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Swansea City have agreed a seven-figure fee to bring Joel Piroe to the Liberty Stadium this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Wales Online, who claim that Steve Cooper’s side have agreed a fee of around £1m with PSV Eindhoven for the transfer of the 21-year-old centre-forward.

However, it is also reported that the deal is far from complete at present, as the former Netherlands U20 international is currently on holiday, something that is slowing the process down, while Brexit complications could also pose a threat to the £675k-rated man’s switch to Wales this summer.

Cooper will be buzzing

As long as the finer issues of the deal are ironed out, the fact that Swansea could be set to land a new centre-forward so soon after the departure of Andre Ayew is sure to have left Cooper buzzing.

And, while Piroe’s returns for PSV last season were far from breathtaking, the young striker’s potential is very much something that Swansea fans should be getting excited about.

Indeed, over his 11 Eredivisie appearances for Roger Schmidt’s side last season, none of which came as starts, the 21-year-old managed just one goal, in addition to taking an average of 0.5 shots and making 0.1 key passes per game.

These metrics saw the £1.1k-per-week forward earn an average SofaScore match rating of 6.70, however, considering Piroe featured for an average of just 12 minutes over each of his 11 appearances, the former Feyenoord player had very little opportunity to have any real impact on his side.

Furthermore, having been targeted by the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal and Juventus as a youngster, a 17-year-old Piroe featured on the Metro’s top 50 U20s list, with the striker himself comparing his style of play to that of Bayern Munich goal-machine Robert Lewandowski, as well as the report dubbing the striker as being extremely technically-gifted.

As such, with Cooper’s reputation for developing young players, should a move to Swansea go on to be completed, we would not bet against Piroe finally going on to fulfil his potential with Swansea next season.

In other news: Major update emerges on “quality” Swansea gem that will have Levien buzzing

There are several names being linked with the vacant Tottenham Hotspur job, but former Spurs forward Paul Stewart has questioned whether Ajax manager Erik ten Hag would be the right fit.

The north London outfit recorded an impressive final-day victory over Leicester City to secure a place in the UEFA Conference League on Sunday but are yet to name a replacement for Jose Mourinho.

Ryan Mason was placed as interim head coach 24 hours after Mourinho left, and led Tottenham to four victories from their final six Premier League matches and a seventh-place finish.

But the 29-year-old isn’t currently in the running for the full-time position, with Nuno Espirito Santo the current favourite having left Wolves last week.

Reports on Sunday believe that Tottenham have decided on their ‘top candidate’ and are hoping to have named a new manager in the next 7-10 days, while The Athletic’s Jack Pitt-Brooke claimed that ten Hag is the “most likely” to be hired on the View From The Lane podcast, via HITC.

Graham Potter, Scott Parker and Roberto Martinez are all in the running, but Dutchman Ten Hag still appears a contender despite signing a new contract at Ajax following strong reports immediately after Mourinho left that he was a candidate.

But Stewart, who was a Tottenham hero in the 1991 FA Cup final success after scoring the opening goal, isn’t convinced that the 51-year-old should be tasked with taking Tottenham forward.

He exclusively told Football FanCast:

“When I think about the difference between the two leagues, there’s no comparison, Ajax have probably got three teams that can cause them problems, so it doesn’t really prove anything for me, but I think a lot of the bigger clubs are considering him.

“But I’m not totally convinced that he can do the job, but it has happened before. For me, the jury is out whether he would be the right man for Spurs.”

Following their qualification for next season’s Europa League, David Moyes will recognise that he must improve not just his starting lineup but also his squad, and former Premier League defender Steve Howey believes that Sam Johnstone could do that.

Johnstone is widely expected to leave West Brom this summer following the Baggies’ relegation to the Championship, but the shot-stopper can hold his head up high having earned two England call-ups during the season.

Reports suggest the 28-year-old could be available for a cut-price £10m fee this summer and the London Stadium could be an ideal place for him considering Lukasz Fabianksi is 36-years-old now and has picked up a few injuries in the last two seasons, which has seen him miss 135 days.

Johnstone could come in and be a great number two at West Ham or Moyes could even put his trust in him and make him the number one after impressing this year. Either way, Howey believes he is good enough to join the Hammers, exclusively telling The Transfer Tavern:

“I think he’s a very good goalkeeper and he’s up there with the best for most saves made in the season, so yeah he would be a great keeper.”

