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Barry Fry has lauded the job done by Chris Wilder at Sheffield United prior to his exit from the club in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast.

The manager left the Blades at the start of March after a horror run of results that has seen the club rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table.

They can still mathematically stay up but the club have won just four of their 29 games, taking 14 points, and they are 14 points behind Newcastle United.

They need a genuine miracle to stay up but Fry thinks that Wilder deserves an immense amount of credit for the work that he did during his time as manager.

Appointed in 2016 after the club finished 11th in League One, he won the league the following season, and then finished 10th in 2017/18 in the Championship. Promotion followed in 2018/19, with the club then finishing ninth last term before this disastrous campaign.

And Fry has waxed lyrical about the job he managed to do during his time at Bramall Lane.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, he said: “Chris Wilder is Sheffield United through and through, as a player, as a supporter. He loves the club dearly.

“He’s worked miracles at that club over the years, he got them up in the Premier League on players that he got from League Two, League One.

“He took them up there, he not only took them up there, they survived.”

Wilder also thinks that Sheffield United have struggled this season due to a number of injury issues, from which the club failed to recover.

He added: “He has struggled since day one this year. Every year Sheffield United are odds-on favourites to go down anyway. I think what’s happened this year is, he had horrendous injuries to begin with and he never ever recovered.”

Celtic’s hunt for a new manager has been gathering pace in recent weeks but we are still no closer to seeing a new man in the dugout at Parkhead.

What’s the word?

There have been plenty of twists and turns in Celtic’s search for a new boss lately. Jesse Marsch revealed it was an honour to be linked with the vacancy before it was claimed a day later that he definitely wouldn’t be going to Glasgow in the summer.

However, there has now been another twist in the hunt for Chris Wilder.

The 53-year-old left Sheffield United a few weeks ago and has since been linked with the Celtic hot seat.

An unfortunate sticking point has now emerged in their ploy to bring him to Paradise. According to The Scottish Sun, Wilder would lose a large chunk of his Blades pay-off if he returns to football in the immediate future.

That’s because as part of his settlement package, he will continue to be paid by Sheffield United for the next six months.

Those payments, however, would become smaller if he finds a new job.

Desmond tearing his hair out

If Celtic’s majority shareholder Dermot Desmond was seeking a quick resolution, he will probably not find one in Wilder.

This should come as a bitter blow to the Hoops’ chances for the rest of the season. Morale has hardly improved under John Kennedy who has only won one of his three matches since being placed in interim charge.

The Bhoys have a chance of winning the Scottish FA Cup but they will find it hard to succeed if they don’t find a new manager in the immediate future.

Of course, Desmond could look towards appointing a new permanent manager in the summer but by that point, further damage may have been done at Parkhead.

Earlier this week, FFC suggested that Wilder should be at the top of Celtic’s shopping list. He was hailed a “messiah” for the things he did at Bramall Lane, taking the Blades from a League One side to a team who finished in the top half of the Premier League last term.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-celtic-manager-and-transfer-news-boupendza-mcgeady-marsch-mccarthy” title=”Latest Celtic manager and transfer news!”]

With Marsch being ruled out of the running and now a stumbling point emerging with Wilder, life isn’t getting any easier for Desmond.

It has been an arduous season for not only the football club but also for him. After all, Desmond has had his role at the top of Celtic’s hierarchy questioned by supporters who are urging him to sell his shares.

Fail to appoint the right manager and those cries will only get louder.

AND in other news, 80% duels lost: £14k-p/w Celtic dud has been “unacceptable” this term, he needs to go…

David Sullivan must fund a move for West Ham United to sign Adam Armstrong this summer after Kevin Campbell lauded the potential impact of the Blackburn Rovers striker.

What’s the word?

While speaking with Football Insider, the former Arsenal attacker urged West Ham to secure Armstrong’s services in the next transfer window.

David Moyes has been carrying out personal checks on the forward as he eyes his Sebastien Haller’s replacement, but the Irons are currently reluctant to pay Blackburn’s £25m asking price, according to The Sun.

Campbell rates Armstrong highly and believes that the 24-year-old would be a nightmare for Premier League defenders through his dynamic movement.

Armstrong has been in terrific form in the Championship this season despite Blackburn’s plight, with only Ivan Toney (28) and Teemu Pukki (22) scoring more often than the 19-goal frontman, but in promotion-chasing sides.

Campbell has urged West Ham to capitalise on Blackburn’s willingness to listen to offers for Armstrong to add depth behind Michail Antonio, with Brighton recently joining the race and Newcastle reportedly ready to re-sign their academy product.

