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Former Tottenham captain Graham Roberts has exclusively told Football FanCast that Tanguy Ndombele has failed to live up to his price-tag in north London.

The Frenchman joined Spurs in a £63m deal from Lyon in the summer of 2019 but struggled with injuries and form, and was restricted to a bit-part role during his first season.

Ndombele was heavily criticised by Jose Mourinho pre-lockdown, having been hauled off at half-time at Turf Moor.

However, that appeared to be a turning point for the midfielder, who has since become a regular for Tottenham this season, making 43 appearances in all competitions, featuring in all-but four of their Premier League games.

But Ndombele has been an unused substitute in Spurs’ previous two matches under Ryan Mason and came under scrutiny from Glenn Hoddle, who said the 23-year-old slows the game down too much and should be nothing more than a squad player.

Despite Ndombele making major strides at the club this term, Roberts told Football FanCast that he agrees with the ex-Tottenham manager:

“I think he’s a good player, don’t get me wrong. But, for me, if you’re that sort of player, Eriksen scored 10-12 goals a season, Ndombele has scored three goals in two seasons. That isn’t good enough.

“If you paid whatever Tottenham did, they should be getting 10 goals a season from midfield. I agree with Glenn, he tries to do too many tricks. Dele Alli is a far better player.”

Many Everton fans have been left to rage as James Rodriguez has been ruled out of their game away at Aston Villa in the Premier League.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match against Dean Smith’s men, Carlo Ancelotti confirmed that the former Real Madrid star as well as Yerry Mina and Jean-Philippe Gbamin will not be able to play any part.

Rodriguez will be a big miss, given the creative spark and flair that he offers from midfield, as well as his eye for a goal and key pass, with six goals and nine assists in 25 games in total over all competitions so far in the 2020/21 term (Transfermarkt).

With the Goodison Park faithful chasing European qualification, Ancelotti will be hoping that other players like Gylfi Sigurdsson can step up and fill the void left by the Colombia international against AVFC.

Everton fans on Rodriguez injury

These Toffees raged as the injury update on Rodriguez was shared on Twitter, with one Blues supporter even going as far as to claim that the 29-year-old is becoming a ‘massive problem’:

“Something smells a bit off with James. May not see him play for us again.”

Credit: @DixieBlue1878

“What’s James made of rice paper?”

Credit: @Vicaz22

“James Rodriguez has had so many small injuries this season God help us if he got a big injury…get rid of him and Mina 6ft 5 giant who’s always injured as well”

Credit: @phil10112303

“Gonna keep banging the drum, James is becoming a massive problem!”

Credit: @CraigJo02234279

“Mina and Rodriguez are made of glass. I can see why, they struggled at Barca and Real.”

Credit: @senor_azul1878

“Them Colombians are made of twiglets.”

Credit: @__JJK__

In other news, find out what update on one key figure has got EFC fans talking here!

Leicester City have enquired about the availability of Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita ahead of the upcoming transfer window, according to reports.

What’s the talk?

Journalist Sega Diallo has revealed on Twitter that Brendan Rodgers’ side are interested in ending Keita’s three-year nightmare spell at Anfield, with the Reds open to his sale.

The 26-year-old has endured a torrid time since arriving on English shores back in 2018, suffering multiple injuries that have restricted the Guinea international to just 32 Premier League starts for his current club.

Keita hasn’t been seen on domestic duties since March 15th and has failed to make any of Jurgen Klopp’s last three matchday squads, despite there being no news of a fresh fitness concern.

His absence from Liverpool’s first-team set-up has only fuelled talk of an imminent exit, and the Foxes are reportedly one of several sides offering the former RB Leipzig man a way out of Merseyside.

Leicester must swoop

Leicester could complete one of the most impressive seasons in the club’s history if they secure a Champions League qualification spot following their maiden FA Cup triumph over the weekend.

A place in Europe’s elite cup competition would elevate the Midlands outfit exponentially on and off the field and could attract some of the continent’s top talent to the King Power Stadium, as well as convince those that are already there that their future lies with Leicester.

If Rodgers wants to compete on two fronts next season and maintain his side’s impressive Premier League form, then further strength in depth is going to be required.

Although Keita hasn’t kicked on as he would’ve hoped at Liverpool, he’s undoubtedly a top talent on his day, and Virgil van Dijk’s glowing assessment of the hard-working midfielder showcases the potential that he possesses.