Fabianski has been a loyal servant for the Hammers since he joined from Swansea City in 2018 having made 304 saves during his time with West Ham.

If funds are available then Moyes would likely want to add bits of quality through the squad and in most positions but that is unlikely to be possible so he may choose to target key areas such as a striker and number 10.

Many Arsenal fans have been left to slam the display of Hector Bellerin in their 0-0 home draw with Villarreal in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday night.

Mikel Arteta’s men crashed out of the one competition that gave them hope of European football for next season at the hands of their former manager Unai Emery, whose team ended up winning 2-1 on aggregate after an assured performance at the Emirates Stadium.

Several of the Gunners players failed to get out of second gear, none more so than Bellerin, who lost out on three of his duels and also failed to record a single dribble, interception, tackle or accurate long ball in the game (Sofascore).

The Spain international also lost possession of the ball on no fewer than on 15 different occasions in the match, the joint-fourth most out of any of his teammates to have set foot on the pitch (Sofascore).

Arsenal fans on Bellerin display

These Gooners slammed his performance on Twitter, with one AFC supporter even going as far as to claim that the 26-year-old was a ‘passenger’:

“Bellerin and Partey’s passing today was dreadful! #afc”

Credit: @Delcay078

“Bellerin has been absolutely pony so far. Pass % can’t be above 50. #afc”

Credit: @PaulTheFace_

“Saka and Bellerin have been poor. Pure average, I would say below average #Arsenal #AFC #UEL”

Credit: @TheAfcLAD

“Bellerin is finito. A passenger in the field. Partey .. I am still waiting for one good game from him. Such a timid little player. #AFC”

Credit: @19AJR

“Hector Bellerin is awful! He doesn’t prefer bathing going forward, he can’t defend and can’t pass #Bellerin #afc #ARSVIL”

Credit: @WilkoCoach

“Bellerin is so weak. Worst player on the pitch for us #AFC”Credit: @TheBimalIn other news, find out whose display was slammed in the first leg here!

It would be a big surprise if Gini Wijnaldum remains a Liverpool player beyond this season, according to journalist James Pearce.

The Lowdown: Final season at Liverpool?

The Dutchman has been a fantastic servant for the Reds since arriving in 2016, proving to be a key figure in the middle of the park and being hailed as ‘incredible’ by compatriot and former Liverpool winger Ryan Babel.

With Wijnaldum’s contract expiring at the end of the season, constant speculation has linked him with a move away from Liverpool. The fact that the 30-year-old hasn’t yet signed a new deal at Anfield seems to speak volumes about where he sees his future, with Barcelona the front-runners for his signature amid a potential reunion with former national team coach Ronald Koeman.

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The Latest: Pearce provides key update

Speaking in a Q&A for The Athletic on Sunday, Pearce admitted that he fully expects Wijnaldum to be elsewhere come the start of next season, saying:

“Last I heard he was still weighing up various options, but I’d be amazed if he ended up staying out. He would bank a massive signing on fee as a free agent.”

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The Verdict: A wonderful servant

Wijnaldum looks nailed-on to leave Liverpool, but he should always be remembered as a legendary modern-day figure at Anfield, winning both the Premier League and Champions League.

He might not have made as many headlines as the likes of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, to name just a few, but he has been vital to Liverpool’s success. His goal on a tense final day afternoon against Middlesbrough four years ago proved the catalyst for Champions League qualification, and who can forget his double against Barcelona on that night at Anfield in 2019.

Wijnaldum has made 235 appearances in just five seasons, speaking volumes about his consistency and fitness levels, and he will be a big miss should he move on, knitting things together in midfield in an understated manner.

In other news, a Premier League player has been linked with a surprise move to Liverpool. Find out who it is here.

Sheffield Wednesday will be without Massimo Luongo for the rest of the season after a fresh update on his injury situation emerged ahead of tonight’s Championship outing…

What’s the latest?

The Owls have been putting in the final touches ahead of their clash with promotion-chasing Swansea City this evening and the injury situation at Hillsborough Stadium is still pretty bleak.

It has now been revealed that the Australian midfielder will not return for their final six league games.