“The squad strength isn’t quite there at West Ham. Antonio is a great player but if he needs a rest, there isn’t really someone who can come in and be that guy,” Campbell said. “Moyes is limited with who he can pick up top.

“Armstrong has had a good season and I think will be a good signing for West Ham and they should probably make that move before he goes somewhere else. He’s a handful. Small strikers are a nightmare for centre-halves because centre-halves are almost always tall.”

Should West Ham sign Blackburn’s Armstrong?

West Ham’s apparent reluctance to pay Blackburn’s £25m asking price could see the London Stadium natives miss out on signing the club’s alleged top striker target, with interest in Armstrong continually building.

Brighton are thought to be increasingly keen on Armstrong as he represents a more natural finisher than any of Graham Potter’s current options, is young and English, and have several players that they could include in a swap deal.

Newcastle have a huge advantage in any race to sign the 24-year-old, too, having included a 40% sell-on clause in the £2m deal which saw Armstrong move to Ewood Park in 2018, which has seen Blackburn set the Toon their own £16m asking price.

West Ham must sign a striker in the off-season after Moyes opted against investing the £20m from Haller’s exit in January, and could land a second Antonio type in Armstrong.

In a similar way to how Campbell lauds the 24-year-old for being a lively problem for opposition defences, former Liverpool striker John Aldridge has praised Antonio for his ability to give those on the other side a nightmare.

“Antonio is a handful up front and has caused us problems before, so the back four will be tested again as he’ll put himself about big time,” Aldridge noted in his column for the Liverpool Echo in October.

Armstrong has earned his admirers in a Blackburn side 16 points down on the Championship play-off places, with Rovers’ run of one win in 12 league games failing to detract top-flight suitors.

West Ham would surely rue missing out and seeing that talent flourish for a rival club in the Premier League next season, so Sullivan must dig deep and fund a move.

AND in other news, West Ham have set their sights on a “competitive beast” who won’t cost David Sullivan a penny…

Since Victor Orta joined Leeds United he has got the vast majority of his recruitment spot on.

Under Marcelo Bielsa, you need a very particular type of player, someone who’s willing to work hard and press from the front. They have to withstand his meticulous training ideas and his intense murder ball sessions.

Fail that, and you’ll be out the door quicker than you can say Thorp Arch. Jean-Kevin Augustin found that out the hard way.

Signed on loan from RB Leipzig in January 2020, he played just 48 minutes before departing Yorkshire with not even much of a farewell.

However, as Orta will tell you himself, there are plenty in this Leeds squad that appear to be tailor-made in a lab for Bielsa. One of them has been Patrick Bamford.

The striker has attracted his fair share of criticism during his time at Elland Road but this term he’s been a revelation, scoring 13 Premier League goals. To emphasise that achievement, Bamford had netted just once at this level before promotion last year.

One of the players who helped him get to such a promising level at Leeds was Kemar Roofe. The duo played in tandem during the 2018/19 campaign and brought the best out of each other.

Bamford was the player to make things stick up top, acting as a support act for other players. Roofe, meanwhile, was the striker who’d get in behind and stretch the defence.

Indeed, since he departed for Anderlecht in the summer of 2019, Leeds haven’t really had a player capable of doing the same. They tried to replace him with Eddie Nketiah but he never got a chance to prove himself, being recalled to Arsenal after half a season.

Leeds have been a breath of fresh air to the top-flight this term but you can’t help but think they need just a little more pizzazz in the final third. One man who could give them that is Ivan Toney.

The Brentford sensation was linked with a move to the Whites last week and if he arrives, he could replicate what Roofe gave so willingly to Bielsa’s side.

Speaking about the former Leeds man in February 2019, Eddie Gray typified the Rangers’ striker’s qualities expertly. This came after the forward suffered a cruel injury: “It’s a blow for a number of reasons (the injury), goalscoring obviously. He’s lead the line well, but he’s got that little bit of pace. It is something we [Leeds] have not got in abundance. Real pace. I’m talking about, like Norwich pace.”

Indeed, Leeds still lack a bit of speed. Raphinha has added to that but despite their free-flowing capabilities, few in the squad can blow a defender away.

Toney could do that, however. He has had a breathtaking season in the Championship, scoring a haul of 26 goals in 34 outings.

He has pace, and pivotally for Bielsa, can defend from the front. Peterborough owner Barry Fry said before he left for the Bees: “He’s turned into a tremendous all-round footballer. It’s important to remember Ivan is not just an exceptional goal-scoring forward, he’s also an outstanding defender.”

Indeed, those sentiments have also been delivered by Brentford boss Thomas Frank: “Ivan is a special, special player,” he began.

