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Kevin Campbell has claimed that Leeds United “could still sign” Huddersfield Town midfielder Lewis O’Brien despite him recently signing a new contract with the Championship side.

What’s the story?

Reports over the course of the summer transfer window suggested O’Brien featured prominently on Marcelo Bielsa’s side’s shortlist, but a deal failed to materialise before the deadline, with suggestions that the Whites’ final offer failed to meet Huddersfield’s demands.

Since then, the 22-year-old has put pen to paper on a new contract to stay with the Terriers, but Campbell has been quick to insist that it may not stop a move to Elland Road in the near future.

He said: “No, no, he could still sign for Leeds next year. He has signed a new contract to up his money and make sure that Huddersfield can get the fee that they want. If Leeds come in they are going to have to come in correct.

“At the end of the day it is easy to say he shouldn’t have signed a new contract but if Leeds really want him they will come in with a bid that satisfies Huddersfield. Listen, he has done the right thing by signing a new contract. If Leeds want him they will get him. Let’s see how it goes.”

Second time lucky for Leeds

Having refused to kowtow to Huddersfield’s asking price for O’Brien, knowledge that the midfielder has signed a new contract with the club shouldn’t be something to overly disappoint Leeds fans.

As Campbell says, if the Whites feel they need the 22-year-old, then a potential move for him could be on the cards in the January transfer window.

A new contract has simply protected O’Brien’s value from Huddersfield’s perspective, but what it doesn’t do, is make him untouchable when it comes to selling him.

Victor Orta and co will surely know what the asking price is for the midfielder given the fact they reportedly had four bids for him rejected, and it will be more a case of whether Bielsa feels he needs his club’s transfer chiefs to push the boat out a little more to strengthen his options.

It could well be second time lucky for Leeds.

Meanwhile, Phil Hay has delivered his verdict on Leeds’ transfer business…

As per Bundesliga journalist Shark Gutierrez, Greuther Furth have a €3.5m (£3m) purchase option to sign Glasgow Rangers’ Cedric Itten permanently.

The Lowdown: Itten leaves for Furth

On Transfer Deadline Day, Itten departed Rangers for Germany, where he joined Furth on loan.

He will spend the rest of the season with the newly-promoted Bundesliga side, but there has now been an update on his long-term future.

The Latest: Option to buy

As per Gutierrez, there is a potential agreement with Furth in regards to the Switzerland international’s long-term future.

He said there is a €3.5m (£3m) purchase option available for Furth at the end of the campaign.

The Verdict: Not worked out

After scoring 36 goals in 63 games for St. Gallen (Transfermarkt), the Gers decided to snap up 24-year-old Itten 12 months ago. However, it is a deal that didn’t really work out at Ibrox. In 42 games for the club, he found the back of the net just six times, and failed to hit the heights of Alfredo Morelos and Kemar Roofe.

Now, a move to Furth has arisen, but his future is now on the line. If he enjoys a fantastic campaign, Furth will now doubt look to exercise that option. But if he fails to impress, then he may not have a future at Ibrox either. It promises to be an interesting term for all involved.

In other news, Rangers fans reacted to Itten’s departure.

The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece has shed some more light on Aston Villa’s recent “coup” following transfer deadline day.

What’s the story?

Dean Smith’s side recently confirmed that they had appointed Aaron Danks as assistant head coach alongside Craig Shakespeare, with the 38-year-old having come in from his position at Anderlecht.

Preece has now said: “It was achievable knowing Mark Harrison, Villa’s academy manager, worked with Danks for several years at West Brom. Danks has an impressive CV knowing he was at the FA for five years and helped the U20s win the World Cup in 2017.

“At Anderlecht, he linked up with Kompany and Bellamy and I’m told he was by far the most-vocal of the three during their training sessions. He worked a lot on attacking and set-pieces so, on the face of it, the appointment could be a bit of a coup as well. Plus, he’s local to Solihull.”

