Dean Smith would be silly to stand in John McGinn’s way if Leicester come calling

John McGinn is easily one of Aston Villa’s most accomplished players which is why it will as no surprise to hear that he is wanted by a number of Premier League clubs, including Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester City. So why should they let him go?

According to the Daily Mirror, McGinn is one of three players the former Celtic manager is chasing in his bid to revamp his squad.

McGinn, who has already rejected the opportunity to work with Rodgers when a £3m Celtic bid was lodged last summer, has another chance to team up with his admirer but this time in the Premier League.

Naturally, Villa will try to keep their star player on board. But there is only so much the club can do now to hold the player back, since their hopes of promotion have been all but scuppered this campaign.

Taking a more positive view on the situation, here are two reasons Villa should let their man go this summer…

Finances

Aston Villa could really do with some extra cash after their recent financial scare, and the large bid it will likely take to prise McGinn from their clutches should help somewhat with balancing the books.

Another forecasted season in the Championship never helps; however, if the money is used and reinvested wisely, which we have no doubt Dean Smith will do, having already displayed his talents at cash strapped Brentford, there is every chance the McGinn transfer could propel Villa into the promotion spots.

Going backwards to go forwards.

Man management

Should McGinn have his head turned and want to depart the club it would be wise for Smith to allow him.

It is a rare opportunity to step up into the Premier League for any player, especially one of McGinn’s humble beginnings. So to stand in his way when a very viable project comes knocking would be a grave error of judgement.

Indeed, Smith, who is relatively new to the job, does not command the level of respect yet that would allow him to dictate the dressing room in any way he sees fit without retribution. And should he stand in the influential Scotsman’s way, there is every chance he could lose sections of the dressing room.

This really is not something the club can afford.

Diakhaby and Depoitre have really struggled at Huddersfield this season

Huddersfield Town have had a torrid time in the Premier League this season but they can use the following season to rebuild.

Huddersfield may be firmly sitting at the bottom of the League, 13 points adrift of the relegation zone, however, with relegation all but confirmed, next season will give them a chance to rebuild under Jan Siewert and attempt to gain Premier League status once again.

The Terriers’ problems have stemmed across the pitch with a lack of organisation at the back and defensive solidity, although that has improved under Siewert but more notably a lack of a consistent goalscorer.

Many players have not impressed this season but here are two players that have struggled the most this season…

Adama Diakhaby

When Diakhaby arrived from Monaco in the summer there were high hopes for the Frenchman. Given how much he had caught the eye in Ligue 1, partnered with Huddersfield’s desperate need for a direct, pacey, forward-thinking winger, the Town faithful had a right to be excited.

However, the 22-year-old has been unable to impress enough under David Wagner or Siewert to warrant a consistent run in the side as the story has been very similar under both managers- start off by getting game time for a handful of games but then be cast out of the matchday side for a significant period of time.

Diakhaby could be a player that moves on in the summer unless Siewert can help rejuvenate his form for the season ahead.

Laurent Depoitre

Depoitre has appeared consistently in this Huddersfield team throughout the season, yet his impact has not been as notable as he would have surely liked.

The 30-year-old has made 25 appearances this season in all competitions, but he is yet to score a goal for a side that is desperate to see the ball hit the back of the net.

With that in mind, it is unlikely that Depoitre will stay beyond his contract, which runs out in the summer.

Wolves fans react as Conor Coady misses out on England call-up

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Wolverhampton Wanderers captain Conor Coady missed out on a spot in Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad that was announced on Wednesday, and Wolves fans were quick to react on Twitter.

Even though he had never been called up previously, the 26-year-old centre-back looked to be in with a shout this time around having skippered the west Midlands club to seventh in the Premier League following promotion last season, and to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

Had Southgate still been playing with a three-at-the-back system – which he did at the 2018 World Cup – then the former Liverpool man may well have been a chance given that is also Nuno Santo’s preferred tactic.

However, the Three Lions boss has chosen a back four in more recent times, and that may well have cost the central defender on this occasion despite his impressive displays and leadership – Burnley’s James Tarkowski got the nod despite his team’s lowly position in the Premier League table.

Wolves supporters took to social media to give their thoughts on the decision, and while one said it was “absolute madness” that Everton’s Michael Keane had made it in ahead of him, another labelled it as the “right decision”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

West Brom fans will want to cover their ears for the video below…

Never win anything with kids! Celtic fans bash crucial Lennon decision

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Loads of Celtic fans have been running the rule over their difficult afternoon at Dundee, and they’re not at all impressed by youngster Mikey Johnston.