“He showed top positioning in the box, which is what we work with him on, but also he read cleverly (where to go) off the shoulder of the second central defender and showed perfect timing to get in front of him – and then a one-touch, perfect finish, just fantastic,” Frank added.

Playing off the shoulder and picking up little pockets of space is incredibly similar to Roofe. Put Toney’s clinical goal-scoring ability into the equation and you have a far more fearsome proposition.

Frank concluded: “But it is also his work ethic which is so important. Defending from the number nine backwards is key for me and there is so much more about him that he brings to the squad.”

With that in mind, the 24-year-old feels like the perfect man for Bielsa. If they can steal a march on other suitors for Toney’s signature, he would be a first-class signing.

AND in other news, Leeds have their perfect Pablo heir in rarely-seen 19 y/o, he’s a “great talent”…

West Ham defender Arthur Masuaku has sent a teasing message on Twitter regarding his fitness after undergoing knee surgery for reoccurring pain in that area, with the Congolese international declaring he is ‘almost’ back as many Irons fans buzz over the ‘brilliant news’. 

Masuaku, who was a mainstay for David Moyes before deciding to go under the knife, starting 10 Premier League matches before his lengthy absence, is now nearing a return.

Even though the 27-year-old remained cryptic over his recovery time, he has dropped an enticing hint that his return to action could be imminent for the Hammers, explaining he is ‘almost’ back.

Since his absence, Moyes has been forced to improvise without his first-choice attacking left wing-back, but the revelation that Masuaku could be close to a Hammers return does potentially come as ‘brilliant news’ given their chase for a top four finish.

West Ham may benefit from having him back as an option, and these supporters are certainly excited by his message on social media – find some of the best verdicts down below.

West Ham fans buzz over ‘brilliant’ Masuaku news

“Yessssss!!!”

Credit: @RealHammers

“LETS GOOOOO KING ARTHUR”

Credit: @Dylan_Rudisill_

“Brilliant news, what exactly was wrong with your knee?”

Credit: @Christophercol

“Boom. I can’t wait to see you tearing it up in claret and blue, very soon. COYI”

Credit: @DJBazMati

“That’s it. The treble is wrapped up.”

Credit: @WHUspencer

“Come onnnnnnnnnn”

Credit: @joelitt78828048

“Naaaaaaa Prem ain’t ready”

Credit: @WesthamDeku_

In other news: West Ham are reportedly in talks to sign this defender, find out more here.

Tottenham Hotspur legend Gary Mabbutt insists that there is no reason for fans to panic over the club’s form in such a bizarre season.

The Premier League season is being contested behind closed doors because of the ongoing pandemic and Mabbutt has told Football FanCast that such conditions are only likely to add to the bizarre results we have seen at times this season.

Indeed, Spurs have struggled under Jose Mourinho and fell to ninth in the Premier League table at one point.

Their win over Burnley at the weekend means they are still just six points off the top four, though, with a game in hand on fourth-placed West Ham United.

And Mabbutt insists there is absolutely no reason for fans to worry given that the season is largely upside down.

He has cited Liverpool as an example, with the Premier League champions, who lost just three games last season, currently sixth in the Premier League table, with seven defeats to their name.

They are 19 points off league leaders Manchester City, and are almost certain to lose their title this season.

Speaking to FFC earlier this week, Mabbutt said: “People talk about how we’ve fallen away since December, we were top of the table mid December, and then we slipped away a little bit.

“Well, it’s exactly that: slipped away a little bit. In real terms, in a normal season, dropping from top to ninth would be, ‘how did that happen?’ 

“But in this current season, when you’ve got the champions who pulverised everyone before them last season, lying in sixth place, whatever, and losing their last four games at home. Excuse me, it’s just an absolutely one off season that is seeing results no one would expect.”

Mabbutt also expressed his sympathy for the conditions the players are being forced to play in, with him making the point that the Premier League is being played in “training ground conditions”.

He added: “It’s proven football is just not football, as we know it, without fans in the stadium. I mean, I feel sorry for the players. And for the staff.

“It’s the crowd in the stadium that wants to create the passion, the intensity, the excitement, it’s the players that rebound off that support, off the crowd. And it’s like playing in the biggest football league in the world, under training ground conditions, and that is not easy.

“For players to build themselves up, getting mentally right to get there, totally concentrated, is very, very difficult. And I do feel sorry for them. But that’s the way it is.”

David Moyes should push West Ham to bid for Jesse Lingard at the end of the season after Rio Ferdinand urged the on-loan midfielder to quit Manchester United for good.

