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Former Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Mark Crossley believes it’s all encouraging stuff coming out of the club.

The Owls currently sit top of the League One table after an unbeaten start to the league campaign, which has seen Sheffield Wednesday draw their opening game of the season at Charlton Athletic and then follow that up with wins against Doncaster Rovers, Fleetwood Town and Rotherham United.

Manager Darren Moore has been active in the summer transfer window as 13 new players have arrived at the club this summer, but the club have also looked to tie players down to new contracts also.

Josh Windass put pen to paper on a new deal at Hillsborough with the forward staying with the Owls until 2023 and the Star reported that Sheffield Wednesday are looking to sort out a new deal for defender Dominic Iorfa in the coming weeks.

Crossley believes it’s all encouraging news coming out of the club currently, telling Football FanCast: “It helps that the football club’s got 10 points from four games, so Iorfa is obviously going to look at that and think if we can get automatic promotion, which I’m sure that they’ll all be expecting at Sheffield Wednesday this year, then there’s no reason to leave.

“If you can get the likes of Iorfa signing new deals, Josh Windass has put pen to a new contract, it’s all encouraging stuff coming out of Sheffield Wednesday.”

Iorfa has featured in all four of Sheffield Wednesday’s League One matches so far this season and has helped the team to keep four clean sheets in all of those matches.

Former Premier League footballer Carlton Palmer believes that Crystal Palace should look to sign Conor Gallagher permanently. 

Gallagher made the switch from Stamford Bridge to Selhurst Park this summer on a one-year loan deal and has started the season well for Crystal Palace, scoring two goals at the weekend against West Ham United and helping the Eagles to draw the game.

The 21-year-old spent last season out on loan with West Bromwich Albion, scoring two assists, and has had previous loan moves away from Chelsea with Charlton Athletic and Swansea City.

Palace manager Patrick Vieira has based his summer transfer business around younger players with Michael Olise, Jacob Montes, Marc Guehi, Joachim Anderson and Will Hughes all joining Gallagher at Selhurst Park.

Asked if the Eagles should be looking to make Gallagher’s switch a permanent one, Palmer told the Transfer Tavern: “Yeah, obviously he’s doing well, you know where Palace are. There’s no hiding about where Palace are, their recruitment has to be smart, they haven’t got the biggest budget in the world and so your basis has got to be around good young players.”

Palace have responded to an opening day defeat at the hands of Chelsea, with back-to-back draws against Brentford and West Ham, leaving them with two points from a possible nine so far.

Tottenham Hotspur could look to sign another defender in the next transfer window…

What’s the word?

According to Spanish outlet Fichajes.net, Spurs want to sign Inter Milan colossus Stefan de Vrij in 2022 and view him as a leader that could partner recent summer signing Cristian Romero at the back.

Back in June, the north London outfit were first linked with a move for the 29-year-old Dutch international, per Football Insider, who then claimed that he was valued in the region of £45m following a title-winning campaign at the San Siro.

It remains to be seen exactly how much de Vrij would command, especially as he’ll be in the final year of his contract this time next year. Transfermarkt also value him at £45m.

Imagine him and Romero

Spurs sporting director Fabio Paratici could well create a formidable defensive partnership for the next few years with a move for the 49-time international.

At 29, he would offer some solid experience in the backline and could be the perfect influence on Romero, who at just 23, has several years to go until he reaches his peak.

Throughout the summer transfer window, it was thought that Spurs were looking for two centre-backs and that’s something that they haven’t yet been able to accomplish, so a move for de Vrij would make a lot of sense when business reopens at the turn of the year.

The 6 foot 2 powerhouse played a crucial role in Inter’s title win as Antonio Conte’s side recorded the best defensive record of anyone in the Serie A in 2020/21.

In 32 league appearances, he averaged an impressive 93.8% passing accuracy, which displayed his incredible ball-playing ability and shows exactly why he’d be a fit in Spurs’ new system under Nuno, who likes to play out from the back.

Furthermore, the Dutchman averaged two aerial duels won and 1.3 interceptions per outing, too, and that goes to show that he’s not afraid to use his physicality, whilst he also has intelligence in being able to read the game, as per WhoScored.

De Vrij’s former Lazio teammate Mauricio waxed lyrical about his centre-back partner back in 2018. He told ESPN (via Football Italia): “Stefan is a great defender and deserves to be at a big club. He’s very tall, he’s strong and fast, he runs a lot – he’s a monster!” before later adding: “He’s a calm defender who never gets agitated.”