YorkshireLive relayed comments from Darren Moore on Monday afternoon, also speaking about Moses Odubajo, he said:

“By the time they get to the level in terms of the contact with the team, we just think the season will have run out of legs for them.

“In weeks to come you might hear of them being back on the training ground; they’ll need the volume of twisting in turning, of match minutes, of Under-23s games – because of all that, I don’t envisage them being back (this season).”

A big miss

If there is anyone that the Owls have missed most in recent weeks, then you could certainly put up a case for Luongo as his energy, grit and aggression in midfield is exactly what a struggling outfit needs at this time.

The 28-year-old has been restricted to just ten Championship starts all campaign as he still looks to recover from a serious knee problem.

Indeed, Luongo has not been seen in a Wednesday shirt since an 11-minute cameo against Preston North End in February, whilst he hasn’t started from the off since the 2-0 derby defeat to Huddersfield well before Christmas.

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It was only in 2017 that the former QPR maestro was being dubbed one of the best in the division by his ex-boss Ian Holloway.

“The kid’s getting better and better. I’m delighted for him. If there’s a better midfielder in the league at the moment then I’d like to see him,” claimed Holloway. “If he starts (scoring more goals) then, wow, what a player we’ve got on our hands. That’s the icing on the cake.”

Whilst Garry Monk lauded Luongo’s leadership qualities, suggesting he was a “quiet leader,” merely another reason why the Owls miss him dearly.

Despite being restricted to a total of 12 league appearances, the 5 foot 9 dynamo still ranks amongst their best-performers on the season with an average WhoScored rating of 6.65 – this is better than Adam Reach, top goalscorer Josh Windass, and usual replacement Joey Pelupessy.

Luongo’s 2.4 tackles per outing is unrivalled, not even by Sam Hutchinson or Osaze Urhoghide (1.8) – again, showing exactly why Wednesday miss his bustling presence in the engine room.

To have him confirmed as out for the remainder of their six matches is a killer blow. The Owls are cut seven points adrift and need every help they can get.

Moore is surely now absolutely gutted to hear he won’t be able to welcome back Luongo.

AND in other news, “Darren’s got a decision to make” – Exclusive: Palmer weighs in on key Owls decision…

Crystal Palace could turn to one of their Premier League rivals for a transfer recruit this summer in the form of Arsenal’s Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

According to The Mirror, the Eagles are interested in the 23-year-old alongside a number of top-flight clubs.

Rated at £16.2m, the on-loan West Bromwich Albion man could be the perfect addition for Palace this summer.

Initially, his versatility would prove to be an extremely useful asset to the Eagles heading into 2020/21.

He is capable of playing at right-back, right-midfield and central-midfield as displayed in his time with the Gunners and the Baggies.

With Palace seemingly set to lose a number of players in those positions – including Andros Townsend, Nathaniel Clyne, James McCarthy, James McArthur, Joel Ward and Martin Kelly – as their respective contracts continue to tick down – Maitland-Niles would certainly be able to compensate some of the losses should all of those aforementioned players elect to leave.

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His experience in the Premier League, having played 73 appearances in the competition, would also certainly make him a very attractive option.

Meanwhile, a deal could certainly be relatively easy to complete for Steve Parish, again allowing those departures to be offset with somewhat little cost.

Maitland-Niles does not appear to have any future at Arsenal having been shifted out on loan to The Hawthorns in January, whilst his contract at the Emirates Stadium is set to expire in just over a year’s time.

This could certainly tempt the Gunners into selling, leaving Palace a run at trying to bring Maitland-Niles to Selhurst Park this summer.

There are certainly no negatives in Palace signing the Arsenal man then and as such, they must secure him in what is surely set to be a busy transfer window for both the Eagles and Parish.

AND in more news, Palace have been handed a boost in the race to appoint Eddie Howe this season…

Noel Whelan has tipped Eddie Howe to make Josh King one of his first Celtic signings if he officially joins the Hoops.

The 43-year-old has verbally agreed to replace Neil Lennon at Parkhead following face-to-face talks with Dermot Desmond earlier this week.

The Hoops look set to be Howe’s third club of his managerial career, and Whelan believes a reunion with King in Glasgow could be on the cards.

