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Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former West Brom midfielder Carlton Palmer believes Lincoln City manager Michael Appleton would have been a good fit for his old side.

Ex-Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder was thought to be the frontrunner to replace Sam Allardyce in the Hawthorns dugout. However, according to Football Insider, West Brom have ended their interest in the 53-year-old and have since considered Appleton – though it looks like he will miss out to David Wagner.

While the 2020/21 season ended in disappointment for Appleton and his Lincoln side, it was a strong campaign overall.

The 45-year-old managed to guide the Imps to the League One play-off final, where they were narrowly beaten by Blackpool, after finishing fifth in the table.

Asked by FFC if he can understand West Brom’s thinking behind considering Appleton, Palmer said:

“Yeah, one hundred percent. I mean, their budget at Lincoln City would have them relegated or certainly in the bottom half of the table, so he worked on a shoestring budget and did fantastically well.

“He’s shown he can work within the restraints and still get success, so that might be a good fit for them.”

Appleton is, of course, a former West Brom player and has also had a very short spell as caretaker manager there, so there is obviously that connection.

All things considered, there is a lot of logic behind West Brom looking at the Lincoln boss.

Reliable journalist Dominic King has provided a fresh update regarding a Liverpool move to sign AS Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, confirming Reds chiefs are eyeing the player. 

The lowdown: Frenzy of speculation

This all comes following a report from Santi Aouna of reputable French otulet Foot Mercato, claiming that the Reds have initiated contact over a possible move for the 22-year-old.

Whilst the Anfield club have been tentatively linked previously, this was the first suggestion of a tangible pursuit as Liverpool seemingly moved into the front of the queue to sign Tchouameni.

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However, things may not be that straightforward just yet, with King sharing who the favourites to lock up a deal actually are…

The latest: King delivers reality check

Taking to Twitter, King, the Northern Football Correspondent for the Daily Mail, had this to say when confirming the Reds’ interest in the formidable Ligue 1 talent.

“Lots of stuff around about Liverpool and Aurelien Tchouameni. No question he is a player they are looking at but other clubs in frame, too, most notably Real Madrid, who are favourites. Liverpool, however, most definitely looking for a midfielder with his qualities.”

Elsewhere, Manchester United have also been extensively indexed with a move for the eight-cap France star who has been dubbed as an ‘octopus’ for his unwavering ability to control the game from midfield.

The verdict: Make it happen

As King rightly alludes to, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and new transfer chief Julian Ward should be in the market for an addition to the engine room during the summer transfer window.

Whilst current frontline incumbents Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago and Naby Keita continue to more than hold their own, all four have faced their battles with fitness in the past and with James Milner out of contract at the end of the season, a fresh face is required.

So far this season the £36million-rated (Transfermarkt) ace has earned an outstanding 7.27 rating from 32 Ligue 1 outings, completing 2.5 tackles, 2.8 interceptions and 51.5 passes on average per game (Sofascore).

In fact, he leads the French top flight in winning possession back, puts up great pressing numbers and even wins over 70 per cent of his aerial duels (MaaxiAngelo). Perhaps, then, it is no surprise to see Paul Pogba label his young compatriot as ‘extraordinary’.

Tchouameni’s ability to operate at the base of the midfield as well as in a box-to-box role would make the French youngster an invaluable addition to the Anfield squad and one the board should be pulling out all the stops to get over the line.

In other news, David Ornstein has confirmed some key Liverpool news. Read more here.

Ralph Hasenhuttl has revealed both Danny Ings and Ryan Bertrand will be missing from their match against Leicester City on Friday.

Hasenhuttl shares double injury blow

The Saints face the Foxes as they look to pull further away from the relegation zone.

Speaking to the press ahead of the game, Hasenhuttl provided a damaging injury update. He said (via Hampshire Live):

“Danny Ings and Ryan Bertrand are out, they are not training at the moment.

“Ingsy’s injury is not as bad as it looked at first but he will still miss some games, we hope he will come back for the last games.

“We need every player with five games in a few weeks at the end of the season.”