Celtic scraped past Dundee on Sunday, as Odsonne Edouard’s 95th minute goal was enough to move the Bhoys ten points clear of arch-rivals Rangers.

Neil Lennon will once again be unhappy with his side’s performance though, as despite dominating most of the match they never really looked overly threatening.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

This is mainly down to the manager’s team selection; he boldly selected 19 year-old Johnston over talented loan stars Tim Weah and Oliver Burke.

Johnston, who signed a new contract with the club back in November, has three goals and an assist so far this season, but he is clearly not quite ready for senior football.

The teenager was too lightweight and too passive during the 1-0 win over a side on the brink of relegation, and fans are bashing Lennon’s decision to play him.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Birmingham City: Nine-point deduction could have been worse for the club

News that Birmingham will be deducted nine points as punishment for their breach of the Financial Fair Play rules, is a bitter-sweet pill for Blues fans.

The deduction will see Garry Monk’s side drop from the mid-table security of 13th, to 18th and a mere five points above Rotherham who occupy the last relegation spot.

Had the rumoured 12 points been taken away, the St Andrew’s side would have been just 2 points above safety, and as such, the punishment will be, bizarrely, something of a relief to supporters.

BBC Sport report that their understanding is that the transfer embargo will be lifted, and no fine will be imposed, a claim that is backed up by the Birmingham Mail and will be a relief to Monk, knowing that — should they avoid dropping into League One — he can wheel and deal in the summer to rebuild a squad to take the club forward.

With only eight games remaining, the five point cushion should be enough to see the Blues stay in the Championship, but with their next three games being a derby at fourth placed West Brom on Friday, followed by back-to-back home games against third placed Leeds and second placed Sheffield United, it still looks a perilous position.

On the plus side, however, after the upcoming daunting run, they still have struggling Ipswich, Rotherham, Wigan, and Reading to play — all of who still sit below them in the table, even after the deduction is imposed.

Many fans will feel as though they have been made an example of, and will question why the likes of several big-spending Premier League and other Championship sides, seem to escape similar punishments.

But when looking at the big picture for Birmingham, it is time for the players and manager to take a deep breath, unite together and move on.

What are your thoughts Birmingham fans? Does the punishment seem fair to you? Let us know below…

Newcastle United fans sceptical as club announces PL Asia Trophy participation

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Newcastle United fans on Twitter are not happy after the club announced they would be competing in the 2019 Premier League Asia Trophy.

The Magpies will be joined in the biennial pre-season tournament by current reigning Premier League champions Manchester City, West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

This year’s edition of the tournament is designed to give Asian fans a rare close-up view of their favourite Premier League teams and stars.

The tournament will take place on mainland China in mid-July.

It’s the second time that Newcastle are competing in the competition and the first time in 16 years, but not all supporters are pleased about it.

One of the fanbase’s main issues is that their team are not yet safe from relegation to the Sky Bet Championship, currently a mere seven points above the bottom three, whilst another is that they see the venture as one more way for controversial owner Mike Ashley to line his pockets.

Check out those and some other negative reactions from the Toon Army below…

Does Newcastle’s infamous title collapse of 1996 mirror what is happening at Liverpool right now? The Magpie Channel discuss in the video below…

Mark Lawrenson says there is ‘no chance’ of Huddersfield repeating history at Selhurst Park

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Crystal Palace host Huddersfield this weekend in their first outing at Selhurst Park since the shattering 2-1 loss to Brighton on 9th March and, having picked themselves up during international break, will be hoping to get back to winning ways against the Terriers.

Jan Siewert’s side will be mathematically relegated if they suffer defeat this weekend, while Roy Hodgson’s red and blue army will move one big step closer to survival. Another round of Premier League fixtures means another round of predictions from BBC pundit Mark Lawrenson, who believes there is ‘no chance’ of history repeating itself at SE25 this weekend:

“Huddersfield gave it a good go at West Ham last time out but they still lost after being 3-1 up with 15 minutes to go, which kind of sums up why they are so far adrift at the bottom of the table.

“This fixture was Huddersfield’s first game in the Premier League in August 2017, when they won 3-0 at Selhurst Park, but there is no chance of a repeat result this time around.”