It’s that sort of presence that Romero could need in north London over the next few seasons.

A player like Eric Dier may have started the 2021/22 campaign in red-hot form, recording three successive clean sheets on Spurs’ way to the top spot and being nominated for the ‘Player of the Month’ award but last season’s mistakes are still fresh in the memory and the club should not pass up on the opportunity to sign an instant upgrade.

So forget what Nuno already has at his disposal, Paratici and co must launch a bid for de Vrij in the next window. On the above evidence, he and Romero would be a scary duo that would cause many a Premier League attack problems.

AND in other news, Spurs receive huge transfer boost over £34m-rated “complete player”, Nuno will be buzzing…

Bruno Lage has had an incredibly difficult start to life as manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers.

He had to turn away bids and interest for his star players and after three matches in the Premier League, Wolves have failed to score or register a point.

That being said, the Old Gold have looked pleasing on the eye and there are certainly plenty of positives from his tenure so far.

In offensive areas, Wolves have a swagger to their play, something backed up by their 4-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup.

That proves that once one goes in, the goals will start flowing for Lage’s team.

He will, however, need Adama Traore to step up. In possession of the ball, the human roadrunner has been nothing short of exceptional this season. The winger has amassed ten dribbles per match according to WhoScored, a tally that no one in Europe’s top five leagues can eclipse.

Yet, after the Wolves boss challenged him to improve his finishing, a new forward has arrived.

Hwang Hee-chan was introduced as a Wolves player during their defeat to Manchester United and following the international break, he will earn his first taste of English football.

The Molineux outfit have been hot on the collar of Hwang for a number of years now but they finally have their man, albeit on a temporary basis at first.

Fortunately, he looks like a man in form. The £53k-per-week earner was in vibrant touch as his South Korean side defeated Lebanon 1-0 on Tuesday.

Hwang was at the heart of everything good his country did with the attacking dynamo proving to be the supply line for the only goal of the game.

His creativity was first class as he provided three key passes during the course of the match.

Playing on the left-hand side, it gave the South Korean winger freedom to get at the defender and he duly undertook that task in excellent fashion.

Hwang attempted a colossal 11 dribbles of which he succeeded in five. That might not be the extraordinary levels we see from Traore but it proves that their talents can align in certain areas.

Furthermore, the new Wolves signing won ten of his defensive duels, suggesting he doesn’t shy away from a physical battle.

When it comes to facing mean-mannered Premier League defenders, that attribute will be vital if Wolves are to start scoring again.

If Hwang starts scoring on a regular basis for his new club, Traore better watch out.

AND in other news, Wolves must revisit swoop for “remarkable” £104k-p/w beast, he’s a big upgrade…

Derby County have reached an agreement with the EFL regarding their punishment for breaching financial regulations.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a claim made by Mike Keegan, with the Daily Mail journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that Derby have agreed to a 12 point penalty, nine of which will be deducted from their current points tally this season, with the other three suspended until next term.

However, a further report by the Daily Mail revealed that, as yet, there has been no agreement reached regarding an EFL imposed business plan, while a resolution regarding the club’s accounting is also required before the Rams’ can conclude their 18-month battle with the league’s governing body.

In his tweet, Keegan said: “I’m told agreement in principle has been reached between Derby County and the EFL. Would see club docked nine points now, with three (12 in total) suspended. No deal yet over business plan. Talks ongoing but this is being viewed as key breakthrough.”

Fans will be livid

While it is undoubtedly good news that Derby have finally made progress towards settling their ongoing argument with the EFL, something that has now been hanging over the club for a year and a half, the fact that Wayne Rooney’s side look to have agreed a nine-point deduction to their current total is sure to have left fans livid.

Indeed, with the club having maintained their innocence throughout their fight with the EFL, agreeing to a penalty which will see the club sent to the bottom of the Championship table – if applied before their fixture against Stoke City on Saturday – certainly seems to be something of an admission of guilt.

Furthermore, while Rooney’s side surprised many with their decent level of performances so far this season, picking up seven points over their opening seven fixtures of the 2021/22 Championship campaign, the impact of suddenly finding themselves seven points away from safety is sure to be negative on the 35-year-old manager, his players and fans of the club.

In other news: Derby County confirm exciting transfer news which is sure to have Rams fans buzzing

Andriy Yarmolenko’s time at West Ham United could quickly be coming to an end after his latest cameo performance against Manchester United on Sunday afternoon flattered to deceive.

The Hammers fell to a 2-1 defeat at the London Stadium after last season’s loan sensation Jesse Lingard bagged a last-minute winner before club captain Mark Noble missed an agonising penalty.

