old, who is said to be “very keen” on joining the London Stadium set up this off-season, as per Football Insider.

Hammers boss David Moyes had a £30m bid knocked back for Tarkowski last summer but with the two-time England international out of contract in 2022, the East London side are expected to return for the former Brentford star.

Get it done

Whilst the addition of a new striker should be their top priority, the West Ham hierarchy mustn’t turn their nose up at the chance to bolster multiple positions this window.

It has also been reported that Moyes wants a top-level centre-back before next season, one that he can build the defence around, via Football Insider.

Tarkowski absolutely fits the bill as a vastly experienced and consistent performer in the big time. Valued at just £22.5m by Transfermarkt, the 6 foot 1 colossus has made over 150 appearances in the Premier League since joining the Clarets in February 2016.

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This season, he displayed his solid attributes once again, rating out as Sean Dyche’s highest-rated player (7.02) with 25 or more starts, as per WhoScored ratings. That eclipses all of the Hammers’ current central defensive options, with Angelo Ogbonna sitting top on 6.73.

The Burnley beast is also clear for aerials won (4.6) and tackles (1.8) per game during the 2020/21 campaign, only further suggesting that his ability at the back is better than what Moyes has at his disposal and provides further reasoning to why he might be the very man to build around.

He has kept a fair few elite strikers quiet this campaign too, ranging from Arsenal duo Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Liverpool’s Sadio Mane, Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino.

Described as “exceptional” and as a “big presence” by his former peers in an interview with The Athletic, Tarkowski has been lauded for his ability in both boxes. “He made us better in both boxes because of his desire to attack the ball,” claimed ex-Bees boss Mark Warburton.

There won’t be many better candidates out there this summer. The 28-year-old is a proven Premier League talent that has picked up caps on the international stage.

Whatever the price, GSB must sanction a move for him this summer.

AND in other news, ExWHUemployee drops encouraging transfer update…

Dean Windass believes that Harrison Reed has the right attributes to become a Leeds player.

The midfielder has just been relegated by Fulham but was one of their few outstanding performers last season and will no doubt want to continue playing in the top-flight.

According to the Daily Mail, Marcelo Bielsa has been impressed with the 26-year-old, and is interested in signing him this summer as Leeds look to build on their ninth-place finish.

Reed, described as ‘tireless’ and a ‘terrier’ by The Times, came through the ranks at Southampton but was never given a fair first-team crack at St Mary’s and spent time on loan with Norwich, Blackburn, and Fulham before joining the latter permanently 12 months ago.

He appeared 31 times in the Premier League for Fulham last season, missing all but two of those through injury, chipping in with two assists as the Londoners continued their unwanted pattern of being either relegated or promoted in each of the last four seasons.

Asked whether he’d be a good fit for Leeds, Windass exclusively told The Transfer Tavern:

“You can see that, he’s young as well. I think he’s an athlete and that’s what you’ve got to be when you play for Leeds.

“Reed is a good player, from Fulham, who’ve been relegated, and every player wants to play in the Premier League, so that would be a good fit.”

Leeds United are interested in signing Barcelona defender Junior Firpo this summer as their search for a new left-back continues.

The Lowdown: Leeds look for new left-back

Marcelo Bielsa will be eyeing up reinforcements throughout his squad in the summer transfer window, but left-back could be a priority position for the manager.

With Ezgjan Alioski’s future very much up in the air, additions in that area could be essential as Leeds look to continue their current rise.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359346″]

The Latest: Whites interested in signing Firpo

According to The Yorkshire Evening Post’s Graham Smyth, the Whites are keen on bringing Firpo to the club, with the Spaniard being described as a ‘strong candidate’ at left-back. A number of other clubs are also interested in signing the 24-year-old, though, with Napoli mentioned in the report.

Firpo made just seven appearances for Barca in La Liga last season, struggling to oust first-choice left-back Jordi Alba from the starting lineup (Transfermarkt).

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The Verdict: Exciting left-back option

Firpo seems to be an ideal option for Leeds, given his age and style of play, with his peak years not likely to arrive for a while.

The Spaniard enjoyed an 89.7& pass completion rate in the league last season, which suggest that he could thrive in Bielsa’s possession-based system. Admittedly he wasn’t always tested defensively at Barca – he only averaged 0.1 tackles per game – but his tally of 1.8 for Real Betis in 2018/19 suggests he can thrive in that area when required.

Leeds could do a lot worse than considering a move for Firpo, who may want a move to a club where he might enjoy more regular game-time.

In other news, a pundit has claimed one Leeds player could be sold this summer. Find out who it is here.

Liverpool are showing an interest in Sampdoria and Denmark star Mikkel Damsgaard, according to a report from Spanish newspaper La Razon. 

FC Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham are also named as potential suitors for the Euro 2020 sensation.

Damsgaard shining for Denmark at the Euros

Damsgaard scored a sublime goal in Denmark’s final group game against Russia to set them on their way to the knockout rounds.

And he then set-up Kasper Dolberg for the opening goal as they thrashed Wales 4-0 in the Round of 16.

He’ll hope to shine again on Saturday evening when Denmark meet the Czech Republic for a place in the last four.

The 21-year-old scored two goals and provided four assists in 18 starts over the course of his first season with Sampdoria.

An ‘auction’ for his signature is tipped to begin after the Euros.

Damsgaard, who has three years left on his contract, is valued at £11.7million by Transfermarkt.

Fan feed LFC Transfer Room relayed the report, and here’s what supporters made of it.

Liverpool fans excited by Mikkel Damsgaard links

“I beg”

Credit: @mxddylfc

“If it’s true, THIS IS THE KIND OF PLAYER I’D LIKE”

Credit: @parthivp_

“Yess that would be a good buy”

Credit: @GreenStreet55

“He’s class”

Credit: @dominion1017

“I’m all over this. Looked quality this tournament.”

Credit: @KevNGxx

“Would love this”

Credit: @charlie_griff90

In other news, a possible striker target has emerged for Liverpool.