Uphill battle

Even with a fully fit squad, this would have been an uphill battle for the Saints. Leicester are currently third in the Premier League and are within touching distance of securing their place in the Champions League for next season. The last time these two sides met at St. Mary’s Stadium, Leicester won 9-0, so Hasenhuttl will be fully aware of the threat they possess.

Without Ings and Bertrand, Southampton’s task is even harder. The former has managed 10 goals in 25 league matches so far this term and has bagged 44 in 96 games since joining the club (Transfermarkt). Bertrand, meanwhile, has been a stalwart for the Saints down the years, making over 200 appearances since joining from Chelsea – in his case, Hasenhuttl’s main issue is the lack of natural cover. It remains to be seen whether they can rise to the occasion without two players of such importance.

In other news, Southampton have been dealt with transfer blow.

Serie A expert Conor Clancy believes that Joakim Maehle would cost over £20 million if a Premier League club wanted to sign him this summer.

Maehle currently plays for Atalanta and has been with the club since January, when he joined from Belgian club Genk.

Since then, he has gone on to make 25 appearances for the Italian side, providing two assists from right-back.

The Denmark international also enjoyed an exceptional tournament at Euro 2020, playing in every game as they reached the semi-finals, where they were ultimately beaten by England at Wembley.

Maehle scored twice in the tournament, against Russia and Wales, and laid on an assist against the Czech Republic.

Southampton have been linked with a swoop to bring the full-back, who is also capable of playing on the left side of midfield, to the Premier League.

And Clancy believes they would have to pay over £20m to acquire his signature.

The editor in chief of Forza Italian Football said: “To a Premier League club, anything above 20 million, you never know, but if he were to join another club in Europe, 10 to 15, it’s that Premier League inflation.

“Atalanta only sell if it works for them so he’s not going to be sold for 15 million because there’s no reason for Atalanta to do that six months after signing him.”

A promising update has emerged on Newcastle’s pursuit of Axel Tuanzebe…

What’s the talk?

According to Football Insider, the Magpies are currently leading the race to land the Manchester United centre-back on a season-long loan. Steve Bruce is said to have assured the Red Devils that the 23-year-old will be a regular starter, which could give them the edge ahead of Aston Villa.

The report claims that Villa remain interested in signing the defender and Dean Smith’s side will have no issues with paying Manchester United’s loan fee demands, which is described as ‘multi-million’.

Fans must be buzzing

Newcastle fans must be buzzing if the club can get a deal over the line for the defender, whilst paying a reasonable loan fee for his services. Bruce’s talks with Manchester United have seemingly reassured them that the centre-back will get regular game-time and that could tempt the Red Devils to lower the loan fee in order to reward the Magpies for giving him experience.

The EDP have reported that Norwich have agreed a deal with Chelsea which will see the loan fee for Billy Gilmour decrease based on how many games he plays for the Canaries in the Premier League. Newcastle could look to agree a similar structure with Manchester United, thus making the move for Tuanzebe more attractive for both parties.

If Newcastle can iron out such a deal, it would be ideal from the financial and football aspects, and Magpies supporters will surely be delighted to see the club bring in a talented young defender who could provide serious competition at centre-back.

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer lavished praise on Tuanzebe after an impressive display against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last year, calling him a tremendous defender.

The Norwegian said: “Axel’s a tremendous defender, a great leader. He’s come through the academy and we’ve known for years that he’s going to be a top player for us and he’s got the character and the attitude that a Man United player should have.

Solskjaer added: “Sometimes you’ll get in a foot race with Mbappe and you have to run with him and we know Axel’s qualities, he’s a top defender.”

This suggests that Tuanzebe has the quality to make an impact at Champions League level, so he could stand out if given the chance to play week in, week out in the Premier League. However, it is hard to make definitive statements on his ability as he has not had a wealth of experience in the top flight, starting just six Premier League games in the last two seasons.

The fact he has been able to put in a superb performance against Kylian Mbappe in the Champions League is exciting, though, and the Toon Army will surely be looking forward to seeing what he can do for Newcastle should they get this one over the line.

AND in other news, Ashley must splash the cash on £49k-p/w “phenomenon”, Bruce needs him at Newcastle…

Dean Windass has exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that Josh Windass wants to stay at Sheffield Wednesday despite their relegation to League One.