David Moyes turned to the Ukraine veteran in the second half, replacing summer signing Nikola Vlasic in the 68th minute, and Sky Sports commentator Rob Hawthorne noticed that the Irons boss was far from pleased with the 32-year-old.

“I’m not sure David Moyes was entirely happy with the efforts of Andriy Yarmolenko there,” he said during coverage. “Still the dialogue is ongoing between the West Ham manager and the Ukrainian forward, who he has just brought on. He certainly wants to see more from him.”

The Scotsman will probably want to think twice about trusting Yarmolenko as the season goes on, the fact that he turned to him in their need to find an attacking spark was perhaps a little perplexing.

All in all, the £3.6m-rated forward is lucky to still be at the club, having started just one Premier League game in 2020/21.

With his £115k-per-week contract set to expire at the end of the season, Moyes may be better off axing the former Borussia Dortmund man for the foreseeable future.

He has no business playing for the side again after such a lacklustre outing at the weekend.

It’s certainly not a good enough attitude from someone as vastly experienced as Yarmolenko, who has been capped a whopping 102 times at international level throughout his long career.

Moyes clearly won’t stand for it either as he was straight onto the 32-year-old’s back when he wasn’t performing, despite only just arriving on the pitch.

After joining in a £17.5m deal from the Bundesliga giants in the summer of 2018, Yarmolenko has never really hit the ground running in east London, largely due to a combination of injuries and his inconsistent performances on the pitch.

As per Transfermarkt, he’s made only 60 appearances in just over three seasons, where he has only contributed ten goals and six assists. You’d expect a lot more from what was your highest-paid player, prior to the arrival of Kurt Zouma this summer.

In the past, the 6 foot 2 Ukraine star has been lauded everything from “special” to “talented” but on the above evidence, we’ve rarely ever seen it – if at all.

Moyes should not turn to Yarmolenko again this season. His time at the Hammers must be done and dusted.

AND in other news, “Moyes wanted…”: Journo drops worrying West Ham transfer claim, fans will be furious…

Celtic midfielder Kerr McInroy has joined League One side Airdrieonians on loan.

The Lowdown: McInroy’s Celtic career

McInroy has been on the books at Parkhead for a number of years but is yet to make a competitive senior appearance for the Hoops.

The defensive midfielder spent time on loan with Dunfermline Athletic last year and made 22 appearances, with former manager Stevie Crawford labelling McInroy as ‘great’.

The 21-year-old started under Ange Postecoglou in a pre-season game against Sheffield Wednesday but has now left for Airdrieonians.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/celtic-updates-14/” title=”Celtic updates!!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Latest: Airdrieonians confirm transfer

Airdrieonians took to Twitter on Thursday evening to announce a loan deal for McInroy.

The Scot has penned a temporary move until January, though manager Ian Murray is hopeful of extending that further.

McInroy is out of contract at Celtic Park next summer, so it seems as if his underwhelming Parkhead career is drawing to a close.

The Verdict: Not good enough…

Airdrieonians boss Murray revealed that McInroy has been training with Celtic’s first-team every day, so he could prove to be a shrewd signing for the third-tier side.

However, he was obviously not good enough for Postecoglou, who, you’d expect, would have agreed to McInroy departing the club.

McInroy is now at the age where he needs regular first-team football, so it appears as if a move away makes sense for all involved.

In other news: Kieran Devlin drops worrying Ange Postecoglou and Celtic sack claim in Friday morning report. 

Rangers were able to watch one of their transfer targets up close and personal on Sunday as Kevin Nisbet lined up for Hibernian at Ibrox.

The striker played the full 90 minutes for Hibs as the Gers came from behind to win 2-1 and return to the top of the Scottish Premiership.

Journalist Hugh MacDonald recently revealed that Steven Gerrard wanted to bring the forward to the club in the summer window. He told PLZ Soccer, via Ibrox News:

“I know he was keen on bringing in quality. He was keen on bringing in a striker, I know he was keen on Nisbet, and for whatever reason, he couldn’t that over the line.”

So, how did Nisbet get on against Gerrard’s side? He scored the opening goal with a fine header in the eighth minute and, without looking at anything else, that would suggest Rangers were impressed with what they witnessed from their potential January target.

However, that may not be the case after taking a deep dive into his performance. Goals are not everything in football and the overall standard of a player’s displays should be taken into consideration. After all, that is what the bulk of their play consists of and is what they rely upon when not scoring goals.