Exciting appointment for Villa

Following John Terry’s abrupt departure from Villa Park earlier this summer, Smith desperately needed to find someone to replace him, and in Danks they appear to have a perfect fit.

While the 38-year-old doesn’t quite come with the same global reputation that Terry did, or the ex-Chelsea captain’s defensive nous, he is someone who has had plenty of experience shaping and coaching a team’s attack, having done that as the lead offensive specialist coach while working with the FA.

The Express and Star’s Matt Maher added a bit more to his appointment, revealing: “Smith had been keen to appoint a younger coach with a background in data and analytics. Danks’ expertise as an attacking coach was also seen as a key attribute.”

Now that Smith’s backroom setup is all compete, Smith can get back to delegating responsibilities like he usually would rather than the kind of quick fix that he no doubt would have gone for following Terry’s exit.

It’s an exciting appointment for Villa and one which should have fans buzzing too.

Meanwhile, Preece has also confirmed this major Aston Villa boost…

Leicester City could secure their ideal heir to former club captain Wes Morgan this summer after being linked with a move for West Ham United defender Issa Diop.

What’s the story?

According to the Daily Mail, the 24-year-old centre-back is on Leicester’s wish list as Brendan Rodgers looks to add strength in depth to his defence.

The Foxes have been in the market for a new central defender all summer following Morgan’s retirement, and a serious injury picked up by Wesley Fofana has further increased their need for reinforcements.

Heir to Wes Morgan

After departing boyhood club Toulouse in a £22m deal three years ago, Diop settled into life on English shores well, quickly establishing himself in the Irons’ starting XI. The 6 ft 3 gem made 33 Premier League appearances in his debut campaign, earning numerous plaudits from impressed onlookers, including then-Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho.

“Their centre-backs had a fantastic match,” said Mourinho following the Hammers’ 3-1 victory over United back in 2018. “Congratulations to the scout who found Diop, a monster who dictated everything.”However, the former France under-21 defender has struggled to build on his early promise in east London. The likes of Craig Dawson and Angelo Ogbonna moved ahead of Diop in David Moyes’ pecking order last season, limiting the youngster to just 15 top-flight starts.It’s led to speculation that Diop could seek pastures new this summer, and the King Power Stadium could be the ideal destination for him.

Morgan’s decision to hang up his boots has left a sizeable gap in the Leicester backline, while Rodgers has cultivated an enviable reputation of developing promising young talent throughout his managerial career.

The Foxes legend proved to be a no-nonsense centre-half during his time at the club, notably averaging 4.2 headers won and 4.7 clearances per game in the 2018/19 season. In the same campaign, the West Ham giant won 2.3 headers and made 3.7 clearances per match, also illustrating his reliability at the back.

The combination of a new challenge, regular game-time and working under the Northern Irishman could be the perfect cocktail that Diop needs to rediscover his best form.

Therefore, Leicester director of football Jon Rudkin must swoop for the Frenchman in the current transfer window, providing Rodgers will the squad depth required to fight on multiple fronts and giving him a worthy heir to club legend Morgan.

In other news… Get it done: Rudkin must sanction LCFC swoop for £22.5m-rated gem, he’s a “top player” 

Crystal Palace announced on Wednesday afternoon that defender Sam Woods has left the club.

And a number of Eagles supporters have been giving their reaction to the confirmation on social media.

The 22-year-old signed professional terms with the club back in 2017 and made his senior debut against Middlesbrough a year later.

Woods made a total of four senior appearances for Palace and was sent out on loan to Hamilton and Plymouth Argyle during his time at Selhurst Park.

He has become the latest player that Palace have wished well, with a number of senior first-team members also departing the club over the summer such as Scott Dann, Patrick van Aanholt and James McCarthy.

Woods has technically been a free agent since the beginning of July but the club have only just officially confirmed his departure almost two months on.

Palace fans react

Palace posted the news regarding Woods on their official Twitter page. This is what these fans had to say in reply, with one describing it as ‘weird’.