What’s the word?

While speaking on BT Sport, via quotes by The Sun, Ferdinand claimed Lingard’s temporary move to the London Stadium will be seen as a failure if the Irons do not make efforts to retain the England international beyond his half-season deal.

Lingard joined West Ham on loan for the remainder of the campaign during the winter transfer window, but no purchase clause was included in the terms of his move.

The 28-year-old is expected to hold talks over his long-term Old Trafford future with Red Devils chiefs in the summer, at which point he will have one-year remaining on his £100,000-per-week contract.

Lingard could cost West Ham up to £4m for his six-months on loan, having paid Manchester United a £1.5m loan fee, agreed to cover his salary in full and pay a £500,000 bonus should Moyes guide the east London outfit into Europe.

And the spending may not stop there, as Ferdinand believes Lingard has to leave Old Trafford in the summer as his parent side have now moved on from the playmaker.

“What’s his ambition here, beyond this season? What is he looking to do?” Ferdinand said. “If West Ham don’t put a bid in to buy him at the end of this loan, I think this loan has to be seen as a failure.

“That’s got to be his aim – to get a bid from West Ham and other clubs to take him out of Man U. Because I don’t see him going back to Man U and really affecting that squad now.

“I think they’ve moved past him with the players they’ve recruited, he doesn’t feature and hasn’t done for so long.”

Should West Ham bid for Lingard?

West Ham will be in a strong position to purchase Lingard at the end of the season should he continue featuring as often as he has since arriving at the London Stadium, as he will know the future can be bright in claret and blue.

The picture was very bleak for the £9m-rated maestro at Old Trafford before leaving on loan, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer only awarding 179 minutes of action across all competitions this season – less than he has featured for under Moyes (262) already.

Lingard has enjoyed an impressive start to life in east London, as well, having scored twice on his debut in a 3-1 win away to Aston Villa and turned in a vastly influential display in Monday night’s 3-0 win over Sheffield United.

He was always a threat on the break and looking to get West Ham moving in the right direction, with a game-high six attempted dribbles and the joint-most successful efforts (3) with Blades defender Chris Basham, per WhoScored.

No one who featured for either side took more shots than Lingard (5), too, while also finding the target (4) at least twice as much as any other player, though unable to find a way past Aaron Ramsdale.

His performance was at such a level that Lingard now leads West Ham for average shots per game in the Premier League this season with 3.7 – 1.5 more than second-ranked Michal Antonio – and is first for dribbles with 4.3 attempted – 1.4 more than Antonio (2.9).

If Lingard keeps up these performances, Moyes should have no reason to not bid for his signature in the summer, having already stated that he is open to a potential deal.

AND in other news, West Ham may rue not signing a £1.8k-p/w target in January as he nears a pre-contract agreement…

Things are looking a lot rosier for Wolves all of a sudden.

Of course, they aren’t completely out of the woods yet, but a win over Arsenal and then a draw with Leicester demonstrated they still have what it takes to mix it with the top half of the Premier League.

Though, could their squad for the back half of the campaign been bolstered more?

What’s the word?

January wasn’t a particularly busy month for Wolves but they did welcome a new striker to the club in the shape of Willian Jose.

However, it’s been revealed that Jeff Shi and the club’s recruitment team had another forward on their radar last month.

According to Transfermarkt (via Sport Witness), Wolves approached Frankfurt in a bid to sign Portuguese striker Andre Silva.

Atletico Madrid were also pursuing Silva but had a bid rejected for his services. This link certainly makes sense given he’s a client of super-agent Jorge Mendes.

The intermediary currently has a number of Wolves’ players on his books.

Forget Jose

This would have been a seriously eye-catching move for Nuno Santo and Shi to make. They were linked with a swoop for the 25-year-old in 2019 when he was still at Milan but he has come on leaps and bound since.

In fact, he’s far more prolific than Real Sociedad loanee, Jose. So far this season Silva has found the net on 18 occasions in just 21 outings compared to Jose’s meagre haul of four strikes. It’s been a near impeccable campaign for the striker who has earned comparisons to a certain Bayern Munich forward.

After scoring against Mainz last month, Frankfurt boss Adi Hutter commented: “Andre Silva is the solo forward up top, but he does it really well. He wasn’t rewarded against Leverkusen, today he was. His composure on penalties reminds me of Robert Lewandowski, who always turns ice cold.”

Silva has gone from an erratic striker to one that shows remarkable composure in front of goal. Though, that’s not the sole reason Wolves should have signed him over Jose.

