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Jack Wilshere is currently a free agent after being released by Bournemouth following their failed promotion bid, and former Newcastle defender Steve Howey believes that Steve Bruce should look to offer him a pay as you play contract to prove his fitness and quality.

Bruce knows that he will have to deal in this transfer window with one armed tied behind his back as he has just £10 million to spend on new players despite his squad needing obvious reinforcements, but bringing in a free agent of Wilshere’s ability could work out.

The former Arsenal midfielder has struggled to keep himself fit for the majority of his career with moves to both West Ham and Bournemouth failing to help get his career back on track, but with a limited budget this month Bruce might feel like it’s worth the risk, a bit like when he brought Andy Carroll back to the club in 2019 on a similar deal.

Free agents and loan signings will be the bread and butter of any deals that Newcastle complete this summer with such limited finances available, and Howey believes that Wilshere could take up a pay-as you-play deal to get another chance in the Premier League, something he spoke exclusively to Football FanCast about:

“If it was me, and I was in his position, then I would take that because I don’t think there are many clubs that are going to offer him a great deal of money, given his history of injuries.

“Me personally, I’d go down that route, because you would be at a top-flight club with magnificent fans, and you’d be playing in the top flight.”

It would be a surprise to see any Premier League club take a plunge on Wilshere considering he has missed a staggering 1470 days through injury during his career, and it is a shame because he has shown glimpses of class and even Pep Guardiola labelled him as a special talent back in 2017.

For Newcastle, signing a midfielder with injury problems would not likely make sense considering they have a large squad anyway and are flooded with central midfielders.

Newcastle United are reportedly plotting a move to sign Rob Dickie in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Newcastle must improve defensively

Having conceded no fewer than 62 goals in the Premier League going into the final day of the season, which is the fifth-worst record out of any team in the division (BBC Sport), the St. James’ Park outfit certainly need to improve defensively.

They cannot always rely on the likes of Callum Wilson to bail them out with the goals that he offers, especially if he finds himself injured for as long as he did in this campaign.

Thus, a new central defender would be an ideal signing to make in order to make Steve Bruce’s team more solid.

The Latest: Newcastle plot Dickie transfer

As per Football Insider, the Tyneside club are plotting a move to bring Dickie to the North East.

They have held a long-term interest in the QPR ace and considered signing him last summer before he joined Rangers from Oxford United.

A source from the Magpies has told the news outlet that Bruce wants to strengthen his defensive options, and Dickie has emerged as a top target.

The former Aston Villa and Sunderland boss is a big admirer and has been keeping tabs on him since he impressed against the Toon in two matches in the FA Cup in the 2019/20 term with Oxford.

NUFC see the Englishman as someone with huge potential who can develop and potentially offer them huge resale value in the future.

The Verdict: Newcastle should sign Dickie

Given the potential that Dickie has, and the fact that he is still only 25 years of age, it would be a smart buy for Newcastle, especially if the club are right about him potentially boasting a big resale value.

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Described as a ‘very talented’ player by Mark Warburton upon signing him as QPR manager back in September, the six-foot-one ace has taken the EFL Championship by storm, winning a mammoth 8.1 of his duels per game, while also averaging four clearances, 1.8 interceptions and 1.3 tackles a match, helping his side keep no fewer than 14 clean sheets in the process (Sofascore).

Nonetheless, Dickie is ready to make the step up to the Premier League, and the Magpies can give him that opportunity.

In other news, find out what insight Lee Ryder has shared from takeover sources on a potential arbitration timescale here!

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has praised the Glasgow Rangers board for their season ticket policy ahead of next season.

The Lowdown: Gers sell more than 44,000 season tickets

Earlier in May, the Gers confirmed they had sold more than 44,000 season tickets ahead of the 2021/22 campaign (rangers.co.uk), just weeks after they had revealed they would be freezing season ticket prices for the upcoming term (Glasgow Live).

The board said that the number of people to purchase the tickets was “beyond belief” considering that the Gers were unable to welcome a single fan to Ibrox during the 2020/21 season.

The Latest: Maguire praises board

Speaking to Football Insider, Maguire praised the Gers board for the number of season tickets they made available. He said:

“They would make more money by selling fewer season tickets.

“But what Rangers have done is reward the loyalty and passion of the fanbase by making as many season tickets as possible available.

“But if you compare them with, say, Liverpool, they have only 27,000 season tickets.

“I try to identify how much money a club is making per fan, per season and Liverpool are around £1500 to £1600 mark whereas Rangers make substantially less than that.