“End Of An Era”Credit: @joelcpfc_”Shame”Credit: @cpfc_sean”Oh?”Credit: @Mitchell__SZN”Weird flex. No mention of where he is going, and we have known he was leaving for so long. Why so long with doing this then? Idk”Credit: @TtimeSTL”Starting to like the narrative more that just because some players have Palace pyjamas, curtains or are a fan of the club – it doesn’t always warrant them anything in terms of first team opportunities. 22 years old – only 16 professional apps across 3 teams: wasn’t meant to be.”Credit: @CPFCMOORE”Best of luck for the future”Credit: @FPTW_

In other news: ‘Things you just love to see’, ‘Get in’ – Many CPFC fans buzz as ‘baller’ signs a new deal. 

An update has emerged regarding Everton’s interest in Brazilian left-back Guilherme Arana.

What’s the talk?

According to Brazilian outlet Torcedores (via TEAMtalk), Everton are interested in signing Atletico Mineiro full-back Guilherme Arana.

The report claims that the Toffees have been sending scouts to watch him play for Brazil at the Olympics, where he is playing alongside Richarlison. They are in the quarter-finals of the competition, with the Blues continuing to track his progress.

Fans would love him

Marcel Brands must sanction a swoop for the left-back this summer as he could be a quality addition to the squad heading into next season, while the fans would likely love him.

Everton are short on cover in the full-back areas and Arana could be a much-needed signing to bolster the depth of Rafa Benitez’s squad. Lucas Digne is the first-choice on the left-hand side of the defence and there is no need for him to be immediately replaced, but behind him there is little in the way of competition.

Niels Nkounkou is still very raw, while Ben Godfrey was forced to play at left-back at times last season as a right-footed centre-back naturally, and bringing Arana in could alleviate any need to do that again. Not only would Digne have a serious challenger for his place in the team, it would also allow the former Norwich man to focus solely on playing at centre-back instead of filling in at full-back.

André Jardine, Brazil’s coach at the Olympics, heaped praise on the 1.76m (5 foot 9) beast as he said of the 24-year-old: “He is going through a spectacular phase, he was the best full-back at the last Brazilian Championship, with a great resourcefulness, defensively and offensively.

“His big message at the last Championship was that he scored goals, gave assists, he even scored a goal on our last call. I talk to Franco a lot. With his approval on the left-back, he really meets the Brazilian National Team. Arana fills our eyes with us at the club and here.”

This illustrates that Arana bombs up and down the left flank as he is able to make an impact at both ends of the pitch. Everton fans would likely appreciate him working hard to get up the pitch, as Digne does, whilst potentially offering some assists and goals from the back.

He has one assist in three games at the Olympics and has averaged a superb SofaScore rating of 7.10 in Tokyo. Therefore, he could be a quality signing for the Blues in an ideal position, and one who Everton supporters would surely love to see competing with Digne for the left-back spot next season.

AND in other news, Brands must “raise the bar” by landing “phenomenal” £195k-p/w colossus for Everton…

According to the Daily Mail, Tottenham Hotspur boss Nuno Espirito Santo is ‘keen’ to reunite with Wolves star Adama Traore in north London as the club ‘weigh up a move’ to sign him.

The Lowdown: Spurs in attacker chase…

As reported by football.london, Spurs’ first priority is an overhaul in defence this summer with the Lilywhites eyeing, preferably, after two new centre-back signings.

However, they also have their eyes on strengthening in the attacking positions, as highlighted by the capture of young winger Bryan Gil from Sevilla.

Tottenham have earmarked the likes of Danny Ings and Dusan Vlahovic as possible forward additions, with the Daily Mail now coming out with another link.

The Latest: Spurs weigh up Traore move…

As explained by the Mail and journalist Adrian Kajumba, Traore is now a target for Tottenham as Nuno eyes a possible reunion with his former star player at Molineux.