He’s confident in the penalty area, but most importantly has similarities to Raul Jimenez. Silva revealed what he brings to the Frankfurt attack last year: “My job at the moment, like a striker, is to score goals, to gain the ball in the air and to protect the ball in the front, so my teammates come more forward. So, I think it’s my job. But the most important in the final is the three points or the winning.”

Jimenez does a wonderful job of protecting the ball and you only need to look at Silva’s stats this term to realise what he could have offered to the Old Gold.

He has won 2.4 aerial duels per game which outmuscles Jimenez by 0.9. It’s a tally that also betters Jose’s in 2020/21 who has only prevailed in one aerial duel a match.

Hailed an “entertainer” for his performances this term, Molineux would surely have been a better place with Silva leading the line.

Depending on the cost, this would have been the perfect striker for Wolves in January. Let’s hope they don’t live to regret their decision.

AND in other news, Forget Aaron Ramsey: Nuno could unleash “special” rarely-seen Wolves gem instead…

According to The Mirror, Arsenal are considering a surprise move for Crystal Palace left-back Patrick van Aanholt in the January transfer window.

What’s the word?

Van Aanholt, 30, is out-of-contract at Selhurst Park at the end of this season as talks over a new deal have reportedly broken down between the club and his representatives, meaning the Dutchman will be free to leave south London for nothing in the summer when his current deal expires.

It’s claimed Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is keen to bring in a new left-back to provide competition and cover for regular starter Kieran Tierney.

However, despite his somewhat questionable form, Steve Parish simply cannot afford to let the £7m-rated ace leave right now due to a lack of options on the left-hand side of the defence.

Parish must avoid at all costs

Should the Palace chairman choose to sell him, Roy Hodgson’s first port of call would be Tyrick Mitchell, who has enjoyed a breakthrough campaign at Selhurst Park this season. However, at 21, he is still relatively inexperienced at this level and as such, cannot be expected to shoulder the burden of responsibility alone.

In terms of statistics, there isn’t too much to choose from between the two, with Mitchell averaging a slightly higher WhoScored match rating of 6.58 to Van Aanholt’s 6.52 this season.

In fact, the veteran is currently averaging more interceptions (1.4) than the academy graduate, which suggests that he boasts a greater understanding of positional awareness.

Van Aanholt, who began his career at Stamford Bridge with Chelsea, has made 202 Premier League appearances but Parish may opt to sell him right now rather than lose him for free in the summer.

However, Parish’s relative inactivity in the last transfer market has left him with little choice. Perhaps he should have considered finding a backup for Mitchell beforehand and not have focused so heavily on signing the likes of Michy Batshuayi and Nathan Ferguson instead.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace can’t afford to lose Christian Benteke amid West Brom interest…

Celtic have been linked to several new faces this month as the January transfer window fast approaches. Their disappointing season will have only encouraged Peter Lawwell, Nick Hammond and co to scour the market for some fresh personnel.

However, whilst they have been linked to potential incomings, some Celtic stars could also be on their way out. Kristoffer Ajer is a man who has a lot of speculation surrounding him at the moment and it seems like it’s only a matter of time before he bids Parkhead farewell.

AC Milan are one of the latest clubs to show interest in the centre-back and they have an ace up their sleeve to sweeten the deal.

Laxalt for Ajer?

According to Calciomercato, the Italian giants are keen on moving for Ajer this window and would be willing to let Diego Laxalt join the Hoops permanently in return.

The latter joined the Glaswegian outfit last summer and has been one of Neil Lennon’s more impressive players this season. Sofascore reports that he has averaged 2.2 tackles per game so far this term, which is much higher than any other defender at Celtic.

Laxalt has also quickly become a Lennon favourite, thanks to his hard work and balance between attacking and protecting the goal. Recently speaking to the Daily Record, the boss waxed lyrical about the £22,000 per week left-back, labelling him an “aggressive” player who he believes has been a “great addition” to the Hoops.

Indeed, Celtic have come to rely heavily on the 27-year-old. He has played all but one Premiership match this season and contributed an important goal against Hibernian in November, as per Transfermarkt.

Ajer has received a lot of interest recently and Celtic may need to concede the fact that another big side is likely to come in and tempt him to leave. If they are going to lay down their sword and let him transfer, they would do well to at least bank an equally solid defender in Laxalt for their troubles.

Lennon has Christopher Jullien, Shane Duffy and young Stephen Welsh to deploy at centre-back, but appears to only trust Laxalt to get the job done on the left. Losing him would be a huge blow on top of a miserable season in which they will almost certainly give up their crown to Rangers.

In other news, Celtic signing this striker could edge out Leigh Griffiths…