Outside of his strike early in the game, Nisbet put in a worrying showing that could send a warning to Ross Wilson watching on in the stands. The Gers chief, who calls the shots on transfers, may be less inclined to splash the cash on the Scotland international after seeing how much he struggled with and without the ball.

In possession, Nisbet was a liability for Hibs. Per SofaScore, he lost possession 18 times from 30 touches – more than once every two touches – and only completed a measly 44% of his attempted passes, whilst failing with both of his attempted dribbles.

This shows how poor he was with the ball at his feet, which will ring alarm bells for Wilson as it provides an insight into how he could cope in a possession-based side for the Gers.

Off the ball, the 24-year-old also struggled. Per SofaScore, he lost 66.66% of his duels on the pitch, losing 18 of his 27 battles. Along with his, he gave away four fouls and was dribbled past twice, whilst failing to make a single tackle or interception.

Therefore, he was disappointing with both sides of his game after scoring the opener, which could erase any positive impression that the strike had on Wilson and Gerrard.

This worrying display has sent a transfer warning to the Gers and it could be 90 minutes that lives long in the memory as the club prepare their January transfer plans.

AND in other news, Possession lost x15: Rangers lightweight with zero key passes let Gerrard down badly…

Everton fans want to sign Sean Longstaff after they were linked with a move to capture the Newcastle United midfielder in January.

The Toffees have started the Premier League season well. As it stands, the Merseyside outfit are fifth in the Premier League with 14 points, just two behind leaders Chelsea (Sky Sports). Rafael Benitez has had a positive impact on the club since replacing Carlo Ancelotti, who returned to Real Madrid in the summer.

The arrivals of Demarai Gray and Andros Townsend have helped Everton rise up the table, and now it seems Benitez could dip into the market once more. According to The Independent, the Toffees are looking to sign Longstaff from Newcastle, where the midfielder previously played under Benitez.

The news has been doing the rounds of Twitter, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on the £13.5m-rated ace (Transfermarkt).

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Longstaff links below

“That’s it mate. It’s no good having players like Gomes or Davies as backups to the current two as they are both completely different players. Signing players who are similar mould e.g Longstaff makes a lot of sense.”

Credit: @TacticallyEv

“Just the fact he would be on half of them others mentioned in wages makes it worthy. Oh and he can run a bit, that’s two plusses.”

Credit: @spuddy1878

“Yeah works with me As you said if you get rid of Delph and get Longstaff in for next to nothing who will be on less money, it’s a squad upgrade.”

Credit: @Danny_EFC6

“Sean Longstaff’s contract is set to expire in the summer. Everton should get in his ear about offering a contract in January. Get him on a free or take him off Newcastle for less than £5mil. Would be decent cheap depth for Rafa”

Credit: @bobbyhillplays

“you can see why Rafa wants Longstaff”

Credit: @___MC88

“Looked into Allan & Longstaff stats compared this season. Certain area pressures & some passing stats Allan slightly on top. Overall Longstaff is outperforming Allan. Understand why Everton want 23yr old on free transfer who performing at level of first team midfielder”

Credit: @TLong_91

In other news, Everton are leading the race to sign this Champions League winner.

Lucien Favre features on Newcastle United’s list of potential replacements for Steve Bruce, according to The Daily Mail’s Craig Hope. 

The lowdown

The expectation is that the 60-year-old will be relieved of his post imminently following the completion of the PIF takeover at St James’ Park.

Favre’s two-and-a-half year stint as Borussia Dortmund manager came to an end last December when he was sacked amid a poor run of form (via BBC Sport).

The Swiss native, who has also managed the likes of Nice and Hertha Berlin, took 68 victories from his 110 matches as Dortmund boss. That equates to a win percentage of just under 62% (via Transfermarkt).

The latest

In a tweet, Hope claimed: “[I] understand ex-Dortmund boss Lucien Favre is among those being discussed.”

He is just one name on the owners’ shortlist, which also features Leicester City’s Brendan Rodgers and Rangers’ Steven Gerrard.

The verdict

When discussing if Favre would be a good fit for Celtic back in March, football commentator Derek Rae raised some key concerns, saying that his personality didn’t seem to align with the ‘passionate and emotional nature’ of Dortmund and that his drive for possession is ‘sometimes overdone if anything’.

Rae also noted that Favre was ‘a coach, not a British-style manager’.

In light of this, can we really say that Favre is the right fit for Newcastle, a club renowned for its passionate fan base? Perhaps not.

In other news, Newcastle’s top transfer target has been revealed.