“If you have a huge fanbase as Rangers have, they could restrict season tickets to half the capacity of the ground and charge individual ticket prices for individual matches.

“So you’ve got to admire the board in a way because this is not the most lucrative approach.

“The advantage that it does bring is you get the money from season tickets a little bit early, so there are some benefits from a cash flow point of view.

“But from an overall perspective, they would actually be better off selling fewer season tickets.”

The Verdict: Treat fans well

As Maguire explains, the Gers could have made a lot more income with fewer season tickets. The price per match for such tickets will be a lot lower than selling seats individually for every single match, and with the demand for a spot, they could probably have driven up the price quite high.

The cheapest season ticket for the Gers is £372 (statista.com), meaning the 55-time Scottish champions have brought in a minimum £16.4m. That is still a considerable amount of money and should go a long way for the club, especially as they could be competing in the Champions League group stages next autumn. They have shown that they can still keep the books healthy while respecting the fans along the way.

In other news, Rangers lose out to Mike Ashley again.

Aston Villa have emerged as contenders to sign Fulham midfielder Zambo Anguissa this summer.

What’s the story?

Following the Cottagers’ relegation from the Premier League last weekend, it would be no surprise to see a few, if not many, of the club’s best players leave the London side over the course of the summer transfer window.

And, according to The Daily Mail, Dean Smith’s Villa side are monitoring developments over Anguissa ahead of a potential move, with Fulham braced for offers for many of their key men.

The report adds that the 25-year-old is likely to be one of those players sold following confirmation of Fulham’s relegation, while Villa are also set to face competition from the likes of Arsenal and Everton.

Upgrade on Douglas Luiz

A combative midfielder who has been one of the shining lights of Fulham’s season, Anguissa’s performances this campaign have been very impressive, and appears tailor-made to be a real upgrade on Douglas Luiz at Villa Park.

Joachim Andersen, his teammate at Fulham, has raved about about the £22.5m-rated powerhouse, saying: “He’s a top player. He’s a machine in the midfield. He’s winning so many balls and driving forward with it.”

And, Toni Conceicao, his coach for Cameroon, said: “He’s a quality player. In football, the collective is the most important, so you have to have players that work for the team. And although Anguissa is not a Messi or Ronaldo, he’s a player that has a lot of capacity to influence the match. He brings a lot of tactical culture and rigour to the team.

“He has got a really good passing ability, long and short, and is one of those players that makes the team tick without necessarily being the standout. As a coach and with all due respect to Fulham, which I know is a great club, Anguissa can reach an even higher level.”

And, when you compare the key stats between Anguissa and Luiz, it’s the former who comes out on top.

As per Whoscored, he is defensively far stronger than his Brazilian counterpart, averaging more tackles and interceptions per game in the Premier League, and also committing far fewer fouls too – something Villa fans will be relieved to know after Luiz’s mindless challenge to give away a penalty against Manchester United at the weekend.

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And, as Andersen said, Anguissa is also adept at driving the ball forward, averaging a whopping 2.7 dribbles per game – far higher than Luiz, and actually only slightly below Jack Grealish with 2.8 in the entire Villa squad.

At 25, Anguissa seems like the dream Luiz upgrade and a player Villa must surely sign this summer.

Meanwhile, Villa have been handed a major boost that will have Dean Smith buzzing…

Wolves’ joint top scorer, Pedro Neto, picked up a season-ending injury last month and that is what will stop clubs from being interested in signing him this summer. That is according to Wolves Hall of Famer, Steve Bull, as he spoke exclusively to Football FanCast.

Neto had impressed this season as he attempted to fill the void left by Diogo Jota following his decision to join Liverpool, and he had managed to achieve a respectable 7.11 WhoScored rating before he was ruled out for the season with a knee injury.

Wolves are the fifth-lowest scores this season as the injury to their talisman, Raul Jimenez, has hit them harder than many would have expected with Fabio Silva and Willian Jose nowhere near the Mexican’s level.

Earlier this season, Neto had been linked with a move to Manchester United but following his injury many clubs may not want to sign someone who has sustained a serious injury, Bull spoke exclusively to FFC about whether or not he thinks the winger could leave:

“I think if he hadn’t got injured then there would have been a lot of enquiries because he could fit into anybody’s side as he is a talented player.

“I think clubs will leave him alone until he’s actually fully fit, so I would say we’ve got him for at least the next 12 months.”

The £50,000 per week winger is not the only player who has been linked with a move away from Molineux this summer as Nuno Espirito Santo has been touted as a potential candidate for the Tottenham Hotspur job.