“I think he is world-class; if I’m absolutely honest. I see all the moments when he has the ball, the smart moves, the smart intelligence. It’s just incredible to see, and I’m very happy for him,” revealed the Dutch defender to Liverpoolfc.com back in 2020.

Therefore, a move for the £120,000-per-week workhorse would make perfect sense for Leicester. Keita could play alongside Tielemans, or allow the Belgium international to be rested for certain games and also ease the creative burden on James Maddison.

It’s a move that could be perfect for both parties, and the Foxes must sanction an audacious swoop for Liverpool’s unwanted man.

And, in other news…Leicester handed a huge pre-Chelsea injury blow, Rodgers will be gutted – opinion

A number of Liverpool fans have been bemoaning an update regarding Nathaniel Phillips, with the club reportedly willing to listen to offers for him.

Jurgen Klopp’s men are enjoying a richly-deserved breather after a taxing season, following their impressive third-place finish in the Premier League.

At the start of the campaign, finishing in that position would have been considered a failure, but given the obstacles they had to hurdle, it was a great effort.

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One player who had a season to remember was Phillips, who was thrown into Liverpool’s defence in the absence of Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip.

The 24-year-old performed admirably, despite his limitations, making 15 league starts and playing a big role in the Reds securing Champions League football.

According to ESPN, however, Liverpool are open to the idea of Phillips leaving this summer, with Klopp potentially not seeing him as a key part of his squad moving forward.

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Liverpool fans dislike Phillips update

These Liverpool fans took to Twitter to provide their negative thoughts on the news, after it was shared by @AnfieldWatch.

“Please no”

Credit: @morganfxncom

“It will be crazy if we sell Nat Phillips, he will be a very good defender, why are we not listening to offers for Joel Matip instead?”

Credit: @xnix12

“Shut up”

Credit: @mmiliugo

“Come on keep Nat and get rid of Matip, he’s too injury prone”

Credit: @Cody3Smith

“Absolute disgrace after what they’ve done for the team”

Credit: @dan63571876

“If we let Phillips go I’ll never forgive them”

Credit: @MSWallace27

In other news, some Liverpool fans are unhappy about one player reportedly being offered a new deal. Find out who it is here.

Kieran Maguire has dropped a big claim on Newcastle United’s anti-competition takeover case against the Premier League.

The Lowdown: Ashley launches case

Mike Ashley has launched an anti-competition lawsuit against the top flight with regards to their decision-making process in the failed takeover of the club from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group.

The chief executive of Sports Direct has since appointed Daniel Jowell as his QC for the case, which is separate from the arbitration case due to take place between the two parties involved.

The Latest: Maguire favours Ashley

Speaking to Football Insider, Maguire – who is an expert in the field of football finance – has claimed that Ashley could be the biggest potential winner in the long run as the case is launched, while also claiming that the Premier League being granted an extension to respond to it is a ‘filibuster’:

“The biggest potential winner in this is going to be Mike Ashley rather than Newcastle, in the long-term.

“And he is playing a long-term game. Newcastle fans have had to be patient and this is the kind of prevarication we do associate with our silver-tongued friends in the legal profession.

“We’ve seen it in the form of charges from the EFL against clubs that may or may not have the impact of deferring points deductions, for example. So it is a filibuster, in effect.”

The Verdict: Premier League delaying takeover

The fact that the Premier League have been granted an extension to respond to the case does seem like a delaying tactic in the bigger picture of the potential takeover going through.

They also have an arbitration hearing to face against the St James’ Park club, with the results not guaranteed to go their way.

What is for sure is that the results of both legal battles should paint a much clearer picture over the direction of where the potential takeover is heading, as Newcastle will be hoping that the outcomes are positive from their point of view.

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The uncertainty over whether the potential takeover can be completed is not ideal going into the summer transfer window, as the Magpies do not know what kind of players they will be looking to buy, but the Toon Army will probably not care one bit if it means that the KSA consortium can end Ashley’s tenure.

In other news, find out what big Joe Willock transfer update has been dropped!

A new name has emerged in West Ham’s search for a striker this summer…

What’s the word?

According to Claret and Hugh, Sheffield United marksman Oliver McBurnie could be of interest to David Moyes, but he is thought to be just one of several targets as the 58-year-old looks to bolster his frontline before next season.

The 24-year-old has been linked with Scottish Premiership champions Rangers in recent weeks, with the Daily Mail claiming that he is thought to be valued at around £15m despite the Blades’ relegation to the Championship.