The 27-year-old still has more than 12 months remaining on his Hillsborough contract, but has been linked with several Championship clubs since the Owls officially dropped into the third tier earlier this month.

Windass’ nine goals and six assists in 41 league appearances weren’t enough to save Wednesday from going down but have caught the eye of West Brom and Fulham following their own relegation.

The attacker has only ever played at Championship level since leaving Rangers back in 2018, and his impressive numbers in a struggling Owls side would explain why he’s on the radar of some of the division’s best.

Windass contributed to more than 35 percent of Wednesday’s league goals this term, which means the Hillsborough outfit might consider cashing-in on one of their best players to avoid a situation where he could leave for nothing next summer.

But Windass senior told The Transfer Tavern that his son’s focus remains on Sheffield Wednesday until told otherwise:

“I’ve got no positive information. I know that he’s had a meeting with Darren Moore, and those discussion will stay with Darren, Josh and myself. Darren wants to keep him, and Josh wants to stay.

“Yes, there’s a lot of speculation about a lot of football clubs that are after him, but he was very upbeat and positive about his meeting with Darren.

“There’s speculation these clubs are after him, but he’s chilling out in Portugal and will be back for pre-season training unless he gets told any different.”

West Ham United fans have been reacting to the news that they are interested in signing Julian Alvarez from River Plate this summer.

Last term was a fantastic one for the Hammers, as they finished sixth in the Premier League table and therefore qualified for the Europa League. However, although they will have another competition to deal with next term, they are yet to make a single new signing during this transfer window.

There have been plenty of reported targets, though, and one of them is Alvarez according to ESPN Futbol Argentina. A right-winger, the 21-year-old has enjoyed himself with the Argentinian giants, scoring 16 goals and providing 17 assists in 69 appearances for the club (Transfermarkt), while he has also already made his debut for the South American nation.

The news was shared on Twitter by @WestHam_Central, and it has attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

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

“might as well link us to Mbappe and Haaland at this point, they seem to be the only ones left that we haven’t been linked to”

Credit: @aj_7294

“Ok so never getting him”

Credit: @LouTasi

“Reminds me of “calleri the next messi?””

Credit: @alistairwall200

“Another Sully Special I see….”

Credit: @bmoneyproblemz

“We all know how that went last time”

Credit: @jjscoyi

“Last time we did this it couldn’t have gone worse rly”

Credit: @Jacobcarter111

In other news, West Ham fans want to sign this striker.

With Southampton still searching for their first Premier League win of the season, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side are set to take on Leeds United at the weekend once the international break has ended.

Ahead of the match against Marcelo Bielsa’s side, who are only two points ahead of the Saints in the league table, Southampton could be without one of their regular players for the clash.

What’s the news?

It has recently been reported by the Daily Echo that Adams has been ruled out of Scotland’s World Cup qualifier against the Faroe Islands and is also a doubt for Southampton’s match at the weekend, which surely won’t make Hasenhuttl happy.

Southampton signed Adams back in the 2019 summer transfer window from Championship club Birmingham City on a five-year deal for a reported fee of £15m.

Since then, the 25-year-old, who is currently valued at £18m according to Transfermarkt has made 83 appearances for the Saints across all competitions, managing to score 13 goals and provide ten assists in the process.

Even though Adams has yet to score a goal for the Saints this season across all competitions and has only managed to provide one assist, we still feel Adams will be a big miss for the club if he can’t play against Leeds.

With the striker racking up 1.4 shots per game, the joint-third highest of any Southampton player in the league so far this season alongside James Ward-Prowse, he has still been an attacking threat. Follow that up with his 1.4 key passes per game, the joint-highest also alongside Ward-Prowse, and it demonstrates why his absence would be felt hard by the boss this weekend.

If Adams does end up being unavailable for the match at the weekend, we feel that Hasenhuttl should give Armando Broja a chance to start. He managed to score in midweek for Albania in their World Cup qualifier against Hungary so is in good form.

However, the manager will undoubtedly be hoping that Adams’ injury is not a serious one so he will be available for selection as soon as possible. The Saints need that first win of the season in order to climb away from the relegation zone.

