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Flocking to Twitter, many Manchester City supporters have erupted over news shared by reliable reporter Fabrizio Romano concerning fan favourite Phil Foden.

The England international has been a revelation since manager Pep Guardiola began to play him more regularly in 2020, so much so he was even nominated for the 2021 senior men’s Ballon d’Or.

He also played a major role in City’s run to the Champions League final last season, scoring the winner in both quarter-final legs against German giants Borussia Dortmund.

Foden has continued in that vain so far after coming back from injury, most recently putting on a dazzling display away to Club Brugge as City ran out 5-1 victors.

Now, amid reports surrounding a possible new deal, Romano has some big news for Sky Blues out of Eastlands.

The reliable journalist says City are now ‘set to reach a verbal agreement’ with the 21-year-old over a new deal until June 2027, which includes a bumper salary increase (Twitter).

Flocking to this big update, it’s little wonder many fans have gone wild on Twitter – find all of their best reactions down below.

Man City fans go wild for Foden news…

“Tears in my eyes. Look at my son”

Credit: @Relly_95

“Just what I want to hear”

Credit: @KaineOduah

“huge”

Credit: @akgr21

“Great news…”

Credit: @ChrisFo07634557

“The best youngster in the Premier League”

Credit: @RiyadMahrezSZN

“Foden is a City fan first than a City player. You can see in his face he plays with pride. So happy he is getting pay rise, totally deserve”

Credit: @realxames

“Letsss goooo”

Credit: @MCFCnish

“We are here to stay”

Credit: @mcfc_joshua

In other news: ‘Incredible’, ‘About time’, ‘This is so amazing’…Man City fans flock to ‘exciting’ Haaland update, find out more here.

Former Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Mark Crossley does not expect Ethan Horvath to be used as the second-choice stopper by the club following his summer arrival.

The club sealed a deal to sign the United States stopper in the summer, bringing him in on a free transfer.

Horvath has previously played for both Molde and Club Brugge, and he has won a total of seven caps for his country.

The 26-year-old made his debut in the EFL Cup against Bradford City, playing the 90 minutes as Forest won 2-1.

That has been their only victory of the season thus far, as they have lost to Coventry City, Bournemouth, and Blackburn Rovers in the Championship.

And Crossley insists that those at the club believe that Horvath could soon become the No.1 if he is given the chance to play regularly by manager Chris Hughton in the coming weeks and months.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast this week, Crossley said: “It’ll be interesting to see how he does.

“He’s definitely not being brought in as a number two. The word from the City Ground, and I still speak to people there, is that if he gets his chance, he’ll be in and he’ll take some moving.

“So it’s up to Samba to stay in the team.”

Newcastle have the opportunity to move level on points with 17th-placed Watford as they face Leicester in the Premier League today.

The Magpies, barring a win by four goals or more, will remain in the bottom three as the Hornets boast a stronger goal difference as it stands.

They come into this game off the back of their first win in the division last weekend against Burnley, beating the Clarets 1-0 thanks to a goal from Callum Wilson.

Liability

Whilst it was a superb result for the Magpies, one player did struggle in the game and should now be brutally axed from the XI – Fabian Schar.

He was a liability against Sean Dyche’s side and was carried through the match by the impressive Jamaal Lascelles at centre-back. As per SofaScore, he lost 11 of his 13 duels on the pitch, losing both of his battles on the ground and nine of his 11 in the air. This shows that he was a lightweight who was unable to compete physically against the Burnley forwards, which allowed them to dominate him throughout the game.

Lascelles, meanwhile, won an impressive 12 of his 14 duels overall. He won 11 of his 13 aerial battles and his only ground duels, whilst making six clearances and one tackle. The Magpies skipper showed that he was able to stand up and be counted for in the relegation scrap, which is more than what could be said for Schar.

Toon legend Alan Shearer previously called the defender a “danger” due to his ability to score from the defence, but he has only scored one goal for club and country since the start of the 2020/21 campaign. This suggests that he does not carry the same threat in the present, having scored six goals in his first two Premier League seasons for the club.