He cost the Yorkshire club a whopping £20m in 2019, becoming the most expensive Scottish footballer in history at the time before Kieran Tierney’s £25m move to Arsenal a few days later.

Hugill 2.0

Whilst it’s no secret that Moyes is desperate to find a new striker in the upcoming window, it’s hard to believe that McBurnie would be the answer after an abysmal campaign both on and off the pitch at Bramall Lane.

In 25 appearances in all competitions, the 17-cap Scotland international found the net just once, but his season was marred by controversy after he was arrested when footage of an altercation surfaced on social media, as per BBC.

Last year, he was warned by the Football Association for his conduct, while two years ago he was fined £28,500 and banned from driving after he was caught drink-driving.

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Moyes has never been one to risk tarnishing the reputation of the club, so these reports are hard to believe, and it’s not like McBurnie’s goal record in the Premier League has been good enough to look past that either.

In some ways, the Hammers could be looking at another Jordan Hugill situation here.

The former Preston man was signed for £10m as Moyes’ second signing at the club in 2018, even though he only bagged 30 goals in 114 appearances in the Championship. His time at the London Stadium was instantly forgettable, playing a grand total of 22 minutes for the club and failing to hit the net.

Similarly, on top of his one Premier League goal all season, McBurnie’s record isn’t outstanding. As per Transfermarkt, the 24-year-old has found the net 75 times in 203 career appearances, a respectable but unspectacular tally.

Former Scotland international and Manchester United midfielder Michael Stewart deemed the Blades striker “simply not good enough” back in November, whilst he also slammed him in an article for The Scottish Sun in which he wrote: “For a £20million striker he can’t run, he can’t hold up the ball, he doesn’t link well, he doesn’t shoot. He’s simply not strong enough to play that role.”

Now valued at just €15m (£12.5m) by CIES Football Observatory, Moyes is certainly playing with fire if the interest in McBurnie is genuine. Considering that the Irons have been heavily linked to plenty of other centre-forward candidates, including Adam Hlozek and Tammy Abraham, then the manager should see sense sooner rather than later and leave the Sheffield United forward where he is.

AND in other news, Forget Tammy: GSB can take West Ham to new level by signing 24 G/A “incredible talent”…

Oxford have been dealt a major transfer blow as left-back Josh Ruffels is nearing a move to Championship side Huddersfield.

What’s the talk?

Huddersfield are reportedly on the verge of sealing a deal to sign Ruffels. Sky Sports have claimed that he is closing in on a transfer to the Championship side as he prepares to leave Oxford. Ruffels’ contract expires at the end of the month and he is set to reject the chance to stay at Oxford to complete a move to the second tier with The Terriers.

Nottingham Forest were also interested in the left-back but they are now poised to miss out on a deal with Huddersfield acting quickly to reach an agreement.

Oxford boss Karl Robinson lauded Ruffels as a “manager’s dream” when the defender hit 300 games for the club earlier this year. He told the Oxford Mail:

“He’s stood the test of the transformation from where we were to where we are,” he said.

“Any good wingers who come up against us, he deals with in a very calm and collected manner.

“He’s a manager’s dream and getting 300 games for the football club is a tremendous milestone for a local lad.

“He’s 7/10 every week – he might jump up to an eight every now and again, but he rarely drops to a six.”

Robinson will be gutted

Robinson will be gutted by this news as one of his best players is set to depart at the end of the month. The club have seemingly been unable to agree fresh terms with him to keep him at the club and now he is able to pursue a Championship transfer as a free agent. Whilst it is understandable from Ruffels’ point-of-view, as he gets the chance to play at a higher level, it is still a huge blow for Oxford and their plans for next season as they attempt to secure promotion out of League One.

Ruffels was one of Oxford’s top performers throughout the 2020/21 League One campaign. He averaged an exceptional WhoScored rating of 7.13 in 44 starts, with Robert Atkinson’s score of 7.43 the only one above Ruffels in the rankings.

Defensively, Ruffels won 4.2 aerial battles and 1.3 tackles, whilst also making 1.8 interceptions and 2.5 clearances per game. Offensively, Ruffels scored six goals and provided six assists from left-back as he regularly provided an attacking threat from the fullback position.

The £2.1k-per-week ace was able to merge defensive nous with attacking flair and that could prove incredibly difficult to replace in the summer window. Robinson is set to lose a top-class left-back at League One level, as shown by his statistics, and his exit could weaken Oxford’s team significantly unless they are able to find a player who can come in and produce a similar standard of performances next season.