This will be Wolves’ worst finish in the Premier League since they returned to the league back in 2018, having finished seventh in their previous two campaigns.

Sunderland are enjoying life towards the summit of League One at the moment.

Promotion is well and truly in their destiny, and if they win both of their games in hand, they will go top and be within touching distance of a place in the Championship.

What’s the word?

Earning promotion would come with a necessity to spend money in the transfer market and improve the playing squad. However, their first arrival could well be a free transfer as, according to Football Insider, Sunderland are targeting Gwion Edwards.

The Ipswich winger has had an excellent campaign at Portman Road but is out of contract at the end of the season and no discussions have taken place over his future.

As a result, the Mackems are now monitoring his situation with a view to making a move if and when he becomes a free agent.

The Black Cats are set to face competition from Preston in a bid to lure the 28-year-old away from the Tractor Boys.

Imagine him and Jones

With Rangers loanee Jordan Jones keen on a return to the Stadium of Light on a permanent basis in the summer, Lee Johnson could create a fearsome duo here.

Of course, they still have Aiden McGeady but, at the age of 35, a step to a higher division could be above his station. The Irishman has been captivating this term, registering 12 assists since being brought back into the side by Johnson in December.

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He and Jones have been major reasons behind Sunderland’s incredible run in recent months but the addition of Edwards this summer has the potential to add even more pizzazz to a flourishing forward line.

The Ipswich forward has the ability to play on either flank and also through the middle as an attacking midfielder.

He has been creative this term but he’s also beaten the goalkeeper regularly, registering nine goal involvements in 28 League One outings. Edwards’ goal tally for Ipswich is just 13 in 101 but he is improving all the time and is now in the peak of his career.

Speaking about the attacker last year, his team-mate Emyr Huws commented: “He’s showing everyone what he can do so all credit to Gwi. He’s been great. He’s been clinical in front of goal and is looking sharp.”

With 1.3 shots per match to his name this season, Edwards is certainly getting in the right areas to score, but one of the most promising aspects of his game is the ability to beat a man, something which also sets both him and Jones apart from other wide players in League One.

The latter has been breathtaking himself on occasion this term, scoring two goals and providing four assists in six starts.

Speaking a few years ago, former Ipswich manager Paul Hurst waxed lyrical about Edwards, providing words which ring true with Jones as well: “The first time he picks up the ball he goes past his man. The fans had a little gasp,” he said.

Some supporters have been left dazzled by his abilities down the years, even comparing him to a certain Lionel Messi.

That is a far-fetched comparison but he has been exhilarating at times this season. Just imagine him and Jones on the wings; it’s a mouth-watering prospect for Sunderland.

AND in other news, SAFC flop sees his value fall by 90% after leaving, he’s spent 1004 days out injured…

Moise Kean has ‘no intention’ of returning to Everton after his loan spell at Paris Saint Germain ends, according to Tuttosport (via Sport Witness).

As per the news outlet, the Italy international is the ‘hottest name’ at his former club Juventus as they are looking to strengthen their forward line in the summer transfer window.

Kean would also ‘gladly return’ to the Old Lady, even if they do not qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the 2021/22 term.

Andrea Pirlo’s team could also offer Merih Demiral and Adrien Rabiot in exchange for the 21-year-old, with the latter a player that Carlo Ancelotti is a big admirer of.

Everton could benefit from Kean sale

The Goodison Park faithful could well turn the potential sale of Kean in their favour, and use the money that they would receive to invest in another striker.

He is currently valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt, and may demand a tasty fee given his form for PSG so this season.

There is no doubt that Kean can be a great player on his day, with former PSG striker Pauleta was describing him as ‘very talented’ back in February, but it did not really work out at the Merseyside club, and so the Toffees should look to gain the benefit of a potentially large sum of money from his sale.

In other news, find out whose display was slammed versus Spurs here!

Liverpool could potentially be set to bring back Aaron Ramsey to the Premier League, if reports are to be believed.

TuttoMercatoWeb report that the Reds are amongst a handful of English clubs who could be interested in the Welshman – as well as the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United.

Whilst Ramsey would be a fantastic addition for that duo, Liverpool should steer clear of his signature.

After leaving Arsenal on a free transfer in 2019, the midfielder has not yet managed to capture his best form. In 61 appearances for the Old Lady, he has scored just six goals and notched six assists in all competitions.

In that time, Ramsey has started just 32 of the available matches and at the age of 30, only has a limited number of years left in which to return to the displays that made him such a key member of the Gunners’ squad.