In half a dozen Premier League outings this season, Schar has lost 55% of his duels and made two errors directly leading to shots at Newcastle’s goal. This, along with his worrying display against Burnley, shows that he has been a liability for the club this term and highlights why he should be axed from the starting XI.

The £8.1m-rated dud managed to get away without his dreadful performance costing Howe against Burnley, as the team still picked up the win, but there is no guarantee that he will be so lucky a second week running. So, he should be taken out of the spotlight and placed on the bench to allow another player to come in and get a chance to perform.

AND in other news, PIF can land NUFC’s new Coloccini with swoop for £120k-p/w “monster” dubbed the “best”…

A number of Liverpool supporters are delighted after Jurgen Klopp claimed that Naby Keita will return to Reds training next week after injury.

Jurgen Klopp’s men have found some superb form of late, picking up three wins in a row at home to Arsenal, Porto and Southampton.

Next up for Liverpool is Wednesday’s trip to Everton in the Merseyside derby, as the Reds look to pick up just a second win there since 2011.

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While their injury problems are now easing, Keita will still be absent against the Blues, having not featured since the 2-2 draw at home to Brighton a month ago.

Speaking in his pre-Everton press conference on Tuesday [via the club’s official Twitter channel], Klopp confirmed that the Guinean should be back in training next week, along with Joe Gomez.

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Liverpool fans love Keita update

It is a positive update on the injury front, with Keita contributing some excellent performances this season prior to his absence, and these Liverpool fans have been reacting to the news on Twitter.

“NABY LADDDDD”

Credit: @LFCOwen

“Good news”

Credit: @jontelfc86

“Depth chart boys in the mud I guess”

Credit: @LiamHejsak

“SIUUUUU”

Credit: @itsmeg_statham

“Let’s goooo”

Credit: @case__5

“YESSSSSSSSS”

Credit: @charlielfc

In other news, some Liverpool fans are delighted after a Reds transfer rumour emerged. Read more here.

Sheffield Wednesday will win the race for winger Josh Sims this summer, the club’s former midfielder Carlton Palmer has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview.

According to The News, Portsmouth made enquiries about signing the 24-year-old earlier in the transfer window but now face serious competition from Wednesday.

Sims is a free agent following his release from Portsmouth’s rivals Southampton. The Englishman spent last season out on loan at Doncaster Rovers, working under Wednesday manager Darren Moore during his time at the Keepmoat Stadium.

Because of that, Palmer believes the Owls are in the driving seat to secure Sims’ signature.

Speaking exclusively to FFC about Wednesday’s pursuit of the player, the ex-England international said:

“He’s worked for Darren before, so he’s enjoyed success under Darren. And I’m assuming as long as the financials are not too far apart in terms of what Portsmouth are prepared to offer him, I’m assuming Sheffield Wednesday will win the race for him.

“Darren Moore was always a very popular person as a player, a well-liked man and very genuine person. He’s shown that he’s also a good manager at West Brom, at Doncaster and I’m sure he’ll prove that at Sheffield Wednesday.”

Sims obviously has League One experience from that spell with Doncaster, as well as experience in the Premier League and the Championship, so the former Southampton man looks like he could be a good bit of business for Wednesday.

Leeds United are showing interest in Nottingham Forest starlet Brennan Johnson.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks and months have suggested that Marcelo Bielsa has his sights set on the 20-year-old ahead of a potential move, and The Athletic have now delivered an update on the situation.

They claim that along with the Whites, the likes of fellow Premier League sides Leicester and Brentford, as well as Championship outfit Barnsley, have all “shown varying degrees of interest” in the Wales international.

He’s Bielsa’s dream

Johnson’s former manager at Forest, Sabri Lamouchi, hailed him not just as an “unbelievable player” but one with the “right mentality” too, and that will surely be music to the ears of Bielsa.

The forward enjoyed an impressive campaign on loan at Lincoln City in League One last season, scoring ten goals and providing a further twelve assists in the league – his displays were key as they made the play-off final, losing to Blackpool 2-1 despite him setting up a goal at Wembley.