Some Manchester City fans have been fuming over reports that talks between the Citizens and Barcelona have been intense over the past few days, with a swap deal involving Aymeric Laporte and Sergi Roberto said to be in the offing.

The previous campaign was a mixed one for Pep Guardiola and co. There was plenty of success for them to enjoy as they won both the Premier League and the Carabao Cup, but the much-coveted Champions League remained elusive as they lost 1-0 to Chelsea in the final in Porto.

As such, it promises to be a busy summer at the Etihad Stadium. It is being reported by Toni Juanmarti that talks between City and Barca are intense, with the discussions also involving players others than the two mentioned above.

Barcelona have already signed Sergio Aguero and Eric Garcia from the Premier League champions in recent weeks, while it now seems that they want Laporte, whose passing success rate of 91.2% and match average of 1.8 clearances both serve to illustrate the talents he brings to the side.

The news was shared on Twitter by @City_Xtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts, with some enraged by the frequency with which Guardiola is selling players to his former club.

Let’s see what these Man City fans had to say on the news

“Txiki should be charged with crimes against humanity if we swap Laporte and Roberto”

Credit: @FidelCrypt0

“Barca has a tendency to negotiate low amounts. Knowing City they would give in, stupid club”

Credit: @buckslevito

“Pep already planning his way out .”

Credit: @nsangong

“Pep is trying to ruin City while trying to build Barcelona before he moves there”

Credit: @2Whizbang

“please don’t”

Credit: @sankul_pandey

“Never forgive Txiki if we swap Laporte to Sergi. We don’t need finished players. He’s 29 years old and we have so many right backs. We would we swap him? Just give us the cash, no swap deals. We don’t need to sell Laporte”

Credit: @sentosabahari8

In other news, some Man City fans were livid about this Fernandinho news.

A number of Liverpool fans have been reacting positively to an update on Florian Neuhaus, with the German thought to be the Reds’ Gini Wijnaldum replacement.

Wijnaldum’s time as a Liverpool has come to an end, with the Dutchman joining Paris Saint-Germain this summer.

The 30-year-old could leave a gaping void in the Reds’ midfield, with his consistency and availability so key to Jurgen Klopp’s side’s success in recent years.

The hope is that Liverpool bring in a replacement for Wijnaldum and Neuhaus has been constantly linked with a summer move to Anfield.

The midfielder is currently on Euro 2020 duty with Germany and AS claim that he remains Klopp’s chosen man to come in for the Netherlands international.

Neuhaus is likened to German legend Toni Kroos in the report, which can only bode well if the Reds end up getting their man.

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Liverpool fans happy with Neuhaus update

These Liverpool supporters took to Twitter to provide their thoughts on the news (via LFC Transfer Room, June 14).

“Oh wowwww”

Credit: @tsrbys

“Great!”

Credit: @kofi_svn

“Need it. Need it bad”

Credit: @ColinBallinMMA

“If Klopp rates him then I rate him”

Credit: @thelfcarticle

“Klopp knows ballers”

Credit: @lfcels_

“Klopp man”

Credit: @lfcfelix_

In other news, some Liverpool fans have been urging the Reds to accept a bid for one player – find out who it is here. 

Graham Roberts said that Jermain Defoe is absolutely loving his time at Rangers and remains a great player coming off the bench despite the former Tottenham striker turning 39 in October.

Defoe recently penned a new one-year contract at Ibrox, although the frontman has joined Steven Gerrard’s backroom staff and will be working as a player-coach for the upcoming campaign.

He’s been with Rangers for two-and-half years following his move from Bournemouth, and whilst Defoe has never been a regular starter under his ex-England teammate Gerrard, he boasts an impressive goal tally of 32 goals in 72 games.

Four of those came last season to help Rangers claim their first Scottish Premiership crown for more than a decade, with Defoe netting his first Old Firm goal in the thumping victory over Celtic last month before he secured the Gers’ unbeaten campaign against Aberdeen on the final-day.

With Gerrard having the likes of Kemar Roofe and Alfredo Morelos in attack, Defoe oversaw just 627 minutes in all competitions, but with more than 300 goals under his belt, Roberts thinks that the veteran striker remains a great option.

He exclusively told The Transfer Tavern:

“I know him really well, and he absolutely loves it at Rangers. They won the league, and it makes it a lot easier.

“He wants to be a part of the backroom, Gerrard likes him, so he’s going to be no problem, scoring 20 goals a season coming off the bench. He’s a great asset to have off the bench.”