After all, former Arsenal boss Unai Emery hailed the 61-cap Welsh international as “amazing” in his final few months at the Emirates Stadium.

Liverpool though cannot afford to wait for the midfielder to play himself back into form.

The Reds and Jurgen Klopp will be desperate to rectify their woeful performances of the 2020/21 campaign and simply cannot have passengers.

Meanwhile, there is also plenty of competition at Anfield for a midfield spot. Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita, Curtis Jones, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner are currently competing for a starting berth. Whilst it’s looking unlikely that Georginio Wijnaldum will be at the club next season, he is still intensifying that competition at the current time.

This would certainly leave Ramsey without a place in the current squad.

Considering that the £18m-rated midfielder would surely be asking for wages similar to that of his £187k per week pay packet with Juventus, it would appear to be a huge waste of resources to bring him back to the Premier League.

Liverpool and Michael Edwards then should avoid signing him at all costs.

AND in more news, take a look at which big-money arrival would be a sign of intent from the Reds…

Lots of West Ham United fans have been fuming at Craig Dawson and they are demanding him to be dropped by David Moyes.

Dawson featured for the Hammers in their 3-2 win over Wolves in the Premier League last night. He was partnered by Issa Diop and the former West Brom man picked up a WhoScored rating of 6.62 for his performance.

The centre-back was the second-lowest rated player for the Irons out of all those who had started and only Aaron Cresswell picked up a worse rating than him. Only two of the starters registered fewer than his 23 passes – one of whom was Michail Antonio, whose match lasted just 35 minutes.

This performance came after Dawson had scored two own goals in as many games, putting the ball into his own net against Arsenal and Manchester United.

Before the own goals, though, the defender had impressed at the back in appearances against the likes of Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield United and Crystal Palace. He had also done well against Southampton earlier in the season (as per WhoScored).

Back in March, it was stated that Dawson would seal a permanent West Ham move if he played three more games. It now seems as though that condition has been met.

However, some Hammers fans aren’t happy with his recent performances and have called for the “liability” to be dropped in forthcoming fixtures.

What did West Ham fans make of Dawson’s performance?

“Dawson has been such a liability last 3 games, I think Balbuena and Diop is a shout.”

Credit: @ReeceEnever_

“Dawson don’t look like the same player the last 3 or 4 games . I think he maybe the one that needs taking out.”

Credit: @IANL80s

“Dawson was more of a liability yesterday than Diop.”Credit: @MJ_Jeffries”Dawson literally scored 2 own goals in 3 games and has been more of a liability then Diop. I honestly don’t get the agenda. Haller and Diop you both have agendas against, i wonder why….”Credit: @ThatGuyChichar”Hard to know, Balbuena is slower than Diop, so having Dawson and Balbuena v Vardy isn’t a good idea, he’d tear them apart with his pace, Diop is faster but switches off at times!!”Credit: @LiamHammer7″I think without Ogbonna we look suspect. Dawson being found out for not being a good footballer and Diop switches off too much. I’d rather neither didn’t play.”Credit: @FlawsdrawIn other news, one journalist has dropped a worrying claim about Jesse Lingard – read more here.

Fans of West Bromwich Albion have been reacting to a post on Twitter, which relayed a report regarding the impact relegation will have on a number of the players’ contracts.

According to John Percy’s report for The Telegraph, should West Brom – who currently occupy 19th place in the Premier League table, eight points from safety – suffer relegation this season, some of the Baggies’ highest earners will face “wage cuts of up to 50 per cent,” while other players will see “pay reductions of 40 per cent” as well as a “number of departures” being anticipated – if the club do indeed drop down to the Championship.

After Percy relayed his report on Twitter, fans of West Brom flocked to have their say on the matter, with many suggesting that the club’s wage structure altering in the result of relegation is the sign of the club being well run, while other stated their belief that, following the performances of many of their players this season, they deserve a drop in pay.

So, what exactly did these West Bromwich Albion fans have to say in reaction to John Percy’s report?

“Why is this news? It’s how we’re run. Quite rightly too. I’m glad we don’t mortgage our future in trying to compete in the greed league. Poor journalism, here.”

@JoshRoberts1988

“Hardly a significant story, Always been the same with Albion. Only change is no buy out clauses which will benefit us big time.”

@Baggiejohn1

“Good. Their pathetic performances at the start of the season have consequences.”

@luke_millichamp

“Serves them right IMO.”

@BenSimm02

“Good.”

@jon_foz

“League 1 here we come.”

@bigsamoutnow

In other news: some WBA fans slammed this man’s performance against NUFC – find out more here!