Everton not expected to make King’s deal long-term

King, 29, was signed by Howe on the south coast back in 2015 on a free transfer from Blackburn Rovers. The Norwegian went on to score 50 goals in 170 appearances under Howe.

The striker is now with Everton on a short-term deal, however, the Toffees aren’t expected to extend that in the summer, meaning he could be a free agent and thus an impeccably cheap deal for such a talented player, even if he demands big wages.

Whelan, talking to Football Insider about King, said:

“He would be fantastic for the Scottish game and Celtic. Maybe he’ll delve into the market for that one, he knows what’s happening in the summertime. The two of them know each other very well.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if he delves into the market and takes people that he knows and trusts.

“That’s what managers generally do, using their own contacts and the relationships they have with players. That would only be a positive for Celtic.”

Transfer Tavern take

King, who picks up £45,000-a-week on Merseyside, could prove to be an excellent signing.

He’s capable of playing anywhere across the front line, has over 160 Premier League appearances under his belt and more than 50 appearances for his national side.

Still only 29 years of age, he could thrive under Howe at Parkhead, should a move materialise.

In other news: Former Hoops striker could join Howe at Celtic Park, find out more here.  

Former Tottenham Hotspur captain Gary Mabbutt has told Football FanCast that Dane Scarlett can push on and become a first-team player in north London.

The teenager has signed his first professional contract at the club, which runs until 2023.

The deal had been in place but Scarlett could not officially formalise his future until he turned 17.

The striker has been in brilliant form for the youth squads, scoring 15 goals in 13 games for the Under-18s in their Premier League this season.

An England U16 international, who scored a brace on his debut, he has made a total of 22 appearances for the development squads, scoring 23 goals.

He has also played three times for the senior squad, totalling 17 minutes in the Europa League and a minute in the Premier League, even laying on an assist in the 4-0 win over Wolfsberger.

Mabbutt believes that he can grow and develop during his time at Tottenham, and thinks he will be a fixture in the first-team for some time to come.

Asked about his new contract, he told FFC: “Every level he’s played at for us, his development is continuing at a very high level.

“He’s got the attitude, he’s got the character, the determination. And as far as his abilities, I think they’re unquestionable.

“So I’m delighted to see him getting his first full contract. And he’s a player that will be pushing to get through to that first team level on a consistent basis.”

Despite starting him against Crystal Palace at the weekend, Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho must drop Harry Winks from the starting line-up against Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League tonight.

The English ace just doesn’t offer much more than keeping things steady in the park, and his display against Palace was proof of that – in their post-match player ratings, The Evening Standard said he was “neat and tidy”.

In fact, as per Whoscored, out of those players who have featured at least ten times in all competitions this season for Spurs, Winks has the lowest average match rating of any of them with a measly 6.38.

His tally of providing only 0.3 key passes per game is even lower than left-back Ben Davies (0.4), while his average of 0.8 tackles per match is the third-worst in the squad – whether it’s defensively or going forward, Winks’ impact hasn’t been too significant this campaign.

Speaking back in January, former Spurs man Darren Bent delivered his verdict on the £50k-a-week earning Winks, saying: “At the end of the day, Mourinho has got several options in the middle of the park. We know how Mourinho likes to play. If you look at his older teams, for instance, they’re all big powerful guys and this team is being built using the same kind of DNA.”

After being a crucial part of the squad during the years of Mauricio Pochettino’s time in charge – he played 115 times under the Argentine – Winks has quite simply been overtaken in the pecking order by several Spurs stars.

Last summer’s arrival Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has firmly established himself as one of the first names on the team-sheet for Mourinho this season, playing 40 games in all competitions already, including playing the full 90 minutes in every single Premier League game.

That really only leaves one other space open in that deeper lying midfield two that Mourinho looks to go with, and when you’ve got the likes of Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso, Moussa Sissoko and Eric Dier, among others who could play there, then it really doesn’t give much room for error for Winks.

One bad display is enough to see you lose your spot in the team, and his performance at the weekend against Crystal Palace certainly didn’t pull up any trees or send Mourinho a timely message about keeping his place.

When Spurs take on Zagreb tonight in the Europa League, Winks should not be on the team-sheet. It would be a ruthless call to make given he was just handed a start against Palace, but it’s one Mourinho has to make.

Meanwhile, Spurs played a blinder by selling this man for £17m…