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Wolves have yet to receive ‘any official contact’ for the 25-year-old but they will consider letting him leave this summer amid Spurs’ fresh interest.

However, managing director Fabio Paratici faces a financial battle to sign Traore given Wolves would want a fee ‘similar’ to the £45 million they banked for Diogo Jota last summer.

The Verdict: Exciting but unlikely…

The Spaniard has been quite an exciting player to watch since his debut in the Premier League nearly six years ago.

Last season, Traore completed more dribbles per 90 than any other player in the English top flight (4.1) – highlighting his real threat going forward (WhoScored).

He has also attracted praise from Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, who called him ‘undefendable’ after the Reds beat Wolves 1-0 in March (Liverpool Echo).

Nuno himself has made no secret of his admiration for Traore in the past, lauding the player as ‘amazing’ and ‘unique’ (The Athletic).

However, given his possible £45 million tag, this move could be too difficult to pull off given Tottenham are having to adopt a sell-to-buy policy.

In other news: ‘Speaking to people involved’…Alasdair Gold believes another Spurs signing ‘will happen’, find out more here.

QPR are reportedly not pursuing a deal for Sheffield Wednesday forward Josh Windass, according to West London Sport. 

What’s the story?

The Rs finished the 2020/21 season ninth in the Championship table, and will be hoping they can build on a hugely impressive second-half of that campaign under the management of Mark Warburton.

QPR finished that season strongly, and the club’s supporters will have every reason to believe that they could mount a serious push for promotion into the Premier League next term.

Warburton has already acted swiftly in making Charlie Austin’s loan spell a permanent one, with the 32-year-old catching the eye with a number of strong showings whilst at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium on a temporary basis from West Brom.

But QPR were rumoured to be interested in a deal to sign Windass ahead of the new Championship campaign, as Warburton looked to add depth to his attacking options over the summer, which could have potentially been a strong addition to the QPR team.

It’s a bold transfer stance to take by QPR

Windass still has one year remaining on his contract with Darren Moore’s side, and Sheffield Wednesday are seemingly keen to keep him at the club for the upcoming League One season, with Dejphon Chansiri reportedly valuing Windass in the region of £5million, which is likely to ward off any interest in his signature.

Windass was branded as ‘explosive’ by his father Dean Windass in a previous interview with Football FanCast, and he could have been the ideal signing for the Rs to take them to the next level.

The 27-year-old netted ten goals and was on hand to provide six assists in 44 appearances for Sheffield Wednesday last term, although his efforts weren’t quite enough to see the Owls avoid relegation into the third tier of English football.

QPR have both Charlie Austin and Lyndon Dykes as their main attacking options, but they could certainly have benefitted from adding strength in depth to their frontline this summer, and Windass would have provided them with just that.

Sheffield Wednesday are playing a risky game over Windass’ future though, as they’re likely to be pricing him out of a move away from Hillsborough this year, whilst also running the risk of losing him for nothing at the end of the 2021/22 season.

QPR’s rumoured stance on Windass is a somewhat surprising one though, and it’ll be interesting to see whether that could change in the future if another interested party was to register a formal bid for his services this summer.

It’s exactly why fans of the side may be worried at the prospect of missing out on a player like Windass, and what he could have potentially done at the club in terms of strengthening Warburton’s attacking options.

For now though, the Rs will be looking to make a positive start to the new Championship season, when they take on London-based rivals Millwall on the opening day of the campaign, in what is likely to be a closely-fought battle between both teams.

An update has emerged on Liverpool striker Divock Origi, regarding Newcastle’s interest in his services.

What’s the talk?

According to 90min, Newcastle are one of a number of clubs keeping tabs on Liverpool striker Divock Origi. Southampton, West Ham, Crystal Palace, Rangers and Celtic are all also said to be keen on the Belgian international hitman.

The report claims that Liverpool want to cash in on the forward and are working hard to find him a new club, with unnamed sides from abroad also believed to be interested. No valuation is mentioned for the attacker.