The mention of Frank de Boer’s abysmal first competitive game in charge surely sends shivers down the spines of the Palace faithful, who turned up to Selhurst Park on opening day, only to be thumped by a newly-promoted Terriers side. Unfortunately for the Yorkshire outfit, it has been pretty much downhill since that euphoria one-and-a-half years ago.

Which player with “no potential” has just been named Crystal Palace’s worst ever January signing? Find out in the video below…

Palace might have had a disappointing couple of weeks but Huddersfield inexplicably let their lead at the London Stadium go last time out and so it looks unlikely that they will be able to clip the Eagles’ wings once again. The 2-0 that Lawrenson predicts indicates a pretty straight-forward 90 minutes for the south London outfit – a far cry from that August 2017 nightmare.

Leeds fans suckered in by April Fool’s prank on Bielsa future

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Leeds United fans’ were given a scare after Newell’s Old Boys English account posted a Marcelo Bielsa themed April Fool’s prank on Twitter to catch fans of the Yorkshire club off guard.

The tweet stated: “BREAKING | Marcelo Bielsa to return to Newell’s Old Boys as Director of Football for the 2019/2020 season to help save his first club from relegation to the Primera B Nacional.”

The account that is dedicated to covering Newell’s Old Boys in English added a link to the tweet that simply redirected to an image which says “Gotcha”, putting the minds of every Leeds fan at ease after the initial fear.

Bielsa was Newell’s manager from 1990-1992 guiding the team to a Copa Libertadores final before departing to manage Atlas in Mexico.

Leeds have been completely turned around by the appointment of Bielsa at the start of the season and the Whites now look likely to return to the Premier League for the first time since their relegation in 2004.

The prank caused panic amongst the fanbase as the Argentine has a history of leaving clubs after a short period of time with his longest spell in charge of a club team lasting just two years.

Here’s a look at how Leeds fans on Twitter reacted to the April Fool’s prank…

Luton Town: New stadium will boost the reputation of club to new levels

It was the news that Luton Town board members and fans have been waiting on for a while, planning will go ahead on a new stadium.

Luton Borough Council’s Development Control Committee unanimously passed proposals to build a new stadium alongside the Newland Park project, which will see homes and a leisure centre be built next to junction 10 of the M1.

Chief executive of the club, Gary Sweet, called the decision ‘a giant leap forward for Luton’, and he isn’t wrong.

The Hatters made Kenilworth Road their home for over 120 years, but this isn’t by choice. Plans to expand or build a new stadium for the club have been around as far back as the 1950s, with aims of building a ground who can host 15,000 to 20,000 fans, but one way or another, a move or an expansion has just not happened for Luton.

But with this recent development, the London club now have concrete legal motions that can see the team move into a new stadium in the not too distant future, and with Luton on the brink of promotion to the Championship, it is no better time than to announce plans for a new stadium.

Luton have asserted themselves this season as a club with the potential to be big players in the English game, with a passionate fan base, a fun style of football, and an academy churning out quality players, and now with plans to move into a new state-of-the-art stadium no in motion, the reputation of the club will be higher than it has ever been before.

If the Hatters can remain a solid Championship side before their move into their new ground whenever that will be, Luton will have all the foundations they need to test themselves as a big club in England once again.

Liverpool fans can’t stop laughing at Rio Ferdinand comments

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Loads of Liverpool fans have been reacting to Manchester United’s exit from the Champions League, and they’re taking particular pleasure from some recent comments made by Rio Ferdinand.

Manchester United were comfortably beaten by Barcelona on Tuesday night, meaning the Red Devils will now definitely finish the season without silverware.

The Catalan giants took the lead early at the Camp Nou and never looked like surrendering it.

Lionel Messi’s brace – one of which was a fabulous goal while the other was a goalkeeping catastrophe from David De Gea – effectively ended the match in the first half before Philippe Coutinho scored a vintage effort from outside the box to make it 3-0.

Has Alisson been Liverpool’s most important signing of the season? Check out the video below to find out why Jurgen Klopp thinks so…

And Ferdinand, who was working as a pundit on BT Sport during the match, will certainly be regretting some comments he made on the programme back when United looked resurgent under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Speaking on BT Sport before Solskjaer was offered the permanent position, Ferdinand said: “Get the contract out, put it on the table, let him sign it let him put whatever numbers he wants to put on there.

“Let him sign the contract and go. Ole’s at the wheel, he’s doing it, he’s doing his thing, Man United are back!”

Needless to say, arch-rivals Liverpool are enjoying the meltdown as their old foes have now lost five of their last seven games in all competitions.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

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