With that canny knack of finding himself in the right place at the right time, there’s a lot to like about Johnson’s game, and there are some very exciting similarities between him and a young Dele Alli.

His boss at Lincoln, Michael Appleton has raved about the fearlessness of the versatile attacker, something very much akin to Alli when he was at MK Dons – the England international predominantly played in central midfield, but could also play out wide and as a number ten too.

He said: “Brennan has been great. He has a lot of pace and gives us directness when we look to counter. He has played in numerous positions for us. He has played as a nine, as a ten, as a central midfielder. He has never moaned and just gets on with it.”

Given his age and his incredible versatility, Johnson looks like Bielsa’s dream. Able to play in a number of different positions, with the “right mentality” to keep working hard and learning from his managers, he could well be a real pet project for the Leeds boss at Elland Road, one he’d surely love to have in his squad.

Meanwhile, Graham Smyth has revealed Leeds United’s transfer plans…

While Mike Ashley certainly hasn’t done much good at Newcastle United – the numerous fan protests are a testament to that – the one thing he did get spot-on, was his sale of Ayoze Perez.

Having signed him from Tenerife for just £1.5m, there’s no questioning that Newcastle got their money’s worth from Perez.

The Spaniard arrived as a little-known youngster back in the summer of 2014, but then Magpies boss Alan Pardew wasn’t shy in waxing lyrical about his latest recruit.

He said: “We’re delighted to confirm our first signing of the summer and very pleased to have Ayoze at Newcastle United, as a number of other clubs were chasing his signature too.

“He had a terrific season in Spain last year and is a player who we hope to develop further on Tyneside. He’s only 20 but has a very good eye for goal and that’s a great asset for any young player to have.”

Perez ended up playing 195 times for the club, scoring 48 goals and providing a further 17 assists across all competitions. He made his biggest contribution for the club during Rafa Benitez’s stint as manager, making over 100 appearances for his fellow Spaniard.

The former Newcastle boss even said: “Ayoze is a player that is keen to learn and I am telling him all the time it is about staying consistent. He has given us a lot of things. But the main thing for me is he knows that he can improve and he is keen to learn.”

In the end, following Benitez’s departure from the club, Perez also followed suit. The Magpies got some big-money for the forward though, collecting a reported £30m from fellow Premier League side Leicester, thus making them an impressive £28.5m profit.

And since his move to the Foxes, the 28-year-old hasn’t shown much to justify the price tag, playing 79 times and scoring just 11 goals, struggling to break into the side on a consistent basis – not surprising when you consider he has Jamie Vardy in front of him.

In fact, according to CIES, his market value now just stands at a measly £6m – quite the significant drop-off from what the Foxes paid for him to bring him in from St James’ Park.

Given that some Newcastle fans were up in arms over the club selling Perez, it’s now clear to see that the Magpies and Ashley played a blinder by selling him for that much.

Meanwhile, Newcastle United could have their next breakout star from the academy…

Danny Cowley has provided an update on Portsmouth’s transfer business regarding the possibility of free agent signings.

What’s the talk?

The Pompey manager has confirmed that the club will not be dipping into the free agent market following the end of the summer transfer window.

The f0rmer Huddersfield boss reportedly failed in his efforts to land a striker and centre-back cover before the window slammed shut, but he has revealed that there is no money left to make any further additions.

He told The News: “There is nothing left in the budget, so they’ll be no free agents.

“We are where we are. We’re coming out of a pandemic, we’ve bought the training ground and spent all that money on Fratton Park. We’ve got good owners, haven’t we. Come on.” Frustration

This update from Cowley will frustrate supporters for a number of reasons, despite it being an understandable situation for the club. First and foremost, it is difficult for anyone to be angry at the owners as they should not be risking the financial future of the club to bolster the team.

They are operating within a budget and have purchased the training ground, whilst also improving Fratton Park, which then has an impact on the transfer business as it takes money away to other sectors. In that sense, supporters should be delighted that their club is being run responsibly as they know better than most what can happen when football teams are mismanaged financially.