In other news: Ralph must unleash “perfect” £9m-rated Southampton gem, he’s a real game-changer – opinion

An update has emerged on Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette, regarding Newcastle’s interest in his services.

What’s the talk?

According to the Sunday People (24/10, pg 54), via Geordie Boot Boys, the Magpies are interested in a deal to sign the French forward.

The report claims that he could be available as Arsenal have been offering him out to clubs across Europe in hope of finding a buyer.

Imagine him & Wilson

PIF must secure a January deal for Lacazette as they could seal a deadly strike force for the manager they pick to replace Steve Bruce. With Callum Wilson already at the club, bringing the Arsenal forward in could help to create a terrifying front two capable of scoring the goals to fire Newcastle up the table.

Wilson has been in sensational form since joining from Bournemouth last summer. He has scored 16 goals and provided five assists in 28 Premier League starts, which means that he has averaged a goal contribution every 1.33 starts.

Lacazette, meanwhile, scored 51 goals and provided 23 assists in 132 Premier League matches for Arsenal, starting 98 of those matches. This means that he has been directly involved in a goal every 1.32 starts in the top-flight, which is a terrific record for the attacker and shows that he and Wilson could strike fear into opposition defenders in a front two.

When Asked about Lacazette’s future recently, Mikel Arteta hailed his character and refused to rule out an exit in January. He said:

“We discuss that internally, we discuss that with him. It’s a long season ahead of us anything can happen everything is open. He just needs to focus on performing and contributing to the team like he always does.

“He’s a phenomenal character, he’s somebody that’s always pushing and he has a real interest to help the team. That’s not going to change. After we will see what happens.”

This suggests that the dynamo has the right mentality to come in at Newcastle and give the rest of the team a lift, as he wants to help the side overall rather than focus on himself.

Therefore, a partnership with Wilson could be a dream scenario for Newcastle, as both players have sensational records at Premier League level and could work well in a pair, given Lacazette’s unselfishness and willingness to work for the team.

AND in other news, PIF must avoid first NUFC blunder over £20m “mentality monster”, fans would be fuming…

According to a report by Football Insider, Tottenham Hotspur ‘expect’ to seal the signing of Bologna defender Takehiro Tomiyasu ‘this month’ with a ‘total agreement’ for the ‘marquee transfer’ now close.

The Lowdown: Spurs in Tomiyasu talks…

Since the start of the month, Spurs and Fabio Paratici have been negotiating with the Serie A side in a bid to make Tomiyasu their first major signing of the summer.

Sky Sports detailed a first bid from the Lilywhites which was swiftly rejected, with the amount coming to around £12.9m (€15m) plus an extra £2.6m (€3m) in add-ons.

The Athletic then reported that Spurs are ‘closing in’ on the 22-year-old, with Football Insider now providing a fresh update.

The Latest: Spurs expect to seal Tomiyasu ‘this month’

As per the outlet, Spurs expect to seal his signing this month following a breakthrough in talks with Bologna.

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In what they describe as a ‘marquee transfer’ for the Lilywhites, FI explain that a ‘total agreement’ for the versatile ace is now close and all parties involved expected a deal to go through successfully.

Paratici has already agreed the terms of a contract for Tomiyasu as recent talks revolve around the structure of a fee and bonus payments – which is believed to be £15.5m including add-ons.

The Verdict: Brilliant move…

The Japan international is arguably a snip at that price given he can play both right-back and in the centre-half position (WhoScored), potentially solving two glaring problems in the depth of Nuno Espirito Santo’s defence.

Serge Aurier has been heavily touted with a move away this summer after his own exit admission, while Tottenham’s priority of reinforcing their central defensive options is well documented.

Starting 31 Serie A matches for Bologna over 2020/2021, he averaged the joint-most clearances per 90 (3.3) out of their entire squad in that time (WhoScored).

Securing Tomiyasu for the bargain £15.5m would certainly be a solid start to Paratici’s reign.

In other news: ‘Sensational’…Sky pundit in awe of ‘fabulous player’ who Nuno wants to sign for Spurs, find out more here.