Imagine him and Wilson

Mike Ashley must get the chequebook out to complete a deal for Origi this summer.

Although no price has been touted as of yet, Newcastle should be looking to snap him up, as long as it is within reason and not in excess of £20m, for example, as he could be an excellent addition to Steve Bruce’s squad ahead of the 2021/22 Premier League campaign.

Since the start of the 2018/19 campaign, Origi has scored 10 goals in 19 starts across the Premier League and Champions League for Liverpool whilst also providing three assists. He made plenty more appearances off the bench, but his limited number of starts highlights his lack of key involvement for the Reds and shows why he could thrive if handed regular game time at Newcastle.

Just imagine him and Callum Wilson up top for Bruce’s side.

The latter managed 12 goals and five assists in 23 league starts last term and showed that he can score regularly in the top tier. Therefore, adding the former into the mix could make for a mouth-watering strike partnership for the Magpies next season, which is why Ashley must swoop for the Anfield outcast.

Despite not playing week-in-week-out at Anfield, the centre-forward was still able to score some massive goals. Former Everton defender Phil Neville once claimed that the Belgian has “a taste for the big games” and praised the contribution that he has in key moments for Liverpool. 

He told Optus Sport:

“He’s [Origi’s] got a taste for the big games. He has made big contributions in big games. I actually don’t think it was that much of a risk in terms of the schedule they’ve got coming up. I actually think it was a necessity. The same players can’t play in every single game. You take the fact they’ve got so many big games coming up, you have to trust your squad. Those players that have come in have delivered.”

In the 2018/19 season, Origi scored twice in a crucial Champions League semi-final turnaround against Barcelona before firing in the game-clinching goal in the final against Tottenham to make it 2-0.

This shows that he can handle high-pressure situations, which is why he could adapt to being a key player for the Toon alongside Wilson to fire Newcastle up the table.

The Magpies must look to wrap up a move for the £60k-per-week beast this window.

AND in other news, Key development emerges on “inspirational” £13.5m beast, Newcastle fans will be gutted…

Celtic are closing in on a deal to bring Mario Vuskovic to Parkhead this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Croatian media outlet Slobodna Dalmacija (via Daily Record), who claimed that Ange Postecoglou is pushing to complete a deal for the 19-year-old Hajduk Split player and has offered the centre-back a more generous contract than any of the other interested parties.

The Daily Record reported that Serie A outfit Torino are one club the Bhoys are battling in a bid to get a deal over the line for the Croatia under-21 international this summer, with Hajduk believed to be demanding a fee of in excess of £5m in order to part with the defender.

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how much potential Vuskovic seems to have, reports that Celtic seem to be in the driving seat regarding a deal for the 19-year-old is something which will leave fans of the club buzzing.

Indeed, over his 29 1.HNL appearances for Jens Gustafsson’s side last season, the £5.85m-rated defender helped his side keep 12 clean sheets, as well as averaging 1.4 interceptions, 0.7 tackles and three clearances and winning 3.2 duels per game.

The centre-back also impressed for Hajduk in an attacking capacity, scoring two goals, providing three assists and creating two big chances for his teammates, along with averaging 0.2 key passes per league fixture.

These returns saw Vuskovic earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.03, ranking him as Gustafsson’s joint fourth-best performer in the Croatian top flight, a highly impressive feat considering Vuskovic’s tender age.

As such, with Dominic McKay undoubtedly hoping to build a side in the summer transfer window which would be capable of going on to reclaim their Premiership crown next season, the news that Celtic appear on course to land the man whom Aleksandar Holiga claimed is an “exceptional” talent is sure to come as a huge boost for the chief executive. Vuskovic looks as if he would be a fantastic addition to Postecoglou’s options at the back ahead of the manager’s first season in charge at Parkhead.

In other news: Get him gone: Postecoglou must ruthlessly axe “unacceptable” £14k-p/w Celtic disaster