However, that might not allay the frustration from fans over the squad now being short in a couple of positions. Portsmouth only have three natural senior centre-backs, which has left Cowley with limited options in his back four. They are also now vulnerable if injuries hit Clark Robertson and Sean Raggett, as it could leave a youth team player being chucked in or someone else coming in out of position, which could then impact their League One form.

In terms of strikers, Cowley has John Marquis, Ellis Harrison and George Hirst as his over-21 options. The News revealed that he wanted to bring in a new centre-forward to improve the quality of the squad –  Marquis has scored once in five League One matches, with none of the other strikers at the club on the scoresheet as of yet.

This could be why the head coach wanted another number nine, with the team seemingly lacking an in-form goalscorer. Therefore, Pompey fans may well be frustrated that he was unable to bring in the striker Cowley wanted, as the lack of a consistent frontman could dampen their chances of pushing up the League One table and chasing promotion – goals win games!

Many Everton fans have been left to buzz over a manager update on Christophe Galtier.

As per Be Foot, the now former LOSC Lille boss has a potential move to OGC Nice agreed in principle.

However, the Toffees are said to be very interested in bringing the 54-year-old to Goodison Park as the replacement for Carlo Ancelotti, who has departed for Real Madrid.

The Merseyside club would be able to offer the attraction of the Premier League over Nice, and are also better off financially.

Galtier has just come off the back of a remarkable Ligue 1 title win over PSG, and so it is not a surprise whatsoever to see him linked with plenty of manager-needy teams.

Former sporting director at Lille, Luis Campos, has claimed that Galtier has ‘all the qualities’ to coach in English football, and believes that he would be a good choice for the Blues.

Everton fans on Galtier manager update

These EFC supporters buzzed as the manager update was shared on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim they they were ‘begging’ for his appointment:

“I’ve said this fella from day 1. He’s a head coach, and clearly a very good one. He’s had a director of football so is used to working that way. It’s a no brainer really, just surprised no one else has seen this before now”

Credit: @keepitreal_82

“Wow please @Everton if we sign Christophe Galtier I will be going on 2 weeks bender who’s joining me?”

Credit: @NSNO61878

“I’m begging”

Credit: @taylor_davies77

“I would be over the moon if we pulled this one off, he’s comfortably the best man for the job”

Credit: @dannymonnox

“This is the one”

Credit: @phil55200282

“I swear to god if we pull this off, I’ll love Marcel Brands forever”

Credit: @_AdamJM

In other news, find out what big manager update has Toffees talking here!

As per Torino Granata, a possible boost for West Ham United has come to light amid their links to Torino striker and soon-to-be free agent Andrea Belotti.

The Lowdown: Pellegrini fails in 2019 bid…

Multiple reports from 2019 have backed that the Hammers and former boss Manuel Pellegrini lodged a bid to sign the Italy international, but to no avail.

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Football Insider, Calciomercato and TUTTOmercatoWEB all claimed that West Ham made an offer for Belotti nearly three years ago with the striker coming as a name who will be familiar to supporters.

Out of contract this summer, it appears the 28-year-old will finally be on the way out of Turin and for free, gifting David Moyes and co a chance to solve their striker shortage with a long-term target.

The Latest: Belotti open to joining…

Torino Granata, sharing the latest on his future post-Torino, now claim that Belotti is open to joining West Ham this summer.

Indeed, according to their sources, a Premier League move for the forward cannot be ruled out.

It is believed that a move to the Irons or fellow interested side Newcastle ‘could be more attractive’ to Belotti.

The Verdict: Make the move…

An proven threat at both international and club level, bypassing Belotti’s estimated £25.2 million Transfermarkt valuation and snapping him up for nothing would be a very shrewd move.

Torino’s captain and figurehead is one of the Serie A big names set to make a headline-grabbing move this summer and we believe a transfer to West Ham may well be on the cards.

However, with Newcastle, Roma, Atalanta, Inter Milan and Toronto also on his trail, Moyes and co should waste no time making the striker an offer.

In other news: Blow for Moyes: Journalist says ‘underrated’ West Ham ace is now ‘ready to leave’! Find out more here.